
Transcript
Barr Band Friday: Halloween Edition (Hour 2)
Nite Lite with Pete Schwaba and Greg Bach · Fri Oct 31, 2025
Great to have you with me.
It is Halloween, a Friday night Halloween.
I can't do any better than that.
I'm having a good time here tonight.
Conrad is on vacation.
Sitting in for the K-man is A-Z, Azam, Aaron Zamers.
What do people call you, Aaron?
What do you have like a nickname?
I mean, people mostly call me by my last name here at Civic Media mostly because Todd likes being a little bit formal.
You know, he likes calling Luke Mr. Mathers.
And so I'm Mr. Zomers, whatever.
But also because there's more than one Aaron.
But I guess there was one weird one I had in middle school or high school.
It was early high school.
Some of the younger students in jazz band.
I played a particularly spicy trombone solo once and so they decided that they were gonna call me zombie spice.
You're like, we gotta add some zombie spice to the
He is in the wedding party.
He is not the best man.
He made it clear to tell me that went to a brother of the groom, sort of like saying, I probably would have been the best man if this guy didn't have a brother.
So his options were to either pull a tiny hardening and kneecap the brother Or just be in the wedding party, which you seem fine with so I think he probably made the right call.
I think so too.
He'll be back on Tuesday In the meantime, we have Aaron's honors tonight on loan from the Todd Alba show Keeping it real in Madison.
What is it like Aaron in Madison tonight?
Madison is the place to be on Halloween I remember going up there when I was in college.
It was an absolute blast kind of crazy
a little overwhelming at times.
I hear in recent years, it's dialed back a little bit.
Like I wanted to get my hair cut today and the girl that was cutting my hair, she had like this whole goth thing going on.
And I'm like, whoa, I didn't know she was that into that.
I'm like, no, you idiot, it's Halloween.
And she was just playing the part.
But I do that sometimes.
I was a little bit, I went to a couple of different thrift stores looking for a suit jacket for my costume, and I didn't find anything.
So today, a last-ditch effort, I went to a Goodwill that's closer to my house, and I went in there, and even though I was there for part of my costume, it still caught me off guard when I went over to the cashier and one of them was wearing a mask, like a Joker mask, and I'm like, what, what, oh yeah, it's Halloween.
That's actually why I'm here.
Um, well, we're having fun here tonight on a Halloween.
It's great to have you with us, folks.
Uh, here at nightlight, uh, if you missed act one, Mike Clemens was here, played some great clips from the Packers.
If you missed it and you want to check it out, go to civicmedia.us, all the podcasts are a catalog there.
Mike is always fun to have on the show.
Uh, Mr. Zahmers or AZ and I talked about, uh, Halloween a little bit up top and, uh, it is a bar band Friday night.
Terry Barr will be here at, uh, 7 20 tonight, a little early.
So we can talk about Halloween because we always have so much fun with Terry and she always leaves us wanting more.
So we thought,
And our question of the night is, what is the scariest to you anyway?
What is your scariest creature or monster?
Which creature or monster scares you the most?
I say a skin walker.
Summers, you kind of said shape shifter, but you kind of transition then into something else.
What was your answer?
And Nanny and Wills had the Moray eel or the Lamprey eel, too.
That's pretty creepy.
But we'll get to some more of your texts in just a few minutes.
Folks, Act 2 is underway.
And I have a special guest here.
Periodically, I like to bring my pal and son, Joe Schwabba, on because he is a big movie fan as well.
And he just saw a movie.
the other night spotlight that emerson layman made his popcorn pick of the week last night so i thought let's do a deep dive and within a few minutes of this great movie so i thought i would have joan to talk about it and kind of refresh my memory about it as well i remember loving it it won the best actor i'm sorry the best picture oscar in 2016 i think it was and uh here to talk more about that is my uh fellow movie buff and son joe schwaba hey buddy hey how you doing
Good.
Are you on the stream or the phone?
Uh, I'm on the phone.?
Okay.
Oh, I said, okay.
Don't listen to me, Joe.
I'm doing the show from home tonight.
I'm a little discombobulated.
Uh, okay.
So you're, you saw spotlight, Joe, and what, what, I mean, you were a journalism major, but what propelled you or what motivated you to watch that movie this week?
I just think it's a great coincidence that
Emerson was on last night and made it his pick and you told me like literally two days before you just saw it now I want to give it a rewatch But what made you had you not seen it before?
Well, I had not seen it before and I actually saw it Just on like Instagram like you know how they'll post clips sometimes So I saw a clip of Mark Ruffalo and he's just such a good actor and his performance really gripped me So I was like man, I got to watch this movie because I had heard so many good things about it?
And I hadn't watched a movie in a while, so I was like, well, I'm going to sit down and watch this.?
And it?
was great.
You're not really in the journalism field, but you majored in it.
Was that fun to watch a movie about investigative journalism?
Because I know Emerson was saying he doesn't do investigative journalism, but he is a news anchor.
And those movies are so much fun.
Did you look at it differently, like knowing about journalism and how true was it to journalism in your
opinion??
I mean, I don't feel like I'm one that should like speak on how true it was to like the, I guess, like journalistic integrity, but it seemed like they seemed like they knew what they were doing.?
They fooled me.?
A journalism student who doesn't use his journalism degree.?
All right.?
I think they did a pretty good job But I would say yeah, I mean I love movies We're just characters that are investigative journalists because they're so often Completely absorbed with their work and that's all that matters to them and I'm I gravitate towards characters like that.?
I think they're very interesting to watch on screen?
Yeah, great point.
I always say I like a good mystery or caper or cop movie or show But it's watching reporters investigate stuff is almost even more exciting because they're just trying to get to the truth They're not trying to find the bad guy or they kind of are but I love that that they get consumed with the truth.
How did this film?
Have you seen other movies that?
Deal with investigative journalism and how if so, how do they compare to the spotlight?
Yeah, I mean I got to say this one is This one is one of my favorites.?
I would say it probably is my favorite in that genre.?
I mean you have the insider Yeah, Michael Mann, I think?
It's just an investigative journalist?
But Zodiac was great too And that's all about that world and more about how like journalists I think and then the other one was That I saw was with it might have been with Jessica Chastain, but that could be wrong We actually watch this.?
I think it was about the Boston strangler.?
Oh,
yeah,
could be wrong.?
That?
sounds familiar.
Did you see all the president's men?
No, but I actually looked up movies like Spotlight after I watched it, and that was one of them they recommended.?
So that's going to be next on my list.?
I've heard that that's amazing, too.?
Yeah, definitely check that one out.
It's a great one, too.
All right, who gave the best performance show?
Because it's such a great cast.
You got Rachel McAdams, who I remember thinking was great.
Michael
Keaton is?
fantastic Stanley Tucci is in it and then obviously
my brother is?
great in everything
Yeah, I mean it's like it's so hard to pick they all those names you mentioned Yeah, are great.?
Also, we got a Billy Crudup Quick quick cameo.?
I love a Billy Crudup cameo.?
I'm a big Billy Crudup guy He makes me think like there there could be a spot?
for a guy like me, kind of dorky and whatever looking.?
I like Billy Cretup.?
Identify with Billy Cretup is what I'm trying to say.?
Who was the guy last time that I really liked a lot??
You kind of look like, you kind of remind me of him a little bit too.
That's interesting you say that.
Yeah.
But I
would say, I would say probably Mark Ruffalo.?
I would say probably Mark Ruffalo.?
Rachel McAdams was really good too, but her character was a little more grounded than some of the other ones I think.?
Yeah, but
listen sorry?
go ahead.
No no go ahead, please
I was gonna say I think the the highlight of her performance is when She goes to the doorstep of one of the former priests and he basically confesses to all of the crimes like it's nothing and she is just like Her performance there is perfect with how specific That scene calls for it's amazing what she's able to do?
Huh.
I know you like Mark Ruffalo, because we've talked about him in the past.
Check out Task.
Next, he
is so good in?
that.
And he's good, but the character is good.
It's just a very diverse, thoughtful character.
I think you're going to love it.
Listen, I know you're headed to a bunch of parties tonight in Chicago.
Have fun, be safe, and thank you for sharing your views on Spotlight with me, buddy.
Thanks.
I also want to let everybody know that I'm dressed as Dexter right now, as I'm doing this call.?
whatever that gets for you.?
That's what I'm?
doing.
If people stay away from you tonight, at least you know why.
So that's, you got that going for
you.?
Oh, that's what I'm telling?
myself.
All right.
Have a great time.
Thanks, Joe.
Yep.
Thanks.
All right.
You got it.
That's Joe Schwaba, my son, checking in with Aaron.
Did that make you want to check out Spotlight?
It
Brett, who earlier said his
Favorite or least favorite creature or monster was his first wife.
We wondered Aaron and I wondered allowed how many wives he said and Brett says number four was the charm.
So well done, Brett.
That's an answer to a different Question, I guess, but thank you for weighing in from the 815.
This is wicked.
Well done, everyone That was about an hour ago.
We're talking about an hour ago I don't care exactly great text.
It's great to hear from the 815.
Love the 815
Jim from Appleton says, how about another Native American monster, Windego, or to bend holidays a little bit.
Krampus, Santa Claus, not nice brother.
Great text, keepin' comin' folks.
We're comin' right back with our Paltieri bar.
It's a bar band Friday night on Peach Shwaba.
This is Nightlight on the Civic Media Radio Network.
We're bringing our guest, my co-host for Bar Band Friday Night in a little early tonight because it's Halloween and I thought we would have a fun few minutes of buildup, but kind of an opening act to Bar Band Friday Night, so we brought Terry in a few minutes early.
She is the co-host of Maxink, the award-winning Maxink radio on WMDX, which you can check out.
from six to nine every saturday if you're in the madison area or go to civicmedia.us and all of the uh podcasts are there from this great show and she is our wisconsin music expert and our friend terry how are you
dad, why don't you put something on and I didn't want to be the guy like to go with the mustache and put the freckles on and all that stuff.
So I bought like a five dollar jail costume.
And it's still working for you.
It's I wear once a year.
Probably it's probably due for a abortion.
But and I've got the hat, which I had to take off because my hair was getting sweaty.
And I've got the PJ if he's still on the stream.
I these are the jail pants I did not I'm kind of mailing it in but I will prove that I am wearing pants I've got these black uh sort of like not a not a legging or a jegging but a comfortable
You know, I did.
Here's what's strange.
And I don't know if you remember this, Terry, but when I was a kid, I remember trick or treating till I couldn't walk anymore or eat candy anymore.
Now it's at least in Marinette.
It's from four to six, which is exactly when the show started.
So that wasn't going to be a problem.
But I don't know what it where where are you in Madison?
Can I
and play
they
Where were those made?
And what, you know what I mean?
Like, just getting those bleeds.
Hey, give us a, well, actually, all right, let's do the news.
We're going to come back.
Terry Barr is here.
We're having a great time here at Nightlight, folks, on Halloween.
Our question tonight is what creature or monster scares you the most?
We'll ask Terry that when we come back as well.
And we will do bar band Friday night here at Nightlight with Beachwalla on the Civic Media Radio Network.
Welcome back.
This is not like that might be the granddaddy of halloween songs right terry i mean absolutely i said that video was going around today and people are like it still holds up check it out i haven't seen it in years but it was a masterpiece when it came out that was like that was like the
That is the voice of Terry Barr folks.
She joined us a little early tonight because she's a pal and it's Halloween and it's also barband.
This is a weird equinox where there's a Friday night.
It's a barband Friday night and Halloween.
I'm not sure this has ever happened before.
Ooh, I can't say.
Oh.
And it's funny,
I am new to JT's music, but I'm really digging it.
He is the lead singer for Dogtown Hollow, a Southern Wisconsin band.
Normally, they are like Americana, but he recently took part in this album writing month, and he had to do 14 songs in 28 days.
And he said at one point, all I could do was just crank out some weirdness.
I love that.
So he was inspired by the spooky typeface, you know, the Helvetica
font.
It's called Helvetica the font of evil and he wrote it with his friend Elliot Ben Skike who was also part of this project and I Have what we are going to play is the live
raw version as he was actually writing this song.
Yeah, he sent this
People say that the road to hell is paved with good ideals I don't care about any of that McDamn Chippin' Seal
I see them all the time We should spell with a double L Satan's typeface The devil signs for your soul
They don't play out as much into the winter they all have
pretty stressful jobs.
So they play a lot during the summer, though, a lot of outdoor festivals all around the state.
So watch for Dogtown Hollow.
They're all really active on social media, though, during the entire year.
So you can always track them down that way.
that's...
He says, been in the news before Google it for facts, which I did, John.
and i had never heard of dogma but they're like um they're like werewolves kind of like they have they're like bipeds and they stand up and they're like people that are i know it's very creepy that kind of like reminded me of a skinwalker erron like right along like right along those those lines very scary stuff yes
What is it?
Cthulhu.
It's basically a big, incomprehensible, giant octopus squid guy who controls... Basically, the only reason you live is because he hasn't thought about you yet.
Because he doesn't care about us.
The whole thing is like cosmic horror, unfathomable, evil power that we can't understand.
Yes.
OK.
This is honestly for a very, very long time has been one of my favorite bands.
It's a three piece, Mike, Ben and Wendy.
They have been together since college, so now close to 25 years they have been playing together.
The energy these three bring, though, you would think they're still teenagers.
It's incredible.
Mike writes a lot of the music.
And he is also the owner and operator of a thing called American Ghost Walks.
So they take their ghosts and spirits very seriously.
This band has played at UFO conventions.
The scary Comic-Cons they've played at haunted houses.
They've played at closed businesses like old hospitals.
Of course that's Friday the 13th.
Well done, AZ Aaron Zahmer.
It's filling in for Conrad tonight.
I'm Pete Schwabba.
This is Nightlight, and we have our pal, Terry Barr, who joins us just about every Friday here for Bar Band Friday Night, a segment named in her honor because she finds us outstanding music and...
That was evidenced in the last segment.
She brought us a Wisconsin band with an original Halloween song.
And now we've got another one, Terry, that we've talked about Sunspot a little bit.
Why don't we play that?
Anything else you want to tell us about Spend the Night?
go.
Gonna spend some time in her head Well I'm here to talk to the dead and I'll spend the night I'll spend the night in the murder scene Hoping some rubs off on me Well I don't get queasy and I'll spend the night
Is it the fear I want to face?
Is it the memory of the chase?
Is it the blood I want to taste?
I just don't know.
Is it a lust for the profane?
Or a dream of the insane?
Well, we just can't explain.
We'll spend the night
We'll see what the worms reveal when I spend the night I'll spend the night with the gallows pole In my hand chair unzobo I'll sleep in a six-foot hole and I'll spend the night Is it the fear I want to face?
Is it the memory of the chase?
Is it the blood I want to taste?
I just don't know Is it a lust for the profane?
Or a dream of the insane?
Well, we just can't explain and we'll spend the night
We just can't explain and we'll spend the night No, we just can't explain So we'll spare
Terry, thank you so much.
Thanks for coming out early, hanging out with a little bit, making this more of a festive atmosphere.
You're just fantastic.
And we cannot thank you enough for spending your Fridays with us.
See you next Sunday or next Friday.
OK, you too.
Always fun.
We've got a stream comment here from PG says, just listening to some of the old horror movie soundtracks is pretty creepy.
Maybe next year I'll play some at work.
And then he does the Vincent Price.
Great stuff, PG.
Thank you.
That was called the PG.
And then we've got a steady eddy text here.
We'll get to... How you doing, Aaron?
You hanging in there?
Can you make it to the end?
I think so.
I think I can probably last the last minute or so.
All right, here we go.
Steady eddy text from the 608.
Pete here is the list in no particular order of monsters and creatures that scare me.
Frankenstein, though the Phil Hartman Frankenstein made me laugh.
The Wolfman, the one played by Lon Cheney.
The Blob, Bella Legosi's Count Dracula.
Blah.
Giant spiders and tiny ticks.
Nuclear bombs and mushroom globes.
The ghost of Adolf Hitler.
Cooper Cobra.
Not sure exactly what a Cooper Cobra is, but it's fun to say Cooper Cobra.
These are a few of my scariest things.
Awesome stuff steady Eddie.
Thank you, buddy.
Everybody have a great Halloween have a safe holiday Thank you for spending part of it with me here at nightlight and Aaron Zahmers Thank you for sitting in for Conrad my friend always fun pal
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