Dylan O'Brien, owner of Oakland's Prizefighter, is a born and raised East Bay kid who always appreciated the farm to table approach of the Bay, and made that a part of his bars (he also owned SF's Bloodhound). Back in the day, he sang in vocal groups and still plays guitar, but shockingly has never done karaoke despite his singing skills! He started off working in wine, but a friend showed him that he would be much happier working with spirits (especially that "weird tequila") and he now not only oversees his bar, but also a diverse bottle shop next door. And this playlist proves he knows how to warm a crowd up for the night: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4t21rwXkkGi9VbiMZIjBIr?si=zdT9FM10S32JKH8lNhFxiQ

Aaron Post, owner of Valkyrie, St. Vitus, & Maestro (in the summer of 2025) in Tulsa, OK, started off in wine and fine dining but his joy of cocktails led him in another direction. His deep appreciation for hospitality and crafting drinks made him want to create wonderful and safe environment for others - be it a speakeasy or a dance club - and he's followed that passion in the city where he says you can do just about anything. Evidently, that included learning accordion as a kid and graduating into classical and electronic music as an adult, never losing a passion for any kind of music that makes people smile. Check out his emotional rollercoaster of a playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/72ysngg3wdc3zpDI0rfefv?si=D8k5qJzcRGGK5fD-xNRuvA

James Lawrence can be found mixing delicious cocktails at the tiny Kansas City, MO speakeasy, Swordfish Tom's. Music is important to a place named in honor of Tom Waits, but so is community, which is something James understands deeply. Whether it's the community of an intimate cocktail space, or the musical communities in the jam band and jamtronica scenes, James enjoys cultivating enjoyable environments for others to share an experience in. He loves this so much he left his role in the wine world to be able to have bartending as a permanent side hustle along with a flexible daytime gig! He also made a groovy playlist for us: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0AAWk8xmFfnskwSGPIZhgb?si=RYv9Zuo1SbSN5ahIAMXotA