About Whiskey Congress
This podcast is rooted in and has grown from many conversations in a bar in Lakewood, Ohio. Add in many beers and many shots of whiskey and things went from interesting to ridiculous very quickly. Steve and Jim would sit and talk for hours about sports, politics, race, movies, and just about anything that came on the television all well steadily sipping, swigging, and shooting the drink of choice. Steve had finally found someone he could have a conversation with that did not want to try to fight him and Jim was intrigued by Steve’s depth of knowledge for someone 10 years younger than him. Steve being Black from Northeast Ohio, and Jim being White from Buffalo gives them an interesting dynamic, as their experiences are vastly different.
Steve leveraged his athleticism and book smarts to eventually earn a scholarship to the University of Massachusetts. He graduated from UMass in four years with a BA in Political Science. Upon graduation he went on to DePaul University College of Law in Chicago. Steve graduated DePaul with his Juris Doctor and after spending time working in Chicago he moved back to Ohio to be closer to family and friends. Steve switched his focus from criminal law to real estate transactions realizing he had to balance passion with financial opportunity. Steve now works in Real Estate Development with the mission of providing quality, dignified housing to those with lower incomes, the elderly, veterans the disabled and anyone in need.
Steve combines his knowledge of the law, his personal experiences as a black man in America, with his passion for justice, truth, and fairness to bring a fiery but fun perspective to the podcast. His goal is to be objective and honest and to not physically throw things at Jim when conversations get heated. Steve loves all music and especially hip-hop and often whatever is on his personal playlist makes it on to the show.
Jim is a walking series of contradictions. He’s part nerd, part meathead. He’s socially liberal but identifies as pro-life. He’s an environmentalist and an avid hunter and fisherman. He owns several firearms but hates the NRA. He’s a pot legalization advocate who has never smoked pot.
Jim has more hobbies and interests than he has time…hunting, fishing, shooting, working out, movies, standup comedy (watching and performing), politics, coffee, wine, beer (drinking and brewing). Jim is a man that does not accept his age or limitations despite the obvious impact of both on his life. Jim grew up in Buffalo, New York and strongly clings to his Buffalo roots as a sports fan and a food enthusiast.
He graduated from West Virginia University with a degree in Chemical Engineering and he has traveled the world including Quebec, Southern California, Amsterdam, Germany and India and 28 states in the USA. Yeah, he’s been around and has a passion for honest political talk, sports and general bar banter.
Steve and Jim both enjoy different types of whiskey and quality cigars. Their whiskey tastes range from Kentucky Bourbon style, traditional Scotch Whiskey, and even venture out into Japanese and Indian whiskies. This passion for the brown spirit permeates the show with regular reviews and ratings of different whiskies, and of course consistent consumption to keep the show fun and interesting.