Lara McGlynn, 37, is heavily involved with Doomed & Stoned, an independent grassroots platform that covers the best heavy doom, sludge and drone metal, stoner, psychedelic, and 70’s-inspired rock across the globe. The audio story below details her journey from Doomed and Stoned resident “dark poet” to Chicago festival organizer.

Our apologies for the grainy audio at the beginning of this interview. It gets better–we promise!

McGlynn began her journey with D&S as the publication’s resident “dark poet,” where she published her short stories and poetry. She now writes show reviews and interviews bands for the site.

In addition to her writing, McGlynn has been involved with D&S’s “scene-by-scene” compilations that feature the best heavy bands in different regions.

While she was assisting in organizing the Indianapolis Doomed and Stoned festival, which will be on its third run this October, and curating the Chicago compilation, it occurred to McGlynn that Chicago had such a rich, thriving music scene that a compilation was not enough to exhibit the city’s talent. She began booking Chicago’s first Doomed and Stoned fest, which will make its debut at Reggie’s Rock Club in the South Loop from June 1 to June 3.

You can find out more information about the festival here.