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The CHIRP Blog
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesThe Week That Was and Will Be: What’s Happening at CHIRP Radio (4/20/15)
New Media:
- The CHIRP 2015 Battle of the Bands Final round is all tied up! We’re going into overtime, with voting extended until Tuesday April 21st at 6:00pm
- Dylan Peterson interviews Shura
- Shawna Kaiser interviews Andrew Pelletier of Minor Characters
- Katie Owens interviews Yoko and the Oh-No’s
- Story Week Festival: From Writing to Publishing
SKaiser writesAndrew Pelletier of Minor Characters
Two really great things happened since we met up with Minor Character’s Andrew Pelletier. You’re in for a treat. The videos below were released yesterday and feature Pelletier, accompanied only by piano, performing the band’s own "Weatherman" and Big Star’s "Holocaust".
The idea to cover "Holocaust" came one night on the road while the group was traveling back to Chicago from a show. The song came over the radio. "There's a track off Voir Dire, "To Young America", that is solo piano and voice and has the same mood and sentiment as "Holocaust". It reminds us a lot of it, and a lot of ourselves. We all love sad songs. I think Alex Chilton is the weirdest songwriter ever and expresses a lot of what we're trying to accomplish. It seemed like the right song for us to share with you,” Pelletier said.
The group released Voir Dire last October and since then recognize they’re in a place of transition. The album gave them a chance to redirect their creativity and work together on what’s next. Thus “Weatherman” seemed fitting.
“Its message of redemption is clear, for the most part, and I thought it'd be fitting to work in a song about that after the winter we had,” Pelletier said. “We're in a transitional phase - things change, people move, new projects are created - but I see myself always with Minor Characters. We work best when we're creating. Being creative together again is the next transition. We’re all very excited to start writing and push ourselves in different ways,”
Photo by: Shelby Pollard
Tyler Clark presents: Local Mythologies writesCHIRP Battle of the Bands 2015: The Final Round!
Well, here we are. The Last Four is over, and only two bands remain. Unlike other rounds, there were no tiebreakers or close calls. Instead, dominance came in two familiar forms: the fiery, two-headed garage onslaught of White Mystery, and the boozy, neo-sockhop allure of Modern Vices.
Though they fought valiantly, Twin Peaks and Flesh Panthers fell to these twin beasts, but they'll be back next year. For now, they sit on the sidelines, awaiting the outcome of the final round's titanic contest.
UPDATE 4/20: When the dust settled on Friday, we were all tied up. Thus, like any exciting athletic event that's just not ready to end, we're going to overtime. Voting for OT closes at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 21.
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesThe Week That Was and Will Be: What’s Happening at CHIRP Radio (4/13/15)
New Media:
- The second editon of CHIRP Factory Sessions, featuring Ultimate Painting
- Sotry Week Festival focuses on Sci-Fi and Fantasy
- Julie Mueller interviews The Funs
- Lisa Muscato & Sean Murty are Persons of Interest
- Kywo's In Rotation
- The MP3 Shuffle: Happy Birthday Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesFriday MP3 Shuffle - Happy Birthday Q-Tip Edition
Today is the birthday of Kamaal Ibn John Fareed aka Jonathan Davis aka Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest. Along with fellow MC Phife Dawg, Tip set a standard of excellence few musicians get to. Instantly distinctive voice? Check. Unbelievable flow on the mike? Check? Brilliant musical backgrounds, samples, and accompanyments over which to deliver poetic, insightful rhymes? Check and mate. (If The Low End Theory isn't somewhere in your list of Top Hip-Hop Albums of All Time, you're doing it wrong).
Let's wish the Midnight Marauder a Happy Birthday by grabbing your MP3 player, pressing the “shuffle” button, and sharing the first ten songs you hear: