CHIRP is building an Associate Board for young professionals 35 & under. Interested? Please fill out this form.
The CHIRP Blog
Mike Bennett writesFriday iPod/MP3 Shuffle—Happy Birthday Solomon Burke Edition
Atlantic Records executive Jerry Wexler, a man who knew a thing or two about soul music said that this man was “the greatest male soul singer of all time.” He may very well have been the king, as he took the stage and sat on a throne. Today is Solomon Burke’s birthday. Burke had a voice that could summon up the sweetness of Sam Cooke or the fury of Otis Redding and many colors in between. The Philadelphia native began his path to legend as so many soul singers singing in church. Moreover, by the time he was 12, he was preaching too. Yep, Solomon lived at an accelerated pace, fathering his first child at 14. One year later, he entered a talent contest which led to a bidding war to sign him. It wasn’t until he turned 21 that his records began to chart, and then waxed classics like “Cry to Me”, “If You Need Me” and “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love”, among others. But Burke never ascended to the level of stardom equal to his talent. Nevertheless, he endured, he preached, he became a father and grandfather many times over, and was recognized as a major influence on so many acts. In 2002, an all-star collection of songwriters provided the material for Don’t Give Up on Me, a Grammy Award winning album that put the spotlight back on Burke, where it belonged. His voice may have lost some top end, but it gained so much in character that he may have been better than ever. In honor of Solomon Burke, please grab your iPod or MP3 player, hit shuffle and share the first 10 songs that come up.
Shawn Campbell writesGreat Thank-You Gifts in CHIRP’s Spring Fundraiser
Here at CHIRP, we're in the middle of our spring fundraising campaign with a goal of $15,000, and we're so excited about the great thank-you gifts we have to offer!
For example, a $60 gift (or $15/quarter) gets you this great reusable grocery tote, perfect for the upcoming farmers' market season:
Give $120 (or $10/month) and you'll get this cool limited edition t-shirt designed by the wonderful Jaclyn Miller of Fort Foot:
And for a $240 gift (or $20/month), it's this sweet CHIRP umbrella, with a special vented design that means it won't turn inside out in the those big spring gusts:
If you give $180 (or $15/month), you'll get both the tote and the shirt, and when you become a $365 ($31/month) member, you get all three!
Make your donation today and score one of these great CHIRP gifts before they disappear forever on March 28th!
Scott McKenna writesWhat CHIRP Means to Me: Scott McKenna
I consider myself nothing less than very fortunate to have been welcomed into such an organization as CHIRP. From the first moment that I discovered the station, I knew that I wanted to be involved and took immediate steps to join. This is back just after we first began streaming live and I had absolutely zero experience in the radio industry, but had always been an avid music listener and a pro when making mixes for my friends. CHIRP gave me an opportunity and an outlet, allowing me easy access to a community of like-minded people and dedicated supporters of commercial free, community focused programming.
To look back now and appreciate what exactly we have accomplished since the beginning is astonishing. Our team has started a cultural dialog in our city that you have engaged in whether you listen, contribute, volunteer, or all of those things! While we are so appreciative of our past, it is important to look ahead now and plan for where CHIRP is going and how it will get there. As we continue to grow, evolve, and expand the reach of independent radio, your support is more important than ever. Please consider donating what you can during our spring fundraising campaign, and help us continue to foster the conversation that has become so important to me.
CHIRP is truly what you make of it, so please make the most of this opportunity to help.
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesWeekly Voyages: Friday Mar. 21 to Thursday Mar. 27
(Weekly Voyages is CHIRP Radio's listing of concerts in Chicago at select venues. Information about tickets can be obtained from the venues' Web sites. Do you have corrections or updates for this list? Send us an e-mail.)
Friday March 21
Morning Arms, Brownie Mountain, Little Timmy McFarland, Mike Donner
Beat Kitchen
The J. Davis Trio
Double Door 9pm, 21+
The Vale, Gerardo Davis
Elbo Room 8pm, 21+
The Way Down Wanderers, Marla Vickers Project
Elbo Room 8:30pm 21+
The Hoyle Brothers
Empty Bottle 5:30pm, 21+
Good Vybes Fest
Empty Bottle 9pm 21+
Akasha, SPARE PARTS, Geri X
Hideout 10pm, 21+
Mike Bennett writesWhat CHIRP Means to Me: Mike Bennett
I’ve
been with CHIRP from the beginning, when we were about turning the idea of a radio station into a reality. I volunteered because I believed in the mission for this community radio station, although I now realize that I didn’t fully appreciate what the “community” part of community radio meant. It means many things.
First, there is the community of listeners, as CHIRP provides music programming that is a true alternative to commercial radio, playing songs and artists that you don’t hear anywhere else.
Second, there is the community of local artists that CHIRP plays, providing exposure, especially for up-and-coming bands. Chicago has one of the most amazing music scenes in the world, and to be a vital part of that community is exciting.
Finally, and most importantly, there’s the community of volunteers who bring various levels of expertise, along with an overwhelming amount of enthusiasm. For a substantial percentage of our volunteers, this is their first experience in radio. I know I have trained over 10 people to become disc jockeys, and I’d guess about a third, if not more, of our DJs are first timers.
And that’s what makes CHIRP so important – anyone can volunteer, as long as they are willing to put in a little bit (or, if they want, a lot) of time. Volunteers can learn all sorts of new skills – in production, in tech, in marketing and much more.
As an original board member, I helped create some of the structure that helped get this station going. And it’s a real station, with real needs for equipment, supplies, payroll (we now have two part-time employees) and anything else any radio station needs to keep going. This is why support from our listeners is so important, so we can continue to serve our communities – the listeners, the Chicago music scene and our volunteers (who knows – one day you, dear reader, might be a volunteer).