CHIRP is building an Associate Board for young professionals 35 & under. Interested? Please fill out this form.
The CHIRP Blog
E. Malcolm Martinez writesThe Midwest Independent Film Festival’s Screening of “Sole Survivor” Is This Tuesday!
The Midwest Independent Film Festival’s First Tuesdays series returns to Landmark’s Century City Theatre (2828 N. Clark) on November 5th with the screening of the acclaimed documentary Sole Survivor.
Directed by local filmmaker Ky Dickens, who will be in attendance for a post-screening discussion, the documentary presents the stories of four sole survivors of commercial airplane crashes. They speak for the first time of the tragic events that they, and only they, survived and the questions and feelings that arose from their experience. It has been recognized by PBS as one of the most anticipated documentaries of the coming year and CNN Films is scheduled to release the film in early 2014.
The evening begins at 6pm with a pre-show cocktail reception and a Producers Panel at 6:30 p.m. Sole Survivor screens at 7:30 p.m., followed by a post-screening reception. Sole Survivor is co-presented by the festival and Women In Film Chicago. You can watch a trailer for the film and purchase advance tickets ($10 General Admission, $15 for Premium Reserved) at www.MidwestFilm.org.
Mike Bennett writesFriday iPod/MP3 Shuffle—Happy Birthday Calvin Johnson Edition
Today we wish a happy birthday to a major figure in American indie rock, Calvin Johnson. Johnson is probably best known for his band Beat Happening, one of many bands that he founded, along with K Records. Johnson, his bands and the artists on his label, had a low-fi sound that was twee and rudimentary. It wasn’t just DIY, it was anybody could do it. They were extremely influential. Johnson has worked on other interesting projects, like the dance oriented Dub Narcotic Sound System and The Halo Benders, a collaboration with Doug Martsch of Built To Spill. In honor of Calvin Johnson, please grab your iPod or MP3 player, hit shuffle and share the first 10 songs that come up.
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesWeekly Voyages: Friday November 1 to Thursday November 7
(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 November 1
Tony, Aaron & Rebecca of The Tossers
Abbey Pub 9:30pm 21+
Ballroom Boxer
Beat Kitchen 9pm, 21+
The 17th Annual Halloween Bash
Double Door 9pm, 21+
The Hoyle Brothers
Empty Bottle 5:30pm 21+
Bear Mountain, The Belle Game, Hawaiian Lion
Empty Bottle 9:30pm, 21+
Summer in Pain Festival
Hideout 21+
The Limousines, Mona, Dresses
Lincoln Hall 9pm, 18+
Kelsey Phillips writesCHIRP Radio Welcomes FIDLAR and The Orwells to Subterranean on Halloween Night!
As if Halloween wasn't a big enough reason to get crazy on a Thursday, FIDLAR and The Orwells are coming to the SubT to make it even crazier. Both bands have been known to get pretty wild, so lord knows what shenanigans they'll bring when they join forces.
L.A. skate-punks FIDLAR rock a young/drunk/broke persona, which translates into songs like "Wake Bake Skate," "Cheap Beer," and "Stoked and Broke," all of which move at the hopped up pace these four guys always seem to move at. After all, FIDLAR is an acronym for "f*** it, dog, life's a risk."
Joining them are hometown up-and-comers The Orwells, who's single "Mallrats (La La La)" blew them from suburban Elmhurst all the way to a Lollapalooza stage and some big US and UK tours. These guys just graduated high school and have already made a big name for themselves in Chicago and beyond, and their songs are becoming more than just teenage battle cries.
This is definitely a show you won't want to miss, so grab a costume and head to the Subterranean on Thursday, October 31st. Doors are at 7 for this all ages show, but tickets will go fast so get on it! Stop by the CHIRP table and try to figure out what we're dressed as.
Mike Bennett writesFriday iPod/MP3 Shuffle—Happy Birthday Minnie Pearl Edition
Today we pay tribute to a country music legend. There has been a long tradition of country comedians that goes on to this day, and none have even come close to the longevity and popularity of Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon, known throughout the world as the Gal from Grinder’s Switch, Minnie Pearl. Cannon was a theater major in college who developed the Pearl character in 1939, picking up her signature hat in a Nashville department store for $1.98. One year later, she got her first chance on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry and was an instant success, and was regular at the Opry until her stroke in 1991. During those 51 years, she performed with everyone (on the Hank Williams at the Opry disc, Hank does two routines with Minnie) and as the years went on, she not only encourage other comedians, but she mentored artists like Vince Gill, k.d. lang and Chely Wright. Minnie was a breast cancer survivor who campaigned to fight the disease. Rare is the entertainer who can say he or she was a star for a half a century. Minnie Pearl was one of those rare entertainers, who made generations of fans laugh with her traditional homespun humor. Give Minnie a big birthday How-dee!!! by grabbing your iPod or MP3 player, hitting shuffle and sharing the first 10 songs that come up.