We're seeking new members for our 2025 Board of Directors, as well as our founding Associate Board for young professionals 35 and under. Details and application at each of the links above.
The CHIRP Blog
CHIRP Radio writesCHIRP Radio Weekly Voyages (Aug 23 - Aug 29)
Upcoming Events:
- Thursday August 26: CHIRP Radio welcomes Ohmme to Thalia Hall
- All August: CHIRP Radio is giving away 3-day passes to the 2021 Pitchfork Music Festival
- Saturday September 4: CHIRP Radio presents the Rockwell Blues & Jazz Street Stroll
- Friday Spetember 10 - Sunday September 12: It's the 2021 Pitchfork Music Festival, featuring the CHIRP Radio Record Fair and Other Delights
- Thursday September 23: CHIRP Radio welcomes Young Man in a Hurry to Lincoln Hall
On the Podcast:
- Matty G talks with Chicago artist Frankii Davis
On the Blog:
- Features Co-Director Mick talks to Karaboudjan
- Clarence Ewing compares and contrasts two versions of "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"
Top of the CHIRP Charts for the week of 8/16/21:
Naked Raygun – Over the Overlords (Wax Trax!)
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesTake Two: “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” (Peggy Seeger Vs. Roberta Flack)
There is a chance that you have come across a song (or two, or so many more) that you enjoy and did not realize that it's either been covered by someone else or is a cover itself. We hope that this series allows you to appreciate both the original and the covers they have inspired, and to seek out and enjoy new music in the process.
The Original: 1957 single (also appears on the compilation The Folkways Years 1955-1992: Songs of Love and Politics)
The original version of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” was written by Scottish singer and activist Ewan MacColl. The song’s subject matter was a bit of a departure for him, as he was mainly known for his political and protest songs. The vocalist is Peggy Seeger, who would often perform the song with MacColl in England. The two would eventually marry, once MacColl got divorced from the woman to whom he was then wed.
The song is made up of Seeger’s voice and MacColl’s arpeggioed guitar lines, evoking a rustic mood with that certain woozy, hallucinogenic feel that separates it from traditional folk tunes. It’s the kind of arrangement that was right in line with the folksy style that was just becoming popular among listeners.
Pop music’s acoustic-based titans (The Kingston Trio; Peter, Paul & Mary; etc.) were just getting started, and their styles (derived from what musicians like MacColl and Seeger were doing) would become essential sounds of the 1960s. Current musicians like Mike and Cara Gangloff, whose music has even more of a psychedelic-pastoral edge, can also trace their roots to songs like this.
DJ Mick writesThe CHIRP Radio Interview: Karaboudjan
by CHIRP Radio DJ and Features Co-Director Mick R (Listen to his most recent shows here / Read his blog here)
Multi-instrumentalist Karaboudjan, aka Billy Kim, is preparing to drop his first solo album, IMAGO.
Billy always knew he wanted to be a musician and was inspired by his parent's amateur performances in his home as a child. His career has progressed through a number of different permutations over the years, starting out in the progressive post-hardcore band The Prisoner's Dilemma, and eventually land a gig working with, and touring alongside, the magnificently vibey Tycho.
Now Billy is poised to make a statement all his own with IMAGO, a dreamy and transportive pop record that he fittingly wrote and recorded at night while his roommates were asleep. Check out our exclusive interview with Billy and get some insights into the sonic, psychedelic landscape he has cultivated before the IMAGO drops this September.
Give us an outline of how you went from touring with Tycho to recording and releasing a solo record?
I moved out of Anaheim, CA when I started touring with Tycho back in 2016. When we weren't on the road I would stay with my friends who lived in Union City, NJ where I did the majority of the writing for IMAGO in 2017.
This was the first time in my life where I had an opportunity to completely focus on music without the burden of balancing a job.
CHIRP Radio writesCHIRP Radio Weekly Voyages (Aug 16 - Aug 22)
Upcoming Events:
- Thursday August 26: CHIRP Radio welcomes Ohmme to Thalia Hall
- All August: CHIRP Radio is giving away 3-day passes to the 2021 Pitchfork Music Festival
- Friday Spetember 10 - Sunday September 12: It's the 2021 Pitchfork Music Festival, featuring the CHIRP Radio Record Fair and Other Delights
On the Podcast:
- Features Co-Director Mick chats with Gabacho
On the Blog:
- Features Co-Director Mick talks to Chicago rapper L.H.
Top of the CHIRP Charts for the week of 8/9/21:
Durand Jones & The Indications – Private Space (Dead Oceans)
DJ Mick writesThe CHIRP Radio Interview: L.H.
by CHIRP Radio DJ and Features Co-Director Mick R (Listen to his most recent shows here / Read his blog here)
L.H. is a Chicago MC and entrepreneur with a new EP out this week through his Visual Audio brand called XXXibition. The album is a playground of gritty imagery that defines the outlines of internal struggles and adversity experienced in attempting to survive and thrive in this world.
L.H. makes the most of his fast and nasal flow, twisting and juking on and around sputtering trap beats like a cat on a hot tin roof. You can't pull down what you can't catch, and L.H. is always on the move.
Check out our snappy and exclusive interview with the rhyme maestro himself below:
Tell our listener’s who you are and what part of the city you hail from.
Name is L.H.. I'm a rap and hip hop artist from Chicago, Illinois
You present yourself as a real go getter. What are the ups and downs of always being on the grind?
Time. Grinding and taking risk is not for everyone. Being a indie artist running my own label, I have my hands in everything from recording to booking shows.. My success will only go as far as my motivation. There's literally no days off for me.
What’s the hardest part about staying relevant in a fast moving world like hip hop?
Always staying on top of changing sounds. I try not to vaacume my style. I am always on the hunt for new beats and listening to whats trending.
You sound really comfortable and like you’ve really come into your own sound on your new EP XXXibition. Did your approach for this release differ from past releases?
I approached it the same as any other project.. Once I decide I want to do a EP or mixtape, I focus on completing it. That's always been my approach. I had a great time making it.
What should people know about you in order to get into the right mindset to listen to this album?
I'm a high energy artist that loves to create. If you are looking multiple styles along with lyrics then this project is for you.
Who handled the production for your latest release?
I have production from El47, DomEd and T.o. produced it. I just worked with those three producers. Also everything was recorded at UntoldStories recordings in Chicago.
You only have one feature on this new album. Was that intentional?
Yes. I'm pretty introverted so I'm use to just cracking our songs by myself. I'm always down for features but only if the song needs it. Me and Crystal3x pulled it off and it was great working with her.
Nintendo games seem to be a recurring motif in your work (Hyruken, Treasured, King Koopa). Why do videogames factor into the themes and lyrics of your work in such a big way?
I just grew up playing video games and I've always been a fan of art work in general. Especially zelda game art. Nintendo has a lot of The 8 bit sounds that I really like and they get stuck in your head.
What are your goals for the rest of 2021?
My goals are to do more touring, sell more merchandise, make more music, continue to build my fanbase while getting better as an artist. I am always looking to grow who I am as well as the Visual Audio brand. I will follow My goals into the following years as well.
