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
SKaiser writesHere’s to Independent Media
Here's a good reason why we're here: independent media. We may love living in the land of the free but when the United States owns 90% of these ten global media companies, you may stop and ask yourself what type of filter are only a few hundred executives using to feed the world. If you're here, then you're probably thinking the same thing as us: who needs that kind of repetitive, predictably commercialized uninspiring cow dung?
Think of the first song you'll carry forever. It's likely more than one comes to mind. We know music is powerful in changing people but we're lucky it doesn't stop there. Maybe it's a film, a photograph, painting, or simply someone telling a story without music or art that awakens something inside. The narratives included in our diverse self-expressions propel us forward, from all over the world. Why should we settle for anything less?
Okay, so we went macro, now let's bring it back home. We're CHIRP Radio: a volunteer-driven community radio station focused on local music, arts and culture. The city is a key part of everything we do. CHIRP volunteers and staff are people from all walks of life committed to the exciting diversity of those around us. We have an exciting year in front of us. CHIRP is five years old, we've grown to roughly 240 volunteers, and we're building the broadcast operation at 107.1FM in the warm months of the year. Pick an event to join us in celebration!
Here's an opportunity to support us. Please visit chirpradio.org/donatenow and contribute. Or consider becoming a sustaining member and receive sweet CHIRP gear. We love you, thank you.
Now raise your hand (or wallet!) for CHIRP Radio!!!
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesTop Five British New Wave Songs About Money
Money. Cash. Moola. Dough. Cabbage. Lettuce. Cheddar. Scratch. You may love it. You may hate it. But there’s no getting around the fact that we all need some. And when you don’t have it, or you see someone getting way too much than they should, it makes great material for songs.
In the 1980s, the Western World’s views toward money (and who should get it, and how much) were changing, and artists were taking notice. Ronald Regan and Margaret Thatcher led the charge to reward life’s “winners” on Wall Street and in junk bond houses while slashing social programs and putting the screws to organized labor. Thus society started its Corporatist phase, sponsored by Ayn Rand and an undying belief that your bank balance is the ultimate gauge of your worth as a human being. Along the way, many people found themselves with less, while others found themselves with much, much, much more.
The disparity wasn’t lost on many of the musicians of the era, some of whom, in the aftermath of the Punk movement, were making use of electronic instruments to add to and compete with the prevailing guitar/bass/drum paradigm. In a decade where Lover Boy was Working for the Weekend and Madonna was declaring her status as a Material Girl, these artists had a different take on the Long Green:
“Money (That’s What I Want)” by The Flying Lizards (1979)
“Your love gives me such a thrill / But your love won't pay my bills.”
One of the first Synth-Pop hits to chart in the UK was the product of a music collective known more for their Avant Garde and experimental leanings. A song originally written by Barrett Strong in 1960 and covered by a lot of bands, including the Beatles, the Stones, The Doors, and Joe Cocker, it’s never been covered quite like this. Your enjoyment of this song may well hinge on how you feel about New Wave in general, as this song is nothing but New Wave. A quirky, pitch-perfect comment on materialism in the ultimate plastic age? Or cold, blippy, inhumane novelty track? You make the call…
E. Malcolm Martinez writesCHIRP Radio Welcomes Lloyd Cole to The Old Town School of Folk Music on March 20th!
Legendary British singer-songwriter Lloyd Cole performs a solo acoustic show at the Old Town School Of Folk Music (4544 N. Lincoln Ave) March 20th at 8pm.
Gaining high acclaim and commercial success as Lloyd Cole and The Commotions with their initial release, the '80s classic Rattlesnakes (1984, Polydor Records), the band followed up with two more offerings, as well as a best-of compilation, that all went gold in the UK before disbanding in 1989.
Cole released his eponymous solo debut in 1990 and spent the decade living on the East Coast and collaborating with a myriad of musicians from Jill Sobule to Matthew Sweet. A former philosophy and English major, Cole’s lyrics are filled with references to authors and literary figures, ensconced in beautiful pop/folk compositions that have earned him the respect of many as one of our greatest living songwriters.
Cole will be featuring songs from his fifteenth and most recent solo release, Standards (2013, Tapete Records), as well as selections from his three-decade-long collection that include his greatest hits from his work with The Commotions. You can find more information about Cole on his website.
Ross M: Conceptually Gross writesRoss Meyerson on Why He Volunteers With CHIRP Radio
The simple answer to why I volunteered is that I was seeking a like-minded community. When I was a young fellow, I had a ton of friends that had nothing but time and nothing but music on their minds. We spent days listening to music and nights going to shows. As marriages and kids became a thing with them, we all drifted apart. For a long while I was OK with this. We all settle in our own ways and I was content.
But a few years after moving to Chicago (I came here in 2004), I started to immerse myself into the local music scene a bit. Then a writing gig with loudlooppress fell into my lap. All this was great, but it was still a lot of sitting in front of a computer talking to myself.
The last few months I really started to notice the gigantic hole in my existence, that being getting out and working together with folks. CHIRP offered me a way back into the world and a way to give something to a most worthwhile endeavor. I'm excited to meet people, pick their brains, have some drinks, and help any way I can.
(CHIRP Radio's 200+ volunteers make the station go. You can help with a tax-deductable contribution that will help us maintain our facilities and continue to grow. Click here to donate!)
Craig Reptile: Your Sunday Sonic Sundowner writesIn Rotation: In Tall Buildings
In Tall Buildings is the nom de plume of Erik Hall, a Chicago singer-songwriter who has just released his second album, Driver on Western Vinyl. At the center is still Hall’s smooth, folksy tenor, laden with echo and delivering his winsome and winning melodies, but the sound is less bare bones than on his eponymous debut, released in 2010 by Whistler.
Driver brims with additional electronic effects and sports a more lush layering of musical richness, but the arrangements are never busy enough to distract from the solidness of songs. During a particularly rhythmically intricate number, Hall sings that “it’s unmistakeable, I understand, the sea will take a toll, when you hit land.” The world-weariness of his delivery blends well with the recurrent lyrical motif of the world’s eroding effect on humanity, but let’s hope this young talent doesn’t let the world wear him down too much.
Driver does pack a speedier, more linear punch where its predecessor was content with a more leisurely stroll through a foggier forest. His debut was so good, it's just great to hear Hall on record again, and if anything Driver is even better.
"The Way to a Monster's Lair" featuring Matt Ulery (bass) and Quin Kirchner (drums)