Entries categorized as “Event Previews” 418 results

Erin Van Ness writesKing Pignacious and His Merry Swine: One Awesomely High-Concept CHIRP Fundraiser

Get ready for a three night “Modern-Day Multimedia Rock Opera” at the Viaduct Theater!

CHIRP is thrilled to have the energetic 10-piece King Pignacious performing “A Swine’s Rise to Power”—a music and multimedia concept show about the hog army’s hard fight against employer based healthcare. Or, in their words, the fight to “Cut the Tubes and Free the Youth.”

If you’re a fan of great music and daring performances (being a CHIRP listener suggests you are), you won’t want to miss any of these three great shows.

Sat 8/28: w/ Red Hot Annie’s Burlesque Show and Stephanie Rearick
Sat 9/4: w/ Four Star Brass Band
Sat 9/11: w/ Fluid Minds

Tickets for each night are only $10 and one-third of that will help CHIRP in the fight for excellence in independent radio. We can’t wait to see you there!

THE VIADUCT THEATER
3111 N Western Ave.
Doors at 9pm. Show at 10pm. 21+

Read more and RSVP online!
http://www.myspace.com/kingpignacious
http://www.facebook.com/pages/King-Pignacious/184425784261

Karin Fjellman writesCHIRP Night at the Whistler next Monday!

Incredible local music! Amazing drinks! Cool raffle prizes! It’s all at CHIRP Night at the Whistler! Check out this month’s featured local artists, In Tall Buildings & Helen Money, while DJ STV SLV (of Hood Internet) and Dena Masley (CHIRP) spin records throughout the night. A portion of the bar’s proceeds goes to CHIRP.

CHIRP Night at the Whistler
2421 N. Milwaukee
9:30pm – 2am
No cover

In Tall Buildings confounds expectations on their new self-titled Whistler release, unless you’re familiar with the force behind this project. Going by the name alone, you might think that In Tall Buildings would create an artificial and electronic sound, busy with blips and beeps but devoid of all life, but nothing could be farther from the truth. Indeed, there is a warmth and sense of space throughout the eight compositions on this debut that is palpable, and comes as a welcome refuge from the daily hubbub of urban life. Once one learns that In Tall Buildings is a solo project from Chicagoan Erik Hall, a guitarist and percussionist in NOMO, bassist in His Name Is Alive and drummer in Saturday Looks Good To Me, the quality of the songs and performance is less of a surprise, but the writing and the sound is still more contemplative than one might expect. The territory is the road well traveled of acoustic folk, but Hall does bring a fresh approach that warrants a close listen.

Another stellar example of musical work by an alter ego is Helen Money, the nom de plume of classically-trained cellist Alison Chesley. Lovers of music first had the chance to fall in love with Helen Money when she was known as the Alison half of Jason and Alison, and the love only got deeper with the advent and flowering of their group Verbow. Since the end of Verbow in 2001, Chesley’s cello has appeared on records by Anthrax, Broken Social Scene, Russian Circles, Chris Connelly, Disturbed, Poi Dog Pondering and Bob Mould (who produced the first Verbow record). Chesley’s second album under the name Helen Money, In Tune was recorded at Steve Albini’s Electrical Audio studio and released last fall on Table of the Elements. The release features eight beautiful original compositions of vastly varying styles and paces (from chop-chop rock to dark ballads) and an awesome Minutemen cover. When she plays the CHIRP Night at The Whistler, she will have just returned from playing in the avant garde ensemble Carte Blanche (with Rhys Chatham) and under the Helen Money moniker at the Berles Rock Festival in Switzerland, and she will be opening for Shellac and Mission of Burma starting this September.

Karin Fjellman writesCHIRP Benefit Show Mon. July 19 at The Whistler!

Though you might still be dragging/hungover from Pitchfork hoo-ha, it’s that time again — for this month’s CHIRP Benefit Night at the Whistler!

Come on out to support CHIRP and some of our favorite local acts, Cains & Abels and John Bellows, as they bring you back to earth from this weekend’s chaotic mayhem/euphoria. Plus, the event is FREE!

CHIRP Benefit Night
featuring Cains & Abels, John Bellows
The Whistler
Mon. July 19
9:00 pm
21+

More about the artists:
From the depths of Cains & Abels singer David Sampson’s gut come haunting, pained vocals, honest and affecting. A caterwaul to fill the room and echo and reverberate with layered folk rock accompaniment, the marriage of distortion and strings. They all at once evoke Neutral Milk Hotel, Jim White, Bowerbirds, and a classic rock sound in the vein of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. This Chicago four piece (by way of Michigan) headlines in support of their album “Call Me Up,” out on States Rights Records.

Singer-songwriter John Bellows seems to have been hiding just under the surface before breaking out this year, capturing the attention of many Chicago audiences. Taking a bare-bones approach to traditional recording, Bellows has perfected a rootsy lo-fi aesthetic, bringing in a variety of different sounds and personae. Critics frequently describe him as inspired in the same dorky way that the Ramones and Jonathan Richman were. Bellows identifies himself as “grunge;” we think of him as someone pretty important to watch out for.

Hope to see you!

Shawn Campbell writesCHIRP Welcomes She & Him to Millennium Park

CHIRP is a proud supporter of the Downtown Sound: New Music Mondays series at Millennium Park, and we’re excited to welcome She & Him with special guests Hollows on Monday, June 7.

Showtime is 6:30PM. Be sure to stop by the community table and say hello to CHIRP staff. Also, listen all this week to CHIRP Radio to win VIP seating for the show!

Shawn Campbell writesAn intimate night with Seafarer…a CHIRP benefit

This Friday night, Andersonville’s Transistor plays host to the record release show for Seafarer , a Chicago four-piece that writes haunting, sophisticated guitar-based songs that are by turns gentle and driving. The show will celebrate the release of their new EP.

Seafarer has generously offered to donate a portion of the suggested $5 donation at the door to CHIRP, and also will be selling a limited run of 60 screen printed posters designed by Andrew Brant and Dan Ivec, with 100% of the proceeds benefiting CHIRP.

Transistor is located at 5045 N. Clark St., and showtime is 8PM. The show is BYOB.

We’re so appreciative of Seafarer’s decision to make this a CHIRP benefit, and we hope to see you Friday night!