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Entries categorized as “Interviews” 93 results
DJ Mick writesThe CHIRP Radio Interview: Asbestos Lead Asbestos
by CHIRP Radio DJ and Features Co-Director Mick R (Listen to his most recent shows / Read his blog)
It has been said, that, “What doesn’t kill you, makes you weirder.” Now the person who said that was an actor, portraying a madman, in a major motion picture, but I defy you to find the lie.
Chicago’s electro-pop duo Asbestos Lead Asbestos takes this sentiment to the opposite extreme: If you want to live, you better prepare to get weird.
Named for a Meat Beat Manifesto masterpiece, the group boasts the talents of best buds Joey and Cassidy, who together form a human sound lab, conducting experiments at the outer limits of good taste while pumping out poignant, absurdist insights and Ableton-enabled, hip-hop night-terrors.
It’s perfect for disassociating with a can of rosé in a jacuzzi jerried out of a Waste Management container - in other words, it’s the soundtrack to your best possible life.
DJ Mick writesThe CHIRP Radio Interview: Dreamjacket
by CHIRP Radio DJ and Features Co-Director Mick R (Listen to his most recent shows / Read his blog)
Variety and experience are the zest of life and novel pairings are the fleshy fruit from which they are squeezed. Would you turn your nose up at a peanut butter and sweet onion sandwich? Well, you’re only depriving yourself by tilting your proboscis northward, my friend.
And what about country music and space rock? Outrageous! Maybe… but a part of me thinks you’re curious to know how these disparate styles come together.
Thankfully, you don’t have to visit a saloon on a desert planet in a galaxy far far away to find out what this theoretical, dusty, and cosmic category of American might sound like in practice. Chicago’s own Dreamjacket is more than happy to bring the interstellar frontier as near as your neighborhood bar.
The five-piece band comprised of vocalist Jesse W. Johnson, violist Yoo Soo Kim, bassist Timothy Cap, guitarist Bradley Bergstrand, and drummer Dane Marcussen took a while to assemble, but it is hard to put a price on the sum of their talents now that their forces have aligned.
Their debut album Lost at Last dropped late last year, and they’re still hard at work spreading the good word about it. To help in their efforts I shot some questions their way about their origin story, their sound, and their new album and you can check out their very thorough and charming responses below:
DJ Mick writesThe CHIRP Radio Interview: Alex Santilli
by CHIRP Radio DJ and Features Co-Director Mick R (Listen to his most recent shows / Read his blog)
Alex Santilli is responsible for providing momentum and rhythm to a number of Chicago-based bands you know and love (many of whom we’ve interviewed for our Artist Interview Series).
He’s currently the drummer for Late Night Laundry and George Arthur Calendar, but that not all! Alex has recently embarked on a solo career under the name The Adventures of Anacleto, and released a new single he’s calling “Caffe Tristé.” You can check it out below:
DJ Mick writesThe CHIRP Radio Interview: DPCD
by CHIRP Radio DJ and Features Co-Director Mick R (Listen to his most recent shows / Read his blog)
DPCD is the name of a sonorous, soft, and elegant folk project that graciously calls Chicago home. The group is lead by Alec Watson, who fills the song’s lyrics with ruminations on connection, compassion, and salvation.
Drawing on his past in the Evangelical Church he has a unique and thoughtful approach to the world, its problems, and the ways that we relate to each other as human beings.
Most striking of all though, is his tenderness of presentation, which can’t help but remind one of Sufjan Stevens, or even Conor Oberst, at his most vulnerable.
Alec and his bandmates will be releasing their debut on October 1, an album conspicuously titled It's Hard for a Rich Man to Enter the Kingdom of God. The album is not shy or penitent about its appeals to spiritualism and mysticism, and neither is Alec himself.
As you will no doubt be able to tell, he’s given his faith a great deal of thought over the years, and at this point in his inquisitive journey, we find him more devoted than ever.
He may not love everything about his past, but understanding how he can transpose what was good about it into a better future for him and others is part of what motivates the project as a whole.
I was able to catch up with Alec to talk about his band and their new record over email. His responses were enlightening and thoughtful in ways that often caught me off guard. You can read his earnest responses to my inquiries below:
Purchase It's Hard for a Rich Man to Enter the Kingdom of God
DJ Mick writesThe CHIRP Radio Interview: NVDO
by CHIRP Radio DJ and Features Co-Director Mick R (Listen to his most recent shows / Read his blog)
It never gets old talking to artists about their music. One of the things that it particularly inspiring about talking with young hip-hop artists in the city is their sheer enthusiasm and will to make things work.
This is no less true for young MC, producer, and entrepreneur, NVDO. Here is a man who appears to have willed his career into existence by pure force of mind.
NVDO just released his debut LP The Waiting Room, an atmospheric outing into the wild world of Chicago trap, with plenty of moody verses and bouncy, bubble busting beats to go around.
NVDO is a passionate producer and his skill and excellence has brought him into the trajectory of a number of the city’s more recent rap icons, including Mick Jenkins, who guests on a number of the tracks.
When NVDO reached out about an interview, of course I said yes. And I’m very glad I did. His commitment to the project is contagious and it was cool to be able to read and reflect on his story. See what he has to say for himself and about himself below: