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The CHIRP Blog
Kyle writesTen Songs to Help You Get Through the Next Four Years
by Kyle Sanders
And so it begins. Inauguration Day, an eagerly anticipated day filled with hope and promise, has been reduced to apocalyptic despair thanks to a turbulent election year that left many Americans feeling polarized and defeated. Today, Donald Trump will become the forty-fifth president of the United States, and there's nothing we can do about it.
Or is there?
Barely stepping foot in the Oval Office, Trump's choices for his administration have already baffled citizens and politicians alike, such as the recent confirmation hearing of Secretary of Education nominee Betsy DeVos. It doesn't look too promising elsewhere, but with a little luck and a whole lot of lip biting and finger crossing, our country will remain intact through November 2020, just enough time to change things around (unless of course we are treated to a triumphant impeachment trial in the oh-so-near future!). In the meantime, here's a top ten list of songs to help us get through the next four years:
10. "Shake It Out" by Florence + the Machine
Front woman Florence Welch describes this track as a "hangover cure," which makes it a perfect song to relieve the hangover of last year. Welch's vocals over a swelling, gothic organ and pounding drums certainly inspire one to shake the devil off their back, so let us all bury "that horse" (aka 2016) in the ground. As the song goes, "it's always darkest before the dawn..."
Josh Friedberg: Music Historian's Corner writesBook Reivew: “MJ: The Genius of Michael Jackson” by Steve Knoppler
by Josh Friedberg
For such an icon, Michael Jackson can be a polarizing figure for biographers—and for pop culture fans in general. Some works focus on his musical accomplishments, while others focus on his tabloid-worthy plastic surgeries and alleged pedophilia.
Rolling Stone contributing editor Steve Knopper’s 2015 book MJ: The Genius of Michael Jackson may sound like a fan’s testament to an exceptional artist and superstar, but the title is somewhat misleading. This is a biography of Jackson that moves briskly while still giving comprehensive coverage to key moments in Jackson’s life and career.
CHIRP DJ writesCHIRP Factory Session - Helen Money
Helen Money joined us in our factory studio building to record this exclusive live session, featuring songs from her Thrill Jockey debut album Become Zero. The LA-based cellist was joined by producer Will Thomas on drums, keyboards, and electronics. This session was recorded on location at the CHIRP studio building by Mike Lust of Manor Mobile Recording. Video of the full session was captured & edited by Big Foot Media.
1. Become Zero
2. Blood and Bone
3. Every Confidence
Helen Money>>
Thrill Jockey>>
Big Foot Media>>
Manor Mobile Recording>>
CHIRP Radio>>
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Other Factory Sessions: Horse Lords | Jon Langford & Sally Timms | Luggage | ONO | The Ex With Ken Vandermark | She Speaks in Tongues | Circuit des Yeux | Whelms | Sam Prekop and Archer Prewit | Ultimate Painting |
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writes@CHIRPRADIO (Week of January 16)
Special Announcements
- The next edition of CHIRP Radio’s Factory Sessions debuts TOMORROW, January 18th at 11:00am. The session features LA-based cellist Helen Money, whose debut album Become Zero was released on Thrill Jockey. The session will be broadcast on CHIRP Radio and available on the blog,
Upcoming Events
- Saturday, Jan. 21: CHIRP Radio’s New Volunteer Meeting takes place at Sulzer Regional Library at 2:30pm.
New Media
- Kyle Sanders was one of the fortunate few who got to see President Obama’s farewell address in person.
- Amelia Hruby interviews Whitney Johnson’s solo project Matchess.
- Elle Quintana relates her First Time: First Gig
- Megan Ensley also relates her First Time: First Gig
KSanders writesRemembering President Obama’s Farewell Address (1/10/17)
by Kyle Sanders
There he was: the Leader of the Free World, right before my very eyes, the size of a Tic-Tac. I, along with tens of thousands of other fortunate folks, was sharing a space inside McCormick Place with President Barack Obama, and at this particular point of view, I could squash him between by index finger and thumb. While I had the convenience of a projection screen easily within view of my peripheral, there was something more meaningful behind straining my neck and standing on my tip toes just to catch a glimpse of this man who I had supported these last eight years as it would be perhaps the only time I would have the chance to see him in person.
It was a bittersweet night of course, but not as bitter as the negative degree temperatures I endured in the wee hours of Saturday morning to stand in line for a free ticket. After what seemed to be just a four hour power nap, I awoke at 4:30 AM with little effort in cleanliness and was picked up by a friend at 5 AM. After a short detour of picking up a few other friends, we rode off to Lakeshore Drive in a caravan of hope--hoping to find a parking space, hoping to beat an onslaught of other Obama fans, and hoping to survive a most miserably freezing forecast (if anything, we were hoping the weather would deter a few hundred people from even attempting to show up!).
At 5:45, we were lucky enough to find a parking space on the street, walk our shivering selves into the coziness of McCormick Place's warmish hallways and line up behind what appeared to be a line of 1,000+ eager hopefuls. Props to the team who had to organize the line formations, as the expansiveness of McCormick Place's perimeters had everyone up against the venue's extended walls, forming a pulsing blueprint made up of human beings. My group felt overwhelmed by the massive crowd that already lay ahead of us, but it was nothing compared to the ever growing line behind us!