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
Scott McKenna writesWhat CHIRP Means to Me: Scott McKenna
I consider myself nothing less than very fortunate to have been welcomed into such an organization as CHIRP. From the first moment that I discovered the station, I knew that I wanted to be involved and took immediate steps to join. This is back just after we first began streaming live and I had absolutely zero experience in the radio industry, but had always been an avid music listener and a pro when making mixes for my friends. CHIRP gave me an opportunity and an outlet, allowing me easy access to a community of like-minded people and dedicated supporters of commercial free, community focused programming.
To look back now and appreciate what exactly we have accomplished since the beginning is astonishing. Our team has started a cultural dialog in our city that you have engaged in whether you listen, contribute, volunteer, or all of those things! While we are so appreciative of our past, it is important to look ahead now and plan for where CHIRP is going and how it will get there. As we continue to grow, evolve, and expand the reach of independent radio, your support is more important than ever. Please consider donating what you can during our spring fundraising campaign, and help us continue to foster the conversation that has become so important to me.
CHIRP is truly what you make of it, so please make the most of this opportunity to help.
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesWeekly Voyages: Friday Mar. 21 to Thursday Mar. 27
(Weekly Voyages is CHIRP Radio's listing of concerts in Chicago at select venues. Information about tickets can be obtained from the venues' Web sites. Do you have corrections or updates for this list? Send us an e-mail.)
Friday March 21
Morning Arms, Brownie Mountain, Little Timmy McFarland, Mike Donner
Beat Kitchen
The J. Davis Trio
Double Door 9pm, 21+
The Vale, Gerardo Davis
Elbo Room 8pm, 21+
The Way Down Wanderers, Marla Vickers Project
Elbo Room 8:30pm 21+
The Hoyle Brothers
Empty Bottle 5:30pm, 21+
Good Vybes Fest
Empty Bottle 9pm 21+
Akasha, SPARE PARTS, Geri X
Hideout 10pm, 21+
Mike Bennett writesWhat CHIRP Means to Me: Mike Bennett
I’ve
been with CHIRP from the beginning, when we were about turning the idea of a radio station into a reality. I volunteered because I believed in the mission for this community radio station, although I now realize that I didn’t fully appreciate what the “community” part of community radio meant. It means many things.
First, there is the community of listeners, as CHIRP provides music programming that is a true alternative to commercial radio, playing songs and artists that you don’t hear anywhere else.
Second, there is the community of local artists that CHIRP plays, providing exposure, especially for up-and-coming bands. Chicago has one of the most amazing music scenes in the world, and to be a vital part of that community is exciting.
Finally, and most importantly, there’s the community of volunteers who bring various levels of expertise, along with an overwhelming amount of enthusiasm. For a substantial percentage of our volunteers, this is their first experience in radio. I know I have trained over 10 people to become disc jockeys, and I’d guess about a third, if not more, of our DJs are first timers.
And that’s what makes CHIRP so important – anyone can volunteer, as long as they are willing to put in a little bit (or, if they want, a lot) of time. Volunteers can learn all sorts of new skills – in production, in tech, in marketing and much more.
As an original board member, I helped create some of the structure that helped get this station going. And it’s a real station, with real needs for equipment, supplies, payroll (we now have two part-time employees) and anything else any radio station needs to keep going. This is why support from our listeners is so important, so we can continue to serve our communities – the listeners, the Chicago music scene and our volunteers (who knows – one day you, dear reader, might be a volunteer).
Josh Friedberg: Music Historian's Corner writesRediscovering Our Record Collections: “Lady Soul” by Aretha Franklin
Today's Rediscovering Our Record Collections entry takes another listen to Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin's 1968 masterpiece, Lady Soul. This album was Franklin's third for Atlantic Records and one of her most commercially and critically acclaimed releases, containing several hits. Franklin is the daughter of the famous preacher C. L. Franklin, and the gospel music she grew up hearing had a huge influence on her impassioned vocals. She first recorded gospel as a teenager before signing with Columbia Records and recording pop and jazz standards in the early and mid-1960s.
Erin Van Ness writesWhat CHIRP Means to Me: Erin Van Ness
As far back as I can remember, music has been an integral part of my life. There’s something special about finding a song that reaches inside you, connects with you on emotional level, and well, makes you feel alive. It’s a feeling I first knew when I was listening to The Doors with my parents as a young tot and just felt again last week when I heard the new War on Drugs album for the first time.
Music has the potential to break down barriers and bring us all together. It’s a place we can share our sorrows and our celebrations. It helps us remember our roots and embrace the future. This is a gift CHIRP shares with the entire Chicago community—and beyond.
If you’ve ever connected with a song, album, or artist that you’ve heard on CHIRP that has given you that same feeling of emotion, that has made you remember or hope, smile or cry, or even just sing, I encourage you to make a gift of support today in a show of solidarity for this amazing place that is independent, community-supported radio.