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The CHIRP Blog
Craig Reptile: Your Sunday Sonic Sundowner writesVideo Premiere: “I Wait” by Vesper
Chicago by way of Nashville duo Vesper have just released Years and to coincide with a new single are debuting a video directed by local product and current Los Angeles resident Ellie Pritts.
Years has just been released on vinyl (with eight color variants) on Chicago’s own Shuga label, the record’s digital release is April 18, and the pair have a record release show at The Empty Bottle on Tuesday April 16 with Zigtebra and Big Syn also on the bill.
Zachary and Samantha say they “met through an overlapping circle of friends and adoration of animals” and started collaborating on music soon after meeting. Both grew up in artistic households, with Zachary being the son of a songwriter and theater director and playing in what he describes as “awful punk band” Muckraker during high school and Samantha started performing in musical theater and taking ballet when she was five and eventually took guitar and piano lessons and learned other genres of dance.
When asked if it’s a fair assessment that the songs on Years have a disconnect between the sometimes bouncy music and the serious subject matter of the lyrics, they both agree wholeheartedly. Zachary likes to describe Vesper as “the saddest songs you can dance to...I’m not a sad person per se; but we’ve both recognized hardships as a way of life. Instead of moping around, we use it as fodder.”
Kevin Fullam writesThe Fourth Wall: Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Welcome to The Fourth Wall, CHIRP's e-conversation on cinema. This week's subject is the Melissa McCarthy movie Can you Ever Forgive Me?
This edition is written by CHIRP Radio volunteers Kevin Fullam and Clarence Ewing.
Kevin:
A little preamble here: when I was a kid, I was a huge comic-book geek. I may be a jaded cinemagoer today and thus nonplussed by the current wave of superhero movies, but I was a big-time Marvel Zombie from about 1984-90, enough so that I would frequent local comic-book shows to hunt down various back issues. The comics dealers would often sit side-by-side with sports memorabilia folks, and while I was also a baseball fan, the idea of collecting cards or autographs never seemed very appealing? To me, the entertainment value from a signature or card featuring a bunch of numbers on the back (which anyone could find elsewhere) paled mightily when compared with a tale about Spidey's latest exploits. While it was cool to have a comic "collection," it would've been meaningless to me without the stories therein.
This takes me to Can You Ever Forgive Me?, the recent film about writer Lee Israel (Melissa McCarthy) and her forgery schemes of the 1990s. When the story opens, Israel is sitting just one step above "destitute" -- unemployed, months behind on her rent, and far removed from the days when her agent would promptly answer her calls. While doing research on 1920s entertainer Fanny Brice at the library, a personal letter from Ms. Brice slips out of a dusty old tome... and Israel soon finds out from her local bookseller that such celebrity correspondence is worth serious coin. What's more, the letters are even more valuable if they include a bit o' personal flair from their authors. So, whom would it harm if Israel tacked on a saucy line or two to embellish the note, right?
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writes@CHIRPRadio (Week of April 8)
Upcoming Events
- Wednesday, April 10th: CHIRP Radio presents Miss Alex White Open Mike Night at the East Room
New Media
- Sarah Btooks talks with Liz Stokes of The Beths
Kyle writesThe Fourth Annual Doc10 Film Festival Starts This Week!
written by Kyle Sanders
The Fourth Annual Doc10 Film Festival
April 11 - 14th, 2019
The Davis Theater
For those of you whose interest is piqued by sincere cinema, the Doc10 Film Festival could prove to be just the ticket you're looking for: a four day theatrical experience dedicated solely to ten distinct documentaries presented by the Chicago Media Project.
The festival kicks off April 11, appropriately with Knock Down the House--a politically-inspiring spotlight on Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez--and will close out with The Biggest Little Farm, a fascinating look into the trials and errors of starting a sustainable farm in the middle of nature. All documentaries will screen at The Davis Theater in Lincoln Square.
SKaiser writes@CHIRPRadio (Week of April 1)
UPCOMING EVENTS
- Join CHIRP Radio TONIGHT for Drink Drank Punk! Monday, April 1st at The Native (2417 N Milwaukee Ave) is a 21+ punk-themed DJ night hosted every Monday
- CHIRP is happy to support Alchemy Audio Gear Swap, back for its third year and now a two-day event! Join us this weekend, April 6th and 7th, at Fort Knox Studios (4255 N. Knox Ave) for the Third Annual Music Gear Swap
NEW MEDIA
- The Lost Generation: a review of "Transit" by Kyle Sanders
- Ego Mechanics will rock the Whistler crowd by Mike Nikolich
- Features Director Sarah Brooks interviews Clearance, Chicago local band last featured on the podcast a few years back