The CHIRP Blog
It’s time for another CHIRP Night at the Whistler! This evening’s fundraising get-together features the fiery psych-punk of Chicago’s own Vee Dee! CHIRP DJs will be spinning between bands, and a percentage of the bar sales will benefit CHIRP Radio.
We’ll also be selling raffle tickets for great prizes throughout the night. Come out and join us for a great night of music!
The Whistler / 2421 N. Milwaukee / 9:30pm -2:00am / No Cover / 21+
He came from Oklahoma to Bakersfield, California, added a bigger beat to honky-tonk music, and became one of the biggest stars in country music history. Buck Owens picked great material, could pen a decent tune himself, and was blessed with an awesome band, The Buckaroos, led by the incomparable Don Rich on lead guitar. Owens dominated the country charts in the ’60s, as sometimes his A-sides would hit number one, only to be supplanted by the B-sides. He once had a letter printed in a trade magazine, apologizing for edging too much towards rock ‘n’ roll, and then turned around and released a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Memphis”. And, of course, he was covered by The Beatles, who did his classic “Act Naturally”. His influence lived on, touching Dwight Yoakam and others. Let’s all salute the man with the red, white and blue guitar by grabbing your iPod or MP3 player, hitting shuffle, and sharing the first 10 songs that come up.
- Arcwelder — You (Pull): This Minneapolis trio played an awesome blend of melodic guitar rock, somewhat in the vein of bands like Husker Du, blended with some noise rock and post-punk rhythms. Throw in some great harmony vocals, and you have one hell of a band. This song relies on a circular guitar riff and creative drumming, with an explosive instrumental breakdown.
- Eagles Of Death Metal — I’m Your Torpedo (Heart On): Some EODM songs are funky ’70s drenched hard rock. But sometimes, inevitably, they edge a bit more towards the sounds of Queens Of The Stone Age. This song is one of those numbers. However, the instrumental approach is different. The Eagles’ songs are often centered on the rhythms, and this is no exception. The repetitive rhythm on this song verges on Krautrock, connecting the dots from Neu to Black Sabbath and Blue Oyster Cult on a pretty exciting track.
- Tom Verlaine — The Scientist Writes A Letter (Flash Light): A contemplative song from the great Television guitarist. Keyboards actually dominate this song and the hook of the song is a pretty keyboard line that punctuates every verse of the song. One of Verlaine’s best solo tracks, which is saying something, because all of his solo albums are worthwhile.
- The White Stripes — The Air Through My Fingers (Elephant): This song really swings. Yes, Meg White’s drumming is simple but it doesn’t get in the way of the blues riff that first is played on the guitar and then gets a funkier treatment on the electric piano. Jack White is typically playful on this fun number.
- LCD Soundsystem — Drunk Girls (This Is Happening): A straightforward rock number with a bit of a Bowie sound, and James Murphy’s sense of humor. I know some folks think that each LCD album got weaker, but I like them all pretty much equally. I hope Murphy reconsiders his decision to retire the band.
- Joyride — 1, 2, 3 Red Light (Right To Chews: Bubblegum Classics Revisited): I don’t recall much about Joyride, but they do a real nice job on this cover of the oldie from The 1910 Fruitgum Company (who were represented in last week’s shuffle). This is one of my favorite bubblegum songs, as it is so innocent, but it’s about a horny guy who wants to go further with his girl, but she won’t let him.
- Starflyer 59 — Teens In Love (I Am The Portuguese Blues): This ostensibly Christian rock band takes a slightly different approach with each album. This album was a rocker. This song sports a chunky riff that could have come from a Lenny Kravitz record. The loud guitars contrast with the solid melody and soothing vocals. Might be the best song on a good album.
- Frisbie — Pick A Flower (Period): The forgotten second album from this wonderful Chicago band. The circumstances of the record, which came out in a limited pressing, are unusual. The band’s original drummer, Zack Kantor, had to leave the band due to mental health issues. Kantor wrote a significant percentage of the band’s songs, and this album, recorded by the band as a trio (Steve Frisbie and Liam Davis on vocals and acoustic guitars, Eddie Carlson on bass), recorded a batch of those songs at a show at Fitzgerald’s. While the band might not think the recordings as ideal, Kantor was a great songwriter, performances are heartfelt, making for a resonant effort. This song has a bit of an R & B undercurrent with an unusual ascending melody in the chorus.
- Robyn Hitchcock — You’ve Got A Sweet Mouth On You, Baby (Jewels For Sophia): A whimsical talking blues which shows the inlluence of early Dylan. Hitchcock gives a low key performance and it’s obvious that he’s having fun on this simple song.
- The La De Das — How Is The Air Up There? (Nuggets II): A garage rock classic. This song is basically electrified folk rock with a modified Bo Diddley beat underneath and a great chorus to shout along with. Fits well between the early Rolling Stones and The Seeds.
Judson Claiborne has two albums to its credit, and its understated folk rock has only gotten better. Mystical observations of the world co-mingle with warbly, weary vocals reminiscent of Tim Rutili (Califone, Red Red Meat) to leave a heart-shaped imprint in your ears. Judson Claiborne answered some questions for CHIRP in anticipation of their upcoming Coach House Sounds session, available at www.coachhousesounds.com on August 16th, 2011. Hear preview tracks all week on CHIPRadio.org and download the session next week!
1. What the dumbest thing you’ve ever done in a basement?
I tried to slow dance with a security guard in the basement of the Saint Louis Art Museum while on LSD. It was the Ancient Egypt exhibit maybe? I was wearing headphones, listening to Dead Can Dance’s Into the Labyrinth on the walkman. She was a good sport about it, I think.
*2. Can you tell me about one time when you realized this was YOUR city? *
While living in Seattle last fall and winter, trying to find a hot dog without cream cheese all over it. I’m serious.
3. Describe a scenario where Judson Claiborne could be someone’s life coach and the top 2 life lessons you’d teach them.
To quote one of my favorite bank robbers – “spirit ain’t spit without exercise”. You can’t expect to survive life’s gravity or steal a hundred thousand dollars without dancing around or riding your bike everyday. Also, it’s a real good idea to say hello and nod to people on the street. Get to know your neighbors and ask them to tell you their stories. I’d give this advice to anybody, any ol’ time.
4. Tell me about your CHS session—what did you like about it? Was there anything that surprised you or was spontaneous that came out in the recording?
It was nice running into The Eternals on the way out of their session. It was our first time recording with The Reverend Jacob F. Ross, our new guitar player, so that was some nice nervous excitement to play with. There are polaroids all over the place down there of bands who’ve done CHS sessions previously. I imagined these bands recording, then being blasted into outer space. “What will outer space feel like?”, I wondered. Am I in outer space?
5. What’s happening? What are your current/upcoming shows or releases?
My band and I are working on a new record. We’re doing a little bit of everything right now. Just spent two days out at Key Club Recording Company in Benton Harbor, MI with our Engineer Tim Iseler and his new life partner in crime, Marketa Irglova. She sang some amazing harmonies on a couple of songs we’re working on and made a mean home made Tomato Cream Soup. Still plenty of writing to do, we’re planning for a spring 2013 release. Been thinking / reading about successful bank robbers and whirling dervishes. In other news, I’m playing a really interesting music festival here in Chicago on Aug 13 called Found Sound . It’s a site specific series of performances in Ukrainian Village. You grab a map and bike around to experience shows in garages, backyards, or the Duk’s hot dog stand patio, which is where I’m playing. Also finishing up a residency at Maria’s Packaged Goods & Community Bar in Bridgeport on Aug 14..
CHIRP Radio is an all-volunteer effort. We would like to introduce you to some of the people who make the station what it is!
Blake Burkhart was born in Chicago, raised in the nearby suburbs to the North and now is a member of the Ukrainian Village community. He studied Documentary Filmmaking at Columbia College Chicago for undergrad and graduated in 2008.
Aside from his day-to-day grind, Blake does freelance Video and Photo projects for clients (mostly Chicagoland artists/bands), and sometimes purely to entertain himself. He is most at home behind the lens of a camera and now has plans to take on more projects than ever before in the coming months. He’s somewhat handy with a bass, shaky with a guitar, and is now attempting to learn the drums (slowly but surely….very slowly).
Blake has been a CHIRP volunteer since February 2011. He has enjoyed every second of his involvement from handing out fliers and telling nice Chicagoans what CHIRP is all about, to conducting interviews for the guest department including: Cut Copy, Architecture in Helsinki, Battles and Art Brut. He has also done photo work for CHIRP and is in the early stages of some CHIRP-related video projects.
He has just started DJ training, and is thrilled at the prospect of gracing the CHIRP airwaves one day soon. Blake will continue to tell anyone who will listen that joining CHIRP easily ranks among the best decisions of his life and he has high hopes for his future involvement with the best radio station in the world.
He’s MCA, he’s Nathaniel Hornblower, he’s a Free Tibet kind of guy. Of course, I’m talking about Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys. His slightly raspy voice has offset the whinier Mike D. and King Ad-rock, dropping killer rhymes for years. The Beastie Boys are rap legends, who proved detractors wrong again and again, becoming elder statesmen in the process. Yauch has apparently overcome cancer and the Boys are reaping plaudits for their recent Hot Sauce Committee album. Since Paul’s Boutique has about as many samples as any album ever made, I’m sure Yauch would appreciate the shuffle. So grab your iPod or MP3 player, hit shuffle, and share the first 10 songs that come up…for Adam. I’m sure he’d want it that way.
- A.C. Newman — The Changeling (Get Guilty) (Get Guilty): On Newman’s first solo album, he developed some things that he later incorporated into The New Pornographers. On his excellent second album, the songwriting was more consistent with his main gig. The main difference is that the overall sound is a bit less dense. Newman put together a great supporting cast, and the songwriting is really strong, making for an effort that ranks with the best of The New Pornographers’ albums. This is a really nice mid-tempo song.
- Fleetwood Mac — Landslide (Fleetwood Mac): A terrific Steve Nicks tune from her first album with the Mac. This song has a quality that’s not too far from Dolly Parton or Emmylou Harris, with just a bit of a Laurel Canyon aspect. As time moves on, the first three Fleetwood Mac albums with Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham seem to get better and better.
- Paul Revere & The Raiders — Observation From Flight 285 (In 3/4 Time) (Somthing’s Happening): A piece of psych-pop fluff from Paul Revere & The Raiders. They started out as a classic frat party band, with a great facility for R & B and rock ‘n’ roll. As they evolved, they became a pop machine, with a chameleon-like ability to take on any style and sound good. This is a tribute to the versatility of singer Mark Lindsey. This song is somewhere between The Bee Gees and Chad & Jeremy. Sweet stuff.
- 1910 Fruitgum Company — Goody Goody Gumdrops (The Best of the 1910 Fruitgum Company): A fine bubblegum hit from the band that also gave us “Simple Simon Says” and “1, 2, 3, Red Light”. It’s all about the hook, and this song has a big one.
- The Sonics — Dirty Robber (Here Are The Sonics): A rock ‘n’ roll burner in the tradition of Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis from arguably the greatest garage rock band of the ’60s. The playing isn’t quite as frenzied as on the best Sonics’ sides, but Rosalie is totally into it, and there is a fine honking sax solo.
- Lime Spiders — Save My Soul (Headcleaner): Best known for “Slave Girl”, this Aussie garage band from the ’80s featured the shredding vocals of Mick Blood. This song relies on soft/loud dynamics and is a rave up somewhat in the style of The Animals or Yardbirds.
- The Casual Dots — Evil Operations Classified (The Casual Dots): Christina Billotte of Autoclave and Slant 6 continued with her beguiling mix of post-punk and more traditional ’50s and surf rock tropes. This song has a number of styles, portrayed on the guitar, played over a loping beat. From ska like riffing, to surf guitar to melodic Buzzcocks like blasts, this song is quite something.
- Ron Sexsmith — Impossible World (Exit Strategy of the Soul): A philosophical number from Ron Sexsmith. While he usually focuses on matters of the heart and vignettes, this is Sexsmith trying to figure out why we experience so much pain. And he sings to a typically warm and pithy melody.
- Anton Barbeau — Stewart Mason (Guladong): A driving paean to ultra-knowledgable writer Stewart Mason. Whether any of the details of the song are accurate, I would not know, but having a bouncy pop-rock tune with your name in it, from a fine Bay Area pop eccentric is pretty darned cool. I think this is the second time this has come up in a shuffle.
- XTC — Harvest Festival (Apple Venus, Volume 1): The penultimate XTC album is their last classic, full on sumptuous orch-pop songs. This is a pretty baroque pop song with three distinctive killer melodies. Andy Partridge’s lyrics are evocative of the past, with precise detail. The way the melody of the verse melts into the chorus is perfection, and then is countered by middle eight that douses the fuzzy nostalgia with a dose of reality, which explains why we are nostalgic. This is an amazing song, yet there are at least two or three tracks on the album that are even better.