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The CHIRP Blog
Rebecca writesMusic and Malt: Beermiscuous and Spiteful Brewing
Welcome to Music and Malt, a series that examines the intersections where music and beer meet in Chicago.
by Rebecca Suzan
In Chicago, music and beer are the cornerstones of a perfect summertime party. Fortunately, both were on hand to celebrate the 4th anniversary of Beermiscuous, Chicago’s craft beer café. I sat down with Andrew Hilsberg, Events Director at Beermiscuous, and Calvin Fredrickson, Account Manager at Spiteful Brewing and singer/guitarist for sewingneedle, at the celebration to talk about the artistry that goes into making and selling both beer and music.
RS: Andrew, how did you become involved with Beermiscuous?
AH: My entry into the beer world was marketing. I had worked in marketing in the music business and in print media. A couple months before it opened, I read a story on DNA Info about Beermiscuous, and I reached out to the owner. He hired me to start email newsletters, run social media, and make industry connections. I have an understanding of consumers, how to differentiate a brand, and how to get people to take notice and take action. I’ve always been at the intersection of commerce and culture, and I’m very fortunate that it’s been in music and beer. It becomes a lifestyle, not a job.
RS: I like that. It’s giving me hope that there are people out there doing things they love while I toil away at my day gig.
CF: Not every day is roses. There are tough days. There are some days you eat dirt. Not everybody wants to see you all the time, and some days you’re just not firing on all cylinders. Those days are discouraging, but most days are positive. I try to remember I’m lucky to do this. Very few people get this chance.
Josh Friedberg: Music Historian's Corner writesBook Review: Woman Walk the Line
by Josh Friedberg
Woman Walk the Line: How the Women in Country Music Changed Our Lives, edited by Holly Gleason
I’ve read a few books on country music, but none has touched me as much as the 2017 collection of personal essays, Woman Walk the Line: How the Women in Country Music Changed Our Lives. Editor Holly Gleason compiles an impressive range of voices to discuss the female country artist that means the most to them, and the results do not disappoint.
Gleason writes in the introduction of country as “in many ways women’s music,” accommodating and welcoming a range of women uncommon “in any other genre.” The book makes a solid case for this claim, with working-class heroines and Ivy League graduates, visual magnets and pre-televisual icons, some who wore their biographies on their sleeves and others who shrouded their lives in mystery, heterosexuals and LGBT people, and whites and women of color all sharing space and changing lives.
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writes@CHIRPRadio (Week of July 30)
New Media
- Andrew Meriwether chats with Cafe Racer
- Clarence and Kevin discuss the Netflix documentary 13th
- Mike Nikolich interviews CHIRP Night at the Whistler headliner Grumble
Kevin Fullam writesThe Fourth Wall: 13th
Welcome to The Fourth Wall, CHIRP's weekly e-conversation on cinema. This week's subject is the NetFlix documentary 13th.
This edition is written by CHIRP Radio volunteers Kevin Fullam and Clarence Ewing.
Kevin:
Truth can be a murky concept. Truth when it comes to politics? Well, lots of folks might chuckle at that association, right? Back in the '90s, I enjoyed Michael Moore's political documentaries (particularly his first, Roger & Me), until I realized that I was really only getting a slice of the story... namely, the slice that supported his anti-corporate polemics. Moore was a very funny filmmaker in those days, and offered up plenty of clever critiques of American culture in general. Was it fair to call Corporate America on the carpet for its misdeeds? Absolutely. Were the issues discussed in his work much more nuanced than he led people to believe? Again, absolutely .
One complicating factor is that we all bring our own biases and backgrounds into political discussions. My worldview and set of experiences might be dramatically different than someone else's. When it comes to turning a critical eye on a non-political movie like The Rider , this difference may not matter much -- how many of us know anything about horses, rodeo, and living in the Dakotas? But I'm a student of history and government, and thus I'm going to be much more guarded when it comes to political arguments that someone else is selling me.
Mike Nikolich writesGrumble Channels James Seminara’s Storyteller Side
James Seminara will perform at July 25th's CHIRP Night at the Whistler (photo by Nicole Swanson)
If you are a fan of Chicago’s punk/art rock favorites So Pretty, then you already are familiar with bassist James Seminara. But while the band is on hiatus, he has a new project called Grumble, and it presents a totally different side of this talented musician.
Grumble is a lo-fi solo project that features Seminara on guitar and vocals. The eight songs on the new LP, Tough Times on Oakwood, are stripped down and earnest, and anything but dull. According to CHIRP Reviewer Sophie Holtzmann, the album is “funky, folk punk that warrants your full attention, because the songs are just so damn pleasant to listen to both in the musical quality and witty lyricism.”
You can hear Grumble live this Wednesday, July 25 at CHIRP Night at the Whistler. Grumble opens for Good At Bad. The 21+ show is free but RSVPs are encouraged.
I had the chance to share a couple of cold ones with Seminara and discuss what he has planned for the Whistler crowd.
Q Tough Times on Oakwood is a big departure from So Pretty’s two albums. What sparked your inspiration for this album?
A So Pretty is temporarily on hold because one of our two singers, Ashley Holman, is pregnant. I wanted to stay active musically and began writing songs on my guitar. The album chronicles my reflections from living on Oakwood Avenue in my hometown of Ingleside, Illinois.