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
CHIRP Radio writesCHIRP Radio Weekly Voyages (Mar 11 - Mar 17)
Upcoming Events:
- Tuesday Mar 12: CHIRP DJ Night at the Native (feat. DJ Geoffrey Wessel)
- Wednesday Mar 13: CHIRP Radio's The First Time: First Wave at Martyrs'
- Tuesday Mar 19: CHIRP Radio Music Trivia Night: Chicago Style! at Beermiscuous
- Thursday Mar 21: CHIRP Radio welcomes Ana Tijoux to Metro
- Sunday Mar 24: CHIRP Radio welcomes Lee Fields and Y La Bamba to Metro
- Wednesday Mar 27: CHIRP Radio welcomes San Fermin to Lincoln Hall
- Wednesday Mar 27: CHIRP Radio welcomes Andrew Sa to the Old Town School of Folk Music
- Sunday Mar 31: CHIRP Night at the Whistler featuring Greenlights Music
- Wednesday Apr 3: Both Sides Now: A CHIRP Listening Bar at Schubas (presented by DJ Joanna BZ)
KSanders writesKyle Predicts the 96th Academy Awards
by Kyle Sanders
During a segment of the 86th Academy Awards, host Ellen DeGeneres rallied a few A-list celebs (and Lupita Nyong'o's brother) to pose for an Oscars selfie that broke the internet with over 3.4 million retweets on what was then known as Twitter.
Would you believe that incident took place exactly ten years ago? Time certainly flies, but quite frankly, it hasn't been too kind to that selfie (remember "Brangelina?").
But what of that year's nominated films and winners? In the decade since, can you recall that 12 Years a Slave won Best Picture? Or that American Hustle--one of the most nominated films that year--went home empty handed?
Perhaps the only memorable takeaway was Frozen's Oscar-winning song "Let It Go," cementing its place high atop its mountainous pedestal as the go-to track for any musical theater major trying to prove their vocal chops on karaoke night.
But just like the words sung by Idina Menzel (or "Adele Dazeem" as John Travolta referred to her during that telecast), "the past is the past." It's 2024, and there's a new crop of films up for awards this year.
CHIRP Radio writesCHIRP Radio Weekly Voyages (Mar 4 - Mar 10)
Upcoming Events:
- Wednesday Mar 6: CHIRP Radio welcomes Mary Timony to the Empty Bottle
- Wednesday Mar 6: Both Sides Now: A CHIRP Listening Bar at Schubas (presented by DJ Joe Held)
- Saturday Mar 9: CHIRP Radio welcomes OMNI to Schubas
- Saturday Mar 9: CHIRP Radio welcomes Beth Orton to the Old Town School of Folk Music
- Saturday Mar 9 - Sunday March 10: CHIRP Radio is a the International Women's Day Market at Architectural Artifacts in Ravenswood
- Tuesday Mar 12: CHIRP DJ Night at the Native (feat. DJ Geoffrey Wessel)
- Wednesday Mar 13: CHIRP Radio's The First Time: First Wave at Martyrs'
- Tuesday Mar 19: CHIRP Radio Music Trivia Night: Chicago Style! at Beermiscuous
- Thursday Mar 21: CHIRP Radio welcomes Ana Tijoux to Metro
- Sunday Mar 24: CHIRP Radio welcomes Lee Fields and Y La Bamba to Metro
- Wednesday Mar 27: CHIRP Radio welcomes San Fermin to Lincoln Hall
- Wednesday Mar 27: CHIRP Radio welcomes Andrew Sa to the Old Town School of Folk Music
- Wednesday Apr 3: Both Sides Now: A CHIRP Listening Bar at Schubas (presented by DJ Joanna BZ)
CHIRP Radio writesCHIRP Radio Weekly Voyages (Feb 26 - Mar 3)
Upcoming Events:
- Sunday Mar 3: CHIRP Radio welcomes Katy Kirby to Lincoln Hall
- Wednesday Mar 6: CHIRP Radio welcomes Mary Timony to the Empty Bottle
- Wednesday Mar 6: Both Sides Now: A CHIRP Listening Bar at Schubas (presented by DJ Joe Held)
- Saturday Mar 9: CHIRP Radio welcomes OMNI to Schubas
- Saturday Mar 9: CHIRP Radio welcomes Beth Orton to the Old Town School of Folk Music
- Saturday Mar 9 - Sunday March 10: CHIRP Radio is a the International Women's Day Market at Architectural Artifacts in Ravenswood.
- Tuesday Mar 12: CHIRP DJ Night at the Native (feat. DJ Geoffrey Wessel)
- Thursday Mar 21: CHIRP Radio welcomes Ana Tijoux to Metro
- Sunday Mar 24: CHIRP Radio welcomes Lee Fields and Y La Bamba to Metro
DJ M-Dash writesMemory Lane: James Brown Says “Stay Away From Drugs!”
Some of us music lovers are old. Like, old enough to remember when the great James Brown went to prison. In late February 1991, the national news of his release was greeted by music lovers everywhere.
Despite what some Generation X members might tell you about our landmark record collections and our attendance at legendary small-club shows, none of us had seen James Brown perform. We only knew him as a mythical, god-like figure. Then, suddenly, one day in the early 1990s, James Brown records came out with fury.
Eight months after Brown’s parole, there was 20 All-Time Greatest Hits!—Polydor’s James Brown compilation album. The compilation went platinum and even graced the top 100 of Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Albums in 1993. Everyone had it. (Really, everyone.)
Early promotional versions of the disc (plus other James Brown works) circulated the college radio circuit scene. And as a college DJ, I couldn’t resist playing his great songs—plus there were some fantastic extras, including Public Service Announcements Mr. Brown did, telling young people to keep away from crime.
Rumors circulated at the time that some of the PSAs were part of Soul Brother #1’s 1991 parole agreement, but in truth, some were recorded long before the time.
Anyhow, one of my favorites, the “Stay Away From Drugs" PSA, turned up not some years ago in video form. It’s worth a watch and is the perfect pick-me-up for a James Brown fan.