If you didn't vote early, vote today! Find your polling place here. And if you're not registered, you can do it on site with two forms of ID including one showing your current address.
The CHIRP Blog
Mike Bennett writesFriday iPod/MP3 Shuffle—Happy Birthday Amy Winehouse Edition
Today we pay tribute to someone we lost too soon, Amy Winehouse. While neo-soul had made some impact in America, that was more earthy, ’70s rooted music. Winehouse looked back a bit further to the ’60s for inspiration. Moreover, she combined soul with elements of jazz singing, revealing incredibly sophisticated nuance for someone so young. Her debut album, Frank, was quite good, with hints of how major an artist she would become. One listen to “F—- Me Pumps” reveals a wonderful composer with a great eye for detail in her lyrics. This was followed by the mega-smash Back In Black, the rare popular album that also garnered tons of critical plaudits. There is no doubt that she inspired many other women to try singing classic R & B rooted sounds, leading to talents such as Adele getting a commercial foothold. Sadly, it ended too soon, but Winehouse’s talent will endure. In honor of Amy, please grab your iPod or MP3 player, hit shuffle and share the first 10 songs that come up.
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesWeekly Voyages: Friday 09/14 to Thursday 09/20
(Do you have corrections or updates for this list? Send us an e-mail.)
Friday September 14
Great American Taxi, Old Shoe, Dead Winter Carpenters
Abbey Pub: 9pm, 21+
Pallbearer, Royal Thunder
Beat Kitchen: 9pm
Riot Fest
Congress Theater: 6pm
Ingram Hill, Sam Grow, Jared McCloud
Double Door: 8pm, 21+
Shawn Campbell writesJoin us at Lincoln Square Potbelly Thursday for a CHIRP Fundraiser
This Thursday night, September 13, CHIRP is pleased to partner with the Lincoln Square Potbelly store for a station fundraiser. CHIRP will receive 25% of all sales between the hours of 5-8pm.
To make things even more fun, we’ll feature some great live music from local acts. Here’s the schedule:
5:30-6pm Abbi Rajasekhar
6:45-7:15pm Briar Rabbit
7:30-8pm Poor Elvis
And we’ll raffle off a Lincoln Square prize package with gift certificates from local businesses.
Please join us at Potbelly in Lincoln Square, 4709 N. Lincoln Ave., this Thursday night!
Mike Bennett writesFriday iPod/MP3 Shuffle—Happy Birthday Buddy Holly Edition
Today we pay tribute to one of the great original rock and rollers, Buddy Holly. This bespectacled Texan proved particularly adept at fusing R & B with pop and country tropes, and he shared with Chuck Berry the ability to write lyrics that teenagers could immediately identify with. Moreover, he matured as a songwriter at a startling rate, showing melodic and arranging chops that still make historians wonder if rock would have gotten to some places sooner had Buddy not died in that tragic plane crash. Holly’s influence loomed large in the early ’60s, as most strongly evidenced in the early work of The Beatles (whose name was a takeoff/homage to the name of Buddy’s band, The Crickets) and The Rolling Stones (the latter who first hit the U.S. charts with a cover of Buddy’s “Not Fade Away”), and, most obviously, the band that named themselves after him, The Hollies. Let’s pay tribute to one of the true innovators in rock by grabbing your iPod or MP3 player, hitting shuffle, and sharing the first 10 songs that come up.
Mike Bennett writesFriday iPod/MP3 Shuffle—Happy Birthday Van Morrison
He started out in an Irish garage band (which makes sense, since he’s Irish) called Them, who were raw and passionate. Indeed, so raw that when their instant classic “Gloria” came to these shores, radio stations considered it too hot to touch, and Chicago’s very own WLS-AM convinced The Shadows Of Knight to record a tamer version, which became the hit version in the States. Van overcame that, next garnering chart success with the ubiquitous “Brown Eyed Girl”. But he wasn’t just a pop singer. With albums such as Moondance and Astral Weeks, he developed a blend of jazz, folk, rock and, most of all, blues that became very influential. Of course, it helps that Morrison was blessed with some of the most soulful pipes around. After his early triumphs, Morrison never stopped exploring, whether it would be skiffle, pure blues or more atmospheric stuff. Let’s pay tribute to this living legend, by grabbing your iPod or MP3 player, hitting shuffle, and sharing the first 10 songs that come up.