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KSanders writesHighlights From the 2023 Chicago International Film Festival
by Kyle Sanders
I hope our CHIRP Music Film Festival (co-programmed by yours truly, no less) gave you a taste for more celebrations of cinema, because Chicago's got another heap of films for your viewing pleasure--this time spanning from around the globe.
That's right, it's time for the 59th Annual Chicago International Film Festival! With 99 feature films, 58 shorts, 19 U.S. premieres, and 1 international premiere spread out across eight venues, it might just be the biggest one yet!
It's also a special milestone for me, because this will be my tenth attended festival. I moved to Chicago in August of 2013, so this particular film festival was one of the very first citywide events I ever experienced after moving here, and I've been coming back ever since.
That first year only provided me one title to see (Italy's Salvo, which reminded me of Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive--sans the scorpion bomber jacket), but every year since, I've added more and more to my must-see list, and if I'm able to chew what I've bitten off for this year's lineup, I'll have seen over thirty films (as I'm writing this, I've already crossed off TWENTY titles)!
CHIRP Radio writesCHIRP Radio Weekly Voyages (Oct 9 - Oct 15)
Upcoming Events:
- Monday Oct 9: Chicago Reader's Monday Night Foodball at Ludlow Liquors
- Tuesday Oct 10: CHIRP DJ Night at The Native feat. CHIRP DJ Craig Reptile
- Wednesday Oct 11: CHIRP Radio at the Chicago International Film Festival Block Party
- Thursday Oct 12: CHIRP Radio welcomes Civic to the Empty Bottle
- Sunday Oct 15: Pig Swig Record Dig at Schubas
- Tuesday Oct 17: CHIRP Music Trivia at Beermiscuous
- Thursday Oct 19: CHIRP Radio welcomes This is the Kit to Lincoln Hall
- Thursday Oct 19: CHIRP Radio and Liar's Club Chicago present the Late Night Vendor Market
- Saturday Oct 21: CHIRP Radio 19th Annual Record Fair and Other Delights
- Wednesday Oct 25: CHIRP Radio welcomes Butcher Brown to Sleeping Village
- Wednesday Nov 1: CHIRP Radio welcomes Sumac to Sleeping Village
- Tuesday Nov 7: CHIRP Radio welcomes Mike Doughty & Ghost of Vroom to Lincoln Hall
CHIRP Radio writesCHIRP Radio Weekly Voyages (Oct 2 - Oct 8)
Upcoming Events:
- Tuesday Oct 3: CHIRP Night at the Whistler with Levi Stress with Sons of Ra and CHNNLL
- Tuesday Oct 3: CHIRP Radio welcomes Knifeplay to Sleeping Village
- Saturday Oct 7: CHIRP Radio welcomes Kate Bollinger to the Empty Bottle
- Seturday Oct 7: CHIRP Radio welcomes Margaret Glaspy to Sleeping Village
- Monday Oct 9: Chicago Reader's Monday Night Foodball at Ludlow Liquors
- Tuesday Oct 10: CHIRP DJ Night at The Native feat. CHIRP DJ Craig Reptile
- Wednesday Oct 11: CHIRP Radio at the Chicago International Film Festival Block Party
- Thursday Oct 12: CHIRP Radio welcomes Civic to the Empty Bottle
- Thursday Oct 19: CHIRP Radio welcomes This is the Kit to Lincoln Hall
- Thursday Oct 19: CHIRP Radio and Liar's Club Chicago present the Late Night Vendor Market
- Saturday Oct 21: CHIRP Radio 19th Annual Record Fair and Other Delights
- Wednesday Oct 25: CHIRP Radio welcomes Butcher Brown to Sleeping Village
- Wednesday Nov 1: CHIRP Radio welcomes Sumac to Sleeping Village
CHIRP Radio writesCHIRP Radio Q&A With Sons of Ra (Performing at CHIRP Night at the Whistler on 10/3)
[photos by Andrew Rothmund]
Chicago group Sons of Ra is performing at CHIRP Night at the Whistler on Tuesday, October 3rd with Levi Stress. We caught up with the band (Erik Oldman on Guitar, Keith Wakefield on Bass and Tenor Saxophone, Michael Rataj on Drums) to ask them a few questions about themselves and their music…
So...What’s going on? Tell us about your current releases and/or upcoming shows (such as CHIRP Night at the Whistler!).
Erik: we’ve just wrapped up tracking and are mixing our full-length album Standard Deviation which will be out in March 2024.
We’ve collaborated with Levi Stress live in the past for a number of our shows. He invited us on the bill to back him for this show and we’re pretty enthused to work on translating some of his tracks into a live band hip-hop set him at the Whistler on Tuesday.
Later in October we are heading out on the road for a few dates around the upper Midwest. We will also be back in Chicago on Sunday October 22 at Livewire Lounge.
Mike: We’ve also started a side band with the 3 of us called KW3 and you can expect to find a more chilled, soul jazz trio mixed with funk and R&B influences. It allows us to explore a different side of influences and sounds than what we typically write and perform as Sons of Ra at those shows.
How do you go about turning your thoughts, ideas, and feelings into sounds?
Erik: For me there’s always music going on in my head, but if it’s associated with an experience that creates an emotional reaction it tends to stick around and eventually makes it to voice memo or some sort of notation. Sometimes it’s an idea… melody or a motif I bring to the guys and we jam on it and start working on developing and arranging. Sometimes it’s a fully-formed piece and we work through fitting it into the group setting and giving it some life.
Mike: Same, being a drummer it’s now impossible not to try to find rhythm and cycles in almost every repetitive sound I hear, so then it’s hearing how the rain drops and picking a smooth rhythm out of it. Although I’m also a big fan of nature and unplugging and I think that’s a great way to let the most important things percolate to the top of your mind.
Keith: What I love about this band is we are all pretty open to just about anything. We bring a bunch of influences and weirdness, yet we are able to experiment and adjust in a mostly judgment-free zone until we have something that is ready for Prime Time.
CHIRP Radio writesCHIRP Radio Q&A With Levi Stress (Performing at CHIRP Night at the Whistler on 10/3)
Chicago artist Levi Stress [bandcamp] is performing at CHIRP Night at the Whistler on Tuesday, October 3rd with Sons of Ra. We caught up with Levi recently to ask him a few questions about himself and his music…
So...What’s going on? Tell us about your current releases and/or upcoming shows (such as CHIRP Night at the Whistler!).
My current release is Center of the Apex. My group Sands of the Hour is working on our Debut release called Specks in the Sands and next year where dropping a EP called KC Masterpeace, and new solo album for next year also
How do you go about turning your thoughts, ideas, and feelings into sounds?
I contemplate every idea I have and manifest it into the universe and breathe it into existence