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Tyler Clark presents: Local Mythologies writesCHIRP Battle of the Bands 2015: The Last Four
Ok, CHIRP fans. This is (almost) it. Our Battle of the Bands 2015 is down to its last four competitors. Here they are:
- From the Wilco Region: White Mystery, Chicago's favorite redheads who pulled the upset on Jeff Tweedy and his bros.
- From the Pumpkins Region: Twin Peaks, the heroic slacker lads who sent Billy Corgan back to his artisanal coffin.
- From the Mavis Region: Flesh Panthers, the leather-clad punks who notched another Cinderella win against the Orwells.
- From the Kanye Region: Modern Vices, the reincarnated greasers who stomped the shit out of Andrew Bird's fiddle.
Four will enter, but only two will emerge. Can White Mystery cement their status as the hardest working band in Chicago? Will Twin Peaks benefit from the Lollapalooza bump? Which of our two remaining #8 seeds will live this crazy fairytale to its logical conclusion?
Only you can determine which of these bands makes it next week's final round. Voting for Round Four closes at noon on Thursday, April 9. As always, scope 'em, vote for 'em, and argue about 'em.
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesFriday MP3 Shuffle - Happy Birthday Tony Orlando Edition
Gather ‘round, children, and let me tell you a tale of a time when polyester was the fabric of choice for young people and the variety show was a coveted means of making a living. A time when entertainment required more than wardrobe malfunctions and twerking. It’s the early ‘70s, and one of the main men from that era is Tony Orlando. Born in Hell’s Kitchen in NYC and first making the pop charts at 16, the singer and record producer got his big break when he flanked himself with two gorgeous backup singers and hit the TV airwaves with a collection of polished, AM-Radio-friendly Pop music that included the mega-hits “Tie a Yellow Ribbon” and “Candida.”
Orlando’s time in the spotlight ended when the ‘80s took over, but like Wayne Newton and Tony Bennett, he’s still performing regularly in Vegas and Branson, MO, proving that longevity doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing in the music business if you have talent. Let’s wish him a Happy Birthday (and hope he never gets roped into singing duets with Lady Gaga) by grabbing your MP3 player, pressing the “shuffle” button, and sharing the first ten songs you hear:
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesIn Rotation: Harm’s Way
It's never too early in the year to get your Hardcore fix. We certainly can't wait until this summer's festival season to get laoud. That's why it's a very good thing that Harm's Way's third album Rust is now out on Deathwish Inc. It is quite loud and quite satisfying. The band brings the noise while working in other musical ingrediants like Metal and Industrial...there's even a track with a female lead vocal...! You can hear Harm's Way and a lot of other stuff on CHIRP Radio!
Abbey Fox writesAbbey Fox Goes to SXSW2015: Day 3
CHIRP Radio’s Abbey Fox visited this year’s South by Southwest Music Festival and documented her experiences. Click here to read about Day 1 and here for Day 2!
Day 3
The forecast called for rain, and we were prepared with ponchos and what I call “my gross festival boots” (thanks, Riot Fest 2014!). We decided to keep it simple on Friday and planned to spend the whole day at the Spin Magazine showcase at legendary BBQ joint/music venue, Stubbs.
Post-punk (& recently controversial) rockers Viet Cong kicked off the event by asking the audience who else was hungover and exhausted. After a unanimous YES by screamed by nearly everyone, they played as if their lives depended on it, which was extremely impressive considering their drummer played with a broken hand.
Abbey Fox writesAbbey Fox Goes to SXSW2015: Day 2
CHIRP Radio’s Abbey Fox visited this year’s South by Southwest Music Festival and documented her experiences. Click here to read about Day 1. Day three will be posted tomorrow!
Day 2
After a huge breakfast at Magnolia Cafe (more breakfast tacos because #yolo), it was time for Day 2. I started the day off solo with a goal of getting back to Red 7 but allowed myself to be distracted by whatever sounded cool.
That first distraction was Slow Down Molasses at the Canadian showcase. Described as “the Broken Social Scene of the prairies,” I immediately dug their indie sound and lady vocalist.
Setting back out to my original destination, I was invited in to The Lolo’s, a Californian band with an Americana indie sound. Up next was The Black and White at a random tent off of Red River Road, playing me an 80’s reminiscent set that would make HAIM proud.