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The CHIRP Blog
Mike Nikolich writesTenci & DPCD Will Create an Intimate Atmosphere At CHIRP Night at the Whistler!
Chicago’s burgeoning indie music scene is loaded with talent, and two of the city’s most promising singer/songwriter acts, Tenci and DPCD, share the bill at Wednesday’s edition of CHIRP Night at the Whistler at 8:30 pm. Tickets are free show but you will need to RSVP to this 21+ show.
Tenci, featuring guitarist/vocalist Jess Shoman and bassist/vocalist Tina Scarpello, will appeal to anyone who appreciates the artistry of Aldous Harding, Liz Phair and early Joni Mitchell. Tenci, which was named in honor of Jess’s grandmother, Hortencia, began as a solo project, producing the EP I Opened My Mouth and Nothing Came Out. Seven months ago, Jess began working with Tina, who also is a member of the band Spencer Radcliffe & Everyone Else. Later this year, they will release their first full-length album, My Heart is an Open Field.
DPCD is a singer-songwriter project led by Iverson guitarist/pianist Alec Watson, with support from Iverson percussionist/guitarist Ethan Parcell and vocalist Samantha Connour. Their first album, Good Visions, features nine acoustic songs that highlight Watson’s finger-picking guitar style and soft, emotive vocals, drawing comparisons to artists like Sufjan Stevens, Ryley Walker, Elizabeth Cotten and Nick Drake.
I had the chance to sit down with Tenci and DPCD to discuss their music, artists that influenced them and what they have in store for the Whistler crowd.
Rubbed in Dirt, Dipped in Sugar writesIn Rotation: Imelda Marcos
by John Lombardo
Imelda Marcos | Tatlo | Already Dead Tapes
Chicago drums & guitar duo Imelda Marcos have created something truly captivating & complex with their newest album. Guitarist Dave Cosejo blends together the aggressive, yet melodic guitar work of math-rock inflected bands like Don Caballero & Hella but puts his own spin on the caterwauling chaos, utilizing a guitar slide & an arsenal of palm-muted arpeggios to perk up all ears! On tracks like “moth-->eye of god”, he uses these techniques to create such a disorienting fugue that it almost hypnotizes the listener before splintering off into the song’s groove and release. Drummer Matt Durso is the perfect foil for this excellent guitar shredding. On tracks like “Prism Unabridged” he surges forward with impressive fills and intricate leads, pushing all the action, while simultaneously anchoring the track. This album of high-energy instrumentals ends with a blissed out minimalist number featuring the faint vocals of Lauren Davis (aka Mildred).
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writes@CHIRPRadio (Week of June 24)
UPCOMING EVENTS
- Wednesday, June 26th: It's time for CHiRP Night at the Whistler with Tenci and DPCD!
- Friday, June 28th to Sunday June 30th: Join CHIRP at the 2019 edition of the Logan Square Arts Festival
NEW MEDIA
- Mick Reed chats with Chicago band Hitter
- In Rotation: Ryan Burns
- In Rotation: Julian Leal
- In Rotation: The Alibis
Top of the CHIRP Charts
1. Kishi Bashi – Omoiyari (Joyful Noise) |
2. Damon Locks & Black Monument Ensemble – Where Future Unfolds (International Anthem) |
3. Sinkane – Dépaysé (City Slang) |
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Click here to see the complete list of 50 albums that made this week’s charts as well as new music recently added to CHIRP’s library. |
Lily writesJoin CHIRP Radio This Weekend at The Monarch Art & Wellness Fair!
For the first time ever, Hyde Park Center will be hosting the Monarch Art & Wellness Fair. Come on by Saturday, June 22nd and Sunday, June 23rd to celebrate women, femme and gender non-binary artists, healers and small businesses. This project tries to heal the gap between art and wellness.
The artists will be sharing their art and selling it. Grab your wallets because over 30 local vendors will be selling goodies including the Feminist Speakeasy, Bad Gem, Early to Bed, Too Cute to be Binary, Plz Be Careful and so much more.
The fair will feature a roster of public programs you can check out that focus in on your physical, mental, spiritual and sexual wellness. On Saturday, they have a queer history walking tour of Hyde Park and a sex ed workshop. On Sunday, they feature a community Reiki healing clinic, a queer film series and an uncovering self intimacy workshop.
The fair will run from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. CHIRP Radio will be hanging and DJing there on both days, stop on by to say hello!
Bobby Evers writesIn Rotation: Ryan Burns
by Bobby Evers
Ryan Burns | The Institute | Self-Released
OK, a folky acoustic guitar EP. Got it. Tell me more. Well, for starters, the young Chicago songwriter, also a member of the band Distant Brothers, describes his own work as "genre-bending Americana songs on his banjo and guitar," and according to his bio, he was an ethnomusicology major, pulling subtle influences from Mande drumming, and traditional Irish music. Track 1 sounds like it might be a cross between something off the Llewyn Davis soundtrack and from the Michigan singer-songwriter Matthew Shelton. Track 2 starts with a banjo that grabs you immediately. An aspect of this release that makes it hyper-local is that each track was inspired by a different work at the Art Institute of Chicago, where the EP gets its name from.