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The CHIRP Blog
Mike Bennett writesFriday iPod/MP3 Shuffle—Happy Birthday James Brown Edition
Today we pay tribute to one of the giants of American music, James Brown. A juvenile delinquent, Brown was paroled after serving time for armed robbery and joined a band called the Famous Flames. By the late ‘50s, Brown was in charge, and his incredible string of R & B chart hits. At first, he was a testifying soul shouter, who crossed over with his Live at the Apollo album. Brown was the ultimate road house trouper, with his dynamic live show. As his bands got tighter and tighter, the first seeds of funk were planted. Combining syncopation with precise guitar parts and simple vocal lines, Brown broke down his music into the simplest of elements, but put them together in complex combinations. The reverberations of funk are still being felt today, around the world. I go could on and on about Brown’s political songs, how he stopped a riot, and many other things, but I only have so much time. He’s right up there with Duke Ellington, Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson and Hank Williams among the most important figures in American. In his honor, 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 05/03 to Thursday 05/09
(Do you have corrections or updates for this list? Send us an e-mail.)
Friday May 3
Twin Tigers, Bad Bad Meow, Snow Ghost
Abbey Pub 21+
Tenki, Hemmingbirds, Dirty Pigeons
Beat Kitchen 9pm, 21+
Senses Fail, Such Gold, Major League, Real Friends
Bottom Lounge8pm, 17+
Too $hort
Double Door 9pm, 21+
The Hoyle Brothers
Empty Bottle 5:30pm, 21+
Craig Reptile: Your Sunday Sonic Sundowner writesVeronica Falls at The Empty Bottle: March 14, 2013
[Reprinted with permission from Popstache.com]
It’s almost a crime against humanity that the music of Veronica Falls is not nestled securely at the top of the Billboard charts, selling a gazillion copies and inducing the kind of fever usually triggered by Justin Bieber or Lady Gaga. Almost, because there are real crimes against humanity that are far more serious, like genocide, ethnic cleansing and the music of Lionel Richie. But in a perfect world, bullets wouldn’t be used to kill people, bullets would only be used to illustrate the speed with which bands like Veronica Falls ascended to the toppermost of the poppermost of the pop charts.
PatrickBobilin writesKatie Got Bandz - April 19, 2013
In the heart of Wicker Park is a lesser-known spot upstairs from Lubinski Furniture store and underneath art gallery LVL3 is a newly christened space by the name of NoNation. Events are irregular, bathroom access is a nightmare and the floor buckles and sags in the middle of the main space. But somehow, this former-art-gallery-turned-sporadic-rave space has hosted some of the most interesting performances of the last few months.
Maddie Hannes writes2013 Record Fair Recap
It's not that I forgot, it's just that it's taken me two whole weeks to recover from the excitement that was the CHIRP Record Fair & Other Delights. I left the fair the evening of April 13 with a somewhat lighter wallet and a significantly heavier tote bag, and have since been wearing out the needle on my turntable enjoying my purchases (especially a very reasonably priced new Ys by Joanna Newsom and a dusty but lovely-sounding For the Roses by Joni Mitchell, confirming for everyone that I've spent way too much time going to renaissance fairs).
If you missed it, here's your chance to see how this year's record fair played out; and if you made it, enjoy the reminiscing!
The view from the balcony of the Chicago Journeyman Plumbers Hall, site of the Record Fair (photo by Kelsey Phillips)