We're seeking new members for our 2025 Board of Directors, as well as our founding Associate Board for young professionals 35 and under. Details and application at each of the links above.
The CHIRP Blog
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writes@CHIRPRADIO (Week of June 5)
Upcoming Events
- Tuesday, June 6: CHIRP Radio welcomes Urban Cone to Schubas
- Saturday, June 10: CHIRP Radio’s First Time series presents an ALL-STAR edition at the 33rd annual Printers Row Lit Fair in the South Loop
- Sunday, June 11: CHIRP Radio and Kickstand Productions present Nothing at Beat Kitchen
New Media
- Amanda Mayer talks to Arriver
- Amelia Hruby talks with Danielle Sines of Impulsive Hearts and Sophie Leigh of Fauvely
- First Time: First Test - Britt Julious
- Clarence Ewing and Kevin Fullam discuss the film Nightcrawler
Kevin Fullam writesThe Fourth Wall: Nightcrawler
Welcome to The Fourth Wall, CHIRP's weekly e-conversation on cinema. This week's subject is The Jake Jake Gyllenhaal thriller Nightcrawler.
This edition is written by CHIRP Radio volunteers Kevin Fullam and Clarence Ewing.
Clarence:
"If it bleeds, it leads."
If you watch movies and/or TV long enough, that statement will be made by someone to either condemn or praise the television news industry. Depending on who's speaking, it’s either a bite-size indictment of a business that thrives on greed and suffering, or a clear-eyed, realistic assessment of market forces and consumer demand.
I kept thinking about that phrase as I watched Nightcrawler, the story of Lou Bloom and his rise to the top of his chosen profession. Bloom isn’t what you’d call a social person, but he has drive, ambition, and knowledge (the latter of which is mostly gleaned from the internet). After coming across a horrible accident scene one evening, where freelance camera crews swoop in to sell gruesome shots to the highest bidder, Bloom finds his True Calling. With a little help from his near-homeless assistant Rick (Riz Ahmed) and struggling morning news producer Nina Romina (Rene Russo), he’s going to make something of himself… no matter what it takes.
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesIn Rotation: Panda Riot
Chicago band Panda Riot creates Shoegaze-y walls of sound that mix beauty and intensity. It's a great way to kick off the summer. Music from their new album Infinity Maps is available for listening in rotation and by request on CHIRP Radio.
SKaiser writes@CHIRPRADIO (Week of May 29)
UPCOMING EVENTS
Join CHIRP Radio and Kickstand Productions at Subterranean (2011 W North Ave) on Sunday, June 4 and welcome Diet Cig! Show starts at 8:00 PM.
NEW MEDIA
- The origins and ideas of Bunny are shared here with CHIRP's Jennifer Roger
- First Time: First Test with Sarah Sherman
- Kentucky-natives White Reaper met up with CHIRP Volunteer Andrew Meriwether at Beat Kitchen
- Concert Review: Lewis Del Mar at Thalia Hall by Layne Lindroth
- Clarence Ewing shares what's In Rotation: Andy Pratt
- Kyle Sanders writes about Rediscovering Our Record Collections with Fleetwood Mac's "Tango In the Night"
- Kevin Fullam and Clarence Ewing explore the cinematic Fourth Wall: Frozen River
TOP OF THE CHIRP CHARTS
1. The Clams – Gunslinger (1980)
2. Shamir – Hope (self-released)
3. !!! – Shake the Shudder (Warp)
Kevin Fullam writesThe Fourth Wall: Frozen River
Welcome to The Fourth Wall, CHIRP's weekly e-conversation on cinema. This week's subject is the 2008 crime drama Frozen River.
This edition is written by CHIRP Radio volunteers Kevin Fullam and Clarence Ewing.
Kevin: While I can count many, many tiers of wealth separating my own lifestyle from that of Pure Opulence, a middle-class existence seems mighty lavish when compared to the dreary day-to-day survival of Frozen River. Strap yourselves in, folks... and be thankful that you have more than Tang and popcorn awaiting you for breakfast in the morning.
Ray Eddy (Melissa Leo, in an Oscar-nominated performance) lives with her two sons in a battered trailer at the edge of civilization in snowy, upstate New York -- and her deadbeat husband has just absconded with what would've been the down payment on a shiny, new "double-wide" mobile home. Christmas is coming, the cupboards are bare, and through happenstance, Ray stumbles upon Lila (Misty Upham), a member of the nearby Mohawk tribe. Lila ekes out her own living by helping to smuggle illegals across the Canadian border via the frozen St. Lawrence River.
The two women become partners out of financial desperation, and each successive trip feels like another round of Russian Roulette. Is this the time when the icy river cracks? Are the state troopers wise to the whole operation? And what happens when Pakistanis show up to be smuggled, as opposed to the customary Mexicans and Chinese?