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The CHIRP Blog
DJ M-Dash writesNeptune’s Core Goes to College
Some campus life, some study-at-home for Chicago’s most precocious indie band
by Andy Frye
From left: Sofia Richter (lead vocals), Jackie Cywinski (guitar/vocals), Hannah Richter (bass), and Kaitlin Cywinski (drums). Photo by Sloane Johnson (@sloaneshotit)
Young rockers Neptune’s Core have been breaking pretty much all the rules about what is supposed to happen when you’re in high school.
In much of America—even in the 2020s—it’s still all about student activities like band, chess club, sports, and a lot of school spirit, plus hitting the books, getting good grades, and nailing your best SAT and ACT scores.
But for this Chicago-based foursome, it’s been all that and more. More, meaning stuff like playing live at venues Metro, talking at music-related panel discussions like CHIRP Radio’s Independents Day at Schuba’s, or taking a week off of school to play the annual South By Southwest Festival (SXSW) in Austin, Texas.
Now, two of the indie band four members are away at college, shuffling through first-year survey courses and the lifestyle of college freshmen.
CHIRP Radio writesCHIRP Radio Weekly Voyages (Nov 11 - Nov 17)
Upcoming Events:
- Saturday Nov 16: CHIRP welcomes Low Cut Connie to Evanston SPACE
- Monday Nov 18: The CHIRP Music Film Fest presents Hairspray at Gman Tavern
- Tuesday Nov 19: CHIRP Monthly Music Trivia at Beermiscuous
- Sunday Nov 24: CHIRP supports Quiet Pterodactyl's 5th anniversary
- Sunday Nov 24: CHIRP Night at the Whistler with La Rosa Noir and This House Is Creaking
- Thursday Dec 5: CHIRP Radio welcomes Wishy to Schubas
- Sunday Dec 8: CHIRP Radio welcomes Bettye Lavette to The Old Town School of Folk Music
- Tuesday Dec 10: CHIRP DJ Night at The Native feat. CHIRP DJ Eddie Sayago
- Wednesday Dec 11: The First Time: First Day at Martyrs'
Eddie writes6 Memorable Motion Picture Soundtracks From 1994
by Eddie Sayago
Despite what some might say, physical media is cool and essential. A CD or vinyl is a permanent timestamp on a piece of music that can have a lot of significance to the listener.
We are in an era where in theory we have access to everything, yet it also seems like nothing is here to stay. One day your favorite song or album could be pulled from the streaming services or even your own digital library if purchased from Apple or another vendor. And who knows when or if that remix of your favorite song to dance to from college will return.
For someone who has the space, energy, and money to have and build a physical music collection, it’s a privilege I don’t take for granted. One of my favorite activities to do on the weekend is to visit a record store and browse through the bins and boxes for something from a bygone era.
There are fewer joys than finding a beloved album in good to excellent condition, folk over the cash or card, bring it home and let yourself get lost in the music on your massive speakers or headphones.
Hopefully you can find that next great album at the upcoming CHIRP Record Fair & Other Delights, taking place for the final time on Saturday, November 9. Tickets can be purchased here.
KSanders writesPolitical Poetess: How Stevie Nicks’ “The Lighthouse” and Other Recent Releases Have Influenced Our Elections
by Kyle Sanders
Talking politics when meeting new people might be considered taboo, but there is one subject I won't hesitate to bring up at some point in conversation: Stevie Nicks.
I am a huge Stevie Nicks fan. I have been since 1998, a year when Nicks was still riding high off a very successful comeback tour with Fleetwood Mac (The Dance) while supporting the release of a retrospective boxed set celebrating her work as an enduring solo artist (Enchanted). I know every song, have read every interview, and—I still can’t believe I managed this—touched her hand.
What I’m trying to say is, I have an authority on all things Stevie, so when I tell you that her recent single, “The Lighthouse,” is the most political song she's ever recorded, I hope you’ll take my word for it.
Kevin Fullam writesThe Fourth Wall: Does Horror Matter in 2024?
Welcome to The Fourth Wall, CHIRP's e-conversation on cinema. This week's subject is the the state of the horrror film genre.
This edition is written by CHIRP Radio volunteers Kevin Fullam and Clarence Ewing.
Clarence:
It’s Halloween season once again! And of course, a perfect time to fire up the horror movies old and new.
I’m not what you would call a hardcore fan of the genre, but I do respect it when it’s done well. I also appreciate the detailed history of scary movies, from the classic monster flicks of the ‘30s to the atomic scares of the ‘50s to the the psychedelic arthouse cinema of the ‘60s to the Golden Era of the ‘70s and ‘80s (which gave us classics ranging from mainstream blockbusters to grindhouse B-movies) to the self-aware Scream / I Know What You Did Last Summer kicks of the ‘90s to the Saw franchise (and its imitators) of new millennium.