First Time: First Choice - Steve Reidell

STEVE REIDELL is a typography enthusiast and a Chicago musician: he is one-half of DJ/production duo The Hood Internet, and one-half of the band Air Credits alongside fellow Chicagoan ShowYouSuck. He formerly worked as the in-house art director at Metro and Smart Bar.

The First Time is CHIRP Radio’s Live Lit and Music series. It pairs a reader’s personal story about a specific "first time" -- a different "first" for each show -- with a song performance. This unique structure allows the story to resonate with audience members as they experience the accompanying song covered by The First Time Four. The band takes special care to perform unexpected song arrangements, so it is hard to tell which the audience enjoys more: the story or the song.

The First Time is produced and directed by Julie Mueller with Assistant Producer Bobby Evers and Host Jenn Sodini. Podcast produced and recorded by Jenn Rourke. Engineering by Tony Baker.

Photo credit: Graham Gardner

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Frances Quinlan Interview

Frances Quinlan of famed band Hop Along catches up with CHIRP Features interviewer Elizabeth. They talk about what it was like for Frances to strike out on her own after 15+ years performing, writing, and touring with the same project. Painting and drawing have always been a huge part of Frances' life and she explains how it has worked its way into her artistry as a musician. Tune in to hear more!

Produced by Elizabeth Dieterich

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First Time: First Choice - Paul Farahvar

Paul Farahvar has been delighting audiences with his self-deprecating dry humor, centered on being an aging single. After training at The Second City and iO in Chicago, Farahvar quickly became a regular at local stand-up clubs, Zanies, Comedy Bar and Laugh Factory. Farahvar's hard work, prior stage life (He was/is also a musician) and ease at connecting with audiences have allowed him to achieve remarkably rapid success by industry standards, including the rare opportunity to host and produce his own monthly (now weekly) called "Drink Date Laugh" about dating and a new comedic game show called "Everyone's a Lawyer" both at the World Famous Laugh Factory. He currently tours regularly with national headliners Demetri Martin, Jen Kirkman, Keith Alberstadt and Chris Franjola when he is not headlining. Farahvar currently performs stand up regularly at Laugh Factory (Chicago, Las Vegas, Hollywood), Zanies (Chicago, Rosemont, and St. Charles), House of Comedy (Phoenix, Minnesota), Skyline Comedy Club (Wisconsin and Tacoma), Comedy Club on State, Comedy Bar (Chicago) and McCurdys (Florida). He is also the host of the Podcast "Singles Only" (iTunes, Laugh Factory Channel) and a regular guest on Pretty Late with Patti Vasquez on WGN Radio. He also played "Karam Haddad" on NBC's "Chicago Med" in 2017.

The First Time is CHIRP Radio’s Live Lit and Music series. It pairs a reader’s personal story about a specific "first time" -- a different "first" for each show -- with a song performance. This unique structure allows the story to resonate with audience members as they experience the accompanying song covered by The First Time Four. The band takes special care to perform unexpected song arrangements, so it is hard to tell which the audience enjoys more: the story or the song.

The First Time is produced and directed by Julie Mueller with Assistant Producer Bobby Evers and Host Jenn Sodini. Podcast produced and recorded by Jenn Rourke. Engineering by Tony Baker.

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Waltzer Interview

Features Assistant Director Ari Mejia chats with local musician Waltzer.  They chat about her recent album release "Destroyer," and the path that led there. This interview also includes a live studio performance! Tune in to catch this special interview.

Produced by Ari Mejia

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First Time: First Choice - Tony Breed

Tony Breed is cartoonist, DJ, and UX Architect. His comic Muddlers Beat is a queer slice-of-life comic about how life is what happens when you don't know what you're doing; he also created Finn & Charlie Are Hitched, about a gay married couple and their friends. You can listen to his show on CHIRP Radio every Friday morning, 6-9am, and watch him dance in the studio on Instagram. Right now he's probably thinking about what he's going to eat next.

The First Time is CHIRP Radio’s Live Lit and Music series. It pairs a reader’s personal story about a specific "first time" -- a different "first" for each show -- with a song performance. This unique structure allows the story to resonate with audience members as they experience the accompanying song covered by The First Time Four. The band takes special care to perform unexpected song arrangements, so it is hard to tell which the audience enjoys more: the story or the song.

The First Time is produced and directed by Julie Mueller with Assistant Producer Bobby Evers and Host Jenn Sodini. Podcast produced and recorded by Jenn Rourke. Engineering by Tony Baker.

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