Artist Interviews Woody Goss Interview

This week, Features Co-Director Mick R speaks with Woody Goss, a Chicagoland native who is best known as the pianist and composer of Vulfpeck. Goss discusses his latest solo album, Rainbow Beach, which is a real beach in the South Shore neighborhood, and how a rare birding experience there shaped the visual theme of the album, the lore behind Carolina parakeets and their inclusion in Rainbow Beach's album artwork, and his fruitful year of birdwatching.

"I wanted to make something relaxing. [...] Booker T and the MGs had this song called 'Sunday Sermon' that I had been listening to for a few years and I put this song on whenever I just wanted to just chill out, and I was like, 'man, I want more music like this.' And so that was kind of an inspiration. I need more music with just a live single and a piano just grooving." - Woody Goss

Produced by Mick R

Photo Credit: Erin Ayalp

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Artist Interviews Destroy Boys Interview

Alexia Roditis is a singer in a punk band called Destroy Boys. Features contributor Marjorie Alford caught up with Alexia to talk about the origins of the band, social justice issues and some of Alexia's favorite fan interactions, as well as learn why the band is not riot grrrl and discuss how and why Alexia came to identify with they/them pronouns. 

"They/them pronouns to me mean, gender nonconformity, and not subscribing to a binary, which are two things that I love about myself... pronouns really kind of come down to an expression of my gender. And it's like a public way to do that. It's nice to feel affirmed, you know? They/Them reflects how I feel about myself. - Alexia Roditis"

Destroy Boys's new album Open Mouth, Open Heart is out through Hopeless Records. 

Produced by Brian Szpak 

Photo Credit: Ashley Gellman 

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Artist Interviews Megiapa Interview

This week, Features co-director Mick R speaks with Chicago-based multigenre artist Megiapa. They discuss her genre-less approach to music, her Ohio roots and how it shaped her musical upbringing, how her brother's first turntables taught her her first lessons about producing music, the push to create music in the moment of inspiration on her most recent album Diddies Vol. 1, and the reasons she chose and stuck with her stage name.

"I think the [...] most fun, comes from those moments when you just have a quick idea and it actually turns out to be something that's catchy or effective emotionally or just representative of the moment in which you came up with it, and that you delivered upon it. I think there's something special in that moment." - Megiapa

Produced by Jessi D

Photo Credit: Megiapa

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Artist Interviews SiP​/​Prezzano Interview

This week for the CHIRP Radio Artist Interview Series, we caught up with Jimmy and Pete of the Chicago-based electronic production duo SiP​/​Prezzano. We talked about how they met and decided to start working together, the overlap between their individual styles, and their debut, self-titled album. Interview by Mick R. 

SiP​/​Prezzano's album is out on Moon Glyph. 

"We definitely have some different ideas and always want to try different approaches." - Jimmy Lacy

Produced by Mick R. 

Image Credit: Drew Ryan

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Artist Interviews Lakshmi Ramgopal Interview

This week, Features co-director Jessi D speaks with Chicago- and New York-based artist Lakshmi Ramgopal. They discuss how her experience as a professor of history at Columbia University shapes her collaborative and storytelling skills as an artist, her shift to longer-term sound installations and site-specific ensemble performances, her previous work in Love and Radiation, how the death of her grandmother caused her to move towards working through her personal life in her art, and her familial and cultural legacy.

"This has been a really important way for me to understand my changing relationship with my family and also my cultural heritage over the course of my life and all the tensions that come from being a second-generation Indian woman and growing up in a bicultural household; I think it has helped me think on what kind of legacy I want to have." - Lakshmi Ramgopal 

Produced by Jessi D.

Photo Credit: Stephanie Jense

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