First Time: First Try - Seth Vanek

Seth Vanek is a musician, snack blogger, fake therapist, and DIY talk show host. As host of The Therapy Sessions, he interviews local writers and performers about their fears, disappointments, and desires in front of a drinking crowd. He is a programmer for the local non-profit Homeroom and plays drums in several Chicago rock bands including Roommate, Velvetron, and Health & Beauty.

Event produced and directed by Julie Mueller with Assistant Producer Bobby Evers and Host Jenn Sodini. Podcast Producer: Jenn Rourke. Recorded by Asim Ali, Melissa Karalis, and Jenn Rourke.

Download this episode Subscribe to all podcasts Subscribe to all podcasts

First Time: First Try - Anna Jensen

Anna Jensen originally hails from the verdant plains of Iowa, where she majored in Linguistics and co-founded the improv troupe Paperback Rhino (consistently ranked as one of the top college improve troupes in the nation) at the University of Iowa in 2003.  Since making Chicago her home, Anna has set down roots in the podcasting community as co-host of Babes Watch Buffy, an intersectional feminist discussion of the cult classic TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

She's also a member of the Board of Directors for Upswing Advocates, a non-profit that conducts research and provides sliding scale services for the LGBTQIA community in Chicago and beyond.  By day, she makes her scratch doing business development for the print publishing company Guerrero Media.

Event produced and directed by Julie Mueller with Assistant Producer Bobby Evers and Host Jenn Sodini. Podcast Producer: Jenn Rourke. Recorded by Asim Ali, Melissa Karalis, and Jenn Rourke.

(This recording includes explicit language and details).

Download this episode Subscribe to all podcasts Subscribe to all podcasts

First Time: First Try - Mike Nikolich

Mike Nikolich hosts a Friday shift on CHIRP Radio from noon to 3 pm. After working in the public relations field for 33 years, including founding, building and selling his PR firm, Tech Image, Mike retired in 2012, got bored and earned his MBA from Northern Illinois University. He currently is director of NIU's digital marketing program and is a full-time instructor. Mike has been married to Susan for 33 years and they have two daughters, Jessica and Christine, plus a Golden Doodle named Kramer, who occasionally appears on WCIU-TV ads promoting "Seinfeld."

Event produced and directed by Julie Mueller with Assistant Producer Bobby Evers and Host Jenn Sodini. Podcast Producer: Jenn Rourke. Recorded by Asim Ali, Melissa Karalis, and Jenn Rourke.

Download this episode Subscribe to all podcasts Subscribe to all podcasts

Maps & Atlases Interview

Dave from Maps & Atlases joined features Director Amanda Roscoe Mayo in the CHIRP studios on the heels of their newest release, ‘Lightlessness is Nothing New.’ Amanda shares the story of how she came to know Maps & Atlases through a falconer in very Far West Texas, which leads to a discussion of how albums can mark time periods in life. They also talk about the grief folded into the content of the record, and what Dave likes to play when he’s fiddling around on his guitar solo. 

produced by Amanda Roscoe Mayo

Download this episode Subscribe to all podcasts Subscribe to all podcasts

First Time: First Try - Damien James

Self-taught artist and writer Damien James has participated in over 80 exhibitions since 2005, and his writing has been published in New City and The Reader, on Art21.org and badatsports.com, among other places. He is an avid walker and sings in the shower regularly.

Event produced and directed by Julie Mueller with Assistant Producer Bobby Evers and Host Jenn Sodini. Podcast Producer: Jenn Rourke. Recorded by Asim Ali, Melissa Karalis, and Jenn Rourke.

Download this episode Subscribe to all podcasts Subscribe to all podcasts