CHIRP's exclusive artist interviews, conducted on-location and produced entirely by CHIRP volunteers. Subscribe to the feed to receive new interviews with local and national acts every week.

Artist Interviews Impulsive Hearts Interview 2024

This week Features contributor Alyssa Edes talks with Danielle Sines of Chicago-based bubblegrunge group Impulsive Hearts. They talk about friendship breakups, feeling ALL of your feelings, societal collapse, and the new album Fit 4 the Apocalypse. 

"It's sort of this mental preparation for the end of the world in my mind... Either I'm gonna get fit or I'm gonna stay in bed all day."  - Danielle Sines, on the new album Fit 4 the Apocalypse.

Fit 4 The Apocalypse is out now. Catch Impulsive Hearts at Andersonville Midsommar Fest Sunday, June 9, 2024 at 7p.m. on The Swedish Stage. And you can hear Danielle - AKA D Rock - on CHIRP Radio with The Apocalipstick Beatz - Tuesdays 12-3pm.

Produced by: Alyssa Edes
Photo Credit: Jovan Landry

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Artist Interviews Wolfman Interview

This week, Features co-director Jessi D speaks with Carrie Shemanski and Crispin Torres of Chicago-based surf rock band Wolfman. They discuss how they met through performing in various cover bands across Chicago, taking a risk and shredding with new friends, recording their debut five-song EP The Wolfman Agenda at Electrical Audio, and the upcoming Shemanskifest, a celebration of Carrie's birthday in which she tries to perform in as many bands as possible.

"So here we are with my band - I couldn't believe it. I was like, people who know how to play instruments also want to play my songs? What a dream!" - Carrie Shemanski

Wolfman will be debuting their new EP at Shemanskifest on Friday, March 29, 2024 at the Burlington Bar.

Produced by Jessi D.

Photo Credit: Fotio

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Artist Interviews Born Days Interview

This week, Features contributor Liz Mason speaks with Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist singer, songwriter, and producer Melissa Harris of Born Days, a conceptual darkwave synth-pop project. They discuss Harris's pandemic-era roadtrip across the country to Arizona to find a quiet place to finish recording her album, spending hours experimenting with synths as a form of meditation, and working through generational trauma in music on her new album, My Little Dark. 

"When I was writing the album, I was seeing it as kind of like a sci-fi coming of age story. I imagined it if it was a book, it would be for teens." - Melissa Harris on the creation of her new album, My Little Dark.

Produced by Liz Mason.

Photo Credit: Erica Contreras

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Artist Interviews Joey Nebulous Interview

This week, Features co-director Jessi D speaks with Joseph Farago of the Chicago-based pop project, Joey Nebulous. They discuss his signature falsetto, the move from heavy piano-based singer-songwriter composition to celebratory and silly pop music, the creation of his pandemic album Joey Spumoni Creamy Dreamy Party All The Time​​​​​​​, and his queer songwriting influnces. 

"I wanted to go headfirst into the goofiness." - Joseph Farago of Joey Nebulous on the songwriting process for his latest album.

Produced by Jessi D.

Photo Credit: Ash Dye

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Artist Interviews Dianogah Interview

This week, DJ Ninja speaks with Kip McCabe, Jay Ryan, and Jason Harvey of legendary Chicago two-bass band Dianogah. They discuss their still-here-ness, how they became a two-bass-and-drums outfit, their favorite collaborators, and their upcoming box set of reissues from Smashed Plastic.

"There was a while where we had a motto that was 'nothing is too stupid.' Like, we don't take ourselves too seriously; the song titles are often humorous (to us at least) and I think we've always tried to add a little bit of levity to the music. So I feel like the genres of music that we get lumped in with a lot of times are thought of as being self-serious and emotional or too academic, and I think we've tried to balance that out with making things feel a little lighter and more whimsical." - Jason Harvey

Produced by DJ Ninja.

Photo Credit: Nathan Keay

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