CHIRP Radio Podcasts

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

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

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

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

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

This week, Features contributor Matty G speaks with Kristin and Dan Kantor of The Kantors. They discuss the makeup of the band, the project's pandemic roots, and recording their debut EP Our Hearts Revealed at Friends of Friends studio. "Just be nice, be yourself, and the people that are nice and also being themselves will find you." - Kristin Kantor of The Kantors Listen to The Kantors debut EP Our Hearts Revealed. Produced by Brian Szpak Photo Credit: Tessa Abedon

This week, Features contributor Matty G speaks with Kristin and Dan Kantor of The Kantors. They discuss the makeup of the band, the project's pandemic roots, and recording their debut EP Our Hearts Revealed at Friends of Friends studio. "Just be nice, be yourself, and the people that are nice and also being themselves will find you." - Kristin Kantor of The Kantors Listen to The Kantors debut EP Our Hearts Revealed. Produced by Brian Szpak Photo Credit: Tessa Abedon

This week features contributor Alyssa Edes talks with Katie Colt of goodkitty. They discuss the multi-year process of creating the EP Picture Albums, learning to make art for oneself by trusting "the gut check", and the mom life of making music after 8 p.m. "To have completed this work, it's like I sent a message to myself which is, you are capable and you have something to contribute... I've given myself a gift and now other people get to open it too." Katie Colt of goodkitty on the completion of her EP Picture Albums. Singles of Holding on To You, Red, and Sabrina are out now. Picture Albums out everywhere February 9, 2024. Produced by Alyssa Edes Photo Credit: goodkitty

This week, Features contributor Alyssa Edes talks with Katie Colt of goodkitty. They discuss the multi-year process of creating the EP Picture Albums, learning to make art for oneself by trusting "the gut check," and the mom life of making music after 8 p.m. "To have completed this work, it's like I sent a message to myself which is, you are capable and you have something to contribute... I've given myself a gift and now other people get to open it too." - Katie Colt of goodkitty on the completion of her EP, Picture Albums Singles of Holding on To You, Red, and Sabrina are out now. Picture Albums is out everywhere February 9, 2024. Produced by Alyssa Edes Photo Credit: Stephanie Jensen

This week, Features co-director Marjorie Alford speaks with Zach Moore of Honestly Same. They discuss the makeup of the band, their unique and improvisational approach to music making, and the many other projects Honestly Same's members are attached to. "Making this kind of music I feel is theraputic to me ... Everything in our world is so optimized and prescribed and actually you can just make music very unpreciously. Just trusting yourself and trusting the people you're playing with, not being too caught up in the specifics but rather the space and the time that you're occupying together." - Zach Moore of Honestly Same Honestly Same's newest album Hot Plate Only, is streaming now on all platforms. Produced by Marjorie Alford. Photo Credit: Honestly Same

This week, Features co-director Jessi D speaks with formerly Chicago-based and now New York-based multidisciplinary artist, Jess Godwin. They discuss the unbreaking of her heart in the creation of her latest visual and music release, dreamer., the genesis of her highly customized body instrument, the Muze, and her varied and vast artistic background. "It feels so great to make something, and give it to myself." - Jess Godwin. Dreamer. is is now available to stream and watch on all platforms, and on Jess's website. Produced by Jessi D. Photo Credit: Ryan Bourque

This week, Features co-director Marjorie Alford speaks with Zach Hjelmstad and Lilly Choi of Chicken Happen. They discuss the roots of the band, finding their groove as a three piece, pushing their own creative limits, and why friendship is important. "We were like why don't we take this opportunity to try something different? Like we've been a band for TEN YEARS! I love the way we do things, we've always had this awesome way of writing music together, but we might as well try something new!" Lilly Choi of Chicken Happen on changing things up for their fourth album Chicken Happen IV. Chicken Happen IV is streaming now on all platforms. Catch Chicken Happen December 28th at Liar's Club. Produced by: Marjorie Alford Photo Credit: Chicken Happen

This week, Features co-director Marjorie Alford speaks with Zach Hjelmstad and Lilly Choi of Chicken Happen. They discuss the roots of the band, finding their groove as a three piece, pushing their own creative limits, and why friendship is important. "We were like why don't we take this opportunity to try something different? Like we've been a band for TEN YEARS! I love the way we do things, we've always had this awesome way of writing music together, but we might as well try something new!" Lilly Choi of Chicken Happen on changing things up for their fourth album Chicken Happen IV. Chicken Happen IV is streaming now on all platforms. Catch Chicken Happen December 28th at Liar's Club. Produced by: Marjorie Alford Photo Credit: Chicken Happen

This week, Features co-director Marjorie Alford speaks with Zach Hjelmstad and Lilly Choi of Chicken Happen. They discuss the roots of the band, finding their groove as a three piece, pushing their own creative limits, and why friendship is important. "We were like why don't we take this opportunity to try something different? Like we've been a band for TEN YEARS! I love the way we do things, we've always had this awesome way of writing music together, but we might as well try something new!" - Lilly Choi of Chicken Happen on changing things up for their fourth album Chicken Happen IV. Chicken Happen IV is streaming now on all platforms. Catch Chicken Happen December 28th at Liar's Club. Produced by: Marjorie Alford Photo Credit: Chicken Happen

This week, Features co-director Marjorie Alford speaks with Kira Leadholm of Madame Reaper and the Gentlemen's Club. They talk about bringing this unique concept to life, the grant that helped fund the album, rounding out the band - AKA The Gentlmen's Club, and why Madame Reaper is a sort of "gory robinhood." Madame Reaper's debut album Madame Reaper's Gentlemen's Club is out now. "I don't really listen to a lot of classical music anymore. But I think there are a lot of things that are just ingrained in me that kind of come up subciounciously. It must be living in my head rent free." - Kira Leadholm on the ways her classical background seeps into her music. Produced by: Marjorie Alford Photo Credit: Mo Tuesday

This week, Features co-director Jessi D speaks with Chicago-based multidisciplinary artist and "One-Third Emcee," Jovan Landry. They discuss the thirds that make up her multidisciplinary artistry, her new EP, Intellectual Frequencies, and winning a grant and leading the charge to create Synergy, the first all-woman produced, performed, and engineered hip-hop album. "I am doing many other things outside of the music, and so it takes a while for me to get to sitting down - sitting down is not always my forte. So having to sit down and actually focus on the music, and also, you gotta experience life [...] the process of experiencing life and coming back to it, and then you get more inspired than when you first started writing" - Jovan Landry on her slow and steady approach to releasing music Produced by Jessi D. Photo Credit: Alex Hazel Studios

This week, Features co-director Marjorie Alford speaks with Faith Callaway and Will Logan Sallee of Chicago-based art post-punk band, Edging. They discuss their origins and make up of the band, their self-ascribed descriptor of "landscaper punk" and how it lead to their band's name, how the politcal climate has shaped their art and expression, and their Halloween plans. "Truthfully it's scary, and it freaks us out, and we like to yell about it." - Will Logan Sallee Produced by Jack Deubner. Photo Credit: Micki Harris

This week on the podcast Johnny Cummings and Grant Goode of Chicago power pop group LLO LLO recently spoke with CHIRP DJ jdang. They discussed proper pronunciation of their name and how the band was formed plus their recent EP, recording the next one, and thinking about their musical future. Catch them at Promontory October 23rd with Jockey, GMG, and Safety Society. "When I think about the pandemic in Chicago there was kind of a clean slate for a lot of smaller bands to start forming their own scene and I think that has been the biggest influence within the past year. " - Grant Goode Produced by Jessi D Photo Credit: Ian McSheffrey

This week, Features contributor Mike Nikolich speaks with guitarist Bill Stephens of Chicago punk legends Naked Raygun. They disuss Naked Raygun's most recent release, a tribute album of dedicated Naked Raygun covers by a collection of punk luminaries, Godspeed: A Tribute to Pierre Kezdy, sales of which benefits the family of bassist Pierre Kedzy. "To me, Pierre embodies the spirit of Naked Raygun, which is unwavering honesty and a sense of humor. There will never be another Pierre." - Bill Stephens Produced by Mike Nikolich Photo Credit: DT Kindler

This week, Features Director Marjorie Alford speaks to Ian Young of Slow Riser about their recent release Midnight Talks. They discuss the birth and evolution of the project - including restructing from a trio to a duo and the pace change of creating through the pandemic - as well as the ins and outs of their live shows, and the truth in art of being a slow riser. "When Claire and I were talking about like overarching themes we landed on our own relationship to the night and how that changes over the years, how that changes depending on what time of year it was, how we feel mentally, all that stuff. So Midnight Talks is very much me trying to create a vignette of what it was to drive around small towns, growing up at night with my friends." - Ian Young Produced by Jack Deubner. Photo Credit: Slow Riser