CHIRP Radio Podcasts

Get to know a CHIRP favorite in this exclusive podcast. Local indie rockers Panda Riot met with CHIRP's Blake Burkhart to talk about the cinematic origins of the band, making the move from Philadelphia to Chicago, and how other genres inspired their own style. Panda Riot's 2013 album, Northern Automatic Music, was released on Saint Marie Records.

We live in an age where we have nearly limitless access to not only mass media, but also the critical dissection of said culture via the internet. What sort of impact has this had on our "sophistication" regarding film, television, and music? And what does it mean to be "sophisticated" in the first place -- has that definition shifted over time in response to various trends in art? Joining me is cultural critic Leonard Pierce, who has written about film and music for numerous publications, and is the author of If You Like The Sopranos... on crime cinema. Leonard's writing can be found at leonardpierce.com, and for more information on Split Reel, visit kevinfullam.net.

Take a brief moment with CHIRP to get to know The Babies. Alex Dziura met with lead singer Kevin Morby (also known for his work in Woods) before the band's Chicago show at Schubas where they talked about touring versus playing festivals, and how Kevin took his side project to another level. The Babies second full-length, Our House On the Hills, released in 2012 on Woodsist Records.

Today, Chicago Theatre Off Book is joined by our friends and fellow theatre critics; Dan Jakes, Oliver Sava and Anderson Lawfer, to predict the 2013 Non-Equity Joseph Jefferson Awards. The Jeff Awards will be announced on Monday, June 3rd at the Park West ceremony extravaganza. This show was a fun way to finish our Chicago Theatre Off Book run. Thank you to all our listeners, Oliver, Dan, Anderson, our past guests, Elliot, Tommy, Paul, CHIRP, Clarence, and the entire Chicago theatre community. We had a blast and we'll see you soon at the theatre. Shot phrase of the day: Jeff Committee

Chicago's My Gold Mask met with CHIRP's Blake Burkhart to talk about their strangely dark pop music, the unpredictable aspects of SXSW, and being weird without being The Residents. My Gold Mask's summer 2013 tour finds the band co-headlining with another Chicago favorite, California Wives. They play The Hideout on June 21st.

Soon-to-be newlyweds Jesse Kivel and Kinzi Edmundson are LA's Kisses. CHIRP's Dylan Peterson met with the couple in Austin during SXSW where they talked about the affect their relationship has on their music, writing makeout songs for teenagers, and the 80s sub-genre that has the biggest influence on their style. Kisses' debut Chicago show is set for June 14th at City Winery.

Today, Chicago Theatre Off Book reviews "Still Alice" at Lookingglass Theatre  and "Lake Effect" at Silk Road Rising. Our special guest is Joshua Aaron Weinstein, Executive Director at LiveWire Chicago Theatre. This May 17th episode of Chicago Theatre Off Book was partially underwritten by Marty's Martini Bar. Shot word of the day:  fascinating

The Super Happy Fun Club is pure power-pop from Chicago. CHIRP's Craig Andrew Smith talked with the guys about their favorite music venues in Chicago, finding a fanbase in Europe, and stepping things up for their sophmore album. The band's album release show for "All Funned Up" is this Saturday, May 18th, at Lincoln Hall. (produced by Jenn Rourke and Craig Andrew Smith)

Where: Humboldt Park "I'd like to keep moving forward and challenging myself."

Dylan Peterson met up with Vampire Weekend's Chris Baio at SXSW 2013. In addition to playing bass for one of the most popular indie bands in the world, Chris is also a DJ and producer. Dylan and Chris talked about how DJing can keep a rock star humble, the benefits of going bowling on the weekend, and the possibility that Vampire Weekend might be the Dave Matthews Band of the next generation. Modern Vampires of the City releases May 13th on XL.

The Orwells are a rising punk group from Elmhurst. CHIRP’s Katie Owens sat down with them at the CHIRP studio where they talked about navigating the music industry as teenagers, tour pit stop eats, and how DIY spaces contributed to their success. The Orwells released their first album, Remember When, on Autumn Tone Records in 2012, and are one of the few Chicago bands playing at Lollapalooza 2013.

Today, Chicago Theatre Off Book reviews "In A Garden" at A Red Orchid Theatre and "Let Them Eat Chaos" at Second City.  Our special guests are Erica Daniels, Associate Artistic Director at Steppenwolf Theatre and Bob Mason, Artistic Associate/Casting Director at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. This April 26th episode of Chicago Theatre Off Book was partially underwritten by Marty's Martini Bar. Shot word of the day:  Actor

Summer is almost here, which means the daytime-disco of Poolside will soon be gracing mixtapes and DJ sets everywhere. CHIRP's Dylan Peterson got to hang out with Filip Nikolic and Jeffrey Paradise after one of their many shows at SXSW in Austin. The guys derided goa trance (then retracted and reversed their opinion), explained how Youtube helped them learn how to cover Neil Young's "Harvest Moon," and declared Body Count's "Cop Killer" the summer anthem of 2013.

Today, Chicago Theatre Off Book reviews "A Permanent Image" at LiveWire Chicago Theatre and "Smokey Joe's Cafe" at The Royal George Theatre. Our special guests are Sydney Charles and Vasily Deris, who are performing in the successful remount of "Smokey Joe's Cafe" at The Royal George Theatre. This April 19th episode of Chicago Theatre Off Book was partially underwritten by Marty's Martini Bar. Shot word of the day:  Smokey

CHIRP's Blake Burkhart sat down with Chicago's John Bellows at his home in the Pilsen neighborhood to talk about his creative process when songwriting, how he can get his audiences to listen more attentively, and the Weird Al Yankovic album that inspired him to start making music. (produced by Briavael O'Reilly)