CHIRP: The Chicago Independent Radio Project

Clarence Ewing writes

Get Ready for Beats and Blogs Featuring White Mystery at Subterranean on December 18th!

On Saturday, December 18th, Betta Promotions, with featured presenter Loud Loop Press, presents a very special showcase at Chicago’s one and only Subterranean. Four exceptionally talented acts will be on display - White Mystery, Hollows, Rabble Rabble and Radar Eyes!

• Named a "Top Ten Trend-Setting Band" by the Chicago Sun-Times, White Mystery is Chicago’s raucous low-fi sound punk sound propelled by the brother and sister duo of Miss Alex White and Francis White. The tag team plays Chicago and tours the USA in support of a full-length vinyl record, which was recently featured on WBEZ Sound Opinions and Daytrotter. White Mystery demands your attention with a high energy stage show! Listen to the album and watch video at whitemysteryband.com.



• Hollows, from Chicago, are an interesting band of what seems like a dying breed, all-girl rock. A band with several years under their belts that has made a solid fan base in Chicago with the support of a few indie record labels, Hollows has a sound very reminiscent of the 1960’s and it shines through on some of the tracks that can be heard by checking out Hallows' Myspace page.



• Flower punk rockers Rabble Rabble mix punk, blues and psychedelic rock that can get any crowd dancing, moshing and tripping out in just half an hour. Hailed by Loud Loop Press for their “manic psychedelic freak-outs” and being” all kinetic energy” the quartet bring these same elements to their debut release, Bangover and are prepared to do the same at Subterranean on the 18th.



• Pulling from influences such as The Velvet Underground and Joy Division, Radar Eyes infuse sleepy, droning vocals with a garage-rock grind, occasional warm harmonies, and bouts of serious jamming soaked in a very Brit-rock sort of melancholy.

The 18th won’t just be the typical Betta Promotions event, though. Betta has joined forces with Loud Loop Press to showcase 17 of Chicago’s local independent Web-focused music blogs to showcase what they do best: find great music and share it with the world.

Taking part in this special event are Chicago’s very own:

BABY, YOU GOT A STEW GOIN'!: A collection of upcoming shows, events, best of lists, mp3’s, and concert photos, babystew.com features the demands and sayings of Steve Rogovin as he delivers commentary and all around goodness to the unsuspecting people of the web.

CHICAGOVSUNITED: The blog/portfolio of digital media journalist Jaime "Black" de'Medici- producer of Q101.1’s Chicago Music Program Local 101 (Sundays at 10pm) and conductor of Chicago*unteD, Chicago’s only scene showcase video podcast series.

CHIRP RADIO: The Chicago Independent Radio Project (CHIRP) is dedicated to providing a community radio station that focuses on the goings on of Chicago’s people, events, issues and independent music. In addition to being an Internet radio presence and blog, CHIRP maintains the CHIRPlog in which playlists, news, and staff commentaries are published daily. CHIRP is also working hard at convincing Congress and the FCC to remove the blockade on granting low power FM radio licenses in urban areas.

COACH HOUSE SOUNDS: Bringing unique and personable analog recordings by various local, as well as touring acts to music lovers everywhere, Coach House Sounds also dabbles in hosting events across Chicago. Recording on ¼” analog tape, mixing live, and using no overdubs allows Coach House to embody the true organic quality of live music, something all parties involved feel is important. No money is exchanged and all recordings are available to be heard for free online.

COUNT ME OUT: Run by Chicagoan singer/songwriter Brendan Losch, Count Me Out shares music news, MP3’s, videos and tour dates, as well as reviews for bands Brendan digs, hoping to spread the musical word and bring joy to readers ears.

THE DEAD HUB: Starting out as a hobby for a pair of Columbia College grads, Deadhub has grown to be the online middleman connecting fans to musicians. Offering music news, live reviews, photos and videos from both artists they love and love to hate, Deadhub sees themselves as the unsung heroes of the pit, risking life and limb to deliver the best live coverage possible for Chicago music fans.

DEDICATED EARS: Local Chicago reviews, interviews and concert footage on Indie/Alterntive acts fill the pages of Dedicated Ears, a music blog run by Tony Rusniak, who also maintains a sister site of free, and (more importantly) legal download links, posting 10-12 links a week.

FEARLESS RADIO: Based out of Chicago but broadcasting world-wide thanks to the Internet, Fearless has been bringing new music to new ears since 2004, growing to broadcast over 70 hours of live programming a week. In addition to live D.J, comedian and pundit hosted shows, Fearless Radio provides an archive of podcasts for all their shows and invite listener participation through studio phone lines, instant messaging, forums and commentary online.

GIANT SYSTEM: A video based site run by Kyle Obriot and Justin Schmitz, Giant System visits bands in their practice spaces in hopes of capturing the spontaneity of live performance and combining it with the control of a music video.

HEAVE MEDIA: HEAVEmedia.com covers everything from the biggest names in the music scene to up and coming acts. Posting multiple times a day, the folks at HEAVEmedia share their finds on the best interviews, album reviews, and indie music news. Additionally, the site features a streaming MP3 player and weekly HD vodcasts. Outside the Internet HEAVEmedia also provides live concerts featuring both local and national acts.

LOST IN CONCERT: A unique music site in that it is centered around not words, but images, Lost in Concert focuses its content on live music photography from a variety of photographers with the goal to capture the experience of a concert with a single shot.

LOUD LOOP PRESS: Catering specifically to Chicagoans with music news that impacts their fair city, Loud Loop Press keeps things as hyper-local as possible with their collection of album reviews, live show reviews, commentaries, and music news.

REVIEWSIC: With the intention of uniting new music with new listeners, Reviewsic is a Chicago based blog that writes album, show, and artist reviews, with daily posts delivering music news and exclusive interviews. Run by Samantha Gordon, former host to 98.3FM’s Jstreet Radio and WRBC’s The Mixtape, Reviewsic has a focus on up and coming Chicago locals, as well as not-so-local international burgeoning bands.

SECRET NOTE: A concert -goers blog that also includes band interviews, weekly show listings and a monthly playlist, Secret note’s meat and potatoes is providing live show reviews for the Chicago music lover.

WINDY CITY ROCK: Showing its namesake lots of love, Windy City Rock focus on the Chicago music scene with local reviews, band profiles, event information, and relevant articles about Chicago music past and present.

YOU ME AND EVERYBODY: A podcast that focuses on Chicago culture, Esmeralda Leon and Brendan Wetherbee are live Monday nights at the Hungry Brain, located at 2319 W Belmont. You, Me, Them, Everybody also features new and old songs from the Windy City on the You, Me, Them, Everybody Chicago Music Podcast, which is available for free on iTunes.

(The above PR was brought you by Betta staff and Sam Gordon of Reviewsic.com. More information about Betta Promotions and this special event can be found at bettapromotions.com.)