august 2025: no requests (ok, maybe some requests)
Hi !
Maybe it’s time I come up with a cool DJ name. Something fun, spunky, or esoteric? What do you think?
My big DJ gig at Millennium Park happened last month, and I had a lot of fun doing it. It was a little weird being projected on a giant screen behind my head — I kept wanting to turn around to look but knew it wouldn’t look good to everyone else to look at the back of my head looking at myself, ha. It was hot and humid and I was super sweaty, but I brought just the right amount of vinyl and spun a mix of local favorites and influences to try to get the crowd hyped for the bands. I hope I get to do it again!
It really wasn’t that long ago that I started DJing. At the 2019 CHIRP Radio staff holiday party, Shawn, the GM, asked if I was interested in training to become a DJ. I said no! I was way too nervous about the idea of talking on the air. But Matt was very encouraging and offered to train me.
During the pandemic, we started Club Skunk, DJing from our living room live on Twitch every month to have something fun to do and stay connected with friends. That helped me cut my chops on the turntables.
When I finally felt ready, in late 2021 I signed up to train to DJ for CHIRP and shadowed Matt during a couple of shifts. During the first one, I cried in the studio because I felt overwhelmed by all of the buttons (as you can imagine, there’s way more to do for radio than just dropping the needle and hitting play), but Matt was very patient and sweet and I figured it out. Now I get asked to DJ every so often and have a blast, so let me know if you ever want me to bring some records over…
We’ve got one more show on the books and then it’s time to write, write, write (and then record??🤞🏽)
Keep an eye out on our page for the upcoming Bandcamp Friday on Sept. 5!
The CHIRP softball season ended and we won zero games. It was so sad. We so badly wanted to win that it made each loss harder and every game more stressful than it needed to be. I think it became more of an attitude problem than a skill problem because I know we are capable when we’re having fun.
Anyway, to shake it off and get some perspective, I signed up for a fall rec league and joined a random team. There’s already a huge emphasis on it being fun and social — I mean, teams are named “I’d Hit That” and “Pitch, Please”… FUN.
I’m on “Dinos Forever” and we played our first game last weekend. It was super chill — no one seemed concerned if we would have enough players show up or what positions we were playing, but they’ve been a team for a while and felt comfortable figuring it out right before the game. They put me on first base (which was crazy, usually I’m an outfielder) and I managed to hold it down. We won, 5-0!
Maybe the other team wasn’t as good (sorry, Pitches!) and our team had some really good players, but it’s not like anyone was crazy better than anyone on the CHIRP team. It was a good reminder that’s just a game and it’s supposed to be fun.
Just finished reading James by Percival Everett and it’s amazing. It won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award last year. I never actually read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn — I was supposed to in high school but got bored and skimmed Cliffs Notes to get through it in English class. I know about the criticism Huck Finn got about its portrayal of Black people, and the great thing about James is how much it turns that portrayal on its head in a way that’s more clever and truthful to the reality of slavery and racism while telling a great story.
Up next:
Alice Sadie Celine by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright — Doing the audiobook read by Chloë Sevigny. Major Carol vibes.
Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova — I forget where I got this recommendation but it’s weird and fantastical so far.
Sept. 9: SUPERGRASS! I Should Coco 30th Anniversary Tour at the Riviera Theatre (I mostly know them for their song on the Clueless soundtrack during that scene where the kids are taking pictures and Cher is trying hook up Tai and Elton…)
Sept. 10: Wet Leg - North American Moistourizer 2025 at the Salt Shed (Their new album has really grown on us, but their first record is a jam and I’m excited to see whatever they play live.)
Sept. 15: Pixies and Spoon at the Salt Shed (It’s probably been about 20 years since I last saw the Pixies because I haven’t been that interested in keeping up with their newer output, but regardless, I look forward to this. Also, Spoon!)
Sept. 26: Minami Deutsch at the Empty Bottle (for those who are sad that Kikagaku Moyo called it quits, another excellent Japanese psych/Krautrock-influenced band)
Oct. 4: MEMORIALS at Bottom of the Hill (Yes, in San Francisco! Matt and I will be there for a long weekend.)
I picked up these two records specifically to play at Millennium Park:
Lotus by Little Simz (another contender for my Top 10 Albums of 2025, the first three tracks are 🤯, especially if you’ve been following the drama between Simz and SAULT)
“Good Luck, Babe!” 7” single by Chappell Roan (total crowd pleaser)
