Jocelyn of CHIRP (and formerly of Chicagoist)
Jason Crock of CHIRP
Jackie Schimmel of Not Ready for Naptime Players
Tony Breed of Finn & Charlie are Hitched
Kyra Kyles of Kyles Files
Georg Coleman of Worst Cook in America
Megan Stielstra of 2nd Story and Everyone Remain Calm
Kevin Robinson of Chicagoist
Kevin Robinson
Jocelyn
Last Wednesday, Jess and I went to an event at Beat Kitchen called The First Time: First Date. It was part of a reading series with a “First Time” theme. There previously was First High, First Car and First Job. It was $10 and all the proceeds benefitted the Chicago Independent Radio Project (CHIRP).
I always had friends reading and attending these events, but I hadn’t ever been able to go to go in the past. This time I knew Kevin, who read, and Jocelyn, who coordinated the event for CHIRP. I also saw Chuck there. All of these people I know from my Chicagoist days.
The event was really fun. Each person wrote an essay based on the theme “The First Time: First Date” and could interpret it however they wanted. Each reading was so thoughtful and funny. At then end of each essay a live band played a song the reader chose to accompany their piece. And so it went reading, song, reading, song, etc. Loved the format. The songs were so great. Many times hilarious, what each reader chose to go with their reading. The band was called The First Time and consisted of Steve Frisbie, Liam Davis, and Gerald Dowd. I thought these guys were familiar then I realized that Jocelyn interviewed them for Chicagoist way back in 2005 (Part 1, Part 2)!
The next event is scheduled for Wedsnesday, January 25 an I’m really going to try to go again because I had so much fun. Also, for all my years I lived in Roscoe Village, I never once went to Beat Kitchen. I don’t know how that could be. It’s only a block or two from where Jen & Chad live. In fact, I was hanging out with Jen and Limey and Quinn there before heading over to the event.
** Note: I didn’t get any photos of the band performing because my camera battery was about to die any second and I was trying to save it to take photos of Kevin, the last reader! And at least one photo of every other reader. I put my backup battery in and guess what? Dead. The band are the guys sitting in the background of each photo. I felt kind of bad for them because everyone was staring at them the whole time whether they were performing or not. Ha! Anyway, I didn’t think the photos came out half bad, given that I was just quick snapping one off then turning my camera off. And also because we were at a weird angle, front row seating.
