TRANSISTOR RADIO

Transistor Radio was the webcast of Transistor Chicago, the store Andy Miles owned from 2009 to 2018. Tune in to hear programs featuring indie & archival rock, Americana, electronica, house, disco, funk and soul, tracks from our live performance archive, original sound pieces specially made for Transistor Radio, interview and discussion programs, and more.

OUR SHOWS

• Andy Miles regularly offers up 15 Songs, a mix of music new and old from Transistor Radio's 50,000-song library. That means lots of indie rock and electropop, but it also includes post-punk, post-rock, New Wave, No Wave, Britpop, dream pop, trip-hop, math rock, Kraut rock, glam, lounge, soul, lo-fi and the hard-to-classify. Also available: unnamed music shows (similar in format) hosted by Andy Miles from 2010-2011 and 2012-2014.

• Always Andersonville Monthly was a podcast produced by the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce with Transistor Radio; it brings together the month's interviews from the weekly Always Andersonville podcast.   

• Blame It On The Boogie: Deep & Dirty Disco, Funk & Soul From Lechstafari was deep vinyl cuts from a deep time. Lechstafari brings back the funk & boogie that shapes today's modern dance music. From '60s soul to '90s house, he follows the transformations of the groove through one of the most influential periods of music. We hope to re-launch the show in 2019.

• Bring Your Own Beat is a platform for guest DJs to craft and present a playlist of songs.     

• The Cine-Cast was a monthly podcast from cinefile.info, a website that spotlights alternative, underground, and non-commercial screenings in Chicago. The podcast features commentary from Cine-File contributors, as well as interviews with people in the local film community and information about upcoming screenings. [Visit cinefile.info.]

• Culturetopia was an arts interview program hosted by accomplished Chicago writer and actress Marla Seidell. The three episodes of the show were recorded and released between August and October of 2013. We hope to re-launch the show in 2019.

• Dead Flowers is a motley and mind-expanding exploration of the 1960s, with plenty of air time given to pop, soul, folk, surf, garage, girl group, Motown, British Invasion, psychedelic rock, blues, bossa nova, jazz, lounge and much more.  Andy Miles hosts. 

• Depth of Field was a mix of news, music and conversation concerning things Transistor and beyond. Andy Miles hosts, with Danielle Echols.

• Emotional Rescue is a fun and often funky exploration of all things 1970-1980 with plenty of air time given to pop, disco, soul, funk, punk, reggae, Afrobeat, New Wave, classic rock, and even some occasional jazz.  Andy Miles hosts. 

• In 2010 Transistor Radio produced six episodes of The Extended Pause, a monthly show devoted to storytelling, poetry, the spoken word, show-and-tell, the art of field-tripping, the experiential, and allowing oneself to get carried away.  Sayward Schoonmaker was host and tour guide.

• Jon Monteverde hosted and curated In Store: Selections from Transistor's Live Performance Archive. As Transistor's Friday (and occasional Saturday) night sound engineer, Jon has recorded more than 300 sets of live music at Transistor. On this show, he showcased highlights from this collection.

• Presented by Mike Benz (DJ Tashtego), Interlopin' hops eras and genres to concoct a special brew of dance floor euphoria. Featuring everything from space disco, minimal techno, indie rock, synth pop, and Afrobeat, to all manners of house -- deep, tech, classic and French -- the show emphasizes seamless blends that tease out the unique resonances of tracks.

• From January 2010 through June 2011 Transistor Radio offered a weekly arts interview show, The Roundtable, hosted by Rani Woolpert (now Rani Young). The show was usually recorded before an audience, often included “in studio” performances, and generally provided a showcase for artists and artisans whose work was featured at Transistor, teachers presenting workshops at the store, and musicians scheduled to perform in Transistor’s Friday night music series. The show also reached past the confines of Transistor to explore the goings-on in Chicago’s wider arts and entertainment community.

• The Ryan Gatenby Show — “original songs, comedy and commentary featuring one man's skewed view of the way things work around here” — was recorded live on Sunday nights from our studio at the back of Transistor’s original location, at 5045 N. Clark Street.

• On Sideshow, curator Bloodshot Scott unearthed, examined and displayed roots music in its myriad forms. From unknown oddities to adored luminaries, it fits if he says it fits. Step right up, tune right in, and hear it only on Sideshow, folks! 

• Beginning in March 2010 Transistor Radio presented the semi-regular “comedy quiz” show The Silent K, a celebration of obscure and/or useless information, a heady synthesis of junk food and junk culture: “a party for smarties.” The show rewarded correctness with fabulous prizes (usually candy) and punished wrongness with mockery (and candy), and every show's best contestant had a chance to win a Transistor gift card. Co-hosted by Brian Hischier and Jeremy Pautz -- innovators in the fields of humorous interrogation and the tactical deployment of miscellany -- The Silent K ran for more than a year, and most of the 22 episodes they produced are available from the audio players below, along with a 'Roundtable' interview the co-hosts sat for (actually, if memory serves, they were both standing).

• The Sunday Session went out over Transistor Radio’s then-live feed in 2011, with book-reading performances from Jon Langford and Julian Dawson, jazz combo Extraordinary Popular Delusions, storyteller Kevin Gladish, and more. Also check out The Transistor Session.

• On each episode of This Show Will Change Your Life, comedian Dave Maher talked to creative people about a movie, song, book, even a piece of furniture that changed their lives in ways big or small, obvious or surprising.  

• The White City Cinema Radio Hour was a film-themed talk show. Host Michael Smith brought his Chicago-centric White City Cinema film blog to the air with observations on an almost impossibly eclectic blend of cinema, both classic and modern, and featured film reviews, film festival coverage, interviews with filmmakers, critics and programmers, and much more. 

• Transistor Radio also had nameless music shows by deejays Liz McCabe and Amanda Walz, plus Joshua Wentz’s Show of Songs.

PAST SPONSORS

Anglerfish Lighting specializes in one-of-a-kind lamps made from industrial hardware and vintage artifacts: phones, cameras, books, record players. We can convert anything into a functional work of art. Shop original Anglerfish designs available exclusively at Transistor in Andersonville. Or talk to the friendly staff at Transistor about having something designed just for you. Anglerfish can create a unique conversation piece to fit any aesthetic, hobby or interest. All you have to do is ask. So stop on by Transistor and see what Anglerfish can do for you. Or visit us on the web at www.anglerfishlighting.com.

Explore music, stories, poetry, and more from across Chicago at the Boxcar, 1115 West Berwyn Avenue, next to Steep Theatre and two doors east of the Berwyn Red Line stop. Boxcar performances are free and begin at 7:30 every Sunday and Monday night. Listen to the ad above for highlights from their March lineup and check them out online at steeptheatre.com/boxcar.

Eager to Know is a weekly podcast hosted by Chicago artist Ricky McEachern exploring how using the creative aspects of our brains can shift outcomes in exciting ways. Each episode offers listeners specific suggestions on how to engage creativity when moving things forward. Guests include artists as well as others in life roles not traditionally considered creative. 

Visit the Eager to Know web page.

Foyer Shop specializes in user-friendly plants for your home or office, along with affordable prints, stationery, and other useful treasures and tools. We’re proud to be Andersonville's local flower shop with ready-made bouquets and a DIY flower bar. Foyer Shop also offers in-home plant consultations, workshops and full-service floral design for weddings and other events. Visit us Wednesday though Sunday 12:00-6:00 p.m. at 1480 W. Berwyn Ave, around the corner from Reza’s Restaurant, or find us at www.foyer.shop

Here we are, at the start of another new year, reflecting on our lives, what’s working and what’s not. You might find yourself setting the same goals but making choices that produce the results you don’t want. It’s frustrating, at best. Lisa Hinton is a change coach who can help you identify patterns that are keeping you stuck. She’s flexible, affordable and easy to work with, and she’s in Chicago. Check her out at www.lisahinton.com, or give her a call at 216-702-8240. Mention Transistor Radio and she will give you 10 percent off any coaching package.

Rare Birds Musical Oddities is Chicago's only musical oddity shop and features loads of 1980s keyboards, 1970s analog synths and drum machines, exotic hand percussion from around the world, vintage toy musical instruments, records, boomboxes, rock 'n' roll and music memorabilia, and a wall full of rare and rad vintage guitars and basses. Buy, sell and trade your vintage gear as well as pickup accessories like strings, adapters cables and more.

Rare Birds is located inside Transistor Chicago, 5224 N. Clark Street, and is open five days a week: Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 12:00-7:00 p.m., and Sunday 12:00-5:00 p.m. Find them online at rarebirdsmusic.com.

This is Julia of RareJule Vintage, a mostly online, vintage clothing emporium based in Evanston. My site has hundreds of vintage  dresses, coats, lingerie, and accessories from the ‘20s to the ‘90s to help you step outside of the fast-fashion pace and into a playful, creative exploration of how a unique, vintage wardrobe can best help bring out your individual radiance.

If you are tired of online retail, I also take clients by appointment in my home studio and now do boutique style pop-ups all over Chicagoland in collaboration with artists and other creative business owners. Visit my site to shop, contact me, or sign up for my selling event announcements.

Need a fun, nostalgic escape?  Hop on over to Strange Cargo Tees for one-of-a-kind custom T-shirts and knickknacks.  We've been in business for 35 years.  Whether you need one shirt or a thousand, a shirt for your birthday party, business, band, family reunion, or even your dog, we will treat every order with exceptional care.  Your job is to have an idea; our job is to make it a reality.  We make your T-shirt dreams come true.  While waiting for your shirt, wander through our vintage trading card section. Pick up a Garbage Pail Kids of RoboCop pack. Just don't eat the gum!  And then we have our wall of socks.  We have the largest selection of novelty socks in the city; at least that's what we say, anyway.  What we care about most at Strange Cargo is that everyone leaves with a smile. Visit us in Andersonville at 5216 N. Clark Street, right across from the Swedish Museum.  Or see us online at www.strangecargo.com.

Spotlighting the DIY spirit in genre filmmaking, WINDY CITY HORRORAMA FILM FESTIVAL is back with Part 2 for a weekend of wild films, Q&As, and killer parties. WINDY CITY HORRORAMA is happening April 26th-28th at The Davis Theater in Chicago and full-fest passes are available right now at windycityhorrorama.com. Join WINDY CITY HORRORAMA Part 2 for an unforgettable weekend that will prove that sometimes sequels don’t suck.

Human skeletons, shrunken heads, antique taxidermy, ouija boards, surgical tools, and Victorian hair wreaths are just some of the strange and eclectic items you will find at Woolly Mammoth Antiques and Oddities, located at 1513 W. Foster Avenue in Andersonville. Check out social media at woollymammothchicago.com. Open daily.