Sites for sore ears

AccuJazz
With traditional programming on the wane, this upstart Internet radio station has been a boon to improv enthusiasts. Since relaunching the jazz arm of Chicago-based broadcaster AccuRadio last January, working drummer Lucas Gillan has grown AccuJazz to more than 1,000 listeners per day who choose from dozens of channels arranged by style (everything from Dixieland swing to avant-garde), instrument, region and era. It helps that Gillan, an NIU jazz-studies major with a minor in journalism, is a whiz at new media: tweeting, blogging, even rolling out an iPhone app. The scope of the operation can be a bit overwhelming, but with his aptitude and enthusiasm, Gillan is just the sort of mouthpiece the jazz community needs. —ASK

Candy Dinner
Most kids these days don’t pay for albums. Yet it’s still rare to find a record label that goes along with the whole music-for-free concept. Last year, graphic designer Jonathan Crawford wanted a way to put out friends’ recordings. Candy Dinner, a site for no-cost downloads and streams, was their brainstorm. After starting out with personal projects—scuzz-metal act Total Fucking Blood, the Andrew Bird–ish chamber indie of T Wehrle and more—Crawford has been “hitting Facebook pretty hard” looking for new bands. But what’s in it for a band to give away its work? “Fame,” the 33-year-old jokes. “A sense of accomplishment? I really don’t know.” Considering his day job, at least everything looks sharp. —BD

CHIRP
Finally, Chicago has the indie radio station it deserves, even if it’s not yet on the radio. Launched two Sundays ago, the online portal has already impressed with killer playlists that range from the Smiths and the Replacements to Animal Collective and TV on the Radio. It’s like listening to the ginormous iPod of the coolest person you know. President Shawn Campbell explains, “It’s not really free-form because that would imply there are absolutely no rules. It’s a loosely defined format.” Frankly, we’d prefer some regularly themed shows, but the site’s extensive DJ bios help steer you toward like-minded personalities. And if there’s one thing an MP3 player can’t offer, it’s personality. —BD

Coach House Sounds
It’s no accident that the format of Coach House Sounds recalls the hot Daytrotter site. Cofounder Matt Baron recalls the moment he discovered that popular Quad Cities–based hub for indie live-in-the-studio sessions: “A light went off. Hey, I have a rehearsal space a couple blocks from Schubas. I can do this, too.” Launched in August 2009, CHS has amassed almost two dozen sessions—not too shabby considering that studio engineer Doug Leinen records exclusively to analog tape. The site thrives on variety, featuring local classical (Classical Revolution), jazz (Zing!) and roots (Mar Caribe) in addition to indie pop like the Scotland Yard Gospel Choir. Baron, who’s working to make recordings available for download via iTunes, explains, “The concept is to create an atmosphere that hearkens back to bands’ earliest days of practicing in their parents’ basements.” —ASK

HEAVEmedia
Not every aspect of local webzine HEAVEmedia has gone swimmingly. A particularly scathing review on the site’s “Take it or HEAVE it” YouTube show led to a string of angry e-mails from the reviewee. In the final e-mail, the disgruntled frontman announced his girlfriend had left him and that he had just slit his wrists. “It bothered our producer, Everett [Salyer], pretty terribly,” executive editor Wes Soltis says.

That series might be eighty-sixed, but original vodcasts continue to be HEAVE’s bread and butter, alongside op-ed essays on indie culture and the requisite interviews (Tegan & Sara, Joe Pug, etc.) and reviews. Soltis, a freelancer in the television industry, picks up fresh writers via Craigslist and has begun moving away from a local Chicago focus. However, HEAVE books monthly shows in town with mostly local bands, including Wednesday 3 at the Empty Bottle. “We haven’t forgotten our roots,” Soltis avows. —BD

HEAVEmedia presents Midstates & The Choir of Ghosts at the Empty Bottle Wednesday 3. Coach House Sounds hosts a fund-raiser with ONO and the Lesser Birds of Paradise at the Whistler February 16.

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