Happy New Year, everyone! As you can tell, I've been keeping posting here at the site lately to a minimum, in that the majority of CCLaP's readers are away from their computers for the long holiday week; I thought, however, since it was New Year's Day and all, I'd go ahead and post a special extra edition to the CCLaP Podcast for those who are still around. (For those who are keeping track, then, this marks a grand total of 22 episodes the CCLaP Podcast managed to produce in the second half of 2007, including a couple of episodes that consisted of two parts.) This is not much of an extra, to tell you the truth, just a recording of my friend Ken Kase, a musician in St. Louis who was featured in episode 17 of the regular podcast, back in November; this is a recording of his song "Coffeehouse of Doom," done during a rehearsal with his full band over Thanksgiving. I apologize in advance for the poor quality of this recording, which was essentially done in a person's basement using a single roving microphone; that said, I do hope you enjoy it, and I thank Ken once again for the chance to record it in the first place. Thanks again for a great year, everyone, and I hope you're looking forward to the return of CCLaP's regular publishing schedule, starting tomorrow.

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It's Monday, which means it's time for another episode of the CCLaP Podcast. Today: It's been a cold and snowy week here in Chicago, which means it's time yet again for an all-music episode of the podcast, i.e. "I didn't feel like hustling around in the snow and cold to get an interview done this week." Featuring the music of Jens Lekman, Stark, Hangar 18, Caribou, Jose Gonzalez, Minus the Bear, and Saint Etienne, all of whom have released their music in a way that legally allows me as a podcaster to play it for you. Don't forget, if you download the MP4 version (linked to below) and listen to it in iTunes, an iPod or an iPhone, chapters and images and links will be at your disposal too!

Links to the bands featured in today's episode:
Jens Lekman
Stark
Hangar 18
Caribou
Jose Gonzalez
Minus the Bear
Saint Etienne

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It's Monday Thursday, which means it's time for another episode of the CCLaP Podcast. Today: A 20-minute talk with Jason Stephens, founder of Chicago film organization Split Pillow, a group that not only helps underground filmmakers finish and distribute their movies, but also runs an ongoing outreach and education program through the city's school system. Conducted from a recent fundraiser for the group, at a stunning rooftop condo overlooking the Loop's Millennium Park. Also featuring the music of Creative Commons recording artists Aesop Rock and Laura Veirs. Don't forget, if you download the MP4 version (linked to below) and listen to it through iTunes, an iPod or an iPhone, you'll have access to chapters and images as well!

Links to the people and projects mentioned in this episode:
Split Pillow
Petersburg
More photos from the fundraiser (at Flickr)
Aesop Rock
Laura Veirs

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(Why yes, I am aware that the CCLaP iTunes channel isn't currently working! The problem is that Apple requires podcasters to include a bunch of customized fields in their RSS feed, in order to get the things associated with an iTunes channel to work correctly; and ever since Movable Type 4 was installed at the CCLaP website a few weeks ago, the complicated series of plug-ins I had been using to generate these customized fields no longer works. If you are familiar with Movable Type 4 and have some advice on how to best get my iTunes channel working again, I do hope that you'll drop me a line at cclapcenter [at] gmail.com; I and the entire CCLaP audience thank you in advance!)

It's Monday, which means it's time for another episode of the CCLaP Podcast. Today, a half-hour talk with Chicago writer Elizabeth Crane, author of the popular story collections When the Messenger is Hot and All This Heavenly Glory; our conversation was a freewheeling one that touched on a lot of subjects, including Crane's unique writing style, the slippery line between autobiography and fiction, and why she means nothing specifically political when talking about creepy men. Also featuring the music of Creative Commons recording artists Letting Up Despite Great Faults and Datarock. Don't forget, if you download the MP4 version and listen to it through iTunes, an iPod or an iPhone, chapters and images will be available too!

Links to the people and projects mentioned in today's episode:
Elizabeth Crane | Crane's blog
The Litblog Co-op's discussion of Crane's work
Steppenwolf's adaptation of "When the Messenger is Hot"
Bubblerama
Punk Planet
Letting Up Despite Great Faults
Datarock

Read more about When the Messenger is Hot: Amazon | GoodReads | LibraryThing | Shelfari

Read more about All This Heavenly Glory: Amazon | GoodReads | LibraryThing | Shelfari

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Welcome to part 2 of the latest episode of the CCLaP Podcast, which also doubles as part 4 of the center's recent look at Chicago filmmaker Joe Swanberg (and here's part 1, part 2 and part 3, for those who need it), specifically the second half of an interview I conducted with him last week at Bucktown's Swim Cafe (ironically enough where Swanberg has filmed scenes from several of his past projects). Yesterday we talked about Joe's education and the start of his career; today we discuss everything that's happened to him since 2006, including his features LOL and Hannah Takes The Stairs, his recent deal with the Independent Film Channel, and what exactly he thinks of that much-discussed term "mumblecore" anyway. Also featuring the music of Creative Commons recording artists St. Etienne and Spiraling. Don't forget, if you download the MP4 and listen to it through iTunes, an iPod or an iPhone, you'll get access to chapters and images as well!

Don't forget, by the way, that Swanberg's latest movie Hannah Takes the Stairs is being slowly premiered in theatres across the nation even as we speak; here in Chicago, for example, the film will screen at the Siskel Film Center in the Loop from October 19th through the 25th, and with Swanberg in attendance and answering questions both Friday and Saturday.

Links to the people and projects mentioned in today's episode:

Joe Swanberg
LOL
Young American Bodies
South by Southwest Film Festival
Nerve Video
Independent Film Channel
St. Etienne
Spiraling

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It's Monday, which means it's time for the CCLaP Podcast; and today's episode happens to also be part 3 of CCLaP's look this month at Chicago filmmaker Joe Swanberg (and here's part 1, part 2 and part 4, for those who need it), specifically an interview I conducted with him last week at Bucktown's Swim Cafe (ironically enough where Swanberg has filmed scenes from several of his past projects). Please be warned that this is a much longer episode than is usually the case at this podcast, with the final running time of this interview being close to 90 minutes; it's so long, in fact, that my podcast-creation software (GarageBand) couldn't handle it, meaning that I had to cut the episode in two. Today is part 1, where we talk about Swanberg's beginnings at Southern Illinois University, his time as an administrator at the Chicago International Film Festival, his first full-length feature Kissing On the Mouth, his adult web-based soap opera Young American Bodies, and what it's like for a filmmaker and his wife to simulate making love on-camera...but not with each other. Also featuring the music of Creative Commons recording artists Mocha Lab and Plastic Operator. Don't forget, if you download the MP4 and listen to it through iTunes, an iPod or an iPhone, you'll get access to chapters and images as well!

Don't forget, by the way, that Swanberg's latest movie Hannah Takes the Stairs is being slowly premiered in theatres across the nation even as we speak; here in Chicago, for example, the film will screen at the Siskel Film Center in the Loop from October 19th through the 25th, and with Swanberg in attendance and answering questions both Friday and Saturday.

Links to the people and projects mentioned in today's episode:

Joe Swanberg
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
Telluride Film Festival
Chicago International Film Festival
Kissing On the Mouth
South by Southwest Film Festival
Nerve Video
Young American Bodies
The Puffy Chair
Funny Ha Ha
LOL
Mocha Lab
Plastic Operator

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It's Monday Tuesday, which means it's time for another episode of the CCLaP Podcast. In this episode, I talk with Brett Farmiloe, founder of the intriguing creativity/business website PursueThePassion.com (or PTP); basically he and some friends tour the country each summer in a giant RV, interviewing people like entrepreneurs, artists, professional athletes, and others who are pursuing careers based on their passion for that subject, versus how much money can potentially be made. (And for disclosure's sake, let me confess that I was one of the people interviewed for PTP's 2007 tour; it's how Brett and I met in the first place.) This episode also features the music of Creative Commons recording artists Nimibear and Demerit 7. Don't forget, if you download the MP4 version and listen to it through iTunes, an iPhone or a video iPod, you'll get chapters and images too!

Links to the people and projects mentioned in this episode:
PursueThePassion.com
PTP's Flickr account
Nimibear
Demerit 7

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It's here! It's finally here! That is, my new Zoom H4 high-end digital audio recorder is here, finally allowing me today to produce an episode of the CCLaP Podcast in the style I always meant the podcast to be (audio only, competently edited, 20 to 30 minutes in length, featuring long-form interviews and lots of Creative Commons music). Only one problem, in fact, that I don't have any interesting artists to interview this week; so instead I present an all-music episode today, featuring different experiments with the new recorder cut with some great pop music I've been able to find online recently. Enjoy -- and don't forget, if you download the MP4 and listen to it through iTunes, the iPhone, or a video iPod, different photos and live web links will show up with each segment too!

Links to the people and projects mentioned in this episode:

Zoom H4
Ken Kase
Cats and Jammers
Colin Pettus
San Diego Comic-Con
G4's Attack of the Show
Fujimo

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