Rock Star Parking
Local musicians who haven’t checked out the independently produced local TV show “Upscale TV” should do so – and soon.
But not because the half-hour program is a fun romp through the city’s luxury marketplace with host William Kelly.
Nor for its blatant product placement and entry into the exclusive haunts of the rich and famous each Thursday night at 12:30 on WPWR-Channel 50.
They should take notice because each episode features several songs by up-and-coming bands – many of which are local. Their music is heard during fast-moving montages showing fancy clothes, expensive cars, and hoity-toity functions, and each artist is given a plug at the end of the show.
“Without music I don’t think the show would be as entertaining as it is,” says executive producer Laura Grochocki. “It’s not in the background. You notice it, and it’s an important part of what we do.”
The show’s theme song is Kill Hannah‘s “Welcome To Chicago,” and the producers liked the band so much they ended up shooting a segment of Hannah in the recording studio.
The Bish have also been featured on several episodes; they contacted the show through its MySpace page. “We loved them, and started using them right away,” says Grochocki. “It’s that easy.”
She adds, “I’d like to use more Illinois music on the show. It’s just that we haven’t had the opportunity to reach out as much as I’ve wanted to.
“If they’re good and they’re independent or breaking artists and they’re from Chicago it’s all the better. I want to get word out to Chicago artists that we’re here for them.”
Kelly is a Screen Magazine columnist who has the enthusiasm of a kid in a candy shop when it comes to test driving two-wheelers, touring mansions, interviewing celebrities, and hanging out backstage with everyone from the mayor to models to the members of Elvis Presley’s original backup band.
The show gets its fresh feel from a constantly moving camera, quick cuts, and plenty of pop-up factoids and adverts. Each episode takes an entire week to edit, and the tone is irreverent but not mean. “Our edits are reality TV-inspired and meant to be funny and not so stiff or flat,” explains Grochocki. “I think the music makes the edits and drives the montages.”
For musical consideration, fill out the forms at www.upscaletv.com and send two CDs to the address listed on the Web site. Include any performance or “edgy” footage because if they like it, it may just wind up in a montage.
IT COME WITH IT: The current issue of Stop Smiling focuses on the Midwest and makes it seem like an incredibly cool place to live. It features a cover drawn by Indianapolis-born writer Kurt Vonnegut; apparently he always wanted to be an architect and enjoys painting.
He told JC Gabel, “When I used to be a speaker at colleges, I’d say, ‘Look, practice an art, no matter how badly or how well you do it. It will make your soul grow.’ That is why you do it. You don’t’ do it to become famous or rich. You do it to make your soul grow. This would include singing in the shower, dancing to the radio by yourself, drawing a picture of your roommate, or writing a poem or whatever. Please practice an art. Have the practice of becoming. It’s so sad that many public school systems are eliminating the arts because it’s no way to make a living. What’s important is to have the experience of becoming, which is as necessary as food or sex. It’s really quite a sensation – to become.”
Like a box of sugary cereal, the “Magazine For High-Minded Lowlifes” also comes with a prize – a CD sampler of quirky, dreamlike stories from the Third Coast International Audio Festival. Produced by Chicago Public Radio, the festival is in its sixth year; highlights air on WBEZ-FM (91.5)’s “Re:sound” Saturdays at 2 p.m.
The bonus disc’s four tracks include a collaboration between author Rick Moody and musician Chris Abrams and a piece about a recently unearthed Arkansas bird featuring singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens. The mag can be found at finer record stores (including Hard Boiled, Laurie’s Planet Of Sound, Dr. Wax, and Reckless). Several related events are slated for October, including Negativeland performing a live version of their weekly radio broadcast, “Over The Edge,” for the first time ever (the show has aired for 25 years on Berkeley’s KPFA-FM). “It’s All In Your Head FM” is Saturday, October 28th at The Lakeshore Theater, 3175 N. Broadway; tickets are $15. For more, see www.thirdcoastfesti val.org or www.stopsmilingonline.com.
ODDS N SODS: We wouldn’t go so far as to say it was the best radio we’ve ever heard, but listening to the four-hour Steve Dahl and Garry Meier reunion in August gave us hope for the state of local “free” radio and the personalities that made it great. Someone hire Meier already – please! . . . Former Steve and Garry producer Rick Kaempfer, who co-wrote 2004’s The Radio Producer’s Handbook, is about to launch his first novel, $everance. The satire follows a radio personality named Tom Zagorski and his attempts to hold onto his job after 20 years on the air. It’ll be out next April; for more see www.enc press.com/sev.html.
– Cara Jepsen
