Lise.FM

4-7-8 breathing by Lise. FM

nostalgic travelogue: winter 2016 by Lise. FM

some rhymes i strung together about walking my snoopy around the neighborhood, trying not too feel too much like charlie brown.

the mythical “coffee” that we’re never going to actually have…this is about that.

wrote and recorded this one outside in june, while feeling particularly nostalgic for summer camp. the camp i went to was a complicated place because they sort of rammed a religious agenda down our throats, in between the mouthfuls of s’mores and chocolate chip pancakes. but they couldn’t get the liberal out of me, even as a young lass, and i thank “god” for that.

On the eve of my dad’s much anticipated (and lovingly planned) Celebration of Life, I decided to have a little radio show with him. Here’s a song I wrote about my dad, Dave Graham, followed by a song he wrote about me. Peace and love, baby.

missing my dad and writing a lot of rhymes about it. here’s the latest one 💜

Melvin Knight joins me at the Illinois College of Media's audio suite to tell me about the influences behind his soulful sound. From his mother, an accomplished opera singer, to Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, Melvin brings me on a journey through his amazingly rich musical past. Then, we put it all together and hear his new single with his fabulous band The Amber Sky, "Ice Cream," and he tells me...

They play Weezer. They play Elton John. They play Stacy's Mom. They're The Hitmen of Chicago, also known as your new favorite night out! The band is composed of: composer and pianoman Ben Montalbano from indie folk band Matthaus (my first ever guest on Lise. FM), singer/songwriter Dan Durley (my second ever guest on Lise. FM), Erik Opland from Fay Ray (FKA Church Booty), Danny Masterson (voice of...

Episode 43 - Homegrown Chicago band Forest Home joins me in studio to talk about the makings of their unique indie math-rock sound. Members Kevin, Andy, Alayne & Eric take turns talking about the influences they bring to the table - from Weezer & Radiohead to Sleater Kinney, Forth Wanderers and This Town Needs Guns - and how they work together to synthesize all of these into one cohesive and uniqu...

Episode 42: I spend an hour with Paul Rust, creator, executive producer and starring actor of LOVE on Netflix! He tells me about pitching the concept as a movie with his wife and co-creator Lesley Arfin to Judd Apatow, and why they decided to turn it into a show instead. He also tells me about his influences, which range from Pee-Wee, to Paul Thomas-Anderson, to Prince (a fellow midwestern boy, li...

Jimmie Swagger, founder of the amazing Boy Toys Pocket Cabaret joins me to talk about his journey from cheerleading to burlesque, he tells me about where he gets his fiery confidence from and he sites some other performers and choreographers who he gets inspiration from. Oh, and he also teaches me how to remove a sleeve ;) Music this week by the amazing @arne-parrott - find out more on his website...

EPISODE 40: Celebrity Fitness Expert Andrea Metcalf joins me to tell me all about her latest business venture and passion: Studios Fuse. Chicago's very first "fitness mall," Studios Fuse features four amazingly fun and unique boutique work-out spaces: from indoor surf core to glow in the dark yoga. But I find out in our conversation that this isn't what defines Andrea: she's a long time fitness in...

Jason Balla, guitarist & vocalist from Chicago-based NE-HI, joins me in the studio to talk about the musical influences he brings to the table when writing for and playing with the band. From Wire, to Brian Eno's No New York compilation, to Women, he walks me through the artists that have taught him the minimalist, no-wave sound he knows and loves. We also chat about where he gets inspiration from...

The amazing musical duo JT Nero and Allison Russell from Birds of Chicago join me to talk about their musical and artistic roots. Allison talks about growing up in Montreal in a strict music household, and the albums she used to get in secret from her aunt Janet. JT tells me about who has inspired his songwriting throughout the years and why he fell in love with Allison as a songwriter. They talk...

After seeing his amazing one-man show, "Do You Love Me?" about race and identity last week at Collaboraction, I invited rapper, performer & entrepreneur Makia to join me on a bonus Martin Luther King Day inspired episode of the show. He tells me about the first time he ever wrapped, as a nervous 19 year old, and how listening to Kanye in the shower helped him develop his cadence and confidence. He...

In her Instagram profile, 17 year-old Kylie Spence says, "I've probably written a song about you," and after talking to her on this week's episode & learning about the breadth of her blooming body of work, I'm going to bet she has. Kylie tells me about why she picked singing & songwriting as her mode of creativity & she explains to me some of her biggest influences - from Coldplay to her teachers....

Let's start the 2018 calendar year with a very important & inspiring conversation on feminism and self-betterment! I'm joined by the amazing Amelia Hruby, who just wrote & self-published her first book, Fifty Feminist Mantras. She tells me how the idea was born from her #FeministMantraMonday posts on Instagram, and then she delved into some of the fantastic women and travel experiences that have i...

T'was the night before Christmas and all through the house, people were listening to the Lise. FM Christmas special. The great Rick Kogan and I warm our hands by the metaphorical fire of inspired conversation to talk about his Christmases past - from snowy winters in Old Town to lavish parties at the Playboy Mansion. Also, I'm honored to share a sneak peek of the forthcoming @palettes Christmas so...

According to Steven Galanis, founder and CEO of Cameo, the selfie is the new signature. Based on this unique, but highly accurate mantra, it's his company's mission to provide the world of fans with selfie shoutout videos - while giving influencers, Youtubers, and athletes a brand-positive means to an end (you know, instead of all the #ads). Steven sits down with me this week to talk about how he...

EPISODE 32: Tom Hush, co-host of much-loved No Coast Cinema podcast on WGN Plus, graces me with his presence on the show this week and we take a stroll through memory lane in compiling his eclectic list of film influences. We start where we, 1993-babies, should start: The Lion King, and Tom talks about just how obsessed he was with that special movie. We move on to talk about Tarantino, Roger Eber...

EPISODE 31: Founder & Executive Director of Chicago Detours Amanda Scotese joins me on the show this week to talk about the winding path that lead her to give amazing, story-rich tours of Chicago, of course noting her influences along the way. She brings us back to her first "solo" trip to Cancun her senior year of high school and then flies us over to the South of Italy to talk about working with...

EPISODE 30: You know what they say: thirty, flirty & thriving! Real talk though, super cool that my podcast has exited its 20s before I myself have. And what better way to celebrate than with Chicago's own DJ Ca$h Era, of Louder Than a Bomb, Northwestern, & WGN Radio fame! She joins me in studio to talk about when and why she started mixing music, we compare DJ naming experiences (mine is DJ Graha...

This week, the amazing Lauren Engel joins me to talk about her YouTube series Sidewalk Talk, where she has interviewed artists like Ryan Hemsworth, Gnash, Y2K & Skylar Spence while walking around sunny LA. She tells me about growing up in Hong Kong in her own little musical bubble and we talk about how her background in photography, loving music and her natural introversion influenced her to take...

This week, the lovely Ash Kordik (who happens to be one of my best friends from college) joins me for a chat on what drives her spontaneous creativity. We talk about the powerful law of attraction, Ashley's undying curiosity and fascination with possibility over reality, and she cited a couple influential sources: from Audrey Hepburn to her dear Grandfather. She also previews some upcoming storyte...