Chicago music, radio close.
WXAV 88.3FM is a radio podcast feed with a strong pull toward Chicago-area bands, especially through its 773 Sounds interviews. It keeps the room loose and immediate, moving from origin stories to songwriting, shows, new releases, and the occasional anime-for-musicals trade.
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WXAV 88.3FM is a podcast feed shaped by radio habits and Southside Chicago proximity. It sounds local before it sounds polished. The music interview strand, especially 773 Sounds, is the center of gravity. Peter Creighton brings in Chicago and Chicagoland bands, then starts with the basics: first musical memories, band origins, new songs, and what a record is trying to do. The format is familiar, but the room feels alive. Guests are given space to explain the small mechanics of their work, from melody-first writing to urgent captures and the way a song can make someone want to move. That makes the show useful for listeners who care about process, not just recommendations. The band roster in these excerpts stretches across indie rock, punk, horror punk, bluesy indie rock, power pop, and sad songs from the south side. The Transference gets framed through dark melodic themes and power-pop edges. Won't Stay Dead arrives through horror movies and old-school punk touchpoints. Time Thieves bring an in-studio album-release moment, an Empty Bottle date, and a live song premiere. The Arrivals carry local history, Blue Island roots, and a new album cycle. The Empty Pockets talk collaboration, hooks, and the work of staying part of a music community. Almost There But Not Really bring a more reflective angle on physical reaction, droning guitars, and songs built from older fragments. WXAV is not only band interviews, though. The College Exchange adds a pop culture lane, pairing anime and musicals through friendly recommendation. That gives the feed a broader station feel. There are station IDs, sponsor reads, and occasional rough edges in the audio transcripts. They are part of the bargain. The show is best heard as a window into a working station that still treats local artists as worth a full conversation.
Made for: WXAV 88.3FM is for listeners who want local music discovery with conversation attached: band origins, songwriting choices, venues, releases, and the personalities behind the songs. It also fits fans of radio looseness who do not mind station IDs and sponsor breaks in the flow.
What sets it apart: The feed keeps its Southside and Chicagoland focus close to the mic, giving local bands room to talk through craft instead of reducing them to a promo stop. Its radio structure also leaves space for culture shows like The College Exchange.
Broadcasting to the Southside of Chicago and the southwest suburbs, WXAV 88.3FM is bold and revolutionary.It offers the most dynamic and cutting edge selection of music ever to air in Chicago. With our podcast series, we feature interviews with SXU athletes, artist interviews, historical series, and much more. WXAV The Escape from Ordinary Radio.
Based on 5 episodes we listened to · September 2026
WXAV 88.3FM lets Chicago-area musicians explain the craft, collaboration and local connections behind their work.
Peter Creighton treats the interview as a working session, giving Chicago-area musicians room to explain how songs, bands and local careers actually take shape.
Peter Creighton gets Chicago musicians talking shop until your inner liner-note nerd starts taking notes.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A warm conversation about how The Empty Pockets turn passing ideas into collaborative songs.
The Empty Pockets Interview works best as a relaxed look at how songs begin before anyone has pinned them down. The band talks through a process rooted in improvisation, where lyrics and melody often arrive together and the feel of a word can matter as much as its meaning.
A grounded local-band interview where "Empty" traces DIY experimentation back to early discovery.
WXAV's conversation with Jay and Armando gives Almost There But Not Really a clear frame: a South Side Chicago indie-rock band working in sad songs, chiming guitars, and ambient trials.
A grounded jazz interview on trust, improvisation, and opening Latin, funk, soul, and jazz to newer listeners.
Los Tamales Jazz Band's conversation with Peter Creighton settles into the practical side of ensemble trust. The band talks through how body language, quick audible cues, and familiarity help decide who steps forward for the first solo during improvisation.
A clear, craft-minded conversation about how Marvel helped separate comic stories become a moving universe.
Douglas Wolk's All of the Marvels gives this Rockology conversation its shape: Marvel did not simply build a pile of superhero stories, but a shared world where plots advance at different speeds, overlap, and sometimes refuse to line up cleanly.
A warm Chicago artist interview about a sold-out Uncommon Ground show, a TV placement, and the uncertainty of breaking into college radio.
Dylan Lloyd Interview finds a local artist in a clear moment of movement, celebrating a first sold-out show at Uncommon Ground while looking for more ways to play around Chicago.
Joe Wong interviews drummers and musicians about craft, history, and the working musician's life.
Records, careers and arguments, weighed by people who listen closely.
An interview with Chicago hip-hop artist Rich Jones about his musical background and career.
Host Pete interviews musician Dylan Lloyd on WXAV 88.3FM about his recent career milestones.
Author Douglas Wolk discusses his six-year project reading all 27,000+ Marvel comics published since 1961.
On the sixth episode of The College Exchange, hosts Perla and Kasey trade a disliked anime and a disliked musical under the theme "hatred." Perla rates Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai two stars, calling its characters "annoying and bland," while praising its outro song and visuals.
In the pilot episode of The College Exchange, hosts Perla and Casey discuss their personal favorite anime and musical, Kiki's Delivery Service and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Peter Creighton interviews Laura Hollingsworth from the Chicago band The Transference about their music and her journey as a musician.
An interview with the horror punk band Won't Stay Dead on 773 Sounds, discussing their music and influences.
Peter Creighton interviews Jonathan and Tim of Time Thieves about their album Come Home If You Survive and an Empty Bottle release show in Chicago.
WXAV 88.3FM’s 773 Sounds interviews The Arrivals’ Dave and Ronnie about Payload, their first new record in 16 years, due April 10.
WXAV 88.3FM’s 773 Sounds interview with The Empty Pockets centers on Abbey Road’s Studio Two, where the band brought VIP members of the Empty Pockets Insiders Club into London during a recording visit.
WXAV 88.3FM’s 773 Sounds talks with Almost There, But Not Really, a south side Chicago indie rock band described as playing sad songs with chime guitars and ambient textures.
Los Tamales Jazz Band says its live sets feel different every time because of improvisation, rhythmic fields, and quick body-language cues.
Peter Creighton interviews Chicago jazz vocalist Alyssa Allgood on WXAV 88.3 FM's 773 Sounds about her path from sixth-grade jazz band in Westmont, Illinois to a residency at Winter's Jazz Club.
Sean and Gavin rank the top 10 NFL teams after week 4, starting with the Seattle Seahawks at number 10.
An interview with Kathi Ramsey from Women in Vinyl discussing the resurgence of vinyl records and the role of women in the vinyl industry.
Pete interviews local artist Dylan Lloyd about his recent sold-out show and TikTok success.
Nathan Graham discusses his February residency at Fitzgerald's in Berwyn, where he hosted themed nights including a regular band show, songwriters night, blues night, and rap party.