We had Jennifer Femme in the studio on March 26th ahead of their show that night at The Backdoor — a Chicago-based, genre-fluid band pulling from jazz, folk, and indie, built around songwriter Alexis Kellogg and a rotating group of collaborators.

The session felt especially close to home — WFHB’s former Youth Radio Director Aja Essex is part of the band, and it was so good to have her back in the building.

Good conversation, really beautiful performances, and a nice full-circle moment having Aja back through. Enjoy this session!

Host: Ahmed al’Awadi

We loved having Hatchie in the studio for a Firehouse Session recorded on April 11th ahead of her headlining set at WIUX’s Culture Shock. It landed right in the middle of our Spring Fund Drive, so we pre-recorded and aired it on April 20th — still felt immediate, still felt special.

Hatchie — the project of Australian artist Harriette Pilbeam — was such a fun hang. We got into growing up in Australia, life on Secretly Canadian, and a very serious conversation about Vegemite.

She also performed on an Omnichord, which gave the whole set this intimate, slightly surreal feel — super stripped back, in the best way.

Really beautiful session. Video coming soon from No Guru Media.

Host: Abby Noroozi

On February 27th, WFHB welcomed Sword II to the studio for a Firehouse Session! The buzzy Atlanta indie rock band stopped by ahead of their show that night at The Bishop, giving listeners a chance to hear songs from their new amazing new album “Electric Hour” up close and learn more about the band behind the sound.

Keep your eye on this band!

Host: Abby Noroozi

Our Firehouse Session with Wendy Eisenberg is up now! They joined us on 4/2/26 ahead of their show at The Blockhouse with Branches and Busman’s Holiday — and just a day before their self-titled album “Wendy Eisenberg” dropped via Indianapolis based label, Joyful Noise. It was a beautiful session and such a great conversation!

Coming soon to YouTube!

Host: Abby Noroozi

We were thrilled to welcome Buffalo Nichols and Sunny War into the Firehouse on September 4th for an unforgettable in-studio session hosted by Abby Noroozi. Two of the most compelling voices in modern roots music, Nichols and War brought a mix of blues, folk, and raw emotional power that filled the room from the first note.

Both artists are celebrated for pushing tradition forward — Nichols with his deeply resonant, contemporary take on the blues, and War with her singular, finger-picking style and piercingly honest songwriting. Hearing them side by side in such an intimate space was a rare treat and a lot of fun. Lots of laughs in this session!

They joined us ahead of their co-headlining show that night at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater.

Host: Abby Noroozi

On October 1st, 2025, Minot came through the Firehouse and played a some songs for us. The Missoula, Montana band leans into a lo-fi, pop-tinged garage punk sound—scrappy, catchy, and very DIY.  Check out these songs and get ready to rock!

Host: Ahmed al-Awadi

On September 29, 2025, we had Virginia-based Americana/Folk Rock trio Palmyra in the studio for a Firehouse Session—and it was a really good one. The conversation felt easy and genuine, and the band sounded great in the room.

Unfortunately, we did run into some technical issues, so we weren’t able to keep the full session. But we did save one song—and honestly, it’s a great one. Not everything went as planned, but what we did get is something special. Enjoy Palmyra’s performance of their song “Arizona” ahead of their show at The Bishop.  Enjoy!

Host: Abby Noroozi

We took the Firehouse on the road for this one.

Chicago drummer and composer Daniel Villarreal joined us live from The Orbit Room on September 10th, 2025 during our Fall Fund Drive. Hosted by Adriane Pontecorvo in front of a room full of WFHB volunteers, the whole thing felt really special.

A good one to revisit ahead of our upcoming Spring Fund Drive — a reminder of what makes community radio so essential.

Host: Adriane Pontecorvo

We welcomed Chicago-based Ione into the WFHB studio for a Firehouse Session on February 25, 2026, ahead of her show that night at Orbit Room with The Knee-Hi’s.

This marked the first Firehouse Session in our newly renovated studio — and it couldn’t have been a better way to break it in. The set was stripped down and beautiful, with Ione’s songwriting shining in an intimate, close-up setting. Paired with a fun, easygoing conversation with Ahmed, this was a perfect introduction to the space and a reminder of what makes these sessions so special.

Host: Ahmed al-Awadi

We rang in the new year with a WFHB Firehouse Session featuring Tre. Charles on January 29th!

Hosted by our General Manager Jar Turner, this first session of the year took place in the air room while our main studio was under renovation. The close, pared-down setting gave the session an intimate feel, letting Tre. Charles’ songs and presence really come through.

It was a beautiful session and a great way to kick off a new Firehouse Session season!

(Video from No Guru Media coming!)

Host: Jar Turner