In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

Israeli singer-songwriter Asaf Avidan has been compared to Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, and each time he comes to Chicago, he plays to ever-larger crowds.  His unique voice draws fans in, but it’s his lyrics and emotionally charged performances that keep them coming back. Ask him about his latest release Gold Shadow and the solo tour that brought him through Chicago, and he’ll say it’s about catharsis, not selling records.  Avidan joins Tony Sarabia in studio for a stripped-down performance that shows how he bares his soul through music.

Chicago State University will get a desperately needed $20 million infusion thanks to a bill passed Friday in Springfield. The stopgap measure is expected to keep publicly funded universities in Illinois afloat through the summer, but questions remain about their future. John Miller, president of the University Professionals of Illinois, Local 4100, and CSU student government president Paris Griffin give us the inside scoop.

National Poetry Month will soon come to a close, so we thought it would be a good time to check in with Illinois Poet Laureate Kevin Stein. (Yes, Illinois has a poet laureate). It’s Stein’s job to make poetry more accessible to the public and to study and promote the work of Illinois poets past and present. He’s sort of like an ambassador for poetry from the state of Illinois. Kevin Stein joins us to discuss his work as poet laureate, the history of poetry in our state and what distinguishes Illinois poetry from, oh, say, Indiana poetry. Seriously, there’s a difference.

After winning the Stanley Cup last year and starting this season in top form, the Blackhawks seemed poised to advance deep into the playoffs. But now, the Hawks find themselves in a precarious spot. If they lose Monday night in Game 7 against the St. Louis Blues, they’ll be eliminated in the first round and lose the chance to defend their title. WBEZ sports contributor Cheryl Raye-Stout joins Morning Shift with a preview of Monday’s match-up and a conversation about what’s at stake for Toews, Kane and the rest of the squad. After winning the Stanley Cup last year and starting this season in top form, the Blackhawks seemed poised to advance deep into the playoffs. But now, the Hawks find themselves in a precarious spot. If they lose Monday night in Game 7 against the St. Louis Blues, they’ll be eliminated in the first round and lose the chance to defend their title. WBEZ sports contributor Cheryl Raye-Stout joins us with a preview of Monday’s match-up and a conversation about what’s at stake for Toews, Kane and the rest of the squad.

Is your spouse cheating? Are you stuck paying alimony? Are you concerned about who your child is living with? These are all questions for the guest in our latest installment of the Working Shift, where we interview Chicagoans with interesting jobs. This week, Scott Stern a long-time private investigator gives Morning Shift an inside look at a day on his job.

One testament to Prince’s legacy is how he inspired musical acts that came after him. Music journalist David Drake joins Morning to talk about Prince’s impact on artists like Beyonce, Erykah Badu, Andre 3000, Shamir, Justin Timberlake and more.

You know him as NPR’s television critic, but as a young man, Eric Deggans was a drummer in a band out of Indiana University, and Prince was his icon. Deggans joins host Jenn White to talk about what he loves about Prince’s music and style.

Sound Opinions co-hosts Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis talk about Prince, his music and his legacy.

Robbie Fulks burst onto Chicago’s insurgent country scene in the mid-1990s with the witty, well-played tunes that came together as his first album Country Love Songs. Since then, he’s grown into one of the city’s best songwriters and performers.  On his latest release Upland South, Fulks mixes the sounds of honky tonk,lonesome country as he spins yarns about regret, going home, mischief and more. Fulks plays a record release show Saturday at the Old Town School of Folk Music and joins Morning Shift live with a preview.

Style is the theme for this year’s spring Chicago Humanities Festival, but it’s not all about clothes. Instead, presenters and guests will explore how art, attitude, politics, race and gender coalesce to define a person or a movement. We sit down with Alison Cuddy, CHF’s associate artistic director, to hear about events and talks on everything from emojis to the politics of the hijab to the importance of sleep.