ABOUT ADELA
To whom it may concern:
Hello! My name is Adela Skowronski. I’m a songwriter, blogger, radio show host and music history nerd: founder of the podcast / radio show The Underbelly Hours, performer of tunes, and creator of many... many... many ..... spreadsheets.
Born to Polish immigrant parents and growing up in a vibrant, diverse city like Chicago, I've always been interested in the meaning behind people's art. What experience inspired someone's favorite song? When did your next door neighbor start performing at the local open mic... and why? To facilitate conversations during these increasingly more divided times, and preserve the context of the present, it seems more important than ever to tell stories. After all, you meet people from all across the Chicagoland area as a gigging musician– people from a variety of races, classes, ages and backgrounds- but it was't until I started swapping stories with them that I realized just how much music can unite both listeners and storytellers under common ground.
Radio in particular is something that has fascinated me because of the unique relationships it fosters. Unlike streaming, the listener and announcer can directly communicate in radio: sometimes even in real time! It gives a sensation of connection that is sometimes lost in current media, where trends tend to skew more and more towards the creation of individualized media bubbles. Now more than ever, we need to reestablish communication amongst ourselves: do more research into areas that interest us, discuss them, and find guides to lead us through theses vast networks of information. Fighting for the right to keep communities exposed to new music, artists heard, and people connected through stories, is truly the reason why I am in the music business... and why I believe in wearing so many hats!
Together with team members, classmates, and even people I’ve met on my shows, I’ve assisted in the creation of Battles of the Bands, a full blown Youth Arts Festival (Yes Fest) that has now been officially recognized by my hometown of Elmhurst, started an Artists Collective of underground suburban artists, performed songs in Polish for a heritage festival, created my own music, and best of all – started a radio program that I love.
Take a chance to explore my site. It's a little slice of a bigger story: me, my friends, and my community, Hope you like what you hear.
-Adela Skowronski