Wattz Up! Season 29 (Summer 2025)

La Mesita is a feature series of live performances and interviews from Wattz up! produced by Yollocalli Arts Reach youth, broadcast live through Lumpen Radio, WLPN 105.5FM Chicago.

*Featuring: Rosalba Valdez

La Mesita - Rosalba Valdez

La Mesita is a feature series of live performances and interviews from Wattz up! produced by Yollocalli Arts Reach youth, broadcast live through Lumpen Radio, WLPN 105.5FM Chicago.

*Featuring: La Armada

La Mesita - La Armada

A series of podcasts made by the Your Story, Your Way interns in collaboration with City Bureau fellows at virtual Yollocalli in Summer 2021, researching and reporting on the topics of collective power, environmental justice, and urban agriculture in Chicago’s Little Village community.

"Our Collective Power" podcast takes a look into the Defund CPD campaign and see what kind of narratives are believed about police abolition in our community, with special guest Tynetta Hill-Muhammad, Chicago community organizer and abolitionist.

Our Collective Power By August Abitang & Cynthia Salgado

Wattz up! is produced by Yollocalli Arts Reach youth and broadcast through Lumpen Radio, WLPN 105.5FM Chicago.

In this edition, Wattz Up! presents various members of Chicago's fashion scene from designers to store owners and even consumers themselves, discussing the topics of thrifting, fast fashion, clothing production, and the fashion of the futureeeeeee...

Featuring interviews with jewelry maker and Yollocalli’s own Zipporah Auta, owner of Comercio Popular Miguel Cervantes, Production Mode designer Jamie Hayes, and creator of Rebirth Garments Sky Cubacub. Enjoy!

Wattz Up! - Humanz Of The Fashion Industry

Wattz up! is produced by Yollocalli Arts Reach youth and broadcast through Lumpen Radio, WLPN 105.5FM Chicago.

In this week, Wattz Up! presents a series of investigative podcasts created by the Your Story, Your Way students in collaboration with City Bureau fellows! We researched and reported on the topics of collective power and environmental justice in Chicago’s Little Village community:

In "Our Collective Power", we take a look into the Defund CPD campaign and see what kind of narratives are believed about police abolition in our community.

“Looking at Unequal Green Spaces” reports the disparities in Chicago’s natural parks and green spaces, comparing the north to west and southside and highlighting what community residents think on the issue. 

“Food Sustainability” discusses how we can adequately make food accessible to the people who live in our neighborhoods on the west and southside, speaking with the organizers of The Love Fridge Chicago and Mercado de Colores.

Wattz Up! - Neighborhood Reporting (Summer 2021)

Wattz up! is produced by Yollocalli Arts Reach youth and broadcast through Lumpen Radio, WLPN 105.5FM Chicago.

We are ending our season 18 with our annual holiday special! And this year it’s a reunion, featuring all the students of the YSYW Class, Studio, and La Mesita!

Did we mention that the show was LIVE! Broadcasting straight outta Studio-A for our first ever live show in almost 4 seasons!

Listen to our thoughts on Christmas movie classics, capitalism during the holidays, a lil Christmas history, and a very special performance by Steffy Sue on the uke!!

Wattz Up! - Xmas Edition 2021

La Mesita is a feature series of live performances and interviews from Wattz up! produced by Yollocalli Arts Reach youth, broadcast live through Lumpen Radio, WLPN 105.5FM Chicago.

La Mesita is back in the Chill Space at Yollocalli with an interview and show from special guest DJ and music promoter, Kona FM!

La Mesita - Kona FM

La Mesita is a feature series of live performances and interviews from Wattz up! produced by Yollocalli Arts Reach youth, broadcast live through Lumpen Radio, WLPN 105.5FM Chicago.

La Mesita visit Lumpen Radio Studios and interview special X-mas guest  Steffy Sue on the Uke about her love for the ukulele, holiday hits and her music inspirations.

La Mesita - Steffy Sue on the Use

Wattz up! is produced by Yollocalli Arts Reach youth and broadcast through Lumpen Radio, WLPN 105.5FM Chicago.

In this first episode of our season 19, Wattz Up! broadcasted LIVE at the Chicago Cultural Center, straight outta local art shop Buddy Chicago, for the Reopening of the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall and Rotunda.
We interview very special guests like Erin Harkey of DCASE, resident Chicago historian Tim Samuelson, Buddy director Stella Brown, artist Damon Lamar Reed and more!

Wattz Up! - Yollo at Tiffany's: G.A.R. Reopening

Wattz up! is produced by Yollocalli Arts Reach youth and broadcast through Lumpen Radio, WLPN 105.5FM Chicago.

Wattz Up! youth radio is back this summer for SEASON 20!!! For our first episode, we’ll be talking all about small local businesses and entrepreneurships that have thrived since this pandemic started. Join us as we travel around Little Village and other undisclosed locations that use Social Media as their store front. You’ll hear us interview amazing BIPOC local shops and vendors to learn all about starting and running an independent business! 

We’ll be sharing interviews from businesses Ida’s Artisan Ice Cream & Treats, Liz's Sweets, MariJane Nails as well as two new Little Village brick and mortar shops Antojitos and El Churro Shop!

Wattz Up! - None Of Your Business

Wattz up! is produced by Yollocalli Arts Reach youth and broadcast through Lumpen Radio, WLPN 105.5FM Chicago.

The Fall 2022 studio and class of Your Story, Your Way! and Sonic Vibes produced this annual Halloween special edition: "Your Horror, Your Way! 8.0: Invasion". Listen to original harrowing tales and soundscapes centering around the theme of “Invasion”, from government conspiracies, privacy, environmental screams, to generational curses, wars and other horrific truths of the human kind!

*Some content may be considered disturbing to some audiences. Listener discretion is advised.

Your Horror, Your Way! 8.0

La Mesita is a feature series of live performances and interviews from Wattz up! produced by Yollocalli Arts Reach youth, broadcast live through Lumpen Radio, WLPN 105.5FM Chicago.

La Janesita is a Latin American electronic producer from Chicago and is a member of JukeMx, a Mexican community inspired by footwork. Their purpose is to generate a Hispanic circle to create and promote a culture faithful to 160 bpm, not only in Mexico, but in Latin America and the world!

La Mesita - La Janesita

Wattz up! is produced by Yollocalli Arts Reach youth and broadcast through Lumpen Radio, WLPN 105.5FM Chicago.

Dungeons and Dragons has a long history, a rich lore, and many rules to learn. Nowadays, this game is more popular than ever! But what’s all the hubbub? Join us novice adventurers as we explore the wonderful universe of 5th Edition D&D and seek answers to all our curious quandaries! After our educational voyage, we step into the world ourselves for a one-shot adventure involving rodents, harrowing circumstances, and a whole lotta magic! This is Wattz Up!: Rats & Realms!

Wattz Up! - Rats And Realms

Wattz up! is produced by Yollocalli Arts Reach youth and broadcast through Lumpen Radio, WLPN 105.5FM Chicago.

For the Season 24 Finale, The Wattz Up! Crew dives head fur-st into the world of Furries to learn more about how the fandom and community began. Listen in to hear some amazing interviews and interactions with lovely members of the community from our visit to Midwest Furfest 2023 and all the fun that en-tailed! ❤️

Wattz Up! - What the Fur?!

Wattz up! is produced by Yollocalli Arts Reach youth and broadcast through Lumpen Radio, WLPN 105.5FM Chicago.

Are you embarazada because you don’t know how to speak Spanish? Well, don’t be embarrassed because this Saturday, Wattz Up! is dedicating this episode to those who might feel or have been told they’re a ‘no sabo.’ Listen in as we learn about linguistics with Dr. Bello and Dr. Ledezma who crack down on the concept of ‘no sabo.’ Diving deeper, we will get into discussions surrounding Spanish and languages within education, our families, our environment, and genderqueerness. Pero that doesn’t stop there as we will hear audio pieces about a day in the life of a ‘no sabo’, native languages and history, and how the issue with Yaritza y su Esencia highlights a deeper conflict in this week’s topic. So, shout out to all the ‘no sabo’s’ trying to be ‘si sabo’s’. Respect

Wattz Up! - Si Sabo

Wattz up! is produced by Yollocalli Arts Reach youth and broadcast through Lumpen Radio, WLPN 105.5FM Chicago.

Wattz Up! Season 25 concludes today with a very special episode on Chicago’s lesser known wonders! Our main course is an investigative report on the fabled birthplace of all street signs in Chicago: the CDOT Sign Management Department! We’ve also got an array of audiopieces both silly and serious on mythic locations and people in our city with reports from the team! Listen in to the Urban Legendz show!

Special thanks to all the fine folks at CDOT Sign Management for the incredible work they do and for welcoming us into their space!

Wattz up! - Urban Legendz

🌟WATTZ UP!: NOT IN SERVICE🌟 DNC SPECIAL

Wattz Up! Reporters Ariandy Luna and August Abitang took to the streets to cover the 2024 Democratic National Convention as well as some of the protests surrounding it. Tune in to hear their day by day coverage and thoughts on a hectic week in Chicago.

Wattz Up! Not In Service aired Saturday, August 24th from 12-2 PM on WLPN-LP @lumpenradio 105.5 FM Chicago.

Wattz Up! - Not In Service

🎲Wattz Up Season 28 Ep 2: That’s the Game of Life 🎳

Worried about life in higher education, adulting, and every other extrasessential-crisis-causing factors that comes in life? No worries, because everyone is! Join the Wattz Up! crew as we tackle life after graduation, college, jobs, bills, moving out, and so much more! (life gets hard when you’re older)

Tag along with Salman and Sue the T-rex as we hear how life is for a dinosaur in the modern era. Save money with Layla as we learn all about budgeting with do’s and don'ts. Move along with Stephanie to gain knowledge of how to move out and the different challenges that persist. Plus, Chantal talks with the Little Village Reconnection HUB (@lvrh_ser) to grasp the matter of the egregious job market and steps you can take to find your next career! Not to mention, we have a slew of vox pops with multiple different age demographics and get advices from a variety of different people!

Wattz Up! - That's the Game of Life

📻✨WATTZ UP!! Season 28 ✨📻
🗓️ Saturdays @ 12PM - 2PM

⚡️Ep 4: C2E2 2025 coverage ⚡️

It’s a bird, it’s a plane…no, it’s a recap? 

Join us this week on Wattz Up! as the team recounts their time at C2E2 2025! In this episode, you’ll hear us talk about our experience from the convention from meeting notable names in the worlds of anime, comic books and much more. We’ll also share our tips in surviving a fest like this and our interviews with cosplayers and indie and mainstream artists

Wattz Up! - C2E2 2025 Coverage

📻✨WATTZ UP!! Season 28 ✨📻
🗓️ Saturdays @ 12PM - 2PM

🌹 Ep 5: Her Story, Her Way 🌹

Join the Wattz Up! team this week as we explore the National Museum of Mexican Art’s annual Sor Juana Festival, Pop Up Youth Radio style! Join the team as we learn about the history of Sor Juana and analyze some of her impactful writing. Hear from some of the Wattz Up! team as they explore the NMMA for the very first time! Plus, we have a novel worth of interviews! Tune in as we interview artists, performers, creatives, and so much more! You’ll hear from artist Maria Gaspar on what goes into making incredible art (@maria__gaspar ), musician Rosalba Valdez (@rosalbavaldez_) on crafting fantastic hits, Ruidosa founder Stephanie Herrera (@stxphxni_ & @ruidosa.artcollective) on how Ruidosa came to be and what it means to create a safe space, Chicago’s first all women mariachi, Mariachi Sirenas (@mariachisirenas ) on all their accomplishments, and the Sor Juana planning team on what goes into making such an impactful event!

This is one creative-filled episode you don’t want to miss!

Wattz Up! - Her Story, Her Way

📻✨WATTZ UP!! Season 28 ✨📻
🗓️ Saturdays @ 12PM - 2PM

⚡️Ep 6: Your Trash, Our Treasure ⚡️

 Join us this week on Wattz Up! Our  team presents Your Trash, our Treasure show, a show dedicated to all those persons that love to collect cool stuff. Hear from some of the Wattz Up! team about the meaning of collecting stuff and how collectible items can be really symbolic. We are going to talk about why collections are so important for mental health and some of the benefits and impact that collections can have on people. Tun in while we interview  a local collectible shop, interview with @senor__eddy from @sonoramachicago , interview with some collectors including Edna’s dad. Also we are going to hear from the time how to be aware of our collections becoming hoarding, another cool thing we are going to talk about is, why do we like to collect? And also we are going to bring some of our favorite collectibles to the studio so we can share this experience in another level. Remember collecting stuff is always cool some peoples trash can be our treasure and that's why our Wattz Up! team worked so hard to bring this show alive.

Wattz Up! - Your Trash, Our Treasure

📻✨WATTZ UP!! Season 28 ✨📻
🗓️ Saturdays @ 12PM - 2PM

⚡️ Ep 7: CodeName: Fallen Worlds  ⚡️

Divergent, The Book of Eli, Hunger Games, and Interstellar 
What do all of these movies have in common? 
They’re all movies based in different dystopian worlds. From suspense to adventure to action, those people were trying to survive in worlds where things were abnormal. Now, imagine living in a dystopian world where there’s a lack of individuality or you can’t communicate with your friends and family via smart devices, so all you can do is think in isolation. 
What would you do? How would you survive? Tune in this Saturday, May 10th from 12-2 pm on 105.5 FM @lumpenradio to hear how five chosen people from five dystopian worlds are brought together to tell their stories and complete a mission.

Wattz Up! - Codename: Fallen Worlds

📻✨WATTZ UP!! Season 29 ✨📻
🗓️ Saturdays @ 12PM - 2PM

⚡️ ☕️Ep 1: Cafecito Edition: Back of the Yards Coffee House ☕️  ⚡️

Sip back, relax, and tune in to the season 29 premiere of Wattz Up! : Cafecito Edition! This season, we’re focusing on different coffee shops around Chicago and the neighborhoods they call home. This week, the Wattz Up crew is heading to the South Side at Back of the Yards Coffee House @backoftheyardscoffeeco , and learning more about the rich history and community in the neighborhood. Drink some coffee as Chantal interviews public performer Nicolas Moreno, or maybe partake in a latte with Angel as he chats with Jesse Iñiguez; owner of BOTY Coffee House. Stephanie and Irma do a tag-team with Joy from Renaissance and Selva from Marimacha Monarca Press (@marimachamonarcapress)! Not only that, but Michelle is brewing up a caffeine-fueled conversation with DJ La Spacer (@laspacer), co-founder of (@trqpiteca). This jam-packed premiere sets the ingredients for what is going to be a hot season!

Turn on your coffee machine and radio to tune in with us!

Wattz Up! - Cafecito Edition: Back of the Yards Coffeehouse

📻✨WATTZ UP!! Season 29 ✨📻
🗓️ Saturdays @ 12PM - 2PM

⚡️ ☕️Ep 2: Cafecito Edition: Drip Collective ☕️  ⚡️

Are you a fellow coffee lover? If so, tune in this Saturday, July 19th for episode 2 of Wattz Up!: Cafecito Edition!!!!. Join us as we visit all kinds of coffee shops across Chicago and have conversations with the very people who make them run. Find out how they add their own drip of uniqueness to their shops and engage with our communities. This week we are visiting @drip.collectivechi ! listen in as we talk jazz funk and coffee shop DJ-ing with Yukiko Koizumi (@legitimategroove). Got a green thumb? Pick some flowers as you hear florist John @planksandpistils talk about flowers and community. If visual arts are more your thing, muralist Damian has just the segment for you. But if coffee is your everything join our conversations with Ty Banks (@mysticalblackboy) and Christopher from @tizocoffee as we cover everything from diverse drink combos to the art of coffee making. 

Wattz Up! - Cafecito Edition: Drip Collective

📻✨WATTZ UP!! Season 29 ✨📻
🗓️ Saturdays @ 12PM - 2PM

⚡️ ☕️ Ep 3: Cafecito Edition: Bueno Days ☕️  ⚡️

This season, we’ve been going to different coffee shops around the city and getting energerized by learning with community leaders, artists, entrupenters, and much more! Join us for the final coffee trip of the season in the west side as we sip back with Bueno Days Coffee. We talk with founders Alma and Cristobal (@cr.stobal) @almablancartemora about what goes into a community-centered coffee shop. Irma converses with Tania Unzuenta (@ilehlainat), political director at Mijente (@conmijente); learning how we can advocate for Latinx, Chicanx, and LGBTQ+ people. Angel gets buff with Fernando (@coach_fer_nando), a trainer at Connected Fitness; a community-based gym inclusive to everyone. Jesus has a deep dive with Martin (@irtaroma_60) and Rosi (@carrascorosi) from Chicago Community and Workers Rights to fight for those who can’t fight from themselves. Join us for coffee without the crash as the final Cafecito episode will be one to enjoy!

Wattz Up! - Cafecito Edition: Bueno Days

📻✨WATTZ UP!! Season 29 ✨📻
🗓️ Saturdays @ 12PM - 2PM

📡Ep 4: Xochimilco Special Project🛶🚣🇲🇽
As summer starts to dwindle down, so does the Wattz Up! Crew. Join us for the season finale as we connect with our roots and travel to Mexico (kinda)! The Wattz Up! crew tackle a special project on highlighting the trajineras-filled world of Xochimilco! For this special presentation, the students created unique, original audios to immerse you. Tune in and listen to soundscapes of the waters and boats that fill the canals, or get spooked as we learn about the Island of Dolls urban legend, or how pollution is killing off one of the most famous animals in the world, the axolotl! Don’t miss what is sure to be an engaging and mesmerizing show to end off the season! 

Wattz Up! - Xochimilco Special Project

Episode 1 Your Horror, Your Way XI ⚡️📻

🎧💀🪦Accompany the Wattz Up! team for our first episode of the fall season! Get ready for a session full of tension, spooks and unusual scenarios. Grab a snack and immerse yourself into stories surrounding this year’s theme, “What If?” What if you were stuck on a creepy train? What if you were stuck in a government-led blackout? What if animals could talk? Find out Saturday and prepare to be transported into the unknown📡☢️📻🩻

Wattz Up! - Your Horror, Your Way XI

📻⚡️WATZ UP ! Season 30 Episode 2: SONIC RESISTANCE⚡️📻
🎧✊🏾🎶 Music and activism have been intertwined for generations and have been used as a method in advocating for social change. Lyrics, sounds, and beats gave artists the tools they needed to authentically communicate complex issues, unite people through shared emotions and experiences, and give a voice to the marginalized. 

Join the Wattz Up! crew as we dive into tackling activism in music. Join Edna as she dives into 2008 confrontations between Emos and Punks and Layla as she interviews Amira Jazeera about her debut album, The Amira Diaries, and bringing awareness to what’s happening in Palestine through her platform. Enjoy the chat with Julie about the use of artificial intelligence in the music industry, a piece from Gilbert about Latin American artists, and later Stephanie’s interview with the one and only Brian Herrera. Throughout the show, we’ll also spin a selection of tracks curated by Chantal and the rest of the team throughout the episode, so don’t miss out on this one 📡🎤🎼📻

Wattz Up! - Sonic Resistance

Wattz up! is produced by Yollocalli Arts Reach youth and broadcast live through Lumpen Radio, WLPN-LP 105.5FM Chicago.

In this show we went to Reggae Fest and we interviewed vendors, musicians and people that attended the festival. We talked about the foods, live art and of course Reggae Music! Enjoy!!

Wattz Up! - Reggae Fest Edition

Student's Album

La Rosa De Guadalupe by Marimar Gutierrez

Wattz up! is produced by Yollocalli Arts Reach youth and broadcast live through Lumpen Radio, WLPN 105.5FM Chicago.
In this edition, Wattz Up! youth had a blast from the past... showing the music that they grew up listening.

student's Album

Wattz Up! - The Rewind Show

Wattz up! is produced by Yollocalli Arts Reach youth and broadcast live through Lumpen Radio, WLPN 105.5FM Chicago.

In this show, Wattz Up! presented a show all about throwbacks, memories, and anything that makes us feel nostalgic! Go back in time and reminisce with hosts Oscar Perez and Gerardo Hernandez as they speak and cover topics that revolve our past.

Wattz Up! - The Nostalgia Show

A series of audio-pieces made by the Your Story, Your Way students at Yollocalli on Spring 2019.
The students explore tools for a creative production. They narrated a topic of their concerned and explored it through sound effects.

Transformers (Soundscape) by Damian Duran

Wattz up! is produced by Yollocalli Arts Reach youth and broadcast live through Lumpen Radio, WLPN 105.5FM Chicago.

In this show, Wattz Up! covers Chill Set 2019, Yollocalli's annual teen night at the National Museum of Mexican Art. Chill Set hosted a fun and thrilling event filled snacks, jams, and extraordinary backdrops. Enjoy!

Wattz Up! - Chill Set 2019

La Mesita is a feature series of live performances and interviews from Wattz up! produced by Yollocalli Arts Reach youth, broadcast live through Lumpen Radio, WLPN 105.5FM Chicago.

La Mesita - Adam Stone

Yollocalli Arts Reach is the award-winning youth initiative of the National Museum of Mexican Art, we offer FREE arts and culture programming to teens and young adults. 
Located in the heart of Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, we serve as an open community center with studio spaces, computer lab, radio production studio, a large art library, and a creative, supportive staff and teaching artists who are always around to help, encourage, and inspire. We aim to strengthen the students’ creative and cultural capital by engaging them with their own cultural discourses through art making.

Thank you to the Robert R. McCormick Foundation for their continued support.

Yollocalli

Pinned to spotlight

Popular tracks