Still struggling to return to the land of the living after spending the first few weeks of 2011 dealing with the hell of an unexpected move—hence the infrequency of my blog posts of late—I’ll be taking part in a fun event tonight at Schubas, and it’s one that I’d be plugging even if I wasn’t involved.

“First Car” is the latest installment of the Chicago Independent Radio Project (a.k.a. ChIRP)’s occasional series “The First Time,” wherein local writers reading a piece they’ve written about a virgin experience (last June it was “First Job”) are paired with a local band that plays some piece of music connected to that tale.

While the music this time around will be provided by Steve Frisbie, Liam Davis, and Gerald Dowd, the automotive-themed stories will be coming from local musical legends and writers Robbie Fulks and Josh Caterer of the Smoking Popes; blogger par excellence Erin Shea; comedienne Susan Messing; not one but two former producers of “Sound Opinions,” Matt Spiegel (now doing this little sports talk thing) and James Van Osdol (who, having survived Q101 and XRT, now can be found blogging here), plus, as I said, one still-current co-host of that aforementioned rock ’n’ roll talk show. (Kot must not have been available.)

I’ll be reading an excerpt of my history of psychedelic rock, Turn On Your Mind, which not only deals with my first car (a close but not exact image of which appears above) but one of my first, er, attempts to “journey toward the white light,” though that’s all I’m gonna say in advance.

The good times start at Schubas at 8 p.m., and the $10 ticket benefits ChIRP, a cause well worth your support.