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Setlist / Review | Railway Gamblers @ Horse Thief Hollow 3/14/15

By: @WeirScrewedWhile many Chicago's best venues for live music tend to skew north, some of the best local talent can be found south of Archer Avenue.Brown Bag, The Leadfoot Band, and Caution have made a circuit of Americana/alt-country/bluegrass/jam bands that has been entertaining fans on the South Side over the past...

Setlist / Recap / Video | Alabama Shakes @ Chicago Theater 3/14/15

Alabama Shakes newest single, Dont Wanna Fight, previews a dramatic change to the young bands sound, their second record, Sound & Color, coming in April amongst much hype. Those in attendance at their recent Chicago Theatre show got a preview of the new album in full.The band performed all twelve songs from Sound &...

Where Are The Phish Dates? Summer 2015 Edition

By this point, most Phish fans with a pulse and an Internet connection know that Summer 2015 tour dates are imminent. Most even have a reasonable idea about the touritinerary(see bottom of this post for reasonable guesses) and are dutifully planning their summer. But the suspense, the tension of knowing they're out there and just...

Happy Birthday Phil Lesh! Listen to His Greatest Miss

I've spent a good amount of time thinking about Phil lately, especially since we're now celebrating his 75th birthday. Simultaneously, I came across a Venn diagram that made me chuckle. The timing and coincidence was worthy of a blog post to pay tribute to, and poke a little fun at, one of my great musical...

New Mastersounds Cover Cars Trucks Buses

By @312mrgThe number and prominence of Phish cover bands is growing by the day. From the Lawn Boys, Seven Below, Helping Phriendly Orchestra, the Phix or Pink Talking Fish, there are bands reproducing the Vermont band's material with a variety of tweaks to the approach.But what I find more intriguing is the concept of...

50 Years Of Pink Floyd: Massive Success and Inevitable Disintegration

Celebrating 50 Years of Pink Floyd: The Big Five (Part 2 of 3)By: Matt FricksThis is the second in a three part series in which Matt explores Pink Floyd's unique career over three distinct eras and fifty years of constant change. It chronicles the internal and external forces that established them as one of the most singular...

Setlist / Review | JD McPherson @ Lincoln Hall 3/12/15

Words / Photos: Alex WoodJD McPherson offered a high-energy set during his first night at Lincoln Hall, offering the majority of the songs from his studio albums and a handful of covers.His retro sound is derivative of an era more than any specific artist, pulling inspiration primarily from the late 50s and early 60s. The...

Video: Bluegrass Sessions @ Skyline Stage 9/15/1999

How do you top one of the greatest acoustic albums of all time (Bela Fleck's Tales From The Acoustic Planet)? Bela kept the all-star lineup, but went straight bluegrass for the follow up to his 1995 acoustic jazz masterpiece.First, Fleck grabbed Sam Bush, Tony Rice, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Vassar Clements and more to round...

What is Voicebox? A Night of Music & Storytelling at Fitzgerald's

Words & Photos: Terry FaloonOn the second Tuesday of each month at Fitzgeralds in Berwyn, I have discovered a place where magic happens. It's a place where a group of kindred spirits meet to tell stories, listen to music and build community. Voicebox happens, and there is a lot to like about this inspiring, entertaining...

White Denim Songwriter Releases New Songs As Bop English

White Denims James Petralli is back with more genre-defying songwriting, but this time under the moniker Bop English.Over the last month, the songwriter has released two songs from Bop Englishs upcoming full-length, Constant Bop, out April 21.Though his distinctive vocal delivery is still there, the songs feature a more relaxed pop sound than White...