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PHOTOS / VIDEO | Derek & Susan Join Buddy Guy Late Night at Legends 1/21/17

Photos: Howard GreenblattA three night run for the Tedeschi Trucks Band in Chicago was unprecendented, but apparently it wasn't nearly enough.Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi stopped by Buddy Guy's namesake club for a little more jamming with the Chicago blues patriarch.  Guy, deep in his annual January residency at the club, was firing...

LISTEN | Newly Circulated Grateful Dead Rehearsal Emerges After 42 Years

Forty-two years ago this month, the newly "retired" Grateful Dead (with re-joined Mickey Hart, but sans Donna Jean Godchaux) rehearsed for what would become the Blues For Allah album and an upcoming SNACK Benefit at Ace's in Mill Valley, CA.While other tapes from this time period have been in circulation (perhaps even this...

Science and $843 Million Will Buy You An Acoustically Perfect Concert Hall

Your favorite band may not be playing here anytime soon, but if this classical auditorium in Hamburg Germany -- part of a complex called Elbphilharmonie -- ever starts expanding its programming, maybe start looking into plane tickets?It is designed, by algorithm, to be an acoustically perfect room.  The 10,000 unique acoustic panels give it...

Setlist / Full Show Audio | Tedeschi Trucks Band @ Chicago Theatre 1/20/17

Photo via @karenglassdesignWe'll have much more to come from this show and tonight's gig, but first a quick recap.While Thursday's show featured an opening act, Friday brought two full sets of TTB spanning nearly three hours.  And just because NMAS weren't on the bill, that didn't keep Luther Dickinson from joining the crew...

Blue Ox Music Festival Announces 2017 Lineup

Now in its third incarnation, it appears the organizer's of Blue Ox have hit on some special when curating their forward-looking, bluegrass leaning lineup.Perhaps its the artist curation -- MInnesota's Pert Near Sandstone, plays a role and has two festival slots, but the lineup is a music lover's dream.Punch Brothers, Greensky Bluegrass and...

Derek Trucks Explains Mysterious Post Cubs World Series Appearance

When Derek Trucks took to the Chicago Theatre stage last night, it was TTB's first show in the area since last summer's Blues On The Fox.  However, it wasn't his last time in Chicago.Back in October, this video of he and Eddie Vedder performing at a post World Series...

Setlist / Video / Full Show Audio | Tedeschi Trucks Band and North Mississippi All Stars @ Chicago Theatre 1/19/17

Tedeschi Trucks Band kicked off their first three night run in Chicago last night with a little help from the North Missisisipi All Stars.I'll be there with a full report from Friday and Saturday's shows, but our friends Wyatt Brake (zepcowboy) and Jeff Frank (@JeffFrank) were there to capture some of the highlights. [Update 1/24:...

Your Inauguration Day Playlist

Happy (?) Inauguration Day.  Everybody's dealing with it their own way but music, and comedy, seem to be fine ways to face our impending reality.Musician Jeff Kravitz (@jeffkravitz) put out a social media call for songs for his band to play at the Inauguration. From over 225 entries, he culled this playlist of 90 songs...

REVIEW | Cornmeal Winter Wednesdays @ Martyrs' 1/18/17

By: Nick LaMantia | Photo: @zebaystoneAfter a few years marked by lineup changes and the subsequent search for musical cohesion, Chicago roots / bluegrass band Cornmeal has found their groove again. Their January 18th Winter Wednesdays show kept an energetic crowds feet moving throughout the nearly two hour set.The show kicked off with the staple When...

Review / Audio | Steve Gunn & Lee Renaldo @ Empty Bottle 1/16/17

By: @WeirScrewedIndie guitarist Steve Gunn made an anticipated return to Chicago Monday night, but in a slightly different capacity than originally billed.  This stop from his solo tour with Lee Ranaldo and Meg Baird had been rescheduled from Thalia Hall and moved to the cozier confines of Empty Bottle.  Billed as a solo...