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Album Reviews | March 2016 Releases

M. Ward- More Rain [3/4]His first solo release since 2012, M. Wards More Rain is an extremely big deal. The underrated and understated folk singer-songwriter has a cult-like following, developed over years of consistent releases that focus on atmosphere and songwriting. More Rain sounds deceptively simple, as though the songs have existed forever, every instrument sounding...

Rock 4 Autism Offers Throwback @ Wire For 2016 Event

This event has been going strong eight years running now, but the 2016 version has a vision that goes back a bit further than that.Gia Eppolito and the good folks at at Rock4Autism, just as they do each April (Autism Awareness Month), have set up a music-related benefit at Berwyn's Wire. But this time,...

What We Talk About When We Talk About JRAD

By: Aaron Stein - @neddyoThis originally appeared in Aaron's excellent weekly newsletter Noted:: Nedsday. Sign up here.So... you may have noticed that I seriously dig on the Almost Dead thing.I'm certainly not alone, almost everyone that sees them is rightfully blown away. But, there are a nontrivial number of folk that are basically...

Book Review & Playlist | On Highway 61 By Dennis McNally

On Highway 61: Music, Race and the Evolution Of Cultural Freedom - Dennis McNallyBy now, everybody knows that the story of America is the story of race. So, too, is the story of its music perhaps even more overtly. Onetime Grateful Dead publicist and historian Dennis McNally takes an uncompromising look at how various ingredients fall...

Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams @ SPACE | Preview & Ticket Giveaway

Greetings, Mr. Campbell and Ms. Williams. Welcome to your job interview. Can you provide references from your last three employers?Levon Helm,Phil Lesh,Bob DylanOk... every things seems to be in order. What's that? There's more?Paul Simon, Mavis Staples, BB King, Elvis Costello, Roseanne Cash... among othersVery good! Wethink you'll do just fine...

Electron & Friends Visit Chicago For A Pair Of Unique April Shows | Preview & Giveaway

In case you haven't heard, we're ALL IN on Tom Hamilton around here. And I guess that goes for all of Chicago, too.He'll be back with American Babies in May, but not before he's part of two big nights with Electron in April. For those keeping score at home, Electron is the supergroup featuring...

Weed Sales Compared To Popular Brands [Chart]

Okay, so this one is not music related, but thought that just maybe it would be of interest to our readers.The green revolution is big. How big? Let's say Oreos-times-five big.Check out this chart from Statista.Need I remind you that Twizzlers are legal in all 50 states, where marijuana has only been available...

Photos / Recap | Langhorne Slim & Joe Pug @ City Winery 3/28/16

By: Heidi Peters PhotographyTwo complementary singer-songwriters -- with slightly different styles, but both grounded in a bluesy countrified folk -- joined forces as a co-billed event at Chicago's City Winery for two nights this week.It's clear that both Langhorne Slim and Joe Pug have drunk from the Bob Dylan well, bringing a literate approach...

Review | Aqueous @ The Original Mother's 3/24/16

By : Ryan MannixI got a chance to speak with Aqueous guitarist Mike Gantzer before Thursday's show at Chicago's The Original Mothers.He described the band'ssound as groove rock, and while that definitely applied for the dancing crowd, he might be selling the band a bit short.Might I suggest improvisation-heavy groove prog-rock? Certainly more fitting,...

Photos / Video | David Grisman Sextet @ City Winery 3/20/16

By: Mandy Pichler PhotographyDavid Grisman will spend 2016 touring in a variety of configurations, but it was the Sextet that recorded his first album of originals in over a decade, and who he played a pair of shows at City Winery with. A packed house delighted in the bluegrass / jazz hybrid known as Dawg music,...