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Review / Setlist / Video: Neil Young @ Chicago Theater 4/22/14

Contributed By: Alex WoodNeil Young performed a perfectly balanced, career-spanning set during his second night at Chicago Theater.Though the set list hardly differed from the previous evening, it was designed with such fluidity that changing wasnt strictly necessary.The first set felt deliberately somber in tone, purveying a deep melancholy that only Neil Young...

Rock 4 Autism Moves Locations, Reveals Schedule For 2014 Event

I'm always honored to feature news of this annual benefit here on the blog. April is Autism Awareness Month, and our friends at Northern Illinois Center for Autism have worked hard the last several years to cap the month with a fundraiser built around great tunes and good works.This year, the festivities move to...

Listen: Jack White's Same Day Studio-To-Store Singleā€¦ "Lazaretto"

Call it a stunt, call it genius, call it whatever but Jack White promised, and delivered, the world's fastest recording to vinyl pressing to distribution timeline in celebration of Record Store Day 2014.He performed the tune in front of a small gathering of fans at Third Man Records, pressed the acetate and delivered the product...

Review / Setlist / Stream / Download: Neil Young @ Chicago Theater 4/21/14

When I last checked in with Neil Young, he was fronting Crazy Horse in a hockey stadium, collectively stumbling upon glory through a thick layer of noise and electric guitar. The shambling was more literal last night for his solo show at Chicago Theater, the first of two nights at the venue. Shuttling around the...

Setlists / Video: The National @ Chicago Theater 4/15, 4/16, 4/17, 4/18/14

Definitely check out Alex's review of night one for more insight on this set of shows at Chicago Theater. But I'll also update this post with all set lists and some choice video throughout the run.Tuesday, April 15th, 2014Wednesday, April 16th, 2014I Should Live In SaltDon't Swallow the CapSea Of LoveA drunk joined the...

Album Review: Pert Near Sandstone - The Hardest Part Of Leaving

The Hardest Part Of Leaving is evidence that Pert Near Sandstone understand the traditions of the bluegrass genre -- they channel old-time bluegrass traditions into a record both modern and timeless.Unlike the work of Minneapolis bluegrass contemporaries Trampled By Turtles, the tracks remain relatively short and centered around the vocalist, recorded with a distinct...

Papadosio Jams Late Night In Chicago, Perform Debut Album The Following Night

One of our contributors, photographer Rickie Kostiner, had a busy night on Saturday, April 5th. After catching KarlD and the Tiny Universe, she popped over to Concord Music Hall for some late night fun with Papadosio.Papadosio has been steadily building an audience over the last few years, the packed room certainly spoke volumes about...

Setlist / Video: Tinariwen @ City Winery 4/5/14

The sound that Tinariwen makes is a remarkable one. With guitars at the forefront, you may think that they are playing the blues, but it is steeped in the desert music of Mali, where the band originates. The question, did American rock and blues records influence them? Or is the sound of their country's assouf...

Jerry Garcia & Bob Weir On Letterman

With David Letterman's retirement announcement yesterday, I thought it'd be nice to check in with some of the inspired lunacy created during the Late Night years with our musical heroes.Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir made three notable appearances on the show dating back to 1982, where they played acoustic on an off night between Nassau...

First Tweets From Some Of My Favorite Twitterers

Twitter turns 8 today and introduced a new feature which allows you to view the very first tweet from any account without all sorts of onerous scrolling. I thought I'd pick a couple of significant tweeters in the music world out of the 590 accounts that I follow and see how it all began for them. I...