If you're reading this site, and especially this post, it's likely that you're no casual music fan. It's time consuming, but not so bad being a hard-core -- we can obsess a little, we explore and poke and look for the next great thing... and sometimes we discover gold. Yes, every now and then, this...

What seems like an unlikely pairing is actually winning some acclaim on a tour this fall. British blues master Jeff Beck and Brian Wilson (with former Beach boy compadres Al Jardine and David Marks) have superstar resumes if not superstar status or "buzz", but together they make for an entertaining evening of contrasts and collaborations....

Silver Wrapper brought East Coast prog-funk-fusion masters Kung Fu to town for a hump day showcase at Schubas. An enthusiastic Chicago crowd greeted the visiting team and were treated to an hour and forty-five minutes of thick grooves and instrumental mastery, including a cover of "Drop Dead Legs" (yup... a Van Halen deep cut). Here's...

It was fifteen years ago today that Phish entered the final stretch of the unfortunately short "Neil Young Phase" of their career, which lasted a scant fifteen days, from 10/3/98's Farm Aid Benefit outside of Chicago, to playing a pair of sets at Neil's annual Bridge School Benefit at Shoreline Ampitheater in advance of their...

This installment of Notes From The Jazz Underground features the playlist based on the October 4th show. Without an underlying theme, it still manages to feel pretty cohesive while covering a lot of ground. Highlights from the first half include:One of the hottest latin jazz bands working right now, led by Conrad HerwigA great...

When Cornmeal & Hot Buttered Rum teamed up for a 4/20 show in 2012 at The Vic, it was a pairing of two rising jamgrass stars at the top of their game. Well, a lot has changed since then, with Cornmeal fiddler Allie Kral parting ways with her bandmates this year shortly after the band absorbed the...

When we last saw Bustle In Your Hedgerow around Chicago, they were playing a Taste Of Randolph After Show that made a true believer of some hardcore Zep heads. Of course, anyone with ears knows these guys can't be defined by the Zeppelin catalog. And anyone who knows about their careers understands that are capable...

Two things you should take away from this post.1. There's apparently no stopping Tame Impala. They went from small club Lincoln Hall to headlining mid-sized theater The Riv (tonight) in just over two years, with stops at Lollapalooza, Metro & The Vic along the way. What's next?2. Keep a close eye on Lincoln Hall. They...

It was hard NOT to get excited upon hearing the news about the addition of Wire to Berwyn's burgeoning "music row" on Roosevelt Road. Before the opening, we had every assurance that it would be a unique space curated by musicians with the fan in mind.We were fortunate to have Alex Mason, of A....

When North Mississippi Allstars first burst on the scene with 2000's Shake Hands With Shorty, the gritty authentic Hill Country blues was a shock to the system.  To be young, fierce and ambitious while still holding on to roots was a rarity then as it is now.  Luckily these guys had the pedigree...