Chris Thile Stories

On TV | The Wood Brothers on “Live From Here”

In this special edition of On TV, we're spotlighting The Wood Brothers, who will visit Chicago for a pair of shows this weekend at The Vic.  Their latest release One Drop of Truth is one of the more infectious folk rock records to be released this year, this is a band whose chops...

Ravinia Festival Announces 2018 Lineup

Ravinia Festival in Highland Park has announced its extensive calendar of musical acts for the summer.Running from June 1 to September 16, the outdoor venue will host a wide range of bands, artists, movies and orchestral performances.Highlights for the season include Roger Daltrey, ZZ Top with John Fogerty, Trombone Shorty with Galactic and Preservation Hall...

Jim James Performs On "A Prairie Home Companion," Pays Tribute To Chris Cornell

Photo: @frontrowkellyThe most recent episode of A Prairie Home Companion featured performances by Jim James, recorded live at the shows longtime home of The Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minnesota.James first performed the New Multitudes track Changing World before covering Quincy Jones Everything Must Change.The songwriter returned later in the show for...

VIDEO | Chris Thile & Esperanza Spalding Join Snarky Puppy @ Ground Up Music Festival

Photo: @groundupfestIt's safe to say that Snarky Puppy's GroundUp Music Festival had one of the most ambtious forward looking jazz lineups that I've ever seen.  I anxiously await until they bring something like this closer to home than Miami Beach.  But for now, we've got several great captures of last weekend's action...

Chris Thile Shares New Cubs Song, Other Highlights From Chicago Prairie Home Companion Stop

Chris Thile brought a traveling version of his A Prairie Home Companion radio show to Chicago's Symphony Center on Friday Night.As is typically the case, he introduced a new song -- the topic of this song was appropos for the location (and his lifelong Cubs fandom).It's called "We, Joe Maddon" and it explores...

These Are Your Jams, Volume One

I am an unabashed fan of the This Is My Jam music sharing / discovery site. So much so that I've been pretty regular about selecting a "jam" and have even used this blog to collect and publish periodic summaries of my favorites (there are currently five volumes: one,two, three,four, and five).This post...

The Rock Fan's 2013 Guide To Ravinia Festival

Ravinia Festival may not be a festival in the way the most readers think of it -- in fact, its cornerstone has always been a fine program of classical music, a genre that has yet to infiltrate any other festivals that I've been to (except the Clifford Ball).However, if you're looking for a more...

His Hands And Feet Are Mangos, But Chris Thile Will Be A Genius Anyway, Grateful Brews, Phish's Technical Setup, More...

Congrats to Chris Thile, who though fans had known it for a while, is officially a genius (and the youngest ever at that)They've got their own beer -- and are seeking fans input on the recipe. Next stop, Grateful Dead branded medicinal marijuana.The long lost Neil Young album -- Homegrown (reconstructed for your...