Jun 9, 2014
Words / Photos: Ashley M. DowningCubby Bear has been going above and beyond to restore great live music in an unlikely neighboorhood. Despite its Wrigleyville location, The Cubby Bear is a lively venue that has all of the right amenities needed to put on a killer show and is supplementing some of its more questionable bookings...
Jun 9, 2014
Jeff Tweedy continued touring with his new band TWEEDY over the weekend, performing mostly new songs off his forthcoming solo debut Sukierae.Videos of the first several songs have begun to emerge on YouTube, including these two from Three Rivers Art Festival in Pittsburgh on Friday.First was "Low Key", a standard issue rocker that...
Jun 9, 2014
Blown away.I'll write up a full recap of Saturday's show when I have a bit of time to catch my breath (It's been two days and still can't quite process how incredible it was).But here's the rundown on Friday and Saturday's set lists and links to audio via archive.org. Three nights with...
Jun 9, 2014
We can end speculation about the curious first year festival with impeccable jam credentials but questionable logistics.In what has to be the worst kept secret in this year's festival announcement crop, String Cheese Incident will snag the final headlining spot, and with that announcement we get a little clarity on order of events.SCI...
Jun 6, 2014
Greensky Bluegrass hit stage last night at Bell's with a Pollock poster for sale and a little something to prove.It was truly a Throwback Thursday, as some of the oldest songs in the bands trusty bag found there way into the first set, a front to back cover of 2004's Less Than Supper album....
Jun 4, 2014
Words & Photos: Ashley M DowningAfter taking a hiatus and implementing some innovative adjustments, Particle is back as a musical force that cannot be ignored. They have played a handful of shows over the past few months, gearing up to fully takeover the scene that they once helped to create.Within the jam-electronica world there...
Jun 4, 2014
Jeff Tweedy is set to embark on a highly anticipated tour this summer, but not with Wilco or his tried-and-true solo acoustic format. He'll tour with a newly formed band -- now called TWEEDY -- behind the forthcoming album Sukierae (sue-key-ray), to be released on September 16th.When I set out to make this record,...
Jun 3, 2014
Want!Want! Want! Want!Luckily, I'll in a position to grab one of these Saturday night for opening weekend 2014 at the Bell's Beer Garden in Kalamazoo with hometown heroes Greensky Bluegrass.Legendary rock poster artist Jim Pollock has created this design in a limited edition run (100 available each night). I just love how it incorporates...
Jun 3, 2014
Conor Oberst is leaning in a folk-rock direction for his latest release,Upside Down Mountain under the guidance of producer/musician Jonathan Wilson.To recreate the laid-back Laurel Canyon sound on the road, Southern Califnornia's finest, and Barn favorites, Dawes have been backing him on tour. The musicians found themselves in the Upper Midwest during...
Jun 3, 2014
Jackie Greene and his band of stormed Chicago's Lincoln Hall on Saturday night (but not before celebrating their drummer's birthday at nearby Fiesta Americana).Highlights included Greene's originals "So Hard To Find My Way" and "Prayer For Spanish Harlem". But the true show stopper was the set closing sequence of covers, segueing from the Beatles ("...