The Chicago Jazz Festival always has a great lineup.  But one of the biggest grabs in their history was Miles Davis in 1990, a year before he died at the age of 65.From the very beginning of his career, Miles had sent audiences through the stylistic wringer, diving deep in to all sorts of heavy...

Grace and the band rocked out hard, and offered their takes on Hank Williams ("Devil's Train") and Bruce Springsteen ("Atlantic City"). A nice four song video playlist below.Grace Potter & The NocturnalsAugust 25th, 2013Vic Theater - Chicago, ILThe Divide, Never Go Back, Ah Mary, Oasis, Timekeeper, Goodbye Kiss, Apologies, One Short Night, Falling or...

Volume Three of The Barn'sNotes From The Jazz Underground feature showcases the show broadcast on August 16th. This one, by Paul's admission, kind of goes all over the place. This week's goodies include:Sean Nowell, a fairly straight ahead sex player covering HendrixA little preview of last Saturday's Umphrey's McGee / STS9 show at Northerly Island (...

There is nothing quite like a musical institution that spans generations, within the band and the audience. Chicago finally got another chance to experience the foremost purveyors of this experience, The Allman Brothers Band, up-close-and-personal for two nights in August. I was able to catch one of the shows (night two, Wednesday), but eagerly followed...

Full Recap with 25 stunning photos HERE.Allman Brothers BandWednesday, August 21st, 2013Chicago Theater - Chicago ILSet OneDon't Want You No More/Cross to Bear, Leave My Blues at Home, Trouble No More, Dusk til Dawn, You Don't Love Me, Stormy Monday, Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody's Home, JessicaSet TwoMelissa, Stand Back, Into the Mystic, Key...

It seems you can always find good bluegrass around Chicago these days, but the end of August is getting particularly hot for the Rocky Mountain variety (mixed liberally with some Chicago flavor). Friday, August 23rd will find Head For The Hills headlining at City Winery and Wednesday, August 28th will see Jeff Austin kick off...

I first saw Jeff Austin walk on stage at the Abbey Pub in 1999. There must have been about 20 people in the audience and, oddly, it seemed like about half of them were related to the guy. He huddled around a single microphone with his cohorts in Yonder Mountain String Band and delivered a set of...

Full Recap with 25 stunning photosHERE.Allman Brothers BandTuesday, August 20th, 2013Chicago Theater - Chicago ILSet OneOne Way Out, Done Somebody Wrong, Guilded Splinters, Worried Down With The Blues, Hot Lanta, Rain (The Beatles), Spots Of Time, Statesboro Blues*, RevivalSet TwoI Found Love, Midnight Rider, Don't Keep Me Wondering, The Sky Is Crying, Ain't Wasting Time...

I don't end up writing about every show I see on the blog. Case in point: on August 1st, I caught Steely Dan at Highland Park's Ravinia Festival. It was my first time "seeing" the band, but given that the lawn experience at Ravinia doesn't much feel like being at a show (more like being "...

First, the setlists. Media toward the bottom of the page.STS98/17/2013First Merit Bank PavillionChicago, ILSet:This, Us > Squares & Cubes, Golden Gate, One A Day, Abcees*, Vibyl*, Simulator*, Kabuki, Circus, Vapors, Be Nice*, King Pharoahs Tomb*, Moon Socket, SchemeNotes:* w/ the Liquid Horns.(via STS9news.com)08.17.2013FirstMerit Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island,...