When details started to emerge about Shoe Fest, the first year festival taking place at Stonehouse Park in Earlville, IL on September 9th - 11th, I almost had to pinch myself.There is no denying the overwhelming amount of musical talent in and around Chicago, and the quality festivals taking place all around the region...

Back in the day, I was always more of a MAD guy than the cruder "knock-off" of Cracked. But, there's no denying that cracked.com owns the new media space, cranking out some decent listicles and some awesome viral content.This rock timeline, created under the Cracked banner by Winston Rowntree at Virus Comix, has...

I typically post these link roundups on Fridays, but didn't get around to it last Friday and had too many could links to not share this week. So here's your first ever Monday Linkafication:Chicagoans! North Coast Music Festival is this weekend. Here are five reasons why you should go.Don't you love it when...

Quick... what was the first album you ever bought? If you've been a music fan for multiple decades, you probably remember it fondly or even with a slight tinge of embarrassment. Now... what format was it? A vinyl LP? A cassingle? 8-track tape? Think of the litany of devices you've had over the years to...

Lots of interesting free music from some of The Barn's favorite bands in this week's Linkafication.Van Ghost is running a pretty badass promotion to pick the first single from their latest release at Grooveshark. You can also win a package for Chicago's North Coast Music Festival.Greensky Bluegrass is offering a free download of...

For a write-up on how to read and interpret visual setlists, click on over here.Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday now up... Added audience-sourced audio stream and download of all 6 sets.2011-08-15UIC Pavillion Chicago, ILOne: Back on the Train, Rift > Guelah Papyrus, Scent Of A Mule, Jesus Just Left Chicago, Wolfman's Brother, Anything...

Getting ThereYour easiest and safest route is public transportation. The Blue Line (Racine Stop) is about a half a block from the venue's front door. The main buses are the 60, 7, 120 and the 8 that will get you in the general area of the UIC Pavilion.There is paid parking in a covered lot adjacent to the...

One of our more popular posts ever came in the wake of some rumored (but never materialized) Phish / Dave Matthews Band combo festival dates for the summer of 2011. We re-posted an infographic comparing fan reactions and perceptions about the respective bands and people just couldn't get enough.A perhaps just-as-polarizing comparison is the ongoing Phish...

There is something special when the worlds of rock and classical music collide. After months of preparation, the end products are only performed a handful of times, creating something truly unique for the lucky attendees. The Barn will feature a different rock / symphony fusion weekly over the next several weeks in a new feature: Symphony...

For a write-up on how to read and interpret visual setlists, click on over here.2011-08-12Outside Lands Festival, Polo Fields, Golden Gate Park San Francisco, CAOne: Kill Devil Falls > Wilson, Funky Bitch > The Moma Dance > Peaches En Regalia > Sample in a Jar > Possum, Tweezer > Mound, Suzy Greenberg, Axilla > Mike's Song > I Am Hydrogen >...