Feb 17, 2015
Reporting / Photos: Heidi PetersMore than 20 years after her departure, it's still hard not to think of Natalie Merchant as fronting 10,000 Maniacs.It's been so long that her replacement, Mary Ramsey, has subsequently left and rejoined the band. Ramsey fronted the longtime Maniacs stalwarts for four straight sold out gigs at City Winery and our Heidi...
Feb 17, 2015
By: Kelley Lauginiger - @peapodmcgeeThe Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival has expanded from one night of hoopla back in 2007, to a month-long jamboree spanning some of our cities finest venues, and delivered by a host of different bands. Each act brings some dust with them for us to kick up with our salt-laden boots here...
Feb 13, 2015
Words & Photos: Alex WoodTim Reynolds Trio, the long-running project featuring Dave Matthews Bands guitarist, began another tour at SPACE in Evanston on Thursday. The band put on a high-energy show of originals and covers in support of recently released full-length Like Some Kind Of Alien Invasion.The set began with a jazz-fusion instrumental, Tims guitar...
Feb 6, 2015
Photos: Rickie Kostiner (from 1/31/15 show) This is the story of losing touch and reconnecting. About making poor choices but also being true to yourself. About nostalgia and living in the moment.And yes, it's also a review of String Cheese Incident's Friday night show at Aragon Ballroom in Chicago.String Cheese Incident is a...
Feb 5, 2015
Words & Photos: Alex WoodSteve Earles third of four nights at City Winery found the songwriter performing a well-constructed acoustic set that felt like a guided tour through the history of roots music.The show began with a preview of Earles new blues record, Terraplane Blues. Aint Nobodys Daddy Now featured country twang over a...
Feb 5, 2015
Robert Randolph is just so many things. He and The Family Band popped in for a pair of shows at City Winery this winter as a part of the Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival. He's the bandleader, a brilliant soloist, more-than-capable singer, master of ceremonies, and part-time comedian.He was even the inspiration for his...
Jan 9, 2015
We love our photographers around here, especially when they are able to capture such photogenic bands.You can just feel the soul and funk drip off of the shots from Rickie Kostiner's camera as she covered a pre-holiday double bill with two of the hottest Chicago bands going right now.Main Squeeze capped a national...
Jan 8, 2015
Photos: Heidi Peters | Reporting: KC DriscollThe Psychedelic Furs completed a sold out three night stand at City Winery and Heidi and KC were on hand for Sunday night's gig to report for The Barn.Richard Butler, clad in a black three-piece suit, white shirt, black tie and fashionable black glasses, sported the look of a...
Dec 12, 2014
[flbike]Photos: Hedi Peters | Additional Reporting: Mary Beth BusbyBlind Boys of Alabama first sang together in 1944, so when founding member Jimmy Carter speaks, people tend to listen. Carter introduced the show and spoke in between nearly every song, providing the connective tissue to the origin of this remarkable group for the crowd that gathered for...
Nov 25, 2014
Whatchoo Talkin' 'Bout Wills Tower Jam?Words:@312mrg| Photos: Daniel Peterson courtesy of musicfestivalcentral.comIt takes two elevator combinations to get to the 99th floor of the Willis Tower. Somewhere around floor 40 of my first, I struck up conversation with a guy from Philly who had just arrived in Chicago on Saturday and was just...