As Rickie Kostiner filed these shots from Lettuce's post-North Coast Festival appearance at Concord Music Hall, it occurred to me how it's not uncommon to see members of Lettuce here in Chicago, but given the nature of the beast, how rare it is to experience the total package.In fact, you may be more familiar...

Two Guitars & A Mug Of Tea - Billy Bragg @ City Winery 9/12/14Photos: Heidi Peters | Additional Reporting: Des PetersThe last time Billy Bragg played Chicago's City Winery he brought along his band. This time, he arrived with just two guitars and a mug of tea.Bragg bounded on to stage and after a brief How...

The weather has not been kind to the inaugural Phases Of The Moon festival, but there has been some undeniably great moments on stage to put frustrations with logistics at ease.  We'll have more on the festival in the coming days but wanted to share the first round of photos and setlists that we...

Photos by Rickie KostinerStreet festivals have always been a Chicago summer rite of passage. We've got four, maybe five months of weather to support them and plenty of places for them to pop up and take on different neighborhood flavors.But it wasn't too long ago that they all pretty much boasted a similar lineup...

Photos: Michael KaizWhen a pair of David Crosby shows scheduled for this past February at City Winery were postponed for "unforeseen circumstances", you'd be forgiven if you happened to swallow hard and try not to think of the worst. Indeed, those circumstance turned out to be a heart operation... another trial in what has amounted...

Photos: Rickie KostinerPreservation Hall Jazz Band is a lot of things. An institution. An unbelievably great time. A slice of the real New Orleans. A wide range of tones, sounds and rhythmns. Now I can officially add to that list: photogenic.Yep, there is something about seeing generations of men, who embrace, live and tour...

Photos: Rickie KostinerRobert Randolph dropped into town for another in a series of electrifying Chicago performances and Rickie Kostiner was on hand to capture some of the exciting moments for a photo gallery for The Barn.SetlistIntro, Motions, Working Title, All That Matters, Payback, La Tormenta, Fly, Blankets, Freak OutPark West proved to be a...

It was a bit of a disappointment to learn that one of the top live music photographers in Chicago would be heading back east this summer, but I wished Mr. Adam McCall the best of luck as he relocated back to Maryland.Sure, we're a Chicago-based blog, but when somebody this talented offers stunning shots...

Photos: Eric FischerTruly outstanding shows don't just achieve that status by virtue of a single song choice or inspired jam. The best of the best are a collection of moments -- some arising spontaneously as the music is created, some as punctuation in the continuing narrative of the band's career.Over the course of the...

Photos / Reporting: Heidi PetersGinger Baker's early set at City Winery on Monday was only six songs, but like a true jazz band those tunes were stretched into well over an hour of musicStarting with Wayne Shorter's classic composition "Footprints" the band dived headlong into a jazz that was dominated by percussion.After exploring many rhythmic...