[1/16 Update. It's On]There's been chatter about something -- anything -- to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Grateful Dead since the 49th anniversary was just a month old. Bob Weir speculated as such in a Rolling Stone magazine interview last January ("we owe it to the songs").But that was a Furthur break-up,...

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...

Joes Garage: Joe Marcineks Christmas Jam At The Wire - BerwynBy @312mrgLive music has a way of rewarding you with enchanted evenings if you're willing to make a little effort or taking a risk.Whether its following a lead, listening to a buddy, or maybe just allowing your interest to be re-kindled with an artist...

Frequent contributor Alex Wood has assembled his list of the top 150 albums of the year.1. Jack White- LazarettoLazaretto is an instant classic, an album that successfully combines the sounds of Jack Whites past work and influences to create something wholly his own. A record free of crazy effects and using no compression in the production...

Can't say I've ever seen this picture before... As shared by the Jerry Garcia facebook page, a photo of what looks to be around four or five year old Jerry looking suitably awed by his brush with the big guy.Wouldn't be too long before that little fella might have been mistaken for St. Nick...

In what has become a Chicago tradition, Buddy Guy announced his annual residency at his club, Legends. The residency consists of 16 shows between January 2 and January 31. The shows feature a wide variety of opening acts from the Chicago blues scene. Tickets are on sale now, with shows currently beginning to sell out.Friday Jan. 2 Buddy...

Swedish TV series Experiment Ensam recently convinced Bob Dylan to perform a concert for a single fan, Fredrik Wilkingsson.The show seeks to give individuals experiences usually reserved for large audiences, offering a unique social experience.Wilkingsson, a long-time Dylan fan, has seen more than 20 Dylan shows before, though certainly none like this, the fan...

Vinyl has made an obvious comeback in recent years, and sales of vinyl LPs are up 49% this year, according to a recent report by the Wall Street Journal.Despite the steady increase in sales, few are investing in the industry and factories responsible for the pressing of old-fashioned vinyl records are struggling to meet demand....

Modest Mouse announced a new album, the long-awaited follow-up to 2009s No Ones First And Youre Next. The bands new record is titled Strangers To Ourselves and is out March 3, with the first single, Lampshades On Fire, out Tuesday, December 16 but streaming from 89.3 The Current today.The band apparently sent a test pressing of the...

Another year, another Chicago holiday celebration for the Umphrey's principals. This year Brendan and Jake's charity event benefited The Mikey Fund, in honor of former UM drummer Mike Mirro. Bandmates Joel Cummins and Kris Myers joined for a few tunes, before their late night gig closing the chapter on their tenure with Digital Tape Machine....