Jan 21, 2017
Now in its third incarnation, it appears the organizer's of Blue Ox have hit on some special when curating their forward-looking, bluegrass leaning lineup.Perhaps its the artist curation -- MInnesota's Pert Near Sandstone, plays a role and has two festival slots, but the lineup is a music lover's dream.Punch Brothers, Greensky Bluegrass and...
Jan 20, 2017
Tedeschi Trucks Band kicked off their first three night run in Chicago last night with a little help from the North Missisisipi All Stars.I'll be there with a full report from Friday and Saturday's shows, but our friends Wyatt Brake (zepcowboy) and Jeff Frank (@JeffFrank) were there to capture some of the highlights. [Update 1/24:...
Jan 20, 2017
Happy (?) Inauguration Day. Everybody's dealing with it their own way but music, and comedy, seem to be fine ways to face our impending reality.Musician Jeff Kravitz (@jeffkravitz) put out a social media call for songs for his band to play at the Inauguration. From over 225 entries, he culled this playlist of 90 songs...
Jan 17, 2017
Chris Thile brought a traveling version of his A Prairie Home Companion radio show to Chicago's Symphony Center on Friday Night.As is typically the case, he introduced a new song -- the topic of this song was appropos for the location (and his lifelong Cubs fandom).It's called "We, Joe Maddon" and it explores...
Jan 16, 2017
Car Seat Headrest is a band that kind of exploded into our conciousness in 2016. In fact, they made enough of an impression to have their album place in the top 35 of our end of the year staff album poll.It's their sound which is so captivating -- it's difficult to put into words,...
Jan 12, 2017
TV favorite Tortoise kicked off this year's Tomorrow Never Knows Festival Wednesday night at Lincoln Hall. Audiotree is livestreaming all Lincoln Hall shows from this festival and already has an archived version of the Tortoise show up on their YouTube channel (see below for their remaining broadcasts).Unlike a few of last year's...
Jan 5, 2017
Even before becoming a contributor to Tomorrows Verse, Ive held a tradition of creating a (potentially excessive) list of my favorite albums of the year, spending November and December re-listening to everything I enjoyed throughout the previous 12 months. Though we began celebrating the new year by posting a Staff Poll of our favorite records...
Jan 2, 2017
By: Alex WoodChildish Gambino- Awaken, My Love [12/2]Actor, screenwriter and musician Donald Glover returns with his third full-length release as Childish Gambino, reinventing his sound entirely in the process. Known initially for his fresh and intelligent take on hip-hop, Awaken, My Love finds Glover channeling musical influences like Prince and Funkadelic, leading to an album...
Dec 30, 2016
Words: Ryan Mannix | Photos: Tara Gracer PhotographySimilar Skin opened Umphreys McGees first of three nights back home in Chicago, and with that, all felt right again. While 2014 doesnt seem like that long ago, too many Umphreaks felt like its been forever since the last true multi-night run in our beloved city.The classic...
Dec 18, 2016
By: Alex Wood | Video: the1stMikeC | Photo: @jamesrichardsivAndrew Birds Gezelligheid performances at Fourth Presbyterian Church are a tradition of sorts in Chicago, ringing in the holiday season with a solo performance from the violinist as gorgeous as the intimate setting itself.Having attended at least one of Birds church dates nearly every year...