By: Aaron Stein (@neddyo)We are in the golden age of guitar players.Thats something Ive been saying/writing/tweeting for several years now, but its as true now as its ever been. For me, the first six months of 2016 has been a perfect distillation of this golden age: a steady flow of albums...

By: Dave Weckstein | Photos: Norman SandsFans of Old Shoe got a special treat earlier this month with the release of a solo album from the lead guitarist of one of Chicago's foremost jam bands. Paul Priest sat with me on a sunny June afternoon to talk about what inspired the third solo...

Lots of folks headed to Indiana after two nights of Phish at Wrigley.  Of those who stayed in the Chicago area, quite a few decided to hit up a Grateful Dead related event at Highland Park's Ravnia Festival on Sunday.Warren Haynes, along with drummer Jeff Sipe, former Garcia Band vocalist Jaclyn La...

Photos via phishfromtheroad instagramPhish at Wrigley.  From the time it was just a rumor, it was a band and venue combination that got people emotional. Ill admit to being one of them.  Id been visiting the ballpark regularly since I was a kid, and the place was heavy with history even then. &...

By: Howard Greenblatt Wayne Baker Brooks plays the blues and he plays it fast and loud. Making an appearance at Buddy Guy's Legends -- a South Loop institution -- kept the packed crowd riveted, up and dancing for the both the up-tempo rockers and the simmering slow blues.  Brooks made the...

This edition of  Notes From The Jazz Underground was culled from the June 10th broadcast. a show that host Paul Abella describes as "an exceedingly odd duck."Why?  First off, it was recorded in the middle of the night, and the late night musical gremlins definitely make an appearance.Second, there...

This edition of  Notes From The Jazz Underground was culled from the June 3rd broadcast.This week's show was themed "Ghosts of Notes Past," and it was supposed to be all stuff that host Paul Abella had played on previous editions of Notes that deserved a second (or maybe third)...

By: Al Day | Photo via @citywinerychi Instagram (via @funkynunu)Sam Bush and a remarkable group of musicians (Scott Vestal, banjo; Todd Parks, double bass and five string electric bass; Steve Mougin, guitar and Cris Brown, percussion) performed 16 tunes to an enthusiastic crowd at City Winery on Thursday night.The night's selections were sourced from traditional...

We'll always cover the old favorites, but it's also worth keeping a lookout for artists that may be on their first few swings through Chicago. This new feature, 8-UP, showcases eight acts on the way up -- catch 'em before they're big.Check them out in this Spotify Playlist and check out when they'll...

This edition of Notes From The Jazz Underground was culled from the May 27th broadcast.If the theme of this playlist is "All Around the World", we'll cop to it being a fairly loose one.The first hour was dedicated to Latin jazz, with some amazing music from Chinchano -- a local band that needs...