By: Alex WoodWith recent releases The Whole Love and Star Wars, Wilco moved increasingly further from their classic sound, utilizing ambience and electronics in the former and raw guitar work and noise in the latter.Following the release of Star Wars, Wilco sent email subscribers a list of recommended records based on the bands taste,...

Shoe Fest has released its daily schedules for the 2015 edition of its festival taking place over Labor Day weekend at Camp Shaw-Waw-Nas-See in downstate Manteno.They managed to pack in a beefy lineup all with no overlaps or conflicts. Two nights of music from festival hosts Old Shoe,nice headlining slotsfrom David Grisman's Bluegrass Experience...

The 28,000 capacity shed celebrates its 25th anniversary this year and received it's fifth official name after Hollywood Casino acquired the naming rights, which they also did for the former "Riverport Ampitheater" outside of St. Louis.Although generally reviled by many Chicago area music fans due to it's far south suburban location, antiseptic ambience and questionable...

Words:Joann D. Ball | Photos: Philamonjaro StudioLegendary punk rockers X returned to City Winery Chicago for three shows, and displayed a renewed sense of purpose and urgency. The band is donating part of the proceeds from the How I Learned My Lesson tour to support co-founder Billy Zoom who is undergoing chemo treatment for bladder...

We've already gone on-and-on about why we're excited about this year's North Coast Music Festival. Now there areseventeenmore reasons.First, there are sixteen awesome after-shows that are at some of the city's best venues, stretching from the Thursday night before the festival to the Monday after it closes. These feature tribute sets (to Daft Punk &...

By: Alex WoodWatkins Family Hour returned for their last of three shows at Old Town School Of Folk Music on Thursday night.The group, consisting of Nickel Creek siblings Sara and Sean Watkins, Fiona Apple, Tom Pettys Heartbreakers pianist Benmont Tench, bassist Sebastian Steinberg and drummer Don Heffington, performed an informal performance of covers and...

Stiff Little Fingers are Still BurningWords: Joann D. Ball | Photos: Philamonjaro StudioStiff Little Fingers formed Belfast in 1977, the year punk exploded in the U.K. Keen observers of their surroundings, the bands raw political and personal commentary addressed oppression and the Troubles in Northern Ireland as well as youthful rage and rebellion.Never heard of...

Ghostface Killah & Adrian Younge- Twelve Reasons To Die II [7/10]Combining a fictitious action storyline, a spaghetti-western sound and Ghostfaces notoriously gruff delivery, Twelve Reasons To Die II exceeds the boundaries of modern hip-hop. Organs, bass and live drum sounds make up the majority of the beats with guitar, bells and other instruments coming in...

Farm Aids 30th-Anniversary concert will take place at First Merit Bank Pavilion on Northerly Island on September 19. As always, the concert will feature board members Neil Young, Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews (the latter performing with Tim Reynolds).Other guests performing include Jack Johnson, Kacey Musgraves, Old Crow Medicine Show, Mavis Staples, and...

Roger Waters may seem like an unlikely headliner choice for the iconic Newport Folk Festival, but the Pink Floyd bassist certainly did it right.Performing a set of Pink Floyd songs, covers and originals, the songwriter was backed by My Morning Jacket for the entirety of the performance, as well as the singers of Lucius....