Lots of show announcements elicit a "wow", but few actually send me to the web to check flight prices.Ladies and gentlemen, we have one of the latter.The Benevento Russo Duo have sorta kinda eased back into a state of un-retirement, jumping from impromptu or "secret" shows, adding Oteil for a...

Source: dollychops.tumblr.comA classic David Bowie show from his 1978 tour in Chicago. It was a tour heavy on material from Low and Heroes -- with a good run through some Ziggy Stardust material as well. Adrian Belew held down the lead guitar slot.Download Entire Set (mp3 .zip)[/box]

It has been a remarkable run for Mountain Goats, who headline a show Saturday, April 18th at The Vic. Here's a look at an older recording from Empty Bottle that helps to put this achievement in perspective.Back in 2002, the Mountain Goats released two albums, All Hail West Texas and Tallahassee. Though both are widely...

Pat Metheny Group was arguably at a high point of their long-running career in 1987.With the release of Still Life (Talking), the band continued to incorporate Brazilian influence into their mix of soft, harmonic jazz-fusion. The tour found the band at The Vic in November, which was fortunately recorded by XRT.The set reaches back...

2006 was a key year for Ryan Adams. The productive songwriter released three albums the year before, Cold Roses, Jacksonville City Nights, and 29, and toured with the Cardinals in support of the new material. The tour found the band in great form and included a stop at Lollapalooza.For their festival set, the band started strong,...

On a summer night in 1982, Garcia & Kahn brought their acoustic show to the grand Auditorium in Chicago.Two compact sets and a nice little "Reuben & Cherise" encore.  There's not much to dislike here in this rare audience recording.  Enjoy.Download Entire Show

Living Colours fusion of hard rock with blues, funk, soul, hip-hop and jazz provided a breathe of fresh air in the 80s. The band, a four-piece powerhouse that rarely receives due credit, became popular with their excellent debut album, Vivid, in 1988.This 1989 performance at The Riviera captures the raw energy of Vivid in all of...

The legendary Steve Earle will play run of acoustic shows at City Winery later this month. To preview those shows, we take a deeper look at a show from Old Town School a decade ago for our Retro Jamming series.In 2003, Steve Earle was between two socially conscious albums, Jerusalem and The Revolution Starts Now,...

In the 90s heyday of post-bop bands, Ken Vandermark and The Vandermark 5 were amongst the best. Theyre a Chicago band that sounds like Chicago, with music that stays busy and energetic, blending an array of eclectic jazz styles into one.At the time of this performance, Vandermark had been playing Tuesday nights at The Empty...

Keith Jarrett is a true mastermind of improvisation on the piano. The performer is infamous for his hatred of distractions, be it coughing, photography or basic noise from the audience, so recordings dont show up as often as many desire.This set from 2010 shows the pianist doing what he does best, an intense spattering of...