This feature has been updated (February 2012) since its original publication in April of 2010. I swapped out the ninth band and added some honorable mentions. The remainder of the text remains largely untouched.We can crank up the amplifiers and layer on the production, but the acoustic guitar -- natural and authentic -- just isn't going...

Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival delivered two solid weekends packed with highlights. Fortunately, the good times don't have to end at the festival, as some of the strongest sets of the festival have been recorded, and we're happy to share them with you. Three keys sets from 1/21 at the Auditorium are available here in their...

[fblike style="standard" showfaces="false" width="450" verb="like" font="arial"] The Muppets are back in theaters today.Despite what is sure to be an all out media blitz, I'll admit I just can't get enough. The simple fact is that Muppets are ridiculously appealing to fans of all ages and, from the beginning, Jim Henson's...

More than just about any band (and I'll throw the Beatles, Dead, and Zappa in there too), Talking Heads have provided direct inspiration to the jamband community. Attribute it to their rhythmic ideals, engaging melodies or passion for innovation, but with only 8 studio albums to draw from, the variety of tunes covered and interpretations that...

Every Tuesday in January, The Barn will offer another feature about the incredible music and career of Talking Heads. In addition to a healthy legacy of groundbreaking studio recordings, Talking Heads were a band that, at least in the early part of their career, offered audiences contrasting interpretations of their catalog on stage. Fortunately, these...

Lets say youve got a ton of soul, a wealth of talent and a hell of a creative streak. You get off on loud guitars and the deep rumble of the bass. Your music is an extension of yourself, a vehicle of expression for joy, pain, melancholy, even anger. Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon and Howlin...

Is it 80's glam rockers Poison? Maybe you're more of a country fan and want to try your hand at a Rascal Flatts tune. Something obscure? Something popular? Slow? Fast? Unintelligible? Lucky for you, we've got them all...The Barn is proud to announce that The Hootenanners will be performing the role of musical jukebox...

Browsing the New York times a couple weeks ago, I came across the following story -- Sinatra Song Often Strikes a Deadly Chord. Apparently, murder has become such a common result after a poor performance of "My Way" in the Philippines, that it warrants its own subcategory of crime: "My Way Killings". A closer read...

As one of the most recognizable popular music icons and the first superstar from the third world, there are certain things that virtually every informed music fan knows about Bob Marley. We celebrate him as the rare individual who could represent the disadvantaged and downtrodden while still communicating a message of empowerment and positivity, wrapped...