On Saturday Night at the Park West, I started to keep track of how funky Galactic's tunes were by counting the number of times drummer Stanton Moore leaped off his stool to emphasize a beat or dramatically finish a fill.Cutting their teeth as one of the most party-ready bands of the nineties, it is...

On the cusp of the release of their third LP, Stories Don't End, southern California band Dawes is criss-crossing the country on a promotional tour playing primarily radio shows and record stores. The Chicago stop, on April Fool's Day, was part of WXRTs "Free Sample" concert series, which afforded them the luxury of playing in...

Contributed by: Chris MurtaughThe stage was small and the mushrooms were large at Evanston's SPACE on St. Patrick's Day. My first time at the suburban venue, I wondered if the prop mushrooms were always on stage at this intimate facility, or if they were a Todd Snider thing. Minutes before he came out for his...

Contributed by @WeirScrewedThe songs of some artists are snug like a warm blanket. Todd Snider is a prime example. He has worn the role of traveling stoner troubadour quite well over the years and the packed house at SPACE on Saturday night attested to this. Judging by how much of the crowd was singing along...

Let's throw some labels around, shall we? If bands can be described as post-rock or post-jazz -- even post-metal -- is it time to start rallying folks around the idea of post-jam?After the Thanksgiving Eve show at Chicago's Park West, which featured Greensky Bluegrass and Strange Arrangement, I feel that may be...

Contributed by: Chris MurtaughIt was a family affair at Chicago's Vic Theater on Black Friday. Following a turkey stuffed evening, Cornmeal returned to Chicago for their annual holiday show, a homecoming of sorts for the band and presumably many in attendance. With the departure of the Nowak brothers announced in late summer, I was interested...

Thanks to @WeirScrewed for the reporting!What's the story with Tame Impala? It's rare that we he the opportunity to (or have the desire to) cover a true "buzz" band at The Barn Presents. But, we've fallen hard for Tame Impala, and knew that the Chicago stop for this Western Australian band...

Contributed By: Dave WecksteinWith Halloween upon us, Kasey Foster (local actress and vocalist in This Must Be The Band) thought it appropriate to dress up as her favorite band a week prior to the holiday. The occasion was her first dance tribute to the experimental California band Mr Bungle. Truth be told, I was a...

White Denim returned to Chicago's Lincoln Hall for the second time in 2012, attempting to impress as they did in April. This time, they were backed by the corporate sponsored Bonnaroo 365 Tour, with openers Team Spirit and Maps and Atlases along with comedian Sasheer Zamata acting as emcee between sets. As they did in April, they...

In advance publicity for his autobiography Waging Heavy Peace, Neil Young has been pretty public about his recent abstinence from weed and booze for the first time in just about forever. I'd like to provide (happy?) testimony that this decision has had no material affect on his stage demeanor or ability to perform long, psychedelic...