Words / Photos: Howard Greenblatt | Video: Wyatt BrakeThe North Mississippi All-Stars brought Mississippi Hill Country Blues to City Winery Chicago for two shows on Sunday afternoon and evening.Brothers Luther on guitar and vocals and Cody Dickinson on drums and vocals were joined by Dominick Davis on bass.The stage was configured with Luthers Marshall amps...

Words: Alex Wood | Photo: @Martybar90 Over the past decade, Ive watched the Wood Brothers grow from a low-key folk duo playing half-filled bars to a full-fledged rock band selling out large theaters. Unlike most bands, this evolution toward fame was both natural and deserved, better for both the fans and the music.Their performance...

By: Alex Wood Phish- Big Boat [10/7]Weve all heard it by now. And sure, studio Phish albums are never supposed to be amazing, right? But this ones bad. Like, real bad. Lets be honest. For a more thoughtful analysis of Big Boats release, read our article here. Green Day- Revolution Radio [10/7]Green Days newest record,...

Words, Photos & Audio: Joel Berk (@pfcdib)Deerhunter brought the second lap of their tour behind 2015s excellent Fading Frontier to Metro on October 21.Built around Bradford Coxs dark-meets- dreamy songs/unorthodoxly melodic guitar playing and Moses Archuletas soundscapes/propulsive drumming, Deerhunters unique strain of ambient psychedelic has been winning over audiences since 2001. Lockett Pundt...

By: Howard GreenblattWillie Dixon smiled down on the Big Head Blues Club from the show stage as he surely does from Blues Heaven.In tribute to Willies music, Todd Mohr (aka Big Head Todd), assembled some of Chicagos finest bluesmen: Mud Morganfield, Billy Branch and Ronnie Baker Brooks, along with Blues belting Erica Brown to...

Words: Alex Wood | Photo: @carlaskeSure, Green Day may not be your thing. Theyre inherently uncool by most serious music fans standards, and even lost a portion of their older fanbase with American Idiot and the records that followed.But somehow the trio managed to remain relevant, even as the pop-punk genre they helped create faded...

Photos: Rene Huemer (@Phish_FTR) | Video Go See Live MusicAfter more than seven years, the 3.0 era of Phish has offered many looks, with periodic ebbs and flows, ample fuel for both the fluffers and the haters.But a general theme has held true since the "return".  Phish have looked decidedly inward, fortified...

Photos: Heidi Peters PhotographyWhen writing about the Chris Robinson Brotherhood, I suppose it's important to address the elephant in the room.Only, in this case, it's not exactly an elephant, more like a big black crow.I'm sure it escaped nobody in Thalia Hall on Friday night, that Chris Robinson probably wouldn't be...

By: Alex Wood | Photos: heplert1 & karoliinaniemenkariDinosaur Jr.s influence on alternative rock and the current state of music couldnt possibly be overstated.Combining classic rock and punk with distinct quiet-loud dynamic jumps, Dinosaur Jr. perfected the musical style that would characterize the 90s years before the Pixies or Nirvana even existed,...

Words: Ryan Mannix | Photos: Faraz ChaudryHe's been a regular visitor, but last Wednesday John Scofield brought an different kind of set to Evanston's SPACE. Fresh off the release of Country For Old Men, a collection of classic Country & Western tunes, he and his all-star band were committed to recreating the...