By: Ryan MannixMarbin has come home.After 37 days on the road, the funk-fusion band paired up with local prog-rockers Audiobakery for a Thursday night gig atEmporium Arcade Bar in Wicker Park. A fine opportunity to not only catch two rising acts, but also to enjoy a craft beer while playing Galaga in between sets.That...

Nth Depth with Nick CassarinoBy: @312mrgProof that the harder you work, the more you will be rewarded -- the Nth Powerbeen busting ass for the better part of threeyears together, afterforming at Jazz Fest in 2012 and immediately clicking.The 4 Ns-- Nigel Hall (keys), Nikki Glaspie (drums), Nate Edgar (bass) and Nick Cassarino (guitar) -- knew...

What if -- suddenly --Neil Young exploded onthe scene at age 40, complete with his very sameprolific master songwriting stroke, an unstoppable propensity to rock the fuck out, and the ability (and willingness) transform himself and his band from tour to tour and gig to gig?Then, my friends, you'd be pretty close to how I...

By: Ryan Mannix | Photos: Dale Foster PhotoEGi was the main attraction at Bottom Lounge on Saturday, celebrating the release of Plyatron with a set that kicked off with the titular instrumental, setting the stage for 90 minutes of dancing to the Chicago crowd.Noted: EGi has managed to cultivate an electronic sound, but without...

The Kevin Bacon Effect with Joe Marcinek BandMartyrs - Chicago, ILBy: @312mrgI had a talk pre-gig with Joe Marcinek and asked him about being a sort-ofKevin Bacon of the jam scene. Considering the range of high-profile artists that routinely support his art or become members of the JMB, I thought it was a fair question....

Leftover Salmon brought their Funkn' Bluegrass Bash for two nights at The Vic last weekend. We've got team coverage, with my take on Friday's show with Dumpstaphunk and Bonerama, and Ryan Mannix offering some thoughts on Saturday's bluegrass affair with Travelin' McCourys and Love Canon.FRIDAYIn the absence of a suitable genre label for Leftover...

From the onset, Snarky Puppy presents as not-your-average-band. It's been described as a collective with a fluid lineup -- surely there are many different looks, all rooted in impeccable chops and a tendency to bend time with their boundary pushing jazz.The concept is magnified with albums like the just released Family Dinner, Volume 2, where...

By: @WeirScrewedJason Isbell and his band The 400 Unit played to a sold out crowd at the Chicago Theatre on Saturday night. Although Isbell toured extensively around Southeastern, this was the first time his full band (including Isbell's wife and violin player Amanda Shires Isbell) had played Chicago since the release of the Grammy-winningSomething More than...

By: Ryan MannixDr. Dogs newest album, Psychedelic Swamp, is Part Two of a concept that has been sixteenyears in the making. The album is presented as a message from a character namedPhrases, who sent the band a cassette tape detailing his existence in TheSwamp, hoping to reach the masses. Unfortunately,the communicationsoaked in the mud...

By: @312mrgSongwriting is amathematical equation rooted in art -- and it blows my mind. To the layman, it evolves coding and decoding, instant translation and digestion, and the courage to present a final product as something worthy of consumption.Tom Hamiltonseems to embrace these concepts for entire albums... and even tours. Painstakingly assemblingtracks exactly how...