Oct 1, 2014
The Wood Brothers Find Their Groove: Oliver Wood On The Band's Evolving Sound By Alex Wood In a lot of ways, The Wood Brothers became a true band with 2013s The Muse, the most collaborative effort of their ten-year career. With Chris and Oliver Wood both moving to Nashville and the addition of...
Sep 20, 2014
Medeski, Scofield, Martin & Woods Juice is the perfect album for jam fans and jazz fans alike.Taking a more laid-back approach than 2006s Out Louder, the four master musicians work their way through jazz, fusion and rock with a deceptive ease, making difficult compositions and inventive solos sound unbelievably easy.Juice abandons the abrasive...
Sep 18, 2014
Subtle & Never Excessive - Spoon at Chicago TheaterBy Alex WoodSpoons music is simple, its attributes subtle and never excessive, and their live show is no exception. The Chicago Theaters extraordinary sound quality only brought such nuance to the forefront, a perfect setting to observe a band that has grown into a popularity greater than...
Sep 17, 2014
Intoxicating Music - An Interview With Monophonicsby Brian Brinkman - @sufferingjukeLast week San Franciscos Monophonics headlined a show at Martyrs. A band with ten-years of touring experience, and a workingmans funk approach, theyre an incredibly powerful and engaging live act. I sat down at spoke at length with guitarist Ian McDonald, organist/singer Kelly Finnigan,...
Sep 17, 2014
Two Guitars & A Mug Of Tea - Billy Bragg @ City Winery 9/12/14Photos: Heidi Peters | Additional Reporting: Des PetersThe last time Billy Bragg played Chicago's City Winery he brought along his band. This time, he arrived with just two guitars and a mug of tea.Bragg bounded on to stage and after a brief How...
Sep 15, 2014
Apparently, Chicago Would In Fact Like Da Funk Bumpus & Monophonics At Martyrs'By: Brian R. Brinkman - @sufferingjukeOn the first chilly night of fall, Martyrs' hosted a four-hour funk/soul expose featuring Chicagos own Bumpus, and the San Francisco outfit, Monophonics. Proceeds from the event went to the tattered souls that packed venue, each clearly...
Sep 9, 2014
Sun, Summer Jams & Braces Saturday At The Hideout Block Party & AV Club FestBy: Brian R. Brinkman - @sufferingjukeIn its eighteenth incarnation, The 2014 Hideout Block Party & AV Club Fest proved one certainty about modern-day music festivals: space is always key.Moreover, a consistent fluidity in the venues beer and port-o-john lines makes a...
Sep 6, 2014
Lost In A Heavy Dream The War On Drugs At The Chicago Music ExchangeBy: Brian R. Brinkman - @sufferingjukeMy uncle passed away suddenly from a heart attack on March 21, 2014. The man had so much love in his soul that his heart simply couldnt work any more. 59 years young, he left a legacy of six children,...
Sep 4, 2014
By Brian R Brinkman @sufferingjukeThe weekend and the Summer Tour ended with a show that flirted at times with being an instant classic, yet whose parts were somehow greater in the end than the sum.Opening with "The Curtain With" for the first time since 6/19/88 was a clear nod to the symbiotic energy that exists...
Aug 28, 2014
By: @312mrgIt was on a long, spaced out, evening commute home last fall when Sirius JamOn did something they dont always do: played a song by band outside of their typically tight rotation. I was in a bluegrass mood, so I let its strings help calm a bit of road rage. Then, in a sudden...