There is nothing quite like a musical institution that spans generations, within the band and the audience. Chicago finally got another chance to experience the foremost purveyors of this experience, The Allman Brothers Band, up-close-and-personal for two nights in August. I was able to catch one of the shows (night two, Wednesday), but eagerly followed...

I first saw Jeff Austin walk on stage at the Abbey Pub in 1999. There must have been about 20 people in the audience and, oddly, it seemed like about half of them were related to the guy. He huddled around a single microphone with his cohorts in Yonder Mountain String Band and delivered a set of...

Words and Photos: Captain Deep-TrackThe City of Chicago was alive with the sounds of music this past weekend as the annual Lollapalooza festivities rolled into town. Tens of thousands of die hard music fans crowded Grant Park on Chicago's beautiful lakeside, as dozens of today's hottest musicians rocked several stages from midday to sunset and...

Where to start with the weekend's music? I could easily reel off a laundry list of highlights:The amazing "Scent" duel on Friday, with Fish contacting other worlds on the marimba lumina. The balls deep transition from "Theme" into "Weekapaug". A contained, but smoking "Piper". The fine improv in "Light" that threatened "Timber Ho" for...

Further, the band, and their equipment were much more exposed than they would have been in a permanent structure in these conditions. Where the show may have gone on in Sunday's storm at Alpine or Deer Creek, there was nothing else to do but stop the music and batten down the hatches for everybody's safety....

Steely Dan. Pink Floyd. "Leonard Skinnard". If you've never entered a record store or flipped on a radio, you could probably be forgiven for thinking these were names and not bands. Each one, of course, is legendary. Can the band name confusion strike again? The guys inHerbertWiser sure hope so, and are putting the effort...

Words / Photos: Dave WecksteinOn the night before a three night Phish run at a brand new venue, the sweltering Chicago night was heavy with promise and anticipation. Fortunately, for those hearty souls willing to let loose early, Old Shoe, Robert's Plant, and Herbert Wiser Band provided a space for early revelry the Cubby Bear. Playing...

With only four acts, and one stage (in a soccer stadium), AmericanramA was a far cry from festivals, even the traveling ones, that have been insinuating themselves on the music industry these days. But with an indisputable legend on the top line and ample time allocated for the big name support, it seemed too good...

Words: @312MRGPhotos: Adam McCall PhotographyOne of the joys of getting to write about live music for this blog is the preparation. Getting myself acclimated to an artist that I only have topical knowledge and appreciation for, requires more than casual listening. While writing, I hope to project grounded and respectful confidence in the subject knowing...

When they do break through, audiences will find themselves with something amazing: an impeccable studio band that can back up the goods live. Even this show clocked in at about 80 minutes while only scratching the surface of their fine three album catalog. Where the gig I caught in April felt more like a showcase of...