Jul 27, 2012
Chicago Farmer and The Ragbirds @ SPACE - Evanston, IL July 15, 2012For a small town man from just south of Peoria, Cody Diekhoff sure has adapted to life as Chicago Farmer. The folk singer with a one-man-show was an appropriate choice to open up for The Ragbirds as just a few days earlier his reincarnation folk...
Jul 19, 2012
It was 25 years ago this summer that "Touch Of Grey" became an unexpected top ten hit for the Grateful Dead. The band had been steadily building an audience over the previous 22 years, but the exposure certainly led to a huge commercial boost for the band.The legions of teenage and young-adult so-called Touch-heads consequently became...
Jun 21, 2012
Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers sucked the audience down a into wormhole on Sunday night. We entered an alternate reality where popular music valued chops and musicianship over flash and gimmick -- a world were Bruce and his primary musical outlet have had unparalleled commercial success over the past 25 years.But alas, we don't live...
Jun 19, 2012
Words and Photos: Dave WecksteinI have arrived at two certainties today. One: I have some new favorite grub -- I write this review after having experienced for the first time the splendor that is Kitschn Diners chicken and waffles. Two: I think my breakfast choice was influenced by hearing the debut of Shoe Groove, a...
Jun 6, 2012
The 40th anniversary of the landmark Grateful Dead 1972 spring tour of Europe was indeed something to celebrate. Of course, re-listening to my favorite shows was on the agenda to commemorate the occasion. But I also found myself reflecting, and diving into a series of written pieces: tweetsreviewingeach show on the tour from Jesse Jarnow (@bourgwick)...
Jun 5, 2012
Dial up any classic rock station in the world and you'll likely hear Jon Anderson within an hour or two. As lead singer of the prog-rock stalwarts Yes, his iconic voice weaves through the musical lives of baby-boomers and Gen Xers everywhere.But sidelined by his former Yes bandmates after an extended illness -- in...
May 31, 2012
With their funky New Orleans sound worked out annually at the citys Mardis Gras and Jazz Fest celebrations, there has been eighteen years worth of solid festival seasons for Galactic. As we approach the summer, the band will see action at Milwaukee's Summerfest, High Sierra, Forecastle, All Good, Floyd Fest, Japan's Fuji Rock Festival, moe....
May 29, 2012
Evanston isn't the most easily accessed part of Chicagoland, and thus a visit to its "newish" club SPACE has been on The Barn's to-do list for some time. From the beginning their booking has been tremendous, but it took an appearance by Anders Osborne to make the stars align for coverage of an event at...
May 25, 2012
There's no matching Phish fans for pure, unadulterated enthusiasm. I cover scores of bands for this site and no content can generate traffic quite like articles about The Phish from Vermont.And while this year's summer tour announcement was met with typical anticipation and celebratory fervor, before too long something curious happened. I started to...
May 18, 2012
Words: Dave Weckstein, Images: Norman SandsWhat the world needs now is another folk hero, like I need a hole in the head is a phrase penned by Cracker on Teen Angst but in the years since they wrote it, it has been covered by the likes of acoustic artists suchThe band went on later in...