Sep 1, 2011
When details started to emerge about Shoe Fest, the first year festival taking place at Stonehouse Park in Earlville, IL on September 9th - 11th, I almost had to pinch myself.There is no denying the overwhelming amount of musical talent in and around Chicago, and the quality festivals taking place all around the region...
Aug 15, 2011
Getting ThereYour easiest and safest route is public transportation. The Blue Line (Racine Stop) is about a half a block from the venue's front door. The main buses are the 60, 7, 120 and the 8 that will get you in the general area of the UIC Pavilion.There is paid parking in a covered lot adjacent to the...
Jun 13, 2011
It took a little while, but I'm ready comment on my experience at Summer Camp Music Festival this year. I'll withhold detailed comment on the weather or conditions, but there is enough to say about the music, even with my Sunday only pass, to get on the page. So, in keeping with The Barn's sub-theme...
May 27, 2011
As the self-proclaimed "Keeper Of The Flame", Melvin Seals is committed to honoring the Jerry Garcia Band songbook and carrying it forward through performance.Deliberately crafted with songs that span decades, songwriters, and styles, and with only a handful of overlapping tunes from the Grateful Dead's vast repertoire, it is no wonder that fans consider...
May 3, 2011
We're always happy to give a shout to a band that brings the funk as long and as hard as these guys. This Must Be the Band returns to Brixie's in Brookfield for another Barn Spotlight show this Friday, May 6th.To celebrate, let's revisit the five posts that made up our popular Talking Heads...
Apr 20, 2011
While VH1 would have you believe that the typical bands career narrative might flow like three-act play (discovery, fame, downfall), Cathy Richardsons is more like a Dickensian novel. From Chicagos western suburbs to the national stage (many times over), the hallmarks of her career have been opportunities presented and seized, a revolving cast of colorful...
Mar 28, 2011
Robbie Fulks is just about the perfect person to artistically convey how the rational, but passionate music fan can put the career of Michael Jackson into perspective. Emotionally expressive, brutally honest, occasionally caustic, it is perfectly in character for Fulks to recognize and reinterpret the brilliance that underlies Jackson canon, while acknowledging that it is...
Jan 31, 2011
Mr. Blotto bassist Mike Bolger considers himself a very lucky man. "If you're lucky, you get to really enjoy and connect with music," he tells me. "Luckier than that, you are able to play it. Even luckier you get to be in a band... and write your own stuff. Still luckier you get to play...
Jan 25, 2011
More than just about any band (and I'll throw the Beatles, Dead, and Zappa in there too), Talking Heads have provided direct inspiration to the jamband community. Attribute it to their rhythmic ideals, engaging melodies or passion for innovation, but with only 8 studio albums to draw from, the variety of tunes covered and interpretations that...
Jan 18, 2011
Every Tuesday in January, The Barn will offer another feature about the incredible music and career of Talking Heads. In addition to a healthy legacy of groundbreaking studio recordings, Talking Heads were a band that, at least in the early part of their career, offered audiences contrasting interpretations of their catalog on stage. Fortunately, these...