Mr. Blotto and it's fans had plenty to celebrate as 2013 ticked to a close. It was the year they put out their long awaited new CD, Thread. They completed another circuit of their trademark Chicago area events, including a horn-fueled funktastic James Brown encore at the fourteenth Blottopia.Singer / guitarist Paul Bolger, specifically had reason...

Allen Toussaints New Orleans R&B recordings set a template for generations of blues-influenced musicians to come. But after peaking in popularity in the 70s, the 80s found the legendary singer and pianist dropped from his Warner Brothers contract, working on soundtracks for musicals and, more importantly, focusing on live performances.Thats what makes...

In the same city, on the same stage, separated by just under two weeks, George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic and Lettuce delivered huge sets to enthusiastic Chicago funkateers. As usual, P-Funk created an absolute spectacle (rendered here in video and Adam McCall's superb photography), invoking their decades-in-the-making mythology to evangelize the power of the funk.Lettuce,...

This Park West recording marked the first date of Lowell George's last tour, the singer's untimely death to follow by precisely two weeks.Having been central in Little Feat disbanding months prior, this was George's first tour without the band. The set contained a number of songs from Thanks, I'll Eat It Here, George's only...

Words / Photos: Alex WoodDuring his second night in Chicago, Andrew Bird referred to this years Gezelligheid series at Fourth Presbyterian Church as the fourth annual, before acknowledging skipping a year somewhere in there.Regardless, the church shows have become a staple for Bird fans, a tradition celebrating the Chicagoans musical gift.And always just in...

This installment of Notes From The Jazz Underground features the playlist based on the November 8th show.Paul divided this show up into mini sets, each with their own theme. Dive in to this playlist to explore modern jazz themes, guitar themes, an Ellington theme, a solo bass theme, and an electro theme, amongst others....

With rumors of a March tour in 2014, I thought I'd be a good time to revisit Mike's first visit to Chicago with a solo band (he had previously been through with Leo Kottkeas a duo). There's no Phish songs or notable covers, just a heavy dose of theOutside Out material. However, this iteration of the...

Lots of bands play funk music, but the weird and wonderful universe of Parliament Funkadelic IS funk.  Complete with its own mythology, cast of characters, ensemble of players, and catalog of hits which climbed to tops of charts (both in their original and sampled forms), it's a miracle it could all be squeezed onto...

If you need some tunes to cook by, or just want to get into the Holiday Spirit... here are our jams for the Thanksgiving Holiday.In classic mix tape format, we've got tunes about giving thanks, family, and the holiday's legend... but mostly about the food.And like your Thanksgiving plate, it's got a bit...

While Chicagoans were still glowing from a wild Bears victory last Sunday, Bill Nershi took the stage in a Denver Broncos (!) tie-dye.  You can't win them all I guess, but if you're a fan of banjo, you might consider putting this show in the victory column.Billed as a Travelin' McCourys show featuring Bill...