GreenskyBluegrass will do it again in 2014. "It" (besides being one of the best bands on the planet) is open the Bell's Brewery Beer Garden, an honor that they've held for over a decade.Chicago people. This is road trip worthy -- dare I say road trip mandatory. Their Thanksgiving gig indoors at Bell's topped my...

Greensky Bluegrass just wrapped the first leg of their 2014 tour. There have been many miles put on the van since they played the second gig of the tour in Chicago as a part of the Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Festival, but this recording has surfaced just in time to keep us warm until the next...

As with last year, I'm not going to try to rank the best shows, songs or albums of the year (though some thoughts on albums are here and here). I want to use my year end list to capture the musical things that had the biggest impact on me -- and also provide an excuse...

Each year brings a little something different for the Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival. From big shows and headliners to outrageous special guests to diverse lineups and even a three night String Cheese run; the fest has followed its own muse to bring best and brightest to Chicago. In 2014 the fest takes a more "South...

We do our best to bring you the best audio and video from Chicago shows of interest by great bands. Here's one that nearly slipped under our radar, not because we don't love Greenksy Bluegrass (and believe me, if there was a word stronger than love, it would definitely apply here), but because it wasn't...

Photos and additional reporting by Adam McCallThere's something going on in Aurora.Wait... Aurora? Home of Wayne's World? Closer to Joliet than Chicago? Well, actually, yeah.We've been hip to the fine Two Brothers Brewery for a while now. Their brewpub is situated in the old Burlington Northern Roundhouse at the end of the line...

Let's hand it to City Winery for putting an exclamation point on a wonderful festival. Moving into this venue for an aftershow just reinforced the class, elegance, and accessibility that makes Greensky's music so welcoming.Stream or download the complete sets here: Friday - SaturdayWe were lucky to have Adam McCall on hand to document...

It always takes something a little extra special to feature media of an event that didn't take place in Chicago. How's this? When one of our favorite Midwest bands made it out to Portlandia, archivist Mark Burgin recorded the entire show with multiple high quality cameras and edited the footage to create what has to...

Keeping track of the venue evolution game for rising bands in the Chicago market is a fun diversion. With two co-headlining spots at Park West and a a big Saturday night gig at the Abbey in 2012, Greensky Bluegrass will alternate to the decidedly upscale City Winery for their first Chicago appearance of 2013.It'll be a...

Last month's Live Music Blog feature, the five part What Bands Should Be Bigger Than They Are was one of the most enjoyable reads of November. Equal parts validation of some of my favorite under-the-radar acts, controversial picks that make you think, and short list of new bands to check out, I eagerly awaited...