Ive already stuck this in the calendar, but I think an event of this caliber warrants a front page post, too. So many members of The Barn's favorite groups are coming together on this evening at one of our favorite venues. I'm guessing there's a deliberate use of the term Ramble here,...

Every summer, interesting festivals overtake the music landscape in and around Chicago. While the festival calendar dries up after Labor Day, leave it to the area's best venues to make our holidays seem like mini-festivals of their own. And with Thanksgiving more of a homecoming style occasion, the program leans delightfully local.We've...

We were out-of-our-minds-with-joy when last January's Strange Arrangement / Greensky Bluegrass co-bill at the Park West was announced. Not surprisingly, the gig itself more than lived up to the hype, with the closing encore of "The Shape I'm In" featuring members of both bands totally bringing down the house.Though Wednesday, November 21st will be a...

We've creeped past the solstice marker and are entering the heart of festival season in the Midwest. The oddest trend for 2012 seems to be festivals moving locations, which no less than five of the fests that we are tracking declaring a new home this year. Here's our roundup of the most intriguing camping and / or...

Stonehouse Park came under quite a bit of fire regarding noise and crowds in the festival off-season. While the Dekalb county park will see the addition of Camp Terrapin come, Barefoot Fred Productions think they've found an even better location for their mid-July Whippersnap Music and Arts Festival.For 2012, Whippersnap moves to Lyran Park in...

Greensky Bluegrass turned heads and won over many fans at the Park West last Friday, and even welcomed longtime friend Joe Hettinga of Strange Arrangment to the stage for a trio of tunes. There will be plenty more on the blog about this show to come, but for now enjoy a full audio stream and...

Updated (4/9) to include stream and download of the set (no encore) recorded fromthe soundboard. The video featured below is the night's finale featuring three members of Greenksy Bluegrass as guests on a cover of The Band's classic "The Shape I'm In".Strange ArrangementPark WestJanuary 27, 2012Destination >Bed Bugs >Booger Jam >Golden years >...

Every once in a while, a confluence of forces lead to a live music experience with so much potential, its legend begins to form even before a single note is played.Do you feel that? Its the sensation of the stars aligning for one such event. This Friday (1/27), Strange Arrangement and Greensky Bluegrass convene at...

[fblike style="standard" showfaces="false" width="450" verb="recommend" font="arial"]There are certain musical truths in this world. One of them (as this Venn Diagram explains) is that everybody loves Pink Floyd. Their fans are rabid and diverse and they've inspired musicians across a large swath of genres and backgrounds. And so, when I set...

Groupon Live is offering $40 for two tickets for Saturday ticket to the fourth installment Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival on January 21; a $79 face value. This year, Saturday night will be at the beautiful Auditorium Theater, and feature some of our favorite artists, including:David Grisman QuintentDel McCoury BandJoe PurdyTravelin' McCoury'sGiving Tree BandGreensky Bluegrass !Henhouse ProwlersParticularly...