Feb 9, 2016
As Chicago's Old Shoe becomes more of a force on the regional touring scene, they have been amping up their game for their Chicago plays.One of my favorite of this site's photo contributors is Dale Foster -- whose journalistic style truly captures what it's like to be at theshow.These two forces came together...
Jan 13, 2016
Horseshoes & Hand Grenades is a Stevens Point, Wisconsin band who you may be hearing a lot from these days. Sitting here in Chicago, it sure seems like the band is primed to make their move,and they certainly have the tools to capitalize.At first glance, they're a slick progressive bluegrass band--but they set...
Sep 8, 2015
By: Rosebud, with a little help from Carmel O'Farrell (@carmelocorn)Shoe Fest kicked off its 5 year anniversary celebration on Friday of Labor Day Weekend amidst the cornfields of rural Manteno, Illinois. Camp Shaw is a kids' summer camp that gets transformed into a music festival once a year.Old Shoe asks all their friends to...
May 11, 2015
A couple of newish tunes from some local artists (H&H is from Wisconsin but I'll give em a proximity credit), that I thought I'd share.In my alternate universe "Short But Sweet" is a bona fide smash hit from a bluegrass group that features some sweet harmonica and great hooks.Here's some Uptown...
Mar 11, 2014
Not even fatherhood can keep a good man down.While Jeff Austin sat out a recent Yonder Mountain String Band run to stay home with his newborn daughter, he couldn't resist just a small run of shows with The Here & Now at the beginning of March, marking some of the last scheduled appearances for...