Jun 3, 2014
Conor Oberst is leaning in a folk-rock direction for his latest release,Upside Down Mountain under the guidance of producer/musician Jonathan Wilson.To recreate the laid-back Laurel Canyon sound on the road, Southern Califnornia's finest, and Barn favorites, Dawes have been backing him on tour. The musicians found themselves in the Upper Midwest during...
Dec 4, 2013
Dawes dropped by Conan last night and performed "Most People".Not having heard the tune in a while, I was instantly reminded of this tweet that I had seen back in October that I had always meant to feature on the site.@StrangeSally23 this is really great. Thank you— Dawes (@dawestheband) October 16, 2013Someone in...
Jul 9, 2013
When they do break through, audiences will find themselves with something amazing: an impeccable studio band that can back up the goods live. Even this show clocked in at about 80 minutes while only scratching the surface of their fine three album catalog. Where the gig I caught in April felt more like a showcase of...
Jul 2, 2013
Since we didn't publish our Best of 2012 list until February of 2013, I'm pleased as punch to get a jump on this post prior to July 31st -- it's our list of our best albums of the first half of the year...Many thanks to @WeirScrewed for contributing this list which I (Steve - @thebarnpresents) will...
Apr 8, 2013
On the cusp of the release of their third LP, Stories Don't End, southern California band Dawes is criss-crossing the country on a promotional tour playing primarily radio shows and record stores. The Chicago stop, on April Fool's Day, was part of WXRTs "Free Sample" concert series, which afforded them the luxury of playing in...
Feb 22, 2012
This feature has been updated (February 2012) since its original publication in April of 2010. I swapped out the ninth band and added some honorable mentions. The remainder of the text remains largely untouched.We can crank up the amplifiers and layer on the production, but the acoustic guitar -- natural and authentic -- just isn't going...
Feb 2, 2012
Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival delivered two solid weekends packed with highlights. Fortunately, the good times don't have to end at the festival, as some of the strongest sets of the festival have been recorded, and we're happy to share them with you. Three keys sets from 1/21 at the Auditorium are available here in their...
Dec 23, 2011
The Barn's 2010 Holiday Mixtape was subtitled A Very Jamband Christmas and justifiably so -- it's intent was to collect a CD length holiday playlist that showcased the style of improv-leaning bands on Christmas classics. Though at the time I thought I had cultivated the cream of jamband holiday fare, it became obvious that more material...
Dec 14, 2011
I'd never even heard of Fanfound until recently, but based on deals they are currently offering, there appear to be many reasons to check back with them frequently.At the top of the list are discounted tickets (43% off face value) to both upcoming weekends of the Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival. If you missed the...
Nov 7, 2011
1. One of my favorite local blogs, The Are The Imitators, is featuring a sweet photo set from the Dawes / Blitzen Trapper show at the Metro last Thursday2. Chicagoist Drinkifies several Chicago Bands. For fun here's the link to some of our jambands, Chicago based and otherwise: Umphrey's McGee (cold Bud Light), Cornmeal (garnish with pickled...