Festival Watch is a Tomorrows Verse feature that breaks festival news into the facts you need to know.Fitzgeralds 37th Annual American Music Festival June 29-July 3Headliners To WatchNick Lowe with Los Straitjackets Esteemed English singer-songwriter returns to Fitzgeralds on Tuesday, July 3 for a performance with Nashville instrumentalists Los Straitjackets. Combining Lowes powerful songwriting with...

Photos & Video: John 'Nunu' ZomotThat's a happy group, huh?It's what happens when a group of touring musicians meet up with a bunch of Chicagoans to celebrate the music of The Bard under the moniker of The International Bob Dylan Tribute.Under the leadership of Dewey Paul Moffit, this late June event at City...

Festival Watch is a Tomorrows Verse feature where we break down festival news into the facts you need to know.FitzGeralds American Music Festival  June 30 - July 3The 36th Annual FitzGeralds American Music Festival will take place at the Berwyn venue, celebrating the musical traditions of folk, country and Americana. Here are the details....

On March 25, 1999, musican and bandleader Nicholas Tremulis hosted an event called The First Waltz, a benefit for homless kids at Chicago's Metro, and featuring The Band's Rick Danko.  The all-star, Chicago-driven lineup featured Billy Corgan (and his dad!), Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen, Ivan Neville, Lonnie Brooks, Jon Langford, Alejandro Escovedo, and&...

Lots of great links, video and audio from around the web in this edition.The typical "Rock Star" story usually has the tribute band member joining the real band, but the tables were turned as Dean Ween (Mickey Melchiondo) joined The Pod at Tonic Room. Here's a three song video playlist:Chicagoist lists the 8 best...

Halloween is on a Wednesday this year, and apparently that means six full days of Halloween musical goodness in Chicago. While the bulk of the "costume" shows will take place on the prior weekend and, of course Halloween night itself, there's even a few heavy-hitting shows in the "days between" that serious music fans have...

There's so much to like about a festival that celebrates the best of American music that has run for 32 (!) years. The 2012 edition of the American Music Festival at Fitzgerald's in Berwyn combines top notch national acts and homegrown Chicago area favorites in a multi-stage lineup with discounts for those who get out early. WARNING: the...

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...

It's always exciting to get the Old Town School of Folk Music concerts flier in the mail. One of the cities most intimate and eclectically programmed rooms sees a number of Barn favorites graces the stage from April to August. Highlights include:The Bad Examples' Ralph Covert plays two shows with his Ralph's World children's...

Robbie Fulks is just about the perfect person to artistically convey how the rational, but passionate music fan can put the career of Michael Jackson into perspective. Emotionally expressive, brutally honest, occasionally caustic, it is perfectly in character for Fulks to recognize and reinterpret the brilliance that underlies Jackson canon, while acknowledging that it is...