Dec 2, 2015
Yarn took me by surprise in the most unassuming way. First time I was exposed to them was the Sidebar at Fitzgerald's, mellow but delightfully rough around the edges, kind of appropriate for the venue. This gig was followed by a full throttle performance at Chicago's City Winery-- they were making converts in some unlikely...
Jan 31, 2014
If you've got the songwriting gift and are starting to get damn good at it, I suppose there are three paths you can go down.1. Grab a guitar and hit the road as a one-man-show. Refuse to dilute your vision with other musicians.2. Be a band leader. Step out in front of a team committed...
Jan 10, 2014
Here's a follow up to our Best Of The First Half of 2013 post. Thanks again to @WeirScrewed for contributing the first part of this list (the six albums with the more detailed write-ups).I (Steve - @thebarnpresents) have added some additional selections, and some one-liners of my own, at the end of the post. You...
Dec 5, 2013
Go see Yarn. I'm not kidding. If there's one band that readers of this site NEED to check out, it's Yarn.They bring a bunch of everything we love to the table. Some acoustic (including standup bass, mandolin). Some electric. A bit of plucky bluegrass, ballsy rock and, yes, jamming. But what's truly remarkable is...
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...