Dec 13, 2017
Photos: John 'Nunu' ZomotGuitarist Joe Marcinek is the chef who is always cooking up something special with whatever ingredients are on hand.As luck would have it, the cupboard happened to have a little from two separate camps for a December run. Melvin Seals, the longtime Jerry Garcia Band organist was available for...
Jun 29, 2017
Almost two years of being a band, Dead & Company makes its Chicago debut this weekend -- the first time Grateful Dead members have played at Wrigley Field. Guess the Cubs had to win the World Series first.As you can imagine there's no shortage of hoopla, both bad and good surrounding the event....
Mar 2, 2016
The Kevin Bacon Effect with Joe Marcinek BandMartyrs - Chicago, ILBy: @312mrgI had a talk pre-gig with Joe Marcinek and asked him about being a sort-ofKevin Bacon of the jam scene. Considering the range of high-profile artists that routinely support his art or become members of the JMB, I thought it was a fair question....
Jan 9, 2015
Joes Garage: Joe Marcineks Christmas Jam At The Wire - BerwynBy @312mrgLive music has a way of rewarding you with enchanted evenings if you're willing to make a little effort or taking a risk.Whether its following a lead, listening to a buddy, or maybe just allowing your interest to be re-kindled with an artist...
Nov 25, 2014
Whatchoo Talkin' 'Bout Wills Tower Jam?Words:@312mrg| Photos: Daniel Peterson courtesy of musicfestivalcentral.comIt takes two elevator combinations to get to the 99th floor of the Willis Tower. Somewhere around floor 40 of my first, I struck up conversation with a guy from Philly who had just arrived in Chicago on Saturday and was just...
Nov 19, 2014
One of the most unique events that we covered in 2013 was Otter Presents' grand experiment in venue selection married with super group curation: The Top Of The Tower Jam. Hosting a party 99 stories in the sky, essentially putting a band-for-a-night in a venue-for-a-night, makes for memories that definitely stands out.With a lineup that mixed...
Mar 3, 2014
Fact: there is outstanding music every weekend in Chicago.But sometimes you just have to shake your head, sigh, and realize how lucky we are to have this city as our playground.What's more, the highlights of this weekend's cavalcade of stars feature that are right smack in our wheelhouse. the jambands, supergroups, heavy funk,...
Jan 17, 2014
This installment of Notes From The Jazz Underground features the playlist based on the December 6th show.After offering two themes in the previous week's broadcast, NFTJU host Paul Abella returns to free form no-rules jazz programming. No theme at all. Not even a little bit.Hightlights include new(ish) stuff from Trombone Shorty and...
Dec 7, 2013
It takes a bit of hard work, some bravery and the heart of a jazz guy to a wrangle a group of outstanding soloists into a single ensemble for a handful of performances. This weekend, Joe Marcinek brought in a couple of out-of-towners (though both with Chicago connections), Jen Hartswick and Allie Kral, to barnstorm...
Dec 5, 2013
Coverage around these parts has been so dominated by male musicians, at times we've gone out of our way to showcase women led bands. It's even rarer when you're talking about the bands that stretch out and improvise.Thanks to guitarist / bandleader Joe Marcinek for helping balance things out, as he's assembled an all-star lineup...