Feb 7, 2014
Cold enough for you?Yes, it's been a particularly brutal winter, but festival season is a mere three months away. Wait three months?How about a sniff early? Old Shoe, festival mainstays and hosts of the fabulous Shoe Fest, bring the second edition of their winter event "Snow Shoe" north to Chicago.February 15th at...
Jan 10, 2014
Mr. Blotto and it's fans had plenty to celebrate as 2013 ticked to a close. It was the year they put out their long awaited new CD, Thread. They completed another circuit of their trademark Chicago area events, including a horn-fueled funktastic James Brown encore at the fourteenth Blottopia.Singer / guitarist Paul Bolger, specifically had reason...
Dec 10, 2013
2013 has seen the re-emergence of the Cubby Bear as a relevant venue for music in Chicago. They are wrapping up the year in supercharged fashion and we're helping them celebrate by sending a bunch of our readers to one of four year-end shows that put the exclamation mark on a remarkable year.Here's what's on...
Oct 10, 2013
It was hard NOT to get excited upon hearing the news about the addition of Wire to Berwyn's burgeoning "music row" on Roosevelt Road. Before the opening, we had every assurance that it would be a unique space curated by musicians with the fan in mind.We were fortunate to have Alex Mason, of A....
Sep 26, 2013
High tech firms have successfully used the "incubator" approach to make good ideas great and bring them to life. The concept is simple -- get talented people together across disciplines, give them a space to interact, exchange points of view, and the tools and technology to succeed.Wire aspires to do just that... but for...
Jul 29, 2013
I handicapped the Blottopia encore race when we first previewed the fourteenth installment of Mr. Blotto's signature event and summertime festival, but although the ultimate choice eluded me at the time, I'm not sure it exactly surprised me.Playing to their strength vocally and rhythmically, the performance of James Brown's Sex Machinelive album was another...
Jul 18, 2013
Summer. City of Chicago. Outdoor show. Phish. Believe it or not, this combination has never come together before. And we get it this weekend for three whole nights.It's enough for an area resident to rejoice, but given the dearth of other Midwest shows, and a Saturday sell-out, I'm expecting many will be making the...
May 14, 2013
After hosting for over a decade at Vasa Park in Elgin, Mr. Blotto shocked fans by moving their 2012 festival to the Illinois-Iowas border. The Iron Horse Campground in Sabula, IA was the scene for the band's most recent full album cover encore, The Allman Brothers Band's Eat A Peach, as well as other cover and...
Apr 9, 2013
There have been hiatuses, New Year's Runs, Wood Tours, and gigs En La Playa, but there hasn't been a full on electric TOUR from Widespread Panic, since they stepped off the stage in Chicago on Halloween 2011. That changes this week in St. Louis, but the first weekend stop finds them bunking down in our city...
Jan 31, 2013
Another winter, another storming of a hotel by Blotto fans. More information continues to trickle in about the 2013 edition of Hotel Blotto including support acts and lodging information.Dr. Kevorkian & the Volunteers will open Friday's Show, setting the stage for.Mr. Blotto. Indiana's Chester Brownplays a set "late night" in the bar.Saturday, Dr....