Set 1: Round the Wheel, Sometimes A River, Yo Se, So Far From Home > Born on the Wrong Planet, Betray the Dark, Close Your Eyes, Black Clouds

Umphrey’s McGee has graced almost every stage of significance in their hometown of Chicago.  So when the opportunity arises to see them in a new venue there is a palpable sense of excitement and expectation. Such was the mood when guitarists Brendan Bayliss and Jake Cinninger followed up their ...view article

With a brisk start to November in Chicago, a crowds outside the House of Blues barred the chilly winds for a late night party. Conspirator, featuring Aron Magner and Marc Bownstien of the Disco Biscuits as well as BoomBox, a breakthrough duo featuring Russ Randolph and Zion Rock Godchaux. These bands ...view article

Two of my favorite female artists performed at the Wiltern in LA this past Friday; Nicki Bluhm & the Gramblers opened up for Grace Potter & the Nocturnals.  Nicki Bluhm is just wrapping up a national tour, which took her and her Gramblers down the East Coast, across the South then back to their ...view article

In 1969, Jerry Garcia wanted an outlet to play pedal steel and John “Marmaduke” Dawson was looking to get his songs out to the San Francisco music scene and general American public. This was the evolution of the New Riders of the Purple Sage and they have trotted onward like cowboys on horseback ...view article

For the third edition of the Werk Out Music and Arts Festival the producers, Alchemy House, Funky Bean Productions and the host band the Werks, picked up stakes and moved the party to the historic Legend Valley (formerly known as Buckeye Lake) a venue that has hosted many legendary Grateful Dead ...view article

Sunsquabi is an up and coming band from Boulder, Colorado. Their newly released album, Echoes; hits you from the get go with groovy beats that make you want to sway. The band combines live instrumentals with electronic elements. The musical roots of the members show with a taste of modern electronic. ...view article

The inaugural edition of the North Coast Music Festival, in 2010 was a mixed bag as an experience.  The music was excellent but the “festival” had a lot of rough edges, but given that it was the first attempt at this type of festival that was to be expected.  The 2011 edition ...view article

For those of us who get to review live music, every once in a while we get slapped upside our head with a reminder of why we love what we do.  For me, the inaugural Hyperion Music and Arts Festival was such an occasion.  My initiation into Hyperion began ...view article

The third annual Del Yeah festival wrapped up in Carbondale, Illinois on Sunday, September 2 at the Rustle Hill Winery.  Due to inclement weather from hurricane Isaac the Saturday show in St. Louis had to be rescheduled and left folks wondering if the show in Carbondale the following ...view article