With toils and trouble all through Chicago, there was only one concert that could spook like no other. Down in the loop there brewed chaos as witches, zombies, ghosts, ghouls and even Max (from Where the Wild Things Are) s wormed the Auditorium Theater looking for life in the night. Antsy, wide eyed ...view article

The chilly autumn night at the Lawn at White River Amphitheatre, opened by a single hum of Joe Kwon’s cello bow, succeed by Scott Avett’s palatable banjo melody  that kicked off the night with “Go to Sleep” a tune off of the Avett Brothers 2007 release Emotionalism. The sold out venue instantly ...view article

Cornmeal opened the set with a crowd favorite opener, ‘Ain’t Gonna Work,’ with its fast and heavy fiddle and percussion textures weaving through Kris’ shredding guitar the crowd came alive. Kris’ guitar solo only matched in tempo by Allie as her fiddle rode the beat of John-Paul’s rhythmic ...view article

In the liner notes of Mickey Hart’s new album, Mysterium Tremendum, there is a brief explanation of “sonification”, which is described as the mapping of visual symbols, such as light waves, to musical notes.  Mickey Hart’s past endeavors have dealt with rhythms from all around our ...view article

On a summer night in mid June with temperatures in the upper 70’s the weather set the mood for the perfect evening. Ravinia, a venue just outside of Chicago in the upscale Illinois suburb of Highland Park, hosted a diverse crowd ranging from young to old. Who had all gathered in for the performances ...view article

Umphrey's McGee is starting off 2011 with a bang, playing a four night run at the Mayan Holidaze party in Mexico, then down the East Coast, for their winter tour.  January also marks the end of the Kevin Browning reign at the soundboard.  Kevin's transitioning into a new role at Umph's headquarters ...view article

With festival season right around the corner, EOTO closed off their spring tour with a two night run in Chicago. They are making appearances at many known festivals over the summer including Wakarusa and Summer Camp. They closed out their spring tour with a bang. Sixty shows performed in 64 days ...view article

The past 30 days have been pretty exciting for Nicki Bluhm.  First was the Hangout Music Festival in Gulf Shores, AL, playing alongside of artists like Tom Petty, Stevie Wonder and Trey Anastasio.  This was followed by a couple of CBS This Morning spots highlighting the Nicki Bluhm & the Gramblers ...view article

Some music seems to surpass all the rest and breakthrough barriers on genres, listening to the music come together by the band Railroad Earth emphasizes the captivating uniqueness that string instruments can create. This band sheds a light onto the stage and on the night before Halloween at the Vic ...view article

What follows is a report from a "virgin" cruiser, experiencing his very first Jam Cruise. All I can say is I am now hooked! Hearing other people's descriptions for years now simply does not do this experience justice. As I arrived at port on January 3rd to await my turn to board the majestic MSC ...view article