Some of the most spectacular views of the Chicago skyline can be had from a boat on Lake Michigan.Crafty promoters have been using this as a secret weapon to draw music fans to experience live shows, and a pair of them have announced a few shows for this coming July Fourth Weekend.Otter Presents...

Many thanks to all who sent in responses. It was hard to narrow down to just a handful of winners.The task. Complete this sentence: Whiskey + Phish = ____The three runners up will receive admission for two to Monday's show with Helping Phriendly Orchestra at City Winery Chicago. The grand prize winner will get 2 admissions plus...

As a follow-up to their wildly popular Music of Phish / Ale Syndicate beer pairing, City Winery Chicago and the Helping Phriendly Orchestra are teaming up again to create an audio-beverage experience unlike any other.This time, brown liquor takes center stage -- a flight of whiskey "whimsically" paired by City Winery's beverage director based on...

City Winery has made a habit of pairing their excellent wines with musical tributes to some of their favorite artists.When it came time to paying tribute to Phish, beverage director RachelDriver Speckan decided to leave the wine in the casks and introduce fans to the hand crafted brews of Ale Syndicate.Chicago's finest Phish...

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,...

John Kadlecik is no stranger to the Martyrs stage.  He played there weekly as a member of Dark Star Orchestra in the early days of that band.  Back in town for two scheduled Chicago gigs, tonight's ambitious Top Of The Tower Jam and Saturday's solo show back at the North Side club, the...

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...

Phish and their community have never been shy about giving back -- from Waterwheel to benefit shows (VT Flood Relief, Voters For Choice) to various specialty LivePhish releases, even the fan run Mockingbird Foundation, charity has been a fine way to funnel the passion and resources that we devote to their art.So it seems...

Helping Phriendly Orchestra is Chicago's premier Phish tribute band and I'm inclined to believe they're the best in the country. Unabashedly borrowing the Dark Star Orchestra's concept (as explained to The Barn by guitarist Mark Hague) and 1/3 or their name -- their goal is to recreate Phish shows in their entirety. They even attempt to...

[fblike style="standard" showfaces="false" width="450" verb="like" font="arial"]For fans, Mark Hague is the type of musician you just have to love. A key member of two of Chicago's premier jambands (and possibly cooking up a third?), he brings the attitude and perspective of a superfan to what he does on stage. And...