Feb 10, 2014
Scary news from one of our newer local venues this weekend, when three men were taken to the hospital due to a partial collapse of the ceiling at the Concord Music Hall. The Chicago Tribune reports that vibrations from the music being performed may have played a role in the collapse.Instagrammer nickmancero was on...
Feb 7, 2014
Update [3/19] Phase Two is announced. See how I did on speculation and read some healthy skepticism HERE.Update [6/9] Phase Three is announced. More Info about the final headliner and the mysterious Lunar Landing Conspiracy.Here's something I never would have thought last summer the Midwest is getting another jamband camping megafest. While Summer Camp owns...
Feb 6, 2014
Last summer, Paul Abella reached out to me about writing up some notes for his band's upcoming release A Change In Plans. As it turned out, the band decided to go in another direction, holding off my liner notes debut indefinitely, but only after I had written up my summary. Since Paul had been an...
Feb 5, 2014
Ween's Mickey Melchiondo (aka Dean Ween) has made Chicago a regular stopping place these days. First, he dropped in unexpectedly with The Pod, our local Ween tribute band in September. Then, he found himself at Cubby Bear with his Moistboyz project in December.On February 4th, The Pod was billed with a VERY SPECIAL GUEST...
Feb 4, 2014
Why are there not more Bob Dylan cover bands?Isn't it universally acknowledged that he has the deepest catalog of songs of any beloved artist? And let's face it, the bulk of his repertoire is written in a way that is just begging to be interpreted. Given that recent Dylan performances have left his rabid...
Jan 31, 2014
If you've got the songwriting gift and are starting to get damn good at it, I suppose there are three paths you can go down.1. Grab a guitar and hit the road as a one-man-show. Refuse to dilute your vision with other musicians.2. Be a band leader. Step out in front of a team committed...
Jan 21, 2014
Chicago is a world class jazz city. That means it has world class jazz venues. But that doesn't mean they're all created equal. Some are 100% dedicated to the form. Others program jazz as a part of a more diverse lineup. Just as there are many permutations of the music, there are plenty of ways to...
Jan 21, 2014
Words / Photos: Alex WoodFriday nights installment of the Chicago Bluegrass & Blues festival offered two very different takes on blending folk-rock and country.To the surprise of many, the presumed headliner Justin Townes Earle came out before The Felice Brothers.Paul Niehaus added sparse electric and slide guitar backing, making Earles band two members short...
Jan 14, 2014
In August 2013, I started to publish playlists based on a local radio show called Notes From The Jazz Underground. Since then, we've featured 13 playlists, which run the spectrum from theme sets celebrating particular styles or artists, to collections that simply spring forth from the mind of their creator: Chicago musician and radio programmer Paul Abella....
Jan 10, 2014
As with last year, I'm not going to try to rank the best shows, songs or albums of the year (though some thoughts on albums are here and here). I want to use my year end list to capture the musical things that had the biggest impact on me -- and also provide an excuse...