Contributed by Mike Guzaski (@312mrg) Chicago experienced a typically loaded Spring weekend over the 4/20 “holiday”.  Highlights included Greyboy All Stars and Funky Meters holding court on Friday, and Jim James bringing his show to the Vic. But the clubs had some worthwhile shows as well, and Animal Liberation Orchestra gave Double Door denizens a [...]

Contributed By Mike Guzaski @312mrg After a week of crazy news, torrential rainfall and accompanying flooding, on Saturday (4/20!) Chicagoans were ready to let loose and liberate their inner animals. Animal Liberation Orchestra blew (both) doors off the Double Door with a explosive celebration of sound that balanced classics and newer material. From the moment [...]

On Saturday Night at the Park West, I started to keep track of how funky Galactic’s tunes were by counting the number of times drummer Stanton Moore leaped off his stool to emphasize a beat or dramatically finish a fill. Cutting their teeth as one of the most party-ready bands of the nineties, it is [...]

On the cusp of the release of their third LP, Stories Don’t End, southern California band Dawes is criss-crossing the country on a promotional tour playing primarily radio shows and record stores.  The Chicago stop, on April Fool’s Day, was part of WXRTs “Free Sample” concert series, which afforded them the luxury of playing in [...]

When a band has been continually on the road as much as New Orleans’ Galactic, major cities become more than just stops on a tour, they become wrapped up in aspects of the band’s narrative.  After the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, Chicago became the temporary (to the tune of seven years!) home of Galactic’s original [...]

If you’re a Chicago music fan who just can’t get enough of that sweet spot where rock meets jazz, Joe Marcinek is a name that comes up quite a bit.  Not content to be just a double threat — laying down both guitar and keys in the Indiana-based jazz-fusion quartet Fresh Hops — he’s branched [...]

Contributed by: Chris Murtaugh The stage was small and the mushrooms were large at Evanston’s SPACE on St. Patrick’s Day.  My first time at the suburban venue, I wondered if the prop mushrooms were always on stage at this intimate facility, or if they were a Todd Snider thing. Minutes before he came out for [...]

Contributed by @WeirScrewed The songs of some artists are snug like a warm blanket. Todd Snider is a prime example. He has worn the role of  traveling stoner troubadour quite well over the years and the packed house at SPACE on Saturday night attested to this. Judging by how much of the crowd was singing [...]

Are you annoyed when you see “Year In Review” type articles start popping up around the end of November?  If so, I hope you’re not offended by a late-January 2012 summary… The Barn is offering a few different attempts at 2012 recap. The first is my list of the best musical things of the year [...]

The 2012 Baker’s Dozen by @WeirScrewed All in all, 2012 was a pretty decent year in music. Some new acts burst onto the scene and some veteran artists returned with new offerings. This list of thirteen albums represents some of what I have been listening to and enjoying this year. By no means is this [...]