Halloween is on a Wednesday this year, and apparently that means six full days of Halloween musical goodness in Chicago. While the bulk of the “costume” shows will take place on the prior weekend and, of course Halloween night itself, there’s even a few heavy-hitting shows in the “days between” that serious music fans have [...]

Welcome to summer in Chicago. Nobody denies it’s the best time of year and, of course, there are tons of musical options. We are home to mega-festivals in Grant and Union Parks — offering intriguing lineups but lacking intimacy and coming with a commiserate ticket cost. Swing a dead cat and you’ll hit a street [...]

Here’s a taste of what to expect at the “First Thursday” residency from Jim Boukas and Eric Lambert. These shows run from 6-8 on the first thursday of every month and the cover is only $5 (you can also grab a coupon to catch a set of Phish tunes for free at Lilly’s later that [...]

The debut of an as-yet-unnamed Bluegrass Jamband, which should probaby gig a half a dozen times per year. The lineup features Eric Lambert (formerly of Sexfist, Wavy Dave (Cornmeal), Thad Landis (Dog Patch Ramblers) and Jim Boukas (Paradise Waits, Vasoconstrictors). Download entire show (mp3 .zip)

Months ago, I was pumped about the announcement of two night Umphrey’s McGee run in Chicago over Thanksgiving weekend.  Little did I know at the time, but by the time this extended weekend would arrive, that party would start in Chicago well before UM takes the stage, and continue all the way through to Thanksgiving [...]

Getting There Your easiest and safest route is public transportation.  The Blue Line (Racine Stop) is about a half a block from the venue’s front door. The main buses are the 60, 7, 120 and the 8 that will get you in the general area of the UIC Pavilion. There is paid parking in a [...]

Every Friday, we’re going to offer the best links, news and sites that we’ve discovered over the past week. We promise to keep it relevant (mainly). Rolling Stone weighs in on the forthcoming Grateful Dead video game, but can it match the power and glory of the Journey arcade game?