With all the articles, books and documentaries that have examined and reexamined the hallowed history of 1960s rock ‘n’ roll, it’s still surprising that an important group like the Paul Butterfield Blues Band remains unheralded for their crucial contributions to pop music. Put bluntly, if it weren’t for the Butterfield band, both the American blues revival and Age of Aquarius would have been very different, or not occurred at all. Continue reading
More than 20 years after releasing their seminal album and then breaking up, post-hardcore band Slint has temporarily reunited to highlight a box-set version of the record. But at the group’s recent show in Chicago, the combo proved they could still execute the music’s bold vision, but not with anything approaching a visionary’s passion. Continue reading
At a tour stop in Chicago on Friday night, a troupe of all-star performers including Bob Dylan, Wilco and My Morning Jacket captured much of that old folkie spirit of hootenanny collaboration and musical joie de vivre to an arena of fans. And rarely has such a six-hour musical lecture left such an impression. Continue reading
This Thanksgiving, Chicago rock band Wilco has plenty to be thankful for. At Wednesday night’s concert in Madison, Wis., the group went a long way to express its appreciation to their deserving fans. Continue reading
Besides indie-rock hipsters, there was something else that filled Chicago’s Metro on Monday night for TV on the Radio’s sold-out concert: Doubt. Continue reading
Soundbytes Music Column 