Interview: Kenny Wayne Shepherd Revisits His Debut Album
Blues rocker Kenny Wayne Shepherd wasn’t always a guitar god. After all, he didn’t start playing until the ripe old age of seven. His debut album, Ledbetter Heights, followed at […]
Preview: Ravinia Festival Returns With an Impressive Lineup for the Redesigned Hunter Pavilion
Over the past couple of months, Ravinia Festival has been building up anticipation for the 2026 season. Specifically they’ve been noting the changes going into the Hunter Pavilion, which has […]
Review: Chicago Opera Theater Performs the Music of Immigrant Composers in a Rousing In America’s Embrace
This year marks the 250th anniversary of the United States of America’s declaration as a sovereign democracy. The Declaration of Independence guaranteed the citizenry the right to life, liberty, and […]
Review: Blues Titans Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ Lean In and Deliver the Unforgettable
You don’t think of the blues as a music style that incites euphoria, but in the right hands that outcome is practically guaranteed. It was certainly true over the weekend during […]
Dispatch: Neighbors from the North, Guitars,and Memories of Street Corner Concerts in Day 2 of Blues Festival
Day two of the Chicago Blues Festival was a trip down memory lane—the days of big production concerts, tailored clothes, and memories of summers in Louisiana. The mainstage performers on […]
Interview: Pandemic Blues—Chicago Musician Karl Meyer Talks Punk, Blues, and Recording in a Lockdown
From his Cincinnati childhood to his Chicago adulthood, music remains a motivating force in Karl Meyer’s life. He looks back on a broad career as a hardcore punk and blues […]
Review: Dark, Rough, Brutal, and Real: Bessie Smith by Jackie Kay
Bessie Smith: A Poet’s Biography of a Blues Legend By Jackie Kay Vintage Books Bessie Smith, Empress of the Blues, liked to spend money on herself and on her friends, […]
On the Road: Drizzle and Blues in Grafton, Wisconsin
Is Wisconsin the furthest state from the Mississippi Delta? Culturally, perhaps. Yet the land of butter burgers and cheese curds played a big role in preserving the blues. While 78 […]