The Blues Medium
Bassist Jeremy Jones channels Robert Johnson for Steppenwolf.
All Stories
Nathan Graham Stakes Out His Own Country
The singer-songwriter fuses blues, rock, Americana, and more on his new album, Saint of Second Chances.
Tributosaurus becomes Prince for two nights at Wire
Tributosaurus has been at the tribute-band game for 14 years, presenting full shows devoted to several significant perfomers of rock & roll and soul, including Stevie Ray Vaughan, the Grateful...
Forty-plus bands to play American Music Festival
FitzGerald's American Music Festival, celebrating its 35th year on June 30-July 3, has continuously been a major draw for the Berwyn music venue, attracting tons of spectators and featuring untold...
Toronzo Cannon proud to be a Chicago bluesman
When Chicago blues guitarist and vocalist Toronzo Cannon first signed with the Alligator label, he decided to title his forthcoming album, "The Chicago Way." Alligator owner Bruce Iglauer asked the...
Austin’s Jon Dee Graham tells tales with his songs
Alt-country singer-songwriter Jon Dee Graham is among the performers who will play at FitzGerald's in Berwyn for a series of 35th anniversary shows. Graham is legendary for breaking down the...
Berwyn music venue Wire launches record label
When Wire first opened in 2013, it became clear that Berwyn was turning into a booming music corridor. The venue's neighbor up the street, FitzGerald's, had already been successful in...
O.A.R. doesn’t mind the jam band label
At this point, the expression "jam band" is likely to elicit howls of derision from not only certain listeners, but sometimes from the musicians considered to make this kind of...
Ramsey Lewis teams up with CSO, church choir at Ravinia
The titles of earlier albums by Chicago-based jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis all suggest a certain sort of grittiness — "Back to the Roots," "Down To Earth," "More Music From The...
Roots-rock icons the Blasters bring the blues to FitzGerald’s
Phil Alvin, singer and guitarist with the Blasters, has fond memories of the Chicago area. Several of the blues icons he grew up listening to in Downey, Calif. are from...