Artists
After a patient and long 2-year search Cornmeal is thrilled to officially welcome fiddler Phillip Roach into the family. Phil has been a long time friend of the band and as his tenure with The Giving Tree Band came to a close in early 2014, it only made sense to bring him aboard for some sit ins and collaborations with Cornmeal over this past year. He is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist with a diverse musical palate bringing passion and unrivaled energy to the stage.
The Chicago natives Digital Tape Machine have big plans for 2015, including putting out multiple new releases and touring full time. The band is starting the New Year out with a tour on the East Coast and heading through the Midwest. They’ve linked up with bands like Lotus, Eliot Lipp, Turbo Suit, and are playing some fresh new cities with some fresh new material. Since their last EP Omens, the evolution of their sound has morphed into something much more funky. Digital Tape Machine is debuting their first track as a four piece outfit.
On a super busy concert night in this thriving state, which has seriously become even more of mecca for music than it already was over the last half a century, the Ogden Theatre hosted EOTO on their final night of their fall tour. It was a perfect place for them to go showcase their intergalactic improvisational sound and their Prism laser beams descending on the crowd like a hard-boiled egg slicer. Colfax Ave.
“The older the song, the harder they slam” –Vince Herman
For the first time since Yonder Mountain String Band took up residence at The Boulder Theater for its holiday run (in 2011), the band decided to play three sets for New Year’s Eve. Each set had its own motif, but all three were governed by the same primary theme. When it initially hit the stage, the quintet played an hour of buoyant, uplifting songs that were singed with beauty.
This past Friday, Philadelphia’s kings of trance-fusion The Disco Biscuits made their triumphant return to the Windy City, delivering a two-night holiday run at Concord Music Hall that marked some of their most well-rounded, creative shows seen in quite some time.
Since their inception in Portland, Oregon, in 2003, the group has become recognized as one of the nation’s busiest and best live touring acts playing close to 200 shows a year. MarchFourth Marching Band (M4 for short) is much more than what its name might indicate. The performance is a visual and aural feast, with around 20 performers including approximately 8 horn players, 5 drummers, bass guitar, and 5 dancers, stilt walkers and acrobats.
One of the most exciting developments in progressive electronica is the return of acclaimed live breakbeat house trio The New Deal. Fans were thrilled when powerhouse musicians Jamie Shields (keyboards), Joel Stouffer (drums), and Dan Kurtz (bass) announced scattered dates earlier this year. It marked their return to touring after calling it to pursue other endeavors in 2011. The select fall and summer dates displayed the band in tiptop form with more onstage energy than ever. It appears that the band plans to continue reestablishing themselves in the genre they created.
