Steve Dawson’s Hideout residency

Steve Dawson — a talented Chicago singer-songwriter, bandleader, teacher, producer, author and all-around good guy — is in the middle of a …

Youssou N’Dour at Millennium Park

My photos from the splendid concert by the legendary Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour on Thursday, Aug. 10, at Millennium Park’s Jay Pritzker …

Pitchfork Music Festival 2017

I’ve been moaning for years about how seldom two of my favorite musical artists — the Feelies and PJ Harvey — play in …

Solid Sound Festival 2017

As promised, Wilco performed its 1996 album Being There from beginning to end on Friday, June 23. Being There had won an …

Arbouretum and Brokeback at Schubas

Arbouretum The Baltimore band Arbouretum has been playing heavy, rootsy guitar rock for about decade now, making several strong records on the …

Jambinai at the Empty Bottle

Jambinai was one of my favorite bands at SXSW in 2014, playing epic music that mixed rock instruments with traditional Korean instruments. …

Erwin Helfer at the Hungry Brain

As he sat down behind the piano at the Hungry Brain on May 16, the 81-year-old Chicago pianist Erwin Helfer introduced himself to the …

Big Ears Festival 2017

(Links to Big Ears Festival photo galleries) The Norwegian composer and violinist Nils Økland summed up the spirit of the Big Ears …

Big Ears: Photos of Nils Økland

(See more Big Ears Festival coverage) Nils Økland Band March 24, 2017, at St. John’s Cathedral Nils Økland and Mats Eilertsen March …

Big Ears: Photos of Wilco

(See more Big Ears Festival coverage) Wilco March 24, 2017, at the Tennessee Theatre Jeff Tweedy with Chikamorachi March 25, 2017, at the …

Big Ears: Photos from Day 4

Photos from Day 4 of the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee, on March 26, 2017. (See more Big Ears Festival coverage) …

Big Ears: Photos from Day 3

Photos from Day 3 of the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee, on March 25, 2017. (See more Big Ears Festival coverage) …

Big Ears: Photos from Day 2

Photos from Day 2 of the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee, on March 24, 2017. (See more Big Ears Festival coverage) …

Big Ears: Photos from Day 1

Photos from Day 1 of the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee, on March 23, 2017. (See more Big Ears Festival coverage) Carla …

Thigh Master at the Hideout

Thigh Master, a rock band from Brisbane, Australia, played on Friday, March 10, at the Hideout — and like so many of …

Best Films of 2016

1. Moonlight (Barry Jenkins, U.S.) — A masterpiece on many levels, the deeply engaging and empathetic Moonlight has extraordinary writing, acting, directing, cinematography, …

Big Thief at Schubas

The Brooklyn band Big Thief released a great album last year called Masterpiece — and the group, led by singer-songwriter-guitarist Adrianne Lenker, …

Favorite Concerts of 2016

1. Bill Callahan Sept. 26 during the Cropped Out festival at the American Turners Club in Louisville. After 7 p.m., as the sun …

Favorite Albums of 2016

1. David Bowie: Blackstar The year began with the sound of David Bowie, sounding as alien and inventive as he ever had. …

Joan Shelley at the Hideout

Joan Shelley’s album Over and Even was my favorite record of 2015, , so of course I’m thrilled to hear that she’s working …

Ultimate Painting at the Hideout

The British duo Ultimate Painting keeps turning out one splendid record after another — three albums in the past three years. James …

Poster Children at Schubas

Sadly, I arrived a bit late for the Poster Children’s early concert on Wednesday, Nov. 23, at Schubas. Rather than barging my …

Joshua Abrams’ Hideout residency

The masterful Chicago musician Joshua Abrams played five concerts at the Hideout in November, playing with different collaborators on each Tuesday night. …

The Rev. Al Green

This is one of those things people tell you do to when you’re in Memphis: Go see the famous soul singer Al …

Ardent Studios

Jody Stephens, the drummer for the legendary band Big Star, kindly agreed to let me tag along Sept. 30, 2016, on a …

Gonerfest 2016 Day 1

My photos from Sept. 29, 2016, the first day of Gonerfest in Memphis, including the opening ceremonies at Cooper Young Gazebo with Nots …

Gonerfest and Memphis

After going to Gonerfest in 2014, I knew that I’d want to come back to this annual Memphis punk and garage-rock shindig. …

Cropped Out: Day 2

This is my report from Saturday, Sept. 24, the second day of the 2016 Cropped Out music festival in Louisville, Kentucky. To …

Cropped Out: Day 1

Cropped Out feels like a homemade music festival. The website for the annual event in Louisville, Kentucky, hasn’t been thoroughly updated for …