Trombonist/Composer Clifton Anderson brings his Quintet into the Iridium on Tuesday, August 4th in support of his new Doxy Records release, Decade.   A February gig at Dizzy’s Coca Cola introduced the CD and debuted his new group, which features Eric Wyatt on tenor, Stephen Scott on piano, Russel Blake on bass, and Steve Williams on drums, in addition to Anderson’s vibrant trombone.

There have been very few bands that have impressed me lately in the musical landscape. In an effort to avoid sounding like a music snob, I partly blame myself. My styles have changed and I am not as obsessed with music as I once was. Still, there is a side of me that blames the artists, media and record labels for stealing a little bit of thunder from something I once cherished.

Have you ever been to the Taste of Chicago? All in all it is a fantastic experience, one not to be missed but there are always headaches that go along with attending, ie the heat and humidity, long lines and traffic. Every year even if it is just for a moment you ponder how nice it would be not to have to deal with the headache. This is the best way I can describe the Death Cab for Cutie show at Red Rocks in Morrison, CO on July 14th 2009.

I started off my musical day with two exceptional bands that weren’t on the program. Enchanted Ape and Mountain Standard Time played acoustic sets in the VIP Chill Tent. Enchanted Ape had a guest guitarist join them, a performer who had played with frontman Chris Obrien years before and who added some really nice vocal backups. The regular guitarist will come in Friday just before Enchanted Ape’s slot that day. Chris also added a tenor sax player to this acoustic set.

Chicago's favorite power-pop trio, Baby Teeth, are hitting the road with their brand of arena-ready anthems of suburban dystopia and real-world candor.

The seventh annual 10,000 Lakes Festival opened yesterday to a large crowd that seemed small. This was partly due to the fact that the Main Stage had two acts running against the Saloon Stage (called the Vitamin Water Syn Saloon Stage this year). The Field Stage and Barn Stages were dark until 11:30 pm. This meant that the focus of last night’s audience was on the Main Stage acts: Gomez and Widespread Panic. Unfortunately, this drew some of the crowd away from the acts up the hill at the Saloon.

The group that has for more than 13 years brought you Quixote’s True Blue, Sancho’s Broken Arrow, Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom, Dulcinea’s 100th Monkey and Owsley’s Golden Road, is making their foray into the festival business with Dancin’ In The Streets, which is set for Aug. 7, 8 and 9.

Borrowing a thought from another Grateful Web writer, I’d say that you can tell a lot about a festival by how it handles its second year.  No festival is ever perfect, and the first year is definitely the experimental year.  In the second year, you get to see how the festival responds to the demands placed upon it by its patrons.  Do things get better or worse, smoother or more of a hassle?  Last weekend, July 18th and 19th, I boogied on down to the second annual Mile High Music Festival just outside Denver, Colorado.  Having rocked

Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero met as teenagers in Mexico City. Both heavy metal fanatics at that time, they decided to combine their talents in the metal group Tierra Acida. They recorded an album, but wouldn’t sign the record contract. Instead, they decided to concentrate on learning more guitar styles. They survived by teaching lessons during the day and playing bossa novas in hotel bars at night. One day, they decided to take a step in the unknown and traveled to Europe. They ended up in Dublin, where they still are based today.

Growing like wildfire under the canopy of live electonica and world roots music comes Beats Antique, a masterful merge of modern technology, live instrumentation and seductive performance. After only 2 and half years performing as a cohesive force, the group has just self released their third album, Contraption, Vol.1 which marks the first in a two-part EP series.