2011

Lollapalooza 2011: Grant Park, Chicago, IL 8/5-8/7/11

Closing with fan-favorite “Everlong” seemed appropriate and concluded what was an amazing set by one of rock’s top-notch touring attractions, only further amplified by mother-nature. As fans plodded through the massive mud pit following the show, Lollapalooza’s 20th Anniversary was abruptly closing. All attendees had left to do was check if their cellphone still worked, if it didn’t, it was probably worth the damage.

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Driftwood Fire: How To Untangle a Heartache

It’s quite the distance from the Appalachians to Colorado, but for the duo of Fort Collins singer-songwriters Charlotte Formichella and Lynn Scharf – known as Driftwood Fire – they wouldn’t have it any other way

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Sisters 3: Coruscate at the Meadow Gate

Unlike those lying Doobie Brothers, Sisters 3 is actually a band comprised of three sisters: Cassandra, Beatrice, and Anna Christie Sadler. The Philadelphia trio has a vintage style, but it would be a mistake to lump them in with the folk pop revival trend of recent years. Their second album, Coruscate at the Meadow Gate, has a sound too diverse to fit neatly in any genre.

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Umphrey’s McGee: Raleigh Boutique Ampiteather, Raleigh, NC 9/1/11

At this point in its career, Umphrey’s McGee is like a spinning top of rock – just drop it on stage and watch in awe as it spins with power and unpredictability.  The band returned to North Carolina’s capital city to kick off their fall tour at the oversized Raleigh Amphitheater, which highlighted the band’s unique situation in the market

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Friday Mix Tape – Working Title

I resisted the hurricane/storm theme because by now I’m sure we’re all temporarily sick of Like a Hurricane, Rock You Like a Hurricane, Shelter from the Storm and of course,

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Chicago Eats Part Two: Girl and the Goat

Come on, baby don’t you want to go
Come on, baby don’t you want to go
To the same old place, sweet home Chicago

Robert Johnson may have written the lyrics, but most of us remember the Blues Brothers version of Sweet Home Chicago. As a former Chicago native, I sing the lyrics every time I return to the Windy City.

As mentioned in last week’s article about Hot Doug’s and The Purple Pig, Chris and I spent multiple nights in Chicago, Illinois, recently to see Phish at the UIC Pavilion. While planning for this trip, our friends Mindy and Patterson insisted that we eat at Girl and the Goat with them. This restaurant is so popular, we had to book a reservation more than two months in advance. It turned out to be an excellent choice for our “farewell to Chicago” meal with our friends. I would like to thank Mindy for her help as guest photographer for some of the pictures posted in this article.

Girl and the Goat

The “Girl” from Girl and the Goat is Stephanie Izard–she won the illustrious title of Top Chef in Season Four when the show was hosted in Chicago. She opened Girl and the Goat in Summer 2010, and the restaurant has developed a cult following since. I am always curious when a restaurant gains this much buzz. Is it because they have a good Public Relations firm? Is it because the chef is popular? Is it because the food is actually that good? In the case of Girl and the Goat, the food is that good.

We started off with two types of oysters. I’m admittedly not the biggest fan of oysters by nature. Raw shellfish has never been my thing. However, these were lightly roasted in a wood-burning oven and prepared in unique ways I had not experienced previously.

READ ON for more on Girl and the Goat…

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Televised Tune: On The Tube This Weekend

Fuse airs the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ August 22 private performance from The Roxy nightclub tonight at 10PM ET. The hometown heroes play their greatest hits along with tunes from

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Blitzen Trapper: American Goldwing

For a band that has been gaining momentum over the past several releases, Blitzen Trapper’s latest, American Goldwing finds the Portland group pausing a bit to catch their breath. 

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The B List: 10 Oddball Musical Pairings

Following yesterday’s stunning announcement that Jack White had collaborated with Insane Clown Posse our thoughts turned to other oddball musical pairings. For this week’s B List, we polled the Hidden Track staff and compiled a list of ten of the oddest musical collaborations.


Here’s what we came up with…

10. Phish and Jay-Z


It’s well documented that Phish loves to cross genres and play with guests, but when Trey Anastasio introduced Jay-Z to the stage in Coney Island in 2004 – jaws dropped. Can you imagine the Notorious B.I.G. stepping on stage with the Grateful Dead? As live collaborations go, 99 Problems / Big Pimpin’ was a big risk and a great success. And we think it’s safe to say Jay-Z never expected 8,000 Phish-heads belting his lyrics back at him – and neither did they. READ ON for nine more oddball musical pairings…

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