I have been to the mecca of music, and it is Schubas. Man that place sounds good. Imagine the energy of a live band, but the sounds of a professional recording. That was what this place was like. I could make out all of the instruments, hear the vocals, and was amazed at the clarity of it all. And to top it all off, the rawkus noise of rock was still there. Hands down the best sounding room that I have ever been in.

Went there to see Ryan Groff, who started off the night. I got there right at posted start time, 9:00, and he was already into his set. Big difference from Champaign zone, where shows always start a half hour late. I love the schedule. Ryan was amazing as always. Even better because of this beautiful room.

Next up was Butterfly Assassins. Started kind of flat. Drummer was having trouble with his snare, but there was a cute girl with a Cello. I think working with Barbra Hedlund for so many years has given me a weakness for Cello Girls. I was thinking that maybe Cello Girl was going to be the only good thing about the band, but I was mistaken. A few songs into the set, and the band really started to take off. They had a great energy that grew as the crowd continued to fill up the venue. By the end everyone was full on crazy with the full on sound of the Assassins. To my knowledge no butterflies were harmed in the making of the music.

Third up was Death Ships out of Iowa City. Ryan sat in on Keys; apparently he is doing a little tour with them. They had a nice new feel to some old sounds.

Last up for the night was The Foundry Field Recordings. Really loved these guys. Nice mix of energy and sound. I have to look into finding out more about them. Check them out if you get a chance.

Some say that music is dead. I think that I might have just seen a sign of life here in Chicago tonight. I will definitely be checking out more shows at Schubas.