Full disclosure: I don�t much care for M. Ward. I find his songwriting nearly as dull as his listless, smug voice, and I find his invocation of vintage American music to be disingenuous, just another affect he slathers over his flimsy songs. I admit this now not to rip on a performer I�ve mostly held my tongue about for the past half decade, but to give context to my endorsement of the debu...

It looks like that long-rumored Conor Oberst/Jim Jones/M. Ward collaboration is actually going to happen: Monsters of Folk�wow what a name�will release their debut album on Sept. 22, according to a press release sent out this morning that promises this album will bring peace on earth: Monsters of Folk began as folklore of sorts, when James, Obert, Ward and [Mike] Mogis did their first run...

If Conor Oberst must dedicate himself to a band that isn't Bright Eyes, couldn't he at least reunite Desaparecidos? This Mystic Valley Band that he's spent the last couple years with just isn't cutting it, yet Oberst doesn't seem to be getting the message, since he's doubled down on the project with his upcoming album, Outer South. This time Oberst leased out valuable album real e...

Thursday, Oct. 30, Cornmeal w/ Good Gets Better @ Miramar Theatre, 8 p.m. The Chicago ensemble Cornmeal labels itself “progressive bluegrass,” but that tag may give a misleading impression. While the group isn’t immune to occasional jammy digressions into jazz and rock territory, they stay more closely within...