Whirlwind mandolinist Chris Thile spent more than 15 years playing with his roots-pop trio Nickel Creek, but in recent years he spent more and more time working on his many outside projects, and by the time the band called it quits last year, it was clear his star had outgrown Nickel Creek. He’s since dedicated . . .

Nas w/ Talib Kweli @ The Rave, 8 p.m. Given the inability of Nas’ last album to explain exactly why hip-hop was dead, the media understandably greeted Nas’ latest untitled album, originally titled Nigger, with great skepticism. Against the odds, though, the rapper created a piece of art that more than addressed...

In the increasingly rare moments that my grandfather remembers what I do for a living long enough to make conversation about it-I write about music, among other things, I tell him when he asks-he'll pose a follow-up question: "What's your favorite band?" I never have an answer for this question, but my grandfather always does. "I know mine," he says, proudly. "The Glenn Miller Orchestra....

Recognizing that nostalgic music listeners are always “In the Mood” for some swing music, the Glenn Miller Orchestra is still touring steadily today behind old big-band staples like “Chattanooga Choo Choo” and “Moonlight Serenade,” despite the fact that Miller himself died during World War II. Tonight at 7 . . .

Sprightly Scottish singer KT Tunstall’s sunny, girl-power hit “Suddenly I See” has been use to promote everything from movies, TV shows, video games and, uh, Hillary Clinton, making Tunstall something of a star by osmosis. Fairly or not, Tunstall has picked up the reputation as a vapid, feel-good adult-alternative . . .

It's a stirring story, one that wraps Justin Vernon's album into a neat package. It starts when Vernon's first band breaks up, and it ends in the Northwoods. Jobless and sick, with nowhere to live and a desire to be alone, Vernon stayed (rent-free) in his father's hunting cabin through the winter. He chopped wood, brooded for a while, and then created a spectacular solo debut. Vernon's For Emma, Forever Ago doesn't merely capture a desperate Wisconsin winter, it captures a man resigned to its snowy, woodland loneliness. That's the true-to-life legend of Bon Iver-the dreariness of life expressed through an album full of dreary optimism, written by a man whose stage name is a play on the French words for "good winter." At least, that's the true-to-life legend that people keep telling . . .

Thanks to an early push from the music blogs, Eau Claire native Justin Vernon has found unexpected success with his singer-songwriter project, Bon Iver, whose debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago has been heralded as one of the year’s best. Bon Iver returns to Milwaukee tonight for an 8 p.m. concert at the . . .

One of pop music’s bigger stars in the 1980s, when his sensitive arena rock hit a nerve through singles like “Straight From The Heart” and “This Time,” Canadian Bryan Adams hasn’t seen anywhere near the same success in the ’90s—at least not in America—but he did further his profile by promoting his latest album . . .

There are few musicians in today’s indie scene as enigmatic as M. Ward. His latest album, 2006’s critically acclaimed Post-War, came across like a series of bulletins from a long-gone era, with Ward’s voice often sounding like it was channeling the highs and lows of American history. The result was a record that had something of an otherworldly feel to it. Post-War was clearly rooted in the past, but there was something about Ward’s delivery that made the record feel incredibly relevant . . .

   At 53, Earle has seen and experienced most everything, from drug addiction to jail time. It’s reflected in his fiery brand of rock, country, folk, bluegrass and now techno, courtesy of a DJ who joined him for part of his intense, t...