By Ben Richards

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April 20 was an exciting day for this crowd. It had three, top-notch bands to enjoy it with in underrated Chicago band Family Groove Company, West Coast acoustic virtuosos Hot Buttered Rum and hometown heroes Cornmeal.

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Family Groove Company (FGC) kicked off the night with the The Band's "Ophelia" in tribute to Levon Helm. This was the four-piece rockers' debut at the Vic. The group did a lot of promotion for the event and it paid off with a solid number of people coming to catch its opening set. FGC played nine songs including another cover, Steely Dan's "Josie." FGC's well-trained jazz roots led the grooves into many jam-band climaxes. Guitarist Adam Lewis stole the spotlight often from frontman Jordan Wilkow. Although there were a few equipment issues (the drum mic kept slipping for one), Family Groove Company showed itself to be made of professional musicians there to do nothing other than rock your face off.

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Hot Buttered Rum played the second set. A five-piece "jamgrass" or "newgrass" (blending jam band and bluegrass) band from the Bay area, it's been my favorite group since I discovered it in 2008. Classically-trained Bryan Horne on bass and Aaron Redner on mandolin and fiddle/violin combine with the rock and folks roots of Nat Keefe (guitar) and Erik Yates (banjo, electric banjo, and flute) to make interesting music. Hot Buttered Rum played 18 songs that ranged from 21st Century protest themes to Irish jigs to full on heart-pounding ragers. The highlight was a cover of Todd Snider's "America's Favorite Pastime," a song about Dock Ellis throwing a no-hitter on LSD in 1970 -- a fitting song for April 20. Hot Buttered Rum created funky, psychedelic rhythms overlaying the ariticulate word pictures of Snider's message sung by Keefe. Keefe himself is no stranger to an articulate message. He's one of the best songwriters out there. A perfect example of that was "Desert Rat" with Keefe laying down imagery over complex melodies for more than nine minutes. The night's performance included FGC bassist Janis Wallin. The song has moving lyrics followed by musical movements that I label "modern day Mozarts." Other highlights included a captivating cover of U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name" by Redner. His mandolin and the band's electrified acoustic instruments rocked the song like you have never heard before. Also, a heartfelt cover of The Mother Hips' "Doing It On The Strings" left an impression on the soul.

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Cornmeal, a five-piece, newgrass band, played the headlining set. It was clear the group was the big draw as there was no room left on the general admission floor. This was my first Cornmeal experience -- wow -- I am hooked! If you like 12-minute reggae jams on bluegrass instruments, this band is for you. They have created a way to take an acoustic guitar, banjo/electric bango, and fiddle and make sounds that would knock the remaining members of the Grateful Dead back to 1969. While there are three lead instruments in guitar, banjo and fiddle, fiddler Allie Kral stands out as an iconic jammer for this generation. Her presence is a paradox of graceful bliss to raw, tribal rituals. My favorite of the 15-song set was a nearly 15-minute version of "Rain Your Light." This song has a range of emotions from soft and sweet to a teleport to the spirit world. During the set, the band celebrated the birthday of its manager, concert promoter Ian Goldberg. (His Summer Camp Music Festival is May 25-27 in Chillicothe, Ill. All three bands are playing there this year.)

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The night concluded with an all-star encore with members from all bands coming together to close the show in high fashion. Songs included "Honky Tonk Tequila," "Who's Got the Reefer?" and Paul Simon's "Know What I Know" to end the exceptional night.

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This was a night of music to remember -- three incredible bands coming together for a special event in Chicago. I would love to see this again.

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