Welcome to BluesRow

Our tour guide Jim said Chicago is like Manhattan without the attitude. I think so, too. Everyone I’ve run into is friendly and helpful, from the waiters and waitresses to fellow blues patrons to people you meet on the street to the musicicans themselves. Maybe it’s a Midwestern thing. I don’t know, since this is my first time in the Midwest. But when you combine that with all the fantastic cultural opportunities you start to wonder who wouldn’t want to live here? I suppose some would say the winter is the deterrent, and with the temps in the single digits F this week, that’s a good point. But hey, I lived in Canada for 20 years. This just makes me feel right at home. I can finally wear my winter coat!

Food notes — we ate last night at the Weber Grill. If you’re a fan of BBQ and grilling, you owe it to yourself to eat here. It is the home of the world-famous Weber grills, and there’s even a giant one on the side of the building. The place was absolutely packed last night. In fact, we called around noon for a reservation and were told that they were all booked for the night. But if you don’t mind waiting at the bar for an hour or so, you can usually get a seat. That also gave us a chance to sample some of the local brews, including Honkers Ale and Blue Moon Wheat. The first was a darker ale, not to my taste but still good. The second is served with a slice of orange and actually was quite tasty. The burger was great, and others in our party got steak, ribs, and seafood. Everyone raved. Definitely worth a return trip. Tonight we’re headed to Buddy Guy’s for dinner, where I’m told the catfish is amazing. I will never know, as I find myself unable to eat a fish with whiskers. I’ll take your word for it!

Speaking of Buddy Guy’s, we dropped in and took a brief tour yesterday. Lots of blues memorabilia. I was particularly impressed with Guitar Shorty’s suit on the wall, as well as Jeff Beck’s Stratocaster next to the photos of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Clapton. Tonight we’ll hear Byther Smith there, who I’m told is a real guitar monster.

Last night we hit Blue Chicago again to hear the Matthew Skoller Band and Peaches Statten. The place was SRO, and I thought the band responded with a higher level of energy than the previous night. Anthony Palmer on the guitar was particularly hot, mixing a blend of smooth jazz tones, stinging blues riffs, chicken picking country style, and in-the-groove rhythm. Skoller displayed his tasteful yet not overdone style. My friend Jim interviewed him between sets, so perhaps we’ll put the podcast up for you to hear. Peaches was in rare form, particularly on Got My Mojo Workin’, on which she played washboard and spoons with a Cajun abandon. One of the highlights for me was another old standard, Wang Dang Doodle, which she interspersed with several verses of Run Through the Jungle by Creedence Clearwater Revival. And oh yes, it fit like a glove.

Matthew Skoller also played some of his own blues songs addressing moderns issues like violence against women, war, and of course, cell phones. He mentioned his self-consciousness about doing this kind of stuff, and it’s true that you don’t hear much of it. But I really enjoyed it and was pleased to see an artist not only sing the blues about the traditional subjects, but also some of the more modern ones. I love the traditional blues but that doesn’t mean you can’t talk about what’s happening right now in your songs.

Unfortuately for me, I faded early last night (around 1:30am). So while the rest of the crew took off for Kingston Mines, I walked back to the hotel and turned in. Not used to these late nights, but I got enough rest today to make sure I last through the night tonight. We might even hit Blue Chicago for open mike night, and though I’m terrified at the thought of getting up on the stage, maybe I’ll give it a try. Stay tuned!