Salute the Square!

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TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT!

see you there

The fruits of the Square Affair photo shoot.

The Burlington!

Photo by Clayton Hauck

Ahhh, what can I say about the Burlington?  I love going there.  It’s down the street from my apartment, it’s cozy without being sloppy, it’s hip without being snobby, they have great specials (whiskey shot and a PBR for $5, my favorite combo), and great music. 

The Burlington was opened by brothers Greg and Chris who lived just around the corner for years before they decided it was high time there was a decent watering hole within stumbling distance.  So they opened a bar and named it after their grandfather’s farm, where they spent summers as kids.

Even though probably most people reading t his right now have been there already, I have to mention the decor.  It is thoughtful, intentional, but not over the top, not uncomfortable.  And I have to say it is a bit bro-y, in the same vein as Bar Deville or even (god help us) Empire - BUT - without the DB factor entirely with without being gaudy or carrying only top shelf $10/ounce liquors.  The brothers did all the decor themselves, including designing and making the awesome industrialesque light bulb chandelier.

Also, if you go and ask what’s on tap, you might find a pleasant surprise.  While they don’t push top shelf liquors on you, leaving you poor and barely buzzed, they do have some very exclusive brews you’ll want to try.  So if you haven’t been, go, and if you have been, go again. :)

The Burlington

3425 W Fullerton

Open 7 days a week @ 6pm

Viva El Cid

There’s nothing better than getting food and drinks outside in the Chicago summer. El Cid is the perfect place for such adventures. But don’t take our word for it: ask the Reader:

A late-night oasis in Logan Square, El Cid produces solid traditional platters that regulars swear by (and they swear louder when the management is handing out shots of tequila).

There’s musica en vivo Wednesday nights, and a large, festive back patio.

Photo Courtesy of Chicago Reader: http://www1.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/logansquare/restaurants/

The Logan Square Dispatch - The Shams Band

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

The Shams Band

In an already flooded valley of self-labeled folk-rock outfits, The Shams Band is the dirt—the levy that stays true to form against a flood of watered down acts.  With heavy doses of rockabilly and a juke-joint prowess, The Shams Band draw from folk, blues, and country influences to create a sound that is unmistakably of the Midwest.  From the lazy harmonica and dusty vocal harmonies of ’Des Plains River’ to bar-room shuffles like ’I Will Love You The Most,’ The Shams Band navigate the waters of Americana well.  And they’ve amassed the company to prove it, having shared the stage with David Grisman, Bela Fleck & The Flecktones, The Avett Brothers, and Dr. Dog, to name a few.    

Originally from Oak Park, IL, The Shams Band landed on the Chicago music scene in late 2008 with a breakout performance at the Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Festival at the Congress Theatre.  They hit the ground running, immediately plowing their way into the fields of fans and critics alike.  Since then they’ve played regularly at venues around the city including stops at Taste of Chicago and the Daley Plaza Farmer’s Market where they garnered an audience with the mayor himself.

Ever-active participants in the local music community, TSB guitarist/songwriter Donnie Biggins began the Chicago Roots Collective in 2009, a collaborative venture that showcases local music at venues throughout the city.  The Shams Band will be performing at the Logan Square Auditorium as part of The Square Affair, a multi-band bill sponsored by businesses in the neighborhood.  In the days leading up to The Square Affair, we talked with Donnie about the band’s upcoming album, burning LeBron James jerseys, and why your first stop on the way to a bar should always be your fridge.

LSD: What has the band been up to this summer?

Donnie Biggins:  Finishing our album Champange. It is our first full length and we took our time with it. We are very happy with the finished product. A CD release party is in the works for the Fall.  We played Ribfest, Taste of Chicago and played for Mayor Daley at the 1st Farmer’s Market of the summer at Daley Plaza in May. It was a great time and great publicity being able to play out in public in our fine city.  We also took a mini tour with friend and fellow musician, Rachele Eve. We traveled to Grand Rapids, MI, Livonia, MI and Akron, OH. This was right after the Lebron announcement. Lot’s of burning jersey’s in Akron.

LSD:  Is all of the band from the Midwest? What was everybody doing before the formation of The Shams Band?

DB:  We are all from Oak Park, IL. There are five members; Doug Hill, Brian Patterson, Paul Gulyas, Ben White, and myself. Brian, Ben, Paul and I were all good friends since we were 13. Some of us even knew each other in elementary school. Doug came into the picture after college. I knew of him from some cousins. He is our Poppa in the group and keeps our young minds level-headed. This is the first band I have ever been a part of.

LSD:  Does the band hold down ‘day jobs’? What do you guys do to supplement income when you aren’t playing with the band? I get up at noon and…

DB:  Doug is a high school teacher. I substitute teach at the same high school. I do independent booking through my production company called “Harmonica Dunn.” I also do odd jobs for elderly woman (i.e. clean gutters, garages, paint, etc.). Paul delivers organic food from Fresh Pick’s (every employee I have met from there is a musician). Brian is a freelance graphic designer. And Ben is a teacher’s assistant at a school for children with autism.

We’d like to quit our day jobs and fully dedicate our lives to music. The goal: how do we pay that rent? And oh yea… um health insurance? It isn’t a flattering life in this country to be a musician. Most people think we don’t do anything and are lazy hippies. I spend atleast 6 hours a day in band related work. Emailing people and scheduling meetings with other musicians takes up my nights.

LSD:  How did you guys come to be involved with The Square Affair?

DB: I first met Jon Drake at The Two Way Lounge. We began talking about putting a show together. He got Grape Juice Productions involved and I brought Derek Nelson into the mix. We have been meeting once a week since April. Crazy to think about all the time we have put in to put on a show with 4 local Logan Square acts. It is our project and one we hope to catch on for a bigger outdoor event next summer.

LSD:  Does the band reside in the Logan Square?

DB:  Yes, we literally live one block from the Auditorium. We are going to walk our gear there for the load in.

LSD:  When you’re needing a drink and your in the neighborhood, what’s the first stop?  Unless of course the band doesn’t drink, in which case this interview is over. Just kidding…but not really.

DB:  Well first I grab a beer from my fridge for the walk over. I have 2 spots I always go to. Originally, it was the Two Way Lounge. I feel very comfortable in that place. You get all walks of life in there, and that is a major attraction.  My new favorite spot is the Rocking Horse. Thursday nights they have $3 craft brews. Pretty sweet deal if you ask me. The staff that works there is local and are very welcoming.

LSD:  Can you tell me a little bit about the Chicago Roots Collective?

DB:  The Chicago Roots Collective stems from an idea I had Spring of 2009. We participated in the 2008 Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Festival (our first gig ever in Chicago). After that, I wanted to put together a set of shows for the summer that were Pre-CBB Festival shows. What ended up happening was I met a group of 10 bands and we started putting on successful shows that have 3-4 bands a night. We work together on promotion, we share gear, and we have always had successful nights, some might argue the best local nights of any bands out of Chicago in a long time. For example, we had a show at Double Door in April and drew 530 people between 4 bands. That is near capacity (600) and a sellout. Our next big collaborative adventure is November 5th and 6th at Elbo Room. We booked the whole weekend and plan on selling out the entire weekend.

Currently I book the Chicago Roots Collective Showcase at Lincoln Hall. Once Lincoln Hall opened, it was a perfect chance to get our collective in there and provide local bands the opportunity to play such a fantastic venue.  August 25th will be my 6th show there. I try to have a CRC band involved as much as I can, but the goal is simply to get the most hard working Chicago bands on bills together.

LSD:  You guys are getting ready to release your new album, Champagne. When can we expect it to hit the streets?

DB:  It is being pressed and mastered. We are working out the date of the actual release still. Want to make sure it is thoughtfully planned. If you’d like to review it before it is out, we will be more than willing to get you a copy.

LSD:  That would be great!  Can you describe the recording process? Overdubbing? Live takes with the full band?

DB: Our tracks started with live takes concentrating on getting the drums recorded. We worked with Mitchell Cepaitis of Kilo Studios to perfect the drums. Mitch is also Mixing and Mastering our final recordings. The rest of the recordings took place in our studio in Logan Square. The process is long, long, long. Next time we record, we are going to schedule out 2 weeks and do it all right then. We already have the songs ready for our second album, so expect another one soon.

LSD:  Are there any plans to tour on the release of Champagne? What else does the band have in store for the near future?

DB:  Touring is a definite. I would like to start touring 2-3 times a month. Summer time next year is going to be huge for us. We hope to take part in more Chicago festivals and to also hit the road for the majority of the summer.

LSD:  You’ve got seven and a half words to sell the Square Affair, let people know why they should come out…go!

DB:  Local, live, drunk, party, neighbors, and handsome faces. 

That’s actually eight words, but nobody’s counting.    

http://logansquaredispatch.blogspot.com/

The Logan Square Distpatch launches with a write up on Jon Drake & The Shakes/The Square Affair →

“

It’s been a hell of a summer for Jon Drake and The Shakes.  Kicking it off with a late spring European excursion that brought their folksy union of sweat-drenched American pop to eager audiences in France, The Shakes returned stateside with several open-air outings on the Chicago street festival circuit, including stops at the Taste of Chicago, Northalsted Market Days, Milwaukee Avenue Arts Fest, and Ribfest. 

But despite the band’s evergrowing reach, Jon Drake & The Shakes stand proud to call Logan Square home, hanging their caps on the close-quartered stages of local watering holes like Cole’s Bar, Quenchers Saloon, and The Whistler…” (Click link to read more)

The Square Affair teams up with Intonation Music Workshop →

The Square Affair team is proud to announce the addition of a great local charity to our family!  All proceeds of ‘Square Affair’ merchandise goes directly to Intonation Music Workshop.  A little bit about Intonation:

“The Intonation Music Workshop empowers children to become rock stars on every stage in life through innovative music education. Using donated instruments and a unique pop band curriculum, our after-school music program provides kids age 6-17 in Chicago’s under served communities with access to instruction and performance opportunities in a safe and positive environment, sparking for many a life changing sense of accomplishment and belonging.”

-Photo and article courtesy of The Chicago Tribune.

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At the next SUNDAY ON THE SQUARE (8/22, Noon to 3pm):

Jon Drake & The Shakes acoustic, beginning with a set at the Logan Square Farmer’s Market around noon followed with more music on the square in front of Wolfbait!  We will also be giving away a small amount of our official Square Affair t-shirts with each ticket purchase.  Tickets are only $8 for The Square Affair.

We’ll have tickets for sale!  Come join us for a merry Sunday afternoon! Bring the kids.

Image design by Mary Charlene http://www.myspace.com/she_draws_on_walls

Brush up on your Logan Square history with this Chicago Reader article →

Logan Square has a fascinating history.  Learn about what your favorite intersections and check out what your Cafe used to look like!

New Wave Cafe →

Milwaukee & Logan.
Metropolis Coffee. Grilled Sandwiches. Free Wi-Fi. Good Folks.

Local Logan Square favorite café with free Wi-Fi, great food, and fantastic coffee.  Donnie, Rachele, and I often bring our own special flavorings from a small glass bottle in a paper bag. This is a wonderful place to kill a few hours or have a meeting.  Love ya New Wave!!!

Photo courtesy of www.rachelleb.com

YO! Come hang out with us!

Hi, guess what. 

We’re going to be on the square hanging out and playing music just as soon as I finish this post.  And we’ll have pre-sale tickets for $8.  Yay! 

So get out of your apartment and come hang out in the sun… like now.  ish.

Look for us on the square or outside of the lovely Wolfbait & the B-girls.

The Hairpin Building: In Case You Didn’t Know

The building on the north west corner of Milwaukee, Diversey and Kimball has quite a history… nothing too exciting; it has mostly been inhabited by men’s clothiers since it was built but it’s story is about to enter Logan Square’s gentrification history (no positive or negative connotation here, totally neutral).  It will soon be rehabbed after what I hear has been 20 years of vacancy (but for the Payless Shoe Source) into lofts - some percentage of them being market rate and some subsidized for artists. 

The building was originally commissioned by a guy named Goldman who ran a bobby-pin company called Hump Hairpin.  It was called “hump” because they manufactured a hair pin guaranteed to stay put because it had a little hump in it.  It is speculated that the camel motifs around the building are in reference to that (get it? camels… humps…). Although aparently egyptian themes were common in deco design in general, so it may have just been a the designer’s fashionable sense of style that led to that decision… 

If you’re into architectural history (a.k.a. if you’re a nerd like me) read this awesome article and it’s follow up on another Logan Square Blog called Peopling Places.

If you want to know more about these recent rehab plans, check out this Chicago Reader story about it, or this Chicagoist story.

Logan Square's 'Affair' To Remember - Chicagoist →

The lovely folks over at Chicagoist caught wind of our event and were kind enough to help us spread the word.  Read the article here!

Recently went and got a hair cut at Hairitics! Ya’ll should check it out!