We know you haven’t been living under a rock for the past six months, but Mother Nature sure makes it challenging to break the Netflix/order-in routine. Which is a shame, because there’s quite a bit of stuff here, and not just new music; we’re talking new places at which to experience it. Northside, southside, ‘burbs, you name it: New (and new-to-you) music venues are emerging like so many plastic lawn chair parking space holders in a Chicago blizzard.
Here’s a roundup of new digs–some have opened as recently, others in the past year or two–which we’re including based on the presumption that you haven’t visited them. Yet.
Sure, you could stick to your standbys, but you’d be missing out. Check out these new venues while the programming is fresh and the bathrooms are still clean.
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New year, new music venues. Some are brand new (The Whistler); others have changed addresses (Bottom Lounge, Jazz Showcase), while some have been around for decades, but only recently have been tapped as venues (Epiphany). These new digs are as diverse geographically as they are musically, so it’s likely you won’t have to trek too far to experience something new. Check the calendars and get thee to a gig already.
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Morse Theatre
1328 W. Morse Ave., 773-654-5100; themorse.com
A simple love of music prompted Andy McGhee, his son Devin and friend Bill Kerpan to open the Morse last October. “We had sort of been talking about the idea for a number of years, looking at a couple other theaters in the area,” says McGhee, the venue’s manager, adding that their discovery of the 1912 nickelodeon theater sealed the deal. The front of the building is predominantly new construction, with performances taking place in the original theater box.
Capacity: 265-300 depending on whether the show calls for cabaret tables.
The music: Jazz, Americana/blue grass, traditional country, world music and a live classical performance series on Sundays, in conjunction with WFMT. “It’s exceptionally neat,” says McGhee of the WFMT partnership. “We built a broadcast-ready booth for [the station], so they just have to send someone up [to produce it].”
The vibe: The Sunday classical series draws an older, classical-loving crowd but otherwise, says McGhee, “we’re doing some pretty hip stuff.” Afro-beat attracts students and young, world-music fans; for the theater’s Taj Mahal show on its second night of operation, there was a wide spectrum of blues fans. “We’re really trying to appeal to a wide swath of folks,” he says.
The damage: Wednesday evening jazz starts at $7; big ticket acts max out at $35.
Don’t miss: Jan. 20: Inauguration Gala/Martin Luther King’s Birthday Extravaganza featuring Dee Alexander
The Whistler
2421 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-227-3530 ; whistlerchicago.com
Tucked into a tiny storefront in Logan Square, the Whistler is run by the folks behind the Blue Ribbon Glee Club and Whistler Records. With an ex-Vegas mixologist manning the bar, it’s gotten a reputation since its late-September opening as the hip new go-to for cocktails, but co-owner Billy Helmkamp swears that’s just serendipity. “Music has been the main focus from day one,” he says, noting that he and co-owner Robert Brenner briefly entertained the idea of opening an all-ages venue, ultimately settling on the tavern concept. A rotating storefront gallery showcases local art, and there’s never a cover.
Capacity: 74, plus a back garden that holds another 50 folks. Because of its small size, the place fills up quickly most nights of the week.
The music: Helmkamp and Brenner grew up in Chicago’s indie rock scene attending shows at Empty Bottle, Hideout and Schubas, and “we reflect a lot of that in our programming,” he says. In addition to indie rock, the Whistler hosts jazz every Wednesday, DJs on Friday and Saturday nights and monthly literature and theater series.
The vibe: Helmkamp notes his clientele as “real heavy from the neighborhood,” which is to say 20- to 30-something artists and professionals. Aesthetically, the bar is tastefully sparse, and the stage — which hosts more seating in off hours — is tiny.
The damage: Free. “We never charge a cover,” says Helmkamp.
Get acquainted: Jan. 27: “Remember the Maine” improvised music series
Epiphany
201 S. Ashland Ave., 773-276-3600; emptybottle.com
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Though the Epiphany’s marquee is more likely to advertise religious services than rock shows, that’s perfectly normal. The Episcopal Church of the Epiphany was built as a place of worship in 1885, rehabbed in 1996 and tapped last fall by the Empty Bottle to showcase musical performances of special interest. “It’s a pretty extraordinary space,” says Empty Bottle owner Bruce Finkleman, “but we’re going to be very specific if someone approaches us [about programming there].” The Epiphany’s first show programmed by Empty Bottle Presents was the slowcore group Low, in September.
Capacity: 750. It’s big.
The music: It’s open for discussion, says Finkleman. “We’re doing Tricky there; we’re doing Les Savy Fav. There’s a few things that will make sense there, and there’s some things that we would never do there.” Such as? “Rap.”
The vibe: Religious. “It’s church-arific,” says Finkleman, adding that some shows are standing room only and others call for pew seating. As for the acoustics, “It’s a very old church,” he says, “and it sounds wonderful.”
The damage: Comparable to other venues that Empty Bottle Presents books, tickets average $10-$15.
Get acquainted: Jan. 31: Les Savy Fav
Bottom Lounge
1375 W. Lake St., 312-666-6775; bottomlounge.com
Forced by the City to close its Belmont/Wilton location during the 2005 Brown Line expansion, Bottom Lounge reopened in the West Loop last June with a huge new rock room, a second floor tiki bar dubbed the Volcano Room and a full service restaurant to boot.
Capacity: 500 in the music room, 250 in the Volcano Room and, once things warm up, another 200 folks can mingle on the second floor patio. The place is huge.
The music: “Independent rock ‘n’ roll,” says manager Jeremy Lawrence: metal, punk, avant-garde, indie rock, straight-forward rock, etc.
The vibe: “When you walk in, it’s like, ‘This is a rock bar,'” says event liaison Kent Stewart. No doubt about it, Bottom Lounge attracts rockers most nights a week. Much of its programming is booked by mP Productions, which is known for its penchant for energetic, hard-rockin’ bad arse bands.
The damage: Local shows average $8; national acts can go up to $30.
Get acquainted: Feb. 12: Fujiwa & Miyagi
Jazz Showcase
Dearborn Station, 806 S. Plymouth Ct., 312-360-0234; jazzshowcase.com
The second-oldest jazz club in the country (New York’s Village Vanguard beats it by a dozen years), the Jazz Showcase was founded back in 1947, but lost leases and other circumstances have kept it on a pilgrimage from its earliest days at Roosevelt University to its new digs in the historic Dearborn Station building. “It’s a great historic landmark building,” owner Wayne Segal says of the new venue, which opened last June. “We’re historic as well, as far as preserving jazz in Chicago since 1947, and it was just a great, great marriage. This was the first [new] space in which we were really able to envision what the jazz showcase should look like and feel like. It’s a very warm, inviting room.”
Capacity: 175. Weekends are usually at capacity, says Segal, especially when international acts are in town.
The music: Strictly jazz. “We come from the bebop era,” says Segal, “so it’s straight ahead jazz music, with no G’s.” Huh? “No Kenny Gs.” Amen.
The vibe: Sunday matinees admit kids12 and under for free, which draw a parental crowd. There’s also a large following of students, and international acts run the gamut from old school fans to new listeners.
The damage: Most shows are $10, top names are $20-$25, and students get in for $5 during the week.
Get acquainted: Thursday through Jan. 25: Mose Allison Trio
Evanston SPACE
1245 Chicago Ave., Evanston, 847-492-8860 ; evanstonspace.com
E-town isn’t exactly a hotbed for live music, which is why our ears perked up when we learned about the opening of SPACE. “Our shows were sporadic until the fall, when we hit a stride with [programming] three to four nights a week,” says manager Jake Samuels, who helped to open the club last April.
Capacity: 250. Smaller shows are set up cabaret-style; others are standing room only, but a completely sold-out show is still rare at this point.
The music: Lots of blues and singer/songwriters, but “we’ve got all genres,” says Samuels. Proof? “We’ve done hip-hop.”
The vibe: Samuels describes SPACE as “sort of an elevated listening room environment,” with a warm, rustic-urban aesthetic. Hard woods and draperies keep things cozy, while the acoustics, he brags, are “impeccable.”
The damage: Local and regional acts average $5; national and touring acts run up to $40.
Get acquainted: Jan. 31: Dolly Varden
Reggies Rock Club & Music Joint
2109 S. State St., 312-949-0121, reggieslive.com
No doubt by now you’ve heard about Reggies, the triple-threat rock club, tavern and record store that opened in September 2007 just south of the Columbia College campus. Filling the all-ages void that the Fireside Bowl left when it closed in 2004, Reggies offers both all-ages and 17+ shows, as well as respectable residencies. But we, er, older folks should keep an eye on the schedule: Bands along the lines of Mudhoney and Juliette and the Licks occasionally make stops here, as well.
Capacity: 300 in the rock room; 111 in the tavern.
The music: Punk rock to hardcore, rock, swamp, and an open-mike blues night on Wednesdays.
The vibe: “It’s kind of all over the place,” says manager Donny MacEachron, noting that punk rock and hardcore are the most common, but variety keeps audiences diverse. The aesthetic is a hard, tough look typical of a rock club, and, says MacEachron of the adjacent restaurant, “our wings are awesome.”
The damage: Most shows are $5, others are $7-$10, and a handful of freebies.
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Get acquainted: Saturday: MySpace Presents The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
Velvet Lounge
67 E. Cermak Rd., 312-791-9050; velvetlounge.net
Like the Jazz Showcase, the Velvet Lounge has been around for years; it’s just moved. Owned and operated by saxophonist Fred Anderson (who turns 80 this March), the Velvet Lounge landed in its current location on the near South Side back in 2006, but it still feels like a new home, considering the establishment’s 27 year history. “We’re new in this space now,” says Anderson, “and people are not hanging out like [they do] in a lot of neighborhoods. Every club has its own thing going. Some clubs, people come to hang in the neighborhood; but in this neighborhood, we’ve got a lot of empty buildings.” But, he says, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. “It’s starting to happen,” he says of the surrounding area’s development. “We’re here, so we just have to change things as this community builds. It’s exciting.”
Capacity: 99. Not 100; not 98. As for how full the place gets, “It all depends on who’s playing,” says Anderson.
The music: All kinds. Anderson notes that genres run the gamut from semi-classical to avant-garde, and then some. “We have all different types of music,” he says. “We do blues; we do Japanese. We try to serve the community.”
The vibe: Anderson likens his club to a “miniature concert hall,” since people sit and listen. There’s no talking — not as a rule, but as a practice. “Everybody just sits and listens to the music,” he says. There are two sets every night, which start earlier on weekdays and later on weekends.
The damage: $10 for weekday shows, no more than $20 on weekends, and a max of $25 for national acts.
Get acquainted: Jan. 28: Saxophonitis featuring Ernest Dawkins with Kevin Nabors, Aaron Gettsug and on drums and percussions Isaiah Spencer.
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