Music Venue

Two bike messengers, a punk rocker and an employee from the Board of Trade walk into a bar. It sounds like the beginning of a joke -- or a Friday night at Cal's, a downtown dive bar located at Wells and Van Buren streets. But the decidedly eclectic clientele will have to find a new haunt when the bar closes at the end of the year. Fred Feirstein, one of the bar's owners, said that after he's been in the business for 54 years, he needed to pack up shop. "The time has come," he said, declining to elaborate.

Last year, Bruce Finkelman (Empty Bottle) and Craig Golden (Longman & Eagle, Space) teamed up to reopen Thalia Hall, a Chicago landmark originally opened in 1892 at the corner of 18th and Allport streets to serve as a community arts center for Pilsen. Dusek's, the venue's restaurant, and Punch House, the basement bar, quickly gained citywide attention. Now, the owners are adding a live music destination to a South Side largely lacking in the packed music venues and nightclubs that thrived in the '50s and '60s.

Last year, Bruce Finkelman (Empty Bottle) and Craig Golden (Longman & Eagle, Space) teamed up to reopen Thalia Hall, a Chicago landmark originally opened in 1892 at the corner of 18th and Allport streets to serve as a community arts center for Pilsen. Dusek's, the venue's restaurant, and Punch House, the basement bar, quickly gained citywide attention. Now, the owners are adding a live music destination to a South Side largely lacking in the packed music venues and nightclubs that thrived in the '50s and '60s.

Two bike messengers, a punk rocker and an employee from the Board of Trade walk into a bar. It sounds like the beginning of a joke -- or a Friday night at Cal's, a downtown dive bar located at Wells and Van Buren streets. But the decidedly eclectic clientele will have to find a new haunt when the bar closes at the end of the year. Fred Feirstein, one of the bar's owners, said that after he's been in the business for 54 years, he needed to pack up shop. "The time has come," he said, declining to elaborate.

Chicago rockers Nonagon answered our Chi-Tunes questionnaire . Do the same and your band could appear in RedEye! What makes your live show great? We never phone it in. Our set is filled with inventive, loud, short, tight songs that hold your attention. We play them with conviction and considerable energy. Describe your sound in five words or less. Loud, choppy hooks with dissonance. Tell us something random about the band, and why that's significant.

Chicago rockers Counting 10 answered our Chi-Tunes questionnaire . Do the same and your band could appear in RedEye! What makes your live show great? We have a great mix of musicians. We are an acoustic rock orchestra!  This allows us a lot of flexibility in our sound, both with our original music and our unique take on covers, like Death Cab's "Soul Meets Body," Pearl Jam's "Indifference" and Outkast's "Hey Ya!" to name a few. Describe your sound in five words or less.

Chicago rapper Kenlo Key answered our Chi-Tunes questionnaire . Do the same and your band could appear in RedEye! What makes your live show great? I'm concerned with connecting with the fans before anything else. I'll pass out if thats what it takes to give a good show. Describe your sound in five words or less. Emotion, creativity, well thought out. Tell us something random about the band, and why that's significant. I won a contest to create a new and improved hip-hop jingle for Moo and Oink in 2006.

Chicago rockers Vanarays answered our Chi-Tunes questionnaire . Do the same and your band could appear in RedEye! What makes your live show great? We play loud and hard--the way it's supposed to be. We also work hard to translate our studio sound to the stage. Describe your sound in five words or less. Catchy, loud, schizophrenic pop music. Tell us something random about the band, and why that's significant. All the band members are Latinos from the southeast side of Chicago, but we promote our music in a faceless manner.

Chicago hard rockers Arriver answered our Chi-Tunes questionnaire . Do the same and your band could appear in RedEye! What makes your live show great? It's energetic, but no bull. There's variety and pacing, but it's always full-on and hard-rocking. We employ top-notch musicianship that serves the songs rather than chasing our tails. Describe your sound in five words or less. Arty Heavy Metal History Rock Tell us something random about the band, and why that's significant.

Chicago rockers the Noise FM answered our Chi-Tunes questionnaire . Do the same and your band could appear in RedEye! What makes your live show great? We're a trio, but we work hard to make it sound like there are a lot more than three people on stage.  We match our catchy songs and big sound with an equally energetic stage show. We want every show to be a party. Describe your sound in five words or less. Sexy astronauts dancing in space.

Schubas 3159 N. Southport Ave. 773-525-2508 The beautiful wood-accented back room of this hundred-year-old building is one of the city's best places to catch touring and local acts before they get big, while the front bar area serves up a mean mac 'n' cheese. The Gingerman Tavern 3740 N. Clark St. 773-549-2050 Refreshingly unpretentious, this beat-up bar is the perfect place to escape from - or mentally prepare for - the insanity of Wrigleyville with a game of a pool.

Double Door 1572 N. Milwaukee Ave. 773-489-3160 It's not the prettiest space in the city, and some of the rock acts can creep toward the “generic” label. Still, DD has been home to early shows from acts such as Kid Rock and The Killers; In '97, the Rolling Stones played a secret show - marquee: “Rolling Stones: One Night Only - $7.” Subterranean 2011 W. North Ave. 773-278-6600 At this Wicker Park bar smack in the hopping intersection of North/Damen/Milwaukee, DJs spin on the first floor and rock/hip-hop acts - both local and up-and-coming touring artists -...

Kingston Mines 2548 N. Halsted St. 773-477-4646 This blues club has earned its reputation not just for its size (two stages in adjoining rooms), but also its endurance (open since in 1968) and late-night hours (listen until 4 a.m. most nights, 5 a.m. Saturdays). Lincoln Hall 2424 N. Lincoln Ave. 773-525-2501 Although slightly larger than its sister club Schubas, this music venue shares the intimacy, sound and musical reputation of its Lakeview sibling. Past indie and rock acts include Wilco, Mumford & Sons and Chicago's own Smith Westerns.

R.J. Grunts 2056 N. Lincoln Park West 773-929-5363 Craving a bite of history? This is where Rich Melman's restaurant empire, Lettuce Entertain You, started back in 1971. Fill up on milkshakes, half-pound burgers and platefuls from the massive salad bar. Half Shell 676 W. Diversey Parkway 773-549-1773 This divey basement seafood house started shucking oysters more than 40 years ago, way before trendy hangouts such as The Publican and GT Fish & Oyster made it cool again.

Chicago rapper N.O.R.M. answered our Chi-Tunes questionnaire . Do the same and your band could appear in RedEye! What makes your live show great? It features laser lights, video animation, and (unfortunately) ME! I'm kidding...we DON'T have laser lights. Describe your sound in five words or less. 8-bit hip-hop amazingly cookie. Tell us something random about the band, and why that's significant. Random?  Well, I am part of a bigger entity, AGENDA PRODUCTIONS, and have met with top A&Rs, had our music featured on BET and almost did the theme...

Chicago jazz crew Ben Scholz's Elec-Tet answered our Chi-Tunes questionnaire . Do the same and your band could appear in RedEye! What makes your live show great? We play jazz in a style that was popular in the 70s and 80s.  Most jazz groups in Chicago lionize the roaring 20s, but people also like to groove to a good jam. Describe your sound in five words or less. Hard-hitting jazz fusion. Tell us something random about the band, and why that's significant.

Chicago rockers the Hudson Branch answered our Chi-Tunes questionnaire . Do the same and your band could appear in RedEye! What makes your live show great? We are a five piece band, and everyone in the band is a multi-instrumentalist.  We also like to include multimedia aspects in our live show, including video, live storytelling, re-purposed audio and song/story hybrids. Describe your sound in five words or less. rock 'n' roll, sometimes soft Tell us something random about the band, and why that's significant.

Bars with live music Ultra Lounge 2169 N. Milwaukee Ave. 773-269-2900 This former clubby martini spot has been remodeled into a small-scale live music venue with a separate room for local and traveling acts playing everything from hip-hop to indie rock. Quenchers 2401 N. Western Ave. 773-276-9730 You'd be hard-pressed to find a live music bar with a better craft beer selection not just in the neighborhood, but the entire city.