I Love The Chicago Music Scene

Ahhhh, there is nothing like soaking up the culture of a new city. Thanks to Tuesday night's Green Mill jazz experience, and last night's House of Blues concert, I am now well on my way to feeling like I am making the most of being in Chicago.

Here are some of my 'observations' from those musical interludes.

The Green Mill

• There were more guys coming out of the men's room than going in. Is there a secret door I don't know about? I have heard there are secret booze tunnels under the venue from Al Capone days. Anything is possible I guess.
  
• The band we heard was called Deep Blue Blues. They were a very talented three piece set. There was an older guy on the organ wearing black sunglasses and facing anywhere but the keyboard (reminiscent of Ray Charles without the singing). We still don't know how he did it.
• There were two taps over the bathroom sink. A hot and a cold. About a foot apart. You have a choice to use ice cold water that sends your hands into spasms, or you can burn yourself. There is no opportunity to mix the two. Why on earth do taps like that even exist. Are you meant to dart your hands from one stream of water to the next? Just a question.
• Fox and I went to the Green Mill with a guy who is writing a dating book. He is the third 'date doctor' I have met that is single. Does anyone else think that is strange? Either they are not taking their own advice, or they are dishing out advice that doesn't work. He's a great guy, but I these thoughts certainly crossed my mind while he was talking about his book.

Chicago House of Blues, Solange (support act for Estelle)

• In my notes from the event, I had written that Solange performed like Beyonce on ADD meds. I just discovered, while I was looking for the name of one of her songs from last night, that Solange is Beyonce's sister. Hilarious. She clearly takes a lot of direction from her more famous sister. I had no idea.
• I found it really bizarre that the back up singers/dancers were strutting 1920's cabaret dance moves and her band had a Beatles-esq guitarist while Solange was throwing serpent-like shakes around the stage. Very mismatched.
• In a VERY unusual move, Solange walked off the stage and down into the audience, just wandering around while she sang, mobbed by the crowd. I have NEVER seen that before.
• There was a creepy balding middle aged man in the front row, pressed up against the stage filming up Solange's short skirt. Take note of this for my next bit on Estelle.
  
• Finally, as Solange finished up her show she accidentally threw her mike stand into the audience, hitting the people in the front row. Don't think anyone was hurt, but in the land of the law suit, I wouldn't want to be Solange right now.

Chicago House of Blues, Estelle

• Early into Solange's set, she sang a great cover of Love Fool (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsrjUFYtpuQ), and you could see Estelle dancing and clapping in the opera box above the stage. Very cool. Throughout all of Estelle's performance however, Solange didn't clap once or look particularly interested in the show.
  
• Estelle makes a page boy haircut look cool. Note: The rest of the world should not try and copy this look. It will go horribly wrong.
  
• While Estelle was dressed demurely in jeans, a black top and a sharp white suit jacket (and no ridiculous bling) she did have a gold mike. A girl's gotta have her indulgences.
  
• Estelle's final song (before her encore) was 'American Boy', with 'I want to show you love' mixed in. All I could think about was Mobin Master. Haha.
  
• Ahhhh the subtlety. Yes, Estelle mentioned her Grammy.
  
• Estelle got people from the crowd to come up on stage. She somehow picked the creepy middle aged man that had been filming Solange. He started grinding on her and trying to be sexy in his cardigan. It was sooo wrong. His name was David. Dirty David I think. He ended up taking off his glasses and doing a semi strip tease with his cardi. He will remember last night for the rest of his life. Gross.
  

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Kelly Noble
Owner & Founder, GLAM Adelaide
http://www.glamadelaide.com

Let Me Share My First Time With You

It was bound to happen eventually, and the other night, Fox made sure that my first time was amazing. I went to an improv comedy club and it was fantastic. After trying to go to Second City, a renowned comedy club just down the street from our apartment, Fox and I jumped in a cab after dinner and ended up at IO - another famous comedy venue.

http://chicago.ioimprov.com

After a refreshing ale at Louies Bar next door (in the heart of Wrigleyville - where the baseball stadium defines the suburb), we ended up tucked away in IO, at a little cocktail table, shared amongst strangers. It was cramped and intimate, and the performers were hilarious. The night began with AIRBOURNE! and then led into the musical Deltones, who created songs on the spot and sang their way through the improv. Very talented guys and girls. I would definitely recommend it.
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Kelly Noble
Owner & Founder, GLAM Adelaide
http://www.glamadelaide.com

My Fabulous Life With Fox & Estelle

Yes it's true. My life is fabulous. I've just bought tickets to go and see Estelle with Fox tomorrow at the Chicago House of Blues. I AM SO EXCITED! Solange is the special guest which will also be amazing.

http://www.estellemusic.com
http://www.solangemusic.com

Stay tuned for the follow up.

In the meantime, I will be hitting the Green Mill tonight with Michael Bolden (whom I met at the Twestival - yes we are geeks) and Fox for some Jazz and red wine. See below for some of the famous history that makes the Green Mill an iconic club in Chicago.

Throughout its uproarious history, The Green Mill Jazz Club has played host to a number of famous - and often infamous - celebrities. Opened in 1907 as Pop Morse's Roadhouse, the "Mill" was a stopping place for mourners to celebrate the passing of a friend before proceeding to St. Boniface's Cemetery. By 1910, new owners had converted the roadhouse into the Green Mill Gardens, complete with lantern-lit outdoor dancing and drinking areas, and boasting such headliners as Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor and Sophie Tucker. Actors Wallace Beery and Bronco Billy Anderson also visited the Gardens, hitching their horses to the outdoor post and settling down for a drink after a days work filming westerns at nearby Spoor and Anderson Studios.

As the twenties roared, The Green Mill became mobster territory when Al Capone's henchman, "Machinegun" Jack McGurn, gained a 25% ownership of the club. Manager Danny Cohen had given McGurn the 25% stake to "persuade" comedian/singer Joe E. Lewis from moving his act south to the New Rendezvous Café at Clark and Diversey. McGurn managed to convince Lewis by slitting his throat and cutting off his tongue. Miraculously, Lewis recovered, but his songs never regained their lush sound. The incident was later immortalized in the movie The Joker is Wild, with Frank Sinatra as Joe E. Lewis and a Hollywood soundstage as The Green Mill. Of course, his interest piqued, Sinatra had to visit the club.

Throughout the 1930s, '40s, and 50s, The Green Mill continued to pack 'em in with a heady mix of swing, dance and jazz music. Uptown crowds from the Aragon Ballroom or Uptown and Riviera Theaters would "stop in for one" before or after shows. Business began to slip in the mid-seventies, and in 1986, present owner Dave Jemilo bought The Green Mill and restored it to its prohibition-era, speakeasy décor.

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Kelly Noble
Owner & Founder, GLAM Adelaide
http://www.glamadelaide.com

Observations From Living In Chicago

Making Yourself At Home At Starbucks

In Chicago I have noticed that people sit at Starbucks all day on their laptops, sipping on a single coffee, and enjoying the atmosphere. I have seen people bring a change of clothing so they can get out of their snow gear and settle in for the afternoon. Many people just sit around doing uni assignments, reading books and relaxing in general. In Australia, I’m not sure if it’s the a moral obligation that prevents us from doing the same, or the expectation of an unfriendly response from staff, but it is certainly not commonplace like it is here.

Unusual Food Colouring

First I noticed that egg yolks were unusually yellow, closely followed by unnaturally orange ‘American’ cheese. Then, it became clear that if its at all possible, food producers in the US try to make their food resemble the culinary delights from the Simpsons. I am not even going to try and figure out why.

Portion Size

I will not even go in to the whole portion-size debate surrounding meals in America, but I assume it has to do with value for money because nobody can be that hungry. On a similar note however, while sitting here at Starbucks on my laptop (yes I’m enjoying the culture while I can!) I have noticed people ordering coffees the size of an old-school milkshake from the corner store. Surely that much caffeine will stop anybody’s heart?

Sunglasses in the Snow

This really has nothing to do with my observations of Chicago, but here’s a handy tip. Wear sunglasses when it’s snowing. It will stop the snow from blinding you when those freezing little pieces of ice try to hurl themselves into your eyeball on their final journey.

Words of Confusion

Do not say cupboard, unless referring to the kitchen. Common mistakes like this will ensure you are given a look as though you’ve just laid an egg. We call this the ‘Just Laid An Egg Look’. Other occasions which evoke the JLAEL are using the word ‘pissed’ when meaning drunk. Here it just means angry. A lift is an elevator. Rubbish bins are trash cans. And wanker just doesn’t translate well. Also, avoid saying Tuna – the pronunciation (chu-na) is confused with chicken. You will never be understood unless you change the pronunciation of Tuna to (two-na).

Paris Hilton

Everyone here hates her. It’s hilarious. That is all.
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Kelly Noble
Owner & Founder, GLAM Adelaide
http://www.glamadelaide.com