Joe's-A-Palooza (2012)

This last weekend at Joe's Bar was like this year's second Lollapalooza.  It was an over-the-top smorgasbord of interwoven and overlapping acts and concerts.  Let's just say I am STILL worn out!  The most wonderful aspect was that even though not every show was AT Joe's Bar...Joe's was still a huge part of everything that was going on.

Here's how the craziness began: November 29th witnessed a mass immigration of country artists to our fair city of Chicago.  They were scattered everywhere... from State Street to Weed Street.  My first stop along this musical journey was the House of Blues for The Florida Georgia Line, Love and Theft, and Jake Owen concerts.  Love and Theft's Eric and Stephen are good friends, along with Eric's beautiful wife, Emily, so we watched the rapid fire shows from the artist's balcony.  Unfortunately, I had missed Florida Georgia Line's energetic performance at Joe's in September, so it was amazing to finally see them live.  It's incredible to see the reaction the crowd has every time "Cruise" is performed.  I had to sneak out of this show early as I needed to rush over to Joe's to interview Jerrod Niemann as well as host the live streaming of his concert.  This was so cool, as this type of broadcast, using Laplive.TV, hadn't been done before at Joe's and it was a monstrous production. Over 3,000 fans around the country got to watch the show live at Joe's thanks to the live streaming.  Jerrod was thrilled to be able to "bring Joe's TO all of his fans."  You can catch the rest of our discussion/interview here. Jerrod's show was non-stop action with an entire horns section and back to back crowd pleasing hits.  He has such a wonderful demeanor and stage presence, he makes every audience member feel like a family member and an integral part of the show.  The highlight for me was his beautiful ballad, What Do You Want, which was also co-written by a dear friend, Rachel Bradshaw.  Jerrod's deep and powerful voice had the audience captivated for the duration of the show but that song was on a whole different level.

The next day, Friday, was truly epic.  If you were at Joe's, you witnessed the intensity first hand.  Once again, I ventured to House of Blues for the 2nd performance of Florida Georgia Line, Love and Theft, and Jake Owen.  After the show I had to round up the troops and help get all the boys over to Joe's so they could support their friend, Chase Rice, who was performing his first sold out show.  Chase is an interesting guy.  On the outside, he seems to be a tall, handsome, ummm jock?  But he's got so much more going on than that.  This guy has done it all, and all by the young age of 27.  We had a really fun interview... you can watch it here.  When Chase took the stage, he really rocked it... of course, the ladies were ecstatic, but he really was pulling the guys in too... as they could all relate to his "fun time"  music.  Chase called up buddy Stephen Barker Liles (Love and Theft) to jam with him for one song, yet the "piece de resistance" was during the encore performance.  Chase sneaked off stage and was scrambling upstairs to gather all his fellow songwriters and performers for one last colossal track.  He grabbed Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line, and Jesse Rice (co-writer).  They are the conglomeration responsible for the current number one song in country, Cruise.  No one  at Joe's had ever seen a crowd go so crazy before... especially during the last chorus of "In this brand new Chevy with a lift kit... would look a HELL OF A LOT BETTER WITH YOU UP IN IT!"

Fortunately, for those of you who missed any of these shows, you can be confident all of the artists will be back in 2013.  There's already an incredible line up that's in place for January and February.  Check it out here and hope to see y'all soon at a show soon!! Stay tuned... I'm going to tell you about my last crazy trip to Nashville and review Florida Georgia Line's new chart topping album, Here's to the Good Times.

Oyster Fest And Lee Brice (2012)

When you think of Oysters, do you also think of Country Music?  No? Well in Chicago, we do.  They go hand in hand just like Shaw’s Crab House and Joe’s Bar go hand in hand.  Last week, these two institutions joined forces to put on one hell of an event in River North.  A massive parking lot was transformed and packed full of 4,000 attendees who were visibly hungry for two things… delicious oysters and live country music. Lettuce Entertain You supplied all types of delectable goodies, but their oysters stole the show.  Actually, the oysters shared the spotlight with County Music star Lee Brice.  I’ve met Lee before and we have a ton of mutual friends, so it was a good ol’ time catching up with him on his tour bus before he took the stage. We got to chat about his recent #1 hit and his coveted CMA Award nomination for Best New Artist.  You can catch the entire interview by clicking here.

The crowd seemed to forget how cold this October night was once Lee commanded the stage.  His bold performance, powerful melodies, and poignant yet fun lyrics captivated the audience.  He rocked through his biggest hits:  Hard To Love, A Woman Like You, Love Like Crazy, as well as the fun-time anthem, Beer.   He also surprised me by performing "Crazy Girl."  This was a recent #1 hit by Eli Young Band and one of my favorite songs because of its haunting beauty… I had no idea that it was Lee who penned it... almost a decade ago for an ex-girlfriend.  The outdoor festivities were immensely successful… but we all know the fun couldn't stop there.  The die-hard music fans retreated back to Joe’s for the after party.  Tyler Farr performed to an exuberant crowd and Lee sneaked back on stage for an impromptu performance of MY REQUEST: More Than A Memory!!  Another painfully gorgeous remnant of his songwriting days… which happened to be a #1 hit for an obscure and up-and-coming artist, Garth Brooks. :-)  It's always a pleasure when Lee or any of his buddies (Jerrod Niemann, Jamey Johnson, Randy Houser, Jake Owen) visit Joe's.  They're a blast, yet so down-to-earth and easy going.  Can't wait to see when some of the other guys will be coming back... StayTuned!!

Chicago Vs. Country Music???? (2012)

Chicago’s relationship with country music is quite an enigma.  Depending on where you are, and with whom, you will either discover that Chicago is the next best thing since Nashville….or you’ll hear crickets when you ask, “Hey, have you heard of  Jason Aldean?!”  For me, personally, I’ve been a country fan as long as I can remember…even growing up in Lake View.  Shockingly, my Sicilian immigrant father got me hooked on Waylon, Willie, Conway, The Gatlin Brothers, and the Oak Ridge Boys before I could even walk.  I think the first song I learned when I was two was, “Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys.”

Yet today, I have my friends divided into two groups: My country friends, and my non-country friends.  I know when I’m with my “country friends” I can put on the most obscure Garth Brooks, or the newest hit from Little Big Town, and they’ll know every word and turn whatever venue we’re at into our own little honky-tonk.  I also know when I’m with my “non-country friends”  I better not even mention how excited I am for the upcoming Zac Brown Band show, or god forbid play any Eric Church for them on my iPod.  I will, without a doubt, get the “How can you listen to that stuff?” or “Turn that redneck music off!!”

I believe this happens because in Chicago, it’s easy to go your entire life and not necessarily be exposed to country music.  This would NOT happen if you grew up or lived in the South.  You may not be country’s biggest fan, but you will damn sure be familiar with the genre.  In the Windy City, there are no fair-weather country fans.  I’ve noticed you’re either a “die-hard” or a “hater”.  Now, I’ve also noticed that the “haters” are people who just haven’t given country a chance.  Almost every “hater” I’ve encountered can easily be converted into a “die-hard” by listening to a few key crossover artists who can gingerly swing them over into the country-friendly realm.

Once you become a fan of country, Chicago is an amazing place to be.  We have the country’s BIGGEST country music radio station inUS99.5 (in terms of listenership…quite the accomplishment).  We are also a mega-hub for every country artist to appear… major and minor alike.  This is why our beloved Joe’s Bar is such a phenomenon.  It gives the “die-hards” a place to see their favorite artists up close and personal, yet also provides chance to experience up and coming artists.  It’s also the perfect venue for a “die-hard” to bring a “hater” friend for a non-threatening and eye-opening introduction to country music.  There is NO way the non-country lover will leave a show at Joe’s and say they didn’t have a blast and a new found appreciation for the genre they’ve been shying away from.

Clearly, the people at Joe’s, US99, and myself (wow, I’m in good company) have made it our mission to bring country music to the masses and to the forefront of our fair city.  It is a big undertaking, but fortunately, the music speaks for itself and does most of the work.  However, there is no better feeling of accomplishment than turning a “hater” into a “die-hard.”