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Honky-Tonkin' In the Windy City

A guide to Chicago's country scene.

Wednesday Jun 22, 2005.     By Jacob Knabb

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Chicago's got a lot more country to offer than you'd expect north of the Mason-Dixie line. Even if it is the birthplace of modern architecture, Chicago blues and post-rock, there's still room for a honky-tonk or two. Beyond the alt-country legends of the '90s, there are amazing bands playing authentic country today, outlaw or otherwise. So bust through the following list to top off your dip into the sounds of Music City as done by the Windy City.

Bloodshot Records
With a quote from H.L. Mencken explaining that "there comes a time when every man feels the urge to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag and start slitting thoats," and the stated desire to see average Americans, "petitioning to get Johnny Cash and Joey Ramone's faces carved into Mount Rushmore," Bloodshot Records champions "a vibrant and ever-changing cross-pollination between the spirit and sound of punk and straight up rock and roll with the craft and tradition of country, rockabilly and bluegrass—all wrapped up with a general disdain for the confinements of mainstream taste making and the feverish desire to hyper-categorize all types of music."

All that sounds pretty great, but the music sounds even better. To put things in perspective, country punk legends The Mekons, and the son of country legend Bobby Bare, musicians who have the world of independent record labels at their feet, release their albums on Bloodshot.

The artists include local bluesmen who play unamplified blues bluebird-style, British strummers with heartland tunes to rock your sweetheart to sleep by, raw bones outfits tough enough to tip back the tequila to and a couple of too-good one-man bands. Bloodshot's bands are even better live, and the label will tell you as much. If you're looking for new country, with the kind of authenticity lacking from mainstream options, Bloodshot is the label for you. Check its Web site to buy CDs and check for upcoming shows.

Horseshoe Thursdays
If cans of Lone Star and bowls of mac & cheese ain't country, you can kiss Hank Jr's ass. But the macaroni's better. The Horseshoe, located on the border of Lakeview and Uptown right off the Irving Park Red Line, has fully dedicated itself to the country lifestyle. It's got monster trucks, exotic dancers and rodeo on the televisions. The jukebox, though filled to the brim with the honky-tonk soundtrack to your night, is useless on Thursdays, as the Horseshoe wheels out a weekly performance by its house band, a job currently held by Fulton County Line.

Expect an array of country music styles including quick-beat swing country tunes, two-steppin' cry-in-your-beer classics and everything in between. The band's favored covers include songs by Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and Wayne 'The Train' Hancock, with a small number of originals to boot. After Fulton County steps out, the Outlaw Family Band will take over Thursday nights at the Horseshoe, which brings a certain blend of "rock and roll bluegrass," or as the banjo player puts it, "kick ass country." Both are dynamic performers, and with a can of cold Lone Star and a gut full of macaroni and cheese, you'll no doubt agree.

4115 N Lincoln; (773) 549-9292; admission is free. Thursdays at 9 p.m.; $3 Lone Star cans and $2 bowls of macaroni and cheese. Fulton County Line thru July 7; Outlaw Family Band July 8–open end.

Carol's Pub As CenterStage's own Adam Payne notes, "Carol's is a bar for rowdy drinking and good country music. It's not party to the new pop-country Grammy-oriented songs. The music you'll hear at Carol's is authentic, genuine country and honky tonk. As are the staff and crowd."

Karaoke on Thursday is certainly a highlight, and the song-list features more than the obligatory Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton duets you've come to expect. The house band on Wednesdays is amazing, and The Diamondbacks grease up their gear and jam all weekend. The crowd is diverse and mostly seedy, though fights are few and far between. The beer is cheap, especially on Mondays, when bottles are $1.25 and drafts are 75 cents. Nestled just south of Andersonville, across the street from a bank, the neighborhood is safe and most accessible from the Clark bus.

4659 N. Clark; (773) 334-2402; admission is Free. Music at 9 PM. Fridays through Sundays, Diamondback.

Empty Bottle Friday Cocktails & Sinful Sundays
According to Country Music Television's Web site, "The Hoyle Brothers are a honky-tonk country band based in Chicago. Founded by Jacque Judy, aka Jack Hoyle, the Hoyle Brothers wanted to play the kind of music they heard as kids on AM radios." Hoyle grew up in DeKalb, Illinois, but relocated to Chicago after living in Tucson for a while. Their dedication to hard country, and the shuffle stylings of Ray Price, have made them the best live country act in the city.

At 6-feet 4-inches, Jack Hoyle towers over the audience, commanding attention. But, as the saying goes, Jack Hoyle's a gentle giant, and with his near-encyclopedic knowledge of country music and growly vocals, the front man is hell-bent on making sure his audience has an evening worth writing home about. And it's for this reason that the weekly shows at The Empty Bottle draw a large crowd week in and week out-a fact the band appreciates. "Hey, there's a lot of other stuff happening in Chicago on a Friday at 5:30 p.m., but people come to see us, and that means a lot to the band." The Hoyle Brothers play its sets with this in mind, and seemingly never have an off night. Though the Bottle has become Chicago's CBGBs for the 2000s, country fans shouldn't be scared off by its indie-creds. The Bottle is very inviting, whether you're sporting Chucks or Dexters along with your western wear. And no matter what kind of footwear covers your feet, the Hoyles will make certain you shake them.

1035 N. Western; (773) 276-3600; no cover for The Hoyle Brothers shows, although those wanting to stay for the evening performances may have to pay for the performers.