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Blues Bar Jazzes Up
Evanston
BILL'S BRINGS FRESH BREATH TO NIGHTLIFE |
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By Sam
Shapiro
The first time I was at Bill’s Blues Bar, Matthew Skoller, a harmonica
player, told the audience something that got me hooked on the place. He
said, “Sometimes you enter a room, and, fuck, you just feel it man.
That’s what it’s like here at Bill’s.”
I am not a blues afficionado, so when someone who’s been playing the
blues his entire life says he likes the vibe of a place, I am inclined
to listen. I’ve been going to Bill’s pretty regularly since then, and I
think Skoller was on to something. The place is good.
Bill’s is a very small and unassuming bar, located at 1029 Davis St.,
just a few doors down from Evanston 1st Liquors, and it features live
music 365 days a year. Inside, the entire place is very long and narrow
– it’s only slightly wider than a dorm room. The bar is located along
one wall, while the rest of the space is filled with small, two-person
tables. The stage butts up against the front window facing Davis
Street. The high ceiling makes for some good acoustics. And the
colorful paintings of musicians hung throughout the room give the place
a nice ambiance.
The atmosphere at Bill’s, though, is what sets it apart from Evanston’s
other late-night establishments. In the first place, Bill’s is by no
means an NU bar. So don’t go there expecting to see random faces from
class or the guy you kissed at the Deuce last week. The people at
Bill’s are older than college-age, and you can tell that a lot of them
have spent a good portion of their lives listening to the blues. But
what the hell else would you want in a blues bar? It’s this crowd that
gives Bill’s its feeling of authenticity. It’s this crowd that makes
you feel like you are really listening to the blues, not some
half-assed suburban reproduction.
But for those who are not enticed by the idea of listening to the blues
with some different kinds of people, take comfort in the fact that you
still can get trashed at Bill’s. They have a full bar, and they have a
very friendly staff of waiters and bartenders who aren’t afraid to give
away the occasional free shot here and there. They also serve $2 Bud
Light drafts from Sunday through Thursday, and they serve sandwiches
from Hecky’s BBQ to satisfy all of your alcohol-related eating needs.
Bill’s can get crowded, though, especially on Friday and Saturday
nights. My advice would be to go on a weeknight, when there is not much
going on around campus. And hit up Bill’s on Tuesday nights for
open-mic sessions – you might just see a fellow student wailing a blues
riff on stage with the house band.
Take it from me, as someone who, after four years, has grown more than
a little tired of the typical The Keg-1800 Club-Deuce night: Regardless
of when you go, Bill’s is a great place to hang out with friends and
listen to the music that made Chicago famous.
Sam Shapiro, who covers music the world over for NUcomment.com, can be
contacted at s-shapiro1@northwestern.edu
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