Birthday Jams

I was in a band in Chicago called No Goodbye, and we even had shows in March and in June when I would stop back in Chicago during my travels this year. There were only two of us in this band - myself and a guy named Buda. Unfortunately Buda moved to Michigan in the last few months, so our merry band is no longer. Luckily I kept in touch with Lee, who practiced in a studio across the hall from where No Goodbye practiced, and so when I got back to town we setup a jam session for my birthday. There is nothing I would rather be doing on my birthday than playing music, and Lee is an extremely great drummer, bassist, and guitarist, so I was excited to get in and jam. Even better, Lee invited a girl who he's been playing with named Melissa, and we had an AMAZING jam session. Wow. Felt so great to be playing again with like-minded musicians. What a treat. We jammed for a few hours and then Lee joined me and two other friends of mine (Stewart and Tate) for dinner at Shaw's Crab House. Such great food! And the best part of Shaw's is that they always have live music playing in their bar, so it was nice to eat and hear more music. After dinner Lee carried on with me for one more drink, this time with an old friend from my SF days - Kirsten. Great to catch up with her and hear about her new life in Columbus, Ohio, where she recently moved with her husband. Then after a drink with Kirsten and Lee, I continued on to another bar, where I was meeting a few other friends. Blue Line Lounge and Grill is one of my favorite places in Wicker Park, where I lived for a year, and I met up with my buddies Eugene, Graham, and Jay. Ironically and luckily, my friend Maggie was having her work holiday party at Blue Line, so we had some drinks with her as well. So great to catch up with my friends on my special day. After a few drinks we headed across the street to a small dance club I had never seen or been to before. So great - felt like a speakeasy of sorts. And sadly I forgot the name of the place, so I can't even share that. Anyway, we hung at the speakeasy for a bit, watching a hilarious burlesque show, dancing, and laughing. I ended the night relatively early, but wow what a great way to come back home. 

Lee - a masterful drummer, bassist, and guitarist. Excited to start up a new band with him.