A booming saxophone melody seeps onto Davis Street as Mike Finnerty leads his band, The Heat Merchants, in a smooth jazz set, performing next to a nearly empty jar of tips.
“Order another drink because the more you drink, the better we sound,” Finnerty joked.
All in all, it’s just another Monday night at Bill’s Blues.
The Evanston bar, 1029 Davis St., nearly lost its liquor license when a bartender served alcohol to a minor accompanied by undercover police in May. Evanston’s liquor control board decided July 2 to allow Bill’s Blues to keep its license. More recently, the bar faced legal troubles for failing to submit tax returns on time.
Bill Gilmore, who owns the bar, paid back the overdue taxes and said he hopes to become more organized with a new account and revamped business strategy.
“We made a mistake, and we suffered the consequences,” he said.
Despite the scare, the bar is here to stay. This bodes well for the survival of Evanston’s live music scene since Bill’s Blues is one of the few places that still hosts live music almost every day of the week.
“I think Bill’s Blues has the best live music on the North Shore,” Finnerty said. “This place is an important cultural institution, far more important than any sports bar or DJ place.”
The costs of live music have kept Bill’s Blues scrambling to pay its bills for the past six years due to a lack of visibility among NU students and Chicago tourists, Gilmore said.
“(Students’) overwhelming music of choice is indie, rock or hip-hop, and, if you play anything else, you do so at your economic peril,” he said.
But Gilmore keeps “slogging away at live music.” Before Bill’s Blues, he owned seven other bars in New York and Chicago, all of which featured live music.
“Live music is just a really moving experience, as opposed to putting on an iPod, which is certainly a lot cheaper, a lot easier and maybe even more popular,” Gilmore said.
Bill’s Blues also has a more diverse crowd than many other bars or restaurants, Gilmore said.
“You’ll see a lot of people of different ages and difference races strike up conversations because they care about the music,” he said. “I don’t see many other places in Evanston like that.”
Business has been slow recently, but patrons like Brian Mc Kiernan, 49, prefer the easygoing atmosphere.
“I like the fact that it’s not too crowded because I’m older and I don’t like the raucous, jam-packed sardine crowds anymore,” he said.
The cheap cover cost is also an incentive for Mc Kiernan. Many shows, including Finnerty’s jam session on Monday nights, are free.
“Even on its most expensive cover night, you’re still getting a bargain,” Finnerty said. “Try seeing these same people in Chicago. You will pay for parking alone in Chicago what you will pay for a full evening’s entertainment at Bill’s Blues.”
The bar tends to stay off the average student’s radar, said Gabe Jewell (Communication ’08), who was a former bartender at Bill’s Blues.
“Other bars have such student-promoted reputations, and they’re the ‘places to be’ on certain nights of the week,” Jewell said. “But for people who are looking for something different than the typical Monday or Thursday night, (Bill’s Blues) is worth exploring.”
Musician Tom Crivellone, who hosts Tuesday night jam sessions at Bill’s Blues, said students should consider blues music “another sample in the music buffet.”
“The difference between people’s perception of blues, which is old guys sitting on a porch in Mississippi, and a real blues show is surprising for a lot of students,” Crivellone said.
Finnerty encourages NU students to bring their instruments and play with his band during live jam sessions, and Bill’s Blues also has several open microphone nights throughout the week.
To attract a larger college crowd, Gilmore is working to make Bill’s Blues accessible to students 18-years-old and over for all shows.
“Maybe after you run to 20 beer blasts at the Keg, you’d try to come over here and see some blues, just to break the routine,” Gilmore said. “I would hope some percentage of NU students still have that curiosity.”
Many jazz musicians feel they’re living in a “cultural Dark Ages” due to the dying popularity of live music, Finnerty said.
“Do you only eat McDonald’s? Then why do you only listen to rap or hip-hop?” Finnerty said. “People are doing themselves a disservice by not being more universal in their music tastes.”
Bill’s Blues, along with the local jazz artists, needs the business of NU students, Finnerty said.
“Right now, the scene is right for a thriving arts and nightclub scene in Evanston if people would get the hell away from their damn computers and go out,” he said. “Without their support, places like Bill’s are going to be extinct.”
