yankee

Cool! Wait until you get at least through with guitar 3 and are comfortable with bar chords and have a basic grasp of fingerboard theory. Otherwise, you'd be totally lost. But with guitar 1 under your belt, you're on your way! You'll be able to strum some of the basic Wilco tunes in no time!

It's gonna be packed with Wilco fans!

I've had a couple of conversations with him. He was totally cool and interesting. I'm sure I babbled like a fool, but he was really nice and funny. The crazy thing was, the second time I met him, I introduced myself and he said, "Sure, I remember you." (Meaning he remembered me from a previous living room show I assume.) I've talked to John too. At first he seemed just slightly bothered when I went to say hi to him after an Autumn Defense gig (he was with friends), but he lit up with I asked about the cool bass he'd been playing and told me about the instrument. Anyway, just be polit

Milk and Honey is good and very busy on weekends. There are two. The one on Division is more of a sit down place with a bigger menu. The one on Damen near the Damen blue line stop is more like a place to grab a coffee and a muffin. The baked goods aren't exactly cheap (probably a bit more expensive than the stuff at the Starbucks across the street) but they are REALLY good! The place on Division would be a great brunch spot, if you don't mind waiting for a table. They have good sandwiches. I wouldn't say it's cheap (sandwiches run $7 to $8.50 or so) but it won't break the bank. Sinc

I'll go back and listen to those. I'm a lot more familiar with Wilco stuff than the UT stuff. When I do listen to UT, I find that my favorite tunes are all Jeff's tunes.

I think the only UT songs we've done are Acuff-Rose, New Madrid and We've Been Had. Although some of the ensemble members know how to play Gun and a bunch of other UT songs. We've played Just a Kid at the Old Town School, and we tried Hey Chicken, but never quite got the rhythm right on that one. The ensemble has now gone through every regular Wilco album, and performed them all. With each album, the material gets more challenging!

I borrowed a copy from a friend just to check it out. I play piano, and I don't think it's any more useful for piano than it is for guitar. It's just the basic melody and some chords. It's nothing like the keyboard parts on the actual songs. At best, I'd say the book can get you started on figuring out the songs. But the tabs and chord sheets I've seen people post on this site are generally better that what you'd get in the book. I tend to just use the chord sheets as a guide, then listen to the recordings a million times and try to pick out what the keys are doing.

I've heard of drop D and open G tunings, but what's this tuning? And what song is it used for?

I'm glad the new guys could get a chance! Looks like you all had a blast! I feel lucky I've been able to do it twice!

has anyone tried green zebra? i hear that's a high end veggie place?

yep, substituting root beer, diet coke, or whatever, for beer in any of the recommended steps is totally acceptable. chisoxjtrain boiled it down just right. sign up, bring some enthusiasm for the tunes, and play well with others, and you'll be a regular member of the crew before you know it. oh, i'd only add that you've gotta be able to play an instrument.

haven't been to the chicago diner in years, but recall it being OK. the main appeal was the all veggie menu. blind faith cafe in evanston is good, but it's in evanston (first suburb directly north of the city). heartland cafe has basic, but tasty vegan options, but again, pretty far north (almost to evanston) i really loved amitabul (veggie and vegan korean) when they were on southport, but haven't been since they moved way out to the northwest side of the city. don't even know if they survived out there. i love the all veggie indian places, but there, the vegan thing is gonna be a problem.

I was at the last 2 Wilco Ensemble living room shows but not this most recent one. I figured it was time to let some of the new ensemble members get the chance, so I joined several other ensemble "old-timers" who gave up their spots to make room for the newbies. (There's a limit of 30 people for these things.) And yes, while I feel it was the right thing to do, it was a painful decision. Anyway, we have a professional AV guy in our group, an independent film maker, and a sound technician so we're lucky to have a great record of the events, edited beautifully and everything. But

Yeah, those are some STRONG beers. Gotta be careful with those.

I second those recommendations. Reza's and Andie's on Clark near Foster are also great for middle eastern food and have nice vegetarian combo meals. MMMmmmmmmm Hop Leaf is one of my 2 favorite Chicago bars for beer selection. The other one is The Map Room on Armitage in Bucktown. Oh, and in case you care, all Chicago bars are now smoke-free! (Smoke makes my head hurt.)

Yep, Ear Wax Cafe is still there. I work right around the corner and had the black bean burger a couple of weeks ago. Comes with avacado and salsa on top. YUM.

I've played it live with Jeff. A group of us played it with him at one of the living room shows last year. It was a blast, and Jeff was totally getting into it. We had lots of pedals and noise. Good times!

I read somewhere that Jeff likes Tank Sushi on Lincoln Ave. right next to the Old Town School of Folk Music! I'd say it's not the best sushi in the city, but it is good, and the staff is friendly. I'd agree with the Sushi Wabi recommendation. It's delicious, and the place feels like a nightclub inside. I lived in Japan for a couple of years, so I also like the old school stuff. (You wouldn't see a California roll or a salmon and cream cheese roll in Japan.) My favorite Japanese restaurant in the city is Itto Sushi on Halsted in Lincoln Park (across from Guitar Center). It's more lik

I don't eat red meat, but was dragged along for a friend's birthday once. I did the salad bar only option (still $35 or something like that), and had more than enough tasty stuff to choose from. The meat did look excellent if you're a carnivore, and my meat-lover friends had fun trying lots of different things. But I'd say you've got to plan on eating a LOT of food to get your money's worth at this place--be ready to go all Homer Simpson on the meat, and don't fill up on cheap stuff like bread. However, if you don't have a huge appetite, you could probably get your fill elsewhere for l

Any favorite types of food that you like or a general budget? I tons of recommendations but don't know where to begin.

Totally. No need to be afraid in Uptown, just use reasonable precautions. The area is interesting and diverse. And there's plenty of good Asian food. Furama just north on Broadway has good Dim Sum at brunch/lunch time. The places around Argyle and Broadway offer lots of southeast Asian options. And if you feel like venturing even a little farther north, head to my hood, Rogers Park (Oh yeah! What up in the RP???!!!) Walk along Devon around Devon and Western and you'll have your pick of Indian and Pakistani restaurants. YUMMMM! My favorites: Udupi Palace 2543 W. Devon Ave. All

Yes, I think we locals are trying to say that the single room occupancy hotels near the Riv are used mainly by people who would otherwise be in homeless shelters. The SROs aren't for tourists or travelers. People LIVE there, and some of the residents are probably homeless between their stays at the SROs. Or they're in jail. Or they're in a mental institution. If that's not your scene, definitely stay somewhere else. And really, I don't know of any decent, normal hotels in the area immediately around the Riv. If you're really on the cheap, a youth hostel would be a better, cleane

true, but who knows what it will be like in Feb.

I hope you have fun and won't be too put off by our Feb. weather. That's the time of year I always start to think about moving someplace warmer. then spring comes just in time and Chicago is awesome again.

Yep. I would tend to park my car in the West Loop, check the signs carefully, and maybe stop back once during the week to check on it or move it. However, before taking my advice, you might want to note that I have a 1995 Accord that has been brought back from the brink of "totaled" 5 times. (This car has been rear-ended twice, sideswiped by a crazy driver in a big van, backed into at a red light by a driver who didn't realize she was in reverse, and last but not least, it was stolen, smashed up in a chase with police, then recovered.) It looks rough, but runs well. So I really don't