Dave Chamberlain

Tommy Nevin's Pub, formerly known as Nevin's Live and Evanston's only legitimate club for popular music, has changed directions and eliminated, or at least altered, the music-programming experiment that it has been trying for the last couple years.

An article in last week's Evanston Review noted that Chris Anderson, Nevin's talent buyer since May 2003, has departed, which Anderson confirms. Part of an admittedly limited three-headed live-music monster in Evanston (alongside Pete Miller's, which focuses on jazz, and Bill's Blues Bar, which focuses on blues), Nevin's has opted out of live-music programming in favor of becoming a sports bar. An ad in the same Evanston Review touted the bar's availability of all DirectTV sport packages, as well as its High Definition broadcasts. Despite the advertisement, Nevin's owner Steve Cin told the Evanston Review that it will continue to program live music. The switchover, or perceived switchover, was apparent to Anderson last July when the bar closed for renovations. Moreover, after Anderson spoke to the Evanston Review, he was released as both a talent buyer and bartender.

Though Nevin's proximity to Northwestern University would seem to make it a boon for live music, Anderson notes that it never really worked out that way. "The only time Northwestern students came out," he says, "is when an NU band played there." That, and its location next to a city teeming with live music venues, failed to make the bar a viable player in the Chicago area. Despite this, Anderson notes that there was success. "What was doing really well were the all-ages punk and ska shows, that drew from the North Shore area." Regardless, it wasn't enough to keep Nevin's devoted to live music.

Anderson notes that starting a popular music venue in Evanston was a greater challenge than just securing Northwestern students, which obviously never happened. "Nevin's was a project in creating a scene, and to do that correctly you need time. I think we were just getting to the point where people in the area--not necessarily students, but Evanston residents--were just starting to take us seriously and starting to take notice of what we were doing. The thought that we drew from Northwestern was a misconception. A lot of bands would come to play thinking that since it was close to a college, they'd get a good draw. But realistically, we had a better draw from Loyola."

Though Nevin's still purports to be a venue for live music, its newly announced sports-bar leanings gives the impression that the music will be limited. As for Anderson, after having struggled behind the geographical eightball that was Nevin's, he's already started his own talent-buying company along with partner Steve Chesney: Last Alley Productions hosts its debut show featuring The Webstirs, November 24 at Gunther Murphy's.

Shorts:

A number of local records have come out in the last two months or so. The Del Psychos "The Fajita Monologues" covers sixties' psychedelic bases a la the various "Nuggets" releases. They amp up the rocker factor once, on "Millennium," but regardless the majority of the record--despite able execution--sounds like it's been done before... A pair of country or country-related records dispel the notion that the genre's resurgence has taken a step back. The Hoyle Brothers, they of the free after-work Empty Bottle shows, take the honky-tonk as a base and give it an evenhanded rural/trucker treatment on "Back to the Door." Clichéd country titles though they may be, tracks like "Got Hammered" and "Cry If You Want To" won't disappoint any country fan...A little closer to flashback country, The Gin Palace Jesters "Honkeytonk Fools" runs along the lines of country revivalists BR5-49 or Ray Condo and the Ricochets. Songs are relatively short (all fifteen of them) and extremely catchy, and hit the nail on the honkeytonk head in that many could be mistaken for very early rock `n' roll. And across the board, the band's vocals (provided by all four members, variously) are first rate...Finally, due for release next week comes the third record from my nomination for the next Rise Against (i.e., next local under-appreciated punk-rock band to catch some major-label cash), The Methadones. Their "Not Economically Viable" is a bombastic, melody-driven rock record in the tradition of South Side punk rock, drawing more from Naked Raygun than The Ramones. The band's ability to write giant, meaty hooks astounded me on their last record, "Career Objective," and it hasn't changed a bit this time around.

(2004-10-20)

Also by Dave Chamberlain

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Rock Tip of the Week
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Raw Material
(2004-08-31)

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