Life. Love. And all things Chicago.

JenChicago, NBC5 Street Team
If you have been checking out my last few posts, you may notice a theme… Live music and The Joynt. I moved here a year ago from Austin, TX (also known as the live music capital of the world) and maybe that has a little something to do with my love for live music. And undoubtedly, my love for dance, draws me to The Joynt. Now, I can break it down with the rest of them to a hot DJ (like Tim Spinnin’ Schommer that is guest DJ-ing tonight) but there is just something about a live performance. You know what I’m talking about. That sizzle in the air. The energy.

Jacqui Horton is my friend. And we became friends from me hearing her sing, totally falling in love with her as a person, and then asking her if she would like to be my friend. (She said “yes”.) Jacqui loves people, loves life and has a beautiful heart! I feel it when I talk to her, and I DEFINITELY feel it when she sings! I tell people she gives me goosebumps… and she does.

I shot this video at The Joynt last Saturday to give you a little taste of what you may not even know you are missing in your life! I make no apologies about the video, save this… There WERE a lot of people dancing around me… AND I was in heels. So cut me some slack on the shooting, eh?

This group of musicians work incredibly well together and as you can see, the crowd loves every second of it! Like any live performance, a recording isn’t quit the same as actually feeling the energy of the room. Luckily for you, you can check out the real deal on Saturday nights at The Joynt! You will have a good time because “We’re gonna boogie-oogie-oogie ’til we just can’t boogie NO MORE!”

Boogie-Oogie-Oogie at The Joynt! from Jen Knoedl on Vimeo.

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JenChicago, NBC5 Street Team

Any given night of the the week, The Joynt has something great going on and Monday nights are no exception. Last week, though still tired from the weekend, I went in to The Joynt thinking I would sit quietly and simply enjoy listening to one of my new favorite bands. Well, it wasn’t long at all before I had hopped up out of my seat an on to the dance floor! I couldn’t help it! Eyes Manouche will help you find energy you didn’t know you had!

From the website:

Gypsy jazz, aka Gypsy swing and jazz manouche (which means literally “traveler jazz”) is a Paris-based style of music that memorably blends traditional Roma (gypsy) forms (which are already a hodgepodge of various cultures) with elements of American jazz and swing. With its chugging rhythms, sweeping melodies and inventive improvised stretches, this enormously popular and profoundly influential instrumental tradition is as nearly synonymous with the French capitol as accordion-led bal musette, to which it also owes a considerable debt.

The guys are amazing and I managed to stop dancing long enough to record these little samples for y’all. Enjoy. I hope to see you at The Joynt on a Monday night!

Eyes Manouche (with drum solo) from Jen Knoedl on Vimeo.

Eyes Manouche (with dancers) from Jen Knoedl on Vimeo.

Adis Sirbubalo: Accordion, Nikola Dokic: Guitar, Robert Palos: Guitar, Cole Blodget: Bass, Daniel Crane: Drums

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JenChicago, NBC5 Street Team
If you are any kind of a night owl, like I am, you are looking for something great to do on any given night of the week. Well, I’ve got you covered for Tuesday. Fatt Finger is a great band playing at The Joynt every Tuesday night starting at 9:30! The perform originals and covers from many genres of rock. Come out for drink specials and a classic rockin’ good time! I’ll see you on the dance floor! (No cover.)

PS: Here’s a little sample song from last week:

Fatt Finger: Use me up! from Jen Knoedl on Vimeo.

JenChicago, NBC5 Street Team

I feel as though I have told this story a thousand times, and yet, it still makes me smile…

When I first moved to Chicago, I went out by myself… a lot. It was exciting to try new places without knowing anything about them in an effort to find “my spot” for “this or that”. One of the “spots” that needed to be found was a place for me to dance. Preferably to live music. I’m not much of a sit-and-drink kind of girl. I never really have been, unless I’m eating or watching a show. I like to keep moving. And by “moving”, I mostly mean “dance“. And the best kind of music to dance to is live music! Agreed? The energy of a great band moves me in a way that makes me feel as though I am part of the music. I love it.

So, I sauntered into The Joynt one day, a little less than a year ago, and it just felt “right”. I knew this was my spot. It is essentially four (5 in the summer) clubs in one! The Grand Bar, The Retro Club, The Lounge and The Outdoor Cafe are all fantastic rooms with different personalities for each one! And then there’s my personal favorite… The Swing Bar.

Anyway, long story short… I started shooting at The Joynt here and there until I finally asked Stan Wozniak and Pauly Babcock to let me play with an idea on the weekends. The video below is the first edition of a bi-monthly series. The premise is simple.

Everyone in Chicago has a story. The following are just a few… STORIES FROM THE JOYNT.

Stories from the Joynt: Friday, May 22, 2009 from Jen Knoedl on Vimeo.

Come see me at The Joynt on Friday and Saturday nights!

JenChicago, NBC5 Street Team

Tuesdays are fun again! Come to The Joynt Tuesday nights for a great time of live music! The guys go on at 9:30. No cover. Drink specials.

Fatt Finger. The remedy for Tuesday nights in Chicago. from Jen Knoedl on Vimeo.

JenChicago, NBC5 Street Team

Fatt Tuesdays at The Joynt with Fatt Finger! from Jen Knoedl on Vimeo.

Fatt Tuesdays at The Joynt!

$3 Domestics
$5 Rails
$5 Shots

JenChicago, NBC5 Street Team

As my “One year in Chicago” anniversary approaches, I am reminded of some of the first video I created.  I really like this one.  It was created at SOBcon08 for a videoblog contest that was sponsored by Utterz.  The challenge was to promote your blog (not the content of the blog) in under a minute. I didn’t know anything about editing at that time, so I knew I had to shoot it one cut. i didn’t even have the JenChicago idea fleshed out yet, so there is a different web address at the end. Which is also why this is it’s first appearance on this site. Ironic, since this blog is the “blah, blah, blah…” I speak of in the video.

It makes me smile to see this.  It reminds me how free and energetic I felt to be embarking on a whole new way of life!  I was going for my dream and had, seemingly, never felt so certain about anything.  I didn’t have any idea how I would do it, I just knew I had to… That’s a good feeling.

And I am TOTALLY my mom in this video!  I see her in me and I love it.  I love that she read to me.  I love that she fluctuated her voice to differentiate the characters and add excitement.  Once, she thought I could read before I really could. But I had just memorized her reading “The Monster At The End Of The Book” to me.  (Hmm… maybe that’s part of my love of movie quotes.)

PS: How funny that I didn’t even have much of a blog going at the time either. Hey… sometimes you gotta fake it til you make it.

As I got in the cab, I remember thinking “Whoa, these seats are dark.  Don’t forget to check to make sure you have it all when you get out.”  I was on my way to drop off the black bag (housing the wireless and very expensive microphone and system that a friend let me borrow) and a little gift for the loan. When I arrived at The Joynt, Friday night, I saw some people that I knew standing outside.  I excitedly told them “Hi!” as I paid the cab driver. I got out of the cab, went inside and up the stairs. As I started talking to Erich, my mouth dropped open in the realization that I had left the (over a thousand dollar) borrowed mic in the cab. I didn’t get the cab number or even the cab type. I’m not even sure about the color.  I thought the cab was white. One of the guys standing outside thought yellow.

I have every reason to believe that the microphone and wireless system will be returned to me and then to its rightful owner, Steve.  People are good.  Things always work out as they should.

I read once that the only thing missing from any situation is what you (meaning us) are not giving.  So, I am looking for what this experience may be trying to teach me. Then, the idea hit me that if there were one centralized place with pictures of most of the cabs in downtown Chicago (with contact information), others could use my research and effort for themselves.  Whether they needed to recover their misplaced items, send a nice note to the cab company, or any other reason one might want pictures of Chicago taxis.  Feel free to add to the list or suggest taxi cabs that I may have missed.

The main number Chicago Dispatcher: 773.348.8294

Yellow Cab: 312.829.4222 (TAXI CAB)

*Lost and Found is the same location for Yellow, Checker and Blue Diamond

Checker Cab

24/7 Taxi Association:  773. 878. 8294 (TAXI)

Flash Cab 773.561.4444 & Ace Cab 773-381-8000

Globe Taxi Association  773.725.6500 (main)

772.725.6200 x:13  (lost & found)

Choice Taxi Association  773.338.9502

Koam Taxi  Association  773.973.3535

American United: 772.248.7600

2353 W Belmont Ave

Chicago Carriage Cab 312.326.2221

City Service Taxi Association  773.907.0909

Harchand S. Dwaliwal Cab  773.759.4563 (sole owner)

Tuscon Cab Company  312.388.4656

Service Taxi  773.262.2163