Hot Times at Old Town

Appearing below are selections from the hard copy Hot Times. The objective is to highlight activities at the School and in the larger community, especially those featuring or of special interest to teachers and staff. Your suggestions are welcome. Enter a comment (under any item); it will come to me rather than automatically appearing.

Truth about Old Town Revealed!

Read this now before it disappears!

The truth is that the “Old Town School of Folk Music” is NOT a school, at least by most traditional measures. Sure, some people come in, take a class, and go home. But they’ve missed the clues about what is really going on here; the “school” is really a cult. « Read more »

Filed under: Interesting at Old Town by Skip | August 30, 2009 | Comments (1)

Jam with us or create one!

Everyone knows that the best way to keep improving is to keep playing — one great way to do that is to join one of the School’s jams: the Wednesday Mid-Day Jam, 12-2 pm or Thursdays, 7-10 pm.

For the past year, we’ve missed only one Wednesday of jamming; we even continue during periods between class sessions. Each Wednesday we meet in the lobby, then set up chairs on the main stage of the School (at Lincoln) and put up our Open Jam sign. We start about noon and end about 2 pm. The group is wonderfully varied in instrumentation: pretty much always guitar, banjo, harmonica, fiddle, and mandolin; sometimes bass and a wonderful tapdancer! People suggest songs in turn, often but not always from the songbook; we also do some fiddle tunes (calling out the chords when needed). If you’re free during the day, come on by! (No need to be an Old Town School student; everyone is welcome). A similar jam is held on Thursday evenings: same place, on the main stage of the school. « Read more »

Filed under: Interesting at Old Town by Skip | August 30, 2009 | Comments (0)

The Stuff of Heaven

The Stuff of Heaven

OK, I work at the School for music, but that’s not what I’m talking about here. Man cannot live my music alone. Nor can we be satisfied, week after week, by the pretty good food served at our nearby restaurants, or even the wonderful but limited menu at our own Cafe.

Ever think of having a dinner comprised entirely of bread? Let’s not be picky about it — what about having a lunch of bread? Some folks say bread is the staff of life, but how about calling it the stuff of heaven?

The need overtook us recently, so we went to our favorite place to indulge. If your tastes incline to Indian cuisine – and its breads – head over to the Bombay Kabab House, 1901 W. Howard St. This wonderful restaurant ranks with very good restaurants on Devon Avenue – but surpasses them by offering sixteen “Tandoori breads,” including offerings like bhatoora (leavened, fermented bread fried in hot oil), onion kulcha (stuffed with onion and fresh coriander), a nan stuffed with pineapple, cherries, and walnuts, and a “special bread” stuffed with nuts and raisins. A basket of 6 varieties is $12.95. Very nice folks, wonderful food including a luncheon buffet daily, 11:30 am – 3 pm, and dinner buffet Monday-Thursday, 6 pm-9:30 pm.

Since we’d last visited, they’ve expanded the buffet — even the lunch buffet — by a few items, including a yogurt/bread/ potato/pea appetizer and a third dessert. For the future, I have my eye on their Chef’s Special “Tandoori Mix Grilled” which includes tandoori shrimp, tandoori chicken, chickern malai kaba and Bombay lamb boti kabab served with dal makhani nan and rice ($16.95). Wow.

Hope you’ll the Bombay Kabab House a try — they seem to be doing ok, but in this economy, who knows? The best way to keep them with us is to help them thrive! (I’ll continue to do my part!)

Filed under: Interesting dining by Skip | August 29, 2009 | Comments (0)

Old Town Students In Musical Comedy

They rocked years ago — and rock again today!

That’s the subject of “The Dreamers,” a new, original one-act musical comedy about a band of aging rockers aspiring to the big time. The show features several current and past Old Town School students: Steve Bishop, Larry Hazard, Norm Kantor, Bill Lange, Marge Weber, Jim Regan, and Donna Steele, All are products of the School’s music programs — which goes to show how those hours of developing skills can pay off. (Being a band member is fun, but the thrill of the footlights is a special joy!)

“The Dreamers” will be presented at the Apollo Theater in October. It’s a production of Time of Your Life players, directed by Avrum Krause and underwritten by the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, the Illinois Arts Council, the Illinois Humanities Council, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Illinois General Assembly. The Time of Your Life Players is a respected theater group that has produced shows for the past several years. See www.timeofyourlifeplayers.com .

The Apollo Theater is at 2540 North Lincoln Avenue. Shows will be every Wednesday and Friday at 2 pm, October 7th through 30th. For Tickets: Call the Apollo Theater box office at 773-935-6100 or their website: www.apollochicago.com.

Filed under: Interesting elsewhere by Skip | August 13, 2009 | Comments (0)