If you are the type of person that is turned off by the occassional wobbly bar stool, a table so slim that it can only hold a line of single paper plates that your food is served on, and having to go to the rear of the bar to order and pick up said food....please stop reading this and never go to this place. You will be severly disappointed.
HOWEVER, if you are a blues lover that understands that these things add character to a place...you definitely need to go to The Kingston Mines Blues Bar when in Chicago. This place is fantastic. It has everything you need in a blues bar: Good food, cheap beer, and GREAT live music!
I can understand why I read some negative reviews of this place before I ventured in. Snobby types that expect a quaint evening with classy dining are idiots if they expect that in a real American joint like this...and screw them for it! Kingston Mines was everything I wanted to believe a real deal Chicago blues bar was and more!
On Monday night, my girlfriend and I arrived at 8:30 and got a bucket of beer...like 15 bucks for a bucket of 6. The place is divided by a wall in the middle, with the bar lining either side. At the front of each "room," is a stage. The first band, J.W. Williams, went on at 9:30 at which time we moved to the rightside room to watch/hear. J.W. Williams was a four part band...lead singer/bassist, two guitars, and drums. They kicked major ass to say the least. The vocals went from bassy to high screams...a range that fit perfectly with there Paul Butterfield style blues. They played everything from Eric Clapton covers to goosebump raising originals.
So, J.W. & company played for like an hour and then stopped for a break. Not a minute later, Carl Weathersby started up back in the other room. So we headed back to our spot at the first bar. Carl Weathersby was also a four part band: Vocalist/lead guitarist, bass, keyboardist, and drummer. The leadman didn't dress like a bluesman...white guy with a buzzed head, bunch of earrings and a baseball jersey with saggy jeans...but he for damn sure sounded like one! His voice was a cross between Stevie Ray Vaughn and Bob Seger if I had to make a "cross between."
Carl Weathersby continued to rock our asses off as we had more cheap beer and a kick ass pulled pork sandwich. I forewent the temptation of their famous hot wings as I had to ride a train the next day back to St. Louis, so I figured I'd spare my fellow passengers the inevitable...you know. After another hour Weathersby stopped for a break at which point J.W. struck up again.
This hourly exchange went on the rest of the night. We left around 1am so we could have a few hours of sleep before catching our early train. I'd have to say that the two highlights of the night were from JW. The first was the insane drum solo. I've been to a LOT of shows and heard a LOT of drum solos...but this definitely topped the list! The other was when they invited a few random Japanese chicks up on stage that were just there drinking and dancing. It was one of those "oh my God, this is not going to go well" moments. Turned out...THESE CHICKS WERE RIDICULOUSLY TALENTED!!! The one who sang had a freakin' Susan Tedeschi voice! And the two other knew how to play basic stuff on drums and the bass. The entire place was jaw dropped. I thought it may have been a setup...like they brought in ringers or something. But no, we were assured that this was totally random.
In summation, if you are in Chicago and want a real midwest blues experience along with some hot wings and bbq, you simply must stop by Kingston Mines.
