You thought you were just starting the weekend early with a strong drink at the off-the-path corner bar in greater Logan Square. Little did you know this was just the right Thursday—a first or third—to stumble into the Church of Downward Transcendence. Leave it to the bar that has been making classic cocktails for years before the trend to perfect the recipe for the sacrament: one part virtuosic arranging and piano accompaniment by Mucca Pazza alum Ronnie Kuller; one part Tom Musick at the end of the bar, in black suit and white shirt, pouring his soul into a microphone and a mystery potion in his stemmed glass; add a dash of foot-pedal-controlled spotlight and you have the most intoxicating brew that will, over the lilt of a waltz or raised eyebrow of a tango, flash before your eyes every heartbreak, every lost dream, every unconsummated lust—universes imagined and lost on a barstool. Tom and Ronnie’s semi-monthly cabaret-inspired performance is a Chicago gem; Tom’s lyrics have the wit—we do not exaggerate—of Cole Porter, his delivery the rasp of Tom Waits and the exquisite pain of Billie Holiday. All for the pass of a well-worn hat. (Sharon Hoyer) 3659 W. Armitage, 773.384.0707
