The city's craziest jukebox can be found at Zum Deutschen Eck,2924 N. Southport (525-8389). Only in the squeaky clean Bavarianlodge setting around the bar at the Zum can you listen to "HotPretzels" by Bernie Wyte and His Polka Band followed by "To All theGirls I've Loved Before" by Willie Nelson and Julio Iglesias. If youwant to stop Moammar Khadafy dead on the world dance floor, just zoomhim some of the selections from the Zum.
With clever programming, you can change the mood of the roomfaster than you can say Koenigsberger Klops. When I have nothingbetter to do, I'll go to the Zum and pair off selections like this:First I play the boisterous "Abteilung Marsch (Parts 1 and 2)" byHelmut Berger and watch real men hoist their weiss beer to themarching music like true comrades. My second choice will besomething like "You Light up My Life" by Debby Boone, and the cheeryatmosphere drops like a falling star.
Owner Al Wirth Jr. was slightly amazed I would be interested inthe jukebox at Zum Deutschen Eck, which does not mean strange songs.(It means the German Corner.)
"We're trying to keep it low-key. We don't want realcontemporary loud rock music," Wirth says in tones that are toohumble. "We've really reduced a lot of the German selections on thejukebox (down to 14) because we're trying to attract more of a yuppiecrowd," he says, glancing at such tunes as Barry Manilow's "I Writethe Songs," Bobby Vinton's "My Melody of Love" and Morris Albert's"Feelings."
Wirth explains how he arrived at the jukebox selections. "Evenin Germany, it's hard to find the old beer drinking songs," he said."It's all rock 'n' roll and disco. These German songs are kind oflike the last hurrah."
The Zum offers live German sing-alongs with a two-piece oom-pahband at 7 p.m. Fridays, and 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
"The American songs are just some of the old favorites," Wirthsays. "We don't mind the German songs loud and rowdy, but we want theAmerican songs subdued. They certainly aren't disco tunes," he says,looking at Barry Manilow's "Ready to Take a Chance Again," KennyRogers' "Share Your Love with Me" and the Carpenters' "We've OnlyJust Begun."
Wirth pauses for a long, reflective moment.
"I guess it could use some updating, but the jukebox just isn'tused as much as it used to be," he says, eyeing Vinton's "My Melodyof Love" and Perry Como's "It's Impossible." "I'm sure you don't seethat many jukeboxes any more."
At least not many like the one at Zum Deutschen Eck.
TOUNGE TWISTERS: Falling somewhere between the ethereal strainsof Joy Division and the bitter bass lines of Jesus and Mary Chain,the English quartet Red Lorry Yellow Lorry will appear at 8 p.m.Sunday at Cabaret Metro, 3730 N. Clark (549-0203). Also appearingwill be Volcano Suns, featuring former members of Mission of Burma.
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry obtained their name from a tongue twisterfound in an English children's comic book called "Beano." The groupmixes a clear sense of rhythm with incessant heavy-metal guitars."Paint Your Wagon," their second album on the independent Englishlabel Red Rhino, features sizzling upbeat dance tunes such as"Walking on Your Hands" and feisty instrumentals such as "MescalDance." This music is not for wimps.
MAYS IN APRIL: Composer-keyboardist Lyle Mays of the Pat MethenyGroup will appear at 8 tonight in Building M at Harper College,Algonquin and Roselle in Palatine (397-3000, ext. 2300). Even morenoteworthy is Mays' supporting band, which includes bassist MarcJohnson, formerly with pianist Bill Evans' last trio, Weather Updatedrummer Peter Erskine, saxophonist Billy Drews and guitarist BillFrisell. Drews and Frisell have worked with the adventurous andextending styles of jazz drummer Paul Motian.
Also on tonight's bill is former Dregs guitarist Steve Morse.
GOLDEN OLDIES: Playing traditional music with more than 100 windand percussion pre-Columbian instruments (many of which have not beenplayed regularly for 500 years), the musical duo Xochimoki(pronounced so-chee-mo-kee) will appear at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at theRuiz Belvis Cultural Center, 1632 N. Milwaukee, third floor(235-3988).
Xochimoki, Out of Taos, N.M., employs instrumentation such asturtle shell, bamboo, conch and gourd trumpets, and ceramic andAndean flutes. Programs also incorporate poetry, elaborate masks andnative dances all based around the symbols, prophecies and indigenouscultures of North and South America.
BACK TO THE ROOTS: In an interesting acoustic experiment, MikeJordan will perform solo, followed by separate performances from theRockamatics at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday at Orphans, 2462 N. Lincoln(929-2677). After Jordan performs five or six acoustic selections,there will be individual performances from band members Randy Lee onguitar, Tom "Pickles" Piekarski on bass and Buddah Slim on keyboards.
"This gives us a chance to do some songs and music that don'tfit with the Rockamatic rock 'n' roll format," Jordan says. "But theyare songs that we like and different kinds of music we appreciate.Randy is an accomplished and studied ragtime and blues guitar player.He has a few things he wants to showcase. Pickles' musical tastes gofrom George Jones to Tom Waits to Randy Newman. Buddah is going tosurprise us all - he's the holdout on all of us. And I'm going to dosome tunes I've been writing since the band formed and songs from myfolk repertoire 10 years ago."
After that, an old-fashioned jamboree-hootenanny will takeplace, featuring Jordan, his band and Chicago folkies such as MichaelSmith, Harry Waller, Thom Dundee, Betsy Redhead and others. A $3cover will finance a upcoming Mike Jordan and the Rockamaticsrecording project.
NAMES AND GAMES: Steppin Out's favorite garage band,Quickchange, has been signed to Whiplash, a small record label out ofBelgium. The madcaps from Markham were featured in the January issueof the English fanzine, "Metal Forces." . . . Sam Cooke's "WonderfulWorld" has been certified for a Silver Disc Award in the UnitedKingdom after just three weeks on the charts. The record hit No. 2after being licensed to the United Kingdom for Levi's jeans use in atelevision commercial. It was the first Silver Disc for Cooke, whodied 22 years ago. . . . A birthday party will be thrown for WilliamShakespeare at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Red Lion Pub, 2446 N. Lincoln(348-2695). Members of the Chicago Shakespeare Company will performscenes, songs and skits in the cabaret and outside (weatherpermitting).
ROAD TO NOWHERE: A little bit of everything at the RosemontHorizon, 6920 N. Mannheim Rd. (559-1212) this week: Amy Grant willsing her accessible Christian-rock at 8 tonight, followed by thecatchy country-pop of Sawyer Brown, Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers inthe round at 8 p.m. Monday. . . . The Circle Jerks will square offwith thrash music at 8 tonight at Cabaret Metro, 3730 N. Clark(549-0203). . . . David Bromberg and his 10-piece band (with horns)will play at 9:30 tonight and tomorrow at Biddy Mulligan's, 7644 N.Sheridan (761-6532).
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