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Jan 2, 2009 @ Howey's on 71

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

First off, I've got to tell you...the New Year's Eve celebration was off the hook! What a night!

That being said, I figured that Friday night (two days later) people would still be recouperating and stay home.

Not so. Friday night was a whole lotta fun with a whole lotta friends!

Megan was back and sounded as great as ever. She sang "Heartbreaker", "Spiderwebs", and "Eight Days a Week".

Alison R stepped up to the plate next (woah, way too early for baseball euphamisms) with "There's Your Trouble" and "Something To Talk About".

Erik F did a fantastic job on "I'm Gonna Be 500 Miles". Dude, you nailed that accent!

Matt S and friends came up for "Beyond The Sea" & "Rock Me Amadeus".

Shelley was right on the mark with "I Want To Come Over" and "This Is Me You're Talking To". She joined Dan on "Jump, Jive and Wail"! (I just love when they harmonize!) Dan sang solo on "Folsum Prison Blues". Love ya both!

Mike N had "High Hopes" "For The Longest Time" and even asked for someone to "Pour Some Sugar On Me". Hmmm....

Jessi B and friends started the booty shakin' with "Ice Ice Baby".

Doctor Burn sang "Fly Me To The Moon" and was later joined by Mikey for "My Ding-A-Ling". Funny.

Scott C rocked "Two Princes" and Zack W belted out "Kryptonite". Nice job guys.

The lovely and talented Erica C light up the stage with "You Know I'm No Good", "Killer Queen", Strawberry Wine", and "Last Dance". Awesome!

George C sang "Heartland", "Kentucky Rain", "Jack & Diane", "A Littte Less Conversation" and later closed us out with "Closing Time".

Lauren and Becki performed "Wanna Be", Kim and Becki did "If I Could Turn Back Time", and Palak & friends sang "I Love Rock and Roll" and "Mickey". Tim and the guys sounded great on "Black Water". That was one fun group of friends!

Joe W brought on some Tom Jones cool with "It's Not Unusual". Groovy.

We were all tired by the end, but it was a fun night just the same.

Thanks to everyone for making this place special.

A special shout out to Don and Dana. You make it fun and keep it real.

Real fun even.

Keep Smilin'

SG

Dec. 26, 2008 @ Howey's on 71

Geez. Talk about being a bit behind after the holidays!

Here it is, 2009 and I'm still catching up from the end of last year.

Gonna have to keep is short and simple gang.

Michael:
Mountain Music
Green Green Grass of Home
Acky Breaky Heart
For The Good Times

Ryan H:
The Joker
Friends in Low Places
Man, I Feel Like a Woman

Adam N:
Sweet Caroline

Alex and Chrystal:
All My Life

Chrystal and Tara:
Bless The Broken Road

Lisseth and Brittany:
Power of Love

Tim and Nate:
Since U Been Gone
Nice and Slow

Kristin:
Spiderwebs

Stark:
What I Got

Nick, Reid, and friends:
Safety Dance

Kari and Alex:
ABC

Mike K:
Ice Ice Baby

That's it!

SG

Dec. 19, 2008 @ Howey's On 71

Wishing you warmest wishes and a very, merry Christmas!

I hope this entry finds you in the best of health and spirits during this most joyous holiday season.

The recent cold spell finally snapped and we got some more of the white stuff. It's always nice to have a white Christmas.

It's also nice to be among friends at Howey's on 71, enjoying a bit of food, drink, and song!

Starting off the singing this night was Megan. She sang "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" first. Other selections included "Spider Webs" and "Let's Get It On". Great vocals!

Next up was Alison R with "Sin Wagon". She also sang "Killing Me Softly" and "I See Right Through You".

She was joined by the other Alison for Pink's latest, "So What". Alison x2...What a team!

Brian F. sang the Bon Jovi classic, "Wanted Dead or Alive". He also did "Danger Zone" and "Bad to the Bone".

Ryan performed "The Joker", "Friends in Low Places", and "Baby Got Back" with friends.

Jordy rocked out on ZZ Top's "Cheap Sunglasses".

Kevin got the place groovin' with R. Kelly's "Ignition" and was later joined by Kim for "Why Don't We Get Drunk".

Bryan did "Pour Some Sugar on Me" and "Me and Julio".

Tracy, Jenny, and Megan warmed it up with "Hot in Here".

Jake and friends shouted out "Bohemian Rhapsody". Interesting version guys.

Rich and Albert took us way back with "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling".

I look forward to seeing you all on Friday, Dec. 26 for more fun.

Also, come on out to Howey's on 71 for the New Year's Eve celebration! It's gonna be a blast!

See ya soon!

SG

Dec. 12, 2008 @ Howey's on 71

Ah, Christmas time in Northern Illinois.

Snow, cold, people bustling around getting ready...and some of us taking a little breather to come in from the cold, enjoy a beverage and the great company of friends at Howey's on 71!

Our ol' friend Les was on hand to spread some holiday cheer. But first, as always, he dedicated a song from his favorite band, the Beatles, to his favorite waitress, Molly..."Obla-Di Obla-Da".
On his subsequent visits to the stage, he referred to himself as "Subordinate Claus, Santa's Little Brother" and graced us with "Wonderful Christmas Time", "Jingle Bell Rock", Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer", and "Time of the Season". He even danced a bit of a jig when "Linus and Lucy" got played between singers!

Stephanie kept a country theme with "Fancy", "Black Horse & A Cherry Tree", and "Goodbye Earl". Nice job on each.

Marie took us back with Gloria Gaynor's huge hit, "I Will Survive".

Gina, Christina and friends had quite the party going! They came up for "Landslide", "Killer Queen", "Before He Cheats", "Beautiful Life", "Wide Open Spaces", and "Unfaithful". Too much fun!

Not to be outdone, Thorpo, Jon, and the guys came up for "The Sweater Song" and "Free Fallin".

'Hot Carl' and 'Taco Ice' busted loose with 'Baby Got Back" and "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy".

George and Erica stopped in for a few songs. George sang "Hurts So Good" and "Overnight Male", Erica sang "Rehab" and "Last Dance". Nicely done.

Alex and friends wrapped up the list with "Tribute" and "No Rain".

There were quite a few more song slips presented late in the evening. Unfortunately, we were not able to get to all of them due to time constraints. We need to stop at 1:30 so my advice to all of you...come in a bit earlier and you'll get to sing.

As always...Keep Smilin'

SG

Friday, Dec. 5, 2008 @ Howey's On 71

Another fun night at Howey's on 71. A bit mellower than most of late, but fun none the less.

Linda started things off with "L-O-V-E". Her other selections included "All Jacked Up" and "Your Love is Lifting Me Higher". Great job on all!

Holly P. was also in great form on "New York State of Mind", "Heartache Tonight", and "Summer Wind". It was great seeing you both at Howey's. I hope you're back again real soon.

Our friend, one time fellow KJ, and awesome vocalist Gus was on hand to entertain. He sang "Please Come Home for Christmas" and "Stormy Monday". Thanks for being there.

Mandy and friends sang "I Saw The Sign" and Chris joined Mandy for "Pop". What a party your table was having that night!

Kari came up for "Senorita". Muy bueno!

Mike P had some fun with "White Wedding" and "Sweet Child of Mine". But it was his rendition of Tenacious D's "Tribute" that really got the crowd cheering! Awesome.

Adam kept the 80's hair band vibe going with "Wanted Dead or Alive".

Jeremy came up for "Friends in Low Places" and was later joined by Shannon to sing "Sweet Caroline". So good, so good, so good.... Shannon was joined by Sarah for "Redneck Woman". Hell yeah!

One of our regulars, and a damn fine singer, Holly S. (along with hubby Dan) was in the house and sounded great on "So What", "My Immortal", "Bring Me To Life" (with Dan), and "Travelin' Soldier". Always a pleasure to see and hear you! You two are a blast!

Finally, Kevin and Chris had fun with "500 Miles".

Of course, there was plenty of dining, drinking, and dancing to go along with the singing.

Yes. A fun night indeed.

Keep Smilin'

SG

Friday, Nov. 28, 2008 @ Howey's On 71

The day after Thanksgiving...the staff and I considered what the night would bring.

Would people be too tired after a long day of shopping and eating too much leftover turkey to come out and enjoy the evening with us?

Would they still be entertaining their out-of-town relatives at home?

The dinner crowd was quite small (I think we can attribute that to the leftovers) and we were concerned this would be a sign of things to come.

Showtime was quickly approaching and the place started filling up...and to all our surprise, it kept filling up!

And those folks entertaining the out-of-town relatives? They brought 'em along!

In about the span of 30 to 45 minutes, the place went from dismal to jumpin'!

The music requests started coming in as people thumbed through the songbooks, filling out the song sheets.

There was a special magic in the air throughout the night as daughters danced with their fathers, and grandparents came up to sing a song or two while the (over 21 yr old) grandkids toasted to their talents and sang along on the chorus'.

Always an interesting time at Howey's on 71, kinda like Gump's box of chocolates...you never know what you're gonna get.

Katie and Mindy starting the singing off with "Friends in Low Places". Great choice for first song because it got the crowd into it, helping out on the chorus.

Ryan came up for Billy Joel's "Piano Man" with yours truely backing on harmonica.

Ryan came up again later for his rendition of "My Way". Great job, Ryan.

Amy was joined by her lady friends for David Allan Coe's "You Never Even Call Me By My Name".

Amy and Dawn sang "Me and Bobbie McGee" and "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover". Ladies, it was a pleasure having you along for the ride! You both made it special.

Frank sounded great on "Can't Help Falling In Love", "I Cross My Heart", and a crowd favorite, "Sweet Caroline".

Bob got the place rockin' '80s style with Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive" and Great White's "Once Bitten, Twice Shy". He reached back even farther and sang the Eagle's "Hotel California". He was later joined by Amy for "She Talks To Angels". Great job (cool shirt, too)!

Sarah and her friends lined the stage for Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats". Wow! What a lineup!

Christine rocked on "I Hate Myself For Loving You".

Monica sang "Kerosene", "Don't Forget To Remember", and "Before He Cheats". What a sweet voice.

Mike B shouted out some classic Doors with "Roadhouse Blues" and KT, Amanda, and friends revisited the '80s with "Love Shack".

Meredith and friends had everyone on their feet with "Life is a Highway".

Don took over as 'Chairman of the Board' as he performed "It Was A Very Good Year" and "After The Lovin'. Cool. Very, very cool.

Matt & Jamie took us down South with "Sweet Home Alabama".

Mike P sang "Sweet Child of Mine" and Esther & Cindy gave us "It's Raining Men".

It was a blast watching everyone have such a great time...dancing where ever they could find an open spot on the floor and joining me on stage to shake it!

Another great night of singing, dancing, partying with friends (and even family), and great food!

Howey's is the place to be every Friday night. And check out Saturdays, bands entertain with live music!

Until next time...

Keep Smilin,

SG