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Published on 10/11/08
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Q At first I thought digital jukeboxes were cool, but now I’m finding it’s a bad idea for drunken people to have a million songs at their disposal; one minute I’m hearing Pink and the next minute Metallica. Don’t any places have the old jukeboxes curated by someone with good taste?—Amy W., Logan Square
A “You can be sure we’re not switching back and forth between pop and metal,” says Tim Polk, the bartender and jukebox attendant at the Old Town Ale House (219 W North Ave, 312-944-7020). With its jazz-stocked juke blasting all the greats—Ella, Duke, Monk, Coltrane—this aging bar radiates some of the best old-school vibes in town. At the equally retro Ten Cat Tavern (3931 N Ashland Ave, 773-935-5377), a tucked-away storefront spot, skilled stick slingers shoot pool on two vintage tables to the sounds of Booker T. & the M.G.’s, Little Milton, and the Junior Walker & the All-Stars classic “Shotgun,” all of which pump out of the cheap (a quarter per play), blues-stocked vinyl juke. For a wider selection of tunes around a single theme, feed a few bucks into the machine at aliveOne (2683 N Halsted St, 773-348-9800) and take your pick of nearly every live album recorded (hence the bar’s name). Now you can finally take in that Led Zep concert your dad’s always gushing about.
