#thedrifterchicago

[xghostposterx]

Went on an adventure through a secret green door…

[thejeezloueez]

Come see about me tonight at The Drifter! Singing n stripping at 10pm and 12am! (photo by Scott Foster at Kitten n Lou's CREAM) . . . #thedrifterchicago #jeezloueez #chicago #burlesque #chicagoburlesque #blackburlesque #chicagonightlife (at The Drifter Chicago)

[rose-photoblog]

The Neumans, coming soon 12/31/2016

We had the distinct pleasure of starting a new photographic story with Meredith + Ross this past Valentine's Day.  The Rose Photo Custom Engagement Shoot always starts with a toast to get the photogenic blood flowing! Once we learned a bit about these two lovebirds in our initial consult,  I suggested we start with libations at the classic & 'very Chicago' Erie Cafe.  A stone's throw away from their River North condo,  Erie Cafe was the perfect back drop as Meredith + Ross shared stories of how they met, how he proposed this past fall and the fine details of their upcoming New Years Eve wedding. I had my camera in hand for all the sweet candid shots but for this shoot we thought to capture some movement, a little chit chat and maybe some laughter..in real time, with a motion picture.  A few drinks later, the giggles were contagious and the conversation delightfully endearing as Meredith +  Ross each sat for on-camera glimpses into their similarities and idiosyncrasies.                     

We'd been crossing our fingers for a snow day for this shoot but with this incredibly mild Chicago winter, we weren't sure we'd get one.  With February 14th as our last ditch date in order to get the 'Save the Date' cards out in time, the weather gods smiled on us with a perfectly timed, early morning snow fall; leaving the afternoon trees dusted in white. We created such a sweet set of imagery both cozy at the bar and out on a winter stroll in nearby Erie Park. Once the golden hour of twilight set in, we captured our last shots at the infamous Green Door Tavern, one of a few still existing, pre-Chicago fire buildings and home to one of the city's hottest speakeasies, The Drifter. With so many great photo opts, now the challenge will be picking our fave for that hot ticket item, the 'Save the Date' card!

 Meredith + Ross,  we love your love!! Whiskey drinks and snowball fights aside, we think you two are made for each other. Thank you for your generosity of character, love for one another and trust in Rose Photo to tell your story.  We cannot wait for NYE 2016!!!!

 love,

Rose Photo

[rose-photoblog]

The Nuemans, coming soon 12/31/2016

We had the distinct pleasure of starting a new photographic story with Meredith + Ross this past Valentine's Day.  The Rose Photo Custom Engagement Shoot always starts with a toast to get the photogenic blood flowing! Once we learned a bit about these two lovebirds in our initial consult,  I suggested we start with libations at the classic & 'very Chicago' Erie Cafe.  A stone's throw away from their River North condo,  Erie Cafe was the perfect back drop as Meredith + Ross shared stories of how they met, how he proposed this past fall and the fine details of their upcoming New Years Eve wedding. I had my camera in hand for all the sweet candid shots but for this shoot we thought to capture some movement, a little chit chat and maybe some laughter..in real time, with a motion picture.  A few drinks later, the giggles were contagious and the conversation delightfully endearing as Meredith +  Ross each sat for on-camera glimpses into their similarities and idiosyncrasies.                     

We'd been crossing our fingers for a snow day for this shoot but with this incredibly mild Chicago winter, we weren't sure we'd get one.  With February 14th as our last ditch date in order to get the 'Save the Date' cards out in time, the weather gods smiled on us with a perfectly timed, early morning snow fall; leaving the afternoon trees dusted in white. We created such a sweet set of imagery both cozy at the bar and out on a winter stroll in nearby Erie Park. Once the golden hour of twilight set in, we captured our last shots at the infamous Green Door Tavern, one of a few still existing, pre-Chicago fire buildings and home to one of the city's hottest speakeasies, The Drifter. With so many great photo opts, now the challenge will be picking our fave for that hot ticket item, the 'Save the Date' card!

 Meredith + Ross,  we love your love!! Whiskey drinks and snowball fights aside, we think you two are made for each other. Thank you for your generosity of character, love for one another and trust in Rose Photo to tell your story.  We cannot wait for NYE 2016!!!!

 love,

Rose Photo

[uncannedmusic]

A delightful story unravels from Kevin Ayers’ 1971 pop song “Stranger in Blue Suede Shoes” that surfaced recently under a pile of the record stacks. The song became a bit of an aesthetic and philosophical centerpiece for the recent restoration of century-old barroom, The Drifter. 

The story in “Stranger in Blue Suede Shoes” bites with a wry snap at corporate dictation, economics and free will. Ayers as the narrator—a patient and seemingly Bohemian gentleman bedecked in blue suede shoes—is denied entry into a bar for his ostentatious footwear. The barman who issued the judgment accepts a cigarette from the narrator and they talk as they smoke.  The cigarette turns out to be a joint and, without really saying much of anything, the narrator listens to the barman double back and repent his maintenance of corporate policy saying, “I don’t make the rules. I just get what I take. And I guess every rule was made to break.” Continuing under the influence, the barman announces his decision to pack his bags and leave the establishment that instant for the toll it had taken on his basic freedom. 

The Drifter is beneath the Green Door Tavern at Orleans and Huron in Chicago and is less the stringent bar in the song and more the pair of blue suedes themselves. Words like “cabaret” and “carnival” and “speakeasy” round out the gamut of buzzwords that have been presaged by a hashtag thus far to describe the place. Maybe its due in part to a considerable fascination with Chicago history and lore but The Drifter also feels a bit like an archaeological dig where the artifact hasn’t completely been unearthed yet—a genie’s cave, a pirate’s buried plunder. Whether it’s the long or the short of it, The Drifter is a delightful new diversion and a cultural contribution worthy of ceremony. Both archetypes suggest a similarly placid and existential frivolity that seemed worth highlighting. Eat, drink, be merry and, fourthly, fill your ears with the best music. -jd