MULDOON'S rock + beer + chow = good times in wheaton il on friday nights

Nestled in the quaint atmosphere of the formerly blue-lawed town of Wheaton, Illinois (home of Wheaton College where noted evangelist Billy Graham went to school)...lies the cozy little spot known as Muldoon's Irish-American Eatery Pub & Restaurant (in photo: fave Friday-night bartenders from left-to-right Jamie Hoffman, Mike Carl, and Charlie Anne Harrington). I'm reviewing it here on ROCKzology because its a great rock music venue on Friday nights to experience exceptional all-original-music Chicago-area rock bands as well as the proverbial cover groups from time to time. Although its a little crowded space-wise for the bands, it just makes the friendy atmosphere all the more appealing (reminiscent of the old "Cheers" tv show crowd), from the cool color-framed picture of some of the staff hanging out after a ball game to the always sports-oriented programming dialed-in on their High-Def big-screen TVs surrounding the bar. Seemingly a students college-town hangout, as the start of the band's performing hour nears (usually around 9PM), Muldoon's fills up with folks of all ages that come by to sample the "free to the public" performances of various local rock bands. Several groups I have seen there in the recent past are Sonic Soul, Harlan Flo, Anita & The Yanks, among others and debuting there on April 1st, 2011 will be some friends of mine with their band "Into The Real".

"Muldoon's Wednesdays" feature $3 drafts (Guinness Stout, Bass Ale and 7 others...hey, check out my other blog's Youtube channel BEERzology for a few laughs) and $3 appetizers (like buffalo wings, beer-battered mushrooms and 3 others). The food is way above par for a typical neighborhood pub (due to the attached restaurant area) and the selection of beer is more than ample...but for my money, Muldoon's intrepid dedication to bringing in and featuring live original rock music bands is what does it for me. The atmosphere is, like-I-said, quite friendly, crazy at times and a little loud on Friday music-nights...but couple this with a more-than-accommodating staff greeting you with a simple smile and a handshake (see the pic above of my favorite bartenders Jamie Hoffman, Mike Carl, and Charlie Anne Harrington always ready to keep you happy and your glasses filled with your fave brew) and you can't go wrong here. Even the over-worked and always-busy bar-back, Ulises Solano, makes the effort every time I'm there to say "Hi...how are ya?".

Its just a great neighborly place to hang (especially Fridays) where the equation for food, fun and unalduterated fraternization with the opposite sex is: ROCK + BEER + CHOW = GOOD TIMES FRIDAY NIGHTS @ MULDOON'S Of Wheaton, Illinois. As their motto goes: "There are no strangers here; only friends who have not yet met"...'NufSed.

Venue:
Muldoon's
133 W Front Street, Wheaton, IL 60187
(630) 668-8866
‎
Website:
http://www.muldoonswheaton.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Muldoons-Irish-Pub/151105778280308?sk=info

Hours:
Monday - Thursday:
11:00 am - 1:00 am
Friday - Saturday:
11:00 am - 1:00 am
Sunday:
11:00 am - 12:00 am

Upcoming Bands:

...for the latest schedule, just click it...!
Event Calendar

A Muldoon's favorite, the blues-pop-rock band Harlan Flo performing at the pub:

SONICSOUL blues rock jam band a soulful sensation

Happened by the Irish-American eatery/pub/restaurant Muldoon's (a rock venue I just reviewed) in Wheaton, Illinois back in October of 2010 (okay, I have been back-logged on band reviews...geeez) to see the first Yankees Rangers major league baseball playoff game (yes, I'm a Yankees fan...what of it?) and suddenly heard this incredible wave of soulful musical sounds that just rocked me right over...it was SonicSoul, the band for that Friday night, doing their last set of funkable blues-rock tunes...by the way, I have to give it up to the owners of Muldoon's, these guys offer a bevy of really solid rock bands on weekend nights (with no cover charge!)...none of the bands I've heard there so far have disappointed me as of yet. You should check this place out when you are looking for a hang on weekends that features live rock music in the burbs and a neighborhood-friendly atmosphere, along with the always smiling and delightful barmaid that goes by the name of Charlie Anne.

The band SonicSoul advertises themselves as "one of Chicago’s premier blues rock jam bands, focusing on the music of the masters" aggresively playing rocking covers of such guitar icons as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, and Jimi Hendrix as well as more traditional blues artists and original songs. The band is comprised of three members, John Bruhnke on lead vocals/guitar, Kevin Johnston drums and vocals and the newest member bass player Chuck Comanse who just joined the band about 5 months ago and is currently working on some other projects as well, but he seems to be quite a welcome addition here. Chuck's bass playing is superb and it incorporates a funky rocked-out style similar to that of a Stanley Clarke. The affable and more-than-capable drummer Kevin Johnston is one of the Chicago area's most versatile and has been playing with local blues and rock bands since 1983. In 1992, he accompanied blues legend Buddy Guy on a world tour supporting the five-time Grammy award winning blues icon. Add to this mix of burgeoning talent guitarist John Bruhnke, who acquired his blues chops in the early 1990's playing south side Chicago clubs as lead guitarist with notable local blues men L.V. Banks and later on the north side with the late "Professor" Eddie Lusk. SonicSoul started recording in October of 2010 and plans to release a CD in the summer of 2011. Their next show promises to offer alot of new covers and the stuff I cherish, original material...so come on out and check it! As their name implies, these artists emanate music having a frequency within the audibility range of the human ear (hence the word sonic) in waves of sound from the soul... SonicSoul. 'NufSed.

Next Show:
Saturday, April 23, 2011 at 9:00pm
John's Buffet
27W482 Jewell Road
Winfield, IL 60190-1225
(630) 752-2000

Video of the original tune "Drove Down To Memphis":