Happenstance, luck, whatever, somehow I ended up working for a company which regularly send me to Chicago. And somehow I fell in love with this town. I remember vividly my first visit, which was also my first visit to the US. A week of intensive work, I felt under pressure, it was actually not very nice. From getting up until going to bed, including dinners, all work, no fun. Friday night arrived finally with a couple of early drinks to say goodby to the colleagues. Early evening and I was free! In the company flat I had skipped through a Lonely Planet on Chicago and found an entry on Cal’s Bar: punk on weekends, all a block away from Sears tower where I worked.

That Friday night I was literally around the corner. After our goodbys I, already tipsy, dropped into Cal’s. What a small room, no stage, wtf? I checked at the bar, yes there would be bands. Even better, they had Pilsener Urquell, finally a decent beer! I settled in waiting for the action, starting to warm up to this town. The bands came on, I remember Snowbeast playing that night, fucking brilliant. Hanging at Cal’s seeing a police car drift by in the night through the dirty windows filled with ancient neon beer signs, I fell in love with Chicago. So Cal’s became my place. On every visit I would come in, check what bands would be playing and then come to see them on the weekend.