A Sneak Peak At Knox Avenue!

(A glance inside one of the rehearsal rooms at Knox Avenue.)

Let's say that you're a band looking for a place to rehearse that won't break the piggy bank, but that also won't put you smack-dab in the middle of a bad part of town at all hours of the night. You want a place where you can park without worrying if your Honda Civic will be up on cement blocks when you return and that offers easy ground-floor load-in.

As a rocker myself, I can tell you that Knox Avenue offers one of the best bangs for your buck in this or any other town. For starters, the place was completely gutted and rebuilt for optimum performance, right down to acoustic reinforcement and sound-proofing so that the only band you hear in your rehearsal space is your own. Also, since they only just opened their doors this past April, the place still has that "new car smell" about it. With over 100 rooms available, you can rest assured that your band will be the first to rock your new room. That may not be important to everyone, but it is to me.

(The only thing missing is the prospect of "found" cheese.)

Upon entering the facility, I was amazed by the size of the joint. There is a labyrinth of well-lighted hallways stretching for what seems like the size of a football field. I happened upon a rehearsal room currently owned by my friend's band and was able to pop my head inside for a look.

(Big enough area for loading in? We say yes!)

What I say amazed me. Their room (see top photo) was literally larger than my apartment, with high, loft-like ceilings. Most importantly, it sounded great. Also, it did not smell of sweat and spilled beer like most other rehearsal rooms in this city.

(This is Sting's rehearsal space...just kidding. Look how little that dude is compared to the size of the place...MEGA!)

While Knox Avenue was no doubt built to accommodate the needs of musicians on the North West side of Chicago, this is a facility that's well worth driving a little bit out of your way. I could see bands that are located closer to other facilities finding a lot to like about this place that would make it worth the few extra miles of travel.

So, hey, maybe it's time you took a trip to the North West side and checked this place out. It's located at 4255 Knox Avenue. Give Greg a call at 773-685-KNOX (6559) and he'll be happy to give you the grand tour.