Sam Edgin (Phantom Note Productions) is now the bar manager at The Native, a dive bar in Logan Square. From 2012-2016 Sam booked some of the finest local and national acts around at Quencher’s Saloon on Western Ave and was instrumental in turning the corner bar into a truly classic Chicago music venue. Now that the once raucous room has been turned into a pediatric office, Sam looks back his time at one of the cities best damn dive bars.
Before booking at Chicago music venue, Quenchers, I heard nothing but bad things. I was only there once, and I hated it. Once Phantom Note got access to the full calendar, I thought I could do it better.
Before Quenchers, we were trying to book anywhere we could. The main place we had was called El Mamey, now a sports bar. It was this small Puerto Rican bar. The only reason we [started] there was because one of our buddies lived upstairs. I went in to meet this guy, Tony, and he was like the coolest guy ever. He was pumped to have anyone in his bar. He came to all the shows. We had to move all the tables and chairs. It was super divey. We got to do it for about a year. When we started [Phantom Note], it was a place to test things out.
We started to book at Quenchers from 2012 through 2016. My business partner, Josh Hassert, was a regular there. He heard that they were in-between talent buyers (this is just a fancy word for the people who book and set up events). He got us in and we began chatting with the owner. Before us, it was this guy Steveo; he booked for close to a decade. It was totally different genres. He was all over the place. Every New Year’s Eve, he would have have Pinebender and Tight Phantoms play, which was cool.
Once we started at Quenchers, we had access to the full calendar. It was nice because it was a venue known for doing shows. We wanted to keep events going for at least five days a week, and I didn’t have to worry about competing with other people’s holds. I can just go to this one calendar and I can have full control over it. I can lock in whatever I need to.
No matter when you went there, it was always a party. Even if it was a Tuesday show, you’d still have fun. Shows were always active. It was this weird moment. Everyone met each other around this same time. Groups of friends were formed. Every time you went there, you’d run into homies. Callie, Dave, and Uncle Ray were all bartenders for a long time, and changeover wasn’t high. Staff wanted to stick around. It gave it that “Cheers” vibe.
A year before Phantom Note ended, I started bar managing as well. I was doing double duty, working for the bar and booking as well. I was scheduling [shifts], staffing, hiring, and firing. I was making sure people were doing their jobs right. I was making sure no one was being over served. I was implementing new systems in the company. It was weird to be managing and booking simultaneously.
I was working way too much.
It was a partial reason for Phantom Note closing. By the end of it, I just hated booking shows. I needed a break. I started booking shows when I was 17 until I was 28 or 29. I was ready for something different.
With Phantom Note, we struggled for five years. Not every day of the week is the best. It’s all moments in time. Those things were important while they happened. But, that doesn’t mean that’s the end of it. There’s always going to be something.
After I left Phantom Note, I was a beer salesman for two years. It kept me in the night life, but it gave me a 9-5 with health insurance. While I was working as a beer distributor, The Native opened. My territory was Logan Square. The first day I walked in, I met the owner, and we just hit it off. They opened in November, and by July, I started bartending here.
Even at The Native [where he currently bar manages], I average 26 events a month. I don’t know how to do anything else besides booking. Booking has always been in my blood.
It makes sense that [Quenchers] is going to be a doctor’s office. Everything would have needed to be redone. Just to get everything up to code would have cost one million dollars. That’s a big reason why no one could have afforded it.
I know he (Earle Johnson) really wanted to keep it a venue and a bar. He did that shit for forty years. I’m happy he got his money. Most people own multiple properties, and for Earle, [Quenchers] was his life. He talked about selling it for ten years, but could never pull the trigger. I’m glad he did. It shows you can run a business that you are passionate about and still retire with a little money.
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