Two-Step and Twang: Country Comes Into the City
Music-industry insiders insist the current country-music craze is here to stay, and Gary and Dara Kron hope their new country-western nightclub Whiskey River is too. “We were looking around for what we thought was the hottest thing coming along,” explains Dara Kron, who is betting the country nightclub concept has tremendous crossover potential with the yuppie market.
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Club observers are closely watching the 12,000-square-foot Whiskey River to find out how big the in-town market is for a spot that offers barbecue pork sandwiches and other homey dishes along with two-stepping to a steady stream of live country bands and recorded country dance music. Sources say as many as four more country-western clubs could open their doors downtown in short order if Whiskey River takes off.
But the Krons have their supporters, not least among them WUSN-FM general manager Steve Ennen. “We’re excited about Whiskey River,” says Ennen, whose station is the city’s primary country-music outlet. Ennen and the Krons have inked a promotional deal that will give the club visibility on WUSN and provide the radio station’s city listeners with a nearby venue in which to party.
Is Michael Cullen Coming Back?
Is Michael Cullen, late of the defunct commercial-theater producing team of Cullen, Henaghan, and Platt, about to make a comeback? Cullen says there is nothing to talk about just yet, but his partner and friend Joe Carlucci indicates that the two have worked out a lease arrangement, with an option to buy, on the 12,000-square-foot space north of the Music Box at 3741 N. Southport, currently home to the Southport Department Store. Carlucci plans to open a 4,000-square-foot Italian restaurant there by next February, and Cullen is considering opening a 300-seat theater, among other options, in the remaining space. Carlucci says his restaurant and Cullen’s venture will operate independently of each other.
