The Wheel
Location: 507 W.14th Street; 785-749-4335
In my mind, The Wheel is a classic KU bar. It's been around since 1955. Before it became a bar, it was a college bookstore. Walking inside, you won't find cheesy memorabilia or precious Jayhawk keepsakes plastered to the walls. Rather, the walls are covered in scribbles of anyone who wants to proudly proclaim, "I've drunk at The Wheel." The decor is unassuming; wooden booths surround the exterior walls with crimson and blue stools at the bar. Near the ceiling, every Big 12 mascot is painted on the wall.
During the lunch hour, The Wheel serves simple bar food: hamburgers, chicken strips, salads and sandwiches. Mid-afternoon, the food is packed up as students begin to trickle in for some drinks. By nighttime, The Wheel becomes alive with enthusiastic students and an eclectic mix of songs ranging from Garth Brooks to Janis Joplin.
Maximum Occupancy: 130
Maximum Occupancy: 130
Dress Code: Anything goes
Games: Mrs. PacMan/Gallaga arcade combo, Golden Tee, darts, touch screen
Drink Specials:
Drink Specials:
Monday: $4 pitchers
Tuesday:$ 2 cans, $3.75 double Captain Morgan
Wednesday:$ 3 double wells
Thursday: $2.25 big beers
Friday:$ 4 double vodka flavors, $2.50 16 oz. Coors Light
Saturday: No Specials
Sunday: Closed unless there is a special event (home game or graduation)
—Mandy Hendrix
Bar stat-card Cocktail of the week
Blue Blazer
Get fired up this weekend with the Blue Blazer, a curious cocktail that owes its name to the blue flame it emits when its alcoholic ingredient (Scotch) is ignited. Though it might seem like a drink for the advanced pyrotechnic, this cocktail owes its origin to a man that had no such training. The Blue Blazer was created by legendary San Francisco bartender "Professor" Jerry Thomas at the El Dorado bar during the civil war. Thomas perfected this drink by throwing the burning liquid between two silver goblets before an audience. Thomas is said to have never made this fiery concoction until the thermometer had
fallen below-10 Celsius. Try this one at home to light up your night, but be careful because fire is dangerous, kids.
1 teaspoon sugar
Half a mug of boiling water
Half a mug of Scotch
Lemon twist
Ground nutmeg (optional)
1 tablespoon honey or
Place sugar or honey and lemon twist in a serving mug, then warm two handled mugs and pour Scotch into one and boiling water into the other. Ignite the Scotch and pour into the other mug. Pour it back and forth until the mixture extinguishes (4 to 6 times) and then pour into the prepared serving mug. Sprinkle nutmeg if desired.
—Chris Brown
Sources: cocktails.about.com and www.acats.org
Photo courtesy of www.kellerwilliams.net
Keller Williams isn't your average solo musician. Armed with an elaborate arsenal of multi-colored effects processors and pedals that twist and turn the sound of his acoustic guitar, Williams cooks up a strange brew of psychedelic sounds, mixed with zany lyrics and funny on-stage antics that appeals to all the senses and leaves listeners wondering, "How does he do all that at once?" Indeed, Williams is a veritable one-manband and his traveling musical minstrel show can be heard when he stops through Lawrence to play Liberty Hall on Tuesday, March 1.
In a short interview, Jayplay writer Chris Brown chats with guitarist extraordinaire Keller Williams about playing shows in Colorado, trippy guitar effects and fans bringing property signs to shows.
How'd you get your initial break? I've heard it was somehow related to the String Cheese incident hearing your music and then asking you to play with them.
So it wasn't one specific show?
I played a good string of dates with the band [the String Cheese Incident] in '97. I was just doing opening acts, playing restaurants and that's when the ball really got rolling.
Well, I played a show in '95 in Steamboat Springs [Colorado] at a small club and by the end of the night members of String Cheese Incident were up on stage with me and my six-channel mixer.
So you were living in Colorado at the time? Yeah, I was living in Steamboat Springs from 1995 to 1997.
You are known for melting all kinds of sounds together using an array of guitar effects. What is your favorite guitar effect and why?
Well, I have a guitar with a guitar synthesizer in it. It makes the guitar able to sound like a trumpet, a piano, a sax and a lot more. Or it can just make it sound like trippy trippiness.
I have a friend who claims this girl he knows claims she's the inspiration for the song "Freaker by the Speaker." What's the story behind this song?
I think the name comes from two different people out of Atlanta, one with the name "Keller" and the other, "Williams."
It's not about one single person, more just a culmination of people. It's just playing on stage with my eyes open, looking out and watching people dance. I can't open my eyes all the time because I forget how to play.
I've noticed fans bringing "Keller Williams" real estate signs to your shows and even throwing them up on stage. Can you comment on this? I guess it [the real estate company] started a long time ago, in the early '90s. At first it was funny but then it got old. It's definitely a form of vandalism and I definitely discourage it.
Just wondering about this because Keller Williams seems like a pretty unique name to me.
Free word association. I give you a word and you tell me what it makes you think of:
Nebulous: Zion
Corporeal: Demitri
That's an interesting choice, you want to comment on that? [Laughs] No.
Gigot: Garlic grilled cheese, Oh, and drum circles.
Viscosity: Motor oil
—Chris Brown
02.24.05 Jayplay
15