A Perfect Friday in Downtown Aurora

Andrea Dawn, Jeremy Keen and Zachary Goforth are The New Automatics. They played at Two Brothers Roundhouse on Friday night. Photo by Mike Neerhof

Ah. What a night. What a morning. I really love downtown Aurora. You really have no idea. OK. You have some idea. But let me tell you about my most perfect night ever in downtown Aurora. That might be quite a claim, but it’s really true. It happened less than 24 hours ago.

I called the grandparents on a whim and asked them to come early to babysit – a rarity since we always eat as a family and go out after the kids are in bed. But I thought it would be nice to get some dinner out with the hubby before our big night seeing three bands at Two Brothers Roundhouse. So at 6 p.m. we headed out for our date night.

We showed up at Chef Amaury at 33 West and are greeted by a bunch of good friends – what a treat! Then we had the best server ever, Bret Gloria. Bret is knowledgeable to a tee about everything served at the restaurant, and it’s always fun to try a beer that he suggests. My husband and I both ordered the risotto, and it was to die for. Every bite. Yum!

Now, being at Amaury’s is a treat in and of itself, but I was especially enjoying the vibe since local artist (and Bret’s wife) Lisa Gloria started curating  quarterly art shows in the space. The current Spring Art Show is up on the walls, and I was really digging the artsy, chic feel of it. We spent almost two hours savoring our food and drinks, then we headed to our triple-header.

It’s well known that I plan my life around The New Automatics, the new super group featuring Andrea Dawn, Jeremy Keen and Zachary Goforth, and others – so it’s been on the calendar for weeks. I hadn’t yet experienced Cattleprod (!) since they just recently banded together, but I knew it couldn’t be bad with the trio being Greg Boerner, Chad Watson and Justin O’Connell. And Jeremiah Higgins, a musician out of Plainfield, was new to me. All three were on the ticket – thanks to Chris Bauler, who started booking local music acts at the Roundhouse after it changed over to Two Brothers.

At 8:15 p.m., Cattleprod (!) took the stage and played a rocking version of “Time is Tight” by Booker T. & the MG’s, followed by The Band’s “Ophelia.” The covers were good, and their originals were great. I really enjoyed the blues-tinged rock. Greg really knows his guitar, Chad was a star on bass, but successfully threw in harmonica and vocals, and Justin excelled on the drums (A+) and he certainly wins an award for wearing ear protection (very smart).

After about an hour-long set, Jeremiah Higgins played with a bassist, a guitarist and a drummer. I found him refreshing. I liked his style. He struck me as very original, especially when he harmonized with his bandmates. He really spiced it up when he grabbed his electric guitar for the last couple of songs. Between sets, a few more friends joined us after seeing “Hair” at the Paramount Theatre. They all commented on the plethora of activities that evening in downtown Aurora. Another friend had just come from an exhibit at Jimi Allen’s Perspective Gallery on LaSalle Street.

I think The New Automatics finally took the stage at around 10:30 p.m. I was pumped. The band includes my two favorite musicians, so you can’t really go wrong with that. It was my second time seeing them perform live, and once again, they were fantastic. The best way I can describe it is by saying their music transports me somewhere else. OK. That’s cheesy. But it’s true. It’s fun, it’s deep, it’s good. They’ve written some great songs together, or separately — I’m not really sure. They also performed some of their solo tunes, which is always a nice surprise. Keen’s “Charlotte Avenue” is such a great song in that the music is great, the lyrics are great and the song just resonates. We’ve all lived on Charlotte Avenue. Andrea Dawn also hit home with an emotional song that everyone can relate to sometimes — about not always liking the pieces that fit in life’s puzzle [my interpretation]. They also played some upbeat danceable songs; and you better believe it, I got up and danced. (A shout out to my dancing posse.)

Keen and Dawn are a tasty combination. So is Amaury’s beforehand. And waking up the next morning and going to yoga at Annie’s Om Towne Fitness is the icing on the night before’s cake. Downtown Aurora is like one big dessert. Bite into it and you won’t regret it.