One thing that has always surprised me about music in McHenry County is the number of cover bands that play here. That's partly because it's what people want to hear - music they know, music they're comfortable with. If you're going to pay a $3 cover, you want to be sure you'll hear something you like.
But there are some original groups in the area, and there are some clubs that feature original bands. I'm always in favor of steering away from the usual now and then. Sometimes you just have to take your chances and hope the music's good.
A perfect example is a guy named Al Rose, playing tonight at Duke O'Brien's in Crystal Lake. The show starts at 9:30.
Here's a guy who grew up in Chicago and has played there for years, both solo and with his bands Three Story Brownstone, Buffalo Trout and The Transcendos. Probably most people around here have never heard of him - I know I hadn't. The record company sent me his new CD, Information Overload, and now that I've listened to it I can't wait to see the show.
Rose's music is pretty diverse: mainly good rock 'n' roll, with a country twang mixed in here and a Latin rhythm thrown in there. His lyrics are intelligent and quirky (not many artists can write a song about plane crash etiquette and pull it off).