list.in.to.chicago this week: 09.23.2002

Pick of the week
In the "non-Coz" category, I'm going to go with Karl Denson's Tiny Universe on Wednesday night, with John Scofield opening. Scofield could get this pick in his own right, so it's doubly good. Not to be confused with "in doubly." If I'm making note of the non-Coz, there must also be the Coz, and that's Lindsie Reitz on Saturday night at Wise Fools Pub on Lincoln, the former Waterloo Tavern. Details below, as usual.

Recap
Wasn't able to hit OK GO on Thursday, but rumor has it the show rocked pretty hard. Also in the rumor department, I heard that Bono, in town for Oprah and/or The Rolling Stones, showed up at The Hideout on Tuesday night, but haven't gotten confirmation from anyone who was actually there. The Bears were bouncy and fun on Saturday night, full of a pop energy that seemed largely oblivious to the existence of the 90s, which, in the right hands, isn't necessarily a bad thing. They also offered some "dark" to complement the light with a ripping cover of King Crimson's "Red."

all week
World Music Festival
There's no way in hell I could keep up with all that's going on in World Music right now, especially since I don't get promo material from any of the myriad acts hitting Chicago for this thing. Fortunately, Peter Margasak does, and gives a pretty comprehensive rundown of the proceedings.

9.23   monday
Luis Ewerling and A Cor Do Brazil (Green Mill)
It amuses me that this band features a Polish bassist, American singer, and a keyboardist of Eastern European descent. The sound, however, remains Brazilian at its core, with drummer and composer Ewerling and percussionist Geraldo de Oliveira driving the rhythms.

The Who (House of Blues)
I shouldn't have to tell you who The Who is, which is one reason I typically don't include these sorts of shows in the list. The other is that this show has been sold out for months.

9.24   tuesday
Open Mike (Vaughan's)   SEE COZ LIVE! MAYBE!
Don't know if I'll actually be able to make it this week, but it's still a good spot to unwind with a drink and some free music on a school night.

Coldplay with Ash (UIC Pavilion)
In the month since I got the date wrong on this one, the album has been received pretty positively, as far as I can tell.

9.25   wednesday
Karl Denson's Tiny Universe with John Scofield (House of Blues)
Denson's first main claim to fame was working with Lenny Kravitz, but since then, he has headed up The Greyboy All-Stars and subsequently started touring pretty relentlessly with his Tiny Universe project. If the Greyboy material is any indication, it's going to be some groove-heavy jazz and funk, but without much of the stereotypical noodling that often accompanies those monikers.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (United Center)
I haven't really heard much about this guy, but some friends told me he's from New Jersey, so I feel obligated to mention someone from my home state done good. I kid the Boss, of course. I'm pretty sure this one's sold out, too.

9.26   thursday
The Blank Theory with Colonel Stem, Swidden and Escape From Earth (Metro)
This is the CD release party for The Blank Theory, who are unfortunately too late to be the first big twin-fronted heavy rock band since Nelson. However, after hearing Good Charlotte's single on the radio, they can be the first not to completely rip off Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life" drumbeat. Colonel Stem does a good job of avoiding the current hard rock stereotypes (something that can't be said of the headliner), and Escape From Earth seems to have recovered from the career suicide of sharing a bill with URT early last year.

9.27   friday
Mr. Show presents "Hooray for America!" (Congress Theater)
Bob Odenkirk and David Cross were a riot when they were on HBO, and just the title of this thing has me fearing for my life. My life of LAUGHTER, that is! Now you see why they're getting paid for their comedy and I'm not

John Moulder Quartet (Green Mill)
Safe money is on Lawrence Hobgood, Eric Hochberg and Paul Wertico making up up the rest of the four, but even if not, Moulder is worth it.

9.28   saturday
Lindsie Reitz with Church Dog and Fazer (Wise Fools Pub)   SEE COZ LIVE!
This band continues to come into its own. This time around, we'll be debuting a couple of new songs that are helping to define the direction in which we seem to be headed. Come along for the ride.

Project/Object with Eric Roth and The Schmateez (Martyr's)
I'm of two minds on these guys. On the one hand, anyone going out and playing Frank Zappa's music deserves respect and enthusiasm. On the other, I always come away from these shows thinking I'd be a better drummer for this band than whoever they've got. Zappa alums Ike Willis and Napoleon Murphy Brock are once again joining in on this tour, although the health of Willis' voice always seems to be a big question mark, which is unfortunate. At the end of the day, Project/Object is still probably the third-closest you can get to the late Zappa's experience, with Banned from Utopia and Mike Keneally in front of them.

9.29   sunday
Sumo (Elbo Room)
Not much going on, as far as I can tell, so it's time to plug another old standby. The improvised acid-jazz collective marches on, and if you've never seen them, you certainly should. I haven't been down in a while, so I don't even know who's in the band these days, but the challenge of the gig itself weeds out anyone who can't cut it.