list.in.to.chicago this week: 11.04.2002

This week's installment is going to be particularly Coz-centric, because there's an auspicious occasion to be celebrated. If my records are correct, Thursday will be the 25th anniversary of my first drum lesson. Banks will be open and mail delivery will be as scheduled.

Pick of the week
Keeping with that motif, the obvious choice is Lindsie Reitz on Saturday at Wise Fools Pub. I know I said this last time, but the band is really coming into it's own lately. There may be new music, too.

Recap
Last week was a bit more about playing music than watching music, as I visited another open mike at Hidden Shamrock on Wednesday. It was interesting, because I use Vaughan's to work on stuff, so this was more about playing songs I'm actually good at, and went pretty well. Then I got to play with a sampler pedal on Thursday, sitting in during an acoustic set at J. Patrick's, which made for a rousing rendition of "Mexican Radio." Friday was Me'Shell Ndege'ocello at Park West, and while the band was fantastic, as usual, the show was a little lacking in energy. The crowd was mostly passive, and Me'Shell and company seemed to just ride that wave throughout. Still a decent show, sure, but not quite the electricity I've seen her with in the past.

11.04   monday
Long Count Quartet/Quintet (Joy Blue)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Drummer Steve Gillis pilots a jazz group of varying size and composition, and if you want to mess with your head, listen to his drumming on Filter's The Amalgamut before you go, because this is a totally different thing altogether.

11.05   tuesday
Open Mike (Vaughan's)   SEE COZ LIVE!
It looks like I may break my streak of playing songs from bands I'm not going to see in concert during the week, as I don't see anything coming up that will work well enough. So, instead, I've got more obscure progressive rock arranged for acoustic guitar, and even MORE 80s stuff. And don't be alarmed if I'm not there yet when you show up, as I've got a late soccer game down in Pilsen.

11.06   wednesday
Naked Oil Twister with the e-mics and Ashworth (Wise Fools Pub)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
NOT Guitarist (That's "Naked Oil Twister Guitarist," rather than some comment about Matt not being a guitarist) Matt Sharp and I both play in a band called Nitrous Foxide that is poised to take over the world if we can ever get around to actually recording a demo. And the e-mics are darned spiffy, too.

The Blank Theory with Swidden (Elbo Room)   TENUOUS CONNECTION TO COZ!
So, a friend of mine likes these guys a lot, and I know their manager, so that'll have to do. This is an "acoiustic" show, according to the Reader ad, which I guess I'll have to see with my own two i's. Get it? Two i's? Never mind. Anyway, this also marks the "return of the Avalon Wednesday nights unplugged," and is apparently free if you still have a VIP card from that club. Which I actually do, if I can find it.

11.07   thursday
Louis Bellson Quintet (Jazz Showcase)
Okay, there's no personal connection here at all, but seeing as how this day marks the beginning of my life as a drummer, it's fitting that one of the greatest drummers of all time is here in town. Among other claims to fame, Bellson is generally credited as the first to use two bass drums in his kit as far back as the 1950s. He has played with Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Louie Armstrong and Count Basie, among others. Also, according to AMG, his real name is Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonion Balassoni, and he was born right here in Illinois.

11.08   friday
Marigold Engine with Madhops, June's Arrival (Elbo Room)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
I think I mentioned these guys once before on the list, but guitarist Eric Saari was in a band called Man Made Stone that played once with my old band Oncle Julien waaaaay back when, about seven years ago to be specific. At Crobar, no less. This is a release party for In A Big Room, the band's first (I think) full-length disc.

11.09   saturday
Lindsie Reitz with Charlie Mars, Regal Standard   SEE COZ LIVE!
Wise Fools is quickly becoming a home away from home for the Lindsie band, as this will be our third show at the Lincoln Park venue. If they like us this much, then you will, too, don'tcha think?

11.10   sunday
Sumo (Elbo Room)   FRIENDS OF COZ! SORT OF.
I don't think I actually know anyone in the band anymore, although I've met them, but in order to maintain the theme, I do know the owners, the talent buyer, the doorman, the bartenders and the sound guy at Elbo Room really well. All that and completely improvised funk. What more could you ask for?