list.in.to.chicago this week: 04.07.2003

Batter up! Or not, if you're planning on playing this afternoon in Chicago. Baseball may be off, but the rock continues, as does the roll.

Pick of the week
Even though I'm playing that night and can't go, I have to go with Regal Standard and YesMen at Double Door on Wednesday, opening a show for House of Large Sizes. Can't miss when there's TWO bands you know and/or like on the bill. For weekend entertainment, it's all about the funk with Plainfield, NJ native Bernie Worrell and the Woo Warriors on Saturday at Double Door. The long and short of this week's picks being that Double Door wins.

If you're more the singer/songwriter sort, Tony Calderisi, Dag Juhlin and Steve Frisbie at Beat Kitchen on Wednesday should be excellent, with yours truly accompanying Tony on percussion.

Recap
So I managed to get tickets to that Queens of the Stone Age show at House of Blues on Tuesday. Ivory Wire tore it up with their opening set. After that, I fell victim to the inherent problems of being at House of Blues. You see, I know enough people to get access to the Foundation Room, but it's becoming increasingly clear to me that it's not the best place to actually see/hear a show. Mostly because there's very little real estate at the front of the balcony where you can get a good sight line to the stage. As a result, I can tell you how QOTSA sounded (very good, but really, really loud), but for the most part, you'll have to settle for a report on how the back of the head of the person in front of me looked, and how I would have liked to have thrown said person off of said balcony. And while balconies eliminate the natural advantage taller folk like myself have in crowds, they're usually not quite this bad.

Friday night at Double Door was quite the rock spectacle with Lindsie Reitz. Probably the best I've felt about that band's performance in quite a while. Saturday's CD release party for Tony Piscotti was a fun time. Nice vibe in the room, and while the band perhaps could have gotten more inside the tunes, they sounded great. Given all the "hook delivery system" pop I've been immersed in lately, Tony's more relaxed, storytelling vibe was a nice break. Openers Dawn and Ally were stronger on the music than the comedy, which was not bad at all, just not quite what I was expecting. So, I apparently attended that show more critically-minded than I expected to, which is interesting, because I also drank a lot of beer. Go figure.

4.07   monday
Jesus Christ Superstar (Park West)
With three different guys from the band involved, it looks like Frisbie has a fair amount to do with this. I'm not a big musical theater/rock opera guy, so I can't comment on the more "historical" side of the material, but it's an interesting offering nonetheless.

4.08   tuesday
Open Mike (Vaughan's)   SEE COZ LIVE!
Back after a week off, and I might have some new 80s tunes for you. I'll open up the invitation again to show up en masse and get the opportunity to request songs that aren't Skid Row. And now there are TWO people on the list who will be annoyed by that exclusion!

4.09   wednesday
Regal Standard, YesMen with House of Large Sizes, Bugatti Type 35 (Double Door)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Larry's been writing again, and I've been told there are some brand-new songs debuting at this show. As if that weren't enough, I've mentioned before how YesMen were a happy random discovery a few months ago, and they were kind enough to thank me the last time I recommended them. So they're a hilarious band and nice guys to boot.

Tony Calderisi, Dag Juhlin and Steve Frisbie (Beat Kitchen)   SEE COZ LIVE!
It's singer/songwriter night at Beat Kitchen, and they've got some good ones lined up. You may recognize Calderisi as part of the house band at the Vaughan's open mike, but here he'll be focusing on original music.

4.10   thursday
Family Style with Core Project, Known Boundaries (Wise Fools Pub)
If eventual Cluterfunk saxophonist Chris Neal is still with Family Style, then it's definitely worth checking out. Even if he's not there, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt via association, and the band should be a good and funky precursor to the Bernie Worrell show later in the week.

Good Charlotte, New Found Glory, Less Than Jake, The Disasters (UIC Pavillion)
My challenge to any of you going to this show is to bring a blindfold and see if you can actually tell the difference between these bands. God bless modern rock radio!

4.11   friday
Todd Rundgren with Royston Langdon (The Vic)
Rundgren is one of those iconoclastic songwriter/producer-types that inspire a certain segment of the population to overdub lots and lots of guitars and vocals on top of really catchy hooks. Which is rarely a bad thing...

Donny Osmond (Rialto Square Theatre, Joliet)
...unless, of course, it's Donny Osmond singing "classic love songs from the 70s and 80s."

4.12   saturday
Bernie Worrell and the Woo Warriors with Punsapaya, All Fours and DJ Mass Transit (Double Door)
If you missed George Clinton a few weeks back, this is the next best thing. Or possibly even better, as Worrell brings the funk without the circus sideshow element of the P-Funk Allstars.

4.13   sunday
New England Revolution vs. Chicago Fire (Cardinal Stadium, Naperville)
Didn't think I'd let this one sneak by, did you? It even may be relevant to the list, as not only will the Fire kick off their 2003 Major League Soccer season, but myself and the aforementioned Tony Calderisi may be performing outside the stadium before the game.