list.in.to.chicago this week: 06.09.2003

Pick of the week
If you're thinking big, Beck is probably your best bet. For smaller, more local music, I'd probably go with the Lyla Stone/Lucky Boys Confusion/Woolworthy show on Thursday at Double Door, and/or Frisbie on Saturday. And on the jazz side, the Paul Wertico Trio, playing Wednesday at HotHouse, is fantastic.

list.in.to.COZ
Big thanks to those of you who came out to Goldie's on Friday. I thought it went well enough to warrant yet another return, but I haven't talked it over with the powers that be over there just yet. Just Vaughan's this week, but next Saturday, Nitrous Foxide is at Goose Island Wrigleyville, so mark your calendars.

Recap
So I finally saw Tributasaurus last week, as they became Genesis, and I was awfully impressed. I also remembered nearly everything they played, once again solidifying my status as a big honkin' prog rock geek. It was a little heavy on the early 80s stuff, whereas I would have loved to have heard more Peter Gabriel-era material, but that's a minor quibble. And the high point was definitely drummers Dan Leali and Jeff Quay nailing the Phil Collins/Chester Thompson drum duet to the wall. I think it would have been hilarious had Leali replaced singer Matt Spiegel about halfway through the set.

6.09   monday
Coldplay (UIC Pavillion)
This one's sold out, but if any of you go, let me know if "Clocks" drags on and on when they play it live, because it seems to in every musical permutation I've tried it. Then again, none of those permutations actually has a piano.

6.10   tuesday
Open Mike (Vaughan's)   SEE COZ LIVE!
If you get there early, and you don't see me, don't despair. I've got a late soccer game, but I'll still be making my weekly appearance. At least I will if I don't get laid out on my back again after a collision like I did yesterday. Not quite a Hee Seop Choi landing, but close.

Chris Greene and New Perspective (Lyon's Den)
This funk/acid jazz outfit has been around for a long time. I remember sharing a bill at Cubby Bear with them back when I was in Oncle Julien, circa 1995. Speaking of, it's former OJ singer and current Psykick Girl McKenna Rowe's birthday.

6.11   wednesday
Beck with Dashboard Confessional, The Black Keys (UIC Pavillion)
With a much more introspective, mature record, the excess of previous Beck tours should be somewhat toned down, which is going to make the relative lack of intimacy in the Pavillion problematic. And I've been listening to Dashboard Confessional a fair bit lately as well, and the album is all right. Nothing earth-shattering, but it doesn't suck.

Paul Wertico Trio (HotHouse)
HotHouse is apparently living on the edge since being shut down for license violations a few weeks ago. If that was about the Cuban act playing the night it all went down, then there shouldn't be anything to worry about. If the city is serious about the violations, however, then the club may be in danger of being shuttered again. Wertico's band is worth taking that risk.

6.12   thursday
Yardbirds with Mermen(Abbey Pub)
On some level, yes, this is The Yardbirds. When you take into consideration that even in the band's heyday, there was a fair amount of turnover in their lineup, you can say that with a straight face even though there are no "famous" Yardbirds in this version. Sort of. Jeff Beck, however, did play on their record, so I guess that counts for something.

The Changes with Mary Wylder, The Outer Drive (Gunther Murphy's)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Now that I've finally seen them, I can recommend them with a bit more to go on than just their status as friends. Metromix has them also at Bottom Lounge tonight, but I'm pretty sure that's wrong and this is right. Also, Gunther's has one of the best-poured pints of Guinness in the city.

Lyla Stone with Lucky Boys Confusion, Woolworthy (Double Door)
Okay, I've already forgotten where Lyla Stone ended up on Kevin's list. Sixth? Anyway, they're back in action, along with a couple of longtime Chicago bands, including LBC, who is the band that keeps escaping me when I try to remember who had the lead single from the second Local 101 compilation.

6.13   friday
Little Feat with the Eric Jerardi Band (House of Blues)
I'm not sure if these guys are leaning towards the heavy Southern rock of their earlier incarnation, or the radio-friendly adult pop of their eighties resurgence, but they're stellar musicians with a large catalog of good songs to choose from. Even if the lighting company they toured with back when they came to my college in 1990 or so were a bunch of pricks.

6.14   saturday
Frisbie (Schuba's)
This is a record release party for the the indie popsters, who have been flying under the local scene radar for a while after all the buzz around their previous record, The Subversive Sounds of Love. The release party for that one looked like a casting call for Hi Fidelity, so we'll see if they still register with that crowd.

56 Hope Road with Punsapaya, Hugo (Nevin's Live, Evanston)
I said last week how I was pleasantly surprised with these guys, as I usually can't stand anything so directly influenced by the Grateful Dead. But again, the rhythm section was solid, the harmonies dead-on (I'd say no pun intended, but none of you would believe me), and the band managed to keep away from long, pointless solos.

Rick Springfield (Skyline Stage)
With all the 80s tunes I play, I couldn't possibly let this get by without mentioning.

6.15   sunday
Lou Reed (Skyline Stage)
For Father's Day, it's only fair to pick a guy who is old enough to be my father, although I'm sort of flattering my dad with that claim. I think. To his credit, I try not to remember how old he is. Anyway, Reed is offering up both spoken word and music at this show.

Nicholas Barron and the Free Associates (Long Room)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Of course, the other way to go is to give a shout out to a band full of bad-ass motherf***ers. I've said it before, these guys can play.