list.in.to.chicago this week: 09.22.2003

For those of you who might be interested, l.i.t.c. has tickets for David Bowie at the Rosemont Theatre in January. They're a bit pricey, and I don't know for sure how many extras I've got, but if you're interested, let me know.

Pick of the week
Easy choices this week, as two friends celebrate CD release parties. First up is Scottinho at HotHouse (Thursday) for your Brazilian jazz fix. Then on to longtime favorites EXO at Metro (Sunday) for an all-ages show celebrating the release of their second record, of which I owe them a review that should hopefully hit the site this week.

There's also the Adventures In Modern Music Festival, being put on by the Empty Bottle and the UK's Wire magazine, but Margasak has that covered. And it's Oktoberfest, which, of course, means disco (Afrodisiacs), U2 covers (Elevation) and expat Brits playing insurgent country music (Waco Brothers) around the corner from l.i.t.c. headquarters in North Center on Friday and Saturday.

list.in.to.COZ
I'll be at Vaughan's eventually on Tuesday night, pending the outcome of the Fire-Galaxy match out in Naperville.

Recap
It was an interesting weekend, to say the least. Friday saw Regal Standard with a short but sweet acoustic set at Elbo Room, followed by a largely forgettable Supermint, and then local vets Ivory Wire. The Wire felt a little off to me. Some of the usual thickness of the guitar sound wasn't there, but with the odd angles of the Elbo Room, it entirely could have been an artifact of where I was standing. I didn't stick around for much of Blackmaker, as witnesses can attest that I had my mind on other things by that point.

And there was a show that I had previously missed on Saturday, a night of jazz at St. Gregory's church in Edgewater, where local jazz guitarist John Moulder is a priest. As a result, some heavy hitters took the stage in the church's courtyard, including former Pat Metheny drummer Paul Wertico. I would have liked to have heard more of the group Moulder led later in the evening than the vocal jazz that started the festivities, but for $5, I'm not going to quibble.

Then it was on to the Abbey Pub for Cheer Accident. Every once in a while, you stumble across something you're not really expecting, and on this night, it was Bobby Conn and the Glass Gypsies, a seven-piece unit decked out almost entirely in lavender vinyl, playing new wave-y art rock like it was nobody's business but their own. Citylink recently called them "the most important band to keep an eye on in Chicago." That's a bit of a stretch, but they're certainly worth of some degree of attention, as there really isn't another band like them that I know of here in town. Cheer Accident (also unique to the local scene) has clearly been listening to, among other things, recent King Crimson releases, and I mean that in a good way.

9.22   monday
All Girl Summer Fun Band with Our Missles Are Scientific (Bottom Lounge)
Most people, myself included, would see this listing and say "huh, funny name." Not Keith Harris at the Reader, who sees it as a launching point for as many clever indie rock asides as you can fit in less than 300 words.

Corey Radford/Scott Anderson Quartet (Phyliss' Musical Inn)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
These guys have been working the Monday night jazz circuit for a while now, but this is one of the first times I've seen them get a shoutout in Phyliss' miniscule display ad, so good for them.

9.23   tuesday
Open Mike (Vaughan's)   SEE COZ LIVE!
Rocco from the Afrodisiacs continues his residency in the guitar chair, and depending on what time I get there, that carries with it the promise of a ripping version of "Rebel Yell."

Good Charlotte with Something Corporate, Mest (Aragon)
Okay, if any of you on this list are going to this show, please don't tell me, because I might not be able to speak to you ever again. While I'm not as elitist as some when it comes to music, I'm probably still more elitist than most, and these guys do not make the elitist cut by a wide margin.

9.24   wednesday
Rachel Z Trio (Green Mill)
Some of you may recognize Rachel Z as the keyboardist on the most recent Peter Gabriel tours, but she goes way back to the Boston/Berklee College of Music scene of the late 80s, which included a stint with Mike Manieri's Steps Ahead. She managed to fit a couple of gigs with her trio amidst the Gabriel tours, and got some decent press for it, if I remember correctly.

Kick The Cat (Lyons Den)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
This is one of very few unapologetic jazz fusion bands in Chicago, with a lineup of stellar musicians playing complicated music, including guitarist Chris Siebold and drummer Tom Hipskind.

9.25   thursday
Scottinho (HotHouse)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
"Scottinho" is the Brazilification (it's my column, I can make up words) of Chicago jazz guitarist Scott Anderson, who is both a very good friend of mine and a very good guitarist. Over the last couple of years, Scott has immersed himself in Brazilian music, and the result is what I believe is his debut CD as a leader, titled Batizado. The release party will also be a benefit for a Brazilan non-profit organization called Dreams Can Be.

My Morning Jacket with The Sleepy Jackson (Metro)
The Kentucky band has apparently been winning over any number of higher-profile bands who have asked them to open up tours, and the quintet graces the cover of this month's CMJ New Music Monthly. Having only heard one track, it's hard to comment on the wide range of sounds touted by the accompanying article, but hey, if the Dixie Chicks like them, I guess I can't argue.

Ted Nugent with Dirty Americans (House of Blues)
The mullet-watch has to be in full effect for this one.

9.26   friday
Lyla Stone with Cane Corso, Plura, Josh B. (Elbo Room)
For those of you who have been around the Chicago music scene for a while, this bill includes former members of Dirty, Eternalux, Phantom Helmsman, Cassius Clay, Great Apes and others. For those of you who haven't, there's no time like the present. And now that I've heard Cane Corso once, I'll be curious to see if more accurate expectations affect my perception of them.

Ornette Coleman Quartet (Symphony Center)
I saw Coleman play at the University of Chicago when I was barely 18 years old, and absolutely could not relate to his "harmolodic" concepts. While I don't know just what direction the legendary jazz saxophonist is going these days (and the quartet format is an obvious departure from the Prime Time band I saw back in 1988), I'd like to think I'm better prepared for whatever he might throw out there.

R.E.M. with Sparklehorse (United Center)
Remember how R.E.M. said they'd never tour again after drummer Bill Berry left for health reasons? Apparently they don't, either.

9.27   saturday
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club with The Stratford 4 (Metro)
You know how I just said My Morning Jacket was on the cover of this months' CMJ? As fate would have it, BRMC had a track on the accompanying compilation CD as well. Spooky.

T.S. Monk (Green Dolphin)
Monk is the drummer son of legendary bop pianist Thelonius Monk, and has been rising through the ranks of the big-time jazz scene for at least a decade now. In trying to verify if Downbeat magazine did, in fact, name his 2002 release "Higher Ground" their album of the year, I found their website still has links to CDNow. I know we didn't exactly take the best care of downbeat.com when I worked for Tunes, but wow.

9.28   sunday
EXO with Giant Step, Phistine Verona, Sono (Metro)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
I've said it a million times by now, but I still can't figure out why these guys aren't huge. Their second release, The Safety Primer Justice, continues many of the same angular, syncopated, but still relentlessly bruising trends of the first record, but also starts to take some steps in new directions. It's an all-ages gig.