list.in.to.chicago this week: 10.06.2003

I know I have a couple of White Sox fans on the list, so I'll try to avoid making it list.in.to.cubbies this week, but it's going to be tough. Aside from that, there are two big things going on this week, on Friday and Saturday, that you won't want to miss, so read on...

Pick of the week
I would be remiss if I didn't tell you that Saturday's Lindsie Reitz CD Release Party is the only show worth seeing this week. Also, Lindsie would probably kick my butt, and I need my butt to sit on while I'm drumming. We will have 100 CDs (produced by Chuck Gladfelter and Robert Byrne of Ivory Wire, who are conveniently also on the bill) on hand, along with the first-ever Lindsie Reitz t-shirts, for your listening and wearing enjoyment. The Double Door holds over 400 people, so get there early to get yours.

Once again, I have to take a bit of a departure from the music for another subject important to me, as the Chicago Fire mark their return to Soldier Field on Friday night. It's going to be a blast.

list.in.to.COZ
For those of you who have been getting these sorts of e-mails from me, you know that this Saturday will be the third-ever CD release party for a band that I'm in. This one looks to be the biggest for a couple of reasons. First, unlike Question Mary, the Lindsie Reitz EP is really good music. Second, unlike URT, chances are that there won't be a huge blizzard. Third, it's in the biggest room of the bunch, with more fancy lights and larger speakers than the other two. That's got to count for something.

If you're scoring at home, there is, I believe, only one person on the e-mail version of this list (besides me) who could hit the trifecta of all three of these shows. If you're not scoring at home, have you considered sending flowers?

Recap
After making fun of them for a while about the name, I was happy to see that the Long Count Quartet actually had four members on Monday. And they ended their night with some very cool, very bizarre guitar effects. Other than that, sort of a quiet week. The Vaughan's open mike had to wait until the Cubs were done to start, so it was shorter than usual. That said, it did feature a brief homage to the late Robert Palmer on my part. On Friday I checked out the twice-weekly drum circle at Rhythm, that new club on the near west side, and it was pretty cool.

10.06   monday
Mos Def with Molemen, Kenny Nash (Metro)
Loved him in "The Italian Job," at least in the parts where I wasn't drooling over Charlize Theron.

10.07   tuesday
Open Mike (Vaughan's)   SEE COZ LIVE!
Once again, we likely won't start until some baseball game or other ends. Last week was funny because there was still that underlying sense of impending doom when something would go even just a little wrong. I think the Cubs didn't turn a double-play, and people were acting like they had already lost the game, even though they were still a few runs up.

The Polyphonic Spree with Starlight Mints, Corn Mo (Metro)
I mentioned them last week, but after seeing a clip, I think I'd like to see these guys perform the seventh inning stretch or the National Anthem down the street at Wrigley, just because it would be really, really odd. Or have them play on the sidewalk in front of Metro before or after the game.

Dana Lawrence (Big Dog Tavern)   FRIEND OF COZ!
This is a relatively new bar up in Lincoln Square, and so far, the bookings have been pretty good. If I recall correctly, Dana hasn't played too much lately, so some encouragement may be in order to change that. And yes, they'll have TVs for the Cubs game.

Chick Singer Night (Beat Kitchen) FRIENDS OF COZ!
My good friend Scott Anderson will be one of the featured artists this evening. I could explain why he's a featured artist on "Chick Singer Night," but it's much, much funnier if I don't.

Sting with Jonny Lang (Grant Park)
I think it's still possible to get the free tickets for this outdoor concert, but given the cold and this anomaly of baseball in Chicago in October, I don't think anyone cares. I've been told that Vinnie Colaiuta is on the new record, although that wasn't enough to sway me on his last two. Der Stinger also came clean about earlier claims about his marathon love-making sessions, saying that the rumored eight hours included dinner, a movie and a lot of pleading.

10.08   wednesday
Dashboard Confessional with MXPX, Brand New and Piebald (Congress Theater)
For some reason, these guys remind me of Violent Femmes, just with acoustic guitars. The songs make for an enjoyable, if somewhat one-dimensional, listen on record, but I don't know if they're fleshed out with an actual band in a live setting, and that could make a big difference. Too much earnest acoustic emoting can get tedious, and a more electric reinvention, if done well, could add some much-needed depth.

Deals Gone Bad (Abbey Pub)
This is the last stop on a pub crawl sponsored by the Chicago Fire and The Onion, featuring the local ska-punk band largely responsible for the Fire's current "theme song."

10.09   thursday
Fire Theft with Laguardia (Bottom Lounge)
Monica Kendrick slammed them, so they must be good. Also, they used to be Sunny Day Real Estate, but I don't really think SDRE had that many "casual" fans that would need to know that.

Eve 6 with Cauterize (Double Door)
I was castigated last time for not researching why Cauterize picked their particularly dire moniker, but I just have this sneaking suspicion it's something absurd, like the band's desire to numb the pain of their deep-seated angst by charring the flesh that is exposed to the hardships, trivialities and massive emptiness of modern suburban teenage living, so I just can't bring myself to look it up. Beside, I like my reason better.

10.10   friday
Columbus Crew vs. Chicago Fire (Soldier Field)
The Bears went and wrecked all the wiseassed things I was going to say about your first chance to see a winning team at the new spaceship by the lake, but Chicago's pro soccer franchise has still been the most consistent winner in the city since Michael Jordan left, and the game experience is unlike that of any other regional team. And yes, I still have some extra tickets.

Death Cab For Cutie with Pinebender (Metro)
This band is one of those perennial indie rock favorites, which means I've never, ever heard a thing from them. Oddly enough, you can probably glean some information about the band from both of those facts.

10.11   saturday
Lindsie Reitz CD Release with Ivory Wire, Sunhead King, Mighty Fine Machine (Double Door)   SEE COZ LIVE!
I strategically put all the real pertintent info at the top of the newsletter, but if you've been persistent enough to make it all the way through (and I understand how tough that is with the eight million shows on Tuesday), I'd like to reward you by linking you, or those of you with HTML email, to a $2 off ticket for the show.

10.12   sunday
Hoobastank, Ozomatli with The All-American Rejects, Diffuser (Riviera Theatre)
While I kid about Cauterize's name, it's not nearly as bad a name as Hoobastank, but the California band certainly has a way with a big pop-rock hook. And Ozomatli is fantastic, sort of a more hip-hop-inflected version of Los Lobos, at least on the surface.