list.in.to.chicago this week: 10.20.2003

I've been told that it's Monday and that I'm back in Chicago, and as far as I can tell (which isn't that far, given last week's six-state jaunt), that's correct. So sit back, relax, and for the love of Pete, forward this to your friends so they can enjoy it, too!

Pick of the week
Three guesses what I'm going to say here, and the first two don't count. That's right, Project/Object for two shows at Martyr's over the weekend, because more people need to get out and hear Frank Zappa's music more often.

list.in.to.COZ
Following on the heels of the gig over the weekend in Dallas, me and Mike from Lindsie's band and Foxide will be joining Sevendeep at Duffy's for the first time in Chicago. Could become a regular thing, so watch this space for details. And speaking of Nitrous Foxide, we'll be back in action on Saturday night, warming up for the big gig in a couple of weeks. Finally, it'll be back to Vaughan's after a short hiatus, so that should be fun.

Recap
Last week was pretty crazy. Got to see my friend's band do a couple of label showcases in NYC, where we encountered one of the most gorgeous waitresses EVER at the bar in the Paramount Hotel, and where I missed bumping into Hugh Jackman (you know, Wolverine) by a minute. I did catch James Gandolfini over by Central Park, though.

Then, after getting name-checked from Wednesday night's soccer game from Giants Stadium, it was on to Dallas, where I got to play drums for perhaps my first ever sports idol, former Cowboys QB Roger Staubach, at a big gathering for his real estate company. And I mean big, in terms of the whole production. The lighting rig was insane, for one, and they had this boom camera that I swear was going to decapitate our keyboardist. It was fun being a bona fide rock star for the night, even for that small of an audience. And even if I did get drunk enough to actually play "Brown Eyed Girl" on acoustic guitar later in somebody's hotel room. I feel dirty.

10.20   monday
Drummers of West Africa featuring Doudou N'Diaye Rose (Symphony Center)
I'm a sucker for these shows, seeing as how I'm a drummer and like African music in the first place. There's a bit of a Paul Simon-esque "hey look at what I've found and brought to your mainstream culture" sterility to seeing something like this in a largely antiseptic venue like Orchestra Hall, but at the same time, there's an energy and a joy that fights hard to transcend that.

Paul Weller with Chris Stills (House of Blues)
This is the second of two nights for the former Jam frontman. It's an acoustic tour which features Gem Archer of Oasis accompanying Weller on guitar.

10.21   tuesday
Open Mike (Vaughan's)   SEE COZ LIVE!
After a couple weeks of schedule conflicts, I'm back. So is Tony. It's all good.

Sidewinders with Stone City Stragglers (Fitzgerald's, Berwyn)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Looks like these guys are becoming regulars at the western suburban club, so good for them.

Stryper with The Migraines (House of Blues)
I don't know which is more disturbing, that bands like Stryper feel there's enough of an audience for them to get back together and tour, or that House of Blues invariably gives them a venue for such delusions. With all original members!

10.22   wednesday
Thin Lizzy (Double Door)
The boys are back in town. Or, more accurately, boy, as I've been told that this tour only has one of the original members of the 70s rockers. John Sykes, who I'm sure none of you remember as formerly being in Whitesnake, is also in the band now. This is the first of two nights in the Park of Wicker, the second of which also features American Motherload, who qualifies more as an "acquaintance of Coz" than a "friend of Coz," but their brand of throwback rock should be a great fit for this bill.

Shonen Knife with Modey Lemon, The Tyrades and Phantom Limbs (The Abbey)
It's a bit hard to fathom that this Japanese all-girl punk-pop trio has been putting out records for twenty years, but some of that disconnect is because they didn't break through in the U.S. until around 1992. If you want to know where bands like Puffy Ami Yumi came from, this is it.

Patrick Hasbrook (Bird's Nest)
This is Vaughan's open mike vet Hasbrook's first full-on show by himself, and will feature a whole spate of covers along with the original tunes he's been honing on those Tuesday nights.

10.23   thursday
Sevendeep (Duffy's)   SEE COZ LIVE!
This band has nominally been singer/guitarists Matt Hoffer and Eric Antonini doing cover songs on acoustic guitars in the past, but now they've plugged in and gotten a rhythm section, and we haven't decided if that necessitates a name change just yet. And Dallas Cowboys legend Roger Staubach gives us a thumbs-up.

Light FM with The It's and Morning Wood   FRIENDS OF COZ!
It's now a tossup whether Light FM keyboardist Chris Frantisak or Drive bassist Josh Shapera sports the better retro mustache. At least it was the last time I saw either of them.

Thin Lizzy (Double Door)
See Wednesday's listing.

10.24   friday
Project/Object (Martyr's)
I have to give these guys massive props for keeping Frank Zappa's music out there. Obviously, I'm not the only one with that opinion, as Zappa alumni Ike Willis, Napolean Murphy Brock and Don Preston have been touring consistently with the band for a couple of years now. First of two nights, and you can get a bit of a discount if you buy advance tickets for both shows.

Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Yngwie Malmsteen (Riviera Theatre)
It's the G3 '03 tour, which loosely translates to more notes played on guitar in this one show than all the other ones listed this week combined. I still want to like Steve Vai, but at some point, he got too deep into the 80s hair-metal thing, and I'm not sure he ever really recovered. I've heard that Satriani has gotten more interesting over time, but can't confirm nor deny that. And Malmsteen is a massively egotistical wanker, plain and simple.

Aesop Rock and others (Metro)
There's a bit of a buzz in rap circles about Aesop Rock's hyper-literate wordsmithing, and I've heard at least one tune that, unfortunately, I can't remember very much about right now. However, with about ten other artists on this bill, I'm not optimistic about the show, as it could devolve very easily into that incomprehensible parade of rappers across the Metro stage, which I've seen too often at hip-hop shows. And that's before we get into the inherent problem of pumping a DJ through that sort of sound system. Which isn't to say that they won't be able to pull it off, just that the odds are stacked against them.

Today's My Super Spaceout Day Farewell Show with Penthouse Sweets, Woolworthy, Drive, Jackie Bands, Knife of Simpson, Live Band Karaoke (Double Door)
It seems a bit odd to me that so many bands signed on to participate in TMSSD's swan song, as they never really seemed to make that big of an impact on the local scene. Then again, they've been around since back in the URT days (and I think we actually played with them at this very same Double Door), and that kind of longevity is typically an indicator of doing something right. Also, you tend to make friends over that much time.

10.25   saturday
Nitrous Foxide (Edison Park Inn)   SEE COZ LIVE!
This little jaunt out to parts of Chicago I didn't know existed (6715 North Olmstead Avenue, wherever the heck that is) will serve as a warmup to the big annual Scorpio Party the band plays every year. This year it will be at Joe's on Friday the 14th of November, with more information available here, although you might want to turn down your speakers first if you're at work.

The Changes with The Walkmen, Metric, Mt. Egypt (Double Door)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Last time I saw these guys in this big of a venue, they proved pretty convincingly that they belonged there. So now they're back.

The Ataris with Vendetta Red (Metro)
I may be in the minority here, but even though they're a cookie-cutter modern rock band, I like The Ataris' version of Don Henley's "Boys of Summer." That said, it's still hard to keep all these Atari bands (The Ataris, Atari Teenage Riot, Atari Star) straight. Couldn't one of them called themselves IntelliVision? Or Coleco?

Project/Object (Martyr's)
See Friday's listing.

10.26   sunday
KMFDM with Bile (House of Blues)
Get your industrial groove on with one of the most established bands in the genre who isn't called Ministry.

Fighting Gravity with Red Wanting Blue (Schuba's)
My sister used to tell me about this band, who hails from the Richmond, VA area, when she was in college. To be honest, I'm a bit surprised they're still around, not to mention touring nationally, but upon further investigation, these guys have been running their own show for over ten years now, with the exception of one major-label record in 1998. Plus, ska bands (which is how AllMusic.com classifies them) can be like cockroaches sometimes. They just don't go away, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.