list.in.to.chicago this week: 05.31.2004

Happy Memorial Day to all of you in l.i.t.c.-land. There was a vague notion that I'd relax and catch up on things this weekend, but that just hasn't happened. However, I do get to revert to the old model of getting this thing done at my leisure on Monday afternoon. At least I could until a Cubs ticket fell in my lap about a half-hour ago.

Anyway, enough about that.

Pick of the week
This is going to be one of those weeks where I recommend a band I haven't ever actually heard, and that's Trans Am with Bobby Conn, Saturday at Empty Bottle and Sunday at Bottom Lounge. Although I have actually seen Conn, so it's not a totally blind recommendation. I have heard Mountain Goats (Friday at Empty Bottle) more than I've actually listened to them (yeah, it's largely semantics, but you know what I mean), but I'm probably going to see them, so take from that what you will.

list.in.to.COZ
This week begs the question, "where the hell is Lisle?" Just east of Naperville, apparently, right off 355. Or something. It's also where you can see Nitrous Foxide strutting our stuff for a late set this Thursday, at a place called The Lodge. Friday morning should be interesting.

Recap
I think EXO has reached, for me, a consistent level of goodness that makes it hard to say anything new about them when I catch a show. At least not until they write some new tunes. They did play something that's either very old and back in the set, or very new, that I hadn't heard before. Openers Dig For Fire, who featured at least a couple of guys from Bumpus, were interesting but suffered from vocals in a range that has trouble cutting through the instrumentation. I've been told they sound really good on CD, but haven't listened to the free EP they were giving away yet.

And I caught a few tunes from Nicholas Barron's Hyperactive on Sunday night, but I'll get to that later.

5.31   monday
Corey Radford/Scott Anderson Quartet (Joy Blue)
If you want to put a nice, jazzy ending to your three-day weekend, this would be a good place to do it.

6.01   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
I'll probably swing by later, but there are only so many times I can play that Tom Waits tune when my voice is, as Anto would put it in his very imitable Liverpudlian fashion, fooked. Once this Fire homestand is over, I may actually have some semblance of a singing voice by Tuesday.

(the) Late Lorraine with Snaklab All-Tsars, The 8th Grade and Smush (Double Door)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
There are very few opportunities where I can recommend that you go see a band whose demo I produced. This is one of those opportunities.

6.02   wednesday
12: A Tribute to 12-Bar Blues (Buddy Guy's Legends)
I think this is the second year the Recording Academy (which I'm assuming means NARAS) has put this show on. The motif is twelve acts, including Buddy Guy, Nash Kato and Caviar, covering classic Chicago blues tunes. There's also a silent auction before the performance. The ad says that proceeds will benefit the Academy's Chicago Chapter, along with "local artists and music industry professionals," but don't those last two apply to any and every show in Chicago?

Tributosaurus with Motion to Fix (Martyr's)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
After the horn frenzy at the end of the Fleetwood Mac incarnation last week, it must have seemed natural to transform into Chicago this time around. Should be a brassy good time.

6.03   thursday
Nitrous Foxide (The Lodge in Lisle)   SEE COZ LIVE!
First show for us in a little while, with a couple new tunes for your listening pleasure. Talk to me later about directions. As of right now, I haven't the foggiest idea how to get there.

Alejandro Escovedo with the Nicholas Tremulis Orchestra, Blondie Chaplin (Double Door)
This is a CD release party for Tremulis and his orchestra, but also a good chance to see frequent Chicago visitor Escovedo. I think Larry Beers plays drums for Tremulis, as well as Motion to Fix (see Wednesday's Tributosaurus listing), and it came to my attention at the Fire game on Saturday that Beers is almost a dead ringer for Colorado defender Nat Borchers. I am confident in saying I'm probably the only person in Chicago who would make that comparison.

6.04   friday
Mountain Goats with Archer Prewitt and the Group, Buried Beds (Empty Bottle)
I'm just going to cut and paste this from Metromix, 'cause I didn't know anything about this aspect of the show: "Party for the literary journal The Believer features performances by Mountain Goats, Archer Prewitt and the Group and Buried Beds. Admission price includes a copy of the latest issue of The Believer."

6.05   saturday
Rush (Tweeter Center)
The venerable quasi-prog trio is celebrating it's 30th anniversary with this tour, which is impressive. To commemorate the occasion, they're releasing an EP of classic rock covers, which is a bit of a departure. Part of me would like to actually check this one out, except that I hate the Tweeter Center and don't know if I could face that much social awkwardness and mulletude in one place at one time. Let's just say the band attracts a certain sort of individual, and yes, I was one of those individuals a long, long time ago. Minus the mullet, though.

Trans Am with Bobby Conn, The Frequency (Empty Bottle)
This Washington, DC trio often gets lumped in with Thrill Jockey labelmates and Chicago's own Tortoise as a leading voice in "post-rock," which is good enough for me. From what I've read, there's a certain amount of humor and/or irony in their presentation, which could make Bobby Conn a good fit on this bill, which moves on to the Bottom Lounge on Sunday.

Dido with Jonathan Rice (Chicago Theatre)   SOLD OUT!
I've read a couple reviews of Dido's new CD that make a case for the singer getting past the "sample on that Eminem song" description, but I haven't heard it yet.

6.06   sunday
Nicholas Barron's Hyperactive (The Long Room)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
After all these years, they can still surprise me, most recently with a bashed-out reading of "Johnny B. Goode."

Trans Am with Bobby Conn, Weird War, The Frequency (Bottom Lounge)
See Saturday's Empty Bottle listing.