list.in.to.chicago this week: 11.08.2004

What's up with all the good and/or big-name shows on Monday and Tuesday this week? I even left a couple (KMFDM, Marilyn Manson) out.

Anyway, if you know someone who you think might like this, please forward it to them. If you've had this forwarded to you, subscription info is at the bottom.

Pick of the week
The Futureheads/Changes show, early on Wednesday at Empty Bottle, should be a good one. If you can get tickets for The Roots on Friday at House of Blues, you should go. And if you can get extra tickets, you should call me. Finally, if you can find parking amidst the Pixies revelrie, Muse at the Riv on Saturday should also be quality.

list.in.to.COZ
You should come out to Vaughan's on Tuesday. Really. Otherwise bad things might happen. Less bad things will happen if you don't come to Cullen's on Saturday for RipleyDiver, but you should do that, too.

Recap
So, it turns out that Jayh Johnson both began and ended the run of backroom music at Bar Thirteen, with the ending being on Thursday. I'm looking for another venue for the Coz Sings! extravaganza, and will keep you posted.

I went to check out Sunday Morning Chameleon again on Saturday night. Most of my observations still held true from last time -- attractive crowd, lots of Coldplay influence -- but I also picked up some Cure and U2, and some guy on the stairs swore he heard some Mogwai. However, it was maybe a little too mid-tempo for my liking for this particular evening, and in retrospect, I might have been better off going to see Helmet. Facing Winter, who played before them, had a sort of odd mix of indie rock/emo vocals, almost Soundgarden-y riffs and acoustic guitar.

The almost back-to-back Diver shows went well enough, and introduced the phrase "bloomin' blokes" into the lexicon, which made it all worthwhile.

11.08   monday
Jon Stewart tickets go on sale (Ticketmaster, noon)
I figured you'd want to know. The show is in early April of next year at the Rosemont Theatre. Just in case having him in your living room four days a week isn't enough for you.

Green Day with Sugarcult (UIC Pavilion)
The media narrative with Green Day's new album is that they've matured from their snotty punk background. This would be your chance to see for yourself. That said, I can't quite get past last week's RedEye teasing out a paraphrased quote that singer Billie Joe Armstrong wears all black because "that's how he feels inside." Reading the article, I don't think he ever actually said it, but I guess expecting actual good journalism from RedEye is too much to ask.

The Misfits with Agent Orange (House of Blues)
With all the hubbub about the upcoming five-night stand from the Pixies, it's worth noting that there's another band coming to town that had a lot of influence on the "grunge revolution" in The Misfits. With more than a dozen member passing through the ranks, I have no idea just who is in the current version of the band.

11.09   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
Okay, here's the deal. We need you to come out on Tuesdays, whether it's to play a couple of tunes or just to enjoy the vibe. There has been a directive from on high that we need better turnouts for this thing to keep happening, and what the heck am I going to do on Tuesdays if it goes away?

Kick The Cat with Van Hunt, Bad Dog (Martyr's)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
The fusion bad boys are back for their monthly workout, this time in support of this Van Hunt character, who I know absolutely nothing about, musically, but was supposed to open for the canceled Boney James show at HOB. Huh huh ... Boney ... uh huh huh.

Light FM with Heavenly States, Penthouse Sweets, Month of Sundays (Double Door)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Okay, not gonna get to see this one. At this point I think Light FM gets the award for the most mentions without actually going to see them, dubious as that is. And I have to question the whole four-band slate on a Tuesday. That doesn't really seem like a great idea.

Lexie Bloor with Jason Antone, Laurna Michael (Beat Kitchen)
Why yes, there IS a chick singer -- hey, it's called "Chick Singer Night," so don't blame me -- named Lex that you should see this week, thanks for asking! Haven't seen Bloor do a show in a while, so I have no idea what she's up to or who's still in her band these days.

Good Charlotte with Sum 41, Hazen St., Lola Ray (Aragon)
In addition to having a couple of bands that were important to the development of modern "alternative" rock, we've also got a couple of show with bands that have gone on and ruined the genre. It's the circle of life!

11.10   wednesday
The Changes with The Futureheads (Empty Bottle)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Fresh off of what I've been told was eventually a sold-out show at Schuba's, Darren and the boys snagged a good opening slot for the Futureheads, who were just in town a few months ago opening up for Franz Ferdinand. This is an early (7pm) start, with the regular jazz series later on.

11.11   thursday
The Peters (Wrightwood Tap)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Why yes, there IS a female vocalist I've played with doing her new thing this week that I would recommend, thanks for asking! Nitrous Foxide alum Michelle Peters is going all night here with her husband Dan. Wait, that didn't come out right. Seriously, though, shouldn't it be the Peterses? Peters'?

Avril Lavigne with Butch Walker (United Center)
This just gets better and better. There's even a manufactured pop singer woth checking out this week.

Papa Roach with Trust Company, Chronic Future (Metro)
This would be the second of the "shows that would make Kurt Cobain roll over in his grave" as mentioned earlier. And if Ratt can tour with Poison, Papa Roach should tour with Alien Ant Farm.

11.12   friday
The Roots with St. Juste (House of Blues)   SOLD OUT!
In a perfect world, the Foundation Room membership I won last week at the Halloween party would get me into this show, but I don't think that's the case. I'm such a slacker about buying tickets for shows in advance these days.

Nicholas Barron's Hyperactive (Horseshoe)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
I think Nicholas, Steve and the guys realized I hadn't seen them in a while, so they booked a month of Friday shows closer to me, at this new bar on Lincoln just north of Irving Park, on a night where I'm much more likely to be able to make it. Because it's all about me.

Callisto with Window Nine, Tax, Jason Eller (Elbo Room)
And, to complete the underlying theme, here's the show at Elbo Room worth checking out this week. The Regels -- with Paramours singer Niki Conrad lending some backing vocal support -- were originally supposed to be on this bill, but it looks like that's not happening.

The Ropeadope New Music Seminar (Park West)
With Charlie Hunter, Sex Mob and Critters Buggin all on the bill, I'm wondering how this mostly escaped my radar before a quick Metromix search.

Ryan Adams and the Cardinals with Jesse Malin (Riviera)
You know, ripping on the oversensitive Adams is actually starting to get boring. I really thought the whole Bryan Adams incident -- and maybe the angry voice mail he left for DeRogatis -- would have had more legs than this.

11.13   saturday
RipleyDiver (Cullen's)   SEE COZ LIVE!
I think we're technically billed at the Ripleys for this one, but it's me, Tony and Avi, which looks more like Diver. So it's RipleyDiver!

Muse with The Zutons (Riviera)
I don't hear the early Radiohead that gets cited as an influence as much as I hear V.A.S.T., but maybe that's just me. There's also a definite Jeff Buckley vibe, vocally. I've also seen some pushback about the band being a little overblown and blustery, but that's not always a bad thing. The tunes may flirt with being over the top, but I don't think they actually fly over the precipice.

Pixies with The Datsuns (Aragon)   SOLD OUT!
First of five nights from the reunited college rock juggernaut. I saw them back in '91 or '92 when we booked them at the U of C, but I didn't really know much about them at the time. I will say they ran a really tight ship, from a production standpoint, but given the sheer number of colleges they played, that seemed prudent.

11.14   sunday
Bang On A Can Allstars (Chicago Cultural Center, 5pm)
This group lives somewhere in between classical and and avant-garde jazz with a hint of rock and roll, and will be performing pieces from Philip Glass and others.

Pixies with The Walkmen (Aragon)   SOLD OUT!
See Saturday's listing. There might still be tickets for the fifth and final show, but there also might not.