list.in.to.chicago this week: 12.06.2004

Nothing terribly witty to lead with this week, so let me just once again ask that you pass this e-mail or URL along to anyone on your Christmas list might appreciate it. Subscription info at the bottom.

Pick of the week
I have to give Gillis credit for turning to l.i.t.c. whenever he starts a run at a new room, despite my insistence that it's not going to help, so I'll give the nod to Long Count at Tryst on Wednesday. I'm easy like that. If we're going to measure buzz as an indicator, then Scissor Sisters (Sunday at the Vic) is one way to stand out as the cool one at the water cooler on Monday, I would imagine.

list.in.to.COZ
Double-dose of Diver this week, with The Abbey Pub's Celtic Christmas -- maybe I shouldn't tell them that "Costello," in my case, is actually Italian -- on Thursday and Cullen's on Sunday. As always, please come to Vaughan's on Tuesday so we don't get fired.

Recap
I saw a really lame cover band out in the 'burbs on Thursday night. What was odd was that, if the drummer grew a goatee, he would have been a dead ringer for Jim DeRogatis of the Sun-Times, who also plays drums.

Saturday saw Diver on emergency Cullen's duty, because they know at least three of us don't have social lives. Three guesses who wasn't able to make it, and the first two don't count. Anyway, this is twice in a month where someone has come up to me/us and said that the music made their evening, which is way cool.

Sunday was night three of Q101's Twisted Christmas, with Snow Patrol, The Hives and Franz Ferdinand, otherwise known as "Night of Many Telecasters." Seriously, if the Les Paul was the axe of choice for the Warped Tour-inspired pop-punk movement of the late '90s, the emo/indie/retropunk sound so popular with the kids these days belongs to the Tele. Over/under on fixing crappy Aragon-induced mixes at the outset of each set was about three songs. If you're wondering how The Hives have updated themselves since their last album, the answer is that they now wear cravats instead of ties. And spats.

12.06   monday
Pat McCurdy (Beat Kitchen)
I'm sort of amazed that McCurdy is still at it, as I remember his regular Monday night gig being at Lounge Ax about ten years ago, with a regular Wednesday or Thursday at HogHead McDunna's. At that point, it was sort of a wry acoustic thing, and I suspect it still is.

Avant Garde Jazz Jam Session (Hotti Biscotti)
Okay, my question is this. How can you tell if the jam was any good? 'Cause if you didn't like it, it might be that you're just not avant garde enough. Or maybe you're too avant garde. On the other hand, maybe the lack of a subjective yardstick frees you from traditional constraints and lets the music really grow organically. Far out, dude.

12.07   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
If I can remember to repost the Craigslist ad, maybe we'll get some more of the eclectic acts who have showed up the last two weeks, including a quartet of older gentlemen who were just a joy to watch last week. I've also been charged with adding Christmas music to the festivities, so I'll have to re-learn the Grinch song, complete with the added bonus Homer Simpson verse.

12.08   wednesday
Long Count (Tryst)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
So Steve called to tell me that his jazz group is back in action this month, and that he's been working on his double bass drumming. I don't think the two are releated, but hey, you never know. The group debuted at the Wrigleyville bar last week, and will be starting a little later this week.

12.09   thursday
Diver with Gan Bua, Gareth Woods (Abbey Pub)   SEE COZ LIVE!
This is the Abbey's "Celtic Christmas Fest," and we're headlining a night that includes our buddy Gareth, Gan Bua, DJ B and the Spriorad Damhsa Irish Dancers. There will also be prizes, I'm told, and the proceeds (I'm guessing net, not gross, but what do I know?) will be going to charity.

Scottinho (HotHouse)
Scott brings his Brazilian jazz to the South Loop for a fundraiser for the Dreams Can Be foundation (www.dreamscanbe.org), which provides help for "street children" in Brazil. Since spending time in Brazil, Scott's been an outspoken advocate for the organization. Along with the performance, there will be a silent auction, and they'll be accepting donations as well.

12.10   friday
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy's Wild and Swingin' Holiday Party (House of Blues)
At least two conversations in the past week have ended up somewhere in the jump swing movement of about five years ago, and then here's BBVD in town for the holidays? Coincidence? Or have they mastered subliminal and/or telepathic marketing? Hmmm.

New Duncan Imperials with Slink Moss And The Flying Aces, Devil In A Woodpile (Abbey Pub)
I don't know if NDI still uses all the props they did ten years ago, but just in case, I'm glad we're playing the Abbey the night before them and not the night after.

Tribute to Elvis Costello (Viaduct)
This sorta caught my eye because I hadn't really ever seen music listed for the Western Avenue bar, and the artists performing are somewhat noteworthy, including The Bon Mots, Jay Bennett and Tristen.

12.11   saturday
Trans-Siberian Orchestra (Allstate Arena)
Let me see if I've got this straight. This show is getting plugged on The Loop, but the 60-piece orchestra has only released albums of Christmas music and Beethoven. And the first "similar artist" listed on allmusic.com is...GTR? Does not compute.

Family Style with Low Down Brass Band (Gunther Murphy's)
Still been meaning to check these guys out ever since saxophonist Chris Neal subbed in my short-lived R&B project.

Karl Denson's Tiny Universe with LYFE (House of Blues)
I was talking to a friend yesterday who contended that Denson leads one of the better "jam bands," but he seems more like a regular ol' jazz artist to me. Of course, I'm basing that more on The Greyboy All-Stars project than Tiny Universe, so I may be wrong.

Menthol with Woolworthy, The Flesh (The Bottom Lounge)
A couple of longtime Chicago bands that I haven't seen in quite some time. Woolworthy I've at least seen around, but I don't recall having seen Menthol's name on a bill in a long while.

Tribute to Elvis Costello (Viaduct)
Second night of the festivies, with different artists performing. This might be a good time to scan and post my picture from Los Angeles with an Elvis impersonator. Get it? Elvis Costello? Never mind.

12.12   sunday
Diver (Cullen's)   SEE COZ LIVE!
At the last-minute surprise show here on Saturday, we approached but did not meet the criteria for an official Diver show, which is some drunk person crashing into the band or the band's equipment. We did still have a fairly spectactular drunken-person-meets-floor episode, though. Who knows what'll happen this time?

American Hi Fi with Butch Walker, Val Emmich (Metro)
I think I've told this story in this space before, but I knew American Hi-Fi frontman and former Letters to Cleo and Veruca Salt drummer Stacy Jones way back in the late eighties, when we both attended Berklee College of Music's 5-week summer program. To the best of my knowledge, Stacy's the only one out of that bunch to make it big, unless you consider a seventy-plus person music newsletter and three to five local bands "big."

Scissor Sisters with VHS or Beta (Vic Theater)
Still not quite sure what to make of a band who's biggest claim to fame is a retro electronica version of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb," but I know a lot of people are digging it.