list.in.to.chicago this week: 12.13.2004

Look out, I'm rambling. A lot. Not that it should surprise you by now, right?

Pick of the week
If you can find tickets, Chevelle at House of Blues (Friday) will undoubtedly be solid. Friends of Coz The Changes (Thursday, Metro) are back in action again this week, and in a big enough room that tickets should be no problem -- something that can't be said for some of their other shows. Sunday's Almost Acoustic Christmas (Metro) looks intriguing for more reasons than just my longstanding crush on Merritt Lear of the Assassins, and for the local jazz fans, you've got Kick The Cat on Tuesday (Martyr's) and Long Count on Wednesday (Tryst).

list.in.to.COZ
All you've got from me for the rest of the year is Vaughan's, which could be interesting this week considering I'll be at a holiday party before heading up there, and my voice is a bit raspy from fighting a cold. Could be a train wreak of massive proportions for me, personally, and you wouldn't want to miss that, now would you?

Recap
Personally, I wasn't crazy about either Diver performance last week, although the Abbey Pub event, in and of itself, seemed to be an overwhelming success.

12.13   monday
Judith Owen featuring Harry Shearer with Martin Zellar (Schubas Tavern)
No, you don't just need to know that Owen is Simpsons and Spinal Tap vet Shearer's wife. You need to know that her new holiday album features a low-key cabaret version of Tap's "Christmas With The Devil."

12.14   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
The Grinch killed last week. I figure by next week I might actually have learned the words.

Kick The Cat with Chris Greene and the New Perspective (Martyr's)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
It looks like the KTC boys have a sort of once-a-month permanent undercard status, or that they hang on to the slot regardless of whether there's a headliner or not. Either way, a steady monthly fusion outlet is a steady monthly fusion outlet, so ours is not to quibble. I think I shared a bill at Cubby Bear with Chris Greene -- celebrating a CD release with his New Perspective -- with Oncle Julien back in the day, some eight or nine years ago. Pretty soon that perspective isn't going to be so new.

Barenaked Ladies (Chicago Theatre)   SOLD OUT!
Okay, so I consider their most recent claim to fame to be a Daily Show punchline and not their Christmas album, but apparently I'm in the minority. Wait a minute, do Canadians even celebrate Christmas?

12.15   wednesday
Long Count (Tryst)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Take a break from all the company Christmas parties with some burnin' jazz in Wrigleyville. I'm hoping to drop in on this one, after ending up mixing down a live demo last Wednesday and forgetting all about it.

Wes Anderson Rocks! (Metro)
Lots of praise being tossed around for this concept, as far as I can tell. The likes of The Autumn Defense, Kevin O'Donnell, Andrew Bird, Abstract Giants and The Safes cover songs from Wes Anderson's movies.

Drowning Wallace with The Turnstyles, Dragonfly Red (Martyrs')
I think I mentioned this once before, but on a Kelly Steward gig several months back, we shared a bill with these guys in what was their first Chicago show ever. Since then, I've seen them bump up to a weekend at Elbo Room and, now, a Wednesday at my favorite room for live music. Could they turn out to be another Escape From Earth? We'll have to wait and see.

12.16   thursday
The Changes with Troubled Hubble, Sybris, The Life During Wartime DJs (Metro)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
There's a very good chance these guys can ride the wave created by Franz Ferdinand and really find some success, provided they keep their sound focused. I have to be honest, I heard them maybe trying to overreach a little last time, so I hope they don't lose what's made them appealing in an effort to diversify a little too much.

Miracle on State Street VI (Chicago Theatre)   SOLD OUT!
Howie Day, John Mayer, Five for Fighting scheduled to appear in what I can only assume is the sixth annual holiday show in the Loop. Plain vanilla ice cream and dry toast will be served by unthreatening vendors in the lobby.

Oh My God with By Divine Right, University (Schuba's)
These guys seem to get at least a minor buzz here in Chicago. I heard a cut from their latest on Local 101 last night, and I'm not quite sure what all the fuss is about. That said, maybe I need to see them live before saying anything definitive. Or listen to the whole record. Because it would be unbecoming to spout off uninformed opinions about something on the Internet. The whole thing might fall apart.

12.17   friday
Chevelle with Vendetta Red, Instruction (House of Blues)   SOLD OUT!
The brothers from the distant 'burbs could maybe squeak in as "friends of friends of Coz," but I could probably tag every single show on this list with that moniker if I really thought about it. They've been a great success story for Chicago rock in the post-post-grunge era, as they practially stand alone as far as recent local acts who have broken on a national scale, at least in the rock, non-Kanye West sense. Which means I'm probably forgetting somebody.

Light FM with Duvall, Sleepwalker Defense, Textbook (Bottom Lounge)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Of course, you can say that about Chevelle largely because the Smoking Popes self-destructed right as they were about to join them on the national scene. Josh Caterer still soldiers on with Duvall, appearing here with Light FM, who might get the ignominious honor of the band I mention most and go see the least.

Spoon with David Singer and the Sweet Science (Double Door)
At some point, you realize that there are so many "indie darlings" that the indie community may have some issues with commitment and fidelity. And yet I suspect most indie rockers at least enjoyed, if not actively like, both The Commitments and High Fidelity. Odd.

12.18   saturday
Kill Hannah with Shiny Toy Guns, Tommie Sunshine (House of Blues)
Just consider this a public service announcement in case you're Christmas shopping in River North and are suddenly set upon by large groups of disaffected suburban youth wearing lots of black and tube socks on their arms for no discernable reason.

Burn Rome Burn with Will Hoge, Dave Tamkin (Double Door)
These guys rehearse down the hall from where my drums live. That's all I've got.

12.19   sunday
An Almost Acoustic Christmas (Metro)
I've got to admit, I'm curious as to how the Assassins will sound in a semi-unplugged setting. My first guess is a lot like Butterfly Child. Giant Step and Scott Lucas from Local H should probably scale down pretty easily, although Lucas tends to be sledgehammer-esque when he's electric, so that could be interesting.