list.in.to.chicago this week: 01.10.2005

The Reader had top ten lists from all their music critics last week, and if I have time, I'm going to go in and figure out what percentage of them I've ever even heard of. The percent I've actually heard is going to be way too embarassing.

And why no love for Mos Def? I haven't seen The New Danger on any year-end lists yet, not that I've been looking.

Pick of the week
It's a good week for drummers, with the Jimmy Chamberlin Complex hitting Double Door on Saturday and the John Moulder Quartet, with Paul Wertico, at Green Mill on Friday and Saturday. Throw in the very talented and very reading this Tom Hipskind with Kick the Cat (Tuesday at Martyr's) and Steve Gillis (Wednesday with Long Count at Tryst, Sunday with Nicholas Barron at Long Room, and wouldn't it be easier if Long Count played at Long Room?) and you've got just a LOT of drums. Which is a good thing, in case you were wondering.

list.in.to.COZ
We've apparently passed whatever litmus test the powers that be had for us at Vaughan's, so we're not going anywhere anytime soon. If you're wondering when you'll see me behind a drumkit again, the next couple of gigs will be Sunday the 23rd (Diver @ Cullen's), Friday the 28th (Diver @ Fado) and Saturday the 29th (Abi Cruz @ Elbo Room) of this month.

Recap
Caught one night of the first round of the Emergenza Festival on Thursday, which was sort of an exercise in juxtaposition. That said, I saw some Sunday Morning Chameleon fans bobbing their heads to the metal band preceding them -- even if that looked a little bit forced, and some of the metal fans digging Soulfix, and their odd-time instrumental breaks in particular. I know that Marlon, Mike and Dario advanced to the next round, but haven't heard about anybody else from that night. The website makes it look like SMC also moved on.

1.10   monday
Pat McCurdy (Beat Kitchen)
Obligatory throwaway Monday listing, considering that (a) you probably won't see this until Tuesday and (b) you probably weren't going out anyway.

1.11   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
I may have some really random stuff in store this week for my ceremonial three or four songs, including Frank Zappa, A Perfect Circle and yet another tune from 80s "supergroup" The Firm. Start time, I've been told, is actually 9pm. Good thing 24 is on Mondays now.

Kick The Cat with The Renegades (Martyrs')   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Get your monthly fusion fix. In a related story, I've been misplacing the apostrophe in this club's name for about three years now. Apparently there are several martyrs to whom something belongs.

Bartley Fritzsche with Todd Bowie, Bleary (Schuba's)
I remember this guy being a friend of a friend, and performing in last year's Emergenza Festival. With the first round of this year's model in full effect, I figured it was appropriate to mention. Not that I ever need an actual good reason.

1.12   wednesday
Long Count Quartet (Tryst)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Okay, I've been talking them up for a couple of weeks now, so rather than come up with new ways to say the same shit, just go see them, okay? They're really good.

The Regels with Microchimp, Ladies and Gentlemen   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Last time I tried to pimp these guys, the gig fell through, so to paraphrase the imitable David Coverdale (who was, after all, imitating Robert Plant pretty heavily by this point), here we go again. Paramours singer Niki Conrad will be assisting on vocals, if you were looking for the link.

1.13   thursday
Pat DiNizio with Christopher Sullivan (Schuba's)
I can't quite call him a friend of Coz, but Smithereens frontman DiNizio hails from the same town in New Jersey as yours truly. I talked to him a bit last year when he played Elbo Room to a small but enthusiastic crowc, also on a cold winter evening, and I guess his daughter still lives in the Chicagoland area, which the Smithereens called home for a couple of years back in the nineties.

1.14   friday
Gooey with Happy Butterfly Foot (Martyrs')
This is another work-related band, although I don't know if the guy in the next group of pods -- keep your "Coz is a pod person" jokes to yourselves, please -- over from me is in the band, or just knows people in the band. Either way, I'm pretty sure the band name is a play on the acronym for Graphical User Interface, or GUI.

Soulfix (Cubby Bear)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
I'll be interested to see if, after last week's technical difficulties at The Note, Dario starts keeping a spare bass drum head with him, or at least has some sort of solution at hand in case he punches a hole in the kick.

John Moulder Quartet (Green Mill)
A few years ago, a month wouldn't go by without some permutation of a small group of Chicago jazz heavyweights, including guitarist Moulder, playing the noted Uptown spot. It's been fewer and further between as of late, which may make this more worthwhile due to the scarcity. The usual suspects of Moulder, Paul Wertico, Lawrence Hobgood and Eric Hochberg are all on board for this one, according to Moulder's website.

1.15   saturday
Floorbirds with Dylan Rice and the Dynasties, Al Weber
I guess it's a good week for work-related bands and Martyrs'. I did ultimately find out whose band this was in the office, and I think there may be a contingent coming out to see this one.

Jimmy Chamberlin Complex with Giant Step (Double Door)
The former Smashing Pumpkins and Zwan drummer has his first solo album coming out in a couple of weeks, and this is Chicago's first chance, that I'm aware of, to see the band live. A certain bald-headed singer contributes vocals on the record, so expect to see lots of aging alterna-kids on the lookout. I'm actually surprised this hasn't been posted as a sellout by now for that reason alone.

The Coctails with Dump (Abbey Pub)
DeRogatis did a nice little overview of the jazzy leanings of both Chamberlin's new project and former Chicago mainstays the Coctails, reuniting here to celebrate the release of a box set. I didn't realize that this was the band from whence Archer Prewitt came.

Ted Ansani with Chris Long, Walkman Light, Matthew James (Subterranean)
While we're on the subject of artists known for previous projects, the former Material Issue bassist has what I'm guessing is a low-key, possibly acoustic gig, by virtue of opening act Walkman Light also appearing at Uncommon Ground this week. I could be wrong.

John Moulder Quartet (Green Mill)
See Friday's listing.

1.16   sunday
Nicholas Barron's Hyperactive (Long Room)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Thanks to the good Dr., I might actually be able to go see some music this Sunday night. Unlike, say, Memorial Day weekend, this might not be as big a night as other eves of Monday holidays, seeing as how Martin Luther King Day isn't as universally observed.

Straylight Run with Something Corporate, The Academy Is..., Hidden In Plain View (House of Blues)
I've said it once, and I'll say it again. Band names related to William Gibson novels almost always get listed, even if they're playing with unintentionally unironically named "modern rock" bands.

Paul Wertico Trio (Zachary's)
Remember what I was saying about multiple permutations of this band? Through Saturday it's Moulder's band, but from Sunday on, it looks like there are a couple of dates for Wertico's version. I've never heard of this place, though, which is way north on Milwaukee.