list.in.to.chicago this week: 02.28.2005

In which our birthday boy juggles the multiple themes of gratuitous Franz Ferdinand mentions, local band longevity and surprise parties.

Pick of the week
If you see this on the web this afternoon, the Kodo drummers tonight (Symphony Center) should be pretty cool. Past that, you've got The Music (Wednesday, Metro), Hot Hot Heat (Thursday, Bottom Lounge) and The Changes (Friday, Double Door) to keep you busy.

Also, since the e-mailed version usually doesn't go out until late on Mondays, next Monday boasts Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker and Roy Hargrove at Symphony Center.

list.in.to.COZ
Tuesday will be the big non-surprise party at Vaughan's for my (gasp) 35th birthday. Now do you understand why I'm blogging about Social Security so much? Then Diver is back in action in some form on Sunday at Cullen's.

Recap
Saw Blue Man Group for the first time in a couple of years on Saturday night (thanks to Mary, and to the 7-foot large-headed guy sitting in front of us who set the wheels in motion to get seats right down in front because we couldn't see). That music just makes me happy. As far as I could tell, there were only one or two significant additions to the revamped show, particularly focused around "Time To Start" from The Complex album -- although it's possible that I've got the causality backwards, to a point. The picking on pop singers seems a little mean-spirited, but I could live with it, especially since I'm going to do the same thing before this newsletter is done.

2.28   monday
Kodo (Symphony Center)
It's the Japanese art of playing drums that are bigger than you are! What's not to like?

Shonen Knife with Visqueen, The Manhandlers (Bottom Lounge)
Apparently tonight's the night for Japanese acts. If you've seen all those Puffy Ami Yumi signs on the CTA, you should know that they're likely to have never gotten very far were it not for Shonen Knife before them giving punk rock the Japanese schoolgirl treatment. Which I think will cost you big yen in the seedier parts of Tokyo.

3.01   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
My thanks to those of you who came out to what I thought was going to be an acoustic gig from the Open Jam house band on Friday. In what will certainly cause some deja vu, we'll be celebrating my birthday again at Vaughan's. Only this time, I'll know about it. I'm not sure if there should be some sort of ceremonial theme to my song selection. We'll see. There may be cake. Or maybe I'll play some Cake. Who knows?

Black 47 (Metro)
It's March, which means the floodgates of Irish acts in the run-up to St. Patrick's Day is officially open. Metro strikes first.

The Futureheads with Shout Out Louds, High Speed Scene (Double Door)
At this point, I think any Britpop band has to be gunning to be mentioned together with Franz Ferdinand, and The Futureheads actually toured with them, so they've got that angle covered. I got there late that night, so I haven't been able to hear them.

3.02   wednesday
The Music with Kasabian, Morningwood (Metro)
This unfortunately-named and quite nearly Google-proof British band pre-dates the Franz Ferdinand craze, but listening to last year's Welcome To The North album, they seem to be in a good position to benefit from it anyway. They borrow from the same well at times, particularly with that now-ubiquitous four-on-the-floor faux-disco beat, but they're not so heavily reliant on it as their Scottish compatriots. So there's a bit more breadth to these guys.

High Plains Drifter with Alabama Thunder Pussy, The Decibators, Kita (The Note)
Okay, how's this for spurious connections? I think I met a guy from High Plains Drifter a couple of months ago, but for the life of me, I can't remember who he was or where it happened. I think it may have been at Vaughan's on a Tuesday, but don't quote me on that.

3.03   thursday
Hot Hot Heat with Louis XIV, The Flesh (Bottom Lounge)
Of course, before the aforementioned Franz Ferdinand craze was the garage rock revival, and Hot Hot Heat, along with bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, rode the wave created by The Strokes much the way this current crop of British bands is glomming on to Ferdinand and, to some extent, Coldplay.

Braddigan from Dispatch, Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers (Schubas)
I'm still, to this day, really curious as to how Dispatch briefly broke through into mainstream radio's consciousness a few years ago with their reggae-by-way-of-Boston hit "Open Up." A bunch of money to independent promoters is the obvious answer, but that still seems weird, given the band's indie history.

Monkey Paw with Dummy Royal (Double Door)
Is it cynical of me to be surprised when I see bands who were contemporaries of URT, whose final show was three years ago this week, still slugging it out in the clubs?

3.04   friday
Pine Valley Cosmonauts (The Arts Club)
This seems like a pretty cool event in the River North gallery district. It's a benefit that will auction artwork from several local artists and limited edition posters of musical artists, along with Jon Langford, Sally Timms and Kelly Hogan performing with/as The Pine Valley Cosmonauts. Proceeds go to Rock for Kids, or go from Rock for Kids to various charities, or something, and tickets are $75 in advance.

Jeff Tweedy (The Vic)   SOLD OUT!
The Wilco frontman can do no wrong here in Chicago, selling out the Lakeview venue for a solo performance.

The Changes with Manishevitz, Lacuna, Head of Femur (Double Door)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Since I'm riffing on Franz Ferdinand, you could probably find elements of that band in this one, along with some more obvious nods to The Police, Interpol and the Beatles. Much like URT was, they seem to be a Rorschach Test for listeners, as the number of different bands people hear in them is pretty voluminous.

Catsplash with The Indoor Kids, Matt Wolf and the Deceivers, The Dirty Blue (Beat Kitchen)
I guess famous band impersonations aren't just for tribute bands or Halloween shows anymore, as Catsplash is billed here as "performing as Radiohead."

Kings of Leon with The Features (Metro)   SOLD OUT!
I was going to say you could get a taste of what part of this Spring's U2 shows are going to sound like, as the opening act takes to the road in advance of the Vertigo Tour, but apparently about 1,000 people already thought of that.

3.05   saturday
The Cells with Chlorine, Todd Bowie (Gunther Murphy's)
Is it repetitive of me to be surprised when I see bands who were contemporaries of URT, whose final show was three years ago this week, still slugging it out in the clubs?

Burn Rome Burn with On a Sun, Stylus, Al Weber, Rebecca Wickens (Double Door)
I mentioned last time that this band rehearses in the same building I do. If they're the band I think they are, they've improved quite a bit since we've been neighbors.

3.06   sunday
Diver (Cullen's)   SEE COZ LIVE!
As of press time, it was unclear whether this would be a three-piece or a four-piece gig. Anto may still be out of town. Anyway, we're really playing this time. Honest.

Three Dog Night (House of Blues)
There's probably a joke in here about old rock acts who should be put to sleep, but I'm lazy and don't want to look too hard for it.

Ashlee Simpson (Rosemont Theatre)
Since it was free, and I can't find my copy of The Week, I read today's RedEye-via-Denver Post story on the younger of the Simpson sisters. I'm not sure if it was impressive or disconcerting that the author managed to take a comment like "better suited to magazine covers than music" and incorporate it in what read like a pretty upbeat piece. I, for one, don't get the appeal of either of the ubiquitous Simpson sisters. But then again, if we've learned anything this week, it's that I'm old and probably out of touch with today's youth. Get off my lawn, you damn kids!