list.in.to.chicago this week: 03.21.2005

In this episode, our hero starts to get fed up with all this happy, bouncy new-new wave Britpop.

Pick of the week
I cannot let a Los Lobos show go by (Friday, Symphony Center) without a strong recommendation. Former Blur guitarist Graham Coxon (Friday, Double Door) looks interesting as well. Also, the Stuart Davis/Wendy Debias double bill (Tuesday, Schubas) has some acoustic heft to it.

list.in.to.COZ
Vaughan's on Tuesday night will have a guest appearance by my little sister, who will not be singing or anything. That's a good thing, trust me. Then there's Diver with an acoustic show at Cubby Bear on Wednesday night.

Recap
Caught a bit of a lively Irish set from Gan Bua at a private party at Fado on Wednesday night. And there's a full accounting of Thursday's Diver show on the drumming pages.

3.21   monday
Motorhead with Corrosion of Conformity, Zeke, Brand New Sin (House of Blues)
In the event that you want to go on Saturday, but couldn't because it was sold out. As far as I can tell -- or am willing to look, anyway -- tickets are still available. And Lemmy is still really scary-looking.

3.22   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
I've been exploring 80s new wave, 80s prog rock, 80s one-hit wonders, but I feel like I've been neglecting 80s unmitigated cheese. With UW-Milwaukee screwing up everybody's NCAA brackets, it only seems appropriate. Plus, my little sister will be on hand to witness the carnage. Or is that the fromage?

Stuart Davis with Wendy Debias (Schubas)
Should be a good night of solo acoustic singer/songwriters, with Davis and Debias each staking out different areas of the spectrum.

3.23   wednesday
Diver (Cubby Bear)   SEE COZ LIVE!
Technically, this is just Anto and Tony doing an acoustic set in the side room of the Wrigleyville nightclub, but since I booked the show, I'm planning to drop in and play some percussion. If we get a good turnout, we should be able to get booked on the big stage once they're done renovating, not that I'm trying to pressure you or anything.

3.24   thursday
The Changes with Kaiser Chiefs, Canasta (Double Door)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Darren and company once again get an opening slot for a new British band riding the Franz Ferdinand wave. I have to say, all of this happy, angular, disco-beat pop is starting to make me want to listen to death metal. Kaiser Chiefs, from a couple of cursory listens, seem to be the bottom of this particular barrel, so maybe we'll start hearing something different from across the pond sometime soon.

Drowning Wallace with Brazen Bull, The Verbs (Martyrs')
One of the fun parts of writing this newsletter is tracing the paths of bands that I've come in contact with. You may recall a Kelly Steward gig over the summer which featured Drowning Wallace in what I recall was their first ever gig in public. They seem to be doing alright.

3.25   friday
Cowboy Mouth (House of Blues)
These guys have seemed to be on the fringe of the XRT crowd for a good four or five years now, for whatever that's worth. Somebody was just extolling their virtues to me in the last couple of weeks, but I can't quite recall who it was.

Escape From Earth with Easy Tiger, Drew Neely (Uncommon Ground)
While we're on the subject of bands I've crossed paths with, here's one from the URT days. I don't know if the recently-expanded Wrigleyville coffeeshop is now big enough for louder bands, or if Escape From Earth is now doing unplugged sets.

Graham Coxon with Easy Tiger, Drew Neely (Double Door)
The former Blur guitarist is stateside supporting his latest, Happiness In Magazines, which looks like it was just released in the U.S. this year. It's good and gritty compared to the shiny, happy pop I was bitching about earlier.

Los Lobos (Symphony Center)
This is billed as an all-acoustic performance, which will be a step removed from the band's typical incendiary live show, but I'm guessing it should stand on the intimacy it will afford. Hopefully a seated audience won't detract from that.

O.A.R. with Ari Hest, Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers (Aragon Ballroom)   SOLD OUT!
I still don't get these guys at all, but will get a different kind of exposure to them this weekend. My girlfriend just downloaded "Crazy Game of Poker" as a ringtone, and I'll be in my fresh-from-the-City-Pound car with her for about twelve hours between Friday and Sunday.

3.26   saturday
The Exies with Breaking Benjamin, Theory of a Deadman (Vic Theater)
I probably should try to keep track of the conversations I have with people about bands. I vaguely recall someone saying they wanted to see The Exies, but that they were playing with some lame-o modern rock band (that being Breaking Benjamin), whereas their pedigree is more in the "classic" alternative (that being Stone Temple Pilots and their ilk), if that's not an oxymoron (that being when a phrase is made up of two words that have opposite meanings).

Busker Zep (Martyrs')
Members of Busker Soundcheck -- and, I think, Yakuza -- will be paying homage to Led Zeppelin. This isn't the first time they've done it, so I'm guessing it was well-received enough to warrant a return engagement. If Busker Soundcheck guitarist Paul Kamp's hand is okay -- I know he had some problems with it recently -- I can think of few local six-stringers better suited to the task.

Dennis DeYoung (House of Blues)
Have I mentioned the cheesy eighties rock I'm going to play on Tuesday? This may be a clue...

Ozric Tentacles with Lotus (Abbey Pub)
This is an obscure enough prog rock band from England in the eighties that you know Jim DeRogatis is going to call it out in the paper at some point this week. I still can't believe he convinced his editors that a two-page interview with Marillion's bass player was a good idea sometime last year.

3.27   sunday
Liquid Soul (Martyrs')
If you typically read all the way to the end of this thing, then I don't really have to tell you much about these guys, do I?