list.in.to.chicago this week: 06.20.2005

On some level, I don't know if I'm still tweaking MOBfest because I still have some fundamental questions as to its value to the local scene, or because conference organizers got so hot and bothered when I did it last year. Six of one, half a dozen of the other, as far as I'm concerned. If you think it's worth it, knock yourself out.

Pick of the week
Oddly enough -- or maybe not, there's not a lot jumping out at me this week as a "must-see" show. I'll give a nod to the Assassins show (Thursday at Metro), but they've sort of lost their luster for me lately. Plus, I'd rather you end up a couple blocks down the street that night, to be honest.

list.in.to.COZ
For the e-mail crowd, I've attached the discount ticket for the Diver/Paramours show on Thursday at Cubby Bear. Others can grab it here.

If you're not inclined to stay out late on a school night, we're also playing Saturday at Cullen's, and Tuesday will be the first Vaughan's open jam with the entire house band in god knows how long, but Thursday has the potential to be a whole different kind of Diver show.

Recap
Saturday night was Los Borrachos at Martyrs', and they absolutely smashed the "Stump The Borrachos" segment. "Love Is A Battlefield"? No problem. "Abracadabra"? Come on, we could have done better than that. I did see Leali crack a smile several times during the proceedings, which stood out for some reason. He and I seem to be cut of the same cloth most of the time when it comes to showing emotion while drumming. Opening act The Drastics struck me as a reggae version of The Greyboy All-Stars, which is to say they were a young band who nailed a definite retro feel for the genre.

6.20   monday
Oasis with Jet, Nic Armstrong (UIC Pavilion)   SOLD OUT!
No word of fisticuffs or one of the Gallaghers storming off the stage mid-set, but hey, the tour is still young.

6.21   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
As far as any of us know, Anto's back. Over/under on how many songs before his voice goes from lack of singing over the last two or three months is 5.

Loraxx with Booze Fighter, Big Whiskey, The Its! (Double Door)
Haven't heard from these guys in a while. When I last saw them, there was a certain Courtney Love vibe to the sound, but much more abrasive, sonically.

Radioactive Underpants with Newcomers Home, Crash and the Witness (Elbo Room)
And here's your winner of "best band name of the week," no doubt about it.

6.22   wednesday
A Tribute to Elliot Smith (Viaduct)
I never really listened to Smith, but this seems noble, at the very least. I don't expect him to tower over people posthumously the way Jeff Buckley has, but he still clearly made an impression.

Eels (Park West)
I think somebody has been listening to Sea Change from Beck and maybe A Ghost is Born from Wilco an awful lot. Serious ork-pop-with-folky-undertones vibe from the 33 (!) tracks making up the band's latest.

Meat Beat Manifesto (Metro)
Chalk one up to the "these guys are still around?" file. I guess old techno bands don't die, they just go downtempo. Or something. You can use that, if you want.

6.23   thursday
Diver with The Paramours (Cubby Bear)   SEE COZ LIVE!
Not only will this be our first show as a four-piece in an awfully long time, it's on a big stage with lights and a full P.A. system, and it's part of a double-bill with l.i.t.c. favorites The Paramours. Again, the discount ticket is attached for those of you getting this via e-mail, and here otherwise.

Assassins with Shiny Toy Guns, Sid Maudin (Metro)
I think this makes two consecutive years that MOBfest has showcased a band that had been dropped by a major label. Music over business, indeed.

6.24   friday
Earth Wind & Fire with The Doobie Brothers (Lakefront Pavilion at Northerly Island)
I forget if this is the debut of the new -- and excessively wordy -- venue on the lakefront, formerly known as Meigs Field, but it's definitely one of the first shows there.

Deborah Gibson (Cubby Bear)
Are we really playing Cubby Bear the night before Debbie Freakin' Gibson?! No way.

Evil Beaver with Diamond Nights, The Dutchmen, Vibrolas (Bottom Lounge)
Based on a promo picture in the Onion's events newsletter, the ferocious duo is still a duo, but seems to have a new, male, drummer. Don't quote me on that, though. It was a really small picture.

The Redwalls with Regina Spektor, American Minor (Metro)
This is the CD release party for the precocious Chicago youngsters. I still don't think there's much more to them than the schtick of being teenagers being influenced by music so much older than they are, and that the album will likely stall out, but I reserve the right to be entirely wrong. They certainly don't suck, and being that young, there's plenty of room for them to get better.

6.25   saturday
Diver (Cullen's)   SEE COZ LIVE!
Think of this show as your solace from overly ambitious local bands and the scant number of actual record company people in town that those bands have paid their MOBfest registration fees trying to meet and impress.

Bret Michaels with Then Again (Joe's Bar)
Think of this show as your solace from music that's at all relevant. What, the Poison frontman couldn't even make the cut for "Hit Me Baby One More Time"?

6.26   sunday
Jon Spiegel's 10th Anniversary Birthday Concert (Martyrs')
Now, I know the Blue Man Group instrumentalist and Tributosaurus frontman's brother is older than ten, so I guess this is the 10th time he's had a birthday concert. The first nine just may have been more private affairs. Spiegel knows enough fantastic musicians for this to have potential as a fun evening.