list.in.to.chicago this week: 07.04.2005

In which our hero doesn't take a holiday or pull punches.

Pick of the week
The big event, of course, is Billy (Corgan, at the Vic Tuesday and Wednesday). But that's sold out and now likely to only be a footnote before the Pumpkins regroup in some way, shape and form. Femi Kuti (Saturday, Metro) will be very good in ways you're probably not used to, musically. And I'd like to hear what Matt Hoffer (Friday, Double Door) is up to.

list.in.to.COZ
I hate to have to invoke the "come to Vaughan's or we might get fired" rule again, but it is what it is. Obviously, you might not have gotten this in time this week, but we host the Open Jam every Tuesday. For now.

Recap
I'm usually loathe to harsh on local bands, since it's way too easy for them to find me, but there's no way to sugarcoat it. I just did not like Dremana or Terminal Bliss on Friday night. I'm not sure why Dremana falls so short of my expecations for them so severely, and this wasn't the first time. It could be that the songs and the live show don't pack the same punch as the slickness of their packaging would have me believe. The big riffs don't grab me like a big riff should. Terminal Bliss seemed closer to what they were trying to do, which sounded like a more indie-rock version of the Cure, but still came up a little short for me.

Could it have been a tired local scenester having a bad night and grumping about everything? Sure, it could. I'll leave it up to you to draw that conclusion, though, if you see fit.

7.04   monday
If you had half as much fun as I did this holiday weekend, I had twice as much fun as you!

7.05   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
I'm continually amazed at how many songs I've been able to half-learn and hack my way through on a semi-regular basis. At this point, I don't know what I'll throw at you. You should come check it out, really.

Billy Corgan with The Crimea, Doris Henson (The Vic)   SOLD OUT!
I could, in good conscience, label this one a "Friends of Coz" show. I haven't ever actually met Billy, but his band includes the ubiquitous Matt Walker on drums and fellow U of C alum Brian Leisegang. They're not exactly on my speed dial or anything, but I set the bar really low.

John Doe with Nick Luca Trio, Swamp Sugar (Abbey Pub)
I'm going to go ahead and assume this is John Doe from the band X, and not some, you know, relatively anonymous John Doe.

7.06   wednesday
Billy Corgan with Doris Henson, The Crimea (The Vic)   SOLD OUT!
Have I told you the story about how I almost had an audition for the Smashing Pumpkins, depending on your definition of "almost"?

Tributosaurus (Martyrs')   FRIENDS OF COZ!
This month, it's The Band. Which could become a really bad Abbott and Costello-esque routine that I'm sure Matt Spiegel has already worked out in his head. And someone, somewhere, just figured out why this site is called notabbott.com.

Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo with Oppera (House of Blues)
I know I've said this before, but is anyone really coming out to this show specifically to see Neil Giraldo? Or would anyone not come out to see this show if he weren't there? Isn't all of this terribly unfair to drummer Myron Grombacher, who was also a big part of Benatar's eighties sound?

7.07   thursday
Allison Bazarko with Larry O. Deans Folk You, Burr Settles, Julie Moffett (Uncommon Ground)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
I lack the reference points in more countrified alternative folk to give you a good comparison for Allison's stuff, but that might get you most of the way there without an actual name.

Moth with Textbook, The Melismatics (Beat Kitchen)
This band had a minor hit a few years ago with "I See Sound," and apparently it didn't pay off into fame and fortune. Or they really like playing small clubs. I've heard some rumblings about Textbook, but nothing distinct springs to mind about them.

Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo with Oppera (House of Blues)
Second of two shows, which seems a bit overly ambitious. And I still can't believe how quickly I was able to come up with Myron Grombacher's name. Memory is weird.

7.08   friday
Gooey with Gold Coast Refuse, Hazing Kate (Gunther Murphy's)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Definitely got a Wallflowers vibe from these guys last time, so if you're into that, you might want to check it out.

Liftpoint with Madina Lake, The Audition (Metro)
Haven't seen these guys in a while. You may recall that their guitarist/lead singer actually was our guitar tech for URT the one time we played Metro. I kinda miss URT sometimes. Did you know you can buy the record on iTunes now? I think it's still available for free on urt.net, but that's pretty cool.

Matt Hoffer with Seven Day Run, Rebecca Wickens Band (Double Door)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Not sure what Hoffer's got up his sleeve these days, but I know he was putting together a full band a couple of months ago.

7.09   saturday
Femi Kuti with Ugochi (Metro)
What can I say, I'm a sucker for West African pop music.

Robert Plant with The Sights (Auditorium Theatre)   SOLD OUT!
He used to be in Led Zeppelin. Do I have to draw you a map?

7.10   sunday
Shellac with Silkworm, The Douglass Kings, Telenovel (Subterranean)
I think I've seen more Chicago shows from Albini's band in the last year or two than all previous years combined. Of course, he's got to play on a Sunday night, which weeds out all the bourgeois corporate drones who aren't willing to buck the system and not be at the tip-top of their game first thing Monday morning. That's so like him.

The Cells with The Dirty Novels, The Bon Mots (Martyrs')
I'm not sure what significance I should attach to the notion that I consider any band that's been around for at least four or five years to be a "warhorse" or "grizzled Chicago veterans," but there you go.