list.in.to.chicago this week: 07.25.2005

Okay, with the Intonation Festival last weekend, and Lollapalooza 2005 now behind us, I think we can safely say that every single band known to at least two people -- and in the case of Intonation's indie aesthetic, maybe not even that -- has played in Chicago in the last two weeks. Which makes you wonder what's left for the rest of the summer. If only we knew somebody who went on and on about that every week...

Pick of the week
It's going to be too late to really push Hot Hot Heat (Monday at Metro) by the time you get this, so we're left with Elvis Costello (Wednesday at Ravinia) if you can get tickets and Secret Machines (Congress theater with Kings of Leon) on Saturday.

On the local front, you've got Chin Up Chin Up (Friday at Empty Bottle) and Sybris (Saturday, Subterranean) both celebrating releases or re-releases.

list.in.to.COZ
You can elevate that much higher if you dive first. Diver opens up for Elevation this Friday night at Cubby Bear. Discount flyers will be available on notabbott.com later in the week.

Recap
In advance of the more thorough accounting of Lollapalooza's first day that should hit notabbott.com in a day or two, here's the short version. Kaiser Chiefs, very British. Liz Phair, still secretly in love with me. Brian Jonestown Massacre, upset they didn't get to play Intonation. Dashboard Confessional, good mix from 250 yards away. The Bravery, slightly happier version of the Cure, but only just slightly. Billy Idol, loved him on Buffy. Blonde Redhead, wow, glad I caught them. Pixies, still could have sworn they played "Wave of Mutilation" twice. Weezer, sing much better than the guys standing behind us. In and out priveleges, best thing ever. $5 Budweiser, the only place that could be considered a bargain.

Then there was Sunday night's Diver show, which can be summed up by the lack of air conditioning and the fact that, despite being asked about four hundred times, we don't play any Journey songs.

7.25   monday
Hot Hot Heat with Eisley, World Leader Pretend (Metro)
It's sort of a crying shame that a show this intriguing comes on the heels of such an exhausing weekend. Had my brain not melted, I might have remembered that I wanted to both get the newsletter out in time to mention it before it happened and actually go.

The Arrivals with Soviettes (Bottom Lounge)
Their record label defines the second full-length CD from this local quartet as "the ultimately refined essence of pure and untainted South Side Chicago ROCK." I'm not sure what that means, but they also helpfully note that they're often compared to Naked Raygun and Pegboy.

7.26   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
Last week saw some singers we haven't seen in a while, if ever, at Vaughan's. Hopefully some of the influx of new talent continues, as I was plugging away at a couple of points over the weekend. I'll probably play some eighties songs, duh.

Sunday Morning Chameleon with Luster, Favorite, Unveiling Grace (Double Door)
Haven't seen these guys in a while, and tonight will be no exception.

7.27   wednesday
Elvis Costello and the Imposters with Emmylou Harris (Ravinia)
Still not related. And still haven't actually ever been up to Ravinia in some seventeen years of living in this city. That's just weird.

Teenage Fanclub with Evan Dando, The Rosebuds, Judd and Maggie (Double Door)
Bob Mehr of the Reader gets into the collaboration between this Scottish quartet -- who might not still be able to fill Metro, which is where this show was originally scheduled, as far as I can tell -- and local producer John McEntire.

Vertical Horizon with the Pat McGee Band, Adam Richman (House of Blues)
I was severely chastised by a fan of this band when I professed much more interest in their later, poppier stuff than their earlier work, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Of course, maybe I just ended up having to learn the two songs that sounded really, really similar, and they don't actually all sound like that.

7.28   thursday
David "Fathead" Newman Quartet (Jazz Showcase)
I have to wonder if Newman has seen an increase in attendance at shows since he got the big-screen treatment in Ray, or if most people don't actually make that connection. This is part of the usual Tuesday through Sunday stint at the Showcase.

The Sidewinders (Green Dolphin Street)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
I'm not in a band with his wife anymore, but that doesn't mean I can't give the periodic shout-out to Dan Peters' band, who has this Thursday night thing locked down at the Webster Street club.

7.29   friday
Diver with Elevation (Cubby Bear)   SEE COZ LIVE!
Just picked this gig up over the weekend opening for the ubiquitous U2 tribute band, and it should be a good one. I guess it's sort of a "down, then up" motif.

Chin Up Chin Up with Euphone, Parish School (Empty Bottle)
It's a little eerie seeing this band -- who lost their bass player last year to a hit-and-run accident a year and a half ago -- playing a gig so close on the heels of the crash that took the lives of three local musicians. It might even be sort of life-affirming once I let it sink in, that they've been able to keep making music after their own tragedy.

7.30   saturday
Kings of Leon with Secret Machines, Shout Out Louds (Congress Theater)
There's been a lot of ink spilled over Kings of Leon's Aha Shake Heartbreak, and much of that ink has spelled out words like "early contender" and "top ten list." A high-profile opening slot for U2 didn't hurt, either. I don't hear what all the fuss is about, but I've also heard the album grows on you, and I haven't really given it that kind of gestation period. Secret Machines are pretty cool, though.

Sybris with Okkervil River, Gaberdine (Subterranean)
There's been a good bit of buzz developing about Sybris lately, although I thought they were much heavier than a pairing with the somewhat rustic sounds of Okkervil River. It's shaping up as a busy week for Flameshovel Records, though, as both Sybris and Chin Up Chin Up are celebrating releases on the local imprint.

Aimee Mann with The Honeydogs (Navy Pier Skyline Stage)
I think maybe one of the good things about having a weird hairstyle in the eighties is that a lot of people might just not recognize Aimee Mann as the singer of 'Til Tuesday anymore, so she might be spared large crowds of people requesting "Voices Carry" at her shows.

7.31   sunday
Huey Lewis and the News (Star Plaza Theatre)
The heart of rock and roll is still beating in Merrillville, Indiana, where the eighties apparently never ended.

Colin Hay (Taste of Lincoln Avenue)
Speaking of the eighties, it's gotta suck to be an eighties icon and not even get to headline a street festival. Heck, the Spin Doctors and The Fixx got to headline their street festivals. Who can it be now, indeed!