list.in.to.chicago this week: 10.03.2005

I swear, one of these weeks I'm going to actually block out an hour or two on Sunday to get this thing out on time, but since I'm in control of when "on time" actually is, that's not saying a whole heck of a lot.

Do feel free to forward this along to anyone who might enjoy it. Don't assume mutual friends are already signed up, either, 'cause I'm relentlessly "opt-in" about this newsletter. Instructions are still at the bottom.

Pick of the week
Going to go with The Bravery on Tuesday (The Vic) and, without a doubt, The Roots on Thursday at House of Blues.

list.in.to.COZ
It only looks like yet another new band this week. SomaStar (Saturday, Elbo Room) is actually the same as Small Creatures, only not quite as anthropomorphic. Which is quite possibly the biggest word I've ever used in this space.

Recap
Working backwards, I went to the big Gigfest (gig Bigfest?) on Sunday and enjoyed it, despite the splitting headache and various other soccer-induced aches and pains. Saturday's Diver show was marked by a near-train wreck of massive proportions on Matchbox 20 and a questionable attempt to fake our way through a Spandau Ballet tune right at the end. We nailed "Roxanne," though. Or maybe that was Friday night.

10.03   monday
Foo Fighters with Weezer, Kaiser Chiefs (Allstate Arena)
I was really excited about the new record from the Foo Fighters for a while, but that interest hasn't seemed to sustain itself over time. Don't know exactly what to make of that. As for Weezer, they're one of those bands who I kind of like. In small doses. I keep hearing that the Kaiser Chiefs impressed at Lollapalooza, but I only caught about two songs, which, admittedly, weren't all that bad.

10.04   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
Let's try reverse psychology, or, as my late grandmother would say, psycollege. She just arbitrarily lopped off the last syllables of words. But anyway, whatever you do, don't come to Vaughan's on a Tuesday night. You might have fun and never go back to work again. Or something.

Radioactive Underpants (Elbo Room)
Clearly, this is a recurring thing, but it gives me the opportunity to ask the Elbo Room guys "what the deal with your Radioactive Underpants" the next time I see them, which I'll find terribly amusing. Also, I'll sleep better at night knowing that my website makes the top ten search results on Google when you query the name.

The Bravery with The International Noise Conspiracy, People In Planes (The Vic)
Speaking of bands I saw at Lollapalooza, here's another one. My first impression of these guys were that they were completely superfluous, seeing as had we already had The Killers -- and by "already had," I mean their record came out first. However, they put on a good enough show to justify their existence, even if they didn't really do much that The Cure didn't do fifteen years ago.

10.05   wednesday
Pearl Jam with Robert Plant and Strange Sensation (House of Blues)
In case you've got an extra grand laying around, it would appear tickets are still available for this one. I'm a little surprised that Pearl Jam is still big enough both to try something like this and to have Robert friggin' Plant OPEN for them.

Ashlee Simpson with Barefoot (Metro)   SOLD OUT!
Yes, it's possible to have too much pressure to write a joke. I got nothin'. Then again, neither does Ashlee. Yes!

Tributosaurus (Park West)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
I wonder if the band has started to exhaust all the good options, and now has to go back and repeat themselves. Of course, if you limit yourself to the first Wednesdays at Martyrs', I don't think that's the case, as they revist Led Zeppelin in the larger confines of Park West this time around.

10.06   thursday
The Roots (House of Blues)
Still, for my money, the best thing going in hip-hop, but I'm horribly biased toward live instrumentation and ANYTHING Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson does.

Sleater-Kinney with The Ponys (Metro)
I was going to say something about whether or not there's a time limit on how long you can get away with wearing a schoolgirl outfit on stage, but I guess Angus Young has been doing it for year.

10.07   friday
All Mods Conned (The Globe)
As someone in a nominally Britpop cover band, I'm curious to see someone else's take on it, especially a band that stakes out Paul Weller as their touchstone.

Nine Inch Nails with Queens of the Stone Age, Autolux (Allstate Arena)
Come to think of it, the new albums from NIN and QOTSA haven't really stuck with me, either.

The Posies with Oranger (Double Door)
There's a sort of tenous connection between URT and The Posies that I'm not sure if I can articulate. I think some of The Posies, who are also involved with The Fastbacks, either produced or played on a record from a project called Martial Artist -- which may actually be Marshall Artist, as in the guitar amp -- the Gene did with a guy he was in a couple of bands with in college.

10.08   saturday
SomaStar with Big Evil Grin, Bicycle Tricycle, Midstates/La Tee Da (Elbo Room)   SEE COZ LIVE!
Some of you may remember Small Creatures, who debuted this summer at Martyrs'. This is the same band with a new name, back at my home away from home. I'm sure Mick has been wondering where the heck I've been lately. You know you're busy when one of the owners of one of the more active rock clubs in the city gives you the James Brown "hardest working man in show business" tag.

Built To Spill with Mike Johnson, Helevetia, Bales of Hey (Metro)
According to allmusic.com, these guys were one of the most popular indie acts of the 90s. I think I knew that. I may have even downloaded some of their stuff from eMusic, but haven't listened to them enough to verify if the Neil Young meets Dinosaur Jr. while Pavement watches description is accurate or not.

John Vanderslice with The Double (Schubas)
From popular 90s indie acts to popular 00s (aughts?) indie acts. It's the circle of life. I know this guy used to tour all the time with the likes of Death Cab For Cutie and maybe Modest Mouse, so I'm not sure how the ubiquitous allmusic's claim of Genesis, XTC and King Crimson as influences fits. If there's a recurring theme this week, it's cribbing from allmusic and not having any idea what the acts I'm naming sound like. It's like this weird anti-credibility.

10.09   sunday
Dave Weckl Band (Martyrs')
On the other hand, I know what Dave Weckl sounds like, and if you're not a drummer, chances are you're not going to care. His influence was so pervasive when I was at Berklee College of Music back in (gasp) the summer of 1989, that I sort of swore him off. He's still a great player, but hasn't quite been my cup of tea for some time now.

Stryper with Subseven (House of Blues)
The Daily Show pulled out a Stryper joke a few weeks ago, I think in reference to the John Roberts confirmation hearings. I had a good laugh about it. If you're really bored on Sunday, I wouldn't advocate going to see this show as much as I'd recommend just hanging around Marina City to see what kind of people would go see Stryper in 2005.