list.in.to.chicago this week: 10.24.2005

I think that, at the high water mark, there were as many as four different clubs that jumped on the Double Door's Halloween format. Now it just looks like Beat Kitchen is the only other version of the evening of bands pretending to be other bands, but they've expanded to two nights.

Also, it looks like a bad week to want to go see a movie at Brew & View. Lots of shows at the Vic.

Pick of the week
Any of the Halloween shows should be good, as I'm a big fan of the whole premise. Then there's Nikka Costa on Saturday at Double Door that should be funkalicious, and one of the first full-on Frisbie shows I've seen in a while on Friday at Martyrs'.

list.in.to.COZ
Just Vaughan's this week, with the weekend being taken up with Halloween activity. If you're wondering about either my planned costume or the excessive facial hair lately, I'm planning to be Wolverine from the X-Men. The movie version, so no blue and yellow Spandex. You can thank me later. Diver next week.

Recap
All totaled, Project/Object was about what I expected, maybe a bit better. I went back and forth on whether or not they sounded a little too heavy-handed, musically. The best way I can describe it as focusing too much on the notes rather than the phrases, particularly on the tricky parts. Politically, the Harriet Miers schtick could have been done a little better to avoid the inherent problems I mentioned last week, but it was still pretty good.

On Saturday at Double Door, I could tell that Matt Hoffer has been working with his band for a while now, as their influences -- and particularly that of guitarist Larry Schroeder -- were more pervasive. Plus, he called me a son of a bitch for not moving closer to the stage. Simmering was relentlessly inoffensive, but for some reason I see something disingenuous about that Vertical Horizon/Goo Goo Dolls sound as a starting point. I feel like that sort of pop sheen is something that has to evolve. It just didn't sit right. Soulfix rocked out, and seems to have been listening to more Tool since the last time I saw them. I'd be hard-pressed to come up with a local band that has bigger, thicker riffs. Finally, there was something about Trim that made it obvious that they came from the South Side without taking into consideration the White Sox shirts and jerseys.

10.24   monday
Patricia Barber Quartet (Green Mill)
This week, guitarist Neal Alger fills out the quartet.

Kelly Hogan with Tom Brosseau (Schubas)
Yes, I've used this joke before, and no, I have no idea if Hogan even still works there, but if she's here, who's running the bar at the Hideout?

10.25   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
This is the part where I say something incredibly witty and you respond by staying home. But then you'll miss things like me and Fraker's epic medley that started with U2's "Bad" and went on to parts hitherto unknown to the people of this area.

Liz Phair with Matt Pond PA (The Vic)
If you all wish real hard, maybe Ms. Phair will take a walk down the street after the show, happen across a certain open jam, and realize that she's been secretly in love with me for years. And yes, I'm going to continue to milk this gag for a long, long time. I have to wonder if Matt Pond PA is a naming convention in the mold of "Wham UK" way back in the eighties.

Amos Lee with Mutlu (Park West)
It seems like every single storefront in my neighborhood has a poster of Lee in the window. On some level, it seems like good marketing. On another, it's really annoying.

Alter Bridge with Theory of a Dead Man, Inept (House of Blues)
It looks like the bloom may be off the rose for the "rest" of Creed, who could sell out three dates at this same venue maybe a year ago. I shudder to think that Scott Stapp was that critical to the band's success.

10.26   wednesday
Nickel Creek with Ditty Bops (The Vic)
This is Nickel Creek, the neo-Bluegrass band that has struck a chord -- presumably on a banjo -- with the rootsy, folky and jammy crowd, and not Nickelback, the insufferable hard rock band that is selling way too many copies of its new record right now.

10.27   thursday
Ben Folds with The Fray (Chicago Theatre)   SOLD OUT!
So, then, on the marquee, would I be right in assuming Folds will be above The Fray?

Marah with Hushdrops, Kieran McGee (Abbey Pub)
I read that these guys are now considering themselves a New York band, having apparently moved all the way up the turnpike from their South Jersey/Philly roots. That gives them maybe a different context as a grittier alternative to fellow New Yorkers The Strokes. Where The Strokes and Interpol would be the bands you'd see in the hipper clubs, Marah sounds maybe a little more like the band you'd hear in the dive bars.

Switchfoot with Eisley, Reeve Oliver (The Vic)   SOLD OUT!
I have at least one friend who's a big fan, and I've heard one song that's pretty decent, but for some reason they still seem to be more successful than I'd expect. That said, Eisley has some pretty strong buzz, too, so the cumulative effect could have something to do with it.

Bob Weir and Ratdog (Riviera Theatre)
For fans that claim such deep, spiritual connection to their muse and their music, I'm continually surprised at how completely arrhythmic that ridiculous "hippie noodle dance" is. Although I remember seeing some people who gave it a much fairer, um, shake when I saw Ozomatli at the Old Town thing a while ago.

10.28   friday
Halloweekend 2005 (Beat Kitchen)
With Catsplash as Radiohead, Androgynous Mustache as Loverboy, Candidate as Blur, The Bon Mots as Elvis Costello, Epicycle as Wings and All City Affairs as David Bowie.

Frisbie with The Samples (Martyrs')   FRIENDS OF COZ!
I read an interview with these guys a while ago on a Chicago-focused blog, and they seem to be the musical equivalent of "tan, rested and ready," looking to get back into the swing of the local scene with new tunes and a reconfigured lineup. This is the first of two shows for the Samples, with a different band opening on Saturday.

Insane Clown Posse with Vanilla Ice (Riviera Theatre)
That's not a misprint. Insane Clown Posse with Vanilla Ice. Just when you think you've seen everything.

Sunday Morning Chameleon with Capital City, The Pinks, Helicopters (Elbo Room)
The band's new drummer was kind enough to contact me and let me know that some of my "concerns" about the direction of these guys have been addressed, but I've got to try to repeat as winner of the House of Blues Halloween Party, so I won't be able to see for myself just yet.

Gwen Stefani with Black-Eyed Peas (Allstate Arena)   SOLD OUT!
I still have concerns about how Stefani has been part of a trend that makes it seem more difficult for female artists who have actual body fat to be successful, but at the same time, she's actually got talent to back up the looks.

10.29   saturday
Halloweekend 2005 (Beat Kitchen)
With Dead Electric as AC/DC, Penthouse Sweets as The Misfits, Dopler Shift as Morphine, The Webstirs as The Fixx, The Delafields as Talking Heads and Inchworm as Neil Young.

Nikka Costa with Driveblind (Double Door)
Put simply, Kevin would kill me if I didn't list the neo-funk chanteuse, and I distinctly would rather not be dead.

G. Love and Special Sauce with The Virginia Coalition (The Vic)
I'm not sure I've really heard much past the ten-year old "Cold Beverage," but there's enough to like in that back-porch, organic bluesy quasi-hip hop vibe that it's enough for me.

The Go! Team with The Grates, Tha 446 (Metro)
Yet another indie buzz band that I know very little about, but there are only so many hours in the day for me to listen to new tunes, you know?

Guster (Riviera Theatre)
For better or worse, these guys will always be remembered -- fondly, in my view -- for mocking the level of corporate sponsorship at a festival at Chicago Motor Speedway years ago to the point where the promoter refused to pay them.

10.30   sunday
9th Annual Halloween Bash (Double Door)
The one that started it all. With Local H as Hall & Oates, Giant Step as The Kinks, Ness as The Smiths, The Last Vegas as Jane's Addiction, The 8th Grade as Bob Seger, San Tropez as Fleetwood Mac and Blackbox as Smashing Pumpkins.

Jem with Josh Kelly (Park West)
My initial introduction to Jem was from her first single being played incessantly in movie theaters before the previews started, but oddly enough, that didn't turn me off. In fact, it eventually led to Wingman (next gig still tbd, if you're wondering) adding "Just a Ride" to our playlist.

Jamiroquai (Congress Theater)   SOLD OUT!
I was going to say how impressive it is for the soul stylings of the British band to still command a sellout audience despite not releasing a record in a while, but apparently they put out a new effort this year. Still, I don't think it made much of a splash, so maybe the observation still stands.