list.in.to.chicago this week: 10.31.2005

Now that the craziness of both baseball and Halloween are behind us, we can get back to the rock and roll.

Forward this to a friend. You know you want to.

Pick of the week
For Chicagoans, the return of Veruca Salt on Sunday (Metro) carries some import. Buckethead (Saturday, Metro) may not be for everyone, buy you'll certainly be talking about it afterwards. Both shows tonight (Institute at House of Blues and World Leader Pretend at Schubas) should be good, too.

list.in.to.COZ
Diver is back with a pair of shows at Fado and Blue Bayou on Friday and Saturday, respectively. I'm only a few pieces away from rebuilding my drumkit after having my car broken into a couple of weeks ago.

Recap
Baseball dominated the first half of the week, but amidst that and Halloween, I was able to check out Nikka Costa on Saturday at Double Door. She's a heck of a singer, and the band lays it down, but my point of reference for female-fronted R&B/Soul is Me'Shell Ndegeocello, so the lack of subtlety was somewhat jarring. Still a great show, though, and opening act Driveblind was a revelation, hewing closer to "traditional" Britpop than the stuff inspired by fellow Scots Franz Ferdinand. One of these days I'll make it a week without mentioned Franz Ferdinand, but this ain't it.

10.31   monday
Institute with Big City Rock (House of Blues)
Gavin Rossdale's new band has a clear sonic pedigree that sets it above a lot of new "modern rock," but unfortunately, is still saddled with his banal lyrics.

World Leader Pretend with Lying In States (Schubas)
One description I've seen of this band cites Travis and R.E.M., and that's a pretty good start. There's something else I'm hearing as I listen to their latest album Punches, but I can't quite put my finger on it. It might even be a hint of Coldplay.

11.01   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
The problem with saying "oh, we'll start once the game is over" is that sometimes the game goes until 1:30 in the morning and you've got nothing to show for it. Musically, I mean. Obviously, the Sox had something to show for it at the end of last week's marathon game 3.

Geo Trio (Martyrs')
The idea of Garaj Mahal without one member is appealing to me, but not if the odd man out is guitarist Fareed Haque.

Wilco with the New Orleans Musician Relief All-Stars (Auditorium Theatre)   SOLD OUT
It seems like a weird scheduling artifact that we're still seeing hurricane relief shows, but that's probably a good thing, as the relentless 24-hour news cycle means Katrina seems like it was a hundred years ago to those of us not close enough to keep closer tabs on New Orleans' fate. Plus, Wilco!

11.02   wednesday
Tributosaurus (Martyrs')   SOLD OUT!
I'm not going to come out and say they're scraping the bottom of the barrel, and to be fair, I was a fan back when I was eight years old, but The Monkees?

11.03   thursday
Metal Mania (Durty Nellie's, Palatine)
Because at some point, you've wondered to yourself, whatever happened to Kip Winger? One of the many ways this tour is amusing is that four out of the five artists are singers who apparently can't get their eighties hair-metal bands back together. There's the aforementioned Winger, Don Dokken, Ratt's Stephen Pearcy and Warrant's -- I had to look that one up -- Jani Lane. Although I thought Ratt had toured recently. Then there's Firehouse, for whom continuing to tour together is probably better than nothing.

11.04   friday
Diver (Fado)   SEE COZ LIVE!
There was a bit of an embarassing miscommunication between us and Fado earlier in the year, but it's nothing a loud, boisterous crowd can't fix, so come for the Guinness, stay for the band. Or vice versa.

Bon Jovi (United Center)
As a native of New Jersey, I think I'm obligated to mention this, even if I'm one of those people who thinks that millions of fans can, in fact, be wrong. Or at least a little suspect in their judgement.

Cracker with New Messengers of Happiness (Martyrs')
Since this is an acoustic show, does that mean the intensity will be, um, feeling low?

Riot Fest (Congress Theatre)
As far as bang for your punk rock buck goes, it's hard to beat the Dead Kennedys and Suicide Machines headlining an 11-band all-day bill for under thirty dollars.

11.05   saturday
Riot Fest (Congress Theatre)
Of course, the way you beat that is with The Misfits and The Germs headlining a 20-band bill that includes The Effigies, M.O.T.O and The Tossers.

Diver (Blue Bayou)   SEE COZ LIVE!
Want to see Diver this weekend but can't make it all the way downtown? Southport Avenue is like home for us.

Al Weber Band with Seven Day Run (Cubby Bear)
Gotta give a shoutout to Al for giving me shit in the web comments last week. Interactivity is encouraged here at l.i.t.c., and lord knows, I'm certainly full of it most of the time.

Buckethead and Friends (Metro)
I've kind of lost track of the iconoclastic weirdo guitarist's recorded output over the last five years or so, but he was so far in front of any envelope currently being pushed when he burst onto the scene in the early nineties that I feel safe saying it will be something very, very strange. Although I'm not sure if his brief tenure in Guns N' Roses is enough to justify headlining Metro.

Bon Jovi (United Center)
A friend trying to get rid of tickets said this one's sold out, but Metromix doesn't concur.

The Musical Box (House of Blues)
I almost went to see this tribute to early Genesis when they were last in town, but the price seemed absurdly high for a tribute band. I guess those old Peter Gabriel costumes and original slideshows don't come cheap.

11.06   sunday
Veruca Salt with Juliette and the Licks, The Lovemakers, Porsealin (Metro)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
If the recent band pictures are any indication, and if the critical success that met the band's last Nina Gordon-less effort continues, Veruca Salt guitarist and fellow University of Chicago alum Stephen Fitzpatrick lends more support to the notion that you can go from being a bit of a nerd in college to being a rock star. There's still hope for me!

Okkervil River with The Minus Story, Catfish Haven (Abbey Pub)
I saw this band open for somebody last year, and while their sound isn't exactly my cup of tea, it's an interesting blend of traditional instruments that has a rustic, rural feel to it.