list.in.to.chicago this week: 11.28.2005

One of the things about writing this newsletter for the sheer fun of it is that sometimes, life intervenes. Sometimes it only intervenes enough to delay this thing by a couple of hours, despite having four days of sitting on my ass when I could have written it, but there you go.

Pick of the week
Friday is such a big hard rock night, with American Motherload at Cubby Bear, Korn at the Congress Theater and Dillinger Escape Plan at Logan Square Auditorium, that it's hard to fathom that Dinosaur Jr. (Tuesday and Wednesday at Metro) is sort of the warm-up act.

list.in.to.COZ
We're celebrating two years of Diver gigs -- and about four rehearsals, in all -- this Saturday at Cullen's, and would be honored if you could join us.

Recap
Finally saw The Bish on Wednesday, and the two bands that came to mind were actually Deep Purple and The Cult. You could certainly do a lot worse.

And Friday was another Cubby Bear gig, another Cubby Bear soundman saying very nice things about Diver, followed by me totally getting my 80s geek on with Sixteen Candles. This included, but was not limited to, me and one of said Cubby Bear soundmen acting not unlike teenage girls right in the front at one point. And I apologize for that image -- we were just sorta jumping around. It was fun. I did tell the band's drummer that I could probably sub for him without ever having to rehearse, seeing as how all that music is permanently etched on the back of my brain.

11.28   monday
Down The Line with Southland (Double Door)
I had wondered last time how DTL's sunny disposition would go over in the darker recesses of Double Door, but apparently well enough to warrant a return engagement already.

The M's with Baby Teeth, M. Sord. (Schubas)
As we'll see shortly, it's a pretty good week for local "buzz" bands. There have been rumblings about The M's for a while now, and I still haven't had a chance to see what all the fuss is about.

11.29   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
Last week was crazy busy, but conceptually, it was a Thursday, so that's understandable. This week, I feel somewhat obligated to play something from singer/songwriter Chris Whitley, who passed away last week from lung cancer. He's one of those guys who I can never recommend enough, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to discover his music and see him live while I could.

Bobby Conn with Bang! Bang!, ZZZZ (Schubas)
Ah, if only glam-politico-rocker Conn had a different name, it would be onomatopoeia night! And yes, I had to look up how to spell it. I'm not that smart, although I'd understand if you thought I was.

Dinosaur Jr. with The Ponys, Magik Markers (Metro)
Fresh off a return from extinction at Lollapalooza, J. Mascis and crew are back with a real tour, with local favorites The Ponys on the bill for two nights in Wrigleyville.

Sinead O'Connor with Sly and Robbie (The Vic)
Why is it that my two most enduring memories of O'Connor are both from Saturday NIght Live? Obviously, there was the whole thing with the photo of the Pope, but what stands out more in my mind was the sketch with Phil Hartman as Frank Sinatra running some sort of entertainment version of the McLaughlin Group with Jan Hooks as O'Connor.

11.30   wednesday
Your Little Ponies with Cosmik Haze, Moisture Pimp (Subterranean)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
I don't know if seeing bands every night from behind the bar at Elbo Room has Joey thinking he needs to get out and play more, but it seems like the band has been more active since he took over for Matt downstairs.

Dinosaur Jr. with The Ponys, Magik Markers (Metro)
Incidentally, Dinosaur Jr. at Metro was the loudest show I've ever seen in my life. I saw them back in 1992 or 1993 with My Bloody Valentine, and my ears are still ringing.

12.01   thursday
Riviera with Gold Coast Refuse, What Four (Subterranean)
I may be confusing buzz with hype, but I had been hearing one or the other on these guys in the past year, and even if they were just hyping themselves on some message boards, it seemed sincere enough for me to want to check out.

Black Keys (Metro)
I hope, for their sake, that this Ohio duo doesn't get upset at comparisons to the White Stripes, because if you're a two-piece garage rock-slash-blues band with a color in your name, it quite simply can't be helped.

12.02   friday
American Motherload with The Goodyear Pimps, Left Setter, The Lifeline (Cubby Bear)
This is a Q101-sponsored night up on the north side, which partially explains the deviation from the usual cover band rotation, although the club has been dabbling in local original music for about six months or so at least. It's the first show I've seen from the local hard rock heavyweights in a little while.

Sybris with Lying In States, The Cathedrals (Schubas)
I'm still clinging to two or three songs at the very end of an opening set and the strong recommendation of a bartender as my reasons for wanting to see this band again, but I've certainly recommended bands for less.

Korn (Congress Theatre)
With all the bad rap -- pun intended -- that the whole nu-metal movement received, Korn is one of very few bands in the genre who didn't deserve it. Seeing them in the relatively intimate confines of the Logan Square venue should be pretty darn cool.

Dillinger Escape Plan with The Bronx, Between the Buried and Me, Horse the Band (Logan Square Auditorium)
Of course, if you like your metal much, much weirder, but don't want to venture outside of the Square, this is probably the show for you.

Black Keys (Metro)
See Thursday.

12.03   saturday
Diver (Cullen's)   SEE COZ LIVE!
I went back and checked, and our first gig was at Mystic Celt on December 11th of 2003, so this is really going to be the second anniversary show. Be there or be, well, somewhere else, but we'd much rather you be there.

Sunday Morning Chameleon with Shipwreck, Favorite (Subterranean)
If I'm reading between the lines of a recent e-mail from the band, they play at more varied tempos and have songs with bridges now, which could be enough to get me back on the bandwagon.

12.04   sunday
Fiona Apple with David Garza (Riviera)   SOLD OUT!
By the time the whole saga of Apple's Extraordinary Machine album came to a close -- Sony allegedly shelved the record because it wasn't commercial enough, then it leaked on the Internet, and finally she re-recorded almost all of it with a different producer -- I just didn't care anymore. But I do kinda dig the lyrics to "Window."