list.in.to.chicago this week: end of 2005 special edition

What do you MEAN the Michael Schenker Group show is cancelled?! I guess I could have gotten this out sooner, but there really wasn't much of anything good on Wednesday night.

Although I could have ripped on Sister Hazel. That might have been fun.

Pick of the week
Mostly pimping friends to close out the annum, starting with Nicholas Barron's Hyperactive making a hopefully triumphant return to the regular Thursday night slot at Elbo Room. Then it's singer/songwriter Dana Lawrence at Uncommon Ground on Friday night, and if you're going to go with live music for your New Year's, I'd probably go with The Changes at Schubas or The New Pornographers at Metro.

list.in.to.COZ
So, I did the math, and I ended up having something like 38 paying gigs in 2005. This doesn't count Vaughan's, as I don't claim Guinness as income, and this tally was mostly for tax purposes. Add to that 37 rehearsals -- yes, I played out more than I practiced -- and between 40 and 50 Tuesday night appearances, and that accounts for maybe one-third of my evenings for the entire year. I'm not quite sure what to make of that.

Recap
I only received one CD for Christmas (Adrian Belew's Side One), but I bought music for all my siblings with the explicit instruction that they they have to rip the discs and burn me the MP3s. Yes, I can rationalize that as fair use. Several of these selections were from my top ten, which you can read here. If your mail reader busts this down to plain text and disables that link, just go to notabbott.com, and you should be able to find it.

12.29   thursday
Nicholas Barron's Hyperactive with Verona Red   FRIENDS OF COZ!
I'm hoping that seeing Nicholas and Steve back at Elbo Room every Thursday night makes me feel eight or ten years younger in 2006. In any event, I'm happy they're back.

Lucky Boys Confusion with Madina Lake, Treaty of Paris, Witroy (Metro)
A few more shows from these guys, and I'll maybe start remembering their name when I try to come up with the band that "broke" from the second Local 101 compilation.

12.30   friday
Dana Lawrence with The Jones Street Boys (Uncommon Ground)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
This could be a big show for Dana, because she's made friends with nearly everyone on MySpace since her last one. And her former percussionist's sister used to live on Jones Street in Greenwich Village in NYC. Weird.

The Changes with Alphabet, Wax On Radio (Schubas)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Tributosaurus (Martyrs')   FRIENDS OF COZ!
I'll group these two together, as they're both giving showgoers a chance to see the New Year's Eve act without actually having to commit to spending New Year's Eve with them. I mean, I lke Darren and all, but I don't want to kiss him at midnight. Same goes for Matt Spiegel, who will be leading Tributosaurus through two nights as Stevie Wonder.

Lucky Boys Confusion with Inept, Gas Can Pickup, Rebel Angels (Metro)
Not unlike Fall Out Boy, I was completely caught off guard when these guys first arrived on the Chicago scene proper, as it looked like they came out of nowhere and started selling out thousand-capacity venues. Turns out there are these places called suburbs, and bands can build followings out there and then bring them here.

12.31   saturday
The Changes with Office (Schubas)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
One of last year's "next big things" out of Chicago plays with a band I've heard could be holding down that role in 2006.

Tributosaurus (Martyrs')   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Again, these guys tend to only repeat artists -- in this case Stevie Wonder -- for special occasions, and I would think New Year's Eve would qualify.

The New Pornographers with Rogue Wave, The M's (Metro)
Chicagoist pointed out that you're getting pretty much the same show you got four months ago when the indie pop darlings graced this same stage, only it costs forty bucks more this time around. For what? A champagne toast?

Poi Dog Pondering with Casolando (The Vic)
Frank Orrall and crew have been playing New Year's Eve pretty regularly, and it's hard to argue with a band that's this festive, for the lack of a better word. The bill, particularly with Casolando on it, carries a certain thirtysomething sophistication which could kinda go either way as something you'd want to be around.

01.01   sunday
Everclear with Josh Kelly (House of Blues)
The band is actually opening for Train on New Year's Eve at the House of Blues as well, but gets a headlining turn while they're in town.