list.in.to.chicago this week: 09.04.2006

Okay, I gave you the day off yesterday. Now you should be ready to rock, right? You'd better be. There's some serious musical density happening this weekend.

And even less proofreading than usual this week, so bear with me.

Pick of the week
You absolutely can't go wrong with the Hideout Block Party all weekend, although it may be more crowded than past years, so it might get a little uncomfortable. Too many other good shows to single out.

list.in.to.COZ
Hey, look, it's Wingman! We'll be playing Mix, which is on Halsted just north of Diversey, this Friday night. I think it's two long sets, although it might be three slightly shorter ones. We've only held the room all night one other time, and I had to sub that out, so this is new ground for me.

Recap
The two bands I most wanted to see in Seattle did not disappoint. Alejandro Escovedo oozes stage presence from every pore, and the way he and his band commanded the stage was impressive, especially after the much looser Rogue Wave. Who was not the other band I really wanted to see, by the way. That was The New Pornographers (those were?), and I'm still amazed at how A.C. Newman has more hooks than a Puget Sound fisherman, and tosses them around so effortlessly.

9.05   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
The ostensible theme tonight is location, location, location. I think I can wing it without learning any new songs, but I wanted to take a stab at "Viva Sea-Tac!" from Robyn Hitchcock. Not gonna happen for this week.

Band of Horses with Chad Vangaalen, Simon Dawes (Metro)
I think I like these guys better on record, where it's easier to tease out the ways in which they don't sound a lot like My Morning Jacket.

Strain Busy Sky with Dave Yaden, Mark Minelli (Elbo Room)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
A mutual soundman friend told me where these guys have been lately, but I can't quite recall what he said. Anyway, wherever they went, they're back, presumably with their particular flavor of funk-rock.

9.06   wednesday
Tributosaurus (Park West)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Could the "regular" first Wednesday show have outgrown Martyrs' friendly confines? It's hard to say, considering that the band has done shows at Park West pretty consistently, and I think they've covered Paul McCartney before.

Let's Get Out Of This Terrible Sandwich Shop with Orphan Sons of Irion, Zip Tang (Martyrs')
I know absolutely nothing about this band, but I hope the sandwich shop isn't Costello's, even though I have nothing to do with that particular pair of eateries other than sharing a name with the owner. Coincidentally, I saw a guy wearing a Costello's shirt in Seattle over the weekend. Also, lots of Cubs shirts and hats. They must not get WGN out there. Or newspapers. Or ESPN. Otherwise they'd probably know better (sorry, Trish).

Random (Wise Fools Pub)
I got nothin' on these guys, either, except that they let you say you went to see some random band on a Wednesday night in Lincoln Park, and that's good enough for me.

9.07   thursday
Pete Yorn (Double Door)   SOLD OUT!
Because I bought their records at the same time, I've always considered Yorn to be a sort of indie, underground version of John Mayer. Of course, if you make Mayer's Room For Squares album more indie and underground, it no longer sounds at all like Mayer. So we're left with both of them being singer/songwriters.

Rogue Wave with The Grates, Foreign Born (Logan Square Auditorium)
I saw these guys in Seattle, and Zach Rogue and company have at least a couple of really good songs. They're not all up to that level, though, and the band has a tendency to play everything in 6/8, which gets old after a while.

9.08   friday
Wingman (Mix)   SEE COZ LIVE!
This could be the start of a fairly regular stint at the Halsted Street stop with enough previous identities that I can't even remember them all. Although a standing monthly gig for Wingman might shatter my model of how the world works, I'm okay with that. In a bit of foreshadowing of our set list, does that make me crazy?

Anne Harris with 56 Hope Rd. (Martyrs')   FRIENDS OF COZ!
I've still only seen Anne a handful of times since Chris Siebold replaced Scott Anderson on guitar, and I'm curious to see how Chris' somewhat darker playing may have affected the direction of the band. If he's still in the band, of course. It's been a while.

NYCO with Bound Stems, Public Four, Otter Petter (Double Door)
My entry points for this band are that the drummer used to be in Cassius Clay and two of the guys showed up to Vaughan's once and sounded pretty tight. From there on out, they seem to have adopted the mantle of Chicago's modern version of Steely Dan since the e-mics drifted off the map.

Pete Yorn (Double Door)   SOLD OUT!
However, it would seem Yorn is starting to catch on. Don't you love when I stretch a listing across discontinuous entries? Or an entry across discontinuous listings? I get those confused.

Pink Martini (House of Blues)
All I've got on this band is that they've managed to get themselves used in print ads for some digital music player that isn't the iPod, which is an interesting variation on breaking your band via advertising.

Columbian Monkey Knife Fight with Super No One, AM-FM, Phistine Verona (Elbo Room)
I first saw this band almost exactly six months ago, and this may be the first time I've seen them on a bill since. I liked them a lot, so hopefully it won't be another six months before they play again, because I can't make this one.

Styx with Foreigner (Charter One Pavilion)
This is an odd double-bill when you really think about it. Can it be the Best of Times while it still Feels Like The First Time? Can I have Too Much Time On My Hands and still feel Urgent? Although I supposed if you were to Come Sail Away, you'd be a Long, Long Way From Home.

Hideout 10th Anniversary Block Party (Hideout)
The annual festival is combining its tenth year with Touch & Go Records' 25th, which makes for an incredibly stacked lineup that included Ted Leo & Pharmacists and !!! on Day One.

9.09   saturday
The Bon Mots with Cracklin Moth, Matthew, Oneal and Wean, Allison Breitman (Double Door)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
With the Bon Mots and Allison Breitman both on this bill, its a chance to kill two birds with one stone, and see a bunch of bands I've never heard of at the same time.

Hideout 10th Anniversary Block Party (Hideout)
Day two is going to be a marathon, with lots of Chicago hipsters circling the scheduled twenty-minute reunion of Big Black before Shellac's headlining set, preceded by the disparate likes of Sally Timms and Pegboy.

Pete Yorn (Double Door)   SOLD OUT!
What, did Yorn get a song on an episode of Grey's Anatomy or something? That's a lot of tickets moved.

The Gossip with Erase Errata, Mika Miko (Metro)
I actually saw about a song and a half of Erase Errate at Bumbershoot, but have already completely forgotten what they sounded like. The Gossip seem to be heiress apparents to the gaping void at the top of the riot-grrl heap now that Sleater-Kinney have gone on "indefinite hiatus."

Zero 7 with Jose Gonzalez (Park West)
Saw about two songs from this electronica-based outfit in Seattle as well. Intriguing, but there's something about Park West that scares me off unless I really, really want to see a band. I think it's the washroom attendants.

9.10   sunday
Hideout 10th Anniversary Block Party (Hideout)
You get the picture by now. Lots of great bands. Chicago music institution. Pasty-skinned hipsters getting their sunburn on drinking cheap beer.

Smoking Popes with Criteria (Empty Bottle)
I was kind of surprised they got such a sweet slot at Lollapalooza, seeing as how I didn't think they ever made that big a mark outside Chicago.