list.in.to.chicago this week: 10.16.2006

Looks like a lot of people are going to be coming into work a little groggy on Wednesday, with no less than three big sold-out shows on Tuesday night.

Pick of the week
Gotta go with my buddies The Changes with their CD release party on Friday at Double Door. And by "my buddies," I mean "can you get me on the guest list, please?" Seriously, this could sell out, so stop by the venue during the week and pick up your tickets.

list.in.to.COZ
Just Vaughan's this week. Next drumming gig is Saturday, November 4th at Cubby Bear with the three-piece version of Diver.

Recap
Okay, Secret Machines suffered a bit from their "in the round" setup on Monday night, as the resulting sightlines were terrible. Intimacy doesn't really help this band that much, and I felt like it took them until late in the set to really find their propulsive stride. Thursday's Metro show could be summed up by We Are Scientists playing an Art Brut song while the Spinto Band danced onstage. And I haven't seen that much, I don't know, camaraderie among bands on a tour together in quite a while, even if it just manifested itself with the aforementioned scene and a lot of smack talk between the two bigger bands on the bill. It was fun.

Beck brought a puppet show, and it was ridiculously cool. To try to explain it more than that would not do it justice, but Q101's Electra takes a good crack at it on her blog. The dining room table bit was pretty awesome, too.

10.16   monday
Bonnie "Prince" Billy with Lichens, Dreamweapon (Portage Theater)
My only exposure to this artist is a handful of cover versions -- more like reinterpretations, really -- records with post-rock poster boys Tortoise. What's interesting about this show is the venue, which is apparently on Milwaukee just north of Irving Park. I've never seen a listing for it, and it doesn't look like it does a whole lot of music, but that could change.

Lily Allen with Domino, DJ Mark Ronson, Aaron LaCrate (Double Door)
There's been a ton of buzz abound Allen, an up-and-coming singer/songwriter from London. There was a similar phenomenon around another UK female act a year or so ago, but I'm totally blanking on the name. I don't know if that's some sort of indication that this is a flavor-of-the-month sort of deal, but again, the word on the street seems pretty good.

Paul Simon with Jerry Douglas (Rosemont Theatre)
When I read that Brian Eno was producing Simon's last record, I guessed correctly that Jim DeRogatis of the Sun-Times was going to like it.

The Fray with The Feeling (Aragon Ballroom)   SOLD OUT!
The All Music Guide has this relative newcomer pegged somewhere in the vicinity of Counting Crows, Jimmy Eat World and Third Eye Blind. Oh boy.

10.17   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
No cover and certainly not sold out! No theme this week, but that hasn't stopped me from adding yet another song to the repertoire, because I just don't think it's possible to have too many Peter Gabriel songs in the big book.

The Killers (Congress Theatre)   SOLD OUT!
Music website Idolator points to recent comments from Killers frontman Brandon Flowers, in which he says he feels his new record is a much better representation of America than Green Day's live DVD. The snarky site translates this as "overweight, full of itself, and still wilfully misinterpreting Springsteen." Ha!

Evanescence with Revelation Theory (Riviera Theatre)   SOLD OUT!
Amy Lee and company have been topping the sales charts with their new album, but I'm not an angst-ridden teenager who dresses all in black, so I haven't heard it yet.

Dave Holland Quintet (Jazz Showcase)
The venerable jazz bassist is back, no doubt with another crop of fine young sidemen. He's still got saxophonist Chris Potter on board, who has been the guy most singled out since drummer Billy Kilson moved on. Through Sunday.

The Fray with The Feeling (Aragon Ballroom)   SOLD OUT!
See Monday's listing.

10.18   wednesday
Iron Maiden with Bullet For My Valentine (Allstate Arena)
And anyone going to the Riv and thinking they listen to something approximating hard rock or heavy metal should truck out to Rosemont and see how it's really done. As near as I can tell, singer Bruce Dickinson is back with the band, which would explain why they're at the Allstate as opposed to playing The Vic with a Dickinson-less version a few years ago.

Jay Bennett with Death Ships (Fitzgerald's, Berwyn)
If the heavy metal is not quite your thing, there's also an appearance from former Wilco member Jay Bennett.

Trey Anastasio (The Vic)
There's still something that's just a little too, I don't know, soft about Anastasio for me, like he's had all his sharp edges sanded down from both his voice and his guitar playing. Obviously, that's just my take, as he's certainly got his devotees.

Dave Holland Quintet (Jazz Showcase)
See Tuesday's listing.

10.19   thursday
Gin Blossoms with Shawn Mullins, Josh Kelley (Park West)
I've heard some positive rumblings about the new Gin Blossoms record, which is a band I wasn't really paying much attention to until I had to learn a couple of their songs.

The Lincoln Squares with Garbage Mountain (Kinetic Playground)
If that band name doesn't scream out "neighborhood bar house band," I don't know what does. And I mean that as a compliment.

Trey Anastasio (The Vic)
See Wednesday's listing.

Dave Holland Quintet (Jazz Showcase)
See Tuesday's listing.

10.20   friday
The Changes with Tally Hall, Brighton, MA (Double Door)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
It's the CD release party for one of the most buzzed-about bands in Chicago, so I expect a scene not unlike Frisbie's release party from four or five years ago where all the horn-rimmed glasses, short sleeve dress shirts and wallet chains make it look like a casting call for High Fidelity. Not sure if making a record has weened the band from some of their more indulgent tendencies, but I won't really know that until I get my hands on that record.

Los Lobos (Cubby Bear)
Apparently you have to get tickets through WXRT for this one, but whatever hoops they make you jump through, it'll likely be worth it, as Los Lobos is one of the finest live bands you'll ever see.

30 Seconds To Mars with Head Automatica, Cobra Starship, Men, Women and Children, Envy on the Coast (Congress Theatre)
The Lollapalooza set from actor Jared Leto's band seemed to be an interesting Rorschach test. Some people said it was one of the best sets they saw, and some people said it was the worst. I haven't tried to figure out just what that says about the people in the two camps.

The Dresden Dolls with The Red Paintings (The Vic)
Another return for another Lollapalooza act, and I suspect the burlesque-tinged Dolls will be a bit better suited to an indoor venue.

The Flower Kings with Kopecky (Martyrs')
This is one of those neo-prog bands that came about in the nineties that always seem to wind up at Martyrs'. I haven't heard them, but what I've read is that the Swedish band shares some common ground with Spock's Beard, which speaks in their favor.

Dave Holland Quintet (Jazz Showcase)
See Tuesday's listing.

10.21   saturday
Califone with Angela Desveaux, Peter and The Wolf (Empty Bottle)
I have to admit, I was one of those people who just did not get the appeal of Red Red Meat, which was Tim Rutili's former band, and that has led to me keeping Califone at a respectable distance. They seem to be making some minor waves, though, so I may need to disassociate the new from the old here.

Riviera with Healthy White Baby, Quasar Wut Wut (Martyrs')
Another one of those bands I keep meaning to check out, and Quasar Wut Wut shared this same Martyrs' stage with URT once.

Dave Holland Quintet (Jazz Showcase)
See Tuesday's listing.

10.22   sunday
Nicholas Barron's Hyperactive (Long Room)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Go see Nicholas, Steve and Vijay. Tell them I said hi.

Dave Holland Quintet (Jazz Showcase)
See Tuesday's listing.