list.in.to.chicago this week: 11.20.2006

Every once in a while, I run into someone that I've written about here when I'm out and about. Once I realize they're not going to deck me for a snide comment, and actually enjoy the occasional attention, I have to say it's kind of rewarding.

Pick of the week
I would be struck by lightning or something if I did not endorse Tenacious D (Friday, UIC Pavilion) with every ounce of my being. Other top choices for the holiday weekend include Sybris (Saturday, Double Door) and The Sounds (Sunday, Metro), but as usual, there are a ton of intriguing options on both sides of the holiday itself.

list.in.to.COZ
I'm still planning on joining Tony at Vaughan's on Tuesday, but it likely won't be until a bit later.

Recap
I only caught a song and a half of Phil Ritchie's Lennex on Thursday, but the band sounded pretty powerful. And Matt Hoffer's ensuing set sounded really crisp, instrumentally. There's still something about his vocals that makes me think the key of the song needs to be bumped up a whole step or something, but it's good stuff nonetheless. The new drummer sounded good, and this is coming from someone who really enjoyed his old drummer.

Speaking of new drummers, I totally forgot to mention going to see Ashoka last week, also at Elbo Room. I like their new drummer, too, and they also had the instrumental side of the street covered really well. To be honest, the vocals could use a little improvement.

And Saturday's Diver show threatened to be a gig from hell, but ended up not being too bad. This is despite having to park nearly a half-mile from the bar. Ah, Maker's Mark, is there nothing you can't fix?

11.20   monday
Headlights with Canada, Skeletons and The Girl Faced Boys, The Beauty Shop, Caleb Engstrom (Empty Bottle)
Chicagoist.com laid out a pretty good case for this one, so I'll defer to their judgement. If your e-mail program cleans out the embedded HTML, you can go to notabbott.com/litc for the link.

Thax Douglas with Swimmer Missing (Beat Kitchen)
Among those who care about this sort of thing, this self-proclaimed poet laureate of the Chicago music scene skipped town for NYC a few months ago, but found it not to his liking, and has come back. Yeah, I hadn't noticed he was gone, either.

11.21   tuesday
Morrissey with Kristeen Young (Aragon Ballroom)   SOLD OUT!
I liked You Are The Quarry, which was the former Smiths frontman's comeback album from a few years ago, but what I've heard of his output since then hasn't hit me in quite the same way. We'll see how it does live.

Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
This would be a good week for a food theme, except that I'm not going to make it out until after the Morrissey show, and Professor Fraker is the only one of the Vaughan's regulars who actually gets the newsletter.

Nicholas Payton Quintet (Jazz Showcase)
I don't know what it is with Thanksgiving week and the class of jazz trumpeters who came to prominence in the late eighties/early nineties. Last year, it was Roy Hargrove. This year, the New Orleans-influenced Payton.

11.22   wednesday
Panic! at the Disco with Plain White T's, Jack's Mannequin (UIC Pavilion)   SOLD OUT!
While I did actually catch a bit of this band's set at Lollapalooza, I can't really tell you much about it, other than a questionable cover of Radiohead's "Karma Police." And I think they had dancers on stage. Their strong suit is still their eclecticism, which makes them just a little bit critic-proof, because harping on any one aspect of the band almost automatically ignores a dozen others.

The Ladies and Gentlemen with Brad Peterson, Dick Prall (Double Door)
If I ever get around to crowning a new favorite local band, these guys are still in the running. Although it strikes me as odd for a local band to always wear pretty much the same clothes on stage every show. Unless you're Bobby Conn.

Pegboy with Dummy, Johnny Vomit (Metro)
I was under the impression that the band's reunion at the Touch and Go festival over the summer was a one-shot deal, but apparently not. Never say never, and all that.

Nicholas Payton Quintet (Jazz Showcase)
See Tuesday's listing.

11.23   thursday
Nicholas Payton Quintet (Jazz Showcase)
Once again, the Showcase bails me out on an actual Thanksgiving show. Happy Turkey Day!

11.24   friday
Tenacious D with Neil Hamburger (UIC Pavilion)
You have no idea how excited I am to see the Tenacious D movie. I am a little worried that casting Meat Loaf as Jack Black's dad is somewhat of a red herring, but perhaps I reveal too much based on the soundtrack spoilers.

Wilco with The Detholz! (Auditorium Theatre)   SOLD OUT!
Okay, I cannot possibly stress this enough, but do NOT jump up on stage and pat Jeff Tweedy on the shoulder during the show.

Andrew Bird with Occidental Brothers Dance Band International (Logan Square Auditorium)
I'm pretty sure Bird no longer lives in Chicago, so maybe the indie heartthrob is piggybacking a couple of shows on top of being home for the holidays. Or not.

Buckcherry with Mercy Fall, The Last Vegas (Metro)
This L.A. hard rock band features Chicago expatriate Steve Dacanay on guitar, who used to be the talent buyer for Elbo Room a long, long time ago. Not John Litz-long ago, but still a while.

Fareed Haque Group (HotHouse)
The Garaj Mahal guitarist is back in town on his own, which is typically a more rewarding endeavour for those of us who don't gravitate toward patchouli and noodle dancing.

My Morning Jacket with The Slip, Catfish Haven (Riviera Theatre)
For all the talk of Band of Horses being a top ten record this year, I still think My Morning Jacket mines the same vein much more effectively. Chicago's own Catfish Haven opens.

Nicholas Payton Quintet (Jazz Showcase)
See Tuesday's listing.

11.25   saturday
Sybris with Holy Roman Empire, The Record Low, Dogme 95 (Double Door)
If I ever get to see a full set from this local band, they, too, have a chance at being my new favorite local band. I only caught a couple songs from them at Lollapalooza as well.

The Changes with +/- (Schubas)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
On the other hand, these guys still hold the crown for "nicest band in Chicago." I still think they're letting their sound get a little too diffuse from when they first got started, and I don't think that's just your everyday "they were better when nobody had heard of them" sentiment.

Wolfmother with Dead Meadow, Silversun Pickups (Riviera Theatre)   SOLD OUT!
I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, but I caught about half of their set at Lollapalooza, too, and was thoroughly unimpressed, given all the hype. They've got this weird, ironic reverence for 70s rock, but they just don't seem to execute it well enough to pull off both the irony and the reverence.

Pere Ubu with Mahjongg (Abbey Pub)
One of the heavy hitters of the post-punk era, although they never really crossed my radar until I heard Living Colour cover "Final Solution."

Brazilian Girls with The Prarie Cartel (Metro)
I've been getting this band confused lately with CSS, which is made up of actual Brazilian girls. I sorta think this will be a different crowd than the one for the Fear Factory show earlier in the evening at the same venue.

Wilco with Califone (Auditorium Theatre)   SOLD OUT!
See Friday's listing.

Andrew Bird with Occidental Brothers Dance Band International (Logan Square Auditorium)
See Friday's listing.

Nicholas Payton Quintet (Jazz Showcase)
See Tuesday's listing.

11.26   sunday
The Sounds with Shiny Toy Guns, Assassins (Metro)
I've been listening to the Swedish band's Dying To Say This To You record for a couple of weeks as I put together my big list of material from which to cull some sort of top ten list, and it's holding up pretty well. Both Shiny Toy Guns and Chicago's own Assassins are really good fits for this bill.

The New Cars with Persephone's Bees (House of Blues)
I like Todd Rundgren, but I like Stephen Colbert better, and the Comedy Central host had Ric Ocasek on a while ago, and ended up putting Rundgren "on notice," presumably for taking the lead spot in his old band. Then he sent him to California with a stagehand to rescue a baby bald eagle, but never mind that.

Nicholas Payton Quintet (Jazz Showcase)
See Tuesday's listing.