list.in.to.chicago this week: 04.16.2007

No, Google didn't acquire list.in.to.chicago for $3.1 billion. That was for the company that actually pays my bills, and no, I don't envision that any of that cash will trickle down to the lowly research guy.

Pick of the week
Most of the good ones are sold out this week, but you might do well by The Decemberists (Wednesday and Thursday at the Riv), The Frames (Wednesday at Metro) or the entirety of the Ted Ansani Project slate in the IPO Festival (Friday at Wise Fools Pub).

list.in.to.COZ
Just Vaughan's this week. Diver returns in full force next Friday (4/27) at Blue Bayou.

Recap
It's not every week I get to see my two favorite vocalists. I was a little disappointed with Chris Cornell on Wednesday, but his band had the unenviable task of recreating performances from some amazingly talented musicians, including two of my absolute favorite rock drummers in Matt Cameron and Brad Wilk. They never had a chance, but the songs were so good in many cases that it didn't matter.

Last night's Peeping Tom show didn't offer much that was different from the band's Lollapalooza set, but that isn't a criticism at all. Actually the opposite. There were two notable changes, though, in that a young woman named Butterscotch filled the Rahzel beatbox role -- and filled it pretty damn well -- and Dan the Automator was on hand. I don't think he was there over the summer. Mike Patton was also a bit more connected to the crowd, even if he did misjudge them as giving a rat's ass about the Cubbies.

I also caught Friends of Coz Soulfix on Saturday, and they rocked and stuff.

4.16   monday
Klaxons with The Prairie Cartel (Schubas)   SOLD OUT!
There's a new crop of heavily-hyped UK exports hitting the States right now, and this London trio is making a good bit of noise among them with it's dance-influenced uptempo rock.

4.17   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
With taxes being due today, the primary theme is going to be tax-related: taxes themselves, money, or maybe death -- as in "death and." However, with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales testifying before Congress, songs about lying and/or lawyers will be accepted. At least one of us will play "Lawyers, Guns and Money" to tie it all together.

4.18   wednesday
The Decemberists with My Brightest Diamond (Riviera Theatre)
Colin Meloy and company may have overreached with both The Crane Wife and booking two dates at the Riv, with the former being a more challenging listen than their last record and the latter maybe overestimating their audience by a bit. I guess appearing on The Colbert Report wasn't a stepping stone to total world domination, but that's what happens when you go up against Peter Frampton.

The Frames with Archer Prewitt (Metro)
I think maybe the best way to describe The Frames is that they sound like U2 or Coldplay if either of those two bands hadn't made it big. Meaning that they have some of the attributes of those bands, musically, but with a certain vibe that can only come from playing smaller venues for years.

4.19   thursday
Enuff Z'Nuff with Loveshine, Truth in Fiction, The Attraction, The Personals, V-Sparks, The Blissters (Double Door)
Okay, so this is part of the International Pop Overthrow festival, named after the Material Issue record and ostensibly related to that band's power pop sound. Or at least that's how it started out, as this headlining appearance by Chicago's most ubiquitous metal band seems to be stretching the definition quite a bit. Unless Chip has changed gears significantly, which is entirely possible.

The Decemberists with My Brightest Diamond (Riviera Theatre)
See Wednesday's listing.

4.20   friday
Andrew Bird with Apostle of Hustle (Riviera Theatre)
Chicago's current favorite musical son has a new record out, and most of the reviews I've seen have been superlative to the point of being somewhat sycophantic, so I'm not sure if the album lives up to that hype just yet.

The Smithereens (Park West)
Originally, this looked like it was one of only a couple of shows to support the New Jersey quartet's reading of a classic Beatles record, but they've since filled in some dates afterwards. It seems a lot of tours start in Chicago, doesn't it? I figure that singer Pat DiNizio -- from my hometown of Scotch Plains, by the way -- planned it so he could spend time with his daugher, who I believe still lives in the area.

Columbian Monkey Knife Fight with 256, Reindeer (Morseland)
These guys are still very much in the running as my new favorite local band, and either Morseland has only just started putting their listings up on Metromix, or the Rogers Park venue has only just started getting back into the music scene. I wasn't even sure it still existed.

Ted Ansani Project with The Millions, The Ladies and Gentlemen, The Valley Downs, Swinger, The Nice Outfit (Wise Fools Pub)
I guess it's only appropriate that the two remaining members of Material Issue should play at the IPO festival -- drummer Mike Zelenko is in The Ladies and Gentlemen. And Friends of Coz The Valley Downs snag a sweet spot as part of the bill.

Art Brut with The Jai-Alai Savant (Subterraean)   SOLD OUT!
I generally have limited tolerance for bands who wear their lack of musical talent on their sleeves, but Art Brut do it with enough wit to make it enjoyable. They'll presumably be playing music from their upcoming record, as I don't know they could sustain yet another area appearance behind Bang Bang Rock & Roll.

Kaiser Chiefs with The Walkmen, Little Ones (Metro)   SOLD OUT!
I'm wondering if The Walkmen's presence on this bill is what sold it out, as the new Kaiser Chiefs is as uninspiring as their last one, although the brief glimpse I got of their 2006 Lollapalooza set indicated that they might be better live.

Ulele with The Loft (Martyrs')
This is the second show in the last couple of months I've seen from the local world music collective after a long layoff. Heck, I remember when frontman and percussionist Ulele Stone still answered to Winston Damen and played in The Drovers.

4.21   saturday
Aqualung with Sara Bareilles (Park West)
I know the ostensible -- yes, I've used that word twice in one week, deal with it -- Jethro Tull fans have a new record out, but I haven't heard it yet, so I can't comment on whether or not Matt Hales is breaking out of the "sensitive singer-songwriter" stereotype.

Umphrey's McGee (The Vic)
I suspect it's going to be an ongoing battle for this band -- probably the biggest new name on the jam-band scene in years -- to get any sort of respect from the local music press, whether that be bloggers or the mainstream media. Critics are more likely to embrace prog rock than jam bands, it's just one of those things.

4.22   sunday
Modest Mouse (Auditorium Theatre)   SOLD OUT!
Finally, there are a couple of new releases that don't suck. Modest Mouse, now with Johnny Marr of the Smiths on guitar, has one of them, and enough people obviously know that to sell out everyone's new favorite warm-up tour spot.

The Redwalls with Office, The Ivorys, Ultra Sonic Edukators (House of Blues)
For a band whose biggest storyline was the fact that they were all really, really young, maybe getting chewed up and spit out of the major label machine in the space of about of a year will be the kind of hardship that gives them something entirely new to draw upon, artistically. That, or the hype was totally overblown in the first place. With Office on the bill, you've got an up-and-coming local band that may be passing The Redwalls on their way down.