list.in.to.chicago this week: 05.21.2007

Kind of a slow week. I almost contemplated taking this one off, but I have this nagging feeling that if I stop, I might not start again.

Pick of the week
The highest-profile show this week, as far as I'm concerned, is Black Rebel Motorcycle Club on Thursday at The Vic. If nothing else, that's the one the kids will be talking about next week.

list.in.to.COZ
I'd say come out to Vaughan's on Tuesday, but this list is beginning to meet the same fate as the URT e-mails way back when, which is to say that I don't feel like anyone actually plans their evenings because of it. I'm not entirely sure I ever really expected that, anyway.

Recap
Until I get motivated again, this is going to be where I complain about how I'm getting old and not going out to see shows anymore. If the turnout at Blue Bayou for Diver on Friday was any indication, you're in the same boat.

5.21   monday
Talent Magnet Mondays (Slainte)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
If there were any chance in hell of me going out on Monday and Tuesday night, this is where I'd be for the first leg. This week, Dana and whoever she can press into open mike service will try to distract you from just how bad tonight's season finale of 24 will inevitably be. Damn, I'm cranky this week, aren't I?

5.22   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
Still May. Still 80s month.

Illinois with May Or May Not (Schubas)
I want this up-and-coming indie band to get tabbed for a tour with Chicago, America, and two of those local bands named after Chicago streets.

5.23   wednesday
!!! with Holy Fuck (Metro)
I got nothin', I just wanted to trip any profanity filters you've got on your e-mail client.

Open Mike (The Globe Pub)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
If I were so inclined, I could hit an open mike at least five out of seven days of the week, all hosted by people I know. In this case, it's the ubiquitous Stolie at my favorite place to watch soccer.

5.24   thursday
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club with The Cobbs (The Vic)
On the one hand, the new record is the kind of gritty, bluesy rock one would expect from BMRC. On the other, I can't help thinking it would sound a million times better with PJ Harvey singing.

5.25   friday
This Is Me Smiling with Skybox, The Silent Years, Hey Champ (Metro)
I think I need to downgrade these guys from "band I saw that I'd like to see again" to "band I saw that I liked" and leave it at that. Maybe the lack of an imperative to see some of these bands will actually get me out to see a couple of them, kind of like washing your car to make it rain, or claiming you're not looking for a relationship in order to seem more relaxed and approachable to the opposite gender, not that either of those actually work.

The Assembly with Crud, Black Coral, Sixteen (Kinetic Playground)
Still haven't heard anything other than a low-level buzz about these guys, but that's usually enough to at least get on my radar.

Fly Williams with Austin Bridges, Chris Shaffer's Why Store (Wise Fools Pub)
Not sure if the local music world has moved on to the point where happy funk still has much of an audience, as it feels like three years at least since this band was last spotted. Then again, they may have evolved. And the Why Store is quite the blast from the past, aren't they? And is there some other Why Store that may cause confusion? I had no idea.

Lucky Boys Confusion with Swizzle Tree, Mostly About Nothing (House of Blues)   SOLD OUT!
I didn't think these guys were still active, but as was the case when they first played sold out shows in the city when I had never heard of them, suburban bands and their fan bases can stay off my radar pretty effectively.

5.26   saturday
Joey DeFrancesco Trio (Andy's Jazz Club)
I had been wondering what would happen to artists who would typically play at the Jazz Showcase, and it seems Andy's is going to pick up at least a little of the slack. It's not quite six nights in a row for the jazz organ giant -- and I realize that's kind of dirty if you flip some of the words around -- but I was never under the impression that the artists actually liked that arrangement.

Lucky Boys Confusion with Swizzle Tree (House of Blues)
See Friday's listing, only not sold out.

5.26   sunday
Joey DeFrancesco Trio (Andy's Jazz Club)
See Saturday's listing.

Nicholas Barron's Hyperactive (Long Room)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Start the week with a Gillis, end the week with a Gillis. This is one of those nights where there will be a bit more of a crowd, with the holiday on Monday.