list.in.to.chicago this week: 06.11.2007

Just so you know, I may skip the normal format next week and give you all a rundown of Bonnaroo, probably on Tuesday instead of Monday. And I would feel guilty about sending this out so late on Monday if I had said anything remotely substantive about the one non-sold out show I listed for tonight.

Pick of the week
You almost can't go wrong on Friday, with The Most Dangerous Race at Double Door and Deftones at the Riv.

list.in.to.COZ
Seeing as how I'm out of town for almost half the week, Vaughan's is all I've got going this time around.

Recap
So I did catch Ozomatli on Thursday night, and they seemed to stick a bit closer to a semi-traditional Mexican sound than I remembered. Which isn't bad, but maybe I was projecting that Los Lobos comparison too hard. In fact, the better comparison might be Fishbone, only from an entirely different part of Los Angeles.

While there was no interpretive dance to Snow Patrol at the Diver show in Lincolnshire this time around, we did get one very nice unsolicited comment from a guy in the crowd, who said that we were playing covers, but sounded like a "real" band, or something like that.

And I caught Bound Stems again at Ribfest yesterday. I'm still struck by how their female vocalist/keyboardist/occasional bassist cuts through the overall sound of the band in a live setting.

6.11   monday
Mika with Sara Barielles (Metro)   SOLD OUT!
This week's sold out show from someone I've never even heard of comes to us from a Lebanese by way of Paris artist described by allmusic.com as a "pop magpie." No, I don't know what that means either, but Mika's website points out that one of his songs is going to be featured on "So You Think You Can Dance," so maybe that gives you an idea.

Architecture in Helsinki with Mahjongg (Logan Square Auditorium)
I still wish the local band Rockets Over Sweden still existed, if only to go on tour with Architecture in Helsinki.

Fall Out Boy with +44, The Academy Is, Paul Wall and Cobra Starship (Charter One Pavilion)   SOLD OUT!
I talked about this one last week, so the only thing worth adding is that you can now buy tickets for any of the big Live Nation venues at the House of Blues box office with no service charges. At least some good came of that deal.

6.12   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
I think I'm going to decree that the rest of this month's theme will be songs featured on The Sopranos. I'm sure they're on Wikipedia somewhere. Of course, if you want to go with other current events and play either "Free Man In Paris" from Joni Mitchell or "Prison Sex" from Tool, by all means, go right ahead.

Nelly Furtado with Kenna, Saukrates (Rosemont Theatre)
I guess a Furtado song was the official theme of the European soccer championship back in 2004, so she and her band will all be wearing Fire jerseys for this show, since they're the local team. Finally, Luis Arroyave's horrible, horrible taste in music yields some useful information.

The Fray with OK Go, Mae (Charter One Pavilion)
After OK Go recently opened for Snow Patrol, one has to ask, is Damian Kulash a really, really big fan of Grey's Anatomy?

Mandy Moore (Park West)
Oddly enough, I heard Moore's version of "Senses Working Overtime" from XTC a week or so ago at Century Mall. Even as incidental background music, it was sorta weird.

6.13   wednesday
Page McConnell with Neil Cleary (The Vic)
The other guy from Phish out on his own, with apologies to John Fishman and whoever the other other guys who aren't Trey Anastasio are. I dare you to diagram that sentence.

Imperial Battlesnake with Broken Teeth, Lions, Coldcock Jones and the Shithawks (Double Door)
I got nuthin', but man, are those some ass-kicking band names, or what?

The Fray with OK Go, Mae (Charter One Pavilion)
See Tuesday's listing, because your girlfriend asked you to.

6.14   thursday
Spanish For 100 with Sleep With The Fishes (Empty Bottle)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
This time I actually have an excuse for missing one of my former RollingStone.com co-workers when he comes through town with his band, as I'll be in Tennessee by then.

Straylight Run with Sparta, Lovedrug (Metro)
Didn't Sparta just play Metro on their own? Must not have drawn very well. And remember kids, naming your band from a William Gibson novel will almost always get you listed here.

The Fray with OK Go, Mae (Charter One Pavilion)
I've run out of witty and emasculating things to say about this band. I'm sorry.

6.15   friday
The Most Dangerous Race with The Countdown, Velva (Double Door)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Once again, this band includes drummer Matt Walker, former Phantom Helmsman Steve Gerlach on guitar, former bandmate-of-Coz Larry Schroeder on bass, and some singer I don't know but might be the Extra Very guy. At least that was the lineup last I heard.

Deftones with Dir En Gray, The Fall of Troy (Riviera Theatre)
Something about this band is just so much more authentic than the "active rock format" bands that grew like weeds in the earlier part of this decade.

Helicopters with Camera, Fun Club (Abbey Pub)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
If you go to the show, casually mention to the band that they should try playing with a live drummer. No reason.

Buckcherry with Godsmack, Taproot, Finger Eleven (Charter One Pavilion)
We actually got a request for Buckcherry at the Diver gig on Friday, which is funny, because Buckcherry guitarist Steve Dacanay used to host the Open Jam at Vaughan's with Anto back before Tony took it over.

Bobby Conn with The Chandeliers, Quatre Tete (Hideout)
I have to wonder if Conn downplays his glam persona when he plays solo, particularly at a venue like Hideout. I don't see it working in this room, but I could be wrong.

6.16   saturday
Good Charlotte with Sum 41, Violent Femmes, The Bravery, Shiny Toy Guns (Charter One Pavilion)
If we needed any evidence that Q101 has gone back to sucking, it's the lineup for their block party, which includes that Buckcherry show on Friday and this train wreck of a lineup. The point being, if you think Good Charlotte still warrants a headlining slot -- if, in fact, they ever did -- then you have no business trying to dictate or influence musical tastes and trends.

Alex Skolnick Trio (Martyrs')
I'm a little bit afraid of former heavy metal shredders -- Skolnick was in Testament -- playing any sort of jazz. It's not that they can't, just that they might not quite get the fundamental differences in approach in a way that might -- again, might -- make me cringe.

Bobby Conn with Laura Palmer, Brilliant Pebbles (Hideout)
See Friday's listing, with different opening acts.

6.17   sunday
Nicholas Barron's Hyperactive (Long Room)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
I got burned last week when I assumed that Talent Magnet Monday -- one of my "in case of fire, break glass" regular shows -- was on for Slainte, so maybe call first on this one to double check.