list.in.to.chicago this week: 07.09.2007

Think cold thoughts.

Pick of the week
On Tuesday night, both Robbers On High Street (Schubas) and Paul Wertico Trio/Kick The Cat should be good choices. Saturday boasts the big Frisbie CD release party at Double Door.

list.in.to.COZ
Thanks to everyone who came out to Blue Bayou on Friday. We were able to surf that post-Police wave for a great crowd. Just Vaughan's this week, with the next Diver show coming on July 28th at Fado. And I think I may have joined/helped start another band over the weekend.

Recap
I think seeing The Police in Tennessee a few weeks ago helped dispel the 25 years of pent-up expectations and let us just enjoy Thursday's Wrigley Field show. On the plus side, Andy Summers seemed a bit more spry with his guitar solos. On the minus side, "Don't Stand So Close To Me" kinda sucked a lot. What surprised me most was that I could actually hear Friday's show from Lincoln Square if I listened real hard.

7.09   monday
Michael Schenker Group (House of Blues)
There are a couple of bands that strike me as fringe hard rock bands from the 80s that have proven to have a somewhat inexplicable longevity, particularly among the WLUP set. UFO is one. Michael Schenker is the other.

7.10   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
The new records from Crowded House and the Smashing Pumpkins hit this week. Bonus points for songs from either of those two bands, although I'm not sure exactly what form "bonus points" might take.

Paul Wertico Trio with Kick The Cat (Martyrs')   FRIENDS OF COZ!
You'd be hard-pressed to find a better night of electric jazz and/or fusion.

Robbers On High Street with Coltrane Motion, Christopher Wiitala (Schubas)
This is another one of those bands that I swear I've heard of, but I can't for the life of me recall the context. And although I tend to be skeptical of bands whose record label is a movie studio trying to branch out (these guys are on New Line Records), it's some pretty solid indie rock. There's a hint of early Strokes I'm hearing, but there's a better comparison I can't quite find right now.

American Motherload with Last Vegas, The Wisebloods (Empty Bottle)
I need to dig a bit and find out how these guys went from headlining Metro on weekends to being an opening act at the Bottle on a Tuesday night. But this might be a good night of throwback 70s hard rock across the board, as Last Vegas is described in that same way on Wikipedia.

7.11   wednesday
Alison Breitman with Laura Gibson, Julia Klee (Subterranean)
This is still the strong recommendation of a couple of friends of mine that I have yet to check out, but if you trust my opinions, you can probably trust theirs.

The Nightwatchman with Ike Reilly (Schubas)   SOLD OUT!
I guess the appeal of Tom Morello outweighs the brutally bad reviews his solo folkie side project, although with a room as small as Schubas, that's not entirely surprising. You could probably sell that venue out just with old friends of his from Libertyville.

7.12   thursday
The Nightwatchman with Ike Reilly (Schubas)   SOLD OUT!
See Wednesday's listing.

7.13   friday
Spoon (Schubas)
The Austin band has a new record out, and are celebrating the one-year anniversary of playing the Pitchfork Festival by competing against it, which may explain why the show doesn't appear to be sold out. And in checking that they were from Austin, I found a fascinating Wikipedia entry on that metal dealie you use to dig food.

Pitchfork Music Festival (Union Park)   SOLD OUT!
The big Friday night headliner of Sonic Youth pretty much sets the tone for why I'm fairly uninterested in the indie rock celebration over in the West Loop this year. I know it's heresy in some circles, but I don't get Sonic Youth. It's probably related to having never gotten into the Velvet Underground, but it is what it is at this point. GZA and Slint round out the opening night festivities.

Marty Casey and the Lovehammers with Scottish McMillan, Jen Porter, Sarah Potenza (Chicago Recording Company)
Haven't heard much from the Rock Star: INXS runner-up in a while. Apparently, Lovehammers played Summerfest, and now they're doing some sort of live studio appearance for some "Acoustic Chicago" record.

Mucca Pazza with Chamber Strings, Mannequin Men, Ruby Isle (Abbey Pub)
I've been hearing more and more about this 26-piece "circus punk marching band," mostly because it's the only circus punk marching band in town.

Widespread Panic (Chicago Theatre)   SOLD OUT!
Apparently not much overlap between the Pitchfork and patchouli crowds.

7.14   saturday
Frisbie with Dolly Varden (Double Door)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
The local power popsters have been working on a new record for quite a while now, and this being the CD release party, one can only assume it's finally done.

Slint with Minnow (Abbey Pub)
So, apparently there's no clause in Pitchfork contracts like the ones for Lollapalooza, where bands are locked out from shows in the area for some amount of time.

Pitchfork Music Festival (Union Park)   SOLD OUT!
The only band on Saturday's bill that piques my interest is Mastodon. And if the weather is anything like this past weekend, I have a hard time imagining that band outdoors while the sun is still out.

Widespread Panic (Chicago Theatre)   SOLD OUT!
See Friday's listing.

7.15   sunday
Gogol Bordello (The Vic)
There's probably some sort of easy comparison between the aforementioned Mucca Pazza and Gogol Bordello, who also have a circus-like atmosphere to their shows, but more of a gypsy-by-way-of-NYC vibe than a marching band vibe.

Pitchfork Music Festival (Union Park)   SOLD OUT!
If I were going, I would be annoyed that I wouldn't be able to catch both The Klaxons and The New Pornographers, as they both cap off their respective stages at 8 and 8:30, respectively. Stephen Malkmus and The Ponys would be worth checking out, but again, not enough to motivate me to have actually bought tickets.

John Doe Band with Dead Rock West, The August (Abbey Pub)
I thought that X and all it's various members only played at House of Blues? I guess not.

Widespread Panic (Chicago Theatre)   SOLD OUT!
See Friday's listing.