list.in.to.chicago this week: 08.06.2007

Had to take the day off after the Lolla weekend. Sorry if you really needed me to tell you Ted Nugent played House of Blues last night.

Pick of the week
No questions this week. EXO acoustic at Schubas on Sunday night. Birds At The End Of The Road at Martyrs on Saturday. The Smithereens at Festa Italiana on Friday.

list.in.to.COZ
You have absolutely no opportunities to hear me perform in a public venue this week. If that troubles you, call me and I'll play something for you over the phone. Diver is playing a lunchtime set in the Loop next Wednesday.

Recap
Congrats to Helicopters, who won the audience vote for Last Band Standing with an energetic set at Double Door on Wednesday. New York duo Sirsy and Aranda from Oklahoma were both impressive for different reasons, so naturally they lost the judges' vote to the worst band of the night, who was also from Chicago, I'm sad to say. Anyway, I didn't get to Grant Park in time for Helicopters' Lolla set, but you can check out the rest of the rundown for the weekend in the reviews section of notabbott.com. The first day is already up, so it's not that "I'm going to try to post a review" bullshit I pulled last year and never followed up on.

8.07   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS! USUALLY!
You guys have fun. Bonus point for playing "Melt With You" from Modern English, which is what would happen if I stepped outside at this point.

Eisley (Schubas)
If I say four siblings and a cousin from Texas, I'm guessing the first thing you think of is not an acclaimed indie rock band. I'm just sayin'.

Nicholas Barron (Morseland)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
There was an article in the Sun-Times about a new music venue up in Rogers Park that, along with the venerable Morseland, might bring the music scene up north again. They've already gotten Nicholas up there. I'm guessing solo, but I'm not sure.

Tegan and Sara (Lakeshore Theater)   SOLD OUT!
Did you know that Canadian twins are the same as 2.3 American siblings? Probably not, 'cause I just made that up.

8.08   wednesday
The Cornish Gay Men with Cobra Skulls, Dirty Tactics (Ronny's)
Wow, that's an awesome band name. And totally, totally wrong.

8.09   thursday
Absent Star with The Year After, The Lifeline (House of Blues)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Last I heard, these guys were in that kind of record company limbo that you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy, where the guy who signed them to the major label left the company, and no one else seems to care, and they can't get on the calendar of the producer they want, so the record waits and waits. Apologies if I got the story not quite right, but it's at least in the ballpark.

Soulfix with July 4th, Yourself and the Air (Martyrs')   FRIENDS OF COZ!
This is some kind of "find the best band competition," and Shoeshine Boy Productions bands have a pretty good track record at the moment, as they also promote Helicopters.

Viceroy with Circus Diablo, Thunderbeast (Double Door)
If you're a Thin Lizzy fan, you'll love these guys, opening here for Circus Diablo, which features Billy Duffy of The Cult. No, I don't remember him, either.

8.10   friday
The Smithereens with CTA, Down The Line (Festa Italiana)
The town I grew up in has an Italian festival every Labor Day weekend on the grounds of my family's church. The last time I spoke to him, Smithereens singer Pat DiNizio told me he lives right across the street from that church, so I'd love to hear how he thinks this Taylor Street festival compares.

Dream Theater with Redemption, Into Eternity (Rosemont Theatre)
Is the problem that I started with Images and Words? Is there something specific to that album that explains why I find their music so irritating?

Lord Mike's Dirty Calypsonians (The Note)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
You know, I never thought to ask Mike if his new band actually plays calypso. Or if they play nothing but calypso.

Office with Freer, Cracklin' Moth (Schubas)
A year after catching about a song and a half from the local band at last year's Lollapalooza, I still haven't seen a proper set. I suck.

Mig Ayesa (Third Coast)
I'm pretty sure this was the second runner-up on Rockstar: INXS, and Third Coast seems to be a pretty intimate room at Dearborn and Goethe, so it could be interesting.

8.11   saturday
Birds At The End Of The Road with Charles Gladfelter and Robert Byrne, Redshirt (Martyrs')   FRIENDS OF COZ!
I never saw these guys back when there were an active concern, but I have friends who swore by them, and I know most of the band members from subsequent projects, so I'm excited to see them get back together. Plus, you've got Chuck and Rob from Dovetail Joint/Ivory Wire on stage again.

Stan Ridgeway with My Cold Dead Hand (Double Door)
On the one hand, the former Wall of Voodoo singer is celebrating Call of the West, the album that brought us "Mexican Radio." On the other hand, does that mean he's going to neglect the soundtrack to Rumblefish? If you were born after 1985 or so, never mind.

311 with Matisyahu (Charter One Pavilion)
My iPod got all scrambled once, and every track displayed the album art from 311's Transistor. And the mother of one of the band members used to post to alt.music.alternative, back when Courtney Love did, too. She hasn't gotten any better at typing/spelling since. Courtney Love, that is, not the 311 guy's mom.

Paul Green School Of Rock All-Stars (Millennium Park)
I'm bummed that the new national music director of Paul Green's school, that being Mike Keneally, isn't joining the all-stars' tour until next week. The kids did alright at Lollapalooza, particularly the female lead guitarists.

Yakuza with Emetic (Subterranean)
The local hard rock band is celebrating a new CD.

8.12   sunday
EXO with Alison Breitman, Jonathan Messinger (Schubas)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
This is an acoustic set from the three surviving members of one of my favorite local bands ever, with proceeds going to a Music Institute of Chicago scholarship in late drummer Doug Meis' name. I can't wait to hear how these guys reinvent their songs in this context.

Larry Carlton with Robben Ford (Joe's)
Both of these guys can straddle that line between serious electric jazz (Carlton) and blues (Ford) and easy listening, so I'm hoping they can avoid falling into that WNUA hole.

Mig Ayesa (Third Coast)
See Friday's listing.