list.in.to.chicago this week: 10.29.2007

Boo.

Pick of the week
Gotta go with either California Guitar Trio at Schubas or Stars at The Vic on Friday, and then Broken Social Scene at Metro on Saturday, especially given the lack of first-hand knowledge of a lot of bands this week.

list.in.to.COZ
If you're anywhere near Hoffman Estates on Saturday, Diver is breaking in a new room called Jersey's that's only been open for a couple of months. Bring friends. This follows on the heels of a gig in the southwest 'burbs on Friday at Trio.

Recap
All that money I spent on my Halloween costume, and nothing to show for it at Cullen's on Saturday. Okay, so I actually just shaved off the goatee and sideburns -- yeah, it's kind of weird -- wore a black t-shirt and said I was Simon Cowell. It sorta worked. The gig itself went well enough, with perhaps a new record for "people I know who just happen to be there, totally by coincidence."

10.29   monday
Dashboard Confessional with Augustana, John Ralston (House of Blues)   SOLD OUT!
I think I shocked Chicago Tribune soccer beat reporter Luis Arroyave on Thursday when I didn't openly mock him for listening to Dashboard Confessional while he was filing his story after the Fire game. I'll leave that to Brian Jonestown Massacre, who were famously on the band's case at Lollapalooza back in, what, 2005?

The Decemberists with Laura Veirs and Saltbreakers (The Vic)
Tonight is the "short" portion of the "long and short of it" motif, which means pretty much anything not on "The Crane Wife," right?

Bob Dylan and His Band with Elvis Costello, Amos Lee (Chicago Theatre)
Good reviews, for the most part, of the first two nights in the three-night stand.

10.30   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
Monica wants somebody to play "The Monster Mash." I countered with everybody should play "The Monster Mash." I have to take advantage of this opportunity to play Iron Maiden's "The Number Of The Beast," on the heels of wrangling "Run To The Hills" last week to make fun of the Cleveland Indians ("Red Sox came, down one to three, they brought us pain and misery").

The Hold Steady with Art Brut, Federale (Metro)
I'm torn on The Hold Steady, because they are a good band, but they think they're so damn clever that I find it distracting. And I need to take a break from Art Brut before they devolve in my mind into pure schtick, but I suspect some of you might argue that they've been there for a while now.

Dashboard Confessional with Augustana, John Ralston (House of Blues)   SOLD OUT!
See Monday's listing.

10.31   wednesday
Film School with Land Of Talk, Eulogies (Schubas)
One of those bands I see mentioned a lot, and in ways that seem credible. Which is me saying, once again, I've heard of them, but I haven't heard them. In this case, I've actually downloaded a couple of MP3s in the last week, but I'm thrashing the hell out of my computer at work, so I don't want to open another application so I can actually listen to them.

Lupe Fiasco (House of Blues)
My soccer-centric view of the world pegs the Chicago rapper's appearance at halftime of last year's MLS All-Star Game in Bridgeview as the launching point of his career, not his guest appearance with Kanye West later that night at Lollapalooza.

Fiery Furnaces with Pit er Pat (Logan Square Auditorium)
I want this to be a stoner rock band, not an indie rock duo who recorded an album with their immigrant grandmother. It just doesn't feel right.

The Hold Steady with Art Brut, Federale (Metro)
See Tuesday's listing.

11.01   thursday
Th' Legendary Shack Shakers with Pine Hill Haints (Abbey Pub)
This band ranks as one of the longest-standing recommendations from a friend that I haven't followed up on. Seriously, I totally suck about that, and checking out recordings from bands people tell me about, or even let me borrow. For someone who obviously is into music, how freakin' stupid is that? Maybe I've found me a New Year's resolution.

Kelly Clarkson with Jon McLaughlin (Chicago Theatre)
I'll take the show from the American Idol finalist to mention that I'm trying to blog regularly about The Next Great American Band on notabbott.com proper. So far, Philly's Franklin Bridge is the shit. Also, how funny would be if, in some booking mishap, the opening act was actually former Mahavishnu Orchestra guitarist John McLaughlin?

Film School with Land Of Talk, Eulogies (Schubas)
See Wednesday's listing.

11.02   friday
Diver (Trio, Palos Heights)   SEE COZ LIVE!
Okay, if we get another crazy blonde in the southwest suburbs, it's officially a trend.

California Guitar Trio (Schubas)
It's a good couple of weeks for Robert Fripp's Guitar Craft, as these graduates of the program are in town this week, and Fripp himself will be appearing with The League of Crafty Guitarists at Park West next week. And if you can find a recording of "Punta Patri" from the band, download it now. It's simply one of the most beautiful compositions and recordings I've ever heard.

Mudhoney (Double Door)
The grunge progenitors seem to be back at least semi-permanently, which is rapidly looking like a trend. Bands reach a certain age, take time off -- maybe to start families -- then get back into it after a couple of years.

Coheed and Cambria with Clutch, The Fall of Troy (Riviera Theatre)
This band gets pegged as part of this new resurgence of prog rock, but they sound more like Queensryche -- another band that sometimes got lumped into that genre inappropriately some 15 or 20 years ago.

Stars with Magnet (The Vic)
I like what I've heard from this Canadian indie rock outfit, which is currently valued approximately the same as an American indie rock outfit.

Sia (Metro)
Kevin gets his second shout-out in two weeks, as he's the friend who has made the most noise about the Aussie singer, who apparently is the godchild of Men At Work's Colin Hay.

Jens Lekman with Dave Fischoff, DJ Viktor Sjoberg (Logan Square Auditorium)
For some reason, indie kids love their iconoclastic Swedes.

11.03   saturday
Diver (Jersey's, Hoffman Estates)   SEE COZ LIVE!
Okay, if you know anyone in or around the northwest suburbs, please feel free to pass this one along to them. It's our first show at the new venue, and we'd rather it not be our last. It's also all ages, I think, so we may have an earlier start time. I should probably check on that.

Broken Social Scene with Arthur and Yu (Metro)   SOLD OUT!
I was going to say that, with two bands this week from north of the border, maybe the parity of the Canadian and U.S. dollars is making it more economical for Canadian bands to tour the States, but then I'd have to think about whether or not that would really be the case, and my brain hurts. I didn't make it all the way over to their stage at least year's Lollapalooza, but what I could hear from across the field warranted going to see them again, if I weren't playing out in Hoffman Estates, anyway.

NYCO with Raised on Zenith, Philpot, Technicolor Stallion, Amanda Sena, Ryan Powers (Elbo Room)
Okay, six acts in one night seems like a lot unless it's a benefit or a festival or something. That's approaching New York City scheduling.

Brighton, MA with The Forms (Beat Kitchen)
I think I read last week that this band was formed by a former member of Scotland Yard Gospel Choir. That is all.

Sunset Rubdown with We Will Eat Rats To Survive (Empty Bottle)
Lots of people seemed to really dig this band's 2006 release, but some of these Pitchfork-y folks have a lot more tolerance for noisy, dissonant abrasive shit than I do.

11.04   sunday
Nicholas Barron's Hyperactive (Long Room)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Think of how many Sunday nights wouldn't have any listings if it weren't for Gillis, although I think Sumo might have already been mostly dead when I started this newsletter.