list.in.to.chicago this week: 12.17.2007

Happy holidays! There will be no newsletter next week, unless I'm really bored in Virginia and can steal my parents' neighbors' Wi-Fi again.

What? It's not like I'm sucking up all their bandwidth downloading porn over a pirated connection. I mean, probably not, anyway.

There might be no newsletter the following week, either, in which case, Spoon at Metro or Jon Brion somewhere near Millenium Park. That is all. Except, you know, for the listings.

Pick of the week
If I were to only go to one show this week, it would be Diver and Crash at Cubby Bear on Friday, because I sort of have to be there. Other than that, Office (Metro, Friday) looks good, as does the Naked Raygun event at Reggie's Rock Club on Saturday night.

list.in.to.COZ
Quite the public demand for "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch," so I'll be doing a little Grinch tour of open mikes on Tuesday (Vaughan's) and Wednesday (The Globe), and then there's the aforementioned Diver show on Friday to close out the performances for the year, unless I sit in with Fraker on that Saturday between holidays.

Recap
I can't remember the last time I broke a drumhead in the middle of a show, but in retrospect, I've been pounding the crap out of my kick drum with Diver, since it's usually not amplified. Nothing a little gaffer's tape, beater height and a passable left foot couldn't fix. And if I never have to drive home via Chicagoland expressways at 2am in a heavy snowstorm again, it'll be too soon. Totally wimped out on Sybris on Friday night, and I have no excuse for that one.

12.17   monday
Pat McCurdy (Beat Kitchen)
Wow, he's still plugging away, but I guess I could say that about any number of artists that show up with regular gigs in this city. I remember seeing McCurdy's humorous acoustic songs probably about 12 years ago at Hoghead McDunna's. And I know he had a regular gig at the late, lamented Lounge Ax back then, too. I think.

12.18   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
It has been brought to my attention that I have been neglectful in my Grinchly duties this holiday season, so I hope to rectify that this week. And I have to add the Homer Simpson verse tonight, seeing as how the DVD of the Simpsons Movie comes out on this date. Did you see how they recreated the cover of Pink Floyd's Animals with an inflatable Spiderpig in front of the actual building from the album cover as a promotional stunt last week? Fucking fantastic.

12.19   wednesday
Open Mic with Stolie (The Globe Pub)   COZ SINGS
The Grinch tour continues, since Stolie asked me to play it a week and a half ago at Murphy's, but I hadn't brushed up on the chord changes. Plus, two blocks from my apartment, so there's that.

Baby Teeth with Gil Mantera's Party Dream, Inspector Owl (Empty Bottle)
I know I've seen others -- probably Chicagoist -- talk these guys up, but I can't recall exactly why. In an unusual show of effort, a quick listen to their MySpace page offers up some disco-tinged pop, complete with strings and fuzz bass.

A Birdsong Valentine with President Bomb, The Wandering (Double Door)
I guess one of the guys in this band is now handling the booking at Elbo Room, and I have to wonder if that ever makes playing at other clubs awkward. Yeah, that's all I've got. Can you tell I'm just sort of mailing it in before the Christmas break?

12.20   thursday
Sleeping At Last with Matt Santos (House of Blues)
Apparently an emo band from Wheaton, and not a sludgy stoner rock band. Clearly I was confusing them with Sleep.

Via Audio with Tigercity, The Prairie Cartel (Subterranean)
Yet another band that I've heard mentioned on more than a few occasions, and another MySpace foray -- so much for mailing it in, I guess -- yields a sort of laconic, textured indie pop with male and female vocals. This show is apparently free, but requires an RSVP.

12.21   friday
Diver with Crash (Cubby Bear)   SEE COZ LIVE!
I've been trying to find a joke about crashing and diving for weeks now, to no avail. So instead I'll tell you that not only does Diver have a MySpace page that you should become friends with, we also are so unbelievably cutting edge that we also have a Facebook profile that you can become a fan of. Because it's easier than actually fixing the website...

Office with The 1900s, Mannequin Men, The Narrator (Metro)
If we didn't have a gig down the street, I would more than likely be here to check out two buzz bands in Office and The 1900s. Heck, we're only the opening act at Cubby Bear, so maybe I can do both.

dada with Absent Star, Sunday Morning Chameleon (Joe's)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Kind of a weird lineup here, in that I don't think dada as an ongoing concern, but they're paired with a couple of up-and-coming local bands, including Absent Star, who have their debut record -- not sure if they're technically still on a major, or if that flipped to an indie with all the A&R bullshit -- slated for early 2008.

Robert Randolph and the Family Band (House of Blues)
This is technically a private event, but you can win tickets on WXRT's website through Wednesday, I think.

Kill Hannah with Inner Party System, Young Americans (Subterranean)   SOLD OUT!
A precursor to their Vic show on Saturday at the Wicker Park club.

12.22   saturday
Naked Raygun (Reggie's Rock Club)
Okay, this sounds pretty cool. Event features a screening of the DVD, "What Poor Gods We Do Make: The Story and Music Behind Naked Raygun" and a live set by the band. Ticket price includes an autographed copy of the DVD.

Hello Dave with The Nadas, Domestic Problems (House of Blues)
Domestic Problems are old college classmates of one l.i.t.c. operative, who says "I have always compared them to a Barenaked Ladies (in terms of fun on stage), but the music is different, they used to have a brass section."

Dot Dot Dot with Where's Charlie (Joe's)
Didn't Marty Casey play Joe's for his first show after losing Rock Star: INXS? And now it's hosting Dot Dot Dot's first show after being ruled out as The Next Great American Band? I guess it's probably the biggest room that you can book on short notice.

Kill Hannah with Action Action, Powerspace, DJ's The Young Americans (The Vic)
New Duncan Imperials with The Sleepers (The Note)
Evil Beaver with Paper Mice, The Pussy Pirates (Empty Bottle)
Ulele with Nielsen (Martyrs')   FRIENDS OF COZ?
I'm lumping all of these together, as they're all longtime veterans of the Chicago scene. Odd that they're all playing on the same night, but as longtime veterans, I guess they're more likely to be in town three days before Christmas. And I'm not sure if Lexie is still playing with Ulele or if Winston remembers me from the Miga recording, hence the question mark.

12.23   sunday
Spitalfield with The Audition, The Forecast, Holy Roman Empire Beardog (Metro)
I was handed a promotional CD from this band maybe two years ago. It's still sitting on my desk, unopened. On the plus side, it made me recognize the name. I just have some weird mental block about how I find new music, and handing me a CD outside a show almost never works.

Nicholas Barron Band (Long Room)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
This close to the holiday, you should definitely double-check to see if they're actually going to be there, but if this is my last newsletter of the year, I figured I should close it out with Nicholas, Steve, Vijay, and whoever else they might find to sit in.