list.in.to.chicago this week: 01.07.2008

Happy New Year! If you have half as much fun as I did on New Year's Eve -- everybody say it with me -- then I had twice as much fun as you.

Next week's edition will likely be late. I was bound to have a business trip sooner or later.

Pick of the week
If you can score tickets for Common and Office on Saturday (House of Blues), that looks like the show to beat. And if you've never taken advantage of the annual Buddy Guy January residency at Legends, there may still be tickets for Thursday and Sunday. And the Wednesday Office gig looks intriguing.

list.in.to.COZ
Right off the bat, Diver will be at Cullen's on Saturday. Then Hoffman Estates next Friday and Fado next Saturday, if you need plan that far ahead. And you can be our friend on MySpace or our fan on Facebook, if you haven't already.

Recap
Uhhh...the Diver show with Crash was somewhat under-attended. Domestic Problems had the most unlikely choreography from a horn section I've seen in a while. Hello Dave were too southern blues-rock for my taste, but clearly good at it. Air This Side Of Caution seems to have cut down on the overplaying on the drums, and that's good. SoulFix brought the rock. That's all I can remember, because all those shows were last year

01.07   monday
Patricia Barber Quartet (Green Mill)
For those of you who don't give a rat's ass about college football. I don't even think the Green Mill has television sets.

01.08   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
Technically not the first smoke-free Open Jam, as Tony presided over one last week, thinking I was still visiting my parents. In fact, I was home learning a passel of new tunes that I'm excited to debut.

Tom McCarthy Luminance Ensemble with Tom Wright Group, Conductive Alliance (Martyrs')
Now that I remember who Tom McCarthy is, I want to check these guys out. Unfortunately, Ray seems to only book weird local stuff on Tuesdays.

01.09   wednesday
Office (Victory Gardens Biograph Theater)
A pretty interesting concept: "Tony Sarabia of Chicago Public Radio's "Radio M" program hosts. Includes brief interviews with band members throughout the concert."

01.10   thursday
Buddy Guy with Brother John (Buddy Guy's Legends)
It's that time of year again. Most of these shows typically sell out, so double check in case Metromix is leading me astray. Again.

Lacona with Michael Columbia, Cealed Kasket (Empty Bottle)
This is the band I caught two songs from at Wise Fools a few weeks ago, who I thought warranted another look.

01.11   friday
Absent Star with The Lifeline, Butterfly Assassins (Metro)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
I think Noel is as big a geek as I am, because I'm able to print a comp ticket for this show by virtue of linking to his Facebook page. But he hasn't created a Facebook page for the band itself, so I win.

The Bird And The Bee with Charlie Wadhams (Schubas)   SOLD OUT!
I think it's just a duo and I think it's electronic, which brings up all sorts of twee visions in my head. I thought I had downloaded something somewhere, but haven't been able to track it down as of press time.

Buddy Guy wit Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials (Buddy Guy's Legends)   SOLD OUT!
Okay, so Metromix has Friday and Saturday sold out, but Thursday and Sunday may still have tickets. You should still call first.

Fareed Haque with Chicago Afrobeat Project (House of Blues)
John Moulder Quintet (Green Mill)
It's a good week for local (or previously local) jazz guitarists.

01.12   saturday
Diver (Cullen's)   SEE COZ LIVE!
Our first gig of the new year. If you were hoping we resolved to learn some new songs, let me get back to you on that.

Common with Office, Reese, DJ Ken (House of Blues)   SOLD OUT!
This looks like a heck of a show, not that I could have gone anyway. I still have a mental block about really digging into hip-hop records, so I've been slow on the uptake with Common, and while I sorta regret that, I haven't exactly done anything about it.

Vulgar Boatmen with Track A Tiger, Ezra Furman and The Harpoons (Schubas)
I actually have a Vulgar Boatmen at Schubas story. I saw them play there once, at least fifteen years ago, and they almost missed the gig -- or at least showed up an hour late -- because they were from the part of Indiana that didn't change its clocks, and this was shortly after Daylight Savings Time either started or ended.

Barry Manilow (United Center)
As much as I'd like to act all hipper-than-thou and make fun of Barry Manilow -- not that I would, as I'm developing a bit of a hipster backlash, which would be a cool band name -- I can't. He seems extremely self-aware of his position, and I respect that. He didn't really set out to be an artist, only to, well, write the songs. His success is kind of a happy accident, and the impression I get is that he's been able to keep his sense of humor about it. Yes, the Colbert appearances loom large in that assessment.

Buddy Guy with Carl Weathersby (Buddy Guy's Legends)   SOLD OUT!
See Friday's listing. Or Thursdays.

John Moulder Quintet (Green Mill)
See Friday's listing.

01.13   sunday
Buddy Guy with Phil Guy (Buddy Guy's Legends)
See Thursday's listing, not Friday's or Saturday's, because this one may have tickets available.

Poi Dog Pondering Acoustic Quintet (Hideout)
I don't even know what Poi Dog sounds like these days, so it's hard to imagine what that would then sound like acoustic. But it sounds promising.

Nicholas Barron Quartet (Long Room)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
They were the last recommendation last year, so I have to kick the year off with them, too. Really. It's a rule. And I'm fortunate enough to have Monday off, so there's a good chance you can find me at this show.