list.in.to.chicago this week: 01.28.2008

According to Movable Type, this is the 272nd edition of list.in.to.chicago. I'm going to wonder out loud as to whether or not 300 would be a good place to stop.

Pick of the week
I'm going to go with a Nicholas Barron Trio show (Friday at Morseland) that won't wreck me for the work week for once. Wow, try saying that out loud five times in a row.

list.in.to.COZ
Unless something pops up, it's nothing but Vaughan's on Tuesdays until Diver returns on February 23rd at Cullen's.

Recap
I have to say, the Andrew Fraker & Sons debut performance at the Abbey Pub went really well. I haven't finished a set to applause like that in quite a while, and it felt great. From a practical point of view, I would recommend that you young drummers out there check how tall a guy is before you agree to share his drum kit, as I've got nearly a foot on the drummer with Weber Band. Needless to say, I had to move some stuff, but he was totally cool about it.

1.28   monday
Cobra Starship with Metro Station, We the King, The Cab (Subterranean)   SOLD OUT!
It's the band that brought you the theme song to Snakes on a Plane. I could say more, but would it matter?

1.29   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
Crowds have been kind of hit or miss in January so far, which probably has more to do with the shitty weather than the smoking ban. Last week I ended up mining my book for prog rock, but that probably won't happen again right away.

Cobra Starship with Metro Station, We the King, The Cab (Subterranean)   SOLD OUT!
See the motherfucking entry on the other motherfucking day.

1.30   wednesday
The Go Go's with Whore D'Jour (House of Blues)
I'm going to guess that the band itself has aged better than, in order, their actual music and their fans, although I may be underestimating the force of 80s nostalgia.

Buddy Guy with Dave Specter (Buddy Guy's Legends)
It's the end of the January run of shows this week, and Metromix hasn't flagged this one as sold out. If you've never seen him, you're denying yourself both a local and national musical treasure right under your nose. And now without smoke!

1.31   thursday
Chuck Ragan with Ben Nichols, Joshua English (Schubas)   SOLD OUT!
Shows that sell out a small room like Schubas are a good indicator of a band I should know about, although this one is more just off my radar than a fast-moving new act. Ragan does the singer/songwriter thing on his own when he's not fronting a punk band I've also never heard of called Hot Water Music, who have two sold out dates of their own this week.

Todd Rundgren and Band with Lindsay Anderson (Park West)
Looks like Rundgren couldn't get a second consecutive date after the first one sold out, so he's swinging back through town a week later.

Buddy Guy with Wayne Baker Brooks (Buddy Guy's Legends)   SOLD OUT!
It's the last night of the run, and Chicagoans will have to settle for maybe a handful of shows in much bigger venues until this time next year.

2.01   friday
Matchbox Twenty with Alanis Morissette, Mute Math (Sears Centre)
As far as middle-of-the-road, adult alternative shows go, this one is pretty good, and even has up-and-comers Mute Math on the docket for those who don't get lost trying to find the relatively new venue.

Hot Water Music with Lucero, Hifi Hand Grenades (Metro)   SOLD OUT!
So, yeah, this Chuck Ragan guy is leaving no stones unturned and no tickets unsold this week, playing two sold out shows with his band after the Schubas solo turn. I seem to detect a bit of a Warped Tour pedigree, but I'm not entirely sure.

Queensryche with Don Dokken (House of Blues)
In the more than likely event that all those Coheed & Cambria fans haven't figured out that the Seattle hard rock band is their new band's most obvious influence, I'll be really, really curious to see what this crowd looks like.

Nicholas Barron Trio (Morseland)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
A rare chance to see Nicholas with the band on a night other than Sunday up in Rogers Park, just off the Red Line.

Sound Tribe Sector 9 (Congress Theater)
Hippies plus glow sticks = STS9.

Bumpus with Abstract Giants, Akasha (Martyrs')
Among other things, these guys are always good for an inspired cover version or two.

2.02   saturday
G. Love & Special Sauce with Rue Melo (Riviera Theatre)
We caught G. Love from a distance at Lollapalooza last summer, and it's going to be hard to say this without making it sound bad, but it was great background music for being outside in the sun. How it works indoors in the cold and snow might be a different matter, or a nice relaxing escape. It's just really casual, fun music.

Buffalo Tom with Sleep Out, Sounds Under Radio (Double Door)
I think these guys qualified as being a "real" alternative band before that word sort of lost all its meaning, in that they were part of that early wave of guitar rock bands that were either concurrent with, or preceded Nirvana. And Wikipedia says they were the final musical guest on Jon Stewart's old MTV talk show.

Roosevelt Jenkins with Twice Removed, Soul Pollution (Reggie's Rock Club)
The Soma Star kids had good things to say about playing with these guys a few weeks ago, not the least of which was giving them an introduction to some Q101 folks.

Hot Water Music with Able Baker Fox (Metro)   SOLD OUT!
See Friday's listing.

Queensryche with Don Dokken (House of Blues)
See Friday's listing, and watch for full-length acid-washed denim coats and mullets.

2.03   sunday
Nicholas Barron Trio (Long Room)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
With the Metromix listing going away, I had to do some digging to see if the weekly residence was still happening. I found out that, as of last Sunday, it's been happening for eight years.