list.in.to.chicago this week: 06.30.2008

I wasn't going to pay another ten bucks for Internet access at LaGuardia yesterday, so I figured skipping Monday would be an acceptable alternative. Looks like a light week with the holiday.

Pick of the week
You've got Gomez and Alejandro Escovedo (and the Old 97s) for free at Taste of Chicago on Friday, and hopefully the fact that they're not household names makes it easier to get a good spot.

list.in.to.COZ
Just Vaughan's tonight. The next Diver show is at lunchtime on July 16th just south of the Sears Tower.

Recap
Well, if you thought New York City was so awash with local and touring musical talent that you could just pick one Lower East Side venue on a Wednesday night and hear some good stuff, you'd be wrong. Or at least we picked wrong, and I don't know if there's a venue in all of Chicago as small as the Cake Box.

Friday night, though, was better, with a free show out on South Street Seaport. Black Acid had a bit of Iggy and the Stooges, a bit of Queens of the Stone Age, and a LOT of reverb. King Khan and the Shrines was a hipster soul revue with an Indian frontman and a cheerleader/dancer onstage throughout, and while that sounds like it could be a disaster, they were really fun. And everything I read about A Place To Bury Strangers led me to believe they'd be somewhere in the vicinity of My Bloody Valentine, and that was the case. I heard at least two people in the audience remark that the outdoor setting meant the band wasn't nearly loud enough.

7.01   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
Someone in my rehearsal space was learning "Can't Change Me" from Chris Cornell and left the chord changes behind, so I may take a stab at it tonight on acoustic. Great song.

Alkaline Trio (Lakeshore Theater)   SOLD OUT!
This seems to be doing alright as an occasional music venue right in the heart -- okay, on the eastern edge -- of Lakeview. These guys were early on the pop-punk train, having been around in some form or another since 1996. I still get them confused with Aluminum Group, though.

Joss Stone with Ryan Shaw (Petrillo Music Shell)
The pint-sized Brit with the big voice might actually be old enough to drink in the States now.

7.02   wednesday
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with Steve Winwood (United Center)
I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Petty, as he's got a bunch of songs that I really like, and has a solid band behind him, but "Free Falling" makes me mostly want to poke my eye out with a stick. Winwood has a new record out this year that I've been meaning to check out.

Tributosaurus with Shamus (Martyrs')   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Just one set, as The Allman Brothers, with an opening act. Not sure what precipitated the slight change in format, but it may be that they're recreating the set Thursday night at the American Music Festival out at Fitzgerald's in Berwyn. I might have to go just to request "Whipping Post," in the hopes that they might play Frank Zappa's "Montana" instead, but you have to own a particular live Zappa album for that to make a lick of sense.

7.03   thursday
Locke 'n' Load with Gutterstar, Yes! Yes! Take Off Your Dress, Blue Rage (Elbo Room)
I'm assuming the lead guy in the band is named Locke. On the off chance I ever start a band called "Coz and the Effects," I just want to point out that there's precedent for that sort of thing. Maybe I should bill any solo gigs that I get as "Just Coz"? And I've got to figure that these kinds of listing piss off bands Googling themselves more than bad reviews, since I'm not actually saying anything about them.

7.04   friday
Gomez with the Old 97s, Alejandro Escovedo (Petrillo Music Shell)
Seems like an odd choice for the annual XRT show, mostly because I haven't known any of these acts to play any venues bigger than about 1,000 seats, and Gomez hasn't released anything in two years.

A3 (Cubby Bear)
Formerly known as the Alabama 3, and still best known for the theme to The Sopranos. Not the kind of band I'd normally expect at the Cubby Bear, which is an encouraging sign for the venue. For me, anyway.

Garaj Mahal (Green Mill)
I'm still operating under the assumption that they're a little too jam-band-y for me, but Fareed Haque, Eric Levy and Kai Eckhardt are all still too good to pass up.

7.05   saturday
Lake View Music Fest (Sheffield and Addison)
We may be finally emerging from the dark period when all the street festivals booked the same cover bands every week, and I say that as a member of a cover band that would love some of those now much scarcer gigs. This one has That 1 Guy, who I keep hearing about, along with Mickey Hart (formerly of the Grateful Dead) and Daryl Stuermer (touring guitarist for Genesis). I'm going to guess Stuermer is touring with Hart, because he's not exactly the kind of household name that might bring people out Saturday afternoon.

Chin Up Chin Up with The Smith Westerns, Mt. St. Helens (Hideout)
Granted, the Hideout has a strong indie rock constituency, but it seems to be predominantly of a different flavor than what I've heard from Chin Up Chin Up. Is it splitting too many hairs to differentiate between Hideout bands and Empty Bottle bands?

Memphis Khan with Opal Wood, Angel Olsen (South Union Arts)
If this is predicated on the same concept as King Khan and the Shrines (see the recap), it could be a lot of fun.

7.06   sunday
Lake View Music Fest (Sheffield and Addison)
Liquid Soul headlines the second day of this one.

Barcelona with This World Fair, The Ghostrunner Assembly (Beat Kitchen)
Okay, I want this band to tour with I'm From Barcelona and a band that's actually from Barcelona. It would be like "Who's On First?" but with bands. Which has actually already been done as a straight comedy bit, with The Who, The Guess Who and Yes.