list.in.to.chicago this week: 08.11.2008

Testing, testing...is this thing on?

Pick of the week
Nothing really jumping out at me this week other than the Raven Festival in Chase Park on Saturday and Sunday, in sort of a maximum value for your entertainment dollar sort of way.

list.in.to.COZ
Have lunch with Diver on Wednesday just west of the Loop, but east of the river. Next show is September 6th at Fado.

Recap
I'm a bit conflicted about the King Crimson show on Wednesday. On the one hand, it's King Crimson, and as a drummer, Gavin Harrison is a beast. The drum duet to open the encore was especially brilliant. But I couldn't help but thinking that this was the 80s quartet with two drummers "replacing" Bill Bruford, and that it would have been so much better with Bruford on board. In fact, I think this may be the first time Tony Levin has been in the band without him. As it was, they almost exclusively played material that Levin has recorded or played already on tour. And I don't get why Fripp continually refuses to play songs like "21st Century Schizoid Man," but will trot out "Red" and "Larks Tongues in Aspic" on every tour. It seems a little inconsistent to me.

The acoustic EXO show on Sunday was great, and I think I'm getting more comfortable with the arrangement of "Unsteady" that they rolled out at this time last year. I love the sort of VH-1 Storytellers vibe that this hopefully annual gig takes on. And an acoustic Absentstar worked a little bit better than the electric version for me, in that at least one of my usual gripes was minimized.

8.11   monday
Ryan Powers with Matt Hoffer, Larry Schroeder (Double Door)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
I ran into Ryan at Elbo Room a couple of weeks ago, which is neither here nor there. Well, technically, it's "there." But "here" he's playing with Holding Mercury's Matt Hoffer and Regal Standard's Larry Schroeder in what looks like a sort of Monday night singer/songwriter showcase.

Amos Lee (Park West)   SOLD OUT!
I seem to have had a disproportionate number of people ask me if I'm going to this show, but alas, I am not. I haven't heard enough of the South Jersey-based jazz and soul singer to actually differentiate between him and Ben Lee, who I, in turn, can't tell apart from Ben Kweller, to the point where part of me thinks I saw Amos Lee open for Gomez, when that was, in fact, Ben Kweller. My mind is a scary, scary place sometimes. Most of the time.

8.12   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
If I don't pass out from sheer exhaustion -- I've been way overscheduled for the last ten or eleven days -- I may get all topical and shit and try to learn Chris Cornell's version of "Billie Jean" as a sort of homage to the mess John Edwards has gotten himself into.

Joe Purdy with Meiko, Jay Nash, Chris Seefried (Schubas)   SOLD OUT!
A sold out show on a Tuesday at Schubas, so there must be some rumblings about this guy somewhere. That "somewhere" would seem to be on television, as Purdy's songs have been used on Lost, Grey's Anatomy and House, M.D.

Phantom Planet with Paramore, Jack's Mannequin, Paper Route (Congress Theater)
I predict lots and lots of silly haircuts over in Logan Square, as this is a pretty emo-packed all-ages bill. No word if Phantom Planet has been, um, hanging 'round for days since guesting with Mark Ronson at Lollapalooza on Ronson's version of "Just" from Radiohead.

8.13   wednesday
Diver (225 West Washington)   SEE COZ LIVE!
We're doing another one of those downtown lunchtime gigs, this time at Washington and Franklin, and I think this one is indoors.

Fairmont with Keith Caputo, Ricky Warwick (Double Door)
My friend's brother plays in Fairmont, but the bigger story may be Caputo, who is rumored to be the new singer for Velvet Revolver now that Stone Temple Pilots is back. And in Indiana this week, but I'm still hesitant to add "The Venue" to the regular rotation.

Ted Nugent with Alex Winston (House of Blues)
Any wild game in the River North area should be on high alert.

8.14   thursday
Edward Wilkerson and 8 Bold Souls (Velvet Lounge)
If you don't think you're going to make it to the Jazz Festival to see the local standouts in a couple of weeks, here's an opportunity in a much more intimate venue. I'm assuming it's more intimate, anyway, having never been there, but compared to the Petrillo Music Shell, I think that's a safe bet.

Butterfly Assassins with Jukebox the Ghost, Sunday Runners (Schubas)
An opening set from one of the bands that has more recently gotten on my radar with a somewhat incongruous mashup of Muse and The Decemberists.

8.15   friday
Tokio Hotel (House of Blues)
I have to say, I'm a little bit afraid of the idea of a German emo/glam rock brand.

Ultra Sonic Edukators with The Ivorys, The Darts, Philosophy Club (Reggie's Rock Club)
Another of the "new crop" of local bands that I've actually seen in the last year, although they lost some of the luster the second time I saw them. Still, there's that hint of an Oasis sensibility about them that I enjoyed, even if the guitar parts are somewhat redundant.

8.16   saturday
The Raven Festival (Chase Park)
It's a new street festival up near Lawrence & Ashland with an impressive lineup of non-cover bands that includes Chin Up Chin Up, Tapes N' Tapes and White Rabbits on Saturday.

Steely Dan with Deep Blue Organ Trio (Chicago Theatre)
Weren't they just here, and didn't those shows sell out? This might have been an added date on a return leg after those earlier shows sold out, and it seems like there's a bit less demand for this one.

Patrice Pike (Fitzgerald's, Berwyn)
With Hoffer playing on Monday, this makes two shows from Rock Star: Supernova alumni this week. Could Storm Large be far behind? We can only hope.

8.17   sunday
The Raven Festival (Chase Park)
Sunday's lineup includes The M's, Bound Stems, Paper Airplane Pilots, Detholz! and Gooey.