list.in.to.chicago this week: 10.13.2008

I proofread this even less than usual, so my apologies if I totally stepped in it somewhere.

Pick of the week
With a ticket price over $100, Zappa Plays Zappa -- Friday through Sunday at the brand new Morse Theatre -- isn't going to be for everyone, and I'm not sure there are tickets left, anyway. But it's where I'll be on Friday night. I've seen Alejandro Escovedo a couple of times now, but if you haven't, that's also a good option on Friday at Park West.

list.in.to.COZ
A new entry to the dance card, as I'll be doing spot sub duty with Gareth Woods starting this Thursday at Wilde on Broadway. Should be fun.

Recap
For all any of you know, The Globe was packed last night for my solo set, with people hanging from the rafters shouting words of encouragement and throwing undergarments at the stage area (we're making a quilt, really!). In order to prove otherwise, someone would have had have, you know, been there.

10.13   monday
Office with Big Science, Thin Hymns, Gold (Schubas)
One thing I neglected to mention about this month-long Schubas residency is that the shows are free. I'm not sure if that's always the case, but it certainly is this time around.

The Mountain Goats with Kaki King (Park West)
I wonder how many people going to this show will just assume it's at the Empty Bottle. I know I had to check it twice to make sure.

10.14   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
In prepping for the Globe gig, I came across some songs in the book that were above my guitar-playing ability back when I first tried them, but I've since gotten better, so they might be worth another look.

Nick Lowe with Paul Cebar (Green Mill)   SOLD OUT!
The venerable songwriter in a pretty intimate sold-out show, and this strikes me as one of the only times I've seen a non-jazz show at the Green Mill.

Okkervil River with Crooked Fingers, Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears (Metro)
I don't remember who I saw this band open for a while back, but they nearly put me to sleep. It was nice, in a sort of rustic, Appalachian folk sort of way, but not anything I'd seek out. I put them and Fleet Foxes in a similar category like that, which may or may not be in any way accurate.

Rock Star Club with Hostile (Double Door)
Okay, so band's from URT's past seem to be coming out of the woodwork in the last couple of weeks. I suspect their badass attitude only improves with age.

Ben Kweller with Whitley (Bottom Lounge)
I was sort of non-plussed when I saw him open for Gomez a couple of years ago, but it wasn't bad from a sort of minor-league Wilco vibe.

Jennifer Batten with Leslie Hunt (Martyrs')
She rose through the ranks of shredder guitarists at one point, and actually ended up touring in Michael Jackson's band, but the evolution of shredders can be pretty scattered, so I have no earthly idea what she's up to nowadays.

10.15   wednesday
The Residents (Lakeshore Theater)
Certainly one of the weirder music-as-performance-art acts still at it today, and with three shows from them and three from Dweezil Zappa, this is probably the oddest week of music you'll see in Chicago all year.

Cobra Starship with Forever the Sickest Kids, Sing It Loud (House of Blues)
They probably knew it when they agreed to record the song, but this band will forever be etched in my memory as the band that did the song for Snakes On A Plane.

10.16   thursday
Gareth Woods (Wilde)   SEE COZ LIVE!
Have you ever gone to a Diver show and thought to yourself, "I'd like them better if the singer was Irish instead of English, and played guitar?" Okay, that's an oversimplification, but our good friend Gareth does play some of the same tunes as Diver, which means I don't have to cram quite so much for this gig. Wilde is on Broadway somewhere just south of Belmont, and I've heard it's quite nice.

Nicholas Barron with Justin Taylor (Martyrs')   FRIENDS OF COZ!
With no regular full-band residency at the moment -- as far as I know -- this may be a rare chance to see Nicholas with the full band behind him.

The Residents (Lakeshore Theater)
See Wednesday's listing.

10.17   friday
Zappa Plays Zappa (Morse Theatre)
It was an expensive ticket, but for my money, I get to vote for songs in the setlist, have a chance to win a guitar, and will receive a recording of the show afterwards. Plus, I was duly impressed with Dweezil's understanding of his dad's music when I saw him last year, and the band behind him is pretty smokin'.

Against Me with Future Of The Left, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists (Riviera Theatre)
I think there's an explicit political reason for this tour, but I don't feel like looking for it. Some of that perception is fueled by the new Ted Leo EP, which is even more political than he usually is, from what I've read.

Alejandro Escovedo with The Nicholas Tremulis Orchestra, Satin Peaches (Park West)
I forgot to mention it when I reviewed his show, but in many ways, Paul Weller reminded me somewhat of Escovedo, in that both are excellent songwriters who have been at this rock and roll thing long enough just to ooze a certain confidence and proficiency. That Escovedo is punk-inflected Americana while Weller is grown-up Britpop is almost immaterial.

Annuals with Minus the Bear, Themes (The Vic)
On the one hand, I'm still giving them the benefit of the doubt after a crappy set at Bonnaroo last year, but on the other, I'm not exactly making the time to let them fix my perception of the Georgia indie collective. Incidentally, I think the term "collective" is used whenever band members either play in other bands, or switch instruments.

The Residents (Lakeshore Theater)
See Wednesday's listing.

10.18   saturday
Wire with Disappears (Metro)
If I had the time, I'd look at Jim DeRogatis' takedown of the new Oasis record and his praise of the new Wire record and see if they're functionally the same, except that he likes Wire and doesn't like Oasis. I just have this hunch that he would laud one band for doing something, and criticize another for doing the same. For me, I'm actually more interested in seeing what Margaret Fielder McGinnis from Laika brings to the table for the UK "art-punk" band.

Man Man with Tim Fite (Bottom Lounge)
There is a certain element of popular indie rock bands that I just flat-out don't get, and Man Man pretty much epitomizes it. I read lots of glowing reviews of their Pitchfork set last summer, and I honestly have no idea what any of these people saw in that set. It was barely-coherent noise.

Maxwell (Chicago Theatre)
There was a point when Maxwell was poised to be one of the primary drivers of the neo-soul trend, but then he dropped off my radar. If he's still playing venues as large as this, apparently everyone else's radar is working just tine.

Zappa Plays Zappa (Morse Theatre)
See Friday's listing. I thought these shows were sold out, but I'm not seeing that designation in any of my sources.

10.19   sunday
Jefferson Starship (Heartland Cafe)
Yeah, I was surprised by this one, too. The only name I'd identify with the band that's in this incarnation is Paul Kantner, and the big surprise for me is that Chicago native Cathy Richardson is also onboard, which may explain the Heartland connection.

The Toadies with People In Planes, Year Long Disaster (Metro)
I think I heard from equal numbers of those who were really excited to see this band at Lollapalooza and those who thought they were dreadful. Some of you may recall People In Planes from the opening slot on that Stereophonics show a few weeks ago, and I'm tempted to stop in the Metro store before the show to pick up their CDs, even if they're not quite as good as the live show led me to believe. They're still not bad.

Yngwie Malmsteen with Anj (House of Blues)
Can you imagine what the crowd is going to look like for a Yngwie Malmsteen show in 2008? I'm having trouble. I wonder if he's still got as huge an ego as he did back in the eighties?

Zappa Plays Zappa (Morse Theatre)
See Friday's listing.