list.in.to.chicago this week: 02.16.2009

I haven't been in the office since last Tuesday. Tomorrow is going to totally suck.

Pick of the week
The Local Anesthetic showcase on Saturday featuring my friend Dave's band Helicopters along with Smoking Popes and frequent listee The Dials looks like a good choice this week.

list.in.to.COZ
You got your Vaughan's Open Jam on Tuesday, and then Andrew Fraker & Sons play Double Door for the first time ever on Friday night. If I manage to get to Guitar Center, this performance will have the proverbial "more cowbell." Seriously, there's one song that actually needs cowbell, and not even ironically.

Recap
There was an outside chance to go see Los Campesinos! and Titus Andronicus in Columbus, OH on Wednesday, but I opted for more soccer-centric celebration of the US win over Mexico. And then White Castle, which was probably a bad idea. On the gig front, I hadn't been to Underground Lounge in quite some time, and the acoustic Fraker & Son show was pretty well-received. We debuted the new tune we've been working on for Double Door, and what was a bass and drums breakdown became a percussion solo. Works for me.

Saturday night at Fado with Diver went fine as an acoustic three-piece. I was genuinely worried about whether or not I'd be able to play djembe for that long, but I was alright. And people seemed more fascinated than usual by my djembe-plus-shaker simulation of what a regular drumkit would sound like.

2.16   monday
Brighton, MA with Rego, Grammar (Schubas)
Is it a cop-out that I have a tendency to grab on to the Schubas Monday night residency and flog it all month because there's never a lot going on Monday nights? Do I care? Hey, it's free. Think of this as an economically conscious listing.

2.17   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
I think Valentine's Day was too far away from a Tuesday for me to be advocating either love songs or anti-love songs. If anyone is still inclined, fire away. Lord knows, I've got a lot of the latter in the book.

Kodo (Symphony Center)
I'm a sucker for Japanese taiko drumming, and this ensemble is considered one of the best in the business.

Farewell Captain with The Melismatics, The Handcuffs, Sick Sarah (Double Door)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
It dawns on me that this band may be named after that sea captain's hat that Frantisak is often seen wearing on stage. I actually saw Chris sit in with The Assembly a few weeks back for their set-closing cover of "Beds are Burning," but I don't think that exactly resets the counter for having seen him play live.

2.18   wednesday
8 Bold Souls (Velvet Lounge)
As I understand it, Ed Wilkerson and 8 Bold Souls remain one of the more adventurous jazz units in the city, and have been for a long time, but I still haven't even seen them.

2.19   thursday
Company of Thieves with Thriving Ivory, Barcelona (Double Door)
DeRogatis had a fairly gushing piece about this local band done good a couple of weeks ago. Apparently, some bands can still get signed as a result of South by Southwest showcases, so good for them, although I'm not totally sold that a mid-bill slot at Double Door on a Thursday equals "stardom." A step in the right direction, sure.

Mucca Pazza (Schubas)
Okay, I just want to see how they're gonna fit all those people on that stage.

2.20   friday
Andrew Fraker & Sons with Sunfallen, The Chris Buehrle Band, The Micah Walk Band   SEE COZ LIVE!
We had a great turnout at Schubas last month, but Double Door holds at least three times as many people, so tell your friends. I'm going to keep pointing to Ryan Adams and Bruce Springsteen as influences until I come up with better ones, and once again, it's a chance to see Tony play pedal steel guitar. Without a cowboy hat, though, which seems kinda wrong.

Warren Haynes (Old Town School of Folk Music)
The Lincoln Square home of many, many guitar classes also has a theater, and they seem to be putting it to very good use over the next couple of months, this time featuring the Gov't Mule/Allman Brothers guitarist.

Jon Langford's Skull Orchard with Kaspar Hauser, The Judy Green (Beat Kitchen)
I'm starting to lose track of how many different bands Langford -- known primarily for the Mekons and the Waco Brothers -- has going at any one time. I'm a little surprised at the venue, but Beat Kitchen seems to be working itself back into the scene in ways I can't quite articulate.

Thievery Corporation (Riviera Theatre)
Another slight casualty of the economy, as the world beat electronica outfit was moved from around the corner at the Aragon.

2.21   saturday
Helicopters with Smoking Popes, The Dials (Cubby Bear)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
I suspect Helicopters will have a better soundman experience than they did a few weeks back at Reggie's. Josh Caterer and his re-formed Smoking Popes headline this XRT Local Anesthetic showcase.

Steve Frisbie and Liam Davis (Charleston)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
The Bucktown venue hosts the two principal songwriters from Frisbie.

Deal's Gone Bad with The Dyes, The Pinstripes (Beat Kitchen)
At some point, this ska-punk band has to be in the running for one of the longest-tenured rock bands in Chicago.

3 Doors Down with Seether, Hoobastank (The Venue, Hammond, IN)
I sort of owe it to my friend Dave -- who manages The Venue -- to try to take the casino's new live room seriously as a "Chicago" venue, but with bills like this, it's tough. Hoobastank? In 2009?

2.22   sunday
Andy's Jam Session (Andy's Jazz Club)
Jazz Jam with Isaiah Spencer (Velvet Lounge)
There was a time when I was all about these Sunday night jazz jam sessions, as I was trying to work on my jazz chops. At this point, I don't think anyone is going to call me for jazz gigs, so I leave it alone.