list.in.to.chicago this week: 06.22.2009

I missed way too many shows last week for my liking, so in order to keep this thing at least mildly relevant, I encourage (beg?) you to add comments to the web edition of the newsletter if you think there's something worth checking out that I didn't list.

check out list.in.to.chicago (and leave comments!) on the web at notabbott.com/litc

Pick of the week
Friday is pretty retro-tastic with everything from Chicago and Earth, Wind and Fire at the Allstate Arena, to ABC, Wang Chung, Berlin and Cutting Crew down the street at the Rosemont Theatre.

list.in.to.COZ
As ever, there's Vaughan's on Tuesday, but the full four-piece version of Diver is back in action on Saturday at Fado, kicking off a busy summer for your humble correspondent. Full schedule is, as ever, on the website.

Recap
Didn't make it out to anything last week, but hopefully someone took my advice and headed over to the Eric Clapton/Steve Winwood show and caught special guest Buddy Guy.

6.22   monday
The Sea and Cake with Dirty Projectors (Pritzker Pavilion)
If Metromix is to be believed, Archer Prewitt's venerable band is nominally the headliner for this early evening free show, but there's been a heck of a buzz developing about Dirty Projectors. With the weather looking good -- as far as I can tell from l.i.t.c. remote HQ in Williamsburg, VA, anyway -- you may want to head over right after work to get a seat or a good spot on the lawn.

The Greenwoods with Jeff Freling's Rock Squad, James Mitchell (Martyrs')
For those of you who remember The Slugs, this band is comprised of the former frontman of that band, Dag Juhlin, his brother (presumably), and one other guy. Their MySpace page tout influences of "Each other, Miller High Life [and] The Dude."

Fairmont with Wells-Next-the-Sea (Ronny's)
I'm pretty sure this is my friend's brother's band from New Jersey, but I keep not going to these shows when said friend tells me about them, so I think he's stopped telling me about them.

6.23   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
So, last week I dedicated a song from A Flock Of Seagulls to the Moussavi protesters in Tehran. It seemed like the thing to do. Also, Anto either returned or made a guest appearance, depending on whether or not he is able to tear himself away from the kid again this week. What will happen this week? Stop by and find out.

Eddie Kowalcyk (Schubas)   SOLD OUT!
Given the nearly unbearable earnestness of his band Live, I'm having a tough time reconciling the frontman of the group that brought us "I Alone," "Lightning Crashes" and then a bunch of records that no one remembers calling himself "Eddie."

6.24   wednesday
Hey Champ (LaSalle Power Company)
I've written about the band often enough, but now I've seen this venue -- at 500 North LaSalle -- listed a couple of times, and I'm curious what it's about.

6.25   thursday
Steve Earle with Joe Pug (Park West)
Moved from The Vic, and I have to wonder about the logistics of touring at the same time as your son, and if modern bluesman Steve and Justin Townes Earle -- who was just here a few weeks ago -- share a hotel room or something. Moved from The Vic. Earle the elder is touring to support an album of songs from the artist -- Townes Van Zandt -- from which his son got his middle name.

6.26   friday
Lupe Fiasco with Lady Sovereign (Chicago Theatre)
This was originally supposed to be in Grant Park, but was moved indoors. Fiasco was a Chicago rap up-and-comer a couple of years ago, and I'm figuring he's realized at least some of that potential right now. That hometown notoriety should give some good exposure for the London rapper opening the show, as she might not have the same audience being white, female and British in the hip-hop world.

Jay Reatard with TV Smith, Lover! (Bottom Lounge)
I still haven't really checked the prolific garage punk singer/songwriter out, but I know there's been a fair amount of buzz about him, in part because he's prolific to an extent that keeps him front-of-mind for a lot of people.

Dave Brubeck Quartet (Symphony Center)
I'm not sure who is playing with the venerable pianist these days -- it very likely may be his three sons -- but if you like his style of classic jazz, it probably doesn't matter.

Chicago with Earth, Wind and Fire (Allstate Arena)
You've got to figure that every high school trombone player is going to be at this one, right? As far as horn section bands go, you can't do much better.

ABC with Berlin, Wang Chung, Cutting Crew (Rosemont Theatre)
Some serious 80s retro out near O'Hare. Once again, I'm curious to see what sort of audience comes out for these bands in 2009.

Van der Graaf Generator with The Strawbs (Abbey Pub)
This was one of the lesser-known prog rock bands of the late 70s and early 80s, and those type of bands tend to have loyal niche audiences here in Chicago, even if those audiences are getting a bit older and perhaps a bit larger-waisted.

Cafe Tacuba (Chicago Theatre)
One of the bigger Rock en Espanol acts going, or at least they were last I heard. I think they were the ones that played to a drum machine, though, so I never really got into them.

6.27   saturday
Diver (Fado)   SEE COZ LIVE!
I'm pretty sure this is our first full-band gig since St. Patrick's Day, and we'll be debuting with a new bass player in the ever-expanding bass bullpen. Her name is Sue and you should stop by to say hi to her. And us.

King's X with Orange Sky, Tom Fuller Band (Double Door)
These guys never quite fit into the major-label system, so it shouldn't be surprising that they've been able to maintain their career as a sort of thinking person's hard rock band for this long mostly away from that machine.

Sonic Youth with Entrance (The Vic)
I'm not a big fan of the whole lineage of rock music that descended from the Velvet Underground, so as a result, I've never had anything more than begrudging respect for Sonic Youth. I know they're important to the canon, but I still can't get into them.

Shellac with Bear Claw, Three Second Kiss (Bottom Lounge)
Local producer and noted cranky iconoclast Steve Albini has been coming out of seclusion with some regularity for a couple of years now with one of his most notable bands.

Counting Crows with Augustana (Grant Park)
Taste of Chicago is underway, along with free shows from mainstream rock acts who border on nostalgia.

The Rikters with The Yearbooks, Aktar Aktar (Beat Kitchen)
Still on my radar based on some of their influences, but I still haven't been able to check them out live.

6.28   sunday
The Wallflowers with Lovehammers (Grant Park)
I'm pretty sure you could swap The Wallflowers with Counting Crows on Saturday, and no one would know the difference.

Sonic Youth with White / Light (The Vic)   SOLD OUT!
See Saturday's listing.

Shellac with Bear Claw, Three Second Kiss (Bottom Lounge)
Same as Saturday, but it's an all ages show that starts at noon.