list.in.to.chicago this week: 07.13.2009

Longtime l.i.t.c. reader D.S. pointed out that Jon Langford is not a former Mekon, as I described him last week, and that the band has Chicago shows coming up soon. The point being that Langford bands never quite go away.

And hey! Two chances to see Diver this week!

Pick of the week
Well, the Pitchfork Music Festival is the obvious choice, and I'm sure there's an aftermarket for tickets out there. If nothing else, it should provide a lot of pictures for this website. I'm actually a bit excited about Mulgrew Miller and his trio at the Jazz Showcase from Wednesday through Sunday, and there's a teenaged metal fan part of me that can't help but be intrigued by Judas Priest and Whitesnake at Charter One Pavilion on Sunday night.

list.in.to.COZ
Diver is at Cullen's on Friday and Fado on Saturday, and you'll especially want to flee the north side on Saturday with Rascal Flatts playing at Wrigley. Also, Tuesday at Vaughan's!

Recap
I ended up going to see The Powwows on Thursday night, and I must say that, from about two and a half songs in until someone who actually worked there showed up to run the mixing board, I thought they sounded fantastic. Seriously, the songs were good, and Lauretta made a valiant effort to embarrass as many audience members as possible with between-song banter. It's a gift. If I did anything else musical, other than Vaughan's on Tuesday, I have no recollection of it.

7.13   monday
Green Day with The Bravery (United Center)
After a massive amount of marketing and promotion for the new record, it seems like these guys haven't really sustained much of a presence. Which isn't a total surprise, because 21st Century Breakdown doesn't come close to American Idiot, and those sorts of efforts to will an undeserving record to platinum status tend not to work.

Patricia Barber Quartet (Green Mill)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Jazz vocalist/pianist Barber called guitarist Chris Siebold the "next great Chicago guitarist" in the Trib last week when she talked about the new players sitting in this month on her Monday night gig, but I've known Chris for long enough that I feel like he's already established himself. Although maybe not in more traditional jazz environments, but even that's a bit of a stretch for me.

7.14   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
Okay, in honor of the MLB All-Star Game, let's shoot for songs with the word "star" in them. I think I can come up with two on short notice, and might stretch the theme to include "Generals and Majors...League Baseball," just because I learned that XTC tune over the weekend.

Vital Information with Kick The Cat (Martyrs')   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Siebold is having a big week here, and that's even before we get to him and Wes opening for Adrian Belew next week. Here, Kick The Cat serves as omnipresent opening act for national touring fusion bands at Martyrs', with this bill featuring drumming heavyweight and one-time member of Journey, Steve Smith, whose band has taken a heavy turn towards early American jazz in recent years.

Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band with AA Bondy, Deep Sea Diver (Metro)
Not to be confused with his other band, Bright Eyes, or with Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing.

7.15   wednesday
Mulgrew Miller Trio (Jazz Showcase)
I've been a fan of pianist Miller since he played with drummer Tony Williams some twenty years ago, and seeing him pop up inspired me to listen to The Story Of Neptune as I write this. I haven't heard him on his own, though.

Anna Fermin's Trigger Gospel with Dao Strom (Schubas)
There was a stretch where it seemed like Fermin was playing Davenport's down in Wicker Park on a regular basis, but even that seemed like it was a while ago, so this feels like a return of sorts to her old stomping grounds.

7.16   thursday
Billy Joel and Elton John (Wrigley Field)
It's a little curious that these two are playing one show at Wrigley, then waiting five days to play a second one, with another band playing in between. From a production standpoint, that seems like a pain in the ass. Maybe they just want to give Billy Joel some time to crash a car in a different part of the country.

The Side Project with Rational Anthem (Ronny's)
I give points to Rational Anthem for their name, and The Side Project isn't terrible, although maybe a little too obvious, like calling your band "Free Beer" or "No Cover." It would be much funnier if I knew that it was the only band any of the members was in, I guess.

Mulgrew Miller Trio (Jazz Showcase)
See Wednesday's listing.

7.17   friday
Diver (Cullen's)   SEE COZ LIVE!
I think we played Cullen's the week of the Wrigley concerts when The Police were in town, too, although that one was actually the night of the second concert. I know this because Anto went, and I think we had to start without him. This one's the acoustic, trio version.

Pitchfork Music Festival (Union Park)
Last I saw, this was the only day of the festival that still had tickets available, but even that may be old news by now, so get to Craigslist if you want to see Built To Spill, Yo La Tengo, Tortoise and the reunited Jesus Lizard.

Beyonce (United Center)
Def Leppard with Poison, Cheap Trick (First Midwest Bank Ampitheatre, Tinley Park)
Steve Miller Band (Ravinia, Highland Park)
Call it a hunch, but with the exception of someone maybe wanting to see Cheap Trick, I suspect there isn't anyone in Chicagoland who had to think really hard about whether to go to one of these three shows, or go to Pitchfork.

Mulgrew Miller Trio (Jazz Showcase)
See Wednesday's listing.

7.18   saturday
Diver (Fado)   SEE COZ LIVE!
This one's electric, once again with Sue Zindle continuing her run as the latest bass player in our arsenal. I don't think my hands could handle two acoustic shows back-to-back. I wonder sometimes about those percussionists in Santana, because they played the heck out of their congas for two or three hours night after night. Or at least they did, back when Santana toured regularly.

Pitchfork Music Festival (Union Park)   SOLD OUT!
Between picking up a couple of Diver gigs and procrastinating about buying tickets until they sold out, I can't really complain about missing Pitchfork, but of all three days, this one is the probably one I would have liked to have checked out the most. Mostly on the strength of Yeasayer and The National, but even then, I've seen Yeasayer and at least heard The National across one end of Grant Park at Lollapalooza, so it's not a huge loss.

Dave Matthews Band with Umphrey's McGee (Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI)
Okay, maybe a little bit of overlap between this one and Pitchfork for some people, but not much.

Cymbals Eat Guitars with Sybris, Unicycle Loves You, Midstates and The Choir Of Ghosts (Bottom Lounge)
After opening Pitchfork at 1pm, I figure these guys are going to need a nap before they headline down the street.

Rascal Flatts with Vince Gill, Darius Rucker (Wrigley Field)
I can't tell if Len Kasper and Bob Brenley speak so enthusiastically about this show on Cubs broadcasts because it's good for their bosses, or because they're just that utterly milquetoast that they really, really like bland, Nashville pop. Probably a bit of both.

Mulgrew Miller Trio (Jazz Showcase)
See Wednesday's listing.

7.19   sunday
Pitchfork Music Festival (Union Park)   SOLD OUT!
The Flaming Lips "relented" and let ticket buyers vote for some of their songs in this set after Jim DeRogatis built it up into some sort of scandal, so I hope that their audience selections feature none of the songs he wanted to hear, just because it wasn't really scandalous in the first place. Other than that, Mew stands out as the one band I'd want to see most on the final day of the festival.

Judas Priest with Whitesnake (Charter One Pavilion)
Yet another show where I'd like to just pick a spot on the museum campus and people-watch. I think Judas Priest is back to mostly original members now that everyone's come to terms with Rob Halford's sexual orientation, in that no one wanted to see Priest with Ripper Owens. As for Whitesnake, it's just David Coverdale and a bunch of guys who don't go back further than 2002, including former Winger guitarist Reb Beach.

Frightened Rabbit with Headlights (Bottom Lounge)
Once again, early Pitchfork set means late Bottom Lounge set. And not to be confused with White Rabbits, who were here a couple of weeks ago. And think there's a third indie-rock rabbit band, but I can't remember the name right now. They're just multiplying like...never mind.

Dave Matthews Band with Umphrey's McGee (Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI)
See Saturday's listing.

Mulgrew Miller Trio (Jazz Showcase)
See Wednesday's listing.