list.in.to.chicago this week: 09.21.2009

I'm just going to give a blanket "do as I say, not as I do" recommendation on the World Music Festival going on at various venues throughout the week. A lot of those concerts appear to be free, too.

Pick of the week
You don't get two bands I'm psyched about on a single bill very often, so I may have to visit Logan Square Auditorium for the first time to see ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead and Secret Machines on Friday. If you can scrounge up a ticket for the sold-out Porcupine Tree show on Tuesday, you should go. And try to scrounge up another for me.

list.in.to.COZ
I'll be at Vaughan's on Tuesday, and will likely make my way over to The Globe for their Open Mic on Wednesday night as well. The next big full drumkit show on the calendar will be Andrew Fraker & Sons on October 21st at Martyrs'.

Recap
I was maybe a bit focused on resting my sprained ankle this past week, so I didn't make it out to any shows I wasn't playing. The injury didn't prove to be a problem for the Diver show Saturday night, which went reasonably well. Although I told myself I was going to avoid crushes on bartenders, and not actually working at the time of said crush seems like it's a technicality. And now I've said too much.

9.21   monday
Fruit Bats with Iran, Kevin Barker (Schubas)
So, I guess this band used to be from Chicago, and nominally associated with the guys from Red Red Meat/Califone, then moved to Seattle, and then the main guy joined The Shins, but still does this on the side.

The Antlers with Holly Miranda, Ghost in the Graveyard (Subterranean)   BROOKLYN!
We seem to have several bands from Brooklyn every week, so I'm going to give them their own shout-out tag until I either forget or don't think it's funny anymore. I've seen enough written about this particular band for them to stick in my memory, but I haven't listened to them.

9.22   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
I don't know that I have anything particularly witty to say about the Open Jam this week, other than that you should be there.

Porcupine Tree with King's X (The Vic)   SOLD OUT!
I maintain that this English band is probably the best modern progressive rock band out there right now, mostly because they're a lot more focused than Mars Volta. I'm irritated that I dawdled on buying tickets for this one, because they usually play Park West, and I think I'd much rather see them at The Vic.

9.23   wednesday
Ani DiFranco with Gregory Alan Isakov (The Vic)
I'm pretty sure I've said this before, but one of the striking things about DiFranco as a performer is the natural ease of her between-song banter, but seeing as how her early years involved relentless touring at even the tiniest of venues, that's not really surprising. And her songwriting is really good, too.

Phoenix with Chairlift (Aragon Ballroom)
With all the rampant downsizing of shows throughout the summer, it's refreshing to see one moved into a bigger venue. That said, I'm a little skeptical of this sort of "indie dance/electronica" movement that Phoenix are described as being a part of.

Scott Lucas and the Married Men with Tom Schraeder (Beat Kitchen)
Not sure what the standing-up half of Local H is up to, but he's probably got enough fans who will just be curious enough to get a decent crowd at Beat Kitchen on a Wednesday.

9.24   thursday
Sunny Day Real Estate with The Jealous Sound (Metro)   SOLD OUT!
For a certain segment of music fans of a certain age, this particular reunion is kind of a big deal. For others, it's just a vague whiff of familiarity from reading the bio of Foo Fighters.

fun. with Miniature Tigers (Schubas)   SOLD OUT!
This is apparently a new band from a guy who used to be in The Format, but I didn't really think they were big enough to warrant a sold out crowd on a weeknight. Maybe I'm wrong. And as far as I can tell, they have not had any songs featured on TV shows.

Robot Lounge with Flights, Parachute Musical, Oblio (Reggie's Rock Club)
For the time being, I'm amused that I've been targeted as someone whose opinions and listings mean something, so I'll pass along the shows that the folks over at NoVo Arts have sent me. I will make a half-hearted attempt to actually listen to the band eventually.

9.25   friday
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead with Secret Machines, Pool of Frogs (Logan Square Auditorium)
The Austin band has one of my favorite albums of 2009 so far, and while the post-Ben Curtis lineup of Secret Machines was a bit disappointing, they're still pretty potent live. I'm hoping this one doesn't sell out, because as much as I'd like to check it out, I can't be bothered with buying tickets in advance.

Owl City with Kate Havnevik, Unicorn Kid (Metro)
When this band played Schubas a while ago, it was one of those shows that sold out because all the cool kids knew about them, rather than having a song on Grey's Anatomy. This time they're in a bigger venue, but seeing as how there are still available tickets, maybe a little too big. So this winds up being exactly the scenario for that new room Schubas is opening in the old Threepenny space on Lincoln.

Brandi Carlile with Angel Taylor (House of Blues)
I started making those comments about songs on TV shows before I even saw that this show from the Grey's Anatomy/Private Practice vet was on the docket. This is another case where earlier tours have sold out much smaller venues, but they don't seem to have successfully predicted the current level of demand.

Bell X1 with Wild Light (Double Door)
I've been trying to give the Irish band's new record a good listen after a friend put an earlier song on a playlist for me, but I don't think it grabbed me enough the first time for me to go back to it. And this show isn't sold out despite the band's music being used on the aforementioned Grey's Anatomy, which I've mentioned an awful lot this week considering I generally won't be caught dead watching the show.

Chairlift with Micachu and The Shapes (Schubas)   BROOKLYN!
I don't know if the Phoenix show was originally on the same day, which would have made the smaller gig from the Brooklyn electronica band and iPod commercial favorites opening that show make more sense, but it's only two days removed, so it may have been the plan all along.

Son Volt with Sera Cahoone (The Vic)
If you think Wilco has maybe gotten too big or too commercial, this might be the show for you.

9.26   saturday
Built to Spill with Disco Doom (The Vic)
First, this is one of those bands that I feel like I'm supposed to like, but I don't know that we've ever been properly introduced. Second, I feel like they're another band who peaked and then retired, and have now reunited, but that's apparently not the case, and they've been at it pretty consistently since the early 90s.

Rain Kings with The Cellar Dwellars (Abbey Pub)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
This is a fundraiser for a cancer charity called Gilda's Club Chicago in memory of a couple of people who were close to the bands. It's a $50 ticket -- $40 in advance -- that includes beer, wine, soda and appetizers. Plus, it might help me figure out who else I know in Rain Kings apart from drummer Mike Lee.

Oh My God with The Record Low, Brighton, MA (Double Door)
This band seems ubiquitous enough on the local scene that I'm surprised I haven't ever seen them. Or that I don't remember seeing them. This is a CD release party, and in the interest of full disclosure, was also passed on to me by the NoVo Arts folks. Although I might have tagged it anyway.

The Rural Alberta Advantage with The Love Language (Schubas)
These guys opened for someone at one of those free Monday night shows in Millennium Park a couple of months ago, and I think a friend of mine interviewed them for Threadless for some reason.

UleLe! with Gentlemen of NUCO (Martyrs')
I don't think this is nominally part of the World Music Festival, but if you remember this band from when they were more active six or seven years ago, you know that they might as well be.

Pink with The Ting Tings (Allstate Arena, Rosemont)
If you've been reading since two Lollapaloozas ago, you'll know that it's The Ting Tings that pique my interest here, and I have to say, that's a pretty good pairing.

Brandi Carlile with Angel Taylor (House of Blues)
See Friday's listing.

9.27   sunday
Soulsavers with Redghost, Jonneine Zapata (Double Door)
I don't know if this is a new project from Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees, Gutter Twins), or just a new band that he happens to be involved in, but I was impressed enough with that Gutter Twins record to not care too much.

Grizzly Bear with Beach House (Metro)   SOLD OUT!
One of those indie bands all the cool kids have been talking about for the last six months or so. I feel like they're another one of those new indie bands that I don't "get", but I may be confusing them with Animal Collective.

Hemi with Catastrophe, Speedfreak (Ronny's)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
So, it turns out that the bartender -- not the one I was alluding to earlier, for whatever that's worth -- on Wednesday nights at The Globe plays guitar in this hard rock band, and that this is sort of a soft launch of a new lineup.