list.in.to.chicago this week: 11.09.2009

So, anyway, I just noticed that this past Saturday was the 32nd anniversary of my first drum lesson. I think. To honor the occasion, I swear I'm actually going to try to practice my drums at some point this week.

Pick of the week
Lots of choices this week. As someone who came of age in the 80s, DEVO (Thursday and Friday at the Vic) has a certain appeal. I may want to see what all the buzz on Dirty Projectors (Friday at Bottom Lounge) is about in a live context. The Walkmen and White Rabbits (Thursday at Lincoln Hall) looks like a pretty solid indie rock bill, and Ray LaMontagne (Thursday at the Auditorium Theatre) will probably be a good show to pick up chicks. Just sayin'.

list.in.to.COZ
Nothing other than Vaughan's and maybe The Globe this week, Tuesday and Wednesday, and contingent on the Globe's open mike actually existing, which may or may not be contingent on my hosting it..

Recap
I had a good head of steam on live shows for a couple of weeks there, but then it seems to have dissipated. As ever, if you send me pithy comments about shows you see during the week, I'll try to work them in.

11.09   monday
Skinny Puppy with Vverevvolf Grehv (House of Blues)
Industrial bands have proved to have a particular longevity that sometimes surprises me. I remember one of my roommates at Berklee College of Music -- I did a summer program there -- was way into this band all the way back in 1989.

11.10   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
Okay, so it's Sips' birthday (observed), and I think the remaining two-thirds of Free Winona might make an appearance. I also need to exorcise this new Porcupine Tree song that's been lodged in my head for days now. So it's worth a visit, no?

Digable Planets with Butterfly and Doodlebug, Psalm One, Abstract Giants, Boomjuice (Abbey Pub)
The Abbey seems to have very quietly built itself a bit of a reputation for hip-hop, and this may represent a bit of a booking coup for the Northwest Side Irish Pub, as I feel like the reputation alone of Digable Planets might have gotten them into House of Blues. Or maybe they're being more realistic about their draw.

Art Brut with Surfer Blood, Frigates (Lincoln Hall)
The arch, British art-school rockers played a week's worth of sold-out shows at Schubas earlier this year, so an early turn at the new venue is no surprise whatsoever.

11.11   wednesday
The Walkmen with White Rabbits (Schubas)   SOLD OUT!
This looks like it may be another situation like Mike Doughty from a couple weeks back, where the Schubas show sold out, so they added a show -- or in this case, two shows -- at Lincoln Hall. With The Walkmen still well-regarded in indie-rock circles, and White Rabbits breaking into that aesthetic just recently, I'm not surprised at the demand.

11.12   thursday
DEVO (The Vic)
I think the iconic 80s new wave Ohioans are taking a break from soundtracks and children's music to play Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are DEVO and Freedom of Choice in their entirety, but I only gleaned that from a blog headline somewhere, so I might be wrong.

The Pow-Wows (Uncommon Ground on Devon)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Don't know if this is another mostly acoustic show from Lauretta Tagli and her band, because I know they were trying to get a new bass player into the fold. I just don't know if that's happened yet.

Meat Puppets with King Sparrow, Black Wine (Schubas)
The adulation poured on them by the late Kurt Cobain for the unplugged Nirvana record gave the band a permanent spot in the grunge pantheon, but they never really seemed to stack up against other bands that had a similar influence like Mudhoney or the Pixies. Or it could be that I have a bad taste in my mouth from the project Curt Kirkwood did a bunch of years ago with Krist Novaselic, which was just plain awful.

Peter Bjorn and John with El Perro Del Mar, Yourself and the Air (Metro)
I'm pretty sure their second record provided a bit of a different direction than their big summer hit "Young Folks" would have led you to believe, but while I think some critics liked the change-up, that may have doomed the band to one-hit wonder status.

The 1900s with Brighton MA (The Hideout)
A couple of years ago, it seemed like The Walkmen and the 1900s were everywhere, forging a sort of Chicago-Brooklyn axis of indie rock, so it's a bit weird that they're both playing the same week.

Ray LaMontagne with Lissie (Auditorium Theatre)
I'm a little surprised that this show from the soulful crooner isn't sold out, but it's been over a year since his last record came out, so maybe that has something to do with it.

The Walkmen with White Rabbits (Lincoln Hall)
See Wednesday's listing.

11.13   friday
Dirty Projectors with Tune-Yards (Bottom Lounge)
Lots of people talking about this band this year, but I'm not totally sold on them. I hear a lot of mashed-up texture with a healthy dose of ork-pop, but it doesn't really grab me the way, say, St. Vincent does.

Wolfmother with Heartless Bastards, thenewno2 (Riviera Theatre)
My knock on Wolfmother after catching a bit of their Lollapalooza show a few years back is that they tacked too ironic in their treatment of Black Sabbath-era hard rock. It's a subjective line in the sand, I know, but I don't think you can play that particular brand of rock and be ironic at the same time, unless you go way over the top like The Darkness. Just having silly facial hair, ill-fitting ringer t-shirts and tight jeans doesn't give the music the respect it deserves for me.

Todd Snider with Great American Taxi (Park West)
Every time he comes through town, I comment on how I should make an effort to check out more than his "Talkin' 'Bout the Seattle Grunge-Rock Blues" hidden track from his major-label debut, but let's be honest, that's way down on my list of things to do now. Plus, it's still pretty funny.

DEVO (The Vic)
Or maybe it's one whole album on Thursday and one on Friday. I'm not sure.

The Walkmen with TV Torso, The Dig (Lincoln Hall)
See Wednesday's listing.

The Meat Puppets with Dynasty Electric, Winston Audio (Schubas)
See Thursday's listing.

11.14   saturday
The Fab Faux (The Vic)
So, now I'm guessing that Rick Pagano, the guy I saw at Martyrs' a couple of weeks ago, must have been in town for some advance promotion for this gig, because that's the only thing that squares with his between-song banter when he couldn't remember the name of WGN. The Beatles cover band will be playing all of The White Album, which means Tony and Andrew may try to beat them to the punch at Vaughan's on Tuesday.

Mucca Pazza with Bird Names, Killer Whales (Lincoln Hall)
And, in the never-ending stream of comments about how this is a new venue that's bigger than Schubas, it will also afford much more room for Chicago's indie-rock marching band.

The Meat Puppets with Dexateens, Dynasty Electric (Schubas)
See Thursday's listing.

11.15   sunday
Dengue Fever (Old Town School Folk Music)
The same former co-worker who was all about Vampire Weekend before anyone had heard of them was also all about this band, but their particular brand of world music comes from farther corners of the world than the more familiar Afro-Cuban influences, which makes them a bit more of a challenging listen. Makes the venue very appropriate, though.