list.in.to.chicago this week: 12.14.2009

I don't care what anyone says, you're not a three-decker sauerkraut and toadstool sandwich with arsenic sauce, and I'd say something about a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole, but it would probably get me in trouble.

Pick of the week
Wednesday night's show with Metric at Cubby Bear is probably the best thing to come out of Q101's Twisted Christmas, but unfortunately, I can't go.

list.in.to.COZ
All sorts of options this week, with regular office hours at the Vaughan's Open Jam on Tuesday and the Open Mike at The Globe on Wednesday, and then Diver plays Fado this Saturday night.

Recap
I did manage to drop in on that Chicago Blues and Bluegrass Festival on Saturday just long enough to catch Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, and I'm glad I did. The band was playing mostly Christmas music, which, for them, involved an arrangement of "The 12 Days of Christmas" where each day was in a different key and a different time signature, and a version of "Jingle Bells" where they were accompanied by Tuvan throat singers from Siberia. And Victor Wooten's bass solo revolved around "We Three Kings" and one other traditional Christmas carol, which made it a bit easier to relate to once he started creating all of his stacked loops and whatnot. Very nice.

12.14   monday
Andrew Bird (Fourth Presbyterian Church)
Local singer/songwriter/whistler/multi-instrumentalist Bird has lined up four nights at this Church in the Gold Coast, which is obviously a bit of a non-traditional venue, but I suspect Bird's music does better in more of a recital-style format than a noisy concert hall.

12.15   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
I'm going to be en route to Virginia next Tuesday, so this week marks your last two chances to see me play "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" at an open mike. Private performances can be arranged, for the right price.

The Bravery with Manchester Orchestra, As Tall As Lions (House of Blues)
This is part of the multi-night Q101 Twisted Christmas, which I'm pretty sure is all at House of Blues. After that promising start with "An Honest Mistake," I still think this band has mostly lost the plot, with their latest record tacking way too hard into 80s retro new wave.

Andrew Bird (Fourth Presbyterian Church)
See Monday's listing.

12.16   wednesday
Sing Along With Coz III (The Globe Pub)   COZ SINGS!
So, last week the weather kinda sucked hard on Wednesday night, which resulted in my giving what amounted to a semi-private concert to an ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend. More people would help avoid any future potential awkwardness. We also had a performance from a guy who had never played before an audience before, and that almost didn't change. Just sayin'. Besides, you're phoning it in at work from now until Christmas anyway, so you can stay out late on a school night.

Metric (Cubby Bear Wrigleyville)
I don't think I've seen a national act play a weeknight at the Cubby Bear in quite some time, which makes me suspect a third-party promoter. This Canadian indie rock band is probably going to make my top ten for the year, and I'm a little bummed that I won't be able to check it out. I was kind of hoping this show was on Friday, based on that fact they normally only have bands like this on weekends.

30 Seconds To Mars with The Used, After Midnight Project (House of Blues)   SOLD OUT!
Also known as that band with actor Jared Leto in it, and also part of the Q101 Twisted Christmas series.

Andrew Bird (Fourth Presbyterian Church)
See Monday's listing.

12.17   thursday
Rise Against with Street Sweeper Social Club, AM Taxi (House of Blues)   SOLD OUT!
The headliners don't do much for me, but Street Sweeper Social Club is the new Rage Against The Machine-related project that toured with Nine Inch Nails and Jane's Addiction over the summer.

Hey Champ with French Horn, Rebellion, A&R (Lincoln Hall)
I know these retro new wavers were supposed to be the next big thing coming out of Chicago, but while I had heard they had gotten signed by a major label, I haven't heard a word on if and when the record is actually coming out. Maybe it's been released already and I missed it.

Our Lady Peace with Model Stranger, Bullet Called Life (Cubby Bear Wrigleyville)
Okay, now I know something odd is afoot, because this is two Canadian bands at Cubby Bear two nights in a row, on nights that normally don't have bands like this. Apparently they're both Q101 Twisted Christmas afterparties, but that doesn't explain why they're both featuring bands from the Great White North, unless it's some sort of ode to winter.

Andrew Bird (Fourth Presbyterian Church)
See Monday's listing.

12.18   friday
Motion City Soundtrack with Ultimate Fakebook (Lincoln Hall)
I liked this pop-punk band when I saw them live at Lollapalooza, but thought their recorded output was a bit too by-the-numbers.

Rise Against with The Bollweevils, Noise By Numbers (House of Blues)   SOLD OUT!
See Thursday's listing, at least as far as the headliner goes. Apparently, Q101 couldn't quite squeeze all the acts they wanted into the format of a different bill every night. This way of doing it still probably works better than having one big show at Allstate, or even two nights at the Aragon, at least in the absence of a bigger headliner.

TheMDR with The Glide, Makeshift Prodigy, Professor Kliq (Bottom Lounge)
This is possibly still the latest project from uber-drummer Matt Walker, although with all the pies he has fingers in, it can be hard to keep track. The other people I knew in the band weren't on board when I saw them last year, and I had vague but nice things to say about Makeshift Prodigy when I saw them last January at Reggie's.

12.19   saturday
DIVER (Fado Irish Pub)   SEE COZ LIVE!
Can you think of a better way to spread holiday cheer than live music at an Irish pub? Well, after a couple of pints of Guinness, you probably can't. Festive hats are encouraged, although the band reserves the right to borrow them and wear them onstage. I should try to get everyone to dress up as elves or something as payback for my being the only one who dressed up for Halloween.

Kill Hannah with Hey Champ, 1997 (Metro)
I think this is a holiday show from good folks at Metro themselves, with ever-present suburban angst merchants Kill Hannah headlining, and Hey Champ on their second show of the week.

Motion City Soundtrack with Ultimate Fakebook (Lincoln Hall)
See Friday's listing.

12.20   sunday
Motion City Soundtrack with Ultimate Fakebook (Lincoln Hall)
See Friday's listing, although I'm not sure about three shows from these guys, even if they're all for different age groups.