list.in.to.chicago this week: 01.11.2010

Gotta love a week where enough people I know are playing to make me look like I'm still plugged into the music scene. Plus, you've got Tomorrow Never Knows going on at Schubas and Lincoln Hall, which makes for a pretty solid week.

Pick of the week
You'll find me at one or both of the Powwows and Regal Standard shows on Thursday (Martyrs' and Double Door, respectively). I'm not sure if individual tickets are still available for the Tomorrow Never Knows shows, but I'm pretty sure you can get a five-day pass that lets you bounce between the two clubs. As for other shows, I'm excited to see The E-Mics back in action tomorrow night at Schubas, and I may try to check out Fareed Haque's Flat Earth Ensemble on Friday night if I'm not too wiped from playing soccer.

list.in.to.COZ
Tuesday night at Vaughan's will be a game-day decision -- a bit more likely if I make it to Schubas beforehand -- but I've got normal office hours at The Globe on Wednesday night for the open mike night there. Then it's the big monthly Diver show at Fado on Saturday, which should be fun for the whole family, provided the whole family likes Guinness.

Recap
I had the best intentions of going to see shows this week, but Thursday's rehearsal ran late and then I ended up at a karaoke bar on Saturday instead of down the street at Double Door. As for the various jam sessions, I was told I sound like Brian, the dog from Family Guy, by a very drunk girl at Vaughan's on Tuesday. Still not sure what to make of that. Larry will be happy to hear that I thought he and Justin tore it up at The Globe on Wednesday night. The vibe -- whimsical, slightly complicated arrangements on acoustic guitar and bass -- reminded me a bit of those Mike Keneally/Bryan Beller tours, which is a really good place to be.

1.11   monday
Patricia Barber Quartet (Green Mill)
Pat McCurdy (Beat Kitchen)
These two Monday night mainstays will probably outlast this newsletter by a wide margin. If you've got some sort of "Chicago music bucket list" of regular acts you need to see before you drift off to sea in a bucket -- that's what that means, right? -- make sure they're on it.

1.12   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
I've sort of overscheduled my evenings this week, so I might take this week off, but you should still go visit Tony, Anto, Monica and the regular crew.

Nicholas Barron with The E-Mics (Schubas)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
I'm going to assume this is Nicholas with his new-ish trio of Rich Stitzel on drums and and Paul Mutzabaugh on keys, although if I'm wrong, I'm sure whoever he's got is capable. I'm not entirely sure who is playing with Wes in The E-Mics this time around aside from guitarist Chris Siebold, but already, you can see that there are a lot of local music heavyweights on this bill across the two bands.

1.13   wednesday
Sing Along With Coz (The Globe Pub)   COZ SINGS!
This thing is starting to find its stride, as last week featured quality performances from the unfortunately-named Zitts (aka Larry from Regal Standard and his good friend Justin on bass) and from Lauretta Tagli of the Powwows. Not only do Larry and Lauretta have essentially the same name, they're both playing with their respective bands on Thursday of this week. Freaky.

The Cribs with Adam Green, The Dead Trees (Lincoln Hall)
I wasn't terribly impressed with these guys when they played Lollapalooza back in 2007, but they've since added Johnny Marr from The Smiths (and, more recently, Modest Mouse) to the lineup, so maybe that will help. This is part of the Tomorrow Never Knows festival.

1.14   thursday
The Powwows with Tallest Trees, Lake Signs (Martyrs')   FRIENDS OF COZ!
I've only seen Lauretta -- with Tony from Diver on guitar -- in a three-piece acoustic setting where I was pressed into service as the sound guy at the last minute, so it'll be nice to hear the songs with (presumably) a full band behind her. And, as I think I've mentioned before, Friend of Coz Steve Gillis produced the band's CD.

Regal Standard with Knockhopper, The Moves, Welcome to Ashley, Halfwaynorth (Double Door)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
I would make fun of Larry for getting visibly worried about what I'm going to say about him and his band, but I've written about him often enough that I'm probably one of the top search results for Regal Standard on Google. So it's not entirely trivial. The songs consistently have big pop hooks that are just quirky enough to take you by surprise, which is how I like my pop hooks. It looks like they're on first, so I might be able to start the night here and then head up to Martyrs'.

Voxtrot with Solid Gold, Maps and Atlases, Gemini Club (Lincoln Hall)
I have one song in my MP3 collection from this Austin-based indie rock band, and it's not bad. Being an Austin-based indie rock band, I'm probably required by law to compare them to Spoon. Voxtrot is a bit more raw and jangly, which makes them really sound nothing like Spoon, but I painted myself into that corner, didn't I?

Buddy Guy with Nick Moss and the Flip Tops (Buddy Guy's Legends)
As of press time, this looks like the only show this week of the residency that's not sold out.

1.15   friday
Parachute with Safety Suit (Subterranean)   SOLD OUT!
According to Wikipedia, this band shared a stage in Times Square with the likes of the Jonas Brothers and Taylor Swift on New Year's Eve back in 2008, on account of their being featured in commercials for Nivea, who sponsored said stage. They've since toured with lots of big pop acts, including Kelly Clarkson. All of which makes this an odd venue, but with Schubas and Lincoln Hall tied up for Tomorrow Never Knows, maybe not.

The Rosen Association with Alan Park, My Cold Dead Hand, Curio (Bottom Lounge)
Radio Free Chicago is talking up this new band as "dark wave inspired pop." Which I take to mean that it's sorta heavy on synths and reverb-drenched female vocals, maybe somewhere in the ballpark of School of Seven Bells. I get the sense they're still getting the hang of home recording, as all the instruments don't seem to really be inhabiting the same sonic space.

Fareed Haque's Flat Earth Ensemble (Green Mill)
I think the jam-band proclivities of Garaj Mahal have affected my enthusiasm for the guitarist's other projects, but I really should get over that, because he's really good and also scratches that itch for unexpected musical turns I was talking about earlier.

Buddy Guy with John Primer (Buddy Guy's Legends)   SOLD OUT!
See Thursday's listing, but the weekend shows are sold out.

1.16   saturday
DIVER (Fado Irish Pub)   SEE COZ LIVE!
Fado is the pretty much the only place to see the full-band version of Diver these days, roughly once a month. We're always working to get into more places, but that work goes slowly.

The Rural Alberta Advantage with Bowerbirds, Julie Doiron (Lincoln Hall)
I know at least one Canadian friend who dug these guys when they played in Millenium Park over the summer, but I'm assuming you don't have to directly relate to their name to enjoy the music. Also part of Tomorrow Never Knows.

Fareed Haque's Flat Earth Ensemble (Green Mill)
See Friday's listing.

Buddy Guy with Carl Weathersby (Buddy Guy's Legends)   SOLD OUT!
See Friday's listing.

1.17   sunday
Nick Jonas and the Association (Rosemont Theatre, Rosemont)   SOLD OUT!
You may be wondering why I'm listing one of the Jonas Brothers, but no less an authority than Questlove of The Roots gave the thumbs-up -- literally, seeing as how I saw it on his Twitter feed -- to the band this particular brother assembled for his solo effort, and I trust Questlove implicitly.

Buddy Guy with Lurie Bell (Buddy Guy's Legends)   SOLD OUT!
See Friday's listing.