list.in.to.chicago this week: 03.08.2010

Yeah, late again this week, but I included what happened last night because I had already written it. If you have a friend ask you to help move "a few things, just a couple of boxes," get it in writing. Also, ow.

Pick of the week
I'm looking forward to Muse and Silversun Pickups on Friday (United Center). That Pelican show later that same night (Beat Kitchen) looks good, too. On Saturday, you almost can't go wrong with choices that include Flogging Molly (Aragon), Ted Leo (Bottom Lounge) and Ray Davies (The Riv).

list.in.to.COZ
Plus, Saturday night has Diver at Fado playing for all those amateur drinkers that come out around St. Paddy's Day. It's an entertaining show for any number of reasons. Plus, I'll be at Vaughan's on Tuesday and The Globe on Wednesday.

Recap
Wednesday night was my first Tributosaurus show in a while, and it didn't disappoint. I was a little worried that, as the second "volume" of XTC, they'd go maybe too deep into the catalog, but I knew probably more than half of the songs they played before I had to leave. And I loved Dan Leali busting out the Roto-Toms for that authentic 80s sound.

3.08   monday
The Magnetic Fields with Laura Barrett (Harris Theater)
Hopefully, any of you interested in seeing this band would have noted them last week for the first night of the two-night stand, and figured out if you wanted to see them tonight instead on your own.

The Rikters with The Saps (Cubby Bear Wrigleyville)
I've been writing about this band -- and subsequently not seeing them -- on and off for a while, but what's notable here is that it looks like entrenched local bands playing Cubby Bear on a Monday. That seems significant. Also, no cover, and they're doing a "local band showcase" on Tuesdays. I don't know how long this all has been going on, but I've noticed these guys bending more towards local original music for a while now.

3.09   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
Things have gotten a bit more collaborative lately, which has been pretty cool. We'll see if that continues this week.

Califone (Lincoln Hall)
It seems Tim Rutilli has made a film, called "All My Friends Are Funeral Singers," and his band Califone will be providing a live soundtrack this evening. Appropriately, it's at Lincoln Hall, which used to be a movie theater.

3.10   wednesday
Sing Along With Coz (The Globe Pub)   COZ SINGS!
After a few slow weeks, it was a pretty solid turnout both from musicians and audience members. I'm relying on you to keep up that trend.

Via Audio with Pattern is Movement, Blane Fonda (Schubas)
The Boston indie band got a boost early on from Chris Walla from Death Cab For Cutie, and now have just released a record this week that was produced by Jim Eno from Spoon. So they're pretty tapped into the current indie rock "royalty," if you will.

Surfer Blood with Turbo Fruits, Million Young (Schubas)   SOLD OUT!
Sold out shows at Schubas, in particular, from bands I've never heard of usually indicate a new band with a really, really strong buzz. With a whopping 8.2 rating from Pitchfork for their debut album and a couple of shoutouts from RollingStone.com, this band from West Palm Beach seems firmly in that category.

Califone with Roommate (Lincoln Hall)
This is a proper rock show from the band, after the film accompaniment on Tuesday.

3.11   thursday
Liquid Soul with Balkano, 7th Kind, Black Bear Combo (Bottom Lounge)
The folks at Bottom Lounge have been around for a while, so I'm kind of curious to see if they've found other similar bands to book with the acid jazz stalwarts, or if it's just a handful of stylistically dissimilar acts, which unfortunately happens a lot around here.

We Were Promised Jetpacks with The Lonely Forest, Bear Hands (Lincoln Hall)
I saw Bear Hands last year as part of that Tomorrow Never Knows festival, and really liked them at the time, so that gives some incentive to discover something about the other bands on this bill.

Tigercity with Gemini Club, The Silent Years, Wave Machines (Schubas)
It looks like I've listed this band a couple of times over the last two or three years in support of bands like Oxford Collapse and the aforementioned Via Audio.

3.12   friday
Muse with Silversun Pickups (United Center)
I'm counting down the minutes before Jim DeRogatis blasts the operatic English arena rockers, because they're exactly the type of band he revels in hating. Yes, they're bombastic and over-the-top, but if they do it well, I don't see the problem. They're also advertising this show on TV, so I think that, despite being ginormous in the UK, they haven't quite bridged the gap between their last headlining appearance at the Aragon and the larger United Center.

Jeff Tweedy (The Vic)
The Wilco frontman is playing a pair of solo shows to benefit Chicago Youth Scholarships. As a consumer, the downside of benefit shows like this is that they're pricey. The upside is that, being pricey, tickets tend not to move quite as fast, and I don't think either show is sold out.

Pelican with Pinebender, Follows (Beat Kitchen)
As good as last year's What We All Come To Need record was, I have a hard time believing that this mostly instrumental hard rock band is playing somewhere this small. This would make for an excellent nightcap after the Muse show.

Hockey with The Constellations (Lincoln Hall)   SOLD OUT!
It seems like there's a pattern of behavior among retro new wave bands from the U.S. where they go and get big in the U.K. and Europe before catching on here. With appearances at Glastonbury and on Jools Holland's TV show, that seems to be the case for this band from Portland, Oregon. Also, hockey is just big in Chicago right now.

3.13   saturday
DIVER (Fado Irish Pub)   SEE COZ LIVE!
I think this is the fourth or fifth year running that we've played either on St. Patrick's Day or on parade day in Chicago. Something about dying the river green just screams "Diver," I guess. It'll be a madhouse, so if you like madhouses, we'd love to see you.

Flogging Molly with The Architects, Frank Turner (Aragon Ballroom)
It's also the time of year for the Irish/punk ensemble to capitalize on their heritage and do a short tour that always includes Chicago. Last year, it was a sold out show at House of Blues, so this year they've gone bigger.

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists with Title Tracks, Chicago Stone Lightning Band (Bottom Lounge)
I think the short version of describing Ted Leo is that he's an angrier, noisier Nick Lowe, or maybe Elvis Costello, because there's an element of that sort of songwriting there, but with some serious punk energy.

Ray Davies with The 88 (Riviera Theatre)
The former Kinks frontman seems to have embraced his late-blooming solo career with what I think is his second solo tour in a couple of years.

Trainwreck with Ghost Shirt (Martyrs')
This band features Kyle Gass, the non-Jack Black half of Tenacious D, and they always play Martyrs' when they come through town.

Mike Melvoin Trio (Club BluJazz)
This is the grand opening a brand-new jazz club in Bucktown, on North Avenue just east of Ashland. It looks they're going for a Green Mill vibe, with a separate "late night" set most nights of the week. If the name sounds familiar, Mike Melvoin is the father of Wendy Melvoin (of Wendy & Lisa fame) and the late Jonathan Melvoin.

Jeff Tweedy (The Vic)
See Friday's listing.

3.14   sunday
Super Stolie and the Rockstars (Beat Kitchen)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
This is a St. Patrick's Day family show from Chicago's hardest working open mic host. Although with a noon start, there's a good chance Stolie won't be able to make her soccer game, so if we play them this week, her absence might help counteract what will undoubtedly be a massively hungover squad, which happens to be called FC Hangover.