list.in.to.chicago this week: 04.05.2010

Totally misspelled Britt Daniel's name last week. That wasn't the worst of his problems with Thursday night's show, apparently.

Pick of the week
Unless everyone has wised up to the fact that Sunday's show isn't sold out, I gotta go with the second of two nights with Atoms For Peace at the Aragon. And if you can find tickets, Baaba Maal on Friday night at the Old Town School of Folk Music.

list.in.to.COZ
No Vaughan's this week, but I'll still be at The Globe on Wednesday, and then Diver will be at Fado on Saturday.

Recap
I actually thought Spoon sounded decent enough in the house, but Britt Daniel's constant complaining about the sound on stage had a lot of people ascribing those qualities to what they were hearing. His vocals came through fine, and that seemed to be one of his big issues. The slap-back echo on the drums got a little bit weary over time, and "The Underdog," which is arguably their biggest song, kind of fell flat. But on balance, it was good. Deerhunter struck me as a less psychedelic My Morning Jacket, and the tunes didn't have much for me to sink my teeth into.

And the show out in the 'burbs on Friday wasn't that bad. Rated well on dollars paid per audience member, but not on dollars paid per audience member per mile traveled.

4.05   monday
Camera Obscura with Princeton (Lincoln Hall)
This one seemed to sneak under the radar with a lot more recent flavors of the month coming through recently. The Glaswegans band is supporting last year's My Maudlin Career, which I feel like I saw on some top ten lists. Not mine, because I never got around to actually writing it.

Miike Snow with Delorean (Metro)   SOLD OUT!
Second of the two night stand in Wrigleyville.

4.06   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
I will just be getting home from Boston around the time the festivities kick off, so you guys will have to soldier on without me.

Julian Casablancas with Funeral Party (The Vic)
The Strokes frontman stepped out on his own with a solo record last year, but I haven't heard it yet.

4.07   wednesday
Sing Along With Coz (The Globe Pub)   COZ SINGS!
I promised one of the regular participants that I would play something from Iron Maiden on acoustic guitar, so that should be fun. And then Blake requested a reprise of "Working Man" from last week.

Titus Andronicus with The Saps, Bully in the Hallway (Bottom Lounge)
I wasn't a big fan of the New Jersey band's last record, but I'm intrigued that they made a record that's ostensibly about the Civil War, called The Monitor.

Motion City Soundtrack with Fun, A Rocket To The Moon, Sing It Loud (House of Blues)
This band was a boatload of energy at Lollapalooza two or three years ago, but haven't impressed me on record, where they sound like pretty generic pop-punk.

4.08   thursday
The xx with Nosaj Thing, jj (Lincoln Hall)   SOLD OUT!
There was a lot of buzz about this London band towards the end of last year, and I remember thinking their debut was pretty good, although not quite top ten material, were I ever to write my top ten. Apparently, that's bugging me this week. Two shows, with two different opening acts, but if you didn't get a ticket, they're allegedly playing Lollapalooza.

Art Garden with Marbin, Andi Crist (Abbey Pub)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
This band features my downstairs neighbor on bass. I feel like I know all their songs already. Also, Marbin is a jazz duo that sent me a CD a while back, which I still haven't listened to.

4.09   friday
Baaba Maal featuring Daande Lenol (Old Town School of Folk Music)   SOLD OUT!
Probably the second-biggest Senegalese musician after Youssou N'Dour, although he's about six years his senior. I'm kicking myself for not getting tickets for this one sooner, as West African pop music is just wonderfully energetic stuff.

Sonny Rollins (Symphony Center)
One of the last giants of the bebop era. I'm pretty sure I saw him once at the Jazz Festival, although that's really not an excuse. We're not likely to get too many more chances to see someone of his stature in the jazz realm.

HIM with We Are The Fallen, Dommin, Drive A (House of Blues)
This is one of those artists that I know more through angst-ridden teens wearing t-shirts than actual music, but seeing as how I'm not an angst-ridden teen, I'm probably not in the target market. I suspect something along the goth-industrial continuum, given the iconography.

Edwin McCain Band with Jeffery David Goldford (Cubby Bear Wrigleyville)
You may know McCain from his single "I'll Be" and his ill-advised decision to tour with Sarah Palin. No, wait, wrong McCain. Also, I think I invoked Jeff Goldford a few weeks ago when I played that gig with Patrick Hasbrook.

4.10   saturday
DIVER (Fado Irish Pub)   SEE COZ LIVE!
If you happen to be heading out to see the home opener for the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park, this might make for a good afterparty. Tony and I may be particularly well-dressed, as we're playing a wedding earlier in the afternoon.

Atoms For Peace with Flying Lotus (Aragon Ballroom)   SOLD OUT!
This is essentially Thom Yorke's "Eraser" band, with Flea, Nigel Godrich, Joey Waronker and somebody else playing mostly songs from that record, which is also where the band gets its name.

Chick Corea and Gary Burton (Wentz Concert Hall, Naperville)
I don't list shows this far away from Chicago that often, but the likes of jazz pianist Corea and vibraphonist Burton don't come through all that often. And it may not be long before I start talking about how these jazz giants won't be around too much longer, either.

Galactic with Cyril Neville and Corey Henry, T Bird and the Breaks (The Vic)
The New Orleans outfit has a particular reverence for the music of their hometown, which makes me think I might like them more than other bands that loom as large as they do on the jam band circuit.

Soul Asylum with Mathien (Cubby Bear Wrigleyville)
No idea how much of the original band is still intact at this point, or if their manager is the same guy who, for our annual outdoor concert down at the University of Chicago, was overheard saying "I need something, where's Chris?" I totally owned that show -- which also featured fellow Minnesotans Trip Shakespeare -- from start to finish, and it's still one of my favorite memories.

John Mayer with Michael Franti and Spearhead (United Center)
Just on principle, I think Mayer should open every show with "My Stupid Mouth." Feel free to add your own snarky comments.

4.11   sunday
Atoms For Peace with Flying Lotus (Aragon Ballroom)
Second show for Yorke and company, and I'm surprised it isn't sold out. At least it's not listed as such on Metromix, and I saw ads on Facebook over the weekend.

K'Naan with Wale, John Forte, Tabi Bonney (Metro)
I don't know much about this emerging world music artist, except that he's of Somali descent, and got some crazy buzz going when he first came onto the scene.