list.in.to.chicago this week: 07.19.2010

Did everyone have fun at Pitchfork? Unfortunately, I think that thunderstorm came through too early on Sunday to give all those hipsters the shower I'm sure they so desperately needed by that point.

Pick of the week
Even though I'm not blown away by their latest, We Are Scientists (Wednesday at Bottom Lounge) put on a pretty entertaining, kinetic show. They manage to grab that retro, new-wave vibe without making it sound too much like they're just imitating it.

list.in.to.COZ
Tony and I will be doing the acoustic thing on Saturday night at Celtic Crossing. I will begrudgingly host my open mic on Wednesday at The Globe instead of going to Bottom Lounge, and should be at Vaughan's on Tuesday.

Recap
I was 0-for-2 on the shows I actually planned to go see. Sorry, Matt. Maybe it was karma, then, that flung a drunken bachelorette into my drum kit at Fado on Saturday night. We also learned that, if you wave some money at me, I will relent and agree to play "Brown-Eyed Girl." Everyone has their price. I reserve the right to increase that price depending on the situation.

7.19   monday
Robbie Fulks with Nora O'Connor (Hideout)
The local alt-country mainstay is mainly staying at The Hideout on Monday nights, as I think his residency is for the balance of 2010.

7.20   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
I took it upon myself to learn "Percussion Gun" from White Rabbits last week, although I didn't take it upon myself to learn it in a key where I could actually sing it. That's normal for the first time through a song, so we'll see if I have time to address it this week.

Goo Goo Dolls with Switchfoot, The Spill Canvas (Charter One Pavilion)
There are certain "adult alternative" artists primarily from the nineties that I've come to appreciate a bit more having played in cover bands with Tony, because he tends to nail that era's material to the wall. This is one of those bands.

7.21   wednesday
Sing Along With Coz (The Globe Pub)   COZ SINGS!
We got a good crowd as the result of some new band bounce from a four-piece act that debuted last week, and I think that maybe things are picking up again now that the World Cup isn't sucking all the oxygen out of the room.

We Are Scientists with Lightspeed Champion, Rewards (Bottom Lounge)
I'm a little annoyed that the Brooklyn band wrote a song for England's World Cup team, so maybe that's coloring my perception of their new record. The first single is as catchy as most of their stuff, but I feel like it falls down after that. Then again, that was my opinion of their first record, too.

7.22   thursday
Natalie Merchant (Chicago Theatre)
Two weekends ago, 10,000 Maniacs played the Roscoe Village Burger Fest. This week, their former singer is headlining the Chicago Theatre. I think maybe leaving the band was the right choice. The tour is in support of her first new album in seven years.

John Moulder Quartet (Andy's Jazz Club)
Okay, so my rehearsal last Thursday got canceled, which meant I didn't have time to kill in River North right after business hours. Maybe I'll try to catch the local guitarist's after-work set this week.

Tapes 'n Tapes with Unicycle Loves You (Lincoln Hall)
There was a fair bit of buzz about this Minneapolis band back when they played Pitchfork three or four years ago, but it seems to have subsided. I, for one, wasn't convinced in the first place. I remember them being gratuitously noisy.

7.23   friday
Hall & Oates (Chicago Theatre)
I had an ex-girlfriend whose musical bona fides were pretty unassailable explain to me that this duo was (and is) a lot more than an 80s guilty pleasure. Not only is Daryl Hall a serious devotee of "blue-eyed soul," he also worked with Robert Fripp of King Crimson on a couple of projects in the late 70s. And was a guest star on Flight of the Conchords. As for John Oates? Well, his mustache is probably back in style with the Pitchfork hipsters I mentioned earlier. That's something.

The Faint with Zola Jesus, Codebreaker (Metro)
This is one of those bands I recognize by name, but don't know why. It could be I'm confusing them with The Fall, because my first guess was that they were from the U.K. Actually, they're from Omaha, and briefly included Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes as a member. And they've had a lot of songs featured on TV shows aimed at young adults (Gossip Girl, The O.C., etc.).

7.24   saturday
(Half of) DIVER (Celtic Crossing)   SEE COZ LIVE!
Once again, it's the Italian half of the band playing an evening of acoustic songs at the cozy Irish bar up on Clark between Superior and Chicago. We go on around 10pm. We'll see if they spell Tony's last name right on the sign outside this time.

The Heartless Bastards with The Builders and the Butchers, Peter Wolf Crier (Bottom Lounge)
I know I saw The Mountain on quite a few critics' "best of" lists at the end of last year, and I'm pretty sure I gave the record a listen. I just don't remember what I thought of it. Wikipedia says they often get compared to fellow Ohioans The Black Keys.

The Right Now (Navy Pier)
A late afternoon set from a local R&B band who has gotten a bit of national love from USA Today just recently, and made their record with Steve Gillis and Vijay Tellis-Nayak over at Transient Sound.

7.25   sunday
Netherfriends with Futurebirds, Cains and Abels (Empty Bottle)
One of the upsides of Pitchfork is that it gives me a whole bunch of bands I can list and just cite the fact that they played the festival, conveniently avoiding the fact I have no earthly idea what they sound like. So if you want to see a 2010 Pitchfork band, and don't care at all what they sound like, this is the show for you.

Soul Asylum (Taste of Lincoln Avenue)
The Minneapolis band has only released three records since "Runaway Train" made them famous back in 1992 and got Dave Pirner a date or two with Winona Rider. Incidentally, 1992 was when they told us kids at the U. of C. that they were the second-best lawn-bowling band in Minnesota behind Trip Shakespeare, with whom they were sharing a bill on campus that day.

Steve Frisbie (Simon's Tavern)   FRIEND OF COZ!
I'm not sure if Steve is playing songs from his namesake band -- who may be formally retired -- or covers, or both. Still, it should be a nice set for a Sunday night.