list.in.to.chicago this week: 10.04.2010

Sorry for the lateness this week. I miss those days when I used to take more time writing this beast. Then again, I'm pretty sure I started all this after I lost a job back in 2002. So maybe not.

Oh, and happy Rocktober!

Pick of the week
Thursday is especially strong this week, with Macy Gray (Park West) and Stars (The Vic) leading the charge. Chick Corea (Friday at Symphony Center) also makes that short list. I was never a big Teenage Fanclub fan, but I recognize their place in the musical universe enough to call out their two shows at Lincoln Hall on Tuesday and Wednesday.

list.in.to.COZ
No Vaughan's for me this week, but I'll be at The Globe on Wednesday, and then Tony, Andrew and I are playing an acoustic gig that will look a bit like a Diver set and a bit like the covers we throw in during Andrew Fraker & Sons gigs. That's Friday night at Fado.

Recap
If I want to quibble about the Allan Holdsworth show at Martyrs' on Sunday, it would be that the guitar could have been louder. But on balance, it was great seeing one of my favorite fusion guitarists of all time, and I sometimes forget how much I like Chad Wackerman on drums. Not to mention the sound of his drums themselves. The music is nominally electric jazz, but Holdsworth's style is so otherworldly that it seems to exist outside of time in such a way that it doesn't sound dated.

10.04   monday
Thrones with Christian Mistress, Bible of the Devil (Empty Bottle)
The perfunctory after-the-fact listing. Waiting to the last minute does mean I can crib from the Empty Bottle's Twitter feed, where they write "tonight's show is free, but if you don't bring your ear plugs the price may be your hearing tomorrow." So, I'm guessing metal.

10.05   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
So, last week saw the debut of what was originally conceived as a solo version of "Little Lion Man" from Mumford and Sons, at least until half the bar joined in on the chorus. Cool. This week will have to do without me, as I'm out of town on business again.

Teenage Fanclub with Radar Brothers (Lincoln Hall)
I was going to say the Scottish band made a big splash in the U.S. with 1991's Bandwagonesque, but peaking at number 137 on the U.S. album charts -- while nothing to sneeze at -- is more of just a regular splash. Their new record is out on the Merge label here in North America, which may not have quite the cachet of being on Creation back in the nineties, but it's not too shabby.

Ra Ra Riot with Chikita Violenta, We Barbarians (Metro)
This Syracuse band has the advantage of a memorable name, plus, whenever I look them up, they benefit from the association with Chris Walla from Death Cab For Cutie, who produced everything on their latest record except the song produced by one of the guys from Vampire Weekend.

10.06   wednesday
Sing Along With Coz (The Globe Pub)   COZ SINGS!
Both of the people who showed up to play last week left a bit of themselves on stage. No, really, one of them left a guitar cord and one left a tuner. Hopefully my flight gets back from Boston on time, otherwise things could get interesting.

Naked Raygun with The Effigies, The Subverts, Steve Bjorklund, Silver Abuse, Toothpaste, Rottenfinko and the Convicts (Double Door)
I actually saw Naked Raygun last year, which I think was also part of Riot Fest, but this time they have guitarist Santiago Durango to fill out most of the seminal Chicago punk band's original 1980-83 lineup.

X Japan with Vampires Everywhere! (Riviera Theatre)
Most people I talked to who saw this exceptionally theatrical Japanese metal band at Lollapalooza either loved it or were very, very confused. Prior to that, they had never played in the U.S., and they've followed that up with a proper tour.

King Khan and the Shrines (Bottom Lounge)
This is sort of what you get if you cross James Brown with Chicago's own Mucca Pazza, as fronted by an Indian guy. If that sounds incongruous, then I've described it well.

Tributosaurus (Martyrs')   FRIENDS OF COZ!
This month, two sets as They Might Be Giants.

Teenage Fanclub with Radar Brothers (Lincoln Hall)
See Tuesday's listing.

10.07   thursday
Macy Gray (Park West)
The soul singer has had some rough patches since coming on the scene, but at the core, she's produced some remarkably good R&B that should translate really well in a venue as small as Park West.

Stars with Wild Nothing (The Vic)
A friend of mine was giving me a hard time for saying this band reminded me of a more retro New Pornographers, but that was mostly because the male singer's voice just reminded me enough of Dan Bejar to establish the connection, and because I was trying to avoid the really, really obvious comparison to Metric. While Metric tends to have bigger hooks, I think there's a bit more substance to Stars.

Jimmy Eat World with We Were Promised Jetpacks (Riviera Theatre)
They've got a new record, but I've got the same story about how, at the tail end of an overnight train Ulsan to Seoul during the 2002 World Cup, they were playing what had to be some program explaining the lyrics to "The Middle" in Korean. Which will undoubtedly be the last song of the set. Some bands in this position like getting the one big song they're known for out of the way early, but I don't suspect this is one of them.

Guster (Cubby Bear Wrigleyville)
I'm pretty sure I said this last time, but these guys seem to have done a pretty solid job carving out their niche. They may not be huge, but the people I know who like them really like them a lot. Still hasn't gotten me to give the music another listen, but credit where it's due.

The B-52s (House of Blues)
My suspicion is that this band's technicolor pop hasn't aged well, but my other suspicion is that they don't care. If you like the music, this is probably as small a venue as you'll get to see them in.

10.08   friday
A Band That Still Needs A Name (Fado)   SEE COZ LIVE!
They're billing it as Diver, but it's really going to be a reprise of the acoustic trio from this past Saturday night. Since it's nominally Tony and myself plus Andrew, maybe "Sons & Fraker?"

Chick Corea Trio (Symphony Center)
I wish I could think about concert tickets six months in advance, because the jazz bookings at the Symphony Center are consistently fantastic. The legendary piano player is joined by Christian McBride on bass and Brian Blade on drums.

Bad Religion with The Lawrence Arms, Circle Jerks, Bouncing Souls, Off With Their Heads, X is For Eyes (Bad Religion)
If I were more into punk rock, this is probably the other show on the Riot Fest docket that might pique my interest.

Suzanne Vega (Old Town School of Folk Music)
I will take this opportunity to insist that you go find the video of Suzanne Vega and The Roots playing "Tom's Diner" in rehearsal for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. You can thank me later.

Michael Franti and Spearhead with Tamarama (Riviera Theatre)
There was always a big reggae influence on Franti's hip-hop, and from what I've heard of his new record, the scales have tipped pretty strongly in that direction.

Film School with The Depreciation Guild, Twin Shadow (Schubas)
I remember this band getting mentioned a lot when the 1900s and the Walkmen were starting to make some noise, but the San Francisco indie rock band hasn't quite moved the ball up the field as much as their Brooklyn counterparts.

10.09   saturday
Nick Lowe and his band with Geraint Watkins (Old Town School of Folk Music)
I only just acquired Lowe's classic album Jesus of Cool about a year or so, and was struck by how it didn't really sound dated at all. Good songs, good production, and yet another good "get" for the Lincoln Square school.

Jamie Lidell with Zeus (Bottom Lounge)
The English soul singer and sound manipulator was here a couple of weeks ago for a semi-private gig at Lincoln Hall, and now he's back already.

This Must Be The Band (Park West)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
I'm happy these guys are doing well, but I'm still surprised by the size of the market for a band playing Talking Heads' music. This might be a straight-up recreation of Stop Making Sense.

10.10   sunday
OK Go with Company of Thieves, Summer Darling (House of Blues)
With so much critical acclaim for the band's videos, you have to wonder how the live show can keep up. They can't really set up a Rube Goldberg device for every show, or bring trained dogs and treadmills on the road with them, can they? Joining them on this tour is Chicago's own Company of Thieves, who impressed the heck out of me at Lollapalooza this summer.

High on Fire with Torche, Kylesa, Droids Attack (Metro)
Quintessential California stoner rock from guitarist Matt Pike, also known for his previous band, Sleep. So this would be the Queens of the Stone Age to Sleep's Kyuss. Or something like that.

Eric Johnson, Andy McKee, and Peppino D′Agostino (SPACE, Evanston)   SOLD OUT!
I'm bummed that I didn't know about this beforehand, but it's sold out, and I leave for yet another business trip anyway. It's billed as an acoustic evening, so I'd be really curious to hear Eric Johnson ditching his killer electric tone. Then again, maybe he's done more acoustic work since I stopped following him after the followup to Ah Via Musicom crashed and burned.

Nick Lowe and his band with Geraint Watkins (Old Town School of Folk Music)
See Saturday's listing.