list.in.to.chicago this week: 12.13.2010

Profound and profuse apologies to anyone who braved the imminent snowstorm to listen to Diver on Saturday. There was some sort of mix-up, wherein our name apparently was never written into the book. If you're a conspiracy theorist, you might suppose that, with a private party on Friday, they moved the Friday band to Saturday and didn't tell us.

Pick of the week
If I can't see Los Borrachos on Saturday night at Elbo Room, you totally should. Same goes for the Big Star tribute on Wednesday. In shows I might actually get to see, The Bad Plus run at the Showcase is intriguing, as is the pair of shows at Schubas from The Waco Brothers.

list.in.to.COZ
I have no public performances this week, unless I track down an open mic in New York City while I'm there.

Recap
Unfortunately, I didn't get word of the Fado cancellation in time to go see Dweezil, so nothing to report here, either. Yeah, I know, it's the compelling content that keeps you all coming back every week.

12.13   monday
Sybris with Apteka, Secret Colours (Empty Bottle)
Free show with a couple of high-profile local bands, although the buzzing guitar rock of Sybris seems to have come back down to earth after being talked about a lot two or three years ago. Apteka made Greg Kot's list of best local releases of 2010, and I've seen them described as having shoegazer influences.

Chevelle with Finger Eleven, Hail The Villain (House of Blues)
Part of Q101's Twisted Christmas, which morphed several years ago into multiple nights at House of Blues. Not listed on Metromix as sold out, but I don't think they get good updated info from this particular venue, and I saw someone mention that all the Twisted shows but one were sold out this week.

Tricky with Striz (Lincoln Hall)   CANCELLED
Apparently the electronica artist's set is a victim of this bad weather.

12.14   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Last business trip of the year, which means Tony is on his own again this week.

12.15   wednesday
Sing Along With Coz (The Globe Pub)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Oakley Stevens will be holding down the fort this week, so come out and show him some love, would you?

You Get What You Deserve: A Tribute to Big Star (Schubas)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
I came late to midwestern power pop, so I only know the legacy of Big Star by reputation, rather than growing up on the music. But it's kind of a big deal to a bunch of people I know who all write great pop tunes. The band includes Steve Frisbie, John San Juan, Tom Szidon and Mike Zelenko, and the show also features Village and DJ Poseur.

Andrew Bird with Jeff Parker (Fourth Presbyterian Church)   SOLD OUT!
The songwriter and multi-instrumentalist seems to be making a point of playing non-traditional venues. I feel like he's played here before, but I must not have listed it. That, or this show was announced so long ago that it feels like he's already played here, kind of like you can stare at someone at a bar long enough that your brain puts them into long-term memory and you can't shake the feeling that you've met them before. I have no proof of that theory, but it sounds right, doesn't it?

Guitar Madness (Green Mill)
This is the 10th Anniversary Toys for Tots show, featuring local jazz guitar heavyweights like John McLean, John Moulder and Chris Siebold. Should be burnin'.

12.16   thursday
Minus the Bear with Tim Kasher, Rah Rah (The Vic)
All I've got on this band is that they had a song pop up on Pandora last week that I liked, and that they unfortunately only overlapped with Pedro the Lion for four years, which would limit the chances they may have had to do some sort of "zoo tour" together.

The Bad Plus (Jazz Showcase)
It was a gimmick -- a piano trio reading of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" -- that put these guys on my radar, but now that they're there, you have to give them credit for successful gimmickry, right?

Andrew Bird with Jeff Parker (Fourth Presbyterian Church)   SOLD OUT!
See Wednesday's listing.

12.17   friday
John Legend (The Venue, Hammond, IN)
Looks like we may have been a mere two weeks away from getting Legend and the Roots to play together, dammit. This is almost tempting enough for me to use my contact down at The Venue, assuming there's a casino shuttle or something from downtown.

Savvy with Silver Atlas, Wolfgang Jay (Beat Kitchen)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Last I heard, this was the original band that consists of most of This Must Be The Band, the Talking Heads tribute band. A lot of times, playing lots of covers can influence your songwriting and sound, and in this case, that could definitely get interesting.

Marvin Tate with Adam Fitz, Algebro (Quenchers)
Some of us remember the local funk/R&B singer from bands like Uptighty and D-Settlement, but then again, some of us have been around for a long, long time.

REO Speedwagon (Joe's Bar)
That they felt the need to point out that the ticket includes two and a half hours of open bar in the Metromix listing does not bode well for advance sales, but I'm sure they can, um, ride the storm out.

The Bad Plus (Jazz Showcase)
See Thursday's listing.

Andrew Bird with Jeff Parker (Fourth Presbyterian Church)   SOLD OUT!
See Wednesday's listing.

12.18   saturday
Los Borrachos with We Make Thunder, Ghosthouse, The Flavor Savers, DJ Phonybologna, BC (Elbo Room)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
I never figured I'd be upset that I won a free pair of Bulls tickets, but it means missing the annual Christmas show from the legendary south-of-the-border musical experience that, at this time of year, is second only to a visit from Santa Claus himself. For the uninitiated, it's Spanish-language and -influenced versions of popular (and somewhat random) rock songs and Christmas carols, performed by the least Spanish local musicians you could possibly find.

Vat of Chocolate (Reggie's Music Joint)
First question, could this possibly be a Smothers Brothers tribute band? Second question, does anyone reading this actually have the slightest idea what I'm talking about?

The Damnwells with The Bonmots, Darlings (Double Door)
I know I downloaded a record from this band back when they were making a big deal about giving it away for free, but it never quite gained traction for me. Part of that is that I keep confusing them with the Redwalls.

The Waco Brothers with The Mediums (Schubas)
John Langford seems to have been slightly less omnipresent on the scene this year when compared to years past, but that's still pretty damned omnipresent. Here he's with the band that cemented Chicago as a bastion of a sort of outlaw alt-country.

Dashboard Confessional with The Snowbirds, Cory Branan, John Lefler (Lincoln Hall)   SOLD OUT!
So, I think this band started as one of those "singer/songwriter refers to himself as a band" projects I was talking about last week with Badly Drawn Boy, but Wikipedia leads me to believe it's evolved into a proper band. This seemed like a small venue for a band that's opened for U2, but then I noticed the Saturday gig, which makes it look like one of those situations where the band plays in progressively larger rooms.

The Bad Plus (Jazz Showcase)
See Thursday's listing.

12.19   sunday
Joe Satriani with Ned Evett, Triple Double (Chicago Theatre)
I've been following this tour a bit due to the presence of Mike Keneally on keyboards, but I'm not sure if that's enough to tip the scales, as Satch never quite did it for me. Something about his guitar tone is just too processed to feel, I don't know, human.

As Tall As Lions with Yawn, Apres Vous (Lincoln Hall)   SOLD OUT!
For a second, I thought this was the new Zack de la Rocha project, but it's actually an indie rock band from Long Island. Who should totally tour with Minus the Bear, since Pedro the Lion doesn't exist anymore.

Dashboard Confessional with The Snowbirds, Cory Branan, John Lefler (Bottom Lounge)   SOLD OUT!
See Saturday's listing.

The Waco Brothers with Yellowhammers (Schubas)
See Saturday's listing.

The Bad Plus (Jazz Showcase)
See Thursday's listing, but this one's a matinée.