list.in.to.chicago this week: 12.20.2010

Happy holidays from everyone here at list.in.to.chicago! Which is to say, me. Not sure if there will be a list next week, but I may be looking for some "alone time" away from the family by then.

Pick of the week
Both of tonight's options -- Elvis Costello and Alejandro Escovedo at the Chicago Theatre and Ulele at Martyrs' -- should be fun. Perhaps even spiritually uplifting. And that Hush Sound reunion on Sunday looks promising.

list.in.to.COZ
Back to the regular open mic office hours Tuesday and Wednesday, with the added dulcet tones of Grinchitude.

Recap
At some point, it's going to be easier to keep track of the bands that Matt Walker doesn't play drums in. Friday night at Beat Kitchen saw impressive sets from Wolfgang Jay and Savvy. The former had the 80s retro sound down to the point where they could have opened for Simple Minds in 1983 or so, and I mean that in a good way. Unlike other bands I could mention, they weren't dressing up their homage in ironic hipster garb, choosing instead to just deliver the goods. I'm pretty sure I would have pegged the Talking Heads influence even if I didn't know about Savvy's alter ego, but I really enjoyed the sounds they mashed it up with, from Pink Floyd psychedelia to some delightfully odd instrumental riffs. As for Walker's drumming, I liked it better in this context than almost anything else I've seen him in lately.

Having been impressed with the first two bands, we skipped the headliners so as not to tempt fate. Plus, I had gone to the show almost straight from the airport.

12.20   monday
Elvis Costello with Alejandro Escovedo (Chicago Theatre)
I've seen the former Declan MacManus with a full band, and as a duo with pianist Steve Nieve, so I guess there's some novelty potential in seeing him by himself for an entire evening, but I wasn't really feeling it, so I passed. I haven't quite dug into his latest album, either. That said, Costello and Escovedo together in a stripped-down environment is a pretty compelling argument.

Ulele (Martyrs')
This is that benefit/fundraiser from about a month ago that had to be rescheduled. That they moved it to the winter solstice just seems to be a happy accident. Also featuring Suzy Brack and the New Jack Lords, Ellen Rosner and the Bubbly Creek Allstars, Ripley Caine, Jeff Altergott, Persephonic, Lou Carlozo, Al Rose, Jade Maze.

12.21   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
With most of us 9-to-5 types on a short week, this might be the equivalent of a Thursday or Friday night for some people. Or if might be cold and snowy, and people will be packing suitcases. You can help it be the former.

M13 (Quenchers Saloon)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
How many big bands are there in Chicago that have a steady gig? These guys are here at least once a month, if not more. I'm still curious to see how they all fit.

12.22   wednesday
Sing Along With Coz (The Globe Pub)   COZ SINGS!
I haven't heard back from Oakley, so I'm hoping he survived last week. This also has the potential to attract a bunch of people who are running out the clock until the holiday, and will be your last chance to hear my legendary version of "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" until next year. Unless someone asks really nicely next week.

12.23   thursday
Cyrus Chestnut Trio (Jazz Showcase)
I feel like Chestnut plays Christmas at the Showcase frequently, which made me think he was and older guy from Chicago, but apparently he's from Baltimore and not quite 50 yet, which makes him a contemporary of that "young lions" class of the early nineties. He's even been called "the best jazz pianist of his generation" by Time magazine.

12.24   friday
Cyrus Chestnut Trio (Jazz Showcase)
See Thursday's listing. The Showcase is one of a handful of venues -- I can really only think of two -- that have music 365 days a year, or damn near it.

12.25   saturday
Paul Di'Anno with Icarus Witch, Slaughter Xstroyes, Hell Awaits, Kradikiss (Reggie's Rock Club)
If the name sounds vaguely familiar, Di'Anno was the original singer for Iron Maiden, before Bruce Dickinson. His eight-year old autobiography was just released in paperback this year, and his last recorded output seems to have been with Battlezone in 2008.

Cyrus Chestnut Trio (Jazz Showcase)
See Thursday's listing.

12.26   sunday
The Hush Sound with This Is Me Smiling, Debello, The Orwells (Metro)
This is a one-off reunion show for the band, which went on hiatus after riding the mini-wave of jangly indie bands with male and female vocals, along with bands like Sons and Daughters and Chicago's Bound Stems.

Cyrus Chestnut Trio (Jazz Showcase)
See Thursday's listing.