list.in.to.chicago this week: 02.28.2011

So, I tried linking to the newsletter on Facebook a couple of weeks ago in an effort to get new subscribers, and not a single person bit. I think this thing is as popular as it's going to get. Or, I'm a terrible salesman. Possibly both.

Pick of the week
Of shows that have tickets available, you've got the annual Pogues tour piggybacked with Titus Andronicus at the Congress on Thursday, and the still-unfortunately-named Booty Movement Coalition tonight at Martyrs' as the standouts.

list.in.to.COZ
All office hours in effect this week, with an acoustic show with Tony and possibly Andrew on Saturday at Celtic Crossings. Those of you who make plans will want to pencil in March 17th at Schubas for the next Andrew Fraker & Sons show.

Recap
Once again, I find myself lacking good points of comparison on Saturday night's proceedings at the Hideout. Curtis Evans reminded me a bit of Tom Waits in that he had that low, gravely voice, but the music was more traditional swampy blues, I think. The revelation of the night was Ode, who started off like a full-sounding six-piece alt-country-slash-rock band, but over time, that country revealed itself to be Serbia, to great effect. And the drummer was a beast, which made the live show much more engaging than the CD I picked up afterward.

Save The Clocktower proved to be a bit more subdued than other electro-pop bands I've seen (namely Helicopters and Assassins), but not quite to the point of being "chillwave," according to the online definition of the subgenre. They put on a fine show, just not what I was expecting off the bat. I think maybe some vocal processing and a tighter guitar sound could put them over the top, though.

Sunday night I made it to Temple Bar for Nicholas Barron and his trio, with Steve Gillis on drums and Shawn Sommer on bass. I think I've heard these guys play Bob Dylan's "Serve Somebody" dozens of times, and yet they were able to give it a fresh take to open things up. And Steve was doing something when they were trading fours at the end of the first set that may have opened a hole in the space-time continuum.

2.28   monday
Booty Movement Coalition (Martyrs')   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Your monthly dose of improvised funk, rock and hip-hop. I put the odds of me making it out to this one at about 50/50, depending on how strong the gravitational pull of my sofa is.

The Low Anthem with Bobby, Daniel Lefkowitz (Lincoln Hall)
If nothing else, I seem to be in the target market for this indie folk band from Rhode Island, because I'm seeing sponsored ads for this show on Facebook. They've got a new record out as of last month, and toured last year with the Avett Brothers.

Asobi Seksu with Brahms, Stephen Paul Smoker (Empty Bottle)
I feel like this New York "dream pop" band deserves to be in some sort of l.i.t.c. Hall of Fame for the most "I've sorta noticed that this band exists, but haven't listened to them" mentions, where I try to say something interesting based on the band's Wikipedia page. Which is usually that they're from New York, and they're considered "dream pop."

Plain White T's with Parachute, Miggs (House of Blues)   SOLD OUT!
I'm still not convinced this band is doing anything more than continuing to ride the wave of their one big hit in "Hey Delilah," but it's not like there's anything wrong with that. Plus, it's not like I listen to a lot of radio, so maybe they have followed it up and I just haven't noticed.

Lady Gaga with Scissor Sisters (United Center)   SOLD OUT!
Never heard of her.

3.01   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
If I were ambitious, and if I liked Dave Matthews more than I do, I might try to learn "41" for tonight's proceedings. No reason.

3.02   wednesday
Sing Along With Coz (The Globe Pub)   COZ SINGS!
What will it take to get you out to one of these, anyway? I don't want to have to play the birthday card, so to speak, especially given that said birthday is actually on Tuesday. Then again, I celebrated it the day before last year, so this would even things out, on average.

Cage The Elephant with Sleeper Agent (The Vic)   SOLD OUT!
They don't seem to have any dates between last night's sold out show and this one, which seems like poor planning on some level. Or the Kentucky band just wanted a longer stay in Chicago on the record company's dime.

Tributosaurus (Martyrs')   FRIENDS OF COZ!
While I recognize that the Bee Gees have a deeper catalog than certain movie soundtracks might suggest, I don't know that I'm that interested in exploring it. Your mileage may vary.

3.03   thursday
The Pogues with Titus Andronicus (Congress Theater)
It must be March if the Pogues are doing their annual two weeks of touring. The legendary Irish band is joined by one of the more prominent indie bands from New Jersey, which makes for an interesting pair.

3.04   friday
Girl Talk with Max Tundra, Junk Culture (Congress Theater)   SOLD OUT!
While last year's Lollapalooza was instructive in someone with my traditional rock background "getting" how electronica acts can successfully turn a concert into a big dance party, I feel like it's a slightly different challenge for somebody like Girl Talk, who is more a mash-up artist than anything else. With the sheer number of samples that get incorporated into any given track, can you really absorb them in a live setting, or does it even matter?

Iron and Wine with Eleventh Dream Day (Riviera Theatre)   SOLD OUT!
I was surprised at the depth of sonic textures on the new record, only to be informed that Sam Beam has always had a foot in that camp. One or two listens had me thinking more Broken Bells than, say, Yeasayer, which may not bode well for the album's longevity. And is Eleventh Dream Day actually touring with them? They don't seem like the touring type these days.

3.05   saturday
Half of Diver, or maybe The Trollops (Celtic Crossings)   SEE COZ LIVE!
I'm not sure if we've formally converted all of these former duo gigs into trio gigs, or if it's more of a "catch as catch can" sort of deal, to the extent that anyone still says "catch as catch can." But there will be acoustic covers and harmonies and percussion whether it's two of us or three of this. Plus, Tony reads this, so it'll remind him to tell me.

Pat DiNizio with Polkaholics, The Comodes, The Locals, Deep End, 8 Inch Betsy (Martyrs')
This is the first time I've seen Scotch Plains, New Jersey native and Smithereens frontman DiNizio playing a proper club in Chicago rather than a bar. Not sure if he's got his ad hoc backing band again, or if he's playing by himself.

Dastardly with Milano, The Bears of Blue River, The Dirty Feathers (Reggie's Rock Club)
The local indie-folk outfit is heading to South By Southwest in a couple of weeks, so they're looking to raise money to help cover travel costs. With a free show. Obviously, my first thought is "you're doing it wrong," but they'll be taking donations.

Girl Talk with Max Tundra, Junk Culture (Congress Theater)   SOLD OUT!
See Friday's listing.

3.06   sunday
Nicholas Barron Trio (Temple Bar)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
The upside of a new Sunday night residency for these guys is that it's probably going to want to make me practice the drums more. Or, rather, at all. Also, half off food and drink after 8pm, but sometimes the computer screws it up on the food, so double-check.