list.in.to.chicago this week: 03.14.2011

In which your humble correspondent buys a house.

Pick of the week
Well, I know where I'll be Thursday night. Andrew Fraker & Sons at Schubas. 8pm sharp.

list.in.to.COZ
When it rains, it pours. Open mic on Wednesday at the Globe (and maybe Tuesday at Vaughan's), the aforementioned Fraker gig on Thursday, Diver on Saturday at Fado, and then a solo acoustic set Sunday night back at the Globe. I'll sleep when I'm dead.

Recap
Last night's Nicholas Barron Trio gig started out as just a duo, which I don't know that they've done before. At least not on purpose. Once they were made whole, they ran through a lot of classic blues and rock tunes, including a nice take on "Miss You" from the Stones.

3.14   monday
Kelly Hogan and Scott Ligon (Hideout)
These two are playing every Monday in March, which I guess means the Robbie Fulks residency is either over, or on hiatus.

3.15   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
I'll be a gametime decision for this week, depending on how much I've recovered from going into a gigantic amount of debt earlier in the day. On the plus side, keep an eye out for the housewarming party.

Bright Eyes with the Mynabirds (Riviera Theatre)   SOLD OUT!
For some reason, I thought maybe the world had moved on from Conor Oberst's primary indie-folk band, but I guess he's been active enough with some of his other projects that he's still relevant enough to sell out a couple thousand seats. That, or the new record is turning some heads. Or both, really.

Elephant 6 Orchestra (Lincoln Hall)   SOLD OUT!
I'm not entirely sure if this is a collection of acts from the renowned Athens, GA-based "ork pop" record label -- think Apples in Stereo, Olivia Tremor Control, etc.-- or a collection of musicians playing music from those acts. Either way, it seems to be somewhat popular.

Good Charlotte with Forever The Sickest Kids, This Century (House of Blues)
Really? These guys are still around? There wasn't a compelling reason for them in the first place, let along ten years later. You're welcome to try to convince me otherwise, but you're going to have to make a pretty strong case.

3.16   wednesday
Sing Along With Coz (The Globe Pub)   COZ SINGS!
I have to admit, it feels like I'm a special guest at my own open mic this week. One more business trip on the books at the moment, and then I can hopefully have a few uninterrupted weeks in Chicago.

3.17   thursday
Andrew Fraker and Sons with Safe Haven, Al Weber, Train Co. (Schubas)   SEE COZ LIVE!
If you missed the debut of all those new songs a couple of weeks ago at Cubby Bear, you've got another chance this week. Plus one more! We're really excited about all this new material, and equally excited to share it with you. No word on whether or not there will be green beer, but you're probably tired of that by now anyway, right?

Buddy Guy (Mystic Celt)
The blues legend is a pretty big "get" for the Southport bar's "Shamrock & Roll" St. Patrick's Day festivities, once again produced in conjunction with WXRT.

The Muck Bros. (Martyrs')
These guys always seem to resurface for a gig or two this time of year. One of the pre-eminent Irish rock bands in the city for quite some time.

3.18   friday
Robbie Fulks (Lincoln Hall)
It wouldn't surprise me if the local roots rocker took Mondays at the Hideout off this month to focus on this one.

Yes (House of Blues)
They're still touring with the tribute band replacement for Jon Anderson, which makes this much less essential. And while seeing Steve Howe in this small of a room would be pretty cool, I think Asia is coming through later in the year.

Paul Barrere and Fred Tackett (SPACE, Evanston)
I'm not sure what the status of Little Feat is since drummer Richie Hayward passed away last year, but you can hear two of the principal members of the southern-friend rock band playing acoustic up in the near north suburb.

3.19   saturday
DIVER (Fado Irish Pub)   SEE COZ LIVE!
Playing the week after Parade Day may mean we don't need to trot out "Dirty Old Town," but Sue is on bass this time, so it's not like Brian could even benefit from that. Still, it feels weird not to have been there this past weekend.

Robyn Hitchcock and Joe Boyd: Live and Direct from 1967 (Old Town School of Folk Music)
Iconoclastic singer/songwriter Hitchcock was only 14 years old in 1967. Someone should tell the staff in case he tries to order a beer. This tour apparently grew out of a one-off show at South By Southwest four years ago that paired the one-time Soft Boy with Boyd, who ran the UFO Club in London back in the 60s and wrote about it in a 2006 memoir.

Yes (House of Blues)
See Friday's listing.

3.20   sunday
Coz Sings! (The Globe Pub)   SEE COZ LIVE!
We've got a couple of guys that'll rotate on Sunday nights now, but until we get one or two more, I'll be filling in the gaps. Music starts around 7:30pm.

Nicholas Barron Trio (Temple Bar)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
It's been about a month now since they started the residency, and between the music and the food and drink specials, it's only a matter of time before it starts to take off.

The Ditty Bops (Old Town School of Folk Music)
I remember this band as a sugary pop-folk duo that seemed to have one single and then disappear, but they've kept going. They've also had no fewer than six songs featured on Grey's Anatomy, which explains why they haven't been on my radar.