list.in.to.chicago this week: 03.28.2011

It may still be cold outside, but judging by the quality and quantity of shows lately, the spring concert season is in full swing.

Pick of the week
Of the non-sold out shows this week, top of the list is The Wood Brothers on Friday at Lincoln Hall, along with the Bitches Brew 40th Anniversary show at Martyrs' on Thursday.

list.in.to.COZ
Should be at Vaughan's on Tuesday, maybe a brief stop at The Globe on Wednesday, and then the long-overdue return to Cullen's on Saturday night with The Trollops, unless you count stopping by last week to catch the end of a Bulls game.

Recap
It's not every day you see a band and say to yourself "cool, they kinda sound like Motorhead." That was the vibe I got from Kamikaze Eyes on Thursday, where I think I was the only person in Beat Kitchen without a tattoo.

3.28   monday
Steve Coleman and Five Elements (Chicago Cultural Center)
It's a good thing I cross-referenced this week, because Metromix inexplicably left this one out of their listings. I seem to recall seeing saxophonist and M-Base Collective founder Coleman sitting in with Sting when I saw him at Madison Square Garden way back in high school.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor with Natural Information Society (Metro)   SOLD OUT!
Third of three sold out shows for the Montreal band.

3.29   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
Hey, I think I may actually make it this week.

The English Beat (SPACE, Evanston)
I saw a good point about how without bands like The English Beat, newer bands with a reggae/world music bent like Vampire Weekend might not exist. Some of you might see that as a desirable alternate reality, although probably not to the level where you try to commandeer a time-travel device to break up the band back in the 80s.

Destroyer with The War On Drugs (Lincoln Hall)   SOLD OUT!
The indie rock crowd loves Dan Bejar, possibly more than any of the other frontpersons in The New Pornographers, but I still don't quite understand the appeal. Admittedly, I've only given his band a spin on a couple of occasions, but I seem to recall more of a negative reaction than just a lukewarm positive one.

3.30   wednesday
Sing Along With Coz (The Globe Pub)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Oakley is holding down the fort again this week while I go listen to Henry Rollins rant for a couple of hours. I may make a cameo appearance later on.

Ellie Goulding with The Knocks (Lincoln Hall)   SOLD OUT!
English singer-songwriter Goulding has been winning all sorts of awards in the U.K. over the last two years, and her newness on even that scene -- let along on American shores -- is evidenced by the "early years" section on her Wikipedia page starting all the way back in 2009. Get off my lawn.

Henry Rollins (SPACE, Evanston)   SOLD OUT!
I don't remember if Rollins had any dates scheduled between the Mercury Theater on Saturday and this, which means you might catch him out and about in the city for a couple of days. If, you know, you're a stalker.

3.31   thursday
Bitches Brew 40th Anniversary Band (Martyrs')
Celebrating Miles Davis' seminal jazz fusion record, this band includes a Miles Davis alumnus, Chicago native and, coincidentally, another guy who played with Sting -- bassist Darryl Jones.

DeVotchka with Kopecky Family Band (House of Blues)
One way to look at this band would be as Gogol Bordello's "normal" cousin, perhaps the cousin Larry to their Balki. Seriously, though, a lot of the Eastern European influences are similar, but in a much more mellow, traditional setting. Then again, any setting would be more mellow and traditional than Gogol Bordello, wouldn't it?

Makeshift Prodigy with Story of the Year, Heart-Set Self-Destruct, Farwell (Cubby Bear Wrigleyville)
I saw this band maybe two or three years ago, so I'd be curious to see how they've developed. Particularly, I'd like to see if the multiple guitarists are separating their guitar parts and sounds a bit better than when I first checked them out.

4.01   friday
Jeff Beck with Imelda May (Cadillac Palace Theatre)   SOLD OUT!
The guitar legend and former Yardbird is celebrating the work of Les Paul over two nights, along with retro Irish singer Imelda May. The backing band for these dates is hers, although later in the tour I'm told Beck will have Narada Michael Walden behind him on drums.

Queens of the Stone Age with The Dough Rollers (Riviera Theatre)   SOLD OUT!
If you were late to the Queens of the Stone Age party, this may be the show for you, as they'll be playing their self-titled debut in its entirety to commemorate it's remastered re-release, along with other "surprises" from that era. They're not so sentimental as to bring back original bassist Nick Oliveri, though, who was reported to have offered.

The Wood Brothers with Seth Walker (Lincoln Hall)
If you know me, you know I'm not necessarily that big on acoustic folk, so you know that when someone in that genre piques my interest, it's something special. This band comprises of Chris Wood from Medeski Martin & Wood and, well, his brother. I haven't caught up with them since their debut album, but that was a wonderful enough record for me to take the rest of it on faith.

J Mascis with Kurt Vile and the Violators (Subterranean)
The Dinosaur Jr. frontman in probably as small a venue as you'll ever see him, and that's even when you include that string of Dino shows at the Abbey Pub a few years ago.

Black Thought with J. Perrod, ADD-2 with Mike Cullen, DJs Major Taylor, Intel, RTC and Demchuk (The Mid)
This is a relatively new venue just north of the Metra tracks on Halsted, so I think I can picture what the space used to be before this. They're focusing on electronica and hip-hop, and you can't get much better than the emcee for The Roots in that arena.

Sybris with Colour Revolt, Aktar Aktar (Schubas)
It's been a while since all the buzz around this local band, so it's good to see they didn't implode from the attention.

4.02   saturday
The Trollops (Cullen's)   SEE COZ LIVE!
I've come to the realization that I'm currently in four different bands that only span five different people, rotating bass players notwithstanding. This configuration is myself, Andrew Fraker (of "and Sons" fame) and Tony (who is in pretty much every configuration as well) playing songs we all think we know. And some that we don't. There will probably be some Beatles. It's still just acoustic for now.

Yakuza with Kastasyde, Dark Spectrum (Beat Kitchen)
It seems like Bruce Lamont has been finally getting his due over the last year or so for his contribution to the local scene in general, and the local metal scene in particular.

Jeff Beck with Imelda May (Cadillac Palace Theatre)
See Friday's listing, only with tickets still available.

4.03   sunday
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez with Zechs Marquis (Bottom Lounge)
As much as I like The Mars Volta, I haven't yet checked out the solo material from one of the psychedelic prog band's primary members.

Sebadoh with Richard Buckner, Turn to Crime (Lincoln Hall)
Wait a minute. Both J Mascis and Lou Barlow are playing in Chicago this weekend? Does anyone know if Dinosaur Jr is recording something in town right now?

Smoking Popes with The Arrivals (Double Door)
Without much visibility into the band itself, the sense I get is that Smoking Popes 2.0 have probably tempered their aspirations this time around, which is what you'd expect from a band that climbed the ladder so quickly only to self-destruct at the top of that trajectory. They seem more modest via less continual exposure. I could be totally making that up.

Kara Kesselring and Sugarcreek Road (Beat Kitchen)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
It may not be a coincidence that singer Kesselring's current project shares half the name of Sugarland and half the name of Nickel Creek, and I mean that in a good way.

Nicholas Barron Trio (Temple Bar)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Seriously, free music and half-price food and drink, and you need me to keep recommending this? Just get a bigger cup of coffee on Monday.