list.in.to.chicago this week: 05.16.2011

Yeah, so last week got away from me. What's funny about it is that, as a result, I didn't have any idea what was going on in town, musically. Not that I had much in the way of free time, but it's funny to me that, after all these years, this whole undertaking is still embedded in the simple process of me trying to keep up on things, and bringing you along for the ride.

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Pick of the week
Of the shows that aren't sold out, the most interesting to me are probably The Twilight Singers on Tuesday at Metro, The Cars on Wednesday at the Riv, and Lucinda Williams on Saturday and Sunday at Park West.

list.in.to.COZ
The big show this week is Andrew Fraker and Sons on Friday at Schubas, where we will regale you with both new and old songs. Then there's Diver at Fado on Saturday night, and regular office hours Tuesday and Wednesday.

Recap
Last night was Elvis Costello & the Imposters at the Chicago Theatre, and as you may have heard, this involved the "spinning setlist" -- a giant wheel with songs and some song "themes" on it that audience members would come up on stage and spin. Some reviews thought it got tired after a while, but I enjoyed it. After spinning the wheel, the lucky fan got to sit on stage and watch, and sometimes I wish I enjoyed concerts as much as one woman who took the third spin or so with her friend. Plus, nearly three hours of music, including a 6/8 take on "Pump It Up," a few well-placed covers and a random segue into "Purple Rain" at the end of "Peace, Love and Understanding."

5.16   monday
Paul Simon (The Vic)   SOLD OUT!
Sometimes an opportunity just presents itself, as this was too big an artist in too small of a venue for me to pass up. Apparently I'm pretty good and hitting that "refresh" button on ticketing websites just as tickets go on sale. Not sure if the add-on to his Chicago Theatre date is just him, or with the band.

Warren Haynes Band (Park West)   SOLD OUT!
I'll admit that sometimes the audience for a band or artist will be an obstacle for me really getting to know that artist, and Warren Haynes -- whether on his own or with Gov't Mule -- tends to fall into that category. Damn hippies.

Jimmy Gnecco (Schubas)
It seems slightly odd that Gnecco is touring under his name, when everything I had read for a long time seemed to indicate that his Jeff Buckley-influenced band Ours was pretty much his baby, but maybe that's changed over time.

5.17   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
We're rehearsing beforehand, so there's a good chance I'll make it out this week, assuming my cold has gone away. It seems playing soccer in 40 degrees and rain is bad for you. Not sure if I'll have time to work up the new tunes I've wanted to try lately.

Paul Simon (Chicago Theatre)   SOLD OUT!
It's funny, because this show would seem almost as appealing as the Monday night show, but having just been at the Chicago Theatre last night, I'm even more enamored with the grittier vibe of the North Side venue, if only because it might make some of those particular fortysomething XRT-listening types who go to Ravinia every summer and talk through the entire show somewhat uncomfortable.

Echo and the Bunnymen with Kelley Stoltz (The Vic)
I would put these guys on one end of the 80s new wave spectrum, in that they were maybe a bit more angsty and electronic. I actually saw them with the Psychedelic Furs at the Riv (I think) many years ago, but didn't really know enough of their catalog for them to make a strong impression.

The Twilight Singers with Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos (Metro)
Formerly Greg Dulli's side project when he was in Afghan Whigs, this has become his primary band, with Gutter Twins becoming the new mistress.

Tower of Power (House of Blues)
I first saw this horn section powerhouse playing at a high school in New Jersey in the 80s, which does offer up an interesting perspective on their eternal question "What Is Hip?" Also, I don't listen to that one funk/R&B collection in my library nearly often enough anymore.

5.18   wednesday
Sing Along With Coz (The Globe Pub)   COZ SINGS!
We actually had a pretty decent turnout of performers last week, including a pretty fantastic hip-hop duo that forced us to get resourceful and grab a boom box from the kitchen for their backing CD. This week, maybe we'll have audience members, too.

The Cars (Riviera Theatre)
This band, of course, is firmly on the pop end of the 80s new wave spectrum. There used to be active resistance to reuniting without their late bass player, Ben Orr, a fact that will inevitably be brought up in every single article written about the band as they tour in support of their new record.

Donald Glover and Childish Gambino (Park West)
As much as I love Community, I don't know that I'm read to see Troy solo.

The Airborne Toxic Event with Voxhaul Broadcast (Metro)   SOLD OUT!
The California rock band has been on an upswing lately. One or two quick listens to the new record didn't exactly bowl me over, but it's pretty solid, capable rock music, and that's sort of in short supply these days. Saw them about three years ago with The Fratellis.

5.19   thursday
Aretha Franklin (Chicago Theatre)
The Queen of Soul is being honored by the city, who has declared Thursday "Aretha Franklin Day." Lifetime achievement aside, shouldn't every day be "Aretha Franklin Day?"

Sepultura with Belphegor, Hate, Keep of Kalessin, Neuraxis, Bonded by Blood (Reggie's Rock Club)
One of the things that always intrigued me about this band is how they wove native Brazilian influences into their flavor of metal, but it was never quite enough to get me to, say, buy a record.

The Airborne Toxic Event with Voxhaul Broadcast (Metro)   SOLD OUT!
See Wednesday's listing.

5.20   friday
Andrew Fraker and Sons with Peter Terry and the Chicago City Profits, Jessica Robbins (Schubas)   SEE COZ LIVE!
We're filling in for a previously-booked gig that fell through a couple of weeks ago, so that didn't leave us enough time to see if we could spin this in the CD release party. At the moment, that doesn't look like it will happen until late summer, but you can stream most, if not all, of the songs on our Facebook page. In the meantime, we continue to introduce the new batch of tunes.

Death Cab For Cutie with The Lonely Forest (Metro)   SOLD OUT!
Ben Gibbard seems to be one of the elder statesmen of the current indie rock movements -- depending on how far back you trace it -- and as such, his band seems to be playing the "small club tour before the album drops" card that you saw a lot more of ten years ago.

Christian McBride & Inside Straight (SPACE, Evanston)
A chance to see a fantastic jazz bassist in an intimate venue.

Urge Overkill with Farewell Captain, Innkeepers (Bottom Lounge)
I've seen the band's first new album in 16 years described as pretty much picking up where their last one left off, which is a clever way of saying it's not quite as punchy and bruising as their breakthrough Saturation.

Tributosaurus (Park West)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
This is a reprise of the recent "one hit wonders of the 80s" repertoire. Having walked past Martyrs' when they did that one originally, I can say with authority that "Major Tom (Coming Home)" from Peter Schilling will be part of the proceedings.

5.21   saturday
DIVER (Fado Irish Pub)   SEE COZ LIVE!
Our monthly appearance with the full band, this time featuring the full band. Probably.

Lucinda Williams (Park West)
I wish I could say I owned more than her classic Car Wheels on a Gravel Road album, but I don't.

Loudness with Dirty Passion, Warmachine, The Last Vegas, Sister Sin, Hessler (Reggie's Rock Club)
This Japanese heavy metal band has been at it since 1981. Wow.

CSS with Princeton, Daan; John Twatters and Erik Roldan (Metro)
Of course, if Japanese metal isn't your think, how about Brazilian dance-pop?

Empires with Jon Walker (Beat Kitchen)
By this time, we might know if the local rock band has won the contest that gets them on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. I'm genuinely curious to see if that would actually help a smaller unknown band.

5.22   sunday
Lucinda Williams (Park West)
See Saturday's listing.

Eddie from Ohio (SPACE, Evanston)
I think I actually have a couple of old CDs from this band that they were giving away at MLS Cup back in 2000. I'm assuming they're soccer fans and thought they might be able to work that audience.