list.in.to.chicago this week: 05.30.2011

Okay, so the downside of taking the day off observing the holiday yesterday was that it meant not listing the free Justin Townes Earle show in the park. Sorry about that.

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Pick of the week
Since it doesn't seem to be sold out, how can you pass on Tributosaurus playing Revolver on Wednesday night at Martyrs'? And that Lauryn Hill/Mos Def show on Friday night at the Aragon looks pretty intriguing.

list.in.to.COZ
It's the trio version of Diver this Saturday, after which I think that band goes on hiatus until the end of July, mostly due to scheduling conflicts. Plus regular open mic office hours on Tuesday (Vaughan's) and Wednesday (The Globe).

Recap
Stopped by Bottom Lounge on Thursday to wash out the bitter taste of the Bulls game with a set from Eisley. I've since decided I like them better on record. The vocal melodies tend to be a bit overwritten, which makes them pretty hard to digest live. Still, it was enjoyably jangly indie pop with adorable banter from the three sisters, and my friend said it was a much better show than the one earlier this year at Lincoln Hall.

5.31   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
Not always conducive to trying out new material, but maybe I'll remember to bring a music stand this time. I may offer up "Rolling In The Deep" to Monica, because I'm sure she can sing it better than I can.

Melvins (Double Door)
A friend -- not the same one from the Eisley show, mind you -- pointed out how this recent spate of live shows featuring albums from start to finish is diametrically opposed to the other trend of albums being eclipsed by singles and individual downloads. Here, the Melvins are playing "Lysol," "Egg Nog" and "Houdini" in their entirety on the first of two nights.

Friendly Fires with Wise Blood (Lincoln Hall)   SOLD OUT!
Not to be confused with Fiery Furnaces. Or Fleet Foxes. Or Foo Fighters. This is the UK dance-rock band, who were actually pretty early to the current dance-rock movement.

Nick Miller and the Neighbors with Squat the Condos, Property of Saints, Hawaiian Lion (Empty Bottle)
I think I was scolded last time for not mentioning my friend Jenny's brother's band, so this time I will. The Empty Bottle is billing this as the "College Cowpunchers Rodeo," with each band hailing from a local institution of higher learning.

Black Label Society with All That Remains, Anchored, HourCast (House of Blues)
Ever wonder what happened to Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde? Me neither, but now you know.

6.01   wednesday
Sing Along With Coz (The Globe Pub)   COZ SINGS!
So, last week we had a duo of guitar and...timbales? I thought they would be louder.

Tributosaurus (Martyrs')   FRIENDS OF COZ!
It's yet another installment of the Beatles tribute, this time running from the second half of Rubber Soul through Revolver. Stunningly, there seem to still be tickets available for both shows.

The Script with Safety Suit (Aragon Ballroom)
Anto has been bringing these guys up as a band we should cover in Diver for a while now, but I worry that they're no more than Maroon 5 with an accent, and we already cover Maroon 5.

Melvins (Double Door)
See Tuesday's listing. Night two covers the albums "Bullhead" and "Stoner Witch."

6.02   thursday
B1g T1me with Ami Saraiya and the Outcome, Mark William Johnson (Lincoln Hall)
I continue to be impressed by both the frequency and the breadth of the Tom Waits tribute band's gigs -- Lincoln Hall isn't exactly known for tribute bands.

6.03   friday
Ms. Lauryn Hill with Mos Def (Aragon Ballroom)
Thirteen years after The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, the former Fugee has been slowly getting back into the live performance game, with Coachella already under her belt and the New Orleans JazzFest still on tap. And Mos Def seemed to get back in critics' good graces with last year's The Ecstatic, although it didn't hit me nearly as hard as The New Danger.

Ozomatli with Making Movies (Congress Theater)
I seem to remember seeing this multi-culti band at the Abbey Pub within the last five years after peaking before that, so being back at the larger Congress makes me think their popularity has some sort of ebb and flow to it.

The Soundtrack of Our Lives with Elephant Stone (Martyrs')
This Swedish band was supposed to be the next big thing some nine years ago -- I remember lots of buzz around the RollingStone.com offices, and they were even nominated for a Best Alternative Album Grammy back in 2003.

Pat McGee with Kill The Alarm (Lincoln Hall)
Not to be confused with Pat McCurdy, but the name that hit me here was Kill The Alarm, who used to be called Granian, who I played a couple of gigs with several years ago along with guys from Holding Mercury and Soulfix. Solid, no-nonsense pop-rock.

Brett Dennen with Dawes (The Vic)
Another show where the opener is the one that caught my attention, as Dawes made some just-under-the-radar waves last year at Lollapalooza.

6.04   saturday
DIVER (Fado Irish Pub)   SEE COZ LIVE!
We're threatening to learn some songs that Sue can sing for this one, so there's that. After Tony and I kind of sleepwalked through the last Fado show, I think we're going to want to try to redeem ourselves.

Marty Casey with Dan Darrah (Schubas)
You have to wonder how much of Casey's current fan base came to follow him based on Rock Star: INXS, or at least I do, because I'm really curious about the half-life of TV-based stardom in music at a non-American Idol level. Which sounds like a Columbia College master's thesis (sorry, Tony!).

6.05   sunday
Oberhofer with Young Man, Netherfriends (Lincoln Hall)
I saw this band a little while back when they opened for The Vaccines in New York City, and my assessment at the time was that they sounded like Friends of Coz The Changes, only not as good.