list.in.to.chicago this week: 01.30.2012

Now with even less proofreading [and, apparently, less paying attention to switching the entry from "Unpublished" to "Published." Oops. - ed.]. Hope to see you Saturday!

Pick of the week
Go see Booty Movement Coalition tonight at Martyrs', because you may not get another chance. Estelle on Friday at Double Door has some serious potential, too.

list.in.to.COZ
Saturday night, three-fourths of Andrew Fraker & Sons return to Lincoln Hall with an acoustic set at the beginning of a five-act night. We go on at 8pm, before the schedule has a chance to slip.

Recap
See the bit about Vaughan's in the listings. Also, the Diver show on Saturday gave us another of those weird, disengaged audiences up until the end, when these four Irish guys from Milwaukee totally lost their shit (in a good way) when we played "Don't Look Back In Anger" from Oasis. The power of that particular song continues to amaze me.

1.30   monday
Booty Movement Coaltion (Martyrs')   FRIENDS OF COZ!
So, tonight is the end of the run for the last Monday of the month residency. I'm not sure what that means for the improvisational acid jazz/funk/rock/hip-hop band itself.

1.31   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
If you missed last week, you missed an impromptu rendition of "Come Sail Away" from Styx, complete with Eric Cartman vocals. It's hard to predict when something like that might happen, so you should just make a point of coming every week.

Lenny Kravitz with Raphael Saadiq (Chicago Theatre)
The problem with Kravitz, pretty obviously, is that he thinks he's a much bigger deal than he really is, which obscures the fact that he's actually really good. Just not as good as he pretends to be. And Saadiq makes it a pretty potent double-bill.

2.01   wednesday
Sing Along With Coz (The Globe Pub)   COZ SINGS!
Two weeks in a row with non-zero participation! I think we're turning the corner!

Tributosaurus (Martyrs')   FRIENDS OF COZ!
The nostalgia trip of the band's nostalgia trips continues with a reprise of Stevie Wonder, which should be pretty stellar.

2.02   thursday
Rumer with Bryn Rich (Lincoln Hall)
The buzz here reminds me a bit too much of Ellie Goulding, although maybe a bit more folk-pop. That may not be a favorable comparison, though, as Goulding didn't really deliver on her hype.

Barry Manilow (Chicago Theatre)
Did you know he released a concept album last year? Yeah, me neither. I feel like this run was originally scheduled for the end of last year.

2.03   friday
Andy Grammer with Ryan Star, Rachel Platten (Lincoln Hall)
Don't know anything about the headliner, but Ryan Star was a contestant on the second season of Rock Star (along with Chicago's own Matt Hoffer, at least for the first episode), which ultimately picked a singer for a hard rock supergroup that pretty much fizzled and died immediately. So not winning that particular gig may have been a blessing in disguise.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo (Old Town School of Folk Music)
In addition to their breakthrough work with Paul Simon, I also have a recording of the South African a cappella group singing Peter Gabriel's "Biko" with Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango.

Estelle with Luke James, Elle Varner (Double Door)
This English singer first broke through with that wave of neo-soul acts from about ten years ago, along with the likes of Maxwell and maybe even D'Angelo, who has been spotted playing in Europe recently. And with a gig at Double Door, do you think she'll head around the corner to Estelle's afterwards?

The Hush Sound with Santah, Super Happy Fun Club (Bottom Lounge)   SOLD OUT!
About four or five years ago, this band seemed poised to ride the wave of jangly, dual-vocal indie pop, but then I think they may have broken up. And subsequently reformed, obviously. Whatever happened, there's enough pent-up demand to sell out Bottom Lounge.

Smith Westerns with Porcelain Raft, Bleached (Metro)
Lots and lots of local ink spilled over these guys last year. I'm not sure if that means this is a full-blown tour that includes a hometown stop, or if they're playing because they live here and need to keep themselves on our collective radar. I suppose I could check.

Dot Dot Dot with AM Taxi, State and Madison, The Scissors (House of Blues)
So, you could go with the reality TV theme this week, or even tonight, with Ryan Star at Lincoln Hall and "America's Next Great Band" contestants Dot Dot Dot at House of Blues, along with Lucky Boys Confusion-related project AM Taxi and others. There definitely seems to be a certain slice of the Chicago music scene that those two bands together would appeal to.

Barry Manilow (Chicago Theatre)
See Thursday's listing. Not sure if every one of these shows features the entire concept album, although I'm sure he'll play more than just that regardless. If you're into that sort of thing.

2.04   saturday
Andrew Fraker & Sons with Dan Tedesco, Soulfix, Raised on Zenith, Martha Berner (Lincoln Hall)   SEE COZ LIVE!
We're kicking off a big Shoeshine Boy Production bill with an acoustic trio set, which might sound vaguely familiar to the late-night Vaughan's crowd. Given our spot on the bill, we advocate getting there when the doors open at 8pm. There will be a flyer on Facebook by tomorrow that gets you a discount off the cover charge. Also, Soulfix!

George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic (Museum of Contemporary Art)
There's a joke about modern art juxtaposed with a guy playing bass wearing a diaper in here somewhere, I just know it. Still, not a bad get for the MCA's winter benefit.

Stanley Jordan (Old Town School of Folk Music)
This name brings me back. The jazz guitarist first came on the scene in the mid-80s, pioneering a two-handed tapping technique. No, not like Eddie Van Halen's two-handed tapping. It had more to do with comping bass lines, I think.

The Hush Sound with Empires, Dr. Manhattan (Bottom Lounge)
See Friday's listing.

Barry Manilow (Chicago Theatre)
See Thursday's listing.

2.05   sunday
Nicholas Barron Band (Temple Bar)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
They're definitely up to a quartet now from the original trio that started the residency, at least according to the poster in the mens room at the bar.