list.in.to.chicago this week: 03.12.2012

Time Out Chicago has only five Critics' Picks this week. I haven't been counting, but that seems really, really low. I guess everybody who's anybody is in Austin for SXSW. Does that mean the wait at Big Star will be shorter until all the hipsters get back?

And let's just skip Monday. You're not going out at this point anyway.

Pick of the week
You've pretty much got rock royalty in Levon Helms' Midnight Ramble on Friday and Saturday at the Old Town School. But it may be sold out.

list.in.to.COZ
For something like six of the past seven years, Diver has played Fado on the day of the downtown St. Patrick's Day parade, when they dye the Chicago River (more) green. This is the second time that it's actually been on St. Patrick's Day proper. You may need to get in line now for that one.

Recap
I had pretty much the same reaction to Tributosaurus as I did the first time they became Yes. There's the joy of hearing that music played live, the impressiveness of the musicians playing it, the secret, guilty hope that they'll play something from the Trevor Rabin era, and finally, the jealousy of not being a part of it.

Part of why I wanted to see Company of Thieves on Friday was because, despite playing a side stage at Lollapalooza, that's not a hometown show the way headlining Metro is. There was a lot of love in the room, and the band -- particularly singer Genevieve Schatz -- was clearly affected by it. Sonically, I worry that guitarist Marc Walloch can't always compete with Schatz's powerhouse vocals, but I think it's just a matter of beefing up his guitar tone. Maybe switching from that semi-hollow body to a Les Paul?

3.13   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
Not sure if I'll make it out this week, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't visit Tony and Monica and the Vaughan's crowd. Last week we had a female a capella group! You never know!

Anti-Flag with Flatliners, Have Nots (Reggie's Rock Club)
The hardcore band's adorably biased Wikipedia entry describes their new record as "poised to be the sound track for the masses of dissatisfied private citizens that are currently protesting corporate injustice and governmental power around the world." Good luck with that.

3.14   wednesday
Sing Along With Coz (The Globe Pub)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
It's actually been over three months since I had to travel for work, which feels weird given last year's pace. But I'll be in New York this week, which means Oakley is holding down the fort. Start time might be a little late due to a March Madness selection draft going on earlier.

Grimes with Born Gold, Ultrademon (Empty Bottle)
I had seen a couple of sources call this one out, but it wasn't until Miles Raymer at The Reader described Grimes as being somewhere in the same vein as EMA that my interest was piqued.

Nathan Douds Ensemble with Rob Clearfield's Quintet, Matt Ulery's Gaslight (Martyrs')
There was a flyer for this one up at Martyrs' when I was there on Thursday, and I wish I could remember the colorful language it used to set expectations. It seemed to be trying really hard to not call it "jazz," but in words that made it sound like jazz.

3.15   thursday
Jaap Blonk, Jeb Bishop, Keefe Jackson, and Jason Roebke (Elastic)
I have nothing to add here. I just like saying "Jaap Blonk."

3.16   friday
The Tossers with Arrivals, Kevin Flynn & the Avondale Ramblers, We Are the Union (Metro)
The Pogues aren't touring anymore, and Flogging Molly was here weeks ago, but that doesn't mean you can't get your Irish on this weekend with some local Celtic punk.

Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble with Donald Fagen, and Paul Barrere & Fred Tackett (Old Town School of Folk Music, Maurer Hall)
The drummer from The Band brings a pretty all-star lineup to Lincoln Square, including members of Steely Dan and Little Feat.

Toots and the Maytals with Constellations (House of Blues)
I heard a song from Toots where he collaborates with Bootsy Collins a few weeks ago, and it was great. Bootsy is quite possibly the only person in the world who can credibly get away with saying "shizzle."

Frank Russell Band (Andy's)
Of course, if you're traipsing around Irish bars in River North this weekend, and want to escape all the green for a bit, you can catch local jazz bassist Russell and his band on Hubbard Street.

3.17   saturday
DIVER (Fado Irish Pub)   SEE COZ LIVE!
The last time St. Paddy's Day fell on a Saturday, I think it was the year that some drunk guy ambled up onto the Fado stage and asked me if we could play Van Morrison. While we were playing "Into The Mystic."

Stuart Davis (Schubas)
Wow, blast from the past. A couple of my friends were all about Davis some fifteen years ago, and I saw him once or twice back then. He's maybe a more cynical Newton Faulkner, in that he's got (or at least had) some of that percussive thing going on with his acoustic guitar. Not sure if he did loops, though.

G. Love and Special Sauce with Scott H. Biram (Metro)
His first hit ("Cold Beverage") came across as a bit of a novelty, but for the most part, G. Love has continued to deliver consistent, if somewhat laid-back, output.

Frank Russell Band (Andy's)
See Friday's listing.

Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble with Donald Fagen, and Paul Barrere & Fred Tackett (Old Town School of Folk Music, Maurer Hall)
See Friday's listing.

3.18   sunday
Fiona Apple (Lincoln Hall)   SOLD OUT!
Apparently Chicago is one of very few markets (if any) to get a second date on this post-SXSW mini-tour. And if you weren't on social media this morning, you probably missed it entirely.

Caravan of Thieves with LePercolateur (Schubas)
Not to be confused with Company of Thieves. That was last week.