list.in.to.chicago this week: 07.02.2012

Jeez, I wish Coz would get this thing out on time again.

Me too, buddy. Me too.

And happy birthday Steve!

check out list.in.to.chicago (and leave comments!) on the web at notabbott.com/litc

Pick of the week
It's going to be a gigantic sweat box, but Tenacious D on Saturday at the Aragon will be something. What, I'm not exactly sure, but something.

list.in.to.COZ
Tuesday night at Vaughan's looks like it'll be it for me this week.

Recap
Ended up going to see the Air Guitar Regional Championships at Metro on Friday night, and it was every bit as ridiculous as you would expect. The winner reminded me a lot of Molly Pop, the former singer for local cover band Rock Candy, but a little Internet research proved me wrong. Then it was on to catch the headlining set from Pelican at Lincoln Hall. It was loud, but that was to be expected. What maybe wasn't so expected was how normal these guys look, as opposed to, say, Isis, who have a similar vibe, but have long hair, beards, tattoos, etc.

7.02   monday
Time for Livin': A Tribute to MCA & the Beastie Boys (Lincoln Hall)
Featuring members of the Right Now, JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound, Scotland Yard Gospel Choir, Drastics, Bumpus, and others. I was never much of a Beastie Boys guy, so this doesn't resonate as much with me as it does with others. Who are probably at Lincoln Hall right now anyway.

Grazyna Auguscik (Green Mill)
Patricia Barber gets a break every once in a while. Killer band, with Chris Siebold, Vijay Tellis-Nayak, Matt Ulery and John Dietemeyer.

7.03   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
There will be fireworks. And by "fireworks," I mean of the guitar-playing, cover song-singing variety. Also, I believe there will be air conditioning. And cold beer.

7.04   wednesday
Sing Along With Coz (The Globe Pub)   COZ SINGS!
Happy Birthday America! I might sub out the open mic this week and watch fireworks from my roof with a growler of Half Acre. Or cancel it outright. It's not like you were going.

7.05   thursday
Alberta Cross with Everest, Aaron Lee Tasjan (Lincoln Hall)
I remember liking what I heard from them when they opened for Them Crooked Vultures, but then being somewhat disappointed with their recorded output. Keep in mind this opinion is a few years old and possibly about an entirely different band.

Iron Maiden with Alice Cooper (First Midwest Bank Ampitheatre, Tinley Park)
This one is tempting, even considering that I steadfastly refuse to go to Tinley Park.

7.06   friday
El-P with Killer Mike, Despot, Mr. Muthafuckin' Exquire (Bottom Lounge)
I know just enough about modern hip-hop to know this is a pretty stacked bill.

Fountains of Wayne with A Silent Film (SPACE, Evanston)
Stacy's mom may not still have it goin' on. Just sayin'. It's been, like, ten years. But this will be a great show.

Ours with Model Stranger (Ultra Lounge)
Jimmy Gnecco was often mentioned in the same breath as Jeff Buckley and Radiohead a decade ago, but never quite broke through.

The Hue with District 97, Crawl (Martyrs')
Local prog rock at Chicago's premier venue for that sort of thing. I think one of them may be releasing an album.

B-52s with Squeeze (Charter One Pavilion)
Northerly Island, where the 90s never happened. Or the 00s.

Neil Diamond (United Center)
Okay, if you're ever inclined to request "Sweet Caroline" of every cover band you ever see, please go to this show and get it out of your system.

Marbin (Andy's Jazz Club)
Again, I only caught a song and a half from these guys opening for someone at Martyrs', but I liked what I heard.

7.07   saturday
Tenacious D with Urge Overkill, Sights (Aragon Ballroom)
If I have the legend correct, the D started as a live act, so the odds are pretty good that the comedy will translate on stage. It helps that the songs themselves are pretty solid, as far as musical comedy goes.

Bright White with Rockit Girl, Jetbirds, Randy Michael & the Sharp Dressed Lads, Breton Sound (Double Door)
This is probably the second time I've seen Rockit Girl on a bill in the past year after seeing the band's "final" show some four or five years ago. It could be that retirement didn't suit them.

Cave with Paperhead, D. Watusi (The Burlington)
All the buzz about Cave has paid off, in that they're now listed frequently on some random Internet list that several dozen people read occasionally.

Marbin (Andy's Jazz Club)
See Friday's listing.

7.08   sunday
Wilco with Andrew Bird, The Congregation (Fifth Third Bank Ballpark, Geneva)
This will be the second sports stadium I've seen Wilco play, after they did the XRT Fire post-game concert at Soldier Field back when that was a thing.

Dick Dale with Ambassadors to Earth (SPACE, Evanston)
I actually saw the surf-rock legend at Double Door once. I think.