list.in.to.chicago this week: 01.21.2013

It's the Inaugural version of the list! By which I mean it's on Inauguration Day. Not the first version, because that would be ridiculous. I've been doing this for over a decade now.

Pick of the week
Tonight's Femi Kuti show at Metro should be good, and then it's an Uptown weekend with Flogging Molly at the Aragon on Saturday and The Darkness at the Riv on Sunday.

list.in.to.COZ
Office hours on Tuesday night at Vaughan's. Mark your calendars for the weekend of March 8th and 9th. More details to follow, including which of those nights you really need to mark down.

Recap
No bands, but I saw Book of Mormon on Saturday. Lots of fun, and there was an occasional "Jumpin' Jack Flash" motif floating through some of the musical numbers.

1.21   monday
Femi Kuti & The Positive Force (Metro)
The son of legendary artist Fela Kuti has played Metro pretty often, and you're not likely to see a more prominent Afropop artist. If only it weren't so cold. And Monday.

Freakwater with Nora O'Connor (Hideout)
The duo of Janet Bean and Catherine Irwin regroup as Freakwater pretty much whenever they feel like it, so chances to see them can be few and far between.

1.22   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
On the one hand, I want people to come out and join in the open jam fun. On the other hand, when turnout is light, we'll try to see how many songs we can fake our way through from Radiohead's OK Computer album, which is what happened last week.

Emeli Sande with Emily King (Lincoln Hall)
Time Out Chicago flagged her as one of the best up-and-coming singers out of the UK, and she's already cut her teeth as a songwriter for the likes of Alicia Keys and Susan Boyle.

1.23   wednesday
Juniper Mays, Tardy Boys (Tonic Room)
Vanarays, Depravos de la Mour, Van Goghs, Blue Sky Mind (Subterranean)
Zero Years, An Aesthetic Anesthetic, Mountains for Clouds (Township)
Animal City, Spirit Animal (The Whistler)
I'm making an assumption that these are all local bands, so they deserve a shout for doing the thankless work of the local band, playing weeknights in the dead of winter.

1.24   thursday
Trampled by Turtles, Carl Broemel (The Vic)   SOLD OUT!
You can't swing a banjo without hitting a popular neo-folk/pop band these days.

Buddy Guy with Jimmy Johnson (Buddy Guy's Legends)
It's the last week of the January residency, and according to the venue's website, tickets still remain for Thursday and Sunday.

Fareed Haque's Math Games with Fresh Hops, Ann Schaffer (Martyrs')
Tempted to see how this project has progressed, as I both wasn't sure what to expect the first time I saw them, and a bit disappointed that it wasn't "mathier."

1.25   friday
Ultraista with Prefuse 73 (Lincoln Hall)
You probably don't know the name, but you also probably do know the principal members of the band, Nigel Godrich and Joey Waronker.

Save the Clocktower with Paper Thick Walls (27 Live, Evanston)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
This is a brand new venue just to our north, and I think there's even another one coming. Obviously, I'm curious to see if both can thrive outside the city proper.

Method Man (Double Door)
Curious as to whether the introduction of a few new music venues precipitated the Bucktown club's move into hiphop. They've definitely added more of it in the last year or so.

Buddy Guy with Quinn Sullivan (Buddy Guy's Legends)   SOLD OUT!
See Thursday's listing.

1.26   saturday
Flogging Molly with Skinny Lister, Dave Hause (Aragon Ballroom)
The last time I saw the Irish punk/rock/folk band was at Lollapalooza a few years ago, and the band's positive energy then was downright infectious. I've said before that their breakneck pace can actually leave me short of breath as an audience member.

Kopecky Family Band with Eastern Sea (Schubas)
I think this band played Lollapalooza this past year, as I have them listed as playing one of the aftershows with Blind Pilot. Before that, they came through town in 2011 opening for DeVotchKa.

Chicago Afrobeat Project with Nick & the Ovorols (Martyrs')
If you're like me, and likely wimping out on Femi Kuti tonight, this might work as a substitute in a pinch. Better night, lower price.

Morrissey with Kristeen Young (Chicago Theatre)
Rescheduled from the fall, when Morrissey had to postpone his tour to take care of his mother. And Kristeen Young has been opening for him for a long while now.

Buddy Guy with Nublue Band (Buddy Guy's Legends)   SOLD OUT!
See Thursday's listing.

1.27   sunday
The Darkness with Hell or Highwater (Riviera Theatre)
Singer Justin Hawkins split after the band's sophmore album back in 2006, but reunited with his mates in 2011, releasing a record last year. I enjoyed the heck out of their first over-the-top hard rock record, but haven't checked out the new material yet.

Lucinda Williams with Doug Pettibone, Kenneth Brian (City Winery)
It's hard to mention shows here without taking the venue itself into consideration. It's a weird room. Williams' brand of hardscrabble country might be a good fit, though.

Derek Fawcett with Julia Klee (Schubas)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Not entirely sure if Down the Line is still a thing, but Derek provided backing vocals and percussion for that Chicago pop band for many years. Or still does.

Buddy Guy with Eric Davis (Buddy Guy's Legends)
See Thursday's listing. Tickets still remain as of press time.