list.in.to.chicago this week: 02.18.2013

The first batch of Lollapalooza rumors has hit the Internet, and it's much more credible than last year's. Also regretting not calling Mumford & Sons earlier, at least out loud and/or in public.

Pick of the week
Slim pickings during the week--you may notice I had to skip Thursday entirely--but then Friday tries to make up for it. The Soul Asylum show at Double Door looks like a solid choice, and Grood is at Beat Kitchen that night as well. On Saturday, I'd probably go see Eels at the Vic if I didn't have a gig that night.

list.in.to.COZ
The gig I have that night is Diver at Fado, as we get back to our normal pace of one Saturday per month at the River North bar. Also, Vaughan's on Tuesday.

Recap
If I had been wondering when Chicago would contribute to the "folk-rock with male and female vocals" trend, Paper Thick Walls put my mind at ease on Friday night at Martyrs'. They do a really good job of it, fully warranting the buzz I've been hearing. All that said, the drummer really needs to close his mouth while he's playing. The Steakhouse Mints played their ambitious new CD all the way down to celebrate its release, and it's got a lot of the musical theater flourishes I remember from the last time I saw the band.

2.18   monday
Robbie Fulks with The Pussycat Trio (Hideout)
No idea if it's any sort of theme this time for the continuing residency, or just special guests. But it's a "break glass for emergency listing" kind of week.

2.19   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
There was a version of today's day off where I figured out how to use the loop pedal on more of my existing song book, but I decided to actually be productive. I may wing it.

Toro y Moi with Sinkane, Dog Bite (Metro)
So, chillwave with R&B influences, if you're into that sort of thing. Pretty sure it's just one dude with a laptop, even live. I blame Steve Jobs.

TEEN with Gold Cult (Township)
This is an all-female project from one of the members of Here We Go Magic, who I'm pretty sure I've seen once or twice.

2.20   wednesday
Swedish House Mafia with Anthony Attalla (United Center)
Not only am I not seeing a whole lot of anything that I've heard of this week, but a trio of DJs is headlining the fucking United Center. Excuse me while I go have an existential crisis.

2.22   friday
Soul Asylum with Miles Nielsen & the Rusted Hearts, Ryan Powers & the Secret Weapons (Double Door)
This comes off almost like a songwriting clinic, with the venerable Minneapolis band joined by a couple of upstarts, including the near-ubiquitous son of Rick Nielsen.

Genome with Grood, Origin of Animal (Beat Kitchen)
Once again, Grood used to be Savvy, and are currently my favorite local band. They paired up with with Genome for a show back in late 2011, and maybe again since then.

Passion Pit with Matt & Kim, Icona Pop (UIC Pavilion)
"Take a Walk" was a pretty ubiquitous track last year, although I want to say I've heard that live, the band can be hit or miss. That, or I'm totally extrapolating Michael Angelakos' experiences with being bipolar to the live show.

Dana Hall's Spring (Green Mill)
I didn't realize that the longtime Chicago drummer was now the Artistic Director for the Chicago Jazz Ensemble.

Dropkick Murphys with Old Man Markley, Jim Lockey & the Solemn Sun (Aragon Ballroom)
Less than a month from St. Patrick's Day, which means Irish-influenced bands are starting tours. Undoubtedly, Dropkick Murphys are timing it so they're back in Boston for the holiday itself.

Meshuggah with Animals as Leaders, Intronaut (House of Blues)
I never know what to make of the preponderence of metal at House of Blues, although historically, it's a good venue for bands with big suburban audiences, and I guess metal does have pretty good representation outside the city limits.

Suzanne Vega (SPACE, Evanston)
It seems the singer/songwriter has been revisiting her back catalog and self-releasing the results lately.

2.23   saturday
DIVER (Fado Irish Pub)   SEE COZ LIVE!
Since it's been a while, we're making a concerted effort to add a good half a dozen new songs to the set list. A few of them are going to kill if we get them in shape.

Eels with Nicole Atkins (The Vic)
Digging the new record from this band a lot, and I was glad to see their name among the rumored bands for Lollapalooza, seeing as how I have to miss this.

Dana Hall's Spring (Green Mill)
See Friday's listing.

2.24   sunday
Delta Rae with ZZ Ward, Martin Harley (Lincoln Hall)
This band seemed to take the rootsy folk-rock thing one step further, digging into old southern field music as their inspiration, but it doesn't really hold up well over the course of the entire record for me.

Company of Thieves (City Winery)
Sadly, the local upstarts recently join the list of bands who have had their equipment stolen. Not sure if anything's been recovered. Meanwhile, they've been doing an acoustic tour, which is why they're playing here and not, say, one of the louder venues in the city.