list.in.to.chicago this week: 05.20.2013

To quote Alex Lifeson at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, blah blah blah blah BLAH blah, blah blah blah. Blah blah.

Pick of the week
Thursday's Laura Marling show at the Athenaeum should be a good one, and then JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound on Saturday up in Rogers Park will be worth it, especially if you buy into the long-running buzz on them.

list.in.to.COZ
This Saturday, Andrew Fraker & Son (yes, son) will be playing at Reggie's Rock Club for a benefit show. Details below.

Recap
Nothing last week, mostly because I waited too long to make an effort for Black Rebel Motorcycle Club tickets.

5.20   monday
MS MR with Magic Man (Schubas)
This is one of the better electropop duos I've heard in a while, and I've heard quite a few. They're growing like weeds. Second of two shows, but I hadn't heard of them until the middle of last week.

5.21   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
No Hawks game this Tuesday, so we should be able to start on time.

Secret Chiefs 3 (Schubas)
After hearing guitarist Trey Spruance in Mr. Bungle and on the one Faith No More record he did, I wanted to like this instrumental avant garde project a lot more. But it's way out there.

5.22   wednesday
Of Monsters & Men with Half Moon Run (Aragon Ballroom)   SOLD OUT!
It's a double-edged sword for these sorts of indie-folk bands as they get bigger, because they start to play venues where a lot of the nuance of all the eclectic instrumentation can get washed out in a muddled mess.

Secret Chiefs 3 (Beat Kitchen)
See Tuesday's listing, but this time over at the even smaller Beat Kitchen.

5.23   thursday
Laura Marling with Liam Hayes (Athenaeum Theatre)
The British singer is described as both indie and folk, but I don't think she's in the "indie-folk" category in as much as it's been defined by post-Mumford wave of bands. I also have it on good authority that this is a great match between artist and venue.

Parallels & Lies with Savior Self, Monika Santucci, Lady Raven (Reggie's Rock Club)
Shaved Women with Manipulation, Warrior Tribes, Tensions (Township)
Julian Bell with Wes Hollywood, 61 Inch, Living in Pretend (Double Door)
Brownie Mountain with Rhone, Teesh, The Welcome (Subterranean)
Lying Delilah with Sugarman, Slowbots (Martyrs')
Backseat Charlie with Blue Dream, Jacob's Cabin, Moonrise Nation (Beat Kitchen)
Architecture with Landmarks, Father Costume (Burlington)
Brett Newski & the Corruption with Elephant Gun, Broken Anchor (Empty Bottle)
Taught Abroad with Software Giant, K. Serra (Hideout)
One of those nights where the local scene gets to work, and that's even without Elbo Room, who continues to not show up in the Reader online listings. These are all bills at least partly comprised of local bands that I haven't heard of. Yet. I love this city.

5.24   friday
Bilal with PJ Morton, Avery Sunshine (House of Blues)
The neo-soul singer has collaborated with the likes of Common, Erykah Badu, Robert Glasper and The Roots, and I think I first heard about him from ?uestlove's Twitter feed.

5.25   saturday
Trapper Schoepp & the Shades with Andrew Fraker & Sons (Reggie's Rock Club)   SEE COZ LIVE!
Technically, this is Andrew Fraker & Son, as it's just him and me. We've got a few tricks up our sleeve for this benefit for Two Hearts Rock, an "advocacy organization which uses music as a platform to raise awareness and advance medical research for Rare Disease." As if that weren't enough, you also get to meet my little sister, who will be visiting for the weekend.

The Dirty Blue with Coronado, Tomorrow the Moon (Martyrs')   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Still haven't made it out to see two-thirds of my first favorite local band in Chicago--Phantom Helmsman--since that first time, and this show is probably not going to break that streak.

JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound with Yoko & the Oh No's, Ye Ye's, Absolutely Not (Mayne Stage)
This is the CD release party for the acclaimed up-and-coming Chicago R&B band, sponsored by WXRT.

5.26   sunday
Blah Blah Blah with Bright White, Good Evening Chicago, Paper Thick Walls, God & the Architects (Double Door)
Free show featuring Paper Thick Walls, who I liked quite a bit the one time I heard them. And no work on Monday? Not a bad plan.