list.in.to.chicago this week: 06.17.2013

Hoping the weather holds for tonight's Downtown Sounds show.

Pick of the week
I enjoyed Portugal, The Man (Thursday at House of Blues) the last time I saw them, as the clouds were gathering over Lollapalooza 2011. And a few quick listens to the live Nicholas Payton record (Thursday through Sunday at the Jazz Showcase) has just as quickly made that worth recommending. Finally, the novelty of a free show from Huey Lewis & The News at Montrose Harbor on Sunday just makes me want to see who actually shows up for something like that.

list.in.to.COZ
This Saturday, it's Diver at Fado again, and then maybe a bit of the regular office hours on Tuesday night at Vaughan's.

Recap
Okay, so we went to Taste of Randolph on Friday to see JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound and Divine Fits, but both bands paled in comparison to the porchetta sandwich from the Publican Quality Meats booth along the main concourse. Which isn't to say either band was bad. It was just a really, really good sandwich.

There's not a whole lot more to say about JC Brooks, as it's just really good horn section funk, reminiscent at times of that acid jazz scene from the late 90s I always talk about. It's entertaining as heck if done well, and they do it well. This was my first time seeing Divine Fits, and I kinda liked them best when they sounded the most like Spoon, which may defeat the purpose. I also liked them a bit more when I wasn't paying explicit attention to them, which is hard to explain. They sound good with peripheral vision?

Finally, I tweeted that night that I think Britt Daniel has a side business selling maracas. Seriously, they pop up on every one of his records at some point.

6.17   monday
Daniel Lanois with Brokeback (Pritzker Pavilion)
Not entirely sure what to expect from the producer and songwriter, as his last touring project was the sort of noir-pop Black Dub, and this does not seem to be that band, at least.

Mountain Goats with Baptist Generals (Lincoln Hall)   SOLD OUT!
I'm starting to notice more bands routing SPACE and then either Lincoln Hall or City Winery. You may recall from last week that Mountain Goats were in Evanston last night.

6.18   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
They're showing the World Cup Qualifying match for the US soccer team on a giant screen in Grant Park, so I may just be a late cameo this week.

Lights with Sorry, Charlie (Lincoln Hall)   SOLD OUT!
Nominally an electropop artist, Valerie Poxleitner recently released an acoustic version of her second full-length from last year. I'm not totally sold on either version, as it's pretty lightweight stuff. But that could be just that I want to hear guitars today.

Fitz & the Tantrums with Saints of Valory, Ivy Levan (Metro)   SOLD OUT!
Chicago just can't get enough of this band's positive, funky energy. And if Britt Daniel and the guy from Wolf Parade fronted this band, they'd be Divine Fits and the Tantrums. All ages, and be sure to watch the venue's Twitter feed to see if they make any more tickets available. They usually do.

Marvin Tate, Dan Bitney, P Michael, Vell Mullens, and George Blaize (Hideout)
The former Uptighty frontman (remember them?) has been doing a Tuesday night residency for a few weeks now.

6.19   wednesday
Ladysmith Black Mambazo (SPACE, Evanston)
I'm not sure, but I think the South African vocal group could outnumber the audience on this one. Have I mentioned that SPACE is a particularly intimate venue?

Fitz & the Tantrums with Saints of Valory, Ivy Levan (Metro)   SOLD OUT!
See Tuesday's listing, but this time you only can't get tickets through official channels if you're 18 and over.

6.20   thursday
Nicholas Payton XXX (Jazz Showcase)
The most recent trio record from Payton features bassist Vicente Archer and former Return to Forever drummer Lenny White, both of whom are still along for the ride on this tour. In addition to his more accustomed role on trumpet, the bandleader adds tasty, overdriven, Lifetime-esque keyboards on some tracks as well.

Portugal, the Man with Guards (House of Blues)
Now that I know the new record from this indie band was produced by Danger Mouse, I can't make it not sound like Broken Bells to me.

Mucca Pazza with Deals Gone Bad, Bully In the Hallway (Double Door)
This lineup screams "special occasion," and it is, in fact, the birthday bash for Do312, which has been sending me emails about the "cool kids" part of the local music scene that I mostly don't give a shit about for three years now.

6.21   friday
TAFKAVince Band with Tomorrow The Moon, LoveCryme (Liars Club)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Not sure if this is one of those things where the band has adopted the initialism as the official name, but one way or the other, this is/was The Artist Formerly Known As Vince, along with Tomorrow The Moon, whose lead singer/guitarist has been seen lately with Sons of the Silent Age, the Chris Connelly-fronted Bowie tribute.

Richard Cheese & Lounge Against the Machine (House of Blues)
I first noticed this band when their lounge version of Disturbed's "Down With The Sickness" was featured in the Dawn of the Dead remake back in 2004. And now they're playing in town when World War Z hits theaters. Hmmmm.

Nicholas Payton XXX (Jazz Showcase)
See Thursday's listing.

6.22   saturday
DIVER (Fado Irish Pub)   SEE COZ LIVE!
The good news is that I finally have a place to practice my drums again. The bad news is that I won't really have a chance to get much woodshedding in before this gig. The other good news is that it hasn't been a problem so far in the last six to nine months since my last practice space went away.

Everclear with Live, Filter, Sponge (The Venue, Hammond, IN)
Bands from the late nineties and early 00s are in that uncomfortable phase where they're trying not to slip into the nostalgia circuit. I know Filter just released a new record a few weeks ago to that end, but I'm not sure about the others.

Nicholas Payton XXX (Jazz Showcase)
See Thursday's listing.

6.23   sunday
Huey Lewis & The News (Montrose Harbor)
Celebrating the 30th anniversay of the Sports record. At Montrose Harbor. There's a joke about Cricket Hill and "I Want A New Drug" in here somewhere if I want to go looking for it.

Nicholas Payton XXX (Jazz Showcase)
See Thursday's listing.