list.in.to.chicago this week: 06.24.2013

In the spirit of the Blackhawks being on the cusp of winning the Stanley Cup, I took another listen to the second Fratellis record--that's the one after the one with "Chelsea Dagger." Still not very good.

Pick of the week
If you're willing to trek out to Tinley Park, the Q87.7 Piqniq featuring Yeah Yeah Yeahs on Saturday packs a lot of punch for your entertainment dollar. Otherwise, I'd go with Rogue Wave at Lincoln Hall on Thursday or Friday. And if you grew up listening to what I grew up listening to, King's X on Sunday at Reggie's.

list.in.to.COZ
Just regular office hours at Vaughan's this week.

Recap
The rain mostly held off for Daniel Lanois on Monday night. His songs are so well-crafted, and his sense of vocal melodies and harmonies are so spot-on, that it's almost unfair. Great guitar tone, too. This may have been my first time seeing Doug McCombs and Brokeback, and it while it certainly had elements of his other band, Tortoise, it was different enough to be interesting. Very good "hanging out on the grass in the park" music, to say the least.

6.24   monday
Carolina Chocolate Drops with Angela James (Pritzker Pavilion)
One of the more traditional of the indie-folk throwbacks. No word if they'll be showing the Hawks game on the big screen behind the band.

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yelstin with Sunjacket (Schubas)
Hadn't heard this name in a while, but apparently someone still loves Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin.

6.25   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
No idea what we'll do this week. But at some point, someone will play something by the Beatles. Probably.

Carolina Chocolate Drops, Sanctified Grumblers (City Winery)
A second chance to see the band in case you couldn't tear yourself away from hockey on Monday, but it'll cost you.

6.26   wednesday
Stationary Set with Impulsive Hearts, Puritan Pine, Songbirds of the Pacific Northwest (Beat Kitchen)
File this one under "friends of friends of Coz," as a recent NYC tranplant by way of Chicago has been talking these guys up since she landed over there.

6.27   thursday
Rogue Wave with Caveman (Lincoln Hall)
Maybe they're old hat with the kids, but I'm a bit surprised that Zach Rogue and band haven't sold out either of their two nights in town, given the strength of the band's new record.

Dispatch (Charter One Pavilion)
The indie roots-rock band is presumably criss-crossing the country on this tour, and routing through Chicago on both the criss and the cross, because they were just here, like a month ago.

Bow Wow Wow with Gene Loves Jezebel, Handcuffs (Reggie's Rock Club)
Holy 80s revival, Batman! At the time, I had no idea the band was basically created as a promotional vehicle by a fashion designer. But then again, I didn't know anything about the band past the video for "I Want Candy."

Scott Lucas & the Married Men with Bruce Lamont (Hideout)
Credit to Scott Lucas for coming up with a name that so effortlessly differentiates from the primal rock of his other main gig, Local H.

6.28   friday
Rush (First Midwest Bank Ampitheatre, Tinley Park)
To quote guitarist Alex Lifeson, "Blah blah, blah blah blah, blah." The now-Hall of Famers always seem to do one arena leg and one outdoor leg when they tour, and the Clockwork Angels tour is no exception.

Jody Stephens, Chris Stamey, Ken Stringfellow, Mike Mills, and others (Park West)
So, the core of this show is a performance of Third from Big Star with a 20-piece orchestra and a cast of all-stars including Chris Stamey of the dB's, Mike Mills from R.E.M. and two fo the surviving members of the original band.

Naked Raygun with Zero Boys, Crombies (Metro)
It's now been seven years since the intitial reunion of the Chicago punk icons, and they seem to have settled into their middle-aged groove, with a couple of shows every year, accompanied for the last three with a new seven-inch record released through Riot Fest.

The Tubes with Tommi Zender (City Winery)
Apparently Fee Waybill and the gang who brought you "Talk To You Later" and "She's a Beauty" are still at it. I have nothing more to add, I just like saying "Fee Waybill."

Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros with Vintage Blue, Punch Brothers, No Love for Linus, Shams Band (Old St. Pat's)
It's the annual World's Largest Block Party, although I do not know if that has been certified by the Guinness people. My guess is that the "other" Guinness people might be more closely aligned. Edward Sharpe's hippie-revival collective might be a bit on the folky side for this crowd, but with at least one big sing-along (whistle-along?) hit, it probably won't matter.

O.A.R. with Andrew McMahon (Charter One Pavilion)
Every year, like clockwork. They just won't go away.

Rogue Wave with Caveman (Lincoln Hall)
See Thursday's listing.

6.29   saturday
Yeah Yeah Yeahs with Bush, Awolnation, Cold War Kids, Silversun Pickups, Atlas Genius, Cold War Kids, Twenty One Pilots, New Politics, Capital Cities, Maximum Hedrum (First Midwest Bank Ampitheatre, Tinley Park)
Q87.7 puts together a pretty solid festival bill, in that there are at least three bands here that I care about. I would be more upset about being out of town and missing Yeah Yeah Yeahs if they weren't playing Tinley Park. Also, Bush is still a thing?

CSS with IO Echo (Lincoln Hall)
The new record from the Brazilian electropop quartet (down from a quintet) was produced by Dave Sitek of TV On The Radio, but he seems to be producing every record that Danger Mouse doesn't, so I don't know if that confers quality just yet.

Amadou & Miriam (Park West)
If you only see one Afropop show all year, this would not be a bad choice by any stretch.

She & Him with Camera Obscura (Aragon Ballroom)
Siri, will Zooey Deschanel's slight voice get completely overwhelmed in a room as big as the Aragon? I was wondering why I kept seeing the duo's CD at Starbucks. Hadn't realized they had released a new one.

Naked Raygun with The Arrivals, White Mystery, Acidic Tree (Metro)
See Friday's listing, with different openers.

6.30   sunday
King's X with Steepwater Band, Thunder Driver (Reggie's Rock Club)
That the prog/hard rock trio has been together in its current form since 1983 is flat-out amazing, considering that they've never really achieved more than cult status, even after their "breakthrough" album Gretchen Goes To Nebraska all the way back in 1989. I will also venture a bet that at least two-thirds of this crowd will have gone to see Rush on Friday.