list.in.to.chicago this week: 09.23.2013

Busy season is upon us again. And so is Veruca Salt, apparently, but not in live form just yet.

Pick of the week
If you see this in time, are willing to pay a scalper, and can tolerate the Riv, tonight's Arctic Monkeys show is high on the list. After that, there's a whole bunch of good stuff, including a full band tour from Travis that hits The Vic on Friday night and the return of Lollapalooza headliners Phoenix on Saturday at the Aragon, with The Vaccines opening.

list.in.to.COZ
So I may have to learn how to use an open source statistics program by Thursday, which means Vaughan's is a game-time decision. Diver will be back in action on the 5th of October.

Recap
Out of town for a wedding last week, so other than a nice guest turn at Vaughan's from a Colorado band swinging through town, nothing to report.

9.23   monday
Arctic Monkeys with Twin Peaks (Riviera Theatre)   SOLD OUT!
I really like this band. I'm totally digging their new record. But I really, really can't stand the Riv, so I passed on tickets. Also, I've seen them a couple of times already, so it was easier to justify that decision.

9.24   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
As of press time, I'm not sure if I'm going to be out this week. But Tony will be, as usual.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah with Arc Iris (Lincoln Hall)
The Brooklyn-based indie faves seem to have been hemmoraging band members over the last couple of years, so their reappearance this year was a bit of a surprise, if I remember the headlines correctly. And I might not.

Rick Rizzo (Hideout)
The longtime member of Eleventh Dream Day is doing the Hideout Tuesday night residency series.

No Joy with Hand Practices (Schubas)
Originally, I got this band confused with No Age, who I don't really like. If you like My Bloody Valentine or Curve, they've definitely been listening to some of those records.

9.25   wednesday
Daughter with Bear's Den (Park West)
I vaguely remember hearing some buzz about this UK "dream pop" band when their album came out back in April, and it seems to fall on the more organic side of that genre, almost like a gentler Explosions in the Sky with female vocals at various points.

Laura Veirs with Karl Blau (Schubas)
The thumbnail sketch for Veirs is "Portland singer/songwriter," but that had me thinking of something more intimate and acoustic than her new record, which vibrates with a lot of bigger sounds and textures. Not sure if this is one of those "folkie discovers electric guitar" situations, but I like the result regardless.

Screaming Females with Waxahatchee, Tenement, Meat Wave (Lincoln Hall)
Some reviews I've read of this band make me worry that critics are mistaking attitude for quality--in the sense that attacking a guitar with reckless abandon seems intense, irrespective of the sounds actually coming out--but right now that's just a hunch.

9.26   thursday
The XX with Nite Jewel (Aragon Ballroom)
For a band that trades so heavily in quiet texture, the Brawlroom is going to be a bit of a challenge, sonically. Still, it'll probably work better than the Riv, where all the nuance would get lost as soon as you got under the balcony and had to compete with conversations.

Ravi Coltrane Quartet (Jazz Showcase)
I haven't been following the son of saxophone legend John Coltrane all that closely, but I wonder if there's a class of jazz musician that's focusing on simply replicating bebop and post-bop, rather than extending it. I suspect there's a large chunk of more nostalgic listeners who don't want to hear modern takes on that form, for better or worse.

Mucca Pazza (SPACE, Evanston)
They may have to just put the audience on the stage and the band in the audience on this one. Big band, very small room.

9.27   friday
Travis with Luke Rathborne (The Vic)
The Scottish band that is one of Diver's touchstones put out a new record last month. Doesn't seem to be on Rhapsody yet, so I haven't had a chance to see if, in fact, each song has a breakdown at the end of the bridge where the drums drop out. But they're presumably touring with the full band instead of either an acoustic duo, or just Fran Healy, so I guess we'll find out.

Ravi Coltrane Quartet (Jazz Showcase)
See Thursday's listing.

9.28   saturday
Stereophonics with The Wind & The Wave (The Vic)
Probably my favorite Welsh band, without a doubt. Or much competition. Really catchy modern UK pop-rock songs, but the one time I saw them live, I thought it became a bit clear that they could be pretty formulaic in their catchiness.

Phoenix with The Vaccines (Aragon Ballroom)
Their songs are poppy without being conventionally so, if that makes any sense. It might be one of those things where viewing a genre through a different cultural lens (in this case, French) teases out different aspects of if that maybe you weren't expecting. Plus, they've got a great drummer that breathes life into the live performance.

North Mississippi Allstars with Lightnin' Malcom (House of Blues)
Since breaking through with a Grammy nomination for their first album, the band has extended it's reach throughout the blues scene, between a guitarist joining the Black Crowes, to serving as the backing band for John Hiatt.

Wavves with King Tuff, Jacuzzi Boys (Park West)
I expect we'll be seeing more and more bands who played Lollapalooza swinging back through town in the next couple of weeks.

Ravi Coltrane Quartet (Jazz Showcase)
See Thursday's listing.

9.29   sunday
California Guitar Trio (Old Town School of Folk Music)
Got into these guys when I was going through a heavy Robert Fripp/King Crimson phase a while ago, and still haven't even seen them live. This, despite "Punta Patri" being one of my favorite pieces of recorded music ever.

Cody ChesnuTT with Myron & E (Lincoln Hall)
The last time he was here, I think the modern soul singer still probably best known for his guest vocal on "The Seed 2.0" from The Roots played Martyrs'. So he's getting a bit bigger this time around.

Ravi Coltrane Quartet (Jazz Showcase)
See Thursday's listing.