list.in.to.chicago this week: 02.24.2014

If you're interested in having a few drinks this week to celebrate my birthday (and increasing irrelevance when it comes to the local music scene), some folks will be gathering at Northdown Tap on Lincoln this Friday night. Details available upon request.

Pick of the week
I can't not recommend Vinnie on drums, so Paul Simon & Sting on Tuesday at the United Center gets a nod. And then Broken Bells (Saturday at the Vic) or Bob Mould (Saturday at Old Town and Sunday at City Winery) if you can find tickets. Speaking of which, I may have tickets to sell for the Sunday show, so email me if you're interested.

list.in.to.COZ
Just office hours on Tuesday, with a slim chance I'll leave Tony and Andrew to their own devices there.

Recap
Ended up winning tickets to see The Autumn Defense on Friday, and man, they really love their 70s AM radio. This worked well on the couple of songs where they were channeling ELO, but past that, it was nice, but really sleepy. Also came into tickets to an event at Metro last night that featured Led Zeppelin 2, and now I've seen two members of Phantom Helmsman and one member of Busker Soundcheck in the last two weeks, making me wonder if it's actually 1994.

2.24   monday
Booty Movement Coalition (Martyrs')
New monthly residency, same dumb name. Still, you can start and end the week with a bit of a throwback to the acid jazz scene of the late 90s.

Richard Thompson with Teddy Thompson (City Winery)
With the steady stream of quality acts coming through this venue, I'm starting to wonder where they would have played if it weren't here. For electric folk veteran Thompson, it would maybe be one night at Park West rather than three in the smaller room, but others aren't as clear.

Glasvegas with Ceremonies (Schubas)
So I guess it should be easier to remember that this band is Scottish, given that their name is a mashup of Glasgow and Las Vegas. Don't know how I never noticed that before. And I'm not sure if I've heard of Ceremonies, or if I'm thinking of the Florence & The Machine album.

2.25   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
So I have been told the cocktail kit, which made its debut last week, was kind of loud. It may have taken us down some paths we would not have otherwise travelled, so that was fun.

Paul Simon & Sting (United Center)
I've been trying to get the lowdown on Paul Simon's band for this collaborative tour from the two rock warhorses, because if Simon coaxed Steve Gadd back out on the road on the one side, with Vinnie Colaiuta back on drums on the other, I will feel a lot worse about writing this one off as pure nostalgia from artists I've already seen.

Public Service Broadcasting with Evan Ireland (Schubas)
"Public Service Broadcasting is a London-based pseudonymous musical duo consisting of J. Willgoose, Esq. on guitar, banjo, other stringed instruments, samplings and electronic instruments; and Wrigglesworth on drums, piano and electronic instruments." Um, okay?

Mr. Blotto with La Repuplica, The Tonellis (Reggie's Music Joint)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
The Tonellis has Andy from the Good Mondays on drums, but I haven't heard them play yet. I think Mr. Blotto may have established a Tuesday night residency here, or at least I think they've graced the stage more than a few times.

Lucius (Cubby Bear)
Okay, apparently the free show from that co-ed indie pop band from Brooklyn is this week, not last week. Oops. Dress warm if you're going to line up for tickets.

Richard Thompson with Teddy Thompson (City Winery)
See Monday's listing.

2.26   wednesday
Terence Blanchard (SPACE, Evanston)
All of my modern jazz knowledge is rooted in artists who broke in the late 80s and early 90s, which includes Grammy award-winning trumpeter Blanchard.

Lady Antebellum with Kip Moore, Kacey Musgraves (Allstate Arena, Rosemont)
This one has been on the calendar for a while, so I wonder if Musgraves is getting a longer set now that she's won a couple of Grammys.

Richard Thompson with Teddy Thompson (City Winery)
See Monday's listing.

2.27   thursday
Rebecca Rego & the Trainmen with Miles Nielsen & the Rusted Hearts (Hideout)
Pretty solid singer/songwriter double bill over on Wabansia, with former Chicagoan and Village Tap bartender Rego along with the omnipresent son of Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen.

2.28   friday
Shine Box with KF Jacques, Phosphene, Distant Brothers, and Al Neve (Cubby Bear)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
This is billed as "The Return of the OperaTronic" for KF Jacques, but I missed the first go-round from what I think is an electronic duo. In which case, I know half of said duo and have at least met the other half.

Stanley Clarke (SPACE, Evanston)
And speaking of returns, the former Return to Forever bassist is in town. That town being Evanston.

Marshall Crenshaw & the Bottle Rockets (Old Town School of Folk Music)
I used to get Crenshaw and Dave Edmunds confused back when I was watching MTV all the time in the 80s. Similar twangy rock at the time, so the pairing with the Bottle Rockets is a good fit.

We Make Thunder with Puritan Pine, Diagon Alley, Depravos de la Mour (Door No. 3)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
This is another band from Steve Gerlach, most recently seen with Tomorrow The Moon. If you're thrown by the venue, this is the new downstairs "speakeasy" concept at Double Door. And it's free.

Empires with Carbon Tigers (Township)
I saw these guys open for Kaiser Chiefs a few years back after generating a fair bit of local buzz, and I remember being particularly unimpressed.

Vintage Blue with Markit 8, Dave Tamkin Trio, Cut Out Kids (Double Door)
Another Shoeshine Boy bill, which means we've played with I think three out of these four bands at various points over the last couple of years.

Tributosaurus (Copernicus Center)
Benefit show, with the band reprising Led Zeppelin. Not sure if they'll have the range of guests they did when they first covered Zep, particularly with Jason Narducy having other things to do this weekend.

3.01   saturday
Broken Bells with Au Revoir Simone (The Vic)   SOLD OUT!
Danger Mouse reprises his collaboration with James Mercer of The Shins, and based on a couple of listens, I like the second effort even better than their strong debut.

Bob Mould with Ryley Walker (Old Town School of Folk Music)   SOLD OUT!
After revisiting Copper Blue a few years ago, Mould has turned his anniversary sights on his solo album Workbook. Once again, Jason Narducy is backing him up, but the added bonus is that Alison Chesley (who played with Narducy in both Jason & Alison and the Mould-produced Verbow) is also along for the ride.

Empires with Secret Colours (Township)
See Friday's listing, only this time with another somewhat overrated local band, in my opinion.

3.02   sunday
Badfinger (Mayne Stage)
You will finish reading this week's edition and have "No Matter What" stuck in your head. You're welcome. Or "Baby Blue" if you watched through to the end of Breaking Bad, or so I've been told.

Liquid Soul (Abbey Pub)
First Sunday of the month residency for Mars Williams and company.

Bob Mould with Ryley Walker (City Winery)   SOLD OUT!
See Saturday's listing, albeit at a different venue.