list.in.to.chicago this week: 03.01.2004

In case you didn't pick up on it from last week, it's my birthday. As such, you're cordially invited to come out tonight to Bad Dog or tomorrow to Vaughan's to buy me a fucking drink, goddammit.

Have a nice day.

Oh, and somebody tell Metromix that the Elvis Costello show got rescheduled. It's not tonight.

Pick of the week
This week, I get to be self-serving without promoting one of my own shows. Come out tonight for the Dana Lawrence Trio, and stay for the newly-minted 34-year-old trying to obliterate memories of his 33rd year through hoppy beverages in the company of friends!

list.in.to.COZ
I know what you're thinking. What the hell is prog-boy doing in a hip-hop band? Come check out Abi Cruz on Saturday (Major Hall, 5660 West Grand) to find out. And the birthday celebration continues at Vaughan's on Tuesday.

Recap
Fat Tuesday was rollicking at Vaughan's, with Niki from The Paramours helping out while Anto was in Miami. The rest is mostly a blur, but here goes. EXO rocked hard and long on Friday, as did Regal Standard, only not quite as hard or as long. Quote of the night from Schmevie, of EXO: "Why can't we be in a band this cool?"

Now that I've tripped all your spam and porn filters (Beavis: "huh huh...long," Butthead: "uh huh...hard"), the Nitrous Foxide show was big and raucous, even by our big and raucous standards. That said, I found myself unable to do tricky drum shit, which concerns me a little. The Changes played to a crowded house (as opposed to playing Crowded House) at Double Door last night, and played well. Headliners Elefant sounded a lot like Interpol, but it could just be that they share influences. It's just a lot easier to say they sounded like Interpol. And I feel like I had heard Life at Sea before, but I can't say where.

Actually, I could say where, but I'd be pretty much making it up, and I respect you too much to lie to you like that.

3.01   monday
Dana Lawrence Trio (Bad Dog)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
I'd be pimping this one for Dana even if it wasn't a terribly convenient time and place for a birthday celebration. Bad Dog is located across the street from the Old Town School of Folk Music, on Lincoln just south of Wilson. Music starts 9:30ish, and I'll likely be there a bit earlier.

Corey Radford/Scott Anderson Quartet (Joy Blue)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Scott, Corey, Paul and some other guy I don't know take their weekly jazz offering from Wicker Park to Wrigleyville, where I'm much more likely to go see them. Just not this week.

3.02   tuesday
Open Mike (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
If you'd actually like to hear me sing on or around the occasion of my birth, I've got some new tunes in the repertoire (anybody remember The Firm?) and maybe some originals up my sleeve this time out. Musicians and singers are heartily encouraged to come out and get on stage. Don't be shy, I've set the bar really low. Seriously. I have to bend over to get my drink.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs with Ssion, Entrance (Metro)   SOLD OUT!
Lots of people talking about this one. What irks me is that tickets were allegedly available when I checked on Tuesday or so, then they were sold out by the time I got to the box office on Thursday. I would have figured they'd be out by Friday, when most of the critics' choices hit newsstands. At the end of the day, no big loss, as the friend that wanted to go bailed on me anyway.

3.03   wednesday
Tributosaurus, Motion to Fix   FRIENDS OF COZ!
This month, they become Little Feat. Should be interesting, if a bit far from the public consciousness. I would imagine that means it's catered more to fans of the band playing than the band being played, which has always been part of the equation, sure, but maybe not to such a strong degree.

3.04   thursday
McCoy Tyner (Jazz Showcase)
Tyner is certainly one of the giants of jazz piano, but part of me (mostly the unemployed part) bristles at the fact that Joe Segal is charging 50% more than the usual cover for this four-night stand.

Neil Young and Crazy Horse (Rosemont Theatre)   SOLD OUT!
This is the concert part of the Young's Greendale movie, or something like that. I'm not exactly sure how the tour and movie fit together, but I do know that there's a tour, and there's a movie. Which may or may not be more than you knew about this before. While the first show is sold out (of the two-night live stand, not the movie -- did I mention there's a movie?), tickets remain for Friday's show.

3.05   friday
Bob Dylan (Aragon Ballroom)   SOLD OUT!
Yeah, I'm not being much help this week if you actually want to go see shows, but at least you know what's going on, right? Dylan's doing three nights at progressively smaller venues, and I can't remember for the life of me when this was actually announced and tickets went on sale. I guess I really am getting old.

Rock Star Club, Sour Deluxe, Woolworth, The Bon Mots (Double Door)
Party like it's 1999 with a bunch of bands who have been around since then. Give or take a couple of years, but again, I'm not paid enough to do actual research. It's a CD release party for both Sour Deluxe and Rock Star Club, but the latter has much cooler posters up at the venue.

Clarence Clemons and the Temple of Soul (Joe's)
I believe this is the sequel to Nils Lofgren and the Last Crusade. For whatever reason, the advertisers seem to think that John Eddie being in the band (or on the bill, I can't tell) is somehow going to tip the scales in favor of going.

Neil Young and Crazy Horse (Rosemont Theatre)
Apparently, Neil Young released a movie. Why doesn't anyone tell me about these things?

3.06   saturday
Abi Cruz CD Release Party (Major Hall and Tap)   SEE COZ LIVE!
We've finally rescheduled after the flu took out half the band back in December. If I might refresh your memory, Cruz is the Puerto Rican hip-hop-doo-wop singer I've been working with. That should cause you enough cognitive dissonance (with regard to my usual genres) to warrant a look. Major Hall is at 5660 West Grand, just southwest of the intersection of Fullerton and Central.

Liftpoint with Inept, Shades of Fiction, Infrared (Metro)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Some of you might remember that Liftpoint singer/guitarist Lucas Guariglia was Gene's guitar tech the one time URT played Metro. Most of you probably don't, but I'm not going to hold it against you.

Bob Dylan (Riviera Theatre)   SOLD OUT!
Seriously, did this just happen when I wasn't looking, or is it just that it sold out so quickly that they barely had to advertise? Could have been both, I guess.

Don Caballero with Dianogah, Taking Pictures (Empty Bottle)
If I remember it right from the one time I actually braved the Fireside Bowl, these guys are what punks think prog rock sounds like.

3.07   sunday
Bob Dylan (Vic Theatre)   SOLD OUT!
Okay, Dylan at the Vic would just be cool, not to mention impossible to find tickets for.