Decent Days and Nights
By Julene McCoy in Arts & Entertainment on Jan 8, 2007 6:46PM
Is anyone else all disappointed in how short a two-day weekend seems now? Chicagoist is. Schuba’s is making sure that by mid-week their mid-winter fest will be keeping us out of the cold. The Tomorrow Never Knows fest brings together indie acts during the worst (in theory) weather of the year. A couple of our faves from the TNK line-up this week hail from Brooklyn and Indiana, respectively.
Let us get to Wednesday’s possibilities with French Kicks. Borne of the DC hardcore scene, the band has added a multi-instrumentalist handyman to their live line-up giving them even more leeway when it comes to producing their garage/punk/pop sound live. The self-imposed pressure during the recording of Two Thousand has paid off with deeper lyrical writing and added introspection.
Schuba’s, Jan. 10, 9:00 p.m., 18+, $15.
Thursday night Schuba’s will welcome Margot & the Nuclear So and Sos to the Tomorrow Never Knows festival. Another pop collective that throws more folk in the mix than most bands touring these days. This is one of those bands that we need to see for ourselves before we jump on the bandwagon, and this is the perfect opportunity.
Schuba’s, Jan. 11, 9:00 p.m., 18+, $15.
Schuba’s ain’t the only place in town with game this week. Friday night it’s Mission of Burma’s night at the Double Door. These guys had the 33rd best record of 2006 as counted down by Pitchfork. That should tell us right there that they aren't just looking for the quick fame, but an outlet for their artistic needs. An intimate setting to hear the band that is the godfather to all our favorite bands.
Double Door, Jan. 12, 9:00 p.m., 21+, $22.50.
The Hideout caps the week off with the show everyone has been waiting patiently for after purchasing tickets weeks, if not months, ago. Andrew Bird is a difficult guy to label — is it the violin, the whistling, the cute factor, the experimentation or ability to really defy pigeonholing that makes our hometown guy one of the hottest tickets in town? Who cares? When someone’s got it, they've got it.
Hideout, Jan. 13, 9:00 p.m., 21+, sold out.
No matter which route we take — chilling with the experienced songmakers or arriving to hear the hope of a new sound — this week there are a lot of Decent Days and Nights in music. Elvis would be proud.