July 3, 2008

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Wzt Hearts, Thank You These days any band that takes the long way to get where it’s going gets labeled “psych,” and Baltimore’s WZT HEARTS (the first word is pronounced “wet,” to Wm. Safire’s mortification, I’m sure) are definitely a scenic-route sort of band. Genre distinctions are bullshit, but if you’re someone with discriminatin’ taste like me, you might rather snack on a urinal cake than listen to another mis­begotten “psych” album. Fear not: Wzt Hearts are a noise band! Or at least a noisy band, their long groans of low-freq rumble carved with indelicate fissures of analog synth. The quartet’s latest, 2007’s Threads Rope Spell Making Your Bones (Carpark), is informed by a particularly dry German minimalism, the most claustrophonic parts of Gavin Bryars’s The Sinking of the Titanic, and the Boredoms’ more recent output, with the rave joy replaced entirely by a suicidal malaise. Seasick drone with ominous clicking is probably just what your summer needs. —Jessica Hopper
Wzt Hearts' MySpace page

THANK YOU hail from Baltimore, but if I had to guess I’d think they were from Colorado or California or anywhere else you can bomb down a snow-covered slope fast enough to kill someone. The tunes on Terrible Two, the band’s Thrill Jockey debut, alternate between blurry blowout guitar and lurching spook-house organ, with Elke Wardlaw’s flailing drums well in the lead and the occasional vocal chant taking up the rear. Much of the thrill comes from the promise of an ugly collision just around the corner, but on record, at least, none of the musicians ever smack into each other. Jeffrey McGrath and Michael Bouyoucas switch off on guitar, bass, and organ; Emmanuel Nicolaidis, who previously played with Bouyoucas in More Dogs, replaced Wardlaw on drums before the album’s release. He has quite some shoes to fill. —Bill Meyer
Thank You's page at the Thrill Jockey site

Wzt Hearts headline, Thank You plays second, and Gilgamesh opens.  9 PM, Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western, 773-276-3600 or 866-468-3401, $7.

Alkaline Trio Reggie’s Rock Club, 9 PM (for tickets see mpshows.com)

Anberlin headlines the Cornerstone Festival Cornerstone Farm, Marietta, 10:15 PM

Marcia Ball, the Lee Boys, and others play the American Music Festival (see page 44) FitzGerald’s, 5 PM

Bhangra Wars Smart Bar, 10 PM

BT Enclave, 9 PM

Kaiser Cartel, Laureates Schubas, 9 PM

Cham headlines the African/Caribbean International Festival of Life (see page 50) Washington Park, 8:30 PM

Matt & Kim, the Death Set, Hollywood Holt Hideout, 9 PM, RSVP at viceland.com/talesofcolt45

Charles McPherson Jazz Showcase, 7 and 9 PM

Matt & Kim, Monotonix, Mannequin Men, Team Robespierre, Crystal Antlers The Mansion, 7 PM

Ted Nugent and Big Head Todd & the Monsters headline Naperville Ribfest Knoch Park, 8 PM

People in Planes Beat Kitchen, 9 PM

Nicholas Tremulis Hideout, 6:30 PM

The Verve Pipe headlines Freedom Fest Park District field, Wheeling, 9:30 PM

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ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO Everybody knows a brush with death makes a man reevaluate his life, and Alejandro Escovedo did just that after his near fatal struggle with hepatitis C between 2003 and 2005. But he doesn’t sound morbid or sentimental on the terrific new Real Animal (Back Porch/Manhattan)—he sounds wiser and tougher. Written with Chuck Prophet, it’s the hardest-rocking record of Escovedo’s 17-year solo career, brilliantly reconciling his fondness for string sections with an invigorating guitar crunch—and he spends much of it telling clear-eyed stories of his early days playing punk with the Nuns (who opened the final Sex Pistols concert in ’78) and snappy country-rock with Rank and File. Strewn amid the sober reminiscences are truisms like the chorus of “People (We’re Only Gonna Live So Long),” which get their real power not from what they say on their face but from the take-it-or-leave-it sneer in Escovedo’s Dylanesque delivery: “We still got time,” he sings, “but never quite as much as we think.” In “Golden Bear,” which echoes Bowie’s “Ashes to Ashes,” he sounds downright fearful (“There’s a creature in my blood”), and on “Slow Down” he balances his world-weary cynicism against the electric immediacy of fresh romance. Escovedo performs as part of Taste of Chicago; see page 42 for a complete schedule.  3 PM, Petrillo Music Shell, Grant Park, Columbus and Jackson, 312-744-3315. F A —Peter Margasak
Alejandro Escovedo's MySpace page

Beenie Man headlines the African/Caribbean International Festival of Life (see page 50) Washington Park, 8 PM

Filligar, the Coast Schubas, 10 PM

Garaj Mahal Green Mill, 9 PM

Charles McPherson Jazz Showcase, 8 and 10 PM

Over the Rhine, the Lee Boys, and others play the Cornerstone Festival Cornerstone Farm, Marietta, 10:30 AM

Primus, Widespread Panic, Of Montreal, Modest Mouse, the Drive-By Truckers, Snoop Dogg, and others play the Rothbury Festival Rothbury, Michigan, 12:30 PM

REO Speedwagon and the Turtles headline Naperville Ribfest Knoch Park, 7:15 PM

Sound Conspiracy, Million Dollar Mano Subterranean, 9:30 PM

The Waco Brothers, Marcia Ball, and others play the American Music Festival (see page 44) FitzGerald’s, 1:30 PM

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ANIMAL LAW Chicago’s latest entry in the avant-metal sweepstakes is a Cthulhu-oid monster of a supergroup: Blake Edwards, aka Vertonen; Jason Soliday of Behold! the Living Corpse; Gays in the Military vet Geoffrey Alan Guy; and former Flying Luttenbachers and Cheer-Accident mainstay Dylan Posa. They’ve been working on a full-length for a tentative fall release, and their chosen sound is roaring, cavernous, and ominous—like a set of Edgar Allan Poe-model bells being smacked about by Keiji Haino’s head mounted on an ax handle. Soliday’s baritone guitar and Edwards’s artfully violent percussion (which often involves large pieces of steel being brought into sudden contact) do much to give these heavy, heavy tracks their abandoned-factory feel. Plague Bringer headlines, Animal Law plays third, Big Knife goes second, and Al-Thawra opens.  6 PM, Ronny’s, 2101 N. California, myspace.com/ronnysbar, $5. —Monica Kendrick
Animal Law's MySpace page

CHRIS SAATHOFF FOUNDATION BENEFIT So many healthy sub-sub-subgenres have evolved from the eclectic back catalogs of SST, Dischord, and Touch and Go that it’s easy to stick to one little plot of Indie Acres and forget to look over the fence. This self-pigeonholing is kinda stupid and childish, and there’s no better tribute to the memory of Chris “Playboy” Saathoff than the diversity on display at this show, a benefit for the nonprofit foundation his parents established in his name to support the art of music and help kids in need. Saathoff was killed by a hit-and-run driver more than four years ago, but his openness to the joy of creating music continues to resonate among those who knew him, and tonight’s lineup of his collaborators and friends is testament to it. Saathoff played drums with Alex White in her pre-Red Orchestra garage duo, and as White Mystery, which opens the show, she’s returning to that minimalist format with her little brother Francis. Playing second is Mt. St. Helens, whose indie polyglot veers from post-hardcore to post-rock. Third are local troubled teens the Smith Westerns, whose Black Lips-inspired ruckus proves there are good ways to be kinda stupid and childish. Closing out the bill is Chin Up Chin Up, Saathoff’s old band, which survived this tragedy to release two more albums of lovely, wistful indie rock. The Victim of Time DJs spin throughout, and everybody who pays cover gets hot dogs from Red Hot Chicago and a raffle ticket (prizes include a $100 gift certificate from Reckless and an hour of tattoo work at Metamorphosis).  9 PM, Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia, 773-227-4433 or 866-468-3401, $10. —Brian Costello
White Mystery's MySpace page
The MySpace page for Mt. St. Helens
The Smith Westerns' MySpace page
Chin Up Chin Up's MySpace page

DAVE GONZALEZ Guitarist Dave Gonzalez was one of the two songwriters at the heart of the Hacienda Brothers; the other, vocalist Chris Gaffney, died of liver cancer in April at age 57, just a few months after they finished their third and final studio album, Arizona Motel. Self-released on June 24, it’s more of what the Brothers called “western soul,” with Gaffney’s warm, gently scuffed voice evoking the legacy of Stax Records while the band stays firmly rooted in hard-core honky-tonk. Five of the tracks were produced by Dan Penn, one of the greatest songwriters in southern soul, who was also behind the board for the band’s self-titled 2005 debut. But Gonzalez won’t be hyping the new record here—instead he’s using this tour as a sort of therapy, paying tribute to his fallen friend. He’s a decent singer himself and an excellent roots guitarist, and though his road band doesn’t include any of the other surviving Hacienda Brothers, he’s put together a strong lineup that includes the great Austin steel guitarist Dave Biller. He plays as part of FitzGerald’s American Music Festival; see page 44 for a complete schedule.  8:15 PM, FitzGerald’s, 6615 Roosevelt, Berwyn, 708-788-2118 or 312-559-1212, $30, $5 children under 12. —Peter Margasak
The Hacienda Brothers' Web site

LORDS This Louisville punk-metal monstrosity has released a couple of brilliant records—2005’s Swords being particularly well received—but I’m thinking that front man Chris Owens may have a career as a writer waiting for him: his account of the band’s dealings with a Canadian promoter who shall remain nameless (just poke around a bit at louisvillehardcore.com) makes for some pretty hilarious reading. Lords’ new album, cathartically titled Fuck All Y’all Motherfuckers, was almost a digital-only release on Jade Tree, a state of affairs this aggressively old-school act found unsatisfactory. Fortunately it’s being released by Metal Blade bedfellows Black Market Activities instead: its brutal, high-energy heft deserves a real fuckin’ metal label behind it. Hewhocorrupts headlines, Suicide Note plays third, Lords go second, and Raise the Red Lantern opens.  9:30 PM, Beat Kitchen, 2100 W. Belmont, 773-281-4444 or 866-468-3401, $10, $8 in advance, 17+. —Monica Kendrick
Lords' MySpace page

Steve Miller Band “As time marches through the ages / Macho men always shootin’ up history’s pages / Takin’ over this / Takin’ over that . . . El Salvador, Afghanistan / Ask those people about the macho plan,” sang Steve Miller on “Macho City,” a deeply weird 16-minute avant-disco cut released as a single in Europe (backed by “Fly Like an Eagle”) shortly before “Abracadabra” topped the charts in 1982. You might think of the Steve Miller Band as end-of-the-party cool-down music for wasted jock douche bags, but look, in the early 1980s Miller was channeling his rage into ruthless funk and kicking Reaganomics in the nuts. Joe Cocker opens. 7:30 PM, First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, I-80 & Harlem, Tinley Park, 708-614-1616 or 312-559-1212, $20-$59.50. —Jessica Hopper
The Steve Miller Band's Web site

As I Lay Dying headlines the Cornerstone Festival Cornerstone Farm, Marietta, 9:45 PM

B-Girl Power “Power” Party with Ang 13, Yakira, Kuumba Lynx, and others Elastic, 8 PM

Chop Tops Reggie’s Rock Club, 8 PM

Los Dynamite Metro, 8 PM

Robbie Fulks, Dave Alvin & the Guilty Men, and others play the American Music Festival (see page 44) FitzGerald’s, 1:30 PM

The Gin Blossoms headline Freedom Fest Park District field, Wheeling, 5 PM

Charles McPherson Jazz Showcase, 8 and 10 PM

The Mickey Hart Band headlines the Lake View Music Fest Sheffield and Addison, 7:30 PM

Headlights, Decibully Empty Bottle, 10 PM

Gregory Isaacs headlines the African/Caribbean International Festival of Life (see page 50) Washington Park, 8:30 PM

Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and Foghat headline Naperville Ribfest Knoch Park, 8 PM

Kode9, Chris Widman, Phaded Sonotheque, 9 PM

The Dave Matthews Band, Crystal Method, the Black Keys, the Dresden Dolls, and others play the Rothbury Festival Rothbury, Michigan, 12:30 PM

Markus Schulz Vision, 10 PM

Bonnie Raitt headlines Taste of Chicago (see page 42) Petrillo Music Shell, Grant Park, 5:30 PM

Russian Circles Schubas, 7 and 10:30 PM

“Weird” Al Yankovic Star Plaza Theatre, Merrillville, Indiana, 8 PM

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RICK ROSS One of my goals for the summer, besides cutting my hair and finishing a book, was to not fall in like with any Rick Ross songs. They’re all about money and cocaine shipments and the unique pleasure of being Rick Ross, and seeing as we’re nuzzling la fin du monde thanks to American Capitalism™ and the pursuit of the dollar at all costs, the last thing I want from my escapist summer playlist is a reminder. (Plus I’m straight-edge—what the hell I know ’bout a kilo?) “The Boss,” the T-Pained second single from Big Ricky’s latest, Trilla (Slip-N-Slide/Def Jam), is about making bank from moving weight and what kind of power and vagina that gets you—but nonetheless I know all the words. Young Jeezy headlines; Ross, Shawty Lo, and Rocko open.  8 PM, Premier Entertainment Center, 300 W. Sibley, Dolton, 708-849-8788 or 312-559-1212, $75. —Jessica Hopper
Rick Ross's page at the Def Jam site

Trace Adkins and the Average White Band headline Naperville Ribfest Knoch Park, 8:15 PM

Aly & AJ, A Cursive Memory, and Keke Palmer perform at Taste of Chicago (see page 42) Petrillo Music Shell, Grant Park, 2 PM

Barbara Cook Ravinia Festival, 7 PM

The Mickey Hart Band headlines the Lake View Music Fest Sheffield and Addison, 6 PM

Phil Lesh & Friends, John Mayer, Atmosphere, Taj Mahal, Ingrid Michaelson, and others play the Rothbury Festival Rothbury, Michigan, 1 PM

Charles McPherson Jazz Showcase, 4, 8, and 10 PM

Jason Reeves, Brendan James Schubas, 7 PM

Junior Reid headlines the African/Caribbean International Festival of Life (see page 50) Washington Park, 8 PM

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Barbara Cook Ravinia Festival, 8 PM

Dropkick Murphys, Mighty Mighty Bosstones Charter One Pavilion, 6 PM

Teddy Geiger, Hilary McRae House of Blues, 6:30 PM

Le Loup Pritzker Pavilion, 12:15 PM

Nicholas Tremulis Orchestra Schubas, 9 PM

Viva L’American Death Ray Music, Headache City Empty Bottle, 9 PM

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WOLF PARADE A couple months ago I had an experience so strange and profound that I’m still trying to figure it out. On a drizzly evening in Seattle I wandered the empty waterfront in the grip of an escalating malaise, one that began as extreme self-consciousness and ramped up to near paranoiac anxiety. The air quivered, the streets breathed—and did I mention I had my iPod on, playing Wolf Parade’s debut full-length, 2005’s Apologies to the Queen Mary? (The title’s a nod to their Riot House-style destructo-antics after a show on the famous floating hotel.) It was the perfect soundtrack to this wondrous, awful episode, mirroring as well as amplifying my raw-nerved state. Though their songs unfold languidly, the prickly dueling guitars (a la Television) and uptight vocals (a la Gary Numan crossbred with a whippet) create constantly shifting tensions. The tracks on the new At Mount Zoomer (Sub Pop) are longer—and derived from improvisations, according to the band—but that almost paradoxical contradiction remains, and vexing synths deepen the textures and heighten the psychodrama. It’s enough to turn a bad trip good or a good one weird. Listening Party opens.  6:30 PM, House of Blues, 329 N. Dearborn, 312-923-2000 or 312-559-1212, $20-$22. —J. Niimi
Wolf Parade's MySpace page

Boys Like Girls, Good Charlotte, Metro Station Congress Theater, 5 PM

Brazzaville Elbo Room, 8:30 PM

Snoop Dogg, 311, Fiction Plane First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, 6:30 PM

Van Morrison Rosemont Theatre, 7:30 PM

Virginia Coalition Schubas, 9 PM

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THE MAE SHI Till now the Mae Shi has played like a band in search of a Ritalin sales rep—like manically creative overgrown children turned loose in a warehouse of yard-sale electronics and off-brand guitars, emitting affected yelps that sounded like something being suddenly molested in a crowd over and over again. If you peered closely into the high-speed fuzzed-out twitching, though (pausing and rewinding as needed), you’d swear you saw some bona fide big ideas flying by. Sure enough, on HLLLYH (Team Shi) they slow down just enough to give you a decent look around, and what do you see? God, of all things. He’s all over the record, omniscient and threatening, cheerfully violent like a child turning a hose on an anthill, and the band runs around frantically celebrating the pretty colors in the apocalyptic sky. The Death Set and Bang! Bang! open.  9 PM, Abbey Pub, 3420 W. Grace, 773-478-4408 or 866-468-3401, $12, $10 in advance, 18+. —Monica Kendrick
Videos page from the Mae Shi's site

Alkaline Trio House of Blues, 6 PM, sold out

Bluerunners Martyrs’, 8 PM

Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Joshua Bell Ravinia Festival, 8 PM

George Michael United Center, 8 PM

Grant Lee Phillips Schubas, 9 PM

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