Chicago shows, etc.

I started back at work a couple of days ago, and already I'm really feeling the brunt of waking up at 5:45 AM. It's been incredibly slow this week, and I'm feeling especially tired today. (The only thing really keeping me awake here at work right now is writing in this stupid blog.) Thus, I will most likely and regrettably miss Oneida along with Kinski and Plastic Crimewave tonight at the Empty Bottle.

I know there will be many, many more shows I will be forced to miss in the (near) future. Some of them will probably include:

* Of Montreal @ the Abbey Pub (Fri. Sept. 2)
* High on Fire @ the Double Door (Sun. Sept. 4)
* Merzbow @ The Empty Bottle (Wed. Sept. 7)
* Little Brother @ the Abbey Pub (Thurs. Sept. 8)
* Circle @ the Empty Bottle (Tues. Sept. 13)
* Lau Nau with other bands from Finland @ the Empty Bottle (Sun. Sept. 18) (arrrgh...starts at midnight!)
* The Wire presents "Adventures in Modern Music" - Sept. 21 to Sept. 25 at the Empty Bottle - Unfortunately I will most likely miss most of the nights; however, I will probably not miss the Earth/Gang Gang Dance/Pita show on Sat. Sept. 24th
* 13 & God & Black Dice @ the Abbey Pub (Fri. Sept. 23)
* T. Raumschmiere @ the Empty Bottle (Mon. Sept. 26)
* M.I.A. @ the Metro (Wed. Sept. 28)
* Arcade Fire @ the Riviera (Wed. Sept. 28) sold out
* Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings @ the Double Door (Sat. Oct. 1)
* The Dirty Three @ the Metro (Sat. Oct. 15)
* The New Pornographers @ the Metro (Thurs. Oct. 20)
* The Coup @ the Abbey Pub (Fri. Oct. 21)
* Wolf Eyes @ the Empty Bottle (Fri. Oct. 21)
* The Go! Team @ the Metro (Sat. Oct. 29)
* Quintron @ the Empty Bottle (Mon. Oct. 31)
* Broadcast @ the Abbey Pub (Fri. Nov. 4)
* Konono No. 1 @ Logan Square Auditorium (Fri. Nov. 11)
* RJD2 @ the Abbey Pub (Sat. Nov. 12)

I guess another notable show would be Dungen, who are playing two shows in one night at the Bottle in early October. I "caught on" late despite all the hype thrown their way, from some friends of mine to pitchfork to just about everybody, it seems. Although I admit that Ta Det Lugnt is a well-made album, I find a bit boring. Both shows will easily sell out.

So, some of the shows listed above will be added to the following (partial) list of notable shows I missed this year:

* Parts & Labor @ the Empty Bottle
* Sir Richard Bishop @ the Empty Bottle (free show)
* The Perceptionists @ the Empty Bottle
* Roots Manuva @ the Empty Bottle
* The Books @ the Empty Bottle
* Prefuse 73/Battles/Beans @ the Empty Bottle
* Deerhoof @ Open-End & the Empty Bottle
* The Pagans @ the Empty Bottle
* The Boredoms @ Logan Square Auditorium
* The Champs @ the Empty Bottle
* Sightings @ Subterranean
* Mouse on Mars @ Sonotheque
* Need New Body @ the Open-End (out of town)
* The A-Frames @ the Empty Bottle (out of town)
* Oh No with Diverse @ the Empty Bottle (out of town)
* Smog @ the Empty Bottle (out of town)
* Tortoise @ the Empty Bottle
* Ruins @ The Bottom Lounge

I also missed the Intonation Festival here in Chicago due to the roadtrip. However, I don't know if I would've gone (or even enjoyed it had I gone), mostly due to how hot it's been in Chicago this summer. Besides, the only band I really wanted to see there was the Go! Team, who I'll probably see this fall at the Metro.

Anyway, the list above is only a partial list of shows I've missed in 2005. Out of the shows I did attend this year, the best were:

1. Six Organs of Admittance @ the Empty Bottle
2. Gang Gang Dance @ the Empty Bottle
3. The Animal Collective @ the Empty Bottle
4. LCD Soundsystem & M.I.A. @ the Metro
5. Gang of Four @ the Metro
6. Slint @ the Metro

As you can tell from the lists above, most of the shows I attend are at the Empty Bottle. The Bottle, mostly based on the sheer quantity and quality of shows, is my favorite venue ever. I may be going off on a limb, but I dare say that it's the best venue in terms of quantity and quality in the good ol' US of A. New York may be the best city for shows, but the venues in Manhattan and Brooklyn (specifically the Knitting Factory and North Six) are always competing for shows.

Here's my take on other Chicago venues:

* The Metro: Bigger acts ranging from teen-friendly "emo" bands to very hyped budding stars (e.g., M.I.A.) to reunited underground bands of yesteryear (e.g., Slint) to indie rock stars (Sleater-Kinney) play here. To me, this is a huge venue with a capacity of 1,110. The sound in the theatre has been very good at the shows I've been to; however, if you want to buy tickets via internet, you have to go through ticketmaster. Also, the security is a little excessive - they wear yellow shirts with SECURITY written across the back and you get patted down before entering. Still, it's the quality of bands that make the shows, and every show I've been to there has been excellent.
* Logan Square Auditorium: Located in the heart of quickly appreciating Logan Square, this is a fairly large venue (around 700 capacity) that occasionally books great shows. However, the acoustics of the auditorium sucks.
* The Hideout: Located in the "middle of nowhere," in an industrial area slightly northeast of Bucktown, the Hideout is mainly known for its weekly alt-country shows and dance parties, which can be quite fun. I was supposed to be one of the DJs for the July 4th party, but, alas, I was in St. Louis. I accidently went to the Ted Leo show there last summer thinking that there was a dance party - the dance party was after the show. Every fall, they have the Hideout Block Party. This year's one features the dB's, who have recently reunited. Last year featured Mouse on Mars and Mahjongg.
* The Double Door: Although located in the heart of Wicker Park, there aren't too many good shows that play here. I've only been there once - for the Dizzee Rascal show, which was good, by the way - but unless you're really close to the stage, it's a little difficult to see the stage, even if you're tall. The stage is kind of small and the venue itself is weirdly shaped. It's not too bad, and supposedly even the Stones have played in this 473-capacity venue...but typically, making a short trek to the Empty Bottle in Ukrainian Village is the better bet.
* The Abbey Pub is a bar/restaurant that serves as a quaint music venue during the evenings. Most underground hip hop acts (at least on the Northside) seem to play here. They'll occasionally "steal" other notable non-hip-hop acts here, too. For example, I saw Comets on Fire there a few months ago. The only realy problem with the Abbey Pub is that it's located significantly northwest of where most of the "action" is at, i.e., Wicker Park, Ukrainian Village, Logan Square.
* Schubas is partly restaurant and partly a bar with a separate room that's a music venue. Like the Abbey Pub, it's a quaint venue that occasionally gets worthwhile artists to perform. I went there for the first time last year for the DVD release party for the Polyphonic Spree (who I detest) because they were serving free booze. Unfortunately, it wasn't worth it because I only got two drinks because they fucking ran out.
* Subterranean: Also centrally located at the Wicker Park-Bucktown border (like the Double Door), the quality of shows at this venue is hit or miss. A recently reunited Olivia Tremor Control played there the night before their free show at the Wicker Park Festival, and Merzbow will be there in the near future.
* Park West: I've never been to Park West, but I've read and heard that this 1,400-capacity part-time venue has the best sound in all of Chicago, and it's also supposed to be the most beautiful. Not too many shows (at least shows I'm interested in) play there, although I know that Slint played their last Chicago show there.
* The Vic also holds 1,400 and is also supposed to be very nice. Bigger and more nationally-established bands such as Wilco often play there. I've never been there.
* The Riviera is a huge venue topping out at around 2,500. I've never been there, but I hear it's nice. I believe the Pixies played four or five straight nights there last fall...or maybe it was at the Aragon.
* House of Blues: Located in downtown, there's almost always no reason to ever want to go there, unless I want to shell out ridiculous cash to see Common or De La Soul. I think Iron and Wine might have actually played there last fall.
* The Aragon: Big, established bands, such as Sleater-Kinney, play here, if they're not playing at places like the Metro, the Riviera, or the Vic. If the Pixies didn't play here, I think they played at the Riviera.
* The Fireside Bowl: This hipster bowling alley in Logan Square used to have a lot more shows in the past, but the owner decided to put an end to that last August. (My friend Sean and I actually DJ-ed the last night of the non-bowling night last August.) However, I guess he had a change of heart because they are starting to have shows there again. The shows are usually all-ages, which means that, overall, the crowds tend to be younger, unless you're drinking at the bar, which I did throughout Erase Errata's set last summer. The shows have the feel of high school punk shows, with the shitty sound and young hipster-punks, although usually not quite as bad...unless some emo band is playing.
* The Bottom Lounge: Although I've never been there, I picture the Bottom Lounge to be a "more upscale" "real venue" version of the Fireside, based on shows there. From looking at bands on their schedule I read off the Chicago Reader, crappy emo-y bands frequent this place often, although they've been booking bigger indie rock bands (such as Xiu Xiu and Pretty Girls Make Graves) more often as of late. They even booked a band I really wanted to see but totally forgot about - Ruins. Doh!!!
* Buddy, Camp Gay, Heaven: Camp Gay and Buddy are artist-run lofts that have recently become defunct. Camp Gay seemed to have more interesting shows, although their shows had been scarce the past year...ever since I moved to Chicago. Buddy, although they sometimes had surprising bands and artists come play (such as Calvin Johnson), seemed more interested in throwing hipster parties, which I tended to avoid due to obnoxious hipsters who seemed more interested in trying to look outrageous and cool rather than focus on the arts. However, despite the obnoxious hipster aspect of these lofts, I think they serve (or served) a great function - pushing art and spawning creativity (whether musically or visually) not unlike Nightlight in Chapel Hill. Luckily, Heaven is still there, although they rarely, if ever, have music shows. But this is Chicago, and that means that sooner rather than later, another artist-loft will pick up the slack where Camp Gay and Buddy left off.