This is basically the worst week in the world for concerts.  And by worst, I mean full of too many choices.  I’ll be at the Brandi Carlile show at SPACE on Wednesday, and at DeVotchKa at Lincoln Hall on Saturday.  The rest of the week is up in the air.  I’ll probably be sobbing under my desk rather than making any real decisions.

Monday, October 11
Robbie Fulks, Hideout. 7 pm, $10 suggested donation
Belle and Sebastian, Smith Westerns; Chicago Theatre. 7:30 pm, $42.50
AA Bondy, Schubas. 8 pm, $12-14
Miike Snow, Riviera Theatre. 8 pm, $25
Jennifer Knapp, Lincoln Hall. 8 pm, $20
Neon Indian, Metro. 9 pm, $18

Tuesday, October 12
Alejandro Escovedo and the Sensitive Boys, Lincoln Hall. 8 pm, $20-25

Wednesday, October 13
Guided by Voices, Times New Viking; Riviera Theatre. 8 pm, sold out
Kevin O’Donnell’s Fall Spectacular; Martyrs. 8 pm, $8
Brandi Carlile, Katie Herzig; SPACE. 8 pm, sold out
Marc Cohn, Park West. 8 pm, $35
The Walkmen, Japandroids, Miniature Tigers; Metro. 9 pm, $21
Jukebox the Ghost, Elizabeth and the Catapult, Ruby Coast; Schubas. 9 pm, $10-12

Thursday, October 14
The New Pornographers, Tokyo Police Club; the Vic. 8 pm, $30
Edie Carey, Rose Cousins; SPACE. 8 pm, $12-22
Four Tet, Matthew Dear, Jon Hopkins; Metro. 9 pm, $19
Bell X1, James Vincent McMorrow; Schubas. 9 pm, sold out

Friday, October 15
Patty Loveless; Old Town School of Folk Music. 7 pm & 10 pm, $34-38
Sufjan Stevens, Chicago Theatre. 8 pm, sold out
K’Naan; Park West. 8:30 pm, $22.50-25
Massive Attack, Martina Topley Bird; Riviera Theatre. 8:30 pm, $40
DeVotchKa, Angus and Julia Stone, Scotland Yard Gospel Choir; Lincoln Hall. 8:30 pm, $25
Robbie Fulks, Dave Gonzalez and the Stone River Boys; FitzGerald’s. 9 pm, $15
Rocky Votolato, Ha Ha Tonka; Beat Kitchen. 9:30 pm, $12-14
The Felice Brothers, Adam Haworth Stephens; Empty Bottle. 10 pm, $15
Califone; Hideout. 10 pm, $12
Jon Drake; Uncommon Ground on Clark. 10 pm, $5 suggested donation

Saturday, October 16
Meshell Ndegeocello, Helen Money; Old Town School of Folk Music. 7 pm & 10 pm, $34-38
Gorillaz; UIC Pavillion. 7:30 pm, $49.50-95
DeVotchKa, Angus and Julia Stone, Scotland Yard Gospel Choir; Lincoln Hall. 8:30 pm, $25
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Langhorne Slim, Jesse Skyes and Phil Wandscher, Mimicking Birds; Double Door. 9 pm, $15-18
Old Devil’s Ball, ft. Jon Langford’s Skull Orchard, Andre Williams and Sally Timms; Martyrs. 9 pm, $12
Joe Pug, The Changes, Vandaveer; Metro. 9 pm, $11

Sunday, October 17
Catie Curtis and Terri Hendrix; Old Town School of Folk Music. 4 pm, $16-20
Lissie, Dylan LeBlanc; Lincoln Hall. 8 pm, $14
The Wildbirds, The Black Atlantic, The Lighthouse and the Whaler, Kevin Andrew Prchal; Beat Kitchen. 8:30 pm, $7
Eli Paperboy Reed; Bottom Lounge. 9 pm, $12

Related posts:

1. This Week in Great Music: 4/5 – 4/11
2. This Week in Great Music – 10/19 – 10/25
3. This Week in Great Music: 10/24 – 10/30

Let’s hope that this week is better than last, where I had a moment of complete brilliance and proceeded to forget all about the show I was supposed to go to on Saturday night.  Sigh.

I’ll be at Lincoln Hall on Wednesday (Fanfarlo) and Thursday (The xx), provided that I don’t forget about those shows, too.

Monday, April 5
Robbie Fulks, The Hoyle Brothers; Hideout.  7 pm, $10 suggested donation
Prohibition Orchestra of Chicago; SPACE.  7:30 pm, $5
Camera Obscura, Princeton; Lincoln Hall.  8 pm, $20
Miike Snow, Light Pollution; Metro.  9 pm, sold out

Tuesday, April 6
Dashboard Confessional, Corey Chisel & the Wandering Sons; House of Blues.  6 pm, $24-27
Julian Casablancas, Funeral Party; the Vic.  7:30 pm, $26
As Tall as Lions, Bad Veins, A Lull; Bottom Lounge.  8 pm, $13
The Low Anthem, Nathaniel Rateliff; Lincoln Hall.  9 pm, $14

Wednesday, April 7
Motion City Soundtrack, Fun, A Rocket To The Moon, Sing It Loud; House of Blues.  5:30 pm, $20.50-22
Titus Andronicus, The Saps, Bully in the Hallway; Bottom Lounge.  8 pm, $10-12
Fanfarlo, Lawrence Arabia, Robert Francis; Lincoln Hall.  9 pm, $12-14
Har Mar Superstar, My Gold Mask, Violetness; Double Door.  9 pm, $10

Thursday, April 8
The xx, Nosaj Thing; Lincoln Hall.  6 pm, sold out
The Horse’s Ha, Ronnie Malley, Wanees Zazour; Chicago Cultural center.  6:30 pm, free
Deer Tick, Those Darlins, Elephant Gun; Bottom Lounge.  8 pm, $13
The xx, jj; Lincoln Hall.  9:30 pm, sold out

Friday, April 9
Drive By Truckers, Langhorne Slim; the Vic.  8 pm, $26
Shawn Mullins, Daphne Willis; SPACE.  8 pm, sold out
The Giving Tree, Todd Kessler and the New Folk, The Shams Band, The Future Laureates; Double Door.  9 pm, $10-15
Edwin McCain Band; Cubby Bear Wrigleyville.  9 pm, $20-25
Japandroids, Avi Buffalo, Lasers and Fast and Shit; Lincoln Hall.  10 pm, $14
The Soft Pack, Male Bonding, Beaters; Empty Bottle.  10 pm, $10-12
Dan Black, Moneypenny, Midnight Conspiracy, DJ SR-71; Schubas.  10:30 pm, $10

Saturday, April 10
Madeleine Peyroux, Nora O’Connor; Old Town School of Folk Music.  7 pm and 10 pm, $34-38
Bill Callahan, Hideout.  7 pm and 10 pm, $20
John Mayer, Michael Franti and Spearhead; United Center.  8 pm, $35-78
Mason Jennings, SPACE.  8 pm, sold out
Owen Pallett, Snowblink; Lincoln Hall.  10 pm, $15
The Smith Westerns, Acrylics, Nurses; Schubas.  10 pm, $8-10

Sunday, April 11
Lang Lang, Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra; Harris Theater.  3 pm, $45-95
Straight No Chaser, Chicago Theatre.  7:30 pm, $25-45
K’Naan, Wale; Metro.  7:30 pm, $20-22

Related posts:

1. This Week in Great Music: 10/11 – 10/17
2. This Week in Great Music: 4/18 – 4/24
3. This Week in Great Music: 11/29 – 12/5

And so it begins – the slow trickle of bands, big and small, making its way to our fair city after playing a ridiculous amount of shows in a ridiculous amount of venues in Austin. The month is only going to get busier, so hang on, it’ll be a wild ride.

As for me, I’ll be at the 10pm show for Alejandro Escovedo on Saturday.  I’m debating hitting up Lincoln Hall on both Wednesday and Sunday.  One peek at my upcoming concert list says that I might as well just move in to Lincoln Hall for the month as it is already.  And that free bill of Daniel Merriweather and Angel Taylor at the Hard Rock on Tuesday is pretty tempting.  It’s free, I enjoy Angel Taylor’s music, there is food at the Hard Rock, and donations are being taken to support Musicians On Call.

Monday, March 29
Janelle Monae, Schubas. 8 pm, sold out
The Powwows, Uncommon Ground (1401 W Devon). 8 pm, $10 suggested donation

Tuesday, March 30
Daniel Merriweather, Angel Taylor; Hard Rock Cafe (63 W Ontario). 6 pm, free
Janelle Monae, Schubas. 8 pm, sold out

Wednesday, March 31
Green River Ordinance, Vedera, Angel Taylor; Lincoln Hall.  7 pm, $12
Serena Maneesh, Bottom Lounge (1375 W Lake). 8 pm, $13-15
The Ruby Suns, Toro y Moi; Schubas. 9 pm, $10
Mike Middleton, Double Door. 9 pm, free

Thursday, April 1
Spoon, Deerhunter, Micachu and the Shapes; The Aragon. 6 pm, $27.50
Woodhands, Light Pollution, This is Versailles, Seafarer; Bottom Lounge. 8 pm, $10
The Powwows, Tamara Bedricky; Uncommon Ground (1401 W Devon). 8 pm, $10 suggested donation
Miles Kurosky, Schubas. 9 pm, $12-14

Friday, April 2
Ingrid Michaelson, Mat Kearney, Cara Salimando; The Riviera. 7 pm, $30
Steve Poltz, Schubas. 7:30 pm, $15
Passion Pit, Mayer Hawthorne and the Count; Congress Theater. 8 pm, sold out
Beach House, Metro. 9 pm, $14-16
Seabear, Via Tania, Soley; Schubas. 10 pm, $12

Saturday, April 3
A Lull, Suns, Group of Altos, Young Sun; Subterranean. 6 pm, $10-12
Audra Mae, Haywood Yards; Martyrs. 7 pm, $8-10
Alejandro Escovedo, Megan McCormick; Old Town School of Folk Music. 7 pm and 10 pm, sold out
Joanna Newsom, Robin Pecknold; The Vic. 7:30 pm, sold out
Xiu Xiu, tUnE-yArDs, Talk Normal, Zola Jesus; Lincoln Hall. 9 pm, $12
Mucca Pazza, Martyrs. 10 pm, $12

Sunday, April 4
Cymbals Eat Guitars, Freelance Whales; Schubas. 6 pm, $12
Miike Snow, Metro. 7 pm, $17-19
The Watson Twins, Daniel Knox; Old Town School of Folk Music. 7:30 pm, $16-20
Cymbals Eat Guitars, Bear in Heaven; Schubas. 9 pm, sold out
Shearwater, Wye Oak, Hospital Ships; Lincoln Hall. 9 pm, $12

Related posts:

1. This Week in Great Music: 4/5 – 4/11
2. This Week in Great Music: 10/11 – 10/17
3. This Week in Great Music: 4/18 – 4/24

[ While I'm busy debating what my own Best of 2009 list will be comprised of, enjoy this guest post. It's a little different in the department of musical fare than you'll usually see offered by me. -S ]

So before you wonder if Sarah has gone all schizophrenic or just decided to listen to drastically different music than her normal mix of Andrew Bird and any number of Wainwrights, this is, in fact a guest post. My name is Mike, I’m a friend of Sarah’s from way back, and am bullying my way onto her blog ’cause it gets a whole lot more traffic than my own site, found at www.landofabsurdity.com. Most people around this time of year release their “Best Of” lists, but as I feel that I don’t listen to enough music to determine what is “Best” (other than crushing your enemies, having them driven before you, and hearing the lamentations of the women). So without further introductions and shameless plugs, I give you, in no particular order, the:

Seven Albums That Came Out in 2009 That Mike Listened To and Enjoyed the Most

Tonight: Franz Ferdinand
When I first heard that Franz Ferdinand was writing a “disco” album, I was preparing for the worst. I mean anytime a band sets out to make a certain type of album, it usually is a flop. What I didn’t realize was that Franz Ferdinand’s brand of garage rock set to a new wave beat works perfectly if you just throw in a few more keyboards. Also, as if Tonight: Franz Ferdinand wasn’t a great enough album, they decided to rework the entire thing into a Dub album as well. There was never a Sgt Pepper Dub album.

Tonight was released on January 26 by Sony.
Official website | Myspace
Purchase the album here.

The Prodigy – Invaders Must Die
I used to think that The Fat of the Land was the best electronic album ever made, but then The Prodigy decided to all get back together and put out Invaders Must Die, and now The Fat of the Land seems dated and almost unlistenable. Invaders Must Die is the best thing to come out of the world of electronica in a very long time (or at least since Does It Offend You, Yeah? came on the scene).

Invaders Must Die was released on March 3rd by RED Distribution.
Official website |  Myspace | Twitter
Purchase the album here.

Paper Route – Absence
Now when you think of a musical act from Nashville, whats the first thing that comes to your head? Exactly: ambient electro post rock. These newcomers mix vocal harmonies with keyboard noise to make huge music. They put the Awesome in Progressive Emo. Well, they would if there was an A in Progressive Emo, I guess that segue doesn’t really work. In any case, you should check out Paper Route, they have the balls to put on acoustic sets right out on the street after their shows, whether the cops are called, babies are awakened or not. Also, they love pancakes.

Absence was released on April 28th by Universal.
Official website | Myspace | Twitter
Purchase the album here.

Miike Snow – Miike Snow
So what do you get when you mix up some piano driven rock, add some reggae beats, and crank up those synthesizers? You get Miike Snow. No, that’s not a typo. It’s a band from Sweden. And we all know how much I love Swedish bands… especially Swedish Bands who make reggae influenced electronic music. But Miike Snow is leagues beyond Ace of Base and Dr. Alban. Also, they have excellent DJ bobs.

Miike Snow was released on June 9th by Downtown.
Myspace
Purchase the album here.

Devin Townsend Project – Ki/Addicted
Ziltoid The Omniscient made this list a two years ago, so it’s no surprise Devin makes it again. These albums are the first half of a four album series, each one completely different but I’m counting them as one. Ki hits you with ambient music, much more prog than his traditional noise and screaming. Trainfire is also a neat track, along with Quiet Riot which harkens to the band of that name. Addicted is less prog and more europop, but with Devy’s fingerprints all over it. Think Vengaboys with a lot more screaming! Plus there is a souped up version of Hyperdrive! from Ziltoid. With that in mind, it’s easy to see why DTP makes the list.

Ki was released May 25th by HevyDevy. Addicted was released November 17th by HevyDevy.
Official website | Myspace | Twitter
Purchase the albums here.

K’Naan – Troubadour
When I saw K’Naan at Lollapalooza in ’08 he was great, but a niche act. Rhythmic Angry Black Man Rapping over top of a stripped down band does not appeal to everyone. But then Troubadour came out and polished his style into something even better. In an age where rap seems to be about drinking Crystal in the hotel room, it’s nice to hear messages again.

Troubadour was released on February 24th by A&M/Octone.
Official website | Myspace | Twitter
Purchase the album here.

The Bravery – Stir the Blood
Dancing on the dark side of the disco ball is never an easy thing to pull off, but the Bravery continue their streak of awesome with their third album. The album is nowhere near as depressing as The Sun and the Moon and may in fact rival Exciter as the soundtrack to my sex life.

Stir the Blood was released on December 1st by Island.
Official website | Myspace | Twitter
Purchase the album here.

Honorable Mentions Go To:

Dream Theater – Black Clouds and Silver Linings
The jury is still out on whether Dream Theater is back or if this was just a flash in the pan.

The Lonely Island – Incredibad
Comedy albums will always be novelty music, but I’m On a Boat is pretty much just a rap song with no novelty about it.
[And proving that the Grammys continue to try to be relevant but only succeed in unintentional hilarity, "I'm On a Boat" just got a Grammy nod for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.  I'm rooting for this one, all the way. -S]

Black Eyed Peas – The E.N.D.
This album is super catchy, and samples the best part of Rob Base, but I just don’t think it has lasting power.

Also, I’m not going to leave you without a pick for worst album of the year. That honor goes toTrans-Siberan Orchestra for Night Castle. Cheesy orchestrations may work for yuppies who buy Christmas music, but when that formula is put to use on a Non-Christmas album, you get absolute crap. Even the inclusion of Believe is trite. They would have been better off making a suite of When the Crowds are Gone, Believe and Alone You Breathe, I think that’s what every Sava-fan wants anyways. I was hoping this album was going to be more Savatage and less cheese, but I guess they’re too old to rock and roll. Their idea of giving a more Sava-feel to the album is just putting instrumentals from other Savatage albums onto this one, albeit under new names. Gone is 5 part counter melody and in its place is “Childhood Childhood Childhood Childhood Childhood.” It truly is an audio train wreck!

Related posts:

1. Guest Post: Seven Albums That Came Out in 2010 That Mike Listened To and Enjoyed the Most
2. Guest Post: Seven Albums That Came Out in 2011 That Mike Listened To and Enjoyed the Most
3. Guest Post: Concert Review: Andrew Bird at Largo, 5/15

There’s some interesting stuff going on this week, especially on Friday. With shows by Sunny Day Real Estate and Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, I feel like the mid-90s are coming back to haunt me. And who would have ever dreamed of a day when Willie Nelson would open for Dave Matthews?

Monday, September 21
Andrew Bird, Modern Wing at the Art Institute of Chicago. 6 pm, free with magical tickets you had to win from WXRT or the Art Institute.
Mehter Ottoman Turkish Military Band, Pritzker Pavillion at Millennium Park. 6:30 pm, free. Part of the World Music Festival.

Tuesday, September 22
Nothing really caught my eye today. Hopefully you’ll have better luck!

Wednesday, September 23
Ani DiFranco, the Vic. 7:30 pm, $41.
Phoenix, the Aragon. 7:30 pm, $21.
Snehasish Mozumder and Subrata Bhattacharya, Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington). 7 pm, free. Part of the World Music Festival.
Vlada Tomova’s Balkan Tales, Hermann D. Conaway Multicultural Center at Columbia College (1104 S. Wabash). 7 pm, free. Part of the World Music Festival.

Thursday, September 24
Sunny Day Real Estate, Metro. 8 pm, sold out.
One World Under One Roof (featuring nine artists from the World Music Festival), Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington). 6:30 pm, free.
Joshua Radin, House of Blues. 7 pm, $17.50-20.

Friday, September 25
Owl City, with Kate Havnevik and Unicorn Kid, Metro. 7:30 pm, $14-16.
Brandi Carlile with Angel Taylor, House of Blues. 7:30 pm, $21-23.
The Weakerthans, Bottom Lounge (1375 W Lake). 8 pm, $17-20.
Son Volt with Sera Cahoone, the Vic. 8 pm, $21-25.
Chicken Fat Klezmer Orchestra, Bill’s Blues Bar (1029 Davis St., Evanston). 5:30 pm, free.
Miike Snow and Jack Penate, Empty Bottle. 7:30 pm and 10:30 pm, $12.
…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Logan Square Auditorium (2539 N. Kedzie Ave.). 8 pm, $15.
Bell X1, Double Door. 9 pm, $15.
Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, The Kinetic Playground (1113 W. Lawrence). 9 pm, $15-20.
Scout Niblett, Subterranean (2011 W. North Ave). 9:30 pm, $12.

Saturday, September 26
Dave Matthews Band with Willie Nelson and family, First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre (19100 Ridgeland Ave., Tinley Park). 7:30 pm, $40-75.
Brandi Carlile with Angel Taylor, House of Blues. 7:30 pm, $21-23.

Sunday, September 27
Herb Alpert and Lani Hall, Wentz Concert Hall at North Central College (171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville). 6 pm, $45-60.

Related posts:

1. This Week in Great Music – 9/14 – 9/20
2. This Week in Great Music – 10/5 – 10/11
3. This Week in Great Music: 12/7 – 12/13