Some weeks, especially right after the holidays, it seems a little dry in terms of awesome shows to check out. This week it’s as if I could’ve picked five concerts at random and ended up with a solid list. Mark your calendars because Majical Cloudz, Hamilton Leithauser, Oshwa, J.E. Sunde and Tommy Stinson are all playing this week. Note: Yes, Bruce Springsteen is playing and I wrote about it in this 2016 concert roundup—he doesn’t need a blog post to sell tickets, so we’re focusing on shows that you can afford.
Monday: Majical Cloudz at Schubas
Moody Canadian pop duo Majical Cloudz just released an EP called “Wait and See” last Friday. It’s a worthy companion to 2015’s “Are You Alone?” which makes sense because it’s full of songs that didn’t make the album tracklist.
Tuesday: Hamilton Leithauser at the Hideout
Now that the Walkmen have been on hiatus for what feels like forever (it’s actually just been two years or so), fans of the American rockers are going to have to make do with solo projects. Fortunately, these solo efforts are pretty great, especially Hamilton Leithauser’s “Black Hours.”
Thursday: Oshwa, Naytronix and Lazy Heart at Schubas
Hey! Oshwa is one of Chicago’s best bands. The art-rock group is currently working on its sophomore album, “I We You Me”; RedEye has heard the demos, and every song is phenomenal. Buy tickets to this show, and brag about how you saw this band before it got huge.
Friday: J.E. Sunde at Empty Bottle
Minnesota songwriter J.E. Sunde released a gem of an album in 2014 with “Shapes That Kiss the Lips of God,” which combined knotty indie rock influences with rustic folk. He’s kept a relatively low profile since then, so I’m excited to see what he has in store.
Saturday: Tortoise at Thalia Hall
Thalia Hall has an amazing concert series called “In the Round,” where instead of a traditional stage the band plays right in the middle of the crowd. It’s an intimate, up-close-and-personal look at acts that feels like you’re at a house show. Tortoise, a Chicago band that’s gearing up to release its new album “The Catastrophist” (its first since 2009), plays this week.
[email protected], @joshhterry
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