JUNE 11, 2005: Vanessa Davis Band at North Center Rib Fest. I'd never seen her before, though I was with a friend who claimed to have seen her something like 40 times. It was an entertaining set of blues rock and R&B, made all the more interesting by Davis' bigger-than-life personality. She was apparently not clear on the concept that this was a family festival with kids in the crowd, and let loose with some adult language... while talking about a recent DUI arrest that her lawyer had advised her not to talk about. Oops!

Later, I caught some of the Coral's show at Martyrs'. I got there late, just in time to hear the last five songs... enough for me to confirm my memory from SXSW 2003 that they're a great live band, better than they sound on their studio records. I will have to listen more to the new one. If the Futureheads are the new XTC, these guys are the new Dukes of Stratosphear. (And I mean that in a good way.)

JUNE 9, 2005: Ivy and Astaire at the Double Door. I don't know much about either of these bands, but I enjoyed seeing them. Astaire sounded a little generic, but with some of the same appeal as Rilo Kiley. I'm way behind on the Ivy discography, but I thought their songs sounded fairly cool in concert.

JUNE 8, 2005: Madeline Peyroux at Park West. So who really cares that a lot of Peyroux's records have been sold at Starbucks? At least one critic has pointed out that connection with barely concealed disdain.If the music's good, I don't care where people are getting it or which people are listening to it. And Peyroux's good. She might seem to fall in the same general category as Norah Jones, but I find her much more interesting. And yeah, she does sound a lot like Billie Holiday, but I get the impression it's a natural similarity rather than an act she's putting on. Her songs, mostly drawn from last year's album, sounded fairly similar in concert, though they were hardly just reproductions of the studio recordings. The vibe was very mellow, but the music was enchanting.

MAY 28, 2005: The Ponys and the M's at Subterranean. I've seen the M's a few times now, though I still haven't heard their studio recordings. I enjoyed this performance more than any of the previous M's concerts I'd seen. I've always liked the idea of what they're trying to do, but the songs have just sounded a little too thick. Not enough dynamics or variation in the sound. But the melodies and harmonies and the obvious '60s influences have finally started to sink in for me.

The Ponys have now put out two very good records, so I was excited to see them in concert for the first time. I'm not sure where TimeOut Chicago's writer came up with the idea that they're ripping off the Stooges. I hear a lot more Television myself, plus some British punk and glam rock.

Yeah, I guess they are a little retro, but who isn't these days? As the New York Times pointed out the other day in a piece about the White Stripes (making a point that occurred me back when I was at this year's SXSW), rock bands today seem to feel a freedom to borrow whatever sounds they want from any part of rock's history.

Anyway, the Ponys were quite good in concert, performing their catchy riffs and keening vocals with a lot of energy. The place was packed, and the crowd up by the stage included a bride and groom celebrating their wedding day. (Friends of the band?)

SEE MORE PHOTOS OF THE PONYS.

MAY 12, 2005: Okkervil River should have been the headliner this night at Schubas, but for some reason, they were the opening act for Earlimart. Okkervil River was certainly the better band.

I am digging the new Okkervil CD, Black Sheep Boy, and I've been meaning to see the band in concert for a while now, so it was a treat to see Will Sheff and his group playing their songs with so much passion.

Passion, on the other hand, is something that seems to be a little lacking from Earlimart's music. The only Earlimart album I'm familiar with is last year's Treble and Tremble, and it strikes me as merely pretty good — pleasant enough, but not a record I go back to all that often. The connection and similarity to Elliott Smith intrigues me, however. I was hoping that seeing Earlimart in concert might do the trick for me, but it was a letdown after the great opening set by Okkervil River.

SEE MORE PHOTOS OF OKKERVIL RIVER AND EARLIMART.