I headed out March 16 to visit old friends and make a few new friends. It turned out to be a great night, with some surprising and unusual musical instruments.
The evening started early, as Lee Blackmon was playing an acoustic set at Cool Beanz in Rock Island. I grabbed a bite to eat and a glass of Moscato – but stepped up to sing with Lee just as my dinner arrived at the table. It was a good thing, too. Lee is pretty popular at Cool Beanz and the crowd quickly grew. Everyone wanted to sing along, many from their tables. The 2 hour set went quickly, without a break. Lee has a quirky, fun style that gets people going. And his extra microphone is an invitation to anyone who wants to sing along.
Leaving my friend Lee at Cool Beanz, I zipped back across the river to The Muddy Waters in Bettendorf for a duo of bands. The Harris Collection was opening for The Candymakers. I’ve reviewed The Harris Collection before, but I would like to mention that though I caught them near the end of their set, I was impressed this night with Shon (Young Skoy) Harris’ singing. Keep up the good work guys!
The Candymakers. Wow. I really love listening to the sweet sugar blues of this band. And they put on a good show as well. Alan Sweet and Siri Lorece provide fantastic vocals – Siri has a beautiful voice, and Alan really has it together. The band has a really great sound. For those who don’t know, The Candymakers won the 2011 Iowa Blues Challenge, and represented Iowa at the International Blues Challenge. Before they took the stage, I asked Alan if he would mind if I took a few shots – and his response was “get all up in it!” Well, I did take a few shots, but tried to be as inconspicuous as possible. It was hard though, when people were offering to move so I could “take a picture from over here, I have a great view!” What a great crowd at The Muddy Waters – and a good reason to keep going back!
Last stop for the night was ThePub on North Brady Street in Davenport. Friends and former bandmates Ray Polanchek and Matt Orwitz were making an appearance once again with House Arrest. The Pub is a huge venue with a cool 2-level stage, but I would really like to see them do something with the dance floor. I don’t recommend heels on the uneven brick surface. But I digress – I’m here to talk about the bands! I love hard rock almost as much as I love the blues. House Arrest is definitely a hard rock band. They slowed it down a bit for a couple of songs though, including Lynyrd Skynyrd favorite “Simple Man”. They even invited me up to sing. Thanks guys! It was cool to sing with you. And I have to say – I’ve never seen a local band perform with a chain saw!!
Saturday morning I started my day at the CASI St. Patrick’s Day race, then stopped by Kilkenny’s to check in with Keep Off the Grass. Talk about an all day party! At 10 AM that tent was already rocking! They sounded great – especially so early in the day. I had to wonder Saturday – how many bar bands were dazed by the sunlight? There were so many all day parties, and the weather was awesome.
Unfortunately, my Saturday ended with the pre-parade party, as I had family obligations that kept me busy the rest of the day. However, we know it was a sizzling hot St. Patrick’s Day in the Quad-Cities!
This weekend I won’t be out and about the way I have been in the past. Friday night is a night with my family again – and Saturday I’ll be in Muscatine with 1st Impression. I haven’t seen a lot of event notices for this weekend, but I know Friday night Keep Off the Grass will be playing ThePub in Davenport and Rascals has their 1-year anniversary bash. Saturday night, if you’re not up to the Muscatine drive, The Harris Collection will be at Brady Street Pub and Cosmic is playing Mound Street Landing. Cobalt Blue is playing both nights at 11th St. Precinct. Sunday evening, catch an early show with Lee Blackmon at The Muddy Waters. I might just … oh heck, everyone knows by now I sing a few songs.
I would also like to mention a few open mic and jam nights – Tuesday night The Harris Collection is hosting a jam night at Brady Street Pub. Wednesday night is open mic at Rascals and Mojos. Thursday night catch the Johnny O Jam at The Muddy Waters.
Enjoy my pictures? You can find more on my Flickr page.http://www.flickr.com/photos/65349253@N08/ And see videos on my Youtube channel.
No comments:
Post a Comment