Did That Guy Just Call Me a Dog?

Yes, yes he did… but it’s not like it sounds. We’ll get to that in a bit.

Still in recovery mode from last week’s conference, I planned to take it easy Friday night. My one and only stop for the evening ended up being Hero’s Pub in Davenport. I really thought I would just drop in for a bit at Hero’s and then run down to The Muddy Waters to see what was up with Serious Business. But I ended up staying later at Hero’s than intended and decided it was too late to make that drive to downtown Bettendorf. The band would be finished before I got there!

Danika Holmes and her full band were playing at Hero’s Friday night. The band sounded smooth, and the addition of newly purchased lights gave me the opportunity to get photos of the whole band. I ran into Dani Lynn Howe (and entourage) as well as Nervous Rex drummer Vid James.  You heard me – Nervous Rex. Vid tells me the band is back together, and I even received a Facebook invite this week for a June gig. I’ll be looking forward to it!

I lost track of time and decided it was too late to go to Muddy’s… so I’ll be watching for another chance to check out Serious Business. Besides – I was supposed to be taking it easy after a busy week. And I knew what a busy day I had planned Saturday as well…

Cinco de Mayo! And my first stop for the day was mid-afternoon at Rudy’s celebration in the Village of East Davenport. What were all those Scotsmen doing at a Cinco de Mayo fiesta? That’s right; The Harris Collection was jamming in the tent. Blues jams go great with cervesa and tacos!

In the early evening, I took a swing down by the Bucktown to enjoy the art and music of the Venus Envy festival. Though it turned cold and windy, I stuck around to see four of the musical acts on the outdoor stages. The opportunity to discover some new music was worth the whipping wind. On the Brigid stage, the first act of the night was soloist Emily Joy Singer, a vocal performance major at Augustana. Not only were her covers well done, but her talent showed in her original music as well. She even played a song she wrote when she was 13, and it was obviously a crowd favorite (or was that her parents in the front row?)

Next up (on the Hera stage) was a trio called The Busted Chandeliers. These three ladies put on quite a show, playing songs that had everyone’s toes tapping (and even attracted some dancers, young and old).

We moved back to the Brigid stage for the next act, Kimberli Malloy. Kimberly kept a nice chatter going between songs, and we learned that she had actually surveyed her fans to find out what they thought was her style of music. It sounded like no one really knew – but that was easy to see, with her diverse song selection and the ease with which she changed genres.

I made one last trip to the Hera stage to listen to Shannon Johnson from Minneapolis. She has a great sound – and I’m wondering where I can get her band’s CD, Liquor Hot. I definitely want to hear more!

My final stop for the night was Applebees. Yes, you heard me right, Applebees. On Saturday nights, they have live music at the West Kimberly restaurant. General Manager Dan Hahn assures me it’s always a good time. Of course, this night I went because friend Chuck Murphy (aka Chuck Starr) was filling in for the regular musician. Chuck has this way of having a little fun with his lyrics, and Saturday was a typical night. This is where the whole “dog” thing comes in…

…Chuck was singing “The Weight”, and he thought he would incorporate my name into the song….

“Crazy Chester followed me, and he caught me in the fog.
He said, ‘I will fix your rags, if you'll take Roberta, my dog.’”

Waitaminute!

Ok, I have to give him credit for trying. He thought quick and changed the next line of the song…

“I said, ‘Wait a minute, Chester, you know she’s really a lass.’”

Chuck, Chuck, Chuck….

Thursday night is Johnny O Jam night at Muddy’s!

Friday night: Evolution is at Purgatory’s Pub, Dirt Road Rockers are at Rascals. An up-and-coming reggae band, TwoPeace, will be playing at the Brady Street Pub in downtown Davenport. The Candymakers are playing the Redstone Room with the Chris Lager Band.

Saturday night: There’s a BluesFest fundraiser at Martini’s on the Rock, including The Steady Rollin Blues Band, The Candymakers, and Mercury Brothers; The Mississippi Misfits are playing at The Muddy Waters, and you’ll find Lynn Allen at Rascals.

THIS JUST IN!
 
Ok, so technically - I sort of knew about this already - but an announcement of sorts has finally been made. Tri-Polar XXXpress fans - keep your eyes on the Mississippi River Motorcycle Rally - TPX is slated to do a reunion show sometime that week!

As always, you can find more band photos on my Flickr page, and remember…Support Local Live Music!