There were some new faces at the Thursday night jam session
at The Muddy Waters – a funk trio with a cool sound and long-time local drummer
Don O’Dette. Powerful artist Joshua
“Slim” Kane dropped by to play and sing a few songs. And Randall Ketelson
rocked the stage with his own style. This Thursday, The Muddy Waters has a
special feature show, so there will be no Jam. But be sure to jam with us again
next week.
Friday night I hit Leclaire park for the River Roots Live
festival. The opening act was none other than Jason Carl and the Whole Damn
Band, who I just saw last week for the first time. The Carl band’s
original music fits in well with the Roots theme. They have a bit of the folk
rock sound that seems to strike a chord these days. Jason Carl’s energetic lead
brings the band alive and infects the audience.
Meanwhile, the north stage was the site of the next band,
Low Down. I recognized keyboardist Nick Vasquez right away. This was another
local band that I had not yet heard. Low Down is a newer band, and they have a
great, fun funk sound. I’m looking forward to hearing more of their work.
Next up on the main stage was Maps and Atlases. The
Chicago-based band has a unique sound and employs a variety of instruments to
produce it. I’ll be checking out their EPs and new long-play “Perch Patchwork”
soon. Maps and Atlases had the distinct honor of playing during a glorious
sunset…
…and The Nighthawks finished the sunset and took over the
night. Founded in the D.C. area in 1972,
this band has been working hard for a long, long time. In a lineup heavy with
young bands, these old-timers are more the influencers than the influenced.
With a little blues, some rock and a dash of rockabilly, the young crowd didn’t
seem to mind that in some cases these guys were old enough to be their
grandparents. Unlike last year’s festival, there was breathing room in the area
to the front of the north stage, and people had room to dance. And dance they
did!
The night’s headlining band was Keller Williams and the Travelin
McCoureys. What an amazing sound a
handful of acoustic musicians can create. The bluegrass/folk sound has
obviously become extremely popular, as was evidenced by the mass of people
crowding the stage. For a brief time, I held my camera aloft, taking pictures
over Alan Sweet’s head as he stood in the front row directly in front of me. At
some point, he turned around, smiled and said…. “Would you like to be in
front?” Would I ever! It was a great opportunity for some awesome photos. Check
out my Flickr page for more photos from River Roots Live Friday night.
Family Groove Company was scheduled at “clean up band”. I
call this slot clean up because it’s not a headline slot, is located on the
smaller stage, and usually draws just enough of the crowd to slow down the
number of people leaving the festival at one time. (And avoid traffic jams) Apparently it’s not
an unusual thing – I saw the same recently at an out-of-town touring festival
as well. I’m glad I stayed to check out
this band though. They have a great jazz/funk sound – and produce a fun show. I
was awed by yet another amazing female bass player in Janis Wallin. Not only
does she play exceptionally well, but she puts on a show of her own, not far
off from TUF’s Danielle Schneleben or Este Haim. Bass players – you would do
well to pay attention to the ladies. They rock the house and bring it down!
Saturday I took off on an adventure, and I have no tales to tell.
Stay tuned though for next week’s blog to hear about some mid-week revelry.
This week:
Remember! The Muddy Waters has a special show Thursday
night, so hang on to your hats, Jam night will be back next week. The Creekside
Jam has moved to Sunday night, so if you want to jam Thursday, Rascals is the
place to be. Tuesday nights the Harris Collection is jamming at Brady Street
Pub, and you can often find Two Peace and members of bands like the Mississippi
Misfits or The Candymakers in attendance. Wednesday nights find open mic nights
at the RME and Boozies.
Friday: Sunflower Slim is opening for Two Peace at Cool
Beanz, Smooth Groove is at the Edje club, North of 40 is playing at Mulligans,
and the Tailfins are at the Rusty Nail. The Candymakers will bring sweet sugar
blues to RIBCO and the RME is hosting a CD party for two local bands: Jim the
Mule and the Dawn.
Saturday: There’s a CD Release party for Eleven Fifty-two at
Rascals, 1st Impression is playing Paddle Fest at the Paddlewheel in
Bettendorf with Borrowed Time, Lee Blackmon is at Bleyarts in the Village, Cosmic is at Mound
street Landing, the Muddy Waters has O.S.G.
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