It’s been a few weeks since the last time I stepped foot in
The Muddy Waters in Bettendorf. I rarely have a free Thursday night for jam
nights anymore, and the holidays left me pinched for time as well. So Friday
night I made my way down to see the Curtis Hawkins band. I arrived a bit early,
while the band was still setting up and running sound checks. This gave me a
little time to get my camera set, settle into my seat, and relax a bit.
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| The Curtis Hawkins band jams at Muddy's |
Curtis Hawkins and his band mates hail from Quad-cities
outlying areas, from places like Bishop Hill and Muscatine. Their sound is so
well put together you would think they lived in the same house. I always
find their show to be enjoyable, as often it seems like a bit of a blues jam,
the pieces blending from one into another to create solid blocks of music.
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| Nervous Rex keeps it fresh |
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| Keep an eye out for this upcoming talent |
I also stopped in at the Rusty Nail to see my friends in
Nervous Rex. I was happy to see Matt Balzer working sound – it’s great to see
him behind a board again! I’m always impressed with the multi-talented Robert
Geiger, percussionist Vid James was right on the mark and bassist Jerry Heard was in great form as well. Checking in on Nervous Rex
every couple of months has offered me a wonderful opportunity. Each time I get
to mark the progress of singer LeAnna. I’m looking
forward to seeing what the future holds for her.
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| Samantha Fish - not to young to sing the blues. |
Saturday night I deviated from my “local music” routine and
instead went for “local venue, visiting music”. Ok, to be honest, I have done
this before, and will continue to check out the occasional visiting artist.
Especially when they are a young, up-and-coming firebrand like KC blues artist
Samantha Fish. At 22, this girl has that clear voice of a young woman but her
music has the soul of a seasoned veteran. Or maybe it is her freshness that
electrifies her music. I’m not sure, but it is the perfect mix. At first
listen, her voice has a similar quality to that of Quad-City native Danika
Holmes. Her blues style that borders on rock is a change from Danika’s country
and pop leanings, but I can clearly imagine the two of them performing
together.
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| Samantha steps off the stage and onto a chair |
Samantha and her band have built quite the following in the
QC, as is evidenced by the packed house at the Redstone Room Friday night. And
I overheard some of the darnedest things Saturday night- one young man declared
“That’s it. I’m only dating girls who can play 13 minute guitar solos”. An
older gentleman stood next to me and commented as Samantha kicked off her shoes
to better access her pedals “The shoes are off – now watch, she’ll really
move!” During a bass solo, she set her guitar in a stand and took a drink
before she picked up another guitar – a grinning fellow nodded knowingly;
“always Red Bull and water” (as she picked up the can of Red Bull, took a sip,
and then picked up the glass of water).
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| The Samantha Fish Band |
The Samantha Fish band is rounded off with very talented
bassist Chris Alexander, and amazing Go-Go Ray on drums. Folks – if you love blues music like I do
and you haven’t seen Samantha Fish yet, do yourself a favor and watch for her
to come back. This, my friends, is the future of the blues.
I wound down from the Redstone show with a final set at
Rozz-tox with American Dust. This Indie band out of Dubuque has a song featured
on the QC vinyl, “Hello Quad Cities”. I’ve seen American Dust twice, and
both times they were playing with multiple bands at Rozz-tox, so their sets
have been very short. But what I have heard so far, I have enjoyed. And I hope
to hear more soon. It is wonderful wind-down music.
You can find more band photos on my Flickr page HERE
This week:
Friday – The Busted Chandeliers will be opening for Davina
and the Vagabonds in the Redstone Room, RIBCO is hosting the Rob Cimmarusti
Benefit show, with Tripmaster Monkey, Einstein’s Sister, The Dawn and 3 Years
Hollow. Chuck Murphy is playing at Zero to Sixty, Muddy’s has The Kent Burnside
band, Natural Mystic is playing at Brady Street Pub. There’s a three-for at
Rozz=tox with Comfort, Haddonfield and Razors and The Rusty Nail has Justin
Morrissey.
Saturday – There’s a CD Release party for the Kings in the
Redstone Room, with Straight UP! opening the show and including Dividing the
Masses and Hello Ramona. Greenbriar has The Gray Wolf Band, Wicked
Porcelain is at The Rusty Nail, and you can find Lynn Allen playing at
Martini’s. Mulligan’s has North of 40, Crossroads is playing the Hawkeye, and
Mercury Brothers are at The Muddy Waters. It looks like reggae night at
Rozz-tox with Firesale, Fairhaven, The Fiyah, and TwoPeace.
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