I had an extremely busy week – which now is leading to a
very LONG blog post. Please stick with me to the end though, as there were a
lot of good things going on in the QC last week – and more good things going on
this week that you should know about!
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| Pay Close Attention to Nathaniel Rateliff |
On Tuesday last week I made a rare work-evening appearance
at Rozz-tox in Rock Island. When
Nathaniel Rateliff was last in the area, I missed his appearance, and since I
had heard many good things about him, I decided I wanted to take the time to see
him. Rateliff’s music is a folk style, and with his interesting lyrics, I found
it imperative to listen closely so as to not miss anything. This is not an
artist to be relegated to background music.
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| A Mellow Break-Up Art at Rozz-Tox |
Thursday evening I was back at Rozz-Tox for a little Break
Up Art. Donnie and the guys were back… but with a toned-down set in comparison
to what I witnessed a few months back at the RME. I really enjoyed the mellower
set though – as much as I liked the high-energy set from my previous Break Up
Art experience. This talented group has a diverse selection of music at their
fingertips.
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| Toes were Tapping to Eric Lambert at RIBCO |
Eric Lambert put on an acoustic bluegrass show with his trio
at RIBCO Friday night. As I stood in the balcony for some photos, I couldn’t
help but dance a bit to the lively music. There was not a big crowd at RIBCO
for this show, but a handful of people who were very appreciative of the
musical treat. Like Rateliff earlier in the week, Lambert’s lyrics were fun and
required the attention of the listener.
I would recommend this show to anyone who is looking for a fun evening.
Hopefully the low turn-out at RIBCO that night won’t keep him away from the QC,
and we’ll get another opportunity to see him play.
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| Whole Damn CD Release |
And then there was the Jason Carl and the Whole Damn Band CD
Release Party. I arrived at the River Music Experience in between sets, to find
the Redstone Room packed to the rafters. If you were at any other venue in the
QC and wondered where everyone was… well… they were at this party. And they were all excited to be there as
well! Most of the songs I heard were from the CD – so I bought one and took it
home to listen to them again. There were special guests in the second set,
including Dustin Cobb, Bret Dale and Nick Vasquez. I took a few photos, enjoyed the music, and
even sang along to a few. I’ve now heard Yazoo River each time I’ve seen Jason
play, and nearly have it memorized. I hear it’s one of his more popular songs. If you haven’t seen Jason Carl – I highly
recommend both the band experience and the solo experience. (See below). The rock/folk mix of music is well-written and
energetically presented.
Saturday night I decided to just wander where my car took
me, and this was the result:
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| Rootless Experience |
The Rootless Experience has had a recent change in
personnel, so when band leader Alex Slack sent me the invite to their latest
show, I thought it might be a good idea to stop in at the RME Café Saturday
evening and see just what was cooking. Singer
Cecali has a great voice – and when she opens up it can fill a room. And it’s
obvious that Alex has put in a great deal of guitar work. The surprise of the
evening was the keyboard player who looked like a college professor but also
sang a little Skynyrd. What a diverse group! I’ll be keeping an eye on this
bunch.
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| Never a Dull Moment with Chuck Murphy |
I took my leave of
the RME and wandered all the way to Silvis, where I found Chuck Murphy
entertaining the folks at The Doc’s Inn. I had a craving for gyros, and the
Doc’s has delicious chicken gyros for this red-meat avoider.Wait…what were we
talking about? Oh yeah… Chuck. Chuck
says he was celebrating one year of doing the acoustic thing… but I swear I saw
him for the first time at least a year and a half-ago. Anyway – over the last year I’ve watched
Chuck evolve as a musician. Not only is he very good musically, he’s very
entertaining as well. Congrats on a great year Chuck – and on ditching the
unnecessary furniture too.
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| Unusual was only one way to describe Railyard Ghosts |
Sometimes you don’t know what you’re in for when you step
into Rozz-tox. I think I’ve expressed that before. Some days, the acts I go to see are exactly
what I expect them to be, and other days, well… let’s just say it can be an
adventure. This week’s adventure came to us courtesy of Railyard Ghosts I knew this was no ordinary band when I
watched them unpack their instruments. There was an autoharp (remember those from
grade school?) and a washboard shaped like a necktie… a set of spoons…an
accordion… a fiddle… guitar, banjo, saw (and bow), a parking cone and a
stick/string/bucket bass combination. The only thing they were missing was the
jug! With a unique sound and total abandonment, this rather large group of
young people tore through their songs.
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| Life in Cycle Rocked RIBCO |
Since RIBCO is practically down the street from Rozz-tox, it
seemed like the ideal place to finish out my night. Eleven Fifty-two was
headlining a 3 band night, and though I arrived too late to catch the first
band of the night, the second band was running full throttle when I walked
through the door. Life In Cycle is a metal band out of Peoria. Saturday night
was their Quad-cities debut at RIBCO. I’m using the broader term metal because
honestly, I wasn’t sure how to classify them.
The lines between metal, hardcore and metalcore are at best murky… and
they seemed to cross those lines fairly often. I haven’t had the chance to ask
them what they consider their genre to be, but hopefully we’ll see them in the
QC again soon – and you all can see for yourselves. I know I'm looking forward to another opportunity to see them.
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| Eleven Fifty-two |
My reason for going to RIBCO was the headliner. Eleven
Fifty-two has been on my radar for a while but I just haven’t been at the right
place at the right time to catch them. So Saturday night was my first Eleven
Fifty-two show. I’m sure a whole bunch
of people just went “huh?” Well, now
I’ve seen them. This talented bunch put on a great show and it is apparent they
have a good following. They are definitely worthy of all the good things I've heard about them. I hope to catch them again soon so I can give them
another listen.
Sunday night I took another rare outing and headed for The
Muddy Waters. Jason Carl was playing an acoustic set there, and I knew he was
looking for a solo video for the 97xposure contest. Here is Jason’s video fromSunday.
This week:
Friday – The Community Stage at the RME hosts David G. Smith
at 6 and Robert Jon & the Wreck at 8:30. This Must Be The Band is playing
the Redstone Room, while Limbs with Radcon & Bulk will be in the
Performance Hall. RIBCO has The Brat Pack, while the Mississippi Misfits are
playing at The Muddy Waters. Flash Point is at The Rusty Nail, North of 40 is
playing Purgatory’s and Martini’s on the Rock has Tangent. Cosmic is at The 11th
Street Precinct, The Candymakers are playing at Barrelhouse 211, and Bleyarts
has Willis & Wilcox. Chuck Murphy is playing the Tavern on the Square, The
Dirt Road Rockers are at Hero’s Pub and Rustic Ridge is hosting Night Light.
Saturday – Keep Off The Grass is playing at Bleyarts, The
Mound Street Landing has Corporate Rock, and you’ll find Crossroads at
Purgatory’s. Jim the Mule is playing at Mulligans, the Karry Outz are at The
Muddy Waters, and The Office in Sherrard is hosting Nervous Rex. Rozz-tox his
hosting Road Kill Ghost Choir, while Wayne “The Train” Hancock with Patrick
Sweany is at RIBCO.
Don’t have weekends off? Really want to check out some live
music on the night off you do have? There are jam nights and open mics nearly
every night of the week now, featuring some of the best musicians the QC has to offer… and some venues are starting to feature live music
on weeknights as well. So… get out there and enjoy what the QC has in store for you!
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