Summer Means Outdoor Concerts in the QC

The summer outdoor music season is in full swing. There are festivals and outdoor concerts every weekend, and even Thursday evenings are full of options. This week I took a swing by a couple of summer venues to see what they held, and discovered that a whole lot of people were enjoying the sunny afternoon and warm evening… and the live music!

Last year I covered the motorcycle rally from front to back. There was so much going on elsewhere this week that I opted out of the rally in hopes of seeing what was happening in the rest of the Quad-cities. It appears that during the summer, municipalities even get involved in promoting live music, as Thursday evening there were concerts at Vander Veer Park, Faye’s Field at the Bettendorf Library, and Bass Street Landing in Moline. All three concerts were sessions in summer series, so expect to see more Thursday evening concerts in all three locations this summer. I attended two of the three concerts, spending about an hour each at Faye’s Field and Bass Street Landing.

Thursday evening’s musical offerings were delightfully diverse. The Busted Chandeliers entertained a very large gathering at Faye’s Field with their original roots-style music. I’ve compared their music to that of Mumford and Sons with very good reason. And they just keep getting better. If you haven’t seen them yet, you should do so soon – one of these days they might not be just a local band. I’ll be happy to say I knew them when…

 

It’s been a while since I last saw the Dani Lynn Howe Band. Popular country radio station host Dani Lynn has made changes in both her band lineup and her set list.  A good-sized crowd at Bass Street Landing enjoyed covers of country and classic rock favorites.




 

Enjoying all the beautiful weather almost cost me an early show at The Muddy Waters Thursday evening. The regularly scheduled John O’Meara jam was pre-empted by a visiting artist. Joined by local musicians Randy Leasman on bass and Mike Miller on drums, David Fields entertained a lively bunch with some classic blues. Fields put on a dynamic performance that kept the crowd happy and asking for more. This show was presented by the Mississippi Valley Blues Society.











 

Later this summer the District of Rock Island will be jumping with the Ya Maka My Weekend Reggae festival. Meanwhile, Downtown Davenport was experiencing a little Reggae Friday as Natty Nation

performed in the RME Courtyard for Friday Live at 5.  Along with the cool jams that had people dancing in the courtyard, there were also artists displaying their work. I hope the RME continues this new addition to the Friday concerts.

James Armstrong brought his band to The Muddy Waters on Friday night. Armstrong announced at the beginning of his show that he would be seated, and since the keyboard player and drummer were also seated, it was only fair to give the bass player a chair too. This was shaping up to be a listening show. I found myself drawn to the keyboard player, who was probably one of the best I’ve seen visit the Quad-cities. Meanwhile, James Armstrong had a surprise in store for us. At one point, he got up from his chair and wandered out into the crowd, playing and talking to the audience as he went. As he wandered back towards the stage, Armstrong gave a nod to a gentleman sitting at one of the front tables. This fellow gets up and opens the stage door… and Armstrong meanders right out the door to State Street! Of course, people crowded at the door to see what he was up to, so I ran around and out the front door to find Mr. James Armstrong standing in the middle of State Street, playing his guitar while traffic was zipping by. At another point during the show, there was a little flurry of activity where the band suddenly found themselves on their own without their leader. Armstrong had broken a string and soon discovered he didn't have a replacement. Luckily, Shon Harris of The Harris Collection was in the house and just happened to have his guitar in his car. Armstrong played Shon's guitar nearly the entire second set.

I spent Saturday afternoon singing along with Lee Blackmon on the Terrace at Creekside Vineyard. A party bus full of wine enthusiasts joined the party for a bit. Creekside was one of three vineyards/wineries they were visiting that day. The bus itself was so cool, I had to grab some photos during a break.  Bill Marsoun was there displaying his artwork along with another artist. There was a receptive crowd on the patio, and a whole lot of song requests. Creekside Vineyards has live music on the terrace most Saturdays in the summer, and their entire summer schedule can be found on their website.Creekside Vineyards

This week:

Thursday - Lojo Russo is at Faye’s Field at the Bettendorf Library, Tangent is playing at Bass Street Landing, and RIBCO has Gypsy Lumberjacks with Goddamn Gallows.

Friday – The weekend kicks off with Who Cares playing the RME courtyard for Friday live at 5, while Forever Losing Sleep, Woglake, and Dream Anabelle are in the Performance Hall and The Redstone Room hosts the RME Rock Wars first set of competing bands: Item 9 and the Mad Hatters vs. 45 on High. RIBCO has Frank Ban and the Secret Stash, while Studebaker John and the Hawks are at The Muddy Waters and Battle Red is playing at Rascals. Keep of the Grass is playing the River House, The Rusty Nail has the Curtis Hawkins Band, and Phyllis and the Sharks are at Martinis on the Rock. Tronicity is at the 11^th street Precinct for a 2 day run, Rustic Ridge has Powell, and Smooth Groove is playing at the Edje. You'll find the Sneaking Suspicions at Brady Street Pub.

Saturday – Phineas J’s is playing at The Muddy Waters, Johnny Goldmine and the Nuggets are at Rustic Ridge, and the River House has Grey Wolf. Machine Gun Willie is playing Ducky’s Lagoon, while North of 40 is at Mulligans, and Flash Point is at the Rusty Nail. RIBCO has Souls of Mischief, Maxilla Blue and Other Elements, while the River Prairie Minstrels are on the RME Community Stage. Who Cares is playing at the Greenbriar, while Martinis on the Rock has Meet the Press and My God The Heat and As Big As A Mouse are playing at Rascals. Cosmic is at Mound Street , Have Your Cake is playing Brady Street Pub and Terry and the Loan Sharks are playing at The Firehouse. Hello Ramona's CD release party will be at a place on north Brady called the Shop. Expect to see Straight UP!, Kings, Dividing the Masses, and TV Magic there as well.

There's so many choices! And none of them would be the wrong choice. So head out for some live music this weekend. Indoors or outdoors! And as usual, for more photos - check out my Flickr page!