Variety is the Spice of Life

I looked at the schedule last week and realized someone could easily spend an entire evening without ever leaving downtown Davenport. There was so much going on without even considering the country music festival just a few blocks away. And this year, I chose to spend my weekend in the local scene instead of hitting the festival. So I began with Friday Live @ 5 at the RME and went from there…

The Karry Outz always seem to have so much fun!

The Karry Outz were playing in the courtyard Friday evening for the after-work crowd. The crowd was thinner than usual. I’m sure the heat and the Heartland Jam had something to do with the reduced size of the audience. The good news – the Karry Outz sounded great! I suspect they’ll be looking for a new mission statement soon. It was cool to run into Vid James there as well. I almost didn’t recognize Vid with his new look. You can see for yourself next week in the courtyard when Nervous Rex plays there. There will be no Friday Live @ 5 this week, with Street Fest in full swing.

As I stated earlier, there was a lot going on in Downtown Davenport on Friday. From the RME Courtyard, I wandered over to Brady Street and a little coffee shop called Brewed Awakenings. This quaint little shop was hosting a little live music concert with the Effie Afton and opening act Janelle Just. I dropped in to check out Janelle, as I had not seen her before. This versatile songwriter serenaded us with beautiful music, accompanying herself on keyboards with some of her songs, and guitar with others.

 

 

 

 

I spent the rest of Friday evening at The Muddy Waters with The Mississippi Misfits.

 

 

Portrait of an Eagle

Saturday night brought another round of Rock Wars battles at the Redstone Room. This night pitted Portrait of an Eagle against the Post Mortems. Portrait of an Eagle is a rock foursome that covered songs from bands like Weezer. They’re very new on the scene, but seem pretty solid. Expect to see more of them in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

Holy Ghost Tent Revival

Between sets, we wandered downstairs to see The Holy Ghost Tent Revival on the RME Community Stage. Here was roots music with horns and flair. There were no banjos or ukuleles, but a lively bunch of musicians who put on a classic show. This is an act to be booked on the big stage for sure. Hopefully we will see them there soon.

 

 

 

 

I’ve seen the Post Mortems before, back on Record Store Day. Saturday gave me the opportunity to see them perform their full show. This duo has an interesting twist – with just a bass and drums, they create a very full, powerful sound. Their show is visually interesting as well, and they have a large group of followers. The Post Mortems won that round, and will be competing on August 3^rd against the winning band from this week’s round between The Mississippi Misfits and 1^st Impression.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This week:

Speaking of Rock Wars – Friday night, The Mississippi Misfits take on 1^st Impression in their first-round battle at the Redstone Room. This could be a hot ticket, even though this show is competing with Davenport’s Street Fest right outside the door.

And then we have Street Fest. I attempted to gather information this week about bands playing at the various Street Fest venues, but I think I fell a little short. Here’s what I know for sure:

Main Stage Friday – Chuck Murphy, Machine Gun Willie, Have Your Cake, Wicked Liz and the Bellyswirls, Ellis Kell, and Tons O’Fun.

Main Stage Saturday – Minus 6, 6^th Element, Identity Crisis, Bob Dorr & the Blue Band, North of 40, Funktastic Five.

Barrel House Friday – The Candymakers

Barrel House Saturday – Tim Stop, Danika Holmes, Rude Punch, Just Chords

Mac’s  Saturday - Tangent (10-2), Wicked Liz and the Bellyswirls (6-9)

Carriage Haus Friday – North of 40

The rest of the schedule – live music doesn’t stop for festivals!

Tonight – Danika Holmes is at Fayes Field, Gray Wolf is playing Bass St. Landing, RIBCO has Johnny Don’t. Rozz-Tox has Keely Filgo and Robbie Bahr is at It’s on the River.

Friday – The Night People are at Headquarters, The Rusty Nail has Simon Says Uncle and The Funktastic Five are at Martinis on the Rock. RIBCO has The Horde, Sept of Memnon and Heavy Weight. Chuck Murphy is at Big Shots.

Saturday – Machine Gun Willie is playing at Greenbriar, Cosmic is at Mount Street Landing, and the Rusty Nail has Propaganda. The Gray Wolf band is playing at the River House, Martinis on the Rock has Minus Six, and Corporate Rock is at the 11^th St. Precinct. RIBCO has Battery, and Rozz-Tox has Double Rainbow, Centaur Noir, Seth Knappen, and Jenny Lynn Stacy.  The Sneaking Suspicions are playing a benefit at Club Privileged. 1st Impression and Grazin District are playing the big stage at Great River Days in Muscatine.

So there you have it. All the live music I know about for this weekend. It’s a bunch, and I know there’s more out there. So… get out… support local live music!