A Whole Lot of Live Music

It was another busy week in the Quad-Cities music scene. So busy, in fact, that I’m once again publishing twice in one week. There’s just too much to write about to squeeze it into one blog post. You’ve probably already seen my post about Codfish Hollow on Sunday. But let’s back track to earlier in the week. It all began when I received a special message from Kate Benson at the River Music Experience, suggesting I check out a show on Tuesday night…



Maureen goes solo

Maureen Carter was opening for a musician named Caroline Rose on the Community Stage. For those of you who are new to my blog, Maureen Carter is a member of the Busted Chandeliers, and a friend.  So of course I would want to go support my friend! Maureen’s set was acoustic original music and she traded off between a guitar and ukulele.










 



Caroline Rose's lilting voice delivers
 important lyrics

Tuesday night provided a bit of a bonus in that I was able to enjoy a musician I’ve never seen before. Caroline Rose played her original music, and her partner Jer provided a multitude of instrumental accompaniments to her acoustic guitar. Caroline is a terrific lyricist whose lyrics require careful listening – and I have listened to her CD a couple of times since the show to pick up the things I missed.









 



Vid rocks his birthday.

Friday’s weather promised to be challenging, especially for outdoor shows. However, the Friday Live at 5 concert series with Nervous Rex went off without a drop of rain. Perhaps someone upstairs was offering a bit of a birthday gift to drummer Vid James. Vid, Jerry and Jeff also double as the band VJJ Groove when they are playing their original music.




 

Drake DeRegules and Jeff White of Straight Up!

I wish I could say the 3^rd annual music showcase in Veterans Memorial Park had been so lucky. I arrived as a band was finishing, and Straight Up was next on stage. These younger bands have become pretty quick at making set changes because it is so common for 3 or more bands to work together in a single show. The skies were threatening, and the bands set up near the back of the bandshell to keep their equipment dry. It was a good thing, because just as Straight Up prepared to play, it began to rain. That didn’t stop about 50 die-hard fans from gathering on the stage apron to cheer on the punk band.







 

My first Haddonfield show

The rain eased up a bit, so I decided to stay on and check out Haddonfield. This hardcore band attracted an even larger crowd of followers – and once again, everyone gathered on the stage as the rain came and went during their set. By the end of Haddonfield’s set, the rain had become a steady shower and I put away my camera and called it a night.










 

Saturday night was the second semi-final round for the RME Rock Wars. This round pitted 1^st Impression against the Post Mortems. 1^st Impression’s tremendous voting block (better than 3/4 of the audience) was not enough to overcome the judges’ decision, so the Post Mortems will be moving on to the finals. Good luck to the Post Mortems and The Atlantis Dialogue as the two finalists compete this Saturday.
 

This week

The District of Rock Island is hosting Ya Maka My Weekend. Reggae anyone? Here’s a list of bands expected:

Friday – Kojo, Blue Riddim & marty Dred, Zion Lion, Lion Heights, The Bishops, Hydro.

Saturday – The Bishops, Zion Lion, Indika  & Ugochi, Indika & Muslar, Lion Heights, Anthem, Flex Crew.

It’s Tug Fest weekend. Along with a giant rope across the river, amusements and food, there is also live music. Check out these bands:

Thursday – Illinois – Rush Hour/Fairhaven

                      Iowa – Crossroads

Friday – Illinois – Cal Stage Band

               Iowa – North of 40

Saturday – Illinois – Crossroads/Oratory

                  Iowa – Half Fast/Vodkaseven

 

On Tuesday, August 13, 3 bands are competing for the chance to open at the iWireless center on Friday. The competition will be at Rascals, and the three competing bands are Flash Point, Drophammer and The Last Glimpse. Good luck to all 3!

Here’s the rest of the live music schedule

Thursday – The Curtis Hawkins band will be at Bass St. Landing, Chuck Murphy will be playing RIBCO, and The Redstone Room has Tumbleweed Wanderers. Dave Ellis is at It’s on the River and Lyle Beaver Brass Notes are playing in Vander Veer Park.

Friday – Orangadang is on the courtyard for Friday Live @ Five. Lee Blackmon is at Dunn Brothers, Wide River Winery has the Whoozdads, The Jef Spradly band is playing PepperJacks. Rob Dahms is at Rustic Ridge, The River House has Cosmic, and The Funktastic 5 are at Martinis on the Rock. The Curtis Hawkins Band is at The Muddy Waters, Rozz-tox has Black Taxi and Fire Sale is at Bleyarts. The Rusty Nail has Ambushed, and The Sneaking Suspicions are at Brady Street Pub.

Saturday – 6^th Element is at the Rusty Nail, Martinis on the Rock has Gray Wolf, and the Night People are at the North Shore Inn. Smooth Groove is playing the River House, while The Muddy Waters has Nick and the Ovorols and Have Your Cake is outside at the Bier Stube. Rascals has Eleven Fifty-two, Drama Major and Battle Red, while 309 is at the Establishment. Brady Street Pub has The Mississippi Misfits and The Harris Collection.

That’s a whole lot of live music!