So Much Live Music in the QC

Hold on to your hats – this week’s blog is a whirlwind. Four days and ELEVEN bands sounds like a festival, doesn’t it? But it wasn’t. It was just another Quad-Cities live music weekend. And there was so much more…

It all began Thursday evening. The City of Rock Island puts on live music shows in the pavilion at Schwiebert Park. This week, The Candymakers were braving the mass of freshly hatched (late season) bugs to play for a large appreciative crowd of music lovers. The Candymakers sound has evolved over the last couple of years and tends to lean more to funk than blues, but they can still pour on the blues too.



 

This week’s Friday Live at Five featured The Curtis Hawkins Band. This is another area blues band that has begun to evolve into a blend of blues, funk, and Latin jazz. Bassist Andrea Mendoza has integrated with the group well, and they haven’t skipped a beat in the process.




 

RIBCO had a 3-band lineup Friday evening for The Last Glimpse video release party. Jaiguru started the evening with their indy-rock originals. Jaiguru has gained quite the following over the years, evidenced on their Facebook page. This is the newest version of the band and they  have pulled together well.







 

With the recent release of their EP, Effie Afton has solidified their versatility and resilience in the local indy scene. Their almost ethereal sound is punctuated by strong dynamics – the fortes are bold and the pianissimos are oh so quiet. There were several attention-grabbing songs in their set, and a favorite was Moving On, with vocal harmonies that took the forefront, as all three front musicians shared one microphone.









 

This was a release party for Alt-rock band The Last Glimpse’s new video. Their video, Empty Rooms, can be seen here. The Last Glimpse’s live shows are always a display of light and sound, and this show was full of both.




 

Statistix opened the Fairhaven CD release party Saturday night at the RME Performance Hall. They started the party with a bang and set the energy level for the following bands.






 

 Handshakes and High Fives was the second band up Saturday night. This punk group has a bit of a gypsy sound, reminiscent of Gogol Bordello.  With multiple vocals including a young female lead and lively songs, they create a fun image.

 

 

 

 

The veteran band in Saturday’s lineup, Straight Up brought their high-energy power punk and a large following to the RME. To clarify, in this case, veteran is a term to be taken lightly, as this is not a bunch of old fogies. It simply means this group is slightly older and more experienced than the young bands involved in this show. Their sound has matured, and with the recent soft release of their EP, Straight Up is definitely a hot local band that will be going places.

The young members of Fairhaven celebrated their CD release with style. This accomplished ska band blends many styles with brassy horns and a whole lot of energy.








 

Meanwhile, North of 40 was filling the Redstone Room with boot-stomping country sound. Or was that the line-dance lessons causing the boot stomping? These guys play solid country covers.






 

At the last stop of the night, The Muddy Waters was hosting the Blackstones, with great classic rock covers and a little humor thrown in.









 

 

Sunday the Redstone Room became a 3-ring circus with Oregon-based marching band, March Fourth. With a bevy of costume-clad musicians, stilt-walkers, acrobats and dancers, the show nearly eclipses the great original music. There is so much going on – on the stage and off – that the audience was kept on their feet most of the show. One might expect to find such a band in New Orleans.

This week:

Saturday there’s yet another music festival taking place. This is the Lock and Dam Country Jam in Schweibert Park. Expect to see: Dirt Road Rockers, Phyllis and the Sharks, Elizabeth Lyons, martin McDaniel Band, Shawn Lacy and Glen Templeton.

Thursday – Chuck Murphy is at RIBCO, Jim the Mule is playing at Schweibert Park and The Riverhouse has Smooth Groove.

Friday – Friday Live at 5 at the RME features the Candymakers, Chris Avey band  is at The Muddy Waters, North of 40 is at Martini’s on the Rock. RIBCO has Hillbilly Casino, the Krank Daddies and 3 on the Tree. The Night People are playing the Rusty Nail, Detroit Larry Davison and Charley Hayes are at Pepperjacks, and Ed Longnecker is playing Rustic Ridge. You’ll find Fickle Filly and the Haymakers at the Greenbriar, Crossroads at Mound st. and Smooth Groove at Fargo (2 nights). Rozz-tox has Humming House, and the Old 57s are at Bier Stube. Chuck Murphy is playing at Roosters and Nick Vasquez is at the Moline Barrelhouse.

Saturday – Crossroads is playing at Breenbriar, 11^th St Precinct has Tangent, and The Dawn are playing at Mulligans. North of 40 is at Purgatorys, The Muddy Waters has the Terry Quiett band and Minus Six is at RIBCO. Terry and the Loan Sharks are playing The Rusty Nail, Bad Boyz Pizza and Pub has Gray Wolf, and Dogborn is at Bierstube. Caught in the Act is playing at Generations, The River House has Identity Crisis, you’ll find Natty Nation and Firesale at the Redstone Room.

There's a whole lot of live music going on - get out and support your local artists today!
for more photos of the bands listed here, stop by my Flickr page!