One Night of Music in the Quad Cities

Four bands, three shows, two venues in one night. (And a partridge in a pear tree…). Friday was a full night, representative of the diversity in musical tastes in the Quad-Cities.

The Friday Live @ 5 crowd was treated to a show by The Busted Chandeliers. The Quad-Cities only all-female band brought their brand of folk rock to the RME courtyard on a beautiful Friday evening. The Chandeliers have spent a great deal of time recording in recent months, and their sound reflects that time, as they appear to have found their own voice. Not “sounding like” anyone else is such a good thing.












 

It was a River Music Experience night, with the next stop in the Redstone Room for Buckwheat Zydeco. The audience was swinging to Buckwheat’s accordion one minute, and the next listening in awe as he coaxed his Hammond organ into singing Louisiana-style blues.




 

Meanwhile, at RIBCO, the Dock Ellis Band was opening the show for Nikki Hill. Here was old-style country with a comedic twist. Remember the old TV show, Hee Haw? Dock Ellis is an over-the-top version of Hee Haw.  Their music is country-corny, and the lyrics are so funny, they demand the full attention of the audience.  This band is as much a stand-up comedy act as it is a band… which might explain the presence of Nan Cord in the audience.

Since the last time Nikki Hill appeared at RIBCO, she and her band released a new CD. There is something very special about a band that can cross genres, and this band has done so with style. What style is that? We could call it rockabilly blues with a touch of soul. Nikki Hill’s powerful voice is complemented very well with husband Matt Hill’s guitar – and Matt put on a bit of a show for us Friday night, dashing out into the plaza and then up into the balcony while playing a very long guitar solo. He arrived back at the stage, breathless, just in time to add a few backing vocals as Nikki picked up the verse.






 

It really was a full Friday night. You can find more photos from the weekend on my Flickr page.  Keep watch for an extra installment about a recent trip to Iowa City…

This week:

Thursday – The Redstone Room has Andy Frasco and the UN, Blues Control and IDPyramid are at Rozz-tox, and the Phat Kats are playing at Blackhawk Bowl. Barrelhouse 211 has Painkiller Hotel, while the Moline Barrelhouse is hosting Charlotte Sometimes.

Friday – The Busted Chandeliers are opening for Dan Hubbard and the Humadors CD Release at the Redstone Room. Rozz-tox has Ice Hockey, Fairhaven, Comfort and We Took the Hill, the Lizzy Neal band is playing at The Muddy Waters, and Terry and the Loan Sharks are at Rascals. You can find North of 40 at Martinis on the Rock, Wild Oatz at the Rusty Nail and Hitman at Rustic Ridge. Night Light is playing Pepperjacks.

Saturday – Jim the Mule is playing at Mulligans, RIBCO has Nikki Foxx with Halo of Flies, while The Blackstones are at The Muddy Waters. The Rusty Nail has Wild Oatz, The Night People are at Ducky’s Lagoon, and Martinis on the Rock has Lynn Allen. River Prairie Minstrels are playing on the Community Stage at the RME, Cosmic is at the 11^th St. Precinct, and Rozz-tox has Probable Impossibilities. You’ll find Resurgent at Purgatory’s and Joe Tingle at Barrelhouse Moline.

Quad City live music offerings are so diverse; there is always something for everyone. So find something you like and get out this weekend to enjoy some live music. Find a cover band that plays your favorite sing along music, or go to a venue where the bands play original music – you never know, you may just discover the next big thing! It's ok to go see a visiting band too! Dance til you drop or sit back and groove to the tunes… but get out there and support the scene!