Live Music - Weekend in the Quad-Cities

I’m going to have to start calling this blog the Weekend Review (or something like that). Only this week, I’m adding a little bit about a weekday.

One day last week, I made a special trip downtown Davenport to Barrelhouse 211. I was meeting my son for dinner anyway, and he had a class downtown. I had heard that Danika Holmes was going to be playing an acoustic gig that night, and though I’ve mentioned her before in the blog, I haven’t had the opportunity to see her play. Here was my chance.

I’d like to state for the record this was my first visit to Barrelhouse. Dinner was awesome, the place is really nice. For those who follow me on Twitter – I didn’t get my taste of Cody Road Bourbon that night, but picked up a bottle Friday night in Moline, after a tasting at the Mississippi River Distillery up in LeClaire.

Back to Danika – I discovered too late that she was sitting at the table across from me during dinner. I didn’t recognize her with her hair pulled back! I have her first CD, and the photos I’ve seen online just don’t look the same. I was expecting a purely country show, as some of my friends have told me Danika is a country performer. So I was delighted to hear her cover (read that as remake!) of Grand Funk’s “Some Kind of Wonderful”. It was a fun bluesy piece – with all the right twists. What made my night was just that morning I had heard the original on the radio, and I had been thinking all day of how I would rewrite the song to sing it myself – and Danika did just what I had been thinking! Danika Holmes was on my wavelength. So, in a nutshell, this old blues/rocker says go check out Danika when you get a chance. She definitely does not disappoint!

Friday night, after my trip upriver for the distillery tour and tasting, I drove over to Fargo in Moline for a birthday bash for a member of my Skynny Skynyrd family.  The band playing was one of the Quad-Cities’ best-kept rock secrets, House Arrest. Now you know you’ve heard that name before, and you may have caught them in the pavilion at the Mississippi Valley Fair. These guys are screamin’ rockers. I’ve been out to see them a few times, as Ray and Matt are part of Skynny, and their drummer Tom provided lights and sound for one of our gigs as well. Some of the times I’ve seen them, I’ve been disappointed in their turnout. Maybe it’s because I always seem to catch them at Fargo? Someone recently told me Fargo doesn’t have big crowds. I just think these guys are good enough to draw more than just their immediate group of friends.

And why is it that Fargo has gotten so quiet? Huge bar, nice stage… in the early days with 1^st Impression, that place used to rock! I remember they would have a DJ during the band’s breaks, and the dance floor would be full even when the band wasn’t playing.

Saturday night I started out at

11^th Street

Precinct. I thought it was time I checked out some bands that I had never seen, so my first stop was to see a group called Cosmic. What a pleasant surprise! Cosmic has a nice, refreshing set list (ok, so I was just there for one set, but it was a good set!). The band is 3 instruments and two female singers – and I just loved that the singers put forth the effort to choreograph some moves. It really gave their show some spark. And they sang really well too! Their set list included songs from the 50s, 60s and 70s. 

My final stop for the night was once again The Muddy Waters in Bettendorf. I stopped in to check out another band I hadn’t yet seen: The Cruisers. These guys put on a pretty good show, and it was obvious they drew a good crowd in. Apparently they have a motorcycle club following, as there was a lot of leather in Muddy’s Saturday night!  I snapped a few shots – I thought their keyboard/singer looked a bit like Elton John, and the guitarist could have pulled off a Drew Carey lookalike. I also noticed something fun about the group. Women from the audience would pick up maracas or tambourines and play them while they were dancing. Which leads me to wonder – was that a group of band wives, or just fans that loved to join in? Either way, it was pretty cool.

The upcoming weekend looks like a fun time for a lot of folks. Friday night, local band Dirt Road Rockers is playing at Martinis on the Rock (this is a band I’ve been meaning to check out). Danika Holmes will be playing at Refresh in Moline – check her out, seriously! Danika plays everywhere – Chicago, Nashville, Quad-Cities, and plenty of points in between. And Cobalt Blue will be playing Muddy’s – these guys do blues so well! And their keyboard player is one of the most energetic I’ve ever seen.

Saturday night the Candymakers will be at

11^th Street

Precinct. Get there early and have dinner if you want a good seat. The Precinct is always full, and a Candymakers show with no cover is bound to be a packed house! And if you’re a rocker’s rocker, love original stuff, and want to check out some local original music bands, Three Years Hollow, Action Blast, A.D.D. and Hello Ramona are putting on a show at the Redstone. This is a CD Release party!

And here’s a little advance notice of an upcoming show – House Arrest will be at ThePub Davenport on March 16. Rock on boys!

Live Music is Alive and Well in the Quad-Cities

Last weekend I saw more proof than ever that we have a hot music scene right here in the Quad-cities. Although I’ve been hearing rumblings to the contrary from some quarters, I witnessed some really cool and busy events with my own eyes. I wish I could have been everywhere, but I’m only one person, and really want to spend enough time at each location to really get a feel for what is going on. Not only that… but this old gal sometimes needs her sleep too!

There were so many cool locations to choose from, and so little time, so I headed out both Friday and Saturday night. Unfortunately for those on the Illinois side of the river, there was so much to see on the Iowa side, I never made it across a bridge. I started out early Friday evening at the River Music Experience. Although I had previously considered attending the Toasters concert upstairs in the Redstone Room, I knew I wanted to check out a bunch of young blues musicians who were playing downstairs on the Community Stage. Besides – who can turn down a free show? The band downstairs was The Harris Collection. I hear they’re all related, except for one member. And when I say young, well, everyone is young to me. When they played their opening number, I was absolutely drawn in. Yes, the camera came out. So did the camcorder (with their permission).  For an up-and-coming band, they were beyond expectations. I wouldn’t say they were up-and-coming, I would say they’ve arrived. If you like blues, you really owe it to yourself to see these guys. They’re that good. I would also like to mention that Mojo’s was packed for this show. The Harris Collection drew in quite the mix of people – some of whom I’m sure had arrived for the Toasters concert and stopped downstairs when they heard the crazy awesome music coming from Mojos.  I reluctantly left after only one set, as I had another stop to make that night.

I moved on to The Muddy Waters in downtown Bettendorf, one of my favorite stops for blues. Yes, Friday was definitely a blues kind of night. The local blues band Serious Business had been recommended. Serious Business consists of John, Johnny and Lyle Pena, Ron LaPuma and Perry Hultgren. They put on a good blues show – for a packed and rowdy house.

Saturday night I started out back at the Muddy Waters. A band called Schitzengigles was playing. This band was suggested by not one but two people… and I thought what the heck, with a name like that it will probably be a rowdy good time! Schitzengigles is a good band, with a solid sound, but not blues (which is what I’m used to hearing at Muddy’s) and not nearly as rowdy as I expected. From the size of the crowd at Muddy’s (even bigger than the crowd the night before), I would say they have a great following! After a set, I wandered out of The Muddy Waters and headed down the street for a stop at Purgatory’s Pub.

At Purgatory’s I found a band playing in the dark (well, nearly). Conspiracy Theory was playing by the light of four small stage lights … and the reading lights attached to the top of a couple of music stands. It was definitely too dark for my cameras in there! But they had a good crowd, and all seemed to be having a good time.

I left Purgatory’s before Conspiracy Theory finished their set. I was looking for something and hadn’t quite found it. A short drive to the Village of East Davenport led me to Bleyart’s tap and…

…Justin. Morrissey. Apparently I was looking for acoustic music Saturday night, because I kicked back and enjoyed the heck out of his acoustic set. I even got out the camera and snapped a few shots – though Justin’s face was hidden under a hat and behind the microphone (and his harmonica) for most of the set.

Upcoming, we have a full weekend (especially Saturday night!) of music in the Quad-Cities. Friday night is another opportunity to check out The Harris Collection, as they are doing a 9-1 show at the Brady Street Pub. Or, if you like the sound of brass… check out the horn-driven sound of Secret Squirrel. They’re going to be at Fargo in Moline Friday night.

Saturday night, I’ll be at Tim’s Corner Tap. Steve McFate is hosting an acoustic jam session. Expect to see some of the QC’s finest musicians jamming with Steve. I’m even looking forward to singing a song or two. There might be a surprise guest. We never know who will turn up when Steve is hosting a jam.

If there’s time, I would like to stop by the RME. Our local blues band gone international, The Candymakers, is holding their CD release party Saturday night in the Redstone Room.

There are plenty of other opportunities as well. My pals Wicked Nature will be rocking the house at Purgatory’s in Bettendorf, Rootless Experience is putting on a show at the Eagles Lodge on west Locust street, Danika Holmes is playing the Grape Life (there’s nothing like kicking back on a couch with good wine and enjoying good music) and Cosmic will be playing the Mound Street Landing. There are plenty more shows going on – check out your local bar on Facebook, or check out the event calendars in our papers or online. Support your Local Live Music Scene… because it’s sizzling hot!