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!

Dominant What?

Musicians:

Jimi Hendrix

Joe Perry

Ringo Starr

Janick Gers

Adam Levine

Artists:

Michelangelo

Leonardo Da Vinci

Writer:

Oscar Wilde

Actors:

Tom Cruise

Mark Hamill

Sarah Jessica Parker

Hugh Jackman

Jim Carrey

Scientists:

Albert Einstein

Ben Franklin

Nikola Tesla

What great company! I have something in common with all these people. It’s known as Cross-Dominance. (And it’s not one bit kinky).

Cross-dominance generally relates to handedness – ambidextrousness is a type of cross-dominance. The ambidextrous person can use the left and right-hands equally well. A cross-dominant person might be left-handed or right-handed, but prefer the opposite hand for certain activities. In my case, I am left-handed, but my right arm is stronger. I use my left hand for activities that require dexterity, but my right for activities that require more strength. I can use my right hand for writing and eating, but am more dexterous using my left hand for those activities.

Cross-dominance also translates to other body areas.  My right eye is my dominant eye. Some cross-dominant people might be right-handed and left-footed.

On the softball diamond, my cross-dominance came in handy. Being a southpaw, I batted left-handed, which sometimes worked to my advantage with pitchers. I threw right-handed for power though, and could make the long throw from far out in center field. Some baseball players use the advantage of cross-dominance to become switch hitters.

I have a cousin who is also cross-dominant, and he enjoys showing that ability off at dinner time. It usually happens when he’s seated to my left (because we’re both left-handed). Someone will make a comment about seating all the lefties together and he will invariably remind us all he is able to use his right hand to eat. And then he proceeds to do so for the entire dinner, bumping elbows with me at every bite!

Giving Back

I recently tweeted about setting up some computers that were being donated to some very lucky GED students, and that it was one of the reasons I work for a non-profit. I see this job as my opportunity to give back to some of the organizations that helped me out when I needed it. Yes, it’s a non-profit and the pay isn’t the best – and yes, I’m overeducated for my position. But one of the things I love about my job is that I’ve found a way to use my IT education and skills to assist others – and give them opportunities I didn’t have.

There are a lot of people to thank for getting me to where I am today. I often say I raised two kids on my own, on jobs that paid minimum wage or just barely over it. But I didn’t really do this totally on my own. I had a lot of help – from my parents and a whole lot of non-profit folks.

Because I worked a lot of hours on weekends, for about four years, my parents had both kids all weekend, nearly every weekend. If they had plans to go out of town, we made alternative arrangements. For the biggest part though, it was Mom and Dad all the way. When things broke at my house my dad was right there to help me learn how to fix them. Note: he always helped me. He never did it for me. He believed very strongly that I needed to learn to do all those things for myself. That’s how I learned about plumbing, heating, hanging drywall, finishing concrete… the list goes on. There were times my folks helped me out financially too – so let it be said I owe them, big time. And I do what I can for them. 

When my son was 5, I enrolled him in Head Start. Beside the fact that it saved me a whole bunch of money on child care, it also provided him with a boost that carried him all the way through school. Yes, I really believe Head Start made a difference in my son’s life. I regret that we lived in San Antonio when my daughter was that age. The Head Start program there was limited, and the waiting list was sky-high. She never had that benefit. Summers were always a problem – finding decent childcare that fit within my very limited budged was near impossible. Along came the Y – their summer program was provided on a scholarship basis. That money provided by the

United Way

gave my kids a quality program for a summer. We also benefitted from other

United Way

summer programs in other years. For a long time, I’ve donated money every year to

United Way

. I’m sure I’ve paid back their assistance dollar-for-dollar by now. I’ll continue to give, in the hopes that more people can be assisted and can better their situations.

Another program that really helped us during that time was Liheap. The program provided funds for heating our little house in the wintertime. And the Weatherization program did a great job of weatherizing my home and reducing my heating costs.

When I went back to school, Pell grants got me through the first few years. After 2 years of school, I was able to elevate myself beyond “minimum wage”. The next step was to find an even better job. The non-profit opening came up 9 years ago. It’s been a win-win situation. Not only do I have the opportunity to give back to some of the programs that provided me with assistance in those oh-so-lean years, but I have a great job that offered me the time to continue my education. Though my employer did not fund my education, I was able to combine my projects for various courses with projects we needed at the workplace. This provided me with the ability to reduce the amount of time I spent on school work after my workday ended. The end result was that both my employer and I benefitted from my coursework.

Early on, I wondered how I could leverage my IT education and experience to assist others who wanted to better their situations. Working at a non-profit has been a way to do this… I provide support to the workers who make a difference in people’s lives every day. And occasionally, I get to do something that provides direct assistance, like repurposing computers for people who are looking at education as a way up.

When I make the next step in my career path, I hope to find another way to give back to these programs. After all – if it weren’t for all of them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Women and Finance

Recently, a younger Facebook friend ranted about an older woman in one of her community college classes, who was in school because she had to go to work to support herself after becoming a widow. This woman was old enough to be on social security – and her problem occurred when her husband passed away, she learned there was no savings, and his social security for her would be cut. My young friend was angry at the woman for not planning in advance with her husband for a possible bleak future without him, and receiving social security even though she never worked outside their home.

I bit my tongue on this one – and curbed the urge to let the young lady have it with both barrels. But I’ve been thinking about this all week and decided I need to spout in one form or another on the topic. So dear readers – you lucked out! I’m spouting on my blog.

My own generation (the same as my young friend’s mother), has had the opportunity to learn from the generations of women before us.  My grandparents were married for 70+ years, passed away within months of each other. My grandfather planned carefully and saved all he could so they could live comfortably after he retired. He also had 2 pensions and social security. My grandmother never worked outside the home. Grandma never had to worry about finances, but she always had a hand in planning the family finances. My parents have also saved over the years, and I believe their standard of living actually improved when they retired. Yes, my mother worked a job outside the home. She didn’t make a lot of money, but contributed all the same. Finances are arranged so that Dad’s not worried about Mom should he go first.

I have been fortunate though, to see the alternative to that life. A mother-in-law passed away in her late 50s, penniless. Her standard of living was nowhere near what my parents had, and when she died, she was lucky to have life insurance through her employer that paid for her funeral. Had she lived past retirement age, she would have probably had to continue to work.  Another – the second wife of the same father-in-law – discovered after her husband died that he had closed out all of the savings and cashed in his life insurance years before he died. All she had was a little social security and her part-time job. She lives in subsidized elderly housing now. Just like the woman mentioned at the beginning of this blog – she counted on her husband to take care of her.

Women in previous generations didn’t have the kind of resources of my generation or those coming behind me. In most cases, women were expected to be homemakers and to trust their husband would provide for them, even after he was gone. The average married woman will find herself widowed at 56 (my family beats those odds…), and can expect to live another 27 years (yes, we tend to beat that one too).  The reality is this: (and this is why I find myself fortunate) if we don’t take an active part in our financial planning, we can suffer the consequences.  At 50, chances are pretty good that I won’t remarry. I realize this, and I’m not expecting Prince Charming to come along and rescue me. I started planning for my future some time ago. Granted, with only one income, I don’t imagine that I will live as comfortably as my parents, but I won’t be penniless and living in government housing if I have any say in the matter. And my children won’t have to worry about supporting me in my old age.

I hope not to be in the situation that I have to work until the day I die – provided I live as long as my ancestors. We’re a long-lived bunch. I also want to enjoy retirement – and not retire just to sit around and count days.  And I hope my kids are learning from these things as well – and paying close attention. When they are ready to retire – we may not even have social security. Heck, at the rate things are going, I may not have it when I’m ready to retire. Plan, prepare, save… now. The earlier you start, the easier it is. And always remember – don’t expect someone to take care of these things for you. Things don’t always work out the way we want.

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!

The Little Things

I haven’t forgotten the small business owners who have been following my business continuity series!

Overwhelmed yet with the whole planning thing? Wondering how long it will take to put those plans together? What can be done in the meantime? Here are a couple of easy tasks that can mean a lot for a business in an emergency.

The first task is all about communication. Who is contacted and for what purpose? Make a list: go through email contacts, the rolodex and the business card file. The first set of contact information is that of customers! Customers will all need to be reached if the business has to be suddenly relocated. If there is computer database to keep track of them, great – make sure there is always a current copy backed up and off site. If the business is smaller or just uses a less current sort of customer tracking, that’s perfectly fine. Just make sure to keep a copy of the customer list locked away somewhere other than the office.

The same goes for a list of vendors. Vendors can become partners in a time of emergency, anywhere from bringing in replacement computers or equipment to providing the raw materials of the manufacturing process. In some cases, a vendor could even provide temporary space for a business. 

And don’t forget a contact list of employees. Make sure everyone has provided at least one way to reach them in an emergency. An emergency contact for each employee is also a good idea, in case of an incident on the job.

The second task is about financial needs. All information about insurance should be kept together, and copies stored off site along with those contact lists. Insurance information is crucial in the rebuild and restore process that happens after an incident. The faster the insurance company can get started, the faster the company can get back online. Having accessible copies of insurance information can streamline that process.

If payroll is done in-house, then information needs to be stored off-site that would allow payroll to be completed smoothly, even if the business burns to the ground. This includes bank information and employee information.

Something to remember about storing information off site – this IS crucial information. Storage should be secured – on or off site. None of this information should be handled in a way that it could fall into the wrong hands. Even a small business can fall victim to identity theft, so make sure all back-up information is handled securely. Consider a safe at another location, or a safe deposit box at the bank used by the business.

These “little things” are really very small tasks than can mean the world to your business in an emergency.

Writers in the Round

I'm taking a little break from the Business Continuity Planning series. I thought it might be time to get back to the music portion of my blog - and write a little more about the Quad-cities' music scene.

I’m sitting in Mojo’s Café at the River Music Experience (for out-of-town readers, I’m in Davenport, Iowa).  For those not familiar, the RME is a local venue that also includes a music museum and provides music education. On the upper level of the building is a live music venue known as the Redstone Room. The Redstone Room has a stage and sound system, as well as a full bar. The room is often booked for out-of-town acts and those that draw crowds. Next to that room is the Performance Hall. Local bands sometimes book the Performance Hall for all-ages shows. The RME also rents out the rooms for special events. Mojo’s Café in the main level is a coffee/sandwich shop. The Community Stage at Mojo’s is most often host to local musicians.

Today Songwriters in the Round has the Community Stage. This is a big change from my usual report about live music in the Quad-Cities. We’re definitely not talking cover bands today! This is all original music, and for the most part, acoustic. I’ve met some of the members of the local songwriters’ group, but haven’t seen all of them perform.

Today’s performers include:

Linda Pasvogel - Piano

Todd Pirck - Guitar

David G. Smith - Guitar

Robin   McVie- Guitar

Dan Smith – Drums

Each songwriter took their turn, playing their original works. Dan accompanied them on the drums, and sometimes they would accompany each other. I want to make special note about Linda Pasvogel. She played (and sang) a song about a grandmother coming into the Internet Age. It was a fast-moving, fun song – and I hope she records it or finds someone to record it for her. I enjoyed it tremendously. Linda says she will either call it “Living Life Online” or “Granny got on the Internet”.

If you ever want to listen to original, unique music, Songwriters in the Round is held the second Saturday of every month. They also welcome anyone on stage. Stop in some Saturday, have a coffee, and listen – or join the songwriters on stage to play your own music.  And remember - Support Live Local Music!