Do You Have Those Mid-winter Blues?

Back in October I started a new day job. My day begins much earlier than it used to, so I knew Thursday night jam nights would become limited. Here we are in the end of January, and I realized that I had not been to one jam session since the end of October. I really miss those Thursday nights of music.

So – armed with the knowledge that I was probably going to hate myself Friday morning, I headed down to Muddy’s.

John O'Meara runs jam night at The Muddy Waters

The usual crowd was gathered – Johnny, Pete and Perry were just getting started, and Don Stewart made a brief appearance.  A couple other musicians stepped up for a few songs, and then it was already time for me to go. I hear that more musicians arrived after I left. One day soon I will have to stop when I can stay later.

Art and Music - the perfect pairing at the Bucktown

It was Final Friday at the Bucktown Center for the Arts in downtown Davenport. This month there was a display of Augustana student art and Augie music students were providing music for the event. Some of the galleries had musicians in place, including banjo and acoustic guitar music, a violin and a saxophone soloist. The Small Wonders photo studio hosted a full band that finished out the night.

 

 

 

 

 

 



A Gathering of Amazing Musicians at The Muddy Waters

Something big was brewing in Bettendorf! From the Bucktown I headed to Bettendorf and The Muddy Waters. Billed as Pieces of Candy, this was actually a gathering of musicians from multiple bands. Participants included: Bret Dale, Alan Sweet, Randy Leaseman, Evan White, Curtis Hawkins, Detroit Larry Davidson, Jason Moynihan and Mike Rodbard. There were amazing vocals, screaming guitars and wailing saxophones. It was everything you ever wanted to hear and see in a blues jam – all in one place. I bumped into Al Sweet during the break and he asked “are you making the rounds tonight, Roberta?”  Heck no! This was the place to be, and I wasn’t going anywhere. If you missed this – you really missed this! Chances are we’ll never see this exact group of musicians together again.

 



Silly Cecali and Slack Man

Saturday night I dropped by the RME to see Silly Cecali and Slack Man perform on the Community Stage of the RME Café with Toomey. Cecali says she is called Silly because she writes silly songs. I know this much – Cecali’s original music is fresh and very good, and her voice has matured nicely. This young lady could have a very bright musical future.

It's a Rockabilly Rollick with 3 on the Tree

I had Rockabilly and blues on my mind. What a combination! My intended stop for the night was RIBCO, and the Nikki Hill show. The opening act is a solid rockabilly trio that I’ve seen and mentioned before, 3 on the Tree. The guys have yet to disappoint me, providing rollicking quality music and a visually stimulating show.  Saturday they had a few different songs in their set list than I had heard before – including an old favorite of my Dad’s, “Hot Rod Lincoln”. They rocked that Lincoln, for sure!

Nikki and Matt Hill - the perfect combination

I said I was in the mood for rockabilly and blues, and I could easily have gotten both solely from Nikki Hill’s performance. With an earthy blues voice that has been compared to Etta James, Nikki had the blues part of the show covered from the get-go. But she just as easily changed gears and rocked the house with some great rockabilly tunes. Such a versatile singer requires a versatile band, and Nikki’s band (including  Nikki's husband Matt), definitely had her back.

You can see more photos on my Flickr page HERE

This week:

Friday – Jason Carl and the Whole Damn band are at The Rusty Nail, The Muddy Waters has The Avey Brothers, and Chuck Murphy is playing the Zero to Sixty bar. RIBCO has the first installment of their Battle of Bands, with Battle Deluxe Republic, The Effie Afton and 1380. There’s a variety show at the Redstone Room, called A Damn Good Time, that includes local bands such as The Harris Collection and The Movers and Shakers. The Dirt Road Rockers are playing at Hero's Pub, and you can find Crazy Bad at Fargo.

Saturday -  The Night People are playing the Greenbriar, Propaganda is at the Rusty Nail, Chuck Murphy is at the Docs Inn. Pash n Brew are playing Purgatory's, North of 40 is at the Hawkeye, and The Muddy Waters has Superfly Samurai.