If you never stretch, you'll never know what your limits are. Muscatine band Burnt Ends stretches a lot, and - as the group's new album Trip the Dandy nears its end - finds its limit. To put it bluntly: On an otherwise sure-footed album that rarely plays it safe, the rapping was a terrible choice - incongruous and baffling.
A new benefit CD is worth putting your money where your heart is, created when the Wavelab recording studio in Tucson, Arizona, wanted to reach out across the desert and aid Habitat For Humanity's Musician's Village project in New Orleans. Graciously: A Gulf Relief Compilation features a dozen exclusive new tracks from artists who've recorded albums at the studio, including Robyn Hitchcock, Devotchka, John Doe, Howie Gleb, Friends of Dean Martinez, and Calexico. Look for it next week on store shelves from the Funzalo Records label.
"Don't quit your day job" is a common rebuke to performers. I bet the members of Carbon Leaf - performing at Davenport's Redstone Room on Wednesday, June 28 - are grateful that they ignored that admonition. Described by the group's drummer, Scott Milstead, as "a 5-piece acoustic/electric/mandolin/rootsy/poppy rock band" - whew! - the Virginia natives did indeed quit their day jobs in 2002 after seven years together and, since performing full-time, have never looked back; their most recent album, Indian Summer, had Music Box Online's T.J. Simon raving, "The album delivers so many magnificent moments that it's a difficult task to put a finger on any one favorite selection." And in case you were wondering where the band's moniker originates from, Wikipedia reveals that although specifics are "murky," Carbon Leaf's Barry Privett and Terry Clark supposedly came up with the name - among several possibilities - during a rafting trip. It's definitely better than their other options: Where the Hell Are We? and Should We Be Worried That Kevin Bacon Is in the Raft Next to Us? For more information on Carbon Leaf, and future Redstone Room performers, visit (
He's been described as "a bit rough and tons of fun"; he's been hammering out the blues for more than 30 years; he's been getting more and more recognition for his talent; and he's going to be in the tent on Sunday.
Blues Brother Dan Aykroyd calls Andy Linderman "one of the most dynamic electric harmonica players of our generation."
Joe Krown made his way to New Orleans in the early 1990s. Soon, he hooked up with Gatemouth Brown and became his keyboardist for the next 10 years. Along the way, Joe has put together various side bands and has performed with musicians from Chuck Berry to John Lee Hooker to Vassar Clements.
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