23 Aug 2005

Hansen Decides to Close Brew & View

By Jeff Ignatius
Devin Hansen understands that some people might feel betrayed. He remembers what he said when he opened the Rocket cinema earlier this year, making what many saw as an implicit promise to remain loyal to the Brew & View.
16 Aug 2005

Looking Up in LeClaire

By Jeff Ignatius
The big attraction in LeClaire this past weekend was Tug Fest, but city leaders hope visitors paid attention to 6,000 square feet on the levee. It's nothing special - it looks like paving stones embedded in gravel - but it's a symbol of what's happening in this small town situated on the Iowa side of the Mississippi River.
16 Aug 2005

Something Fishy Is Raising Money

By Jeff Ignatius
When budget cuts hit Rock Island Clean & Beautiful, the organization did something unusual: It engaged the artistic community for a public-art project. Sure, the 20 artistic catfish that have been gracing various sites in the Quad Cities are a fundraiser, but they're also part of a larger vision to make the Quad Cities a more visually appealing place.
09 Aug 2005

His Fingers Do the Talking

By Jeff Ignatius
Junior Brown is about as matter-of-fact as people get. On record and in interview, he sounds as excitable as a corpse. About his upcoming live record, due in September? He says it's "just to answer some requests.
09 Aug 2005

Sloppy, Fast, Anarchic ... Bluegrass

By Jeff Ignatius
When Eric Mardis was a teenager, he dreamed the way most adolescent boys dream: "I totally wanted to be a rock star," he said in a phone interview, "a cross between [Deep Purple's] Ritchie Blackmore and [Metallica's] Kirk Hammett.
09 Aug 2005

Long Live the BoDeans?

By Jeff Ignatius
When The BoDeans close the opening day of the River Roots Live festival on Friday, August 19, it might be your last chance to see the group. And the guys could certainly use your support. Five days after the band's appearance at the Davenport festival, the band has a court date, at which it will ask a judge to reconsider his ruling that portions of the band's lawsuit with its ex-manager must be re-tried.
02 Aug 2005

Is Rock Island Draining Its Cash Cow?

By Jeff Ignatius

"The only red tape you'll find in Rock Island is the one you cut at your grand opening," says the new marketing campaign for the city. Some bar owners in The District of Rock Island view things a little differently.

26 Jul 2005

Checks, Loans, and Rock & Roll

By Jeff Ignatius
If you're in a band, you might know that things are getting serious when business overtakes music as your primary concern. "Lately, it's been all business," said Tom Swanson, singer and guitarist for Jim the Mule.
26 Jul 2005

A Problem of Perfection

By Jeff Ignatius
If you've seen Jim the Mule live, the first few seconds of the band's new self-titled studio album will be a bit of a shock: Some dirty but muted guitar and drums kick things off, and my first thought was that something had gone wrong in the recording process.
26 Jul 2005

Evolver

By Jeff Ignatius
What started as a joke isn't so funny any more. For one thing, the threat of legal action hangs over Michael Tierney and his band. For another, his four-piece outfit is successful - and notorious - beyond what anybody could have expected based on its roots.

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