The Wizard of Oz

Timber Lake Playhouse beginning Thursday, July 27,

and Prospect Park Auditorium beginning August 4

Tea Leaf Green

Rock Island Brewing Company

Tuesday, July 18, 9 p.m.

Tea Leaf Green. Indeed. And bread-stick beige, but what's that got to do with anything? All kidding aside, San Francisco rockers Tea Leaf Green will play the Rock Island Brewing Company on Tuesday, July 18, giving the band a momentary reprieve from the summer-festival circuit. The group's relentless schedule has included recent appearances at the Bonnaroo, Wakarusa, and High Sierra music festivals, where their classic sound - conjuring the spirits of Bob Dylan, The Faces, and early Elton John - has wowed sold-out crowds nationwide; reviewing the band at last month's Kansas-based Wakarusa festival, State of Mind Music Magazine's Michael Davoli and John Flanigan called their sets "spectacular," and wrote, "Tea Leaf Green spent the last year building up expectations wherever they went ... then far exceeded them every step of the way." Described on their Web site as "a band of youthful gypsies with an abundance of both rock and soul," the group also received enthusiastic notices for their 2005 CD Taught to be Proud. Sounds like you'll love Tea Leaf Green. And when at RIBCO, make sure to catch their opening act: Bath Mat Pink. (Sorry. It's just so much fun.) For further information, visit (http://www.ribco.com).

Carbon Leaf

The Redstone Room

Wednesday, June 28, 8 p.m.

"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 (http://www.redstoneroom.com). - Mike Schulz

Louisiana Red and Honeyboy Edwards

The Redstone Room

Saturday, June 17, 9 p.m.

In this corner, weighing in with a W.C. Handy Award for Best Traditional Blues Artist, a discography that spans more than three decades, and a list of influences that includes Muddy Waters, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Arthur Crudup - ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the stage that bluesman extraordinaire, the Alabama slamma ... Louisiana Red! And in this corner, weighing in with his own W.C. Handy Award, a 1996 induction into the Blues Hall of Fame, and both an autobiography (The World Don't Owe Me Nothing) and a documentary (Honeyboy) to his name - ladies and gentlemen, let's hear it for the Baron of Blues, the Goliath of the guitar ... David Honeyboy Edwards! One's a touring dynamo whose 2006 gigs have taken him to Ghana, Greece, and Belgium; one's a 90-year-old inspiration called "always enjoyable and occasionally brilliant" by Living Blues magazine. Who will emerge victorious when the two meet at their shared performance in Davenport's Redstone Room on Saturday, June 17? Based on their stats, I'm makin' an early prediction, folks: It'll be a draw. For more information, visit (http://www.redstoneroom.com). - Mike Schulz