“An Afternoon with Damon Johnson" at Rascals Live -- December 7.
Sunday, December 7, 3 p.m.
Rascals Live, 1414 15th Street, East Moline IL
On December 7, Rascals Live will host a very special event with an iconic musician from Brother Cane, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Thin Lizzy, Alice Cooper, and Black Star Riders, the Moline venue's An Afternoon with Damon Johnson treating fans to stories, acoustic songs, and more with the noted rocker, including a listening party for the forthcoming Brother Cane album Magnolia Medicine.
An offer to join Split the Dark, an established band fronted by former members of the power-pop band Hotel, prompted Johnson's move to Birmingham, Alabama in 1987. Split the Dark was a very popular act on the Southeast U.S. college club circuit, and had won the MTV "Basement Tapes" competition in 1986 but failed to secure a record deal. He would later get his first taste of "bands with record deals" as the guitarist for the Atlanta, Georgia band Witness in 1988, and with the Memphis, Tennessee band, Delta Rebels, in 1989. During this time he also performed with the bands Chinatown (with Eric Dover) and Chyld. It was with Chyld that Johnson garnered the attention of the A&R at Virgin Records. After securing a developmental deal in November 1990, the label eventually persuaded Johnson to take over the lead vocal position, and change the band's name to Brother Cane.
Brother Cane released three albums on Virgin Records (the self-titled debut, which sold 300,000 copies, Seeds, and Wishpool) that would yield three number-one singles on rock radio ("Got No Shame," "And Fools Shine On," and "I Lie in the Bed I Make"). "And Fools Shine On" was also featured in the horror film Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. Brother Cane toured extensively as a headliner and also as a supporting act on tours by Van Halen, Aerosmith, Robert Plant, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Candlebox. After multiple changes in label presidents and other staff at Virgin Records, though, as well as a shift in the musical direction of U.S. rock radio, the band amicably disbanded in 1999.
In 2005, Brother Cane reunited for two concerts. One of the shows was released as a two-disc set with previously unreleased backstage, offstage, concert footage (a 40-minute show as the opening act for Van Halen in Fresno from '95) and interview content. Brother Cane again reunited for a brief tour in 2012. In March 2022, Brother Cane announced they would reunite for live shows later in the year. Johnson is rejoined by original bass guitarist Glenn Maxey, along with Buck Johnson (Aerosmith, Hollywood Vampires) on keyboards, Tony Higbee on guitar (Tom Keifer Band), and drummer Jarred Pope from Johnson's solo band. The first show was at the Northern Lights Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on April 22.
The band performed a full tour in 2023 to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the release of the Brother Cane album. Johnson stated: "I’m just over the moon about this. Brother Cane fans are some of the most passionate that I've encountered in all of my travels. I'm certainly proud of all these songs, and the guys and I are looking forward to bringing them to the people once again." This November, Brother Cane announced that they would be releasing their fourth album, Magnolia Medicine, in early 2026, which is also the band's first album since their reformation as well as their first studio album in 28 years since Wishpool.
With Johnson's Sunday-afternoon Rascals Live engagement, audiences are invited to sit back and enjoy listening to, and hearing stories from, the artist about the brand-new, unrelease Brother Cane album Magnolia Medicine in the only show to play the new album before its release in April of 2026. Johnson will then provide fans with an acoustic performance that will take them on a trip from his early original material all the way to performing songs from his band Lynyrd Skynyrd, with stops along the way to perform songs from all his other bands. A real-life "Behind the Music? event, this will truly be an afternoon not to be missed.
An Afternoon with Damon Johnson will take place in Moline on December 7, admission to the all-ages 3:30 p.m. event is $20-55, and more information and tickets are available by visiting the event's Facebook page.
