Dickie and The Tanya English Band at RIBCO -- June 20.
Saturday, June 20, 8 p.m.
RIBCO, 1815 Second Avenue, Rock Island IL
Performing a thrilling night of Americana, rock, and blues, the combined talents of Dick “Dickie” Prall and the Tanya English Band play an exhilarating, co-headlining engagement at Rock Island's RIBCO on June 20.
On Dickie’s self-titled debut release, Prall took a succession of personal losses and nestled them inside a beautifully-layered soundtrack. The intimate and moody testimonial was cited as “Best Indie Rock Release of 2015” by Music Existence, also making its way onto several top-10 lists that same year. Four years later, Prall found himself in a nostalgic headspace that led to a reunion with friends and co-producers Pat Sansone of Wilco and Joshua Shapera, resulting in a stripped-back mix of reflective and pulsating tunes stamped into the 10-track sing-along Minus Thieves. This simplified effort was tracked at The Magic Barn, a rural studio outside the small town of Solon, Iowa, whose fame came from housing the original recording equipment of New York’s now-defunct The Magic Shop. Iconic artists such as David Bowie, Lou Reed, and Blondie all made records at the renowned space, and by applying a formula of straightforward guitars fused seamlessly with tight, no-frills rhythms, the minimal production of Minus Thieves impeccably highlights the core of Dickie's hook-laden songwriting.
Praised by Time Out Chicago as a musician who "excels at morphing the smallest of melodic chunks into grandiose statements of purpose," Dickie has shared stages with such great artists as Wilco, Young the Giant, Blind Pilot, Allen Stone, and the late Justin Towns Earle, and Dickie has long been the beneficiary of considerable praise. PopMatters wrote that the artist "crafts fault-free melodies that make the listener very eager to find out what's around the corner," while the Chicago Sun-Times raved, "Prall has achieved a brand of rootsy power-pop that is smart, introspective, and filled with great hooks." The Rock & Roll Report, meanwhile, extolled, "From the first note, the self-titled release from Dickie is a pleasure to listen to. The 10 tracks on the release work well as a whole as each song on the release seems to beg the listener to continue listening."
As stated at HealingWithTheBlues.com: "For nearly 15 years, The Tanya English Band has been bringing women’s empowerment blues to the eastern Iowa audience. A life-long fan of the blues, it all began when Dr. (Tanya) English heeded the call to unleash her inner blues singer. Her husband, 'Uncle' Ed English, is a renowned area bass player and a steadfast supporter of her healing work. Together, they started the band and have witnessed powerful healing, both while performing and in her practice. The result was Healing with The Blues! They have brought together the finest area musicians, offering the blues and healing to you! Featuring Iowa City guitar slinger Dave Rosazza, the band now includes: Sean Seaton on keys and Paul Cunliffe on drums," who are "all in the Iowa Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as members of Iowa City’s legendary band, Shade of Blue."
The June 20 Rock Island concert will find The Tanya English Band opening the show at 8 p.m. followed by the set with Dickie, admission is $15-18, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)506-4924 and visiting RIBCO.com.
