Electric Shock and QC Rock Academy at the Redstone Room -- November 23.
Wednesday, November 23, 7 p.m.
The Redstone Room, 129 Main Street, Davenport IA
Davenport's Redstone Room at Common Cord will be rocking its way into the long Thanksgiving weekend on November 23 when the venue hosts a special night with area talents both seasoned and up-and-coming: the popular AC/DC tribute musicians of Electric Shock, and the joy-filled student musicians of the QC Rock Academy.
Since 2014, the local talents of Electric Shock been perfecting the AC/DC show with a high-energy performance, faithfully replicating the band both musically and visually, and playing all the classic hits and deeper cuts from both Bon Scott and Brian Johnson eras. The band's Johnny Degiorgio, who is also originally from Australia, been playing the role of Angus Young since the early '90s in his native country with the band Dirty Deeds, and his counterpart Eric Richeal pays homage to Malcolm Young’s looks and authentic tone, playing on identical Gretsch guitars strung up with the same thick string gauges that Young uses. On vocals, John Kiss has been described as “A young Brian Johnson that can still hit the high notes," and the band's backbone is provided by bassist Darren Followwill, who thumps steadily throughout the night with the roar of the Ampeg refrigerator cabinet. Meanwhile, Tom Ramirez, playing true to Phil Rudd, hammers away on the Phil Rudd signature series Sonor drum kit with an impressive spread of Paiste 2002 cymbals just like Rudd himself. Over the years, Electric Shock has played various festivals, music venues, casinos, and special events across Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, and has performed as the opening act for Heart, Blue Oyster Cult, Firehouse, Head East, Drowning Pool, Lynch Mob, and Hairball.
Between 1975 and 2020, AC/DC itself has released 17 studio albums (15 available worldwide and two released only in Australia), two soundtrack albums, three live albums, 11 video albums, and two box-set albums. Brothers Angus and Malcolm Young formed the band in 1973, and debuted two albums in Australia before releasing their first international effort High Voltage with vocalist Bon Scott, bassist Mark Evans, and drummer Phil Rudd. In 1980, less than a year after the release of the successful Highway to Hell, Scott passed away and was replaced by British singer Brian Johnson, with whom AC/DC released their best-selling album Back in Black, which sold 25 million copies domestically, 50 million worldwide, and went on to become the second highest-selling album in history. Their 2008 album Black Ice, meanwhile, reached number one in 29 countries, and over the 47 years of their career, AC/DC has sold more than 200 million albums worldwide, roughly 75 million of them in the United States.
Joining Electric Shock on Common Chord's November 23 bill are gifted student musicians from the QC Rock Academy, which opened in December of 2011 in their Davenport venue right off of Kimberly Road. The academy boasts 12 lesson rooms filled with the top-of-the-line equipment, and provide instructor of budding for guitar players, bass players, keyboard players, drummers, and vocalists to help them unleash their inner rock star. Teaching everything from playing techniques to stage presence, QC Rock Academy courses are presently being taught by: Greg Hipskind (owner/director/drum Instructor); Billy Gardner (head guitar instructor); Scot Haut (guitar); Sharon DeKeyzer (vocals and piano); Laura Miller Hammes (vocals); Bryce Swanson (guitar/bass/piano and KidzRock classes); Bryson Foster (drums); Jeff Jackson (guitar); Rebecca Casad (vocals and ukulele); Jacob Lamantia (drums); Nick Vasquez (piano); Drew Irion (bass/guitar); Stephanie Tromblee-Rigg (vocals); and Andre Garcia (bass/guitar).
Electric Shock and the QC Rock Academy musicians play their Redstone Room concert On November 23, admission to the 7 p.m. show is $10-75, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)326-1333 and visiting CommonChordQC.org.
