J. Roddy Walston at the Raccoon Motel -- May 13.
Wednesday, May 13, 6 p.m.
Raccoon Motel, 315 East Second Street, Davenport IA
With the Southern rocker and his famed outfit The Business lauded by Echoes & Dust for crafting "catchy, hummable melodies that will stay with you long after you stop listening," J. Roddy Walston brings his solo act to Davenport's Raccoon Motel on May 13, Glide magazine adding to the praise by saying the band was adept at "making excellent rock and roll, best played very loud."
Walston grew up singing in church in Cleveland, Tennessee, which is the home of the Church of God and its affiliated college, Lee University. Walston was steeped in gospel and country music, which he said his relatives referred to as "both kinds of music." His maternal grandmother, a country artist loosely affiliated with the Grand Ole Opry, taught him how to play piano and guitar, and she was often dismayed at his attempts to learn rock n' roll.[6] He lists his influences as Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones (especially pianist Ian Stewart[24]), Harry Nilsson, T. Rex and Leon Russell. His sound has been described as a cross between Janis Joplin and Jerry Lee Lewis.
In its description of the Davenport headliner's band, AllMusic.com wrote: "Specializing in a classic-sounding Southern rock/Americana style that emphasizes songs and danceable kinetics over empty hipness and trendy pop gimmicks, J. Roddy Walston & the Business formed in Cleveland, Tennessee in 2002, moving north to Baltimore, Maryland in 2004. After a couple of lineup changes, the band solidified as a classic rock four-piece with J. Roddy Walston handling lead vocals (as well as playing guitar and piano), Billy Gordon on guitar and additional vocals, Logan Davis on bass, and Steve Colmus on drums. J. Roddy Walston and the Business' live shows have garnered them a large following wherever they play or tour. The band released an EP, LMNEP, in 2005, following it with a self-released full-length, Hail Mega Boys, in 2007. Another short-form release, Digital EP, arrived in June of 2010, with a self-titled full-length album, J. Roddy Walston & the Business, appearing from Vagrant Records a month later. A third full-length studio album, Essential Tremors, arrived in the fall of 2013. In support of the album, the band headlined its 'Holler and Moan' tour and appeared at the Austin City Limits Music Festival. In 2017, they returned with the full-length Destroyers of the Soft Life, featuring the single 'The Wanting.'"
In late 2019, the band announced that performances in Richmond, Virginia and Baltimore would be their final performances. On Facebook, Walston wrote, "There are no plans to make another album or tour at any point in 2020 or the foreseeable future. After 14 years, four albums and 889 shows of being creatively betrothed solely to each other, now feels like the time to explore other possibilities – so we’re stepping away. There will be plenty of time to talk about the last decade and a half and what comes next – and rest assured that we’ll all still be out there, and maybe even together at times."
J. Roddy Walston headlines his Davenport engagement on May 13 with an additional set by The Saint Cecilia, admission to the 6 p.m. concert is $33.06, and more information and tickets are available by visiting TheRaccoonMotel.com.
