Jason Anderson likens his band’s drummer situation – looking for number four presently, after three years – to that of the legendary, imaginary Spinal Tap, and the comparison is pretty apt. Skinny Weirdo’s “Fist” is exactly the kind of crude rock-and-roll that Tap specialized in before the guys got old and flabby.
If you're a member of a young rock-and-roll band, that first show supporting somebody big can be nerve-wracking. So imagine being Miles and Daxx Nielsen of Harmony Riley on January 12, opening for the first time with Cheap Trick and ... dad? Yes, Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen's two sons will be setting the table for him on eight East Coast dates in January.
The first half of December 28’s Chamber Music Quad Cities concert at the Davenport Unitarian Church followed the course of a well-scripted drama: An uneventful setup moved into a desperate middle section, followed by a triumphant conclusion.
Thom Yorke is clearly the king of 2000. Looking over my list of favorite albums of 2000, I notice that the vocalist shows up three times: leading Radiohead through Kid A (obviously) but also doing duets on albums by Björk and PJ Harvey.
As misnomers go, Wicked Liz & The Bellyswirls is a doozy. First of all, there’s very little wicked about the vocal work of Wicked Liz, who goes by Liz Townsend when not on stage. She can growl in a most unmenacing way, but her voice generally runs from pop sweet to hearty.
Anton Dvorák and Bedrich Smetana are Czechoslovakia’s most famous composers. Full of folk tendencies and a love of their homeland, they expressed the tapestry of bohemian life in their music. While Smetana helped develop Czech nationalism, Dvorák made it popular.
The second album from Shane Johnson’s Blue Train, Big Legged Women, starts off with a song that exists primarily as a framework for hot-licks blues. The words and vocals serve primarily as a break from the fiery work of the guitarist who lends his name to the band.

Reggae Cowboys have all the trappings of a novelty act: Canadians in cowboy hats doing the reggae thing in songs about the Wild Wild West. It sounds a bit like Dread Zeppelin crossed with the Village People, if a little more original.

B.B. King proved that while he might be older, he’s also better. The legendary “King of the Blues” played to a packed house at the Adler Theatre on Monday night as part of his 75th birthday tour, and the crowd was appreciative to have him.
Returning to the podium after a six-year absence, James Dixon on November 4 conducted the Quad City Symphony Orchestra (QCSO) in a concert that merged the best of European impressionistic and romantic traditions.

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