The Black Kids We began the week by recording one of the world's hottest young bands, The Black Kids, and one that should definitely be watched in the next year - Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears. The Austin band will be back touring through the Midwest in October with Okkervil River and Crooked Fingers, and early indications from them are that there might be a hole in their schedule that would allow the tour to come through the Quad Cities.

mixtapesjorgetapia.jpg

I have a certain admiration for Rob Gordon, John Cusack's character in the 2000 film High Fidelity. Although flawed by a heavy case of snobbery, living by the maxim that the more you like something, the more you insult the majority of it, he had such a strong passion for music that he had to make it his life's work.

It seems as though the Quad Cities have their own Rob Gordon (rather, a duo) who have made their passion also their business, making it a must-visit for any music fan in this area. To be fair, Jorge and Amber Tapia, owners of Mixtapes located at 830 15th Avenue in East Moline, carry a different disposition than Cusack's character; they leave the elitism at the door. It seems as though they have developed their own maxim: the more you like something, the more you want to share it with as many people as possible.

Jim the Mule Jim the Mule started recording its second studio album, Last Solid Ground, in March 2007, and a rough mix was finished in August.

And then the Quad Cities quartet had to do a big chunk of it again.

Ingrid Michaelson It has been a furious two days, as late this Monday we confirmed what is just one of a number of flood-benefit shows that we're looking at staging here in the Quad Cities over the next month. We've been talking with some great bands about coming in here and donating their talents to help out those who lost a lot in the recent floods here in Iowa. All door proceeds for the show will go to local flood victims.

Ani DiFrancoThe Ani DiFranco appearing at the Capitol Theatre on Saturday might not be the same Ani DiFranco who became something of a legend over the past two decades.

The old Ani averaged a record a year from 1989 through 2006, toured incessantly, and was a punkish-folk, feminist, do-it-yourself, and bisexual icon.

The new Ani has a nearly-18-month-old child and a "baby daddy" (her words, referring to producer Mike Napolitano), and will be releasing her first studio album in two whole years in September: Red Letter Year.

Daytrotter We're busy as always this week, bringing in a number of bands that will be playing this week's Pitchfork Festival in Chicago. The sessions that we'll be recording here in Rock Island include visits by Candle, Bear Country, The New Year, The Icy Demons, Jennifer O'Connor, Secret Machines, The Dutchess & the Duke, the Prairie Spies, Ani DiFranco, and Supergrass.

Natalia Zukerman Natalia Zukerman might as well have been born on the road. She is the child of two classical musicians who traveled a lot. (Her father is violinist, violist, and conductor Pinchas Zukerman.) She said last week that she got on a plane for the first time when she was six weeks old, and "I've learned to pack and unpack since I was a little kid.

"Having a regular, stay-at-home home life, that's the challenge for me and my family," she continued. "I love that it's something that is definitely in my blood. My grandfather was a klezmer musician and a gypsy of sorts. Traveling troubadour is part of my DNA."

She's carrying on the tradition.

Daytrotter It's a relatively calm week at Daytrotter headquarters this week, but the few things that are happening are exciting.

We here at Daytrotter have been overjoyed with the response to the last two Daytrotter Presents shows at Huckleberry's -- Amos Lee/Shelley Short and Justin Townes Earle/David Vandervelde. We have to thank everyone for coming out, and if you were one of those people, bring two others with you for the next one.

We promise to continue bringing in high quality acts -- putting together diverse bills that you're only going to be able to see here. The next two shows that we have upcoming promise to be just as eclectic.

Mississippi Valley Blues Festival cover To blues it may concern:

Peace and blues to you all, and welcome to the 2008 IH Mississippi Valley Blues Festival. Come hell or high water, the fest must go on! This year's Mississippi River flood only strengthened our resolve to bring you the best in blues, even if we can't be in LeClaire Park.

Pages