Lon Bozarth would seem to have a lot of talents, with his extensive background in the live-music scene of Austin, Texas. Being gentle, politic, and modest aren't among them. Neither is making small plans. In those ways, Bozarth is a stereotypical Texan - straight-talking and thinking big.
Neko Case has an enviable career. She is a siren whose seductive voice might be the single most alluring instrument in music today - clear, robust, sexy, self-possessed, and expressive, with an endearing hint of nasally imperfection.
Bringing American music back to its roots, The Old Scratch Revival Singers tackle heady themes of damnation, salvation, and ... drinking in their songs. A Christian spirituality permeates the band's music, distinguishing it from many of its more heathen rock-and-roll brethren.
In the music business, booking gigs and getting media exposure usually aren't easy things to come by, but for one local band, everything seems to be falling into place. Left of Center is a metal band that was formed in January 2005, and it has already landed an opening slot with Drowning Pool at QC Live this weekend.
Attendees of the annual Hornucopia festival will have their choice of great merchandise as well as Greek, Thai, and American food. But as its name suggests, they're really there for the horns, and as usual, The District of Rock Island won't disappoint.

Room to Grow

For the record, Amie Sassano is not the luckiest person in the world. She didn't get a multi-million-dollar record deal when a label executive heard her humming on the street. But the fledgling singer and songwriter from the Quad Cities area has certainly had quite a few things break her way.
B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Pinetop Perkins, and Koko Taylor are all legendary musicians - talented, hard-working geniuses, and invaluable ambassadors of the blues. But the mission statement of the Mississippi Valley Blues Society includes the line "keeping the blues alive," and that's a chore best left to folks who didn't qualify for AARP more than two decades ago.
• Styx returns next week with a new CD of cover tunes and a remake of one of the band's own classics. Entitled Big Bang Theory, the New Door Records release is subtitled "The Great Rock Songbook" and takes a stab at a host of 1960s and 1970s hits, from The Who's "I Can See For Miles" to Jethro Tull's "Locomotive Breath.
Joe Perry of Aerosmith wants to put you in the studio driving seat this Tuesday with his new self-titled solo album. The Columbia Records CD comes exclusively in the new DualDisc format, packed with goodies on the DVD side, and features the new Umixit technology - enabling the listener to drop the disc into a computer and fiddle with new loops, blend effects, and mute instruments on two songs.
Although I greatly looked forward to seeing reggae legends the Wailers last Friday night, I had my doubts about the venue. Quad City Live had already advertised an incorrect day for the concert (“Saturday,” April 15), and as we drove past its billboard, I saw employees had written the “Whalers.

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