In
conjunction with this year's Music Guide, the River
Cities' Reader has added
new music-related features to its Web site.
You might notice that our print Music Guide no longer lists local bands, bars, and performance venues. That's because we've shifted that content to our Web site. As a result, it's searchable, and registered users can claim and edit their listings or create listings for their new bands or venues. In other words, the people who have the most to gain from accurate listings - whether they're bands, bars, or restaurants - will ensure that our database is as comprehensive and up-to-date as possible.
Near the top of the Reader Web site (http://www.rcreader.com) is a tab labeled "In the Cities." There you will find the band and venue information that's previously been included in our print Music Guide.
The first step to adding or changing a listing is to register on the Web site. Is your band or club missing? You can add new listings through our Web site if you've registered. Have you changed bassists, or do you have a new CD? Claiming a listing on the Reader Web site will allow you to update it to ensure our readers have the most-current information on you.
And don't forget to add your live-music venue's or band's Web site to the "Quad Cities Links" section, found under the "Community" tab.
Although we're excited about our new online features, the physical Music Guide still offers a wealth of important information and interesting articles. Three charts give you the lowdown on music classes offered locally, a schedule of music festivals in the area for the coming year, and dozens of musical organizations in the Quad Cities - whether you want to join up with one of them or just make sure you don't miss an upcoming show.
On the eve of the annual Bix jazz festival, Mike Schulz makes a compelling case (starting on page 9) for the continued relevance of Bix Beiderbecke. Audra Beals (on page 18) explains why classical music on "period" instruments sounds different from tunes played on contemporary instruments. Karen McFarland lets guitar hero Mike Morgan talk (on page 19) about why he's proud of his songwriting. And we catch up with Quad City SoundBoard (on page 9), the organization that hopes to promote local bands and live-music venues to the Quad Cities area and beyond.
And at our companion Web site QCSPAN (http://www.qcspan.com), you can listen to McFarland's interview with Morgan, and hear local drummer Josh Duffee get excited about Bix.
