In the 2020s, the “doom” or “sludge” tag is increasingly self-applied, as an ethos as well as an aesthetic, by bands who create oppressive, cathartic music intended as a reflection of our dismal times. Such are the three bands – Body Void, SERAC, and Everlasting Light – playing Davenport's Raccoon Motel (315 East Second Street) on Friday, December 8.

An unforgettable holiday experience led by former Mannheim Steamroller keyboardist John Blasucci, the immersive touring event Luminare Christmas lands at Davenport's Rhythm City Casino Resort Event Center on December 10, bringing to audiences a singular fusion of reimagined holiday classics, high-energy symphonic rock, and cinematic magic.

On December 9 and 10, music fans are invited to ring in the holiday season with members of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra's brass and percussion sections in the yuletide delight Holiday Brass, an uplifting repertoire of classical and seasonal favorites being performed at Rock Island's Second Baptist Church and Davenport's St. Paul Lutheran Church.

With his pair of 2021 releases both earning raves from Blues Blast magazine – the studio recording Resurrection deemed "an excellent album" and the live LP Blues for the Southside described as "a high-flying, straight-ahead blues love letter" – acclaimed singer/songwriter and guitarist Mike Zito plays Davenport's Rhythm City Casino Resort Rhythm Room on December 8, Rock & Blues Muse having called Resurrection “as good as modern blues gets.”

Touring in support of their fifth full-length recording Past the Light which is slated for December release, the Chicago-based musicians of Old Shoe play an album-release concert at Davenport's Redstone Room on December 8, the five-piece ensemble a frequently touring outfit that, according to WSUM.org, “incorporates rock, bluegrass, jazz, and a little folk, creating nothing but an upbeat atmosphere."

With their 2022 album White Trash Revelry lauded by Glide magazine as "a deeply satisfying mix of songs," country singer/songwriter and North Carolina native Adeem the Artist headlines a December 9 concert event at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, their most recent recording also hailed by PopMatters for the "authentic empathy that permeates this album and lends genuine gravity to the songs held within."

Headlining a December 5 concert in support of their 2023 release OK to Wonder, an album that Americana Highways said "provides listeners of bluegrass with revelry, wonder, and whimsy on 11 distinctive insightful songs," the touring artists of Arkansauce play Davenport's Raccoon Motel on December 5, their latest recording also inspiring Americana Highways to state, "The musicians perform in a tightly improvisational style within the structure of some tightly knit melodies."

Continuing their 2023-24 season with performances at Davenport's Adler Theatre on December 2 and Moline High School's Bartlett Performing Arts Center on December 3, the stunning musicians of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra deliver a spectacular seasonal treat in Masterworks III: Winter Wonders, a repertoire of Mozart, Handel, and other classic composers boasting extraordinary solo work by QCSO Principal Oboe Andrew Parker.

Delivering a live performance of iconic country and folk tunes blended with seasonal favorites, Los Angeles' Rick Schuler brings his touring tribute act Rocky Mountain High Experience: A John Denver Christmas to Davenport's Adler Theatre on December 3, presenting a salute to the music legend that will boast unforgettable songs from Denver's Grammy-winning repertoire alongside heartwarming inspirational carols and holiday classics from his memorable TV specials and Christmas albums.

Winners of two Loudwire Music Awards for Live Act of the Year, and one of the only groups to achieve top-five Billboard success on both the Hard Rock and Comedy charts, Steel Panther brings its unique blend of glam metal and hilarious lyrics to East Moline's The Rust Belt on December 3, the California musicians appearing on their "On The Prowl Winter Holidaze Tour," and lauded by Blabbermouth as “a genuinely brilliant '80s-inspired heavy metal band.”

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