The Quad City Symphony next month will launch a 2012-13 Masterworks Series that takes a step back from last year's ambitious, adventurous, and modern programming and instead plunges into the deep end of 19th Century Romanticism.

Gone is the wide-ranging repertoire that musically delineated the four main historical style periods spanning 300 years, from early-18th Century Vivaldi to a world premiere by local composer William Campbell. Gone are the global concept of Britten's War Requiem, the eclectic contrasts of Modernism, and the contrapuntal complexity of the Baroque. And, by focusing on swing music for the February Masterworks concert, the symphony has effectively eliminated one of its season's six primary showcases for classical music.

The first thing to stress about Hello Quad Cities - Volume 1 is that as compilations go, it's strong from front to back and varied without feeling scattershot. The challenging format tends to result in well-intentioned hodgepodges of second-rate leftovers, but the tracks here - from 12 area bands - are all exclusive, and most were written specifically for the compilation. More importantly, while you might not find all of them to your liking, there isn't a weak link.

The second thing to emphasize is that if you're curious about the project, you shouldn't dawdle. The release is available only on vinyl, and a mere 350 copies were pressed. (Each album includes a download code, but there will be no separate digital or CD release.) And they'll only be sold at a pair of record-release shows, by the featured bands, and at Ragged Records.

The Deadstring Brothers never really went away. But in early 2011, singer/songwriter/guitarist Kurt Marschke retired the outfit as a band and instead performed alone under its name - singing and accompanying himself on drums, guitar, and harmonica.

There were several reasons for the change: the frustrations of keeping a band together and maintaining reliable transportation. In 2010, he said in a phone interview this week, he had three different lineups on the road with him and three separate vehicle breakdowns.

"I felt like an administrator," Marschke said. "I didn't feel like a musician. ... 'Is there an easier way to present music to people, where I can focus on the craft as opposed to focus on filling a drum seat or a steel or an organ player? ... Can I be a musician and feel like I am?'"

And going a little further back, the decision of singer Masha Marjieh in 2008 to stop touring meant that the group lacked the harmonies Marschke loved so much. "2009 and 2010 were just strange, because she wasn't around," he said. "I'd sung with her for so many years, and not having another singer with me felt strange."

So when the Deadstring Brothers perform at RIBCO on Saturday, August 25, it's a bit surprising that Marschke will be leading a five-piece band. It's a bit surprising to him, too.

Given that Keller Williams' albums feature one-syllable titles that roughly describe their contents, a look at his discography hints at the artist's aggressively nomadic nature. Over the past few years alone, there's a bluegrass covers album (Thief), family-friendly music (Kids), reggae dub funk (Bass), and this year's Pick, a bluegrass record with the Travelin' McCourys - featuring two sons of genre legend Del McCoury. And Williams is of course known for his solo show, in which he live-loops all the parts to become his own band.

"Although I have not been diagnosed, I would think there's an Attention Deficit Disorder that's in play here," Williams said in a recent phone interview. "And I mean that in the best possible way. I personally can't just focus on one genre of music without losing interest. ... It's very easy for me to play bass and reggae music with one group and the next day play guitar in a bluegrass band. It gives me the most joy to be able to do that. Too much of one thing, it could be bad, and I could slip into a rut where I'm just thinking about other things on stage. ... Once I play solo for many weeks in a row, I'm so ready to play with other people, and vice versa."

Despite keeping his schedule varied, band and solo settings have their frustrations. In solo shows, he said, "I think that thought kind of creeps in: I wish I could playing with other people, communicating without language. The camaraderie of bands ... is just incredible, and I often miss that. At the same time, ... [when playing with a band] sometimes I can't reach that level of energy that I can reach with my solo act."

But when Williams performs at River Roots Live on August 17 with the Travelin' McCourys, neither of those should be an issue. "The McCourys is a whole different ballgame," Williams said. "It's such a joy for me to be able to play with them, I don't think I've ever wanted to be anywhere else than up on stage with them at that time."