26 Aug 2009

The Family Business: Roman Candle, August 29 at Huckleberry's

By Jeff Ignatius

Roman Candle. Photo by David McClister.

Roman Candle has had bad luck following good fortune in the music business, and it's almost certainly more frustrating than just-plain-rotten luck.

What was supposed to be the group's major-label debut, on a Hollywood Records subsidiary, was shelved for nearly three years despite persistent buzz about the band and the record. The long-time-coming album prompted Pitchfork to call Roman Candle "one of the great unsubstantiated rumors of modern pop-rock."

V2 Records eventually bought the masters and put out the CD, The Wee Hours Revue, in 2006. But that label was effectively closed seven months later. It was at that point that the members of Roman Candle had an epiphany.

19 Aug 2009

"We Share These Things with Other People": "Moondances Chapter One" CD Release Party, August 28 at the Redstone Room

By Jeff Ignatius

'Moondances Chapter One'The benefit compilation CD Moondances Chapter One begins with a song Ellis Kell wrote in memory of his daughter, and it ends with one written following his father's death. The second track, "You Can't Hurt Us Anymore" was penned for Sheltering Kevin, a documentary by Carolyn Wettstone about domestic violence.

That suggests a generosity not only of time and art but of spirit. Kell is not merely sharing his talents but also his difficult experiences and his heart. "I've always tried to draw something positive out of when these things happen, whether it was my daughter's passing or my father's passing," he said. "And we share these things with other people."

12 Aug 2009

The Mood of a Nation: These United States, August 17 at Huckleberry's

By Jeff Ignatius

These United States

There's nothing directly political about Everything Touches Everything, the third album from These United States. But the record could be called the five-piece band's Obama collection, even though you'd be hard-pressed to find more than hints of that in the content.

It's not nearly as precious or knee-jerk as it sounds. It's not a Pollyannaish perspective, and there are no unicorns or rainbows. It's more about a mood.

The questioning refrain of "Night & the Revolution" is tellingly ambiguous -- "How do you think this night is going to conclude?" is paired with "Where do you think this revolution is going to go?" -- and it seems more about a party than partisanship.

But as songwriter/singer/guitarist Jesse Elliott was assembling the record, he decided that its song selection would hinge on the outcome of the election. The album that will be released on September 1 is significantly different from the one that would be released had John McCain won.

10 Aug 2009

Photos from the Tracy Lawrence Concert, August 9 at the Mississippi Valley Fair

By Chris Jones

Images by photographer Chris Jones from Sunday's Tracy Lawrence concert at the Mississippi Valley Fair. Click on any photo for a larger version.

10 Aug 2009

Photos from the Mudvayne/Black Label Society/Static X Concert, August 7 at the i wireless Center

By Chris Jones

Images by photographer Chris Jones from Friday's Mudvayne/Black Label Society/Static X concert at the i wireless Center. Click on any photo for a larger version.

Mudvayne

07 Aug 2009

Photos from the Kenny Loggins Concert, August 6 at the Mississippi Valley Fair

By Chris Jones

Images by photographer Chris Jones from Thursday's Kenny Loggins concert at the Mississippi Valley Fair. Click on any photo for a larger version.

05 Aug 2009

Photos from the Trace Adkins Concert, August 4 at the Mississippi Valley Fair

By Chris Jones

Images by photographer Chris Jones from Tuesday's Trace Adkins concert at the Mississippi Valley Fair.  Click on any photo for a larger version.

30 Jul 2009

Stick with the Funny: The Reverend Horton Heat, August 22 at RIBCO

By Jeff Ignatius

The Reverend Horton Heat. Photo by Drew Reynolds.

As we began a recent phone interview, Jim Heath was filing and dealing with music-publishing paperwork. You can be certain this is nothing that his alter ego, the Reverend Horton Heat, would ever do.

"The reason I joined a band is 'cause I wouldn't have to do this crap," he said. "I end up spending all day filing and talking to accountants."

That's the price of being a successful, long-running purveyor of lighthearted, Texas-scorched rockabilly, nearly impervious to the fickle trends of popular music. Appearing at RIBCO on August 22, the Reverend Horton Heat has a new album - the country-flavored Laughin' & Cryin' with the Reverend Horton Heat - due out September 1, and the band will be celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2010. Heath turned 50 this year, and bassist Jimbo Wallace has been with the group for 20 years.

But Heath would prefer that information not get out. "In the world or rock and roll," he said, "telling people that you've been around a long time isn't necessarily the best thing."

29 Jul 2009

Reunions Mark RIBCO's 30th Anniversary July 31 and August 1

By Jeff Ignatius

Tripmaster MonkeyJason Parris, the booking agent for the Rock Island Brewing Company, knows there is something special about the local bar. "The room feels and looks like a New York club," said Parris. "You can see the history in the room with all of the black-and-white photos of people who have played here. You can definitely see that it's been around for 30 years."

On July 31 and August 1, RIBCO (at 1815 Second Avenue) will commemorate its 30th anniversary. Bands including Driver of the Year, Cheese Pizza, Jim the Mule, and Keep Off the Grass will perform at the two-night celebration, along with reunion performances by Tripmaster Monkey and Einstein's Sister.

23 Jul 2009

All Business: The Afterdarks, July 24 at the Redstone Room

By Jeff Ignatius

The Afterdarks

The Quad Cities psychobilly trio The Afterdarks wants to make an impression. The weapon of choice is a new 31-track CD - a collection of songs from the group's beginnings in 2003 to now, largely recorded by the current lineup.

There could have been even more. "Thirty-one's all we could fit," said guitarist/singer Jake Cowan, who gave a practical reason for the jam-packed recording: "Rather than take five albums and try to sell them individually, just re-record them, kind of fine-tune them, and put them on one album, and take one album on the road to sell."

The larger aim, said singer and bassist Joe Robertson, is to show record labels and music venues that the band is serious - that it can do more than lay down a handful of demos, that it knows how to pump out product.

Blood Sweat & Gears began as a typical 10- to 13-track full-length but evolved into a summary of the band's existence. The Afterdarks wanted to "draw a line in the sand and say, 'Here's everything up to this point. Now we can move forward,'" Robertson said. "I want to put us on the map. ... I want to actually have record labels take us seriously."

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