This should not be taken as anything other than an inquiry from a discouraged person. We here at Daytrotter.com would like to know if the general Quad Cities public cares if we present shows here in town. We have the opportunity to host more and more shows here, with some of the best bands in the country, but have been turning them down because we can't afford to do them with the small draws that we've been getting. We want to help build this music scene up to what it could potentially be.

If all else fails, with the help of his trusty loop pedal Marty Jones could have a promising future as a one-man band. As the founder, primary songwriter, and conductor - who also handles vocals, bass, guitars, keyboards, additional percussion, sampling, and programming duties - of Silvis' X+X (spoken as "X Add X"), Jones (a.k.a. Heat) seems more than happy to take anyone willing to jam with him along for the musical ride. But he's ready to do it alone, if necessary.

For somebody who's been compared favorably to Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young and Nick Drake, Damien Jurado has had a touch-and-go career, and a bit of an inferiority complex.

While Johnny Cash may be spinning in his grave over Snoop Dogg's free-form rap alongside his vocal samples in the QDT Muzic remix of "I Walk the Line," I think the Man in Black might just dig the rest of Compadre Records' new Johnny Cash Remixed. Given complete access to Cash's original master recordings, a bevy of hip-hop and up-and-coming knob-twisters give 13 of his hits a fresh workout to overall success. Approved by his son, John Carter Cash, the delightfully weird project is highlighted by The Sopranos theme superstars Alabama 3, slipping into "Leave That Junk Alone," Kennedy slapping around "Sugartime," and Australia's Midnight Juggernauts' dark journey through the "Port of Lonely." Not available on CD until next year, DJs and other wax-spinners get an early crack at the album in a two-LP vinyl edition available this coming Tuesday.