Lissie Our little hub here in Rock Island feels doubly cool on a day such as Sunday when we have into the studio a young, local talent gone Los Angeles in Lissie, then a few hours after she left to go swim at the pool and eat hamburgers we have one of Daytrotter's original alums and makers of one of the coolest records of the year, Koufax, by for the second session of the day, and last, to cap the day, one of the premier hip-hoppers on the planet: Aesop Rock.

Sounds Eclectic Public-radio tastemaker KCRW from Santa Monica, California, is back with its sixth collection of live performances from its studios.

Brother Trucker When Flyover, the fourth album from Des Moines-based Brother Trucker, sees the light of day - maybe yet this summer - the band's fans will be treated to a collection of timeless roots rock.

Which is a good thing, because the songs were recorded more than three years ago.

Daytrotter Perhaps there's been this empty feeling in your stomachs lately as the Daytrotter concert schedule has been slightly bare for the greater part of August. It's all about to change as the shows are going to start up again and hit like a blizzard, like two blizzards back-to-back.

The Verve - Forth The Verve is rolling out the red carpet for its return next week in bonus-packed limited editions of the new album Forth. A CD/DVD set is available at retail, housed in a bound-book-style package and featuring the 20-minute documentary Space & Time and five songs from the band's performance this past May at Coachella. Fans still gobbling up the various exclusive B sides on the first single, "Love Is Noise," can order the deluxe box set from The Verve's official online store, boasting an audiophile two-LP vinyl set with two songs that don't show up on the CD, the bonus DVD, free downloads, and a special book of memorabilia.

Reader #697 As dismissive as many people are when it comes to blogs, what's often neglected is that they can sometimes represent genuine grassroots movements. And Minneapolis' Tapes 'n Tapes has been a major beneficiary.

Ernest Dawkins Jazz alto saxophonist Ernest "Khabeer" Dawkins will bring his "Straight Ahead" Quartet with special guest pianist and jazz educator Willie Pickens to the River Music Experience's Redstone Room in downtown Davenport for Polyrhythms' Third Sunday Jazz Matinée & Workshop on August 17. The workshop begins at 3 p.m., with admission $3 for students and $5 for adults. The concert begins at 6 p.m., with general admission $15 and reserve seating $20.

The Ruby Suns So far this week, we've already recorded Royal Bangs and New Zealanders The Ruby Suns, who parked their motor home at West Lake Park for the night, ate some Huckleberry's pizza, and then drove to Chicago to make the long flight home. They were a little worn out when they came to see us, but the tunes turned out well. Everyone should check out their newest Sub Pop record and complain to someone that it's not been released on vinyl.

Om Dust off that old turntable and coax it back to life with a yearlong feeding courtesy of Sub Pop Records, reviving its legendary Sub Pop Singles Club this week. Out of commission since its original operation from 1988 to 1993 and its run from 1998 through 2002, the return celebrates the label's 20th anniversary. Offering a one-year subscription of 12 seven-inch singles delivered to your doorstep each month, the series kicks off with Om, with The Notwist, Blues Control, Black Lips, Black Mountain, Unnatural Helpers, and Tyvek warming up. Each pressing will be limited to 1,500 copies, each with a special coupon code for free downloads of the song's MP3.

 

The Black Kids We began the week by recording one of the world's hottest young bands, The Black Kids, and one that should definitely be watched in the next year - Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears. The Austin band will be back touring through the Midwest in October with Okkervil River and Crooked Fingers, and early indications from them are that there might be a hole in their schedule that would allow the tour to come through the Quad Cities.

Pages