PIG, October 3

With Brandon Watts' outfit touring in support of their 2024 release Red Room, a work laded by Aural Aggravation as "an unapologetically hefty set with some inspired twists," the alt-rock outfit PIG headlines an October 3 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, Red Room additionally praised as a recording that "captures PIG at their darkest and heaviest, but also marks a return to their eclecticism and experimentalism of the mid-'90s."

Touring in support of their 2023 album Street Sermons, and hailed by American Songwriter as the New York area's "most driving, intimidating, and rambunctious blues/garage/punk outfit," the genre-blending musicians of Daddy Long Legs headline a September 28 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, their latest recording also praised by No Depression as "one of the most fun records to come out in quite some time."

Led by Josh Harlow (on piano, synth, and electronics) and Jonathan Barahal Taylor (drum set, percussion, synth arrangements), the independent outfit Teiku featuring bass clarinetist Jason Stein performs a special headlining engagement at Rock Island venue Rozz-Tox on September 27, the ensemble designed to reflects its leaders’ musical and spiritual sensibilities: a yearning for insight, an acute sensitivity to the present moment, and a space made for searching deeper.

Praised by Downbeat magazine as a trio that "expresses both its melodic rigor and appetite for adventure" and by Radio New Zealand as an outfit that makes "melodies and rhythms move like single primitive organisms," the Chicago-based musicians of Twin Talk play Rock Island's Rozz-Tox on April 2 in support of their September 27 release Twin Talk Live, their previous recording Weaver hailed by PopMatters as "inventive and exhilarating, combining unique arrangements and arresting melodies."

On September 27, University of Dubuque music and theatre students, along with area high schoolers, will have the opportunity to join a Tony Award winner on-stage when the university's Heritage Center presents A Broadway Cabaret with Special Guest Wilson Jermaine Heredia, an open-to-the-public concert event boasting the talents of the performer best-known for originating the role of Angel in Jonathan Larson's Pulitzer Prize- and Tony-winning Rent.

Touring in support of their September release Something Is Working Up Above My Head, which Glide magazine lauded as "a dynamic collection" and "a taut, energized set," married singer/songwriters Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearts bring their musical project Shovels & Rope to Maquoketa's Codfish Hollow Barn on September 28, sharing the indie-folk talents that led Rolling Stone to praise the duo's “inimitable vocal harmonies” and combined ability “to find joy in unexpected places.”

With the group's members, individually and collectively, having performed with or opened for the likes of Michael Franti, Little Feat, Yonder Mountain String Band, Nickel Creek, and George Clinton, the folk, bluegrass, and indie-rock sextet Elephant Revival headlines a September 29 concert at Maquoketa's Codfish Hollow Barn, evermember of the ensemble a multi-instrumentalist who also contributes to the vocals and songwriting.

Celebrating the extraordinary compositions of Henry Mancini on the 100-year anniversary of his birth, the stage spectacular The Music of Mancini will delight audiences at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts, its September 28 presentation taking patrons on a musical journey that travels from Mancini's early days with the Glenn Miller Orchestra to the timeless melodies of classics including Peter Gunn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and Charade.

A popular group of touring Chicago musicians, both figuratively and literally, play the Timber Lake Playhouse on September 28 when the Mt. Carroll venue hosts a night with The Chicago Experience, the tribute artists' repertoire taking audiences from the early hits off Chicago Transit Authority’s 1968 self-titled album, including “Beginnings” and “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?”, through the 1980s smashes including “Hard To Say I’m Sorry” and “You’re The Inspiration."

Boasting an array of stunning tunes that capture the spirit and brilliance of one of the all-time-great American composers, Gershwin: A Birthday Celebration Performance will be presented at Moline's Sound Conservatory on September 28, the special encore performance (of the September 14 concert) dedicated to the genius responsible for timeless works including 1924's Rhapsody in Blue, 1928's An American in Paris, the songs "Embraceable You" and "Fascinating Rhythm," and the opera Porgy and Bess.

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