27 Dec 2006

Looking Ahead to 2007 in Music

By John M. James

Looking forward to a new year, a handful of new artist tributes have my inner "cover-crazy kid" smiling in anticipation.

20 Dec 2006

Environmentalism Goes Beyond Posturing in 2006's Music Scene

By Administrator

Kelley Stoltz - "Below the Branches"Kudos go out to Sub Pop Records and its commitment to alternatives to fossil fuels. Earlier this year, the label purchased enough wind-powered Green Tags to be 100-percent Green-e Renewable Energy certified, and it debuted the first-ever "green" album with Kelley Stoltz's Below the Branches. Green Tags financially support the generation of power from renewable sources, and are meant to offset a business' or household's consumption of fossil fuels.

13 Dec 2006

The Blue Band Turns Silver: Iowa Outfit Celebrates Anniversary with DVD, CD, and Quad Cities Show

By Karen McFarland

Bob Dorr & the Blue Band They're not quite in the league with The Who or the Stones, but Bob Dorr & the Blue Band are celebrating their silver anniversary this year. And to mark those 25 years, they've released a retrospective two-DVD set of live performances (produced with the help of Iowa Public Television) and a separate live CD of their 25th-anniversary concert recorded in April.

13 Dec 2006

Old Farts Plan to Rock the House in 2007

By John M. James

Who says only "the kids" can rock? A handful of new CDs from older, established artists are on the horizon for the new year, tickling my ears with hip collaborations, serious ambitions, and a "supergroup" to slay all supergroups.

06 Dec 2006

Punch Drunk Love: Local Band Tries to Find an Audience for Its Reggae-Infused Rock

By Brad Vidmar

Rude PunchAt first glance, you wouldn't guess that the guys in Rude Punch are ambassadors for reggae rock in the Quad Cities. Often sporting T-shirts, jeans, and baseball caps, the three band members look like typical white, early-20s college kids.

The trio - singer/guitarist Brady Jager, bassist Robb Laake, and drummer Adam Tucker - has been working this fall on its debut album and is gearing up for shows in Iowa City and in the Quad Cities over the next two months. And while the young band is at stylistic odds with most of its peers in this area, it is hell-bent on bringing its brand of Jamaican-flavored jingles to the masses.

06 Dec 2006

Aspiring to Universality: The Spiral Band, "The Spiral Band"

By Matthew Dusenberry

The Spiral Band, "The Spiral Band" Imagine if Dave Matthews moved back to South Africa to find inspiration for a new album. After contemplating what really matters in life and taking some elements of the native music styles, including hand-drum percussion and backing vocals that at times sound similar to tribal choirs, that new Dave Matthews album might sound a lot like the debut recording from the Spiral Band.

06 Dec 2006

This Year's Crop of Christmas Music Makes the Grade

By Administrator

There's not a lump of coal in this season's stocking of new Christmas music, with five CDs from indie record labels worth finding.

29 Nov 2006

Living Muddy's Music

By Administrator
Bob Margolin(Editor's note: Although the December 2 Adler Theatre "Legends of the Blues" concert was canceled, the River Cities' Reader thought readers - particularly blues enthusiasts - would appreciate this interview with Bob Margolin of the Muddy Waters Reunion Band.)

"For me, ‘the crossroads' is in Boston, not Mississippi."

That's how guitarist Bob Margolin explained his luck at finding himself playing beside a true musical giant, the father of deep "old school" blues - Muddy Waters - from 1973 until 1980. 
29 Nov 2006

Double Your Pleasure: Quad City Symphony Orchestra, December 2 and 3 at Centennial Hall

By Audra Beals

the Quad City Symphony led by David Bellugi At this weekend's Quad City Symphony concerts at Augustana College, David Bellugi will be the guest conductor and the soloist. For much of the concert, he'll actually be playing the recorder as he conducts. And that's just one of the elements of this concert that make it unusual.

29 Nov 2006

Mashups and Mixes Take Center Stage on New Collection

By John M. James

Back in the day when the vinyl LP ruled the world, one of the greatest thrills a record collector could stumble upon was the odd, privately pressed "bootleg" album - a secret, magical experience in which rabid fans met outlaw commerce, demanding that live concerts and other unsanctioned recordings be set free. Often hit-or-miss in terms of sound quality, one surefire way to pick a winner was to look for those LPs stamped with the image of a portly American Yorkshire hog and the words "Trade Mark of Quality." Bootlegging the bootlegger, Cleopatra Records uses that iconic image and the "swinging pig" logo to grace the cover of its new "underground" three-CD set, This Is Remixed Hits: Mashups & Rare 12-Inch Remixes. Highlights include a Razed in Black remix of Bow Wow Wow's "I Want Candy" that sounds like a Nine Inch Nails outtake, Funkstar De Luxe's thumping reconstruction of Tom Jones' "She's a Lady," and a Sigue Sigue Sputnik remix of Warrant's "Cherry Pie" that sounds like a lost Zodiac Mindwarp session. The set features two more must-hear mashes: the Swing Cats' "surf guitar" remix of Little Richard's "Good Golly Miss Molly" that could make a great game-show theme, and KRS-ONE giving Stephen Pearcy of Ratt a real smackdown in his rock-versus-rap mashup of "Round & Round."

 

Pages

more

Subscribe & Listen to Reader Podcasts

On Stands Now

 

Tagged Content

Two Ways to Subscribe

1. Subscribe to free weekly e-mail content updates.

You'll get both the current official narrative challenge and What's Happenin' in the Quad Cities.
(Did you know we publish a new Real Astrology and RCR Crossword every week?) 

Subscribe!

* indicates required

2. Get 12 monthly issues mailed first class for $48

Get 12 issues mailed monthly for $48 per year.

Get the printed Reader edition mailed to you (or anyone you want) first-class for 12 months for $48.
$24 goes to postage and handling, $24 goes to keeping the doors open!

Click this link to Subscribe now.

 
 

Music Calendars

Submit your event listings to calendar@rcreader.com