Returning to the podium after a six-year absence, James Dixon on November 4 conducted the Quad City Symphony Orchestra (QCSO) in a concert that merged the best of European impressionistic and romantic traditions.
On the evening of November 18, anyone who is even remotely festive couldn’t help but feel the holiday spirit. The weather was chilly outside, the Festival of Trees holiday parade marched through downtown Davenport, Thanksgiving was less than a week away, and the Quad City Symphony Orchestra (QCSO) was gearing up for the annual Holiday Pops concert at the Mark of the Quad Cities.
In my college years – and that feels so very long ago right now – the CD player was loaded with the likes of Ministry, Skinny Puppy, and Skrew. It was the 15-minute heyday of industrial, and all those bands had my ears.
When you’re a blues singer and guitarist, it’s a little dangerous to lead off an album with a song called “I Ain’t Got No Blues Today.” Especially when there’s nothing tongue-in-cheek about it: “I ain’t got no blues today / No matter what them folks might say / I done my best / I paid my dues.
This Tuesday brings the new live-album experience from Oasis entitled Familiar To Millions. The Epic Records release will be available in two-CD, VHS video, or DVD format and was recorded at Wembley Stadium over two days this past July.
When the Anger Management Tour rolled into the The Mark on November 5, the rage was evident. The reason behind it was not. Why are these guys so pissed? The show began with Xzibit, who doesn’t even have an album out but is opening for some of the hottest bands on the scene.
It's hard to believe that The Beatles have yet to authorize an official Web site, but in conjunction with the release this week of the 27-track number-one-hits collection, the much-anticipated site (http://www.
It's a cover-ful world this month! This Tuesday brings the long awaited Bruce Springsteen tribute album from the SubPop label. But the 13-track set doesn't pull from SubPop's stable of post-grunge elite, instead collecting an interesting mix of rock, folk, and alternative-country giants taking their spins on selections from Springsteen's Nebraska album.
On September 30, to better my life and society, I stood in line at HyVee for tickets to this weekend's Limp Bizkit/Eminem show. I knew I was a bit out of place when the ticket lady came outside and said she could get floor seats for all of us, and I was the only one who said, "No! Lower bowl, please.
There might be nothing more difficult in rock music than crafting a good pop song. Except to make a couple albums full of them. Pop songs are so tricky because they need to sound effortless and ebullient while being catchy and tight – and that requires hard work, which makes effortless and ebullient all that more difficult.

Pages