His solo-album debut Dangerous Things lauded by Building Our Own Nashville as "full of mezmerising and captivating, sweet sounding melodies," indie-rock singer/songwriter and instrumentalist Dan Layus headlines a May 12 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, the artist also revered as the vocalist, piano player, and primary lyricist for the chart-topping band Augustana.

Composed of New Jersey-based musicians Brandon Asraf (bass guitar and vocals) and John Tacon (drums, electronic samples, and vocals), the indie-rock duo Brick + Mortar headlines a May 16 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel in support of their latest release Melting Up, the 2022 recording that led The Other Side Reviews to state that "the layers of the melody and vocals touch on the light and dark of the world that the band is so wonderfully able to bring to life."

Far from the idyllic Shire-like spring paradise in which it is painted by yearning winter minds, May is an unpredictable month in the Mississippi Valley, a season of change unto itself. The polarity of the season is reflected by this month's musical events: a pair of shows as drastically different as the ever-shifting days of May.

With the album lauded by Blabbermouth as "a refreshing, creative getaway" and by Riff magazine as "a ton of fun," Slipknot and Stone Sour rocker Corey Taylor and his record's musicians bring their CMFT tour to East Moline venue The Rust Belt on May 5, Taylor's solo debut landing on the the top-10 of Billboard's U.S. Top Rock Albums chart and hitting the number-two position on the UK Rock & Metal Albums chart.

With The New Yorker calling her most recent album "a brilliant collision of cultures," Native American and African-American vocalist/songwriter Martha Redbone performs locally from May 9 through 13 as the final guest in Quad City Arts' 2022-23 Visiting Artists season, the genre-hopping talent known for her unique gumbo of folk, blues, and gospel from her childhood in Harlan County, Kentucky, infused with the eclectic grit of pre-gentrified Brooklyn.

Returning to Davenport in support of new country songs including "Do You Wrong," "Be That One," and "How Much Did It Cost," Nashville-based singer/songwriter Timbo and his ensemble Lonesome Country headline a Redstone Room concert on May 7, the rising star's 2020 EP Brand New Feeling praised by American Highways as a work that “weaves a thread through the emotions of loneliness, longing, and dependency, and leaves the listener yearning for more.”

With his 2020 recording Sojourn of a Burning Sun lauded by Glide magazine as "beautiful from start to finish," folk singer/songwriter and Elephant Revival co-founder headlines a concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel on May 9, the artist's solo debut also praised by Folk Alley as a work in which its creator "illustrates his artful ability to plumb the depths of our hearts and souls and to offer us a healing balm."

With his most recent album Light'n Up praised by Spill magazine for its "range of meandering styles, fine-crafted lyrics, playful melodies, and excellent story-telling," Matthew Logan Vasquez headlines a May 10 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, the acclaimed singer/songwriter and guitarist also a member of the rock band Delta Spirit and the indie super-groups Middle Brothers and Glorietta.

With the Chicago Blues Guide deeming them “excellent” and Emmy-nominated actor Hugh Laurie upping the praise by calling them “bloody excellent,” the blues artists of Reverend Raven & the Chain Smokin' Altar Boys featuring Westside Andy play Davenport's Best Western Steeplegate Inn on May 7 in a concert co-presented by the Mississippi Valley Blues Society, the artists noted for albums include Big Bee, Slow Burn, and Shake Your Boogie.

For the college's last major concert event in the 2022-23 school year, the Augustana Oratorio Society, Augustana Choir, and Augustana Choral Artists, with Jon Hurty conducting, will be joined by the Augustana Symphony Orchestra under conductor Ernesto Estigarribia for Maurice Duruflé's 'Requiem, Op. 9' & Other Choral Works, a stirring afternoon performance that also boasts Missa brevis Sancti Joannis de Deo by Franz Joseph Haydn and Bachianas Brasilerias No. 4 by Heitor Villa-Lobos.

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