Monster Jam® and Moline Police Department Join Forces to Educate Moline High School Students About the Dangers of Texting and Driving

WHAT & WHO: Monster Jam® and the Moline Police Department will join forces to present a special enrichment program for about 800 Moline High School students to educate them about the dangers and consequences of texting and driving.

Following the presentation, monster truck driver Frank Krmel has a special video message asking students to take a pledge not to text and drive. All participants will move outside where students will sign a car as a representation of their promise. On opening night of Monster Jam at the iWireless Center, the car will be crushed, symbolizing crushing texting and driving.

Students who sign the pledge wall will receive a buy-one, get-one coupon to attend the show at the iWireless Center May 17 & 18.

WHEN:                   Wednesday, May 7 : 9 am-11 am

(Video presentation and car signing to begin at approximately 10:15 am)

WHERE: Moline High School, 3600 Avenue of the Cities, Moline, IL 61265

SHOW INFO: The world's premier monster truck series produced by Feld Motor Sports® will make a roaring return to the iWireless Center on Saturday, May 17 at 7 pm and Sunday, May 18 at 2 pm Ticket prices start at $10 for kids and $20 for adults if purchased in advance. All ticket prices increase $2 on the day of the show. Event tickets are available at the iWireless Center Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com, and by phone at (800) 745-3000. For more information on Monster Jam, log on to www.MonsterJam.com.

The Quad City Wind Ensemble's (QCWE) Spring Concert will be performed on Saturday, May 10th at 7:30pm.  The concert will feature 2014 winner of the Charles B. DCamp Young Performers' Competition, Gabrielle Hartman, bassoon.  Location for the performance is the Allaert Auditorium at the Galvin Fine Arts Center on the St. Ambrose campus.  Admission in $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and FREE for all students through 12th grade.  See attached poster for details.

Bassoonist Hartman, a sophomore at Muscatine High School, will perform the first movement of Mozart's Bassoon Concerto with the QCWE.  Second place winner of the 2014 DCamp Young Performers' Competition went to Jacob Nishimura, a sophomore alto saxophonist from Iowa City West High School.  Third place winner was tuba player Donovan Klutho, a freshman at Bettendorf High School.

Themed "Oh, The Places We've Been", the concert includes selections chosen by QCWE members from repertoire recently performed.  Selections from this concert will also be performed during the QCWE performance at the Iowa Bandmasters Association (IBA) 2014 Conference May 15. The conference takes place at the Downtown Marriott in Des Moines, Iowa.

The IBA includes a membership of over 1,000, most of whom are directors of school bands.  It is one of the largest and most active of all state bandmaster organizations in the country.  Its driving force has kept good bands and good band music thriving in communities of all sizes through the state of Iowa.

The QCWE was founded in 1987 by Dr. Charles B. DCamp of St. Ambrose University, and has become one of the finest adult bands in the nation. In 2012 the QCWE was the Community Division winner of The American Prize in Band/Wind Ensemble Performance.  For additional information, please visit www.qcwindensemble.org, or http://www.facebook.com/qcwindensemble

Los Lonely Boys, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, North Mississippi Allstars Headline 

www.RiverRootsLive.com

(DAVENPORT- IA) River Roots Live, the Quad Cities' premiere music festival, is celebrating its ten year anniversary with an incredible lineup featuring headliners Los Lonely Boys, Robert Randolph & the Family Band and the North Mississippi Allstars.   Additional national acts include ZZ Ward, Ben Kweller, Cracker, The Jayhawks, Foxy Shazam, The Ballroom Thieves, Mr. Baber's Neighbors, and Twins.  The Quad Cities' own talent will also be showcased by the One Night Standards and The Dawn.

As always, Ribfest BBQ vendors from across the country will be serving up delicious BBQ throughout the weekend. River Roots Live will be held on Friday, August 15 and Saturday, August 16, 2014 in Davenport's LeClaire Park on the banks of the beautiful Mississippi River. The festival is free both nights before 5 p.m. and admission is only $10 after 5 p.m.

"With 2014 being the festival's ten year anniversary, we really wanted to increase the look and feel of River Roots Live, said Jason Gilliland, Director of Events, Downtown Davenport Partnership.  "Fans can expect to find a bigger second stage that includes an improved sound system and banners rivaling many other festivals in the country.  In addition, our lineup has more nationally touring acts and we're thrilled to provide a festival of this quality for the Quad Cities."

The Bands 

Hailing from Texas, Los Lonely Boys are a Grammy Awarwd-winning sibling trio whose music draws equally from Rock, Blues, Tex-Mex, Conjunto, and Tejano. After recording their debut album at Willie Nelson's studio in 2003, the single "Heaven" started climbing the charts with the album selling double Platinum.

Robert Randolph & the Family Band is a funk and soul band led by pedal steel guitarist, Robert Randolph.  This high energy, festival staple band was described by the President of Blue Note Records as having "mastered what is, arguably, the most complex instrument in the world and developed a unique voice that is equal parts street-corner and Bonnaroo." This is a high energy band that will leave you breathless and wanting more.

The North Mississippi Allstars formed in 1996, the product of a special time for modern Mississippi country blues. Brothers Luther and Cody Dickinson soaked up the music of their father, Memphis legend Jim Dickinson, and absorbed the North Mississippi legacy while playing and shaking it down in the juke joints with their blues ancestors. Eventually, Luther and Cody formed the North Mississippi Allstars and pioneered their own brand of blues-infused rock and roll. The Allstars continually expand the tradition of the Mississippi hill country blues that has inspired them from the beginning, but as Rolling Stone aptly notes, "the Allstars may be children of tradition, but they're digging deep in undiscovered country."

On her way to River Roots Live, ZZ Ward will be showcased at Bonnaroo, Summerfest and Red Rocks this summer.  Live, ZZ Ward's smoky vocals and deliberate, varied arrangements make her one not to miss.  Last year, she toured with Fitz and the Tantrums, Grace Potter, Gary Clark, Jr. and Allen Stone and this year launched multiple near sell-out U.S. headline tours.

Ben Kweller has been called everything from balladeer to punk rocker, anti-folker to indie-popper. His ability to weave together opposites that coexist happily on the same album is something few can do.

American alternative rockers Cracker will take the stage on Saturday.  Formed in 1991 the band has released 10 studio albums including the gold-selling album, Kerosene Hat, which included the hit songs "Low" and "Get off This."

The Jayhawks have been described as forging a rootsy sound that wasn't quite rock or country - "Hank Williams on speed." That sentiment can be heard on such hits as "Save it for a Rainy Day," "Blue," and "Waiting for the Sun."

Named one of the "100 bands you need to know" by Alternative Press, Foxy Shazam has been showing off their rock chops since 2004.  Lead singer Eric Sean Nally says "When I listen to a Foxy Shazam record I think of Evel Knievel; Bruce Springsteen; my childhood; Van Morrison; my old friends from high school I don't talk to anymore; Elton John; the '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s, and beyond; Iggy Pop; and my first kiss."

Rounding out this year's lineup will be the Ballroom Thieves, Mr. Baber's Neighbors, Twins, the One Night Standards and The Dawn.

Ribs & Fest Info 

It wouldn't be River Roots Live without Ribfest BBQ!  This isn't your neighbor burning some hotdogs and calling it BBQ. Our vendors travel the nation and represent the top tier of professional BBQ cookers in the United States.  So loosen your belt, and we suggest trying every single one of 'em throughout the weekend.  Patrons will be able to vote for their favorite!  The West Music Jr. Jam Tent returns to offer fun educational workshops for kids and performances from the River Music Experience's Rock Camp bands.

With well over 20,000 attendees, River Roots Live has continued to grow every year since its inception in 2005. For complete details regarding band bios and festival activities, please visit RiverRootsLive.com.

Produced by the Downtown Davenport Partnership, a division of Quad Cities Chamber, River Roots Live is supported by partners Living Lands & Waters and the River Music Experience - all nonprofit organizations.  River Roots Live is proud to help promote music education programs at the River Music Experience, environmental clean-up efforts on the Mississippi River by Living Lands & Waters, and the growth of historic downtown Davenport.

The Quad City Symphony Orchestra is proud to announce that Michele Ottesen and Dortha DeWit will be conducting Youth String Ensemble and Prelude Strings respectively beginning in the 2014-15 season.  They will join QCSYEs Music Director Benjamin Klemme and Youth Choir Director Mary Tallitsch to round out the QCSYEs conducting staff.  This year both Prelude Strings and String Ensemble were conducted by Interim Conductor John Schultz who will be leaving to devote his time to Schultz Strings, performing as a freelance violinist and teaching privately in the Iowa City area.

Prelude Strings and String Ensemble are introductory ensembles for young string musicians with a focus on improving technique, developing ensemble skills, and acquiring performance experience. The season will kick off with the August 16/17 retreat for all QCSYEs groups and begin regular rehearsals on Thursday nights.  These two groups will appear on all three QCSYEs concerts, including the Side by Side concert on February 22. Admittance to String Ensemble (and Youth Philharmonic and Youth Symphony) is based on a live audition held in early June.  Participation in Prelude Strings requires no audition, only a completed online application form and a teacher's recommendation.  All information to be posted soon at the QCSO website.

Michele Ottesen is currently in her 6th year as the orchestra director at Davenport North and Wood Intermediate School.  A native of Davenport, Ms. Ottesen spent seven years as a member of the Quad City Youth Symphony under the direction of James Dixon and Daniel Culver.  She holds a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University, and a MM from the University of Michigan.  Her principal violin teachers include Doris Preucil, Andrés Cárdenes, and Stephen Shipps.  Prior to returning to the Quad Cities, Ms. Ottesen was a member of the Dakota String Quartet, and served as principal second violin in the South Dakota Symphony.  She has been a member of the Quad City Symphony since 1998.

Dortha DeWit was born in Anchorage, Alaska and grew up in Michigan.  Her early violin studies were with her mother, Jean Manning, also a violinist, teacher and conductor; later teachers included Romeo Tata, Roland and Almita Vamos, Richard Young, and Josef Gingold.  She

holds a Bachelor of Music degree in violin performance from Oberlin Conservatory of Music and a Master of Music from Indiana University, where she also did doctoral coursework.  She has performed with orchestras and in solo and chamber recitals throughout the Midwest.  In addition to maintaining a private violin and viola studio, Mrs. DeWit teaches at Augustana College. She has also taught at St. Ambrose University and has done lessons and workshops for public schools including the North Muskegon (MI) Public Schools and the Davenportand Bettendorf School Districts.  Her orchestral experience includes the Quad City Symphony, where she is currently assistant principle second violin, West Shore Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony, and the Clinton Symphony, in addition to working with orchestras in Quincy IL, Galesburg IL, and Evansville IN.  Mrs. DeWit conducted the SEISTA Junior Honors Orchestra in 2014.  She helped found the Quad City Youth Symphony Youth String Ensemble and was its principal conductor for twenty-two years, and she was also instrumental in forming the Quad City Youth Prelude Strings, conducting that ensemble for five years.  Mrs. DeWit is 30-year member of the Quad City Symphony as well as playing in the Serenata String Trio and a clarinet, violin and piano trio at Augustana College.

We are all looking forward to a wonderful 2014-15 season.  Please don't forget that the final QCSYEs concert will be on May 4, 2014 at Centennial Hall, Augustana College, in Rock Island.  You can purchase tickets to this season finale here.