Wednesday May 6th: On Distant Shores. 7:30-9pm

An alternative, pop-punk group from Augustana. They have a great set of covers and originals that keeps the house rockin'. This will also be the band's last show ever, so it will be a great one!

Friday May 7th: String Quartet (not your average)! 7-8pm

A group of talented Augie students that are playing classic rock like the Beatles with very classical instruments!

Saturday May 8th: Teenage. 6:30-7:30pm

This Quad Cities trio plays "dreamy folk-pop" and their feel good vibe compliments the Cool Beanz atmosphere perfectly!

Saturday May 15th: The Tangents. 7:30-9pm

Back for a second show! Join Keith Hentrich and Deb O'Malley for soft classic rock - a great evening with family and friends!

Thursday May 20th: Retro Ron. 7-9pm.

After listening to this acoustic act during open mic night, Cool Beanz had to have him come play his own show! A perfect example of quad city talent, playing the Beatles, Moody Blues, Harry Chapin, Jim Croce and many more!

Friday May 21st: Emily Jawoisz. 7:30-9:30pm

This Quad City girl knows how to belt out jazzy emotion while playing along on her piano. Come enjoy great coffee while listening to this Quad City favorite!

Saturday May 22nd: This and That. 7:30-9:30pm.

Susan McPeters and Jonathan Turner will play a great mix of jazz, blues, and standards from the 20's/30's as well as some Billy Joel, Elton John and Paul Simon.

Saturday May 29th: Bluegrass at Beanz - 7-9pm

Last Saturday of EVERY month- Cool Beanz is having bluegrass! Presenting "Tennessee" Tony Cavitt, Dave Maxwell and Friends for a toe-tapping evening of Bluegrass and Old Time music!

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Seemingly with each week that passes, we are losing hitmakers from our younger years. Familiar faces that graced album covers and magazines, and songs we grew up with and sang along with are now disappearing off of our airwaves. Many radio stations have music directors aged in their 30's, and to them...the term "oldies" means '70s and '80s rock. It is getting harder to find a station spinning songs of the '50s and '60s and the chance to see the music-makers perform live is increasingly getting to be a rarity. An upcoming show at the Capitol Theatre in Davenport on May 8th will help rectify this.

The concert JUKEBOX MEMORIES will hit a chord with anyone who knows what the line "there's a crazy little shack beyond the tracks" means. And in their head, they can probably hum the catchy Hammond keyboard riff that made "Sugar Shack" the top selling hit of the year 1963 for Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs. Concert producer Shawn Nagy started the company "Super Oldies" in 2003. His internet-only oldies station is preserving those charting hits from the prime years of rock and roll (1955-1969) and although he too is too young to have been around to experience the era firsthand, his dedication is unparalleled. Nagy is a one-man crew operating the Super Oldies station, record label, and concert production. The artists have endorsed his station as well, and Shawn began putting multiple artists together for concerts across the US and Canada. The Jukebox Memories show features three top hitmakers, all coming to Davenport for the first time.

JIMMY GILMER retired from performing with the Fireballs in 1968 and has been busy as been a top producer in the Nashville country music scene. Jimmy was called out of retirement for what was supposed to be "just one show". "I had such a blast" Gilmer recalls. "Shawn asked if I wanted to ever do another package concert and I said absolutely. Consider me no longer retired! The excitement of performing live again was such a rush". Shawn states that Gilmer is a true performing rarity: "usually the term "use it or lose it" is the norm for a vocalist. But here is Jimmy, he quit performing in 1968, then comes back on the scene in 2006 sounding as good as ever. When he starts singing, people recognize the voice from the hit records".

Also on the show, and surely to provide more musical memories, is JOEY MOLLAND of the late '60s UK based group Badfinger. When the Beatles launched their own Apple Records label in 1969, Molland's group was one of the first they signed to their label and the Beatles helped produce their top hits such as "Day After Day", "Come & Get It" and "No Matter What" which remain on classic rock station on a daily basis. Molland is the last surviving member of the band.

Headlining is MITCH RYDER, no stranger to any rock & roll fan, and undoubtedly the crowd will be singing along with his world renowned hits such as "Devil With The Blue Dress On" and "Sock It To Me". Ryder is thrilled to get to the area with this show, as he spends quite a bit of each year touring overseas.

These 3 hitmakers will be backed by popular Minnesota group "The Shackshakers" who are returning to the Capitol after a successful show in January 2009 "The Last Tour" which brought Tommy Allsup, Buddy Holly's original lead guitarist back to town to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Holly's show at the Davenport venue. Shawn explains "we had such a blast that evening. By the first song, people were out of their seats and dancing in any empty space they could find. They were very friendly and when I packaged this show together, I wanted to bring something fun back to the Capitol...this time with a dance floor. We hope to see some familiar faces there, it is a breathtaking venue". It is quite possibly one of the last chances to dance at the venue for a while pending the recent announcement of its closing in June.

Pending on response for this show, Nagy promises a return to the area with future packages. "There is no doubt that "oldies" as we know it is in a transition right now. Many performers I've worked with are passing away, but there are still some that are in their '60s and into 70+ years old that are still sounding wonderful and want to do shows. If the demand is there and people come out for this, I'll definitely bring some similar shows back. I want to provide "oldies" fans with a memorable night out, and of course some great Jukebox Memories!"

 

In an era when field trips are becoming increasingly rare, the Quad City Symphony Orchestra's Symphony Day can still pull a crowd. On May 13, the Quad City Youth Symphony Orchestra will entertain and educate 6,000 area fourth and fifth grade students with its 27th annual Symphony Day. This year's concert will feature "Music of the Stars" including Holst's The Planets and the Imperial March from Star Wars. Joining the Youth Orchestra at the Adler will be Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers, courtesy of the 501st Legion. These narrated concerts at the Adler Theatre highlight the orchestra through short and varied works, while showing the students the inner workings of the orchestra on a giant overhead video projection. For many youths, this is the first time they have had the opportunity to attend a live symphony concert in a concert hall.

Press is welcome to attend any of the three scheduled performances: 9:15 AM, 11:00 AM and 1 PM. Buses begin arriving a half-hour before each performance, with children streaming through the lobby until the time of the performance. Symphony Day draws from 32 different school districts, 195 public, private and home-study classrooms, all coming from within a 45-mile radius of the Quad Cities.

Symphony Day is sponsored by the Rauch Foundation, Alcoa, Adler Theatre Producers, and Volunteers for Symphony.

ROCK ISLAND, IL (04/01/2010)(readMedia)-- Augustana's top choir, symphonic band and orchestra will perform in the renowned Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center in Chicago on Sunday, April 18 at 3 p.m. Augustana musicians made their first appearance at Orchestra Hall in 1926. This return concert will be in honor of the college's sesquicentennial anniversary. For ticket information, please visit www.cso.org or call (312) 294-3000.

The concert will include David Manslanka's Symphony No. 8 performed by the Augustana Symphonic Band, Béla Bartók's Dance Suite performed by the Augustana Symphony Orchestra, and Eric Whitacre's Cloudburst performed by the Augustana Choir.

Student performers from your area include the following:

• Audrey Taylor from Moline , IL. Taylor plays the horn in the Symphonic Band and is a junior majoring in biology education.
• Grace Drenth from Davenport , IA. Drenth plays the flute in the Symphonic Band and is a first year majoring in elementary education.
• Jennifer Youngs from Taylor Ridge , IL. Youngs plays the trumpet in the Symphonic Band and is a sophomore majoring in psychology.
• Katie Lambrecht from Moline , IL. Lambrecht plays the oboe in the Symphonic Band and is a first year majoring in psychology.
• Paul Lambrecht from Moline , IL. Lambrecht plays the trumpet in the Symphonic Band and is a senior majoring in political science, history, and secondary education.
• Lauren Reid from Sherrard , IL. Reid sings Alto I in the Augustana Choir and is a sophomore majoring in business administration.
• Luke Osborne from Moline , IL. Osborne sings Bass II in the Augustana Choir and is a senior majoring in classics.
• Michael Kendall from Silvis , IL. Kendall sings Bass II in the Augustana Choir and is a senior majoring in biology and pre-dentistry.
• Tom Larrison from Davenport , IA. Larrison plays the violin II in the Symphony Orchestra and is a senior majoring in religion.
• Kelsey VanDyke from Davenport , IA. VanDyke plays the violin II in the Symphony Orchestra and is a juinor majoring in music education.
• Kelli Schledewitz from Davenport , IA. Schledewitz plays the viola in the Symphony Orchestra and is a senior majoring in English education.
• Samuel Alvarado from Davenport , IA. Alvarado plays the violoncello in the Symphony Orchestra and is a senior majoring in chemistry.
• P. J. Wiese from Davenport , IA. Wiese plays the violoncello in the Symphony Orchestra and is a first year majoring in psychology.

All the ensembles are looking forward to the amazing acoustics in Orchestra Hall. "The experience of being in a world-class performance hall is just different," said Dr. Jon Hurty, choir director and co-chair of the music department.

Dr. James Lambrecht, symphonic band director, agrees with Hurty. "The privilege of performing in one of the world's greatest concert halls, steeped with all the history and memories of performances by one of the world's greatest performing ensembles, will leave the students with a 'once in a lifetime' sort of experience," he said.

Orchestra Hall was established in 1904 and is home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. "For the orchestra to have an opportunity to play in the hall which is the home of the Chicago Symphony is a rare pleasure," said Dr. Daniel Culver, symphony orchestra director and co-chair of the music department.

Students are also looking forward to performing for their friends and family, many of whom live in the Chicago area. "My family has had season tickets for Chicago Symphony Orchestra performances for as long as I can remember," said Dana Gustafson, a junior French horn player from Des Plaines, Ill. Read Gustafson's blog about the band's preparation at www.augustana.edu/blogs.

A charter coach will make a round trip from Augustana to Orchestra Hall on the day of the concert. Tickets for the coach are $35. For more information or to reserve a spot on the coach, please visit www.augustana.edu/hallbus.

About Augustana: Founded in 1860 and situated on a 115-acre campus near the Mississippi River, Augustana College is a private, liberal arts institution affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The college enrolls nearly 2,500 students from diverse geographic, social, ethnic and religious backgrounds and offers more than 70 majors and related areas of study. Augustana employs 287 faculty and has a student-faculty ratio of 11:1. Augustana continues to do what it has always done: challenge and prepare students for lives of leadership and service in our complex, ever-changing world.