Quadsville

Tuesday night's Daytrotter Presents show at RIBCO featured the perfect lineup for a Tuesday night.

Hallelujah the Hills, The Wooden Birds and The Uglysuit all played sets that were chill enough for a weeknight, with just the right amount of intensity to keep the crowd's focus on the music instead of the burger baskets.

Hallelujah the Hills incorporated the trumpet and cello into its set, adding depth to their set up of standard electric instruments. The set ended with a lively rendition of "Fight of the Paper Pilots, " off the band's second album, "Colonial Drones."

The highlight of The Wooden Birds performance was the warm, captivating vocal harmonies of singer/songwriter Andrew Kenny and Leslie Sisson, who is joining Kenny for the current tour. Their voices sounded as if they were made to accompany each other, each compl e menting and fitting in perfectly with the other.

The Wooden Birds performed a faster, electric version of its debut album, "Magnolia," but the live show still had the mellow feel of the record . The drummer, Sean Haskins, used brushes instead of sticks, allowing the delicate vocals to come through clearly.

The Uglysuit , a six-man band, turned the energy up. Originally playing quieter than I expected from such a large ensemble, the band quickly increased the volume with flowing keyboards and beautiful vocals from Israel Hindman. The band is best known for its song, "Chicago," which was featured in the final scenes of the TV series "ER," performed some new material including "1902 Deep Ocean."

While I have yet to be disappointed by a show put together by Daytrotter and RIBCO, Tuesday's show was definitely one of the duo's better offerings. Keep the indie rock coming.

It's not often that I get to announce a giveaway deal. In fact, this is the first time.

But The Wooden Birds have sent us one pair of tickets to their Daytrotter Presents show at RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave., Rock Island. The show begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27. The Uglysuit and Hallelujah the Hills are also on the bill.

But this is how the ticket giveaway will work. Keep an eye on my Twitter account, @S_DePasquale, on Friday. At some point, I will send out a tweet that reads, "The Wooden Birds." When you see that, reply to me as fast as you can, and the first person to respond will get the free tickets.

For those of you who aren't on Twitter, it's a social networking site where you can let people know what you're up to and have conversations with folks - in 140 characters or less at a time. It's free to use and you can sign up for an account at www.twitter.com.

In the past two weeks, I've talked with three unsigned acts that passed through or are headed to the Q-C on a touring circuit.

Without label backing, getting their songs on the radio is close to impossible, but all have reached widespread audiences through licensing deals on television programs.

Gary Jules, who will play at Huckleberry's Pizza Parlor this Sunday, made the Billboard Top 100 chart after his song "Falling Awake" was featured on "Grey's Anatomy." When the folks at Billboard figured out he accomplished the feat without any radio airplay, a label, manager or publicist, Jules said they just started laughing.

"Two days later a writer for Billboard called back and did a whole article about it because it was sort of like a new door had opened," Jules said. "The idea that you could have a song on a television show and that people who watched that television show could immediately go and download that song and that song could subsequently end up on a more traditional record-buying list was amazing to them."

Five Times August's Brad Skistimas tours colleges almost exclusively, partly because he likes not having to compete with the bar atmosphere for attention, but mostly because he has secured multiple licensing deals with college-friendly shows such as MTV's "Laguna Beach" and "Real World." Skistimas has had so much success with licensing deals, that he became the first unsigned artist to sell his CD at Wal-Mart.

"For an artist like me, it's a great way around radio because a lot of artists on my level can't really get on the radio anymore because it's so corrupt and controlled," said Skistimas, who has tried in vain to schmooze his way onto the radio by performing at radio stations and buying the crew lunch. "Getting exposure on TV shows is really a great benefit to how we do things."

Pictures of Then also has had success with licensing agreements and just signed a new one to have their songs featured in upcoming shows on MTV. For them, the money that comes in from the agreements helps keep them afloat while on tour.

"Any licensing opportunity obviously comes with a payoff, and in terms of the payoff, it affords us the opportunity to put gas in the van or to do some promotion for the shows or for the record," said Tim Greenwood, of Pictures of Then, who added that licensing is also about adaptation. "Music is so accessible nowadays that really regardless of how good the music is, the band is not really ultimately going to make it unless they're capable of kind of adapting to the situation that the Internet revolution has brought about.

"So many bands are much more accessible than they ever were and there's so much music going on in the world, that the Internet has really kind of made all the old rules not apply."

But for all the good licensing deals have brought unsigned, up-and-coming acts, Jules says the practice really peaked about two years ago when "Falling Awake" boosted him onto the Billboard charts. Jules released his first record on a traditional record label in 1998, and since then has been putting out music on his own by utilizing the Internet.

"I think I've got it down in that I've finally figured out that things are constantly changing," Jules said. "In the absence of the traditional music industry, everybody sort of wants to know what's going to take the place of that industry and for a while people thought it was going to be licensing, when the truth is, is that nothing is going to take the place that the old industry left. Licensing is going to be licensing, and it's not going to be the be-all-end-all."

Your list of must-see shows in the Quad-Cities in September.

The Brat Pack

There's nothing innovative going on here, but if you'd like to relive the sounds and sights of the '80s, the Brat Pack will deliver in their all-ages outdoor show at RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave., Rock Island.

The show starts at 8 p.m., Friday, Sept. 4. Cover is $6 for 21 years and older, $8 for those underage.

Cotton Jones, with Frontier Ruckus

The intimate Huckleberry's Pizza Parlor will provide an appropriate space for Cotton Jones, whose melancholy, soulful tunes tend to both calm and sadden. You can check out Daytrotter.com's exclusive recordings of Cotton Jones here.

Bluegrass band Frontier Ruckus opens the show with their lyrical, storytelling music. Learn more about them by reading the Quad-City Times Go&Do preview article here.

The all-ages show begins at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9. Cover is $5 at Huckleberry's, 223 18th St., Rock Island.

Pronto, with Pictures of Then and Jim the Mule

Pronto is the side project of WILCO's Mikael Jorgensen. Their album "The Cheetah" is due out Tuesday, Sept. 8, from Contraphonic Records. This is a great chance to see Jorgensen in a 300-seat setting at RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave., Rock Island.

Pictures of Then, which has had tracks from its debut album, "Crushed by Lights," appear on MTV's "The Real World" and "The Hills," will open along with local group Jim the Mule.

The show starts at 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18. Cover is $8.

Electric Junkyard Gamelan

Electric Junkyard Gamelan is returning to the Quad-Cities to promote its newest album, "Life On Marz." Band leader Terry Dame makes the band's instruments from everyday household items, but don't confuse the group with a noise band.

Electric Junkyard Gamelan's songs come complete with melodies and harmonies that are loosely based on Indonesian Gamelan music, with elements of funk and pop mixed in. Electric Junkyard Gamelan is sure to be a treat for the eyes and the ears.

The show starts at 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, at Mojo's Cafe, 129 N. Main St., Davenport. Admission is free.

Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, with The Uniphonics

RIBCO finishes a weekend of big names with Karl Denson's Tiny Universe. The band's namesake is the former saxophone player for Lenny Kravitz. For the Tiny Universe, Denson provides vocals, tenor saxophone, alto sax and flute.

Iowa City's fast-talking jazz, hip-hop and rap combo, The Uniphonics, will likely set the stage for an exciting evening.

The show starts at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19, at RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave., Rock Island. Cover is on the pricey side at $20 for the all-ages outdoor show.

Family Groove Company, with Land of Atlantis

The Family Groove Company has performed at the Redstone Room for the past two New Year's Eve celebrations. At those shows, they mostly performed covers or classic songs from throughout the decades for a musical version of "Rock Star Celebrity Death Match."

But the death match will be left behind at their September performance and replaced with their originals based in rock 'n' roll while heavily influenced by jazz.

Doors open 8 p.m., with the show beginning at 9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 25, in the Redstone Room, 129 N. Main St., Davenport. Cover is $8 in advance and $10 at the door.

Gary Jules with Becca Rice

Part of Gary Jules' claim to fame is appearing on two Billboard top-100 charts in January 2007 despite never receiving commercial radio airplay. His chart position stemmed from iTunes downloads after his song "Falling Awake" was featured on the "Grey's Anatomy" TV series. Jules also was featured on the "Donnie Darko" soundtrack and is on tour with Joshua Radin.

The Daytrotter Presents all-ages show starts at 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27, at Huckleberry's Pizza Parlor, 223 18th St., Rock Island. Cover is $5.

Promise of the Real

The Promise of the Real features Lukas Nelson, son of Willie Nelson, on guitar. But the Promise of Real is not Nelson's father's music. The band pulls its influences from the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Neil Young.

Doors open at 7:30 p.m. with the show at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29, at the Redstone Room, 129 N. Main St., Davenport. Cover is $15 and the Redstone Room encourages the purchase of tickets in advance.

What a night. I headed out to Daytrotter's Barnstorming Tour, which featured a Tuesday night show at the Secrest 1883 Octagonal Barn near Downey, Iowa.

I forgot my camera, so you'll have to forgive the quality of my cell phone photos, but the barn was hands down the coolest setting for any show I've ever been to.

The 126-year-old barn was massive. I have no idea how something so large could be built, practically in the middle of nowhere, during the 1800s. The walls are lined with old tools and farm equipment, all of which looks like it could easily be used as a torture device in a horror movie.

There was an odd juxtaposition of original wood and very old electrical work with the crowd of about 75 people taking photos with iPhones and video with flip cameras, but it was a great location for a show.

The show started about two hours late, which ended up being a good thing because it took that long for a tow truck to come and unlock my car when I set my purse in the trunk to grab a chair and a friend shut it, not realizing my keys were inside. Thank goodness for roadside assistance.

All of the bands put on stellar sets, but Local Natives, which is playing again at tonight's Barnstorming show, stole the show. The five-piece band sings in perfect harmony and has a vocal tone similar to Iron and Wine, but gets much more intense during their rhythmic songs. They were a real treat to listen to.

Mac Lethal, who joined the tour yesterday, also gave a noteworthy performance. The white rapper does not fit into the indie rock mold and his lyrics are not for the faint of heart or easily offended, but his social commentary is worth a listen.

Daytrotter has one last stop on its Barnstorming Tour tonight in Coon Rapids, Iowa.

Daytrotter.com operator Sean Moeller is attempting something he has never tried before. He's booked Daytrotter shows across the state of Iowa and in Madison, Wis., and the indie rock acts on the bill will be playing in barns and attics.

While Twitter feeds indicate that fans from as far away as Nashville, Tenn., and New York are planning to come along and camp out, the tour is really meant to show Iowa that Daytrotter shows are just a short drive away.

"The idea really is to get the state of Iowa understanding that Daytrotter is here and that it exists and it's basically in their backyard," Moeller said from the Daytrotter studio in downtown Rock Island. While the Web site has gained a loyal following of indie rock fans waiting for their free daily music download, statistics show the site doesn't get much traffic from Quad-City and Iowa residents.

"It's disheartening a little bit. We have this thing that we're hoping can branch into something that people can touch and feel with these live shows," Moeller said.

The kickoff show will be at Moeller's home, which is located at the turnaround point for the Quad-City Times Bix 7 road race, at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 25. Moeller has already heard from some local fans who are planning to tag along for the entire tour.

The ultimate goal is to increase attendance at Daytrotter Presents shows at Huckleberry's Pizza Parlor and RIBCO in The District of Rock Island because, Moeller said, with a larger crowd, he could get bigger acts to add a show onto their schedule when they come in to record a Daytrotter session.

"For the last few months, it really has just felt sort of stagnant around here. We've been putting on what I consider to be top-level shows and bringing some really great talent around, and I just haven't been seeing the kind of turnouts that would get anybody excited," he said. "The bands still have have a good time. They're basically here to do a Daytrotter session, that's the reason they're in town. But I feel really bad that we can't give them a packed house."

Check out the Barnstorming schedule here.

I should preface this blog with the full disclosure that I came of age when boy bands and Britney Spears reigned supreme. And when Britney was still going strong with "Toxic," I was going nuts on makeshift dance floors in the unfinished basements of college rental houses.

But a few years ago, I was introduced to Daytrotter.com, the Web site based in Rock Island that offers free downloads of exclusive sessions with up-and-coming indie artists.

The Web site forever changed my music listening habits. No longer would I be satisfied with just any top-40 hit featuring a decent beat that was played on mainstream radio. I found myself craving indie rock, and the only place I could hear it was on my iPod, where I store all my free downloads from Daytrotter.

That is until I discovered XMU on Sirius Satellite Radio. My fiance has several satellite radio channels as part of his TV package, and as I've been spending more time at his place getting it ready for me to move in after our wedding, I stumbled across XMU.

The channel plays all indie rock all the time without commercials, which is seriously the best aspect of it. Some of my new favorites, The Decemberists, Spoon, Sonic Youth, and Iron and Wine all are played regularly on the station.

Since several of the artists on XMU also have recorded sessions at Daytrotter, there is a good chance the artists you hear on the channel will be in the Quad-Cities for a live show. Tiny Vipers is the latest example of an artist featured on the channel who has played the Quad-Cities - just last month, in fact.

If you have satellite radio, check out XMU. But beware. Once you go indie rock, you never go back ... unless it's to preorder Britney Spears' "Circus," which I totally admit to and have no regrets about.

Show to see

Jesy Fortino, who plays her quiet, minor key songs under the name Tiny Vipers, is coming to Rock Island in support of her new album, "Life On Earth," which is due out next month.

The show is at 7 p.m. Friday, June 19. Balmorhea will open the show at Huckleberry's Pizza Parlor, 223 18th St. Cover is $5.

To read the full story on Tiny Vipers, check out the online exclusive here.

He said what?

WWE Superstar Kofi Kingston is 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs in at 218 pounds. While he's a big guy in the normal world, he is usually the smaller guy in the ring.

"You have guys like The Big Show, who is 500 pounds and about 7 feet tall. Me standing next to him, I look like an ant standing next to an elephant."

For more about Kingston and the WWE Raw event at the i wireless Center, click here.

For teens

The River Music Experience, or RME, is still accepting applications for the third session of Rock Camp USA, which will be held July 20-24 and 27-31.

Rock Camp participants will have two weeks of intensive music training with workshops and jam sessions, culminating with a noon concert at the RME.

To find out more, visit www.rivermusicexperience.org, or contact Ellis Kell at (563) 326-1333, Ext. 113, or ekell@rivermusicexperience.org.

For the family

Ride the River is celebrating its 25th year on Sunday.

The event starts at 6 a.m. but registration continues until 12:30 p.m. Adults are $12 in advance or $15 on Sunday. Children 16 years old and younger can participate for free with each paying adult. Registration is at the Freight House, 421 W. River Drive, Davenport.

For more information and to register in advance, go to www.riveraction.org.

Show to see

Pattern is Movement will take a break from their tour with St. Vincent to perform at Huckleberry's Pizza Parlor, 223 18th St., Rock Island.

The duo's latest album, "All Together," has received positive reviews from several music publications including Pitchfork, as well as the New York Times.

Netherfriends will open the show, which begins at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 6. Cover is $4. For more on Pattern is Movement, read the full preview here.

For the family

The Quad-City Botanical Center in Rock Island is offering a Pixie Tea Party at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 6, with garden party dresses, glitter and wings optional.

Pixie-sized sandwiches and cakes will be served along with the making of magical crafts with a pixie wand to take home.

The cost is $10. For more information call (309) 794-0991.

He said what?

East Moline rapper Calliko on why he doesn't rap about guns or violence.

"I don't get down like that. I'm more into music that people can listen to, to get through the day, whether you're getting ready to go out or you're going through something, you had a breakup or you're madly in love with someone."

For more about Calliko check out the preview of Swag Fest here.

For teens

The deadline for entries for the fourth annual Teen Battle of the Bands is Wednesday, June 10.

The top three bands will receive a cash prize and two paid gigs over the summer. The Teen Battle of the Bands is part of the Davenport Public Library's Summer Reading Program.

To sign up, call (563) 326-7893 or visit http://www.davenportlibrary.com/.

Show to see

Country band Boothill Ridge, which features a female lead and specializes in harmonies, will perform at 9:30 p.m. Saturday at RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave., Rock Island.

Boothill Ridge has been together for less than a year but has already released its first album, "5 Miles To Fame." Cover is $4.

He said what?

Before going to RIBCO for a Daytrotter Presents show, Drakkar Sauna will play at Nelsonville Music Festival, a three-day event that features Willie Nelson.

"For a band like us, there's not really any choice. We get wonderful opportunities to do different stuff, but there's almost always on varying scales," said Wallace Cochran of Drakkar Sauna. "That's how it's always been for us, and we've always really liked it."

For teens

The Davenport Public Library is looking for new members in its Theatre Club. The club nurtures young actors and actresses giving them opportunities to participate in readers' theater and theater games.

The club is free and will meet at 4 p.m. today at the Davenport Public Library, 321 Main St., Davenport. For more information, contact Tamra McConoughey at tmcconoughey@davenportlibrary.com or (563) 326-7900.

For the family

The Quad-Cities Experimental Aircraft Association will host a Young Eagles Rally for children 8 to 17 years old. Children will be able to take a free flight in a personal aircraft.

The Young Eagles Rally will be held at Davenport Municipal Airport, 9010 Harrison St., Davenport. For more information, contact Keith Vasey at keith@vaseyaircraft.com or (309) 749-8881.

Show to see
Tigercity, Rolling Stone's inaugural Artist to Watch, is coming to Huckleberry's Pizza Parlor, 223 18th St., Rock Island, for a Daytrotter Presents show.
The Massachusetts band, influenced by The Police, Daft Punk and Prince, has shared the stage with M.I.A., Jamie Lidell and Dr. Dog.
The show begins at 7 p.m., Sunday, March 29, with Birth Rites performing as the opener. Cover is $7.

For the family
Kids will get to see giant gas bags, burning money, a hovercraft and rockets during "Rockin' Science" today at the Family Museum, 2900 Learning Campus Drive, Bettendorf.
The program has two time slots, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. "Rockin' Science" is free with museum admission, which is $6 for those 2 to 59 years old, $4 for senior citizens and free for members and children younger than 2 years.
For more information, visit www.familymuseum.org.

For teens
The second annual Teen Film Fest and Red Carpet Screening will be held tonight at the Putnam Museum and IMAX Theatre, 1717 W. 12th St., Davenport.
The screening will feature short films produced by area teens with the themes of: outtakes, book trailer and missing/unwritten scene.
The screening and red carpet event is free and will begin at 7 p.m. For more information, call (563) 326-7893 or click here to read the story in this week's Go&Do.

He said what?
Joe Larot, a founding member of JabbaWockeeZ, the first group to win the TV series "America's Best Dance Crew," on how its members come up with their dance routines:
"We usually goof around a lot. A lot of our concepts and a lot of our ideas come from us goofing around, just trying different movements, or we'll do something and laugh about it and then really use it."
To read more about the JabbaWockeeZ, read our online exclusive about the group by clicking here.