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.

Show to see - Raised in Rockford, Ill., Ernie Hendrickson, an Americana folk singer/songwriter will have a CD release party at 10 p.m. tonight, Thursday, Oct. 29, at RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave., Rock Island.

"Walking with Angels" is Hendrickson's second full-length solo album. Cover for the album release show is $4. For more information, visit www.ribco.com or www.erniehendrickson.com.

For teens - The "Twilight" events have already begun as fans gear up for next month's release of "New Moon," the second movie based on the popular series of vampire romance books. The Moline Public Library, 3210 41st St., will have a showing of "Twilight" at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31.

The event is free and open to all ages. For more information, visit www.molinelibrary.com.

For the family - Families can take advantage of pleasant fall weather and work off the calories from their Halloween candy during a bicycle tour of Arsenal Island at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1. The tour will include the Colonel Davenport Home, the old Moline Lock, Arsenal Quarters One and the Confederate Cemetery.

Helmets are mandatory, and adults must accompany children younger than 12 years. Register for the free ride by calling (309) 794-5338.

He said what? - Kyle Peters, the owner of the Daiquiri Factory in The District of Rock Island, on Michael Jackson's "Thriller":

"I don't think you can have Halloween without 'Thriller.' It's one of those things. I grew up with it. At Halloween, you always heard the 'Thriller' song. You just naturally associated it with Halloween."

When Wayne Hancock was 25, he had trouble finding a job. There was plenty of work to be had, but all of the positions wanted applicants with experience, which he couldn't get because nobody would give him a job.

"At the same time, we had George Bush Sr. telling everybody that this isn't a depression, it's a recession. There's all these good jobs you can have if you had experience," Hancock said. "But there were a whole lot of people out there that didn't have experience."

So the budding songwriter from Texas wrote "Workin' at Workin,' " which contained the line, "the rich folks call it recession, but the poor folks call it depression."

Yet Hancock never released the song he wrote during the early 1990s until his seventh full-length album, "Viper of Melody," came out this year.

"About the time when all this stuff came down, I was going through my catalog, looking for stuff to use, and I found it and I thought that was perfect."

When Hancock wrote "Workin' at Workin,' " he had hopes of becoming a big star in the music industry. But he's perfectly happy these days to make a living by setting up his four-piece juke joint swing band in bars and pool halls across the country.

"I think I made it pretty big," he said. "I don't have to punch in and I don't answer to anybody else, except my wife."

At the age of 44, Hancock performs about 200 shows a year and usually plays sets that last three hours. But he's not exhausted by the schedule and set times that are twice as long as those of most touring bands.

"It's really easy," he said. "It's like having sex. It's fun."

Show to see - If you're looking to take in some local music without emptying your wallet, check out the RIBCO Fall Homegrown Showcase.

The show will feature Quad-City bands On Distant Shores, Post Mortems and Forty Minute Detour, all for a $3 cover.

The music begins at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, at RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave., Rock Island.

For teens - Aspiring teenage writers can attend a free workshop taught by Ryan Collins of the Midwest Writing Center.

After the workshop, participants will decide when a new teen writers inspiration group will meet at the Moline Public Library, 3210 41st St.

The workshop begins at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26. Registration is required by calling (309) 736-6883.

For the family - Fright Night is back in The District of Rock Island. This year's festivities include a costume contest, a 3-D mystery hunt, scary stories and a free candy bag for the first 1,000 children.

The family-friendly event is 5-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29. For more information, visit www.ridistrict.com on the Web or call (309) 788-6311.

He said what? - Violent J from Insane Clown Posse on the Dark Carnival, a concept on which the horror-core rappers base their music and tours:

"The Dark Carnival really is a carnival that evil souls visit on their way to hell, and they sometimes go through the house of mirrors, which shows them who they really were and why they're going to hell."

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."

ComedySportz Quad-Cities is holding auditions for improvisers to join their ranks.

ComedySportz is an improvisational theater where two teams of actors compete for laughs by acting out scenarios created by the audience. The family-friendly show has been running since 1990.

Applicants must be at least 16 years old. Headshots and resumes are not required, but will be accepted. Auditions will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5. There is no cost to audition, but an improv workshop will be held prior to auditions at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4. Workshop admission is $10 and both events will be held at ComedySportz, 1818 3rd Ave., Rock Island.

For more information visit www.comedysportzqc.com or call (309) 798-7526.

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.

Show to see

The '80s are back at RIBCO as the Brat Pack takes the outdoor stage on Friday, Sept. 4. The retro glam band will perform the hits of the decade in full costume during an all-ages show.

Cover is $6 for adults and $8 for those 20 years and younger. The show begins at 8 p.m. on the plaza, 1815 2nd Ave., Rock Island. In case of inclement weather, the show will be moved indoors for a 21-and-older crowd only with an $8 cover charge.

For more information, visit www.thebratpack.com.

For teens

Teenage rockers FireSale will perform at Mojo's Cafe in the River Music Experience, 129 N. Main St., Davenport. The teens are working on a new album with a reggae sound.

The show is free and begins at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4. For more information, visit www.rivermusicexperience.org or www.myspace.com/firesalerocks.

For the family

The Backwater Gamblers will perform their final water skiing show of the summer at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 7. The award-winning team performs tricks and jumps on the Rock River at 44th Street, Rock Island. Admission to the show is free, but donations are accepted.

For more information, visit www.backwatergamblers.com.

He said what?

Alan Sweet of Mental Notes, on how the band's individual nature helps sharpen the music:

"We have a lot of fun just bantering and going back and forth, having a good time, play-fighting just to kind of get that tension of us three known that we're all our own person and we do our own music."

For more on Mental Notes, click here.

Show to see

Alternative rock band After the Crash from San Diego will make a stop at RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave., Rock Island. The show starts at 10 p.m. tonight, Aug. 6. Cover is $4, and it's 50-cent draft night at the venue.

For more information, visit www.ribco.com or www.myspace.com/afterthecrash on the Web.

For the family

The Jackson County Conservation Board will host a Youth Outdoor Skills Day on Saturday, Aug. 8, at the Huntsville (Iowa) Interpretive Center. Children 7 years and older will receive training in firearms safety, BB guns, archery, fishing, orienteering, canoeing and outdoor cooking.

Refreshments and equipment will be provided. The program starts at 9 a.m., and the cost is $5 in advance or $7 the day of the event. Call (563) 652-3783 to register.

For teens

Quad-City teen band FireSale will perform Friday night at Mojo's Cafe in the River Music Experience, 129 N. Main St., Davenport.

The teens have written several original songs and are trending toward a reggae sound. The show begins at 7 p.m., and admission is free.

For more information, visit www.rivermusicexperience.org, www.myspace.com/firesalerocks or view their Go&Do Live Sessions video at www.qctimes.tv.

He said what?

Mudvayne has worn costumes, makeup and pulled other antics onstage to spice up its shows. Ryan Martinie, the Peoria, Ill.-based band's bass player, was asked whether they have anything planned for their Friday night show at the i wireless Center:

"We've done just about everything. I think we're just about out of ideas. You come to a point where suits and aliens and makeup and mud, well, what haven't we done?"

I braved the thunderstorms Friday night to catch William Elliott Whitmore at RIBCO. I didn't see his show the last time he was in town, and there was no way I was going to miss the Iowa native again.

Although I cursed my decision to wear a dress as I stood under the hand dryer in the ladies room, the concert more than made up for dealing with the rough weather.

A happily intoxicated Whitmore entertained the crowd with not just his deep voice, guitar and banjo, but also with his storytelling.

The crowd heard about his distrust of the government because he says it plans to bomb the moon.

"Can we have some health care? No, but we can blow some s--- up on the moon," he said.

Whitmore assured everyone that he was really speaking the truth and to go home and Google it for themselves. A Google search reveals that NASA has launched a program to send a missile to the moon to determine whether ice exists under its surface, which would be helpful in terms of supporting a manned base there. The missile launch is scheduled Oct. 8.

In other shenanigans that only seem to happen when alcohol is involved, Whitmore recalled that during his last show at RIBCO, a woman threw a drink and the glass it was in at her boyfriend, resulting in her arrest. However, the same woman was at Friday night's show as well, and Whitmore appropriately played "Johnny Law" and later "Take It on the Chin" in her honor.

"She went to jail last time, so I'm going to play the song she requested," said Whitmore, who performed several crowd shoutouts during the evening.

But perhaps the best moment of the night was Whitmore's performance of "Black Iowa Dirt." He closed the show with the the track, but in an effort to make the song as long as possible, he told the story behind the song between verses. That involved blowing up a bowling ball on his farm in Lee County while intoxicated.

It was one heck of a show.

The management at RIBCO has announced the details of the 30th anniversary celebration for the well-known downtown Rock Island nightspot.

Einstein's Sister, Tripmaster Monkey and Driver of the Year all will reunite to play during the two-night celebration July 31 and Aug. 1.

Driver of the Year's original lineup hasn't played together in three years, but singer and piano player Jason Parris, who also handles booking for the Rock Island Brewing Company, is excited about the getting the band back together for one last show.

"I think it's going to be awesome," said Parris, who toured the country several times with Driver of the Year before the band broke up under good terms so its members could pursue other interests. "RIBCO gave us our start, and really we've been pretty loyal to the club since day one. So we just thought that it'd be a nice recap and maybe a nice ending to Driver of the Year."

Along with a reunion of RIBCO favorites of old, current Quad-City favorites Keep Off the Grass, Bumper Crop and Cheese Pizza all will perform during the two-night event.

Parris is trying as well to add a rockabilly group and a blues combo to the 30th-anniversary lineup.

"I wanted to have the biggest bands that I could get together from the past, the present, and I want to throw in some future bands that I think are going to shake up this area or have the potential to do something a little bit bigger than just a bar band."

A cover charge will be in effect for the 30th anniversary celebration. Each night will be $5, which is a low price for the number of bands booked, especially with Saturday, Aug. 1, scheduled as an all-ages outdoor show.

"I basically want to keep the price down low enough where anyone and everyone paying the cover will have at least one band that they're really into and have some past with," Parris said. "We want to give back to the fans that have supported RIBCO for the past 30 years."

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

It's Memorial Day weekend and that means The Travoltas will make the trip from Canada to the Quad-Cities to play ‘70s covers at RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave., Rock Island.

Opening for the silver-sequined band are Minus Six on Saturday, May 23, and The Premium Sellouts on Sunday, May 24.

Both shows will be held outdoors, weather permitting. Cover is $10, $12 for those younger than 21 years. If the shows have to be held inside, cover will be $15 for those 21 years and older only. In case of rain, the shows will begin at 10 p.m.

For the family

The Modern Woodmen Bank Quad-Cities Criterium will be held from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, May 25, in The District of Rock Island. The event will feature 500 bicyclists competing in races through the downtown streets.

There also will be food and activities for the whole family. Admission to the event is free.

For more information, call (309) 788-6323 or visit www.liveri.com on the Web.

For teens

The final Get Your Game On for the school year will be held Wednesday, May 27, at the Davenport Public Library.

The event will be 3-5 p.m. at the Fairmount Street branch, 3000 N. Fairmount, Davenport. Teens can play video games on the Wii and PS2 for free.

For more information contact Christie Vogt at either (563) 326-7900 or cvogt@davenportlibrary.com.

He said what?

Birth Control Records co-creator William Martin on what keeps area musicians playing:

"You work all day long, a slave to the grind. You come home, you've got a wife and kids, but maybe once or twice a month you get up on stage and just go crazy. That's the best feeling in the world."

Read more about Birth Control Records and Birth Control Productions by clicking here.

The District will host a free Lunchtime on the Plaza concert series beginning Friday, May 22.

Concert-goers can grab a bite to eat downtown and enjoy live music from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

I spent a summer as an intern in Washington, D.C., and attended a similar lunchtime music series that was held near the White House. It was a lot of fun and a great break in the middle of the day.

Concerts will be held May 22, 29, June 5, 19 and 26, July 3, 10, 24 and 31, Aug. 7, 21 and 28.

For a list of scheduled performers, visit www.ridistrict.com.

In a Quad-City Times article published Sunday, Anouar Darif said Davenport makes it easier for food vendors such as himself to do business than in The District of Rock Island.

One of the reasons he gave was that the City of Rock Island requires vendors to have their cart cleaned and put away by 2:30 a.m. - 30 minutes before the closing time for District bars - whereas Davenport merely asks that vendors leave their space clean.

I did an article during the winter on John Seum, who has been running the Egg Roll Express food stand in The District for more than a decade. He also was not thrilled with the 2:30 a.m. curfew for vendors. He doesn't like it mostly because a good portion of his business comes from patrons arriving in The District after the bars in Davenport close at 2 a.m.

In Sunday's article, Zack Wenthe, Rock Island's downtown manager, said the reason for the 2:30 a.m. closing time is safety: The stands need to be loading up as crowds flood out of The District bars.

Well, I think I have a solution that would work for vendors while keeping in mind the safety of bar-goers. Why not pass a new city ordinance that requires stands to either be cleared out by 2:30 a.m. or else vendors can't begin loading up their gear until 3:30 a.m.?

Surely 30 minutes would be more than enough time to clear the plaza of bar-goers so vendors could safely load their equipment, and there likely would be fewer people in the streets at 3:30 a.m. than at 2:30 a.m., when patrons are still bar-hopping or heading home early to beat the rush of cars at The District's 3 a.m. closing time.

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.

It features all the Hop! venues, lists what artists will be at each location and even has links to the Web sites of the artists on display.

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.

For the family

The Quad-City Rollers will face off against the Big Mouth Mickies at the Shamrock Shakedown at 6:30 p.m., Friday, March 6. The match will be the first win of the 2009 season for one of the teams.

The roller derby bout will have music provided by rockabilly band The Krank Daddies.

Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. Children 10-years-old and younger are free. The Shamrock Shakedown will be held at the RiverCenter, 136 E. 3rd St., Davenport.

Show to see

Twin-cities band Roster McCabe will bring its rock reggae sound to RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave., Rock Island. Roster McCabe has performed throughout at Summerfest, Bella Sol and Harvestfest and is currently working on a new record to follow their 2007 debut “The Rhythm/The Elements.”

Roster McCabe will open for Heatbox, an acappella, beat boxing mix, at 10 p.m. today. Cover is $4.

For teens

The Davenport Library is hosting its monthly meeting of the Teen Volunteer Council. The group gives area teens a chance to make a difference by helping influence programming and materials the library provides for teens. Teens will also help fundraise and network with other young adults.

The Teen Volunteer Council will meet at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10 at the Fairmount location, 3000 N. Fairmount St., Davenport. For more information call Christie Vogt at (563) 326-7900.

She said what?

Liz Treiber, of Wicked Liz & the Bellyswirls, status as the vocalist of a band that has the word “belly” in its name, was all the motivation she needed to lose the baby weight from when she had her daugher two years ago. When Trieber took the stage again, she was a size smaller than before the pregnacy.

“I was like, ‘I’ve got to be in front of all these people and they know I had a kid. I’ve got to look good.’ ”

To read more about Wicked Liz & the Bellyswirls, click here.

Each week I write up four briefs to highlight entertainment events that we didn't have space to write full stories on in Go&Do. We affectionately refer to the briefs as "Quads" and they never quite make it online, so I figured my blog would be a good place to publish them at. So here are your Quads for the week.

Chrash releases optimist rock record, finds new sound - Published Nov. 24, 2008

Chrash goes green, animated for album - Published Nov. 23, 2008

Chrash keeps reinventing itself - Published July 16, 2008

Chrash starts NYC tour this weekend at Ribco - Published Oct. 4, 2006

Chrash Flood's entry on the Quad-City Times band database

By Stephanie De Pasquale

Icons, a new martini bar, opened in place of Copia this past Thursday, and one of the first orders of business for co-owners Phil Woodward and Dave Phillips was to lower prices.

Martinis have been reduced 50 cents to $7.50 and $9. Beer is also down 50 cents to $3 for domestics, $3.50 for imports and $4 for aluminum bottles. Mixed drinks and shots have been lowered by $2 to $5, depending on the drink.

While $9 can easily be perceived as pricey for one drink, Woodward is quick to point out that the $9 martinis are made with 7 1/2 ounces of pure alcohol, whereas a Captain and Coke only contains one ounce of alcohol.

When you do the math, it would take more than seven mixed drinks to match the alcohol content, and that price would be easily more than $9, Woodward said.

The specialty $7.50 martinis contain just a bit more than 5 1/2 ounces of alcohol, by the way.

Icons also will offer selected martinis for $5 Tuesday through Thursday.

Check out the whole story about Icon’s opening here.

If you go

What: Icons

When: 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 4 p.m. to 3 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays

Where: Copia, 124 18th St., Rock Island

Stephanie De Pasquale can be contacted at (563) 333-2639 or sdepasquale@qctimes.com.

UPDATE:

The story on Chrash Flood's CD release party at RIBCO and two songs off the band's new album "The Name They Change" are online now. You can check them out here.