Regional Music
LOCAL MUSIC: May 23-29, 2013
May 23rd
McGaughey Brothers
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Where: Cellar 21, 121 N. Fourth
Reasonable Doubt
When: 8:30 p.m. Friday
Where: One Restaurant & Bar, 600 Hampshire
Esther Moore
When: 9:30 p.m. Friday
Where: State Street Bar & Grill, 1638 State
Tim Hart
When: 2 p.m. Saturday
Where: Spirit Knob Winery, Ursa, Ill.
Exit 52
When: 8:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: The Dock, 1021 Bonansinga Drive
Raised On Radio
When: 8:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: One Restaurant & Bar, 600 Hampshire
Karaoke with A.K.A. Entertainment
When: 9 p.m. Saturday
Where: State Street Bar & Grill, 1638 State
Kathy Brink & Mike Coultas
When: 9 p.m. Saturday
Where: Cellar 21, 121 N. Fourth
Bobbo Fest
When: 2 p.m. Sunday
Where: Lake Linda,
Carthage, Ill.
Deuce Coupe
When: 7:30 p.m. Sunday
Where: Lake Hill Winery,
Carthage, Ill.
Marks Brothers
When: 6 p.m. Wednesday
Where: One Restaurant & Bar, 600 Hampshire
LOCAL MUSIC: May 17-May22
May 15th
Make plans now for a busy musical weekend:
Eleven @ TNT Spring Bike Kickoff
When: Friday
Where: TNT Action Sports, 5101 Oak
Sounds like Summer
When: 6 p.m. Friday
Where: Turner Hall, 926 Hampshire
Rick Crider
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Where: Cellar 21, 121 N. Fourth
Cheeseburgers
When: 8:30 p.m. Friday
Where: One Restaurant & Bar, 600 Hampshire
Devon Clemons Band with Gracia Harrison
When: 8:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Lake Hill Winery, Carthage, Ill.
Logan Kammerer
When: 9:30 p.m. Friday
Where: State Street Bar & Grill, 1638 State
Shrimp Fest
When: 2 p.m. Saturday
Where: Ridge View Winery, Mount Sterling, Ill.
The Corners
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: The Main Hangout, Palmyra, Mo.
Eleven
When: 8:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: The Dock, 1021 Bonansinga Drive
Big Deal
When: 8:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Adams Trading Post, Liberty, Ill.
Karoake
with A.K.A. Entertainment
When: 9 p.m. Saturday
Where: State Street Bar & Grill, 1638 State
Cheeks McGee
When: 9 p.m. Saturday
Where: Cellar 21, 121 N. Fourth
Super Majik Robots
When: 9 p.m. Saturday
Where: One Restaurant & Bar, 600 Hampshire
Diamonds in the Rough
When: 6 p.m. Wednesday
Where: One Restaurant & Bar, 600 Hampshire
STONER: The end is near, but first – Six String Heroes in Quincy
Jan 30th
Six String Heroes
OK, this is the final blog for me. Next up is the Don Van Dyke show. I appreciate Jess at the Local Q asking me to write the blog for a couple months and for all the kind words from those on Facebook that read my ramblings.
Those of you that know me, know that I’m originally from Quincy, but moved to St. Louis about 10 years ago. I worked too many hours and traveled way too much the first five years here and decided I needed to make some changes in my life. I decided that I really wanted to spend more time with my family and that I wanted to focus more on helping people, rather than making money. Easy to say but much harder to do. I was able to start teaching online college classes, which meant working from home — great start — but was still looking for a way to help people.
A couple of years ago, I saw a story in a guitar magazine about a national organization called Guitars for Vets, which taught military veterans how to play guitar to help them with PTSD, depression, memory issues, and other problems. A chaplain named JR Harris at Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis had recently started a chapter, so I decided that was my calling. Combining my love of guitar with helping veterans — there couldn’t possibly be a better mix for me. I met with JR, Kevin Sullivan, and army veteran, Derek Milles, who were all teaching in the program and it felt like home the first night.
Fast forward six months and we were doing some great things for Veterans in St. Louis, however, Guitars For Vets had some growing pains and we were in high growth mode in St. Louis, so we decided to go it alone. By this time, JR had been transferred to Las Vegas and army veteran Mike Petty had started to help. We decided by going it alone, we could raise money locally and keep the funds in St. Louis to grow and run our own program. Six String Heroes at Jefferson Barracks was born on Feb. 22, 2011.
I’m proud to say that almost immediately after starting the program, the great folks in Quincy were supporting our efforts. In addition to various donations directly to me on my visits back to Quincy, Second String Music and the Vancil Performing Arts Center sold about 150 shirts and took in about 15 guitars in the last eight months.
I wrote a blog post about the reality of music therapy a few weeks ago. In it, I said that I see that it’s real every week when I give guitar lessons to veterans. We’ve had comments such as, “this is the best part of my week, I never thought I ‘d look forward to Monday nights (our lesson nights),” ”I’m glad the program is there, I’m a lot more focused on my actual life now.” I’ve been stopped in my tracks and fought back tears when I tried to explain to a student that he’s putting his fingers in the wrong place for a chord and then noticed that the top half of one of his fingers is missing from a mortar blast, so he has adjusted to using his remaining fingers to fret the chord. That same student has helped me change my entire outlook on life in a positive way, so I definitely get as much as I give.
Stoner
I’m proud to announce that in conjunction with Second String Music’s one year anniversary (the day after ours), we have implemented a Quincy chapter of Six String Heroes. Second String Music and the Vancil Performing Arts Center will be working together to provide lessons to qualified veterans and Six String Heroes will be providing the guitars and accessories for the program.
The basics of the program are:
1) The program is designed to help military veterans, who as a result of their military service are suffering from PTSD, depression, battle fatigue, memory issues, social anxiety, a physical injury, or similar problem.
2) The first step to enter the program is to fill out an application available from Second String Music or by e-mailing Six String Heroes at sshstl@gmail.com.
3) If all criteria are met, the veteran schedules their lessons with Second String Music and receives 6 free guitar lessons. A loaner student guitar is provided by Six String Heroes for the lessons. After the 6 lessons, the veteran is awarded their own new guitar, a gig bag (case), and accessories and is encouraged to continue on with their lessons or join a guitar group in order to continue learning.
All guitars and funding to Six String Heroes is provided through personal donations. A Quincy benefit is being planned for June 30, 2012, at Turner Hall. Please make plans to attend and contact us at sshstl@gmail.com if you would like to help in any way.
May your seas be still and your sky be blue,
Steve Stoner
HOLOWICKI: Lincoln Douglas Streetfighter’s sound loud, but melodic
Dec 12th
Lincoln Douglas Street Fighter performing at the State Room. (Photo contributed by Shauna McAneny)
I want to start off by mentioning a word about the tremendous support I have been getting from emails, facebook adds and sheer random people approaching me and complimenting my work. Thank you!
This past Saturday was the night of the much anticipated Lincoln Douglas Street Fighter show at the State Room. Opening act was the Texas Funerals with their surf-infused eclectic blend of rockabilly and other genres. In between songs they busted out a few dittys from Heart, ZZ Top and Dick Dale. The song Double Shot was kind of like a Buster Poindexter reincarnation. I also want to point out that it was interesting how the State Room’s acoustics enhance the performance compared to the New Hampshire bar experience. I was also able to SEE the musicians. Nice job again!
Next came the headlining act.
Holowicki
This new, albeit temporary, ensemble is four guys from Quincy featuring frontman and bass player Corey Warning, Tony Peck on drums, Timmy Kayser on guitar and Matt Parker on guitar. The one night only appearance of some of Quincy’s finest musicians, the Lincoln Douglas Street Fighter combo packs four chord guitar riffs, with some heavy duty on-beat and off-beat drumming and the amazing vocal range of frontman Cory Warning. Warning was the singer for the now-defunct post-punk group the Graduate and played a number of shows with Vans Warped tour in the summer of 2007 to promote their album at the time.
Their music reminds me of a group from the ’80s called the Mighty Lemon Drops, a UK post modern band whose sound can be described as psychedelia influenced post punk.
Their music was a compilation of indie songs that to the unfamiliar listener were inspired by the likes of Weezer, the Silversun Pickups, the Replacements and the Babys although Warning himself admits that his influences are mainly Arcade Fire and Interpol. I’ll give ‘em that. Their style was loud but very melodic. Many references throughout the show were to that of the Foo Fighters, but I’m guessing that was some sort of inside jest. Either way, the music flowed naturally, flawlessly and was highly polished. LDSF are/were a breath of fresh air to Quincy’s much needed indie music scene. I also have an affinity for bands with multiple lead singers as Matt pitched in on a few songs.
Warning will be leaving for Portland, Oregon, in a few weeks, so the possibility of remaining together as a group in the future seems unlikely. That’s too bad, because I truly hate to see them go and I suspect that sentiment is echoed by a good number of people judging by the turnout and excitement of the audience. I estimated the headcount for the night was around 150, almost triple what the Continental show did last week. That kind of support speaks volumes.
Their evening finale was a cover of Local H’s “Copasetic,” which was done really well and got the audience really fired up — a good choice to close out the evening as people were yelling repeatedly for an encore. Unfortunately, as Warning admitted, LDSF exhausted their playlist. No worries. I’m hoping the door is not quite closed on this group just yet.
Steve Holowicki
HOLOWICKI: New Hampshire Bar rocked Quincy on Friday
Dec 5th
Continental
If you missed Friday night’s show at the New Hampshire bar, then you should be kicking yourself for the remainder of the year. The instant I walked into the door, a couple guys said to me, “Are you Steve?” It was like they knew I was coming and knew my face too. Not used to that kind of welcome. Then again, I let the cat out of the bag a week before Thanksgiving.
Holowicki
The opening act was Quincy’s very own Texas Funerals, who are not from Texas and their music is far from any kind of funeral. The TF’s play a fast, energetic set of punk, ska, western swing and even a dose of ragtime, trombone player and all. High energy indeed. For the record, this is not an indie rock group, although I recall when Reverend Horton Heat was on Subpop and he wasn’t a grunge act. These guys play too fast and energetic to fit into this category. The New Hampshire felt more like a night at Paychecks or the Magic Stick in Detroit more than it did Quincy, Ill. It’s possible that the TF’s could play to a larger audience than they might get in Quincy. These guys are phenomenal musicians, each and every one. I met Pete (trombone and vocals) and Alex (bass) at Brix back in March and Chris (drums) about a month before that. The guys were gracious enough to give me a copy of their CD and everyone checked their attitudes at the door. By that I mean everyone seemed like they were in a good mood and there was a lot of excitement at the anticipation for a great night of live music. There were about 50 people in the audience by the time the TF’s went on and they kept coming. $2 PBR’s is always nice and it was great to see familiar faces and meet some new ones. The next day, I loaded the CD to my iTunes and it played non-stop for hours.
The Strummalongs from St. Louis came on next. A powerpop trio, their bass player is TIGHT. Quick sidenote here: A gray man with black jeans and Doc Martins approached after finishing stringing his Gibson that was donated to him by Joe Perry. That man was Rick Barton from Contintental who introduced himself right about this time. This was HIS comment: “I can’t believe how tight that bass player is!” Barton remarked. I said to Rick that they reminded me a little of the Plimsoles and a tad like the early Goo Goo Dolls. Someone else remarked they were “easy listening punk rock.” Overall, a good group, with catchy lyrics and melodies with a good, hard edge.
Then came the headlining act. Continental is Rick Barton’s new group and they’ve been together just over a year. Rick is the former guitarist of Boston’s legendary Dropkick Murphys. Barton left in 1999 after only three albums. Barton asked me about the building vacancies of downtown Quincy, which he pronounces Quinzee, his hometown in Massachusetts. That was for another conversation.
Barton has enlisted his son, Steve, as bass player into the band. Steve is 21, a very talented musician in his own right who grew up with his dad’s music and is influenced heavily by it.
Barton kicked out a couple of tunes and then spoke to the audience. Barton sold off his rights to his old music, does not do drugs, nor drink alcohol, has no bank account, is homeless and along with a few other things that he confessed.
The music was loud, well delivered, well mixed, and well rehearsed. Lyrics nearly inaudible from blaring guitars and drums. Barton was singing so loudly, his Mic went out momentarily. Barton is over 50 but he has the energy of a 28-year-old and it shows in his stage presence. I am actually surprised that the mosh pit didn’t get started, but a few people were dancing to the former Irish punk guitarist’s licks. There are hints of influence from the old stuff but this is clearly not in the same vein as the Dropkick Murphys. This band has as a sound that is all their own. Between intermittent electric/acoustic sets, he did a single diddy of a DM tune. At the end I stood in disbelief amongst a group of 20, 30 and even 40 somethings clad in Motorhead jackets, converse All Stars and facial piercings, Barton in a white T-shirt is all but bathed in sweat. I thought, “Am I in Quincy? How did they get these acts to come here?”
The next day, I hopped in the car to get something to eat, ears still ringing. I live in the East End Historic district so I came up Maine toward 12th from Broadway. Who should I see but the whole band walking past the Ice Scream shop? I yelled out”Hey!” There they were- all four band members and Barton’s dog. Barton is wearing some cool, translucent specs. Barton says, “Is that Steve?” I acknowledged them and told them what a great show they played the night before. He thanked me for the compliment and the bit of Quincy history I offered, shook my hand and said they were headed to Thyme Square as the car behind me honked. What a memorable night!
Steve Holowicki
LIVE EVENTS: Reasonable Doubt, Continental and more
Nov 30th
Continental, Strummalongs and the Texas Funerals (indie/rock)
WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday
WHERE: The New Hampshire Bar, 1000 Hampshire
Reasonable Doubt (classic rock)
WHEN: 8:30 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Johnny Bang Bang’s, 138 N. Front
Cheeseburgers (classic rock)
WHEN: 8 p.m. Saturday
WHERE:RT & Honey’s Saloon, Augusta
Heartache Tonight (Eagles Tribute Band)
WHEN: 8:30 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Johnny Bang Bang’s, 138 N. Front
Jared and the Gentleman (rock/classic rock)
WHEN: 9:30 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: One Restaurant and Bar, 600 Hampshire
The Sally Wiesenberg Band (blues)
WHEN: 2 p.m. Sunday
WHERE: Ridge View Winery, Mount Sterling
The KingBees (blues)
WHEN: 5 p.m. Sunday
WHERE: The Club Tavern, 1023 N. 10th St.
More details on upcoming shows are available on the calendar page at www.thelocalq.com.
For information on bands and concert venues, go to the music page at www.thelocalq.com.
Submit details for upcoming shows at www.thelocalq.com/node/1767.
LIVE EVENTS: Make going out plans all the way through Thanksgiving weekend
Nov 16th
Smooth Sounds Band (jazz)
WHEN: 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17
WHERE: Martini’s at 515, 515 Maine
Noah McNally (acoustic)
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Spirit Knob Winery, Ursa
Tim Hart and Jerad Harness & Blackgrass (acoustic/country)
WHEN: 8:30 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Johnny Bang Bang’s, 138 N. Front
Bombshell (classic rock)
WHEN: 9 p.m. Friday
WHERE: The Grand Tap, Galesburg
Road King (classic rock)
WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: River City Billiards, Hannibal, Mo.
Contagious (classic rock)
WHEN: 8:30 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Johnny Bang Bang’s, 138 N. Front
Eleven (classic rock)
WHEN: 8:30 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: The Blind Pig, 900 N. 12th St.
Wrecking Ball (classic rock)
WHEN: 8:30 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: The Grove Inn, 6510 Broadway
Fielder (rock)
WHEN: 9:30 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: ONE Restaurant & Bar, 600 Hampshire St.
Broseph E. Lee (acoustic)
WHEN: 2 p.m. Sunday
WHERE: Ridge View Winery, Mount Sterling
Thanksgiving-Eve Bash featuring Carter Slade, Further Ado, Nowake, Big Richard and Predawn Hour (rock)
WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 23
WHERE: Turner Hall, 926 Hampshire
Blaisin’ Timothy and Fielder (rock)
WHEN: 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 23
WHERE: Johnny Bang Bang’s, 138 N. Front
D.J. Kane (dance)
WHEN: 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 23
WHERE: ONE Restaurant & Bar, 600 Hampshire
Cheeks McGee (acoustic)
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 25
WHERE: Spirit Knob Winery, Ursa
COST: $5
Cheeseburgers (classic rock)
WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 25
WHERE: Warsaw Brewery, 900 N. Sixth St., Warsaw
WOD (pop/rock)
WHEN: 8:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 25
WHERE: Johnny Bang Bang’s, 138 N. Front
Black Friday with Nocebo, Against All Odds and Perditions Sky (metal)
WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 25
WHERE: Hotspots, Clayton
COST: $4
Ketchum Loudin Live (acoustic)
WHEN: 7:30 p.m Saturday
WHERE: Ridge View Winery, Mount Sterling
Pimpkatz (classic rock)
WHEN: 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 26
WHERE: Adams Trading Post, Liberty
Well Hungarians (country/rock)
WHEN: 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 26
WHERE: Johnny Bang Bang’s, 138 N. Front
Ken Carlyle (acoustic)
WHEN: 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 27
WHERE: Ridge View Winery, Mount Sterling
More details on shows are available on the calendar page at www.thelocalq.com.
For information on bands and concert venues, go to the music page at www.thelocalq.com.
Submit details for upcoming shows at www.thelocalq.com/node/1767.
MARTIN-CATE: Let’s get musicians to play their hearts out
Nov 14th
Euphonium
I am inspired by a musician that raised $2,500 for the Salvation Army by playing his euphonium for 36 hours straight outside. My first thought was, wow this guy is dedicated, my second thought was, I can’t believe he didn’t raise more. People should’ve been dropping money like crazy. I think this would make an amazing fundraiser for Quincy. Who doesn’t love a good old-fashion marathon event? Are there any musicians out there willing to play for 36 hours for a cause?
I vote for a small group of jamming musicians to perform unplugged somewhere unusual, the bridge area maybe? Or somewhere else downtown. They could go all night and everyone could stay and support. So neat, right?
WATCH VIDEO of this amazing musician here:
Martin-Cate
Associated Press: Musician plays for 36 hours straight for charity
RICHMOND, Va. — A musician’s 36-hour outdoor marathon has raised $2,500 for the Salvation Army.
Matt Sims played his euphonium as passersby dropped donations into a red kettle at the Short Pump Town Center in Richmond.
Sims is the musical director for the Salvation Army’s Central Virginia Chapter.
He tells the Richmond Times-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/uWj80I) there were periods when he wondered if he was going to meet his goal, especially when the overnight low Friday night dropped into the 20s.
But by Saturday night, Sims had reached it. He says he played through his book of 130 songs about 24 times.
He says his next stop will be his grandmother’s house in Florida for a few days of rest.
Jessica M. Martin-Cate
LIVE EVENTS: Royal Bliss, Raised On Radio and more
Nov 11th
Time Well Spent (rock)
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Ridge View Winery, Mount Sterling
Royal Bliss with special guests Ketcham Louden Live (rock/acoustic)
WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Johnny Bang Bang’s, 138 N. Front St.
Trifecta (acoustic/rock)
WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Fitz’s on 4th, 129 S. Fourth
Steven Lubin (piano)
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: St. John’s Church, 701 Hampshire
Raised On Radio (blues/classic rock)
WHEN: 8 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Chasers, Rushville
Cheeseburgers (classic rock)
WHEN: 8:30 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Adams Trading Post, Adams
Double Tap (pop/rock)
WHEN: 8:30 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Johnny Bang Bang’s, 138 N. Front St.
George Cate IV (acoustic)
WHEN: 9:30 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: ONE Restaurant & Bar, 600 Hampshire St.
Barrington Wildfire (acoustic)
WHEN: 2 p.m. Sunday
WHERE: Ridge View Winery, Mount Sterling
More details on shows are available on the calendar page at www.thelocalq.com.
For information on bands and concert venues, go to the music page at www.thelocalq.com.
Submit details for upcoming shows at www.thelocalq.com/node/1767.
MARTIN-CATE: Royal Bliss to perform yet again in Quincy
Nov 11th
Royal Bliss
We love Royal Bliss here and let’s face it, they are a good modern rock band. This year local act Ketcham Louden Live will take the stage as the opening act. Below are several stories from over the years of shows with Royal Bliss, including audio from an interview with Neal Middleton in 2009. Have fun going to the show tonight at Johnny Bang Bangs!
Martin-Cate
2010: Live show blog from Backwaters show Sept. 25, 2010: http://www.thelocalq.com/blogs/thebreakdown/2010/09/live-blog-royal-bliss-at-backwaters-now
2010: Q&A with Royal Bliss guitarist Taylor Richards Sept. 23, 2010 about label changes and more: http://www.thelocalq.com/blogs/thebreakdown/2010/09/qa-royal-bliss-guitarist-talks-label-management-changes
2009: Writeup about the Royal Bliss show Sept. 30, 2009: http://www.thelocalq.com/blogs/thebreakdown/2009/09/royal-bliss-returning-to-quincy-with-tour-mates-at-a-busy-time-for-music
2009: Royal Bliss comes to Quincy with Jet Black Stare, writeup from April 21, 2009: http://www.thelocalq.com/blogs/thebreakdown/2009/04/royal-bliss-brought-tour-mate-with-them-to-rock-quincy
2009: Audio from interview with Neal Middleton, Royal Bliss lead-singer April 1, 2009: http://www.thelocalq.com/blogs/thebreakdown/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/neal-middleton-of-royal-bliss-interview2.mp3
2008: Sept. 30, 2008, writeup for a last-minute show in Quincy: http://www.thelocalq.com/blogs/thebreakdown/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/neal-middleton-of-royal-bliss-interview2.mp3
Jessica M. Martin-Cate
