Logan Springer & the Wonderfully Wild in Quinlan Court -- June 8.
Saturday, June 8, 6 p.m.
Quinlan Court, 101 East River Drive, Davenport IA
Treating audiences to the sounds of heartland Americana steeped in an amalgamation of country and rock, and lyrically swinging from bluegrass to the blues, Logan Springer & the Wonderfully Wild perform at Quinlan Court on June 8 in the summer's first Big 9 Concert Series event sponsored by the City of Davenport and Common Chord, with gifted Midwestern musicians playing nine sets in various parks along Davenport’s nine miles of riverfront.
As stated at LoganSpringerMusic.com, "Logan Springer & the Wonderfully Wild’s Midwest background informs their mission to make a style of music that is uniquely Midwestern. Springer felt like an observer, never feeling accepted or part of the story where he was raised. Because of that, he focuses on how he imagines people from his area feel and talk, getting the manner of speech correct to the Midwest.
"The group’s influences range from Neil Young to John Steinbeck, with songs that tell the story of the Midwest – storms crossing the plains, long, painful winters, backwoods hideouts, and searching for a place to call home. These themes arise from Springer’s upbringing on a share crop farm in rural central Illinois, where the struggles and beauties impact the imagery and stories within their songs. Springer’s main inspiration comes from his raising and trying to understand why people from where he’s from do what they do and why they make the decisions they make, right or wrong. By capturing the everyday lives of Americans, he attempts to turn the mundane into something interesting. Springer says, 'I believe we as a society overlook some amazing stories because they’re not shiny or fancy enough for people to care. Life is beautiful and tragic all the time. Pain is pain; it’s all relative.'
"Leaving the farm to attend college in Iowa, followed by a circuitous route living in DC and St. Louis, opened his eyes to the rest of the country and world, eventually making his way back home to the Midwest. Springer says, 'Living in different parts of the country, not just visiting, has given me the ability to vocalize what I’m seeing and feeling. It’s given me more than just a rural point of view.'
"Springer is, at heart, a farm boy but doesn’t go the obvious route toward Country music. While it is at the core of his writing tendencies lyrically, it was a conscious decision to move more towards the rock side of Americana. Springer says, 'In our corner of the world, people are either a fan of Country music or Classic Rock music; I wanted to skirt that line and hopefully appeal to both sides.'
"In 2021, Logan Springer released his debut album Coyote. Since that release, he’s expanded a full band with The Wonderfully Wild. The current lineup includes Ben Schwind (bass guitar, backing vocals), Murray Lee Rice (piano, organ, guitar), Logan Myers (drums), and Tom Swanson (lead guitar, backing vocals). The band has opened for Mike and the Moonpies, Alex Williams, and The Ghost of Paul Revere. In March of 2023, they released their follow-up album Crow." In a rave review, Lonesome Highway stated that the album "hardly allows the listener to draw breath and, for maximum impact, should be checked out at very high volume and from start to finish."
Logan Springer & the Wonderfully Wild play their Big 9 Concert Series sat at Davenport's Quinlan Court on June 8, admission to the 6 to 8 p.m. concert is free, and more information is available by calling (563)326-1333 and visiting CommonChordQC.org.
