Pepi Ginsberg We had a last-minute show this past weekend with the always tremendous Delta Spirit, from California way. Those of you who were at Huckleberry's the last time they were in town know this. We regret that there wasn't more time to get the word out that they were going to be in town, but we found out just a few hours before they were set to arrive for a session that they were going to be here in time to play. They'd made a long drive from Salt Lake City the night before and hauled it east to make it so that we could add them to the Southeast Engine bill. It might be the best show in the Quad Cities that only 10 people showed up for in the past five years or more.

papermache.jpgIn two years, the Spokane, Washington-based five-piece Paper Mache - which will be performing at Mixtapes in East Moline on September 3 - has gone through more than a dozen members.

You might assume that singer/songwriter Chelsea Seth Woodward is difficult to work with, but to hear him tell it, it was simply a process of shaping Paper Mache.

"It started off as me doing a singer/songwriter, solo acoustic," he said last week, "but the intention was always to have the songs that I wrote have open interpretation, that we could play with them and I could have different members join and see what fit, and then develop a sound from there."

Lissie Our little hub here in Rock Island feels doubly cool on a day such as Sunday when we have into the studio a young, local talent gone Los Angeles in Lissie, then a few hours after she left to go swim at the pool and eat hamburgers we have one of Daytrotter's original alums and makers of one of the coolest records of the year, Koufax, by for the second session of the day, and last, to cap the day, one of the premier hip-hoppers on the planet: Aesop Rock.

Brother Trucker When Flyover, the fourth album from Des Moines-based Brother Trucker, sees the light of day - maybe yet this summer - the band's fans will be treated to a collection of timeless roots rock.

Which is a good thing, because the songs were recorded more than three years ago.

Daytrotter Perhaps there's been this empty feeling in your stomachs lately as the Daytrotter concert schedule has been slightly bare for the greater part of August. It's all about to change as the shows are going to start up again and hit like a blizzard, like two blizzards back-to-back.

Reader #697 As dismissive as many people are when it comes to blogs, what's often neglected is that they can sometimes represent genuine grassroots movements. And Minneapolis' Tapes 'n Tapes has been a major beneficiary.

Ernest Dawkins Jazz alto saxophonist Ernest "Khabeer" Dawkins will bring his "Straight Ahead" Quartet with special guest pianist and jazz educator Willie Pickens to the River Music Experience's Redstone Room in downtown Davenport for Polyrhythms' Third Sunday Jazz Matinée & Workshop on August 17. The workshop begins at 3 p.m., with admission $3 for students and $5 for adults. The concert begins at 6 p.m., with general admission $15 and reserve seating $20.

The Ruby Suns So far this week, we've already recorded Royal Bangs and New Zealanders The Ruby Suns, who parked their motor home at West Lake Park for the night, ate some Huckleberry's pizza, and then drove to Chicago to make the long flight home. They were a little worn out when they came to see us, but the tunes turned out well. Everyone should check out their newest Sub Pop record and complain to someone that it's not been released on vinyl.

The Black Kids We began the week by recording one of the world's hottest young bands, The Black Kids, and one that should definitely be watched in the next year - Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears. The Austin band will be back touring through the Midwest in October with Okkervil River and Crooked Fingers, and early indications from them are that there might be a hole in their schedule that would allow the tour to come through the Quad Cities.

mixtapesjorgetapia.jpg

I have a certain admiration for Rob Gordon, John Cusack's character in the 2000 film High Fidelity. Although flawed by a heavy case of snobbery, living by the maxim that the more you like something, the more you insult the majority of it, he had such a strong passion for music that he had to make it his life's work.

It seems as though the Quad Cities have their own Rob Gordon (rather, a duo) who have made their passion also their business, making it a must-visit for any music fan in this area. To be fair, Jorge and Amber Tapia, owners of Mixtapes located at 830 15th Avenue in East Moline, carry a different disposition than Cusack's character; they leave the elitism at the door. It seems as though they have developed their own maxim: the more you like something, the more you want to share it with as many people as possible.

Pages