When I was a teen, I lived too far from venues to see my favorite punk bands. So now, as a twenty-something, I'm catching up on my mosh quota. I was 19 when one of my best friends introduced me to bands like PUP, Jeff Rosenstock and Joyce Manor, and opened the doors to a three-year bender of punk bliss.
In 2022, he invited me along to a PUP show, and that's the first time I jumped into a pit. For those who aren't super engaged with the punk scene, a pit may seem like something to be wary of. I get it.
It's messy. It smells like sweat and soda and shoulder bruises. But the camaraderie in there is unmatched.
If someone wants to crowd surf, you carry them high and set them down gently. When somebody falls over, the violent movements hang like a comma, and a half-dozen helping hands lean over to help the person up. It's a beautiful thing.
Sure, moshing is an outlet for angst and frustration. But it's also a communal reprieve from the hateful discourse of life online. And it helps that the music rocks.
Take Joyce Manor's seminal punk classic "Never Hungover Again," which celebrated its 10th anniversary this week. The whole record is 19 minutes long and moves like a gatling gun, with the 100-meter dash drums giving contrast to the 100-degree guitar tones. "Catalina Fight Song" is the obvious hit, a 65-second nostalgia bomb that conjures memories of hot Gatorade in a car baking in the California sun.
This last weekend, I drove to Iowa City to see Joyce Manor's frequent tourmate, ska-punk legend Jeff Rosenstock. Rosenstock routinely puts on a masterclass in creating an invigorating (yet safe) show environment. By the time he got to the third song in Iowa City — the breakneck chant-a-long "Scram!" — he reminded the crowd to get his attention if someone in the pit was acting out of line.
Jeff Rosenstock jams 13 tightly crafted songs into 40 minutes to create one of 2020's top punk albums. Rosenstock is a bit of a DIY genius , and shows more of a breezy sound on this record after relocating from New York to California. Rosenstock took aim at prison systems and gun violence, among many other social issues, on “No Dream.
” With that, he drew a line in the sand between him and any weirdos that may see the chaos of a mosh pit as a window to act out of line. Again, I affirm: the pit is a safe place. This was my third time seeing Rosenstock, and he's done this every time.
Stage banter can feel like a front sometimes. But when Rosenstock says he cares, you believe him. It's easy to, because his words have action.
Halfway through the show, when somebody fainted due to the blistering humidity, he halted everything to ensure bottles of water were distributed to each and every fan up front. "Take it out of my guarantee, I don't care," he said. The crew for opening act Chris Farren ripped open a case from their stash.
This somewhat scary moment (by all estimations, the fan was okay) stunted the show's momentum. But it didn't matter, because the appeal of Rosenstock is his ability to juggle the fire and ice. His songs walk a tightrope between merciless sociopolitical frustration — anthems like "Festival Song" and "Blast Damage Days" — and introspective earnestness.
An acoustic rendition of "The Internet Is Everywhere," a love letter to a friend who's not so familiar anymore, was a highlight. So was show-closing encore "We Begged To Explode," which I moved from the back of the crowd to the pit for. On the last hook, the 41-year-old sweat-soaked singer gave his all, and so did the pit.
That moment alone was worth the one-hour drive. However, next time I might not have to, because earlier in the show, Rosenstock gave a shoutout to the Quad-Cities and promised that he'd come this way soon. I have no reason not to believe him.
New Zealand folk band Tiny Ruins recorded a Daytrotter session this week 11 years ago. This session came two years after the release of their gentle debut record "Some Were Meant For Sea," an album that does its titular promise justice. Its second track "Priest With Balloons" floats on a life preserver, stranded in calm seas.
Each guitar pluck is a fruitless tug on the rope back to shore. The sky is aureate and the waves are ambivalent. Lead songwriter Hollie Fullbrook's vocals are soft white linen on "Adelphi Apartments" and "Little Notes," a pair of referential and rustic folk ballads at the album's center.
I get that this is a hard pivot from the punk at the start of this column. But sometimes the adrenaline after the punk show doesn't wear off. And you have to go to sleep eventually, right? Let Tiny Ruins take you there.
The Raccoon Motel at 315 E. 2nd St. in downtown Davenport.
I've been dreading this week for a few months now. I saw it coming on the calendar, and knew picking just one show to highlight in this column would be an impossible predicament. So instead, I'm cheating and picking the entire week at downtown Davenport's Raccoon Motel, because they absolutely loaded the schedule for the week of the Quad-City Times Bix 7.
Some days even have two shows. Here's my pick for each day this week. Wednesday: Ra Ra Riot ($29.
10, 6 p.m.) Ra Ra Riot performed along with Delta Spirit, Nathaniel Rateliff, Pearly Gate Music and Free Energy at the Barnstormer III tour hosted by Daytrotter in 2010.
I saw Ra Ra Riot open for Third Eye Blind and Jimmy Eat World in 2019. They were an odd fit on that lineup, with their electro-leaning indie pop sound, but held their own regardless. This week, the band is stopping by on an off day from their tour with Vampire Weekend.
Them playing a venue of this size is a big deal. "Absolutely" was one of my favorite indie-pop singles of 2016 and will be stuck in my head for the rest of this week after seeing it at the Motel on Wednesday. Thursday: Black Flag ($49.
82, 5 p.m.) One of the most influential punk bands in America is coming to the Quad-Cities on Thursday.
Black Flag rose from the California skate-punk scene in the '80s and did the impossible: achieved musical longevity while keeping their punk ethos and DIY autonomy. This was a late add to the calendar, with the show originally booked at Village Theatre. I talked all about punk and pits and rage at the start of this column, so the natural way to see that through would be by going to see this show.
Friday: Harrison Gordon ($15.88, 5 p.m.
) Harrison Gordon is performing at the Raccoon Motel on Friday, July 26. I'm more excited for Harrison Gordon than I have been for most other performers this year in the Quad-Cities. The Bloomington-Normal-based band released one of last year's best records with energetic emo screamer "The Yuppies Are Winning.
" It's chock full of 2000's nostalgia and drops an anvil on the head of apathy. Thanks to some TikTok virality, "Kirby Down B" is deservedly on its way to being the rare DIY emo single to breach the mainstream, but the self-deprecating "BLEACH" is my personal favorite on "Yuppies." This matinee show will start at 5 p.
m. with a great opening act in Madison band Tiny Voices. So you can go straight from your 9-to-5 to see a band with songs about hating 9-to-5's.
That's special. Saturday: Pony Bradshaw ($26.45, 8 p.
m.) If you're a country music fan looking for plans after the Bix — and I know that, in the Quad-Cities, that's a large demographic! — you can't do much better than Pony Bradshaw Saturday night. His belt-buckled 2023 record "North Georgia Rounder" was one of last year's best country projects.
On it, Bradshaw paints a picture of his home Peach State with careful vividness. Mosquito bites, Appalachian barns and the Oostanaula and Conasauga Rivers come to life in the creases of pedal steel and acoustic guitar. I recommend getting your energy out at the Bix and then letting Bradshaw sing you the epilogue.
The mosh and the meditation. Perfectly balanced, as all things should be. ‘Rolling Stone’ Names , the Best Songs of 2024 So Far.
Staff members at 'Rolling Stone' compiled some of their favorite songs of the year so far and even made a Spotify playlist for you to check them out. Beyoncé, "Ya Ya", "Her lyrics place her own family’s struggles against a backdrop of American economic, racial, and social hypocrisy, and wrap her anti-erasure gospel in a music that radiates freedom, resistance, and joy." –J.
D. Kehlani, "After Hours", "She makes the groove her own, lighting up one of 2024’s finest summer jams." —J.
D. Ariana Grande, "We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)", "Whether the song is about Grande’s relationship with the press, an ex, or both, its raw mix of hurt and hope has the kaleidoscopic radiance of club lights in wet eyes." —B.
Stallings. Kendrick Lamar, "Not Like Us", "Of all the songs that Kendrick Lamar unleashed against Drake this spring in a paroxysm of pure contempt, this is the winner." —S.
V.L. Kim Gordon, "Bye Bye", "Your favorite avant-garde twentysomething wishes they sounded this cool.
" —S.V.L.
Megan Thee Stallion, "Hiss", "For longtime fans, it represented the down and dirty, no holds barred, UGK-studied rapping that made them fall in love with her. She herself credits it to her beloved ego, Tina Snow." —M.
C. Olivia Rodrigo, "So American", "It’s a giddy pop earworm and an absolute rock & roll banger." —M.
G. Hozier, "Too Sweet", "The song didn’t appear on his album 'Unreal Unearth' because it didn’t fit the mood, but it’s landed perfectly now." —J.
L. Kacey Musgraves, "Cardinal", "To open her latest studio album, 'Deeper Well,' Kacey Musgraves looked to nature to set the tone." —J.
L Timeless Tickets is a series started in 2024, aiming to find the most influential concert from each year in the Quad-Cities, from 1960 to today. If you have a story or photo from an iconic local show, reach out to entertainment reporter Gannon Hanevold at [email protected] .
Buddy Holly played a show in Davenport 65 years ago this week. Days after, he was killed in a plane crash in Mason City. The sixties brought social change to the U.
S., while legends like Tina Turner, Louis Armstrong and Jimi Hendrix all played in the Quad-Cities. Throughout the '70s, a rock and roll culture war started, as the Quad-Cities hosted outdoor festivals and bands like AC/DC, KISS and Van Halen.
The Quad-Cities music scene got a little louder in the '80s, as Prince, Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica and the Beastie Boys all came to town. In the '90s, floodgates opened for A-list music. The Mark opened in Moline, and other venues brought Nirvana, Notorious B.
I.G. and Tracy Chapman.
In the '00s, blogs boomed, genres went pop and stars like Beyoncè, Jay-Z, Kanye West and Miranda Lambert played shows in the Quad-Cities. Since 2010, the Quad-Cities have seen stars like Taylor Swift and Paul McCartney. Acts like Lizzo and Colter Wall also stopped by, before their fame.
The Timeless Tickets series, which encompassed 64 years of Quad-Cities music history, is over. Here's what I learned. Quad-City Times Reporter Gannon Hanevold Get local news delivered to your inbox! Entertainment Reporter {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
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