You Should Be Going To Local Shows Like These…

Last night, Monday night, I went to Rozz-Tox in Rock Island, a venue that I enjoy for it's cozy atmosphere and great selection of brews, coffee, food, and more. Being that it was a Monday night, barely anyone came to a two-band show, not surprisingly. It was a last-minute event featuring a local band with my friends, Ice Hockey, and a Texas band, The Longshots.

With the risk of exaggerating, it was one of the best shows I've ever been to. I walked in while The Longshots were about halfway through their set and the air was electric as their "tidal wave of sound" (their guitarist/vocalist Parker fittingly referred to it as this after their set) washed over me. Some bands conjure a feeling that you are, for lack of better explanation, living a moment. As if you are sure that this band will be making a name for themselves and you will want to remember this exact time and date. They tore through their set, sometimes segueing from one song to the next, taking us along for the ride, whether we liked it or not. The twelve or so people, including me, that were in the room did, in fact, like it. A projector silently flashed images of vintage burlesque dancers, their flashy costumes shaking 'n shimmering in time with the grooves. After meeting the guys after, I really hope to catch them again.

Ice Hockey took the energy already in the room, bit it's head off and spit it out at the welcoming group of kids pulling and pushing their way through the tiny makeshift moshpit. They took the wall of sound built up by their predecessors, slapped more mortar on it, and kept on building. Sitting back & staring at the "Saved By The Bell" clips that played on loop behind them, I was able to follow along with the music that one would dismiss as "noise." I can't wait to see what else these guys cook up, regardless of who's in the band at that time.

Tonight, Rozz-Tox is going to strip down for a few folk acts, Apache Relay and The Lonely Wild, plus a few openers. The level of passion is no less for these acts, even if they're not plugged in, and the close quarters of the performance area will only unite the acts with the audience.

Rozz-Tox has been quietly bringing acts into the Quad Cities for the past few years, often after a Daytrotter session or two, and it's about time that everyone starts paying attention.