Daytrotter works to build Q-C music scene
Back in July, Vampire Weekend played before about 30 people at Huckleberry’s Pizza Parlor in downtown Rock Island. These days they’re making appearances on “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “Saturday Night Live” and the cover of Spin magazine.
The now-world-famous band was brought to the Quad-Cities by Sean Moeller, the founder of Daytrotter.com, for a recording session at Futureappletree Studio 1 in Rock Island.
Moeller established the Web site in February 2006 to record up-and-coming independent bands passing through the Quad-City area on Interstate 80, many of them between concert dates. Each act performs several songs, which are recorded and then offered as a free download for those visiting Daytrotter.
“It’s just one instance where you have this band that we kind of were liking six months before they started breaking, and those are the kinds of bands that we bring in every day, and these are the bands that we have playing these shows,” Moeller said of Vampire Weekend.
The shows are inexpensive dates he sets up to showcase the bands that come to record at the Daytrotter studio. The majority feature at least two bands that may not be famous right now but have a good chance of getting there.
“We want to do these shows for the community. Almost all the shows that we do at Huckleberry’s, I lose some of my own money to put those on,” Moeller said. “I’m doing that right now because I feel like it’s necessary to do. We’re trying to build a scene and it’s not easy to do.”
About 35 people on average come to Daytrotter shows, but Moeller would like to see that number rise to about 100, a reasonable goal in a community of this size, he believes. He prices most of the shows at $5 and schedules them to begin at 7 p.m. so teens and working adults can get home in time for the evening news.
“We’re trying to do everything possible to allow for young kids to come out to shows and for adults to come out to shows even if they have to work the next day,” he said. “There’s plenty of kids, I don’t know what else they’re doing. They’re playing Wii and all that stuff. But it’s incredible that you’d rather sit and watch TV or whatever than do something that you might get inspired by.”
Daytrotter worked to bring Iron and Wine to the Quad-Cities, and Moeller said the show was moved due to poor advance ticket sales. The show scheduled for June 12 at the Capitol Theatre in Davenport was moved last week to the Englert Theatre in Iowa City. Refunds for the Davenport show will be given at the point of purchase.
The experience was disappointing, but he hopes those who were planning on getting tickets in the two weeks before the show learn that buying early is essential for bigger acts.
“I hope this Iron and Wine thing maybe gets people thinking about that more,” he said. “Because I think there are probably going to be a lot of disappointed people that were planning on going to that show, that were excited it was going to be here and now, because they didn’t buy a ticket, it got moved.”
The 15 artists and seven shows Daytrotter has scheduled in June contain a mix of genres from country to a hip-hop/soul mix, to female singer/songwriters and bands that sound like the Beach Boys and Neil Young.
“What we try to do is put together shows that are different, that you can’t see here in town,” Moeller said. “I think I can confidently say that a lot of the people that we bring to town aren’t playing here. Not just that exact band, but the exact kind of music doesn’t have a forum here right now.”
If you go
What: Centro-matic with The M’s
When: 8 p.m. June 5
Where: Huckleberry’s Pizza Parlor, 223 18th St., Rock Island
How much: $8
What: Nik Freitas with Weinland
When: 7 p.m. June 7
Where: Huckleberry’s Pizza Parlor, 223 18th St., Rock Island
How much: $5
What: Time Fite with Chrash
When: 7 p.m. June 11
Where: Huckleberry’s Pizza Parlor, 223 18th St., Rock Island
How much: $6
What: Drakkar Sauna with Botticellis and Driver of the Year
When: 7 p.m. June 13
Where: Capitol Theatre, 311 Ripley St., Davenport
How much: $5
What: White Hinterland with Quiet Bears
When: 7 p.m. June 15
Where: Huckleberry’s Pizza Parlor, 223 18th St., Rock Island
How much: $5
What: Pomegranates with Javelins
When: 7 p.m. June 21
Where: Huckleberry’s Pizza Parlor, 223 18th St., Rock Island
How much: $5
What: Amos Lee
When: 7 p.m. June 27
Where: Huckleberry’s Pizza Parlor, 223 18th St., Rock Island
How much: to be announced
What: Justin Townes Earle
When: 7 p.m. June 30
Where: Huckleberry’s Pizza Parlor, 223 18th St., Rock Island
How much: $7
More information: daytrotter.com
Stephanie De Pasquale can be contacted at (563) 333-2639 or sdepasquale@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.