As a local musician, finding outlets to perform your music is sometimes hard to do especially when you are just getting started and don’t have a band. These jam nights can be perfect for networking to meet new people or just to go hang out and have a good time. I have met some of the most talented people and made so many friends just by picking a night or two out of the week to go hang out and jam at one of these places. Let’s check them out:
Monday Night @ Pub 1848
It is located in downtown Moline and starts at 8pm. This is a super chill vibe at a small venue, but a nice place to get up for their open mic and play an original tune you wrote, or hear some people play some of their favorite songs!
Tuesday Night @ The Gypsy Highway
This is one of my favorite bars to go to! It is just down Locust Street across from the fairgrounds so it is super close by for all my fellow Bees. This place has an awesome aesthetic with fantastic American and Thai food. To go along with that, the jam night there is a blast and starts at 8pm. They always have a house band there to entertain and hold down the fort, and then there are people throughout the night that come up to jam on the drums, guitar, bass and vocals each for a few songs until it is time for someone new. If you have never done it before, this is the place to do it. All sorts of music genres especially blues and country.
Wednesday Night – Mid Week Let’s Freak!
You have a LOT of options Wednesday night so you can either pick one, or hit them all up, your choice because you have time!
6-9pm @ Kavanaugh’s in Rock Island is the place to be always with a house band, usually Blues Rock-It or Boogs & Friends, and always lots of blues tunes to carry you through the evening! This was the first open jam I ever went to and it was such an eye-opening experience. Make sure you know your notes, chords, and progressions because there’s a lot of stage communication to keep up with at this one! Also this is one of the nicest and welcoming jam communities you’ll find in the area with top tier talent all night long AND when the weather is nice it is the best place to be for outdoor music on a Wednesday night.
7-10 pm @ Unimpaired with Luke Hull and Friends in downtown Davenport is a nice change of pace if you’re looking for a modern aesthetic and a great selection of fun non-alcoholic drinks! Luke holds down the fort on piano when he runs the jam solo, but when he has his guest friends come hang for the night, they will do lead vocals and guitar while he grooves back on the drum kit to back them up. I even showed up with my ukulele one week and played and sang a few songs with him. The best part about all of these jams is that everyone is very supportive of each other so all you have to worry about is going and having some fun!
8-12pm @ Bent River Brewery in downtown Rock Island is a great vibe with great beer and some super cool cats – literally! Well almost literally because we have The Channel Cats hosting this jam every week as well as having a featured guest artist every week. This featured artist spot is a great opportunity if you are a singer/songwriter looking to perform around 30 minutes of music about halfway through the jam. I have played bass with someone that did this featured spot before and he received some nice recognition and feedback after we finished playing. It is also just a super fun spot to hang out at and even better company!
Thursday Night @ My Place The Pub
No, this is not my house, but it starts to feel like home when you start going every week to hang out with Far Out 283! They jam from 7-10pm and usually go for an extra 30 minutes to make sure everyone that wants to come up and play has a chance to! The first time I went, I literally walked straight on stage because they were ready for me. They have a white board so you can sign up and then they put together some groups of people to play together so that everyone can come up and have a good time. Also, you’ll be happy to know that the bartender there on Thursday nights is super sweet & awesome… that would be me! This is just a really awesome hangout spot and a great place to come get out your guitar and jam with these awesome and talented guys!
Friday and Saturday nights there are not any jams, but there are so many music venues around here that host live music from all of your favorite local bands, like Fair Warning! (That’s my band if you don’t know that)
I know times are crazy with COVID, but if you find yourself out and about, be sure to stop by one of these great jams! Or wait until things are over, they’ll still be there awaiting your arrival to have a good time and play some fun tunes with you if you want :)
