River Music Experience
by Cherie Yurco
Celebrating the Music of the Mississippi
The American genres of rock 'n' roll, jazz, gospel, country, and blues, especially the musicians and music of cities up and down the Mississippi River, are celebrated at the River Music Experience (RME) in Davenport, Iowa. At this unique entertainment complex visitors experience America's music through live musical performances and programs.
Occupying 31,000 square feet of the city's historic 19th Century The Redstone Building, RME is located in the heart of Davenport's riverfront district. Interactive kiosks show visitors how music traveled along the river. They trace the birth of jazz in New Orleans; the blues, gospel, and work songs that originated in the Mississippi Delta; country and blues unique to Memphis; as well as the rise of the punk rock scene in Minneapolis in the late 1970s.
RME visitors can call up hundreds of video files, like footage of jazz pianist Jelly Roll Morton. Ear ports in the permanent exhibit area provide more than 300 biographies of musicians and songwriters, and thousands of audio files, such as recordings from Memphis studios.
Designed to appeal to the entire family, there are hands-on educational programs, for young and old alike. At a coffee house and retail center known as Mojo's visitors can shop for CDs or sip coffee while listening to live music.
RME's Redstone Room is a 250-seat, state of the art music venue, which offers live entertainment from national acts, as well as Quad City favorites. RME also produces audio and video archives of Redstone Room concerts, as well as its annual August River Roots Live Festival performances.
Truly a unique destination River Music Experience provides a variety of programs that educate, entertain, inspire, and invite participation, including: Open Mic Night at Mojo's, where musicians from young amateurs to seasoned professionals are invited to join in; weekly Jazz Jam sessions in the Redstone Room; Songwriters in the Round, where the public is invited to come hear local and regional songwriters make music and talk about the process; guitar lessons and student performances; community drum circles in the RME Performance Hall; and traditional Irish sessions with the area's favorite Irish and Celtic musicians.
Around the first of the year a full recording studio will open up in the RME basement, offering amateurs a chance to record and learn how to mix tracks. Plans for on-site classes are in the works.
At the heart of the Quad Cities region, Davenport has long been known as a sort of musical crossroads for musicians and has attracted big name acts from the days when the Mississippi River carried early jazz musicians to the area. Hours of RME venues vary due to the scheduling of live performances. Mojo's is open from 7 am, Monday through Friday, and from 9 am on Saturdays and 10 am on Sundays.
For more information call 563.326.1333 or visit the River Music Experience website www.rivermusicexperience.org.
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