Upchurch Brings Unique Blend of Country, Hip-Hop, and Rock to Dubuque

It was a wild yet wonderful Friday night in Dubuque on August 2nd. Q Casino + Resort's Back Waters Stage was jumping like Michael Jordan with three distinctly different artists each having their time to shine in front of a crowd of thousands.

Headlined by the multitalented artist Ryan Upchurch, known for his country, hip-hop, and rock stylings, this concert was the ideal start to a busy slate of shows for Q Casino. This was the first of five concerts that will be rounding out the month of August, and the summer as a whole, and neither the crowd nor the artists disappointed.

First on the Back Waters Stage was Brodnax, a Louisiana "swamp rat" rapper with an aggressive, attention-commanding stage presence. Brodnax was something else. His thick Cajun accent makes you believe you're listening to country rap, but if you truly listen to his musical flow, you realize that he isn't trying to merge genres. He's doing his own thing.

Brodnax, also known as "Mr. Brodnax," has collaborated with the likes of Upchurch on his most recent album, O.R.I.G.I.N.A.L., but did his part to energize the crowd all by himself. He encouraged the crowd to get from "about a 6" to a 10 in terms of energy levels, and even did some giveaways Price is Right-style.

I got to meet Brodnax shortly after his performance. Fingers crossed it's not the last you'll be hearing from him!

Following Brodnax was Aaron Walker, a young singer-songwriter with a soft but rugged style. Walker was a trooper in every sense, not only giving the audience a taste of his styles but also calling attention to a few folks in the crowd who needed medical attention from nearby EMS. It's always respectable to see an audience aid first responders in that sense, and Walker impressed on that level and many others.

Finally, about 9:45pm, it was time for Upchurch to take the Back Waters Stage. He started with the song I thought would be his encore in "Holler Boys," an instantly singable tune. He chased that with "Rolling Stoned," another popular song of his that also prompted him to apologize to any fans who might've gotten a speeding ticket when bumping that in their trucks.

Upchurch has had a unique career. Originally starting as a comedian, he made the natural transition to music and has been something of a disruptor for the Nashville system. He's organically built an enormous fanbase that follows him across the country to various shows, has over a dozen albums under his belt, and has diversified himself across country, hip-hop, and rock genres.

Finally, a big thanks to Q Casino + Resort for letting me introduce not only Brodnax and Aaron Walker, but Upchurch as well. It's always a tremendous honor to get on that stage, if only for a few moments, feel the rush, and show love to a great venue and prep the crowd for a fun night of music.

Until next time, I'll see you at one of these upcoming shows on the Back Waters Stage:

• Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit with special guest Shemekia Copeland will be performing on Friday, August 9th.
• Ice Nine Kills, along with Avatar and TX2, will bring their "In the Moment: Kiss of Death Tour Part 2" to Dubuque on Saturday, August 10th.
• Disturbed and Plush will be performing on Wednesday, August 28th.
• Riley Green brings another great country show to the area on Thursday, August 29th.