Mystic Cats: Why We Play Series

Frankie Messick grew up watching his dad play punk shows in Chicago.

Week after week. Year after year.

Still booking gigs. Still showing up. Still playing.

At 60-something.

“I wanted to grow up to be like him,” Frankie says. So he did.

He learned drums. Picked up the horn. Found his way into music early—the same way most kids do when someone they love makes it look worth chasing.

Now Frankie is stepping on stage for Battle of the Businesses.
His first time performing in the Quad Cities since moving here.

His dad won’t be in the room.
He has a gig of his own that night.

But Frankie’s sending him the recording.

And he already knows the response.

Proud.
Excited.
Watching his son carry it forward.

What Battle of the Businesses Means

This is Frankie’s Battle of the Businesses debut.

“For me, it’s a fun way to give back to the community and be a musician again,” he says. “It’s been a while since I’ve been able to actually jam.”

But this isn’t just about getting back on stage.

Frankie knows what music does.

Common Chord doesn’t just teach kids how to play.
They give them something to build on.
A place to belong.
A way to express themselves.
A path.

“Having something like this in a community like this matters,” Frankie says. “It brings more life to the Quad Cities.”

He sees it in his work at KLJB.
Murals. Live shows. Local stages filling up with people who didn’t think they had a place in it before.

“If a kid sees it and says, ‘I want to be like him,’ then I’m doing my job right.”

Frankie is that kind of leader.

Why The Cultural Trust Invests in This

Frankie’s story isn’t rare.
That’s the point.

When kids get access to music early, they carry it with them.
Into adulthood.
Into their work.
Into their communities.

That only happens when someone funds it.

The Cultural Trust believes so deeply in Common Chord, it’s forever known as a Legacy Partner.
Unrestricted funding. Real flexibility. In perpetuity.

So they can lead. Create. Serve. Forever.

Together, Culture Bright turns that investment into momentum.
New audiences. New energy. New support.

And businesses like KLJB step in and say: this matters. We’re in.

That’s how this grows.

From Father to Son to What’s Next

Frankie’s dad is still playing.
Still showing up.

Now Frankie is stepping into something bigger.
New stages. New roles. New reach.

“Going from a trombone ]in a horn line to lead singer is already a big step up,” he says.

It is.

But it’s also what happens when someone gets access early and keeps building.

Frankie had that.
Now Common Chord is making sure more kids do too.

Not just the ones who grow up around music.
All of them.

This Is Why We Play

Frankie takes the stage April 11.
His dad plays in Chicago the same night.

Two stages. Same story.

This is what legacy looks like.
You learn it. You live it. You pass it on.

Music.
Access.
Opportunity.

This why we play — because Culture Matters Here, and it always will.

Battle of the Businesses | April 11 | Redstone Room | Tickets: https://www.commonchordqc.org/event/botb26/