2 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 26 No. 957 • January 2019 Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.

com
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
WORDS FROM THE EDITOR
Journalistic Integrity Still Holds That
Evidence Matters; So Does Transparency
A
s we enter our 26th year of indepen-
dent publishing, the Reader’s com-
mitment to coverage that adheres
to traditional, unassailable standards of
journalistic integrity have never been more
resolute.
I’ve been trying to articulate internally
what that actually means in today’s media.
First, it is a non-negotiable decision to look
at all the data, regardless of where it leads.
In other words, a conscious effort to avoid
cherry-picking data that appeals to some pre-
disposition on subject matter.
We all have them. Journalists are no differ-
ent. What used to set our ilk apart was a sense
of professionalism that dictated reviewing
all the relevant information, not just the data
that supported preconceived conclusions that
reflect ideology, political affiliation, or cul-
tural preferences.
It is precisely that same mandate that
makes investigative journalism interesting,
challenging, and often enjoyable, like going
on an adventure where discovery gives way
to new perspectives and persuasive con-
clusions. This process is also what leads to
breakthroughs, invention, and perhaps most
important of all, solutions.
How can we solve problems of the day
if we don’t understand their contributing
components? And how can we understand
such components if we don’t explore them
from every angle, asking the necessary, often
uncomfortable, questions? More importantly,
how can we hope to uncover any truth if we
have prematurely claimed it?
If I have learned anything in these 25 years
of deep-diving into issues, it’s that truth is
rarely on one polarized side or the other, but
instead is almost always found somewhere in
the middle.
It’s a reporter’s responsibility to evaluate/
analyze the veracity of evidence in all possible
context, look for inconsistencies and contra-
dictions, until a pattern of meaningful con-
nections emerges.
Then you re-examine, re-adjust where nec-
essary, look for any additional weaknesses,
plug holes caused by data that is still missing.
Confirm all the evidence with reliable, even
redundant verification, always sourcing, and
finally linking to those sources so that others
can evaluate your same journalistic effort.
When you boil it down, the most reliable,
trustworthy reporting is highly transparent.
I think it’s because truth will out. Truth wants
out. Stories crave telling, and authenticity res-
onates. It has the power to connect us.
The best stories, both fiction and nonfic-
tion, are felt intellectually and often spiritu-
ally. Something deeper than just emotion is
stimulated – imagining, reaching, thoughts
that move us well past the mundane, far
beyond raw emotions to real possibilities,
hope.
Journalism, which traditionally dealt
almost strictly in non-fiction news dissemina-
tion, used to inspire some level of confidence
in consumers about their sense of the world
because America generally trusted its media,
right or wrong. Mostly because journalists
used to provide a healthy adversarial coun-
terbalance to authority that has all but dis-
appeared in modern corporate mainstream
media.
Media has retooled to become that same
authority’s propaganda machine. Modern
propaganda itself has been refined over the
last 50 years into a highly sophisticated meth-
odology for targeted mass behavior modi-
fication that advantages governments and
corporatism.
Recall that in 2012, the Obama Admin-
istration repealed the 1948 Smith-Mundt
Act (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Smith%E2%80%93Mundt_Act) as part of the
2012 National Defense Authorization Act,
now permitting the unrestrained use of pro-
paganda against Americans. Obama kicked it
up a big notch with Executive Order “Using
Behavior Science Insights to Better Serve the
American People,” mandating behavior-
science departments within every Executive
Branch agency for the stated purpose of favor-
ably influencing Americans to his Adminis-
tration’s policies. (https://obamawhitehouse.
archives.gov/the-press-office/2015/09/15/
executive-order-using-behavioral-science-
insights-better-serve-american).
Simultaneously, a campaign of robust
obstruction began to significantly delay, even
outright deny, legitimate requests for data
protected under the Freedom of Information
Act (FOIA)that by law are required to be ful-
filled by government in the spirit of transpar-
ency and accountability. This trend has only
increased across the spectrum of government,
including federal, state, county, municipali-
ties, and local jurisdictions.
Professor Jerry Kroth details long-held sci-
entifically proven behavior science modifica-
tion techniques in his book Duped, as follows:
(1) Reframing by redefining the meaning of
words and concepts to create wider accep-
tance or rejection; (2) Repeated affirmations,
especially by perceived authorities, to compel
eventual acceptance or rejection regardless
of veracity or lack of supporting evidence; (3)
Vicarious and Imitative Learning to stimulate
desired behaviors (role modeling); (4) Dis-
traction & Denial; and (5) Classical & Oper-
ant Conditioning.
These behavior-modification techniques
are rife throughout media news broadcasting,
River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 26 No. 957 • January 2019
talk radio, social media, and print. It spills
into television programming and Holly-
wood movies, as well. Headlines, narratives,
and controlled opposition panels are tightly
scripted, then repeated in every news segment
for weeks at a time, across all media platforms,
regardless of networks, to manage narratives
and cement specific political support and/or
opposition regarding an issue.
The goal is to create and maintain a steady
arena mentality through heightened emo-
tion for and against one of two political per-
spectives at all times. Everything under the
sun is framed through the political prism
of right versus left. It matters not which
side viewers, listeners, or readers choose,
as long as it is liberal-left-Democrat or
right-conservative-Republican.
This is critical to the preservation of the
status quo. The two political parties work
closely together and in tandem with all corpo-
rate media in highly synchronized program-
ming, that delivers both effective messaging
and increased profits. This formula predict-
ably delivers elections that guarantee the con-
tinuation of power with little or no deviation.
These manipulative tactics become unmis-
takably obvious once you understand how
neurolinguistic programing works to over-
ride intellectual processing with constant
triggering of negative emotional responses, or
how continuous repetition of scripted memes
also systemically corrupts critical thinking.
It should be noted that once an emotional
response is triggered via the limbic system,
it is exponentially more difficult to alter that
response or change the resulting impression
it leaves. Regardless, should critical thinking
be restored, it would quickly become appar-
ent how largely shallow and irrelevant most
of the news has necessarily become as a result
of the change in corporate media’s mission
since 2012.
Thanks to technology, the use of digital
graphics, green screens, and Hollywood-
esque production elements are too often used
to fool viewers into thinking reporters are on
site when they are really in a production studio
down the hall. Another common deception
includes images of faux enemy combatants as
part of a staged set made to look like an active
exchange in a foreign country. Or images of
a real engagement that occurred years ago
presented as a current interaction. Often
networks share and air the same visual in a
contiguous loop for effect (and to cut costs)
that repeats within the segment, then again in
every other news segment for weeks at a time.
These are but a few examples in a long list of
corporate media’s shameless manipulation of
public perception.
Other deceptions include anonymous
3
By Kathleen McCarthy
sourcing, lack of context, including historical
context, or glaringly out of context, misquot-
ing, and deliberate spin or misrepresentation
of facts/evidence. Arguably, however, the
most egregious deception lies in the media’s
gross omission of critical news that has far
greater relevancy in our lives. A well-doc-
umented overview of the breadth of media
deception can be found at NewsFocus (http://
www.newsfocus.org/media_control.htm).
Which brings us back to transparency.
The more transparency, the healthier the
endeavor. Lack of transparency corrupts
nearly everything. There is no enduring justi-
fication for secrecy, and this is an immutable
truth when applied to governance (including
national security with the rare exception for
protection of personnel), law enforcement,
jurisprudence, economics, and journalism.
Lack of transparency has no prevail-
ing rationale other than protection of some
degree of wrongdoing from petty indulgences
to egregious criminal activity. Americans
must resolve to reassert their political power
by first restoring transparency to every aspect
of governance and jurisprudence, no excep-
tions. No one else can achieve this but the
people. Government will not, can not, police
itself.
Lawmakers and administrators provide
themselves with express exemptions from the
same rules we are forcibly subject to. Judges,
prosecutors, elected officials, and many
public offices have immunity by law (sover-
eign immunity), never being held accountable
for their bad acts in the performance of their
duties. We can point to countless examples
of minor rule-breaking creep to outright
unaccountable unprosecuted lawlessness in
the public sector that our tax dollars fund,
whether in our courts, administrations, or
elected bodies.
Realistically, we start locally. Residents and
taxpayers begin by mandating full transpar-
ency as a non-negotiable matter of governing
protocol for Scott County, beginning with
immediate recording and posting uned-
ited public meetings. It is a straightforward
beginners’ mission that will require our civic
perseverance.
We the people have a lot of political power
thanks to the founders, the Declaration of
Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the U.S.
and state Constitutions. But we have forgot-
ten how to access it. In neglecting our part
in America’s Republic under rule of law and
constitutionally protected rights, we have
allowed government to usurp our power via
administrative law. Let’s make 2019 the year
we reacquaint ourselves with the basic rules
and get back in the game for real.
 4 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 26 No. 957 • January 2019
ILLINOIS POLITICS
A Tale of Two Parties
I
attended two parties in one evening last
month that seemed to complement each
other.
The first was a retirement party for House
Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie
(D-Chicago), who was elected to the House
40 years ago. The other was for one of the
largest and perhaps one of the more impact-
ful classes of incoming freshmen legislators
we’ve ever seen.
Many either don’t know or have forgot-
ten how “controversial” it was when House
Speaker Michael Madigan appointed Currie
as his new majority leader in 1997.
Downstate Democrats considered that
position to be “theirs” and believed the post
gave their region a geographical balance to
the Chicagoan Madigan. Those Downstaters
(unlike now, the Democrats had quite a few
back then) were furious at being passed over
for one of the most liberal Chicago women
in the chamber.
But a lot of Chicago-area liberals weren’t
happy, either. To them, Currie was a “sell-
out” for taking the appointment from the
hated machine politician Madigan. It never
occurred to most of them that Currie’s new
position would give their viewpoints an
important seat at the grownups’ table.
And quite a lot of those views are now
state laws, partly due to Currie’s leadership.
She was pushing for things such as legalized
needle exchanges for heroin addicts in the
early 1990s to help stem the spread of AIDS.
She was waved off as a silly liberal back then,
but few even think twice about the issue
these days.
There’s a ton of gossip out there about who
Madigan will name to replace Currie. Madi-
gan admitted during his tribute speech to
Currie that whoever he chooses won’t quite
measure up to her.
Currie regularly spends hours preparing
for floor debates. Madigan said during his
speech that he often turns down requests
to sponsor bills because he doesn’t want to
take the time to learn all the ins and outs. It’s
Currie who usually gets that job.
But she’s also the sort of person who can
consume a bill analysis in a few minutes and
then proceed to ably debate it on the floor,
often jousting with the opposition.
Those are both rare qualities. She also has
a kind touch, another rarity in Springfield.
And her old school Hyde Park intellectual
manners are one of a kind in at the State-
house. Madigan said it best that she can’t
ever truly be replaced.
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
After reminiscing during the Currie
reception, I drove across Springfield to a
banquet room to have dinner with several
dozen people, including quite a few newbie
state legislators.
Including appointments, I think there’s
41 new legislators who either recently have
or will take office by January. And we’ll see
two more in January when Senator Kwame
Raoul (D-Chicago) leaves for the attor-
ney general’s office and when Representa-
tive Christian Mitchell takes (D-Chicago)
over as a deputy governor in JB Pritzker’s
administration. And those ranks will swell
as House and Senate members are appointed
to jobs in the Pritzker administration.
I usually steer clear of freshmen. My job is
to tell you what’s going on, and few of them
ever make news, or know enough about
what’s happening or are bold enough to talk
to me about anything they do know.
But somehow, this class of freshmen
seems different. They appear to be markedly
more independent-minded, and the Demo-
crats among them seem to be more liberal as
a whole. There are also so many of them that
they won’t be easily or quickly absorbed into
the grind-and-mix machine.
They have a freshness about them that
By Rich Miller
CapitolFax.com
kinda reminds me of the group of young
Republicans elected to the Senate in 1992.
The “Fab Five” (Peter Fitzgerald, Steve
Rauschenberger, Dave Syverson, Pat
O’Malley and Chris Lauzen) took Spring-
field by storm. And by sticking together and
voting as a bloc, they were able to have much
more of an impact than they would’ve had
as individuals.
Don’t get me wrong here. I don’t neces-
sarily think the newbies will join together
in union to challenge the Statehouse status
quo. But there are so many of them, and
quite a few are so different than what we’re
used to seeing under the Dome, that I do
think they will make some sort of significant
impact, although I’m not quite sure yet what
exactly that will be.
And if you think I have a prediction
for how Madigan will handle all this stuff
in this new age, you’re wrong. I’m as curi-
ous as anyone to see what happens.
Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax, a daily
political newsletter, and CapitolFax.com.
New Column Published
Weekly at RCReader.com
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 26 No. 957 • January 2019 5
THEATRE By Rochelle Arnold, Jeff Ashcraft, Madeline Dudziak, Mark Ruebling, and Mike Schulz

Faves in Fives: Highlights from

Vol. 26 · No. 957 the Year in Area Theatre
JANUARY 2019

River Cities’ Reader

532 W. 3rd St.
Davenport IA 52801
RiverCitiesReader.com
(563)324-0049 (phone)
(563)323-3101 (fax)
info@rcreader.com

Publishing Since 1993

The River Cities’Reader is an independently owned publication and
website, dedicated to providing readers and members the “keys to the
Quad Cities’culture.”

PRINTED MONTHLY
Newly printed complimentary editions are available monthly
at select locations in the region. For a complete list, visit
www.rcreader.com/distribution. Adam Sanders and ensemble members in the Spotlight Theatre’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame

VALUE FOR VALUE
Support the Reader print edition with an online membership for
$4.99/month or $50/year. Includes all access to digital only weekly
coverage of What’s Happenin’ staff picks; new weekly columns
from Rich Miller, Amy Alkon, movie and theatre reviews, guest
commentaries, crosswords, cartoons and horoscopes; weekly
e-newsletters; continually updated event and live music calendars;
all event descriptions, venue and ticket info, maps and notification
services from the Reader Calendar; and the satisfaction from
supporting a key to the Quad Cities’ culture!
PRINT & DIGITAL ADVERTISING:
PRINT ADVERTISING SPACE RESERVATION DEADLINE IS THE 15TH
OF EACH MONTH FOR THE FOLLOWING MONTH’S EDITION.
WEBSITE & WEEKLY E-NEWSLETTER ADVERTISING DEADLINE IS
EVERY MONDAY FOR THURSDAY PLACEMENTS.
Visit QCAdvertising.com for full publishing calendar,
monthly edition themes, sponsorship opportunities,
sizes and pricing.
PUBLISHER
Todd McGreevy • todd@admospheres.com
EDITOR & BUSINESS MANAGER
Kathleen McCarthy • km@rcreader.com
ARTS & CALENDAR EDITOR
Mike Schulz • mike@rcreader.com
ART DIRECTOR
Nathan Klaus • nathan@rcreader.com
DISTRIBUTION & OFFICE MANAGER
Peggy Barnard • peggy@rcreader.com
IT-SYSMIN
William Reveal
ADVERTISING SALES
Michael Locander •sales@rcreader.com
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Amy Alkon, Max Allison, Rochelle Arnold, Jeff Ashcraft,
Leslie Bell, Rob Brezsny, Max Cannon, Madeline Dudziak,
Michael Helke, Rich Miller, Mark Ruebling
PRINT COPY DISTRIBUTORS
Ingalls Family, Cheri DeLay, Greg FitzPatrick,
N. A. Rice, Jay Strickland
KNOW MORE.
DO MORE.
© 2019 River Cities’ Reader
Y
ou asked for ‘em! You’re getting
‘em!
Okay, fine, none of you officially
asked for them. But you’re getting them
anyway.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the
Third-Annual Reader Tony Awards!
Allow me to break down that nomen-
clature for those of you who may not
understand it. “Awards” is merely figura-
tive, as no shiny trophies are bestowed.
“Tony,” as our lawyers assure me, is just
some random name we came up with, and
not – not – meant to suggest any kind of
relation to Broadway’s Tony Awards. It’s
pure coincidence. Really.
But “Third-Annual” is absolutely
accurate! Because for the third year in a
row, our paper’s resident theatre review-
ers – this year, it’s the quartet of Rochelle
Arnold, Jeff Ashcraft, Madeline Dudziak,
and Mark Ruebling – and yours truly have
hunkered down to highlight some of our
favorite stage presentations, directors,
performers, designers, technicians, and
memories from another year of terrifically
satisfying area theatre.
While more than 70 local and kind-of-
local productions were Reader-reviewed
in 2018, the sheer volume of options
(many of them running only one week-
end) meant that we unfortunately weren’t
able to cover everything. But in addition
to the shows that we personally wrote
about, we each also caught a bunch
more that we didn’t even get paid to see
– that’s how much we love this art form!
So please consider our collective “Reader
Tony” mentions an incomplete roster but
a completely impassioned one – specific
examples of excellence among the deeper
talent pool that constitutes area theatre as
a whole.
And now for everyone’s favorite part of But in the meantime … let’s talk 2018!
any awards presentation: a reading of the Please enjoy the Reader Tonys! (Seriously.
rules! It’s just a name we picked out of a hat.
None of us could cite a production for Nothing litigious about it.)
more than two personal mentions, and all Mike Schulz
productions had to be locally produced
(e.g. no touring shows). None of us could
cite works we were personally involved in
Production
Clybourne Park, Playcrafters Barn
except in the “Memorable Moment” cat-
Theatre (Madeline Dudziak). Giving
egory, and none of us were allowed to be
Alexander Richardson’s production a
personally acknowledged, although the
mention as one of the best of 2018 seems
productions themselves were. And once
almost too little, too late. With its thought-
again, for the sake of your patience, none
provoking subject matter, talented cast,
of our write-ups were allowed to exceed 50
and a 20-year jump in time during inter-
words. No, no, no … . No thank-you notes
mission, this was a production that was
necessary. It was completely our pleasure.
both funny and fully committed to its
As was the chance, yet again, to share our
darker themes.
thoughts on the incredible richness of the
The Crucible, Augustana College
area-theatre scene.
(Mike Schulz). Director Jennifer Popple.
Sadly, though, our celebration does
MJ Mason and Jaryd Whitmore. Amy
come with the unfortunate news that two
Nicholson and Peter Alfano. Ellen Dixon’s
of our authors will be moving on from
costumes. RaeEllen Walker’s scenic/light-
regular reviewing duties after this arti-
ing design. Tristan Odenkirk’s sound-
cle’s publication: Mark Ruebling, who’s
scape. Act I’s and II’s climaxes. There.
been with us since January, and Jeff Ash-
Didn’t break the two-mentions-max rule.
craft, who’s been with us, bless him, since
Not even for the most theatrically thrill-
October of 2015. It’s been a true pleasure
ing three hours I experienced – twice – all
working with these thoughtful, talented,
year.
all-around-awesome guys, and we’ll miss
Fiddler on the Roof, Timber Lake Play-
hearing their voices in print … though
house (Rochelle Arnold). Director Wil-
given the frequency of their personal par-
liam Hayes had his hands full delivering
ticipation with area stage productions,
an extravagant production – one featuring
theatre fans likely won’t be missing them
a large cast and an outstanding orchestra
for long.
– loaded with traditional Jewish-dance
I’m delighted to report, however, that
choreography reproduced by Jessica
the equally fabulous Rochelle Arnold and
Chen. And this unforgettable story was
Madeline Dudziak will be continuing in
their reviewing positions for the foresee-
executed beautifully; from start to finish,
the audience was delightfully entertained.
able future, and everyone at the Reader is
thrilled that we’ll be continuing to pro-
vide incisive, expansive, and entertaining
theatre coverage as we move forward into
2019 and beyond. Continued On Page 10
 6 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 26 No. 957 • January 2019
VISUAL ARTS
Openings & Gallery Events
Thursdays at the Figge, art-themed activities,
discussions, tours, refreshments, and more; guests
are invited to experience the current exhibitions
and permanent collection gallery as well as shop the
Museum Store; free; for information, call 563-326-
7804, Figge Art Museum, 225 W. 2nd St., Davenport IA,
FiggeArtMuseum.org, 5pm thru Thu Jan 31
Art in the Great House (1911-1956), join art historian
Cynthia Empen for a look at the… Hauberg Civic Center
Mansion, 7pm Thu Jan 10
Closing Reception: Jeanne O’Melia - Erica Parrott
- David Turner, exhibit of paintings and watercolors by
O’Melia and Parrott and… MidCoast Gallery West, 6pm
Fri Jan 11
Recognition Day for Young Artists at the Figge
2019: Pleasant Valley Schools, held in conjunction
with the exhibition of works by elementary art students;
sponsored in part by the Brand Boeshaar Foundation
Fund and the Hubbell-Waterman Foundation; free with
$4-7 museum admission; for information, call 563-326-
7804, Figge Art Museum, 225 W. 2nd St., Davenport IA,
FiggeArtMuseum.org, noon Sun Jan 13
Finding Inspiration: From Monet to Matisse at the Quad City Arts Center – through January 25
Craft Café, adults are invited to join us at the library
for… Davenport Public Library - Fairmount Street
Branch, 2pm Sat Jan 19
Artist Reception: Tony Seabolt, held in conjunction
with the exhibit of abstract paintings; for… Black Hawk
College ArtSpace Gallery, 4pm Tue Jan 22
Q&A for Ben Blount: Typecast, free; for information,
contact Christopher Reno at 563-333-6444 or Catich@
sau.edu… Morrissey Gallery, Galvin Fine Arts Center - St.
Ambrose University, 4pm Thu Jan 24
Reception for Ben Blount: Typecast, free; for
information, contact Christopher Reno at 563-333-6444
or Catich@sau.edu… Morrissey Gallery, Galvin Fine Arts
Center - St. Ambrose University, 5pm Thu Jan 24
Final Friday at Bucktown, with vintage valentines on
display and a make-your-own-valentines activity; for…
Bucktown Center for the Arts, 6pm Fri Jan 25
Recognition Day for Young Artists at the Figge
2019: Davenport Schools, held in conjunction with
the exhibition of works by elementary art students;
sponsored in part by the Brand Boeshaar Foundation
Fund and the Hubbell-Waterman Foundation; free with
$4-7 museum admission; for information, call 563-326-
7804, Figge Art Museum, 225 W. 2nd St., Davenport IA,
FiggeArtMuseum.org, noon Sun Jan 27
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
Recognition Day for Young Artists at the Figge
2019: Bettendorf Schools, held in conjunction with
the exhibition of works by elementary art students;
sponsored in part by the Brand Boeshaar Foundation
Fund and the Hubbell-Waterman Foundation; free with
$4-7 museum admission; for information, call 563-326-
7804, Figge Art Museum, 225 W. 2nd St., Davenport IA,
FiggeArtMuseum.org, noon Sun Feb 3
Exhibits & Shows
John Bloom: Close to Home, exhibition on the
renowned area artist; Tue.-Sat. 10am-5pm, Thu. 10am-
9pm, Sun. noon-5pm; free with $4-7 museum admission;
for information, call 563-326-7804, Figge Art Museum,
225 W. 2nd St., Davenport IA, FiggeArtMuseum.org, thru
Sun Jan 13
Young Artists at the Figge 2019: Pleasant Valley
Schools, exhibition of works by elementary art
students; sponsored in part by the Brand Boeshaar
Foundation Fund and the Hubbell-Waterman
Foundation; Tue.-Sat. 10am-5pm, Thu. 10am-9pm,
Sun. noon-5pm; free with $4-7 museum admission; for
information, call 563-326-7804, Figge Art Museum, 225
W. 2nd St., Davenport IA, FiggeArtMuseum.org, thru
Sun Jan 13
Finding Inspiration: From Monet to Matisse,
exhibit of 90 works of art by 52 artists inspired… Quad
City Arts Center, thru Fri Jan 25
Winter Wonderland, mid-winter exhibition by David
Anderson and many… Beréskin Gallery & Art Academy,
thru Fri Jan 25
Glenn Boyles, exhibit of drawings and paintings; Mon
-Fri,… MidCoast Centre Station Gallery, thru Thu Jan 31
Jeanne O’Melia - Erica Parrott - David Turner,
exhibit of paintings and watercolors by O’Melia…
MidCoast Gallery West, thru Thu Jan 31
Kathleen Washington, mixed-media exhibit; Wed.-
Sat. 11am-6pm; free; for information,… Midcoast at
Bucktown Gallery, thru Thu Jan 31
Linda Beuchting - Paul Nitsche - Corrine Smith,
exhibit of watercolors by Buechting of Quincy,… Quad
City International Airport Gallery, thru Wed Feb 6
Världen är Liten: The World is Small -- Modern
Swedish and Swedish American Works, the exhibit
highlights works in ATMA’s collections… Augustana
College Teaching Museum of Art, thru Wed Feb 6
Ben Blount: Typecast, Mon.-Fri. 9am-5pm, Sat. noon-
4pm; free; for information,… Morrissey Gallery, Galvin
Fine Arts Center - St. Ambrose University, Mon Jan 14
thru Wed Feb 6
Tony Seabolt, exhibit of abstract paintings; for
information, contact Zaiga… Black Hawk College
ArtSpace Gallery, Mon Jan 14 thru Wed Feb 6
A Family Album, exhibit of photo-micrographs from
the tree of… Catich Gallery - St. Ambrose University, Tue
Jan 15 thru Wed Feb 6
Young Artists at the Figge 2019: Davenport
Schools, exhibition of works by elementary art
students; sponsored in part by the Brand Boeshaar
Foundation Fund and the Hubbell-Waterman
Foundation; Tue.-Sat. 10am-5pm, Thu. 10am-9pm,
Sun. noon-5pm; free with $4-7 museum admission; for
information, call 563-326-7804, Figge Art Museum, 225
W. 2nd St., Davenport IA, FiggeArtMuseum.org, Sat Jan
19 thru Sun Jan 27
Art Nouveau Amphora, sinuous plants, youthful
maidens and venomous dragons are among the forms
that curl around the art pottery known as Art Nouveau
Amphora; Tue.-Fri. 10am-5pm, Sat. 11am-5pm; free with
$4-7 museum admission; for information, call 309-793-
1213, Figge Art Museum, 225 W. 2nd St., Davenport IA,
FiggeArtMuseum.org, Sat Jan 19 thru Wed Feb 6
Animals in the Museum, more than 60 works of art
drawn primarily from the Figge’s collection, including
paintings, sculptures, prints, photographs, and video
works; in addition to exploring themes including animals
as symbols, fantastic animals, beasts of burden, and
animals as pets, this exhibition will celebrate the artistry
involved in the depiction of wildlife; Tue.-Fri. 10am-5pm,
Sat. 11am-5pm; free with $4-7 museum admission; for
information, call 309-793-1213, Figge Art Museum, 225
W. 2nd St., Davenport IA, FiggeArtMuseum.org, Sat Jan
26 thru Wed Feb 6
Young Artists at the Figge 2019: Bettendorf
Schools, exhibition of works by elementary art
students; sponsored in part by the Brand Boeshaar
Foundation Fund and the Hubbell-Waterman
Foundation; Tue.-Sat. 10am-5pm, Thu. 10am-9pm,
Sun. noon-5pm; free with $4-7 museum admission; for
information, call 563-326-7804, Figge Art Museum, 225
W. 2nd St., Davenport IA, FiggeArtMuseum.org, Sat Feb
2 thru Wed Feb 6
Classes
SEW Much Fun: Mittens, sew a small project with
our do-it-yourself project night; materials… Rock Island
Public Library - Downtown Library, 5:30pm Thu Jan 10
Winter Book Arts Academy: Zines, a hands-on
workshop series offering community members an
opportunity to… Davenport Public Library - Main,
4:30pm Thu Jan 10
Adult Coloring, coloring pages, gel pens, colored
pencils and crayons will be… River Valley District Library,
2pm Fri Jan 11
Creation Studio Drop-In: Retro Button Making,
for information, call 563-344-4175 or e-mail info@
bettendorflibrary.com… Bettendorf Public Library, 3pm
Mon Jan 14
How Pin-teresting! with Jenn Voss, if you’re stuck
with the kids, bring them to the… LeClaire Community
Library, 6:30pm Thu Jan 17
Creation Studio Drop-In: Sharpie Art, for
information, call 563-344-4175 or e-mail info@
bettendorflibrary.com… Bettendorf Public Library, 3pm
Mon Jan 21
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
Art Nouveau Amphora exhibit at the Figge Art Museum – opens January 19
Pinterest Night, crafts range from wreaths, paintings,
candles and more; all supplies… East Moline Public
Library, 6pm Wed Jan 23
Dream Catchers, join us for a fun winter craft making
dream catchers;… Davenport Public Library - Eastern
Avenue Branch, 4pm Fri Jan 25
Creation Studio Drop-In: Paper Daisies, for
information, call 563-344-4175 or e-mail info@
bettendorflibrary.com… Bettendorf Public Library, 3pm
Mon Jan 28
Artist in Residence: Marie Stephens Art, for
information, call 563-344-4175 or e-mail info@
bettendorflibrary.com… Bettendorf Public Library,
10am Fri Feb 1
Card Making with Donna Banta, Banta will show
us how to craft cards with a… Silvis Public Library, 1pm
Sat Feb 2
Creation Studio Drop-In: Valentine’s Day Origami
Garland, for information, call 563-344-4175 or e-mail
info@bettendorflibrary.com… Bettendorf Public Library,
3pm Mon Feb 4
Calls For Entry
Call for Artists: Herbert Hoover National Historic
Site, seeking an artist for the national park’s… Herbert
Hoover National Historic Site, thru Tue Jan 15
Seeking Applicants: Quad City Arts Arts Dollars,
seeking applicants for Project, Education, and Capacity-
Building… Quad City Arts Center, thru Thu Jan 31
Call for Artists: Riverssance Festival of Fine Art,
seeking entries for the 30th-annual showcase of…
Lindsay Park, thru Wed Feb 6
MUSIC
Concerts
Moeller Nights: Martin Sexton, concert with the
touring Americana and rock singer/songwriter, featuring
an… The Stardust, 7pm Thu Jan 10
Josh Duffee & the Black Hawk Broadcasters Jazz
Concert, a concert in the Noon-Day Series; free; for
information, call… Moline Public Library, noon Fri Jan 11
Moeller Nights: Buffalo Gospel, concert with the
touring alt-country musicians, featuring an opening
set… Triple Crown Whiskey Bar & Raccoon Motel, 7pm
Fri Jan 11
Mondo Generator, Nick Oliveri and his touring rockers
in concert, featuring opening… RIBCO, 9pm Fri Jan 11
The Manny Lopez Big Band, Lopez and his 13 piece
big band will be playing… The Circa ‘21 Speakeasy, 6pm
Fri Jan 11
Winterland & Kind Country, co-headlining concert
with the Grateful Dead tribute artists and the… The
Redstone Room, 9pm Fri Jan 11
Moeller Nights: Abby Jeanne, jazz and soul with the
Wisconsin native and singer/songwriter and… Triple
Crown Whiskey Bar & Raccoon Motel, 7pm Sat Jan 12
Chamber Music Quad Cities: The Recital, concert
with Robert Chen on violin and Benjamin Loeb on…
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Quad Cities,
3pm Sun Jan 13
The Moxie Strings, performance with the Celtic
bluegrass duo Diana Ladio and Alison… West Music
Quad Cities, 6pm Wed Jan 16
The Moxie Strings: PASS Event, performance with
the Celtic bluegrass duo Diana Ladio and Alison… Black
Hawk State Historical Site’s Watch Tower Lodge, 6:30pm
Thu Jan 17
Bucktown Revue, a quintessentially Quad Cities show
featuring premier Midwestern singer/songwriters and…
Nighswander Theatre, 7pm Fri Jan 18
38 Special, concert with the platinum-selling Southern
rockers in their fifth decade of performance; $35-55; for
information and tickets, call 844-852-4FUN, Rhythm City
Casino Resort Event Center, 7077 Elmore Ave., Davenport
IA, RhythmCityCasino.com, 8pm Sat Jan 19
The Moxie Strings, performance with the Celtic
bluegrass duo Diana Ladio and Alison… Davenport
Public Library - Main, 10am Sat Jan 19
River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 26 No. 957 • January 2019 7
Polyrhythms’ Third Sunday Jazz Workshop & Quad City Music Guild Youth Chorus Auditions, for
Matinee Series: The Manny Lopez Septet, concert young singers in grades 3-8; Sat. 1-3pm, Sun. 4:30-6pm…
with Lopez on trumpet and flugelhorn, Neal Smith on… Quad City Music Guild - Prospect Park Auditorium, Sat
The Redstone Room, 3pm Sun Jan 20 Jan 19 and Mon Jan 21
Reverend Raven & the Chain Smokin’ Altar Boys, Inside the Music: QCSO Masterworks IV, join QCSO
the Mississippi Blues Society presents a concert with the Music Director Mark Russell Smith in an exploration…
Midwestern… Moline Viking Club, 6pm Sun Jan 20 Hotel Blackhawk, 4:45pm Thu Jan 31
The Moxie Strings, performance with the Celtic Afterglow: QCSO Masterworks IV, held immediately
bluegrass duo Diana Ladio and Alison… Butterworth after the night’s concert at the Adler Theatre;… Hotel
Center, 3pm Mon Jan 21 Blackhawk, 9:30pm Sat Feb 2
The Moxie Strings, concert with the Celtic bluegrass Concert Conversations: QCSO Masterworks IV,
duo Diana Ladio and Alison… Bettendorf High School QCSO concert-goers are invited to attend informal
Performing Arts Center, 7pm Thu Jan 24 pre-concert conversations to hear about the works being
presented; hosted by Kai Swanson; free; for information,
The Travelin’ McCourys, concert with bluegrass call 563-322-7276, Adler Theatre, 136 E. Third St.,
musicians and McCoury brothers Ronnie and Rob, Davenport IA, QCSO.org, 7pm Sat Feb 2
featuring… The Redstone Room, 7:30pm Thu Jan 24
Concert Conversations: QCSO Masterworks IV,
Brown Bag Lunch: Melanie Devaney, for QCSO concert-goers are invited to attend informal pre-
information, call 563-344-4175 or e-mail info@ concert conversations to… Centennial Hall, Augustana
bettendorflibrary.com… Bettendorf Public Library, College, 1pm Sun Feb 3
noon Fri Jan 25
Giallows - Waking Robots - Kahlefum - Dead
Ginger, quadruple-headliner concert with the LITERARY ARTS
alternative rockers; $10; for tickets and information,…
The Redstone Room, 8pm Fri Jan 25 Readings & Discussions
SAU Music Department Piano Festival Concert, for Rock Island Public Library Winter Reading
information, call 563-333-6251… Galvin Fine Arts Center, Challenge, at all Rock Island libraries; read 300 minutes
7:30pm Fri Jan 25 and Sat Jan 26 this month… thru Thu Jan 31
Flatfoot 56, concert with the Celtic punk musicians Davenport Public Library Winter Reading
in support of their… The Redstone Room, 8:30pm Sat Program, read five books to be entered into… Sat Jan
Jan 26 12 thru Wed Feb 6
Casual Classics Concert: To Be Sung About Water, Caught Reading at the Silvis Public Library,
in Madsen Hall; with Nathan Windt, baritone, and Marian throughout the month, when you visit the… Silvis Public
Lee, piano;… Galvin Fine Arts Center, 5pm Fri Feb 1 Library, thru Thu Jan 31
Nivrana: A Tribute to Nirvana, concert with the Silvis Public Library Winter Reading Challenge,
grunge-rock tribute musicians; $10 adv / $13 day… The patrons can sign up and complete a… Silvis Public
Redstone Room, 9pm Fri Feb 1 Library, thru Wed Feb 6
Quad City Symphony Orchestra Masterworks
IV: Mahler’s 9th Symphony, the QCSO continues
its grand tradition of presenting the Masterworks of
Gustav Mahler with “Symphony No. 9”; completed
shortly before his death, this four-movement work is
often considered both his farewell and his most deeply
personal score; this expansive symphony of profound
introspection is some of Mahler’s most spiritual and
heartfelt music; $10-64; for tickets and information, call
563-322-7276, Adler Theatre, 136 E. Third St., Davenport
IA, QCSO.org, 8pm Sat Feb 2
The Western Den, concert with the indie-folk duo,
featuring opening sets by Bees… The Redstone Room,
8pm Sat Feb 2
Windy City Dueling Pianos, high-energy live music
played on two pianos by highly skilled… The Circa ‘21
Speakeasy, 8pm Sat Feb 2
Quad City Symphony Orchestra Masterworks
IV: Mahler’s 9th Symphony, the QCSO continues
its grand tradition of presenting the Masterworks…
Centennial Hall, Augustana College, 2pm Sun Feb 3
Tony Sconyers Sings Nat King Cole, a concert in the
Tuneful Tuesdays series; bring your lunch… Rock Island
Public Library - Downtown Library, noon Tue Feb 5
Special Events
BHC Community Symphonic Orchestra
Rehearsal, local musicians are invited to join; the
ensemble will rehearse… Black Hawk College - Quad City
Campus, 6:30pm Mon Jan 14
BHC Community Band Rehearsal, local musicians
are invited to join; the ensemble will rehearse… Black
Hawk College - Quad City Campus, 6:30pm Tue Jan 15
BHC Community Chorale Rehearsal, local musicians
are invited to join; the ensemble will rehearse… Black
Hawk College - Quad City Campus, 6:30pm Thu Jan 17
Trax from the Stax: Britpop with Shane Brown,
a music-listening program designed to provide the
opportunity to share… Bettendorf Public Library,
7:30pm Thu Jan 17
 8 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 26 No. 957 • January 2019
Soren Bryce at the Triple Crown Whiskey Bar and Raccoon Motel – January 17
CONTINUED
LITERARY ARTS /
Readings & Discussions
The Man Who Died, a meeting of the Mystery Book
Discussion Group; free; for… Bettendorf Public Library,
9:30am Sat Jan 12
Comics Underground, join us for in-depth discussions
of ground-breaking graphic novels; copies… Davenport
Public Library - Main, 6pm Mon Jan 14
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, a discussion of Betty
Smith’s novel with the Last Call… Icons Martini, 7pm
Tue Jan 15
A Few Right Thinking Men, a discussion of Sulari
Gentill’s book with the 30/31 Book… Rock Island Public
Library - 30/31 Branch, 6:30pm Wed Jan 16
Never Caught, a Contemporary Books Discussion
Group meeting; free; for information, call… Bettendorf
Public Library, 1pm Wed Jan 16
Death in the Haymarket, a Contemporary Books
Discussion Group meeting; free; for information, call…
Bettendorf Public Library, 7pm Wed Jan 16
True Crime Book Club, whether you obsessively
watch Investigation Discovery, are a devout Ann…
Davenport Public Library - Fairmount Street Branch,
6:30pm Thu Jan 17
Portrait of a Killer, a discussion of Patricia Cornwall’s
novel with the Southwest Branch… Rock Island Public
Library - Southwest Branch, 6pm Tue Jan 22
A Prayer for Owen Meany, a discussion of John
Irving’s novel with the Adult Book… LeClaire
Community Library, 6:30pm Wed Jan 23
Last Monday Book Club Discussion, light
refreshments will be paired with good conversation;
books for… Silvis Public Library, 6:30pm Mon Jan 28
Zine Workshops, for information, contact Leslie Ross
at RossLeslieM@sau.edu… St. Ambrose University
Library, 7pm Tue Jan 29
Long Way Down, a discussion of one of Jason
Reynolds’ award-winning young adult… Davenport
Public Library - Eastern Avenue Branch, 6pm Mon Feb 4
Manhattan Beach, a discussion of Jennifer Egan’s
novel with the Alpha Book… Rock Island Public Library -
Downtown Library, 1pm Mon Feb 4
Mystery Book Club, read a cozy mystery of your
choice; free; for information,… East Moline Public
Library, 6pm Wed Feb 6
Romance Novel Book Swap, bring your gently used
romance books and meet other romance… Rock Island
Public Library - 30/31 Branch, 6pm Wed Feb 6
Workshops & Calls for Entry
Registration Open: 11th Annual Iron Pen Contest,
thru Mar. 1; MWC will supply a prompt to all… Midwest
Writing Center, Fri Feb 1 thru Wed Feb 6
Write Now! Writers Group, on the second and fourth
Mondays of the month; on… Moline Public Library,
6:30pm Mon Jan 14 and Mon Jan 28
THEATRE
Performances
(a work in progress), writer/director Alexander
Richardson’s area-debut comedy about theatre
troupe The New Dreadful Players, who put on one final
production in an effort to save themselves; Fri. & Sat.
7:30pm, Sun. 3pm; $7-13; for information and tickets, call
309-762-0330, Playcrafters Barn Theatre, 4950 35th Ave.,
Moline IL, Playcrafters.com, Fri Jan 11 thru Sun Jan 20
Disney’s Newsies, Tony-winning musical based on the
1992 movie; Fri., Sat., Wed.,… Circa ‘21 Dinner Playhouse,
Wed Jan 16 thru Wed Feb 6
Macbeth, the Prenzie Players present Shakespeare’s
tragic thriller, directed by Cait Bodenbender… QC
Theatre Workshop, Fri Jan 18 thru Sat Jan 26
The Three Musketeers, Ken Ludwig’s adaptation
of the Alexandre Dumas novel, directed by… Brunner
Theatre Center, Augustana College, Fri Jan 25 thru Sun
Feb 3
Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill, musical drama
about one of Billie Holiday’s final concerts; Fri.… The
Black Box Theatre, Sat Jan 26 thru Sun Feb 3
Kinky Boots, Tony-winning musical comedy presented
in the Broadway at the Adler series; for tickets, call
800-745-3000, and for more information, call 563-326-
8522, Adler Theatre, 136 E. Third St., Davenport IA,
AdlerTheatre.com, 7:30pm Wed Jan 30
The 3rd Annual Susan Glaspell Playwrighting
Festival, presentation of original plays by local and
national playwrights; Fri.… QC Theatre Workshop,
7:30pm Fri Feb 1 and Sat Feb 2
Auditions
Jesus Christ Superstar, auditions for the Tony-
nominated Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice… Quad
City Music Guild - Prospect Park Auditorium, Sat Jan 12
and Sun Jan 13
Mamma Mia!, auditions for Country Community
Theatre’s July 19-28 production of Broadway’s… North
Scott High School Fine Arts Auditorium, Sat Jan 12 and
Sun Jan 13
Matilda: The Musical, auditions for the Tony-winning
musical adapted from the Roald Dahl… The Spotlight
Theatre, Fri Feb 1 thru Sat Feb 2
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
Classes for Youth
Acting for Ages 10-12, Saturdays thru Apr. 6; this
imaginative, high energy environment provides…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 11:15am Sat Jan 12
Acting for Ages 5-6, Saturdays thru Apr. 6; this
imaginative, high energy environment provides…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 10am Sat Jan 12
Acting for Ages 7-9, Saturdays thru Apr. 6; this
imaginative, high energy environment provides…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 11:30am Sat Jan 12
Broadway Babies for Ages 3-4, Saturdays thru
Apr. 6; explore storytelling through song and dance;…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 9am Sat Jan 12
Intermediate Puppetry for Ages 10+, Saturdays
thru Apr. 6; building on the skills learned in… Davenport
Junior Theatre, 9:30am Sat Jan 12
Musical Theatre Dance, Saturdays thru Apr. 6; this
class will focus on basic… Davenport Junior Theatre,
10:45am Sat Jan 12
Acting for Ages 10-12, Mondays thru Apr. 1; this
imaginative, high energy environment provides…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 7pm Mon Jan 14
Acting for Ages 5-6, Mondays thru Apr. 1; this
imaginative, high energy environment provides…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 4pm Mon Jan 14
Acting for Ages 7-9, Mondays thru Apr. 1; this
imaginative, high energy environment provides…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 4:30pm Mon Jan 14
Broadway for Ages 5-6, Mondays thru Apr.
1; Broadway class develops storytelling and
communication… Davenport Junior Theatre, 5:45pm
Mon Jan 14
Creative Theatre Fun for Ages 3-4, Mondays
thru Apr. 1; students explore creative role-play, mime,
imaginary… Davenport Junior Theatre, 5:15pm Mon
Jan 14
Intermediate Acting for Ages 8-10, Mondays thru
Apr. 1; building on skills learned in previous… Davenport
Junior Theatre, 6:30pm Mon Jan 14
Magic Workshop Series, Mondays thru Oct. 15;
award-winning local magician David Casas will…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 7:10pm Mon Jan 14
Puppetry Performance for Ages 7-9, Mondays
thru Apr. 1; students explore the creative, and fun,…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 6:15pm Mon Jan 14
Acting for Ages 10-12, Tuesdays thru Apr. 2; this
imaginative, high energy environment provides…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 4:15pm Tue Jan 15
Acting for Ages 5-6, Tuesdays thru Apr. 2; this
imaginative, high energy environment provides…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 5:45pm Tue Jan 15
The Prenzie Players’ Macbeth at the QC Theatre Workshop – January 18 through 26
Acting for Ages 7-9, Tuesdays thru Apr. 2; this
imaginative, high energy environment provides…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 5pm Tue Jan 15
Broadway for Ages 5-6, Tuesdays thru Apr.
2; Broadway class develops storytelling and
communication… Davenport Junior Theatre, 4:30pm
Tue Jan 15
Broadway for Ages 7-9, Tuesdays thru Apr.
2; Broadway class develops storytelling and
communication… Davenport Junior Theatre, 6:30pm
Tue Jan 15
Creative Theatre Fun for Ages 3-4, Tuesdays thru
Apr. 2; students explore creative role-play, mime,
imaginary… Davenport Junior Theatre, 4pm Tue Jan 15
Intermediate Acting for Ages 11+, Tuesdays thru
Apr. 2; building on skills learned in previous… Davenport
Junior Theatre, 6:15pm Tue Jan 15
Teen Acting, Tuesdays thru Apr. 2; a great way to get
theatrical… Davenport Junior Theatre, 7pm Tue Jan 15
Acting for Ages 10-12, Wednesdays thru May 8; this
imaginative, high energy environment provides…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 6pm Wed Jan 16
Acting for Ages 7-9, Wednesdays thru Apr. 3; this
imaginative, high energy environment provides…
Davenport Junior Theatre, Wed Jan 16
Broadway Babies for Ages 3-4, Wednesdays thru
Apr. 3; explore storytelling through song and dance;…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 5:30pm Wed Jan 16
Improv for Ages 10+, Wednesdays thru Apr. 3;
through games and exercises, students develop…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 7:15pm Wed Jan 16
Improv for Ages 5-6, Wednesdays thru Apr. 3; through
games and exercises, students develop… Davenport
Junior Theatre, 4:30pm Wed Jan 16
Improv for Ages 7-9, Wednesdays thru Apr. 3; through
games and exercises, students develop… Davenport
Junior Theatre, 5:45pm Wed Jan 16
Acting for Ages 5-6, Thursdays thru Apr. 4; this
imaginative, high energy environment provides…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 4pm Thu Jan 17
Acting for Ages 7-9, Thursdays thru Apr. 4; this
imaginative, high energy environment provides…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 5:15pm Thu Jan 17
Advanced Acting for Ages 10+, Thursdays thru Apr.
4; this class deepens the imagination and… Davenport
Junior Theatre, 6:30pm Thu Jan 17
Broadway Babies for Ages 3-4, Thursdays thru
Apr. 4; explore storytelling through song and dance;…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 3:30pm Thu Jan 17
Broadway for Ages 10-12, Thursdays thru
Apr. 4; Broadway class develops storytelling and
communication… Davenport Junior Theatre, 7:15pm
Thu Jan 17
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 26 No. 957 • January 2019 9
Broadway for Ages 7-9, Thursdays thru Apr.
4; Broadway class develops storytelling and
communication… Davenport Junior Theatre, 5:45pm
Ballet II for Ages 9+, Mondays thru May 6; dancers
continue the formal training in… Davenport Junior
Theatre, 5:45pm Mon Jan 14
VISUAL ARTS By Mike Schulz

Thu Jan 17 Winter Wonderland

Costume Creation for Ages 11+, Saturdays thru Apr.
6; design creatively, using anything in the… Davenport
Junior Theatre, 7:30pm Thu Jan 17
Creative Theatre Fun: Age 10-12, Thursdays thru
Apr. 4; this imaginative, high energy environment
provides… Davenport Junior Theatre, 10am Thu Jan 17
Creative Theatre Fun: Age 13+, Thursdays thru Apr.
4; this imaginative, high energy environment provides…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 11:15am Thu Jan 17
Creative Theatre Fun: Age 3-4, Thursdays thru Apr.
4; this imaginative, high energy environment provides…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 9am Thu Jan 17
Creative Theatre Fun: Age 5-6, Thursdays thru Apr.
4; this imaginative, high energy environment provides…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 9:30am Thu Jan 17
Creative Theatre Fun: Age 7-9, Thursdays thru Apr.
4; this imaginative, high energy environment provides…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 10:45am Thu Jan 17
Puppetry Performance for Ages 10-12, Thursdays
thru Apr. 4; students explore the creative, and fun,…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 6pm Thu Jan 17
Puppetry Performance for Ages 5-6, Thursdays
thru Apr. 4; students explore the creative, and fun,…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 4:30pm Thu Jan 17
DANCE
Performances & Events
Polka Club of Iowa Eastern Chapter Dance w/ the
Ken Paulsen Quartet, $10/person, free for ages 20
years and under; there will… Walcott Coliseum, 1:30pm
Sun Jan 20
Family Dance Party, we will be grooving and moving
to old classics and… Davenport Public Library - Main,
6pm Mon Jan 28
Ballet III/IV for Ages 10+, Mondays thru May 6;
dancers continue training learned in previous…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 7pm Mon Jan 14
Beginning Ballet for Ages 5-6, Mondays thru May
6; dancers learn ballet fundamentals and concepts…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 5pm Mon Jan 14
Beginning Ballet for Ages 7+, Mondays thru May 6;
dancers learn ballet fundamentals at the… Davenport
Junior Theatre, 6:15pm Mon Jan 14
Budding Ballerinas for Ages 3-4, Mondays thru
May 6; our tiniest dancers learn ballet fundamentals…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 4pm Mon Jan 14
Advanced Tumble for Ages 8+, Tuesdays thru May 7;
this class is for those who… Davenport Junior Theatre,
6:15pm Tue Jan 15
Intermediate Tumble for Ages 8+, Tuesdays thru
May 7; this class is for students who… Davenport Junior
Theatre, 5pm Tue Jan 15
Tap/Jazz II for Ages 7+, Tuesdays thru May 7; students
continue progressing in their tap… Davenport Junior
Theatre, 5:20pm Tue Jan 15
Tap/Jazz II for Ages 7+, Tuesdays thru May 7; students
looking to continue their tap… Davenport Junior
Theatre, 4:10pm Tue Jan 15
Tap/Jazz III for Ages 10+, Tuesdays thru May 7; this
class is for students who… Davenport Junior Theatre,
6:45pm Tue Jan 15
Tumble Tots for Ages 3-4, Tuesdays thru May 7; our
preschool floor gymnastic classes teach… Davenport
Junior Theatre, 4pm Tue Jan 15
Beginning Ballet for Ages 5-6, Wednesdays thru May
8; dancers learn ballet fundamentals and concepts…
Davenport Junior Theatre, Wed Jan 16
Beginning Poms for Ages 5-6, Wednesdays thru May
8; this fun and high energy class… Davenport Junior
Theatre, 4:10pm Wed Jan 16
Thursday, January 10, through Friday, January 25 @ Beréskin Gallery & Art Academy,
2967 State Street, Bettendorf, IA
T he weather outside may be frightful, but
the sights in the Beréskin Gallery & Art
Academy’s latest showcase are delightful,
with the exhibition Winter Wonderland cel-
ebrating the season through January 25,
and also through new paintings by David
Anderson and additional works by nearly
two dozen of the venue’s fellow artists.
The son of missionary parents, David
Anderson was born in Bogota, Columbia,
and lived 12 years in Venezuela. He attended
the University of Nebraska then the Ameri-
can Academy of Art in Chicago, but after two
years at the academy, he was drafted into
Brad Bisbey artwork in the Winter Wonderland
the Marines and accepted into the combat
artist program, where he became one of a exhibit.
select group of five combat artists serving Evanny Henningsen, Lee Kimball, Dean
in Vietnam. After returning from Vietnam, Kugler, Joe Meirhaeghe, Larry Mendenhall,
Anderson continued his studies at the acad- John Preston, Sam Schold, Dee Schricker,
emy and then moved to the Quad Cities to
Rowen Schussheim-Anderson, Barry
work in the John Deere advertising depart- Sharp, Steve Sinner, Debora Stewart, David
ment. Having retired in the fall of 2010, he is Zahn, Robert Zeidler, and gallery owner Pat
now pursuing his lifelong dream of painting Beréskin.
full time.
Along with new paintings by Anderson,
Regular gallery hours for the Beréskin
Gallery & Art Academy are 11 a.m. to 6
Winter Wonderland will boast season- p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, and
ally themed creations by many of the gal- admission is free. For more information on
lery’s other resident artists: Les Bell, Brad Winter Wonderland and the venue’s other
Bisbey, Heidi Brandt, Karen Brinson, Larry exhibits, events, and classes, call (563)508-
John Davis, Joel Erikson, Bonnie Grebner, 4630 or visit BereskinArtGallery.com.

Antics, performance with the hip-hop dance ensemble Beginning Poms for Ages 7+, Wednesdays thru May
and Quad City Arts Visiting Artists… Moline Public 8; this fun and high energy class… Davenport Junior
Library, 6:30pm Tue Jan 29 Theatre, 7pm Wed Jan 16

Antics: PASS Event, performance with the hip-hop
dance ensemble and Quad City Arts Visiting Artists;
$50; for information, call Quad City Arts at 309-793-
1213, Figge Art Museum, 225 W. 2nd St., Davenport IA,
QuadCityArts.com/vas, 6:30pm Fri Feb 1
Antics, the ensemble incorporates street dance, poetry,
theatre and film into provocative… Galvin Fine Arts
Center, 7:30pm Sat Feb 2
Classes for Youth
Ballet Quad Cities School of Dance Classes,
offering classes in Ballet Pointe, Modern, Jazz, Tap,
Conditioning, Creative… Ballet Quad Cities School of
Dance, thru Wed Feb 6
Beginning Ballet for Ages 5-6, Saturdays thru May
11; dancers learn ballet fundamentals and concepts…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 9am Sat Jan 12
Beginning Tap/Jazz for Ages 5-6, Saturdays thru
May 11; students will learn the fundamentals of…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 10:10am Sat Jan 12
Beginning Tumble for Ages 5-7, Saturdays thru
May 11; floor gymnastics for the beginning tumbler;…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 11am Sat Jan 12
Budding Ballerinas for Ages 3-4, Saturdays thru
May 11; our tiniest dancers learn ballet fundamentals…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 10am Sat Jan 12
Tiny Tappers for Ages 3-4, Saturdays thru May 11; our
youngest dancers have fun making… Davenport Junior
Theatre, 9:10am Sat Jan 12
Ballet I for Ages 7+, Mondays thru May 6; this class
introduces the formal study… Davenport Junior Theatre,
4:15pm Mon Jan 14
Budding Ballerinas for Ages 3-4, Wednesdays thru
May 8; our tiniest dancers learn ballet fundamentals…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 5pm Wed Jan 16
Intermediate/Advanced Poms, Wednesdays thru
May 8; this class is for dancers who… Davenport Junior
Theatre, 6:20pm Wed Jan 16
Lyrical Dance, Wednesdays thru May 8; a combination
of ballet, jazz, and… Davenport Junior Theatre, 7:30pm
Wed Jan 16
Poms I, Wednesdays thru May 8; dancers continue their
practice in jazz… Davenport Junior Theatre, 5:10pm
Wed Jan 16
Ballet I for Ages 7+, Thursdays thru May 9; this class
introduces the formal study… Davenport Junior Theatre,
11:45am Thu Jan 17
Ballet II for Ages 9+, Thursdays thru May 9; students
continue the formal training in… Davenport Junior
Theatre, 10:30am Thu Jan 17
Ballet III/IV for Ages 10+, Thursdays thru May
9; dancers continue training learned in previous…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 9am Thu Jan 17
Beginning Ballet for Ages 5-6, Thursdays thru May
9; dancers learn ballet fundamentals and concepts…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 11:15am Thu Jan 17
Beginning Hip Hop for Ages 5-6, Thursdays thru
May 9; this class is for dancers who… Davenport Junior
Theatre, 4:15pm Thu Jan 17
Beginning Hip Hop for Ages 7+, Thursdays thru
May 9; this class is for dancers who… Davenport Junior
Theatre, 5:20pm Thu Jan 17
10 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 26 No. 957 • January 2019
THEATRE Continued From Page 5
Faves in Fives: Highlights from the Year in Area Theatre
Reefer Madness, QC Theatre Work-
shop (Mark Ruebling). Under Aaron
Randolph III’s direction, everything in
this production just seemed to click. An
energetic, enthusiastic cast. An over-the-
top parody script. Catchy songs and stel-
lar vocal performances (and the perfect
venue to perform them in). Simply put: a
night of fun that may have given me the
munchies.
Shrek: The Musical, Quad City Music
Guild (Jeff Ashcraft). It’s amazing to see
a theatre firing on all cylinders, and this
production was a wonderful example
of how a diverse group of artists came
together under one vision. Director Beth
Marsoun led an astonishing amount of
talent, bringing to life one of Guild’s more
complex productions in years.
Director
Sam Jones, A View from the Bridge,
St. Ambrose University (Mike). Jones
guided Bryan Woods, Sarah Goodall,
Megan Clarke, Tyler Hughes, Brian Leib-
forth, TJ Green, and others to emotional
portrayals in Arthur Miller’s classic, and
utilized SAU’s intimate black-box space
cleverly and advantageously. Oh yeah:
And without Jones cutting a word, Bridge
was presented as a tragic, funny, fast-mov-
ing one-act. Damn.
David Miller, Baby, Black Box The-
atre (Jeff ). Baby’s ensemble was able to
comfortably connect with the audience
because of Miller’s approach, guiding
them to have a confident yet casual pur-
pose. To pull this off while keeping the
show’s energy high and pacing brisk was
the sign of a director whose vision was
clear and objectives on-point.
Matthew Teague Miller, Cabaret,
Clinton Area Showboat Theatre (Mark).
Miller made excellent choices here, from
the against-type casting the Emcee to uti-
lizing a canned laugh track to enhance the
club atmosphere. Clever staging and brisk
pacing, and the metamorphosis from ris-
qué-nightclub antics to the dehumanizing
force of Nazism, made this the most chill-
ing production of Cabaret I’ve ever seen.
Andrea Moore, Knuffle Bunny: A Cau-
tionary Musical, Circa ‘21 Dinner Play-
house (Madeline). Moore brought one of
my family’s favorite children’s books to
life in a really creative way. She was able
to hold the attention of the kids without
infantilising them or being needlessly
silly. Moore kept the whole experience
fun – exactly what I want from theatre for
youth.
Curt Wollan, The Church Basement
Nathan Johnson, Jonathan Grafft, Justin Raver, and Gary Talsky in the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre’s Escanaba in da Moonlight
Ladies in Rise Up, O Men!, Circa ‘21
Dinner Playhouse (Rochelle). I went into
this show optimistic, but not having pre-
viously heard of the series, I didn’t know
what to expect. However, I was pleasantly
surprised by how funny it was. Wollan’s
direction provided a marvelous example
of musical-comedy mastery and had me
in stitches for most of the night.
Lead Actress
Chloe Knobloch, Annie, Circa ‘21
Dinner Playhouse (Jeff ). Oh my good-
ness, where has this young lady been
hiding? Annie is iconic, yet Knobloch
made the character her own while check-
ing off all the boxes audiences expect.
With her beautiful voice, fiery character-
ization, and adorable freckles and ruby-
red hair, she was the perfect present under
Circa’s Christmas tree.
Shana Kulhavy, Next to Normal,
Black Box Theatre (Madeline). Kalhavy’s
Diana, the suburban mom battling mental
illness, was a powerhouse of instability in
the best way. With her perfectly imperfect
vocals filling the intimate Black Box space
with raw, intense emotions and a mesmer-
izing quality, Kulhavy was excellent.
Jessica Taylor, Dead Man’s Cell Phone,
QC Theatre Workshop (Mark). Watching
Taylor’s character in Sarah Ruhl’s comedy
was like watching a sunrise on a spring
day: a series of barely noticeable changes
in hues and tones until you realize, sud-
denly, that the day’s fullness is upon you.
In her progression from mousy introvert
to fierce warrior, Taylor was pure joy.
Jessica White, King John, Prenzie
Players (Mike). Witnessing her broken,
pleading, ravaged desperation in the
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
By Rochelle Arnold, Jeff Ashcraft, Madeline Dudziak, Mark Ruebling, and Mike Schulz
supporting role of Constance, I became
convinced that White was the show’s
unsung star. Percentage-wise, she has
about as much time to make an impres-
sion as Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal
Lecter in Silence of the Lambs. White was
way saner. But similarly unforgettable.
Jenny Winn, The Bridges of Madison
County, Circa ‘21 Dinner Playhouse
(Rochelle). I’ve had the pleasure of seeing
Winn’s portrayal of Francesca twice, once
at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre in
2017, and this year at Circa ’21. Both times
I recognized the superb talent of this lead-
ing actress who pulled off a fantastic Ital-
ian accent while singing like an angel.
Lead Actor
Adam Cerny and Andy Curtiss, The
Woman in Black, Playcrafters Barn
Theatre (Mike). Cerny delivered a deeply
felt, applause-rewarded monologue in A
Chorus Line. Curtiss was commanding –
in way-different ways – in The Hunchback
of Notre Dame and Reefer Madness. I loved
them best when paired in Playcrafters’
two-man mystery-thriller that conjoined
the actors’ disparate styles, and their con-
siderable performance gifts, perfectly.
Phillip Dunbridge and Pat Flaherty,
Sleuth, Black Box Theatre (Mark). King
Kong v Godzilla. Thor v Hulk. Predator
v Alien. All of them feckless punks com-
pared to the war that was Dunbridge v
Flaherty, whose deadly battle of wits were
performed with such gleeful exuberance
one might wonder if, in a previous life,
they hadn’t been married to each other.
Keenan Odenkirk and Tristan Oden-
kirk, Beginner’s Luck, Mississippi Bend
Players (Madeline). Playing two sides of
the same person, the Odenkirk brothers
were able to seamlessly transition between
playful Harry and serious Harold in direc-
tor Phillip Wm. McKinley’s production.
From the very first scene of them putting
on their jeans to the prison-yard climax,
Team Odenkirk was hilarious, captivat-
ing, and effective.
Adam Sanders, The Hunchback
of Notre Dame, Spotlight Theatre
(Rochelle). Sanders captivated my atten-
tion from the moment he appeared
on-stage and became Quasimodo, and
between his passionate acting and spec-
tacular vocals, I couldn’t take my eyes
off him. He used every part of his body
to ring that oppressive bell and made me
truly feel sorry for his alienated character.
Trevor Vanderzee, The Full Monty,
Timber Lake Playhouse (Jeff ). Vander-
zee’s take on the perpetual schemer
Jerry was great fun, as was watching the
actor keep his energy high while bring-
ing the character’s guard (or, in this case,
G-string) completely down. This rowdy
production was enhanced by Vanderzee’s
machismo vocals and reliable comedic
timing, making Jerry a priceless low-rent
Chippendale.
Featured Actress
Melissa Anderson Clark, A Chorus
Line, Quad City Music Guild (Made-
line). In director Harold Truitt’s produc-
tion, Clark’s “At the Ballet” performance
was a beautiful highlight. A true triple-
threat (masterful at singing, acting, and
dancing), Clark, simply put, rocked. Six
months later, I’m still mad that she wasn’t
a part of the “final eight” cast in the titular
chorus line.
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
Pamela Crouch, Some Girl(s), Play-
crafters Barn Theatre (Mark). Crouch’s
thoroughly enjoyable portrayal of Some
Girl(s)’ Lindsay was a textbook example
of mature sensuality. Poised and confi-
dent while simultaneously intimidating
and vulgar, Crouch dominated the stage
as she gleefully turned the tables on our
protagonist and exposed his intentions for
the shallow BS they truly were.
Kelci Eaton, Cabaret, St. Ambrose
University (Mike). Student theatre,
understandably, can’t always provide age-
appropriate casting. But I’d challenge any
50-to-80-something to match graduating
senior Eaton’s edgy, altogether beautiful
portrayal of Fräulein Schneider, a role
enacted with wit, weariness, and late-in-
life romantic pluck. Plus, with a nod to
Cabaret’s raunchiness, Eaton sang the
sh-- out of her songs.
Rachel C. Vickers, Mame, Quad City
Music Guild (Rochelle). Mame com-
bined big-band music with big voices –
such as that of Vickers, whose sultry pipes
and sassy delivery as bosom buddy Vera
Charles was outstanding. Vickers had
exceptional comedic timing, impressed
me with her natural acting ability, cer-
tainly stole more than one scene, and was
the ultimate sidekick.
Megan Warren, Miracle in Bedford
Falls, Quad City Music Guild (Jeff ).
Bringing soulful vocals and an unex-
pected amount of humanity to the
role of Mary Bailey, Warren proved
herself an extraordinary QC-theatre
talent. As I was unable to take my eyes
off her throughout the performance, I
believe that every time Megan Warren
sings, an angel should get its wings!
Featured Actor
Chase Austin, Baby, Black Box The-
atre (Jeff ). Personifying a free-spirited
20-something may not seem like a stretch
for a young, talented actor. However, Aus-
tin’s nuanced, comedic turn as a surprised
Jaryd Whitmore and Amy Nicholson in Augustana College’s The Crucible
soon-to-be-dad was fresh, witty, and
heartwarming, and his ability to portray
a character so genuinely, with such vul-
nerable tones, made him a standout in this
engaging production.
Jonathan Grafft, Escanaba in da
Moonlight, Richmond Hill Barn Theatre
(Mike). Playing the irrepressibly motor-
mouthed, powerfully flatulent, poetically
funny, delightfully incomprehensible
Jimmer Negamanee in Richmond Hill’s
2011 Escanaba, Grafft gave one of those
rare area-theatre turns that quickly
becomes legendary. I, however, unfor-
tunately never saw it, and have waited
seven long years for another opportu-
nity. Grafft’s legendary status is wholly
deserved.
Jeremy Mahr, All the Great Books
(Abridged), Spotlight Theatre (Mad-
eline). Owning the room with a booming
voice and larger-than-life personality in
his role as Coach, Mahr’s sizable pres-
ence drew your eye, and his comedic
timing and command of the stage made
him impossible to ignore. Director Brent
Tubbs picked the perfect person for the
Cyclops bit.
Ben Senneff, Forever Plaid, Timber
Lake Playhouse (Rochelle). Portraying
Smudge, Senneff was one of my favorite
performers in all of 2018 – a multi-tal-
ented young actor who can do imperson-
ations, play the piano, and belt a song like
nobody’s business. My focus was always
drawn to him on-stage, sometimes simply
because he shines.
Tom Walljasper, Mama Won’t Fly,
Circa ‘21 Dinner Playhouse (Mark).
Walljasper managed to take mediocre
material and transcend it while delivering
the evening’s most sidesplitting moments
… and did so without uttering a word.
Whether it was his duck-walk on acid
or his tiny-stepped, hip-shaking speed-
walking, Walljasper’s moves would’ve
made the Minister of Silly Walks green
with envy.
River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 26 No. 957 • January 2019
Adam Cerny and Pamela Crouch in the Playcrafters Barn Theatre’s Some Girl(s)
Costuming
Bailey Hager, Catch Me If You Can,
Quad City Music Guild (Madeline).
Designer Hager deserves many, many
accolades for all her hard work, as the
show’s ladies’ chorus almost never
appeared on-stage in the same costume
more than once. Ranging from hospital
scrubs and lab coats to officewear, the
wide variety and sheer volume of Hager’s
costumes was incredibly impressive.
Gregory Hiatt, Mamma Mia!, Circa
‘21 Dinner Playhouse (Mike). I’ve been
dazzled by my longtime friend Greg’s
work for literal decades. So if you’ll allow
me a personal message: Dude. The blazing
color schemes? The bell-bottoms? Erin’s
silver boots? Jeff March’s Miami Vice
ensemble? “Lay All Your Love on Me”?!
I hope designing this was a well-earned
blast.
Gregory Hiatt, Pinocchio, Circa ‘21
Dinner Playhouse (Rochelle). Hiatt hit a
home run with some of the most colorfully
creative costumes I’ve seen in ages. I espe-
cially adored his fancy balloon-vest design
for the Balloon Seller and the bright-red
ensemble that our narrator Antonio was
decked out in. The show bubbled over
thanks to Hiatt’s playful wardrobe.
Connie McGinn, Shrek: The Musi-
cal, Quad City Music Guild (Jeff ). With
all the well-known costumes created
from scratch, McGinn wins the prize
for color, fun, organization, artistry, and
volume. Clearly, she had a lot of assis-
tance from many talented and dedicated
seamstresses. It took a great visionary,
though, to lead every single cohesive stitch
through this fractured fairytale.
Rebecca Holcomb, Cabaret, Clinton
Area Showboat Theatre (Mark). Yes,
it’s true: Holcomb’s costuming was the
most revealing of the shows I’ve reviewed
this year. But that’s not the only reason
it’s my pick. From her suits to her skirts
and dresses, Holcomb’s costuming was
period-perfect, with even the band per-
forming in fishnets and/or drag.
11
Scenic/Lighting Design
Lora Adams, Sleuth, Black Box The-
atre (Mark). Adams’ set design oozed
loving detail without being cluttered –
allowing the audience a glimpse into the
character of Andrew Wykes before the
actors took the stage – and then utilized
every inch of the space to great effect.
Special tip-of-the-hat to Erin Churchill
for the Jolly Jack mannequin.
James Kyle Davis, Steven P. House,
Jesus Christ Superstar, ClintonArea
Showboat Theatre (Rochelle). Although
the Showboat’s stage is an intimate one,
scenic designer House did a fantastic job
augmenting multi-level platforms with
staircases, making the production more
visually interesting. And Davis’ exquisite
lighting effectively set the tone with beau-
tiful silhouettes of the cross and purple
hues surrounding the actors.
Mike Skiles, Escanaba in da Moon-
light, Richmond Hill Barn Theatre
(Madeline). The deer camp that director/
designer Skiles created for his produc-
tion of Jeff Daniels’ comedy transformed
Richmond Hill’s unique theatre-in-the-
square space completely. Every rustic,
mismatched detail appeared thought-out,
and I especially loved the way the theatre’s
entrances were transformed into walls
featuring mounted deer heads.
Brent Tubbs, The Hunchback of Notre
Dame, Spotlight Theatre (Mike). Truth-
fully, it would’ve felt like a waste of the
space if the Spotlight’s fi rst musical in
Moline’s Scottish Rite Cathedral wasn’t
Hunchback. But co-scenic and lighting
designer Tubbs and company delivered
delights and surprises beyond the venue’s
perfection, with a set that made Qua-
simodo’s rescue of Esmerelda equivalent
to Disney’s.
Erica Zaffarano, Annie, Circa ‘21
Dinner Playhouse (Jeff ). I really enjoyed
Zaffarano’s thinking outside the box
on this one. Instead of creating a more
Continued On Page 12
12 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 26 No. 957 • January 2019
THEATRE
Continued From Page 11
By Rochelle Arnold, Jeff Ashcraft, Madeline Dudziak, Mark Ruebling, and Mike Schulz
Faves in Fives: Highlights from
the Year in Area Theatre
“traditional” scenic plan for Annie,
her hinged design opened, closed,
and expanded, revealing surprises at
nearly every scene change. The geom-
etry alone was mind-boggling, and
Zaffarano’s colorful artistry superb.
Music/Sound
Big River, Mississippi Bend Players
(Rochelle). Big River’s music was phenom-
enal – what an invigorating score! – and
the vocalists were topnotch. I’ve always
loved the songs “River in the Rain” and
“Muddy Water” in particular, and Quinn
Rigg and LaRon Grant delivered inspiring
renditions of both, blending their voices
so they were smooth as butter.
A Chorus Line, Quad City Music Guild
(Mike). I can give music director Amy
Trimble and sound designer Sam Schelly
no higher compliment than to publicly
thank them for fi nally allowing me to
hear and comprehend every Chorus Line
lyric through exquisite vocal guidance
and tonal blend. The show being sung so
deliriously well was practically a bonus.
Dead Man’s Cell Phone, QC The-
atre Workshop (Mark). From director
Thomas Alan Taylor’s opening scene,
Micah Bernas’ original score helped set
the performance’s tone, punctuating a
soothing, banal Muzak track with the
jarring, obnoxious ringing of the titular
corpse’s cell phone. While never obtru-
sive, Bernas’ score beautifully augmented
the play’s themes. Not an easy task.
The Drowsy Chaperone, Augustana
College (Madeline). Augustana’s Brun-
ner Theatre stage was full to the brim, and
the sound of 34 cast members made for
an especially lovely night thanks to music
director Michelle Crouch. Their record-
skipping performance in the song “Toledo
Surprise” was a hilarious highlight in a
simply glorious-sounding production.
The Full Monty, Timber Lake Play-
house (Jeff ). I love David Yazbek’s score,
Martha O’Connell, Megan Warren, Adam Sanders,
Stephanie Moorehead, and Claire Schaecher in Quad
City Music Guild’s Catch Me If You Can
CONTINUED
and know the music inside and out, so
I was exceptionally pleased with Lena
Gabrielle’s music direction and how the
cast and orchestra nailed the industrial-
ized-jazz style. Adding sound designer
Jacob Almanzar’s nearly perfectly bal-
anced microphones, their partner-
ship really put the “full” in this Monty.
Memorable Moment
The Ad Lib, Bingo! The Winning Musi-
cal, Playcrafters Barn Theatre (Jeff ). Part
of the thrill of live theatre is seeing what
happens when something doesn’t go as
planned, and when Bingo’s pre-recorded
soundtrack failed to play for Sondra Kar-
ben’s big solo, she delightfully performed
the entire song a cappella, ad-lib-ing mid-
dance step, “This would all be much better
with music!”
The Ensemble, Elegies for Angels,
Punks, & Raging Queens, Augustana
College (Mike). While watching 21 ethni-
cally, culturally, temperamentally diverse
student talents act and sing their hearts
out in this moving musical lament for
those suffering from AIDS, I felt hopeful
about the state of Augie theatre in particu-
lar, and collegiate theatre in general. I also
felt kinda hopeful about the whole world.
The Experience, Beginner’s Luck, Mis-
sissippi Bend Players (Mark). This past
August, I got a small glimpse into what it’d
be like to be a professional actor. An origi-
nal script. A Broadway director. A state-
of-the-art venue. A very short rehearsal
schedule. A brilliant cast. Exhilarating.
Terrifying. Humbling. And playwright PJ
Lasker? The nicest man anyone has ever
met. Ever.
The Hound, Baskerville: A Sherlock
Holmes Mystery, Timber Lake Playhouse
(Rochelle). It was my first time seeing a
show at Timber Lake, and I was greatly
impressed with the talent and special
effects in Baskerville. But its most memo-
rable moment was the arrival of the huge,
Muppet-like hound with glowing red eyes
that eerily appeared from the depths of the
moors.
The Projector, Prometheus Bound,
Genesius Guild (Madeline). I didn’t real-
ize how impressive it was that Michael
Cornelius – who wore a mask – man-
aged to project his voice over the night’s
extreme fi reworks until I recalled my
struggles in hearing mask-less actors
under far less challenging circumstances.
Director Michael Callahan chose wisely in
casting his Prometheus.
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
DANCE / Classes for Youth
Beginning Tumble for Ages 5-7, Thursdays thru
May 9; floor gymnastics for the beginning tumbler;…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 6:10pm Thu Jan 17
Beginning Tumble for Ages 8+, Thursdays thru
May 9; floor gymnastics for the beginning tumbler;…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 7:10pm Thu Jan 17
Budding Ballerinas for Ages 3-4, Thursdays thru
May 9; our tiniest dancers learn ballet fundamentals…
Davenport Junior Theatre, Thu Jan 17
Intermediate Hip Hop, Thursdays thru May 9; this
class is for dancers who… Davenport Junior Theatre,
6:30pm Thu Jan 17
Tumble Tots for Ages 3-4, Tuesdays thru May 9; our
preschool floor gymnastic classes teach… Davenport
Junior Theatre, 5:15pm Thu Jan 17
COMEDY
Ron White, an evening with the cigar-smoking,
Scotch-drinking funnyman from the Blue Collar Comedy
tour phenomenon; $43-73; for tickets, call 800-745-
3000, Adler Theatre, 136 E. Third St., Davenport IA,
AdlerTheatre.com, 7:30pm Thu Jan 10
ComedySportz, Fri. & Sat. 7pm; interactive comedy
with the area’s long-running… The Establishment, 7pm
Fri Jan 11 thru Sat Feb 2
The Late Nite Shows: Friday, sketch comedy and
improvisational games for ages 17+; $5 or… The
Establishment, 9:30pm Fri Jan 11 thru Fri Feb 1
Murder at Skuttlebutt Sound, dinner and an
interactive mystery with the comedians of It’s…
Skellington Manor Banquet & Event Center, 6pm Fri
Jan 11
The Late Nite Shows: Saturday, sketch comedy
and improvisational games for ages 17+; $5 or… The
Establishment, 9:30pm Sat Jan 12 and Sat Jan 19
A Model Murder, dinner and an interactive mystery
with the comedians of It’s… Skellington Manor Banquet
& Event Center, 6pm Sat Jan 12
David Sedaris, an evening with the Grammy-
nominated author, comedian, and NPR contributor,…
Orpheum Theatre, 7:30pm Sat Jan 12
Circumstantial Comedy Show, on Sundays; for
information, call 563-424-5506… Brew, 10pm Sun Jan 13
thru Sun Jan 27
Stand Up Comedy Open Mic, on Mondays, hosted by
Douglas Hernandez; for information, call 309-517-1944…
Broken Saddle, 8pm Mon Jan 14 thru Mon Feb 4
Butchers Hook Comedy w/ Ryan Proctor, on
Tuesdays; a stand-up-comedy open mic night; for
information, call… Meat Market, 9pm Tue Jan 15 thru
Tue Feb 5
Jeff Dunham: Passively Aggressive, an evening
with the ventriloquist and comedian on his national…
TaxSlayer Center, 7pm Wed Jan 23
Speakeasy Laugh Hard Comedy Show, event
featuring some of the funniest stand up comedians
from… The Circa ‘21 Speakeasy, 8pm Fri Jan 25
The Late Nite Shows: Trash Talk, be part of a
live studio audience at this one-of-a-kind… The
Establishment, 9:30pm Sat Jan 26
MUSEUMS
‘Twas the Night Before Weihnachten: A German
Christmas Story, holiday exhibition co-presented by
the Creative Arts… German American Heritage Center,
thru Thu Jan 10
Iowa’s Largest Advent Calendar, count down with
us as we turn… German American Heritage Center, thru
Sun Jan 13
The Civil War: Seen Through the Eyes of German-
American Caricaturists, Tue.-Sat. 10am-4pm,
Sun. noon-4pm; free with $3-5 admission;… German
American Heritage Center, thru Mon Feb 4
The Great Planet Adventures Discovery Dome
Showing, at 11:15am, 12:15pm, and 1:30pm; a mobile
planetarium show in… Putnam Museum & Science
Center, Sat Jan 12
“Volcanoes: The Fires of Creation” Sensory-
Friendly Showing, changes to the environment and
film experience include: dimmed but… Putnam Museum
& Science Center, 2pm Sun Jan 13
Mahler and the Curse of the Ninth, composer and
Augustana College professor Jacob Bancks will discuss
Gustave… German American Heritage Center, 2pm Sun
Jan 20
Putnam Museum Guild Monthly Tea, this month’s
program will feature Sharon Andresen speaking on
“Restoring… Putnam Museum & Science Center, 1:30pm
Thu Jan 24
Iowans who Fought Against the Union, at least
60 Iowa residents served the Confederacy, and this…
German American Heritage Center, 2pm Sun Jan 27
The Civil War: Seen Through the Eyes of German-
American Caricaturists, thru Feb. 4; Tue.-Sat.
10am-4pm, Sun. noon-4pm; free with $3-5 admission;…
German American Heritage Center, Fri Feb 1 thru Mon
Feb 4
MOVIES
Recent Releases, see a film recently released on DVD;
free; for information,… Davenport Public Library -
Eastern Avenue Branch, 2pm Fri Jan 11
“Volcanoes: The Fires of Creation” Sensory-
Friendly Showing, changes to the environment and
film experience include: dimmed but… Putnam Museum
& Science Center, 2pm Sun Jan 13
Coffee & a Movie, join us for coffee, rolls, and a
showing up a… East Moline Public Library, 11am Mon
Jan 14
Godzilla, a screening in the Coffee and a Movie series;
free;… Rock Island Public Library - Downtown Library,
9:30am Mon Jan 14
Cinema at Southwest, join us for a free movie and
light refreshments; free;… Rock Island Public Library -
Southwest Branch, 10am Thu Jan 17
All the Queen’s Horses, the riveting story of a how a
pillar of the… East Moline Public Library, 6pm Tue Jan 22
Tuesday Cinema, a chance to see those movies you
just missed at… Davenport Public Library - Main, 2pm
Tue Jan 22
Morning Classics, spend the morning enjoying a cup
of hot coffee and… Davenport Public Library - Main,
10am Fri Feb 1
SPORTS
Quad City Storm vs. Knoxville Ice Bears, minor-
league hockey game; $10-30; for tickets, call 309-277-
1364… TaxSlayer Center, Fri Jan 11 thru Sun Jan 13
Quad City Storm vs. Evansville Thunderbolts,
minor-league hockey game; $10-30; for tickets, call 309-
277-1364… TaxSlayer Center, 6:30pm Tue Jan 22
Destiny: Live Professional Boxing, Limberth
Ponce 16-3 challenges “Stunning” Stephen Edwards
in an eight-round main event battle for the Iowa State
Junior Middleweight Championship; with an under card
featuring East Moline’s “Smokin” Joe Perez, Davenport’s
Shawn West Sr., Lionel Jimenez of East Moline, and
a female bout featuring the debuts of Davenport’s
Kristine Iron-Rood and Julie Guiste of Galesburg;
Alfredo Cervantes of Sterling will also be making his pro
heavyweight debut; $25-75; for tickets, call 563-328-
8000, Rhythm City Casino, 7077 Elmore Ave., Davenport
IA, RhythmCityCasino.com, 7pm Sat Feb 2
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 26 No. 957 • January 2019 13
Living Lands & Waters, learn more about Living Lands Industrial Chemical Spill Response Refresher
& Waters’ mission and how… East Moline Public Library, #1202, this course is the annual refresher to the
6pm Wed Jan 30 Industrial Chemical… EICC Midwest Center for Public
Safety Training, 8am Fri Jan 11

COURSES Device Advice, learn how to download ebooks,

Clearing Out in the New Year, Thursdays thru Jan. 31;
learn tips, ideas and strategies to… Black Hawk College
Outreach Center, 6pm Thu Jan 10
Device Advice, learn how to download ebooks,
eaudiobooks, music and magazines to… Davenport
Public Library - Fairmount Street Branch, 6pm Thu Jan
10
HAZWOPER Refresher #1201, this course is the
annual refresher to the 40-Hour Hazardous… EICC
Midwest Center for Public Safety Training, 8am Thu Jan
10
Book-a-Librarian, one-on-one technology and
reference assistance by appointment; reserve a half-
Quad City Arts Visiting Artists Antics at St. Ambrose University – February 2 hour… Rock Island Public Library - Downtown Library,
9am Fri Jan 11
eaudiobooks, music and magazines to… Davenport
Public Library - Eastern Avenue Branch, 2pm Sat Jan 12
Arc Flash Fundamentals #1203, this course will
include the hazards and risks of working… EICC Midwest
Center for Public Safety Training, 8am Mon Jan 14
Personal Protective Equipment #1205, selection
and use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is an…
EICC Midwest Center for Public Safety Training, 1pm Mon
Jan 14
OSHA 10-Hour Construction Industry Outreach
Training #1206, this course covers construction
safety… EICC Midwest Center for Public Safety Training,
8am Tue Jan 15 and Wed Jan 16
OSHA 30-Hour Construction Industry Outreach
Training #1207, thru Jan. 18; this four-day course is an

OTHER EVENTS
Day of Reflection on Gratitude, led by Sr Kathy
Sadler, OSF; discover hidden blessings in… Our Lady of
the Prairie Retreat, 9am Thu Jan 10
Bald Eagle Days, annual weekend event featuring live
eagle programs,… QCCA Expo Center, Fri Jan 11 thru
Sun Jan 13
Cook the Books: Soup, check out a cookbook from
the front desk and make… East Moline Public Library,
6pm Mon Jan 14
Come to the Quiet: The Way of Wholeness and
Holiness, led by Pat Shea; an opportunity to enter a
day… Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, 9:30am Mon Jan 14
Taizé Prayer at Humility of Mary Center, led by Sr. Explore BHC Day, join Black Hawk College for a tour
in-depth presentation… EICC Midwest Center for Public
Safety Training, 8am Tue Jan 15
Margaret Kruse, OSF, Linda Clewell & BJ… Humility of of the Quad-Cities… Black Hawk College - Quad City
Mary Center, 6:30pm Sun Jan 27 Campus, 11am Fri Jan 11 Highway Construction Careers Training Program
Orientation Session, the 13-week program aims to
Treat Yo Self: Cupcake Decorating, frost and
decorate a cupcake with fun, deliciously colorful
toppings… Rock Island Public Library - 30/31 Branch,
5:30pm Wed Jan 30
2019 Bacon & Beer Festival, the region’s top eateries,
pork purveyors, and specialty craft brewers… Davenport
RiverCenter, 6pm Sat Feb 2
20th Anniversary Riverbend Gala: Masquerade
Ball, celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Make-A-Wish
Iowa; presented by Tri-City Electric… Quad-Cities
Waterfront Convention Center, 5:30pm Sat Feb 2

Puzzle Tournament, teams of four will compete to see Adult Chess Club, for information, call 563-344-4175 or
who can compete… Davenport Public Library - Eastern e-mail info@bettendorflibrary.com… Bettendorf Public
Avenue Branch, 1pm Tue Jan 15 Library, 6:30pm Tue Feb 5

zSpace Basics, test out the library’s new Augmented Mass with Fr. Francis Odoom, in the chapel in the
Reality system, zSpace; full… Davenport Public Library - Prairie Heights building; after Mass… Our Lady of the
Main, 3pm Tue Jan 15 Prairie Retreat, 10am Wed Feb 6

Speakeasy Trivia Night w/ Mr. Trivia, for tickets and

information, call 309-786-7733 extension 2… The Circa
‘21 Speakeasy, Thu Jan 17
CINCH World’s Toughest Rodeo, the nation’s best
bucking broncs and bulls and the world’s… TaxSlayer
Center, 7:30pm Fri Jan 18 and Sat Jan 19
10th Annual Winter Wine Experience, presented
by Dimitri Wine & Spirits, this is the RME’s… RME (River
Music Experience), 7pm Sat Jan 19
Open Sew Saturday, use the library’s sewing
machines (and large working area) to… Rock Island
Public Library - Downtown Library, 10am Sat Jan 19
Taste of LeClaire, … Downtown LeClaire, Sat Jan 19
Trivia Night in LeClaire, tables of 8; $10 per person;
Mulligans and refreshments available… LeClaire Civic
Center, 6:30pm Sat Jan 19
LECTURES
The Truth About Adult ADHD, learn what Adult
ADHD (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder) is and
isn’t;… Rock Island Public Library - Downtown Library,
6pm Thu Jan 10
Whale Sharks, an event in the Conservation & Science
Speaker Series with… Niabi Zoo, 3pm Sun Jan 13
QC Made: Lagomarcino’s, an on-site your presented
by the Davenport Public Library; free;… Lagomarcino’s,
5pm Tue Jan 15
Career Cruising with Susan Zelnio, Zelnio, the
Moline Foundation’s Program Director, Workforce
Development, will demonstrate… Moline Public Library,
10am Mon Jan 21

Bald Eagle Day, … Downtown LeClaire, Sun Jan 20
36th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Memorial
Service & Awards, this year’s theme is “Accepting evil
without protesting against it… Martin Luther King Jr.
Community Center, 10:30am Mon Jan 21
National History Day Open House, visit the
Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center to learn
about primary… Davenport Public Library - Main, 5pm
Wed Jan 23
Drop-In Tech Help, bring in any device and we will
give it a… LeClaire Community Library, 2pm Fri Jan 25
LeClaire Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards
Dinner, annual event featuring 5:30-6:30 cocktails (cash
bar) and Silent Auction,… Steventon’s, 5:30pm Sat Jan
26
Act of Power, led by Kathleen Collins; we will spend
meditative time discovering… Our Lady of the Prairie
Retreat, 9:30am Sat Jan 26
Community Conversations: Strategic Plan,
hear what’s in the library’s 2019-22 Strategic Plan for
priorities… Rock Island Public Library - Downtown
Library, 6pm Mon Jan 21
Tax Code Changes and Strategies for 2019, learn
about new tax codes and get answers to your… Moline
Public Library, 2pm Tue Jan 22
Back to Dough: Pizza Crust Basics, Uncle Bill’s Pizza
will demonstrate proper technique to stretch and toss
a dough… Davenport Public Library - Fairmount Street
Branch, 6:30pm Thu Jan 24
Community Connections: John Fliss, for
information, call 563-344-4175 or e-mail info@
bettendorflibrary.com… Bettendorf Public Library,
1:30pm Thu Jan 24
World Affairs Council-Rohingya Refugee Crisis: A
Doctor’s Perspective on Health, for information, call
563-344-4175 or e-mail info@bettendorflibrary.com…
Bettendorf Public Library, 7pm Tue Jan 29
14 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 26 No. 957 • January 2019
MOVIES
Stars Aren’t Made, They’re Born
Mike’s 10-Favorite Movies of 2018
I
n recent years, picking my number-one-
favorite movie for this annual recap has
been relatively simple, with the choice
either being a no-contest one (2017’s Get
Out, 2014’s Boyhood) or a figurative coin flip
over two equally worthy possibilities (2016’s
Manchester by the Sea over Moonlight, 2015’s
Brooklyn over Spotlight). But this year, I
could’ve contentedly walked away from
this article with any of my top five favorites
emerging ultimately victorious … if I hadn’t
decided to listen to “Shallow,” three times in
a row, right before making my final place-
ments. Love makes you do silly things like
that.
1) A Star Is Born
As it did, I’m presuming, for many of you,
my affair with this one began with its trailer.
It wasn’t one of those major celebrity-death
moments; I don’t remember where I was – or
rather, what movie I was there to see – when
it happened. But I can still vividly recall the
arc of my thought process when first catch-
ing its preview at the cineplex: “Whoa, Brad-
ley Cooper can play the guitar and sing …
and he’s directing this? … Dave Chappelle!
Cool! … hmmm, that female vocalist looks
kind of familiar … no way, is that Lady
Gaga?! … damn, the colors are amazing …
oh my God, that wail, it’s not stopping …
what is this song?! … and Sam Elliott’s in it,
too? … so much romance … so much drama
… in a perfect world, this would be another
remake of A Star Is Born … holy crap. It is.”
As you can imagine, despite doing my
best to arrive at scheduled showtimes 15
minutes late in order to avoid them, I see a
lo-o-o-ot of previews in a given year, many
of them many times over. But I never, ever
got sick of the trailer for Cooper’s directo-
rial debut, and even watching it some six
months later, I still get chills experiencing
its near-perfect blend of carefully chosen
images and Lady Gaga’s exhilarating vocal
cascade in “Shallow.” Multiply that sus-
tained, two-and-a-half-minute sensation by
about 55, and that’s roughly how I feel about
the film as a whole. Given how much I loved
this musical drama upon its initial release,
I’m a little embarrassed to admit that my
primary exposure to the film remains (to
date) my only exposure, and I haven’t for-
gotten what I viewed as its failings, particu-
larly the occasional drabness of its second
half in comparison to its unimpeachable
first. But I don’t care. I am unreservedly,
unashamedly in love with this big, bold,
emotionally acute, devastatingly romantic
tearjerker – the type of movie that, if you
Adam Driver, Michael Buscemi, and John David Washington in BlacKkKlansman
let its magic work on you, takes residence in
your heart and soul and stays there. Beyond
his thunderously assured direction, Cooper
delivers the performance of the year. Beyond
her powerhouse vocals, Lady Gaga delivers
the starring-role debut of the decade, and
maybe the millennium. Their affection feels
genuine. Their chemistry is undeniable. And
swirling all around them are first-rate sup-
porting turns, exceptionally written con-
versations and confrontations, memorable
moments galore (the eyelash, the Grammys,
the apology, the driveway, the steak …), gor-
geous Matthew Libatique cinematography,
and a score in which even the intentionally
weak songs are kinda awesome. Maybe A
Star Is Born needed three previous remakes
to finally wind up, across the board, in the
best-possible hands.
2) BlacKkKlansman
When Spike Lee, 29 years ago, was denied
an Academy Award nomination for direct-
ing his masterpiece Do the Right Thing, it felt
like a miscarriage of justice. If, in a couple
of weeks, he’s somehow also denied a nod
for directing his finest non-documentary
since Do the Right Thing, it’ll feel more like
a crime against cinema. Honorary Oscar
recipient or not, how many fierce, angry,
thrilling, funny-ass movies does this man
have to make to finally achieve half as much
Academy acknowledgment as Mel Gibson?
In Lee’s telling of the “fo’ real, fo’ real sh*t”
that went down when a black cop in Colo-
rado infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan, there are
superb, charismatic turns by John David
Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier,
Topher Grace, Corey Hawkins, and others,
including – for five unmissable minutes –
Harry Belafonte. But there’s only one true
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
star in BlacKkKlansman, and that’s Spike
Lee. Watching the writer/director’s seam-
less intermingling of the infuriating, the
profane, the hilarious, and the flabbergast-
ing from scene to scene, and sometimes
from line to line, it feels like the work of a
crazy-gifted newcomer who’s spearheading
his very first movie and wants to show off
every trick in his arsenal. Yet somehow, Lee
blends low comedy and high drama and still
finds narratively essential room for sardonic
clips of Gone with the Wind and Birth of a
Nation, a meditation on the merits of Ron
O’Neal versus Richard Roundtree, and a
postscript of documentary footage from
Charlottesville – and takes your breath
away with his remarkable control that cre-
ates a unified whole from wildly disparate
elements. This movie knocks me out. And
an interesting side note: Without serving
major purposes in either, Alec Baldwin has
speaking roles in my two favorite movies of
the year. Coincidence, or stealth good-luck
charm? I’ll let you know after many repeat
viewings of both.
3) The Favourite
Emerging, a little dazed but definitely
chatty, from the auditorium where we saw
director Yorgos Lanthimos’ pitch-black
comedy about palace intrigue in 18th Cen-
tury England, there was no end of moments
for me and my moviegoing companion to
talk about. Did the characters played by
Rachel Weisz and Joe Alwyn – the former in
a ballgown, the latter in heels and powdered
wig – really perform a hybrid of slam-danc-
ing and Madonna’s “Vogue” video in the
middle of the royal court? Did Olivia Col-
man’s Queen Anne really devour a tray-load
of sweets, violently vomit, and then start
By Mike Schulz
stuffing her face all over again? Did Emma
Stone’s new bride really absentmindedly
masturbate her husband on their wedding
night while making nefarious plans with her
back turned toward him? Did Emma – our
Emma – really step on an adorable bunny
with her boot and press down until the poor
thing shrieked? Indeed on all counts. Yet the
very first thing my friend and I talked about
was actually how rare, and wonderful, it
was to see a movie in which you legitimately
couldn’t predict where the story was going to
go, or how it would end. Given that Deborah
Davis’ and Tony McNamara’s screenplay is
based on actual people and events, we might
have had a leg up had we read a Queen
Anne Wikipedia article in advance. But that
would’ve taken much of the fun – and Lan-
thimos’ brazen, upsetting film is also a lot of
fun – out of the experience, and audiences
owe it to themselves to have as little advance
information about this Masterpiece-Theatre-
on-peyote as possible. The sets and costumes
are glorious. The direction is empathetic and
inventive. The acting, especially by the for-
midable Colman, is resplendent. And the
totality of the experience, bless it, is bat-shit
insane.
4) and 5) The Ballad
of Buster Scruggs and
Roma
Ah, the Netflix conundrum. It should go
without saying that new works by auteurs
Joel and Ethan Coen and Alfonso Cuarón
are things that movie lovers have every
reason to eagerly anticipate, and to my mind,
the Coen brothers’ collection of tragicomic
old-West vignettes and Cuarón’s delicate,
black-and-white memoir are among the
finest achievements of their Oscar-winning
creators’ careers. Would I have enjoyed
them even more, though, if I saw them on
the big screen, and not merely the accept-
able-enough screen stationed in my living
room? In both cases, I have no doubt that
the answer would be yes. Cinematographer
Bruno Delbonnel’s far-reaching vistas and
extraordinary lighting for the Coens deserve
the largest presentational format available,
and the deliberately leisurely, tone-setting
opening hour of Cuarón’s latest would’ve
been easier to focus on if I weren’t distracted
by the sight of my nearby phone and the
temptation to, I dunno, play maybe just one
game of online Yahtzee while waiting for
things to pick up. (It was really only the fear
of missing subtitles that kept me honest.)
Yet despite sitting at positions four and five
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
on my list rather than one and two, I’m not
sure that my love for either film will abate
from this point forward, considering that
even the big-screen movies we most adore
almost inevitably end up as repeat viewings
on TV, computer, and/or phone screens. I’ve
never seen It’s a Wonderful Life or All About
Eve or the Brando Streetcar Named Desire at
the movies, either. That doesn’t mean I don’t
love them.
The Coens’ latest has shocking violence,
exquisite tenderness, instantly quotable
Coen-y dialogue (“Pan shot!”), musical
numbers, an armless and legless man spout-
ing Shakespeare, Tom Waits panning for
gold, haunting Carter Burwell refrains,
a nightmarish stagecoach ride, and Zoe
Kazan. Cuarón’s has glorious camerawork
(with the director himself serving as cin-
ematographer), subtly magnificent sound,
nerve-fraying street riots, an incredible
debut for Yalitza Aparicio (complete with
an unforgettable hospital scene), an ending
that makes you cry for all the tears you didn’t
shed beforehand, and perhaps the most
astounding tracking shot I’ve ever seen, fol-
lowing a maid from the shore to the beach
to the shore to six feet inside a sea of crash-
ing waves. Netflix or not, I’m beyond smit-
ten with both films, and hope the streaming
service keeps throwing money and atten-
tion at filmmaking talents who deserve it,
big-screen bookings or not. One Ballad of
Buster Scruggs or Roma is enough to make
up for a whole year’s worth of Bird Boxes and
Dumplin’s.
6) Hereditary
Obviously, I highly recommend all the
movies on this 10-favorites list. But I don’t
necessarily recommend them for everyone.
And regarding writer/director Ari Aster’s
dysfunctional-family freak-out, I’m being
very, very careful about who I personally
recommend it to, knowing that certain
friends and family members might never
again look at me the same way if I did. “You
liked that?” I can imagine them saying (or,
more likely, texting). “The dead bird and
the scissors? The allergic reaction? The
naked weirdos? The kerosine-soaked kid?
The roadside decapitation?!?” Yes, yes, yes,
yes, and, oh God, yes, I absolutely did. Not
like-like, mind you. I’m not wishing that
Toni Collette was a relative or anything –
although, after her staggering portrayal
here, she is my new first casting choice for all
future horror movies requiring moms at the
absolute ends of their tethers. But I less liked
than loved Aster’s astounding ballsiness in
his feature-film debut, with his unsettling,
hypnotic, deeply scary movie mildly remi-
niscent of numerous classics yet boasting
intense singularity in its escalating terror
and go-for-broke emotional directness. As
with most genre entertainments, nitpick-
ing is easy, and yeah, the finale may be a bit
underwhelming given what precedes it. I’ll
still long cherish Hereditary for its bristling
confidence, its spectacular fringe touches
(The ceiling crouch! The sudden conflagra-
tion!), and the sad, wrenching dynamics cre-
ated by Collette, Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolff,
and Milly Shapiro. Brava, too, to Ann Dowd,
whose grieving Joan is simultaneously the
friendliest and most off-putting supporting
character of the year. Now there’s someone
I did wish was a relative. I just wouldn’t visit
much.
7) Can You Ever
Forgive Me?
Melissa McCarthy finally got the star-
ring role we fans have been waiting for since
Bridesmaids, and she got it by finally starring
in a drama. Not that director Marielle Hell-
er’s early-’90s period piece (and how the hell
are the early-’90s “period” already?!) is void
of laughs, as McCarthy is startlingly, almost
ferally funny whether pilfering shrimp and
winter-wear from a cocktail party, trading
insults with a beautifully aggrieved Jane
Curtin, or, especially, sharing drunken badi-
nage with a pitch-perfect Richard E. Grant.
But those of us who always suspected that
McCarthy had a ferocious dramatic pres-
ence waiting to be released absolutely got
our money’s worth with this true-life tale
of novelist-turned-forger Lee Israel. The
story of how Israel spent months bilking
used-book-store proprietors, and paying
her cat’s veterinarian bills, through made-
up celebrity correspondence is fascinating
on its own, with Heller and screenwriters
Nicole Holefcener and Jeff Whitty giving
their tale such natural edge and propulsive
energy that theirs in the rare bio-pic that
plays like a thriller. But the film is unimagi-
nable without the benefit of McCarthy’s
worn-down dignity and whirring, active
mind; you’re thoroughly jazzed both by the
performance and the clear joy McCarthy is
experiencing while giving the performance.
How good is Can You Ever Forgive Me? So
good that McCarthy’s husband Ben Falcone,
as always, shows up for his obligatory cameo,
and the scene’s writing and acting promptly
make you wish that the pair had even more
screen minutes together. These days, that’s
not simply great. That’s eff-ing amazing.
Fred Rogers and Francois Clemmons in Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 26 No. 957 • January 2019
8) Won’t You Be My
Neighbor?
So. I brought director Morgan Neville’s
documentary about Fred Rogers and his
iconic children’s show Mister Rogers’ Neigh-
borhood – a show that debuted the year I
was born – to my folks’ house over the holi-
days, knowing that my mom wanted to see
it. I refused, however, to watch the DVD
with her, because the poor woman endured
enough of my relentless crying when I was
an infant to have to suffer through 90 more
minutes of it with me in my 50s. Instead,
while she watched the film, I casually busied
myself with a project in an adjoining room,
making sure that the TV was in sight. Mom
enjoyed the movie, but never wept. I, on the
other hand, was yet again reduced to a blub-
bery wreck. I’m also pretty certain that the
hernia I’m developing can be traced back
to July, when I first saw Neville’s insightful,
expansive, deeply personal love letter to the
PBS host and had to gutturally restrain my
sobs so I wouldn’t make a total ass of myself.
Maybe it’s just a generational thing for
those of us who grew up on 1970s PBS, and
my tears (and those of like-minded friends
I’ve spoken with) are watery regrets for lost
youth or lost innocence or lost blah-blah-
blah. I prefer to think of them as tears of
unbridled happiness – acknowledgment of
the fundamental goodness and sincerity that
can exist in an oftentimes harsh and insin-
cere world. Thanks for the reminder, Mr.
Neville. And thank you, too, Mister Rogers.
9) The Death of Stalin
Armando Iannucci’s savage and wicked-
smart satire is about many things: political
opportunism and the quest for power; the
depths to which authorities will sink in
order to advance personal agendas and settle
old scores; totalitarian regimes in which no
one is entirely sure who’s in charge. (Any
similarities to modern-day governments
are, I’m sure, totally coincidental.) But
beyond all that, this hysterical, horror-laden
farce is about the joy of funny voices – or,
to be less crass, comically distinct voices
that make already-funny material abjectly
hilarious. Steve Buscemi’s manic grievance,
15
Jeffrey Tambor’s put-upon confusion, Jason
Isaacs’ barking confidence, Simon Rus-
sell Beale’s reptilian sleaze, Michael Palin’s
Monty Python sing-song … . Hearing these
voices on their own, or in concert, is uproari-
ous enough. Hearing the actors’ recogniz-
able American and British cadences while
playing some of history’s most notorious
Russians (among them Nikita Khrushchev,
Georgy Malenkov, and Vyacheslav Molo-
tov) is so nuts, yet so nuttily inspired, that
listening to the movie is just as much fun as
watching its demented slapstick, with Ian-
nucci and company getting extraordinary
comic mileage out of traditional knee-slap-
pers such as execution orders, debilitat-
ing strokes, and the excruciating protocol/
propaganda behind state funerals. Also, not
for nothing, The Death of Stalin is the finest
comic-book adaptation of the year. Seri-
ously: It’s adapted from a comic book. If only
it could spawn an entire freakin’ franchise.
10) Game Night
Mock if you must. Laugh, though, you
will. When directors John Francis Daley’s
and Jonathan Goldstein’s unexpected gem
landed in February, it felt like the type of
movie we’re too-rarely treated to: a com-
pletely unpretentious, wholly entertaining
major-studio comedy with a solid premise,
likable stars, memorable set pieces, and sup-
porting figures as funny and fleshed out as its
leads. As the months went by, however, and
underwhelming outings such as Blockers
and Life of the Party and (ugh) Tag came and
went, it became clear that Game Night was
far more special than I originally thought
– like a comfortable friend who you slowly,
astonishingly realize you may be falling
in love with. Sure, the film has flaws. (Ter-
rific though the actors are and the punch-
line is, I could still largely do without Kylie
Bunbury’s and Lamore Morris’ cheating-
with-a-celebrity subplot.) But still: Rachel
McAdams dancing with a gun and reciting
a verbatim passage from Pulp Fiction! Jason
Bateman gnawing a chew toy! Kyle Chandler
doing anything! The 17-dollar bribe! The
fight club! The bungee cord! The Fabergé
egg! The indestructible glass tables! I offi-
cially want sequels. I want spin-offs. I want a
board game. I want bobble-heads of Sharon
Horgan’s acerbic Irishwoman and Billy
Magnussen’s dopey Harvard alum. And I
want Jesse Plemons, admirably vigilant and
riotously humorless, as my next-door neigh-
bor, forever on the lookout for gun-toting
goons or besmirchments of Frito-Lay. He’s
welcome to bring the dog.
For additional lists including runners-
up, favorite performances, and the worst of
the year, visit this article at RCReader.com/
movies.
16 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 26 No. 957 • January 2019
VISUAL ARTS
Linda Buechting, Paul Nitsche, and Corrine Smith Exhibits
Thursday, January 10, through Thursday, February 28 @ Quad City Arts International
Airport Gallery, 2200 69th Avenue, Moline, IL
W atercolors, sculptures, mono-prints, and more are
on display in the first Quad City Arts International
Airport Gallery exhibition of 2019, with the current artis-
tic showcase – on display through February 28 – boast-
ing works by Linda Buechting of Quincy, Illinois, Paul
Nitsche of Ridgeway, Wisconsin, and Corrine Smith of
Rock Island.
Buechting presents a series of watercolors on the
theme “American Appetite: Burgers to Bling,” juxtapos-
ing images of fruit and plants – labeled with their proper
Latin names – next to candy bars and other junk food
with fake Latin names and descriptions. She began
painting in 1990 after taking a watercolor workshop
with local artist Sandy Meyer, and continued learning
through workshops at Western Illinois University and
Quincy University. Her watercolor and oil paintings
depict floral arrangements, landscapes, and whimsi-
cal still-lives, and Buechting likes to use elements of
humor in artworks, with recent exhibitions including the
Pennsylvania Watercolor Society’s Annual International
Juried Exhibition and Watercolor USA in Springfield,
Illinois.
Nitsche relies on classical formalities of anatomi-
cal exploration and the reliquary effigy to pair themes
of illness/growth, beauty/decay, and dream/time. His
sculptures are made from bronze, bones, glass and
other materials, and with the artist represented by Abel
Contemporary Gallery, his works have been exhibited
throughout the country. Nitsche graduated with a BA
from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1992,
and as he writes in his Artist Statement: “Medical and
scientific museum work has long intersected with the
artistic. There is a shared desire to explore the differ-
ent perceptions of the body and what it means to be
human. Similiarly, the religuary transcends simple
EXHIBITION CLOSING SOON
JOHN BLOOM:
CLOSE TO HOME
CLOSING JANUARY 13, 2019
EXHIBITION
SPONSORS:
Additional support for this exhibition has been provided by the William D. and Shirley J. Homrighausen Endowment
Summer Evening, 1936, oil on Masonite, Private Collection
Davenport, Iowa • 563.326.7804
www.figgeartmuseum.org
By Mike Schulz
Linda Buechting’s Pears & Oranges at the Quad
City Arts International Airport Gallery
objectification, and is a physical reminder of the
miraculous.”
Smith explores the formal elements and principals of
design through painting to create non-representational
art, and her complex layers of acrylic paint, hand-
made papers, and mono-prints create compositions
CONTINUED
full of dimension, expression, texture, and pattern. As
Smith writes in her own Artist Statement: “Each piece
begins with several drawings combined, often one over
another. One of my concentrations is to create a strong
composition. I approach the work intuitively by laying in
color choices, be it paint or handmade papers. Some
of the paper I make myself. The papers allow for the
application of immediatre color and texture. As the com-
position develops, each piece is rotated and shapes and
lines get covered up and often new ones are created.
For me, the evolution of the painting is an exciting,
unknown journey that compels me to create.”
The Quad City International Airport Gallery is located
opposite the airport’s gift shop and restaurant, there is a
$1 fee for parking, and more information on the exhibit of
artworks by Linda Buechting, Paul Nitsche, and Corrine
Smith is available by calling (309)793-1213 extension
108 or visiting QuadCityArts.com.
Sue Quail The Reeg Group
at R W Baird
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
Bacon and Beer Festival at the Davenport RiverCenter – February 2
LECTURES / Courses
increase the number of minorities,… Black Hawk College
- Quad City Campus, Wed Jan 16
Book-a-Librarian, one-on-one technology and
reference assistance by appointment; reserve a half-
hour… Rock Island Public Library - 30/31 Branch, 9am
Fri Jan 18
Forklift Safety #1208, this course will cover
mechanics, inspection, and maintenance of forklifts;…
EICC Midwest Center for Public Safety Training, 8am Tue
Jan 22
Forklift Safety for Supervisors #1209, in this one-
hour class, the supervisor will learn the training… EICC
Midwest Center for Public Safety Training, 10am Tue
Jan 22
Book-a-Librarian, one-on-one technology and
reference assistance by appointment; reserve a half-
hour… Rock Island Public Library - Southwest Branch,
9am Fri Jan 25
DOT Required Hazardous Materials Training
#1210, this course serves as the required training and
refresher for… EICC Midwest Center for Public Safety
Training, 8am Fri Jan 25
MEETINGS
Ecumenical Fellowship Church Pot Luck Bible
Study, on Sundays in Parsonage; for information and
directions, call 563-676-8656… 6pm Sun Jan 13 thru
Sun Feb 3
Knit/Crochet Circle, on Wednesdays; participants of
all abilities are invited to gather… Moline Public Library,
5:30pm Wed Jan 16 thru Wed Feb 6
Stitching Group, on Wednesdays (except the 2nd Wed.
of the month); bring… River Valley District Library, 1pm
Wed Jan 16 thru Wed Feb 6
Friends of the East Moline Library Meeting, help
the East Moline Library with fundraising, implementing
programs, and… East Moline Public Library, 4pm Thu
Jan 17
Citizens to Reform DHS (Illinois Child and Family
Services), lunchtime discussions on the first and third
Saturdays of the… Rock’s Anchor Cafe, noon Sat Jan 19
Ecumenical Fellowship Church, lunchtime
discussions on the first and third Saturdays of the…
Rock’s Anchor Cafe, noon Sat Jan 19
Ecumenical Fellowship Church Bi-Monthly
Luncheon, lunchtime discussions on the first and third
Saturdays of the… Rock’s Anchor Cafe, noon Sat Jan 19
Farm and Pet Breeders Association Meeting,
lunchtime discussions on the first and third Saturdays of
the… Rock’s Anchor Cafe, noon Sat Jan 19
Quad City Leadership Academy, a program for those
who want to step into leadership… Integrity Integrated
Inc., 8am Fri Jan 25
AD/HD Support Group, learn how other adults cope
with their AD/HD, share your experiences, and get
useful information about resources in the Quad Cities;
this support group is geared towards the concerns of
adults dealing with AD/HD and similar conditions; due
to the topics that our group attendees may need to
address, children are not permitted at these meetings,
Deere-Wiman Carriage House, 817 11th Ave., Moline IL,
Facebook.com/groups/QCJUSTADDFRIENDS, 3:30pm
Sat Jan 26
Citizens to Reform DHS (Illinois Child and Family
Services), lunchtime discussions on the first and third
Saturdays of the… Rock’s Anchor Cafe, noon Sat Feb 2
Ecumenical Fellowship Church, lunchtime
discussions on the first and third Saturdays of the…
Rock’s Anchor Cafe, noon Sat Feb 2
Ecumenical Fellowship Church Bi-Monthly
Luncheon, lunchtime discussions on the first and third
Saturdays of the… Rock’s Anchor Cafe, noon Sat Feb 2
Farm and Pet Breeders Association Meeting,
lunchtime discussions on the first and third Saturdays of
the… Rock’s Anchor Cafe, noon Sat Feb 2
HEALTH
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
Nutrition Classes, Iowa State University Extension and
Outreach offers free nutrition classes… thru Wed Feb 6
Meditation Garden, open for prayer sunrise to sunset;
walk around road-closure signs;… Meditation Garden,
Thu Jan 10 thru Wed Feb 6
Whole Food Plant-Based Cooking 101, a
presentation in the four-part “How Not to Die” series,…
Moline Public Library, 6pm Mon Jan 14
NAMI Peer Support Group, on the 2nd & 4th Mon. of
the month; the… Butterworth Center, 6:30pm Mon Jan
14 thru Mon Jan 28
Yoga, on Tuesdays; for information, call 309-794-0991…
Quad City Botanical Center, 5pm Tue Jan 15 thru Tue
Jan 29
Popeye or Wimpy: Fitness and Functionality on a
WFPB Lifestyle and Eating Healthy on the Road, a
presentation in the four-part “How Not to Die” series,…
Moline Public Library, 6pm Mon Jan 21
Lifestyle Medicine: Putting Evidence into Action
to Rebalance the Healthy/Disease Equation, a
presentation in the four-part “How Not to Die” series;…
Moline Public Library, 6pm Mon Jan 28
Yoga, on Tuesdays; for information, call 309-794-0991…
Quad City Botanical Center, 5pm Tue Feb 5
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
Wisdom and Wellness, learn health and wellness skills
from area experts; a new… Davenport Public Library -
Eastern Avenue Branch, 4pm Wed Feb 6
SENIORS
Knitting & Crocheting, on Thursdays; volunteer
club; for information, call 563-386-7477, CASI (Center for
Active Seniors), 1035 W. Kimberly Road, Davenport IA,
CASISeniors.org, 12:30pm thru Thu Jan 31
Line Dancing II, on Thursdays; $3-5; for information,
call 563-386-7477, CASI (Center for Active Seniors),
1035 W. Kimberly Road, Davenport IA, CASISeniors.org,
2:30pm thru Thu Jan 31
New Horizons Band Practice, on Thursdays; $2-5;
for information, call 563-386-7477, CASI (Center for
Active Seniors), 1035 W. Kimberly Road, Davenport IA,
CASISeniors.org, 12:30pm thru Thu Jan 31
Euchre, on Thursdays & Fridays; $2-5; for information,
call 563-386-7477, CASI (Center for Active Seniors),
1035 W. Kimberly Road, Davenport IA, CASISeniors.org,
12:45pm thru Fri Feb 1
Billiards, Mon.-Fri.; $2; for information, call 563-386-
7477, CASI (Center for Active Seniors), 1035 W. Kimberly
Road, Davenport IA, CASISeniors.org, 8am thru Wed
Feb 6
Low-Impact Exercise, Mon.-Fri.; $2-5; for information,
call 563-386-7477, CASI (Center for Active Seniors), 1035
W. Kimberly Road, Davenport IA, CASISeniors.org, 9am
thru Wed Feb 6
Reflexology Clinic, on Wed. & Thu.; for information,
call 563-386-7477, CASI (Center for Active Seniors), 1035
W. Kimberly Road, Davenport IA, CASISeniors.org, 1pm
thru Wed Feb 6
Ceramics I & II, on Fridays; $7-11; for information, call
563-386-7477, CASI (Center for Active Seniors), 1035 W.
Kimberly Road, Davenport IA, CASISeniors.org, 9am Fri
Jan 11 thru Fri Feb 1
Golden Tones Chorus Practice, on Fridays; $2-5;
for information, call 563-386-7477, CASI (Center for
Active Seniors), 1035 W. Kimberly Road, Davenport IA,
CASISeniors.org, 9am Fri Jan 11 thru Fri Feb 1
Senior Theatre: Second Avenue Players, on Fridays;
$2-5; for information, call 563-386-7477, CASI (Center for
Active Seniors), 1035 W. Kimberly Road, Davenport IA,
CASISeniors.org, 10:30am Fri Jan 11 thru Fri Feb 1
Zumba, on Fridays; $3-5; for information, call 563-386-
7477, CASI (Center for Active Seniors), 1035 W. Kimberly
Road, Davenport IA, CASISeniors.org, 8am Fri Jan 11
thru Fri Feb 1
Bridge, on Mondays & Fridays; $2-5; for information, call
563-386-7477, CASI (Center for Active Seniors), 1035 W.
Kimberly Road, Davenport IA, CASISeniors.org, 12:30pm
Fri Jan 11 thru Mon Feb 4
Ceramics I, on Mondays & Fridays; $7-11; for
information, call 563-386-7477, CASI (Center for
Flatfoot 56 at the Redstone Room – January 26
Active Seniors), 1035 W. Kimberly Road, Davenport IA,
CASISeniors.org, 9:30am Fri Jan 11 thru Mon Feb 4
Genesis Blood Pressure Checks, on Mondays;
for information, call 563-386-7477, CASI (Center for
Active Seniors), 1035 W. Kimberly Road, Davenport IA,
CASISeniors.org, 9am Mon Jan 14 thru Mon Feb 4
Shuffleboard, on Mondays; $2-5; for information, call
563-386-7477, CASI (Center for Active Seniors), 1035 W.
Kimberly Road, Davenport IA, CASISeniors.org, 2:15pm
Mon Jan 14 thru Mon Feb 4
Ugly Quilts, on Mondays; no sewing experience
necessary; free; for information, call 563-386-7477, CASI
(Center for Active Seniors), 1035 W. Kimberly Road,
Davenport IA, CASISeniors.org, 8am Mon Jan 14 thru
Mon Feb 4
Zumba Gold Toning, on Mondays; $3-5; for
information, call 563-386-7477, CASI (Center for
Active Seniors), 1035 W. Kimberly Road, Davenport IA,
CASISeniors.org, 10:15am Mon Jan 14 thru Mon Feb 4
Genesis Foot Clinic, on Mon. & Tue.; reservations
required; for information, call 563-320-3978, CASI (Center
for Active Seniors), 1035 W. Kimberly Road, Davenport IA,
CASISeniors.org, 8am Mon Jan 14 thru Tue Feb 5
Canasta, on Tuesdays; $2-5; for information, call
563-386-7477, CASI (Center for Active Seniors), 1035 W.
Kimberly Road, Davenport IA, CASISeniors.org, 1pm Tue
Jan 15 thru Tue Feb 5
Line Dancing I, on Tuesdays; $3-5; for information, call
563-386-7477, CASI (Center for Active Seniors), 1035 W.
Kimberly Road, Davenport IA, CASISeniors.org, 9am Tue
Jan 15 thru Tue Feb 5
Line Dancing Lesson, on Tuesdays; free; for
information, call 563-386-7477, CASI (Center for
Active Seniors), 1035 W. Kimberly Road, Davenport IA,
CASISeniors.org, 8:30am Tue Jan 15 thru Tue Feb 5
Senior Technology Clinic, on Tuesdays; $5-7;
for information, call 563-386-7477, CASI (Center for
Active Seniors), 1035 W. Kimberly Road, Davenport IA,
CASISeniors.org, 1pm Tue Jan 15 thru Tue Feb 5
Spiritual Devotions, on Tuesdays; free; for
information, call 563-386-7477, CASI (Center for
Active Seniors), 1035 W. Kimberly Road, Davenport IA,
CASISeniors.org, 8am Tue Jan 15 thru Tue Feb 5
Bunco, on Wednesdays; $2-5; for information, call
563-386-7477, CASI (Center for Active Seniors), 1035 W.
Kimberly Road, Davenport IA, CASISeniors.org, 1pm Wed
Jan 16 thru Wed Feb 6
Cribbage, on Wednesdays; $2-5; for information, call
563-386-7477, CASI (Center for Active Seniors), 1035 W.
Kimberly Road, Davenport IA, CASISeniors.org, 1pm Wed
Jan 16 thru Wed Feb 6
Early Bird Bingo, on Wednesdays; no admission fee,
card costs are $0.25 & $0.50/card; for information, call
563-386-7477, CASI (Center for Active Seniors), 1035 W.
Kimberly Road, Davenport IA, CASISeniors.org, 6pm
Wed Jan 16 thru Wed Feb 6
River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 26 No. 957 • January 2019
THEATRE
(a work in progress)
Friday, January 11, through Sunday, January 20 @ Playcrafters Barn Theatre,
4950 35th Avenue, Moline, IL
T he first show of the Playcrafters Barn The-
atre’s 2019 season, running January 11
through 20, is writer/director Alexander Rich-
ardson’s (a work in progress) – a backstage/
front-of-stage comedy Richardson originally
wrote in 2015 and drastically re-wrote for its
area debut. And the play serves as a fitting
introduction to what may be the venerable
venue’s most ambitious season yet, with 11
wildly varied productions scheduled for the
next 11 months. One might call it (an experi-
ment in progress).
Having previously served on Playcrafters’
Board of Directors for three years, Richardson
also serves as lead producer for Playcrafters’
Barn Owl Series devoted to one-weekend runs
of recently written, challenging, and oftentimes
controversional productions. He says that the
idea for the theatre’s ambitious season “came
up kind of recently. We started the Barn Owls
back in 2017 and we really liked the response
we got. Not necessarily audience-wise,” he
adds with a laugh, “because the turnout wasn’t
usually terrific. But each show has been get-
ting better and better audience turnout and
reception, and we did like the response we
got from artists in doing these newer works
that hadn’t been done in the area before. And,
frankly, we were kind of struggling a little bit
ticket-wise. It felt a little like, ‘Oh, Playcrafters
– they’ve been there forever. We don’t really
need to go see shows there.’
“So we just kind of decided to so something
drastically different than what we’d done in the
past – to just go all in and pick these great,
crazy shows that everyone wanted to be part
of.”
One of them, to Richardson’s delight, was
(a work in progress), which its writer/director
says “was first put up at the University of Illi-
nois in May of 2016 through one of the local
student-led theatre companies. I guess the
easy way to describe it is that it’s a comedy
about a failing theatre company that’s really
on its last leg. They have no money left, they
have nothing going for them, so they decide
to put all their efforts into one last-ditch-effort
show … and it’s just a total disaster. Every-
thing that could go wrong does. Phones going
off on-stage. Sound cues missing. Light cues
not going right. Actors being dismissed during
tech week. It’s all there.”
After the comedy’s initial 2016 staging, says
Richardson, “I was like, ‘All right, that was
good,’ and I didn’t think I’d ever come back to
it. But I really liked the idea of the script and
started thinking about how I could improve on
it, and ended up re-writing most of it – I basi-
cally kept the character names and changed
most everything else. So I presented it to the
Playcrafters Board, not even knowing if they
wanted to do something from a local writer.
And they were like, ‘We don’t care that it’s orig-
inal – we just think it’s funny. Do you want to
do it?’ And I was like, ‘Uh … sure. Let’s do it!’”
Running January 12 through 20, (a work in
progress) features Micah Bernas, Zach Hunter,
Elizabeth Melville, Jesse Mohr, Dave More-
land, Lauren VanSpeybroeck, Jo Vasquez,
and Nicholas Waldbusser, and promises to
start Playcrafters’ 2019 on a funny and ener-
getic note. But the theatre’s new season is
nothing if not eclectic, offering everything
from the intense drama of Arthur Miller’s The
17
By Mike Schulz
Micah Bernas and Lauren VanSprebroeck in
(a work in progress)
Crucible to the Dungeons-and-Dragons bat-
tles of Qui Nguyen’s She Kills Monsters to the
singing and sexually active puppets of Avenue
Q – titles that, Richardson admits, may not be
to everyone’s personal taste.
“We’re absolutely going to get complaints
about Avenue Q,” says Richardson with a
laugh. “Even when we did Clybourne Park
last year, which isn’t really that offensive in the
grand scheme of things, we still got complaints
about the language. So I’d imagine Avenue Q
isn’t going to go over too great with most of
our base.
“But Avenue Q has a warm message,”
Richardson adds. “Yeah, there’s a lot of really
naughty words, but you leave the show feeling
good. And we’re hoping that shows like this get
a lot of new people to try us out. Like, we knew
it was going to be a ‘statement’ to do Crucible
now. But (director) Patti Flaherty has a great
cast, and she’s really amped to do it and get
that show out there. She Kills Monsters is
completely different from anything we’ve done
before – it’s like its own little genre of show.
So we’re really excited to be trying out new
things like this.
“And the biggest thing I’m excited about is
that this year our Barn Owl Series is entirely
directed by women, and we’re doing plays
that feature strong female roles, which is
something, unfortunately, you don’t really
see much in the Quad Cities. Playcrafters is
guilty of it, too – I think we did three two-man
shows this past year. But we’re really trying
to push back against that, giving a platform
to women directors to tell women’s stories.”
Between the five plays in the Barn Owl Series
(with titles including Five Women Wearing the
Same Dress, 4000 Miles, and the Chekhov
satire Stupid F---ing Bird – a potential cause
for complaint right there) and the two-week-
end runs of six additional productions, plenty
of stories will be told at Playcrafters in 2019.
Though not a full dozen of them … maybe.
“We say we’re not doing one in Decem-
ber,” Richardson says with a laugh. “But we’re
already talking about something we might do
in the way of a holiday show. But nothing is
confirmed or official. We’re taking December
off. In theory.”
(a work in progress) runs January 9 through
20 at the Playcrafters Barn Theatre, with per-
formances at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Sat-
urdays and 3 p.m. on Sundays. Admission is
$7-13, and more information and tickets are
available by calling (309)762-0330 or visiting
Playcrafters.com.
 18 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 26 No. 957 • January 2019
Paw Patrol Live! at the TaxSlayer Center – January 26 and 27
CONTINUED
SENIORS
Energizing Yoga, on Wednesdays; $7-10; for
information, call 563-386-7477, CASI (Center for
Active Seniors), 1035 W. Kimberly Road, Davenport IA,
CASISeniors.org, 2pm Wed Jan 16 thru Wed Feb 6
Pinochle, on Wednesdays; $2-5; for information, call
563-386-7477, CASI (Center for Active Seniors), 1035 W.
Kimberly Road, Davenport IA, CASISeniors.org, 1pm
Wed Jan 16 thru Wed Feb 6
TOPS (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly), on
Wednesdays; 11:30am weigh-in, noon meeting; $1;
for information, call 563-386-7477, CASI (Center for
Active Seniors), 1035 W. Kimberly Road, Davenport IA,
CASISeniors.org, 11:30am Wed Jan 16 thru Wed Feb 6
T’ai Chi Ch’un, on Wednesdays; $24-36/6 weeks;
for information, call 563-386-7477, CASI (Center for
Active Seniors), 1035 W. Kimberly Road, Davenport IA,
CASISeniors.org, 10:25am Wed Jan 16 thru Wed Feb 6
Zumba Gold, on Wednesdays; $3-5; for information,
call 563-386-7477, CASI (Center for Active Seniors), 1035
W. Kimberly Road, Davenport IA, CASISeniors.org, 9am
Wed Jan 16 thru Wed Feb 6
Walgreens Medication Review & Blood Pressure
Check, free; for information, call 563-386-7477, CASI
(Center for Active Seniors), 1035 W. Kimberly Road,
Davenport IA, CASISeniors.org, 10am Thu Jan 17
Classic Movie, $2-5; for information, call 563-386-7477,
CASI (Center for Active Seniors), 1035 W. Kimberly Road,
Davenport IA, CASISeniors.org, 1pm Tue Jan 22
Grief Support Group, on the 2nd & 4th Wed. of
the month; donations accepted; for information, call
563-386-7477, CASI (Center for Active Seniors), 1035 W.
Kimberly Road, Davenport IA, CASISeniors.org, 9:30am
Wed Jan 23
CASI Book Club, $2-5; for information, call 563-386-
7477, CASI (Center for Active Seniors), 1035 W. Kimberly
Road, Davenport IA, CASISeniors.org, 10am Fri Feb 1
Red Hat Club Luncheon, locations vary monthly;
for information, call 563-386-7477, CASI (Center for
Active Seniors), 1035 W. Kimberly Road, Davenport IA,
CASISeniors.org, noon Tue Feb 5
KIDS’ STUFF
Weekly & Bi-Weekly
Preschool Story Time, on Thursdays, for ages 36
months thru pre-K; age-appropriate stories… Moline
Public Library, 10am thru Thu Jan 31
Preschool Storytime, Tue.-Fri. at 10am and Mon. at
6:30pm; for information, call 563-344-4175… Bettendorf
Public Library, thru Wed Feb 6
Tales for Tots!, on Thursdays; ages birth to age three
and a caregiver… Bettendorf Public Library, thru Thu
Jan 31
Toddler Storytime, msic, movement, and stories for
ages 18 months… Davenport Public Library - Eastern
Avenue Branch, 10am thru Thu Jan 31
Together Time Tales, on for families with children
in 3rd grade and… Silvis Public Library, 6pm thru Thu
Jan 31
Young Adult Tabletop Roleplaying, on Tue. &
Thu.; for information, call 563-344-4175 or e-mail info@
bettendorflibrary.com… Bettendorf Public Library, 3pm
thru Thu Jan 31 and Tue Feb 5
Baby Storytime, on Fridays; for ages 2-5; featuring
books, songs, rhymes, lap… Davenport Public Library -
Fairmount Street Branch, 10am Fri Jan 11 thru Fri Feb 1
Preschool Storytime, on Fridays; stories, songs, and
crafts for preschoolers; free; for… Davenport Public
Library - Eastern Avenue Branch, 3:30pm Fri Jan 11 thru
Fri Feb 1
Child’s Play: Create, Explore, Experience, on
Saturdays; designed for preschoolers, but all welcome;
rotating programs… Bettendorf Public Library, 10am Sat
Jan 12 thru Sat Feb 2
Circle Time Storytime, on Mondays for ages 2-5;
this storytime will be all… Davenport Public Library -
Fairmount Street Branch, 10am Mon Jan 14 thru Mon
Feb 4
Library Playgroup, on Mondays; meet with other
parents and caregivers during open play… Davenport
Public Library - Fairmount Street Branch, 10:30am Mon
Jan 14 thru Mon Feb 4
PNG Tween/Teen STEAM Club Program: Lego
Space Challenge, on Mondays; students in grades 4-8
can use LEGO Mindstorms… Moline Public Library, 4pm
Mon Jan 14 thru Mon Feb 4
Story Time for Littles, on Mondays; a chance for our
youngest patrons to enjoy… Moline Public Library, Mon
Jan 14 thru Mon Feb 4
Tales for Tots!, on Mondays; ages birth to age three
and a caregiver… Bettendorf Public Library, 10am Mon
Jan 14 thru Feb 4
Circle Time Storytime, on Tuesdays; we will talk,
sing, play, and read during… Davenport Public Library
- Eastern Avenue Branch, 9:30am Tue Jan 15 thru Tue
Feb 5
Girls Who Code, on Tuesdays; for girls in grades
6-12 who are interested… Davenport Public Library -
Fairmount Street Branch, 4:30pm Tue Jan 15 thru Tue
Feb 5
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
Library Playgroup, on Tuesdays; meet with other
parents and caregivers during open… Davenport Public
Library - Eastern Avenue Branch, 10am Tue Jan 15 thru
Tue Feb 5
Preschool Story Time, on Tuesdays; join our children
librarians for an energetic, read-aloud… East Moline
Public Library, 10:30am Tue Jan 15 thru Tue Feb 5
Teen/Tween Table Top Role Playing, on Tuesdays;
for those who enjoy games such as Pathfinder… Moline
Public Library, 4pm Tue Jan 15 thru Tue Feb 5
After School Kids Lab, on Wednesdays; for
information, call 563-344-4175 or e-mail info@
bettendorflibrary.com… Bettendorf Public Library, 3pm
Wed Jan 16 thru Wed Feb 6
Little Makers, on Wednesdays; we’ll have plenty of
craft supplies and a… Davenport Public Library - Eastern
Avenue Branch, 3:30pm Wed Jan 16 thru Wed Feb 6
Magic: The Gathering Club, on Wednesdays;
for information, call 563-344-4175 or e-mail info@
bettendorflibrary.com… Bettendorf Public Library,
2:45pm Wed Jan 16 thru Wed Feb 6
Night Owl Storytime, on Wednesdays; a special
storytime to end your day and… Davenport Public
Library - Eastern Avenue Branch, 6pm Wed Jan 16 thru
Wed Feb 6
STEAM-a-rama, on Wednesdays; themed
programming for grades K-5; free; for information,…
Moline Public Library, 2pm Wed Jan 16 thru Wed Feb 6
Teen Gaming, on Wednesdays; try out new games
and gaming systems; we… Davenport Public Library
- Fairmount Street Branch, 3pm Wed Jan 16 thru Wed
Feb 6
Toddler Storytime, on Wednesdays for ages 2-5;
music, movement, and stories for… Davenport Public
Library - Fairmount Street Branch, 10am Wed Jan 16
thru Wed Feb 6
Yoga & Stories, on Wednesdays; for information, call
563-344-4175 or e-mail info@bettendorflibrary.com…
Bettendorf Public Library, 6:30pm Wed Jan 16 thru Wed
Feb 6
Moline Public Library Winter Wonderland
Reading Challenge, for grades preK-5; free; for
information, call… Moline Public Library, Sat Jan 19
thru Wed Feb 6
Chill Out with a Good Book: Winter Reading
Program, thru Feb. 28; stop by the Children’s
Department to pick… East Moline Public Library, Fri Feb
1 thru Wed Feb 6
Through February 5
Creativity Lab, for grades K-5; a different art activity
each session; free;… Moline Public Library, 6pm Thu
Jan 10
Quad City Arts Visiting Artists The Moxie Strings at Bettendorf High School – January 24
Teen Advisory Board, hang out, eat snacks, learn
about volunteer opportunities and share… Davenport
Public Library - Fairmount Street Branch, 6:30pm Thu
Jan 10
Lego Club: Animals, we’ll supply the Legos, you bring
your imagination; create something… East Moline
Public Library, 3:30pm Fri Jan 11
Play & Grow Time, talk, sing, read, and play to early
literacy; activities, structured… Rock Island Public
Library - Downtown Library, 10:30am Fri Jan 11
Teen Rustic DIY, design a wooden sign for your room;
all supplies provided,… East Moline Public Library, 4pm
Fri Jan 11
Book Explorers: Junior/Senior Book Club,
for information, call 563-344-4175 or e-mail info@
bettendorflibrary.com… Bettendorf Public Library, 3pm
Sat Jan 12
Kid’s Cooking Class, for grades 2-5; learn cooking
basics with Ms. Cathy; free;… River Valley District Library,
11:30am Sat Jan 12
STEAM-azing: Strawbees Inventor Kit, for grades
K-6; use key-shaped bits of recycled plastic that… Rock
Island Public Library - Downtown Library, 2pm Sat Jan
12
Saturday Movie Matinee, bring the whole family for
popcorn and a recently released… Davenport Public
Library - Main, 2pm Sat Jan 12
Saturday Storytime, enjoy a morning of songs,
stories, and activities; free; for… Davenport Public
Library - Eastern Avenue Branch, 10am Sat Jan 12
Ugly: A Memoir, for grades 3-5; a discussion of
Robert Hoge’s book with… Rock Island Public Library -
Downtown Library, 1pm Sat Jan 12
Read to a Dog, QC CAN’s Reading Assistance Dogs are
specially trained, along with… Davenport Public Library
- Eastern Avenue Branch, 5:30pm Mon Jan 14
Anime Night, teens watch Anime online, enjoy
Japanese snacks, learn to write… Rock Island Public
Library - Downtown Library, 5:30pm Tue Jan 15
Junior Explorers: The Moon, explore a new science
theme through hands-on exploratory stations each…
LeClaire Community Library, 6:30pm Tue Jan 15
Petite Picassos, hands-on creation experience for ages
five and under includes a… Rock Island Public Library -
30/31 Branch, 10:30am Tue Jan 15
Teen Take Ten, take ten from your busy schedule with
laid-back activities with… East Moline Public Library,
5pm Tue Jan 15
Teen Volunteer Night, fulfill needed service hours
or use on job applications; we… Silvis Public Library,
5:30pm Tue Jan 15
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
Big/Little Book Club, book club for kids in 3rd-5th
grade and their… Davenport Public Library - Eastern
Avenue Branch, 6:30pm Wed Jan 16
Evening Story Time for Littles, a chance for our
youngest patrons to enjoy a story and… Moline Public
Library, 6pm Wed Jan 16
Mini Makers: Sea Jellies, sensory play encourages
toddlers to explore and get to know… LeClaire
Community Library, 10:30am Wed Jan 16
Putnam Preschool, for ages 5 & under; engaging
science experiences and hands-on… Rock Island Public
Library - Southwest Branch, 10:30am Wed Jan 16
Family Storytime, join us as the library and local
organization Unite in… Davenport Public Library - Main,
10am Thu Jan 17
Toddler Tales Storytimes, stories, songs, and a craft
for ages five and under;… Rock Island Public Library -
Downtown Library, 10:30am Fri Jan 18
Books on the Beach Family “Read-In”, event
features reading activities and storytimes, make and take
craft,… Quad City Botanical Center, 11am Sat Jan 19
Breakfast with the Bactrians, after breakfast, go
behind the scenes to meet our gregarious… Niabi Zoo,
8:30am Sat Jan 19
Escape to Narnia, family event based on the C.S. Lewis
books; free; for… Moline Public Library, 2pm Sat Jan 19
Fortnite, hang out with other teens and play Fortnite
in the… Davenport Public Library - Fairmount Street
Branch, 2pm Sat Jan 19
Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead! Geronimo Stilton Party,
celebrate the ‘famouse’ journalist and editor of The
Rodent’s Gazette;… Silvis Public Library, 11am Sat Jan 19
Story Travelers, for information, call 563-344-4175 or
e-mail info@bettendorflibrary.com… Bettendorf Public
Library, 2pm Sat Jan 19
Tween Slime Club, join us for the first tween slime club
of the… East Moline Public Library, 2pm Sat Jan 19
Ready, Set, STEAM, for grades K-5; featuring projects
for all ages, learn about… East Moline Public Library,
4pm Mon Jan 21
STEM Night, for ges 6+; join us every month for
learning and… Davenport Public Library - Fairmount
Street Branch, 6pm Tue Jan 22
Teen Winter Library Olympics, prove that you’ve got
what it takes to take Gold… Silvis Public Library, 5:30pm
Tue Jan 22
Toddler Tales Storytimes, stories, songs, and a craft
for ages five and under;… Rock Island Public Library -
30/31 Branch, 10:30am Tue Jan 22
Family Storytime, join us for stories, rhymes, & crafts;
activities are best… LeClaire Community Library, 6:30pm
Tue Jan 22 thru Tue Jan 29
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Live, live stage show
based on the #1 PBS KIDS TV series; $28.75 & up; for
tickets, call 800-745-3000, Adler Theatre, 136 E. Third St.,
Davenport IA, AdlerTheatre.com, 6pm Wed Jan 23
Petite Picassos, hands-on creation experience for ages
five and under includes a… Rock Island Public Library -
Southwest Branch, 10:30am Wed Jan 23
Tween/Teen Gaming, a variety of electronic,
computer and board games will be… Moline Public
Library, 2:30pm Wed Jan 23
Toddle Time, this program focuses on finger plays,
songs, and stories; activities… LeClaire Community
Library, 10:30am Wed Jan 23 thru Wed Jan 30
Homeschool Hangout, a short information literacy
presentation will highlight library resources, followed…
Davenport Public Library - Main, 11am Thu Jan 24
Hug-a-Book Dance Party, dance your way into early
learning with a fun dance-along… Rock Island Public
Library - Downtown Library, 6pm Thu Jan 24
River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 26 No. 957 • January 2019 19
Libros y Amigos, join us as the Library and LULAC
present our first… Davenport Public Library - Fairmount
Davenport Public Library - Eastern Avenue Branch, 1pm
Mon Feb 4 December 4 Crossword Answers
Street Branch, 6pm Thu Jan 24
Homework Heroes, get help solving your homework
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning conundrums; be a hero yourself… Silvis Public Library,
Thief, students in grades 6-12 are invited to an 4pm Mon Feb 4
interactive showing… Moline Public Library, 5:30pm
Thu Jan 24 Ready, Set, STEAM, for grades K-5; featuring projects
for all ages, learn about… East Moline Public Library,
LEGO Wind Racers Challenge, build a wind race 4pm Mon Feb 4
car out of Legos; free; for… East Moline Public Library,
3:30pm Fri Jan 25 Play & Grow Time, talk, sing, read, and play to early
literacy; activities, structured… Rock Island Public
Putnam Preschool, for ages 5 & under; engaging Library - 30/31 Branch, 10:30am Tue Feb 5
science experiences and hands-on… Rock Island Public
Library - Downtown Library, 10:30am Fri Jan 25 Teen Volunteer Night, fulfill needed service hours
or use on job applications; we… Silvis Public Library,
Teen Murder Mystery, solve the murder of our 5:30pm Tue Feb 5
beloved Teen Librarian; free; for… East Moline Public
Library, 5pm Fri Jan 25 Evening Story Time for Littles, a chance for our
youngest patrons to enjoy a story and… Moline Public
Beginning Cartooning, for grades K-5; free; for Library, 6pm Wed Feb 6
information, call 309-524-2470… Moline Public Library,
10:30am Sat Jan 26 Putnam Preschool, for ages 5 & under; engaging
science experiences and hands-on… Rock Island Public
Chess Club, for information, call 563-344-4175 or e-mail Library - Southwest Branch, 10:30am Wed Feb 6
info@bettendorflibrary.com… Bettendorf Public Library,
11:30am Sat Jan 26 Teen Valentine Treats, treat yourselves to some
delicious No Bake sweets you’ll learn… Silvis Public
Kids’ Pick a Movie, for grades 6 & under; vote in the Library, 4:30pm Wed Feb 6
Children’s Department… East Moline Public Library, 1pm
Sat Jan 26
Saturday Storytime, enjoy an afternoon of songs,
stories, and activities; free; for… Davenport Public
Library - Fairmount Street Branch, 3:30pm Sat Jan 26
Teen Video Contest: Stop Motion Workshop, lhow
to make a simple stop-motion video while the library’s…
Davenport Public Library - Fairmount Street Branch, 1pm
Sat Jan 26
PAW Patrol Live! The Great Pirate Adventure,
all-new family-themed stage adventure with characters
from the Nickelodeon series;… TaxSlayer Center, 10am
Sat Jan 26 thru Tue Jan 29
Evening Preschool Story Time, for ages 36 months
thru pre-K; age-appropriate stories and activities…
Moline Public Library, 6pm Mon Jan 28
Homework Heroes, get help solving your homework
conundrums; be a… Silvis Public Library, 4pm Mon Jan
28
Putnam Preschool, for ages 5 & under; engaging
science experiences and hands-on… Rock Island Public
Library - 30/31 Branch, 10:30am Tue Jan 29
Teen Advisory Board: Awards Night, the meeting
will consist of awards ceremony and regular scheduled…
Silvis Public Library, 6:30pm Tue Jan 29
Toddler Tales Storytimes, stories, songs, and a craft
for ages five and under;… Rock Island Public Library -
Southwest Branch, 10:30am Wed Jan 30
Gaming Night, for ages 8 & up; check out our Wii U…
Rock Island Public Library - Downtown Library, 5:30pm
Thu Jan 31
Lego Club, for ages 5-11; design and build your own
masterpiece to… Silvis Public Library, 4pm Thu Jan 31
Petite Picassos, hands-on creation experience for ages
five and under includes a… Rock Island Public Library -
Downtown Library, 10:30am Fri Feb 1
Teen Library Council Meeting, join us for the
meeting to receive your member card… East Moline
Public Library, 4pm Fri Feb 1
Junior Theatre: Aesop’s Fables, join us as our friends
from Junior Theatre read stories… Davenport Public
Library - Eastern Avenue Branch, 10am Sat Feb 2
Lego Party, come build with us and enjoy Lego-
themed snacks, crafts, and… Davenport Public Library
- Fairmount Street Branch, 2pm Sat Feb 2
Winter Carnival, for information, call 563-344-4175 or
e-mail info@bettendorflibrary.com… Bettendorf Public
Library, 9am Sat Feb 2
Homeschool Book Explorers, book club for
homeschooled kids in 3rd through 5th grade;…
20 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 26 No. 957 • January 2019 Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com

SPORTSMANSHIP · JANUARY 15, 2019

Crossword Dec. 4 Answers: Page 19

ACROSS 82. Coin 38. Dazzles

1. Dramatis personae 83. Called, in a way 39. Kangaroo bear
5. A lot 84. “Kate & _” 40. New-age singer
10. Vamoose 85. Drunken ones 41. Utterly simple
15. Uttar Pradesh city 87. Got along 42. “Nanny” butler
19. Exchange fee 88. Invaders from Mars 43. Where Memphis is
20. Kind of grass 89. Charged particle 45. Beverages
21. _ -ho 90. Simple 46. Curdles
22. Farm building 91. Took legal action 49. “_ la vista, baby”
23. Rent 92. Pumps 50. Ached
24. Willow rod 95. End of the quip: 3 wds. 51. Footnote abbr.
25. Speaker of the quip at 27-Across: 102. Make holy 53. Bout of drinking
2 wds. 104. Pith helmet: Var. 54. Windmill sails
27. Start of a quip: 3 wds. 105. Yep 58. Parties
30. Alphabetized list 106. Touch on 59. Lent a hand
31. Trees 107. Grows dim 60. L-Q link
32. Bridge support 108. Genus of water birds 62. Spare
33. Wildebeest 109. _ Kett of old comics 63. East Indies archipelago
34. Like a night sky 110. Sub _ 64. Perfected
37. Bank heist 111. On the left 65. Lapwing, a bird
39. Lamp fuel: Var. 112. Rude looks 66. Peoples: Prefix
44. Sensational 113. What’s done 67. Saint- _ -wort
45. Intimidated 68. Chopped
46. Schwarzenegger role DOWN 70. A purgative
47. Gear 1. Old Roman statesman 71. Removes
48. Pilaster 2. Old Greek contest 73. Let
49. Be undecided 3. Father 74. “La _ aux Folles”
50. Part 2 of quip: 2 wds. 4. Of barbering 75. Vacationed
52. Blabbermouths 5. Spine-chilling 77. Defy
54. _ da gamba 6. _ fortuitus 78. A noble gas
55. Onomatopoeic word 7. A dye 79. Fatherly (or motherly)
56. A palindrome 8. Conked out 83. _ -mutuel
57. Eskers 9. Fighter 84. Douglas-Home or Waugh
58. _ Fe Trail 10. Bathe 86. Snooze
59. Surrounded by 11. Chavez or Millan 87. Least
61. One-armed bandits 12. Risque 88. Hand tools
63. Salt and strip 13. Actress Gardner et al. 90. Device in a hack
64. Follower of an Indic faith 14. Coco-de- _ 91. Show scorn
65. A Euro predecessor 15. Small drupe 92. Cicatrix
67. Cynical 16. Aurum 93. Bindlestiff
68. Flightless bird 17. Took the bus 94. _ probandi
69. Bounder 18. Ne plus ultra 95. Carriage
72. Lab device 26. Ryder the actress 96. Saintly radiance
73. Parts 28. Impenetrable 97. _ the wiser
74. Movie buff 29. German art song 98. _ dixit
76. Part 3 of quip: 3 wds. 33. Steffi of tennis 99. Nerve network
79. Walked up and down, back and 34. Blackboard 100. Escort
forth 35. Audio component 101. Food fish
80. Greek weight 36. Naivete 103. Books pro
81. _ and outs 37. Jacket
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
Movie Reviews
Six Characters in Search of a Doorknob
ESCAPE ROOM
Escape Room is about a group of strang-
ers who want to escape a room, or rather
several rooms, and in its narrative ele-
gance, psychological nuance, and the-
matic incisiveness, the film brings to mind
Pirandello, or perhaps the Jean-Paul Sartre
of No Exit. “Hell is other people” wrote the
author, and as our six tormented protago-
nists struggle in the face of devastating
insularity and the nothingness of exis-
tence, Escape Room invites us to … .
I’m pulling your chain. It’s just a cheesy,
dopey little thriller. But it has its moments.
Specifically, it has production-design
moments. Like a PG-13 Saw sequel in
which the victims enter their torture
chamber voluntarily, director Adam Robi-
tel’s latest first-weekend-in-January throw-
away (following 2018’s Insidious: The Last
Key) finds a half-dozen Chicagoans accept-
ing invitations to participate in a “How do
we get out?” puzzle with a $10,000 prize.
They’re the usual rogue’s gallery of types:
a shy college student with a secret (Taylor
Russell), a flashy business executive with a
secret (Jay Ellis), a chain-smoking slacker
with a secret (Logan Miller), etc. And one
by one, as you knew they must, this secre-
tive bunch gets knocked off while attempt-
ing, through wits and luck, to find clues
and solve mysteries that lead them from
one prohibitively expensive deathtrap to
another.
Those deathtraps, though, are really
something. A halfhearted explanation
eventually suggests how Escape Room’s
puppet-masters may have been able to
afford high-rise locations that appear to
cost as much as the GNPs of most mid-size
countries. But whether the funding came
from a sociopathic Kickstarter campaign
or Jigsaw himself, the rooms that our game
players are forced to evacuate deliver an
impressive amount of giggly fun. The wait-
ing room that doubles as a 30-by-40-foot
space heater is good for some sweaty ten-
sion, with chillier treats coming from the
wintry forest site that boasts stuffed polar
bears and a barely-frozen ice pond of near-
bottomless depths. There’s suitably grubby
décor in a hospital-ward chamber; a well-
furnished study slowly collapses into itself;
walls and faces melt in a black-and-white
locale seemingly designed by M.C. Escher
and Salvador Dalí. Best of the bunch is the
billiards hall constructed entirely upside-
down, complete with barstools on the
ceiling and a creepy, distorted rendition of
Petula Clark’s “Downtown” playing in an
eternal jukebox loop. Robitel’s movie gives
you loads to look at. And thank goodness
for that, because for the whole of Escape
Room’s 100 minutes, there really isn’t any-
thing else to do.
Although our six potential escape-ees
(the others played by Nik Dodani, Tyler
Labine, and Deborah Ann Wall) wind up
being connected situationally, if not per-
sonally, we never learn quite enough about
them to determine how their pasts shape
their present thinking, so there’s little kick
in watching them employ previous expe-
rience to will their ways out of trouble.
(The minor exception comes from Wall’s
scarred Amanda, whose military train-
ing and upper-body strength prove enor-
mously beneficial.) Considering that we
almost always discover clues at the precise
moments those on-screen do, there’s noth-
ing to arouse, as Hercule Poirot would call
them, “the little gray cells” in determin-
ing what paths might or should be taken.
When we are given a hint based on prior
information – such as the stuffed animal
with eyes of two different colors – that hint
generally proves meaningless.
Most disappointingly of all, there’s no
one here to really root for – only charac-
ters that you’d prefer survived longer than
others. For my money, both Ellis’ Gordon
Gekko wannabe and Dodani’s initially
enthusiastic nerd could’ve expired during
River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 26 No. 957 • January 2019
By Mike Schulz • mike@rcreader.com
Taylor Russell in Escape Room
the Easy-Bake Oven opener with no loss
felt. Yet even Russell’s damaged bookworm
is more empathetic in theory than practice,
and the overall lack of connection to Escape
Room’s humans gives this visually arrest-
ing fi lm a distractingly airless quality; I
found myself mostly engaged on a scene-
by-scene basis and was still relieved when
it ended. (If, indeed, that was an ending,
and not merely a pause before a planned
Escape Room 2.) Tired of the constant bick-
ering between warring parties while he’s
trying to enjoy himself, Dodani’s Danny
at one point says, “It feels like I’m playing
the world’s funnest game with the world’s
meanest people.” Change “meanest” to
“dullest” and the guy has a point.
BIRD BOX
It’s been available for a while now, and
the streaming service has certainly been
pushing it hard. (Memes! Challenges!
Record-setting numbers!). So there’s prob-
ably little point in mentioning how much I
couldn’t stand Netflix’s Bird Box, a laugh-
ably dumb end-of-days thriller that’s like
A Quiet Place meets The Happening meets
The River Wild meets a wisely discarded
first draft of Stephen King’s The Mist. To
be fair, director Susanne Bier does stage an
effective mass freak-out early on. It’s easily
forgotten, however, amidst the embarrass-
ingly on-the-nose dialogue and undevel-
oped plotting (by Arrival screenwriter Eric
21
Heisserer), the cheap and nonsensical scare
tactics, and the truly unwise flashback
structure that signals, in the first minutes,
that none of the entertaining performers
Sandra Bullock interacts with – among
them Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich,
Sarah Paulson, Jacki Weaver, BD Wong,
and Lil Rey Howery – will survive to the
end credits. But just in case you haven’t
yet been seduced by Netflix’s shamelessly
aggressive advertising for this noxious
horror trifle, let me just say that the Coen
brothers’ The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is
also currently streaming. As is Alfonso
Cuarón’s Roma. As is the miraculous
Springsteen on Broadway. As is that addic-
tive, interactive Black Mirror episode. As
are lots and lots and lots of other things.
You have better ways to spend your time
than with Netfl ix’s latest year-ending
debut of a high-concept, low-impact dud
with a superstar from the ‘90s. In 2017, it
was Bright. Now it’s Bird Box. It may only
be early January, but I’m already kind of
dreading late December.
For reviews of Aquaman, Mary Poppins
Returns, Bumblebee, Spider-Man: Into
the Spider-Verse, The Mule, Vice, Second
Act, Holmes & Watson, The Favourite,
Ben Is Back, and other recent releases, visit
RCReader.com/movies.
22 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 26 No. 957 • January 2019
Gramping Her Style
My friend just joined a dating site for
elite creative professionals. Unfortunately,
it grabs your age from Facebook, so you
can’t shave off years. At 50, she’s outside of
most men’s search parameters – even older
men’s. What gives?
– Concerned
Aging is especially unkind to straight women
on dating sites. At a certain point (usually age
46 on), women find their options narrowed to
men who wear jewelry – the kind that sends the
message, “I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up!”
A study by psychologist Jan Antfolk and
his colleagues looked at sex differences in the
preferred age of romantic partners. They found
– as have other researchers – that “women are
interested in same-aged to somewhat older
men” throughout their lives.Men, on the other
hand, “show a tendency to be sexually interested
in women in their mid-20s,” a preference that
emerges in their teen years and (sorry, ladies!)
remains consistent as men age. And age. And
age.
Men’s continuing attraction to 20-some-
thing women makes evolutionary sense, as,
the researchers note, “the highest fertility” in
women “has been estimated to occur in the mid-
twenties.” However, when older men are asked
to think practically – when asked not which
women are running naked through their mind
at the checkout stand but whom they’d have a
relationship with – women more similar in age
have a shot. For example, research led by evo-
lutionary social psychologist Abraham Buunk
found that “men of 60 years old would marry a
woman of 55.”
Unfortunately, the online dating world – with
the seemingly endless stream of hot 20-some-
thing women – is not exactly fertile ground for
practicality and realism. It isn’t that men on
dating sites who are aging into the grandpa zone
could necessarily get the 20-something chick-
ies. But I suspect that these women’s mere pres-
ence – hordes and hordes of them – has what’s
called an “anchoring effect.”
This is a term from research ondecision-
makingby psychologists Amos Tversky and
Daniel Kahneman. They found that a per-
son’s “initial exposure” (to a particular price,
for example) “serves as a reference point and
influences subsequent judgments about value.”
Accordingly, in online dating, I suspect there’s
a reference point that gets set – and it is 22 and
bombshell-icious and has yet to have a whole lot
of meaningful contact with gravity.
Putting this in a less depressing way, in seek-
ing male partners, context matters. Your friend
Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave, #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405. E-mail AdviceAmy@aol.com,
visit @amyalkon on Twitter, and listen to Amy’s weekly radio show at BlogTalkRadio.com/amyalkon. Order Amy
Alkon’s new book Unf_-ology: A Field Guide to Living with Guts and Confidence (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2018).
©2018, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved. New column published weekly at RCReader.com
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
will have more interest from men when she’s in
a room – in real life – where the female com-
petition is limited in number and is around her
age. She might have better luck in online dating
at a site specifically for older people. Sites that
aren’t for the over-50 crowd only are likely to
be a continuing disappointment along the lines
of “Hmm … . Could it be that I accidentally
set my preferences to ‘wants to die alone in an
avalanche of her own cats’?!”
Debt Valley
I’m a single chick in my early 30s, and
I’m having financial difficulties. I got laid
off, and depressingly, it’s really hard to
find work. Though I want to talk to my
friends about it, I’m afraid they’d think I
was trying to borrow money, so I’ve been
keeping to myself.
– Unemployed
When you’ve been unemployed for a while,
it becomes awkward to propose get-togethers:
“Hey, wanna go out on Friday night for a glass
of air?”
However, avoiding your friends is probably
making things worse – or at least keeping you
from feeling better – because social relation-
ships seem to buffer stress, including stress
from one’s currently grim “socioeconomic
status.” This term, explains social psycholo-
gist Emily D. Hooker, refers to “an individual’s
relative rank in society based on their income,
education, and employment.” Hooker notes that
lower socioeconomic status – whether mea-
sured by such things as income and occupa-
tional prestige or mere perception of one’s own
status – is associated with higher mortality and
poorer health. (Great, huh? You’re not only short
on cash; you’re being rushed into an urn.)
But there’s good news from Hooker’s
research. When participants were exposed to
social stress in a lab situation, those who per-
ceived themselves to have lower socioeconomic
status but felt they had social support from
others in their lives had lower levels of the stress
hormone cortisol (as compared with those with
a more “Eek! I’m all alone!” orientation).
As for you, guess what: People who care
about you want to know what’s going on with
you. Ask your friends to join you in activities
that don’t cost money, like gallery openings, and
they’ll get that you’re just looking for company,
not moocher-tunities. You really can have both
the support and fun of friendship and a bank
account that resembles one of those shells of
a building in the Old West with a few tumble-
weeds blowing through it.
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Com-
puter-generated special effects used in
the 1993 film Jurassic Park may seem
modest to us now. But at the time they
were revolutionary. Inspired by the new possi-
bilities revealed, filmmakers such as Stanley
Kubrick, George Lucas, and Peter Jackson
launched new projects they had previously
thought to be beyond their ability to create. In
2019, I urge you to go in quest of your personal
equivalent of Jurassic Park’s pioneering break-
throughs. According to my analysis of the
astrological omens, you may be able to find help
and resources that enable you to get more seri-
ous about seemingly unfeasible or impractical
dreams.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): I’m a big
proponent of authenticity. I almost
always advise you to be yourself with
bold candor and unapologetic
panache. Speak the truth about your deepest
values and clearest perceptions. Be an expert
about what really moves you, and devote your-
self passionately to your relationships with what
really moves you. But there is one exception to
this approach. Sometimes it’s wise to employ
the “fake it until you make it” strategy: to pre-
tend you are what you want to be with such con-
viction that you ultimately become what you
want to be. I suspect now is one of those times
for you.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The stu-
dents’ dining hall at Michigan State
University serves gobs of mayonnaise.
But in late 2016, a problem arose when
1250 gallons of the stuff became rancid. Rather
than simply throw it away, the school’s Sustain-
ability Officer came up with a brilliant solution:
load it into a machine called an anaerobic
digester, which turns biodegradable waste into
energy. Problem solved! The transformed rot
provided electricity for parts of the campus. I
recommend you regard this story as a metaphor
for your own use. Is there anything in your life
that has begun to decay or lose its usefulness? If
so, can you convert it into a source of power?
CANCER (June 21-July 22): If you
grow vegetables, fruits, and grains on
an acre of land, you can feed 12 people.
If you use that acre to raise
meat-producing animals, you’ll feed at most
four people. But to produce the meat, you’ll
need at least four times more water and 20 times
more electric power than you would if you grew
the plants. I offer this as a useful metaphor for
you to consider in the coming months. Accord-
ing to my analysis of the astrological omens,
you should prioritize efficiency and value. What
will provide you with the most bang for your
bucks? What’s the wisest use of your resources?
LEO (July 23-August 22): Modern
kids don’t spend much time playing
outside. They have fun in natural
environments only half as often as
their parents did while growing up. In fact, the
average child spends less time in the open air
than prison inmates. And today’s unjailed
adults get even less exposure to the elements.
But I hope you will avoid that fate in 2019.
According to my astrological estimates, you
need to allocate more than the usual amount of
time to feeling the sun and wind and sky. Not
just because it’s key to your physical health, but
also because many of your best ideas and deci-
sions are likely to emerge while you’re
outdoors.
VIRGO (August 23-September 22):
NASA landed its robotic explorer
Opportunity on Mars in January of
2004. The craft’s mission, which was
supposed to last for 92 days, began by taking
photos and collecting soil samples. More than
14 years later, the hardy machine was still in
operation, continuing to send data back to
Earth. It far outlived its designed lifespan. I
foresee you being able to generate a comparable
marvel in 2019, Virgo: a stalwart resource or
influence or situation that will have more stay-
ing power than you could imagine. What could
it be?
LIBRA (September 23-October 22):
In 1557, Welsh mathematician Robert
Recorde invented the equals sign: =.
Historical records don’t tell us when
he was born, so we don’t know his astrological
sign. But I’m guessing he was a Libra. Is there
any tribe more skillful at finding correlations,
establishing equivalencies, and creating reci-
procity? In all the zodiac, who is best at crafting
righteous proportions and uniting apparent
River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 26 No. 957 • January 2019
opposites? Who is the genius of balance? In the
coming months, my friend, I suspect you will be
even more adept at these fine arts than you usu-
ally are.
SCORPIO (October 23-November
21): There’s a modest, one-story office
building at 1209 North Orange Street
in Wilmington, Delaware. More than
285,000 businesses from all over the U.S. claim
it as their address. Why? Because the state of
Delaware has advantageous tax laws that enable
those businesses to save massive amounts of
money. Other buildings in Delaware house
thousands of additional corporations. It’s all
legal. No one gets in trouble for it. I bring this to
your attention in the hope of inspiring you to
hunt for comparable situations: ethical loop-
holes and workarounds that will provide you
with extra benefits and advantages.
SAGIT TA R IUS (November
22-December 21): People in the Solo-
mon Islands buy many goods and ser-
vices with regular currency, but also
use other symbols of worth to pay for important
cultural events like staging weddings and set-
tling disputes and expressing apologies. These
alternate forms of currency include the teeth of
flying foxes, which are the local species of bat.
In that spirit, and in accordance with current
astrological omens, I’d love to see you expand
your sense of what constitutes your wealth. In
addition to material possessions and funds in
the bank, what else makes you valuable? In what
other ways do you measure your potency, your
vitality, your merit? It’s a favorable time to take
inventory.
CAPRICORN (December 22-Janu-
ary 19): In 1984, singer-songwriter
John Fogerty released a new album
whose lead single was “The Old Man
Down the Road.” It sold well. But trouble arose
soon afterward when Fogerty’s former record
company sued him in court, claiming he stole
the idea for “The Old Man Down the Road”
from “Run Through the Jungle.” That was a tune
Fogerty himself had written and recorded in
1970 while playing with the band Creedence
Clearwater Revival. The legal process took a
while, but he was ultimately vindicated. No, the
courts declared, he didn’t plagiarize himself,
23
By Rob Brezsny
even though there were some similarities
between the two songs. In this spirit, I authorize
you to borrow from a good thing you did in the
past as you create a new good thing in the
future. There’ll be no hell to pay if you engage in
a bit of self-plagiarism.
AQUARIUS (January 20-February
18): Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle
Book is a collection of fables that take
place in India. Three movies have
been made based on it. All of them portray the
giant talking snake named Kaa as an adversary
to the hero Mowgli. But in Kipling’s original
stories, Kaa is a benevolent ally and teacher. I
bring this to your attention to provide context
for a certain situation in your life. Is there an
influence with a metaphorical resemblance to
Kaa: misinterpreted by some people, but actu-
ally quite supportive and nourishing to you? If
so, I suggest you intensify your appreciation for
it.
PISCES (February 19-March 20):
Virginia Woolf thought that her Pis-
cean lover Vita Sackville-West was a
decent writer, but a bit too fluid and
effortless. Self-expression was so natural to
Sackville-West that she didn’t work hard
enough to hone her craft and discipline her flow.
In a letter, Woolf wrote, “I think there are odder,
deeper, more angular thoughts in your mind
than you have yet let come out.” I invite you to
meditate on the possibility that Woolf’s advice
might be useful in 2019. Is there anything in
your skill set that comes so easily that you
haven’t fully ripened it? If so, develop it with
more focused intention.
Homework: I’ve gathered all of the long-
term, big-picture horoscopes I wrote for
you at Bit.ly/YourGloriousStory2019. Visit
FreeWillAstrology.com.
New column published weekly
at RCReader.com
Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’s
EXPANDED WEEKLY AUDIO HOROSCOPES
& DAILY TEXT MESSAGE HOROSCOPES
The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at
1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700
24 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 26 No. 957 • January 2019
Live Music Live Music Live Music
Email all listings to calendar@rcreader.com • Deadline 5 p.m. Thursday before publication
Mozes & the Firstborn @ Triple Crown Whiskey Bar and Raccoon Motel – February 5
THURSDAY
2019/01/10 (Thu)
10
Gary Todd (6pm) – Avey/Grouws
Band (8pm) – Riverside Casino
and Golf Resort, 3184 Highway 22,
Riverside IA
Michael Richard Klics Band –
Gabe’s, 330 E. Washington St., Iowa
City IA
Moeller Nights: Martin Sexton –
Chris Trapper – The Stardust, 218
Iowa St., Davenport IA
The Science Project – 6 Odd Rats –
Bloth – Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S
Linn St, Iowa City IA
FRIDAY
2019/01/11 (Fri)
11
Colossalraptors – Mansfield
Avenue – The Besides – Gabe’s,
330 E. Washington St., Iowa City IA
Greg & Rich Acoustic Duo (6pm) –
Rock Island Hy-Vee Market Grille,
2930 18th Ave., Rock Island IL
Hello Weekend – Riverside Casino
and Golf Resort, 3184 Highway 22,
Riverside IA
Josh Duffee & the Black Hawk
Broadcasters Jazz Concert
(noon) – Moline Public Library,
3210 41st St., Moline IL
The Manny Lopez Big Band (6pm) –
The Circa ‘21 Speakeasy, 1818 Third
Ave., Rock Island IL
Moeller Nights: Buffalo Gospel – J
Council – Triple Crown Whiskey
Bar & Raccoon Motel, 304 E Third
St., Davenport IA
Mondo Generator – Droids Attack
– Road Soda – RIBCO, 1815 Second
Ave., Rock Island IL
Mustang Sally – Rhythm City Casino
Resort Rhythm Room, 7077 Elmore
Ave., Davenport IA
Parker Millsap – David Zollo – The
Mill, 120 E. Burlington St., Iowa
City IA
Skyline Sounds – Tambourine –
Pollinators – Rozz-Tox, 2108 Third
Ave., Rock Island IL
Winterland & Kind Country – South
City Revival – The Redstone
Room, 129 Main St, Davenport IA
SATURDAY
2019/01/12 (Sat)
12
3 on the Tree – RIBCO, 1815 Second
Ave., Rock Island IL
Code 415 – Fargo Lounge, 4204
Avenue of the Cities, Moline IL
Corporate Rock – 11th Street
Precinc t, 1107 Mound St.,
Davenport IA
Feral Light – Acoustic Guillotine –
Dryad – Gabe’s, 330 E. Washington
St., Iowa City IA
Greg & Rich Acoustic Duo – Green
Tree Brewery, 309 N. Cody Rd.,
LeClaire IA
Hello Weekend – Riverside Casino
and Golf Resort, 3184 Highway 22,
Riverside IA
Moeller Nights: Abby Jeanne –
Soultru – Progeny – Triple Crown
Whiskey Bar & Raccoon Motel, 304
E Third St., Davenport IA
Mustang Sally – Rhythm City Casino
Resort Rhythm Room, 7077 Elmore
Ave., Davenport IA
River Valley Rangers – Iowa City
Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St, Iowa City IA
Studebaker John & the Hawks –
Grace Performing Arts Center, 316
S. Main St., Princeton IL
SUNDAY
2019/01/13 (Sun)
13
Chamber Music Quad Cities:
The Recital (3pm) – Unitarian
Universalist Congregation of the
Quad Cities, 3707 Eastern Ave.,
Davenport IA
In the Mouth of Radness – Good
Habits – Pulsing – Gabe’s, 330 E.
Washington St., Iowa City IA
MONDAY
2019/01/14 (Mon)
14
Wayne “The Train” Hancock –
Bishop Hill Creative Commons, 309
N Bishop Hill St., Bishop Hill IL
WEDNESDAY 16
2019/01/16 (Wed)
Deltaphonic – Gabe’s, 330 E.
Washington St., Iowa City IA
The Moxie Strings (6pm) – West
Music Quad Cities, 4305 44th Ave,
Moline IL
THURSDAY
2019/01/17 (Thu)
17
Amigo the Devil – Harley Poe –
Brian Barr (8pm) – Levi Pugh
– Levi Stolz Duo (9pm) – Gabe’s,
330 E. Washington St., Iowa City IA
Fresh Wax: Garden of Earthly
Delights w/ Ryan Simpson –
Rozz-Tox, 2108 Third Ave., Rock
Island IL
Gallivant – Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S
Linn St, Iowa City IA
Laura Gibson – Stelth Ulvang – The
Mill, 120 E. Burlington St., Iowa City
IA
Moeller Nights: Soren Bryce – Triple
Crown Whiskey Bar & Raccoon
Motel, 304 E Third St., Davenport IA
The Moxie Strings: PASS Event
(6:30pm) – Black Hawk State
Historical Site’s Watch Tower
Lodge, 1510 46th Ave., Rock Island
IL
FRIDAY
2019/01/18 (Fri)
18
The Brat Pack – RIBCO, 1815 Second
Ave., Rock Island IL
Bucktown Revue – Nighswander
Theatre, 2822 Eastern Ave,
Davenport IA
Divine Minds Therapy Sessions –
Makak – Parrotice – BRUUUCE –
Atrilla the Young – Gabe’s, 330 E.
Washington St., Iowa City IA
Greg & Rich Acoustic Duo (6pm)
– Lindsay Park Yacht Club, 2100 E.
River Dr., Davenport IA
Jazz After Five: The Saul Lubaroff
Trio (5pm) – Jordan “One Shed”
Sellergren featuring Randall
Davis – Paul Cary – The Mill, 120 E.
Burlington St., Iowa City IA
Moeller Nights: JP Harris – Owen –
Dramatic Lovers – Triple Crown
Whiskey Bar & Raccoon Motel, 304
E Third St., Davenport IA
The Moxie Strings – Wesley United
Methodist Church, 400 Iowa Ave.,
Muscatine IA
Northern Parallels 028: Colin Cook
– Mike Derer – Higgy – Rozz-Tox,
2108 Third Ave., Rock Island IL
The Prissillas (8pm) – Hold On
(9:30pm) – Rhythm City Casino
Resort Rhythm Room, 7077 Elmore
Ave., Davenport IA
Roger Carlson (6pm) – Rock Island
Hy-Vee Market Grille, 2930 18th
Ave., Rock Island IL
Spoken Four Band – Riverside
Casino and Golf Resort, 3184
Highway 22, Riverside IA
Tropidelic – Iowa City Yacht Club, 13
S Linn St, Iowa City IA
SATURDAY
2019/01/19 (Sat)
19
38 Special – Rhythm City Casino
Resort Event Center, 7077 Elmore
Ave., Davenport IA
Code 415 – The Gypsy Highway Bar &
Grill, 2606 W. Locust St., Davenport
IA
The Collective: Cartman – T-Griff
– King Leer – OB1 (8pm) – Wolf
Mixer (10pm) – Gabe’s, 330 E.
Washington St., Iowa City IA
Greg & Rich Acoustic Duo (6pm) –
Tuggers Burger Bar & Ale House,
201 N. Main St., Port Byron IL
Haphazard – 11th Street Precinct,
1107 Mound St., Davenport IA
Jim Buennig – Damani Phillips –
The Mill, 120 E. Burlington St., Iowa
City IA
Moonshine Run – RIBCO, 1815
Second Ave., Rock Island IL
The Moxie Strings (10am) –
Davenport Public Library - Main,
321 Main Street, Davenport IA
The Neverly Brothers – Ohnward
Fine Arts Center, 1215 E Platt St.,
Maquoketa IA
Red Carpet Riot – Rhythm City
Casino Resort Rhythm Room, 7077
Elmore Ave., Davenport IA
Scamper – Quinn Corrigan Miller &
Reverend – Iowa City Yacht Club,
13 S Linn St, Iowa City IA
Spoken Four Band – Riverside
Casino and Golf Resort, 3184
Highway 22, Riverside IA
SUNDAY
2019/01/20 (Sun)
20
Polka Club of Iowa Eastern Chapter
Dance w/ the Ken Paulsen
Quartet (1:30pm) – Walcott
Coliseum, 116 E Bryant St, Walcott
IA
Polyrhythms’ Third Sunday Jazz
Workshop & Matinee Series:
The Manny Lopez Septet (6pm)
– The Redstone Room, 129 Main St,
Davenport IA
Reverend Raven & the Chain
Smokin’ Altar Boys (6pm) –
Moline Viking Club, 1450 41st St.,
Moline IL
MONDAY
2019/01/21 (Mon)
21
Connla – Bishop Hill Creative
Commons, 309 N Bishop Hill St.,
Bishop Hill IL
Lala Lala – Sen Morimoto – Karen
Meat – Rozz-Tox, 2108 Third Ave.,
Rock Island IL
The Moxie Strings (3pm) –
Butterworth Center, 1105 8th
Street, Moline IL
TUESDAY
2019/01/22 (Tue)
22
Jazz After Five (5pm) – The Mill, 120
E. Burlington St., Iowa City IA
The Moxie Strings (6pm) – Frances
Banta Waggoner Community
Library, 505 10th St., DeWitt IA
Ponce – Gabe’s, 330 E. Washington
St., Iowa City IA
WEDNESDAY 23
2019/01/23 (Wed)
Burlington Street Bluegrass Band –
The Mill, 120 E. Burlington St., Iowa
City IA
The Travelin’ McCourys @ the Redstone Room – January 24
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
Moeller Nights: Ponce – Sister
Wife – Subatlantic – Triple Crown
Whiskey Bar & Raccoon Motel, 304
E Third St., Davenport IA
THURSDAY
2019/01/24 (Thu)
24
Jarren Benton – QonfliQ – Tay Yung
– M.E.D. Fam (6pm) – Timbre
Ghost (9pm) – Gabe’s, 330 E.
Washington St., Iowa City IA
Moeller Nights: Dan Tedesco
– Triple Crown Whiskey Bar &
Raccoon Motel, 304 E Third St.,
Davenport IA
The Moxie Strings – Bettendorf High
School Performing Arts Center,
3333 18th St., Bettendorf IA
Tonic Sol-fa – Coralville Center for
the Performing Arts, 1301 5th St.,
Coralville IA
The Travelin’ McCourys – River
Valley Rangers – The Redstone
Room, 129 Main St, Davenport IA
Tre Voci – Hancher Auditorium, 141
East Park Rd., Iowa City IA
Victor Shores – Casual – Heart to
Gold – Del Rockford – Suburban
Commando – Rozz-Tox, 2108 Third
Ave., Rock Island IL
FRIDAY
2019/01/25 (Fri)
25
10 of Soul – Rhythm City Casino
Resort Rhythm Room, 7077 Elmore
Ave., Davenport IA
50 Shades of Rock – 11th Street
Precinc t, 1107 Mound St.,
Davenport IA
Ayla Brown (6:30pm) – Wildfire
Band (8:30pm) – Riverside Casino
and Golf Resort, 3184 Highway 22,
Riverside IA
The Blackstones – RIBCO, 1815
Second Ave., Rock Island IL
Brown Bag Lunch: Melanie
Devaney (noon) – Bettendorf
Public Library, 2950 Learning
Campus Dr., Bettendorf IA
Everclear – Riverside Casino Event
Center, 3184 Highway 22, Riverside
IA
Giallows – Waking Robots –
Kahlefum – Dead Ginger – The
Redstone Room, 129 Main St,
Davenport IA
Jazz After Five: The Steve Grismore
Trio (5pm) – The Mill, 120 E.
Burlington St., Iowa City IA
Moeller Nights: Trevor Sensor
– Triple Crown Whiskey Bar &
Raccoon Motel, 304 E Third St.,
Davenport IA
Orchestra Iowa: Art Through
Music – Coralville Center for the
Performing Arts, 1301 5th St.,
Coralville IA
SAU Music Department Piano
Festival Concert – Galvin Fine Arts
Center, St. Ambrose University,
2101 N. Gaines St., Davenport IA
Zeta – Everlasting Light – Archeress
– Rozz-Tox, 2108 Third Ave., Rock
Island IL
SATURDAY
2019/01/26 (Sat)
26
10 of Soul – Rhythm City Casino
Resort Rhythm Room, 7077 Elmore
Ave., Davenport IA
Byobrass – Nongrata – The BeSides
(9pm) – Anthony Worden (10pm)
– Gabe’s, 330 E. Washington St.,
Iowa City IA
Code 415 – Quarter-Til Tap, 4101 14th
Ave., Rock Island IL
Crooked Cactus – 11th Street
Precinc t, 1107 Mound St.,
Davenport IA
Dave & Gary of the Night People –
Fraternal Order of Eagles, 5103 11th
St., Rock Island IL
Flatfoot 56 – Other Brothers – Must
Build Jacuzzi – The Redstone
Room, 129 Main St, Davenport IA
Moeller Nights: Brother Trucker –
Sure Sure – Triple Crown Whiskey
Bar & Raccoon Motel, 304 E Third
St., Davenport IA
SAU Music Department Piano
Festival Concert – Galvin Fine Arts
Center, St. Ambrose University,
2101 N. Gaines St., Davenport IA
Sassmouth – Leesh – Kiddo – Rozz-
Tox, 2108 Third Ave., Rock Island IL
Swing Night w/ Freddy Allen and
Terry Hanson – Hauberg Civic
Center Mansion, 1300 24th St.,
Rock Island IL
Tim Grimm – Uptown Theatre, 221
1st Street NE, Mt. Vernon IA
Wildfire Band featuring Ayla
Brown – Riverside Casino and Golf
Resort, 3184 Highway 22, Riverside
IA
SUNDAY
2019/01/27 (Sun)
27
Greg & Rich Acoustic Duo (2pm) –
Len Brown’s North Shore Inn, 700
N. Shore Dr., Moline IL
Kevin Burt (11am) – Riverside Casino
and Golf Resort, 3184 Highway 22,
Riverside IA
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 26 No. 957 • January 2019 25

Live Music
MUSIC By Max Allison

Lala Lala
Email all listings to calendar@rcreader.com • Deadline 5 p.m. Thursday before publication Monday, January 21, 8 p.m. @ Rozz-Tox, 2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island, IL

TUESDAY
2019/01/29 (Tue)
29
Moeller Nights: Pony Bradshaw
SATURDAY
2019/02/02 (Sat)
2
Annie Mack Duo (6:30pm) – 10 of
SUNDAY
2019/02/03 (Sun)

Quad City Symphony Orchestra

– Triple Crown Whiskey Bar & Soul (8:30pm) – Riverside Casino
Raccoon Motel, 304 E Third St., and Golf Resort, 3184 Highway 22,
Davenport IA Riverside IA
Banda Magda (6:30 & 9pm) –
3 S inger/songwriter Lillie West helms the Chi-
cago-based grunge-rock/dream-pop project
Lala Lala (playing Rozz-Tox on January 21) from
Masterworks IV: Mahler’s 9th the persona of the disaffected slacker youth who
Symphony (2pm) – Centennial
Hall, Augustana College, 3703 7th
is quite capable – perhaps secretly, and to her
Ave., Rock Island IL own chagrin – of putting in some serious work to

WEDNESDAY 30
2019/01/30 (Wed) Hancher Auditorium, 141 East Park untangle her life’s problems.

Bayside – Golds – Gabe’s, 330 E.

Washington St., Iowa City IA
Moeller Nights: The Medium – The
Evening Attraction – Triple Crown
Whiskey Bar & Raccoon Motel, 304
E Third St., Davenport IA
FRIDAY
2019/02/01 (Fri)
1 Code 415 – Harley Corin’s, 1708 State
Aaron Kamm & the One Drops
– 6 Odd Rats – Gabe’s, 330 E.
Washington St., Iowa City IA
Bella Electric Strings: Femmes of
Rock – University of Dubuque’s
Heritage Center, 2255 Bennett St.,
Dubuque IA
Casual Classics Concert: To Be Sung
About Water – Galvin Fine Arts
Center, St. Ambrose University,
2101 N. Gaines St., Davenport IA
Nivrana: A Tribute to Nirvana –
The Redstone Room, 129 Main St,
Davenport IA
Subatlantic – Soultru featuring
FVNTVNV – Rozz-Tox, 2108 Third
Ave., Rock Island IL
Wheelhouse Band (6:30pm) –
Michael Moncada & Whiskey
High (8:30pm) – Riverside Casino
and Golf Resort, 3184 Highway 22,
Riverside IA
Rd., Iowa City IA
Benny the Jet – OP$AV –
A$thmattic – Whensday (6pm) –
Bad Advice Club – Big Oak – Max
& the Megababes (9pm) – Gabe’s,
330 E. Washington St., Iowa City IA
Bittersweet – Iowa City Yacht Club,
13 S Linn St, Iowa City IA
St., Bettendorf IA
Druids – Aseethe – Everlasting
Light – Upon the Death Horse
– RIBCO, 1815 Second Ave., Rock
Island IL
Hal Reed & Mississippi Journey
– Flatted Fifth Blues & BBQ, 300
Potter Dr., Bellevue IA
Moeller Nights: The 4onthefloor
– Triple Crown Whiskey Bar &
Raccoon Motel, 304 E Third St.,
Davenport IA
Moonshine Run – 11th Street
Precinc t, 1107 Mound St.,
Davenport IA
Quad City Symphony Orchestra
Masterworks IV: Mahler’s 9th
Symphony – Adler Theatre, 136 E.
Third St., Davenport IA
The Western Den – Bees – Wild Age
– The Redstone Room, 129 Main St,
Davenport IA
Windy City Dueling Pianos – The
Circa ‘21 Speakeasy, 1818 Third
Ave., Rock Island IL
TUESDAY
2019/02/05 (Tue)
5 On the cover of her latest album The Lamb,
Moeller Nights: Mozes & the
Firstborn – The Parrots – Triple
Crown Whiskey Bar & Raccoon
Motel, 304 E Third St., Davenport IA
Tony Sconyers Sings Nat King Cole
(noon) – Rock Island Public Library
- Downtown Library, 401 19th St.,
Rock Island IL
WEDNESDAY 6
2019/02/06 (Wed)
Moeller Nights: Twen – Jenny
O – Triple Crown Whiskey Bar &
Raccoon Motel, 304 E Third St.,
Davenport IA
Twiddle – Gabe’s, 330 E. Washington
St., Iowa City IA
released by independent-rock stalwarts (and Sub
Pop branch-off label) Hardly Art, West stares off
vaguely in the direction of the camera, not catching
the onlooker’s eye, more disinterestedly surveying
something happening way over there on the other
side of the Lake Michigan pier that drips with piles
of snow melting in the sunlight. While this image
accurately captures one typical mode that West
settles into for her vocal performances – that of
the indifferent garage rock singer whose voice
lands somewhere between a melodic whisper and
a mumbled complaint at the world – this is only one
trick up her sleeve. Her huge choruses, animated
by a more howled, heavy vocal style and peals of
noisy lead guitar, break the stereotype of the jaded
slacker to reveal an emotional gradient that encom-
passes affection, rage, sadness, and confusion.
The interplay between the muted verses and these
towering chorus moments lifts West’s songwriting
into far more surprising territories than many of her
underground-rock colleagues. Clearly, she has
carefully considered the trajectories of each of her
songs and plotted out the emotional arcs they cast.
“Destroyer” opens The Lamb with some of the
album’s most direct and affecting songwriting.
The track’s production skates over steadily chug-
ging guitar chords and a laconic beat, but hints of
Lala Lala
glockenspiel melody and chiming lead guitar echo
somewhere behind the gritty foreground. In one
verse, she sings, “I can feel myself, beginning to
shift / what should I hold, I can’t resist” as if hinting
at the sudden burst of emotion about to overtake
the song. When the chorus hits, the song instantly
lights up to a level hundreds of watts brighter. Her
voice splinters into a double- (or triple-) tracked
close harmony, soaring octaves up in piercing
tones that seem to attest to some epiphany with the
power to open up hearts and change minds. Her
guitar work percolates with distorted layers along-
side more of a straightforward jangle, as chaos
living in direct contact with the mundane details
of existence. More than just getting something off
her chest and onto the page, into the microphone,
or out onto the guitar fretboard, the songs of Lala
Lala paint a rich inner world capable of being borne
out into the real world in all its varied complexities.
Lala Lala’s January 21 concert opens with sets
by Sen Morimoto and Karen Meat, admission to
the 8 p.m. show is $10-13, and more information
is available by calling (309)200-0978 or visiting
Rozz-Tox.com.

MUSIC By Todd McGreevy

2018’s 3-2-1 Music Lists from Quad Citizens

L
ast year we published for the first
time a new twist on an old format –
the ubiquitous year-end-lists-about-
music. This year we’ve left the format the
same and have a few additional voices. We
reached out to those we know to contrib-
ute to, support, and/or promote the local-
music scene to give us their takes on 2018
via a 3-2-1 format.
We asked: What are the 3 top songs you
loved listening to this year, the 2 top live
shows you saw in the Quad Cities, and
the 1 artist you most want to see perform
here live in 2019? If you would like to con-
tribute to this year’s list, or be invited to
participate next year, please email music@
rcreader.com. For a Youtube playlist of
most of these songs, visit www.rcreader.
com/y/2018-321.
Jason Parris,
Wake Brewing / RIBCO
3: “Capsule” by Baptist on Beacon of
Faith, 2018; “Light Song” by Emma Ruth
Rundle on Dark Horses, 2018; “In Rev-
erie” by Yob on Our Raw Heart, 2018
2: Sumac at RIBCO, September 2; Facs
/ Emma Ruth Rundle / Nest Egg at All
Senses Fest / RIBCO, September 28
1: Tom Waits
Patrick Stolley,
futureappletreestudio too
3: “Total Football” by Parquet Courts
on Wide Awake, 2018; “Southend Sta-
tion” by Omni on Multitask, end of 2017;
“Pearly” by Palm on Rock Island, 2018
2: Broncho at Triple Crown, spring;
Courtesy at Rozz Tox, summer
1: Parquet Courts
Benjamin Fawks, Rozz-Tox
3: “Devotion” by Tirzah on Devotion,
2018; “Decide Decide” by John Maus on
Screen Memories, 2018; “Words Unspo-
ken” by Dearly Departure on Genesis,
2018
2: Elena Colombi at Rozz-Tox, April 13;
Mdou Moctar at Rozz-Tox, June 2
1: John Maus
Andrew LopeZ,
LoPiez Pizza
3: “Romantic” by Mannequin Pussy on
Romantic, 2017; “Miss Information” by
Eldren on Still Want More, 2018; “Dirty
Few” by Cassingles on Dirty Few, 2017
2: Illuminati Hotties at Triple Crown,
September 22; In the Whale with Road
Soda and Runaway Kids at the LoPiez
Mansion, September 26
1: Red Fang (at the Village Theatre)
Mark Neslon,
Roy R. Fisher
3: “River Mouth (Parts 1 & 2)” by The
Nels Cline 4 on Currents, Constellations,
2018; “That Girl Is You” by Dave Mat-
thews Band on Come Tomorrow, 2018;
“Dance of the Evil Toys” by Branford
Marsalis Quartet, unreleased, 2018
2: Johnny Lang at the 2018 MVBS Blues
Fest, July 7; Sammy Miller & the Congre-
gation at the Redstone Room, April 4
1: Peter Gabriel
Chris Barnard,
Marigold Resources
3: “Wide Awake” by Parquet Courts
on Wide Awake, 2018 (It’s not really a
song; it’s a groove. You really need to see
the Croatian dance my pal Mishow does
on the golf course to this song. It’s real
jazzy.); “Every 1’s A Winner” by Ty Segal
on Freedom’s Goblin, 2018 (1978 Hot
Chocolate cover, also a groove); “Out of
Reaches” by Stephen Malkmus & the
Jicks on Real Emotional Trash, 2008 (It’s
from 2008, but just found it and it has
everything: organ, 70’s guitar solo, super-
good harmony at the end. It’s a winner.)
2: Nathaniel Ratecliff at Codfish
Hollow; Al Sweet on the roof at Great
River Brewery
1: The Feelies at RIBCO (I will buy all
balcony tix.)
Sean Moeller,
Moeller Nights
3: “Drew Barrymore” by SZA on Ctrl,
2017; “Cooks” by Still Woozy, digital-
single release, 2018; “Miss You” by Born
Ruffians on Uncle, Duke & The Chief, 2018
2: Jade Bird with Field Report at The
Raccoon Motel, October 5; Future Islands
at Codfish Hollow, August 29
1: SZA (or Idles)
Continued On Page 27
26 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 26 No. 957 • January 2019
DJs/Karaoke/Jams/Open Mics
Email all listings to calendar@rcreader.com • Deadline 5 p.m. Thursday before publication
THURSDAYS
THURSDAYS
Karaoke Night – Bier Stube Moline,
415 15th St, Moline IL
Karaoke w/ Double Dz – Purgatory’s
Pub, 2104 State St, Bettendorf IA
Karaoke Night w/ Mike Matthews –
The Torchlight Lounge, 1800 18th
Ave., East Moline IL
Open Mic & More – Uptown Bill’s
Coffee House, 730 S. Dubuque St.,
Iowa City IA
Open Mic Night (6pm) – Energized
Cafe, 226 W. Third St., Davenport IA
Open Mic w/ H.C. Wallace – Boots
Western Saloon, 2228 E 11th St.,
Davenport IA
Rock the House Karaoke – Bottoms
Up on 7th, 1814 Seventh St., Moline
IL
Thumpin’ Thursdays DJ Night –
Rascals Live, 1414 15th St., Moline IL
FRIDAYS
FRIDAYS
DJ K Yung – Barrel House Moline,
1321 Fifth Ave., Moline IL
DJ Lacey – Hawkeye Tap Sports
Bar N Grill, 4646 Cheyenne Ave.,
Davenport IA
Karaoke Friday (Jan. 11) – Iowa City
Yacht Club, 13 S. Linn St., Iowa City
IA
Karaoke Night – Circle Tap, 1345 W.
Locust St., Davenport IA
Karaoke Night – K & T’s Bike Rack
Sports Bar & Grill, 3303 Brady St.,
Davenport IA
Karaoke Night – Big River Bowling,
2902 E. Kimberly Rd., Davenport IA
Karaoke Night – Roadrunners
Roadhouse, 3803 Rockingham Rd.,
Davenport IA
Karaoke Night – The Grove Tap, 108
S. First St., Long Grove IA
Karaoke Night – V.F.W. Post 9128,
2814 State St., Bettendorf IA
Karaoke Night w/ Aftermidnight
Band in a Box – Choppers Bar &
Grill Incorporated, 17228 IL-5, East
Zeta @ Rozz-Tox – January 25
Moline IL
Karaoke Night w/ Mike Matthews –
Hollar’s Bar and Grill, 4050 27th St,
Moline IL
Open Mic Coffeehouse (Jan. 11)
– First Lutheran Church of Rock
Island Parish House, 1600 20th St.,
Rock Island IL
Soulshake – Gabe’s, 330 E.
Washington St., Iowa City IA
SATURDAYS
SATURDAYS
Karaoke Jean – Meat Market, 1629
Washington St., Davenport IA
Karaoke Night – Boozie’s Bar & Grill,
114 1/2 W. Third St., Davenport IA
Karaoke Night – K & T’s Bike Rack
Sports Bar & Grill, 3303 Brady St.,
Davenport IA
Karaoke Night – Big River Bowling,
2902 E. Kimberly Rd., Davenport IA
Karaoke Night – Roadrunners
Roadhouse, 3803 Rockingham Rd.,
Davenport IA
Karaoke Night – The Grove Tap, 108
S. First St., Long Grove IA
Karaoke Night w/ Aftermidnight
Band in a Box – Choppers Bar &
Grill Incorporated, 17228 IL-5, East
Moline IL
Karaoke Night w/ Jim Harker –
Hollar’s Bar and Grill, 4050 27th St.,
Moline IL
Tw i s t e d M i c ’s M u s i c a n d
Entertainment – Barrel House
Moline, 1321 Fifth Ave., Moline IL
SUNDAYS
SUNDAYS
Catfish Jazz Jam Session (Jan. 13,
6pm) – Columbus Club, 1111 W.
35th St., Davenport IA
Hal Reed & Mississippi Journey
Sunday Jam (Jan. 27 & Feb 24,
6pm) – Rock Island Elks Club, 427
Seventh Ave., Rock Island IL
Karaoke Night – 11th Street Precinct,
1107 Mound St., Davenport IA
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
MONDAYS
MONDAYS
Open Mic w/ J. Knight – The Mill, 120
E. Burlington St., Iowa City IA
TUESDAYS
TUESDAYS
DJ Batwoman (Jan. 8) – Iowa City
Yacht Club, 13 S. Linn St., Iowa City
IA
Front Bar Karaoke – The Mill, 120 E.
Burlington St., Iowa City IA
Karaoke Night w/ Okeedokee It’s
Karaoke – Lynn’s BBQ & Saloon,
1151 E. Iowa St., Eldridge IA
Open Mic Night – Broken Saddle,
1417 Fifth Ave., Moline IL
Open Mic Night – Cool Beanz
Coffeehouse, 1325 30th St., Rock
Island IL
WEDNESDAYS
WEDNESDAYS
Hump Day Wing & Sing w/
Marybeth – Hawkeye Tap Sports
Bar N Grill, 4646 Cheyenne Ave.,
Davenport IA
Karaoke Jean – Meat Market, 1629
Washington St., Davenport IA
Karaoke Night – 11th Street Precinct,
1107 Mound St., Davenport IA
Karaoke Night – Circle Tap, 1345 W.
Locust St., Davenport IA
Karaoke Night – RIBCO, 1815 Second
Ave., Rock Island IL
Karaoke Whiskey Wednesday (Jan.
9) – Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S. Linn
St., Iowa City IA
Open Jam w/ The Channel Cats –
Bent River Brewing Company, 512
24th St., Rock Island IL
Open Mic Night – Boozie’s Bar
& Grille, 114 1/2 W. Third St.,
Davenport IA
Open Mic Music Night (5:30pm) –
Milltown Coffee, 3800 River Dr. #2,
Moline IL
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 26 No. 957 • January 2019 27
MUSIC Continued From Page 25 By Todd McGreevy

2018’s 3-2-1 Music Lists from Quad Citizens

David Baker,
KALA-FM
3: “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen on
the Bohemian Rhapsody soundtrack, 2018;
“Better Now” by Post Malone on Beer-
bongs & Bentleys, 2018; “Girls Like You”
by Maroon 5 on Red Pill Blues, 2017
2: Bees at Polyrhythms Jazz & Heritage
Festival, Martin Luther King Jr. Park,
August 18; Victor Wooten at the River
Music Experience, April 25
1: Sara Bareilles (She was incredible
on NBC’s live presentation of Jesus Christ
Superstar this year, and I’ve always been a
fan of her vocal range and style. Check out
her cover of Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow
Brick Road”! It’s stellar!)

Todd McGreevy, In the Whale with Road Soda and Runaway Kids at The LoPiez Mansion (September 26, 2018)
River Cities’ Reader
3: “Grand Bargain!” by The Poster
Jennings on Countach (For Giorgio), 2017 new album of originals. These septuage- RIBCO, May 11 (Wellman’s lead guitar-
Children on Grand Bargain!, 2018 (First
(Trucker country meets 80s video games); narians’ chops are still sharp as hell, and ist is a virtuoso and no better venue than
album in 14 years, engineered by Steve
“I Can’t Quit You Baby” by The Rolling the no-frills, no-dubs is astonishingly RIBCO for this Neil Young cover show
Albini. Can’t go wrong buying all their
Stones on Blue & Lonesome, 2016 (Twelve electric.) you should see if they come around again.)
albums and queueing all songs in a player.);
stone-cold Blues covers issued from the 2: JJ Grey & Mofro at River Music 1: Poster Children
“From Here to Eternity” by Shooter
exhaust of recoding a yet-to-be-released Experience, January 28; Sungreen at

MUSIC By Max Allison

Trevor Sensor
Friday, January 25, 7 p.m.@ Triple Crown Whiskey Bar & Raccoon Motel, 304 East Third
Street, Davenport, IA

P erforming as a Moeller Nights headliner on

January 25, Trevor Sensor’s full-length LP debut
bears the title Andy Warhol’s Dream, which should
instantly give you an idea of the palette he works
within. Vaguely nostalgic garage rock? Check. Evo-
cations of the heyday of the 1960s? Definitely. A
tongue-in-cheek view of art across the generations
as being locked in a state of constant regurgitation
and self-consumption? Oh yeah.
Andy Warhol’s Dream landed in 2017 on god-
tier indie-rock label JagJaguwar, yet Sensor’s
sound skirts closer to, say, Elvis Presley than
Bon Iver. Lead single “High Beams” comes with a
music video filmed in grainy VHS quality in which
Sensor sings directly into the camera over his
guitar, dressed in a leather jacket and collared
shirt, occasionally beating at his chest in moments
of emotional intensity. Behind him, as the scene
switches through various mundane scenes such as
empty city blocks, highways, and farmlands, three
female backup dancers work their ways through
synchronized routines in matching black dresses.
The overall effect of the video perfectly matches
Trevor Sensor’s sound, which drudges up the most
frankly affecting aspects of raw Americana, garage
pop, and twangy country rock – before mixing them
all into some passionate post-’60s melange and
frosting them with a hearty dose of fried frontman
theatrics.
This all wouldn’t work without Sensor’s distinc-
tive voice at the front of his songs. You can hear his
vocal cords frying and rumbling, with each howled
word, as he drags each vowel out into unexpected
lengths of vibrato and garbled, spit-soaring empha-
sis. Throaty and ragged, his vocal style evokes
Meat Loaf as much as Johnny Cash. It’s the kind
Trevor Sensor
of style that sounds like he’s working really hard to
make sure each phrase reaches the same level of
intensity, and it makes you wonder what he sounds
like when he’s just sitting around in the living room
talking to his friends. Is it a couple octaves higher,
perhaps? Or is it constantly somewhere in the cig-
arettes-and-whiskey-soaked lower register? Simi-
lar to the sock-hop-meets-beach-party doo-pop/
surf/garage rock of contemporaries The Growlers,
Trevor Sensor connects with young rock fans not
only by harnessing the tropes of glamorized eras
from half a century ago, but from backing that up
with the kind of raw vocal power and songwriting
chops that can’t help but hook you in. While videos
of his more stripped-down vocals and acoustic-
guitar performances testify to his ability to main-
tain his idiosyncratic style even in the absence of
all frills, Sensor’s full live show benefits from the
presence of a band capable of following behind his
lead-singer magnetism.
Trevor Sensor plays Davenport’s Triple Crown
Whiskey Bar & Raccoon Motel at 7 p.m. on Janu-
ary 25, admission is $10, and more information is
available by visiting MoellerNights.com.
28 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 26 No. 957 • January 2019 Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com