Undermining the Familiar:

Lewis Knudsens New Album Page 14

Nudging Dominates
TV News Page 3
Comedian Kyle Kinane at the
Turnbuckle Comedy & Music
Festival Page 7
Super Pach: New
Grounds Elephants
Graveyard Page 9
Mike Schulz on
Guardians of the
Galaxy Vol. 2 Page 13
#934
May 11 - 24, 2017
2 River Cities Reader Vol. 24 No. 934 May 11 - 24, 2017 Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com

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EAT OUT.
Grill
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Grilled-to-order chicken breast or
sirloin steak topped with provolone
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MOBILE ORDERING DELIVERY REWARDS

Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com
WORDS FROM THE EDITOR
Nudging Dominates TV News
I
f you are consuming your news from
broadcast networks ABC, NBC, or
CBS, or from cable channels Fox
News, MSNBC, or CNN, you are argu-
ably among the most misinformed, or
under-informed, viewers in modern
times. Not only is precious little of
those outlets daily content composed
of unbiased, need-to-know, evidence-
based information; most of it is nothing
more than guided speculation, therefore
hardly reliable as relevant news.
I have warned readers many times that
guided speculation is a sophisticated
strategy to manipulate viewers and push
us into predetermined conclusions. The
Obama administration called it nudg-
ing. Cass Sunstein, the administrator of
the White House Office of Information
& Regulatory Affairs (RCReader.com/y/
nudge1) from 2009 to 2012, co-authored
a book on the subject titled Nudge, and
its precepts were implemented through-
out the executive branch, via executive
order, to effect greater acceptance by
the public of President Barack Obamas
policies and programs (RCReader.com/y/
nudge2). It is doubtful the new Trump
administration will disband this inter-
agency behavior-modification depart-
ment. The question should be: Toward
what desired outcomes is the public
being nudged now?
Behavior modification is not new.
It is a bona-fide behavior science with
decades of research, refinement, and
deployment throughout our socioeco-
nomic sectors, both public and private, to
advance revenues and profits, but more
importantly to implement control with
relative predictability.
Any interested viewer can analyze
medias participation in nudging by
surfing channels each hour and noting
the headlines. They are nearly identi-
cal in theme, just packaged differently
according to the patronage. For example,
liberal-leaning MSNBC and CNN
recently aired stories on Trumps collu-
sion with Russia as a foregone conclu-
sion, speculating on means, motives,
and potential consequences, while
conservative-leaning Fox simultaneously
aired the same story of Russia collusion,
instead attempting to debunk the liberal
narratives that support such collu-
sion. Either way, Trump colluding with
Russia has continued to be one of the
lead stories across the mainstream-news
spectrum, nudging viewers toward some
degree of acceptance of the possibility
whether it is substantiated or not.
Regardless of how we feel about Trump
as president, or which political party we
support, reliable, fact-checked evidence
as an essential part of a news story
should be non-negotiable. Anything less
must be disregarded as rubbish, and its
authors and media outlets summarily
discredited the way it used to be when
journalism was respected as the Fourth
Estate, the peoples watchdog.
Guided speculation has all but
replaced verified, on-site professional
news reporting backed by independent
fact-checking. Television news content
is now composed of celebrity-styled
panels and green screens. All content is
delivered through the prism of politics,
specifically right (conservative) versus
left (liberal). It seems the only sacrosanct
requirement for guided speculation is
a highly partisan spin on information,
laced with plentiful innuendo and little
more. Endless contradictions, misstate-
ments, and demonstrably false narratives
River Cities Reader Vol. 24 No. 934 May 11 - 24, 2017
Guided speculation
has all but replaced
verified, on-site
professional news
reporting backed by
independent fact-
checking.
from both sides of the aisle go unchecked
in news venues, whether broadcast,
cable, radio, or print.
So whose fault is that?
It is us consumers, hands down. Most
of us are all too aware that partisanship
in the news has gone rogue, but appar-
ently we dont care because we continue
to tune in, then parrot what we hear as
our own viewpoint without a second
thought. Not only is that just sad; it is
dangerous to our republic. Devotion to
party over principle absolutely erodes
our most important characteristics as
Americans: critical thinking, healthy
skepticism of government and authority,
open and robust debate, problem-solving
with accountability, and the capacity to
navigate our diverse perspectives and
differences of opinion amicably, even
productively.
Guided speculation masquerading as
news has one primary mission: to keep
the partisan divide alive. As long as
viewers continue to pick a side, Demo-
crat or Republican, the status quo is
ultimately protected. The 1 percent keeps
3
By Kathleen McCarthy
km@rcreader.com
its stranglehold on the economy via ever-
increasing control of resources; career
politicians continue to be re-elected in
spite of their dismally poor performance;
the government bureaucracy continues
to grow, requiring more taxes and/or
borrowing to operate; and the American
people continue to play an ever-decreas-
ing role in their own governance while
still paying the freight for government
activities many that defy morality and
common sense, reflecting misguided
systemic priorities.
So once again, the path to civic/
political empowerment is to get involved
locally. There is plenty of need for
watchdogs and civic participation at the
local level, specifically county and city
business. Honestly, if we cant manage
understanding and engagement with our
local affairs, then we are delusional to
believe we can be effective at the state or
federal level. County and city affairs offer
the best chance of learning how govern-
ment works, and what our responsibili-
ties include as residents and taxpayers
to sustain Americas republic. We the
people have the most important role of
all because our governance is predicated
on each and every one of us, on our
rights as individuals. Politicians and
bureaucrats govern with our consent, not
the other way around. Keep this gross
civic negligence up, and history will
remember us as one of the most irre-
sponsible, self-absorbed, unimaginative,
lazy, and corrupted generations that ever
lived. Wouldnt that be lovely?
 4 River Cities Reader Vol. 24 No. 934 May 11 - 24, 2017
ILLINOIS POLITICS
Kennedy Missing an Opportunity
as the Outsider
I
llinois has elected just two wealthy people
to major statewide office in the past 20
years: former U.S. Senator Peter Fitzgerald
and current Governor Bruce Rauner.
Both candidates won because they ran
as firm, anti-establishment outsiders.
Fitzgerald was best known as a state senator
in the 1990s for railing against the elders
who ran his Republican Party, including
many who had been supplying the GOP
with loads of money over the years and
whod used their positions to handsomely
profit from state business. Rauner also
ran against his partys insiders when he
launched his campaign, dismissing them
as bought and paid for by Springfields
special interests.
What establishment-party support both
men did receive mostly came at the end of
their general-election campaigns. Their
personal finances, which allowed them to
self-fund, kept them free of establishment
taint, and that independence gave both of
them credibility as outsiders. As election day
neared, some establishment GOP figures
decided theyd better swallow their pride
and get on board. The establishment needed
the insurgents more than the insurgents
needed the establishment.
Billionaire Democrat J.B. Pritzker isnt
following this pattern as he campaigns for
governor. Insiders, elected officials, and
politically connected union leaders have
been jumping on his bandwagon from the
get-go, usually after being impressed with
Pritzker during one-on-one meetings.
The game plan seems pretty obvious.
Pritzker doesnt want those folks and groups
endorsing Chris Kennedy, whose last name
is still immensely popular and whose own
connections over the decades wouldve
guaranteed him support from his partys
elders if Pritzker and his nearly infinite bank
account hadnt stepped in. Kennedy doesnt
have Pritzkers kind of money, so Kennedy
is perceived as needing support from the
people and groups who fund and staff the
partys apparatus. At the moment, those
folks are streaming toward Pritzker amid
a cacophony of whispers (all denied) that
House Speaker Michael Madigan is direct-
ing the traffic. Starve Kennedy of money
and foot soldiers and maybe hell drop out.
Kennedy, whose personal wealth is sub-
stantial but nothing like Pritzkers, has made
some halfhearted attempts to claim that
endorsements dont matter whenever he loses
them. But he hasnt yet embraced (or maybe
doesnt even recognize) the role thats literally
being thrust upon him. Kennedys originally
Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com
By Rich Miller
CapitolFax.com
preferred path of being the widely endorsed
inevitable candidate is now owned by
Pritzker. By default, Kennedys now the most
prominent outsider in the race.
After almost two and a half years of
Rauners rule, the government is in sham-
bles. Rauners first campaign video back
in 2013 complained that the state had the
highest unemployment in the Midwest,
and thats still true today. He pointed to the
states lowest credit rating in America,
and thats only gotten worse. Springfield
is broken; $8,000 in pension debt for every
man, woman, and child, Rauner bemoaned
in the video. That figure is now $10,000.
So maybe Illinois voters will yearn for
someone who can work with Springfield
to solve our massive problems and get us
back to a semblance of normalcy after three
populist governors in a row couldnt get any-
thing done. That appears to be where both
Pritzker and Kennedy are going.
If Rauner doesnt obtain a budget deal,
he will simply run against the establish-
ment again, claiming the evil powers that be
(Madigan) have blocked him at every turn,
but that he is very close to breaking their
self-serving logjam. And, indeed, if he is
re-elected after what could be four years of
gridlock, the Democrats will have to start
working with him. Democrats claim that
Rauner hid his real agenda from voters in
2014. But that agenda is now crystal-clear
to everyone.
Almost half of Illinois Democrats voted
for insurgent presidential candidate Bernie
Sanders a year ago. A recent poll by the Paul
Simon Public Policy Institute showed that
Rauner is slightly more popular than Madi-
gan in Chicago, of all places.
So an authentic, independent, populist
message from the late Robert Kennedys
sincere, accomplished, and mild-mannered
son could very well resonate.
Among the things you cant help but
notice in the press coverage of Kennedys
Downstate appearances are the reports on
TA K E I T
crowd size. His family name is packing halls
all over the place as locals come out to wit-
U I
ness a part of history.
The obvious question is whether Kennedy
can sustain this. His name and the hints of
his familys famous accent in his speaking
voice are working like a charm for him right
now. But will it last?
If he embraces a different direction, I
think the answer could be yes.
Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax (a daily 4215 ELMORE AVE. | DAVENPORT, IA 52807 | 563.468.6150
political newsletter) and CapitolFax.com.
Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com
COVER STORY
The Tip of the Iceberg
Alternating Currents Joins a Crop of New Festivals Highlighting a Vibrant Music Community
I
t was a sign of the times when the
Downtown Davenport Partnership
announced last month that it would
replace the River Roots Live outdoor
music festival after a 12-year run with
a multi-venue indoor festival called
Alternating Currents.
Consider whats happened over the
past two years. The Mississippi Valley
Blues Festival was canceled in 2015
because of financial difficulties at its
parent organization. The motorcycle-
themed Rally on the River, a fixture on
the riverfront for more than two decades,
didnt return in 2016.
All of these things reflect a simple
reality: Outdoor festivals are expensive
to put on, period, and the cost is much
higher with headliner acts to drive
attendance. Such events represent a
serious financial gamble: Just the chance
of rain on one day can depress turnout
enough to put a festival in the red, and
Mississippi River flooding can force an
expensive change of venue.
The infrastructure that we have to
bring in is huge for River Roots Live, said
Jason Gilliland, director of events for the
Downtown Davenport Partnership of
the Quad Cities Chamber. (The Down-
town Davenport Partnership took over
River Roots Live from the River Music
Experience in 2007.) We had two giant
stages with rooftops and lighting and PA,
and dressing rooms, Porta Potties, tents,
security, fencing. All of those things come
together to a pretty hefty price tag.
Those costs largely disappear with
Alternating Currents, he added, and as a
result the new festivals budget is roughly
a third of River Roots Lives: When
were using existing venues in the down-
town, all of those things are not needed
or are already provided. ... We can take
that dollar that were using and stretch it
a lot further in that situation.
Many of us will miss River Roots Live,
and its hard to imagine that Alternating
Currents scheduled for August 25 and
26 will bring in the same caliber and
volume of established artists, a function
of the size of available downtown venues.
(The Downtown Davenport Partnerh-
ship will begin announcing the lineup in
the next few weeks.)
But lets not mourn River Roots Live too
much. If its death underlines the inher-
ent risk of outdoor musical festivals, its
replacement shows just how vibrant the
Quad Cities music scene has become.
White Reaper at Februarys Gas Feed & Seed Festival in the Village of East Davenport.
(Photo by Kajsa Roelle.)
A festival in the vein of Alternating
Currents wouldnt have been possible in
Davenport just two years ago. It has the
potential to have a much greater impact
on downtown than a weekend event in
LeClaire Park. And its just the tip of the
Quad Cities iceberg, joining a slew of
new local festivals that would be the envy
of most other communities its size.
A Showcase for Downtown
Its important to see the new event in
the context of developments nationally,
in the Quad Cities music scene, and in
River Cities Reader Vol. 24 No. 934 May 11 - 24, 2017
downtown Davenport.
Alternating Currents obviously fol-
lows the format lead of the famed SXSW,
and Gilliland noted that these types of
festivals that are more urban, that are
multiple venues are popping up more
and more often.
That includes the Quad Cities.
Daytrotter.com founder Sean Moeller
started the Daytrotter Downs festival
last year, and it continued this year under
the organizations new leadership. Since
leaving Daytrotter last summer, Moeller
created the Gas Feed & Seed Festival
5
By Jeff Ignatius
jeff@rcreader.com
in the Village of East of Davenport; the
first edition was held in February, and a
second is planned for November.
Unlike the stand-alone, fenced-off
River Roots Live, Alternating Currents
will highlight all thats happening in
downtown Davenport. The primary
music venues will be the Adler Theater
(for the headliner or headliners), the
River Music Experience, Daytrotter, and
Moellers Triple Crown Whiskey Bar &
Raccoon Motel. Those last two opened
last year and this year, respectively give
Davenport enough designed-for-music
venues to support a multi-site festival.
That, in turn, gives the Downtown
Davenport Partnership the opportunity to
spread the wealth to other downtown busi-
nesses. Alternating Currents plans to use
roughly a dozen venues for its program-
ming. Unlike at LeClaire Park festivals,
money spent during Alternating Currents
will largely go to people and businesses that
have already invested in downtown.
We really wanted to do this festival
that allows us to showcase the down-
town, and what weve accomplished in
the last 10 to 15 years here, Gilliland
said. For us, its just more mission-
oriented as far as the Downtown
[Davenport] Partnership goes, and the
Chamber. Now were going to have
people come into the heart of the down-
town, and then were going to push them
into the businesses. Were not going to
have a liquor license like we did for River
Roots Live. Theyre going to buy their
food and their beer and their drinks at
the establishments that are downtown.
It was also important, Gilliland said,
to increase the demographics that were
reaching out to by giving Alternating
Currents a broad artistic scope. In addition
to the music venues, the festival will have
comedy curated by Dan Bush and Andrew
King, film curated by Harry Walker and
Josh Ford, and visual art curated by Quad
City Arts and the Figge Art Museum.
It really is much more of a commu-
nity effort, and were finding the subject-
matter experts in each of those areas,
Gilliland said. Lets bring a lot of atten-
tion to the scene whether its music,
film, comedy with a bigger spotlight. ...
We can lift them up with us and get out
to a broader market and audience.
It will certainly have a different
flavor than River Roots Live, but its a
Continued On Page 6
 6 River Cities Reader Vol. 24 No. 934 May 11 - 24, 2017
COVER STORY Continued From Page 5
The Tip of the Iceberg
demonstration of strength and synergy.
I think its a smart move, said Moeller
of the shift to Alternating Currents. I
think the writing was on the wall in a
good way, just as far as whats been grow-
ing in downtown Davenport. ... Rope
everything into it now. ... Lets pop around
to different places. Theres just going to
be a lot more widely spread support for
downtown Davenport, where it doesnt
feel like an event on an island ... .
The ultimate goal is to be a little more
inclusive of not only different art forms
but also other different businesses, said
Kate Dale, director of entertainment for
the River Music Experience, giving our
residents and visitors the opportunity
to step into some businesses that they
may have never been in before. ... We
can really extend the reach beyond our
normal customer base.
And for those who still want the more-
traditional festival experience, the event
slate for the coming months is still plenty
robust; we have the full complement of
what weve come to expect from a Quad
Cities summer.
The blues festival will be in its second
year of a slimmed-down, two-day format
on June 30 and July 1.
For motorcycle enthusiasts, a new
event The Muddy Fest, put on by
Whitney Entertainment will effectively
replace Rally on the River. Its scheduled
for June 16 through 18 in Davenports
Centennial Park and will feature head-
liners Robby Krieger (of The Doors) and
Sublime with Rome.
The Bix Beiderbecke Memorial
Were going to contrast to the jam-band flavor of the
have people come
into the heart of
the downtown, and
then were going to
push them into the
businesses.
Jason Gilliland,
Downtown
Davenport
Partnership
Jazz Festival, running from August 3
through 5, will have a new home base
at the Rhythm City Casino Resort in
north Davenport, but it will hold Friday-
and Saturday-evening concerts at the
LeClaire Park bandshell.
Downtown Rock Island is still offering
a trio of music-themed festivals: Gumbo
Ya Ya (June 10), Rock the District (June
16 and 17), and Ya Maka My Weekend
(August 12).
Beyond that, were seeing some differ-
ent approaches to local festivals.
In its third year, Dawn & On contin-
ues to expand the breadth of its musi-
cal offerings, with Miles Nielsen & the
Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com
Rusted Hearts and J.E. Sunde adding a
one-day event (taking place July 8 at Len
Browns North Shore Inn & Marina in
Moline). It might not be River Roots Live,
but its a similarly family-friendly out-
door event, and its put on by a local band
with an eye toward festival longevity.
And theres Moellers Turnbuckle
Comedy & Music Festival at Maquoketas
Codfish Hollow Barn on May 26 and
27. (See our interview with Turnbuckle
comedian Kyle Kinane on page 7.)
Put all that together, and youd be
hard-pressed to complain too much
about the end of River Roots Live.
Opportunities for Discovery
Its true that Alternating Currents is in
crucial ways a more-modest event than
River Roots Live. To a large extent, the
Adler, Daytrotter, the River Music Expe-
rience, and the Raccoon Motel will be
doing what they normally do: schedul-
ing and putting on their own shows. The
difference is that theyll be doing it in a
coordinated fashion.
It might seem like overkill to add
Alternating Currents to an already-
rich roster two Gas festivals a year,
Daytrotter Downs, and Turnbuckle, all
of them to some extent focusing on indie
music but Moeller said that atten-
tion spans are terrible. The collection
of events represents an effort to beat
people across the head. Pay attention.
This is real. Theres a pretty serious
movement here, and this is a really
vibrant music and arts community that
By Jeff Ignatius
jeff@rcreader.com
needs to be reckoned with. ... Theres
too much really great stuff happening
here, and I think theres too many really
great creative people trying to do really
interesting things here. We need to focus
on that a little bit more. ...
It doesnt have to be an onslaught, but I
think it has to be a constant daily dosage of
reminders that this is happening. ... Other
communities would kill for the opportu-
nity to have these options in their lives.
But dont think that youll be seeing all
familiar names at Alternating Currents.
Im kind of looking at maybe bring-
ing in half recurring people ... and half
bringing in some new talent that we
havent brought to the area, Dale said of
the River Music Experiences approach to
the festival. And I think thats probably
a similar model that some of the other
venues are going to try and do, too. A
little bit of familiarity for the patrons
looking to come down, but then also a
chance to discover some music that they
might have never heard before.
Theres an obvious reason for that
approach. People who attend a festival
even if theyre coming for just one act are
often willing to lend their ears to somebody
theyve never heard of. Book that same
lesser-known act for a regular show outside
of a festival environment, and its a chal-
lenge to get people to show up.
Moeller said festivals in that way
help bands from other places build
an audience in the Quad Cities.
Gas and Alternating Currents are
Continued On Page 8
Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com
COMEDY
Life of the Party
Comedian Kyle Kinane, May 27 at Maquoketas Turnbuckle Comedy & Music Festival
P
eople pursue careers in comedy for
all sorts of reasons: to make others
laugh, to express opinions, to get
back at their parents. (That last one is
just speculation, Mom and Dad.) But as
stand-up comedian Kyle Kinane tells it,
his motivation was simpler: to do as little
as possible.
As a kid, comedy was something I
watched on TV, says Kinane during our
recent interview. And I couldnt really
understand how it worked, because
somebody would just talk, and that was
it. You didnt have to act, you didnt have
to do stunts you just talked, by yourself,
and people would laugh, and that was
a job. I was pretty fascinated with that,
and, when I first started, I think I knew I
was gonna do it forever.
Yet for someone who attended college
because he thought that if you didnt
go, you had to get a real job, and I didnt
want one of those, Kinanes job has
found him doing far more than he ini-
tially expected.
In addition to Kinanes active touring
schedule which finds him performing
at the Codfish Hollow Barns Turnbuckle
Comedy & Music Festival on May 27
the comedian is a frequently employed
voice-over performer, his credits includ-
ing characters on Bobs Burgers, Trip-
Tank, and Right Now Kapow. Hes acted
on-camera in series such as Workaholics,
Those Who Cant, and Netflixs Love. His
comedy-album debut Death of the Party
led to three others, most recently 2016s
Lose in Chicago.
Kinane is also a veritable Comedy
Central fixture, famed for his stand-up
specials, his appearances on the game
show @midnight and Emmy-nominated
Drunk History, and serving as the chan-
nels voice for on-air announcements
since 2011. And because hes clearly not
busy enough, Kinane finds time to co-
host the weekly podcast The Boogie Mon-
ster with fellow comedian Dave Stone, in
which the friends share their thoughts
on much of what Kinane discusses in his
stand-up: food, sports, politics, and, as
Kinane says, whatever goofy stuff wed
talk about sitting at a bar anyway.
Growing up in the Chicago suburb of
Addison, Illinois, the comedian says hes
always had a soft spot for goofiness.
Im sure Im supposed to say I was
influenced by, like, Bill Hicks and Rich-
ard Pryor, says the 40-year-old Kinane.
But it was really guys like Bruce Baum
the kinds of guys that people would
look at as hacks. I just liked the silly stuff.
Like Gallagher, you know? Im nine years
old, and hes smashing watermelons,
and Im like, How do you get to do that?
Smashing watermelons on stage thats
your whole thing?! Its still amazing to
me.
Although he eventually earned a
bachelors degree from Columbia Col-
lege Chicago (The lie I told myself was
that I was going to be a writer), Kinane
says his career trajectory actually began
with his first stand-up set, at age 22, at
Chicagos Red Lion Pub.
It was an open-mic hosted by Mark
Geary, whos still doing shows there to
this day, says Kinane, and I cant really
remember the jokes I did. I do remem-
ber watching comedy there for months
before I ever went on-stage. But I wasnt
looking for success stories. I liked seeing
the people whod fail and still come back,
and then do well the next week, and then
maybe fail the week after that. It made
me think, Okay, its not the be-all-
end-all if I do poorly at this. And even
though I was probably just obnoxious,
everyone thought I was funny at parties,
so I thought, Lets try it out in front
of strangers.
So I got into it, he says, and that was
it. I graduated and moved to California.
Comedy was one of the first things I did
that I was bad at but was still going to do
no matter what.
Over the decade prior to his 2010
Death of the Party breakthrough, Kinane
says that performing stand-up wasnt
about making money so much as just
getting out there and peddling my wares,
you know? I figured Id worry about
money later. I just wanted to get out there
and be funny.
Its like how guys have their poker
games they go to every Thursday even if
theyre not gonna be professional poker
players. Or some guys go down in the
basement with their model trains, and
thats their world they can be in charge
of. Thats what I felt with comedy. If Im
not gonna have a job thats fulfilling, this
is whats gonna be creatively rewarding.
And then I started getting paid for it, and
I was like, Well, shit how about that?
Who knew?
Regarding Kinanes talent, produc-
ers at Comedy Central clearly knew,
giving him his first half-hour Comedy
Central Presents special in 2011 and
River Cities Reader Vol. 24 No. 934 May 11 - 24, 2017
Kyle Kinane
subsequently hiring him for voice-over
duties both as on-air announcer and for
animated series.
Obviously, that appeals to the lazier
side of me, says Kinane. You dont have
to get dressed or anything just go in.
But it really is the most fun, and some
of my best stuff. Like, I did Right Now
Kapow with Baron Vaughn and Emily
Maya Mills people that are my friends.
And were just screwing around doing
wacky voices, like, This is what youd get
in trouble for in class! But now its work.
Its awesome.
Comedy Central also began employ-
ing Kinane for on-screen appearances
in popular series, with one of his most
memorable an episode of Drunk History
in which the comedian, after downing
a full bottle of tequila, recounted the
tale of Chicagos Haymarket riots that
led to the norm of an eight-hour work
day and led to Kinane not-so-discreetly
vomiting on-camera. (As a result, host
Derek Waters vomited, too.)
What I can remember from that was
pretty fun, says Kinane with a laugh.
Those [Drunk History episodes] really
are a blast. Its like doing a book report
when youre wasted. But after the third
one I did, I was like, All right ... maybe
just let me be in the re-enactments.
Im not sure I need to be the narrator
anymore.
7
By Mike Schulz
mike@rcreader.com
But for all of his recent TV exposure,
dont expect Kinane to give up the stand-
up life any time soon.
What I like about it is its never done,
says Kinane. Its always about finding
a new subject that you havent talked
about before, and I think that forces you
to look at the world with a bit more of
an observant eye, because youre either
trying to collect stories or process those
stories into jokes. So I think it makes you
live life a little more wholly, too, and Im
always grateful for that.
Presented by the Codfish Hollow
Barnstormers and Moeller Nights, the
Turnbuckle Comedy & Music Festival
will take place at Maquoketas Codfish
Hollow Barn (5013 288th Avenue) on
Friday, May 26, and Saturday, May
27, with performances by more than
two-dozen comedians, solo musicians,
and bands. Kyle Kinane performs on
May 27, and more information on
the weekend is available by visiting
CodfishHollowBarnstormers.com.
For more on Kyle Kinane, listen to his and
Dave Stones The Boogie Monster podcast
at BoogieMonster.libsyn.com and visit
KyleKinane.com.
 8 River Cities Reader Vol. 24 No. 934 May 11 - 24, 2017
COVER STORY Continued From Page 6
The Tip of the Iceberg
information-gathering, he said: Who
do people respond to? What would they
like to see more of? ... What are they
hungry for? What do they want? And a
good 75 percent of what I give them is
stuff they dont know they want yet. ...
I look at Gas fest as being kind of
more of that discovery festival. ... I really
do use those festivals as litmus tests for
who I want to bring back to the Raccoon
Motel or, eventually, to Codfish Hollow
Barn, which he regularly books.
Encouraging discovery is also part of
the price structure of Alternating Cur-
rents. Adler concerts will exclusively be
ticketed shows, Gilliland said, and people
will be able to buy tickets for individual
concerts at the Raccoon Motel, Daytrot-
ter, and the River Music Experience.
However, a festival pass likely to
cost $15 will be good for admission to
everything at those venues outside of the
Adler. All other Alternating Currents
events will be free, he said.
Were trying to price this so if you
want to go to two or three of those [music
shows], its going to make more sense to
buy that weekend ticket, Gilliland said.
loss of River Roots Live.
And while he said hed like to have
attendance similar to River Roots Lives
typical range of 12,000 to 15,000, I
dont know if well get that this first year.
Its a big change for people. ... The way
this model works is: We dont have to
have 20,000 people like we did at River
Roots Live for it to work. Were able to do
things at a lower cost, so we dont have to
have that many. Id be happy with 4,000,
5,000 people coming down.
The Accidental Festival
If Alternating Currents is trying to
be the Quad Cities equivalent of SXSW,
Dawn & On is looking like a local option
for fans of the nearby Camp Euphoria
and Summer Camp festivals and, to a
lesser degree, for those bemoaning the
2017_QC_HW_Ad_4.55x5.4.indd 1
Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com
Sean Ryan, the leader of The Dawn,
said his vision two years ago was a simple
outdoor concert: I was just going to
book a show down at North Shore with
like four bands, just to make it a big
show. And then other bands heard about
it and turned it into the notion of a music
festival. ... Before you knew it, it was a
12-hour day of music. My original intent
wasnt for a festival, but it quickly turned
into that.
The inaugural event brought in nearly
1,000 people with only local bands, and
last years edition co-produced with
Hive Event Consulting (a partnership
between Dale and Gilliland) drew 1,200.
My vision is to keep it a really home-
grown, QC outdoor music fest where
we can grow slowly every year, Ryan
said. Every years kind of getting a little
more, a little more. In the long run, he
said, he hopes Dawn & On can become a
two-day event, possibly with camping.
For this year, the talent budget was
doubled, and the day features 13 acts
including Nielsen, Sunde, Old Shoe,
Chicago Farmer, and local favorites The
QUAD CITIES HEART WALK
May 20th
Modern Woodmen Park | Davenport
QuadCitiesHeartWalk.org
Locally Presented By
#QCHeartWalk
2017 MWA American Heart Association. Also known as the Heart Fund.
By Jeff Ignatius
jeff@rcreader.com
Dawn and The Candymakers. Ryans
band will also be releasing a new album
at Dawn & On.
The big thing that will set us apart is
the price point, he said. This year and
last year, were only $5 to get in. Thats
the price of one beer. ... Were making a
point to set our ticket prices low.
Ryan said that although hell miss River
Roots Live, its departure means that Dawn
& On is the Quad Cities only multi-genre
outdoor music festival. Thats only going
to help us, I think, he said.
But he said the end of River Roots Live
isnt cause for concern: Theres definitely
the most thats ever been going on in
the Quad Cities right now. ... The Quad
Cities market is really good. ... Well go
to other markets that maybe should be
better than the Quad Cities, [and] they
dont even try to support a weekday show
for any venue. ... Theres a show going on
every single night of the week almost [in
the Quad Cities]. Sometimes multiple
shows. Which is fantastic. ...
I like everything going on. The more
the better.
5/4/2017 9:57:32 AM
Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com River Cities Reader Vol. 24 No. 934 May 11 - 24, 2017 9

The most comprehensive events calendar in the QC

Since 1993
RiverCitiesReader.com/Calendar
Vol. 24 No. 934 THEATRE By Mike Schulz
May 11 - 24, 2017 mike@rcreader.com

River Cities Reader

Super Pach
532 W. 3rd St.
Elephants Graveyard, at the Village Theatre through May 14

Davenport IA 52801
RiverCitiesReader.com
(563)324-0049 (phone)
(563)323-3101 (fax)
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Publishing since 1993
The River Cities Reader is an independent
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C
onsidering its real-life tale of the 1916
lynching of a circus elephant and the
events effects on those who either
demanded or protested the execution, play-
wright George Brants Elephants Graveyard
could rightly be labeled a drama. But its more
accurately a horror story, and as evidenced
by New Ground Theatres and director Debo
Baloguns electrifying presentation, that
horror doesnt come from a momentarily out-
of-control pachyderm; it comes from human
beings, from us, and our own worst impulses.
You may, and likely will, shudder when
hearing how the elephant Mary crushed her
abusive riders head intentionally? with potential debate night with acoustic accom-
the weight of five tons. That recollection,
however, pales next to the terrifying image
of a girl giddy with delight about the beasts
impending fate, or the circus ringmaster
admitting, with not quite enough regret, what
he eventually did with the corpse.
All this might make Elephants Graveyard
sound too wrenching to bear, and the snif-
fling in the May 6 crowd hinted that a few
patrons, toward the finale, were just barely
bearing it. Yet while I, too, shed tears, the
overall thoughtfulness, passion, and power
on display enabled me to leave New Grounds
season-opener feeling utterly spectacular.
With more than two-thirds of the 15-person
ensemble currently attending Augustana
College, Baloguns directing debut nearly
explodes with the dynamism of young talents
tackling demanding material theyre clearly
in love with. And with all that enthusiasm
accompanied by tech elements this striking
and staging this confident, its probably no
wonder the show emerges as such a thrillingly
satisfying heartbreaker. Perusing the pro-
gram, I was surprised and touched to see my
name included among those given special
thanks, presumably for writing a preview
article on the show a couple weeks back. Hap-
pily, its now my turn to offer special thanks.
As it tells of the once-renowned Sparks
Circus arriving in rural Erwin, Tennes-
see, and leaving minus its star attraction,
Brants 2007 work unfolds over 80 minutes
composed mostly of monologues, albeit
with lovely, live music courtesy of guitarist
Sam Dunklau and drummer Glenn Kluge.
(Inventively, the duo also provides substitu-
tion for gunshots, chugging locomotives,
and the like.) Rest assured, however, that this
Melina Herman, Joshua Malone, and Elephants
Graveyard ensemble members
paniment absolutely looks, sounds, and feels
like a fully produced play. Hell, given Emma
Brutmans rustically evocative scenic design
and Shannon Ryans first-rate costuming,
it practically feels like a movie, and moves
like one, too. Barring the minor exceptions
of circus folk entering and leaving Main
Street, and the major exception of the finales
incremental exodus, the entire cast remains
on-stage the whole time, allowing Brants
monologues, aided by Baloguns rich lighting
effects, to blend seamlessly into one another.
Better yet, the group compositions let us
watch both the speakers and those listening
simultaneously, and when treated to actors
this compellingly focused especially in the
astounding 15-minute sequence of them
witnessing Marys slow, agonizing death
you dont want to be deprived of anyones
presence for even a moment.
Maddie McCobbs engineer serves as
the proceedings stoically impenetrable Big
Brother, with similar steeliness provided
by the equally assured Melina Herman as
Erwins vengeful marshal and Angelina
Fernandez as the circus practicality-minded
tour manager the latters deadpan and
blunt, clipped exit lines revealing everything
seemingly knowable about her internal
conflict. Portrayals of anguish leading to
greater, more inconsolable anguish are deliv-
ered, impressively, by Maddy Causay as the
preacher who knows her townsfolk perhaps
too well, and Emily Mason as the grieving
elephant trainer who, you sense, will never
forgive herself for kowtowing to company
demands. Playing circus employees whose
bonhomie irrevocably morphs into despair,
Aubrey Lyons (the clown), Joshua Malone
(the strongman), and Muriel Melgoza (Marys
ballet girl accessory) are understated and
moving as professionals who clearly love their
jobs until theres finally no love left.
Elephants Graveyard, though, turns truly
frightening, and ultimately devastating, in
the forms of its angry, entitled citizens of
Erwin, and in the ringmaster malignantly
wed to the maxim The show must go on.
While Brants writing is strong through-
out, hes rarely better than when detailing
the gleeful thirst for retribution that built
in the wake of the circus-parade tragedy,
and Cheyenne Powell, Elise Campbell, and
Jacob Pecaut are masterful at demonstrat-
ing the unconscious evil of a civic-minded
demand for justice thats really just barely
disguised hate. (Im haunted by the image of
Pecaut, covered in grime, and his malicious,
pre-lynching sneer.) Tristan Odenkirks
ringmaster, meanwhile, would be unsettling
merely through Kaylee Stewarts superb
makeup design, which suggests a rip in the
mans face mask exposing the grim specter
beneath. But Odenkirk proves just as chill-
ing as his look, with his smile like that of
Cabarets Master of Ceremonies growing
subtly yet perceptibly more sinister whenever
hes feeling particularly subversive, as when
recalling the ugly demise of Ringling Bros.
beloved elephant Jumbo.
Yet all of these figures end up paying, at
least emotionally, for their bloodlust and
hubris. And standing amidst them is the
voice of conscience beautifully played by
Kamille Brashear, who marvels, with an
almost poetic resignation, that her fellow
Erwin-ites could be so affected by the lynch-
ing of one elephant without batting an eye at
the lynchings in their very own town of
dozens of African Americans. Its Brashears
character who sees the complete nightmare,
the national nightmare, of Elephants Grave-
yard. But thanks to Balogun and his exquisite
collaborators, we get to see at least a bit of it,
as well. In their fantastically capable hands,
its a nightmare that, for theatre lovers, more
closely resembles a dream.
Elephants Graveyard runs at the Village
Theatre (2113 East 11th Street, Davenport)
through May 14, and more information and
tickets are available by calling (563)326-7529
or visiting NewGroundTheatre.org.
10 River Cities Reader Vol. 24 No. 934 May 11 - 24, 2017 Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com

Whats Happenin
Music
Chris Antonik
The Redstone Room
Friday, May 19, 8 p.m.

O n May 19, Davenports Redstone Room hosts an evening with Canadian singer/song-
writer and guitarist Chris Antonik, who performs in support of his recently released
third album Monarch. As Antoniks self-titled debut was released only seven years ago, its
understandable if youre not entirely familiar with his name. His preferred genre, however,
should be apparent simply by scanning the titles of songs he wrote for Monarch, which
include Id Burn It All Down (For You), A Slip in the Rain, Youre Killing My Love,
and The Art of Letting Go.
So get ready for a night of goofy, vacuous bubblegum pop, folks!
Kidding. Hes totally a blues artist. And judging by Antoniks acclaim this decade,
quite the blues artist.
The Toronto-based Antonik (pronounced AN-tah-nick, not like gin-an-TONic)
grew up listening to legends of blues rock ranging from Muddy Waters to B.B. King
to Eric Clapton, and spent his late teens and his 20s playing blues guitar in a series of
Canadian cover bands. But the now-40-year-old didnt begin writing his own mate-
rial until his early 30s, and his combined gifts for guitar, vocals, music, and lyrics
eventually led to 2010s Chris Antonik, which earned the man a Best New Artist
nomination at Canadas 2011 Maple Blues Awards. Must feel great to be named
Best New anything at the age of 34.
With the artists raves including Downbeat magazine writing, Antoniks
guitar cranks energy in a conscientious, un-rushed, and emotionally convincing
manner and Vintage Guitar magazine saying, He writes well and plays wonder-
fully, the Canadian musician toured for years before the release of his 2013 soph-
omore outing Better for You. The title may as well have been referring to Antoniks
reviews for the album, which were even better for him than those he amassed in
2010. BlindedBySound.com called it nothing short of an amazing artistic leap
and an absolutely topnotch effort in every way. NewCanadianMusic.ca wrote,
When he coaxes his axe, he can make it sting like a bumblebee, sing like a lark, or
weep like a motherless child. Rustzine.com insisted, We dont have to wait for his-
tory to tell us if Chris will be regarded in the same class as the truly great blues talents
its already self-evident.
And if more evidence was needed in light of that album, Antoniks chart-topping success,
his numerous festival performances, and his recent tours throughout the US and UK, this past
April 7 brought with it Monarch, which CanadianBeats.ca recently called a perfect balance
between catchy and well-crafted by an artist who prompts any and every audience member
to let down their hair and flick on their lighters in solidarity. So, apparently, you may wanna
bring lighters to Antoniks Redstone Room concert. Try to keep them away from your hair.
Chris Antonik performs locally with an opening set by the Curtis Hawkins Band,
and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)326-1333 or visiting
RiverMusicExperience.org.

What Else Grammy-nominated saxophonist and flautist

in concert, presented by the RME and Great
hits with a full band, featuring an opening tribute
to the music of Marvin Gaye. The Redstone

Is Happenin
MUSIC
Thursday, May 11 Dave Fields. Concert
with the New York-based blues-rock singer/
guitarist, presented by the Mississippi
Valley Blues Society. Fricks Tap (1402 West
Third Street, Davenport). 7 p.m. $8-10. For
information, call (563)322-5837 or visit
MVBS.org.
Thursday, May 11 Najee. Two-time
M*A*S*H @ Playcrafters - opens May 12
Sounds Promotions. The Redstone Room (129
Main Street, Davenport). 8 p.m. $40-45. For
tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or
visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Thursday, May 11 Jelly Roll. Rap and hip-
hop musician performs on his Addiction Kills Tour,
featuring opening sets by Lyrikal, Random Tanner
& T. Stubbz, Ro & Frosty, B. Hodges, G. Quick, and
Jake Coia. Rock Island Brewing Company (1815
Second Avenue, Rock Island). 8 p.m. $15. For
information, call (309)793-1999 or visit RIBCO.com.
Friday, May 12 All Sweat Productions:
Stevie Wonder B-Day Bash. Quad Cities
musicians perform many of the legends greatest
Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 9 p.m.
$16.50-20. For tickets and information, call
(563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Saturday, May 13 Olivia Newton-John.
Grammy-winning, chart-topping pop musician
and iconic star of Grease in concert. Adler
Theatre (136 East Third Street, Davenport). 7:30
p.m. $44-79. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or
visit AdlerTheatre.com.
Saturday, May 13 Fleetwood Mac
Mania! An evening with the pop-rock
tribute musicians. Isle of Capri (1777 Isle
Parkway, Bettendorf). 7:30 p.m. For tickets
and information, call (800)843-4753 or visit
Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com
Music
Diamond Head
Rock Island Brewing Company
Friday, May 19, 9 p.m.
A hearty helping of heavy-metal history
will soon be offered at the Rock Island
Brewing Company, as the District venue is
presenting a May 19 concert with the English
musicians of Diamond Head, whose founder
and rhythm guitarist Brian Tatler is now
in his fifth decade with the group. Just how
Theatre
Snapshots: A Musical Scrapbook
Circa 21 Dinner Playhouse
Wednesday, May 24, through Saturday, July 15
I f you know that Wicked, Pippin, and
Godspell all boast scores by composer
Stephen Schwartz, you clearly know your
musicals. If you know that The Bakers
Wife, The Magic Show, and Captain Louie
also boast scores by composer Stephen
Schwartz, you may know your musicals a
little too well.
In any event, compositions from those
six tune-filled entertainments along
with Broadways Tony-nominated Work-
ing, the off-Broadway hit Children of
Eden, and the Disney comedy Enchanted,
among others will sit side by side in the
Circa 21 Dinner Playhouses Stephen
Bettendorf.IsleOfCapriCasinos.com.
Saturday, May 13 Beatles Tribute
Rooftop Concert. Outdoor celebration of the
Beatles classic concert at Apple Headquarters,
with Alan Sweet, Bret Dale, Randy Leasman,
Nick Vasquez, and Zac Tatum performing on
the museums roof. Putnam Museum & Science
Center (1717 West 12th Street, Davenport). 12:30
p.m. Free, bring lawn chairs. For information,
call (563)324-1933 or visit Putnam.org or
RiverMusicExperience.org.
Saturday, May 13 Quad City Wind
Ensemble. Springtime concert with the area
musicians. St. Ambrose Universitys Galvin
Fine Arts Center (2101 North Gaines Street,
Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $8-10, free for students
influential is Tatler? Well, at a 2011 concert
headlined by Diamond Head and Metallica,
the latters drummer and co-founder Lars
Ulrich announced to the crowd that there
was a pretty good chance that none of us
would be here without him. So yeah pretty
freakin influential.
Formed in 1976 by Tatler and former
bandmate Duncan Scott, the four-piece rock
outfit Diamond Head played its first gig in
1977 (a 40-minute set of wholly original mate-
rial), released its first single Shoot Out the
Lights in 1979, and recorded its debut album
Lightning to the Nations in 1980. While those
releases were limited in terms of numbers of
copies available, there appeared to be nothing
limited about the musicians hard-driving tal-
ents, and they were quickly booked as support
for tours with AC/DC and Iron Maiden.
A second album, Borrowed Time, landed in
1982, rose to number 24 on the British charts,
and led to a UK tour that included a booking at
Londons prestigious Hammersmith Odeon.
Schwartz celebration Snapshots: A
Musical Scrapbook, running at the Rock
Island theatre May 24 through July 15.
As opposed to many traditional
jukebox musicals, Snapshots employs its
diverse collection of Schwartz numbers
26 in all in service of an original
narrative, one that finds married couple
Dan and Sue planning to separate after
30 years together. While leafing through
a box of old photographs, however, the
spouses begin to reminisce, allowing
the audience to see the characters also
as teens and young adults and with
all three sets of Dans and Noras reliv-
ing their romantic history through
renditions of both obscure and happily
familiar Stephen Schwartz songs.
Directed by Warner Crocker, who
previously helmed the comedies
Boeing-Boeing and Always a Bridesmaid,
Snapshots six-person cast finds Circa 21
through 12th grade. For information, visit
QCWindEnsemble.org.
Sunday, May 14 RiverBend Bronze
Handbell Ensemble. Mothers Day
concert with the area musicians. First
Presbyterian Church of Davenport (1702
Iowa Street, Davenport). 4 p.m. Free-will
offerings encouraged. For information, call
(563)326-1691.
Monday, May 15 The Lettermen. Annual
concerts with the pop musicians in their fifth
decade of performance. Circa 21 Dinner
Playhouse (1828 Third Avenue, Rock Island). Noon
lunch, 1 p.m. show, $51.73; 6 p.m. buffet, 7:15
p.m. show, $58. For tickets and information, call
(309)786-7733 extension 2 or visit Circa21.com.
River Cities Reader Vol. 24 No. 934 May 11 - 24, 2017
The arrival of 1983s Canterbury, meanwhile,
coincided with Diamond Head serving as
opening act for that years Monsters of Rock
Festival at Donington, which led to the band
supporting Black Sabbath on that groups Born
Again tour of Europe.
As with other musical outfits, a combina-
tion of changes in personnel, musical direc-
tion, and hopes for the groups future led to
Diamond Head taking a break of several years,
not releasing another album until 1993s Death
& Progress, and not releasing another after that
until 2005s All Will Be Revealed.
But in those intervening years, Diamond
Heads legend only grew. Metallicas musicians
were consistently vocal about the bands influ-
ence on their own music, and first invited Dia-
mond Head to open for them in 1992, which
the group has frequently done in the decades
since. Diamond Head opened for Metallica
and Megadeth at Englands famed National
Bowl in 1993, and headlined the 25th-anniver-
sary celebration of the NWOBHM (New Wave
veterans Erin Churchill, Anna Segatti,
and Autumn Loose sharing the stage
with venue newcomers Luther Chaku-
rian, Grant Benedict, and Bobby Cook
Gallagher. And with Variety magazine
raving about the songs that are always
well worth hearing and the shows
redemptive emotional power, Snap-
shots is sure to delight fans of musicals
particularly musicals with Schwartzs
name attached.
So how acquainted with the oeuvre are
you? Find out by attempting to match
Wednesday, May 17, and Thursday, May
18 How Great Thou Art: The Gospel Music
of Elvis Presley. Tribute concert featuring
Robert Shaw & the Lonely Street Band. Circa
21 Dinner Playhouse (1828 Third Avenue,
Rock Island). May 17 and 18: noon lunch, 1 p.m.
show, $46.50. May 17: 6 p.m. buffet, 7:15 p.m.
show, $52.25. For tickets and information, call
(309)786-7733 extension 2 or visit Circa21.com.
Thursday, May 18, and Friday, May 19 Luke
Bryan. Chart-topping country singer/songwriter
in concert, featuring opening sets by Brett
Eldredge and Adam Craig. iWireless Center (1201
River Drive, Moline). 7 p.m. $49.75-75. For tickets,
call (800)745-3000 or visit iWirelessCenter.com.
Friday, May 19 A Night of Sunshines
11
By Mike Schulz
mike@rcreader.com
of British Heavy Metal) at the London Astoria.
And 40 years after the bands inauspicious
beginnings in 1976, Diamond Head released
a self-titled 2016 album that reignited not
only the passions of heavy-fans worldwide,
but of music reviewers who called Diamond
Head the groups best work in several decades.
NewNoiseMagazine.com wrote, Brian
Tatler is still the mastermind behind bluesy
solos and speed-metal riffs that hook you
in, and this new album sounds really fresh
and young. Meanwhile, SputnikMusic.com
described Diamond Head as one of the years
strongest NWOBHM albums, adding that
Brian Tatler might have made the most
kick-ass return in the history of the arts since
Galdalf came back as Galdalf the White. Now
thats magic.
May 19s Diamond Head concert fea-
tures opening sets by Bible of the Devil and
Angelust, and for more information and tick-
ets, call (309)793-1999 or visit RIBCO.com.
the following Snapshots numbers with
the musicals in which they originally
appeared:
1) Popular A) The Magic Show
2) Parents Day B) Godspell
3) Fathers & Sons C) Wicked
4) Twos Company
5)  Endless Delights
6) All for the Best
D) Pippin
E) Working
F) The Bakers Wife
7) No Time at All G) Children of Eden
For more information on, and tickets
to, Snapshots: A Musical Scrapbook,
call (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visit
Circa21.com.
this show.
complete this quiz, youre gonna lo-o-ove
describes how long it took to successfully
6 B, 7 D. If that last song title also
Answers: 1 C, 2 G, 3 E, 4 A, 5 F,
Greatest Hits. Sunshine Ramsey performs a
cabaret-style concert featuring a five-piece band,
backup singers, and a childrens choir. Circa 21
Dinner Playhouse (1828 Third Avenue, Rock
Island). 7 p.m. $20. For tickets and information, call
(309)786-7733 extension 2 or visit Circa21.com.
Friday, May 19 Low Cut Connie.
Philadelphia-based rockers and guest musicians
in a Moeller Nights concert. Triple Crown
Whiskey Bar & Raccoon Motel (304 East Third
Street, Davenport). 8 p.m. $10-15. For tickets and
information, visit MoellerNights.com.
Friday, May 19 Bucktown Revue.
Season-ending variety show in the tradition
of A Prairie Home Companion, featuring emcee
Continued On Page 12
12 River Cities Reader Vol. 24 No. 934 May 11 - 24, 2017
Continued From Page 11
What Else Is Happenin
Scott Tunnicliff, area comedians, musicians
including the Barley House Band and
Milltown, and special guests. Nighswander
Theatre (2822 Eastern Avenue, Davenport).
7 p.m. $13 at the door. For information, call
(563)940-0508 or visit BucktownRevue.com.
Saturday, May 20 Josh Hoyer &
Soul Colossal. Concert with the five-piece
soul/funk/R&B band based out of Lincoln,
Nebraska, featuring an opening set by Aubs
Soul. Rock Island Brewing Company (1815
Second Avenue, Rock Island). 8 p.m. $3.
For information, call (309)793-1999 or visit
RIBCO.com.
Saturday, May 20 7 Bridges: The
Ultimate Eagles Experience. Tribute
concert with the touring Eagles tribute
musicians. Circa 21 Dinner Playhouse (1828
Third Avenue, Rock Island). 7 p.m. $25. For
tickets and information, call (309)786-7733
extension 2 or visit Circa21.com.
Sunday, May 21 The Corey Kendrick
Trio. The pianist and his ensemble perform
in Polyrhythms Third Sunday Jazz Series,
preceded by an all-ages jazz workshop. The
Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport).
3 p.m. workshop, $5, free for students; 6 p.m.
concert, $10-15. For tickets and information,
call (309)373-0790 or visit Polyrhythms.org or
RiverMusicExperience.org.
THEATRE
Friday, May 12, through Sunday, May
21 M*A*S*H. Tim Kellys wartime comedy
inspired by the book, movie, and TV sitcom,
directed by Rae Mary. Playcrafters Barn
Theatre (4950 35th Avenue, Moline). Friday
and Saturday 7:30 p.m., Sunday 3 p.m. $13. For
tickets and information, call (309)762-0330 or
visit Playcrafters.com.
Saturday, May 13 Quad City
Playwrights Festival. Annual showcase
of 10-minute plays highlighting new works
by area playwrights of high-school age and
older. Augustana Colleges Honkamp Black
Box Theatre (3750 Seventh Avenue, Rock
Island). 1:30 p.m. Free. For information, call
(309)794-7306 or visit Augustana.edu/arts.
Wednesday, May 17 Rent. Tony- and
Pulitzer Prize-winning musical smash on its
20th-anniversary tour, in a Broadway at the
Adler presentation. Adler Theatre (136 East
Third Street, Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $40.50-
68. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit
AdlerTheatre.com.
COMEDY
Saturday, May 13 All You Care to Eat: A
Comedy Thingy Live Podcast. Recordings
of the first three episodes of a new comedy
series performed in the style of a radio
play. The Black Box Theatre (1623 Fifth
Avenue, Moline). 7:30 p.m. $10. For tickets
and information, call (563)284-2350 or visit
TheBlackBoxTheatre.com.
VISUAL ARTS
Friday, May 12, through Friday, June
30 Stephanie J. Baugh, Karen Blomme,
and Matt Moyer. Exhibition of collages by
Baugh, mixed-media works by Blomme, and
sculpture by Moyer. Quad City Arts Center
(1715 Second Avenue, Rock Island). Tuesday
through Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday
11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. For information, call
(309)793-1213 or visit QuadCityArts.com.
Saturday, May 13, and Sunday, May 14
Spring Beaux Arts Fair. Annual outdoor
celebration of fine art and crafts, featuring
vendors, live music, food, childrens activities,
and more. Figge Art Museum Plaza (225
West Second Street, Davenport). Saturday 10
a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. For
information, visit BeauxArtsFair.com.
Sunday, May 14, through Sunday,
August 20 1917: Winning the War with
Industry. Exhibit focused on Iowas and the
Quad Cities involvement in The Great War.
German American Heritage Center (712 West
Second Street, Davenport). Tuesday through
Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sunday noon-4 p.m.
Free with $3-5 admission. For information, call
(563)322-8844 or visit GAHC.org.
Saturday, May 20, and Sunday, May 21
Metro Mini Makers Show & Sale: Miniatures
from the Heart of the Country. Annual
event showcasing dollhouses, room boxes,
and other scenes in all scales, with vendors,
workshops, and more. Davenport RiverCenter
(136 East Third Street, Davenport). Friday 4-8
p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. $5, ages 10 and
under free. For information, visit RiverCtr.com
or MetroMiniMakers.homestead.com.
EVENTS
Friday, May 12 Chippendales. An evening
with the Las Vegas-based male exotic dancers.
Rhythm City Casino Resort Event Center (7077
Elmore Avenue, Davenport). 8 p.m. $20-35. For
tickets and information, call (844)852-4386 or
visit RhythmCityCasino.showare.com.
Friday, May 19, and Saturday, May
20 Bottoms Up Quad City Burlesque.
Evenings with the local performance troupe
and area comedians. Circa 21 Speakeasy
(1818 Third Avenue, Rock Island). 8 p.m. $18-
20. For tickets and information, call (309)786-
7733 extension 2 or visit Circa21.com.
Saturday, May 20 St. Ambrose
University Wine Festival Tasting. Annual
outdoor fundraiser for student scholarships
held on the campus lawn. St. Ambrose
University (518 West Locust Street, Davenport).
3 p.m. $45-50. For tickets and information, call
(563)333-6290 or visit SAU.edu.
April 27 Crossword Answers
Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com
TCH IT
WA
Schulzs Review of
the Latest Movies On Demand
GET OUT
Fiendishly smart, unassailably
thoughtful, and brilliantly acted,
this horror comedy is a genre
pinnacle thats thrillingly
scary-funny, with writer/director
Jordan Peele masterful at laying
the groundwork for future shocks
through seemingly casual bits of
eccentricity. (Same day as DVD.)
THE GREAT WALL
Yimou Zhangs imaginative,
opulently designed adventure is a
visual wow, with the films
dinosaur-like hordes giddy and
gruesome in equal measure, and
the whizzing arrows and flaming
cannonballs seeming to pop
directly off the screen and into our
laps. (Same day as DVD.)
LOGAN
There are humdinger action
sequences and the editing is
first-rate, but I never adored this
Wolverine saga more than when it
grabbed me, claws and all, by the
heart, with Hugh Jackmans and
Patrick Stewart's rapport nearly
Shakespearean in its tragic
grandeur. (Same day as DVD.)
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Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com
Movie Reviews
A Rogue, a Raccoon, and a Tree Stump Walk into a Sequel ...
GUARDIANS OF THE
GALAXY VOL. 2
After a brief prelude set in 1980 Mis-
souri, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
flash-forwards 34 years, catching up with
our motley crew of space travelers not
long after we last saw them. This may be
the films single most-unexpected aspect,
because with the action unfurling over
the course of only a few days, its the first
time since 2011s Captain America: Winter
Soldier that a Marvel Studios movie is also
a period piece. Granted, three-years-ago
may not scream period. But in this case,
it definitely is, given that writer/director
James Gunns continuation feels so 2014
that its almost as if its audience has been
in hyper-sleep for the past 33 months, and
is awakening just in time for a new Guard-
ians to start. I really wish I meant that as a
compliment.
Fear not, fans: There are compliments
to come, and Heaven knows patrons at
my screening appeared to have a blast,
roaring at the unchecked honesty of Dave
Bautistas Drax and chuckling at the song
selections and Aw-w-w!-ing whenever
Baby Groots eyes welled with tears. (All
told, Vol. 2 is an awfully welling-with-
tears adventure; even Bradley Coopers
rasping Rocket sheds one.) Yet partly
because of the filmmakers and perform-
ers invention, and partly because so many
of us were previously unacquainted with
these particular Marvel figures, the chief
pleasure of 2014s Guardians of the Galaxy
was its surprise. The narrative, origin-
story tenets, and adherence to Marvel
formula may not have boasted much,
but the film still kept you on your toes by
frequently knocking the wind out of its
own sails. Give or take a Deadpool, few
genre blockbusters before or since have
so routinely undercut their own earnest-
ness all those heroic closeups, noble
speeches, and soaring music cues with
appreciatively snarky, moment-deflating
humor. (Its impossible to imagine similar
self-parody in the current DC universe.)
Guardians may have built to an inevitable
end-of-days finale, but happily it also
never stopped reminding us of its inherent
silliness that we werent meant to make
that big a deal out of its easy-listening
tunes and heavily armed raccoon and tri-
syllabic tree.
Vol. 2 has a similar insouciance, and
in a couple of sequences namely, when
Baby Groot cant understand a simple
directive about what to steal, and Chris
Pratts Peter Quinn tries in vain to locate
some tape the film hits heights of bril-
liantly protracted absurdity that recall The
Simpsons Sideshow Bob forever stepping
on rakes. The trouble is that we now know
the formula, and know the characters,
and that crucial element of surprise is
gone. You could, of course, say the same
of most follow-ups. But its important to
remember that, its sci-fi and comic-book
qualities aside, the Guardians series is
primarily a comedic one, and gags simply
dont play as well when you can easily
guess their punchlines. (After the horror
of Zoolander 2, my brother challenged me
to name legitimately great comedy sequels,
and between us, we couldnt even come
up with five.) For the most part, Vol. 2 is
pleasant enough, and as previously men-
tioned I was surrounded by people who
River Cities Reader Vol. 24 No. 934 May 11 - 24, 2017
By Mike Schulz mike@rcreader.com
Chris Pratt and Kurt Russell in Guardians of the
Galaxy Vol. 2
found it a total kick. Yet my only laughs
came from the beaming weirdness of Pom
Klementieffs empath Mantis, a new addi-
tion to the franchise, and a few bits with
Baby Groot, whose introduction here finds
him enacting the gopher from Caddyshack
if the critter preferred ELO to Kenny
Loggins. The rest of the time even when
Bautista was stealing every scene he was
in I watched Gunns outing with mild
interest at best, waiting with decreasing
interest for something truly unpredictable
to happen.
I was still waiting when, after 130 min-
utes, the title card promising Vol. 3 hit the
screen, but there were certainly occasional
diversions before then. Although its a
shame that Zoe Saldanas Gamora is stuck
in a blah subplot involving her bitter sister
(Karen Gillans Nebula), the rest of the
returning cast performs their expected
sitcom shtick with a fair degree of flair,
even though I really wished the terminally
unwelcome Michael Rookers first scene
didnt find his blue-skinned grump shirt-
less. (I already have enough grim memo-
ries from the actors cinematic oeuvre.)
13
Kurt Russell employs his full, charming
Russell-ness in the role of Quinns birth
father, and theres a lovely satiric poke at
Field of Dreams when Quinn transforms
a blob of glowing energy into the baseball
that he and his long-lost dad can finally
toss back and forth. A race of space beings
led by an imperious Elizabeth Debicki
resembles a cadre of Oscars the series has
probably lost the hope of winning; an early
siege, to amusing effect, mirrors the look,
sound effects, and fawning arcade appre-
ciation of a high-scoring game of Galaga.
But for my money, the films perks still
arent enough to outweigh the crush-
ing sentimentality of the oft-repeated
family is everything theme (one that
feels surgically inserted in the wake of Fast
& Furious success), or the unmitigated
blandness of the plotting, or the tonnage
of characters with daddy issues (does every
comic-book devotee feel unloved by Pop?),
or the scores constant barrage of Looking
Glass and Jay & the Americans and The
Midnight Special suggesting a two-hour-
plus plug for the movies soundtrack. Or,
yet again, the resounding genre familiar-
ity, with the finale boasting our umpteenth
universe-swallowing baddie and ticking
red clock and pair of he-men punching
the crap out of each other. To paraphrase
a pop hit slightly too outdated for the
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 repertoire,
its the same old song, and with the exact
same meaning since weve been gone.
For reviews of How to Be a Latin Lover,
The Circle, The Dinner, Colossal,
and other current releases, visit
RiverCitiesReader.com.
14 River Cities Reader Vol. 24 No. 934 May 11 - 24, 2017
MUSIC
Undermining the Familiar
Lewis Knudsen, Philip; May 25 at Skellington Manor
G
lancing at the song titles for Lewis
Knudsens upcoming release Philip,
you can see a thread of religion:
opener All My Sins, Heaven on Earth
in the middle, and closer Jesus & Mary.
That last one, a gentle piano ballad,
carries the most weight with its posi-
tion and unmistakable Christian icons.
Except ... its not Jesus mother that the
title references. And, in a clever twist, the
song makes no mention of God, stripping
the stories down to human characters and
relationships.
Singing with equal parts ache and love,
the Quad Cities-based Knudsen describes
partners in biblical terms: Well it feels
like youre Adam / and it feels like Im Eve.
/ I eat forbidden fruit / and you jump in
after me. And: Well it feels like youre
Jesus / and Im Mary Magdalene. / Youre
the level-headed one, / Im the one who
makes a scene. / You love everybody, / I
always charge a fee.
Theres a lot to unpack from this simple
song, and its a good summary of Knud-
sens songwriting strengths and the album
overall. Hes full of surprises, and he takes
many songs to interesting places a listener
couldnt possibly expect.
That starts with All My Sins, a stark
departure stylistically and sonically
from his recent albums. Breaking from
those records muted pop, the first track of
Philip is a sharp-edged bluesy rocker.
But Knudsen isnt satisfied with that
curveball. The lyrics, while expressing
typical regret and pleas for salvation, re-
frame the issue; its the punishment more
than the crimes: All my sins they cost me
so much money. / Got me thinking that
Im never gettin out of debt again. But
paying a price is better than the alterna-
tive: Lord have mercy on the ones that
have never been to prison for their sins.
/ Theyre the only ones who got no idea
what kind of trouble that theyre in. (In
many of these tracks, Knudsens lyrics
dont scan well on paper as the songs
build, but his polished delivery smooths
things out.)
In a similarly complex vein, Slow
Lane casts failure in an ostensibly posi-
tive light with its warmly gentle treatment,
but its clear were meant to look down on
the risk-averse narrator: Ive made up my
mind Im not gonna even try. / If Im not
racing then you cant say you beat me.
If Knudsen has a formula, its to set the
table with straightforward song titles or
familiar lyrical hooks and add shading
Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com
By Jeff Ignatius
jeff@rcreader.com
through
thoughtful
ambiva-
lence and
ambiguity.
That works
extraordi-
narily well
on Philips
front half, but
the back end hits some wrong notes too
earnest and direct in message, with con-
trasts too broad and stark to resonate. As a
result, theres little nuance or credibility in
Heaven on Earth or Music Is the Only
Drug I Need. Keep Up the Fight has
a lovely, patient treatment, but its theme
of reconciliation is little more than noble
sentiment.
The songs work much better when
theyre more opaque. The peppy, punky
pop of Home of the Brave invokes the
American dream but questions the cul-
tural desire for each generation to be more
successful than the one before it. The
chorus has a certain glibness to it Life,
liberty / Where I devour you / Before you
have the chance to devour me but the
songs politics overall are complicated
and open.
On Color & Warmth, Knudsen crafts
his effects simply, with a tonal shift from
melancholic tension to a bright yearning
and back again. The words are unfulfilled
throughout, but the dark fog of everyday
trials lifts long enough to let in the light of
larger dreams.
As with his albums from the past few
years, Philip is wide-ranging, although the
consistent clarity of the production (by
Patrick Stolley), the sharp songwriting,
and the alluring singing provide coher-
ence. (The album was mostly recorded
live in one day.) Even when Philip goes in
unwelcome directions such as, for me,
the synth-heavy slow-motion soul of Be
in the Time Knudsens intelligence and
vision go a long way.
Philip will be available on May 25 at
Ragged Records and on music-streaming
services, with a CD-release concert on
Thursday, May 25, at Skellingotn Manor
(420 18th Street, Rock Island). Admission
to the 7 p.m. all-ages show is $7, and the
concert will also feature leahleah.
For more information on Knudsen, visit
LewisKnudsen.com.
Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
ARIES (March 21-April 19): The
process by which Zoo Jeans are
manufactured is unusual. First,
workers wrap and secure sheets of denim around
car tires or big rubber balls, and take their raw
creations to the Kamine Zoo in Hitachi City,
Japan. There the denim-swaddled objects are
thrown into pits where tigers or lions live. As the
beasts roughhouse with their toys, they rip holes
in the cloth. Later, the material is retrieved and
used to sew the jeans. Might this story prove
inspirational for you in the coming weeks? I
suspect it will. Heres one possibility: You could
arrange for something wild to play a role in
shaping an influence you will have an intimate
connection with.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Kiss the
flame and it is yours, teased the poet
Thomas Lux. What do you think he
was hinting at? Its a metaphorical statement, of
course. You wouldnt want to literally thrust your
lips and tongue into a fire. But according to my
reading of the astrological omens, you might
benefit from exploring its meanings. Where to
begin? May I suggest you visualize making out
with the steady burn at the top of a candle? My
sources tell me that doing so at this particular
moment in your evolution will help kindle a new
source of heat and light in your deep self a fresh
fount of glowing power that will burn sweet and
strong like a miniature sun.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Your
symbol of power during the next three
weeks is a key. Visualize it. What
picture pops into your imagination? Is it a
bejeweled golden key like what might be used to
access an old treasure chest? Is it a rustic key for a
garden gate or an oversize key for an ornate door?
Is it a more modern thing that locks and unlocks
car doors with radio waves? Whatever you
choose, Gemini, I suggest you enshrine it as an
inspirational image in the back of your mind.
Just assume that it will subtly inspire and
empower you to find the metaphorical door
that leads to the next chapter of your life story.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): You are
free to reveal yourself in your full glory.
For once in your life, you have cosmic
clearance to ask for everything you want without
apology. This is the later you have been saving
yourself for. Here comes the reward for the hard
work youve been doing that no one has
completely appreciated. If the universe has any
prohibitions or inhibitions to impose, I dont
know what they are. If old karma has been
preventing the influx of special dispensations
and helpful X factors, I suspect that old karma
has at least temporarily been neutralized.
LEO (July 23-August 22): I dont
want to be at the mercy of my
emotions, said Irish writer Oscar
Wilde. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to
dominate them. In my opinion, that may be one
River Cities Reader Vol. 24 No. 934 May 11 - 24, 2017
of the most radical vows ever formulated. Is it
even possible for us human beings to gracefully
manage our unruly flow of feelings? What you
do in the coming weeks could provide evidence
that the answer to that question might be yes.
According to my reading of the astrological
omens, you are now in a position to learn more
about this high art than ever before.
VIRGO (August 23-September 22):
Africas highest mountain is Mount
Kilimanjaro. Though its near the
equator, its peak is covered year-round with
glaciers. In 2001, scientists predicted that global
warming would melt them all by 2015. But that
hasnt happened. The ice cap is still receding
slowly. It could endure for a while, even though it
will eventually disappear. Lets borrow this
scenario as a metaphor for your use, Virgo. First,
consider the possibility that a certain thaw in
your personal sphere isnt unfolding as quickly as
you anticipated. Second, ruminate on the
likelihood that it will, however, ultimately come
to pass. Third, adjust your plans accordingly.
LIBRA (September 23-October 22):
Will sex be humdrum and predictable
in the coming weeks? No! On the
contrary. Your interest in wandering out to the
frontiers of erotic play could rise quite high. You
may be animated and experimental in your
approach to intimate communion, whether its
with another person or with yourself. Need any
suggestions? Check out the butterflies in flight
position or the spinning wheel of roses
maneuver. Try the hum-and-chuckle kissing
dare or the churning radiance while riding the
rain cloud move. Or just invent your own
variations and give them funny names that add
to the adventure.
SCORPIO (October 23-November
21): Right now the word simplicity is
irrelevant. Youve got silky profundities
to play with, slippery complications to relish, and
lyrical labyrinths to wander around in. I hope you
use these opportunities to tap into more of your
subterranean powers. From what I can discern,
your deep, dark intelligence is ready to provide
you with a host of fresh clues about who you really
are and where you need to go. P.S.: You can
become better friends with the shadows without
compromising your relationship to the light.
SAGITTARIUS (November
22-December 21): You can bake your
shoes in the oven at 350 degrees for 40
minutes, but that wont turn them into loaves of
bread. Know what Im saying, Sagittarius? Just
because a chicken has wings doesnt mean it can
fly over the rainbow. Catch my drift? Youll never
create a silk purse out of dental floss and dead
leaves. Thats why I offer you the following
advice: In the next two weeks, do your best to
avoid paper tigers, red herrings, fools gold, fake
news, Trojan horses, straw men, pink elephants,
convincing pretenders, and invisible bridges.
15
By Rob Brezsny
Therell be a reward if you do: close encounters
with shockingly beautiful honesty and
authenticity that will be among your most useful
blessings of 2017.
CAPRICORN (December 22-Janu-
ary 19): Of all the signs of the zodiac,
you Capricorns are the least likely to
believe in mythical utopias like Camelot or El
Dorado or Shambhala. You tend to be ber-
skeptical about the existence of legendary
vanished riches like the last Russian czars
Faberg eggs or King Johns crown jewels. And
yet if wonderlands and treasures like those really
do exist, Im betting that some may soon be
discovered by Capricorn explorers. Are there
unaccounted-for masterpieces by Georgia
OKeeffe buried in a basement somewhere? Is the
score of a lost Mozart symphony tucked away in
a seedy antique store? I predict that your tribe
will specialize in unearthing forgotten valuables,
homing in on secret miracles, and locating
missing mother lodes.
AQUARIUS (January 20-February
18): According to my lyrical analysis of
the astrological omens, here are
examples of the kinds of experiences you might
encounter in the next 21 days: (1) interludes that
reawaken memories of the first time you fell in love;
(2) people who act like helpful, moon-drunk angels
just in the nick of time; (3) healing music or
provocative art that stirs a secret part of you a
sweet spot you had barely been aware of; (4) an urge
arising in your curious heart to speak the words, I
invite lost and exiled beauty back into my life.
PISCES (February 19-March 20):
Ex-baseball player Eric DuBose was
pulled over by Florida cops who
spotted him driving his car erratically. They
required him to submit to a few tests, hoping to
determine whether he had consumed too much
alcohol. Can you recite the alphabet? they
asked. Im from the great state of Alabama,
DuBose replied, and they have a different
alphabet there. I suggest, Pisces, that you try
similar gambits whenever you find yourself in
odd interludes or tricky transitions during the
coming days which I suspect will happen more
than usual. Answer the questions you want to
answer rather than the ones youre asked, for
example. Make jokes that change the subject. Use
the powers of distraction and postponement.
Youll need extra slack, so seize it!
Homework: If you knew you were
going to live to 100, what would you do
differently in the next five years? Testify at
FreeWillAstrology.com.
Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsnys
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
16 River Cities Reader Vol. 24 No. 934 May 11 - 24, 2017
Don Yawn
Im a 40-year-old man who cant seem to keep
a relationship going for more than a year. Theres
never bitter fighting or betrayal. I just gradually
lose interest. I cant blame my girlfriends most
of whom are pretty exciting people. Im the
problem. But why? And can I change?
Frustrated
Ever gotten new carpeting? The first month,
its No shoes and no drinks whatsoever in the
living room! A few months after that: Oh, we
dont use glasses anymore. Just splash red wine
around and drink right off the rug.
In the happiness-research world, the psy-
chological shift behind this is called hedonic
adaptation hedonic from the Greek word
for pleasure and adaptation to describe how we
acclimate to new stuff or situations in our lives.
They rather quickly stop giving us the buzz (or
bite) they did at first, and we get pitched right back
to our baseline feeling of well-being. Bummer,
huh? But theres an upside. Psychologists Timothy
Wilson and Dan Gilbert explain that hedonic
adaptation is part of our psychological immune
system, helping us recover from all the kicks in
the teeth and boys bathroom swirlies of life.
Theres another possible bummer at work
here, per your longing for less-wilty love. You
may be more sensation-seeking than most
people. Research by psychologist Marvin Zuck-
erman, who coined the term, finds that this is a
personality trait with origins in genes, as well as
experience, reflected in strong cravings for novel,
varied, and intense sensations and experiences.
If this is driving you, basically, you want it new,
you want it now, and all the better if its a little
life-threatening. In other words, some benefits of
a committed relationship, like deeply knowing
another person, may end up being deeply boring
to you. Still, part of your problem may be a hope-
ful approach simply hoping your relationships
dont die instead of taking steps to prevent that.
Research by psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky
finds that three intentional activities help keep
hedonic adaptation from overtaking a relation-
ship appreciating, injecting variety, and incor-
porating surprise. Appreciating simply means
regularly reviewing and savoring whats great
about your partner and what you have together.
(Even better if you also express it to them).
Bringing in variety and surprise means filling the
relationship with unexpected moments and
unpredictable pleasures, big and small.
Be honest with women about your befizzle-
ment problem. When you find one whos up for
Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave, #280, Santa Monica CA 90405, or e-mail
AdviceAmy@aol.com (AdviceGoddess.com). Weekly radio show: BlogTalkRadio.com/AmyAlkon. Order Amy
Alkons book, Good Manners for Nice People Who Sometimes Say F--- (St. Martins Press, June 3, 2014).
2017, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved.
Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com
the challenge, get cracking with her on keeping
the excitement alive. Be sure to do this both in
romantic day-to-day ways and, say, with the
perfect romantic weekend for a guy like you one
that starts with the valet at the spa opening the
trunk, removing the hood over your head, and
cutting the zip ties so you can go take a sauna.
Backup to the Future
Two years ago, I met this beautiful, intrigu-
ing girl. I gave her my number, but she never
called. Last week, she texted out of the blue.
Weird! My friend said she probably had a boy-
friend until now. Do women really hoard mens
info in case their relationship tanks?
Wondering
Consider the male BFF. A woman may not
consciously think of hers as her backup man. But
should her relationship go kaput, there he is per-
fectly situated to dry her tears. With his um .
There seems to be an evolutionary adaptation
for people in relationships especially women
to line up backup mates. Its basically a form of
doomsday prepping except instead of a bunker
with 700 cans of beans and three slightly dented
Hellfire missiles, there are two eligible men on
the shelves of a womans mind and the phone
number of another on a crumpled ATM receipt
in the back of her wallet.
Evolutionary psychologists Joshua Duntley
and David Buss explain that in ancestral times,
even people experiencing high relationship satis-
faction would have benefited from cultivating
potential replacement mates in case their part-
ner cheated, ditched them, died, or dropped a few
rungs in mate value. A woman whose partner left
or died would have suffered a lapse in protection,
mate investment, and resources for her children,
much like people who transition between jobs
in the modern environment sometimes suffer a
lapse in insurance coverage.
Duntley and Buss note that female psy-
chology today still has women prepping for
romantic disaster like theyre living in caves
and lean-tos instead of condos and McMan-
sions. For example, in research on opposite-sex
friendships, women, but not men, prioritize
economic resources and physical prowess in their
opposite-sex friends, a discrepancy that mirrors
sex-differences in mate preferences.
Getting back to this woman who texted you,
she probably saw something in you from the start
but was otherwise encumbered. So, yes, shes
likely been carrying a torch for you, but for two
years its been in airplane mode.
Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com
Live Music Live Music Live Music
Email all listings to calendar@rcreader.com Deadline 5 p.m. Thursday before publication
THURSDAY 11
Dave Fields Fricks Tap, 1402 W. 3rd St.,
Davenport IA
For the Fallen Dreams Varials
Deadships (6pm) Gabes, 330 E.
Washington St., Iowa City IA
Jelly Roll Lyrikal Random Tanner &
T. Stubbz Ro & Frosty B. Hodges
Jake Coia G. Quick RIBCO, 1815
Second Ave., Rock Island IL
Lewis Knudsen The J Bar, 4215
Elmore Ave., Davenport IA
Live Lunch w/ Neil McReynolds
(noon) Society of Broken Souls
(6pm) RME Community Stage,
129 N. Main St., Davenport IA
Melissa Lee Riverside Casino and Golf
Resort, 3184 Highway 22, Riverside IA
Najee The Redstone Room, 129
Main St, Davenport IA
FRIDAY 12
All Sweat Productions Presents:
Stevie Wonder BDay Bash
The Redstone Room, 129 Main St,
Davenport IA
Cardiff Brothers (5:30pm) Gabes,
330 E. Washington St., Iowa City IA
Doug Brundies Big Acoustic Show
My Place the Pub, 4405 State St.,
Bettendorf IA
Funktastic Five 11th Street Precinct,
1107 Mound St., Davenport IA
Greg & Rich Acoustic Duo Geneseo
Brewing Company, 102 S. State St.,
Geneseo IL
Hood Smoke RIBCO, 1815 Second
Ave., Rock Island IL
Kickin Back Fargo Lounge, 4204
Avenue of the Cities, Moline IL
Lasso Spells Okey Dokey Rozz-Tox,
2108 Third Ave., Rock Island IL
Live Lunch w/ Tony Hoeppner
(noon) Mike Cochrane (7pm)
RME Community Stage, 129 N.
Main St., Davenport IA
The Manny Lopez Big Band (6pm)
The Circa 21 Speakeasy, 1818 Third
Ave., Rock Island IL
Oliver Sean (7pm) Melissa Lee
(8:30pm) Riverside Casino and Golf
Resort, 3184 Highway 22, Riverside IA
Pastmasters Rhythm City Casino
Resort Rhythm Room, 7077 Elmore
Ave., Davenport IA
Suzy Bogguss CSPS/Legion Arts, 1103
3rd St SE, Cedar Rapids IA
Sylvia Wang & Elizabeth Chang
Unitarian Universalist Congregation
of the Quad Cities, 3707 Eastern Ave.,
Davenport IA
Tony Clifton & the Cliftones The Mill,
120 E. Burlington St., Iowa City IA
SATURDAY 13
3rd Street Villains 11th Street Precinct,
1107 Mound St., Davenport IA
The Acoustic Project (6pm) Cool
Beanz Coffeehouse, 1325 30th St.,
Rock Island IL
Beatles Tribute Rooftop Concert
(12:30pm) Putnam Museum &
Science Center, 1717 W 12th St,
Davenport IA
Code 415 Generations Bar & Grill, 4100
4th Ave., Moline IL
Daylight Over Hawkeye Tap Sports
Bar N Grill, 4646 Cheyenne Ave.,
Davenport IA
Devon Clemens Band Riverside
Casino and Golf Resort, 3184
Highway 22, Riverside IA
Doug Brundies Big Acoustic Show
129 Coffee & Wine Bar, 129 N. Cody
Rd., LeClaire IA
Fleetwood Mac Mania! Isle of Capri,
1777 Isle Parkway, Bettendorf IA
Helltrap Nightmare The Mill, 120 E.
Burlington St., Iowa City IA
Kathy Maxey, Larry Mossman, &
Friends Uptown Bills Coffee House,
730 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City IA
Kevin Macs Classic Country Jukebox
Ohnward Fine Arts Center, 1215 E
Platt St., Maquoketa IA
Kickin Back Green Tree Brewery, 309
N. Cody Rd., LeClaire IA
Knox-Galesburg Symphony Pop
Concert w/ Simply Three
Orpheum Theatre, 57 S. Kellogg St.,
Galesburg IL
Minus Six RIBCO, 1815 Second Ave.,
Rock Island IL
Olivia NewtonJohn Adler Theatre,
136 E. Third St., Davenport IA
Pastmasters Rhythm City Casino
Resort Rhythm Room, 7077 Elmore
Ave., Davenport IA
Porchburner Superchief Gabes,
330 E. Washington St., Iowa City IA
Project X Harley Corins, 1708 State St.,
Bettendorf IA
Quad City Wind Ensemble Spring
Concert Galvin Fine Arts Center, St.
Ambrose University, 2101 N. Gaines
St., Davenport IA
Steel Guitars in Concert: Robby
Turner Russ Weaver Dale
Thomas (11am) Princeton
Coffeehouse, 25 E. Marion St.,
Princeton IL
The Stone Flowers Fargo Lounge,
4204 Avenue of the Cities, Moline IL
YBBLU RME Community Stage, 129
N. Main St., Davenport IA
SUNDAY 14
An Evening w/ the Nola Jazz Trio
River Cities Reader Vol. 24 No. 934 May 11 - 24, 2017
Luke Bryan @ iWireless Center - May 18 and 19
Extended Rozz-Tox, 2108 Third
Ave., Rock Island IL
Chuck Murphy (2pm) Len Browns
North Shore Inn, 700 N. Shore Dr.,
Moline IL
Kickin Back (4pm) Judys Barge Inn,
600 W. Front St., Buffalo IA
Lewis Knudsen (11am) The Faithful
Pilot Cafe & Spirits, 117 N Cody Rd,
LeClaire IA
RiverBend Bronze Handbell Ensemble
Mothers Day Concert (4pm) First
Presbyterian Church of Davenport,
1702 Iowa St., Davenport IA
MONDAY 15
The Lettermen (1 & 7:15pm) Circa 21
Dinner Playhouse, 1828 Third Ave.,
Rock Island IL
The Story So Far Turnstile Drug
Church (6pm) Gabes, 330 E.
Washington St., Iowa City IA
17
Greg & Rich Acoustic Duo (1:30pm)
Bettendorf Public Library, 2950
Learning Campus Dr., Bettendorf IA
How Great Thou Art: The Gospel
Music of Elvis Presley (1pm) Circa
21 Dinner Playhouse, 1828 Third
Ave., Rock Island IL
Jimmy & Rhonda Riverside Casino
and Golf Resort, 3184 Highway 22,
Riverside IA
Kyle Sherman Iowa City High Best
Buddies Uptown Bills Coffee House,
730 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City IA
Luke Bryan Brett Eldredge Adam
Craig iWireless Center, 1201 River
Dr, Moline IL
FRIDAY 19
The Brat Pack Rhythm City Casino
TUESDAY 16
Resort Rhythm Room, 7077 Elmore
Ave., Davenport IA
Quad City Kix Band RME Community
Stage, 129 N. Main St., Davenport IA
Bucktown Revue Nighswander Theatre,
2822 Eastern Ave, Davenport IA
Chris Antonik The Curtis Hawkins
WEDNESDAY 17
Band The Redstone Room, 129
Main St, Davenport IA
David Zollo & Body Electric w/
How Great Thou Art: The Gospel
Brian Johannesen (6:30pm)
Music of Elvis Presley (1 & 7:15pm)
Weatherdance Fountain Stage,
Circa 21 Dinner Playhouse, 1828
outside the Sheraton Hotel, 210 S.
Third Ave., Rock Island IL
Dubuque St., Iowa City IA
Jordan Danielsen (6:30pm) The
Diamond Head Bible of the Devil
Faithful Pilot Cafe & Spirits, 117 N
Angelust RIBCO, 1815 Second Ave.,
Cody Rd, LeClaire IA
Rock Island IL
Moeller Nights: Skyway Man Triple
Doug Brundies Big Acoustic Show
Crown Whiskey Bar & Raccoon Motel,
Missipi Brewing Company, 107 Iowa
304 E Third St., Davenport IA
Ave., Muscatine IA
Rico & Leland (6pm) Len Browns North
Elizabeth Moen River Glen Erin
Shore Inn, 700 N. Shore Dr., Moline IL
Moore Rozz-Tox, 2108 Third Ave.,
THURSDAY 18
Rock Island IL
Bobby Ray Bunch The J Bar, 4215
Luke Bryan Brett Eldredge Adam
Elmore Ave., Davenport IA Continued On Page 18
18 River Cities Reader Vol. 24 No. 934 May 11 - 24, 2017 Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com

Live Music Live Music Live Music

Email all listings to calendar@rcreader.com Deadline 5 p.m. Thursday before publication
Continued From Page 17
WEDNESDAY 24
The Stone Flowers Generations Bar & Gray Wolf Band River House, 1510 Bugeye Sprite Whitetails, 1711 165th
Grill, 4100 4th Ave., Moline IL River Dr., Moline IL St., Clarence IA
Craig iWireless Center, 1201 River Stone Tattoo Harley Corins, 1708 Burlington Street Bluegrass Band Greg & Rich Acoustic Duo (6pm) Cheese Pizza 20Year Anniversary
Dr, Moline IL State St., Bettendorf IA The Mill, 120 E. Burlington St., Iowa Rock Island Hy-Vee Market Grille, Show Electric Shock: The AC/DC
Moeller Nights: Low Cut Connie The Voices Riverside Casino and Golf City IA 2930 18th Ave., Rock Island IL Show RIBCO, 1815 Second Ave.,
Triple Crown Whiskey Bar & Raccoon Resort, 3184 Highway 22, Riverside IA Ed James (6:30pm) The Faithful Pilot J.C. Brooks Diplomats of Solid Rock Island IL
Motel, 304 E Third St., Davenport IA Zay & the Mand Bent River Brewing Cafe & Spirits, 117 N Cody Rd, LeClaire IA Sound Gabes, 330 E. Washington Chuck Murphy Kavanaughs Hilltop
A Night of Sunshines Greatest Hits Company - Rock Island, 512 24th St., Justin Townes Earle The Sadies St., Iowa City IA Tap, 1228 30th St., Rock Island IL
Circa 21 Dinner Playhouse, 1828 Rock Island IL Englert Theatre, 221 East Washington Jazz After Five: Saul Lubaroff Quartet Coyote Wild Rhythm City Casino
Third Ave., Rock Island IL Olivia Newton-John @ St., Iowa City IA (5pm) The Mill, 120 E. Burlington St., Resort Rhythm Room, 7077 Elmore
Playlist 11th Street Precinct, 1107
Mound St., Davenport IA
Adler Theatre - May 13 SUNDAY 21 West Branch High School Jazz Band
Herbert Hoover National Historic Site,
Iowa City IA
The Lonely Goats Wide River Winery
Ave., Davenport IA
Doug Brundies Big Acoustic Show
Red Cedar Trio: Brinton Silent Film Doug Brundies Big Acoustic Show off I-80 at exit 254, West Branch IA - LeClaire, 106 N. Cody Rd., LeClaire IA Fricks Tap, 1402 W. 3rd St., Davenport IA
Bettendorf IA
Project Englert Theatre, 221 East Rascals Live, 1414 15th St., Moline IL Machine Gun Willie My Place the Pub, Francesca Shanks Searights Rozz-
Gray Wolf Band Fargo Lounge, 4204
THURSDAY 25
Washington St., Iowa City IA Greg & Rich Acoustic Duo (2pm) 4405 State St., Bettendorf IA Tox, 2108 Third Ave., Rock Island IL
Avenue of the Cities, Moline IL
Roger Carlson (6pm) Cool Beanz Len Browns North Shore Inn, 700 N. Matt Van (6pm) Milltown Coffee, Greg & Rich Acoustic Duo Riverside
Greg & Rich Acoustic Duo Jims
Coffeehouse,132530thSt.,RockIslandIL Shore Dr., Moline IL Bobby Ray Bunch Harringtons 3800 River Drive #2, Moline IL Grille, 1733 State St., Bettendorf IA
Knoxville Tap, 8716 Knoxville Rd.,
The Silver Cliffs The Lucky Frog Bar & HomeBrewed (6pm) The Mill, 120 E. Pub, 2321 Cumberland Square Dr., Sushi Roll Riverside Casino and Golf Gurf Morlix Princeton Coffeehouse,
Milan IL
Grill, 313 N. Salina St., McCausland IA Burlington St., Iowa City IA Bettendorf IA Resort, 3184 Highway 22, Riverside IA 25 E. Marion St., Princeton IL
Hap Hazard 11th Street Precinct, 1107
The Voices Riverside Casino and Golf Lewis Knudsen (2pm) Creekside Chris Pureka DICKIE The Mill, 120 E. Thick Business Shady Bug Us Jordan Danielsen (2pm) Creekside
Mound St., Davenport IA
Resort, 3184 Highway 22, Riverside IA Vineyards Winery & Inn, 7505 120th Burlington St., Iowa City IA Mode Garrin Jost Rozz-Tox, 2108 Vineyards Winery & Inn, 7505 120th
Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal Aubs
Ave., Coal Valley IL Corey Wallace The J Bar, 4215 Third Ave., Rock Island IL Ave., Coal Valley IL
SATURDAY 20
Soul RIBCO, 1815 Second Ave., Rock
Orchestra Iowa Presents: John Elmore Ave., Davenport IA Trippin Billies Jason Carl RIBCO, King of the Tramps Ryne Doughty
Island IL
Williams Night at the Movies Lewis Knudsen CDRelease Show 1815 Second Ave., Rock Island IL The Mill, 120 E. Burlington St., Iowa
Lojo Russo Baked Beer & Bread Co.,
7 Bridges: The Ultimate Eagles Paramount Theatre, 123 3rd St. SE, Skellington Manor Banquet & Event Turnbuckle Comedy & Music Festival City IA
1113 Mound St., Davenport IA
Experience Circa 21 Dinner Cedar Rapids IA Center, 420 18th St, Rock Island IL Codfish Hollow Barn, 5013 288th Mark Stuart Uptown Theatre, 221 1st
Meat Wave Foul Tip Otros Outros
Playhouse, 1828 Third Ave., Rock Third Sunday @ 3 Concert St. Johns Makenna & Brock Riverside Casino Ave., Maquoketa IA Street NE, Mt. Vernon IA
Gabes, 330 E. Washington St., Iowa
Island IL United Methodist Church, 109 E 14th and Golf Resort, 3184 Highway 22, Waking Robots Bucktown Center for Rhonda Vincent & the Rage
City IA
An Evening with Neil Diamond and St, Davenport IA Riverside IA the Arts, 225 E. 2nd St., Davenport IA Ohnward Fine Arts Center, 1215 E
North of 40 Len Browns North Shore
Elvis Timber Lake Playhouse, 8215 Third Sunday Jazz: The Corey West High & City High Jazz Ensembles Platt St., Maquoketa IA
Inn, 700 N. Shore Dr., Moline IL
FRIDAY 26
Black Oak Road, Mt. Carroll IL Kendrick Trio (6pm) The Redstone (6:30pm) Weatherdance Fountain Rick Springfield Riverside Casino
Northern Parallels 06 w/ Brendan
Bike Rack 2Year Anniversary Party: Room, 129 Main St, Davenport IA Stage, outside the Sheraton Hotel, Event Center, 3184 Highway 22,
Hanks Rozz-Tox, 2108 Third Ave.,
John Quijas (5pm) Blues Rockit Chris Dunn (noon) Bettendorf Public 210 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City IA Riverside IA

MONDAY 22
Rock Island IL
(9pm) K & Ts Bike Rack Sports Bar Library, 2950 Learning Campus Dr., Sushi Roll Riverside Casino and Golf

SATURDAY 27
Orchestra Iowa Presents: John
& Grill, 3303 Brady St., Davenport IA Bettendorf IA Resort, 3184 Highway 22, Riverside IA
Williams Night at the Movies
Casey Muessigmann Rhythm City (Hed) Pe Motograter High Five Doug Brundies Big Acoustic Show The Jason Carl Band 11th Street
Paramount Theatre, 123 3rd St. SE,
Casino Resort Rhythm Room, 7077 Sinners Bloodtied Cassius Baked Beer & Bread Co., 1113 10 of Soul River House, 1510 River Dr., Precinct, 1107 Mound St., Davenport IA
Cedar Rapids IA
Elmore Ave., Davenport IA King (5:30pm) Gabes, 330 E. Mound St., Davenport IA Moline IL Trace Adkins Rhythm City Casino
Smooth Groove River House, 1510
Code 415 Rivertown Grille & Bar, 2606 Washington St., Iowa City IA Frankie Fontagne 11th Street Precinct, Alyx Rush RME Community Stage, Resort, 7077 Elmore Ave., Davenport IA
River Dr., Moline IL
W. Locust St., Davenport IA 1107 Mound St., Davenport IA 129 N. Main St., Davenport IA Turnbuckle Comedy & Music Festival

TUESDAY 23
Society of Broken Souls (6pm)
DOSH ION The Mill, 120 E. Burlington The Generations Band 60s Dance Bobby Ray Bunch (5pm) Wide River Codfish Hollow Barn, 5013 288th
Milltown Coffee, 3800 River Drive #2,
St., Iowa City IA Party Rhythm City Casino Resort Winery Tasting Room - Village of Ave., Maquoketa IA
Moline IL
Doug Brundies Big Acoustic Show Shook Twins The Mill, 120 E. Rhythm Room, 7077 Elmore Ave., East Davenport, 1128 Mound St.,
Steve Cormier Uptown Bills Coffee
Riverside Grille, 1733 State St., Burlington St., Iowa City IA Davenport IA Davenport IA
House, 730 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City IA

EXHIBITION CLOSING

SCRIMMAGE
FOOTBALL IN AMERICAN ART FROM THE
CIVIL WAR TO THE PRESENT
CLOSES MAY 14, 2017
Organized by Linny Frickman at the Gregory Allicar Museum of Art at
Colorado State University at Fort Collins in partnership with Danielle Knapp
at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at the University of Oregon, Eugene.
Presented at the Figge Art Museum with the support of the Thomas A. and
Mary Waterman Gildehaus Endowment, Tom Figge, and Jeff and Lynda Eirinberg.
Frederic Remington, Touchdown, Yale vs. Princeton, Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27, 1890, Yale 32, Princeton 0, 1890,
oil on canvas, Yale University Art Gallery, Whitney Collections of Sporting Art, given in memory of Harry Payne Whitney
(B.A. 1894), and Payne Whitney (B.A. 1898) by Francis P. Garvan (B.A. 1897); M.A. (Hon) 1922, Courtesy of the
University Art Museum, Colorado State University, and the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, University of Oregon.

Davenport, Iowa 563.326.7804

www.figgeartmuseum.org
Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com River Cities Reader Vol. 24 No. 934 May 11 - 24, 2017 19

DJs/Karaoke/
Jams/Open Mics SORRY MOM! May 11, 2017
Crossword April 27 Answers: Page 12

THURSDAYS
Cross Creek Karaoke Hey Bryans, 1140
15th Ave., Moline IL
DJ Night w/ 90s Music Thirstys on Third,
2202 W. Third St., Davenport IA
Jam Session & Mug Night Iowa City
Yacht Club, 13 S. Linn St., Iowa City IA
Karaoke Night Bier Stube Moline, 415
15th St., Moline IL
Karaoke w/ Double Dz Purgatorys Pub,
2104 State St., Bettendorf IA
Open Jam Session My Place the Pub,
4405 State St., Bettendorf IA
Open Mic Night Uptown Bills Coffee
House, 730 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City IA
Open Mic w/ H.C. Wallace (May 11)
Geneseo Brewing Company, 102 S.
State St., Geneseo IL
Rock the House Karaoke Bottoms Up
on 7th, 1814 Seventh St., Moline IL
Thumpin Thursdays DJ Night Rascals
Live, 1414 15th St., Moline IL
State St., Bettendorf IA
Karaoke Night w/ Mike Matthews
Hollars Bar & Grill, 4050 27th St., Moline IL
SATURDAYS
Community Folk Sing (May 13, 3pm)
Uptown Bills Coffee House, 730 S.
Dubuque St., Iowa City IA
Cross Creek Karaoke Jims Knoxville
Tap, 8716 Knoxville Rd., Milan IL
Karaoke Night The Grove Tap, 108 S.
First St., Long Grove IA
Karaoke Night K & Ts Bike Rack Sports
Bar & Grill, 3303 Brady St., Davenport IA
Karaoke Night Miller Time Bowling,
2902 E. Kimberly Rd., Davenport IA
Karaoke Night Roadrunners
Roadhouse, 3803 Rockingham Rd.,
Davenport IA
Karaoke Night Thirstys on Third, 2202
W. Third St., Davenport IA
Karaoke Night w/ Jim Harker Hollars
Bar & Grill, 4050 27th St., Moline IL
Open Mic w/ J. Knight The Mill, 120 E.
Burlington St., Iowa City IA
TUESDAYS
Acoustic Music Club (May 16, 4:30pm)
River Music Experience, 129 N. Main St.,
Davenport IA
Acoustic Music Club (May 23, 4:30pm)
RME Community Stage, 129 N. Main St.,
Davenport IA
Karaoke Night My Place the Pub, 4405
State St., Bettendorf IA
Karaoke Night w/ Okeedokee Its
Karaoke Lynns 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 330th St., Rock
Island IL
Tuesday Blues Jam w/ Mark Avey &
Detroit Larry Davison Cabanas,
2120 Fourth Ave., Rock Island IL

FRIDAYS
Cabana Karaoke Night Cabanas, 2120
Fourth Ave., Rock Island IL
Cross Creek Karaoke Firehouse
Bar & Grill, 2006 Hickory Grove Rd.,
Davenport IA
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 Night Circle Tap, 1345 West
Locust St., Davenport IA
Karaoke Night The Grove Tap, 108 S.
First St., Long Grove IA
Karaoke Night K & Ts Bike Rack Sports
Bar & Grill, 3303 Brady St., Davenport IA
Karaoke Night Miller Time Bowling,
2902 E. Kimberly Rd., Davenport IA
Karaoke Night Roadrunners
Roadhouse, 3803 Rockingham Rd.,
Davenport IA
Karaoke Night Thirstys on Third, 2202
W. Third St., Davenport IA
Karaoke Night V.F.W. Post 9128, 2814
Songwriters Round Table (May 13, Underground Open Mic w/ Kate Kane
noon) River Music Experience, 129 Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S. Linn St., Iowa
North Main St., Davenport IA City IA
Twisted Mics Music & Entertainment
Barrel House Moline, 1321 Fifth Ave.,
Moline IL WEDNESDAYS
Ukulele Music Session (May 20, 3pm) Acoustic Jam Night w/ Steve McFate
Uptown Bills Coffee House, 730 S. McManus Pub, 1401 Seventh Ave.,
Dubuque St., Iowa City IA Moline IL
Hump Day Wing & Sing w/ Marybeth
SUNDAYS Hawkeye Tap Sports Bar N Grill, 4646
Cheyenne Ave., Davenport IA
Karaoke Night 11th Street Precinct, 1107 Karaoke Night 11th Street Precinct, 1107
Mound St., Davenport IA Mound St., Davenport IA
Open Mic Night (5pm) Lynns BBQ & Karaoke Night Circle Tap, 1345 West
Saloon, 1151 E. Iowa St., Eldridge IA Locust St., Davenport IA
Karaoke Night (May 17) RIBCO, 1815
MONDAYS Second Ave., Rock Island IL
Karaoke Night Thirstys on Third, 2202 ACROSS 80. Behave 36. Submission
Karaoke Monday w/ Pierced W. Third St., Davenport IA 1. Mark for removal 81. I am present! 37. End-of-week exclamation
Productions Grumpys Saloon, 2120 Open Jam w/ The Channel Cats Bent
5. Cummerbund 82. Part 3 of quip: 5 wds. 38. Prop
E. 11th St., Davenport IA River Brewing Company, 512 24th St.
Musicians Jam w/ CJ Lomas (May 15, Rock Island IL 9. A flower or its color 85. Sailboat stabilizer 39. Pilfered
14. Meanie 87. Upper floor 40. Fishgig
6pm) Theos Java Club, 213 17th St., Open Mic Night Boozies Bar & Grille, 114
Rock Island IL 1/2 W. Third St., Davenport IA 18. Profess 88. Complete 41. Lab compound
19. Electrum is one 89. Dig with the snout 43. Puget Sound city
20. Protozoan: Var. 90. _ noir 44. Pointless

Comedy
21. Snow, split and sweet 92. Meeting 45. Glimpses
22. PC appendages 94. End of the quip: 4 wds. 51. Throw with force
23. If looks _ kill 100. Word in a palindrome 52. Pie chart
24. Leaves 103. Fertility goddess 54. Polish

THURSDAY 11
120 E. Burlington St., Iowa City IA Rapids IA 25. _ She Lovely 104. Strike out 55. More healthy, in a way
Richie Holliday (8pm) Penguins Stand-up Open Mic (9pm) Boozies Bar 26. Sambar cousin 105. Vibrato 56. Land area
Bobby Ray Bunch (9pm) Triple Crown Comedy Club, 208 Second Ave. SE, Cedar & Grille, 114 W. Third St., Davenport IA 27. Start of a quip by Ray Romano: 5 wds. 106. Genu 58. Green gemstone
Whiskey Bar & Raccoon Motel, 304 East Rapids IA Studio Series: 309 (9:30pm) The 30. Fencing items 107. Welshman, e.g. 59. Self-improvement
Third St., Davenport IA Shatter Day Night Live: Alosha Robinson Establishment, 220 19th St., Rock Island
Brett Hiker Hannah Gansen IL
32. Too 108. Utensil for cooks 60. Eyeball part
Neil Hamburger (9pm) The Mill, 120 E. 33. Hapenny 109. Bauer or Izzard 62. Toodle-oo!
Burlington St., Iowa City IA Chris Schichtling Patrick Susmilch

SATURDAY 20
Spencer Loucks Travis Bails 34. Rocky debris 110. Footnote abbr. 63. Fits

FRIDAY 12
(11:30pm) The Mill, 120 E. Burlington 36. Lab gadget 111. Boats 64. Intrigue
St., Iowa City IA ComedySportz (7pm) The 38. Sit astride 112. A leavening 65. Liturgical vestment
Bix Beiderbomb Presents (8pm) Studio Series: Nocturne Falls (9:30pm) Establishment, 220 19th St., Rock Island 42. Part 2 of quip: 2 wds. 113. Doctors order 66. Fermented beverage
Boozies Bar & Grille, 114 W. Third St., The Establishment, 220 19th St., Rock IL 46. Gangster 114. Reptiles 67. Beat
Davenport IA Island IL Mike Merryfield (8pm) Penguins 47. Holds 68. Braid
ComedySportz (7pm) The Comedy Club, 208 Second Ave. SE, Cedar 48. Surmounting DOWN 69. Things apportioned
Establishment, 220 19th St., Rock Island IL
The Floodwater Comedy Hour: Mike
SUNDAY 14 Rapids IA
Murder in Paradise (6:30pm)
49. Those voting no
50. Backhoe bucket
1. _ Edna Everage
2. Villainous
70. Ski resort town
71. Lawn tool
Lucas Dan Frana Karl Hess Shelly Circumstantial Comedy Show (10pm) Skellington Manor Banquet & Event
BREW, 1104 Jersey Ridge Rd., Davenport Center, 420 18th St., Rock Island IL 52. Chap 3. Facility for Olympians: 2 wds. 73. Jeffersons veep
Paul Ethan Simmons Patterson
Chris Patton Patrick Susmilch IA Studio Series: Critical Hit (9:30pm) The 53. Pi-Sigma link 4. Sheep 74. Roman a _
Austin Black (11:30pm) The Mill, 120 Establishment, 220 19th St., Rock Island 54. Kind of woodworking joint 5. Blackthorn drupes 77. Tough but pliable
E. Burlington St., Iowa City IA
Richie Holliday (8pm) Penguins
MONDAY 15 IL 55. Set off
56. Very short time
6. An astringent
7. Han _ of Star Wars
78. Motivated
79. In _
Comedy Club, 208 Second Ave. SE, Cedar
Rapids IA
Honeycombs of Comedy (9pm) Iowa
City Yacht Club, 13 S. Linn St., Iowa City IA SUNDAY 21 57. Concert hall offering
59. Levitate
8. Fireplugs
9. _ lazuli
81. Contemptuous cry
83. Stew pot
Stand-up Open Mic (9pm) Boozies Bar Circumstantial Comedy Show (10pm)
60. Caldera 10. Insect stage 84. Son of Ivan the Great
& Grille, 114 W. Third St., Davenport IA
Studio Series: True Story (9:30pm) The
WEDNESDAY 17 BREW, 1104 Jersey Ridge Rd., Davenport
IA
61. The _ of the Ancient Mariner
62. Belief
11. Toy-bricks company
12. Further
86. Hikes
90. Grows quieter
Establishment, 220 19th St., Rock Island Comedy Open Mic (7:30pm) Penguins

MONDAY 22
Comedy Club, 208 Second Ave. SE, Cedar 63. Dispenser contents 13. Plantations yield: 2 wds. 91. Unreactive
IL
Tony Clifton & the Cliftones (8:30pm) Rapids IA 64. Tentlike shelter 14. Narcotic 92. _ a deux
The Mill, 120 E. Burlington St., Iowa City IA Honeycombs of Comedy (9pm) Iowa 67. Bistros 15. Bless you! 93. Eye
FRIDAY 19 City Yacht Club, 13 S. Linn St., Iowa City IA 68. Acquisition 16. Sounded 94. Muscovy glass

SATURDAY 13 Bix Beiderbomb Presents (8pm)

Boozies Bar & Grille, 114 W. Third St., WEDNESDAY 24
72. Entertain
73. Ulan _
17. OT book: Abbr.
19. Pine
95. River in Belgium
96. Tahari or Wiesel
All You Care to Eat: A Comedy Thingy 74. Ron Howards brother 27. Juvenile 97. Costa _
Podcast Live Recording (7:30pm) Davenport IA Comedy Open Mic (7:30pm) Penguins
75. Abbr. in bus. 28. Valley of _, where David fought Goliath 98. Church calendar
The Black Box Theatre, 1623 Fifth Ave., ComedySportz (7pm) The Comedy Club, 208 Second Ave. SE, Cedar
Establishment, 220 19th St., Rock Island Rapids IA 76. Piquancy 29. Path 99. Hats
Moline IL
IL Shane Mauss (8pm) RIBCO, 1815 Second 77. Of a heavenly body 31. Look 101. Harvest
ComedySportz (7pm) The
Establishment, 220 19th St., Rock Island IL Mike Merryfield (8pm) Penguins Ave., Rock Island IL 78. Kind of glass 34. Supports for rigging 102. Fish often pickled
Helltrap Nightmare (8:30pm) The Mill, Comedy Club, 208 Second Ave. SE, Cedar 79. Toil 35. Feminine name 106. Parrot
20 River Cities Reader Vol. 24 No. 934 May 11 - 24, 2017 Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com

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