Disc golf hits the links in Muscatine, reggae fills the streets of downtown Rock Island, a big tug takes place across the river and more in this week’s Weekend in 2 Minutes! #Quad Cities, #Sean Leary, #Things to Do, #Weekend Other Episodes May 16, 2024 Quad Cities Weekend In 2 Minutes – May 16th, 2024 Tropical Fish... Read More

A look back at Quad-Cities indie rock band Tripmaster Monkey, from their start in the late ’80s through their heyday in the mid-late ’90s signed to the Sire and Elektra Records labels, to the recording of their current album, “My East Is Your West.” (Photos are taken from the Tripmaster Monkey Facebook gallery.)  Read More

Jamie Toal, guitarist, vocalist and songwriter from the influential and impactful Quad-Cities band Tripmaster Monkey, talks about the band’s reunion for a new album and live shows, as well as the band’s ’90s heyday signed to Sire and Elektra Records. He chats about how his wife got the new project started, what it’s been like with the guys getting back together, what the new music will sound like, and various other details and anecdotes. #Jamie Toal, #QC Uncut, #Sean Leary, #Tripmaster Monkey Other Episodes ... Read More

It was always stunning to me that Tripmaster Monkey never hit it bigger than they did. Back in the mid-late ‘90s, the band – singer Chris Bernat, guitarist and singer Jamie Toal, drummer Marty Reyhons and bassist Wes Haas – had everything going for them. They were of and in the zeitgeist, with a perfectly tuned sound aligned with the times, and had a brilliant string of killer tunes, from the dreamy “Shutters Closed,” to the Nirvana-pop of “Liquid Sky” to the heartbreaking alt-rock beauty of “Colts.” The songs were there, as good as anything else soaring through the stratosphere... Read More

Tripmaster Monkey, one of the most commercially and creatively successful bands in Quad-Cities music history, will release its first album in more than two decades, “My East Is Your West,” in record stores and online stores and sites on August 6. The group — guitarist and singer Jamie Toal, singer Chris Bernat, drummer Marty Reyhons, and bassist Wes Haas — is not signed to a label and has released the record independently. The disc is already available for streaming on Spotify. “It’s been great, the album has been a lot of fun to put together, and it’s just been... Read More

Tripmaster Monkey released its first album in over 20 years, “My East Is Your West,” this week, and like the veering navigation implied by the title, it’s been a strange trek of various directions for the members over the past few decades back to their current reunion. At their mid-’90s peak, Tripmaster were signed to Sire and Elektra Records, had a video, “Shutters Closed,” on MTV, were part of a soundtrack to a major motion picture, “Naked In New York,” and played everywhere from London clubs to New York and Los Angeles. The band parted amicably... Read More

The Young Emerging Writers (YEW) Summer Internship Program will host a two-part launch party for the latest issue of the Program’s literary magazine THE ATLAS on Thursday, August 15th in downtown Rock Island. The event will start at 5:00 p.m. with a Family and Friends Reception at the Rock Island Public Library Community Room. The interns will give a brief reading of their work, and the Tim Curry Outstanding Intern award will be presented to one of the interns. Then, at 8:00 p.m. the party will move down the street to Rozz-Tox, where the interns will read different selections from the magazine,... Read More

Pet owners love to dress their dogs up for all occasions — Halloween, Christmas, formal events, you name it. To celebrate the end of summer, area pups have the chance to compete in a doggy swimsuit competition during the Dog Dayz of Summer Beach Pawty & Dog Wash, presented by K9 Kindness Rescue, Inc.! The event will be held in the parking lot of the Davenport’s Merrill Lynch building, 4550 E. 53rd St., from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, August 10. Pups can be treated to $5-$20 dog washes depending on the size of the dog, $20 microchipping, $5 nail trims and doggy photography. The event... Read More

Joseph Dryoel of Colona has been named as the 2019 recipient of the Thomas K. Evans Memorial Scholarship. Dryoel, a June graduate of United Township High School (East Moline) and co-valedictorian of his class, will receive $5,000 toward tuition at Loyola University (Chicago), where he plans to study pre-health in the fall. “Joey stands out, not only for his academic achievements but also because of the unique way he became interested in medicine — through the arts. We’re so pleased to present him with an award that will help him serve others with STEM,” said Amy Lank, president of American... Read More

Sean Leary has a lengthy and interesting conversation with Rock Island alderman and social activist Dylan Parker about a variety of topics, including downtown Rock Island development, the courthouse controversy, how the legalization of marijuana could impact Rock Island and an in-depth discussion about Parker’s recent controversy tied into the use of discretionary funds to help out Rock Island not-for-profit organizations. The conversation goes beyond the sound-bites and severely edited snippets to give the full story and the whole context on that matter and many others, making for an intriguing... Read More