Drenched by rain and pushed around by the rising river, organizers of the Mississippi Valley Blues Fest have had ample reason to sing down-on-their-luck dirges over the past few years, even having to cancel last year’s event, but festival organizers are singing a happy tune going into the 31st annual fest this weekend. (For more info, see their site at http://mvbs.org/fest/.) “We feel good and optimistic about this year’s Festival,” said Stan Furlong, a member of the Mississippi Valley Blues Society and an organizer of the event. “The river is about six feet below the sidewalk in LeClaire... Read More

It’s hard to believe that anything could be better than cover bands, karaoke and gravy, unless it’s a Nickelback cover band that leads a karaoke version of “Call Me Maybe” re-titled “Call Me Gravy,” as they’re making gravy, but, as incomprehensible as it may be even within the realm of quantum physics, Andrew King insists that the new Bix Beiderbomb Presents MAY be even better than that. MAY be. He’s not making any promises or guarantees. So, if your to-do list for the week includes downing cheap beer, laughing at cheap comedy, being surprised by cheap thrills and stories and getting... Read More

Wow! Guns and Hoses are playing the Quad-Cities! Wait a minute . . . Ok, maybe it isn’t Axl, Slash, Duff and the boys, but Guns and Hoses is part of another pretty exciting event going on this weekend – Firecracker Run. The entertainment event headlined by a 10K run and 5K run/walk for charity takes place beginning at 7:30 a.m. July 4 and runs through the morning and early afternoon with a variety of races, from competitive jaunts to hospital bed races featuring guys in Elvis costumes to the aforementioned Guns and Hoses competition between area police and firefighters, racing against each... Read More

One of America’s most popular children’s-book characters is ready to jump-start the summer in the Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse presentation “Lyle The Crocodile,” opening this week and running through July 23 at the Rock Island dinner theatre. A delightful musical adapted from Bernard Waber’s kids’-lit series, this magical family entertainment is filled with laughter, songs, and happiness, and boasts a first-rate cast of professional talents. Circa ’21 will present “Lyle” on scheduled Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings and afternoons through July 23.... Read More

Kalispell is ready to cast his spell on local music fans. The Davenport-based Cartouche Records artist will be performing at 7 p.m. Monday, June 27 at Daytrotter, 324 Brady St., Davenport, along with Dan Blakeslee. Tickets are $8 in advance, $12 at the door. Kalispell’s new record, “Printer’s Son”, was released on Davenport’s Cartouche Records on June 3. Connecting an improvisational heart with meticulously constructed arteries of melody, it eschews the stomp-clap boom-chuck trends of indie-folk, instead giving nods to the entranced sonic tapestries of Phillip Glass and lyrical... Read More

Bucktown is always a hot spot for fun and enlightening local arts programming, but this Friday, it’s going to be even more so. The Davenport venue at 225 E 2nd St, Davenport, is holding a special show, the Bucktown Bash, from 6 to 10 to raise money for programing, operating expenses, and advertising for MidCoast Fine Arts. The 11th annual event to help raise awareness for local artists and funds for the Bucktown venue as well as Midcoast Fine Arts will have an outdoor concert featuring Juliana &  Soul Purpose, Bucktown Revue, and Waking Robots – three pretty awesome local bands. Vendors... Read More

Quad-Citians are encouraged to Discover the Mysteries of their local museums during Quad-Cities Museum Week June 18-26. Museums from across the Quad Cities region  are coming together for the second annual Quad-Cities Museum Week and patrons can enjoy this celebration of our region’s museums and participate in special activities, exhibits and promotions during this fun-filled week. New this year, each museum will feature a little known mystery about something at their museum. It could be part of their collection or even something about their building. It’s up to the attendees to check it out... Read More

It’s a new dawn for Dawn And On. The popular Quad-Cities Jam Band The Dawn will be hosting their second annual Dawn and On Festival on July 9. The all-day music festival will once again take place outside at Len Brown’s North Shore Inn in Moline. Drawing off the success of their inaugural fest last summer which drew more than 1,000 fans, this year’s event will feature regional and national touring acts including Soap, Joe Marcinek, Driftless Sisters and The Candy Makers.  The Dawn will once again headline the event. Festival promoter Mike Mathews is excited to be bringing Dawn and On back... Read More

It’s got an unusual name, but it’s for a good cause, and while it may have little to do with winter sledding or Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Slay Day, a benefit for Lindsay Thul, is taking place from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Public House, 5260 Northwest Blvd, Davenport. “On April 18th, 2016, Lindsay was diagnosed with stage 3 invasive carcinoma, one of the rarest and most aggressive forms of breast cancer there is,” said Rachel Loussaert, one of the organizers of the event, “Lindsay’s family and friends knew that based upon this diagnosis, Lindsay would face major expense with regard... Read More

Fathers and sons always have interesting relationships, and that dynamic, in an “Odd Couple” type of fashion, is being explored by veteran actor/director Don Faust this weekend, making his area debut with a new show of his creation, “Dad and Me,” which will be performed at 7 p.m. June 17-18, 24-25 and 3 p.m. June 19 and 26 at Metropolitan Community Church of the Quad Cities, located at 2930 W. Locust Street, Davenport. The show, written and directed by Faust, is described as “an original adult comedy with heart” that is recommend for adult and/or teen audiences only. The plot involves... Read More