I want to give kudos to Rein Razer. In our story earlier this week on QuadCities.com on her upcoming burlesque show, Rein Razer’s Court of Royalty, coming to Village Theater tonight, she said the following:   “I got the idea from how the Speakeasy was doing their booking for shows.”   Seems simple, right? Just actually acknowledging that you got the idea for something from someone else on the local arts scene. But you’d be surprised at how little this is done. More often, much more often, people have an incredible selective amnesia about things others in the scene... Read More

Though Illinois allowed indoor museums to reopen June 26, the Covid-19 pandemic still rages across the nation. Museums, historic homes and gardens in the Quad-Cities have taken differing approaches to reopening. As of that Friday in late June, with phase 4 of Illinois’ reopening implemented, very few museums on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River were open to the public. As of today, most have reopened, with attractions remaining closed include the John Deere Pavilion in Moline and Colonel Davenport House on Arsenal Island. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, all major Deere tourist facilities... Read More

You’ve heard of Christmas in July? Well, the Quad-Cities’ first goth rock band has reunited to celebrate Halloween in July. Joshua Bentley, 46, of East Moline, played his first show in the Quad-Cities 29 years ago Tuesday — July 21, 1991 at Uncle Roscoe’s Polo Club in Davenport, with his band Pitch Black Manor (which formed in 1990). Bentley has fronted other Q-C bands, Savage Gentlemen, Human Aftertaste and Hot Candy Idols (national touring with Human Aftertaste in 2007) and has come full circle back to where it all started. Pitch Black Manor recently reunited, with bandmates... Read More

Several Quad-Cities cultural organizations and projects were among 176 grants totaling just over $2 million, announced Friday by the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs (IDCA), for works in art, film, history, and culture. The funding comes through programs overseen by the department’s divisions: the Iowa Arts Council, the State Historical Society of Iowa and Produce Iowa, the state office of film and media production. “These funds are critical to help sustain arts, film, heritage and cultural vibrancy across the state and showcase Iowa’s world-class cultural programs and destinations with... Read More

A little more than two weeks after the Mississippi Valley Fair announced it would scale back its offerings this year, including no big-name grandstand acts, on Tuesday it said it would cancel the 101-year-old tradition altogether. The fair, at 2815 W. Locust St., was scheduled for Aug. 4-9. “We have continued to work closely with the Scott County Health Department to ensure that if we put on a fair this year we met all the requirements of the principles shared by both organizations,” MVF general manager Shawn Loter posted Tuesday on Facebook. “Health leaders determined our safety plan was... Read More

QuadCities.com has a chilling new ad dropping tonight on Creature Feature, airing every Saturday at 11 p.m. on digital channel 6.3! QuadCities.com is a proud sponsor of Creature Feature, featuring Dr. San Guinary presenting an array of cheesy and goofy old monster movies with some funny skits and commentary thrown in! You can see our ad tonight, but here’s a special sneak preview:  Read More

Saturday in the Arts is a comprehensive, in-depth feature on a topic, trend or personality impacting the Quad-Cities, posted every Saturday morning on QuadCities.com. This week we look at the various downtown businesses of the Illinois and Iowa Quad-Cities and how they’ve been impacted by, and have adapted to, the covid-19 pandemic.   The popular Rock Island Brewing Company (RIBCO), in the middle of The District at 1815 2nd Ave., has been through a lot since it opened in 1979. Hailed as a leader in Q-C live entertainment (its starry roster of guest acts includes Bo Diddley, The Wallflowers,... Read More

Ok, so about 50 percent of you hate Donald Trump. And, about 50 percent of you hate Joe Biden. But, probably about 90 percent of you, whether you like his music or not, think Kanye West is pretty freaking insane. This week, Ye, as the kids like to call him, was more crazy like a fox with the brilliant public relations stunt of announcing he’s going to run for president. Never mind that he hasn’t formally filed to run, and never mind that he’s way past the deadline to do so or be on the ballot in a vast majority of states, so technically, he has no chance. The fact that he announced it at... Read More

Welcome to the QuadCities.com Virtual Art Gallery! In this feature, we’re spotlighting area artists and their work. Every Tuesday we’ll feature a new local artist. It’s free and our way of showcasing awesome area artists and allowing them to include a link to their own online gallery or patreon! If you’d like to be included in the gallery, just send your bio, a headshot pic of yourself and up to a half-dozen .jpgs of your art to Sean@QuadCities.com. We look forward to adding YOU to the gallery! Our latest artist is Glen Lowry! Glen’s work is mostly in the prints and painting realms,... Read More

The local arts scene took a huge blow this spring when Covid-19 shut down the entertainment industry. But it takes a lot more than a pandemic to get Quad-Cities artists down and out. And it takes even more to get the big idea makers to stop dreaming. Enter Royce Barnett, Mr. Crunk Chocolate. Barnett, a Quad City resident and popular voice on social media and podcast platforms, where he often posts under the name Crunk Chocolate, has launched Quad-Cities Repping, a one stop shop Spotify playlist of Q-C artists. “The Ultimate Goal is to have The most complete Q-C Anthology of our local artists,”... Read More