“Scrooge was dead.” That’s how Donald C. Hepner started off a production of A Christmas Carol one night. And that one moment perfectly captures than man we all knew as “Hep.” You were never certain whether you were in on the joke or part of it. A standup comedian, gifted actor, personal friend  and mentor to many on the local theater and comedy scene, Hepner died of a massive heart attack Sunday night in his Moline residence. He was 79. He was an original dude, a great writer (his book “Reggie! Ringling’s First Black Clown” is FANTASTIC), and a fine performer... 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 featuring you and your artworks in our gallery! This week’s artist is Kevin E. Smith! Here’s his bio: Kevin E.... Read More

QuadCities.com proudly presents FUN10, a list of the top 10 things to do in the Quad Cities this week, and every week! It’s no secret that the entertainment industry has gone through quite the transformation over the past seven months. When we began this column at the beginning of March 2020, we foresaw sharing ten (of the numerous) exciting events going on in the Quad Cities area throughout the week. Just a few weeks after launching this new feature, we were all presented with a reality we never saw coming. One thing never changed, however. While the look and feel significantly altered, amazing... Read More

Saturday In The Arts is a weekly look at a personality, place, trend or topic of interest to the Quad-Cities. It runs every Saturday morning on your site for fun, free, local entertainment and features, QuadCities.com. I might as well face it – I’m addicted to my smartphone. I know I’m not the only one. Is there a support group, a 12-step program, a bleach I can take? Steve Jobs must be doing a jig in his Palo Alto grave. (It’s hard to believe the tech genius and Apple co-creator has been gone nine years already this Monday, Oct. 5. Jobs died at 56 from pancreatic cancer.) The first iPhone... Read More

“If you work in the media, you’re going to get fired.” My college Journalism 101 teacher said that to our eager group of 18-year-olds on my first day in his class. Great way to introduce us to his curriculum, and the business, right? He told us it wasn’t meant to be a cautionary statement, merely a pragmatic one. That’s the business. That’s media. Ownership changes, management changes, budgets get cut, formats and directions get shifted, and the people in the trenches are the ones who are usually set loose. You have to have a thick skin, a backup plan, and the ability not to take it... Read More

We at QuadCities.com are ALWAYS looking for cool new ways to bring you the best in local entertainment coverage in the Quad-Cities. And so we’re debuting a NEW feature — The Month In Events! It’s our way of giving you even MORE great coverage here on your site for the best arts and entertainment reporting in the area — your free, fun, local, award-winning QuadCities.com! Today, QuadCities.com proudly presents the very first Month in Events, a list of events happening in the Quad Cities this month, and every month! On the first of every month we will give you an exciting... Read More

Today, negotiations are set to continue on another covid stimulus bill. Nancy Pelosi has said, to her credit, that she doesn’t want Congress to adjourn without another one. And, Steven Mnuchin, also to his credit, has seemed eager to likewise get a deal done. And make no doubt about it, there NEEDS to be another deal. And it NEEDS to get done before Congress goes home for a month for the window dressing of campaigning for votes during a time in which they should be earning them by actually doing something for the people whom they claim to represent. Recent numbers show as many as 60 percent... 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 featuring you and your artworks in our gallery! This week’s artist is Brianna Herrig! As she tells us in her bio… I... Read More

That’s right. Every Monday we give you a cheesy music video to get your drab week started with a laugh. It drops here on your site for fun entertainment and pop culture, QuadCities.com, every 9:09, every Monday. Now, last week we went into the rabbit hole of Blackpool Grime, a music genre that was most popular in Blackpool, England, around 2016-2017, to dig around and share the video for the TikTok viral song “M to the B,” by Millie B. But that’s not the full title to the song. It’s actually titled “M to the B (Soph Aspin Send).” So who the hell is Soph... Read More

QC Scene was on the scene yesterday for Record Store Day at Moline’s CoOp Records, to celebrate the release of Einstein’s Sister’s first record in almost two decades. Given that we’re living in the time of covid, and social distancing, the pictures of crowds weren’t anywhere near as packed as they were for Einstein’s last record release, three years ago, performing to celebrate the reissue of their excellent album “Learning Curves” on vinyl. So, we’ve decided to give you two pictorials — one from yesterday’s record release, and one... Read More