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

There’s a robust family atmosphere that fills Sal Vitale’s and Sons, with the same richness and flavor of their delicious Italian food. The authentic Sicilian restaurant at 1010 Park Ave has been a family tradition since opening in 1984, said owner Salvatore Vitale, and given how the amiable Salvatore beams with jocularity and pride when speaking about it, it’s easy to see how it’s become so popular. “It’s all about the quality, and the situation is, absolutely nobody has the products and the ingredients we have,” Vitale said, proudly. “Everyone has quality ingredients, but we’ve... Read More

If you’re looking for a custom guitar unique as your playing style, you don’t need to fret those frets, just pick Shumaker Guitar Works at 1706 N. Brady, Davenport. The sharp shop, at suite 102, is packed with stacks of guitars and musical memorabilia along its walls, everything from vintage acoustics to flying V’s, and amidst the Fenders and Gibsons are the unique works of art created by the shop’s owner, Thad Shumaker. Shumaker restores instruments to their classic glory and is also happy to build a one-of-a-kind axe to your specifications at a price that’s in line with a new instrument... Read More

You’ll find quaint, cute, fun and funky products more folksy than a dropped “g” at Rustic Pickin’s, a new store that just moved from its old Park Avenue locale to new digs at 225 E. 2nd St., in Muscatine. The location specializes in the suddenly hot market for repurposed items, furniture, housewares and the like. As owners Jackie Petty and Melissa Lowrey put it on their Facebook page, “We use old, forgotten ‘junk’ in unexpected ways. Come to our next show to see what we’re all about.” So, what are they all about? “We’re all about repurposing different materials into new... Read More

If you’re drifting through a haze of heat exhausted and you see a painted shack near the side of the road, don’t worry, it isn’t a mirage. It really is nirvana. Nirvana in the form of icy cold refreshment. Nirvana in the form of the Flamingos Tropical Cone stand. For more than five years, Flamingos has been serving up icy cold treats – from smoothies to drinks to Mexican ices to flavored fruit concoctions and more – at its 801 Oregon St. location, and at 1903 Park Ave., right outside Muscatine Mall. Gabby Aguilar, 28, who owns both of the shops, is proud and thrilled to see her dreams... Read More

Keeping your items safe and secure is what fires up the owners of Blue Flame, a secure storage facility at 18602 County Road in Fruitland, Iowa. How do they achieve that? “We have a very secure storage facility and buildings,” said Rocky Phillips Jr., manager of Blue Flame. “We have one building with temperature controlled units, indoor and outdoor parking, an access controlled gate and cameras all over to keep tabs on everything.” What led them to start up the business? “We noticed there were a lot of storage units in Muscatine and noticed a lot of them were full,” Phillips said. “We... Read More

Right off the riverside hustle and bustle of Mississippi Drive in Muscatine is an oasis of calm. You walk in, and you’re greeted by soft, gentle music, a room painted in violet and blue and filled with the scent of lavender and sandalwood. This is Nutrition Outlet, and it’s not your average vitamin store. The outlet, at 403 W. Mississippi Dr., has been open since 2000, beginning as a sports supplement outlet before morphing, over the years, into something far more. “It’s not just your run of the mill mall store, with stuff that everybody has,” said Shelly Meier, who owns the shop with... Read More

Well, as the savage debate over whether pineapple goes on pizza rages on, with countless lives lost in the process, and by lost in the process, I mean time lost spent debating whether pineapple goes on pizza when who really cares about what someone else has on their pizza, let alone their opinion on it, allow me to throw a new pineapple conflict your way to endlessly debate. Should pineapple go in beer? Oh my God! Did he actually say that??? Did he??? Did he??? Yeah. You’re damn right I did. Because that’s just how I roll. And I like pineapple. I like it on my pizza. I like it in smoothies.... Read More

Forget your pumpkin spice lattes. You want a fall beverage that’s really going to warm up your ugg boots and steam up your Han Solo vest and stretch pants? Head over to your friendly neighborhood HyVee Marketplace Café and get yourself the O’Fallon Vanilla Pumpkin Beer, which is now on tap. After having a couple of these, you’ll feel like you’re cheating on your Starbucks in the best of ways and the worse of ways. When I first saw the Vanilla Pumpkin Beer on tap, of course dozens of basic white girl jokes came tumbling out of my brain like so many wicked treats out of a Halloween bag,... Read More