Welcome back to our look back at the strange and apocalyptic journey that was the arts and entertainment scene of 2020. It was a year unlike any other, that’s for sure, and we at QuadCities.com are recapping it this year in a series of stories through Dec. 31, and then we’re going to have the entire series of stories sent to a licensed shaman, a priest, an exorcist, and Oprah, in the hope that they’ll bless the coming 2021 and put this year behind us. If you want to check out our recap of January and February (the “normal” months), click here; if you want to read about... Read More

Few people outside the small local comedy community realized that Andrew King moved away from the Quad-Cities this month. Few people outside the small local comedy community know who Andrew King is. But the departure of the soon-to-be-30-year-old King, who finally made a long covid-postponed move to Providence, R.I. in late June, is a real creative diminishment to the local arts scene. King was one of the most original characters on the Quad-Cities entertainment scene. He brought a unique voice, persona and artistic vision to the local stage. With an asymmetrical poof of hair, bookish glasses,... Read More

“I don’t know what I’m going to do.” His voice, usually brash and loud, is quiet and cracked. “I mean, I’m depressed. Obviously, it sucks, because the money is a big thing. It’s not just me playing out. My wife is a waitress and bartender, and I’m a bartender a couple nights a week. That’s just extra. But we need it.” They have a couple of kids. They have five jobs between them. Or, well, they used to. Now they have one. His. His “day job,” he used to call it. Now it’s their only lifeline to an income that was way too small for them all to live on, but which now has to... Read More

Maybe he’s just bored and trying to entertain himself. Maybe he’s trying to bring a heapin’ helpin’ of the best medicine — laughter, my friends, laughter — to the masses during this trying time. Maybe a little of both. But regardless, local comedian Andrew King has started up a new show on YouTube to check out while you’re in self-quarantine. According to Andrew, from his Facebook: I put together this experimental thing. A curated Youtube playlist with schtick in between, because fuck algorithms! There’s no personality with that. Included are appearances... Read More

With the coronavirus on the spread, these are troubling times, and with everything from the local St. Patrick’s Day festivities to NBA and NHL games being canceled, people are nervous and stressed out and looking for answers. Of course, there are a number of places you could go to find actual cogent information on the coronavirus, like this Joe Rogan podcast with an infectious disease expert. However, if you’re looking for something less stressful but still enlightening, Quad-Cities comedian Andrew King has come up with this interesting and informative look at the virus and it’s... Read More

The Speakeasy kicked off its month-long Stand Up Comedy Competition last weekend, and QC Scene was there to check it out and snap some pics from the event! Congrats to the top five comics moving on in the competition, sponsored by QuadCities.com! The winners from this past Saturday are Michael Maxwell, Matthew Jacobsen, Beckett Kenny, Al Nimpson and Stevie Mo, making it through a round of 16.    The second prelim round is at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Speakeasy, 1818 3rd Ave., Rock Island. The event will have comics coming from across the Midwest to compete!   For tickets and more information,... Read More

Congrats to the top five comics moving on in the Speakeasy’s comedy competition, sponsored by QuadCities.com! These five are the winners from this past Saturday – Michael Maxwell, Matthew Jacobsen, Beckett Kenny, Al Nimpson and Stevie Mo – making it through a round of 16.   The second prelim round is at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Speakeasy, 1818 3rd Ave., Rock Island. The event will have comics coming from across the Midwest to compete!   For tickets and more information, call (309) 786-7733, ext. 2.  Read More

There have been many spirited discussions, parties and creative meetings of the minds and performances held in garages, with and without the use of musical instruments. So much so that an entire subgenre of music, garage rock, has been named for it. Dylan Parker and Sean Whitney have taken that to the next level with Garage 3. The Rock Island performance space hosts a variety of poetry, comedy and spoken word performances in, well, Parker’s garage. On Wednesday, July 20, an attractive audience gathered at Garage3, named as being the third garage on the property of #MrRockIsland himself Dylan... Read More

The Speakeasy Laugh Hard Challenge is a stand-up comedy competition where comics from around the Midwest compete for the win. The first round of preliminaries was held Saturday, Aug. 6 at the Circa 21 Speakeasy, 1818 3rd Avenue in Rock Island. Hosted by James Draper, there were 14 comedians in the first round. Judges included Tiffany Lundberg from WHBF, Brett Hitchcock, owner and operator of the Speakeasy, and Andrew King, host of weekly shows at Boozies in Davenport as well as the former host of the Quad-Cities only live late night talk show The After Hour. The comedians who attempted the challenge... 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” retitled “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