And here you have them, the TOP TEN stories of the year, 2019. There were obviously a lot of big stories this year, but, these are the ten that we picked to have the biggest impact and resonance. Why did we pick these stories? A couple of them involved incredible achievements by local groups of […]
Marvin Franzen, the amicable denim-clad driver of the tractor that shuttles folks to shows at Codfish Hollow Barnstormers, is out of surgery and on the healing path after a horrible accident August 10 when his tractor flipped, breaking two arms and his pelvis. However, medical costs are skyrocketing, and there’s been a GoFundMe set up […]
Marvin Franzen, the amicable denim-clad driver of the tractor that shuttles folks to shows at Codfish Hollow Barnstormers, is out of surgery and on the healing path after a horrible accident August 10 when his tractor flipped, breaking two arms and his pelvis. However, medical costs are skyrocketing, and there’s been a GoFundMe set up […]
Marv is on the healing path, but he’s not out of the woods yet, and still needs your help to get back on the tractor again. The amiable Marvin Franzen, the upbeat and genial driver of the tractor shuttling music fans from parking lot to venue at Codfish Hollow Barnstormers, was severely injured in an […]
Marvin Franzen, the genial chap in the farmer’s hat and overalls who has charmed visitors to Codfish Hollow Barnstormers while trolleying them from the parking lot to the barn on his tractor, is recovering after being involved in an accident at the barn Saturday night. The crashing of his vehicle caused Franzen to suffer two […]
In January 2013, Tripmaster Monkey — drummer Marty Reyhons, bassist Wes Haas, guitarist Jamie Toal and singer Chris Bernat — performed at the Rock Island Brewing Company as part of the Bertual Reality Benefit, a gig to raise funds for local producer Rob Cimmarusti, who was battling pancreatic cancer and whose production and performance expertise […]
Back in 1994, the local band Tripmaster Monkey toured the UK to support their debut EP, “Faster Than Dwight,” playing at various locations in support of the disc, released overseas on Che Records. The footage below captures the band in performance at TJ’s, Newport, UK, and includes tracks from “Dwight” as well as the group’s […]
Back in 1994, the local band Tripmaster Monkey filmed the video for their first single, “Shutters Closed,” off their album “Goodbye Race” here in the Quad-Cities, featuring a variety of area folks as extras, including this reporter. The video was shown on MTV and other national video shows, and lives on in the recesses of […]
A look back at Quad-Cities indie rock band Tripmaster Monkey, from their start in the late ’80s through their heyday in the mid-late ’90s signed to the Sire and Elektra Records labels, to the recording of their current album, “My East Is Your West.” (Photos are taken from the Tripmaster Monkey Facebook gallery.)
It was always stunning to me that Tripmaster Monkey never hit it bigger than they did. Back in the mid-late ‘90s, the band – singer Chris Bernat, guitarist and singer Jamie Toal, drummer Marty Reyhons and bassist Wes Haas – had everything going for them. They were of and in the zeitgeist, with a perfectly […]
