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QuadCities.com – Top 30 Stories Of 2019 (#10 – #1)

December 31st, 2019
QuadCities.com – Top 30 Stories Of 2019 (#10 – #1)

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 people, achievements that are rarely accomplished by groups on the local level. Some of those involved achievements by groups of kids, which make them even more impressive, and also leave the possibility for even greater resonance later on down the line as those children grow and mature and work towards... Read More

Marv On The Recovery Trail, GoFundMe Still Open For Help

September 3rd, 2019
Marv On The Recovery Trail, GoFundMe Still Open For Help

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 to help with expenses. Codfish Hollow updated his condition with a post today: Marvin needs all the support he can get. They have currently moved him out of Iowa City Hospitals and clinics and into the ICU at Select Hospitals in Davenport. He has a lot of recovery... Read More

Marv Out Of Surgery, GoFundMe Still Open For Help

August 20th, 2019
Marv Out Of Surgery, GoFundMe Still Open For Help

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 to help with expenses. Codfish Hollow updated his condition with a post today: “Marvin is out of recovery and in his room. This was a very big surgery and the next 24-48 hours are critical due to a large skin graft which his body needs to accept. Please keep the... Read More

Good News On Codfish’s Marv, GoFundMe Up To Help

August 14th, 2019
Good News On Codfish’s Marv, GoFundMe Up To Help

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 accident on the property Saturday night, breaking two arms and his pelvis. Codfish Hollow updated his condition with a post late last night: “We’re SO FREAKING excited to interrupt your evening with a Marv-Update! A Marv-date, if you will… Today was a big day for our man, Marvin! Scheduled... Read More

Fans Flock To Help Codfish Hollow Icon Marv After Accident

August 13th, 2019
Fans Flock To Help Codfish Hollow Icon Marv After Accident

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 broken arms and a broken pelvis. He’s currently recovering in the hospital and is expected to be out of action for up to two months. A Go Fund Me page has been set up to help with expenses, and an outpouring of well-wishers has flocked to social media to wish the charming... Read More

Tripmaster Monkey Live At RIBCO For Rob’s Benefit

August 12th, 2019
Tripmaster Monkey Live At RIBCO For Rob's Benefit

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 were crucial to the creative evolution of a plethora of area acts, including the eclectic Tripmaster foursome. Cimmarusti passed away the following year, but still lives on in the memories of local musicians and people who were touched by his... Read More

Tripmaster Monkey Tour Of The UK Flashback

August 9th, 2019
Tripmaster Monkey Tour Of The UK Flashback

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 then-upcoming record, “Goodbye Race.” Footage of the show can be seen on YouTube, where you can check it out here:  Read More

A Music Video Filmed In the Quad Cities That Was On MTV? Yup.

August 8th, 2019
A Music Video Filmed In the Quad Cities That Was On MTV? Yup.

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 YouTube, where you can check it out here:  Read More

Tripmaster Monkey Through The Years

August 7th, 2019
Tripmaster Monkey Through The Years

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.)  Read More

Tripmaster’s Masterpiece: Their ‘East’ Is Their Best

August 5th, 2019
Tripmaster’s Masterpiece: Their ‘East’ Is Their Best

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 tuned sound aligned with the times, and had a brilliant string of killer tunes, from the dreamy “Shutters Closed,” to the Nirvana-pop of “Liquid Sky” to the heartbreaking alt-rock beauty of “Colts.” The songs were there, as good as anything else soaring through the stratosphere... Read More