When live, in-person music was wiped out last year, Davenport-based River Music Experience provided a priceless lifeline – they brought music out to private residences in the Quad-Cities with Curbside Concerts. Now they’re back for a second year. With all the outdoor shows (in private yards, curbs, driveways and cul-de-sacs), events sponsored by Russell Construction for essential workers, and curbside caroling, RME hosted 350 concerts and reached 7,260 people from April to December 2020, RME director of entertainment Kate Dale said Monday. They contracted with about a dozen local artists, plus... 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 adding YOU to the gallery! Our latest artist is a multi-talented creator, Jenny Lynn Stacy! Jenny Lynn hails from Davenport,... Read More

What a difference a year makes… On June 11, 2019, I was lucky enough to be among the 11,000 or so packed into Moline’s TaxSlayer Center (11th row center on the floor) to witness the first (and possibly last) performance of Sir Paul McCartney and his band in the Quad-Cities. It was an electrifying, unforgettable night – not least of which was due to the jaw-dropping lighting and multimedia displays, including a breathtaking pyrotechnic extravaganza during “Live and Let Die.” Part of what made it so thrilling was simply being in “the room where it happened,” celebrating a musical legend... Read More

The music industry was among the first to close and will be among the last to reopen as a result of the Covid-19 crisis, placing musicians who depend on income from live performances in very dire financial positions, according to John Taylor, concert organizer and head of the now-canceled Galva summer concert series. To support musicians during this critical time, Heartland Connections, through non-profit support of the Galva Arts Council, has launched the “Play it Forward” campaign. This program will distribute 20 grants, starting at a minimum of $500, to musicians facing financial emergencies... Read More

Sara Barto was looking forward to her 40th birthday on Friday, March 13. She and her husband Dave were planning to go out of town for the weekend. The world had other plans. A bartender at the new Off Point Pub, on Davenport’s Hickory Grove Road, the Bettendorf woman went to the doctor that day after having side pain and nausea. After several tests, including an ultrasound and liver biopsy, Barto was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. She started chemotherapy immediately but lost her job soon after when the then-four-month-old bar had to close due to Covid-19. Barto was embraced with support... Read More

Dawn And On is still going on and on, and the annual local band fest centered around the area band The Dawn will return July 7. For the fourth consecutive year, The Dawn and On Music Festival will bring a full-day of live music to the property of Len Brown’s North Shore Inn in Moline. This year’s event takes place on July 7 with live music running from noon to midnight. The festival, founded in 2015 by Sean Ryan of The Dawn and Mike Mathews of Catapult Marketing offers a diverse blend of live bands ranging in styles from jam to bluegrass to funk. Last summer’s attendance exceeded... Read More

Dawn And On is still going on and on, and the annual local band fest centered around the area band The Dawn will return July 7. For the fourth consecutive year, The Dawn and On Music Festival will bring a full-day of live music to the property of Len Brown’s North Shore Inn in Moline. This year’s event takes place on July 7 with live music running from noon to midnight. The festival, founded in 2015 by Sean Ryan of The Dawn and Mike Mathews of Catapult Marketing offers a diverse blend of live bands ranging in styles from jam to bluegrass to funk. Last summer’s attendance exceeded... Read More