Music
Deadroots' Farewell Concert
The Redstone Room
Saturday, January 10, 8 p.m.
Steve Braddy, bassist and singer/songwriter for the Quad Cities musicians of Deadroots, has a lot of fond memories from gigs played by the band he co-founded just over 15 years ago. Like this one:
"One time, we got a show out in the middle of nowhere. I couldn't even tell you what town it was in. But you know that scene in The Blues Brothers where they get in there and have to play behind the chicken wire? It was kind of like that without the chicken wire.
"There were two separate rooms - one where the bar was, and one where the band goes. And the people in that town had no interest in us at all. So we started playing, and no one comes into the room. And we keep playing, and still no one's coming into the room. And then, suddenly, a dog walks in. He just wandered into the bar. No one said anything and no one there seemed to mind, and he sits down and just starts watching the band. It was very strange. And I think the dog was the only person who paid attention to us that night."
So maybe it's not the fondest of memories. But in terms of crowd reaction (or lack thereof), it's also most definitely an aberration, as the exuberant rockers of Deadroots - who will perform dynamic originals and covers at their Redstone Room farewell concert on January 10 - can proudly call themselves local favorites for nearly the entire millennium.
"I'd like to say it's an exciting story," says Braddy, with a laugh, of the group's 1999 origin. "But of course it's not. I'm a classically trained musician and went to school to teach music, and came home from college in '99. But after I came back and got my first job, I wasn't really playing the music I grew up loving - the Beatles and classic rock and stuff like that.
"But I'd heard a childhood friend was in town and he played," Braddy continues. "So I went over to his house and we just started playing in his basement. And eventually I pulled in a friend I knew from high school that played drums, and ... . Well, that's it." He laughs. "Very unexciting. But very fun. Just like-minded people getting together in a basement and saying, 'Hey, we can actually do this!'"
By early 2000, Deadroots was also doing it for paying customers, delivering an exciting, eclectic blend of originals (a half-dozen of which can be heard at Deadroots.com) and covers of off-the-beaten-track titles by artists such as the Doors, the Allman Brothers, and, yes, the Beatles.
"I never wanted us to just be a jukebox," says Braddy. "So we started doing originals right away. That's the reason we decided to continue - we felt our own stuff was strong enough to put out live." As for the band's choices with previously recorded material, he adds, "I don't like doing stuff that's done by everybody. So, like, 'Mustang Sally' and 'Brown-Eyed Girl' will never be played at a Deadroots show, you know? Just great songs, not all of them well-known, that we enjoy and will fit the band dynamic."
Braddy says that ending the 15-year tenure of the Deadroots - whose members also include fellow vocalists Josh Long and Jared Hughes on guitar and John Bechtel on drums - was "mostly my decision. I have two children growing up, and I never wanted to get to a point in my life where I couldn't be there for what they needed me for. You know, I didn't want to say, 'Sorry, I can't go to your basketball game because I've got a gig.' Being a good dad and a good husband is more important to me now."
He adds: "And I also wanted the end to be fun. I didn't want to just say, 'Okay, that's good enough - we're done.' I wanted it to end fun, while we were all still having fun, so I'd always have good memories of it."
Good memories, happily, are in abundance. "The East Moline fireworks shows have always been especially great. It's always nice to play on a great sound system in front of thousands of people. But even gigs like playing along the Bix [street race] route. It's strange, because it's really too early for rock 'n' roll," says Braddy with a laugh, "but it's a really fun show to do, and I think the runners really appreciate it."
And as far as his own appreciation goes, Deadroots' co-founder says, "It's been a great ride, and I want to thank everyone for their support, and all the people who joined us and played with us throughout the years. I don't know if there'll be a reunion, but I'm sure you'll see us all around doing something."
For more information on Deadroots' final show, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Movie
Letters Home to Hero Street
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church
Thursday, January 15, 6 p.m.
Silvis, Illinois, is the home to Hero Street USA, the former Second Street re-christened (in 1968) to honor eight of its former residents - soldiers of Mexican-American descent who lived there yet died fighting in World War II or the Korean War. Perhaps you've heard of it. To his surprise, however, local filmmaker Kelly Rundle hadn't.
"I graduated from United Township High School," says Rundle, who - alongside fellow documentarian and spouse Tammy - directs, produces, and writes for the area production company Fourth Wall Films. "And somehow, I did that without ever hearing the story of Hero Street."
He and Tammy met, married, "and were gone from the Quad Cities for about 25 years. And when we returned, I started seeing references to Hero Street in the newspaper. And then I met with a friend from high school to chat at the VFW in East Moline, and behind the counter was a copy of Mark Wilson's book on Hero Street (Hero Street USA: The Story of Little Mexico's Fallen Soldiers). It was just, like, everywhere I looked!
"And when I finally got the book and read it, I thought, 'Wow. What a great story.' And I knew there had to be other people, like me, who spent their lives in the Quad Cities and knew absolutely nothing about it. And it shouldn't be that way."
With support from WQPT-TV and a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, the Rundles have now told the story of this fascinating neighborhood - and one soldier's story in particular - in Letters Home to Hero Street, a 30-minute documentary that will make its area debut at Silvis' Our Lady of Guadalupe Church (800 17th Street) on January 15.
The film's narrative, which Rundle says fits in with Fourth Wall's mission of filming "stories that have this local or regional following but that deserve a much wider following," focuses specifically on soldier Frank Sandoval, who perished in Burma in 1944. He had sent hundreds of letters detailing his experiences to his family in Silvis. And through the 130 or so missives still in existence - with actor Eric Juarez reading Sandoval's words - Letters Home to Hero Street delivers a first-person account of one man's wartime journey that, the Rundles hope, will also speak to the experiences of soldiers, and those who receive their missives, everywhere.
"It was an epic journey," says Kelly about Sandoval's military career. "Initially, he was stationed in Rockford, Illinois, at a place that later became a prisoner-of-war camp for German prisoners of war. Then he was sent to California and served in two different bases there. Then he was sent, by train, all the way across to U.S. to a port in New York City - and actually came through the Silvis trainyard on his way. Then he boarded a luxury liner that transported troops from New York to Bombay - where the conditions in India, and the poverty, were pretty dire at the time.
"But soldiers had to be very careful with what they wrote," Rundle continues. "Some of his letters actually have words of phrases removed with a razor blade. So he was vague about some details, and not so vague about others - things he was thinking or feeling, or how he was missing his home.
"So we're not depicting a particular battle or campaign in the film. It's really just one man's journey, one man's experiences, in service. And a lot of it's rather mundane and rather ordinary - except that he's placed in these extraordinary conditions. He talks about a fellow soldier in another unit who, in the midst of night training and constructing bridges, was washed away and drowned. His body hadn't even been found the next day. So there were things all along the way that were sort of astonishing and amazing and disappointing and frustrating. All kinds of emotions."
In the end, says Rundle of Letters Home to Hero Street, "We didn't select Frank because he's somehow more important than the other seven. Nor do we acknowledge the 'Hero Street Eight' as somehow more significant than other people who made that same sacrifice. But it presents a way to tell a larger story - that people who serve in the military are people, and they have a whole range of emotions about service. Frank's story is unique, and Hero Street is unique, but there's a universal quality in those stories that I think almost anyone can relate to."
For more information on Letters Home to Hero Street and its January 15 screening, visit HeroStreetMovie.com, FourthWallFilms.com, and WQPT.org.
What Else Is Happenin' ... ?
MUSIC
Thursday, January 8 - The Way Down Wanderers. Roots, Americana, and soul musicians in concert, with opening sets by Brooks Strause and Extra Vision. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 8 p.m. $8.50. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Friday, January 9 - Déjà Vu Rendezvous: SoulStorm. Concert with the jazz and funk musicians. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 8 p.m. $8.50. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Friday, January 9 - Eddie "Devil Boy" Turner. Cuba-born, Chicago-based blues musician in a concert co-presented by the Mississippi Valley Blues Society. The Muddy Waters (1708 State Street, Bettendorf). 9 p.m. $7-10. For information, call (563)355-0655 or visit TheMuddyWaters.com and MVBS.org.
Friday, January 9 - A Night of Sunshine. Circa '21 Bootlegger Sunshine Ramsey and musical guests in concert. Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse (1828 Third Avenue, Rock Island). 7 p.m. $15-18. For tickets and information, call (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visit Circa21.com.
Friday, January 9 - Mega-Basementstormer 2015. All-ages basement concert with indie musicians Christopher the Conquered, the Way Down Wanderers, Hunterchild, and Andy D. Codfish Hollow Barn (5013 288th Avenue, Maquoketa). 7 p.m. $15 suggested donation. For information, call (563)321-0172 or visit CodfishHollowBarnstormers.com.
Thursday, January 15 - Déjà Vu Rendezvous: Terrapin Flyer. Concert with the Grateful Dead tribute musicians. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 8 p.m. $8.50. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Friday, January 16 - Nick Schnebelen Band. Blues and rock concert with the lead guitarist of Trampled Under Foot, featuring an opening set by the Mercury Brothers. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 8 p.m. $10-11.50. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Friday, January 16 - Bucktown Revue. A celebration of Mississippi River Valley folk music and culture through music, storytelling, poetry and humor, featuring emcee Scott Tunnicliff and special guests. Nighswander Theatre (2822 Eastern Avenue, Davenport). 7 p.m. $12 at the door. For information, call (563)940-0508 or visit BucktownRevue.com.
Saturday, January 17 - 10 of Soul. Soul, funk, and blues musicians in concert. Rock Island Brewing Company (1815 Second Avenue, Rock Island). 9:30 p.m. $8. For information, call (309)793-4060 or visit RIBCO.com.
Saturday, January 17 - The Killer, the King, & Cash. Concert tribute to Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash. Ohnward Fine Arts Center (1215 East Platt Street, Maquoketa). 7 p.m. $13-25. For tickets and information, call (563)652-9815 or visit OhnwardFineArtsCenter.com.
THEATRE
Friday, January 9, through Sunday, January 18 - Barely Heirs. Slapstick comedy by David Lassig, directed by Don Hazen. Playcrafters Barn Theatre (4950 35th Avenue, Moline). Fridays and Saturdays 7:30 p.m., Sundays 3 p.m. $13. For tickets and information, call (309)762-0330 or visit Playcrafters.com.
Wednesday, January 14, through Saturday, March 21 - Les Misérables. Broadway's Tony-winning musical based on the Victor Hugo novel, directed by Jerry Jay Cranford. Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse (1828 Third Avenue, Rock Island). Fridays, Saturdays, Wednesdays, and January 15: 6-7 p.m. dinner, 7:15 p.m. pre-show, 7:45 show. Sundays: 4-5 p.m. dinner, 5:15 p.m. pre-show, 5:45 p.m. show. Wednesdays: 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. lunch, 1 p.m. pre-show, 1:30 p.m. show. $44.41-50.16. For tickets and information, call (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visit Circa21.com.
Friday, January 16, through Sunday, January 25 - Love & Marriage. Performances of the one-act plays The Proposal, Bridal Terrorism, Laundry & Bourbon, and I'm Herbert. Iowa City Community Theatre (4265 Oak Crest Hill Road, Iowa City). 7:30 p.m. $8-16. For tickets and information, call (319)338-0443 or visit IowaCityCommunityTheatre.com.
Wednesday, January 21 - Guys & Dolls. Frank Loesser's musical-comedy classic in a Broadway at the Adler presentation. Adler Theatre (136 East Third Street, Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $37-57. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit AdlerTheatre.com.
DANCE
Saturday, January 17 - La Bayadere. The Ludwig Minkus ballet in a high-definition screening. Englert Theatre (211 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 2 p.m. $15-18. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
Monday, January 19 - The Sleeping Beauty. Tchaikovsky's fairytale classic performed by the Russian National Ballet. Orpheum Theatre (57 South Kellogg Street, Galesburg). 7:30 p.m. $20-45. For tickets and information, call (309)342-2299 or visit TheOrpheum.org.
COMEDY
Saturday, January 17 - The Candidates: A Comedy Debate. Comedians Andrew King and Devon Wiese in a mock senatorial debate, with the audience determining the winner. District Theatre (1623 Second Avenue, Rock Island). 8 p.m. For tickets and information, call (309)235-1654 or visit DistrictTheatre.com.
Saturday, January 17 - The Joshua Show. Joshua Holden in a family performance of songs, comedy, tap dancing, and puppetry. Englert Theatre (211 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 10 a.m. $5-10. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
MOVIES
Wednesday, January 14, through Wednesday, February 11 - Hispanic Film Festival. The 20th-annual screening of movies in Spanish with English subtitles, beginning with Fernando Spider's Aballay, el hombre sin miedo (Six Shooters). Augustana College's Hanson Hall of Science (726 35th Street, Room 102, Rock Island). Wednesdays at 7 p.m. Free. For information and a film schedule, call (309)794-7670 or visit Augustana.edu.
SPORTS
Saturday, January 10 - Caged Aggression Challengers: Road to the Big Show 2. An evening of matches between mixed-martial-arts contenders. Davenport RiverCenter (136 East Third Street, Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $22. For tickets and information, call (563)326-8500 or visit RiverCtr.com.
EXHIBITS
Saturday, January 10, through Sunday, February 8 - Remnants of Earth. Exhibit of photographic collage, paintings, and mixed-media sculpture by Tom Award. L&D 15 (520 West Second Street, Davenport).10 a.m.-7 p.m. daily. Free admission. For information, call (563)359-0715 or visit LAndD15.com.
Sunday, January 11, through Saturday, April 4 - Kaleidoscopia! Exhibit of more than a dozen large-scale kaleidoscopes by artist Tom Chouteau. German American Heritage Center (712 West Second Street, Davenport). Tuesdays through Saturdays 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sundays noon-4 p.m. Free with $3-5 museum admission. For information, call (563)322-8844 or visit GAHC.org.
Saturday, January 17, through Sunday, March 15 - Richard Ross: Girls in Justice. Exhibit of 53 large-scale photographs of young women Ross encountered in juvenile-detention facilities. Figge Art Museum (225 West Second Street, Davenport). Tuesdays through Saturdays 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Thursdays 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Sundays noon-5 p.m. Free with $4-7 museum admission. For information, call (563)326-7804 or visit FiggeArtMuseum.org.
EVENTS
Friday, January 9, through Sunday, January 11 - Bald Eagle Days. Annual weekend event featuring exotic animals, more than 100 display booths, a climbing tower, presentations, and more. QCCA Expo Center (2621 Fourth Avenue, Rock Island). Friday 4-8 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. $1-5. For information, call (309)788-5912 or visit QCCAExpoCenter.com.
Saturday, January 10 - Bottom's Up Quad City Burlesque Goes 1921. A Prohibition-era evening with the area burlesque artists and comedians. Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse (1828 Third Avenue, Rock Island). 8 p.m. $16-18. For tickets and information, call (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visit Circa21.com.
Saturday, January 17 - Winter Wine Experience. Seventh-annual event featuring wine samples from local wineries and distributors, live music, hors d' oeuvres, a 50/50 raffle, a silent auction, and more. River Music Experience (129 Main Street, Davenport). 6 p.m. $25-40. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Sunday, January 18 - 24th-Annual Quad Cities Farm Show. Annual event featuring products and presentations by more than 200 ag companies. QCCA Expo Center (2621 Fourth Avenue, Rock Island). Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Free admission. For information, call (309)788-5912 or visit QCCAExpoCenter.com.
