Music
An Evening with Jen Chapin
The Redstone Room
Friday, March 28, 7 p.m.
The final resident in Quad City Arts' 2013-14 Visiting Artist series is Jen Chapin, who graduated from Brown University with a degree in international relations; taught full-time in the Brooklyn school system; continues to lead educational workshops for college, community, and church groups; and will educate hundreds of area students before performing her public concert at the Redstone Room on March 28. Oh, and you know the phrase "Those who can't do, teach"? It's such a load.
At least it is in regard to Chapin, a progressive-folk, jazz, and rock singer/songwriter whose exemplary musical gifts prove that some teachers absolutely can do. The daughter of the legendary Harry "Cat's in the Cradle" Chapin, Jen was a singer from early youth, but decided to pursue a professional music career in the early '90s, when she turned down a master's program spot to attend the prestigious Berklee College of Music. After several years spent performing on the Manhattan club scene, and the release of a self-titled EP in 1997, Chapin subsequently recorded her first full-length album Live at the Bitter End in 2000 - an ironically titled CD, considering that this End was really just the beginning.
Since then, Chapin's funky, soulful interpretations of genre staples and original tunes have led to her opening for such noted musicians as Bruce Hornsby and the Neville Brothers, sharing a stage with Bruce Springsteen, and performing on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Meanwhile, her seven solo albums to date have included the lauded likes of 2008's Light of Mine, 2009's ReVisions: Songs of Stevie Wonder, and 2013's Reckonings, and have earned Chapin the intense admiration of music fans and critics alike.
Even a quick visit to the artist's biography at JamBase.com will suggest the many raves Chapin and her music have amassed over the years. There you'll find her output described as "smart, observant, lyrically deft, politically aware, and emotionally intuitive" by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. And "brilliant" and "soulfully poetic" by NPR. And "supremely confident, slightly off-center, and instantly compelling" by ... . Hey, by us! Granted, they got our paper's name wrong, citing us as the River City Reader, but it's still a great rave for Chapin and a great plug for us, so who are we to complain? Thank you, JoomBoose!
For more on Jen Chapin's Redstone Room concert, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.com or QuadCityArts.com.
Events
Changing America: The Emancipation Proclamation, 1863, & the March on Washington, 1963 and Created Equal: America's Civil Rights Struggle
Moline Public Library
Monday, March 24, through Wednesday, April 30
"Change," as Martin Luther King Jr. famously stated, "does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle." From March 24 through April 30, change - or rather, capitalized and italicized Changing - will also come via the Moline Public Library, which is sponsoring both an exhibition and a film/discussion series exploring the efforts of the Reverend King and the many civil-rights activists who preceded him.
With the touring exhibition Changing America: The Emancipation Proclamation, 1863, & the March on Washington, 1963, library visitors will be able to view, through panels of artwork and written history, the relationship between two extraordinary people's movements separated by a century. Offering, according to the library's adult-services coordinator Lisa Powell Williams, "a good look at where we were, and where we went, and where we continue to be in terms of civil rights in our country," one side of the panel exhibit will focus on the Civil War era while the other takes a hard look at actions during the Civil Rights era. And with Moline's facility one of only 50 libraries in the country to host Changing America over the next several years, Quad Citians will be among the fortunate few lucky enough to view this thought-provoking exhibit - an illustration of, as Powell Williams says, "our story as Americans over a hundred-year period."
Stories on America's civil-rights history will also be told in the springtime series Created Equal: America's Civil Rights Struggle. With events taking place at the library and Rock Island's Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, this program will boast, among numerous presentations, an April 1 keynote address by Paul Bushnell; April 16's "Songs of the Civil War" concert with Chris Valillo; April 22's "Celebrating Langston Hughes" tribute with Coleman Harris, Dorian Byrd, and Shellie Moore Guy; and the screening of films such as Slavery by Another Name, Freedom Riders, and The Abolitionists. With more than a dozen additional events scheduled over a six-week period, both Created Equal and the Changing America exhibit are sure to keep library visitors educated and engaged by giving true human context to a historical struggle. After all, as King also stated, "Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education."
For more information on the library's Created Equal and Changing America events, call (309)524-2470 or visit MolineLibrary.com/createdequal.
Event
An Evening with Cokie Roberts
Hotel Blackhawk
Thursday, March 27, 6 p.m.
On March 27, Davenport's Hotel Blackhawk will host a special fundraising event for Augustana Public Radio's WVIK: a cocktails-and-dinner reception followed by the presentation An Evening with Cokie Roberts. And while it's understandable that we might find ourselves intimidated by a night in the presence of this greatly respected figure, allow me to reassure you that, when all is said and done, Ms. Roberts is just like you or me.
I mean, sure, Cokie Roberts is one of the most revered names in the history of American journalism, having served as a political analyst for World News Tonight, Morning Edition, The MacNail/Lehrer NewsHour, and This Week with George Stephanopoulos. And sure, she's been the beneficiary of numerous honors over the years, with acknowledgments including the Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for her coverage of Congress and journalism's prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award.
Yes, Roberts has written or co-written a number of acclaimed books on America's past, among them 2004's Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation and 2008's Ladies of Liberty: The Women Who Shaped Our Nation. Yes, she was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame, and holds a citation by the American Women in Radio & Television organization as one of the 50 greatest women in broadcasting history. Yes, she boasts rather staggering lineage, considering that her mother was an ambassador and Democratic member of Congress, and her father was majority leader for the House of Representatives.
And yes, even Roberts' birth name is one to inspire awe, as "Cokie" is really a childhood nickname given to the New Orleans native who was born Mary Martha Corinne Morrison Claiborne Boggs.
But visit ABCNews.go.com sometime, and check out the site's "This Week Quiz" with Roberts, and there you'll see it: She lists her favorite movie as The Adventures of Milo & Otis! The one with the cat-and-dog best friends! See?! Cokie Roberts is just like us! If any of us had also been named a "Living Legend" by the Library of Congress ... and had received three Emmy Awards ... and had co-anchored our own show with Sam Donaldson ... .
A-a-a-a-and ... I'm intimidated again.
For information and tickets to An Evening with Cokie Roberts, call (309)794-7552 or visit WVIK.org.
Music
Bryan Adams
Adler Theatre
Thursday, March 27, 8 p.m.
"Diana, wait! Take me back!"
"Not this time, pal! Your betrayal cuts like a knife!"
"But all I want is you, and when you're gone, you take away the best of me! Please, forgive me! Everything I do, I do it for you!"
"After all we've been though, I thought I'd seen everything. Yet your one-night love affair made me realize it was just young lust! I'm sure she fits ya good because kids wanna rock, but did you think I'd be 18 'til I die? Have you ever really loved a woman? Somebody?!"
"But I'm ready to come back to you, and this comes straight from the heart! It's all lonely nights when you're hidin' from love, and we can't stop this thing we started! The only thing that looks good on me is you!"
"Look, you've been a friend to me, and I still miss you ... a little bit. But on a day like today, when I feel like a victim of love, and I finally found someone who makes me feel like a star in heaven ... ."
"You're the only one for me, baby! Come on ... let's make a night to remember! Give me your love and let me take you dancing! Remember how we used to rock steady in the summer of '69?"
"Maybe another day ... ."
"Do I have to say the words? I have two tickets to March 27's Bryan Adams concert at Davenport's Adler Theatre! Here!"
"Oh, baby, I feel like I'm on this side of paradise! Like I'm flying on the open road in the heat of the night! Thank you!"
"Honey, I'll always be right there to ... . Hey, where are you going with those ... ?"
"I'm on cloud number nine! My heart's on fire!"
"Don't make me run to you!"
"Here I am, world! Tonight we have the stars!"
"Why do you have to be so hard to love?!"
For tickets to Bryan Adams' solo-acoustic concert - and the chance to hear some of the chart-topping rocker's 52 aforementioned songs - call (800)745-3000 or visit AdlerTheatre.com.
What Else Is Happenin' ...?
MUSIC
Thursday, March 20 - Daytrotter: Communion. Concert featuring indie musicians Pearl & the Beard, Twins, Dylan Sires & Neighbors, and Lou Shields, with a Ragged Records DJ set. Rock Island Brewing Company (1815 Second Avenue, Rock Island). 7 p.m. $9.50-15. For information, call (309)793-4060 or visit RIBCO.com.
Friday, March 21 - Bucktown Revue. Celebration of Mississippi River Valley folk music and culture through music, storytelling, poetry, and humor. Nighswander Junior Theatre (2822 Eastern Avenue, Davenport). 7 p.m. $12 at the door. For information, call (563)940-0508 or visit BucktownRevue.com.
Friday, March 21 - Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers. Country with the gospel- and country-music superstars. Riverside Casino Event Center (3184 Highway 22, Riverside). 8 p.m. $19-39. For tickets and information, call (877)677-3456 or visit RiversideCasinoAndResort.com.
Saturday, March 22 - Trampled Under Foot. Blues musicians in concert, with an opening set by the Bryant Carter Band. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 8:30 p.m. $10-12. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Saturday, March 22 - En Vogue. Grammy Award-nominated R&B performers in concert. Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center (1777 Isle Parkway, Bettendorf). 7:30 p.m. $20-25. For information, call (800)724-5825 or visit Bettendorf.IsleOfCapriCasinos.com.
Saturday, March 22 - Parmalee. Chart-topping country rockers in concert, with an opening set by The Henningsens. Riverside Casino Event Center (3184 Highway 22, Riverside). 8 p.m. $25-45. For tickets and information, call (877)677-3456 or visit RiversideCasinoAndResort.com.
Tuesday, March 25 - Lake Street Dive. Jazz and soul musicians in concert. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 8 p.m. $15-18. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
Thursday, March 27 - Martin Sexton. Soul, rock, and acoustic musician in concert. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 8 p.m. $25-27. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org. For a 2008 interview with Sexton, visit RCReader.com/y/sexton.
Friday, March 28 - Shemekia Copeland. Concert with the Grammy Award-nominated blues artist. St. Ambrose University's Galvin Fine Arts Center (2101 Gaines Street, Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $8-12. For tickets and information, call (563)333-6251 or visit SAU.edu/galvin.
Friday, March 28 - Mountain Sprout. Arkansas-based acoustic musicians in concert, with an opening set by Frank F. Sidney's Western Bandit Volunteers. Rock Island Brewing Company (1815 Second Avenue, Rock Island). 9 p.m. $10 advance tickets. For information, call (309)793-4060 or visit RIBCO.com.
Friday, March 28 - SFJazz Collective. Concert with the jazz ensemble composed of eight performer/composers. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 8 p.m. $25-35. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
Saturday, March 29 - Alejandro Escovedo & the Sensitive Boys. Singer/songwriter and his ensemble in concert, with an opening set by Amy Cook. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 8 p.m. $20-25. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org. For a 2006 interview with Escovedo, visit RCReader.com/y/escovedo.
Saturday, March 29 - Six Appeal. Concert with the a cappella ensemble and winners of the 2012 National Harmony Sweepstakes. Augustana College's Centennial Hall (3703 Seventh Avenue, Rock Island). 8 p.m. $10. For tickets and information, call (309)794-7306 or visit Augustana.edu.
Saturday, March 29 - Chordbuster Barbershop Chorus: Sensational '60s. Area singers perform their 58th-annual Holiday-in-Harmony show, with special guests After Hours, the Bend of the River Chorus, and Bettendorf High's a cappella ensemble. Bettendorf High School (3333 18th Street, Bettendorf). 7 p.m. $5-15 at the door. For information, call (563)340-8743 or (309)762-3117.
Saturday, March 29 - Dublin Guitar Quartet. Touring musicians perform a concert in Hancher Auditorium's Visiting Artists series. Riverside Recital Hall (405 North Riverside Drive, Iowa City). 7:30 p.m. $10-35. For tickets and information, call (319)335-1160 or visit http://www.Hancher.UIowa.edu.
Wednesday, April 2 - Spirit Caravan. Maryland-based metal artists in concert, with opening sets by Pilgrim and Obsidian Hammer. Rock Island Brewing Company (1815 Second Avenue, Rock Island). 9 p.m. $10 advance tickets. For information, call (309)793-4060 or visit RIBCO.com.
THEATRE
Thursday, March 20, through Saturday, March 22 - Proof. David Auburn's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, directed by SAU student Molly Conrad. St. Ambrose University's Galvin Fine Arts Center - Studio Theatre (2101 Gaines Street, Davenport). Thursday and Friday 7:30 p.m., Saturday 3 p.m. $6 at the door. For information, call (563)333-6251 or visit SAU.edu/theatre.
Friday, March 21, through Sunday, March 30 - The Whipping Man. New Ground Theatre's presentation of Matthew Lopez's Civil War drama, directed by Fred Harris Jr. Village Theatre (2113 East 11th Street, Davenport). Fridays and Saturdays 7:30 p.m., Sundays 2 p.m. $15-18. For tickets and information, call (563)326-7529 or visit NewGroundTheatre.org.
Saturday, March 22 - Unconditional Surrender: A Visit with Ulysses S. Grant. One-man historical drama with St. Ambrose alumnus Peter Grady. St. Ambrose University's Galvin Fine Arts Center (2101 Gaines Street, Davenport). 7 p.m. $3-6. For tickets and information, call (563)333-6251 or e-mail grady6@q.com.
Tuesday, March 25, and Wednesday, March 26 - Hamlet and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead. William Shakespeare's tragedy classic and Tom Stoppard's comedy about the minor Hamlet characters, presented on successive nights by The Acting Company. Orpheum Theatre (57 South Kellogg Street, Galesburg). 7:30 p.m. $20-40/performance, with $10 off if tickets to both are purchased. For tickets and information, call (309)342-2299 or visit TheOrpheum.org.
Wednesday, March 26 through Saturday, May 17 - Always a Bridesmaid. High-school-reunion comedy by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten, directed by Warner Crocker. Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse (1828 Third Avenue, Rock Island). Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and March 26 and 27: 6-7 p.m. buffet, 7:15 p.m. pre-show, 7:45 p.m. show. Sundays: 4-5 p.m. buffet, 5:15 p.m. pre-show, 5:45 p.m. show. Wednesday matinées: 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. plated lunch, 1 p.m. pre-show, 1:30 p.m. show. $29.26-49.12. For tickets and information, call (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visit Circa21.com.
Thursday, March 27, through Sunday, March 13 - Private Lives. Noël Coward's Tony-winning relationship comedy. Old Creamery Studio Theatre (3023 220th Trail, Amana). Thursdays and Sundays 2 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays 7:30 p.m. $18.50-28. For tickets and information, call (319)622-6262 or visit OldCreamery.com.
Friday, March 28, through Sunday, April 13 - Marion Bridge. Family drama by Daniel MacIvor. Riverside Theatre (213 North Gilbert Street, Iowa City). Thursdays through Saturdays 7:30 p.m., Sundays 2 p.m. $15-30. For tickets and information, call (319)338-7672 or visit RiversideTheatre.org.
COMEDY
Thursday, March 20 - Jim Gaffigan. Stand-up comedian and film and TV star on "The White Bread Tour." Adler Theatre (136 East Third Street, Davenport). 7 p.m. $39.75-49.75. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit AdlerTheatre.com.
Wednesday, April 2 - Hannibal Buress. Nationally touring stand-up comedian in concert. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 7 p.m. $15-25. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
LITERARY ARTS
Saturday, March 22 - Pen-in-Hand Mini Writing Conference: Stand Out from the Competition. Workshops in "Applying the 4 P's to your B: Creating a Book Marketing Plan" with Jodie Toohey, "How to Make the Media Your Partner" with Joe Taylor, and "The Art of the Blurb" with Robin Throne. Midwest Writing Center (225 East Second Street, Suite 303, Davenport). 10 a.m.-4:45 p.m. $20-30/workshop, $40-60/all three. For information and to register, call (563)324-1410 or visit MidwestWritingCenter.org.
Wednesday, March 26 - A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant, & a Prayer. Annual readings on the subject of violence against women, with proceeds benefiting Family Resources' domestic-violence and sexual-assault counseling programs. St. Ambrose University's Rogalski Center (518 West Locust Street, Davenport). 7 p.m. $5-8. For tickets and information, call (563)333-6251 or visit SAU.edu.
Friday, March 28 - Nicholas Sparks. Bestselling author speaks at the Fifth-Annual Intimate Conversations Fundraiser, a benefit event for Gilda's Club Quad Cities. Davenport RiverCenter (136 East Third Street, Davenport). Noon. $50/person luncheon, $75/person meet-and-greet tickets. For information and to reserve, call (563)326-7504 or visit GildasClubQC.org.
SPORTS
Saturday, March 29 - Quad City Rollers. Women's flat-track roller-derby event, featuring the All-Stars versus CoMo and the QCR Juniors. Davenport RiverCenter (136 East Third Street, Davenport). 6 p.m. $6-12. For tickets and information, call (563)326-8500 or visit QuadCityRollers.com.
MOVIES
Saturday, March 29 - Environmental Film Festival. Annual event showcasing environmentally themed feature films and shorts, with presentations, healthy snacks, and more. Augustana College's F.W. Olin Center for Educational Technology (733 35th Street, Rock Island). 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Free admission. For information, visit Augustana.edu/environmentalfilmfest.
VISUAL ARTS
Saturday, March 22, through Sunday, March 30 - Young Artists at the Figge: North Scott. Exhibit featuring the works of student artists. 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 FiggeArt.org.
EVENTS
Friday, March 21 - Henry Farnam Dinner. Annual dinner for those who share an interest in the Mississippi River and the region, with a cocktail hour, dinner, and presentation by historian and author Douglas Brinkley on "Wilderness Warriors: The Roosevelts & Iowans Who Changed America." St. Ambrose University's Rogalski Center (518 West Locust Street, Davenport). 5 p.m. $40, $375/table of 10. For tickets and information, call (563)322-2969 or visit RiverAction.org.
Friday, March 21, through Sunday, March 23 - Flower & Garden Show. Annual weekend featuring home-garden vendors and presentations on "Low Maintenance Lawn & Garden Care," "Affordable Eco-Friendly Landscape Makeovers," and "Creating a Colorful Garden Filled with Birds, Butterflies, & Blossoms." QCCA Expo Center (2621 Fourth Avenue, Rock Island). Friday and Saturday 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. For more information, visit QCCAExpoCenter.com.
