Music
An Evening with Christian Howes
Redstone Room
Wednesday, March 9, 7 p.m.
On March 9, Davenport’s Redstone Room will host a hugely acclaimed, virtuosic jazz violinist in “An Evening with Christian Howes.” In its 2011 critics’ poll, DownBeat magazine voted Howes number one in the category “Rising Stars/Violin.” DownBeat called his 2012 album Southern Exposure “a masterful journey.” DownBeat praised Howes’ musicality by writing, “Everything about the way he moves across each string seems to express another emotion.” That’s an awful lot of DownBeat for someone who makes listeners so darned happy.
A native of Columbus, Ohio, Howes began studying violin at age five, and, like most of us, he picked up a part-time job at age 16. Of course, for most of us, out first part-time jobs weren’t performing as a soloist for the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. Howes’ teen years also found him adding the guitar and bass to his repertoire in a series of rock, blues, and fusion bands, and he went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University, majoring in exactly the subject you’d expect – philosophy. (If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a series of Yamaha violins?)
But in addition to earning an education, Howes has spent his career providing one not only to students during his three-year tenure as an assistant professor at the Berklee College of Music, but to worldwide jazz aficionados who continually learn from his intimidating skills.
With his artistic collaborators including such genre masters as Dave Samuels, Greg Osby, and D.D. Jackson, Howes’ résumé is overflowing with career highlights: a six-night run at Lincoln Center in 2013; a Residency Partner Award from Chamber Music America for his educational-outreach programs; an invitation by the U.S. Embassy to serve as a cultural ambassador to Ukraine and Montenegro. He’s been nominated for “Violinist of the Year” by the Jazz Journalist Association and was named among the world’s top three jazz violinists in a recent JazzTimes critics poll. He’s the founder of the not-for-profit Creative Strings, an organization designed to expand music education through an online curriculum and dozens of annual school visits.
And beyond DownBeat, other review outlets of note have raved about Howes’ extraordinary talents. All About Jazz wrote, “As a jazz violinist today, he has no peer.” The Los Angeles Times called him a musician “whose solid, classically trained technique provides the freedom to fully express an expansive improvisational imagination.” As for France’s JazzMan Magazine, Howes’ Southern Exposure release was lauded not only for the artist’s “perfectly mastered, dizzying arabesques,” but for how “the whole album swims in a favorable climate of lyricism.” So don’t miss Howes’ Redstone Room engagement. Heaven knows, in the Quad Cities of late winter, there are far worse climates to be in.
An Evening with Christian Howes begins at 7 p.m., and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)326-1333 or visiting RiverMusicExperience.org.
Exhibit
Justice!
St. Ambrose University’s Catich Gallery
Friday, March 4, through Saturday, April 16
I’m not sure if you were aware, but comic books are really hot these days. No, really: It’s true! There are comic-book figures at the cineplex, on TV, in video games, at toy retailers ... . And from March 4 through April 16, there’ll even be comic-book characters taking over St. Ambrose University’s Catich Gallery in the exhibition Justice! – though the ones on display there have more on their minds than thwacking bad guys and impersonating Ryan Reynolds.
“This has been a really special show for us to put together,” says Catich Gallery Director Christopher Reno, “because of the powerful themes it’s taking on. We have artists dealing with some very serious, progressive issues from ‘Black Lives Matter’ to trafficking to global politics to racial identity. There can be a huge value in this type of comic-book making.”
According to its chief curator, the inspiration for Justice! originated in conjunction with St. Ambrose’s school-wide, year-long “Justice Project” curriculum. “Every year,” says Reno, “we have a show that’s based on the class structure we’re teaching with; we decide how we can best use the gallery to support the theme. And the theme of social justice is a great theme to structure an art show around.
“We’d also been wanting to do a comic-book show for a while,” he continues. “The art department is pretty heavy on graphic design, printmaking, and book arts, so we’ve been talking about comic books. But we also wanted to find a way into the comics world that would be academically appropriate.”
Described on the Catich Web site as “a survey of contemporary comic-book art from artists outside the mainstream,” Justice!, says Reno, will boasts works by a dozen-plus artistic talents and art collectives “from all over the country. We usually focus on regional artists because of our budget constraints. But with a show like this, where we’re dealing with shipping small objects, we can expand from all over. So we have artists from New York, artists from the South, a West Coast artist – all over.”
Some of those objects will be whole comic books that, Reno says, “will be on display and available to read. But there will also be pages on the walls, and a Chicago artist by the name of Eric Garcia is making an installation where he’s basically creating a giant comic-book spread on one of the walls. We also have works by gallery artists who use the comic-book language, and outsider writers and illustrators ... . There’s a lot happening.
“And one of the artists in the show has been doing an ongoing project with us that involves Family Resources in the Annie Wittenmyer complex,” says Reno. “We’ve been doing some comic-book workshops with the detained youths and foster youth over there, and some of that work will be on display. It shows another really powerful, challenging way that comic books can be used for good. You know, it goes beyond Marvel and DC.
“I mean, I love Marvel and DC comics,” he quickly adds. “But these people are making comic books that speak about some very serious issues in a really accessible way. I’m super-excited about it.” Spoken like a true comic-book fan.
The Catich Gallery’s Justice! runs in tandem with the Morrissey Gallery’s current exhibition Justice League: A Print Portfolio Echange, and information on both in available by calling (563)333-6444 or visiting SAU.edu/galvin.
Exhibit
The Discovery of King Tut
Putnam Museum
Saturday, March 5, through Monday, September 5
Ah, King Tut. Coulda won a Grammy. King Tut. Buried in his jammies.
If, however, your knowledge of the ancient Egyptian ruler Tutankhamun ends with lyrics to Steve Martin’s novelty song, you really owe it to yourself to learn more. Happily, you can in the Putnam Musuem’s eagerly awaited new The Discovery of King Tut, a traveling exhibition so expansive, and so conducive to repeat visits, that it’s sticking around for a full six months, from March 5 to Labor Day.
Included in the 14,800-square-foot exhibit are reproductions of nearly 1,000 astonishing burial artifacts, hand-crafted by renowned Egyptologists to deliver the sensation of truly entering three chambers in a gold-encrusted tomb more than 3,000 years old. An audio-tour based on the diaries, documentaries, and texts of famed excavator Howard Carter accompanies Putnam guests as they travel the exhibit. And the entire, glorious sensory experience – one previously enjoyed by museum guests in cities such as Paris, Berlin, and Madrid – has been hailed as one of the most exhilarating touring exhibits of recent years, with the Columbia Daily Tribune writing, “Never before has a complete re-creation been accomplished on this scale,” and the San Diego Union-Tribune stating, “Expect to be dazzled.”
Want to dazzle friends with your Tutankhamun knowledge even before the The Discovery of King Tut opens? (Beyond, that is, your knowledge that the ruler was “born in Arizona” and “moved to Babylonia”?) Learn a little something through this King Tut quiz courtesy of the mad geniuses at FunTrivia.com.
1) Approximately how long did King Tut reign before his death?
A) Two years
B) 10 years
C) 20 years
2) Howard Carter discovered King Tut’s tomb in what year?
A) 1914
B) 1922
C) 1925
3) Who was the first person to die from the legendary “King Tut curse”?
A) Howard Carter
B) Lady Evelyn Herbert
C) Lord Carnarvon
4) How old was King Tut when he married?
A) nine
B) 11
C) 13
5) What was the name of his spouse?
A) Kiya
B) Ankhesenamun
C) Nefertiti
For more information on, and tickets to, the Putnam Museum’s The Discovery of King Tut, call (563)324-1933 or visit Putnam.org ... or, more specifically, Tutnam.org. (That’s not a joke. Check it out! Awesome photos!)
Answers: 1 – B, 2 – B, 3 – C, 4 – A, 5 – B. But on that last one, bonus points for funny if you went with write-in answer “Jerry Lee Lewis.”
What Else Is Happenin’ …?
MUSIC
Friday, March 4 – Old Shoe. Rock and roots concert with the Chicago-based five-piece ensemble, featuring opening sets by Soap and the Dawn. Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 9 p.m. $11.50-12. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Friday, March 4 – Halfloves. Concert with the Iowa City-based indie rockers, with an opening set by Trevor Sensor. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 8 p.m. $10-15. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
Saturday, March 5, and Sunday, March 6 – Quad City Symphony Orchestra: Homegrown Variations – Bancks, Klemme, & Timmerman. The season’s fifth Masterworks concerts featuring Jacob Bancks’ world premiere Dream Variations for Bassoon, Brahms’ Variations on a Theme of Haydn, and Elgar’s Enigma Variations. Saturday: Adler Theatre (136 East Third Street, Davenport), 8 p.m. Sunday: Augustana College’s Centennial Hall (3703 Seventh Avenue, Rock Island), 2 p.m. $6-48. For tickets and information, call (563)322-7276 or visit QCSO.org.
Saturday, March 5, and Sunday, March 6 – Kari Lynch. Nashville-based singer/songwriter in concert. Saturday: Rozz-Tox (2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island), 9 p.m., $5-10. Sunday: Gabe’s (330 East Washington Street, Iowa City), 9 p.m., free. For information, visit RozzTox.com and ICGabes.com.
Wednesday, March 9 – Alpin Hong’s Chasing Chopin. Classical pianist presents a theatrical concert on the famed storyteller and piano virtuoso. University of Dubuque Heritage Center’s John & Alice Butler Hall (2255 Bennett Street, Dubuque). 7:30 p.m. $6-24. For tickets and information, call (563)585-7469 or visit Dbq.edu/heritagecenter.
Thursday, March 10 – An Evening with Albert Cummings. Blues musician performs in support of his latest CD Someone Like You. Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $16.75-19. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org. For a 2007 interview with Cummings, visit RCReader.com/y/cummings.
Friday, March 11 – Future Rock. Concert with the electronica and rock musicians. Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 9 p.m. $16.75-17. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Friday, March 11 – Switchback. Celtic roots and soul concert with musicians Brian FitzGerald and Martin McCormack. Orpheum Theatre (57 South Kellogg Street, Galesburg). 7:30 p.m. $15-25. For tickets and information, call (309)342-2299 or visit TheOrpheum.org.
Saturday, March 12 – RIBCO’s St. Patty’s Day Bash. Holiday concert with the Cake tribute artists Have Your Cake. Rock Island Brewing Company (1815 Second Avenue, Rock Island). 9 p.m. For information, call (309)793-1999 or visit RIBCO.com.
Sunday, March 13 – The Infamous Stringdusters. Acoustic bluegrass quintet in concert, with an opening set by Nicki Blum on her Ladies & Gentlemen Tour. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 7 p.m. $25. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
Monday, March 14 – Brit Floyd. Pink Floyd tribute musicians in their Space & Time Continuum World Tour 2016. Adler Theatre (136 East Third Street, Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $32.50-49.50. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit AdlerTheatre.com.
Wednesday, March 16 – Dancing in the Streets. Celebration of Motown featuring songs by the Four Tops, the Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, the Supremes, and others. Adler Theatre (136 East Third Street, Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $40-50. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit AdlerTheatre.com.
THEATRE
Thursday, March 3, through Saturday, March 12 – Iphigenia Crash Land Falls on the Neon Shell That Was Once Her Heart (a fable). Caridad Svich’s modernization of Euripides’ Iphigenia at Aulis, directed by Mario El Caponi Mendoza. University of Iowa’s David Thayer Theatre (200 North Riverside Drive, Iowa City). Wednesday through Saturday 8 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m. $5-18. For tickets and information, call (319)335-1160 or visit Theatre.Uiowa.edu.
Thursday, March 3, through Saturday, March 5 – Bamboozled! The University of Dubuque presents Michael Brill’s commedia dell’arte production, directed by Amy Ressler. University of Dubuque Heritage Center’s John & Alice Butler Hall (2255 Bennett Street, Dubuque). Thursday and Friday 7:30 p.m., Saturday 2 p.m. $4-7. For tickets and information, call (563)585-7469 or visit Dbq.edu/heritagecenter.
Friday, March 4, through Sunday, March 20 – The Big Meal. Dan LeFranc’s dramatic comedy following four generations of family, directed by Mike Schulz. QC Theatre Workshop (1730 Wilkes Avenue, Davenport). Friday and Saturday 7:30 p.m., Sunday 3 p.m. “Pay what it’s worth” pricing. For tickets and information, call (563)650-2396 or visit QCTheatreWorkshop.org.
Friday, March 4, through Sunday, March 13 – Roar: A Weird, Wild, & Wonderful Night of Solo Works. New one-person one-acts by local and national playwrights. Riverside Theatre (213 North Gilbert Street, Iowa City). Thursday through Saturday 7:30 p.m., Sunday 3 p.m. $18-30. For tickets and information, call (319)338-7672 or visit RiversideTheatre.org.
Friday, March 4, through Sunday, March 6 – The Nerd. Larry Shue’s farcical comedy presented by the Pearl City Players Theatrical Society, directed by Kendall McKasson. Muscatine Center for the Performing Arts (901 Cedar Street, Muscatine). Friday and Saturday 7:30 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m. $5-17. For tickets and information, call (563)263-7784 or visit the Pearl City Players’ Facebook page.
Friday, March 4, and Saturday, March 5 – Beauty Inside & Out. Ensemble piece examining different facets of beauty, written and directed by Rock Island native Curtis B. Lewis Jr. Davenport Junior Theatre (2822 Eastern Avenue, Davenport). Friday 7:30 p.m., Saturday 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. $15. For tickets and information, call (417)771-0444 or visit JourneyLiveProduction.com.
Sunday, March 6 – National Theatre Live: Les Liaisons Dangereuses. An HD screening of Christopher Hampton’s battle-of-the-sexes period comedy, directed by Josie Rourke. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 2 p.m. $15-18. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
Wednesday, March 9, through Saturday, April 30 – Shear Madness. Interactive mystery comedy by Paul Portner, directed by Sean McCall. Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse (1828 Third Avenue, Rock Island). Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and March 1: 6 p.m. buffet, 7:15 p.m. pre-show, 7:45 p.m. show. Sunday: 4 p.m. buffet, 5:15 p.m. pre-show, 5:45 p.m. show. Wednesday: noon plated lunch, 1 p.m. pre-show, 1:30 p.m. show. $42.50-48. For tickets and information, call (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visit Circa21.com.
Friday, March 11, through Sunday, March 20 – Mama Won’t Fly. Southern road-trip comedy by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten, directed by Aaron Lord. Playcrafters Barn Theatre (4950 35th Avenue, Moline). Friday and Saturday 7:30 p.m., Sunday 3 p.m. $13. For tickets and information, call (309)762-0330 or visit Playcrafters.com.
Friday, March 11, through Saturday, March 19 – Spring Awakening. Bi-annual presentation of Broadway’s Tony-winning rock musical, directed by Dino Hayz. Center for Living Arts (2008 Fourth Avenue, Rock Island). Friday and Saturday 7 p.m. $15. For tickets and information, call (563)940-1956 or visit CenterForLivingArts.org.
Friday, March 11, through Sunday, March 20 – Lost in Yonkers. Neil Simon’s Pulitzer Prize- and Tony-winning dramatic comedy, directed by Nate Sullivan. Iowa City Community Theatre (4261 Oak Crest Hill Road, Iowa City). Friday and Saturday 7:30 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m. $9-17. For tickets and information, call (319)338-0443 or visit IowaCityCommunityTheatre.com.
Tuesday, March 15 – Flashdance: The Musical. Stage musical based on 1983’s Oscar-winning film, 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
Thursday, March 3 – Dancers in Company. Performance by the touring repertory company of the University of Iowa Department of Dance. Figge Art Museum (225 West Second Street, Davenport). 6 p.m. Free with $4-7 museum admission. For information, call (563)326-7804 or visit FiggeArtMuseum.org.
COMEDY
Friday, March 4 – Bill Plympton. An evening with the Oscar-nominated animator and cartoonist, with screenings of his works and a Q&A moderated by Peter Chanthanakone. FilmScene (118 East College Street, Iowa City). 10 p.m. $5. For tickets and information, call (319)358-2555 or visit ICFilmScene.org.
Saturday, March 5 – Tammy Pescatelli. An evening with the comedienne and star of Finding the Funny, with opening sets by Chris Schlichting, Gary Menke, and Jake Harris. Golden Leaf Banquet & Convention Center (2902 East Kimberly Road, Suite 1, Davenport). 8 p.m. $15-30. For tickets and information, call (563)359-7225 or visit EventBrite.com. For a 2016 interview with Pescatelli, visit RCReader.com/y/pescatelli.
Saturday, March 5 – Late Late Breakfast with Tyler Jackson and Danny Maupin. A comedy show of improvised jokes and challenges with Sammy Arechar, Dina Nina Martinez, Dan Gill, Robert Flanagan, and Hannah Hogan. The High Ground Café (301 East Market Street, Iowa City). 2 p.m. $7. For tickets and information, call (319)338-5382 or visit GreenGravelComedyFest.com.
Saturday, March 5 – Rachel Bloom. An evening with the comedienne and Golden Globe-winning star of TV’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 8:30 p.m. $12-17. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
Friday, March 11 – The After Hour. Andrew King hosts a live, late-night talk show with area guests. Circa ’21 Speakeasy (1818 Third Avenue, Rock Island). 10:30 p.m. $8-10. For tickets and information, call (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visit TheCirca21Speakeasy.com.
LITERATURE
Thursday, March 10 – SPECTRA Poetry Reading. The 20th evening of poetry readings hosted by the Midwest Writing Center and Rozz-Tox, with guest authors Justin Boening, Jason Bredle, Karyna McGlynn, and Valerie Wetlaufer, and music by Mountain Swallower. Rozz-Tox (2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island). 8 p.m. Donations encouraged. For information, call (563)324-1410 or visit MWCQC.org.
SPORTS
Sunday, March 6 – WWE Live: Road to Wrestlemania. Event featuring WWE superstars John Cena, Alberto Del Rio, Bray Wyatt, Kane, Dudley Boyz, the Wyatt Family, the Divas, and more. i wireless Center (1201 River Drive, Moline). 1 p.m. $18.50-108.50. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit iwirelessCenter.com.
Thursday, March 10, through Sunday, March 13 – MVC Women’s Basketball Tournament. An opening round, quarterfinals, semifinals, and a championship sponsored by the Mississippi Valley Conference. i wireless Center (1201 River Drive, Moline). Thursday 4:05 p.m. opening round, Friday 12:05 and 6:05 p.m. quarterfinals, Saturday 1:35 p.m. semifinals, Sunday 2:05 p.m. championship. $10-16. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit iwirelessCenter.com.
MOVIE
Tuesday, March 8 – Wales, Land of Song. Screenings in the museum’s World Adventure Series, presented by Monty Brown. Putnam Museum (1717 West 12th Street, Davenport). 1 and 7 p.m. $6.50-10. For tickets and information, call (563)324-1933 or visit Putnam.org.
EXHIBIT
Saturday, March 5, through Sunday, March 13 – Young Artists at the Figge: Geneseo Schools. Annual exhibition of works by elementary art students. Figge Art Museum (225 West Second Street, Davenport). Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Sunday noon -5 p.m. Free with $4-7 museum admission. For information, call (563)326-7804 or visit FiggeArtMuseum.org.
EVENTS
Friday, March 4, through Sunday, March 6 – Antique Spectacular. Bi-annual event featuring 70 exhibitors with antiques and vintage items for sale. QCCA Expo Center (2621 Fourth Avenue, Rock Island). Friday 4-9 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. $7 weekend pass. For information, call (712)324-9964 or visit AntiqueSpectacular.com.
Saturday, March 5 – Wine at the Warehouse. Wine-tasting event with Dimitri and Kathy Papageorgiou, in a benefit for St. Ambrose University scholarships. Dimitri Wine & Spirits (1735 West Third Street, Davenport). 4 p.m. $35-45. For tickets and information, call (563)333-6290 or visit SAU.edu/alumni.
Saturday, March 5 – Quad Cities Comic Book Convention. Event featuring dealers from three states specializing in old and new comic books, toys, and related merchandise. Ramada Inn (3020 Utica Ridge Road, Bettendorf). 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. For information, call (309)657-1599 or visit EpGuides.com.
Saturday, March 12 – The Grand Parade XXXI. Annual St. Patrick’s Day parade covering two miles and two states, beginning at 11:30 a.m. at the corner of Fourth Avenue and 23rd Street in Rock Island and ending at the Davenport RiverCenter. Free. For information, call (563)505-9779 or visit StPatsQC.com.
Saturday, March 12 – CASI St. Patrick’s Day Race. Annual event featuring the 9 a.m. Tot Trot, the one-mile Family Fun Run at 9:30 a.m., and the Fast, Flat, & Fun 5K at 10 a.m. Downtown Davenport (Main and Second streets). $17-35 registration. For information, call (563)386-7477 or visit CASISeniors.org.
Wednesday, March 16, through Saturday, March 19 – Gathering on the Green 2016. Annual event featuring a wide variety of technical, historical, and human-interest workshops and drop-in sessions appealing to John Deere and tractor enthusiasts. Davenport RiverCenter (136 East Third Street, Davenport). $40 registration. For information and to register, call (563)886-7383 or visit GatheringOfTheGreen.com.
