Music
Jeff Austin Band
Redstone Room
Friday, April 1, 8 p.m.
On April 1, Davenport’s Redstone Room celebrates its 10th year of delivering exhilarating live performances to local audiences. In conjunction with this milestone, the venue will be treating patrons to a gift, and considering the traditional present for a 10th anniversary is tin, you’d certainly have reason to worry that cans or cookware might be in the offing. But fear not: You’ll definitely appreciate this particular gift of tin ... given that it’s prefaced by “Jeff Aus”! (Editor’s note: Clever, Mike. Now move it along.)
Born in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, bluegrass musician Jeff Austin embarked on his road to success after meeting banjo player Dave Johnston in Urbana, Illinois, and agreeing to play mandolin – an instrument on which he was self-taught – in Johnston’s band The Bluegrassholes. Following a move to Colorado, the duo made the acquaintances of guitarist Adam Aijala and bassist Ben Kaufmann. And by 1998, this foursome had formed their own bluegrass ensemble: the progressive-bluegrass and country ensemble known, then and now, as the Yonder Mountain String Band – a moniker you can’t spell without “tin”! Twice! (Editor’s note: Yeah, Mike, we get the motif.)
During Jeff Austin’s 15 years with Yonder Mountain, the group toured extensively, performed at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, and found six of its albums scoring top-10 positions on Billboard’s bluegrass chart, with three of them making it all the way to number one. Yet Austin’s busy schedule still allowed him time for side projects. In 2006, he enjoyed a collaboration with Keller Williams and Keith Moseley under the band name Grateful Grass, and two years prior Austin released a full-length studio album with The Big Wu’s Chris Castino titled Songs from the Tin Shed. Look at that! Tin! (Editor’s note: Please stop it.)
In 2014, the Yonder Mountain String Band and its longtime mandolin player announced an amicable parting of ways. But if any fans mourned the loss of Austin from the scene, they weren’t allowed to for long. Backed by musicians Danny Barnes, Ross Martin, and Eric Thorin, Austin’s solo debut The Simple Truth landed in February of 2015. And if response to the album and the Jeff Austin Band’s live sets are any indication, bluegrass aficionados will be treated to outstanding musical interpretations for many years to come.
Calling The Simple Truth “primed for repeat listens,” Relix.com stated, “Austin knows how to write a hook just as easily as he knows how to stomp out a breakdown.” TrunstyledJunkpiled.com praised Austin’s voice for its “vulnerability and emotional depth.” OurMusicalJourney.com raved about Austin’s “superb musicians” and “extremely impressive first solo effort.” And reviewing a 2015 Jeff Austin Band concert in Denver, GratefulWeb.com wrote, “The entire set was filled with gems.” Most likely cassiterite, which is more commonly known as ... diamond tin! (Editor’s note: I hate you, Mike.)
The Jeff Austin Band performs locally with an opening set by The Last Revel, and more information on the Redstone Room’s 10-year anniversary celebration is available by calling (563)326-1333 or visiting RiverMusicExperience.org.
Theatre
My Favorite Year
Prospect Park Auditorium
Thursday, March 31, through Sunday, April 3
Wisecracks. Yearning romance. People bursting into song. Workplace hostility. Intimidating deadlines. An attempt to keep an eccentric egomaniac sober for a full hour. But enough about Reader staff meetings. All this and more will also be in evidence in Quad City Music Guild’s season-opener My Favorite Year, the Tony-winning adaptation of 1982’s Oscar-nominated comedy that runs at Moline’s Prospect Park Auditorium March 31 through April 3.
Set in 1954, and inspired by such smash variety programs as Sid Caesar’s and Imogene Coca’s Your Show of Shows, this song-and-dance-filled delight follows newbie television writer Benjy Stone as he begins his career as a professional comedy writer in Manhattan. Yet all manner of impediments threaten to derail Benjy’s big break: his show’s braying and bullying boss King Kaiser; his awkward crush on co-worker K.C. Downing; his meddling and embarrassing family; and, most of all, his seemingly impossible assignment – keeping the show’s guest star, matinée idol Alan Swann, away from booze and women long enough to get through an hour-long live broadcast without an FCC shutdown.
Described by TalkinBroadway.com as a “wonderfully enjoyable” production of “great enthusiasm and energy,” My Favorite Year was composed by the legendary, Tony-winning team of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens – Ragtime, Seussical, Once on This Island – and its 1992 Broadway version boasted Tony-nominated stars Tim Curry, Lainie Kazan, and Andrea Martin, the latter of whom won her first Tony for the show. But under the direction of the terrifically talented John Weigandt, Quad City Music Guild’s cast should prove no less divine, as it includes such area favorites as Ian Sodawasser, Tom Naab, Jennifer Sondgeroth, Heidi Pedersen, Mark McGinn, Mike Schmidt, Joe Urbaitis, and Mark Holmes.
Filled with pep and what will certainly be ravishing period costumes, My Favorite Year should make even those of us not alive in 1954 nostalgic for its era of Buicks, poodle skirts, and cigarettes smoked in unventilated offices. (Okay, maybe not that last one ... .) But how much do you really know, or remember, about 1954 – specifically, about 1954 living expenses? Prep yourselves for the My Favorite Year experience by matching the following items with their rough costs 62 years ago.
1) a bottle of catsup
2) a loaf of bread
3) a gallon of milk
4) a movie ticket
5) a pound of American cheese
A) 17 cents
B) 25 cents
C) 55 cents
D) 70 cents
E) 92 cents
My Favorite Year runs Thursday through Saturday at 7:30p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m., and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)762-6610 or visiting QCMusicGuild.com.
Answers: 1 – B, 2 – A, 3 – E, 4 – D, 5 – C. As you can see, regarding that last one, not everything is more expensive nowadays; every two weeks, my What’s Happenin’ jokes provide a pound of cheese for free!
Music
John Mellencamp
Adler Theatre
Tuesday, April 5, 7:30 p.m.
Dear Jackie Brown:
I’m a troubled man, and this is serious business. You said I’d be yours forever. But Martha say you left our small town for a small paradise in a peaceful world, and I think that, now more than ever, teardrops will fall. It’s like a cherry bomb exploded, and it’s crumblin’ down the pink houses of my heart.
Remember that hot night in a cold town – that factory town with the rain on the scarecrow – when I gave you a ride back home under the boardwalk with a hand to hold on to? Remember how we’d dance naked, a little night dancin’, to the R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. that so moves the Americans in this troubled land that is our country? But it’s a lonely ol’ night (I ain’t even done with the night!) and I need a lover, and these are hard times for an honest man, so I’m just gonna let it out – let it all hang out.
What if I came knocking with tickets to April 5’s John Mellencamp concert at the Adler Theatre? Would I get a leg up someday? Would you again be my sweet love, so our thundering hearts could be filled with love and happiness again tonight? I’m not running anymore, and this time I’ll save some time to dream and play guitar – the real life.
Baby, please don’t go to Washington or Miami. I can’t handle just another day without expression knowing I’ll get no better than this. This is your last chance. Your life is now. Join me for the Mellencamp concert. Check it out. It’ll be a wild night in which he’ll turn minutes to memories. Otherwise, I’ll give our tickets to Jack and Diane.
I don’t mean to rave on, and I want to walk tall. But my heart burns, like paper in fire, and it hurts.
So ...
... good night.
Your pop singer,
Junior
The chart-topping, Grammy-winning rock and Americana musician John Mellencamp performs locally at 7:30 p.m. on April 5, and for tickets to the concert – and the chance to hear some of the artist’s 60 aforementioned songs – call (800)745-3000 or visit AdlerTheatre.com.
What Else Is Happenin’ …?
MUSIC
Thursday, March 31 – Hailey Whitters. Concert with the native Iowan and Nashville-based singer/songwriter, with an opening set by Shaniah Paige. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $11.50-14. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Friday, April 1, and Saturday, April 2 – Rozz-Tox Five-Year Anniversary Weekend. Celebratory weekend featuring sets by musicians Yonatan Gat, Olivia Neutron-John, Brilliant Beast, The Multiple Cat, and others. Rozz-Tox (2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island). Friday 9 p.m., $10; Saturday 8 p.m., $8. For information, call (309)200-0978 or visit RozzTox.com.
Friday, April 1, and Saturday, April 2 – Hersong & UUCQC Coffee House Weekend. The Quad Cities female vocal group performs in a weekend event featuring a silent auction and concert sets by Green Valley Rejects, Rose n’ Thorns, Greenmore, Sarah Allner, and others. Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Quad Cities (3707 Eastern Avenue, Davenport). 7 p.m. $5-10. For information, call (563)359-9816 or visit UUCQC.org.
Friday, April 1 – The Pines. Americana and indie-rock musicians in concert. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 7 p.m. $20-22. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
Saturday, April 2 – Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience. Concert with the Grammy-winning zydeco musician in a Quad City Arts Visiting Artists presentation. St. Ambrose University’s Galvin Fine Arts Center (2101 North Gaines Street, Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $11-15. For tickets and information, call (563)333-6251 or visit QuadCityArts.com or SAU.edu/galvin. For a 2013 interview with Simien, visit RCReader.com/y/simien.
Saturday, April 2, and Sunday, April 3 – Quad City Symphony Orchestra: The Resurrection. The final Masterworks concerts of the season with conductor Mark Russell Smith leading Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, featuring performances by soprano Linh Kauffman, mezzo-soprano Adriana Zabala, the Handel Oratorio Society, and Quad City Choral Arts. 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. $6-28. For tickets and information, call (563)322-7276 or visit QCSO.org.
Saturday, April 2 – Charlie King and Martha Leader. Songs on the struggle for human justice in a fundraiser for community organizations including Palomares Social Justice Center, Oaks of Mamre Catholic Worker House, Centro Maya Project, Coalition of Native Americans, and the African American Museum of Iowa. Broadway Presbyterian Church (710 23rd Street, Rock Island). 7 p.m. $8-10. For tickets and information, call (309)786-6944 or visit BroadwayQC.org.
Sunday, April 3 – Lucero and John Moreland. Independent musicians perform in their Young Outlaws Tour 2016. Codfish Hollow Barn (5013 288th Avenue, Maquoketa). 7 p.m. $25-35. For tickets and information, visit CodfishHollowBarnstormers.com.
Wednesday, April 6 – Pigeons Playing Ping Pong. Funk, rock, and electronica musicians in concert, with an opening set by The Magic Beans. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $11.50-12. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Wednesday, April 6 – Tyondai Braxton. Concert with the experimental composer/musician, with an opening set by Dawn of Midi. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 7 p.m. $10-15. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
Thursday, April 7 – The Joy Formidable. Alt-rock musicians in concert, with an opening set by Everything Everything. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 8 p.m. $22-25. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
Thursday, April 7 – A Tribute to John Denver. Folk and pop classics with tribute artists Chris Collins & the Boulder Canyon Band. Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse (1828 Third Avenue, Rock Island). Noon plated lunch, 1 p.m. show, $44.41; 6 p.m. buffet, 7:15 p.m. show, $50.16. For tickets and information, call (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visit Circa21.com.
Friday, April 8 – Flatfoot 56. Hardcore-tinged Celtic punk with the Chicago-based musicians. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 8 p.m. $11.50-12. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Friday, April 8 – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Mutli-platinum-selling country-rock musicians in concert. Riverside Casino Event Center (3184 Highway 22, Riverside). 8 p.m. $20-55. For tickets and information, call (877)677-3456 or visit RiversideCasinoAndResort.com.
Friday, April 8, through Sunday, April 10 – Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi. The University of Iowa’s opera department performs two one-act operas by Giacomo Puccini in a presentation directed by Bill Theisen and conducted by William LaRue Jones. Coralville Center for the Performing Arts (1301 Fifth Street, Coralville). Friday and Saturday 7:30 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m. $5-20. For tickets and information, call (319)335-1160 or visit Hancher.UIowa.edu.
Saturday, April 9 – QCSO Family Music Carnival. The Quad City Symphony Orchestra hosts an event featuring a “Palooza" Performance Stage and Fun Zone activities including a musical-instrument petting zoo, create-your-own childhood time capsule, make-up-a-song, dance-me-a-story, and more. RiverCenter (136 East Third Street, Davenport). 10 a.m. Free. For information, call (563)322-7276 or visit QCSO.org.
Saturday, April 9 – The Magical Music of Disney. The Quad City Symphony Orchestra presents musical performances from Disney’s animated films alongside clips synchronized with the music. Adler Theatre (136 East Third Street, Davenport). 2:30 p.m. $5-35. For tickets and information, call (563)322-7276 or visit QCSO.org.
Saturday, April 9, and Sunday, April 10 – Nova Singers: Voices of the Prairie. Concerts with the professional vocal ensemble featuring a repertoire of Midwestern composers, songs about the prairie, and the world premiere of a new piece by Abbie Betinis, under the direction of Laura Lane. Saturday: Knox College’s Kresge Recital Hall (2 East South Street, Galesburg), 7:30 p.m. Sunday: Figge Art Museum (225 West Second Street, Davenport), 4 p.m. $20-25. For tickets and information, call (309)341-7038 or visit NovaSingers.com.
Sunday, April 10 – TobyMac. Grammy-winning hip-hop, pop, and contemporary-Christian artist in his Hits Deep Tour, with guests Britt Nicole, Colton Dixon, Building 429, Capital Kings, Finding Favour, and Hollyn. iWireless Center (1201 River Drive, Moline). 7 p.m. $15-69.50. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit iWirelessCenter.com.
Sunday, April 10 – QCSO/QCSYEs Side-by-Side Concert. Event featuring more than 150 musicians from the Quad City Symphony Orchestra and the Quad City Symphony youth ensembles. Davenport RiverCenter (136 East Third Street, Davenport). 3 p.m. Free. For information, call (563)322-7276 or visit QCSO.org.
Sunday, April 10 – Community-wide Side-by-Side. Area musicians of all ages and skills join the Quad City Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, directed by symphony conductor Mark Russell Smith. Davenport RiverCenter (136 East Third Street, Davenport). 6 p.m. $25 registration. For information, call (563)322-7276 or visit QCSO.org.
Sunday, April 10 – Selwyn Birchwood. Concert with the Blues Music Award-winning artist and his ensemble, sponsored by the Mississippi Valley Blues Society. Kavanaugh’s Hilltop Tap (1228 30th Street, Rock Island). 6 p.m. $10-12. For information, call (563)322-5837 or visit MVBS.org. For a 2013 interview with Birchwood, visit RCReader.com/y/birchwood.
Sunday, April 10 – Hotel California. Concert tribute to the music of the Eagles. Central Performing Arts Center (519 East 11th Street, DeWitt). 7 p.m. $10-25. For tickets and information, call (563)249-8541 or visit CentralPerformingArtsCenter.org.
Sunday, April 10 – Kurt Vile & the Violators. Concert with the alt-rock singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist and his ensemble. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 7 p.m. $22-25. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
THEATRE
Thursday, March 31, through Saturday, April 2 – Orphans. Tony-nominated kidnapping dramedy by Kyle Kessler, directed by SAU junior Rachael Pribulsky. St. Ambrose University Studio Theatre (Galvin Fine Arts Center, 2101 North Gaines Street, Davenport). Thursday and Friday 7:30 p.m., Saturday 3 p.m. $6. For tickets and information, call (563)333-6251 or visit SAU.edu/galvin.
Thursday, March 31, through Sunday, April – Completely Hollywood (abridged). Tinseltown satire by Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor. Old Creamery Studio Theatre (3023 220th Trail, Amana). Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday 2 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 7:30 p.m. $12-30. For tickets and information, call (319)622-6262 or visit OldCreamery.com.
Friday, April 1, through Saturday, April 16 – Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Edward Albee’s Tony-winning exploration of two marriages, directed by Tristan Tapscott. District Theatre (1724 Fourth Avenue, Rock Island). Thursday through Saturday 8 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m. $20. For tickets and information, call (309)235-1654 or visit DistrictTheatre.com.
Friday, April 1, through Sunday, April 17 – Dancing Lessons. Autism-themed romantic comedy by Mark St. Germain, directed by Ron Clark. 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.
Sunday, April 3 – National Theatre Live: As You Like It. An HD screening of William Shakespeare’s pastoral comedy, directed by Polly Findlay. 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.
Monday, April 4 – Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s and Tim Rice’s Tony-nominated biblical musical, 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.
Thursday, April 7, through Sunday, April 17 – Amy’s Wish. Romantic-comedy fantasy by Tom Sharkey, directed by Dana Skiles. Richmond Hill Barn Theatre (600 Robinson Drive, Geneseo). Thursday through Saturday 7:30 p.m., Sunday 3 p.m. $12. For tickets and information, call (309)944-2244 or visit RHPlayers.com.
DANCE
Thursday, March 31, through Saturday, April 2 – Restoration: Moving to the Beat of Life. An MFA dance concert featuring director/choreographer Alvon Reed’s Hattie May’s Juke Joint and director Tallis Strub’s Rhythm Unbound. University of Iowa’s Space/Place Theatre (20 Davenport Street, Iowa City). 8 p.m. $6-12. For tickets and information, call (319)335-1160 or visit Hancher.UIowa.edu.
COMEDY
Friday, April 8 – Marc Maron. An evening with the writer, comedian, and host of the podcast WTF with Marc Maron. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 7 p.m. $37.50. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
Saturday, April 9 – Kevin Smith. Stories and Q&A with the actor, filmmaker, comic-book writer, comedian, and podcaster. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 7 p.m. $25-30. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
MOVIE
Tuesday, April 12 – Rediscovering Ancient America. Documentary screenings in the museum’s World Adventure Series presented by Gray Warriner. 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.
EXHIBITS
Friday, April 1, through Saturday, May 7 – Pas de Deux/A Dance for Two. A collection of new David R. Anderson artwork inspired by Ballet Quad Cities. Bereskin Fine Art Gallery (225 East Second Street, Davenport). Wednesday through Saturday 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Opening reception April 1 from 6-9 p.m. Free. For information, call (563)508-4630 or visit BereskinArtGallery.com.
Saturday, April 2, through Sunday, April 10 – Young Artists at the Figge: Muscatine 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
Tuesday, April 5, through Sunday, April 10 – Mission Creek Festival. Annual celebration of the arts in numerous Iowa City venues, with events featuring musicians Saul Williams and Kurt Vile & the Violators, author Alison Bechdel, filmmakers Kevin Smith and Terry Zwigoff, comedian Marc Maron, and many more. For information, visit MissionFreak.com.
Friday, April 8 – Chippendales. Touring striptease artistry with male exotic dancers including Magic Mike XXL’s Jerry Pope. Golden Leaf Banquet & Convention Center (2902 East Kimberly Road, Suite 1, Davenport). 8 p.m. $25-35. For information, call (563)359-7226; for tickets, visit EventBrite.com.
Saturday, April 9 – Big Bacon Extravaganza. Third-annual event hosted by Churches United of the Quad City Area featuring 22 food vendors, tastings, live music, and more. Davenport RiverCenter (136 East Third Street, Davenport). 4 p.m. $25. For tickets and information, call (563)676-9472 or visit CUQCA.org.
