Music
Bruce Katz
The Muddy Waters
Saturday, June 6, 8:30 p.m.
Good news, gang: Summer is fast approaching! As opposed to previous summers, however, we'll have to wait a little longer for this year's Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, the traditional Fourth-of-July-weekend event that's now a Labor-Day-weekend event.
But fret not, blues fans! The Mississippi Valley Blues Society is ready to ease your impatience with a bunch of summertime concerts held at The Muddy Waters in Bettendorf, beginning with the June 6 engagement featuring Bruce Katz. A four-time Blues Music Award nominee for Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year, the pianist, organist, and bass guitarist has been described by JazzTimes magazine as "a multi-directional cat with a lot of music inside him." Much like my parents' cat, but you really don't wanna know what's inside him.
A Baltimore native, the 72-year-old Katz began playing classical piano at age five, and chose to study at the Berklee College of Music, an institution at which - from 1996 to 2010 - he eventually served as a faculty member. Following college, he played bass for R&B legend Big Mama Thornton and Barrence Whitfield & the Savages, getting his first taste of national and international touring, and went on play organ and piano for Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters, musicians for whom Katz also began songwriting.
The artist left Ronnie Earl's outfit in 1997 to pursue full-time opportunities for The Bruce Katz Band, a blues ensemble that had already released two albums in 1992's Crescent Crawl and 1994's Transformation - the latter of which, according to JazzTimes, was "steeped in ... gritty soul" with "darker bits of misterioso intrigue and a few avant-garde-ish twists along the way." And as far as Katz's post-1997 success is concerned, there's nothing misterioso about it.
A popular touring performer who has worked alongside the likes of Joe Louis Walker, Debbie Davies, and David "Fathead" Newman, Katz's blues stylings have been praised by fellow artists including Delbert McClinton, who called Katz "pure genius," and John Hammond Jr., who described him as "one of the greatest keyboard artists I've ever heard."
Plus, with eight Bruce Katz Band albums now to his credit - the most recent being 2014's Homecoming - critics have had almost no choice but to compare Katz to the best that ever were. Blues & Biscuits magazine wrote that Katz's ensemble is "like Mozart with a jazz trio playing at Junior's Juke Joint on a Thursday night." And the Toledo City Paper wrote, "His sound resembles what would have happened had a jazz session broken out between Jimi Hendrix, Professor Longhair, and Frank Zappa." Though hopefully with fewer fights over whose hair is coolest.
Admission to Bruce Katz's Bettendorf concert is $10, or $8 for Mississippi Valley Blues Society members, and more information is available by calling (563)355-0655 or visiting TheMuddyWaters.com.
Theatre
The Boys Next Door
Richmond Hill Barn Theatre
Thursday, June 4, through Sunday, June 14
The next production at Geneseo's Richmond Hill Barn Theatre is Tom Griffin's deservedly beloved comedy/drama The Boys Next Door, a tale of friendship and the overcoming of considerable obstacles that the New York Daily News said "hits squarely on the truth of life with its constant interplays and shadings of triumphs and tears." Last week, my boys next door enjoyed their own triumphs, by cheering their collegiate ability to party outdoors until 2 in the morning. The tears, alas, were mine.
Running at Richmond Hill June 4 through 14, The Boys Next Door features protagonist Jack Palmer, a kindly social worker in his late 20s who is put in charge of the welfare of four mentally challenged men: Arnold Wiggins, a friendly but incessantly chatty obsessive-compulsive; Norman Bulansky, an affable yet frequently confused doughnut-shop employee with a similarly challenged girlfriend; Lucien Smith, a library-obsessed illiterate accused of faking his medical condition; and Barry Kelmper, an emotionally fragile schizophrenic with a one-armed, abusive father.
Through the course of Griffin's play - which, per the New York Times, "moves the audience to an awareness of how many things in everyday life we take for granted" - Jack guides and works with the men individually and collectively, and grows to understand both the joys and limitations of his charges' lives, as well as his own. But The Boys Next Door is hardly the glum, good-for-you drama its narrative might suggest. Filled with sharp, empathetic humor and grin-inducing sweetness, Griffin's script could be a case study in how to mix the heartrending with the hilarious, and it makes sense that BackStage magazine's review of the show's 1988 debut called it "one of the most unusual and most rewarding plays in town."
Given its participants, you should probably expect nothing less from Richmond Hill's production. Serving as The Boys Next Door's director is area-theatre mainstay John VanDeWoestyne, a much-adored Richmond Hill veteran both on-stage (The Odd Couple, The Mousetrap) and off-, with directing credits in Geneseo including Sherlock Holmes & the Case of the Jersey Lily and The Nerd.
And his ensemble boasts a collection of terrific performers, all of whom have made previous appearances on the Barn stage: Jonathan Grafft, Victor Angelo, Don Faust, Jordan L. Smith, Justin Raver, Stacey Herrick, Mike Skiles, Lynn Monge, Jeff Blackwell, Suzanne DeReu, Harvey Green, Terri Nelson ... and John VanDeWoestyne. Who I'm convinced cast himself just to eat up my available space with repetition of the 13-letter name "VanDeWoestyne." Darn it! Did it again! Thanks a lot, VanDeWoestyne! Aw, darn it ... !
The Boys Next Door runs at the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m., and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)944-2244 or visiting RHPlayers.com.
Music
Moeller Mondays Presents: Pattern Is Movement Farewell Tour
Rozz-Tox
Monday, June 8, 8 p.m.
"Hey, Jeff!"
"Hi, Mike. What're you up to?"
"Actually, I just sent you this week's What's Happenin' articles, and one of them is on June 8's latest Moeller Monday Presents at Rozz-Tox - the venue's weekly showcase of independent artists co-presented by Rozz-Tox's Benjamin Fawkes and Daytrotter's Sean Moeller. This one is a concert with Pattern Is Movement, the indie-rock pair composed of keyboardist/singer Andrew Triboldeaux and drummer Chris Ward. You're aware of them?"
"I am."
"Well, this is a truly special gig. Earlier this year, the musicians announced that this spring's bookings would mark their farewell tour, so the Rozz-Tox engagement is likely the last chance that area fans will get to see them perform live!"
"I'm aware of that, too, Mike."
"Their band has a fascinating history. Triboldeaux and Ward performed as a Christian-rap group when in their early teens, and in 2001, they originated Pattern Is Movement along with three other musicians: Corey Duncan, Wade Hampton, and Daniel McClain. By the fall of 2007, though, Pattern Is Movement had become a two-piece outfit with only Triboldeaux and Ward remaining, and they has their first release as a duo in 2008's All Together, which Pitchfork.com called 'an accessible album that nonetheless sounds unlike what any other band is doing.'"
"Yes ... ."
"They also released their self-titled Pattern Is Movement album in 2014, and critics were just as impressed. AllMusic.com, for instance, wrote that the album allowed its artists to 'display their visions of skewed pop in bold, vivid colors.'"
"Yes ... ."
"And PopMatters.com raved, 'Pattern Is Movement opens up the musical framework, embracing rhythm and blues while resisting the compartmentalization that limits many of the band's contemporaries.' I think you'd really like these guys, Jeff!"
"Mike, you do realize that I conducted an interview with Chris Ward, and wrote an article on Pattern Is Movement, in the summer of 2009, right?"
"Wow ... you've got a good memory! And I knew you'd like 'em. I mean, their sound is warm and burnished, but complicated with the experimental textures of jazz and the subtle variations of minimalism."
"And you do realize that you just stole a direct quote from my article, right?"
"Wow ... didn't know your memory was that good ... ."
Pattern Is Movement's farewell concert begins at 8 p.m. on June 8, tickets are on an $8-12 sliding scale, and more information is available by calling (309)200-0978 or visiting RozzTox.com.
What Else Is Happenin'
MUSIC
Thursday, May 28 - Emily Kinney. Concert with the recording artist and co-star of TV's The Walking Dead, with opening sets by Adam Tressler and Dylan Gardner. Rozz-Tox (2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island). 8 p.m. $15. For information, call (309)200-0978 or visit RozzTox.com.
Friday, May 29, and Saturday, May 30 - Hansel & Gretel. Hour-long version of Engelbert Humperdinck's storybook opera. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). Friday 7:30 p.m., Saturday 2 and 7:30 p.m. $10-13. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
Friday, May 29, through Sunday, May 31 - Those Were the Days. Choral Dynamics presents a celebration of music from the 1960s and '70s. Orpheum Theatre (57 South Kellogg Street, Galesburg). Friday and Saturday 7:30 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m. $7.50-15. For tickets and information, call (309)342-2299 or visit TheOrpheum.org.
Friday, May 29 - The Impresario. Mozart's comic opera performed in English, with four singers and a new book by Iowa City's Franklyn Tomas. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 9 p.m. $10-13. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
Saturday, May 30 - Brushville. Alt-country musicians in an outdoor concert, with an opening set by Dirt Road Rockers. Rock Island Brewing Company (1815 Second Avenue, Rock Island). 8 p.m. $10. For information, call (309)793-1999 or visit RIBCO.com.
Saturday, May 30 - Déjà Vu Rendezvous with The Fez. Steely Dan tribute artists in concert, with an opening set by The Low Down. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 8:30 p.m. $11.50-12. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Tuesday, June 2 - Sam Moss. Boston-based singer/songwriter and string player in concert. Rozz-Tox (2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island). 8 p.m. $5-10. For information, call (309)200-0978 or visit RozzTox.com.
Thursday, June 4 - Nicholas Davis. Alternative soul musician in concert, with an opening set by Soul Storm. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $16.75-22. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Friday, June 5 - The Way Down Wanderers. Concert with the roots and Americana musicians, with an opening set by PM Buys. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 9 p.m. $8.50-9. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Friday, June 5, through Sunday, June 7 - Country Boy Cookout & Music Festival. Country music, hip-hop, rock, and a barbecue cook-off, featuring a Friday-night pool party with cast members of Party Down South and a Saturday concert. Hillcrest Event Center (16260 East 350th Street, Orion). $30-150 weekend pass, or $20 Friday, $25 Saturday, $10 Sunday. For tickets and information, call (309)755-6550 or visit HillcrestEventCenter.com.
Saturday, June 6 - Laura's Legacy Concert. Fourth-annual fundraiser for the ALS division of the Iowa/Illinois MDA association, featuring a concert sets by Rock Island native Lissie, Ellis Kell & Friends, The Dawn, RME Rock Camp alumni, students from Sunshine's Performing Arts Studio, and more. Schwiebert Riverfront Park (between 17th & 20th Streets, Rock Island). 2:30 p.m. gates. For information, visit Songkick.com.
Saturday, June 6 - Shabazz Palaces. Concert with the Seattle-based experimental hip-hop group led by Ishmael Butler multi-instrumentalist Tendai "Baba" Maraire, with opening sets by Eaters and Riomulan. The Mill (120 East Burlington Street, Iowa City). 9 p.m. $14. For tickets and information, call (319)351-9529 or visit ICMill.com.
Friday, June 6 - William Elliott Whitmore. Outdoor concert with the roots singer/songwriter, with an opening set by Frank F. Sydney's Western Bandit Volunteers. Rock Island Brewing Company (1815 Second Avenue, Rock Island). 8 p.m. $13. For information, call (309)793-1999 or visit RIBCO.com.
Saturday, June 6 - Miner Disturbance Radio (MDR) All-Star Jam. Experimental concert event in which seven groups of musicians (with names randomly drawn) perform favorite songs from childhood, with artists including Bill Peiffer, Wes Weeber, MDR host Brian Miner, and more than two dozen others. Rascals Live (1414 15th Street, Moline). 9 p.m. For information, call (309)757-9457 or visit RascalsLive.com.
Wednesday, June 10 - Dave Rudolf. Family concert in the "Music on the Lawn" series, featuring beach tunes, hula hoops, a bubble machine, and interactive activities. Deere-Wiman Carriage House (817 11th Avenue, Moline). 6:30 p.m. Free. For information, call (309)743-2701 or visit ButterworthCenter.com.
Wednesday, June 10 - Lucinda Williams. Blues, folk, and rock musician in concert. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 8 p.m. $35. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
THEATRE
Thursday, May 28, through Sunday, May 31 - Churchill. Andrew Eldin's one-man play about the British prime minister. Old Creamery Studio Theatre (3023 220th Trail, Amana). Thursday and Sunday 2 p.m., Friday and Saturday 7:30 p.m. $18.50-28. For tickets and information, call (319)622-6262 or visit OldCreamery.com.
Thursday, June 4, through Sunday, June 14 - Hairspray. Tony-winning Broadway smash set in 1960s Baltimore, directed by Lili-Anne Brown. Timber Lake Playhouse (8215 Black Oak Road, Mt. Carroll). Tuesdays through Saturdays 7:30 p.m., Sundays and Wednesdays 2 p.m. $17-25. For tickets and information, call (815)244-2035 or visit TimberLakePlayhouse.org.
Thursday, June 4, through Sunday, June 28 - The Andrews Brothers. Rogers Bean's musical-comedy salute to USO shows of World War II. Old Creamery Theatre (39 38th Avenue, Amana). Fridays and Saturdays 7:30 p.m.; Sundays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and June 6 at 2 p.m. $18.50-28. For tickets and information, call (319)622-6262 or visit OldCreamery.com.
DANCE
Friday, June 5, through Sunday, June 7 - Ballet Under the Stars. Annual outdoor vignettes performed by Ballet Quad Cities. Lincoln Park (11th Avenue and 38th Street, Rock Island). 8 p.m. Donations encouraged. For information, call (309)786-3779 or visit BalletQuadCities.com.
Saturday, June 6, and Sunday, June 7 - Variations II. Ballet from Nolte presents highlights from La Fille Mal Gardée and Coppélia, plus the premiere of new works by Grace Snider and Tad Snider. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 7:30 p.m. $13-23. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
COMEDY
Friday, May 29 - Randy & Mr. Lahey. Songs, skits, audience participation, and Shakespeare with two of the Trailer Park Boys, with musical guest Le Roy. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 8 p.m. $22. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Friday, May 29, and Saturday, May 30 - Lewis Black. Concert event with the stand-up comedian, actor, and author. Riverside Casino Event Center (3184 Highway 22, Riverside). 8 p.m. $36-56. For tickets and information, call (877)677-3456 or visit RiversideCasinoAndResort.com.
Saturday, May 30 - Bobby Ray & the Funny Bunch. Stand-up sets with Rachel Weeks, Toll McGrane, Ryan Solomon, Daniel Frana, and headliner Brandon Ream, hosted by Bobby Ray Bunch. Circa '21 Speakeasy (1818 Third Avenue, Rock Island). 8 p.m. $10-12. For tickets and information, call (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visit Circa21.com.
Tuesday, June 2 - An Evening with Nick Offerman. Performance with the Parks & Recreation actor and author of Gumption: Relighting the Torch of Freedom with America's Gutsiest Troublemakers. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 7 p.m. $35. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
Wednesday, June 3 - Craig Ferguson. An evening with the touring comedian and former host of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 8 p.m. $35-45. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
Saturday, June 6 - Josh Alton. An evening with the nationally touring comedian. The Backroom Comedy Theatre (1510 Harrison Street, Davenport). 9 p.m. $10-12. For tickets and information, call (309)781-9617 or visit BlacklistComedy.com.
Wednesday, June 10, through Saturday, June 13 - ComedySportz World Championship. Four days of improv games with national and international teams. The Establishment (220 19th Street, Rock Island). 7 p.m. June 10, 7 and 9:30 p.m. June 11 through 13. $12. For tickets and information, call (309)786-1111 or visit ComedySportzQC.com.
EXHIBITS
Saturday, May 30, through Sunday, September 20 - The Model Museum. The Figge's origins and final design will be explored through an exhibition of drawings, photographs, and original models on display in the Lewis Gallery. 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.
Saturday, May 30 - Regan Hatfield: Things with Strings. Event featuring more than 30 original works of art that available for viewing and sale, with 40 percent of the proceeds being donated to the RME. River Music Experience (129 Main Street, Davenport). 6 p.m. Free. For information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Saturday, June 6, through Sunday, November 15 - Arsenal of Innovation. Exhibit on the Rock Island Arsenal and the men and women who have served and supported our military, with daily screenings of the accompanying film D-Day: Normandy 1944 3D. Putnam Museum (1717 West 12th Street, Davenport). Mondays through Saturdays 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sundays noon-5 p.m. Free with $5.50-12 museum admission. For tickets and information, call (563)324-1933 or visit Putnam.org.
Saturday, June 6, through Sunday, September 13 - I Heart Figge. Student exhibition featuring works that display the artists' love of the Figge and what the museum means to them. 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, May 29 - CELLO-BRATION. Event featuring all 100 painted cellos from the Quad City Symphony Orchestra's 100 Years, 100 Cellos project. Figge Art Museum (225 West Second Street, Davenport). 6 p.m. $10-25. For tickets and information, call (563)322-7276 or visit QCSO.org.
Friday, June 5, through Sunday, June 7 - Iowa Arts Festival. Weekend-long community celebration featuring more than 115 local and national visual artists displaying and selling artwork, a music festival, food, children's activities, and more. Downtown Iowa City. Friday 4 p.m. gates, Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. gates. For information, call (319)337-7944 or visit SummerOfTheArts.org.
Saturday, June 6 - Make-a-Wish Illinois Walk & Run for Wishes. A 5K fun run, one-mile fun walk, refreshments, music, and more in a fundraiser to make wishes come true for local children with life-threatening medical conditions. Ben Butterworth Memorial Parkway (3000 River Drive, Moline). 9 a.m. $10-35 registration. For information, visit WalkRunWish.org.
Saturday, June 6 - Scott County Relay for Life. Annual run/walk fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, with a 2 p.m. survivor reception inside the school. Bettendorf High School (3333 18th Street, Bettendorf). 3 p.m. For information, call (888)266-2071 or visit RelayForLife.org/scottcountyia.
Sunday, June 7 - Rozz-Talk with Bill Gluba. Andrew King hosts an evening conversation with the mayor of Davenport. Rozz-Tox (2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island). 8 p.m. For information, call (309)200-0978 or visit RozzTox.com.
