Music
The Weather Station
Rozz-Tox
Sunday, October 14, 8 p.m.
In acknowledging the talents of Canadian folk singer/songwriter Tamara Lindeman - whose musical outfit The Weather Station plays Rock Island's Rozz-Tox venue on October 14 - Soundproof Magazine raved, "When you try to describe this woman and the music she makes, words fail."
Challenge accepted, Soundproof!
Touring in support of The Weather Report's sophomore album All of It Was Mine, Lindeman is currently allowing U.S. audiences to discover the haunting vocal gifts, guitar and banjo finesse, and distinctive songwriting skills that Canadian fans have been aware of for years. And since the 2009 release of the band's debut CD The Line, Lindeman's elegantly spare arrangements and folk, country, and bluegrass stylings have been the beneficiaries of extraordinary critical acclaim, with Torontist Album Review calling the work "the stuff memorable albums are made of," and the Toronto Star praising the artist's "ability to transmute the impenetrably personal details of a singular experience into something instinctively universal."
Such plaudits continued with the August release of The Weather Station's All of It Was Mine, which found the Toronto Star decreeing the CD "a perfectly tuned gem of whispered emotion," and the UK's music-review site TheLiminal.co.uk saying, "There's a grace here that can only come from someone who's solved the workings of their own mind and, in turn, allowed this to be reflected in the music." So prepare for some deeply thoughtful, mature musical magic during The Weather Report's upcoming Rozz-Tox engagement, and don't fret that the band's lead singer, at age 27, might prove too green for the soulful ballads she's performing. Lindeman, after all, is also a veteran film actress who's appeared in such movies as The Deep End and Shall We Dance, and I'm thinking that anyone who can go toe-to-toe with a crazed Tilda Swinton and a tango-ing Richard Gere probably has confidence to spare.
The Weather Station performs with an opening set by Esme Alexis, tickets are $5 at the door, and more information on the night is available by e-mailing info@rozztox.com or visiting RozzTox.com.
Music
Shemekia Copeland
The Redstone Room
Sunday October 14, 8 p.m.
The wildly acclaimed blues vocalist Shemekia Copeland will perform a special concert at the Redstone Room on October 14, and before proceeding, I should probably let you know that, as of this writing, I'm feeling a bit under the weather. But I'm gonna plug through anyway, and try to give the soulful singer all the goodwill and enthusiasm that her terrific talents and accomplishments deserve. After all, you can't spell "Shemekia Copeland" without "Mike has a cold."
Boasting an electrifying voice that the Boston Globe says "roars with a sizzling hot intensity," Copeland is the daughter of noted Texas blues guitarist Johnny Copeland, with whom she first performed - at Harlem's legendary Cotton Club - at the age of eight. But it didn't take long for Shemekia to be recognized as a masterful artist in her own right; her debut album, 1998's Turn the Heat Up!, was released when the vocalist was only 19, and her 2000 CD Wicked earned Copleland W.C. Handy Blues Awards for Blues Album of the Year, Blues Song of the Year, and Female Contemporary Blues Artist of the Year.
Now with seven solo albums to her credit - and continual raves such as the Village Voice's description of her talents as "nothing short of uncanny" - Copeland is also considered a powerhouse stage presence, with recent bookings including her opening for the Rolling Stones, headlining the Chicago Blues Festival, and singing at the White House for President and Mrs. Obama. Her résumé and exhilarating performance gifts are so impressive, in truth, that it's easy for this middle-aged man to feel incredibly envious of the Grammy Award-nominated artist who's become a blues-music sensation at the tender age of 33. But I really am trying to work through my jealousy. After all, you can't spell "Shemekia Copeland" without "Hope Mike can deal."
For more information and tickets to the Redstone Room's "An Evening with Shemekia Copeland" event, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Music
Anonymous 4: love fail
St. Mary's Catholic Church in Iowa City
Thursday, October 11, 7:30 p.m.
Upon learning that Iowa City's St. Mary's Catholic Church would serve as the host site for Anonymous 4 on October 11, I immediately blanched, thinking that last autumn's Anonymous film had somehow spawned three sequels I wasn't aware of. But then I quickly remembered two things: (1) that Anonymous 4 is actually the name of the world-renowned female a cappella quartet performing in Hancher Auditorium's Visiting Artists series, and (2) that a world populated by moviegoers demanding three sequels to an expensive art flick about the true authorship of Shakespeare's plays is clearly not the world I'm living in.
With Anonymous 4 composed of four New York-based singers - Ruth Cunningham, Marsha Genensky, Susan Hellauer, and Jacqueline Horner - the ensemble's Iowa City engagement will find its women performing love fail, a rewriting of the tragic love story of Tristan and Isolde created by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer (and University of Iowa alumnus) David Lang. A blend of musical, literary, and historical scholarship colored with glorious harmonies and solos, love fail should amply demonstrate the gifts of its performers, a group whose output runs the gamut from medieval music to original, modern compositions, and that has performed for sold-out audiences throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
Having recorded 19 albums that have sold more than two-million copies worldwide, the women of Anonymous 4 have also developed a more-than-considerable fan base, with music critics among their most fervent supporters. The New York Times' Vivien Schweitzer, for instance, praised the quartet's "impressive vocal blend, purity of tone, and distinctive individual voices." And the Washington Post's Charles T. Downey raved about Anonymous 4's "voices blending perfectly in vowel color, tone, and intonation, with a rhythmic pulse neither precipitous nor lugubrious." Which, by the way, is exactly how I'd describe the Reader's weekly staff meetings. Except without the perfect vowel color, tone, intonation, rhythmic pulse, and lack of lugubriousness.
St. Mary's Catholic Church is located at 228 East Jefferson Street in Iowa City, and more information and tickets are available by calling (319)335-1160 or visiting http://www.Hancher.UIowa.edu.
Exhibit
Animation Cel-ebration: From Gertie to Grinch
Putnam Museum
Saturday, October 20, through Sunday, February 3
Parents: If you could please turn your computer or iPad or iPhone over to your school-aged children right now, it's be greatly appreciated. Thank you ever so much.
Hey, kids!
We certainly hope you've been enjoying all the quizzes, mazes, and word finds that we put in the Reader's quarterly guides to seasonal events! But you know what? We think it's unfair that we've been making you wait three whole months in between print puzzles designed just for you ... so let's fix that starting right now!
What's the occasion, you may be wondering? Well, there's a brand-new exhibit opening at Davenport's Putnam Museum on October 20, and we think it's one that will delight you and your whole family! It's titled Animation Cel-ebration: From Gertie to Grinch, and it's an interactive celebration of cartoons - yes, cartoons! - that'll be open to museum visitors through February 3, 2013!
With its focus on how animation developed from its infancy through the present, the exhibition will allow older kids and adults the chance to operate early animation devices, practice animation on a computer art station, and learn to draw their own animation cels at a drafting table. But you younger kids are sure to love Animation Cel-ebration, too, because the exhibit also features dozens of colorful, dynamic, and sometimes hilarious hand-drawn images on loan from the private collection of Ted and Dawn Hopkins!
So, to get in the proper cartoon spirit, let's try unscrambling the names to 10 of your favorite animated characters who'll soon be gracing the walls of the Putnam! (We've also squished some two-word names into one scrambled name, just to make the puzzle trickier!) And remember, your parents are nearby, waiting for you to let them read this section of the Reader, so no cheating!
1) MIBBA
2) BOMUD
3) REPPANET
4) WHINESTWO
5) ICONICHOP
6) SNUBBYGUN
7) MELDEDFUR
8) CLEANERLID
9) CLANKDUDDO
10) ICEMEMOSYUCK
Admission to Animation Cel-ebration: From Gertie to Grinch is free with paid $5-7 museum admission, and more information on the exhibit is available by calling (563)324-1933 or visiting Putnam.org.
Answers: 1 - BAMBI, 2 - DUMBO , 3 - PETER PAN, 4 - SNOW WHITE, 5 - PINOCCHIO, 6 - BUGS BUNNY, 7 - ELMER FUDD, 8 - CINDERELLA, 9 - DONALD DUCK, 10 - MICKEY MOUSE.
What Else Is Happenin'... ?
MUSIC
Thursday, October 11 - Martin Sexton. Acclaimed soul, rock, and acoustic musician in concert, with an opening set by Brothers McCann. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 8 p.m. $25. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Thursday, October 11 - The Van-Dells. Touring musicians in their '50s rock-and-roll revue. Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse (1828 Third Avenue, Rock Island). 7 p.m. $22.50-25. For tickets and information, call (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visit Circa21.com.
Thursday, October 11 - Nosferatu with the Alloy Orchestra. F. W. Murnau's vampire classic with the orchestra providing live accompaniment. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 8 p.m. $16-20. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
Friday, October 12 - Billy Thompson. Noted blues vocalist/guitarist in a concert presented by the Mississippi Valley Blues Society. The Muddy Waters (1708 State Street, Bettendorf). 9 p.m. $8-10. For information, call (563)355-0655 or visit TheMuddyWaters.com.
Friday, October 12 - The Spinners. Concert with the famed musicians of "Working My Way Back to You" and "Rubberband Man." Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center (1777 Isle Parkway, Bettendorf). 7:30 p.m. $20-30. For information, call (800)724-5825 or visit Bettendorf.IsleOfCapriCasinos.com.
Saturday, October 13 - Lila Downs. Mexican folk singer performs jazz, blues, soul, and reggae, in a Hancher Auditorium Visiting Artists presentation. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 7:30 p.m. $10-35. For tickets and information, call (319)335-1160 or visit http://www.Hancher.UIowa.edu.
Saturday, October 13 - Boss Grant & the Johnny Cash Revue. Concert with the four-piece tribute band from St. Paul, Minnesota. 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.
Sunday, October 14 - Timeflies. Hip-hop, rap, rock, electronica, and dubstep with the noted independent musicians. Iowa Memorial Union (125 North Madison Street, Iowa City). 8 p.m. $20-26.75. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit ScopeProductions.org.
Tuesday, October 16 - Genesis Doctors in Recital. Concert showcasing local physicians with a passion for music, in a benefit performance for music therapy and Genesis hospice care. Augustana College's Centennial Hall (3703 Seventh Avenue, Rock Island). 8 p.m. $20-25. For tickets and information, call (309)794-7306 or visit Augustana.edu.
Saturday, October 17 - Iowa High School Marching Band Festival. Performances by 21 high-school marching bands from southeast Iowa, with local bands performing in the afternoon. Brady Street Stadium (3600 Brady Street, Davenport). 3:30 - 9:30 p.m. $2-5. For information, call (563)441-0265.
Thursday, October 18 - Mason Jennings. Concert with the acclaimed pop/folk singer/songwriter, with an opening set by The Pines. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 8:30 p.m. $25-30. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Thursday, October 18 - Peelander Z. Japanese punk musicians in their "Metal Man Tour," with opening sets by Electric Eel Shock and Johnny Scum, and an after-party with CJ the DJ. Rock Island Brewing Company (1815 Second Avenue, Rock Island). 8 p.m. $5. For information, call (309)793-4060 or visit RIBCO.com.
Thursday, October 18 - The Kronos Quartet. The award-winning, San Francisco-based string quartet in concert. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 8 p.m. $40-50. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
Friday, October 19 - The Fresh Beat Band. Concert with Nickelodeon's popular preschool-music group and stars of the hit TV series. Adler Theatre (136 East Third Street, Davenport). 6:30 p.m. $29.50-39.50. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit AdlerTheatre.com.
Friday, October 19 - Rosanne Cash. Country, rock, roots, and pop with the famed singer/songwriter. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 8 p.m. $42-45. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
Saturday, October 20 - The Marshall Tucker Band. An evening with the noted musicians of "Can't You See" and "Heard It in a Love Song." Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center (1777 Isle Parkway, Bettendorf). 7:30 p.m. $20-30. For information, call (800)724-5825 or visit Bettendorf.IsleOfCapriCasinos.com.
Saturday, October 20 - Whoozdads? CD Release Party. Concert held in conjunction with the release of Water Over the Stones by musicians Ellis Kell, Tony Hoeppner, Terry Hanson, and John Burchett. RME Community Stage (131 West Second Street, Davenport). 7 p.m. $5. For information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Saturday, October 20 - Dave Olson. Twin Cities-based singer/songwriter in concert. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 8 p.m. $10-12. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
Saturday, October 20, and Sunday, October 21 - The Nova Singers: Ein Deutches Requiem. The fall concert with the professional vocal ensemble, featuring Ashlee Mack and Megan Clewell. Saturday - Central Congregational Church (60 Public Square, Galesburg), 7:30 p.m. Sunday - First Congregational Church (2201 Seventh Avenue, Moline), 4 p.m. $15-18. For information and tickets, call (309)341-7038 or visit NovaSingers.com.
Sunday, October 21 - Adekola. Acclaimed jazz vocalist performs and educates in Polyrhythms' Third Sunday Jazz Workshop & Matinée Series. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 3 p.m. all-ages jazz workshop - $5/adults, children free; 6 p.m. concert - $10-15. For tickets and information, call (309)373-0790 or visit Polyrhythms.org or RiverMusicExperience.org.
Monday, October 22 - Live at Birdland with the Birdland Big Band. Famed jazz musicians under the direction of Tommy Igoe. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 7 p.m. $20-35. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
Wednesday, October 24 - Red Wanting Blue. Acclaimed Ohio-based rockers in concert, with an opening set by Dan Hubbard & the Humadors. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $10. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
THEATRE
Thursday, October 11, through Sunday, October 11 - Lady M. Ninety-minute adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth told through Lady Macbeth's perspective, directed by Matt Hawkins. University of Iowa's David Thayer Theatre (200 North Riverside Drive, Iowa City). Thursdays-Saturdays 8 p.m., Sundays 2 p.m. $10-17. For information and tickets, call (319)335-1160 or visit http://Theatre.UIowa.edu.
Thursday, October 11, through Sunday, November 11 - The 39 Steps. Comedy-thriller based on Alfred Hitchcock's classic movie. Old Creamery Theatre (39 38th Avenue, Amana). Fridays & Saturdays 7:30 p.m.; Wednesdays, Thursdays, & Sundays 3 p.m. $17.50-27. For information and tickets, call (319)622-6194 or visit OldCreamery.com.
Friday, October 12, through Sunday, October 21 - The Arsonists. Max Frisch's dark 1953 comedy about upper-middle-class suburbanites, directed by Jeff Coussens. Augustana College's Potter Theatre (3701 Seventh Avenue, Rock Island). Fridays and Saturdays 7:30 p.m., Sundays 1:30 p.m. $9-11. For tickets and information, call (309)794-7306 or visit Augustana.edu.
Friday, October 12, through Sunday, October 28 - Manning Up. Sean Christopher Lewis' world-premiere comedy about expectant fathers. Riverside Theatre (213 North Gilbert Street, Iowa City). Thursdays-Saturdays 7:30 p.m., Sundays 2 p.m. $15-28. For information and tickets, call (319)338-7672 or visit RiversideTheatre.org.
Friday, October 19 - Phineas & Ferb: The Best Live Tour Ever. Musical stage spectacle with the Disney Channel stars. i wireless Center (1201 River Drive, Moline). 6:30 p.m. $15.75-47.75. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit iwirelessCenter.com.
Friday, October 19, through Sunday, October 28 - The Rover. The Prenzie Players' production of Aphra Behn's classic carnivale comedy, directed by Stephanie Burrough. QC Theatre Workshop (1730 Wilkes Avenue, Davenport). Fridays, Saturdays, and October 28 at 8 p.m.; October 21 at 2 p.m. $10. For tickets and information, call (309)278-8426 or visit PrenziePlayers.com.
Friday, October 19, through Sunday, October 21 - RED: The Tale of Mary Kon. Comedic fairytale mash-up, written by Adam Kuta. The Center for Living Arts (2008 Fourth Avenue, Rock Island). For information, call (309)788-5433 or visit Center4Living.com.
Friday, October 19, through Sunday, October 28 - Steel Magnolias. Robert Harling's beloved comedy-drama set in a Southern beauty parlor. Iowa City Community Theatre (4265 Oak Crest Hill Road, Iowa City). Fridays & Saturdays 7:30 p.m., Sundays 2 p.m. $8-16. For tickets and information, call (319)338-0443 or visit IowaCityCommunityTheatre.com.
Saturday, October 20, through Sunday, October 28 - Beauty & the Beast. Student-performed version of the fairytale classic, adapted by Vera Morris. Davenport Junior Theatre (2822 Eastern Avenue, Davenport). Saturdays 1 and 4 p.m., Sundays 2 p.m. $5 at the door. For information, call (563)326-7862 or visit DavenportJuniorTheatre.com.
Saturday, October 20, through Saturday, November 3 - Bunnicula. Family musical based on the Halloween-themed children's book. Old Creamery Studio Theatre (3023 220th Trail, Amana). Saturdays 1 p.m. $8. For tickets and information, call (319)622-6194 or visit OldCreamery.com.
LITERATURE
Wednesday, October 24 - Marilynne Robinson. The Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and emerging essaying Eula Biss read from their works. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 7 p.m. $10. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
EXHIBIT
Saturday, October 20, through Sunday, January 6 - 2012 College Invitational. Exhibit featuring works by students at Augustana College, Black Hawk College, Knox College, Monmouth College, St. Ambrose University, Scott Community College, and Western Illinois University. Figge Art Museum (225 West Second Street, Davenport). Tuesdays-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
Saturday, October 13 - Bowling to Banish Bullying. Ballet Quad Cities' annual fundraiser for the company's bullying-prevention outreach programs in area elementary schools. Blackhawk Bowl & Martini Lounge (200 East Third Street, Davenport). 5:45 p.m. $40/player, $10/spectator. For information, call (309)786-3779 or visit BalletQuadCities.com.
Friday, October 19 - It Gets Better. A theatrical, multimedia response to bullying delivered through the music of the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles and other guests, in a Hancher Auditorium Visiting Artists presentation. Iowa Memorial Union (125 North Madison Street, Iowa City). 7:30 p.m. $10-35 For tickets and information, call (319)335-1160 or visit http://www.Hancher.UIowa.edu.
Sunday, October 21 - Kick Cancer in the Face Fundraiser. Benefit event featuring music by Nervous Rex, local comedians from the Blacklist, raffle items, and more. Hero's Pub (3811 North Harrison Street, Davenport). 6 p.m. $5 suggested donation. For information, call (563)823-8370 or visit Facebook.com/kickcancerintheface.
