River Cities Reader - Issue 776 - April 14, 2011

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Business • Politics • Arts • Culture • Now You Know • RiverCitiesReader.comRiver Cities’ Reader • Vol. 18 No. 776 • April 14 - 27, 2011

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that also has a legacy of corruption, including the gross mismanagement of pensions across the board. This same leadership separated their pensions from those of their members, and are fully funded, while the rank-and-file pensions are dangerously underfunded, landing them on the Department of Labor’s critical list.

The union leadership has quietly asked Congress for a bailout in the amount of $165 billion! It is unconscionable. How can the union membership tolerate such conduct, and how does continuing to pour millions of hard-earned dues into such a flawed system benefit it? I am com-pletely befuddled by this blind loyalty after such horrendous stewardship.

It is time for all Americans, union and non-union alike, to shed the myths we rely on to keep our heads in the sand. Our best interests are not being served by our government, or by the mo-nopolies that control it. There is no more room for making excuses. We all know it in our hearts.

We keep telling ourselves that someone will fix it, make it right. Who do you think is going to step up? The answer is you. One by one, we need to educate and take action on a local level to bring accountability. In some cases, it is as simple as showing up at city and county meetings. In other cases, it means using the court system, through grand juries and class-action suits. In still other cases, it means recalls and replacing politicians with honorable stewards who will uphold their state and federal constitutions’ mandate to protect individual liberties via a republic, under the rule of law.

Iowans for Accountability is a great place to get involved in Scott County. Rock Island County deserves and needs such a watchdog group, as well. Positive change can happen, but it requires the determined resolve of the people, regardless of party affiliation, regardless of union status, regard-less of private- or public-sector employment.

The ultimate common denominator is whether you favor governance that protects the rights of individuals, or governance that abdicates natural rights to impose privileges for groups, whether they’re special interests in the form of commit-tees, communities, monopolies, unions, agencies, foundations, non-governmental organizations, financiers, or even foreign groups and interests – including the United Nations, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives.

It all boils down to one clear difference: indi-vidual rights versus group privileges. Groups don’t have rights. Only individuals within groups have natural rights, those endowed by the Creator – the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Groups are granted privileges by those empowered to grant them.

A good way to look at it is that God-given rights exist with or without a government. Privileges only exist where there is a government to grant them – or take them away. Natural rights are immutable, while privileges exist at the whim of the grantor. We have centuries of civilization providing irrefut-able evidence that no system of governance that places privileges of groups over rights of individu-als can succeed. Such governance is inequitable by necessity, requiring force to prevail. And we are headed straight down that path.

by Kathleen [email protected]

What are you willing to do to stop Congress permitting the largest energy companies, such as Exxon and BP, from

purchasing excessive numbers of oil-drilling leases from the federal Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management in areas designated for oil extraction? The oil giants then allow the leases to remain dormant for the entire length of the contracts. Why? Because these drilling leases are bought specifically to prevent medium-to-small drillers from competitively extracting the oil, thereby shrinking the oil supply, especially domestically.

Controlling the leases but letting them sit idle gives the oil giants even greater monopolistic con-trol of the supply of oil, guaranteeing maximum profits while eliminating thousands of American jobs. Congress and the Bureau of Land Manage-ment are perpetuating America dependence on, and further enriching, foreign countries, as well as protecting big oil’s own considerable investments in drilling sites abroad.

To top off this perfectly loathsome economic policy, these same big-oil giants receive huge an-nual taxpayer subsidies in the billions of dollars, even though they enjoy obscene profits but pay less than 5 percent in taxes – and, more often than not, no taxes at all!

General Electric is another flagrant example of the gross corruption of capitalism that ensues when an industry leader aligns with the political force of government to curry special privileges that result in an insurmountable competitive edge. Prior to Barack Obama’s election, GE was on the brink of financial disaster. After Obama’s election, GE received a huge bailout, and was awarded game-changing government contracts – including a medical-records system that would centralize all medical records under Obamacare – as well as a lucrative stake in trading the newly established carbon-credit commodity.

This is nothing less then the next greatest finan-cial scam since derivatives that will financially pro-vide for GE and other “green” partners at taxpay-ers’ expense well into the future. Put another way: American taxpayers are GE’s unlimited revolving line of credit. To add insult to injury, Obama re-cently named GE’s CEO, Jeffrey Immelt, the head of his Council on Jobs & Competitiveness.

The above are classic examples of corrupting capitalism via special privileges granted by govern-ment to one or two companies at the expense of all others. And yes, we have laws against such anti-trust and price-fixing behavior, but the authorities, whether elected or appointed, refuse to enforce them.

It is so important to understand that none of these corporations could implement a scintilla of these self-enriching tactics without the full knowledge and cooperation of the United States government, whether through legislation or regulation (or the lack thereof). The government is an active party to the bad practices that prevail in nearly every industry. It takes two to tango, so to speak. This same modus operandi is occurring in all the major industries, including food, finance, energy, and communications. Union leadership is up to its neck in it, as well.

I cannot understand the rank-and-file public-sector-union members’ loyalty to union leadership

It Takes Two to Party ... or Be a Party to

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a $5.7-billion deficit. That’s about $1.3 billion higher than the deficit projected for the end of the state’s current fiscal year. Not good at all. Terrible, in fact.

Okay, that didn’t work, so let’s try again. How about increasing spending by just 1.5 percent a year? You’d wind up with a $524-million deficit during the last year of the allegedly temporary tax hike, but there’d be a $4-billion deficit the very next year, after the tax hike had expired. Again, that’s about where we are right now. Any claims of budgetary restructuring would be shown to be laughably false.

Last try. Let’s plug in zero spending growth for four years. Illinois would have a $2.5-billion surplus the last year of the tax hike. Hooray! A year later, the surplus would still be $1.1 billion, but the state would also have a structural operating

deficit of $1.4 bil-lion, and that deficit would continue to rise from then on out. Bummer.

Also, zero growth might not sound all that difficult to do until you realize that pension pay-ments, Medicaid, and state-employee and retiree health-care costs are all rising exponentially every year. All that spending would

have to be somehow reined in, or other state programs – such as education, hu-man services, and pretty much everything else – would have to be viciously slashed year after year. In five years, things would be very bad indeed.

And considering the cold, hard fact that state legislators as a general rule hate to cut budgets, how can they be expected to keep a tight lid on everything year after year after year after year? They won’t do it. Simple as that.

The bottom line here is that if the gov-ernor is serious about putting Illinois on a solid financial footing, he needs to find a lot more revenues and/or make lots more cuts.

Caterpillar’s Oberhelman went out of his way to heap praise on the governor last week. And now Quinn needs to do what-ever he can to keep his word. He obviously doesn’t enjoy cutting the budget, but it has to be done if he hopes to wipe out that deficit by the end of his term.

Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax (a daily political newsletter) and CapitolFax.com.

by Rich Miller

Caterpillar CEO Doug Oberhelman seemed to be under the impres-sion after his meeting last week

with Governor Pat Quinn that the state’s income-tax hike would actually expire in four years.

“The tax increase is temporary,” Ober-helman told reporters, who wanted to know how he really felt about the re-cent tax hike. There’d been much media speculation that the Caterpillar CEO was so unhappy about the tax increase that he might move his company elsewhere. Oberhelman added that revenue growth will be necessary to fill the gap, and “it’s going to take some spending cuts,” which, he said, he was confident that Quinn could pull off.

After Oberhelman answered the question, Quinn told reporters that the “income tax is a four-year situation,” and said he wanted to “erase the deficit” during that time.

Technically and legally, the tax hike is temporary. Two income-tax hikes have been allowed to expire in Illinois history, so it’s pos-sible that this one will as well.

But the gover-nor used phantom revenues in his most recent budget plan and proposed an increase in state spending, not a decrease.

The Senate Republicans have laid out the problem pretty clearly. And it’s quite grim.

The Senate Republicans project the state deficit will be $22.7 billion in five years. I’ve had a problem with those numbers because of some of the assumptions they used. So I asked them to help me game some additional projections using what I considered to be more realistic assump-tions, and they obliged.

First, toss out the governor’s $8.7-bil-lion borrowing plan to pay past-due bills (which doesn’t look like it can pass this year). Then use House Speaker Michael Madigan’s (relatively low) revenue and spending projections for the coming fiscal year. Then increase state spending by 2 percent a year and project 2-percent annual revenue growth, and let’s see what happens.

What you’d wind up with is a $1.5-bil-lion deficit during the last year that the tax hike is in effect. But when that tax increase goes away, Illinois will then be left with

Can Quinn Erase Illinois’ Deficit?

ILLINOIS POLITICS

If the governor is serious about putting

Illinois on a solid financial footing, he

needs to find a lot more revenues and/or make lots more cuts.

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tile, and one about camp liberators – were distributed in 2006 to 200 schools and libraries in nine Illinois counties.

Bowen’s project could have ended there as a noble if modest endeavor. But in the five years since the first books were put in schools, Bowen has continued to help students learn and write about the Holo-caust through individual stories. A Book by Me includes the tales of survivors, Christian and Muslim righteous gentiles, and Ameri-can liberators, and there are now roughly 60 books in the Holocaust series, with an addi-tional eight in a civil-rights series. “A couple of different kinds of stories came about, and then it just kind of snowballed from there,” Bowen said.

Outside of the initial five books, however, the series hasn’t been distributed. “I’ve been collecting them like some people collect rocks or whatever,” Bowen said. “I’ve been collecting my stories. ... ‘Oh my gosh, this is an important story, too.’ That is the thought that runs through my head every time I hear a story now. ... My thoughts were, ‘I’m glad I got this documented, and I don’t know what I’m going to do.’”

She concedes that to this point, the proj-ect has “all been volunteer, all by the seat of my pants,” and without a way to get the books into the world once they’re finished. But Bowen has a plan now.

She and her husband have incorporated Never Forget Publishing, and she has branded the series and launched a Web site (ABookByMe.com). One book will be available as a free download, designed to be a coloring book. She hopes to get grants to distribute the series – particularly books about local Holocaust survivors – to Iowa and Illinois schools. She’s also looking for

Deb Bowen is the first to admit that she didn’t have a plan for what

has become A Book by Me, a series of short books for chil-dren, mostly about Holocaust survivors, written and illus-trated primarily by middle- and high-school students.

“I don’t really know why I took the initiative to do it [initially], except that I felt their stories were so important,” she said last week.

The seed was planted in 2003, when she attended a Yom HaShoah event so her daughter could get extra credit at school. There, she learned that three Holocaust survivors in the Quad Cities were all named Esther. “I’d never been to a synagogue before” that Holocaust remembrance, said Bowen, who’s a Christian.

Once the idea took hold, Bowen planned three books – one about each of the Esthers. At the outset, she said, the aim was to have young authors talk to their subjects. But after two were finished, the third survi-vor – Esther Schiff – declined to speak. “She wanted to, but she got a little fearful,” Bowen said. “She started having nightmares again.”

But at dinner one night, Bowen’s son – who was eight at the time, she recalled – said he’d like to try to write Schiff ’s story. He did, and it was illustrated by a German exchange student.

“At that point in time, I gotta say, I thought that was my last book,” Bowen said. “I just thought we were going to do the three Esthers and [be] done. ...

“Then Alan Ross [of the Jewish Federa-tion of the Quad Cities] said to me, ‘It’s time to get some other stories, too, if you’re still willing to do this.’” Bowen said he was par-ticularly interested in getting books written about American soldiers who liberated camps in World War II.

“I thought it sounded like a great project, especially since it involved local survivors and local kids,” Ross wrote in an e-mail. “The personal and local connection was very important. ...

“It is a very unique and important project in the field of Holocaust education ... [that] encompasses vital lessons for our troubled world today,” he continued. “It has become so popular locally that I thought it would have merit in other communities through-out the country and around the world.”

Five books – three about the survivors named Esther, one about a righteous gen-

Collecting StoriesAledo’s Deb Bowen Makes the Holocaust – and Its Survivors – Real to Children with “A Book by Me”

by Jeff [email protected]

financial assistance to offset the $250 cost of preparing each book for publication.

Yet the ultimate goal, Bowen said, is nationwide distribution to spread the word about the project, so that more children can meet Holocaust survivors before they pass away.

“There are still a lot of survivors alive,” Bowen said. “I know we’ve got about five years left to get kids to be able to meet these people. ... There’s still a chance right now to have a great search for these important stories and for kids to be able to have that intergenerational connection. ... There is an urgency now.”

“Those Camps Were Not Good”

Even if Bowen doesn’t get the distribu-tion she hopes for – “Funding is an issue,” she said – it’s important to emphasize that her project still has great value. While it’s a shame that the finished books are in her Aledo home rather than in schools and libraries – a heretofore missed educational opportunity – the process means much to the authors and illustrators, as does the finished product to the Holocaust survivors and their families.

Bowen said that when Holocaust survivors and their families are presented with a finished book, “I feel like I’ve given the whole family a gift.” For survivors, it validates that their stories are important. And because many survivors do not like to talk about the Holocaust, the books record a crucial piece of family history.

And while kids learn about the Holocaust in school, A Book by Me gives students a

direct, personal connection to that chapter of history. “This helps them understand it in an individual sense,” Bowen said. Beyond history and writing, she said it helps young people develop emotionally. “They need to come out of the bubble – ‘It’s all about me’ – and into, ‘Wow. Look what happened to those people,’” she said. And “it makes them become young learners.”

Bowen has a list of potential subjects and stories from Yad Vashem – the World Holo-caust Center in Jerusalem – and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. But she also lets students select their own subjects. “If they choose,” she said, “they’re going to get more excited.”

Quinci McIntire is a fifth-grader from Aledo who’s just starting the process of writing a book about Dina Gottliebova-Babbitt, who survived Auschwitz and two other camps. She painted a mural based on the Disney movie Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs, and her artwork brought her to the attention of Josef Mengele, who had her paint portraits of Roma prisoners before they were killed. That assignment almost certainly spared her life.

Quinci has decided to title her book Snow White Saves Dina, and Bowen said that is the first step in the process, “so they have some ownership to the project. ... And they do their about-the-author page, and then they’re an author ... .” Quinci’s next step is her author’s page, and from there, she and her mother will highlight elements that they want to include from the two-page biogra-phy that is provided to all authors.

After that, Bowen instructs the author to break up the story into three roughly equal parts for the 10-page finished project: life

COVER STORY

Continued On Page 17

Above: Author Quinci McIntire with Deb Bowen


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William Campbell, with the Maia String Quartet April 28 at St. Paul Lutheran Church

Vol. 18 · No. ��April 1� - ��, �011

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by Jeff [email protected] of His Own Way

William Campbell can’t recall why he became a composer, but he does re-

member his piano lessons as a youth in Tucson, Arizona.

In an interview last month, Campbell recounted the questions he asked of his Julliard-trained teacher: “‘Why didn’t Beethoven do this?’ And I’d play a little something. And he’d be like, ‘Well, that’s not what this piece is. Did you learn this passage?’ And I’d play the passage, and I’d say, ‘Yes, but why didn’t he do this?’ ... I’d ask about motives and things.”

That instructor was good at many things, Campbell said – “He instilled in me a sense of how to emote on the instrument ... , technique, and also to try your best no matter what” – but he didn’t do much to encourage his pupil’s creativity. The student brought in a piece that he’d composed, and his mentor played a Rach-maninoff prelude as a response.

The 41-year-old Campbell said that he never presented another original composition to that teacher, but three decades later, he is certainly getting more affirmation. An associate profes-sor of music theory and composition at St. Ambrose University, he recently released his first solo-piano album, Piano Songs. On April 28, he’ll debut his Piano Quintet with the Maia String Quartet at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Davenport. And in its 2011-12 season, the Quad City Symphony Orchestra will perform Campbell’s Coyote Dances in one of its Master-works concerts.

His body of work includes orchestral and chamber-music pieces, works for concert bands, film scores, and liturgical songs. Beyond his own output, he’s working to guide young composers in the Quad Cities outside of St. Ambrose. He suggested and helped judge the Bettendorf Public Library’s Civil Rights Songwriting Competition, and he held three workshops for composers as part of the Quad City Symphony’s “Mi-Do-Ri” Young Composer Competition.

“I’m hoping that we can build on that,” Campbell said. “My hope is that creativity through music is really fostered in the Quad Cities.” He dreams, for example, that in the next few years the Quad City Symphony or another ensemble performs pieces written by young composers and orchestrated by college students.

For those intimidated by classical music,

Piano Songs is a welcoming introduction to Campbell’s work. The 11 pieces are straight-forward, accessible, and easily digestible. As a composer and player, Campbell sketches his moods expertly, and while not all the pieces are bright, they have an undeniable warmth. As their titles suggest, “Cold & Beautiful” and “Dancing with Shadows” acknowledge dark-ness without dwelling on it.

Campbell’s father listened to the great symphonists of the 18th and 19th centuries and bought his teenage son books on elec-tronic music. Campbell knew of John Cage in high school and began writing music in the minimalist vein through self-discovery rather than exposure.

In our interview, Campbell listed composers he admires and those he’s met, and it’s a who’s who of avant-garde and minimalism: Cage, John Adams, Philip Glass, George Crumb, Ter-ry Riley. He said he studied composition during the transition from “this very cranial music to music that’s more of the body. ... What I mean by that is music that resonates with more than just the thought process of the body.” Piano Songs is certainly rooted in emotion, and it has none of the alienating techniques that for many people define minimalist and avant-garde clas-sical music.

Despite the album’s title, there are no vocals, and the “songs” are not meant to be sung over. But Campbell said it’s still an appropriate name. “The form of them is strophic,” he explained. “Some of them it’s like verse-chorus almost, some of them are through-composed. But they’re classic song forms. ... These are songs. They’re just songs without words.”

He emphasized, however, that Piano Songs doesn’t imply that vocals are necessary. “I didn’t

want anybody to think they were without,” he said. “Because they’re not. They’re complete statements in themselves.”

The pieces in Piano Songs were composed over five years and rep-resent a shift in the way Campbell handles his inspirations.

“For years what I did was: If it was coming out, I’d look at it and judge whether it worked within whatever I was working on,” he said. If it didn’t fit, he discarded it.

Piano Songs resulted from being less self-censoring. “The more important the piece is I feel ... to my ‘overall output as a composer,’ sometimes the more difficult it is to write, because I’m weighing each note or passage,” Campbell said.

“Other pieces I’m going for a feel, and there’s a freedom to it.” This album’s songs, he said, fall in the latter category. “Some pieces to me sound very much like the morning during which I actually wrote the piece,” he said. “They’re little pieces that I just accepted as they came out. ... These pieces have taught me to love everything as it comes out. ...

“I really tried to get out of my own way with a lot of these pieces,” he added. “‘Winter’s Thaw,’ for instance. That is really soft, really quiet. It gets out of its own way, almost. It’s very bare.”

In his full body of work, Piano Songs might be relatively minor, but Campbell said the collection “does capture a part of me that is very real that is present to most people when they meet me. Those songs I think are who I am in many moments with people, whether there’s a piano in front of me or not. ... I think that there’s a positive, reflective nature about those pieces that is always sort of with me. I’m an optimist – I hope cautiously so – and I try to understand what’s going on around me at any given moment. And I think that that clarity comes through in each of those pieces.”

William Campbell will perform with the Maia String Quartet for the debut of his Piano Quintet on Thursday, April 28, at St. Paul Lutheran Church (2136 Brady Street in Davenport). The free performance begins at 7 p.m.

Piano Songs is available through iTunes and CDBaby.com.

For more information on Campbell, visit WilliamCampbellMusic.com.

MUSIC

William Campbell. Photo by Renee Meyer-Ernst.

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The prologue – which chronologically comes about two-thirds the way through the story – sets a tone of urgency: “Louis and I see you nearly at the same time. In the woods, through the bee trees whose heavy, sweet smell will forever remind me of this day, I see flashes of your pink summer nightgown that you wore to bed last night.”

That opening reflects how Gudenkauf writes her books. “Typically, I start right in the middle of the story ... ,” she said. “And then I work forward and then I work backwards and really try to pull the pieces together. ... I just start where I’m really interested and where I have that spark. ... Don’t worry about the logistics of begin-ning, middle, and end. It will get there. That really seems to work for me.”

Gudenkauf is particularly skillful with point of view. In The Weight of Silence, the story of Calli – the mute girl – is delivered in the third person, while the remaining characters tell their tales in the first person. “She didn’t speak for herself through the bulk of the book, and it makes sense for her to have her story told for her,” Gudenkauf explained. Ben, Calli’s older brother, directs his narration to Calli, and his juvenile con-cerns and memories are detailed and pitch-perfect. The author gives her narrators the freedom to roam through their pasts, and the digressions – while undeniably exposi-tory – feel like products of the characters’ minds rather than authorial intrusions. (While her descriptions, narrative drive, and anecdotes are strong, her dialogue to this point is neither natural nor artful; it’s merely stiff.)

Gudenkauf wrote the first draft of The Weight of Silence over her summer break in 2005. “It’s always been in the back of mind to write a story,” she said. “That summer, I just thought, ‘Now or never.’” That winter she sent the finished draft to a literary agent, and after a year and a half revising the book, they began shopping it to publish-ers – a process that took another year and a half.

There’s little in Gudenkauf ’s background that hinted that she would become a suc-cessful author. (She pointed to a lifelong love of reading.) But she said that being born with a severe hearing impairment in her left ear might have have helped sharpen her skills: “It caused me to sit back and watch and be more observant than maybe I would have been otherwise.”

Heather Gudenkauf will lecture, read from her work, and answer questions on Saturday, April 16, at 2 p.m. at the Bettendorf Public Library (2950 Learning Campus Drive).

For more information on Gudenkauf, visit HeatherGudenkauf.com.

Like many people, Heather Gudenkauf thought she had a novel in her. But that’s where her story breaks from the usual.

She wrote that novel and got a literary agent. And then she found a publisher (Mira Books, an imprint of Harlequin Enterprises) willing to give her an advance-against-royalties deal. And then The Weight of Slience sold more than 300,000 copies.

It’s rare enough for an aspiring author to actually finish that dreamed-of novel, but in the book world today, it’s virtually unheard of for a previously unpublished writer to have the success that Gudenkauf has found. “That’s what I’ve been told,” she said in a recent

phone interview, promoting her April 16 appearance at the Bettendorf Public Library.

The Dubuque, Iowa-based Gudenkauf published her second novel, These Things Hidden, earlier this year, and it debuted at number 18 on the New York Times trade-paperback bestseller list. (In its ninth week on the list, it was 27th.)

In just two novels, Gudenkauf has already established some literary signatures. Both her books are topical – The Weight of Silence deals with missing children, alco-holism, and domestic abuse, while These Things Hidden is concerned with aban-doned children and adoption – and both employ multiple narrators. A first draft of her third novel, she said, is almost finished, and it shares those calling cards.

To be clear, while Gudenkauf is clearly interested in issues – the author’s note on her new book talks about safe-haven laws – her novels aren’t didactic. They read like thrillers of the home, employing topics of social importance but primarily interested in character and family dynamics. “We don’t always put our kids first ... or even listen to our kids like we should,” Guden-kauf said. The 40-year-old author still works as a literacy coach, and that educational background is apparent in her books. “My primary objective was to give a voice to the voiceless,” she has been quoted as saying. And in The Weight of Silence, published in 2009, that was literal.

Gudenkauf thrusts the reader imme-diately into the tale of two missing girls, one of whom hasn’t spoken for years. The author said she liked the idea of “a character who disappears into the woods and her best friend is gone, too, and she’s the only one who comes out but can’t tell anybody exact-ly what’s going on. I thought that would add another layer of mystery to the story ... .”

A Voice for the VoicelessHeather Gudenkauf, April 16 at the Bettendorf Public Library


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11

ARTHURThere were better comedies released in

the ’80s, to be sure. But I don’t think I have a stronger affection for any of them than I do for 1981’s Arthur, writer/director Steve Gordon’s screwball-farce throwback that featured Dudley Moore’s drunken multi-millionaire sharing brilliantly barbed repartee with caretaker John Gielgud. Consequently, I came dangerously close to booing when I first saw the preview for director Jason Winer’s Arthur remake. True, Russell Brand seemed the only logical choice to fill Moore’s (diminu-tive) shoes, and while Gielgud is irreplaceable, Helen Mirren seemed a reasonable enough sparring partner. But, I mean, come on – is nothing sacred?!

Consider me delighted, then, that Winer’s new Arthur isn’t as cynical and uninspired as its pre-views suggested, and grateful that the movie is only run-of-the-mill poor, as opposed to actively awful. The baby-voiced Cockney squawk that Brand employs for his drunk routines takes some getting used to, and while several exchanges follow Gordon’s script nearly line-for-line, Peter Baynham’s generically functional screenplay drops a bunch of the original film’s more enjoy-able and biting fringe bits, replacing them with expectedly PC alternatives. (The only thing that saves Arthur’s first visit to an AA meeting is his incredulous swipe: “This makes me want to drink more.”) Still, it’s bearable enough. The movie has a lot of fun – more than the previous Arthur did, actually – with its lead’s mind-boggling wealth, and despite their gags being frequently sub-par, there are game comic turns by Jennifer Garner, Nick Nolte, Luis Guzmán, and Zooey-Deschanel-in-training Greta Gerwig. And while Mirren appears uncharacteristically glum (maybe her material was depressing her), Brand’s more off-kilter readings do make you chuckle. Arthur is mostly a bummer, but it’s hard to fully begrudge a movie in which its sloshed hero offers his ex-girlfriend a conciliatory check for $999,000 and casually explains, “I thought a million would be vulgar.”

HANNASaoirse Ronan’s piercing blue eyes carry the day

in director Joe Wright’s Hanna, a fairytale action thriller that’s at least a stronger vehicle for the teen actress than the fairytale World War II epic The Way Back and the fairytale serial-killer drama The Lovely Bones. Raised in wintry isolation by her father (Eric Bana) and trained to be a forceful yet smoothly efficient killer, Ronan’s title character plays cat-and-mouse with Cate Blanchett’s venom-ous CIA operative, and despite a few narrative detours, there’s precious little to the movie beyond

that; Ronan runs, and Blanchett and her cronies chase. (Reasoning for Hanna’s superhuman strength and the operative’s single-minded obses-sion is given, and of no real consequence.)

Yet revved up by The Chemical Brothers’ frisky, inventive score, the movie’s still a good time. Com-ing from Wright, it’s also a surprising time, consid-ering that after Atonement and The Soloist, he was beginning to look incapable of making anything that didn’t smell of Oscar bait. Here, though, his

expert pacing and frequently unusual compositions keep the mindlessly engaging action zipping along, and the movie features wonderfully eccentric, grin-inducing details, such as the shot of Blanchett, gun in hand, emerging from the mouth of the Big Bad Wolf. (Being a

Wright film, Hanna also features the de rigueur Endless Tracking Shot, an admittedly spectacular, one-take sequence that finds Bana being tailed from an airport terminal to a subway station.) But Ronan remains the best reason to see the movie, with her tentative, enigmatic fragility and rather shocking ferocity helping fill in the blanks on a sketchy character. I don’t need to see the movie again, but if Wright wants to recruit Ronan, Chloë Grace Moretz, and Hailee Steinfeld for the follow-up Hanna & Her Sisters, I’m totally there.

BORN TO BE WILD 3DA busier-than-usual weekend kept me from the

medieval stoner comedy Your Highness and the in-spirational surfing drama Soul Surfer (now there’s a double-feature), but I was able to squeeze in the nature documentary Born to Be Wild 3D, cur-rently playing at the Putnam Museum & IMAX Theatre and on Rave 53’s IMAX screen. And running a brisk 40 minutes, the film is an ideal entertainment for when you’ve got a bit of time to kill between other activities – a perfectly pleasant excuse to chill out with adorable animals and the dulcet baritone of Morgan Freeman. Director David Lickley’s outing follows two naturalists as they care for orphaned orangutans and elephants in Borneo and Kenya, and it almost manages to make last spring’s Babies look like Taxi Driver. The movie isn’t wholly devoid of danger (one baby elephant charges its new captors with understand-able aggression), but overall, this happily unthreat-ening, unchallenging work is cute as can be, with our plucky little orphans enjoying their playtimes and mealtimes and sponge baths and such. I’ll admit that even at less than an hour, my attention began to wane around the movie’s halfway point. Yet there’s always something enjoyable to look at, and thankfully, Born to Be Wild never shoves its lovability down our throats. When we’re already watching a baby orangutan getting tucked into bed with a lullaby and his blankie, why would it need to?

Listen to Mike every Friday at 9aM on roCk 104-9 FM with dave & darren

Moore, or Less?

Russell Brand and Helen Mirren in Arthur

Movie Reviewsby Mike Schulz • [email protected] Mike Schulz • [email protected]

Movie Reviews

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TheatreLady Winderemere’s FanSt. Ambrose UniversityFriday, April 15, through Sunday, April 17

The great Irish wit Oscar Wilde was quoted as saying: “A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of

it is absolutely fatal.” Also: “A man can be happy with any woman as long as he does not love her.” Also: “America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between.” And people think I’m bitchy.

Yet for all of Wilde’s cynicism, the man could also be lyrically, wonderfully funny, as audiences will discover, or re-discover, when St. Ambrose University stages Lady Windermere’s Fan in the Galvin Fine Arts Center April 15 through 17. A classic comedy of manners, the show will find its student performers – among them the pictured Aaron Randolph III, Sidney Junk, Jonathan Smith, and Amanda Kochanny – enacting Wilde’s farcical tale of adultery, scheming family mem-bers, and a woman’s attempt to buy her way into high society. And with director Corinne Johnson setting this 1892 work in the 1930s, the production will offer a new interpretation of a timeless entertainment, one that predated its playwright’s

legendary The Importance of Being Earnest by 13 years.Yet as you’ll soon see (and hear), Wilde’s endlessly quotable cleverness was

already in full swing with Lady Windermere’s Fan. Just how quotable is that clev-erness? Let’s examine. Of the following, which of the following is not a Wilde-ism uttered in St. Ambrose’s latest production?

1) “Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes.”2) “I am the only person in the world I should like to know

thoroughly.”3) “I can resist everything except temptation.”4) “I don’t care what is written about me so long as it isn’t

true.”5) “Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously

about it.”6) “My own business always bores me to death. I prefer other

people’s.”

Lady Windermere’s Fan will be performed at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. on Sunday, and tickets are available by calling (563)333-6251 or visit-ing SAU.edu/galvin.

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MusicThe New Pornographers & The WalkmenIowa Memorial UnionWednesday, April 27, 8 p.m.

Not to get all bitter-mid-dle-aged-man on you

here, but university students today have it so sweet. New fields of study ... new recre-ation facilities ... New Pornographers ... .

That last mention, at least, is something that students at the University of Iowa will to be treated to when the indie rockers of The New Pornographers (pictured) – led by song-writer Carl Newman, and including popular solo artist Neko Case – play the school’s Iowa

Memorial Union on April 27. Happily for the rest of us, both their performance and that of openers The Walkmen are collegiate perks that the public (for $24) can share in as well.

Originally formed in Vancou-ver in 1997, The New Pornog-raphers and their infectious power-pop stylings were critical hits right out of the gate, with the band’s first three albums each ranking in the top 40 on Village Voice’s annual best-of-the-year polling of hundreds of music re-viewers. With Blender magazine, in 2007, naming the group’s Mass

Romantic the 24th best indie album of all time, and with Rolling Stone, in 2009, ranking Electric Version one of “the 100 Best Albums of the Decade,” The New Pornographers have continued to enjoy the critics’ adulation. And with the musicians’ most recent CD, 2010’s

Together, the highest-ranking of the group’s albums thus far (number 18 on the Billboard charts), the critics and the public appear to be enjoying a rare moment of agreement.

As for The Walkmen – frequent touring artists whose songs have been heard in such films as Spider-Man 3 and In Bruges – the American indie-rock band is experiencing a career trajectory much like that of their Iowa Memorial Union companions; the group’s own 2010 album, Lisbon, is the most successful in its history (number 27 on the Billboard charts). It’s cool that the University of Iowa booked them, but really, these student perks are getting out of hand – when I was in college, I only had one Walkman, fer Pete’s sake ... .

For more information or tickets to The New Pornographers’ and The Walkmen’s Iowa City concert, call (800)745-3000 or visit ScopePro-ductions.org.

MusicAn Evening with Mason JenningsThe Redstone RoomFriday, April 22, 8:30 p.m.

On singer/songwriter Mason Jennings’ Web site (MasonJennings.com), the acclaimed

folk rocker and acoustic guitarist states: “I guess I have come to the point in my life and my art where I just want to make music that I love and not mess with it. If people dig it: cool. If not: cool.” I feel exactly the same way about my writing ... with the exception being that if people don’t dig it, I go off into a dark room and cry.

To be honest, you might feel like doing the same after listening to some of Jennings’ more

heartfelt, haunting songs – or would, if the musician’s plaintive vocals and soulfully honest compositions weren’t also so invigorating.

Performing at Davenport’s Redstone Room on April 22, the Honolulu-born, Pittsburgh-bred Jennings released his self-titled, independently produced debut album in 1997, subsequently

treating fans to eight ad-ditional CDs, including such critically lauded titles as 2002’s Century Spring, 2006’s Boneclouds, and last year’s Live at First Ave. And by all means, you should consider music critics among those fans; Paste

magazine called Jennings’ album Blood of Man “as

raw and real as the writing itself,” while American Songwriter lauded the artist for “possessing a rare talent for describing, without pretension, both earnest longing and his struggle to understand life’s intertwined pain and beauty.”

But if you’re unfamiliar with Jennings’ talents, don’t feel compelled to merely take the critics’ word for it – pop over to the Redstone Room’s Web site and listen to the man’s acoustic perfor-mance of “The Field,” a parent’s mournful lament for a son killed overseas. It’s a beautiful ballad, but in addition to stocking the bar, the Davenport venue may want to consider setting up a Kleenex concession.

Tickets to Mason Jennings’ area concert are $25 in advance and $28 on the day of the show, and can be reserved by calling (563)326-1333 or visiting RedstoneRoom.com.

EventCirque du Soleil’s Dralioni wireless CenterTuesday, April 19, and Wednesday, April 20

You ever have one of those work days where you just feel like ditching it all and joining the

circus? I’m kind of having one today. So with the impending area arrival of internationally renowned troupe Cirque du Soleil and its touring smash Dralion – being performed at the i wireless Center on April 19 and 20 – I thought I’d take a look at some of the production’s circus acts and see which one I’m going to audition for.

Let’s see ... . According to CirqueDuSoleil.com, Dralion features the “Aerial Pas de Deux,” in which a couple is suspended over the stage in a band of blue cloth, performing “various acrobatic figures that demand great feats of strength and agility.” Hmm. Just gonna check over the others before making a hasty choice.

There’s the “Bamboo Poles” segment, in which “six men balance long decorative poles” and “keep the poles ‘in flight’ overhead while performing acrobatic feats on the ground.” Okay. Good option.

There’s “Hoop Diving,” in which “10 male artists throw themselves like arrows through small wooden hoops.” O-kay.

Maybe “Medusa”? “Artists execute graceful and lithe movements which emphasize their extreme flexibility and balance.”

“Trampoline”? “Artists cascade perilously through the air performing spectacular stunts at a dizzying pace.”

“Single Hand-Balancing”? Nope. Not even going there.A-ha! “Skipping Ropes”! “A children’s game familiar to everyone ... ” – I

can do this! – “ ... the skipping rope takes on a new dimension in Dralion as the artists perform flips, make pyramids, and even form a human column.”

You know, I guess I could always keep my job and just watch Cirque du Soleil ... .

If you’re thinking the same thing, Dralion tickets are available by calling (800)745-3000 or visiting iwirelessCenter.com.

Join us for the

American Cancer Society

Relay for Life of Scott County

April 30, 2011 12 p.m. noon – 12 a.m. midnight Brady Street Stadium, Davenport

Register online at www.relayforlife.org/scottcountyia


13

TheatreLady Winderemere’s FanSt. Ambrose UniversityFriday, April 15, through Sunday, April 17

The great Irish wit Oscar Wilde was quoted as saying: “A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of

it is absolutely fatal.” Also: “A man can be happy with any woman as long as he does not love her.” Also: “America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between.” And people think I’m bitchy.

Yet for all of Wilde’s cynicism, the man could also be lyrically, wonderfully funny, as audiences will discover, or re-discover, when St. Ambrose University stages Lady Windermere’s Fan in the Galvin Fine Arts Center April 15 through 17. A classic comedy of manners, the show will find its student performers – among them the pictured Aaron Randolph III, Sidney Junk, Jonathan Smith, and Amanda Kochanny – enacting Wilde’s farcical tale of adultery, scheming family mem-bers, and a woman’s attempt to buy her way into high society. And with director Corinne Johnson setting this 1892 work in the 1930s, the production will offer a new interpretation of a timeless entertainment, one that predated its playwright’s

legendary The Importance of Being Earnest by 13 years.Yet as you’ll soon see (and hear), Wilde’s endlessly quotable cleverness was

already in full swing with Lady Windermere’s Fan. Just how quotable is that clev-erness? Let’s examine. Of the following, which of the following is not a Wilde-ism uttered in St. Ambrose’s latest production?

1) “Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes.”2) “I am the only person in the world I should like to know

thoroughly.”3) “I can resist everything except temptation.”4) “I don’t care what is written about me so long as it isn’t

true.”5) “Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously

about it.”6) “My own business always bores me to death. I prefer other

people’s.”

Lady Windermere’s Fan will be performed at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. on Sunday, and tickets are available by calling (563)333-6251 or visit-ing SAU.edu/galvin.

by Mike [email protected]

what else is happenin’

MUSICThursday, April 14 – The Miró Quartet. Award-win-

ning ensemble performs selections from Brahms, Glass, and Haydn, in a Hancher Auditorium concert presenta-tion. Riverside Recital Hall (405 North Riverside Drive, Iowa City). 7:30 p.m. $10-30. For tickets and information, call (319)335-1160 or visit http://www.Hancher.UIowa.edu.

Friday, April 15 – Tom Sadge as Neil Diamond. Imper-sonator performs the pop star’s greatest hits. Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center (1777 Isle Parkway, Bet-tendorf). 7:30 p.m. $10-15. For tickets and information, call (800)724-5825 or visit Bettendorf.IsleOfCapriCasinos.com.

Saturday, April 16, and Sunday, April 17 – Quad City Symphony Orchestra. The sixth and final Masterworks concerts of the season, with Mark Russell Smith conducting, guest violinist Midori, and a program featuring pieces by Toch, Stravinsky, and Beethoven. 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. $12-52. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit QCSymphony.com.

Sunday, April 17 – Hersong Spring Concert: What Matters? The 23rd-annual fundraising concert by the Quad Cities’ women’s vocal ensemble, with proceeds benefiting area anti-bullying programs. Davenport Unitar-ian Church (3707 Eastern Avenue, Davenport). 3 p.m. $10. For information, call (309)737-9898 or e-mail [email protected].

Sunday, April 17 – Semenya McCord. Jazz vocalist performs and educates as part of Polyrhythms’ Third Sun-day Jazz Matinée & Workshop Series. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). All-ages jazz workshop: 3 p.m., $5 per adult, children free. Concert: 6 p.m., $10-15. For tickets and information, call (309)373-0790 or visit Polyrhythms.org and RedstoneRoom.org.

Friday, April 22 – Tommy Cash: A Tribute to Johnny Cash. Tommy performs songs made famous by his legendary brother. Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center (1777 Isle Parkway, Bettendorf). 7:30 p.m. $10-15. For tickets and information, call (800)724-5825 or visit Bettendorf.IsleOfCapriCasinos.com.


Business • Politics • Arts • Culture • Now You Know • RiverCitiesReader.com

TheatreSweeney ToddHarrison Hilltop TheatreThursday, April 21, through Saturday, May 14

(To be sung to the “Ballad of Sweeney Todd” prologue.)

Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd.The cash you’ll spend won’t be a wad.I’m telling you, ladies and gentlemen,That Harrison Hilltop has done it again.This Sondheim show is truly mod.It’s Sweeney Todd,The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Its co-director is Jason Platt,With Tristan Tapscott sharing that hat.And with Tom Walljasper in the lead,A couple of castmates are certain to bleed.In Sweeney,In Sweeney Todd,The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Hear that classic score, patrons!Hear those voices ri-ise!Hear them ’fore the chorus becomesMeaty pies.

So grab your friends and reserve some tix,’Cause if you’re needing a musical fixThis bloody-good time is surely the one – Oh, cannibalism was never so fun!That’s Sweeney.That’s Sweeney Todd,The Demon Barber of Fleet ... ... ... Street.

Sweeney Todd runs at the Harrison Hilltop Theatre April 21 through May 14, and tickets and available by calling (563)449-6371 or visiting HarrisonHilltop.com.

MusicAn Evening with Mason JenningsThe Redstone RoomFriday, April 22, 8:30 p.m.

On singer/songwriter Mason Jennings’ Web site (MasonJennings.com), the acclaimed

folk rocker and acoustic guitarist states: “I guess I have come to the point in my life and my art where I just want to make music that I love and not mess with it. If people dig it: cool. If not: cool.” I feel exactly the same way about my writing ... with the exception being that if people don’t dig it, I go off into a dark room and cry.

To be honest, you might feel like doing the same after listening to some of Jennings’ more

heartfelt, haunting songs – or would, if the musician’s plaintive vocals and soulfully honest compositions weren’t also so invigorating.

Performing at Davenport’s Redstone Room on April 22, the Honolulu-born, Pittsburgh-bred Jennings released his self-titled, independently produced debut album in 1997, subsequently

treating fans to eight ad-ditional CDs, including such critically lauded titles as 2002’s Century Spring, 2006’s Boneclouds, and last year’s Live at First Ave. And by all means, you should consider music critics among those fans; Paste

magazine called Jennings’ album Blood of Man “as

raw and real as the writing itself,” while American Songwriter lauded the artist for “possessing a rare talent for describing, without pretension, both earnest longing and his struggle to understand life’s intertwined pain and beauty.”

But if you’re unfamiliar with Jennings’ talents, don’t feel compelled to merely take the critics’ word for it – pop over to the Redstone Room’s Web site and listen to the man’s acoustic perfor-mance of “The Field,” a parent’s mournful lament for a son killed overseas. It’s a beautiful ballad, but in addition to stocking the bar, the Davenport venue may want to consider setting up a Kleenex concession.

Tickets to Mason Jennings’ area concert are $25 in advance and $28 on the day of the show, and can be reserved by calling (563)326-1333 or visiting RedstoneRoom.com.

Answer: 4. That one is actually attributed to the great American wit Dorothy Parker. If she’d been born 40 years earlier, I bet she and Wilde would have totally hooked up. Or, you know, maybe not.

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While Romeo & Juliet is the quintessential tale of love, I’ve long questioned the reality of the love at the core of Shakespeare’s story: Can two people really find true love in a single meeting? A love so strong that, four days after their introduction, they’re willing to take their lives for each other? I say no; to me, Romeo and Juliet are enamored with one another to the point of emotional intoxication, at best. And Moeller and Overberg are the first actors I’ve seen to portray their relationship in this manner, with Moeller’s Juliet almost treating Romeo as “just another suitor” – her latest distraction and chance to rebel against her parents – and Overberg’s Romeo seeming to be merely besotted by Juliet’s looks, overcome by her without truly knowing her. (He is clearly lost in a cloud of emotions that could eventually grow into, but is not yet, love.) Moeller and Overberg make their charac-ters’ relationship truer to life than the overly

romanticized versions of the affair I’m used to seeing.

What I’m also un-used to seeing is such chemistry between Mercutio and Ben-volio (here gender-bent to Benvolia), a chemistry shared here between J.C. Luxton and Maggie Woolley. Changing the male Benvolio to a woman creates entirely differ-ent dynamics for the character’s relation-ships. Benvolia is sometimes flirty with

Romeo, rather than just being his best friend. Her friendship with Mercutio, however, is downright sexual; the two share the familiar-ity of lovers, or two very close friends whose relationship is leading, distinctly, in that direction. The power of this dynamic is most evident in Mercutio’s death scene, which here is made much more poignant, more moving, as Benvolia attempts to physically hang on to his life to keep it from slipping away. Woolley’s weeping is intense, as if Mercutio’s passing is the greatest loss Benvolia could experience.

As is typical with a Prenzie Players show, I find myself at my word limit with so much more to say. With more space, I’d applaud Angela Rathman’s turn as Juliet’s nurse, An-gelica. And Matt Moody’s nonchalant Capulet servant, Peter Sampson. And Andy Koski’s confident Tibalt. And Jarrod DeRooi’s humor-ously effeminate Paris. And ... .

For information and tickets, call (309)278-8426 or visit PrenziePlayers.com.

For Thom’s review of the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre’s Escanaba in da Moonlight, visit RiverCitiesReader.com.

there are moments of magic in the Prenzie Players’ Romeo & Juliet, beginning with the first words heard

in the prologue: “Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona, where we lay our scene.” These lines are delivered in the midst of a sword fight that spreads across the acting space – the fighters freeze, ethereal music wafts in from above, and Adam Overberg delivers Shakespeare’s well-known introduc-tion, setting the stage for this tale of ill-fated, star-crossed lovers. The moment is stunningly executed, and sets in motion an excitement for what’s to come.

I have longed to see the Prenzies take on the tale of Romeo and Juliet since first experi-encing the group’s work in 2008’s The Taming of the Shrew. For this production, directors Tracy and Kristin Skaggs choose to set Verona in a Latin or South American country, a deci-sion evident in Kristin’s costumes and Tracy’s choice of music, particularly during the party in which Romeo first sees Juliet. And with Stephanie Moeller and Adam Overberg in the title roles, the play features two leading performances that de-lighted me to no end.

Moeller’s Juliet is unlike any portrayal of the character I’ve seen. Hers is not the unplucked flower that I’m accustomed to in representations of Shakespeare’s young girl. Instead, her Juliet is headstrong and independent, not merely enamored with her Romeo, and at the play’s finale, I was uncertain whether Juliet chose her tragic end because she truly loved Romeo, or because she wanted to escape her overbearing parents who demanded that she marry another. (If this Juliet couldn’t live life her own way, she didn’t want to live at all.) That being said, Moeller’s climactic moment of anguish when she awakens from her deathlike slumber is convincingly strong, leaving no doubt that this young woman truly mourns her lover’s death, whether or not she really loves him.

In contrast, Overberg’s Romeo is fully over-whelmed by Juliet. The actor is exceptional at portraying the change in this young man after he becomes infatuated with this young woman; oblivious to the familial relationships (and hardships) around him, he appears to see no one but Juliet. Meanwhile, when he’s shaken from his love-filled dream, Overberg is credibly impetuous, as is common with men of Romeo’s age. There is a distinct dual-ity between Overberg’s “everyday” Romeo and his smitten one.

Considerably-Better-Than-Fair Veronaby Thom White

Romeo & Juliet, at the Center for Living Arts through April 17

Stephanie Moeller

THEATRE


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Karen spends the evening at Bobby’s home, trying to convince him to greenlight the project. And this is where Churchill begins her character’s transformation, shifting from a sweetly earnest and hopeful woman to a woman in control of the situation and, per-haps, of Bobby. Her metamorphosis contin-ues, but I fear that detailing her impressive transformation would give away too much to those who haven’t seen it. Suffice it to say, Churchill’s effort is arresting for its variety, its nuance, and the performer’s ability to portray such conflicting personality traits, all of them convincingly.

Schulz’s Bobby goes through a similar evolution, though to a lesser degree. With his self-important, business-over-pleasure and pleasure-is-business attitudes, Bobby is hard to like, and Schulz excels at these sonofabitch characters, with his turn in last

year’s Curtainbox production of Art my favorite to date. He offers a similar take here, but differentiates it by removing the sense of intel-lectual superior-ity. Following his character’s catharsis, Schulz effectively shades Bobby with confused, pained looks that reveal

an internal turmoil as he wrestles between doing what would most certainly be success-ful and what could be morally right.

Hernandez brings a welcome intensity to the stage, while giving his Charlie a touch of likability. This, I think, comes mostly through some endearing tics that he incorporates into his performance, with quick, repeated wipes of his nose and swipes across the corners of his mouth. (It’s clear that his Charlie is often stressed, and whenever his stress levels rise, they manifest themselves physically.) And Hernandez and Schulz work their way through Mamet’s signature, rapid-fire dia-logue with seeming ease, as if performing a well-danced verbal ballet.

As for Furness’ direction, what struck me most were the tableaux she created. Over and over again, I wished I had a camera with me (and was allowed) to take snapshots of her staging, with the actors, placed in picture-perfect positions, artistically arranged against scenic designer Adam Parboosingh’s grandly minimalist backdrop. Furness’ Speed-the-Plow is one of the most aesthetically pleasing efforts, overall, that I’ve yet seen on a Quad Cities stage.

For information and tickets, call (563)322-8504 or visit TheCurtainbox.com.

erin Churchill is the reason to see the Curtainbox Theatre Company’s current production, Speed-the-Plow.

Actually, that’s a bit deceptive, as it implies that she’s the only reason to see the show. Curtainbox founder Kimberly Furness’ directorial debut with her company is ap-plause-worthy, as are the stellar performanc-es of the play’s other cast members, Mike Schulz (a Reader employee) and Daniel M. Hernandez. However, it was Churchill’s sin-cerity, earnestness, and diversity that closed the deal for me, leaving me in utter awe dur-ing Saturday night’s performance.

David Mamet’s script is a behind-the-scenes look at the cold, heartless, shark-eat-shark film business, seen from the vantage point of a producer’s office. Bobby Gould, played here by Schulz, has just been pro-moted at his film studio, and is deciding on a project to greenlight while also giving a book – a novel about radiation and the end of the world – a “courtesy read.” His longtime col-league Charlie Fox, played by Hernan-dez, has just landed a deal with a much-in-demand actor that will lead to a surefire action-film hit and much suc-cess for Charlie and Bobby. Then Churchill’s Karen arrives.

Churchill is actually first seen in sil-houette, sitting behind a stage flat that’s amusingly designed to resemble a large strip of film. When Bobby interacts with Karen, his temp assistant, on the phone, a light shines from behind Churchill, projecting her shadowy form on the set’s film frame – an ingenious concept by lighting designer Chris Tilton. (During scene changes, Tilton continues this cinematic theme by employ-ing a flickering effect, reminiscent of a film projector’s strobe, that’s well-paired with ap-propriate sound effects by designer Joseph T. Janz III.) Despite not uttering a single word, and without the benefit of facial expressions, Churchill makes quite clear her character’s thoughts, confusion, and somewhat dimwit-ted nature.

She is not, however, seen in shadow for the entire play, and eventually, physi-cally, enters the fray of the film business. Interjecting with innocent, perhaps naïve questions pertaining to a discussion she overhears while delivering coffee, Karen brings an idealism to the table that Bobby, condescendingly, finds intriguing. After giving the radiation book the “courtesy read” that Bobby was supposed to give it,

Picture Motionsby Thom White

Speed-the-Plow, at the Village Theatre through April 23

Mike Schulz, Erin Churchill, and Daniel M. Hernandez

THEATRE

Friday, April 22 – Patio. Third incarnation of the popular area band, with Pat Willis, Dan Olds, Derek Reid, Dan Kelly, and Chris Cushman performing with openers Festival of Fools. Rock Island Brewing Company (1815 Second Avenue, Rock Island). 9 p.m. $5. For information, call (309)793-4060 or visit RIBCO.com.

THEATREFriday, April 15, through Saturday, May 7 – Alex-

ander & the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Family-musical adaptation of Judith Viorst’s children’s book, directed by Tyson Danner. Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse (1828 Third Avenue, Rock Island). 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. performances on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. $8.50. For tickets and information, call (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visit Circa21.com.

Friday, April 15, through Sunday, April 24 – Urinet-own. Tony Award-winning musical/comedy inspired by the works of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill. The University of Iowa’s E.C. Mabie Theatre (UI Theatre Building, 200 North Riverside Drive, Iowa City). Thursdays-Saturdays 8 p.m.; Sundays 2 p.m. $5-20. For tickets and information, call (319)335-1160 or visit UIowa.edu/~theatre.

DANCESaturday, April 16, and Sunday, April 17. The Polka

Club of Iowa’s “Spring Fling Fest.” Dance to music by Barefoot Becky & the Ivanhoe Dutchmen (noon-2 p.m. and 4-6 p.m. Saturday), The Barry Boyce Band (noon-2 p.m. and 4-6 p.m. Sunday), and SqueezeBox (2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. both days). Walcott Coliseum (116 East Bryant Street, Walcott). Noon-8 p.m. $12, or $20 for a two-day pass. For information, call (563)285-5989.

LITERATUREThursday, April 14 – River Readings at Augustana:

Dora Malech. Poet and former Augustana College teaching fellow reads from her works, with a reception following. Augustana College’s Wallenberg Hall (3520 Seventh Avenue, Rock Island). 7 p.m. Free admission. For information, call (309)794-7231 or visit Augustana.edu.

MOVIESTuesday, April 26 – Freedom Riders. WQPT-TV

hosts a preview screening of Stanley Nelson’s Civil Rights documentary, with a post-show Q&A session. Putnam Museum & IMAX Theatre (1717 West 12th Street, Davenport). 5:30 p.m. Free admission, but reservations recommended. For information, call (309)764-2400 or visit PBS.org/freedomriders.

Wednesday, April 27 – Prisoner of Her Past. Documentary on Holocaust survivor Sonia Reich, with a post-screening discussion with Sonia’s son Howard Reich, music critic for the Chicago Tribune. Co-hosted by the Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities. Figge Art Museum (225 West Second Street, Davenport). 7 p.m. $5. For information, call (563)326-7804 or visit JFQC.org.

EVENTSSaturday, April 16 – Treat House Trot and Run for

Renewal. A half-mile kids’ walk at 8:30 a.m. and a 5K run/walk at 9 a.m., with proceeds benefiting the Project Re-newal Youth Program. Refreshments and door prizes after the races. Sister Concetta Park (corner of Fifth and Warren streets, Davenport). $16-20 per adult, children free. For information, call (563)324-0800 or visit ProjectRenewal.net.

Wednesday, April 20, and Thursday, April 21 – Stylin’ Against Breast Cancer Wine & Cheese Party and Fashion Show & Luncheon. Annual fundraisers for the Trinity Health Foundation’s breast-cancer awareness and support programs. Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center (1777 Isle Parkway, Bettendorf). Wine & Cheese Party: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, $20-25. Fashion Show & Luncheon: 11:30 a.m. Thursday, $25. For tickets and information, call (309)764-7610 or visit TrinityHealthFoundation.com.

Continued From Page 13

what else is happenin’


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before the war, suffering during the war, and life after the war. Bowen said that the most gruesome parts are left out of the biographies authors are given. The result is something that doesn’t hide the grim realities of the Holocaust but also cel-ebrates the life before, after, and beyond them. She explained: “There are appropri-ate things to tell: They took my family, they took us from our home, we lost all of our things ... , I came out of the camp changed, I came out of that camp an orphan. ... Those are the things that make kids stop and think: ‘Wait a minute. The Holocaust is real. Look how it affected this family.’”

For Quinci – who besides Bowen’s son is the youngest author ever in the series – there’s another connection to the Ho-locaust. She has spina bifida, and Bowen has talked with her about Hitler’s views about people with special needs. “They wanted those people killed and stuff,” Quinci said.

Quinci said she didn’t know about the Holocaust prior to this project, and it was a reminder that children don’t process the Holocaust the way adults do when she said: “Those camps were not good.”

But Bowen put Dina’s story in a way

Collecting Storiesby Jeff Ignatius

[email protected] STORY Continued From Page 6

that was meaningful to the young author: “There’s always hope, isn’t there, Quinci? No matter how bad it gets.”

From Austria to Zanzibar

Quinci won’t be able to meet her sub-ject – Dina died in 2009 – and Bowen said that’s been the case with more than half of the A Book by Me series.

That’s one way the project has evolved. Initially, Bowen thought that for each book, authors would need to talk or listen to the people they were writing about.

But two experi-ences with foreign-exchange students changed her mind. In 2006, she had two students at her

home – one from Brazil, and one from Austria. The Brazilian said his father was a Jewish Romanian who had been put on a train to a camp but jumped off. The Austrian said she wanted to write about him: “If your grandfather hadn’t jumped from that train, you wouldn’t be here.”

Another student, from Germany, was interested in a Catholic woman who had saved 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw ghetto. Bowen recalled: “I saw these two girls – the girl from Austria and the girl from Germany. They didn’t meet their person, but they were engaged. They were re-ally engaged. So then I realized that the kids can just get fired up about the

project even if they don’t meet them, even if they’ve already passed away.”

While most of the books in the series have been written and/or illustrated by people from the Quad Cities, the list of authors and illustrators includes people from around the United States, and the rest of the world – in large part because of Bowen’s work placing foreign-exchange students. “From Austria to Zanzibar, we’ve had kids writing,” she said.

Later, she added: “This is one of the greatest honors of my life to be able to introduce a child to this story.”

While A Book by Me has been a children’s writing project, Bowen has a writing project of her own. She said she’s finishing up a book titled A Walk with Esther, which she hopes to publish this summer. It details her own journey, from a person who’d never been to a synagogue to somebody who has helped young people learn and retell stories from the Holocaust.

“I walked with these three ladies,” she said, “and then my walk just kept going, didn’t it?”

For more information about A Book by Me, visit ABookByMe.com.

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adept at everything from guitar work-outs (“Flood”) to solid, unpretentious

rockers (“Come on Home to Me Baby”) to gentle, good-natured numbers accented by horns.

Those horn parts, on the warm remembrance of “Summer of 99” and the soulful “Company,” were developed with Black Hawk’s Edgar Crockett, and they represent an epiphany Danielsen

had while recording the album over three years. He said he had originally hoped to capture the live sound of his band – guitarist Dustin Cobb, bassist Sam Doak, drummer Chris Cushman, and percussionist Terry Hanson. But he said that “as it went on, you start to see possibilities” beyond the standard live performance.

While Night Alone in the City features plenty of relatively loud and aggressive songs, Danielsen said his next record-ing will likely be more of a reflection of the acoustic shows he performs solo several nights a week. “This was really my rockin’ CD,” he said. “From now on, it’s probably going to be a little more laid back.”

It’s obvious that he views his music through a lens of potential commercial success. When I asked him about his favorite songs on Night Alone in the City, he said that two – “Summer of 99” and “Company” – were “the hits, the singles.”

“I dream big,” Danielsen said. He said that although a son would keep him from touring nationally, he aspires to perform throughout the Midwest.

But if that doesn’t happen, he said, he’s fulfilled: “If I don’t ever get any bigger than this, I’m still doing what I want to do, and I still think it’s success-ful. It’s not just something that I do; it’s something that I am. ... If I’m 31 and I’m still thinking the same way as I was when I was 14, it’s probably not going to change.”

Night Alone in the City is available from CDBaby.com, Amazon.com, and iTunes.

For more information on Jordan Danielsen, visit ReverbNation.com/jordandanielsen or JordanDanielsen.com.

Jordan Danielsen has made his living exclusively from music for seven years now, so it might seem

a little strange that he’s in his fourth semester studying music performance at Black Hawk Col-lege.

Part of the im-petus, he said in an interview last month, was expand-ing his performance repertoire from his natural instruments of guitar and har-monica to piano and drums. And some of it was self-improve-ment, a desire to learn to read music and to better hear harmonies.

But he also had an eye to his career, hoping to meet horn players and want-ing to learn to write charts so other mu-sicians could play them. The ultimate goal appears to be flexibility – the abil-ity to hire the musicians he needs at any time to get what he wants for a project, without being reliant on a fixed band.

The 31-year-old Danielsen recently released his debut CD, the 14-track Night Alone in the City, and it’s largely the product of years hosting open-mic nights at venues such as Davenport’s Bier Stube. The songs are straightfor-ward and seem designed to connect instantly to an audience; one can almost hear where Danielsen expects a cheer or a laugh from his listeners. In that sense, the album works, even though the songs outside of a live context feel somewhat thin. (“Open Mic” probably works as a tone-setting invitation in front of bar patrons, but it feels out-of-place on a CD.)

Still, there’s no denying the coarse appeal of the mocking lyrics and the muscular drums and guitar of “Living in a Rap Video” – a merciless take-down of white hip-hop poseurs – or the food-based double entendres laid on thick in the funk of “Stick It in the Oven.” “Mr. K-I-N-K-Y” never gets past single entendres, but its shameless lust – a gush of words delivered deftly – comes off as charming and innocent in the absence of any menace: “Well I’m convinced that you induce me with some kinky kind of potion / ’Cause the way you walk it makes me want to rub you down with lotion.”

And outside of those tongue-in-cheek tracks, Danielsen displays a wide range,

“Something That I Am”Jordan Danielsen, Night Alone in the City


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Got A Problem? Ask Amy Alkon.171 Pier Ave, #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405

or e-mail [email protected] (AdviceGoddess.com)©2009, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved.

Ask the Advice GoddessBy aMy aLkon

Ask the Advice GoddessAsk the Advice GoddessBy aMy aLkon

this american strife

Love is BlandHow do I find a nice guy? I’m 26, edu-

cated and attractive, and I can spell. I’m a figure skater, so most of the guys I interact with are under 18 or gay. I’m really not into the bar scene, either.

– Circling the Rink

You say you’re looking for a “nice guy,” then you narrow that down: He can’t be gay, 16, or wearing more Lycra, sequins, and tassels than you are. When I e-mailed you to further narrow what you’re seeking, you said, “I don’t know exactly... nice, intelligent, edu-cated... not a jerk/boor.” Well, that winnows it. Shockingly, you aren’t looking for a guy who’s evil, uneducated, unethical, and crass.

Refining what you want beyond generic good qualities takes getting a good sense of who you are and what you value. But if you’re like a lot of women, you’ll also need to date the wrong guys to pare down who’s right for you. This requires leaving the ice rink. Go places. Throw parties. Smile, flirt, be friendly. Maybe even in bars. No, you don’t have to join “the bar scene.” Just stop by for happy hour and flirt with some guy who’s having a beer with his business partner. He may not be “nice, intelligent, educated,” but when he stands up, odds are 26,879,000,000-to-1 that you’ll find he’s wearing businessman pants, not electric-blue shimmery tights with fish-net side panels.

My boyfriend of 10 months asked me for my idea of a romantic evening, and I said I think it’s really romantic to make dinner together. He asked for specifics, and I ended up pretty much describing what my last boyfriend and I used to do: have wine and cheese, burn this particular incense I love, listen to This American Life, then make dinner together. This is now what my boyfriend does to “surprise” me. He has downloaded tons of This American Life episodes and even burns the same incense my ex and I used to! I’m certain I sound like a total creep, but it really isn’t romantic to have your significant other surprise you by doing exactly what he was told.

– The Ingrate

With a guy who follows directions as closely as your boyfriend, you must be a little disappointed that, when he asked what you find romantic, you didn’t toss off, “Oh, a man who builds a 500-foot obelisk to my beauty.” (“Honey, your obelisk is ready!”)

You’re irritated that he didn’t work harder; he just went, “Great, now I have my list.” But he wasn’t the only uncreative one. You didn’t bother unlocking the old imagination cabinet. You rattled off details, down to the brand of incense, as if they were random en-joyments that came to mind, not the foreplay report from your last relationship. And come on, what did you expect? For the guy to say, “Hey, baby, tell me what you find romantic,” and then say, “Cool! I’ll do something else!”?

Maybe he reconstituted what you told him because he isn’t very creative, or maybe because he’s a guy. Men are often a little

unsure of themselves in the romance-crafting department. It just isn’t the lifelong pursuit for them that it is for so many women, like the woman on an author panel I moderated who opened her book with the line “I was born to be a bride.” Books about men’s lives tend to start more like “We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold” or “I am a sick man. ... I am a spiteful man. I am an unattractive man. I believe my liver is diseased.”

Let’s be honest: How many combos are there for romantic dinners? Should he have changed wine and cheese to wine and little canned wieners? Instead of incense, should he have seen if Raid had come out with a bug spray called “That Special Evening”? Be grateful for what you have – a boyfriend who wants to please you. To help him succeed, tell him that what you really find romantic are surprises, and then suggest doing as my friend and her girlfriend do: Take turns plan-ning and surprising each other on date night. The non-planning partner need only show up at the appointed time and follow any pre-arranged directions, like “wear a parachute” or “bring a sharpened machete.”

Should you find yourself a little more surprised than you were hoping for (“Wow... a puppet theater to act out our relation-ship issues!”), see that you don’t squelch his newfound romantic creativity. Heavily praise what you’d like more of, and be prepared to put on your game face for anything short of a picnic dinner of chocolate-covered crickets and toasts to your love with rainwater from the Japanese reactor.

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March 31 Answers: Right

ACROSS1. Sets of mathematical points5. Middlebreaker9. Shrewdness15. Punning poet19. Sacred bird20. Son of Jacob and Leah21. Like some steaks22. Wine city23. Shabby: hyph.25. Drink made with creme de menthe27. Prodigious28. Combustibles29. Pass a rope through30. Grammatical gaffe31. Domesticates32. Educated34. Feign37. Steeplechase participant38. Wacko39. Pep or poison40. Colophony41. A hedge, possibly42. White House monogram45. Every46. Sporting event: 2 wds.49. Discovery by Holmes50. Game official51. Wants52. Art Deco designer53. Leaf54. Testimonials56. Beauty of movement58. Swells59. Hungry no more60. Loading device61. Allege62. Branch of philosophy64. One with great patience65. Lengthen68. Metalworker69. Cast70. Completely in the red71. Greek letter72. Treats animal hides73. Scowling: hyph.76. Parts to assemble77. Sch. subj.78. Smooths

79. Throb heavily80. Centi or milli ending81. Defiant look82. Lane or Keaton83. Tempestuous85. Port city in Libya88. Conflict: hyph.89. Wallet items90. Kind of recording91. Promises92. Giant96. Certain contest: 2 wds.99. Corseted middle: 2 wds.100. Water bird101. Most loathsome102. Formerly103. Great _104. Fish sometimes pickled105. Puts to use106. Erosion107. Gen. Bradley

DOWN1. “Stretched” car2. Old Greek weight3. _ hall4. “Moby-Dick” narrator5. Lamentation6. “_, c’est moi”7. Tandoor8. Triumph9. War of the words10. Calling11. Part of the Europe-Asia boundary12. Jumble13. Pothook shape14. _ degree15. Table linen16. Mecca for skiers17. Jobs or Martin18. Chartered24. Monumental26. Emulate Daniel Webster28. Prima _31. Things to do32. Medieval weapon33. Draw a certain way34. Independently35. Superior

36. Angling method: hyph.37. Shakes38. The Divine Miss M40. Put through a sieve41. Comedy42. Bazaar cousin: 2 wds.43. Pas de deux44. Soaks, as flax46. Wrestling hold47. Appraises48. Signified49. Area in a church53. Scheduled55. Tries to enrage56. Unassuming restaurant57. Controlled58. Man of Manchester60. Items for shoppers61. Press62. Punta del _63. Agent: hyph.64. Moccasin material65. Inclined66. Bawl out67. Carried69. _ de Toulouse-Lautrec70. Sacha Baron Cohen role73. False god74. Appellations75. Toys for bathers78. Hassock80. Fencing maneuver81. Skating mishaps82. Loathe83. Obliging one84. Sufficiently, archaically85. Liking86. Money in India87. Ego _88. Hussar’s weapon89. Opera by Puccini91. Eye92. Woody stem93. “The King and I” setting94. Sch. in Annapolis95. Brit. money97. Common contraction98. Overrule99. Astonish

april 14, 2011entoMoLogy

March 31 Crossword answers


21

2011/04/14 (Thu)

Arts & Music Night (6pm) -Uptown Bill’s Coffee House, 730 S. Dubuque St. Iowa City, IA

Catie Curtis - Alexis Stevens -The Mill, 120 E Burlington Iowa City, IA

Gong Show Karaoke -Uptown Neighbor-hood Bar and Grill, 2340 Spruce Hills Dr. Bettendorf, IA

Jam Session w/ Alan Sweet & the Candy Makers -The Muddy Waters, 1708 State St. Bettendorf, IA

Karaoke Night -Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill - Davenport, 3005 W. Kimberly Rd. Davenport, IA

Karaoke Night -The Lucky Frog Bar and Grill, 313 N Salina St McCausland, IA

Karaoke Night -The Rusty Nail, 2606 W Locust Davenport, IA

Live Lunch with Rachel Schuldt (noon) -Mojo’s (River Music Experience), 130 W 2nd St Davenport, IA

Lynne Hart Jazz Quartet -Cabana’s, 2120 4th Ave. Rock Island, IL

Miro Quartet -Riverside Recital Hall - St. Thomas More Church, 405 N Riverside Dr. Iowa City, IA

Open Mic Night w/ Kung Fu Tofu -Stickman’s, 1510 N. Harrison St. Bet-tendorf, IA

Troy Harris, Pianist (6pm) -Red Crow Grille, 2504 53rd St. Bettendorf, IA

Ultraviolet Hippopotamus -RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave. Rock Island, IL

Woodsman -Gabe’s, 330 E. Washington St. Iowa City, IA

2011/04/15 (Fri)

Adam Beck -Daiquiri Factory, 1809 2nd Ave. Rock Island, IL

Andy Carlson & Casey Cook - Big Wooden Radio -The Mill, 120 E Burlington Iowa City, IA

Barlowe & James (6pm) -Toucan’s Can-tina / Skinny Legs BBQ, 2020 1st Street Milan, IL

“Blues Plate Special” Lunch with Ren Es-trand (noon) -Mojo’s (River Music Experi-ence), 130 W 2nd St Davenport, IA

Brown Bag Lunch at Noon: Edgar Crockett Quartet -Bettendorf Public Library, 2950 Learning Campus Bet-tendorf, IA

Buddy Olson -Applebee’s - Muscatine, 306 Cleveland St. Muscatine, IA

Cosmic -11th Street Precinct, 2108 E 11th St Davenport, IA

David Killinger & Friends -G’s Riverfront Cafe, 102 S Main St Port Byron, IL

Ed Franks -ICONS Martini, 124 18th St Rock Island, IL

Grand Larsony -The Rusty Nail, 2606 W Locust Davenport, IA

Jazz After Five: Eric Thompson & the Talented Tenth (5:30pm) -The Mill, 120 E Burlington Iowa City, IA

Jen Chapin Trio - Amanda Shires -The Red-stone Room, 129 Main St Davenport, IA

Just 4 Fun -First Christian Church of Daven-port, 510 E 15th St Davenport, IA

Just Cuz -Purgatory’s Pub, 2104 State St Bettendorf, IA

Karaoke Night (members only) -Moose Lodge - Davenport, 2333 Rockingham Rd Davenport, IA

Karaoke Night -Circle Tap, 1345 Locust St. Davenport, IA

Karaoke Night -Creekside Bar and Grill, 3303 Brady St. Davenport, IA

Karaoke Night -Paddlewheel Sports Bar & Grill, 221 15th St Bettendorf, IA

Karaoke Night -Stickman’s, 1510 N. Har-rison St. Bettendorf, IA

Lee Blackmon (6:30pm) -Mojo’s (River Music Experience) , 130 W 2nd St Davenport, IA

Mercury Brothers -The Muddy Waters, 1708 State St. Bettendorf, IA

“Mi-Do-Ri” Composition Contest Perfor-mance (5pm) -Adler Theatre, 136 E. 3rd St. Davenport, IA

Midwest Explosion -Gabe’s, 330 E. Wash-ington St. Iowa City, IA

Night People -Cabana’s, 2120 4th Ave. Rock Island, IL

Open Mic Night -Uptown Bill ’s Coffee House, 730 S. Dubuque St. Iowa City, IA

Roster McCabe CD Release Party - Messy Blend - UV Hippo -Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St Iowa City, IA

Shemekia Copeland -The Washington, 306 Washington St Burlington, IA

Southern Thunder Karaoke & DJ -Hollar’s Bar and Grill, 4050 27th St Moline, IL

The Bucktown Revue -River Music Expe-rience, 129 Main St Davenport, IA

The Quartermoon Tinsnips (6pm) -Cool Beanz Coffeehouse, 1325 30th St. Rock Island, IL

The Slough Buoys -Kuehl’s Pub, 213 Wash-ington St. Prophetstown, IL

This Must Be the Band -RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave. Rock Island, IL

Tom Sadge as Neil Diamond -Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center, 1777 Isle Parkway Bettendorf, IA

Tronicity -Uptown Neighborhood Bar and Grill, 2340 Spruce Hills Dr. Bet-tendorf, IA

UI Jazz: Johnson County Landmark -Englert Theatre, 221 East Washington St. Iowa City, IA

Wayne Famous Band -Martini’s on the Rock, 4619 34th St Rock Island, IL

2011/04/16 (Sat)

BackTrack Band with Hollywood Horns -The Muddy Waters, 1708 State St. Bettendorf, IA

Barins! Brains! Brains! CD Release Party - Surf Zombies - The Old 57’s -RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave. Rock Island, IL

Buddy Olson -City Limits Saloon & Grill, 4514 9th St. Rock Island, IL

Chrash Record Release Show - Tambou-rine - Centaur Noir -Tommy’s, 1302 4th Ave Moline, IL

Corporate Rock - The Belgrade, 2431 16th St., Moline, IL


Ed Franks -ICONS Martini, 124 18th St Rock Island, IL

Eleven Fifty Two - Leftwich - Tear Down the Tower - DJ Hypntik -Uptown Neighborhood Bar and Gril l, 2340 Spruce Hills Dr. Bettendorf, IA

JJ Heller -Homewood Evangelical Free Church, 3303 60th St Moline, IL

Josh Jordan Kelly -Daiquiri Factory, 1809 2nd Ave. Rock Island, IL

Karaoke Night -Cheers Bar & Grill, 1814 7th St Moline, IL


Karaoke Night -Moe’s Pizza, 1312 Caman-che Ave Clinton, IA


Mike Blumme Trio (6pm) -Toucan’s Cantina / Skinny Legs BBQ, 2020 1st Street Milan, IL

Moe Bandy - The Americana Band - Country Tradition Band -Mooney Hollow Barn, 12471 Highway 52 Green Island, IA

Mommy’s Little Monster -Mound Street Landing, 1029 Mound St. Davenport, IA

Polka Club of Iowa, Inc. - Eastern Chapter “Spring Fling Fest” (noon) -Walcott Coliseum, 116 E Bryant St Walcott, IA

Smooth Groove -Martini’s on the Rock, 4619 34th St Rock Island, IL


Talking Heads Tribute w/ This Must Be the Band - Illphonics -Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St Iowa City, IA

Tapped Out -Cooter’s Tavern, 403 2nd Ave. Matherville, IL

The Civil Wars - Nat Baldwin - Arum Rae -The Mill, 120 E Burlington Iowa City, IA

The Night People -Len Brown’s North Shore Inn, 7th Street and the Rock River Moline, IL

Tripolar Xxxpress -The Rusty Nail, 2606 W Locust Davenport, IA

uneXpected -Van’s, 3333 Harrison St. Davenport, IA

Vodkaseven -The Pour House, 1502 W. Locust St. Davenport, IA

Who Cares -Carbon Cliff Eagles Club, 911 Mansur Ave. Carbon Cliff, IL

Widetrack -Generations Bar & Grill, 4100 4th Ave. Moline, IL

Zither Ensemble (10am) -German Ameri-can Heritage Center, 712 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA

2011/04/17 (Sun)

Glenn Hickson (5:30pm) -O’Melia’s Sup-per Club, 2900 Blackhawk Rd. Rock Island, IL

Hersong 23rd Annual Benefit Spring Concert: What Matters? -Davenport Unitarian Church, 3707 Eastern Ave Davenport, IA

Juvenile Diabetes Battle of the Bands -Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St Iowa City, IA

Karaoke Night -11th Street Precinct, 2108 E 11th St Davenport, IA


Karaoke w/ Steve K and the Gang -The Muddy Waters, 1708 State St. Bet-tendorf, IA

No Joy -The Mill, 120 E Burlington Iowa City, IA

Polka Club of Iowa, Inc. - Eastern Chapter “Spring Fling Fest” (noon) -Walcott Coliseum, 116 E Bryant St Walcott, IA

Terry Hanson Ensemble (10am) -Brady Street Chop House, Radisson QC Plaza Hotel Davenport, IA

Third Sunday Jazz Series featuring Seme-nya McCord (6pm) -The Redstone Room, 129 Main St Davenport, IA


15FRIday

16Saturday

14Thursday

Live Music Live Music Live Email all listings to [email protected] • Deadline 5 p.m. Thursday before publication

Brains! Brains! Brains! @ RIBCO – April 16

17sunday

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2011/04/18 (Mon)

Acoustic Showcase -Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St Iowa City, IA

Glenn Hickson (5:30pm) -Phoenix, 111 West 2nd St. Davenport, IA

Open Mic w/ J. Knight -The Mill, 120 E Burlington Iowa City, IA

The Decemberists - Justin Townes Earle - Iowa Memorial Union Main Lounge - University of Iowa, 125 N. Madison St. Iowa City, IA

“True Blue Mondays” Lunch w/ Ellis Kell -Mojo’s (River Music Experience), 130 W 2nd St Davenport, IA

2011/04/19 (Tue)

Cirque du Soleil’s Dralion -i wireless Center, 1201 River Dr Moline, IL

Glenn Hickson (5:30pm) -O’Melia’s Supper Club, 2900 Blackhawk Rd. Rock Island, IL

Karaoke Contest Night -The Rusty Nail, 2606 W Locust Davenport, IA


Karaoke Night -Sharky’s Bar & Grill, 2902 E. Kimberly Rd. Davenport, IA

Open Mic w/ Jordan Danielsen -Bier Stube Davenport, 2228 E 11th St Davenport, IA

Quad-Cities KIX Orchestra -Mojo’s (River Music Experience), 130 W 2nd St Dav-enport, IA

The Chris & Wes Show -Circle Tap, 1345 Locust St. Davenport, IA

2011/04/20 (Wed)

4/20 with Gabe’s: Deejay Kage - DJ Kronik - The Messy Blend - Koplant No - 5 in a Hand - Johnny on Point - The Sullivan Gang - Nebula Was - The Ryan Persinger Project - Ty James (4:20pm) -Gabe’s, 330 E. Washington St. Iowa City, IA

4:20 Mind Melter w/ Dead Larry & Insec-toid -Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St Iowa City, IA

Daphne Willis - Dave Tamkin - Megan McCormick -The Redstone Room, 129 Main St Davenport, IA

Jeff Miller (6pm) -G’s Riverfront Cafe, 102 S Main St Port Byron, IL


Karaoke Night -RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave. Rock Island, IL


Live Lunch with Brent Feuerbach (noon) -Mojo’s (River Music Experience), 130 W 2nd St Davenport, IA

Open Mic Night w/ Alan Sweet and Siri Lorece -Mojo’s (River Music Experi-ence), 130 W 2nd St Davenport, IA

Open Mic Nightw/ Luis Ochoa -Uptown Neighborhood Bar and Gril l, 2340 Spruce Hills Dr. Bettendorf, IA

Southern Thunder Karaoke -Hollar’s Bar and Grill, 4050 27th St Moline, IL

The Chris & Wes Show -Mound Street Land-ing, 1029 Mound St. Davenport, IA

2011/04/21 (Thu)


Big Funk Guarantee - Amanda Miller & the Super Secrets -Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St Iowa City, IA

Down Lo - Deploi CD Release Party -RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave. Rock Island, IL


Ha Ha Tonka - The Spring Standards - The New Bodies -The Mill, 120 E Burlington Iowa City, IA


Jazz Jam with The North Scott Jazz Combo -Mojo’s (River Music Experience), 130 W 2nd St Davenport, IA




Live Lunch with Keith Soko (noon) -Mojo’s (River Music Experience), 130 W 2nd St Davenport, IA


Mountain Standard Time - Milltown -The Redstone Room, 129 Main St Daven-port, IA

Open Mic Night w/ Kung Fu Tofu -Stickman’s, 1510 N. Harrison St. Bet-tendorf, IA

The War on Drugs -Sheandoah Davis -Rozz-Tox, 2108 3rd Ave. Rock Island, IL


2011/04/22 (Fri)

“Blues Plate Special” Lunch with Tony Hoeppner (noon) -Mojo’s (River Music Experience), 130 W 2nd St Davenport, IA

Caught in the Act -The Rusty Nail, 2606 W Locust Davenport, IA

Dani Lynn Howe Band -Knuckleheads, 502 N. Linn St. # B Anamosa, IA


Gray Wolf Band -Martini’s on the Rock, 4619 34th St Rock Island, IL

Hal Reed and MOB Reunion I -The Muddy Waters, 1708 State St. Bettendorf, IA

Hi-Fi -Len Brown’s North Shore Inn, 7th Street and the Rock River Moline, IL

High Cotton Blues Band -11th Street Pre-cinct, 2108 E 11th St Davenport, IA

Jazz After Five: John Schultz Organiza-tion (5:30pm) -The Mill, 120 E Burling-ton Iowa City, IA





Karaoke Night -Stickman’s, 1510 N. Harrison St. Bettendorf, IA

Kevin Gordon -The Mill, 120 E Burlington Iowa City, IA

Mason Jennings -The Redstone Room, 129 Main St Davenport, IA


Noise Shock Spring Bazaar: STM - X+X - ARU (6pm) -Theo’s Java Club, 213 17th St. Rock Island, IL

NSAI (6:30pm) -Cool Beanz Coffeehouse, 1325 30th St. Rock Island, IL

Open Mic Night -Uptown Bi l l ’s Cof-fee House, 730 S. Dubuque St. Iowa City, IA

Patio - Festival of Fools -RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave. Rock Island, IL

Public Property - David Zollo -Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St Iowa City, IA

Red Pepper Sage (6pm) -Toucan’s Can-tina / Skinny Legs BBQ, 2020 1st Street Milan, IL

RetroRon -Mojo’s (River Music Experi-ence), 130 W 2nd St Davenport, IA

Smooth Groove -Gil’s Bar & Grille, 2750 S. 27th St. Clinton, IA


The Fry Daddies -Purgatory’s Pub, 2104 State St Bettendorf, IA

The Tailfins -Col Ballroom, 1012 W. 4th St. Davenport, IA

Tommy Cash: A Tribute to Johnny Cash -Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Cen-ter, 1777 Isle Parkway Bettendorf, IA

uneXpected -Uptown Neighborhood Bar and Grill, 2340 Spruce Hills Dr. Bettendorf, IA

Wes Weeber & Sage Weeber Plus One -Mojo’s (River Music Experience), 130 W 2nd St Davenport, IA

Wookiefoot - Insectoid -Gabe’s, 330 E. Washington St. Iowa City, IA

2011/04/23 (Sat)

Chasing Shade -Gabe’s, 330 E. Washington St. Iowa City, IA

Corporate Rock - Missippi Brew, 107 Iowa Ave., Muscatine, IA


Don Estes Student Guitar Recital (11am) -Mojo’s (River Music Experience), 130 W 2nd St Davenport, IA

Funktastic Five -The Rusty Nail, 2606 W Locust Davenport, IA

Hal Reed and MOB Reunion II -The Muddy Waters, 1708 State St. Bettendorf, IA

Head Held High - Satellite Heart - The Blushing Gun -RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave. Rock Island, IL

Justin Morrissey & Friends -Bent River Brewing Company, 1413 5th Ave. Mo-line, IL

Karaoke Night -Cheers Bar & Grill, 1814 7th St Moline, IL


Karaoke Night -Generations Bar & Grill, 4100 4th Ave. Moline, IL

Karaoke Night -Moe’s Pizza, 1312 Camanche Ave Clinton, IA


Meet the Press -Jim’s, 311 W. 2nd St. Rock Falls, IL

Mid-Life Crysys -Martini’s on the Rock, 4619 34th St Rock Island, IL

Mountain Standard Time - Pre-Apocalyp-tic Junkyard Orchestra -Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St Iowa City, IA

Nitrix -Tommy’s, 1302 4th Ave Moline, ILNoise Shock Spring Bazaar: Sd Yiddish

- Secrets - FeeDBacula (4pm) -The ARTery, 1629 2nd Ave in the District Rock Island, IL

Only Thieves - Maylane - Is World - Carver -River Music Experience, 129 Main St Davenport, IA

23SaturdayEmail all listings to [email protected] • Deadline 5 p.m. Thursday before publicationLive Music Live Music Live Music Live Music

Eleven Fifty Two @ Uptown Neighborhood Bar & Grill – April 16

22FRIDAY19tuesday

20wednesday

21thursday

Continued From Page 21

18monday


23

Quarter Moon Tinsnips -Mojo’s (River Music Experience) , 130 W 2nd St Davenport, IA

Rob Dahms & Detroit Larry Davidson (6pm) -Toucan’s Cantina / Skinny Legs BBQ, 2020 1st Street Milan, IL

Smooth Groove -Uptown Neighborhood Bar and Grill, 2340 Spruce Hills Dr. Bet-tendorf, IA


Tapped Out -Kavanaugh’s Hilltop Bar, 1228 30th St. Rock Island, IL

The Night People -11th Street Precinct, 2108 E 11th St Davenport, IA

Uh Huh Her -The Blue Moose Tap, 211 Iowa Ave. Iowa City, IA

Who Cares -Rick & Kathy’s Lounge, Sil-vis, IL

Wicked Nature -The Pour House, 1502 W. Locust St. Davenport, IA

Wild Oatz -Purgatory’s Pub, 2104 State St Bettendorf, IA

Zither Ensemble (10am) -German Ameri-can Heritage Center, 712 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA

2011/04/24 (Sun)

Five Bridges Jazz Band (9am) -Hotel Black-hawk, 200 E. 3rd St. Davenport, IA


Karaoke Night -11th Street Precinct, 2108 E 11th St Davenport, IA


Karaoke w/ Steve K and the Gang -The Muddy Waters, 1708 State St. Bet-tendorf, IA

Neutral Uke Hotel - Golden Bloom - The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library -Gabe’s, 330 E. Washington St. Iowa City, IA

Rob Dahms’ One-Man Band -The Lucky Frog Bar and Grill, 313 N Salina St Mc-Causland, IA

2011/04/25 (Mon)

Acoustic Showcase -Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St Iowa City, IA

Glenn Hickson (5:30pm) -Phoenix, 111 West 2nd St. Davenport, IA

Live Lunch with Randy Arcenas (noon) -Mojo’s (River Music Experience), 130 W 2nd St Davenport, IA

Open Mic w/ J. Knight -The Mill, 120 E Burlington Iowa City, IA

“True Blue Mondays” Lunch w/ Ellis Kell -Mojo’s (River Music Experience), 130 W 2nd St Davenport, IA

2011/04/26 (Tue)


Karaoke Contest Night -The Rusty Nail, 2606 W Locust Davenport, IA



Live Lunch with Steve Couch (noon) -Mojo’s (River Music Experience), 130 W 2nd St Davenport, IA

Open Mic w/ Jordan Danielsen -Bier Stube Davenpor t, 2228 E 11th St Davenport, IA

Psychostick -Rascals Live, 1418 15th St. Moline, IL

Senior Music Series: Jazz Band (5pm) -River Music Experience, 129 Main St Davenport, IA

The Barehanded Wolfchokers (5pm) -The Redstone Room, 129 Main St Daven-port, IA

The Chris & Wes Show -Circle Tap, 1345 Locust St. Davenport, IA

2011/04/27 (Wed)

Jeff Miller (6pm) -G’s Riverfront Cafe, 102 S Main St Port Byron, IL


Karaoke Night -RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave. Rock Island, IL


Live Lunch with Siri Lorece & Alan Sweet (noon) -Mojo’s (River Music Experience), 130 W 2nd St Davenport, IA

Open Mic Night w/ Alan Sweet and Siri Lorece -Mojo’s (River Music Experience), 130 W 2nd St Davenport, IA

Open Mic Nightw/ Luis Ochoa -Uptown Neighborhood Bar and Grill, 2340 Spruce Hills Dr. Bettendorf, IA

Southern Thunder Karaoke -Hollar’s Bar and Grill, 4050 27th St Moline, IL

The Burlington Street Bluegrass Band -The Mill, 120 E Burlington Iowa City, IA

The Chris & Wes Show -Mound Street Landing, 1029 Mound St. Davenport, IA

The Jam -Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St Iowa City, IA

The New Pornographers - The Walkmen -Iowa Memorial Union, 125 N. Madison St. Iowa City, IA

2011/04/28 (Thu)


Ezra Furman & The Harpoons - Tristen & Apache Relay -The Mill, 120 E Burling-ton Iowa City, IA


Heartbreak Hotel: A Salute to Young Elvis -Circa ‘21 Dinner Playhouse, 1828 3rd Ave. Rock Island, IL


Janiva Magness -The Redstone Room, 129 Main St Davenport, IA




Live Lunch with Dave Maxwell (noon) -Mojo’s (River Music Experience), 130 W 2nd St Davenport, IA


Mason Jennings -Iowa Memorial Union Main Lounge - University of Iowa, 125 N. Madison St. Iowa City, IA

Open Mic Night w/ Kung Fu Tofu -Stickman’s, 1510 N. Harrison St. Bettendorf, IA

Rude Punch - Matter of Fact -RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave. Rock Island, IL

Sovereign Sect - HooD-TeK -Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St Iowa City, IA


2011/04/29 (Fri)

“Blues Plate Special” Lunch with Ren Es-trand (noon) -Mojo’s (River Music Experi-ence), 130 W 2nd St Davenport, IA

Bow ‘N Arrow Barfight -Del’s, 1829 2nd Ave Rock Island, IL

Caught in the Act -Martini’s on the Rock, 4619 34th St Rock Island, IL

Charley Hayes Trio (6pm) -Toucan’s Cantina / Skinny Legs BBQ, 2020 1st Street Milan, IL


Deja Vu Rendezvous featuring The Late Nite Blues Brothers -The Redstone Room, 129 Main St Davenport, IA

Down Lo -The Lucky Frog Bar and Grill, 313 N Salina St McCausland, IA

Funktastic Five -Uptown Neighborhood Bar and Grill, 2340 Spruce Hills Dr. Bet-tendorf, IA

Generationals -Gabe’s, 330 E. Washington St. Iowa City, IA

Gray Wolf Band -Assumption High School, 1020 Central Park Ave. Davenport, IA

Jazz After Five: Equilateral (5:30pm) -The Mill, 120 E Burlington Iowa City, IA





Karaoke Night -Stickman’s, 1510 N. Har-rison St. Bettendorf, IA

Lee Blackmon (6pm) -Cool Beanz Coffee-house, 1325 30th St. Rock Island, IL

Liz Mandeville -The Muddy Waters, 1708 State St. Bettendorf, IA


Open Mic Coffeehouse -First Lutheran Church - Rock Island, 1600 20th St. Rock Island, IL

Open Mic Night -Uptown Bill ’s Coffee House, 730 S. Dubuque St. Iowa City, IA

Orangadang -RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave. Rock Island, IL

Retro Ron -Mojo’s (River Music Experience), 130 W 2nd St Davenport, IA

Smooth Groove -Edje Nightclub at Jumer’s Casino and Hotel, I-280 & Hwy 92 Rock Island, IL


Tripolar Xxxpress -Purgatory’s Pub, 2104 State St Bettendorf, IA

Uniphonics - More Than Lights -Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St Iowa City, IA

Vintage Torque Fest: Sur f Zombies (4:45pm) - Rhythm Dragons (6pm) - Rumble Seat Riot (8pm) - Mad Trucker Gone Bad (9:15pm) - The Afterdarks (10:30pm) -Jackson County Fairgrounds, junction of Iowa State Highways 62 & 64 Maquoketa, IA

Mountain Standard Time @ The Redstone Room – April 21

27wednesday

25monday

26tuesday

29FRIday

Live Music Live Music Live Music Live Music Get Your Gig or VenueHIGHLIGHTED

Advertise in the Reader.Call 563-324-0049

28thursday24SUNday

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Documents

River Cities Reader - Issue 776 - April 14, 2011