Praised by Downbeat magazine as a trio that "expresses both its melodic rigor and appetite for adventure" and by Radio New Zealand as an outfit that makes "melodies and rhythms move like single primitive organisms," the Chicago-based musicians of Twin Talk play Rock Island's Rozz-Tox on March 22 in support of their September release Twin Talk Live, which inspired Chicago Jazz to rave, "Twin Talk has established itself as a marker of postmodern jazz creativity, where composition and improvisation ... meet in resounding and refreshing ways."

With TJPL News raving that the duo's vocals are "totally gorgeous, expressing different vocal ranges with catchy lyrics," the Montana-based indie-pop outfit Desperate Electric headlines a March 26 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, the Billings Gazette stating that the bold bounce of the musician's music proves that "Desperate Electric aren't just a band. They’re a vibe."

For those those who "aaaarrrrrr" ready for some hilarious, musical fun on the high seas, the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse will be staging the eagerly awaited return of the family comedy How I Became a Pirate from March 25 through April 19, this sublimely silly show adapted from the beloved children's book written by Melinda Long with illustrations by David Shannon.

Winner of five Tony Awards and one of the most memorable, iconic, and popular musicals of the last several decades, legendary composer Stephen Sondheim's Assassins enjoys a March 21 through 23 staging at the University of Dubuque's Heritage Center, a production performed by students in the university's Department of Fine and Performing Arts. A twisty, tuneful tale of famed and obscure killers (and would-be killers), the show was lauded by the New York Times for its “astonishing score” in which “sly distortions of familiar musical tropes approximate the skewed ways in which these characters hear everyday melodies.”