A powerful stage play inspired by the soul of Marvin Gaye that explores love, music, and the moments that shape us, the world premiere of Funky Soul enjoys a June 26 through 28 run at St. Ambrose University's Galvin Fine Arts Center.

Going to the cineplex or staying in and streaming this weekend? Every Thursday morning at 8:15 a.m. you can listen to Mike Schulz dish on recent movie releases & talk smack about Hollywood celebs on Planet 93.9 FM with the fabulous Dave & Darren in the Morning team of Dave Levora and Darren Pitra. The morning crew previews upcoming releases, too. Or you can check the Reader Web site and listen to their latest conversation by the warm glow of your electronic device. Never miss a pithy comment from these three scintillating pundits again

Thursday, June 18: Previews of Toy Story 5, Girls Like Girls, The Death of Robin Hood, and Leviticus, and discussion of Tuner, Stop! That! Train!, and Disclosure Day, the latter not great, but with maybe the best doesn't-show-up-'til-the-last-10-minutes performance in movie history. The actor's name is Courtney Grace. You'll wanna remember it.

Fronted by guitarist, harmonica player, and vocalist Eli Clark, who performs alongside bassist Johnny Parrish and drummer Jason Kadiwhompus, the acclaimed blues artists of The Other Brothers perform at Davenport's Gypsy Highway Bar & Grill on June 28, their exhilarating concert set co-presented by the Mississippi Valley Blues Society.

Radkey, June 27

Performing locally in support of their sophomore album Green Room and singles including "Games (Tonight)," "Better Than This," and "Strays," the sibling punk rockers of Radkey headline a June 27 concert at Rock Island's RIBCO, the young musicians praised by Atwood magazine for their “thick, slick rock and roll sound built on power chords and hypnotic vocal melodies.”

On July 1, audiences at Rock Island's Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse are invited to sing, dance, and relive the golden age of pop with Dancing Queen: The Songs of ABBA, a celebration of joy, sparkle, and nostalgia featuring such unforgettable tines as "Waterloo," "The Winner Takes It All," "Fernando," and the timeless "Mamma Mia."

Celebrating the beloved pop and rock band responsible for sales of more than 120 million to date, the touring concert event Go Your Own Way: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac comes to Rock Island's Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse on July 2, taking audiences through a tour of the ensemble's classics from their Great Britain origins to their American debut and the addition of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham.

Hailed by Pitchfork as an artist who "has remarkable control over her voice, folding simple sentences like origami to reveal surprising detail," Canadian singer/songwriter Julie Doiron headlines a June 26 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, The Guardian adding that in her most recent album I Thought of You, Doiron's "smoky vocals blend hope with pain on this laid-back album of lost love and new beginnings."

With the artists, according to WLUW, "bringing young, bright energy to the Chicago music scene," the alternative rockers of Neptune's Core headline a June 27 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, the band's latest album Called Upon praised by Unclear Magazine as "a collection for growth, pain, joy, and everything in between."

With the band's album Coming to Terms hailed by Consequence of Sound as a recording that "screams like a banshee leaping out of it’s cage and tasting freedom for the first time," vocalist/guitarist Chad Wolf and drummer Brian Ulery bring their touring outfit Carolina Liar to Davenport's Raccoon Motel on July 2, Blender adding that the artists' debut LP was "a handful of skyscraping, modern-rock behemoths."

Their 2024 debut album One of a Kind hailed by No Frills Reviews as "an impressive tribute to classic psych pop" and "a sun-drenched blend of psychedelic folk-rock," The Heavy Heavy headlines a July 1 concert at Maquoketa's Codfish Hollow Barn, Paste magazine adding that the duo makes "rock 'n 'roll music that is a colossal motley, soulful, rollicking delight."

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