Touring in support of their most recent, critically acclaimed album Hey What, married musicians Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker bring their indie-rock outfit Low to Davenport's Raccoon Motel on July 15, the duo's lauded vocal harmonies inspiring music journalist and historian Denise Sullivan writes to call them "as chilling as anything Gram [Parsons] and Emmylou [Harris] ever conspired on - though that's not to say it's country-tinged, just straight from the heart."

A much-loved actor/musician, dedicated rancher, and decorated World War II soldier will be the subject of a live July 17 performance at the German American Heritage Center, with the Davenport venue hosting To Hell & Back: The Story of Audie Murphy, Duffy Hudson's one-man salute to the American hero whose struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) made him an advocate for research and care for veterans struggling with the condition.

Praised by the Chicago Tribune for its “warmhearted wit leavened with wistful regret” and “inner light of emotional honesty,” author Lauren Gunderson's astronomical drama Silent Sky enjoys a July 14 through 24 run at Geneseo's Richmond Hill Barn Theatre, with this moving play a work that, according to the Tribune, “shines with the luminous joy of re-centering women whose achievements have been too long overlooked by the telescope of history.”

A celebrated Virginia string outfit currently enjoying its 23rd year of professional performance, the country, folk, and Americana musicians of the Hackensaw Boys play Davenport's Raccoon Motel on July 14, the group's talents having inspired Pitchfork to rave, "The band infuses their grassy tornado with brazen punk attitude and catchy pop structure, while simultaneously remaining vehemently sincere."

Five days of outdoor fun will be on hand when East Moline's Rock Island Country Fairgrounds hosts the annual Rock Island County Fair July 19 through 23, offering patrons mornings, afternoons, and evenings filled with carnival rides, games, food vendors, animal shows, racing tournaments, 4-H events, and exciting happenings scheduled for the nights' grandstand entertainment.

Fascinating works by two artists with degrees from the University of Iowa are currently showcasing their talents at the Quad City Arts Center, with the Rock Island venue, through August 12, housing multi-media installations of Melissa Airy and oversize, jewelry-like sculptures by Ali Hval.

A legendary country-rock outfit that has been performing, in various iterations, since its origins in Long Beach, California, in 1966, the Grammy-winning Nitty Gritty Dirt Band headlines a July 14 concert at Davenport's Rhythm City Casino Resort Event Center, the group's chart-topping hits on Billboard's country charts including “Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper's Dream),” “Modern Day Romance,” and “Fishin' in the Dark.”

From my perspective, it’s always fascinating to hear from the director before a Genesius Guild production, and on Saturday night, Jill Sullivan-Bennin’s thoughts on Electra were certainly enlightening. Grief, it seems, is as timeless as life itself. And Sophocles’ tragedy certainly hammers the message in: Stephanie Burrough’s Electra spent nearly the entire show lamenting about the awfulness of everything in her life.