Appearing in an October 27 program presented by the Rock Island and Moline Public Libraries, bestselling author Chris Bohjalian will discuss his latest novel Hour of the Witch, this literary talent also the author of acclaimed works including Midwives, Skeletons of Eden, and The Flight Attendant, the latter of which was adapted last year into an Emmy Award-nominated HBO series starring The Big Bang Theory's Kaley Cuoco.

If Halloween is approaching, it must be time for that annual theatrical command: “Let's do the 'Time Warp' again!” Consequently, the Circa '21 Speakeasy will stage its sixth-annual presentation of the cult-musical smash The Rocky Horror Show from October 22 through 31, treating audiences to live performances of classic songs in this nutty, interactive experience that has been delighting show regulars and virgins alike for close to 50 years.

A fascinating discussion on the various techniques and production processes used to create spectacular pieces in the Davenport venue, the Figge Art Museum's virtual artist talk on October 21 will find curator Joshua Johnson taking an in-depth look at key art in the popular exhibit Dimensional: 3D Works from the Figge Collection, a showcase for the talents of dozens of gifted artisans spanning literal centuries.

Touring in support of the band's acclaimed 2020 album Perdita, the Grammy-winning, chart-topping rockers of Stone Temple Pilots play East Moline venue The Rust Belt on October 23, with the musicians' most recent recording described by Deadpress as “a beautiful collection of gentle, sincere, and delicately crafted country/folk ballads,” and a work that Paste magazine says “may be the most sonically rich experience that Stone Temple Pilots have offered their fans to date.”

Watching the Ghanaian-born drummer Paa Kow (pron PAH-Koh) perform with his Afro-Fusion Orchestra last Thursday evening, 7 October, at the Redstone Room in Davenport, one wondered briefly if he functions on pure enthusiasm. His fellow-musicians were alert to every key- and tempo-change, and Paa Kow often surprised his audience by leading them down different melodic paths when a song seemed instead to signal its conclusion.

Having just enjoyed a summer refreshingly filled with small-cast productions, I've rarely seen more than a handful of folks gathered together onstage this year. Yet somehow, Company director, lighting and set designer, and venue co-founder David M. Miller – along with choreographer Beth Marsoun – accommodated 14 people on that compact playing area without anyone looking constricted.

The Illinois House Redistricting Committee held its first hearing last week on new congressional and judicial subcircuit district maps at the Michael Bilandic Building in Chicago. Another half-dozen hearings were scheduled for the following seven days to redraw the maps, which have to be reconfigured after each decennial census.

Dark Family has really stepped up both their songwriting and production games, peeling away some of the lo-fi haze and the more languid song structures to reveal the most direct, tuneful compositions I've heard from them yet, all presented at a level of clarity that marks a turning point in their catalog.

Darsombra's swirling sheets of guitar and synth are accompanied by Everton's intense and detailed visual projections. These run the gamut from trippy patterns and Eastern-derived imagery to nightmarish depictions of Earth reminiscent of the 1982 film Koyaanisqatsi (“world out of balance”). It's a lot to take in, which is the point. Their stated goal is to create a “a symbiotic audio-visual-energetic experience that creates a temporary reality, woven by sight, sound, and movement.”