With his 2019 album Eraserland praised by Pitchfork as a work in which “lyrical constellations shine in plain, profound confessions,” folk-rock singer/songwriter Timothy Showalter brings his music project Strand of Oaks to Maquoketa's Codfish Hollow Barn on September 18, performing from a seven-album repertoire whose most recent addition inspired American Songwriter to call it “a sometimes harrowing but ultimately hard-earned triumph.”

For the first 2019-20 exhibition at the college's Augustana Teaching Museum of Art, colorful, evocative works from artists around the globe will be on display from September 6 through October 12, with the exhibit Small Tapestry International 6: Beyond the Edge showcasing the talents of nearly four dozen artists in a touring presentation by the American Tapestry Alliance.

The statement issued by Governor JB Pritzker's office last Thursday night had some good advice for Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who gave what was billed as a "State of the City" address earlier that evening. Mayor Lightfoot had outlined the challenges facing the city, including an $838-million budget deficit and her need for Illinois government's help in changing some state laws to allow her to raise more tax revenues.

Collages, paintings, and inventively crafted birdhouses will all be on display in the Quad City Arts International Airport Gallery from September 4 through October 28, with the venue boasting featured works by Amber Williams and Carla Markwart, as well as colorful and functional birdhouses created by 20 artistic talents based in the Quad Cities.

Lauded by Broadway World as “a fantastic production sure to satisfy old fans and charm new ones,” the theatrical adaptation of one of Hollywood's most revered movie musicals – the timeless Singin' in the Rain – makes its long-awaited return to Rock Island's Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse September 11 through November 2, a Tony Award-nominated stage version that Chicago Theatre Review called “a glitzy, glamorous homage” that “offers up a flood of entertainment.”

One of the most popular and lauded illusionists in modern history, master prestidigitator Criss Angel brings his new touring sensation RAW: The Mindfreak Unplugged to Davenport's Adler Theatre on September 10, treating patrons to Angel’s famous sleight-of-hand street magic, astounding feats of mentalism, and some of his most iconic illusions.

With the band's sound described by Spinner.com as “a trademark style of music that somehow combines surf, pop, rock, and beat,” the psychedelic rockers of The Growlers make their debut appearance at East Moline venue The Rust Belt on September 5, treating fans to what Consequence of Sound called “ghoulish surf rock, life-affirming melodies, and a conversational delivery that turns every Growlers show into a tripped-out sermon on mushrooms and real talk.”

Kansas City alternative/emo stalwarts The Get Up Kids land at Maquoketa's Codfish Hollow Barn on September 12.

You don't have to read past the first sentence of Tim Mapes' statement last week to see one of the core problems with the way he ran the Illinois House Democratic operation. Mapes was responding to an investigative report commissioned by House Speaker Michael Madigan to get to the bottom of allegations of sexual harassment and bullying in his Statehouse operation.