I attended two parties in one evening last month that seemed to complement each other.

Praised by New York Music Daily for their “darkly inventive Americana” and by The Sound for their “infectious, foot-stomping Americana tunes,” the touring musicians of Muddy Ruckus – guitarist (and Rock Island native) Ryan Flaherty and “suitcase drummer” Erika Stahl – perform as Moelle Nights headliners on December 28, their 2018 album Bellows to Mend described by EvolvementRadio.com as “hands down their best work so far.”

Visitors to Davenport's Figge Art Museum can not only enjoy a guided tour and Q&A through the halls of the exhibition French Moderns: Monet to Matisse, 1850 – 1950, but also genuine French cuisine courtesy of the venue's seasoned chefs in the December 28 event French Friday, an art-and-food pairing designed to make museum guests of all ages shout “C'est magnifique!”

“God bless us, everyone!” is the heartwarming wish from the cast of writer/director Tristan Tapscott's and Countryside Community Theatre's A Christmas Carol musical, now playing at Princeton's charming Boll's Community Center along the banks of the Mississippi River. This delightful production is a pure and humble presentation of the classic tale of Ebenezer Scrooge (Doug Kutzli) and his struggle to find purpose and love in his life, and Saturday’s show was full of both joy and sadness. But most of all it felt cozy. From the scrumptious desserts by Susan Burda, carefully displayed in a small booth at the rear of the theatre, to members of the cast greeting patrons before the show in full character and costume, the atmosphere was exceptionally festive.

Clint Eastwood's The Mule casts the 88-year-old as professional horticulturist Earl Stone, and in the man's first five seconds on-screen, he refers to his Mexican employees' vehicle as a “taco wagon.” He does it with a grin, of course, and the friendly chuckles of his workers indicate that they know good ol' Earl is just pulling their chains. But like that elderly relative of yours whose casually racist comments at the Thanksgiving table make you wish you'd had a drive-thru burger instead, Clint, from the start, is so relentlessly, “adorably” offensive in his first starring role in six years – and offensive in so many different ways – that I spent almost the entirety of the film's two hours silently loathing him. In theory, The Mule, with its script by Gran Torino scribe Nick Schenk, is about a broke, aging man who finds a steady income and renewed purpose running drugs for a Mexican cartel. In actuality, though, it's about Eastwood knowing he can say and do anything he damn well pleases and the faithful will devour it with ravenous gratitude. Personally, I'm well past full.

One of the country's most venerated and lauded country, gospel, and bluegrass ensembles makes an eagerly awaited appearance at Davenport's Adler Theatre on December 20, when the the Grammy Award-winning group The Oak Ridge Boys celebrates the holidays with timeless hits and seasonal favorites in their touring production “Shine the Light on Christmas.”

A legendary area rock outfit from the 1970s makes a triumphant return to the Rock Island Brewing Company on December 21, as brothers and Cedar Rapids natives BillyLee and Bryce Janey deliver an evening with the hard rockers of Truth & Janey, whose seminal 1976 LP No Rest for the Wicked and live Erupts! album from 2001 (recorded at Davenport's Col Ballroom) have both been reissued on CD by the Rockadrome label.