Brucemore's sophisticated and saucy nightclub event, Cabaret in the Courtyard, will return for two back-to-back weekends of stars on the stage and on the sky, August 7 - 9 and 14 - 16 at 7:30 p.m. Since 2003, the lovely ambience of the historic courtyard has been magically transformed into a cabaret club with tables, chairs, twinkling lights, and stars on the stage and in the sky. Cabaret in the Courtyard is sponsored by Bankers Trust, Novak Design Group, and Corridor Business Journal.

Alisabeth Von Presley (August 7 - 9) will perform songs from her debut album mixed with fun twists on classic hits during this album release event. She has held many names onstage over the years? Pink Haired Woman, Photographer Lady, and The 'MOO WITH ME' Girl from Rent?but for Cabaret in The Courtyard, she's excited to finally be performing as herself.  Alisabeth's award-winning music career has included the title of Grand Champion for Converse's competition  "Challenge, Create, Change" (for her Beautiful Revolution music video); first place for Cellular South's Jingle Competition; taking the top prize with her a capella jazz group, Jazz Transit, while competing in Europe; and being selected for the Hollywood Round of American Idol Season 12. In addition to performing locally as the guest artist for multiple productions with SPT Theatre (including A Modern Salon at Brucemore earlier this year), Alisabeth has graced the stages of area theaters in more than 50 musical productions, while serving as producer for five more. In reviewing her work, The Gazette writes that Alisabeth "owns every moment of every show she's in. She is a tour de force who should be in New York, but we're lucky she's in Cedar Rapids."  For more information, visit www.AlisabethVonPresley.com.

Ben Schmidt (August 14 - 16) draws from the roots of American music and a unique sense of poetic phrase to create songs that defy categorization. Join the singer/songwriter for a special evening of original music mixed with select covers of some of his creative influences. With a top notch band of seasoned players, Schmidt will deliver a range of styles including blues, jazz, rock, soul, acoustic, and folk. Schmidt's relaxed, intimate stage presence invites his audience to enjoy the lyrical storytelling while his sense of groove and shuffle will have you tapping your feet and looking for a dancing partner!  This is your chance to travel the lesser known byways of American music?from the Delta of Texas and New Orleans to the streets of Chicago (where Schmidt was raised) and into the little cafés of Greenwich Village. Self-taught, and continually evolving, Schmidt has been playing guitar for over 20 years and writing songs since he was fifteen. He has released three self-produced CDs?Write it down (2002), While you were Sleeping (2005), and Silt (2010).  Ben is a favorite of Eastern Iowa public radio stations and is a featured artist on WSUI's Java Blend compilation CD, as well as KUNI's Best of Live from Studio One compilation disc.

Advance tickets are $20 per person and $18 per Brucemore member. All tickets are $25 at the gate (if available). Space is limited; please call (319) 362-7375 or visit www.brucemore.org to purchase tickets. Individuals reserving five or more advance tickets will have tables reserved under their name. All performances begin at 7:30 p.m. with gates opening at 7:00 p.m. On-site parking is available. Patrons are encouraged to bring their favorite beverages, but no food is allowed.

Experience Brucemore, an unparalleled blend of tradition and culture, located at 2160 Linden Drive SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. At the heart of the historic 26-acre estate stands a nineteenth-century mansion filled with the stories of three Cedar Rapids families.  Concerts, theater, programs, and tours enliven the site and celebrate the heritage of a community.  For more information, call (319) 362-7375 or visit www.brucemore.org.

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Iowa's Longest-Running Film Festival to Hold Single-Day Event Aug. 2

TIPTON, Iowa?The "abbreviated" Hardacre Film Festival?without the Hardacre?is set to show some buzzed-about documentaries and short films at a single-day event Saturday, Aug. 2, at the Tipton High School auditorium.

Iowa's longest-running film festival, now celebrating its 17th year, will show films from all over the world?three feature-length documentaries and nine short films. The festival will be held at the newly renovated Tipton High School auditorium, as the festival's namesake?the Hardacre Theater?is undergoing renovation and fundraising.

"As usual, all of our selections this year have never been seen by an Iowa audience, and nearly all of them had world premieres earlier this year at some of the biggest film festivals in the world?Sundance, Tribeca, South by Southwest. They're some of the most talked-about films on the festival circuit this year," said Will Valet, festival director. "We're really glad to continue the festival in Tipton while the theater is closed and in a location that's comfortable and close to the downtown."

The one-day festival is shorter than previous years but is packed with films. Among the highlights:

Features:

  • The Hand That Feeds, Audience Award winner at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, documents efforts of low-wage workers at New York City's Hot and Crusty cafe chain to battle poor working conditions and form their own independent union, making history during the course of a rollercoaster year filled with shocking reversals of fortune.

  • Meet the Patels, a Top 10 Audience Favorite at HotDocs 2014, is a hilarious and heartfelt documentary about actor Ravi Patel's efforts to find love and please his traditionalist parents in the process. It turns out, love is a family affair.

  • The Overnighters, winner of a 2014 Sundance Film Festival jury prize, follows a group of desperate, broken men who move to North Dakota to find their fortune in the oil boom and the local pastor who risks everything to help them.

Shorts:

  • Me + Her?a dazzling, wordless short with cardboard puppet characters?tells the story of a couple separated by illness who must think outside the box to be together forever.

  • Passer Passer is a hypnotic animated short in which a city symphony celebrates the hidden world of background noise.

  • Scattered takes an unflinching look at the filmmaker's late father, a man who was fixated on documenting his life on film and who had been a mystery to her for most of her life, and unravels the story that he created with his camera to reveal the story that actually was.

  • Verbatim is a comedy short in which a jaded lawyer wastes an afternoon trying to figure out if a dimwitted government employee has ever used a photocopier. All dialogue in this short comes from an actual deposition filed with the Supreme Court of Ohio.

  • Yearbook is an animated tale of a man who is hired to compile the definitive history of human existence before Earth blows up.


The complete list of films and a schedule for the 2014 festival are available online at hardacrefilmfestival.com. Moviegoers can also watch for updates on the Hardacre Facebook page (facebook.com/hardacrefilmfestival) and Twitter feed (@hardacrefest).

Each audience member will get an all-festival pass good for the entire festival along with a catered after-party at the Spear House and Barn Bed & Breakfast, 120 E. 6th St., in Tipton. Locally made foods and wines will be available at the event.

Downtown Tipton comes alive Hardacre weekend with the Ridiculous Days sidewalk sale event, ensuring great shopping and a full weekend for attendees.

The festival's primary sponsors are the Tipton Chamber of Commerce and Produce Iowa. For more information about the Hardacre Film Festival, go to hardacrefilmfestival.com.

For more information about efforts to save the Hardacre Theater, go to thehardacre.org.

SIDEBAR

17th Annual Hardacre Film Festival

Saturday, Aug. 2

Tipton High School auditorium

400 E. 6th St.

Tipton, Iowa

Admission to the one-day event is $20, which includes a full day of films and admission to the catered after-party at the Spear House and Barn in Tipton. Passes can be purchased at the event. Screenings will run from 9 a.m. to approximately 6 p.m., with the after-party to follow.

For a full schedule or more information about the Hardacre Film Festival, go to hardacrefilmfestival.com.

--END--

Hot off the heels of the "Rifftrax Live: Sharknado" premiere (with a second showing in theaters July 15), Fathom Events, RiffTrax and IGN are excited to announce the Rifftrax crew are back with a never-before-seen take on a '90s creature feature as "RiffTrax Live: Godzilla" comes to nearly 650 select cinemas nationwide in August (view the trailer here).
Join the RiffTrax crew ? Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett (best known for the groundbreaking "Mystery Science Theater 3000") ? for a "big" two-night event broadcast LIVE from the Belcourt Theater in Nashville, TN to cinemas on Thursday, August 14, at 8:00 p.m. ET/ 7:00 p.m. CT and tape-delayed to 7:00 p.m. MT/ 8:00 p.m. PT, with a second showing on Tuesday, August 19 at 7:30 p.m. local time.
"RiffTrax Live: Godzilla" will be presented at the following cinemas in your area on Thursday, Aug 14:
Cinemark Davenport 18 with IMAX 3601 E 53Rd St Davenport IA 52807

SUMMER CONCERT SERIES

FREE HILLTOP CONCERT

NOON TO 4pm, SATURDAY JULY 12

IN FIELD EAST OF FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, 1411 PERRY STREET

LIVE PERFORMANCES, REFRESHMENTS FOR SALE

BOUNCE HOUSE FOR THE KIDS. GREAT FAMILY ACTIVITY.

BRING YOUR LAWN CHAIR AND ENJOY A GREAT AFTERNOON



The Old Creamery Theatre will host Courtyard Concerts this summer, one Friday per month, May through September featuring local bands and food. The concert will be free to everyone with a ticket to that Friday night's Main Stage theatre performance or $5 admission without a theatre ticket.

The shows will all take place from 5-7 pm in the Old Creamery's Courtyard on the following evenings: July 18, August 8, and September 12. The Courtyard Concert on July

18 features Craig Erickson a singer, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, writer, and producer. Raised in the Midwest heartland, his stylistic brew includes blues, fusion, rock, jazz, funk, reggae, acoustic, and more.

The Box Lunch Food Truck will be at our Courtyard Concert on July 18 selling burgers, french fries, and other delicious food! For more information, please visit their website at www.theboxlunchllc.com.

Call the box office at 319-622-6262 or go online to www.oldcreamery.com for more details.  To read more about Craig Erickson visit craig-erickson.com/bio/ for more information.

The Old Creamery Theatre is a not-for-profit professional theatre founded in 1971 in Garrison, Iowa. In 2014, the company is celebrating 43 years of bringing live, professional theatre to the people of Iowa and the Midwest.
Chuck Norris and livestream!

Chuck Norris and his wife, Gina, just told me they will be attending The If 7:14 Calland will share their hearts for prayer and embrace of the If 7:14 initiative!

Also, due to high demand, now The If 7:14 Call will be available via livestream! Click here to get signed up, and we will send you the link before the event.

If still you want to attend in person, you must hurry because we are 95% sold out!

 

"The If 7:14 Call" featuring the Newsboys

July 13, 2014

5:00 p.m. (doors open at 4 p.m.)

Adler Theatre

Davenport, Iowa

 

"Let heaven roar and fire fall, come shake the ground with the sound of revival.  My God's not dead, he's surely alive, He's living on the inside, roaring like a lion." ~ Lyrics from the Newsboys' "God's Not Dead"

Happy 4th of July
Spend the 4th of July with Frankie Valli, an original Jersey Boy.  Valli will headline the 2014 PBS special, "A Capitol Fourth" this Friday, July 4.  Broadcast live from the West lawn of the US Capitol, the show airs nationally on PBS stations at 8 p.m. eastern.  Frankie Valli will be joined by many other stars to celebrate our nation.  See the complete line up here.

 

See the Jersey Boys musical at the Adler
Theatre April 21 - 26, 2015.

Rock Island, IL: Summer events take a tuneful turn next week at the Rock Island Library in July, with two new musical performers for children and families.

On Monday, July 7, the library will host a "Boogie in the Barnyard" dance party featuring musician, author, and chicken dancer John Duggleby. The all ages music event is from 5:30 to 6:30 pm at the Rock Island Main Library, 401 19th Street. Duggleby, of Madison, Wis., plays about 75 one-man shows per year, at venues ranging from coffeehouses, to senior centers, to libraries, to festivals. Along with his own material, his songbook ranges from Stephen Foster and George M. Cohan to Beatles and Bruce Springsteen, performed on guitar and who knows what else. Oh, and yes ... there will be chicken dancing, so warm up your wings!

Duggleby is the author of 10 books, including "Artist in Overalls, the Life of Grant Wood," and hundreds of magazine articles. He made his professional performing debut at age five at the Sunset Supper Club in Muscatine, Iowa, singing, "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" after the piano man bribed him with a nickel. As an adult his bio states he "labored in several underappreciated folk, 60s rock, Cajun, bluegrass and world music ensembles." John also leads drum circles and kitchen bands for groups including seniors, kids and disabled people, as well as hosting a monthly Songwriters Showcase at a Madison-area listening room.

On Thursday, July 10, award-winning children's musician Jeanie B! brings her rock and roll music show for kids and families to two Rock Island Library locations. The free performances are from 10:00 am to 11:00 am

at the Rock Island Main Library, 401 19th Street, and from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm at the Southwest Branch, 9010 Ridgewood Road.

The winner of the 2012 Parents' Choice for her CD, Sugar Buzz, and a 2006 Parent-to-Parent Adding Wisdom Award for Mommy Knows Best, Jeanie B! is a lifetime singer/songwriter who started playing guitar at age 12.  Her sound is kid's music for everyone, leaning toward rock and roll, folk and country. Her high-energy concerts have been called "Velcro for kids" and are packed with dancing, sing-a-longs and interactive music. She involves the audience with movement, dancing, singing, and jumping, providing a rocking good time for both parents and children.

For more information about Rock Island Summer Reading, visit any Rock Island Main, 30/31 or Southwest Branches, go to www.rockislandlibrary.org call 309-732-READ (7323.) A downloadable events calendar is available on the library website at the newsletters and calendars link.

Founded in 1872, the Rock Island Public Library serves the area through three locations, which include the Main, 30/31 and Southwest Branches, community outreach efforts, and online opportunities that provide resources to enhance personal achievement and stimulate the imagination.

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Tuesday 07/01/2014

ABC KARAOKE

9:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m.

Only at The Muddy Waters EVERY Tuesday -

1. FREE Pool Games and FREE Pin Ball Games all day and all night

2. Karaoke starting at 9:00 p.m.

Come and have a GREAT Tuesday with us!

 

Wednesday 07/02/2014

THE FOURTY FOURS

8:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m.

$5 MVBS Members

$10 Non-Members

It's time for the best festival of the summer, The Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, and we are kickin' off the weekend with a blues-roots-rock band, the 44's. The 44's are a Los Angeles-based harp-guitar-bass-drums quartet. If grit, gonads and little bit of nasty all rolled together is also your favorite style, you will love these guys.

 

(no live music at The Muddy Waters on July 3, 4, 5, 2014)

 

Sunday 07/06/2014

AFTER-FESTIVAL PARTY WITH THE CANDYMAKERS & ZACH HARRIS BAND

5:00 p.m.-?

FREE Admission

The Muddy Waters is having the Post-Fest Party of All After-Fest Parties! Combining a band with traditional Motown and Stax, together with a classic mix of blues and rock, the Candymakers and the Zach Harris Band will give us a final night commemorating the 2014 festival. Make plans to attend this celebratory party as we wrap it up the Blues Festival at the Official Blues Club of the Quad Cities.

 

Monday 07/07/2014

ABC KARAOKE

9:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m.

Fall in love with Monday's!!! FREE pool and pin ball games starting at 12:00 p.m. and Karaoke starting at 9:00 p.m. All at The Muddy Waters! See ya there!

 

Tuesday 07/08/2014

ABC KARAOKE

9:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m.

Tuesday at The Muddy Waters: FREE Pool and FREE Pin Ball Games from open until close (12:00 p.m.-2:00 a.m.) and Karaoke starts at 9:00 p.m.

 

Thursday 07/10/2014

EDDIE TURNER

7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.

$5 Per Person

"Otherworldly", "scorching", "polyrhythmic" and "chilling" have all been used to describe Eddie Turner's guitar playing. His ethereal style is an amalgam of the Afro-Cuban rhythms of his heritage and the music that influenced him as a teenager: Chicago blues, jazz, R&B, and psychedelic rock. The Cuban-born singer/guitarist cut his teeth in several rock bands contributing what Slate magazine describes as "spacey-yet-resounding solos".

 

Friday 07/11/2014

CHRIS AVEY BAND

9:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m.

Free Admission

Chris Avey, former lead guitarist and backing vocalist for blues icon Big Pete Pearson, leads the Chris Avey Band. Chris fuels the band with his stinging guitar attack and fiery vocals. Since striking out on his own with his band, he has released two CDs?the critically acclaimed Devil in my Bed and Preacherman. Chris's vocals and guitar are reminiscent of a younger, more fiery Coco Montoya, mixed with a dash of Tab Benoit. Blues Blast Magazine says "Blues with intensity and emotion. More energy than a power plant."

 

Saturday 07/12/2014

TANGENT!

9:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m.

FREE Admission

Tangent! is a high energy, 7-piece power horn band from right here in the Quad Cities. Mixing all of the best sounds and songs of Motown, Blues, Soul, Rock, and Jazz. While reasonably true to the original songs, Tangent! also lends their own style and solos into the mix, just at the right time. The music that they play will lift you off of your chair, and right onto the dance floor. If you like horns, excellent guitar and keyboards, a female singer with pipes of gold, or a rhythm section that is rock solid, come listen to Tangent. You will be glad that you did.

 

Sunday 07/13/2014

ALAN SWEET & FRIENDS

6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.

FREE Admission

"Alan Sweet's voice is in-between Otis Redding and Joe Cocker,"  says Todd Welvaert, QC Oneline-Dispatch/Argus. Alan is now hosting The Muddy Waters Sunday Afternoon Live Music Scene with an acoustic mix. He will be inviting the many talents of his artist friends to join him every week producing an array of original sound that will keep you coming back every Sunday.

 

Monday 07/14/2014

ABC Karaoke 

9:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m.

Sing, sing a song,

Make it simple, to last your whole life long,

Don't worry that it's not good enough,

For anyone else to hear,

Sing, sing a song . . .

The Muddy Waters Monday Night KARAOKE starts at 9:00 p.m. plus FREE Pool and Pin Ball Games ALL DAY!

 

Tuesday 07/15/2014

ABC Karaoke 

9:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m.

Only at The Muddy Waters EVERY Tuesday -

1. FREE pool and pin ball games all day and all night

2. Karaoke starting at 9:00 p.m.

Come and have a GREAT Tuesday with us!

 

Friday 07/18/2014

MERCURY BROTHERS

9:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m.

FREE Admission

The Mercury Brothers are cast from that exact mold of solid gold heart and pure soul blues music. From their slick classic James Dean look to their ripping tones and heavy grooves, The Mercury Brothers are an act you will not soon forget.

 

Saturday 07/19/2014

BLACKLIST COMEDY THEATER

9:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m.

$10 Per Person

The Blacklist is the Quad Cities' best uncensored improv comedy troupe. The Blacklist 'crosses the line' in more ways than one with their audience interactive shows. Using audience suggestions, The Blacklist creates hilarious skits right before your very eyes.  Every Blacklist show features stand-up comics and headlines with the hilarious uncensored debauchery of The Blacklist.

 

Sunday 07/20/2014

Alan Sweet and Friends 

6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.

FREE Admission

Ready for an afternoon of sweet ear-candy? Alan Sweet brings a satisfying set of songs that range from soul, funk, and blues songs to The Muddy Waters every Sunday afternoon starting at 6:00 p.m. Alan will be inviting the many talents of his artist friends to join him every week producing an array of original sound that will keep you coming back every Sunday.

 

Monday 07/21/2014

ABC Karaoke 

9:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m.

Fall in love with Monday's!!! FREE pool games starting at 12:00 p.m. and Karaoke starting at 9:00 p.m. All at The Muddy Waters! See ya there!

 

Tuesday 07/22/2014

ABC Karaoke 

9:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m.

You can be the star at The Muddy Waters during Karaoke tonight starting at 9:00 p.m. Plus FREE pool and pin ball games all day and all night long.

 

Friday 07/25/2014

ZACH HARRIS BAND

9:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m.

FREE Admission

The Zach Harris Band formerly known as The Bromigo's - same band, new name - play a mix of blues and rock. Nick Vazquez on Keys, Randy Leasemen on Bass, LC Johnson on Drums, and Zach Harris on Guitar.

 

Saturday 07/26/2014

Chris & Wes Show

9:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m.

FREE Admission

The worlds of comedy and music don't usually intersect. But when they do, the results can be memorable. Wes Weeber, a drummer by trade, steps out from behind the drums to front the comedy portion of the show and interact with the audience. Chris Avey, the clownish guitarist, entertains the audience with his send-ups of classic blues music and humorous wit. Together, their show will bring waggish banana splits of many different sides.

 

Sunday 07/27/2014

BRENT JOHNSON AND THE CALL UP

6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.

$5 Per Person

A guitar prodigy from the age of four, South Texas born Brent Johnson always knew where he wanted his playing to take him. Drinking in the very best of Blues, Jazz, Rock, Punk, Country and World Music, by the time his family moved to New Orleans in his teens, he was predestined towards a career in music.

"My sound is rooted in the Blues, though I don't pretend to be a purist, and I don't want to be" he explains, " I write music based on my experiences and the sounds I grew up with... I never want to pretend that I had the same experiences as the old Bluesmen did - so I'm not going to go around trying to sound like them. What I do is put the emphasis on the feeling of the music, the passion, the urgency, the directness - that's the goal".

Brent describes himself as "always a guitarslinger... I always loved songwriters and wrote songs for myself".

 

Monday 07/28/2014

ABC Karaoke

9:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m.

When you feel down and out, sing a song

It'll make your day, yeah, yeah

You will come to shout, sing a song

It'll make a way...

The Muddy Waters Monday Night KARAOKE starts at 9:00 p.m. plus FREE Pool and Pin Ball Games ALL DAY!

 

Tuesday 07/29/2014

ABC KARAOKE 

9:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m.

Only at The Muddy Waters EVERY Tuesday -

1. FREE Pool Games and FREE Pin Ball Games all day and all night

2. Karaoke starting at 9:00 p.m.

Come and have a GREAT Tuesday with us!

With revised reports of flooding along the Mississippi River, and Centennial Park's parking lot already partially submerged from recent storms, organizers of the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival decided to move to even higher ground on Davenport's 2nd Street.

The Festival will happen July 3 through 5 in the area between Main and Ripley Streets in downtown Davenport.  The setup will be roughly the same as last year, with a few changes.  The free workshops will be held on the Community Stage at Falbo's, on the 1st floor of the River Music Experience.  BlueSKool and the special 30-year retrospective Photo Exhibit will be on the 2nd floor of the RME.

The current prediction has the river cresting at over two feet above flood stage during the days of the Blues Festival.  "The situation is a safety issue," said Kevin Nolan, President of the Mississippi Valley Blues Society.  "With the river that high, we would not have access to electricity, and the parking lot would be treacherous for attendees.  When we made the decision to move to Centennial, the flooding chances were much lower.  We know we're safe on Second Street.  And temperatures for the festival are supposed to be in the low 80s?perfect for experiencing our internationally acclaimed event."

Today is the final day to buy advance discount tickets for the Blues Festival.  Advance tickets for July 4 and 5 are $20 per day;  gate prices will be $25 per day.  Tickets are available at Hy-Vee stores in the Quad Cities, Clinton, and Muscatine;  the Muddy Waters in Bettendorf;  Co-Op Records in Moline;  and Ragged Records in Davenport.

Tickets for Thursday July 3 are discounted to $10, available only at the gate. For more info, please visit www.mvbs.org

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