river cities' reader - issue 869 - november 13, 2014

8/10/2019 River Cities' Reader - Issue 869 - November 13, 2014

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River Cities Reader Vol. 22No. 869 November 13 - 25, 20142 Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com

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River Cities Reader Vol. 22No. 869 November 13 - 25, 2014 3Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com

On November 9, Trinity EpiscopalCathedral in Davenport hosted amost compelling presentation by

retired Lieutenant Colonel Ann Hochhausen Colonel Ho as she is affectionately called. This27-year veteran in the U.S. Army Nurse Corpsshared her experiences and perspective as chiefnurse of the 28th Combat Support Hospital(CSH) in Tikrit, Iraq, during 2003 and 2004.

Colonel Hos one-year odyssey includedserving as one of two chief nurses, in split

operations, in large canvas-tent hospitalsresourced and manned for 200 beds. Thisall took place in a hostile desert where they

performed more than 1,000 surgeries over justthe first four months. The 28th CSH providedcare for more than 21,000 coalition military

personnel and Iraqi civilians and prisoners ofwar in the course of its one-year deployment.With her specialty skills in obstetrics and

gynecology, Colonel Ho was a rarity in thattheater, and she was awarded the Bronze Star

for her care of pregnant Iraqi women and theirunborn children.

Most Americans cannot fathom theharsh and brutal environment in whichthe 28th CSH provided compassionate and

expert medical care for U.S. soldiers andIraqi civilians and combatants alike. Ournotions of war have been glorified andsanitized to prevent triggering the American

peoples collective outrage for such impossibleconditions and horrific results.

Because of space constraints, Colonel Hosintroduction and conclusion are includedhere, but her full presentation can be readat RCReader.com/y/colho. Colonel Hos

perspective is critical in conveying the feelings

and realities that our military personnel dealwith not just during service, but for the restof their lives.

Anns account, with spoken words andpictures, of the various patients her teamworked on did not exclusively focus on asoldiers coming back from combat (althoughshe did address the trauma of 20-year-oldscarrying out amputations). Rather, her stories

painted the vivid picture of the tertiary andcollateral damage of war from a soldier

burned alive when his tractor caught fire whileburying enemy munitions to an Iraqi civilianwho charged U.S. soldiers in the hopes ofbeing killed because he could no longer sufferthe misery of his auto-immune disorder run

amok because of U.S. sanctions that kept hismedication out of Iraq.

It is high time we civilians get a clue aboutthe true costs of of war and more meaningfulinsight into the hearts and minds of thosewho serve. To say We support our troopswithout exposure to perspectives such as Annsis utterly superficial. We thank Colonel Ho

for the privilege of sharing portions of herpresentation in these pages.

How does one even begin to tell the storyof a year-long deployment to Iraq? When myunit first got home and someone innocentlyasked, How was it? Was it amazing? Wasit shock and awe? What did it feel like?, allI could do was stare at them, speechlessly,thinking: How do I answer that? I think Iquoted Dickens and said, It was the best oftimes. It was the worst of times.

Its very hard to describe feelings. Butwhat I can say is that there is no feeling of

glory after coming home from a year at war.It is humbling and just made me want to bequiet and contemplative. Why did othersget hit and not us not me? How will I everforget all the trauma? How can I ever relate

or share this with other people who werentthere?

During a ceremony welcoming us home,as we sang God Bless the USA and TheStar-Spangled Banner, I cried so hard Isobbed. There were no words to describe theinescapable sense of loss for those soldiers sobadly wounded and killed. What about theIraqi people? What have we done to them?

On March 20, 2003, military forces of theUnited States, Great Britain, and a number

of other countries known as the coalitionof the willing invaded Iraq. What led up tothat invasion, and why did so many peoplego along with the Bush administration Congress, the Justice Department, the media,and, collectively, the people of the UnitedStates?

I dont know exactly.I can connect a few dots, though, and Im

sure you can too. Before I go on with mystory, Id like to share a few thoughts from

my perspective as one who has seen U.S.foreign policy play out before my very eyes.

During advanced military training at theCommand & General Staff College at Fort

WORDS FROM THE EDITOR by Kathleen [email protected]

Iraq War Stories: An Army Nurses Perspective

Continued On Page 12

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Quinns Doomed Strategy

Gave Rauner an Easy Win

by Rich Miller

CapitolFax.comILLINOIS POLITICS

Bruce Rauner out-performed fellow

Republican Bill Bradys 2010 guberna-

torial-election performance in every

region of the state last week. As I write this,

with less than half a percent of the vote yet to

be counted, Rauner has a 5-point margin over

Governor Pat Quinn and appears to have won

a majority vote in a three-way election.

The national headwinds against the

Democratic Party surely

played a role in the Quinnloss. But Rauner did better

than other Republicans

on the ticket. Comptroller

Judy Baar Topinka is widely

considered one of the most

popular Republicans in

Illinois, and yet she under-

performed Rauner. At this

writing, GOP state Representative Tom Cross

and Democratic state Senator Michael Frerichs

are just about tied in the treasurers race. And

Republican Supreme Court Justice Lloyd

Karmeier appears to have narrowly survived

an attempt to oust him.

Rauner scored just above the magic

20-percent number in Chicago, a point at

which with a significant advantage in the rest

of the state a Republican can win a statewide

election.

But he didnt really need it. He out-

performed Bradys 2010 campaign in

suburban Cook County by 6 points, outdid the

Downstater in his own region by a point, anddwarfed Bradys 2010 numbers throughout the

collar counties.

In the end, Quinn was just too unpopular

after six years of not producing enough results

on the economy and the budget, and was likely

overly reliant on negative campaign ads.

One of Quinns few positive messages was

about raising the minimum wage, but that

campaign issue bolstered by a statewide,

non-binding referendum failed to spark

Democratic turnout and may have workedagainst the governor with suburban women,

for whom minimum wage has a stigma.

They didnt want to hear about raising the

minimum wage when their grown kids were

still living at home and cant find a decent job,

grumped one higher-up the weekend before

the election. Quinn just never had a message

that appealed to the middle class.

A coalition of labor unions and community

organizations spent millions of dollars touting

the minimum-wage issue with the goal ofincreasing Democratic turnout by 225,000

votes in Cook County compared to 2010. But it

was doomed from the start.

Barack Obamas 2008 presidential campaign

increased Democratic voting in Cook County

by 189,300 over Democrat John Kerrys 2004

performance. The Quinnsters were hoping to

do the same thing Obama did even though

they had a candidate who was a known (and

disliked) quantity, was getting the blame for

the states budget problems and economic

condition, and was up against a moderate

gazillionaire.

It failed miserably. Quinn received 60,754

fewer votes in Cook

County this year comparedto 2010. They didnt

expand the vote; they

contracted it.

Even worse, Quinn

seemed to build his entire

campaign around this crazy

tactic. Its apparently why

he ran a base campaign,

constantly talking about raising the minimum

wage, bashing Rauner for being a heartless

billionaire, etc.

The whole idea, from the TV ads down to

voter registration and the minimum-wage

ballot initiative, was to fire up the base and jack

up turnout. Quinn didnt have to worry about

spending too much time and money appealing

to suburban women, or Downstaters, or

whomever. He could focus almost his entire

effort on turning out the base with a couple of

strongly populist issues.President George W. Bush used an anti-

gay-marriage ballot initiative in Ohio to

successfully bring conservatives to the polls andwin the state in 2004. But Bush was a popular

war president at the time. And, as with Obama

in 2008, that was a presidential-election year,

when turnout is much more easily boosted

than in off-years such as this one.

Also keep in mind that Quinn preferred to

run against Rauner. From the very beginning

he wanted to run this sort of populist

campaign, and he believed Rauner would be

the best opponent to use it against.

Oops.Another part of Quinns strategy was to

depress Rauners Downstate base by funding

the pro-life, pro-gun Libertarian Party

candidate. Rauner effectively countered with

massive mailers and phone calls warning

Republicans that Quinn and the Chicago

Democrats were trying to steal the election by

pushing the Libertarian. That message worked.

Overall, Quinn was a flawed, unpopular

governor who plotted a doomed campaign

strategy against a guy who had a far better

message, lots more money, and, perhaps most

importantly, a fresh face.

Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax(a daily

political newsletter) and CapitolFax.com.

The governor seemedto build his entire

campaign around a

crazy tactic.

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With the premiere of a nebulous,esoteric piece and a dark, denselysobering Brahms concerto behind

him, Music Director and Conductor MarkRussell Smith picked up the microphone toaddress the audience before the second halfof the Quad City Symphonys November 1concert at the Adler.

The audience was likely looking forsome emotional relief, but Tchaikovskys

Pathetiquesymphony loomed, with itsmorose Finale creating the potential for adepressing albeit well-performed concert.

Smith set an optimistic tone. He calledthe PathetiqueTchaikovskys greatestsymphony pointing out the life livedthrough this music and focusing attentionon its innovations.

His words were the right message atthe right time. In framing the concertscenterpiece, Smith helped pull the audiencethrough the performance, allowing it toappreciate the trio of challenging pieceswithout getting sucked under by bleakness.

Commissioned by the Quad CitySymphony as part of its centennialcelebration, James Romigs Bridges aslow, meditative span of sound in time was an atypical starter that prompted oneconcertgoer to say: What kind of openingpiece was that?

No, it was not your routine lively, highlyrhythmic and melodic work to start a

concert. Bridgesbegan quietly with aseemingly unchanging chord in the strings,a cloud of lingering sound. As one new notewas gradually added, another was takenaway. Similar to the changing colors of aslowly revolving kaleidoscope, the colors ortimbres in the music melted into each otherover its six-minute duration.

Within these simple, slow changingsounds, a breathing effect was also present,steadily crescendoing and diminuendoing.

In this Zen-like musical state,the suspension of familiar musicalcharacteristics such as melody andaccompaniment challenged listeners to fillthe void with something from their ownimagination.

One attraction of new music is theelement of surprise, and as much as I valueMaestro Smiths introductory insightsfrom the podium, I wish he would havesaid nothing and just played this unusual

piece. A key part of Romigs Bridgesis itsunconventionality the instant departurefrom the expected and to some extentthat was diminished by Smiths comments.I thought the piece was musically appealingand thought-provoking in its ambiance, and

by Frederick Morden

[email protected]

A Helping Hand Through Difficult MusicThe Quad City Symphony, November 1 at the Adler Theatre

it could have stood on its own stretchinglisteners ears and broadening their idea ofthe potential of music with only its mostbasic elements.

Following Romigs meditative, technicallyuncomplicated piece, Minnesota Orchestraconcertmaster Erin Keefe more thansurvived the dense, neo-classic constructionof Johannes Brahms perilously difficultViolin Concerto.

Keefe brought two essential elements toher performance: the chops to cover theblizzard of black notes blanketing the solopart, and also the artistic facility to managethem without losing the melodic linearound which they were written. The formerdepended on the technical strength of thesoloist, but the latter relied on her ability todifferentiate, through dynamic or rhythmicnuance, which notes formed the tune andwhich ones made up the ornamentation.

In the solo part of the third movement,the swirling 32nd notes, the double andtriple stops, the arpeggiations, and thedisjunctive melodic fragments from the topof the instrument to the bottom were a tourde force for Keefe. She ripped through thearpeggios and threw out the high notes withdazzling passion and flair. Her performancewas serious musical muscle flexing withhumorlessly difficult music.

In the second movement, where themelodic notes were infrequent within dense

ornamentation, Smiths hand warnings andthe orchestras clearly conscious effort didntalways resolve the competition for the samelower timbre range making it difficultfor Keefes part to cut through. And Smithstempo seemed rigid, forcing Keefe to cramthe notes into each bar instead of letting theintricate gestures breathe.

Despite these problems, there weremany magical moments of musicalcommunication between the soloist and

accompanists when the scoring was light.The give and take of the second theme inthe first movement, the exchange of melodicfragments between Keefe and the horns inthe second, and the expanding orchestrationthat builds from the solo violin and slowlyadds the orchestra all gathering volume,tempo, and momentum to the end showcased impressive ensemble playing.

While Smiths reassuring Tchaikovsky-symphony comments helped the audience,

the orchestras performance sealed the dealwith moments of sizzling intensity andinspiration with only a stumble here andthere.

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Drew Starenko Wanted to Teach Art. Instead, He Became a Local Pioneer in Heart-Bypass Surgery.

Art to Heart

The realization, Drew Starenko said,

came while building a home addition by

himself in the early 1990s.

He was in his early 30s, he said, and I was

lugging these sheets of plywood up to this

roof, and I just kind of stepped back after that

and ... said, When Im 50, 55, I dont think Im

going to be able to do this sort of thing.

The construction work was never his

intended career path, although hed been

doing carpentry since the age of 16.

But if carpentry wasnt a viable long-termoccupation, what could he do?

Starenko knew he wanted to work with his

hands. He had pre-med and art degrees from

Augustana College, and a master of fine arts

from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.

He had been lured back to the Quad

Cities because of some teaching work, but

local institutions of higher education werent

hiring full-time art faculty. He had a young

family and didnt want to uproot it in pursuit

of teaching jobs. And he wanted to stay inthe Midwest which provided much of the

inspiration for his art.

So he decided to put his pre-med degree to

work and chose to become a nurse instead

of a physicians assistant because it was a

quicker path to a job. I had a daughter and a

family, he said.

And nursing, he figured, would also give

him time to focus on painting.

From that fundamentally practical choice,

a remarkable career began. Starenko is aCertified Registered Nurse First Assistant

rather than a surgeon, and he didnt design

the equipment or perfect the technique that

together make recovery from heart-bypass

surgery much easier for patients these days.

But he is a local medical pioneer who has

directly or indirectly improved hundreds of

lives across the globe.

He got his associates nursing degree in

1995 from Black Hawk College and the

next year began working at Genesis Medical

Centers east campus. He started in the

recovery room, and his locker was next to

that of the charge nurse for the cardiovascular

unit; in 1997, that nurse asked Starenko if he

wanted to join his team.

In 2001, Starenko was the first in the

Quad Cities region to perform endoscopic

vein harvesting at the time a relatively new

technique used in heart-bypass procedures.

In 2009, he started training doctors and

nurses around the world in endoscopic vein

harvesting, and he was the first to preformthat procedure in Brazil.

And in September of this year, he began

working with CardioStart International, an

aid organization performing heart surgeries in

medically needy parts of the world.

And yes, Starenko is also still an artist.

I kind of fell into heart surgery, he said.

I really just wanted to be an art teacher and

a painter.

Basic PlumbingOn October 28, there was no indication

that the heart-bypass procedure being done

in an operating room at Genesis was anything

but routine.

The patient was having four grafts, and 10

nurses and doctors would be participating.

Music played softly from the rooms speakers,

and the discussion among the medical

personnel ranged from the songs on the radio

to the sabbath mode of some ovens.

For the vein-harvesting portion of the

surgery, Starenko worked independently

of the other medical personnel; his onlyinteraction with other members of the surgery

team was asking for sutures. While he was

harvesting a saphenous vein from the right

leg, a surgeon was opening the chest cavity

and harvesting the internal thoracic artery

(also known as the internal mammary artery).

Starenko would be taking saphenous veins

from both legs.

In a nutshell, its kind of like basic

plumbing in a way, where you have a blockage

on a persons artery on the heart and youretaking a conduit from the body and attaching

it to a blood supply which is the aorta and

then routing it past that blockage, Starenko

explained.

The mammary artery, he said,

is really the most important graft

of the operation. Its to the largestcoronary artery. The thoracic

artery is also durable, and is likely to

stay open far longer than the veins

Starenko harvests.

Grafts with the saphenous vein might stay

open only 10 to 15 years, he said, because

the vein is part of a low-pressure system,

and youre attaching it to the aorta, which is

where the pressures are the highest. (Bodies

compensate for the removal of the saphenous

vein, which is possible because theres an

internal blood-flow system that runs near the

bones and can do the work in the absence of

the superficial removed vein.)

Harvesting the mammary artery is an open

procedure, and the surgeon showed me what

she was doing. I could see a lung breathing.

My view of Starenkos work, on the other

hand, was largely through a monitor. The

endoscope was inserted into the body

through an incision on the inside of the

leg below the knee a few centimeters long,

and its camera gave a view of the inside ofthe body. Starenkos left hand manipulated

the endoscopic tools from outside the body,

while the right hand appeared to provide

finer control of the endoscope itself near the

wound. His eyes rarely left the monitor.

After the incision was made, the

endoscopic procedure entailed two

components.

First, Starenko tunneled around the vein.

On the monitor, this looked like so much

undifferentiated goo, although Starenko latersaid I would have been able to see the vein had

I known where to look. This portion of the

surgery took roughly 25 minutes.

The second component was freeing the

vein from its branches and it was clear from

the monitor what

was happening.

The camera

showed a tool that

looked like pliers

pinching, cutting,

and cauterizing

the branches, and

eventually the

vein looked like

cable running

through a tunnel.

After less than 25

minutes doing this,

Starenko pulled out

roughly 15 inches

of worm-like vein

still attached to

the body at the

incision point.

After removing the vein entirely from the

body, Starenko began the process of preparing

it for grafting using saline to find leaks fromwhere it had been separated from its branches

and repairing them.

Roughly 70 minutes after the initial

incision, he was finished with the right-leg

saphenous vein.

Dont Knock Yourself Out,Kid

Endoscopic vein harvesting such as the

procedure I saw is now an unremarkable andcommon occurrence at hospitals around the

United States, but it has taken time for it to

become the standard of care for heart-bypass

procedures.

In the old days, Starenko explained, they

would make an incision, depending on how

many bypasses a patient was going to have,

... from the groin all the way down to their

ankle.

This was a problem for several reasons.

First, he said, heart-bypass surgery is alreadya huge insult to the body and adding

another massive wound to the equation made

recovery more difficult.

That was exacerbated by the types of

patients who typically require bypass surgery.

Smoking, diabetes, and obesity, for example,

result in a lot of compromised blood flow to

the arms and legs, Starenko said, leading to

slow recoveries. Sometimes, those incisions

as long as they were would never heal.

The infection rate was very, very high, andextremely painful. Patients often complained

that their leg incisions were more painful

than [recovery from] sawing through their

sternum.

For those reasons, he said, doctors and

COVER STORY

Drew Starenko during an endoscopic-vein-harvestingprocedure on October 28. Through a t wo-centim eter

incision, Starenko removed more than a foot of saphe-nous vein for use in a heart bypass. The monitor over his

left shoulder was one of several in the operating roomshowing the view from the endoscopic camera.

Surgery photos provided by Genesis Health System


7/24


by Jeff Ignatius

[email protected]

medical-technology companies were always

trying to find methods to not make those

large incisions.

Doctors tried, for instance, a bridging

technique, in which they might make six

smaller incisions rather than one large one

and tunnel under the skin.

By the late 1990s, companies were

marketing equipment for endoscopic vein

harvesting, and Starenko was intrigued by the

potential: When this particular technique

came out, it just seemed like it was the answer,because it was only done through an incision

that was like two centimeters and a teeny little

poke up here and a teeny little poke down

there depending on how many lengths you

needed, and it was all done with inflating it

[thus creating a tunnel for better visualization]

with CO2and a scope ... .

It just seemed to me that it would work.

But everybody I talked to [at the hospital]

... said, Well, dont knock yourself out, kid,

because nobody ... is going to let you do that.... Its probably going to be a flash in the pan

anyway.

Still, Starenko attended a training seminar

in 2000 in Indianapolis with a company called

Guidant (now Maquet), which brought its

endoscopic-vein-harvesting equipment to

market in 1995.

Genesis, he said, was supportive, but many

surgeons were hesitant: They like new things,

but at the same time people are skeptical

because weve gone through different thingslike that before and none of them seemed to

work.

The challenge, Starenko said, is the fragility

of the tissue used for heart-bypass grafts. The

lining of the vein is only one cell thick that

keeps the blood from adhering to the walls,

he said. And so any injury to the vein could

compromise the longevity how long that

graft could stay open. ...

The [endoscopic] surgery was always

pretty controversial, he added. There

was always a thought that the endoscopic

procedure was more damaging to the vein

than doing an open technique. But, he added,

a lot of it is due to the person thats doing the

surgery.

After his training, one younger surgeon

at Genesis was interested in doing the

endoscopic technique for vein harvesting.

Other surgeons, he said, still preferred the

open method: Were used to doing it this way.

Weve always done it this way. Beyond that

emotional resistance, Starenko said, manysurgeons opted for caution: Is there more

potential for you to compromise the quality of

the surgery?

At the outset, he noted, the learning curve

was very, very steep. Harvesting the veins

endoscopically often took longer than doing it

the old way.

But the trade-off, Starenko said, was worth it

even as he was mastering and becoming more

efficient at the endoscopic technique. You

could have it take a little bit longer in the OR

[operating room], but theres relatively little

complication and very little pain ... in terms of

the leg. ... The patients can be up and walking

sooner with less pain, ... [which] far outweighs

spending a little extra time in the OR.

And new surgeons who came on-board at

Genesis, he said, recognized the benefits of

endoscopic harvesting and saw it as the wave

of the future.

A Lifelong EndeavorStarenko has been a part of spreading

that wave. In addition to his full-time job at

Genesis, he does endoscopic vein harvesting

at Trinity and in Iowa City and Peoria.In 2008, he began doing regional trainings

on endoscopic vein harvesting for Maquet. A

year later, he became a clinical ambassador

for the company and has since done trainings

around the world: Finland, Germany, the

Netherlands, Turkey, and multiple times in

Brazil. (Those trainings are done during his

vacation time.)

While the technique is now widely accepted

in the U.S., Starenko said he still encounters

objections in other countries. Angela Breaux,global training program manager for Maquet,

said that roughly 80 percent of heart-bypass

procedures in the U.S. now harvest veins

endoscopically, but outside of the U.S., its

pretty much untapped.

In Brazil, Starenko said, there was still

in their minds a controversy the concern

about potential damage to the vein.

Thats often erased, however, when doctors

see a patient the next day. Sometimes they

[patients] didnt even know that theyd had an

operation on their leg, because the pain was so

insignificant, he said.

Breaux said that Starenko is one of several-

dozen international trainers Maquet has used.

Hes really passionate about endoscopic vein

harvesting, she said. Hes very personable,

also. And he adapts to the situation really well.

Doctors in Brazil, she added, asked for him

a few times. And it was because of his being so

open and very nurturing even in trying to

get them to start [with] the new technology.

Starenko is doing fewer Maquet trainingsthese days, for an obvious reason: As more

and more doctors are trained internationally,

theres less need for trainers from the United



8/24


want to be able to replicate and make exactlythat. ... Shell work on a sound for eight

hours.

Christian Lee Hutson:A Really Strange,Narcissistic Pop Record

When I talked with Hutson by phonerecently, he said I caught him at an odd time:He was listening to a song by an ex-girlfriendthat he was pretty sure was about him.

It was deserved payback, he admitted:

Ive written two records about her. This iswhat it feels like. His joking advice: Neverdate a musician that has a voice, also.

Like Diaz, Hutson has dressed up darksongs in a pop costume, working withproducer David Mayfield on his release-one-song-per-month 2014 album Yeah Okay,I Know. But while Diazs record would fitcomfortably on pop radio the songs arefully invested and transformed Hutsons ismerely trying on outfits.

The songs undoubtedly have the rightwarmth, but their roots in the singer/songwriter tradition show through.

I listen to a lot of pop music, and I reallywanted to make a pop record, he explained.Thats a really strange choice consideringeverything I had done musically up to thatpoint.

He added that his and Mayfieldsdispositions dont really lend themselves topop; he said that hes too much of a weirdo

to make a pure pop record, and Yeah Okay,I Knowended up a really strange, overlyself-aware, narcissistic pop record. (This wasdelivered with a laugh a protective layer ofself-deprecation.)

That mix of serious, sharp Americanasongwriting, oddball instrumentation, andear candy can best be heard on PlayingDead. It has an organic core Hutsons

voice and bright guitar and synth thatsstretched by beats and a climactic screech ofmelodic guitar noise.

The recordings began with Hutsonplaying the songs on guitar a rawperformance of them, he said and thenwed kind of go through it and tear it apart or

Vol. 22 No. 869Nov. 13 - 25, 2014

River Cities Reader532 W. 3rd St.

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and available free throughout the Quad Cities

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2014 River Cities Reader

AD DEADLINE:5 p.m. Wednesday prior to publication

PUBLISHERTodd McGreevyEDITOR

Kathleen McCarthy

EDITORIALManaging Editor: Jeff Ignatius [email protected]

Arts Editor, Calendar Editor: Mike Schulz [email protected]

Contributing Writers: Amy Alkon, Rob Brezsny, Rich

Miller, Sherry C. Maurer, Frederick Morden, Bruce Walters,

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ADVERTISINGAccount Executives:

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Greg FitzPatrick, Daniel Levsen,

Jay Strickland, Doug Wilming

Its not allbright beats and

keys, though.Closer Asheshas a sweet buthaunted, arresting

vocal breakthat carries theslightest hint ofthreat. In themiddle of therecord, the indie-rock guitar ofThe First Time

and the low-endpiano and bluntpercussion ofGhost Riderhave a leanmuscularity thathelps anchor

Phantom.Diaz often uses the word lush to

describe her sonic goals with Phantom,and producer Nick Ruth was essential in

accomplishing them, she said.The pair first met on a blind writing

session, and they spent the first four hoursjust talking. For a second I really thoughtthat we would maybe end up better talkingfriends than musical friends, she said.

But their first writing session spawnedPhantoms The Other Side, and she foundthat Ruth was the first producer candidatewhogotthe scope of the record spanning arelationship from its beginning to its end. It

helped that he shared her belief in pop musicbeyond sugarcoating songs.

I hadnt really found anyone that I feltcould cover the width of the record yet, shesaid, adding that both she and Ruth have alove of pop with a lush, wide landscape, butnothing hollow and nothing shallow. ... Hebrought a warm thoughtfulness to it that itdefinitely needed and that I was looking for.

Given the emphasis Diaz places onthe pop elements of these songs, it wasimportant that she could re-create therecords sounds with a live band. Inparticular, she said, keyboardist Jenn Stonehelps achieve that.

Its pretty much all there, Diaz said. Shehears a sound on the record, and she goes, I

M

adi Diazsnew

albumPhantomis abreak-up record,but youd neverknow that from acasual listen andthats just what thesinger/songwriterwas aiming for.

Im tryingto push past thebreak-up-record

thing, she saidin a recent phoneinterview inadvance of herNovember 21record-releaseshow at Rozz-Tox.Im hoping the music pulls it past the cold,harsh idea of a break-up record. ... Thatskind of my favorite thing, that juxtaposition:the very dry, grounded, present lyrics with a

kind of uplifting, soaring musical bed. Thatswhat I was striving for with the record.

Both Diaz and Christian Lee Hutson who will be returning to the Quad Cities forthe Daytrotter.com show with Diaz arepromoting records whose idiosyncratic poptextures mask darker emotional content.

For Diaz, that pop direction was a choiceborn of practical considerations. Youbecome very aware of the idea that youregoing to have to live with this thing for a

couple of years if youre lucky, she said ofthe album. And I wanted to definitely makesure the music was something that mademe feel powerful, empowered and not justillustrating the sadness.

Fillermagazine called Phantoma beautiful blend of pop hooks andstorytelling and an indelible listen thatwill have you humming your favorite tracksthrough the week. And taste-maker radiostation KCRW noted: Rarely has an albumabout being knocked down by life soundedso attractively catchy ... . Glossy productionnicely shapes Diazs dance-music-fleckedsongs, which throb with subterranean basslines, ear-tickling refrains, and her owngenuine, no-frills vocals.

Madi Diaz and Christian Lee Hutson, November 21 at Rozz-Tox

Break-Up Artistsby Jeff Ignatius

[email protected]

MUSIC

Madi Diaz



9/24


Annoyedby localradio

stations thatswitch to 24hours of holi-day music onNovember 5, aswell as storesthat set up holi-day displays be-

fore Halloween,I wasnt all thatkeen on seeinga Christmas musical in early November.However, Irving Berlins White Christmasis my kind of holiday production: Its lighton its emphasis on Christmas cheer, andplays out as a musical that justhappens totake place ahead of the holidays.

With its latest, the Circa 21 DinnerPlayhouses production set me on my

first step toward the holiday spirit,with Berlins wonderful songs boastingfantastic vocals and rich harmoniesduring Saturdays performance. The castcould drop the book by David Ives andPaul Blake and simply perform the songs,and the piece would be just as superb,especially given director/choreographerAnn Niemans energetic, infectiousdance steps. (This is particularly trueof those numbers featuring tap, among

them the showstopping Act II openerI Love a Piano.) They dont drop thebook, though, and White Christmasplot featuring two servicemen seekinga female duet for their musical act ameans of honoring their former general only adds to the fun.

Despite Circa 21s delicious, holiday-spiced meal and one of the mostentertaining, energetic pre-shows Ive yetseen from the Bootleggers (who performsongs related to year-round weather),I was initially a bit underwhelmed bySusan D. Holgerssons minimalist scenicdesign, with the stages ornamentationlimited to period, German-style,two-story buildings on the sides of theperformance space. I was, at least, until Irealized the beauty of Holgerssons set liesin its adaptability by way of backdrops,employed to depict settings such as theski lodge and barn owned by MichaelKennedys General Henry Waverly,

and the shows roll-in set pieces. Thoseinclude the train cars that show one sideof the train traveling to the Vermontski lodge, where Trey Getzs playboyPhil wants to convince stage partner

THEATRE By Thom [email protected]

Its Beginning to Look a Lot Like Irving Berlins White Christmas, at the Circa 21 Dinner Playhouse through December 28

Bob (DanielS. Hines) toadd Betty andJudy Haynes totheir musicalrevue sistersplayed by thebeautifullypaired SaraTubbs andErin Churchill.

(Along the way,theres an effortby Phil and

Judy to get Bob and Betty to fall in love,which seems an insurmountable taskgiven their tense first meeting.)

The story of these four is supported bya cast of colorful characters, includingKennedys lovably crotchety GeneralWaverly and the woman who runs hisski lodge, Rachelle Walljaspers Martha.

Walljasper offers another of WhiteChristmas several showstopping numbersin her Ethel Merman-esque delivery ofLet Me Sing & Im Happy, with JordynMitchell, on Saturday, offering a sweeterreprise of the number as Waverlys pluckydaughter Susan. (Mitchell shares the role,on alternating performances, with LailaHaley.) Kelly Lohrenz and Allison Nockdelight as a couple of dimwitted, squeaky-voiced bimbos, and Brad Hauskins elicits

laughs with his handyman-of-few-wordsEzekiel. My only complaint with anyof the characterizations would be withTristan Layne Tapscotts Mike, whoserves as Bobs and Phils stage manager.Tapscott, whom I usually enjoy seeingperform, here attempts a nasally voicefor his tense, over-stressed character thatrenders his Mike as an obvious character,one not unlike a Muppet (which mightbe understandable, given that the voice issimilar to the one Tapscott employed forRod in the District TheatresAvenue Q).

I otherwise enjoyed Circa 21s IrvingBerlins White Christmas, with its paradeof fabulous gowns and a particularlysnappy white tuxedo with a yellow vestand tie by costume designer GregoryHiatt. It may be too early for Christmas,but this musical is an excellent way tousher in the holiday season.

Irving Berlins White Christmas runs

at the Circa 21 Dinner Playhouse (1828Third Avenue, Rock Island) throughDecember 28, and more information andtickets are available by calling (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visiting Circa21.com.


10/24


Cheaper bythe Dozenseems a

perfect fit for acompany suchas the Rich-mond Hill BarnTheatre. Itsa wholesomefamily tale one featuring

a large groupof children that suits thetheatres charm,and given play-wright Christopher Sergels endearingscript, should easily please patrons.

Helping the matter is seeingRichmond Hill regular Jonathan Graffttackling the storys central figure ofMr. Gilbreth. As Mr. Gilbreth works toimprove his households efficiency andself-sufficiency before he dies (withYvonne Siddique playing a gracious,patient Mrs. Gilbreth), the actorbalances this efficiency experts concisenature with his sincere love for his 12children. While Sergels allusions toMr. Gilbreths impending death play asif the writer thinks hes being coy, theoutcome is overly predictable from theoutset. Yet director Joseph R. DePauwsstaging remains moving even when the

expected happens, mostly thanks toGraffts touching turn and the combinedcharisma of Cheaper by the Dozenschildren.

Though theres a lack of finesse to the

kids performances, that didnt at all ruin

my enjoyment of Thursdays show. In

part, theyre struggling with a weak-ish

script that includes too much exposition

shared between Ben Klockes Frank and

Elisabeth Graffts Ernestine after the

death of their father. Their conversationsbookend the plays larger scenes

(rendering those scenes as flashbacks),

with Frank and Ernestine fondly

remembering their fathers efficient

idiosyncrasies and the reasoning behind

them. But the language written for Frank

and Ernestine in these moments is

uncharacteristic of childrens speech and

consequently comes across as insincere

though not for lack of trying on the parts

of the amiable Klocke and the politelypoised Grafft.

Cheaper by the Dozens other scenes,however, benefit from the somewhatunpolished quality of the kids acting.The young performers are intrinsically


Eight Is Not EnoughCheaper by the Dozen, at the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre through November 16

delightful,but their linedeliveries addan even greateradorabilityfactor, whichis the mainselling pointfor RichmondHillsproduction.

Theyreespeciallyfun to watchas they teaseeach other and

interact in the background when its notone of their individual turns to speak.

P.J. Hilligoss, in particular, carries theburden of advancing the plots conflict.As the Gilbreths oldest girl Anne whos dressed in perfectly suitable,overly conservative garb by costumerSuzanne DeReu her headstrongindependence threatens to negativelyimpact Mr. Gilbreths plans to get hisfamily in order before his demise. Thetwo tussle over her desire to wear silkstockings and go on dates with boyson school nights, and while Hilligossearnestness seems forced at times, theactor also delivers some beautifullytender moments as she grows tounderstand her fathers situation. Her

defiance is consistently nuanced, with alayer of learned respect keeping her incheck despite Annes demand for morefreedom.

Mollie A. Schmelzer offers anotherlevel of conflict as Miss Brill, theinflexible teacher assigned to testthe Gilbreth children, each of whomhas skipped a grade here or there.Schmelzers take on the character isa bit on the extreme side, but shes so

committed to Miss Brills strict, shrillwickedness that Schmelzer ends upbeing a fun-to-hate villain.

In truth, there werent a lot of big

laughs from Thursdays audience.

However, Richmond Hills Cheaper by theDozendid elicit many a smile, and whilethis quaint, heartfelt family tale may not

thrill, it did delight me and my partners

11-year-old daughter quite a bit.

Cheaper by the Dozen runs at theRichmond Hill Barn Theatre (600 H.K.Robinson Drive, Geneseo) throughNovember 16, and more information andtickets are available by calling (309)944-2244 or visiting RHPlayers.com.

Ryan Rockensock, Hannah Hogue, and Amira Siddique


11/24


only one hour after he first lays eyes onit, and the deaths of at least two major,purportedly empathetic figures causingnot even a ripple of concern. Coopersqueasy affection for his 11-year-olddaughter, whom he makes sit on his lapat a NASA meeting. (McConaughey, ahelpless screen flirt and seducer, was

maybe not the best casting choice as adad who tries to cheer up his pre-teen bywhispering that theyll be the same age Imagine that! when he returns fromspace.) The chronically messy editing, inthe last half hour, between scenes of anEarth scuffle between Casey Affleck andTopher Grace and a space scuffle betweenMcConaughey and, per Nolans secrecyregarding the casting, An Actor WhoShould Not Be Named.

And the endless streams of crocodiletears: McConaughey weeps; Hathawayweeps; Jessica Chastain weeps; MichaelCaine weeps; An Actor Who Should NotBe Named weeps. None of it, however,is affecting, because Nolans directorialchilliness is completely mismatched withthe materials and performers strained,and inherently fraudulent, hyper-emotionalism. At its best, given Nolansobvious ambition and considerable skill,Interstellar is a pretty engaging pretty-bad

movie. At its worst, its like 2001: A SpaceOdyssey redesigned as a Nicholas Sparksweepie without kissing.

For reviews of Big Hero 6, Nightcrawler,the Putnam Museums Galapagos 3D:Natures Wonderland, and other currentreleases, visit RiverCitiesReader.com.

Follow Mike on Twitter at Twitter.com/MikeSchulzNow.

Movie Reviews by Mike Schulz [email protected]

INTERSTELLAR

With his breathlessly anticipated,behemoth-sized space opera Interstellar,has Christopher Nolan finally bitten offmore than he can chew, or simply morethan I can chew? Id like to believe the latter,considering I like three of Nolans eightprevious features and adore four others

(with apologies to Batman Begins, which Imerely tolerate), and considering half themovies dialogue is elaborate techo-jargonthat I was predisposed not to understand.But like an itchy lover who says Its not you;its me when he really means the opposite,Im still laying most of my dissatisfaction atNolans feet, and for a pretty basic reason:For all of its narrative and technical razzle-dazzle, Interstellar is the mans first film thatsexpressly about humans, and humans arent

remotely close to being Nolans strong suit.He clearly gets the idea of humans; if

he didnt, his works wouldnt continuallybe populated with extraordinary actorswho can usually be counted on to suggestinterior life in roles written with no interiorlife. Interstellar, though, unwittinglydemonstrates Nolans unfortunate deficiencywhen everyone on-screen isnt a comic-book character or a jigsaw-puzzle piece ora flicker in Cillian Murphys subconscious.

Nolans and brother Jonathans screenplayis packed to brimming with high-mindedoratory, and more frequent stump speeches,about the ephemeral nature of existenceand the undying bonds of love, and DylanThomas Do not go gentle into that goodnight poem is name-checked and twiceread in its entirety at particularly earnestmoments. (Youll know when theyre landingbecause Hans Zimmers blaring, church-organ score gets louder and church-ier than

usual.) Yeteven with allthose scriptedsignposts andInterstellarscast emotingtheir hearts out,the humanity

that theNolans keepreferencingremainstheoretical. Collectively, the actors, thescript, and the score do so much forced,oppressive sobbing that they dont leave youroom for an honest emotion of your own,and I wound up feeling nothing at the movieexcept admiration for its craftsmanship, andrelief that I managed to stay alert for thenearly three hours of its running length.

That I did stay alert is testament toInterstellars fantastic hook; giving creditwhere its certainly due, Christopher Nolanis an expert at making you really want toenjoy his films. In an effort to keep thingssimple, allow me to just iterate what youlikely already know about the story: At someunspecified point in the future, the Earths amess (if a production-design beaut). Cornis practically the only crop still able to grow,destructive dirt storms routinely force the

population indoors, and scientists estimatethat were only a couple generations awayfrom planetary extinction. Blessedly, though,a wormhole leading to other, potentiallymore hospitable galaxies has been discoverednear Saturn. So a space-exploration teamled by Matthew McConaugheys engineer-turned-farmer Cooper is sent to enter itand, billions of fingers crossed, find a wayto either save Earth or scoot our citizenryelsewhere.

I actuallycouldve usedmy full wordcount to fleshout those fewsentences, andthats withoutgetting into

Coopers griefat abandoninghis daughter(he also

abandons a son, but he and the Nolansarent much concerned about that), or thereams of space-time-continuum exposition,or the beat-the-clock plotting that findsseven years passing for every hour Cooperand Anne Hathaways shipmate spend on adistant planet. (At times, the movie suggestsa 180-degree spin on McConaugheys mostfamous line from Dazed & Confused: Theyget older, I stay the same age.) And muchof Interstellars space stuff is sublime: Therichly imagined worlds of water and ice,with their mountain-range-sized wavesand frozen clouds; the late-film flips inperspective and gravity that easily rivalsimilar feats in Inception; the brilliantly

visualized ambulatory magnets that serveas wisecracking robots. (One of them isamusingly voiced by Bill Irwin, who played

Hathaways dad in Rachel Getting Married,so at least she hasnt been abandoned by herpapa.)

But, oh, theres so much else to contendwith. The dialogue, which, when its notinscrutable (The laws of nature prohibit anaked singularity!), is merely overwrought.(Its not possible! No. Its necessary. Cuethe church organ.) The corner-cuttingstorytelling, which finds Cooper entrustedwith a spacecraft he has no training on

To Be Continuum-ed

Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, and

David Gyasi inInterstellar

by Mike Schulz [email protected] Mike Schulz [email protected]


12/24


TheatreYes, Virginia, ThereIs a Santa ClausPlaycrafters Barn Theatre

Friday, November 14,

through Sunday, November 23

We take pleasure inanswering at onceand thus prominently thecommunication to the right,expressing at the same timeour great gratification that itsfaithful author is numberedamong the friends of theReader.

Virginia, your little friendsare wrong. They may havebeen affected by the skepticismof a skeptical age. They think

that nothing can be which isnot comprehensible by theirlittle minds.

Yes, Virginia, there is aSanta Claus. How do I know?Because thats also the titleof a holiday play that provesit one that opens at MolinesPlaycrafters Barn Theatre onNovember 14.

Inspired by a letter writtenby a little girl just like youmore than 100 years ago, thischarming and heartwarmingtale by Andrew Fenadyimagines the story behind thewriting of that missive, and the

responseits question

provokes in the grievingjournalist entrusted tocompose a reply. The scriptis also based on Fenadysbeloved 1991 television movie

of the same title, which foundRichard Thomas, EdwardAsner, and even CharlesBronson learning the truemeaning of Christmas. Alas!how dreary the world would beif there were no Santa Claus. Itwould be as dreary as if therewere no Virginias.

But there is a Virginia inPlaycrafters Yes, Virginia,

There Is a Santa Claus, andshes played by a gifted youngactress named Lena Slininger.And joining her in directorJordan Smiths cast are 20additional theatrical talents,

among them many

performers you mayrecognize, such asDavid Bailey, DonFaust, AshleyHoskins, Lisa Kahn,Josh LeFebvre,Grace Moore,Dana Moss-Peterson, BillPeiffer, DonnaWeeks, and

Chris Zayner.So take

heart, Virginia.The most real

things in the world are thosethat neither children nor mencan see. No Santa Claus! ThankGod! he lives, and he livesforever. A thousand years fromnow, Virginia, nay, ten timesten thousand years from now,

he will continue to make gladthe heart of childhood.But youd better get those

Playcrafters tickets now,because this Santa Claus willonly be around til November23. And tell Papa hes right.

Sincerely: An Editor.

Yes, Virginia, There Is a SantaClaus will be staged Fridaysand Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and

Sundays at 3 p.m., and moreinformation and tickets areavailable by calling (309)762-0330 or visiting Playcrafters.com.

DearEditor,

Iam8yearso

ld.Some

ofmylittlefrien

dssay

thereisnoSant

aClaus.

Papasays,Ify

ouseeitin

theReader,itss

o.Please

tellmethetruth

:Istherea

SantaClau

s? Virginia

Whats Happenin

TheatreThe Dames of Denmark in HamletQC Theatre Workshop

Friday, November 21, through Sunday, November 23

For classical-theatre troupe the Prenzie Players, theabridgment of Shakespeares texts isnt unusual. Double-,triple-, and quadruple-casting isnt unusual. Female performers

playing male roles isnt unusual. But four women enacting a

70-minute Hamlet with each of them getting to play the titularprince? Thats unusual.

Its really kind of an intense and crazy-fun thing, says

director/adapter/co-star Cait Bodenbender of this particular

Hamlet, which will be staged, as a Prenzie Players fundraiser,

at the QC Theatre Workshop November 21 through 23. Its

extremely edited, she admits, but all of the soliloquies are

there, and its definitely still Hamlets show. Maybe even more

than it was originally.

Its also a showcase for the Prenzie Players offshoot the

Dames of Denmark, a female ensemble composed of Prenzie

veterans among them Hamlets Bodenbender, Stephanie

Burrough, Maggie Woolley, and Denise Yoder who longed totackle Shakespeares male-dominated classic. About three years

ago, Stephanie was talking about really wanting to tell Hamlets

story, says Bodenbender. And a group of us said, Well, we all

want to do that, so lets just try it and see what happens.

Followin

performanc

the Dames

deliver at le

Were desi

and Four in

we were ver

language, so the show is very

But, Bodenbender conti

and Old Hamlet, the ghost.

Gertrude and Marcellus, wh

to survive the cuts. Maggie is

kind of a combination Orsic/is Ophelia, the Norwegian ca

really excited that I managed

She adds, though, that her

gravedigger, not two, and th

shows 70-minute length rea

beautiful lines I tried really h

wouldve had to keep so muc

much time. So even though

own to Rosencrantz and Gui

Bodenbender, laughing. Th

The Dames of Denmarksand Saturday at 8 p.m. and S

performance featuring the 7

& Present and more infor

calling (309)278-8426 or visi

ComedyBill MaherAdler Theatre

Sunday, November 23, 7:30 p.m.

Comedian/pundit Bill Maher brings his nationally touringstand-up act to Davenports Adler Theatre on November

23. Maher is the host of HBOs R

and the former host of the ComPolitically Incorrect. His 2008 fil

highest-grossing documentary f

his first Emmy Award this past

additional 33 nominations. He s

and the advisory board for Proje

news-program commentator. H

televised comedy specials. He h

Walk of Fame.

Continued From Page 3

Iraq War Stories: An Army Nurses Perspectiveby Kathleen McCarthy

[email protected]

Leavenworth, Kansas, I was introduced to a

phenomenon called the Abilene Paradox,which I think best describes our march towar in 2003.

The Abilene Paradox is a leadership-training video on group decision-making.It shows through a funny story, usingcharacters much like sketches of TheFamily on The Carol Burnett Show howgroups of people collectively decide ona course of action that is counter to thepreferences of many of the individuals in

the group. It involves a common breakdownof group communication in which eachmember mistakenly believes that his or herown preferences are counter to the groupsand, therefore, does not raise objections.A common phrase relating to the Abilene

Paradox is a desire not to rock the boat. In

the case of the film, its an issue of getting onthe bus on a terribly hot day to have lunch atLubys a place where nobody really wantsto go but no one wants to object.

As the march to war began, I rememberone Sunday morning in 2002 at Fort Hood,Texas, getting ready to go to church andlistening to Face the Nation. I heard VicePresident Dick Cheney talking aboutconnections between 9/11 and Iraq, andthe desire for regime change. I vividly

remember asking, out loud, What the helldoes Iraq have to do with 9/11? and thenwalking back to the bathroom, mumblingto myself: Another Abilene [expletive]Paradox.

If youre interested in researching our

march to war in Iraq and the timelines, the

account Ive found most comprehensive,thorough, and completely sourced toprimary documents was published inMother

Jonesin September 2006 with the title Lieby Lie: A Timeline of How We Got Into Iraq(RCReader.com/y/lie).

To quote the article: The blame forIraq does not end with Cheney, Bush,or Rumsfeld. Nor is it limited to theintelligence operatives who sat silent asthe administration cherry-picked its case

for war, or with those like Colin Powell orHans Blix, who, in the name of loyalty orstatesmanship, did not give full throat totheir misgivings. It is also shared by far toomany in the Fourth Estate, most notably theNew York Times. But let us not forget that

it lies, inescapably, with we, the American

people, who, in our fear and rage over thecatastrophic events of September 11, 2001,

allowed ourselves to be suckered into the

most audacious bait-and-switch of all time.

The bait was bin Laden and Afghanistan;

the switch came a year later with the drums

of war beating for Iraq and the threat of a

smoking gun becoming a mushroom cloud.

Remember the Axis of Evil State of the

Union address?

Having obtained his permission, I

would like to quote former Congressmanfrom Iowa Jim Leach, from a speech he

gave on April 10 here in Davenport. In

congratulating St. Ambrose University for

WORDS FROM THE EDITOR



13/24


MUSICThursday, November 13, and

Friday, November 14 The Grand

Tour: A Tribute to George Jones.

Musical revue featuring Larry Tobiasas the country-music superstar. Circa21 Dinner Playhouse (1828 ThirdAvenue, Rock Island). Thursday: 6 p.m.buffet, 7:15 p.m. show, $49.12. Friday:noon plated lunch, 1 p.m. show,$43.37. For tickets and information,call (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visit

Circa21.com.Thursday, November 13

Andrew Landers and Ellis Kell:

Stories & Songs. Concert of folksongs and folk tales with the areamusicians. The Redstone Room(129 Main Street, Davenport).7:30 p.m. $11.50. For tickets andinformation, call (563)326-1333 orvisit RiverMusicExperience.org.

Friday, November 14 Hunter

Hayes. Country singer, songwriter,and multi-instrumentalist in concert.i wireless Center (1201 River Drive,Moline). 7:30 p.m. $32.50-45. Fortickets, call (800)745-3000 or visitiwirelessCenter.com.

Friday, November 14 Judah &

the Lion. Concert with the Nashville-based Americana/pop musicians,featuring an opening set by Joseph& Hope Country. The RedstoneRoom (129 Main Street, Davenport).8 p.m. $11.50. For tickets andinformation, call (563)326-1333 orvisit RiverMusicExperience.org.

What ElseIs Happenin

by Mike Schulz

[email protected]


MusicLegendary Shack ShakersRock Island Brewing Company

Friday, November 14, 9 p.m.

On November 14, the RockIsland Brewing Companyhosts an evening with the

Legendary Shack Shakers,

rockabilly/blues musicians whom

Stephen King has called a dynamite

group whose output I actually play

when Im working, pretending to

work, or just goofing around. Given

that the bands discography includes

the songs Blood on the Bluegrass,

The Hills of Hell, Sin Eater, and

Hellwater, why King is goofing

around when he could instead be

adapting Legendary Shack Shakers

songs into horror novels is beyond

me.Formed in Paducah, Kentucky,

in the mid-90s by lead vocalist and

harmonica and banjo player J.D.

Wilkes a talent whom Chicagos

Alarm Magazine describes as

the closest thing there is to theAmbassador of Genuine TraditionalSouthern Culture the Legendary

Shack Shakersgot their bigbreak in, ofall things,a GEICOcommercial.(The company

used the bands CD Song in its

2005 Sunglasses spot, which ranon TV for a full year.) But it certainlydidnt take long for the groupssignature blend of rock, countryblues, old-timey stylings, and evencarnival music to appeal to a farlarger demographic than strapped-ingeckos wearing shades.

During the year that commercialhit big, Robert Plant called theLegendary Shack Shakers Believe hisfavorite album of 2005, and recruitedthe musicians as openers on hisEuropean tour. They went on to sharetouring engagements with the likesof the Black Keys, Hank WilliamsIII, and Rancid, and found their

Swampblood tune included on theGrammy-nominated soundtrack forHBOs True Blood. They also becameoccasional stage stars in Denmark,where the Legendary Shack Shakersoccasionally perform in the illegal-gun-trade drama FUBAR. forCopenhagens Mute Comp Theatre.

And critics have gone suitablywild for the famously invigoratingband, with Billboard magazine ravingabout the groups mind-blowing

lyrics rife with biblical references andruminations on life, death, sin, andredemption, and News of the Worlddeeming it the maddest, baddest,most outrageous band in America.Pitchfork magazine, meanwhile,simply calls the Legendary ShackShakers a shit-kickin good time.So have a blast at their RIBCOengagement. Preferably in shoes thatwont stain.

The Legendary Shack Shakersperform locally with opening setsby Aaron Lee Tasjan and the KrankDaddies, and more information isavailable by calling (309)793-4060 or

visiting RIBCO.com.

three iterations (and public

es) of the work, Bodenbender says

urrent Hamlet lets each principal

st one of its leads soliloquies.

nated Hamlets One, Two, Three,

the script, she says. As a group,

y interested in exploring Hamlets

much focused on him.

ues, Im also playing Claudius

enise is also Polonius and

s the only member of the Watch

Laertes and Orsic, whos now

Horatio character. And Stephanietain, and the gravedigger. I was

to keep the gravedigger.

Hamlet features only one

t many of the edits made for the

lly hurt to do. There were some

rd to keep. But if I kept them, I

else for context that added too

om Stoppard gave a play of their

denstern? Yeah, theyre out, says

yre cut right out.

amlet will be staged Fridaynday at 3 p.m. with Saturdays

.m. vocal history Prenzie: Past

ation and tickets are available by

ing PrenziePlayers.com.

eal Time with Bill Maher,

dy Central and ABC seriesReligulous is the eighth-

ature of all time. He won

ugust and has amassed an

rves on the board of PETA

ct Reason. Hes a frequent

s a frequent headliner of

s a star on the Hollywood

But fear not: I promise that, in this article, I wont even try to

be as smart or funny as Bill Maher.Instead, lets see how versed you are in the wit of the

masterful socio-political comedian! Which of the followingquotes is notone of Mahers?

1) All marriages are same sex marriages; you get married,and every night, its the same sex.

2) Can we go back to using Facebook for what it was

originally for: looking up exes to see how fat they got?

3) Kids theyre not easy, but there has to be some penalty

for sex.4) Suicide is mans way of telling God, You cant fire me; I

quit!

5) Women cannot complain about men anymore until they

start getting better taste in them.

For tickets to Bill Mahers Davenport performance, call

(800)745-3000 or visit AdlerTheatre.com.

Answer:TrickquestiontheyreallMaherquotes.Ithoughtaboutcomingupwithasmart,funnyonetotrytofoolyou,butapromiseisapromise,Isuppose.

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Friday, November 14 Jason Carl &

the Whole Damn Band and Patio.CD-release party with the area musicians.Rascals Live (1414 15th Street, Moline).9:30 p.m. For information, call (309)797-9457 or visit RascalsLive.com.

Friday, November 14 Manny Lopez

Big Band Veterans Day Concert. Lopezand his ensemble play hits from the BigBand era, with a special tribute to ournations veterans featuring the anthemsfor the Army, Navy, Air Force, andMarines. Circa 21 Speakeasy (1818 Third

Avenue, Rock Island). 6 p.m. $13-16. Fortickets and information, call (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visit Circa21.com.

Friday, November 14 Chase

Garretts Blues & Boogie Woogie Piano

Stomp. Fifth-annual concert showcasingpianists Garrett, Ricky Nye, and KennyBlues Boss Wayne. Englert Theatre (221East Washington Street, Iowa City). 8 p.m.$30-45. For tickets and information, call(319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.

Saturday, November 15 TheBallroom Thieves. Alternative, folk,and rock musicians in concert. TheRedstone Room (129 Main Street,Davenport). 8 p.m. $9.50. For tickets andinformation, call (563)326-1333 or visitRiverMusicExperience.org.

Sunday, November 16 Coleman

Harris Quartet. Harris and ensemblemembers Neal Smith, Jim Betts, andWayne Allen a concert in PolyrhythmsThird Sunday Jazz Series. The RedstoneRoom (129 Main Street, Davenport). 4p.m. reception, 6 p.m. concert. $10-15. For tickets and information, call(309)373-0790 or visit Polyrhythms.ning.com.

Sunday, November 16 My

Brightest Diamond. Singer/songwriterand multi-instrumentalist Shara Wordenin a concert co-presented by the EnglertTheatre, with opening sets by Dosh andGhostband. The Mill (120 East Burlington

Street, Iowa City). 8 p.m. $16. For ticketsand information, call (319)688-2653 orvisit Englert.org.

Tuesday, November 18 The

Grownup Noise. Boston-basedAmericana/pop musicians in concert.Rozz-Tox (2108 Third Avenue, RockIsland). 8 p.m. $5-10. For information, call(309)200-0978 or visit RozzTox.com.

Wednesday, November 19

Lucky Break. Bluegrass standards

and traditional Jewish music with theMidwestern artists, presented in theJewish Federation of the Quad CitiesJews Rock series. The Redstone Room(129 Main Street, Davenport). 7:30 p.m.

$5-12. For information, call (309)793-1300 or visit JFQC.org.

Thursday, November 20

Daytrotter Communion. Concertwith independent musicians MikhaelPaskalev, Luke Bell, and other guests.Rock Island Brewing Company (1815Second Avenue, Rock Island). 7 p.m.$12.50-15. For information, call (309)793-4060 or visit RIBCO.com.

Friday, November 21, and Saturday,

November 22 Quad City Symphony

Orchestra Holiday Pops. Annual

holiday concerts with the symphony,area childrens choirs, and the acrobatsof Cirque de la Symphonie. Adler Theatre(136 East Third Street, Davenport).Friday 8 p.m., Saturday 2:30 and 8 p.m.$8-50. For tickets and information, call(563)322-7276 or visit QCSymphony.com.

Friday, November 21 Bucktown

Revue. A celebration of MississippiRiver Valley folk music and culture

through music, storytelling, poetry, andhumor. Nighswander Theatre (2822Eastern Avenue, Davenport). 7 p.m.$12 at the door. For information, call(563)940-0508 or visit BucktownRevue.com.

Friday, November 21, through

Sunday, November 23 Only a

Miracle and The Play of Herod. Opera@Augustana presents works by SeymourBarab and the Fleury Playbook.Augustana Colleges DenkmannMemorial Hall (3520 Seventh Avenue,Rock Island). 7 p.m. $12-14. For ticketsand information, call (309)794-7306 orvisit Augustana.edu/arts.

Friday, November 21 The Giving

Tree Band.Folk-rock and bluegrassmusicians in concert, with an openingset by the Nick Moss Band. TheRedstone Room (129 Main Street,Davenport). 8 p.m. $12-15. For ticketsand information, call (563)326-1333 or

visit RiverMusicExperience.org.Friday, November 21 Madi Diaz.

Singer/songwriter performs her record-release show with an opening set byChristian Lee Hutson. Rozz-Tox (2108Third Avenue, Rock Island). 7:30 p.m. $7-12. For information, call (309)200-0978or visit RozzTox.com.

Saturday, November 22 Dj Vu

Rendezvous with Vince Amore. Pop,classical, and big-band musician in

concert. The Redstone Room (129 MainStreet, Davenport). 7 p.m. $9.50. Fortickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.

Saturday, November 22 Karl

Green. Concert with the foundingmember and bassist of HermansHermits and his band, with an openingset by The Multiple Cat. Codfish HollowBarn (5013 288th Avenue, Maquoketa).8 p.m. $35. For tickets and information,visit CodfishHollowBarnstormers.com.

Saturday, November 22 Rosanne

Cash. Concert with the chart-topping,Grammy-winning country singer.Englert Theatre (221 East WashingtonStreet, Iowa City). 8 p.m. $42-57.50. Fortickets and information, call (319)688-

2653 or visit Englert.org.Sunday, November 23 A Day of

Giving and Receiving: Anns Helping

Hands Fundraiser. Benefit to raisemoney for Christmas-meal baskets,featuring music by The Last Glimpse,Dusty Liquor Box, 1380, Back in theDay, and Daves Not Here, Man. TheRedstone Room (129 Main Street,Davenport). 3 p.m. $10. For tickets andinformation, call (563)326-1333 or visit

RiverMusicExperience.org.Tuesday, November 25 Slipknot.

Heavy-metal musicians in their Preparefor Hell tour, with opening sets by Kornand King 810.i wireless Center (1201River Drive, Moline). 7 p.m. $35-65.For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visitiwirelessCenter.com.

THEATREFriday, November 14, through

Sunday, November 23 Angels in

America: Millennium Approaches. Partone of Tony Kushners Tony- and PulitzerPrize-winning 1980s epic, directed byTristan Layne Tapscott. District Theatre(1623 Second Avenue, Rock Island).Thursdays through Saturdays 8 p.m.,Sundays 2 p.m. $20. For tickets andinformation, call (309)235-1654 or visitDistrictTheatre.com.

Saturday, November 15, and

Sunday, November 16 A Grateful

Nation. Reader-theatre drama about asmall Iowa community during World WarII, written by Ron Clark and Rick Williams.Riverside Theatre (213 North GilbertStreet, Iowa City). Saturday 7:30 p.m.,Sunday 2 p.m. $15-20. For tickets andinformation, call (319)338-7672 or visitRiversideTheatre.org.

DANCEFriday, November 21 Augustana

Dance Company. Choreographedvignettes with the schools dance troupe.Augustana Colleges Centennial Hall(3703 Seventh Avenue, Rock Island). 7p.m. $3-7. For tickets and information,

call (309)794-7306 or visit Augustana.edu/arts.

COMEDYSaturday, November 15 Paul

Rodriguez. Touring event with thestand-up comedian and TV/film star.Quad-Cities Waterfront Event Center(2021 State Street, Bettendorf). 8 p.m.$30. For information, call (800)843-4753or visit Bettendorf.IsleOfCapriCasinos.com.

Saturday, November 15 AnEvening with Henry Rollins.Comedy,insight, and rants with the spoken-word artist. Englert Theatre (221 EastWashington Street, Iowa City). 7:30p.m. $30. For tickets and information,call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.For a 2010 interview with Rollins, visitRCReader.com/y/rollins.

EXHIBIT

Saturday, November 15, throughSunday, March 15 Self-Taught

Genius: Treasures from the American

Folk Art Museum. Nationally touringexhibit featuring quilts, furniture,paintings, sculptures, books, andassemblages dating from the 18thto 21st centuries. Figge Art Museum(225 West Second Street, Davenport).Tuesdays through Saturdays 10 a.m.-5p.m., Thursdays 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Sundaysnoon-5 p.m. $4-7 museum admission.For information, call (563)326-7804 orvisit FiggeArtMuseum.org.

EVENTSThursday, November 13 Lights,

Camera, Literacy! Food for Thought

Fundraiser. A night of dining aroundthe library, featuring food stations fromarea chefs, soft drinks, wine, beer, andmusic by the Edgar Crockett Duo andLee Blackmon. Rock Island Public Library

(401 19th Street, Rock Island). 5 p.m.$35-40. For tickets and information, call(309)732-7326 or visit RockIslandLibrary.org.

Saturday, November 22, through

Sunday, November 30 Quad

City Arts Festival of Trees.Annualfundraising exhibit featuring hundredsof decorated trees, presentations, livemusic, a parade, childrens activities,and more. Davenport RiverCenter (136

East Third Street, Davenport). $3-10. Fortickets and daily-schedule information,call (309)793-1213 or visit QuadCityArts.com/festivaloftrees.

Continued From Page 13

What Else Is Happenin


15/24


New Ground Theatres ClybournePark, written by Bruce Norris as asequel, of sorts, to Lorraine Hans-

berrys classic playA Raisin in the Sun, takesquite a bit of time to get rolling. But onceit does, this exploration of racial tensionsat different points in American history iswickedly hilarious. Director Chris Janseneffectively employs slow pacing to buildto a significant payoff, particularly in thesecond act, when the purposefully blandtone fits the plays scene of a neighborhood-association meeting. Following Fridaysperformance, I was amused at how, duringthe presentation, I went from being almostbored to laughing heartily.

Jansens staging is strengthened by hercast of mostly newcomers to the VillageTheatre stage. Even better, with ClybourneParksfirst act taking place in 1959 and thesecond act in 2009, and the actors playingdifferent characters in each, were privy totheir generally notable performance range.

This is especially true of Caciona Bernstromand Kelly Thompson. In Act I, Bernstromplays Francine, the housekeeper of ShanaKulhavys poised yet outspoken Bev, whosports a stunning period hairdo and tea-length dress and who, thanks to Kulhavy,drops sharply funny lines with adept comicdelivery. Bernstroms Francine is every bitthe quiet, unassuming servant who makesan effort to be as unobtrusive as possible.

That is, until her husband Albert (Chris

Page) arrives and she unleashes her truenature on him, berating and belittlinghim while beating him out the door withher purse. Prior to that, the delicate wayFrancine attempts to traverse the discussionsthe white people are having in her presenceeffectively demonstrates the conditionsfor black men and woman in the 1950s.As those around her argue about whetherBev and Mark McGinns Russ should selltheir house to a black person which Ryan

Mauritzs forthright, barely controlledKarl insists will lower the neighborhoodsproperty values Francine must stay tothe side, her eyes cast down in an effort toavoid attention in the midst of this insultingconversation.

Then, after intermission, 2009 hits, andBernstroms Lena is in power, impatientlysitting through a meeting regarding thedemolition and redevelopment of the samehouse in which the 1959 segment took place.The gradually gentrifying neighborhood isnow populated mostly with black men andwomen, yet a white couple wants to movein, tear down the house, and build a largerhome that goes beyond the neighborhoodassociations rules. Here, Bernstrom offers


There Go the NeighborhoodsClybourne Park, at the Village Theatre through November 16

no pretense in her character. Lena is boredand annoyed with the constant flow ofdistracting conversations that have nothingto do with the point of the meeting, andwhen she speaks her mind, you know herexact intent by her vocal tone. (She alsodelivers a deliciously vicious "Why is a whitewoman like a tampon?" joke in the midstof an exchange of such jokes, one meant totheoretically prove her lack of racism whilealso carrying a threatening undertone.)Meanwhile, Lenas husband Kevin (ChrisPage again) is trying to play nice in hisnonchalant manner, and attempts to makeconversation with Mauritzs accidentallyoffensive Steve, the man who wants toredevelop the property.

As for Thompson, her Act I characterBetsy is a deaf woman, and Thompsonspeaks so effectively in the voice of a personthats never heard sound before that Iinitially wondered if the actor was, indeed,deaf. In Act II, however, playing Steves wife

Lindsey, shes a woman of strong character,but one with an accepting, politically correctworldview. Each role, as portrayed byThompson, is distinct and utterly believable.

In the second half of the play, Kulhavycontinues her laugh-inducing one-linersas Karls and Lindseys lawyer Kathy, awoman who has to always interject withher empathy for those speaking. ("My sisterwas raped!") McGinn, who plays Act IsRuss with rehearsed earnestness, enacts a

more believably sincere simpleton in ActIIs Dan, a sort of handyman handling thepreparation of the house for demolition.Tyler Hennings Act I clergyman Jim andhis Act II lawyer for Lena and Kevin are notas varied as McGinns portrayals but hischaractersare distinctly different from thebold, self-confident roles Im used to seeinghim in with Genesius Guild.

Also noteworthy are Jansens selectionsfor pre-show and intermission music,

with songs selected to depict the timeperiods in each act. Scenic designer PattyKoenigsaeckers set is a simple one that lendsitself to an effective switch of time periods,especially with Act IIs addition of a holein the plaster on the wall. I enjoyed NewGrounds Clybourne Parkperhaps morethan I should have considering its study ofracial tensions. Then again, that reaction isprobably Norris intent, and Im still laughingabout the uncomfortably humorous way hehandles the plays issues.

Clybourne Park runs at the Village Theatre(2113 East 11th Street, Davenport) throughNovember 16, and more information andtickets are available by calling (563)326-7529

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17/24


MUSIC

symphonies, the finales were dashing races

to the end, triumphant declarations, or acombination of both, but not in the Sixth.

The last movement of the Pathetiqueis a

slow, lamenting musical cry of resignation,

depression, and futility. The fading musical

heartbeat in the pizzicato basses that ends

the work is surprising in its bold realization

that all symphonies dont require a lively,

emphatic ending and its shocking as an

omen of Tchaikovskys own death nine days

after the works premiere.

Musicologists have argued over theSixths Finale as a musical suicide note,

but all theories were rendered superficial

against the gloriously painful and beautiful

sadness that the orchestra infused into

its performance. Combining intense bow

pressure with speed, vibrato, and artistic

nuance, the color of the string-section

sound was riveting in the repeating melodic

sequences, each more forceful than the

last. The orchestra touched greatness in

its performance of this movement. Theexperience was transcendent.

For more information on the Quad City

Symphony, visit QCSymphony.com.

Frederick Morden is

river cities' reader - issue 869 - november 13, 2014

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