river cities' reader - issue 901 - february 4, 2016

8/20/2019 River Cities' Reader - Issue 901 - February 4, 2016

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River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 23 No. 901 • February 4 - 17, 20162 Business • Politics • Arts • Culture • Now You Know • RiverCitiesReader.com

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River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 23 No. 901 • February 4 - 17, 2016 3Business • Politics • Arts • Culture • Now You Know • RiverCitiesReader.com

spending one’s free time isolated and watchingTV interferes with our ability to translateour outrage over governmental injustice intoactivism, and thus makes it easier to accept anauthority’s version of society and life.

Supposedly the reason why television – andincreasingly movies – are so effective in subduingand pacifying us is that viewers are mesmerizedby what TV insiders call “technical events.”These, according to Levine, are “quick cuts,zoom-ins, zoom-outs, rolls, pans, animation,

music, graphics, and voice-overs, all of which lure viewers to continue watching even though theyhave no interest in the content.” Such technicalevents, which many action films now incorporate,spellbind people to continue watching.

Televised entertainment, no matter what isbeing broadcast, has become the nation’s newdrug high. Researchers found that “almostimmediately after turning on the TV, subjectsreported feeling more relaxed, and becausethis occurs so quickly and the tension returns

so rapidly after the TV is turned off, peopleare conditioned to associate TV viewing witha lack of tension.”

Continued On Page 12

GUEST COMMENTARY by John W. Whitehead [email protected]

Television, Football, and Politics:Gaming Spectacles Designed to Keep the Police State in Power

“Big Brother does not watch us, by his choice.We watch him, by ours. There is no need forwardens or gates or Ministries of Truth. Whena population becomes distracted by trivia, whencultural life is redefined as a perpetual round ofentertainments, when serious public conversationbecomes a form of baby-talk, when, in short,a people become an audience and their publicbusiness a vaudeville act, then a nation findsitself at risk; a culture-death is a clear possibility.”– Professor Neil Postman

If there are two spectacles that are almostguaranteed to render Americans passive

viewers, incapable of doing little more thancheering on their respective teams, it’s footballand politics – specifically, the Super Bowl andthe quadrennial presidential election.

Both football and politics encourage zealousdevotion among their followers, both createmanufactured divisions that alienate one groupof devotees from another, and both result in

a strange sort of tunnel vision that leaves the viewer oblivious to anything else going onaround them apart from the “big game.”

Both football and politics are televised, big-money, advertising-driven exercises in how to

cultivate a nation of armchair enthusiasts whoare content to sit, watch, and be entertained,all the while convincing themselves thatthey are active contributors to the outcome.Even the season schedules are similar infootball and politics: the weekly playoffs, theblow-by-blow recaps, the betting pools andspeculation, the conferences, and then thefinal big championship game.

In the same way, both championshipevents are costly entertainment extravaganzas

that feed the nation’s appetite for competition,consumerism, and carnival-esque stunts. Inboth scenarios, cities bid for the privilege ofhosting key athletic and political events. Forexample, San Francisco had to raise closeto $50 million just to host the 50th SuperBowl, with its deluxe stadium, Super BowlCity, free fan village, interactive theme park,and free Alicia Keys concert, not includingthe additional $5-million cost to taxpayersfor extra security. Likewise, it costs cities

more than $60 million to host the nationalpresidential-nominating conventions for theRepublicans and Democrats.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggestingthat there is anything wrong with enjoying the

entertainment that is football or politics.However, where we go wrong as a society

is when we become armchair quarterbacks, socompletely immersed in the Big Game or theBig Campaign that we are easily controlled bythe powers-that-be – the mega-corporationsthat run both shows – and oblivious to what isreally going on around us.

For instance, while mainstream Americahas been fixated on the contenders for theVince Lombardi Trophy and the White House,

the militarized, warring surveillance state hasbeen moving steadily forward. Armed drones,increased government surveillance andspying, SWAT-team raids, police shootingsof unarmed citizens, and the like continueto plague the country. None of these dangershas dissipated. They have merely disappearedfrom our televised news streams.

In this way, television is a “dream come true”for an authoritarian society.

Television isolates people so they are not

joining together to govern themselves. Asclinical psychologist Bruce Levine notes,

viewing television puts one in a brain statethat makes it difficult to think critically, andit quiets and subdues a population. And


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Understandin’ the Governor’sOdd Speech Pattern

by Rich Miller

CapitolFax.comILLINOIS POLITICS

E very time Governor Bruce Raunergives a major speech, social media(and even mass media) light him up

over the way he drops his “g”s at the endof words.

He’s workin’ and doin’ his best andshakin’ up Springfield, or whatever.

Last year, after his first State of theState Address, Illinois Public Radio eveninterviewed a language expert about

whether he was doin’ this on purpose.It does seem contrived. Rauner waseducated at Ivy League schools, afterall, and worked in some of the highestechelons in business. If you listen to anyof his speeches in the years before he ranfor governor, you’ll notice that he talkedback then like an educated Midwesterner.

Anyway, Rauner asked me over to theExecutive Mansion for a chat after lastweek’s State of the State Address.

It wasn’t exactly an honor. He wantedme to come by so he and I could have itout after he said something false aboutme at a press conference.

He held the presser to unveilan executive order consolidatinginformation-technology services into asingle state agency. It was a fairly non-controversial announcement about amuch-needed governmental upgrade.

I was actually kinda bored listening onthe Internet until the governor was asked

about some state-revenue projections thathe sent to legislators several months agoand shared with me earlier this month.Rauner’s own projections were basedon what would happen if the governorgot his economic agenda passed. Thememo to legislators was designed tobuild support for (or at least defend) hiscontroversial pro-business agenda.

I published Rauner’s projection of a$510-million revenue increase, which

I thought insufficient to justify all thisimpasse-related carnage. As I pointedout, the governor’s numbers meanthe was aiming for a mere 1.4-percentrevenue increase over Fiscal Year 2015.

“The author of the Capitol Fax has hisnumbers way, way wrong, and we willbe discussin’ that in our budget address,”Rauner told reporters, even though Isimply used Rauner’s own numbers.

“I will also point out,” Rauner

continued, “that the author of that blogused to work for Speaker [Michael]Madigan, so I don’t want to put too muchcredence in the commentary.”

What a crock.I was a House page for two or three

weeks way back in 1985. My tenure mightnot have even been that long, becausethe House wasn’t in session while I was apage and I quit before they came back totown for a job on my college campus.

I wish I could tell you what happenedat my subsequent meeting with Rauner,but I can’t because it was completely off-the-record. As he told reporters, Raunerwill be issuing revised projections. Total

increased revenue and state and localgovernment savings, he believes, areabout $6 billion.

I can, however, tell you a story becauseI cleared it with the governor thenext day.

At one point during our discussion Idecided to lighten the mood a little andasked him what the deal was with allthose dropped “g”s, teasing him that hesounded like somebody attempting toimitate a hillbilly. That got a big laugh,particularly from Rauner’s wife.

The governor said he now feels “free”to be himself since he was elected. Mrs.Rauner agreed that his public wardrobehas drastically deteriorated since electionday, as has his grammar.

Governor Rauner told me he couldn’ttalk like he wanted and wear what hewanted when he was a businessmanbecause nobody would want to dobusiness with him. At one point, he said,

his business partners even asked himnot to drive his lousy old car to companyoutings because it was an embarrassmentto them.

Rauner said he was the only partner athis firm who didn’t own a private jet andfancy cars. He said he’s “proud” to stillhave the first tie he ever bought.

So all of that video and audio of himspeaking years ago was actually thecontrived Rauner, the governor said.

Now he just wants to be himself, and thatmeans droppin’ his “g”s and doin’ otherstuff like wearin’ the clothes he likes, notthe clothes others expect him to don.

Anyway, it’s not exactly earth-shattering stuff, but I thought you’d beinterested because this does give us someinsight into how the governor thinks.

First, if you really get him angry,he will throw you under the bus withMadigan. And second, he will happilyand un-self-consciously drop his “g”swhile he does it.

Rich Miller also publishes CapitolFax (a daily political newsletter) andCapitolFax.com.


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The Hauberg Civic Center Has an Ideal Suitor, but the Rock Island City Council Should Take Its Time

Beginning with the End

by Jeff Ignatius

[email protected]

If the City of Rock Island is unwilling to de-

vote the resources to operate and upgradethe Hauberg Civic Center, it’s hard to imag-

ine a better owner than Bridges Catering.

Bridges – now based in Princeton, Iowa– is an established family company whoseowners have deep roots in Rock Island. Itplans to renovate and maintain the Haubergmansion consistent with its historiccharacter, expand public access, and use thesite for both food preparation and eventswith fewer than 100 people. Shifting themansion, its carriage house, and groundsinto Bridges’ hands would add propertyand sales taxes to Rock Island’s coffers, andeliminate from the budget an event-rental

facility (operated by the Parks & Recreationdepartment) whose financial performanceis in the red and getting worse.

In an interview last week, Bridges co-owner Bill Healy was as good a salespersonas one could hope for – promising to be agood steward and willing to contractuallycommit to his pledges.

“I don’t see as a Rock Island residenthow this plan can be a bad thing,” he said.“We’re trying to bring a lot of jobs into

Rock Island. We’re trying to bring a very, very big s ales-tax base. We trying to putsomething on the property-tax roll. Andwe’re trying to take something that is notbeing used [much] at all and use it for the

exact function” for which it’s intended.Yet as the city council wrestles with

whether to start the process of sellingHauberg, it has to understand that the land

and buildings shouldn’t just be considered“surplus” property and handed to what thecouncil deems the best bidder. Because ofits significance as a historic property andthe fact that it was given to the city, itsfuture deserves a thorough discussion – ofboth the Bridges proposal and alternatives.The prospects for that still look dubiousgiven the plan on the table, and it could goeither way – a too-quick embrace of privateownership, or a knee-jerk rejection of it.

As a Rock Island resident and taxpayer,

I’m excited about the possibility of BridgesCatering taking over the Hauberg CivicCenter (located at 24th Street and 13thAvenue) – if the city would otherwise let itlanguish. But I desperately wish the timingand process were better, and I hope the citycouncil takes time to evaluate all its options.

Raising the AlarmOne problem with all of this was perhaps

unavoidable. Because talks with BridgesCatering were preliminary, and becauseBridges had not yet publicly stated itsinterest in the property, an agenda itemdeclaring Hauberg surplus property andputting it up for bid was almost certain to

raise alarm. Without a named suitor, citizenswould imagine the worst scenario: the loss tothe community of a local historical treasure.

And raise alarm it did at the January 18

city-council meeting, even though MayorDennis Pauley removed the item fromthe agenda.

But Bridges stepped forward a weekafter that meeting, and now the public hasbetter information.

A second problem won’t be so easy toaddress. City staff appears to be workingbackward from the assumption of sellingHauberg to Bridges Catering, going throughthe legal requirements to a clear endgame.

On the one hand, the speed with which

the city has proceeded is understandable.Bridges Catering approached the city aboutbuying Hauberg late last year, and thecompany needs to know in relatively shortorder whether it will be able to proceedwith its plans for the site or if it shouldcontinue searching for a new home.

On the other hand, city staff appears fartoo eager to get rid of Hauberg, withoutmuch consideration of alternatives.

This is concerning for a number of reasons.

First, Hauberg – built from 1909 to1911 – is listed on the National Register ofHistoric Places, and in 2009 it was includedon the list of Rock Island’s 100 MostSignificant Unprotected Structures. It has

not been locally landmarked, so it doesn’thave protections requiring, for example,historically appropriate renovations.

Also known as the Denkmann-HaubergHouse and the Tulip Mansion, the housewas designed by Robert C. Spencer for JohnHauberg (a historian) and his wife Susanne(the daughter of Frederick Denkmann, apartner in the Weyerhäuser-DenkmannLumber Company).

Second, the Hauberg family gave theproperty to the city in 1956. While aprohibition preventing the City of RockIsland from selling the property expiredin 2006, how it came to be in city handsshould certainly be a factor in its future.

Third, although issues with Hauberg –diminishing revenues, the need for a newroof and other infrastructure improvements– are nothing new, the facility’s operationaldeficit is relatively small. Hauberg costs thecity money each year – roughly $40,000 in

expenses against revenues – and it’s going tocost more in the future, but it’s not a giantmillstone around the city’s neck.

Fourth, if the city moves forward withthe sale of the property, it would be takingan action that seems premature in thecontext of larger changes likely to happenwithin the Parks & Recreation department.A consultant hired to evaluate thedepartment only delivered its final reporton January 10, and it never mentions selling

Hauberg. Moreover, it suggests that thepublic might support a tax increase for theParks & Recreation department.

Given the consultant’s recommendations,this process will look to some people like thecity is putting the cart before the horse: opting

to sell Hauberg before exploring alternatives.As Rock Island resident and Augustana

Professor Megan Quinn wrote to me in ane-mail after Bridges Catering announced itsinterest in the property: “I still think the city

is rushing this and should put a moratoriumon committing to a sale or lease of Hauberguntil citizens are permitted to bring ideasto the table and more study of the costs andbenefits of various options are done.” Shesaid that “many neighborhood groups aremeeting and brainstorming alternatives toselling or leasing the property.”

She continued: “Assuming the level ofpublic access to Hauberg will be the sameunder private ownership is short-sighted

and naïve. Over the long term, the saleof public assets, assets that make RockIsland unique and give it a sense of place,is a losing strategy and not financially

COVER STORY

Continued On Page 6


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Beginning with the Endsustainable. So many more considerations

need to be made than the immediate benefitof the couple hundred thousand [dollars]the city will receive. What’s the cost tofuture generations if access to a historiclandmark is diminished? What’s the costto the city of Rock Island’s reputation as aplace that values historic preservation?”

The Need for More StudyThe Rock Island Parks & Recreation

Department Operational Audit & Business

Plan Study offered a path forward with theHauberg Civic Center: “This facility shouldbasically only be open for rentals or events.Strong consideration should be given tohaving the facility managed and operatedby a private vendor. It also must berealized that the building needs substantialinfrastructure improvements.”

Among action items suggested for the“middle term” (within two to t hree years),it recommends that the city “explore the

viability of contracting for the m anagementand operation of Hauberg Civic Center.”That indicates C olorado-based consultantBallard*King & Associates didn’t envisionselling Hauberg. Bridges’ Healy said hiscompany has no interest in leasing Haubergfrom the city.

There is a reading of the report asa whole that might support the sale ofHauberg – eventually. Among items tohappen in the first year is evaluating “the

city’s commitment to parks and recreationfacilities and services.” The report furtherstates: “If services are going to be reduced, aspecific analysis will need to be completed todetermine which facilities and parks shouldbe closed, services reduced, or managementmoved to another organization.”

But that’s no justification for puttingHauberg up for immediate sale. Theconsultant’s report is a five-year plan forthe entirety of the Parks & Recreationdepartment, and the suggestion topotentially close some parks and facilitiesexplicitly calls for further study. Mostimportantly, the specific recommendationsfor Hauberg are clear enough that theconsultant saw the facility as a long-termpart of the city’s inventory.

Rock Island City Manager Thomas Thomassaid the city is still evaluating the report: “It’san ongoing process. We just got the report.We’re going through it piece-by-piece.”

It’s also important to stress that the staff

report to the city council on the resolutionaccepting bids for Hauberg mischaracterizedthe Parks & Recreation consultant’s finalrecommendations, claiming that theconsultant suggested the city “divest itself

of some park properties so that propermaintenance on the remaining properties

can be done.” That was certainly onelonger-term option, but the report was alsoclear that additional funding through a taxincrease might be supported by the public.

In fairness, if the city would ultimatelyconclude that it had no stomach for anongoing operational financial deficitat Hauberg, or for needed capitalimprovements, or for renovations thatwould make it more attractive as a banquetand meeting facility, it’s probably better tosell the property sooner rather than later– especially when it has what might beconsidered an ideal purchaser.

But that conclusion should be arrived atthrough study and consideration by the citycouncil, and it shouldn’t be an assumptionas it now appears to be.

The study certainly paints a grim pictureof the current situation, noting that “with adecreasing population base in the city anda desire not to increase taxes, funding forparks and recreation has remained static in

the past five-plus years.”But the report doesn’t conclude that

the funding status quo must hold. ASeptember 2015 online survey that was partof the study asked: “Would you supportan increase in tax levy to support theindoor and outdoor facility improvementsthat mean the most to you and yourhousehold?” Only 17 percent (out of 549respondents) said they would not, nearly 23percent said they would, and more than 27

percent said they might.That’s different, of course, from asking

specifically about increased funding forHauberg Civic Center, and the loadedwording likely skewed responses. Yet for a

question about a potential tax increase, thepositive responses were fairly high.

The survey also asked: “Do you feel thatthe City of Rock Island should continue tooperate and maintain the current inventoryof indoor and outdoor facilities?” More than73 percent of 549 respondents said “yes.”

Filling in the BlanksRock Island City Manager Thomas

makes no apologies for how the question ofHauberg’s future has been handled so far.The January 18 agenda item – now delayed

indefinitely – was merely a first step that wasnecessary to “even have a conversation” aboutthe Bridges proposal, he said last week. “Thesale was never on the table at that meeting.”

Thomas said that the next step will be acity-council study session on the Bridgesproposal, after which the application forbids might be put back on the agenda. TheHauberg Civic Center was not on the agendafor the council’s February 1 study sessionor regular meeting, but a study session is

expected to be scheduled for later this month.The January 18 agenda item would have

declared the Hauberg buildings (and the10 acres of gardens and woodlands onwhich they sit) as surplus property, and itwould have approved advertising for bids,accepting offers through February 10. Citystaff anticipated city-council action on thebids at its February 22 meeting.

Sale of the property would requireapproval from three-quarters of the seven-member council.

The resolution would have putrestrictions on any sale, requirements thatwould move forward with the propertyregardless of its owner: “It is requiredthat the existing buildings and grounds

shall remain and shall be rehabilitated by

the purchaser in a manner acceptable tothe City of Rock Island. There shall beno fundamental alterations allowed tothe exteriors of any buildings t hat are notapplicable to the appropriate time periodof the buildings. ... Additionally, should thebuyer wish to build any other structure(s)on the property, the esthetics of thatstructure will have to be architecturallyaccurate to the time period of the property.Purchaser shall agree that the property

will remain an attraction for residents and visitors. L astly, the City shall have the firstright of refusal to purchase the propertyback should the buyer ever desire to sell.”

Thomas agreed when I asked whetherthe city moved so quickly on puttingthe property up for bid because it had aconcrete proposal. “This was really thefirst time someone had come to us with areal legitimate business venture that wouldensure the integrity of the facility but alsoallow for a well-known business to bring in jobs and services to this community,” he said.

So it’s easy to understand the rationalefor fast-tracking the potential sale ofHauberg. The proposal is to an extent time-sensitive, and this resolution was merelya first step. The city council still has theoption not to put the property out to bid.And it is under no obligation to accept thehighest bid, or any bid at all.

And now that Bridges Catering hasdiscussed its plans, R ock Island residents

and officials can evaluate the prospectof selling Hauberg with more context.“We’ll fill in the blanks with a lot moreinformation,” Thomas said. “Because Ithink a lot of opinions are being based onnot knowing all the facts.”

Bridges Catering’s Healy said he thoughtthe city council was “lukewarm at best”to his company’s proposal based on theagenda item being pulled.

I twice e-mailed five questions to the

city’s mayor and council members aboutHauberg and Bridges. Only two councilmembers – Ward 4’s Stephen L. Tollenaerand Ward 5’s Kate Hotle – actuallyanswered the questions.

Tollenaer expressed support for sellingHauberg to Bridges.

Hotle – whose district includes Hauberg– wrote that she opposed the sale at thistime: “There are still too many unanswered variables, and all the alter natives to

maintaining the building have not beendiscussed or considered.” She also said thatthe building needs to be landmarked, andthat contractual requirements on preservingits historic character would be insufficient.

Mayor Dennis Pauley wrote that he

COVER STORY Continued From Page 5


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by Jeff Ignatius

[email protected]

“pulled the Hauberg item off the agenda to

obtain additional information.” Ward 2’sVirgil J. Mayberry and Ward 7’s ChuckAustin III all gave general responsesindicating they were undecided.

Ward 1’s Ivory Deaon Clark, Ward 3’s P.J.Foley, and Ward 6’s Joshua Schipp did notrespond to my questions.

The Case for BridgesHealy said there is an urgency to council

consideration of his company’s proposal,

but he also said he’s presented no deadlineto city officials. He said his family was on vacation and out of the countr y for theJanuary 18 council meeting, and he wasgreeted upon his return with the uproarcaused by the Hauberg agenda item. “Wedidn’t expect the negative backlash thatcame out from this,” he said.

“I do not know why it was pushed aheadlike it was,” he said. “If we wanted it pushedahead, I would have made it a week when

we were here.”He said Bridges has secured financing

that includes purchase of the propertyalong with renovation expenses, plus capitalimprovements that might cost as much as $2million, but he has no concrete timeline fromhis lender: “We’ve been actively working withthem, and they know that this is an ongoingprocess. ... We don’t have a drop-dead date.”

Still, he said, Bridges would like ananswer in the reasonably near future: “The

sooner the better. We would like to knowour direction – whether we need to startlooking for another property.”

Healy said his company over the past twoyears has already looked at 17 buildings inRock Island and three sites where it couldbuild. “Everything that we saw neededabout the same work as Hauberg,” he said.“We want to move our business. Whereverwe move it to, we’re going to have to spendmoney renovating. We know that. So that’salready a cost we figured for.”

Because most of Bridges’ business is inthe Quad Cities, he said, the company ispaying significant amounts of money fortravel and wages that would be slashed bymoving: “The cost savings from bringingour business into the Quad Cities [fromPrinceton] would more than make up forthat. ... The amount of money that we arecurrently spending right now just in travelcosts and labor costs associated with travelhonestly almost pays that note.”

And Hauberg is an especially goodlocation for Bridges given the company’sexclusive catering contracts with AbbeyStation, the Quad City Botanical Center,and Skellington Manor – all in Rock Island.

But citizens of Rock Island are more

interested in how Bridges would manage theproperty. For one thing, Healy said, Bridgeswould not build any additional structureson the property, and it wouldn’t tear downany buildings. The carriage house would beconverted into the company’s main kitchen.

Current listed hours indicate Haubergis open for 27 hours each week fromTuesday through Thursday. Healy said thepublic would have continued access to thegrounds, and access to the mansion at least

40 hours per week – whenever the buildingis being staffed. That would include normalbusiness hours during the week, but alsooften on weekends. Anybody could visit themansion, he said.

“It would be a promotional opportunityfor us,” he said. “Because you couldhopefully walk through that door and say,‘Wow. Look what they did to this. I want tohave my daughter’s 17th birthday here.’ Thenicer that we make it, the more ... peoplewould want to come there.”

He had a similar approach to capitalimprovements, from necessary ones such asa new roof to ADA compliance to makingthe mansion’s organ functional again.He said Bridges is “absolutely” willing tocommit to renovations consistent with thebuilding’s time period.

“There’s an allure, there’s a charm to thatbuilding,” he said. “If you take things likethat away, it’s not what it is.” And “if wedon’t make it beautiful, we don’t have any

chance of selling it” as a venue for events.“I do not think it is a b ookable, functionalfacility right now in today’s times.”

And he said his company proposedincluding the city’s right of first refusal inany sale agreement: “We brought that to thecity. ... We feel that would only be fair.”

On a financial level, he said, the benefitsto the city would include more than $100,000in sales taxes – some of which the city isgetting now, but all of which the city would

lose if Bridges locates in another Illinois city.Property taxes, he estimated, would be in thefive figures. And when you combine thosewith current operational deficit of Hauberg,he said, “it’s about a $200,000 [annual] swingfor the City of Rock Island.”

He concluded: “I think there’s a way tocalm people’s fears and try to get across thatwhat we’re trying to d o is a genuine goo dthing. ...

“I know some of the hearts and minds

will not change. We understand that. We just don’t want the m inds of 30 or 40 peoplethat are staunch advocates for preservationof it to outweigh what could potentially bea couple-hundred-thousand-dollar-a-yeardifference in city spending.”


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9/24


Vol. 23 · No. 901February 4 - 17, 2016

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S i n c e 1

9 9 3

L

ivia Sohn, the featured soloist for the QuadCity Symphony Orchestra’s forthcoming Masterworks: Song & Dance concerts,

began playing the violin at age five. Maybe.“That’s what they tell me,” says Sohn with a

laugh. “I think it was earlier than that, becauseI have no memory of not playing, and I feellike you remember stuff that happened beforeyou were five.”

She does, however, vividly remember herfirst professional engagement, which tookplace when Sohn was the ripe old age of eight.

“I played [Camille] Saint-Saëns’ Introductionet rondo capriccioso with an orchestra in

Connecticut, and they put me last on theprogram. The concert started at eight, and it wasabout 9:30, and I was supposed to go on at 9:45.And I was so tired. So I fell asleep backstage.”

Laughing again, Sohn says, “One of theconductors had to wake me up, and he broughtme out on stage and said, ‘Well, she’s notgonna make it to 10 o’clock, so she’s gonna playnow.’” But Sohn’s sleepiness, she adds, didn’tnegatively affect her performance. “I made itthrough. I think the adrenaline kicked in.”

With her résumé boasting appearances withmore than 70 orchestras on five continents,Sohn’s concert-goers have likely felt that samesort of rush time and time again. To be sure,reviewers have. Music periodical The Strad ,for example, praised Sohn for her “remarkablylithe and transparent tone of exceptional purity,”and NYConcertReview.com raved aboutthe artist’s “heated exuberance and heartfeltmusicality,” calling her “a bona fide virtuoso anda stylistically sophisticated interpreter.”

Area audiences, meanwhile, will feel thatblast of musical energy when Sohn – wholast played alongside the orchestra in 1999 –performs Samuel Barber’s famed, 20-minuteViolin Concerto at the Adler Theatre onFebruary 6 and Augustana College’s CentennialHall on February 7. She won’t, however, beperforming with the ensemble in the Grieg andBeethoven pieces that complete the program,and consequently says the one thing I don’t quitebelieve in the whole of our recent interview: “I’llbe working the least hard of anyone on stage.”

So Much to LearnBorn in New York, raised in C onnecticut,

and currently living in Portola Valley,

By Mike Schulz

[email protected]

She’s Got the World on Her StringsViolinist Livia Sohn Performs with the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, February 6 and 7

California, Sohn says that music was in herblood even before she picked up the violin atage five-or-under.

“My mom was a cel list,” she says, “and sheactually went to New England Conservatory.She came from Korea to study with BernardGreenhouse, and her entire side of the familywere musicians. My aunt is actually a very famousteacher in Korea. She’s like the go-to person.”

But genetics aside, Sohn says that she can’trecall a time when she wasn’t fascinated by the

violin. “I can’t explain it,” she says, “but evenwhen I was five, it wasn’t something I did thatI was forced to do. It was always something

very serious in my mind. I mean, I liked the

sound. But I also liked that it wasn’t easy. Itwas the challenge I liked.

“And it’s still that way today,” she continues.“I’ve been playing for many decades,and there’s still so much to learn. This issomething that I’ve done all my life. I knowit better than anything else in the world. Ican do this better than anything else. Butit’s a difficult instrument, and there’s a lot ofrepertoire, and there are always things you canbe better at and more knowledgeable about.

“So I think, from the beginning, I likedthat it wasn’t something you could conquerimmediately. You had to put a lot of work intoit. And once you get past that hump of justsounding like a cat dying – because the violin,

when you start, is pretty brutal – it’s prettyexciting. Little by little, you see progress, andit sort of motivates you.”

Sohn was so musically motivated as ayouth, and so naturally gifted, that shewas accepted into the Juilliard Pre-CollegeDivision at age seven, and began studyingunder renowned violin instructors includingDorothy DeLay and Hyo Kang.

“At the time, it was just me and one otherboy,” she says of entering the program at sucha young age. “Nowadays, I think there areprobably many little girls running aroundthere. But that does seem really young. I have

a nine-year-old son, and I can’t imagine himdoing something like that.”

As a child, says Sohn, playing violin“was something I always knew I would doprofessionally. But that was before I understoodwhat it really entailed. And once I did, youknow, I was like, ‘Hmmm ... maybe not.’”

With a laugh, she says, “I mean, by the timeI was 15, I was one of the lucky ones – I alreadyhad a manager, and was already out playingconcerts. But doing it professionally is really

difficult, and it’s really competitive, and so I hada period right before college where I was like,‘Maybe I want to do something else instead.’ Iwanted to go to a quote-unquote ‘normal’ college– like a party school with frats and sororities.

“But the more I thought about it, I waslike, ‘Maybe that would be fun for half a year.But this [the violin] is more my calling.’”Sohn instead chose to continue her studies atJuilliard, from which she graduated in 1998. “Ithink I made the right decision.”

Guadagnini andZygmuntowicz

A list of the revered conductors she’splayed for, esteemed venues and festivalsshe’s appeared at, and many cities andcountries Sohn has visited would entail manyhundreds of words. But the artist is incrediblysuccinct, and funny, when revealing howshe determines favorite performance sites:“Usually they’re based on food.” (Laughing,she adds, “I mean, Italy is amazing. I did atour there last year, and you can go into anyplace, even what looks like a hole in the wall,

Continued On Page 16

MUSIC


10/24


Augustana College’sGetting Out, directedby Jeff Coussens, is

the story of one woman’sdifficulties in reconstructingher life after being releasedfrom prison, and authorMarsha Norman’s 1978 playis a brill iant depiction of l ife’srealities for a woman whohas been caught in a cycle

of violence, beginning withabuse as a child. Althoughshe served her time in prisonand has been released, she nowhas the real “getting out” to do – getting outof her own psychological hell.

Norman’s drama employs two actors toportray its central character. Sarah Bakerplays the present-day Arlene, newly releasedfrom prison, and Megan Hammerer isArlene’s younger self Arlie, who has led a

life of pain and crime. Arlie/Arlene inhabitthe stage simultaneously for much of GettingOut ’s action, and the script is an unrelentingtale of emotional struggle requiring actingability of great range and skill, not onlyto sustain the intensity and drama, but tocreate dimensions of character and innerreality. It would be a challenge for the mostaccomplished of performers, and I was happyto see Augie’s cast reach so high. Baker’schallenge is to portray a depressed, broken

woman haunted by her violent past. Althoughall vestiges of her formerly passionate, intensepersonality seem to have been eradicated(possibly as a result of depression), Bakerexudes a very effective, quiet resolve as shestands up to Bennie (Samuel Langellier), acreepy, controlling prison guard, and to hermother (Madison Mortenson), who remindsArlene of her shortcomings and predictsshe’ll never change. But most importantly,Baker makes one care about her character.One wants Arlene to win.

Hammerer is wonderfully cast as Arlie,exerting enormous emotional energy whileenacting the abused child, angry adolescent,and willfully uncooperative inmate. Hersis a most difficult task: sustaining audienceinterest during her frequent and ongoingrage-filled tirades by providing variations ofemotional tones. However, her direction inthis regard was sometimes found wanting; astime went on, I found myself tuning out a bit,feeling as if I had heard it all before.

Debo Balogun delivers a powerful,menacing turn as Arlene’s former pimpCarl. His is, perhaps, the production’s mostemotionally truthful performance, andBalogun’s interactions with Arlene provide

THEATRE By Dee Canfield

Prison BrokenGetting Out, at Augustana College through February 7

enormous tension ashe tries to convinceher to return to a life ofprostitution, where shecan earn more in twohours than in a week as adishwasher. Although he’sonstage for just a few briefmoments, Nick Romeroeffectively strolls throughas an imperious warden.

And Emily Johnson’s Ruby– Arlene’s upstairs neighborwho has successfully

transitioned into post-prisonlife as a cook – has a down-to-earth realism,and one feels a glimmer of hope for Arleneonce the two women begin to bond.

Although Getting Out is a wonderfulplay, I found it difficult to be fully engagedhere. My difficulty stemmed, in part, fromthe moments in which actions didn’t seem

based in true motivation, as in Bennie’ssudden change of heart in a critical scene,and Carl’s unconvincing retreat from Benniein another. Also, the stage business andprops were sometimes ineffective: a broomused randomly and without focused intent;an apparently empty milk carton falling outof a full sack of groceries. (And why, in theopening scene, had the previous tenant leftso many pieces of wadded-up paper all overthe floor, other than to give Arlene something

to pick up? Was that tenant a frustratedwriter?) And then there was the basic but all-important factor of projection. Although theactors gave excellent, realistic line deliveries,they spoke so fast, and with Southern and“street” accents, that projection was doublyimportant, yet oftentimes missing here.

Based on past shows I had seen atAugustana, I came in with very highexpectations, and because I was so easilypulled out of the play’s reality, I wondered if Iwas simply being overly critical and too easily

distracted – a case of “It’s not you, it’s me!”But the reality remains: I couldn’t enter theemotional forest because of the representativetrees. There were some beautifully realizedmoments of real drama, but this Getting Outwas not knit together as a whole, and did notprovide the sustained emotional realism andtension necessary to deliver the anticipatedknock-out punch.

Getting Out runs at Augustana College’s

Potter Theatre (Bergendoff Hall of Fine Arts, 3701 Seventh Avenue, Rock Island)through February 7, and tickets and moreinformation are available at (309)794-7306 or Augustana.edu/arts.

Sarah Baker and Debo Balogun.Photo courtesy of the Augustana

Photo Bureau

WATCH IT

Schulz’s Review of

the Latest Movies On Demand

Catch your favorite moviesand shows from ABC, NBC, CBS,

FOX, STARZ®, ENCORE® and more.Plus, watch over 19,000 titles

at the press of a button!

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mediacomtoday.com& CLICK ON TV EVERYWHERE!

BRIDGE OF SPIES

Steven Spielberg's hugelyentertaining Cold War thriller is anear-masterpiece of tone, and of

shifting tones; whether leaningtoward edgy nail-biter, social

critique, or verbal farce, the moodalways feels absolutely appropriatefor the on-screen action. (Same day

as DVD.)

TRUMBOBlacklisted screenwriter Dalton

Trumbo's tale is told with satiric,

inside-baseball gusto, and thisentertaining, frequently rivetingdrama finds the enjoyable BryanCranston supported by fabulous

pros including Helen Mirren,Michael Stuhlbarg, and John

Goodman. (Same day as DVD.)

STEVE JOBSThis thunderously enjoyable

exploration of the late computervisionary boasts sparklinglyquotable dialogue by Aaron Sorkin,intensely clever changes in filmstock courtesy of director DannyBoyle, and and a thunderously finelead in Michael Fassbender. (Sameday as DVD.)


11/24


a soft elbow in the ribs: When Po finallyconfronts Kai, he unleashes his climacticpurity of spirit with a light round ofplayground teasing; when Angelina Jolie’sTigress dolefully informs Po that theirhome city has been destroyed, Po’s manicduck stepdad (the priceless James Hong)immediately shrieks, “But how’s myrestaurant?!” Add to all this a lovely messagefor kids about how “learning to be you”is the path to true fulfillment, exceptionalanimated choreography, and ceaselesslywinning voice work (by the additional likesof Seth Rogen, David Cross, Lucy Liu, JackieChan, and an absolutely delightful KateHudson), and the expected second-sequelblahs are wonderfully well-avoided here.Thank you, Dreamworks Animation, for

Kung Fu Panda 3. Please don’t eff everythingup with a Kung Fu Panda 4.

THE FINEST HOURSSome critics have complained that The

Finest Hours is a Disney-fied version of ThePerfect Storm. They’re not wrong; directorCraig Gillespie’s oceanic rescue saga is aDisney release, and follows the rough arcof Wolfgang Petersen’s 2000 maritime hit.

But do none of those critics remember howfrequently, maddeningly phony Petersen’sfilm was? This new outing, concerning aseemingly impossible Coast Guard rescuefrom 1952, doesn’t have similarly sharpediting or monster waves comparable toPetersen’s. But in almost e very other way,Gillespie’s film is an improvement. For too

much of its length, it does resemble ThePerfect Storm re-designed as a triumph-of-the-underdog sports flick, with all thecontrivances, telegraphing, and cornballdialogue that entails. (Unsurprisingly,Gillespie’s credits include Disney’s baseballdramedy Million Dollar Arm.) Yet theserviceable effects and scenes of peril dotheir jobs, and, more importantly, the castabsolutely does its. Hoary material aside,you completely believe in the honest,

unassuming portrayals of seafarers CaseyAffleck, Ben Foster, John Ortiz, Kyle Gallner,Beau Knapp, and others, and Chris Pineand Holliday Grainger wholly deserve theircharacters’ initially pushy A Love for theAges build-up – they’re magical together.(They’re also magical independently; Pinepulls off even the “Not on my watch! ” clichéwith impressive, heartfelt authority, andGrainger manages to beg Pine’s commandingofficer to “Please call him back” five times

in a row with incredible emotional acuityand variance, and without ever resorting toactual begging.) The movie is formulaic asall-get-out, but the title The Finest Hours stillmight accurately reflect your time spent at it.

FIFTY SHADES OF BLACK The motion-picture Academy is currently

under fire for, among other offenses,recognizing only Sylvester Stallone for Creed

despite the film’s many on- and off-screentalents of color, and citing Straight OuttaCompton merely for its quartet of whitescreenwriters. How much flak will I betaking for saying that, in the gross-outslapstick Fifty Shades of Black, the onesustained performance is given by JaneSeymour, and the closest thing to an

inspired shock is the casting of FlorenceHenderson? Fifty Shades of Grey, despitemy moderate enjoyment of the movie, iseminently worth satirizing. But MarlonWayans and Michael Tiddes, the star and(white) director of the A Haunted Housecomedies and this new assault, don’t dosatire. They do replication with pop-eyedcomic apoplexy and boner jokes, and theirribbing of E.L. James is almost astoundinglylame: grimly unfunny, tonally stupefying,

and so grossly self-satisfied that you want tophysically smack it on a minute-by-minutebasis. Kudos, then, to lead Kali Hawk foreven attempting a semblance of a consistentportrayal, and to the satisfyingly copiousshots of decorative white wine. Raspberriesto nearly everything else, including Wayans’painfully forced and gratuitous mugging,Fred Willard looking dangerously unwell,and the line, regarding James’ bestseller,“Was this written by a third-grader?!”

Those who release Fifty Shades of Blackreally shouldn’t throw stones.

For reviews of Dirty Grandpa, The5th Wave, The Boy, Jane Got a Gun,Anomalisa, The Danish Girl, and otherreleases, visit RiverCitiesReader.com.

Follow Mike on Twitter at Twitter.com/ MikeSchulzNow.

Movie Re views by Mike Schulz • [email protected]

KUNG FU PANDA 3Did the makers of Kung Fu Panda 3 not get

the memo that second sequels in franchisesare traditionally supposed to suck? Becausethis thing, to quote Jack Black’s hirsute andanimated alter ego Po, is “ Awesome!!! ” with allthree exclamation points.

I was a bit worried at the start. Eventhough Po’s eventual nemesis Kai wasbeing sensationally well-voiced by J.K.Simmons, this über-villain’s plan for worlddominion – forcibly collecting the chi ofkung-fu masters and imprisoning theirsouls – was too generically comic-book-y formy tastes. That, however, was the last timeany variation on “generic” entered my brainregarding directors’ Alessandro Carloni’s andJennifer Yuh’s superbly designed, riotous,unexpectedly moving comic adventure. Asalways with this series, I adored the gorgeous visual detail and quick-witted verbal andphysical slapstick, and the older I get (andthe older he gets), the more I recognizeDustin Hoffman’s voice as a thing of singular,scratchy beauty. But the storyline here isresolved with particularly satisfying Eastern-philosophy tidiness, and there’s no end ofsmart, frequently hilarious grace notes: thecrowd’s incredulity as Po and his newfounddad (perfectly voiced by Br yan Cranston)

don’t recognize their shared lineage; thePanda Village scene in which dozens of bearsrush to greet Po and have to stop halfwaythrough the rush to catch their collectivebreath; Po’s panda re-training requiring himto be as lazy, and to eat as much, as possible.

Best of all, the movie keeps knocking thewind out of its own potentially pretentioussails. Even the most dire of circumstancesare treated here with a gentle wink and

Grin and Bear It

Kung Fu Panda 3

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


12/24


ExhibitsFigge Art MuseumThursday, February 4, through Sunday, June 5

Well, how about that? It’s thefirst week of February in theQuad Cities, and there are gorgeous,summery sights everywhere! Fieldsof wildflowers! Golden-huedsunsets! Irises! Poppies! A child

playing guitar on the banks of agently flowing stream!You do realize, though, that

you’ll have to visit the Figge Art Museum to see allthis, right? Because until our weather improves, youcan only see that collection of arresting images –along with dozens of equally beautiful pieces – in theFigge’s 39th Annual Rock Island Art Guild Fine ArtsExhibition , on display February 6 through May 15.

After many years of being housed at AugustanaCollege’s Centennial Hall Art Gallery, this year’s

juried exhibit, which boasts works by artists livingwithin a 150-mile radius of the Quad Cities, will findthe Figge showcasing 53 selections chosen by thisyear’s juror, Julie Rodreigues Widholm – director ofChicago’s DePaul Art Museum. Widholm will alsodecide which individuals will receive awards for theiraccomplishments in painting, photography, mixedmedia, acrylics, ceramics, and other media, with thecompeting artists including such familiar area talentsas Leslie Bell, Sara Slee Brown, Raphael Iaccarino,Dean Kugler, and Pam Ohnemus.

Not content, however, to debut only 53 artworks on

February 6, the Figge will treat patrons to 56 more inits other premiering exhibition Cameo Stones: HiddenGems in the Figge Collection. On display throughMay 15, this exhibit showcases, for the first time in

40 years, a dazzling selection of cameo and intaglio

stones donated in 1929 by Dr. Clarence T. Lindley,works ranging in size from three inches to a merequarter-inch in height. Grouped by subject matter intocategories that include warriors, historical figures, and

mythological creatures, Cameo Stonescelebrates the subtle craft of engravingthrough stunning pieces of ornamental

jewelry, giving museum guests an up-close look at an art form dating as farback as ancient-Egyptian times.

And if a combined 109 works aren’t

enough for your Figge visit, how about60 more? In Mississippi River Views

from the Muscatine Art Center , ondisplay through June 5, our “Big River” is exploredthrough paintings, drawings, maps, and prints by notedartists including the 19th Century’s Seth Eastman andHenry Lewis. Among the images are early views ofMuscatine, Davenport, and Moline, plus a model ofthe paddlewheel boat River Queen, and all manner ofrelated programming will be presented at the Figge inconjunction with the exhibition.

February 6’s opening reception will feature agallery talk by Muscatine Art Center director MelanieAlexander and Figge Executive Director Tim Schiffer.March 24’s “Sounds of the Mississippi” finds the RiverMusic Experience’s Ellis Kell sharing the river’s historyand music. And on February 4, River Action hosts aFigge reading of Susan Glaspell’s Inheritors – the PulitzerPrize winner’s 1921 drama set in the Davenport of 1879and 1920 – with a cast that includes Jessica Denney,Angela Rathman, Jim Seward, Calvin Vo, and ... me.Sorry for the shameless self-promotion. Let me makeit up to you with the accompanying image of PamOhnemus’ summertime acrylic Midday . You’re welcome.

For more information on the Figge’s current andupcoming exhibits and events, call (563)326-7804 or

visit FiggeArtMuseum.org.

MusicThe ReverendRobert B. Jones Sr.Cool Beanz Coffeehouse

Wednesday, February 10,

6 p.m.

River Music Experience

Thursday, February 11,

6 p.m.

Appearing locally asartist-in-residence for the Mississippi Valley

Blues Society’s Blues in the Schools program, theReverend Robert B. Jones Sr. will bring his signatureblend of impassioned blues vocals, thrillinginstrumentalization, and storytelling talents toRock Island’s Cool Beanz Coffeehouse on February10 and the River Music Experience’s PerformanceHall on February 11. An interview with

TheCountryBlues.com revealed that Jones avoidsplaying in “lewd places where they mix alcoholand music,” so it makes perfect sense that the artistwould be at Cool Beanz and the RME instead of ...you know, my place.

A Detroit native who still makes the Motor Cityhis home, serving as pastor of the Sweet KingdomMissionary Baptist Church, the 59-year-old Jones’professional music career began in his early 20swhen he started playing popular Detroit venuesincluding the Soup Kitchen Saloon and Sully’s, while

also serving as a radio-show host for WDET’s Blues from the Lowlands. His ardent, captivating localperformances of spirituals, folk tunes, and blues and

roots classics – with the

on including the guitar,and mandolin – quicklChicago, Duluth, and KAnd before long, he wanumerous legends of hiHammond, Keb Mo’, thBrown, and Willie Dixo

With Jones’ rising visperform venues both nthe latter of which he diGermany, Poland, and t

through all of his stagethe artist has continuedwith students, travelinghis self-developed “Blu

and, in the process, earniFoundation’s esteemed KAward in 2007.

Jones’ additional laurelMusic Awards for OutstaSongwriting and an honoin-Residence for Tenness

Center, and his prestigioucollaborating with musiciLondon Blues Society ensband in Ann Arbor, Michblown away by Jones duriand RME engagements,why famed blues photogrthat the artist “is comfortloud-talkers, fancy-hattedalike.” PhDs, huh? Crud.and I actually might’ve gotmy place.

For more informationJones Sr.’s area visits, contBlues Society at (563)322-

What’s Happenin’

GUEST COMMENTARY

Television, Football, and Politics: Gaming Spectacles Designed to Keep the Police State in Power

Continued From Page 3

Not surprisingly, the United States is one of

the highest TV-viewing nations in the world.Indeed, a Nielsen study reports thatAmerican screen viewing is at an all-timehigh. For example, the average Americanwatches approximately 151 hours of televisionper month. That does not include the largerdemographic of screen-watchers who watchtheir entertainment via their personalcomputers, cell phones, tablets, and so on.

Historically, television has been used by thosein authority to quiet citizen unrest and pacifydisruptive people. In fact, television viewing hasalso been a proven tactic for ensuring compliancein prisons. “Faced with severe overcrowding andlimited budgets for rehabilitation and counseling,more and more prison officials are using TV tokeep inmates quiet,” according to Newsweek. Joe

Corpier, a convicted murderer, said, “If there’s a

good movie, it’s usually pretty quiet through thewhole institution.”In other words, screen viewing not

only helps to subdue people but, as Levineconcludes, it also zombifies and pacifies usand subverts democracy.

Television viewing, no matter what we’recollectively watching – whether it’s AmericanIdol , the presidential debates, or the Super Bowl– is a group activity that immobilizes us andmesmerizes us with collective programming. Infact, research also shows that regardless of theprogramming, viewers’ brain waves slow down,thus transforming them into a more passive,nonresistant state.

As such, television watching today results inpassive group compliance in much the same

way that marching was used by past regimes to

create group indoctrination. Political advisorBertram Gross documents how Adolf Hitleremployed marching as a technique to mobilizepeople in groups by immobilizing them. Hitlerand his regime leaders discovered that whenpeople gather in groups and do the samething – such as marching or cheering at anentertainment or sporting event – they becamepassive, non-thinking non-individuals.

By replacing “marching” with electronicscreen devices, we have the equivalent of Hitler’smethod of population control. Gross writes: “Asa technique of immobilizing people, marchingrequires organization and, apart from the outlaycosts involved, organized groups are a potentialdanger. They might march to a different drumor in the wrong direction ... . TV is more

effective. It captures many more people than

would ever fill the streets by marching – andwithout interfering with automobile traffic.”

Equally disturbing is a university study thatindicates we become less aware of our individualselves and moral identity in a group. The study’sfindings strongly suggest that when we act ingroups, we tend to consider our moral behaviorless while moving in lockstep with the group.Thus, what the group believes or does, be it

violence or inhumanity, does not seem to lessenthe need to be a part of a group, whether it be amob or political gathering.

So what does this have to do with the SuperBowl and the upcoming presidential election?

If fear-based TV programming – orprogramming that encourages rivalries andfactions – makes people more afraid and


13/24


instruments he’s adept

fiddle, harmonica, banjo,led to bookings at the

ing Biscuit blues festivals.sharing stages withgenres, among them JohnHolmes Brothers, Nappy

n.bility came offers totional and international,d in tours throughout

e Czech Republic. But

nd festival experiences,to share what he’s learnedacross the country ins for Schools” programg the International Blueseping the Blues Alive

include a pair of Detroitding Recording &ed position as Teller-e’s National Storytelling

s career has found himns ranging from themble to actor Jeff Daniels’

igan. So plan on beingg his 6 p.m. Cool Beanz

here you’ll likely learnpher James Fraher saysble among juke-jointchurch ladies, and PhDsfew more years of school

ten Jones to perform at

n the Reverend Robert B.ct the Mississippi Valley5837 or MVBS.org.

TheatreRagtime: The Musical Adler Theatre

Wednesday, February 17, 7:30 p.m.

The newest presentation in the Adler Theatre’sBroadway at the Adler series is February 17’s

touring production of Ragtime: The Musical , theglorious turn-of-the-(last)-century entertainmentthat boasts a truckload of rave reviews and award

wins and nominations. So prep yourself for the nextfew paragraphs, folks: It’s Bragtime!

Based on E.L. Doctorow’s kaleidoscopic 1975 novel(which was subsequently adapted for 1981’s Oscar-nominated film), Ragtime follows three groups asthey navigate their way through early-20th-CenturyNew York: well-to-do white suburbanites living inNew Rochelle; struggling African Americans residingin Harlem; and Jewish immigrants newly arrivingfrom Ellis Island. Their paths all converge in thismusical tale of hope, despair, romance, civil unrest,

and the elusive pursuit of the American Dream, andtheatre critics have been raving about the resultssince the show’s 1996 debut, with the New York Timescalling Ragtime “blessed with beauty, ambition, asmashing wardrobe, and a social conscience,” andVariety raving about this “crisp and appealing”work “deftly weaving together the various storylinesthrough which Doctorow evoked the formative yearsof this century.”

The show’s original Broadway production scoreda whopping 14 Drama Desk Award nominations

and 13 Tony Award nods – its four Tony wins

including those for Terrence McNally’s book andStephen Flaherty’s and Lynn Ahrens’ score – and its2009 revival on the Great White Way earned anotherseven and six, respectively. But beyond the thrill ofRagtime’s widely acclaimed story, music, and designelements is the fun of seeing its fictional charactersinteract among recognizable figures of its era.

Are you wondering who pops up, or do youalready know? Let’s test your smarts with thefollowing quiz: Which of the following appear on-

stage in Ragtime: The Musical , and which don’t?

A) Yes, he/she is in Ragtime: The Musical .B) Nope, he/she isn’t.

For tickets to the Adler’s 7:30 p.m. presentationof Ragtime: The Musical , call (800)745-3000 or visitAdlerTheatre.com.

MUSICFriday, February 5 – The Steepwater

Band. Roots and blues musicians

perform the Rolling Stones’ Get Yer

Ya-Ya’s Out , with an opening set by

the Kris Lager Band. The Redstone

Room (129 Main Street, Davenport).8 p.m. $11.50-12. For tickets and

information, call (563)326-1333 or visit

RiverMusicExperience.org.

Friday, February 5, and Friday,

February 12 – RIBCO Battle of the

Bands. Rounds two and three of the

annual competition featuring three

45-minute sets of original music.

Rock Island Brewing Company (1815

Second Avenue, Rock Island). 9 p.m. For


RIBCO.com.

Friday, February 5 – Fletcher

Rockwell. Concert with the Chicago-

based blues and country artists. Red

Rodeo (1720 Second Avenue, Rock Island).

8 p.m. $5 cover. For information, call

(309)206-8508 or visit TheRedRodeo.com.

Saturday, February 6, and Sunday,

February 7 – Quad City Symphony

Orchestra: Song & Dance. The fourth

Masterworks concerts of the year with

guest violinist Livia Sohn and a repertoirefeaturing Grieg, Barber, and Beethoven.

What ElseIs Happenin’

by Mike Schulz

[email protected]

Continued On Page 14 A n s w e r s : 1 – A , 2 – B , 3 – A , 4 – A , 5 - B , 6 – A , 7 – B . I n t e r e s t i n g l y , E i n s t e i n i s a c h a r a c t e r i n D o c t o r o w ’ s n o v e l b u t n o t i n t h e s t a g e m u s i c a l . M a y b e H o u d i n i m a d e h i m d i s a p p e a r .

1) Henry Ford2) Charlie Chaplin3) Emma Goldman4) J.P. Morgan

5) Marie Curie6) Harry Houdini7) Albert Einstein

by John W. Whitehead

[email protected]

distrustful of one another, then our currenttelevision lineup is exactly what is needed byan authoritarian society that depends on a

“divide and conquer” strategy.Moreover, according to Levine,

authoritarian-based programming is moretechnically interesting to viewers thandemocracy-based programming. Warand violence, for example, may be ratherunpleasant in real life. However, peace andcooperation make for “boring television.”

What this means is that Super Bowl matchesand presidential contests are merely more-palatable, less-bloody manifestations of war

suitable for television-viewing audiences.This also explains why television has

become the medium of choice for charismaticpoliticians with a strong screen presence. Theyare essentially television performers – actors, if

you will. Indeed, any successful candidate forpolitical office – especially the president – mustcome off well on TV. Television has the lure of

involvement. A politically adept president canactually make you believe you are involved inthe office of the presidency.

The effective president, then, is essentiallya television performer. As the renownedmedia analyst Marshall McLuhan recognizedconcerning television: “Potentially, itcan transform the presidency into amonarchist dynasty.”

If what we see and what we are told throughthe entertainment-industrial complex – which

includes so-called “news” shows – is what thosein power deem to be in their best interests,then endless screen viewing is not a great thingfor a citizenry who believe they possess choiceand freedom. Mind you, the majority of what

Americans watch on television is providedthrough channels controlled by a corporateelite of six mega-corporations with the ability to

foster a particular viewpoint or pacify its viewerson a large scale.

Unfortunately for us, the direction ofthe future, then, may be toward a BraveNew World scenario in which the populaceis constantly distracted by entertainment,hooked on prescription drugs, and controlledby a technological elite.

Freedom is an action word. It meansturning off your screen devices – or at leastgreatly reducing your viewing time – and

getting active to stave off the emergingauthoritarian government.

Aldous Huxley, George Orwell, and countlessscience-fiction writers and commentators havewarned that we are in a race between getting

actively involved in the world around us orfacing disaster.

If we’re watching, we’re not doing.

As television journalist Edward R. Murrowwarned in a 1958 speech: “We have currentlya built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbinginformation. Our mass media reflect this.But unless we get up off our fat surpluses andrecognize that television in the main is beingused to distract, delude, amuse, and insulate us,then television and those who finance it, thosewho look at it, and those who work at it, may seea totally different picture too late.”

Constitutional attorney and author John W.Whitehead is founder and president of theRutherford Institute (Rutherford.org). His latestbook, Battlefield America: The War on theAmerican People , is available at Amazon.com.


14/24


Saturday: Adler Theatre (136 East

Third Street, Davenport), 8 p.m.,$6-48. Sunday: Augustana College’s

Centennial Hall (3703 Seventh

Avenue, Rock Island). 2 p.m. $6-38.

For tickets and information, call

(563)322-7276 or visit QCSO.org.

Saturday, February 6, and

Sunday, February 7 – Carlisle

Evans Peck. Concerts with

the Minneapolis-based singer/

songwriter, composer, and

Geneseo native. Saturday: Ca’ d’Zan(411 South Road, Cambridge),

6:30 p.m., $10-20 suggested

donation. Sunday: Rozz-Tox (2108

Third Avenue, Rock Island), 8

p.m., free. For information, visit

CarlisleEvansPeck.bandcamp.com.

Saturday, February 6 –

Outshyne. Touring country

musicians in concert. Red Rodeo

(1720 Second Avenue, Rock Island).

8 p.m. $5 cover. For information,

call (309)206-8508 or visit

TheRedRodeo.com.

Monday, February 8 – Valley

Maker. A Moeller Mondays concert with

singer/songwriter Austin Crane. Village

Theatre (2113 East 11th Street, Davenport).

For information, visit MoellerMondays.com.

Wednesday, February 10 – Andy

Frasco & the U.N. Rock and soul

musicians in concert, with opening sets

by Groovement and the Low Down.

The Redstone Room (129 Main Street,Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $9.50-10. For tickets

and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit

RiverMusicExperience.org.

Thursday, February 11 – John Primer.

Concert with the Grammy and Blues

Music Award nominee, with an opening

set by the 2016 Winter Blues All-Stars.

The Redstone Room (129 Main Street,

Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $13.75-17. For

tickets and information, call (563)326-

1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.For a 2013 interview with Primer, visit

RCReader.com/y/primer.

Friday, February 12 – The Multiple Cat.

Record-release party for the area rockers,

with sets by Dirty Swears and Just Let Go.

Rozz-Tox (2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island). 9

p.m. $10. For information, call (309)200-0978

or visit RozzTox.com.

Friday, February 12 – Davina & the

Vagabonds.Jazz, blues, and roots musicians

in concert, with an opening set by the

Appleseed Collective. The Redstone Room(129 Main Street, Davenport). 8 p.m. $13.75-

17. For tickets and information, call (563)326-

1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org. For

a 2013 interview with Davina Sowers, visit

RCReader.com/y/davina.

Friday, February 12 – Tyler Hammond

Band. Georgia-based country musicians

in concert. Red Rodeo (1720 Second

Avenue, Rock Island). 8 p.m. $5 cover. For


TheRedRodeo.com.

Saturday, February 13 – Smooth

Jazz Valentines Concert. Great SoundsPromotions presents a romantic concert

event with guitarist Marc Antoine and

saxophonist Phil Denny. The Redstone Room

(129 Main Street, Davenport). 8 p.m. $45-50.

For tickets and information, call (563)326-

1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.

Saturday, February 13, and Sunday,

February 14 – The World Beloved: A

Bluegrass Mass. The Nova Singers and guest

artists Monroe Crossing, under the direction

of Laura Lane, perform traditional choral

music with folk and bluegrass stylings.Saturday: Knox College’s Kresge Recital Hall

(2 East South Street, Galesburg), 7:30 p.m.

Sunday: St. Paul Lutheran Church (2136

Brady Street, Davenport), 4 p.m. $15-18. For

tickets and information, call (309)341-7038

or visit NovaSingers.com.

Sunday, February 14 – Rayland Baxter.

Concert with the singer/songwriter in

support of his new album Imaginary Man,

featuring an opening set by Margaret

Glaspy. The Redstone Room (129 MainStreet, Davenport). 9 p.m. $11.50-14. For

tickets and information, call (563)326-1333

or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.

Tuesday, February 16 – Amy

Grant & Steven Curtis Chapman.Grammy- and Dove-winning

contemporary-Christian artists in

concert. Adler Theatre (136 East

Third Street, Davenport). 7 p.m.

$45-95. For tickets, call (800)745-

3000 or visit AdlerTheatre.com.

Wednesday, February 17 –

LIZZO. Alternative hip-hop artist

Melissa Jefferson in concert as

part of the Daytrotter Downs

festival. Daytrotter (324 BradyStreet, Davenport). 7 p.m. $16.82.

For tickets and information, visit

Daytrotter.com.

THEATREThursday, February 4 –

Inheritors. River Action hosts

a reading of the abridged

version of Susan Glaspell’s

Davenport-set drama, directed

by Aaron Randolph III. Figge

Art Museum (225 West Second

Street, Davenport). 7 p.m. For

information, call (563)322-2969 or

visit RiverAction.org.

Friday, February 12, through Saturday,

February 20 – Moon Over Buffalo. Ken

Ludwig’s Tony-nominated backstage

comedy, directed by Heather Schmidt.

District Theatre (1724 Fourth Avenue, Rock

Island). Thursday-Saturday 8 p.m., Sunday

2 p.m. $20. For tickets and information, call

(309)235-1654 or visit DistrictTheatre.com.

LITERATUREThursday, February

11 – SPECTRA: Local

Lovers Open Mic.

Original poems, songs,

stories, soliloquies, and

rants co-sponsored by the

Midwest Writing Center.

Rozz-Tox (2108 Third

Avenue, Rock Island). 8p.m. Free. For information,

call (563)324-1410 or

visit RozzTox.com and

MWCQC.org.

EXHIBITFriday, February 12, through Friday,

April 1 – Janet Checker & Barbara Walton.

Exhibit of oil paintings by Checker of Galena

and encaustic art by Barbara Walton of

Ames. Quad City Arts Center (1715 Second

Avenue, Rock Island). Tuesday-Friday 10a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free.

For information, call (309)793-1213 or visit

QuadCityArts.com.

EVENTSFriday, February 5 – 2016 Bacon & Beer

Festival.Annual event featuring samples

of more than 100 craft beers and bacon

delicacies, with area chefs competing for

the Squealer Award. Davenport RiverCenter

(136 East Third Street, Davenport). 6 p.m.$25-30. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit

RiverCtr.com.

Saturday, February 6 – Shipwrecked

in Gilligan’s Garden. Wintertime party

featuring live music, island games, food

and beverages, and a “coconut station,”

with attendees encouraged to dress as

their favorite Gilligan’s Island characters.

Quad City Botanical Center (2525 Fourth

Avenue, Rock Island). 7 p.m. $20. For tickets

and information, call (309)794-0991 or visit

QCGardens.com.

Tuesday, February

9 – Rajun Cajun Food

Fest. Annual fundraising

event featuring Cajun-

and Creole-inspired

cuisine, specialty cocktails,

dancing, and more. Figge

Art Museum (225 West

Second Street, Davenport).

5 p.m. $30-35. For

information and to reserve,call (563)326-7804 or visit

FiggeArtMuseum.org.

Friday, February

12, through Sunday,

February 14 – 22nd-

Annual Iowa Illinois Regional Auto

Show. Event showcasing more than 350

2016 vehicles. Davenport RiverCenter

(136 East Third Street, Davenport). Friday

and Saturday 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Sunday 10

a.m.-5p.m. $3-8, children six and underfree, children 12 and under free on Sunday.

For tickets and more information, visit

QuadCityAutoShow.com.

Continued From Page 13

What Else Is Happenin’

Barbara Walton’s Invocation @ QuadCity Arts Center - February 12 thru April 1

Carlisle Evans Peck -February 6-7

LIZZO @ Daytrotter - February 17


15/24


Quad Cities musician and engineerPat Stolley is not a good interview.He’s plain-spoken and blunt, and

when asked last week about the originsof Intricate Maps – the new album fromhis band The Multiple Cat – his answercouldn’t be more ordinary and pragmatic:“I had a band that was doing stuff.”

In the past, the singer/songwriter/

guitarist said, he had difficulty keeping aband together, with people moving awayor being less than reliable. But following2013’s The Return of the Multiple Cat ,he had a solid ensemble that wanted tokeep working. So it was as simple as theconfluence of writing songs and havinginterest from the local label CartoucheRecords in putting them out.

Chalk up Stolley’s manner to preferringcreation over discussion. Starting with

the opening seconds of lead tracks“Maps” and “David,” the record is densewith pop rock that is precise, detailed,and economical but also organically vitaland often joyously catchy.

And while the eight tracks that fit thatdescription would be plenty rewarding,the three “Theme”-titled pieces bridgesongs and help shape Intricate Maps intoa dynamic, breathing album. Listening tothe record’s carefully modulated flow, it’s

difficult to take Stolley at his word thathis limited time dictates that he use justabout everything he writes; it’s a triumphof songwriting, instrumentation, andarrangement dovetailing with smartsequencing and evocative connective tissue.

While the Multiple Cat has over itsintermittent 20-year-plus history largelybeen Stolley’s show, Intricate Maps wasmore democratic, with bassist Ben Crabband drummer Phil Pracht writing mostof their own parts. (Andrew Barkau hassince replaced Pracht.) The bass anddrums here are essential organs, notmerely the rhythm section as necessarywindow dressing.

The bass and click-y percussion drive

by Jeff Ignatius

[email protected]

Navigating a JourneyThe Multiple Cat, Intricate Maps; February 12 at Rozz-Tox

“Maps” as much as Stolley’s vocals and more than his guitar,and its sharply segmentedstructure is a model of shiftingenergy and mood within astable whole.

“David” has an even layeringthat allows the listener’s earsto prioritize sounds more thanthe mix – the throbbing bassrising at times, the keyboardsswimming to the top at others,Stolley’s breathy falsettosurfacing.

“Green Ice” is a delicatelyswirling drawing, with sturdy bass linesand warmly enveloping keyboardscontrasting with the finer, darker texturesof hushed vocals, light guitar, and horn.

Lyrically and thematically, Stolley said,he was inspired by the deaths of two firstcousins – one from cancer, one fromalcohol – and analytic psychologist Carl

Jung’s interest in alchemy.And if that paired with my descriptions

of Intricate Maps’ calculation makes thealbum sound sterile and a touch academic,I’ll stress that Stolley’s craft leaves plentyof room for pumping blood and humor.“The Boring Game,” he said, is told fromthe perspective of a Ouija board’s spirits:“These beings are beyond time and all-powerful thinking, but they have to fieldall these sixth-grade-girl questions.”

And in the album’s back half, “MagicThat Works” is angular and dominated byguitar, a straightforward and bright rocksong that helps release some of Intricate Maps’ building pressure.

“Theme iii” strips away all pretensionwith its simple jam – Stolley’s lyricalguitar and Crabb’s distorted bass playingoff each other – and the Multiple Catthen takes its final U-turn into theluxuriant piano-and-cymbal comfort of

low-key closer “Bells.”Each song on the album, Stolley said, isdiscrete, but Intricate Maps still feels likea satisfying journey with the best tourguides one could hope for.

The Multiple Cat will perform on Friday,February 12, at Rozz-Tox (2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island; RozzTox.com). The9 p.m. all-ages show also includes a set byDirty Swears and a DJ session with JustLet Go. Admission is $10.

For more information on the Multiple Cat,visit TheMultipleCat.BandCamp.com.Intricate Maps is available fromCartoucheRecords.com.

MUSIC


16/24


and they will have good food. It’s incredible.”)

Wherever she performs, she brings alongone of two violins – her 1770 J.B. Guadagninior her 2006 Samuel Zygmuntowicz –depending on the nature of her repertoireand locale.

“This is a pretty major argument amongstconcert-goers and musicians,” says Sohn ofthe perceived differences in the violins’ soundquality. “I’m on the side that thinks that ifsomebody didn’t tell you that one instrumentwas 400 years older than the other one, you

wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. I thinka lot of it is in people’s heads, and they wantto romanticize things. Some of these moderninstruments – and I’m lucky enough to haveone – are made so incredibly well these days.

“That being said,” she continues, “I pulledout my Guadagnini the other day, and there isa shimmery quality to it that’s maybe lackingin my modern one. But my modern one alsohas a more pinpointed loud – a louder sound,basically. You get certain things from one and

certain things from another, and it’s good tohave both.“Like, I’m recording Brahms trios this

coming fall, and the cellist in my group hasa 1710 Gagliano, so for that, I’ll probablyuse my Guadagnini. But if I have to cutthrough an orchestra, generally I’ll take myZygmuntowicz. And if I’m going to coldclimates, I’ll leave my Guad at home just forsafety.” She laughs. “I don’t want it crackingon me.”

It’s a safe guess, then, that Sohn will bring

along the Zygmuntowicz for her early-February concerts in the Quad Cities, and theartist says she’s excited to perform Barber’sViolin Concerto, a composition that shedescribes as “so great. So great. But a bit odd.

“It’s strange,” she explains, “becausethe three movements sound kind of liketwo pieces. The last movement is really

virtuosic, like a moto perpetuo – you startrunning and running and you get to theend. Which is really different from the

first two movements, which are very lush,romantic, heart-on-your-sleeve. And it startsimmediately with the violin playing the tune.There’s no introduction or anything – it’s justimmediately out there. I kind of like that, andI like the dichotomy of the two characters.And it’s super-fun to play.”

Following Sohn’s Quad Cities concerts,she’ll return to her Cal ifornia stompinggrounds, where she’s on the faculty of StanfordUniversity’s music department, and where she

lives with husband Geoff Nuttall – himselfa Stanford faculty member and professional

violinist. You’d be mistaken, though, if youimagined their time together a nonstop seriesof “dueling banjos” for violins.

Continued From Page 9 By Mike Schulz

[email protected]

She’s Got the World on Her StringsSohn says, “There’s not a lot of repertoire”

for two violins, “and he’s also in a stringquartet. The summertime is generally whenwe get to play together the most – we’ll go tocertain festivals and sometimes be put in agroup together. But I like playing with him.We’re very different players, so it’s always anew perspective.”

And which spouse is the better player?

“You know,” says Sohn with a laugh, cagily

evading the question, “we often say that if wecombined our playing, we would be, like, areally supreme violinist.”

Livia Sohn performs in the Quad CitySymphony Orchestra’s Masterworks IV: Song&a

river cities' reader - issue 901 - february 4, 2016

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