Last week, I wrote about how much fun it is to get in your car and drive far away from the Quad-Cities. THIS week, I should probably be fair and tell you about a couple upcoming events that are fun to do IN the Quad-Cities. Will these events be a hoot? I can't guarantee it, but I'll go with a confident "most likely!" Is this little more than shameless self-promotion for events directly involving me and/or my friends? Maybe. Is that kind of unfair? Perhaps. But do I have a newspaper column and you don't? Nanny nanny boo boo.
This weekend is the return of Alternating Currents, the Quad-Cities' annual music, arts, and comedy festival -- 30+ venues around town will be hosting over 100 live performances in one weekend. The air will be exploding in rarified sound for the next couple days, including some don't-miss performances. Friday night brings Chicago's Smoking Popes to town, a band who rocketed to acclaim after their song "Need You Around" was featured in the movie Clueless. The Made Indie Market AND the Beaux Arts Fair will be happening in conjunction with the festival. Floatzilla will be launching from Main Street Landing, soundtracked by my buddy DJ Buddha. There's a great band called Dendrons playing inside Ragged Records on Saturday. Download the Alternating Currents app for all the details and the full schedule.
But of course, my favorite part of Alternating Currents is the annual Silent Disco happening overhead on the Davenport Skybridge this weekend. That's right, they'll be turning our favorite bridge to nowhere into the world's quietest dance party. If you haven't been to a silent disco, they're ridiculous and fun. Each night, three DJs will be spinning all the records they can muster from 9-11 p.m. But they won't be amplified. There's nary a speaker to be found.
Instead, everyone who shows up at the event gets a pair of glowing headphones. Instead of powering a speaker, the DJs will instead be broadcasting directly to your wireless headphones. The phones allow you to easily switch between the three DJ feeds, so if there's a tune you don't like, you can just click over to a different DJ. Put the headphones on and beats will be flying all night. Take the headphones OFF and the Skybridge will be as quiet as a library.
And yep, as you may have guessed, yours truly is scheduled to be one of those DJs on Saturday night. This will be my third year engaged in quiet battle atop the Skybridge, and it's never failed to be a silly good time. Come down, shake a tail feather, and bask in the awkwardness of watching me interact with other humans. It's a swell time.
But if you don't come out to see ME on Saturday, you should DEFINITELY head out next Thursday the 24th in support of one of the greatest human beings to ever reside in these fair cities. If you're lucky in life, you may get to know some people who are innately good. But if you're EXTRA lucky in life -- like, four-leaf clover and winning the Lotto kinda lucky -- you might get to know a few people who are truly great.
Janos Horvath is one such great person. John (to his friends, and Janos to his closer friends) is nothing if not a Quad-City mainstay. You might know him from his many roles onstage with Circa '21's Children's Theatre over the years. Or you might know him from his wife Jen's store -- she runs Fred & Ethel's 50's Antiques in Rock Island.
But most likely, you probably know John from his many years behind the bar at an assortment of Rock Island watering holes (Blue Cat, RIBCO, and his current home at Radikal Effect Brewerks.) But Janos Horvath is no simple bartender. Some say he's the consummate bartender. In fact, he's won "Best Bartender in the QC" so many times he eventually took himself out of the running just to give others a chance at glory. Never without a smile, never without a great one-liner, never without the ability to pour the perfect shamrock atop your pint of Guinness.
The thing about John is that he genuinely cares about pretty much everybody. He's the guy who never forgets to send you a birthday greeting even if you haven't seen him in years. The guy who remembers everyone's favorite drinks, favorite bands, and favorite topics of conversation. He's one of those guys who's always there for you, whether you're a close friend or a literal stranger off the street. And now we need to be there for him.
John's had a lousy summer. Back in April, he fell ill with what turned out to be a rare spine-eating infection. He's endured hospital stays, a lengthy surgery to fix his back, intense rounds of antibiotics, and he's currently in isolation while his immune system tries to rebuild itself. He hasn't been able to work since April, and his medical bills are mounting.
That's why on Thursday, Radikal Effect Brewerks is hosting John's Backbreaker Bash from 4-8 p.m. 30% of all bar sales that evening will go towards Janos, not to mention some bonus stuff like caricatures, hot sauce, food from Peaceful Palate, and a slew of raffle baskets with all proceeds going to our friend John.
So there's my pitch. This week is yours to do with as you will. You can do what I did LAST week and flee the QC looking for adventure. But if you stick around, you could see some great bands, dance in silence, help one of the best people in town, and maybe say hi to an awkward newspaper columnist along the way. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the weekend.
No comments:
Post a Comment