After Crash

St. Louis’ Dave Grelle is back at the keyboard — and playing better than ever

Written by STEVE LEFTRIDGE

Among the first-call, A-list musicians in St. Louis, keyboardist Dave Grelle has to be one of the friendliest. He has the best hair and is also the best surfer. He loves dobermans the most and broke the most bones in a hit-and-run bloodbath that nearly killed him. But we’ll get to that.

As St. Louis’ ivory-tickler-in-residence, Grelle plays with the Mighty Pines, Voodoos and Funky Butt Brass Band; holds down the keys in tribute heavyweights Celebration Day and Street Fighting Band; and records with the area’s top vocalists — Anita Jackson, Joanna Serenko, Emily Wallace and more.

After years of making everyone else sound good, it was high time he put his name at the top of the marquee. He’s done so with his own fabulous soul-jazz outfit, Dave Grelle’s Playadors, a project that marks the culmination of a remarkable comeback story.

Grelle’s story starts in University City, where he taught himself to play piano as a kid. At Chaminade High School, he played clarinet in the school band and keys at night in joints such as the Bernard Pub on Laclede’s Landing.

After graduating, Grelle bolted for the University of Arizona, where he planned to major in business but spent most of his time partying and “getting into all kinds of trouble.”

His dorm was equipped with a piano in the lobby, and he’d play every night “until they kicked me off,” he says. That is, until various shenanigans got him booted from the dorm, at which point his parents pulled the plug. “They said, ‘Get on a plane — you’re coming home,’” Grelle says.

Back in St. Louis, Grelle threw himself further into music. He landed a job selling keyboards at McMurray Music Center and began performing at open-mic nights at Red Sea in the Loop. Things started clicking. He had a knack for selling keyboards in the beats-oriented early ’00s, was named McMurray’s regional salesperson of the year and added high-end keyboards to his collection through sales-incentive programs.

Grelle joined forces with drummer Tony Barbata in Core Project, which enjoyed a five-year run as the city’s hottest hip-hop/jazz band. Afterward, Grelle formed the Feed, a popular soul-punk trio with Grelle on lead vocals and keybass alongside saxophonist Ben Reece and drummer Kevin Bowers.

As his reputation grew, Grelle was hired to make beats for Nelly.

“[Producer] Jason Epperson had all these cool old soul and funk records,” Grelle recalls. “He’d play a part of a record and say, ‘Man, can you play something like that over this beat?’” Grelle could and did, contributing to Nelly hits such as “Pimp Juice,” thereby helping craft the soul-inflected St. Louis hip-hop sound, a sensation in the early aughts.

Still, Grelle was hungry to get better. He had always played by ear, but encouraged by his nowwife Kasey, he decided to go back to school, commuting to Southern

Illinois University in Edwardsville, eventually earning a degree in jazz performance.

“I just loved learning how music works,” he says. “I have a very mathematical mind, and music theory is very mathematical. I went from being a disruptive ADHD kid to nerding out on theory.”

Grelle went on to play studio sessions in Chicago and Nashville, study film scoring at Berklee and USC, make soundtracks for TV commercials, tour with the Feed and play in Andy Coco’s Hip Grease and Kevin Bowers’ Nova.

“I try to surround myself with superior musicians because it always makes me want to be better,” Grelle says. That includes guitarist Jimmy Griffin, singer Mark Quinn and drummer John Pessoni of El Monstero fame, who tapped Grelle for their Led Zeppelin tribute band in 2006.

He was reluctant at first.

“But they said, ‘Just come to rehearsal — then you can tell us to fuck off if you want,’” Grelle says. “When the band kicked in, I was like holy shit,” Grelle says. “I’m fucking in.”

Celebration Day sold out its first show at the Pageant and has been a monster draw ever since. Grelle and Griffin subsequently linked up with Via Dove vocalist (and Mick Jagger ringer) Andy Shadburne to form Street Fighting Band, a Rolling Stones tribute. In addition, Grelle curated and directed an all-star band for an annual Yes We Can concert, a tribute to Alan Toussaint, the high priest of New Orleans music.

Then everything came crashing down on him.

On the evening of November 2, 2016 — with his nine-monthspregnant wife and two-year-old son waiting at home — Grelle was struck by a speeding car while walking across Grand Boulevard to pick up takeout. The driver carried Grelle a block on the hood of her car, dumped him in the middle of the street and kept going.

Grelle has no memory of being hit. “I just remember waking up with my head on the street,” he says. “It was lightly raining. I remember the headlights and flashing lights and someone asking me if I could move my legs.”

He couldn’t. Grelle had shat- tered tibias, fibulas, scapulas, ribs and more — 22 broken bones total. He suffered a lacerated liver and a punctured lung. The skin was ripped off his left arm. His ankle was swinging from its tendons.

Meanwhile, the driver parked her bloody, smashed, windshieldshattered car around the corner and went into a bar to have drinks with her friends. A judge later sentenced her to probation for leaving the scene of the crime.

Grelle was in the hospital for a month — released briefly to attend his daughter’s birth — and spent two more confined to a hospital bed at home. The cognitive toll of the accident forced him to relearn almost everything — speaking, walking, playing piano.

Miraculously, his hands were the only part of his body that remained unscathed. “I had to reteach myself how to play keys,” he says. “The best thing about being isolated and in a wheelchair is that I couldn’t do anything else but practice.”

More than six years after the accident, Grelle still has glass embedded throughout his body. He points to a spot on his cheek: “I have a piece of glass here working its way out right now,” he says. “I feel it every time I shave.” He goes to physical therapy sessions three days a week.

Despite knowing he will deal with the effects of his injuries for the rest of his life, Grelle can joke about it. “It was the night the Cubs won the World Series, and I have no memory of it, so as far as I’m concerned it never happened,” he says, smiling. “And at least I don’t remember Trump getting elected. I might have walked in front of a car on purpose.”

Shortly after the accident, his musical friends came to the rescue. Grelle had previously played every Brasstravaganza, the Funky Butt Brass Band’s annual holiday party. Though Grelle was fresh out of the hospital, the band got him back on stage that year.

“They were like, ‘You’re going to do it,’” Grelle says. “My dad drove me to Delmar Hall in an ice storm. They brought me on stage, hoisted me up in my wheelchair, and I sang a song wearing a Christmas onesie, my legs wrapped in Christmas lights.”

Grelle credits Jazz St. Louis Artistic Director Bob Bennett with pushing him to perform again in 2017. “Bob said, ‘You’re going to put a band together and play Jazz at the Bistro, and these are the dates,” Grelle says. “Thank God he did that. I was in a pretty dark place.”

For that gig, he assembled Dave Grelle’s Playadors, a who’s who of areas players, including Dee Dee James (guitar), Zeb Briskovich (bass), Adam Hucke (trumpet), Rob Nugent (alto sax), Matt Henry (percussion), his old Feedmates Bowers and Reece, and a rotating cast of vocalists.

A Playadors’ set is a dynamic display of almighty musicality. Grelle simultaneously plays and conducts from his perch at stage right.

“I throw hard shit at these people, and everyone is coming from way different backgrounds,” Grelle says. “I just love that it’s a group that everyone is excited about.”

Grelle is in the studio with the Playadors and plans to release A/B singles and eventually a full album over the next few months. He credits the St. Louis music scene for being able to rebound so successfully.

“I’ve lived in Nashville, Chicago. St. Louis is different,” Grelle says, shaking his head in awe. “It’s the perfect amalgamation of all the music from here and all the music from around us.”

Grelle is a priceless part of that mix.

“I’m here,” he says. “And I’m better than ever.” n

Catch Dave Grelle’s Playadors with special guest Anita Jackson at 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 1, at Joe’s Cafe (6008 Kingsbury Avenue, 314-862-2541). Tickets are $15 in advance on Eventbrite or $20 at the door.

Kelly Howe soars as Linda Ronstadt at Just One Look, now at the Blue Strawberry

Written by SARAH FENSKE

Just One Look

Directed and composed by Joe Hanrahan. Presented by Midnight Theatre Company at Blue Strawberry at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesdays through March 15. Tickets are $25 with a $20 food and drink minimum.

Linda Ronstadt is having a moment. Her heartrending “Long, Long Time” was featured on HBO’s The Last of Us — and if there’s any recipe these days for breaking through the noise to become a bona fide sensation, it’s being on the soundtrack of a hit HBO show.

If you were born after, say, 1975, you know Ronstadt, if you know her at all, as the wide-eyed presence on the cover of your parents’ old Pirates of Penzance cast recording or as the must-be-famous singer in a bolero jacket hamming it up on Sesame Street. You probably didn’t know she hung out with Mick Jagger and brought the Ea- gles together. You wouldn’t have known she was besties with Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton, much less connected her to top-40 hits as disparate as “Blue Bayou” and “Poor Poor Pitiful Me.” You’d have no idea that — before she retired to San Francisco, before a disorder akin to Parkinson’s stopped her in her tracks — Linda Ronstadt was cool.

The new two-actor show at the Blue Strawberry, Just One Look, makes a terrific case that Ronstadt is more than just one song and more than worthy of your time. Written and directed by Joe Hanrahan, the Midnight Company’s 90-minute production expertly utilizes the venue’s tiny cabaret stage to keep the spotlight on Kelly Howe, who positively dazzles as Ronstadt. With a voice so powerful it nearly knocked out the sound system during its premiere, Howe inhabits Ronstadt so completely she even seems to look like her, despite wisely eschewing the singer’s 1980s mop of hair for timeless bangs.

The setup is simple, as befits the stage: Longtime journalist Lonny Anderson (Hanrahan, channeling a cross between Joe Edwards and a British Ray Hartmann) indulges in his crush on Ronstadt, interviewing her at length about her hit songs. Lonny never really gets anywhere with the coquettish singer, but that’s not the point — he’s simply the setup to let Ronstadt belt out her favorite songs, and belt them she does. It’s an astonishing parade of hit after hit after genredefying hit, ably assisted by Curt Landes on piano, Tom Maloney on guitar and Mark Rogers on percussion. (Landes and Rogers even manage to fill in for Parton and Harris on backup vocals for one song — no small feat.)

That this production is taking place at the Blue Strawberry adds to the fun. This isn’t the sort of intricately plotted play that requires audiences to sit still and focus. Instead, Howe’s beautiful vocals invite us to lean back, relax with a cocktail and remember the music we took for granted on the soundtrack of our youths. That the cabaret-style venue allows audiences to get dinner first, and keep drinking throughout the show, provides an apropos intimacy that only puts Howe’s talents in higher relief.

Yes, there’s the occasional crash of silverware in the hallway, and you might notice your server slip past to bring the adjacent table a drink. But sitting in the positively packed cabaret, with hits breaking over you like a tidal wave, you might fool yourself into thinking you’re seeing Ronstadt at the height of her powers in an intimate venue. Thanks to Howe, Hanrahan and the rest of this thoroughly enjoyable production, you can’t help but marvel — what a show that would have been! n

[REVIEW]

Now at the Fox Theatre, To Kill a Mockingbird resonates powerfully

Written by TINA FARMER

To Kill a Mockingbird

Adapted, written and composed by Aaron Sorkin. Directed by Bartlett Sher. Presented by the Fabulous Fox Theatre through Sunday, March 12. Showtimes vary by date. Tickets are $29 to $110.

Whether in book, movie or its most recent play version by Aaron Sorkin, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird remains a powerful, insightful American story. The current touring production at the Fabulous Fox Theatre (527 North Grand Boulevard, 314534-1678, fabulousfox.com), featuring Richard Thomas as Atticus Finch, is an impeccable dramatic production.

Tom Robinson, a Black man with a noticeably disabled left arm, is on trial and needs a competent lawyer. Accused of assaulting and raping Mayella Ewell, a poor white woman who lives nearby, his current lawyer encourages him to enter a guilty plea to a lesser charge. The judge, unsettled by the recommendation, reaches out to Finch, convincing him to take the case.

Finch hesitates until swayed by his principled belief in justice and the underlying goodness of most people. Family housekeeper Calpurnia is less confident. Finch’s children, Jem and Scout, and their friend Dill, provide important framing through narration and commentary. The primary action takes place in the courthouse, where the case resolves as expected in 1930s Alabama. The drama extends well beyond the courthouse, however, deeply affecting the town and the Finch family.

Director Bartlett Sher guides a spectacular cast that convincingly commits to the story. Richard Thomas is captivating as Finch, with an easy, knowledgeable but down-to-earth approach that adds to the character’s inherent appeal. He staunchly believes that justice will ultimately prevail. Filled with natural empathy, he encourages his children to try to understand why people are behaving a certain way. Thomas captures all these aspects with an understated, natural gravitas.

Melanie Moore, Justin Mark and Steven Lee Johnson are compelling and appealing as Scout, Jem and Dill, respectively. They bring a sense of curiosity and youthful idealism to the roles, easily transitioning from in-the-moment reactions to audience asides that are often humorous as well as infor- mative. Moore does an excellent job establishing Scout’s intelligent naiveté and youth, capturing the sense of a young woman with access to ideas she intuitively appreciates without fully understanding, and opens the character to the audience as she processes each.

Jacqueline Williams avoids stereotypes as the Finch family housekeeper, though she telegraphs considerable context through movement, tone and expression. Yaegel T. Welch is sympathetic and heartbreaking as Tom Robinson. Joey Collins and Arianna Gayle Stucki evoke pity, sadness and a different heartbreak as the racist, abusive Bob Ewell and his abused daughter Mayella while Travis Johns conveys compassion with a touch of loneliness as Boo Radley.

Playwright Aaron Sorkin has crafted a thematically relevant play that resonates with the same power and forceful intention as the novel and the well-received movie version. That his script evokes contemporary struggles, effectively showing racism, sexism and populism in scenes that bridge the period gap, is testament to the truth of the story. Audiences Scout’s age or older are likely to be moved by the effective Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Almost a century removed from its original telling, this drama reminds us that justice and equality for all is still a goal worth striving for and working to achieve. n

Each week, we bring you our picks for the best concerts of the next seven days! To submit your show for consideration, visit https://bit.ly/3bgnwXZ. All events are subject to change, especially in the age of COVID-19, so do check with the venue for the most up-to-date information before you head out for the night. Happy showgoing!

THURSDAY 9

BROTHER JEFFERSON: 8 p.m., $15-$20. The Dark Room, 3610 Grandel Square inside Grandel Theatre, St. Louis, 314-776-9550.

DOUG & SHARON FOEHNER: w/ Eric McSpadden & Popcorn 8 p.m., $15-$20. Joe’s Cafe, 6014 Kingsbury Ave, St. Louis.

ERIC JOHNSON: 8 p.m., $40. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

GUITAR CIRCLE: 6 p.m., free. Schlafly Tap Room, 2100 Locust St., St. Louis, 314-241-2337.

JAKE CURTIS BLUES: 7 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

KARA BALDUS-MEHRMANN QUARTET: 7:30 p.m., $17. Jazz St. Louis, 3536 Washington Ave, St. Louis, 314-571-6000.

KATIE TOUPIN: w/ Austin Plaine 8 p.m., $18-$22. Central Stage, 3524 Washington Avenue, St. Louis, 314-533-0367.

NATE LOWERY: 3 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

ORANGE DOORS: w/ Loftys Comet 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

SUBTRONICS: w/ Virtual Riot, Kompany, Ubur 7 p.m., $49.50-$79.50. The Factory, 17105 N Outer 40 Rd, Chesterfield, 314-423-8500.

FRIDAY 10

CASH LANGDON: w/ Faux Deep, Algae Dust, Crisis Walk-Ins 8 p.m., $5-$10. Platypus, 4501 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-359-2293.

CHEVY THA WRITER: 10 p.m., $15-$20. The Dark Room, 3610 Grandel Square inside Grandel Theatre, St. Louis, 314-776-9550.

DIESEL ISLAND: 7 p.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521.

THE HEALTH AND WELLNESS PLAN DOUBLE EP

RELEASE: w/ the Jag-Wires, Skin Effect 8 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.

JEREMIAH JOHNSON BAND: 5 p.m., $10. The Attic Music Bar, 4247 S. Kingshighway, 2nd floor, St. Louis, 314-376-5313.

JOHN “PAPA” GROS: 8 p.m., $20. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.

KELTIC REIGN: 7:30 p.m., $20. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745.

KILLING FEVER: w/ Zantigo, Forteana 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

LUCKY OLD SONS: 8 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

MARAUDA: w/ INFEKT, DRINKURWATER, Executioner 8 p.m., $30. The Hawthorn, 2225 Washington Avenue, St. Louis.

NOCHE DE VERANO SIN TI - BAD BUNNY BIRTHDAY

BASH: 8 p.m., $20. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444.

RAGE ROOM: w/ Infekt, Drinkurwater, Executioner 9 p.m., $30. The Hawthorn, 2225 Washington Avenue, St. Louis.

RAY BONNEVILLE: 8 p.m., $20-$25. The Focal Point, 2720 Sutton Blvd., Maplewood, 314-560-2778.

THAT 1 GUY: 8 p.m., $13-$18. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505.

THEORY OF A DEADMAN: w/ Skillet 7 p.m.,

8 p.m. Saturday, March 11. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street. $15. 314-289-9050.

Whether you realize it or not, Styles P probably had a hand in the soundtrack to your life in the late ‘90s. As one-third of the New York hip-hop act the Lox, the Yonkers rapper helped to pen some of the biggest hits of the era — chart-topping, radio-dominating tracks including Diddy’s “It’s All About the Benjamins,”

Jennifer Lopez’s “Jenny from the Block” and Mariah Carey’s “Honey.” The group’s collaborations with Diddy and his Bad Boy Records label were especially fruitful, and the Lox found itself working with everyone from Jay-Z to DMX to Ja Rule during its most prolific run in the latter part of the decade. Moving into the aughts, the Lox jumped ship to the Ruff Ryders label, where Styles released

$39.50-$69.50. The Factory, 17105 N Outer 40 Rd, Chesterfield, 314-423-8500.

SATURDAY 11

4 PLAY FEATURING ELLE LENEE: 8 p.m., $10. The Attic Music Bar, 4247 S. Kingshighway, 2nd floor, St. Louis, 314-376-5313.

ALL ROOSTERED UP: noon, free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

ALL THAT & A BAG OF CHIPS: 90’S DANCE PARTY & POLE SHOW: 7 p.m., $20. Aurora, 7413 South Broadway, Saint Louis, 314-000-0000.

ALLIGATOR WINE: 10 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

AMERICAN CHAMBER CHORALE & ORCHESTRA:

7:30 p.m., free. Salem in Ladue United Methodist Church, 1200 S. Lindbergh Blvd., Frontenac, 314-991-0546.

BATE & THE STRANGERS: UNPLUGGED: 9 p.m., $15-$25. The Dark Room, 3610 Grandel Square inside Grandel Theatre, St. Louis, 314-776-9550.

THE DISAPPEARED: w/ Petty Grievances, Maximum Effort 8 p.m., $10. Blueberry Hill, 6504 his debut solo album, A Gangster and a Gentleman, whose single “Good Times” peaked at No. 22 on Billboard’s Hot 100. The rapper has been a veritable fountain of creativity in the years since, releasing 15 solo albums including January’s Penultimate: A Calm Wolf Is Still a Wolf. For his St. Louis show, expect a wide-ranging set full of tracks spanning decades, all delivered by a certifiable New York hiphop legend.

And the Winner Is: A highly anticipated Verzuz battle in August 2021 saw the Lox summarily obliterate Harlem rap group the Diplomats in a showing that one reporter dubbed “premeditated murder by microphone.” In the aftermath, the Lox saw streams of its music increase by 215 percent, received a key to the city of Yonkers and appeared on Kanye West’s Donda project alongside Jay Electronica.

—Daniel Hill

Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444.

EMMET COHEN TRIO: 8 p.m., $35-$45. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900.

EUGENE & COMPANY: 8 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

AN EVENING WITH BLACK MAGIC: THE SANTANA

EXPERIENCE: 8 p.m., $22.50. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

IAN MUNSICK: 8 p.m., $28-$49.50. The Factory, 17105 N Outer 40 Rd, Chesterfield, 314-423-8500.

THE LEMON TWIGS: 8 p.m., $20. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.

PETTY GRIEVANCES: w/ The Disappeared, Maximum Effort 8 p.m., $10. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444.

ROCKIN RASCALS: 3 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

THE SALZBURG GUITAR TRIO: 7:30 p.m., $20-$39. The 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., University City, 314-421-3600.

SHI: w/ Path of Might, Kilverez 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis,

314-352-5226.

STORY OF THE YEAR: 8 p.m., $35-$45. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. STYLES P: 8 p.m., $15. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

TEAM COAST VS. TEAM FERRISS: w/ Jay Coast, Ferriss, Ricky Wolfe, Harry Steezz, Ripconn, Jeff Co 8 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.

TODD MOSBY NEW HORIZONS BAND: 7:30 p.m., $20. Jack’s Place, 4652 Shaw Avenue, St. Louis, 314-773-6600.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT TITANS: 8 p.m., $15. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444.

SUNDAY 12

CRO-MAGS: w/ No/Mas, Brat 8 p.m., $20. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. DUOSONIC: 10 a.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521.

ERIC LYSAGHT: 9 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster

Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

ERIK BROOKS: 8 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

ETHAN JONES: 2 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

FMP WE ARE THE FUTURE YOUTH SHOWCASE:

7:30 p.m., $10. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720.

FRIKO: w/ Free Range 8 p.m., $12. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.

PRE 314 DAY SHOW ME THE FUNNY COMEDY

JAM: 7 p.m., $25.64-$45.64. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

RICH MCDONOUGH & THE RHYTHM RENEGADES: 3 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

WASTE MAN: w/ What We Won’t See, Nick G Band 7:30 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.

MONDAY 13

BUDDY GUY: 7:30 p.m., $49.50-$79.50. The Factory, 17105 N Outer 40 Rd, Chesterfield, 314-423-8500.

BYRNE & KELLY: 7:30 p.m., $35-$75. The Focal Point, 2720 Sutton Blvd., Maplewood, 314-560-2778.

MONDAY NIGHT REVIEW: w/ Tim, Danny and Randy 7 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

SOULARD BLUES BAND: 9 p.m., $8. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

TUESDAY 14

ALTER BRIDGE: w/ Mammoth WVH, Pistols at Dawn 7 p.m., $42.50-$248.50. The Factory, 17105 N Outer 40 Rd, Chesterfield, 314-423-8500.

ANDREW DAHLE: 9 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

DOLLYROTS: 8 p.m., $18-$22. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505.

ERIC MCSPADDEN & MARGARET BIENCHETTA: 5 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

KEVIN BUCKLEY: 10 a.m., $20-$23. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900.

LUCKI: 8 p.m., $35-$75. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720.

MISTER GOBLIN: w/ Puhoy, Big Load 8:30 p.m., $5-10. CBGB, 3163 S. Grand Blvd., St. Louis.

NAKED MIKE: 7 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

PARKWAY SCHOOL DISTRICT ALL-DISTRICT

ORCHESTRA PERFORMANCE: 7:30 p.m., $5. Family Arena, 2002 Arena Parkway, St Charles, 636-896-4200.

SHADOW SHOW: w/ Shitstorm, Mobile Alien Research Unit 8 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.

UNDEROATH: w/ Periphery, Loathe 7 p.m., $36.50.

8 p.m. Saturday, March 11. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue. $20. 314-498-6989. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the members of the Lemon Twigs are straightup musical prodigies. The Long Island group consists of brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario, multi-instrumentalists who possess that preternatural ability to craft harmonies in an otherworldly, locked-in manner that seems to be gifted only to siblings. The group exploded onto the scene with 2016’s Do Hollywood, which the brothers recorded before either of them was even 18 years old. Their psychedelically tinged mix of glam rock and power pop has earned them a slew of famous fans in the years since — artists including Elton John, Iggy Pop, Boy George, Todd Rundgren and more. Their skills on

Continued from pg 43

The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

WEDNESDAY 15 basically every instrument have led to the brothers being tapped to perform on other acts’ albums as well, with the two contributing to Foxygen’s 2017 album Hang and Weyes Blood’s 2019 album Titanic Rising. They’re first-call session musicians, in other words, and their work within their own group shows a grandiosity and theatricality that simply cannot be ignored. In short, the days of seeing the Lemon Twigs at a venue as small as Off Broadway are numbered, and this week’s show is sure to be one for the history books.

BLACK VIOLIN: 8 p.m.; April 3, 8 p.m., $24.50$69.50. Touhill Performing Arts Center, 1 Touhill Circle, St. Louis, 866-516-4949.

DREW LANCE: 4:30 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. EXPERIMENTAL OPEN MIC IV: 7 p.m., free. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.

JOHN MCVEY BAND: 8 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

KEVIN BUCKLEY: 10 a.m., $20-$23. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900.

MARGARET & FRIENDS: 3 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

VOODOO DAVE MATTHEWS BAND: 9 p.m., $10. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

WE SHOULD WRITE TOGETHER RELEASE SHOW: w/ Ella Fritts 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

THE WONDER YEARS: w/ Hot Mulligan, Carly Cosgrove 7:30 p.m., $20-$22. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

Funny Enough: Even comedian Tim Heidecker, of Tim and Eric fame, has worked with the D’Addario brothers. His 2020 concept album Fear of Death saw him tapping the duo for many of its tracks, with the two credited for bass, acoustic and electric guitar; drums; vocals; and mellotron. —Daniel Hill

CROCODILES: Sat., April 29, 8 p.m., $20. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720.

DIESEL ISLAND: Sat., April 29, 7:30 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090.

THE FALLING MARTINS: Sat., March 25, 7:30 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090.

THE FLAMING LIPS: Wed., June 14, 8:30 p.m., $34.50-$65. St. Louis Music Park, 750 Casino Center Dr., Maryland Heights, 314-451-2244.

GARY CLARK JR: Mon., May 8, 8 p.m., $59.50$79.50. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

JD SIMO AND MATTIE SCHELL SINGLE RELEASE

PARTY: Fri., March 24, 8 p.m., $18. City Winery St. Louis, 3730 Foundry Way, Suite 158, St. Louis, 314-678-5060.

MAGNETIC FIELDS: Mon., March 27, 8 p.m., $50. City Winery St. Louis, 3730 Foundry Way, Suite 158, St. Louis, 314-678-5060.

MEGADUNE: W/ Jesus Christ Supercar, No Antics, Fri., May 26, 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

THE STRUTS: Sun., June 25, 8 p.m., $28.50. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. n

BY DAN SAVAGE

Hey Dan: You suggested stocking up on abortion pills NOW for friends in the future because they could wind up being banned. I naively thought a ban would never happen. Now, as you probably know, it’s on the verge of being banned nationwide any day due to the lawsuit in Texas. It looks like I’d need to go to a doctor to get them, and I don’t want to have to lie about needing them. Is there any other way to get them?

Go to plancpills.org!

Hey Dan: I look OK, I make good money, I have my own place and I’m nice. But no one wants me, and no one stays because I’m autistic. I want a real relationship, but I would settle for an escort. But I don’t want to get robbed or killed. Everyone says, “Just get out there,” but it doesn’t work.

I can’t give explicit advice about finding escorts — it’s a legal gray area — but I can suggest that you follow sex workers’ rights advocates on Twitter, many of whom are sex workers themselves. Most of the women sex workers I know personally, not professionally — have experience working with autistic clients. And while locating an experienced sex worker you would like to see in person will require some time and effort, the energy you’re currently expending being miserable would be better spent on this search. There are also dating sites for autistic adults like Hiki (hikiapp.com) that you might want to check out.

Hey Dan: What’s the best way as GAYS to get laid at the gym?

No one gets laid at the gym — or through the gym — without going to the gym. As a very problematic person once said, 80 percent of success in life is just showing up. And here’s a pro tip: Presmartphones and hookup apps, GAYS would cruise each other while they lifted weights, offer to spot each other and then follow each other into locker rooms to mess around — discreetly, of course, so as not to panic STRAIGHTS and/or annoy GAYS who don’t mess around at the gym. These days guys open Grindr at the gym and send hole pics to guys sitting on the machine next to them.

Hey Dan: I’m a 43-year-old cis straight man. I’m going to see my doctor soon and

I plan to ask him about testing for autism spectrum disorder because more than half of my girlfriends and a few platonic friends have asked me if I might be on the spectrum. I don’t think a diagnosis will change my life, other than reframing a lot of confusing (to me) “breakups” with friends and girlfriends over the years. Any advice how I should contact previous friends and girlfriends to let them know I received a diagnosis that might explain some of our problems? I’m still on friendly(ish) terms with most of them.

A status update posted to Facebook and/ or a story posted to Instagram — assuming you’re on social media and/or want to be out about your diagnosis — would probably reach most of your friends and exes. If that’s too public, I don’t see why you couldn’t just send a note to the friends and exes with whom you’re on friendly(ish) terms, particularly the ones who suggested you might be on the spectrum.

Hey Dan: I have seen videos of guys getting fisted. Some of these guys take it all the way to the elbow. How the heck is this even possible?!? I mean they have to be touching their lungs or heart! Even done carefully how can this be safe and not do permanent damage?

“Some guys’ insides are just made differently,” said CagedJock, a gay male porn star who is often elbow-deep in his costars. “I once fisted this boy — he was short, only 5’5” — and I basically just slid in up to my elbow. He was gifted anatomically. But I have also fisted 6’2” guys without getting past my wrist. So it’s not the height that gets you to past the elbow. It’s like people in the circus — ordinary people just can’t do that. And it’s safe as long as you’re doing it right. I have been fisting since 2015, and I’ve bottomed since 2004. It’s about knowing how the body works, using common sense, learning how to read the body language of the receiver and lots of communication.”

Follow CagedJock on Twitter and Instagram @CagedJock.

Hey Dan: How do you use a dental dam effectively?

You remove the dental dam from its packaging, you place the packaging in the appropriate recycling bin, and then you carefully position the dental dam over the nearest trash can. You release the dental dam, you let it flutter into the trash can, and then you go to mylorals.com and order yourself some FDA-cleared, ultra-sheer underpants designed for cunnilingus.