JANUARY 13–19, 2016 I VOLUME 40 I NUMBER 02
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MONTH XX–XX, 2015 I VOLUME 39 I NUMBER XX
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A Station Under Water
With the worst year of its existence finally in the past, the question remains: Will KDHX sink, or swim in 2016?
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THE LEDE
“Most people I know are really understanding. Like they don’t really judge us by what we wear. But because of certain media and people in the media, people are developing these ideas that aren’t necessarily true about Islam, and it’s just a misrepresentation of who we are. At the school I go to I really haven’t had anyone look at me different or say anything rude because most of them — I’ve been in school with them for a while — they know who I am. They learn from me and they know what the religion is. But other people who haven’t been exposed to Muslims might have a different perspective just because they haven’t learned from the right source.”
PHOTO BY THEO WELLING
—Soad Salem Speaking(right) with SiSter roSanna Salem(middle) and friend fareeha n.(left) at the maSjid open houSe on january 10.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURE
10.
A Station Under Water
Now that its terrible 2015 is finally in the past, the question remains. Will KDHX sink or swim? Written by
DANIEL HILL Cover by
KELLY GLUECK
NEWS
CULTURE
DINING
MUSIC
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21
29
39
Calendar
Your friend or neighbor, captured on camera
Seven days worth of great stuff to see and do
Right Here, Right Now
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25
32
The Lede
Film
First Person
Sarah Fenske asks what kind of city we want St. Louis to be -- Phoenix, or Portland?
Cheryl Baehr swoons over Retreat Gastropub
Side Dish
Charlie Kaufman’s Anomalisa is exceptional
“Skip to Malou” Perez-Nievera went from blogging to cooking
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34
Stage
Food News
The Lion in Winter shows why we go to the theater in the first place
New street art outside Clementine’s Creamery
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36
Galleries
Art on display in St. Louis this week
Dining Guide
Where to eat right now in the Gateway City
On the Road Again
Greensky Bluegrass built its considerable fan base the old fashioned way: relentless touring
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Reborn to be Be Wild
Torres pulls inspiration from the Bible on latest album, Sprinter
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Homespun
Various Artists: Prologue V
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Out Every Night
The best concerts in St. Louis every night of the week
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This Just In
This week’s new concert announcements
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NEWS
Rams? What Rams? St. Louis Will Be Fine as a Two-Team Town
P
ast the desolate edge of what could reasonably be considered downtown St. Louis, tucked between the highway and the river, there is a 90-year-old restaurant with a bar built to resemble a steamboat. A mural along the wall depicts a river scene, and next to it is a fake dock with a fake body of water. Drink enough gin here, and you’d swear you were on the edge of the Mississippi on the deck of the Cotton Blossom. In this bar, and at this restaurant, I had my first date with my husband, a guy named John I’d met in the hallway of my apartment building in the Central West End. (I was apartment 517; he was apartment 617.) Al’s Restaurant is certainly an odd place for a first date – it’s the sort of place you might take your mistress on a Tuesday, or your wife on Valentine’s Day — but we both had our reasons for discretion that August of 2011, and the place was so charming and unusual that I promptly fell madly in love with him. The rest is history. But Al’s Restaurant was nearly history, too. In St. Louis’ ill-fated quest to throw $355 million at Stan Kroenke and build a new stadium for the Rams, Al’s had been unceremoniously slated for demolition. And here’s the real insult: It wasn’t being torn down for the stadium itself, but to become surface parking. When John and I celebrated our one-year wedding anniver-
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RIVERFRONT TIMES
St. Louis. | KELLY GLUECK sary at Al’s two weeks ago, an air of anxiety permeated the restaurant. The owner quietly explained to the regulars dining in the center table that there was no news; our waiter sheepishly suggested we look up Al’s petition on change.org. “We just don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said, “but if you’d like to lend your support, we could use it.” This is probably where I should mention that all the waiters at Al’s are at least 60 years old. They didn’t turn to change.org because they were looking for a cause on social media. They were literally fighting for their livelihood. Last week, of course, Kroenke made it clear just how he feels about St. Louis — which suggests that even if L.A. won’t take him, St. Louis is hardly going to spend $355 million to keep him. But while everyone fussed and fumed about Kroenke’s insulting proposal to the NFL, I found
JANUARY 13-19, 2016
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myself thinking about Al’s, and about the kind of city we want to be. Namely, do we want to cling to the idea that you need three (or even four) sports teams and a slew of corporate boxes to be a world-class city? Do we raze what’s not quite paradise and put up a parking lot — for just eight NFL games a year? Or do we cling to the wonderful, the old and the weird? Do we shore up the marvelously strange pockets that make this place so enchanting? In short, do we want to be Phoenix? Or do we want be Portland?
I
lived in Phoenix from 2004 to 2010, years of such go-go growth that this frontier town surrounded by desert somehow passed Philadelphia to become the fifth-biggest city in the country. We also somehow ended up with four professional sports teams — and we spent hand-
somely to mollify them. But when I moved to St. Louis in the summer of 2010, this seemed a far more vibrant city. I couldn’t believe that I had my pick of walk-friendly neighborhoods — in Phoenix, there was literally one option if you were into that sort of thing. And while in Phoenix everyone waited out the summer behind their central air, in St. Louis everyone always seemed to be at the corner bar. For the price of a draft beer you could make new friends. Phoenix was all right angles – broad boulevards with big new strip malls behind landscaped mounds. St. Louis had odd little corners. Every neighborhood seemed to have a singularly spectacular park — and at least one wonderful old church built by immigrants. And those bars! My go-to spot became a place called Rosie’s, where the bartender was a MMA fighter who never stopped smiling. But ev-
ery block seemed to have its own gathering place, each more original than the next. At Talayna’s, the karaoke kept going until 3 in the morning. At the Hideaway, a blind piano player named Mark Dew sang “Ring of Fire” and “Mack the Knife” while couples two-stepped on the dance floor. And then there was Al’s. Built in 1872, it’s still owned by the Barroni family, which opened the restaurant in an old sugar exchange in 1925 and has operated it without interruption since. The food is decidedly oldschool, but you’ll have to take your waiter’s word for it: There are no written menus. Instead, waiters recite the entire list of the evening’s offerings, wheeling a cart showing off the cuts of meat. The owners briefly introduced menus some time around my first visit — only to jettison them just a few weeks later. The regulars, a server recently confided, flatly refused to take them. Back in the ’90s when Phoenix began its growth spurt, there was this idea that to become a world-class city you needed to tick all the right boxes: performing arts center, football team, convention center. Check, check, check. But by the time I arrived, Phoenix was in the throes of an existential crisis — it had all those things, but it still seemed to have no soul. (The newspaper I worked for even brought in a consultant named Richard Florida to help Phoenix become “cool,” which went about as swimmingly as you’d expect.) The problem for Phoenix is that professional sports teams can’t make you “cool” — and ultimately, they matter very little in the mix of what makes a city an attractive place to live. They certainly can’t convince people to stay if their jobs, or ambitions, lie elsewhere. St. Louis is proof of that. In his proposal to the NFL, Kroenke made note of the dismal stats that we’ve all become accustomed to hearing about our city (“490 of 515 U.S. cities in economic growth in recent years,” “lowest rate of population growth of any major U.S. city from 2008 to 2014,” “lost $3.41 billion in resident income through migration,” etcetera, etcetera). But guess what? We lost all those people, and their resident income, while we were an NFL town. Clearly, the pres-
tige of being associated with the Rams didn’t do much to stop the bleeding. Nor has Los Angeles suffered a loss of momentum during its years without a team. Kroenke also argued that we could no longer support three professional sports teams — that St. Louis, if not a two-horse town, is certainly a two-team town. And while we all reacted with outrage (and by all, I include this paper), Kroenke’s piling-on obscured an important point: a RFT_AD_BLPT_GRD_PARD_2016_CRA.pdf two-team town is not a bad thing
to be. Portland, Columbus, Salt Lake City, Nashville, Indianapolis — these are places with just two professional sports teams, and they’re also growing cities with a good quality of life. They’re not growing Phoenix-style – none is on-pace to be among the top five in the nation – but they feel marvelously livable. It’s not the sports teams that give them that feeling. When you go to Portland, you don’t visit Moda Center. You go to PowBooks, 1ell’s 1/4/16 12:01or PM Old Town Chinatown. You don’t complain that
there’s no NFL team; you hit the bike paths. In St. Louis, it’s looking like we won’t have a nifty new football stadium on the river. So what? We’ll have places like Al’s Restaurant — a 90-year-old landmark where the bar looks like a riverboat, where the Manhattans are stiff and the waiter is old enough to be your grandfather. Give me that over a $1.1 billion dome any day. That we’re not spending $355 million in public money on these landmarks is just the cherry on top. —Sarah Fenske
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A Station Under Water Now that its terrible 2015 is finally in the past, the question remains: Will KDHX sink, or swim? BY DANIEL HILL 10
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C
hris Ward has a simple plea for the listeners of St. Louis. “You know when you get out of the shower and you slip into that computer chair, and you open up an incognito browser, and then ten minutes later — maybe five minutes later — you feel ashamed?” he queries into the air room’s microphone. “You’re not gonna feel ashamed when you go to support dot KDHX dot org and help our little music station grow and do our thing, and be loud and be stupid and scream and — whatever, man! You can do it. Just be part of this. We’re a community station, and we depend on you!” It is the night of Monday, August 25, and Ward is hosting his weekly radio show, loudQUIETloud, on KDHX (88.1 FM). This week’s program is outside of the ordinary: The station is in the midst of what it has termed an “urgent” pledge drive — one which has been moved up suddenly from the fall date on which it was initially planned. A poster board hangs on the wall; drawn in sharpie is that familiar thermometer infographic often used to indicate progress on a fundraising goal. At the top it says “$200,000.” It’s colored in to just past the $100,000 mark, with a little note of encouragement in the margin: “Yeah!!! ½ way there!” Ward is dressed in a Hawaiian-style button-up over a Dolly Parton T-shirt, and he opts to stand as he alternates between screaming and
“KDHX is weird. We do things differently. We sound strange. We always have, we always will.” softly, delicately encouraging donations. Though the station has officially set his program’s individual goal at $500, Ward has vowed to raise $1 million by the night’s end, at which point he says he will “electrocute myself on-air.” Sounds dramatic, yes, but these are times of high tension at KDHX. 2015 might well have been the roughest twelve months in the indie radio station’s history. At the start of the year, long-time executive director Beverly Hacker revealed to the board that the non-profit organization had lapsed on its payroll taxes and owed money to the IRS. Though she conceded that finances had always been tight, Hacker pointed to the station’s December 2013 move into its shiny new building in Grand Center as a tipping point. That building had been gifted to the station, which was outgrowing its home in a former bakery on Magnolia Avenue. Rehab work, however, did not come cheap. The cost of the move was just shy of $5 million, and fundraising efforts had generated only half of that amount. In the wake of the revelation of the organization’s tax trouble, nearly half of the board members abruptly resigned. By early August, as bills continued to pile up and staff members saw increasingly wide gaps between their paychecks, Hacker herself was handed her walking papers after 22 years with the station and fifteen in her leadership position.
The dissension continued: Just one month after that, a questionable alliance with Phillips 66 — signed off on by Hacker — angered some members of the local music community. And so beyond the urgent financial situation is a more complicated — though no less fraught — question. What should KDHX be now that it’s growing up? No longer housed in an old bakery, even with its $1.7 million annual budget, it still doesn’t feel quite at home in its Midtown office suite. The next year could well determine the future of the station: whether it remains cussedly independent and wonderfully weird — or takes a step toward being more like everybody else. Whether it can survive one of the worst financial crises of its existence — or whether even bigger changes will be necessary. The question is whether the strife of 2015 will be a passing bad memory — or a long nightmare that the station just can’t shake.
A
t 13,000 square feet, the building that serves as KDHX’s new home is triple the size of its old headquarters, in which the station’s staff members and volunteers worked virtually on top of one another. The ground floor houses a modest cafe and an event space, “The Stage at KDHX,” which seats up to 140 people at tables in front of a bamboo stage. Continued on pg 12 riverfronttimes.com
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KDHX Continued from pg 11
Chris Ward vowed to electrocute himself on air if he doesn’t raise $1 million. | JON GITCHOFF Ward is in the air room on the building’s second floor, surrounded by state-of-the-art equipment housed beyond a bank-vault-thick soundproof door that alone cost $2,000. Joining him is music director and fellow DJ Nick Acquisto, who is helping to solicit pledges from donors. He is wearing a T-shirt in tribute to the late Bob Reuter, erstwhile DJ of the station’s Bob’s Scratchy Records program, who died suddenly in August 2013 after a freak accident in an elevator shaft. Acquisto claims the shirt is “for luck” — and that it is working. A photographer, singer/songwriter and radio personality, Reuter’s name is sacred in many St. Louis circles, and he’s perhaps more venerated at KDHX than anywhere else. The south-city firebrand was known for his over-the-top, howling approach to radio, throwing records across the room at times and always bringing a borderline-insane energy to his broadcasts that set them apart from commercial radio fare. “KDHX is weird,” Acquisto says into the mic. “We are outside of the norm. We do things differently. We sound strange. We always have, we always will. Some people don’t like it, but we don’t exist for those people. We exist for you. We exist for the listeners of St. Louis who listen to real radio, right here. We’ve been at it for nearly 30 years. We exist for the people out there that say, ‘Normal is a little bit boring.’” The ensuing two hours are cer12
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tainly weird. Ward screams names of donors — along with “thank you”s — over the mix of rock and punk and old-school hip-hop pumping across the airwaves. He calls out the owner of Imo’s Pizza for a “challenge gift.” (“I want you to give some of that pizza money. You’ve been poisoning everyone with your pizza for so many years. You should feel guilty putting all that Provel on there! You should donate a little back!”) A slide whistle makes an appearance, as does Ward’s cat Cricket, who the DJ claims has been trained to ring a tiny bell with each donation (the cat’s meows are real but pre-recorded, though Ward makes a big faux to-do about supposedly gathering Cricket out of his crate). At one point, Ward breaks into a boisterous rendition of Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” at the request of a donor. When Acquisto relays the station’s mission statement — “Our mission here is to build community through media” — he acknowledges that “community” can be hard to define. But, he says, “It’s sort of like the Supreme Court’s definition of ‘pornography’ — you know what it is when you see it.” KDHX’s status as a “community” radio station is one of its most prized assets, earned through years of working closely with the local art and music scene. Its DJs — all unpaid volunteers — frequently play music from St. Louis artists who wouldn’t otherwise see airplay, alongside more established
“Once we
moved, it got
very difficult
to get capital
donations. And there were
people that did not pay
K
mers signing a petition against it. But Ward doesn’t get into any of that. He only notices that as soon as Acquisto says “pornography” on air, the phones light up. In response, Ward screams the word at the top of his lungs four more times. He reads comments from those donating money as well. One comes from Katie in Pocahontas, Illinois. “I’m a young dairy farmer on the other side of the river,” she writes. “Without KDHX I would be forced to listen to obnoxious commercials, Maroon 5 and Three Doors Down all day. I am grateful every day I don’t have to put myself through that, and stick to KDHX... We sell a colt cow every week — maybe I’ll pull some strings and send a livestock check your way. Fullgrown colt cows go one grand, easy. I know that. I am from a farm. I know it sounds creepy knowing a dead cow might save you guys, but it’s also sort of biblical or something.” Ward replies with a rambling rant about his own (possibly fictional) farm upbringing — involving his mom popping the eyes out of frogs with a pocketknife and saving them in a drawer, and his uncle throwing bags full of cats into the river — before abruptly teeing a befuddled Acquisto up for another plea. (“Wow. That’s a tough one to follow” is Acquisto’s immediate response.) “Please, please, for the love of God, save us from corporate radio,” reads another from a listener named Lonnie. “Lonnie, we’re trying,” Ward responds. “Love you, buddy.” “Thank you, Chris, for honoring Bob Reuter’s important work,” Tim from St. Louis writes. “Radio is for more than just playing records.” “Bob is here. I can’t stress this enough, guys — he is in the walls,” Ward says Continued on pg 14
g over the loop for ov un shinin er 2 0 s e h ye a gt n i p rs e e
!
national acts. Since the station is a non-profit, its staffers earn less money than they’d pull in at a commercial station. Even Hacker was making less than $100,000 a year, according to KDHX’s tax returns. DJs theoretically have the freedom to play whatever music they wish without anyone exerting control over content. The lack of corporate ties also allows the station to be more nimble. Simply put, no one is telling KDHX how to run itself. But lately things have gotten more complicated. In 2010, the station launched an ambitious new marketing campaign (“independent music plays here”) and a striking new red-dot logo. A marketing director was hired for the first time, with the hope surely that revenue would follow. Yet the money that came in was never enough for the station’s new ambitions. Tax returns show increasing budget deficits. KDHX went from eking out slight profits in 2011 and 2012 to shortfalls of $99,000 in 2013 to $460,000 in 2014. In 2014, the most recent year in which detailed financial records are available, it wasted $12,676 on bank overdraft fees. In its financially motivated bid for “stationwide appeal,” too, the music has begun to represent a lot less diversity. Hard-edged or abrasive music such as punk rock or metal has largely disappeared from the station’s programming in favor of blues or banjo-driven folk – or, at best, has been quarantined within late-night hours. And in May, all of KDHX’s talk radio programs — long-time favorites Earthworms, Literature for the Halibut, Collateral Damage and Collector’s Edition — were converted to podcasts as the station moved toward a music-only format. That maneuver raised some controversy of its own, with dozens of program-
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their pledges, so it got more critical.”
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KDHX Continued from pg 13 to Tim. “His physical ashes are in these walls. Therefore this building is important to me. So no matter what you think of the situation or what’s going on, we owe a debt to Bob.” Reuter’s ashes are indeed in the walls. When he died in 2013, KDHX was at work rehabbing its new headquarters. A small group placed some of Reuter’s remains into the walls of the air room. “We gotta keep doing this thing,” Ward continues. “I don’t care where we do it. I don’t care if we are in a bakery; I don’t care if we’re in a big building with shiny things. This is important, what we’re doing. I believe it.” In many ways, Ward and loudQUIETloud are Reuter’s natural heirs. Ward’s show made its debut on March 10, 2014; Reuter’s last show aired in August 2013. Ward’s irreverent and manic approach helps to fill the gap Reuter’s departure left on the airwaves. Ward is passionate and fearless and a little crazy as well, and he just may represent KDHX at its off-the-wall creative best. The situation that forced the urgent drive, meanwhile, may represent the station at its bureaucratic worst.
I
n August 2015, Hacker published a letter on the Riverfront Times website revealing that she’d just been fired from KDHX. It was both a way to break the news and a canny way to take control of the narrative – and it was widely read across St. Louis. But the letter was more than just an acknowledgment of her own departure. In it, Hacker publicly outlined for the first time the station’s financial troubles. Hacker described the decision to move to Grand Center as a “leap of faith.” The problem, she acknowledged, is that the station leapt without all the financing for the move in place — and after the move, major donations stalled. Bills began to pile up. “Changes had to be made, and I made them — open staff positions were not filled, other staff positions were cut, important equipment purchases were delayed, marketing efforts were cut back, and I made daily decisions on who got paid first,” she wrote. “Payroll, artists, critical utilities, equipment leases and local businesses made the first
14
RIVERFRONT TIMES
Beverly Hacker: “Changes had to be made, and I made them.” | JON GITCHOFF cut. Many others have had to wait, and in some cases, are still waiting.” Perhaps most troubling: After the station fell behind on payroll taxes, Hacker entered into an agreement with the IRS to take on personal responsibility if back taxes were not paid. (The IRS declined comment on any matters affecting any individual organization or entity.) Hacker only informed the board after the fact — leading to a mass exodus of board members. Hacker is collected and calm when discussing the situation over coffee at Mokabe’s on South Grand in October 2015. She is clad in a pink and white hooded sweatshirt with the sleeves rolled up, revealing a tattoo on her right wrist of the Coonley Playhouse window, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Her tough, no-nonsense exterior mostly hides the shock she is still feeling from her sudden termination, but the slightest semblance of bewilderment remains as she elaborates on the station’s financial difficulties. “It was really tight when we moved, but it was not insurmountable,” she says. “We had done all of our projections based on a couple things. One was that the ground
JANUARY 13-19, 2016
riverfronttimes.com
floor — the restaurant and the event space — was actually going to be operated by someone else. And we had projections of a certain amount of income from that. Well, really quickly we realized that was not going to work, and so we ended up taking on the restaurant and event space ourselves. So that was a really big hit. “And then we also had projected to both collect and bring in more capital funding, but once we moved, it got very difficult to get capital donations,” she continues. “And there were people that did not pay their pledges, so it got more critical toward the end of 2014. We were in a position to where, at the end of [2014], if we had made $300,000, we could have paid off all the payables — all the taxes, everything. That didn’t happen. We only got $111,000, and so we went into January knowing we needed to have that $300,000, plus our regular operating expenses that we needed to make it work, to pay off the old payables, to pay the taxes and get even on everything. Didn’t happen.” Hacker’s critics have said that she hid the depth of the station’s
financial woes from both the board and the staff — that the board’s wake-up call came from learning of the payroll tax problem, while the staff became aware once paychecks started arriving irregularly. The situation culminated in staff members, led by chief engagement officer Kelly Wells, approaching the board with their concerns. Shortly after, board president Paul Dever moved to terminate Hacker, and Wells and chief content officer Ann Alquist were placed into the temporary positions of co-interim executive directors. Hacker takes issue with that narrative. “The information about the finances — I will say this on record — is that you should really ask the board. They knew early [in 2014] what the financial situation was, they had accurate, timely financial statements every single month and they agreed to raise $300,000 at the beginning of [2015]. When I left they had raised none of that. Every month in my director’s report, from January [2015], I had been telling them the paychecks have been late and that we were in financial difficulty — that I needed their help. So the thing about mismanagement or them not knowing what was going on is completely false.” While plenty of people have pointed the blame at Hacker — “I believe the word is ‘scapegoat,’” she says — they are not talking on the record. Neither are KDHX’s brass — Dever, Wells and Alquist each declined to comment for this story, despite numerous (and, some might say, doggedly persistent) requests, citing a refusal to discuss “personnel issues.” Even when it was made clear that Hacker herself did not need to be the topic of conversation, all three still refused. At one point a sign was even posted in the station’s air room telling DJs not to speak with the media, or anyone else, about its finances or former director. In November, Alquist announced that she had taken a position at a daily newspaper in Maine, which seemed a particularly bad omen. If the ever-declining state of print media is preferable to the current status of KDHX, then just how bad is the latter? Alquist, predictably, declined to comment.
F
riday, September 11, is a particularly beautiful day in St. Louis, with clear skies and temperatures in the 70s. The street has been blocked off in front of KDHX’s building, with a medium-sized stage set up for an event. It is this season’s third and final installment of Grand Center’s “Music at the Intersection” series, and Son Volt’s Jay Farrar is slated to play along with several additional St. Louis acts at a variety of Grand Center venues throughout the evening — the Riverside Wanderers, the Fog Lights, Brothers Lazaroff, the Dock Ellis Band and the Hobosexuals are among those performing. Vendors including Firecracker Press, the Big Shark Bicycle Company and Urban Chestnut line the street. But there is one business entity whose presence is significantly louder than all of the rest: Texas-based Phillips 66. The oil company’s logo is wallpapered all over the vendor tents, the barricade fences, the stage — any attempt to count all of them would be a truly Sisyphean task. Mayor Francis Slay is present as well. At 6 p.m. he is slated to dedicate a new 1,200-square-foot mural on the west side of KDHX’s building. Framed as a gift to the station, the painting depicts an explorer paddling a canoe toward dozens of St. Louis landmarks and institutions. At its highest point is the number “66,” framed inside a heart. It isn’t exactly the same as Phillips 66’s logo, but it isn’t exactly different either. Following a ten-second moment of silence in “honor and remembrance of the victims of September 11, 2001,” Mayor Slay dives right in to Phillips 66’s newly launched ad campaign — “66 Reasons to Love St. Louis.” “So. Sixty-six Reasons to Love St. Louis!” he begins. “Well, I think I could come up with a whole lot
more, but this is a fun and creative way for business to support our community and create a beautiful public art installation.” The oil company paid $20,000 to the father-daughter artist duo of Robert and Liza Fishbone, who painted the mural. Another $20,000 went to the “Music at the Intersection” series, for which KDHX was a partner, but Hacker insists that every dollar went toward “staging and sound systems and street closings and all the logistical stuff. And a whole lot of advertising — there were billboards all over town. None of that money came to KDHX.” The only compensation the station received, then, came from its work helping to curate the actual “66 Reasons” list of St. Louis landmarks, in addition to rounding up local artists to contribute to a Soundcloud playlist for additional promotion. KDHX was paid $2,500 for that work. While the campaign generated plenty of good headlines for Phillips 66, for KDHX it was more of a mixed bag. Some in the community viewed its mostly unpaid participation as a missed opportunity for muchneeded financial help. Others decried any relationship with the oil giant as contradictory to KDHX’s status as an “independent” organization. Hacker, who approved the deal, views the criticism with some bemusement. “I think it is really really funny, all the controversy about the mural, because one of the things that KDHX has always been incredibly committed to is getting artists paid,” she says. “And the people that got paid for the mural were the artists.” Chris Baricevic takes issue with that. The head of Continued on pg 16
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JANUARY 13-19, 2016
RIVERFRONT TIMES
15
KDHX Continued from pg 15 locally based Big Muddy Records was a friend and bandmate to KDHX’s beloved Bob Reuter. His label is home to Bob Reuter’s Alley Ghost, Reuter’s band at the time of his death. “I’m definitely for artists getting paid,” he says over coffee at the Mud House on Cherokee Street. “However, I think that KDHX needs to be working on building a community that can support local artists without having to invite in outside corporations that have international interests. I mean, if she’s talking about the artists that actually painted the mural, then she’s talking about very few people. And again, that’s cool that they got some money, for sure. But they got some money putting a big red, white and black ‘66’ on the side of an arts program building.” In addition, Baricevic says, two of the bands on Big Muddy’s roster had their music used for the “66 Reasons” campaign without receiving compensation of any kind. KDHX enlisted their participation without first divulging that the campaign was related to Phillips 66. The Rum Drum Ramblers and the Loot Rock Gang, both of which feature the work of local guitarist Mat Wilson, entered into an open-ended contract under what Baricevic considers to be deceptive circumstances. (Wilson declined to comment for this story, directing questions instead to Baricevic.) “Mat received an email [from KDHX] asking him to be involved in the ‘66 Reasons to Love St. Louis’ campaign. The email was kind of vague and left out a lot of details,” Baricevic says. “I can corroborate this because I received the same email for Alley Ghost. … Mat just kind of understood it as, ‘This is a KDHX thing — sure, well, we’d be happy to help out.’ Mat has been a huge supporter of KDHX. So he agreed and signed the paperwork. “After the campaign had started he found out that this is actually a Phillips 66 campaign. He went back and checked the correspondence and learned that that information was not presented to him. The information was included on the contract, insofar as the header of the contract said ‘Phillips 66’ and they were mentioned as an ‘interested party.’ But if you are an artist that is not versed in contracts, that stuff all looks like Greek.” Wilson wasn’t the only local art16
RIVERFRONT TIMES
The Phillips 66 mural didn’t mean much money for KDHX — though the artists who painted it got paid. | NICHOLAS PHILLIPS ist to sign on the dotted line based solely on faith in the station’s good intentions. Melinda Cooper of the band Town Cars also received a release and signed it. “We always do things for KDHX, so I thought, ‘Oh, this is from someone I trust,’” she explains. It wasn’t until later that she realized that the oil company was involved. “It was really upsetting.” But that association wasn’t even the most egregious aspect of the agreement, Baricevic says. “The contract itself was written very poorly and in vague enough terms that by signing it and returning it they actually were giving these companies license to use their entire catalog, for no compensation,” he explains. Baricevic and Wilson were able to secure an attorney through St. Louis-based Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts. She sent a cease-and-desist letter and ultimately got the contract dissolved — but not before songs from each of Wilson’s bands were used in promo videos for the oil company’s ad campaign. Matt Harnish, guitarist/vocalist of St. Louis’ Bunnygrunt, recognized early on that the contract did not work in the favor of artists — it failed to list a specific track or to specify a time frame for use. He declined to sign. “Then we showed up on the play-
JANUARY 13-19, 2016
riverfronttimes.com
list anyway,” he says. “I was getting ready to send a complaint when I noticed that we just as quickly got removed. Unfortunately the playlist had already been sent off to the advertising agency and we ended up getting used in one of the clips. Without our permission. Because KDHX sent them our music without our permission. A station that had always been a force promoting St. Louis music, and had always been about the little guy going up against the big guy, gave our music away. For free. To the big guy!” He adds, “I don’t think it was done maliciously, and I won’t flatter myself to think that we were singled out at all, but it was a cavalcade of incompetence from the get-go, and our song is still out there tied to some dumbass ad campaign, and will be forever. And it’s KDHX’s fault. And that sucks.” “The bigger issue is that we as a creative community feel like KDHX has just kind of turned their back on us, the community that has built KDHX to be what it is,” Baricevic says. “Not necessarily our generation, but the generations that have come before us, of people like us. And this is supposed to be an organization that is part of our community, that’s helping our community, and they’ve recently kind of taken more of a sleek, profit-driven marketability approach that kind of leaves us in the dust.”
T
he station’s November 19 board meeting is a sparsely attended affair. President Paul Dever is present, as is board member Ray Finney. Joan Bray calls in and participates via speakerphone. Gary Pierson arrives about fifteen minutes into the meeting. The rest of the eleven board members are MIA. Jeff Halzago, a physician, is working at an emergency room. Tom Livingston is flying and unable to call in from the plane; Franc Flotron, too, is traveling. Sam Coffey is in Dubai, as those in attendance are able to surmise from his recent Facebook postings. August Schlafly is “with clients.” The whereabouts of James Hill and Mark Hamlin are never made fully clear, but in any case, they are not here. Kelly Wells, the station’s remaining interim executive director, is present. But without a quorum, the board can take no official action. Wells is disappointed. (“But I have all these packets printed,” she says with a wry laugh.) The spare furnishings of the board room belie the notion that unnecessary extravagances may have contributed to the station’s financial difficulties. A modest conference room table formed out of four smaller tables sits in the middle. The chairs are all mismatched; the walls unadorned. If money has been spent wastefully, this room
doesn’t show it. But the lack of members in attendance is telling, too. The board meeting is taking place on the heels of one of the most “urgent” financial drives in the station’s history, yet a majority of board members are nowhere to be seen. (KDHX declined to provide minutes from past meetings prior to our deadline.) Twelve minutes into the meeting, the group is already entertaining the idea of letting Bray off the phone, since they have no ability to conduct business. The members then discuss contacting lapsed donors, circulating call lists and conducting the station’s year-end campaign. Letters will be sent to past donors who’ve gone silent, and the board members themselves will make calls to encourage them to come back. About twenty minutes into the meeting, Wells perks up. “The only other thing I need to chat about a little bit before next month would be a general feel for the art walk that is happening in the alley,” she says. “Grand Center, you know, has a grand plan — Grand Center Incorporated.” Part of that plan, she continues, involves an art installation on site, including the alley behind KDHX. “They want to beautify it, basically, and they plan to do this with alleys and walkways throughout Grand Center, and this is the first one. They were awarded a $40,000 grant from the Regional Arts Commission. And I asked — very detailed — there is no corporate money behind this at all.” As the members of the board cheer the lack of corporate involvement, no one in the room seems to notice or care that Wells just stated that the money had been awarded to Grand Center Incorporated. “What I need to be able to say to them is how we might be willing to let the back side of our building that faces the alley be used for this,” Wells continues. “Now, we haven’t
seen the final proposals from the three artists — they aren’t due until mid-December. And at that point we’ll have a better idea if there is a mural involved at all, but I wanted to go ahead and put it out on the table that that is a possibility.” As if sensing the fear in the room, she adds, “They have promised me no logos of any sort.” By 7:34 p.m., the board asks a reporter to leave so the group can conduct some “closed-door” business. The exact nature of that business remains a mystery; the station has gone into bunker mode. The silence has been deafening from the top down. Ward is an exception. Though only a volunteer DJ now, he spent three years as KDHX’s marketing director, from 2011 to April 2014, before being laid off for budgetary reasons. On December 29, just before the start of the new year, he agrees to meet at the Kitchen Sink on Washington Avenue. He is careful to clarify that he is not an authority of any kind at the station now. Still, his experience gives him unique insight into KDHX’s present predicament. “I think you’re not hearing a lot from the top because everyone is still sort of figuring out the best approach,” he says. “At the end of the day everyone wants to see this thing thrive and succeed. I don’t think there’s some faction of people looking to destroy KDHX or something like that. I don’t see what purpose that would serve. “I mean look at me: I was fired,” Ward continues. “And yet, I love KDHX. ... I mean, nobody stays at KDHX, or any non-profit, forever. The money’s not great — you do it for the passion. The people there are the most passionate people I know. They’ve taken pay furloughs, they’ve worn a thousand hats, they’ve done things that aren’t in the job deContinued on pg 19
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Tom Chapin January 22 at 8 p.m. Sponsored by Maurice and Edna Mae Graham Welcomed by KDHX
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Call MetroTix at 314.534.1111 or visit THESHELDON.ORG Visit the Sheldon Art Galleries one hour before each concert!
riverfronttimes.com
JANUARY 13-19, 2016
RIVERFRONT TIMES
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18
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JANUARY 13-19, 2016
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KDHX Continued from pg 17 scription just to keep the place going.” And for now, KDHX will keep going. The urgent fall pledge drive raised $250,000, which, according to a year-end update posted to the station’s website, was enough to pay down its most immediate expenses. Ward’s own on-air efforts brought in $4,000 — eight times the goal set by the station for his program, and a record amount of money for his timeslot.
“The move was absolutely critical. It’s critical for the long-term health of the organization, it was critical from the standpoint that the building that we were in was about to need some really major work.” In time, she believes, the station’s new cafe has potential to be a real money-maker: “The other thing is that within about a year to eighteen months there’s gonna be over 100 apartments directly across the street, there’s gonna be a whole bunch of retail, the number of residences is going up substantially. To me it’s a bit of a waiting game. We
were a little ahead of the curve getting in there... Had we waited, had we not done what we did and gone forward when we did it would have cost about 30 percent more to do the build-out. And the board knew that and they voted to go forward. “So to me, everything — all of the things that came out of the move — first of all, it was all done with eyes wide open, so coming back and reading things that say, ‘Oh [Hacker] was hiding things’ or ‘We didn’t know,’ it’s just not accurate. Do people dislike me? Sure, I ran a business for fifteen years. It wasn’t
a popularity contest, but I think it was absolutely the best move we could possibly make. “[The station] just needs to grow up, and do that in a way that doesn’t change what is core to it and essential, and what makes it what it is.” Ward echoes that sentiment. “KDHX has kind of a proud history of not knowing if something is gonna work and going for it. And holding hands and jumping off the cliff. And that’s kind of what excites me about the station,” he says. “The downside is you run into things like we’re in now.” n
“I think intentions were good, and I think mistakes were made along the
Jan 29 & 30, 2016
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anticipated.” Still, KDHX says that it ultimately needs approximately $2.5 million to pay off the remaining costs related to the building. “So luckily, the good side of that is we pulled it off, we made the money, we covered those most urgent needs,” Ward says. “The bad side is we have to maintain that urgency without making people feel fatigued about the station.” With that in mind, there looms the big question: Was the move to Grand Center a mistake? “I don’t know if it’s so black and white,” Ward says. “I think intentions were good, and I think mistakes were made along the way that they couldn’t have anticipated. … We couldn’t have stayed in a bakery that was falling down forever. We would have had to move somewhere. And then somebody comes and says, ‘We’re giving you this building.’ I mean, I’d take it. In a heartbeat.” Faced with the same question, Hacker doesn’t hesitate. “No, absolutely not,” she says.
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JANUARY 13-19, 2016
RIVERFRONT TIMES
19
JANUARY 15, 2016
Snow Ball: Ice Carnival Kick-off Party 8pm – Midnight
Moonrise Hotel – Rooftop Terrace Bar & New Moon Room No cover charge, open to the public (21 & up). • Live snowboard art & auction by Art Monster. • Bring two canned goods or non-perishable items and receive one free Snowball signature cocktail (one per person). All canned goods donated to local charity. • Cash Bar, Tap-takeover by Four Hands Brewery, two signature cocktails by Eclipse Restaurant Mixologists, photobooth, food available for purchase, and DJ Loud Outfit • Bean Bags Tournament. Winning team (two people) receives one night stay in Moonrise and gift card to Eclipse restaurant. • Attire: Casual & Cozy.
JANUARY 16, 2016
5-K + 10-K Frozen Buns Runs - 10am
Registration information at stlouistriclub/get-active/frozen-buns-run/ Races start and awards given out at Blueberry Hill.
$1000 in Ice Cubes Give Away
Collect ice cubes from 8 stores throughout The Loop. 1,000 different cubes will have a dollar coin inside and 9,000+ cubes will have chocolate coins.
Temporary Tattoo Scavenger Hunt – from 11am
Collect 16 free tattoos at stores, then pick up your prize at The Pageant.
Putt Putt Pub Crawl – From Noon - 5pm
7 wild & crazy holes of golf. Golf attire optional. Get scorecards & start at Cicero’s or The Pageant. Prizes/party 6 pm at Cicero’s.
Ice Sculptures - Game Booths - Unique Events
Check out various events taking place inside and outside Loop businesses all day.
Zip Flyte (Rides $10) 10:00am – 5:30pm
Thrill to the longest, tallest mobile zipline in the world! 350 feet long x 32 feet tall.
Cosmonauts On Ice – 1pm - 4pm
Two Moonrise Hotel Rooftop stations sampling Grand Marnier and Crowne Royale. Hor d’oeurves, & hot chocolate.
Human Dog Sled Races – Noon - 2pm
16 teams competing for prizes and bragging rights.
Ice Breaker – From noon
Test your strength – two swings with sledge hammer at ice block.
Ice Carving Demonstrations by Ice Visions Noon - 4 pm at Fitz's parking lot.
Ice Slides - From 11 am
Great family fun next to Blueberry Hill.
Frozen Turkey Bowling Delmar at Limit Avenue.
Music Igloo – From 11am - 5pm Snowball Races – 11am - 5pm
Humans (yes, you!) crawling inside eight-foot giant spheres.
Skating in The Sky – Noon - 4pm
Half pipe skateboard demos presented by No Coast with DJ.
Snowboard Rail JamNoon – 2:00pm With Red Bull fire truck and DJ.
JANUARY 15 - 16, 2016
20
RIVERFRONT TIMES
JANUARY 13-19, 2016
riverfronttimes.com
CALENDAR
21
WEEK OF JANUARY 14-20
Newsies. sticks it to the Man at the Fox Theatre. | DEEN VAN MEER
THURSDAY 1/14 [LITERARY EVENT]
Noir at the Bar While dark crime fiction is not commonly associated with the Jewish experience, Jewish emigre directors such as Billy Wilder, Edgar Ulmer and Robert Siodmak helped to define noir through their work in post-war Hollywood, and critical noir themes such as feelings of alienation and the struggle against injustice resonate throughout Jewish history. Tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Subterranean Books (6275 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-862-6100 or www.subbooks.com), Noir at the Bar celebrates some of the best and hardest-edged noir writers featured in
the new anthology Jewish Noir: Contemporary Tales of Crime and Other Dark Deeds. Jedidiah Ayres, Tasha Kaminsky, Scott Phillips and Byron Kerman are the chosen writers who will read selections from Jewish Noir to celebrate the book’s release, and noir in general. Admission is free. — Mark Fischer
FRIDAY 1/15 [ T H E AT E R ]
Sunset Baby Kenyatta is a revered member of the Black Power movement who has sacrificed any sort of real relationship with his family in his pursuit of social justice. His estranged wife Ashanti has recently died,
and Kenyatta heads home at last to collect the letters she wrote to him, but never sent, while he was imprisoned. The only obstacle in his path is his adult daughter Nina, who resents him for abandoning her and ruining her mother’s life. In short order Kenyatta learns that his reputation and street cred mean nothing to a woman who wanted a father, not a figurehead. Dominic Morisseau’s Sunset Baby is about fatherhood, personal politics and the value of family — even when you don’t want one. The Black Rep presents Sunset Baby at 7 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 3 p.m. Sunday (January 15 to 31) at Washington University’s Edison Theatre (6445 Forsyth Boulevard; 314-534-3810 or www.theblackrep.org). Tickets are $30. — Paul Friswold riverfronttimes.com
[ T H E AT E R ]
Enchanted April Married life is not the bliss and contentment Lottie Wilton was promised. Her husband treats her like a child, and London is a smoggy, dreary place in the aftermath of World War I. Who can blame her for spending her savings to rent an Italian castle for a month-long vacation? But to get there she’ll need partners, and so she recruits three strangers to help manage the cost. One is another unhappy housewife, one is a demanding older woman of certain means, and the final partner is a young flapper. Together the quartet embarks on the great adventure of abundant sun, handsome property manag-
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CALENDAR Continued from pg 21
Get yer baseball memorabilia at the Winter Warm Up. | STEVE TRUESDELL ers and four blissful weeks without domineering husbands. Matthew Barber’s play Enchanted April is based on Elizabeth von Arnim’s 1922 novel, but modified slightly for stage and modern times. Kirkwood Theatre Guild presents Enchanted April at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday (January 15 to 24) at the Robert G. Reim Theatre (111 South Geyer Road, Kirkwood; 314-821-9956 or www.ktg-onstage.org). Tickets are $20. — Paul Friswold
outside. Three-day tickets cost $40 for those 16 and older, and your admission includes some free autograph opportunities; other autographs and food cost extra, as do Busch Stadium tours (which happen each day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.). For a full list of participating Cardinals, past and present, and for more information, visit www.stlcardinals.com. Proceeds benefit the Cardinals Care community foundation and its efforts to help area kids. — Alison Sieloff [BEER]
SATURDAY 1/16 [BASEBALL]
Cardinals Care Winter Warm-Up Fact: Baseball spring training hasn’t started yet. Fact: You bleed Cardinals red, even in the off-season. Fact: Cardinals Care Winter Warm-Up offers a great time to meet players, get autographs, help kids and add fuel to the baseball fire burning in your heart. So what are you waiting for? Head down to the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch (315 Chestnut Street) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday (January 16 through 18) to find that warm home-run feeling inside when the weather is chilly 22
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Cabin Fever Something magical happens whilst beer gently rests in your overfed winter’s belly: pure happiness, nothing less and nothing more. But what more could you possibly want? At Cabin Fever at the Schlafly Bottleworks (7260 Southwest Avenue, Maplewood), you’ll experience that blissful, fleeting feeling after you’ve gotten the you-know-what out of your cluttered, claustrophobic house and sampled eighteen twoounce pours of Schlafly beers. Yeah, that sounds magical indeed. Cabin Fever runs from noon to 4 p.m., and tickets cost $30 to $35 at www.schlafly.com. Live music by ClusterPluck should keep your ears toasty, but you also will probably want to dress warmly for this outdoor beer fest. — Alison Sieloff
as a skilled killer with orders to dispose of the man her parents chose as her future husband. The movie perfectly balances fastpaced action with intense silences and gorgeous cinematography. The Webster Film Series screens The Assassin at 7:30 p.m. nightly Friday, January 15, through Saturday, January 23, at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood Avenue; 314968-7487 or www.webster.edu/ film-series). Tickets are $4 to $6. — Rob Levy
[ F E S T I VA L ]
Loop Ice Carnival It’s been an interesting “winter” so far. We had T-shirt weather on Christmas day and long stretches of the warm/cool mambo. The most dangerous precipitation has been rain (and lots of it). Will this year’s Loop Ice Carnival ice sculptures even make it to the end of the day? Mmmaybe? Colder weather is predicted, so here’s hoping the annual celebration of all things icy stays icy. The Delmar Loop (Delmar Boulevard and Skinker Avenue; www. visittheloop.com/icecarnival) will be chock-a-block with ice slides, a music igloo and snowboarders starting at 11 a.m. The ever-popular human dog sled races (in which teams of people pull wheeled sleds down Delmar) returns, as does frozen turkey bowling. New this year is the 350-foot-long Zip Flyte zipline ($10 per ride) and the Ice Breaker game, a twist on the old carnival test-of-strength; in this one, you get two swings with a sledgehammer to crack a block of ice. Most events are free, but some do require a fee. — Paul Friswold [SYMPHONY]
From the Canyons to the Stars Most listeners, casual or committed, are familiar with Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring, its grandeur and aural capaciousness as richly American as the mountain range that inspired it. Copland’s ode to the land and its animating spirit is rightly a permanent resident of the symphonic canon, but there’s another work, newer, less established in the public’s consciousness, that one day may be just as famous. Olivier Messiaen’s From the Canyon to the Stars has also never before been performed in St. Louis — until now. The French composer was inspired to write this work after visiting Bryce Canyon in 1972; the piece was designed to recreate in musical language Messiaen’s sense of awe before the presence of the canyon and other national parks in the American West. Comple-
WEDNESDAY 1/20 [MUSICAL]
Newsies
Slide into the Loop for the Ice Carnival. | JON GITCHOFF menting the music are video and still images of the West by visual artist Deborah O’Grady. The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra performs From the Canyon to the Stars at 8 p.m. tonight at Powell Symphony Hall (718 North Grand Boulevard; 314-534-1700 or www.stlsymphony.org). Tickets are $25 to $86.50. — Alex Weir
buddy Western at 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday and Wednesday (January 17 and 20) as part of its Big Screen Classics series. You can see it locally at the Wehrenberg Ronnies 20 Cine (5320 South Lindbergh Boulevard; www.fathomevents. com). Tickets are $14. — Mark Fischer
MONDAY 1/18 SUNDAY 1/17
[FILM]
The Assassin Butch Cassidy and (Nie yin niang) New Wave director the Sundance Kid Taiwanese Hsiao-Hsien Hou’s The Assassin [FILM]
Paul Newman and Steve McQueen both agreed to star in 20th Century Fox’s iconic western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, but McQueen backed out of the film due to billing disagreements. Fortunately, Robert Redford had no such qualms and was cast as the handsome Sundance Kid alongside Newman’s rugged Butch Cassidy. Turner Classic Movies presents the Academy Award-winning
(Nie yin niang) was screened this past summer at the St. Louis International Film Festival to great acclaim and was also a sensation at Cannes. Set in Tang Dynasty China, this vigorous historical drama of palace intrigue and treachery follows Nie Yinniang, who was abducted as a child and raised by a nun who trains her in martial arts. After a thirteen-year exile, Nie returns home riverfronttimes.com
The Fox Theatre continues its 2015-2016 Broadway Season with Newsies, the musical adapted by Harvey Fierstein, Jack Feldman and Alan Menken from the 1992 Disney film. This vibrant production centers on a group of feisty street urchins in 1899 who sell newspapers for publisher Joseph Pulitzer — until Pulitzer raises the price of papers to increase his bottom line. Fed up with poverty, police and Pulitzer, the boys bring New York City to a standstill with the Newsboys Strike of 1899. This relentlessly energetic and explosive show about fighting the Man for a living wage could be ripped right from today’s headlines. Newsies tears up the Fox Theatre (527 North Grand Boulevard; 314-534-1111 or www. fabulousfox.com) at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday (January 19 to 31). Tickets are $30 to $95. — Rob Levy Planning an event, exhibiting your art or putting on a play? Let us know and we’ll include it in the Night & Day section or publish a listing in the online calendar — for free! Send details via e-mail (calendar@riverfronttimes.com), fax (314754-6416) or mail (6358 Delmar Boulevard, Suite 200, St. Louis, MO 63130, attn: Calendar). Include the date, time, price, contact information and location (including ZIP code). Please submit information three weeks prior to the date of your event. No telephone submissions will be accepted. Find more events online at www.riverfronttimes.com.
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FILM
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Is Lisa the answer to Michael Stone’s problems — or a symptom of them? | COURTESY PARAMOUNT PICTURES
[REVIEW]
Artificial Heart Charlie Kaufman’s Anomalisa is exceptional in its depiction of the unexceptional. Written by
ROBERT HUNT Anomalisa
Directed by Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson. Written by Charlie Kaufman. Starring David Thewlis, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Tom Noonan. Opens Friday, January 15, at the Landmark Tivoli Theatre (6350 Delmar Boulevard; 314-727-7271 or www. landmarktheatres.com).
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ichael Stone (David Thewlis) is an ordinary middle-aged man, unexceptional in every way. A second-tier motivational speaker specializing
in improving customer service (and author of a book called How May I Help You Help Them?), Stone arrives in Cincinnati to deliver a speech, checks in at a hotel, and almost immediately begins showing signs of a psychological/spiritual crisis. After looking up an old girlfriend he runs into two women who have traveled from Akron for his speech, and ends up spending a long, emotionally charged night with one of them, a slightly frumpy, self-deprecating sales rep named Lisa (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Is she the answer to his troubles, or just a symptom of them? That storyline might sound like unimaginative material on which to build a feature film, but Charlie Kaufman’s Anomalisa (the title is Stone’s portmanteau defining the uniqueness he sees in his new love) offers what could be described as both a bold invention and a gimmick. It’s filmed in stop-motion animation (the work of St. Louis-born Duke Johnson), and crafted with a meticulous sense of detail that heightens the deliberate blandness
of everything from hotel corridors to black-and-white TV images. Everything in the film (and in Stone’s mind) is painfully ordinary yet unbearably strange. Kaufman is best known as the writer of Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and other exercises in Kafkaesque absurdity. There are times when I think he is an eternal college student who never quite recovered from his first exposure to the Theatre of the Absurd, but even his most sophomoric efforts deserve credit for their ambition. Anomalisa has its heavy-handed moments (Stone stays at the Fregoli Hotel: Look up “Fregoli syndrome” if you want the final 30 minutes of the film spelled out for you) but overcomes them with its sheer uniqueness. Kaufman first wrote Anomalisa (using the pseudonym Francis Fregoli) as an audio play for composer Carter Burwell, so it stands to reason that the film’s sound is as important as its look. Aside from Stone and Lisa, every character in the film — male and female, riverfronttimes.com
young and old — is voiced by Tom Noonan, each person speaking in a neutral but slightly imposing tone. The vocal performances are good (coincidentally, this is the second film this season in which Leigh sings), but they’re also a major part of what makes the film so emotionally convincing. The voices — and the fact that Stone and Lisa have the only distinctive ones — depart from the obviously unreal look, giving the film a human quality. They provide the warmth missing from the sterile hotel halls, and from Stone’s lonely life. Anomalisa is far from perfect. A sudden turn into Twilight Zone weirdness doesn’t quite work, and the ending wavers between irritation and irony. Still, it may be a great movie in spite of its shortcomings. It’s flawed and confused and difficult, but so are the lives it reveals. By producing a film in which everything is artificial, Kaufman and co-director Johnson, whose animation is astonishingly skillful, create two very real and familiar lives. n
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THE ARTS
[ S TA G E R E V I E W ]
Watch the Throne The Rep’s new production of The Lion in Winter is must-see theater Written by
PAUL FRISWOLD The Lion in Winter
Written by James Goldman Directed by Edward Stern Presented by the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis through January 31 at the LorettoHilton Center (130 Edgar Road; 314-9684925 or www.repstl.org). Tickets are $21 to $79.50.
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oronation season in 1183 makes the current election cycle look like an episode of Caillou. King Henry II is an old man by the standards of the day, and he needs to anoint his successor now or there will be civil war when he dies. His choices are his three surviving sons – Richard, Geoffrey and John. Of course once he names his heir, his two other sons will try to wrest away the crown from their brother. And then there’s Henry’s wife, Eleanor, enjoying a brief respite from prison (Henry put her there for spearheading a revolt against him), and forever plotting a way to topple her loving husband from his throne and replace him with her favorite son, Richard. James Goldman wrote his historical drama The Lion in Winter in 1966, but the current Repertory Theatre of St. Louis production feels as sharp and vital as if the ink was still wet on the page. Director Edward Stern and his well-balanced cast revel in the barbed dialogue and welter of schemes and shifting alliances, together creating the work anew. If you’ve seen the 1968 film with Peter O’Toole and Katharine Hepburn and think you can skip this one, you’re deluding yourself. This snarling beast of a play is why you go to the theater in the first place — so you can feel the blood splash on your face.
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Carol Schultz, center, and Jeffrey King, right, scheme over succession. | JERRY NAUNHEIM JR
If you’ve seen the 1968 film with Peter O’Toole and Katharine Hepburn and think you can skip this one, you’re deluding yourself. Jeffrey King and Carol Schultz are our Henry and Eleanor, always striving to get the upper hand. King’s a towering man with a booming voice, and Schultz is a diminutive woman with sparkling eyes and a kind face. They are a visually and intellectually balanced pair, lying through fond smiles and collapsing into shared laughter when the other lands a particularly devastating insult. Every moment
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they’re locked in verbal combat is a success, every detente in each other’s arms a treasure — and it’s the latter that makes this production a winner. King and Schultz bicker beautifully, but they also exhibit the old love Henry and Eleanor still feel for each another. As the play progresses you get the distinct feeling Eleanor regrets much of the damage she and Henry have wreaked in their power struggle. Certainly she regrets her husband’s infidelities (and maybe a few of her own), but at this Christmas gathering she most regrets the effect it’s had on their children. John (Kurt Hellerich) is the youngest and Henry’s favorite; Hellerich plays him as a spoiled teenager who has none of his parents’ intelligence. Geoffrey (Wilson Bridges) has too much cleverness. He’s a cipher who has schemes within schemes, and is unable to stay loyal to anyone or anything. Even Eleanor’s boy Richard (Grayson DeJesus) is too bellicose and proud to rule England as well as his father did. Together with
her sons after an early setback, she laments, “Oh, my piglets, we’re the origin of war. We carry it like syphilis inside.” While the parents dominate the stage as they did the world, Hellerich, Bridges and DeJesus each prove their mettle as actors. Indeed, if any of them were less than perfect in their roles, things would grind to halt. Instead the play trips merrily along — perhaps too quickly at times. The end of every scene is marked by a blackout that comes hot on the heels of the last word of dialogue. At one point Eleanor contemplates her aged face in the mirror and asks aloud how her king could leave her. The darkness falls right at the question mark and we can’t see her face to know if Eleanor means it, or if she’s found a new line of attack in her wrinkles. Still, the speed never blunts the thrust of the drama. It’s a mature play about love, marriage and the drive for immortality that ends far too quickly for my liking. I could have watched King and Schultz spar all night. n
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Saturday, January 23 7-11 pm rd
at the SAINT LOUIS SCIENCE CENTER
Lisa Yuskavage’s Piggyback, 2006, now at CAM. | LISA YUSKAVAGE
Carl Richards: Money. Visualized. Center Of Creative Arts’ Millstone Gallery 524 Trinity Avenue, University City | www.cocastl.org Opens Thu., Jan. 14. Continues through Mar. 13. If you read the New York Times, you might recognize Carl Richards’ work from his “Sketch Guy” column, in which Richards explains the intricacies of the finance world to a lay audience through clean and simple drawings. Many of those drawings deal with the poor decisions people make with their own money in everyday situations, and offer solutions on how to rectify the thinking behind them. This interactive exhibition of his work challenges the viewer to visualize their own financial goals and errors using pencils and paper.
Interpretations: 15th Biennial Teapot Exhibition Craft Alliance Center of Art + Design 6640 Delmar Boulevard, University City | www. craftalliance.org Opens 6 p.m. Fri., Jan. 15. Continues through Mar. 20. There’s a high level of whimsy involved in many of these teapots, but don’t let that blind you to the supreme technical skill behind them. Cathy Barancik’s pots appear to be made of artfully folded fabric, but there’s a fully functional teapot somewhere in there, while Eric Hoefer’s colorful Constructed Teapot looks like a cross between a Coleman lantern and an Art Deco chemistry set. Functionality and ornamentation go hand-in-hand -- and sometimes toe-to-toe -- in this always popular exhibit.
Spring 2016 Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis 3750 Washington Boulevard | www.camstl.org Opens 7 p.m. Fri., Jan. 15. Continues through Apr. 3. CAM goes large for its first show of the year, with six artists and one collective all displaying work. Lisa Yuskavage: The Brood collects 25 years of figurative
FEATURING
70+ Beer Tastings 4 Tasting Plates Science Demonstrations Live Music: The Bottoms Up Blues Gang
$50 Members, $55 non-Members or $60 at the door the day of the event. Ticket includes entertainment, four tasting plates, beer tastings, parking and more! Tickets at slsc.org • 314.289.4400
paintings to document the intellectual and stylistic development of the New York-based artist. Yuskavage’s defiant nudes and her seductive palette combine in a way that is both unapologetically confrontational and feminine. The active sculptural works of Arcangelo Sassolino are all crafted to mimic something human, but do so in often terrifying ways. FIGURANTE is a sleekly lethal mouth of metal spikes and unthinkably powerful hydraulic jaws about to crush a knobby bone, still wet with blood and gobbets of flesh.
Variable Views of Functional Art duet 3526 Washington Avenue | www.duetstl.com Opens 6 p.m. Fri., Jan. 15. Continues through Feb. 6. Do viewers’ physical surroundings change their perception of an object? That’s the question at work in duet’s group show, Variable Views of Functional Art. Sarah Harker and Kahlil Irving both create ceramic art, but Harker concentrates on functional work while Irving takes a more sculptural approach to address ideas of cultural markers and symbols. Pieces by Michael Byron, Daniel Raedeke and Luanne Rimel also challenge how the environment shapes your response to the work.
Creatures Art Saint Louis
Seeking the Intrepid Foodie: Must like long walks through an historic district on a January day. Craves sweets. Enjoys self-guided tours.
Is this you?
1223 Pine Street | www.artstlouis.org Opens 6 p.m. Sat., Jan. 16. Continues through Feb. 18. This multimedia group exhibition features work that depicts creatures both real and imagined. Many artists took the theme as a challenge, reimagining organic forms in surprising ways. The rodent in Brent Becker’s Gestalt Mouse is hardly recognizable first, its hairless body lumpen and knurled and apparently held together by stray buckles and rivets. Closer examination reveals other animal faces hidden in the figure, a blobfish sitting atop a deer – or is that a dog? Justin Miller’s Steed is a biomechanical construct of World War II fighter plane scraps and organic materials, with a strategically placed hot dog in lieu of genitalia.
Then you will like hand-crafted samplings of sweets from fourteen food purveyors.
TICKETS $18, sold at participating host locations. CITYOFMAPLEWOOD.COM/SWEET-TOOTH riverfronttimes.com
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Right Here, Right Now Don’t let the trendy touches fool you. Retreat Gastropub is a damn good restaurant. Written by
CHERYL BAEHR Retreat Gastropub
2 North Sarah Street; 314-261-4497. Wed.Mon. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 4-11 p.m. (Closed Tuesdays).
O
n its face, Retreat Gastropub is so au courant it’s comical. Shrubs for the cocktails? Check. Craft beer in cans? Take your pick. Bartenders with facial hair sporting leather butcher aprons that could be on loan from the movie Hostel? They’re there too. If we’re ticking the “Food Trends of the Twenty-Tens” checklist, just about every last one is on display at Retreat. At a lesser place, this schtick would be cliché — maybe not chicken-and-waffles-at-IHOP cliché, but overdone nonetheless. Even the term “gastropub” is so obviously trendy as to border on passé. Five years ago, the cool kids were referring to themselves that way. Nowadays, you have to wonder how soon it is before a chain restaurant in the exurbs brands itself as such (Spoiler: one already has). But Retreat is no mere trend-chasing caricature. Instead of causing my eyes to roll permanently into my skull, it did something rather important. It reminded me of why such a place came into fashion in the first place by filling in all the right boxes rather than just ticking them. Those shrubs, for example, are just one of the many thoughtful components that go into an excellent bar program. True to the moment, you’ll find the classic cocktails at Retreat, as well as several house creations, like the dangerously quaffable “Hem-
Cedar-smoked trout, poutine and the “Farmhouse Burger” are among the high points at Retreat. | MABEL SUEN
I thought I would never find a version of bread pudding that could make me stop mourning the loss of Harvest’s iconic dish, but this one fits that bill. ingway Lookalike” that marries rum with grilled grapefruit. And the bartenders? Yes, they’re slammed muddling smoked cherries, but never too busy to neglect their role as hospitality professionals. On both my visits, the bar was three-deep, but I was still promptly handed a menu with a smile and treated to as much attention as if the place were slow.
Credit goes to Travis Howard for nailing the concept. Though this is his first solo venture, Howard is a seasoned industry professional whose last gig was general manager of Bailey’s Range. He opened Retreat this past October in the former 6 North Café, aiming to hit that sweet spot between an upscale bar that serves food and a full-fledged restaurant. Even in terms of real estate, it’s about a 50-50 split: The centerpiece of the space is a squareshaped bar, its top made from industrial-looking concrete stained with swirls of brick red. The walls around the bar — in keeping with contemporary design trends — are lined with reclaimed wood from a barn at Grant’s Farm. Table seating occupies the remaining space, which is dimly light by Edison bulbs. Retreat does not take reservations, and it can get pretty tight on the weekends, though the large side patio will help with that once the weather turns warm. Howard enlisted chef Michael Friedman, formerly of Scape American Bistro and Remy’s Kitchen & Wine Bar, to help design a menu that transcends the usual riverfronttimes.com
bar and grill fare. The result is a set of dishes that is decidedly less whole-animal heavy than the gastropub moniker suggests, but still seasonally hearty. Tender braised pork, served atop thick slices of griddled bread, is enlivened by the pungent punch of goat cheese spread – an enjoyable (though way over-salted on one occasion) example of that not-quite-dinner-morethan-an-appetizer niche Retreat is trying to fill. The mac-and-cheese, though billed as a small plate, becomes a full-fledged meal when loaded with steak and peppers. Rich, cheesy sauce clings to the corkscrew noodles, and a few breadcrumbs provide crunch. I enjoyed it loaded, though I preferred the simpler version’s straightforward creamy comfort sans distraction. Cedar-smoked trout, perhaps Retreat’s best dish, had just enough traces of sweet smoke that it accented, rather than covered, the fish. The flaky golden meat is paired with a bright, lemon caper aioli, micro greens and paper-thin taro chips that make the usual potato accompaniment a distant Continued on pg 30
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29 7344 Manchester Boogaloostl.com 314-645-4803
6665 Delmar Blvd #100a, St. Louis, MO 63130
314.925.8452 SeoulQSTL.com
The porchetta is topped with apple-cherry chutney and a red-wine glaze. | MABEL SUEN
RETREAT Continued from pg 29
moked trout, poutine and the “Farmhouse Burger” are among the high points at Retreat. | MABEL SUEN bar and grill fare. The result is a set of dishes that is decidedly less whole-animal heavy than the gastropub moniker suggests, but still seasonally hearty. Tender braised pork, served atop thick slices of griddled bread, is enlivened by the pungent punch of goat cheese spread – an enjoyable (though way over-salted on one occasion) example of that not-quite-dinner-morethan-an-appetizer niche Retreat is trying to fill. The mac-and-cheese, though billed as a small plate, becomes @TwinOakSTL a full-fledged meal when load1201 Strassner Dr, Brentwood, MOed 63144 • 314.644.2772 • twinoakwoodfired.com with steak and peppers. Rich, cheesy sauce clings to the corkscrew noodles, and a few breadcrumbs provide crunch. I enjoyed it loaded, though I preferred the simpler version’s straightforward creamy comfort sans distraction. Cedar-smoked trout, perhaps Retreat’s best dish, had just enough traces of sweet smoke that it accented, rather than covered, the fish. The flaky golden meat is paired with a bright, lemon caper aioli, micro greens and paper-thin taro chips that make the usual potato accompaniment a distant Continued on pg 30
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memory. Another standout, the beet carpaccio, classically marries thinly shaved discs of the ruby red vegetables with peppery arugula, almonds and some of the best goat cheese I’ve had the pleasure of eating. The usual funk was subdued, so the cheese was almost honeyed, giving the dish a luxurious feel. The chicken pesto flatbread is the white chicken pizza you always hope for but rarely ever get. That’s because Retreat’s version uses both white and dark meat chicken confit to combat the way the meat dries out in the oven in more typical preparations. The crust is St. Louis-style thin and crisp, the arugula pesto has so much garlic it will linger for days (a good thing), and there’s so much gouda melted over the top it looks like spinach dip. It’s delicious. Retreat’s signature large plate is the porchetta, a slice of pork loin that is wrapped in pork belly and served alongside apple cherry chutney. It’s fair, but I’ve had tenderer versions — though still pink in the center, the meat was on the tough side both visits and too salty on one. The “Farmhouse Burger,” however, was enjoyable through and through. Two patties of peppery “smashed” beef
are stacked with candied bacon and a sunny-side egg, covered with three-cheese sauce and placed on a bun. It’s over the top, a little like a haute slinger, and I could have used something like a pickle to cut through the richness. Still, it is wonderfully indulgent. The most indulgent item on Retreat’s menu, however, is its bread pudding. I thought I would never find a version that could make me stop mourning the loss of Harvest’s iconic dish, but this one fits that bill. The soft, vanilla and cream-infused bread is soaked in liquid caramel to the point you have to slurp it with a spoon. Pecan ice cream melts over the warm dish, mingling with the caramel like a brown butter sauce. It’s shockingly decadent. But what is really shocking about Retreat is that, in spite of its trendiness, it never feels like it’s trying too hard. Those fashionable trimmings fade into the background once the great food and friendly service take center stage. This one isn’t just of the moment. It’s a keeper. n Retreat Gastropub
Beet carpaccio .................................... $7 “Farmhouse Burger” .........................$11 Porchetta ...........................................$18
匀伀唀䰀䄀刀䐀ᤠ匀 唀䰀吀䤀䴀䄀吀䔀 䴀䄀刀䐀䤀 䜀刀䄀匀 䔀堀倀䔀刀䤀䔀一䌀䔀
䴀䄀䬀䔀 匀䠀䔀䰀䰀夀ᤠ匀 夀伀唀刀 䴀䄀刀䐀䤀 䜀刀䄀匀 䠀䔀䄀䐀儀唀䄀刀吀䔀刀匀 匀伀唀䰀䄀刀䐀ᤠ匀 䈀䔀匀吀 䈀䄀䰀䌀伀一夀 吀䠀䔀 䜀䰀䤀吀娀䤀䔀匀吀 唀倀匀吀䄀䤀刀匀 䈀䄀刀 䌀伀刀一䔀刀 伀䘀 䴀䔀一䄀刀䐀 ☀ 䄀䰀䰀䔀一 䤀一 吀䠀䔀 䠀䔀䄀刀吀 伀䘀 匀伀唀䰀䄀刀䐀 riverfronttimes.com JANUARY 13-19, 2016
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SHORT ORDERS
[SIDE DISH]
From a Food Blog to a Cooking Career Written by
CHERYL BAEHR
M
alou Perez-Nievera didn’t start cooking Filipino food until she moved to New York — a fact she finds amusing, considering that she grew up in the Philippines. “In the Philippines, I cooked, but not much Filipino food. I think it’s because we had so many other people cooking for us that I didn’t need to,” Perez-Nievera muses. “But once we moved to New York, I started cooking Filipino dishes as a way for my children to stay connected to their roots.” Food has always been an important part of Perez-Nievera’s life. Growing up, her father was a politician, so her family seemed to always be hosting people for meals. “We were always entertaining — which is where I think I get my love of it,” she recalls. “My mom was always in the kitchen preparing things on the fly. It was simple stuff, but once I moved to the city for school, I was exposed to more sophisticated cuisine.” When Perez-Nievera and her family moved to the New York, she began perfecting traditional recipes, but also experimented with different techniques. After relocating to San Diego, she began writing about Filipino food, and started a food blog that gained a substantial following. Then her husband’s job moved the family to St. Louis, which is where PerezNievera’s culinary career really took off. “I started a video blog and realized I had so many more views than I expected,” Perez-Nievera says. “So I started doing pop-ups at different restaurants around town
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Malou Perez-Nievera is the chef for a monthly pop-up at Hiro. | MABEL SUEN and teaching cooking classes at places like Kitchen Conservatory. Then I met Bernie.” Bernie Lee of Hiro Asian Kitchen was the guest chef at a pop-up dinner that Perez-Nievera attended. The two clicked instantly, and Lee suggested that PerezNievera develop a regular series at his restaurant. “I used to have to jump around from spot to spot, but Bernie has allowed me to do things on a more regular basis,” she notes. “At Hiro, I do a Filipino brunch every Saturday and a Filipino dinner once a week as well.” Perez-Nievera is most proud of her monthly Kamayan event at Hiro. “Kamayan means ‘to eat with the hands,’” she explains. “It’s a traditional feast served at one long table.” She thinks it’s the best introduction for people new to Filipino cuisine. “I tell people that Filipino food is Spanish food mixed with Asian flavors. We were ruled by Spain for like 400 years, so really, this makes us the original fusion cuisine.” Perez-Nievera took a break from the kitchen to share her thoughts
JANUARY 13-19, 2016
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on the St. Louis dining scene. What is one thing people don’t know about you that you wish they did? That whenever I cook I always hum or even sing loudly. I need to be happy when I’m cooking. I must be in a festive environment. When I’m happy, there is something magical about how I work, and it clearly shows in the plates I serve. What daily ritual is nonnegotiable for you? I should have my nap or siesta. Even for just ten-fifteen minutes. I always yearn for that afternoon cat nap. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? That I could fly, or even better, teleport, like in Star Trek. This is so I could visit my mom and family back in the Philippines whenever I want to. What is the most positive thing in food, wine or cocktails that you’ve noticed in St. Louis over the past year? I moved from SoCal where the food scene is vibrant, three years ago. And since then I
have been thrilled to see all the exciting restaurants and dining experiences that the city offers. The journey continued in 2015 with excellent new restaurants launched, like Publico in the Delmar Loop and Reeds American Table in Maplewood. Who’s the one person to watch right now in the St. Louis dining scene? I am actually impressed with the wide array of talents in St. Louis’ culinary scene. I can’t just name one person. I am impressed by the work of Mike Randolph and his crew at Publico/Randolfi’s/Half & Half and also by chef Ben Poremba of Elaia and Olio/Old Standard fame. Which ingredient is most representative of your personality? Calamansi. Calamnasi is a small round citrus fruit, so much like lime or lemon. But don’t be fooled by its diminutive size. It has its own distinct citrusy notes that come strong and very fragrant. A squeeze of calamansi over your dish brings out an authentic Filipino flavor. Or you could squeeze it and make a refreshing drink. Just like me: small, yet could fill up a room. If you weren’t working in the restaurant business, what would you be doing? Cooking in restaurants just sort of fell on my lap. I call it my accidental career. I think I would still be writing, talking about and taking pictures of food if I wasn’t in the kitchen. Name an ingredient never allowed in your kitchen. Grumpy kitchen staff. Just kidding! I prefer working with upbeat and kind staff members, as I work off the energy of the people around me. What is your after-work hangout? You can still find me in the kitchen at my home, cooking for family and friends, who all seem to love to hang out at our place. What’s your food or beverage guilty pleasure? Non-diet soda. What would be your last meal on earth? Lechon (roasted pig). Eating that crispy skin and succulent meat with liver sauce would be a great way to end a journey. n
7PM
7PM
11AM
january 30 & 31
stop by 1860’s for a taste of our famous crab cakes & jambalaya
JAN 17 JAN 18 JAN 19
7PM
JAN 16
11:30PM
REWIND BAND BEN STALETS (TOLEDO, OH) BOOGIEFOOT IAN FITZGERALD (PROVIDENCE, RI) FRANGLAIS GYPSY JAZZ BRUNCH SINGER/SONGWRITER OPEN MIC MIKE MAURICE (PORTLAND, MAINE) 10:30PM
7PM
JAN 15
CHAD ELLIOTT (DES MOINES, IA)
BOB “BUMBLEBEE” KAMOSKE 7PM
7PM
JAN 14
JAN 13
taste of soulard
stay for the southern comfort SOUND STAGE in our parking lot on saturday & watch the pet parade as it goes right by our front door on sunday! FREE SHUTTLE TO ALL BLUES GAMES! Visit 1860Saloon.com for music schedule and special event calendar
1860 S. 9 TH STREET
IS YOUR MOUTH WATERING YET? Thank you, St. Louis! BEST BARBEQUE - Reader’s Choice 2015
5 AREA LOCATIONS
OLIVETTE • ST. CHARLES • WINGHAVEN • “44” VALLEY PARK • WASHINGTON
coming soon DOWNTOWN Visit SugarfireSmokehouse.com for more info
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peelpizza.com
, Fun Food, Happy People Great Drinks! The work of fnnch, now in Lafayette Square. | KELLY GLUECK
106 main st. • edwardsville, il 618.307.4830 www.clevelandheath.com
T
The Scoop on That New Street Art at Clementine’s
heir meeting was as improbable as it was fateful. Tamara Keefe, the owner of Clementine’s Naughty & Nice Creamery in Lafayette Square, was visiting San Francisco last month when she noticed a honeybear stenciled in a public space — and then another, and then another. “I started seeing all these honeybears in different places,” she recalls. “I thought they were really cool.” Then she and her boyfriend ended up taking a Lyft — and it, too, bore a honeybear, this one wearing a doo rag. When she asked her driver what was up, he said it was a Tupac bear, and that it was the work of a local street artist named fnnch (pronounced “finch,” like the bird). An inveterate social media user, Keefe started following fnnch on Twitter. And then, she says, “a dialogue started.” At first it was just basic Twitter niceties, the kind of things you tweet at a stranger. But then fnnch noticed she was from St. Louis. “I’m from St. Louis,” he wrote. As it turned out, they didn’t just have the city in common — the man called fnnch is an ice
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cream obsessive. His favorite San Francisco shop is Bi-Rite Creamery, although he knew them all. “Next time you come to St. Louis,” Keefe told him, “come to St. Louis and I’ll give you the best ice cream you’ve ever tasted.” Just before New Year’s, fnnch made good on that offer — but not before he gave Keefe a little treat of her own. He swung by her Lafayette Square shop and, without tipping her off first, left his mark on the wooden bench outside her shop. Then he came in, had some ice cream, and finally met Keefe in person. She was delighted, on both counts. Fnnch, who doesn’t give his real name, says he makes his living mostly outside his street art — but that it’s become his primary focus within the last year. The ice cream stencil he left outside Clementine’s is the first time he’s employed that image (before the bears, he did a lot of birds, after his childhood nickname, Finch), but he plans to start putting it to use around San Francisco, too. “I have ice cream probably four days a week,” he admits. A native of Kirkwood, fnnch moved to San Francisco for col-
lege and never left. But he comes back twice a year to see his parents, without fail, and he’s excited to have finally put his mark on his hometown. (You can follow him on Instagram at @fnnch.) He also left a honeybear in south city, on the building that houses the gallery of a street artist he admires named EYEZ. He suspects he’s not done with St. Louis just yet. “I did some scouting,” he acknowledges. “It may be a good place to come back to.” Like many San Franciscans, he’s pretty envious of what’s going on in his hometown. “Portland, Austin, St. Louis are picking up a lot of interest in San Francisco these days,” he says. “If young people get together and want to do cool things, you can do it anywhere. And in St. Louis, you can afford to do it.” He’s also pretty impressed with our ice cream. He was amazed by Clementine’s manchego with truffles and honey — “it wasn’t weird for the sake of being weird. It was savory,” he marvels. He was further wowed by Keefe’s boozy flavors, a trend that, he says, has yet to hit San Francisco. “I think I sampled like twenty flavors,” he says. – Sarah Fenske
Fresh Pressed Sandwiches Homemade Soups Wood Fire Pizza Local Beer • Local Wine Ice Cream • Snacks
FA M O U
S FRIED CHICKEN
Thank you, St. Louis! BEST COMFORT FOOD - Reader’s Choice 2015
BEST DELI/SANDWICH SHOP - Editor’s Pick 2015
DID YOU KNOW: 1.3M PEOPLE READ
TOWER GROVE EAST Open 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. 3101 Arsenal
$9 Chicken Dinner Special on Saturdays Great Vegetarian Options too!
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36 Buy one lunch entree get $3 off Second
DINING GUIDE
The Dining Guide lists only restaurants recommended by RFT food critics. The print listings below rotate regularly, as space allows. Our complete Dining Guide is available online; view menus and search local restaurants by name or neighborhood.
Price Guide (based on a three-course meal for one, excluding tax, tip and beverages): $ up to $15 per person $$ $15 - $25 $$$ $25 - $40 $$$$ more than $40
$4 margaritas all day, everyday Valid at Washington Ave. location only
1901 Washington Ave, St. Louis, MO 63103 (314) 241-1557
www.chauvincoffee.com
Steak tacos from Tarahumara. | MABEL SUEN
[SOUTH CITY]
[ B E N T O N PA R K / F O X PA R K ]
Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. Peacemaker Lobster & 4465 Manchester Avenue; 314-222-0143. Crab Co. Urban Chestnut has reinvented the classic German bierhall for its mammoth Grove Brewery. As a local craft-brewing institution, patrons come to the facility, first and foremost, for the beer, though the food gives the suds a run for their money. Chef Andrew Fair draws upon his German heritage and time living in Europe to create a menu of traditional German cuisine that has been updated so as not to be a caricature. Offerings consist of small plates, sandwiches and wurst boards with highlights such as salt cod brandade beignets, poutines and dumplings of the moment. The indulgent “Strammer Max” sandwich is a must. Thinly shaved Black Forest ham, luscious Comté cheese and an over-easy farm egg are piled atop butter rye bread for a German version of a croque madame. Urban Chestnut features a selection of excellent G&W sausage served with rotating side dishes such as marrow beans and sauerkraut. It’s the ideal food for a day of drinking. $-$$
Vinnie’s
3208 Ivanhoe Avenue; 314-644-7007. When the football Cardinals left St. Louis for Arizona, Matthew “Vinnie” Mulholland was devastated — so much so that he began regularly traveling to Chicago to catch Bears games. While in the Windy City, Mulholland fell in love with its Italian beef sandwiches. After years of fiddling around with recipes in his home kitchen, Mulholland decided to go pro, opening Vinnie’s Italian Beef and Gyros in the Lindenwood Park neighborhood. The mammoth Italian beef sandwiches are built for two — a large loaf of soft bread, fresh from the Hill, is dipped in au jus, piled high with freshly roasted, thinly shaved beef, topped with melted provolone cheese and smothered in housemade giardiniera. It’s a fork-required, multi-napkin affair fit for a food challenge. Vinnie’s also offers housemade meatballs, Italian sausage and Greek fare, including an excellent beef and lamb gyro. The highlight of the dish is its creamy, garlic-packed tzatziki. On the Greek side, the spinach pita and cheese pita are solid. As hard as it may be, make sure to save room for the baklava. Vinnie’s best friend and colleague, George Postos, makes the pinwheel-shaped sweet treat according to his Greek grandma’s recipe. It’s light, flaky and covered in lemon and ginger simple syrup — a perfect end to a fantastic meal. $
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1831 Sidney Street; 314-772-8858.
For his sophomore effort, Sidney Street Café executive chef Kevin Nashan transports St. Louis diners to the East Coast with Peacemaker Lobster & Crab. Nashan transformed the former Niche space in Benton Park into a whitewashed beach shack with the freshest seafood in town. Diners can feast on everything from lobster and crab boils to oyster po’boys to freshly shucked oysters, and peel and eat shrimp. The restaurant’s signature dish is its lobster roll. Served either Connecticut-style, with drawn butter, or Maine-style, with mayonnaise, the shockingly fresh meat is wrapped in a bun that is half brioche, half Texas toast. Meat eaters should not shy away from Peacemaker; its brisket sandwich rivals those served at the town’s best smokehouses. Finish the meal with a whimsical dessert, like freshly baked whoopie pies or snow cones with housemade syrups. Peacemaker is the city’s hottest restaurant, and it lives up to the hype. $$$ [CHEROKEE/DUTCHTOWN]
Tarahumara
2818 Cherokee Street; 314-804-7398. In the twenty years that they’ve lived in St. Louis, Teresa Armendirez and Luis Navarro were unable to find food that is typical of their native Chihuahua. The husband and wife decided to take matters into their own hands, opening Tarahumara in the heart of the vibrant Cherokee Street dining district. Do not go in expecting tacos and Tex-Mex; instead, you’ll find delicious northwestern Mexican cuisine such as chilaquiles, a traditional dish of fried corn tortilla chips topped with pulled chicken, crema, and a fiery hot tomatillo salsa. Gorditas are also a house specialty. The hollowed-out tortilla pockets come in two varieties: harina, made of flour or roja, made from corn and crushed red bell peppers. Both types are stuffed with a choice of toppings, the best being the poblano pepper and Chihuahua cheese. Tarahumara’s best dish is its torta especial -- an excellent sandwich made with Mexican bread that is like a cross between a soft, buttery brioche and crusty Vietnamese banhmi bread. It’s stuffed with shredded beef, ham, cheese and avocado, and though it looks big enough to share, you won’t want to. $-$$
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TA K E H O M E TROPS!
Now offering $7 20 oz. legally sealed containers to take safely to your destination!
GAME DAY SPECIAL: Bring your BLUES or BILLIKEN ticket in for
$1 OFF ON GAME DAY 1800 S. 10 TH Street IN HISTORIC SOULARD!
@ Y A D R U T A S BIG February 6TH GRAND PARADE DAY
OPEN TIL 3AM
DOORS OPEN EARLY 8AM ON SATURDAY LIVE MUSIC UNDER OUR HEATING AND COVERED PATIO ALL DAY DJ FLYIN BRIAN GETS YOUR POST-PARADE PARTY GOING AT 2PM HURRICANE’S - BEADS - BOOZE - BANDS - DJ’S - FREE SHUTTLE
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THROWING ONE LAST BASH BEFORE ASH!!!! JUST A FEW BLOCKS FROM THE PARADE ROUTE. CHECK OUT OUR FAT TUESDAY HAPPY HOUR PARTY PRE-PARADE DJ FLYIN BRAIN GET THE DANCE FLOOR ROCKIN POST-PARADE.
LARGE GROUPS PLEASE CALL AHEAD FOR FREE TABLE RESERVATIONS & SKIP THE LINE PASSES FOR INFO: BIGDADDYSTL.COM • 314-621-6700 • 118 MORGAN ST.
IN THE HEART OF HISTORICAL LACLEDE’S LANDING
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MUSIC
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Greensky Bluegrass has toured 200-plus days a year for ten years. | J VAN BUHLER
On the Road Again Greensky Bluegrass built its considerable fan base the oldfashioned way: through relentless touring Written by
MIKE LARSON Greensky Bluegrass 8 p.m. Wednesday, January 13, and Thursday, January 14. Old Rock House, 1200 South 7th Street. $18 to $30. 314-588-0505.
I
t wasn’t that long ago that Paul Hoffman was gigging with a few tents in the back of the van. Tight budgets and small checks from booking agents forced his band, Greensky Bluegrass, to camp when they toured. “We’d get to a venue, maybe they
would be good enough to give us dinner, then we’d play,” Hoffman, the group’s mandolin player and vocalist, says from his home in Colorado. “Then we’d go back to whatever campsite we were staying at, grab some ground and try to get some sleep before getting up and doing it again in another town.” The touring nights are now a little bit more comfortable for the band, which hails from Kalamazoo, Michigan. They’ve traded the sleeping bags and tents for hotel rooms, which fall a little more in line with the rock-star-on-tour image. The gigs have gotten better too. When Hoffman was giving this interview, he was preparing to leave for Mexico to play at Strings & Sol, a festival at an all-inclusive oceanside resort. Over the past decade, Greensky Bluegrass has gone from playing half-empty bars to selling out two- and three-night stands at respectable venues. Hoffman says the band’s rise is kind of surreal, given that the music they play is rarely heard on any mainstream radio station.
“You know, we haven’t really spent a lot of time dwelling on it,” he says. “We just kept playing and playing. Traveling, meeting new people and making friends. And then one day we wake up and we’re playing at Red Rocks [Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado].” It’s somewhat of an enigma that in an era of one-and-done pop songs and a thriving urban and dance scene, the kind of music Greensky plays would be able to get a foothold and even get to the ears of a captive audience. Despite the group’s name, it doesn’t play bluegrass music. Rather, it plays music that is a conglomeration of different genres. “It’s acoustic jams with bluegrass influence and rock influence,” Hoffman says. “There’s folk, there’s some jammin’. There’s a lot going on at any given time. It’s good music backed by real, relatable lyrics.” So how has a hodgepodge of musical styles played by an all-acoustic lineup gotten so popular? “We rock the F out,” Hoffman says. “I really think that’s the big reason riverfronttimes.com
we have kind of become a draw. We have fun, and I think this kind of music is contagious. It’s kind of the opposite of what makes EDM popular. People love it because it’s highly produced. We are the complete opposite. “You look at some of the bands over the last few years, like the Avett Brothers and the Lumineers — they got popular because they play a stripped down, acoustic, lyrically driven style of music. And they’ve had a lot of success with that. I think we are kind of following in that vein.” Banjo player Mike Bont thinks the band’s popularity might be even more simply explained. “People love the spontaneity,” he says. “The way we play, you could show up one night and hear a distinct sound, then come back the next night and hear something completely different. With us, you are never going to hear the same song played the same way. Ever.” Despite being able to bend genres and play unscripted,
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“We never went into this business to become huge stars.” | CHRIS MONAGHAN
GREENSKY BLUEGRASS Continued from pg 39
Greensky Bluegrass has toured 200-plus days a year for ten years. | J VAN BUHLER we have kind of become a draw. We have fun, and I think this kind of music is contagious. It’s kind of the opposite of what makes EDM 9PM popular. People love it because it’s 4 Hands Brewery presents highly produced. We are the comPhil and Carson’s Jamboree plete opposite. “You look at some of the bands over the last few years, like the 10PM Avett Brothers and the Lumineers Love because Jones thethey Band — they got popular play a stripped down, acoustic, lyrically driven style of music. And they’ve had a lot of success with that. I think we areAll kind of followRoostered Up 1-4PM ing in that5vein.” Year Anniversary Show FREE SHOW! Banjo player Mike Bont thinks the band’s popularity might be 10PM even more simply explained. “PeoKamm andhethe One Drops ple love theAaron spontaneity,” says. “The way we play, you could show up one night and hear a distinct 10PM sound, then come back the next night and hear something comBonerama pletely different. With us, you are from New Orleans never going to hear the same song played the same way. Ever.” 736 S Broadway Despite being able to bend St. Louis, MO 63102 genres and play unscripted,
thur. jan. 14
fri. jan. 15
sat. jan. 16
fri. jan. 22
Continued on pg 40 (314) 621-8811
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high-energy shows, it hasn’t been easy to get noticed. Today’s musical landscape requires new acts to bring a solid catalog to the table. If they don’t, they are liable to be drowned out by the next YouTube up-and-comer. “We never went in to this business to become huge stars,” Hoffman says. “We never knew we’d be popular in any sense. You know, pop music is pop music. We aren’t ever going to be Taylor Swift or Adele or Bieber. We’ll never be big like that. But we’ve carved a little place for ourselves, and it’s working out. We wanted to do string jams with meaningful lyrics, and I’m proud of the music we’re putting out. “The way (music) is heard now is different,” he adds. “I know that sounds weird, but it’s true. If you’ve got an Internet connection, you can listen to any performance from just about any band. So, you can either let that pressure smash you, knowing that you have to be perfect every time you step on stage, or you can kind of laugh at it, go out and play, and know the people who want to hear you will take it for what it’s worth.” Bont prefers the band’s slow burn to prominence over an explosion into superstardom. “I just think things happened the way they were supposed to,” he says, adding that the band’s big break came in 2006, when it won the band contest at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado. “That was a turning point,” he says. “Winning an award really
“We never went in to this business to become huge stars. We never knew we’d be popular in any sense. We aren’t ever going to be Taylor Swift or Adele or Bieber.” gave us some confidence, you know? It made us say, ‘Well, we won a contest, maybe we’re doing something right.’” From there, the band adopted a touring schedule that put them on the road 200-plus days a year. That was ten years ago, and they still haven’t slowed down. The group’s current tour will see it play 26 shows through the end of February. “It’s still fun,” Hoffman says. “Traveling still feels good. It is what it is. When it stops being fun, that’s probably when we’ll stop doing it. Until then, we’ll probably have a full touring schedule.” Bont even says that, at this point, it doesn’t seem like touring. “You know, we’ve been doing this for a long time, and we’ve made a lot of friends on the road,” he says. “So, for me, a couple of times a year I get to get on the road and go see all my friends in different places. Plus I get to play music when I’m doing it.” n
A 1920’s Speakeasy - Modern Twist Dining • Cocktails • Burlesque Shows Corporate & Private Events
Located in downtown St. Louis www.TheBoomBoomRoomSTL.com - 314-436-7000 500 N. 14th Street, St. Louis Mo. 63103
OUR patio…
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Largest Patio on Morgan Ford Mon - Industry Night $2 Pints Wed - Ladies Night Thurs- Tenacious Trivia 8-10 We are now Non-Smoking! Happy Hour Mon-Sat 3-7pm 4 Blocks South of Tower Grove Park 3234 Morganford • 314-771-7979
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Bowling the way it is now – FUN!
A St. Louis Landmark
Unique Spaces We are more than a 24 hour restaurant. Besides our late night food, we serve up some awesome spaces to celebrate in.
FPO SNOW BALL 3 words: at the Moonrise Hotel
Friday, Jan 15
Cheddar Cheese Balls! ICE CARNIVAL Saturday, Jan 16 BlueberryHill.com 6191 Delmar · 314-727-5555 PinUpBowl.com
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“St. Louis pioneers of craft beer and live music” THURSDAY, JANUARY 14 TH
Farfetched Presents: Superhero Killer, Mathias & The Pirates, Hands & Feet, Centipede - Hip Hop - 7pm - $7
FRIDAY, JANUARY 15 TH
Fight for Midnight, Jeske Park, Ghost, The Public, and Phi -Rock- 7pm - $10
SATURDAY, JANUARY 16 TH
Red Zero, Midwest Avengers, Discrepencies, Mr. I RockRap - 8:30pm- $10
*BAR AREA
Special Acoustic performance by Inner Outlines - Rock - 6pm - FREE
SUNDAY, JANUARY 17 TH
GTS Presents: Thieves to Kings, Article III, HatesmiLE, The Public, Pure October, A Beginning’s End, Last Plane Out, Macrobliss - Rock - 5pm - $12
2/26* Bronze Radio Return 3/12* Joseph 3/13* Common Kings 4/02 Dread Zeppelin 4/13* Voodoo Glow Skulls 4/28* Eleanor Friedberger
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20 TH
Geeks Who Drink - Trivia - 8:30pm- FREE
Tickets available at Blueberry Hill (no service fees with cash) All Ticketmaster ticket centers H Ticketmaster.Com *All Ages shows: $2 minor surcharge at doors.
EVERY Beer of the month: Free glass with every TUESDAY NEW BELGIUM New Belgium purchase.
6691 Delmar
In the University City Loop
314.862.0009 • www.ciceros-stl.com 42
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Open 7 days from 11 am 6504 Delmar in The Loop H 314-727-4444
JANUARY 13-19, 2016
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24/7 PeacockLoopDiner.com 6261 Delmar in The Loop
MON. 5/23
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THURSDAY 1/28
SATURDAY 1/30
THURSDAY 2/4
TUESDAY 2/9
UPCOMING SHOWS 2.10 & 2.11 JIM JEFFERIES
3.12 BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME & AUGUST BURNS RED
2.12 STS9
3.13 MELANIE MARTINEZ
2.13 MIKE STUD
3.15 X AMBASSADORS
2.17 GAELIC STORM
3.24 EXCISION
2.18 LOTUS
4.9 YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING BAND
2.21 BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE
4.10 UNDEROATH
2.23 DROPKICK MURPHYS
4.15 CHARLES KELLEY
2.24 HOODIE ALLEN
4.16 JIM NORTON
2.25 DARK STAR ORCHESTRA 2.26 & 2.27 CELEBRATION DAY: A TRIBUTE TO LED ZEPPELIN
4.22 ANDREW BIRD
2.29 LOGIC
5.3 ANIMAL COLLECTIVE
3.4 METRIC
6.8 LEON BRIDGES
3.6 GEORGE THOROGOOD & THE DESTROYERS
6.25 BLUE OCTOBER
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thepageant.com // 6161 delmar blvd. / St. Louis, MO 63112 // 314.726.6161
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B-SIDES
Reborn to Be Wild Torres pulls inspiration from the Bible on latest album, Sprinter Written by
MIKE APPELSTEIN Torres
8 p.m. Saturday, January 16. The Firebird, 2706 Olive Street. $12 to $14. 314-5350353.
T
hroughout Sprinter, Torres’ second and latest album, there’s a recurring theme of renewal — or, more specifically, a search for clarity. Mackenzie Scott, Torres’ lead signer and core member, grew up in Macon, Georgia, and comes from a Southern Baptist background. She has been outspoken in interviews about how she left the church but not Christianity itself. Sprinter seems to reflect that ongoing experience. “What’s mine isn’t really yours / But I hope you find what you’re looking for,” she screams on “Strange Hellos,” the album’s opener and most vicious track. But most of what comes afterward, in song titles like “New Skin” and “The Harshest Light,” suggests an ongoing process of reconciling past and present. Scott sings with a mixture of tenderness and assurance, even when harsh background noise permeates the tracks. On the final song, “The Exchange,” Scott directly addresses both her and her mother’s adoptive status, her voice breaking as she confronts a lost history and an uncertain future. It’s powerful and relatable. On January 16, Torres comes to the Firebird as part of the Art of Live Festival. We chatted with Scott about her upbringing in Macon, how she became a songwriter, and to what extent Sprinter reflects her own experiences. Riverfront Times: Your new CD is a lot richer in Biblical imagery than the last. Mackenzie Scott: I drew a lot on my general knowledge of scripture. I grew up in the Baptist church, and so I think part of what I was trying to do was create my own retellings
44
RIVERFRONT TIMES
“I was thinking ultimately about how dark all these stories are.” | SHAWN BRACKBILL
of these classic Bible stories that I had heard in Sunday school. They were all stories that I knew and had heard from birth. I guess I was a little bored with the interpretations that I had been given. I was thinking ultimately about how dark all these stories are. Like Noah’s Ark — any story in the Bible is really dark, but the interpretations that I got as a child were, you know, watercolors of Jesus with children in his lap, or animals with smiles on their faces. It just isn’t that way. So I went back and read the stories, and I wrote the songs in conjunction with whatever else I was writing about. Is there an autobiographical element as well? A lot of it was inspired by people I knew. But a lot of the Biblical imagery on the record is a result of my retelling. I was looking at these stories from the perspective of someone who had never heard or read scripture. It turns out that some of them are very scary.
JANUARY 13-19, 2016
riverfronttimes.com
There’s enough in there for Hollywood to have endless amounts of inspiration. There are a lot of references to new skin, wide eyes, a basic feeling of newness. It sounded both like someone who may have had a born-again experience, and someone who might have broken away from that. Was the ambiguity intentional? You’re right about both, and I meant both. For me, it was about breaking away from the rigid constructs of the church. But it was also about new life. It was a religious experience in itself to find God in my own way rather than under the roof of a church. After breaking away from the Baptist church, I was “reborn” in a sense. And that was a very spiritual experience for me, and I still am very spiritual. I had to get out of that church and that town to do it. Was there music in your house growing up? I feel bad saying it, but some of the worst music comes from the
Baptist church. And it’s such a massive industry! The people writing those songs are making so much money. The experience that I had musically was a lot of really self-indulgent electric guitar solos and grand statements. The songs themselves are so epic in nature, but so underwhelming. How did you discover music in that atmosphere? I was finding stuff on iTunes when it became something everyone used. I was in middle school. For example I really liked music I’d hear on the CW network. I would watch those shows, hear a couple of songs per episode and download them. That was my primary method of finding music for years. Before that, I grew up listening to pop-country music. My brother and sister are older than I am, so I had a lot of their records to listen to. I wasn’t a huge consumer of music, a big music fan, until college. I was more interested in writing my own from the beginning. n
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JANUARY 13-19, 2016
RIVERFRONT TIMES
45
46
HOMESPUN
VA R IO U S A RT ISTS Prologue V farfetched.bandcamp.com
Farfetched: Prologue V Release Show
8 p.m. Friday, January 15. 2720 Cherokee Street. $10. 314-276-2700.
F
Benefitting
Saturday, February 27 7-11 pm
$35 General Admission $60 VIP includes beer/wine and 6:30 pm early admission
Majorette
7150 Manchester Rd. • STL, MO 63143 For more information, call (314) 865-0060 Purchase tickets online artscopestl.org/wallball Sponsored by
46
RIVERFRONT TIMES
ive years ago this month, the FarFetched collective introduced itself to St. Louis with a bold compilation called Prologue. The tracks read as hip-hop on their surface, but an experimental, often spacey edge suggested something else. The comp introduced FarFetched as a type of record label that didn’t produce physical media; more than anything, it provided a big enough tent for local (and some national and international) artists to huddle under without having to adhere to any one style. The album’s logo — concentric circles radiating in and around stacked squares — became the collective’s calling card and a kind of Bat-signal across town. Purposefully or not, the image offers a visual analog to the group’s aesthetic: radiant layers of art and music that don’t fit into genre-specific boxes. Damon Davis and Darian Wigfall are the main heads in the hydra-like brain trust that is FarFetched, an enterprise that defies easy summation while promoting and producing music not cleanly categorized. Wigfall notes that most of the groups “are pretty disparate, but we all have a foundation in experimentation. We hear something and want to recreate it and then recreate our own version of that thing, or some completely different music inspired by the original stimulus.” Since that initial 2012 release, the imprint has dutifully released a new Prologue each January, and the albums have served as a relatively up-to-date label roster and tip sheet for local talent. This year’s iteration of Prologue is missing some of the bigger names that have contributed in years past; Ou Où has since disbanded, and the still-active CaveofswordS and Black James (who currently performs as ICE) are absent. But mainstays such as Ryan McNeely’s Adult Fur, Mathias & the Pirates and Scripts n Screwz turn in solid performances, and relatively recent additions — beat-
JANUARY 13-19, 2016
riverfronttimes.com
heavy synth wrangler Ewokie Talkie, Sarah Downen’s dark-anddreamy Golden Curls — fill in the blanks with assuredness. “New members come in differently,” says Davis. “Sometimes they find us or we find them, but it is usually on the basis of like-mindedness in respect to music, message and attention to originality.” Davis himself appears a few times on the program; as Loosescrewz, his sound collage “City of God (Saturn Theme)” percolates with looped, ethereal vocals but is undercut by samples of the cries of a restless crowd. Blank Generation, the live hip-hop group anchored by Davis and Hearskra-z, submits a ruminative and soulful “Borrowed Time.” The other hallmark of the Prologue series has been the oft-fruitful collaborations among artists in the collective; it’s not unusual for hip-hop lyricists to throw down with reverb peddlers, or for avantpop weirdos to join up with bedroom beatsmiths. Prologue V feels lighter than years past in that regard, and most acts have turned in solo efforts. The few partnerships here reveal workable juxtapositions: Stephen Favazza normally records Hands & Feet’s dubby, shoegaze-indebted tracks alone, but Ben Bishop’s verses emphasize the rhythm of “Hello Darling” after an intro of pinging synth and faraway melodica. Mathias & the Pirates borrow snippets of a street band’s horn section for “Brettanomyces,” but 18andCounting’s Stan Chisholm is a welcome addition to the crew. Mathias uses the track to harp on his favorite subject — the sorry state of modern hip-hop — but the group gets credit for dropping knowledge with the song’s title, a strand of yeast used in lambic and saison beers. Craft brewing meets small-batch hip-hop. Davis speaks to the primacy of these collaborations, both on the Prologue series and in the collective’s overarching vision. “It
is important because one of our staples is innovation and experimental musically, and so we all get a chance to learn and teach each other in the studio,” he says. “The result is always something interesting and I think the testament of a great label or collective is how its artists work together.” Wigfall continues the thought. “Collaboration is an important part of this project and FarFetched in general because, in order to move forward as musicians and people, we have to learn from each other,” he says. “Collaboration forces that, but the character of the people in our collective family make it stick.” So if collaboration has taken a back seat this time around, Prologue V still provides a platform for artists to say their piece. That the comp is bookended by relatively young acts — the video-game ambiance of Abnormal’s lead-off track “Select Screen” and Subtle Aggression Monopoly’s bellicose, AutoTuned closer “Steady Shooter” — suggests that the label’s aesthetic has already influenced a younger generation. Davis, FarFetched’s founder, believes in the musicians’ individual strengths, as well as their capacity to share and grow with one another, for the imprint’s relative longevity. “Character is a very big thing to me, and the people that are with us have tons of it. That makes everything go smoother,” he says. “That is why we are still a ‘thing’ after five years and haven’t fallen apart, especially in crucial times.” n
47
OUT EVERY NIGHT THURSDAY 14
Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. OXBOW AND MOOR: w/ Killj 8 p.m., $7. The
CHARLY BLISS: 8 p.m., $10-$12. The Demo, 4191
[CRITIC’S PICK]
Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-5532.
Demo, 4191 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314833-5532.
FARFETCHED PRESENTS: THE PROLOGUE V PRE-PARTY: w/ Superhero Killer, Mathias and the Pirates, Hands and Feet, Centipede 7 p.m.,
WEDNESDAY 20
$7. Cicero’s, 6691 Delmar Blvd., University City,
BJORN RANHEIM: w/ Shawn Weil and the 442’s
314-862-0009.
8 p.m., $25-$30. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington
NEW BERLIN: w/ Boreal Hills, Drag, Zak M 9
Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900.
p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson
KAKI KING: 8 p.m., $17-$25. Old Rock House,
Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100.
1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505.
A NIGHT OF DUOS II: w/ Sam Clapp/Chad Hick-
KHAOTIKA: w/ Decay Crawler, Railhazer,
man, Stephen Houldsworth/Sean Ballard, Ben
Voidgazer 8 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St,
Stegmann/Patrick Weston 9 p.m., free. Schlafly
St. Louis, 314-289-9050.
Tap Room, 2100 Locust St., St. Louis, 314-241-
SEAN CANAN’S VOODOO PLAYERS: 9 p.m., $6.
2337.
Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St.
PHIL & CARSON’S JAMBOREE: 9 p.m., $5. Broad-
Louis, 314-621-8811.
way Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis,
THIS JUST IN
314-621-8811. WADE BOWEN: 8 p.m., $15-$18. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-773-3363. WILD BELLE: 8 p.m., $12-$15. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929.
FRIDAY 15 AMERICAN WRESTLERS: w/ Bo and the Locomotive 8 p.m., $8-$10. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-773-3363. CREED BRATTON (OF THE OFFICE): 8 p.m., $20$50. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-2899050. G-EAZY: w/ A$AP Ferg, Marc E. Bassey, Nef the Pharaoh 7 p.m., $36.50. The Fox Theatre, 527 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 314-534-1111. SAN FERMIN: w/ Andy Shauf 8 p.m., $14-$16. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314588-0505. WALE: 7 p.m., $25. The Marquee Restaurant &
Wild Belle 8 p.m. Thursday, January 14. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Avenue. $12 to $15. 314-833-3929.
Windy City siblings Elliot and Natalie Bergman of Wild Belle have rung in the new year with a new single, “Throw Down Your Guns,” that sounds like M.I.A. wandered onto the deck of a blissed-out cruise ship. The track drives hedonistic dance-floor pop into straight-up protest territory — in Chicago, guns are not a metaphor — while holding to the band’s signature baritone-saxophone-honking
Wild Belle. | COURTESY WILD BELLE PRESS
A TRIBUTE TO JACK J. LOKCINSKI: W/ Six One
ska-funk aesthetic. As a preview of the forthcoming album Dream Land, the track tweaks the expectations of its fan base while presaging that this might be the year its post-modern tropicalia breaks through the mid-level indie ceiling. Check Your Political Correctness: Like the Talking Heads, Paul Simon and even Vampire Weekend before them, Wild Belle culturally appropriates third-world sounds into first-world forms — and the band rightly could care less about identity politics. –Roy Kasten
P.R.E.A.C.H., Sawblade, Six One Nate, Kayo Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. BEING AS AN OCEAN: W/ Alice Alive, Sun., Feb. 21, 7 p.m., $15. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME: W/ August Burns Red, the Faceless, Good Tiger, Sat., March 12, 7 p.m., $25-$27.50. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. BRIT FLOYD: Sat., March 12, 8 p.m., $29.50$59.50. Peabody Opera House, 1400 Market St, St. Louis, 314-241-1888. BROTHERS LAZAROFF: W/ the Fog Lights, Whoa Thunder, Fri., Feb. 5, 8 p.m., $10. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-773-3363. CON & MVSTERMIND: W/ Tony W, J’Demul,
Continued on pg 48
LOVE JONES “THE BAND”: 8:30 p.m., $10. BB’s
[CRITIC’S PICK]
Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis,
AARON KAMM & THE ONE DROPS: 10 p.m., $7.
314-436-5222.
Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St.
FUNK’S GROVE: 5 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues &
Louis, 314-621-8811.
Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-
ALL THEM WITCHES: 8 p.m., $12-$15. The Demo,
5222.
4191 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-5532.
TORN AT THE SEAMS EP RELEASE: w/ Caducus,
DIRTFOOT: w/ Tyrannosaurus Chicken 11:30
Hazer 6 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St.
p.m., $10/$12. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St.,
Louis, 314-289-9050.
St. Louis, 314-588-0505.
the Savage, Yerrty G, Fri., Feb. 5, 9 p.m., $10.
PHONZZ, DJ
Lounge, 1911 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-436-8889.
SATURDAY 16
Nate, Az the Fallen, NuttinxNyce, P.O.W.,
HOMETOWN TAKEOVER III: w/ Story of the Year,
MONDAY 18
Fivefold, the Hush List, Make Room 8 p.m.,
7 MINUTES IN HEAVEN: w/ Broadside, Marina
$17-$20. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St.
City, Life On Broadway, This Is Our Dance 6
Louis, 314-726-6161.
p.m., $15-$17. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis,
LIL WYTE: w/ the Young Therobreds 8 p.m.,
314-289-9050.
$12-$15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-
SOULARD BLUES BAND: 9 p.m., $5. Broadway
289-9050.
Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-
SPLIT LIP RAYFIELD: 9 p.m., $20. The Ready
621-8811.
Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-
ZUSHA: 8 p.m., $10-$15. The Firebird, 2706
833-3929.
Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353.
SUNDAY 17
TUESDAY 19
AK1200: w/ Cryptonix, Brandon S, Dent b2b
BUD SUMMERS: 6 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster
Liminy 8 p.m., $5-$10. Upstairs Lounge, 3131 S.
Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.
Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 314-773-3388.
EMILY WALLACE: 9 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster
Wale 7 p.m. Friday, January 15. The Marquee Restaurant & Lounge, 1911 Locust Street. $25. 314-436-8889.
Washington, D.C. rapper Wale has been one of underground rap’s rising stars ever since he got his start after being discovered in 2006 by producer Mark Ronson. His third and fourth LPs, The Gifted and The Album About Nothing, each reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, earning him nominations for awards from BET and MTV, as well as the Grammys. All this attention brought Wale an unlikely collaborator: Jerry Seinfeld. The comedian has been a recurring theme in Wale’s career ever since 2007’s Mixtape About Nothing, riverfronttimes.com
which used a lot of dialogue from Seinfeld’s television program, followed by 2010’s More About Nothing. In 2013 Wale actually got in contact with Seinfeld himself and, yada yada yada, the comedian participated as a narrator on his 2015 record. What’s the Deal? “So I said to my wife, ‘I’m doing this thing with this guy Wale,’” Seinfeld told Hip Hop DX in 2013. “And she said, ‘Wale is my favorite hip-hop artist. I have every single thing.’ Somehow, she missed anything that had to do with me, but has every other cut, everything else he’s done. I said, “Just type in Wale and me and see what comes up.’” –Daniel Hill
JANUARY 13-19, 2016
RIVERFRONT TIMES
47
TNT
47
Glass
Designs All-American
Smoke Shop Pipes • Vaporizers • Detox Locally Crafted Jewelry CBD American Shaman Products Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.
Unique Ice Carnival Event OXBOW AND MOOR: w/ Killj 8 p.m., $7. The Saturday Jan. 16
Demo, 4191 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-
Live Indoor/Outdoor Fire Art 833-5532. Glassblowing (Indoor) Fire Performers (Outdoor)
HUGE ANNUAL SALE!! WEDNESDAY 20 BJORN RANHEIM: w/ Shawn Weil and the 442’s
THIS JUST IN Continued from pg 47
$17. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. THE OCEAN: Wed., March 9, 6 p.m., $12-$14.
NICO, Fri., Feb. 26, 10 p.m., $5-$7. The Demo,
Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.
4191 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-5532.
PARACHUTE: W/ Jon McLaughlin, Sat., May 7, 7
THE CORY HENRY REVIVAL: Thu., March 10, 8
p.m., $21. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St.
p.m., $12-$15. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St.,
Louis, 314-588-0505.
St. Louis, 314-588-0505.
PICTUREPLANE: W/ DJ Dog Dick, ICE, Wed., Jan.
DOPAPOD: W/ Consider The Source, Wed.,
20, 7 p.m., $8. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St.
April 6, 9 p.m., $12-$15. Old Rock House, 1200
Louis, 314-535-0353.
S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505.
THE ROCKET SUMMER: Wed., April 6, 8 p.m.,
DUNCAN TRUSSELL: Fri., April 22, 8 p.m., $20.
$15-$20. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis,
The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-
314-535-0353.
535-0353.
SAMMY HAGAR: Sun., July 3, 7 p.m., Free. For-
Voted Best Smoke Shop
8 p.m., $25-$30. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington
[CRITICS PICKS]
Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900. READERS CHOICE 2015
KAKI KING: 8 p.m., $17-$25. Old Rock House, 6163 EAST DELMAR LOOP | 314.863.8860 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. KHAOTIKA: w/ Decay Crawler, Railhazer,
Ethan Leinwand & Mat Wilson
Voidgazer 8 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St,
7 p.m. Saturday, January 16.
St. Louis, 314-289-9050.
BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 South Broadway. $5. 314-436-5222.
SEAN CANAN’S VOODOO PLAYERS: 9 p.m., $6. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.
THIS JUST IN A TRIBUTE TO JACK J. LOKCINSKI: W/ Six One Nate, Az the Fallen, NuttinxNyce, P.O.W., P.R.E.A.C.H., Sawblade, Six One Nate, Kayo the Savage, Yerrty G, Fri., Feb. 5, 9 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. BEING AS AN OCEAN: W/ Alice Alive, Sun., Feb. 21, 7 p.m., $15. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME: W/ August Burns Red, the Faceless, Good Tiger, Sat., March 12, 7 p.m., $25-$27.50. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. BRIT FLOYD: Sat., March 12, 8 p.m., $29.50-
When Riverfront Times counted down the 100 most essential songs of St. Louis last fall, we included no shortage of piano geniuses. Scott Joplin made the top ten, of course, but a deeper dive into our city’s musical heritage reveals names like Thomas Turpin and Henry Morgan, players who helped develop the ragtime style and molded it to fit the burgeoning style of rhythm & blues after the turn of the century. Local pianist Ethan Leinwand knows these names, their stories and their songs: at saloons around town, he evokes the
spirit of these players with boogie-woogie panache. Leinwand will be playing alongside the mighty Mat Wilson, the studious and strident guitarist and singer whose work with the Rum Drum Ramblers and the Loot Rock Gang has given our town a constant supply of thoroughly modern versions of pre-war blues and jump-up R&B. Make a Day of It: You’ve got nothing better to do on Saturday than camp out at BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, so show up early for local country-rock outfit the Trigger 5 from 3 to 6 p.m. and stick around for the sharp-dressed Skeet Rodgers & the Inner City Blues Band from 10 p.m. till close. –Christian Schaeffer
$59.50. Peabody Opera House, 1400 Market St,
City, Life O
Mon., Jan. Locust St,
AARON KA
p.m., $7. B
way, St. Lo
AK1200: W
Liminy, Su
Lounge, 3 3388. ALL THEM
$15. The D
AMERICAN
BROTHERS LAZAROFF: W/ the Fog Lights, Whoa
A GREAT BIG WORLD: Sun., March 13, 8 p.m.,
est Park, Highway 40 (I-64) & Hampton Ave.,
tive, Fri., J
Thunder, Fri., Feb. 5, 8 p.m., $10. Off Broad-
$23-$65. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis,
St. Louis.
3509 Lemp
way, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-773-3363.
314-535-0353.
SAY ANYTHING: W/ mewithoutYou, Teen
LOVE JONE
CON & MVSTERMIND: W/ Tony W, J’Demul,
GREEN RIVER ORDINANCE: Thu., March 31, 8
Suicide, Museum Mouth, Thu., May 5, 7 p.m.,
$10. BB’s J
p.m., $12-$15. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St.,
$18-$22. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester
St. Louis, 3
St. Louis, 314-588-0505.
Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929.
BEAT BUM
INTERVALS: W/ PLINI, Angel Vivaldi, Save Us
SCRU FACE JEAN: Sun., Feb. 7, 8 p.m., $10-$25.
Fri., Jan. 1
From the Archon, Wed., March 30, 6 p.m.,
Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.
3359 Jeffe
$16-$18. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-
SEAN CANAN’S VOODOO PLAYERS: Wed., Jan.
BJORN RAN
289-9050.
20, THE SLOW DEATH: W/ the Raging Nathans,
Wed., Jan.
E BUTCHERETTES: Wed., March 2, 8 p.m., $10-
the Haddonfields, Grave Neighbors, Sat., May
3648 Wash
$12. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis,
14, 8 p.m., $10-$12. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St.
BOB “BUM
314-535-0353.
Louis, 314-289-9050.
p.m. Beale
LILY AND MADELEINE: W/ Shannon Hayden,
STEVE AOKI: W/ Basscrooks, DJ Jwin, DJ SlantE,
Louis, 314
Sun., March 13, 7 p.m., $12. Off Broadway,
Sat., Feb. 27, 9 p.m., $25. Ameristar Casino, 1
BROTHER J
3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-773-3363.
Ameristar Blvd., St. Charles, 636-949-7777.
10 p.m., $5
LUCERO: W/ John Moreland, Wed., April 13,
TECH N9NE: W/ Krizz Kaliko, Mayday, Stevie
Broadway
8 p.m.; Thu., April 14, 8 p.m., $25-$35. Off
Stone, Ces Cru, Sat., May 28, 8 p.m., $27.50-
BUD SUMM
Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-773-
$30. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St.
Broadway
3363.
Louis, 314-726-6161.
Louis, 314
MAJOR THREAT: Sat., March 19, 8 p.m., $10-$12.
TINASHE: Mon., Feb. 29, 8 p.m., $25-$90. The
C2 AND TH
Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.
Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis,
p.m., $10.
MC CHRIS: W/ Nathan Anderson, Tue., March
314-833-3929.
Louis, 314
22, 8 p.m., $16-$18. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St.
VANNA: W/ Another Day Drowning, Pure Octo-
CARA LOUI
Louis, 314-289-9050.
ber, Strikes Back, Texas Blvd, Wed., March 2,
15, 8 p.m.,
MISS MAY I: W/ Ecclesiast, the Greater Good,
6 p.m., $12-$14. The Demo, 4191 Manchester
Ave., St. L
Article III, We Are Descendants, Wed., March
Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-5532.
CHARLY BL
23, 6 p.m., $15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St.
THE YAWPERS: W/ Blackfoot Gypsies, Wed.,
The Demo
Louis, 314-289-9050.
April 6, 9 p.m., $10. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp
314-833-55
NOAH GUNDERSEN: Wed., April 20, 8 p.m., $15-
Ave., St. Louis, 314-773-3363.
CHURCH B
Continued on pg 48
PHONZZ, DJ
[CRITIC’S PICK]
which used a lot of dialogue from Seinfeld’s television program, followed by 2010’s More About Nothing. In 2013 Wale actually got in contact with Seinfeld himself and, yada yada yada, the comedian participated as a narrator on his 2015 record. What’s the Deal? “So I said to my wife, ‘I’m doing this thing with this guy Wale,’” Seinfeld told Hip Hop DX in 2013. “And she said, ‘Wale is my favorite hip-hop artist. I have every single thing.’ Somehow, she missed anything that had to do with me, but has every other cut, everything else he’s done. I said, “Just type in Wale and me and see what comes up.’” –Daniel Hill RIVERFRONT TIMES
7 MINUTES
314-833-55
St. Louis, 314-241-1888.
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JANUARY 13-19, 2016
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SAVAGE LOVE COLOR ME BAD BY DAN SAVAGE
Hey Dan: As a queer man of color—I’m Asian—I feel wounded whenever I am exposed to gay men in New York City, Toronto, or any city where white gay men dominate. Gay men, mostly whites and Asians, reject me because of my race and no one admits to their sexual racism. I understand that sexual attraction is subconscious for many people. But it is unfair for a gay Asian like myself to be constantly marginalized and rejected. I fight for gay rights, too. I believe in equality, too. Why is there no acceptance, no space, no welcome for me in this white-painted gay community? I’m six-footone, 160 pounds, fit, and very good-looking. What can I do? I might as well be a sexless monk. Enraged Dude Details Infuriating Experience “I relate to a lot of what EDDIE is feeling here,” said Joel Kim Booster, a Brooklyn writer and comedian. “The double-edged sword of living in a city with a large gay community is that the community gets so large that we finally have the opportunity to marginalize people within it.”
Jeff Chu, a writer who also lives in Brooklyn, can relate: “Racism still thrives in the gay community, just as in broader society,” said Chu. “Many of us who are Asian American come out of the closet and walk into this weird bamboo cage, where we’re either fetishized or ignored. Many times I’d go into a gay bar and see guys playing out some gross interracial porno in their heads—with me playing the part of their Chinese pocket gay. Others (the ones I was interested in, to be candid) would act as if I were wearing an invisibility cheongsam.” Chu feels there’s plenty of blame to go around for this sad state of affairs. “It’s the gay media,” said Chu. “It’s Hollywood. It’s that LGBTrights organizations still haven’t diversified enough, especially in their leadership. And it’s all of us, when we’re lazy and don’t confront our own prejudices.” Booster and Chu are right: Racism is a problem in the gay community, some people within are unfairly and cruelly marginalized, and we all need to confront our own prejudices. Even you, EDDIE. You cite your height (tall!), weight (slim!), and looks (VGL!) as proof you’ve faced sexual rejection based solely on your race. But short, heavy, average-looking/unconventionally-attractive guys face rejection for not
being tall, lean, or conventionally hot, just as you’ve faced rejection for not being white. “As a stereotypically short Chinese guy, my first reaction to reading EDDIE’s letter? Damn, he’s six-foot-one! I’m jealous,” said Chu. “And that’s also part of the problem. I, like many others, have internalized an ideal: tall, gym-perfected, blah blah blah— and, above all, white.” Booster was also struck by your stats. “It’s hard for me to wrap my head around any six-foot-one, fit, VGL guy having trouble getting laid,” said Booster. “On paper, this is the gay ideal! I don’t really consider myself any of those things— and I have a perfectly respectable amount of sex.” Booster, who somehow manages to have plenty of sex in New York’s “white-painted gay community,” had some practical tips for you. “EDDIE should stay away from the apps if the experience becomes too negative,” Booster said. “If logging on to a hookup app bums him out, take a break. Being a double minority can be isolating, but living in a big city can be great. There are meet-ups and clubs and activities for all stripes. Join a gay volleyball league—truly where gay Asian men thrive—or find one of the many gay Asian nights at one of the gay bars around the city. They’re out there.”
riverfronttimes.com
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A quick word to gay white men: It’s fine to have “preferences.” But we need to examine our preferences and give some thought to the cultural forces that may have shaped them. It’s a good idea to make sure your preferences are actually yours and not some limited and limiting racist crap pounded into your head by TV, movies, and porn. But while preferences are allowed (and gay men of color have them, too), there’s no excuse for littering Grindr or Tinder or Recon—or your conversations in bars—with dehumanizing garbage like “no Asians,” “no Blacks,” “no femmes,” “no fatties,” etc. And while racism is a problem in the gay community (sometimes thoughtless, sometimes malicious, always unacceptable), according to 2010 US Census data, as crunched by the Williams Institute at UCLA, same-sex couples are far likelier to be interracial (20.6 percent) than opposite-sex couples (13.9 percent). So there’s hope—and I don’t mean “hope that EDDIE will one day land a magic white boyfriend,” but hope for less racism in the gay community generally and fewer racist Grindr profiles specifically. Listen to Dan’s podocast every week at savagelovecast.com. mail@savagelove.net @fakedansavage on Twitter
JANUARY 13-19, 2016
RIVERFRONT TIMES
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100 Employment 105 Career/Training/Schools
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110 Computer/Technical Specialist, Change and Release (Nestle Regional Globe Office North America, Inc. – St. Louis, MO) Participate in Change & Release (CR) Mgmt continuous imprvmnt efforts. F/T. Reqs Bach’s dgr (or frgn equiv) in Comp Sci, IT, or rel fld & 2 yrs exp in job offered or prfrm’g Change & Release Mgmt analysis. All stated exp must incl the follow’g: provid’g IT Service Mgmt for multinational org; utilization of MS Office & Project; wrk’g in SAP; & Peregrine Service Center/HP Service Manager. Must also have ITIL Certification. Resumes: J. Buenrostro, Nestle USA, Inc., 800 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale, CA 91203. Ref. JobID: SCR-LDSB
120 Drivers/Delivery/Courier ! Drivers Needed ASAP ! Requires Class E, B or A License. S Endorsement Helpful. Must be 25 yrs or older. Will Train. ABC/Checker Cab Co CALL NOW 314-725-9550
190 Business Opportunities Avon Full Time/Part Time, $15 Fee. Call Carla: 314-665-4585 For Appointment or Details Independent Avon Rep.
145 Management/Professional Business Solution Expert, Customer Service (Nestlé Regional Globe Office North America, Inc. – St. Louis, MO) Undertke GLOBE Solution sustain, implmntation, process imprvmnt & lverage activities to meet sustain targets, deliver process implmntation & imprvmnt targets & satisfy agreed customer key prfrmnce indicators. F/T. Reqs Bach’s dgr (or f/ equiv) in BusAdmin or rel fld & 3 yrs exp in job offered or implmnt’g & supprt’g lg scale Supply Chain ERP systs. Mst also have exp in follw’g: utiliz’g SAP/SD in consumer goods manufctur’g environ, incl’g master data, batch jobs, idoc failures, & configs; prfrm’g post-implmntation supprt incl’g trblshoot’g, ticket resolution, & on-call duty; SAP integration w/ add. supply chain functions incl’g Finan, Logistics, Purchas’g, customer service, demand & supply plan’g, & quality; implmnt’g SAP Personas w/ dsgn think’g methodology; implmnt’g CRM-CIC; utiliz’g ABAP to prfrm root cause analysis; wrk’g in SAP Change & Release to ensure mkt fixes & enhancmnts delivered in most efficient manner thru diff environs w/o bus disruption; & implmnt’g Trade Asset Solution. Resumes: J. Buenrostro, Nestle USA, Inc., 800 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale, CA 91203. Ref. JobID: BSE-MAG
185 Miscellaneous MAINTENANCE WORKER Experience in heating/cooling, refrigeration/appliances, plumbing and electrical. Fax resume 314-664-7740 or e-mail aj@cricommercialproperties.com
193 Employment Information CDL- A DRIVERS and Owner Operators: $1,000.00 sign on, Company/ Safety Bonuses. Home daily/ weekly. Regional runs. Great Benefits. 1-888-300-9935
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527 Legal Notices AT&T Mobility Services, LLC proposes to collocate wireless communications antennas at a top height of 116 feet on a 116-foot building at the approx. vicinity of 2415 North Kingshighway Boulevard, St. Louis, St. Louis County, MO 63113. Public comments regarding potential effects from this site on historic properties may be submitted within 30 days from the date of this publication to: Trileaf Corp, Emily, e.kinzinger@ trileaf.com, 10845 Olive Blvd, Suite 260, St. Louis, MO 63141, 314-997-6111.
Network Real Estate, LLC are proposing to collocate wireless communications antennas at a top height of 93 feet on a 93-foot tall building at the approx. vicinity of 3644 Natural Bridge Road, St. Louis County, St. Louis, MO 63107. Public comments regarding potential effects from this site on historic properties may be submitted within 30 days from the date of this publication to: Trileaf Corp, Katelyn, k.foster@trileaf.com, 10845 Olive Blvd, Suite 260, St. Louis, MO 63141, 314-997-6111.
530 Misc. Services WANTS TO purchase minerals and other oil & gas interests. Send details to P.O. Box 13557, Denver, Co 80201
600 Music 610 Musicians Services MUSICIANS Do you have a band? We have bookings. Call (314)781-6612 for information Mon-Fri, 10:00-4:30 MUSICIANS AVAILABLE Do you need musicians? A Band? A String Quartet? Call the Musicians Association of St. Louis (314)781-6612, M-F, 10:00-4:30 MUSICIANS Do you have a band? We have bookings. Call (314)781-6612 for information Mon-Fri, 10:00-4:30
SOUTHERN MISSOURI TRUCK DRIVING SCHOOL P.O. Box 545 • Malden, MO 63863 • 1.888.276.3860 • www.smtds.com
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: Lifeguard Certification; First Aid Certification; CPR and AED Certification or Basic Life Saving Certification from a nationally recognized organization. Applicants will be required to pass a pre-skills test prior to official hire.
IF YOU DESIRE TO MAKE MORE MONEY AND NEED A NEW JOB EARNING $45-$50 thousand the 1st year, great benefits, call SMTDS, Financial assistance available if you qualify. Free living quarters. 6 students max per class. 4 wks. 192 hours. • More driving time than any other school in the state •
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: All candidates must complete an online application at: http://jobs.stlcc.edu/postings/3315 St. Louis Community College is an Affirmative Action /Equal Opportunity Employer and welcomes individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and ideas who embrace and value diversity and inclusivity. EO/AA/VET/Disability Employer
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315 Condos/Townhomes/Duplexes for Rent
St. Louis Community College is a multi-campus district comprised of four campuses and six satellites serving 718 square miles of St. Louis city and county and portions of Jefferson and Franklin counties. The college employs over 3,000 full and part time faculty, administrators, staff, and student employees. For more detailed information, please visit www.stlcc.edu/
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575
OVERLAND/ST-ANN $535-$575-(Special) 314-995-1912 Near 170, 64, 70, 270. Great loc. Clean, safe, quiet 1 & 2BRs, garage RICHMOND-HEIGHTS $525-$565 (Special) 314-995-1912 1 MONTH FREE! 1BR, all elec off Big Bend, Metrolink, 40, 44, Clayton SOULARD $775 314-724-8842 Spacious 2nd flr 2BR, old world charm, hdwd flrs, yard, frplcs, off st prk, no C/A, nonsmoking bldg, storage. nprent@aol.com
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