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Katie Mathews: “I can’t count how many times we’ve been harassed just walking down the street holding hands. It gets really hard. But seeing this many people together, [I’m] hopeful that there is change happening to keep a light going. I hope I am part of that change.”
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TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURE
10.
Flip Your Wig
The best bands -- and the biggest party -- are in the Grove this weekend Written by
RFT STAFF Cover by
KELLY GLUECK
NEWS
CULTURE
DINING
NIGHTLIFE
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37
45
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The Lede
Calendar
Your friend or neighbor, captured on camera
Seven days worth of great stuff to see and do
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40
Goodbye to a Loop Legend
RIP, Shawn Jacob’s of Cicero’s
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Volton Visits the Central West End
A temporary statue reminds St. Louis of an anime classic
Film
Robert Hunt surveys the bureaucracy of insurance companies in A Monster with a Thousand Heads — and the idiocy of Warcraft
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Stage
Paul Friswold indulges in A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Forest Park
The Italian Job
Cheryl Baehr tastes the robust flavors of Calabria at Clayton’s Peno
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Expert Opinion
Colleen Clawson of Milque Toast Bar provides a guide to McKinley Heights
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First Look
Scarlett’s Wine Bar brings that Sasha’s magic to the Central West End
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First Look
Vista Ramen has some creative noddles for Cherokee Street
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Funny Lady
Kelsey McClure discovers the secret of Maria Bamford’s success
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Homespun
Dutch Courage: “Louisa” Hands and Feet: “Hotel”
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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
Shawn Jacobs, RIP Written by
PAUL FRISWOLD
S
hawn Jacobs, who founded Cicero’s in the Delmar Loop and ran it for close to four decades, passed away Friday morning after an extended illness. He was 74. Beloved wife Alice had passed in 2012, but Jacobs is survived by his children Derek, Trisha and Chad, and five grandchildren. Under Jacobs’ ownership, Cicero’s basement bar was the city’s post-punk/alt-rock mecca in the late ‘80s through the ‘90s. The club hosted Polvo, Laughing Hyenas and the Red Krayola in one year. Jacobs had previously coowned a deli in Westport Plaza called the Pampered Palate, as well as a heavy metal club on Laclede’s Landing called Furst Rock, which booked bands from Flaming Lips to Warrant. It was that same attention to under-served music fans that led Jacobs to start booking the jam bands that now call Cicero’s home. Mike Lipel, who is the Senior VP of Sales and Marketing at the RFT, says he met Jacobs while selling him an ad, but they later became close. A visibly shaken Lipel recalls Jacobs as “a tough guy, but he was a fair guy. When you knew him and you became his friend, you were his friend. To those that were good to him, he was more than good to them. He had a code.” Lipel adds, “I’ve done business forever, but Shawn Jacobs was one of a kind. There are very few like him.” Friends and employees, who flocked to the RFT website to express their condolences, agreed. Wrote Karen McVicker-Black, “Shawn saw the potential [of the Loop neighborhood] in 1976 and never looked back. He was a pioneer.” She
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believes he was the first person to book Uncle Tupelo in St. Louis and also the first to serve craft beers back when Samuel Adams was a risky choice in St. Louis — support that continues today with Cicero’s massive number of taps. “His staff loved him and he was always more than a boss. He was a friend and a helping hand to hundreds,” McVicker-Black writes. Added former RFT staffer Richard Byrne, “No one can take away the contribution Jacobs made by allowing so many talented people to play in a leaky, tiny room to an audience who knew where they would find great music.” Jacobs stayed out of the spotlight despite Cicero’s prominence on the Loop. Lipel says that was his nature. “When people think about the Loop, people think about Joe Edwards. But Shawn was just as much of an anchor down here. He was a private guy, and he loved his family. He has three great kids, and I’d tell him that sometimes. He’d always say, ‘Alice did that.’ She raised them while he was working, but he was a great dad. And he adored his grandkids.” Jacobs was a big guy, but it was all from food. He loved dessert, and Cicero’s sizable new dessert display case when he first moved the business to the western edge of the Loop, in 1997, was the envy of its neighbors (as well as a commercial success). He was, Lipel recalls, an astute businessman who cared about his community. “He took a chance on music, and he did things other people wouldn’t do,” Lipel says. “He had a vision, and he cared about the music scene. He hired people to do the booking and the PR to take it to another level, because he had reached his limit as to what he could do. He wanted to make money, but he wanted to do something special.” At the end, Jacobs was ready to go. Says Lipel, “He told his family he wanted to visit Alice. He made a decision to go.” n
JUNE 15-21, 2016
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Form blazing sword! Central West End visitors got a (temporary) treat last week. | DANNY WICENTOWSKI
Voltron Comes to the Central West End
F
rom a Comic-Con of long ago, from some warehouse owned by Mattel, comes a legend — a really big statue of Voltron, Defender of the Universe. Last week, the mighty robot was installed atop the fountain on Maryland Plaza in the Central West End. There was good reason for the famous mech’s appearance outside the offices of World Event Productions. The original run of Voltron was aired on local channel KPLR (Channel 11) in 1984, the result of a harebrained idea from then-owner Ted Koplar, who founded World Event Productions in hopes of striking gold in the kids’ television business. Koplar had gotten his hands on the rights to three Japanese anime shows. One was titled Beast King GoLion, and after some new voice dubbing and content editing to remove graphic violence, the show debuted to wild success, helping usher
in a wave of Americanized anime. Last Friday, Voltron made its Netflix debut with a brand-new series from Dreamworks Animation, Voltron: Legendary Defender. “We’re celebrating,” says Bob Koplar, who grew up watching the show his father helped create. (He also served as the show’s first test audience.) Now president of World Event Productions, he explains that the statue was “happily borrowed” from toy maker Mattel, which had originally built the giant robot for use in the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con. Having already watched the new Netflix series front-to-back, Koplar raves about the show’s fluid animation and season-spanning plot-lines. This is a show that’s meant to be binged. “You have to watch all of them,” he says. “I just encourage people who grew up with this show to introduce it to your kids, pass it along to another generation and hopefully they’ll love it as much as their parents did. I think they will. It’s really a beautiful show.” – Danny Wicentowski
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ND A B E TH T E E M
AMERICANA ARSON FOR CANDY Jenny Roques and Jackie Oberkrom split the singing and guitar-playing duties in their long-running project Arson for Candy. The band also splits its time between St. Louis and Austin, Texas, so live shows are a relatively rare treat. Together Roques and Oberkrom meld their love of classic country with sharp wit and winning harmonies. On last fall’s split single, the band shows its comfort at moving between sassy twang and heartfelt weepers. “Lonestar Lite” has the guitar-picking verve of the best barroom kiss-offs, while “Stranger” is tender but never overly sweet. (To see the band in its element, alongside a host of boot-scooting local scenesters, peep the recently released video for “Lonestar Lite.”) – christian schaeffer
BETH BOMBARA From her years working with Cassie Morgan as the Lonely Pine, providing instrumental and harmony vocal support, Beth Bombara has now emerged as one of our very best singers and songwriters, with her own style and instantly identifiable voice. Bombara can pull off a hard-strumming alt-country rocker as well as a ramshackle gospel rave-up or a crunching electric blues jam. Her 2015 self-titled solo album
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benefited from husband and bandmate Kit Hamon’s virtuosity, but it’s still that smoky, yearning, confident voice that’s been winning over fans on tour across the Midwest and as far south as Texas.
– roy kasten BROTHERS LAZAROFF In 2009 David Lazaroff left Austin, Texas, and returned to St. Louis to reunite with brother Jeff and establish the current shape and sound of one of St. Louis’ most respected roots-conscious bands. With drummer Grover Stewart, bassist Teddy Brookins and keyboardist Nate Carpenter, Brothers Lazaroff roam across styles — reggae, jazz, funk, trippy rock — and accomplish an amazing feat: a kind of unification of disparate scenes in St. Louis. They’ve worked with hip-hop groups such as Mathias and the Pirates and collaborated with soul-jazz maestros such as Lamar Harris. Eclectic doesn’t even begin to describe the band’s unpredictable approach to rock music. – roy kasten
LOOT ROCK GANG The partnership of Mat Wilson and Little Rachel Fenton has borne fruit on and off the stage; the married pair are kind enough to share their devotion to one another while sharing their mutual love of jump-blues and guitar-led boogie-woogie. Both have explored roots music with their own projects (he with the Rum Drum Ramblers, she as a solo artist), but along with bass saxophonist
JUNE 15-21, 2016
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S
I
t’s that time again! Each summer, the Riverfront Times honors the wealth of musical talent in St. Louis with the RFT Music Awards, an artistic cage match that pits brother versus brother in a bloody showdown to the finish line. OK, maybe it isn’t quite like that. More accurately, we provide a huge list of nearly 150 talented acts spanning dozens of genres, and then our writers tell you why they’re worth checking out. Nominations are accepted from the public, with the list then winnowed and refined by a panel of venue owners/employees, promoters/talent buyers, record store staff, dedicated die-hards and other musical minds from all over the city — and then the winners are chosen by you, our dear readers. Pick up next week’s paper to see who RFT readers have chosen as 2016’s best. On top of all of that, don’t forget about the RFT Music Showcase. Held again this year in the Grove, this festival spans nine venues and more than 90 acts, making it the biggest all-local music event in the city of St. Louis. A $10 wristband will score you access to every last venue, so come down on Saturday, June 18 with cash or credit card in hand and see what all the excitement is about. For more details, head to rftmusicshowcase.com, which also contains info on how to vote. And remember — the voting deadline is Monday, June 20, so be sure to get your picks in soon. Now read on. You have some studying to do. – daniel hill
Kellie Everett and upright bassist Stephen Inman, the Loot Rock Gang creates something traditional that flows with boundless energy. “Love for My City,” from 2014’s That’s Why I’ve Got to Sing, might as well be co-opted by St. Louis’ board of tourism, as Fenton and Wilson outline the sights and landmarks that dot the Gateway City. Give it one listen and try not to swell up with hometown pride. – christian schaeffer
RIVER KITTENS The phrase “power trio” usually denotes some cock-rock guitar/bass/ drums combo, but the three women at the core of the River Kittens channel a different kind of power. Martha Mehring (guitar), Mattie Schell (mandolin) and Allie Vogler (banjo and guitar) found one another through various open mics, and their harmonies hit the right mix of Saturday-night revelry and Sunday-morning services. In a relatively short timespan, the band has grown to include a full rhythm section, playing everywhere from Soulard haunts to the Pageant’s big stage, opening for Pokey LaFarge’s New Year’s Eve show this year. The slow-burning “Mama” from this year’s six-song self-titled EP is a clear distillation of the group’s folk roots and citybred soul, as the singers dig into a lyric that should end up on a t-shirt someday soon: “All these St. Louis hoodrats really need me.”– christian schaeffer
BLUES 4TH CITY RAG Think about it: Only St. Louis can lay claim as being absolutely central to the emergence of so many major American musical genres: blues, jazz, rock & roll and even alt-country really and truly took shape right here. And, in some ways, they all trace back to ragtime, the intricate, joyous, massively danceable sound that swept the nation at the start of the 20th century. 4th City Rag updates the rhythmically infectious genre with a whole lot of blues, country and back-to-the-roots rock & roll, sometimes jamming it, sometimes unplugging so as to let the swing do its thing. Fans of Pokey LaFarge and the Rum Drum Ramblers will find a kindred spirit in this young, talented foursome.
–
roy kasten
BIG MIKE AGUIRRE & THE BLU CITY ALL STARS From a young age, Mike Aguirre set out with his electric guitar and an ambitious goal: to learn the blues by playing with musicians from all corners of the metro area, from his native east side to haunts along Natural Bridge and West Florissant. These days Aguirre is most often found on that fertile strip of Broadway, where he holds down the Sunday night social
MEET THE BANDS
River Kittens | STEVE TRUESDELL at Beale on Broadway. His weekly gig with the Blu City All Stars shows his fluency in the various tributaries of blues music, but his bandmates — some of the most versatile players in the rock, rhythm and soul community — aid Aguirre in navigating our city’s wide musical river. – christian schaeffer
THE GREEN MCDONOUGH BAND Led by Rich McDonough, an electrifying guitarist who has been making his mark on the St. Louis blues scene for more than four decades, the Green McDonough Band is a relatively new quartet. Featuring the tough vocals of singer and songwriter Laura Green, the band takes the noholds-barred electric-blues sound of Elmore James and Buddy Guy and cranks it up to eleven. The group’s rhythm section can get an outdoor festival moving — the foursome has already done dates in Europe, with more planned — and makes a welcome addition to the reliable troop of bands keeping our blues district jumping.
– roy kasten
THE MANESS BROTHERS “If I die on the side of the road, it’s all right!” wail the Maness Brothers on the stand-out howling rocker “End of Me.” The duo’s frenzied, sludgy take on blues-rock sounds like it’s headed full speed for the ditch — only to vault right over it. With just drums and guitar, brothers Jake and Dave Maness throw down a liver-wrecking, bone-shaking primordial groove that is both wholly original and wholly thrilling, despite their debts to the many bass-less, Southern-fried rockers before them. The Brothers Maness’ serious chops always show through their gutter-digging, catfish-gutting blues. And when they hit the stage, the bodies always hit the floor. – roy kasten
RUM DRUM RAMBLERS As one of the flagship bands of the Big Muddy Records flotilla, the Rum Drum Ramblers have helped create this city’s flourishing blues, jump and old-time country revival scene. If the band had only recorded the definitive south-side party anthem — “South Saint Louis Boogie” — its identity would have been secure. But led by grab-it-and-
go guitarist and singer Mat Wilson and aided by Ryan Koenig and Joey Glynn (when they’re not on the road with Pokey LaFarge), the Ramblers play true St. Louis blues and rock & roll, one ear cocked to the original sources and one on the new feelings, stories and revved-up rhythms yet to be discovered. – roy kasten
COUNTRY CREE RIDER FAMILY BAND “I wanna be in a family band,” Cree Rider and his wife, Cheryl Wilson, sing on the lead-off track to last fall’s Let the River Rise. They got their wish. Together with their titular Family Band (Jordan Heimburger on guitar, Andy Coco on bass and Russ McCannless on drums), Rider and Wilson have increasingly taken their show on the road to neighboring cities, delivering heartfelt and genteel folk-rock around the Midwest. (To sell the “family band” image even more, Wilson and Rider’s son is often in tow.) Rider’s songwriting has continued to evolve with each
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album he releases, and he positions himself as both a student and standard-bearer of St. Louis’ alt-country heritage. – christian schaeffer
JACK GRELLE It’s one thing to play classic country music; it’s another thing to write songs worthy of the tradition. Jack Grelle is doing just that. Like his brothers and sisters in the punk-conscious, American roots music world of Big Muddy Records, Grelle isn’t trying to duplicate his august influences, let alone trying to score a hit. He’s looking for, and finding, his own voice within the classic country-folk that John Prine (whose Midwestern twang Grelle’s own often recalls) perfected. And he’s doing it with his own rough-hewn honkytonk sensibility, sweetly rasped voice and winning wit. – roy kasten
SOUTHWEST WATSON SWEETHEARTS What if the Carter Family lived closer to the Ozarks than the Appalachians? They might have sounded a little like Southwest Watson Sweethearts. Continued on pg 12
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MEET THE BANDS
MEET THE BANDS Continued from pg 11 Named for the intersection near their south city home in St. Louis, Kellie Everett (Hooten Hallers, Loot Rock Gang, Sidney Street Shakers) and Ryan Koenig (Pokey LaFarge, Rum Drum Ramblers) play hillbilly-style country music with a Missouri twist. On the Sweethearts’ debut CD, Endless Horizon, Everett and Koenig commemorate the Bridgeton underground fire, MoMo the Missouri Monster and the Missouri Bald Knobbers. Performed in a loose, casual style, with traded vocals and occasional yodeling, Endless Horizon has an appealing approach that suggests a fun live show. – mike appelstein
TORTUGA Coordinating the practice schedules of all the members of Tortuga must be exhausting. A supergroup in the truest sense of the word, the band is fronted by former 7 Shot Screamers vocalist Mike Leahy and rounded out by artists from all over the Big Muddy Records roster, including members of Pokey LaFarge’s band. And while the band is categorized as “country” for the purposes of this award, this is not the traditional country associated with Nashville. Dark and sexy, devious and lamentful, Tortuga’s debut EP West of Eden conjures up images of a long drive through the New Mexico desert after a night shooting tequila in some dive along the border. As the band played at Yaqui’s earlier this year, it was almost as if the audience was transported from Cherokee Street to that Southwest bar — a phenomenon thanks largely to the collection of talent that makes up Tortuga.
–
jeremy essig
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Sat., June 18, 2016 2pm - WHISKEY GNAR
7pm - LITTLE BIG BANGS
3pm - ZAK MARMALEFSKY
8pm - HARDBODY
4pm - SUZIE CUE
9pm - YOWIE
5pm - BLIGHT FUTURE
10pm - THE CONFORMISTS
6pm - SKIN TAGS 11pm - 18ANDCOUNTING 12am - DMY TEK DJS
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In St. Louis, the original country music scene has long been cut with equal parts rock and singer-songwriter folk. There’s nothing wrong with that — and there’s definitely nothing wrong with a honky-tonk cover band — but if you’re looking for the real thing, country that swings and croons and blazes with hot playing, you couldn’t do better than pull the trigger on Trigger 5, a veteran group led by singers Mike Heeter and Amy James. Drawing heavily on the Bakersfield sound, the band’s latest release, AM Band, is easily its strongest. Heeter and James have a blast with their duets, while dueling guitarists Matt Hughes and Alex Carlson do the same. – roy kasten
COVER BAND THE TOWN DRUNKS Jeff Nations and Dave Seithel named their acoustic duo after a literary archetype, and it couldn’t be more fitting. In fiction, the town drunk is often a jester figure; the Town Drunks self-identify as “jackasses” and the duo’s between-song banter is as enjoyable as its actual songs. The town drunk is also a reliable character; the Town Drunks can captivate a crowd for multiple hours in one stretch, and do so almost nightly. Often, the town drunk surprises the reader with unexpected depths. And while Nations and Seithel primarily focus on alternative rock standards (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Weezer) and cover-band classics (CCR, Johnny Cash), they are also known to pull out deep cuts like “Naive Melody (This Must Be The Place)” by the Talking Heads. There’s a lot to like about this group, but an encyclopedic song catalog is perhaps the Town Drunks’ greatest strength. – ryan wasoba
BULLSEYE WOMPRATS Cruising around the dance band galaxy in their T-16 Skyhopper, the members of Bullseye Womprats know how to bring the party with them wherever they go — from a wedding to a night spent in Rehab (the bar in the Grove, not its sobering namesake). The six-member ensemble of vocalist Kristina McGaughey, trumpeter Michael Hogeland, bassist Will Gerdell, trombone player James Arconati, guitarist Ryan Lockwood and drummer Dee Lester can take you from “I Will Survive” to asking “Are You Gonna Be My Girl?” in less than an hour. They’ve spent their relatively short lifespan crafting a rock/soul/pop sound that makes McGaughey’s vocals come through strong on every cover. They will get you on your feet and into a place where there is no cure for boogie fever. – erin williams
FATPOCKET FatPocket is a full-scale band that brings more energy to the dance floor than any Five-Hour Energy shot ever could. Made up of Jason Hansen, Jeff Simpher, Jahi Eskridge, Chris Wilson, Mike Curtis, Ryan Murray, Bill Henderson, Peter Schankman and lead singer Eric “E” Williams, the group can put its full-horn, heavy-beat spin on any song from the Isley Brothers’ “Shout” to Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk,” with dance moves that make you feel like you’re marching in a second line
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DJ Nappy Needles | JON GITCHOFF
down Bourbon Street. They spread their talent far and wide, from summer concerts in Innsbrook to late nights at Lumiere Live — and most recently made the band an even ten members with the addition of female singer Sherri Facchin. Seeing them on stage, it’s clear that nearly twelve years together has given FatPocket a trusted formula of good music and great attitude that works every time. – erin williams
WARHORSE Remember the good old days of Slayer, Megadeth and White Zombie? When you could headbang and whip that long hair like you didn’t care? Warhorse does — and they won’t stop playing till the fat lady screams. This five-member thrash metal tribute band of Jeff Sickles, John Nuckols, Zach Anderson, Jamey Almond and Brian Sullivan brings it back in a big way when you see them going hard at the Demo or San Loo. Their heads might be shaved and their best tattoos might be covered, but no matter what year the calendar says, they growl and shake like it’s 1990 and Cowboys From Hell is about to change your life for the very first time.
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erin williams
WE BITE The Misfits’ legacy has endured decades after the classic lineup split. It was startling to see recently that Glenn Danzig would be reuniting with Jerry and
Doyle for some festival shows. Knowing the volatile personalities involved, though, who knows how long they’ll keep it together? You may as well save yourself the inevitable disappointment and see We Bite instead. This local fourpiece has the classic Misfits’ act down: the devil locks, the ghostly white makeup, the bat-shaped guitars. More importantly, though, We Bite tears through the best of the Misfits’ catalog with enthusiasm and spirit. There are even occasional on-stage fights between the singer and the bassist, proof that this group of fans knows its history and source material. – mike appelstein
DJ DJ MAKOSSA One of the most versatile turntable artists in St. Louis, Rory Flynn, a.k.a. DJ MAKossa, specializes in “funk, soul, reggae, hip-hop, Latin, psychedelic rock, jazz and many other international styles of music.” Primarily crafting sets from an all-vinyl perspective, MAKossa started DJing in 2001 for KJHK in Lawrence, Kansas. After stints in Seattle and San Francisco, he returned to St. Louis in 2012 and founded the Bump & Hustle STL, held every third Saturday at Blank Space. Another concept, AFREAKA!, is hosted by MAKos-
fluff )
DRIVE-THRU WINDOW 2249 WOODSON ROAD (314) 551-2099
sa on the first Friday of the month at the Night Owl by Treehouse, a cool room given a cool soundtrack of international psych. Including some travel dates, he’s shared bills with a host of legit names, including Cut Chemist, Edan, the Gaslamp Killer, Goblin, Lee Fields and Rob Garza of Thievery Corporation, as well as holding down gigs at parties and clubs all across St. Louis.
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thomas crone
DJ MAHF The flick of the wrist, the wink of the eye, the flash of the palm — if DJ Mahf weren’t one the toughest turntablists in town, he could have made a go of it as a prolific magician. Combining up-tothis-second technology with old-school sounds and a distinctive flow, Mahf (née Dan Mahfood) doesn’t just dazzle the dance floor; he invites crowds to push his own sets in ever-more expansive directions. Mahf is as comfortable whipping up stadium-ready mixes for the St. Louis Blues as he is collaborating with Steddy P and throwing down classic Motown and James Brown funk sets in small clubs in St. Louis. His skills know few bounds. – roy kasten
DJ UPTOWN DJ Uptown’s background is different from that of your average DJ. For one, he’s a former intelligence agent in the Continued on pg 14
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MEET THE BANDS
MEET THE BANDS Continued from pg 13
ELECTRONIC
U.S. Air Force (no foolin’); for another, he spent, in his own words, “a lifetime of actually playing instruments” before setting his sights on the turntables. In other words, he is a far cry from the press-play-and-wave-your-hands “DJs” that have clogged the scene in recent years. A member of St. Louis’ esteemed Basement Sound System DJ collective (alongside fellow nominee DJ Mahf), Uptown (a.k.a. Jerry Hill) has proven himself a skilled turntablist, with multiple Red Bull Thre3style battles under his belt and a long-running residency at Atomic Cowboy. – daniel hill
MISTER BEN (NO HITS) It’s hard to miss him when he’s cruising the south side, clad in one of his patented pastel sportcoats. But Ben Stegmann, b.k.a. Mister Ben, is known for more than his sartorial splendor. Mister Ben’s “No Hits” title is a promise. “No Hits began as an absurdist gig at Mangia, circa 2010,” he explains, “where I would live-test something like Metal Machine Music with something like Serge Gainsbourg. It went downhill from there.” His sound encompasses a setlist that would’ve been right at home on the shelves of the late, great Apop Records: some no wave, some noise, some experimental music from all the continents. If you like it, great; if not, well, as the man once typed: “No Hits would like to thank everyone who danced. No Hits would like to also thank everyone who ran away. Both reactions made last night WORTH IT.” That’s his drift. What’s yours?
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thomas crone
NAPPY DJ NEEDLES East St. Louis native Nappy DJ Needles (a.k.a. James “Biko” Gates Jr.) has been working the 1’s and 2’s about as long as some artists on this list have been drawing breath, but you’ll never catch him resting on his laurels or getting lazy in his mixes. His latest releases have centered on mashing up two artists’ songs into a cohesive set; check his A Tribe Called Kast joint for its Outkast partnerships or the just-released The Devil Don’t Stand a Chance, which pairs newcomer Anderson .Paak’s production with Soulquarian legend D’Angelo. Of course, his annual parties in honor of Stevie Wonder and Prince are surefire crowd pleasers; in fact, this year’s tribute to Prince (on June 10 at 2720 Cherokee) served as one of the best unofficial starts to summer anyone could ask for. – christian schaeffer
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DANCE ADULT FUR Ryan McNeely is an iceberg; at any given time he’s only showing you about ten percent of what he’s made of. As the sole creative force behind Adult Fur, McNeely first made his name as a beatmaker and producer for local hip-hop artists. But when he began releasing his own music, McNeely’s pantheistic approach to pop music found him reaching across boundaries (sometimes literally; his work with Icelandic musician Sacha Bernardson is always affecting). He’s also composed work for the new music collective Alarm Will Sound in his spare time. But Adult Fur’s latest LP µ is his most ambitious statement to date; the album takes a post-apocalyptic storyline to warn of mankind’s many missteps. Like much of McNeely’s output, it’s affecting, challenging, collaborative and made for our times.
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christian schaeffer
D-M-Y Even before Derek Michael Yeager fronted artful hardcore band Sine Nomine, he was toiling away learning the ropes of electronic music production. The music Yeager now releases under the abbreviated moniker D-M-Y is a far cry from his former project, but both capitalize on a similar frenetic energy. Yeager now operates within a faction known as footwork, classified by disorienting polyrhythms and hypnotic repetition of vocal samples. The world is taking note of his work in this niche genre; D-M-Y is on the roster of the illustrious Tekk DJ’z crew, and he frequently performs and collaborates with footwork’s heaviest hitters at home and abroad. Yeager is perpetually tightening his productions and allowing fans to track his evolution via a nearly constant stream of free tracks, proving he doesn’t take his rising status for granted. – ryan wasoba
GIANT MONSTERS ON THE HORIZON Giant Monsters on the Horizon exemplifies all of the pitch-black goodness that made the Washington Avenue club scene of the ‘90s and early ‘00s so interesting. Armed with shimmering synths, vocoders and ambitions as robust as their beats, Vincent Saletto and Madison
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Olivia Davis create an amalgam of Wax Trax!-ish darkwave/EDM that pulsates and permeates throughout the night. St. Louis hasn’t had an “industrial” band to get behind for more than a decade, but with songs like “Wetwork,” “The Illusion of War” and Giant Monster’s clanging overhaul of Depeche Mode’s “Never Let Me Down Again,” it will soon. Formed last year, the duo’s moniker is a portent of things to come, with a self-titled album and increasing live presence signifying that bigger things are coming — on the horizon.
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rob levy
HYLIDAE Jon Burkhart’s idea of pop music comes tangled in a thousand patch cables, routed through a dozen effects pedals and blasted through blown speakers. As Hylidae, Burkhart makes dubby, danceable music with tools normally found in the arsenal of noise artists, and his songs use static, white noise and wild oscillations the way some songwriters use power cords. On last year’s excellent Intransitive, Burkhart spent eight tracks exploring texture and errant harmony, pulling at threads and soldering them back together to make woozy, disorienting songs that hit the pleasure centers with a narcotic rush.
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christian schaeffer
ICE After making the gradual but still shocking transition from distorted banjo-driven Americana artist to dark electronic sorceress, Jennifer McDaniel has made a less-surprising change to her stage name. Once known as Black James, McDaniel now conjures her self-described “underwater” music as ICE. New album Scream Club finds ICE pursuing the same hazy but danceable aesthetic as later Black James releases. Some songs throb with bleating synths, clipped electronic percussion and screams filtered through vocal effects. Others stay grounded in hypnotic loops and chilled-out keyboards to allow for a comedown. Just for good measure, McDaniel throws in samples of depression-treatment advertisements and brings back the banjo for a few moments. ICE stirs this heady mix of eclectic sounds into sinister party jams that roar through her subwoofer in concert. Rarely is dance music this terrifyingly sexy.
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bob mcmahon
ELECTRONIC ECLECTIC 18ANDCOUNTING Although he has previously won RFT Music awards for both Best Solo Project and Best DJ, 18andCounting is far from limited to these two creative avenues alone. The moniker also umbrellas the Art Institute graduate’s many other creative offspring, which include painting, sculpture, design and frequent collaboration with like-minded musicians of all varieties. Thoughtful rhymes concerning real life and real frustrations flow over unrestrained, experimental beats that not only operate outside the box, but seem to deny its existence altogether. From violins to vocoders, nothing is off-limits. The posturing often endemic to hip-hop is absent, with expression, creativity and genuine concern serving as the main motivators. Described by the artist as “an excuse to do as much as necessary,” the current momentum of 18andCounting suggests a hefty workload still demanding to be done. – rick giordano
BIGGIE STARDUST The brain behind Biggie Stardust certainly reveres the Man Who Fell to Earth, yet his name refers less to any one artist and more to the spiritual mash-up of genres and vibrations that Thomas Olanrewaju Osunsami (Olan for short) brings to the stage. His lack of presence on the web emits a greater mystique, which only enhances the sound collage he crafts off the cuff at every show. Within one year of moving from Peoria, Illinois, to St. Louis, Biggie found himself planted firmly in the south city noise scene while working as a regular at punk shows. And while his ambient set is littered with samples, Olan’s style offers a journeyman’s approach to many different sounds well-traveled.– joseph hess
BLANK THOMAS To follow Blank Thomas online is to see an artist in his relative infancy. The output is certainly mature enough, with polish and nuance, yet its sole proprietor Blake Butler is no salesman. And that is the main difference between Blank Thomas and other artists of the same stature — he has no marketing team pulling for him, printing posters or pushing records. Yet this creative force has made a crack, a fissure in the bedrock, of St. Louis’ fertile ground for electronic music. That was
HARDBODY Rarely is a band’s entire aesthetic summarized as efficiently as in the video for Hardbody’s song “Cash For God,” wherein neon splotches and misplaced googly eyes meet dissonant guitar work and schizo drumming. In others’ hands, these genre trademarks could feel labored and serious, but Hardbody hearkens back to a time in the early 2000s when bands such as Hella, Oxes and Lightning Bolt made noise-rock fun. The levity is perhaps assisted by the band’s side-project status. Joseph Hess is a local free-improvisation drummer and one-half of Complainer, f.k.a. Spelling Bee (as well as an RFT contributor). Sean Ballard does time in the duo Double God and performs solo as Fragile Farm, while fellow guitarist Alex Cunningham is primarily a weirdo violin virtuoso and member of Vernacular String Trio. When the three unite, it’s not a supergroup. It’s a party.
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ryan wasoba
ISH
Aching Hearts | COURTESY OF THE BAND made evident by the January release of 405 Skies, a cassette that cements his standing in a niche just left of the center spotlight. – joseph hess
ERIC HALL Eric Hall has long been fascinated with the musicality of everyday sounds. He’s the kind of guy who could listen to wind chimes for three hours and find something new to love with each passing ding. His improvised performances are essentially collaborations with pre-existing noises that he manipulates in real time. Hall’s most memorable recent performances have him collaborating with other humans. A performance with local activist Stephen Houldsworth brought out Hall’s abrasive side to match the tension of Houldsworth’s spoken-word, and Hall’s loosely-structured installation piece written for modern classical juggernaut Alarm Will Sound proved that, regardless of the source material or the process, Eric Hall will always sound like Eric Hall. – ryan wasoba
HANDS AND FEET Over the past year, there has been a noticeable change in Stephen Favazza’s solo project. Hands and Feet has slowed down and chilled out on the Hotel EP, recently released online and in phys-
ical form as a cassingle (yes, you read that right, a cassette single, paper sleeve and all). Hotel explores a lo-fi direction that recalls Yo La Tengo’s lonelier moments and serves as a more accurate representation of Favazza’s multi-tasking live shows than the choppy, hiphop leaning electro-instrumentals of 2014’s Sour Times. Hands and Feet’s newest release also cements a kinship Favazza shares with local darlings CaveofswordS: Kevin McDermott engineered the pair of tracks that make up Hotel and Sunyatta McDermott lends her vocals to “Cascadia.”
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ryan wasoba
EXPERIMENTAL THE CONFORMISTS The Conformists’ lineup has changed quite a bit in recent years. However, the return of original vocalist/co-founder Mike Benker — who rejoined guitarist Christopher Dee, bassist Chris Boron and drummer Patrick Boland in 2015 after several years away — heralds the release of Divorce, the quartet’s first album since 2010’s None Hundred. As with previous Conformists LPs, Divorce — which, like its predecessor, was recorded at Electrical Audio in Chicago with Steve Albini
— has its own internal logic. Rhythms splinter and contort as if diffracted by a fun house mirror; post-punk-textured guitars sound like they’re being scraped on concrete or manipulated to the point of decay; and the album’s arrangements emphasize space and silence as much as sound. Benker anchors it all with his guttural, almost feral howl, which exudes primal anguish on “Reverse-Alchemist” and “Our Baseball Careers.”
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joseph hess
annie zaleski
YOWIE
DEMONLOVER Andy Lashier and JJ Hamon had long melded their musical membranes as members of the twisted Americana quartet Theodore, so it wasn’t a shock that the pair stuck together after their old band went bust. But few could have guessed where the duo would go with Demonlover, a group that also sometimes features former St. Louisan Sam Meyer on drums. The answer, emphatically declared on 2014’s Moody Future, was that the band would do everything in its powers to recast pop music in all its kaleidoscopic forms. At recent shows, Hamon and Lashier have squared off across a table and taken turns corralling modular synths, brass instruments and home-brew guitars while turning song-snippets into full-blown tapestries.
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“A demon was slain and an angel born so that this little EP could be released into the world.” So says the collective Ish on the streaming page for its March release Issues. Led by guitarist Brit Lockhart, Ish conjures calming riffs while deconstructing in real time what would otherwise be polished pop gems. Songs crack and shatter, falling to the ground in a way that forms an even prettier picture. The approach evokes a rare feeling of freedom while Lockhart’s voice careens underneath the melodic mosaic. The closest point of comparison might be a band like U.S. Maple — only with the dissonance cleverly swapped for harmony.
christian schaeffer
riverfronttimes.com
In April 2015, Yowie played its song “The Reason Your House Is Haunted Can Be Found on This Microfiche” to a crowd packed into Midwest Guitar for the Lo-Fi Cherokee video series. The resulting clip quickly reached more than 15,000 views online, impressing both newcomers to the band’s dense noise-prog and fans foaming at the mouth for the follow-up to its 2012 masterwork Damning with Faint Praise. The near-viral video hinted that the album Yowie is slated to record this year might involve molding its trademark atonal mindmelts into something strangely danceable. Given that the band’s last two records were two presidential terms apart, let’s hold off speculation until Yowie’s long-awaited third LP comes out in 2020 on a format yet to be invented. – ryan wasoba Continued on pg 16
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MEET THE BANDS
The Bobby Dazzlers | ALAN PALMER
FOLK THE ACHING HEARTS The Aching Hearts sees two of the city’s most respected roots musicians coming together to create high, lonesome harmonies and rollicking Americana rhythms. Composed of Kelly Wells on guitar, mandolin, washboard and vocals, and Ryan Spearman on guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin and vocals, the band has more than three decades of combined experience playing folk and roots music around St. Louis and across the nation. In addition their busy performance schedule, both Spearman and Wells dedicate much of their time to educating younger generations of roots players, with Spearman serving as an instructor and educational programming consultant at the Folk School of St. Louis, and Wells serving as the director of the Folk School of KDHX, as well as hosting the station’s Wednesday-morning radio show Steam-Powered Radio. – nick horn
CARA LOUISE BAND Roots-rock is given a warm and weathered edge in the Cara Louise Band, as singer and guitarist Cara Wegener
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leads her five-piece through barroom-ready strummers. The band’s recorded output is represented by To Be Dead Is to Be Known, a worthwhile EP from 2014, and on last year’s Live at the Demo, the band gave a spirited performance at the tiny club in the Grove. Wegener is still learning how to make her own mark in the alt-country tradition, but she’s a promising songwriter who has surrounded herself with a coterie of solid players, as guitarist Adam Donald and mandolin player Nick Adamson offer flashes of color.
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chritian schaeffer
LETTER TO MEMPHIS For Devon Cahill and Gene Starks, playing in Letter to Memphis has been about the journey more than the destination. As the creative force behind the folk-leaning quartet Cahill (vocals and guitar) and Starks (guitar) have learned to hold their own on stage and refined their soulful, empathetic vision for the band. Letter to Memphis begins this year’s Come on Home with the winningly discursive “Anthem of a Wanderer,” a roiling ballad that Cahill calls “really therapeutic and cathartic for both of us.” Alongside bassist Paul Niehaus IV and
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violinist Sarah Velasquez, Starks and Cahill have turned Letter to Memphis into an act that’s easy on the ears and good for the soul.
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christian schaeffer
DUBB NUBB If freak folk didn’t exist (if only in the minds of pretentious Pitchfork writers), Dubb Nubb would not have invented it. They didn’t need the collected works of Joanna Newsom and Devendra Banhart to make their winsome, eerie, increasingly accomplished music. The sisters Hannah and Delia Rainey harmonize like nobody else, and as they enter their fifth year of making such peculiarly pastoral music (ukulele and guitar remain their preferred instruments), they do so with greater and greater confidence. Last year’s album It’s Weird in This World kept their acoustic foundation while expanding in tunefulness and range of emotions.
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roy kasten
WHSKY GNGR Chelsi Webster (aka Whsky Gngr) didn’t win NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert contest this year, but she should have at least been a semi-finalist in the “Best Use of a Cat in a Video” category. For
her entry, Webster strums a ukulele in a junk-crowded room, while a kitty (whose orange spots match Webster’s curly mane) goes all sexy-time (or maybe just feed-me-now-time) beside her. Webster barely skips a beat as she pours out a decidedly non-FCC friendly, yet quite beautifully bittersweet, pissoff note. Part of the Cherokee DIY experimental art and music scene, Webster recently released a split-cassette (because of course she’s into cassettes) with Fragile Farm. No matter how you feel about ukuleles, Whsky Gngr’s wit and charm should win you over.
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roy kasten
GARAGE THE BOBBY DAZZLERS The guitar-blasting, terse and tense sound of the Bobby Dazzlers recalls the catchy punk of the Undertones and the Buzzcocks. A track like “Champion” (from the newly released EP of the same name) speeds along with just the right balance of melody, fuzz, lo-fi vocals and inspired lyrics. In fact, you could be forgiven for thinking the tune was stolen from the
tape vaults of the BBC’s John Peel. But no, the Bobby Dazzlers aren’t ripping anyone off. Refreshingly free of gimmicks and hipster attitude, the band is simply making accessible, exciting, straight-to-the-hook rock & roll.
– THE BRAINSTEMS
roy kasten
The snarling, mathematical, junky, fuzzy sound of the Brainstems seems to come together by accidental juxtapositions, mistakes that result in a rock & roll assault that’s only primitive on the surface. Sam Clapp, Sean Cotton, Andrew Warshauer and Kenny Hofmeister obviously dig the one-hit-wonder bands of the ‘60s garage rock explosion, as well as the Velvet Underground and Ty Segall. But with five years together, they’ve tightened their sound without losing the warped and rough edges. Exhibit A: “The People’s Joy,” one of the weirdest and most honest tributes to the Cherokee scene any local band has recorded. – roy kasten
KENSHIRO’S Named for the protagonist of the Fist of the North Star manga series, Kenshiro’s is made up of Julio Prato on vocals and guitar and Antonio Leone on vocals and bass, with Jessie Vendegna replacing the group’s former drummer Joe Bayne. The band is fresh off this spring’s release of its new album, Grownup Music, which Kenshiro’s previewed with the release of the simultaneously manic and earthshaking track, “Dots.” As a B-side to “Dots,” the trio also included a new version of the song “Yes Betty I’m Hungry For Love” — which has closed each of Kenshiro’s four releases to date, often serving as a vehicle for extended, noisy jams. This time, under the title “Betty (‘13 toddler demo),” the band showcases a stripped-down take. – nick horn
SHITSTORM One of St. Louis’ finest lo-fi garage rock gems, Shitstorm has been killing it both around town and all over the country since October 2014. Vocalist/guitarist Matt Stuttler’s hyperactive Jad Fair-unleashed vocals, combined with riff after riff of growly guitar, comprises the band’s signature sound. His mates David Law, Geoff Nanheim and Karl Frank drive the dirty home while also adding a few heavy dashes of creepy. In short, Shitstorm would be the perfect soundtrack for the car chase scene in a beach party horror flick. From the jump, the band’s live shows can send a crowd of people into a buzz of nervous energy. Trust that every live performance will deliver blown-out ears
and a lot of bouncing heads — and that Stuttler’s glasses will likely fly off in the middle of the set. – melinda cooper
TIGER RIDER Tiger Rider plays a peculiar kind of punk rock: It’s funk-damaged in the percolating bass, ear-damaged in the slashing guitars and utterly defiant (and anti-social to be sure) in the twisted, yelping, talk-sung vocals of Kristina Williams. Sometimes the four-piece band sounds like it would sacrifice its collective soul on the altar of Black Sabbath; sometimes it sounds like it just wants to tie you up, give you a safety pin tattoo, and make you watch The Decline of Western Civilization for the twentieth time. And why the fuck not? Tiger Rider will show you what a punk-rock good time really is. – roy kasten
HARDCORE THE BUBBLEHEADS
Saturday, June 18 Riverfront Times Music Showcase 2 STAGES atomic cowboy outdoor stage 1pm Miss Molly Simms 2pm Beth Bombara 3pm Brother Lee and the Leather Jackals 4pm Town Cars 5pm Tok 6pm Mathias and the Pirates 7pm Blank Generation 8pm Swear Beam 9pm iLLPHONICS 10pm Bruiser Queen 11pm DJ Uptown (indoors) 12am Hylidae (indoors) 1am ICE FKA Black James (indoors)
1pm Big Mike Aguirre and the Blu City All Stars 2pm Blastar 3pm The Green McDonough Band 4pm Old Souls Revival 5pm Buttercup 6pm Van Buren 7pm Boreal Hills 8pm Whoa Thunder 9pm Dracla 10pm Shitstorm 11pm Bug Chaser 12am Arshad Goods 1am J’Demul
Speed up the best part of a Black Sabbath song and extend it for three minutes and you’ve got a cut from the Bubbleheads. If south city hardcore could be properly captured in heavy metal cartoon form, the Bubbleheads would be the result. Audiences have no choice but to stay on their toes for this band: Get too close and end up wearing a bit of beer spittle; too far and risk getting clocked in the head by a rowdy fan. Vocalist Mackenzie Marks’ unapologetically confrontational performances have the ability to beat a crowd into submission without her even lifting a finger. Since its inception just before its first release, The Bubbletape (released in September 2015), this band continues to gain momentum with every brain-rattling show.
4140 Manchester, St. Louis, MO 63110 (314) 775-0775 • atomiccowboystl.com
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2PM - sole loan 3PM - jr. clooney 4PM - staghorn 5PM - the gorge 6PM - tone rodent 7PM - nappy dj needles 8PM - breakmouth annie 9PM - middle class fashion 10PM - fumer 11PM - bates 12AM - fister
melinda cooper
EVERYTHING WENT BLACK It’s fast, it’s heavy, it’s super fucking pissed off and its live shows sometimes include the destruction of giant knife-shaped pinatas — filled with actual knives. The gentleman in Everything Went Black have spent the past year keeping it violent, and keeping it local. The band recently released a split EP with the regional doom dealers (and fellow RFT Music Award nominees) of Fister, as well as a cassette EP entitled Night Terrors, both on the St. Louis-owned and operated Encapsulated Records. Guitarists Chris Stanton and Chris Moore’s reverb-heavy tremelo picking adds an Continued on pg 18
4191 MANCHESTER AVE - ST. LOUIS, 63110
THEDEMOSTL.COM
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MEET THE BANDS Continued from pg 17
HARD ROCK
eerie, spacey atmosphere not found in the usual “blackened hardcore,” while frontman Brandon Hoffman’s typically not-so-sober vocal performance is just as reckless and chaotic as the music itself. – rick giordano
LUMPY & THE DUMPERS You don’t need to get too far past the title of Lumpy & the Dumpers’ latest LP Huff My Sack to get a whiff of the band’s earthy sensibilities. Released this May in advance of the band’s tour of Australia (yes, you read that correctly), the nine-song album rips through all manner of effluvium with lower-than-lo-fi sonics and frontman Martin Meyer’s full-body collisions. The band’s underground bona fides are so unfuckwithable that even the mainstream is taking notice; its track “Flush ‘Em” found acclaim from none other than Pitchfork, a rare coup for a St. Louis act not named Foxing. Huff My Sack and Lumpy’s legendary live sets show the band’s absolute comfort with your absolute discomfort.
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christian schaeffer
BURGERS
Q Like to break shit? Grab a Q record and go to town. Though its members’ median age is roughly nineteen, Q goes beyond typical teen angst and onto full-blown destructive fury. This is not a band of metal dudes beating on their chests, nor is it a self-pitying emo fest. Lightning-fast hardcore tempos give way to furious breakdowns, while vocalist Austin Roberts screams his guts out with calculated calm (between bouts of smashysmashy with whatever breakables he can get his hands on). The band stays 100 percent in its own world as the rest of the planet crashes around them. If there’s one thing for certain when it comes to a Q show, it’s that if you get close enough you’re going to bleed. – melinda cooper
THE WARDEN Something of a St. Louis hardcore supergroup, the Warden combines members of the late, beloved Shaved Women (drummer Ben Salyers) and Sweet
SHAWARMA
S a t u r d a y, J u n e
18, 2016
4317 Manchester Rd in the Grove 314.553.9252 • laylastl.com RIVERFRONT TIMES
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daniel hill
APEX SHRINE With its vintage guitar tones, electrifying blues-rock solos, watery organ and oceans of reverb, Apex Shrine’s fulllength Homebaked channels the psychedelic style of late ‘60s rock. It’s a trip considering the band’s four members are in their early twenties, but the quartet nails the sweet summery sound, making it a natural fit for a slot at last year’s Wakarusa festival. Brothers and guitarists Jack and Dan Eschmann con-
tribute vocals that range from soothing harmonies to impassioned wailing, and both carve out enough space in their songs for improvisation. On this record, though, newer material sees the quartet applying a punchier attack to sharper, more concise songs while still retaining a pleasingly retro feel. These young guns have quite the chops; it will be fun to watch them grow. – bob mcmahon
BOREAL HILLS Boreal Hills is just three dudes, but those dudes are responsible for some of the loudest and heaviest rock & roll in south city. Karl Frank fronts the band on guitar and vocals, thrashing along with goofy intensity and ambivalent swagger. Sludgy guitar riffs mash with manic percussion in an explosive hodgepodge of melody and commotion. The vocals are distorted and tinny, but the lo-fi tone only accentuates the energy that flows through the music. You won’t find attention-grabbing guitar solos or pretentious bravado here. These songs may not be polished and they aren’t exactly pretty, but they’re sure to get your adrenaline pumping.
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derek schwartz
COCKTAILS
3PM Ish 8PM Dangerbird 4 PM Sunwyrm 9 PM The Brainstems 5 PM Kenshiro’s 10PM Raglani 6PM Tiger Rider 11 PM Demonlover 7 PM The Maness Brothers 12PM Biggie Stardust
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Tooth (vocalist Kevin Tod) with some of the other bands on this list (Q and the Bubbleheads share members in guitarist Jack Fister and bassist Jimmy Eberle, respectively) and the recently departed Ruz (guitarist Brandon Arscott, as well as Eberle). A most pleasing mix of Japanese-style fastcore and East Coast hardcore breakdowns, the band calls to mind Jellyroll Rockheads, Das Oath and Nine Shocks Terror, but with some parts to get you goddamn low to the ground, too. The Warden is presently working on a new LP, presumably to be released on Lumpy Records (yes, same Lumpy) in the same fashion as its previous releases. Incestuous enough for ya?
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2 PM - 4TH CITY RAG 3 PM - DJ MAKOSSA 4 PM - ARSON FOR CANDY 5 PM - CARA LOUISE BAND 6 PM - BULLSEYE WOMPRATS 7 PM - ENDORA 8 PM - HANDS AND FEET 9 PM - GOLDEN CURLS 10 PM - TORTUGA 11 PM - JACK GRELLE 12 AM - DJ MAHF
g r a m o p h on e st l .c om
BUTTERCUP Buttercup is anything but sugary-sweet. Post-rock progressions get repeatedly interchanged for guitar lines that balance between melody and tritone while fuming drum beats lead the action. Imagine Drive Like Jehu having a sleepover with Fugazi, and your inner punk will come out swinging. The band is also a bit of a mystery. With no contact information online and no social media presence, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly when Buttercup will resurface for another performance. In the mean time, feast your ears on the band’s self-titled EP on its Bandcamp page. The music wears well with each new listen and by the time you’re at the end, your finger will be ready to click repeat. “Medicine” is the track to beat, though: “They do not want to know who you are now / just who you are on your medicine.” A spoonful of Buttercup may go a long way.
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kevin korinek
FUMER Since 2009, Fumer has been rocking up and down St. Louis streets and entertaining a motley crew with high-octane riffage, thundering
drums and hilarious stage banter, proving that a rock band can maintain a sense of humor even while sounding heavy as fuck. With three self-recorded albums under its big brass belt, Fumer has opened for Dead Meadow, Black Tusk and Local H, just to name a few. Three records might not sound like a lot, but Fumer does them right, recording them live with analog equipment — it’s a lo-fi grunge-fest with a bong in the backseat. While the previous two albums have leaned a little bit more on the Dinosaur Jr. wave, the latest album, We Alone Are Death, runs the gamut of stoner metal speed-chases and hardrock handjobs. Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em. – kevin korinek
THE R6 IMPLANT Although its core members are now in their mid-40s, the R6 Implant plays a brand of hard rock more akin to Jesus Lizard or Big Black than AC/DC or ZZ Top. The band picks up where vocalist Scott Randall and bassist Dave Winkeler left off with their previous group, Fragile Porcelain Mice. It’s as if they kept the heavy noise/alt-rock Continued on pg 20
3 Problems | BEN WESTHOFF
4199 Manchester Ave. St. Louis, MO | 63110 (314) 202-8300 facebook.com/tahaatiki
RFT MUSIC SHOWCASE SATURDAY, JUNE 18 5 p.m. emily wallace 6 p.m. dubb nubb 7 p.m. 3 of 5 8 p.m. the vanilla beans 9 p.m. blank thomas 10 p.m. packie
- 2PM LETTER TO MEMPHIS - 3PM HOPE & THERAPY - 4PM DAVE STONE TRIO - 5PM VERNACULAR STRING TRIO - 6PM TUESDAY-SUNDAY ANIMAL CHILDREN - 7PM 11AM-3AM ERIC HALL - 8PM 4127 MANCHESTER AVE. TRIGGER 5 - 9PM ST. LOUIS, MO 63110 314.652.2212 DJ LIL’DADDY REBA MCENTIRE - 10PM CONTACT: DJ JAKE LEECH - 11PM @HANDLEBARSTL.COM DJ JAKE LEECH - 12AM CORPS - SANS PRES. DINO’S STORAGE - 1AM TOMMY HALLORAN’S GUERILLA SWING
*Bands and times subject to change.*
“No Hurry, No Worry.”
Come get your fill of Russian-inspired cuisine! riverfronttimes.com
JUNE 15-21, 2016
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MEET THE BANDS
MEET THE BANDS Continued from pg 19 CDs of the 1990s in heavy rotation on their stereos instead of, say, setting the radio dial to KSHE 95 and just leaving it there. Live shows have become somewhat scarce over the past few years, but the band remains active with at least one solid local show per year. Slow and steady is always a good way to win the race.
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rick giordano
HIP-HOP GROUP 3 PROBLEMS If the hard-edged musical and lyrical stylings of 3 Problems paint a bleak picture of what it’s like to grow up poor and black in north St. Louis county, the reality of the group — which began as a trio of Terrell Brown Jr. (Relly Rell), James Johnson Jr. (Swagg Huncho) and Taylor Merriweather (Lil Tay) — paints an even bleaker one. In early 2015 the group began receiving national attention just as Relly Rell was sentenced to ten years in prison for distribution of heroin, armed criminal action and second-degree murder. Swagg Huncho and Lil Tay continued making music as a duo with increasing national attention until December, when Swagg himself was murdered. Tay continues to perform, most recently as part of “The Move” high school tour to address gun violence among young adults.
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Mvstermind | BREE PHOTOGRAPHY & roll behind him — a theory born out by a series of increasingly robust albums. This spring saw the release of Gone with the Trends, and on it the band moves confidently from smooth synth balladry (“Take You High”) to a nostalgic trip through hiphop’s golden era (“96to99”) without dropping the beat. Illphonics’ fidelity to its sound continues to pay dividends; this fall, the band will represent the city’s broad talent base as one of several local bands tapped to play LouFest in Forest Park.
nick horn
BLANK GENERATION Karl “Hearskra-Z” Livingston has an elastic quality to his voice; he can make it bend, stretch and dip throughout the course of a Blank Generation track while still retaining his crucial vocal thumbprint. His bandmates are able to match his flexibility and push him from quickhit rhymes to soulful singing on the band’s new EP, Door No. 1. Credit a stacked deck of local instrumentalists for the group’s mutability and precision: Sax player Charlie Cerpa and drummer Andrew Gibson offer flavor and backbone to this latest release. “Mothafunka” is just as bass-popping as the name implies, but lead-off track “Out of Sight Out of My Mind” lays back in the groove, making the payoff that much sweeter. – christian schaeffer
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– Mathias and the Pirates | COURTESY OF THE BAND ILLPHONICS The five-man live hip-hop act Illphonics has kept evolving over ten years without swerving from its core vision. The band has long believed that the words and rhymes of Larry “Fallout” Morris sound better with muscular R&B, soul and rock
JUNE 15-21, 2016
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christian schaeffer
MATHIAS AND THE PIRATES
If there’s any territory that has gone under-explored in hip-hop, it just might be the sea shanty. And yet that’s just what Mathias and the Pirates attacked on 2013’s brilliant Life of the Buzzard, which, yes, opens with “Sea Shanty in D-Minor.” It’s not a joke and it’s not just because this crew sails the outlaw seas of outsider
politics. The overall sound of Mathias and the Pirates is both futuristic and old school, with plenty of madcap scratching and adventurous arrangements. And if that weren’t enough, the group cut the best St. Louis shoutout since Nelly and the Lunatics’ heyday with “#southcityliving.” Everything Mathias and the Pirates do pushes the hip-hop envelope. – roy kasten
MME Even in the exceedingly rich and varied environment of St. Louis’s hip hop scene, MME stands out as a group of young musicians who have come together with a distinctly different vision. Comprising producer/rappers Mvstermind, Ciej and Mir, rappers Con and Dante Wolfe, and singer/ spoken word performer Lyrique, the collective has combined the formidable talents of each member to create a unit that’s much more than the sum of its parts. Don’t take our word for it, though: Check out MME’s website or Soundcloud page to get a taste of the one-of-a-kind collective’s thoughtful lyrics and innovative, wide-ranging sonics. – nick horn
Tef Poe | PAUL SABLEMAN
HIP-HOP SOLO ARSHAD GOODS Last year Arshad Goods released his debut album Black Sunday, a stellar first offering from the University City native. Wide-ranging and rife with contradictions, Black Sunday garnered national attention and showcased Goods’ internal tensions with lines like “Sometimes I wanna rap about money and bitches instead of saving the world,” found on the album’s final track, “Marginalized Man.” Fans eagerly awaiting more from Goods got a taste of things to come in late March when the rapper posted a new track, produced by Orlando Vaughn and entitled “Resurrection,” to his Soundcloud. If “Resurrection” is any indication, those who enjoyed Black Sunday have a lot to look forward to.
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nick horn
BATES It’s been quite a year so far for Tamara Dodd, a.k.a. Bates. After being featured in the RFT’s “Acts to Watch in 2016”
list, she won three categories at this year’s S.L.U.M. Fest Awards: Artist of the Year, Female Artist of the Year and Best Video for “Tell Jesus,” the first single from her as-yet unreleased album For Colored Folk. Coincidentally, 2016 was also the year Bates got her first taste of international exposure, though it wasn’t for her music. In early March, Dodd was featured in a video posted by the Guardian, which showed her engaging in a surprisingly productive conversation with Donald Trump supporters outside his rally at the Peabody Opera House. Though she hasn’t yet set a date, Dodd says she plans to release For Colored Folk sometime this spring. – nick horn
J’DEMUL J’Demul is, above all else, a storyteller. Born Trevon McCray, the twentyyear-old MC spins laid-back rhymes over deep-grooving beats that consistently provide the perfect musical landscape to frame his tales. Perhaps the best example of J’Demul’s ability to weave a narrative thread is the track “Neighborhood Hoe” from his 2013 mixtape June, titled after and dedicated to his uncle. On “Neighbor-
hood Hoe,” McRay tells a tale of harsh consequences resulting from the posting of a high school fling’s nude photo on Instagram. His most recent seventeen-track mixtape, entitled #STLAVE, shows J’Demul expanding his sonic landscape with tracks ranging from the down-tempo groove and piano samples of “University Street” to the hard-edged trap sounds of “What’s Up ft. Jay Lou.” – nick horn
MVSTERMIND As Mvstermind, rapper and producer Muhammed Austin creates expansive DIY hip-hop with radio-ready polish. Since his 2010 debut release F.A.I.L. (Forever Always In Last), the 25-yearold has continued to create some of the city’s most innovative music alongside fellow members of hip-hop collective M.M.E. The multiple meanings behind the collective’s cryptic acronym — “Mediate, Meditate, Elevate,” and “Master Mind Entertainment” — offer some insight into Austin’s creative ethos. His intelligent, soulful lyrics reveal an artist with no shortage of ambition and dedication, qualities for which Austin thanks his parents, telling The St. Louis Curator, “I have a whole family full
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of dreamers, and that is the biggest and only reason why I am here today. Without having that backing force, I know it is tough.” – nick horn
TEF POE Kareem Jackson is no stranger to controversy. More commonly known as Tef Poe, the artist, activist, HandsUpUnited founder and occasional RFT contributor has been squarely in the sights of right-wing news outlets since he began blogging about his experiences protesting in the wake of the 2014 killing of Mike Brown by former Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. Since then, Jackson has has become one of the leading voices of the Black Lives Matter movement, penning opeds for the RFT as well as national outlets like Time, speaking to the United Nations alongside Brown’s parents and even being invited to speak to students at Harvard University. Through it all, Jackson has continued to release music, most recently through his “#52 Weeks” project, during which he’s recording and releasing a brand new freestyle every week for 52 weeks.
JUNE 15-21, 2016
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nick horn
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MEET THE BANDS Continued from pg 21
up, he wrote that a new set of electronic compositions — his first since 2012 — would be available soon. For an artist who has long harnessed synthesis as a way to make evocative landscapes, this should be a return to form (though his guitar-centric work of late is no less dreamy or lush). Listeners who took a deep dive in 2012’s Real Colors of the Physical World (a beautifully packaged LP-plus-45 bundle) have missed Raglani’s ability to turn controlled voltage into music that hits like pop or dissipates like a cloud.
IMPROVISATIONAL & NOISE BEAUTY PAGEANT In 2013, the RFT summed up Beauty Pageant like so: “Beauty Pageant serves up an atonal racket through scattered percussion and warped guitars. The band’s influence reaches far beyond its sound, as each member plays a pivotal role in local arts.” Co-creator and present-day curator of the art-noise act Mister Ben fills in a few more details: “Dave Burnett and I founded Beauty Pageant equally; it was a duo which premiered at a Pig Slop event, and during our first set Blyre joined in on vocals (along with Meta Mela, who wrestled with her on the floor). Within a month we had a bird whistle player (Taka) and then a drummer (Wiggpaw, sometimes Joe Hess), but we weren’t called Beauty Pageant for several months. … Stable lineup, unstable name, even less stable performances.” Recently, the group played atop a flatbed truck during a community parade, covered in hanging plants, aided by a half-dozen conspirators and collaborators. In short, what was born in the spirit of chaos continues in the same. – thomas crone
BRAIN TRANSPLANT Since 1998, Chris Smentkowski has been using guitars and analog electronics to create solo and collaborative noise improvisations under the moniker Brain Transplant. Alongside a long list of collaborators whose names will be instantly recognizable to those familiar with the St. Louis noise and ex-
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VERNACULAR STRING TRIO
MME | COREY MILLER perimental music scene — Dave Stone, Nathan Cook, Joseph Raglani, Ajay Khanna and Darin Gray, among others — Smentkowski has continued to create often-abrasive, always-surprising pieces of improvised sound at venues throughout the city. In addition to his musical endeavors in Brain Transplant, Smentkowski has exhibited his visual artworks nationally and conducted lectures on contemporary Polish art in both the U.S. and Poland, as well as serving as the director of arts and chief curator for the non-profit Polish heritage organization Saint Louis Polonia since 2014. – nick horn
Ice. Kannapell is perennially on the grind, organizing shows and events that give space for noise artists, free jazz icons and all things on the fringe. But as Ghost Ice, Kannapell has only recently come out of hibernation to play gigs again, and his recorded output is almost exclusively relegated to fan-shot videos. So you’ll have to catch Ghost Ice in the flesh to hear Kannapell manipulate his trusty old Roland SH-101 synthesizer as he runs it through a battery of effects to create alien rhythms and ear-bending oscillations. – christian schaeffer
GHOST ICE
It was a welcome sight when Joseph Raglani posted a photo and brief message on his artist’s Facebook page this April. Alongside a mess of patch cables in his formidable modular synth set-
Fans of experimental music in St. Louis rightly regard Jeremy Kannapell as the scene’s patron saint, but not necessarily for the music he makes as Ghost
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Pablo Picasso famously spent his lifetime learning to draw like a child. Vernacular String Trio seems to have a similar goal. Cellist Tracy Andreotti, violinist Alex Cunningham and bassist Josh Weinstein are proficient musicians who could easily wow the world with conventional virtuosity, but instead aim for something more primal. Relying heavily on improvisation, Vernacular String Trio embraces the squeaks and skronks of their instruments and creates unsettling an atmosphere with expert control. The results are avant garde but not entirely inaccessible; fans of film scores by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood or the György Ligeti pieces from 2001: A Space Odyssey can easily find a foothold in Vernacular String Trio.
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ryan wasoba
INDIE POP
RAGLANI
ENDORA Led by keyboardist and singer Ellen Cook, Endora fuses weird and warped orchestral sounds — it’s got a cello and a
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mandolin, and it’s not afraid to use them — with clattering garage-rock a la the Cramps. That clash of styles shouldn’t work; in fact, it shouldn’t even be theoretically possible. But with Cook’s playful sense of melodies and lyrics, as if she’s channeling a punk-rock cabaret, and a skewed, collective sense of musicianship with plenty of chops and a love of dangerous collisions, Endora has figured out how to sound like absolutely no one else in town. – roy kasten
HOPE & THERAPY It took a six-year semi-hiatus for Alton, Illinois, trio Hope and Therapy to come out with new music. But when Webs dropped earlier this year, the band’s rhythmically complex, keyboard-driven songs were a breath of fresh air from a group that was off the radar far too long. Hope Gaines leads the band with dark, entrancing vocals and smartly retro keyboard sounds, while bassist Dan Deck and drummer Drew Mader erect a sturdy, nuanced rhythmic base. “We’re big on dynamics,” Mader told the RFT earlier this year. “We play it harder, then we play a little mellow and then we hit it hard again.” Webs’ opening track “Former Future” lays out the band’s talent at deploying elements of brutality and lushness in equal measure.
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christian schaeffer
MIDDLE CLASS FASHION Initially describing her group as a “piano pop” band, Middle Class Fashion lead singer/keyboardist Jenn Malzone has slowly been moving past her early Ben Folds-like melodies to explore the darkness lurking not far beneath. This was evident on 2014’s Jungle, which balanced out its sunny melodies with sparser synth-driven tracks like “Golden Rose.” On iii, the group’s latest, we don’t even hear a piano until the third-to-last song. Instead, there’s a stripped-down sound with raw keyboards, drum machines and a moody-yet-melodic feel. It’s as if the band called in Sparks to produce. What remains constant is Malzone’s ever-evolving songcraft and memorable turns of phrase. It’s been fascinating watching Middle Class Fashion refine its sound over the past half-decade, and iii is the biggest payoff yet. – mike appelstein
SCARLET TANAGER Grant a bit of mercy to Scarlet Tanager, whose members have been doing their best to live down the “most adorable new band” tag they received from this
Middle Class Fashion | LAVENDER BABIESSMALL publication five years ago. Since then they’ve continued to make absolutely joyous, communal music. The group titled its latest album Let’s Love, a sentiment that applies as much to its relationship with its audience as to its connection to melody, group vocals, subtle studio-craft, clapping, stomping and glockenspiel. Oh, and howling electric guitar, when the mood strikes. Scarlet Tanager may still make fetching indie pop, but its cute, twee days are now squarely in the rearview mirror.
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roy kasten
WHOA THUNDER Power-pop is a tricky genre to get right, but Brian McClelland has it down. He proved this in the Maxtone Four, in Tight Pants Syndrome and (until recently) as Middle Class Fashion’s bassist. His latest band, Whoa Thunder, began largely as a studio project. The debut CD, You’re Under Attack, is full of lethally catchy melodies. Songs like “Are You Ready Yet” and “Real Cool Hand” have a slight new wave/electro tinge, with robotic voices giving way to glorious melodic choruses. Yet there’s a dark undertone to it all; it takes awhile before you realize how bitter “Knockdown Dragout” is, or how gory the lyrics are to the otherwise upbeat “Everybody Keeps Moving.” Now a seasoned live band, Whoa Thunder has been introducing new songs into the act and is working toward a second album.
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mike appelstein
INDIE ROCK AMERICAN WRESTLERS In a former life, American Wrestlers’ Gary McClure was a member of well-regarded U.K. electro-shoegaze act Working for a Nuclear Free City. Now comfortably ensconced in St. Louis, the multi-instrumentalist is instead crafting gnarled, lo-fi music that defies categorization. American Wrestlers’ Fat Possum-released, self-titled 2015 debut is a mix of well-wrought dream-pop pocked with little details: stinging guitar noise, melancholy piano and a heartbeat-steady drum machine. In spots, these songs resemble stripped-down Superchunk; at other times, the ambient tranquility of Cocteau Twins. McClure now has more than a year of full-band live performances under his belt, which should give American Wrestlers’ second album (which is in its final stages) even more captivating nooks and crannies.
– annie zaleski CAVEOFSWORDS CaveofswordS — vocalist / bassist Sunyatta McDermott, guitarist/programmer Kevin McDermott and multi-instrumentalist Eric Armbruster — has always been ahead of the curve. Long before darkwave and dreampop became fashionable again, the band was sculpting bewitching music indebted to the late ‘90s electro-slink of Madon-
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na and Tori Amos or the modern-day goth-pop favored by Austra or Purity Ring. Still, CaveofswordS’ appetite for deconstruction is even more impressive on its recent remix album, gliiss, which reimagines and reconstitutes songs from 2015’s Siglis with gleeful (but mysterious) abandon. With the recent addition of scene mainstay Chan Evans on drums and a new album in the works, the sky’s the limit for where CaveofswordS will go next. – annie zaleski
FOXING Not even vocalist Conor Murphy having his nose broken by an out-of-control fan has stopped Foxing’s momentum. The troupe first garnered word-ofmouth underground attention thanks to 2012’s The Albatross, but attracted even more positive buzz (and praise) by opening for Brand New and unleashing last year’s Dealer. Released via respected national label Triple Crown Records, Dealer is delicate and complex without being obtuse. Murphy’s dynamic voice veers from a Jónsi-esque piercing croon to a conspiratorial, conversational tone — a perfect match for the rich orchestral nods, math rock-inspired rhythmic flourishes and cinematic arrangements. At the moment, Foxing is taking a break from the road, save for high-profile appearances at music festivals such as Shaky Knees and Bunbury. Call it a well-deserved recharge.
JUNE 15-21, 2016
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annie zaleski
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MEET THE BANDS Continued from pg 23
new trio Vandeventer (which features Mike Schurk on drums and his old Messy bandmate Nate Carpenter on bass and keys), Wehling dials up some well-manicured smoothness and chops out quick-wristed licks while delivering his vocals in an understated fashion. The band’s debut EP Trainyards and Graveyards is heavy on grooves and classic-rock influence, and on a song like “Paints and Paper” you can trace Wehling’s guitar tone through various threads of blues, jam and psych traditions.
SLEEPY KITTY Sleepy Kitty remains one of the hardest-working bands in (and outside of) St. Louis. Whether stumping for Bernie Sanders, touring with Ezra Furman, adapting and writing music for a stage version of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner or opening for Guided By Voices, the duo of Paige Brubeck and Evan Sult always has something intriguing brewing. The forthcoming mini-album FLUX, which the band recorded in part with Jason Hutto and David Beeman, is a life-affirming encapsulation of the Sleepy Kitty live experience. Crank up the long-time live staple “Mockingbird,” a sub-two-minute rock & roll burst featuring Brubeck’s bruising guitar riffs and distorted vocals, and just try to resist feeling inspired. – annie zaleski
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JAZZ ANIMAL CHILDREN
TOWN CARS People toss around the term “supergroup” rather lightly, but that descriptor fits the recent live lineup of Town Cars to a tee. Founder (and RFT contributor) Melinda Cooper has surrounded herself with a bevy of collaborators — guitarist Cassie Morgan, bassist Celia Shacklett, drummer Lindsay Reber and multi-instrumentalist Matt Pace — who also happen to be seasoned local musicians. Such versatility has given the songs from Town Cars’ 2014 debut, Hearts and Stars, fierce depth and nuance when performed live, ensuring the band transcends its influences (the Breeders’ gauze-rock, the Lemonheads’ grungy pop). More recently, Town Cars served as the ideal opener for both patchwork-quilt indie-rocker Eleanor Friedberger and ‘90s rock throwbacks Charly Bliss. – annie zaleski
JAM/DUB AARON KAMM AND THE ONE DROPS Aaron Kamm and the One Drops primarily deal in reggae and its various offshoots, playing with an authenticity that can appease Marley fans and Jamaican ska traditionalists while also appealing to Sublime diehards. Interestingly, the group is best when it veers from its roots; in its expansive moments you can hear traces of the Dead, the Police, Dylan and even Black Sabbath. The band’s combination of well-oiled tightness, near-psychic communication and the variety of a modern hippie’s Spotify playlist make Aaron
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Sleepy Kitty | COURTESY OF BANDCAMP Kamm and the One Drops a major player in the regional jam-band market. The band recently cemented its high-roller status with a multi-evening headlining spot at this year’s MoRoots festival.
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ryan wasoba
BLASTAR
mixes in a whole lot of trippy dub with its skittering rhythms and appreciates the political power of reggae, with biting, menacing tracks like “Creepin.” When you need an edgy fix of classic reggae with some tough ska horns, the Driftaways will carry you away. – roy kasten
Despite the best efforts of punk rockers around the world, progressive rock didn’t croak in the ‘70s. For all the Spinal Tap-style indulgences and pretension of bands like Yes and Rush, the thrill, the force and even the catchiness of the music remains. And you don’t have to turn on KSHE 95 to sample it; Blastar carries the progressive rock torch into the present day. With a straightforward lineup of keys, guitar, bass and drums, the band gets an undeniably funky sound that belies the sophistication of its math-shifting, jam-stretching style. Of course the band can play. That goes without saying. But it can make you dance too.
THUNDER BISCUIT ORCHESTRA
THE DRIFTAWAYS
You may not always be in the mood for a jam band, but when you are, Thunder Biscuit Orchestra revs up a satisfying party. The band plays heavy and loose with genres — blues, rock, reggae and funk are all in play — and its excellent choice in covers (the band turns the Talking Heads’ “Life During War Time” into a messy freak out) help it stand out from the bar-band pack. The band’s fusions have authority, punch and purpose, especially when guitarist Brian Sax and harmonica player Phil Wright get down to dueling. No jam band in town runs the voodoo down with Thunder Biscuit Orchestra’s swampy, sweaty groove. – roy kasten
This seven-piece reggae/ska band has a lot going for it: crisp horns, beefy keys, an always-steady rhythm section and strong, from-the-gut vocals. The band can rock hard when needed, but its influences and aspirations are clearly in the classic reggae sound of Bob Marley and the Wailers, Peter Tosh and Black Uhuru. The band also
Chances are good that you’ve heard Mikey Wehling’s guitar and vocals before. You might have caught him with the late, lamented jam-band explorers Messy Jiverson or heard his suite of impressionistic instrumentals as leader of the Reverbs. But with his
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JUNE 15-21, 2016
roy kasten
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VANDEVENTER
The brainchild of drummer, composer and educator Kaleb Kirby, Animal Children released its self-titled debut full-length album last year, but has only played a small smattering of shows around the city. Kirby describes the sound of the group — composed of a revolving cast of some of the city’s best young jazz players — as “a mixture of jazz, rhythm and blues, dope beats, sweaty palms, broken hearts, and broken necks.” Like most contemporary jazz these days, Kirby’s compositions are sprawling labyrinths full of complex harmonies and rapid-fire metric shifts. And, like many of his peers in the contemporary jazz world, Kirby infuses his tunes with the musical vernacular of genres like hip-hop and indie rock to create pieces that — though undeniably heady — are surprisingly easy to listen to. – nick horn
DAVE STONE It’s probably fair to call Dave Stone a musical institution. The saxophonist, a Webster grad, is now in his 21st year of a weekly Friday-night residency at Mangia Italiano alongside bassist Bob DeBoo and drummer Kyle Honeycutt. In addition to the straight-ahead jazz he creates with that trio, Stone has been a longtime contributor to the city’s under-appreciated but nonetheless fertile scene of experimental and avant-garde music makers, most recently joining up with former Little Big Bangs drummer Drew Gowran to form Musth Bardo, a new duo that continues Stone’s tradition of balancing his more conventional jazz output with free improvisation projects. Whether he’s playing standards at Mangia or
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JUNE 24 - 26, 2016
Vandeventer | COURTESY OF THE BAND engaging in free-jazz freakouts at the Schlafly Tap Room, one thing is for sure: Stone is a singular voice in St. Louis music. – nick horn
THE GASLIGHT SQUARES British trumpeter TJ Muller originally made his way to St. Louis in 2013 thanks to his work backing Pokey LaFarge. After he parted ways with his former bandleader in late 2015, Muller formed the Gaslight Squares, enlisting a core group of Jacob Alspach on tenor banjo, Matt Sellers on piano and Jon Weiss on tuba, though the quartet is often augmented by additional players — occasionally even swelling to a seven-piece. Named for the shortlived entertainment district that occupied the intersection of Boyle and Olive during that pre-rock & roll beat era, the band is part of a growing traditional jazz revival in the city hearkening back to the square’s brief time as a thriving arts and entertainment hotspot. These days the group brings their old-fashioned sound to Yaqui’s on Cherokee every Friday night from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. – nick horn
SIDNEY STREET SHAKERS Alongside fellow nominees the Gaslight Squares (with whom the group shares trumpeter/banjoist TJ Muller and trombonist/banjoist Jake Alspach), the Sidney Street Shakers are an integral part of St. Louis’s burgeoning traditional jazz scene. In addition to Muller and Alspach, the group consists of Chloe Feoranzo on clarinet, Kelly Everett on bass and tenor saxophones, Kyle Butz on trombone,
Joe Park on guitar and plectrum banjo, Mary Ann Schulte on piano, Ryan Koening on percussion, Joey Glynn on bass and Matt Meyer on drums. Though the two groups share both personnel and an early-jazz sensibility, the Sidney Street Shakers tend to fill significant portions of their sets with sultry, swinging, down-tempo tunes, whereas Muller and Alspach’s other group keeps things light, bouncy, and brisk. – nick horn
PRIDEFEST 2016 IS PRESENTED BY
TOMMY HALLORAN’S GUERRILLA SWING Singer, guitarist and songwriter Tommy Halloran is one of the city’s hardest-working musicians, playing more than 300 shows per year. Despite being a longtime fixture in the local music scene, it wasn’t until 2013 that Halloran formed a band to back up his immediately recognizable croon. These days Tommy Halloran’s Guerrilla Swing occupies a unique place in St. Louis’ musical landscape: The group deftly bridges the gap between the city’s traditional and contemporary jazz scenes — which tend to intermingle more rarely than you might expect. While Halloran’s own songs and many of his cover choices line up with a more traditional sensibility, the musicians that make up the group — saxophonist Kristian Baarsvik, bassist Andy Hainz and drummer Kaleb Kirby — add an undeniably progressive element to the sound. To get an idea of the group’s tight musicianship and distinctive style check out Guerilla Swing’s most recent release, the 2015 EP State Streets. – nick horn Continued on pg 26
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MEET THE BANDS
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METAL FISTER With last year’s brutal one-song, 45-minute record IV, Fister cemented its international reputation as one of the slowest bands in metal. Lately, the trio has been operating at the opposite speed. In the last few months alone, the group toured with fellow “best metal band” nominee the Lion’s Daughter and released split seven-inch records with local hardcore act Everything Went Black, Montreal’s Dopethrone and California group Teeth. Fister is not just keeping busy, but also moving forward. Throughout its three new split EPs, the band hints at some new additions to its slow/loud/evil aesthetic — the moments in which guitarist Marcus Newstead cleans up his act and conjures textures you might expect from Neurosis or Earth are especially satisfying, making the heavier times even more hellish by contrast. – ryan wasoba
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Progressive metal is difficult to do well, because the line between fucking-sweet riffage and cheeseball posturing is very, very narrow. Thankfully, the members of the Gorge — guitarist/ vocalist Phil Ring, guitarist Joe Bowers, bassist Chris Turnbaugh and drummer Jerry Mazzuca — have always fallen on the correct (read: totally sweet) side of the genre. The reason is simple: They’re no-frills players who understand the value of restraint and dynamics, and employ meticulous arrangements that also hint at frantic mathcore and technical metal. These strengths come through loud and clear on the Gorge’s most recent album, Thousand Year Fire. The album’s power-drill drumming, jackhammer guitars and roaring vocals should please Baroness and Mastodon fans who aren’t stoked on how those bands have evolved. – annie zaleski
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The Lion’s Daughter is not an easy listen, borrowing the most abrasive elements from various strands of metal (doom/black/death) and throwing in some industrial ingredients for good measure. The band is so deeply obsessed with darkness that its 2016 album Existence Is Horror might as well be called Existence Is So Cool, You Guys! The trio’s perverse fascinations actual-
ly make its bleakness feel enthusiastic — transcendent, even, as Rick Giordano trades his urgent screams for near-anthemic melodies in the final minute of the song “Four Flies.” The Lion’s Daughter released Existence Is Horror on super-reputable French label Seasons of Mist, but that cred is a sidenote to its triumph; the album is less than a year old and already feels like a nihilistic classic.
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ryan wasoba
THOR AXE The so-called “instru-metal” band Thor Axe emerged from hibernation in the last few years with a slightly modified lineup: Joining core members Phil Ring, Aaron Stovall, Clayton Kunstel and Ryan Thompson are keyboardist Kyle Work and guitarist Ryan Wasoba (who was in an earlier Thor Axe configuration and is also an RFT contributing writer). As anyone who saw the group open for Mac Sabbath or Andrew W.K. in recent years will no doubt testify, however, this dormant period hasn’t diminished the group’s ability to shred. Think of the tensest 8-bit NES boss levels, or the most epic, snarling ‘80s heavy metal guitar solo — and those only scratch the surface of Thor Axe’s mighty, metal-tastic powers. – annie zaleski
VAN BUREN Charlie Turner and Joel Stilwell, who comprise the metal band Van Buren, are proof that all you need to turn any old show into a party is a guitar, a drum set and an amp that won’t quit. The col-
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Fister | COURTESY OF THE BAND lection of live songs the duo has streaming online right now is just a taste of what they’re like live, with tearing riffs that make up for what you may not quite be able to decipher in their lyrics. For all their noise, there’s a quiet seriousness to Van Buren’s work that makes you realize their brand of metal is truly heavy, moody and raw — a perfect combination. – erin williams
NEW BAND BABY BABY DANCE WITH ME Baby Baby Dance With Me’s elegantly titled Demo 2016 just appeared on Bandcamp in March, but the south city quintet had some heat behind it well before then. The band’s supergroup-like lineup can account for much of the buzz: Adam Hesed, Duane Perry, Kiki Solis, Jeff Robtoy and Greer Deerling have played around town together and separately, and this coalition brings a ragged, post-Velvets vibe with unexpected moments of aggression and romance. Deerling throws herself at “On All Fours” for all of its primal 80 seconds but then coos sweetly behind Hesed’s tossed-off French on “69 — The Erotic Year.” The demo recording offers hints of what is to come, but don’t be surprised if some of that baked-on scuzziness remains. It’s a big part of the charm. – christian schaeffer
DANGERBIRD Dangerbird is a project that’s been more than a year in the making, with guitarist Pat Corrigan, bassist Maysam “Bass Amp” Attaran and drummer Noel Swain woodshedding for months as they created an old-school blend of garage/punk. The band’s self-titled debut disc was mastered by Mario Viele, a man with an ear for this kind of work, and the music they’ve created together has the kind of timeless sound that stretches across the past three or four decades of rock & roll. Now touring regionally, the group’s material is maybe its most interesting calling card, as the members mix and match Corrigan originals with the songs of the late Bob Reuter, whom Attaran supported through a band (Alley Ghost) and radio show (Bob’s Scratchy Records), during the songwriter’s prolific later years. It’s an interesting, winning blend.
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thomas crone
DRACLA Before Dracla released a five-song EP in March of this year, the only trace of Ray Kannenberg’s cryptic project online was the Google suggestion “Did you mean Dracula?” This self-titled EP sums up the group aurally: Fuzzedout psychedelic proto-metal akin to Blue Cheer with vocals that, for lack of a less obvious comparison, recall a monochrome old-style vampire. The music Dracla plays is only half the stoContinued on pg 28
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MEET THE BANDS
MEET THE BANDS Continued from pg 27 ry. The trio-recently-turned-quintet has earned its still-fresh reputation on the pure insanity of its live shows, which may or may not involve fuzzedto-hell bass, fake blood, semi-ironic guitar wailing, capes and at least one member of Bug Chaser. But without a Facebook page, Twitter account or Instagram to speak of, the only way to figure out the mysteries of Dracla is get off your computer/phone/tablet and go to an actual show.
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ryan wasoba
MARBLE/WALL DUO You might know Louis Wall from his time behind the kit in the mighty (and mightily missed) Jumbling Towers; you may know him as the mastermind behind the Texas Room, a series of recordings that partner various musicians from across St. Louis, many of whom emigrated to the U.S. in recent years. But in the Marble/Wall Duo, he flexes his experimental muscles. Wall and pianist/violinist Nika Marble strike an improvisational balance between the classical realm and a kind of percussive primitivism. You’re more apt to find Wall deconstructing his drum kit than merely keeping time on it. The duo’s Soundcloud page features some live recordings and some more composed pieces, which usually find Marble exploring the moody and sonorous corners of her piano while Wall offers a scraping, elemental counterpoint.
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christian schaeffer
SWEAR BEAM Any given Swear Beam show will usually include stacks of gear that nearly hit the ceiling. Built from parts of other thriving bands, including Jessee Crane and Philip Lesicko (The Funs), Sam Pounders (Rip Rap) and John Birkner (Trauma Harness, Lumpy and the Dumpers), Swear Beam forms a single backbone rife with a thick, rich tone that can hypnotize an audience with the literal flip of a switch. Crane and Pounders maintain an esoteric vocal presence throughout their performances and, especially when combined, sound almost like another electronic addition to the whole. Swear Beam is all the parts of Sonic Youth you wish were still going without any of the bits you got sick of hearing. The band hit the ground sprinting about a year ago with no signs of stopping anytime soon. – melinda cooper
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POP 3 OF 5 Andrew Garces’ main squeeze is Vanilla Beans, but a few years ago he launched a bitpop side project called 3 of 5. Ever since, it’s been the best kind of surprise to stumble into Mangia at 1 a.m. to a series of synthy boops, a light show that could easily be sponsored by Radio Shack circa 1991 and Garces at the helm — appropriately clad in his Captain Picard pullover. The only gear necessary for this project is a Nintendo DS and a stylus, but his power pop songs are so tight they could translate within any musical medium. Cuts like “Allspark” and “Everything You Do Is Gold” could easily be performed by a string quartet or a metal band and never lack for content or context. With two full albums and one EP completed since 2014, Garces proves to be a songwriting machine. – melinda cooper
DROPKICK THE ROBOT Pop music doesn’t get a whole lot more pure than what Dan Mehrmann and
JUNE 15-21, 2016
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Kara Baldus put down as Dropkick the Robot. Both musicians have academic backgrounds in music, composition and production, but you’ll find no traces of ivory tower beard-stroking on this year’s Gadgets EP. Instead, the duo has internalized a few generations’ worth of radio hits and condensed them into original, vibrant material. Baldus shines on the click-clacking, pulsating lead-off track “Good Together,” while Mehrmann digs into the album-closing ballad “Lately” with spare guitar strums and an emotive delivery. In between those songs you’ll find a smattering of smart, expertly deployed collection of tunes that offers both accessibility and depth. – christian schaeffer
THE EDUCATED GUESS Within every discipline — be it music, sports or computer science — there exist superstars who make their peers think, “Well, I may be good, but I can’t do THAT.” The Educated Guess’ frontman/bandleader Charlie Brumley is one such person, someone capable of taking the basic structures of pop music and expanding them to almost symphony-like levels. Following a brilliant debut in 2015, the band released a second
collection of sugary sweet pop gems in April with Another Educated Guess. Beginning with a simple combination of Brumley’s voice and piano on the album’s title track “Sweet on You (And Getting Sweeter),” the genius of the group quickly reveals itself with complex multi-part harmonies and orchestration. The band’s live show, featuring its members in upscale cocktail attire, could also win the award for “best show to see on a first date.” – jeremy essig
GOLDEN CURLS Sarah Downen has continued to expand the parameters of her Golden Curls project since dropping its debut EP Warm Fiction in 2012. That collection offered a few different pathways for Downen and her feathery delivery, which paired so nicely with the shape-shifting production and narcotic instrumental tracks. The band’s current incarnation features drummer Philip Zahnd and Stephen Favazza (of Hands and Feet) on guitar and other manipulations. The group’s “Black Forest,” on this year’s edition of FarFetched’s Prologue comp, finds Golden Curls in a dubby, trippy headspace that’s a bit more beat-centric than its debut EP.
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christian schaeffer
THE VANILLA BEANS Never change, Vanilla Beans. Keep pumping out homemade jams that mix twee sweetness, twin-guitar solos and Moog synth manipulations. On last year’s Flora-Tape, the trio of Andy Garces, Ani Kramer and Todd Anderson cranked out five irrepressible tracks with little more than laptop-based drum loops, overdriven guitars, a little synth and a lot of charm in Garces’ and Kramer’s paired vocals. It’s a formula that has worked for the band over the last few years and a series of lowstakes EPs. But don’t be surprised if the members actually have a surprise fulllength up their collective sleeves and are just waiting to drop it on an unsuspecting populace in dire need of sweet, danceable basement pop.
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christian schaeffer
POST HARDCORE BLIGHT FUTURE Musically and geographically, Blight Future seems to land exactly between the spazzy, full-throttle punk pioneered by San Diego groups Drive Like
Jehu and The Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower and angular, socially-conscious Washington, D.C., outfits like Fugazi and Black Eyes. The quartet has built a reputation as one of the most extreme bands in St. Louis. Musically, the group combines fast/loud punk aesthetics with math-rock’s precision and noiserock’s abandon. Lyrically, it tackles deep topics that land outside the usual realm of “political punk,” like humanizing the victims of police brutality, but without being a total bummer. Blight Future somehow makes going too far at all times feel like a delicate balance, making the group a favorite of hardcore kids, art nerds and political activists alike. – ryan wasoba
JR. CLOONEY Jr. Clooney is not just another mathrock band. Jr. Clooney is an experience, a memory, a moment from your childhood. The quartet (which includes members of Staghorn, Double God and Laika) combines the subtle technicality of influences such as Pretend, Toe and TTNG with an unforced level of nostalgia. They’re not just ripping off ‘90s bands. Watching Jr. Clooney live is a sensational trip through peaks and valleys
of unrelenting melody and grooviness, comparable to riding a surprisingly comforting roller coaster. The band members’ instrumentations are as clever as they are collected, even as they dish out excitement that you just can’t help but move your body to. – luca torretta
LOBBY BOXER Trying to categorize Lobby Boxer into a specific genre is a lot like trying to wrestle a grizzly bear. The three-piece slams together hyper-rock stylings like it’s crash-testing cars. While some groups would execute that uncombed writing in a much more disjointed fashion, the members of Lobby Boxer have the chops to pull it off seamlessly, with an intense and obvious love for the songs. This is never more evident than on Lobby Boxer’s debut full-length Big Bucks. The album pulls influence from all over the board, sounding reminiscent of the Fall of Troy and Rush at times even while throwing in moments of head-banging metal riffage, pop-punk jumpability and even some country pluckin’. The band showcases a unique level of effortless energy and technical ability that’s unrivaled in these parts.
– luca torretta
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LIFEWITHOUT Up until a couple years ago there was a noticeable void in the local music world that has since been filled by Alton, Illinois, post-hardcore melody makers LifeWithout. The quartet combines the raw energy of underground hardcore and punk with the purest emotions gushing from wishful melodies. On LifeWithout’s latest release, a split with Illinois emo outfit Oakwood Estate, vocalist Randy Kinikin bares his raspy soul for all to hear, partnered with head-spinning tones courtesy of guitarist Brett Kutter. Equal parts Touché Amore and At the Drive In, LifeWithout abandons any expectation you may have of the typical hardcore machismo, delivering instead an extremely personal and cathartic experience to be shared by the band members and their audience. – luca torretta
STAGHORN “The path to a sustainable future starts with you. No laws, rules or man may take the freedom to enact a future you choose. Make alliance.” This is the world that encapsulates Staghorn; desolate, overgrown, and Continued on pg 30
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MEET THE BANDS
SKIN TAGS
MEET THE BANDS Continued from pg 29 mysterious. It is also the introduction to the band’s self-released, self-printed graphic novel, which accompanies its debut album Parousia I / Kismet II. The instrumental post-rock threepiece has built its own universe around itself. They’ve done that both sonically and visually, even while implementing DIY values at an impressive level. The members also run Leave Your Mark Print Shop and Mills Custom Amps, both of which directly correlate to the band’s musical world. The music itself is as dark and doomy as it is uplifting and optimistic. It leaves the listener yearning for more: more of the story, more of the world, more Staghorn.
PUNK – luca torretta BREAKMOUTH ANNIE A bracing, back-to-basics punk rock band with a ‘90s alternative-rock soul, Breakmouth Annie distills its influences — the Clash, the Ramones, Green Day — into an undeniably catchy, guitar-driven, power-trio sound. Lead singer and guitarist Bob Monroe, bassist and singer Joshua Edwards and drummer Joshua Van Hoorebeke charge hard and fast into every song with snarling energy. They don’t have time for emo angst or noise fetishism. This band gets that punk can still be protest music — its songs can certainly be scathing — but mostly its members know how good punk can sound when its elemental forces come together.
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roy kasten
LITTLE BIG BANGS The title of last year’s Star Power wasn’t fake modesty for the punk-leaning foursome Little Big Bangs. After a series of releases dating back to 2011, the LP was the clearest message from a band that is capable of delivering raw fury or tempering it with well-deployed dynamic shifts. Eric Boschen, Lucy Dougherty and Ryan Macias each bring a different flavor when they trade off on lead vocals — tracks on Star Power can shift from sludge to surf-rock to proto-glam, and each singer digs into his or her songs with the conviction of a true believer.
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christian schaeffer
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With a band name like Skin Tags, it shouldn’t be such a surprise that Lucy Dougherty, Mabel Suen and Shelly Koesterer aren’t messing around. The group’s unique sound includes elements of noise and math-rock, but make no mistake, this is a punk band through and through. Skin Tags’ latest demo, released in April 2016, spans just eleven minutes, but every note and riff erupts with breathless, destructive energy. The songs are frantic and aggressive, full of pointed frustration and unapologetic anger. They are carefully crafted and rigidly structured, but order devolves into chaos when Dougherty picks up the microphone and lets loose a scream.
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derek schwartz
TRAUMA HARNESS
On its latest record, I Tried My Hardest, the three members of Trauma Harness plunge into gloomy territory, assaulting the listener with tumultuous riffs and crashing percussion. Driven guitars meet rhythmic, New Wave-style synth lines in an invigorating wall of sound. Through it all, singer/guitarist Josh Jenkins half-gasps, half-screams lyrics about destruction and decay — and if you’ve seen the band perform in the past year, you probably feel like you’ve experienced that destruction firsthand. The band’s live sets are wild and spontaneous, filled with spastic energy and flying limbs, not to mention enough noise to maim a small animal. – derek schwartz
VEIL It’s only been a year since Veil released its first demo, but don’t mistake freshness for inexperience. The band shares members with some of St. Louis’ most formidable punk bands, including Lumpy and the Dumpers, Bunnygrunt and Doomtown, yet none of these acts sounds quite like Veil. Ashley Hohman fronts the group with deep, ominous vocals that simmer darkly across the songs. The varied guitar and bass riffs mesh together so tightly that they seem to melt into one reverb-filled force, heavy and haunting. The mix is held together with relentless percussion that races along and stops for nothing. – derek schwartz
R&B COULTRAIN Coultrain’s Side Effex Of Make-Believe; divided for love’s sake, the singer’s latest release through indie label Fresh Selects, masterfully weaves another
JUNE 15-21, 2016
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Coultrain | KAT SIMONE tale through the eyes of the character known as Seymour Liberty. Entirely produced by frequent collaborator Stoney Rock (b.k.a. Black Spade), who is also one-third of the futuristic R&B trio Hawthorne Headhunters, Side Effex is a story revolving around the dark side of love and the heartbreak that endures after a love affair gone wrong. While not as expansive as Coultrain’s previous effort Jungle Mumbo Jumbo, the six-track LP shows Coultrain in prime form as a singer/songwriter even as it further solidifies his status as one of the more under-appreciated R&B talents of this generation. Coultrain is currently working on the final chapter of the Seymour Liberty story, Eternal Stranger, to be released later this year. – charles purnell
and swaggering R&B. She’s got a commanding voice — it reverberates with the punch and growl of one of her idols, Big Mama Thornton — and her own material absolutely swings. – roy kasten
LOVE JONES “THE BAND”
LITTLE RACHEL
Specializing in covers of hits from the ‘60s to the present — including a fine version of Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” — Love Jones “The Band” is first and foremost a band of serious musicians. Singer Gypsy Brown may hold much of the spotlight, but keyboardist V. Kent Jones, drummer Ryan Jones and guitarist Tracy Mitchell all take turns on the mic, while bassist Melvin Moore keeps every piece of soul, jazz and funk — from the familiar to the stuff out of left field — sounding smooth and groovy. The band also slips in more than a few original numbers just to keep the audience guessing. – roy kasten
Little Rachel got her start as part of the Casey Sisters rockabilly duo in Austin, Texas, but her musical roots have always been in Kansas City and in St. Louis, where she now most frequently works alongside husband Mat Wilson as part of the Loot Rock Gang. As leader of her own band, she lets loose all of her love of rockabilly, jump blues, early rock & roll
Naming your band after St. Louis’ most divisive foodstuff is certainly one way to plant your flag, but the instrumental four-piece known as the Provels references musical traditions from several points along the Mississippi River. The group leans into the soul-jazz made man-
THE PROVELS
ifest by groups like the Meters and Booker T. and the MGs — it doesn’t hurt that keys player Phillip “Spanky” Manaois is a Hammond organ disciple who doesn’t mind lugging a 150-pound Leslie speaker to and from gigs just to dial in a proper tone. Guitarist Jim Peters is his sparring partner in the group, and on last year’s self-titled album he and the rest of the band made hay with spirited originals and fun, funky covers of tracks including Outkast’s “So Fresh, So Clean.”
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christian schaeffer
ROLAND JOHNSON & SOUL ENDEAVOR A great singer can only go so far without a great band. Soul and blues master Roland Johnson has long enjoyed just that in Soul Endeavor, a muscular, tight-inthe-pocket band led by guitarist Stephen Martin and featuring a veteran rhythm section that knows the difference between the Stax sound and the Motown sound. These musicians know how to carry Johnson through long nights filled with the greatest R&B songs ever written. His weekly residency at Beale on Broadway remains one of this city’s most reliable choices for blues delivered with class and passion. – roy kasten
ROCK BROTHER LEE AND THE LEATHER JACKALS Within the first minute of “Boredom Leads to the Bottle,” the title track to Brother Lee and the Leather Jackals’ newest EP, listeners know exactly what to expect. “It’s 11 a.m. and we’re getting wasted again,” Joshua Eaker sings over garage-country guitars and drums — signaling the classic spirit of rock & roll is about to unfold. Debaucherous and dirty with an outlaw swagger, Brother Lee and the Leather Jackals harken back to a kind of rock music less worried about mistakes of the past and more concerned with making some tonight. Who needs introspection when you’re having a good time?
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jeremy essig
BRUISER QUEEN Chances are, anyone considering voting in an RFT poll is already familiar with Bruiser Queen. Jason Potter and Morgan Nusbaum’s combination of ‘60s garage and pop sensibilities transcend what would be considered a “local band” and move the needle closer to “local treasure that has begun to bloom in a nation-
al sense.” But familiarity should in no way breed disinterest. Released almost two years ago, the band’s second album Sweet Static still serves as a keystone in St. Louis music. Equal parts crunch and honey, distorted and familiar, the album serves as almost a rosetta stone for many of the sounds coming out of this city’s rock scene in the last five years, even as its sound is also uniquely its own. Within a few seconds, anyone even tangentially familiar with local music would recognize the combination of Potter’s nofrills drumming and Nusbaum’s vocals and gain-heavy guitar — think later-period Ike Turner producing the Shirelles. And yet for all the platitudes Sweet Static has received, it is as a live act that Bruiser Queen really shines, playing non-stop, straight-ahead rock with a power not often seen from a two-piece. Put more succinctly: Bruiser Queen is the band other bands circle on their calendars.
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jeremy essig
BUG CHASER The following blurb will self-destruct by the time you finish reading it — because Bug Chaser is an experimental black hole of noise and metal and general fucked-up-edness. The band takes whatever you think you might know about it and blasts it all to bits. Yeah, there’s electronic freak-outs; yeah, there’s skull-crushing guitars; yeah, there’s a singer who wants to do violence to his vocal cords. But French art-pop? Krautrock cool? Electro-funk? Vintage arcade game improvisations? It’s all on the band’s latest album, Electric Pockets I. What do the members of Bug Chaser have planned for a sequel? Your guess is as good as theirs. But rest assured you won’t see or hear it coming.
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roy kasten
OLD SOULS REVIVAL The Riverfront Times isn’t in the habit of giving out awards for “best album packaging” — this isn’t the pre-show at the Grammys, after all. But if we did, Old Souls Revival would be in contention for the candy-colored presentation of its often dark-tinted I Will Let You In. The CD comes packaged like a birthday party invitation, and a goody-bag’s worth of ephemera literally spills out of it. Luckily the album is worthy of such fanfare; Neil C. Luke leads this quartet with a brusque, flinty delivery and a suite of songs that explore a tangled web of busted love, low-budget indie band tours and the devotion it takes to make either doomed enterprise worthwhile.
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christian schaeffer
TOK After winning the award for Best Hard Rock Band two years in a row, it might be easy to make the argument that Tok has had its time in the sun. The argument for the band winning for a third time, however, is even easier to make: Simply, no other band is quite like Tok. The band’s live show is a study in contrast, with bassist/vocalist Matt Basler and drummer Spencer Markowski thrashing around like the last vestiges of a Motorhead show while guitarist/vocalist Brian Basler mixes searing riffs with lighthearted dancing. Tok also displays a sense of humor often lost in hard rock, releasing a full album of Tonetta covers and creating Facebook updates that would make many a comedian jealous. And if that’s not enough for you, the members also write great rock songs — evidenced in the band’s newest single, “Honey Don’t Feel Well.” – jeremy essig
SHOEGAZE/ PSYCHEDELIC PERSH The inclusion of “shoegaze” as a category this year is partly thanks to a phenomenon of younger musicians romanticizing music of the ‘90s. Persh technically fits this bill, as its members were born around the same time as those most influential records. But while nu-gaze outfits begin and end with the distorted wooziness of My Bloody Valentine, Persh recalls bands like Slint and Slowdive, who opted for cleaner guitars and slower tempos. The band’s only released track, the instrumental “Jet Black Hickey,” feels like a song that would have appeared on a 1995 Modest Mouse EP. The fact that a band with so little music online and so few shows under its belt earned this nomination speaks volumes about its quality and its potential.
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ryan wasoba
RIP RAP Partial transplants from Columbia, Missouri, the members of Rip Rap have built a sound that’s years ahead of their level of experience. The band’s 2012 release, Young Creeps, effortlessly brought a filthy, solid-gold sound with hints of Troggs-style familiarity while throwing down the gauntlet for fresh, stainless-steel pop. The tastefully placed
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harmonies of bassist Sam Pounders and guitarist Thomas Sallings weave in and out of leads that could seemingly sustain for days. Rip Rap is rounded out with additional instrumentation from drummer Colin Immenschuh (Little Big Bangs) and Dan Fister on additional guitar. The combination of the four provides a respectful amount of negative space, leaving room for the music to breathe while the songs themselves shine. With a new album in the can, the band should deliver great things in the near future.
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melinda cooper
SUMMER MAGIC One of the great recent bands to notch time in St. Louis’ history books, Troubadour Dali ended with a nice little collection of recordings, with the spiritual thread of that act picked up by bassist/ songwriter Kevin Bachmann in Summer Magic. Supported live and in the studio by a variety of talented players, including some other Dali alumni (Natalie Huggins, Andy Kahn, Benjamin Marsh, Danny Mayo and Mike Schurk), Summer Magic has played a small number of shows while hinting at a killer first record (a few tracks are already on SoundCloud). Once complete, the band’s debut album should be one of the highlights of 2016, the group’s blend of jangly pop, psych and shoegaze hinting at quality influences from the ‘70s to today.
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thomas crone
SUNWYRM O’Fallon, Missouri, psych-punk trio Sunwyrm takes the name of an eightlegged, light-emitting creature from the Dungeons and Dragons universe that’s able to turn its entire body into pure energy in battle. With that suggestion in mind, it’s easy to to hear Sunwyrm’s sludgy, psychedelic blasts as explosions of pure sonic energy, utterly devoid of material nature and unable to be fully comprehended by the physical senses. Since starting the group last year, vocalist and guitarist Forrest John, bassist and vocalist Zack Broeker, and drummer Zac Strickland have created earth-trembling stoner-rock in the tradition of Kyuss and Fu Manchu, filtered through the DIY ethos of the St. Louis punk scene. A heaping helping of mind-bending guitar effects puts the finishing touches on Sunwyrm’s fantasy and sci-fi inspired sound, most recently captured on the band’s Pep & Cheese EP, recorded in only two days as part of SIUE’s “48-Hour EP Challenge.”
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nick horn
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MEET THE BANDS
$10 off Highlights ON TUESDAYS & FRIDAYS
regular price starting at $37 monday, friday & saturday 10am-5pm tuesday - thursday 10 am - 8 pm
*services performed by students under the direct supervision of a licensed instructor
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MEET THE BANDS Continued from pg 31 ONE RODENT In the seventeen years since its inception, Tone Rodent has morphed from a solo avant-noise project to a six-piece rock band, blazing a winding trail through stylistic explorations and a revolving cast of musicians along the way. The story of Tone Rodent begins in 1999, when Adam Watkins needed a name for the ambient drone recordings he created as an extension of his visual art studies at the Kent Institute of Art and Design in Canterbury, England. Seventeen years later, Tone Rodent lives on as a five-piece, self-described “space, psych and drone” rock band comprised of Watkins on vocals and guitar, Mark Early on keyboards and synthesizers, Jeff Robtoy on guitar, Tony Pupillo on bass and Duane Perry on drums. – nick horn
SINGERSONGWRITER South City Scooters @ the corner of Connecticut & Morgan Ford
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EMILY WALLACE Emily Wallace’s voice is like a good bourbon — warm, sweet and comforting, but also bold enough to make you sit up and take notice. Combined with her acoustic guitar, it makes an infectious cocktail suitable for any situation. Though only five songs in length, Wallace’s 2014 self-titled EP shows just how powerful this combination can be. Vocals and guitar provide the entire sonic landscape, accepting only a small assist from a piano on “Hum Along With Me.” In addition to Wallace’s many local solo appearances, she is also frequently tapped to sit in with other bands and has a new project called the Sleepy Rubies with her sister Ali. In other words, if you go out to see music on any given night, there’s a good chance you might run into Emily Wallace’s voice. For that, we are all very lucky. – jeremy essig
MISS MOLLY SIMMS Classifying Miss Molly Simms as a “singer/songwriter” is a bit of a misnomer. While she is certainly gifted in the two components from which the term is derived, the genre brings to mind a quiet artist confessing her feelings to the sounds of acoustic guitar. With her second album, 2015’s One Way Ticket, Simms’ crunchy
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guitar, snarl and sass showed that a singer/songwriter could also be bold, loud and angry (and accompanied by a pretty great backing band). Borrowed or Sold, Simms’ newest EP, was released in April. It begins with a bit more swing than its predecessor, but by the third track’s driving drum beat, Miss Molly Simms reminds us she’s not your usual singer/songwriter, softly expressing lament and regret. Her music has way too much power and attitude to be relegated to a corner. – jeremy essig
SHARON HAZEL TOWNSHIP Previously based out of San Diego, Sharon Hazel Township brings a jazz-folk sensibility and sound to its increasingly frequent performances around town. Sometimes solo, sometimes as a band, the Township connects with anyone who digs both the poppy introspection of David Gray, the punk politics of Ani DiFranco and the fluid soul of Bill Withers. Though frontwoman Sharon Hazel is a gifted multi-instrumentalist, she most often straps on an acoustic guitar to challenge listeners with songs charting the ambiguities of gender and love and ultimately wins them over with her earnest voice and always graceful melodies. – roy kasten
SUZIE CUE Don’t expect polish and politeness from singer-songwriter Suzie Cue. She may fit loosely into the folk genre, but her strummy tunes have more bite than bittersweetness. The nihilistic edge of songs like “Don’t Mean Anything” recall the darkest of Liz Phair demos, while “Karma Is a Bitch (And So Am I)” makes for a slab of thick ‘90s grunge delivered with a bluesy snarl. Sometimes backed by the Terrible 2s (aka Dave Anson on bass and Steve Lickenbrock on drums), sometimes engaging audiences solo, Suzie Cue tackles thorny topics with plenty of wit and even more honesty in her music. – roy kasten
ZAK MARMALEFSKY Zak Marmalefsky could be called the new and improved weirdo Sinatra. With chord progressions that suddenly take a hard left turn, whip-smart words and a tongue-in-cheek tone delivered with a warm velvety baritone, he’s both vaguely familiar and completely original. Whatever initial strangeness you may find in his presentation, the music itself is truly beautiful. Marmalefsky has made
Funky Butt Brass Band | COREY WOODRUFF 100 or so songs digitally available for listeners; with recordings dating as far back as 2011, he’s showed no signs of slowing down his output any time soon. Whether he’s waltzing or marching through the set, Marmalefsky has the capability to charm and maintain engagement not only with his work, but with his audience.
all before his 30th birthday. On a track like “Oliver Sain’s 3 a.m. Soul Serenade,” Holliday pays tribute not only to the great St. Louis legend but to the very experience of living and playing in a vibrant musical city.
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How did St. Louis exist so long without a true, bonafide New Orleans-style brass band? Since Funky Butt Brass Band came on the scene, it’s been impossible to miss the six-headed beast. At parades, at barbecues, at community radio festivals and especially at a certain oyster bar on Broadway, Funky Butt is a steady-gigging presence that references its Crescent City inspiration, but infuses plenty of 314-specific funkiness as well. Credit the oft-theatrical vocalizations of members Tim Halpin, Adam Hucke and Aaron Chandler for the band’s never-the-same-set-twice bravado, but recognize that “brass” is in the band name for a reason: These cats can blow. – christian schaeffer
melinda cooper
SOUL/FUNK AL HOLLIDAY AND THE EAST SIDE RHYTHM BAND You’ll find no shortage of local musicians who can tell you of St. Louis’ long musical tradition; hell, pick a bar in Soulard or on Broadway and you can hear them sing the city’s history right to you. But it’s rare that a talent as young as Al Holliday can encompass both tradition and invention. As the force behind Al Holliday and the East Side Rhythm Band, the pianist, guitarist and singer writes original soul-andR&B inspired music, and orchestrates his vision with an eight-member band,
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christian schaeffer
FUNKY BUTT BRASS BAND
HAZARD TO YA BOOTY Since the early 2000s, Hazard to Ya
Booty has been cooking up a genre it calls “crunch funk.” In other words, it don’t mean shit if it ain’t got that grit. Led by charismatic belter Ryan Stewart, the band always lets the horns punch, the guitars slink and the rhythms ride through the straight-ahead funk of James Brown, the gnarlier jams of George Clinton and the hard grooves of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. But Hazard to Ya Booty isn’t a funk-rock cover band. The group’s originals have authority and hooks that grow stronger with every sweaty set. – roy kasten
RHYTHM SECTION ROADSHOW Andy Coco doles out the funky soul and the soulful funk each Friday afternoon on KDHX’s Rhythm Section, his twohour block of music from old and new masters of the form. And while you can find Coco holding down the low end with everyone from Cree Rider to the Stones tribute Street Fighting Band, his Rhythm Section Road Show lets him align some local superstars in rotating casts. A recent gig opening for Snarky Puppy organist Cory Henry found Coco playing alongside longtime associate
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Nathan Hershey on keyboard, Charlie Cerpa on sax, Pete Lombardo on drums and Mike Murano on guitar. Whatever the lineup, the Rhythm Section Road Show members are always true guardians of the groove.
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christian schaeffer
SOUTHERN EXPOSURE Daryl Hall recently offered sage advice to anyone tempted by the concept of “cultural appropriation”: “Shut the fuck up.” He might have added, “And get rid of all your Rolling Stones records while you’re at it.” It’s tiresome to point out that white dudes can play the blues (and soul and funk and jazz) if they have the talent and the work ethic to back up the style. Featuring down-home R&B keyboardist Al Holliday, guitarist Neil Salsich, bassist John Hussung, drummer Mike Murano and sax man Charlie Cerpa, Southern Exposure specializes in the sounds of the Crescent City, pushing the tunes of Allen Toussaint and the Meters into somewhat jammy but always soulful directions. This quintet isn’t appropriating anything; every show is a dance-floorfilling, Big Easy-style party.
JUNE 15-21, 2016
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roy kasten
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LIVE AND LET DIE
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WEEK OF JUNE 15-21
From this Day Forward explores love in an unconventional marriage. | COURTESY OF THE FILMMAKER.
BY PAUL FRISWOLD
FRIDAY 06/17 From This Day Forward How much can children ever know about their parents’ emotional lives? Filmmaker Karen Shattuck was compelled to dig into her parents’ relationship as her own wedding day approached. When she was in middle school, her father announced to the family that he was transgender and would live as Tricia. Now an adult, Shattuck finally asks her mother Marcia how she and Tricia navigated the change and emerged still together and in love. The resulting documentary, From This Day Forward, is about how real love transcends all difficulties. The Webster Film Series screens From This Day Forward at 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday (June 17 to 19) at Webster
University’s Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood Avenue; www. webster.edu/film-series). Tickets are $4 to $6.
An Inspector Calls English playwright J.B. Priestley went after the hypocrisy of the comfortable middle class in his drama An Inspector Calls. On the night Arthur Birling should be celebrating the engagement of his daughter Sheila, who is marrying the son of his business rival, he is instead answering a series of probing questions delivered by the dogged Inspector Goole. Goole believes that all of the people at Sheila’s engagement party are somehow responsible for the suicide of Eva Smith, a young working-class girl. The more Goole probes, the more proof he finds of both families’ cruelty and callousness. Act Inc presents An Inspec-
tor Calls at 8 p.m. Friday (June 17 and 24), 2 p.m. Saturday (June 18 and 25) and 2 p.m. Sunday (June 25) at Lindenwood University’s J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts (2300 West Clay Street; www.actincstl.com). Tickets are $10 to $20.
SATURDAY 06/18 Grow If foodie culture has an upside, it’s that more people care now about where the origins of the food they eat. So where does our food come from? This question and many others are answered in the new exhibition Grow, which opens Saturday, June 18, at the Saint Louis Science Center (5050 Oakland Avenue; www.slsc.org). The former site of the Exploradome is now a series of educational stations that riverfronttimes.com
explain everything from water conservation and the basics of botany to the care and feeding (and milking) of animals at the Animal Corral (which will have visiting livestock on select days). Grow also welcomes a series of visiting artists who have reinvented the chicken coop and created a system of condos for bees. Grow will be a permanent exhibition at the Science Center, and admission is free.
Return of Contamination For a while there it looked like Contamination was dead, and maybe it was. But the convention devoted to horror, sci-fi and pop culture has risen to stalk the land once again. The Return of Contamination features a
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CALENDAR Continued from pg 37 from ever crossing paths and he’s in the money. Richard Bean’s musical comedy One Man, Two Guvnors is an adaptation of Carlo Goldoni’s The Servant of Two Masters, and was a big success in the West End and on Broadway during its initial run thanks to James Corden’s portrayal of Francis. Fathom Events presents an encore screening of a 2011 performance at 7 p.m. tonight at the Wehrenberg Des Peres 14 Cine (12701 Manchester Road, Des Peres; www. fathomevents.com). Tickets are $18.
Lyndon Barrois, Jr.’s Of Color is the backdrop for The Colored Museum. | DAVID JOHNSON dealers’ room, film screenings, a midnight seance and a host of special guest stars who will sign autographs and pose for pictures. Most of the surviving cast of the original Battlestar Galactica (Dirk Benedict, Richard Hatch, Herbert Jefferson, Jr., Annie Lockhart and Jack Stauffer) is scheduled to attend, as are stuntman Jim Winburn and porn star Seka. The con is on from 4 to 9 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday (June 17 to 19) at the Stratford Inn (800 South Highway Drive, Fenton; www.contamination.com). Tickets are $15 to $65.
SUNDAY 06/19 St. Lou Fringe Artist Salon The St. Lou Fringe Fest is still a few months away, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a little outre entertainment right now. The St. Lou Fringe Artist Salon is a celebration of new artistic exploration. Local and national artists will be paired together to create new, collaborative works on the spot right before your eyes. Some of the performers meet each other for the very first time on stage. The St. Lou Fringe Artist Salon takes place from 7 to 9 p.m. tonight at a secret location that is only revealed when you buy your $10 ticket, which is available through www.stlfringe.com. 38
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MONDAY 06/20 The Colored Museum George C. Wolfe caught Americans unaware with his “exorcism and party,” The Colored Museum. The play comprises eleven sketches that do everything from skewering the black mammy stereotype to confronting the mysteries of black women’s hair to dealing with the unshakeable nature of personal history. Twenty years later, the play still retains its power. The Black Rep and the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (3750 Washington Boulevard; www.camstl.org) join forces to present a staged reading of The Colored Museum at 7 p.m. tonight, with CAM’s current exhibitions serving as backdrop. Admission is free.
TUESDAY 06/21 One Man, Two Guvnors Can a man live a happy life with two bosses? No, and that’s why polygamy’s illegal. But there are always those who must beat on against the current. Francis Henshall is one of ‘em. Recently booted from his skiffle band, Francis takes a job minding a no-account hood, Roscoe Crabbe. He also picks up work from Stanley Stubbers, a big-time criminal. All Francis has to do is keep these two
WEDNESDAY 06/22 Self-Taught Genius The art world is a vast organism that eventually absorbs and repurposes all ideas, even those of non-artists. While outsider artists — those who are not classically trained but still make visual art — were by definition outside the world of galleries and museums during their lifetimes, the establishment has embraced their work as a valid and even important development. Self-Taught Genius: Treasures from the American Folk Art Museum, the new exhibit at the Saint Louis Art Museum in Forest Park (314-721-0072 or www. slam.org), showcases the breadth and depth of non-traditional work throughout American history. The exhibit’s organizers at the American Folk Art Museum break down practitioners into seven categories, from Reformers (those who sought to change the world with their output) to Encoders (artists whose work defies understanding by choice). Self-Taught Genius showcases more than 100 objects that span the length of American history, from colonial times to the present. The exhibit is open Tuesday through Sunday (June 19 to September 11). Tickets are $6 to $12 but free on Friday. 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 (314-754-6416) 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
[REVIEW]
Which Is Worse: Insurance Companies, or Warcraft? (It’s Warcraft) Written by
ROBERT HUNT A Monster with a Thousand Heads
Directed by Rodrigo Plá. Written by Laura Santullo. Starring Jana Raluy and Sebastián Aguirre. Opens Friday, June 17, at the Landmark Tivoli Theatre.
Warcraft
Directed by Duncan Jones. Written by Duncan Jones, Charles Leavitt and Chris Metzen. Starring Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton and Dominic Cooper. Now showing at multiple locations.
T
here is nothing particularly remarkable about Sonia Bonet, the protagonist of Rodrigo Plá’s unexpectedly low-key crime film A Monster With a Thousand Heads. While caring for her seriously ill husband, Sonia loses her patience with disinterested doctors and an uncooperative health-care system and decides to force her position, confronting the officers of her insurance providers at gunpoint to demand treatment. Though its plot can be reduced to the elements of a modest crime drama (desperate armed woman takes hostage), Plá’s film, based on a novel by Laura Santullo, takes an unusual approach, cautiously avoiding the violence and tension you’d expect from such a story. It’s an anti-thriller in which everyday frustrations take precedence over violent actions. It begins, deceptively, with an emphasis on the bland details of everyday life, the daily routine of dealing with a serious illness: waiting rooms, bored receptionists, reams of paperwork. Even as Sonia
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Travis Fimmel and Paula Patton in Warcraft. | © UNIVERSAL PICTURES decides to act, the tone remains calm and deliberate. This isn’t the story of an outlaw fighting the system or an urban vigilante; it’s about a woman trying very hard to keep her world in balance. The masterfully understated performance of Jana Raluy gives the character a nervous spontaneity but never loses sight of her humanity. Playing against expectations, Plá’s brief film (a fast-paced 74 minutes) turns the conventions of crime dramas upside down. It’s an elliptical film in which the events on screen, contrasted with aural flash-forwards from Sonia’s criminal trial, don’t always make immediate sense. (At one point, the film digresses so widely that I thought a reel had been inadvertently left out.) Major actions — gunfire, for example — are kept off screen or given so little visual impact that they become almost secondary to the emotions of the characters. In a clever inversion of generic spectacle, Plá’s wide-screen compositions have a casual, almost accidental quality. Characters are often kept out of frame or even out of focus, forcing the viewer to follow them.
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The story may seem simple, but Plá expects the viewer to put its pieces together. There is, of course, a bigger statement in A Monster With a Thousand Heads, handled with admirable intelligence. This is undeniably a message movie about bureaucracy, health care and corruption, without reducing those issues to heavy-handed statements or unrealistic platitudes. (I have no idea if those things are any better or worse in Mexico than anywhere else, but conditions will be familiar to anyone who has ever tried to navigate the phone system of a health provider.) Plá and Santullo (who adapted her own novel) aim wide but never lose perspective. They encourage the viewer to question the system by showing us a woman already being submerged in it. Worlds away from Plá’s film in content, style and sensibility, Duncan Jones’ tedious Warcraft, based on a popular line of video games, fantasy novels, comic books, action figures and whatever else open the wallets of the fanboy market, raises the question, “Is it possible to make
a good film from a video game?” and answers it with a second one: “Why would anyone want to?” Despite a few promising 3-D effects, Jones’ film is 123 minutes of almost relentless ugliness, with dreary characters (fantasy stereotypes, all) casting spells, unleashing evil forces and fighting — but mostly just fighting. The plot, in the loosest sense of the word, involves a race of Shreklike folks called orcs who are leaving their ravaged home and taking over a land of storybook humans — a good king, a feisty hero, a couple of wizards, and the now-requisite pastel-skinned half-human, halforc warrior woman. There’s a fighting golem who is given 100 minutes of build-up and about three minutes of screen time. There’s a cameo by Glenn Close that may mean something to someone who’s read all the novels or played all the games but serves no other purpose in the film whatsoever. And finally, there’s a mysterious (i.e., confusing) force called “the fel,” which the Bad Orc uses to drain the life out of anyone who gets in the way. Think of it as a metaphor for the film itself. n
IN LOVING MEMORY OF THE LIVES LOST IN ORLANDO THIS FATEFUL DAY, JUNE 12, 2016
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THE ARTS
Titania (Nancy Anderson) catches Bottom (Stephen Pilkington) in her web. | J. DAVID LEVY [ S TA G E ]
Dream a Little Dream Shakespeare Festival St. Louis presents a captivating Midsummer Night’s Dream in Forest Park Written by
PAUL FRISWOLD A Midsummer Night’s Dream Written by William Shakespeare Directed by Rick Dildine
I
t was a typical St. Louis night in June, with blistering heat fighting sweltering humidity for the right to squeeze the life out of you. And yet the crowd at Friday night’s performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream was massive, stretching right up to the top of Shakespeare Glen. It was your typical opening night audience,
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lively and appreciative despite the weather. But this wasn’t opening night — Midsummer is in its second week, and it’s still packing ‘em in. That’s a testament to the work done by Shakespeare Festival St. Louis and artistic director Rick Dildine, and a credit to the company’s reputation as a crowd-pleaser. And make no mistake: In spite of the oppressive weather, the crowd was pleased. And how could we not be? This Midsummer (directed with panache by Dildine) is a feast for the senses. Scenic designer Scott C. Neale’s set includes a forest backdrop with doors cunningly hidden from the ground up into the treetops, and a walkway that wraps around the stage proper and empties into a slightly lower and smaller fore stage. That last bit can be problematic, because if you’re sitting more than halfway up the hill you can only see the heads of the tallest actors when they use the small stage — even if you’re in a chair. You’ll want to see these actors, because costume designer Dottie Marshall Englis has created a bo-
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nanza of color and texture. Our young Athenian lovers Hermia (Cassia Thompson) and Helena (Rachel Christopher) wear breezy summer dresses of pink lemonade and traditional lemonade, respectively. The fairies who bedevil them in the woods are garbed in fantastic and colorful outfits that would not be out of place at a Venetian carnival. And beautiful Titania (the seductively regal Nancy Anderson) wears a brilliant sapphire gown made of roughly an acre of shimmering material, with a slit up to her thigh. As visually appealing as the show is, though, what makes it sing are the twin talents of Cassia Thompson and Rachel Christopher. Both have wonderful, distinctive voices, and they use them entirely in service of the text. Whether professing their love for their beaus, or hurling insults at one another or rolling around the stage punching and being dragged off each other — they never strain nor reach for the rhyme. Both of them are sublime. This is how Shakespeare should sound: alive, melodious and entrancing.
If there is a flaw in the show, it is that Pyramus and Thisbe, the playwithin-the-play performed by the rude mechanicals, goes on too long (and is mostly unseen because of the aforementioned sightline issue). The reasoning behind its lengthy inclusion is clear: When you pair a timeless comedy bit written by a genius with a handful of the city’s most talented actors (Jerry Vogel, Reginald Pierre, Alan Knoll), the temptation to luxuriate in it is surely too strong to resist. But after seeing their rehearsals and the prologue that lays out everything that’s about to happen, actually watching the performance is a bit of burden, made heavier by dint of it no longer being a surprise. (Although Paul Cerighino’s Theseus makes it go down smoother; the posh ennui heavy in his voice when the gang inquires how he likes it is perfection.) Still, minor quibbles. You can’t beat the heat, so get out there and enjoy it while you can. Summer doesn’t last forever, and neither will this midsummer dream. n
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Gardell played Chicago police officer Mike Biggs on Mike & Molly. He also made an appearance in a dozen episodes of My Name Is Earl as a police officer. Gardell voiced Santa in Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas, as well as starring on Sullivan & Son in the recurring role of Lyle Winkler.
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The staff of The Riverfront Times would like to offer sincere condolences to the family and many friends of
Shawn Jacobs
and the extended Cicero’s family.
Rest in peace Shawn, you were respected and loved.
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Peno’s gemelli ragu, eggplant involtini, “Giuseppe” pizza and seafood pizza. | MABEL SUEN
[REVIEW]
The Italian Job Pepe Kehm’s new restaurant brings the robust flavors of Calabria to Clayton Written by
CHERYL BAEHR Peno 7600 Wydown Boulevard, Clayton; 314-8999699. Tues.-Sat. 11 a.m.-10 p.m. (Closed Sundays and Mondays.)
P
epe Kehm seemed almost apologetic as he placed a few small, empty water glasses before us and twisted open our bottle of wine. “I don’t want you to think that we don’t have real wine glasses,”
he explained. “We just like to do things country-style here — you know, like they do back in Calabria.” Kehm was chatting about the bottle of rustic Sicilian red we’d ordered, but he may as well have been talking about Peno itself. Since opening the tiny trattoria in the Moorlands neighborhood of Clayton this past January, the veteran restaurateur has made it his mission to show St. Louis diners what it is like to dine in Italy’s southern tip. Let those wine glasses be your first indication. Italy’s “dirty south” is about as far removed from proper glassware and Ferragamo pumps as it is from Timbuktu. It’s brash. It’s low-key. Conversations usually involve someone yelling. And if you close your eyes and breathe in the aroma of fresh squid simmering in garlic coming from Peno’s
kitchen, it’s about as gloriously real in this little strip mall off Wydown as it is on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Kehm would know. The chef traces his family roots back to Calabria, Sardinia and Sicily. He’s been working in Italian restaurants around town since he was a twelve-year-old boy washing fishbowls at Rigazzi’s. He parlayed the cooking techniques he learned from his mom into a robust career, running a variety of restaurants including Felix’s in Dogtown, Eros Eclectic Greek Taverna and two iterations of Spaghetteria Mamma Mia. When the former Pizzino space came available in Clayton’s Moorlands, however, Kehm finally saw an opportunity to move forward with a concept worthy of his grandfather’s moniker (or at least nickname — as a little boy, Kehm couldn’t pronounce riverfronttimes.com
“Giuseppino” and shortened it). He transformed the former fast-casual pizzeria into a cozy self-described “Italian soul food” spot with butcher paper-covered tables, warm green walls, a chalkboard advertising the day’s specials and a hydroponic grow wall with fresh herbs that looks like it could have been lifted from a newly-legal establishment in Colorado. With the exception of a few dishes, Peno’s menu is what you’d expect to be served if you were a guest in someone’s Calabrian beach house. Mussels fra diavolo pairs the fresh bivalves with delicate, chili-spiked tomato sauce that begs to be soaked up scarpetta-style with a slice of housemade crusty bread. The same sauce accents sautéed calamari. Served without breading in all of its tentacled beauty, the appetizer is a far cry Continued on pg 46
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PENO Continued from pg 45 from the deep-fried rings you’ll find on most menus. The taste of the sea is strong — not from a lack of freshness but rather the restaurant’s refusal to cover up the squid’s essence with seasoned batter and marinara. If you go to Italy and order calamari, this is what you’ll be served. For the eggplant involtini first course, Kehm stuffs thin slices of the meaty vegetable with housemade ricotta, dredges them in pistachio-accented breadcrumbs and smothers them in tomato sauce. The result is a simmering cauldron of cream and sweet tomatoes that can make you forget there is such a thing as eggplant parmesan. When Kehm took over the restaurant from Pizzino, he inherited the pizza ovens. Thankfully, he seems to have inherited the former tenant’s pizza-making prowess, too. Peno offers a handful of versions and buildyour-own options on a choice of either “Calabrese Americano” thin-style or thick Sicilian-style crust. The “Giuseppe,” which I ordered thin, pairs fennel-flecked sausage with fresh fennel, pine nuts and raisins that mitigate the meat’s spice. Molten ricotta and mozzarella blanket the decadent pie in richness. The “Sicilian” pizza was no less excellent. On the “Roberto,” the crunchy, focaccia-like crust is doused in brown butter and layered with sliced potatoes, wild mushrooms, fontina and goat cheeses then sprinkled with pistachio breadcrumbs. I had assumed Naples had the market cornered on pizza, but this Sicilian marvel made me think twice.
The culinary team at Peno consists of Pepe Kehm, Vince Anderson and Greg Oberbeck. | MABEL SUEN Peno’s entree list is fairly small, bolstered with several daily specials. On one visit I tried the seafood fra diavolo, which was what you might be served at a beachside trattoria after a day of sailing in Sardinia: Mussels, squid, whitefish and shrimp infuse silken pasta and a light, white wine tomato broth with salty sea flavor. A red snapper filet did just as well in demonstrating the kitchen’s comfort with seafood. The light fish was encrusted with herbs, pan-seared and paired simply with rice and sautéed vegetables — all meant to enhance the flavor of the sea rather than covering it up. Veal scaloppini, a nod to the north of Italy, was tender, though the breadcrumb coating had a mushy texture. Chicken cannelloni, baked in a tomato sauce
that could have been made at the hands of nonna herself, had a similar texture problem. The baked gemelli ragu was a better showpiece for the sauce. Pork, chicken and beef are slow simmered with tomatoes, resulting in a concoction so meaty, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was pulled pork. A dollop of housemade ricotta melts over the top of the pasta, mingling with the sauce to form a creamy meat and tomato gravy. It’s otherworldly. As is traditional in Italian dining, Peno offers a selection of contorini, or side dishes. Calabrese-style spinach underwhelmed as a non-creamy version of creamed spinach. The herb-crusted Italian potatoes and tomato sauce-coated roasted cauliflower both were better options. Ironically, the biggest ding
against Peno is something that is a not-uncommon occurrence when dining out in the old country. On both of my visits (spaced well apart from one another), the restaurant was out of several items. Specials advertised on the chalkboard were not available, the menu’s lamb dish was sold out on both occasions and the server looked at me like I had two heads each time I asked about the bourbon slush prominently advertised at the front counter. If you’ve ever waited for a scheduled bus on the streets of Naples that never shows up, you know this is about as Italian as it gets. I may not have gotten to fill up on those promised dishes, but that gave me extra room for Peno’s excellent cannoli. The sweetened ricotta-filled pastries are the best versions I’ve had in town. Even they don’t hold a candle to the ice cream sandwich, though. Housemade fig and cherry gelato is placed between two pizzelle, or Italian waffle cookies. The gelato alone would have been a showstopper. Somehow, Kehm has turned something with the mouthfeel of butter into a refreshing treat. As we were reveling in the gelato on the patio, Kehm stopped by for a chat about the southwestern coast of Italy’s toe. “That’s where the Italians go for vacation,” he noted. “The other parts of the country — Amalfi, Tuscany — those are where the tourists go, but Calabria is for Italians.” Again, I thought, he could be talking about Peno. n Peno
Eggplant involtini.......................... $8.50 “Roberto” Sicilian thick crust pizza ............................ $18 Baked gemelli ragu (full order) ................................ $12.95
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SHORT ORDERS
[EXPERT OPINION]
Colleen Clawson’s Guide to Mckinley Heights Written by
CHERYL BAEHR
C
hef Colleen Clawson has been a longtime resident of St. Louis’ south side, but she didn’t feel fully at home until she moved to McKinley Heights. Tucked east of Jefferson between Highway 44 and Benton Park, the small neighborhood gets overshadowed by its neighbors in Lafayette Square, Benton Park and Cherokee Street. But that, says Clawson, only makes it a hidden gem. “People take walks around the neighborhood, and you see people walking out and about talking to each other much more than I have experienced in other neighborhoods,” Clawson explains. “It’s just more friendly here. There are a lot of families, and the kids and parents all know each other.” Clawson, who operates the neighborhood’s tiny breakfast and lunch spot Milque Toast Bar (2212 S. Jefferson Avenue, 314-833-0085) with business partners Amanda Geimer and Rachel Moeller, moved to the area six years ago. Since then, she has seen many changes. “I’ve seen it completely blossom in the time I’ve been here,” she says. “When I got here it was pretty deserted. There was a string of buildings that weren’t occupied at all. Now, there is so much going on, but there is still that opportunity to get an old building and really do something with it.” So what makes it so special? Clawson shares some of her favorite spots that make McKinley
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Colleen Clawson (far right) with Rachel Moeller and Amanda Geimer, her partners at Milque Toast Bar. | MABEL SUEN
Heights such a colorful part of St. Louis. McKinley Meadows 2257 Missouri Avenue Clawson sees the McKinley Meadows community garden as the anchor of the neighborhood. Open to anyone — not just residents — the garden is much more than a place to grow produce. “There’s a paper-making garden; we do poetry readings, workshops and all sorts of events here,” Clawson explains. “It’s definitely my favorite thing about the neighborhood.” Spare No Rib 2200 Gravois Avenue, #101; 314202-8244 “I think this place is one of the town’s unsung heroes,” says Clawson. “The owners are also involved with Bar Italia and the Spare No Rib location in the Central West End. They do a brunch thing called Egg and have this dish called chakchouka that is kind of like a tagine — it’s this tangy vegetable stew with eggs on top. It’s to die for.” The Way Out Club 2525 S. Jefferson Avenue; 314-6647638 “If you are feeling even remotely
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punk rock, this is the place to go,” Clawson says. “You can still see rowdy shows here. It’s like stepping into a time machine. My grandfather used to have a coin-operated machine business on the south side and they have some of his old machines in the basement.” Fritanga 2208 S. Jefferson Avenue; 314-6647777 “Do you know about the guacamole here?” Clawson asks of the neighborhood’s Nicaraguan restaurant. “They put eggs in it. No matter what kind of mood I am in I can always manage some of that, as well as their gallo pinto. I cover it in tons of chimichurri. My son eats it by the spoonful.” Keypers Piano Bar 2280 S. Jefferson Avenue; 314-6646496 “This is one of the city’s most spectacular bars that no one knows about,” Clawson shares. “It’s a piano bar and they sing show tunes nightly. There’s this woman there named Patty. She plays the piano and knows every song you could imagine. I don’t know how she n does it.”
[FIRST LOOK]
SCARLETT’S WINE BAR OPENS IN THE CENTRAL WEST END Written by
SARAH FENSKE
I
f you think Sasha’s is sexy, you ought to see her little sister. The newest spot to open in the Central West End, Scarlett’s Wine Bar (4253 Laclede Avenue), is the younger sibling to the muchloved Sasha’s Wine Bar, which has locations on both Shaw Boulevard and DeMun. Co-owners Alan Richman and Rachel Jones also claim as their progeny the DeMun Oyster Bar — and they’ve imbued all four establishments with striking looks and a vibe that’s equally good for lingering over a bottle of wine or grabbing a bite to eat. But Scarlett’s has something altogether new, and we’re not just talking about that gorgeous street-facing patio. It boasts a fancy pizza oven, imported from Continued on pg 50
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SCARLETT’S WINE BAR Continued from pg 48
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Healdsburg, California, and capable of roaring past 800 degrees. And so instead of flatbread pizzas like at Sasha’s, the pies Chef Nick Puccio fires up here are the real thing, with those perfectly charred crust seldom seem outside Naples (or, OK, California). “The kitchen is definitely more robust,” he says. “That oven is a game-changer.” The dough is being made in-house, too. The menu includes a half-dozen options for sandwiches or salads, as well as charcuterie boards, cheese plates and noshes including olives and hummus. If you want to really indulge, there’s a grilled tenderloin steak or New Zealand lamb chops, though neither will set you back more than $24. But you don’t have to feel like dinner to be happy here. Scarlett’s is a pizza place, yes, but it’s no pizzeria. Like its sisters, it’s first and foremost a wine bar. Manager Tim McAndrew says the menu features twenty bottles of red and twenty of white, along with nearly a dozen rosés and some sparkling options, too. You can peruse lengthy descriptions in the iPad-style menus — or just take a cue from the decor and order a bottle of the Scarlet Hexflame. A rosé from the Columbia Valley featuring a redhead on the label, several cases’ worth have been given prominent placement behind the bar. Tributes to wine are everywhere at Scarlett’s: Long shelves of bottles provide a smart background to the tables in the back half of the room, which faces the open kitchen.
In the front, old wine crates form a wooden mural on the walls, while mismatched mid-century lighting gives a soft glow. Even the back wall pays homage to wine: It’s papered in neat rows of old corks. Beer lovers aren’t out of luck, though. You can get Civil Life’s American Brown Ale on tap, or Perennial’s Hopfentea, or even a “gin botanical” from Seattle. There are another sixteen options in bottles, as well as a brief cocktail list. The idea is to be a bit more appealing to non-oenophiles than Sasha’s. “Not everyone comes with a friend who also wants a glass of wine,” McAndrew observes. Jones and Richman have brought over service professionals from their other spots to run Scarlett’s — both McAndrew and co-manager Logan Cochran are Sasha’s veterans. Puccio, too, previously was chef at DeMun Oyster Bar and manager at Sasha’s on Shaw. It’s a good thing they know the drill. After opening officially last Thursday, the weekend was anything but soft. “By the final week before opening, we had dozens of people stopping by asking when we’d be opening,” McAndrew says. “The excitement is definitely there.” Scarlett’s will be open from 11 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to midnight on Sunday. The kitchen will open every night but Sunday until 1 a.m. “We like to be the neighborhood option for late-night food,” McAndrew says. n
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[FIRST LOOK]
Vista Brings Creative Noodles to Cherokee Written by
KAVAHN MANSOURI
C
herokee Street received a blast of Asian flavor May 30 when Vista Ramen (2609 Cherokee Street, 314-797-8250) held its grand opening after three years of preparation. Its building, located next to Foam, was formerly Labeebee’s Middle Eastern Cuisine before Mud House owners Jeremy and Casey Miller and chef Chris Bork began to make plans for a ramen shop. Bork, who formerly worked as the executive chef at both Mud House and Blood and Sand, says creating a ramen-based menu wasn’t his dream so much as something he thought Cherokee might need. “It was more about what would work well on the street. What the neighborhood would like,” Bork says. “What does Cherokee Street need and want right now? It’s something different.” Vista’s interior is sleek and slim. The dining area has a humble amount of tables and several seats at the ramen bar, which works as both an eating area and observation deck into the kitchen. The restaurant’s western wall, which used to face an empty lot, is decorated with an old bank advertisement. The bar, where sake cups and drinks line the
Noodle dishes include “the Vista,” which comes with pork belly. | KAVAHN MANSOURI/CASEY MILLER shelves, is also tucked away on that wall. Most of the decorations and tables, as well as several other items in the restaurant, were made locally by friends of the Vista team, says general manager Aaron Stovall. Every bowl in the shop was made by a personal friend of the Millers.
While ramen’s roots are Japanese, Vista’s menu isn’t based off any one cuisine, Bork says. Rather than strive for authenticity, he wanted the freedom to add his own touch to each of the restaurant’s dishes. “I felt comfortable with the idea of ramen because I’ve been making stocks and sauces for a very long
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time,” Bork says. “We felt like we could do it in a way that is respectable to what ramen is but kind of put our own twist on it.” Vista offers three types of ramen: “the Vista” (pork belly, egg, scallion, nori and sesame), the veggie (miso roasted carrot, daikon, egg, scallion, coconut schmaltz) and the spicy shrimp (shrimp cake, egg, chili paste, scallion and fava beans). The menu also offers seven small plates (including kimchi pancakes and Korean fried chicken sliders), three sides and three dessert dishes. The features a trio of sake options in addition to beer and cocktails. Stovall, who runs the front end of the house, says many of the cocktails are based off what Bork’s kitchen provides the bar. He hopes to add more choices of sake as time goes on. “We’re kind of leaning toward the side of simplicity,” Stovall says. “Kind of trying to expand the sake game a little bit. We’re pushing towards new and interesting stuff.” And the menu isn’t the only part of Vista that shows the team’s hard work. While contractors were also involved, the Vista team pitched in on construction, breaking concrete and digging holes in the basement to get the plumbing properly installed. “We all put in a tremendous amount of work, some of us more in the construction part,” Bork says. “I don’t want to smash up concrete and dig three-foot holes for plumbing, but I’ll always remember that.” Bork says he is now ready for the next challenge — and he knows exactly what it is. “Now we’ve got it open and now we’ve got this other mountain to climb of making Vista successful,” Bork says. “It’s a hard transition going from doing the hardest thing you’ve probably ever done to doing the next hardest thing you’ve ever done.” n
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NIGHTLIFE [COMEDY]
Funny Lady Maria Bamford’s key to success: Work less Written by
KELSEY MCCLURE Maria Bamford
7 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. Sunday, June 19. Helium Comedy Club, 1151 St. Louis Galleria Street. $28-$36. 314-727-1260.
E
arly in the first episode of Lady Dynamite, the groundbreaking new series just released this May on Netflix, comedian Maria Bamford steps into the office of her fictionalized manager, one Bruce Ben-Bacharach (played by Fred Melamed). A portly, balding fellow, eager to please (and to show off his new “Hollywood power desk” and “sexy Hollywood power boots”), Ben-Bacharach is ready to help Bamford grab her career by the horns after a sixmonth reprieve. “Now that you’re back in town, you tell me exactly what you want to do,” he says. “TV show, movie, world comedy tour — and I’m gonna take a real shot at getting it for you.” Shaking her head as he speaks, Bamford answers cautiously. “I would like to do less, not more,” she explains. “That’s the thing. I’m gonna be less ambitious, or maybe not ambitious anymore. I wanna work a little, but just smaller things — less pressure. Stand-up at a bookstore. Or alone in my living room. Or at a vintage eyeglass shop.” Reassuring her fretting manager that he hasn’t done anything wrong, Bamford explains her motivations: “I’m just trying to get some balance in my life.” The series, which was co-created by Mitchell Hurwitz (Arrested Development) and Pam Brady (South Park), is a surreal, boundary-busting comedy based loosely on Bamford’s real life. Heavy on flashbacks (the series takes place across three separate-but-connected timelines), it focuses on the comedian’s struggle with bipolar
Maria Bamford: “I would like to do less, not more.” | NATALIE BRASINGTON disorder and return to work in the wake of a six-month stay in recovery. The show has received heaps of praise for its portrayal of mental illness. “I may miss out on stuff because I am maybe erring on the side of — what’s that called when you lack ambition?” Bamford says during a recent telephone interview with RFT in advance of her June 19 appearance at Helium Comedy Club. “I prefer, instead of calling it lazy, to call it ‘contentment.’ I think that’s less judgmental if I use the word ‘contentment.’” Though she says that work is “a wonderful part of life,” she stresses that it “isn’t the end-all be-all.” At a time when ‘busy’ is trending, especially in the increas-
ingly multi-hyphenate entertainment world, Bamford stands out as an advocate for focusing on your mental health rather than pushing it to the brink. And with the success of the series, she just may find herself the poster child for what so many of us don’t even know we need: a work-life balance. “I think I can do about two things a day,” she says. “I have, myself, been multi-tasking a lot. But it’s like, when I have too much stuff to do, I don’t enjoy the one thing I’m doing. I’d like to enjoy at least the one thing I’m doing.” Stand-up is a physically and mentally demanding job, and the hours are wretched. Sure, it’s based on jokes — what could be so difficult about that? But the riverfronttimes.com
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job isn’t just about cracking wise on stage anymore. It’s a Netflix special or a podcast, a web series, a trending tweet or Vine, maybe even a book. You stay up late for your show, then get up early for the radio spot, or maybe even to field interviews. And each night you’re performing, you’re an amped-up version of yourself, pouring your thoughts, feelings and ideas into a microphone. Regardless of the day’s events or the amount of sleep you’ve had, you are expected to take the stage as your best possible self. It can be exhausting, and it’s no wonder Bamford prefers not to give it 110 percent. “Whatever feels good to you, do that,” she says. “There’s plenty of people who are happy and extremely work-oriented. But I’m going to hedge my bets at twenty percent.” “I’m very busy,” she adds. “Drinking coffee, getting agitated, working out and then falling asleep. That takes up at least three hours a day.” Beyond her upcoming appearance in St. Louis, the existence of Lady Dynamite could itself easily serve as contradiction to her own thesis — Bamford concedes that starring in a TV show is “one of the most ambitious things you could possibly do.” But certain accommodations made the strenuous filming schedule more bearable, including shuttle service each day to and from the set. “I didn’t have to make any decisions,” she explains. “If I didn’t come to the door, the bus driver would come to the door and knock for me and say, ‘Hey, get out of bed. Time to go.’ It was a dream come true, really.” Bamford is not shy about broaching the topic of her real-life diagnosis of bipolar II disorder in her stand-up act and through the show. The latter has been roundly celebrated for portraying mental illness in a balanced way. This was no accident. “My vision was wanting to create something about being hospitalized that’s not the endof-the-world type of thing,” she says. “It’s not that embarrassing. It doesn’t have to be embarrassing. It can be something that everybody talks about.” n
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DUTCH COURAGE: “LOUISA” H A N D S A N D F E E T: “ H OT E L” dutchcourage1978.bandcamp.com handsandfeet.bandcamp.com
F
or all the musical portmanteaux from the ‘80s and ‘90s that have come back to haunt us — “keytar” and “Jazzercize” among them — the word “cassingle” is an unlikely candidate to have reemerged. As the poor man’s version of the 45 single, with one song per side housed in a flimsy cardboard sleeve, the format was an easy way to bilk consumers out of $1.99 but never held much cachet. But now two local one-man bands seek to validate the form with recent releases. Stephen Favazza’s electro-ambient project Hands and Feet presents the songs “Hotel” and “Cascadia” as two songs in conversation with one another, and relatively recent transplant Andy Puechner introduces his act Dutch Courage with the gentle waves of “Louisa” and “Samba.” “I was gonna release it myself as a 7-inch, but the price was crazy,” says Favazza. “But I always loved cassingles growing up — I feel like those songs were the strongest songs. And that’s how I felt about these two songs.” While Favazza normally records on his own (as he did for his most recent EP, Sour Times), for these songs he turned to Sunyatta and Kevin McDermott of CaveofswordS for collaboration in recording as well as composition. Sunyatta takes the lead on “Cascadia,” having written lyrics for an instrumental by Favazza. “I love doing that kind of thing,” Favazza says of working alone, “but I felt like getting other ideas in there too. You kinda lose that whole outside influence, so recording with someone else was another good reason to do it.” Of the McDermotts, he adds, “We’ve done stuff together before, and I’ve done a handful of remixes for them. I love mixing her voice; I think her voice and lyrics are extremely moving. This one is really personal to her, the lyrical content. For her to open up like that was really incredible for me.” It’s a personal record for Favazza as well, written as he was coming out of a break-up and re-orienting himself to the world. On “Hotel,” he lets the music marinate with sinewy guitar figures, a sluggish hihat/bass drum beat and the dubby interplay of long organ chords and his signature melodica lines. It’s a moody, low-lit introduction to his sparse lyrics, which Favazza says are about “never having a solid place.” “When I add my own vocals, it’s just another layer,” he says. “It’s thicker and bigger — there is a message there, even if it’s only five words. There’s still a story. It leaves the song open to interpretation.” Like Favazza, Andy Puechner (pronounced PEEKner) of Dutch Courage turned to the cassingle format because of thrift. “It seems like the most reasonably priced physical format that is not a thumb drive,” he says. “The place that duplicated them is in Springfield, Missouri, so it’s quasi-local.” In keeping with the local spirit, Puechner enlisted local graphic artist Michelle Volansky and her Creature
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Type studio to create the colorful design and playful line drawings for the cover art, making a package as breezy and summery as the music on the blue-plastic cassette tape inside. The title of the B-Side, “Samba,” gives a generous hint as to Puechner’s approach with this release; both it and “Louisa” use what Puechner calls “a Latin feel” in composition. Both recordings, too, are largely acoustic, riding on his finger-picked classical guitar and light percussion. Puechner, who calls himself a “converted bass player,” has been making music as Dutch Courage for years, much of it self-recorded. For this single, he enlisted Glenn Burleigh to capture the initial tracks and added overdubs later. Both songs retain an airy, hand-made feel, with enough smart touches (the steel drum sound on “Louisa” or the pizzicato strings on “Samba”) to show attention to detail. While Dutch Courage has a few CDs and a slew of Soundcloud recordings to demonstrate Puechner’s proficiency, this cassingle is as good of an introduction as you could hope for an artist trying to get a foothold in the local music community. A Milwaukee native, Puechner moved to St. Louis with his wife about three years ago after a stint in New Mexico. “I blind-solicited Jason Potter about doing a show at the Heavy Anchor,” he says of his first local shows. “I said I would open for anyone, I don’t care. For the first year of playing here, I would just take anything that comes along, just for the hell of it.” The cassette release show, which took place at Foam in late May, featured an ad-hoc version of Dutch Courage in its live incarnation, with Whoa Thunder’s Brian McClelland on bass and Traveling Sound Machine’s Stephen Lickenbrock on drums. Though he had performed around Milwaukee in the past, Puechner credits his relatively new surroundings for providing a blank slate for his msuic. “I kind of spun my wheels for a long time and never accomplished much,” Puechner says. “It was good, actually, to get out of there and have a fresh start.” –Christian Schaeffer
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ANDY HUMAN AND THE REPTOIDS: W/ Shitstorm,
Get in The Grove for exciting Drinking, Dining, Dancing, & Shopping!
Fri., Aug. 5, 9 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. ANIMAL CHILDREN: W/ Frontal Lobe and The
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Saturday Brothers, Sat., Aug. 13, 9 p.m., free. Schlafly Tap Room, 2100 Locust St., St. Louis, 314-241-2337. ANYBODY BUT THE COPS: W/ the Conformists, Babe Lords, Tue., Aug. 23, 9 p.m., $5. Foam 314-772-2100. galeers, Sat., Aug. 27, 9 p.m., free. Schlafly Tap Room, 2100 Locust St., St. Louis, 314-241-2337. BILLY NELSON: Wed., July 6, 9 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100.
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BIRDCLOUD: Sat., Aug. 13, 9 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. BRAIN TRANSPLANT: Wed., July 27, 9 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. THE BROTHER BROTHERS: W/ Lonesome Cowboy, Ryan Koenig, Tortuga, TJ Miller, Mon., July 18, 9 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. BROTHER GRUESOME: W/ the Christmas Bride, Sat., July 9, 9 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. BUMMER’S EVE: Mon., Aug. 15, 9 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. BUTTERCUP: W/ Opposite Day, Pat Sajak Assassins, Fri., Aug. 26, 9 p.m., free. Schlafly Tap Room, 2100 Locust St., St. Louis, 314-241-2337. CAUSTIC CASANOVA: W/ Path of Might, the Judge, Van Buren, Mon., Aug. 1, 9 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. COP CIRCLES: Wed., Aug. 10, 9 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. DIBIASE: W/ Steel Cranes and 33 on the Needle,
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THE CLUCK NORRIS
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314-772-2100. EDEN: Tue., Sept. 27, 8 p.m., $15-$18. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. FREEDOM: W/ the Warden, Fri., July 15, 9 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. GHOST: Wed., Sept. 28, 8 p.m., $31.75/$37.25. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. GOLDEN CURLS: W/ Spectator and Hands and Feet, Fri., Sept. 2, 9 p.m., free. Schlafly Tap Room, 2100 Locust St., St. Louis, 314-241-2337. HENRY ROLLINS: Wed., Nov. 16, 8 p.m., $25. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-
r e stau r an t s 2016
6161.
WInner
Continued on pg 60
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JUNE 15-21, 2016
4317 Manchester Rd in the Grove 314.553.9252 laylastl.com RIVERFRONT TIMES
59
OUT EVERY NIGHT Continued from pg 58 HEYROCCO: W/ Modern Vices, Fri., July 1, 8 p.m., $10-$12. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353.
“St. Louis pioneers of craft beer and live music”
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FRIDAY, JUNE 17
9 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson
TH
Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100.
The Prom Kings and Great Plains Soul Rock - Show 8pm - $7 adv/$10 door
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SATURDAY, JUNE 18 TH
Deaf by Audio, Charge the Atlantic, Distrodid Rock - Show 8:30pm- $8adv/$10 door
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6/23 BATES-CD Release 6/25 Comedy with Todd Masterson & Zach Noe Towers 7/2 Discrepancies
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Steve Gunn
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9 p.m. Saturday, June 18.
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can be, he’s at his most resonant as a musician when his lyrical lines flash up against his airy melodies with a shock of recognition. On “Conditions Wild” he intones, “Feel the path and move along, the traces where you’ll go.” The trip he and his band will take you on is as good as guitar-god rock gets. Moving violation: Gunn first hit indie-rock radars as guitarist for Kurt Vile’s band the Violators. – Roy Kasten
POP EMPIRE: Thu., Aug. 4, 10 p.m., $5. Foam
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p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson
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2100.
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Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353.
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Louise Band, Thu., Aug. 11, 9 p.m., $5. Foam
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Louis, 314-772-2100.
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314-772-2100.
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p.m., $29.50-$50. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar
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314-726-6161.
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Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929.
Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-
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WE SHOULD LEAVE THIS TREE ALBUM RELEASE
2100.
Louis, 314-772-2100.
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July 30, 9 p.m., free. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359
Alex Cunningham Duo, Fri., Aug. 19, 9 p.m.,
Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis,
Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100.
free. Schlafly Tap Room, 2100 Locust St., St.
314-772-2100.
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Tap Room, 2100 Locust St., St. Louis, 314-241-
9 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson
Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis,
2337.
Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100.
314-772-2100.
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& Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-
2100 Locust St., St. Louis, 314-241-2337.
Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis,
2100.
son Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. NO THANKS: Fri., Aug. 19, 9 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, THE NOIDS: W/ Bottomfeeders, No Aloha, Art School, Wed., July 13, 9 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-7722100. PAWNS: W/ Persh, Tone Rodent, Sun., July 31, 9 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. PLEASURES: W/ Gigantic, Dad Jr, Fri., Aug. 12, 9 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson
Fri. JUNE 17 10PM
Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100.
Grammy Award Winner Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band
sat. JUNE 18 10PM Jakes Leg
wed. JUNE 22 9:30PM Voodoo Players: The Return of Bockman
thur. JUNE 23 10PM Aaron Kamm and the One Drops
Fri. JUN 24 10PM 2nd Annual Rock Paper Podcast Birthday Show with Sky Burnt White, Brother Lee and the Leather Jackals and Mathias and the Pirates
sat. JUNE 25 10PM Lil Smokies with Special Guests Cree Rider Family Band
RIVERFRONT TIMES
Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp. All ages: $12 advance; $14 day of show. 314-7733363.
Dropping the needle on Eyes on the Lines, the latest album by Steve Gunn, you might be tempted to paraphrase James Carville on Bill Clinton’s campaign strategy: “It’s the guitars, stupid.” The texture and force of Gunn’s playing — circling the tone of Jerry Garcia, aiming for the dexterity of Tom Verlaine — could easily overshadow his songwriting. But as meditative and speculative as the guitar-play
314-772-2100.
60
Steve Dunn. | CONSTANCE MENSH
son Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100.
31, 9 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jeffer-
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JUNE 15-21, 2016
riverfronttimes.com
SAVAGE LOVE DIAPERS AND PEPPERS BY DAN SAVAGE Hey, Dan: I’ve been dating a nice guy for a month or so. Sex is good, and we’re fairly compatible in other ways, too. He told me he likes to wear diapers. He said he doesn’t want me to do it with him, but that every once in a while he likes to wear them because it makes him feel “safe.” He said that this odd behavior isn’t sexual for him, but I have trouble believing him. I’m not sure how I feel about this. He also said that it embarrasses him and he wishes it wasn’t something he needed. If you have any insight into what to ask him or how to make sure I can keep him satisfied sexually as we move forward (if we do), it would be appreciated. Do I Ask Pooper Everything Respectfully, Sir? You shouldn’t assume (contra your sign-off) that Potential New Boyfriend (PNB) is pooping his diapers. Most guys who are ABDL (adult baby/ diaper lover) are interested only in wetting themselves, if that. (Some only wear, never fill.) It sounds like PNB is struggling with kink- and/ or sex-shame, DIAPERS, and the assumption you’ve made about the extent of his diaper play might put him on the defensive. Even if your assumption is accurate, it could still
put him on the defensive. Moving on… You have a hard time believing PNB when he says there’s nothing sexual about his interest in diapers, and that makes two of us. Seeing as he’s already succumbed to shame where his kink is concerned—or it might be more accurate to say he hasn’t dug himself out from under the shame almost all kinksters struggle with initially — he is very likely weighed down by the sex-negativity that comes bundled with kinkshame. So he may have told you there’s nothing sexual about his thing for diapers because he thinks it makes his diapers seem less sordid. That said, DIAPERS, “this makes me feel safe” and “this makes my dick hard” aren’t mutually exclusive phenomena. Both can be true. (And if diapers really do make adults feel safe — and I wanna see data on that — we could rebrand them as “portable individual safe spaces” and make them available at our better universities.) Another clue there’s something sexual about this thing for diapers: not wanting you around while he wears them. Maybe diapers are something he enjoys wearing during alone time, or maybe the sight of him in diapers makes the sexual aspect hard to deny. (“Is that an enormous rattle in your diaper or are you just happy to see me?”) I would advise you to say some
vaguely affirming things (“Your diaper thing doesn’t bother me, and wouldn’t even if it were sexual”) without pressuring him to include you at diaper time. Don’t rush things — relationship-wise or diaper-wise — and focus on establishing a mutually satisfying sexual rapport/repertoire. Hey, Dan: I’m an incredibly confused man in my early 20s. I’m attracted to men and women. I could see spending my life with either. But I think sexual activity with either sex would be confusing and strange. In sex ed, I always thought the whole idea of sexual intercourse was strange. I don’t think I’m asexual, but I’m not sure if I am bisexual. I am more attracted to vibrant personalities. I don’t think that I am just straight or just gay, because I have equal feelings for both sexes. Does this mean I could find equal companionship with both? Should I wait until I find the right person and decide from there?Confused About Sexuality, Help According to the Tumblr Blog Decoder Ring that came in my last box of Kellogg’s Feelios, CASH, you’re bi-classic (attracted to men and women), bi-romantic (could be with a man or a woman), a sort of demisexual/sapiosexual hybrid (demis are attracted to people they’ve bonded with emotionally, sapios are
riverfronttimes.com
61
attracted to people who are intelligent, and vibrancy may fall at some point between the two), and maybe falling somewhere on the asexuality spectrum. The best way to discover who/what works for you is to get out there. If you find yourself feeling confused, just remind yourself that confusion — like so much else — is a spectrum. And wherever you fall on it, CASH, know you’ve got plenty of company. Oh, and speaking of men in diapers, residents of Mount Prospect, Illinois, are upset about a new shop that caters to diaper lovers in their community. Tykables sells grown-upsize diapers, rocking chairs, and cribs. The Chicago Tribune reports that some residents are uncomfortable because the shop—which has no signage and soon-to- be-frosted windows—is near schools, parks, and other places where “children gather.” Mount Prospect is a suburb, so there are schools or parks near just about everything. And there’s a gun shop a couple blocks away from a large public park and an elementary school — and no one ever walked into a school and started diapering students to death. Maybe worry about the real threat to your kids, Mount Prospect? Listen to Dan’s podcast at savagelovecast.com. mail@savagelove.net @fakedansavage on Twitter
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100 Employment 105 Career/Training/Schools THE OCEAN CORP. 10840 Rockley Road, Houston, Texas 77099. Train for a new career. *Underwater Welder. Commercial Diver. *NDT/Weld Inspector. Job Placement Assistance. Financial Aid avail for those who qualify 1.800.321.0298
110 Computer/Technical Data Warehouse and Analytics Developer (ETL/Informatica) Ascension Health-IS, Inc. is seeking a Data Warehouse and Analytics Developer (ETL/Informatica) in St. Louis, Missouri to code design and development on the data warehouse/analytics Extract Transform Load (ETL) toolset, Informatica PowerCenter; support Informatica toolset; participate in testing (e.g. user acceptance testing, unit, system, regression, integration testing); troubleshoot applications and datasets; monitor and maintain installed systems. Contact Jenna Mihm, Vice President Legal Services & Associate General Counsel, Ascension Health, 4600 Edmundson Road, St. Louis, MO 63134, 314-733-8692, Jenna. Mihm@ascensionhealth.org To apply for this position, please reference Job Number 09.
120 Drivers/Delivery/Courier
H DRIVERS NEEDED ASAP H
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
155 Medical Research Studies Associate Director (R&D – Generic Products) Oversee chem. research in pharm. lab. for des./dev. of generic equiv. drugs, incl. oral solid dosage form equiv. U.S. Ph.D. (Pharmacy) degree or foreign equiv. req’d. 2 years’ exp. in research pos’n(s) w/ pharm. company(ies) w/ des./ dev. of generic equiv. req’d. Prior exp. must incl. des./ dev. of oral solid dosage form generic equiv. S&B Pharma Inc., d/b/a Alkem Laboratories, Fenton, MO Send resumes to: Recruiting, PO Box 641152, Chicago, IL 60664.
500 Services
155 Medical Research Studies Associate Director (R&D – Generic Products) Oversee chem. research in pharm. lab. for des./dev. of generic equiv. drugs, incl. oral solid dosage form equiv. U.S. Ph.D. (Pharmacy) degree or foreign equiv. req’d. 2 years’ exp. in research pos’n(s) w/ pharm. company(ies) w/ des./ dev. of generic equiv. req’d. Prior exp. must incl. des./ dev. of oral solid dosage form generic equiv. S&B Pharma Inc., d/b/a Alkem Laboratories, Fenton, MO Send resumes to: Recruiting, PO Box 641152, Chicago, IL 60664.
187 Part-Time Jobs
EXPERIENCED CAREGIVER
Needed with basic healthcare skills to care for my mother with Diabetes. Must be able to work 5 hrs per day Mon-Fri $18/hr.
Contact Email: micson92@gmail.com
190 Business Opportunities Avon Full Time/Part Time, $15 Fee. Call Carla: 314-665-4585 For Appointment or Details Independent Avon Rep.
193 Employment Information CDL-A DRIVERS and Owner Operators: $2,000.00 sign on, company safety bonuses. Home weekly, regional runs. Great benefits. 1-888-300 9935
800 Health & Wellness 805 Registered Massage
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Simply Marvelous Call Cynthia today for your massage. M-F 7-5, Sat. 9-1. 314-265-9625 - Eureka Area #2001007078
HHHHHHH A New Intuitive Massage Call Natalie 314.799.2314 www.artformassage.info CMT/LMT 2003026388
525 Legal Services AmandasMiniDaySpa.com 510 E. Chain of Rocks Rd Granite City, IL. • $70/hr
314-467-0766 ULTIMATE MASSAGE by SUMMER!!!! Relaxing 1 Hour Full Body Massage. Light Touch, Swedish, Deep Tissue. Daily 10am-5pm South County.
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ULTIMATE MASSAGE by SUMMER!!!! Relaxing 1 Hour Full Body Massage. Light Touch, Swedish, Deep Tissue. Daily 10am-5pm South County.
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810 Health & Wellness General ARE YOU ADDICTED TO PAIN MEDICATIONS OR HEROIN? Suboxone can help. Covered by most insurance. Free & confidential assessments Outpatient Services. Center Pointe Hospital 314-292-7323 or 800-345-5407 763 S. New Ballas Rd, Ste. 310
BANKRUPTCY LAW Call Now For A Free Consultation ADAM BREEZE
(314) 725-0525
abreeze@gallowayjohnson.com
530 Misc. Services WANTS TO purchase minerals and other oil & gas interests. Send details to P.O. Box 13557, Denver, Co 80201
400 Buy-Sell-Trade 420 Auto-Truck
2004 Chevy Cavalier 146,000 miles Cold a/c, new tires. Asking $2,500 OBO call or txt Justin
618-781-3852
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 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
314-706-4076 2002030286
SOUTHERN MISSOURI TRUCK DRIVING SCHOOL P.O. Box 545 • Malden, MO 63863 • 1.888.276.3860 • www.smtds.com
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH & ADDICTION TREATMENT FOR Children, Adolescent, Adults and Older Adults FOR A CONFIDENTIAL ASSESSMENT AT NO COST, CALL
1-800-345-5407 Hope for a bright future
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.
SOUTH-CITY! $750 314-309-2034 Large 4 bedroom duplex, central air/heat, fenced yard, appliances, pets, washer/dryer included, ready now! rs-stl.com RHKMJ
385 Room for Rent
ST-JOHN MIDTOWN $150/wk 314-397-8422 Rms for rent, friendly atmosphere, central loc. Public transportation accessible, just mins away from local shopping, amenities inc. C/A, fully furn rm, satellite TV, onsite laundry, WIFI Available, all utils inc. SOUTH-CITY $130/wk+$130-security 314-277-8117 Room for rent. Everything furnished. Internet Access. 314-7076889
317 Apartments for Rent BENTON-PARK $750 314-223-8067 Beautiful, large 1 plus BR, original Wood fls, high ceilings, hug closet, new Electric CA/Furn, kitchen Appls, 1st Fl, W/D hookup. BROADWAY-BLUFFS $550 314-223-8067 Spacious 1+BR (bonus room), Hdwd floors, A/C, stove, fridge W/D hookup, off street parking, near bus and shopping. Clean, quiet. CENTRAL-WEST-END! $550 314-309-2043 Nice apartment, central heat/air, loaded kitchen, hardwood floors pets, pool access, clubhouse, fitness cent , must see! RHKMI DOGTOWN! $535 314-309-2043 Updated 1br duplex, kitchen appliances, hardwood floors central heat/air, some utilities paid, recent updates! rs-stl.com RHKMF DOWNTOWN Cityside-Apts 314-231-6806 Bring in ad & application fee waived! Gated prkng, onsite laundry. Controlled access bldgs, pool, fitness, business ctr. Pets welcome HAMPTON! $515 314-309-2043 Bad credit ok! All-electric 1 bedroom, central air, kitchen appliances, newer carpet, ready to rent! rs-stl.com RHKME LAFAYETTE-SQUARE $685 314-968-5035 2030 Lafayette: 2BR/1BA, appls, C/A, Hdwd Fl
$495-$595 314-443-4478 8700 Crocus: Near 170 & St.Charles Rock Rd Special! 1BR.$495 & 2BR.$595.
ST-LOUIS-HILLS! $595 314-309-2043 Remodeled 1 bedroom, kitchen appliances, hardwood floors central air, pets allowed, covered porch, ready now! rs-stl.com RHKMD ST. CHARLES COUNTY
314-579-1201 or 636-9393808 1 & 2 BR apts for rent. www.eatonproperties.com. Sec. 8 welcome
UNIVERSITY-CITY $795 314-727-1444 2BR, new kitch, bath & carpet, C/A & heat. No pets UNIVERSITY-CITY! $725 314-309-2043 Updated 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath home, central air, all appliances, redone hardwood floors, pets, available now! rs-stl.com RHKM WESTPORT/LINDBERGH/PAGE $535-$585 314-995-1912 1 MO FREE!-1BR ($535) & 2BR ($585) SPECIALS! Clean, safe, quiet. Patio, laundry, great landlord! Nice Area near Hwys 64, 270, 170, 70 or Clayton.
www.LiveInTheGrove.com 320 Houses for Rent NORTH ST. LOUIS COUNTY 314-579-1201 or 636-939-3808 2, 3 & 4BR homes for rent. eatonproperties.com. Sec. 8 welcome NORTH-CITY! $700 314-309-2043 2-Story 4 bed, 1.5 bath house, central air, full basement, fenced yard, appliances included, flexible deposit! rs-stl.com RHKN PAGE! $1000 314-309-2043 Gigantic 6-7 bedroom house, full basement, central air, fi eplace, hardwood floors, la ge fenced yard, room for the whole family! rs-stl.com RHKNK
MAPLEWOOD! $650 314-309-2043 Roomy 2-3 bedroom, all appliances, frosty a/c, newer carpet, walk-in closets, pets ok, w/d hookups, no application fee! rs-stl.com RHKMH
SOUTH-CITY! $400 314-309-2043 Handyman Special! Rent to own 3 bed, 2 bath house, hardwood floors, fireplace, built-ins, pets allowed! rs-stl.com RHKND
OVERLAND/ST-ANN $535-$575-SPECIAL 314-995-1912 1 MO FREE! 1BR & 2BR SPECIAL! Great location near Hwys 170, 64, 70 & 270. 6 minutes to Clayton. Garage, Clean, safe, quiet.
SOUTH-CITY! $995 314-309-2043 Rent to own 3 bed, 3 bath house, beautiful hardwood floors fi eplace, garage, fenced yard, pets, w/d hookups, many upgrades! rs-stl.com RHKNJ
RICHMOND-HEIGHTS $525-$575-SPECIAL 314-995-1912 1 MONTH FREE! 1BR, all elec off Big Bend. Near Metrolink, Hwys 40 & 44, Clayton.
SOUTH-COUNTY! $700 314-309-2043 Rent to own 2 bedroom 2 bath house, appliances included, hardwood floors, pets ok, nice back deck, almost 2000 sqft rs-stl.com RHKNF
SOULARD! $595 314-309-2043 Loaded 1 bedroom, chefs kitchen w/dishwasher, central air, pets ok, plenty of storage, call for details! rs-stl.com RHKMC SOUTH CITY
$400-$850 314-7714222 Many different units www.stlrr.com 1-3 BR, no credit no problem SOUTH ST. LOUIS CITY 314-579-1201 or 636-939-3808 1, 2 & 3 BR apts for rent. www.eatonproperties.com. Sec. 8 welcome
SOUTH-CITY $450 314-776-6429 2506 California. 1BR, C/A, Appliances Inc, Ceiling fans. A Must See!!
A Wonderfully Relaxing Intuitive massage by licensed therapist. OPEN SUNDAYS
SOUTH-CITY OPEN-SUNDAY-2-4pm 314-518-4645 4919A Murdoch-Lovely 1 br w/enclosed sunporch, appl, no pets. Immediate Occupancy.
300 Rentals
SOUTH-CITY $608-$470 314-277-0204 3400 S Spring. Lg 2 BR, hardwood floors, fireplace, dining room. 3901 Keokuk - 1BR, hardwood floors, appliances, blind SOUTH-CITY 314-504-6797 37XX Chippewa: 3 rms, 1BR. all elec exc. heat. C/A, appls, at bus stop
SOUTH-COUNTY! $900 314-309-2043 Remodeled 3 bed, 2.5 bath house, finished basement, garag w/opener, fenced yard, loaded kitchen, many extras! rs-stl. com RHKNI UNIVERSITY-CITY!! $795 314-309-2043 Remodeled 3 bedroom house, central air, pets welcome, fresh paint, off street parking, nice treed lot, ready to rent! rs-stl.com RHKNG NORTH ST. LOUIS COUNTY 314-579-1201 or 636-939-3808 2, 3 & 4BR homes for rent. eatonproperties.com. Sec. 8 welcome NORTH-CITY! $700 314-309-2043 2-Story 4 bed, 1.5 bath house, central air, full basement, fenced yard, appliances included, flexible deposit! rs-stl.com RHKN PAGE! $1000 314-309-2043 Gigantic 6-7 bedroom house, full basement, central air, fi eplace, hardwood floors, la ge fenced yard, room for the whole family! rs-stl.com RHKNK
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