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PlaybackSTL is the free monthly available in nearly 500 locations in the U.S. Based in St. Louis, we cover music, movies, books, and the arts. We are the affordable, independent, and a smart choice for bands, labels, and all types of companies. Rates starting as low as $100 for print advertising and great deals on Web advertising. PlaybackSTL is proud to be part of the SXSW experience Take a little time to check out this issue as well as our extensive archive online at www.playbackstl.com.
interviews: patrice pike, russell gunn, jimmy eat world, mary beth burns, peter carlos, goodbye to the rocket reviews: u2, notre musique, kmfdm, heir to the glimmering world previews: slick 57, two cow garage, cake, mound city music fest
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FROM A WHISPER TO A SCREAM
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Like a finger running down a seam From a whisper to a scream So I whisper and I scream But don’t get me wrong Please don’t leave me waitin’ too long ELVIS COSTELLO (the man for whom we will gladly stand in line at SXSW)
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PLAYBACK– TALK Introducing Ikuno, Japan Correspondent Our relationship with Ikuno began with an e-mail inquiry she sent regarding our Ambulance Ltd. cover story back in September. Since then, we’ve exchanged correspondence (and music tidbits), trading live show stories, interviews, and favorite albums. We’ve asked Ikuno to be our correspondent from Japan, and she’s agreed. We hope you, our readers, will find some new friends in the bands she suggests, and some enjoyment in her experiences. For now, we thought we’d bring you up to speed by sharing some of her reports over the past few months. Hello, I’m Ikuno from Japan. In addition to Coopers [The Cooper Temple Clause] and Ambulance, I love The Libertines and Franz Ferdinand and more. I went to Ambulance gig in London last year, but I wanted to go their show in USA. Wonderful stuff just arrived today! The latest Playback mag featuring The Hives... fantastic! Now, I’m going to The Libertines’ show in Nagoya, Japan today. Well, thank you for the info about Interpol! My friend have their Japanese fansite called “The New” (sound.jp/interpol/)! She is their huge fan (especially she love Carlos, haha)! Of course, me too! I saw their show at Summer Sonic in Tokyo, but it’s a little short set. So I’ve been expecting their coming to Japan again. I’m very happy to hear that news! I’ll get a tix. Did you talk with Sam? Is he fine? Your mag featuring Interpol on the cover!?
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I learned that Kasabian hit the road to U.S. next month with The Music! They’ll play in U.S. after Japan (it’s the biggest winter festival in Japan called Sonic Mania: www.sonicmania.net) And they’ll play at SXSW as well. Will you go there? I guess the venue is small, so I envy U.S. fans! Do you know The Departure? They’re an up-and-coming band. They’ll come to Japan to play at that Sonic Mania. They launched Japanese edition CD last week. Last Friday, I saw Lostprophets’ show. It’s really amazing! And I’ll go to see Ash tomorrow and Interpol next week. I can’t wait! I went to Sonic Mania last weekend and saw Nine Black Alps, Dogs Die in Hot Cars, Steriogram, Mars Volta, and Kasabian! Kasabian was so wonderful. Their new song called “55” is awesome. And “Nightworkers” lent even more charm to that show. I want to see them again soon! By the way, I go to gigs about three or four a month. So your idea is great honor for me! But my English is far from perfect! That is a source of anxiety for me. (Is it OK??) I’d like to undertake your idea if I can be of any further assistance to your magazine. Please let me know that details. P.S. What do you think about Death From Above 1979? They’ll come to Japan next week. Although I can’t make up my mind whether I should go to their show. LETTERS POLICY All letters to the editor are subject to publication. Letters may be edited for clarity or space. Letters are of the opinion of the writers and do not necessarily represent the beliefs of PlaybackSTL.
MOLLY HAYDEN
We here at PlaybackSTL love putting up a new year’s calendar, because that means SXSW is just around the corner. Truly, you could get an entire year’s worth of new music, bands to watch, and entertainment culture in the entire four days that is the music festival. This year, we’re proud to be part of the music badge goody bags at the festival. To show our appreciation, we’ve devoted this issue to the annual trek to Austin. We’re excited about our cover story with Sleater-Kinney; we’ve also got interviews with a number of artists playing the festival, including Kasabian, The Dears, Dogs Die in Hot Cars, DFA 1979, animator Don Hertzfeldt, and more. (Don’t forget to check out www.playbackstl.com for interview transcripts and additional festival features.) We’re also happy to be partnering with community radio station KDHX (www.kdhx.org) to bring residents of St. Louis and Austin some great music. In STL, check out Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers March 10; during SXSW, we’ll be cosponsoring the Twangfest party March 17 at Jovita’s. Finally, since music alone does not a balanced entertainment make, please join us in welcoming Pete Timmermann to the editorial staff. Pete’s been with us from our humble beginnings three years ago, even serving as a correspondent for nine months from London. He’ll make a darn fine film editor, though admittedly he’s got big shoes to fill. All the best to Bobby Kirk, who’s off to join the Army Reserves; thanks for all your hard work on our behalf. Enjoy the issue; thanks for reading!
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CONTENTS FISH IN A BARREL .............................3
COME OUT AND PLAY ......................19
PROFILE
SXSW..................................................21
Kasabian .................................................5
Sleater-Kinney, 22-20s, The Frames, Ben Lee, Death From Above 1979, Don Hertzfeldt, Dogs Die in Hot Cars, The Dears
PLAY BY PLAY.....................................7 Los Super Seven, Scott H. Biram, Bloc Party, Buck 65, Crooked Fingers, The Frames, The Game, Kings of Leon, Mando Diao
NOW PLAYING DVD: Shane MacGowan and the Popes, Old 97’s ................................................ 12 Cinema: La Petite Lili, Rory O’Shea Was Here, Witnesses ............................. 30
BACKSTAGE PASS............................14 Social Distortion, Jump
THREE TO SEE ..................................15
TAKE FIVE ..........................................32 The Hatch
ELLIOT GOES .....................................32 LOCAL SCENERY ..............................34 YOU ARE HERE .................................35 Laumeier Sculpture Park: Material Terrain
PAGE BY PAGE..................................36 Sam Lipsyte, Katharine Davies, Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Thomas Crone
DELIRIOUS NOMAD ..........................39 WHAT’S GOING ON HERE? .............40 Kings of Leon, Paul Westerberg, CentroMatic, Q and Not U, Devil in a Woodpile, Slobberbone, The Paper Chase, SNMNMNM
PORTRAITS ........................................44 Anne Tkach JANET WEISS of SLEATERKINNEY adds words to the beat at the Highdive in Champaign. Interview on page 21. Photo by Steven Vance
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Playback Pop Culture playSt. Louisack Publisher Two Weasels Press LLC Managing Editor Laura Hamlett Associate Editor/Art Director Jim Dunn Contributing Editor Bryan A. Hollerbach Book Editor Stephen Schenkenberg Film Editor Pete Timmermann Live Music Editor Brian McClelland Theater Editor Tyson Blanquart Editors-at-Large Rob Levy, Kevin Renick Editorial Assistant Kimberly Faulhaber Office Manager Angela Pancella Interns Jordan Deam, Kate Merwald Contributing Writers Sid Andruska, Tyson Blanquart, J. Church, Chris Clark, Thomas Crone, Jordan Deam, Robert M. Edgecomb, Kimberly Faulhaber, Ikuno Fujishiro, Jason Green, Laura Hamlett, Dan Heaton, Bryan A. Hollerbach, Mandy Jordan, Byron Kerman, John Kujawski, Sarah Lenzini, David Lichius, Jesse Macht, James McAnally, Brian McClelland, Sean Moeller, Jon Rayfield, Kevin Renick, Aaron Richter, Jeffrey Ricker, Andrew Scavotto, Stephen Schenkenberg, Emily Spreng-Lowery, Pete Timmermann, Rudy Zapf Cover Photograph John Clark, Courtesy Sub Pop Contributing Illustrators Jessica Gluckman Advertising Sales Jim Dunn • 314-630-6404 Jim@playbackstl.com Distribution Two Weasels Press LLC PlaybackSTL is published Monthly. Current circulation is 25,000. © All content copyright PlaybackSTL 2005. No material may be reproduced without permission. For advertising rates, submissions, band listings, or any other information, please check our Web site at www.playbackstl.com or send e-mail correspondence to Contact@Playbackstl.com. Submit calendar information to Events@Playbackstl.com. Manuscripts for consideration must be typed and e-mailed to Editor@Playbackstl.com. We want your feedback! write to Contact@Playbackstl.com. Subscriptions are available for $35/ year (12 issues) prepaid and include a free T-shirt. Send check or money order and T-shirt size to: PlaybackSTL P.O. Box 9170 St. Louis, Missouri 63117-0170 314-630-6404 Y Y Y We’re Online! Check out our Web site at www.playbackstl.com
MARCH 2005
FISH IN A BARREL MUSIC NEWS
TOOLS UNITED
KRAV INCOMING: Bust out your oversized sunglasses and old lady shawls. Reigning King of the Poseurs Lenny Kravitz is set to grace The Pageant with his sweaty, shirtless presence May 7. Fans can look forward to a solid 45 minutes of lame rhyme schemes and costume changes—like a Gap commercial come to life. If you go, please let us know if the Krav is still sporting that Mary Tyler Moore hair. That shit is hilarious. BUT DID HE SKANK? Rumors have been circulating on something called “bloggers” that Sam Endicott, now fronting latest hipster obsession The Bravery, has a dirty, dirty secret. Specifically, providing the low end for Skabba the Hut a few years back while sporting blonde dreadlocks and going by the moniker Ponce de Leon. Hey, we’re not judging! We’re all allowed youthful indiscretions (once, we considered purchasing a Jon Spencer Blues Explosion album. Just once, though), and following the career path of Sugar Ray is sure to lead in promising directions. Developing... SHIT PUN TK: Dave Matthews’ tour bus driver has been criminally charged with dumping DMB doody (including “Crash Into Me”) into the Chicago River (and onto the passengers of a tour boat) last August. The patsy could spend a year in jail and pay a $10,000 fine. Illinois’ attorney general also filed a lawsuit seeking $70,000 in damages against the band and driver for bringing their groovy brand of inoffensive pop-rock to the state in the first place. MONTHLY GALLO ALERT: Director and public fellatio recipient Vincent Gallo has been tapped to act as “curator” of this year’s All Tomorrow’s Parties festival scheduled at the Camber Sands Holiday Centre in East Sussex, England, April 22–24. Gallo will personally choose the lineup, which is rumored to include PJ Harvey, Yoko Ono, Autolux, a one-off reunion of Olivia Tremor Control, and (here’s hoping) some sort of Piss on Vincent Gallo for 1 Pound booth.
BRIGHT EYES CRAPS OUT ONE MORE, WITH FEELING: In a coup for Apple’s online iTunes store, a previously unreleased Bright Eyes track has been made available as a free download on their site. No word yet on if the band intends to mimic their recent strategy of simultaneously releasing a second, unlistenable song. FEST FEST: Nashville’s fourth annual Bonnaroo Festival (June 10–12, www.bonnaroo.com) will feature Modest Mouse, Widespread Panic, Joss Stone, Jack Johnson (is he aware the state is landlocked? That’s the weeps, dude!), The Allman Brothers Band, DMB, some Phish, Alison Krauss + Union Station, and patchouli oil. So much patchouli oil. The sixth annual Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival (www.coachella.com), set for April 30–May 1, looks positively punk in comparison, featuring Nine Inch Nails, The Killers, Prodigy, The Fiery Furnaces, and The Futureheads. Coldplay are also on tap to lull the crowd into sweet, sweet stupor before bedtime. EVERYTHING WE WISH WE DIDN’T KNOW: U2 kick off their iPod promotional world tour on March 28. We’re taking bets on how many times “tsunami,” “fair trade,” and other phrases that fuel the Fly’s sense of superiority are dropped during these hardcore romps. Rock! Ten free issues of PlaybackSTL to anyone who keeps tally at one of the 100+ shows. We’re a pretty liberal bunch here at FIAB, but give it a rest, Shades. Kings of Leon will be ignored on the first leg of the tour. “LAMB” SACRIFICED, GOD PLEASED: Thrash metal band Lamb of God (go ahead and Google them—we did) has been banned from performing an April 9 concert in Inglewood, Calif. The show is a stop on the Subliminal Verses Tour, headlined by Slipknot and scheduled for The Forum, a venue owned by Faithful Central Bible Church. For some reason, the religious group seems to have a problem with the band’s current name, as well as their previous moniker, Burn the Priest. Touchy.
LLOR N KNAB: We were shocked to realize that several months had flown by without the release of a new Ryan Adams disc. Had he finally run away with Jesse Malin? Taken a tumble off another stage, this time with no audience there to pick him up? Gone into hiding after his ladyfriend’s campy turn in Blade: Trinity? But, economy be damned, three new albums (including one double) are due this year, beginning in mid-April. We’ll leave it up to arch-nemesis Robbie Fulks to finish this thought for us. GRAMMYS TAKES BRAVE STAND AGAINST RANDOM ACTS OF NATURE: The Grammys closed out its annual night of heaping statuettes on the deceased by hauling out the Inoffensive Genre Representatives, including Billie Joe Armstrong (who we can only hope had a child being held for ransom backstage), a maraca-wielding Steven Tyler, and everyone’s favorite nutty grampa, Brian Wilson, to croon “Across the Universe” to honor victims of the tsunami. After some tuneless oversinging, the creative highlight arrived in the final verse, when the artists maintained that “Somethin’s gonna change our world.” Um, do you mean like a weather machine? If you must, go ahead and download the track on iTunes to benefit tsunami victims, but we recommend buying Rufus Wainwright’s lovely version and mailing a buck to your favorite non-fascist charity instead. KID ROCK’S LONG-R ANGE PIG-SMELLING CAPABILITIES CALLED INTO QUESTION: While in Nashville to attend a memorial service, conservative Republican Kid Rock was arrested for assaulting a DJ at Christie’s Cabaret, an (ahem) adult entertainment bar, reportedly after a disagreement regarding the music selection. What, he’s got some kind of a problem with “Unskinny Bop”? An hour later, the be–tank-topped rocker was pulled over for suspicion of DUI (in his Corvette! This guy is our new hero), but was let go after giving the officer (who was later fired) an autograph. Ladies, I know you’re wondering—and yes, he’s still single. How Pam ever let this one get away is a mystery for the ages. The above are the opinions of Fish in a Barrel, and not necessarily those of the editors of PlaybackSTL. Just the funny ones. And the ones with balls. Contributors: Kimberly Faulhaber, Sarah Lenzini, Brian McClelland
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PBSTL PROFILE
EVOLVING WITH KASABIAN
KASABIAN
By Laura Hamlett he first time Kasabian set foot on American soil, they packed the place. Back in November, the four—vocalist Tom Meighan, guitarists/keyboardists Sergio Pizzorno and Christopher Karloff, and bassist Chris Edwards—brought their blend of stadium-sized rock and dance club beats to a sold-out Bowery Ballroom in New York City. The music—think Oasis meets Happy Mondays, if you need a comparison—has a larger-than-life quality, an insinuating infectiousness. Their debut self-titled album has been certified gold in the United Kingdom (it drops in the United States March 8), where fans include Oasis’s Noel and Liam Gallagher, Primal Scream’s Mani, and The Stone Roses’ Ian Brown. The next few months find Kasabian largely on this side of the pond; currently on tour with The Music, they’ll return in the spring with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. The British invasion is upon us, and while Kasabian are happy to be a part of it, Pizzorno cautions against being over-zealous. “I think next year will tell more than this year. A lot of bands have got to make second albums, so we’ll really find out if it’s as good as everyone thinks.” What keeps them from being just another British buzz band? “I think we’re very different because we don’t really know what we are ourselves; we just make music.” The four hail from Leicester, where, Pizzorno complains, no one’s gone on to greatness. Kasabian hope to change that. “We’re all waiting for our statues in the City Centre, ’cause there’s no one from Leicester [who’s] ever [made it] big. Seriously, no one’s from Leicester.” Still, America is poised to embrace their sound; what’s Kasabian’s plan for U.S. domination? “We’re gonna pretty much go there and be ourselves, and if you lot like it, then we’ll come back. I think we’re going to bring a bit of sparkle back to the music scene, y’ know? Some cheeky boys from England getting into trouble. “It’s very much a rock ’n’ roll show,” he continued. “I think we’re gonna surprise a lot
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PHOTO: JILL FIRMANOVSKY
of people when we get to America, ’cause it’s really full-on and it makes you fucking wanna go mad. It’s almost like going to church to come and see our gig.” In the press, Kasabian— who take their dark-tinged name from Linda Kasabian, Charles Manson’s pregnant getaway car driver—are billed as the second coming of rock. Part of that is blatantly selfperpetuated. They have an eight-point manifesto which reads, in part, “Music is our whore—Kasabian are not about making a living out of music. We live music.” When asked about the manifesto, Pizzorno laughed. “We were very drunk on red wine one night and decided to write down a few things.” The band’s radical belief about
Stones, The Beatles, and The Who; that’s a must for everyone.” That’s all we need, then? “No, that’s the start,” he said. “This is gonna take a while. Then there’s some German music you need to listen to, Tangerine Dream and a band called Can, and then you need to buy Blackalicious’ album NIA and DJ Shadow’s Endtroducing. Then today you probably need to buy our album, and then you’ve got a real nice little range of music.” Pizzorno writes Kasabian’s lyrics, sharing music-writing duties with Karloff. And what about Meighan and Edwards—what do they bring to the mix? Always willing to share the spotlight, Pizzorno demurred, “Themselves, really. Tom is seriously a devil Mick Jagger; he does bleed rock ’n’ roll. Chris, the bass player, is very methodical. Sometimes we need that ’cause we’re all a bit mad; he’s a bit calmer than the rest of us.” Lyrically, Kasabian’s debut is about love and
change—“If personal revolution is too much, go for evolution”—is very Zen, and I told him so. He was a bit sheepish. “I know it sounds really bad, but it was red wine and weed. If [we were] to rewrite it today, it would be, um…to be true to one’s self and follow the heart,” he finished with a shy laugh. I wanted to know about their boastfulness; surely there were other bands worthy of attention besides Kasabian? Pizzorno was ready: “I think you’ve got to listen to The Rolling
violence—“the two strongest human emotions you can ever feel,” says Pizzorno—but as for what the future holds, who knows? “We’re feeling quite lovey at the moment,” he tells me, “so I think it’s probably gonna be a bit less aggressive.” And though the call is transcontinental, I can still see the wink as he adds, “It will still be dirty, you know.” Kasabian plays St. Louis’s The Pageant March 3; they’ll hit SXSW March 18.
PLAYBACK STL
PLAY BY PLAY MUSIC REVIEWS
LOS SUPER SEVEN: HEARD IT ON THE X (T
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The process of cross-cultural hybridization is fascinating to experience, especially in music, where seemingly incompatible genres and styles can be melded together in creatively exhilarating ways. There’s often tension in the result, of course, but what’s art without a little tension? Along the U.S.-Mexican border, there’s so much tension that only the desperate (and the armed) are wandering its length. But we’re here to discuss music, not politics—namely the spicy sounds peppering Los Super Seven’s Heard It on the X, a raucous tribute to Tex-Mex border radio. LS7 are an informal collective featuring veteran genre-blenders Joe Ely, Freddie Fender, Flaco Jimenez, Raul Malo, Ruben Ramos, and Rick Trevino. Their debut was released in 1998, but X is liable to draw more attention. For one thing, some distinguished guests are on board: Rodney Crowell, Lyle Lovett, Delbert McClinton, John Hiatt, and Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown. You may ask, How can so many different compadres come up with a cohesive collection of tunes? Well, the whole point with this disc is to celebrate the diversity of “a place where cultures collide and all the rules are broken” (per the press release). The sonically uninhibited blend of country swing, mariachi, raw roadhouse blues, horn-laced R&B, and Tejano rock here represents the “untamed airwaves” that once held sway over listeners on both sides of the Rio Grande—airwaves, generally speaking, now “tamed” and tarnished by corporate droids and their LCD playlists. In the mood to get your Southwestern groove on? LS7 are servin’ it up fresh, amigos. Malo is backed by the acclaimed Calexico on the mariachi opener “The El Burro
Song”—truly a fiesta del grande of a tune. McClinton scores with “Talk To Me,” an old Sunny and the Sunliners ballad tailor-made for that slow dance you’re eagerly awaiting, and the rough-edged blues of “I Live the Life I Love,” something McClinton sure seems to be doing for this session. Hiatt’s worthy contribution is a bona fide rumpshaker of a cover of Doug Sahm’s “I’m Not That Kat (Anymore).” Another gem: “Let Her Dance,” Ely’s version of an old Bobby Fuller chestnut. Crowell’s sweet voice and Jimenez’s peerless accordion make a winning combination on the lovely ballad “Learning the Game.” And it’s hard to imagine anyone not getting a real rush from Lovett’s “My Window Faces the South”—pure Bob Wills lonestar swing— Gatemouth Brown’s grippingly authentic acoustic blues “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean,” and Ramos’ funky take on ZZ Top’s title track (complete with archival soundbites). Sample lyric: “Do you remember/Back in 1966?/Country Jesus, hillbilly blues/That’s where I learned my licks.” It’s hard to imagine many young musicians today being inspired by the recycled radio fodder they’re forcefed daily (public radio being a notable exception). But Heard It on the X is about the musicians who remember a different, more exciting time, and the emotional/creative charge they got when rules were broken and borders were crossed. LS7 have essentially made their own soundtrack here, raising significant questions about the purpose of radio—and “demographic studies”—in the process. It cooks, compadres. And these boys have X appeal to spare. —Kevin Renick
LOS SUPER SEVEN PRODUCERS DAN GOODMAN, CHARLIE SEXTON, and RICK CLARK with CLARENCE “GATEMOUTH” BROWN.
SCOTT H. BIRAM: THE DIRTY OLD ONE MAN BAND (Bloodshot Records) In his music— and thus, almost necessarily, in any description of that music—Scott H. Biram denies delicacy: He may well rank as the craziest cracker on the planet. Although the lunatic thirtyish Texan has self-released four discs since 2000, the preceding indelicate observation derives from The Dirty Old One Man Band, his name-label debut, which Bloodshot will issue later this month, mere days after Biram plays SXSW. A ragged, gonzo energy pervades that disc’s 14 tracks, with their scabrous lyrics, often distorted vocals, and lo-fi instrumentation. Psychocountry antics, of course, too often fall flat, as any number of musicians continue to demonstrate, but Biram authenticates the presentation; only a fool would mistake a tofu ham hock for the real thing, and that’s precisely what Biram appears to be—the real thing. On such gutbucket treasures as “Blood Sweat & Murder,” “Hit the Road,” and “Raisin’ Hell Again,” he growls, he rasps, he hisses. On the traditional “Muleskinner Blues,” he even yodels, after a fashion. Here and there, sometimes to no one in particular, he bellows, “Shuddup!” Also here and there, he practically coos with devilish glee about whiskey and chicken; by the first, without a doubt, he means a libation no one with any sense or money would ingest—and by the second, assuredly, he means nothing on the menu at KFC. All of this Biram delivers with considerable humor—the sixth track, by way of example,
MARCH 2005
includes a laugh-out-loud aside about some bungled bridge graffiti—and, on the traditional “Sweet Thing,” surprising heart. A demented delight, in sum, The Dirty Old One Man Band makes addictive listening, and as the creator of this raucous onslaught, Biram obviously qualifies as someone to watch (cautiously, to be sure, perhaps with a can of Mace at hand). —Bryan A. Hollerbach BLOC PARTY: SILENT ALARM (VICE) At first listen, Bloc Party doesn’t sound drastically different from any of the guitar-driven post-punk bands that have become en vogue in the past few years. Armed with the obligatory skittering drums, call-and-response vocals, and staccato guitar figures, their Bloc Party EP was tight enough but couldn’t help but sound a little generic amid earlier releases from contemporaries Franz Ferdinand and The Futureheads. While Silent Alarm won’t end these comparisons, it does plenty to distinguish Bloc Party as more than the next Gang of Four ripoff. What’s first noticeably different from their EP is their willingness to use the studio as an instrument. Album opener “Like Eating Glass” begins with a few fluid digital guitar divebombs reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine. A descending organ figure floats into the mix in the soaring chorus section, a subtle touch that actually does quite a bit to lift the song out of the standard post-punk strumming toward which the band seems to gravitate. The rest of the album is riddled with similar production tricks that probably wouldn’t be too obvious blasting out of a pair of car speakers, but
sound great with headphones. As solid as the production and arrangements are, however, the rhythm section is in a different league. While the guitar interplay and production might beg for more analytical listening, the bass and drums have an explosive energy that will make headphones seem a bit solipsistic. “She’s Hearing Voices” has a dry, over-compressed drum track that seems unable to contain itself; it has such an unstoppable force, its function of pushing the song forward seems almost incidental. There are a few small misfires in the album that prevent it from reaching “classic.” Strangely enough, the band moves into Britpop territory in a few songs. “Blue Light” has an ambient guitar drone that is interesting at first but gets a bit played out by the end. Singer/ guitarist Kele Okereke’s attempt at “breathy” vocals sound forced and a bit contrived; his voice is far better suited for the drum-marshal commands employed in other songs. When the xylophones chime in, the song falls flat on its face and thankfully ends shortly thereafter. You could easily applaud the band’s effort for moving out of their comfort zone, but that probably won’t prevent you from the “skip” button after the first couple of listens. —Jordan Deam BUCK 65: THIS RIGHT HERE IS (BMG/V2) Name-dropping David Lynch and covering a Woody Guthrie song (“Talking Fishing Blues”) aren’t likely to gain Buck 65 any street cred, but his inimitability will cause you to question why more rappers don’t. This former minor-league
Spring 2005. For more information, go to cameronmcgill.com
baseball player–turned MC is full of contradictions, whether it’s that he’s a rapper from Nova Scotia, his influx of styles from country to Abba to metal, or his ability to swing from a song about incest (“Cries a Girl”) to claiming “Sure it’s larger than yours/I’m a Centaur for Christsakes!” (“The Centaur”). This Right Here Is compiles remixed and reissued songs from his ten-plus year career set on selling the rapper to American audiences. Buck 65 seems ready to enter the wide-open indie rap world currently being given more exposure as a result of the recent success of such figures as Slug of Atmosphere, Aesop Rock, and El-P. His flow is slightly less sophisticated, straightforwardly following the beat on most songs. Much of the production is likewise stale, although it largely works on the basis of stylistic synthesis. The pedal steel is present throughout, which, along with some well-placed guitar, immediately set him apart from the field. It’s impossible to listen to any Buck 65 song without acknowledging the strangeness of his voice as a rapper, which references Tom Waits’ and Lou Reed’s smoked-out vocal style more than any MC’s. Buck 65 will consistently surprise you with this schizophrenic set, and leave you wondering what would happen if he absolutely nailed his country-inflected rap style. Unfortunately, the record carries too many moments in which one thinks, “Well, it was a good idea…” —James McAnally CROOKED FINGERS: DIGNITY AND SHAME (Merge) When Crooked Fingers popped up on my radar back around 2001, I couldn’t help but hope that frontman Eric Bachmann, of Archers of Loaf fame, had another “Web in Front” in him, or at least a “White Trash Heroes.” continued on page 9
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Play by Play Although 2001’s Bring on the Snakes contained nothing similar to either, its hung-over laments and slow-paced soulcrushery was enough to promote the album to the list of my favorites of the year. Bachmann hasn’t been lazy about getting in the studio, as he’s released one EP and two LPs under the Crooked Fingers banner since Snakes in 2001. Unfortunately for me, none of these albums is any good, including his most recent effort, Dignity and Shame. Unlike 2003’s Red Devil Dawn, at least, Shame has a few high points that are worth a mention, and, depending on your disposition regarding buying CDs for just a song or two, maybe even worth the purchase price. “Call to Love,” a recent addition to iTunes and the first single from the album, is not one of these high points, though; it is, rather, a low point, not only for the album, but for Bachmann’s career as a whole. Where Bachmann had a pretty duet with Marla Taylor on “Sad Love,” one of Snakes’ highlights, his work with Lara Meyerratken here is grating and uncomplimentary. Even worse is the goofy uptempo (not up-tempo like “Web in Front,” but up-tempo like emo speed) and stupid lyrics: “So while you lay with that joker tonight my friend/And his love just ain’t doing you right again/Won’t you hear my heart/I’m transmitting a call to love.” The couple of good songs I promised manage to find a nice balance between the slow songs I have enjoyed of Crooked Fingers’ past and this new diversion into faster, stupider territory. Dignity’s first two tracks, for example, may lead the listener to think that the album might be good, as they are both highlights. “Islero,” the album’s sole instrumental venture, sounds like it would be good music to play during the opening credits of a Western. After “Islero” comes “Weary Arms,” which, alongside the anti-hook “Destroyer,” composes the two decent mid-tempo songs on the album. And, as if to preempt my complaining about the potentially construed emo-ness of the album, “Valerie” proves that Bachmann and faster (but not rock) beats do not always equal disaster. Even so, the low points on Dignity and Shame are far more memorable and frequent than the high ones. And as much as I appre-
from page 7
ciate Bachmann not retreading his old successes, the question seems to be at this point that if Bachmann doesn’t have another “Web in Front” in him, does he have another “Sad Love” or “The Rotting Strip” in him, because this dallying between genres isn’t quite working out for the Fingers. —Pete Timmermann THE FRAMES: BURN THE MAPS (Anti) The first time I listened to this CD was February 15. The weather was almost freakishly unseasonable: temperatures in the 70s, bright sunshine, and pleasant, spring-like breezes blowing all day. I rolled my windows down, took to the highway, and popped in The Frames’ latest…and I just couldn’t take it. Too slow, too dour, too much at odds with the gorgeous afternoon. The very next day, the temperature dropped 40 degrees, the clouds rolled in, and Burn the Maps grabbed hold and would not let go. Some albums require the real-life environment to reflect the mood of the music. Burn the Maps, The Frames’ sixth studio effort, is definitely one of those albums, a melancholy masterpiece that shines its brightest on the darkest days. On the surface, the album sounds like the Irish band’s take on The Cure’s latest; the music is built up from layers of shimmering guitars accented with Colm Mac Com Lomaire’s mournful fiddle filling in for Roger O’Donnell’s keyboards. Singer Glen Hansard (best known for his role in the movie The Commitments) has a more low-key, less theatrical voice than Robert Smith, but it is served well by biting lyrics and the band’s rich instrumentation. The depression starts with the ironically titled opener, “Happy,” and doesn’t let up any time soon; of the album’s first five songs, four drag along at a snail’s pace. Maps takes a huge turn at its halfway point with “Fake,” as the drums kick in full steam. The band has been without a regular drummer for the last few years, using a succession of studio musicians to fill in. Surprisingly, this approach actually benefits the album, giving the faster numbers (concentrated in the album’s second half) each a very separate and distinct personality. This mix of the sad with the sublime results in continued on next page
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PLAYBACK STL Play by Play an exquisite album that is the perfect addition to a warm blanket on a cold winter’s day. —Jason Green
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THE GAME: THE DOCUMENTARY (Aftermath 2005) It seems that legendary producer and rapper Dr. Dre has found a yin to his yang in platinum-selling artist Eminem. The duo’s fledgling label Shady Aftermath has struck a harmonious chord in the mainstream music world, and the release of The Game’s The Documentary is one in a string of excellent moves by the label. The Game, known to his family as Jayceon Taylor, is the true epitome of an all-too-wellrepresented gangster culture in popular music. A notorious gang member and drug pusher, Game was hospitalized after sustaining five gunshot wounds during a home invasion. This incident inspired Game to turn to rapping, and in 2001 he began his career. Inspired by artists such as N.W.A., Snoop, and 2Pac, but also by East Coast rappers Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z, Game pulls none of the early ’90s coastal beef into his mentality. Still, lyrics mentioning his ties to the infamous Bloods, and his constant violent imagery remind you that although he may not have beef with you, you do not want to mess around with him.
from previous page
The true strength of this album lies in the incredible lineup of producers, a who’s who in mainstream rap. Dr. Dre, Kanye West, Just Blaze, Timbaland, Hi-Tek, and Eminem, to name a few, give diversity and power to this record, breathing life into tracks like “Dreams,” “Church for Thugs,” and “Higher.” G-Unit compatriot 50 Cent is heavily present on the album, and guest artists like Nate Dogg make tracks like “Where I’m From” simmer with the intensity of a hard-fought street upbringing. The frequent visitation to the subject of Air Nikes, his life-threatening injury, and the laundry list of industry shout-outs give Game a lot to strive for lyrically. However, it can hardly be said that he is in any way a weak or sub-par MC. His flow is strong, and though his presence is less commanding than his G-Unit counterparts, he has great potential. The phenomenal production also strongly overshadows any lyrical shortcoming, transforming The Documentary into an album which will undoubtedly earn another platinum plaque for the Doctor and his Aftermath label. —Jon Rayfield KINGS OF LEON: AHA SHAKE HEARTBREAK (RCA/BMG) “Pop culture may be the only place where even bad ideas are recycled,” wrote Steven Mirkin of Variety magazine. Mirkin ripped the Kings of Leon’s Aha Shake Heartbreak and live show at The Roxy last month in L.A., with no remorse, commenting further that the band is just “regenerated ’70s stoner rock.” Not all
agree, being that the kings of today’s rock ’n’ roll, U2, have just signed the Kings to open on their upcoming tour, much to the chagrin of Mirkin. Producer Ethan Johns once again records the band completely live with no overdubs. This gives the Southern rockers the organic ability to translate what their homegrown rock ’n’ roll is all about. Merciless crunchy cyclical guitar riffs, softly combatant drums, recurring pocketed bass lines, and soothing slurring vocals, reinvent what the Kings accomplished on their first record with a more mature approach. They have taken a step back from their first endeavor, adding more texture, rhythm, and melodic choice to a sound that defines their style. “Milk,” an experimental song for the Kings as compared with their previous work, shows off Caleb Followill’s vocal and lyrical tenderness. Followill displays courage by inviting us to be one on one with his anguish as he calls out like a wolf to the full moon to “kill me.” His garbled, yet soothing, crooning, “heartbreaking” tone, and lyrics remind his audience how some strive to survive in a muddled world. While Youth and Manhood, the Kings’ debut LP, served as an introduction to the band, the second record solidifies them as a staple in today’s rock scene, and is looking to shake its way into your record collection ASAP. —Jesse Macht MANDO DIAO: HURRICANE BAR (Mute) Listening to complex music has its fun. Put Kid A on repeat until you can recognize the make and model of every instrument used in its creation. Listen to M83 through headphones until you can dissect the wall and count the synthesized layers. Or, if you’re daring, withstand Metal Machine Music in its entirety. Each endeavor is sure to reap its own unique benefits. While listening to music that challenges the ears, the occasional desire arises to take a break from the madness and slap on something a little continued on page 33
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PLAYBACK STL
NOW PLAYING DVD REVIEWS
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SHANE MACGOWAN AND THE POPES: LIVE AT MONTREUX 1995 (Red Distribution) Paddy, poet, punk, drunk: Shane McGowan is all that and a barrel of whiskey. As legendary as Joe Strummer and Joey Ramone, as gluttonous as Johnny Thunders and Jim Morrison times two, MacGowan’s managed to differentiate himself from the others in one monumental way: He’s still alive, despite predictions of his imminent death every six months or so. But there’s been a price to pay. Binging 24/ 7 got him booted out of The Pogues in 1991, after numerous alcohol-related incidents that prevented him from fulfilling his role as frontman, with the most talked foul-up being the Bob Dylan tour in 1989, when MacGowan failed to show up as the opening act. After getting axed, MacGowan (still drunk) reemerged a couple years later to assemble The Popes, a quirky, old-country mix of accordion, banjo, whistle, and fiddle, The Popes complimented MacGowan’s slurred gutturals and spry lyrics with its manic blend of Irish, punk, and folk melodies. Oh yeah, and they sound a lot like the early Pogues, too. Recorded at the annual Montreux Jazz Festival in 1995, this 60-minute, 20-song show is the first to be released of MacGowan and The Popes live in concert. What you see is what you get, though: no backstage footage, photos, interviews, or exciting extras. You might also be disappointed by the lack of onstage antics and horseplay. I suspect a tight schedule as the culprit; the Jazz Festival lasts 16 days and jams in over 90 acts. As a result, The Popes bang out songs like bullets, one after the other, sounding crisp, energetic, and tight, albeit a little rushed. MacGowan, on the other hand, sounds drained but remains true to form, slurring, growling, and scuttling through songs like a hurried and harried storyteller. Standing stoically throughout, eyes closed, clutching the mic and a half-lit smoke, he appears sober, or at least not drunk enough to collapse or spew. Fans randomly cheer when they launch into Pogues classics like “Dark Streets of London,” “The Irish Rover,” “A Pair of Brown Eyes,”
and “If I Should Fall From Grace With God.” Favorites from The Snake garnered some fanfare, including “Nancy Whiskey” and “Bring Down the Lamp.” During “Broad Majestic Shannon,” he’s conscientious enough to shush cheering hooligans in the audience so the fiddle may be heard as the song begins. I highly recommend snagging a copy of the If I Should Fall From Grace DVD as a companion to the concert DVD. Grace shows what Live doesn’t: interviews with friends, relatives, his partner/wife Victoria Mary Clarke (a saint for standing by him all those years!), and MacGowan himself, revealing his best, worst, and most personal moments. Aside from what Live lacks, my only other complaint is this: MacGowan performed “Hippy Hippy Shake” not once, but twice! For the love of all things that do not suck, why not “Dirty Old Town,” “Victoria,” or “A Rainy Night in Soho”?! Notably, the song spurred him to twist, shimmy, and do the Alligator. Then, almost as if he realized his error in judgment, he dismissed the jig and rose from the floor, either too tired or tanked to mess with creepy dance moves. Still, I can’t think of a better reason to get this DVD, if only to watch a legend in his prime as he will always be remembered. —Sid Andruska OLD 97’S LIVE (NEW WEST RECORDS) While the Old 97’s have been critically renowned for their string of stellar cowpunk-flavoredpop studio efforts, longtime fans know the band’s real strength lies in its knockout live performances. Luckily, a smartie at the band’s new label New West got wise to the fact that, after over a decade of touring, they had yet to release any kind of live recording. To remedy that oversight, a shiny new DVD, Old 97’s Live, is now available at your local record store. Recorded last summer at Hollywood’s legendary Troubadour during a break from recording Drag It Up, Old 97’s Live finds the band playing hard and loose with their hits, and even harder and looser with their new, then-unreleased songs, some of which—like bassist Murry Hammond’s moody minor-key REM nick “Smokers”—sound not quite ready for the stage.
This is an edgy, heartfelt performance—you can smell the smoke and cheap beer on your clothes after a viewing—that often feels to be veering off the tracks just a bit, a quality that makes for an immensely watchable concert video. The details are all there in a crisp digital transfer, with fast-paced editing and sometimes uncomfortably tight close-ups. Guitarist Ken Bethea—his meaty chops mixed way up front, causing you to instinctively reach for your rock show earplugs—beats his Telecaster into a submission just shy of completely out of tune. Singer Rhett Miller misses a few notes here and there—some of his lower register is wobbly with nervous energy—but more than makes up for it by singing his broken heart out on every line with an intensity that nearly fogs the camera’s lens. Hammond is still rocking the Harry-Potter-went-down-to-Georgia-andbecame-a-backwoods-M.D. look, plucking his hollow-body bass high up in the air like he’s apt to skin that sucker just after the next verse. The real revelation comes in getting a closer look at drummer Philip Peeples’ lowkey playing style: This is a guy who knows how to hit hard without breaking a sweat. It’s sometimes difficult to match up the pounding racket coming through the speakers with the mild-mannered movements onscreen. While the band’s stripped-down, no-frills presentation has always been an integral part of their live appeal—these boys know how to sell themselves to a crowd—the producers of Old 97’s Live recorded these performances with a such a dry, straight-from-the-board mix that the fun, essential liveness of the show is nearly leached out altogether. Without a balance of room sounds, with walls (or people) for the raucous noise to reverberate from, the soundtrack often falls flat. What was probably invigoratingly raw and joyously out-of-control in that packed theater comes across as merely raw and out-of-control on the DVD. A concert video should sound just as good as it looks, and this one’s only a little over halfway there. Although Old 97’s Live is undoubtedly an enjoyable souvenir for fans looking for a fix between the band’s ever-less-frequent live appearances, newbies should stick to checking out Old 97’s best studio albums—Too Far to Care, Fight Songs, and Satellite Rides—and cross their fingers that the band sticks around long enough to return to a packed theater in their neck of the woods. It’ll sound awesome bouncing off those dirty walls and that smelly dude with the ponytail standing next to you. —Brian McClelland
PLAYBACK STL
BACKSTAGE PASS
CONCERT REVIEWS
Social Distortion The Pageant, February 16
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Sometimes, it’s necessary to arrive at a show early to snag a good seat. When the lead singer is a scorching hot rock god, it’s absolutely essential. Case in point: singer Mike Ness of Social Distortion, my wet dream times two. I’m thinking, “No way in hell I’m gonna stand in back with the chronically late.” To prove this, I showed up way early. Surprise! Others did, too. No matter. Once inside, I scoped out a decent spot and an hour or so later, The Street Dogs erupted on stage. Singer Mike McColgan instantly grabbed the audience by the balls. Frontman of The Dropkick Murphys up until 1998, McColgan knows how to work an audience, leaping from the stage to the pit countless times just to share the mic with fans. On the brink of stirring up a riotous frenzy near the end, McColgan called it quits before the entire audience lost control. The Pageant was just starting to fill up once the Swedish rock group Backyard Babies took stage: Think New York Dolls meets Poison with some thrash thrown in. After two songs, I figured I wouldn’t be missing much if I visited the toilet. When I solicited feedback from ladies waiting in line, one chick frowned, “Yeah, I’m not sure why they would play with Social-D.” Others in line, dying to take a piss, agreed. Actually, they’ve toured with SocialD before, back in 1997. They’ve also played with AC/DC and Motorhead, if that tells you anything. After a minimal wait, the lights dimmed, the crowd roared, and I began to hyperventilate as Ness sauntered on stage wearing Dickies work pants, a black wife-beater, and a wicked sneer. Guitarist Jonny Wickersham and Ness gave a one-two punch from their new MIKE NESS of SOCIAL DISTORTION; PHOTO by SID ANDRUSKA
CD Love, Sex and Rock ’n’ Roll, leading with the powerhouse hit “Reach for the Sky” and transitioning effortlessly into “Highway 101.” The energy put forth from those two songs set the tone for the entire show. Two from the vault, “Mommy’s Little Monster” and “Telling Them,” heated things up, as did “99 to Life” from Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell. That’s when the crowd began searching for nooks and crannies near the stage. A rather large guy who looked like he could kick King Kong’s ass moved in, blocking my view of Ness. Wretched! I chose to do nothing because I didn’t want my pouty lips busted. Instead, I stood up just in time for the beginning of “Sick Boys,” one of SocialD’s popular masterpieces. Halfway through, Ness announced his tribute song, “Don’t Take Me for Granted,” dedicated to Dennis Danell, former guitarist of the band who died unexpectedly in 2000. Also, in between songs, Ness would retreat and turn his back to blow his nose discreetly, throwing down his tissues with much exclamation as if to say, “Fuck this cold!” Poor guy. The show lasted 80 minutes with one encore. Some final songs included “Prison Bound,” “Nickels and Dimes,” a new song called “Diamond in the Rough,” and “Ring of Fire.” I was left wanting more—or to, at least, go back stage. Getting my hopes up that they’d play a longer encore, Ness started talking about staying up late, partying until 3 a.m., and then recommended that all of us call “the boss man” in the morning and give the excuse: “I’m not coming to work because I’ve been to a Social Distortion show.” Everyone cheered. Alas, my hopes were dashed; the encore ended ten minutes later, and I was in bed by midnight. —Sid Andruska
Jump Blueberry Hill, February 15 February 15 was a birthday to remember. I only wish I could remember more of it. 25 Insights From My 25th Birthday: 1. A friend who will join you on your birthday to see a band he’s never heard of is a friend, indeed. Thanks, Joe. 2. Sound checks are cool. Especially when it’s your favorite band doing the checking. I waltzed into the Duck Room to find my favorite boys—Ward, Evan, Matt, Jay, and Jonny—warming up. I was happy. 3. Tuesday night is a slow night for shows. Just over a hundred people showed up and there was plenty of room to move around. 4. When your full name recalls the name of an instrument, the band will remember you. Friends and family affectionately refer to me as “Mandolin,” derived from “Amanda Lynn.” Matt Bivins, the catchall instrumentalist and sometimes singer, plays a hot-pink, electric mandolin. After nine years and god knows how many concerts, this is all I have. 5. The Duck Room doesn’t have Beefeaters gin, FYI. 6. It is entirely possible to make friends in the restroom. Men don’t understand this. I met some girls. They heard it was my birthday. We washed our hands. They bought me celebratory shots. 7. Perfect strangers are generous and, more often than not, alcoholics. In addition to my friends from the restroom, various other individuals wanted to feed me alcohol. I was grateful. 8. Just because you have a camera, doesn’t necessarily mean you should use it. Of the 50plus photos I shot, half are in focus. 9. Beatle Bob is always a good idea. There continued on page 17
MARCH 2005
Three to See Here are just three of the great original St. Louis bands that play around town on a regular basis. Check them out as soon as you can. Seven Star—Seven Star is a band I have seen perform on quite a few occasions over the past few years. Within the last year, this four-piece pop band has managed to turn their live show into a set that shouldn’t be missed by anyone who appreciates good local talent. Singer/guitarist Grant Essig has a natural stage presence and strong vocal ability and has no problem bringing catchy songs like “Push” and “Break on Out” to life. The band’s guitar sound is noticeably good as well, and there’s no shortage of great melodies and striking lead guitar parts in the mix. Even the slower, acoustic songs still manage to keep audience members on their feet, glued to the stage; in some cases, especially when the band treats audiences to various cover tunes, people will jump on stage and sing along with the band. Some of the passionate audience members
may very well be driven by the stage antics of bassist Jaclyn Mayer, who has a tremendous amount of energy and never stops moving to take a breather. At a Seven Star show, the sky is the limit and it’s just a matter of time before they fill every venue they play to maximum capacity. Lodis C—This is one band whose members must be taking plenty of vitamin C, because there is no shortage of energy. Lodis C offers a truly original brand of fast-paced, modern rock that mixes guitar and keyboards in a way that is truly unique. When keyboardist Pat Jaeger brings his instrument to the stage, he cranks out notes that only add to the overall intensity of the distorted guitars rather than mellowing the sound out and the result is quite neat. Despite the somewhat aggressive sound and loud stage volume, great melodies shine through the mix; singer Mawk Skipper manages to sound great even while jumping around the stage at a frantic pace. The band’s performances are lively and memorable; such fresh and original music makes going to see a Lodis C show well worth the trip.
Shattermask—Shattermask is a great example of just how much creativity there is in our local music scene. This four-member band brings their unique brand of metal to the stage, featuring a variety of strong bass grooves and heavy guitar rhythms. Anyone afraid that there is a lack of great bass players in this town need not fear, because the group’s bassist Boogieman provides some of the best bass lines you’re likely to hear anywhere. In addition, lead singer Priest sings in his own unique vocal style, often tearing through verses at such a fast pace that his voice literally becomes a fourth instrument. Though the distinct sound is likely to drive a lot of the younger fans into the mosh pit, it’s just as much fun to sit and watch the four perform, because the group’s stage show is a sight in itself. All four members have a unique stage presence and bring their own theatrical looks to the stage in a way that captures the audience’s attention before they even break into the first song of the set. —John Kujawski
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LIVE MUSIC FIVE NIGHTS A WEEK • PITCHERS ARE ALWAYS $5
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1001 MCCAUSLAND AVE. • (314) 781-4716 FOR ADDITIONAL LISTINGS, PLEASE VISIT US ONLINE AT WWW.HI-POINTE.COM
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MARCH 2005
Backstage Pass
from page 14
was dancing. There was spinning. There were photographs. 10. Most drunk girls are ridiculously obnoxious, and I am no exception. 11. What I call rhythm, others call flailing. Some people were born to dance. I am not one of those people. 12. Shouting excitedly is never cute, only irritating. Write that down. 13. MC Hammer rules, and apparently everyone knows it. I wore a “2Legit2Quit” T-shirt that was quite a hit. 14. Eighteen songs fly by when you’re wasted. Jump performed songs from all five albums, though the majority came from their newest release, Between the Dim and the Dark. They weren’t as keyed up as I’d expected, but the show was amazing nonetheless. The STL performance was the first show of a three-week tour, so perhaps they were kicking it off slowly. 15. Nearly a decade of following a band religiously does not ensure that you will remember the words to their songs should the singer himself forget and ask for help. See also, Alcohol makes me stupid. During “U Can Look,” Bivins, MC extraordinaire, slipped up and lost his words. He asked us for help. I drew a blank. 16. If you drink to the point of getting emotional during their lovely ballad, “Cathedrals,” you’ve probably had too much to drink. 17. There is always an encore, even if the lead singer is not feeling well.
18. If you are eventually sober enough to close out your tab, things are looking up. 19. A band that’ll stick around to take photos with their hammered fans is a band I want to follow. 20. Also, a band that travels in an airport Park ’N Fly shuttle is mighty cool. 21. It is not necessary to blather on about your amazing night to a cab driver that couldn’t care less. 22. It is important to find a designated spot in your messenger bag for your hotel key card so that you can find it when you can’t stand up straight. 23. A four-hour drive home is torture when you’re nauseous. 24. Clearly, I’m getting too old for this shit. 25. If you can’t read your notes from a show because you were too drunk to write legibly, it’s smart to turn your review into a personal memoir and entertaining gimmick. —Mandy Jordan
Innocent Words Compilation #3 More Ways Than Three (IWR-009)
Innocent Words Compilation #1 Small, My Table
Terminus Victor Mastering the Revels
Lorenzo Goetz Allure EP
(IWR-002)
(IWR-005)
Innocent Words Compilation #2 A Warm Breath and A Scream
Lorenzo Goetz Jesus Elephant
(IWR-001)
Triple Whip Slapshot (IWR-006)
(IWR-008)
(IWR-007)
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Alvin
HAPPY HOUR Every Day from 2-7pm Open till 3 am every night 3/5 - Armor for Sleep 3/8 - I Voted for Kodos 3/13: DFA 1979 3/12 - Throwdown & The Chariot (x-Norma Jean) 3/13 - Death From Above 1979 3/14 - These Arms Are Snakes & Fear Before the March of Flames 3/15 - Turbo ACâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 3/16 - The Queers 3/17 - The Clarity Process 3/21 - Peelander-Z 3/22 - Streetlight Manifesto & The Spunks 3/21: Peelander-Z 3/23 - Guitar Wolf & The International Playboys 3/24 - The Umbrellas 3/25 - Against Me 4/11 - The Red Death & Arsis 4/21 - NoMeansNo 4/23 - Atmosphere 4/23: Atmosphere 4/24 - The Independents Every Monday @ 11:00pm The Original Club Fetish
412 N. TUCKER - ST. LOUIS, MO 63101 314-851-0919 - www.creepycrawl.com
MARCH 2005
COME OUT AND PLAY
THEATER
COMPILED BY TYSON BLANQUART
NEW LINE THEATRE presents THE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM, 3/3–26
POSITION OPENINGS/AUDITIONS Encore Productions will hold auditions for the spring production of Robert Fulghum’s All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten adapted by Ernest Zuli, Mar. 16 at 6:30 p.m. & Mar. 19 at 2 p.m. at the Historic Miner’s Institute, 204 W. Main Collinsville, Ill. For information, call 618-344-0026 or e-mail minersencore@yahoo.com. The Kirkwood Theatre Guild is seeking directors for their ’05-’06 season. Interested parties should contact Executive Director Kathy Flood Figas at 314-831-9956. The KTG is also holding auditions for its final show of the season, Bells Are Ringing, Sun., Mar. 20. Auditions for the musical by Betty Comden, Adolph Green, and Jule Styne will consist of singing, with same-day callbacks. The show will be directed by Steve Isom. Auditions at the Robert G. Reim Theatre in the Kirkwood Community Center, 111 S. Geyer Rd. More info: www.ktg-onstage.org. St. Louis Shakespeare will be holding auditions for their 2005 season. Auditions for Henry V and A Winter’s Tale are Mar. 14 & 15, 7–10 p.m. at St. John’s United Methodist Church, 5000 Washington Pl. To schedule an appointment, call 314-361-5664 or e-mail info@stlshakespeare.org. Magic Smoking Monkey Theatre will hold auditions for its June production, Glen or Glenda, or I Changed My Sex, LIVE!, Mar. 19 from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. & 2:30– 5 p.m. at St. John’s United Methodist Church, 5000 Washington Pl. No appointment necessary. For more information, call 314-361-5664 or e-mail info@stlshakespeare.org. The Broadway Center of Arts in Belleville, Ill., is searching for production designers for their summer production of Richard O’Brien’s 1974 cult classic The Rocky Horror Show; Armand Vasquez directing. If interested, contact Vasquez at 314-773-209-6816 or e-mail ajvasquez02@hotmail.com. New Line Theatre will be holding auditions for Kiss of the Spider Woman Mar. 14 & 21 at 7 p.m. at the ArtLoft Theatre, 1529 Washington Ave. The show will be directed by Scott Miller and choreographed by John Ricroft and Robin Berger, and runs May 18 – June 26. Call 314-773-6526 or visit www.newlinetheatre.com for info. The Alpha Players of Florissant are currently seeking directors for their ’05–’06 season. The season will include the Fiddler on the Roof, The Man Who Came to Dinner, and Auntie Mame. For more information, call Colleen Heneghan at 314-830-3554. Encore Productions of the Miner’s Institute Theatre
is seeking a Musical Director for its upcoming season. If interested, e-mail minersencore@yahoo.com or call 618-344-0026. The Metro Theatre Company will hold auditions for its ’05–’06 season on Sun., Mar. 20 from 3–4 p.m. Call 314-9976777 ext. 101 or e-mail carol@metrotheatercompany.org to make an appointment.
SHOW OPENINGS New Line Theatre presents The Robber Bridegroom by Alfred Uhry and Robert Waldman Mar. 3–26, Thur– Sat. at 8 p.m. at the ArtLoft Theatre, 1529 Washington Ave. Directed by New Line Artistic Director Scott Miller. Tickets ($15 general admission/$10 students/seniors) are available from MetroTix outlets, by calling 314-534-1111, or online at www.metrotix.com. www.newlinetheatre.com The Kirkwood Theatre Guild will present The Curious Savage by John Patrick Mar. 11–19. at the Robert G. Reim Theater, in the Kirkwood Community Center at 111 South Geyer Rd. Tickets are $14, available at the box office. Reservations can be made by calling 314821-9956 ext. 1. Performances are Fri. & Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. www.ktg-onstage.org Clayton Community Theatre presents Steve Martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile Mar. 4–20, directed by Michael Jokerst. Fri. & Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. at the Little Theatre at Clayton High School, #1 Mark Twain Circle Dr. Tickets ($12/ $10) available at the box office or through MetroTix at 314534-1111 or www.metrotix.com. http://placeseveryone.org The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis continues William Nicholson’s The Retreat From Moscow through Mar. 11 on the Mainstage, directed by Steven Woolf. Tickets $16.50–41.50. The Rep presents Regina Taylor’s Crowns Mar. 16 – Apr. 15; tickets $12–58. In the Studio Theatre, The Rep presents Kenneth Lonergan’s Lobby Hero Mar. 23 – Apr. 10. Tickets $29–44. Tickets for all performances are available on The Rep’s Web site or by calling the box office at 314-968-4925. www.repstl.org The St. Louis Black Repertory Company continues its presentation of Stories About the Old Days by Bill Harris through Mar. 6. Tickets ($25–37.50) available through MetroTix, by phone at 314-534-1111, or online at www.metrotix.com. Performances Thur.–Sun. at the Grandel Theatre. www.stlouisblackrep.com The Imaginary Theatre Company, an offshoot of The Rep, will present the children’s play Ferdinand the Bull by Karen Zacarias and Deborah Wicks La Puma Sat., Mar. 26, 11 a.m. & 2 p.m. at The Rep. Tickets ($4–6)
If you have an audition, show announcement, or other news of interest to the theater community, please e-mail theater@playbackstl.com no later than the 15th of each month. Also be sure to visit www.playbackstl.com for updated announcements throughout the month.
availbale at the box office, online at www.repstl.org, or by calling 314-968-4925. Muddy Waters Theatre Company continues Criminal Hearts by Jane Martin through Mar. 6, Fri. & Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 7 p.m.; $16 adults/$13 students/ seniors. For reservations, call 314-540-7831 or e-mail muddywaterstheatre@hotmail.com. The New Jewish Theatre continues Unexpected Tenderness by Israel Horovitz, directed by Brad Schwartz, through Mar. 6. Wed., Thurs., & Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 & 7:30 p.m. Tickets $18/22available by calling 314-4423283 or visiting www.jccstl.com. Performances at the Sarah and Abraham Studio Theatre in the Jewish Community Center, 2 Millstone Campus Dr. in Creve Coeur. Curtain Call Repertory Theatre continues Sweeny Todd by Steven Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler through Mar. 6 at the Carrousel House in Faust Park; Fri. & Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. Tickets $13/15; call 636-346-7707 for reservations. Visit www.curtaincallrep.com for info. The NonProphet Theatre Company’s final performances of The Militant Propaganda Bingo Machine will be Mar. 3 & 10 at the Hi-Pointe Café, 1001 McCausland, at 9 p.m. Tickets $5–10 (3/10 includes a CD of the show). www.nonprophets.com City Improv Comedy Club in Union Station offers live improvisational comedy Tues. 8:30 p.m., Thur. 8 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 7:30 & 10 p.m. Tickets $10, two-drink minimum. Visit www.cityimprov.com for more information. HotCity Theatre will offer the first in its series of Greenhouse shows with Lee Blessing’s Chesapeake Mar. 10–20 performed by Jerry Vogel. For showtimes and ticket information, visit www.hotcitytheatre.org. St. Louis’ Newest Social Gathering
Creative & Passionate Singles
CAPS is open to all creative, passionate and expressive people! Come join us for an enlightening, inspiring, and laidback alternative to dating... visit www.capsgroup.org or call Staci Cohen at 314-322-4100
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MARCH 2005
SXSW2005 Every March, music industry types and the bands they love leave the real world behind for a few days and enter the alternate reality that is Austin, Texas’ SXSW Music Conference and Festival. For music fans, there’s no other place to be. Where else can you so casually mingle among all of your fave bands in such a relaxed, open atmosphere? And the addition of two more SXSW conferences—SXSW Film and SXSW Interactive—in ’93 hasn’t spread the SXSW magic thin by any means. The music festival not only collects the most eclectic mix of bands you’ll find anywhere—from barely known buzz bands to a few major label MTV eyesores—but it continues to grow as the most comprehensive networking event in the world for folks in the music industry and folks who want to be in the music industry. In its nineteenth year, SXSW remains overwhelming in the best way.
Ikuno’s SXSW Picks: • • • • • •
Kasabian Boy Jason Falkner Ambulance LTD Kaiser Chiefs The Dogs
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The Longcut The Dears Nine Black Alps Ash The Bravery Maximo Park
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PROFILES Sleater-Kinney 22-20s Death From Above 1979 Don Hertzfeldt The Frames Ben Lee Dogs Die in Hot Cars The Dears Kasabian Robyn Hitchcock (Web-exclusive)
SLEATER-KINNEY: INTO THE WOODS By Aaron Richter he first time I heard Sleater-Kinney, I over-sheltered high school kids to confront this was sitting in a high school desk wait- slice of reality. ing for the lunch bell to ring. It was my TAKING CHANCES last semester before college, and I had treated Days away from hearing the final masters of myself to a class called Music and American her band’s new album, Sleater-Kinney vocalist/ Society, a history class that traded its text- guitarist Corin Tucker reflects on the band’s books for CDs. decision to nourish its experimental side as a The first week found us chronologically way to keep things interesting while working exploring women’s history by listening to such on its seventh album. artists as Ella Fitzgerald, Joni Mitchell, and “There’s a lot of new sounds and textures Madonna. With discussion topics on this record that we haven’t done ranging from women performing “We went in with before,” she says. “We really tried male-penned songs to the emergence to go for it with guitar sounds, just someone that of female sexual expression populattotally experimenting with differwe didn’t know, ing much of our class time, the week ent sounds and really taking a lot who had never eventually came to a close, but not of risks with all the sounds on the really heard our before the disc changer switched on record.” music before its final song—“One More Hour” by There are two ways you can and just played Sleater-Kinney. take this. Approach it with an all the songs for After the startling vocal howl and him. He sat there air of skepticism, and Tucker is dueling guitars struck their final note, throwing out a derivative answer taking notes the teacher asked us what made the to the broad what’s-different-thislike a college song different from the other music we time-around question when, in professor.” had listened to. The class was silent; truth, the album is actually more faces were filled with blank stares. of the same. Or, grab yourself a Observing the room in confusion, I thrust my spoon and eat up Tucker’s words as gospel hand into the air to declare the seemingly obvi- with no regard for the fact that her comment ous fact that the song was about a romantic sounds like every band’s response when talkrelationship with a woman. ing about a new release. The difference here is The class’ silence has always confused me. that Tucker couldn’t be more honest about the Was there something about the subject matter new album. that made them uncomfortable? Did the lyriThe Portland, Ore., trio, composed of cal appearance of marginalized sexuality drive Tucker, guitarist/vocalist Carrie Brownstein, them to construct a barrier against the music? and drummer Janet Weiss, has just spent five Was the concept of an openly discussed same- and a half weeks in the middle of the woods sex relationship too much for them to grasp? working on jumping out of their comfort Were they just too hungry to care? zones. And recording some music. Whatever the case, it was certain that in Exchanging coasts and trekking through just three minutes Sleater-Kinney had stepped the woods, Sleater-Kinney traveled to Tarbox up with one song from its 1997 release, Dig Me Road Studios in Cassadaga, N.Y., to work Out, and challenged a group of over-privileged, continued on next page
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with producer David Fridmann (The Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev), who was unfamiliar with Sleater-Kinney’s music. Accustomed to working with John Goodmanson in the past, the band entered the studio with songs written. “It was pretty intense the first few days,” Tucker recounts. “We went in with someone that we didn’t know, who had never really heard our music before and just played all the songs for him. He sat there taking notes like a college professor.” As the band tossed around ideas of creating a new, wild sound, Fridmann listened to the preliminary versions of the songs and developed an idea of what the band needed to do with the recording process. “I’m glad that I wasn’t really familiar with their recordings though,” Fridmann says. “I think it would have made it harder to follow new paths if I had.” New paths? Try a whole new sound with just enough Sleater-Kinney kiss that it reminds us why we’re listening in the first place. “The Fox” begins the album with Sonic Youth–style fuzzed-over guitar shredding, a drastic departure from Sleater-Kinney’s trademark crisp riffs. There are ridiculously over-indulgent guitar solos (“What’s Mine Is Yours”), lo-fi singalongs (“Modern Girl”), and even a ten-minute tour de force that transitions into the following song with a live studio improvisation (“Let’s Call It Love”). But somehow this all works. Simply titled The Woods (to be released May 24), the album works because it is SleaterKinney’s first true foray into the world of studio antics, and it doesn’t try to fool listeners into thinking the band’s done this its entire career. It sounds just as a band should when taking its first dive into such unfamiliar waters, complete with a handful of awkward moments that manage to come across as endearing. But more than anything, it’s the sound of a band having fun. “S-K wanted a raw and crazy sound,” Fridmann says, “so I tried to help them find that. This is the record that they wanted to make, and I was lucky enough to be there while they were doing it.” LIVE PHOTOS: STEVEN VANCE
FEELING LOST
BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME
As apparent by the title of the record, working at Tarbox Road Studios had more of an affect on Sleater-Kinney than just providing a place to record the album. The name represents the seclusion the band members felt being so far removed from their normal city life. But Tucker says the title holds a much broader meaning as well. “I also think The Woods can really be in reference to the climate of things our country is going through right now,” she says. “We’re in the middle of a really horrible war and really intense political times. It can definitely feel like scary, uncharted territory.” Tucker’s comment reflects a political edge Sleater-Kinney has always had in its music. With more artists having used their music as a tool of protest in the days counting down to the presidential election, it would seem the concept of a protest song has lost some steam after the blue states were severely lacking on Nov. 2, but Tucker sees the spirit of the protest song as strong as ever. “We have to keep some kind of morality alive that says that we object to this kind of injustice,” Tucker says, “just for the sake of letting the rest of the world know that we don’t all agree with the Bush administration.” In addition to songs of political comment, much of The Woods is an introspective exploration. “There’s a lot of mental struggle on the album that sort of reflects the past four years we’ve been living in and trying to make some sense of it,” Tucker says. “It’s a very dark record for sure.”
The Pacific Northwest has always provided a home for Sleater-Kinney. Emerging from the early ’90s riot grrrl explosion, Tucker and Brownstein, then students at Evergreen State College, first met when Tucker was performing in a duo called Heavens to Betsy. The friendship led Brownstein to start her own band called Excuse 17, but in 1994 the two launched Sleater-Kinney as a side project. As the other bands fell to the side, Sleater-Kinney began making a name for itself by releasing politically and socially charged records on Donna Dresch’s Olympia-based Chainsaw label. Upon making the jump to the Kill Rock Stars record label, also out of Olympia, the band picked up Weiss as a permanent drummer. “We’ve been playing in the Pacific Northwest for ten years, and we share a lot of history with people who have been doing music here for a long time,” Tucker says. With the need to explore new musical ground, Sleater-Kinney also saw the necessity to begin ties with a new record label. The band split amicably with Kill Rock Stars, for whom they released four albums, and, sticking to its northwest roots, Sleater-Kinney signed a deal with legendary Seattle-based Sub Pop Records. Not only did the band members remain in the region that raised them, but they also remained true to the spirit of their music by avoiding the urge to sign with a major label, a feat even formerly northwestern electro-rockers Le Tigre was unable to avoid in the past year. “For us, we just thought Sub Pop would get us,” Tucker says. “We’d be working together rather than working against, which is something that can sometimes happen with a major label when they have totally different ideas about what they might want you to do with your record.”
MARCH 2005
Perhaps if some record exec had put his or her input into writing “One More Hour” in 1997, the woman with the “other girl” would have been a man, and instead of her taking off her dress, he would take off his slacks. If this had occurred, my high school class wouldn’t have shut itself off in an attempt to avoid the issue minutes before lunch. Sleater-Kinney’s album would have gone six-billion times platinum, and the band would be pasted across nearly every media outlet in the world. The Woods would have been filled with delightful pop gems pledging Jessica Simpson-style support to our country’s foreign affairs, and SleaterKinney would even have its own “Support Our Troops” ribbon with the band’s smiling mugs faded behind the cursive letters. But thankfully this exaggeration isn’t the case. Freedom of expression is something SleaterKinney has always valued; compromise would be a cop out. If this causes some listeners to close their ears, then so be it. “We’re not the kind of band that soothes people and you can just have on while doing the dishes,” Tucker says. “We’re a very challenging band to listen to, and I think we know that. It’s just important to us to make music that we find daring and passionate.”
MORE FOR YOU Go to www.playbackstl.com to read exclusive interviews with Robyn Hitchcock (above) and Bloc Party. You can also read complete transcripts of Laura Hamlett’s interviews with Kasabian and The Frames. Next month you can check out the Web site to see photos from SXSW and a roundup of the shows and films that the PlaybackSTL staff caught while in Austin.
22-20s: FLOATING IN THE MIDDLE By Brian McClelland he songs on U.K.’s 22-20s self-titled debut—released to a blizzard of publicity in their homeland last September, and due Stateside April 19—are explosive affairs, showcasing a deadly serious young band hell-bent on making music as angry, sexy, and blues-drenched as The Rolling Stones did on their debut. No stranger to these shores—they toured America last year with Jet and Kings of Leon—the band was first shuttled here to meet label bigwigs during the major label feeding frenzy that followed the recording of their much-buzzed about homemade four-track demo. Sounds fun, right? Not so, says bassist Glen Bartup, who considers the experience “a load of bullshit, really, because we were desperate to go away and write more songs. Instead, we came [to America] and did quite a few four-men-sitting-in-the-backof-a-room gigs.” It wasn’t all bullshit, though. “Going to New York was great. I grew up in a small village, so it was quite different from that. There’s so many people, you can sort of float in the middle of it all.”
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What’s your live show like? It depends on how much we’re drinking, really. It can be brilliant or it can be shit. We’ve been touring a lot recently, though, so it’s pretty well-oiled at the moment. You were signed partly on the strength of a four-track demo. Does the full-length share any similarly primitive recording techniques? We never had a big issue about making it lo-fi, or making it sound like it was made in the ’60s. We were more interested in capturing the energy of the track. [Producer] Brendan Lynch [Primal Scream, Paul Weller] knew our reference points—he had a lot of great old Motown and blues records—but at the same time we wanted to make something fresh. We didn’t see a point in making a pastiche of stuff that had already gone before. We didn’t even care if it was digital or tape or what, we just went by what we liked from what we heard coming out of the speakers. What kind of reference points were you starting from? When we first heard Dylan’s Live in 66, we knew that was the way we wanted [our record]—to make it kind of dark and scary without just being loud and forceful all the time. It had a bit more of a swagger to it, but it wasn’t a masculine swagger; it could be fairly effeminate, but still pretty intense. When you’re caught in the middle of major-label feeding frenzy, how do you keep your ego in check? We went the other way, really. When we were writing and recording the demo, we’d finally felt like we were on the cusp of grasping what we wanted to be, and that’s when everything sort of exploded. We sank into ourselves for a bit, sort of stuck our heads in the sand, getting drunk before gigs and not writing any songs for six months. So it wasn’t really a problem, keeping your ego in check. We just wanted to dig ourselves a little hole to sit in for a couple weeks and try to recreate what it was like when we were unknown and miserable.
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MARCH 2005
THE FRAMES: IN GOOD COMPANY By Laura Hamlett wo years ago at SXSW, we stumbled across an Irish band called The Frames. They were playing to a tough crowd: industry folks and goods hawkers at the afternoon trade show. Despite our hurry to see everything and get back out to the sunshine, we found ourselves pulling up cafeteria chairs and staying a while. With their manic exuberance, heartbreakingly beautiful violin, effusive frontman, and whisper-quiet recesses, we were captivated. And we were not alone. The band’s showcase that year got them signed to Anti (they had brought themselves to the States on their own moxie and a self-released fourth album, For the Birds). Following last year’s stunning live LP, Set List, The Frames are back with the slow-building but equally vibrant Burn the Maps and a return trip to Austin. The Frames are one of Ireland’s hottest bands, topping the charts and selling out venues. In Ireland, Damien Rice opens for them; here in the States last year, they supported Rice. Says guitarist Rob Bochnik, “In Ireland, the audience is right there with us the whole time, singing along. When we go to Europe [or the States], it’s not a struggle, but we’re trying to win the crowd over; it’s not as easy. But…you get people in the audience willing to sing along and be a part of the show, and it infects the rest of the audience.” Not content to simply rest on their home country success, The Frames are determined to see the world. “The band has always scraped together money to do tours in the States. Since we do quite well in Ireland, that [allows] us to go to the States and tour. Traveling is a great thing; you get to see a lot of the world and play music.” Part of the appeal of The Frames, undoubtedly, is manic storytelling singer/guitarist/frontman Glen Hansard. Says Bochnik, “Glen’s got a gift at feeling out an audience. He knows how to navigate his way through. If people are up for it, he’ll chat away, but there are some shows where people are not in the mood for a story. He can spot that right away. He’s bent on being victorious every night, and we’re right there to back him up.” Bochnik admits the band has no expectations for this year’s visit to Austin. “I think we’re just looking to do better in the States; in general, we’re hoping the record will do good things for us because this is our first actual worldwide release of a record. [It’s a] big deal! It’s going really well in Europe and I think it’ll go well for us in the States—knock on wood, you know?” As for bands to watch, he looks to his label’s distinguished roster. “We’re part of the Anti showcase” at SXSW, he says. “I’d love to play with anyone that’s on the label. I know you probably wouldn’t see Nick Cave or Tom Waits playing there...” But a guy can dream, can’t he? Bochnik agrees: “It’d be amazing to play with anyone of that caliber.” Much as it is for any band lucky enough to share the stage with The Frames.
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By Sean Moeller en Lee should be better friends with Conor Oberst. The two have been running mates for the crown of genius boy wonder or the junior Dylan for as long as they’ve been putting out records. Their careers have mirrored each other in their details. Both began writing when they were barely double-digited, recording hissy, fuzzed-up introspections that soon fell into more and more of the right hands. They’ve grown up through their songs and, in their early 20s, were both linked with Hollywood starlets. You’d half expect them to reference each other frequently in conversation, talking about all the good times they have just sitting around riffing about life over a few bottles of cheap wine. Where their parallels turn curvy is in their temperaments and how they cradle them. Lee, the 26-year-old Australian, is two years older. Both he and Oberst deal from their hips and shoot from their chests. They bare their hearts so you won’t have to, with Oberst giving it straight and leaving a mess, and Lee doing the same but making a point to hold your hand while doing it. It’s a very small gesture, but he’s come to believe it helps. “It’s really strange, because I feel a sort of cosmic connection to him,” Lee said of Oberst. “But we take very different approaches to what we’re doing. I do think that there’s a similarity to our ultimate goals. I think we’ve been on each other’s radar for a long time.” Lee’s songwriting has taken on a different pulse with his latest record, Awake Is the New Sleep. It’s his offering to a world taken by gloom, the antidote to hopelessness and despair. He’s spent his time questioning and it’s working. He’s not only concluded that his desire is to make a positive difference with his music, but that his vulnerability is a real connector. “It’s actually easier to connect with people than you think,” Lee said. “Music’s a very tangible thing that can give you inspiration and hope. I think the idea of the record is waking up to more joy. The full experience of being alive and living with an open heart—there’s nothing like it. We have just a short time here; I’m going to wring every last drop out of this.” The years of development through which Lee has put himself since his early days as a loud punk have made him into a better writer, with the evidence all over a new record that should be considered his first adult work. He’s no longer a phenom with all that room to grow. “I was looking at the music industry and thinking, ‘I’m four years older than the people who are considered the biggest things right now,” Lee said with a laugh. “Ben Folds told me the other day, ‘You’re in a great position because you’re a late bloomer and a veteran. You stepped up to bat late, but you’ve got so much experience.’ And I think that’s a pretty good deal. I probably make different mistakes than most 23-yearold, groupie-shagging, coke-snorting bands of brothers do.”
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THE OUTLAW ART WORLD OF
DON HERTZFELDT By Pete Timmermann very now and then, I come across a picture of Don Hertzfeldt, the maverick animator best known for his 2000 short film “Rejected” as well as for co-founding The Animation Show with Mike Judge. He was usually long-haired, wearing flannel and looking stoned. This look was well-suited to the Hertzfeldt one would imagine based on his work and a few select details about his life: he was 24 years old when he was nominated for the Best Animated Short Academy Award in early 2001 for “Rejected,” a series of purportedly turned-down Family Learning Channel–commissioned commercials (with a screaming stick figure’s eye socket becoming a spigot of blood, or a baby taking his first steps only to fall down a seemingly infinite flight of stairs). I wouldn’t have recognized him if not for his name tag when I ran into this suspiciously Johnny Depp–looking guy outside of the Animation Spotlight at the Sundance Film Festival this January. After seeing his new short, “The Meaning of Life”—which, at 4 years in production and 13 minutes in duration, marks his lengthiest piece to date—some might think Hertzfeldt is trying to clean up his act and get away from the college humor that has made him a cult superstar. “I don’t ever want to make the same film twice. I think as soon as I do that I should quit.” “Life” is very classical music–driven, and can be interpreted any number of ways. The film begins with a man being sent away from the sky to Earth, slowly rotting along the way, and then follows the evolution of man throughout his duration on the planet. As for this new direction, Hertzfeldt lamented, “I don’t want to be the ‘My spoon is too big’ guy…I don’t want that on my gravestone.” Being the “My spoon is too big” guy wouldn’t be one of my primary concerns if I were him. Although it is surely hard to shed the confines of being widely known for one extremely quotable film, Hertzfeldt has quickly been recognized in his short career as one of the greatest living animators. Unlike the vast majority of his peers, Hertzfeldt animates the old-fashioned way: with hand-drawn pictures shot under a 35 mm film rig, with all special effects being done in camera. But, despite the nearly century-old process of animating this way, Hertzfeldt continues to break new ground, such as animating real holes and crumples in the paper (as he does in “Rejected”), using 3-D objects set on the page and moved around by the animated figures (as in “Intermission in the Third Dimension”), and, now, messing with double, triple, and more exposures, which give certain objects the feel of being sources of light, and comes in handy in the animation of planets in “The Meaning of Life.” “Everyone I talk to—not just students, but people in the industry—says, ‘What kind of software do you use?’ When I tell them I film it traditionally, I always just get a blank stare, like they have no idea how cartoons used to be made without computers.”
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LOOKING DOWN ON
DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979 By David Lichius heories, either of the crackpot variety or those that are well-reasoned, can be an intriguing listen. Double that when the theory implies indirectly the involvement of President George W. Bush and the rise in popularity of Canadian underground music in the United States. Toronto’s Death From Above 1979 has cooked up a strange yet plausible theory, stating that the emergence of bands from Canada in the lower 48 is based on the current U.S. political situation. “We [drummer/vocalist Sebastien Grainger and bassist Jesse F. Keeler] came up with a pretty interesting theory that, because of the political climate in the States, people are turning out to find good things, and I think that might be the case here,” Grainger said. “All of a sudden, there is weird romantic idea of Canada and it’s being reflected in people’s tastes.” Similar in organization—and, to a certain degree, sound—to Lightning Bolt, DFA 1979 create a far more melodic and aesthetically pleasing ruckus. Their 2004 debut, You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine was downright amazing and has been creating quite a stir since its release early this year in the United Kingdom. Only recently has the band seen increased U.S. media coverage. Yet, despite the larger scope of media attention, don’t think that Grainger is reading his own press clippings. “I try as much as possible to stay away from it. It sort of changes your view of your band and changes the idea of what you’re doing. I don’t particularly want to start writing songs about writing songs and writing songs about being in a band,” he said. It is in the spirit of putting the blinders on and trolling on as normal that DFA 1979 arrives at SXSW. While certain bands feel the need to go out of their way to make an impression (see Icarus Line, SXSW 2002), DFA 1979 is treating the festival as just another evening. “Every show is the same and you try to put as much into each performance as possible,” Grainger said. “Playing somewhere where there’s a lot of expectations, I think the same rule applies. We are going to play the same in Cardiff [Wales] as we will in [Austin].” So, to quote that old Violent Femmes song, “When I say dance, you best dance, Motherfucker.”
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www.bitterfilms.com
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THE DEARS: TENDER FEELINGS By J. Church
RANTING AND RAVING WITH
DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS By Sean Moeller
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he way Dogs Die in Hot Cars frontman Craig Macintosh sings is subtly proper. You can find within it a sort of lax authority and diplomatic resonance that Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos and Morrissey can be accused of having, but not just anyone with an accent will get the same. The regal quality with which Macintosh’s voice seems to have been treated belies the fact that most of his lyrics descend from the rantings and ravings of his father and conversations he has with old men in Scottish pubs—not from an overly studious and poetic eye. “My father was actually over last night and we were ranting over a couple bowls of wine. It’s just talking. It’s just kind of bits of things. I couldn’t say any specific thing, but I know a lot of things because of him,” Macintosh said. “We go to a pub that’s kind of good for that sort of thing. It’s a place that sells traditional ales, an old-man pub. Everyone in there looks like Gandalf. The walls are covered with pictures of Glasgow town in the heyday and beer badges. They have a blackboard with all of the beers written in chalk and you order by saying, ‘Can I have a number seven?’ It’s magic.” Dogs Die can’t, with too much confidence, actually pinpoint its birth. A lifelong friendship became a career. “We’ve been doing this band so long. We get on so well. We don’t even have to say anything to each other. We’re like an old couple, the partner that you’ve known for 50 years and you only speak to when you want to,” Macintosh said. “We all love each other. We’re best friends. I can’t imagine playing with anyone else.” It began well over a decade ago when Macintosh, bassist Lee Worrall, and drummer Lawrence Davey played on the same youth rugby team when they were 13- and 14-year-olds. Macintosh would invite himself over to Worrall’s house following matches to snack and listen to the two play. Shortly thereafter, Gary Smith joined the band on guitar. “All Lee knew were power chords...all majors. It was hilarious. It was just something we did on weekends,” Macintosh said. “I just kind of went downstairs one afternoon; they were playing and I picked up a microphone that was lying around. We’ve got hundreds of demo tapes. I had a ridiculously high-pitched voice before my balls dropped. It was angst-driven and it was great. “I didn’t want to sound like I was singing in an American accent. It was at a time when there was a Manchester kind of thing going on, with the slurring of words. I wanted it to be clean.” As it’s gone, Macintosh has created a bouncier, but just as vibrant and interesting version of Andy Partridge’s XTC, using Kate Bush and David Bowie as primary influences. “We did know of XTC and we did really like them. But ‘Making Plans for Nigel’ was the only song I was familiar with,” Macintosh said. “When I went into a record store thinking, ‘What shall I buy?’ and I got stuck, I never thought to buy XTC, you know? It’s a compliment. I can totally understand what people hear, but we got there our own way.”
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he Dears’ Murray Lightburn is reluctant to spat off at the media types who liken his band to a rehashing of The Smiths or Blur. It’s not that he is concerned about offending those who could potentially bread his butter; he’s actually honored to be placed in what he considers respected company. The Canadian composer/singer spent years analyzing The Smiths’ catalogue and this emotional effort finally culminated when Lightburn and band opened for the Pope of Mope this past year. “I got to meet [Morrissey] for, like, maybe a minute and a half and that was it. He was gone in a puff of smoke,” recalls Lightburn sardonically. But Lightburn isn’t a truly passive person. His opinions become strong when the subject turns to the destructive detour the world’s culture has taken. “People wanna point the finger at George Bush, but I think it’s more than that. It’s within ourselves. We need to find the strength in ourselves to get past the fear.” Lightburn reiterates the notion of self-recognition and personal responsibility: “At least I know that, when the bomb drops and my ass is toast, I’ve tried to live my life in an honest, loving, and peaceful way. That’s what I try to do and that’s the fucking point. People are missing the point. They’re distracted by fear so much that they’re forgetting to love each other.” The Dears’ goal isn’t to change the world and Lightburn isn’t anywhere near the “Bono level” when I comes to world aid. “If there’s anything that The Dears wanna say about it, it’s like, ‘There’s nothing to be afraid of.’” The band is relatively young at this stage, after being reformed by Lightburn in 2000. (The original lineup began in 1995.) After climbing up the Canadian college radio charts and appearing on Much Music, MTV2, and MTV Canada, the roads out of Montreal expanded and extended into the alleyways of the U.S. market. That wasn’t a calculated move, but it happened nevertheless. “[The U.S.] is a pretty huge beast to tame,” admits Lightburn. “The West Coast is going all right for us; the East Coast is going OK. Maybe there are some parts in the middle we could work on.” The big picture is not necessarily the best one. “If there’s people out there, we’re playing to them. It doesn’t make a difference where that person is from and what that person looks like, whether that person is a boy or a girl, whether that person is a fucking Hindu or Muslim, or a fucking Jew. You know, it doesn’t really make a difference.”
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“EKe, not only a band name but three letters that mean passion for music and the ability to deliver the music in a way that causes fans to lose themselves in the stories that make up the songs of EKe.”
surreal rock for surreal people by Jim Dunn
—KEN WILLIAMS Host, River Home Grown WVRV — 101.1 The River, St. Louis, MO
APPEARING: March 19th @ Ten Mile House March 25th @ Sally T’s April 2nd @ Ten Mile House April 14th @ Cicero’s
ST. LOUIS–BASED ASCAP SONGWRITERS STEVE BEQUETTE & ERIK GARRETT SEEKING PROFESSIONAL BASSIST & PIANIST WITH VOCAL & SONGWRITING ABILITY We recently completed a national tour with The New Left, receiving radioplay for “Last Thing” which features Kyle Cook from Matchbox Twenty. No “rock star” attitude, no alcoholics, and no dual personalities. Valid driver’s license is a must. We belong to ASCAP and have legal representation and a professional marketing team in place. This band is as much business as it is music. A balance of these is required for a good fit. Our style is Brit Rock/Pop. CONTACT STEVE AT 314-781-5369 OR VIA EMAIL AT BUZZON@STEVEBEQUETTE.COM WWW.STEVEBEQUETTE.COM
Holy Frog says, "When you're playing in the puddle, always wear your rubbers."
www.holyfrog.com
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LA PETITE LILI (Wellspring, NR)
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Claude Miller’s latest film La Petite Lili is nothing more than a thought-provoking tease. What else can be said of a film that opens with the alluring Ludivine Sagnier (the sexy star of Swimming Pool) stripping naked with a male in a grove of trees on a French lakeside? This prologue offers a microcosm of what is to become an immensely original adaptation of Chekhov’s The Seagull. Predominantly taking place over the course of one weekend on a French estate, Miller’s film follows exactly the lives of those characters that Chekhov so beautifully wrote in the late 19th century. The play revolved around a group of literaries: a famous writer, an aging actress, her idealistic son, and a young aspiring actress. If one were to take this motif, subtract the stage, and replace it with the cinema, then the stage (no pun intended) is set for a disastrous clash of talent and personalities. Residing on this small French residence is Mado Marceaux (Nicole Garcia), an actress well aware of her aging fade into oblivion, and her lover Brice (Bernard Giraudeau), a successful French director. Her son is Julien (Robinson Stévenin), a young man obsessed with the integrity of art and cinema, filled with contempt for large-budget filmmaking, which he calls “acting without emotion.” Julien is the young man found naked and making love over the opening credits of the film with Lili (Sagnier), an ambitious actress willing to do anything to become famous. Over the course of their stay in the countryside, an intellectual outbreak occurs over the showing of Julien’s latest experimental film—a quite disastrous film in its own right. Julien is unflinching in his belief in true cinema and refuses to see any other side. This stubbornness leads Lili into the arms of the successful film director and allows an even larger rift in the family. With a simple plot, slow pacing, and pre-
tentious discussions, it is easy to dismiss La Petite Lili as a boring arty French film. Yet the part where Miller’s film succeeds the most is in its fascinating conclusion. Four years after the fateful holiday at the countryside, Julien finds himself directing a big-budget film adaptation of that exact weekend in which he casts the same people who originally participated in it, including the now pompous diva, Lili. However, his new film (titled The Disappearance) seems to have more in common with what Julien believes happened then what actually did. As most French films do, La Petite Lili asks more questions than it answers. Always pushing the viewers’ intelligence and wit, Miller offers observers a treat, not only a film about the nature of cinematic art, but a film that shows only enough to pique one’s interest, leaving the viewer at wit’s end, wanting more. —Robert M. Edgecomb
RORY O’SHEA WAS HERE (Focus Features, R) Dublin’s Carrigmore Home for the Disabled is a “special home for special people” where Michael (Steven Robertson)—a 24-yearold with cerebral palsy and a severe speech impediment—is wasting away, trapped in a wheelchair that rarely takes him out the front door. But everything changes when Rory O’Shea (James McAvoy) moves into the room next door. Even though, physically, he is in
worse shape than Michael, Rory is bold and outspoken, determined to live life on his own terms. His spiked hair, utter lack of respect for authority—especially for Carrigmore’s well-meaning but by-the-book director, Eileen (Brenda Fricker)—immediately intrigues Michael. Better yet, Rory is the only person who can understand his muddled speech. Rory and Michael’s unique friendship is the center of this emotional story, told with humor and honesty. There are no simple solutions for either of them, but director Damien O’Donnell drives home the importance of living every day to its fullest. Despite the fact that the muscular dystrophy–stricken Rory is only able to move his head and two fingers, he introduces Michael to women, nightlife, and, most importantly, the possibility of life outside of Carrigmore. While Rory has been denied an independent living grant time and time again, the sympathetic Michael is easily able to charm the three-person panel and secure funding for an apartment and personal assistant. With Rory serving as Michael’s interpreter, the two begin a life on their own, searching for a place to live and a way to supplement the government grant. Roadblocks are everywhere for the inexperienced pair, but things quickly look up when they hire the stunning Siobhan (Romola Garai) to care for them. Together, the threesome shop, laugh, and set up house. But it is soon clear that Siobhan is much more than a pretty face, and both men begin to fall in love with her quick wit, strong will, and kind heart—a complicated love triangle with no easy answers. This film is not perfect and occasionally borders on cliché. But the acting all around is excellent, the characters are complex, and the twists and turns generally keep you guessing. For many audience members, it also offers a first glimpse into the challenges of living life in a wheelchair, continued on page 33
MARCH 2005
and how tasks most of us take for granted—such as eating, bathing, and getting into bed at night—are daily challenges for others. —Emily Spreng Lowery
WITNESSES (Interfilm, NR) Living far removed from any direct military conflict, it becomes difficult to truly comprehend the tragic effects of war on a people’s homeland. Following its secession from Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, Croatia faced a brutal conflict with the Serbian forces that devastated its communities. Witnesses offers a bleak, intimate perspective of the unfortu-
nate changes wrought by the war during this time period. It involves a specific setting and characters, but its events could easily apply to the Iraq conflict and other present-day situations. Adapted from Jurica Pavicic’s 1997 novel Alabaster Sheep, this film offers a difficult, powerful portrayal of the frustrating and ludicrous elements of war. Croatian director Vinko Bresan utilizes a nonlinear timeline and repeated moments to slowly reveal details about a group of characters. The pivotal moment involves the murder of a Serbian black marketer and the abduction of his daughter. The culprits are three Croatian soldiers—Josko (Kresimir Mikic), Vojo (Marinko Prga), and Baric (Bojan Navojec)—who return to their small-town home and decide to teach a lesson to a Serbian who is profiting from the war. They plan to blow up his house while he’s away, but unfortunately, their information about his absence is incorrect. The result is a quick shooting before thinking about the ramifications, with the young girl as a witness. The story depicts the murder investigation by Barbir (Drazen Kuhn) and appears headed toward a genre picture. Instead, Bresan takes us back to the killing
numerous times and offers additional clues to explain the action. Witnesses’ structure initially seems designed to function as a mystery story where surprises appear with each additional flashback. The level of clarity only decreases, however, as the new scenes reveal more troubling events from the soldiers’ pasts. Bresan intends to portray the bleak futility of war and succeeds in crafting an emotionally troubling picture. The soldiers act as immature kids who have lost an understanding of their disturbing actions. When they consider murdering the young girl, the morality of the tale barely registers within their clouded hearts. A human figure does appear in Kreso (Leon Lucev), an injured soldier who may finally understand the situation. The conclusion offers possible hope, but its weight rests below the predominantly dreary atmosphere. This film moves slowly and may lose some viewers with its shifts in time, but the antiwar message makes it a worthwhile viewing. Bresan offers no easy answers to this type of quagmire, but states convincingly that more killing is definitely not the solution. —Dan Heaton
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TAKE FIVE
THE HATCH
THE HATCH: GOING BACK TO L.A. (BY WAY OF AUSTIN) THE HATCH (front to back): SEAN DOUGLAS, JESSE MACHT, TODD RUBIN, and AUSTIN SCHUMACHER. PHOTO BY MICHAEL LAMONT.
By Laura Hamlett
Elliot Goes
SXSW festival, the four will nonetheless be making an appearance: Their manager, Gloria Butler, has rented out Room 710 (6th & Red River) the afternoon of March 17 to showcase her bands. With two sets, The Hatch will both kick off and headline the show. Tell me how you found your manager. SD: She actually found us. We played WILD [spring festival] at school; we opened for Live. It was a sound disaster, but fun. And then, out of nowhere, [we heard] she was interested. Who influences your songwriting, or who are your favorite artists? SD: I think one of the big songwriters I like
right now is early Elton John. I guess I am just a sucker for pop, and I like a lot of soul, like Michael Jackson. Any jealousy over the success of your high school alumni Maroon 5? SD: Oh no, absolutely not. My mom was very impressed that they took their moms as their dates to the Grammys; she was like, “Should I be shopping for a dress?” It’d probably be out of style by the time we get to the Grammys. Did Sean, Jesse, and Todd know each other in L.A.? TR: Sean and I went to high school together. The first time we met Jesse, our old bands were playing together and Jesse’s band was playing a Kara’s Flowers cover and they needed a bass player. I was ready to join them, but they didn’t have a bass ready… In your four years here, what have you learned about the St. Louis music scene? JM: Out here, every club is like, “Oh, you’re a college band?” I didn’t realize that a college band was something that was uncool. When else are you supposed to be in a band and try and make it happen? SD: [In St. Louis], bands get to a point where you’ve sold out this place; you’ve got to leave town, you’ve got to tour. People don’t really do that. I think they want to go overkill on the big-fish-in-a-small-pond thing; they want to kind of own the town.
by Bosco (with illustration help from Jessica Gluckman)
www.mentalsewage.com
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To call The Hatch a college band is to sell them short. Take a listen to their music or catch one of their live shows, and “college” doesn’t even begin to describe the band’s energy, sheer enjoyment, or absolute mastery of their craft. Truth be told, the four twenty-somethings play as if they’d been doing so, in this formation and with these songs, for many, many years: They’re that practiced, that talented. But we all know it takes more than talent to make it in the music business—or, hell, to capture a chatty crowd’s attention at a jam-packed concert venue—and The Hatch have that, too. That indefinable je ne sais quoi: the love of music, of writing, playing, performing, giving it their all. True, the four are college students. Sean Douglas (keyboards, vocals), Jesse Macht (guitar, vocals), and Todd Rubin (bass) graduate from Washington University this May, after which they’ll return home to L.A. and pursue this music business thing full-time. Drummer Austin Schumacher (the only non–L.A. member of the bunch; he’s originally from Connecticut) is a year behind, but following the band’s destiny all the same. He intends to transfer to USC for his final year; as for graduating, well, “If things are really moving out there,” he begins before drifing off, dreams of rockstardom filling his eyes. While not official showcasers at this year’s
In the best tradition of DIY, we decided to bring our music to the streets of Austin.
We started to attract a crowd... including Robert Plant!
He signed us to the his record label, and soon we were the toast of the town!
MARCH 2005
Play by Play easier. Enter Mando Diao, a much slept-on rock quartet from Borlänge, Sweden. Milking versechorus-verse structures for songs that rarely shoot past four minutes, Mando Diao is a quick burst of rock vitality. With two guitarists, Gustaf Norén and Björn Dixgård, trading off on vocal duties, the band’s latest album, Hurricane Bar, takes a highly ordinary approach to rock ’n’ roll and manages to avoid feeling too recycled. Norén has the traditional punk sneer—he gets raspy and squeals when necessary—but Dixgård proves to be the group’s secret weapon as his voice packs a soulful punch that pairs oddly, yet perfectly, with the garage rock sound. Whereas Norén belts his lines, Dixgård croons sweetly but with enough energy to grab the spotlight. Check out the contrast between the verse and chorus on “God Knows” for a fantastic example of how these guys work. Elsewhere, Dixgård gives “Down in the Past” a twist of R&B while Norén shouts through the chorus of the album’s opener, “Cut the Rope,” jolting it with a feeling of frantic immediacy. Hurricane Bar slows quite a bit on such songs as “All My Senses,” which hinder the album’s pace but prove to be more of a match
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for Dixgård’s soul machine seduction. The acoustic-guitar paced “If I Leave You” is the most restrained track on Hurricane Bar and manages to be still compelling as Dixgård flexes his vocal skill in a way that mimics the gentlevoiced Arthur Lee. Mando Diao’s biggest curse, however, might be having tour with and be championed by pop rock imitators (set faces to cringe) Jet. While this friendship might win the band a sliver of mainstream recognition, it will ultimately bite back when critics begin likening the two acts and Mando Diao loses its audience older than the age of 12. Although the acts both produce straightforward rock that is a throwback to their respective and sometimes shared influences, Mando Diao comes across as more original, primarily due the monstrously catchy dueling guitar riffs and Dixgård’s vocal signature. The music might not be innovative or revolutionary, but in a world where complexity is championed as a purveyor of quality, it’s refreshing to see the same old rock ’n’ roll done in such a captivating manner. —Aaron Richter
A St. Louis Landmark in The Loop Renowned restaurant and music club filled with pop culture memorabilia. www.BlueberryHill.com • Sidewalk café (seasonal) • Creative window displays • Darts, pinball, video games • Legendary Chuck Berry concert series • Three party/meeting rooms • Catering
6504 Delmar • 314-727-4444
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LOCAL SCENERY
EDITED BY J. CHURCH
rs sm he he nd ch 23 16
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Hmmmm. Local bands must have locked themselves away in the studios or fought over Christmas presents this winter, because there are a few new discs available and a number of breakups/overhauls to report. LaPush’s full-length, Someplace Closer to Here, became available in late February. Preview or buy the album at www.lapush.net. “It was a huge success—and a lot of fun,” reports Lynne Reif of the recent Focal Point CD release party for Salt of the Earth’s debut, Against the Muse. Reif serves as lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the roots trio, which also includes Doug Carson on lead acoustic guitar, mandolin, and vocals and Mike Schrand on bass, baritone guitar, and vocals. Upcoming performances include gigs at the Brentwood Borders March 18 and at the Schlafly Tap Room on April 1, with Against the Muse available at shows, area Borders stores, Euclid Records, and Vintage Vinyl. Brain Regiment plans to make their debut six-song CD entitled Ancient Spaceman available sometime in March. Downloads are on the band’s Web site, www.brainregiment.com. Our fair city’s Undertow Records remains one busy—and exciting—indie. Scheduled for a March 8 release from the label are both Hello My Captor, The Amazing Pilots’ U.S. debut, and The Blacklight Trap, the third CD from Austin’s Milton Mapes (already slotted to visit Frederick’s Music Lounge in mid-April in support of the disc). Later in the spring, Undertow also hopes to issue The Magnificent Defeat, the conclusion to a magisterial trilogy from Jay Bennett. In addition, fans of The Love Experts—vocalist Steve Carosello, guitarist Dominic Finocchio, bassist Steve Scariano, and drummer Bob Trammel— should rejoice: At deadline, a label rep confirmed Undertow hopes to issue their debut this spring. “This band kicks ass,” says Kip Loui of his new rock combo, The Transmitters. Joining him in the quartet are drummer Jill Aboussie (Red Eyed Driver), bassist Dave Stallman (Rodeo Soul), and lead guitarist Mike Young (Gentleman Callers). They next hit the stage March 5 at Frederick’s Music Lounge. In other Loui news, The Rockhouse Ramblers played their final show Feb. 11 at Riddles. “After a period of increased inactivity, during which many had presumed them dead,” reports vocalist/keyboardist Brian Andrew Marek with characteristic acerbity, “Rocket Park have reemerged with a new lineup, a slew of new songs, and a far more frequent gigging schedule.” Joining BaM and drummer Eric Moore are bassist Andrew Scavotto
and lead guitarist Jason Warren. Karla Hurley (ex–Lazy Lightning) Jason Wade, Jared Rooks, and Dave Hall (ex–Red Afternoon) have reconstructed their sound and are the newly formed Elliott Rosewater. www.elliottrosewater.com has recent live recordings. Deadweight is a new side project from Joe Meyer, drummer for The Trip Daddys. “The band consists of Dan Sullivan on guitar and lead vox, Tim Sullivan on lead guitar, Keith Clark on bass, and Joe Gavin on pedal steel,” relates Meyer. Deadweight mixes country and rock, he adds; the quintet will next take the stage at Lemmons on March 11 and Frederick’s Music Lounge on March 23. Steve Bequette and Erik Garrett are officially seeking a new bass player due to the resignation of Trey Guzman. Visit www.stevebequette.com or call 314-781-5369 to schedule an audition. Chandler Evans has joined Ghost in Light on guitar. The expanded lineup performs March 13 at the Red Sea with Asobi Seksu. Simmons was named the Hurricane Radio Featured Artist for the month of February (www.hurricaneradio.net). “Foolish” was the most requested song during January on the Louisville, Ky., station. The band was also selected to perform in Louisville’s fourth annual Thirsty Melon Music Festival and Conference June 24–26. www.simmonsband.com for information. Forming from the ashes of Ghetto Prenup is The Lab, featuring Kevin Barry and Jeff Church, along with Jon Armstrong and Matt Hickenbotham (Colony, The Bellheads). Look for their debut March 12 at Off Broadway with Centro-Matic and Eero. The Dead Celebrities’ Elvis (Ron Surdowski) has moved to L.A. to pursue acting. Look for him in an upcoming episode of Six Feet Under, as well as War of the Worlds with Tom Cruise. Check out Alex Jones’ Renew Audio, an earth-friendly music and recording project that has been progressing for about five or six years: www.renewaudio.com. Team Tomato’s CD, Words and Skin and Bone, was chosen as the 2005 DIY album of the year. Check out some sounds and photos at www.teamtomato.com. Happy Endings has signed with J Records. Visit www.happyendings online.com. Beginning this month, Euclid Records (601 E. Lockwood in Webster Groves) will be the sole music-retail sponsor for The Pageant. Bobby Cage recently started performing regularly at Stage Left, which he describes as “a great new coffee shop in the Winghaven area” of St. Charles County, often with fellow singer/songwriters Linda Coil and Katy Gilda. He’s also been shopping his latest CD to various Nashville labels, thus far without luck. (“When I listen to what is coming out of Music City lately,” Cage adds dryly, “I am not sure that this is bad.”) The St. Louis chapter of the Women’s Caucus for Art will host the 13th Contemporary Women’s Art Exhibit at Mad Art Gallery, with an opening reception celebrating the event on Fri., March 18 from 7–9 p.m. The show was juried by artist, author, feminist, and educator Judy Chicago and will feature 68 works and two site-specific installations by 31 artists from across the country. Call 314-771-8230 or visit www.madart.com for more information. Additional contributions by Bryan A. Hollerbach, John Kujawski, and Kevin Renick.
MARCH 2005
Material Terrain Laumeier Sculpture Park Through May 15 At Laumeier Sculpture Park’s Material Terrain exhibit, “landscape art” takes on a whole new meaning. The term is normally assigned to paintings of bucolic farms or brooding mountains, but this group exhibit gathers into its folds a vastly larger concept of nature. Whether the pieces were created from natural materials, decorated by items from nature, or used as decorations to complement nature, they share a sentiment that pays homage to the primal. The works in the museum’s galleries give off an aura of a higher awareness—they are more receptive to what is out there, outside. And the works that are situated on the terrace, in the landscape outside, suggest an introspective consideration of what exists inside. The exhibit was not organized by the curators at Laumeier, but by International Arts & Artists, a Washington, D.C.–based nonprofit organization that promotes cross-cultural understanding through the arts. They collaborate with existing institutions to develop group shows that represent diverse, multicultural visions. The exhibits designed by IA&A tour to several locations and, in keeping with their mission, often travel to different countries. Material Terrain stares down the relationship between humans, nature, and our views of that relationship. Eleven artists, eleven perspectives: Kendall Buster, Michele Brody, Donald Lipski, James Surls, Valeska Soares, John Ruppert, Roxy Paine, Dennis Oppenheim, Ming Fay, Wendy Ross, and Ursula von Rydingsvard. Each offers a heightened regard for the expressive potential of the natural world. Most of us spend entire lives thinking about our place in the world, rather than giving time to the more pertinent pondering of the natural world’s place in us. We live as if we weren’t really a part of it, as if it weren’t the very fabric of our existence. In Gallery 3, a huge green bug with wings hovers midway between floor and ceiling. The form of steel, cable, and shadecloth appears surreal—at first glance, a simple configuration of arcs and semi-spheres—but the body’s transparency allows form within form to become apparent. This mad scientist’s fantasy (Parabiosis III) is closer to the truth than one would imagine. In her past life, Kendall Buster worked as a microbiologist and lab technician in a hospital. Spending most of her waking hours studying life through a microscope gave her an urge to give form to the beautiful microcosms that filled her world. “There’s a point where
YOU ARE HERE BY RUDY ZAPF
you almost feel like you’re in that space,” Buster said in an NPR interview, “You sort of lose consciousness of the apparatus...you’re actually moving through a landscape.” Hanging overhead, leaning down just far enough to tickle a tall person’s ear, is Money Tree by Chinese artist Ming Fay. The branches are counterfeit—albeit very good counterfeits. The leaves are a dead giveaway, with size and color out of proportion, but the effect is evocative nonetheless. He has gone a long way with the simple ingredients of wire, paper, pigment; they are so lightweight that they are suspended by invisible fishing cord, and the translucent leaves shimmer in the air. Of variable dimensions and an indeterminate number of parts, the branches, even in the sterile environment of a gallery, make a fairytale forest of the space. Donald Lipski works with wood, in the most literal sense. Not a woodcarver or cabinetmaker, he takes growing trees and bends them to his will…never mind that it takes years to prune, stint, and guide a sapling toward his particularly desired configuration. Lipski has the loving patience to coach growing, impressionable bodies into muscular figures of power and improbable grace. These works, while rawly beautiful in their own right, give pause to viewers who must consider the correlation between the artist and the rest of the populace. DoTHE wePOSSESSED not collectively bend nature to our will, plowing and paving until the landscape suits our taste? Lipski is not one to shy away from a point jab at the consumer’s relationship to nature—the three pieces on display all share variants of the same cryptic title: Exquisite Corpse. It’s the human longing for nature that makes this exhibit pertinent, especially right now when so much public policy is creating such a hostile environment for it. These artists are involved in bringing our most basic needs closer to the surface, where dialogues can begin.
THE FUCK DOG IS COMING hydewaretheatre.org
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Greetings From the Gentle Reject
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SAM LIPSYTE: HOME LAND (Picador; 229 pgs; $13) “Let me stand on the rooftop of my reckoning and shout naught but the indisputable: I did not pan out.” Walt Whitman had his “barbaric yawp.” Home Land’s Lewis Miner, aka Teabag, has here his barbaric yawn. His failures, his inactivity, his intellectual and emotional sluggishness, his pitiful existence—it’s all so paralyzing, so exhausting. How to move up? How to break out? How to look your peers in the eyes? About the best Teabag can do is muster up the energy to share his story, sing his own sad song of himself. In this much-talked-about novel, author Sam Lipsyte’s ingenious vehicle for sharing such a song: Teabag’s high school alumni newsletter, the Catamount Notes, to which he mails news (I miss my girl), and mails news (my job’s a joke), and mails news (see you at the reunion, you soulless overachievers). You might have a ball with it. Teabag delivers some fine lines that memorably color in his feelings of failure: “I used to be bright for my age, but then I got older,” he laments. “We have no weapons, no nerve,” he says of those with whom he shares a rut. “We’re gentle rejects.” Even dressing himself has become a burden; when he attracts unwanted suspicion for his concert T-shirt—the band is Anal Jihad—Teabag shruggingly chalks up another lesson learned: “Catamounts, I don’t have the clothes for the new conditions.” But as Teabag writes these alumni updates—together, they make up the novel— you might soon tire of him and his whole sorry state. After all, when you’re in the hands of a wiseass, rambling narrator without a plan, the book you’re going to get will be predictably aimless. And the author’s case is hampered a bit by the book’s comedic ingredients, which are overloaded with a vulgar wackiness that is sometimes confused for humor. By the time you’ve gotten through the inflatable woman and Charles Manson orgies and sonnets about yeast infections, it’s simply no longer that interesting or surprising when the elderly man in the grocery store uses the phrase “augmentation of the ta-tas.” It’s also no longer that impressive. Is it fair, though, to ask such an unimpres-
sive character to be impressive? To ask a man of no accomplishments to make one out of the book he’s narrating? Maybe, maybe not. It’s always slippery when one begins to tick off the faults of an intentionally grubby and slouchy satire. It’s not a novel of deep insights and profound meanings; if it were, Teabag wouldn’t have been let through the front cover. But it’s Teabag’s book, and the guy does have his moments. Take this gem, wherein he defends the large gaps in his resume. “I’d tell interviewers to judge my employment history like a piece of music. It’s all about the space between the jobs.” That’s a great line. And some readers will dig listening to that space. Others will await the return of music. —Stephen Schenkenberg KATHARINE DAVIES: THE MADNESS OF LOVE (Random House; 272 pgs; $13.95) The thing about literary adaptations is that they ought to improve on the original in some way, or cast it in a different light, giving it a new meaning for a modern audience. In her debut novel, The Madness of Love, Katharine Davies sets out to put a contemporary spin on William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and gives a faithful rendition without necessarily enhancing the tale. In London, Valentina is distraught that her brother Jonathan is returning to their native Sri Lanka, breaking a promise that they would only return together. After her despair drives her to cut off her long black hair, she meets Leo, a musician, in the bookstore where she works. She leads him to think she knows horticulture and gets hired to landscape the garden at his family home in Illerwick, Wales, which is all part of his scheme to win the heart of Melody, the local schoolmistress who is distraught over her brother Gabriel’s suicide and has rebuffed Leo’s overtures. While Leo chases Melody, Valentina finds herself falling for Leo, and Melody struggles to understand her own attraction to Valentina. At the same time, Melody is also unknowingly
fantasized over by Boase, a buffoonish and self-important fellow teacher, who becomes the target of a cruel deception by Fitch, one of Melody’s students and a music pupil of Leo’s. As circumstances lead toward a student performance of the play Twelfth Night and a party thrown by Leo, all of the romantic entanglements are complicated by the arrival of Jonathan and the discovery of the real reason behind Gabriel’s suicide. Davies structures her novel in short chapters—some no more than a page—each told from the point of view of one of the characters, so that the reader gets the benefit of seeing through everyone’s eyes. This style, however, does not always serve the story well. At certain points when the narrative should focus on important events— Valentina seeing her brother again for the first time, Leo coming upon Valentina transformed for the party—it skips over them in clipped, declarative sentences too quickly, like an outline that needed to be fleshed out but wasn’t. This style works rather well when writing about Fitch and his fellow schoolmates— there’s an awkward, perfunctory tone to them that captures the halting and uncertain steps that adolescents make toward their emotional self-discoveries. But when it comes to the other characters, the author comes up short. Davies describes these scenes in just the right amount of detail for us to see them clearly, indeed in many cases artistically. But she doesn’t make us feel them. Her straightforward style brings us in while holding us at arm’s length. Her imagery is beautiful, breathtaking at times—but scenes that should flatten the reader with their emotional impact instead fall flat. This first novel shows Davies’ promise as a writer, but, in the end, it’s not like Twelfth Night needed to be updated. May her next book be an original story that proves worthy of the telling. —Jeffrey Ricker
MARCH 2005 CARLOS RUIZ ZAFON: SHADOW OF THE WIND (Penguin Press, 487 pgs, $15 ) In Shadow of the Wind, novelist Carlos Ruiz Zafon has truly stacked the deck. How can a reader resist a labyrinthine library called the “cemetery of forgotten books”; the devil himself springing to life from the pages of a gothic novel; a boy’s tormented crush on a young, alabaster-skinned blind woman; a curse that revisits a new cast of characters after 30 years; and various secret rendezvous, bloody beatings, cross-dressers, and prostitutes obsessed with chocolate pastries? It’s no wonder Shadow of the Wind created an addictive phenomenon known as “Zafonmania” in its native Spain and throughout Europe when first published in 2001. Penguin has just published the paperback edition, giving new juice to the mystery/ adventure/romance/coming-of-age bombshell. The story concerns 10-year-old Daniel, who discovers a wondrous novel (which also happens to be called Shadow of the Wind) in a secret library for obsessive bibliophiles in 1945 Barcelona. The novel-within-the-novel is as rare as it is enthralling; a disfigured man who has named himself after the book’s villain wanders the nighttime streets, hunting down
any and all books by the author, Julian Carax, and burning them. Daniel bravely and foolishly refuses to sell the book to this monster with a scarred face. As the boy grows up, he becomes more and more curious about the book, its author, and the curse that seems to damn anyone connected to Carax. Along the way, Zafon gives us Daniel’s forbidden love affair with a girl promised to another, a relationship with a sinister parallel in Carax’s own doomed love life. The young lovers tryst in a crumbling mansion with an unholy secret in the cellar mausoleum. A cast of funky characters is highlighted by Daniel’s co-conspirator, the garrulous Fermin, who is prone to busting out with such earthy zingers as, “Then, please, sire, could you get to the frigging point? Because with all this metaphorical spin and flourish, I’m beginning to feel a fiery bowel movement at the gates.” Amid the (fiery) magic, there are a few missteps. The reader may tire of the Spanish passion that infuses every plot point, smoldering glance, and breakfast roll. Surely there must be a few interactions among the people of Barcelona that aren’t drenched in high drama. The mystery’s MacGuffin, like other plot devices here, takes the form of a long letter;
the effect is too passive—events are described rather than lived, and tangential tales slow down the action. Also, late in the novel, Zafon has Daniel inform the reader that “in seven days I would be dead”—a hackneyed, unnecessary gimmick. Still, these transgressions are minor. By the time the wild climax approaches, many readers will find that it’s 3 a.m. but there’s just no stopping now—they can’t put down the book until they’ve finished it. Zafon stopped by Left Bank Books in February to read the first chapter of Shadow and sign books. In a thick Barcelona accent, the author confirmed that the amazing trick of the book—that he succeeded in doing so many things at once—was all part of his plan. I wanted to do a love story, a gothic romance, a mystery, a tribute to books and book lovers, etc., all at the same time, he said. —Byron Kerman ONLINE AT WWW.PLAYBACKSTL.COM Don’t miss Stephen Schenkenberg’s Webexclusive review of The Proust Project: Edited by André Aciman (Farrar Straus Giroux) and Rachel McCalla’s interview with Thomas Crone on Gaslight Square: An Oral History.
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FROM A WHISPER TO A SCREAM www.playbackstl.com/scream
MARCH 2005
DELIRIOUS NOMAD COMPILED BY BYRON KERMAN
Mar. 2–5: Violinist Regina Carter at Jazz at the Bistro (314-534-1111) Mar. 3: Designer Petra Blaise speaks at Washington Univ. School of Architecture Monday Lecture Series at Steinberg Hall (www.arch.wustl.edu) Mar. 3–6: American College Dance at Edison Theatre (314-534-1111) Mar. 3–April 9: Needle Art: Postmodern Sewing Circle on view at Gallery 210 at UMSL (314-516-5976) Mar. 3–June 30: Junko Chodos’ Breath of Consciousness at Museum of Contemporary Religious Art (314-977-7170, http://mocra.slu.edu) Mar. 4: Friday Night Live at the St. Louis Science Center with tap dancers, drum corps, cash bar, food sales, Gadget Lab fun, & Omnimax showings of Pulse: A Stomp Odyssey (314-289-4444, www.slsc.org) Mar. 4–6: Doug Hawes-Davis documentary festival with filmmaker speaking after each film, plus documentary workshop at Webster Films (314-968-7487, www.webster.edu/filmseries.html) Mar. 4–31: The Contemporary Women’s Artist Exhibition XIII at Mad Art, juried by Judy Chicago (www.madart.com) Mar. 5: “Race, Power & Money: The Economics of Hip Hop” with speaker Leota Blacknor of Virgin Records at Mo. History Museum (314-746-4599, www.mohistory.org) Mar. 6: Ozark Mountain Daredevil musician Steve Cash signs fantasy novel The Meq at Barnes & Noble–Ladue (314-862-6280) Mar. 6: Asian Cinema Series features Korean film Obaltan/An Aimless Bullet at St. Louis Art Museum (314-721-0072, www.slam.org) Mar. 8: Nerve magazine’s Legs McNeil reads from and signs The Other Hollywood: An Uncensored History of the Porn Industry at Left Bank Books (314-367-6731, www.left-bank.com) Mar. 9–13: Finding Nemo on Ice (heh, heh) at Savvis Center (www.ticketmaster.com) Mar. 10: Final Non Prophet Theatre Militant Propaganda Bingo Machine sketch comedy show at the Hi-Pointe (www.nonprophets.com) Mar. 11–13: Art in Bloom flowers/art festival at St. Louis Art Museum (314-721-0072, www.slam.org) Mar. 11–17: The Animation Show screens at the Tivoli (314-995-6270, www.landmarktheatres.com)
Mar. 12: Frederick’s Band Scramble Showcase (314-605-7011, bandscramble@sbcglobal.net) Mar. 12: Wall Ball 2005 South City Open Studio & Art Gallery benefit with 30 visual artists making art live at City Museum (314-865-0060) Mar. 12: Women CenterStage Series presents dancer Margie Gillis in “Dancing From the Inside Out” at COCA (314-725-6555, www.cocastl.org) Mar. 12–13: American Indian Archaeology Show at Collinsville Gateway Center (www.gatewaycenter.com) Mar. 13: Bobby Blue Bland at the Ambassador (314-534-1111) Mar. 13–19: St. Louis Family Theatre Series presents Beverly Cleary’s Ramona Quimby at Florissant Civic Center Theatre (314-921-5678) Mar. 13, 20, & 27: Baseball as America Celluloid Film Series with screenings of 8 Men Out, The Natural, & Soul of the Game with commentary by psychoanalysts at Mo. History Museum (314-746-4599, www.mohistory.org) Mar. 14: Premiere Performances presents Zehetmair String Quartet at UMSL’s Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center (314-516-4949, www.touhill.org) Mar. 16: Native American author Sherman Alexie speaks at Graham Chapel as part of Washington University’s Assembly Series (wupa.wustl.edu/ asmbly/Spring2005.html) Mar. 18: Poet Marilyn Hacker reads at Washington University Kemper Art Museum (314935-4523, www.kemperartmuseum.wustl.edu) Mar. 19: St. Louis Museum Stores Garage Sale at St. Louis Zoo (314-781-0900, www.stlzoo.org) Mar. 19: Spirit of St. Louis Marathon Art & Sole art exhibit & auction at RAC (314-650-5722, www.stlouismarathon.com) Mar. 20: St. Louis Poetry Center Sunday Workshop at University City Library (www.stlouispoetrycenter.org) Mar. 20: L.A. Guitar Quartet records live at Sheldon Concert Hall (314-534-1111) Mar. 31: Neal Bascomb reads from and signs The Perfect Mile, a history of the chase for the record-breaking four-minute mile, at Left Bank Books (314-367-6731, www.left-bank.com) Mar. 31: Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin at St. Louis Speakers Series at Powell Hall (314-533-7888) Additional listings online at www.playbackstl.com.
Snarky satire comes to the world of action-figure toys with “Robot Chicken,” a new 15-minute TV show airing on the Cartoon Network. “Family Guy” voice Seth Green and Wizard magazine’s Matt Senreich produce the fastpaced, violent outburst, which involves the creation (and destruction) of hundreds of action figures for each episode. Come closer, Grasshopper. David Carradine, of Kung Fu and Kill Bill fame, headlines the inaugural Kunicon St. Louis anime convention at the Millennium Hotel. Expect costume contests; vendors; video, card, and role-playing games; martial-arts demos; and tons of screenings, featuring a tribute to Robotech (March 4–6, http://stl.kunicon.com, 866-633-6336). A new event for the St. Louis Science Center, Pi Days, pays tribute to the magical 39 properties of Pi—that is, 3.14somethingsomethingsomething. Activities for kids of all ages ponder the meaning of that magic ratio, including a discussion of why one 9-inch pizza is more food than two 6-inch pizzas (March 12–14, www.slsc.org). The curious all-female three-piece stoner rock of Bottom arrives at the Gear Box at Lil’ Nikki’s March 15. In the spirit of such bands as Blue Cheer, Black Sabbath, Kyuss, and Sleep, Bottom takes it slow and never exhales (www.bottommusic.com). This month’s Ciné 16 at Mad Art looks especially cool. 16 mm films on dancing skeleton hands, creative problem-solving (by movie-poster designer Saul Bass), paper sculpture, and the glories of “texture,” among others, screen in “Mostly by Design” on March 17 (www.afana.org/cine16stlouis.htm). The ethically murky world of the security guard is probed in Kenneth Lonergan’s Lobby Hero, performed in the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis’s Studio Theatre (March 23–April 10, 314-968-4925, www.repstl.org). A guard, his boss, and the lady cop he fancies have some tough decisions to make when murder, sex, and love divide them.
PLAYBACK STL 3/4: Greenwheel, Leo & In the Clear 3/5: Paul Westerberg and His Only Friends 3/11: Donna the Buffalo 3/12: Split Lip Rayfield 3/14: Tift Merritt 3/17: Wynton Marsalis 3/18: Trillville 3/19: KOPN Benefit 3/31: Drive By Truckers
BAHA ROCK CLUB
KINGS OF LEON w/THE FEATURES at MISSISSIPPI NIGHTS March 8, 8 p.m. • all ages TICKETS: $15 • CALL: 314-421-3851 Not until sometime after April will there be any true indication that a genuine crossover appeal exists between Irish caesars U2 and prides of dixie the Kings of Leon. By then, the two bands will have played more than a month’s worth of shows together on the year’s most frenzied berserker of a tour and there will be either acceptance or repulsion by Bono’s proud army. This is mostly because there will be no Kings of Leon fans at any of those shows in any of those 14 cities. Well, maybe there will be a single, small cluster at 40 each show. If you’re a Kings junkies who knew enough to begin barraging the Ticketmaster Web site at 10 a.m. on Jan. 29—having the foresight to have a half-awake brother pounding away at the same time as an insurance policy—and actually got tickets, bravo. You are in a smaller percentile than those who qualify for Mensa. St. Louis has no U2 listing for this leg of the “We’re Taking Over the World Again Tour,” but will likely get one when they return from Europe in the late summer/early fall. The problem for all of you Kings fans is that there will be a giant outgrowth of followers who enjoy dual citizenship in both fandoms by then. Long explanation short, this show at Mississippi Nights is probably the only chance you’ll have to see the Kings in support of their righteous new record, Aha Shake Heartache. Those U2 fans and fans influenced by U2 fans are ticket-greedy motherfuckers. And it really would be a shame to not catch them live for this album—one dry southern shaker after another, blistering from the speakers. We can give our Grammys away to the weakest marshmallows we have going for us here in the proud Americas (John Mayer winning anything more than a free lunch or a second date for his stupid-ass song “Daughters” is such treason), but we have got to stand proud for these Kings of Leon sons of bitches.
305 N. Main St. • St. Charles, Mo. 63301 636-949-0466 • www.baharockclub.com Mon: Karaoke Wed/Thur: Big Daddy Rob 3/4: Here & Now 3/5: Cun Cok Shun 3/11: Man Down 3/12: Sonic Tonic 3/18: Point of Origin 3/19: No Celebrity 3/25: RIP 3/26: Ben Wah Bob
B.B.’S JAZZ, BLUES & SOUPS 700 S. Broadway • St. Louis, Mo. 63102 314-436-5222 • www.bbsjazzbluessoups.com 3/1: Pennsylvania Slim Blues Band 9p 3/2: Beau Shelby & Flyy Rhythm & Blues 9p 3/3: Leroy Pierson 7p, Marsha Evans Coalition 10p 3/4: Leroy Pierson 7p, Arthur Williams Blues Masters 10p 3/5: Tom Hall 7p, Larry Garner Blues Band 10p 3/6: DJ Ranx & Dubtronix Reggae Band 9p 3/7: Sessions Jazz Big Band 8p 3/8: Rich McDonough Blues Band 9p 3/9: Cryin’ Shame Blues Band 9p 3/10: Leroy Pierson 7p, Marsha Evans Coalition 10p 3/11: Leroy Pierson 7p, Michael Burks Blues Band 10p 3/12: Margaret Bianchetta & Eric McSpadden 7p, Bennie Smith & Urban Blues Express 10p 3/13: 2005 STLBlues Concert 4p, featuring Joe Miller, The Biscuits, The Bottoms Up Blues Gang, Melissa Neels Band, RX Blues Band, Rich McDonough Band, Billy Peek, JJ Band, Kim Massie Band and Alvin Jett & Phat noiZ 3/14: Sessions Jazz Big Band 8p 3/15: Alvin Jett & Phat Noiz Blues Band 9p 3/16: Cryin’ Shame Blues Band 9p 3/17: Leroy Pierson 7p, Marsha Evans Coalition 10p 3/18: Leroy Pierson 7p, Billy Peek Band 10p 3/19: Tom Hall 7p, Soulard Blues Band 10p 3/20: Rondo’s Blues Deluxe 7p, DJ Ranx & Dubtronix Reggae Band 11:30p 3/21: Sessions Jazz Big Band 8-11:00 PM 3/22: Sean Kellerman Blues Band 9p 3/23: Cryin’ Shame Blues Band 9p 3/24: Leroy Pierson 7p, Beau Shelby & Flyy Rhythm & Blues 10p 3/25: Leroy Pierson 7p, The Bel Airs 10p 3/26: Tom Hall 7p, Bennie Smith & Urban Blues Express 10p 3/28: Sessions Jazz Big Band 8-11:00 PM 3/29: Rich McDonough Blues Band 9p 3/30: Beau Shelby & Flyy Rhythm & Blues 9p 3/31: Leroy Pierson 7p, Roomful of Blues 10p
BEALE ON BROADWAY 701 S. Broadway • St. Louis, Mo. 63102 314-621-7880 • www.bealeonbroadway.com Mon: Shakey Ground Blues Band Tues: Kim Massie & The Solid Senders Wed: Rich McDonough Acoustic Blues Thur: Kim Massie & The Solid Senders 3/4: Rob Garland & The Blue Monks 3/5: The Ground Floor Band 3/11: Rich McDonough Band 3/12: Scott Kay and the Continentals 3/18: Piano Slim and the Family Band 3/19: Rich McDonough Band 3/25: Ground Floor Band 3/26: Rich McDonough Band
BLUE NOTE 17 N. 9th St. • Columbia, Mo. 65201 573-874-1944 • www.thebluenote.com 3/1: Regina Carter Quintet 3/2: The Starting Line, Further Seems Forever, Days Away & Jamesonparker 3/3: Goldfinger, The Start & City Sleeps
DEVIL IN A WOODPILE at OFF BROADWAY March 16, 9 p.m. • 21+ TICKETS: $7 • CALL: 314-773-3363
BLUEBERRY HILL 6504 Delmar Blvd. • University City, Mo. 63130 314-727-4444 • www.blueberryhill.com 3/4: Marc Broussard w/Will Hoge & Kyle Riabko 3/5: Bettie Serveert 3/6: Arvin Mitchell 3/9: James McMurtry 3/12: Donna The Buffalo 3/13: Crooked Fingers w/Devotchka 3/14: OK Go 3/19: Peter Mayer Group 3/28: The Samples
Devil in a Woodpile: The name suggests something wicked and rural. Their sound is a stompin’ mix of blues, hillbilly, ragtime, and old-fashioned country—as in Hank Williams Sr., sans the melancholy. These talented rapOYSTER BAR scallions will transport you back to the good ol’ BROADWAY 736 S. Broadway • St. Louis, Mo. 63102 days of moonshine and garter belts, underage 314/621-8811 • www.broadwayoysterbar.com Mon: Soulard Blues band weddings, and hootenannies. Banging out raw, roots-inspired blues since 1997, the Devils play to a packed house every Tuesday at The Hideout in Chicago. Finally, there’re heading into our neck of the woods. And, if the lights go out during the jamboree, no big deal. When you’re head carney Rick “Cookin” Sherry—who’s rigged himself to his rudimentary instruments like a one-man band—you don’t need electricity. Grinding out rhythms on a washboard, bass drum, ukulele, harmonica, and jug, Sherry plays unplugged with cronies Tom Ray on upright bass, Joel Patterson on guitar, and Gary Schepers on the tuba. Square-dancing is permitted, so long as you’ve had enough to drink. Under the Devil’s spell, that’s all you’ll wanna do. Don’t miss out! Their third CD, In Your Lonesome Town, will hit stores March 8. ⎯ Sid Andruska
Tues: Big Bamou Wed: Brian Curran 5-7pm Sat: Brian Curran 6-9p 3/2: Logan, Graham, Schaeffer & Murdick 8p 3/3: Johnny Fox 5p, Bennie Smith & The Urban Blues Express 8p 3/4: Bob Case 5p, Rainy Daze 9p 3/5: Lucky Dog Band 10p 3/6: Tiny Cows 3p, Tim Sessions 8p 3/9: Not Quite Nashville 8p 3/10: Johnny Goodwin 5p, Edi Okri & Afro Centrix 8p 3/11: Tom Hall 5p, Roland Allen Band 9p 3/12: Jakes Leg 10p 3/13: Acoustic Guitar Showcase 3p, Johnny Fox 8p 3/16: Otis 8p 3/17: Bryan Lee Band 8p 3/18: Baker McClaren Band 9p 3/19: Gumbohead 10p 3/20: Tiny Cows 3p, Johnny Goodwin 8p 3/23: Starlight Drifters 8p 3/24: Lucky Dan & Naked Mike 5p, Bennie Smith & The Urban Blues Express 8p 3/25: Johnny Fox 5p, Soulard Blues Band 9p 3/26: The Bottoms Up Blues Gang 6p, Scott Kay & The Continentals 10p 3/30: Dogtown Allstars 8p 3/31: Bennie Smith & The Urban Blues Express 8p
CABIN INN at the City Museum 16th & Delmar • St. Louis, Mo. 63103 314-231-2489 Mon: Traditional Irish Jam w/Tom Hall Tues: Acoustic Jam w. Dave Landreth & Friends Wed: The Blackeyed Susies Thur: The Sawmill Band
CICERO’S 6691 Delmar Blvd. • University City, Mo. 63130 314- 862-0009 • www.ciceros-stl.com Mon: Madahoochi & Friends Tues: The Schwag Wed: Helping Phreindly Band Fri: Jakes Leg Sun: Open Mic 3/3: Lojic, DJNOTADJ & Ryan Montbleau 3/4: Jakes Leg 3/5: Happy Endings w/In the Clear & Maxtone 4 3/6: Afternoon Show: Klugs Mojo 3/10: STL Scene Showcase w/Jupiter Jazz, Missile Silo Suite & Baysayboos 3/12: Earl & Devon Allman acoustic
MARCH 2005
PAUL WESTERBERG & HIS ONLY FRIENDS at the BLUE NOTE March 5, 7:30 p.m. • all ages TICKETS: $20 • CALL: 573-874-1944 3/13: Afternoon Show: IQ 22 3/17: Sac Lunch, Sacralicious Groove Congregation & Dogtown Allstars 3/18: Jakes Leg 3/19: Shady Deal & Mississippi Flapjacks 3/20: Poetry Open Mic 3/24: Speakeasy & SeepeopleS 3/25: Greenwheel w/Leo & Seconds Falling 3/26: Essence of Logic, Arythma & Mama Rogers 3/27: Afternoon Show: Krafted In Korea 3/31: The Fundamentals w/Principles
CREEPY CRAWL 412 N. Tucker • St. Louis, Mo. 63101 314-851-0919 • www.creepycrawl.com Mon: Fetish Night 3/1: Bi-Level, Think Thank Thunk, Daniel, This Scarlett Sky & Geoff Koch 7p 3/4: Frankenhookers, Marks Invaders, The Pubes, Head On Collision, Crypt 33, Cross Examination & Fifth Row Felons 3/5: Armor for Sleep, Recover, Say Anything & Chase Pagan 3/8: I Voted For Kodos, Swift Kixx, The Monskasities & Oskaloosa 3/9: The Gentleman, Sincerely I, Hearting Street Massacre, Emerson & Daniel 3/11: Love Rehearsal, When Sorrow Fails, Gunrunner, The Citation, Kick’in Emergency, The Livingston Project, Berry, Westcott, Sazon Shore & Anathallo 3/12: Throwdown, The Chariot-x-Norma Jean, It Dies Today, Cold War, My Beloved Hatred and Small Town Trgedy 3/13: Death From Above 1979, Controller Controller & Sbylline 3/14: These Arms are Snakes, Fear Before The March of Flames, Big Business, Breather Resist & Circle Takes The Square 3/15: Turbo AC’s, 7 Shot Screamers & The Scared 3/16: The Queers 3/17: The Clarity Process, Big City Dreams, Downstate, Darkerskies & Plastic Casket 3/21: Peelander-Z 3/22: Streetlight Manifesto, The Spunks, GitoGito Hustlers & The Red Light Runners 3/23: Guitar Wolf, The International Playboys, Ded Bugs, Corbeta Corbata & The Electric 3/24: The Umbrellas 3/25: Against Me, Smoke Or Fire & The Loved Ones 5p Drag The Weak, Scarred Within, Chaos Order & Low Twelve 9:30p 3/26: Ornament of Disgrace, Condemned, Ununbium, Darkerskies & KRYPLR 5p
Paul Westerberg has never followed the path of a typical rock star. Starting with his years fronting hell-raising Minneapolis cowpunks The Replacements, Westerberg crafted a revolutionary mix of hardcore, folk, country, and pop. When MTV caught wind, the band refused to play by the rules, famously exemplified by a video that featured nothing but three solid minutes of a boombox playing their song “Bastards of Young.” This resulted in a rabid cult following on college radio, but very little in the way of widespread success. The ’Mats imploded in 1991, and Westerberg once again taunted the mainstream with two phenomenal contributions to Cameron Crowe’s generation-defining movie Singles, “Waiting for Somebody” and his breakthrough hit “Dyslexic Heart.” A trio of pristinely produced solo albums followed, but after releasing three albums on two different record labels with little success, Westerberg grew disenchanted and ceased recording and touring. What many assumed to be retirement was just Westerberg settling into a new role: fatherhood. He stayed home for three years, casu-
ally writing and recording as his muse provided. After reaching a rather surprising accord with Vagrant Records, a label better known for pop-punk than Westerberg’s old-fashioned folk ’n’ roll (Westerberg himself jokes, “I wouldn’t know Vagrant’s most famous guy if he came up and stepped on my foot”), Westerberg has seen unprecedented creativity, releasing five albums in the past three years: three folk-inflected mid-tempo pop records under his own name, and two blues-rockers under his pseudonym Grandpaboy, each written, performed, and recorded entirely by Westerberg in his basement studio. Westerberg still has one of the most-affecting voices in rock, a road-wearied growl that’s equal parts Bob Dylan and Jack Daniels. His latest, 2004’s Folker, is pure Paul, with bouncy rockers like “As Far as I Know” beside rolling ballads like “Lookin’ Up in Heaven,” a dichotomy proving Westerberg is as big a Big Star fan as he ever was. “I think the album is just a really good batch of songs that hang together,” Westerberg says of Folker. “That’s all it needs to be.” —Jason Green
DELMAR LOUNGE
GEAR BOX at LIL NIKKI’S
6235 Delmar Blvd. • St. Louis, Mo. 63130 314-725-6565 • www.delmarrestaurant.com Tues: Industry Night w/Jim Utz Thur: The Selectors Fri: Chris Hansen’s World Jazz Quartet & DJ Alexis Tucci Sat: C Beyond & Chilly C Sun: Chart Toppers with Brian of The Selectors
1551 S. 7th St. • St. Louis, Mo. 63104 314-621-2181 3/3: Big Star Kadillac, Left Arm, Benedict Arnold 3/4: Ballistic Pintos, Mighty Stevens, Hypernaughts 3/5: Sex Robots, TOK, TBA 3/10: Hated Nixon, Walk the Earth 3/11: The Lobsters, Thee Lordly Serpents, Gentleman Callers 3/12: Aces & Eights, Bibowats, Flesh 3/15: Bottom, TBA 3/17: St. Pat’s party w/Gasoff, Fifth Row Felons 3/18: Pink Spiders, Cripplers, Doxies 3/19: Rock Star Club, Operation Rock, Tone Rodent 3/23: Aqui, Unmutuals, Sex Robots 3/24: NRA, Gordo, TBA 3/25: Phonocaptors, Megahurtz, Tailspin
FOCAL POINT 2720 Sutton • Maplewood, Mo. 63143 314-781-4200 • www.thefocalpoint.org 3/5: Seldom Home 3/11: Small Potatoes 3/12: Larry Sugarman 3/19: Lehto & Wright
HAMMERSTONE’S 2028 S. 9th St. • St. Louis, Mo. 63104 314-773-5565 Mon: Tim Albert Tues: Lucky Dan & Naked Mike Wed: Park Avenue Thur: Rondo’s Blues Deluxe Fri: Uncle Albert Sun: Voodoo Blues w/Bennie Smith 4p, Erik Brooks 8:30p 3/5: Rondo’s Blues Deluxe 3p, Fairchild 9p 3/12: One Kindred Soul 3p, Fairchild 9p 3/19: Rondo’s Blues Deluxe 3p, Fairchild 9p 3/26: One Kindred Soul 3p, Fairchild 9p
HI-POINTE
FOX THEATRE
1001 McCausland Ave. • St. Louis, Mo. 63117 314-781-4716 • www.hi-pointe.com 3/4: Formula Kid, The Fuglees, The Maxtone 4 3/5: SNMNMNM w/Ghosts in Light 3/9,11,12,13: Emergenza Music Festival (www.emergenza.net for listings) 3/16,18,19,20: Emergenza Music Festival 3/22: zzzzzz, So Many Dynamos, Troubled Hubble 3/25: Rocket Park, The Charmers, Languid
527 N. Grand Blvd. • St. Louis, Mo. 63107 636-534-1111 • www.fabulousfox.com 3/1: Alison Krauss & Union Station w/Jerry Douglas 3/3-6: Friends & Lovers 3/8-20: Disney On The Record 3/23: Alicia Keys
FREDERICK’S MUSIC LOUNGE 4454 Chippewa • St. Louis, Mo. 63116 314-351-5711 • www.fredericksmusiclounge.com 3/1: Red Eyed Driver & Chris Johnson 9p 3/2: Paradise Vending & Bantam League 3/3: Open Mic w/Tommy Halloran 3/4: Miles Of Wire & Sister Love Shovel 3/5: Scott Kay & The Continentals w/The Transmitters 3/8: Kurt Crandall & Cameron McGill 3/9: Scott H. Biram 3/10: Open Mic w/Bob Reuter 3/11: LP w/TBA 3/15: AD Frank and The Fas, Easy Women w/David Singer 3/16: Johnny Dowd, The Wandering Sons w/Lil’ Isaac & The Dirty Stank 3/17: Open Mic w/Brian Marek 3/18: The Tripdaddys 3/19: Black Diamond Heavies & Palookaville 3/22: Michael Kelsey 3/23: The Dead Weight 3/24: Open Mic w/Tommy Halloran 3/25: Diesel Island 3/26: Annie Quick & The Misses 3/29: Maggie, Pierce & EJ and The Mike Renick Band 3/30: The Sundresses 3/31: Open Mic w/Bob Reuter
3/26: KTP, The Scarred, The Choir 3/31: Jet Pack, Aces & Eights, The Affair
SLOBBERBONE w/TWO COW GARAGE & THE WORMWOOD SCRUBS at the OFF BROADWAY March 2, 9 p.m. • 21+ TICKETS: $5 • CALL: 314-773-3363 Have you been waiting for a chance to check out Texas rockers Slobberbone? Or maybe you’ve seen them before, know how hard they rock, and are looking to see another show. Even if you’ve never heard of the band and are just starving for some loud, straightforward Southern rock, the band’s upcoming show at Off Broadway should not be missed: After four albums and over a decade of tireless touring, Slobberbone is calling it quits. St. Louis is one of a few exclusive stops on the farewell tour, so expect a career-spanning set of rough, ragged, rock ’n’ roll swagger, with a few country-soaked ballads also in the mix. —Andrew Scavotto
JACKSONS 6655 Manchester • St. Louis, MO 314-645-4904 Thur: Rhythm Rockers Sun: JackSons’ Five 3/1: Latin Groove 3/4: Naked Groove 3/5: Bob Case 3/8: Pat Liston 3/11: Power Play 3/12: Project 3 3/15: Latin Groove 3/17: Ed Belling & Dave Bennet 2p, The Rhythm Rockers 9p 3/19: Vertigo Sun 3/22: Latin Groove 3/25: Power Play 3/26: Zydeco Crawdaddies 3/29: Latin Groove
JAZZ AT THE BISTRO 3536 Washington Ave. • St. Louis, Mo. 63103 314-531-1012 • www.jazzatthebistro.com 3/2-5: Regina Carter 3/11-12: Henry Johnson
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LEMP NEIGHBORHOOD ARTS CENTER
CENTRO-MATIC w/THE LAB & EERO at OFF BROADWAY March 12, 9 p.m. • 21+ TICKETS: $7 • CALL: 314-773-3363 Ryan Adams writes stacks and stacks of songs and sends them all out into the wild blue world for scrutinizing and cuddling. They typically get a little of both, but he takes a good licking from dissenters who say he has no editing mechanism. The reason we never hear any such shittalking about Will Johnson, the Southern gentleman songwriter behind solo records, Centro-matic, and South San Gabriel who easily doubles Adams’ output annually, is because he makes some of the most heartening Americana rock ’n’ roll 42 you’ll ever hear. He gives new life and meaning to common dispatches of weariness and what comes after. It’s music that speaks to you much the same as a conversation struck over a couple cases of Milwaukee’s Best, with two walls of a campfire’s smoke serving as a warm, therapeutic hush. This tour is the final one in support of Love You Just the Same, which dropped way back in 2003. Over the past year, he has also toured 2003’s South San Gabriel record Welcome, Convalescence and 2004’s solo record Vultures Await, and is prepping for the upcoming release of SSG’s sophomore record: a batch of intimate songs written from the perspective of a cat. “There’s a bit of separation at points,” Johnson said of the three projects for which he writes concurrently. “The past six months have been pretty solo-intensive. We treat all of them as entirely separate bands. Whichever fire needs to be tended, we’ll run over there and pay attention to that one for a while.” Most fans don’t have a problem allowing Johnson the three faces. “There are definitely some South San Gabriel fans that aren’t even familiar with Centro-matic. It seems natural that each might accrue a different audience. It can all take on a life or sometimes a death of its own. It’s just music. It ain’t taxes. It’s just fun for us.” —Sean Moeller
3301 Lemp Ave. • St. Louis, Mo. 63118 314-771-1096 • www.lemp-arts.org 3/1: Autumn Picture 3/4: C J Boyd, Floating City, Target Market, Potomac Accord & Epcycle 3/5: Oroku 3/6: Local Showcase w/PTC & Fance 3/7: GFK, Softer Than Yesterday, Waxwork of a Dynasty 3/10: The Blame Game 3/11: Fellow Project, The Ten Thousand, Killjoy Confetti 3/12: Harris Newman, Micah Blue Smaldone & Big Nurse 3/13: Thunderbirds Are Now!, So Many Dynamos, The Oxford Collapse, The Curb & The Grip w/Team Up! 3/16: Warhammer 48K, Brain Transplant, Borif Hauf & TV Pow 3/18: The Hell, Cross Examination, No Secrets Between Sailors & Sayonara 3/19: Pit Er Pat, Target March & Paragraph 3/20: Stnning 3/21: Panthers, Sombi, Nui & Theres A Kiler Among Us 3/24: NRA 3/26: Ya Tibyah Lablyu 3/28: Rambo, Never Enough, Instilled, Step On It! & Cross Examinaion 3/30: Piglet, The Arch & So Many Dynamos 3/31: Straight and Alert & The Traditions
THE MARTINI BAR 4004 Peach Ct. • Columbia, Mo. 65203 8550-8550-8550 • www.themartinibar.biz 3/3: Filthy Homewreckers 3/4: Larry Garner 3/5: Kurt Krandall CD Relese Party & Hadden Sayers Band 3/10: Janiva Magness 3/11: D.C. Bellamy & America’s Most Wanted 3/12: Chubby Carrier & The Bayou Swamp Band with The Hot Sauce Horns 3/17: Mark Hummel 3/18: Kim Massie 3/19: Kim Massie 3/25: Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials 3/26: Hamilton Loomis
MISSISSIPPI NIGHTS 914 N. First St. • St. Louis, Mo. 63102 314-421-3853 • www.mississippinights.com 3/4: Rusted Shine CD Release Party w/360 Smile 3/5: Modern Day Zero w/Dean Evans Band, Stendek & The Follow 3/8: Kings of Leon 3/11: Daniel w/Rushmore Academy, Atomicus, NeoXGeo
LLYWELYN’S PUB 4747 McPherson • St. Louis, Mo. 63108 314-361-3003 • www.llywelynspub.com 3/3: Michael Schaerer 3/4: Jimmy Griffin & Amy Miller 3/5: Julia Jones Brit Bus Tour w/Tiny Cows 3/6: Michael Schaerer 3/10: Pierce Crask 3/11: Jimmy Griffin & Amy Miller 3/12: Tiny Cows 3/13: Michael Schaerer 3/18: Jimmy Griffin & Amy Miller 3/19: Tiny Cows 3/20: Michael Schaerer 3/24: Pierce Crask 3/25: Jimmy Griffin & Amy Miller 3/26: Tiny Cows 3/27: Michael Schaerer 3/31: Michael Schaerer
MAGEE’S 4500 Clayton Ave. • St. Louis, Mo. 63110 314-535-8061 Mon: Open Mic w/Heather Barth Thur: Jake’s Leg 3/15: Confluence Benefit w/Bootigrabbers Delight, Barefoot Jones & Dr. Rob
MANGIA ITALIANO 3145 S. Grand Ave. • St. Louis, Mo. 63118 314-664-8585 • www.dineatmangia.com Sun: Reggae Dub Spin w/Gabe and Dino Mon: Open Mic Hosted by Kieran Malloy Wed: Eightyfourglyde DJ Spin Fri: Dave Stone Trio 3/3: Brian Sullivan Quartet 3/5: Long John Thomas & The Duffs 3/10: Jimmy Griffin 3/12: Bug 3/17: Dub Kitchen 3/19: The Good Griefs 3/24: Johnny Fox 3/26: Lauren Gray’s Five Piece Bucket 3/31: The Pat McClellan Band
& Think Thank Thunk 3/12: Adair w/Hell in the Cannon, Park and Femme Fatality 3/17: Whild Peach 3/19: Bockman 3/25: The Drew Emmit Band 3/26: Robbie Hart w/Our Great Escape
MOJO’S 1013 Park Ave. • Columbia, Mo. 65201 573-875-0588 • www.mojoscolumbia.com 3/1: Videology & Chris Canipe 3/2: River Runs Red, Roop Deth & Tiny Pants 3/3: Rex Hobart & The Misery Boys 3/4: The People’s Republic of Klezmerica, Uncle Charlotte and the Swamp Rabbits, Ironweed Bluesgrass Band & Greencorn Stringband 3/5: The Lost Sounds, Jerusalem & The Starbaskets and Sabertooth 3/6: Marc Broussard, Will Hoge & Kyle Riabko 3/7: Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers 3/10: Speakeasy and Eckobase 3/11: Emergency Umbrella Showcase/ComoMusic Anthology CD Release w/Paradise Vending, Foundry Field Recordings & White Rabbit 3/12: Crooked Fingers 3/14: French Kicks, Calla & Natural History 3/15: Stars and Apostle of Hustle 3/16: Decibully & The Snake The Cross The Crown 3/21: Les Georges Leningrad, ZZZZ & Warhammer 48K 3/24: Against Me!, Smoke or Fire & The Loved Ones 3/25: Bottoms of the Boot Bluegrass Band 6p, Asylum Street Spankers 8:30p 3/27: Sunday Night Blues Jam 3/30: Reckless Kelly & Mickey and the Motors
KEVIN RENICK
3/16-19: Christian McBride 3/25-26: Bosman Twins 3/30: Terrell Staford
OFF BROADWAY
THE PAPER CHASE at the HI-POINTE March 14, 6:30 p.m. • all ages TICKETS: $6 • CALL: 314-781-4716
3509 Lemp Ave. • St. Louis, Mo. 63118 314-773-3363 • www.offbroadwaystl.com 3/1: Ol’ Yeller 3/2: Slobberbone, Two Cow Garage, Wormwood Scrubs 3/3: Helium Tapes & The Octopus Project 3/4: The Fred Eaglesmith Band, Roger Marin & Matt Passalacqua 3/5: Lucy Kaplansky & Patrick Brickel 3/7: Tom Russell & Andrew Hardin 3/10: Michelle Anthony w/Bob McKee 3/11: Big Jest, Pickle Bucket, Fivetimezero & Slap Dragon 3/12: Centro-matic, Eero & Kevin Barry 3/13: Cheryl Wheeler, Kenny White & Denice Franke 3/16: Devil in a Woodpile & Mama Rogers 3/17: River Gypsy 3/18: Brian Curran and Don Haupt 3/22: Sound of Urchin, Instant Death & Fuse 3/23: Nora O’Connor w/Kevin Barry 3/25: Trailer Park Travoltas & Not Quite Nashville 3/26: Asylum Street Spankers & The Transmitters 3/30: Anne & Roy’s bday bash w/The Good Griefs, Rough Shop, Bad Folk and Chris Johnson
Sometimes there is comfort in being able to label a band. Knowing that someone like, say, Kind of Like Spitting is truly “emo,” or that Javier Mendoza can be counted on to deliver pure bubblegum is nice for when you’re in a THE PAGEANT certain mood. Denton, Tex.’s The Paper Chase, 6161 Delmar Blvd. • St. Louis, Mo. 63112 however, is truly unclassifiable. Post-every- 314-726-6161 • www.thepageant.com 3/3: The Music w/Kasabian & Morningwood thing, maybe. One is likely to hear jagged 3/4: “1964” The Tribute w/The Melroys shards of jazz, punk, indie, country, and every 3/5: “1964” The Tribute w/The Melroys other genre you could possibly think of—more 3/8: Ted Nugent than likely within a single song. Able, unpredict- 3/11: Pat Metheny Group 3/12: Kenny Wayne Shepherd able, and offering a little of everything and a 3/13&14: The Used, My Chemical Romance, Killswitch whole heap of sonic surprises to the listener, this Engange, Senses Fail, Underoath, A Static Lullaby, & is definitely a group to catch live. Luckily, you Opiate for the Masses can do just that March 14 at the Hi-Pointe. Or, 3/15: Interpol w/Q and not U 3/18: The Schwag 14th Anniversary Show if you’re really lucky and can get off work, you 3/24: David Sanborn lazy-ass, you can catch them at SXSW March 17 3/26: Women & Blues Concert w/Denise Thimes & Kim Massie and 19. If you go, bring me back something; I 3/29: Indigo Girls 3/30: O.A.R. w/Ari Hest, Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers can never get off work. —Chris Clark
MARCH 2005
WANT TO BE SEEN BY THOUSANDS OF MUSIC AND ART LOVERS EVERY MONTH? JOIN PLAYBACKSTL AS AN ADVERTISER OR EVEN SPONSOR A WHOLE SECTION. PLAYBACK IS EXPANDING AND WE WANT YOU TO BE PART OF IT! CALL JIM AT 314-630-6404 OR E-MAIL AT JIM@PLAYBACKSTL.COM. RADIO CHEROKEE
SHELDON CONCERT HALL
3227 Cherokee St. • St. Louis, Mo. 63118 www.radiocherokee.net 3/12: My Music Atlas, The Boy Bathing, Caleb Engstrom & Todd Deatherage 3/14: The Front & Evan Saatoff 3/16: Morm Hand & The Broken Tape Choir
3648 Washington Blvd. • St. Louis, Mo. 63108 314-533-9900 • www.sheldonconcerthall.org 3/4: Maura O’Connell 3/5: St. Louis Irish Arts 3/10: Rhonda Vincent & the Rage 3/17-18: Richard Hayman 3/19: Wynton Marsalis Quintet 3/20: Los Angeles Guitar Quartet
RIDDLE’S PENULTIMATE
SNMNMNM at the HI-POINTE March 5, 7 p.m. • all ages TICKETS: $7/10 • CALL: 314-781-4716
6307 Delmar • U. City, Mo. 63130 314-725-6985 • www.riddlescafe.com Tues: Jeff Lash Wed: Ptah Williams Sun: The John Norment Quartet 3/3: The Uncle Albert Band 3/4: Jazz Renaissance 3/5: SWIRL 3/10: The Bottoms Up Blues Gang 3/11: The Flying Mules! 3/12: Alvin Jett & The Phat Noiz Band 3/17: The Uncle Albert Band 3/18: Alvin Jett & The Phat Noiz Band 3/19: SWIRL 3/24: Brian Curran & Friends 3/25: The Boney Goat Band 3/26: The Uncle Albert Band 3/31: The Bottoms Up Blues Gang
An ongoing parental wisetale states that if you frown too much, your face will freeze that way and you’ll spend the rest of your days with a potato sack over your head. If that’s the case, the cure can be found in SNMNMNM. Not to be SALLY T’S confused with an olde timey carnival cure-all, 6 Main St. • St. Peters, Mo. 63376 636-397-5383 • www.sallyts.com SNMNMNM are a Chapel Hill, N.C., quartet 3/1: Open Mic w/host Matt Lilley with an uncanny ability to leave a big, sloppy 3/2: Walk the Earth grin on your face. Seventy-five percent classi- 3/3: Tok 3/4: Spatik w/Inimical Drive cally trained, SNMetc. creates songs born from 3/5: B. Koolman a fresh stock of deliriously danceable melodies. 3/10: Reservations for, Alas Poor Yorick The Saw Is Family w/Plague of Prophecy & EKE Aficionados of lo-fi poppers Barcelona, They 3/11: 3/12: King Gambrinus w/Aces of Eight & Hot Rod Gasket Might Be Giants, and eight-bit game soundtracks 3/15: Clarity Process w/The Greenhouse Effect & Dead take special note. A night of joyfully bad danc- by Tuesday 3/16: The Affair w/Point Texter ing is a damn sure guarantee. Then again, who 3/17: 56 Hope Road w/Madahoochi & Palmers Room really cares, for SNMNMNM has the cure for 3/18: Brian Deer sufferers of permanent stink face. Looks like 3/19: Devils Playthings w/Model Army & TBA 3/22: Siva w/TBA I’ll be in the front row. —David Lichius 3/23: Alfa-Liman Foerst POP’S 1403 Mississippi • Sauget, Il. 62201 618-274-6720 • www.popsrocks.com 3/4: Lodis-C CD release party 3/5: Draw The Line: A Tribute to Aerosmith 3/6: 105.7 The Point Local Show 3/7: MC Chris 3/8: Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers 3/11: Amorphis 3/12: The Pink Wall: A Tribute to Pink Floyd 3/13: 105.7 The Point Local Show 3/15: Fall Out Boy 3/17: The Dave Matthews Tribute Band 3/18: Mr. Brownstone: A Tribute to Guns N’ Roses 3/19: Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society 3/20: 105.7 The Point Local Show 3/24: Cryptopsy 3/26: Lithium: A Tribute to Nirvana 3/27: 105.7 The Point Local Show
POP’S BLUE MOON 5249 Pattison • St. Louis, Mo. 63110 314-776-4200 • www.popsbluemoon.com Tues: Worlds Most Dangerous Open Jam 3/12: Punsapaya 3/18: EN2 & Cerulean City
3/24: See the Sky 3/25: EKE w/Pike Station 3/26: Sir Real w/Last Meridian & Fella
SATCHMO’S 13375 Olive • Chesterfield, Mo. 314-878-3886 Thur: The Perry Woods Experience Sat: Jeff Gwantley 3/4: Eddie Randell & Maury Jannett 3/17–18: Perry Woods
SCHLAFLY TAP ROOM 2100 Locust. • St. Louis, Mo. 63103 314-241-BEER • www.schlafly.com 3/4: Oyster Festival with Duddy Breeks 5p & Pooka 9p 3/5: Oyster Festival with T-Wayne and the Swamptones 5p, Gumbohead 9p 3/6: Dizzy Atmosphere 6p 3/12: Duddy Breeks 2:30p, O’T Mathew Band 8p 3/13: Brian Curran 6p 3/17: Peter Clemens & Andy Ploof 6p 3/18: The Rockhouse Ramblers 8p 3/19: Serapis 8p 3/20: John Farrar 6p 3/25: S.O.L. 8p 3/30: The Arch Rival Improv Group
SQWIRE’S 1415 S. 18th St. • St. Louis, Mo. 63104 314-865-3522 3/4: Piece Crask 5p, Mo. & Dawn 8p 3/5: Tom Bryne & Erika Johnson 8p 3/6: Matt Murdick 11a 3/11: Tom Hall 5p, Dave Black 8p 3/12: Charlie B. Jazzed 8p 3/13: Monica Casey 11a 3/18: Pierce Crask 5p, Mo. & Dawn 8p 3/19: Tom Byrne & Erika Johnson 8p 3/20: Bill Murphy 11a 3/25: Tom Hall 5p, Ron Sikes Duo 8p 3/26: Mo. & Dawn 8p 3/27: Matt Murdick 11a
STUDIO CAFÉ 1309 Washington Ave. • St. Louis, Mo. 63103 314-621-8667 3/4: Rough Shop Trio 3/11: Bell Bottom 3/19: Village Idiot 3/25: John Brader 3/26: A-Rex and Wattson w/Junio Jer and Haiku
THREE-1-THREE 313 E. Main St. • Belleville, Il. 62220 618-239-6885• www.three-1-three.com Mon: Park Avenue Trio Tues: DJ Rob Gray Thur: DJ Kelly Dell, Just J, Andreas Ardesco 3/4: BOB 3/19: Dimebag Darrell Memorial Fundraiser w/Cemetary Gatez & Nashville Suicide Mission
TOUHILL PERFORMING ARTS CTR. University of Mo. – St. Louis • St. Louis, Mo. 63121 314-516-4949 • www.touhill.org 3/4: Arlo Guthrie 3/8: UMSL Faculty Chamber Music 3/9: Yannatou and Salonico 3/10: UMSL Jazz Concert 3/12: Alexandra Ballet 3/13: Alexandra Ballet 3/14: Zehetmair String Quartet 3/18: Lunasa 3/19: Adrienne Danrich & HMS Pinafore
WAY OUT CLUB 2525 S. Jefferson Ave. • St. Louis, Mo. 63118 314-664-7638 • www.wayoutclub.com 3/3: Pike Station & Simmons 3/4: Jones Street 3/5: Meh 3/9: 2 Timing Three 3/10: PlaybackSTL & KDHX present Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers, The Trip Daddys, & The Maxtone 4 3/12: Nogs 6p 3/14: Minsk 3/18: Sister Loveshovel 3/19: Hail Marys 3/21: Bible of the Devil, Imperial Battlesnakes & Lung Dust 3/25: Miles of Wire 3/26: Shame Club
Q AND NOT U w/INTERPOL at THE PAGEANT March 15, 8 p.m. • all ages TICKETS: $22/24 • CALL: 314-726-6161 If you grew up in St. Louis, chances are pretty good you grew up with The Letter People. Produced by our very own PBS station, KETC Channel 9, The Letter People was the pinnacle of children’s television programming in the 1970s: 26 humanoid puppets, each representing a letter of the alphabet. With alliterative names and a thirst for knowledge, The Letter People were eager to teach children everywhere the wonders of spelling and phonics. Mr. B would shout about his “Beautiful Buttons,” Miss I would scratch her “Itchy Itch,” and Mr. V would preen in his 43 “Velvet Vest.” All, that is, except for Mr. Q. He was “Quiet.” Q and Not U, however, are anything but quiet. The band was making a ruckus right out of the gate with their 2000 debut album No Kill No Beep Beep, an album that reflected their Washington, D.C., roots with a heaping helping of Fugazi-style post-hardcore. After their debut’s success on the venerable Dischord Records, bassist Matt Borlik split, forcing the remaining trio to re-examine their approach. Their third and latest release, Power, sees Q and Not U completely immersing themselves in dance-punk, the genre du jour that they had a major hand in inventing. Much like !!! and Les Savy Fav, Q and Not U merge angular punk guitars with bouncing bass lines and funky drums for a danceable result that never loses the political bent for which Dischord has long been known. Nowhere is this more evident than on the first single, “Wonderful People,” where the mix of falsetto vocals and incessant disco drums brings to mind a punk-rock version of Rockwell’s one-hit-wonder duet with Michael Jackson, “Somebody’s Watching Me.” The emphasis on dance beats might make Q and Not U an odd choice to open for Interpol, an admittedly phenomenal band who tend to be a bit more, well, depressing. Interpol may kill your Q-buzz, but both bands virtually guarantee stellar performances. ⎯ Jason Green
PLAYBACK STL
PORTRAITS
BY THOMAS CRONE
ANNE TKACH: ROUGH SHOP, THE GOOD GRIEFS, BAD FOLK
44
Turns out that Webster Groves High School, circa mid-’80s, was a mini version of Fame. The suburban school prepped a variety of artistic types: painters/songwriters Jaime Gartelos and Marcia Pandolfi; sibling painters Alicia and Billy LaChance; longtime area musicians Kurt Groetsch and Peter Lang; plus the majorities of The Urge, A Perfect Fit, and The Painkillers. Who knew? Add Anne Tkach to that Statesmen mix, though her first big musical break came while living in New Mexico, rather than the W.G. After playing in the Albuquerque-based Hazeldine from 1995 to 2001, releasing a handful of records to critical acclaim, Tkach wound up back in St. Louis, joining Nadine not long thereafter. With the dissolution of that wellregarded group, she began to become one of the most ardent project players in town, with three groups currently dividing her evenings. There’s Rough Shop, in which she sings and plays guitar. Bad Folk employs her as drummer. And The Good Griefs complete the trio, with Tkach on bass. As noted below, all three will share a bill later this month. Three bands, three sets, three different instruments, plus some vocals. Wow. How did it happen that you’d wind up in three bands? I never really set out with that as a goal! Was it having friends in each project? It was a matter of friends in each of the projects. Nadine was on a slow track; I liked to play a lot of music. And I like to play music I like. I like Tim [Rakel]’s songs and
had watched Bad Folk playing out for a long time. I thought I could add to what he does. That was the only band I was playing in before Nadine broke up. Nadine’s not really that kind of player’s band. PHOTO: JENNIFER CARR
What were the positives you took from that experience? Playing with such great people, all are great musicians and songwriters. It was an opportunity to get to know people in St. Louis. It was a wonderful letter of introduction to the music scene here. I thought I could bring a lot to them in terms of touring and stuff like that, but we had different sensibilities. You learn from everyone you play with and it was a nice learning experience. Plus they had a lot of good gear, man. It must be nice to be in a group with a national reputation, too. Yeah. It’s funny. I don’t know if you know this, but Nadine’s first record and my first band’s record came out in the same year, on the same German label, Glitterhouse. I always thought of bands on the same label as being in the same family. That’s how I came to know
them, though I didn’t meet them for years. They were not the burly mountain men I thought they’d be. If pressed, what’s the instrument you’re most comfortable playing? I’m a bass player. I love playing the bass. What do the other instruments add to you? I absolutely love playing the drums; I’m just not the best at it. But it’s the most fun, really. My level of ability fits quite well in Bad Folk. My forte is playing to my level of ability in whatever I’m doing. Which is really why I’m playing three different things in different bands right now. All very different bands and my role is different in each of them. What’s been your most intense period playing with all three? There was a week not very long ago when there were three shows in a week, one for each band. The intense week coming up will be all three bands playing on one night; that’s on March 30 at Off Broadway. It’s my birthday party, and Roy Kasten’s, as well, so we’re throwing this bash at Off Broadway. It gets a little grueling, practicing three times a week and making three records as well, which was happening over the holidays. And there won’t be a fourth? Me starting my own band? I’ll play everything and it’ll be my opus! No, I don’t have any plans like that. Without them, I’m nothing. I just want to say one thing: I’m absolutely honored to play with all these people. I’m like the luckiest girl in the world. Not a lot of people get to advance their art with a lot of other people they like. I’m excited about it all.
Lunch Monday – Friday, 11:30–5 Dinner (nightly specials) Daily 5–10 Lunch Buffet ($5.95) Monday – Friday, 11:30–2:30
Open ’til 3 a.m. Nightly Reggae Every Sunday Night Dave Stone Jazz Trio Every Friday at 10:30 p.m.
COME FOR THE FOOD, but stay for the eclectic atmosphere featuring beautiful artwork, live music most nights, and the charm that only tradition can offer.
3145 South Grand Ave. 314-664-8585
www.dineatmangia.com
Serving the Finest Fresh Pasta in St. Louis for 20 Years
Gear Box Booked by Suburban Booking. Contact Elvis @ 314-537-5456 or dedelvas@aol.com
MARCH at THE GEAR BOX in LIL’ NIKKI’S 3/3 Big Star Kadilac, Left Arm, Benidict Arnold 3/4 BALLISTIC PINTOS ( Nashville), Mighty Stevens ( Nashville), Hypernaughts 3/5 Sex Robots, TOK, and guests • 3/10 Hated Nixon, Walk the Earth 3/11 THE LOBSTERS, Thee Lordly Serpents,Gentleman Callers 3/12 Aces & Eights, Bibowats, Flesh • 3/15 BOTTOM and guests (Big Dumb Rock Production) 3/17 St. Pat’s Party! w/GASSOFF, Fith Row Felons • 3/18 PINK SPIDERS(Nashville), Cripplers, The Doxies 3/19 ROCK STAR CLUB (Chicago), Operation Rock, Tone Rodent 3/23 AQUI (New York), Unmutuals, Sex Robots • 3/24 NRA (Gearhead Records), Gordo, and guests 3/25 PHONOCAPTORS, Megahurtz, Tailspin 3/26 KTP (Lawerence, KS), the SCARRED (Aneheim, CA.), the Choir (formerly the Spiders) 3/31 Jet Pack, Aces & Eights, the Affair UPCOMING GEAR BOX SHOWS 4/15 BLACK FIRE REVELATION • 4/16 CAPTURED BY ROBOTS • 4/22 RPG, the DRIP 4/23 PRISON SHAKE • 4/26 BANG SUGAR BANG 4-30 RIVER CITY ROCK-N-ROLL REVIVAL (all day rock fest)