december
2004
play st. louis pop culture
ack
scissor sisters 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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DECEMBER 2004
PLAYBACK– TALK
A Holiday Toast A Question of Motives
Does Low Budget = Low Quality?
I am glad you recognized Jim Campbell’s hatchet job on Gaslight Square for what it was and chose not to print it in your November issue, rather relegate it to your internet site. In my review of Angels in America last summer, I had written something unflattering, and Jim’s so-called “review” is clearly retaliation for this. Now as theater writer for EXP, I’ve written some pretty mean reviews in my day, but they are all directly motivated by what leaps out at me from the stage. I don’t bring personal animosity or revenge into it. I’d question Jim’s motives if I were you. —Christopher Jackson, Writer/Director
It was nice to see anything about my micro-budget comedy, Inbred Redneck Alien Abduction. But I must say, if you intend on reviewing movies professionally, you should really watch the entire movie and take into account things like budget, and that it’s locally produced with volunteer help on a crazed schedule. It’s extremely difficult to actually put an entire movie together with this many actors, FX, sets, props, etc., on the budget and schedule that we had. I guess I expect too much support from St. Louis for actually doing something and finishing it. —Patrick Voss, Producer/Director
Personally, we question your motives in sending us this letter. Jim is, if anything, more kind in his reviews than the plays and performers sometimes warrant. I would say if your review was an unkind one, it would be because the play deserved it. He is not one to hold a vendetta, and would certainly not let it show through his work. We have a limited amount of print space, that is true, but we don’t consider publishing something on the Web “relegating” it. We reach a larger audience on the Web, actually; half a million hits per month and counting.
I do understand the constraints of filmmaking on a budget, but a low budget is not a universal excuse. Better dialogue and acting do not cost extra money. If you were so strapped, you should have made a smaller film—shorter, less FX, fewer actors, etc.—and made it better. Not working within your limitations is not an excuse for bad production values. I am a supporter of local films and I take their origins into account when I review them, but I do not think it is enough to just “do” something. You need to do something good. Local film is like local bands: they need our support, but they, in turn, need to put the effort into their product. It is not about blind loyalty, but about creating an atmosphere where work can be produced, seen, and discussed. I do review movies professionally; yours is the first I have been unable to finish. I don’t need to subject myself to 90 minutes of something this bad to give my opinion. —Bobby Kirk, Film Editor
All You Have to Do Is Ask Hmm, St. Louis radio, you say? Innovative, exciting, variety...Open-minded; a virtual smorgasboard of cutting-edge music? That would be great! It could have different shows covering new music and old classics from all sorts of genres that don’t get corporate airplay at all! And we could call it KDHX! —Eric Seelig
MOLLY HAYDEN
To all of you, our readers and our friends, we raise a glass in cheer. The holidays are upon us once again, and we’re ready to embrace them with rosy-red cheeks and a steaming mug of cider. It’s been a great year, but don’t write off 2004 yet. Before it’s gone, celebrate with us at the Playback St. Louis holiday show, Santapalooza! We’re bringing Austin songstress Patrice Pike to town, putting her on stage with Miles of Wire, Brandy Johnson, and Domani, and serving up the holiday cheer! The show takes place Saturday, December 4 at Lil’ Nikki’s in Soulard; for more information, see the ad on page 38 or check out www.playbackstl.com. (We’ll also be giving away tickets online, so hurry.) We’ve also previewed, profiled, or blurbed nearly every holiday celebration, appearance, show, and gathering (or so it seems), so check out these pages if you’re looking for some Christmas, Hannukah, or Kwanzaa action. St. Louis must be feeling very New York these days. Need proof? Check out the late show scheduled for the Pageant after the River of Toys. In anticipation of Scissor Sisters’ show for the sleep deprived, make sure you’ve read Cory Hoehn’s cover story on the band. (Fun fact: Interview subject Babydaddy is a St. Louis native.) Whatever your beliefs, however you celebrate, thanks for including Playback STL in your holidays. Happy New Year, everyone! Playback St. Louis: Get used to it.
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CONTENTS
Profiles
Patrice Pike ..............................................3 Russell Gunn ...........................................4 Jimmy Eat World ......................................5
Play by Play .................. 7
U2, Bluebottle Kiss, The Conformists, Death From Above 1979, Efterklang, Lorenzo Goetz, The Music, Nourallah Brothers, Psapp, Travis, Two Cow Garage, Tom Waits
Quick Hits.................... 12 Japancakes, Mates of State, Plum Tucker, Ultra Blue
Backstage Pass............ 14
KMFDM, The Trachtenberg Family Slideshow Players, Hot Snakes
Three to See ................ 15 Come Out and Play...... 19
Profile: Mary Beth Burns........................ 44
You Are Here ............... 20 Art St. Louis XX: The Exhibition
On the Cover ............... 22 Scissor Sisters
Now Playing
Cinema: Notre Musique (Our Music), Tarnation, Ross McElwee Retrospective ... 24 Profile: Peter Carlos............................... 26 Our Filmy Substance............................ 27
Local Scenery ............. 30 Take Five ...................... 32 Rocketbar
Elliot Goes.................. 32 From the Corner ......... 33 STLBlues.net
The Play’s the Thing... 33 A Picasso
Curmudgeon ................ 34 Page by Page................ 36 Cynthia Ozick, Marc Acito, Mindy Friddle
Delirious Nomad ......... 39 What’s Going on Here?....................... 40 Mound City Music Fest, River of Toys 2004, Slick 57, Two Cow Garage, Cake, Joss Stone, North Mississippi Allstars, Pat Green
JIMMY EAT WORLD returns with a new album and an appearance at the Pageant on 12/16. Read our interview on Page 5.
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Playback St. Louis Pop Culture 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 Bobby Kirk Live Music Editor Brian McClelland Theater Editor Tyson Blanquart Editors-at-Large Rob Levy, Kevin Renick Editorial Assistant Kimberly Faulhaber Contributing Writers Amanda Lee Anderson, Sid Andruska, Tyson Blanquart, Jim Campbell, J. Church, Chris Clark, Jim Dunn, Robert M. Edgecomb, Jason Green, Adam Hackbarth, Tim Hand, Laura Hamlett, Mary Beth Haschall, Cory Hoehn, Bryan A. Hollerbach, Robert Hunt, Byron Kerman, Mike Kinworthy, Bobby Kirk, John Kujawski, Rob Levy, David Lichius, Jesse Macht, James Mcanally, Brian McClelland, Sean Moeller, Angela Pancella, Kevin Renick, Jeffrey Ricker, Stephen Schenkenberg, Jeremy Segel-Moss, Josh Sutterfield, Michele Ulsohn, Rudy Zapf Contributing Photographers Jim Dunn, Jason Green Contributing Illustrator Jessica Gluckman Intern James Mcanally Advertising Sales Color Rates Now Available! Jim Dunn • 314-630-6404 or Jim@playbackstl.com Distribution Two Weasels Press LLC Playback St. Louis is published Monthly. Current circulation is 18,000. ©All content copyright Playback St. Louis 2004. 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: Playback St. Louis 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
DECEMBER 2004
PBSTL PROFILE PATRICE PIKE
PATRICE PIKE: ON A MISSION by Jim Dunn his magazine’s history with Patrice Pike goes back to our first few months. She was one of the first shows I reviewed, and that show still remains one of my favorites. Her performance with the Black Box Reunion at Off Broadway in June 2002 was a tour de force with an energy and talent from the moment she bound onto the stage. One moment she rocked and the next she sang a gentle little hymn; at one point in the show, Pike actually scatted (and did a great job of it). Patrice Pike is hard to describe in words. You want to call her “pixie” because she is a petite blond ball of energy, but there are the tattoos that would not fit well on Tinkerbell. The music she has created—both with Sister Seven and as a solo artist—is earnest, sexy, and tight. She also has a grasp of the music business that few other performers have. Sister Seven was promoted as “the next big thing” by no less than Arista’s Clive Davis, but it was not to be; the band splintered, Davis left Arista, and Pike made her own way. Since 2000, she has formed her own company with fellow Sister Seven bandmate Wayne Sutton (ZainWayne Records). She has released several disks and toured—Lord, has she toured—across the West and the Midwest, crisscrossing the clubs and bars and building a reputation for herself as a singer/songwriter/storyteller and advocate. Pike is also genuinely fun and interesting to talk with, as we did about her future, touring, and Joan of Arc.
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What are you up to these days? There is a lot going on. I’ve worked on a lot of recordings over the last year and I want to put a new record out next year. We are working out how we want to do that—whether through ZainWayne or with a bigger label that has more structure—but that is mindful about a lot of things that are important to me, especially artistic content. I have a wonderful band that I am touring with. We have done a lot of festivals and traveled the West Coast often. I have been working with a friend there who publishes a magazine in the Sierra Mountains. He approached me because he saw that I have a lot of the same
philosophical beliefs on environmental sustainability and business. He tries to communicate these ideas using various types of artists, including musicians, fine artists, and writers. We are trying to get the word out about buying products from businesses based locally that harbor a sense of community. You, more than most, are aware of how the music business is constantly changing. How have you reacted to those changes? A lot of things have happened in the music business. This is the first time in a long time that record executives and companies are paying attention to alternative ways of promoting. They have to. The popularity of downloads and different ways that people can make their music available to the public has taken much of the control out of their realm. Artists can do a lot of the things for themselves; that gives a better balance of power. In some cases, it allows the artist to pay for their masters and deliver a complete album to a label. The label can function as an umbrella for marketing and distribution. So really, all this change isn’t necessarily a bad thing? A lot of young people grow up thinking, “I want to be a pop star.” There are so many more bands now than there were in the late ’80s. The talent pool is massive. There is a lot of competition and there is a big transformation in the record business. There are a lot of new younger people in the business, yet there is this old guard, old-school executives who did it a different way, and they have a big learning curve ahead of them. That is what brings that window of opportunity. You can look at it as a big old mess or you can look at it as an opportunity, if you are a positive person, and how that opportunity applies to you and how you can influence it. You tour a lot. How do you maintain your enthusiasm? I did five tours in 2004 and I think I am going to be on the road even more in 2005. It is really important for me to be healthy. I practice yoga, I try to get sleep when I can, I read a lot of good books that inspire me. I also try to tour with a good band. These guys are so much fun to travel with and that can make all the differ-
ence in the world when you are on the road. If your only common ground is music, it can be kind of stressful. My energy level is so much higher when I have the support of a band that I like hanging out with. You are a very literate songwriter. Any books you want to recommend? A good author in general is Daniel Quin, who wrote Ishmael and the story “Beyond Symbolization.” Ishmael is the first of several books in a series and it is really challenges in a fiction context the story that we have told of ourselves about the way the world works—in context with how we think it works, in that we are the most important species. The main character is a gorilla…that can talk telepathically to humans. It challenges the idea that we have nothing to learn from nature, which works in such a balanced way. The Chomsky Reader is a really important book to read right now, especially with all the stuff that has been going down. Noam Chomsky is someone that everyday people should read, because a lot of the stuff that we know about history is really skewed, not a really holistic point of view. One of my favorite fiction books which is really sort of in between fiction and nonfiction [is] Mark Twain’s Joan of Arc. He was very much a social critic and his perspective on the world and American culture was often biting. People didn’t like these books as much because they weren’t as typically funny as his other books. This one is certainly not funny. This is his favorite book, though, and he was so fascinated by her that people who have analyzed the book say that the character of the squire in the book is actually him putting himself in the book to live out that fantasy. I am fascinated with her because she is just such an amazing person who came to head the French and defeat the English. She is a person who has greatly influenced me through my life. Patrice Pike headlines the Playback STL Santastock show at Lil’ Nikki’s, 1551 S. Soulard. Also on the bill are Miles of Wire, Brandy Johnson, and Domani; $7 ($5 with a canned good); 8:30 p.m.
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PBSTL PROFILE
PLAYBACK ST. LOUIS
RUSSELL GUNN
GUNN FU COMES HOME By Tim Hand ussell Gunn is no longer a young gun. The thoughtful East St. Louis–bred trumpeter returns home with an advanced degree in life and Ethnomusicology. Over the five-year span of his four-volume Ethnomusicology series, Gunn has been celebrated, then dumped, by Warner/Atlantic Recordings and has lost a high school hustling buddy to a tragic death. Through it all, he has remained true to his commitment to open mindedness and versatility. “I found that if you have your stuff together, everything else will follow. I could walk into the Lincoln Center band and play that stuff as well as anyone there and I could also walk into a hip-hop session and do the same.” The Ethnomusicology series began as a very ambitious effort to “marry not just jazz and hip-hop, but all the music of the African Diaspora,” as Gunn puts it. The albums all feature jazz melodies backed by electronic beats and African nuances. Volume 1, which is the most joyous and welcoming of the first three volumes, celebrates creativity and genesis; it grabbed Gunn a Grammy Award nomination for Best Jazz Performance in 1999. As a reward for that recognition, his label, WEA unceremoniously dropped him after just one album. “They didn’t do shit and then let me go.” Disgusted with the process, Gunn signed with Canadian label Justin Time and produced Ethnomusicology, Volume 2, his kiss-off to WEA and the music industry. “I think the cover of that album says it all,” remarks Gunn: a marionette in black face posed in front of a darkly lit American flag. But beyond its cover, Volume 2 took on darker material and made more explicitly political statements. Volume 3 transcended political diatribes to create Gunn’s own brand of Taoist philosophy and became a more personal statement. Taking on the persona of streetwise hipster, Gunn
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PHOTO: GENE MARTIN
pays tribute to his East St. Louis roots and to his childhood friend John Wicks, naming tunes afte both. Wicks, who was very close t Gunn, died tragically during his ho eymoon. “John was real street sma a true hustler in the good sense.” fondly remembers the two teens working the Celebrity Room in East St. Louis to make money for transportation and food; Gunn played the trumpet and Wicks passed the hat around. Rounding out Volume 3 is a haunting version of Billie Holiday’s famous anti-lynching statement, “Strange Fruit.” The guitar intro sounds more like Metallica than Wes Montgomery. Gunn’s own “Stranger Fruit” follows in the same vein, closing out the dark phase of Ethnomusicology. The newly released Volume 4: Live in Atlanta, is like a field trip out of the classroom, and showcases a lighter ambience than the previous volumes. “I’m extremely happy to have that [Ethnomusicology] series over. A lot of people had never heard that band live,” comments Gunn in his laid-back style, “so a live album was a necessity.” Ethnomusicology was a live project before WEA ever came calling, and Volume 4 is a refreshing update to the series. It features great jazz, blues, and hip-hop playing from Gunn backed up by a tight band of Ethnomusicology veterans. The slow bump of “More Sybil’s Blues” gives us a hint of what Miles Davis might have sounded like jamming with Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypsies. There are no political statements; the album simply showcases Russell Gunn and crew doing what they do. Set closer “Shiva the Destroyer” riffs over a swirling hip hop beat, reprising the first track of Volume 1 and bringing the series full circle. Fresh off touring with artists as disparate in style as crooner Harry Connick, Jr. and rapper Cee-Lo, Gunn Fu is back in town. He’s wrapped up his studies in Ethnomusicology and is ready to pursue a new direction. “I’m not exactly sure
at that will be yet, but I know that there won’t anything predictable simple about it.” He’s urrently into hip-hop imbaland, whom he calls “the Duke Ellington of hip hop composers.” Gunn is looking to “marry southern hip hop beats to more abstract jazz melodies.” He points to Aaliyah’s first record, early Outkast, and Ludacris as current influences alongside lifetime trumpet influences Lee Morgan and Clifford Brown. He’ll bring a new band to his first Jazz at the Bistro engagement and will play some Ethnomusicology tunes and “some new stuff.” If his sets resemble the funky new live album, the normally polite “listening room” at the Bistro will pulse like a hip-hop house party. If Gunn could collaborate with one artist, KRS-One leads the list. He also has tremendous respect for fellow trumpet man Nicholas Payton, who was scheduled to play the Bistro this season but cancelled. Payton has also taken his act electric recently with his Sonic Trance project for Warner Brothers. “Nick is one of the baddest cats to ever walk the earth. He can play not just trumpet, but piano and drums in every style as well as anybody and real authentic.” For fans who want to look deeper into his music, Gunn recommends his 1999 High Note outing, Love Requiem, an expanded acoustic suite about a love affair gone sour. Unfortunately, it received limited distribution so you’ll really have to dig for it. As for coming back to St. Louis, Gunn is happy to return, his only concern being “everybody wants to get on the guest list,” he laughs. In between sets at the Bistro, he’ll be sure to fill his childhood taste for fried rice. “I have to make sure to get a St. Paul sandwich.” Where is the best fried rice in town? “Everybody will tell you the best is the one right around the corner from where they grew up.” What better way to cap off a long personal, professional, and musical journey than to come home and enjoy a nostalgic rip through your favorite food?
Russell Gunn and Ethnomusicology play Jazz at the Bistro from Wednesday, December 1 through Saturday, December 4, two sets nightly at 8:30 and 10:30 p.m.
JIMMY EAT WORLD
INTERNAL COMBUSTION
PBSTL PROFILE
JIMMY EAT WORLD
By Sean Moeller who wrote Bleed American three years ago, but he probably still has some of that flashbulb light pulsing through his veins. The residue of a career-turning dance with the mainstream can’t ever be washed fully away. It it remains and makes for fine arguments about the integrity of a band that’s tasted the sugar of great appeal and just what they’ll do for an encore now that they have an audience outside, waiting and thirsting for something similar to what they were given last time. But in talking with Adkins, lead singer of Phoenix band Jimmy Eat World, you get the sense that those exterior expectations, blowing at them from wide-open outside vents, were nothing in comparison to the self-imposed demands the group put on themselves. He talks of the five and six demos they did for every song on their latest release, Futures. He talks about the songs that were labored over, recorded countless times, and then dropped from the album because they just didn’t fit. He talks about the late nights/early mornings in the studio when he would re-record vocal tracks and lead guitar tracks by himself to get them right. They didn’t need the record company hounding them, inserting their two cents here or there. They were already hounding themselves. “It always feels a little bit different with each record. It’s never felt like a safe kind of environment. You’re always on the lookout for opportunities and pitfalls,” Adkins says. “I think
was essentially our first record on the big label. We knew they’d be curious about what we were up to next. It took a while to get into that headspace.” He measures his words as if he’s got a tiny little scale between his ears, weighing meanings and densities before he releases them. He’s calm, and you can tell that everything he says is the way it was supposed to be said. Extended pauses for mental timeouts, regroupings, come in the middle of answers only a short time after the initial pause to first mull a question properly. It’s as if he’s reliving the recording process again right on the spot, remembering all of the discussions that came down to whether or not they were happy with what they’d done. He explains that most of the comments and criticisms were coming not from the record company execs, but from those in the band’s inner circle, thinking the constructive criticism was welcome and therefore to the betterment of this all-important answer to the panty-partied phenomenon single “The Middle” and its charged-up sister “Sweetness.” “We’d never had to deal with that before. Even when we were on Capitol, we only saw our A&R guy once, and that happened to be the day Billboard showed up to take a picture,” he says with a laugh. “We really focused hard on this one. I wouldn’t trade anything about making this record. The bar was set extremely high for what we thought we had to accomplish. To do right by [fans, record company, outsiders], we had to forget that they even existed. I think creating music is a really selfish endeavor. It has to come from an honest place. We were all really focused on the minutia of the record. Nuclear bombs
could have been going off outside the studio and we would never have known.” Futures is a broody collection of 11 songs that, in all respects, couples the fuzzy rock band of the late ’90s not yet meant for mass consumption with the songwriter Adkins became on Bleed American. There is a cloudcast that palls over each track, extracting all of the happy, upbeat marrow with which the band made its move three years ago, and syringing in an outlook of desperation and struggle. The happy times just aren’t there anymore. Any sort of affirmation that life is a bowl full of cherries is left missing as Adkins, bassist Rick Burch, guitarist Tom Linton, and drummer Zach Lind have their heavy hands covered in dejections. They tackle fear, pain, drugs, addictions, and various forms of hopelessness with a rumbling blackness that allows air to breathe in choruses every bit as memorable as those off of Bleed American—from which they’ll be cashing royalty checks well into their autumn years. “I don’t think it’s all that out of line. If you take a look at “Lucky Denver Mint” or “Blister,” they’re [not] all that different from Bleed American,” Adkins says. “I think Clarity is more atmospheric. In part, it was our creative decision to do that. We didn’t have time to rent a timpani [as they had for Bleed American]. We just got out the wood blocks and went crazy. We got back to the space where we can get the mood of every song. “Ultimately, I’m shooting for something on the first listen, a nostalgic feeling that puts you in a place right off the bat. You have those records that, six months down the line, you’re really getting into and you can’t believe how good they are. And those are the records you listen to years later. The Doves’ The Last Broadcast did that for me, and Arcade Fire’s Funeral. It usually takes me six to nine months to get into a record. If you can capture that feeling instantly, like you’ve been here before, it’s what I try to do. It’s not easy.” And for Adkins, that’s where the pressure comes from, the wont to be memorable—possibly timeless—not from the well-manicured hands that fit into the big-labeled pockets or the Johnny and Jenny-come-lately groupies. It’s enough to make you choke. Jimmy Eat World headlines the KPNT Ho Ho Show at the Pageant December 16.
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PLAY BY PLAY
MUSIC REVIEWS
U2: HOW TO DISMANTLE AN ATOMIC BOMB (I Bono’s father Bob died while the band was on its Elevation tour. This album keens for him in a way that suggests that the mourners have had far too much practice. They have. From the first cut on their debut album (“I Will Follow,” obliquely referencing the death of Bono’s mother Iris) through an argument with Michael Hutchence’s ghost (“Stuck in a Moment”), the catalog of U2 reads like one long elegy. “Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own” is the only track here confronting father-death head-on, but each track on the disc bleeds in its own way. The guitars are shrill, piercing; the melodies continually force the singer to howl notes far above his range. A broken heart shows up in the lyrics of half the songs, but almost every reference equates this pain with love: “Here’s my heart and you can break it”, “The heart that hurts is the heart that beats.” All the sacrificial lambing leaves little room for libido; only “Vertigo” and the marvelously titled “Love and Peace or Else” show off any sexiness. The groove of “Love and Peace or Else” winks at the sermon in the lyric, making what could have been an obnoxious song the clear highlight of the album. Overproduction swamps “Crumbs From Your Table,” which is a darn shame because the lyrics are near perfect—though the listener will have to get acquainted with a certain Syrophoenician woman to make any sense of them. (No, I won’t tell you. Google her or look for her in the gospel of Mark.) I like to hear more restraint in production; the constant barrage of synths, piano, and guitar overdubs makes for a certain sameness of sonic landscape. “One Step Closer” is a lovely
change—at least until the ending, when drums kick in and threaten to overpower its delicacy. On some level, though, this sort of misstep is endearing, since it proves that after all these years, U2 still hasn’t figured out how to end a song. They have figured out that The Edge possesses an incredible voice. The medium is the message when he sings the high bits in “Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own”—he proves Bono can’t make it on his own. For the most part, Bono makes his vocal limitation his strength, but if Edge’s voice has an upper limit, you’d never know it from what he does here. After 24 years of releasing albums, conquering the pop charts and critics’ pick lists, and influencing the political landscape, what world is left to conquer? Maybe only the world where you are conquered. How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb explores no new sonic territory and many of its lyrics are stolen from other U2 songs. But it’s scratching at a door that has not opened for anyone in the band, no matter how often they’ve watched it pull others through. What other band could release an album with this ultimate audacity? —Angela Pancella BLUEBOTTLE KISS: COME ACROSS (In Music We Trust) We were thisclose to getting amazing Aussie rockers to town last month. Ah well… maybe it’s for the best. Let Come Across, the band’s fifth album (second to be released in the States), really sink in and take hold, and then call ’em back to the Midwest when there’s an audience clamoring to see them.
NTERSCOPE) At least, that’s how it should be. Come Across is truly an amazing album, breathtaking and magical, poetic and rocking. As they did on last year’s Revenge Is Slow, BBK manage to incorporate strings and literary lyrics into their cacophony of sounds to create a brand of rock that is at once fresh, familiar, and richly woven. Opening the disc is the slow “Scouthall,” which ends with the perfect realization: “When I see her I’ll have something to say/Yeah, I will think of something to say/When I see her I’ll have something to say/I’ll probably just look the other way.” On “Everything Begins and Ends at Exactly the Right Time,” vocalist Jamie Hutchings (other band members include Ben Fletcher, Simon Fuhrer, and Ben Grounds) assures us of the small consolation named by the title. With his charming Aussie accent, Hutchings speaks the intro to “Last Playboy in Town.” Spoken/sang from the point-of-view of a womanizer with way too much self-confidence, the song comes off much more impressive than similarly themed tunes by lesser bands. “Slow Train to a Comfy Jail” is a meandering ride through the countryside. “Set these plastic handcuffs on fire,” Hutchings croons, “I’ll take a slow train to a comfy jail/where the only thing left is desire/Do you want to come home?” Even love is new in the hands of these songwriting masters; the piano-driven “Can I Keep You?” begins with these words of poetry: continued on next page
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“The blood in your veins has turned into red wine/and your spit is champagne/your sweat the River Rhine.” By far, the longest lasting visual from the album is presented in the opening line of “So Slow”: “Woke to find the wind’s come up/and it’s raining fire trucks.” An anguished guitar line sets a melancholy tone as a couple tries to hold on to what’s slipping away. Lyrically, this song’s a gem: Hutchings paints a picture of the seasons turning, the heat slipping away, as metaphor for the relationship. A slide guitar, lazy yet pointed, and female backing vocals add a beguiling character to “Sisters Head On”; the song itself, while beautiful, turns out to be a morose tale of two middle-aged sisters who die in a head-on collision. The poetry continues into the haunted, seven-minute saga, “Cross Purpose,” as “a windowed mother sweeps/a loveless daughter weaves,” waiting for the son/brother who left in search of riches, but never returns. “Crawling With Ants” is a more upbeat song, both lyrically
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and musically, in which a man mentally revisits the town—and girl—of his youth. Closing out the disc is “Ministry of Fear,” another in a recent spate of rock songs about present-day society’s state of high alert. The song builds to a crescendo with a chorus of women’s voices as Hutchings’ voice rises to be heard. It’s a slow, textured build, like the album itself, growing on you until it suddenly hits you: there’s nowhere else you’d rather be. Bluebottle Kiss invite you to Come Across and explore their other-worldly richness. —Laura Hamlett
one, then two, then three beats between rests). Halfway through “Lobster Bisque,” the hesitant song changes directions abruptly, deciding to become a jangling thing that brings to mind some kind of pathetically dancing sculpture of razor blades, worms, and wires; I can only assume someone doesn’t like lobster bisque. Often there is something “straight” happening (if not a little jangly or sing-songy) with one of the instruments (vocals included), but rest assured, it will bend or break before long, if it is not already subverted by context. —Josh Sutterfield
THE CONFORMISTS: TWO HUNDRED (Collective Records) The first time you hear The Conformists, you should at least be able to recognize one thing: they are in touch with irony—because they are not conforming, tee hee. They do not expect you to love them; they are aware of what they are doing, which is playing some intentionally fucked-up punk rock. This is elucidated in live shows by lead singer Mike’s insanity—clearly self-aware theatrics, but so convicted and over-the-top that this awareness is part of the insanity (or theatrics). As for the content of their first full-length release Two Hundred, long-awaited by many a St. Louis noise-rock-freak…well, it’s mangled and visceral stuff. Self-consciousness is its permission to experiment, to anticipate, to retard, to stutter, to stumble—very much in the same ethic employed by masters of deconstruction U.S. Maple, or free jazz, if you dare. In this case, the subject is a screaming hardcorish punk, dismantled in the name of freeing up that music and the musicians. The prefixes de- and dis- begin to apply themselves rampantly. The screaming is there, as guttural as you could want, but bass and guitar have become some combination of disjointed, discordant, detuned. But this is no breakdown; the instruments are intimately caught up in each other, and also in their own physicality, including all those “no-no” noises and in-between notes available from bendable, scrapable things. Meanwhile, drums repeatedly skip the beat you assumed would be there, or hit beats you thought were not okay (such as on the first track, “Cleft Palate,” with its warped pattern of
DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979: YOU’RE A WOMAN, I’M A MACHINE (Vice Recordings) It went down like this: Death From Above: The Record Label unleashed the hounds of hell loose on Death From Above: The Band. The message was this: change your band name or else. Faced with this reality, the duo acquiesced to the label’s demand and changed their name just enough for the flying monkeys to be summoned back to their lair. Thus DFA became DFA 1979. DFA 1979’s debut LP You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine is a blunt, nasty piece of rock ’n’ roll comparable to Lightning Bolt and Tight Phantomz. You’re a Woman also brings to mind the sexy cool sounds of early Girls Against Boys. Silly as this may sound; You’re a Woman is a record that one can also spazz out to on the dance floor. Drummer/vocalist Sebastien Grainger’s vocals have a cocky, arrogant quality that complements Jesse Keeler’s pulsating throbbing bass licks. Taken as a whole, sex is the lyrical theme that appears consistently throughout You’re a Woman, which is fitting because this disc would still have an aura of copulation even without vocals. Excellent and solid throughout, this disc’s highest moments lie in “Turn It Out,” “Romantic Rights,” “Blood on Our Hands,” “Little Girl,” and “Cold War.” The record tallies in at 11 tracks, totaling just short of 35 minutes, which is plenty of time to get your freak on. You’re a Woman is salvo across the wake of the indie underground. DFA 1979 was popular before this record, but with this latest disc, Death From Above 1979 is perched to take over the world, for this is an absolutely magnificent record. —David Lichius
DECEMBER 2004
EFTERKLANG: TRIPPER (The Leaf Label) If a superior race of beings ever arrive on Earth to decide if we should be “neutralized” or not, the evidence of our unworthiness would likely outweigh the reasons to spare us. Hell, just look at what we’re doing with our time and energy—we’re a right nasty lot. Wars, fundamentalists, deforestation, reality TV…why, if I were the head alien, I’d flick the death ray up to MAX straightaway and be done with it. But, as a member of this besieged species, I just might try to make the case that we’re not totally without merit. “Here!” I would say, “just listen to the nice sounds we can make!” And I’d play the debut album by Efterklang, Tripper, on the best stereo I could find. Assuming the aliens could appreciate a ten-piece ensemble from Denmark who mix about five genres of music together, we might just get a pass. For this is the sort of extraordinary music that can renew your faith in the human spirit and cleanse the darkest hollows of your soul. Quite simply, Efterklang have made one of the most stunningly beautiful records of the year, maybe ever. Tripper is an utterly magical hybrid of Mumlike electronica, soothingly organic ambience, restrained classical music, and emotive slowcore rock distinguished by sublime male and female vocals given equal balance in the mix. Someone in this band has a youthful, high soprano that is just exquisite, like a member of the Vienna Boy’s Choir. You hear it at the beginning of “Collecting Shields,” one of the most spine-tingling moments on the CD, especially when followed by the sleepily sung passages of two other singers and some richly evocative piano playing. The burbling electronica, frequently rendered in quick pulsating bursts (which sometimes sound like a skipping disc) and machinelike hums, is thoroughly modern—a product of skillfully manipulated musical gadgetry. But the soft, sensual vocals provide a continuous flow of human warmth; the singing, in fact, is mesmerizing throughout, sometimes featuring a small choir, and other times, a delightfully relaxed male-female duet. Then there’s the rich instrumentation. Two members of Iceland’s Amina String Quartet join other band members on violin and cello to provide gentle string accompaniment on several
tracks, captivating piano passages are played by Rune Molgaard Fonseca, and there’s a whole raft of trumpets, trombones, flugelhorns, and Björk-like music box type sounds, all utilized for maximum textural beauty. The artistic balance on this record is uncannily brilliant. The ambient classical group Rachels would be one stylistic touchstone, but honestly, Efterklang’s approach bears minimal relationship to anything else you’ve heard. “Doppelganger” is serenely melancholy, if that’s possible—made for nighttime listening. So is the string-laden “Monopolist,” on which the line “Save me from myself” is sung numerous times (lyrics are in English, but it’s often difficult to hear them clearly). “Swarming” is exquisite beyond superlatives—a real cross-genre blend of evocative keyboards, strings, glitchy electronics, and pastoral vocals. “Prey and Predator” is stately and elegant despite the glacial ambience, with Low-like vocals in places. There’s so much going on throughout that describing any one passage is inadequate. This work is meant to be experienced as a whole. The press release for Tripper says it’s “intense and dramatic, intimate yet coolly detached.” You’d have to add a lot more adjectives than that to fully convey the artistry of this recording. Groundbreaking, feverishly emotional, proudly Scandinavian, yet cosmically inclusive, Efterklang’s debut is a thing of unsurpassed gorgeousness, a heady tonic for angst-filled times. —Kevin Renick continued on next page
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LORENZO GOETZ: JESUS ELEPHANT (Innocent Words) Add a dose of funk to the Beatles’ pure pop sensibilities, toss in some ultra-cool jams, and mix with a little bit o’ hip-hop, and you’ve got Champaign’s Lorenzo Goetz. A four-piece (vocalist/guitarist Larry Gates, guitarist/vocalist Josh Miethe, bassist Eric Fisher, and drummer/vocalist Jesse Greenlee), the band chose its moniker to convey a hybrid of sounds and influences, and they deliver. Whereas LG’s debut EP, Allure, was a bit uneven, Jesus Elephant is a smooth hybrid of sounds (until the end—but more on that later). “Let It Out” kicks off the disc, the Beatles song that never was. Next up is the ultra-funky “Muy Macho,” in which Gates confesses, “I’ve been developing a habit/strictly out of habit.” Following the cool groove of “American Love Story” (with some song-ending falsetto vocal work that is stunningly reminiscent of Bryan Hoskins and TripStar) is “Slow,” the highlight of the disc. Honestly; I can’t get enough of this catchy song; I’ll put it on repeat all night. Gates rap-sings the words and you’ll quickly find yourself joining in: “I pay the time no mind/I’m eastbound walking down University and Sunshine.” On “Alright,” a short, stripped-down tune a lá Beck, Gates lazily remarks, “You’re alright with me.” “Ave Maria” is a hauntingly pretty song; “Several Days Away” is more power-pop than world-influenced. The title track mixes simple guitar with an electronic buzz and begins: “Such a typical evening/otherworldly feelings/wide awake by mistake/I intake, I create/androids and elephants/jesus and elephants they come/to my room, they crawl/ through my window.” The only songs I can do without are the last two, “Buddha” and an unnamed track. The former is pure hip-hop, the latter a band-introduced percussion piece; both just seem out of place on this otherwise mellow pop mobile. Lorenzo Goetz added a new drummer to the mix just before they went into the studio to record Jesus Elephant. What came out is a unified mix of musicians who, despite dipping their toes into a number of musical genres, have released a damn fine pop album. —Laura Hamlett
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THE MUSIC: WELCOME TO THE NORTH (Capitol Records) When they first exploded onto the scene in 2002, with a debut CD that sold an impressive halfmillion copies worldwide, The Music were highly praised by critics, who compared them to epic-rock bands like Led Zeppelin, U2, and Jane’s Addiction. The four young band members (aged 20 to 21) from Leeds, England, have recently released their sophomore effort, Welcome to the North, and although most of those influences are still prevalent in their overall style, The Music now sound like they are establishing their own sonic identity. Lead vocalist Robert Harvey states on the band’s Web site that there was a conscious effort to create tighter, more stylized songs this time around, and to deviate slightly from the less structured psychedelic jams that permeated their first disc. That effort is especially noticeable on tracks like “Fight the Feeling,” “Into the Night,” and my favorite song, “Guide”—all of which combine a driving, guitar-based rhythm with a catchy, groove-rock melody. There’s still a substantial amount of looser, hypnotic freakiness, with songs like “I Need Love,” “Cessation,” and the superb instrumental ghost track at the end, with its positively mindmelting finale. “One Way in, No Way Out” is sort of a modern, updated, shorter version of the Zeppelin classic “Kashmir,” with some very cool electronic sound effects sprinkled throughout. The Music are still demonstrating—as they did on the first disc—their keen ability to reinvent and reinterpret their ’70s and ’80s influences. Famed producer Brendan O’Brien was The Music’s choice for Welcome to the North, not because of the bands with whom he’s famous for working (Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine, Springsteen), but because “the sheer power of the records that he’s done is just unbelievable,” states Harvey. “We wanted that same kind of power on our record.” The band spent the spring of ’04 writing and recording at O’Brien’s Atlanta studio. Although Harvey’s soaring, high-pitched vocals are the perfect complement to The Music’s songs, the lyrics are often unclear and somewhat muffled. Harvey provides this bit of insight: “There’s a lot of coming to terms with
the harsh realities of the world on this record. It’s really about breaking free, and about becoming universal.” —Michele Ulsohn NOURALLAH BROTHERS: NOURALLAH BROTHERS (Western Vinyl) Some artists adhere to the “keep it simple” credo better than others. Whereas scores of acts today go lo-fi hoping to become the next Guided by Voices (or perhaps they’re too lazy/uninspired to do anything as demanding as writing/arranging songs), others, like the Nourallah Brothers, do “casual” with style and grace. Salim and Faris Nourallah both released fine solo albums in the past two years, but Nourallah Brothers is their first collaboration, showing the two West Coast songwriters operating with one shared aesthetic, best summarized as gently melancholy, hook-filled pop/folk odes to lost youth and unforeseen heartache. They don’t rock out, but the boys sing and play with such beguiling sincerity that nearly every song here finds its emotional target. Take “My Little Innocent One,” a gleaming musical gem. Over a waltz beat and a subtle but luminous keyboard ascending and descending in an alternating pattern, a pair of sweet Nourallah vocals glide from the speakers with warmth and clarity. “To be grown up is not that much fun/One day you will look back, my innocent one…” go the simple lyrics, and there’s even a banjo used for textural effect. It’s an utterly charming tune. The brothers don’t need long tracks to work their magic, either; some songs are only a minute long, like “Public Skool” (which runs through a litany of possible futures for Generation Next while a background vocal repeats “Public school!” over and over) and the comically minimalist “I Wanna Be an Artist,” on which the chorus of “paints and turpentine,” combined with another fun background voice yelling out names of famous painters, is impossible not to smile over. More typical of this disc’s fare, though, is the wistful melancholia of “Who Are You,” one of many songs that bring to mind latter-day Kinks (especially the Ray Davies–styled vocals) and the certified classic “Missing You”—at 4:11, the album’s longest tune. With an aching continued on page 28
DECEMBER 2004
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JAPANCAKES: WAKING HOURS (Warm Electronic Recordings) In the mood to kick back in the recliner, turn off the phone, and just chill for a spell? Here’s an album to help you do it. Japancakes, an Athens, Georgia, instrumental outfit commonly lumped in with the “post-rock” movement, have a new album called Waking Hours that is nigh on perfect for, well, napping or being lazy to. More ambient than their previous three albums, the disc still features their trademark slowly enveloping pastoral grooves characterized by lap steel and fiddle prominently featured in the arrangements, making Japancakes perhaps one of the preeminent groups in a growing new subgenre, “ambient Americana.” It’s certainly the impression one gets from “Thumb on the Scene,” which is twangy, rustic, and drowsy at the same time. The two-note night sky moodiness of the long fadeout on “Keep Drawing Suns” is straight-up Enoesque luminescence, but the blend of sweet lap steel and strings on the graceful “Tremor” and the loping, countrified rhythm of “Far From Here,” the most up-tempo track, are Japancakes’ more typical stock in trade, and it’s a pretty lilting sound. Several tracks, like “Untitled One,” “You Should Be Changing Everything,” and “Alice and Twins,” feature the evocative, Satielike piano playing of Bill Hamby (he especially excels on that beauteous latter track, which is just piano until a short, startling melodic drone near the end), augmenting the regular quintet of Eric Berg, Nick Bielli, Heather McIntosh, John Neff, and Brant Rackley, all of whom seem to cap any impulse toward individual showmanship in favor of creating a consistent, organic swirl of sound. Japancakes won’t offend anyone, and their music may not be stimulating enough for many. But the airy, soothingly melodic textures of strong compositions like “Where Things Leave Off” (almost Stereolab-like) and some of the other tracks mentioned above makes for a pleasant, calming listen. Waking Hours is definitely worth staying awake for. (KR) MATES OF STATE: ALL DAY (Polyvinyl) Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel, the married San Franciscans with the greatest call-andresponse vocal act on the planet, make those life observations that should take lifetimes to arrive at, but are probably found accidentally in van rides, while holding hands and figuring
out the fastest way to get to North Manchester, Indiana. Each of the duo’s three full-lengths are strewn, illogical indefinites, stitched together with patches of reason that make brilliantly omniscient one-liners much less obtuse. And it’s mesmerizing, complicated, but simple to enjoy. This way too short four-song EP—three originals and a cover of Bowie’s “Starman”— staggers with the same bubblish keyboarding and jittery drumming for which the two are known, but it sees them writing more legitimate hooks than they did on 2003’s Team Boo. There are songs about material possessions, models, anchors, and God knows what else, as it’s all very debatable, but fascinating. It’s puzzling that nationwide tours supporting bands like The Strokes, Beulah, Blonde Redhead, and The Thermals have not exposed Mates of State’s cache of work for what it is: one of the finest and most imaginative group of songs written during this decade. All Day extends this collection by three. (SM) PLUM TUCKER: PLUM TUCKER (Self-Released) After I listened to Plum Tucker’s demo, I immediately hit the repeat button. Plum Tucker has been around the St. Louis scene for just under two years. “The Plum,” as their fans call them, is a full-fledged six-piece band with a nice variety of instruments that create their absorbingly unique sounds. The self-released debut includes three studio tracks and one live track, “Wonder Why,” recorded at Cicero’s. It is a listener’s challenge to put the perfect label on their brand of music. They fearlessly blend elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, and jazz stylings to their ever-changing musical tones. Throughout the demo, the improvised soundings of Jeff Brabow’s saxophones set the melody and often the emotion to the songs. Vijoy Rao and Greg Schmid’s vocals harmonize quite well together, especially on “My Rapunsel.” Lyrically, Plum Tucker’s songs are quite vivid and rather clever at telling funny stories. “Bowlegged Stiff” displays some of the effortless rhythm changes that seem to come standard with this band. This demo definitely inspires me to check out their next gig around town. Hopefully, a full CD is on its way soon. (MBH) ULTRA BLUE: MAYA (self-released) Take a listen to Ultra Blue’s latest release and you’ll begin to understand why the band is turning heads wherever they play. Maya’s
powerfully driven melodies, dynamic beats, and the incredible creativity behind it have the authority to grasp listeners’ attention from the moment they press “play.” Ultra Blue is a St. Louis–based organ-rock quintet. Maya is a remarkable follow-up to Watercolor, their first full-length album, and a release that listeners of almost any genre will be able to enjoy. Single “XO.” which is receiving airplay as far as New York, has earned Ultra Blue well-deserved attention. FM 101.1 The River named Ultra Blue their September 2004 Home Grown champs. Fans have tagged several of the tracks off Maya with very high ratings on local Web sites. They have even been asked to play at the Hard Rock Café in New Orleans on January 8. Ultra Blue is yet another example of how hard work really does pay off. The group has
ULTRA BLUE
come a long way since their days as a metal ensemble. Now pure notes of a keyboard resonate the air, direct vocals have taken authority over metallic screams, and a commanding stage presence has taken shape. With a largerthan-life aura, Ultra Blue’s live performances are a perfect compliment to Maya. Energy and charisma radiate from the stage and lure audience members to tap a foot or bounce a head. Maya is available for purchase at Vintage Vinyl and Slackers locations and live events, and will soon be available from Ultra Blue’s Web site as well (www.ultrabluemusic.com). While you’re there, be sure to check out the site for upcoming shows. (MK) Contributors: Mary Beth Haschall, Mike Kinworthy, Sean Moeller, Kevin Renick
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BACKSTAGE PASS CONCERT REVIEWS
KMFDM
C O
O R
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November 10, Pop’s People usually think of two things when they think of Sauget, Illinois: 24-hour alcohol and strip clubs. A fact people often overlook, however, is that Sauget is an industrial town, founded by Monsanto as a way to evade St. Louis taxes. And it’s only appropriate that in the past two months, a town that houses about as many factories as residents has welcomed such industrial music powerhouses as Ministry, Skinny Puppy, and, most recently, genre flag bearers KMFDM. After wrapping a tour earlier this year supporting their latest album WWIII (the band’s 13th studio album, and first for Sanctuary Records), KMFDM is doing it again, crisscrossing the U.S. and Canada in celebration of the band’s 20th anniversary. Their Pop’s show kicked off in perfect retrospective style, launching out of the gate with their 2002 comeback track “Back in the U.S.S.A.” before settling into “Sex on the Flag,” a grooving number from their 1992 dance floor classic Money. Next came the blazing “Flesh,” a song that epitomizes the full-on metal approach that made them MTV darlings in the mid-’90s. The band may have put their all into “Flesh,” but the song still lacked some of the bite of the album version due to the absence of its original vocalist, Raymond Watts. KMFDM’s lineup has long been a revolving door of talent swirling around frontman and main writer Sascha Konietzko, but since the band’s return from a short-lived hiatus at the turn of the century, they’ve seen massive turnaround. Watts returned for a few studio-only vocal turns on their latest release, but perennial guitarist Tim Skold left to play bass with Marilyn Manson, and longtime programmers En Esch and Gunter Schulz have gone on to form their own group, KMFDM photo by JASON GREEN
Slick Idiot. This leaves Konietzko with what is essentially a new group, with singer Lucia Cifarelli (who joined forces with Konietzko back in 2000) as the only known quantity. What did all these lineup changes mean for the KMFDM sound? Surprisingly little. While the menacing vocals of Esch and Watts were missed, having Cifarelli’s soaring vocals compliment Konietzko’s growl gave the heavier moments an interesting new life, and her slinking stage presence certainly didn’t hurt. Meanwhile, new ax-men Jules Hodgson and Steve White’s lockstep riffing applied a metal sheen to dancier tracks like “Hell to Go.” But overall, the trademark KMFDM sound was established long ago, and a little thing like new members isn’t going to get in Konietzko’s way of conveying it to the masses. The main set closed with “Light” and “A Drug Against War,” the one-two punch that opened 1993’s Angst, the band’s biggest hit. These songs highlighted KMFDM’s two lyrical trademarks: constant self-reference (the band’s name is cheekily used repeatedly in both songs) and heavy-handed politics. With a minimum of stage banter, Konietzko let his lyrics do most of the talking. But upon taking the stage for the encore, he couldn’t help but rub the crowd’s collective face in it, snidely asking “Who the fuck did you vote for?” before launching into the savage anti-Bush title track that opens their latest album. Maybe he had forgotten that he crossed the border into a blue state? A mysteriously truncated two-song encore was then followed up with a second return, wrapping the show up with their 1990 single “Godlike.” Despite numerous changes, it was clear that this latest incarnation of KMFDM was, as they so love to remind us, stronger than never ever before. The opening set by DJ? Acucrack was so
painfully boring it hardly even bears mentioning; just try to imagine drum-’n’-bass techno with Insane Clown Posse rapping over it. The duo’s lackluster techno failed to strike a chord with a crowd who stood stock still waiting for the real stars of the night to arrive. —Jason Green
The Trachtenberg Family Slideshow Players November 1, Mad Art Gallery The weirdest freaking crowd ever assembled for the Trachtenberg Family Slideshow Players’ second appearance at St. Louis’s Mad Art, and I don’t mean freaky, pierced, or many-toed weird. They looked normal enough—a conservative mix of college kids, artists, art-fuckers, and curious indie-rock fans—but somewhere along the line, the crowd started getting ugly. Everything was smiles earlier in the evening for opener Andrew Katz’s solo set. Coming on like Harry Connick Jr’s ADD kid brother trying to channel early annoying-troubadourera Beck, Katz has the former’s voice—all swampy, N’Awlins drawl with exaggerated big band pronunciation—and shares the latter’s eccentric, deep-throated skinny-white-boysings-the-blues schtick. He’s a likable, natural performer, but his songs are slight—reworked girl-you-done-me-wrong blues yawns and a pointless audience sing-along cover of “Blue Moon.” He fared better lyrically with some funny, snapshot lines, like when he described his childhood home as having “carpets so deep, I was always losing a tooth.” The TFSP is actually the Trachtenberg family—dad/keyboardist/guitarist Jason, mom/slide projectionist Tina, and cute-as-a-button tenyear-old daughter/drummer Rachel—who write very silly songs to accompany a grab bag of hilariously enigmatic slides scrounged from continued on page 17
DECEMBER 2004
Three to See This month, “Three to See” focuses on the heavy side of our local music scene and is dedicated to anyone, male or female, who has had a bad month or suffers from severe relationship problems. These three are for you! Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting— This local hardcore band is well worth taking the time to see on a Saturday night. There’s no shortage of well-played, aggressive guitar sounds in this band and the fact that a mosh pit could break out at any time during their set is a bit of an understatement. But in addition to what you might expect, this group has a few tricks up their sleeve and won’t have to fight hard to get people to come to their shows for long. Aside from the strong guitar hooks and great lyrical content, lead vocalist Brandon Hoffman has a unique stage presence that audiences will no doubt be impressed by. He comes across as a man at times full of rage, screaming explicit lyrics into the microphone; at other points in the set, he’s more laid back and distances himself from the audience. Hoffman makes full use of the stage and his
unpredictable antics and style make the show well worth watching. Hopefully, this group will be around for many more great Saturday nights to come. The Frankenhookers—Three local musicians came together to form this band and what they have created is certainly a monster. The band is sure to satisfy fans of punk and metal with a sound that consists of a ferocious guitar roar that will leave a person feeling relieved regardless of how bad a week they have had. There’s no need for any fancy effects or costumes in this band; the three members just hit the stage and play and hook audiences with their raw energy and angst filled vocals that tend to flow into a deathmetal like roar at times. Fans of the group have wondered where they have been as of lately should take note of the fact that they have just recorded a huge batch of songs and will be having a CD release party at the Creepy Crawl in early January. Conquest—Singer/guitarist Derek Brumley formed Conquest back in the mid-’80s and his time and effort have certainly paid off. Conquest remains to be a great local metal
SATURDAY NIGHT’S ALRIGHT FOR FIGHTING
band that is worth seeing time and time again. The music certainly seems to be influenced by 1980s metal bands but Brumley puts plenty of his own unique ideas into the songs and his natural stage presence makes every show they play worth watching. There’s no shortage of catchy hooks and screaming guitar solos, but the band has a way of delivering the songs on stage in a way that makes people feel happy they came out to see them play. In addition to some of the great original songs that make up most of the set, the band isn’t afraid to end with a string of covers which often include songs by Metallica or Black Sabbath. The cover tunes tend to put smiles on the faces of audience members as they are taken on an entertaining nostalgia trip. When the band leaves the stage, they can feel confident that the crowd has had a great time. —John Kujawski
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DECEMBER 2004
Backstage Pass estate sales. Wearing shiny, homemade (and way cool) stage costumes, and as tiny as hobbits, the Trachtenbergs are adorable, and their sweet bickering on stage—Dad responding to Rachel’s not wanting to play a particular song with, “Because we’re playing a show, that’s why,” or Mom quietly telling Dad enough already with the banter, and Dad quietly responding with, “Are you mad?”—resembles that eccentric, cartoonish family living next door. After opening strong with the TFSP theme song and some newer songs—including set highlights “It Must Be Somebody’s Birthday” and a bluesy untitled number inspired by slides “from the house of Jack White, of the White Stripes”—the show started to get weird, in a bad way. While introducing a song inspired by an image entitled “Ketch’n the Future” depicting a sci-fi ketchup bottle town, Jason asked the audience if they were ready to “catch the future,” and added that hopefully a new, better future would be starting the next night (election night, natch). After leading the audience in a mild-mannered, jokey chant of, “One more day! One more day!” six people in the front row, all starched-collar types, immediately stood and walked out. Jason later made a self-deprecating comment about their departure, not realizing it was directly related to his political commentary. Rachel assured him this was the case, however, nodding, “They were all old people.” The crowd’s vibe was considerably less chummy after that awkward moment, and it worsened during a way-prolonged intermission in which Jason invited our beloved local music Rain Man (and I mean that in the best way) Beatle Bob up on stage for a Beatles trivia challenge that segued into more trivia, this time with the audience, so Bob could give away a few 2005 Beatles calendars. Huh? What the fuck happened? Okay, the show’s already derailed at this point—people are wandering to the outdoor smoking lounge or shifting in their seats—when opener-suddenly-turned-Ahole Katz, now sitting front row center, starts heckling Bob: “I got a question! What big radio station do you work for? You said you wanted a CD for your radio show, so I want to know.” Before Bob could respond, a man chastised the meanie heckler, telling him he should take Bob “for his word” (’cause he does have a show, A-hole) and it went painfully back and forth for a few minutes until the band eventually reassembled to close out the show with a few more songs. Looking a little bored, Rachel—watching the clock as the set started to bloat—poi-
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gnantly asked her parents, “When does the pool close?” —Brian McClelland
Hot Snakes November 5, The Granada, Lawrence, Kansas As they did on their last major tour, Hot Snakes chose gigs in Chicago and Lawrence, skipping over St. Louis. So this show took the shape of a mini-pilgrimage. Fans that drove in from Omaha, Des Moines, St. Louis, and other Midwestern cities lined the merch table before the gig to buy stuff and to talk to punk veteran John “Speedo” Reis, whose involvement in bands like Drive Like Jehu, Pitchfork, and Rocket From the Crypt has made him something of an underground icon. Joining him behind the altar were bassist Gar Wood and drummer Mario Rubalcaba. Nowhere to be found was vocalist/ guitarist Rick Froberg, who played with Reis in both Jehu and Pitchfork. After sets from Die Electric and Red Eyed Legends, Hot Snakes appeared from around the black curtain amid a cloud of appreciation. All told, Hot Snakes played 20 songs in all: 7 from Automatic Midnight, 7 from Suicide Invoice, and 6 from their latest, Audit in Progress. While some bands generate energy from jumping around stage, Hot Snakes did it by standing more or less in place. Froberg’s yelps exuded fire, oozing with manic energy. Reis, Wood, and Rubalcaba were no Christmas turkeys either, as their execution of the set was damn near flawless. The show’s high points came from the order in which they chose their set list. The first three songs on Automatic Midnight (“If Credit’s What
DID YOU SEE IT? The November 11 episode of The Tonight Show With Jay Leno featured musical guest Rachel Yamagata. Yamagata’s touring guitarist, the fabulous Chicago singer-songwriter Cameron McGill, was dressed in his Playback STL best. (That’s his grandfather’s sweater, worn only on special occasions, McGill says.) You can check out the clip at our Web site: www.playbackstl.com.
Matters I Take Credit,” “Automatic Midnight,” and “No Hands”), Suicide Invoice (“I Hate the Kids,” “Gar Forgets His Insulin,” and “XOX”), and Audit in Progress (“Braintrust,” “Hi-Lites,” and “Retrofit”) were all played consecutively during various portions of the set. A heightened sense of anticipation resulted in the songs getting the biggest cheers. The night also served as a platform for the fans to yell out non-Hot Snakes material, meaning songs from the bands they used to be in. The band (mainly Froberg) took the suggestions with a chuckle, but didn’t bow to the requests. The set was 100% Hot Snakes. Unlike their visit to Lawrence two years ago, they did not bust out Drive Like Jehu’s “Bullet Train to Vegas.” It didn’t matter, for Hot Snakes ended the evening as they started—arguably the best punk band on the planet. On a side note, I got a major shock that I couldn’t have imagined in a million years. The Lawrence City Commission, without a referendum or ballot issue, passed a no-smoking ordinance that went into effect in July. Bar owners are fighting this ban as we speak, collecting the necessary amount of signatures and hoping to get the issue on the March 2005 ballot. Personally, as a non-smoker, it was a strange yet pleasant change. However, as a fan, I worry about the potential financial impact that this ban will have on the clubs. As far as St. Louis goes, imagine the impact if one day there was NO SMOKING at Rocket Bar, Hi-Pointe, Off Broadway, Way Out Club, etc. Sure, I could wear my jeans more than just one day, but bands, smokers, and club owners would run wild in the streets. —David Lichius
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HAPPY HOUR Every Day from 2-7pm Open till 3 am every night 12/13
SCHEDULE
12/1 Time & Distance, Normandy 12/3 Ballistica, Reigning Heir, Big Star Kadillac, Scene of Irony, John Parr 12/6: U.S. Maple, The Conformists, The Arch, TBA 12/7 Tub Ring 12/10 Hawthorne Heights, Codeseven, The Break 12/11 Vampire Mooose, Project Motivation 12/15: Fear Before The March of Flames 12/13 One Eyed Jack Night (bands TBA) 12/15 Fear Before the March of Flames, Fire When Ready, Hell in the Cannon, This Incredible Machine 12/17 The Tripdaddys, 7 Shot Screamers, Sex Robots Sat Dec 18 (early show) This Scarlett Sky, NeoxGeo, Best of Winter, Standing Still 12/26 2nd Annual Stlpunk.com Benefit Show (bands TBA)
412 N. TUCKER - ST. LOUIS, MO 63101 314-851-0919 - www.creepycrawl.com
ECHO THEATRE PRESENTS DAVID SEDARIS’S THE SANTALAND DIARIES at The Soulard Theatre, December 9-19
COME OUT AND PLAY
THEATER
COMPILED BY TYSON BLANQUART
THEATER NEWS
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.
SHOWS OPENING The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis will present a musical by Rupert Holmes entitled The Mystery of Edwin Drood from December 1–31 at the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts, located at 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves. The show is directed by Victoria Bussert, with choreography by Janet Watson. In a boisterous English music hall, a free-wheeling company of actors sets out to perform a musical mystery based on a Charles Dickens novel. There’s just one problem: The author died before revealing who did in young Edwin Drood, so it’s up to the audience to vote for a villain. Whodunit? The show can’t go on until you decide! Showtimes will be Tues.–Fri. at 8 p.m., with selected Wed. matinees at 1:30 p.m., selected Sat. evenings at 5 p.m., selected Sat. nights at 9 p.m., Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.; and Sunday evenings at 7 p.m., with an added performance on Mon., Dec. 20 at 8 p.m. There are no performances Dec. 24–25. Tickets range in price from $12–58, and can be purchased at the box office (314-968-4925) or online at www.repstl.org. The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis will also be offering Heidi, adapted by Brian Hohlfeld from the book by Johanna Spyri, with music by Joe Dreyer. Showtimes will be on Mon., Dec. 18 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.; Mon., Dec. 20 at 11 a.m.; and Thurs., Dec. 23 at 11 a.m. This show will also be at the Loretto-Hilton Center. Tickets are $4 for children, $6 for adults. Tickets can be purchased at the box office (314-968-4925), or online at www.repstl.org. Echo Theatre Company will present David Sedaris’s The Santaland Diaries starring Terry Meddows, Dec. 9–19 at the Soulard Theatre, located at 1921 South 9th St. in Soulard, with performances at 8 p.m. on Thur., 8 and 10:30 p.m. Fri. & Sat., and 3 p.m. Sun. Join Echo for a refreshingly tart look at the sugar-sweet holiday. Based on Sedaris’s real-life experiences working as an elf at Macy’s department store, Meddows will play the elf who expounds on the pains of elf training, the horrors of obnoxious customers, and the varying techniques of different Santas. Tickets are $15 general admission, $12 students and seniors. Tickets are available through MetroTix at www.metrotix.com or by phone at 314-534-1111.
The NonProphet Theatre Company continues its late-night sketch comedy show, The Militant Propaganda Bingo Machine, every Thursday night (except Dec. 9) at the Hi-Pointe Café, located at 1001 McCausland. The company races through 24 original sketches in an order determined by the audience, while playing a twisted version of bingo. The show starts at 9 p.m. in the upstairs performance space at the Hi-Pointe, and is 21+; admission $5–8. The NonProphets will also be performing a special New Year’s Eve show at the Midtown Review in Belleville, IL, starting at 10 p.m. Check www.nonprophets.com for more info. The New Jewish Theatre will present the St. Louis premiere of Hearts, by Willy Holtzman, from Dec. 2–19 in the Sarah & Abraham Studio Theatre in the Jewish Community Center. The show is directed by Milt Zoth. Playwright and former St. Louisan Willy Holtzman has written a moving play about his father’s experiences during the liberation of Buchenwald that still haunt him today. Showtimes are Wed., Thur., & Sat. at 8 p.m., and Sun. at 2 and 7:30 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee on the final Sunday. For ticket information and reservations, call 314-442-3283, or visit www.jccstl.com/theater.aspx?pgID=893. Muddy Waters Theatre Company will present its first show of their 2004–2005 season, Keely and Du by Jane Martin from Dec. 3–12 at the Theatre at St. John’s, located at 5000 Washington Place in the Central West End. Showtimes will be Thurs.–Sat. at 8 p.m. with evening shows on Sundays at 7 p.m. Tickets are $16 for adults, $13 for students and seniors. Reservations can be made by calling 314-540-7831 or e-mailing muddywaterstheatre@hotmail.com. Tin Ceiling will present its final show of 2004, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, by Tom Stoppard, from Dec. 3–13 at The Space, located at the corners of Cherokee and Compton in South City. Showtimes are Dec. 3, 4, 10, 11, & 13 at 8 p.m., and 5 & 12 at 7 p.m. The show is directed by Andrew Byrd; tickets are $8 at the door. Washington Avenue Players Project (WAPP) will present a special evening of timeless music from Broadway and Hollywood classics at the Sheldon Concert Hall on Dec. 8 & 9. Baby, It’s Cold Outside will play in the ballroom of the Sheldon, located at 3648 Washington, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at all MetroTix outlets. A portion of the proceeds will go to benefit Washington University’s Parkinson’s Disease Research. Performers include Todd Schaefer, Colin DeVaughan, Vernon continued on page 27
DramaRama Theatre Company will be holding a Cabaret Cocktail Party to benefit the company on Sat., Jan. 22. The evening will include a silent auction, hors d’oeurves, and live entertainment, and will be hosted by the Soulard Theatre at 1921 South 9th St. in Soulard. For more information, visit www.DramaRamaTheatre.com or call 314-605-7788. Spotlight Theatre will host a fundraiser for the company entitled Something in My Stocking on Wed., Dec. 15 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at JaBoni’s Bistro, 4301 Manchester. The evening will consist of a silent auction, cabaret, and the musical song stylings of Tim Schall. Seating is limited and admission is $20 per person. Reservations are required; call 314-918-9424. HotCity Theatre will be holding another fundraiser for the company at Roberto’s Trattoria, located at 9416 Gravois Road, on Tues., Jan. 18. Information on this event is forthcoming, but visit HotCity’s Web site for updated information at www.hotcitytheatre.org. New Line Theatre has announced the cast of their upcoming production The Robber Bridegroom: Mike Heeter, Leah Schumacher, Tom Conway, Ember Hyde, Ken Haller, Mike Deak, Jeff Pruett, Kimi Short, Chrissy Brooks, Jaimie McKittrick, Rich Ives, and Greg Hunsaker. Performances will be March 3–26 at the ArtLoft Theatre, 1529 Washington Avenue. The National Society of Arts and Letters, St. Louis Chapter will hold the first stage of a national competition in “Acting for Comedy” on Mar. 6. The competition is sponsored by the National Society of Arts and Letters, a not-for-profit organization, whose mission is to assist emerging artists in furthering their career goals. The first-place winner of the St. Louis chapter competitions receives $2,000 and advances to the national competition, where the prize is $10,000. Other cash awards will be made at both the chapter and national levels. Competitors must be aged 18–29, and either live, attend school, or work within 100 miles of St. Louis. Contestants must present two audition monologues/ soliloquies in English with contrasting characteristics, one from a period piece (classical through 18th century) and one modern or contemporary. Total performance time may not exceed six minutes. To be eligible, the artist must be a U.S. citizen and may be under professional contract but not under agent management. Submit an application postmarked no later than January 29, 2005. For applications or additional information, call 314-6524158 or email songs4elizabeth@msn.com.
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YOU ARE HERE ART ST. LOUIS XX
CHAKAIA BOOKER
WINNING ABSTRACTIONS ART ST. LOUIS XX: THE EXHIBITION by Rudy Zapf
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Any juried exhibit shows more than just art: it introduces the audience to the preferences and visual aesthetics of the juror. “Art St. Louis XX: The Exhibition” is no exception. If viewed as a whole, Chakaia Booker’s selections reflect a language that is heavily accented with symbolism and ethnicity, from Robert Michelmann’s caged computer to Ron Johnson’s ceramic goddesses. You can imagine that as she is reviewing the myriad submissions her eye is caught and arrested by an artwork that says something. “Art for art’s sake” just doesn’t cut it with her. Booker, a New York–based artist, is a colorful character, quite literally, with a fantasy-sized turban of knitted and printed materials draped and twisted around her head, while her female form is muffled under layers of quilts and coats, arm-tied jackets vaguely near where a waist should be. The recipient of numerous awards, including one from the Pollack-Krasner Foundation and a participant in the Whitney Biennial 2000, she has earned a reputation as a conceptual artist who is committed to social commentary. Her sculptures are composed of post-use industrial products—most notably discarded rubber tires of all types and treads. She entertains the idea of technologies and industries, eventually becoming archeological finds open for interpretation. During an interview, she alludes to the possibility that the patterns of tire treads that we use today may have been symbols of communication in some time past…which agrees with the clannish flavor of
the Art St. Louis show. The reception was in full swing on opening night, and everyone was represented. The Symbolic & Metaphoric, the Illustrative & Narratives, all were in attendance, but the genre-party with the most bang were the Abstractionists. They held the floor without shouting or hitting viewers between the eyes with irrefutable dogma. Perhaps it was their willingness to allow multiple interpretations that made them so universally appealing. They gave us the benefit of the doubt, assuming sufficient intellect to get something from their work. It’s gracious, in a way, this inference of mental agility. The Abstractionists let us hang out for a while, take our time, as if we were the ones communicating and they were listening. Ruth Kolker aptly titled her mixed-media paintings “Lyrical III’ and “Lyrical,” for these works had an unmistakable rhythm. Both works were similar in size, color, and composition—yellow above a forest of red, blue, and greens, with embossed textures of fencing or wires. The intensity of color and layers created a landscape that changes, much as outdoor landscapes do, with the seasons. On the other end of abstraction, Marilyn Davis’ photograph “Cylinder Head Detail” seemed almost devoid of color when first approached. The initial association was that you were looking at a double-faced animal, or twin astronauts in space. It was the subtlety of colors—white, silver, black, and rust—that gave gravity to the depths of what in real life was probably mere inches. The recesses became eyes or tunnels into which you could fall. This photo was a highlight of the exhibit. On the wall were four pendulous globs of wood, simultaneously jutting and hanging from two-foot-long barn-door hinges. The wood showed its age in cracks and scars, yet it still was kicking with life, bulging around the flat triangles of metal as if it might swallow them altogether. And the
WILLIAM LOBDELL’S JACOB, ETHAN, ME & THE CHICKEN, 2004
color of the wood, as warm as gold/bronzed hair, shifted tone like a genie, depending on the angle of light. One of the biparted pieces hung at an angle to the wall, like crossed legs caught halfway between an erection and dancing. Nicholas Long’s “Metastasis” was by far the most seductive work in the exhibit. Among all the collages and conceptual, symbolic works, there was one piece that stood apart from anything else. “View of U. City,” a watercolor by Rodney Stovall, was a slice of life that could have been taken from yesterday or 40 years ago. The street scene showed a lamppost, a bit of sidewalk, a few houses—it looked for all the world like a slightly blurred color photo taken with an old manual focus camera. Considering the small size of the format and the clarity of the details, Stovall shows himself to be technically advanced. The spark of genius was in the glow of natural light at a particular time of day, which brought viewers into his world. Art St. Louis XX: The Exhibition continues through January 7, 2005. Art St. Louis is located at 917 Locust Street, Suite 300. For hours and information, visit www.artstlouis.org.
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PLAYBACK ST. LOUIS
ON THE COVER SCISSOR SISTERS
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It started with a random bit from an online music retailer describing the Scissor Sisters’ “Comfortably Numb” as “a Bee Gees–style cover of the Pink Floyd classic.” After purchasing the entire available back catalog and taking a trip to Chicago’s Double Door to encounter their vibrant and colorful live show, gradually I became a fan of a band who undoubtedly admires its fans in return. Edgy and unadulterated as their work is processed, meeting the Scissor Sisters was as relaxed as talking to your friends or those coworkers that you don’t have to hide from in the workplace. Eventually, I had the great fortune of interviewing multiinstrumentalist and one of the collaborative masterminds of Scissor Sisters, affectionately and curiously known as Babydaddy. “Everyone sort of had to delve into personal inspiration for their stage personas,” he said, explaining the band’s stage names. “Babydaddy, for me, was a nickname that friends called me before I was in the band. That name came from me sort of acting and looking older than I was in my early 20s. Jake is a pet name that his mom used to call him. Ana Matronic was a stage name at times when she was performing in San Francisco as one of her characters. We all just sort of made these characters for ourselves.” T h e assembly of “sisters” is as PHOTO CREDIT: ??
diverse and playful as their sound. Ask Franz Ferdinand. The Sisters toilet-papered their dressing room at a recent festival.
New York City is many-a-gathering of individuals from all around the world, which makes it a breeding ground for talent from a range of innumerable backgrounds. The original lineup of the Sisters started as Babydaddy (the master of the sound…and the hairy chest), Jake Shears (a former fiction writing major with a knack for fashion and falsettos), and Ana (a sharply charismatic, tattooed shit-kicker who is rarely speechless). Eventually, the band branched out to include the gifted guitarist Del Marquis and the skillfully hyperactive Paddy Boom on drums. Through matching interests, Jake and Babydaddy created catchy songs to provoke the playfulness of popular music since it seems to have departed from radio years ago. “Money is the obvious reason for the corruption of radio,” said Babydaddy. “It’s a mess. I was talking to someone today about the state of our career in America and what it could mean for us. We’ve been added on some hot Adult Contemporary stations here in America; it’s funny for such an edgy, out-there act like us to get away with it. By ’90s
standards, we would be ‘an alternative act,’ but according to alternative radio [now], we wouldn’t. I’d rather be praised by hot AC radio stations that actually care about what we’re doing than shitty alternative stations that play angry white people screaming or really negative hip-hop and rap. There’s a place for that stuff, but there seems to be no diversity in what’s going on. There’s no joyful music or positive music or, sadly, not a lot of smart music, which is frustrating.” In a land where most musical acts feel forced to hire their own personal economist instead of letting the record label and management do the numbers, Scissor Sisters are fed up with the lack of quality of what is shoved in our ears. The splendor of this sundry group is that they’re doing more than interrogating the worthiness of music today by creating cunning compositions of their own, coupled with batting for other talented left-of-center musicians in the industry.
There are a diminutive few whose gifts to rock ’n’ roll have been vital enough to their fans to treat the performers and songwriters as religious demigods. The Scissors knew what they were up against when they not only covered P i n k
DECEMBER 2004
Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb,” but had the gumption to make it a disco track, with BeeGees–style falsetto vocals. “We recorded it first and the permission came later on, from Roger Waters and David Gilmour. We got a lot of e-mails; some went so far as death threats, claiming that we’ve destroyed the Sistine Chapel or poured acid on the Mona Lisa, which I just laugh about, because it’s absurd. We wrote some calm e-mails in return and a lot of those people turned around. We basically would say, ‘Give it a chance,’ and ‘It’s not a joke. We are fans of Pink Floyd, too, and we write songs of our own as well, so try it out.’ Some actually wrote back with apologies after listening to our music; it was really funny. Now, we just say, ‘Pink Floyd gave us their blessing, so fuck off.’”
Scissor Sisters’ music is a mixture of many sounds and inspirations that seem to morph into a cheeky crew of strapping reverberations. It’s disco, it’s funk-laced rock, and it’s thoughtprovoking melodrama. This spinning-spectrum party is complete with the jealous love triangle and the resulting confrontation, hallucinations, seizures, curtains on fire, making out, and the morning after. The beauty of the band’s success in the U.K. was the gradual elevation to number one on the record chart, whereas most debut at their peak and descend from there. “I’m always weary of bands that arrive at the top out of nowhere, and we definitely didn’t want to do that. It was always the plan to have it build on its own and to not shove it down people’s throats—although I’m sure it’s getting saturated now in the U.K. We were never interested to force anything on anyone that doesn’t want it. As we’ve seen the reactions, we act accordingly and keep pushing it by a lot of tour-
As far as I’m concerned, we did make the album we wanted to make ourselves, and I’m really proud of it. I could die happy—but I could have died happy after we finished it. ing. We knew it was going to take a big presence.” The band is hoping for a carbon copy of that success domestically. That might not happen overnight, but that’s all right with the band. “There have always been little steps with us; that’s what excites me about the way it works. Going number one was an amazing step, but before that, we were top ten, which is something we never knew would happen. “It’s been good, but there is a lot more work to do. I’d love a top five single one of these days. I’d love to do well in America and I’d love for Europe to pick up a little bit. There’s always more that you can do. As far as I’m concerned, we did make the album we wanted to make ourselves, and I’m really proud of it. I could die happy— but I could have died happy after we finished it.”
Most debut artists stick to a schedule of touring in their home country and branch out on their second or third release. The Scissors have had the good fortune of touring the world on their first release. Live, each member is a natural entertainer without the necessity of huge video screens or computer-generated light shows. The one thing that remains constant is stage placement (or “blocking,” for those of us who were in high school marching band). “Someone asked us to switch it around for a TV appearance and we [refused]. It’s just something that happened organically. Everyone staked their claim as their spot on the stage and we’re very comfortable that way. You’re always going to see me, Jake, and Ana in the middle because we are the first members of the band, but everyone is important and has their own personality. It must be a comfort level thing. You get used to which way to turn and know who you’re looking at. We’re jumping around the stage a lot, but we usually end up where we start.” When you’re part of an emerging band with a noteworthy stage act, word gets around. It can even reach the heights with the historymakers. Both the newly reunited Duran Duran and Sir Elton John sought out the services of the Scissors to open their shows. “It was really amazing; we were a little freaked out. Ana was a huge fan of Duran Duran. We all were, but they were her first great obsession in life. It really was a dream come true. The crowds were amazing and they really took to us. In some ways, it felt we were coming forward at a new generation with a similar spirit in the same way they had done. “It was the same with Elton John. I think he sees something in us that he sees looking back at what he was doing in his early days, being fantastic and glamorous. He wrote heartfelt music that had a fun side. All these things that he created in pop music, I think he sees us carrying on that tradition. It was one of my greatest moments for me to be able to meet him and open for his shows. We heard that he hasn’t had an opening act in nine years because he doesn’t need them. He liked us enough to ask us, and it was amazing.” Quite a coup for an act with only one album. Moments like that will be among the stepping stones for future snipping.
continued on page 27
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PLAYBACK ST. LOUIS
NOW PLAYING CINEMA
NOTRE MUSIQUE (OUR MUSIC) (Wellspring, Unrated)
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Those who think of Jean-Luc Godard solely as the New Wave iconoclast who played intellectual games with B-movie stereotypes and made films with the immediacy of a protest marcher’s banner will be surprised by the beauty and profundity of Notre Musique, the latest and most accessible Godard film in 20 years. The film opens with a masterful 10-minute montage in which real war and atrocity footage is intercut with images from fictional films. This is “Hell,” the first of the film’s three Dantean segments, and it’s a bleak picture of a world that feeds on conflict, whether ethnic, religious, or pure fantasy. The world is ruled by “men armed for extermination” and the leap from cowboy versus Indian to Muslim versus Jew is, in Godard’s view, a small one. “Purgatory,” the second and longest segment, brings Godard to Sarajevo, a place that has already been through the inferno and is still in recovery. “I wanted to see a place where reconciliation is possible,” one character explains. As a guest at a literary conference, Godard and other real-life intellectuals—a Spanish novelist, a Palestinian poet—discuss the troubles of the world and observe the rebuilding of the region. A young Israeli woman, Judith, interviews the guests, while another, Olga, struggles with the question of whether life is worth living. The signs of struggle are everywhere, from the current events in the Middle East to the wrongs of the past, represented by the appearance of Native Americans who hope to redress the sins of Columbus. Godard himself delivers a lecture on film language, observing that the dual nature of every conflict in the world is reflected in the very basis of movie editing, the shot and counter-shot. The third episode, “Paradise,” provides a coda that is both ironic and dreamlike: a pastoral setting guarded by the U.S. Marines. Notre Musique depicts a chaotic and violent world in which the wars of the past still resonate, indistinguishable from the wars of the present. Despite this, it’s not a cynical film. As
long as people still have ideas and the words to express them, there is hope. Godard’s appearance is itself a significant sign of the film’s optimism. Godard, who turns 75 this month, frequently appears in his own films, but usually as a fool, a comic foil to the political and social climate. Here, he is sedate and calm, participating in the debate rather than ridiculing it. Like most of Godard’s work, Notre Musique is so rich in exquisite images and so dense with ideas that it can’t be absorbed in a single viewing. He likes to keep the thoughts and allusions coming fast and assumes that the audience will keep up. Though he can often be obscure, almost stubbornly so, he can also produce startlingly original meanings from the simplest material. Demanding, somber, yet surprisingly lyrical, Notre Musique shows the cinema’s oldest living enfant terrible in surprisingly mature form. —Robert Hunt Go to www.playbackstl.com/Events to WIN TICKETS to Notre Musique, playing this month at the Webster Film Series. TARNATION (Wellspring, Unrated) Using Super-8 home movies, answering machine recordings, photo booth snapshots, and low-budget short films, Jonathan Caouette’s film Tarnation is a macabre personal reflection on mental illness, homosexuality, and family ties. Since the age of 11, Jonathan has recorded his life through the lens of a Super-8 camera given to him by his grandparents. He used this camera to document his own instabilities and sexuality along with his relationship with his mother (Renee Leblanc), a woman in a constant battle with mental illness. As Jonathan tells us in short, fragmented intertitles, Renee has received shock treatment over 100 times over the course of many years for a condition that never existed. When Jonathan was four, Renee took him to Chicago, where she was raped in front of
him; since that time, the boy was raised by his grandparents. At a young age, Jonathan found himself an icon for the subculture and angst-ridden youth of his generation. One clip of Jonathan at the age of 11 shows him in drag, recounting his husband’s bouts with crack and spousal abuse in front of their two-year-old child. Later, at the age of 13, he dressed as a petite Goth girl to gain entrance to a gay club where he soon learned more about his sexuality, punk music, and underground film. Which brings us to the main problem of the film: It has no idea what, exactly, it is trying to be. Quoting an absurdly low and unrealistic dollar figure as its budget and using Apple’s free software iMovie, Tarnation (which means the act of damning or condition of being damned) walks the line between personal exploitation film and ’60s/’70s experimental film. Sticking mainly with the drama of his life and almost never focusing on the happiness, the film does a marvelous job of making us feel the pain and sorrow that exists in having to deal with a sick mother. His greatest achievement as a director comes in showing mental illness and homosexuality in brutal ways. When Renee rants for three minutes about a pumpkin, it hits hard and deep. He is also able to show that his sexual preference is not a choice, but a way of life. A quote from him at the age of 13 states that he never chose to be gay or was molested, he just was gay. Sadly though, the film lacks a great deal of originality, mainly due to its constant visual homage to the simple and monotonous class films of George Kuchar, the ’60s and ’70s experimental films of Kenneth Anger and Jack Smith, as well as the underground Super-8 films of Beth and Scott B. Still, there is a subtle honesty and a sorrow that Caouette is able to achieve that our young generation is trying to suppress. Cannes, Sundance, and Toronto were able to see it; let’s hope the American public will notice, as well. —Robert M. Edgecomb
DECEMBER 2004
ROSS MCELWEE RETROSPECTIVE Filmmaker retrospectives are always interesting. Watching several works by one artist in succession lends perspective. Patterns and themes emerge that might have been hidden. Watching the evolution of the artist becomes as interesting as the works themselves. This process is enhanced further when the artist himself is available during the event. The Webster Film Series, in conjunction with the St. Louis Art Museum, has provided such an opportunity by brining Ross McElwee to town. McElwee pioneered the first-person documentary style in ROSS McELWEE his 1986 film Sherman’s March. Most recently popularized by Michael Moore, the first-person style finds the filmmaker becoming an integral part of the story. Unlike Moore, McElwee does not appear on camera often, but is present by a continuous running voiceover commentary. Sherman’s March is not McElwee’s first film, but it is the film in which he first fully embraced his style. Ostensibly, the film traces General
Sherman’s steps as he destroyed much of the South to end the Civil War, but McElwee is easily distracted and ends up only half-heartedly exploring Sherman. He spends his time talking to a series of unappealing women and trying to placate his family and friends by finding a mate. To call the film meandering would imply it was actually going somewhere at all. Sherman’s March is a long series of poorly shot encounters tediously analyzed by McElwee himself. In addition to not having a story, or a point, technical problems abound. The film is constantly out of focus or misframed, McElwee sometimes forgets to record sound, and his camera experiences registration problems. All of this could be overlooked or attributed to stylistic choices if the film were at all interesting. The best thing about a retrospective is watching the evolution of a filmmaker. In McElwee’s follow-up to Sherman’s March, Time Indefinite, he is back in his hometown filming the day-to-day tedium of life in the South, but this time he has found a story. The
film focuses on his marriage, the death of his father, and the birth of his son, creating a narrative thread that ties the film together and gives his subjects something to talk about. McElwee still wanders constantly—he could use a good editor—but his camera work is better and the overriding theme holds interest better. The final film of the retrospective, Bright Leaves, is McElwee’s latest (it will continue a run at Landmark Theatres after its film series premiere). In Bright Leaves, McElwee has found his best story/theme yet. McElwee discovers his great-grandfather started the Bull Durham tobacco brand, but it was stolen from him by James B. Duke. The Duke family, namesake of Duke University, went on to amass enormous wealth, while McElwee’s family ironically became physicians. The story is perfect for McElwee’s style; Bright Leaves examines all of the implications of the tobacco industry in an extremely personal journey. The retrospective provides snapshots of an artist at various stages of his life. The real interest here is to see the filmmaker grow and develop. —Bobby Kirk
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T. LOUIS
PROFILE
PETER CARLOS
PETER CARLOS: TO LOS ANGELES AND BACK
“TEACHING GROUNDS ME” By Bobby Kirk eter Carlos has spent his life in the media, balancing paying work with artistic pursuits, and along the way has found time to impart some of his wisdom and experience to a few lucky students at local universities. Currently the director of programming for Lindenwood University’s cable access channel LU26, Carlos continues to teach writing, production, and film analysis classes to students in the Master’s of Fine Arts program. However, Carlos is more than an ivory tower teacher; he brings years of actual working experience to his classes. Carlos caught the movie bug at 12. “Most kids want to read Playboy; I would read my mother’s movie magazines.” This early interest led him to look for film schools after high school, but the fates conspired to send him to the University of Missouri – St. Louis, a school without a film production program. Undaunted, Carlos took all of the film theory classes he could and secured a job at Warner Amex Cable after college. During the days of linear editing and three-fourths-inch tape, Carlos worked as an assistant director for Bernie Carnoe, famous for his Slyman Brothers commercials. Toiling on such highbrow fare as “Wrestling at the Arena” Carlos proved himself, eventually writing and producing commercials locally. A desire to work on bigger projects took him to Los Angeles. “I had a friend who worked on Lethal Weapon; he said, ‘Hey they’re looking for a production manager.’” “They” turned out to be a group shooting a feature with a young actor named Jim Carrey. “It’s not a lot of money, a month’s work,” said Carlos, but “it wasn’t bad.” The film High Strung went on the festival circuit and was a stepping-stone for not only Carlos and Carrey, but writer Steve Oedekerk and actors Fred
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Willa work art department and production on television and movies, but after a year he returned to St. Louis and his pregnant wife. “I didn’t want to raise kids out there,” Carlos remembers, “I decided to come back here and do all that soccer stuff...I like hanging out with my kids.” Carlos built a life in St. Louis freelance producing and writing. He shot commercials, television specials, and corporate videos, balancing his home life with his work. In 1997, he met producer Joe Beck and cinematographer Chris Benson. “I wanted to make movies,” Carlos continues. He had a story and a star in Elvis impersonator Steve Davis. Davis and Carlos had been friends for years, and Carlos saw the potential for comedy and drama in Davis’s relationship with his children. His unusual vocation put additional strains on the normal family relations. That premise turned into Carlos’s award winning short “Dad’s Day.” At 40 minutes, “Dad’s Day” is not the most festival-friendly film, but it has found an audience, winning awards at both the Valencia and New Jersey Film Festivals, and a showing on local television. His success with “Dad’s Day” led Carlos to continue shooting projects. Embracing digital video, Carlos is currently finishing two more shorts and also contributed to The Gathering, a feature consisting of three separate stories all taking place at one funeral. Working with local directors Jay Kelly and Wyatt Weed, Carlos’s piece opens the film and sets the tone. In Carlos’s portion, a professor returns home for the funeral to find himself mired in the same dysfunction that originally drove him away. Carlos’s shorts “Sonny Boy” and “Atta Boy” also deal with family dynamics. It is evident
y p to Carlos; not only does the theme dominate his work, but his conversations constantly return to his wife and kids. Whether gently bragging on his son claiming a role in an upcoming production of A Christmas Carol, or glowing when he recalls the opportunities he has had to use his sons in his work, Carlos is never at a loss when talking about his home life. It is that home life that lured Carlos back from the bright lights of Los Angeles. It is that home life that has pushed Carlos to give up the grind on production work to concentrate on teaching. And it is that home life that informs Carlos’s decisions for the future. “I’ll make films here,” he’s decided. “I want more control over what I do. I also like the people I work with here...I just want to make features and sleep in my own bed at night.” Taking a break from the rigors of production life, Carlos has used the opportunity to pass on his knowledge to a younger generation. Teaching has not only allowed Carlos to spend time with his family and work on his own projects, but it is fulfilling in itself. “Teaching grounds me,” Carlos observes. “If you’re always in the film mode, it’s kind of tough. It’s long hours, it’s hard work. Sometimes you need to break away. Teaching does that for me. I can study films; I can talk to students; I can listen to their ideas.” Carlos tells his students, “If you don’t have a story, you don’t have much. It’s always got to be about story. A good story is always going to keep people interested.” Carlos is a storyteller. He sees himself continuing in the tradition of traveling minstrels, entertaining as he moves through life. Luckily for Carlos, he has had an interesting enough life to keep his stories entertaining.
OUR FILMY SUBSTANCE BY ADAM HACKBARTH This is the time of the year when most columnists love to publish their top ten lists, reflect of the year’s events, and make predictions for the exciting year to come. Good for them. In November, Black Hole Productions began filming B-unit footage for their upcoming $3.5 million Sci-Fi Channel feature, Black Hole. Thanks to healthy foreign presales at the American Film Market, the movie has reportedly kicked into high gear. What does this mean? More than JUDD NELSON likely, it means we will soon be seeing Judd Nelson or Kristy Swanson shopping at our local Aldi. Yes, I said Judd Nelson. Do I stutter? On the heels of a sold-out double bill at SLIFF, “Pushin’ Ink” director Paul Alpert reports that he is currently at work on “Prison Ink,” a sequel which further examines unseen footage of the imprisoned, and their love affair with tattoos. The other half of that double bill was Built for Speed: The Coral Court Motel, directed by Bill Boll. Boll tells me that he, too, is continuing forward. Beyond a few music videos he has already shot, he now has his sights set on a rather unusual narrative. Well, he didn’t call it unusual; I just felt like throwing that word in there. Why? Maybe I just didn’t feel like using the word “jive.” The don’t-miss event of the month is the world premiere of Hooch and Daddy-O at the Tivoli December 9. Conceived, written, and shot by members of St. Louis Shakespeare and its offshoot, Magic Smoking Monkey Theatre, this bizarre romp should entertain. Pete Parisi needs to get his place on the St. Louis Walk of Fame. He may have not been born here, but it is undeniable that he is the main reason why most St. Louis public access viewers started watching in the first place. Parisi was the Chuck Berry of St. Louis public access television. Ever attend a B-Rollers meeting? On January 6, Ben Scholle (editing instructor at Lindenwood University) will be showing a rough cut of his film “Haircut”—a documentary about a man detoxing from heroin. Yes,
something the whole SIENNA MILLER family can enjoy. At any rate, the meetings usually start at 7 p.m. and are held at that lovely haven we call DHTV. Visit www.DHTV.org for directions and information. The Cinemaspoke entry deadline is February 4. The winning screenplay will be submitted to a Los Angeles literary agency. For details, visit www.cinemastlouis.org. Local film tip #283: When not abused, pages 77, 78, and 79 of the SLIFF program guide can come in very handy. Reportedly, Bob Dylan is threatening to kick some legal ass if George Hickenlooper and company continue forward on Factory Girl. The film is set to star Sienna Miller (Alfie) as heiress Edie Sedgwick, a member of Andy Warhol’s New York studio The Factory in the late ’60s, and the star of several of Warhol’s films. The story apparently describes how Dylan attempted to rescue Sedgwick from The Factory just before she died of a drug overdose in 1971. First directing Mick Jagger and now legal arm-wrestling with Bob Dylan; what could possibly be next for Hickenlooper? Perhaps he could corner Yoko Ono in Soho and force her to listen to her son Sean’s music. PETE PARISI
Adam Hackbarth is a St. Louis–based screenwriter. If he were a giraffe, that would be fucked up. After all, giraffes don’t talk, type, or know anything about Erin Gray or her magnificent blue Buck Rogers outfit. You can write to Adam at stlfilmwire@yahoo.com.
On the Cover
from page 23
In their effort to spread the love, the Scissor Sisters are branching out in the land of production for other artists. “I Believe in You” is a track they’ve written and produced for Kylie Minogue as part of her latest collection of singles. Although the album and singles will not be released in America, there is a soaring chance that this could become a lucrative option for them, judging by Minogue’s track record in Europe. Babydaddy shared his desired collaborations for the future. “Brian Eno was one that we’ve thought would be an interesting collaboration. We’ve always wanted to do something with Dolly Parton, too. Jake has been a huge fan all his life so that would be one to check off the list, for sure. She is one of the greatest songwriters of all time, so prolific and successful. Dolly, if you’re out there, call us”. If this sort of win-win collaboration should prosper for the Scissors, I shall whimsically expect a mention in the “thank you’s.” I should be so lucky. Scissors Sisters perform a special late-night performance December 17 at The Pageant.
Come Out and Play
from page 19
Goodman, Nick Kelly, April Lindsay, Mo Monohan, Jeffrey Pruett, Angela Shultz, and Victoria Thomas. The Fox Theatre Associates continues its offering of Late Nite Catechism at the Grandel Theatre, just north of the Fabulous Fox, through Jan. 8. Join Mary Beth Burns as her character Sister explains all you ever wanted to know about Catholicism, and then some. Catechism has been lauded by critics all over the country as one of the funniest one-woman shows of all time. The audience interacts with Sister in her classroom-like setting throughout the show, often with hilarious results. Showtimes are Tues.–Fri. at 7:30 p.m.; Sat. at 1, 5, & 9 p.m.; and Sun. at 3 p.m. Tickets range in price from $10 to $42, and can be purchased at all area MetroTix outlets. HotCity Theatre ends its run of the critically acclaimed The Exonerated through Dec. 4 at the ArtLoft Theatre, 1529 Washington Ave., with performances Fri.–Sun. at 8 p.m. HotCity will also be offering its revival of I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change! at the ArtLoft, with shows through Dec. 12. Showtimes are Wed. & Thur. at 8 p.m., and Sat. & Sun. at 2 p.m. There will be a special show at 2 p.m. & 8 p.m. on Fri., Dec. 10. Visit www.hotcitytheatre.org for ticket information.
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PLAYBACK ST. LOUIS Play by Play
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upfront vocal, ghostly looped percussion track and brightly recorded acoustic guitar, this song is a real spine-tingler. “See a face rearranged/ How the years made it change/Youth is a prank/ In the blink of an eye/At the drop of a dime/We run out of time,” sings Salim (or is it Faris?) with more emotional conviction than most of today’s chart-busting posers. And try to think of even one other artist who can sing the word “Down” repeatedly, followed by seemingly mundane lyrics like “Life has a way of getting you down,” over the most basic piano chords, and make it sound this fresh and emotive. They even write an original Christmas song (“Christmastime”) which, though just two minutes long, illustrates the Nourallahs’ ability to tackle any theme and shape it to their own aesthetic. And this is only disc one! Yes, there’s a bonus disc included with another 13 fresh tunes, including the rockers “Someone to Love” and the Byrds-like “In Another Time,” the haunting acoustic melancholia of “In My Dreams,” “Where Has She Flown?” and “Come Back” (very pretty songs, all) and the straightforward celebrity ode “Elizabeth Taylor,” which deserves to be heard by more listeners than it probably will. That can be said of the entirety of Nourallah Brothers, in fact. It’s two discs of sweet, melodic, uncluttered songcraft that goes down easy— ’cause these guys are at ease with their muse. —Kevin Renick PSAPP: TIGER, MY FRIEND (The Leaf Label) Tiger, My Friend wanders through the speakers, an album in love with the way it hears the world. It begins with sampled sounds of what seems to be a park with children playing, defining the terms upon which we listen to it. Psapp have created an album in which no limits are placed upon the music, meeting each sound equally with wonder. The eccentricity present throughout, with instrumentation ranging from traditional piano and guitar to broken toy keyboards and a cat’s squeals, is all brought together by Carim Clasmann’s sophisticated production and Galia Durant’s breathtaking voice. The duo somehow manages to take all of these elements and mold them into that elusive realm: the great pop album. With song titles such as “About Fun,” King Kong,” and the title track, it is difficult not
from page 10
to expect a faux naivety, with the overdone posturing of adults attempting to assume a child’s point of view, but balancing the childlike wonder present throughout the album are the guarded lyrics of loss, such as “hope seems so misleading” from standout “Calm Down.” It is a warm, enveloping song, emotive without losing its uniqueness. “Curuncula” is perhaps the strongest track, perfectly fusing each disparate impulse, clicking along and reminiscent of a more hummable cousin of DNTEL’s “Last Songs.” “The Counter” enters with an impressionistic jazz progression mixed with the ambient noise of people speaking that blurs the distinction between the world of the CD and our own—hardly a new idea, but it proves its relevance here as Durant’s voice wafts over the song sounding like a more fragile Ella Fitzgerald. The music is not for children, but for adults remembering childhood. In closer “Tiger, My Friend” she repeatedly intones “You’re always the same” with a perfect balance between the knowledge. Like a lullaby with sadness at its center, you cannot help but be drawn in by this playful and intriguing release. —James Mcanally TRAVIS: SINGLES (Epic) Travis’s release, Singles, is a record made up of all of the band’s singles to date and one new track, “Walking in the Sun.” The Scottish quartet shows off their pop-songwriting chops by incorporating slyly addictive melodies over brilliantly familiar pop song structures. Singles such as “Tied to the 90’s” and “Sing,” while not instantly catchy, eventually sink their teeth in by the third listen. The familiar chord progressions take us back to the end of the ’90s where we revisit Oasis and the neo-Brit-pop invasion, when Travis hit the scene. This is painfully obvious just a few tracks into the collection. Opening for Oasis on a U.S. West coast tour in 1997 must have been a dream come true for Travis, who emulate much of what Oasis and the Beatles accomplished previously. But who doesn’t love the Beatles? “Writing to Reach You” is the strongest example of that sonic admiration. It is questionable whether vocalist Douglas Payne is openly acknowledging homage or self-consciously protesting comparisons to the powerhouse of mod-
ern Brit-Pop in singing “The radio is playing all the usual, and what’s a ‘Wonderwall’ anyway?” As someone to whom Travis’s music was once unfamiliar, “Why Does it Always Rain on Me?” shines as Singles’ standout track. Singles puts some of Travis’s influences on display, but the band is not without its own` list of followers. “Tied to the 90’s”, for instance, could be a B-side from Phantom Planet’s The Guest, if Alex Greenwald took on vocal duties, even though both Greenwald and Payne sound so similar on the track anyway. As a whole, the record does not sound like a true “singles” showcase. Slowly and methodically, Singles massages lyrics and melodies into your brain until you find yourself singing songs you previously didn’t know you liked. Perhaps Singles isn’t full of instant pop sing-alongs or Top 40 radio anthems, but if you keep the record spinning, it will get you…it’s only a matter of time. —Jesse Macht TWO COW GARAGE: THE WALL AGAINST OUR BACK (Shelterhouse) Everyone has their favorite bands for certain moods and/or activities: the bands they listen to when they’re partying, the I-just-got-dumped soundtrack mope-fest band, hell, even the band you do laundry by. I’d like to declare Two Cow Garage the official drinking-whiskey-ina-Dodge-while-speeding-down-the-highwayaway-from-your-hometown band. I know that sounds complicated, but one listen to singer/ guitarist Micah Schnabel’s road-burnished, preternaturally grizzled voice howling about wasted days and missed opportunities with the conviction of a Southern Baptist minister on a roll about porn, and you’ll be totally convinced the only way to truly enjoy this band is vicing it up and being on the move. Two Cow Garage hail from Columbus, Ohio. Among many locals (and visitors, for that matter), Columbus is known as “Cowtown.” This is because, according to Schnabel, “If you drive five minutes out of the city, any which direction, you’re gonna be in cornfields and cows and the whole deal.” That palpable sense of wanting to be anywhere else than here radiates from every song on this album. Known as a band that lives its life on the
DECEMBER 2004
road, Two Cow manages to somehow record the grime, sweat, and attitude of too many nights playing their hearts out in dark, smoky dives, another hundred miles down the interstate for one or a hundred more nights. For their debut album, the band toured for 20 straight months, doing over 350 shows and clocking 332,000 miles on 2 vans in two years. One can’t help but wonder how they haven’t killed one another yet. Drummer Dustin Harigle and bassist Shane Sweeney do a perfect job of underpinning the raucous soul that seems to pour out of Schnabel like every note might contain salvation; Sweeney’s bass is deep in the pocket, just-right murky and a fantastic counterpoint to the fits of bombast laid down by Harigle, in near-symbiotic counterpoint to Schnabel’s slashing, gritty guitar stabs. The Wall Against Our Back is definitely the soundtrack for something deep and important. Repeated listenings reveal more depth, more just-right lyrics for the moment and a little bit of dirt you have to go wash off with the really badass soap, like Lava. While thematically the band ranges from settings as diverse as Alphabet City in New York to wondering just how an ex from hell can sleep at night to a hillbilly watching time go by in Appalachia, the bone-deep conviction and delivery of the material ties it all together seamlessly. Indie-alt country-punk with a slapdash of The Small Faces when Rod Stewart still mattered and didn’t resemble a saddle that was aged in a rhino’s ass; satisfying and genre-crossing enough to appeal to a wider demographic than the average. Two Cow is noisy enough, but not at the expense of musicianship, and lo-fi enough without sacrificing listen-ability. Gas up the Dodge, point it down 44 West, slip in The Wall Against Our Back, grab a fifth of Ten-High at a rest stop a good 30 miles down the road, and don’t stop driving until the hurt goes away. You’ll see what I mean. —Chris Clark TOM WAITS: REAL GONE (Anti) First time you listen to Tom Waits, arm yourself with the virtue of patience. Otherwise you may feel compelled to bolt, like when listening to the gallimaufry of a babbling old-timer. Make no mistake though—Waits is
a lyrical juggernaut, a musical bellwether. His work is timeless, loitering in the hearts of fans for over 4 decades with more than 20 albums. His latest, Real Gone, stands apart from his other creations like a peculiar child, resonating with “Cubist Funk,” a sound more novel than the man himself. Described by critics as “one of the most important figures of the modern pop era,” Waits earned the respect of the music industry by reinventing his work, never latching on to one particular sound. Instead, he ventured wherever the spirit led him, dabbling in multiple genres from folk, blues, and jazz to cabarets, polkas, and waltzes, creating masterful harmonies that are both unique and classic. His innate talent was more recently recognized in 1999, when he won a Grammy Award for Mule Variations. Apparently, Waits knows what he’s doing. A heavy guttural stew of sounds, Real Gone is the unconventional follow-up to the acclaimed Alice and Blood Money, which were released on Anti simultaneously in 2002. Combining gritty blues with Latin/Jamaican zest, Waits stirs the pot on Real Gone by eliminating a couple key ingredients, making it his most experimental album to date: Throaty, makeshift, ping-pang-pow percussion of human beat-boxing, which Waits recorded in his bathroom using a simple tape recorder, replaces drums on most songs, and for the first time, the piano, a staple in Waits’ cornucopia of melodies, is absent. The end result is both primal and electric, with catchy, rock-steady rhythms, phlegmy, vulpine growling, and bluesy guitar licks—all lubricant for the story-telling machine that is Waits’ vivid lyrical imagery. “Don’t Go Into That Barn” is one such example. The rhythmic hoo-hah chant of a chain-gang pulsates in the background as he summons a bleak image with mere words: “An old black tree/Scratching up the sky/With boney, claw like fingers/A rusty black rake/ Digging up the turnips/Of a muddy cold grey sky/Shiny tooth talons/Coiled for grabbing a stranger/Happening by.” Is he preparing for war or just drunk and singing about it? Either way, the cantankerous “Hoist That Rag” leads with Latin guitar riffs that ensconce Waits’ strained vocals. Then, as if to incite a riot, he explodes in a jarring, overamplified refrain, which sounds like a fraternity of inebriated seamen from the 18th century. For fun, gather your drinking buddies and attempt this song after 10 rounds of Guinness. Subtle and suspense-filled, “How’s It Gonna
End” diverges from the harsh croaking of a chain-smoking drunkard and croons dimly about life and love gone awry, accompanied by the staccato plucking of a banjo, bass, and guitar. A melancholy Waits unwinds in “Green Grass,” a ballad about a has-been love with softer, lachrymose lyrics that serenade, while the gentle strums of bass and guitar carry you through: “Lay your head where/My heart used to be/Hold the earth above me/Lay down in the green grass/Remember when you loved me.” “Make It Rain” is R&B on the rocks; gruff, authentic blues with a sad story as counterpart: “Without her love/Without your kiss/Hell can’t burn me/More than this/I’m burning up all this pain/Open up the heavens/Make it rain.” Most disturbing, because it hits so close to home, is “Day After Tomorrow,” the dramatic monologue of a soldier’s lament over his uncertain life caused by war: “I’m not fighting for justice/I am not fighting for freedom/ I am fighting for my life and/Another day in the world here.” The question of whether this soldier comes home alive “the day after tomorrow” is left unanswered. Despite the popular reference to his persona, Waits is not a gravedigger (although the resemblance is striking). He doesn’t bury the dead—he unearths them, so as to relay their tales through sound and verse like a mad ventriloquist. This is one 72-minute sideshow you don’t want to miss. —Sid Andruska
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PLAYBACK ST. LOUIS
LOCAL SCENERY
EDITED BY J. CHURCH
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I know we are all shaking in anticipation for the official kickoff of the holiday season, so without further adieu…Santa will arrive by streetcar, 10 a.m. sharp, at the Museum of Transportation on Dec. 4. Bring a camera and get a snapshot of the jolly ol’ fella as he waves from the caboose. Mississippi Nights will host “A Very Ludo Christmas” on Saturday, December 4 featuring none other than…Ludo (The Dog and Everything and Holden also perform). Tickets for the all ages show are $6/21 and over and $8/under 21. Lemmon’s Basement Bar and Xtreme Music Group, Inc. have teamed up to sponsor a major label showcase January 27–30. Registered acts will perform two songs and speak with major label representatives. Call 866-964-6874 or visit www.xtrememg.com for more information. 12 oz. Prophets (www.12ozProphets.com) have rotated members. The band—Vijoy Rao (drums/vocals), Nick Thompson (bass/vocals), and Bill Immer (rhythm guitar)—has added Eric Powell on lead guitar and Joe Orcino on lead vocals. A new recording will be released in 2005. Plum Tucker (www.plumtucker.com) made their debut last month on The River Homegrown show hosted by Ken Williams on FM 101.1 The River. The sextet intends to release a studio album in 2005 and is also piecing together recordings from Cicero’s and The Pageant in anticipation for the release of their live album. PT guitarist/vocalist Vijoy Rao will be playing a reunion show on December 11 at the Studio Café with former Rhythm Circus collaborator Luke Gebhard. Acoustic sets by PT and Team Tomato will also be in the mix. Some Chick Band—a band comprised of four middle-aged moms—is a “must see.” www.somechickband.com Bitch Slap Barbie is on the lookout for a couple of, well, bitches. More specifically, they need a bass player and a drummer. Interested parties should visit www.bitchslapbarbie.com and send an electronic bitch slap. The remaining members of Supercrush, SOME CHICK BAND Ronnie Day and Ryan Hoelting, are formulating a new lineup. Although the name will change and new songs will be added to the set list, the group will continue to perform Supercrush favorites. Doze Mary Pool added the new tune “Jenny” to their Web site (www.dozemarypool.com). Bibowats are finalizing new material to be played for the masses. See www.bibowats.com for more information and performance dates. Die Symphony’s albums are now available for download at MSN.com. The band’s single “Palindrome” played last month on MTV’s Real World/Road Rules: Battle of the Sexes 2. Bottle of Justus has announced the release date of their forthcoming album suddenly O.K. The band will perform at Chicago’s House of Blues on Saturday, January 8. Modern Day Zero’s Coming Up for Air is available at Best Buy and Amazon.com. www.moderndayzero.com Hopefully you didn’t miss Lapush (www.lapush.net) last month when they played with Sondre Lerche at The Duck Room. But on December 8 you can catch them play an intimate set at Washington University’s Follett Bookstore at 12 p.m. The band‘s track “Aurora” received an
Honorable Mention in the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest’s Rock category. The band is also Danq’s Band of the Month (www.gotdanq.com). My 2 Planets has reunited for recording purposes. The band will submit two tracks for the independent St. Louis film Hooch & DaddyO. The mockumentary will screen on Thursday, December 9 at 7:30 p.m. at the Tivoli Theatre, and the first 100 people through the door receive a free Hooch & Daddy-O CD soundtrack. For more info, check out www.hoochanddaddyo.com. The Urge’s Steve Ewing is heading back to Missouri for a few select performances: Dec. 2 in Columbia at the Music Café, Dec. 3 in Warrensburg at The Setlist, Dec. 4 in Cape Girardeau at Breakaways, and Dec. 5 in St. Louis at the Hi-Pointe Café. Gaslight Square: An Oral History will be released Sun., Dec. 12 at Riddle’s Penultimate from 2 to 5 p.m. Featuring over 50 interviews with participants in the Square’s life (and death), the book was authored by Thomas Crone, a local freelance writer (and Playback STL contributor) and adjunct professor at Webster University. Among those interviewed in the book are Billy Peek, Bob Reuter, and Joe Edwards. Published by St. Louis’s The GASLIGHT SQUARE, early 1960s William and Joseph Press, the book will also be available in area shops. Interested in seeing your name in print? Please send news items to events@playbackstl.com.
PLAYBACK ST. LOUIS PRESENTS
theriverhomegrownchamps:november RUSTED SHINE “Dig�
Founded in 1994, Rusted Shine features Matt Leavitt, Blake Nelson, Adam Stewart, John Shanahan, and Matt Vietmeier. They are currently working on a new album. Visit them at www.rustedshine.com.
theriverhomegrownontheroad LOST PARADE ON AIR: 11/28 DEAN EVANS BAND LIL’ NIKKI’S: 12/2 STONE CAT
CORE PROJECT MODERN RED TBA
ON AIR: 12/5 LIL’ NIKKI’S: 12/9
See the full schedule at www.riverhomegrown.com
Fair Trade & organically grown coffee air-roasted on site Live acoustic music Saturday nights
Catch the River Homegrown Show every Sunday night at 9 p.m. and see the bands live every Thursday night at Lil’ Nikki’s starting at 8 p.m.
Free wireless internet Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Patio seating Iced coffee, frozen frappes and fruit smoothies
www.theriverhomegrown.com www.playbackstl.com/homegrown www.wvrv.com
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3974 Hartford Avenue • St. Louis, MO 63116 (314)771-JAVA www.hartfordcoffeecompany.com
PLAYBACK ST. LOUIS
TAKE FIVE ROCKETBAR
Rocketbar’s Last Call By Brian McClelland
32
How long has Rocketbar been open? How did it get started? JM: We opened Rocketbar in the summer 1998. Jimmy and I were both working at the original Hot Locust/Side Door and at the cocktail lounge next door, Pablo’s. We developed a relationship with Paul Weiss, owner of the original Hot Locust and Pablo’s. When he decided to close Pablo’s, we came to him with a plan to open a bar in that space: Rocketbar. He liked the idea, so he took us on as partners and supported us as we opened the bar that summer. Jimmy developed the concept for the bar—the decor and the layout—and he was always the person booking the shows and setting up events. I was the business manager. What are some of your favorite Rocketbar moments? JV: The most memorable moments for me are definitely the shows. Seeing At the DriveIn and Jimmy Eat World back in ’99 playing to half-empty rooms, prior to them being shown to the masses. Just being able to book bands like The Rapture, The Shins, Minus the Bear, Interpol, Rye Coalition, and TV on the Radio and watching people freak out about them.
Elliot Goes
That was a great thing about the Rocketbar; folks would largely come down not even knowing if there were bands playing, and generally they would take a chance on us and be completely floored by a band they had never heard before. JM: I always loved the Scaryoke parties at Halloween. Most memorable Rocketbar show? JV: My memory ain’t as good as she used to be. The one show in the last few years that comes to mind would have to be Captured by Robots last fall [2003], when he was doing his “Ten Commandments” tour. The show was sold out almost immediately after doors opened on a Tuesday night. The crowd was completely diverse, it is just so rare to see so many different types of music fans all enjoying the same band...er, dude with a robot band. What’s next for you and the rest of the Rocketbar family? JM: We have had the same staff essentially for six and a half years. We were all close friends before Rocketbar opened and that provided a very unique, trusting work environment. Some of us are finishing degrees; some are moving on to other business ventures. JV: The most important aspect of the bar for me is booking the shows. After the bar closes, I plan on focusing on booking bigger shows around town. I already have a handful of shows set up at the Hi-Pointe in January, and when the big spring touring season kicks in, I expect to be quite busy. There are some great
venues in this town and I look forward to working with the Hi-Pointe, Creepy Crawl, Way Out Club, Off Broadway, and hopefully some of the larger venues, as well. I will be starting my own independent booking company, so keep checking www.rocketbar.net for the details. Any big plans for Rocketbar’s final few nights? JV: We have shows planned every night for the last week, leading up the final night on New Year’s Eve. The lineups are not solidified yet, but the bands playing are folks who were playing in bands and were supportive in the beginning when we had the smaller stage and a sound system built on a shoestring budget. The bands that are involved are Ring, Cicada, Shame Club, Robb Steele, Gassoff, Iron Doves, Camp Climax for Girls, Railers of Kiev, Riddle of Steel, and a few secret special guests.
by Bosco (with illustration help from Jessica Gluckman)
www.mentalsewage.com
Rocketbar, beloved late-night refuge for rockers and industry types (and the people who want to make out with them), delivers its final “last call” at the end of December. The bar’s co-managers, Jen Medeiros and Jimmy Vavak, gave Playback STL the skinny on bidding adieu to what’s become a local music institution.
DECEMBER 2004
Rhythm & Brews Coffeehouse
STLBlues.net: It’s About the Music STLBlues.net is one of those “think globally, act locally” kind of ideas that actually works. And Dave Beardsley, publisher, is one of those guys who takes a hobby and turns it into a grassroots, community-based, music-focused project that is an immediate success. Not to go overboard on the back-patting, but truth is, there are no other sources on- or off-line that have the collection of reviews, musician support, interviews, schedules, venue listings, or festival information that STLBlues does. The journey of STLBlues started in 1993 when Beardsley, a career fire department paramedic, was asked to help at the St. Louis Blues Heritage Festival. He pulled together some of his “blues lovin’ friends in the medical field” and soon had plenty of volunteer doctors, nurses and paramedics to help out. (Most of the regular medical volunteers were busy cleaning up the floods of 1993.) “I met lots of the local bands along the way, and also the organizers of the Festival at that time: the St. Louis Blues Society. As I delved more deeply into the Blues, my appreciation for this musical art form kept growing. Gradually, my involvement in the Blues led to five years as a writer for the Bluesletter, the magazine of the St. Louis Blues Society, and as a Board member
for the 1997 St. Louis Blues Heritage Festival,” said Beardsley. When Beardsley launched the site in 2000, there was no plan to speak of. The site was a hobby. As he started collecting the information he also listened to what the fans, artists, record labels, and venues suggested. The ability to hear what people want has become the attribute that has unexpectedly created a successful site. “When we started STLBlues, I was told that a regional Blues site was a recipe for failure, that we needed a national focus. We’ve proven that St. Louis has its own story to tell, and that millions want to know about it,” said Beardsley. There must be some truth to it because they started with seven pages and are now well over 600. Not to mention the site is quickly closing in on four million hits a year. “There’s a very powerful online blues community. With the Internet as t h e ‘great equalizer,’ more artists are realizing the old press kit have given way to the electronic press kit, which is nothing more than having all your promotion a click away from record labels,
A Picasso
It turns out that all of the works are genuine, and Picasso grudgingly comes to an agreement with the official: He’ll provide false explanations of why two of the works are forgeries so that he can save them, and let her have the third. This will satisfy the demented cravings of her superiors to produce a genuine Picasso. Landers does a fine job telling the passionate tales of how the deaths of Picasso’s sister and of a good friend yield a pair of intense paintings. Soon, we also learn that the official is not simply a one-dimensional villain. She is an embittered art critic exacting the ultimate revenge upon the masters she trashed in her former career. And yet, she says, she is capable of recognizing greatness, and she’s managed to save some art and even some lives right under the noses of the Nazi thugs. So there’s the meat. But not so fast. Picasso acts pretty cavalier in the face of mortal danger. He takes perverse pleasure in the back and forth of bargaining for the life of his works, and really, for his own life. He lights cigarettes, leans languidly on crates, jokes casually about
Written by Jeffrey Hatcher Repertory Theatre of St. Louis In Jeffrey Hatcher’s A Picasso, the father of cubism tells a joke about painting a portrait of freethinking poet Gertrude Stein. Supposedly, Stein took one look at the picture and said, “I don’t look like that.” Picasso told her, “You will.” There are plenty of bon mots to go around in this brief, 75-minute drama, performed by a cast of two actors in the Rep’s basement Studio Theatre. A Picasso is short enough, really, that it’s just a theatrical tidbit. The action opens on Picasso (Matt Landers), waiting in a sewer tunnel somewhere underneath Paris for a mysterious rendezvous with a Nazi official (Felicity La Fortune). Soon we learn of the great artist’s quandary: He must cooperate with the official and authenticate at least one of three works allegedly by Picasso. The authenticated work will then be placed on display in one of Hitler’s infamous “Degenerate Art” exhibits, and burned shortly thereafter. If Picasso refuses to cooperate, she will simply burn them all.
FROM THE CORNER
BY JEREMY SEGEL-MOSS festival and club promoters. I believe [STLBlues] gets the St. Louis Blues scene the long-overdue exposure it deserves,” said Beardsley. STLblues is continually changing. Adding to its interviews with all types of local blues musicians, venue listingss, CD and show reviews, and a history of St. Louis and its music, STLBlues has also partnered with Vintage Vinyl to make local blues CDs available to the world. Along those lines, Beardsley also has the musicians in mind. In a time where bands are paying to having their online presence felt, Beardsley puts every band up for free. “I feature local bands for free, because most artists do it out love, not for money. I think if I charged to promote, it would prohibit the entire goal, which is to promote the artists. The best pay off for me is when a band comes up and says that someone heard about them on STLBlues. That’s the real payoff,” said Beardsley.
THE PLAY’S THE THING
A PICASSO
Stein and rival Georges Braque. It’s almost as if his strangely jocular attitude is supposed to provide comic relief for an audience that might be hesitant to endure a drama of intensity. It doesn’t jibe. A Picasso has some funny moments, but it’s not Springtime for Hitler. The character’s insouciance punched a hole right through my willing suspension of disbelief and, frankly, I don’t know whether to blame the writer, the actor, or the director, but somebody should have known better. The play’s climax ends the proceedings on a feel-good note, which again trumps the heavy intellectual issues raised earlier. What’s missing? Catharsis. A Picasso ratchets up the tension, and then turns gripping drama into a silly comedy. The play was cute, but its teasing flirtation with serious questions and failure to fully engage the audience left me high and dry. —Byron Kerman
33
PLAYBACK ST. LOUIS
CURMUDGEON BY ROB LEVY
34
It is the best of times and it is the worst of times; that much is obvious. But thankfully the election is over and done with so now we can all focus our anger, despair, grief, and energy in one clear direction instead of worrying about focusing it on two directions. Besides, was there really a place for John Kerry mega-supporter Moby on the political stage? No. Can you hear it? That sucking sound that comes from Xmas in the music world? Yes, it’s that time again, kids—a time for peace, joy, and happiness…I mean reissues, hyped new releases, greatest hits compilations, and naff holiday music compilations that are foisted on an unsuspecting public who think they really need it. All I have to say is this: Be a real steward of the land and just say no! I mean, really, why does your holiday season need a rehashed Depeche Mode remix album or a Britney Spears greatest hits compilation, or even a book of Billy Corgan poems? Give me a break! Jesus is the reason for the season, and in case you haven’t noticed, he wants you to buy some crappy records. Case in point: the extreme overkill afforded to new albums from U2 and Gwen Stefani. Midge Ure has organized Band Aid 3 in support of African war and famine relief. He took over after Sir Bob Geldof declined to head the project. Chris Martin, Jamelia, Dido, Robbie Williams, The Thills, The Darkness, Travis, Dizzee Rascal, and some guy named Bono have been recruited for vocal duties on “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” Three Imaginary Boys, the debut album by The Cure, is being rereleased with new liner notes from Robert Smith, remastered sound, and six new tracks. The band is planning on reissuing all of their records over the next year or so with new bonus material. The Verve is readying a greatest hits album, SLEATER-KINNEY
This Is Music: The Singles 1989–92 for a winter release. The compilation will feature two previously unreleased tracks. The same can be said for The Screaming Trees, who are also releasing their own greatest hits compilation, Ocean of Confusion, with two new tracks. It’s not Xmas without Kurt Cobain. Last year, his personal notebooks were printed and sold over the holidays to bring mirth and joy to us all. This year, he reaches out from the grave and gives us one of the brighter spots in this year holiday’s offerings: With the Lights Out, the long-awaited new Nirvana box set. Besides offering singles, album tracks, unreleased demos, live recordings, and B-sides, there are detailed liner notes inked by Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore. But wait, there’s more…a Kurt Cobain biopic starring Michael Pitt is in the works and could be ready for next year’s winter film season. Another good thing for holiday capitalism is that The Pogues are set to make wads of cash this holiday season. That’s because all seven of their albums—even the two made without Shane MacGowan—are being reissued with extra tracks and extensive liner notes. The reformed Pogues (with MacGowan and Cait O’ Riordan on board) are mounting a December tour of Britain. If that wasn’t great enough, Gang of Four are reuniting for a series of British dates in early 2005. We Could Live in Hope is the title of the new Low tribute album. In case you were unaware, Low is one of the most unheralded and influential indie bands of the last decade. Kid Dakota, A Northern Chorus, Idaho, His Name Is Alive, and Mark Kozelek are all contributing. Author Karen O’Brien has written a powerful new biography about the life, art, and death of Kirsty MacColl entitled Kirsty MacColl: The One & Only. The book chronicles her career as one of the U.K.’s best songwriters as well as her personal battles with depression and stage fright. O’ Brien also offers insight to MacColl’s life as a mother, songwriter, and performer. They said it wouldn’t happen, but alas, the much-lauded Scissor Sisters/Kylie Minogue single “I Believe in You” has just been released in England. The new single should be included on their second album, which the band has begun working on. The Postal Service has come to an accord with the United States Postal Service. The duo was served a cease-and-desist letter last year after the USPS cited trademark infringement.
ROBERT SMITH of THE CURE
Last month, after nearly a year of tense litigation, a compromise was reached. The band agreed to tab their CDs with information about the USPS. They may even record some TV spots for them, as well. In return, the real Postal Service will sell the band’s CDs on its Web site. The band also gets to keep its name. All of this appears to have been settled surprisingly easily. Compilation whores Stereolab are prepping a new Switched On compilation of B-sides, mixes, and unreleased tracks for release next spring. Nurse With Wound is very busy releasing three albums at once. Each album, entitled Angry Electric Finger, features the band in collaborative endeavors with Cylobe and Jim O’Rourke. Franz Ferdinand will appear in the next Harry Potter film as well as compose music for the soundtrack. In the meantime, the band is set to commence recording their second CD early in 2005. Despite his recent death, look for the third solo album from Ol’ Dirty Bastard to show up in some shape or form. Robert Heaton of New Model Army has died at the age of 44. John Balance of Coil, Current 93, and Psychic TV has died from an accident at home at aged 42. His impact on industrial and experimental music was huge. Christo Haas of D.A.F. has also passed; he was 48. John Peel, the dearly treasured BBC disc jockey, died of a heart attack on October 25. There was no one with Peel’s stature in popular music. His passion for music and dedication to breaking new artists made him a beloved staple in British popular culture for over 40 years. As a tribute to him, the organizers of the Glastonbury Festival have named a performance tent in his honor. In a month of bad news comes some good
DECEMBER 2004
news. Slint have reformed in order to plan and perform at All Tomorrow’s Parties in the U.K. next February. Luna is calling it a day. They plan to disband and the end of their current tour in support of their latest CD, Rendezvous. St. Louis ex-pats The Ray Makers have split up. Sleater-Kinney has signed to Sub Pop Records. The band has held off signing with any semi-large label for ages now. Their next record should be out in mid-2005. January sees the release of Life Begins Again from the Jimmy Chamberlain Complex. The band is—you guessed it—fronted by the former Smashing Pumpkins drummer. His debut solo effort has some added star power, thanks to contributions from poet and erstwhile rock ’n’ rock star Billy Corgan, Bill Medley, and Rob Dickinson (ex–Catherine Wheel). Fifty-six songs from The Coctails have surfaced on Popcorn Box, a new career-spanning three-disc retrospective complete with unreleased material and B-sides, accompanied by a nice chunky book about JOHN PEEL the band. Nine Inch Nails’ new album has been pushed back until March. The album will be preceded by a reissue of The Downward Spiral and followed by a mega-big and mega-scary world tour Robert Schneider of Apples in Stereo has new band called Ulysses. They have just released their first album, 010, on Eeenie Meenie Records. They have a sort of distorted Pavement sound that is as far removed from the pop confections of Apples in Stereo as you could possibly get. Meanwhile, his Apples partner Hillarie Sidney has her own new band called High Water Marks. Electrelane are currently recording their new album in Chicago with Steve Albini. Marc Almond is recovering from a motorcycle accident last month that put him in intensive care and required emergency surgery. Keith Richards will play Capt. Jack Sparrow’s father in the new Pirates of the Caribbean sequel. The scary, unseen monster on Lost is actually a razor-thin Paris Hilton running very fast while searching for booze. I could be wrong; it
could also just be Courtney Love out on bail. Drummer Nick Jago has left Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Graham Coxon will re-team with producer Stephen Street for his next album. David Byrne and Wayne Coyne will appear as guest vocalists on next year’s new record from the Thievery Corporation. Tuscadero and Unrest will both be reforming briefly this February to help celebrate Teenbeat Records’ twentieth anniversary. Live has released Awake, a new best-of compilation. This is ironic, because the band now serves as a musical substitute for the nighttime sneezing, stuffy head, so you can rest medicines—for boring people everywhere. Someone forgot to tell KMFDM that it is really over. Former Marvelous 3 vocalist Butch Walker has made a living of late penning songs for artists like Sevendust, Lit, and Avril Lavigne. But he could be singing his own songs again sooner now that he has signed with Epic Records. Walker recently recorded his second solo effort, Letters. Singer/performance artist Diamanda Galas has released two double albums. La Serpenta Canta is a collection of vocal recitals that blend Galas’ unique anger and spices it with country, blues, and soul influences. Defixiones, Will and Testament: Orders From the Dead, is steeped in tales of Greek, Armenian, and Syrian genocides that occurred at the hands of the Turks from 1914 to 1923. Besides all of this, Galas continues to work on her opera, Nekropolis. If either the Heat Miser or the Snow Miser gets a coalition of the willing behind him, we are all in big trouble. It has taken nearly eight years, but finally, The Wedding Present has returned to save us all. Their new emotionally tinged album, Take Fountain, arrives in shops just in time for Valentine’s Day on February 15. David Gedge’s most recent band, Cinerama, disbanded in 2002 after he split with collaborator/girlfriend Sally Murrell. Lastly, congratulations are due to “Scratchy Bob” Reuter, who recently scored a sweet gig handling all of the photography duties for Son Volt’s new album. In this season of seasons, remember to think of those less fortunate than you. Do what you can to improve the crap music taste of those scary coworkers and siblings in your life. Remember to love the misfit toys and generally be nice to your fellow man. By the way…there is no Santa Claus.
PAGE BY PAGE
BOOKS
Hello, World CYNTHIA OZICK: HEIR TO THE GLIMMERING WORLD (Houghton Mifflin, 320 pgs., $24) Cynthia Ozick’s intelligent, lively, funny new novel is a refugee story—the Mitwisser family of seven has escaped Hitler’s Germany and landed in New York—but with a twist: the character most in flight, most amid a reinvention, isn’t a Mitwisser at all, but an American man of massive inheritance: James A’Bair, known since childhood as the Bear Boy, world-famous subject of his father’s children’s books. Both are attempting rebirth: the Bear Boy, resentful of his storybook shadow, sets off in the world alone; the Mitwissers, having left behind prestigious positions in Berlin, attempt to start life anew from a chaotic three-story house in the Bronx. Connecting these two narrative strands is the narrator Rose, who, herself alone in the world, accepts an undefined job as an “assistant” to Herr Mitwisser, the household’s booming religious-scholar patriarch. Like almost every character in this brimming novel, Herr M. is rendered richly. Here he is in the words of Rose, who is to type up the man’s lectures as he spouts (though the typewriter she’s been given is worthless): I noticed now the color of his eyes— startlingly different from the brown intelligence of the rest of the family. Professor Mitwisser’s eyes were acutely blue, as blue as the intensest blue of Dutch porcelain; they looked dyed: dipped once, dipped twice. I was shocked by their waver of bewilderment—like heat vibrating across a field—and it occurred to me that he scarcely knew what I meant by ribbon, that the machine was as alien to him as the map of any mythical island.
Not only is that marvelous writing, but it holds within it many of the book’s themes: foreignness, determination, urgency, identity need, transformation. Ozick does this successfully throughout. Here is Rose describing her own role in Mitwisser’s study: “I was, I knew, a blank mote in that blank muteness—the white pool out of which he drew, hesitating and straining, the phantom eels of his thought.” And here is Mitwisser confiding in Rose about his despondent wife, a physicist who now spends most of her time up high in the house, huffing: My wife suffers from intellectual tribulation. She is perforce distant from her own affairs, deprived of her laboratory, of her true life. Her mind…I will say instead her spirit: her spirit looks back. You see it is in the language—the language draws her back into the old places, the old life, so it is the language that must be deflected, defeated, evaporated… These last three words fit the fate of the Bear Boy, who, as the novel continues, comes close to the Mitwissers and Rose only to fall further away. The fate of the other characters is better—the mother descends from her atticy post to give the world another go; the father makes personal progress in his scholarly quest; their children step into their new American names, their new American lives, like shoes. In the final chapters, Ozick rewards the already grateful reader with an ending that is at once sad, warm, and right, as well as revealing of the novel’s perfect title. Rebirth, she seems to be saying, is extraordinary. Birth, even more so. —Stephen Schenkenberg
MARC ACITO: HOW I PAID FOR COLLEGE: A NOVEL OF SEX, THEFT, FRIENDSHIP AND MUSICAL THEATER (Broadway Books, 288 pgs, $19.95) If you judged it by its cover, you could be forgiven for having low expectations for How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship and Musical Theater. The artwork for this debut novel by syndicated newspaper columnist Marc Acito is a typographer’s nightmare, all hand-drawn lettering (badly, at that) served up on a field of avocado green. Once you get past that and a somewhat shaky first few pages, though, there’s one other thing about Acito’s book: it’s really damn funny. High school senior Edward Zanni is planning a carefree final year of high school before heading off to Julliard to study acting. When his father, Al, remarries—to Dagmar, a borderline Nazi who takes over almost every aspect of his life—Edward’s plans collapse: Dad won’t pay for Julliard, or acting school anywhere, for that matter. He wants Edward to study business. Edward can’t turn to his mother because she’s on a vision quest of some sort in South America (think Shirley MacLaine, only with less of a grasp on reality). Edward tries to raise money on his own, but can’t hold down a job to save his life. Faced with a grim outlook for his future, it’s up to Edward, with the help of his friends, to figure out another means to come up with the money; along the way they manage to dabble in embezzlement, blackmail, theft, and impersonation of nuns and priests, along with frequently hilarious episodes of sexual discovery. (Somehow, they also manage to squeeze in rehearsals for the high school musical.) Acito never seems to run out of wildly improbable situations for Edward and his friends, but as the improbability gradually mounts, he draws his readers along willingly. So if they start off early in the novel by stealing a Buddha lawn ornament and end up drugging Edward’s stepmother so they can take incriminating photos of her and blackmail her, it doesn’t seem as much of a stretch considering they’ve already embezzled money from her that she’s secretly stolen from Edward’s dad, broken into school to alter student records,
set up a senator’s son for blackmail, and established a fake scholarship at Julliard which only Edward could win (or so they think). Sometimes the characters come off as too worldly for high school circa 1983, but Acito more than makes up for that by faithfully rendering all of the personal and sexual uncertainty that lurks beneath that teenage bravado. One such moment comes when Edward overhears his father singing along to a Frank Sinatra record after Dagmar has stormed out: “He sounds just like me, actually, or I guess I should say I sound just like him. I had no idea. It’s a warm and croony sound, and has a real vibrato. I always assumed that I got my talent from my mother, who is the creative one, so it’s a real shock to realize I inherited my voice from my dad.” At some points Acito’s style trips over itself, like when a character says something particularly humorous or revealing of their own nature and their name becomes punctuation—such as in an otherwise hilarious passage when Kathleen, Edward’s girlfriend’s mother, psychoanalyzes her own wedding picture: “Note the demure closed-mouth smile,” she’ll say like she’s a docent in a museum, “the hands folded discreetly over the lap, the enormous white dress. It’s like I’m Miss Chastity Belt 1961.” Kathleen. It’s a great moment, but that odd and unnecessary stylistic tic falls flat; it’s as if Acito doesn’t trust his own writing and feels the need to point out that he’s just written something insightful. It’s easily forgiven though, as is his tendency to have Edward frame moments for the reader as if they’re scenes from the movie of his life that will be filmed someday. (Although it may be part of the reason Columbia Pictures is already working on a script based on the book.) And the willing suspension of disbelief that he maintains throughout the narrative does stretch too far at the very end, but by that point, the ride has already been worth it. —Jeffrey Ricker MINDY FRIDDLE: THE GARDEN ANGEL (St. Martin’s Press, 290 pgs., $23.95) I was one of those strange kids, so captivated by the literature of the South—Faulkner, McCullers, O’Connor, Welty—that I wanted to live there. I loved the openness of the people,
the quirks and rich histories. The way families seemed to stay put, to exist for generations in a single property. The way they were down-toearth and working class. Add Mindy Friddle to the list of contemporary Southern writers able to bring a town to life with her words. The Garden Angel is her debut novel, but you wouldn’t guess by its confident tone and memorable characters. Central among them is narrator Cutter Johanson. (The garden angel of the title is a stone carving that overlooks the family cemetery behind the house—a place Cutter calls the “dead garden.”) Cutter lives with her sister Ginnie in the house their late grandmother has left them; brother Barry, the other one-third owner, lives four miles away on the marine base. Cutter is the sensitive, grounded sibling; missing her Gran, she is content to live among the memories, wearing Gran’s old clothes and keeping many of the worn and outdated furnishings intact. Ginnie and Barry, however, see the house as an inheritance, nothing more. They have coerced their sister into putting the family property up for sale. Ever the reluctant seller, Cutter does everything in her power—messy surroundings, crazy neighbors, and other catastrophes planned and unplanned—to scare away potential buyers. The obvious solution, of course, is for Cutter to buy out her brother and sister. However, between her two part-time jobs—waitress at the Pancake Palace and obituary-writer for the San Souci Citizen—Cutter doesn’t have the money to do so. Throughout the book, we get to know Cutter as she tries to find a way around the inevitable. The book alternates Cutter’s chapters with those from the third-person point of view of Elizabeth Byers, an agoraphobic stricken with panic attacks. Elizabeth is the wife of Daniel Byers, professor at Palmetto University—and father of Ginnie’s unborn child. Struggling with writing a dissertation on Emily Dickinson, Elizabeth rarely leaves the house; even a simple
trip to the grocery store is an overwhelming ordeal. However, on the morning her story begins, Elizabeth receives a phone call that forces her out into the world to confront what she has, subconsciously, long suspected: “Your husband and this girl are involved. Her name is Virginia Johanson. She goes by Ginnie. She lives over on Gerard, 102 Gerard in San Souci.” At first, Cutter mistakes Elizabeth for a potential buyer and immediately tries to frighten her off. Initially, Elizabeth doesn’t explain her presence, trying to pass herself off as lost. As the two women talk, though, Elizabeth comes clean; following a meandering thread of conversation about Cutter’s family, she abruptly asks what she’d come to find out: “Are they involved, Cutter?” “Involved?” “Your sister. My husband. Please don’t make me say it.” I looked at the pattern on the rug. I had seen that threadbare Oriental rug a million times, had walked on it, slept on it, stood on it; I’d spent a whole summer when I was ten analyzing the design after reading a Nancy Drew book about a secret treasure map woven into a Turkish rug. But now I cocked my head, following a swirl, the way it entwined with the border like roots from a plant. Maybe I should play dumb, like I didn’t know a thing. I could even lie, make her feel better. I didn’t look up. Strangely, there is something in the woman that interests Cutter; she recognizes Elizabeth’s need and offers assistance, telling her to call the diner should she want anything. When Elizabeth does just that, they begin a hesitant but much-needed friendship that, ultimately, saves them both. Friddle’s writing is calm and confident. When writing from Cutter’s point of view, she becomes the strange and lonely girl pining for what used to be rather than planning for or enjoying what is. Elizabeth’s third-person chapters are more detached, of course, but Friddle’s narration is coolly detached, logical yet over the edge. The Garden Angel is a confident debut from a Southern writer to watch. —Laura Hamlett
WHO SAYS THERE’S NO SANTA CLAUS?
DELIRIOUS NOMAD COMPILED BY BYRON KERMAN
December offers many opportunities to meet Santa and bite him. Now open: The mesmerizing Energizer Machine in the St. Louis Science Center lobby is one of world’s largest kinetic sculptures (www.slsc.org) Through Dec. 24: Tricky nature photography of Olivia Lahs-Gonzales on view at St. Louis Ethical Society (314-991-0955) Through Dec. 30: U.S. Bank Wild Lights at the St. Louis Zoo (314-781-0900, www.stlzoo.org) Through Jan. 2: Anheuser-Busch Brewery Xmas Lights display (314-577-2000) Through Jan. 2: Winter Wonderland Xmas light display at Tilles Park (314-889-2863) Dec. 2: Washington University Faculty Book Colloquium at Women’s Bldg. Formal Lounge (314-935-5576) Dec. 2–19: Hearts by Willy Holtzman at the New Jewish Theatre (314-442-3283, www.jccstl.org) Dec. 3: Central West End Gallery Walk (www.cweba.com) Dec. 3: New Music Circle presents “Passion & Defiance: Silent Divas of Italian Cinema,” silent films with live avant-garde music at the St. Louis Art Museum (314-995-4963) Dec. 3–4: New Wagner Gallery Potter’s Assoc. Pottery & Glass Sale at SIUE Art & Design Bldg. (618650-3071) Dec. 3–12: Metro Theatre Co. presents Jose Cruz Gonzalez’s Earth Songs at Mo. History Museum (314-746-4599) Dec. 3–12: West End Players Guild presents Steven Dietz’s Private Eyes at Union Ave. Christian Church (314-367-0025, www.westendplayers.org) Dec. 4: Wintermarket festival with crafts, kids’ activities, cider, baked goods, live music, carriage rides, and blacksmithing demos at Kingsbury at Des Peres Ave. (314-862-5122) Dec. 4: Loop Holiday Walk in U. City Loop (314-727-8000) Dec. 4–6: Arianna String Quartet concerts at Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center at UMSL (314-516-4949) Dec. 4–Jan. 9: Recent work by Paul Shank at Elliot Smith Contemporary Art (314-361-4800, www.elliotsmith.com) Dec. 5: St. Louis Brass Band Holiday Spectacular at Florissant Civic Ctr. (314-995-4955, www.stlbb.org)
Dec. 6–7: Webster University Jazz Singers perform at Moore Auditorium (314-968-7128) Dec. 9: KMOX Shop ’n Save Shootout prep basketball at Savvis Center (www.savviscenter.net) Dec. 10: City Circus Cabaret variety show at City Museum (314-645-4445) Dec. 11: Candlelight Walk at Suson Park (314615-4FUN) Dec. 11: Black metal of Satyricon at Pop’s (618274-6720, www.popsrocks.com) Dec. 12: Huge Xmas Toyman Toy Convention at the Machinists’ Hall (636-332-0807) Dec. 12: Classic 99’s From the Garden Live features live radio broadcast of Bach Society of St. Louis Christmas choral concert at Mo. Botanical Garden (314-725-0099, www.mobot.org) Dec. 13: Cokie Roberts speaks on “Founding Mothers” at Mo. History Museum (314-746-4599) Dec. 15–18: Arturo Sandoval at Jazz at the Bistro (314-534-1111) Dec. 17: Blind Boys of Alabama at the Sheldon (314-533-9900) Dec. 17: 7 Shot Screamers, Trip Daddys, & Sex Robots at Creepy Crawl (www.creepycrawl.com) Dec. 18: St. Louis Classical Guitar Society presents Douglas Niedt at Ethical Society (314-567-5566) Dec. 19–April 24: Baseball as America exhibit from National Baseball Hall of Fame at Mo. History Museum (314-746-4599) Dec. 21–22: Bach Society of St. Louis Christmas Candlelight Concert at Powell Hall (314-534-1700) Dec. 22: Mizzou vs. Illinois basketball at Savvis Center (www.ticketmaster.com) Dec. 26: Truffaut’s The Last Metro screened at Holocaust Museum film series (314-442-3711) Dec. 26: Kwanzaa program with music, storytelling, & kids’ craft at St. Louis Art Museum (www.slam.org) Dec. 27: Raja the elephant’s 12th birthday party at the St. Louis Zoo (314-781-0900, www.stlzoo.org) Dec. 29: Kwanzaa: Festival of the First Fruits with stories, African drumming and music, crafts, and jewelry at Mo. Botanical Garden (314-577-9400, www.mobot.org) Dec. 31: First Night in Grand Center (314-2898121, www.firstnightstl.org) More listings online at www.playbackstl.com/Events
The Webster University Conservatory of Theatre Arts presents a parody of that chestnut of a chiller, The Bad Seed. Ruthless! The Musical is performed for bad little children at Webster Hall, Dec. 1–12 (314-968-7128). Exhibits of freaky, cartoon-inspired art by Yoshitomo Nara and Laylah Ali go up at Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, Dec. 3–Feb. 27 (314-535-4660, www.contempora rystl.org). If getting your photo taken with Santa isn’t enough, try getting your photo taken with Santa and a huge golden eagle. Christmas Is for the Birds also includes crafts, entertainment, and cookies at the World Bird Sanctuary, Dec. 4 (636-861-3225, www.worldbirdsanctuary .org). Two of the most avant-garde musicians 39 in town, computer-musician James Hegarty and experimental drummer Rich O’Donnell, present “Sound Objects,” a concert at the Bastian Theatre at St. Louis Community College – Forest Park, Dec. 4 (314-644-9769). It’s your world, drunk Santa. Just let us drive home safely before you take to the streets. Santarchy 2004 is part performance art, part pub crawl, as dozens of locals in cheap Santa suits debauch the holiday spirit Dec. 6. Visit groups.yahoo.com/group/stlouis_santarchy to get involved. Speaking of Christmas decadence, David Sedaris’s Santaland Diaries is a hilarious, behind-the-scenes account of greed, chicanery and lust at the annual Macy’s sit-on-Santa’slap area for children. Echo Theatre presents a one-man show based on the essay at the Soulard Theatre, Dec. 10–19 (314-995-2123, www.echotheatrecompany.org). Merry Tuba X-mas is the sound of a school of whales bellowing in harmony. Truly, the amazing rumble of 100 tubas performing holiday favorites in the acoustically questionable St. Louis Galleria must be heard to be believed, Dec. 11 (314-863-5500).
MOUND CITY MUSIC FEST w/SON VOLT, JAY FARRAR, THE BOTTLE ROCKETS, RICHARD BUCKNER, & ANDERS PARKER at MISSISSIPPI NIGHTS December 11, 8 p.m. • all ages TICKETS: $30/35 • CALL: 314-421-3853 With Hippocrates held hostage by the governmentally sanctioned numbers racket called the insurance industry, health care concerns, for most folks, loom on the horizon like a thunderhead threatening a deluge. The first annual Mound City Music Fest aims to aid two musicians swamped by such a deluge, as well as Habitat for Humanity, the nonprofit organization dedicated to helping low-income families house themselves. The Bottle Rockets, Richard Buckner, Jay Farrar, Anders Parker, and Son Volt will take the stage at the Mississippi Nights festival, presented by local radio oasis KDHX. Farrar (co-founder of both Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt, as well as an acclaimed 40 soloist) conceived it to benefit Texas singer/songwriter Alejandro Escovedo and Karl Mueller, bassist and vocalist with Minneapolis’s Soul Asylum. Hepatitis C felled the former in the spring of 2003; esophageal cancer, the latter in the spring of this year. Like many musicians, Escovedo lacks health insurance, and Mueller’s covered only part of his treatment (which involved a fist-sized tumor). Moreover, illness has kept both from doing what most pro musicians do to support themselves—tour. Enter Farrar, who keeps walking the walk instead of just talking the talk for progressivism. Earlier, he’d reunited Son Volt to record a track for Por Vida, an Escovedo benefit disc from Or Music. When Son Volt originals Dave and Jim Boquist and Mike Heidorn declined to extend that reunion, Farrar convened a new lineup: drummer Dave Bryson, bassist Andrew Duplantis, pedal steel player Eric Heywood, and guitarist Brad Rice. The Mound City Music Fest will mark their “inaugural performance,” according to Farrar’s Web site, which notes also that they’re recording Son Volt’s fourth full-length. In these mercilessly mercantile times, compassion makes no cash registers ring, but if it could, the festival in question would toll like the Liberty Bell. Beyond showcasing some exceptional musicians, the Mound City Music Fest should affirm that (other indicators to the contrary notwithstanding) altruistic imperatives continue to ennoble this nation. —Bryan A. Hollerbach
BAHA ROCK CLUB
BEALE ON BROADWAY
305 N. Main St. • St. Charles, Mo. 63301 636-949-0466 • www.baharockclub.com Mon: Karaoke Tue: original bands Wed: Big Daddy Rob 12/2: Scottie Springs, Bend the Light 12/5: Five Time Zero 12/6: He Said It All 12/9: Broken Shadow, Knotted Fear, Misanthropic 12/12: Slap Dragon 12/13: Con Cok Shun 12/16: Donkey Punch, Sac Lunch 12/19: Here & Now 12/20: Sonic Tonic 12/23: To Productions, Animus 12/26: No Celebrity 12/27: Ben Wah Bob 12/30: Bend The Light
701 S. Broadway • St. Louis, Mo. 63102 314-621-7880 • www.bealeonbroadway.com Sun: The MoonGlades Mon: Shakey Ground Blues Band Tue: Kim Massie & the Solid Senders Wed: Rich McDonough Blues Band Thu: Kim Massie & the Solid Senders 12/3: Piano Slim & the Family Band 12/4: Ground Floor Band 12/10: Melissa Neels Band 12/11: Shakey Ground w/HooDoo CatJohn Logan 12/17: Rich McDonough Band 12/18: Scott Kay & the Continentals
12/24: Closed 12/19: Midnight Ramblers 12/31: Scott Kay & the Continentals
BLUE NOTE 17 N. 9th St. • Columbia, Mo. 65201 573-874-1944 • www.thebluenote.com 12/3: Leon Russell & Chump Change 12/4: Jay Farrar & Anders Parker 12/9: F-Bombs, The Confident Years, Saving Kid Icarus, More Than Likely 12/10: Speakeasy & Shady Deal 12/11: Pierpoint CD release w/Happy Endings, Sound Trapp 12/12: Dope, Motorgrator, Twisted Method 12/18: Charlie Robison
BLUEBERRY HILL 6504 Delmar Blvd. • University City, Mo. 63130 314-727-0880 • www.blueberryhill.com 12/4: The Melroys & The Rockhouse Ramblers 12/5: BET Comedian Arvin Mitchell 12/8: Chuck Berry 12/11: Thos & The Feed
BRANDT’S 700 S. Broadway • St. Louis, Mo. 63102 314-436-5222 • www.bbsjazzbluessoups.com 12/1: Cryin’ Shame Blues Band 12/2: Leroy Pierson 7p, Anson Funderburgh & the Rockets with Sam Meyers 9:30p 12/3: Leroy Pierson 7p, Little Ed & The Blues Imperials 10 12/4: Arthur Williams & Larry Griffin 7p, Bennie Smith & Urban Blues Express 10p 12/5: The Gamble Brothers Band 9:30p 12/6: Sessions Jazz Big Band 12/7: Pennsylvania Slim Blues Band 12/8: Cryin’ Shame Blues Band 12/9: Leroy Pierson 7p, Roy Gaines & The West Coast Blues Band 10p 12/10: Leroy Pierson 7p, Arthur Williams Blues Masters & Boo Boo Davis 10p 12/11: Margaret Bianchetta & Eric McSpadden 7p, Pennsylvania Slim Blues Band 10p 12/12: DJ Ranx & Dubtronix Reggae Band 12/13: Sessions Jazz Big Band 12/14: Rich McDonough Blues Band 12/15: Cryin’ Shame Blues Band 12/16: Leroy Pierson 7p, Marcel Strong & The Apostles of Soul 10p 12/17: Leroy Pierson 7p, Big George Brock & The House Rockers 10p 12/18: Alvin Jett & Phat Noiz Blues Band 7p, Bennie Smith & Urban Blues Express 10p 12/19: The Yard Squad Reggae Band 12/20: Sessions Jazz Big Band 12/21: The Noelathon 6p 12/22: Willie Johnson Blues Band 12/23: Leroy Pierson 7p, Marcel Strong & The Apostles of Soul 10p 12/24: Leroy Pierson 7p, Soulard Blues Band 10p 12/25: Tom Hall 7p, Arthur Williams Blues Masters 10p 12/26: DJ Ranx & Dubtronix Reggae Band 12/27: Sessions Jazz Big Band 12/28: Rich McDonough Blues Band 12/29: Cryin’ Shame Blues Band 12/30: Leroy Pierson 7p, Marcel Strong & The Apostles of Soul 10p 12/31: Leroy Pierson 7p, Arthur Williams Blues Masters 10p, Bennie Smith & The Urban Blues Express 12a
CAKE
105.7 The Point’s KPNT HO HO SHOW also w/JIMMY EAT WORLD, LOSTPROPHETS, & THE ADORED at THE PAGEANT December 16, 7 p.m. • all ages TICKETS: $37.50 • CALL: 314-726-6161 The Cake never changes, just the number of candles that prod into the smooth icing across the top. The Sacramento band finds new ways to dress its angel food each time out, putting lipstick on an old friend and somehow making her a stranger again—an extremely desirable stranger. Lead singer John McCrea sings about cars and women with regularity that Mike Love would have happily continued had his genius bandmate not started making a whole bunch of better songs in a dog-crap-filled sandbox in his living room. McCrea, he of the mountainously huge single “The Distance” and the dozen others that should have been, sings about feelings and matters of the heart the way Steven Wright delivers a punchline, with eyes drilling through the room’s back walls and a damned-if-I-care tonal disservice. It’s hypnotic, like a gold watch swaying in front of a psychiatrist’s mope on the couch, but special. Even with a catatonic reverence for non-emotion—given its necessary blushing color by trumpeter Vince DiFiore and guitarist Xan McCurdy (following in a long line of greats)—McCrea is a magnetic frontman. With the band’s latest, Pressure Chief, he makes the announcement that the aloof will never change and the aloof will never die. —Sean Moeller
6525 Delmar Blvd. • University City, Mo. 63130 314-727-3663 • www.brandtscafe.com Sat: The John Norment Trio
BROADWAY OYSTER BAR 736 S. Broadway • St. Louis, Mo. 63102 314/621-8811 • www.broadwayoysterbar.com Mon: Soulard Blues Band Tue: Big Bamou Wed: Brian Curran 5-7pm Thu: Bennie Smith & the Urban Blues Express Sat: Brian Curran 6-9p 12/1: Mojo Syndrome 12/2: Tom Hall 5p, Bennie Smith & the Urban Blues Express 8p 12/3: Johnny Fox 5p, Watermelon Slim 9p 12/4: Baker McClaren Band 12/5: Scot Kay & The Continentals 3p, TBA 8p 12/8: Dogtown Allstars 12/9: Tom Wood 5p, Bennie Smith & the Urban Blues Express 8p 12/10: Bootigrabbers Delight 5p, Gumbohead 9p 12/11: Bluesfield 12/12: Tiny Cows 3p, Time Session 8p 12/15: Mark Moore & the Smokers 12/16: Jimmy Thackery & The Drivers 12/17: The Melroys 12/18: Pablo P w/Roots & Reality 12/19: Melissa Neels Band 3p, Bootigrabbers Delight 8p 12/22: The Bottoms Up Blues Gang 12/23: Johnny Goodman 5p, Bennie Smith & the Urban Blues Express 8p 12/25: TBA 12/26: Johnny Fox 3p, Tim Session 8p 12/29: Not Quite Nashville 12/30: Tim Session 5p, Bennie Smith & the Urban Blues Express 8p 12/31: John Lisi & Delta Funk
CABIN INN at the City Museum 16th & Delmar • St. Louis, Mo. 63103 314-231-2489 Mon: Traditional Irish Jam w/Tom Hall Tue: Acoustic Jam w. Dave Landreth & Friends Wed: The Blackeyed Susies
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Thu: The Sawmill Band 12/25: Xmas w/The Bottoms Up Blues Gang
HAMMERSTONE’S
CICERO’S 6691 Delmar Blvd. • University City, Mo. 63130 314- 862-0009 • www.ciceros-stl.com Mon: Madahoochi & Friends Tue: The Schwag Fri: Jake’s Leg Sun: Open Mic 12/2: The Principles & TBA 12/4: Maxtone 4 w/Lost Parade & Somnia 12/5: Afternoon: Klugs Mojo, The Monskasities, & Remedy 12/6: Madahoochi & The Greyhounds 12/7: The Schwag 12/9: Happy Endings, Thos, & TBA 12/11: Speakeasy & Mountain of Venus 12/12: Afternoon: Hated Nixon 12/13: Madahoochi & Alan Vasquez 12/14: The Schwag 12/16: Sevenstar, Bottle of Justus, & Gunderson 12/18: Ghetto Prenup, Red Eyed Driver, Missile Silo Suite, & eero 12/19: Afternoon: We All Miss Gracie 12/20: Madahoochi & Friends 12/21: The Schwag 12/23: The Jremiah Bridge w/Cumberland Gap 12/26: Brooklyn Deadwood 12/27: Madahoochi & Basement Shift 12/28: The Schwag 12/30: Dub Kitchen w/Remedy 12/31: Shady Deal, Jake’s Leg, & Helping Phriendly Band
CREEPY CRAWL 412 N. Tucker • St. Louis, Mo. 63101 314-851-0919 • www.creepycrawl.com 12/1: Time & Distance, Normandy 12/3: Ballistica, Reigning Heir, Big Star Kadillac, Scene of Irony, John Parr 12/7: Tub Ring 12/10: Hawthorne Heights, Codeseven, The Break 12/11: Vampire Mooose, Project Motivation 12/13: One Eyed Jack Night 12/15: Fear Before the March of Flames, Fire When Ready, Hell in the Cannon, This Incredible Machine 12/17: The Tripdaddys, 7 Shot Screamers, Sex Robots 12/18: This Scarlett Sky, NeoxGeo, Best of Winter, Standing Still 12/26: 2nd Annual Stlpunk.com Benefit Show
DELMAR LOUNGE 6235 Delmar Blvd. • St. Louis, Mo. 63130 314-725-6565 • www.delmarrestaurant.com Tue: Industry Night w/DJ Jim Utz Thu: College Night w/DJ Leon Lamont Fri: Chris Hansen’s World Jazz Quartet & DJ Alexis
FOCAL POINT 2720 Sutton • Maplewood, Mo. 63143 314-781-4200 • www.thefocalpoint.org 12/3: Switchback 12/7-8: The Boys of the Lough 12/10: Rockhouse Ramblers 12/11: Catfish Keith 12/17: Rough Shop
FOX THEATRE 527 N. Grand Blvd. • St. Louis, Mo. 63107 636-534-1111 • www.fabulousfox.com 12/10-31: Radio City Christmas Spectacular
PAT GREEN at THE PAGEANT December 9, 8 p.m. • all ages TICKETS: $15 • CALL: 314-726-6161 Hereabouts, Wave on Wave, Pat Green’s 2003 release from Universal, went embarrassingly unheralded even though it defined the sort of radio-friendly country that country radio might play if it hadn’t sold its corporate soul to pop in a ten-gallon hat. (Precious little separates Shania from Shaitan.) Happily, in October, Green and Universal released a follow-up, and if anything, the dozen tracks on Lucky Ones (much abetted by Mike Daly on steel guitar, by the way) outshine those on its predecessor, especially the lovelorn groove of Trent Summar and Irene Kelley’s “Somewhere Between Texas and Mexico” and the wise humor of “College,” a Green co-write with (of all people) Brad Paisley. The towheaded Texas troubadour’s performance at the Pageant should thus attest that commercial country (really!) needn’t suck. —Bryan A. Hollerbach FREDERICK’S MUSIC LOUNGE 4454 Chippewa • St. Louis, Mo. 63116 314-351-5711 • www.fredericksmusiclounge.com 12/1: The Saw is Family & Lye 12/2: Open Mic w/Brian Marek 12/3: Black Diamnod Heavies & The Gaslights 12/4: Enormous Richard 12/7: Mieka Pauley & Spouse 12/8: Slick 57 & The Von Ehrics 12/9: Open Mic w/ Tommy Halloran 12/11: Rex Hobart & The Misery Boys w/Paul Burch 12/14: Highway Matrons w/TBA 12/15: Danny Allen & Matt McGaughey 12/16: Open Mic w/ Bob Reuter 12/17: Outlaw Family Band & Jackhead 12/18: Miles of Wire & Int’l Playboy House of Pancakes Blues Band 12/21: Just Left & Matt Ahearn 12/22: Molly Irene w/TBA 12/23: Open Mic w/Brian Marek 12/24: Rocket Park w/TBA 12/29: Patrick Sweany Band 12/30: Open Mic w/Tommy Halloran 12/31: Two Cow Garage & Jackhead
2028 S. 9th St. • St. Louis, Mo. 63104 314-773-5565 Mon: Tim Albert Tue: Lucky Dan & Naked Mike Wed: Park Avenue Thu: Rondo’s Blues Deluxe Sun: Voodoo Blues w/Bennie Smith 4p, Erik Brooks 8:30p 12/3: Uncle Albert 12/4: One Kindred Soul 3p, Fairchild 9p 12/10: Uncle Albert 12/11: Rondo’s Blues Deluxe 3p, Fairchild 9p 12/17: Uncle Albert 12/18: One Kindred Soul 3p, Fairchild 9p 12/31: Rondo’s Blues Deluxe
HI-POINTE CAFE 1001 McCausland Ave. • St. Louis, Mo. 63117 314-781-4716 • www.hi-pointe.com Thu: The Militant Bingo Propaganda Machine w/The Non Prophet Theatre Co.
JABONI’S BISTRO 4301 Manchester • St. Louis, Mo. 63110 314-531-5317 • www.jabonis.com 12/2: Holiday Cabaret w/Tim Schall 12/8: Holiday Cabaret w/Tim Schall
JAZZ AT THE BISTRO 3536 Washington Ave. • St. Louis, Mo. 63103 314-531-1012 • www.jazzatthebistro.com 12/1-4: Russell Gunn 12/11-12: Willie Akins 12/15-18: Arturo Sandoval
LEMP NEIGHBORHOOD ARTS CENTER 3301 Lemp Ave. • St. Louis, Mo. 63118 314-771-1096 • www.lemp-arts.org 12/3: The Autumn Project, Floating City 12/8: Realicide, Ghost Ice 12/18: Piglet, TBA 12/19: Manipulator Alligator, TBA 12/22: Melk the G6-49, TBA 12/26: The Dream is Dead, Phoenix Bodies, Dancing Feet, March to War 12/27-29: BESTLAST SHOW OF THE YEAR
LIl. NIKKI’S 1551 S. 7th St. • St. Louis, Mo. 63104 314-621-2181 12/12: Stone Cat
MAGEE’S 4500 Clayton Ave. • St. Louis, Mo. 63110 314-535-8061 Mon: Open Mic w/Heather Barth Thu: Jake’s Leg 12/3: Dogtown Allstars 2/4: The Round-Ups w/Bejeezus 12/6: Open Mic 12/7: Racket Box 12/11: Helping Phriendly Band 12/13: Open Mic 12/14: Tim & Randy 12/17: Big Stars Kadillac w/The Paul Grulner Experience 12/18: Jalopy 12/20: Open Mic 12/21: Confluence Benefit w/Bootigrabbers Delight, Anna Roland, & Tom Wood
TICKETS: $30 • CALL: 314-726-6161 Oh, man, what a lineup. The good news is that you’re free to let that preshow dinner-anddrinks date drag out a bit—you two should really get to know each other better, anyway—because the first hour or so of this year’s River of Toys show is a total wash. Josh Kelley, Edwin McCain, and the Dude from Five for Fighting? Dag. It’ll sound much the same as the background Muzak playing at the restaurant, so it’s your call, really. Luckily, the show picks up momentum with the next performer, the much-buzzed-about 17year-old English soul sensation Joss Stone, who sings like Aretha and looks like Jenna Bush, minus the crazed who’s-up-for-a-body-shot? expression. Stone’s two-million-selling 41 debut, 2003’s The Soul Sessions—a covers collection of obscure soul gems, recorded with a long-retired crew of legendary Miami session musicians—garnered rave reviews from initially skeptical critics who compared her to Alicia and Norah instead of Britney or Xtina, while simultaneously introducing her to MTV (or, more likely, VH1) audiences with her funky riff on the White Stripes’ “Fell in Love With a Girl” (or “Boy,” as she sang it). Her follow-up, Mind, Body & Soul—focused on original tracks this time, mostly cowritten by Stone—was released earlier this year. The newly reunited Tears for Fears take the stage next, touring behind their fine new record, the Beatles-esque Everybody Loves a Happy Ending—the first TFF record featuring both original members since 1989’s Seeds of Love. This is who you’ve dropped 30 bucks for, yes? The really good news is that you’ll miss out on the end-of-the-night bottleneck, as you’ll have already bailed before lame-o closers Sister Hazel hit the stage. My suggestion is to refuel at the Halo Bar until Sissie Hazel cease their unintentionally silly, ham-fisted mewling, and then head back inside at 11:30 p.m. (after the Dockers-and-golf-shirts demographic has darted home to pay the babysitter and soak their feet, ‘cause, man! those old dogs are barking) for a special midnight (and completely separate) show featuring the STL debut of some way cooler, intentionally silly sisters—NYC’s fab-tastic Scissor Sisters. —Brian McClelland
PLAYBACK ST. LOUIS
SLICK 57
w/THE VON EHRICS at FREDERICK’S MUSIC LOUNGE December 8, 10 p.m. • 21+ CALL: 314-351-5711 As East Dallas, Texas’s Slick 57 prepare to embark on the second leg of their “Texas Takeover” tour—on a double bill with fellow Lone Star State rockabilly scalawags The Von Ehrics—their bassist and co-vocalist Ward Richmond is reminiscing about their last show in St. Louis, or more specifically, what they did after the show. “After playing [The Duck Room] with Splitlip Rayfield, we went to the casino and spent the night at Sally T’s [in St. Peters]. We love getting screwy in St. Louie.” Since signing a one-off, worldwide record deal with a Sydney, Australia-based label in 2002, the band has garnered more sales and accolades from their near-constant touring of the U.K., Europe, Australia, and New Zealand than in their homeland. And Richmond says they know how to treat a workin’ musician 42 over there, too. “Everything [in Europe] is much more organized, the clubs treat us with extreme courtesy and the folks that come out to the shows—which far exceed the numbers in most parts of the U.S.—are great. No hipster BS. People throw down and enjoy the music.” After an initial Australian-only release earlier this year, the band’s latest recording, The Ghost of Bonnie Parker, is finally available in the states, and Slick 57 are back to selling their pre-pop Old-97’s–meets–Green-Day cowpunk to America, from smoky dive to even smokier dive. In it for the long haul, the boys in the band—including guitarist and co-vocalist John Pedigo and drummer Trey Pendergrass—hunker down in their crappy touring van, the Silver Bullet, pulling their caps down low and humming along to the Johnny Paycheck Tribute album on the stereo, always keeping a bloodshot eye open for their next free drink. Their preferred tipple? “Jack Daniels,” Richmond says, unsurprisingly, adding, “And we’re always on the hunt for the Alabama Boom Boom.” Any band whose bio boasts that “the repo man and the officer at the E. Dallas drunk tank are on our Christmas card list” knows how to throw a party. So put on your shiniest, most stain-resistant cowboy shirt and bring on the ’Bama Boom Boom, St. Louis. —Brian McClelland
12/25: Jakes Leg 8p 12/28: Uri Manor
MANGIA ITALIANO 3145 S. Grand Ave. • St. Louis, Mo. 63118 314-664-8585 • www.dineatmangia.com Sun: Reggae Dub Spin w/Gabe & Dino 12/1: eighty-four Glyde 12/2: Palmer’s Room 12/3: Dave Stone Trio 12/4: Highway Matrons 12/5: Reggae-dub Spin 12/6: Open Mic w/Keiren Malloy 12/8: eighty-four Glyde 12/9: Jimmy Griffin 12/10: Dave Stone Trio 12/11: The Round-Ups 12/12: Reggae-dub Spin 12/13: Open Mic w/Keiren Malloy 12/15: eighty-four Glyde 12/16: Brian Sullivan Quartet 12/17: Dave Stone Trio 12/18: The Good Griefs 12/19: Reggae-dub Spin 12/20: Open Mic w/Keiren Malloy 12/22: eighty-four Glyde 12/23: Languid 12/24: Christmas Eve w/Dave Stone Trio 12/26: Reggae-dub Spin 12/27: Open Mic w/Keiren Malloy 12/29: eighty-four Glyde 12/30: Bagheera
THE MARTINI BAR 4004 Peach Ct. • Columbia, Mo. 65203 573-256-8550 • www.themartinibar.biz 12/1: Anthony Gomes 12/3-4: On Call 12/8: The Greyhounds 12/10: Wayne Baker Brooks 12/11: Rev. Norman Jackson & The Titanic Blues Band 12/17-18: Kim Massie 12/31: Hadden Sayers
MISSISSIPPI NIGHTS 914 N. First St. • St. Louis, Mo. 63102 314-421-3853 • www.mississippinights.com 12/3: Brave Combo 12/4: Ludo w/The Dog and Everything 12/9: The Big Wu 12/10: Panic Attack w/Sofachrome, Loudmouth Angel, & Echo’s Wish 12/11: Son Volt, Jay Farrar, The Bottle Rockets, Richard Buckner, & Anders Parker 12/17-18: AMPSTL Showcase 12/30-31: North Mississippi Allstars
NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS at MISSISSIPPI NIGHTS December 30 & 31, 9 p.m. • all ages TICKETS: $25/35 • CALL: 314-421-3853 Bluesy roots-rock trio North Mississippi Allstars are no newcomers to rock. Two of its members—guitarist/vocalist Luther Dickinson and drummer Cody Dickinson—are the sons of renowned Tennessee producer and musician Jim Dickinson, and they grew up watching Big Star and The Replacements record with their dad at Memphis’s Ardent Studios. Not to be overshadowed by their dad’s successes, Luther and Cody learned how to rock in their own right, eventually forming the rootsfunk band DDT in the mid ’90s. When original bassist Paul Taylor left to perform with Big Ass Truck, Chris Chew stepped in to form the current Allstars lineup. A staple at Bonnaroo, the annual jam-band festival held in Manchester, Tennessee, the Allstars embody the sound of country blues jams steeped as much in Phish, Widespread Panic, and Bela Fleck as in The Allman Brothers and Jethro Tull. They built their reputation as blues-rock heavyweights with their 2000 release Shake Hands With Shorty. Their latest album, Hill County Revue, recorded live at Bonnaroo, features guest appearances from fellow jam-rockers R.L. Burnside and The Rising Star Fife & Drum Band, and demonstrates that the Allstars aren’t just walking in their dad’s footsteps. —Amanda Lee Anderson
MOJO’S
THE MUSIC CAFÉ
1013 Park Ave. • Columbia, Mo. 65201 573-875-0588 • www.mojoscolumbia.com 12/1: Joe Stickley’s Blue Print 12/2: Bohola 12/3: Paradise Vending, Kingdom Flying Club & Firefly Alliance 12/4: Chris Kendrick 6p, Anson Funderburgh 8:30p 12/7: Two Gallants 12/10: Baitshop Boys 6p 12/11: Mark Pagano & Noah Earle 6p 12/31: Bel Airs
OFF BROADWAY
120 S. 9th St. • Columbia, Mo. 65201 573-815-9995 • www.themusiccafecolumbia.com Mon: Open Mic 12/2: Mountain of Venus & Steve Ewing Band 12/3: A Bateria 12/4: Logic 12/10: A Bateria 12/11: Shady Deal 12/17: A Bateria
3509 Lemp Ave. • St. Louis, Mo. 63118 314-773-3363 • www.offbroadwaystl.com 12/2: Todd Snider, Will Kimbrough 12/3: John Maxfield Band, Circa, & Adeline
12/4: Stone Cat, Red Eyed Driver, & Dub Kitchen 12/8: EQ & Apporach 12/9: Michelle Malone & Betty Dylan 12/10: Bugs Henderson & The Shuffle Kings 12/11: The Outlaw Family Band, Trailer Park Travoltas, Joe Eisenbraun Band 12/16: Funky Circus Fleas 12/17: Paul Sanchez & John Thomas Griffith 12/18: Brendan Bradley & Brandon O’Malley 12/22: Simmons, Modern Red & Wydown 12/23: Sensafeelia 12/31: Donny & The Feelgoods, The Variety Group formally belonging to Fred
THE PAGEANT 6161 Delmar Blvd. • St. Louis, Mo. 63112 314-726-6161 • www.thepageant.com 12/9: Pat Green & John Eddie 12/11: Jingle Fest w/ Joe Diffie & Andy Griggs 12/14: Chevelle, Vendetta Red & Instruction 12/16: 105.7 The Point Ho Ho Show w/Jimmy Eat World, Cake, Lostprophets, & The Adored 12/17: FM 101.1 The River’s River of Toys w/Tears for Fears, Sister Hazel, Joss Stone, John Ondrasik, Edwin McCain, & Josh Kelley 12/17: Late show: Scissor Sisters 12/18: Mama’s Pride 12/23: El Monstero y Los Masked Avengers 12/25: El Monstero y Los Masked Avengers 12/31: Dr. Zhivegas
POP’S 1403 Mississippi • Sauget, Il. 62201 618-274-6720 • www.popsrocks.com 12/1: Clutch 12/4: Skalapalooza 12/5: 105.7 The Point Local Show Live Remote 12/9: Satyricon 12/14: Kottonmouth Kings 12/17: Sophomore 12/18: Lars Frederiksen & The Bastards 12/19: 105.7 The Point Local Show Live Remote 12/31: New Year’s Eve Party
POP’S BLUE MOON 5249 Pattison • St. Louis, Mo. 63110 314-776-4200 • www.popsbluemoon.com Tue: World’s Most Dangerous Open Jam 12/1: Tim Moody 12/2: Dave Black & Matt Kimmick 12/3: TBA 12/4: Naked Groove 12/6: Closed: Bartender’s Charity Ball 12/7: World’s Most Dangerous Open Jam 12/8: Brian Curran 12/9: Greyhounds (TX) 12/10: EN2 (IN) 12/11: Smokestack Lightning 12/13: Fab Foehners 12/14: World’s Most Dangerous Open Jam 12/15: The Bottoms Up Blues Gang 12/16: Mr. Plow 12/17: Flying Mules 12/18: Plum Tucker Xmas Party 12/21: Special B-Day Tribute to Frank Zappa 12/22: Logan & Graham 12/23: Full Circle Jazz 12/24: open 8pm – bring a CD 12/25: open 8pm – bring a CD 12/27: CPB – Farewell Josh Party (not Josh G) 12/28: World’s Most Dangerous Open Jam 12/29: The Bob Case Show 12/30: Tom Wood 12/31: Big Thumb
DECEMBER 2004
RADIO CHEROKEE 3227 Cherokee St. • St. Louis, Mo. 63118 www.radiocherokee.net 12/5: So Many Dynamos & Troubled Hubble 12/11: Skarkrauradio, Lost Robot, The Arch 12/29: On Vibrato
RIDDLE’S PENULTIMATE 6307 Delmar • U. City, Mo. 63130 314-725-6985 • www.riddlescafe.com Tue: Jeff Lash Wed: Ptah Williams Sun: The John Norment Quartet 12/2: Uncle Albert 12/3: Jazz Renaisance 12/4: Swirl! 12/9: The Bottoms Up Blues Gang 12/10: Bennie Smith & the Urban Blues Express 12/11: Uncle Albert 12/16: Uncle Albert 12/17: Rockhouse Ramblers 12/18: Swirl! 12/23: The Bottoms Up Blues Gang 12/24: Closed 12/25: Closed 12/28: Buckdance Blues Festival 12/30: The Bottoms Up Blues Gang 12/31: Uncle Albert
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12/9: Paul Fryer 12/10: The Bottoms Up Blues Gang 12/11: Alsop Grossi Haley 4p, Steve Bise 9p 12/16: Doogie Armstrong 12/17: Devon Allmen 12/18: Pick’n Lick’n 4p, Johnny Fox 9p 12/23: Grateful Gary 12/29: Bootigrabbers Delight 12/30: Racket Box
SHELDON CONCERT HALL 3648 Washington Blvd. • St. Louis, Mo. 63108 314-533-9900 • www.sheldonconcerthall.org 12/1-5: KT Sullivan & Mark Nadler 12/4: Winter Warming 2004 12/7: Home for the Holidays 12/8-9: Baby, It’s Cold Outside 12/10: David Lanz 12/13: Peter Mayer 12/17: Blind Boys of Alabama 12/20: St. Louis Irish Arts Holiday Concert
ROCKETBAR 2001 Locust St. • St. Louis, Mo. 63103 314-588-0088 • www.rocketbar.net 12/8: Kimone w/Maxtone 4
SATCHMO’S 13375 Olive • Chesterfield, Mo. 314-878-3886 Thu: The Perry Woods Experience Sat: Jeff Gwantley 12/2: Eddie Randell Trio 12/10: Rich McDonough Band 12/17: Perry Woods Experience 12/25: Perry Woods
THE SHANTI 825 Allen Ave. • St. Louis, Mo. 63104 314-241-4772 Tue: Open Mic w/Heather Barth 12/2: Bob Case 12/3: Rainey Daze 12/4: Pick’n Lick’n 12/8: Tom Hall
1309 Washington Ave. • St. Louis, Mo. 63103 314-621-8667 12/3: The Homewreckers w/The Stephanie Brickey Band 12/4: Down Magnolia w/Sheet Metal Elvis 12/10: John Dane w/Chad Wells 12/11: Team Tomato w/Plum Tucker (acoustic) 12/17: Jeff Lazaroff Band w/Michael Jonas 12/18: Brian Elder Band 12/24: D.J. Katscan 12/31: Remedy
THREE-1-THREE 313 E. Main St. • Belleville, Il. 62220 618-239-6885 • www.three-1-three.com Mon: Park Avenue Trio Tue: DJ Rob Gray Thu: DJ Kelly Dell, Just J, Andreas Ardesco
TOUHILL PERFORMING ARTS CTR. University of Mo. – STL • St. Louis, Mo. 63121 314-516-4949 • www.touhill.org 12/1: Arianna String Quartet Student Chamber Concert 12/2: UMSL Student Chamber Music Concert 12/3: St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra: Holiday “Pops” Concert 12/4: Arianna String Quartet Family Concert 12/5: Arianna String Quartet Concert Series 12/7: UMSL Orchestra Concert 12/10: Spirit of Korean Dance
VENICE CAFÉ
SALLY T’S 6 Main St. • St. Peters, Mo. 63376 636-397-5383 • www.sallyts.com 12/1: Lowercase w/Losers Luck 12/2: Burnt Ninja & Gun Metal Grey 12/3: Rend w/Murder Happens & Drag the Weak 12/4: Walnut Street Gang w/The Saw is Family & Lungdust 12/9: The Regulars w/Pheromones & The Sham 12/10: Driven w/Jennifer Demir 12/11: Southerly w/Instant Iguana, Dead Drive Fast, & Spooge 12/16: Rederick 12/18: The Crazed Cowboys w/The Outlaw Family Band & Trailer Park Travoltas 12/30: The Polarized Mind CD release
STUDIO CAFÉ
ARTHUR WILLIAMS
7th ANNUAL BUCKJUMP BLUES FESTIVAL
w/LIL REV, DAVE McKENZIE, SID SEVIDGE, FAB FOEHNERS, ARTHUR WILLIAMS, LARRY GRIFFIN, BOOTIGRABBERS DELIGHT, & MORE at RIDDLES PENULTIMATE December 28, 8 p.m. & B.B.’s JAZZ, BLUES & SOUPS December 29, 9 p.m. CALL: 314-795-0988 The St. Louis blues scene features all styles of blues, but only the buckjump style brings toetapping to a new level. Buckjumping, a particular type of rhythm—sort of like tap dancing—has been used by many country blues artists. St. Louis native Rush McAllister carries on the tradition of buckjumping at his annual BuckJump Festival. The 7th annual BuckJump Blues Festival is an acoustic, multigenerational blues festival dedicated to the revival of the blues step-dance tradition. —Molly Hayden
1906 Pestalozzi • St. Louis, Mo. 63118 314-772-5994 Mon: Open Mic Tue: Late Happy Hour & Movies 12/1: Brian Elder jam session 12/3: Thos 12/4: Woodbax Gang 12/9: Swing Set 12/10: Zonkeys 12/11: Naked Groove 12/15: Dogtown Allstars 12/16: The Bottoms Up Blues Gang 12/17: Madahoochi 12/18: Not Quite Nashville 12/29: Joe Mack 12/25: Big Thumb 12/30: John Lisi & Delta Funk
WAY OUT CLUB 2525 S. Jefferson Ave. • St. Louis, Mo. 63118 314-664-7638 • www.wayoutclub.com 12/1: The Pubes 12/2: The Variety Group formally belonging to Fred 12/3: King Valley, Devil to Pay & Gass Off 12/4: Lost to Metric, Baysayboos & Googolple 12/8: Sisterloveshovel & Bain Mattox 12/9: Holy Hand Grenades 12/10: Craig Daddy’s & the Car Bombs 12/11: Nuke and the Living Dead & Crypt 33 12/16: Gordo & Saw is Family 12/17: El Mail Boxo, Pixels & Red Bird 12/18: The Round Ups, The Bottoms Up Blues Gang, & The Dead Weights 12/23: Miles of Wire, Low Cycle Hum, & Paymors 12/25: Kristeen Young 12/30: Fat Bot Lives 12/31: 7 Shot Screamers & Shame Club
TWO COW GARAGE at FREDERICK’S MUSIC LOUNGE December 31, 9 p.m. • 21+ TICKETS: $10/15 • CALL: 314-351-5711 at THE PAGEANT December 17,Eve, 6:30 This New Year’s thep.m. brat •in all theages diaper TICKETS: $30 Frederick’s • CALL: 314-726-6161 had best avoid Music Lounge, lest the supposed to supplant Oh, graybeard man, what he’s a lineup. The good news ispunt that his Kewpie Doll ass back to the quasi-mythic you’re free to let that preshow dinner-andmaternity long days—many drinks dateward. drag After out a366 bit—you two should of them dark and one of them dark enough really get to know each other better, any- to blacken the pages history—the personificaway—because theoffirst hour or so of this year’s tion such energy. Riverofof2004 Toys shouldn’t show is a enjoy total wash. Josh Kelley, IfEdwin anyone couldand rejuvenate poorFive geezer, McCain, the Dudethefrom for though, it would be the band booked thatasnight Fighting? Dag. It’ll sound much the same the at Fred Friction’s Chippewa Two so background Muzak playing honky-tonk, at the restaurant, Cow Garage. it’s your call, really. That name ring aupbell: they’ve played Luckily, theshould show picks momentum with the here previously. They’ve also played here17memnext performer, the much-buzzed-about orably. fact, the of twentysomethings year-oldInEnglish soultriosensation Joss Stone, who in question rocks and withlooks an almost frightening sings like Aretha like Jenna Bush, ferocity; this year’s Twangfest, for instance, minus theatcrazed who’s-up-for-a-body-shot? they effectively closed the fourth night of expression. Stone’s two-million-selling the festival twoThe bands it actually 43 debut, 2003’s Soulbefore Sessions—a ended. If Two Cow Garage performed covers collection of obscure soul gems,with élan any with moreaexplosive, in short, BATF recorded long-retired crew ofthelegendwould probably be shadowing their van. ary Miami session musicians—garnered rave reviews skeptical critics whodrumThe bandfrom hailsinitially from Ohio and comprises compared to Alicia and Norah of mer Dustinher Harigle, guitarist Micahinstead Schnabel, Britney or Xtina, simultaneously and bassist Shanewhile Sweeney, all of whomintroducshare ing her As to road MTV (or, more they’d likely, VH1) vocals. warriors, makeaudiences Mel with herlook funky on themom, Whitetouring Stripes’almost “Fell Gibson likeriff a soccer in Love With a Girl”the(orpast “Boy,” as she they’ve sang it). nonstop—during two years, Her follow-up, Mind, Body a& third Soul—focused reportedly logged roughly of a millionon originalfortracks time, mostly cowritten miles, God’sthis sake. Lately, they’ve beenbytourStone—was this year. ing in supportreleased of their earlier sophomore release, The Wall Againstreunited Our Back. discthejust The newly TearsThat for 13-track Fears take issued from touring Shelterhouse in October; stage next, behindRecords their fine new on such the songs as “My Concern,” “135,” anda“If record, Beatles-esque Everybody Loves This Is Home,” it ablyfirst suggests the raw, ragged Happy Ending—the TFF record featuring glory with which Two Cow Garage both original members since 1989’sperforms Seeds oflive. Love. This isthose who you’ve 30 bucks As a result, hoping dropped to rock their way into for, 2005yes? should hit Chippewa early. “The New Year’s Eve good admission is a you’ll little higher than The really news fee is that miss out on other shows,” reportsbottleneck, Paul Stark asof you’ll Frederick’s, the end-of-the-night have “as we are admitting smallerclosers number of already bailed before alame-o Sister people to give guests Hazel hitthan themost stage.nights My suggestion is tomore refuel elbow Dueuntil to limited admission, at the room. Halo Bar Sissie Hazel cease we’re their encouraging advance sales to assure entryand (and unintentionally silly, ham-fisted mewling, save money).” A. Hollerbach then head back—Bryan inside at 11:30 p.m. (after the
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PLAYBACK ST. LOUIS
PROFILE
MARY BETH BURNS
Mary Beth Burns: The Woman Behind the Habit By Jim Campbell erforming a one-person show is a daunting task. The real talent lies in the actor’s ability to hold the audience’s attention throughout the production, and Mary Beth Burns is no stranger to this art. Starring in the smash hit Late Nite Catechism, Burns is not only able to command the crowd’s attention, she has the ability to entertain them at the same time. Hailing from Chicago, Burns honed her skills in the classroom. She has been a certified Montessori teacher for 14 years. However, having been bitten by the acting bug all the way back in the fifth grade, Burns knew she would eventually return to the theater. “My first play was Winnie the Pooh. I was cast in the lead role. These little kids came up to me afterward and asked to shake Pooh’s hand…that moment sealed the deal for me.” Feeling the need to get back to her theatrical roots, Burns started taking classes at the legendary Second City Conservatory. As she was getting ready to graduate, she learned there was a group of gay, lesbian, and bisexual improvisers getting together to form their own group, GayCo, and joined. Some of the shows that they produced include Whitney Houston, We Have a Problem and Weddings of Mass Destruction. Serving six years in GayCo, Burns then toured with the National Company of Second City. Through her travels, she kept running into people who told her she would be perfect for the Late Nite Catechism show. While she always kept it in the back of her mind, Burns decided to take a chance and mailed her head-
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shot to the producers and then forgot about it. As fate would have it, the producers—as well as Maripat Donovan, the original “Sister”—felt Burns was a perfect match for their touring show. I asked Burns what were the most challenging aspects of doing a one-woman production. “Well, since I am playing a nun, the audience assumes I am a nun in real life and they expect me to know everything about Catholicism. I am constantly learning and trying to apply these things into my show. The other difficult trick is knowing who in the audience will be able to play with the show.” While there is a script for her show, Burns often has to rely on her improvisation to get herself out of some tight spots. I asked Burns how she deals with questions she doesn’t know the answers to. “That is a tough one, but somehow I manage to turn it back on the student to see if they can answer their own question. It usually works.” With this show, Burns helps raise money for the nuns who have made their way to the Mother House. To date, this St. Louis run has already raised approximately $6,000. But Burns doesn’t stop there; she also donates any free time she has to give. “I called up the Sisters and told them I would really like to volunteer: stuffing envelopes, moving boxes, whatever. They knew I had been a teacher, so they asked
me to donate my time in the classroom. It was a perfect match.” Locally, Burns enjoys exploring St. Louis and all it has to offer. “I think the architecture is amazing. I am also fascinated with Forest Park; I am in the park almost every day with my dog, exploring. I heard a legend that the original axle from the big Ferris wheel is hidden somewhere in Forest Park and I am trying to find it.” Looking to the future, Burns will head back to Chicago once the St. Louis run wraps up in January. She did “confess” that Maripat Donovan has informed her that she needs to learn the script to Late Nite Catechism II. A sequel? “Sure, it’s called Late Nite Catechism II: Sometimes We Feel Guilty Because We Are Guilty. The show is great; it teaches The Ten Commandments and even has a filmstrip.” So consider yourself warned; this “Nun with an Attitude” may be back for the attack at a theater near you.
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