Riverfront Times, August 24, 2022 by Riverfront Times

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riverfronttimes.com AUGUST 24-30, 2022 RIVERFRONT TIMES 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Publisher Chris Keating Editor in Chief Rosalind Early EDITORIAL Managing Editor Jessica Rogen Editor at Large Daniel Hill Digital Content Editors Jaime Lees, Jenna Jones Food Editor Cheryl Baehr Staff Writers Ryan Krull, Monica Obradovic, Benjamin Simon Copy Editor Evie Hemphill Contributors Thomas K. Chimchards, Joseph Hess, Reuben Hemmer, Andy Paulissen, Famous Mortimer, Delia Rainey, Mabel Suen, Graham Toker, Theo Welling Columnists Ray Hartmann, Dan Savage Editorial Interns Julian McCall, Carlos Mendoza, Kasey Noss, Olivia Poolos ART & PRODUCTION Art Director Evan Sult Creative Director Haimanti Germain Production Manager Sean Bieri Graphic Designer Aspen Smit MULTIMEDIA ADVERTISING Associate Publisher Colin Bell Account Manager Jennifer Samuel Directors of Business Development Rachel Hoppman, Chelsea Nazaruk Directors of Sponsorship Sales Deanna Schmidt MARKETING Director of Marketing & Events Christina Kimerle Marketing Coordinator Sydney Schaefer BUSINESS Regional Operations Director Emily Fear CIRCULATION Circulation Manager Kevin G. Powers EUCLID MEDIA GROUP Chief Executive Officer Andrew Zelman Chief Operating Officers Chris Keating, Michael Wagner Executive Editor Sarah Fenske VP of Digital Services Stacy Volhein VP of Marketing Emily Tintera, Cassandra Yardeni Executive Assistant Mackenzie NATIONALwww.euclidmediagroup.comDeanADVERTISING VMG Advertising 1-888-278-9866, SUBSCRIPTIONSvmgadvertising.com Send address changes to Riverfront Times, 5257 Shaw Avenue, St. Louis, MO, 63110. Domestic subscriptions may be purchased for $78/6 months (MO add $4.74 sales tax) and $156/year (MO add $9.48 sales tax) for first class. Allow 6-10 days for standard delivery. www.riverfronttimes.com The Riverfront Times is published weekly by Euclid Media Group | Verified Audit Member Riverfront Times PO Box 179456, St. Louis, MO, www.riverfronttimes.com63117 General information: 314-754-5966 Founded by Ray Hartmann in 1977 Riverfront Times is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. Additional copies of the current issue may be purchased for $1.00 plus postage, payable in advance at the Riverfront Times office. Riverfront Times may be distributed only by Riverfront Times authorized distributors. No person may, without prior written permission of Riverfront Times , take more than one copy of each Riverfront Times weekly issue. The entire contents of Riverfront Times are copyright 2022 by Riverfront Times, LLC. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without the expressed written permission of the Publisher, Riverfront Times PO Box 179456, St. Louis, Mo, 63117. Please call the Riverfront Times office for back-issue information, 314-754-5966. INSIDE Hartmann 6 News 8 Missouriland 12 Feature 16 Fall Arts Events 22 Calendar 28 Cafe 33 Short Orders 37 St. Louis Standards 40 Stage 43 Reeferfront Times 47 Out Every Night 48 Savage Love 53 COVER Fall Arts Guide A look at the most anticipated arts events of the season — and how the industry has rallied since the pandemic Cover art detail from a painting by METRA MITCHELL

HARTMANN 6

Missouri AG has stopped pretending to serve anyone but Donald Trump and his MAGA followers Written by RAY HARTMANN I t happened without a press release, but on November 3, 2020, Eric Schmitt stepped aside as Missouri attorney gen eral to join the army. That would be the insurrection ist army of Donald Trump. Since the moment President Joe Biden defeated Trump, Schmitt has po liticized his state office to a de gree unprecedented in modern history.Elections have consequences, and it can be expected — al though not excused — that Mis souri’s highest law enforcement official might allow political views to seep into some deci sions. That’s not Civics 101 — ide ally, the attorney general should maintain an apolitical posture in all matters — but in Real World 101, it is increasingly the rule. Schmitt’s convincing win in the recent Republican primary for U.S. Senate was made possible only by his wormy worship of Trump. But to achieve it, Schmitt was decidedly derelict in his duty to the people of Missouri. And yes, that should include those of us who didn’t vote for him.Itis true that Schmitt possesses a law degree from Saint Louis University. Perhaps he might make a fine lawyer in the wild, al though he’s left behind no paper trail to suggest as much since his graduation in 2000. The only way Schmitt is setting foot in a law library in 2022 is if he’s there for a photo op to super vise the arrest of a librarian for distributing forbidden material. The man is a politician, full stop. But that doesn’t begin to ra tionalize the degree to which Schmitt has abused his office for political gain since Trump’s defeat. And let’s be clear: That was the landmark event marking Schmitt’s transition from a gar den-variety Republican attorney general to the shameless MAGA servant that he has become today.

Eric HisAbandonsSchmittDayJob

It’s terrifying that Missouri is expected to add another such unfit member to the U.S Senate. On the other hand, there’s the small consolation — which hope fully won’t come to pass — that if Schmitt gets elected, it will create a job opening in Jefferson City. It’s hard to imagine a worse at torney general. n Ray Hartmann founded the Riverfront Times in 1977. Contact him at rhartmann1952@ gmail.com or catch him at 7 p.m. on Thurs days on Nine PBS and St. Louis in the Know with Ray Hartmann from 9-11 p.m. Monday thru Friday on KTRS (550 AM).

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Even the partisan U.S. Supreme Court tossed the lawsuit like gar bage. Missouri should have billed Schmitt’s campaign or the state Republican Party for every sec ond of legal time and every cent of expense incurred by Schmitt’s office. Brushing off the pathetic fail ure in the legal system, Schmitt apparently was an accessory to Trump in the insurrection itself. He was vice chair of the Repub lican Attorneys General Associa

tion on January 5 when it sent out robocalls urging MAGA faithful to attend Trump’s fateful January 6 rally in Washington, D.C. “At 1 p.m., we will march to the Capitol building and call on Con gress to stop the steal,” said the voice on the recording sent out by the group in which Schmitt played a top leadership role. Of course, he wasn’t quite enough of a leader that he would have any idea about such a call. Schmitt issued a cowardly de nial — an absolutely implausi ble one — pretending he had no knowledge of such a robocall. Right, it must have been some intern who decided to invite millions of MAGA followers to the nation’s Capitol “to stop the steal.” How would any RAGA top official know about such a thing?

A Schmitt spokesman bravely denounced the violence at the en suing January 6 riot at the Capitol but couldn’t go quite so far as to denounce the RAGA robocall. Of course not. Four months later, Schmitt became RAGA chairman. One year after that, Schmitt joined his fellow insurrectionist BFF — Texas’ eternally indicted Ken Paxton — and their Republi can colleagues from Alabama and Montana in withdrawing from membership of the bipartisan National Association of Attorneys General.Itseems as if the organiza tion — founded in 1907 — has suddenly developed a “leftward shift” in the worldview of insur rectionists. It also seems that of the remaining 26 Republican state attorneys general in the na tion, 22 continue to participate in the bipartisan group. In case you were thinking that Schmitt is just a reflection of the times, think about those 22 Re publican counterparts who did not choose to follow his partisan path. Schmitt is a full-fledged, un patriotic member of the MAGA insurrectionist army. What does that mean to Mis souri and its abused taxpayers? Plenty. Schmitt has taken a blow torch to the notion that the state attorney general should repre sent the state as a whole — and not just those who voted for him. Space doesn’t permit a full list here of the lawsuits filed or joined by Schmitt that have nothing to do with serving as Missouri’s top law enforcement official. It’s stunning even by the standards of the MAGA age. Within five months of Biden’s election, Schmitt had abused the platform — and often the re sources — of his office to oppose statehood for Washington, D.C.; Biden’s initial executive order on climate change; revocation of the Keystone XL pipeline; a morato rium on future gas and oil leas ing and drilling permits of fed eral lands; use of a “social cost of carbon” analysis on natural gas pipelines; and pretty much any other environmental measure this side of “drill, baby, drill!” Schmitt has attempted to im pose his version of Missouri’s will upon the people of California for wanting an assault-weapons ban. He has interjected the state in a number of other states’ abortionrelated policies. Most recently, Schmitt has decided Missouri should battle investment giant Morningstar over what he claims are its “woke ESG investing” practices.Really?In case you’re not up on ESG, it stands for “Environmental, Social and Governance.” Schmitt has a big problem with at least two of those words. And appar ently convinced he had caused China’s President Xi Jinping to cower in fear for two years over being served by the state of Mis souri, Schmitt has decided to bring executives of one of the largest in vestment firms to their knees for the alleged crime of wokeness. That’s pretty sad. And so is Eric Schmitt, formerly known as a moderately conservative legisla tor, who has found political suc cess by selling his political soul to the insurrectionists who would destroy American democracy.

Governor Mike Parson appoint ed Schmitt as attorney general in 2018 after Missouri voters tragi cally sent Senator Josh Hawley scurrying like a rodent to Wash ington, D.C. In Schmitt’s first two years in office, he participated in some noxious right-wing stuff, such as signing onto a brief de fending workplace discrimina tion against the LGBTQ+ com munity in a case before the U.S. Supreme Court. And who can forget how he be came an international laughing stock for trying to sue China for causing the COVID-19 pandemic? That’s the joke that keeps on giv ing, as there was a fine Post-Dis patch column by Tony Messenger last week exposing Schmitt’s hy pocrisy on the subject of masks. But after Trump’s loss, Schmitt discovered a new hobby in which he hadn’t indulged previously: Suing the federal government — or hopping on other states’ law suits — at every conceivable op portunity.Itbegan with a full-throated embrace of Trump’s Big Lie that the election was stolen. Appar ently, Schmitt had decided quiet ly to accept an officer’s commis sion in the insurrection army. Schmitt didn’t stop at partici pating in the frivolous abuse of the judicial system. He took the lead in authoring the amicus brief joined by 16 other states in support of Texas Attorney Gen eral Ken Paxton’s failed attempt to invalidate elections in Penn sylvania, Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin. As if he wrote it.

riverfronttimes.com AUGUST 24-30, 2022 RIVERFRONT TIMES 7 CRAFTED CAREFULLY. DRINK RESPONSIBLY. Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, 45.2% Alc. by Vol., The Woodford Reserve Distillery, Versailles, KY ©2016 AWARD-WINNING FLAVOR BEST IN SHOW WHISKIES OF THE WORLD 2015 94 POINTS ULTIMATE SPIRITS CHALLENGE 2015 97 POINTS ULTIMATE SPIRITS CHALLENGE 2015

The area inside I-170 was hard est hit by the ’08 crash. With hous ing prices low, companies came in to buy houses out of foreclosure to convert to rental units. At the time, mortgages were difficult to obtain without significant assets, so homeownership rates stayed stagnant. Particularly in Black neighborhoods, private home ownership didn’t recover the way it did in white neighborhoods. Now, even with access to mort gage credit, homebuyers can’t compete because brokerages can pay cash and waive inspections for homes. Those are things that your average homebuyer can’t do, especially when they have a VA loan or other government support as a first-time homebuyer. And because it is happening in predominantly African-American areas of north county, it’s making it harder for that community to build“We’rewealth.recreating the cycle that happened in north city,” Burleigh says. “As the area becomes hard er and harder to build wealth in, folks become less and less likely to move there, or more likely to move to some other area where they believe they’ll have a better chance to build wealth.”

In North County, an area that was hit hard by the 2008 real estate crisis, real estate brokerages have moved in to buy thousands of homes.

But let’s say that real estate bro kerage firms buy up 40 percent of the homes and drive up home prices to $80,000 per home. De spite the increase in home prices, residents only hold $480 million worth of real estate — less than they did when the homes were worth $55,000. And $320 million worth of equity is in the hands of outsiders and real estate brokers.

If a neighborhood has 10,000 homes all worth $55,000 and 90 percent are owner-occupied, then that’s $495 million of equity for residents who live in that area.

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North County’s Real Estate Trap Real estate brokerages are pushing homebuyers out of north county

Written by

ROSALIND EARLY A ndrew Collins has rented his home in Florissant for years. But he suspected that was coming to an end when real estate brokerage firm Main Street Renewals bought his home lastCollinsyear.recently got word that he has to vacate the property because Main Street Renewals wants to renovate it. Right now, his rent is $770, but he says most of the rents in the area are around $1,500.

“I guarantee that’s what [Main Street Renewals] saw, and they think they can rent the house for $1,500 or $1,600,” Collins says. Collins has been caught up in a growing problem in St. Louis’ north county, where rents and home values are increasing rap idly due to real estate brokerages, such as Main Street Renewals, buying up the housing stock to convert into rentals.

The neighborhoods look the same, but instead of being most ly owner-occupied homes, more people are tenants. This means rents are rising, home prices are rising, potential homebuyers are being forced to remain renters and equity from the homes is ac cruing to real estate investment firms instead of residents.

“Some companies began to re alize that they were able to pur chase single-family homes in large bulk numbers, convert them into rental units, and that it was profitable,” Burleigh says. McLaughlin agrees. “This one agent I know is going to buy 500 houses for [a] corporation,” he says. “North county is the place they pick on the most because of the price range.”

Collins, the renter who has to leave his home, doesn’t want to leave his neighborhood, but he’s considering it. “I hope somebody does something about these rental companies coming in and forcing people out,” he says.

“You no longer have a net gain in equity and wealth built by the residents of that given area,” Burleigh says. “These places be come less of a place for residents to build wealth living there and more of a place for these compa nies to build assets and wealth from people living there.” And that’s a problem. “Home ownership is always the best way to go to build wealth,” says Patrick McLaughlin, a real estate agent in north county. “Home ownership will appreciate with inflation. If you just have cash laying around the bank you’re losing money.”

RYAN KRULL

Real brokeragesestate moving into neighborhoodscertain is a national issue that began after the 2008 financial crash, when many homes were lost to foreclosure.

The issue has Glenn Burleigh, community engagement special ist for the Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing Opportunity Coun cil, or EHOC, sounding the alarm. “In some ZIP codes, these com panies are buying 40 percent of the houses that come on the mar ket,” Burleigh says. And though those purchases drive up housing prices, the area could actually be losing equity, Burleigh explains. How?

Real estate brokerages moving into certain neighborhoods is a national issue that began after the 2008 financial crash, when many homes were lost to foreclosure.

NEWS 8

Two years of Missouri GOP infighting comes to a close Written by JASON HANCOCK

Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden (R-Columbia) is the cur rent odds-on favorite to become the chamber’s president pro tem. He has not shied away from pub licly quarreling with the conser vative caucus, at one point ac cusing the group of turning the Senate into a “clown show.”

Rowden said on Monday that Missouri Senate Republicans in recent years have approved “gen erational conservative reforms into law, and Missourians are bet ter off as a result.

Sen. Bill Eigen, R-Weldon Spring, speaks during a press conference of the Senate conservative caucus on March 10, 2022.

TESSA

WEINBERG / MISSOURI INDEPENDENT

“We know of no senator, current or former, who claims that the prestige and traditions of the Mis souri Senate are stronger today than when our current leadership team took the helm in 2018,” the statement said. “The next leader ship team must do better.”

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“I am happy these five sena tors want to join the team that has been leading the conservative fight in Missouri,” Rowden said. “The time is now to do big things for this great state.”

This story originally appeared in the Missouri Independent A fter more than two years of warring with Republican leaders, the Missouri Sen ate’s conservative caucus will disband, the group an nounced August 15.

“Such a change is necessary to achieve peace within a body that has seen little of it since the final legislative day of the 2021 first regular session,” they wrote.

Candidates aligned with and supported by the conservative caucus won four competitive pri maries for open seats. In addition, a Republican in cumbent — Bill White of Joplin — was defeated by a candidate who vowed to align with the caucus. If all seats remain in control of the party that currently holds them, the new breakdown of the Senate after the primaries will likely be a nine-member conser vative caucus, 15 senators aligned with Republican leadership and 10 Democrats. In the Monday afternoon state ment, the five members of the now dissolved conservative cau cus said they hoped to “seek unity within a single majority caucus in the Missouri Senate chamber under exclusively the Republican banner.”Todothat, the statement said, there needs to be new leadership in the chamber “that is not con strained by the labels of the past.”

“The Republican primary elec torate decisively voted in favor of the conservative message es poused by conservative caucusaligned Republicans,” said the statement signed by GOP Senators Rick Brattin, Bill Eigel, Andrew Koenig, Denny Hoskins and Mike Moon.“Moving forward,” the state ment continued, “there is no need for us to be defensive about pass ing good legislation — we believe the class of Republican nominees vying to fill open and existing Mis souri Senate seats would demand the same results we have been looking for these past four years.”

In a statement released to the media, five incumbent members of the caucus said it was no longer needed after the outcome of the August 2 GOP primaries.

Senate is expected to be over who replaces Rowden as majority floor leader. The position comes with the power to manage the Senate debate calendar, giving the ma jority leader influence over what legislation moves forward and how much time it receives on the Senate floor.

DisbandsCaucusConservative

The three candidates discussed as possible successors include Koenig and Senators Mike Berns koetter of Jefferson City and Cindy O’Laughlin of Shelbina.

O’Laughlin was originally a member of the conservative cau cus but hasn’t been affiliated with the group in more than a year. Bernskoetter is considered the candidate with closest ties to cur rent GOP Originallyleaders.founded in 2018, the Senate conservative caucus has been involved in an escalating war with Republican leadership. It culminated this year, with con servative caucus members used parliamentary maneuvers to gum up the Senate and, with their priorities failing to get traction, turned otherwise anodyne bills into vehicles for controversial amendments pertaining to trans gender student athletes and vac cineThemandates.acrimony between the two factions became so bad that the Senate adjourned a day early for the first time since a fixed ad journment date was set in the state constitution in 1952. The drama then spilled onto the campaign trail, with a PAC sup ported by the conservative caucus vying to increase its numbers — and its power within the chamber. Republican Senate leadership have publicly threatened to use procedural maneuvers of their own to quash conservative caucus filibusters, which they argued were simply glorified publicity stunts.

Last week, Senator Mike Cier piot (R-Lee’s Summit) hinted that Senate rules may need to change in order to prevent the conser vative caucus from hijacking the chamber.Healso panned the caucus for taking large campaign checks from trial attorneys, a group that historically has supported Demo crats and opposed tort reform. In their Monday statement, the members of the conservative cau cus decried any such step as an abandonment of Senate tradition, which calls for unlimited debate.

The real leadership fight in the

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I n south city’s Ellendale neighbor hood, almost all the homes on Her mitage Avenue are condemned, leaving residents displaced. Hermitage backs up to the River Des Peres and amid late July’s unprecedented rainfall, the houses on the street were some of the worst-hit in an area that saw wide spreadResidentsdamage.at the time told the RFT water inundated their homes, geysers sprouted from manholes in the street and one man had to carry each member of his family on his shoulders through neck-deep sewage to get them to safety.

PokeNerds (394 Mid Rivers Mall Drive, 636-459-5093), which opened in 2019 as an e-commerce store, is on the edge of a strip mall in St. Peters. Kids are spread out through the store, debating which plush Pokémon they’ll be taking home, or which trading cards. One child is yelling out each Pokémon’s name to their sibling as they peruse the shelves, making a tough decision. Valeria and Brian are sitting behind the counter, waiting to check out the family. The shop is popular with kids and their families, Brian explains, but they see a diverse range of ages enthusiastic about the Pokémon store. With Friday nights dedicated to trading events, the store is building a space for Pokémon lovers across the region. But they don’t stopThethere.Trulls are still fundraising for Ukraine with a jar dedicated to collect ing money for a variety of organizations that help out on the ground in the coun try. There are pins for sale, the proceeds from which also go to Ukraine. Valeria says they’re doing everything they can to help out, and so far, they’ve raised thousands of dollars. Ukrainian kids will come in and visit, eager to hang with Valeria. “The kids think, ‘They’re doing stuff for Ukraine. I’m a Ukrainian kid. ‘ And they come by and this gives them a place where they can maybe feel con nected with another Ukrainian person,” BrianTheexplains.fundraising efforts have also rubbed off onto their wider community of Pokémon fans. One girl named Sophie started her own lemonade and hot dog stand, raising a whopping total of $500 for Ukraine. She came into the store to slip some of the money into the jar. The community has found a home in the Pokémon shop, and the Trulls keep thinking of ways to continue to build on that foundation.

PokeNerds is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and closed on Mondays. Trading events take place Friday nights at 6 p.m.

PokeNerds Helps at Home and Abroad

Insurance Companies Deny Flood Claims

Hadley says this is how “overland flood ing,” which flood insurance should cover, can appear as if it is a sewer backup.

“Many of them have flood insurance,” Sisul says of his neighbors. “But flood in surance adjusters denied their coverage.” According to Sisul, these adjusters are saying, “It was a sewer backup incident that the sewer utility is responsible for.”

Tom, whose property abuts the River Des Peres and asked that his last name not be used, says that as water started coming up through his basement sewer drain, he turned around to see water spraying in through the crack of his basement door.

Ellendale resident Tom tells the RFT he didn’t have flood insurance to begin with, but he knows neighbors who did and are having their claims denied. Sisul stresses that he doesn’t know exactly how many residents are facing these denials from flood insurers, but “more than one person being told that is irritating.”Andhe’s talked to more than one person this has happened to. Sean Hadley, the manager of public af fairs for the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, says that just because water was coming into a person’s home via a base ment sewer drain, that doesn’t necessar ily mean a sewer backup occurred.

“Assume that you live next door to me and water enters your house, say, through your window well. Then it goes into your basement drain, now you’re ul timately flooding me out,” Hadley says. “One house is all it takes.”

“I’ve heard stories where insurance adjusters came out and said, ‘No, this is not covered under flood. This is not a flood event,’” Sisul says. “And then MSD says, ‘Well, you’re in a high-risk area, you need to have flood insurance and if your flood insurance won’t cover it and you need a better carrier.’ And that’s not a really good answer for people whose houses just got condemned.”

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The Ukranian owners have helped during the conflict Written by JENNA JONES I t was PokeNerds owner Brian Trull’s birthday when the war in Ukraine began. As he and his wife, Valeria, watched the conflict unfold, they knew they needed to do something. Valeria is from Ukraine, and after debating what to do to help, they settled on visiting Poland to deliver aid directly. The two handed out food and gave toys to children. It was just the beginning of their aid work, however, and of a piece with PokeNerds’ wider aims to form community.

“It tore the whole door right off the frame,” he says.

One girl started her own lemonade and hot dog stand, raising a whopping total of $500 for Ukraine.

JENNA JONES

Brian and Valeria Trull, owners of PokeNerds, try to give back to the community.

All of this sounds like a flood by any reasonable definition of the word. However, some flood insurance com paniesMatthewdisagree.Sisul is the president of the Ellendale neighborhood association.

St. Louis homeowners are being told flash flooding was actually sewer back up Written by RYAN KRULL

“If you have a hobby, you want to go someplace where you can share a hobby and meet other people that also have that hobby and make friends, it’s how you build community,” Brian says.

“That’s how you don’t feel like you’re isolated and alone. Like, ‘Oh I’m the only person who likes this thing.’ We want to open more stores and be able to provide a place of community for more people that like Pokémon.”

“Both ends are fighting the middle,” says Tom, “which is us.” n

COURTESY MATTHEW SISUL

This may look like a food, but insurance companies say it is not.

Brian says they’re “con stantly evolving,” planning to expand the shop to have a bigger space for visitors to play out Pokémon battles or host a birth day party. Another feature they want to offer is for Pokémon Go players to battle a “gym trainer,” one of their employees, on certain days and win a prize. They’re also planning a Halloween costume party and more events. The product of ferings are expected to expand, as well. Ultimately, the Trulls want to have more locations across the country. The community they’ve built in St. Charles County is something special. They’ve been called the “Disney store of Poké mon” merchandise, Trull says. Coupled with that and the success of their e-com merce store nationwide, they have hopes they could make their destination loca tions work. It’s a big mission, but they want to fill the need for Pokémon fans.

Hadley says that MSD is sending out $2,900 checks to individuals who expe rienced a water backup. Sisul says that many residents have losses exceeding $2,900. In those cases, homeowners rely on some combination of flood insurance and FEMA to make up the difference. But for flood insurance to be avail able, the insurance company has to ac knowledge a flood occurred.

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Fans of Precious Moments can worship and window-shop at the Precious Moments Chapel in western Missouri Words and photos by REUBEN HEMMER N ear the outskirts of Carthage, Missouri, is the Precious Mo ments Chapel, an homage to the teardrop-eyed figurines created by Samuel J. Butch er. The chapel is also a place of worship and includes a visitors center and park. It has been in op eration since 1989. Fans of the collectibles still stream in to seek rare figurines at the gift shop, to meander through the rows of childlike statues and to marvel at the murals within the chapel. Many of the statues and paintings depict children as an gels in heaven or as biblical char acters reenacting religious scenes. There are also displays detailing scenarios of grief and death. This includes a statue commemorating the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, and a room dedicated to Butcher’s son who passed away at a young age.The Precious Moments Chapel (4321 Chapel Road, Carthage, Mis souri; 1-800-543-7975, precious momentschapel.org) is open daily from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. n

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riverfronttimes.com AUGUST 24-30, 2022 RIVERFRONT TIMES 13 A CELEBRATION OF THE UNIQUE AND FASCINATING ASPECTS OF OUR HOME[ ]

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But as the pandemic dragged on, audiences drew back, got weary of virtual events and craved nor malcy before that was always pos sible. Arts organizations, which mostly cater to live audiences, stalled. Many wondered how to keep things going. Spoiler alert — thanks to the creativity of staff, external sup port and some luck — many did. But after going through the pan demic, few are the same organiza tion, for better or worse, that they were in 2019.

scared. But that infectious music — from St. Louis’ own Red and Black Brass Band — and the joy ousness of the crowd helped me forget momentarily.

“We’re just spreading some love and some hope to the people dur ing the pandemic,” Ravie Buck ner Jr., the band’s bass drummer, said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch around that time. Early during COVID-19, mo ments such as these, of connec tion and hope fostered by the arts, were paramount.

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We at the Riverfront Times wanted to know exactly how some of our favorite arts indus tries have been transformed, so we did the only reasonable thing: dug in. The following pages hold the results of those investiga tions; read on for an inside scoop into St. Louis’ theater and musicvenue scenes, arts organizations that flourished and even a look at how living under COVID-19 has changed our social norms, for the arts and otherwise. —Jessica Rogen

The RFT investigates how crEative industrIes have been trAnsformed by the pandemic T he unexpectedness of the music drew me out of my apartment. Out side, I found not only a New Orleans-style brass band parading down the streets of my St. Louis city neigh borhood but also my neighbors following along, clapping, cheer ing and dancing. As more heads popped out of doors and win dows, I joined, surprised to expe rience the burn of tears. It was April 2020, a month into the pandemic, and I was so

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Theater companies responded to the crisis differently. Many did not want to go online. “I was ada mantly against streaming plays,” says Ron Himes, artistic director for the Black Rep. “I felt it was to tally against trying to develop live audiences.” When he realized that the pan demic would be around for a while, he agreed to start stream ing programs. The Black Rep is housed at Washington University, so staff there helped with the tech nology, and the Black Rep part nered with the Nebraska Reper tory Theatre to give both theaters access to new audiences.

n 2019, Carl Overly Jr., a lo cal actor, decided to quit his day job and devote himself to acting and theater. The plan worked, at first. “Two thou sand nineteen was amazing,” he says. “The beginning of 2020 was amazing. Then it was like, womp wompOverly.” remembers the moment he learned the pandemic would shut down theaters. He was as sistant directing a show for New Jewish Theatre, We Are the Levin sons, and he and the director went out for a drink after a long day of tech. Not long after they sat down, the bartender approached them and said that the city and county were mandating that the bar close at midnight.

“It was great,” Himes recalls. “It gave us a way to stay engaged with our audiences, and it actu ally expanded our audiences.”

Sharon Hunter, the producing artistic director of Moonstone The atre Company, was launching her company when the pandemic hit. “I thought we’d be back in a cou ple of weeks, but by the time early April came around, people were like, ‘This is going to be a lot longer than we thought,’” she recalls. So she started the St. Louis Theatre Community Task Force, inviting artistic directors from around St. Louis and further afield, as well as the heads of theater programs at the local colleges, to attend Zoom sessions to share ideas and info.

BY ROSALIND EARLY

“The last thing I wanted was for theater to die away,” Hunter says. “Thank goodness it hasn’t.”

“Are those people returning?” asks Philip Boehm, artistic direc tor for Upstream Theater.

“We were like, ‘Guess there’s not going to be a show,’” Overly says. Then they did shots of tequila. Soon, gathering in person to en joy the arts was deemed too risky. Theaters were in a bind.

The Shakespeare Festival produced King Lear in a tent next to Steinberg Ice Rink. | PHILLIP HAMER

About the Artist

C over artist Metra Mitchell is a figurative artist who “explores the magic of Halloween.” Hail ing from Paducah, Kentucky, Mitchell found her way to St. Louis for graduate school. Now, she’s a full-time artist giv ing her “lifeblood here in the studio” and teaching on the side. Mitchell pri marily uses oil paints, producing works with strong textures, and likes to start with secondary colors and mix further iterations herself. She also ventures into printmaking and is devoted to her sketchbook. Through her work, Mitch ell investigates archetypal characters, identity, the theatrics of how we pres ent ourselves to the world, the occult, the mysterious, the unknown and the realm of painting. Find her works local ly at Houska Gallery or at metramitch ell.com.

For an in-depth look at how The Rep survived and thrived during the pandemic, turn to page 43. .

St. Louis Shakespeare Festival worked hard to find ways to con tinue to create theater. In March 2020, the company was working on its touring production of Cymbeline “We rushed the actors into a stu dio and were able to get a record ing of the production,” says Adam Flores, community engagement and education manager. The orga nization also started Shakespeare TV. Done over Zoom, it included play readings, play contests and even tutorials. In the summer of 2020, the fes tival produced A Late Summer Night’s Stroll. Masked audience members walked a path in Forest Park to see scenes from A Midsum mer Night’s Dream Shakespeare Festival also pro duced last summer’s King Lear, starring Tony and Emmy award–winning actor André De Shields in the titular role. “It was crazy,” says Overly, who played Cornwall. “They built us a tent next to Stein berg ice rink, and we had to re hearse outside. We got tested ev ery week, but no one got COVID.” Opera Theatre of Saint Louis did an entirely outdoor festival in 2021. The Tennessee Williams Fes tival made its shows into a radio program.Thepandemic was tough, though. “At one point, I was like, ‘If I have to do one more Zoom play, I’m going to lose my mind,’” Over ly says. But he felt bad for the be hind-the-scenes folks, like set and lighting designers, who were often largely removed from the process. Most theater companies made it through and are back staging shows — though some aren’t staging as many as they were pre-pandemic.

At first, all actors were required to be vaccinated and to get tested for rehearsals or performances, and audience members were asked to show proof of vaccination and wear a mask. Now, even though many of those requirements are be ing waived, audiences are still light er than they were pre-pandemic.

Pandemic rEstrIctions meant theater makers had to find a new way to survive

Overly says that the theater feels different now. “You know how when you used to see someone on stage, and you would see spit fly ing out of their mouths?” Overly asks. “Now, it hits different. When someone coughs in a theater, it hits different.” “Theatergoing audiences skewed a little bit older,” Boehm says. “In that demographic there may be more hesitation because of the vi rus and also less ability or willing ness to return to a previous life style where they’re going out to a show once a month.” He adds that he’s read that working from home also keeps people from going out as much. Still, there’s reason for hope. “We’re optimistic,” says Himes. “The numbers [in the audience] are steadily rising.” When Overly thinks about what makes the theater scene in St. Louis so resilient, he has a good answer: “Everyone is so passion ate about the work that they do,” he says. “I’m impressed with how they came together.”

Back on StageBack On Stage

Things arE looking positive for the live-music industry, which faced devastation durIng the pandemic

BY DANIEL HILL

STEPHEN INMAN The Factory in Chesterfield opened during the pandemic. |

18 RIVERFRONT TIMES AUGUST 24-30, 2022 riverfronttimes.com

Live Music Gets Loud Again

A t the start of the COV ID-19 pandemic, predic tions about the live-mu sic industry were dire. According to some early estimates, most smaller ven ues in the United States would close without a financial lifeline. One such warning came from Dayna Frank, president of the National Independent Venue As sociation, a lobbying group that formed in March 2020 to attempt to get federal assistance for the industry. Frank told Rolling Stone that 90 percent of the group’s member venues reported not hav ing enough cash on hand to last more than six months sans fed eral intervention, with 55 percent not having enough to last more than three Thankfully,months.that assistance did come in the form of the Save Our Stages Act, which was included in a $900 billion stimulus bill Con gress passed in December 2020. While that did stave off worstcase scenarios, the live-music landscape has changed consider ably since we all first heard the wordHere“coronavirus.”inSt.Louis, old standby venues have shut their doors, and new ones — mostly larger ones — have arrived on the scene with a splash. We lament those we’ve lost — R.I.P. the Way Out Club, one of the best to ever do it — as we celebrate those we’ve gained. There’s Red Flag, a 1,000-cap Midtown venue that opened in November 2020 across the street from the considerably smaller Fubar, which was under the same ownership and closed upon Red Flag’s opening. There’s the Ready Room in the Grove, which closed at the top of the pandemic, only to reemerge this year in a new space — that of the former Atomic Cowboy, which never officially announced it would be shutter ing, even as its furniture went up for sale in February 2021. The Ready Room’s former digs have since been transformed into the Hot Java Bar. Finally, the Mono cle closed in October 2020, while Platypus opened across the street a year Notable,later.too, are the major ad ditions that popped up in the county, including the $9 million St. Louis Music Park outdoor am phitheater in Maryland Heights, which opened in July 2021 as the final piece of the Centene Com munity Ice Center. Even further west is the Factory in Chesterfield, a whopping $23 million build ing in the District entertainment complex. Through its partnership with heavy-hitter booking agency Contemporary Productions, the venue has managed to bring in some top-tier acts since opening in July 2021.

Still, even for the big guys, COV ID-19 brought its fair share of chal lenges.“Itaffected the artists — they weren’t traveling as much,” Fac tory owner Michael Staenberg says of the venue’s early days. “That’s really what affected us, was the shows. When you have less shows, it’s kind of hard to do something.”Butasthings have begun to open up, and artists are hitting the road more frequently, that problem has started to sort itself out, and the Factory has increas ingly found its footing as a part of the local music landscape.

“Our last shows have been sold out at 80, 90, 100 percent,” Staen berg says. “People are really em bracing us and really are under standing who we are and what we’reWhereabout.”St. Louis seems most lacking at present is in the small er, more intimate venues. The loss of the Way Out Club was a major blow, but some of the trouble pre dates the pandemic. Foam closed in December 2019, and 2720 Per forming Arts Center closed a year and a half before that at the same time that Blank Space ceased hav ing regular hours. Still, there’s plenty of room for optimism on the smaller-venue front: 2720 has seen some new life as of late, opening this year as the Golden Record, and the Attic Mu sic Bar made its debut in South ampton in July 2021. Meanwhile, blues stalwarts such as Broadway Oyster Bar and BB’s are still going strong, and venues including the Duck Room, Heavy Anchor, Off Broadway, CBGB and the Focal Point are also pressing forward. Those venues that stayed afloat through the past few years didn’t do so through magic. According to Matt Stuttler, owner of the punk venue the Sinkhole, which closed for more than a year, it took a fair amount of work to keep his dream alive through the worst of the“Thepandemic.major thing was getting into grant writing,” Stutter ex plains. “So I spent a lot of time going through all the government assistance grants and the liberal artsThatgrants.”work seems to have paid off, and Stuttler is cautiously opti mistic that his venue has come out the other side — something one hopes can be said about all of St. Louis’ long-embattled live-music establishments.“Everything’s back to normal. I think we’re looking at 29 shows this month, and I would say since March of this year it’s been an av erage of 20 to 25 shows a month,” he says. “Which is pretty much where we were at right before COVID.” . Matt Stuttler worked hard to keep the Sinkhole open. |

DANIEL HILL

The final thing that these stillthriving arts organizations have in common is St. Louis itself. The community’s appetite for the arts remained steady throughout the pandemic.Itturns out that art, Peimann says, is essential.

“You want to make sure you’re not overspending,” Bell says.

Even with an increase in exter nal funding, most organizations saw reduced earned revenue dur ing the pandemic. But almost all had reduced expenses as well.

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Cinema St. Louis didn’t have to rent venues, hire drivers or book hotels, leaving its budget ratio similar to non-pandemic years. Stray Dog got crafty about its sets, swapping out increasingly expen sive wood for other materials.

BY JESSICA ROGEN

“The opera, the art museum, all of our institutions, are part of St. Louis culture. It’s part of who we are,” Peimann says. “Once we got past that first part of ‘we need food, we need shelter, we need ba sic services,’ everyone started re alizing music and art are essential — and something that makes life worthwhile.” .

“That filled in all the holes we would have had,” then-Executive Director Cliff Froehlich says, add ing that he and other staff had worried about draining the orga nization’s operating reserve.

Froehlich never had to tap into that reserve. But organizations that had reserves or endowments were able to game out different scenarios.“Wetried to come up with as many different scenarios as pos sible to see how things would go,” Froehlich says. “We developed what our burn rate would be if we were actually having to defi cit spend through this to see if we were going to be OK.”

“My instinct was just to keep going,” Bell says, “make sure that you’re keeping yourself in the eye of your subscribers.” Bell also called all of the the ater’s subscribers, and most do nated their subscription costs, which speaks to another com monality of success stories: Or ganizations with strong audience and donor relationships did well. Donors kept the Sheldon from having to think about layoffs. Strong audience demand kept the creative nonprofit Perennial innovating. The organization teaches creative skills, ranging from book binding to using tools like lathes. Executive Director Ka tie Carpenter recalls how demand for its clothing swap made the or ganization figure out how to offer what had been an in-person event safely through solo appointments.

Recipe for Survival

Cinema St. Louis received two PPP grants and American Rescue Act Funds through the Missouri Humanities Council and the Na tional Endowment for the Arts.

Stray Dog Theatre moved some shows outside during COVID-19. | STRAY DOG THEATRE

“Our community decided they wanted Perennial to make it through the pandemic,” she says, noting that many kept member ships despite fewer or delayed benefits. “[That] was not only cru cial from that financial perspec tive but from a momentum per spective. I don’t think the team could have put in the hard work they put in if we didn’t know peo ple were benefiting from it [and] rooting for us.”

It took crEativity, hustle and PPP funds, but some arts organizations emerged frOm the pandemic strOnger than ever

Another thing that kept Peren nial from having to make hard decisions was external funds, such as those from the Paycheck Protection Program. All the orga nizations in this article, and many more in St. Louis, received PPP funds on top of any annual grants — though some grantors had re duced resources to distribute.

I n the midst of the pandem ic, the Sheldon Concert Hall and Art Galleries held one of its biggest concerts ever. Over 14,000 people tuned in to stream a concert from singersongwriter Sarah Jarosz — a num ber made more impressive when compared to the concert hall’s 700-seat capacity. “It was very powerful,” Director of Advancement Chris Peimann says. “Even though we had fewer events, we had thousands more audience members taking in what we were Live-streameddoing.” performances helped the arts nonprofit become a pandemic success story. At the beginning of 2020, with more than 350 events on the schedule, the Sheldon had been at a high point before being forced to shut itsWhendoors. COVID-19 hit, the staff quickly pivoted to virtual pro gramming and approached the board about funds to purchase the proper equipment. As weeks turned to more than a year, the Sheldon continued to innovate with virtual education programs, outdoor concerts and more. So many businesses failed dur ing the pandemic. Arts organiza tions, dubbed “nonessential” by local governments, seemed espe cially vulnerable. Yet many, like the Sheldon, flourished. Among those that did well, a pattern of actions and character istics has emerged. Agility in pro gramming was a big one. Stray Dog Theatre, like the Shel don, changed course quickly. Ar tistic Director Gary F. Bell had the idea to create individual, physical boxes for the artists to perform in. They rehearsed and then released recorded performances. The theater also produced a radio play of Edgar Allan Poe po etry in October, a virtual soiree in December and then a Christmassong performance utilizing the boxes in December. It built an out door stage and added in reducedadmission shows.

Old,

Out With the In the the

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with

Queue Out with the Old, in with

W hen’s the last time you went to a trivia night? I’m not talking about trivia night at a bar or one of those virtual trivias on Zoom (ugh). What I mean is that peculiarly St. Louis thing where you and eight of your friends’ friends gather in a church basement or a union hall, drink and fill out sheet after sheet of answers until you’re bleary-eyed and a bit tipsy, and the winning table gets an en velope of cash. I’m talking about trivia nights with BYOB and spec tacular potluck spreads — where the table next to you inevitably brings a giant Crockpot of mol ten Buffalo chicken dip, and your group, with its sad sack of White Castle, is green-eyed with jealou sy. Those trivia nights. They’re a blast, and they’re a St. Louis institution that the pan demic has largely stolen from us. Maybe a few nonprofits managed to pull off their trivia nights in that brief blip last February when COVID-19 cases hit a temporary lull. Most didn’t. The old customs have been swept away, and in some cases, it’s not clear what will replace them, if we’ll ever go back to that shared Crockpot. Yet, we’ve soldiered on. We had to. COVID may still rage, but quar antine could only last so long; not only do our kids need school, but we need love and companionship — and art. For every canceled triv ia night, St. Louis boasts a restau rant that stayed open, a theater that rebounded, a show that went on. The show is now a bit differ ent. A few venues (the Rep, Op era Theatre of Saint Louis) still check vaccination status. Fewer still make the audience mask up. We’ve gotten used to frantically Googling “COVID policies” before we head out for the night — even if increasingly there are none. Work is different, too. Office hours are optional, flexible and seem to be ever shifting. So many people work from home at least a few days a week that you now no tice it on the roads — nobody goes to the office on Fridays — and even in-person meetings consis tently include a Zoom component. Face to face, we gingerly check in before we shake hands or hug, much less reach for a shared ap petizer. And when we order that appetizer, we’re not doing it off a menu. Nowadays, it’s all about the QR code, a technology that seemed headed for the dustbin of history only a few years ago. Looking at your phone instead of your din ing companion? Used to be totally rude, now totally necessary. Less rude: Now everyone at Schnucks gets in a single orderly queue. Who knew it would take a global pandemic to reorganize our checkout lines? Somehow, this rowdy city seems a bit quieter. Bars that used to stay open until 1 a.m. now often close at 10:45 p.m. You used to get to linger with that last drink; now you’re gently moved along. So many hospitality workers have left the business, restaurants have to keep their remaining staff happy. With so many restaurants closed — a jarring number for good — the customer isn’t always right. On many nights, you need a table more than they need cus tomers. That never used to be the case in St. SocializingLouis.has shifted. All those months of bars being closed made us realize that our backyard firepit isn’t so bad, and our neighbors can be downright fun. We learned how to drink outside when it was cold, hot and even rainy. We learned that it’s not about being seen so much as about seeing people we love — and being able to hear them. We learned things about our selves. We learned you could take away our childcare, our favor ite haunts and our routines, and we’d somehow be OK. We learned that even in a time of tragedy, life goes on. We learned that global pandemics are far from the great equalizer we were promised. We learned that the rich would get richer, the poor would truly suf fer and so many of us in the great struggling middle would struggle on. We learned that we are lucky. So many were not. Earlier this month, the CDC lift ed many of its remaining COVID guidelines, suggesting that testing asymptomatic people after expo sure no longer made sense and that “COVID-19 is here to stay.” With that, you can expect many performing arts companies to drop their testing regimens. Vac cine cards? A year from now, they may feel as archaic as pagers. And so perhaps in the coming months, trivia nights will again begin to pop up across the metro. Even the very careful St. Louis Symphony Orchestra dropped mask/vaccine requirements last spring — and after a five-week hiatus last winter for surging CO VID cases, bar service resumed at intermission. As we continue to inch towards our new normal, surely sweaty church basements and shared Crockpots of cheesy Buffalo chicken will be next. But even if not, we’ll be OK. We’ve endured worse. We’re still here, even if the classic St. Louisstyle trivia night isn’t. .

The pandemic changed how we socialize and how we stand in line — and that’s OK

Queue

BY SARAH FENSKE

First FrIdays

Old North Art Walk

A s summer turns to fall, we usually start think ing about the days get ting colder and shorter and feel some sadness. But then we remember something correspondingly delightful: Arts events slay in the fall. Whether that’s because every one is back on a schedule due to school or crisp air makes open ings and performances even bet ter is hard to say. Arts events this fall are set to be even sweeter as the coronavirus moves from pan demic to endemic and relaxed re strictions mean a return to some thing that looks a lot like normal. So grab a sweater and start planning out a fall full of some of the arts events most anticipated by the RFT. —Jessica Rogen

First Friday of every month, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. UrbArts Gallery, 2600 North 14th Street. Free. No phone. On the first Friday of every month, the streets of St. Louis’ Old North neighbor hood are filled with artwork: live music, DJs, gallery walks, spoken-word poetry — almost all produced by artists with lo cal ties. This is First Fridays Old North Art Walk, organized by arts nonprofit Ur bArts. Each art walk features a different group of emerging local artists — paint ers, musicians or poets. Though the art ists change, the location never does. Set in the heart of Old North, visitors can enjoy a historic neighborhood known for its St. Louis-red-brick homes, its restored main street and Crown Candy Kitchen. During the First Friday events, visitors can sample the neighborhood’s delights while listening to music, walking around Crown Square, trying treats from local restaurants, admiring the classic archi tecture and touring venues such as Ur bArts, Zuka Arts Guild and the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group.

—Daniel Hill Saint Louis Art Fair

—Benjamin Simon St. Louis World’s FarE FestivalHerItage

September 9 to February 12, 2023, times vary by date. Contemporary Art Museum, 3750 Washington Boulevard. Free. 314-535-4660. St. Louis has some of the finest art mu seums in the land, which bring astonish ing talent from across eras and schools for the city’s viewing. But what about the talent that hails from within this region? That’s where the Contemporary Art Mu seum’s Great Rivers Biennial comes in. Established in 2003 by CAM and the Gateway Foundation, the biennial identi fies three early or mid-career artists liv ing here, grants the winners $20,000 and features them in a group exhibition. This year’s recipients are Yowshien Kuo, a Taiwanese American painter whose work features and humanizes “those rel egated by recent histories”; Yvonne Osei, a German-born Ghanaian multimedia art ist, educator and advocate whose work explores beauty, racism and colorism; and Jon Young, a citizen of the Catawba Indian Nation whose sculptures consider language and signage in the American West. The biennial only comes around every other year, making it not only a notto-be-missed event but also an essential way to uncover some top visual-arts talent before the rest of the world wises up. —Jessica Rogen

September 9 to 11, times vary by date. Downtown Clayton. Free. 314-863-0278. You’re going to want to swipe right on this one: Saint Louis Art Fair is back for its 29th year with the theme “love is in the art.” At this year’s fair, art lovers can en joy browsing work from 180 vendors, who come from 33 states and three coun tries. Sculptures, mixed media, paintings and more will be on display and for sale. In addition, the art fair treats its attend ees to food samplings and live music. Plenty of local musicians are on the ros ter, including the Steve Ewing Duo and Meredith Shaw. The fair also has space for spoken word and dance performanc es, chalk-art creations and chef-inspired food demonstrations. As far as bites go, attendees will be able to enjoy sam plings from Clementine’s Naughty & Nice Creamery, Pappy’s Smokehouse, Juniper and more. It’s an art fair that combines all five senses, and it’s yours for the tak ing this September. —Jenna Jones GrEat BiennialRivers

The Punk Rock Art Show will be a record launch and an exhibition all at once. | JARED MINNICK

Can’t-Miss Events for Your Most Art-Packed Fall Yet 12 Can’t-Miss Events for Your Most Art-Packed Fall Yet

September 2 to 4, times vary by date. Upper Muny Lot at Forest Park, 1 Theatre Drive. Free, VIP passes available for $50 to $500. No phone. Some 118 years after the event that gave it its name, the St. Louis World’s Fare Heritage Festival (yes “Fare,” as its organizers would never be so presumptu ous as to spell it the 1904 way) returns to Forest Park to celebrate the spirit of the original with three days of food, music, art and dance. This Labor Day weekend, the party takes over the Upper Muny Lot with main-stage performances from the likes of Beastie Boys DJ Mix Master Mike, psychedelic rock/electronica duo Boom Box and ska-punk-funk-rockers Fishbone, all supported by some of St. Louis’ finest local acts. But, as the “Fare” in the name might indicate, it’s not only your ears that will be nourished at this event. Filling the bellies of attendees will be a cavalcade of St. Louis’ top food trucks, with a diver sity of flavors and cultures. It’s a whole weekend of great food, killer music, out standing art and more — and best of all, general admission is absolutely free.

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Music at Intersectionthe

September 10 and 11, times vary by date. Grand Center Arts District, Grand Boulevard and Washington Avenue. $79 to $650. No phone. Music at the Intersection returns for its second year with another strong bill buoyed by a stacked lineup of some of St. Louis’ finest artists alongside a killer set of celebrated national acts. The two-day festival will take over Grand Center with a roster of 50-plus artists peddling a diversity of sounds, includ ing soul, jazz, blues, hip-hop, rock and everything in between. Neo-soul legend

Left Bank Books prEsents Kendzior’sSarAh They Knew September 13, 7 p.m. The Ethical Society of St. Louis, 9001 Clayton Road, Ladue. Free. 314-367-6731.

The View from Flyover Country, repub lished by Flatirons Book in 2018. Since then, Kendzior has launched a popu lar podcast, Gaslit Nation, published on authoritarianism and written more books: Hidden in Plain Sight: The Inven tion of Donald Trump and the Erosion of America and They Knew: How a Culture of Conspiracy Keeps America Compla cent, which delves into the dangers of U.S. conspiracy-theory culture across the political spectrum. The latter tome goes on sale on September 13, and Left Bank Books will present a book launch at the Ethical Society featuring a conversation between Kendzior and St. Louis Public Radio reporter Jason Rosenbaum. St. Louisans should attend not only to bet ter understand the dark underbelly of America but also to support a fellow St. Louisan who spends almost as much Twitter real estate on pics of Missouri’s wilderness beauty as she does making dire predictions. —Jessica Rogen

turntable and watching the needle fall into the groove — the sheer tangibility of it all! — simply cannot be matched by any app or web address. Thankfully, those of us dedicated to the old ways have the St. Louis Record Show. Now in its 43rd year, the vinyl-forward celebration of music is still going strong, bringing row after row of crates for the discerning customer to dig through. The event takes place at the Czech Center every couple of months, with September 11 and November 6 as the last on the slate for 2022. General admission is only $3, but morning types might want to consider paying $5 for early admission — you don’t want those vinyl treasures walking away with some one else before you’re able to find them.

Within GoldentheHour October 1 and 2, times vary by date. Touhill Performing Arts Center, 1 Touhill Circle, Bellerive. $31 to $79. 314-516-4949.

Continued on pg 25

Nowadays, thanks to the magic of the internet and the myriad streaming ser vices it provides, all of the music in the known universe is easily accessible with nothing more than the touch of a cell phone screen. While that’s all well and good in the car, or when otherwise on the move, it’s no substitute for the joys of a vinyl record. The ritual of unsealing a new slab of wax and examining the liner notes, placing your prize carefully on a

Oft viewed as the Midwestern oracle of the modern times, journalist and aca demic Sarah Kendzior rose to national prominence for being one of the first — if not the first — to predict Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential win and unpack Mid dle America’s discontents through her 2015 self-published collection of essays

| VIA FLICKR / STEPHEN

Erykah Badu and blues-rock guitar vir tuoso Gary Clark Jr. top this year’s line up, with support from Hiatus Kaiyote, Kamasi Washington, Buddy Guy and Robert Glasper, as well as a slew of St. Louis-based artists including the Urge, Foxing, NandoSTL and more. It’s easily St. Louis’ most ambitious music festi val, and the fact that it takes place in the middle of September, on the same weekend that the now-bygone LouFest was traditionally held, makes clear that its organizers hope to grab the baton dropped by that event and carry it to the finish line and beyond. —Daniel Hill St. RecOrdLouisShow

September 11, 10 a.m. American Czech Center, 4690 Lansdowne Avenue. $3 to $5. 314-550-1814.

ChibuezeWILLIS Ihuoma leads Hadestown as Orpheus. KEVIN BERNE Artist Yvonne Osei. COURTESY PHOTO

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—Daniel Hill

Christopher Wheeldon gained a following for his Tony Award-winning choreography for MJ The Musical, a jukebox musical about Michael Jackson. But before he Find treasures at the St. Louis Record Show.

Punk Rock Art Show

—Jessica Rogen

“It is Wheeldon at his best in effective corps patterns and attractively quirky duets,” writes Jann Parry in a re view of the Royal Ballet’s performance. Composed by the late Ezio Bosso, the music draws on Vivaldi and the opulent beauty of Gustav Klimt’s paintings. With repeating rhythms and stirring melodies, the music is the perfect backdrop for the series of stirring and “quirky” pas de deux that make up the core of the piece. Saint Louis Ballet will be performing Within the Golden Hour with the Cham ber Music Society of St. Louis, which will add to the energy and verve of the piece. The evening also includes Romantique, a ballet by Gen Horiuchi, artistic director of Saint Louis Ballet, that’s performed with the Chamber Music Society’s jazz trio and a classical cellist.

| SAINT

The Good Ship St. Louis

ARTS EVENTS Continued from pg 23

—Jenna Jones

—Jenna Jones n Mix Master Mike is performing at St. Louis World’s Fare.

—Rosalind Early Hadestown

—Ryan Krull St. FilmInternationalLouisFestival

October 11 to 23, times vary by date. The Fabulous Fox Theatre, 527 North Grand Boulevard. $29 to $110, 314-534-1111. Raise hell at the Fox this fall with Ha destown, a Tony Award-winning musi cal that follows intertwined love stories from four characters in Greek mythology. You’ll hear the tunes of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice as well as listen in on King of the Underworld Hades and his wife Persephone as they work through relationship woes. It’s all narrated by an engaging and knowledgeable Hermes, the messenger god, famously played on Broadway by André De Shields. To add to the mix, there’s the overarching threat of climate change, poverty and the lure of an empty promise. The characters will have to figure out if one song can change their fates. It’s Greek mythology in its most enjoyable form: set to tap-your-foot good music.

The theme for this year’s Saint Louis Art Fair is “love is in the art.” LOUIS ART FAIR

October 15, 3 to 9 p.m. 31art Gallery, 3520 Hampton Avenue. Free. No phone. Art opening meets record launch meets that party you can’t ever stop talking about at 31art Gallery’s Punk Rock Art Show. Going up for its fourth year, the group show features live performances from — you guessed it — punk rock acts. This year will be the first that’s also a record launch — for California’s “rockabilly surfer punk band” Bent Duo — from gallery owners Jared and Amy Minnick’s label, 31art Music. In addi tion to performances from Bent Duo, Bruiser Queen and Darling Skye, the show will feature artwork from 16 local artists including Jared Minnick, Maxine Thirteen, Andy Dykeman and more. 4 Hands Brewing Co. will sponsor the event, so delicious brews will be on of fer. If that all isn’t enough, 31art Gal lery has the fanciest, mirror-festooned bathroom this side of the Mississippi set up for selfie perfection.

riverfronttimes.com AUGUST 24-30, 2022 RIVERFRONT TIMES 25 veered into narrative dance and musi cals, Wheeldon was known for well-craft ed, one-act ballets. Within the Golden Hour is one such example, created for the 2008 San Francisco Ballet New Works Festival.

| COURTESY COPELAND ENTERTAINMENT

November 3 to 13, multiple times and locations. $10 to $50. 314-289-4150. Is there a better escape from reality than watching a film? Whether you’re immers ing yourself in the characters’ foibles or a plot line that rivals your own problems, it’s a perfect, enjoyable distraction. Local ly, there’s no better source of genre-en compassing, life-distracting movie mara thons than the St. Louis International Film Festival, which is celebrating its 31st year and bills itself as being “the largest and highest-profile international film fes tival in the Midwest.” Last year, the fest showed over 400 films in a hybrid format; attendees could stream films or visit a theater for viewings. Films vary in genre — documentaries, shorts and narratives, and more. While the lineup had yet to be announced at press time, SLIFF is guar anteed to have great flicks on offer.

November 3 to 20, times vary by date. The Marcelle, 3310 Samuel Shepard Drive. $25 to $35. 314-533-0367. Upstream Theater’s show The Good Ship St. Louis is named after the MS St. Louis, a diesel-powered ship that left Germany in 1939 with Jewish passengers on board who hoped to escape Nazi perse cution. The ensuing trip became known as the “Voyage of the Damned” as port after port in North America refused to let the passengers disembark. The ship was ultimately turned back to Europe, where many of the passengers died in the Holocaust. Upstream Theater’s artis tic director, Philip Boehm, says that The Good Ship St. Louis takes that story as a springboard for “a broader exploration of refuge and asylum.” Including both original and period music, Upstream’s production opens in 1939 but moves for ward in time to tell stories of people from Central America, Bosnia and Ukraine who have sought refuge away from their homelands. “It will be a little bit kaleido scopic,” Boehm says, adding that much of the script is taken from primary ac counts written by refugees.

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House Party

The Brontë sisters are throwing the house party of (multiple) life times, and you’re invited.

FRIDAY 08/26 Bookworm Central St. Louis metro-area readers might want to look up from their books right now and pull out their calendars: The inaugural Mis souri Book Festival will celebrate all-things reading and literacy over the course of two days. Missouri Book Festival kicks off with a keynote address from au thor John Brown — who wrote Missouri Legends, a book about famous people from the Show-Me State — on Friday, August 26. Trivia hosted by author Bill Clevlen (who wrote 100 Things to Do in America Before You Die and is a former ra dio disc jockey) will follow. The festival continues Saturday, August 27, at 10 a.m. A plethora of activities are scheduled for the day: author presentations and workshops, food shops, vendors, a petting farm and more. Chef Father Dominic (a.k.a the Bread Monk) will also be in attendance for a baking demonstration. Circus Harmony promises a “high-flying performance.”Thebookfestival (missouribook festival.com) will take over down town Washington, Missouri, on Friday, August 26, at 7 p.m. and Sat urday, August 27, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event is free to attend.

The Brontë Sister House Party is full of fun. | JOEY RUMPELL Explore the art museum at night with live music and cocktails. SAINT LOUIS ART MUSEUM

| COURTESY

THURSDAY 08/25 Part of the Chase Wrestling at the Chase ended in 1985 and therefore is an enigma to some in St. Louis. But thankfully, the Missouri History Museum has kept record of the Lou’s claim to wrestling fame and is celebrating it at Wrestling at the Chase night, which recaps the 1959 premiere of the TV show. This was back during wrestling’s golden years, when people would dress up and go to the Chase Park Plaza Hotel’s Khorassan Room to view matches ringside. Thousands more would tune in on TV, which in turn gave rise to professional wrestling. The upcoming event will ex plore the history of the TV show while also providing wrestlingthemed activities. Fashion your own wrestling belt, play Rock ’Em Sock ’Em Robots, or contrib ute your memories of the show to share on a 2D wrestling ring. The St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame display will be available for your viewing pleasure as well. Ed Wheatley, who wrote the book Wrestling at the Chase, will give a lecture and sign books later in the evening. Live wrestling matches are also on the docket. Food and beverages from Salt and Smoke will be available.

CALENDAR

Showtime is 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 to $25 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

The Missouri History Museum (5700 Lindell Boulevard, sionp.m.chase-2)tory.org/events/wrestling-at-the-mohishoststheeventat5:30Thursday,August25.Admisisfree.

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SLAM Underground Art, music, cocktails — is there any better combination? SLAM Under ground mixes those three together for one of St. Louis’ most popular

BY JENNA JONES

Slightly Askew Theatre Ensem ble is staging the world premiere of Courtney Bailey’s Brontë Sis ter House Party, an absurd, re visionist feminist tribute to the literary legends. The premise is Groundhog Day-esque: Charlotte (Maggie Conroy), Anne (Cassidy Flynn) and Emily (Rachel Tib betts) Brontë are stuck in a purga torial time loop where they must throw a fabulous house party ev ery day for eternity. Only once the party achieves a certain standard may they be released from the loop. The play is a tribute to all the women artists who have cre ated under pressure and still can throw a kick-ass party. Brontë Sister House Party is Thursday, August 25, through Sat urday, August 27, at the Chapel (6238 Alexander Drive, satestl.org).

Jaime Lees Save the Skates Mission Taco Joint co-owners Adam and Jason Tilford grew up skateboarding. The brothers went through high school and college on four wheels, and now they have a chance to give back to that com munity through a partnership with SK8 Liborius, a nonprofit organiza tion that doubles as an arts center and workshop. Liborius is a church that has been converted into a skate park and now you can help support it at Save Sk8 Liborius: Food Truck Pop-Up Fundraiser & Volunteer Day. Pay-what-you-wish tacos and margaritas will be avail able on site. A live DJ and an ongo ing silent auction provide the day’s entertainment as both Mission Taco Joint and Sk8 Liborius work to save the historic church. Visit SK8 Liborius (1850 Hogan Street) on Saturday, August 27, at noon to help fundraise for the revitalization of the church. The event runs until 6 p.m. Visit the Facebook event page for more in formation.

TUESDAY 08/30 Joyous Return Girl power reigns supreme at the House of Joy’s preview perfor mances this week. Directed by Lavina Jadhwani, the Rep’s first play of the season is set in a daz zling utopia. A new guard joins the emperor’s army, but as time goes on, she discovers the utopia is more prison than paradise. An adventure mixed with elements of fantasy, the show promises combat, stunning sets and steamy romance. Catch a preview perfor mance on Tuesday, August 30, at 7 p.m. at the Loretto-Hilton Center (130 Edgar Road, Webster repstl.org/events/detail/house-Groves; of-joy). The play officially opens Friday, September 2, and runs through Sunday, September 18.

n WEEK OF AUGUST 25-31

riverfronttimes.com AUGUST 24-30, 2022 RIVERFRONT TIMES 29 monthly events. This month’s focus will be on one of the newer exhibits in the museum, Catching the Mo ment: Contemporary Art from the Ted L. and Maryanne Ellison Sim mons Collection. Ted Simmons is a former Cardinals baseball player, while his wife, Maryanne Ellison Simmons, owns a print shop in St.TourLouis.the beautiful museum and meet some of the artists featured in the new exhibit. Printmaking shop Central Print hosts activities and demonstrations. Guests can indulge in live music and signa ture cocktails on site. Visit the Saint Louis Art Muse um (1 Fine Arts Drive, sionFriday,event/slam-underground-stl)slam.org/onAugust26,at7p.m.Admisisfree.

Veggie Tales Buckle in, vegans of St. Louis. Veg Fest is back, and it’s serving up delicious vegan eats for its fourth year. Enjoy food from rootberry, the Flavored Pickle Bar, Station No. 3 and more. In 2019, VegFest had entertainment, speakers, kids’ activities and free yoga. The fanfare is back this year, with in die musician Penny Eau perform ing, as well as comedian Steven Marcus Releford. Yoga takes place at noon and 3 p.m., while the op portunity to partake in a sound bath happens at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. VegFest is on Sunday, August 28, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the World’s Fair Pavilion (1904 Con course Drive, stlouisvegfest.org/ the-event). It’s free to attend and goes on rain or shine.

SATURDAY 08/27

Wrestling at the Chase is in the spotlight once more.

AcclaimInternational

SUNDAY 08/28 Wolf-Tastic You won’t have to howl at the moon, but you can unleash your inner wolf at Yoga in the Woods. Citra Fitness and Movement leads 60-minute classes designed to en ergize the body and ease the mind. The class is at a time of day when the wolves are most vocally active. Guests need to bring their own mat and a reusable water bottle to the class. Yoga in the Woods takes place at the Endangered Wolf Center (6750 Tyson Valley Road, $25onendangeredwolfcenter.org/yoga)Eureka;Sunday,August28.Ticketsareandcanbepurchasedonline.

The perennially popular Festival of Nations is back in Tower Grove Park. Hosted by the International Institute of St. Louis, the two-day festival offers food, fashions and performances from around the world. It goes like this: The park is transformed into a large out door multicultural center for the festival, with stages set up to view music and dance. Artists sell their wares, and a huge variety of foods is Theavailable.event will be held on Sat urday, August 27, and Sunday, August 28, at Tower Grove Park (4257 Northeast Drive, festivalof nationsstl.org) and you can visit the website for more information. It is free to attend and enjoy the performances, but if you want to try some of the tasty food available (and trust us, you do), make sure you come prepared to pay just a bit for the privilege.

| COURTESY REEDY PRESS

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At Big Mama’s in East St. Louis, success comes from more than top-rated barbecue Written by VICTOR STEFANESCU Big Mama’s BBQ Express 5900 St. Clair Avenue, East St. Louis; 618-398-8950. Mon.-Sun. 11 a.m.-8 p.m. C raig Hunter, owner of Big Mama’s BBQ Express in East St. Louis, says the counterservice joint has never need ed ads to attract patrons. Through decades of business and the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s instead relied on the rave referrals of ho tel bellhops, conventiongoers and others that bring customers rolling into the city’s top-rated restaurant. “Now, some people are not go ing to go to East St. Louis and eat barbecue because of the stigma of East St. Louis,” he says. “But … word of mouth is so powerful and soThestrong.”concept began 22 years ago when Hunter and his wife went to Orlando. They waited a long time at a barbecue spot only to receive an underwhelming product. “We thought we could do such a better job,” he says. The couple drove back home, where they spotted a “For Rent” sign at the former storefront of a Chinese restaurant on West Main Street in Belleville. The next day, they called the listed number and signed a lease the day after that. That led to a successful run in Belleville.But14years later, Hunter de cided to take a chance on East St. Louis.“We wanted to go back toward East St. Louis and see if we can make a difference and do some thing down here to kind of uplift the community,” he says. A lot of people thought the move wouldn’t work, Hunter says.

L orenzo Jones, who does a lot of the pit work, gets to Big Mama’s at seven in the morn ing on a typical day. He over sees the restaurant’s two giant smokers as they revolve brisket, spare ribs and more. Unlike other St. Louis area joints, Hunter says the meat gets barbe cued barrel-style, rotating over high heat for two to 2 1/2 hours. The restaurant is perhaps most known for its snoots, a fatty cut from the pig’s face. Big Mama’s ships them out by the hundreds to Chicago and elsewhere.

“We knew that if somebody brought a good product down here and actually cared about the people, that it would actually work,” Hunter says.

Word Mouthof

Charles Kezirian — a Shiloh resi dent who first went to Big Mama’s in Belleville and remained a patron after it moved — swears by the three-pound jumbo pork steaks.

The new location seems unas suming at first. The restaurant sits wedged between a resale shop and correctional facility at the cor ner of St. Clair Avenue and North Kingshighway in a brick building that Hunter says is undersized. But at that location — in a city that residents and businesses have been leaving for over half a century — Big Mama’s has thrived for seven years.

Big Mama’s BBQ’s signature items include pig snoot, sweet and spicy chicken wings, pulled pork, loaded fries and more.

| MABEL SUEN

“I guarantee it: We sell the most snoots in the country,” Hunter says. The first bite can be intimidat ing, Hunter admits. Even though the cut never hits a fryer, the meat is crispy and snaps — then melts — in the mouth. It tastes like a more substantial version of a pork rind that’s enhanced with a smokiness that comes from the barrel and a char developed by the high heat. Big Mama’s signature sauce smothers the snoot, adding heat and sweetness that complements the otherwise savory dish. With the second, third and fourth bites, you might become addicted. Big Mama’s also offers the more traditional beef and pork cuts you might find throughout St. Louis.

Continued on pg 35

CAFE 33

Craig Hunter and Laurie Shannon are the co-owners of Big Mama’s. | MABEL SUEN

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| MABEL SUEN

The Cooter Sandwich features your choice of barbecued meat topped with fries, cheese, “Cooter sauce” and green onions.

| MABEL

Big Mama’s barbecues barrel-style over high heat. SUEN Co-owner Laurie Shannon bakes the variety of cakes on offer.

Co-owner Craig Hunter says Big Mama’s sells the most in the country. SUEN

pieces $9 49 Cooters … �� $9�99 Jumbo pork steak $12 99 BIG MAMA’S Continued from pg 33

“We gotta make our community just as nice as O’Fallon and Fair view Heights, and get people buy ing some houses,” he says. “But I don’t want to preach.”

Hunter says young people in East St. Louis are not offered the same opportunities as those else where. When they grow older, many of them will need to travel outside its jurisdiction for quality jobs, he says. “We need jobs out here,” he says. “We need Amazon — we need these marijuana plants — and all these places that have these jobs.”

| MABEL SUEN

“It’s big and delicious, and you gotta be hungry,” says Kezirian, who passed two acclaimed barbe cue spots on the way to Big Mama’s.

“I believe that if you come here, people will support you, 110 per cent,” he says. “I believe that if you [and your business] are suc cessful … you have an obligation to help a community like this.”

But for East St. Louis, Hunter says he wants even more.

With its cooters, chicken wings and fresh salads, Big Mama’s af fordable menu pulls through for classic barbecue fans or younger customers looking for funkier and healthier choices. Despite the res taurant’s historic run in the Metro East, young talent does a lot of the cooking at Big Mama’s. Jones first started working at the restaurant when he was 23 and asked a friend for job recom mendations. Now, nine years lat er, he calls Hunter a mentor. B ig Mama’s sauces line Schnucks’ shelves. The res taurant can sell up to 300 slices of cake a day. Hunter even says Big Mama’s has won nonprofit UCP Heartland’s Wing Ding competition. But he’s most proud of something else.

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The restaurant also serves the unfortunately named cooter sand wich, which comes smothered with pulled chicken, loaded fries and a secret chili-style sauce that looks more like a chipotle mayo. Even through the layers of top pings, you can still taste a nutty char in the chicken and feel the hit of spice in the sauce. It’s a mon ster of a dish that gives the energy of viral food, even though it was around way before social media.

“The people who work for me, one of the biggest things that I can do is I can show them that there is a way for them to make it,” he says. On a Thursday earlier this month, Hunter bounced around the front of the house, chatting with almost every customer who walked through the door. He pointed out that those walking in, ranging from the construction worker to employees with top-se cret status at Scott Air Force Base, were of all strata and races. The day before, Hunter closed the restaurant for the day to take a group of employees he was men toring to Six Flags. Last year, they went to New Orleans.

In the future, Hunter plans to open an additional Big Mama’s lo cation in St. Louis with some of the employees he is training as co-own ers. As for the Metro East location, he hopes it stays open forever.

Big Mama’s BBQ Express Snoot

snoots

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The London Tea Room is leaving Tower Grove South for a new location by Centene Stadium Written by ROSALIND EARLY T he London Tea room, a bakery and cafe that offers afternoon teas, is moving from its Tower Grove South location to the Downtown West neighbor hood this fall. “I’m excited to be in the middle of something really amazing!” owner Jackie James said in a statement. James took over the London Tea Room from her par ents in June. “With the new soccer sta dium opening next year and all the new developments in the area, we’re happy to get in on the ground floor of St. Louis’ next fashionable neighborhood.”

| VIA

“That’s what’s been selling out the most,” Ahmadi says, noting that a top seller is root, a lightly sweet bread-like cookie that is fra grant with hints of cardamom and topped with sesame seeds. Her favorite, though, is kulche shor, a sweet and salty cookie that she enjoys dipped in a milky tea called sheer chai. “I used to have these other pastries, but I’m like, hon estly, you can get those anywhere, so let me just bring in more of the Afghan tradition.” Star’s Afghan cookies stand out in St. Louis. Not only because few area bakeries carry the treats but also because they draw upon Ah madi’s heritage. An Afghan refu gee, she immigrated to St. Louis at age eight with her family and has lived here in the 20 years since.Ahmadi didn’t always plan on going into food. She started her career as an accountant and went into tax preparation before moving to corporate accounting. But, after a few years, she real ized that she hated it.

The London Tea Room will continue full operations at its current location at 3128 Morganford Road until September 4 when it will end cafe service. Custom ers can still schedule an afternoon tea or visit the retail shop through October 9 af ter which the location will close entirely. The new location is one block from Centene Stadium at 1900 Locust Street and will open October 15. After the move, the tea room will still host its famous after noon teas and include a retail shop, but it will also have space for private events with capacity for more than 300 guests.

Written by JESSICA ROGEN D rive down Grand Boule vard in Holly Hills too fast, and you might miss a small, unassuming storefront on the corner of South Grand Boulevard and Bates Street. That would be a huge mistake — so slow down — as it is the home of the recently opened Star Bakery & Cafe (5547 South Grand Boule vard, 314-769-9380) The restaurant is the debut of fering from Nikki Ahmadi, an accountant turned baker. Star, which opened on July 16, serves breakfast, lunch and pastries in cluding macaroons, beautifully layered slices of cakes and tradi tional Afghan sweets — the most popular of her offerings so far.

[FOOD NEWS]

“Sitting at a desk, it was not my thing,” Ahmadi says. “I wanted to move around and talk to people.” She started baking for fun and for stress relief, moving into pre paring wedding cakes for family andThen,friends.in2019, she decided to enter the baking competition at Bride St. Louis’ Cake & Cham pagne Bridal Show. Her entry, va nilla with a blueberry filling, won Best Tasting Cake. “I decided, this is what I love,” Ahmadi says. “I decided to quit the corporate job and just start baking and just open a storefront and go about it.” Ahmadi lives in Holly Hills and spotted her current storefront when it went up for rent for the second time in a short period. She recalls peering inside and thinking, “OK, let’s see how it goes.”Getting set up took a few months; Ahmadi was deliberate about keeping her decor aligned with the wedding industry. On one side, she installed a blue flower wall. From the ceiling, she hung garlands of fake flowers and a wall of ivy separates the front of the bakery from the kitchen. Light from the restaurant’s large windows makes the space feel bright and welcoming, and a smattering of cute chairs and tables make it an ideal spot to hold a low-key party. Which is appropriate since Star can be used for hosting bridal parties, children’s teas and other events, either during the day hours or after hours.

Star Bakery & Cafe serves a selection of Afghan pastries.

In addition, Ahmadi is still bak ing her award-winning wedding cakes in vanilla, chocolate or marble. What makes them really special is her buttercream frost ing, she says. “It’s like the perfect sweetness,” she says. “A lot of my customers are like, “Oh my God, everyone loved the cake. It was just perfect.’”

Shed a Tea-r

JESSICA ROGEN

The London Tea Room has been in Tower Grove South since 2014. Previously, the restaurant was downtown, attached to English Living furniture store. n

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The SweetnessPerfect Star Bakery & Cafe offers Afghan sweets, wedding cakes and more in Holly Hills

SHORT ORDERS 37

Nikki Ahmadi opened Star Bakery & Cafe at the end of July. |

The London Tea Room will relocate at the start of Setember TEMPEST TEA/FLICKR

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According to Cannonball Productions, altogether it will be a “hard seltzer para dise.” That’s might even be enough for my bubble-water-loving fam to make the jump.

“These aren’t your $2 chickenof-the-sea tasteless tuna,” Porem ba said in a statement. “These are some of the world’s most praised delicacies, and I can’t wait to share them.” Bar Moro will also feature an ex tensive wine selection from Spain and Portugal, especially sherry. Poremba and former Billie-Jean owner, Zoe Robinson, are friends, and Poremba says he doesn’t plan to change much in the restau rant’s“Ourdecor.aim is to create a dining experience that is both sophisti cated and relaxed,’” Poremba said in a statement. “That’s always been the charm and magic of Zoe’s places. That is her true legacy and imprint on our dining scene. And that is what I wish to carry on.” n Bar Moro will serve classic Spanish tapas and regional specialties.

GREG RANNELLS Seltzerland will have more than 100 seltzers for attendees to sample.

‘Hard Seltzer Paradise’ St. Louis-area bubble-water lovers can sample more than 100 alcoholic seltzer varieties at Illinois’ Seltzerland Written by JESSICA ROGEN B efore the New York Times Maga zine’s glowing recommendation for flavored, effervescent water, before Millennials were bedecking them selves in brand T-shirts, before rank ing every flavor became the thing to do, there was a humble Midwestern house hold where cans of a beverage called La Croix were regularly consumed without muchYes,comment.that’sright: my family loved LaC roix before it was popular. We didn’t call it LaCroix though. We didn’t even call it seltzer.Itwas bubble water — something to drink that was healthier than soda or something to mix with chocolate syrup to make a phosphate (“It fizzes up to a won derful chocolate drink,” my mother says). Inevitably, the rest of the world caught up, approximately in 2015, according to a very in-depth look by Vox. The next inev itable step came in 2016. Yes, I’m talking about White Claw, that kind-of low-cal, re freshing alcoholic seltzer beloved by a lot of people across the U.S. and probably some other countries, too. (Though, odd ly, never adopted by my bubble wateringloving family.) But nothing can be popular for long without imitators, leading to a market positively slammed to the max with alco holic seltzers — so many that it’s impos sible for most bubble-water enthusiasts to even thing about trying a sizable share of them.Impossible — until now. Well, actually, until October 15, when St. Louisans will have the opportunity to try more than 100 (100!) hard seltzers in one sitting during Cannonball Production’s Seltzer land, which will take place in GCS Union Ballpark (2301 Grizzlie Bear Boulevard, Sauget, Illinois). Early bird tickets range from $29 to $49 through Labor Day, and attendees can opt into sessions that be gin at 11:30 a.m. or 2:30 p.m. A portion of the proceeds will go toward Forage Forward, a nonprofit that supports com munities in Seltzerlandneed.will have offerings from “brands big and small” such as Bou levard Brewing Company, Mike’s Hard Lemonade Seltzer, Vizzy, Topo Chico Hard Seltzer, BuzzBallz and, naturally, White Claw. The event will also feature entertainment: DJs, seltzer pong, lem onade ladder golf, cornhole and some kind of inflatable selfie thing dubbed the “bubble booth.”

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Written by JESSICA ROGEN

Yet Another! Ben Poremba to open SpanishMediterranean concept Bar Moro in Clayton very soon

I nquiring minds want to know: Does Ben Poremba ever get tired?Since arriving on the St. Louis restaurant scene in 2008, the Bengelina Hospitality Group chef and owner has opened fine-dining spot Elaia and the Benevolent King. He’s converted a service station to a Mediterranean/Israeli restaurant with Olio, opened and then closed Old Standard and Parigi, expand ed the Elaia/Olio compound down Tower Grove Avenue with Nixta and AO&CO, launched children’s store Honeycomb with Zoe Kaem merer, created lifestyle brand B. Poremba Feinschmecker and re leased a fragrance with Saint Rita Parlor. If that wasn’t enough, earlier this year, Poremba announced he’d be opening a Jewish-style deli, the Deli Divine, in Maxine Clark’s Delmar Divine building in February next year. Then the chef let St. Louis diners know to expect another new concept, Bar Moro, a Spanish and Mediterra nean restaurant that will take the space formerly held by Billie-Jean on Wydown in Clayton. So, Poremba, do you ever sleep? The answer to that query must be no as the restaurateur plans to open Bar Moro late summer or early fall, which is approximately right now. The spot’s name refer ences Moors, and Poremba aims to honor the food and cultural tra ditions of his Moroccan heritage, Moorish Spain and the Moorish Mediterranean.Thatwillmean classic Spanish tapas and regional specialties, in cluding charcuterie, cheeses and conservas (tinned fish and other seafood).

| MARIA YOUNG

Picasso’s keep things strong in St. Charles by building family over coffee Written by JENNA JONES Picasso’s Coffee Multiple locations including 101 North Main Street, St. Charles, 636-925-2911.

ANDY PAULISSEN

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Picasso’s went through busi ness-model changes during the COVID-19 pandemic — closing the dining room, offering curbside pickup and shipping coffee blends nationwide — like many other shops, and now is finally getting to a place where it can focus on rebuilding the in-person commu nity“Foraspect.acouple of years, that com munity piece of it seemed to be lost because we couldn’t have a dining room, we couldn’t have music for a while,” Schulte says. “We just shut down completely, and it really wasKnowingtough.” Picasso’s would get back to a place where it would be comfortable welcoming everyone and holding open-mic nights again — which take place on Friday and Saturday nights — is what kept the staff going. Schulte is excited for a new partnership with rootbound, a coffee shop that opened down the street, where they’ll take turns hosting the open-mic nights. As the “old dog on the block,” Schulte says, it’ll be fun to bring in some newPicasso’sblood. leans heavily on its team. Schulte begins listing off Picasso’s Coffee has become a St. Charles institution.

Established 2003 E nter Picasso’s Coffee on Historic Main Street in St. Charles, and you’ll find a quaint spot dimly lit and filled to the brim with a di verse crowd. In one corner, a col lege student scribbles furiously in a notebook; in the next, a group of older men recap their days. Another corner houses a micro phone on certain evenings, luring those brave enough to perform in front of the night’s crowd. From the first moment you step into the door, everyone and ev erything makes Picasso’s feel like home — like you could seamlessly blend into the crowd and feel like you’ve known those around you forButyears.thecoffee shop wasn’t inten tionally set up to feel this homey. In fact, it began as a simple career change.Owner Chris Schulte was work ing for Miller Brewing Company before he ventured into the coffee industry. He traveled and worked in places such as Des Moines, Iowa, and Kansas City, Missouri, before settling in St. Louis. But he had a longtime dream of opening a coffeehouse. In 2003, Schulte took the leap. “I love good coffee,” Schulte says. “Back then, I really didn’t know what I was getting into. I think, at the time, I was just want ing to have my own business, start my own company. I didn’t expect the relationships. You get to know so many people, and it becomes one big family, and that’s the main thing.”Schulte spent time traveling and scribbling ideas down in the two years before leaving Miller. He recalls walking the entire city of San Diego at one point, going coffee shop to shop, taking notes on what he liked and didn’t like about each one, so he could apply it to his business. Then, rinse and repeat for each city, hundreds of visits that helped give rise to Pi casso’s reign. The coffee shop’s name has roots back to Schulte’s childhood; his mother, a Spanish teacher, loved the artist Pablo Picasso and ingrained that love of Picasso and Spain into a young Schulte. If you don’t want to take his word for it, all Schulte has to do is pull up his sleeve to reveal a Picasso-inspired tattoo.Picking “Picasso’s” felt like a natural way to pay homage to his mom, and Schulte figured that each drink in his shop should have an artsy name to go along with the theme. “And then ‘The art of coffee’ is just the tagline, which is kind of cheesy,” Schulte says with a laugh. But it works. Each coffee crafted within the four walls is a masterpiece, topped with beauti ful designs in the foam. Schulte backs up his tagline by putting

A ofPieceHome

local artists’ work on the coffee blends’ packaging and through open-mic nights at the Historic Main Street location. Schulte opened the original Pi casso’s location in O’Fallon, Mis souri, where he was drawn to the prospect of a coffee shop because of the community around the business. The store in O’Fallon remained open for about four years before making a permanent move to its home on Historic Main Street, which opened in 2005, and Schulte opened another location in St. Charles on Beale Street about six years after that. The coffee in dustry is very neighborhood-cen tric, Schulte says, explaining that everyone goes only to their neigh borhood coffee shop and that the Picasso’s customer base is over 50 percentThroughregulars.open-mic nights and St. Charles residents’ support, the coffee shops have become a land mark of the city. That stable base became key during the pandemic, when support from the commu nity and city officials helped the two locations make it through a time notoriously difficult for food establishments.

40 RIVERFRONT TIMES AUGUST 24-30, 2022 riverfronttimes.com

FOOD SCENE[ ]

n ICONIC

most, a high-quality coffee shop,” Schulte says. “The rest, there’s times when you just got to get out of the way as an owner and let the company or the business be come itself. And you kind of got to let “Yougo.realize that if you have good people, they start to leave their mark on the company as well. You start to step back and let them take ownership. And once you let the staff take the ownership, you won because then the identity of the company, that family atmo sphere, that feeling you get when you come in here, that’s them. It’s authentic. It’s not just a boss tell ing you what to do. You just get out of the way, you know, and let the business evolve and grow.” Schulte plans to continue to challenge himself and his team to keep growing. As far as the future of Picasso’s, it will keep on roast ing coffee, opening doors to the community and letting the live music play on. And it will still feel like home, like every customer’s own personal community. PEOPLE, PLACES & THAT ANCHOR STL’S

From its name to its decor, Picasso’s displays an artistic ethos. |

“I wanted to make sure that we were coffee people first and fore

riverfronttimes.com AUGUST 24-30, 2022 RIVERFRONT TIMES 41 the names as he sits in a chair at the Beale Street location: There’s Chip and Jenna, a married couple who work at separate locations but met in the stores; there’s Aus tin working behind the counter; and there’s Chef Chris, the kitchen manager, who has “really elevat ed” the food program at Picasso’s, Schulte says. All together, there are more than a dozen upbeat, diverse people who work to keep Picasso’s running. The team is close knit. They go to coffee-roasting classes to gether, and they do holiday par ties; Schulte encourages a family atmosphere. Fostering those re lationships among staff is all part of keeping the shop going — good people are essential, and it’s a labor-intensive business. Schulte tries to hire those dedicated to the art of being a barista; Picasso’s can roast the best coffee in the world, but if the barista doesn’t pull the right espresso or steam the milk correctly, the coffee will be ruined.

ANDY PAULISSEN Picasso’s offers sweet treats as well as coffee. | ANDY PAULISSEN

DISHES

Picasso’s uses local artists’ work on its coffee-blend packaging. | ANDY PAULISSEN Chris Schulte founded Picasso’s in 2003. | ANDY PAULISSEN

42 RIVERFRONT TIMES AUGUST 24-30, 2022 riverfronttimes.com THEERADRIVER PLUS SUMMER SALT, ALMOST MONDAY FRI, SEPT 2 89.1 KCLC PRESENTS OH, BIRTHDAYWORLDINVERTED-21STTOUR THE SHINS PLUS JOSEPH Tue, Sept 06 THE AUSTRALIANPINKFLOYDSHOWSat,Sept10 40TH ANNIVERSARYTOUR CHRISTOPHERCROSSFri,Sept16TROMBONESHORTY&ORLEANSAVENUEThurs,Sept22JUDAH&THELION PLUS SMALLPOOLS Fri, Sept 23 KSHE KLASSIC CAR SHOW & CONCERT FEAT. JACKYL & PEARCYSTEPHENOFRATTSUN,SEPT25WHEELERWALKER,JR.SAT,OCT1 SUPERACHE TOUR Mon,CONANGRAYOct3 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLING AUTHOR RACHELHOLLIS RACH TALK LIVE! Sat, Oct 8

S ix years after The Glass Me nagerie and four years before Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Ten nessee Williams turned his eye on an Italian immigrant community living in Mississippi in The Rose Tattoo, which depicts a seamstress’ journey from happy wife to sudden widow paralyzed by grief. The play ran for nearly a year on Broadway and had sev eral successful revivals, but today it’s remembered, if it’s remem bered, for Anna Magnani winning the Best Actress Oscar for her role in the 1955 film adaptation. Now on stage at the Big Top in Grand Center, the Tennessee Wil liams Festival St. Louis’ produc tion is directed by David Kaplan, curator and co-founder of the Provincetown Tennessee Wil liams Theater Festival. Working off an idea by the St. Louis festi val’s founding artistic director, Carrie Houk, he stages the action as a Fellini-style circus. It doesn’t always work; having the priest briefly don ringmaster’s garb, for example, adds nothing to our un derstanding of the play, nor does a cameo from a real, live horse. (The real, live goat looks positive ly Whatmiserable.)makes this production worth seeing, though, isn’t only the rare opportunity to witness one of Williams’ second-tier plays — or even the realization that even lesser Williams is pretty damn entertaining. No, the real joy here is watching two actors at the top of their game. As the seamstress Serafina Delle Rose, Rayme Cornell finds heart and soul in a part that could eas ily sink into cliche. Lighting up the second half of the play as her new love interest, Alvaro, is Bradley Tejeda, who made a huge impres sion in last year’s brilliant festival production of The Glass Menager ie. As a beleaguered banana truck driver who explains that his bur dens include three dependents and a last name that translates, roughly, to “eat a horse,” Tejeda chews up the scenery to delightful comedicSomehow,effect.this enormously ap pealing actor takes a play that seems headed for tragedy and makes the comedic turn utterly believable. Watching Tejeda and Cornell interact, you understand the attraction, you understand her hesitancy and you root for that rarest of Tennessee Williams con clusions: a happy ending. There will be no spoilers here, but how nice to see that not every Williams’ play ends with abandonment or a trip to the insane asylum! As it turns out, the playwright had good reason for a lighter mood. When Williams wrote The Rose Tattoo, not only was he rid ing high after earlier plays took Broadway by storm, but he was also in the throes of a passionate love affair. He dedicated this play to his lover, Frank Merlo, who was from a working-class ItalianAmerican family in New Jersey.

Bradley Tejeda plays Alvaro in The Rose Tattoo.

| SUZY GORMAN

STAGE 43

Moonstruck With The Rose Tattoo, the Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis winningly explores love Sicilian-style Written by SARAH FENSKE The Rose Tattoo Written by Tennessee Williams. Directed by David Kaplan. It will be presented at the Big Top in Grand Center through Sunday, August 28. Tickets $45-$50.org.

When Williams wrote The Rose Tattoo, not only was he riding high after earlier plays took Broadway by storm, but he was also in the throes of a passionate love affair.

riverfronttimes.com AUGUST 24-30, 2022 RIVERFRONT TIMES 43 [REVIEW]

Williams’ comedic depiction of his heroine as devoted to the blessed Mother, deeply superstitious and feuding with anyone willing to fight back feels like a gentle rib bing of the man he loved. Understanding the relation ship between Williams and Merlo helps explain both the play’s in herent optimism and its SicilianAmerican milieu, which might otherwise make this new produc tion a slightly discomfiting expe rience. Watching the almost en tirely non-Sicilian cast go over the top with an accent that’s become the stuff of countless parodies (thanks, Godfather!) feels almost transgressive, the sort of ethnic humor we left behind when we started casting actual Latinos in West Side Story instead of Natalie Wood and George Chakiris. You might wonder, Are they allowed to do that in 2022? I have to suspect a WASP writer wouldn’t get away with writing such broad Sicilian characters today. Back in the 1950s, though, the big controversy for The Rose Tattoo came via an Irish produc tion, thanks to the scene where our hero drops his condom on the floor. Police arrested the direc tor for producing lewd entertain ment, an incident of overreach that led to changes in Ireland. But I digress. There are always reasons to take offense, and those reasons change with time. Writ ten with love and performed with joy, this feels like a play you should just enjoy — and the talented cast will see to it that you do. n

Sharif and her crew looked coast to coast at theaters for best prac tices and kept in touch with medi cal advisers to ensure audience safety.“The audiences who came in May of 2021 were so grateful to be able to come, because the re ality of being stuck at home and the way that our whole world had changed was daunting,” Sharif says. “And there were people who were like, ‘We just want to con nect to the art. We just want to have something that feels normal for us and feels like joy.’”

| JON GITCHOFF

er been prouder to lead an orga nization than I was watching our teams rally together to make sure that we would make it through.”

riverfronttimes.com AUGUST 24-30, 2022 RIVERFRONT TIMES 45 [SURVIVING]

“We’re also figuring out how to make sure that the Rep, as we re open, is throwing our doors and our welcome mat out to as many St. Louisans as possible,” Sharif says. “We’re one of the largest theaters in the state. We have a responsibility to have something for everyone.”

Sharif is looking at ways to make the Rep’s model even more flex ible and adaptive to its audience. In the meantime, Sharif teases a great season ahead for 2022-2023, with House of Joy in late August and Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express Sharif knows the Rep is not alone in a slow return to the stage. Theaters across the nation are ex periencing it together just as they watched Broadway go dark for the first time ever together. The future will bring more sce nario planning, Sharif says, and daily challenges for her staff. But she’s incredibly optimistic.

The Rep’s lavish production of A nearly closed due to COVID-19.

As far as reopening goes, Sharif feels really proud of the way the organization pivoted to virtual multimedia experiences before reopening in 2021 with safety practices such as masking, testing and limited-capacity audiences.

Then came the fall of 2021. Shows were moving as normal ly as they could when COVID-19 mutated, and the delta variant surged. The Rep was staging A Christmas Carol, but toward the end of its run, the stage manager fell ill. It looked like it would be curtains. But staff from all depart ments stepped in. Sharif checked vaccine cards, the managing di rector took tickets and a new stage manager learned the show. Only one performance ended up being canceled. “It was the real test of the orga nization,” Sharif says. “I had nev

Even with the shifting nature of the pandemic and the slow return of audiences, Sharif has faith in the Rep and its resilience. She knows subscribers are being more cau tious, selecting a few shows rather than subscribing to a whole sea son. The Rep is looking at its sub scriber model and how audience members choose where they’re going, and it offered a streaming version for certain subscribers.

“The pandemic shouldn’t be borne on their back[s],” Sharif says. “We knew that it would put us in a position of having a bit of a deficit, but it was the right thing to do for artists that we depend on, a staff that we depend on. And our board really rose to the occasion and said, ‘Yes, we think that’s the right thing to do.’” As the pandemic progressed into the summer, the George Floyd protests inspired more changes in theThetheater.board and staff worked to make the Rep a more equitable workplace and realign the orga nization’s stated values to honor intersectionality. Sharif believes those changes make the Rep a more welcome place, and they are helping inform decisions about shows and reopening in the mid dle of an ever-changing pandemic.

“It’s been slow, and I know we’re not alone … part of the future is a future that embraces and thrives on being adaptive,” Sharif says. “As we are looking to the future, I think this question of how we take care of ourselves and how we take care of each other has to be part of the conversation, right alongside how to keep the doors open.”

Christmas Carol

In February 2022, the Rep staged Stick Fly about an African-American family vacationing in Martha’s Vineyard.

The GoesShowOn Focusing on people and values helped the Rep emerge from the pandemic better than ever Written by JENNA JONES T he Repertory Theatre of St. Louis was in a flurry of prep aration in March 2020. Hana Sharif, the artistic director, and her cast and crew were in the midst of staging the world premiere of the musical Dreaming Zenzile But the COVID-19 pandemic soon put preparations on hold. In the early days of the lock down, the entire Rep team fo cused deeply on the people. Some of Dreaming Zenzile’s crew hailed from other states or other coun tries. With the virus rapidly limit ing travel, decisions needed to be made fast. Sharif, then-Managing Director Mark Bernstein and the Rep’s board of directors decided the show would close and the cast would be sent home to wait out the oncoming storm. Sharif and her team went back with a “big request.” They asked the board to pay out the contracts of the Rep’s full-time seasonal art ists, which included the guest art ists, actors and designers — any one depending on the income from the canceled shows.

| PHILLIP HAMMER

46 RIVERFRONT TIMES AUGUST 24-30, 2022 riverfronttimes.com

“The People’s Choice model was launched right when the pandemic hit because everybody is sitting at home smoking weed — cannabis is deemed ‘essential’ and people are getting paid stimulus checks to sit at home and smoke their weed,” Kazinec tells the RFT. “We couldn’t do events, but we wanted to still bring the Cannabis Cups to the people all across the country.”

“We haven’t done a Cannabis Cup festival in the past two years,” Kazinec says. “We’re hoping to bring those back next year. But it would still be People’s Choice ... because it’s been so beneficial for all parties involved.” n

Though it was born of necessity, the People’s Choice Edition caught on, and High Times has moved to that model as a matter of prac tice. Kazinec points out that it’s far more beneficial for the competing companies to get feedback on their products from a wider swath of the population, and the people who get their hands on a judge kit appreci ate being a part of the process.

Written by THOMAS K. CHIMCHARDS I t’s Cannabis Cup season in Illi nois this month, meaning thou sands of the Land of Lincoln’s most dedicated stoners are hard at work judging the state’s top-shelf weed offerings across a variety of categories in the noble pursuit of crowning this year’s best of the best. It’s also the third year that the competition has existed in its Peo ple’s Choice form, which sees judg ing duties opened up to the public at large, with some 2,000 sample kits dispersed for purchase at the state’s dispensaries. Those kits were compiled from submissions by Illinois’ top cultivators in the categories of indica flower, sativa flower, hybrid flower, pre-rolls, concentrates and extracts, vape pens and cartridges, gummy ed ibles, non-gummy edibles, medi cal flower, medical vape pens and medical edibles. After all is smoked, vaped and eaten, the an nual affair will conclude with a virtual award show on Sunday, SeptemberHistorically,18. judges for the Can nabis Cup were hand-picked by High Times magazine from a pool of growers and other weed influ encers — around 200 people in to tal — from across the state in which the competition is held, with their work culminating in a live award show. That framework, like every thing else, got upended in 2020 due to the pandemic making in-person events impossible. High Times, rather altruistically, responded by putting together 10 times the number of sample kits from previ ous years and allowing the general public to join in on the fun. According to Mark Kazinec, di rector of events and competitions at High Times, the new way of do ing things was conceived to keep the good times rolling even as CO VID-19 brought an unprecedented level of uncertainty into the pro ceedings. The thinking was that we couldn’t meet in person, sure — but we could damn well still get high in our houses.

“It’s an amazing opportunity for brands to get their product into the hands of way more people and to actually get real feedback from different people from all walks of life,” Kazinec says. “Whether it’s the growers who know how to talk about myrcene and different terpene profiles, or just somebody who’s a little bit new to cannabis, and they just want to talk about how it makes them feel and give us comments on, ‘Hey, I smoked a joint with my girlfriend and went on a hike or fell asleep on the couch with a dozen cookies in my lap.’”

The Cannabis Cup’s sativa flower judge kit comes loaded with goodies.

REEFERFRONT TIMES 47

riverfronttimes.com AUGUST 24-30, 2022 RIVERFRONT TIMES 47 [WEED AWARDS]

Judges have until September 4 to finish reviewing everything in their kits, and High Times will be hosting an online award ceremo ny on September 18 (at 4:20 p.m. of course). Though the People’s Choice Edition is here to stay, Ka zinec hopes that the award show will be able to return to being an in-person affair in 2023.

“It means a lot to the people to get these types of kits and help crown the best of their state,” he says. “It’s democratizing it, open ing up to the people, so we are get ting the longtime OG growers who have been in the game for 30-plus years, but we’re also getting the new soccer moms who are trading out their glass of wine for a joint at the end of the night.” This reporter is one of the new comers to the world of Cannabis Cup judgment. I picked up a kit for the sativa category at Ascend’s Fairview Heights location, which is about 20 minutes east of St. Louis. Within a stylish tote bag sport ing the competition’s logo were one-gram samples of 22 different strains with colorful names like Green Crack, Granny MAC, Double Durban Kush, Frost Donkey BX1 and Spirit Quest. The kit was priced at $299, but High Times very kindly picked up the bill for me. (Watch this space for future reviews of the products found within.)

TOMMY CHIMS

Also in the bag was a small card with instructions and a link to an online judging portal. The process involves logging in with a pass word unique to you, sampling all your samples one by one, and logging your findings for each. High Times asks for rankings on a scale of 1 to 10 and a few sen tences’ worth of comments. That feedback will help determine the winner of the competition before making its way to the growers of the strains, to help increase the quality of their products.

For more information about Illi nois’ Cannabis Cup competition, visit cannabiscup.com.

DazeJudgment

High Times gives the power to the people — and RFT — for its Illinois Cannabis Cup

DHORUBA COLLECTIVE: 11 p.m., $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. DIESEL ISLAND: 7 p.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521.

ERIC SLAUGHTER GROUP: 9 p.m., $10-$15. The Dark Room, 3610 Grandel Square inside Gran del Theatre, St. Louis, 314-776-9550.

DROPOUT KINGS: w/ Normandy, Egan’s Rats 8 p.m., $20. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

OUT EVERY NIGHT 48

THURSDAY 25 DEAD HORSES: 8 p.m., $14-$19. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. DIZZY WRIGHT: w/ YONAS, ATG 7:30 p.m., $20$25. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720.

THE WORLD BEAT MUSIC FEST: 2 p.m., free. VFW Moneybagg Yo W/ Tripstar, DJ Ron Gotti 8 p.m. Friday, August 26. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Boulevard. $65 to $85. 314-726-6161. After years of collabs and features with a stunning list of heavy hitters in the hiphop world, Moneybagg Yo has fully come into his own as a solo artist with breakout record A Gangsta’s Pain. The Memphis rapper’s album landed at No. 1 on the Bill board 200 upon its arrival in April 2021, and even garnered a re-release later in the year with guest appearances by Lil Wayne, Ashanti and DJ Khaled, among many oth ers. Judging by the comments on the You Tube video for viral hit “All of a Sudden,” most longtime fans agree that Moneybagg Yo might do his best work when paired with Lil Baby. Joint ventures such as “No Suck er” and “U Played” show that the duo fits together like jagged puzzle pieces cut from the same cloth. With each major drop, Moneybagg Yo continues to climb charts, rack up plays and attract attention to his myriad projects, including his Bread Gang music label, where he helps uplift other artists. The 30-year-old hip-hop supernova will be at the top of his game when he stops in St. Louis in the midst of a summer schedule full of festivals. Keep It in the Family: Opening act Trip star is not only a member of Moneybagg Yo’s Bread Gang roster but is also from the same Memphis scene that birthed a long line of world-class rappers such as Yo Gotti, NLE Choppa and Young Dolph. Did you know that “Tripstar” is also the name of a bug-type Pokemon? Go ahead and log that in your long-term memory. —Joseph Hess

Rapper Moneybagg Yo will perform at the Pageant on Friday night. VIA TICKETMASTER

[CRITIC’S PICK]

48 RIVERFRONT TIMES AUGUST 24-30, 2022 riverfronttimes.com

MONEYBAGG YO: 8 p.m., $65-$85. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. ROBERT JON & THE WRECK: w/ Nick Gusman and The Coyotes 8 p.m., $15-$20. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505.

SAMMY HAGAR & THE CIRCLE: w/ George Tho rogood 7:30 p.m., $29.50-$349.50. Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, I-70 & Earth City Expwy., Maryland Heights, 314-298-9944. SIXES HIGH: w/ Megadune 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. SUPER MEGA LOCAL THROW DOWN: 7 p.m., $10. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. SWEETIE AND THE TOOTHACHES: 7:30 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090. TELEKINETIC YETI: w/ White Hills, Dibiase 8 p.m., $20. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. TONY HOLIDAY & SOUL SERVICE: 11 p.m., $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. WESTERN STATES: w/ Grace Basement, the Ham ilton Band 8 p.m., $10-$15. The Golden Record, 2720 Cherokee Street, St. Louis.

DR. SLAPPINSTEIN: w/ Brother Francis & the Soultones 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. DREW SHEAFOR: 10 a.m., free. Das Bevo Biergar ten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521.

E ach week, we bring you our picks for the best concerts of the next seven days! To submit your show for consideration, visit https:// bit.ly/3bgnwXZ. All events are subject to change, especially in the age of CO VID-19, so do check with the venue for the most up-to-date information before you head out for the night. Of course, be sure that you are aware of the venues’ COVID-safety requirements, as those vary from place to place, and you don’t want to get stuck outside because you forgot your mask or proof of vaccination. Happy showgoing!

JASON COOPER & THE COOP DEVILLES: 7 p.m., $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. JOANNA SERENKO: 7:30 p.m., $20. Blue Straw berry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745.

THE DOWNBADS: w/ Megadune 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

FUTURE/MODERN: w/ Seashine, Enemy Airship 8 p.m., $10-$13. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. IN THIS MOMENT: w/ In This Moment, Nothing More, Sleep Token, Cherry Bombs 6 p.m., $39.50$55. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. MATT F BASLER: w/ Prunes, Meatus 7 p.m., free. Platypus, 4501 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-359-2293. MORGAN WALLEN: w/ Hardy 7 p.m., $58-$155.75. Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, I-70 & Earth City Expwy., Maryland Heights, 314-298-9944.

HAYLOR NIGHT: w/ Fangirl Fantasy 8 p.m., $15-$22. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. HOLL SOLO: 7:30 p.m., free. Steve’s Hot Dogs, 3145 South Grand, St. Louis. JOSH ROYAL: 9:30 p.m., $15. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745.

KILBORN ALLEY BAND: 7 p.m., $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. MALIBU 92: w/ Flamingo Haze, Arbor 8 p.m., $10. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.

TRICK OF THE TAIL: 8 p.m., $20. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

ONE WAY TRAFFIC: 8 p.m., $15-$20. Joe’s Cafe, 6014 Kingsbury Ave, St. Louis. SISSER: w/ Terminus Victor, Drab, Kilverez 7:30 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. ST. LOUIS STEADY GRINDERS: 7:30 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090. ST. PAUL & THE BROKEN BONES: 8 p.m., $30-$45. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. THREE OF A PERFECT PAIR: 7 p.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, FRIDAY314-224-5521.26

TRIXIE DELIGHT: 6:30 p.m., $10. The Attic Music Bar, 4247 S. Kingshighway, 2nd floor, St. Louis, 314-376-5313.

HYAAHS & HAHAS COMEDY SHOWCASE: 8 p.m., free. Steve’s Hot Dogs, 3145 South Grand, St. Louis. JACKOPIERCE: 8 p.m., $40-$50. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.

GENE JACKSON’S POWER PLAY: 5:30 p.m., $10. The Attic Music Bar, 4247 S. Kingshighway, 2nd floor, St. Louis, 314-376-5313.

NORMA JEAN: w/ Idle Threat 7:30 p.m., $22. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

THE BLUE SPARKS: 7 p.m., free. Das Bevo Biergar ten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521. DOGTOWN RECORDS SHOWCASE: 9:30 p.m., $12. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

SATURDAY 27 40 OZ TO FREEDOM - A TRIBUTE TO SUBLIME: 8 p.m., $15-$20. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. BELLHEAD: w/ The Cult Sounds, Gary Robert & Community, Captain Spacetime 7:30 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. BRANDON SANTINI BLUES BAND: 7 p.m., $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. CHRIS REDD: 7 p.m., $25. Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square, St. Louis, 314-533-0367. CITY SLICKER: 7:30 p.m., free. The Frisco Bar room, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090. CRAIG MORGAN & LONESTAR: 7 p.m., $0-$75. Cedar Lake Cellars, 11008 Schreckengast Road, Wright City, 636-745-9500.

SUNDAY 28 DREW SHEAFOR: 10 a.m., free. Das Bevo Biergar ten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521. JACK WHITE: 8 p.m., $36-$105.50. St. Louis Music Park, 750 Casino Center Dr., Maryland Heights, 314-451-2244.

THE WATERLOO GERMAN BAND: Fri., Sept. 23, 4 p.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521.

TUESDAY 30 BROTHERS LAZAROFF: 7:30 p.m., free. Steve’s Hot Dogs, 3145 South Grand, St. Louis.

THIS JUST IN BANGARANG: Sat., Sept. 10, 7 p.m., free. Steve’s Hot Dogs, 3145 South Grand, St. Louis.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH EXPERIENCE: A JOHN DENVER CHRISTMAS: Sun., Dec. 11, 3 p.m., $63. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. SAM GOLDEN: Mon., Aug. 29, 7 p.m., free. Ya qui’s on Cherokee, 2728 Cherokee St, St. Louis, 314-400-7712.

WEDNESDAY 31 ARMORIES: w/ the Petting Zoo 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

SCHOOL OF ROCK: 2 p.m., free. Blueberry HillThe Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. SNUFFED ON SIGHT: w/ Feverdream, Split, Dead Wolvs 7 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. WEIRD AL YANKOVIC: 7:45 p.m., $35+. Chester field Amphitheater, 631 Veterans Place Drive, Chesterfield. WILLITO OTERO: 4:30 p.m., free. Ballpark Village, 601 Clark Ave, St. Louis, 314-345-9481. MONDAY 29 COMEDY SHIPWRECK: 9 p.m., free. The Heavy An chor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

RICHIE KOTZEN: 8 p.m., $25-$40. The Ready Room, 4140 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. WU-TANG CLAN: w/ Nas 8 p.m., $29.50-$425. Hol lywood Casino Amphitheatre, I-70 & Earth City Expwy., Maryland Heights, 314-298-9944.

JASON COOPER & THE COOP DEVILLES: Thu., Aug. 25, 7 p.m., $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.

ETHAN LEINWAND: 7 p.m., free. Yaqui’s on Chero kee, 2728 Cherokee St, St. Louis, 314-400-7712.

BRANDON SANTINI BLUES BAND: Sat., Aug. 27, 7 p.m., $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. CASTING CROWNS: W/ Cain, Anne Wilson, Fri., Nov. 18, 7 p.m., $20-$125. Family Arena, 2002 Arena Parkway, St Charles, 636-896-4200.

LEYLA MCCALLA: Thu., Oct. 20, 8 p.m., $25-$30. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900. LIDA UNA: Fri., Sept. 9, 8 p.m., $10. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. MISTER BLACKCAT: Sun., Oct. 2, 10 a.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521.

VOODOO UNCLE TUPELO & WILCO: 9 p.m., $12. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

SAM GOLDEN: 7 p.m., free. Yaqui’s on Cherokee, 2728 Cherokee St, St. Louis, 314-400-7712.

RAISE THE ROOF: Fri., Sept. 9, 7 p.m., $25-$35. Lucas Schoolhouse, 1220 Allen Ave., St. Louis, 314-920-1058. THE RECORD COMPANY: Thu., Oct. 20, 8 p.m., $25. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. RICHIE KOTZEN: Tue., Aug. 30, 8 p.m., $25-$40. The Ready Room, 4140 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929.

HOME REMEDY: Sat., Sept. 24, 5:30 p.m., free. Epiphany UCC, 2911 McNair, St. Louis, 314-7720263. JACK WHITE: Sun., Aug. 28, 8 p.m., $36-$105.50. St. Louis Music Park, 750 Casino Center Dr., Maryland Heights, 314-451-2244.

CROWN JEWEL: w/ Jewel Charger, Freon, Fab rielle, Rainy Moss, Ace of Spit, Blair Warnher, Punk Lady Apple 8 p.m., $12-$15. Off Broad way, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.

MORGAN PAGE: Sat., Sept. 24, 10 p.m., $15-$400. RYSE Nightclub, One Ameristar Blvd, St. Charles. MORGAN WALLEN: W/ Hardy, Sat., Aug. 27, 7 p.m., $58-$155.75. Hollywood Casino Amphi theatre, I-70 & Earth City Expwy., Maryland Heights, 314-298-9944.

REAL FRIENDS: 7:30 p.m., $22-$39.50. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

JOE PARK TRIO: 7 p.m., free. Yaqui’s on Chero kee, 2728 Cherokee St, St. Louis, 314-400-7712. PAUL NIEHAUS IV: 7 p.m., free. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745.

KILBORN ALLEY BAND: Fri., Aug. 26, 7 p.m., $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.

JUSTIN HAMM: 7 p.m., free. Spine Indie Book store & Cafe, 1976-82 Arsenal St., St. Louis, 314-925-8087.

THE DEUTSCHMEISTER BRASS BAND: Sat., Sept. 24, 4 p.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521. DIE SPITZBUAM: Fri., Sept. 23, 8 p.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT JAZZ JAM: Wed., Aug. 31, 6 p.m., free. The Dark Room, 3610 Grandel Square inside Grandel Theatre, St. Louis, 314-776-9550.

Weird Al Yankovic 7:45 p.m. Sunday, August 28. Chesterfield Amphitheater, 631 Veterans Place Drive, Chesterfield. $35 to $89.50. 314-502-5582. Musicians the world over should re ally thank their lucky stars that Weird Al Yankovic opted to get into parody songs rather than make his name with his origi nal music. That’s because, put plainly, he’d eat everyone’s lunch. When Weird Al does what he calls “style parodies” (musi cal pastiches inspired by popular artists) he has a knack for upstaging the acts he’s emulating — much to their chagrin. Mark Mothersbaugh perhaps said it best in reflecting on the release of the Devoinspired (but technically original) “Dare to Be Stupid” during an episode of Behind the Music: “I was in shock. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard. He sort of re-sculpted that song into something else and ... I hate him for it, basically.” But what’s a nuisance for the Mothersbaughs of the world is a cause for celebration for fans, who are being treated this year to “The Unfortunate Return of the Ridicu lously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour,” for which the musical funnyman digs deep into his 14-album back catalog and pulls out only his original tunes for a stripped-down, intimate affair. That tour hits the Chesterfield Amphitheater this week; expect a gut-busting night of music from one of the most rightly celebrated artists of our time. You’re So Vain: This isn’t the first time Weird Al has trotted out his Vanity Tour, and if his remarks upon its announce ment are any indication, it won’t be the last. “Honestly, the Vanity tour is the most fun I’ve ever had on stage,” he said in a press release. “So I’ve been dying to get back out there and torture everybody with it once again!”

[CRITIC’S PICK] Continued on pg 51

JOE PARK TRIO: Wed., Aug. 31, 7 p.m., free. Ya qui’s on Cherokee, 2728 Cherokee St, St. Louis, 314-400-7712.

VIA

THE GASLIGHT SQUARES: Thu., Sept. 1, 5:30 p.m., free. Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 314-746-4599. GUSTER: Tue., Nov. 15, 8 p.m., $36-$56. The Pag eant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

MY POSSE IN EFFECT: Fri., Nov. 25, 8 p.m., $15. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. PAUL NIEHAUS IV: Wed., Aug. 31, 7 p.m., free. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745.

THE BOLZEN BEER BAND: Sat., Sept. 24, 8 p.m., free. Sun., Sept. 25, 3 p.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521.

DAVID HYLLA’S GOOD TIME BAND: Sat., Sept. 24, noon, free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521.

EXECUTION DAY: W/ Archers, Fri., Nov. 4, 8 p.m., $12. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444.

KILLER QUEEN: A TRIBUTE TO QUEEN: Wed., Oct. 12, 7:30 p.m., $49.50-$59.50. The Factory, 17105 N Outer 40 Rd, Chesterfield, 314-423-8500.

Weird Al will bring his Vanity Tour, an intimate affair for which he performs his original compositions, to Chesterfield Amphitheater this Sunday. | TICKETMASTER

—Daniel Hill

SAMMY HAGAR & THE CIRCLE: W/ George Thoro good, Fri., Aug. 26, 7:30 p.m., $29.50-$349.50. Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, I-70 & Earth City Expwy., Maryland Heights, 314-298-9944. SARAH SILVERMAN: Fri., Nov. 11, 8 p.m., $35$65. Stifel Theatre, 1400 Market St, St. Louis, 314-499-7600.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT JAZZ JAM: 6 p.m., free. The Dark Room, 3610 Grandel Square inside Gran del Theatre, St. Louis, 314-776-9550.

CHRISTA AND THE BOOMERANGS: Sat., Oct. 1, 7 p.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521. DANNY KALAHER: Wed., Sept. 7, 7:30 p.m., free. Steve’s Hot Dogs, 3145 South Grand, St. Louis.

BOXCAR: Thu., Sept. 29, 7 p.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314224-5521.

THE JUNCTION: HILLS: W/ Kizzle Mobbin’ & His Live Band, Fri., Sept. 16, 8 p.m., $15. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. JUSTIN HAMM: Sun., Aug. 28, 7 p.m., free. Spine Indie Bookstore & Cafe, 1976-82 Arsenal St., St. Louis, 314-925-8087.

SHREK RAVE: Sat., Dec. 10, 7:30 p.m., $15-$20. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

DOLLY DISCO: THE DOLLY PARTON COUNTRY WEST ERN DISCO DANCE PARTY: Sat., Dec. 10, 9 p.m., $12-$25. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. EAGLES: Tue., Nov. 15, 8 p.m., $126-$496. Enterprise Center, 1401 Clark Ave., St. Louis, 314-241-1888.

THEM DIRTY ROSES: Fri., Sept. 2, 8 p.m., $10. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. TWIDDLE: Sat., Nov. 12, 8 p.m., $25. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

riverfronttimes.com AUGUST 24-30, 2022 RIVERFRONT TIMES 49 Post 3500, 1717 S Big Bend Blvd, Richmond Heights, (314) 781-3781.

IDKHOW: w/ Joywave 7 p.m., $32.50-$35. The Pag eant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. NIXIL: w/ Extinctionism, Van Buren, Socket 8 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.

50 RIVERFRONT TIMES AUGUST 24-30, 2022 riverfronttimes.com

—Joseph Hess

Crown Jewel: A Night of Punk & Drag w/ Freon, Fabrielle, Ace of Spit, Rainy Moss, Blair Warnher, Punk Lady Apple, Jewel Charger, DJ Sex Nintendo, Slick Grace 8 p.m. Tuesday, August 30. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue. $12 to $15. 314-498-6989.

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THIS Continued from pg 49

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE: Thu., Oct. 13, 8 p.m., $49.50-$69.50. The Factory, 17105 N Outer 40 Rd, Chesterfield, 314-423-8500. DOLLY DISCO: THE DOLLY PARTON COUNTRY WEST ERN DISCO DANCE PARTY: Sat., Dec. 10, 9 p.m., $12-$25. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. ELECTRIC TOOTHBRUSH SISTERS: W/ Finn’s Mo tel, Soft Crisis, Trauma Harness, Sat., Sept. 3, 8 p.m., $15-$18. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.

Doesn’t the sequel always end up being everyone’s favorite? 2021’s Crown Jewel event at Off Broadway was a ground breaking combo of drag performances and punk bands that connected dispa rate parts of the St. Louis art and music communities. While that first edition took place in late November, Crown Jewel 2022 offers a hot and heavy midsummer dream with the enigmatic Jewel Charger returning as host. Fresh off the recent re lease of its self-titled debut album, Ace of Spit lends its apocalyptic, no-coast surf rock to a night filled with many of the river city’s most sultry drag artists. Other stand outs on the show include Freon, a tragi cally underrated local hardcore group that rarely plays live, and Punk Lady Apple, who might just be the coolest new band to emerge in the last year.

THE WURST BAVARIAN BAND: Sun., Sept. 25, 11 a.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521. ZOMBI: Tue., Oct. 18, 8 p.m., $13. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

OF MONTREAL: W/ Locate S,1, Fri., Sept. 23, 8 p.m., $21. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. PHOENIX: Thu., Sept. 22, 8 p.m., $60-$70. The Pag eant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

UPCOMING

THE BLACK ANGELS: W/ The Vacant Lots, Mon., Oct. 3, 8 p.m., $25. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. BUILT TO SPILL: Mon., Sept. 19, 8 p.m., $30. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

Don’t Snitch: DJ Sex Nintendo is just begging — scratch that — screaming for a cease-and-desist letter from you-knowwho. Then again, even the world’s big gest video-game company knows better than to mess with one of the most be loved members of the St. Louis music community.

WEIRD AL YANKOVIC: Sun., Aug. 28, 7:45 p.m., $35+. Chesterfield Amphitheater, 631 Veterans Place Drive, Chesterfield. WESTERN STATES: W/ Grace Basement, the Hamilton Band, Fri., Aug. 26, 8 p.m., $10-$15. The Golden Record, 2720 Cherokee Street, St. Louis, N/A. WILLITO OTERO: Sun., Aug. 28, 4:30 p.m., free. Ballpark Village, 601 Clark Ave, St. Louis, 314345-9481. WU-TANG CLAN: W/ Nas, Tue., Aug. 30, 8 p.m., $29.50-$425. Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, I-70 & Earth City Expwy., Maryland Heights, 314-298-9944.

Hardcore punk act Freon will play its last show at the Golden Record on Tuesday night. | AUSTIN ROBERTS

RIVER KITTENS: Thu., Oct. 27, 7:30 p.m., $15. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745. n

JUST IN

EMPEROR X: Tue., Sept. 13, 8 p.m., $12-$15. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. HOLY FUCK: Sat., Sept. 24, 8 p.m., $18-$20. Off Broad way, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. ILLUMINATI HOTTIES: W/ Enumclaw, Olivia Bar ton, Tue., Oct. 18, 8 p.m., $20/$25. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444.

THE QUEERS: W/ Teenage Bottlerocket, Sun., Oct. 30, 8 p.m., $20/$25. Sun., Oct. 30, 8 p.m., $20. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.

[CRITIC’S PICK]

52 RIVERFRONT TIMES AUGUST 24-30, 2022 riverfronttimes.com MUNCHIE MONDAY: 15% off edibles including: beverages, tinctures, and topicals. 25% off Mama J’s TOP SHELF TUESDAY: 15% off all eighths 45 and above, corresponding grams too. Teal 25% off WAXY WEDNESDAY: 15% off concentrates, 25% off Gas Carts; Rainbow and Notorious 25% off TWISTED THURSDAY: 15% off all Prerolls; AiroPro 25% off, Vertical 25% off FUN FRIDAY: 15% off everything; 25% off Heya STOCKUP SATURDAY: 25% off Beach; Buy any eighth 40 and above get a Heya or Mama J’s eighth 40% off; Vivid 25% off SUNDAY - SPEND 5% off for 20$- 45$, 10% off for 45$-75$, 15% off; MORE, SAVE MORE: 75$ and above - Curador Live Resin Pens 25% off, Farmer G 25% off FIRST TIME PATIENT DEALS 1st visit: 30% off entire store, 40% off in house brands 2nd visit: 25% off entire store, 30% off in house brands 3rd visit: 20% off entire store, 25% off in house brands 4th visit: 15% off entire store, 20% off in house brands “Medical decisions should not be made based on advertising. Consult a physician on the benefits and risks of a particular medical marijuana products”

JOE NEWTON

Some people have sensitivities, others have insecurities; some on the Left have political objections, some on the Right have religious objections. Giving up porn is not something I would ever agree to, but a reasonable person might agree to stop watching porn (or pretend they’ve stopped watching porn) for someone they love. But if the person who insisted their partner stop watching porn later defines absolutely everything as porn — porn itself, non-por nographic photos, good-looking people walking down the street, memes shared by friends — then it was never about the porn. It wasn’t about their insecurities or their political objections or their pre cious religious beliefs. It was about control. And the worst thing about controlling people is that they’re never satisfied. No matter how much control a romantic partner gives up, it’s never enough. A con trolling person’s demands escalate slowly at the start of a new rela tionship, WATCHER, when it’s still relatively easy for someone to end things. But once the relationship is harder to exit — once leases have been signed, marriages have been performed, children have been born — the controlling person’s demands not only escalate rap idly, they also tend to be become more arbitrary and irrational. (No memes? Really?)

Your wife’s bullshit is intolera ble, WATCHER, and you shouldn’t put up with it. Everyone is entitled to privacy, even married people. Likewise, everyone enjoys a zone of erotic autonomy, even married people. Experiences you fantasize about, when and how you masturbate, things you can safely do without violating your monogamous com mitment and/or putting your part ner at risk… not only shouldn’t someone try to take those things from you, it’s not in anyone’s pow er to take those things from you. We can’t police our partner’s fan tasies. Ideally, our partners feel safe sharing their fantasies with us and involving us to the extent we can or wish to be involved. But we can’t prevent our partners from looking at whatever they want to look at, provided they’re consider ate about when and where, and we certainly can’t stop our partners from thinking about whatever they want to think about, dick in hand or no dick in hand. Get a divorce. Or get better at telling your wife what she insists on hearing, doing whatever you want when you’re safely in the zone (of erotic autonomy), and covering your tracks. P.S. If the last couples’ counselor you saw didn’t turn to your wife at the end of your first session and say, “You’re a fucking psycho,” they sucked at their job. Hey Dan: I am a gay man in a large Canadian city and I have a question about monkeypox. I have been see ing a male escort for several years and have built a friendly relation ship with him. We both received the monkeypox vaccine in late June. My question is whether I should stop seeing him while monkeypox is still running rampant. Some further background — he is still advertis ing for clients online and he’s told me that he’s still sexually active and doesn’t always use condoms. I know he is in a financially precarious sit uation, which is why he escorts, so I don’t blame him for doing what he must. It pays the bills. I honest ly miss him and our intimate con nection, but I’m afraid I’d contract monkeypox even though we’re both vaccinated. Should I take a pause in seeing him because he is still having sex with multiple people? Worried About Monkeypox Go to Savage.Love for Dan’s an swer to this question and more!

Checkquestions@savagelove.netouttheSavageLovecast@FakeDanSavageonTwitter

SAVAGE LOVE 53

There is more to this week’s Sav age Love. To read the entire col umn, go to Savage.Love. Hey Dan: I’ve been with my wife for ten years. We are both 36 years old. We moved in fast and didn’t take time to learn certain things about one another. For example, I watch porn, which she only found out about after we moved in. She had a visceral reaction. She told me it was a dealbreaker for her, no nego tiation. I agreed to stop but didn’t. Fast forward 10 years and now I’m medicated for ADHD, which makes it much easier to avoid impulse be haviors like looking at porn. We have come close to divorce over this issue, as well as over how toxic I was before getting treatment for my ADHD. I’ve contributed my share of negativity to the marriage. Now, as it stands, the agreement we have is that I will not watch porn of any kind. This is where we really start to differ. To her, porn is masturbating to ANYTHING. Look ing at porn? Not allowed. Looking at women in bikinis? Not allowed. Coming across something that sexu ally charges me and masturbating to it? I have betrayed her trust. So, I don’t watch “porn” anymore but I feel extremely resentful about how I am controlled. The latest example of this was when she was helping our kid play a game on a device that had to be connected to Facebook. Mine was connected, and a message came up with a recent conversation. In it I thanked a friend for being there for me, checking in on me, sending jokes, etc. This friend likes to send funny memes, some of which are ris qué. I mentioned that I appreciated his jokes, even the ones that would have “upset my wife.” She is now accusing me of using friends (and memes) as loopholes to get around my promise NOT to look at porn. I’m so tired. I have so much shame around masturbation now and I feel like I have no privacy. We are about to see another couples’ counselor. Any suggestions for me?

riverfronttimes.com AUGUST 24-30, 2022 RIVERFRONT TIMES 53

Jerked Around BY DAN SAVAGE

Worried About This Constant Ha rassment Eroding Relationship I don’t know exactly what your wife has had to put up with. You mention toxic behavior on your part prior to seeking treatment for ADHD. Toxic energy, toxic actions, toxic toxins — whatever you did, I’m going to assume your bullshit came close to intolerable, WATCHER, and award your wife some points for putting up with your bullshit. With that said… Giving up porn is a price of ad mission some are willing to pay. A person with an otherwise healthy relationship to porn — someone who, like most people, can enjoy porn in moderation, someone who can use porn without neglecting their partner sexually and/or be ing inconsiderate about their part ner’s feelings — sometimes falls in love with a person who, for what ever reason, can’t stand the idea of their partner watching porn.

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Name: Mariah Bevineahliving in Belleville, Illinois Hereby inform of a petition for appointment of legal guardianship of Antonio and MekyahTravlus-Bey. The natural father and mother of Antonio and Mekyahare Antonio Beyand Kelsey Ratcliffeand last known location of Kelsey Ratcliffeand Antonio Beyboth living in the St. Louis, MO area. The parents are hereby informed, a Written Objection to Guardianship of the minors must be filed within 30 days or the guardianship may be entered without further hearing in St. Clair County in Illinois. The 30-day period for objection to end is 9-302022. Please contact Helena Viehweg, Childrenʼs Home and Aid, Office Number (618)235-5335. NOTICE

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riverfronttimes.com AUGUST 24-30, 2022 RIVERFRONT TIMES 55 TowingFCC WE JUNKBUYCARSTitleorNoTitle! Call Frank (314) 327-4823 TowingAffordable BULLETIN BOARD Who is protecting Your rights? Call Our Message Center Today!! @ 877-388-8235 Or Call 712-432-9190 /Option 1 24-7 Info: Recording !! Legal Insurance For Landlord & Tenant Pre-Trial Issues LOWRATES!MONTHLY MO & IL Residents Small Self-EmploymentBusinessOpportunity Free Self-Help-Spirit Development Correspondence Certificate Class Complete 20-Bible Lessons & Earn A Certificate. Write Today!!! Box 45085, St. Louis, MO 63145 Print-First/Last-Name, For The Certificate, and Mailing Address, Apt#, City/State/Zip Must Be Adult Education Age. Allow 30-Days Processing & USA Resident EMPLOYMENTEMPLOYMENTEMPLOYMENTEMPLOYMENT County Settlement Covenant St. Louis County Preamble We THE People living on the land in St. Louis County, Missouri, a Free and Independent nation=state; in order to live together in harmony under common law of the Almighty Creator; to facilitate the avoidance of disputes; to facilitate the quick settlement of disputes which might arise; to provide for organized defense of life, liberty, and private property; to protect and administer public property for the benefit of the inhabitants; and to make certain limited agreements with other settlements of sovereign people for mutual benefit; ordain common accord and recognition of the following: NOTICE Date: August 07, 2022 COME NOW, Inhabitants of St. Louis County by ABSOLUTE WRIT of HABEAS CORPUS, And with Absolute resolve rebut all corporate authority! County Settlement Covenant in St. Louis County Original Assembly and Library of Records on date: August 07, 2022 Gives this County Settlement Announcement St. Louis County Settlement Covenant, and in harmony with all 114 counties we FIND: And in all fifty states we FIND: Article One By ALMIGHTY God granting us FREEDOM: By unanimous decree the Local people[s] in Local Peaceable LawfullAssembly; in Settlement Covenant in Missouri, a Free and Independent Nation=State, a member with other Free and Independent states also known as Republic for the united States of America, set forth the following affirmations. Section 1 –Local people in Family of Man and Woman centered in ALMIGHTY God live on Local-land and use Way-land in People Jurisdiction in Grace affirmed by the authority of The unanimous Declaration of Independence, cir. 1776 and Bill of Rights Articles, the 1st, 5th, 7th, 9th, 10th, 11th, cir.1787-1791-r2010 and beyond; beyond the reach of predator others; and also living in Friend[ship] and in Peace: Treaty[s] cir.1789-1791 and beyond; beyond the reach of predator others; and also affirmed by Article V. Of The Judicial Power, Sections 4, 6, 8, 17, cir. 1820, Missouri Constitution and the Covenant of Missouri, a Free and Independent Nation=State, cir. 2021. This entire document may be viewed at the St. Louis County Records Library or by email at info@missouridejure.org.

ofGuid,with#630392http://career.bayer.us,orsendresumesalaryrequirementstoCareers_us@bayer.comwithreferenceto#630392(DataPolicySpecialistII).Manager,SoftwareEngineering@MastercardInternationalIncorporated(O'Fallon,MO)F/Tcoch&mntrsftwrdvlpmntengrs.Estblsh&stimultsftwrdvlpmntstds&procssesalngwthbstprcticsfrdelvryofscalble&hghqltysftwr.SuperviseateamofSr.SoftwrDevEng&LeadSftwrDevEng.Mast'sdegorfrgnequivinCompSciorEnggorrltdandtwoyrsofexpinthejoboffrdorasaSftwrDevlprorrltd.Altrntivly,employrwllaccptaBach'sdegandfiveyrsofprgrssvlyrespexp.Qulifyngexpmstincldeatleast1yrwtheachofthefllwng:SQL;PL/SQL;HTML;JPA;JAVA;SPRING;SPRINGBOOT;HIBERNATE;RESTAPIs;RDBMS;JavaScript;AngularorReact;ORACLE/POSTGRES;ContinuousIntegration;ContinuousDelivery;CLOUDNATIVEDEVELOPMENT;AGILEDevelopmentandTransformation;Presentationtovariedaudiencesfromdeveloperstouppermanagement.Empwillacceptanysuitacomboedu,training,orexp.Abilitytoworkfromhomeofficeexists.SendresumetoSarahO'Leary,Sarah.O'Leary@mastercard.com,Mastercard,2000PurchaseStreet,PurchaseNY10577.RefMC33-2022.LeadBizOpsEngineer@Mastercard(O'Fallon,MO)F/TActasprdctnreadnssstwrdforthepltfrmbycloslypartnrngwthdvlprstodsgn,buld,implmnt,&spprttchnlgysrvcs.Ensroprtnlcritria(i.e,systmavailblty,cpacty,prfrmnc,montrng,slf-hlng,&dplymntautomtn)areimplmntdthrghoutthedlvryprcss.ReqsaBachelor'sdeg,orfrgnequiv,inComp/Elec/SoftEngg,MIS,Engg,Biochem,orrltdtchnclfld,&5yrsofexpinjoboffrd,InfraDevSpecialistorrltd.InlieuofaBachelor'sdeg,Emplyrwllaccpt3yrsofrltdunvrstystdy&2yrsofwrkexporequivasdetrmndbyqualifiedevalservice.Expmustinclde2yrsw/each:Java;Splunk;Dynatrace;Cloudengineering;Remedy;ALM;Jenkins;Maven;JfrogArtifactory;JBOSS;DOTNET;Tomcat;PCF;Mainframe.Employerwillacceptanysuitablecombinationofeducation,training,orexperience.OptiontoWFHofcexists.MustresidewithinreasonablecommutingdistancefromO'Fallon,MOmetropolitanarea.SendresumetoNathan.Morris2@mastercard.com,2200MastercardBlvd,O'Fallon,MO63368.RefMC48-2022.

Bayer Research & Development Services LLC seeks a Data Policy Specialist II to work in Chesterfield, MO, to deliver robust data governance standards required for nextgeneration Global Row Crop Breeding strategies. Apply at

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