Riverfront Times, April 26, 2023

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Publisher Chris Keating

Editor in Chief Rosalind Early

EDITORIAL

Managing Editor Jessica Rogen

Editor at Large Daniel Hill

Digital Content Editor Jaime Lees

Dining Editor Cheryl Baehr

Staff Writers Ryan Krull, Monica Obradovic Theater Critic Tina Farmer

Music Critic Steve Leftridge

Contributors Thomas K. Chimchards, Thomas Crone, Mike Fitzgerald, Reuben Hemmer, Jim Merkel, Andy Paulissen, Mabel Suen, Graham Toker, Theo Welling Columnists Chris Andoe, Dan Savage

Editorial Interns Katie Lawson, Braden McMakin

ART & PRODUCTION

Art Director Evan Sult

Creative Director Haimanti Germain

Graphic Designer Aspen Smit

MULTIMEDIA ADVERTISING

Associate Publisher Colin Bell

Account Manager Jennifer Samuel

Directors of Business Development Tony Burton, Rachel Hoppman

Marketing Director Kristen Moser

Event and Promotions Manager John Heinrich

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

Audience Development Manager Jenna Jones

VP of Marketing Cassandra Yardeni www.euclidmediagroup.com

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Founded by Ray Hartmann in 1977

FRONT BURNER 6

MONDAY, APRIL 17. The Missouri House passes a new concealed carry law that cracks down on kids with guns. Just kidding! The bill they actually passed today, HB 282, makes it easier to carry guns on buses and in churches. Oh, and it would lower the age of concealed-carry eligibility from 19 to 18 — because what we need in this state is more teens packing heat Unbelievably, the bill passes 102 to 45. Now we’ll see if the Senate is on board for this nonsense. Meanwhile, in St. Louis, the Circuit Attorney’s Office no-shows a murder trial, and Judge Scott Millikan wants to know why Kim Gardner isn’t in contempt of court. He’d best get in line.

TUESDAY, APRIL 18. Dashing the hopes of good liberals across the country, Dominion Voting Systems decides to cash in for its private equity stakeholders instead of drilling down further on Fox News for the sake of democracy — forging a $787 million settlement with Rupert Murdoch & Co. Anyone who’s shocked by that decision was probably also convinced Robert Mueller and the FBI would save the nation from Donald Trump. LOL. Meanwhile, Kim Gardner is in court for the state AG’s quo warranto case seeking to remove her from office. For all the back-and-forth, the most memorable moment came from a lawyer representing a group that’s not actually party to the case: soft-spoken former appeals court justice Booker Shaw, who was hired to speak for the judges in

Previously On

LAST WEEK IN ST. LOUIS

the St. Louis circuit. “The practical effects and uncertainty of the situation we’re in now have placed the judges in an untenable and unsustainable position,” Shaw told Appellate Judge John Torbitzky

“Whatever the cause of it, the Circuit Attorney’s Office is now in a state of neartotal collapse.” Anyone else just brace for pure chaos?

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19. Nearly one week after a Kansas City homeowner shot 16-year-old Ralph Yarl for the apparent crime of ringing his doorbell while Black, Missouri Governor Mike Parson finally weighs in — and naturally he blames Joe Biden. “When the president of the United States is trying to make a political statement over a very serious tragedy, it is very unfortunate,” he told the Kansas City Star, “and I don’t agree with trying to make political points out of terrible — I’ve never done that since I’ve been governor.” Ah yes, a thought many a Missourian holds deep in his breast: If only President Biden could be more like Governor Parson!

FOUR QUESTIONS for Two Newlyweds

THURSDAY, APRIL 20. It’s 4/20 and Afroman is in court — how fitting is that?

The “Because I Got High” rapper is being sued by Ohio deputies who raided his home and then got mad when he used the footage of their bumbling raid in music videos and in merch. Did we mention they were in his home at the time? Also, BuzzFeed News is shutting down, which is a bad buzz indeed.

FRIDAY, APRIL 21. The U.S. Supreme Court says you can keep your abortion pills! Apparently letting a Texas judge instantly overturn seven years of FDA procedures was a bridge too far for everyone but Sam Alito and Clarence Thomas. Instead, we’ll get at least a year of legal wrangling and potentially the same result. Lovely.

SATURDAY, APRIL 22. Everyone’s celebrating Earth Day, but in St. Louis, we’ve given up. If we can’t recycle without having to haul our crap off to a dropoff recycling center, we’re out. (We still get to party on Mother Earth’s behalf in Forest Park, right?) Meanwhile, CITY SC

tied the Colorado Rapids 1-1, thereby suggesting your Hoosier uncle may have been right when he drunkenly slurred that soccer isn’t a real sport. What kind of sport allows games to end with ties?

SUNDAY, APRIL 23. The Battlehawks are eliminated from the XFL postseason due to complicated rules involving ranking and points scored, and frankly, it’s too much to follow. Gotta keep this sportsball stuff simple. Also, RIP Tom Hall. Friends confirmed he died in a fire in Soulard Saturday night. Hall was a regular at Hammerstone’s and, per the St. Louis Blues Society, “one of the best acoustic Blues guitarists that St. Louis had to offer.” Heartbreaking. n

On a recent Friday, the fourth floor of the Civil Courts Building downtown was packed with a few dozen happy couples about to tie the knot. Judge Clinton Robert Wright, who performed the marriages one by one, kept things moving quickly without rushing any of the proceedings. He played Al Green from his phone and everyone — brides,

grooms, witnesses and bailiffs — was feeling the vibe. The RFT caught up with one couple, Adam Jehle, 20, and Julia Lima, 18, who say they’ll cherish their day at court forever.

How did you guys meet?

Lima: It’s kind of crazy. I made a Google form because I was trying to meet someone. I was like, “Fill this out if you want to go on a date with me.” I posted it as a joke. Then he slid up in the form and filled it out.

When did you start talking about marriage?

Jehle: Pretty soon after we started dating. We had such a great connection. We were so similar in every single way, and different in the best ways. We both agreed that, “Why should this end?”

What was everyone’s reaction when you said, “We’re getting married? We’re getting married at the courthouse. We’re doing it quickly, no long engagement.”

Lima: My parents were super excited because they love him. His mom was pretty shocked just because of the fact that we’re young, but they were really supportive.

Jehle (who’s studying to become a commercial pilot): My flight instructor thought I was messing with him at first because I told him I wouldn’t be available today.

How did you feel about the way the courts ran the ceremony?

Lima: I was a little nervous because there were a lot of people there watching, but it went pretty fast. And it was nice that everyone was clapping for everyone. I felt really supported.

Adam Jehle, 20, and Julia Lima, 18, got married at the courthouse recently. | RYAN KRULL

Tom Hall was a living legend. | RALPH HEINE

—Steven Bizub on Facebook commenting on our post “St. Louis Celebrates 4/20 with Deals, Food, Parties and More,” April 20, 2023

WEEKLY WTF?!

Dumpster Watch

Date and time: April 13, approximately 2:30 p.m.

Location: Shaw

What happened: The dumpster’s bottom deteriorated. The dumpster was then flipped about three weeks before this picture was taken, according to a neighbor. Ability of trash trucks to collect trash from this dumpster: 0

Neighbors’ determination to still throw trash there: 10

Caution tape effectiveness: nonexistent

Proximity to a functioning dumpster: within eyesight

ESCAPE HATCH

We ask three St. Louisans what they’re reading, watching or listening to. In the hot seat this week: three people at Ted Drewes.

Jim, retired and self-proclaimed custard lover

Watched: Ant-Man and the Wasp

“I don’t listen or read much, but I’m a big movie fan. Mostly action and superhero movies. I’m going to see Dungeons and Dragons.”

Braydon, high school student

Reading: The Giver by Lois Lowry

“I had to read it for school. Really like that one, super good. I’m on the hunt for a new book. But I mostly like sports and science fiction.”

Sam, college student and math nerd

Listening to: (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? by Oasis, Straight Up by Badfinger, Discipline by King Crimson

“I’m not listening to podcasts at the moment, but I am listening to these albums in their entirety.”

SOMETIMES IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT

[QUOTE OF THE WEEK]

“Coincidentally, on this date in 2002, Willie Nelson’s album Stardust was certified 5X platinum. Coincidentally”

Missouri Bill Leads to Alleged Harassment

Critics of an anti-vax bill that would have required labeling food products as gene therapies say they were harassed by the bill’s supporters

Written by RYAN KRULL

Abill in the Missouri statehouse that many farmers feared would have led to Missouri-sourced plant and animal products being labeled as a “Potential Gene Therapy Product” died in committee last week, much to the relief of both agricultural and biotech interests in the state.

The bill, HB 1169, was tied to the state’s burgeoning anti-vaccine movement, which lobbied heavily for it. Critics complained that it was vaguely worded and would have forced the erroneous “gene therapy” label on all sorts of plant and animal products grown in Missouri.

Mike Deering, the executive vice president of the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association, was one of the people who testified against the bill in March before the Emerging Issues Committee. He tells the RFT that Missouri beef would have been required to be labeled a potential gene therapy in grocery stores if the cow it came from had ever been given a vaccine. Deering adds that livestock vaccinations are a routine matter of animal health and wellbeing.

Kelly Gillespie, a lobbyist and president of the Missouri Biotechnology Association, who also opposed the bill, says, “The [bill’s] sponsors start with the premise that whether it is a COVID mRNA vaccine or a genetically modified soybean plant that ends up being fed to pigs before being processed

for baby back ribs, either scenario in their minds ends up changing and re-shaping humans’ DNA gene sequence. The science is actually far different.”

Gillespie says that the bill could have also led to GMO corn and soybeans being slapped with the gene therapy label as well.

“This is the anti-vax movement, and the anti-vax movement is trying to do everything they can to sow seeds of doubt and fear,” Gillespie says.

Before voting no last week, Representative Sherri Gallick (RBelton) said that she worked in the meat industry before seeking elected office. “It is not a diabolical plot to change people’s genes or their DNA,” she said. The Missouri Chamber of Commerce came out against the bill as well, saying in a statement it “would likely have a chilling effect on economic development in the state.”

The bill was sponsored by state Representative Holly Jones (REureka), whose biography on the statehouse website says that she works as the business manager for Renz Law as well as the vice president of wellness development for the Nepute Wellness Group.

Eric Nepute is a chiropractor who testified in favor of the bill in March. He holds the distinction of being the first individual in the country to be sued by the federal government under a relatively new law designed to stop deceptive marketing related to COVID-19.

Jones’ other employer, Renz Law, is headed by Tom Renz. In a September 2021 profile, the Washington Post said that Renz describes himself as a “reluctant leader” to stop COVID-19 vac-

cines. The Post also reported that Renz had promoted the bizarre idea that COVID shots had killed 45,000 people, a notion spread by Michael Flynn, who was briefly Donald Trump’s national security advisor, and others.

Multiple state representatives before voting no on the bill said that proponents of HB 1169 had waged a campaign of intimidation.

Before his no vote, Josh Hurlbert (R–Smithville) said that Jones had been “nothing but pleasant” in advocating for the bill. However, Hurlbert added, “Some of the

Circuit Attorney’s Office Avoids Contempt of Court Charge

But the family affected by the CAO no-show is frustrated with the process

Written by RYAN KRULL

After no one from the Circuit Attorney’s Office showed up to prosecute a high-profile murder case, the victim’s family is expressing frustration with the system. Brandon Scott, 29, was killed in September 2021 on the Arch grounds in what his family says was an act of random road rage.

The trial of one of Scott’s alleged killers, 18-year-old Jonathon Jones, was supposed to start Monday, April 17, but no one from the Circuit Attorney’s Office appeared at the trial. Judge Scott Millikan demanded that a representative

other actors that are outside the building that have been on this bill have really tainted the process …. When you’re visiting people’s houses to confront them and their families about this bill, that’s a line too far. When you’re posting pictures of their kids on social media, that’s the line too far.”

Deering, with the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association, said that members of his group had their personal phone numbers posted online, and he’d even heard of people receiving death threats over the bill.

Asked prior to the vote if he thought a no vote would be the end of the effort to have food items labeled as potential gene therapies in Missouri, Deering said, “I don’t think that it ends tonight. I think they’re going to continue to try this not only in Missouri, but in other states. I think that the intimidation and tactics that they have deployed will continue.”

Jones, the bill’s sponsor, said: “I think that this bill is something that we’re going to see a whole lot more of. Five states have reached out to me wanting to work with Missouri; they see us as the forefront of this. I think that’s a good thing.” n

from the Circuit Attorney’s Office appear in court this Monday morning and explain why Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner or someone else from the office should not be held in criminal contempt of court.

Late last week, court filings from Gardner said that the blame should fall on Assistant Circuit Attorney Alex Polta, who was assigned the Jones case. However, Polta was out of the office on leave when the trial was set to begin.

Polta appeared in court Monday along with Gardner’s attorney Michael Downey, Jones and his public defender Cecilia Appleberry. Members of Scott’s family were in the courtroom as well.

Polta told Judge Millikan that he took leave because he’s been suffering from an upper respiratory infection from which he has not yet recovered.

“There really is no excuse for nobody showing up for trial,” Polta said. He acknowledged that the case had been assigned to him, but he says he didn’t recognize the defendant’s name when Chief Warrant Officer Chris Hinckley texted him about it after Polta went on leave.

Polta said that he told Hinckley, “It was the office’s responsibility to have someone here.”

Continued on pg 10

A food-labeling bill stirred up controversy in Jefferson City. | JIM BOWEN/FLICKR

3 Indicted in St. Louis for Russian Plot to ‘Sow Discord’ in the U.S.

the United States’ democratic processes.

Last summer, the FBI raided Uhuru properties in St. Louis and St. Petersburg as well as some of its members’ homes, including Yeshitela’s.

The African People’s Socialist Party has since called the raids a “racist attack.” Members have also planned protests against Regions Bank and called on customers to close their accounts after the bank “abruptly” closed the African People’s Education and Defense Fund’s accounts.

Written by MONICA OBRADOVIC

An indictment unsealed last week accuses leaders of a local Black liberation group of assisting a Russian nationalist in orchestrating a yearslong campaign to sow discord in the United States and spread pro-Russian propaganda.

The indictment alleges St. Louis residents Omali Yeshitela, Penny Hess and Jesse Nevel of the African People’s Socialist Party conspired with Aleksandr Ionov. Ionov was accused of using various U.S. political groups as foreign agents of Russia without notification to the attorney general in an indictment last summer.

According to the indictment, Ionov recruited these political groups starting as early as October 2013 to attend conferences sponsored by the Anti-Globalization Movement of Russia and funded by the Russian government. At the conferences, the indictment alleges, Ionov entered into a partnership with certain U.S.

CIRCUIT ATTORNEY

Continued from pg 9

Judge Millikan said that he wanted to hold the contempt hearing because, “What I’m trying to do is bring some semblance of order to this circuit.”

The judge went on to tell Polta, “Between you and Mr. Hinckley, something fell through the cracks.” Millikan added that Gardner bore some responsibility as well.

Millikan ultimately opted to not hold anyone in contempt. He then had to rule on whether Jones, who has been in jail since he was 16, should be free on bond while his case continues to work its way through the courts. The judge acknowledged that it’s getting more and more difficult for judges to balance the rights of defendants to speedy trials with the wishes of victims’ families as well as the more general concerns of public safety. Millikan ordered Jones to remain in custody pending his trial, which is now set for June 5.

Despite the media attention the Jones case has received in the past week, as well as the broader turmoil in Gardner’s office, things were relatively placid in the courtroom Monday morning.

However, when Polta first entered the

separatist groups.

Yeshitela is the founder and chairman of the African People’s Socialist Party and the Uhuru Movement. The Uhuru Movement is based in St. Petersburg, Florida, but has several members and outposts throughout St. Louis.

Penny Hess serves as chairwoman of the African People’s Solidarity Committee, part of the African People’s Socialist Party. Jesse Nevel chairs the Uhuru Solidarity Movement, which organizes white people to push for reparations across the U.S. and in Europe.

In 2015, the indictment alleges, Yeshitela traveled to Russia and entered the African People’s Socialist Party into a partnership with Ionov and the AntiGlobalization Movement of Russia, or AGMR, knowing that Ionov and AGMR were agents of the Russian government.

Yeshitela, Hess and Nevel subsequently engaged in a years-long relationship with Ionov. They’ve been charged with unlawfully advancing pro-Russia propaganda and false information about the conflict in Ukraine as part of Ionov’s effort to reduce trust and confidence in

At a press briefing after the raids, Yeshitela said he had never accepted money from the Russian government, but said he “apologizes for not receiving money from Russia.”

He said the African People’s Socialist Party is not composed of pacifists. They believe in “just wars” that are “fought by people who are trying to liberate themselves.

“We don’t just support Russia in this war against Ukraine, we support Palestine,” Yeshitela said.

He later added: “Don’t tell us that we can’t have friends that you don’t like.”

Organizations of the African People’s Socialist Party have led a number of initiatives in north St. Louis. The group has built a farmers’ market and basketball court. Black Power Blueprint, an initiative based in St. Louis, supports a doula training project and is working to open a bakery/cafe through its African Independence Workforce Program.

In a statement to St. Louis Public Radio, Yeshitela said he could not comment on the indictment. “However, I am looking forward to my day in court.” n

the way?”

Scott’s sister April Scott said that when her brother was killed, he had just completed a three-week course to get his CDL and was supporting his fiancée who was pregnant. Scott’s child will be two years old in July.

On the night Scott was killed, he was downtown celebrating with friends.

“On his way home, he was trying to get on the highway, and he accidentally made a wrong turn. He was just trying to come around and bust a U-turn to get on the highway,” April said.

The family described Scott’s killing as an act of road rage, saying he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

courtroom, Gardner’s attorney, Downey, was seated at the prosecutor’s table. Not wanting to sit at the same table as his boss’ attorney, Polta pointedly ordered Downey to “get over there.” Downey ended up seated in the front row for the hearing.

Emotions ran a bit higher outside court when Scott’s family spoke to media.

Scott’s mother, Lana Morris, said that after her experience with the two cases of the men accused of killing her son, she feels that Gardner “needs to be out of office.”

When asked about last week’s noshow, Terrell Herndon, Scott’s cousin, said, “That’s kind of backwards to me … Why wouldn’t you want to get this out of

April stressed that her brother didn’t know his alleged killers. “He’s never been in the streets,” she said. “He’s just a family man. … Good people who do right, they don’t even get justice when bad things happen to them.”

“My son was a great son, and I can shout it to everybody,” Morris added.

An Illinois man named Mark Perry is also facing murder charges stemming from the killing of Scott. He was allowed to await trial free on bond in December 2021. Since then he has racked up more than 20 GPS monitoring violations. n

All three are members of the black liberation group the Uruhu Movement

Omali Yeshitela was indicted for a Russian conspiracy. | MONICA OBRADOVIC

Brandon Scott’s family spoke outside the courthouse on Monday. | RYAN KRULL

Because I Got High

4/20 started early at the Factory’s Stoner Cinema event

Written by JAIME LEES

Photos by THEO WELLING

The Factory (17105 North Outer 40 Road, Chesterfield; 314-423-8500) hosted its inaugural Stoner Cinema event in conjunction with Proper Brands and the Riverfront Times on Monday, April 17.

The movie on offer was Dazed and Confused, about a group of teens finishing high school in 1976. The festivities started at 4:20 p.m. outside of the venue, where people smoked, played cornhole and other games and visited cannabis-industry sponsors to view products.

Rock Star Tacos and 4 Hands Brewing Co. were on hand to serve drinks and food.

Additionally, there was a ’70s costume contest and a trivia competition where you could win prizes. n

A CELEBRATION OF THE UNIQUE AND FASCINATING ASPECTS OF OUR HOME

The Esports Juggernaut

Juggernaut Next Door

Maryville has built the nation’s top program for collegiate video game players. But can it survive an onslaught of rivals?

By Benjamin Simon

Jeremiah Leathe spends more than half of his waking hours playing video games. But sometimes, he just wants to take a break. Sometimes, he wants to get dinner with his teammates.

And when they get dinner, decked out in Maryville sweats and shorts, people always ask the same question. What do you do at Maryville? We play esports, they say.

Play esports? You can get a scholarship for that?

Yes, they get scholarships. They get full rides. Twenty-two of them –– to one of the best esports programs in the entire country. In just eight years, Maryville has developed dynasties in the video games League of Legends and Overwatch, winning four national championships and sending seven players professional. Leathe, 21, competes on the school’s League of Legends team, where he spends seven days a week playing video games.

High school kids, waiters, family, friends –– they envy Leathe. A full scholarship to play video games? That’s amazing. Unbelievable. A dream, a joy, a never-ending rush of happiness and fun.

“I need to tell my kid to play more video games,” they joke.

“I wish I could play 12 hours of games a day,” others say.

“They don’t understand,” Leathe says.

Leathe knows that he’s getting a college degree, something people go into debt for, by playing video games.

“I’m definitely privileged,” he says. But people don’t understand what it takes to compete at this level –– the countless hours staring at a screen, the wrist pain, the messed-up sleep

schedule, the constant stress that if you’re not working, someone else is and you’ll lose your spot.

“It’s not about playing 12 hours a day and just having fun,” Leathe says.

It’s about lightning-quick reflexes, down-to-the-second strategy, relentless studying and, above anything else, an uncanny drive to push your brain to the max and rack up more than 10,000 hours of practice –– just to be great at something.

This is not messing around on your computer shooting fake characters. Professional contracts are on the line. A St. Louis-based esports arena is in the works. Each player carries the weight of the scholarship dollars invested by the school.

There’s just one issue: There is no playbook for collegiate esports. Instead, the entire country is looking to Maryville to create it.

Dan Clerke didn’t have some grand plan to become the pioneer of collegiate esports. He just kind of lucked into it years ago, in between Super Smash Bros. games as a sophomore

at Missouri University of Science & Technology.

As Clerke struggled with biomechanical engineering, his academic interests waned. He stayed up past midnight, watching League of Legends tournaments and playing more Super Smash. That’s when Clerke and his friends spitballed the idea of creating a professional esports team from scratch.

So that’s what he did. In 2012, Clerke dropped out of college. He got a job at Dierbergs. He DM’d players around the country and assembled a semi-professional team within the video game Call of Duty. He scraped together money to send players to tournaments on Greyhound buses.

Over time, Clerke’s program, Enemy, rose from semi-professional to professional ranks. It expanded into games such as League of Legends, Smite, Gears of War and Counter-Strike

Then something changed. He watched a young man on his team crumble.

This kid had given everything to professional esports. He had been kicked out of his house and hopped from couch to couch because of esports.

When Clerke’s team finally made the professional ranks, the kid bawled his eyes out in relief.

“That was the first time that I’d ever seen stress physically be released from someone’s body,” Clerke says.

The relief didn’t last long. Five months later, Enemy was demoted to a lower division, and the kid was back to sleeping on couches.

Around that time, Clerke had enrolled at Maryville with hopes of completing his degree. President Mark Lombardi learned about Clerke’s success in esports and pitched an idea: Would Clerke create an esports program at the collegiate level?

Continued on pg 16

Maryville’s esports program is leading the field ... for now. | BRADEN MCMAKIN

ESPORTS

Continued from pg 15

At first, Clerke said no. But then he thought about the sobbing player.

In that moment, Clerke realized that there was no program for someone on the verge of professional levels but not quite there yet. There was no development ground. There was no way to play esports and make a living –– outside of the 50 people who made the professional level.

“[Collegiate esports] is the future,” he says. “We need to create a better structure for the path to pro and create a better structure for post-play.”

In 2015, Clerke returned to Maryville’s president with a deal. Fund some scholarships for his program and he would deliver a national championship.

And with that, Clerke developed one of the first esports collegiate programs in the entire country. The League of Legends team steamrolled the competition, though few schools were participating at the time, going 40-0 and winning a national championship in its first year.

Since then, the number of collegiate esports programs has skyrocketed. Robert Morris University Illinois formed the nation’s very first varsity esports program in 2014. By 2020, 451 schools were competing in Riot’s League of Legends –– and Esports Foundry, a counseling service, estimates the number of esports varsity programs is even higher. There are nearly $16 million esports scholarships provided to more than 5,000 students every year, according to the National Association of Collegiate Esports.

For colleges, it can help them attract students, create extracurricular programming and, ultimately, develop courses that students want to take. Boise State University, for example, now offers classes dedicated to the esports field.

“It’s a cross-disciplinary subject. There’s a lot of different specialties within it,” says Brett Shelton, who studies educational technology at Boise State University.

He ticks off a number of careers in esports: Event planning, marketing, technology, shoutcasting and data analytics. “I haven’t even mentioned player,” he says.

For smaller private schools, like Maryville, investing heavily in esports isn’t about hopping on the newest fad. It’s about money, enrollment and survival. It’s their one chance to compete with Mich-

igan or UCLA. The United States has more than 4,000 colleges and universities, and most are fighting for students and their tens of thousands of tuition dollars. Nearly 25 percent of private colleges operate at a deficit, according to Moody’s Investors Service — which will only worsen as an enrollment cliff looms due to the declining birthrate.

At Maryville, Clerke says, esports bring in revenue from partnerships (such as Under Armour and McDonald’s), as well as attributed revenue from marketing. Some students attend the school because of esports, hoping to make the team.

Look at photos of Maryville online, and it seems like a new campus. It’s tucked away off Interstate 64, squeezed between corporate buildings in Town and Country. There are no castle-like study halls or ornate sculptures. Some buildings are a bland tan brick. Others are made almost entirely of glass. One dorm is located in a

former hotel. Half the campus is a parking lot.

But walk around the school, and you’ll quickly see it is old. Banners honor its 150-year anniversary. Founded in 1872 by the Society of the Sacred Heart, Maryville initially served underprivileged youth and women in south city. Through the years, the school shifted, over and over again — once a junior college, then a fouryear school, then a liberal arts college and now a private university, with graduate programs in nursing and business.

In recent years, Maryville made another shift, opting for a technology-centric approach. The school has increased online courses, provided every student with an iPad and added degrees in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and blockchain. Apple has named it a Distinguished School for innovation three times.

“It’s hard to [change your school] if you’re Penn State,” says Barbara Mistick, CEO of the National Asso-

ciation of Independent Colleges and Universities. “It’s so big that you can’t infuse that across the core curriculum. … That’s someplace where small institutions are uniquely positioned because they can be adaptable and flexible.”

The focus on technology has changed the university. Plenty of private schools have seen their enrollment numbers plummet. But not Maryville. From 2008 to 2018, Maryville was the second fastest-growing private institution in the country, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. It hasn’t slowed down. In 2017, the school had 2,292 undergraduates. In 2022, enrollment hit 5,711. All of this growth coincided with something else: an esports team. It didn’t just keep Maryville afloat. It put Maryville on the national map.

Leathe sits at his computer, nearby are a Starbucks coffee and an unopened can of Gingerbread Snap’d Mountain Dew. He’s tired. He stayed up until 3:30 a.m. playing video games. “The gamer schedule,” he calls it. He didn’t want to stay up that late, but he kept losing and losing in League of Legends games –– and he wouldn’t quit.

“Every single professional and competitive gamer is playing 12 to 14 hours a day,” Leathe says. “So if you’re not doing that, then you’re never going to be better than them.”

He fell asleep at 3:30 a.m., but he returned seven hours later, at 10:30 a.m.

When the Maryville esports program first started, players practiced in the computer lab and, later, in a dorm. Now, Clerke’s two teams have their own facility. From the outside, it looks like a shed with a garage door. But inside, it is a gamers’ treasure chest. There’s a common space with couches, chairs, TVs, a Wii console, a kitchen, nearly 20 used water jugs and the outline of a basketball court in front of a mini-hoop. There are two closed-off rooms ––one for the Overwatch team and one for League of Legends –– where each player has a station with two monitors and gamer rolling chairs with the letter M on the back. The rooms don’t have any windows, and sometimes, they smell like a hot, stuffy locker room.

Although the summer and fall semesters are more relaxed, the League of Legends team currently competes in college and amateur leagues before Riot’s championship tournament, taking place from late April to early May. (Be-

Jeremiah Leathe is a star player for Maryville’s League of Legends team. | BRADEN MCMAKIN

cause there is no NCAA, students can win prize money as well.) Now, the teams are playing sunrise to sunset nonstop, seven days a week, with scrimmages, practices, film review and weekend tournaments.

“I don’t have a life right now,” says assistant director Andrew Smith. “I’m sure most of us don’t have a life right now.”

In League of Legends, each team has five characters, with the objective of destroying each other’s base –– like Capture the Flag. The game offers more than 160 characters, each with their own traits, weapons and special abilities. But before games, opposing teams can ban characters –– forcing everyone to adjust on the fly.

You can’t just ransack your enemy’s base. It takes around 30 minutes of plowing away through the forestry map, fighting for position, attacking dragons and breaking mini-bases. League is far from an individual game. Each player has a designated position, from “top” to “jungle” to “support,” and they all work together to cover the map.

But the rules of League of Legends aren’t stagnant like sports. Every few weeks, the game updates –– and the abilities of those players change, called “patching.” You get used to one character, and poof, that character loses a special ability.

“Imagine if the NFL suddenly announced next year that rushing touchdowns were worth only five points, or if MLB expanded the strike zone for left-handed pitchers,” ESPN reporter Mina Kimes wrote in a 2015 profile of the Lebron James of League of Legends, Faker.

Before games, Maryville spends 20 minutes on strategy. The head coach, TJ LaMarca, who is a current student at the school, compiles a color-coded scouting report on every team, detailing previous games and what characters players like to choose. They’ll run over plays and vulnerable parts of the map to attack.

On this Saturday in early March, the team is loose. They’re playing against Contingent Esports, an amateur team ranked 32nd in the tournament. Maryville is ranked first –– and they don’t expect to lose. Players watch weightlifting videos and Korean League of Legends streams with crumpled-up dining hall receipts and scrunched-up Monster cans on their desks. Smith reminds some of the players that they must run a half marathon if his hometown Sacramento Kings makes the NBA playoffs. They clown Leathe for

his “blue-ass jeans” because no gamers wear jeans. Most sport Maryville-themed sweats and slides. They want to know why in the world he would wear jeans.

“What’s your theory?” Leathe asks.

“You need to do laundry,” another player says, correctly.

But when the game starts, the mood changes. “All right boys. Let’s not underestimate them. They came here to play,” one of them says

The room turns into a thunderstorm of clicking, forearms flexing with every click. The players shout in a foreign language, their words jumbled, darting back and forth over headsets.

“Careful at mid.”

“They’re basing, guys.”

“Should we burn at the base?”

“We should burn at the base.”

“OK let’s burn.”

“They have digs though.”

“We should send it guys.”

“Burn it. Burn it.”

Twenty minutes, they’re trailing –– 10 kills to 9 kills.

Then Leathe comes alive.

Now that he’s playing for real, Leathe’s calves hug the edge of his chair, his back perfectly straight and his eyes glued to the screen. Midway through the game, a scrum breaks out near the bottom of the map between all 10 players. It’s chaos. People are sending red fireballs, dragons are howling and characters are transforming into a purple forcefield. Leathe is caught right in the middle.

He erupts with a purple circle that hits people like an earthquake. One, two, three, four characters are ganging up on him. You can barely follow what’s going on –– there are so many colors and fireballs and people and green beams.

All of a sudden, things don’t look

good. A flying fireball hits Leathe square in the chest, knocking his health down to 50 percent. And now they’re zeroed in on him. One player from the opposing team teleports right on top of him.

But somehow Leathe sees it all. He backtracks from the mess with ease, sliding toward an open area, sending an ice arrow right in the chest of one character, and then another, and then another, and then another, perfectly accurate. He fires so fast, and so efficiently, that the opposing characters barely have a chance to respond. Within seconds, Leathe has wiped out four characters from the other team.

“Maryville University are going to slaughter Contingent Esports!” the announcer yells over the Twitch stream.

Jordan Ousley, the media director, falls back in his chair, unable to believe it.

“Jerry’s so good,” he whispers.

During the 2022 League of Legends championship tournament, a random school kept winning. Its name was Converse College, a liberal arts school in Spartanburg, South Carolina, with 804 undergraduates.

Ranked as the 22nd seed, Converse knocked off the 11-seed Bethany College. Then the 6-seed Arizona State. Then the 3-seed Michigan State to reach the semifinals.

And there was one player carrying the team, one player who kept the small school competing with the big guns –– a player without a hint of facial hair and short, floppy, messy black hair, who scored absurd stat lines, like 12 kills to 2 deaths. His gamertag was ScaryJerry, but his real name was Jeremiah Leathe.

Everyone knew about Leathe. Clerke admired him from afar,

toying with the idea of inviting him to Maryville. Then he heard Leathe’s postgame interview.

Usually these interviews are boring. But not with Leathe. He flexed and flaunted and let everyone know that Converse wasn’t some random school.

“[Leathe’s] like, ‘No, we can beat anybody here,’” Clerke remembers. “‘That’s no problem. It was expected for me. I expect to be here. I expect to win this.’”

“I was like, ‘Damn,’” Clerke says, “‘this kid does not care. I need that.’”

That same weekend, Clerke invited Leathe to dinner and did something rare: He offered Leathe a full ride and roster position on the spot. Leathe didn’t think long before accepting.

“Everyone knew that Maryville was the place to be for League,” Leathe says. “And I never imagined I could even make it.”

Clerke has seen a shift in the program during Leathe’s first year. Leathe arrived two months before school started to practice. He hasn’t taken a day off since Christmas. He’s extremely serious about his craft, measuring his caffeine down to the milligram so it hits during peak playing hours. Even his breaks are scheduled for 10-minute blocks, where his goofy side comes out and he’ll migrate to the mini-hoop court, betting anyone and everyone $2, shooting step-back jumpers and flying through the air to dunk.

He’s competitive with everything. The first time they went rock climbing, Leathe cut open his hand in the middle of a climb. But he kept climbing, blood on his hand.

“Jerry has been an instant culture change here,” Clerke says. “Our team [has] a lot more energy.”

Leathe says he wasn’t always this way. “I had a lot of confidence issues.”

Leathe was born in Argentina before his family moved to Mexico and settled down in suburban Chicago. After graduating from high school, he worked with his dad in the insurance field for more than a year. He felt bored and aimless.

He started reading self-help books, like The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. He realized he didn’t just want to work a nineto-five. He wanted to be great at something.

He chose video games.

“I’m gonna try really hard at this game, and if I become successful with it, then that’ll prove that I can do anything I set my

Continued on pg 19

The Maryville campus looks new, but the school is 150 years old. | BRADEN MCMAKIN

ESPORTS

mind to,” he says.

By that point, he had played casually with friends for years. But for a month or two, he grinded. Not just played. Grinded. He studied his moves, rewatched games and stayed up deep into the night. A friend said they were looking for players at Converse College. Leathe didn’t know anything about the school –– but he accepted the $2,000 scholarship. At Converse, he reached the top .5 percent of players in the entire world.

The game didn’t just provide him with a scholarship. It changed him.

“It gives you a purpose every day,” he says. “It gives you a reason to wake up.”

He has catapulted up in the rankings. In March, he ranked as the 103rd best player in North America. Now he hovers in the top 30 –– just a few months away from earning a professional contract.

But Leathe’s not so sure he wants to go pro. Yes, that’s always been the dream, but he doesn’t know if he wants to leave Maryville. He likes the collegiate space. These are his friends, the kids he eats pizza and plays basketball with. He can take breaks and go rock climbing. He can get his degree in cybersecurity. College has given him the support he needs, and he doesn’t want to lose that coveted spot at Maryville by jumping pro.

Plus, the professional scene is also ruthless. The League of Legends Championship Series, for example, has only 10 teams and five players per team. People live in facilities, where they play video games every moment of every day.

With so few spots, players constantly look over their shoulders in fear of being replaced. This is not basketball, where players can make solid money playing overseas or in the minor leagues. If they don’t make the top levels, they’re stuck earning just a few hundred dollars a month.

Even for those who hit the big time, the esports field is unstable, with recent investigations revealing that the industry’s once-gaudy revenue numbers are over-inflated. “Esports is looking like a bubble ready to pop,” wrote Cecilia D’Anastasio of gaming news site Kotaku. Windows for playing careers are tight, too –– most players peak in their early 20s, if not earlier, before their reflexes or wrists give out. After just a few years, almost all are out of the sport.

One of Leathe’s teammates,

Aiden Tidwell, made the leap to pro after two years at Maryville. Nine months later, he retired and returned to Maryville. It wasn’t like he’d dreamed. No class, no mini-hoops — just video games, all the time, with no guarantee of a job next year. “Doing that much of one thing, it’s just so much,” Tidwell says. “It gets taxing.”

Leathe faces similar decisions in the future. But for now, he has a home –– and it’s at Maryville.

Afew years ago, someone asked Andrew Smith, Maryville’s esports assistant director, a question. Who holds the first 30 NCAA football championships?

It’s not Alabama. Not Michigan. Not Clemson.

“I don’t know,” he said.

It’s Ivy League schools. Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Penn (with the exception of 1870, where no champion was selected). Where are those football teams now? They aren’t even in the top level of Division I football –– let alone competing for a national championship.

“And nobody remembers that,” Smith says.

The implication is obvious ––how much longer can Maryville survive as the beast of esports?

Some experts will tell you that Maryville is doomed to be squashed by schools with more resources, money and prestige.

“I would say definitely ––‘Maryville, enjoy the success while you’ve got it. This is not going to last forever,’” says Shelton, the professor at Boise State, with a hint of friendly competition.

Others say Maryville beat them to the punch, and the program will reign for years as slow-moving public institutions lag behind. They’ll note that collegiate esports have grown –– and Maryville hasn’t lost its footing. Last week, the university’s League of Legends team became the first collegiate program to qualify for the Legends Championship Series Challenge League — equivalent to Triple A in professional baseball or the second division behind the Premier League. Their Overwatch team scrimmages against –– and beats –– professional teams. A documentary film crew spent the last year following them around. Players from Arizona, California, Canada and Australia move across the world to play for Maryville.

But really, no one knows what will happen because collegiate esports are just starting. Imagine rewinding to the start of college football, back when they didn’t

even wear helmets or pads and dressed like they were going to church in turtlenecks and khaki pants. That’s where we are in collegiate esports –– at the beginning.

“I’m not even sure if we’ve hit the crest of the wave yet,” Shelton says.

Yet this time, the people starting these programs are fully aware of the potential. They know collegiate sports can be hugely lucrative. They just don’t know, yet, how to get esports there.

“The world knows that people are interested in video games and interested in esports,” Smith says. “But the world hasn’t figured out how you make money off of it. Or how you become the biggest and the best. … What is the ruling system like? What are the do’s and don’ts?”

Almost everyone uses the phrase “wild, wild West” to describe collegiate esports. There are no divisions. Schools are scrambling to create world-class teams and state-of-the-art facilities –– without any sort of roadmap. There are dozens of video game titles for schools to invest in. There is no uniform governing body like the NCAA making sure teams stay in line. Problems abound, from players failing class to a lack of diversity, with most teams overwhelmingly white and male. Just 8 percent of collegiate players nationwide are women. Maryville, for example, has no women on its teams.

At first, Clerke ran Maryville like he ran his professional teams. He recruited players and focused on winning games. They did, but there were hiccups. His first team was disqualified for using an ineligible player. Students struggled to maintain good grades. He juggled managing another professional team, eUnited, while running Maryville.

“I had to learn how to be a college administrator,” Clerke says.

The program has evolved. As of 2019, Maryville is Clerke’s fulltime job. Students have to maintain a 2.5 GPA. Smith, the assistant director, has weekly check-ins with players. They are encouraged to get physical exercise, and they climb as a team three times a week. They also host weekly events for a collegewide gaming club that includes Super Smash Bros. tournaments.

The goal is still to win. But what happens if Maryville stops winning? Does all of this disappear?

The program has been careful about not expanding too quickly. But next year, they will add Valorant and Rocket League teams.

They plan to create an all-women Valorant team in the following years.

In recent years, Clerke has shifted his focus outside Maryville to local youth and high school development. He has helped high schools found teams and Missouri create an esports governing system. Most recently, Maryville proposed a 3,000-seat arena in Town and Country dedicated to esports. The arena wouldn’t just serve Maryville –– it will be a space for the entire community. He wants to design camps, teams and leagues in St. Louis where kids can improve their skills, manage their time and work as a team in a structured environment –– just like in traditional sports.

“Our industry has done a pretty good job of growing up,” Clerke says. “But I’ve always thought that in order for this to be fiscally sustainable and for this to reach its potential, it needs to grow down. It needs to grow roots. There’s no youth ecosystem at all.”

Maryville expects to win. But the goal isn’t just to become a collegiate esports dynasty. Clerke hopes to turn St. Louis into a hub for esports, where there is no way Maryville or esports can ever disappear.

Hours after the commanding win over Contingent Esport, Maryville loses –– to the lowly 21st seed.

One player instantly rips off his headphones, pushes out his chair and bounds out the door.

“Should we wait to talk about it? Because I’m pretty frustrated,” another player asks. Then he too walks out.

The room is quiet. Dead quiet –– outside of the clacking of keyboards and mouses.

After about 10 minutes, a teammate walks over to Leathe. Leathe’s eyes haven’t left the screen. The teammate doesn’t say anything. He just leans over Leathe’s chair, puts his hands on Leathe’s shoulders and pats them softly.

Leathe doesn’t get up. He stares at the game footage, his back arched forward, his hands stroking his chin and his finger over his lips, combing through the clips. Skipping, pausing. Reverse, fastforward. Trying to find any kernel of what went wrong, if he clicked the wrong special ability, if he went down the wrong lane, anything.

He will analyze and analyze for the next 30 minutes –– until his next game starts, and the process repeats. That is what they do at nationally ranked esports schools like Maryville. At least for now. n

CALENDAR

BY RIVERFRONT TIMES STAFF

THURSDAY 04/27

Which Witch

What if Dorothy wasn’t the star of The Wizard of Oz, but rather a side character who comes in at the end and messes things up for everyone? Viewers of the touring Broadway show Wicked can experience this alternative version of the story, which centers on Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and her friendship with Glinda the Good. Written by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman and adapted from a novel by Gregory Maguire, the story follows the ups and downs of the two’s relationship, families and station in life. The show is now the fourth-longest-running musical in Broadway history, and for good reason: As RFT theater critic Tina Farmer says, “It’s excellent in every respect.” It’s showing daily at the Fabulous Fox Theatre (527 North Grand Boulevard, 314-5341111) through Sunday, May 7. Showtimes vary, and tickets are $55 to $249. For more information, visit fabulousfox.com.

Yeah! OK!

The Armory (3660 Market Street, 314-282-2720) will have the whole crowd bending over to the front to touch their toes this Thursday, April 27, when rapper and DJ Lil Jon brings his crunk-tastic live show to St. Louis. The beloved East Side Boyz rapper will have the crowd getting low and going from the window to the wall, even as sweat drips down their... uh, foreheads. Yeah, OK, enough Lil Jon song puns. When the show was first announced, some onlookers wondered if the old-school Lil Jon would show up with his early hits such as “Bia Bia” and “Put Your Hood Up,” or if the later-career Lil Jon better known for collaborating on pop tracks would perform. What fans didn’t consider is that Lil Jon is also now a DJ in Las Vegas, so maybe the EDM version of Lil Jon will be on stage. But regardless of how Lil Jon designs his set list, it’s sure to get you to “Snap Yo Fingers.” The show starts at 7 p.m., and tickets are $35 to $95. More info at armorystl.com.

FRIDAY 04/28 All Takin’ and No Givin’

Have you ever had a job where you’re barely getting by and your company keeps asking you to give more? Where the idiot boss just uses your mind and doesn’t even give you credit? Where you spend endless hours stuck in an office full of snakes and backstabbers with coffee as your only comrade? It’s enough to drive you crazy if you let it, isn’t it? Well, don’t worry, Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5: The Musical is singing your song. Literally. Based on the hit 1980 movie of the same name, this story depicts true friendship (and sweet, sweet revenge) in a system that is stacked against the workers. There’s a better life, and you dream about it, don’t you? Let Dolly Parton and her messengers show you the way as you follow one wild plot twist to the next before finding the happy ending. This week’s performances of 9 to 5: The Musical are presented by Gateway Center for Performing Arts and will be showing at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center (210 East Monroe Av-

enue, Kirkwood; 314-759-1455) at 7 p.m. Friday, April 28, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, April 29, and 3 p.m. Sunday, April 30. Tickets are $15 to $25. Visit gcpastl.org/9to5 for tickets and more information.

Spells and Potions

The STL Mystic Fair is coming to Bridgeton this week. But if you’re a psychic, you probably already knew that, huh? Well, for the rest of us, we finally get the opportunity to access the special powers of our enchanted neighbors at Machinists’ District 9 Hall (12365 St Charles Rock Road, Bridgeton; 314-739-6200) from Friday, April 28, through Sunday, April 30. The fair will offer all manner of mystical entertainment and interventions, including mediums, healers, psychics, herbalists, energy workers, spiritual guides and numerologists. Visitors can opt in to energy healing, have their portrait taken by an aura camera or buy crystals and other powerful paraphernalia. The event also offers hourly workshops, door prizes and more. Tickets to the STL Mystic Fair cost $8 for daily admission, $15 for a two-day pass and $20 for a weekend pass. Kids age 12 and under get in for free.

Visit eventbrite.com for tickets and more information.

Nun of Your Business

If you’re a fan of psychological dramas, sexual themes and/or lesbian nuns, it will be well worth your time to head over to the Arkadin Cinema and Bar (5228 Gravois Avenue, 314-221-2173) this week to check out Benedetta, the most recent film from celebrated Dutch director Paul Verhoeven, who decades ago brought you Robocop and Showgirls. The 2021 French language film stars Belgian actress Virginie Efira as Benedetta Carlini, a nun in a 17th century Italian convent who is experiencing visions of Jesus as well as a desire for one of her fellow sisters of the habit. Having premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, the international hit has since seen an impressive run of screenings at festivals in Hong Kong, New York, Brussels, London, Busan, San Sebastian and more. Arkadin’s screening this Friday, April 28, starts at 8 p.m. and is a part of the theater’s month-long Nuns Having Fun series. Tickets are $9. More info at arkadincinema.com.

Jennafer Newberry as Glinda and Lissa deGuzman as Elphaba in Wicked, now showing at the Fox. | VIA TICKETMASTER

SATURDAY 04/29

Sandwich Kingz

Fifteen years ago, the Gramophone (4243 Manchester Avenue, 314-531-5700) opened its doors and quickly established itself as a stalwart of Forest Park Southeast’s burgeoning bar scene. Nowadays that section of Forest Park Southeast is better known as the Grove, but the Gramophone still keeps the hits coming with all that lured thirsty patrons to it in the first place: great beers and cocktails, diverse musical acts and a laid-back atmosphere. In 2015, after seven years of service, the Gramophone decided to change gears and become what it’s best known for now — a sandwich pub with lunch and late-night options. The beloved purveyor of breadbased eats will ring in its birthday this Saturday, April 29, with the

Gramophone’s 15th Anniversary Lot Party, which promises drinks, food and music by Uncle Lucius, Hazard to Ya Booty, Saint Boogie Brass Band and more. The party is free and lasts from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., but you’ll definitely want to bring enough money to get yourself something tasty to eat. For more information, visit gramophonestl.com.

SUNDAY 04/30

Rhythm Nation

There are superstars, and then there’s Janet Jackson. The global icon of pop and R&B is among the most celebrated artists living today, with a career spanning nearly 50 years and 11 studio albums. During that time, she’s been honored with five Grammy Awards, eleven American Music Awards, eleven Billboard Music Awards and even

eight entries in the Guinness World Records. She’s been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and has a star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood. In short, when she took to social media to announce a new North American tour this spring, with a stop in St. Louis, there was much rejoicing across the land. The Together Again tour is Jackson’s first in four years, and celebrates several milestones.

Jackson will be celebrating her 50th year in show business, plus

WEEK OF APRIL 27-MAY 3

the 30th anniversary of her album Janet and the 25th anniversary of The Velvet Rope. And Jackson isn’t coming alone. Sweetening the pot, Atlanta rapper and top-tier wordsmith Ludacris will be joining the “Rhythm Nation” singer on tour. The Together Again tour will stop in St. Louis on Sunday, April 30, at Enterprise Center (1401 Clark Avenue, 314-622-5400). Tickets range from $36.95 to $496.95 and are available at livenation.com and ticketmaster.com.

9 to 5: The Musical is a tale of working, friendship and revenge. | POSTER ART

Lil Jon will get you to snap your fingers and do your step at the Armory. | ALBUM ART

Janet Jackson will be in St. Louis on April 30. | VIA TICKETMASTER

CAFE

It Starts with Coffee

Brew Tulum takes the leap from roaster to unforgettable Mexican cuisine

Written by CHERYL BAEHR

Brew Tulum

5090 Delmar Boulevard, 636-578-8321. Mon.-Wed. 8 a.m.-4 p.m.; Fri. 8 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sat. 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sat. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. (Closed Thursdays).

Laura McNamara vividly remembers the moment her husband, Alberto Juarez, told her they were going to start a coffee business. They were at their home in Tulum, on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, where McNamara had just gotten some bad news from their regular coffee supplier. He was soon moving out of town and closing his small-batch roastery and coffee delivery company — a service McNamara and Juarez had come to rely on for excellent Mexican coffee and the only source in town for such quality beans. McNamara was so crestfallen, she barely noticed Juarez pick up the phone. After hanging up, he turned to his wife and told her the news: They were going to buy their supplier’s equipment and go into the coffee business themselves.

That heat-of-the-moment decision has resulted in Brew Tulum, a cafe, roastery and restaurant that has evolved from a Tulum-based specialty coffee supplier into a thrilling celebration of Mexican coffee and culinary culture. With an original location still bustling in Tulum, Juarez and McNamara launched their stateside operation in the Delmar Maker District in November, after moving back to McNamara’s hometown during the pandemic.

However, the roots of Brew Tulum go back much further than that fateful business decision — all the way to McNamara’s upbringing in St. Charles. Though she refers to her childhood experience as a suburban bubble, McNamara became interested in learning about different cultures thanks to her stepfather,

who is first-generation MexicanAmerican. In college, she studied journalism and Italian, which led to a study abroad experience in Italy. There, she got her first taste of not just excellent, high-quality coffee, but of soulful, of-the-earth food, an experience she describes as life changing and made her seek out such ways of eating and drinking in her post-graduation work around the world for an international digital news agency.

After an experience at a roadside coffee cart in Vietnam made her understand terroir, McNamara became obsessed with discovering local varieties. She had a similar experience in Guatemala, but when she arrived in Mexico’s Yucatán, she was disappointed that she could find little outside of Nescafe geared toward tourists. The quest became more urgent after she left her journalism job to settle in the area; simply unwilling to ac-

cept a fate drinking poor quality coffee, she searched high and low for good Mexican beans and found them courtesy of a Mad-Max-outfitted, motorcycle-driving coffee entrepreneur who did home deliveries to a select number of clients. She became one of his regular customers and eventually converted Juarez into drinking great coffee, an arrangement that set them up to take over for the supplier after he left the business.

Juarez and McNamara thought their takeover would be an easy transition, but they quickly found out there was no client database. Instead, they had to build the business from scratch, beginning with restaurants. When that failed, they pivoted to direct-to-consumer sales and eventually expanded to a shop that came with a kitchen. Though they’d never cooked professionally, Juarez and McNamara were talented home cooks and translated that passion into a menu of traditional Mexican dishes, finding success with tourists and a regular local clientele for both their coffee and their food. When the pandemic shut down their business, Juarez and Mc-

Continued on pg 24

Brew Tulum’s signature pourovers are single-origin, micro-lot specialty coffees. | MABEL SUEN

Alberto Juarez and Laura McNamara are the co-owners of Brew Tulum. | MABEL SUEN

Namara decided to move to St. Charles to be close to her family as they figured out what to do. They knew they did not want to give up coffee, so they began roasting and exporting beans to Mexico, then developed a stateside clientele through area farmers markets and pop-ups. At one of those events, the husband and wife were approached by someone who knew of an opportunity with MADE in the Delmar Maker District. The organization was looking for a concept to occupy its newly developed restaurant space, and after connecting with those in charge of the space, they decided to open their second location of Brew Tulum.

Juarez and McNamara were not just excited about the MADE space from a real estate perspective. The pair saw the organization’s creative and innovative mission as one that complemented their similar philosophy toward coffee and food. You understand this the moment you walk into Brew Tulum and see a coffee bar outfitted with what seems like every brew method known to man. It becomes clear that Juarez and MacNamara are not simply interested in exposing their guests to good, Mexican coffee; they are determined to create a world-class coffee tasting experience that is as educational as it is delicious. Their doublesided list of coffee and coffee-adjacent offerings — complete with both tasting notes and historical background information — underscores this commitment, and is filled with everything from an outstanding French-press-brewed house Mexican coffee that tastes of chocolate and nuts to the Citrus Zest Coffee Coolera, an iced coldbrew coffee spritzed with fresh orange juice, shaken with ice and honey and served in a hollowedout orange half. Akin to pairing chocolate with orange, you get a hint of bright citrus, while the coffee flavor shines through. It’s a stunningly refreshing concoction.

Food is equally exceptional. From a tiny glass window to the side of the kitchen, you can see Juarez toiling away by himself, preparing an impressive array of fiercely traditional Mexican dishes that make you feel as if you are eating in his home kitchen in Tulum rather than in the middle of St. Louis. Chilaquiles, a Mexican breakfast classic made from cut up tortillas, are extraordinary thanks to a vibrant warm tomato salsa that coats the entire

dish. Fresh cream and cheese add richness, while slivers of red onion and cilantro underscore the tomato sauce’s brightness.

Cazuela is billed as a Mexican breakfast casserole, though it presents more as a mouthwatering stew. Poached eggs bob in a spiced tomato broth that is accented with fresh spinach and black beans. Shockingly fresh blue-corn tortillas are served alongside, so you can either scoop up the stew or drizzle it over the top. The blue corn makes an appearance on the sopes as well. Here, thicker tortilla rounds are covered in smashed black beans and topped with verdant microgreens, toma-

toes, onions and fresh Mexican cheese. Between the rustic tortillas and refined presentation, it’s an extraordinary experience.

Brew Tulum’s tamales are a case study in all that a tamale should be. Here, the rajas con queso version features poblano peppers and fresh cream wrapped in fresh masa, then covered in both a mildly spiced cream sauce and blackbean puree. Street corn, too, is a master class in the form thanks to rustic, firm kernels steeped in a chili-infused broth. Here, instead of mayonnaise taking over, it’s more of a subtle backbeat of cream and tanginess that melts into the broth and lets the nutty flavor of

the corn take center stage. I can’t imagine a more beautiful thing.

Enfrijoladas — blue-corn tortillas stuffed with gooey white cheese and topped with a rich black bean sauce — are excellent on their own, but they become transcendent when paired with Brew Tulum’s house hot sauce, which is less a sauce than a paste of oil and crushed spices. This addictive concoction is less a vinegary heat than a deeply savory yet warm flavor that builds with each bite. You’ll want to drizzle it on every last thing you eat.

As mind-blowing as the hot sauce is, Brew Tulum’s most unforgettable dish is the enmoladas. Here, blue-corn tortillas are filled with sauteed hibiscus flowers and smothered in decadent mole. The hibiscus is outrageously delicious; fruity, tart and floral, yet somehow savory, it provides a powerfully bright contrast to the rich, chili-infused chocolate sauce. I’m still trying to wrap my head around this outstanding complexity of flavors.

And to think this all began with a coffee delivery business. Thank goodness Juarez and McNamara took the leap. Our city is all the more delicious for it. n

Brew Tulum

Enfrijolades $14

Tamales (rajas con queso) $12

Enmoladas ������������������������������������������������ $16

Brew Tulum features specialty coffee and Mexican cuisine. | MABEL SUEN

Café de Olla is a traditional spiced coffee infused with cacao, cinnamon and piloncillo. | MABEL SUEN

SHORT ORDERS 27

the restaurant.

Chill Vibes, Fresh Drinks

Bonito Bar, within the renovated Frida’s, is the ultimate neighborhood spot

Written by JESSICA ROGEN

Serene dark aqua walls. Moody blue bar underlighting. A flock of tiny plastic birds hanging from a gold curved gold ceiling. The new Bonito Bar is the perfect backdrop for a bright cocktail.

“It’s a lot of fun,” co-owner Natasha Kwan says. “People love it. They’re really enjoying the drinks, hanging out, saying they’ve never seen anything like it. You know, the vibe is cool.”

Kwan and her husband Rick Roloff (Station No. 3, Diego’s Cantina) opened the figurative doors to the new bar within their renovated restaurant Frida’s (622 North and South Road, University City; 314727-6500, eatatfridas.com) last month. Long a vegan restaurant,

[FOOD NEWS]

Gotham and Eggs to Open

The new breakfast and lunch spot will take over the longtime City Diner space

on South Grand

Written by RYAN KRULL

There’s good news for South Grand denizens with an affinity for diner food. The comic book- and superhero-themed Gotham and Eggs is planning to open in late July or early August in the heart of the storied dining strip.

“We’re taking our time because we want to do it right,” owner Shanisah Knight says. “We’re not rushing into it.”

Gotham and Eggs is moving into the

Frida’s reopened at the same time as a pescatarian concept.

“We’re more California cuisine now,” she says, noting that they carried forward the top sellers from the original Frida’s menu.

“People are loving it. They are

old City Diner space. That diner opened in 1992 and was a mainstay in the area, serving classic fare for 30 years before closing last August.

Knight says that when she and her husband, Jason Knight, have Gotham and Eggs up and running, they plan to serve traditional diner food for breakfast and lunch, with a few specials on offer to mix things up as well.

She adds they also plan to be open for dinner a few nights a week. “We’re going to be a family environment, and morning hours don’t always work with kids being at school,” Knight says.

The diner’s theme stems from Jason’s superhero fandom and his cache of collectibles, which will feature prominently in the dining area.

“We have a variety of memorabilia that will be there, from Lego figures to hats to pop figures and posters,” Knight says. “We hope it’ll be just a different environment to visit.”

Knight says the smaller seating area be-

putting salmon on everything.”

When Kwan and Roloff closed for renovations, they knew reopening with a bar presence was a priority. Before, people were often surprised that Frida’s sold drinks since there was no bar in

Now, there are no more surprises. The curved bar is immediately visible when entering Frida’s. The aforementioned gold ceiling and flock of birds adorn the area, which is filled out by a handful of high-top two seaters. The full food menu is available at the bar, and the full bar menu is available in the dining room.

Bonito and Frida’s offer a wide selection of cocktails and a smaller menu of wine and beer. Like at all of Kwan’s and Roloff’s restaurants, the cocktails tend to feature fresh juices.

“We do everything in house,” she says. “Our signature cocktails across the board with all three are margaritas and Paloma.”

The bar menu also holds a nice selection of mocktails, something that was important to Kwan because more people are choosing not to drink — but she still wanted them to be able to get something special to go with their food.

That’s certainly more than possible now, and guests can do so in a chill space that evokes the owners’ travels to Miami, Mexico and Latin America.

“We want our neighborhood folks to just come in, to be able to walk in and have a drink,” Kwan says. “It’s been really great to see a lot of our regular customers, new faces, people from our other restaurants coming in and hanging out.” n

tween the main dining area and the patio will be set up for community crafters and artists to come in and show their work.

We’re trying to bring the outside in,”

Knight

“We really want to have a connection to the community beyond just providing good food and a good environment.”

Bonito Bar features a gold ceiling and a flock of tiny birds. | JESSICA ROGEN

says.

Gotham and Eggs plans to open this summer. | COURTESY PHOTO

Lulu’s Reopens

The beloved plant-based South Grand restaurant has opened for dine-in with a beautiful renovation

Written by JESSICA ROGEN

Fans of Lulu’s Local Eatery: It’s time to celebrate. The beloved South Grand vegan spot has reopened its dining room. Lulu’s (3201 South Grand Boulevard, 314-300-8215, luluslocaleaterystl.com) held a grand re-opening brunch the weekend before last and then followed up the event with an Instagram announcement of its new hours. It will be open for dine-in business Thursday through Saturday from noon to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“Thank you all so much for showing up to our first brunch in too long,” reads an Instagram post from the restaurant. “We truly appreciate the endless support, feedback, and patience you have offered us so graciously.”

Lauren “Lulu” Loomis and Robbie Tucker first opened Lulu’s on South Grand nine years ago, and it quickly became a popular spot for fast-casual vegan fare. In 2020, the duo put the spot up for sale due to health reasons after the restaurant’s doors had been closed for three months during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In September, an anonymous buyer stepped forward to take up the restaurant’s reins, keeping some elements of the original spot and making some tweaks. Lulu’s did reopen later that year but only for pickup.

“As a customer, I felt this was an important place,” the new owner told the RFT in September. “One of the things I liked about their concept is how sustainability was a part of what they did. I worried that if another buyer came in, they might not keep that part of the operation, even though it is so essential. I thought, ‘Hey, maybe I can do this.’”

Now, it appears to be back with a fresh renovation of the dining room. The restaurant has been reoriented so that a long bar and register stretch along the south side of the space with tables on

CHERYL BAEHR’S CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE PICKS

There’s no such thing as a bad chocolate chip cookie. Even the most basic, store-bought brand can get the job done. However, a truly extraordinary chocolate chip cookie is a work of art. These area spots are turning out our favorites.

Union Loafers

the opposite side. Though there is not a menu available on its website, the restaurant does seem to have a handful of new dishes and an extensive new cocktail menu.

“We want to take a moment to remind you that even though we’ve been a little quiet we are still putting in a lot of work be -

Get Crunk

Sunny D Vodka seltzer is going to be the drink of the summer

Written by JAIME LEES

All of your childhood dreams are coming true. First of all, recreational weed is legal, and the edible options at local weed stores are outstanding. So not only can eating candy get you high, but now drinking Sunny D can get you drunk? What a wonderful world.

Check out this new product at Schnucks. It’s something that you only dared to dream about before: Sunny D Vodka Seltzer.

That’s right, it’s basically a pre-mixed kiddie-flavored screwdriver in a can and it’s definitely going to be the drink of summer. Imagine showing up to a party with a grip of this stuff. Everybody would flip out. Can’t you just see yourself sipping one by the pool? Or drinking one while barbecuing a pork steak in the sun? Or chugging one out of your trunk to pregame in the parking garage before

hind scenes,” the restaurateur wrote on Instagram in early March. “We are perfecting our cocktail menu, and fine tuning our recipes. We look forward to nothing more than our doors being back open and to have all you great St. Louisians back in our lives.”

heading into a Cards game?

Cans are sold in four-packs and each drink is 4.5 percent alcohol per volume. We bet is tastes like nostalgia and instant regret. Basically, we can’t wait to try some.

Bottoms up, St. Louis. n

Every last thing that comes out of Union Loafers’ kitchen is utter perfection, so it’s no surprise that its chocolate chip cookie is the stuff of greatness. Crisp on the outside and sprinkled with just a touch of salt flakes, it hits that right note of sweet without being overly so.

Comet Coffee

The gold standard of chocolate chip cookies, Comet Coffee’s masterful version has a delightfully crisp exterior that tastes of brown butter, and discs of bittersweet chocolate throughout that somehow remain molten, even after the cookie has cooled.

Pint Size Bakery & Coffee

Christy Augustin grew up eating Nestle Toll House chocolate chip cookies like us mere mortals, but when it came time to put them on the menu at Pint Size Bakery & Coffee, she got serious. The result of her team’s R&D is a delightful chocolate chunk cookie that has that fresh-from-the-oven feel even well after it has cooled.

La Patisserie Chouquette

Simone Faure’s chocolate chip cookies are only available on Saturdays, so, come Sunday, you will be counting down the days until you can head down to La Patisserie Chouquette to get her world-class version.

Winslow’s Table

Things may have changed over the years at Winslow’s Table. But one thing that will never change, is its outrageously delicious chocolate chip cookie that has, for good reason, developed a legion of fans over the years.

Lulu’s opened its dining room with a kick-off brunch. | COURTESY PHOTO

Now at a Schnucks near you. | SUNNY DELIGHT BEVERAGES CO.

REEFERFRONT TIMES 31

Missouri Considers Open Container Law for Marijuana

Still no container law on the books for alcohol, though

Written by MONICA OBRADOVIC

AMissouri bill would make driving with marijuana in a container that’s not child- or odor-proof a crime punishable with up to one year in jail.

Representative Kent Haden (RMexico) says he filed the bill “due to public safety concerns” after the legalization of adult-use marijuana in Missouri.

House Bill 295 has so far gone no further than a single hearing. But if passed, it would require both drivers and their passengers to store marijuana in a “secured,” odor-proof and sealable child-proof container. It mirrors a similar law in Illinois that requires drivers to keep marijuana in a sealed, odor-proof and childresistant container.

Amendment 3, now Article 14 of the state Constitution, green lights possessing up to three ounces of cannabis at a time. It does not require marijuana to be transported in any special containers.

In an email to the RFT, Haden criticized the initiative that passed last November with 53 percent of the vote. With the amendment so “broad but vague,” Haden says, “What can the legislature do to protect public safety?”

Haden’s bill drew pushback from some supporters of Amendment 3.

“While driving under the influence of marijuana is strictly prohibited, we believe law-abiding citizens need a way to safely and compliantly be able to transport a small amount of this legal product to and from the privacy of their home, which the overly broad lan-

[WEED NEWS]

Hello Juice Launches CBD Shots

The juices offer health benefits including pain management and reducing inflammation

Written by JESSICA ROGEN

The benefits of CBD were clear to Hello Juice co-owner Jon Maness.

A long-distance runner and CrossFit enthusiast in his 40s, he noticed that he was reaching for the pain pill bottle more often than he would like. Then he got a recommendation to try out cannabidiol, more often known by its shortened name, CBD.

This proved to be a revelation for Maness. “It’s absolutely phenomenal for me with inflammation and then post-work-

guage in HB 295 would prevent in many instances,” says Jack Cardetti, spokesperson for cannabis association MoCannTrade.

John Payne, manager of the campaign that won Amendment 3’s passage, says it’d be up to the courts to decide whether Haden’s

bill violates the state constitution. But the bill could get tricky for people transporting cannabis plants that they are now legally allowed to grow on their own — plants that do not fit into commercial packaging. Of the packaging demanded in Haden’s plan, Payne says, “That’s just not how it works.”

“I don’t think there’s a right by the legislature to impose that on people as long as they’re within the possession limits and properly obeying the rules of how they cultivate it,” Payne says. “They should be entitled to have that on their person or property in pretty much whatever way they want.”

The bill would treat the conveyance of marijuana more strictly than alcohol. Missouri, unusually, has no statewide open container law. And depending on the municipality, non-driving passengers may also be allowed to possess an open container of alcohol and drink it while in a vehicle.

“We’d be treating marijuana more stringently than we do alcohol,” Payne says.

The bill would apply to most public roadways, including highways and alleys. Violations could result in a class A misdemeanor charge, punishable with up to one year in jail, a $2,000 fine or both. n

Hello Juice continues to carry the shots and stocks Beleaf’s CBD oil, which can be added to any existing product.

There are three juice shots in the line: The “Yo-Yo” for energy includes beets, pineapple, ginger, lemon, guarana and 25 milligrams of CBD. Maness says that guarana gives energy in a way that’s similar to coffee but metabolized differently.

The “Rescue Me” for calming includes 25 milligrams of CBD, pineapple, and calming and restorative ingredients such as lavender, lemon and black pepper. This one was an idea that flowed from Swade and is at the crossroads of science and home remedy.

out soreness and then sleep,” he says. “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with ibuprofen, but I was looking for something that was a little more natural and a little more in line with what I do.”

Maness launched his version of the wellness product on April 20, when Hello Juice and Swade partnered to create Hello Swade, a line of juice shots each infused with 25 milligrams of Beleaf Life’s CBD oil. The two held a pop-up at Swade Grove Dispensary (4108 Manchester Avenue, 314924-6503).

The “Anti-Inflammatory” includes 25 milligrams of CBD, carrots, pineapple ginger and turmeric. Maness says pairing CBD with the natural anti-inflammatory turmeric was a no-brainer.

Having the wellness-focused CBD line is a natural fit for Hello Juice, Maness says.

“It’s a really good fit businesswise, and it aligns with our values,” he says. “What we do is clean and made right, and it’s all about respecting the fruits and vegetables and plants.”

Missouri lawmakers are considering a container-law for transporting weed. | GRAHAM TOKER

Hello Juice’s new line of CBD shots help with inflammation, pain and more. | COURTESY PHOTO

CULTURE

Contested Spaces

Public art exhibit Counterpublic honors St. Louis’ razed Black neighborhoods and demands the return of native lands

Written by JESSICA ROGEN

Bright, geometric and colorful — 40 low, wooden platforms adorned with ribbons at their corners dot a field of grass. They are an unexpected sight next to Interstate 55.

But if those wood structures seem incongruous, that’s nothing compared to the billboard towering over them. One side reads: “WHEN YOU LISTEN THE LAND SPEAKS” and the other side says “Got Land? Give it Back! This billboard is on sacred land.”

The aforementioned land is not just an unassuming spot next to a city highway but Sugarloaf Mound, the last remaining Osage mound in St. Louis city and a spot in contention: The peak is owned by the Osage Nation while the remainder is split among private residences. The art — the platforms, WayBack by Anita and Nokosee Fields, and the billboard’s two sides, Give it Back: Stage Theory by New Red Order and The Native Guide Project: STL by Anna Tsouhlarakis — is here to highlight that.

“These are platforms that you would see throughout Osage Nation, especially during events, celebrations, weddings, but even funerals or baptism, child-naming ceremonies…” says Risa Puleo, curator of the platform piece. “This is a very vivid part of Anita’s memory. What she wanted to do was multiply these kinds of areas for gathering in relation to Sugarloaf.”

Puleo is part of a team of curators drawing attention to a too often overlooked stretch of the city with an ambitious public art exhibition called Counterpublic, which

will be on display in the city through July 15. It includes 30 commissioned art and architecture installations and four permanent sculptures, including Pillars of the Valley by Damon Davis, which was installed at CITYPARK stadium earlier this year as a memorial to the historically Black but razed Mill Creek Valley neighborhood.

The installations are clustered along or slightly off Jefferson Avenue from Sugarloaf at the intersection of Ohio Avenue to St. Louis Avenue, at the Griot Museum of Black History. It’s curated by James McAnally, the executive and artistic director of Counterpublic; Puleo; Katherine Simóne Reynolds; Diya Vij; Dream the Combine; New Red Order; and Allison Glenn.

“The theme [is] about looking out to the past for a lens of repair,” says McAnally, explaining that they are spaces with histories that illustrate native displacement, Black displacement, inequality and segregation. “[By] inviting in artists to work in the spaces, we wanted to not just focus on the past but also what could be done in the present to repair what has happened here.”

The works are incredibly varied

and responsive to the city’s flaws and eccentricities. Take, for example, Confluence Decree by virgil b/g taylor, which takes the form of three monthly tabloid newspapers that the artist is distributing via a newsstand outside the Met-

ropolitan St. Louis Sewer District.

Created in cooperation with MSD workers, the tabloids are about the consent decree. In 2007, Missouri and the EPA sued the city for the sewer overflows that sent a mixture of sewage and rainwater throughout the city.

“It’s magical dispatches to and from the sewer,” Viji says, noting that the system was once the height of technology. “Now every time it rains, it floods, and that untreated water goes into ponds, rivers, streams. It’s a problem.”

Most of the installations have a physical presence that sticks out from unlikely corners of Jefferson, like SLOWER-THAN-LIGHTSHRINE by Black Quantum Futurism, which is located at Martin Luther King Drive in the lot next to La Rose Room Cocktail Lounge.

A testament to the Underground Railroad, the sculpture takes the form of a series of steel arches cut from reclaimed gates from demolished homes. It’s decorated with clocks, cowry shells, mirrors and more.

“People were trying to get across

Anna Tsouhlarakis’ The Native Giude Project: STL stands over Sugarloaf Mound and is intended to support the Osage’s efforts to reclaim it. | BRADEN MCMAKIN

Black Quantum Futurism’s SLOWER-THAN-LIGHT SHRINE is made of reclaimed materials. | BRADEN MCMAKIN

the rivers, across [to] Illinois,” says McAnally. “So they moved underneath the city very literally … and so this is a kind of shrine.”

Most of the pieces will just be installed for the three months Counterpublic runs. McAnally explains that because of the ambition and work required for the event, he and the team settled on having it once every three years. This year’s Counterpublic is actually the second iteration of the event. The first came in 2019.

“We kind of did it very bootstrapped, and it happened quite fast,” he says. At the time, McAnally was running the Luminary on Cherokee Street, and lots of conversations were happening about modern art and how to make it more accessible.

“Entering an art space is already a kind of hurdle for a lot of people,” he says. “I think the reputation of art, especially contemporary art, is one that’s often quite alienating and not inviting.”

He and others decided the best way to get around that would be to take the art out of art spaces — and into neighborhoods where it would come in contact with people whether they sought it out or not.

McAnally and Reynolds curated the 2019 public art installations with the help of Bree Youngblood. They reached out to the neighborhood, asking people if they’d be willing to have an artist come into their space and install a site-specific piece of public art.

That iteration ended up spanning 10 blocks and included 12 projects. The response was overwhelmingly positive, and people

from around the country took notice and reached out to McAnally.

“It was interesting to see this other side of, if you do something kind of intentional and responsive to your place, suddenly the national art world started paying attention… [which] definitely informed what we built out,” he says.

It was a success by any measure but by the end, the tiny team was exhausted. “Like, we can never do it like that, again, we were so tired,” he says.

The next Counterpublic drew together a larger number of curators and the team began working on it in 2021, when artist Cheeraz Gormon put together a community report about a six-mile span of Jefferson Avenue that touches 13 different St. Louis city neighborhoods. Meanwhile, the Counterpublic group did some community listening sessions and began having conversations about what impact it sought.

“We started with the community first this time and took our time to really understand what was needed at this point,” McAnally says.

It turns out, what the community needed was more art. Thus, Counterpublic 2023 was born.

And as McAnally and the other curators think about what impact Counterpublic will have, they continue to think about the community.

“We want St. Louis to embrace it,” he says. “We’ve been building it kind of quietly and wanted to bring something real and something meaningful, and we hope people embrace it and say, ‘Yeah, this is ours.’” n

Anita and Nokosee Field’s WayBack consists of 40 wooden platforms. | BRADEN MCMAKIN

MUSIC

River City Blues

St. Louis mourns legendary guitarist Tom Hall, 70, who perished in a fire on Saturday

Written by JESSICA ROGEN

Tom Hall had a story about how he came to music. The St. Louis blues legend grew up in an orphanage, where he said he first picked up the guitar. (He had other versions of his musical origins, too, including one he told journalists, but this was a very good story.) One day he found himself playing that guitar in a talent show. He was up on stage alone, engrossed in a long solo. The crowd in front of him was enraptured — still, hushed and caught up in the performance.

Then, toward the end of the solo, he opened his eyes and realized there was a long line of saliva running all the way from his open mouth to the stage.

“He realized that that’s probably what they were looking at,” says Chris King, a close friend and fellow musician. “He decided from that moment on, it didn’t really matter that he’s good at guitar, that he shouldn’t be that impressed with himself, that he should just play the guitar and then go sit down.

“That was his approach to music his whole life. No matter how great he became, you couldn’t get him to be excited about how great he was at guitar or singing.”

King’s voice is rough and full of emotion as he speaks about Hall, 70, whom friends identified as the man who passed away in a fire at his Soulard home on Saturday. Hall is survived by an adult daughter, Jessica.

Police have not yet officially identified Hall as the victim of the blaze in the two-story home on the 1800 block of South Ninth Street, according to a spokeswoman. The apartment, friends say, belonged to Hall, and an autopsy is being

conducted.

Regardless, since news of his death came out, St. Louis has mourned Hall’s loss. A larger-thanlife figure in the local music scene, he was sometimes called “THE Tom Hall,” and could often be found playing at a host of venues across the city such as the Cat’s Meow, Hammerstone’s and McGurk’s.

“There’s a lot of people, certainly in Soulard, but all over the city, that dug his stuff and would go see shows he did, whether it was in a bar or Joe’s Cafe or Focal Point,” says his Geyer Street Sheiks bandmate Charlie Pfeffer.

Hall had a reputation as a blues musician, and he was — but King and Pfeffer say he was more than that. Hall also played the banjo and liked old-time music, jazz, Irish music and Afro-pop, which he would play on an acoustic guitar. He never played electric, choosing a reso-phonic National steel guitar.

“He was into all kinds of music,” Pfeffer says, remembering how Hall seemed to like playing instrumental music more than he liked singing. “But he can play anything … It’s hard, it’s a lot of years and a lot of memories.”

Named “Best Acoustic Guitarist” by the RFT in 1998, Hall explained, “My hobby evolved into my job. I can’t afford to quit. I can pay my bills, and I don’t know what else I’d do, though I’ve thought about quitting a million times.”

What was his life before the gui-

tar? “Nothing,” Hall said. “Tending bar, painting houses, whatever, getting drunk, hanging out in the street. I had no direction. It gave me an identity. I kinda had a weird childhood. Playing guitar saved my life. Sometimes I think it’s gonna kill me.”

King says Hall could have a gruff exterior and liked to keep to himself — unless you were a musician, and then “you could do no wrong.” Pfeffer says Hall was a generous, kind, fun guy with a lot of friends.

Pat Egan first came to St. Louis in the ’90s from Ireland to play at McGurk’s and recalls that he immediately felt comfortable when he met Hall. Egan eventually formed the Fighting Molly Maguires with Hall and Michael Cooley, and got a residence at Hammerstone’s.

Egan remembers traveling with Hall for gigs, including to an Irish festival in Cincinnati and one in Fairfield, Iowa. They drove up from St. Louis along the river, telling stories and having a good time.

Hall had recently discovered where his father was buried, and they stopped at his grave.

“I left him for a minute just to have his time with it,” Egan says. “And he just done his thing. And it was like, he just made peace with it or something, and he just said, ‘Well, I did that and [I’m] happy I did it.’”

“It was like he put it to rest or something,” Egan adds. “I don’t

know exactly how to describe it.”

Hall also once went to Ireland with Egan, and he recently visited his daughter in Charleston, South Carolina, writing on his Facebook page about her surprising him with plane tickets to visit. He was an avid birdwatcher who maintained a life list and loved to go on float trips to find them. Egan remembers a three-day float trip where they’d stop so that he could duck into the woods and make bird calls in search of a specific warbler.

“He was so into it, he would get lost in it,” Egan says. “He just loved that getting into nature, just being away from it all.”

King remembers going on adventures with Hall where they’d pack up and travel alongside the Mississippi and go to a random event where nobody knew them.

“[We’d] drink together and kind of adventure and carouse and end up in unexpected and maybe perplexing circumstances, have to talk our way out of them and wake up the next day kind of giddy that we got away with it, looking to do it again,” he says.

But for all of Hall’s travels and adventures, at heart he mostly liked to stick around the city. Egan remembers a conversation with Hall where he expressed a dislike for airplanes.

“He was really a St. Louis person,” Egan says. “He loved it around there. It was his place. It was his home. And it was where he could play his music.”

The feeling, apparently, was mutual.

Tom Hall could be found playing across the city, especially in Soulard. | COURTESY CHRIS KING

“That was his approach to music his whole life. No matter how great he became, you couldn’t get him to be excited about how great he was at guitar or singing.”

[INDIE ROCK]

Fresh Starts

Connection or isolation? The New Pornographers’ latest album ponders the choice

Written by STEVE LEFTRIDGE

A. C. Newman, leader of indierock luminaries the New Pornographers, is enjoying the bucolic life. A few years ago, Newman and his wife ditched their apartment in New York City and moved upstate to Woodstock, where Newman is preparing for the New Pornographers’ album release and U.S. tour, which includes a stop at the Sheldon on April 27.

“Woodstock is kind of a bubble within a bubble within a bubble,” Newman says. “Maybe St. Louis is the same way.”

He is talking about being in a socio-political blue island surrounded by a sea of red counties. As an affable, talky fellow, Newman breaks that topic down further, spending the first part of our chat detailing the differences between Woodstock and Bethel, where the 1969 Woodstock festival actually took place.

Newman, however, is no New York native. He was born and raised in Vancouver, where he cofounded the New Pornographers in 1997. Now, the geographically scattered band members, including American siren Neko Case and bassist/producer John Collins, have recorded nine lauded albums.

Having passed the 25-year mark, the New Pornographers enjoy an impassioned following, owing to an extensive catalog of off-kilter power pop typified by multi-layered melodic sugar, quirky sonic embellishments, co-ed vocals and Newman’s distinctive, cracked poetry.

In 2021, the Pornographers took a sort of victory lap with a tour playing two classic albums — 2000’s Mass Romantic and 2005’s Twin Cinema — in full. That served as something of a palate cleanser ahead of an excellently eclectic new album, Continue as a Guest.

On the phone from Woodstock, Newman chatted about the new album, new ways of writing and singing, and the upcoming tour.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Let’s talk about the new album. What was the recording process like during the pandemic?

I did a lot of it at home. Almost everybody in the band has a way to record at home. I think for us, recording during the pandemic was not so strange. There’s always been that element of wondering how we are going to get together. Except in the past, it wasn’t a pandemic keeping us apart — it was just life in general.

How do the songs come together in terms of instrumental and vocal arrangements?

It’s kind of random. With vocals, I don’t really write for anybody. I have a tendency to write melodies that are kind of all over the place, so it gets really high at points and low at points. So it just made sense that, OK, I’m the male voice, so I’ll do the low part, and Kathyrn or Neko or Nora [O’Connor] will do the high parts. That’s basically what we’ve done. But there’s no method. I haven’t figured out a formula yet. I just go in and start working until it feels right. I can’t think of any other way to do it.

Are you the one directing traffic when it comes to putting the ar-

rangements together?

Yeah. I usually have a lot of the vocals mapped out. If I don’t, I just say, “Just sing whatever you feel like singing here.” If it works, that’s awesome. If it doesn’t, we don’t use it. It’s the same thing with arranging the songs. I would send the songs to Kathryn or Todd or John, and they would just send me back a bunch of ideas — knowing that I wouldn’t use all of them. They’d send me five things for a song, and I’d use the one that I thought worked. That’s great because it kind of replicates the feeling of being together and experimenting except we’re not all in the same room at the time.

Did the pandemic end up informing the new album?

I think the main way it informed the record was lyrically, the themes in it. It was hard to write about anything other than the pandemic. A lot of things seemed unimportant. Like, the first song I wrote lyrics for on the record was “Marie and the Undersea,” and I felt really stuck with writing lyrics because I didn’t know how I could write about anything that is not what is going on right now. Like, how can I pretend this is not going on and write a love song or write a song like, “Boo-hoo, my heart is broken?” So with “Marie and the Undersea,” I decided to write about somebody that is not me. I had been reading about nurses working 24-7 in emergen-

cy rooms because of COVID, and I thought, “I’m going to write about this person.”

Had you done that kind of thirdperson writing much before? No, not at all. I think it helped me get out of a block because I realized that getting out of myself felt like a release. This is a song that’s not about me. It’s about someone else. Then, of course, when I continued from there, my own self slipped in everywhere because it’s hard not to be sort of solipsistic when writing pop music — or doing anything really. But it did make me think, “I like this, and I want to write this way.”

Is theme something you think about, or does it develop while making an album? Or has a cohesive theme not been that important to you?

I don’t think I’ve ever been super concerned about the overall theme. Occasionally things have crept in. Like, sometimes there would be four or five songs on a record that would have a similar vibe and theme, and then the other seven songs don’t.

I’ve never really wanted to make a concept record, but I’ve been thinking about it more because it’s something I’ve never done. When you’ve been playing and writing music for a long time, you try to figure out a new way to do what you do and keep yourself entertained. I mean, to write

Continued on pg 36

The New Pornographers play the Sheldon on Friday. | EBRU YILDIZ

NEW PORNOGRAPHERS

Continued from pg 35

songs that tell stories in the third person — everybody does that. It’s what so many classic songwriters have done, but for me it feels kind of new. For me, it’s experimental on a personal level even though on a macro level it’s not at all.

Do you consider Continue as a Guest a concept album?

I think there are themes that came out from writing during the pandemic. Just the fact that it’s called Continue as a Guest, which is something you always see when you’re buying something online. It’s about how our lives are tied into being online and how it connects us and isolates us the way that COVID isolated us. When you’re out in your house in Woodstock during a pandemic, you feel very outside of society, and you start asking yourself if this is a good place to be. How connected do I want to be to things, and how much do I want to just ride off into the sunset?

How about sonically or compositionally? Is there anything you’d consider a departure for the band?

I think there are songs on this record that sound very new for us. Like I think the title track has a very different vibe from anything we’ve done. Or like the second song, “Pontius Pilate’s Home Movies.” Because we’re going on tour, we’ve been working out how to play the songs, and I was noticing that that song doesn’t have any keyboards. Like, is this the first song we’ve ever put out that has no keyboards? It’s got two bass guitars, a mandolin, a saxophone. That is a different setup for us.

I’m digging the presence of the saxophone on this album. That’s Zach Djanikian. He’s a jazz guy. He’s one of those guys who didn’t start listening to pop music until he was like 18. I was playing him “Love Plus One” by Haircut 100, and it blew his mind. He was like, “What? I’ve never heard this.” I was like, “Yeah, it’s cool New Wave pop. There’s tons of it, Zach.”

How did Zach get involved on the record?

I’ve known Zach for years, and he’s just a really great musician. Even though we can do a lot of long-distance stuff with the band, I wanted somebody here with me. I wanted a great musician and sounding board, so that’s why I

asked Zach. He had the soprano sax, tenor sax, alto sax. Soprano sax is a fun one to use. The song

“Angelcover” — the main little melodic hook at the beginning of that is two soprano saxes — and that was fun.

I was listening to “Last and Beautiful” the other day, and my daughter thought a dog was barking outside, but it was something in the song. That’s me making that sound! I was thinking of like old Ennio Morricone stuff from spaghetti westerns, like someone just makes these weird yelping sounds. Serge Gainsbourg also did it. I like that thing where someone would make a weird sound. If you go back and listen to some of that old classic Ennio Morricome, there’s a lot of that. It’s a classic example of something you might do in the studio by yourself that you probably wouldn’t do if someone else was around. But then the idea was to take that sound and put it through so many effects that you can’t tell what it is.

Your vocal performance seems to have evolved this time out. I think I was just trying to be more of a crooner on this record and less precious about melodies. I used to be really into the idea of composing melodies — the part of me that was really into Bacharach and David. I felt like, “This is the melody, and we have to sing it exactly like this.” Now I feel like the melody is much more malleable and look to see if there are any notes I can move around to make it more fluid or smoother. Again, it’s probably something all singers have been doing throughout history, but for me it’s kind of new. If something’s not working, instead of re-singing and re-singing, I just say, well, maybe the melody should change. That felt new.

What are you most looking forward to on this tour?

I’m just excited to play the new songs. I put on the record last night to take notes, and I was like, “This is going to be cool.” When you haven’t toured in a while, you have to get together and figure out how to be yourself again and how to play your own album. So that feels like a challenge, and I’m looking forward to it. n

The New Pornographers play The Sheldon Concert Hall (3648 Washington Avenue, 314-5339900, thesheldon.org), at 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 27. Tickets are $39 to $56.

Captivating, if Uneasy

The Rep’s Gruesome Playground Injuries seeks grace in life’s scars and fractures

Written by TINA FARMER

Gruesome Playground Injuries

We all have certain memories, often built around life-altering events, that stick with us more vividly, more viscerally, than others. Such a feeling may envelop you during the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis production of Rajiv Joseph’s haunting Gruesome Playground Injuries. Excellent casting and direction by Becks Redman imbues a languid reverence to the bittersweet story of love and pain and memories not spoken aloud.

We first meet Kayleen and Doug when they are eight; both are resting in the school nurse’s office. She has a stomach ache, and his face is banged up, with a deep scar across his forehead. The two strike up a humorously competitive conversation about their ailments and the roof of the school. Scene after scene, we see Kayleen and Doug become closer, often drifting apart again after. Each moment reveals more than the dialogue conveys, letting the audience fill in the details of how Kayleen and Doug each sustained and survived their multitude of injuries.

Jessika D. Williams and Brian Slaten are compelling, sympathetic and beautifully flawed as Kayleen and Doug. There’s an immediacy and intimacy required between the characters and between the performers and the audience. The transformation of each performer into their character at a different age occurs onstage with a sense of ritualistic intention. The repetition and intimate space invites the audience into the parts of the story between each reunion, leaving the performers with no place to hide. Fully connected, in-the-moment acting from Williams and Slaten keep the audience engrossed in every detail and moment of tension. The story is foggy with a sense of despair and aching. The performances elicit an even deeper longing for hope.

Joseph’s almost poetically tragic script does not follow a linear chronology,

though the memories are tracked and coalesce into the present by the story’s conclusion. Smart direction by Redman ensures our focus is directed to the moments that will connect the dots for us later, carrying the story forward no matter where it lands chronologically. Transparent, fully motivated characterizations add dramatic tension while drawing your eye to a single movement or reaction as if a camera had just zoomed in for a close up.

An evocative, red-drenched set design by Diggle effectively incorporates mirrored surfaces with carpeted ones, creating contrasting texture that visually increases the emotional tension. The flexible costume design by Carolyn Mazuca enables fluid, unobtrusive changes, and Anshuman Bhatia’s lighting design and Kareem Deanes’ sound design add the final touches that create a mood, atmosphere and emotional tone to complement the almost hypnotically compelling, awkwardly convincing love story.

Gruesome Playground Injuries is not for all audiences. The dialogue and action veers into uncomfortable territory in ways that may be upsetting to more sensitive audience members. The poignant drama is for adult audiences and suggestions of dysfunctional and potentially violent family and social dynamics are present, if not openly addressed. The storytelling and performances are captivating and surprisingly cathartic. If you can let yourself be carried away, you may be rewarded with a sliver of hope that veers into the sublime. n

Written by Rajiv Joseph. Directed by Becks Redman. Presented by the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center through Saturday, May 13. Showtimes vary, and tickets are $35 to $50.

Jessika D. Williams and Brian Slaten as Kayleen and Doug. | PHILIP HAMER PHOTOGRAPHY

OUT EVERY NIGHT

Each 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 COVID-19, so do check with the venue for the most up-to-date information before you head out for the night. Happy showgoing!

THURSDAY 27

AMANDA MCBROOM: 7:30 p.m., $25-$45. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745.

BOXCAR: 7 p.m., free. The Abbey, 6500 W. Main St., Belleville, 618-398-3176.

DAWN WEBER: 8 p.m., $15-$20. Joe’s Cafe, 6014 Kingsbury Ave, St. Louis.

EYEHATEGOD: w/ Goatwhore, Hot Corpse 8 p.m., $20. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

FRONTAL ASSAULT: w/ Gaunt, Trashgoat, Resistis

8 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.

THE HAMILTON BAND: 9 p.m., $9. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

HARDY: w/ Jameson Rodgers, Blame My Youth

7:45 p.m., $39.75-$49.75. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

HUNTER: 3 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

J.D. HUGHES: 4 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

JERVIS CAMPBELL: 8 p.m., $21. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.

LIL JON: w/ DJ Nune, DJ Nico Marie, Paige Alyssa, Zeus Rebel Waters 6 p.m., $35+. The Armory, 3660 Market Street, St. Louis, 314-282-2920.

MARQUISE KNOX: 7:30 p.m., $25. City Winery St. Louis, 3730 Foundry Way, Suite 158, St. Louis, 314-678-5060.

THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS: 8 p.m., $40-$57. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900.

ROCKIN RASCALS: 7 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

SAMIA: 8 p.m., $20-$70. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505.

FRIDAY 28

ALEXANDRA SILBER: 7:30 p.m., $25. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745.

ALLIE KRAL AND MIMI NAJA: 8 p.m., $28. City Winery St. Louis, 3730 Foundry Way, Suite 158, St. Louis, 314-678-5060.

ANGEL-MAKER: w/ Dour, The Neck 8 p.m., $10. CBGB, 3163 S. Grand Blvd., St. Louis.

BRUSHSTROKES: THE NOTEBOOKS OF LEONARDO

DA VINCI: 7:30 p.m., $15. Skip Viragh Center For the Arts, 425 S. Lindbergh Blvd., Frontenac, 314-993-4400.

CHERRY & JERRY: 5:30 p.m., free. Magpie’s Restaurant, 903 S. Main St., St. Charles, 636-947-3883.

CRAIG MORGAN: 8 p.m., $39.50-$59.50. The Factory, 17105 N Outer 40 Rd, Chesterfield, 314-423-8500.

EXPERIMENTAL OPEN MIC V: 7 p.m., free. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.

GENE JACKSON: 7 p.m., $25. National Blues Museum, 615 Washington Ave., St. Louis.

J.D. HUGHES & THE FUZE: A STEELY DAN TRIBUTE: 10 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

KEVIN GRUEN: 4 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

THE KINGDOM BROTHERS: 5 p.m., $10. The Attic

The New Pornographers w/ Wild Pink

8 p.m. Thursday, April 27. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Avenue. $40 to $57. 314-533-9900.

Canadian indie rock supergroup the New Pornographers will bring its latest tour through St. Louis this week, coinciding with the release of the 20-year-old band’s ninth album Continue as a Guest, which dropped on March 31 (see more pg. 35). The group’s first album with the venerable Merge Records, the critically acclaimed release was recorded during COVID-19 lockdowns, with bandleader and producer A.C. Newman working virtually with bandmates Neko Case, Kathryn Calder, John Collins, Todd Fancey and Joe Seiders, tracking their individual parts at a

Music Bar, 4247 S. Kingshighway, 2nd floor, St. Louis, 314-376-5313.

LIBRARY BIRDS: w/ Mobile Alien Research Unit, Future/Modern 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

LORRIE MORGAN AND PAM TILLIS: 8 p.m., $30$60. River City Casino & Hotel, 777 River City Casino Blvd., St. Louis, 314-388-7777.

MANEKA: w/ Pictoria Vark, Dubb Nubb, Sloopy

McCoy 6 p.m., $10. Milque Toast Bar, 2212 S Jefferson Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-0085.

MARTY ABDULLAH & THE EXPRESSIONS: 8 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

MILICA PAVLOVIC: 7:30 p.m., $60. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

PERT NEAR SANDSTONE: w/ The Way Down

Wanderers 7 p.m., $15. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505.

POUYA: 7 p.m., $30. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

RUSSO & CO: w/ Mark Perkins Band, Redemption River 7:30 p.m., $15. The Hawthorn, 2225 Washington Avenue, St. Louis.

SCOTTY AND THE FUTURE: 7:30 p.m., $10. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd.,

variety of recording studios across North America. The record sees the group taking its usual brand of hyper-catchy power pop in a more introspective and matured direction, with lyrical themes related to the breakdown of society and a desire to disconnect from the modern world. It’s heady stuff, and it could have been a bit of a downer in less capable hands, but the veteran group’s transcendent melodies and razor-sharp songwriting lend the whole affair a lightness that keeps the material from being too weighed down.

stone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. THE BIRTHDAY MASSACRE: 7:30 p.m., $26-$49.50. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

BODEANS: w/ Chris Trapper 8 p.m. City Winery St. Louis, 3730 Foundry Way, Suite 158, St. Louis, 314-678-5060.

BRING ME THE FIRES: w/ V Formation, New Drunk Drivers, Princess Sly, Sea of Samsara, Hemoglobin 8 p.m., $5. The Shamrock Pub, 1131 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-2231.

BROTHER FRANCIS AND THE SOULTONES: 9 p.m., free. HandleBar, 4127 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314-652-2212.

CROCODILES: 8 p.m., $20. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. DIESEL ISLAND: 7:30 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090.

DUTCHTOWN SOUTH 50TH ANNIVERSARY HIP HOP PROM: 7 p.m., $25-$30. Blank Space, 2847 Cherokee St., St. Louis.

THE GRAMOPHONE’S 15TH ANNIVERSARY

PARTY: w/ Uncle Lucius, Brother Lee, Hazard to Ya Booty, Saint Boogie Brass Band, Emily Wallace, The Fighting Side 2 p.m., free. The Gramophone, 4243 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314-531-5700.

HEAVY ANCHOR’S 12TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY PARTY & HALF HALLOWEEN: w/ Jeffy and the Sunken Heads, Young Animals 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

JEREMIAH JOHNSON: 8 p.m., $10-$15. Central Stage, 3524 Washington Avenue, St. Louis, 314-533-0367.

THE KNEE-HI’S: w/ The Jag-Wires, Still Animals 8 p.m., $12-$15. Platypus, 4501 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-359-2293.

KNOLL: w/ God Is War, Polterguts, Bloodspawn 7 p.m., $12. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.

SCOTT H. BIRAM: 8 p.m., $15. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.

TIM & LISA ALBERT: 3 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

TIM MCGRAW: 8 p.m., $39.50-$109.50. Chaifetz Arena, 1 S. Compton Ave., St. Louis, 314-977-5000.

SUNDAY 30

COLT BALL: 2 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

—Daniel Hill

A Year of Firsts: In addition to being its first for Merge, Continue as a Guest is the first New Pornographers record to have employed an outside songwriter for a portion of its creation: No less a talent than Speedy Ortiz’s Sadie Dupuis contributed to the ninth track, “Firework in the Falling Snow.”

University City, 314-727-4444.

TIDAL VOLUME: 8 p.m., $15. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.

VOODOO BEATLES: 8 p.m., $15-$20. The Lot at The Big Top, 3401 Washington Boulevard, SAINT LOUIS, (314) 549-9990.

THE WILHELMS: 7:30 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090.

SATURDAY 29

ADAM DOLEAC: 8 p.m., $20. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

ALAN FERBER NONET: 7:30 p.m., $20. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745.

ALL ROOSTERED UP: noon, free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

ALL TOGETHER NOW: 8 p.m., $18. Blueberry HillThe Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444.

BACH’S ST. MATTHEW PASSION: 2 p.m., $10-$55. Pillsbury Chapel & Dale Williams Fine Arts Center at Missouri Baptist University, 1 College Park Drive, Creve Coeur, 314-744-5307.

BIG GEORGE JR. NGK BAND: 8 p.m., free. Hammer-

ERIC LYSAGHT: 9 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

ERIK BROOKS: 8 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

INTERPERSONAL: 7 p.m., $10. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720.

JANET JACKSON: w/ Ludacris 8 p.m., $36.95$496.95. Enterprise Center, 1401 Clark Ave., St. Louis, 314-241-1888.

JORDY SEARCY: 7:30 p.m., $22. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505.

OTM PRESENTS: A VERY DISNEY DILEMMA: 4 p.m., $12. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745.

PAUL BONN AND THE BLUESMEN: 3 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

SABRINA CARPENTER: 8 p.m., $35-$40. The Factory, 17105 N Outer 40 Rd, Chesterfield, 314-423-8500.

SPOTLIGHTS: w/ Birdhands, Ashes & Iron 8 p.m., $15. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

SYSTEM EXCLUSIVE: w/ Shinra Knives, Sweat FM 8 p.m., $10-$12. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.

MONDAY 1

ADEMA AND CRAZYTOWN: 8 p.m., $25. Red Flag,

The New Pornographers. | VIA MERGE RECORDS

[CRITIC’S PICK]

3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

ANDY COCO & CO.: 5 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

JOEY FERBER: 5 p.m., free. Strauss Park, Washington & N. Grand boulevards, St. Louis.

MONDAY NIGHT REVIEW: w/Tim, Danny and Randy 7 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

SOULARD BLUES BAND: 9 p.m., $8. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

TUESDAY 2

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

HED PE: w/ Midwest Avengers, Guerrilla Theory 7 p.m., $20. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

NAKED MIKE: 7 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

SAWYER FREDERICKS: w/ Chastity Brown 7:30 p.m., $25-$28. City Winery St. Louis, 3730 Foundry Way, Suite 158, St. Louis, 314-678-5060.

STEVE BAUER & MATT RUDOLF: 9 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

TIMMY’S ORGANISM: w/ Shitstorm, Maximum Effort 7:30 p.m., $10-$13. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.

WEDNESDAY 3

CLINT HOLMES: 7:30 p.m., $25. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745.

DREW LANCE & FRIENDS: 4:30 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

JOHN MCVEY BAND: 8 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

MARGARET & FRIENDS: 3 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

MO LOWDA & THE HUMBLE: w/ Illiterate Light 7 p.m., $15-$20. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505.

NOLAN POTTER’S NIGHTMARE BAND: w/ M.A.R.U., Lemons 7:30 p.m., $12-$15. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.

VOODOO SANTANA: 9 p.m., $14. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

THIS JUST IN

ALEXANDRA KAY: Sat., Aug. 12, 8 p.m., $25-$40. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

ALICIA KEYS: Fri., July 21, 8 p.m., $36.50-$146.50. Enterprise Center, 1401 Clark Ave., St. Louis, 314-241-1888.

AMYTHYST KIAH: Thu., May 4, 7 p.m., $15-$20. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505.

ANDREW DAHLE: Tue., May 9, 9 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

BEN DIESEL: W/ The Stars Go Out, Fight Back Mountain, Interpersonal, Sat., July 1, 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

CATNIP: W/ NoPoint, Breakmouth Annie, Wed., June 21, 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

CLINT HOLMES: Thu., May 4, 7:30 p.m., $25-$35. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745.

CREE RIDER: W/ Phil Wright, Thu., May 4, 9 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

DREW LANCE: Wed., May 10, 4:30 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

ERIC MCSPADDEN & MARGARET BIENCHETTA: Tue., May 9, 5 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

ERYKAH BADU & YASIIN BEY: Wed., June 28, 7:30

Eyehategod w/ Goatwhore, Hot Corpse

8 p.m. Thursday, April 27. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street. $20. 314-289-9050.

When you think of the music of New Orleans, there are probably several acts that rightfully come to mind. There’s the classic jazz and blues stylings of legendary musician and producer Allen Toussaint, of course. There’s the endlessly funky work of Mac Rebennack — better known as Dr. John. There’s the bootyshaking bounce music of the twerktastic Big Freedia, the dirty south rap of tank enthusiast Master P and his No Limit roster, and of course, the incomparable horn-blowing chops of none other than Louis Armstrong. All of these artists are rightly and inextricably linked to the Big Easy and the rich musical heritage for which the city is known. But for some reason, for all the celebration there is for New Orleans’ many contributions to the musical landscape in the United States, it doesn’t get proper credit for its entries in the metal genre. That should

p.m., $39.95-$129.95. Enterprise Center, 1401 Clark Ave., St. Louis, 314-241-1888.

EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY: Thu., Sept. 21, 8 p.m., $30$45. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

FLOGGING MOLLY: Tue., Sept. 12, 8 p.m., $45-$60. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

change. Take Eyehategod, for example. The long-running sludge metal act has been a staple of the city’s metal scene since its inception in 1988, delivering a misanthropic mix of plodding, detuned blues riffs, impenetrable walls of feedback and growled lyrics focused on all manner of substance abuse. The band’s latest, 2021’s A History of Nomadic Behavior, was described by Revolver as an “apocalyptic rager instilled with the anxiety and insurgency of our times,” but a description of the single “Circle of Nerves” courtesy of Eyehategod vocalist and songwriter Mike Williams is perhaps more apt: “This track is a prime example of the lowest form of abstract crossover trash to crawl out of the methadone clinic basement.” Let it not be forgotten: That basement was surely in New Orleans, Louisiana.

What’s in a Name? Rounding out the bill and in stiff competition with one another as well as the headliner for the title of Band Name Most Likely to Offend Your Mom is fellow NOLA act Goatwhore and St. Louis’ Hot Corpse. —Daniel Hill

THE FUTURE IS FEMALE+: A STAND UP COMEDY

SHOW: Fri., June 2, 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

GOOD KID: Wed., May 10, 7 p.m., $22-$75. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505.

HURRAY FOR THE RIFF RAFF: W/ Squirrel Flower, Wed., July 26, 8 p.m., $20. Off Broadway,

3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.

JOHN MCVEY BAND: Wed., May 10, 8 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

JONATHAN MCREYNOLDS: Sat., June 17, 8 p.m., $25-$35. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

JOY OLADOKUN: Wed., Sept. 13, 8 p.m., $26. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

KILVEREZ: W/ Don’t Get Dead, Sat., May 20, 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

KNEZ JAKOVAC QUARTET: Fri., June 9, 7:30 p.m., $20. Gaslight Theater, 358 N. Boyle Ave., St. Louis.

LADY J HUSTON: Thu., July 20, 7 p.m., free. Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site, 7400 Grant Road, Concord, 314-842-3298.

LIBRARY BIRDS: W/ They Need Machines to Fly?, Harpo Jarvi, Sat., May 27, 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

MALEVICH: W/ Socket, Snort Dagger, Thu., May 4, 8 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.

MARGARET & FRIENDS: Wed., May 10, 3 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

THE MARS VOLTA: Tue., Oct. 3, 8 p.m., $49.50$79.50. The Factory, 17105 N Outer 40 Rd, Chesterfield, 314-423-8500.

MATT HECKLER: Fri., July 7, 8 p.m., $15. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.

MAXI GLAMOUR & CUCO PRESENT: FAEDED: W/ Dodgr, Sat., May 13, 8 p.m., $10. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

MILD CARTOON VIOLENCE: W/ Raze The Alarms

The Bone Docs, Bigfoot, Fri., May 5, 8 p.m., $12. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

MILLENNIAL FALCON ALBUM RELEASE: W/ Free Field, Inner City Witches, Red Sun Sermon, Fri., June 16, 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

MISTER BLACKCAT: Sun., May 7, 10 a.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521.

MONDAY NIGHT REVIEW: W/ Tim, Danny and Randy, Mon., May 8, 7 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

NATALIE MERCHANT: Tue., June 27, 7:30 p.m., $60-$199. Stifel Theatre, 1400 Market St, St. Louis, 314-499-7600.

NORA EN PURE: Fri., Aug. 4, 10 p.m., $20-$600. RYSE Nightclub, One Ameristar Blvd, St. Charles.

PAT BENATAR & NEIL GIRALDO: Wed., Aug. 23, 7:30 p.m., $26.50-$126.50. Stifel Theatre, 1400 Market St, St. Louis, 314-499-7600.

THE ROAD TO POINTFEST 2023 GRAND FINALS: Fri., May 5, 6:30 p.m., $8. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720.

SCIENCE MAN: W/ Miracle Whip, Still Animals, Trauma Harness, Thu., May 4, 8 p.m., $10. CBGB, 3163 S. Grand Blvd., St. Louis.

SO MANY DYNAMOS: Sat., Aug. 12, 8 p.m., $20. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

SOULARD BLUES BAND: Mon., May 8, 9 p.m., $8. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

SPIKE HELLIS: W/ Club Music, Jeff In Leather, Moon 17, DJ Domolition, DJ Sex Nintendo, Sat., May 6, 8 p.m., $17-$20. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.

STORY OF THE YEAR & YELLOWCARD: Fri., Aug. 11, 7 p.m., $39.50-$99.50. St. Louis Music Park, 750 Casino Center Dr., Maryland Heights, 314-451-2244.

TANTRIC: W/ Dirty King, On All Sides, Holding Ground, Sun., May 7, 7 p.m., $20. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. n

EyeHateGod. | VIA MAD TOUR BOOKING

[CRITIC’S PICK]

SAVAGE LOVE

Questions

BY DAN SAVAGE

Hey Dan: I have been involved in a long-distance situationship (intimate friends) for three years. We live in different states. We met in person, then became friends online, and that is where the relationship blossomed. I went to visit her once for a week, and it was a very intimate and fun experience for both of us, although she did mention while I was there that she noticed my body odor. I took care of that ASAP, and it didn’t seem like a big deal, and it only seemed to come up when she was angry or frustrated about something.

We have been planning on another visit, but she keeps bringing up my BO problem and has even said, “If it’s as bad as it was last time, you have to get a hotel room and can’t stay with me, and I won’t kiss you or fuck you.” Which is confusing because we were very intimate last time, she seemed to be enjoying herself quite a bit, and even told me how much she enjoyed the sex for weeks afterwards. This issue arose months after that visit. Should I take her advice and be super diligent about BO or is this some sort of emotional manipulation or gaslighting? My close friends tell me they never notice my body odor — they don’t get as close to me, of course, because I’m not fucking them — and I shower at least once daily and use deodorant every day and brush my teeth multiple times a day. I realize I have BO sometimes, but I take care of it when I do. Also, and here’s the dinger, she has untreated BPD.

Oddly Disrespectful Odor Request

That’s quite the dinger you dropped there at the end of your letter, ODOR.

Adults with untreated and severe BPD — bipolar disorder — sometimes experience olfactory hallucinations, i.e. they sometimes smell things that aren’t there, in addition to sometimes seeing things that aren’t there and hearing things that aren’t there. Some studies have shown that olfactory hallucinations are more common than auditory ones — again, among adults with untreated and severe cases of BDP.

Now, I don’t know whether your fuckbuddy is experiencing olfactory hallucinations. I don’t even know if your fuckbuddy has BPD. I don’t know why anyone would lie about something like that, but this woman’s behavior seems kind of erratic — itself a symptom of

BPD — and people lie about things they shouldn’t all the time. But I do know, and can say with some certainty, that no one who’s as diligent about his personal hygiene as you claim to be, ODOR, is walking around with terrible BO. You have a scent, of course; all people do. And once in a while someone is gonna be turned off by your natural, baseline, freshly showered scent for reasons that can’t be explained. If that was the case here — if it was just one of those chemical things, just one of those hormonal things, just one of those pheromonal things — then you didn’t do anything wrong, ODOR, and you can’t do anything about it.

Of course, it’s possible you’re lying to me about your personal hygiene, ODOR, and it’s possible your friends are lying to you about your BO. It’s also possible this woman didn’t feel safe being honest with you when you visited her — when you were standing there in her apartment, stinking the place up — and she pretended that shower solved the BO problem and pretended to enjoy the sex because she was worried you would react badly if she was honest with you about how unhappy she was. But if that was the case, ODOR — if you really smelled that bad why would she make plans to see you again? If your body odor was really that bad, if you smell so bad she has to threaten you in advance with getting a hotel room, why would she want to fuck you again?

Only she knows the answer to those questions, ODOR, so here’s one you can answer: Why do you wanna see this woman again? BPD or no BPD, she doesn’t seem … like a very nice person. Decades ago, I might’ve said, “Don’t stick your dick in crazy,” but that expression is ableist, first and foremost, and it has a long history of being used to control women. For fear of being labeled “crazy,” and therefore unworthy of having some random guy’s dick stuck in her, countless women were manipulated into putting up with terrible behavior, from poor personal hygiene to unsatisfying sex to much worse.

So I’m not using that awful expression — I’m mentioning it, not using it (angry readers are invited to Google “use/mention distinction”) — but I would like to revise it: Don’t stick your dick in unkind. And whatever else is going on with this woman, she’s being unkind to you. Tell her she’s going to need that hotel room after all, ODOR, because you won’t be available to see her — and be insulted by her — when she comes to town.

Hey Dan: I’ve begun to think I am a lesbian. I’m 29 years old, and I’ve only been with men up to now. The first guy I was with was sexually abusive and convinced me that sexually servicing a man regardless of how I felt was the norm. I carried this into my next decade-long, mostly long-distance relationship with a man, another relationship that involved a general disregard for sexual boundaries. (At one point when I refused PIV to prevent pregnancy, he joked about pinning me down and “just sticking it in.”) I didn’t realize that being happy in a long-term sexual relationship was even possible. The thing is, while remembering most of the sexual things I’ve done disgusts me, and while I find myself uninterested in the male form, I did enjoy making out with someone and being held. But while I am now repulsed by the thought of being with a man, I have no experience with women at this late age and having actively sought out relationships with men makes me think I can’t be gay. Why would I have sought out sex acts which now disgust me? Why did I pursue men if that wasn’t what I wanted?

Done With Men

Lesbianism is not a consolation prize; lesbianism is not a severance package a woman is handed on her way out of a shitty straight relationship. Lesbianism is a romantic and sexual orientation. It’s a positive force — it’s about what (and who) a woman is drawn to, not what (and who) a woman is repulsed by. I mean, think about it … if having shitty relationships with men turned women into lesbians, DWM, there wouldn’t be any straight women left. Hell, if having shitty relationships with men turned people off men generally, DWM, there wouldn’t be any gay men left either.

Straight guys with shitty ex-girlfriends would go gay, lesbians with shitty exwives would go straight, and bisexuals wouldn’t know what (or who) to do.

So after reading your letter, DWM, I have few questions for you: Are you attracted to women? When you think about making out with someone and being held, do you see yourself with a woman? Does the thought of having sex with a woman turn you on? Do you get aroused when you think about going down on a woman, being gone down on by a woman, and doing all the other sexy sex things women do with women? If the answer to each of these questions is “yes,” DWM, then you might be a lesbian.

Many women realize they’re lesbians later in life, DWM, so your experience years in unsatisfying straight relation-

ships before coming out — wouldn’t be an uncommon one; you wouldn’t be the first lesbian who struggled to dig her authentic homosexuality out from under compulsory heterosexuality. Lots of women go through the motions with men putting up with their smelly bodies and their vaguely threatening “jokes” about sexual violence — before coming to the realization it wasn’t men they wanted at all, or not men they wanted exclusively.

Hey Dan: I’m a 47-year-old cis woman. I’m sexually active and don’t want to be on hormonal birth control anymore. How risky is this plan? 1. Go off BC. 2. When my period is late, take a pregnancy test.

3. If positive, do a medication abortion.

4. If negative, test again in two weeks. I would get the M&Ms (mifepristone and misoprostol) to have on hand. From what I have read, most pregnancies at my age are due to fertility treatments. The chance of becoming pregnant without treatment isn’t zero, but it’s very close to zero. I know that a major factor with most birth control is human error. I’m very careful, and I know I will stick to the plan. I already track my cycle and take my birth control on schedule.

Pregnancy Risks Ease Getting Older

Your odds of getting pregnant at your age are extremely low, PREGO, but 100 percent of people whose parachutes fail to open go splat. So while it’s unlikely to happen to you — while you’re highly unlikely to get pregnant at your age without the help of a fertility specialist — it could happen to you. Until the overturning of Roe v. Wade last summer, I would’ve slapped a “low-probability, low-consequence event” label on the worst-case scenarios here, PREGO, as you could easily keep M&Ms in stock. But with rightwing judges trying to ban M&Ms and radical Republicans criminalizing abortion care in state after state, a possible pregnancy — however unlikely — could quickly become a “low-probability, high-consequence” event for any woman. If you were to run out of M&Ms, would you be able to get more? If you were to experience complications, which are very rare but do happen, would you be able to seek follow-up care where you live without risking prosecution? I’m not suggesting you should stay on birth control at your age, PREGO, I’m just urging you to have a backup plan — at least one — in case your initial backup plan fails.

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