Riverfront Times, June 22, 2022 by Chava Communications

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JUNE 22-28, 2022

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JUNE 22-28, 2022

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Publisher Chris Keating Editor in Chief Rosalind Early

E D I T O R I A L Managing Editor Daniel Hill Digital Content Editors Jaime Lees, Jenna Jones Food Editor Cheryl Baehr Staff Writers Ryan Krull, Monica Obradovic Contributors Chris Andoe, Joseph Hess, Reuben Hemmer, Devin Thomas O’Shea, Andy Paulissen, Victor Stefanescu, Mabel Suen, Theo Welling Columnists Ray Hartmann, Dan Savage Editorial Interns Julian McCall, Carlos Mendoza, Lulu Nix, Kasey Noss, Olivia Poolos, A R T

& P R O D U C T I O N Art Director Evan Sult Creative Director Haimanti Germain Production Manager Sean Bieri Graphic Designer Aspen Smit

COVER

M U L T I M E D I A A D V E R T I S I N G Associate Publisher Colin Bell Account Manager Jennifer Samuel Directors of Business Development Rachel Hoppman, Chelsea Nazaruk Directors of Sponsorship Sales Deanna Schmidt

Changemakers The RFT celebrates four transformative St. Louis artists

M A R K E T I N G Director of Marketing & Events Christina Kimerle Marketing Coordinator Sydney Schaefer Social Media Coordinator Jamila Jackson

Cover design by

B U S I N E S S Regional Operations Director Emily Fear

EVAN SULT

C I R C U L A T I O N Circulation Manager Kevin G. Powers

E U C L I D M E D I A G R O U P Chief Executive Officer Andrew Zelman Chief Operating Officers Chris Keating, Michael Wagner Editor at Large Jessica Rogen VP of Digital Services Stacy Volhein VP of Marketing Emily Tintera, Cassandra Yardeni www.euclidmediagroup.com

N A T I O N A L A D V E R T I S I N G VMG Advertising 1-888-278-9866, vmgadvertising.com

INSIDE Hartmann News Missouriland Feature Calendar Cafe Short Orders St. Louis Standards Reeferfront Times Culture Film Stage Music Out Every Night Savage Love

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JUNE 22-28, 2022

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JUNE 22-28, 2022

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HARTMANN Sam Page Is Playing with Fire The county executive is trying to drag the assistant U.S. attorney into his political arguments Written by

RAY HARTMANN

ssistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith is a serious man. St. Louis County Executive Sam Page just sent him a most unserious letter. That is not a great combination if you’re Page. Over the past decade, Goldsmith has established himself as an exceptionally competent federal prosecutor with a specialty in public-corruption cases. Many public officials of both parties — most notably former County Executive Steve Stenger, whom Goldsmith successfully prosecuted for a pay-to-play scheme — can attest to this. In the past month, Goldsmith rocked St. Louis government with four indictments, three in the city and one in the county. On June 2, it was announced that Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed and Aldermen Jeffrey Boyd and John Collins-Muhammed had been indicted on federal bribery charges. Five days later came word that St. Louis County jail official Tony Weaver Sr., a Page appointee recently connected to a Page political ally, faced felony wire-fraud charges related to a pandemicrelief kickback scheme. Two weeks ago, Mayor Tishaura Jones noted that Goldsmith may have just found the “tip of the iceberg” with the indictments in the city. It turns out that some folks in the county might be squirming, too. Page certainly should be. In a moment of detachment from reality, Page fired off — and made public — a letter to Goldsmith related to the federal investigation of Page’s own government.

Written on the county executive’s official stationery, it contained a rambling diatribe slandering Page’s two most despised political enemies — Councilman Tim Fitch (R-Manchester) and attorney Jane Dueker, Page’s Democratic primary opponent on Tuesday, August 2. It was unbelievable. Normally, a politician who writes something self-serving or political on public letterhead would hope that it doesn’t draw the attention of a U.S. attorney. This one was addressed to a U.S. attorney. Page was triggered to write the letter by Fitch’s request that subpoenas Goldsmith had issued be released to the county council. The Post-Dispatch had made Sunshine Law requests in both the city and county for these public records. In the city, the Post’s request was honored. In the county, both Fitch and the Post were stonewalled by Page and his imitationRoy Cohn county attorney, Beth Orwick, who declared them off limits for public consumption. That made no sense, so Page decided to use Goldsmith for political cover. “Out of respect for the important role federal law enforcement plays in ensuring that public officials act with integrity, I will defer to you concerning whether and how to address the council member’s inquiry appropriately,” Page wrote to Goldsmith. Page released the letter to the media. Whether and how to address a political foe over his political criticism? That seems to have gotten Goldsmith’s attention. What happened next should have been chilling to Page. On the day after Page’s June 13 letter came a June 14 response from Goldsmith. He didn’t even dignify Page with a direct answer. Instead, Goldsmith wrote to Orwick: “In response to your recent inquiry, there is an ongoing federal investigation related to the grand jury subpoenas served upon St. Louis County, Missouri, which appear to be the subject of Dr. Page’s June 13, 2022 letter to our Office (referencing Councilman Fitch’s June 11, 2022 letter). It is St. Louis County’s decision whether or not those grand jury subpoenas are

disclosable under the Missouri Sunshine Law or other applicable state or local law.” Let’s unpack this a bit. Certainly, Goldsmith’s word choice “ongoing” was notable, as was the plural reference to “subpoenas.” But when he employed the phrase “which appear to be the subject of Dr. Page’s letter,” it read like prosecutorial sarcasm. Regardless, Orwick could not have been surprised by Goldsmith’s response that it was the county’s decision as to whether the subpoenas are disclosable. She already knew that. You see, Orwick held the same title of assistant U.S. attorney as Goldsmith in the same office before she was hired by Page in 2020. From all accounts, Orwick was a good prosecutor before she became a bad county attorney. It’s highly unlikely that she is unaware that the subpoenas are publicly disclosable, especially to the county council. Even if she were unaware, certainly Sam Page is not. In 2019, when Steve Stenger was being investigated by Goldsmith, Page voted to release the subpoenas related to the investigation to the county council. Page’s attempt to drag Goldsmith into his battles with Fitch and Dueker is beyond outrageous. It might even be dangerous. Professional prosecutors are allergic to any perception that their work is politicized or partisan, so much so that Department of Justice policy is to avoid indictments of politicians in proximity to elections. The last thing any prosecutor wants to receive is a publicly released letter from a public official writing on public letterhead that purports to let that prosecutor in on some dirty little secrets about political foes. One doesn’t do this to the feds. But believe it or not, that isn’t the worst of this saga. Even more absurd was Page presuming to inform Goldsmith — without a shred of evidence — about alleged nefarious activities related to Stenger that he claimed involved Fitch and Dueker. Specifically, Page claimed that Fitch visited Stenger in the days leading up to Stenger’s indictment to get a pension Fitch didn’t

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qualify for. Page accused Dueker of unregistered lobbying for Stenger supporters, and being friends with Lewis Reed and Jeffery [sic] Boyd. Did Page forget that Goldsmith is the one who prosecuted Stenger? Neither claim has any relevance to the question of whether county subpoenas should be released, especially the reference to relationships Dueker may or not have had with city politicians. Fitch had called for Stenger’s resignation on April 1, 2019 — four weeks before he was arrested. Goldsmith had Stenger living in a fishbowl when the rumored misdeeds of Fitch and Dueker were alleged to have taken place. Goldsmith knew what Stenger had for breakfast every day back then. But he slept through scandalous conduct by a councilman and a close adviser? That’s hard to explain. That is, until one considers the following modifying clause with which Page qualified his rumors in writing to Goldsmith: “I don’t know this to be true from first-hand knowledge, but a county employee reported to their boss that … .” He actually repeated the “first-hand” qualifier a second time in his accusations against Dueker. Yo, Sam. Just a little advice here. The next time you feel the need to start a sentence with third-hand claims in a letter to a U.S. attorney, don’t finish the sentence. Don’t finish the letter. In fact, don’t write a letter to anyone. Find something else to do. There’s no indication that Page is personally under any sort of criminal investigation by Goldsmith or anyone else. But he has established a pattern — and reputation — for transactional political behavior that at best hugs the right side of the line that Stenger crossed. In light of that, it was especially witless to insult Goldsmith’s intelligence with language that read like an argument among middle-schoolers. And placing that nonsense in the context of the Stenger prosecution was yet more ill advised. This is what is known as tugging on Superman’s cape. And Sam Page better hope that it doesn’t turn out serious. n

JUNE 22-28, 2022

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NEWS

St. Charles Business Owners Like Liquor Law as Is A potential loosening of St. Charles liquor laws has upset some business owners Written by

MONICA OBRADOVIC

bill that as of press time was set for a final vote on Tuesday would eliminate St. Charles’ requirement for bars’ and restaurants’ alcohol sales to make up no more than half of their total revenue. any business owners have threatened to leave the city in response to the measure, but advocates say it would benefit the area. “I want to be here, but like every third month I’m spending si grand on something I had nothing to do with,” pril o ley says of damage to her home-decor store, pril’s on ain. She says a drunk driver once crashed into her garage door, and a fight once resulted in broken windows. o ley isn’t alone Other business owners in the St. Charles istoric District blame drunken behavior for property damage over the years. They say taking away the requirement for bars and restaurants to keep food sales at a minimum of 0 percent would make things worse. Signs saying “Save istoric ain Street” hang in business windows. ailers with pictures of property damage have urged residents to call councilmembers and tell them to vote against the bill. t a St. Charles City Council meeting last week, do ens of residents packed into city hall to air their grievances. Some worried an open door for alcohol sales would cause a jump in crime. Others worried that wild behavior

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would tarnish ain Street’s historic charm. nother resident feared increased alcohol sales would bring a “thug mentality” to St. Charles as people from north county and St. Louis city might ock to the area. “ hat do you want to see and hear when you come to ain Street ” asked one speaker. “Loud music blaring f-bombs and lyrics about cop killers and rapists ” Councilman Christopher yle, one of seven sponsors of the bill, says the measure would accomplish more than what it gets credit for. If passed, the bill would change how the St. Charles Liquor Commission penali es businesses for liquor violations, such as serving minors, gambling or surpassing occupancy limits, by clarifying language on the city’s points system to make it easier to enforce. Under the bill, if a bar reaches 12 points, the city could revoke its license. yle says a lot of the bill’s negative feedback derives from misinformation. Critics worry the bill would add more nightclubs and bars and create a “nightclub district” along the northern side of ain Street. This couldn’t be further from the case, yle says. “The bill pertains to nightclubs and bars, but there’s nothing written in the bill that has anything to do with adding more bars or nightclubs, nor does the council or the mayor want to increase that or make an entertainment area,” yle tells the RFT. ain Street could see more bars, yle says. ut the city council controls which businesses are approved. “ e put a conditional-use permit on every liquor license — we control how they act and control what they do,” yle says. emoving St. Charles’ 0 0 liquor law would save the city 00,000 a year in audits, according to St. Charles ayor Dan orgmeyer. The mayor spoke to citi ens about the bill at a recent council meeting but did not respond to the RFT’s requests for comment. orgmeyer said the city’s current liquor law has steered some viable businesses away from investing in St. Charles. Scott Tate, president of Greater St. Charles County Chamber of

JUNE 22-28, 2022

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Historic St. Charles Main Street. | PAUL SABLEMAN/FLICKR Commerce, says owners of a tap house with other locations in the region once considered opening a spot on ain Street but chose not to because of the 0 percent food requirement. The business only served higher-end beer but allowed patrons to bring in food from other businesses. “The fact that there’s a food sales requirement doesn’t make sense,” Tate says. “I think we have to be realistic about what restaurants and bars are able to do.” Some argue the 0 0 liquor law was never enforced anyway. “I know, for a fact, there’s several bars on the street that don’t reach 0 0, and there’s nothing done about that,” says Dennis Di on, manager of uintessential Dining ightlife on orth ain Street. Di on adds that he turns in uintessential’s numbers to city hall every month. The restaurant offers offsite catering and doesn’t have a problem reaching the 0 percent food requirement, but still, the liquor law “is dumb.” “It’s preventing a lot of good businesses from coming here,” Di on says. This argument does not sway critics. my ilson, co-owner of ramations on orth ain Street, says she’s all for bars on ain Street as long as they follow the current law. “If you want to have a bar and not serve food, don’t put it on ain Street,” ilson says. “It’s

supposed to be a family-friendly environment. ot a nightclub atmosphere.” rom the hours of 11 p.m. to 2 a.m., ain Street turns into a scene that would make its rench and German ancestors quake in their boots, per ilson’s accounts. “It’s like free-for-all se ,” ilson adds. ilson often cleans puke and urine off her property in the mornings. “ I catch them doing all kinds of things near my back entrance, which is not fun,” she says. “ y porch has seen more action than I have.” The rowdiness heightened during the pandemic, according to ilson, when health orders in St. Louis city and county restricted gatherings while St. Charles County remained fairly loose. ore recently, in arch, both ilson and o ley each had to pay a few thousand dollars to replace windows after a man fired gunshots into ain Street businesses during a drunken rampage. The incident cost o ley , 00. In addition, o ley says she has to pay 3, 00 to replace a pipe in her air conditioner after a repairman told her a dog peed on it. “ hat the hell kind of dog would pee on the air conditioner ” o ley says. “It’s the bar people. We had a camera there so I started watching it. It’s guys pissing on the air conditioner.” n

The Bologna Sandwich Case Is Back in Court A pastor fights St. Louis City to feed the homeless homemade sandwiches Written by

BENJAMIN SIMON

federal case involving two men who were cited for feeding homeless people has returned to court. Last Thursday morning, three federal judges from the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals listened to oral arguments in the case of Redlich v. City of St. Louis. A decision is expected in the ensuing months. It is the latest step in a nearly fouryear-long battle. The tension dates back to Halloween 2018, when Pastor Ray Redlich and Chris Ohnimus, an assistant to Redlich who was formerly homeless, drove around St. Louis with a trunk full of bologna sandwiches. For nearly four decades, Redlich, of the New Life Evangelistic Center, passed out food to the homeless, following his religion’s dictate to feed the hungry. Four to five days a week, around 225 nights a year, he passed out food. But that night in 2018, a police officer stopped Redlich and Ohnimus as they gave out bologna sandwiches and water. The officer told them they needed a permit and handed them a citation. He pointed to the city’s ordinance, which disallows the sale of “potentially hazardous food,” including meat, without a temporary food permit. Over the past four years, the two sides have dueled back and forth over the legality of Redlich’s and Ohnimus’ actions. What started as a spat about a citation has expanded into a federal court case over the First Amendment, aimed at the “free exercise of religion” and “the freedom of expression,” Dave Roland, director of litigation for the Freedom Center of Missouri, tells the RFT. On December 4, 2018, Roland arrived in court to represent Redlich and Ohnimus. But city prosecutors chose not to move forward with the original citation. Roland, though, saw a larger argument to make about religious freedom in America. He went on “offense,” he says. In January 2019, he sued the City of St. Louis in federal court, arguing that Redlich’s and Ohnimus’ religious freedom had been violated.

“I would like the courts to affirm that, particularly, when you’re talking about people fulfilling a religious duty — one that’s clearly stated in their scriptures — there’s just no legitimate basis for the government interfering in acts of charity,” Roland says. “Again, this is not something where there’s any serious likelihood of anyone being harmed. So the court should absolutely rule in our favor and say that this is protected by the Constitution, that the city cannot interfere with this expressive act of worship.” The City of St. Louis has continued to push back, arguing that its ordinance does not infringe on constitutional rights and it does not infringe on religious beliefs. “People want to be protected by their governments from unsafe food and, at the same time, be free of officious meddling by governments in their personal affairs,” then-City Counselor Julian Bush said in a statement to the RFT in 2019. He added: “It is sometimes difficult to draw the line between providing adequate protection and imposing too much red tape. If these sandwiches had poisoned those who consumed them, there would have been an outcry that there was insufficient regulation; if not, there is a protest of over-regulation.” The City of St. Louis did not immediately respond to a request for comment about what happened in court last week. But Roland says that the city’s regulations restrict Redlich’s and Ohnimus’ ability to feed the homeless. Receiving a permit requires them to plan a few days in advance, fill out an application and designate their whereabouts beforehand. “We’ve always understood private charities are the best and most efficient ways of dealing with a lot of these societal problems,” Roland says. “And the idea that the government is going to step in and say, ‘You’re not allowed to act on your own initiative to provide something that you have for the benefit of somebody who’s in need’ — I think it is the most unAmerican thing I’ve ever heard.’” In July 2021, the case went before the district court, and the judge ruled in favor of the city. Roland appealed the decision to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, where it now stands. He hopes it will one day reach the U.S. Supreme Court. Throughout the process, Redlich and Ohnimus have continued handing out bologna sandwiches. “For now, they’re going to continue serving people as they believe their faith requires them to do,” Roland says. n

From left: Ray Redlich, Chris Ohnimus and attorney Dave Roland. | DOYLE MURPHY

Shooting Spree Leads to Felony Charges A motorcyclist shot up several cars and a business while out on a joy ride Written by

RYAN KRULL

he St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announced last week that it is charging 52-yearold Jeffrey Burnett with eight felonies for shooting at a frozen-custard store and several vehicles as he rode his motorcycle through Ellisville and Wildwood on June 12. The incident began in the early evening when Burnett shot at the Silky’s Frozen Custard on Manchester Road in Ellisville. An Ellisville Police Department probable-cause statement says the Silky’s front glass door and a commercial freezer sustained damage. As Burnett proceeded west on Manchester on his motorcycle, he then shot at the driver’s side of a white Ford Explorer. About a fifth of a mile further west, Burnett shot another vehicle. Its driver was injured by breaking glass. Burnett continued west on Manchester as the road turned into Historic Route 66. Now in Wildwood, about two and a half miles west of the Silky’s

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Jeffrey Burnett. | VIA ST. LOUIS COUNTY PROSECUTING ATTORNEY where his shooting spree began, Burnett shot up a 2019 Nissan Rogue. A victim in the Rogue suffered a laceration on his leg due to broken glass. Burnett fled on his motorcycle into Franklin County. As Missouri State Highway Patrol pursued him, he reentered St. Louis County before crashing near Six Flags. After the crash, police arrested Burnett and recovered a Mac-10 firearm. The probable-cause statement says Burnett’s image was captured by several cameras during his shooting spree. Burnett is being held on $350,000 bond. FOX 2 has reported that Burnett was a disgruntled employee of the Pageant music venue in the Loop. n

JUNE 22-28, 2022

RIVERFRONT TIMES

MISSOURILAND

The City Cousin, at 4111 Lindell Blvd., was a popular LGBTQ restaurant. | STEVEN LOUIS BRAWLEY

Gone but Not Forgotten A look back at the gay bars we have lost over the years Written by

JAIME LEES

ay bars in St. Louis have long been some of the best places in town to build community, to meet new faces and to tip your hat to your queer elders. Each gay bar that has closed in town has left a hole either in the nightlife scene or in somebody’s heart. When a gay bar closes, we don’t just lose a drinking establishment: We lose a lifeline for people in search of a place where they can be themselves. That was most apparent at Grandma’s Politician Lounge in the Grove. Run by an older man called “Grandma,” this corner bar was the easiest place to just be your most authentic you. Grandma was a sweetie, and he always made sure to have an open bar on holidays — and had a table of food set up, too, so that lonely gay people had a comfortable place to have a meal and feel welcomed. We miss so many bars in the Grove, too. Attitudes and Meyer’s Grove were always fun. Novak’s had the market cornered for lesbians, and Nancy Novak served and upheld the lesbian commu-

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nity for decades prior to her passing a couple of years back. And both locations of AMP (Alternative Music Pub) showed retro music videos on their televisions and were great spots to visit and just kick back, have a few shots and enjoy the show when the bartenders started acting out Kate Bush’s “Wuthering Heights” video. Just outside of the Grove was the short-lived Bad Dog Bar & Grill and the legendary JJ’s Clubhouse, where all of the leather daddies strutted their stuff and gawkers snacked on cheese balls at the bar. JJ’s was also the center of St. Louis bear culture, so when it closed many cubs were left without a den. Other places we loved included the Loading Zone in the Central West End, Magnolia’s, Ernie’s Class Act and Fallout. The best gay dance club was the Complex. ith the dark interior and ashing lights, it was one of the few places in town where you could totally just lose yourself on the dance oor. ut if you went too hard at the Complex and needed a rest, you could just pop over to the Drake and chill while enjoying some lovely piano music. Even in Soulard, that distorted mirror of heteronormative culture, gays and their allies could still find solace and shelter at the Stable and Clementine’s. And there are many great stories from City Centre and Faces on the east side that we’re far too modest to publish (for now). But let’s just say that things happened there. If you know, you know. Cheers to all of the gay bars of St. Louis past and an enthusiastic salute to all of the gay bars that are still standing. n

JUNE 22-28, 2022

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Novak’s 1998. | STEVEN LOUIS BRAWLEY

JJ’s Clubhouse and Bar. | STEVEN LOUIS BRAWLEY

Attitudes, 1998. | STEVEN LOUIS BRAWLEY

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A C E L E B R AT I O N O F T H E U N I Q U E A N D FA S C I N AT I N G A S P E C T S O F O U R H O M E

R Bar (before it was Rehab). | STEVEN LOUIS BRAWLEY

Clementine’s. | STEVEN LOUIS BRAWLEY

Bad Dog Bar and Grill. | STEVEN LOUIS BRAWLEY

Boxers ’n Briefs. | STEVEN LOUIS BRAWLEY

Grandma’s Politican Lounge. | STEVEN LOUIS BRAWLEY

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JUNE 22-28, 2022

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MEET OUR

CHANGEMAKERS The RFT celebrates four transformative St. Louis artists

et’s face it, our arts scene is one of the coolest things about St. Louis. aybe the coolest thing Thanks to tireless efforts from our artists, we have a city full of theater, music, painting, dance and more. ut being an artist is hard. e know. O , we aren’t e actly artists here at the RFT, but writing, even journalistic writing, is tough. e’ve been there staring at a blank page not sure how to begin. e’ve been there full of doubt in the middle of a story, wondering if this will ever make sense. e’ve kept going in the face of sometimes harsh criticism ahem . This might sound familiar to artists because they face the same and more as they strive not only to build meaningful art careers, but also enhance the city that they call home. That’s why we have selected four people who are helping shape the St. Louis arts scene as our inaugural cohort of RFT Change akers. Our Change akers win a 0 no-strings-attached award to further their art. ow did we select our winners fter a call for nominations in ay, we re-

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JUNE 22-28, 2022

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viewed more than 130 submissions. e were looking for artists who were not only doing groundbreaking work but were also building community. Chad Eivins has pushed the boundaries of analog and obsolete filmmaking with his live concert multimedia displays and videography. Maxi Glamour performs their own brand of drag in the face of political pushback, while Sukanya Mani tries to understand the toll of domestic violence through paper art. nd KVtheWriter used music to deal with grief, and create community. ll of them are helping make St. Louis a better place to live, and we’re e cited to honor them at rt ’ air, on Thursday, June 23. Two of our winners, Chad ivins and a i Glamour, will be showcasing their stuff along with other local acts like le is Tucci, Dre’Co, ammoth Piano, Dubb ubb, Justin a, DJ Limewire Prime and more. e are e cited to introduce our inaugural class of Change akers to you and hope that, in a small way, we’re able to help them bring even more great art to the city. —Rosalind Early

VIDEO AND THE RADIO STAR Chad Eivins reinvents the “music video” By Joe Hess

t one time, degradation was the all-but-certain future of the film format. Technology has certainly paved the way for preservation, but what of the film reels and dusty S tapes that rarely, if ever, survive the leap to modern screens St. Louis documentarian and video artist Chad ivins, , lives in the limbo between the life and death of video formats — both analog and digital — as he strives to document the fantastical in a way that uniquely fits his camera’s subjects. “ asically, my work boils down to collaboration, documentation and transformation,” says ivins, whose nearly three-decade career ranges from live multimedia installation to documentary and e perimental films. Under the moniker Chi mo.T , he creates immersive video environments that celebrate the imperfect nature of obsolete media by projecting a live video feed of the performance back on top of the performers in real time. The resulting aesthetic mimics the patchwork nature of human memory, which shares a not-so-subtle commonality of degradation with film. In contrast to Chi mo.T ’s embrace of chaos, ivins also actively works as a video producer for oveal edia with friend and director ryan Dematteis to create clear and intentional imagery on film. Throughout the pandemic, oveal handled videography and editing for many of ew usic Circle’s online concert events, which featured performances by renowned e perimental musicians such as Lisa Cameron and Tashi Dorji. The shows were filmed in a variety of locales including a church filled with skate ramps in north St. Louis and the mpty ottle, a music venue in Chicago, Illinois, where ivins and Dematteis traveled to film on location. “I took my time with the edits and didn’t want these to feel like music videos. I wanted the audience at home to absorb the angles almost like you would if you were standing in one area watching the show,” ivins says. oveal’s most impactful work to

date is Black Artists’ Group of St. Louis: Creation Equals Movement, a recent documentary that e plores the life and times of the legendary multidisciplinary arts-and-music collective that was active in St. Louis from 1 to 1 2. hile ivins helped with the production of some interviews, his biggest contribution came in the post-production phase when he spent years reviewing the footage and editing the work into a cohesive story under the direction of Dematteis. “ Dematteis had already been interviewing members in the St. Louis area for a few years before

mediately signed up the ne t day,” ivins says. e bought his first S camera, filmed skits with friends and started mi ing music into the footage. The Rollo Show debuted in 1995 on the campus channel and aired for less than a year before evolving into Lepers Disease TV. y this point in 1 , ivins and his crew were calling record labels to request music videos, which became the main format for the show. fter moving to St. Louis in 1 , ivins promptly went through local public-access training and brought Lepers Disease TV to area audienc-

Chad Eivins. | ADAM NEWSHAM he asked me to stop by and review the raw footage,” ivins says. fter seeing the interviews, ivins made a commitment to help Dematteis finish the documentary. To date, the film has been featured at multiple film festivals throughout the country with a recent screening on June 20 at the ision estival in ew ork City. efore navigating the world behind the lens, ivins first found solace in the once common, almost ritualistic behavior of channel surfing in the ’ 0s. hile attending school at the University of Central issouri in arrensburg, ivins stopped on the campus’ public-access channel at the sight of a clown hosting a dance-off between a small cast of contestants. ivin’s interest was piqued at the end. “The clown said they’re offering classes on how to use the publicaccess station’s equipment and how to start your own show. I im-

A Chizmo.TV live video projection still. | CHAD EIVINS

es. hile he feels the name is a little silly in retrospect, the show was meant to represent the “diseased” or unwanted metal, rock and punk music that T wasn’t airing at the time. ather than just show music videos, each episode featured a unique host, theme and — the big draw of the show — surreal, multicamera live recordings of bands playing in bars and clubs around St. Louis. “This live recording was all done in the music venues with no headphones, no one being able to speak to each other — but operating almost like an improvisational ja group would,” ivins says. ultiple camera operators shot different parts of the stage as ivins mi ed all the video feeds in real time with analog equipment, often timing the changes or video effects to the band’s music. Limp i kit, System of a Down, uga i and Incubus are just a few of many bands caught in the wide net cast by LDTV in the late ’ 0s. On one standout episode, ivins and his crew interview and record bands

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at arped Tour ’ , which featured Deftones, ad eligion, O and more. tah this and other episodes at youtube.com leperstv. efore its final episode in the summer of 200 , LDTV enjoyed a three-year stint on the anhattan eighborhood etwork in ew ork City. In 2003, ivins raised money to buy paid-programming time slots on the UP station in St. Louis, where the show played on broadcast T at 2 a.m. for a year. ivins also worked behind the camera throughout the 2000s, filming a variety of hip-hop artists including elly, urphy Lee and Juvenile, to name a few. ith an eye for the obscure and more than two decades of e perience in filmmaking, ivins uses his filming and editing techniques to make transformative work, often under the name Chi mo.T . hile he’s backed up many musicians onstage with live projections, his collaborations offstage include musicvideo work with several St. Louis bands such as iddle Class ashion and lank Generation with Damon Davis. “I want to keep e ploring new ideas with my approach to the work. I think we can find value in the tools of our past — in my case, the S tapes, C s and even some of the same equipment I used with the public access show in the ’ 0s,” ivins says. ivins’ video installations have been featured at the Contemporary rt useum St. Louis, Saint Louis rt useum, egional rts Commission and Granite City rt and Design District, not to mention a long list of music venues and art galleries throughout the river city. e shares his deep knowledge of video production by teaching ongoing courses at the St. Louis Public Library downtown, and he has even taught an animation class to children at the Tower Grove Park summer class now known as rtscope . We will honor Chad Eivins as recipient of the 2022 ChangeMaker Award for video artist / documentarian on Thursday, June 23, at Art A’Fair where he’ll be exhibiting a reactive video feedback environment titled “Cannibal Hymn” in collaboration with artist Jason Triefenbach.

JUNE 22-28, 2022

RIVERFRONT TIMES

HONORING OUR DEMON QUEEN Maxi Glamour mixes the political and personal in their performance art By Daniel Hill

n a recent sunny Sunday, a group of children gather on the patio at Rise Coffee House for a day of familyfriendly fun. It’s the Grove cafe’s second-annual Pride and Joy event, a Pride month celebration specifically geared toward kids. The afternoon’s programming includes youth yoga, led by aplewood’s Complete armony yoga studio; a sing-along dance party, courtesy of children’s entertainer Celia Shack Attack; and drag-queen story time with popular St. Louis performer Maxi Glamour. Glamour cuts a striking figure, clad in a pink dress with blue makeup and pink hair styled straight up in a manner that would make Marge Simpson jealous. At one point, the classically trained autist pulls out their ute and improvises a tune, to which the children respond by dancing and clapping to the rhythm. It’s a surreal sight, to be sure, but one that the kids seem to enjoy. In a video from the event shared on social media, Glamour summed up their thoughts on the importance of performing for the youth. “Kids are future rockstars, they’re future painters, future museum curators or even future art critics,” Glamour wrote. “It’s important they grow up in a world where art is all around them, because in the future they’ll be the ones keeping it alive.” In recent months, drag-based performances geared toward children have become the latest front in the United States’ ongoing culture wars, with some on the far right lobbing accusations of “grooming” at drag performers and those who host such events. In Texas, Republican state Representative ryan Slaton went so far as to announce that he will propose a law that would prevent minors from attending drag shows, allegedly aiming to protect children from what he calls “perverted adults” who are “obsessed with sexualizing young children.” That came in response to a drag event held in Dallas that brought out a throng of protesters and quickly drew national attention, as well

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Maxi Glamour. | ADAM OUAHMANE as plenty of debate. Glamour, obviously, does not share Slaton’s view. ut the “Demon Queen of Polka and Baklava,” Glamour’s own moniker for themself, is hardly an absolutist when it comes to drag and kids. “Not every experience is monolithic,” Glamour explains. “I think that there’s some parameters in which children shouldn’t be at drag shows, but that’s contingent on their parents, what their parents approve of.” Glamour’s art dwells in the realms of absurdism and fantasy, and they frequently appear otherworldly, with blue skin and pointy ears and a level of costume design that is itself a remarkable feat of artistry. The prolific multidisciplinary performer has seen great success with this approach, land-

JUNE 22-28, 2022

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ing a slot on season three of the horror-drag competition Boulet Brothers Dragula. They achieved international fame while bucking more traditional forms of drag to appear, in their words, as a “fantasy creature that’s talking about sociology and philosophy while in a sparkly gown.” Glamour also plays that unconventional approach as a strength in their performances for kids. By appearing as that fantasy creature, they’re able to open up a conversation about the things that we fear, and how confronting our fears can make us stronger. “I take themes of monsters and weird things that they can see with me, and I use that as a way to talk about people that are weird,” Glamour explains. “So I talk about how monsters aren’t actually that

scary, and how monsters can relate to emotions, and how, when we actually look at our monsters, we can become bigger people.” Glamour says they have faced plenty of criticism. Just the day prior to our interview, a group of hecklers showed up to an event Glamour was hosting. ut Glamour used the tense situation as an opportunity to try to educate the group, and says they wound up having a productive conversation. “It’s really hard to hate up close,” they muse. That ease with the politically charged nature of drag comes naturally to Glamour, who has made activism and intersectionality a core part of their art. Seven years ago, Glamour founded the queer arts festival u’art as a way to help promote financial stability for artists who identify as queer, as well as to provide a platform for social change. Additionally, Glamour has been a prominent organizer, and even helped to set up a protest at former St. Louis ayor Lyda rewson’s house in June 2020, at which Glamour marched in full drag. Glamour’s interest in politics traces back to 200 , when they took on the unenviable role of canvassing for then-presidential candidate Barack Obama in rural Missouri. That’s an experience that proved deeply in uential for the artist and activist. In something of a full-circle moment, facing their fears in rural Missouri helped them to become the “bigger person” that they now work to teach children to be. In some ways, then, the manner by which Glamour faces the politics of drag in 2022 head-on comes naturally, and the demon queen has no plans to stop. “ fter I survived that, I was like, ou know, not as many things seem as scary,’” Glamour says. “And I’ve just been at it ever since.” We will honor Maxi Glamour as the recipient of our inaugural ChangeMaker Award for performance art at RFT’s Art A’Fair on Thursday, June 23, on Cherokee Street. Catch Glamour performing a set of their original music at the upstairs stage of the Golden Record (2720 Cherokee Street) at 8 p.m.

A DELICATE CUT

Sukanya Mani uses paper cutting to tell larger stories By Jessica Rogen

Sukanya Mani (left) and a shot from her exhibit Solah Shringhar What She Wore. | VIA SUKANYA MANI

ukanya Mani holds up a recent piece in the diffuse light of her basement studio where she does the delicate work of putting knife to paper. It’s an intricate cutout of a woman in a sari, a traditional South Asian garment, decorated with owers. Paper is ethereal already, and this piece — like all of ani’s artwork — contains filigree-like cutouts that heighten the delicacy of the piece. It’s also shot through with a thread. “The knots within it denote memory,” Mani says, recalling the knots her mother tied into her own sari as to-do reminders. “It’s practical memory. These knots are tied as connections to our ancestors.” The piece is part of Mani’s latest collection, which e amines how society treats women and how the pandemic has heightened the threat of domestic violence and abuse for immigrants and refugees. Mani, 46, felt the impact of COID-1 acutely. During lockdown, she was rarely able to muster the impetus to create, but one day she found herself listening to a radio program about people living in abusive situations during the pandemic. She was struck by how the pandemic made things even more precarious because of its isolating effects. “I started looking into what resources are available for domestic-violence survivors and victims, and specifically within immigrant and refugee communities because that’s a very vulnerable popula-

tion within an already vulnerable population,” ani says. “The new work is going to be about e periences, storytelling and then also data — taking pure numbers and trying to present them in a form to build awareness.” Though it’s still in its infancy, the project brings together the disparate elements of Mani’s life: previous work centered on e pectations surrounding what women wear, her e perience immigrating from India in the ’ 0s and her first career in the sciences. ani grew up moving around the border regions of southern India because of her father’s job in the Indian Army Corps of Engineers. Despite being artistically inclined, Mani, driven by the practicalities of financial solvency, pursued a career in the sciences, studying chemistry and biochemistry. Though she knew it wasn’t her path, things continued on until ani moved to St. Louis with her husband in 1998. She immigrated on a dependent visa, which restricts work. ani decided to use that time to figure out what she wanted to do. “What is my competency?” Mani recalls thinking. “What’s my inspiration, and what’s my dream, trying to align all of them together. And so I became an artist.” efining her process took years. ani started with painting, e perimenting with color before turning to black and white, then began questioning why she needed

the black. She dropped the paint, picking up paper and beginning to remove the negative space. “ y thought process was growing right as my techniques were growing,” ani says. The last step was adding threedimensional elements through installation. ani hangs her works with threads gravity works upon the paper, changing its form, and the works sway gently in the open air. Installing requires “letting go” on ani’s part, which balances with the precision of her cutouts. Mani’s creations require extreme meticulousness, especially as she rarely sketches out her art beforehand, instead using an XActo knife as a pencil. She also plays around with trying new techniques and cuts on scrap paper. Take, for e ample, the oral designs in the sari piece. “This is not a cut I’ve done before, and so this took me, I’d say, four to five months,” she says. “I kind of wanted it to be like a closed structure. Because there’s so much hidden within the story here.” She works simultaneously on several pieces, thinking about the message she wants to convey as well as aesthetics. Sometimes ani will write out what her underlying concepts are, reaching for whichever language fits best English, Hindi or Tamil. hen she first began developing her current series, Mani started by thinking about what she might do if she were in an abusive situ-

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ation, heading to the web to look for resources and phone numbers for assistance. She discovered a report stating that 7,645 individuals in the St. Louis region had requested and received services from the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. She began by trying to represent those numbers on paper. “I started cutting these faceless, nameless silhouettes,” Mani says, noting that she soon ran out of space. “Each of these people has a name, has a story, has a life, and I’m not even able to represent them, you know, not even that number. That kind of boggled my mind as to how many people need help.” Mani says she tries not to think too hard about the impact she’ll have on the world because that’s out of her control. She instead focuses on finding something she can care about deeply and authentically telling a story about it. “Once I find that, all I can do is create the artwork and put it out there,” she says. “If there is something that can increase the awareness or increase education on that particular issue, then that would be the best thing that can happen. … All I can do is just put it out there. Then find something else to put all that energy and love into.” We will honor Sukanya Mani as the recipient of our inaugural ChangeMaker Award for visual art at RFT’s Art A’Fair on Thursday, June 23, on Cherokee Street.

JUNE 22-28, 2022

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JUNE 22-28, 2022

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WRITING THE PAIN

Kayla Thompson, a.k.a. KVtheWriter, found her voice in the toughest of circumstances By Rosalind Early

ragedy brought Kayla Thompson, a.k.a. KVtheWriter, back to music. She’d made songs as a high school student at Hazelwood East. In 2007, when Thompson was a sophomore, she put out “Apple Bottoms,” which many of her friends used as their ringtone. “I used to make diss songs against my older brother,” she says. But she didn’t go into music. Instead, she became a teacher for St. Louis Public Schools. But, in 2016, her older brother, Tyrell “Rell Finesse” Thompson, was killed in the Central West End when someone attempted to rob him. “I needed something to help with my grief, and so I just started making songs like every day after work,” Thompson says. It was not the first time tragedy had struck Thompson’s family. Her father was murdered in an attempted robbery in 2010. At the time, Thompson had been at an out-ofstate college, and her family had asked her and her brother, who was at the Art Institute of California, to return home. Both she and Tyrell then enrolled at Webster University. Her whole life changed again when her brother died. She didn’t re-sign her teaching contract. Instead, she started fundraising to open the Finesse Center, a tribute to her brother who had been a visual artist. The Finesse Center would have showcased his art and been a co-working space for artists, but fundraising didn’t go well. “I wasn’t in the right space to open a business. I know that now,” Thompson says. “I was grieving and just really going through it. And I just channeled all of my hurt into business or into movement or into doing something. But eventually it just got to be too much.” In the music studio, things weren’t going well either at first. Thompson sent her tracks to her college friend Blair the Machine, a music producer. Every track met the same response: Keep working. Then, one track, “Labor” caught Blair’s attention, and they started working together. “I’d go to work, and then I’d come home, and I’d make music till like two or three in the morning,” Thompson recalls. “Then I’d

KVtheWriter, a.k.a. Kayla Thompson. | ERICA JONES wake up in the morning, and my producer, he was over at my house all the time, he’d still be making beats. I would probably do some [music] before I’d go to work, and I was doing that like all day every day.” (After teaching, Thompson went on to work for the Boys and Girls Club of St. Louis and now works for Alive and Well, which teaches schools how to do traumainformed instruction.) In April 2019, Thompson released her first project, Love Sucks, a five-track P about failed relationships and dating misadventures. To celebrate the release, she had a concert at the Monocle. “It was a stormy Tuesday. I was scared, I was like, ‘No one is going to come,’” Thompson recalls. “‘It’s raining super hard outside.’” She figured she would go through with the concert though, since she’d rehearsed, and the band was all there. When she stepped out on stage, “it was packed,” she says. “It was people from wall to wall standing super close together.” Thompson is no stranger to the stage. At Webster, in addition to

being president of the Black Student Union, she also hosted openmic sessions called Spiterature. Thompson would often recite poetry or rap. Still, putting on a whole concert was something new, and she loved it. “I feel like [the stage] is where I belong,” Thompson says. “A lot of people tell me that I’m born to be an artist. I think that comes from my family. I’m used to being in front of a crowd. My grandma used to make me do speeches in her place.” Thompson’s grandmother was the late civil rights leader Betty Thompson, who was also the first black councilwoman in University City and was a state representative for St. Louis County. Thompson’s uncle, Anthony Thompson, is chairman and CEO of Kwame Building Group, and her aunt, Sonja Branscomb-Thompson, and another uncle, Kwame Thompson, used to own Club Isis, a prominent club in the early 2000s. As a kid, “I remember campaigning for Al Gore,” Thompson says. “Then on the ip side, when my

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aunt and uncle had the club, me and my cousins would be upstairs asleep because our parents were downstairs working.” Thompson often would meet celebrities. She was the envy of all her classmates when she shared pictures of herself with Murphy Lee, Anthony Anderson or other celebrities who came to the club. With that background, the trajectory of KVtheWriter is less surprising. Three months after Love Sucks, Thompson released The Ratchet Tape, which brought the sex appeal. She performed at three spots around St. Louis, and all of the concerts sold out. Profiles and press followed, and she was then invited as an official artist for tlanta’s A3C (All Three Coasts) Festival and decided to move to Atlanta to stay with an uncle. She stayed for a year, but when the pandemic hit in 2020, she returned to St. Louis, and her music career stalled. “That sucked all of the momentum out of me,” Thompson says. She won Best Hip Hop ArtistFemale at the 2020 SLUM Fest Awards, though, and organized a freestyle contest asking people to put a verse over the beat from her song “Ain’t That a Bitch.” The entrants had to submit a music video, and Thompson says many artists went all out. She got more than 70 submissions. In October 2021, she also organized the Sessions, inviting more than 100 artists — producers, rappers, singers and sound engineers — to collaborate on a 12-hour studio session. They made 30 songs, and Thompson is working on a documentary about the experience and trying to get the songs mixed and mastered. All of this community building has helped Thompson realize “as long as I’m consistent and I put together a great package, I’m going to have people come,” Thompson says. “If you build it, they will come.” n We will honor KVtheWriter as the recipient of our inaugural ChangeMaker Award for music and literary arts at RFT’s Art A’Fair on Thursday, June 23, on Cherokee Street.

JUNE 22-28, 2022

RIVERFRONT TIMES

CALENDAR

BY JENNA JONES

THURSDAY 06/23 All-Night Art A partnership between the RFT and the Cherokee Street Community Improvement District, Art A’Fair taps into the city’s Midwest in uences by spotlighting the region’s artistic ingenuity. Stroll through Cherokee Street stopping by different venues like the Golden Record, Earthbound Beer, the Luminary and more for dance performances, live paintings, fashion shows, live body art and live music that highlight local talent. Tickets include entertainment, a champagne welcome and two complimentary drinks by Ketel One Botanicals, plus a chance to celebrate our 2022 ChangeMaker Award recipients. Art A’Fair (on Cherokee Street, rfttickets.com) is on Thursday, June 23, from 7 to 11 p.m. Register online for $20 tickets. Tickets will be sold at the door for $25. —Carlos Mendoza

FRIDAY 06/24 Summer’s Here Friday nights are when the lights dim down and the music turns up. Go vibe on the south side of the city and check out the Summer Vibez concert. Dance, sing, eat and drink the night away with the best local talent at Artist Art Banquet Theater (2643 Cherokee Street, 314-898-3535). Summer Vibez is on Friday, June 24, from 8 p.m. to midnight. There is a $5 entry fee. —Carlos Mendoza

SATURDAY 06/25 De-Mystify Dive into the spiritual and metaphysical at the STL Mystic Fair. Explore new pathways by connecting with tarot readers, healers, psychics, spiritual guides and more. Shop new vendors that specialize in crystals, essential oils, herbs and jewelry. Participate in panels such as sound and energy healing as well as spirit guide

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PrideFest returns this year after a two-year hiatus. | THEO WELLING painting. Catch the STL Mystic Fair over the weekend on Saturday, June 25, and Sunday, June 26, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Machinists Hall Inc. (12365 St Charles Rock Road, (314- 739-6200, facebook. com/events/480120327101809). Register online or pay at the door; tickets are $6. —Carlos Mendoza

Spirited Away Cross the river, and you’ll find a sea of bourbon, beer and spirits at Bourbon and Brews. Taking place at St. Charles’ newly minted food-truck garden, from the creators of 9 Mile Garden, the event gives out samples of spirits and beers. Over 200 samples of whiskey, bourbon and craft beer are available. Guests will get seven sample tickets for spirits and seven tickets to sample beer. Live music plays throughout the event, and you can grab a bite from the bevy of food trucks. Bourbon and Brews takes place at Frankie Martin’s Garden (5372 St Charles

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Street, bourbonandbrewsstlouis. com) from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is rain or shine and 21 and older. Tickets cost $40.

Fiesta Forever Celebrate Hispanic culture this week with Fiesta in Florissant. Hosted by Hispanic Festival, Inc. of Greater St. Louis, the fiesta takes place over two days and will include authentic foods, live music, crafts, a car meetup and show, information booths, an artist village to showcase Hispanic artists’ work and more. The purpose of the fair is to celebrate the common heritage of Hispanic nations, and the local hispanic community. Funds raised at the fair will go to scholarships for underprivileged and college-bound students. Fiesta in Florissant (50 St. Francois Street, 314-837-6100, hispanicfestivalstl.com) is Saturday, June 25, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday, June 26, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is free.

Brunchin’ There’s not much that beats a good brunch, and thanks to Taste of Black STL, St. Louisans can enjoy just that. The Taste of Black STL’s First and Last Brunch offers three different brunch options: traditional, winery and boho chic. The traditional brunch has the classics: grits, eggs, country potatoes and a burger. The winery brunch comes with a chicken sandwich and French toast. Boho chic offers a sweet-potato chicken biscuit served with a side of mac and cheese, a steak and egg slider, or boho salmon and shrimp grits. All options include pancakes and an omelet bar. Meat options include turkey and pork — both are served as a sausage or bacon. Bottomless mimosas can be added for an extra charge. There will also be a live band at the brunch. Taste of Black STL’s First and Last Brunch (417 Adams Street, tasteofblackstl.com/events) happens on Saturday, June 25, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

WEEK OF JUNE 23-29 with the Arch in the background. The Pride parade will go down Market Street, from 10th Street to 18th Street. Visit PrideFest (on Tucker Boulevard, between Market and Olive, pridestl.org/pridefest) on Saturday, June 25, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and catch the festival and parade on Sunday, June 26, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Strauss Park (3534 Washington Avenue, grandcenter.org/event/ tuesdays-in-the-park/2022-06-28/) in the Grand Center Arts District on Tuesday, June 28, and every Tuesday through August 23, from 5 to 8 p.m. Entry is free. —Carlos Mendoza

Pride Party

WEDNESDAY 06/29 Pride Night at Circus Flora

Close out St. Louis Pride weekend at Rainbows on the Rooftop. Hosted by ART Bar, the hotel rooftop spot encourages attendees to come dressed in their favorite color. The party also is serving up specialized cocktails and additional drinks to benefit nonprofit organization PROMO, a group dedicated to fighting for LG T rights in Missouri. The rooftop bar’s new food and drink menu will also be introduced at this party. Ordering a City Wide, shots of either of 1220 Spirits’ new vodkas — the Balaton Cherry and Persian Lime or the Lemonade and Lavender — or the 4 Hands Rainbow Snowcone Seltzer will benefit P O O. St. Louis native and Midwestern DJ Alexis Tucci is also performing at the party from 8 to 11 p.m. Glow sticks will be passed out to complete the feel of the party. The party is at the rooftop bar of the Angad Arts Hotel (3550 Samuel Shepard Drive, 314-5610033), ART Bar, from 3 to 11:30 p.m. Reservations aren’t required and the event is free to attend.

Circus Flora celebrates Pride this week. | BEAU SHOULDERS, NEW SCAR DESIGN Brunches start at $40 and can cost up to $60, while bottomless mimosas can be added for $25.

SUNDAY 06/26 Pride in Its Prime Pride hits its peak this weekend with the annual PrideFest happening in downtown St. Louis after a two-year hiatus. Entertainment includes Alex Newell — a

Grammy-nominated singer who rose to fame after appearing on Glee — and Raye — one of Spotify’s most streamed artists — performing on the Mastercard main stage. Local acts will also take the stage, such as Bad Habit, Poetiq, One ay Traffic and the two local Pride Idol winners. Vendors also are planning to set up as part of the festival, with food and drink being offered on site. There is also, of course, the matter of the parade. Diverse groups will march through the streets of St. Louis

Otra Noche en Panama

TUESDAY 06/28 Vibe Out Many people head to parks on weekends but miss the sheer serenity of quiet parks on a weekday. Stroll through Strauss Park for Tuesdays in the Park to dine, shop and de-stress after work. Live music as well as a variety of local merchants and vendors will be present to help relax you. Every Tuesday introduces a new artist. This Tuesday, find guitarist Tom Byrne as he cruises through jazz, bossa nova, blues, rock, R&B and a wide range of musical genres. Ride the vibes at

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Load up the clown car and head to Pride Night at Circus Flora. First, you’ll get to take in “The uest for the Innkeeper’s Cask,” where the troupe explores the caves underneath our river city in search of an ancient relic that is believed to have mystical powers. But, the closer the troupe gets to uncovering the cask, the more obstacles and boobytraps they meet, leading them to believe that someone doesn’t want the cask to be found. Aeralists, daredevils, acrobats, comedians and more tell the story in the way Circus Flora only can. On top of circusshow fun, in honor of Pride night, the circus will host a post-performance drag show. Circus Flora’s Pride night (3401 Washington Avenue, 31 - 2 -3 30, circus ora. org) is Wednesday, June 29. The show begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 to $68.

Jam with Panamanian saxophonist David Gomez as he transports listeners to Another Night in Panama “Otra oche en Panama” means another night in Panama in Spanish.) Lose yourself in another world that’ll entrance you with the rich and intricate melodies of Spanish music. Gomez has performed with greats such as Janet Evra, but at the Harold & Dorothy Steward Center for Jazz (3536 Washington Avenue, 314571-6000, my.jazzstl.org/1139) he ies solo on Saturday, June 25, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are free. —Carlos Mendoza n

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CAFE

Arber Cafe’s (clockwise from top left) roll cake, byrek, Albanian kisses, ali pash, olive salad and deluxe gyro. | MABEL SUEN

[REVIEW]

Breaking Out Arber Cafe revamp dazzles with traditional Albanian cuisine Written by

CHERYL BAEHR Arber Cafe 6955 Gravois Avenue, 314-833-6622. Tues.Sat. 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sun. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. (Closed Mondays.)

early two decades ago, Limo a o ha took her first go at Arber Cafe. Coming off an eight-year stint working in the kitchen at the Clayton Italian mainstay Dominic’s Trattoria, it seemed natural that she would incorporate that country’s fare into her debut restaurant, even as she wanted to use her new platform to shine a light on her native Albanian cuisine. In her mind, and in the eyes of her

Chef-owner Limoza Hoxha. | MABEL SUEN then business partners, it felt like the safest bet; not only was Italian food wildly popular in her adopted town, but Albanian food was relatively unknown. To have her restaurant’s success hinge on something so untested was a risk they were not willing to take, so Arber Cafe opened as a combina-

tion Italian-Albanian restaurant and coffee shop in a small storefront off Gravois Avenue in 2005. Fast-forward 17 years, and Hoxha has transformed Arber Cafe into the restaurant she always wanted. The retooled Arber is a proud homage to the food of her homeland, a culinary heritage

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Hoxha describes as Mediterranean in uenced with strong elements of Turkish and Greek traditions woven throughout. Had you told her in 1997 that this is how she’d find success in the restaurant business, she would not have believed it; now, as guests eagerly order her handmade Albanian delicacies, she’s thrilled to be proven wrong. Hoxha never thought she would be the person to introduce St. Louis diners to Albanian food. After immigrating to the United States from Albania in 1997, she pursued English language and computer design courses at St. Louis Community College–Forest Park. However, after getting a job as a cook at Dominic’s Trattoria, she realized how much she loved the professional kitchen. This nascent passion prompted her to refocus her studies on business in the hopes of opening a restaurant one day. It should have come as no surprise that she had such love for

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BREAKING OUT Continued from pg 21

the industry. For years, Hoxha had been praised by her family for her talent as a home cook, a skill she picked up from her grandmother, mother and mother-in-law over the years. Cooking came naturally, so when finally placed in a position to dedicate herself to it full time, she seized the opportunity. That enthusiasm led her to say yes when some friends approached her about buying a Macedonian bakery in the city’s Bevo Mill neighborhood and turning it into what became Arber Cafe. After three years, her original partners left the business, leaving the restaurant in Hoxha’s capable hands. Hoxha found success with the Albanian community, who embraced Arber Cafe as a traditional European-style coffee shop. For roughly 15 years, she chugged along as such, hoping that she could one day turn the spot into more of a food-driven restaurant. In 2019, she and her family made that dream a reality by renovating the place and eschewing the Italian side of the menu. The newly launched Arber Cafe built a steady momentum through the fall of 2019 and into the beginning of 2020. However, when the pandemic ground the restaurant industry to a halt in March of 2020, Hoxha was forced to close her doors and hope that the support from the local community would keep her a oat. ortunately, it did. Between to-go orders and a partnership with Schnucks, Hoxha was not only able to remain in business; she was made aware of how much her little cafe meant to the neighborhood. When you eat at Arber Cafe, you understand why this is the case. Thanks to its small menu, made entirely by Hoxha, the restaurant gives you the feeling of being welcomed into her home kitchen and given a starter course on Albanian cuisine. Byrek, an essential Albanian dish, is a triangle-shaped, filledphyllo-dough pastry akin to Greek spanakopita. Hoxha serves three versions one filled with savory lamb and beef gyro meat, one made with a mild Albanian white cheese the texture of feta, and another stuffed with spinach and mint, which gives the dish a gorgeous verdant undertone. Ali pash, a traditional Albanian dish, features arborio rice that is somewhere between the wet texture of risotto and a uffy iddle

Arber Cafe has a seating area by the front window within close proximity to its dessert case. | MABEL SUEN Eastern-style basmati. Flecked with roasted almonds and raisins and topped with grilled chicken, the dish is a delightful interplay of sweet and savory. Another classic Albanian dish, the olive salad, has the sort of refreshing briny, citrusy avors you want in the heat of summer. Kalamata olives are mixed with orange segments and sliced red onions, then tossed in an oregano-infused olive oil. The salt, sweet, tang and earth from the dried herbs create a comple mi of avors. So do the feta and olive oil that are the dominant avors in the trahana soup. Made with fermented wheat our and yogurt that seems heavier than its brothy texture suggests, the soup is infused with the cheese’s briny avor. It has a milky mouthfeel, but a sprinkling of red chili akes adds heat that cuts through the richness. Arber offers a chicken gyro that’s made with the same succulent grilled chicken that tops the ali pash, and a deluxe version, which features qofte, an Albanian-style meatball. The latter is an outstanding delicacy, reminiscent of gyro meat and the Balkan beef sausage cevapi. The gyro is dressed with the expected accoutrements — tomato, cucumber, red onion, a thick, tzatziki-style yogurt sauce — but what makes it special, aside from the qofte, is that Hoxha griddles the bread, so it gets a crisp, almost-fried golden exterior. The massive gyro is so delicious it is hard to resist eating the en-

The dining room features lots of greenery. | MABEL SUEN tire thing. However, the dessert case will make you reconsider. Hoxha learned how to make the many pastries that fill its shelves from the prior owner, a Macedonian baker, and she adeptly carries forth his legacy. olled cakes filled with caramel and uffy pastry cream, slices of white cake layered with whipped cream and toasted almonds and a chocolate sponge cake layered with chocolate mousse all showcase Hoxha’s pastry prowess and are satisfying without being cloying or overly rich. The standout is the zuppa berati, a layered dessert similar to a par-

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fait, which pairs sponge cake with vanilla custard, chocolate custard, whipped cream and toasted almonds. It’s like eating a glorious, sweet cloud. Hoxha still keeps tiramisu on the menu, and it’s wonderful. However, one taste of that zuppa berati and you will be so dazzled you won’t miss its espresso- avored Italian cousin. Like Arber Cafe, something this wonderful is enjoyable enough on its own. n

Arber Cafe Ali pash ..................................................... $12 Byrek ........................................................... $5 Gyro deluxe ................................................. $9

JUNE 22-28, 2022

RIVERFRONT TIMES

JUNE 22-28, 2022

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JUNE 22-28, 2022

RIVERFRONT TIMES

JUNE 22-28, 2022

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SHORT ORDERS

Bulrush’s bar has been revamped as an exploration of the region’s beverage traditions. | COURTESY OF BULRUSH

[DRINK NEWS]

A Drink to the Past Founder and co-owner of Steve’s Hot Dogs and Burgers, Steve Ewing, and Chef Joseph Zeable with the St. Louis-Style dog and the resolution from the City of St. Louis that makes it the city’s official hot dog. | ROSALIND EARLY

[FOOD NEWS]

Top Dog Steve’s Hot Dogs’ St. Louis-Style wiener is the city’s official hot dog Written by

ROSALIND EARLY

ove over, Chicago — now St. Louis has an official hot dog the St. Louis-Style hot dog at Steve’s Hot Dogs and Burgers (3145 South Grand Boulevard, 314-932-5953). Invented by Chef Joseph Zeable, the dog is Steve’s former “HYAAAH!” hot dog. “When we opened up the restaurant on the ill, we would routinely just shout hyaaah’ at each other,” eable says. “ nd we decided to name this dog that.” Steve’s founder and co-owner, Steve Ewing, says that when Zeable created the dog 12 years ago, he was thinking about making a St. Louis-style dog the way Chicago has a style of dog. “I’m surprised nobody thought of it sooner,” Ewing says. e know what you’re thinking hat’s this dog got

eable wanted to use avors that evoked St. Louis, so the dog includes a smoked and grilled all-beef hot dog in an Italianstyle itale’s bakery roll that is lined with provolone cheese. “ e tried Provel cheese,” eable says, “but it didn’t work as well as a provolone slice.” It’s topped with grilled onions, green peppers, banana peppers, bacon and Steve’s housemade smoky pepper mustard. The mustard is what takes the dog over the top. “It is bright, tangy, wonderful,” eable says. That’s right. ot only is it a good-looking dog, there’s no ketchup. Every hot-dog purist knows that ketchup on a dog is a sin against nature. “If it had ketchup on it, we would get yelled at,” wing says with a laugh. “ e would get bludgeoned.” Despite the dog’s origins, eable and wing did not decide themselves to make it St. Louis’ official hot dog. Instead, Steve’s launched the “ oad to the Official ot Dog of St. Louis,” a bracket that put six hot-dog recipes head to head over the course of five weeks. Some of the contenders included the Slinger Dog, inspired by at ite’s famous slingers, the ill Dog and the Pork Steak Dog, which includes braised pork steak, house slaw, crunchy onion and a chipotle sauce.

“ e had a feeling that one might actually win,” wing says. “It didn’t, but it came really close, so we ended up putting that one on the menu permanently.” On June 1 , lderwoman Christine Ingrassia presented wing with a resolution by the St. Louis oard of ldermen making Steve’s St. Louis-Style hot dog the official hot dog of the city. “Steve’s has been not just an incredible restaurant partner within the region and the country but also really incredible in understanding the challenges of the city and helping address those,” Ingrassia says. Steve’s has provided food to a wide number of organi ations and people, “including supporting pop-up winter shelters ... to ensure unhoused individuals had food.” Ingrassia is also a big fan of Steve’s ot Dogs and urgers and says there isn’t a menu item she hasn’t tried. nd she’s supportive of the winner. At the presentation, she also made a joke that this resolution was one of the only things the oard of ldermen had unanimously agreed on lately. The big question of the night was, of course, whether a hot dog is a sandwich. “Oh yes ” wing says. “It’s definitely a sandwich. It’s meat, bread and some toppings on it. That’s a sandwich.” n

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The new bar at St. Louis’ Bulrush explores Ozark cocktail history Written by

CHERYL BAEHR

hen Rob Connoley first opened Bulrush (3307 Washington Avenue, 314-449-1208) three years ago, he had no idea the direction it would take. Originally focused on foraged and hyper-local cuisine that celebrated the Ozark region’s bounty, the Grand Center eatery quickly took on a more important feel as he heard from people whose culinary traditions he was exploring. “When we first opened the restaurant, we didn’t realize the scope or importance of what we were doing; we just thought it would be a quirky little project where we could do some fun stuff that hadn’t been done before,” Connoley says. “Then we started hearing from people in the Ozarks. This is an area that has been disparaged since settlers began moving in — really, it started when Shepherd of the Hills was published — and I started getting emails from people saying no one had ever given them their dues.” Those emails inspired Connoley and his team to dive deeper into the Ozark region’s history, culture and traditions; once they did, there was no turning back. Each question led to not simply another question but to new paths, each with its own branches. The search became seemingly infinite, prompting Connoley to rethink Bulrush as not simply a restaurant but as a living, breathing research project. Now, the bar at Bulrush is embracing that same philosophy.

JUNE 22-28, 2022

Continued on pg 29

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BULRUSH

Continued from pg 27

Closed since the beginning of the pandemic, Bulrush’s bar officially reopened on June 16 as a modern interpretation of the saloons that were part of St. Louis’ founding and the greater Ozark region during the time period of 1837 to 1917. The Bulrush team chose those dates after doing extensive research; a dive into the city’s Recorder of Deeds archives revealed a trove of information on St. Louis’ famed Tremont saloon, dating back to 1837, while 1917 represents the date St. Louis bartender Thomas Bullock published his iconic book, The Ideal Bartender. “During COVID we kept all of our staff on salary, and we all did research,” Connoley says. “Some did work on pork; some did research on the bar side of things. The people who did the bar research took it to a level where I didn’t know what happened. They ended up getting these historic inventories and thought it would be interesting to show the development of bars in the area in the 19th and 20th centuries.” What this means for Bulrush’s guests is an experience that will include foraged ingredients, infused spirits, from-scratch spirits and vinegar shrubs based on the team’s extensive research that centered around three different documents. The first is the inventory list from the Tremont Saloon, which alluded to the use of vinegars, Madeira and cognac. The second is based on an inventory list of a 19th-century saloon called Jacoby’s, which references brandies, domestic and imported whiskeys, sherry, port and Madeira. Thomas Bullock provides the third touchstone. An African American bartender who became one of the most famous players in the nation’s cocktail culture, Bullock’s influence is felt in the form of the julep cocktail, the use of absinthe and a variety of punch drinks. Connoley does not shy away from the fraught details of the history his restaurant shines light on. In fact, as Connoley explains, embracing that troubled past is essential to the work. Difficult topics such as the treatment of traditionally marginalized and disparaged populations and the stories of enslaved and indigenous peoples may make people uncomfortable, but Connoley believes that shows how essential it is to explore them. As he explains, these histories are woven throughout everything Bulrush does because they are woven through the story of food and drink itself. “What we are doing has evolved into the need to give proper credit to indigenous people and the enslaved,” Connoley says. “That’s heavy stuff, and people going out to dinner are not necessarily looking for that. We know that, but if we ignore it, we are just adding to the problem, so we are trying our best to be thorough in what we are doing. Restaurants don’t do this sort of work; it doesn’t make sense, but I don’t know of any way of doing this without it.” n

Taqueria Morita, from the minds behind Vicia, is now open in the Cortex Innovation District. | CHERYL BAEHR

[FIRST LOOK]

Great Vibes Taqueria Morita is now open in St. Louis’ Cortex District Written by:

CHERYL BAEHR

s a kid growing up in southern California, chef Aaron Martinez fondly remembers the road trips he and his family would regularly take across the border and down Mexico’s Baja coast. Filled with visits to lobster shacks, taco stands and a variety of low-key eateries that celebrated the area’s bounty, the experiences helped ignite his passion for food and provided the perfect inspiration for Taqueria Morita (4260 Forest Park Avenue, 314-553-9239), a new concept he is bringing to life with restaurateurs Michael and Tara Gallina. Located on the front lawn of the Gallina’s upscale Cortex restaurant Vicia, Taqueria Morita is an outdoor, fast-casual concept that sits underneath a newly built pavilion called Vicia Gardenside. According to Martinez, who is the culinary director for the Gallinas’

Take Root Hospitality restaurant group, he and the Vicia team recognized the need for a permanent outdoor structure after they were forced to pivot to al fresco dining during the pandemic. Not sure of how long such a need would last or what the future of indoor dining would look like, he and the Gallinas decided to take advantage of their sprawling outdoor space as a way to formalize the pop-ups they’d been doing when the health crisis closed their dining room. In thinking of the food he wanted to see at Vicia Gardenside, Martinez gravitated toward the sort of nostalgic, easy fare of his youth. Sunny, bright and ideal for outdoor dining, a taqueria made sense as the sort of breezy, casual fare called for in such a setting. It’s not the culinary path Martinez thought he’d walk down, but it’s one he has happily embraced. “If you would’ve told me 10 years ago that I would be opening a taqueria, I would’ve said no way,” Martinez says. “My background is in fine dining, but this has allowed me to use that knowledge of things like acidity and texture and seasoning and apply it to something more casual. It’s the best of both worlds.” Though Taqueria Morita may be a departure from his work at Vicia in terms of form, it is similar in substance. In addition to

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drawing from the classic techniques he’s honed over the years, Martinez is also incorporating a significant number of vegetables into the taqueria’s dishes — one of Vicia’s central philosophies. In this spirit, diners at Taqueria orita will find dishes such as carne asada, pork carnitas and fish tacos, but they will also see items like carrot tinga tacos, a riff on chicken tinga, which pairs the root vegetables with queso fresco, cilantro and spiced seeds. Oyster mushroom tacos, another vegetarian option, feature cashew, epazote salsa cruda and queso fresco, and Martinez’s green vegetable aguachile, a plant-based riff on ceviche, consists of kohlrabi, cucumber, Serrano chile and tomatillo. In addition to food, Taqueria Morita serves several cocktails meant to beautifully complement Martinez’s dishes. Look for the Margmorita, the restaurant’s namesake take on the margarita, the Blood Orange, made with raicilla, mezcal and blood-orange cordial, and the Celeriac, which pairs mezcal with artichoke liqueur and pineapple. “It’s just a great vibe,” Martinez says. “You order at the counter, get your drinks, have chips and salsa, and your food comes to you. There’s no pretension; it’s just food that tastes good, and you don’t have to think too much.” n

JUNE 22-28, 2022

RIVERFRONT TIMES

ST. LOUIS STANDARDS

The Lopez family has been bringing north county diners traditional Mexican fare for over two decades. | ANDY PAULISSEN

Better Than Ever Overland’s Taqueria Durango rises from the ashes thanks to community support Written by

CHERYL BAEHR Taqueria Durango 10238 Page Avenue, Overland; 314-429-1113 Established 2003

he Lopez family had no idea they would open a grocery store and restaurant when they moved to St. Louis from California in 1993. In fact, they weren’t even sure their move would be permanent. Transferred from the West Coast to the middle of the country thanks to their dad’s

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job, Angelica Lopez and her siblings were told they were packing for a few-years’ stint. Then it got extended. And extended again. Before they knew it, they were a decade into their new life — and they were loving it. “My dad was working for the ay Company, at the time affiliated with Famous-Barr, doing IT for them,” Lopez says. “The company relocated here, and we decided to stay. We really liked St. Louis. We got used to it. It’s a nice place to live, but when we got here, there were hardly any Hispanics around, and there was only one store down on Cherokee Street. e figured, why not do a little store and see how that goes?” That little store has grown into Taqueria Durango, a Hispanic grocery store, meat market and restaurant that has endeared itself to its Overland community and beyond. Founded in 2003 as a small market, the Lopezes have expanded twice, rebuilt once due to a fire and continue to grow their legacy as one of the area’s essential Mexi-

JUNE 22-28, 2022

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can restaurants. Looking back on how they got started, Lopez is grateful to her family for their hard work in building the business and the community for supporting them. As she explains, it was never a sure thing that Taqueria Durango would be a success. Like any place starting out, business at the market, simply called Durango, was slow at first. However, word of its offerings gradually got out, and they began to receive robust support from area shoppers who kept asking for more. Eventually, the Lopez family gave in to their requests. “People kept asking us if we had any food we could serve, but we didn’t,” Lopez says. “We had the food in the back that we would eat, and my parents have always been the type of people where if you had food and someone asked, they’d tell people to come and join them. People kept telling us we should put in a restaurant; we didn’t think we’d be able to, but we decided to, and it went better than expected.” The Lopezes opened Taqueria

Durango in 2010 in the adjacent storefront. The restaurant was an instant success, prompting them to expand again once the doggrooming business at the end of the strip mall vacated its storefront. Now a thriving market, dining room and events space, Taqueria Durango hummed along, earning a reputation as one of the area’s most traditional Mexican restaurants and markets. Then, a decade in, tragedy struck. “The fire came 20 days before lockdown,” Lopez says of the blaze that destroyed Taqueria in early 2020. “My aunt called me at around 3:30 p.m., and I never expected to hear what I heard that day. She told me to call the fire department … I wasn’t even out of the main street of my subdivision when my sister called back and said it was all gone.” On the afternoon of March 5, a fire that started in Taqueria Durango’s fryer tore through the kitchen and engulfed the restaurant in ames. The entire storefront was destroyed in mere mo-

[

]

ICONIC PEOPLE, PLACES & DISHES T H A T A N C H O R S T L’ S F O O D S C E N E

“She told me to call the fire department … I wasn’t even out of the main street of my subdivision when my sister called back and said it was all gone.”

Taqueria Durango offers several styles of tacos including campechano, al pastor and carne asada. | ANDY PAULISSEN

ments — a scene that gives Lopez chills when she recounts how everyone escaped uninjured. She and her family were grateful for that, even as their business lay in a heap of ashes; their gratitude would grow even more when they heard the news that, within hours of the fire, local chef and Taqueria Durango regular Brian Hardesty had set up a GoFundMe to help them get through such a difficult time. “I talked to him, and he said that he was so sorry for what happened — that he was a longtime customer — and he did this for us because we are part of the community,” Lopez says. “It was very touching to me and to all of us. I will always thank him for that.” Just as the Lopez family was beginning to wrap their heads around how they would clean up and rebuild, another challenge presented itself: the pandemic. Unable to sell their restaurant fare for carryout and stymied in their efforts to rebuild because the municipal permitting offices

Diners love Taqueria Durango for its traditional cuisine and atmosphere. | ANDY PAULISSEN

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were closed, they focused their efforts on the market, which thankfully was damaged but not destroyed, and sketched out a vision for what they wanted Taqueria Durango 2.0 to be when they were able to reopen. In June of 2021, they revealed that vision to the world, reopening a new Taqueria Durango that Lopez believes is better than ever. More than only changing the physical footprint of the space, she feels that the fire crystali ed in the minds of its patrons just how much the restaurant means to them. She hears these stories all the time, whether it’s multigenerational families coming in to celebrate their milestone events, or a longtime college-aged regular who still wants to host his birthday festivities at the restaurant like he did in middle school. No matter how much the fire took away from the Lopez family, their tenacity and the love of their regulars has given back so much more — which Lopez says gives her and her loved ones the energy they need to keep going. “I love how people can sit here and meet others and have great conversations,” Lopez says. “People have made friendships just from sitting at the bar. Our customers and our community don’t judge you; you just come in, have a few tacos, a conversation and a good time. Even though there are a lot of sacrifices involved, that makes everything worth it; that’s what makes us want to keep doing what we do.” n

JUNE 22-28, 2022

RIVERFRONT TIMES

JUNE 22-28, 2022

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REEFERFRONT TIMES [BLENDED]

Proper’s Rotten Runtz Pre-Rolls Written by

GRAHAM TOKER

hen I began dabbling in the dark arts of jazz cabbage in college, my first sensei was a curly haired acquaintance of a mutual friend. He was generally laissez faire but ran a tight ship with his brick weed offerings (brown and more brown were the top two sellers). As I learned more about the plant, I became curious about the effects it had on people, and how we could take advantage. “So could you combine two weeds together for someone to like, make the effect different?” I hazily pondered. “No man,” the brick weed curly haired dude replied. “Like you could, but no.” I’ve usually maintained this one-strain-per-smoke-session attitude subconsciously since then. Of course, there are some exceptions: You’re low on your stash, get some new ower and polish off the old stuff with some of the fresh. But the smoke is usually focused on the strain wrapped up in the Element paper or in the bubbler or your preferred paper or toking vessel. It’s the star of the show. The belle of the ball. What The Guy insisted you take home that time you met up with him, even though he didn’t remember the name of it but swears it’s “gas, bro.” Another thing I’ve generally avoided in my personal weed practices has been pre-rolls. My experiences have varied immensely, often negative, plus I’d honestly rather roll it myself. It’s part of the vibe, man. All this is to say, there is a subset of pre-rolls that I became aware of on a recent visit to Proper Cannabis’ newest location in Crestwood on a weekend evening: the blended ower pre-roll. They came to

my attention when I saw the name “Cereal Milk” on the menu as a pre-roll option, and the budtender explained that it was a house blend of ower, not a hybrid or related to the Cookies strain of the same name. The budtender explained that Proper’s staff has e ibility when it comes to making the mixed blend pre-rolls, and will make different kinds for staff parties where they try combinations out and name them. Proper’s Cereal Milk pre-roll blend combines Ecto Cooler, Tiger’s Milk and Cookies & Cream. But I was more interested in the Rotten Runtz blend: Runtz, Horchata and Chem 91. I’ve had Proper’s Runtz and Chem 91 before separately and was excited about pairing them up. I purchased a 2.5 gram pre-roll pack five 0. gram pre-rolls for .30 after tax. The pre-rolls come in a box with a mechanism that forces you to press down on its backside to push out the joints — it’s weird. I’m sure it’s a safety precaution, but it is also just clumsy to open. Once you’re finally inside the bo , there’s a three-step set of instructions on how to ignite the Proper joints: Light it like a cigar, rotate the ame for an even burn and puff puff pass. The last step wasn’t something I planned on doing, since I was ying solo on this mission. I indulged in the first otten Runtz pre-roll after a busy day at work. Sparking the J was easy per the instructions. Occasionally I got a nice sweet finish e hale on the joint, but otherwise I wasn’t getting the avorful terpenes I knew from the individual smokes of Runtz and Chem 91. The effect began at the top of my head and pulsed down to my feet. The body high was much needed after a long day of working, without heavy cerebral effects. The second pre-roll confirmed some of the effects from the first joint great for the body, without impeding the mind. However, the third pre-roll made clear to me that I wasn’t getting the terps I thought I was going to get when I read the options at the dispensary, despite the fact I’d enjoyed some avorful Proper strains as ower and as pre-rolls before. At least the scenery while smoking the third pre-roll was great: my backyard

Rotten Runtz pre-rolls blend two popular strains together for a unique smoke. | GRAHAM TOKER watching my dog play. The effects gently ramped up as I rode the vibe of birds chirping and thought over dinner plans. Up until this point, each joint smoked was a half gram. So let us up the ante. I decided to smoke the last two pre-rolls, numbers four and five, together. The terpenes were much more present in the last smokes from the pack, with a nice gassy note (thanks to the Chem 91) on the inhale and the finish. I found some unt notes too, which made the entire smoke slightly sweeter, or I guess the gas not as gassy. As I got halfway through the second pre-roll, the effects were much more present, with a mild head high accompanying the relaxing body high that started in my arms and legs, and also settled in my face, specifically the cheeks. The higher dose definitely was the move for me personally. In my notes I wrote that the head effect came on 30plus minutes after the smoke, and that my ass “became one with the couch.” I apologized to my dog since the w-a-l-k got delayed in lieu of George Carlin’s Jammin’ in New York standup special. In all, I was impressed with how evenly the Proper pre-rolls burned. The effects from the Rotten Runtz were consistent across the five joints, with more of a body high with mild cerebral ef-

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The product’s packaging helpfully includes instructions for smoking a joint. | GRAHAM TOKER fects that allowed for clear thinking without racing thoughts. That is, unless you smoke two of the pre-rolls for a higher dose, in which case the head high becomes more of a factor, from my experience. Are these something I’m gonna hunt down? No, but if I’m in a pinch I’d grab a pack. I’d also be more interested in a 1 gram pre-roll pack. But I know that the 1 gram pre-rolls are not for everyone, so I’d definitely recommend these half-gram pre-roll packs if your tolerance is a little lower than this raconteur. n

JUNE 22-28, 2022

RIVERFRONT TIMES

CULTURE

Amara Arts dancer Samantha Madison performs choreography by Danny Reise. Amara Arts will perform at the Riverfront Times’ Art A’Fair on Thursday, June 23. | COURTESY AMARA ARTS

[DANCE]

Speak St. Louis company Amara Arts showcases dance of the African diaspora Written by

JULIAN MCCALL

mara Arts’ new piece, “Speak,” examines how “Afro-Brazilian movement enables us to claim space and speak with our bodies.” The company will be showcasing that work, and others, with an upcoming performance at the Riverfront Times’ Art A’Fair on Thursday, June 23. “I just came out of grad school, so I’m in this very experimental mode,” founder Charis Railey says. “We’ve got a fun interactive segment planned as well that plays with the idea of conversation between audience, dancer and the art experience that’s be-

RIVERFRONT TIMES

ing created by us all.” Like much of the St. Louis dance company’s work, the new piece is informative and interactive — and blurs the divide between performer and audience. True to the roots of Afro-diasporic dances, the wall between spectator and performer is “permeable,” Railey says. While European performance-art traditions encourage passive spectating from audiences, African art traditions empower viewers to connect and contribute to the performance. Inspired by playing instruments with an African storytelling performance company as a kid, Railey created Amara Arts in 2018 to be a “dance company focused on arts of the African diaspora in the Americas.” The Atlantic slave trade stole more than 12 million people from a dizzying array of cultures across the African continent to live and work in unspeakable conditions up and down the Americas, creating the Afro-American diaspora. Reaching back across the ocean to remember and adapt homeland traditions to their new environment helped Africans survive in the New World. Afro-descendants emerged from

JUNE 22-28, 2022

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generations of slavery and discrimination in the New World with an expansive collection of dances to promote wellness and resilience. From hip hop and salsa to samba and tap dancing, these art forms re ect community and strength in spite of historical circumstances, Railey says. Informed by Railey’s background in anthropology and the Dunham technique, Amara Arts interweaves this history throughout its performances. Created by Katherine Dunham and inspired by her anthropological work, the Dunham technique heavily incorporates elements of African and Afro-Caribbean dance. Dunham’s work broke barriers by blending performance art with cultural understanding, an approach Railey emulates. “I’ve got a heavy focus on learning the original context, culture and history of a dance before putting it in my context,” she says. This approach allows the audience to understand and connect with the dances. Railey fondly recalls some audience members telling her after a show that “we don’t speak Portuguese and don’t know anything about Samba, but

we felt the weight of what you were doing.” “That’s what we want people to take away from our performances,” Railey says. “Even if we can’t verbally explain the context and history behind a dance, we want them to feel the weight. For example, if we’re doing samba, people see the bikinis and feathers and pretty girls in costume, but we also want them to see the sense of community the dance promotes.” Amara Arts tours throughout the St. Louis area and surrounding regions such as Indiana and Illinois, performing in formats ranging from birthday parties to cultural celebrations, inspired by the feedback received. “I like the performances where I get to connect and see how it’s affecting people,” Railey says. “Hopefully after the performance they’ll find someone to take dance classes with and continue listening to the music and dancing in their living rooms.” n Catch Amara Arts at the Riverfront Times’ Art A’Fair on Thursday, June 23. Tickets cost $25 online and at the door.

[FICTION]

Hell of a Book A new National Book Award-winning novel tackles the dangers of being Black in America in the funniest way possible Written by

JESSICA ROGEN

ot too far into Hell of a Book the main character, an unnamed Black author of a book of the same name gets sent by his publisher to a media trainer, Jack the Media Trainer. The mood of the interaction between them is set immediately by the trainer’s “torpedo” handshake, which the author thinks might “spear me through the backbone.” Jack says the author doesn’t know what his book is about and, in fact, doesn’t know who he is as an author, much less how to present himself for optimal sales. Jack says this in many different ways, all of which are amusingly bizarre. But perhaps the one that’s the most prescient is when Jack says, “Who you are defines the world in which you exist.” The author’s agent interrupts the exchange with a video of a Black child who has been shot and killed. She demands that the two men look, really look. It’s a serious moment filled with real emotion. It’s also, somehow, hilarious. All of Hell of a Book — which won the National Book Award in Fiction in November — blends humor with the heaviest of topics. Overtly, this is the story of an author on a book tour who sees a boy, The Kid, that no one else can see. It is also the story of a boy living in a rural town; it discusses how the world is different and unsafe if you’re Black and what that means for parents and children. “Hell of a Book is both a comedy and a drama,” says Jason Mott, the book’s actual, named author. “The heavy moments and the serious topics, that was the meal. That was the main meal I had to work on to make right. But then the comedy part, that was dessert, and I love dessert.” Mott says the book and its genre mashup began in 2013. He’d recently finished promoting his book The Returned. It was a great experience but also “crazy,” and he began to think about writing about an author on a book tour, an idea his agent wasn’t too keen on initially.

COURTESY OF DUTTON

Jason Mott will read from his National Book Award-winning novel, Hell of a Book, at the High Low on Wednesday, June 29. | MICHAEL BECKER Then, a few years later, Freddie Gray was arrested and killed by the Baltimore Police Department. Mott had a close friend living in Baltimore, and the two talked daily as riots broke out. “I wanted to make sure he was OK,” Mott says. “It led to this three-week discussion about just being Black in America and our memories and childhoods and a lot of different things. And at the end of it all, I was really overwhelmed by it and getting depressed. And he said, ‘You know, you should write something about this.’” Mott decided to combine a story of being Black in America with the ultimate book tour, wanting to challenge himself with the juxtaposition. As he worked, however, he says that the comedy became a way to cope with the inherent sadness of the subject matter. There wasn’t really a moment where he was convinced it would all work; it was a book he wrote for himself in many ways. But positive feedback from his agent and

early readers provided that assurance. It’s a book that dips heavily into Mott’s perspective and life experience. We see this in the unnamed author’s expressive imagination, which literally renders him unable to distinguish reality — an exaggeration of how Mott uses his own imagination as a writer. Another theme that recurs throughout the book is people’s ability to become “unseen” to stay safe. “I was kind of the outsider kid, so I was bullied a lot, and I remember riding on the school bus and wishing that I could just disappear,” Mott says. The theme also deals with the danger of drawing attention to oneself as a Black person, especially a Black man in the U.S., and how parents coach their children to blend in. Mott included several scenes of “the Talk”: the discussions Black parents have with their children about a world that isn’t safe for them. One occurs as the narrator gorges on candy outside a Hershey’s factory talking to a boy no one else can see.

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Becoming invisible is a double-edged sword, in multiple ways, Mott says. “If you teach a person or even a group of people to just kind of assimilate and blend in and disappear, that’s exactly what they want to do,” he says. “They disappear, they lose their voice, they lose their identity, they lose their ability to be who they actually want to be and who they might grow into being. … That is the dangerous side of that invisibility.” In Hell of a Book, Mott seeks to suss out that lost identity not only as a person but also as a writer and a Black writer. He talks about the pressures of being told by some not to write about being Black and by others to only write about being Black. “All minority artists have to navigate that,” Mott says. “It is very exhausting, quite frankly.” One thing that’s not exhausting is winning the largest book award in the U.S. Getting on the long list was exciting enough but receiving a phone call from Ruth Dickey informing him that he’d made the short list was even better. (Mott was driving and says, jokingly, that he almost crashed.) Then he found himself at the actual National Book Award ceremony readying an apology tweet for his friends and family who’d taken time out of their lives to watch the live stream. Instead, they called his name. “I was stunned,” Mott says. “Like, it took me days to actually begin to process it. And now, some seven months later, it’s starting to sink in.” n Catch Jason Mott at the High Low (3301 Washington Avenue, 314-533-0367) for a Left Bank Books event at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 29.

JUNE 22-28, 2022

RIVERFRONT TIMES

FILM

[[RREEVVI IEEW W]]

Cha Cha … Cringe? Cooper CooperRaiff’s Raiff’sCha ChaCha ChaReal Real Smooth Smoothisisaashallow shallowattempt attemptatat depth depth Written Written by by

EILEEN EILEEN G’SELL G’SELL Cha ChaCha ChaReal RealSmooth Smooth Written Writtenand anddirected directedby byCooper CooperRaiff. Raiff.StarStarring ringEvan EvanAssante, Assante,Rebecca RebeccaBurghardt, Burghardt, Raul RaulCastillo, Castillo,Dakota DakotaJohnson, Johnson,Leslie LeslieMann Mann and andRaiff. Raiff.Opened OpenedJune June17 17at atthe theHi-Pointe Hi-Pointe Theater. Theater.

ike ike recent recent Oscar Oscar Best Best Picture Picture winner winner CODA, CODA, also also produced produced by by Apple Apple TV+, TV+, Cooper Cooper Raiff’s Raiff’s Cha Cha Cha Cha Real Real Smooth Smooth bodes bodes to to net net aa lot lot of of fans fans — — and and for for almost almost exactly exactly the the same same reasons. reasons. Both Both follow follow an an artsy artsy white white perperson’s son’s coming coming of of age age (one (one about about to to enter enter college, college, one one just just graduated); graduated); both both explore explore the the joys joys and and woes woes of of quirky quirkynuclear nuclearfamilies families(one (onecomcomposed posed primarily primarily of of deaf deaf people, people, one one with with aa bipolar bipolar mom mom or or an an auautistic tistic teenage teenage daughter); daughter); both both rerefreshingly freshingly normalize normalize people people with with disabilities, disabilities, mental mental or or physical, physical, as as invaluable invaluable parts parts of of their their commucommunities. nities. None None of of these these reasons reasons (es(especially peciallythe thethird) third)are areinvalid, invalid,and and both both movies movies might might be be considered considered mainstays mainstays for for aa new new wave wave of of ininclusivity clusivityin inAmerican Americanpop popculture. culture. One One gains gains little, little, however, however, from from watching watching the the films films that that you you could could not not easily easily get get from from the the trailer: trailer: bright bright glimpses glimpses of of laughter laughter and and tears tears that that squeal squeal “pathos!” “pathos!” bebeneath neath the the buoyant buoyant score; score; humans humans grappling grapplingwith withpersonal personalstruggles, struggles, arriving arriving at at camera-ready camera-ready milemilestones, stones, then then (surprise!) (surprise!) overcomovercoming ing said said struggles struggles with with aa new new sense sense of of shared shared humanity. humanity. Apple Apple TV+ TV+ movies movies present present themselves themselves as as prestige prestige fare fare but but uncannily uncannily reresemble semble the the films films that, that, not not so so long long ago, ago,were weremade-for-TV made-for-TVmovies. movies. In In the the case case of of Cha Cha Cha Cha Real Real Smooth, Smooth,the thefilm’s film’sthesis thesis— —“grow“growing ingup upis ishard” hard”— —is isdispensed dispensedmidmidhug hug by by Leslie Leslie Mann, Mann, who who plays plays

RIVERFRONT TIMES

the the middle-aged middle-aged mom mom of of Andrew Andrew (Cooper (Cooper Raiff), Raiff), who who has has recently recently moved moved home home to to New New Jersey Jersey after after attaining attaining aa bachelor’s bachelor’s in in marketmarketing ing from from Tulane. Tulane. Paradoxically, Paradoxically, ndrew ndrew can’t can’t seem seem to to find find aa job job better better than than at at Meat Meat Sticks, Sticks, aa paroparody dy of of aa food-court food-court job job straight straight out out of of 1996. 1996. Dejected Dejected and and desultory desultory after after his his college college girlfriend girlfriend drops drops him him for for some some anonymous anonymous BarceBarcelonian lonianmet metabroad abroadon onaaFulbright, Fulbright, Andrew Andrew is is hungry hungry for for meaning, meaning, desperate desperate to to devote devote himself himself to to aa worthy worthycause. cause. At At aa hometown hometown bar bar mitzvah mitzvah party, party, he he spots spots Domino Domino (Dakota (Dakota Johnson) Johnson) standing standing beside beside her her auautistic tistic 16-year-old 16-year-old daughter, daughter, Lola Lola (Rebecca (Rebecca Burghardt). Burghardt). From From AnAndrew’s drew’s vantage, vantage, Domino Domino clearly clearly fits fits the the “worthy “worthy cause” cause” bill bill She She is is stunning, stunning, enigmatic, enigmatic, about about 10 10 years years older, older, and and totally totally in in need need of of aa guy guy like like him him (Lola (Lola needs needs aa sitter, sitter, evidently, evidently, and and Domino Domino the the shoulshoulder derof ofaatall tallguy guyto tocry cryon). on).AAravenravenmaned maned mélange mélange of of “damsel “damsel in in disdistress,” tress,” “femme “femme fatale” fatale” and and “manic “manic pixie pixie dream dream mom,” mom,” Domino Domino is is enendearingly dearingly eccentric eccentric (see (see heavy heavy silsilver verjewelry, jewelry,tattooed tattooedforearms forearmsand and hippie hippie name) name) until until she’s she’s not; not; she she cheats cheats on on Joseph Joseph (Raul (Raul Castillo), Castillo), her her hottie hottie lawyer lawyer fianc fianc ,, and and sees sees her her impending impending marriage marriage as as an an esescape cape from from her her demons demons more more than than anything anythingelse. else. But, But, as as they they say, say, one one man’s man’s train train wreck wreck is is another’s another’s Orient Orient Express, Express, and and none none of of Domino’s Domino’s blazing blazing red red ags agskeep keep ndrew ndrewfrom fromwanting wantingto to choo-choo choo-choo away away with with her her into into the the sunset. sunset. “You “You make make me me feel feel safe,” safe,” she shetells tellshim, him,inviting invitinghim himinto intoher her home, home, encouraging encouraging his his friendship friendship with with her her lonely lonely daughter, daughter, only only to to cast cast away away Lola’s Lola’s only only pal pal because because he he“needs “needsto tolive livehis his20s.” 20s.” ItIt would would be be one one thing thing ifif we we were were encouraged encouraged to to see see Domino Domino as as anything anything but but sympathetic, sympathetic, but but we’re we’re not. not. Despite Despite her her selfish, selfish, ofoften ten manipulative manipulative behavior, behavior, she she is is presented presented as as aa wise wise “survivor” “survivor” of of the thesort sortthat thatgives giveslife lifeadvice advicefrom from an an SUV SUV aa few few days days after after breakbreaking ing your your heart. heart. She She also also entrusts entrusts aa 22-year-old 22-year-old straight straight man man — — one one she she admits admits to to barely barely knowing knowing — — to to regularly regularly be be alone alone at at her her home home with with her her post-pubescent post-pubescent autistic autistic daughter. daughter. No No matter matter how how freefreewheeling wheeling Domino’s Domino’s parents parents might might have havebeen, been,that thatfeels feelsabsurd. absurd. Lola Lola and and David David (Evan (Evan Assante), Assante), who who plays plays Andrew’s Andrew’s little little brothbroth-

JUNE 22-28, 2022

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Cha ChaCha ChaReal RealSmooth Smoothisisaamovie movieabout aboutaaclueless cluelessyoung youngman manwho whoaspires aspirestotobe beaabig, big,important importantman. man. | |Courtesy CourtesyApple AppleTV+ TV+ er, er, are are easily easily the the most most compelcompelling ling characters, characters, and and the the scenes scenes in in which which they they appear appear feel feel the the most most plausible plausibleand andheartfelt. heartfelt.Burghardt, Burghardt, who who is is on on the the autism autism spectrum, spectrum, shines shines most most in in moments moments where where her her literal literal take take on on social social tentensions sions is is played played for for gravity, gravity, not not for for laughs. laughs.“I “Iam amnot nottrying tryingto tobe bebrubrutal,” tal,” she she says says in in one one scene, scene, aware aware that that her her candor candor struck struck Andrew Andrew as as harsh. harsh. When When she she comes comes across across comically, comically, though, though, itit is is downright downright cringey, cringey, as as was was the the Tribeca Tribeca audiaudience, ence, who who applauded applauded cooingly cooingly when when Burghardt Burghardt responded responded that that she she felt felt comfortable comfortable around around the the director director and and “when “when I’m I’m comfortcomfortable able around around someone, someone, II almost almost always always find find itit easy easy to to ee press press my my thoughts.” thoughts.” ItIt felt felt like like Jerry’s Jerry’s Kids Kids 2.0, 2.0, only only with with an an autistic autistic girl girl in in too-tall too-tallheels heelscenter centerstage. stage. Raiff, Raiff, who who wrote, wrote, directed directed and and starred starred in in the the film, film, is is certainly certainly not not without without talent. talent. He He nails nails the the “sweet, “sweet, bearded bearded goofy goofy guy” guy” trope trope and and clearly clearly had had admirable admirable goals goals in in crafting crafting this this script. script. “Not “Not many many male male directors directors write write women women characters characters like like he he does,” does,” JohnJohnson son said said at at the the Q&A Q&A following following the the film’s film’s Tribeca Tribeca premiere. premiere. She’s She’s right. right. Raiff Raiff — — again, again, admirably admirably — — makes makes more more commonly commonly female female trials, trials, from from solo solo parenting parenting to to loslosing ing aa pregnancy, pregnancy, part part of of the the film’s film’s plot. plot. But But he he barely barely brushes brushes the the surface surfaceof ofwhat whatthese thesetrials trialsentail, entail, betraying, betraying, at at times, times, aa gross gross ignoignorance rance about about how how women women respond respond to to heavy heavy losses. losses. Would Would aa woman woman straddle straddle aa man man and and induce induce foreforeplay play mere mere hours hours (minutes?) (minutes?) after after suffering suffering aa surprise surprise miscarriage? miscarriage?

No, No,she shewould wouldnot. not. “Have “Haveyou youever everfelt feltdepressed?” depressed?” Andrew Andrew asks asks Domino, Domino, apropos apropos of, of, well, well, nothing nothing (her (her smoky smoky lids?). lids?). Evidently, Evidently, Domino Domino has has experiexperienced enced depression, depression, has has long long expeexperienced rienced depression, depression, and and we we learn learn this this not not because because of of any any particular particular behavior behavior or or anguish anguish depicted depicted ononscreen screen but but because because she she tells tells him him this thisover overthe thekitchen kitchencounter. counter. When When devastation devastation is is framed framed as as mishap mishap and and disabilities disabilities paraded paraded as as quirks, quirks, any any claim claim to to depth, depth, or or inclusivity, inclusivity, starts starts to to feel feel pretty pretty shallow. shallow. Viewers Viewers — — especially especially those those who who pride pride themselves themselves on on some some nascent nascent level level of of wokeness wokeness expressed expressed through through metal metal straws straws and and “We “We Believe” Believe” yard yard signs signs — — are are likely likely to to enjoy enjoy this this film, film, and and in in parts, parts, II can can say say II certainly certainly did, did, too too (especially (especially the the scene scene where where “WAP” “WAP” is is blasted blasted on on an an eightheighthgrader grader dance dance oor oor .. ut ut itit is is no no revolutionary revolutionary movie movie for for autistic autistic folks folksor orbipolar bipolarfolks folksor ordepressed depressed single singlemoms, moms,or oranybody anybodyelse, else,and and its its plot plot and and character character holes holes — — esespecially pecially as as far far as as women women are are conconcerned cerned — — distract distract from from the the parts parts that thatshine. shine. Named Named for for aa line line in in the the group group dance dance song song which which often often played played at at weddings weddings and and bar bar mitzvahs, mitzvahs, the the latter latter serving serving as as aa glorious glorious narranarrative tiveexcuse excusefor forsome somegenuinely genuinelydedelightful lightfulparty partyscenes, scenes,Cha ChaCha ChaReal Real Smooth Smoothis isaamovie movieabout aboutaaclueless clueless young youngman manwho whoaspires aspiresto tobe beaabig, big, important important man man made made by by aa slightly slightly less less clueless clueless young young man man who who asaspires pires to to be be aa big, big, important important film film director. director. He He may may be be one one someday someday — —but butnot notwith withthis thismovie. movie. n n

STAGE

[REVIEW]

An American Tragedy Harvey Milk at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis is a triumph Written by

SARAH FENSKE Harvey Milk Written by Stewart Wallace and Michael Korie. Directed by Sean Curran and James Robinson. It will be presented at Opera Theatre St. Louis through Saturday, June 25. Tickets $25 to $135.

orty-four years ago this November, a San Francisco city supervisor murdered two colleagues. Dan White was a former cop and former firefighter who’d grown angry at the political machinations of his opponents — and the way his city was changing. He blamed Harvey Milk, with some justification. hite represented a white, middle-class neighborhood unhappy with the way gay people in San Francisco were increasingly not only tolerated but celebrated. Milk was openly gay, a Jewish transplant from ew ork who’d reali ed he didn’t need to hide who he was or whom he loved. The rapidly changing Castro district voted him into a seat of power. hite wasn’t having it. Soon after quitting in a huff and then learning he couldn’t reverse that decision, he fired four rounds into ayor George oscone and five into Milk. Both died. White served only five years in prison two years after his release, he killed himself. Perhaps you saw the movie version starring Sean Penn. Or perhaps you heard the jokes about the “Twinkie defense,” in which White claimed his junk-food consumption was partly to blame for cold-blooded murder. (Hey, it worked.) Maybe you even know the song by the Dead Kennedys. In every case, you’ve missed the way this story should be told. ilk’s

Dan White (Alex Shrader) and George Moscone (Nathan Stark) in the new performing edition of Stewart Wallace and Michael Korie’s Harvey Milk. | ERIC WOOLSEY story is an American tragedy, and tragedy belongs to opera. The world-premiere production that debuted at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis on June 11 is brilliant. It’s a show that not only gets the history right but helps us understand the beating hearts that drive it. I’ve been to many operas in recent years, and I’ve loved quite a few — but this was the first to leave me weeping. It is nothing short of a triumph. Here we see Milk (Thomas Glass, simply terrific , who rises to his moment and goes from caring about money to caring about people. We cheer his liberation — and yet we can’t help but hear his mother warning of the “golems” who root for his demise. She’s right to worry, of course in a tragedy, the seer predicting violence is always correct. e also know ilk’s fate from the beginning. This production, wisely, starts with the end. Yet we resist what we know is coming. We see the Stonewall Riots, the headiness of the gay rights movement forming and gaining steam. It’s impossible not to cheer. e see ilk falling in love, finding a partner (Jonathan Johnson) who brings him into a fuller version of himself.

Then we see Mayor Moscone a da ling athan Stark , convinced he can handle the darkness building at City Hall. And, inevitably, we see White. Brilliantly portrayed by lek Shrader, he’s increasingly isolated, brooding in his arcalounger. e’s menacing (when we see him suddenly enter the climactic scene, it’s a jolt right out of a horror movie). ut he’s also human a lost, angry man left behind as the times are a-changing. hite’s sad tribute to the old Irish neighborhood he knew as a kid was a showstopper, and for one brief moment, you understand his world. That’s the power of opera ven the villain gets a great song. This new Harvey Milk reworks the much longer version mounted by the Houston Grand Opera in 1995 into a vibrant two hours, smartly staged and paced like a top-notch television show. We never learn that Milk outed people who would prefer to remain closeted. e don’t even learn what happens at hite’s trial. There isn’t time. Despite its 20th-century origins, Harvey Milk couldn’t feel more suited to this moment. Directors Sean Curran and James Robin-

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son have given us a story about America, the people who want to change it and the people who resent their liberation. To their credit, they don’t shy away from how monumental those changes are. Harvey Milk doesn’t suggest Dan hite was wrong about what was happening around him. LGBTQ people were taking over San Francisco and reshaping it in their image. hite’s way of life, the authoritarian world where father knew best, would never be the same. That White chose murder was a tragedy. Yet the fact America mostly let him get away with it — only for hite’s own demons to finish him off — isn’t where this story ends. Milk may not make it to the promised land, but he can see it from the mountaintop. Today his ideas aren’t just ascendant they’re accepted. Surveying the scene at the opera’s end, ilk’s smile stretches ear to ear. This is his America now. The openingnight ovation offered thunderous proof. You should drop everything and see Harvey Milk. It is a thrilling debut, and St. Louis will surely not be its final stop. n

JUNE 22-28, 2022

RIVERFRONT TIMES

JASON BONHAM’S

LED ZEPPELIN EVENING Sat. June 25

EDDIE B.

TEACHERS ONLY COMEDY TOUR

FRI. JULY 8 WE OWN THE NIGHT TOUR

THE CULT

PLUS BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB AND ZOLA JESUS

Sun. July 10

KURTIS CONNER Sat. July 16

BIG GIGANTIC PLUS: INZO, YOUNG FRANCO, COVEX

SUN. JULY 17

THREE DAYS GRACE PLUS: WAGE WAR AND ZERO 9:36

FRI. JULY 22 KSHE PRESENTS

GRAND FUNK RAILROAD & FOGHAT SAT, JULY 23

LITTLE FEAT

45TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR SPECIAL GUEST NICKI BLUHM

SUN, JULY 24

BREWSKI KICKS ON ROUTE 66 16 BREWERIES, 30+BREWS, FEAT. THE BOBBY FORD BAND

SAT, JULY 30 KSHE PRESENTS

PAT BENATAR & NEIL GIRALDO Mon, August 1

RIVERFRONT TIMES

JUNE 22-28, 2022

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MUSIC

[ROCK]

In That Zone St. Louis band Mammoth Piano lives for the next performance Written by

OLIVIA POOLOS

ammoth Piano exists in the gray space between a few styles of music. Its website says “alternative blues, rock, funk, punk and pop.” Yet lead singer and bassist Nanyamka wing has an affinity for one genre in particular. “I’m a rocker through and through,” she says. “There’s nothing more punk and rock than being a Black woman in America.” Ewing embodies her self-proclaimed rocker title through bright eye makeup, bold, layered clothing (often complete with a signature feather earring) and a low, slightly raspy voice. Ewing e udes confidence and charisma as she speaks, often punctuated by a burst of laughter, head thrown back. In her daily life, Ewing wears many hats. She bartends, reads tarot cards and manages most of the administrative work for Mammoth Piano. What she really loves, however, is music. Each day, Ewing is surrounded by music — from the lyrics she writes for Mammoth Piano to the bluesy tunes played at Sophie’s Artist Lounge, where she works. Ewing says she can sometimes get ahold of the playlist before the DJ arrives. Ewing grew up in west county. Under the in uence of Janet Jackson and MTV, she started singing in elementary school — first around the house, then in church and choir groups. Ewing picked up the bass seven years ago, when she was 28, and started looking for music groups to join. She played for Crazy Triple Ex-Girlfriend before splitting to start Mammoth Piano five years ago. Ewing raves about her fellow band members — whom she affectionately refers to as “the boys” — drummer Nick Wetzel, key-

Mammoth Piano will play the RFT’s Art A’Fair on Thursday, June 23. | MIRANDA MUNGULA boardist Casey Fulghum and guitarist Shawn Moses. “I’ve been very comfortable, showing these layers and exposing myself to these people,” she says. “And we feel each other’s energy.” Their music is foot-tappingly catchy, with a strong rocker drumbeat and jazzy keyboard. Ewing’s rich voice slides over a subtle bass line, often with lyrics about romance or heartbreak. In Mammoth Piano’s latest single, “Care No More,” she sings about bidding a lover farewell (“I salute you I do/ I’m no longer your boo/I don’t care for you no more”). Mammoth Piano is planning an album release soon, re-recording its old EP and adding new material. Ewing says the band has never been stronger than it is right now. Ewing has been in south city since she graduated from Lindenwood University in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in human re-

sources. Unless she’s moving to her dream city, Gap, France, Ewing says she — and the band — are likely staying put. “If I’m leaving St. Louis, I’m leaving the country,” she says. “Some of the best talent in the world, I think in the nation, is [in St. Louis], and I’ve seen it.” However, Ewing knows it isn’t easy to establish oneself in the arts scene in St. Louis. She knows both how much opportunity and how much anonymity can come with starting out as an artist here. “The city giveth, and the city taketh,” she says, grinning. However, Ewing is dedicated to helping other artists find their footing. “I want to help people grow their artistry,” she says. “Let’s invest in people who do want to do the work and care about other people, who care about the city, who want to scream St. Louis from the top of their lungs.”

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As the leader of Mammoth Piano, Ewing posts on social media, reaches out to event planners and attends meetings. But she’s always thinking about that next performance. “You spend most of your time practicing and getting stuff together, organizing, marketing and all this other stuff,” Ewing says. “You actually spend 10 percent of your time playing music. So you have to make that 10 percent count.” Ewing described being on stage as “being in a black hole,” when the band really clicks with one another. In those moments, all the paperwork and hours of practice and meetings fade away. “You’re really in that zone,” she says. “I do so much stuff to get back to that point.” n Catch Mammoth Piano at the Riverfront Times’ Art A’Fair on Thursday, June 23. Tickets cost $25 online and at the door.

JUNE 22-28, 2022

RIVERFRONT TIMES

OUT EVERY NIGHT

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

THURSDAY 23

ARIONNE: w/ Makaylah Renae, Whit 8 p.m., $10. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. BLVCK HIPPIE: w/ The Centaurettes, Daisy-Chain 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. BOB SCHNEIDER SOLO: w/ Jon Bonham and Friends 8 p.m., $25. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. COASTER INC PRESENTS: FROM THE TRENCHES: w/ Anwar, FooAssVick, Issa Rico, Blvxxkk, LiL Roc, Villeboii Lancifer Jones, Kid Houdini 7:30 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. LANDEN BILLINGTON: p.m., free. Copperfire, 200 E Main St, Belleville, (618)235_5010. LLIAM CHRISTY AND JON OLIVER KNIGHT AKA THE REVENTONES: 7:30 p.m., $20/$25. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745. MT. JOY: w/ Madison Cunningham 8 p.m., $40$50. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. RFT ART A’FAIR: 7 p.m., $20. The Golden Record, 2720 Cherokee St, St. Louis. ROD, MARTY, & COMPANY: 7:30 p.m., free. The Attic usic ar, 2 S. ingshighway, 2nd oor, St. Louis, 314-376-5313. STEVEN WOOLLEY: 5 p.m.; July 19, 5 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

FRIDAY 24

ALLIGATOR WINE: 8 p.m., $10/$12. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. ARRAY BAND: p.m., free. Copperfire, 200 Main St, Belleville, (618)235_5010. BLEACH: w/ Lombardy 8 p.m., $15. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. BUY HER CANDY: w/ Birds of Squalor, Close to Zero 8 p.m., $12. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. CANNONS: w/ Windser 8 p.m., $17/$20. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. DURRY: 8 p.m., $13. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. EMPATH: w/ Algae Dust, Punk Lady Apple 7:30 p.m., $12/$15. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. KARA BALDUS-MEHRMANN QUARTET: 7:30 p.m., Free. The Harold & Dorothy Steward Center for Jazz, 3536 Washington Ave, St Louis, 314-5716000. LIZDELISE: w/ Macaron Afterparty, With Glee 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. MARTY D. SPIKENER’S ON CALL BAND: 5:30 p.m., free. The Attic Music Bar, 4247 S. Kingshighway, 2nd oor, St. Louis, 31 -3 - 313. MO ECHO BRASS BAND FEATURING ANDREW ZHENG: 7 p.m., free. Evangeline’s, 512 N Euclid Ave, St. Louis, 314-367-3644. THE POTOMAC ACCORD: p.m., free. Schla y Tap Room, 2100 Locust St., St. Louis, 314-241-2337.

SATURDAY 25

ALL ROOSTERED UP: 4 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314621-8811.

RIVERFRONT TIMES

BLIGHT FUTURE: w/ The Chandelier Swing, The Vast 8 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. BLINDED BY STEREO ALBUM RELEASE SHOW: w/ Pirate Signal 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. BLUES CITY SWING: 7 p.m., free. Evangeline’s, 512 N Euclid Ave, St. Louis, 314-367-3644. DAVID GOMEZ: OTRA NOCHE EN PANAMA: 7:30 p.m., free. The Harold & Dorothy Steward Center for Jazz, 3536 Washington Ave, St Louis, 314-571-6000. DOGTOWN RECORDS PRESENTS: 10 p.m., TBA. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. JASON BONHAM’S LED ZEPPELIN EVENING: 7:30 p.m., $40.50. The Factory, 17105 N Outer 40 Rd, Chesterfield, 31 - 23- 00. JIMMIE VAUGHAN: 8 p.m., $40/$45. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. JUSTIN JAGLER & THE EVERGREENS: 6 p.m., free. The Attic Music Bar, 4247 S. Kingshighway, 2nd oor, St. Louis, 31 -3 - 313. MIDWEST AVENGERS CREW BBQ POTLUCK SHOW: w/ Midwest Avengers, Mammoth Piano, Freddy VS. 7 p.m., $15. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. PUNK ROCK PIG ROAST: w The addonfields, PFR, Holy HandGrenades, Break Mouth Annie, Pleasure Center, The Stars Go Out, Dick Buttry and His South City Allstars, Grave Neighbors, Darling Skye noon, $15. South Broadway Athletic Club, 2301 S. Seventh St., St. Louis, 314-776-4833. ROLE MODEL: w/ THE BLSSM 8 p.m., $23/$28. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. THE ROOMINATORS: p.m., free. Copperfire, 200 E Main St, Belleville, (618)235_5010. SATURDAY BRUNCH WITH JOEL GRAGG: noon, free. Evangeline’s, 512 N Euclid Ave, St. Louis, 314-367-3644. SPITE: w/ Boundaries, Vatican, Bodybox 7 p.m., $20. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. ST. LOUIS PRIDEFEST: w/ Deborah Cox, Vassy, Alex Newell, Raye, DJ Burna, DJ Drew$tylZ, DJ Taber, DJ FreeRadical, DJ Troy Dillard, DJ GDiddy, Rops & Charles, DJ Rico 11 a.m.; June 26, 11 a.m., free. Soldiers Memorial Plaza, 14th St. and Chestnut St., St. Louis. STEPHEN LYNCH: 8 p.m., $39.50/$45. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-7266161.

SUNDAY 26

BILLY HOWERDEL OF A PERFECT CIRCLE: 8 p.m., $30/$35. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. COLBIE CAILLAT: 8 p.m., $35-$139. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. COTTON CHOPS: 4 p.m.; July 14, 9 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. THE EXTRA 3: 9 p.m.; July 31, 9 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. JAZZ BRUNCH WITH SPECIAL GUEST SWEETIE & THE TOOTHACHES: 11:30 p.m., free. Evangeline’s, 512 N Euclid Ave, St. Louis, 314-367-3644. SPICE TRIO: 2 p.m., free. Copperfire, 200 ain St, Belleville, (618)235_5010.

JUNE 22-28, 2022

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[CRITIC’S PICK]

Flamenco guitarist and St. Louis music journeyman Lliam Christy will join bandmate Jon Oliver Knight for the first time in years for a reunion on Thursday. | VIA LLIAM CHRISTY

The Reventones 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 23. Blue Strawberry Showroom and Lounge, 364 North Boyle Avenue. $20. 314-256-1745. “Blowout” has multiple meanings and, much like its Spanish equivalent reventón, is often used to describe a blown out tire or a party that’s poppin’ off. And that’s fitting, because the Reventones aim to bring a party vibe to the stage at Blue Strawberry for a set that (hopefully) won’t end with anyone stranded on the side of the highway. The renowned guitar duo returns to St. Louis after a lengthy hiatus from performing together to share a repertoire of Cuban music, Spanish guitar, traditional flamenco and Alegrías, as well as original compositions informed by the pair’s globe-trotting studies of these musical forms. One half of the group, Lliam Christy, is a well-traveled, world-class guitarist who studied in Spain under the tutelage of Rafael Riqueni del Canto, a literal maestro in flamenco guitar and one of the leading voices in the genre worldwide. Christy himself ST. LOUIS PRIDEFEST: w/ Deborah Cox, Vassy, Alex Newell, Raye, DJ Burna, DJ Drew$tylZ, DJ Taber, DJ FreeRadical, DJ Troy Dillard, DJ GDiddy, Rops & Charles, DJ Rico June 25, 11 a.m.; 11 a.m., free. Soldiers Memorial Plaza, 14th St. and Chestnut St., St. Louis. UNWELL: w/ Sink In, Dialogue, Uncanny Valley 7:30 p.m., $10/$15. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.

MONDAY 27

GERARD ERKER: 5 p.m.; July 8, 4:30 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. JAMBOREE MONDAY: w/ Leon Lamont, Pretty Dope Mike 7 p.m., free. Platypus, 4501 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-359-2293.

is a local music journeyman who spends much of his time soundtracking dinner service at several area restaurants, including a weekly residency at Andria’s Steakhouse in O’Fallon, Illinois. Joining Christy in the Reventones is former St. Louis resident Jon Oliver Knight, who now resides in Los Angeles, where he performs regularly with world-renowned Afro-Cuban artist Lazaro Galarraga. Knight is an accomplished string smith and singer in his own right, and he takes a break from his busy schedule playing on the West Coast and in Europe to make a long-awaited return to the river city for this reunion of two distinct guitarists that share an undeniable chemistry. Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One Before: This show was originally announced as a 10-year anniversary for the band and its 2010 record Dirty It. Although the pandemic derailed those initial plans, the Reventones are back on track and will have freshly minted CDs of the album, and a digital version can also be found online at Amazon music, iTunes and other web-based vendors. —Joseph Hess SOULARD BLUES BAND: 9 p.m.; July 4, 9 p.m.; July 11, 9 p.m.; July 18, 9 p.m.; July 25, 9 p.m.; Aug. 1, 9 p.m.; Aug. 8, 9 p.m., $5. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314621-8811.

TUESDAY 28

BRING ME THE FIRES: w/ The Intrusion, Beekman 8 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. DEAN LEWIS: w/ Forest Blakk 8 p.m., $25-$129. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314726-6161. DREW LANCE: 4:30 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. ETHAN JONES: 9 p.m.; July 26, 9 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St.

[CRITIC’S PICK]

A slew of punk-centric bands including the Holy Hand Grenades will perform at South Broadway Athletic Club while the barbecue and beer flows freely this Saturday. | VIA ARTIST BANDCAMP

Second Annual Punk Rock Pig Roast 12 p.m. Saturday, June 25. South Broadway Athletic Club, 2301 South Seventh Street. $15. 314-776-4833. Punk rock of the poppier variety meets swine of the roasted type at the Punk Rock Pig Roast this Saturday. The second annual affair returns once more to the South Broadway Athletic Club, bringing a slew of like-minded local acts including the Haddonfields, PFR, the Holy Hand Grenades, Break Mouth Annie, Pleasure Center, the Stars Go Out, Dick Buttry and His South City All-Stars, Grave Neighbors and Darling Skye. And this year organizers have upped the ante by adding several comedians to the bill, with performances by Jeffrey Robtoy, Chris Cyr, Matt Louis, 314-621-8811. KEITH WALLEN: 8 p.m., $20. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505.

WEDNESDAY 29

COLT BALL: 4:30 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. DIZZY ATMOSPHERE WITH RICHARD TRALLES: 7 p.m., free. Evangeline’s, 512 N Euclid Ave, St. Louis, 314-367-3644. THE FIXX: 7:30 p.m., $27.50/$32.50. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. TINY MOVING PARTS: w/ This Wild Life, In Her Own Words 7:30 p.m., $22. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. WORN: w/ The Runts, Prevention, Direct Measure, Squint, Secret Shame 6:30 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.

THIS JUST IN

ATTIC MUSIC BAR 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY: Sat., July 16, noon, $10. The Attic Music Bar, 4247 S. Kingshighway, 2nd oor, St. Louis, 31 -3 - 313. BOOGIE CHYLD: Sat., July 9, 7 p.m., free. The Attic usic ar, 2 S. ingshighway, 2nd oor, St. Louis, 314-376-5313. BUILT TO SPILL: Mon., Sept. 19, 8 p.m., $30. Red

Barnes, JC Sibala, Patrick Brandmeyer and Shaun Brennan all on deck. As if that wasn’t enough, there will be several local vendors on hand peddling their wares as well, and the Silver Ballroom is even bringing some pinball machines from its expansive collection to add to the fun. The festivities kick off at noon and will stretch into the night. No Brainer: All of the bands on the bill for this show are worth your time, but do make sure to catch Pleasure Center. The power-pop act is new to the St. Louis scene and has not yet played many shows, but its November 2021 demo is a stellar set of catchy tracks and its lineup boasts two members of the beloved and much-missed St. Louis punk act the Humanoids. See them now so you can brag about it later. —Daniel Hill Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. CHARLIE BERRY PROJECT: w/ the Maness Brothers, Sun., Aug. 7, 8 p.m., $15. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. CLOWNVIS: Fri., July 15, 9 p.m., $20.50-$50.50. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-2899050. CONAN GRAY: Mon., Oct. 3, 7:30 p.m., $34.50$54.50. The Factory, 17105 N Outer 40 Rd, Chesterfield, 31 - 23- 00. DESCENDENTS: w/ H20, Surfbort, Tue., Sept. 13, 8 p.m., $40-$45. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. DREADNOUGHT: w/ Path of Might, Blackwell, Nest, Mon., Aug. 1, 8 p.m., $10-$12. The Ready Room, 4140 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-8333929. GARCIA PEOPLES: Sat., July 30, 8 p.m., $15. The Ready Room, 4140 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. GENE JACKSON’S POWER PLAY: Fri., July 1, 6:30 p.m., free. The Attic Music Bar, 4247 S. Kingshighway, 2nd oor, St. Louis, 31 -3 - 313. GIVEON: w/ Jenevieve, Rimon, Fri., Sept. 30, 8 p.m., $35-$75. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. GOODBYE JUNE: Fri., Aug. 19, 8 p.m., $20-$25. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., 314-588-0505.

HANNAH WICKLUND: Wed., Sept. 14, 8 p.m., $15$18. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. HULDER: W/ Devil Master, Skeleton, Extinctionism, Sun., July 17, 8 p.m., $18. The Ready Room, 4140 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. IN FLAMES: W/ Fit for an Autopsy, Tue., Sept. 27, 6:30 p.m., TBA. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. THE INTRUSION: W/ Guilty Pleasures, the Backup Singers, Fri., July 22, 8 p.m., $12-$15. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. JAMBOREE MONDAY: W/ Leon Lamont, Pretty Dope Mike, Mon., June 27, 7 p.m., free. Platypus, 4501 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-3592293. JIMI GOLDSMITH: Sat., July 2, 6 p.m., free. The Attic usic ar, 2 S. ingshighway, 2nd oor, St. Louis, 314-376-5313. JUSTIN JAGLER & THE EVERGREENS: Sat., June 25, 6 p.m., free. The Attic Music Bar, 4247 S. Kingshighway, 2nd oor, St. Louis, 31 -3 - 313. KBONG & KOHNNY COSMIC: Tue., Nov. 1, 7:30 p.m., $15-$20. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. LEFTOVER SALMON: w One ay Traffic, ri., Sept. 16, 7 p.m., $27.50. The Ready Room, 4140 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. MARTY D. SPIKENER’S ON CALL BAND: Fri., June 24, 5:30 p.m., free. The Attic Music Bar, 4247 S. ingshighway, 2nd oor, St. Louis, 31 -3 5313. MELT: Mon., Sept. 19, 7:30 p.m., $18. The Ready Room, 4140 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314833-3929. PATRICK CLARK BAND: Sat., Aug. 6, 8 p.m., $8. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. PERFUME: w/ Shroud, Reaver, Wed., July 13, 8 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. PETER MAYER NIGHT 1: Wed., Dec. 14, 7:30 p.m., $28-$35. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. PETER MAYER NIGHT 2: Thu., Dec. 15, 7:30 p.m., $28-$35. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. PORKCHOP EXPRESS: w/ Justin Jagler, Fri., July 8, 6:30 p.m., free. The Attic Music Bar, 4247 S. ingshighway, 2nd oor, St. Louis, 31 -3 5313. PUNK ROCK PIG ROAST: w The addonfields, PFR, Holy HandGrenades, Break Mouth Annie, Pleasure Center, The Stars Go Out, Dick Buttry and His South City Allstars, Grave Neighbors, Darling Skye, Sat., June 25, noon, $15. South Broadway Athletic Club, 2301 S. Seventh St., St. Louis, 314-776-4833. ROD, MARTY, & COMPANY: Thu., June 23, 7:30 p.m., free. The Attic Music Bar, 4247 S. Kingshighway, 2nd oor, St. Louis, 31 -3 - 313. RUSSIAN CIRCLES: Thu., Oct. 27, 8 p.m., $22. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. RYAN ADAMS: Mon., Oct. 17, 8 p.m., $49.50$89.50. The Factory, 17105 N Outer 40 Rd, Chesterfield, 31 - 23- 00. SCHOOL OF ROCK: Sun., Aug. 28, 2 p.m., free. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. SCHOOL OF ROCK ON TOUR: Thu., July 14, 6 p.m., $9. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314289-9050. SCOUT GILLETT: w/ Punk Lady Apple, Inches from Glory, Mon., Aug. 8, 8 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314328-2309. SECRET WALLS: Tue., Sept. 13, 7:30 p.m., $25$99. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. SUPERFUN YEAH YEAH ROCKETSHIP: W/ The Legendary Tiger Rider, Ricki Marvel, Zantigo,

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[CRITIC’S PICK]

Long-running “headbanger hip-hop” act Midwest Avengers will converge on Off Broadway this weekend for what’s sure to be a full-on rager. | JERRY HILL PHOTOGRAPHY

Midwest Avengers BBQ Potluck Show w/ Mammoth Piano, Freddy VS, Robinson, Egan’s Rats, Reup Von Wolfgang 7 p.m. Saturday, June 25. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue. $15 to $20. 314-498-6989. Midwest Avengers calls its kinetic combo of punk and rap “headbanger hip-hop,” and the band has continuously redefined what those words mean since its start in the ’90s. Take the recent addition of singer and lyricist Kourtney “KourtwitaKay” for example, whose vocal stylings add a broader scope of texture to the group’s overall sound. For decades, Midwest Avengers has cemented a legacy in St. Louis hip-hop by taking a distinct approach to live performance that makes its shows feel like real happenings. And “BBQ Potluck Show” isn’t a cheap gimmick — free food, beer pong and patio games are just a few things slated to go down outside the venue, where a DJ will also be spinning ’90s throwback songs between bands. Leave it to Midwest Avengers to conjure up an upscale cookout featuring much of its chosen family from the St. Louis music community, and thank band leader John Harrington and his crew for inviting all of us to the party. Summer Solstice: This event is just the kick-off to a busy season for Midwest Avengers. On July 29, the group will headline Kings of Summer pt. II at Pop’s Nightclub for a show that also features Zeus Rebel Waters, Frost Money and many others. And this is all before Harrington and his crew inevitably announce a big concert celebrating 30 years as a band later this year.

JUNE 22-28, 2022

—Joseph Hess

Continued on pg 41

RIVERFRONT TIMES

JUNE 22-28, 2022

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THIS JUST IN

Continued from pg 41 Fri., July 29, 7:30 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. TAYLOR FEST: Sat., Sept. 24, 8 p.m., $17-$50. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-2899050. THIS IS CASUALLY HAPPENING: A COMEDY SHOWCASE: w/ Rafe Williams, Kenny Kinds, Jimmy Day, Mollie Amburgey, Wed., July 27, 7 p.m., $10. The Golden Hoosier, 3707 S Kingshighway Blvd, Saint Louis, (314) 354-8044. TOO MANY ZOOZ: W/ Yam Yam, Tue., Nov. 1, 8 p.m., $23. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. TORCHLIGHT PARADE: Fri., Oct. 28, 8 p.m., $12. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-2899050. TRAMPLED BY TURTLES: Fri., Dec. 9, 8 p.m., $30. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. VAN ORMAN & HELWIN: Sat., July 23, 8 p.m., $15. The Focal Point, 2720 Sutton Blvd., Maplewood, 314-560-2778. VISTA KICKS: Fri., Sept. 9, 8 p.m., $17. The Ready Room, 4140 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. WHEATUS: W/ Fat Tony, Tue., Nov. 1, 7:30 p.m., $20. The Ready Room, 4140 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. WHITNEY: Sun., Oct. 9, 8 p.m., $34.50. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-7266161. A WILHELM SCREAM: Tue., Sept. 27, 7:30 p.m., $18. The Ready Room, 4140 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929.

THIS WEEK

ALL ROOSTERED UP: Sat., June 25, 4 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. ALLIGATOR WINE: Fri., June 24, 8 p.m., $10/$12. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314588-0505. ARIONNE: W/ Makaylah Renae, Whit, Thu., June 23, 8 p.m., $10. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314727-4444. BILLY HOWERDEL OF A PERFECT CIRCLE: Sun., June 26, 8 p.m., $30/$35. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. BLEACH: W/ Lombardy, Fri., June 24, 8 p.m., $15. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. BLUES CITY SWING: Sat., June 25, 7 p.m., free. Evangeline’s, 512 N Euclid Ave, St. Louis, 314367-3644. BRING ME THE FIRES: W/ The Intrusion, Beekman, Tue., June 28, 8 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. CANNONS: W/ Windser, Fri., June 24, 8 p.m., $17/$20. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. COASTER INC PRESENTS: FROM THE TRENCHES: W/ Anwar, FooAssVick, Issa Rico, Blvxxkk, LiL Roc, Villeboii Lancifer Jones, Kid Houdini, Thu., June 23, 7:30 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. COLBIE CAILLAT: Sun., June 26, 8 p.m., $35-$139. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. COLT BALL: Wed., June 29, 4:30 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. COTTON CHOPS: Sun., June 26, 4 p.m.; Thu., July 14, 9 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. DAVID GOMEZ: OTRA NOCHE EN PANAMA: Sat., June 25, 7:30 p.m., free. The Harold & Dorothy Steward Center for Jazz, 3536 Washington Ave, St Louis, 314-571-6000. DIZZY ATMOSPHERE WITH RICHARD TRALLES: Wed., June 29, 7 p.m., free. Evangeline’s, 512 N Euclid Ave, St. Louis, 314-367-3644. DOGTOWN RECORDS PRESENTS: Sat., June 25, 10 p.m., TBA. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. DREW LANCE: Tue., June 28, 4:30 p.m., free.

Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. DURRY: Fri., June 24, 8 p.m., $13. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. EMPATH: W/ Algae Dust, Punk Lady Apple, Fri., June 24, 7:30 p.m., $12/$15. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. ETHAN JONES: Tue., June 28, 9 p.m.; Tue., July 26, 9 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. THE EXTRA 3: Sun., June 26, 9 p.m.; Sun., July 31, 9 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. THE FIXX: Wed., June 29, 7:30 p.m., $27.50/$32.50. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. GERARD ERKER: Mon., June 27, 5 p.m.; Fri., July 8, 4:30 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. JAMBOREE MONDAY: W/ Leon Lamont, Pretty Dope Mike, Mon., June 27, 7 p.m., free. Platypus, 4501 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314359-2293. JASON BONHAM’S LED ZEPPELIN EVENING: Sat., June 25, 7:30 p.m., $40.50. The Factory, 17105 N Outer 0 d, Chesterfield, 31 - 23- 00. JAZZ BRUNCH WITH SPECIAL GUEST SWEETIE & THE TOOTHACHES: Sun., June 26, 11:30 p.m., free. Evangeline’s, 512 N Euclid Ave, St. Louis, 314-367-3644. JIMMIE VAUGHAN: Sat., June 25, 8 p.m., $40/$45. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314588-0505. JUSTIN JAGLER & THE EVERGREENS: Sat., June 25, 6 p.m., free. The Attic Music Bar, 4247 S. Kingshighway, 2nd oor, St. Louis, 31 -3 - 313. KARA BALDUS-MEHRMANN QUARTET: Fri., June 24, 7:30 p.m., Free. The Harold & Dorothy Steward Center for Jazz, 3536 Washington Ave, St Louis, 314-571-6000. LIZDELISE: w/ Macaron Afterparty, With Glee, Fri., June 24, 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. MARTY D. SPIKENER’S ON CALL BAND: Fri., June 24, 5:30 p.m., free. The Attic Music Bar, 4247 S. ingshighway, 2nd oor, St. Louis, 31 -3 5313. THE POTOMAC ACCORD: Fri., June 24, 9 p.m., free. Schla y Tap oom, 2100 Locust St., St. Louis, 314-241-2337. PUNK ROCK PIG ROAST: w The addonfields, PFR, Holy HandGrenades, Break Mouth Annie, Pleasure Center, The Stars Go Out, Dick Buttry and His South City Allstars, Grave Neighbors, Darling Skye, Sat., June 25, noon, $15. South Broadway Athletic Club, 2301 S. Seventh St., St. Louis, 314-776-4833. ROD, MARTY, & COMPANY: Thu., June 23, 7:30 p.m., free. The Attic Music Bar, 4247 S. Kingshighway, 2nd oor, St. Louis, 31 -3 - 313. THE ROOMINATORS: Sat., June 25, 8 p.m., free. Copperfire, 200 ain St, elleville, (618)235_5010. ROSS HOLLOW BAND: Thu., June 23, 7 p.m., free. Evangeline’s, 512 N Euclid Ave, St. Louis, 314367-3644. SATURDAY BRUNCH WITH JOEL GRAGG: Sat., June 25, noon, free. Evangeline’s, 512 N Euclid Ave, St. Louis, 314-367-3644. SPICE TRIO: Sun., June 26, 2 p.m., free. Copperfire, 200 ain St, elleville, 1 23 010. SPITE: W/ Boundaries, Vatican, Bodybox, Sat., June 25, 7 p.m., $20. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. STEPHEN LYNCH: Sat., June 25, 8 p.m., $39.50/$45. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. STEVEN WOOLLEY: Thu., June 23, 5 p.m.; Tue., July 19, 5 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. TINY MOVING PARTS: W/ This Wild Life, In Her Own Words, Wed., June 29, 7:30 p.m., $22. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-2899050. UNWELL: W/ Sink In, Dialogue, Uncanny Valley, Sun., June 26, 7:30 p.m., $10/$15. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. WORN: W/ The Runts, Prevention, Direct Measure, Squint, Secret Shame, Wed., June 29, 6:30 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.

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JUNE 22-28, 2022

RIVERFRONT TIMES

JUNE 22-28, 2022

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SAVAGE LOVE Pride and Preference BY DAN SAVAGE I’m taking a week off, so this week’s “Savage Love” is a reprint of a column that was originally published on Jan. 13, 2016. I hope everyone has a happy and safe Pride. Please be careful out there. —Dan Hey Dan: As a queer man of color — I’m Asian — I feel wounded whenever I am exposed to gay men in New York City, Toronto, or any city where white gay men dominate. Gay men, mostly whites and Asians, reject me because of my race and no one admits to their sexual racism. I understand that sexual attraction is subconscious for many people. But it is unfair for a gay Asian like myself to be constantly marginalized and rejected. I fight for gay rights, too. I believe in equality, too. I had the same pain of being gay in high school and the same fears when coming out, too. Why is there no acceptance, no space, no welcome for me in this white-painted gay community? I’m si -foot-one, 1 0 pounds, fit, and very good-looking. What can I do? I might as well be a sexless monk. Enraged Dude Details Infuriating Experience “I relate to a lot of what EDDIE is feeling here,” said Joel Kim Booster, a Brooklyn-based writer and comedian. “The double-edged sword of living in a city with a large gay community is that the community gets so large that we finally have the opportunity to marginalize people within it.” Jeff Chu, a writer who also lives in Brooklyn, can relate: “Racism still thrives in the gay community, just as in broader society,” said Chu. “Many of us who are Asian American come out of the closet and walk into this weird bamboo cage, where we’re either fetishized or ignored. Many times I’d go into a gay bar and see guys playing out some gross interracial porno in their heads — with me playing the part of their Chinese pocket gay. Others (the ones I was interested in, to be candid) would act as if I were wearing an invisibility cheongsam.” Chu feels there’s plenty of blame

to go around for this sad state of affairs. “It’s the gay media,” said Chu. “It’s Hollywood. Even with all the LGBT characters we have on TV now, what images do we have of Asian American ones? It’s that LGBT-rights organizations still haven’t diversified enough, especially in their leadership. And it’s all of us, when we’re lazy and don’t confront our own prejudices.” Booster and Chu are right: Racism is a problem in the gay community, some people within are unfairly and cruelly marginalized, and we all need to confront our own prejudices. Even you, EDDIE. You cite your height (tall!), weight (slim!), and looks (VGL!) as proof you’ve faced sexual rejection based solely on your race. But short, heavy, average-looking/unconventionally-attractive guys face rejection for not being tall, lean, or conventionally hot, just as you’ve faced rejection for not being white. (The cultural baggage and biases that inform a preference for, say, tall guys is a lot less toxic than the cultural baggage and biases that inform a preference for white guys — duh, obviously.) “As a stereotypically short Chinese guy, my first reaction to reading EDDIE’s letter? Damn, he’s sixfoot-one! I’m jealous,” said Chu. “And that’s also part of the problem. I, like many others, have internalized an ideal: tall, gym-perfected, blah blah blah — and, above all, white.” Booster was also struck by your stats. “It’s hard for me to wrap my head around any si -foot-one, fit, VGL guy having trouble getting laid,” said Booster. “On paper, this is the gay ideal! I don’t really consider myself any of those things — and I have a perfectly respectable amount of sex.” Booster, who somehow manages to have plenty of sex in New York’s “white-painted gay community,” had some practical tips for you. “EDDIE should stay away from the apps if the experience becomes too negative,” Booster said. “If logging on to a hookup app bums him out, take a break. Being a double minority can be isolating, but living in a big city can be great. There are meet-ups and clubs and activities for all stripes. Join a gay volleyball league — truly where gay Asian men thrive — or find one of the many gay Asian nights at one of the

gay bars around the city. They’re out there.” Chu has also managed to find romantic success in New York. “I’ve been where EDDIE is, except shorter, less fit, and less good-looking, and somehow I found a husband,” said Chu. “The monastery wasn’t my calling, and I suspect it’s not EDDIE’s either.” A quick word to gay white men: It’s fine to have “preferences.” ut we need to examine our preferences and give some thought to the cultural forces that may have shaped them. Do yourself the favor of making sure your preferences are actually yours, and not some limited and limiting racist “preference” pounded into your head by TV, movies, and porn. And while preferences are allowed (and gay men of color have them, too), there’s no excuse for littering Grindr or Tinder or Recon — or your conversations in bars — with dehumanizing garbage like “no Asians,” “no Blacks,” “no femmes,” “no fatties,” etc. (But “no Republicans” is fine.) The last word goes to Booster: “A note to the rice queens who will undoubtedly write in about this man: We like that you like us. But liking us solely because of our race can be uncomfortable at best, and creepy as hell at worst. In my experience, it’s perfectly okay to keep some of those preferences behind the curtain while you get to know us a bit as humans first.” Follow Joel Kim Booster on Twitter @ihatejoelkim and be sure to watch his wonderful new movie Fire Island, streaming now on Hulu. Jeff Chu is the author of Does Jesus Really Love Me?: A Gay Christian’s Pilgrimage in Search of God in America, follow him on Twitter @ jeffchu. Hey Dan: I recently moved to the South, and on Grindr I’m noticing a lot more racist messaging in profiles, sometimes as overt as “no Blacks” and “no Asians.” I’m wondering what I can (or should) do as a chat user Is it sufficient just to block these people Should I ag their profiles Or should I message them and ask them to change their profile —Grinding Endlessly Against Racism Ugh, “just my preference” gays. JMPGs pop up everywhere, of

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course, but they’re thicker on the ground in more conservative areas. nd while you can find e amples of white gays in their 30s and 40s (and older) doing this kind of crap, it sometimes seems to be more prevalent among younger gay white men. These young guys — often recently out and from overwhelmingly white areas — get online and start saying dumb, racist shit. So long as they stay in Kansas or Utah, GEAR, they don’t get a lot of pushback. But once a JMPG moves to Chicago or Los Angeles, they suddenly encounter pushback. Other gay men… reformed JMPGs or never-ever-were JMPGs… start to get in their faces about how unacceptable and harmful this shit is. Decent gay men of all ages and races despair over this “just my preference” crap because it never seems to stop. But that’s not true; it does stop. After gay people who know better (and are better) get in the face of a JMPG, his latent moral imagination can kick into gear. The JMPG starts to think about how it would feel to be on the receiving end of this shit, maybe he recalls the Golden Rule back from Sunday School, perhaps he makes a few non-white friends and listens to them. Maybe he even starts to question his own precious preferences. (Are they his actual preferences? Or did he mindlessly adopt preferences assigned to him by Hollywood and porn?) And then maybe — hopefully, ideally — he stops being a J PG. ven if he figures out that, yes, he’s primarily attracted to other white guys, he realizes he can act on his preferences — he can fuck the guys he wants to fuck — without needlessly disparaging anyone along the way. What happens next... well, what happens next is kinda depressing. Another young and/or dumb JMPG moves to town and the whole someone-needs-to-get-in-his-face process starts up all over again. So, when you see a JMPG with “no Blacks” or “no Asians” or “no fats” or “no femmes” in their profile, GEAR, push back. Tell him he’s being an asshole. Getting through to JMPGs is slow, one-dude-at-at-time work, but you can be part of the solution. questions@savagelove.net @FakeDanSavage on Twitter savage.love

JUNE 22-28, 2022

RIVERFRONT TIMES

JUNE 22-28, 2022

riverfronttimes.com

JUNE 22-28, 2022

RIVERFRONT TIMES

Riverfront Times, June 22, 2022

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