Riverfront Times, July 20, 2022 by Chava Communications

Someone murdered James Summers 18 years ago. Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt is betting a lot on an unreliable witness who says it was Alice Weiss. Is it just political grandstanding?

B Y RYA N K R U L L

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was Alice Weiss Is it just politica grandstanding?

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Alice Weiss. ust political dstanding?

TABLE OF CONTENTS Publisher Chris Keating Editor in Chief Rosalind Early

E D I T O R I A L Managing Editor Jessica Rogen Editor at Large Daniel Hill Digital Content Editors Jaime Lees, Jenna Jones Food Editor Cheryl Baehr Staff Writers Ryan Krull, Monica Obradovic, Benjamin Simon Copy Editor Evie Hemphill Contributors Thomas K. Chimchards, Joseph Hess, Reuben Hemmer, Andy Paulissen, Famous Mortimer, Mabel Suen, Graham Toker, Theo Welling Columnists Ray Hartmann, Dan Savage Editorial Interns Julian McCall, Carlos Mendoza, Lulu Nix, Kasey Noss, Olivia Poolos A R T

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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 Samuel B Y Jennifer RYA N KRU Directors of Business Development Rachel Hoppman, Chelsea Nazaruk Directors of Sponsorship Sales Deanna Schmidt

Up Schmitt’s Creek Someone murdered James Summers 18 years ago. Attorney General Eric Schmitt is betting a lot on an unreliable witness who says it was Alice Weiss. Cover illustration by J MARSHALL SMITH

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HARTMANN It’s Time to Stop Coddling Cortex A new alderwoman’s tough questions expose why St. Louis’ civic elite need to stop demanding handouts Written by

RAY HARTMANN

n just 20 years, the innovation hub Cortex has emerged as one of the proudest examples of what civic and corporate St. Louis can be at their best. Now, the politics of Cortex are showing them at their worst. Anchored by behemoths Washington University, Saint Louis University and BJC HealthCare, as well as the Missouri Botanical Garden and University of Missouri-St. Louis, Cortex has produced striking success as a magnet for emerging companies and endeavors, especially in the tech sector. It has evolved into a valuable asset to the region. Cortex has fallen short of its initial projections. But when it was founded in 2002, no one could have foreseen the magnitude of the 2008 real estate crash, Ferguson and the COVID-19 pandemic. To succeed at all in the face of such extraordinary hurdles was no mean feat. So Cortex is struggling a bit today. Its vacancy rates for commercial space are high. At least three of its Redevelopment Project Areas have gone undeveloped, and the ear ta increment financing authority initially granted to them expires next year. On July 13, Cortex leaders held a Zoom meeting with the city’s Tax Increment Financing Commission, a little-known citizen board designed to protect the interests of city residents and propertytax recipients, most notably the public schools, since TIF diverts

tax money from redevelopment projects that could go to schools to finance redevelopment costs. he commission plays an important role in negotiating with developers to refine their re uests to reflect communit priorities before these make it to the Board of Aldermen. Cortex made two key asks: one for TIF handouts on a 160-unit residential development by Keeley Properties at Clayton Avenue and Sarah Street, the other a galling re uest to b pass the commission altogether to expedite approval of two RPAs for which TIF authorization expires next year. The term of art for this is “blank check.” oth re uests are awful. ortex and its developers can build whatever they want with their resources. But it’s a nonstarter for the city government to give those interests or their developers special advantages beyond those they already enjoy as a largely property-tax-free enterprise. A spanking-new 160-unit apartment building in the desirable Cortex area would largely attract tenants from other places in the city. New renters can hardly be expected to migrate from surrounding counties anytime soon. At best that means the TIF-aided building would represent a zerosum game to the city. At worst it would crush other apartment buildings or small real estate investors in places like Soulard, afa ette S uare, downtown and north city. hat blan chec nic named trust us” is worse. orte had almost 20 years to meet its legally established TIF deadlines. Now it is acting as if a dog ate its homework. The $79 million in TIF incentives for orte s unfinished redevelopment can be allowed to “expire without utilization.” This isn’t the end of the world. All it means is that Cortex would have to restart the TIF application process, which would entail asking for another round of tax breaks against the backdrop of a revitalized area of the cit that doesn t uite scream out “blighted.” Cortex would have to endure a costly and time-consuming return to the drawing board. And in a more perfect world, it will fail to obtain more TIF funding on the backs of school kids because of a simple fact of life: Cortex doesn’t

need it. Sorry for the heresy. Normally, when Cortex says jump, politicians reply “How high?” and that’s the end of it. But there’s a new alderwoman in the 17th Ward where Cortex resides ina Sweet ” ihl and she’s like nothing St. Louis or Cortex has ever seen. First elected in 2021, Pihl sports an astonishing resume. She has worked in city-planning posts in Boulder and Denver, Colorado, and also has prior experience in Boston and Washington, D.C. She earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture with a focus on affordable housing from Yale and a master’s in urban studies and planning from MIT. And now she’s dealing with a bunch of yahoos who assume that Yale and MIT surely must each promote themselves as “the Washington University of the Northeast.” So, Pihl, a political neophyte, had the audacity not to play the subservient role to which any public official in the cit especiall a new one is traditionall assigned. Cortex said “jump” and she responded, “Why wasn’t I told about this Zoom meeting?” Cortex said, “Here are the items we reuire from the cit ,” and ihl said, “I need to crunch the numbers to see if this makes sense.” I happened to watch the Zoom call when Pihl delivered those messages. Give credit to the Cortex leaders, developers and city officials on the call one of their blank stares devolved into heads actually exploding. Now, here’s the problem: Pihl has the advantage or, politicall , the e treme disadvantage of having seen how city planning is done in other cities that are, let’s say, a tad more sophisticated than St. Louis. “City planning” is an oxymoron here. Pihl’s colleagues on the Board of Aldermen customarily punt development uestions to the not ready-for-primetime players at the St. Louis Development Corporation. Not always but usually. In speaking with her, it was clear that Pihl’s previous experiences in more serious cities had not prepared her for how things are done here. “SLDC does not have a robust mechanism for analyzing these tax-incentive projects,” she says. “The SLDC facilitates development rather than evaluating development. That’s not right.”

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Now, what is this robust mechanism thing you speak of? You seem to have come here from strange lands. Pihl paid the price for poking the wrong bears. As only a lapdog daily newspaper would, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch rushed to attack Pihl for her uppity behavior. The Post unloaded two scathing news stories within hours of each other attacking Pihl online. And an editorial-page scolding followed. One article blasted Pihl for having been slow to respond to developers. The other implied that Pihl was about to destroy the tech sector as we know it. What the Post didn’t mention is that it’s a major investor in Greater St. Louis Inc., the new civic leadership organization that is heavily interlocked with Cortex. asic ournalistic ethics re uire such disclosure.) It is hardly a secret that GSL’s forprofit real estate side hustle Arch to ar uit und regards bolstering Cortex as a top priority, second only to the new MLS stadium. The public can’t be certain of Arch to Park’s priorities, because they are shielded from public view b its for profit status unli e its counterparts in other major cities. It’s no coincidence that the Post rushed to soothe Cortex. But that’s not the big problem here. What’s really messed up is this: No one has the guts to challenge the premise that some of St. Louis’ wealthiest and most powerful institutions with assets collectivel in the billions continue to demand public assistance in the form of tax relief that they do not need. The last people to blame are the politicians. When local giants with the political clout of GSL and Cortex make demands, politicians are reduced to bit players with scant choice in the matter. The solution is simple: Powerful people need to stop demanding stuff from government that they don’t need. Their sense of entitlement is appalling. Pihl and the strange notions she brings from faraway lands are the least of our problems. n Ray Hartmann founded the Riverfront Times in 1977. Contact him at rhartmann1952@ gmail.com or catch him at 7 p.m. on Thursdays on Nine PBS and St. Louis in the Know with Ray Hartmann from 9-11 p.m. Monday thru Friday on KTRS (550 AM).

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NEWS

David Dorn Trial Gets Underway The former police officer was killed during the June 2020 George Floyd protests by a masked looter Written by

RYAN KRULL

onday morning, the jury heard opening statements in the trial of Stephan Cannon, the man accused of murdering retired police captain David Dorn in 2020. Statements by both the prosecution and defense signaled that the trial’s outcome may hinge on the testimony of Mark Jackson, a man who was allegedly with Cannon on the night of Dorn’s killing and who police sa fled with annon from the scene. Cannon is charged with one count of first degree murder as well as stealing, burglary, robbery and three counts of armed criminal action. Dorn was killed in June 2020 amid the civil unrest following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. In his relatively brief opening statement, prosecutor Marvin Teer reminded people of those weeks of protests that at times turned violent. “Along with civil unrest, came chaos,” said Teer, a longtime municipal court judge who joined the ircuit Attorne s ffice last ear and is tr ing his first case as a lead prosecutor. He recounted the events on the evening of June 1 into the early hours on June 2, which saw numerous stores in St. Louis looted. Among those stores was Lee’s Pawn and Jewelry on the 4100 block of Dr. Martin Luther King Drive. However, when the pawn shop’s alarm sounded, Teer said, “Somebody special came to Lee’s.” That somebody special was David Dorn, 77, a 38-year veteran of St. Louis Metropolitan Police and retired police chief of Moline Acres. He helped out with security

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Stephan Cannon in court Monday morning. Cannon is accused of killing retired police officer David Dorn in 2020. | ROBERT COHEN at the pawn shop because it was owned by a longtime friend. According to eer, Dorn fired off several shots to try to disperse the dozens of people in the crowd, but Dorn “didn’t expect” to run into someone not afraid of a man with a gun. As Teer said this, he pointed to Stephan Cannon seated next to his public defenders. The jury viewed approximately 20 minutes of surveillance video from the pawn shop that night, though the public seated in the court’s viewing area could not see the footage. Many of the individuals looting Lee’s that night wore masks, including the person who shot Dorn. This masked individual retrieved a gun and fired rounds, four of which struck Dorn, Teer stated. Teer said in his opening statement the state will prove this man, whose face was covered, was Cannon. Teer also indicated that the prosecution will call as a witness Mark Jackson, who is charged with second-degree murder and robbery in connection to Dorn’s killing. Jackson’s attorney, Terry Niehoff, previously told the Post-Dispatch that Jackson plans to testify that he drove Cannon to Lee’s but was unaware Cannon had a gun. Niehoff also said his client will

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When Mark Jackson was being interrogated by police, he said, “I’ll say pretty much anything to get out of these cuffs and back to my son. Tell me what to say, and I’ll say it. I’ll witness whatever you want me to witness.” testify that he drove Cannon away from Lee’s that night after the shooting and that Cannon later admitted to him he killed Dorn. Cannon’s public defender Brian Horneyer used his opening statement to cast doubt both on the no-

tion that Cannon was the masked individual who fired the shots that killed Dorn, as well as discredit the prosecution’s star witness, Jackson. According to Horneyer, when Jackson was being interrogated by police, he said, “I’ll say pretty much anything to get out of these cuffs and back to my son. Tell me what to say, and I’ll say it. I’ll witness whatever you want me to witness.” “This is the man who[m] the state’s case rests on,” Horneyer said later, adding that Jackson had changed his stor five or si times.” Horneyer went on to say that the masked man who shot Dorn also touched “numerous surfaces” in Lee’s prior to the shooting, but when police too fingerprints and DNA from those locations, they found nothing that indicated Cannon was the masked man. The morning’s proceedings also saw testimony from Ann Dorn, David Dorn’s wife of almost 30 years who is herself a former police officer. She described her husband as “larger than life,” a dedicated policeman and public servant as well as a loving father and grandfather. She fought back tears when she recounted learning that her husband had been fatally shot protecting his longtime friend’s business. n

No Pay for Weeks Evolution St. Louis knit-wear factory has not paid its employees since June Written by

MONICA OBRADOVIC

fter a job search last year, seamstress Rebecca Leon found a position that checked all her boxes. A job at Evolution St. Louis promised competitive pay and health insurance — rare finds in the garment industry. She applied for the job and got it in September. Everything seemed fine until last month. On June 17, she and several of her colleagues didn’t receive their biweekly paychecks. They were assured they’d be paid after the Juneteenth holiday, on Tuesday. But come Tuesday, they still hadn’t received their money. Then they were told they’d receive their pay on Friday, June 24. Then the next Friday, July 1. This cycle continued for weeks. Now, over a month since their last paycheck, Evolution employees are still waiting to get paid. “They’re saying, ‘We had a hiccup in the budget for payroll,’” Leon says. “But they never really told me what the hiccup is. I don’t think anybody knows.” Evolution St. Louis operates a 32,000-square-foot, high-tech knitting factory in Grand Center. The company launched in 2019 after founders Jon Lewis and John Elmuccio — two fashionindustry pros with experience at Fortune 500 companies — decided to invest in St. Louis. They told reporters they strategically chose Evolution’s location on Washington Avenue for its history and affordability. Before its current reality of exposed-brick lofts and night life, Washington Avenue was known as Shoe Street, USA, because of the plethora of shoe manufacturers that once operated there. In the early 1900s, St. Louis was one of the largest garment producers in the world, second only to New York, according to the St. Louis Fashion Fund. When launching Evolution, Elmuccio and Lewis said they wanted to recapture St. Louis’ fashion roots. Not only did they wish to bring the garment industry back to St. Louis, but at the time, Elmuccio vowed Evolution would “revitalize the knit sector, strengthen ‘Made in the USA’ fashion and create good-paying sustainable jobs in St. Louis.” That mission was what initially drew Leon to the company.

Employees say they haven’t received a paycheck since June 3. | MONICA OBRADOVIC “They were trying to bring the garment industry back to St. Louis, which I thought would be fantastic,” Leon says. “I hope this isn’t the end.” It’s unclear whether all the company’s employees have gone more than a month without pay. Questioned about the missed paychecks, a representative for Evolution declined to comment. Employees who spoke to the RFT said company leadership offered them financial assistance in the form of “cash advances” on their paychecks, despite not paying out for previous pay periods. According to multiple employees, many staffers continued to work through June despite the lack of consistent pay. They hoped that when money did arrive, they’d still receive their hourly wages. This week, employees were told not to come to work, that the week would be a “paid vacation,” according to Vaughn Stinebaker. “They keep telling us that manufacturing is such a big lift, that it takes money to make it happen,” says Stinebaker, a quality-control inspector at the factory. “They said the reason they haven’t been able to pay us is because they are waiting on a check from an investor.” Employees who spoke to the RFT all said they valued their jobs but don’t want to work for free. “I love Evolution, and I want them to

succeed,” says an employee who spoke to the RFT on the condition of anonymity. She began working there less than a year ago and plans to go back once some stability returns. “I want to be a part of that success and growth, but as an employee, my allegiance lies with the workers.” Leon also enjoyed her job, but now she’s struggling to make ends meet. She’s gone to her bosses twice now to take them up on their offer to help. She says she received two payments, one for $500 and another for $800 when she needed to pay her rent. But after not receiving a full paycheck for two pay periods, Leon says things are getting dire. She filed for unemployment this week. “Just recently, I was down to $40,” Leon says. “I’m an older person. I’m 63, so I have prescriptions. One costs me $50, so I really need a constant flow of my paychecks because I have things budgeted out. Now, I don’t know whether to get my prescriptions or put gas in my car. You know, what do I pay first?” Even though she wants to keep her job, Leon and a few of her colleagues have sought employment elsewhere. Some have kept their jobs so they can keep their benefits. “The only thing that’s saving me now is that our insurance is still being paid,”

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Leon says. “I have several doctor’s appointments that I’m going to have to go to, but as far as co-payments, I’m not going to be able to pay them because I don’t have the money.” According to multiple Evolution employees, this isn’t the first time the company has been late in paying its employees. “It’s been a few days late before but never anything like this,” the anonymous employee says. Adds Stinebaker: “The longest it’s ever been — before this big stint — was a weekend. The reason they gave was that our pay system wasn’t working right, like our HR department and our clock-in, clock-out system wasn’t doing its job super well.” During this current pay gap, Leon has considered how she can cut back. She’s thinking about reducing how often she uses prescription eye drops to treat her glaucoma, traveling less to avoid high gas prices and buying cheaper food, “like bologna instead of a better cut of meat.” She says she worries that whatever money Evolution is waiting for will never come. “I enjoy the company, I enjoy the people and I enjoy what I’m doing,” Leon says. “I really don’t want to lose my job because I like it there.” n

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

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Alderman Brandon Bosley went door to door to speak about the hearing. | BENJAMIN SIMON

Motel Is Neighborhood Nuisance Community tries to force owners to clean up Written by

BENJAMIN SIMON

ommunity members went door to door in the Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood on July 9, with hopes of drumming up support to clean up the nearby Grand Motel. Residents say the motel, located on North Grand Boulevard, is a haven for drug activity and prostitution. They claim people sleep outside, dump trash on the sidewalk, and grill against the brick wall surrounding the motel. Google reviews complain about roaches and needles on the ground. Community members would like to see that change, 3rd Ward Alderman Brandon Bosley tells the RFT. “Grand is supposed to be the corridor where we shop at, eat at,” Bosley says. “So we don’t want to see people’s habits play out right there.” About 10 residents met at Thessalonian Missionary Baptist Church, to knock on doors, hand out fliers and inform people about a nuisance control hearing on Tuesday, July 19. The hearing aimed to determine if Grand Motel is a nuisance. “If you put this exact same building and sat it four minutes up the road … right next to the Powell Symphony Hall, no way that [the owners] wouldn’t come outside and clean up their business every day,” Bosley says. Carron Johnson grew up in the neighborhood and drives past the motel multiple times a day on her way to work. She says the motel, located on a busy thoroughfare and near a bus stop, “scares”

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fellow community members. “There’s got to be something that we can work on to make this stop,” she says. “It’s not safe. It’s not a friendly environment. And a lot of people, when they go by, they’re nervous.” In the last two years, police have visited the motel at least 129 times to address assaults, rapes, drug overdoses and shootings, according to KMOV. The owner of the motel, Bharwad Bhikhui, dismissed the nuisance concerns in an interview with FOX 2. “Nothing here is a nuisance,” he said.

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Bhikhui has not responded to a request for comment from the RFT. But Bosley says his goal isn’t to shut down the business. He doesn’t want to see a vacant building or lot take the motel’s place. “I don’t think that’d be a good idea in this moment,” Bosley says. “We have no clue what we would do to replace that building if it was to be shut down.” Bosley also says the owners of the motel have helped with community events, such as handing out Christmas toys. Rather, he would like to see the business owners and the community work together to find a solution. “Respect your business the way you would respect it if it was right next door to your house,” Bosley says. “If you put your business right next door to your house, run it like that. Because it is right next door to our houses.” n

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MISSOURILAND

Rare Corpse Flower Blooms Missouri Botanical Garden stays open late so visitors can see the stinky flower Written by

ROSALIND EARLY

ines stretched across the Missouri Botanical Garden on July 12 after the garden announced that its rare corpse flower, nic named una, was blooming. he flower, officiall nown as the Amorphophallus titanum, is a notoriousl finic bloom. rom seed, the corpse flower ta es to ears to bloom at all, and when it does, it usuall onl sta s open to hours. lus, the plant t picall starts to flower in the late afternoon, with the pea bloom occurring at night. he plant also smells li e rotting flesh in order to attract pollinators such as flies. una is onl si ears old, so no one e pected it to bloom this ear. hen it started showing signs that it would, the flower was moved to the limatron. hat signs does a corpse flower give that it will bloom t grows several inches ever da , but when it is about to bloom it will stop growing. lus, the plant will start to lose leaves around the bud. iven the flower s rarit and short bloom, the garden sta ed open late to accommodate people who wanted to see it. Apparentl , the flower s trademar smell isn t as bad as the name would impl . mean, can ind of smell it,” visitor avin ac lem told St. ouis ublic adio. t doesn t seem all that bad, though.” n

This page: Luna, MOBOT’s famous corpse flower, hit its fiull bloom this week. | CASSIDY MOODY Right: Crowds gether to see the giant flower and catch a whiff. | REUBEN HEMMER

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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

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lice Weiss, 66, lives just outside Columbia,

Missouri, on a leafy street with a two-acre retention pond that the neighborhood’s 100 or so residents call “the lake.” She’s an elected board member of the homeowners associa-

tion and takes it upon herself to manage the landscaping and flower beds in the subdivision’s green spaces. She does this despite having to rely heavily on a wheelchair for mobility. Nearly one year ago, on August 11, some workers with the Boone County Streets Department repaired an inflow pipe connected to “the lake.” Around 6 p.m., Weiss got behind the wheel of her Jeep for the short drive to the retention pond so she could take a photo of the work and post it to the neighborhood website. She was in her Jeep outside her house when five police cars came down the street. An officer in one waved her over, asked her to step out of her car, then put her in cuffs. “What’s this all about?” Weiss asked. “You’re under arrest for the murder of James Summers,” the officer replied. Summers had been killed nearly 20 years ago, 150 miles away. According to the probable cause statement written prior to Weiss’ arrest, new evidence had emerged in the case. Weiss’ cousin told investigators that Weiss had told him she killed Summers because “she always wanted to know if killing someone was as pleasurable as sex.” The angle was too juicy for journalists to ignore, and the quote appeared in headlines across the nation. No Continued on pg 16

Attorney General Eric Schmitt, orange, is heavily relying on the testimony of Eric Weiss, blue, in his pursuit of a murder conviction against Alice Weiss. | COURTESY FARMINGTON POLICE DEPARTMENT riverfronttimes.com

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UNRELIABLE WITNESS Continued from pg 15

one ever bothered to look into its source.

n 2004, Alice Weiss lived in Dittmer, Missouri, in rural Jefferson County with her then-boyfriend, James Summers. They bought some land, cleared it and put a house up. They both worked in IT at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Summers had previously been married to a German woman he’d met while stationed in Europe serving in the U.S. military. They had a daughter but were divorced by the time he met Weiss at the university. “He was just a real laid-back guy. He was very handsome, very sexy, very smart,” Weiss says of Summers. “We had a lot of personality traits in common, which was unusual, I don’t often encounter that.” Weiss says she and Summers both appreciated the relaxed atmosphere of a university and the freedom that came with rural living. With the abundant space, Weiss was able to move her father, Gilbert, who suffered early-stage dementia, out of a nursing home and into her home with Summers. Summers had joint custody of his pre-teen daughter, and she often stayed with the trio. Summers was a classic-car enthusiast. He bought two 1965 Mustangs and used the parts from one to restore the other. He did the same with two 1968 Cougars and two 1980 Thunderbirds. He wanted to combine his knowledge of computer programming and love of cars to make software that would aid in car repair and restoration. Weiss had her own erudite interests. Her whole adult life she’s been fascinated by the history of England and has a particular enthusiasm for Renaissance fairs. She didn’t go anywhere near the classic cars. He didn’t want anything to do with the Renaissance fairs. They both liked to do their own thing. “I wanted to get James to dress up like a pirate,” Weiss says, with a laugh. “He wasn’t interested.” On April 27, 2004, Summers and Weiss worked in the garden all day. In the late afternoon, Summers left to go pick up his daughter from gymnastics class. Weiss got in the shower. While she was showering, she says, she heard two gunshots but thought little of it. “You hear gunshots in the country all the time,” she says. “It’s

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normal.” About 15 to 30 minutes later, she d finished her shower and gotten dressed in a robe. She was walking outside to take the trash out when she says she found Summers lying dead against the house’s detached garage. He’d been shot in the back and the face.

it in over 20 years, but when deputies told her they were going to perform a gunshot residue test on her hands, Weiss “just remembered” she’d shot the gun earlier that day. The probable-cause statement goes on to say that Weiss attempted to stall by twice claiming she

Alice Weiss regularly attended Renaissance fairs. Her boyfriend Larry was a car enthusiast. | COURTESY ALICE WEISS

“You’re in shock, you don’t believe what you see,” Weiss says. “I probably stood there for half a minute. I’d never seen a dead person before. I can’t tell you how you know someone is dead, but you know. Everything else vanished.” Stunned, Weiss ran inside and called 911. In the middle of that call, she dialed Summer’s ex-wife to let her know that Summers wouldn’t be picking up their daughter from gymnastics practice. When Jefferson County sheriff’s deputies responded to the home, they found a .22-caliber handgun on the driveway halfway between the garage and the house. “They of course suspected me,” Weiss says. They had their reasons. The probable-cause statement says the gun belonged to Weiss. Detectives on the scene said that Weiss initially told them she hadn’t shot

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had to use the bathroom when deputies were attempting to perform the gunshot residue test. The Missouri Highway Patrol crime lab did find gunshot residue on the sleeve of her robe, which Weiss said she hadn’t been wearing when she fired the gun earlier that day. Police later tested whether gunshots could be heard from the home’s shower and concluded that sounds would be “barely audible.” Weiss says she has an explanation for everything. About the ownership of the gun, Weiss says it did technically belong to her, but only because she took it away from her father and registered it in her own name when his dementia progressed. “I’m not a gun person,” she says. Weiss says that the bathroom breaks during her interview by

deputies were entirely reasonable. “They questioned me in the house for a couple of hours, and I had to go to the toilet,” she says. “They made it sound suspicious. You know, when you have to go, you have to go.” And as for the positive results for gunshot residue, Weiss says that the amount of residue was so small law enforcement have admitted it could have come from brushing up against clothes worn by Summers, who shot guns regularly, or from contamination in the lab. Weiss says that on the day of Summers death, she did fire a gun earlier to scare away crows attacking rabbits, which was something she and Summers had started doing recently. As to the idea that she would have initially said she hadn’t shot the gun in 20 years and then remembered she had shot it much more recently, she says this is totally reasonable given that her boyfriend had just been killed and “crows were the last thing on my mind.” But if Weiss didn’t kill James Summers, who did? Neighbors were outside on the day of Summers’ death and didn’t see anyone unusual walking around the area. And police said they suspected no struggle had preceded his death — suggesting whoever killed him had a motive that predated the fatal encounter. Deputies attempted to speak with Weiss’ father, but he was unable to provide any “coherent statements” about what had happened at the house that day, according to a probable cause statement filed in the charges against Weiss. Weiss has pleaded not guilty. Because the criminal case against her is ongoing, it’s impossible to get more information about the initial investigation other than the probable-cause statement and Weiss’ version of events. However, what’s certain is that the 2004 investigation didn’t result in charges against Weiss, or even an arrest.

ummers’ death received scant media attention when it happened. A 90-word story in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and an even shorter remembrance in the UMSL student newspaper was the extent of the coverage. In the aftermath of Summers’ killing, Weiss picked up the pieces and moved to Louisiana with her ailing father. He passed away in a nursing home in 2008. In the four intervening years, Weiss’ home was destroyed twice by hurricanes. With her father no longer living, she says, she had no reason

to stay in the deep South, so she returned to Missouri. In recent years, Weiss’ health has begun to fail her. She developed degenerative disc disease, sciatica and rheumatoid arthritis. The combined ailments cause severe chronic pain and require use of a wheelchair. Still, she continued to attend three Renaissance fairs every year and after retirement took up genealogical research as a hobby. Now, wearing an ankle monitor, the Renaissance fairs are things of the past; Weiss is prohibited from nonessential travel. She had to get a special dispensation from the court to go to her local library to use its resources for her hobbyist ancestral research. So what changed between April 2004, when Weiss wasn’t charged, and August 2021, when she was? Two things: Eric Simms and Eric Schmitt. Weiss describes Simms as her ne’er-do-well cousin, saying he has been an annoyance her whole life. It seems Weiss’ arrest 17 years later is at least in part the result of Simms telling investigators that Weiss told him she killed Summers. The other Eric is Eric Schmitt, the attorney general of Missouri, who is the driving force behind the criminal case against Weiss. Schmitt is also currently a candidate for the U.S. Senate, a fact that Weiss insists is relevant to her status as accused murderer.

n December 2020, Schmitt announced the formation of a new cold-case unit, saying in a press release its purpose was to “take a fresh look” at cases, mostly murders, across the state. ts first two staff members were Tom Dittmeier and Dean Hoag, two men in their 70s with impressive careers including stints as prosecutors in the U.S. Department of Justice. he unit s first charges were brought against Kenneth Avery for the murder of Kristen Edwards in 1986 in Sullivan, Missouri, west of St. Charles. The 25-year-old Edwards was abducted from her 250-acre farm in July of that year. She was found three days later in heavy woods about a mile away, strangled by a pair of sweatsocks, her hands tied behind her back with a T-shirt. Avery, a frequent visitor to his mother’s nearby house, was the main suspect at the time. The case came to the attention of the newly formed cold-case squad when an individual came forward saying she witnessed Avery rape and murder Edwards. The wit-

Eric Schmitt garnered a lot of press with the sensational Alice Weiss case. | DANNY WICENTOWSKI ness said she’d been intimidated into silence in 1986. The case against Avery is similar to that against Weiss in that both Avery and Weiss were the leading suspects at the time and new witnesses have since come forward. Unlike Weiss, though, Avery was actually charged with murder in 1986. The charges were later dropped due to lack of evidence. Also, the new witness in the Avery case says she actually witnessed the crime, whereas Weiss’ cousin says he just heard Weiss talk about it later. Another key difference is that Weiss has no criminal record be ond traffic tic ets, while Aver was arrested in 2009 for domestic violence. Eight months after the coldcase unit brought its first charges against Avery, it brought charges in its second case, against Weiss. At an August 21 press conference, Schmitt announced that Weiss was being charged with murder. He recounted the facts of the probable-cause statement about the gunshot residue test and what he called Weiss’ “changing” story. Then Schmitt cited evidence from Simms, Weiss’ cousin. He said that Simms stated he drove Weiss home from the sheriff’s office the da of the illing. Simms claimed that Weiss spoke about having “fucked up” with the story she’d given to police. The cousin, according to Schmitt, also said that four years later, during a trip to Walmart, Weiss stated in no uncertain terms that she killed Summers. According to the cousin, she added that if she was charged years after the fact, she could blame the shooting on her father because he was dead and couldn’t defend himself.

According to Weiss’ cousin, her motivation to kill Summers was that she wanted to know “if killing was as pleasurable as sex.” There’s “little difference between love and hate,” the cousin claimed Weiss told him. Weiss insists the only evidence the state has against her is Simms’ statements. And that’s odd, she says, given that “you can’t spend more than 10 minutes in his company without realizing he’s mentally ill.” The RFT made every effort to reach 63-year-old Simms through phone, email and physical letters. He did not respond to requests for an interview or even a comment. But more than three dozen police reports, two restraining orders, probable-cause statements, affidavits and an interview with a bar owner who banned him from his establishment paint a picture of a man who does not seem fit for cross examination.

n 2002, Eric Simms lived with his mother, Irene Simms, in Desloge, Missouri, on East Walnut Street, about an hour south of St. Louis. That year, a neighbor of Simms filed a restraining order against him. n the affidavit for the order of protection, the neighbor wrote that Simms frequently took unwanted photos of her family. He followed the mother and daughter to stores and, the mother said, made “lewd movements” toward her and her young daughter with his crotch. n another occasion, the affidavit states, Simms followed the woman and her daughter to the toy section of Walmart and started yelling at the daughter, in her mother’s recounting, that “she’s fat, she’s fugly.”

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The family ended up moving to a different home across town to get away from Simms. They bought a house with an alarm and deliberately chose a neighborhood with only one way in and out. The woman wrote that her eight-yearold son still feared “Eric was going to come and get us.” This woman was hardly the only one in the neighborhood who had an issue with Simms. “Oh that guy’s a piece of shit,” says Bill Tinker, a longtime Desloge resident who now owns a restaurant and bar near where Simms used to live. “He’s abusive to women. He’s just a piece of shit.” Tinker opened his restaurant in a retail space that used to be a Hoosier Daddy liquor store. “He used to harass women that came in and out of there. He would stand out in front of the place and stare at women shopping and ask them questions when they were leaving, and finall the ust had to ban him,” Tinker says. “They even put his picture in the front window.” Multiple police reports from Desloge Police Department support Tinker’s claim. In addition to angering the liquor-store patrons and his neighbors, the man whose testimony has helped lead to murder charges has had a very contentious relationship with local law enforcement. In 2007, Simms began a longrunning feud with the Desloge Police Department over the state of his lawn, which, according to police reports, was wildly overgrown and had multiple brokendown cars parked on it. At one point, he got into an argument with one officer over what was weed and what was bush. Later, Simms was arrested for disorderly conduct when, according to a police report, “he told his neighbor that he would burn his house down for calling the fucking police.” The police report continues: “Simms also told his neighbor that he was going to kick his ass for calling the fucking police.” However, when police arrived, Simms “stated he was the victim and requested [the responding officer do a report.” In 2010, Simms’ nephew called the police again to the house on East Walnut. The nephew said his uncle had maced him after the nephew confronted Simms about not letting him use the computer. Simms was arrested and, once locked up, attempted to dispose of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. He allegedly threw the items out of his cell onto the ailhouse floor,

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where they soon were noticed. The Desloge Police Department’s incident report goes on to say that when the officer as ed Simms if that was his weed and rolling papers, Simms insisted the were not, and he was being framed. That same year, police responded to Simms house when he cut down a tree in his bac ard and it fell on his neighbor s house. eiss sa s it was torture” watching her aunt, rene, live with Simms in a home that eiss thought was increasingl dangerous for an elderl woman. eiss and rene were ver close so much so that in rene signed her power of attorne over to eiss, and eiss helped rene manage her finances. ver one in the famil was alwa s worried,” eiss sa s. She and other famil members begged rene to move into senior living where Simms couldn t sta with her. e s m son, and love him,” rene would sa , according to eiss. ou don t now what it s li e to be a mother.” n June , eiss sa s she discovered Simms had stolen chec s from rene and was using them for purchases at li uor stores and for car repairs for his then girlfriend. rene filed a restraining order and ic ed Simms out of the house. ontemporaneous police reports, as well as a cop of the restraining order, support eiss version of events. eiss reported Simms to the police for stealing chec s from rene and using them to bu items in Desloge, armington and St. ouis ount . t was that same month, eiss sa s, da s after rene ic ed Simms out of the house with eiss support, that Simms went to the police, telling them that his cousin Alice eiss had told him that she illed her bo friend in because she wanted to now if murder was as good as se . he now he s l ing. he new it from da one,” eiss sa s. eiss theor of the case fails to e plain how the gun used to ill Summers, which was stored in the house, wound up outside near his dead body. t also doesn t e plain who illed her bo friend. She sa s she has little idea about who that might have been, and across man hours of conversation, the uestion never seemed terribl of interest to her. She posited to detectives in

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that it might have been a robber gone wrong. Weiss did say that on the morning of Summers death, he got a call while at wor that a cowor er said turned contentious. ut as far as eiss nows, the police never followed up on this lead. e had a whole side of his life that involved cars, which new nothing about,” she sa s. e had friends in the vintage car field all over the countr that he emailed all the time.” eiss sa s the police never loo ed into those emails. eiss own lac of interest in who illed Summers could be viewed with suspicion or ust as easil as evidence that she s moved on from a chapter in her life that unfolded ears ago. Regardless, the attorney general’s reliance on a man with a

ast ear, police reports show an incident involving domestic violence at the trailer where Simms lived. uch of the report is redacted, though the suspect is listed as a man the same age as Simms and the landlord of the propert at the address confirmed Simms was living there at the time. Three local attorneys who are not involved in the case against Weiss told the RFT that Simms histor is li el relevant. St. ouis criminal defense attorne rian oo e, who has his own law office, tells the RFT that generall a witness li e Simms shouldn t e pect to have his life put on trial ust because he s ta ing the stand. owever, oo e sa s that prior convictions and behavior involving dishonest are li el to be used b the de-

“Oh that guy’s a piece of shit. He’s abusive to women. He’s just a piece of shit. He would stand out in front of the place and stare at women shopping and ask them questions when they were leaving, and finally they just had to ban him.” record of troubling interactions with others, and a seeming a e to grind against his cousin, also seems ine plicable. Schmitt s onl comment on the case was from his spo esperson hris uelle. After spea ing to the prosecutors on the case,” he said, “at this point in the case, we can’t ethically disclose anything that isn t publicl available in the probable cause statement and the felon complaint.” uelle would not confirm that Simms first came forward with his claims against eiss in June of , though eiss insists that was the timing. rene Simms passed awa later in after a brief stint in a nursing facilit . ric Simms run ins with the law continued apace afterward. n June , Simms drove around the par ing lot of the agle Mart in Farmington and allegedl as ed at least one shopper how big his dic was and if he wanted a ride. A armington police officer made contact with Simms. e would later report Simms denials e did not as the customer if he wanted a ride, and he did not discuss the length of the customer s penis with him.” he following month, armington police officers again encountered Simms this time the arrested him for driving his van on a revo ed license.

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fense counsel to attac a witness credibility. oo e sa s witnesses can also e pect to be as ed about an prior false statements to law enforcement. St. ouis attorne ichael ec er of Schmidt asch tells the RFT that what the ur learns about Simms past will li el be decided in pre-trial motions. The attorne general will argue to limit as much information about Simms as possible whereas Weiss’ attorne will argue to allow as much as possible. n a case this old, where the recollection is from a long time ago, more recent evidence about the witness s credibilit would seem to be relevant,” ec er sa s. thin it would all be admissible,” ec er adds. thin the udge would have to let it in.” About eiss tr ing to have Simms prosecuted for stealing chec s at the same time he first came forward to law enforcement, ec er sa s, t absolutel should come in. All of it reflects poorl on him and gives him a motive to lie. t ust loo s bad. can t imagine that stuff doesn t come in.” St. ouis criminal defense attorne obert aaffe, of aaffe and Associates, flags one additional aspect of Simms stor that eiss defense will li el bring up in trial. he fact that the disclosure was made four ears after the crime in wh all of the sudden

in did she decide to tell him and confessed to illing her bo friend ” aafe sa s. hat, to me, would be suspect. hat was the conte t hat was their relationship in general hat would be an area of fertile cross e amination.” eiss own attorne , John Schleiffarth of ebster roves, would onl give the RFT a brief statement on the record. He stressed the importance of the Jefferson ount rosecutor s ffice not seeing fit to bring charges in the case. t was the attorne general s office that saw fit to bring these charges now, and we loo forward to all the facts in this case coming to light,” he said, adding, client firml asserts her innocence.”

fter her arrest last August, eiss spent da s in Jefferson ount Jail before a udge ruled she should be allowed to await trial while on house arrest. eiss is re uired to wear an an le monitor and needed to get approval before she could go to the grocery store, the library and to the common areas of her subdivision where she tends to the plants. She is prohibited from nonessential travel. eiss is convinced she s being used as a pawn in Schmitt s campaign for Senate. She points out that the man Schmitt hopes to replace, Senator o lunt issouri , announced his retirement on arch , , and five da s da s later an investigator with Schmitt s office re interviewed Simms. eiss sa s she believes Schmitt s cold case s uad is tr ing to score a win against someone the believe wouldn t be able to put up much of a fight. m ears old. m disabled. m low income,” eiss sa s. he onl reason could afford an attorne is because own a house and got a home e uit loan.” She adds, he didn t give the Aver case all the press the gave me, because that was before Schmitt decided to run for Senate.” eiss sa s that so far she s spent around , on legal fees, and the sum is onl increasing. had a nice, uiet retirement planned, which did not include ta ing out a mortgage on m house or pa ing huge legal fees,” she sa s. A preliminar hearing in eiss case is set for this ednesda , Jul . he prosecution will call witnesses. As of right now, ric Simms is li el to be among them. f m cousin shows up, he will be cross e amined,” eiss sa s. t will be brutal.” n

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CALENDAR

BY JENNA JONES

THURSDAY 07/21 Bookish Any tale described as “equal parts pee-your-pants hilarity and break your heart poignancy” by actress America Ferrera sounds like just what we need. That endorsement belongs to New York Times-bestselling author Erika L. Sánchez’s new memoir Crying in the Bathroom, which she will discuss during a Left Bank Books virtual event. The memoir in essays deals with growing up as the unconventional daughter of Mexican immigrants and finding her life in literature, touching on topics such as debilitating depression, white feminism and sex along the way. Sánchez’s book is “raunchy, insightful, unapologetic and brutally honest.” The event is on Left Bank Books’ Facebook Live and YouTube channels (399 North Euclid Avenue, 314-367-6731, facebook.com/leftbankbooks.stl/live) on Thursday, July 21, at 7 p.m. Purchase the book for $27 in store or online.

FRIDAY 07/22 Mulaney Takes the Stage his is an on fire garbage can, could be a nursery,” John Mulane o ed in his etfli special The Comeback Kid, when he talked about how his real estate agent kept dropping hints for him and his then-wife to have children. Expect more humor from awkward situations at John Mulaney: From Scratch at the Enterprise Center. He will have a lot of material. Earlier this year, the comedian and former Saturday Night Live writer divorced his wife Anna Marie Tendler (from the house-hunting joke), and late last year had a son with actress Olivia Munn. (Awkwardly enough, the punch line of the house-hunting joke was that Mulaney and his wife didn’t want kids.) Reportedly, Mulaney has been candid in his show about his turbulent year. The event is a phone-free experience, and upon arrival, guests will have their phones, smart-

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watches, AirPods and cameras secured in a pouch that can be opened at the end of the event. Guests can only use their phones in designated areas. John Mulaney: From Scratch comes to the Enterprise Center (1401 Clark Avenue, enterprisecenter.com/events/detail/johnmulaney) on Friday, July 22, at 8 p.m. Ticket prices begin at $46.50.

SATURDAY 07/23 Weirded Out The Oddities & Curiosities Expo is returning to St. Louis, and local weirdos couldn’t be more thrilled. The convention was a big hit in May 2021, offering a place for “lovers of the strange, unusual and bizarre” to meet and shop. Once again, art dealers, artists and vendors will set up inside the convention center to supply you with all of the weird little things that your heart desires. In addition to the many treasures that will be for sale on site, the event also will host fun add-on experiences such as a taxidermy class and a freak show from the Rainy Day Revival from Atlanta. Oddities & Curiosities Expo returns to America’s Center Convention Complex (701 Convention Plaza, odditiesandcuriositiesexpo. com) on Saturday, July 23, and runs from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Tickets are $12 in advance ($15 on the day of the event) and kids under 12 get free admission. — Jaime Lees

Adult Prom If you want to relive the days of high school prom minus all the hormones, embarrassing moments and worries about whether your date actually likes you or the limo will show up, this is your chance for a redo. Dress to the nines and dance the night away with people you actually like at the Adult Prom this weekend. With the theme “Carnival,” the night offers drinking, eating, gaming and, of course, dancing. Purchase a prom photo to replace the one you took all those years ago or campaign for prom king or queen. In order to win prom royalty, you’ll have to donate to one of two chari-

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John Mulaney’s “From Scratch” tour is coming to the Enterprise Center. | ENTERPRISE CENTER ties — Urban Sprouts Child Development Center or Show Me Arts Academy — and have friends donate in your name as well. (Specify in the donation note that it’s for Adult Prom.) The evening will include a cash bar, photo booths, an open food bar, entertainment and more. Adult Prom is at Live! By Loews (799 Clark Avenue, eventbrite. com/e/2022-adult-prom-tickets-351962518367) on Saturday, July 23, beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $75.

Greek Life Sample another culture this weekend with Taste of the Greek Festival. There will be eats, drinks and dancing so authentic, you’ll swear you’re in Santorini. Not only will the food include Greek pastries and bites, but live Greek music and dance performances will entertain the masses. Drink some Greek wine and peruse the olive oils available by Olea Estates, a Maryland Heights business that produces olive products from a familyowned Greek orchard. There will also be a gift shop. Admission and parking are free. Visit the St. Nicholas Fam-

ily Life Center (12550 South Forty Drive, facebook.com/ events/438230981496932) on Saturday, July 23, for the Taste of the Greek Festival from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The fest will continue on Sunday.

SUNDAY 07/24 Geeked Out Nerds, you’re gonna wanna sit down for this: Traveling GeekCraft Expo hits the St. Louis suburbs this weekend, providing the perfect opportunity to geek out over locally crafted trinkets. Created “by nerds for nerds” in 2016, GeekCraft hosts multiple expos throughout the U.S. to showcase the talents of dorks everywhere. Miniatures from popular TV shows, blankets, paintings, posters and more will all be for sale. GeekCraft Expo is coming to Webster University’s Grant Gym (175 Edgar Road, geekcraftexpo. com) on Sunday, July 24, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you can’t make the Sunday event, there is also a Saturday date. Advance tickets are $2 until Friday, July 22, and $5 after. Kids 12 and under get in free.

WEEK OF JULY 21-27 ly defend Brooke Wyndham (Hayley Podschun) an exercise instructor accused of killing her husband and lle s first case . And omigod, you guys, we get to relive and relearn the famous “bend and snap.” Catch the show at the Muny (1 Theatre Drive, 314-361-1900, muny. org/show/legally-blonde/) at 8:15 p.m. Monday, July 25. Tickets are free to $115.

TUESDAY 07/26 St. Charles County Fair

Wednesday night Jazz Jams are a family-friendly event in St. Louis. | KRANZBERG ARTS FOUNDATION

Matilda Even if you’re little, you can do a lot, and that’s the message the Center of Creative Arts’ Matilda is bringing to the stage this weekend. Matilda, a musical based on the book by Roald Dahl, is a story of a young girl with a passion for reading and powers worthy of her storybook characters. Matilda (Riley Carter Adams) has disengaged, abusive parents who send her off to a school with a cruel headmistress. A tyrant, Trunchbull (Will onfiglio punishes the ids when they don’t keep to her strict rules. There’s a light in the darkness for Matilda in the form of her teacher Miss Honey (Alicia Like), who encourages Matilda to embrace her uniqueness. Matilda uses her powers to seek fairness for her friends and herself, making the tiny-butmighty story one about justice. Matilda takes the stage one last time at the Catherine B. Berges Theatre (6880 Washington Avenue, cocastl.org/calendar/matilda-

the-musical) on Sunday, July 24, at 1 and 5 p.m. The show opens on Friday, July 22. Run time is two and a half hours with an intermission. Tickets are $15 to $25. Masks must be worn at all times inside the theater.

July will take place at Tropical Liqueurs (4104 Manchester Avenue, eventbrite.com/e/christmas-injuly-tickets-31157974239) on Sunday, July 24, at noon. The show begins at 1:30 p.m.

Christmas in July

MONDAY 07/25 What, Like It’s Hard?

We’re six months out from the most wonderful time of the year. But you can celebrate the holiday season a bit earlier — and a bit differently — by attending Christmas in July. The annual drag show that doubles as a fundraiser for the St. Louis Queer+ Support Hotline — a nonprofit that offers confidential and identit affirming emotional support by and for the St. Louis LGBTQIA+ community for free. The show features drag stars such as Desire Declyne, Cheyenne Devereaux, Becca Diamond and Master of Seating Aiden Control. There is a special guest, Chasity Valentino, scheduled as well. Tickets cost $20. Christmas in

WEDNESDAY 07/27 Get Jazzy With It

The story of America’s favorite lawyer is coming to the Muny. Legally Blonde follows Elle Woods (Kyla Stone) as she transforms from sorority sister to Harvard Law graduate — not like it’s hard — while staying mostly true to herself (decked out in pink and with her pet chihuahua, Bruiser, by her side). This musical version of the popular film showcases Woods’ determination and her journey to true love. Root against ex-boyfriend Warner Huntington Dan rac , and watch lle fierce-

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As summer rolls in, so do the county fairs. A land full of tractor pulls, carnival-esque games and rides, live music and a place to gather with the community, the St. Charles County Fair offers one of the first fairs of the summer season. The event promises a children’s area, exhibits, motorsports, a bull rodeo, a petting zoo and way more just across the river. There will also be competitions, including a baby contest, where the fairest babe of all wins, and the Fair Queen contest, which crowns a young woman, pageant style. St. Charles County Fair takes over Rotary Park (2577 W. Meyer Road, Wentzville; stcharlescofair. org). The fair runs from Tuesday, July 26, to Saturday, July 30. Admission costs depend on the day, beginning at $10.

Family friendly is the game, and Wednesday Night Jazz Jam is the name. Celebrating the legacy of jazz and its future, Jazz Jam’s weekly gathering allows families to admire the genre that’s embedded in St. Louis history. Food and drink are available for purchase, and there is limited seating. Jazz Jam is hosted by Bob DeBoo, who plays both the double and electric bass and has played with the St. Louis Symphony. The free event is at the Dark Room at the Grandel (3610 Grandel Square, kranzbergartsfoundation.org/the-dark-room) Wednesday, July 27, from 6 to 9 p.m. n

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CAFE The Slice Is Right St. Louis’ pizza renaissance means there’s a lot more out there than Provel Written by

RFT STAFF

hen New Yorker writer Emily Nussbaum innocently asked on Twitter, “What’s St. Louis like?” she was greeted with a torrent of responses — a surprising number focused on a certain regional foodstuff. am now terrified of St. Louis pizza, so that’s new,” Nussbaum concluded a few hours later. But here’s the thing. Even if ou re terrified of St. ouis st le pizza — even if you’d rather move to Cape Girardeau than swallow a single bite of Imo’s infamous Provel-on-a-toasted-cracker — you don’t need to be one bit afraid of the pizza being served in St. Louis. The city is in the midst of a pizza renaissance, and your options now include everything from giant New York-style slices to charred pies straight out of Naples. If you still prefer the city’s old-school style, you have manifold options for that, too. What follows is a short list of our local favorites, compiled with assistance from the Pizza Connoisseurs of St. Louis. This group of food lovers has grown to more than 18,000 members in just a year and a half — further proof that, in St. Louis, you needn’t fear the pizza.

Noto 5105 Westwood Drive, St. Peters; 636-317-1143, notopizza.com

RFT critic Cheryl Baehr calls Noto “one of the most thrilling Italian restaurants in the St. Louis metropolitan area,” and the pizza is a big part of that. Finished in a three ton, wood fired oven shipped from Naples, it’s arguably the best Neapolitan pizza in town.

Pie Guy Pizza 4189 Manchester Avenue, 314-889-0444, pieguystl.com

If the East River is more your

Pizzeria da Gloria serves some of St. Louis’ best Neapolitan pizzas. | MABEL SUEN preferred pizza landscape than the Bay of Naples, you’ll want to check out this counter-service hot spot in the Grove. Pie Guy serves NYC-style ’za, and boy, is it good. Late-for-St. Louis hours let you get a slice ’til 11 p.m. on the weekends.

Melo’s Pizzeria

Pirrone’s Pizzeria Two locations including 1775 Washington Street, Florissant; 314-839-3633, pirronespizza.com

Pirrone’s thin-crusted gem might be the finest e ample of St. ouis style pizza in the metro area. Don’t miss Jerry’s Special, a “hot-nspicy” pie topped with pepperoni and crispy bacon.

2438 McNair Avenue (rear), 314-833-4489, melospizzeria.com

Now strictly a lunch spot open four days a week in Benton Park, this cozy joint from the family behind Blues City Deli serves up great wood fired pi a. he oven comes from the old country, but the Valenza family happily serves not only Neapolitan but also New York and St. Louis styles.

Pizzeria da Gloria 2024 Marconi Avenue, 314-833-3734, pizzeriadagloria.com

This newish, no-reservations pizzeria on the Hill offers some of the best pizza in the city’s longtime Italian haven. Pizzaiolo Joe Kurowski trained in Naples and New York before coming back to his hometown to show all that pizza can be.

Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Two locations including 14171 Clayton Road, Town and Country; 636-220-3238, katiespizzaandpasta.com

You can now get Katie’s delicious pizza offerings not only at chef/ owner Katie Lee Collier’s restaurants but also in grocery stores across the metro and in e as or shipped anywhere in the U.S.). ut the first option remains the best option: In Katie’s stylish environs, everything tastes better.

Anthonino’s Taverna 2225 Macklind Avenue, 314-773-4455, anthoninos.com

St. Louis’ favorite Italian/Greek hybrid offers favorites from both cuisines in a setting that’s nice enough for a business lunch but also casual enough to bring the kids. Perhaps the most apropos specialty pie is the Greek, an olive-oil base, feta,

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mozzarella, spinach, Kalamata olives and roasted red peppers.

Pi Pizzeria Multiple locations including 400 North Euclid Avenue, 314-367-4300, pi-pizza.com

This locally based chain has contracted in recent years, but the pizza remains stellar no matter which way you slice it. Pies come as either cornmeal-crusted deep dish or thin crust; salads and cocktails are both top-notch.

Liliana’s Italian Kitchen 11836 Tesson Ferry Road, 314-729-1800, lilianasitaliankitchen.com

This newish south-county favorite manages to capture the vibe of your favorite Italian American ristorante, with pasta, pizza and entrees such as St. Louis favorite chicken modiga. The specialty pizzas let you have it both ways by deploying a blend of mozzarella and Provel.

Scarlett’s Wine Bar 4253 Laclede Avenue, 314-797-8223, scarlettscwe.com

i e its big sisters Sasha s on Shaw and DeMun), Scarlett’s offers

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Continued on pg 28

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STL PIZZA RENAISSANCE Continued from pg 27

build-your-own pizzas from its wood fired oven, along with some specialty pies.

Blackthorn Pub and Pizza 3735 Wyoming Street, 314-776-0534, blackthornstl.com

This Tower Grove South mainstay is both a dive bar and a pizza joint, offering deep-dish pizza with an addictively spicy sauce. You’ll wait for these pies, but after a drink or two at the bar, you’ll be convinced it was worth it.

Pizzeoli 1928 South 12th Street, 314-449-1111, pizzeoli.com

This cozy Soulard favorite is no longer strictly vegetarian — its menu now includes a long list of meaty pies. But there’s still a roster of vegetarian and even vegan offerings — and the Neapolitanstyle crust is as perfectly charred as ever.

Frank and Helen’s Pizzeria 8111 Olive Boulevard, University City; 314-997-0666, frankandhelens.com

Nestled into an unassuming block of Olive Boulevard, Frank and Helen’s has served up pies and its famous “broasted chicken” since 1956. Crusts come thin or extra thin with sauces such as the Signature Red and nut-free pesto.

Pizza Champ’s pies have a chewy sourdough crust. | MABEL SUEN Café Piazza

Louie

1900 Arsenal Street, 314-343-0294, cafepiazza.com

This funky Benton Park cafe features two different types of pie: a dozen classic rounds and a smaller roster of thick-crust Sicilianstyle pies.

706 De Mun Avenue, Clayton; 314-300-8188, louiedemun.com

Everybody’s favorite Clayton restaurant offers not only pasta and talian influenced entrees but also a quintet of delicious woodfired pies.

Epic Pizza and Subs

Monte Bello Pizzeria

1711A South Ninth Street, 314-436-3742, epicpizzaandsubs.com

3662 Weber Road, Lemay; 314-638-8861, montebellostl. wordpress.com

This laid-back family-owned spot has been serving cornmeal-crusted St. Louis-style pizza since 1950. Finish your meal with the chocolate ravioli.

This 11-year-old Soulard spot offers thin-crust, New York-style pizza by the slice or as whole pies. Late-night hours and a prime location near iTap make Epic the ’za of choice for late-night revelers.

La Pizza

Pizza-A-Go-Go

8137 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-725-1230, lapizzamenu.com

6703 Scanlan Avenue, 314-781-1234, pizzaagogostl.wixsite.com/pizzaagogostl

This no-frills family-run pizzeria has developed a passionate following for its New York-style pies. They frequently sell out, so get your order in early.

Craft. Toppings are anything but traditional.

Randolph consulted on the menu.

Fordo’s Killer Pizza

Edera Italian Eatery

5100 Daggett Avenue, 314-773-5553, jdevoti.com

Inside City Foundry, 3730 Foundry Way, no phone, fordospizza.com

48 Maryland Plaza, 314-361-7227, ederastl.com

ood fired eapolitan pies are the center of attention at the City Foundry Food Hall’s newest hot spot, which comes from James Beard Award winner Gerard

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Frank and Helen’s has been serving pizza since 1956. | ANDY PAULISSEN

This Central West End newcomer serves up pizzas almost as beautiful as its patio. Diners who remember chef Mike Randolph’s acclaimed Good Pie will want in on these Neapolitan-inspired pies —

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J. Devoti Trattoria This date-night destination on the Hill serves true Italian, not American Italian, cuisine made with farm-fresh ingredients. The menu changes daily but generally includes at least five pi a options.

This long-standing, cash-only spot in Lindenwood Park keeps it simple with pizza and soft drinks. Limited seating makes this a to-go spot for most regulars.

PW Pizza 2017 Chouteau Avenue, 314-241-7799, pwpizza.com

This Lafayette Square-adjacent spot is a family favorite for its cheerful, brick-walled dining room. Pizza is the focus of a menu that also includes top-notch salads, appetizers and calzones.

Fordo’s. | CHERYL BAEHR

STL PIZZA RENAISSANCE Continued from pg 28

Pizza Head 3196 South Grand Boulevard, 314-266-5400, pizzahead.com

Don’t let some of the recent drama surrounding this punk-themed New York-style pizza joint scare you off; the place has new owners (and presumably a more-contented staff). The pizza is vegetarian or vegan but boasts numerous omnivore fans.

expanding to this side of the river (and adding an O’Fallon, Illinois, location . air the wood fired pi za with the housemade beer.

Angelo’s Pizzeria 4814 Parker Road, Florissant; 314-355-3242, no website

There’s nothing fancy about this north-county hole in the wall, but the thin-crust, Provel-topped pizza has many fans. There are no specialty pies or gourmet ingredients here, just the basics at an affordable price.

Nick and Elena’s

Faraci Pizza

3007 Woodson Road, Overland; 314-427-6566; no website

Two locations including 520 South Florissant Road, Ferguson; 314-524-2675, faracispizza.com

A favorite of both the RFT staff and the Pizza Connoisseurs of St. Louis, Nick and Elena’s old-school pizzeria rules the Overland area — and maybe the whole metro.

Nubby’s BBQ Two locations, including 6039 Telegraph Road, 314-293-9686, nubbysbbq.com

Maybe you’re not used to pizza at a barbecue joint, but this southcounty favorite has rapidly developed a big following for both offerings. The BBQ Hamburger pizza may offer the best of both sides of the menu.

The Faraci family began serving St. Louis-style pizza in Ferguson in 1968 and later opened a second, larger location in Ellisville. Not into pizza? Try the mostaccioli.

Serra’s Pizzeria 12218 McKelvey Road, Maryland Heights; 314-739-0881, serraspizzeria.com

Family-owned and operated since 1970, this low-key, strip-mall pizzeria offers St. Louis-style pies with a sweet Sicilian-style sauce.

Uncle Leo’s Pizza 9975 Lin Ferry Drive, 314-842-7155, uncleleospizza.com

Schottzie’s Bar and Grill 11428 Concord Village Avenue, 314-842-1728, schottzies.com

Don’t write off this south-county pub just because it’s no frills and for being best known for its deepfried brains sandwich. It serves a solid St. Louis-style pizza as well as a slightly thicker-crusted New York style. Haters, rejoice: Either can be made with mozzarella instead of Provel.

Peel Wood Fired Pizza Three locations including 208 South Meramec Avenue, Clayton; 314-696-2515; peelpizza.com

This family-friendly pizzeria was an Edwardsville favorite before

This locally owned, no-frills southcounty spot offers pizza and a small assortment of sandwiches and appetizers. Choose between Provel or mozzarella for your thin-crust pie.

Salvage Yard Bar and Grill 5406 Hampton Avenue, 314-832-8200, salvageyardbarandgrill.com

This bare-bones, counter-service spot in Lindenwood Park offers Chicago or St. Louis-style pizza, as well as something truly unique: a pizza that combines the best of both styles in a single pie, aptly named the BOB. You have to eat it to believe it. n

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RIVERFRONT TIMES

SHORT ORDERS

Patrick Fallwell serves as head chef at Bistro La Floraison. | LULU NIX

[FIRST LOOK]

In Bloom Bistro La Floraison offers “playfully innovative” French classics in Clayton Written by

KASEY NOSS

ak furniture, marble tables and gilded candelabras fill the two rooms that make up Bistro La Floraison (7637 Wydown Boulevard, 314-7250 bistrola oraison.com). A velvet banquette lines one wall of one room, and a formidable, wooden wine cabinet brimming with glassware and porcelain occupies another. Lantern-like, wrought-iron chandeliers cast a warm glow that mingles with the natural light gushing in through the front windows. It all channels the upscale restaurants of antiquity. Yet, above the ornate chandeliers, a charcoal-colored exposedpipe ceiling brings a distinctly modern feel to the space, supplemented by the globular quartz lamps hanging above the bar and the playful art dotting the walls. This dueling yet complementary classic-meets-modern sensibility is at the heart of Bistro La Flo-

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raison, which celebrated its grand opening to the public last week. Owned by Aaron Martinez and Tara and Michael Gallina of Take oot ospitalit , the space fills the hole left in Clayton’s restaurant scene by the departure of beloved neighborhood eatery Bar Les Frères. Nearly two years after the pandemic forced St. Louis restaurateur Zoë Robinson to permanently close Bar Les Frères, the Gallinas (the minds behind Vicia, Winslow’s Table and Taqueria Morita) have continued its legacy with a swanky French bistro of their own. “There’s a lot of history to this space. People really loved having a French restaurant here, so it feels like the smart thing to do to continue that,” Tara Gallina says. “We just thought we needed more French restaurants in St. Louis.” The restaurant aims to offer a “playfully innovative” take on classic French dishes, desserts and wines. Its take on gougères, for instance, sees the traditional puff-pastry appetizer paired with a creamy Gruyère dipping sauce. “You can dip it in, get messy, have fun and sort of enhance that cheesy factor, which is a little untraditional,” Gallina says. Other notable twists on French classics include fried chicken cordon bleu with smoked bacon and Gruyère, Swiss chard and an Orléans mustard sauce; Parisian gnocchi with sweet corn, chanterelles, chives and demi-sec tomatoes;

JULY 20-26, 2022

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Smoked Trout Rilette with crème fraîche, chives and toasted porridge bread. | LULU NIX and a caviar service complete with crisp potato wa es, chives, shallots, smoked crème fraîche and sieved eggs. “Our hospitality group has a lot of spots that are unique in their own way, but there’s something fun about playing to the classics,” Gallina says. “It’s an opportunity for us to have fun with some really technique-driven food in a new environment.” he allinas affinit for enhancing the classics doesn’t stop with the food. The pair had already determined to make their next venture French, and their predecessor’s rich French history onl solidified their resolution. The Gallinas have sprinkled familiar “Easter eggs” throughout their establishment that vigilant frequenters of the former establishment may happily pick up on. The walls of Bar Les Frères were chartreuse and deep red. In homage to its predecessor, hints of sage green and pale burgundy decorate Bistro La Floraison. A pair of decorative antlers atop the bistro’s bar allude to the mounted antlers that once covered the wall behind it. Even the initials of the two establishments are the same. e re ust tr ing to find some ways to pay our respects to what was here before,” Gallina says. Above all, the Gallinas aim to make Bistro La Floraison a neighborhood restaurant, marking a departure from their previous ventures. While those establish-

ments tend to alter their menus frequently, the Bistro will feature a set menu, save for changes to seasonal items. “I think at a neighborhood restaurant, you want to be able to have that thing you love,” Gallina says. “Having that neighborhood restaurant here to go to at night, stop by for a quick glass of wine, have a special meal, come by for dessert; it can be really special.” Martinez and the Gallinas have worked hard to make this a place that not only welcomes but dazzles. The space includes seating for 40 guests indoors and 24 outside. A late-night snack menu and dessert menu for evening stragglers will be available from 9 p.m. until close — 10 p.m. weeknights and Sunday, and 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Sommelier Patricia Wamhoff manages its robust wine program, and Patrick Fallwell serves as head chef. he restaurant s namesa e, floraison, means “bloom” in French. Gallina chose this word because of its connections to agriculture and wine, both integral aspects of Take Root Hospitality’s ethos. If the heart they have poured into this venture is any indication, though, “bloom” is exactly what Bistro La Floraison will do. “I’m excited to know the neighbors, to get to know everybody who loved this place before, and hopefully, they will love what we’re doing here,” Gallina says. n

Billy Busch, who recently announced wider availability of two new beers, faced assault charges from a 2017 incident. | COURTESY WILLIAM K. BREWING COMPANY

[FOOD NEWS]

Dubious Brews Billy Busch — who’s been accused of assault, neglect, ear biting — releases new beers Written by

JESSICA ROGEN

illy Busch, great-grandson of Adolphus Busch, has made a new foray into the world. No, it isn’t another short-lived reality TV show a la 2020’s The Busch Family Brewed but rather a return to the meat-and-potatoes of the Busch family. It’s a beer. Actually, it’s two beers. Last week, the Busch Family Brewing & Distilling Company announced the wide availability of its two inaugural brews, the Adolphus German Style Pilsner and Gussie Bavarian Lager, from “an heir of the Busch Family legacy.” Previously, the Adolphus could be found at a few area spots but is now at locations such as Café Napoli, Culpepper’s, Mike Duffy’s Pub and Grill, and Sam’s Steakhouse, among others. Both were brewed by Urban Chestnut Brewing Company and under the supervision of Josh Hearst, the head brewer of Busch Family Brewing & Distilling. “My family and I are carrying on the tradition of brewing some of the finest beers in the country,” Busch said in a press release, adding that the two were meant to honor his great-grandfather and father respectively. One dares not speculate on what the

Busch forefathers would make of these two beers, nor what they’d make of their so-called heir, who has several dark spots on his public record. In 2018, Billy Busch faced assault charges for a 2017 incident in which he took intervening in a spat between his son and another sixth grader at a basketball game much too far. Busch bloodied the child’s nose and pushed him against a wall, pinning him. Later that year, Busch pled down to disturbing the peace from fourth-degree assault for the alleged incident, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “Justice is served,” Derek Falb, the boy’s father, said in a statement at the time. In 1988, Busch had a public and supposedly nasty custody battle with Angela Whitson after refusing to return their daughter and a half brother to her. They both accused each other of neglect, though a judge eventually sided with Busch lukewarmly, noting that he could hire care, according to the Post-Dispatch. When Busch proposed to buy Grant’s Farm in 2016, that daughter, Scarlett Busch, wrote on Facebook of his “neglect and abandonment,” reported St. Louis Magazine. That’s not all. The Post-Dispatch goes on to note a few older incidents when Busch, allegedly, bit off someone’s ear during a bar fight in 1981, though no charges were filed. In addition, he allegedly hit a man in the throat at a drivethru window the following year, though no charges were filed. But this is all getting away from the beers. Actually, this venture isn’t Busch’s first into the beer world. In 2011, he launched the William K. Busch Brewing Company, which made Kräftig, and shut it down in 2019, citing low market demand. n

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JULY 20-26, 2022

RIVERFRONT TIMES

ST. LOUIS STANDARDS

Hot Salami! Family and a famous sandwich have kept Gioia’s a Hill cornerstone for over a century Written by

OLIVIA POOLOS Gioia’s Deli Multiple locations including 1934 Macklind Avenue, 314-776-9410 Established in 1918

le Donle s first bite of solid food as an infant was a piece of hot salami from Gioia’s Deli. That early taste may well have sealed his fate. Nearly 40 years later, Donley, now the owner of Gioia’s, is still inseparable from the famous sandwich that he says represents his hometown. “Gioia’s, hot salami, St. Louis –– they’re all synonymous with each other,” Donley says. He’s owned the deli since 2016, but it’s been in the Donley family for decades and has been a staple of the St. Louis dining scene for over a century. Sitting at the corner of Macklind and Daggett avenues, Gioia’s has fed thousands of St. Louis residents, with thousands of sandwiches, since 1918 –– and they don’t plan to stop anytime soon. “There’s so much history in this corner that everyone in this area has and feels,” Donley says. “There’s not a lot of that in St. Louis.” Donley’s grandmother, Arlene Donley, bought the place in 1980 from Steve and John Gioia, second-generation brothers of the original Gioia family. She was driving on Macklind and saw a “For Sale” sign in the window of what was then a small mom-andpop grocery store servicing the surrounding Hill neighborhood. With the help of Cathy Donley, Alex’s mom, the mom-and-daughter pair shifted the store away from grocery items and toward what the customers seemed to want: sandwiches. “We had cans of green beans, the basic needs,” Donley said. “But everyone would come in, bypass all that, and go get a sandwich.” In 1990, Cathy Donley took over

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Anyone and everyone can be found rubbing elbows during Gioia’s lunch rush. | ANDY PAULISSEN the store by herself. But she had help in the form of her three sons, who would bike to the deli every day after school. “I started working at Gioia’s when I was old enough to see over the counter,” Donley says. At the Hill location, a framed black-and-white photo shows Cathy and her three young sons, each of whom is clutching a sandwich the size of their arm. In the picture, Donley, the smallest, is wrapped in an apron and sports a gap-tooth smile, clearly thrilled to be there. Though he had two older brothers, Donley was the one to inherit Gioia’s. “I just fell in love with it,” he said. His mom was ready to sell to an outside buyer, but once she saw how invested Donley was in the deli, she offered it to him first, in 2014. Donley accepted without hesitation, and fully took over two years later. Donel said that in the first years he took over, before she died, Mary Gioia, the youngest daughter of the Gioia family, would come every Saturday. She would order a hot salami sandwich to make sure that Donley

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Gioia’s has been an institution since 1918. | ANDY PAULISSEN was doing it right. Gioia would sit outside, eat and tell Donley stories about Yogi Berra, who grew up in the Hill. “[Berra] would come in, get a hot salami-provolone-mustard,” Donley retells. “Him and his friends would go around the Hill getting

bottles to turn back in here, to get money to buy baseballs.” These days, no famous baseball players (that I could tell) frequent Gioia’s. But nearly everyone else does. Around the lunch hour, about a dozen people at any given time are gathered inside, waiting

[

]

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

Alex Donley’s first bite of solid food was Gioia’s hot salami. | ANDY PAULISSEN for their deli numbers to be called. Men in orange construction vests stand next to a grandmother and her grandkids, who rub shoulders with a gentleman in an all-white suit. On a sunny Saturday, Donley says, the Hill location serves nearly 1,000 customers. Small wooden tables are flan ed by red chairs, and bags of potato chips line the walls, giving the joint an intentionally old-timey feel. Even its “small” sandwiches are filling, at about si inches long and half as wide. A “regular” stretches to ten inches and contains two layers of meat, cheese and vegetables –– enough to send the average person into a post-lunch food coma. Hot salami, Gioia’s famed sandwich, is a distinctly St. Louis phenomenon. The meat is not technically salami but a sausage that is boiled and sliced immediately to order while still warm. Donley said that Charlie Gioia, the founder, brought over the recipe from northern Italy. These days, Gioia’s makes nearly 4,000 pounds of the stuff per week. Donley eats at least a piece of a sandwich nearly every day, in order to make sure the quality is up to snuff. The sandwiches should be consistent, he says, not too thick or thin, heated to the right temperature. Donley can’t explain how he knows what the “right” hot salami or roast beef tastes like, just that it should taste exactly how it did when he was a kid. “I’m doing what Mary Gioia did to me,” he says. “Course correction.” Tradition is important to Donley.

Gioia’s has two sandwich stations to deal with the lunch rush. | ANDY PAULISSEN

The hot salami is a sausage that is boiled and sliced to order while warm. | ANDY PAULISSEN He wants Gioia’s to be a cornerstone of the Hill’s history, just like it’s always been. At the same time, he knows he has to “evolve with the times” in order to stay standing. After an experiment with a food truck in 2014, Donley and his wife, Amanda, expanded Gioia’s from a sole location on the Hill to three more around the city. “I’ll go anywhere people want to eat my sandwiches,” Donley says. In 2016, that was downtown. In 2018, Creve Coeur. In 2022, the couple opened a small takeout window in Maryland Heights. When COVID-19 hit, however, Gioia’s century-long tenure nearly came to an end. “We lost 17 employees in one day,” Donley says.

Its downtown location shuttered after a steady stream of 200 to 300 people per day slowed to a trickle of less than a dozen. Yet the remaining locations stayed strong, likely thanks to takeout sandwich orders from loyal customers and Gioia’s small ingredient-source radius, which spared the deli from the supplychain issues that plagued the country. “We were local before local was celebrated, because that’s just what you did on the Hill. You bought from your local guys,” Donley says. Gioia’s gets bread from Pete Vitale, just down the street. Cheese is from Hautly, which used to be on the Hill before it was bought

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out by Kuna Foods, a Midwest food supplier. Pork comes from greater-Missouri farmers, but the rest of their meat comes from Volpi, about a block away. So with its neighbors’ ingredients and Donley’s will to survive, Gioia’s kept making sandwiches throughout the pandemic. “Lyda Krewson said we were essential,” Donley says. “So we are essential. We are here to feed people. And I took that seriously.” As a self-proclaimed extrovert, Donley gains energy from interacting with customers and employees. His day-to-day involves bouncing around to different locations, putting out small fires and making sure employees and customers are happy. Amanda is more level, focusing on the business side of the industry. Working together, Donley says, the pair has grown the business three or four times as large as it was in 2016. For now, Donley sees himself and his family as the heart of Gioia’s. He and Amanda have four young kids –– who were all given hot salami as their first bite of solid food. He’s hoping one of them might take over the deli once he retires. ‘They all say, ‘Daddy’s the best sandwich maker in St. Louis.’ And I’m proud of that. I know this is hard, and this is a service-based industry,” Donley says. “But it’s a great thing, and they all know how important this is to our family. And keeping it strong is number one.” n

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RIVERFRONT TIMES

JULY 20-26, 2022

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REEFERFRONT TIMES

For the uninitiated, cannabis concentrates are made by extracting THC from flower by applying pressure at a high temperature to create a wax-like substance.

[REVIEW]

Carted Away HeadChange’s Jurassic Gas live sauce cartridges check all the boxes Written by

GRAHAM TOKER

ith their convenience and high-powered, brainscrambling effects, cannabis concentrates have seen significant upta e across the industr in recent ears, and with good reason. n m e perience, stra ing outside the boundaries of to ing flower usuall results in the sessions that have the most memorable stories. After all, what better wa is there to annihilate a flower smo er than b ta ing a dab? For instance, one time a cowor er and invited ourselves to another cowor er s house, and ever one minus the host was soon absolutel wrec ed after a single round of dabs. hough d surel had enough, sheepishl volunteered m self as tribute for a second round, and the ne t minutes involved me ha il watching the host smash another three dabs that s five total before passing around a single water cup for ever one to uench our thirst, all of us half listening as he e plained Japanese anime while watching Japanese anime. t was an e perience, to be sure. or the uninitiated, cannabis concentrates are made b e tracting from flower b appl ing pressure at a high temperature to create a wa li e substance. here are var ing wa s to achieve this, of course, ranging from some true mad scientist stuff to a D method that involves little more than wa paper and a hair straightener. he resultant goo can then be smo ed through a glass rig usuall with the use of a blowtorch or, more convenientl , put into a vape cartridge. I opted for the non-torch option when stepped into Swade s hero ee Street location. t s a petite space co ,” if ou re a realtor ,

HeadChange’s live sauce carts offer portability and discretion. | GRAHAM TOKER and within steps was chec ed in and on the sales floor as ing uestions about live resin cartridges. ne of the movers and sha ers in the issouri medical mari uana space has been ead hange, with its lineup of terpene forward concentrates. Although m budtender confessed to having minimal nowledge about the cartridges, ead hange helpfull puts a good deal of information on its pac aging to let ou get a better feel for what ou re getting. After confirming the cartridges are live,” meaning the include the terpenes from the source flower the re made from diamonds and sauce, in fact noted that the also listed the top three terpenes contained within, as well as tasting notes. opted for Jurassic as, high in limonene, nerolidol and linalool, and cloc ing in at . percent combined and A. he strain is a cross between Jurassic ush and as ru e, and its flavor note was also intriguing ubblegum e reath.” he

sweet gas taste seems to be a popular one currentl , and was eager to tr it out. paid . for one half-gram cartridge. efore going further, had two main bo es wanted to chec Does it taste good And does the cartridge wor confirmed that the batter had, an o e thread, would wor for the cartridges. eadhange encourages a batter of two to three volts for a better e perience. he user e perience has indeed been a downfall of past cartridge e periments ve had logged cartridges, batter malfunction or incapabilit , or tasting the e traction medium m loo ing at ou, butane hone oil being the main culprits. he two biggest advantages the cartridges have over a dab rig are the ease of use and the discretion. a ing it on a wal was simple ust slap the cartridge on the batter and head out the door. And if someone sees ou, the ust thin ou re vaping and, as a bonus, assume ou re ounger than ou

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reall are. was caught off guard one morning while blowing a giant cloud in front of an old man who was une pectedl sitting on his porch as was wrangling m dog. ood morning,” s uea ed out while the cloud dissipated over his propert . ead hange s emphasis on terpenes and taste meant m e pectations were high, and wasn t disappointed ripping clouds of the Jurassic as. he bubblegum flavor was more of a slightl more old school gum li e ig eague hew, and there were prominent fuel li e notes on m e hales. he taste was not overwhelmingl gas, but more of a sour tart turned sweeter, while not overwhelmingl sweet li e a unt or other cand terpene strain. he cartridge was en o ed over the wee end. felt more comfortable toting it around than the usual oint, since it is far more discrete. t was also not as obtrusive in the house, and because of that blew through it fairl uic l . As for the mechanical side of things, I had no issues with the cart in two different thread batteries. So what s the final word on the ead hange live sauce concentrate cartridges Do the chec the bo es set forth earlier n m e perience, the Jurassic as cart tasted wonderful, and it didn t brea . hec and chec . d definitel purchase it again. e t time, though, ll have to fire up a torch for some of eadhange s live badder. Just please don t tal to me about anime. n

JULY 20-26, 2022

RIVERFRONT TIMES

CULTURE Spencer bested his fellow competitors from the United States as well as those from Spain, Great Britain, Venezuela, Russia, South Africa, France, Poland, Italy and Mexico.

[MONSTERS]

Quick Draw St. Louis artist Jason Spencer takes top prize at Illustrated World Series Written by

DANIEL HILL

ere in St. Louis, we already know and love Jason Spencer and the myriad bonkers artistic works he creates through his Killer Napkins brand. His demonic creatures haunt our galleries, his trippy scifi murals cover our walls, his monstrous tapestries keep us warm in the winter. Now, word of our hometown hero’s outsize talent has gone international. Last weekend, Spencer participated in the Illustrated World Series, taking home the top honors in the Illustrated Masters 2022 Digital division. The Londonbased art-sports competition pitted 16 illustrators from around the globe against one another in a bracketed tournament, with the winner — that’s Spencer — taking home £1,750 (or $2,068.31 in United States money). As if that wasn’t impressive enough, Spencer pulled off the win in his debut year participating, having been asked only days before the event to sub in for a competitor that had to drop out. Spencer isn’t even fully sure how he ended up on the organizers’ radar — but he supposes it might have something to do with a comment he’d left on one of the group’s social media posts. “Apparently I was following them on Instagram beforehand — I guess I might have saw something last year — but I saw a friend had posted about participating in it this year,” he explains. “And I was sitting at the bar just talking to my buddy, and I go, ‘Yo, check this out. This looks cool.’ And then like 10 minutes later I got hit up and asked to participate, to fill in last minute because the thing was happening in a couple days. So I accepted and

RIVERFRONT TIMES

Competitors created artistic interpretations of Buzzfeed headlines. | COURTESY JASON SPENCER

Jason Spencer was awarded more than $2,000 for his win. | COURTESY JASON SPENCER tried to make it happen.” Make it happen he did. Before an online audience of more than 500,000 streamers, Spencer bested his fellow competitors from the United States as well as those from Spain, Great Britain, Venezuela, Russia, South Africa, France, Poland, Italy and Mexico to secure his win. The rules for the event were fairly straightforward. Pairs of competitors were assigned headlines from Buzzfeed articles that they were then given an hour to interpret artistically in a headto-head manner, employing only black, white, grayscale and one other color of their choice. “Then everybody else had some different headline that they were working on. And you would take an hour to get to draw your full piece,” Spencer explains. “They

JULY 20-26, 2022

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did a big Twitch stream where they had eight people going at a time at the beginning, with an announcer and all that.” Spencer employed his usual surrealist, monster-laden approach to the headlines he was given. For the first round, he was assigned “#RIPTwitter: Elon Musk Is Buying Twitter For $44 Billion.” In response, he whipped up a Grim eaper figure with dollar signs for eyes and a huge sack of cash. In the second round, Spencer tackled “Worldcoin Promised Free Crypto If They Scanned Their Eyeballs With ‘The Orb.’” For that one, he drew a cyclops creature clad in a bow tie, drooling as it trains its single eye on a sphere that’s pooping coins into its open hands. Round three was “Twentysomethings Have Started Throwing Fake Weddings,” for which Spencer conjured up a set of sinister, glowing eyes with a pair of tattooed arms moving tuxedo- and weddingdress-clad crash-test dummies toward one another atop a cake. For those rounds, the competitors had been told the headlines the night before, giving them time to come up with an idea. But for the final round against fellow American Alex Solis, the two were given their headline just before it was time to compete. hat final round was essentially, like, the judging took about 30 minutes or so,” Spencer explains. “And then they announced

the winners and told us our new headlines, so we had to come up pretty quick with an idea.” hat final round was focused on a matter of considerable impact for the two U.S. citizens, with the headline being “Americans Take To The Streets To Protest The Overturning Of Roe v. Wade.” For this one, Spencer pulled no punches, drawing a sea of limbs and heads in a crowd approaching a columned building labeled “Supreme Shit,” some carrying signs with slogans such as “Hands Off,” “Protect Women” and “Abort the Court.” That one was enough for Spencer to take home the gold. In addition to the cash prize, Spencer says that the level of exposure the win will generate for him is considerable. The Illustrated World Series has a partnership with Comic-Con, he says, and several of the people who were competing are artists of whom he’s long considered himself a fan. “I knew a lot of these illustrators that were in this for a while now,” he says. “I had a couple of friends that I had just recently met when I was in New York participating ... and then some other people that I’ve been following for years. So, pretty cool to see.” His participation in the event was last minute this year, but Spencer already has plans to be involved in 2023. After all, he’s got a title to hold on to. “They were explaining to me [that] once you participate in this, you’ll be asked to come back,” he says of the win. “So I gotta defend it.” n

[BOOKS]

No Great Men Here Teddy Wayne’s novel The Great Man Theory satirizes the anger of a left-behind, Gen-X liberal in an increasingly radicalized world Written by

JESSICA ROGEN

he protagonist of Teddy Wayne’s The Great Man Theory could be described as a total sad sack. At the start, he’s a mildly successful, if self-righteous, college lecturer with a contract to complete his first full-length book, The Luddite Manifesto: How the Age of Screens Is a Fatal Distraction. Within five pages of The Great Man Theory, though, Paul’s been demoted, his salary halved. He moves in with his mother. Once there, he finds she’s become enthralled by a right-wing talk show akin to Fox News and the devotee of the unnamed, but Trump-like, president. It’s here that Wayne introduces Thomas Carlyle’s great man theory, for which the novel is named. “Certain strong, virtuous, and courageous individuals are the ones who shape history,” fictional TV host Colin Mackey says in veneration of the political figure. Paul is not a great man. He aspires otherwise, but by the end of Wayne’s novel, he’s completely devolved. A big stress point for Paul is losing his space. In a moment of parallelism, when I connect with Wayne on the book’s launch date, July 12, he’s also displaced. “We’re sort of between apartments,” Wayne says. “We lost our lease at the end of June and have yet to get a new place, and so we’re in limbo and bouncing around different places.” A native New Yorker (Yonkers, Riverdale, the Bronx and now Brooklyn, kind of), Wayne found his way to St. Louis in 2005 to attend Washington University’s MFA program. He’d wanted to be a writer since third grade, but got serious about the pursuit at the end of high school. He’d write screenplays and dabble in fiction. Then, after college, he wrote a novel that led to an agent and graduate school — but was never published. “Thank God it [was] not. It was not good,” he says. “[It was] vaguely autobiographical, but the autobiography wasn’t interesting enough to work with. Then the deviations from it weren’t well writ-

Teddy Wayne earned his MFA at Washington University in St. Louis. | COURTESY BLOOMSBURY ten enough to make it compelling — so the worst of all worlds.” Wash U did right by Wayne. In addition to turning out what would become his first published novel, Kapitoil, he developed a close-knit writer cohort and stayed after graduating to teach and to continue to haunt Joe’s Cafe, with its popcorn, music and fake brook. “To date, my favorite night-life location,” he says. After a year, as his group disbanded and left town, Wayne returned to New York for “the high rents and the breakneck stress of it,” he jokes. “And I did want to make my life here ultimately.” In the years subsequent, Wayne also published five novels, including The Love Song of Johnny Valentine (2013), Loner (2016) and Apartment (2020), and has been a frequent contributor to publications such as New Yorker and McSweeney’s. Aside from some teaching at the 92nd Street Y, Wayne makes his living as a fulltime writer, mostly writing fiction, though he also does screenwriting. “[With fiction] you can make use of everything you’ve ever thought of or felt or learned,” he says. “It’s this wonderful form that encapsulates the entirety of your being in a way that not every other art form, at least that I’m capable of

“[With fiction] you can make use of everything you’ve ever thought of or felt or learned. It’s this wonderful form that encapsulates the entirety of your being.” working with, permits.” The story of how The Great Man Theory came to be stretches back to summer 2019. Wayne wrote a novel that he thought was great. But neither his agent nor his wife agreed. At first he was wounded but then quickly had a new idea for a novel about a man outraged

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by a Trump-like administration and rightwing disinformation. “But then to make it ultimately not so much about the optics of his ire, which feels easy,” Wayne says, “[and] instead turn it inward and make it about the kind of person who is himself obsessed with these people and organizations … and the nature of his anger.” Paul is a convincing, and mostly humorous, portrait of a certain kind of Gen X, East Coast, white lefty who’s excluded from the contemporary left. He’s aware that he’s not doing well and that there’s increasingly less space for him in the world as he fails as a professor and as a father to his 11-year-old daughter. Though that all sounds incredibly depressing, Wayne lightens the book with deft use of satire. “This book needed to have comedy throughout or else it would just be, you know, kind of unbearable to read,” he says, pointing to a moment where Paul pulls out his DVDs and old-school taste in movies when hosting his daughter’s sleepover birthday party. “I knew moments like that were ripe for comedy to undercut the sadness of this guy.” Though Wayne has often turned to comedy (see McSweeney’s), he says he’s a bit exhausted with the form. Having young children will do that, but it’s also a reflection of the world’s increasing darkness. “Does it actually move any needles?” he asks. Overall, Wayne tries to focus less on his work’s impact and more on his craft. “I think all I could ask for is to be satisfied with the body of work [I] produced,” he says. “And to not hopefully care as much about what impact it made on others during the time [it was] coming out.” n

JULY 20-26, 2022

RIVERFRONT TIMES

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FILM

The Silver Screen The 22nd Annual Whitaker St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase shows St. Louis-connected films Written by

JESSICA ROGEN

rowing up in north St. Louis city, Bruce Carlton Cunningham received a lessthan flattering nic name — couch potato — from his cousins because he’d post up in front of the TV and not move. During those hours, he became enthralled by the worlds created within his favorite movies. “I always wanted to be on the big screen,” he says. “I also wanted to actuall ma e the film, and so after watching the movies, I would act them out when I was young.” That childhood ambition is about to become a reality. Cunningham directed, wrote, acted in and produced a film, Unresolved, that is set to close out the nd Annual hita er St. ouis ilmma ers Showcase on Sunda , July 24, at 4:30 p.m. It’s one of 73 films and shorts that will show as part of the two wee end festival, which ic ed off last rida at Washington University’s Brown Hall Auditorium. Everything included as part of the showcase must have a St. Louis connection — a local director, subject or actor. “It highlights the great depth and breadth and talent of the local filmma ing communit , which is super impressive,” says Chris lar , artistic director of inema St. Louis. “It’s gotten just better and better over time.” lar would now, as he s been with Cinema St. Louis since 1997. e was there for the first ear of the showcase, which was run by the St. ouis ilm ffice, a government funded entit that uic l ran out of money. St. Louisans met the inaugural showcase with enthusiasm, though, and inema St. ouis too notice. hen someone at it all as ed if the group would li e to ta e over,

In the animated short Space Race, two astronauts try to claim the moon. It will play at 6 p.m. on Friday, July 22. | CINEMA ST. LOUIS

Bruce Carlton Cunningham’s Un-resolved will close out the 22nd Annual Whitaker St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase on Sunday, July 24, at 4:30 p.m. | CINEMA ST. LOUIS lar and others umped at the opportunity. Entries for the showcase open every year in January, though lar sa s most films come in toward the end of the submission period at the end of May. Many submissions are b filmma ers, but plenty are by hobbyists. “It’s always fun and exciting to loo at that all,” sa s lar , who watches all the entries himself. Some showings are made up of disparate shorts that fit together in themes: thriller, animated and experimental, drama, comedy and supernatural. Others are single, feature length films, such as Cunningham’s Un-resolved. With a run time of two hours and 45 minutes, it’s the longest offering

in the showcase. lar recalls it coming in toward the end of the submission process. “It can’t be right,” he remembers thin ing, believing it must be one hour and 45 minutes, or maybe just 45 minutes. “How can this possibly hold up all the balls in the air for all that time?” ut lar found himself drawn in b the film, which follows an ex-convict attempting to reconcile with his two daughters after being released from prison. He describes it as a “time-spanning revenge drama” and Sha espearean.” hough he s loo ing forward to showing his wor , unningham finds himself a bit an ious about holding viewers’ attention for all that time. He’d actually tried a

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few different, shorter cuts during the five ears that he d wor ed on it, but ept returning to the longer version. Un-resolved evolved from a series of shorts that Cunningham had made, and the character names date bac from when he was stud ing film in college at issouri Western State University. Now 42, Cunningham decided to flip his character from being the villain to the protagonist as his perspective changed over time and as he became a father himself. One of the actresses in Un-resolved is Cunningham’s daughter. “Daddy and daughter did a movie together,” he says. “I created the role for her.” The showcase offers something for any viewer. Other crime-related offerings include Hungry Dog Blues, a modern Western set in Missouri, and All Gone Wrong, about a veteran cop on the hunt to uncover a narcotics networ . here s comedy, such as Ethan and Edna, a short about a foul-mouthed grandma helping her loser grandson. There are documentaries, li e Winemaking in Missouri: A Well-Cultivated History and Night Life, which is about St. Louis’ “Pastor of the Streets” Reverend Kenneth McKoy. All this, and more. r something different,” lar says. “[Film] is part of the arts scene here, and we want people to ind of figure out that it s reall big.” n

JULY 20-26, 2022

RIVERFRONT TIMES

HAPPY HOUR SPECIALS MONDAY-FRIDAY 11AM-4PM

WEDNESDAY, 7/20/22

ANDREW DAHLE 4PM FREE SHOW! SEAN CANAN’S VOODOO PLAYERS PRESENTS: VOODOO ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND! 9PM THURSDAY, 7/21/22

WENDELL BUIE 4PM FREE SHOW! J.D. HUGHES 9PM FREE SHOW! FRIDAY, 7/22/22

TBA 4PM FREE SHOW! ALLIGATOR WINE 10PM SATURDAY, 7/23/22

ALL ROOSTERED UP 12PM FREE SHOW! SKAMASALA 10PM

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JULY 20-26, 2022

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SUNDAY, 7/24/22

JASON GARMS 2PM ERIC LYSAGHT 9PM

FREE SHOW! FREE SHOW!

MONDAY, 7/25/22

ANDREW DAHLE 5PM FREE SHOW! SOULARD BLUES BAND 9PM TUESDAY, 7/26/22

ERIC MCSPADDEN & MARGARET BIENCHETTA 5PM FREE SHOW! ETHAN JONES 9PM FREE SHOW!

ORDER ONLINE FOR ! CURBSIDE PICKM-UP 9:30PM

Y 11A MONDAY-SATURDAMSUNDAY 11A 8:30PM

MUSIC [PUNK ROCK]

Making ‘Dangerous’ Rock Post-health scares, punk-rock band The Yowl finally celebrates its second album Written by

KASEY NOSS

hey say don’t meet your heroes. Instead, Bobby Wofford, lead singer of St. Louis-based punk rock band The Yowl, has worked with them. A Salem native, Wofford grew up on Chuck Berry. His dad would often take him to see Berry live at Blueberry Hill, a tradition that continued even as Wofford got older. Over time, Wofford got to know Berry’s live pianist, whom he credits with helping introduce The Yowl to the St. Louis music scene. In 2011, The Yowl returned to Blueberry Hill as Berry’s opening act. “That was super cool,” Wofford says, joking that he could have quit then and been satisfied. feel li e if you come from Missouri, [Chuck Berry is] in your blood.” The early 2000s found Wofford in Los Angeles, where he played in a different band with bassist Heath Lanyon, a future cofounder of The Yowl. During that period, they developed a relationship with Wayne Kramer, a guitarist for American proto-punk-rock band MC5 — and coincidentally, one of the band’s biggest inspirations. When the pair formed The Yowl in their home state of Missouri several years later, Kramer’s guidance was “integral” to their success. “He’s just been a really cool mentor,” Wofford says. It’s been over a decade since Wofford and Lanyon founded The Yowl. In that time, the band has taken the mentorship of its idols and carved out a brand all its own. At its core, The Yowl’s sound is classic punk mixed with

The Yowl finally celebrated its second album, It’s Rock and Roll, Babies!, last weekend at Off Broadway. | COURTESY THE YOWL rock & roll. Its self-titled debut (Industrial Amusement, 2015) features all the staples of a robust punk album: angsty guitar, upbeat tempo and vocals that sound like they’ve been shouted from rooftops or drenched in cigarette smoke. Track titles such as “Money, Power, War!” and “Lips of the Apocalypse” cement the album as a modern feat of classic punk. With its latest album, It’s Rock and Roll, Babies!, which dropped in summer 2021, The Yowl continues this legacy and incorporates elements of psychedelic rock. The sophomore effort does not mark a departure from the debut album. Rather, it serves as a continuation of the band’s creative vision and an opportunity to see what they can accomplish within the punkrock genre. “I think that we’re going to maintain the rock & roll element of it and maybe make rock & roll dangerous, or something like that,” Wofford says. The Yowl draws inspiration from psychedelic and punk-rock pioneers such as Iggy and the Stooges, MC5 and Roky Erickson.

“I think that we’re going to maintain the rock & roll element, and maybe make rock & roll dangerous, or something like that.” The lattermost holds a special place in the band’s heart, as Yowl lead guitarist Eli Southard and drummer Matt Long both toured with Erickson’s band during the last years of his life. Wofford cites The New York Dolls as one of his personal idols — given Wofford’s previous track record, it should be no surprise that the Dolls’ late lead pianist Sylvain Sylvain has a guest track on It’s Rock and Roll, Babies! The Yowl dropped It’s Rock and

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Roll, Babies! in two parts: Side A, which features brand-new material, and Side B, featuring select tracks from the self-titled album that the band wanted to add to the LP. Side A is self-produced, with Southard responsible for the engineering. Side B was produced and mixed by Jonathan James of indiepop band Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsen. The Yowl did not release It’s Rock and Roll, Babies! on streaming platforms. Instead, the band opted to distribute it exclusively on vinyl through Sioux Guitars. “You don’t make any money as an artist off of [streaming], really,” Wofford says. “It becomes, like, [the music’s] not worth anything once you put it on YouTube. But a record you’re able to give to people, and they have something that not everybody else has. We want to make it special.” The momentum that accompanied the album ground to a halt in late 2021 when Wofford contracted a voice-threatening infection and Long discovered he had a benign brain tumor the size of a baseball, which he dubbed “Tumorthy.” Both members were unable to play, forcing The Yowl to postpone the release part indefinitel . With both members now fully recovered, the band was finall able to return full force with an album-release performance at Off Broadway in downtown St. Louis last weekend. Long was more than ready for that return. “We’re awesome. Every day we get up and try to be normal, but end up just kicking ass at everything,” Long writes in a note relayed to the RFT by Wofford. Wofford, with a touch more humility, shares his bandmate’s enthusiasm, saying the band is excited to have had such a great reception in St. Louis. Anti-establishment attitudes are a hallmark of punk rock, and The Yowl’s music is no exception. However, at the heart of their music is an appreciation for rock & roll and a sense of connection with the people who listen to it. “It’s music; music can weave into having a political message or whatever, but I think just to make people happy or give them some kind of relief from the world around them — that’s the intent,” Wofford says. “You know, it’s only rock & roll.” n

JULY 20-26, 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 showgoing!

[CRITIC’S PICK]

THURSDAY 21

BEER CHOIR: 7 p.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521. THE BLUE STONES: w/ Des Rocs 7:30 p.m., $25/$30. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. BRICK + MORTAR: w/ Andres, America Part Two 8 p.m., $15/$18. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. GRANT’S WORLD TOUR SERIES: w/ Celtica 7 p.m., free. Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site, 7400 Grant Road, Concord, 314-842-3298. JAMIE EROS: 7:30 p.m., $15. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745. JASON COOPER BAND: 7 p.m., $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. STEPHEN MARLEY: 8 p.m., $26-$36. The Lot at The Big Top, 3401 Washington Boulevard, St. Louis, 314-549-9990. TWIN TRIBES: 7:30 p.m., $20. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505.

FRIDAY 22

THE INTRUSION: w/ Guilty Pleasures, the Backup Singers 8 p.m., $12-$15. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. JAKE’S LEG: 9 p.m., $10. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. JON LANGSTON: 8 p.m., $25. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. KILBORN ALLEY BAND: 7 p.m., $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. LAST DANCE - A TOM PETTY TRIBUTE: 6 p.m., $10. The Attic Music Bar, 4247 S. Kingshighway, 2nd floor, St. ouis, . LAWN: w/ Pealds, Hennen 7:30 p.m., $7-$10. Platypus, 4501 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-359-2293. THE LOCAL HONEYS: 8 p.m., $12/$15. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. RADIO BUZZKILLS: w/ Bruiser Queen, Covert Flops, Matt F. Basler 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. THE RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS: w/ Attack Attack, Kingdom Collapse, Astoria State 6 p.m., $22.50. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. RUPAUL’S WERQ THE WRLD TOUR: 8 p.m., $55-$175. The Fox Theatre, 527 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 314-534-1111. SCOOTER BROWN: 7:30 p.m.; July 23, 7:30 p.m., free. The Harold & Dorothy Steward Center for Jazz, 3536 Washington Ave, St Louis, 314-571-6000. SCOTTIE KEMP: 5 p.m., free. Blumenhof Vineyards, 13699 MO-94, Marthasville, 800-419-2245. SKAMASALA: 7 p.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521.

RIVERFRONT TIMES

Fear comes to town this Saturday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its landmark LP The Record. | VIA ARTIST WEBSITE

Fear w/ Bastard Squad, Wes Hoffman and Friends 8 p.m. Saturday, July 23. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street. $40. 314-289-9050. It’s been a big year for Fear. The pioneering hardcore punk act finally reacquired the rights to its landmark debut LP The Record at the start of 2022, and is celebrating the occasion with a deluxe three-disc re-release featuring 28 tracks of alternate takes, demos and rough mixes, in addition to a live recording from 1982. Featuring such gems as an alternate recording of the classic track “Beef Bologna” with entirely different vocals than the original, as well as the 1981 track “Neighbors” featuring

SKY CREATURE: w/ 18andcounting, Syna So Pro, Eric Hall 8 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. THIRD SIGHT BAND: 11 p.m., $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. THREE DAYS GRACE: w/ Wage War, Zero 7:30 p.m., $45.50-$65.50. The Factory, 17105 N Outer d, hesterfield, .

SATURDAY 23

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE: w/ Spirit of the Beehive 8 p.m., $35. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. ANITA JACKSON: 8 p.m., $15/$20. Joe’s Cafe Gallery, 6010 Kingsbury Ave., St. Louis, 314-862-2541. ASHTEN RAY: 8 p.m., $15. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. BAGLUNCH BLUES BAND: 5 p.m., free. Blumenhof Vineyards, 13699 MO-94, Marthasville, 800-419-2245. THE BEL AIRS: 7 p.m., $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. DEFCON: w/ Mindclot, Extinctionism, 86 Red 7:30 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. FEAR - 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE RECORD: w/ Bastard Squad, Wes Hoffman and Friends 8 p.m., $40. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. GRAND FUNK RAILROAD: w/ Foghat 8 p.m.,

JULY 20-26, 2022

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the late, great John Belushi, the reissue is expected to drop in December. Additionally, the band is the subject of an upcoming career-spanning documentary from filmmaker Jason Zink, best known for the 2019 indie horror movie Straight Edge Kegger. As if that wasn’t enough, Fear is in the midst of working on a new album, with original lead guitarist Philo Cramer and drummer Spit Stix both signed onto the project (alongside longtime bandleader Lee Ving, of course). The band’s stop in St. Louis this week is a celebration of The Record for its 40th birthday; expect to hear such indelible punk classics as “I Don’t Care About You,” “I Love Livin’ in the City” and “New York’s Alright If You Like Saxophones”

as part of the one-off show. It’s going to be loud, rowdy and in-your-face — just ask the producers of SNL, who permanently banned the act four decades ago following its unforgettably chaotic performance — and that’s perfectly in keeping with the lasting mark Fear has had on the genre it helped to shape. Beer with Fear: On Friday night, the Record Space in Affton will host a meetand-greet with Fear; don’t miss the rare opportunity to spend time with some living punk legends on the home turf. Then on Saturday, make sure to hit up Red Flag’s bar and order a Fear Beer, conjured up in collaboration with Heavy Riff Brewing and available only at the show. —Daniel Hill

$39.50. The Factory, 17105 N Outer 40 Rd, hesterfield, . JEFF’S BIG ACOUSTIC ADVENTURE: noon, free. Blumenhof Vineyards, 13699 MO-94, Marthasville, 800-419-2245. PROUD LARRY: 6 p.m., $10. The Attic Music ar, S. ingshighwa , nd floor, St. ouis, 314-376-5313. REBELUTION: w/ DENM, DJ Mackle 8 p.m., $32.50-$40. St. Louis Music Park, 750 Casino Center Dr., Maryland Heights, 314-451-2244. ROCK PAPER PODCAST 1000TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY: w/ the Maness Brothers, Old Capital Square Dance Club, Samantha Clemons, Ben Diesel, Egan’s Rats 7 p.m., $10. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. SCARFACE: 7 p.m., $30-$40. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. SCOOTER BROWN: July 22, 7:30 p.m.; 7:30 p.m., free. The Harold & Dorothy Steward Center for Jazz, 3536 Washington Ave, St Louis, 314-571-6000. STEPHANIE STEWART AND FRIENDS: 7:30 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090. THIRD SIGHT / DHORUBA COLLECTIVE: 11 p.m., $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. THREE OF A PERFECT PAIR: 7 p.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521.

TY PERRY PROJECT: 3 p.m., $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. VAN ORMAN & HELWIN: 8 p.m., $15. The Focal Point, 2720 Sutton Blvd., Maplewood, 314-560-2778.

SUNDAY 24

5 SECONDS OF SUMMER: 7 p.m., $39-$59. St. Louis Music Park, 750 Casino Center Dr., Maryland Heights, 314-451-2244. EICHLERS: w/ Dynastic, Boss Battle, Darling Skye 8 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. ERIC LYSAGHT: 9 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. GLORIA TAYLOR JAZZ BENEFIT: 4 p.m., $40. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. JASON GARMS: 2 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. LITTLE FEAT: w/ Nicki Bluhm 7:30 p.m., $49.50. he actor , uter d, hesterfield, 314-423-8500. LOVE JONES “THE BAND”: 7 p.m., $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. MICHAEL SCHAERER: 2 p.m., free. Blumenhof Vineyards, 13699 MO-94, Marthasville, 800-419-2245. NATCHEZ WHISTLE: 10 a.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521.

[CRITIC’S PICK]

CROWBAR: w/ Spirit Adrift 8 p.m., $20. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. GIOVANNIE AND THE HIRED GUNS: 8 p.m., $22/$25. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. MIKE.: 8 p.m., $35/$40. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. THE MINKS: w/ Waltzer, Backup Singer 7:30 p.m., $10/$12. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. THIS IS CASUALLY HAPPENING: A COMEDY SHOWCASE: w/ Rafe Williams, Kenny Kinds, Jimmy Day, Mollie Amburgey 7 p.m., $10. The Golden Hoosier, 3707 S Kingshighway Blvd, Saint Louis, 314-354-8044. VOODOO FALLING FENCES: 9 p.m., $12. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

THIS JUST IN

Animal Collective will bring its experimental pop to the Pageant this weekend. | HISHAM BAROOCHA

Animal Collective w/ Spirit of the Beehive 8 p.m. Saturday, July 23. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Boulevard. $36 to $41. 314-726-6161. When Animal Collective announced the cancellation of their St. Louis date (and the rest of their tour) due to multiple members contracting COVID-19 in late May, the band gave no indication that the show would be made up. Maybe that was due to the experimental pop group’s upcoming tour with Tomato Flower in August and September, or maybe the crew was taking a wait-and-see approach. Luckily the show was indeed rescheduled and still includes the support of Spirit of the Beehive, an indie-rock outfit that is as comfortable playing a low-key show in a basement as it is commanding the attention of thousands on a big stage. This pairing couldn’t be more appropriate, since Animal Collective’s early years were spent playing DIY spaces and art galleries (including St. Louis’ own Lemp Arts Center) before breaking through the mainstream in the late ’00s. Avey Tare, SAVANNAH CONLEY: w/ Secondhand Sound 8 p.m., $12/$15. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. SOMO: 8 p.m., $24.50-$30. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. UMLOUSE: w/ Buy Her Candy, Natural High 8 p.m., $13. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

MONDAY 25

ANDREW DAHLE: 5 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. SLAID CLEAVES: 8 p.m., $25/$30. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. THIRD SIGHT BAND: 7 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. YOUNG ANIMALS: w/ Inches from Glory, Distant Eyes, Unknown & Sailing 7:30 p.m., $5. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.

Panda Bear, Deakin and Geologist are all prolific artists on their own, with a litany of albums and obscure collaborations to their names, but their combined impact as Animal Collective has no doubt helped shape the landscape of experimental music in the United States. The band’s latest album, Time Skiffs, is an expansive double LP of exploratory music where melodies seamlessly build to reactive flourishes of joyous noise and dense rhythms — you know, the stuff Animal Collective is known for. Thankfully, the group will return to St. Louis on this night to deliver the kind of seminal performance that might inspire a new generation of local musicians. The Sound of the Opening Bell: Spirit of the Beehive has operated as a secret weapon of sorts in the Philadelphia music community since its start in 2014. A string of incredible albums such as 2021’s Entertainment, Death has rightfully elevated the band’s brand of dreamy pop to the precipice of the mainstream. Don’t be surprised if you start seeing Spirit of the Beehive’s name on marquees across the country in the next couple years. —Joseph Hess

TUESDAY 26

ETHAN JONES: 9 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. KING PRINCESS: w/ Dora Jar 7:30 p.m., $34.50. he actor , uter d, hesterfield, 314-423-8500. THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS: w/ X 8 p.m., $40-$50. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. RIDDY ARMAN: 8 p.m., $12/$15. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. ST. LOUIS SOCIAL CLUB: 7 p.m., $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.

WEDNESDAY 27 BIG RICH MCDONOUGH & THE RHYTHM RENEGADES: 7 p.m., $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.

49 WINCHESTER: Sat., Aug. 20, 8 p.m., $15. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. A-GAME: Thu., Aug. 4, 8:30 p.m., $10. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745. BAGLUNCH BLUES BAND: Sat., July 23, 5 p.m., free. Blumenhof Vineyards, 13699 MO-94, Marthasville, 800-419-2245. BEER CHOIR: Thu., July 21, 7 p.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521. THE BEL AIRS: Sat., July 23, 7 p.m., $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. BIG RICH MCDONOUGH & THE RHYTHM RENEGADES: Wed., July 27, 7 p.m., $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. THE BROKEN HIPSTERS: Fri., July 29, 7 p.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521. BROTHER FRANCIS AND THE SOULTONES: Thu., Aug. 4, 7 p.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521. THE CALIFORNIA HONEYDROPS: Sun., Oct. 23, 6 p.m., $23-$45. The Big Top, 3401 Washington Blvd, St. Louis, 314-533-0367. CARNIFEX: W/ Spite, Oceano, Left To Suffer, Crown Magnetar, Fri., Oct. 21, 6:30 p.m., $25$30. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. CAROLE J. BUFFORD: Thu., Aug. 18, 7:30 p.m., $20. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745. CRAIG FINN & THE UPTOWN CONTROLLERS: Sat., Oct. 22, 8 p.m., $25-$30. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. CRAIG MORGAN & LONESTAR: Sat., Aug. 27, 7 p.m., $0-$75. Cedar Lake Cellars, 11008 Schreckengast Road, Wright City, 636-745-9500. THE DELTA BOMBERS: W/ Reckless Ones, Thu., Aug. 18, 8 p.m., $15. The Old Rock House, 1200 South Seventh St., St. Louis. DEVIN THE DUDE: W/ Willy J Peso, Sat., Aug. 6, 8 p.m., $20. The Old Rock House, 1200 South Seventh St., St. Louis. DIZZY WRIGHT: W/ YONAS, ATG, Thu., Aug. 25, 7:30 p.m., $20-$25. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. DUDLEY TAFT: Fri., Sept. 16, 7:30 p.m., $15. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745. ELVIN BISHOP AND CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE: Fri., Oct. 7, 8 p.m., $40-$50. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900. EMMET COHEN TRIO: Sat., March 11, 8 p.m., $35-$45. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900. FLOR DE TOLOACHE: Fri., Nov. 11, 8 p.m., $35-$45. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900.

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THE FORESTWOOD BOYS: Sat., July 30, 7 p.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521. A GARDEN OF SOUND: Thu., Aug. 4, 5:30 p.m., free. Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 314-746-4599. GLORIA TAYLOR JAZZ BENEFIT: Sun., July 24, 4 p.m., $40. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. GRAYSON JOSTES: Thu., Aug. 11, 7:30 p.m., $15. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745. GWENIFER RAYMOND: Thu., Sept. 22, 7:30 p.m., $20. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745. ILLITERATE LIGHT: W/ Wildermiss, Tue., Oct. 4, 8 p.m., $15. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. IVAN & ALYOSHA: W/ Evan Bartels, Thu., Sept. 22, 8 p.m., $15-$18. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. JAKE’S LEG: Fri., July 22, 9 p.m., $10. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. JASON COOPER BAND: Thu., July 21, 7 p.m., $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER PRESENTS: SONGS WE LOVE: Sat., Feb. 18, 8 p.m., $40-$50. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900. JEFF’S BIG ACOUSTIC ADVENTURE: Sat., July 23, noon, free. Blumenhof Vineyards, 13699 MO94, Marthasville, 800-419-2245. JEREMY CAMP: W/ Katy Nichole, Thu., Sept. 29, 7 p.m., $20-$50. Family Arena, 2002 Arena Parkway, St Charles, 636-896-4200. JOANNA SERENKO: Thu., Aug. 25, 7:30 p.m., $20. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745. JOCELYN & CHRIS: Sat., Sept. 17, 7:30 p.m., $20. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745. KILBORN ALLEY BAND: Fri., July 22, 7 p.m., $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. LARAAJI: Sat., July 30, 7 p.m., $15. Gethsemane Lutheran Church, 3600 Hampton Avenue, St Louis, 314-352-8050. LOVE JONES “THE BAND”: Sun., July 24, 7 p.m., $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. MICHAEL SCHAERER: Sun., July 24, 2 p.m., free. Blumenhof Vineyards, 13699 MO-94, Marthasville, 800-419-2245. MIDNIGHT TYRANNOSAURUS: Sat., Aug. 13, 8 p.m., $15-$20. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. MIKE AND THE MOONPIES: W/ Vandoliers, Tue., Oct. 25, 8 p.m., $15. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. NATCHEZ WHISTLE: Sun., July 24, 10 a.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521. NEIL SALSICH AND BETH BOMBARA: Fri., Aug. 12, 7:30 p.m., $20. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745. PARAMORE: Tue., Oct. 11, 7:30 p.m., TBA. The actor , uter d, hesterfield, 314-423-8500. POINTFEST 2022: W/ Papa Roach, Highly Suspect, Halestorm, the Struts, Sometimes Y, New Years Day, the Warning, Brookroyal, the Ricters, Sat., Sept. 24, noon, $39.95-$129.95. Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, I-70 & Earth City Expwy., Maryland Heights, 314-298-9944. QUIN MCINTOSH: Sat., Oct. 15, 7:30 p.m., $20. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745. REBA MCENTIRE: W/ Terri Clark, Sat., Oct. 22, 7:30 p.m., $46-$746. Enterprise Center, 1401

JULY 20-26, 2022

Continued on pg 44

RIVERFRONT TIMES

[CRITIC’S PICK]

Reggae act Rebelution will deliver plenty of good vibes at St. Louis Music Park on Saturday. | VIA EASY STAR RECORDS

Rebelution w/ DENM, DJ Mackle

Reggae transcends borders and generational trends in a way that few genres do, but maybe that’s because of bands such as Rebelution, which works to bridge the gap between music of the Jamaican diaspora and mainstream tastes. Sure, Rebelution wouldn’t exist without the profound legacy of Marley and his Wailers, but the Isla Vista, California, band has cemented its place in reggae history by hitting No. 1 on Billboard’s reggae chart on five separate occasions. Songwriter and bandleader Eric Rachmany is a stalwart journeyman of the genre, with several collaborations with like-minded bands

such as Slightly Stoopid and Reel Big Fish. The fact that Rebelution’s performance of “Safe and Sound” at the 2010 edition of Bonnaroo sits at 76 million views and counting on YouTube speaks to the enduring appeal of Rachmany and Co.’s singular approach to fusing dub, rock and roots music. Rebelution comes to St. Louis on the heels of the release of Live in St. Augustine, a fresh live record that offers a raw yet subtly polished collection of the band at its best — tearing it up on stage for a sea of adoring fans. Pay Close Attention: Grammy-winning producer DENM opens the show with genrebending pop that invokes a laid-back vibe despite an energetic production. DENM — known to friends and fans as Denny — often pushes positive and inspirational messages that resonate with an ever-growing audience living through these uncertain times. —Joseph Hess

Clark Ave., St. Louis, 314-241-1888. RIOT TEN: Thu., Dec. 15, 8 p.m., $15-$20. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. ROCK INC.: Sat., Aug. 6, 7 p.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521. ROCKY AND THE WRANGLERS: Sun., July 31, 10 a.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521. THE SAMPLES: Fri., Oct. 14, 8 p.m., $30. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745. SARAH BORGES: Wed., Aug. 24, 8 p.m., $15-$18. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. SAUCIER: Fri., Sept. 2, 7:30 p.m., $10. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745. THE SCOTCH BONNETS: Thu., Aug. 18, 5 p.m., free. Ritz Park, 3147 S. Grand Blvd, St. Louis. SCOTTIE KEMP: Fri., July 22, 5 p.m., free. Blumenhof Vineyards, 13699 MO-94, Marthasville, 800-419-2245. SHERIE WHITE: Fri., Sept. 9, 7:30 p.m., $20. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745. SKAMASALA: Fri., July 22, 7 p.m., free. Fri., Aug. 5, 7 p.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521. ST. LOUIS SOCIAL CLUB: Tue., July 26, 7 p.m., $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. STARCRAWLER: Sun., Aug. 14, 8 p.m., $15-$18. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. STEEP CANYON RANGERS: Fri., Dec. 2, 8 p.m., $40-$50. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900. STEPHANIE STEWART AND FRIENDS: Sat., July 23,

7:30 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090. STEPHEN KELLOGG: Fri., Oct. 28, 8 p.m., $25-$35. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. TERENCE BLANCHARD: Sat., Oct. 1, 8 p.m., $40$50. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900. THIRD SIGHT / DHORUBA COLLECTIVE: Sat., July 23, 11 p.m., $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. THIRD SIGHT BAND: Fri., July 22, 11 p.m., $15. Mon., July 25, 7 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. THREE OF A PERFECT PAIR: Sat., July 23, 7 p.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521. TOWN MOUNTAIN: Tue., Nov. 8, 7 p.m., $15. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. TY PERRY PROJECT: Sat., July 23, 3 p.m., $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. VERONICA SWIFT: Sat., Nov. 5, 8 p.m., $35-$45. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900. VICTOR WOOTEN: Sat., Oct. 1, 8 p.m., $25-$55. Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square, St. Louis, 314-533-0367. VIEUX FARKA TOURÉ: Fri., Sept. 23, 7:30 p.m., $25. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745. WALTER PARKS: Sun., Aug. 14, 7:30 p.m., $15. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745. THE WILMINGTONS: Thu., July 28, 7 p.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521. n

8 p.m. Saturday, July 23. St. Louis Music Park, 750 Casino Center Drive, Maryland Heights. $32.50-$40. 314-451-2244.

RIVERFRONT TIMES

JULY 20-26, 2022

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SAVAGE LOVE Gays and Confused BY DAN SAVAGE This is a preview of this week’s Savage Love. The full version is now exclusively available on Dan’s website Savage.Love. From the end of Roe to the assault on democracy to the climate crisis to the war on Ukraine, it’s all bad news, all the time, for everyone. But the monkeypox outbreak is an extra little helping of bad news specificall for ga and bi men. (More than 96 percent of monkeypox cases have been in gay and bisexual men.) Hey, faggots? If you have a rash or feel like you have swollen glands, stay home. And if you’re sexually active or hope to be soon, get the monkeypox vaccine at your earliest opportunity. In the meantime, here’s a column featuring all gay questions to remind us that gay life isn’t just freaking out about ingrown hairs. —Dan Hey Dan: I’m a mid-50s gay man, married to a man. We’ve been together 30 years. We love each other and have built a great life together, but our sex life is so lackluster it’s nearly extinct. After years of trying to get my spouse to talk about our likes, wants, needs and differences, and after years making suggestions about how or what we could do either together or apart to improve our sex life finally had enough and began having dalliances here and there. I encouraged him to pursue sexual satisfaction where he likes, but his response is always, “I couldn’t do that.” So, what’s the problem? I’ve always been drawn to Daddy/boy scenarios — it plays into my submissive tendencies — and I recently met a hot Daddy. We’ve been meeting up for six months, we’re both GGG, and the sex is awesome! But my spouse does not know about my relationship with Daddy. I would love for the two to meet, as I think they would enjoy each other’s sense of humor and personality, as they are both wonderful men. Is it possible to introduce them so that the three of us could be friends and maybe ease my spouse into opening things up? My spouse and I are

both sub bottoms and my Daddy is a gentle Daddy Dom. Do I bring them together or do I keep these two relationships separate? Lusting After Daddy If what you’re seeking from me, LAD, is some way to tell your husband you’ve been fucking another man for six months without upsetting him, I can’t help you. He’s most likely going to be upset. Additionally, there’s no way to tell your husband about your recently acquired fuckbuddy without putting your vague DADT agreement at risk. Now, assuming your husband isn’t an idiot, LAD, he knows you’ve been having sex with other men. When you told him to pursue sexual satisfaction elsewhere, he must’ve known you planned to do (or were already doing) the same. But there’s a difference between knowing something because you kinda sorta figured, LAD, and knowing something because you were literally fucking told. And there’s a difference between having sex with other men — one-offs, one at a time — and having sex again and again with one man. (Which, during this monkeypox outbreak, is a far safer option for you and your husband than one-offs.) Sexual infidelit is one thing, emotional infidelit is another. But the odds your husband will leave you — after 30 years — seem slim. And even if he’s upset at first, who nows f he s open to meeting your boyfriend/ daddyfriend once his anger dissipates, and if he’s attracted to your Daddy Dom and your Daddy Dom is attracted to him, a series of hot threesomes might revive your sexual connection with your husband. Things could also go from not great to truly terrible — you could wind up getting divorced — but things aren’t going to get better on the sexual front without a shake-up, LAD, and telling the truth is a pretty good way to shake things up. All that said, LAD, telling your husband, “I have a boyfriend, I’d like you to meet him, I think you two might click,” is a big risk and there are no backsies. questions@savagelove.net Check out the Savage Lovecast @FakeDanSavage on Twitter

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RIVERFRONT TIMES

Riverfront Times, July 20, 2022

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