Riverfront Times, October 11, 2023

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Owner, Chief Executive Officer and Publisher Chris Keating Executive Editor Sarah Fenske

EDITORIAL

Managing Editor Jessica Rogen

Digital Content Editor Jaime Lees Editor at Large Daniel Hill

Staff Writers Ryan Krull, Monica Obradovic Dining Critic Cheryl Baehr Theater Critic Tina Farmer

Music Critic Steve Leftridge

Contributors Aaron Childs, Max Bouvatte, Thomas Crone, Mike Fitzgerald, Virginia Harold, Reuben Hemmer, Braden McMakin, Tony Rehagen, Mabel Suen, Theo Welling Columnists Chris Andoe, Dan Savage

ART & PRODUCTION

Art Director Evan Sult

Creative Director Haimanti Germain Graphic Designer Aspen Smit

MULTIMEDIA ADVERTISING

Associate Publisher Colin Bell

Account Manager Jennifer Samuel Directors of Business Development Tony Burton, Rachel Hoppman

BUSINESS

Regional Operations Director Emily Fear

CIRCULATION

Circulation Manager Kevin G. Powers

BIG LOU HOLDINGS

VP of Digital Services Stacy Volhein

Audience Engagement Editor Chloe Murdock

NATIONAL ADVERTISING

VMG Advertising 1-888-278-9866, vmgadvertising.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS

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FRONT BURNER

MONDAY, OCTOBER 2. Balmy weather at last! But the heat is on at City Hall after an autopsy reveals that 32-year-old Carlton Bernard died at the troubled City Justice Center in August from dehydration and lack of insulin. Meanwhile, on the very day aldermen introduce a Homeless Bill of Rights, Mayor Tishaura Jones tells the homeless people living on City Hall’s lawn to clear out — tonight.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3. Turns out cover of darkness is not a good way to clear a homeless camp, so the 10 p.m. deadline to get off the grass becomes early morning and then gets kicked to daylight hours today, as outreach workers hustle to find placements. Beds or not, gotta get everyone moved before the Democratic National Committee

Previously

On LAST WEEK IN ST. LOUIS

comes to downtown St. Louis Friday. Meanwhile, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is ousted — apparently because he wouldn’t shut down the government.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4. Mayor Jones wants a property tax freeze for seniors, which is unlikely to help the Black families who’ve been leaving the city in droves. But, hey, seniors vote. At Stifel, Bob Dylan deviates from his setlist to play

6 QUESTIONS for teacher Brianna Coppage

Last month, 28-year-old Brianna Coppage was put on leave by St. Clair High School, the Missouri school where she taught English Language Arts to ninth and tenth graders. The reason? Coppage had a side gig working on OnlyFans as BrooklinLovexxx, where she promises paid subscribers a glimpse at everything from “squirting” to “anal.”

A school administrator in St. Clair said that the district had been recently notified that Coppage “may have posted inappropriate media on one or more internet sites” and an investigation into the matter was being undertaken. In the meantime, Coppage is barred from the classroom.

The public outrage was swift — not against Coppage but at the school for acting aghast that an employee it paid $42,000 a year would work to supplement that income. Her story has made headlines around the world.

We caught up with Coppage, who markets herself on OnlyFans as “your favorite MILF,” to talk about how she got started on OnlyFans, society’s changing attitudes toward sex work and what the last few days have been like.

This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.

You’d been a teacher since 2018 and got into OnlyFans earlier this year. What made you give adult work a try?

I’d always heard the success stories about people who made money. It was like, “You can pay off your student loans and whatever else.” It was those stories that made me think, “Wow, I want to try that and see if it would work for me.” That’s how it started.

And you’ve enjoyed it, it sounds like?

Absolutely. I do enjoy it. I think it gives people the ability to express themselves and just do something that maybe even gives them a chance to be their authentic self.

You’re making $10,000 a month on the platform. Were you at all surprised by your success after just a few months on OnlyFans?

I definitely was. It definitely didn’t happen immediately. It didn’t blow up until I collaborated with some other creators who have a big following in St. Louis. And that’s really when things started taking off for me. It’s been a lot of trial and error. OnlyFans doesn’t do any marketing for you. They don’t have a “for you” page where you can go to discover people. So you have to do a lot of marketing in other, different spaces.

When this happened, I really had two choices. One was to delete everything and hide from it, and my name was still going to be out there anyway. I knew that I wasn’t going to go back into education. So it was either run and hide, or lean into it. And at the end of the

Chuck Berry, and St. Louis swoons.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5. The St. Louis Chess Club hires former U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway to look into how sexual assault and misconduct became such a big problem among what were hitherto assumed to be sexless chess geeks

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6. Brrrr … chilly temps give us coat weather for the first time since

May. The chill doesn’t stop the activists who turn out to protest the city’s treatment of its homeless residents as Vice President Kamala Harris arrives downtown.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7. After years of suffering in Gaza, Hamas launches a series of horrifying attacks on Israel, which include taking children as hostages and terrorizing a music festival. Israel, naturally, retaliates, and evangelicals prepare for Armageddon

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8. The Post-Dispatch reports that while the police have hired many new 911 dispatchers, the city has yet to start combining dispatch for police and fire. It’s best practice, but public safety unions are pissed. And so we resume St. Louis’ customary state: ennui.

day, I still have bills to pay, and I still have like a family to provide for. So it was not really a difficult choice to just lean in.

What’s the overall reaction been like?

Very, very supportive. I’m honestly surprised. Many people are saying, “Leave her alone, this is her personal business.” A lot of people are pointing out this wouldn’t happen if we paid teachers a livable wage. The support has honestly been overwhelmingly positive. There’s always going to be those negative comments that are out there. But they’ve been few and far between.

Someone reached out to me and they said they were an administrator at a Catholic school. They said, “You do you. You’re doing awesome. You deserve all the support.” That was surprising.

Has there been anyone where it’s been especially tough for them to find out?

I’m not embarrassed for myself. I’m really not even worried about myself. But it is tough to have these conversations with your family. That’s never easy.

What’s next for you?

I’m just going to lean into my online presence and try to make the most of it.

—Ryan Krull

Brianna Coppage, certified MILF. | COURTESY OF BRIANNA COPPAGE

WEEKLY WTF?!

CHRIS ANDOE’S SOCIETY PAGE

With libraries under fire, wealthy St. Louis gets ready to pony up

On Thursday night, Bill Donius and Jay Perez hosted the St. Louis Public Library Foundation’s gala committee kickoff at their stately Kingsbury Place residence. The elegant soiree was attended by dozens of library supporters, including Tom and Ulrike Schlafly, Liz Austin and Brooke Meek

The gala will be a pirate-themed event at the magnificent Central Library downtown and will include a treasure hunt.

FENCE WATCH

What: a brick post toppled, a fence mangled

Where: Compton and Park avenues, the Gate District

When: October 1, 2 p.m.

Who: a St. Louis driver, clearly. (It’s always a St. Louis driver.)

Why: Much like the cyclists and pedestrians this St. Louis driver surely nearly hit, the fence/brick post simply refused to get out of his way. Not the driver’s fault.

(Nothing is ever a St. Louis driver’s fault.)

15 SECONDS OF FAME

FIRE TRUCK THIEF OF THE WEEK Jade Gibbs

Let’s be honest: We’ve all been tempted to do crazy shit. Who among us hasn’t had the impulse to sneak into a fire station, get behind the wheel of a fire truck and blast it through the doors of the station, across the lawns of nearby neighbors and into a giant tree? Common impulse, really.

Fortunately for firefighters everywhere, most of us resist these dreams of chaos. Not so for Jade Gibbs, 20, of Ionia, Missouri. Previously busted in a house with a quarter-pound of meth and shrooms, Gibbs last week stole a fire truck in Windsor, Missouri, and caused an estimated $450,000 in damages by crashing it into a tree. When deputies arrived, she allegedly took off running — and even after they slapped on the handcuffs and got her into the back of a patrol car, she managed to escape. After they cuffed her a second time, she continued to fight. Tasers were then deployed. Alas, Gibbs is now behind bars, where she faces charges of stealing, burglary, property damage and resisting arrest — and serves as a cautionary tale for Missourians everywhere. Moral of the story? When that still, small voice inside your head says, “Go ahead, steal a fire truck,” or maybe even, “Go ahead, take a hit of meth,” maybe do like Nancy Reagan urged you and just say no.

The impeccably dressed Perez showed guests around the stunning residence.

“The home was designed by Mauran, Russell & Crowell and built in 1914 by Walter and Rose Candy,” Perez said. “The family owned the Busy Bee Candy Company, one of the largest confectionery companies of the time. The house is in the Italian country style. The Candy family were aficionados of all finer things and spared no expense adorning every inch of the home with grand details and finishes. We purchased the home in 2022 and began renovating and designing the interiors. David Deatherage was our interior designer and Nan Wisniewski was our construction consultant.”

Donius and Perez were impressed with the layers of original details, including a Bacchus-themed handcarved fireplace, several sets of French doors that, when open, allow for gentle breezes to pass through the house and bathe it in natural light, a marbled entry with a checkerboard pattern, and what Perez calls the home’s “romantic and gregarious vibe.”

Donius was the CEO of Pulaski Bank. After leaving banking, he wrote the New York Times bestseller Thought Revolution: How to Unlock Your Inner Genius. Today, he consults with businesses and large companies on maximizing potential and fostering creativity.

Perez is an attorney/entrepreneur who, along with Deatherage, co-owns one of the top designer vintage furnishings shops in the country, Shop Interior Motives. The online-only retail component is backed by a 10,000-squarefoot warehouse in the city of St. Louis.

Landscape designer Kyle West re-

made the grounds, and it was in a plush patio corner that I became engrossed in conversation with Donovan Crowder, the 31-year-old owner, producer and host of the cannabis podcast Too T3rpd

Since 2019, Crowder has been building a reputation as the voice of the underground cannabis scene, including home growers, small cannabis businesses, infused dining experiences and weed-related events such as Captain MoGreen’s Friday the 13th costume event on the fourth floor and rooftop of the .Zack building in Grand Center.

“Cannabis is more than just smoking and getting high to me,” Crowder said. “There’s multiple uses for the plant. I’ve talked with legacy growers about how cannabis has gone from hiding your garden in closets and secret basement spaces to being able to create a cannabis brand. I’ve talked with medical users who have used cannabis as topicals to help treat arthritis, neuropathy and general pain. RSO to help with chemo for cancer patients. CBD and THC drinks, snacks and meals to help mentally. I’ve talked with recreational users who do all of the above to socialize and be involved in one of the most diverse communities in this city.”

For all Crowder’s passion, the event wasn’t about cannabis, but rather libraries — and the gala to support them. Rosalind Early, the former RFT editor, is one of four committee chairs, and expressed excitement about the March 2 event, Stranger Than Fiction

Gala: X Marks the Spot.

“I have always loved the St. Louis Public Library gala,” she told me.

This is Early’s first year on the committee, and she said she was driven to take a more active role in the wake of rising anti-library sentiment on the right. “Libraries are a vital community resource,” she said. “And that’s all being threatened by politicians who want to make libraries the battleground in a pointless culture war.”

The shindig seemed to succeed in getting buy-in for the event and giving donors and volunteers an opportunity to get acquainted, too. As the evening was winding down, the party moved to the garden to look at the harvest moon.

Gnarly. | SARAH FENSKE

Jade Gibbs. | COURTESY PETTIS COUNTY JAIL

First He Complained. Then He Was Fired

Opeoluwa Oke had serious concerns about City Justice Center operations

Written by RYAN KRULL

Afiscal operations support manager at the St. Louis City Justice Center says he was fired by the jail’s director after writing two letters of concern about the jail operations to the city’s Division of Civilian Oversight.

Opeoluwa Oke worked at the city’s Comptroller’s Office and the City Emergency Management Agency before taking the job at the City Justice Center in June. He was only employed at the jail for about six weeks but says in that time he saw much that alarmed him, including the way that the corrections commissioner handled securing a new health-care provider, the jail’s purchase of firearms and the overall treatment of detainees.

In July, he wrote two letters of complaints outlining those worries to the city’s Division of Civilian Oversight. He was fired July 28.

Oke says that he’d only been on the job a few days when he began to have concerns about one of the first tasks assigned to him by Corrections Commissioner Jennifer Clemons-Abdullah, which involved work related to the request for proposals for a new healthcare provider for the jail.

“It was literally my second week on the job, she told me to get rid of YesCare,” Oke says. He asked Clemons-Abdullah why she wanted to get rid of YesCare and says her response was, “I don’t like them.” YesCare is the jail healthcare provider formerly known as Corizon, which the city is currently suing and has since publicly

stated that they are going to drop.

He says that less than a week after the city filed its lawsuit, he and Clemons-Abdullah had a video call with representatives from the Mayor’s and Comptroller’s offices, during which Clemons-Abudullah texted Oke telling him to “not give them the full information and reason” for the change in providers, he says.

“I asked her why she didn’t want them to know, and she told me that she already had a [new] vendor in mind,” he says.

Oke tells the RFT he questioned why they were going through the request for proposal process if the commissioner already knew which health-care provider she wanted.

Oke says that because his job entailed helping the jail procure everything from a health-care provider to printers, his coworkers often referred to him as the “money guy,” and even a whiff of impropriety made him nervous. He’d worked in city government when three aldermen — Lewis Reed, Jeffrey Boyd and John Collins-Muhammad — were federally indicted and sentenced to prison time for various money-related crimes.

“I was not going to go to jail for anybody,” Oke says.

The Department of Public Safety tells the RFT through a spokesman that they can confirm a complaint

had been made to the Division of Civilian Oversight, however “they cannot comment further while the complaint is being reviewed.”

Oke says he knew the jail did not have a great reputation when he started working there, and scrutiny of its operations has only become more intense in recent months. Three detainees have died in jail custody in the past six weeks, with 10 deaths since the start of 2021. A hostage situation and possible riot broke out in the jail in August. Earlier this week, an autopsy showed that Carlton Bernard, a 32-year-old detainee who was diabetic, died in jail custody August 20 due to dehydration and low insulin.

Meanwhile, the Detention Facilities Oversight Board, tasked with providing oversight for the facility, has been at loggerheads with both Clemons-Abdullah and Mayor Tishaura Jones. The oversight board has blasted the jail leadership for what they say is a lack of transparency. Along with activists and numerous attorneys, the board has called for ClemonsAbdullah to either step down or for Jones to fire her. Jones has stood by her appointee.

In recent weeks, amid increasing public pressure on city officials to do something about the jail, both Jones and Congresswoman Cori Bush have blamed

YesCare, which is still the healthcare provider. In addition to the city announcing that they will seek a new health-care provider, Bush said in a letter the company was never effective, while Jones issued a statement calling for the creation of a new position, chief medical officer, to oversee medical services at the jail.

Oke says that in addition to his concerns about the process by which the jail was procuring a new health-care provider, he was also aghast at the treatment of detainees he witnessed at the jail. He said that he saw incident reports and video of guards roughing detainees to the ground and “nine times out of ten maced them for no reason.”

Oke says he was in his second week of employment when he typed up a bullet-pointed list of his concerns both about the jail’s process for securing outside vendors as well as what he saw as inmate abuses. He anonymously mailed the document to the Division of Civilian Oversight, a city agency that houses both the Detention Facilities Oversight Board and the Civilian Oversight Board, tasked with providing oversight to the jail and the police, respectively.

It was not a formal complaint, but Clemons-Abdullah still got wind of it, he says.

“Two days later, Jennifer’s demeanor more or less just changed,” he says of the jail’s commissioner.

Oke says that the nature of his complaint, and the details concerning the RFP process, would have left little doubt who penned it, despite his submitting it anonymously.

Oke says that he stopped getting called into meetings he thought he would have otherwise been included in. “I realized that she wouldn’t talk to me anymore,” he says. “She tried to circumvent me from so many things.”

Oke says that he heard from others that Clemons-Abdullah called him “a spy.”

Oke says that other jail staffers perceived the commissioner to be someone who “will do what she wants, how she wants to, when she wants to do it.”

The commissioner’s tactics clashed with Oke, who comes off in conversation as something of a Boy Scout, though he would

Continued on pg 10

Opeoluwa Oke says he was given a raw deal. | RYAN KRULL

Continued

perhaps not describe himself that way. He earned a bachelor’s degree in his native Nigeria before going to medical school in Ukraine. While living there 10 years ago he met his now-wife, Yana.

Oke eventually came to the U.S. to enroll in a Healthcare Administration Master’s program at Webster University. Yana followed him to St. Louis after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. When they married this February at City Hall, the Comptroller’s Office threw the couple a party. He says there is no shortage of people in City Hall who would vouch for him.

Oke says transferring from CEMA to the City Justice Center was a mistake. After he realized that Clemons-Abdullah had gotten wind of his communication with the Division of Civilian Oversight, he suspected his days working at the jail were numbered.

He says he sent a second letter to the Division of Civilian Oversight outlining concerns that largely elaborated on the first letter but also included his concerns about a specific invoice that came across his desk. The paperwork

Did Roorda Join the ‘War on Police’?

The former cop known as one of St. Louis police’s top defenders is now suing his own union

Written by SARAH FENSKE

One of the foremost defenders of embattled St. Louis-area police officers appears to have gone from backing the blue to taking their asses to court.

Jeff Roorda, we hardly knew ye.

The often-bombastic former business manager of the St. Louis Police Officers Association filed suit last week against his own former police union, saying they breached his contract and interfered with his performance.

In his lawsuit, Roorda says he entered into a two-year contract with the union in April 2020 and was set to get a base salary of $91,500 a year, plus raises equivalent to whatever officers in the field got, plus a $1,000 bonus.

Now, what’s kind of weird is that he isn’t claiming he never got those funds.

showed the jail purchasing four Glock handguns, which he was told were already in the building.

Having guns in the jail struck him as a bad idea.

“Even when the sheriff is bringing inmates in here, they check the guns outside,” he says. “I’m like, ‘OK, I am not not gonna sign off on this.’”

When asked specifically about the purchasing of guns, Interim Public Safety Director Charles Coyle told the RFT in a statement, “In order to protect the safety of correctional officers and detainees, longstanding Division of Corrections policy dictates that division-issued firearms remain in storage and are carried only in conjunction with facility operations, for example during transportation of detainees.”

Coyle added that personal firearms are prohibited.

Oke says that he sent his second letter of complaint to the Division of Civilian Oversight in late July, though he does not recall the exact date.

Not long after, on July 28, Oke says he was called into ClemonsAbdullah’s office and the commissioner told him, “You’re not doing what I want you to do.”

Oke says that, strangely, the

commissioner had an earbud in one ear. He got the sense that Clemons-Abdullah “was listening to something or someone, definitely not music.” He said there were unusual, two- to three-second pauses in their conversation after he said something and before she replied. He says he doesn’t know exactly what to make of that — but says he’ll never forget the conversation, which ended with his termination.

The official reason he was given was that he had improperly ordered two office chairs and two mini-fridges. He says that he did order the two chairs, one for him and one for a coworker, but that he went through proper procedures. He says that he had nothing to do with the ordering of the two office mini-fridges.

A few days later, August 4, Oke filed his first formal complaint with the Civilian Oversight Board. The official complaint largely dovetails with what he’d put into the two letters of concern he’d already sent to the agency. That complaint, plus another one Oke submitted on August 23, run eight pages long. Oke shared copies of them with the RFT

More recently, Detention Facility Oversight Board member Mike

Milton heard that a former business operations employee had filed complaints after getting fired. Because the complaints concerned the jail and because Milton serves on the board overseeing the jail, he thought he had every right to see what Oke had put into writing.

However, when Milton asked to see copies of the complaint, he was denied.

Milton tells the RFT that the public safety director, who is Clemons-Abdullah’s boss, has to approve of the civilian board seeing a given complaint, a setup Milton says is rife with conflicts of interest.

“It’s another example of obstruction and lack of transparency,” he says. “I have no faith we’re actually receiving all the complaints.”

Oke says that after getting fired from the jail, he contemplated leaving St. Louis and even packed up several boxes. However, he’s decided to stay. He says he’s mulling a wrongful termination lawsuit.

Oke says he has no doubt his termination had nothing to do with his performance or the ordering of office chairs.

“I was at the wrong place at the wrong time asking the wrong questions,” he says. n

death and claimed then-President Barack Obama had blood on his hands after a sniper killed Dallas police officers at a 2016 Black Lives Matter rally.

And so, even though it appears he wasn’t under contract, he’s suing for breach of contract, and asking that the police union be forced to keep paying him from October 2022 to April 2024 — a balance due, in his estimation, of more than $393,000, along with $100,000.00 for “the estimated damage to reputation and diminished employment opportunities” and $100,000 in legal fees for his lawyers. Never mind that Roorda wasn’t actually doing the work of business manager of the St. Louis police union from October 2022 on, a situation that has led to relations between the St. Louis Police and City Hall being marginally less toxic (although surely that is mere coincidence). He’s now coming after the police.

Instead, months after that contract ran out, as the RFT first reported, in September 2022, he was axed by the union.

Months earlier, the union had chosen not to renew his contract — a fact reported in the media at the time. Roorda explained the lack of contract renewal as a formality because he was running for office and neither party wanted to lock in. (He lost.)

But now, oddly, he’s suggesting that no one chose not to renew the contract.

Instead, his lawsuit claims, the contract was subject to “automatic renewal.” And then, five months later, the union put him on leave and stopped paying him. In short, he was breached!

In his telling, it was apparently all to mollify St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones, who had refused to give Roorda a seat at the table after (among other things) he tweeted “Happy Alive Day, Darren!” to Ferguson officer Darren Wilson on the fifth anniversary of Michael Brown’s

And as we wait for the legal battle to play out in St. Louis Circuit Court, we eagerly anticipate Roorda’s next book. After detailing how police were unfairly demonized in his previous tome, Ferghanistan: The War on Police, we may be next treated to My Struggle: How the Police Breached My Contract and Damaged My Reputation

It could be a best-seller!

After all, many people are skeptical of the police these days. Roorda switching sides from rabid police defender to money-hungry police critic? Surely Soros got to him. n

Jeff Roorda, apparent turncoat to the police cause. | DANNY WICENTOWSKI

La Dolce Vita

The Hill celebrates its 156th annual Italian Heritage Parade and Festa

Photos by BRADEN MCMAKIN

Words by SARAH FENSKE

The last 50 years have done much to break up the holds that various European ethnic groups had over St. Louis city neighborhoods. These days, Dutchtown has more Mexican and Vietnamese businesses than German ones, while Soulard is only French on Mardi Gras — and

that’s increasingly true of Dogtown and St. Patrick’s Day, too.

So the Hill stands alone, in many ways, in continuing to live its early 20th century heritage day in and day out. You don’t have to be ItalianAmerican to live there, but you’d be awfully unhappy if you didn’t enjoy Italian-American culture.

Never is that more true than on the Sunday of the annual Italian Heritage Parade and Festa, when the neighborhood’s many groups celebrate their Italian roots in the streets. The 156th annual festival on Sunday, October 8, offered a demonstration of community spirit and tight-knit bonds. From Milo’s saloon keeper (and alderman) Joe Vollmer in his cherry-red Pontiac convertible to Girl Scouts in their best Italian tricolour, everyone looked properly gioioso. And, as is usual for the Hill, no one went home hungry. n

A CELEBRATION OF THE UNIQUE AND FASCINATING ASPECTS OF OUR HOME

REFUSAL TO COOPERATE

BY JEREMY KOHLER AND RYAN KRULL

The voicemail left on St. Louis police detective Roger Murphey’s cellphone carried a clear sense of urgency.

A prosecutor in the St. Louis circuit attorney’s office was pleading with Murphey to testify in a murder trial, the sort of thing the lead detective on a case would routinely do to see an arrest through to conviction. The prosecutor told Murphey that, without his testimony, the suspect could walk free.

“I wanted to reach out to you one more time,” Assistant Circuit Attorney Srikant Chigurupati said in a message one afternoon in June 2021. “I do think we need you on this case.”

Murphey didn’t respond.

That evening, Chigurupati left Murphey another voicemail. “If it makes any difference, this guy’s a really bad guy,” Chigurupati said, according to the message, which Murphey provided for this story. “What he did was pretty ridiculous. So, I mean, can you put your differences aside and focus on getting this guy?”

Again, Murphey didn’t respond.

Weeks later, a jury found Brian Vincent not guilty, and he went free. Murphey said he believes his refusal to testify helped scuttle the case — a claim corroborated by at least one juror from the trial.

A number of American cities have elected prosecutors who promised progressive law enforcement, focusing as much on police accountability as being tough on crime. In St. Louis, that prosecutor was Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, who was elected in 2016 following the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown in the suburb of Ferguson. Gardner came into office pledging to reduce mass incarceration and promote rehabilitation over punishment.

But from San Francisco to Philadelphia, prosecutors like Gardner have faced pushback from the police and, in several cities, from their own courtroom assistants. Politicians and voters have tried to remove some of these prosecutors from office — and, in a number of cities, they have been successful.

Murphey’s resistance to Gardner — Chigurupati’s boss when Vincent’s case went to trial — was

unusual and, perhaps, extreme. By his own account, he was willing to help murder suspects walk free to make a point, even if he arrested them and believed that they should be behind bars.

In 2019, Gardner added Murphey to a list of police officers who would not be allowed to apply for criminal charges because of questions about their credibility, and she said her office would evaluate whether those officers could testify in court. Although the identities of those officers were not made public, one of Murphey’s supervisors notified him that his name was on Gardner’s list.

Weeks later, a prosecutor in Gardner’s office notified Murphey that the office not only would actually let him testify in the cases he had led that were heading to trial — it expected him to.

Murphey said he felt stuck in a catch-22. If Gardner was going to impugn his character and question his credibility, he decided, he wouldn’t cooperate with her prosecutors. He believed that if he went to court, defense lawyers would use his inclusion on Gard-

ner’s list to attack him on cross-examination, making the trials more about him than the defendants.

Since that time, he has refused to testify in at least nine murder cases in which he served as lead detective. He said he told prosecutors that, if they subpoenaed him to testify, “I’m going to sit on the stand and I’m not going to answer any questions.”

His refusal, according to prosecutors, contributed to their decisions to offer defendants in at least four of the murder cases plea deals with reduced charges and lighter sentences. Prosecutors were still able to get murder convictions in three cases.

In one case, prosecutors dropped the charges altogether, saying the office “did not have witness participation.” Though it wasn’t clear if Murphey’s refusal contributed to the decision, he said the prosecution would have been hamstrung without him because he had collected evidence and conducted interviews in the case.

Vincent’s case was the only acquittal at trial.

Continued on pg 17

A St. Louis police detective disliked Kim Gardner so much that he sabotaged his own cases.

The police department did nothing to stop him

ROGER MURPHEY

Continued from pg 14

Murphey never faced discipline from the police department for refusing to testify, a fact that criminal justice experts find astonishing. They said his refusal undermined not just the integrity of the cases but also the police department’s commitment to justice. Gardner battled the police and their union over her platform throughout her nearly six and a half years in office. But she also struggled with a host of internal issues, from the departure of dissatisfied prosecutors to a growing backlog of cases that the office could not manage. Those issues contributed to stinging criticism of her leadership — initially from law enforcement but then from even her own prosecutors.

It wasn’t until this May that staff departures became so numerous and pressure on her to resign so fierce that she stepped down. In exchange for her resignation, Republican lawmakers agreed to drop a bill that would have allowed the state to take over the circuit attorney’s office. The Republican attorney general also dropped a lawsuit seeking to force her out.

Robert Tracy, the St. Louis police chief, did not respond to an interview request. Gardner did not respond to requests for comment, and she has retreated from public life. The office is now run by Gabriel Gore, a former federal prosecutor appointed by Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, to serve until an election next year. Gore has issued updates about his supervision of the office, including hiring dozens of prosecutors and reducing a backlog of pending cases.

Murphey, who sees himself as a righteous renegade in St. Louis’ beleaguered law enforcement system, wishes other officers had taken similar stands against prosecutors like Gardner. But he said he understands why they haven’t. “They have wives, they have kids, they have tuition, medical bills,” he said. “But me — it’s just me and my wife, and my wife is like, ‘Go for it.’”

At least 10 other officers refused to cooperate with Gardner’s team, according to interviews and court records. But Murphey stood apart because of his crucial role in some of the city’s most significant, and most violent, cases.

While expressing some sympathy for the family of the victim whose fatal beating Vincent was

tried for, Murphey stood by his decision not to cooperate.

“Brian Vincent should be sitting in a penitentiary right now for the rest of his life,” he said. “But he’s not.”

The report of a suspicious death came across Murphey’s desk just after sunset on a cold November evening in 2018. A man named Larry Keck had been found in his bed, partly covered by a sheet, his face and body severely battered.

Murphey pulled up to a fourfamily flat in Shaw, a neighborhood of red brick homes on the city’s south side. As he stepped into Keck’s apartment, a painting in the living room caught his eye. It depicted an Italianate-style mansion in Lafayette Square, and it stirred a memory from his childhood. The mansion had once been owned by Keck, whom Murphey had known when he was young. Keck had spent his working life restoring some of St. Louis’ grandest homes, fixing windows and other architectural elements. Murphey had once helped him move furniture.

Murphey and other officers quickly zeroed in on Vincent, 40, as a suspect. Police reports and interviews show that Vincent and Keck, who was 68, had been in a romantic relationship, and that Vincent had been staying at Keck’s apartment on and off after getting out of prison earlier that year. A friend of Keck’s told police she had seen them together at his house late the night before.

Vincent had at least 31 felony convictions at the time and had served five stints in prison over

the previous two decades; the longest was six years. His most recent conviction was for a 2014 home burglary, where he stole hundreds of dollars’ worth of electronics and jewelry, according to police and court records.

Six months before Keck’s death, neighbors called the police one night as Vincent loudly banged on Keck’s door for 45 minutes. An officer provided Keck with a form to request a restraining order against Vincent, but there’s no record of Keck filing it. Keck’s friends told police they had noticed bruises on him in the past, leading them to suspect that Vincent was abusing him. Keck had also told the friends that Vincent was stealing from him.

Murphey brought Vincent to police headquarters for questioning and placed him in a small,

windowless room. According to a video of the interrogation, which Murphey provided, Vincent told Murphey and another detective that he and Keck had been out with friends the night before Keck was found dead and that some of them had gone back to Keck’s apartment at about 10 p.m. to smoke crack cocaine. Vincent said that afterward he slept in the alley behind the house and woke around 2 a.m. He said he then walked downtown — a distance of four miles — to see his probation officer.

Murphey questioned Vincent’s account, pointing out that his clothes, which Vincent said he was still wearing from the night before, were remarkably clean for someone who had slept in an alley. He noted, too, that the overnight temperature was 19 degrees, making it difficult to believe that Vincent had slept outside. Vincent seemed indignant, telling Murphey that he should be looking at Keck’s drug dealers as possible suspects.

“Some of them are probably dangerous,” he said in the video of the interrogation.

Murphey told Vincent that he believed Vincent had killed Keck. When Vincent asked for a lawyer, according to the video, Murphey ended the interrogation, arresting Vincent on a first-degree murder charge.

Murphey later tracked down two maintenance workers who had been at the building. One of them picked Vincent out of a photo lineup, according to police reports, and said he saw Vincent go in and out of Keck’s apartment a short time before Keck’s body was discovered.

Murphey said in a sworn deposition, taken by Vincent’s lawyer as part of pretrial proceedings, that the lack of a plausible alibi was “what sealed it for me,” according to the deposition.

Vincent, in a brief interview, said he was innocent and described Keck as a close friend: “We worked together and had our differences but he was a good man.” He called Murphey a “crooked cop” who tried to frame him.

He said Murphey “didn’t have the balls to show up” at his trial.

Murphey started his working life in 1982 at age 17 as an Army cook, and three years later he enlisted in the Air Force as a security specialist. During Operation Desert Storm, he spent close to two years at bases in Europe, but he returned to the U.S. and Whiteman Air Force Base

Continued on pg 18

Brian Vincent was acquitted of murdering Larry Keck in 2021. | COURTESY SLMPD

Larry Keck was killed in 2018. | COURTESY SHELDON OWENS

ROGER MURPHEY

Continued from pg 17

in western Missouri when his wife became ill.

During his time at Whiteman, he got a part-time job as a police officer in La Monte, a small town near the base. It was light work, he said, watching over a general store and a handful of shops.

Murphey returned to St. Louis and entered the police academy, graduating in May 1995. Two years later, he was named officer of the year in the city’s 9th police district. The head of a neighborhood association had written a letter to Murphey’s captain commending Murphey for helping to oust drug dealers from a problem property.

Paris Bouchard, who wrote that letter, said he remembered Murphey as being uncommonly accessible and helping to “bring amazing change to our block.”

“He was so good at what he was doing,” Bouchard said.

Murphey became a detective in 2007 — work that he said satisfied his curiosity. “I like finding out what happened. I’m nosy,” he said. Four years later, he won a coveted transfer to the homicide unit.

“I’m not saying that I was the greatest,” Murphey said. “But you know, to get there, you’ve got to be able to prove yourself. You did your time on the street.”

In audio recordings of his interviews with witnesses and suspects, which Murphey provided, he seemed to balance sternness with empathy, establishing an initial rapport before launching into his questioning. His questions started out broad, then zeroed in on details.

In one recording, he began to question a suspect’s wife by asking, “What kind of dogs you got? I’ve got pit bulls myself.” Then he moved to the matter at hand. “You weren’t with him today when he shot at this lady?”

Scott Ecker, who supervised Murphey in the homicide unit, called him a great detective. “You’re just not going to find a more passionate individual that actually cares about not only the victim but the victim’s family,” he said.

Yet Murphey was prone to office disputes. He accused colleagues of tampering with his phone and desk. When residents protested against police brutality, he criticized Black leaders who put a spotlight on racial bias within the department, sometimes accusing them of twisting facts to ascribe racial motives to situations where

he believed race was not a factor.

His comments didn’t go unnoticed. Sgt. Heather Taylor, then a supervisor in the homicide unit and the leader of an organization for Black officers, challenged Murphey’s comments as racially insensitive. Murphey, in turn, said that he complained to the command staff about what he viewed as Taylor’s false claims of racism in the department.

In a recent interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Murphey named three Black, female leaders — Gardner, Taylor and St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones — as the reason many officers had left the department. He called the women “catalysts that broke the system.”

Taylor, who is now the city’s deputy public safety director, said that during their time in the homicide unit, she had dealt with complaints about Murphey being insubordinate and combative with colleagues. “If fighting racism is me breaking the police department,” she said, “I hope more people do exactly what I did.”

Gardner and the police force were at odds even before she was elected. Speaking to supporters days before her resignation, she recounted a meeting with officials from the St. Louis Police Officers Association before the election, where, she said, union officials told her, “We will let you be in this office if you make sure you never hold any police officer accountable.”

Representatives for the union did not respond to requests for comment.

During her first year in office, Gardner accused the police department of withholding evidence in about two dozen cases in which a police officer shot someone, and she asked the city to launch an independent team to lead all investigations into such incidents. A city bill to create the team did not advance to a vote.

The police union, meantime, routinely criticized Gardner, saying she refused to issue criminal charges in cases where officers had made arrests; they argued that she rejected far more cases than her predecessor, Jennifer Joyce. In response, Gardner said the cases often lacked sufficient evidence.

Gardner’s first high-profile prosecution was one she inherited from Joyce: a murder case against Jason Stockley, a white St. Louis police officer who was accused of shooting and killing a Black man during a chase and then planting a gun on him. Stockley was acquitted, which sparked street protests. Gardner said the acquittal showed the need for independent investigations of police shootings, which she said her office should lead.

In August 2018, Gardner created what became known as her “exclusion list,” which she said included 28 officers whose conduct had undermined their credibility. She said prosecutors would refuse to issue charges in any case involving an officer on the list that

depended on their testimony.

Some officers, however, would still be allowed to testify on cases that had been launched before the list was created. Murphey wasn’t yet on the list.

Prosecutors are required to disclose to the defense any evidence that may favor the accused or undermine the credibility of a witness. A national police chiefs association recommends that police departments inform prosecutors when any issues arise that could affect officers’ credibility, such as making false reports or expressing racial bias. But St. Louis police have not had a procedure for this. Joyce said the extent to which the police department shared such information depended on who was the chief at the time. “Some were more forthcoming than others,” she said.

Nationally, the approach to these lists varies. While some prosecutors’ offices don’t maintain such lists, others do but choose to keep them private. Some offices, including that of State’s Attorney Kim Foxx in Chicago, have made them public. Joyce said her office did create internal records on officers to be excluded from prosecutions but mainly operated with a “mental list.”

Gardner’s replacement, Gore, said he had no exclusion list and had no plans to try to keep tabs on officers with credibility problems. He said that was up to the police department to do.

“I don’t have the attorney manpower to send people over and have them scouring through police personnel files, looking for things that might potentially be relevant to a witness’ credibility and necessary to be produced at a trial,” Gore said.

The first batch of names on Gardner’s list included officers who had refused to cooperate with her office in cases where they had shot someone. The police union said after Stockley’s trial that other officers who had used force to arrest suspects feared becoming targets of prosecutors. Gardner said their refusal to testify prevented her from bringing cases to trial. Tensions continued to rise after the police union said it wanted the state legislature to change the law so Gardner could be impeached or recalled.

One afternoon in March 2019, St. Louis police officers entered Gardner’s office with a search warrant and seized a computer server. The raid had been ordered by a special prosecutor investigating a perjury claim tied to an investigator in Gardner’s office. But an appeals

Former St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner. | POOL PHOTO BY DAVID CARSON, POST-DISPATCH

court intervened and the police returned the equipment.

Gardner saw the raid as a direct affront to her authority. She sharply criticized the police, accusing them of deploying tactics “to intimidate, harass and embarrass this office.”

In June 2019, the Plain View Project, a national research project that identifies officers across the country making racist, violent or anti-Muslim social media posts, released a database that included posts from St. Louis officers. Using the information, Gardner added 22 more names to the exclusion list, telling the city’s public safety director and police chief in a letter that the posts were “shocking and beneath the dignity of someone who holds such a powerful position.”

Murphey was one of those officers whose social media posts were exposed, and he was added to the list. After the Stockley acquittal, he posted that the protestors were supporting “a violent thug,” and he referred to Gardner as “kimmy g.”

Over several interviews with reporters, Murphey said he was not a racist. He said he had a right to express his views, particularly about the Stockley case. He had been involved in the initial investigation of Stockley, he said, and Stockley “did not commit a crime.”

Miriam Krinsky, a former federal prosecutor and currently the executive director of Fair and Just Prosecution, a think tank focused on prosecution reform, said if an officer’s posts indicate troubling attitudes or biases, prosecutors are right to question “whether they still have integrity and still can be trusted to pursue their job in a fair and unbiased and professional way.”

Foxx, the state’s attorney in Cook County, said in an interview that “credibility matters.” A defense attorney, she added, would be able to use those posts “to demonstrate how this person described the victim of a crime, and his credibility before a jury or before a judge would be called into question.”

But R. Michael Cassidy, a law professor at Boston College and an expert in prosecutorial ethics, said that Gardner’s use of the list seemed fraught. He questioned why a prosecutor would expect any officer on an exclusion list to cooperate with them.

“You might take the position that ‘I’ve justifiably alienated the police officer and there’s a public interest in not having racist police officers,’”

he said. “Now you have to deal with the consequences of that.”

Those consequences can be significant, including allowing some defendants to go free even though they may have committed serious crimes because a prosecutor can no longer call an officer to the witness stand. As a result, prosecutors who keep these lists need to be selective about who they include, said Alissa Marque Heydari, a former Manhattan assistant district attorney who is now a research professor at Vanderbilt University.

A more flexible approach, Heydari said, would be for prosecutors to keep another list of officers who have committed misconduct that would not be disqualifying — an officer who was arrested for drunken driving, for instance — but that must still be disclosed to the defense as part of a robust effort to fulfill legal requirements.

It’s the difference between using a scalpel and a chainsaw.

“Once you put them on that list, there’s not much flexibility,” said Heydari. “You can’t then go back and say, ‘Well, I need this officer because it’s a homicide.’”

After Murphey was placed on the exclusion list, supervisors struggled to find a role for him since any case he became involved in would be compromised. At times, he did nothing more than stream movies at his desk.

At the same time, some former colleagues said, he openly criticized the police department’s management and talked more and more about Gardner. Some detectives who shared his criticism of the circuit attorney came to understand that it could harm their cases if he played a role in them.

In August 2019, two months after Murphey was placed on the exclusion list, he was transferred

to the patrol division. He would no longer wear a suit to work. The department issued him a standard blue uniform and assigned him to respond to radio calls. He was a beat cop again.

Then, in January 2020, Gardner filed a federal civil rights lawsuit accusing the city, the local police union and others of a coordinated and racist conspiracy to force her out of office. Murphey’s Facebook posts were among the evidence she cited.

Gardner’s clash with the police only seemed to bolster her reputation among city voters. After a resounding victory in the August 2020 Democratic primary, her reelection was all but assured.

Weeks later, a federal judge dismissed her lawsuit, deeming it “nothing more than a compilation of personal slights.”

Although Murphey was downgraded to patrol, his murder cases continued moving forward in court. Lining up and preparing the testimony of the lead detective is a basic step for prosecutors as they get ready for trial. The lead detective often weaves together the details of a crime and the investigation that followed, providing a narrative for the jury.

Continued on pg 21

With the confession in hand, Murphey said that he viewed the case as a “slam dunk” that would have resulted in a life sentence — if he had cooperated.

Marcia Miller shows reporters a photo of her son, Raymond Neal. | COURTESY MARCIA MILLER

Continued from pg 19

But if the lead detective is absent, the prosecution can be undermined. Key information about the crime scene and witness interviews, which the detective usually provides from the witness stand, may be lost. Jurors may suspect something is amiss.

The cases against Terrence Robinson and Naesean Thompson, two men charged with first-degree murder in the 2017 shooting of Raymond Neal, were the first of Murphey’s investigations to head to trial after Gardner put him on the exclusion list.

Murphey’s investigation had found that the incident started when Neal got into an argument with Thompson, who was allegedly selling drugs outside a convenience store. Neal grabbed Thompson’s jacket and the men began to fight. Thompson pulled out a gun. Robinson — who was there with Thompson — then pulled out his own gun and shot Neal, according to police.

Murphey obtained surveillance video from the store, which showed the shooting. He interviewed witnesses, helped identify Thompson and Robinson as suspects and wrote the police reports that concluded that the two men were responsible for Neal’s death.

The prosecutor handling the case, H. Morley Swingle, recognized how important Murphey was going to be and sought clarification about Murphey’s status from a top Gardner official. The official assured Swingle that Murphey could testify, according to an email from Swingle to Murphey’s attorney, which Murphey provided.

Although Gardner had indefinitely banned certain officers, Murphey wasn’t one of them. He fell into “some lesser category,” Swingle wrote in the email. Still, Murphey refused to testify for Swingle.

In October 2019, Swingle made a deal with Robinson: He dropped the murder case, and Robinson pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action. Robinson was sentenced to seven years in prison with eligibility for parole early in the third year of his incarceration, far less than he would have received if convicted of first-degree murder.

Robinson was released on parole last year. He could not be reached for comment and his attorney did not respond to a request for comment.

In February 2020, Thompson pleaded guilty to involuntary man-

slaughter and was sentenced to time served in the city jail. He did not respond to a request for comment through his lawyer, Neil Barron. Barron said that while proving the murder charge against his client to a jury would have been challenging, “Murphey refusing to testify absolutely makes this a harder case to prosecute.”

Marcia Miller, Neal’s mother, said that prosecutors told her that a plea bargain was their only option in the case “because of the evidence,” even though she reminded them that they had a videotape of Robinson killing her son. She said that the prosecutors never mentioned that Murphey had refused to testify.

Swingle said Murphey’s refusal to cooperate was not the only factor influencing his decision to accept a plea deal in the Robinson case. He said it would have been difficult to secure a murder conviction for a killing over a drug deal, even though it had been captured on video.

Murphey refused to testify even as prosecutors negotiated what he viewed as lenient deals with defendants he was convinced were guilty of particularly brutal crimes and deserved life sentences.

One of those defendants, he said, was Collin Aubuchon, who was charged with killing Richard Kladky in March 2019. The men had been staying in the same sober living facility, but after clashing over Aubuchon’s flirtatious

text exchange with Kladky’s wife, Kladky moved to another facility.

On Kladky’s first day at his new home, Aubuchon used GPS to locate Kladky and shot him five times, killing him. He then surrendered to a security guard and claimed he had just shot someone who had threatened him.

During the interrogation, Aubuchon confessed, saying Kladky had been sending him threatening texts warning him to keep away from his wife, according to a video of the interrogation, which Murphey provided to news organizations. While examining Aubuchon’s phone and tablet, Murphey found that Kladky had threatened to hurt Aubuchon if he didn’t stop flirting with his wife, the video showed. Aubuchon, in turn, taunted Kladky by saying he was going to have sex with her.

“I was just being an asshole,” Aubuchon told Murphey.

With the confession in hand, Murphey said that he viewed the case as a “slam dunk” that would have resulted in a life sentence — if he had cooperated. “I don’t know of anything that would mitigate what he did,” Murphey said.

In May 2021, Assistant Circuit Attorney Chris Desilets agreed to a plea deal with Aubuchon that called for a 13-year prison term for voluntary manslaughter; Aubuchon is scheduled for release in early 2026.

In a brief telephone interview from prison, Aubuchon said he

didn’t know Murphey had refused to testify against him and acknowledged that he might have benefited from that refusal. He said he took a plea deal rather than risk life in prison.

Desilets said that pushing the Aubuchon case, as well as others, to trial without Murphey’s cooperation would have been like “playing chicken.” He said he did the best he could to get justice for the victims.

“Roger caused a lot of problems,” he said.

Eric Lee Boehmer, Aubuchon’s lawyer, said that while he wasn’t sure how important Murphey’s testimony would have been to the prosecution, his refusal to testify wasn’t the sole factor influencing the plea bargain. He said there was strong evidence his client acted in self defense.

Kladky’s relatives said they were never told about Murphey’s refusal to cooperate in the case.

Mary Kladky, his sister, said it was “heartbreaking” that a police officer would abandon a case. As for Aubuchon, she said, “Just as we’re beginning to heal, he’s going to walk free.”

Murphey’s refusal did not always sink a case. At times, prosecutors still went to trial without him. Three cases proceeded to trial without Murphey’s cooperation — each resulting in first-degree murder convictions. In one of the cases handled by Desilets, he said the prosecution would have been “smoother” with Murphey’s testimony.

In some cases, prosecutors could not even salvage a plea deal.

Chigurupati, the prosecutor in the Larry Keck murder, went to trial against Brian Vincent without his lead detective.

It’s hard to pinpoint the impact of Murphey’s absence on the outcome of the case. Missouri law considers records from criminal proceedings confidential after an acquittal, so reporters were unable to get a copy of the trial transcript, which could have illuminated the prosecution’s shortcomings.

In an interview, one juror said gaps in the evidence hurt the case, but that the absence of the lead detective was particularly noticeable. He wondered, “Why the heck weren’t there a couple of key players there?” said the juror, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect his privacy. “Why wasn’t the lead detective there?”

A second juror noted that, although Murphey’s absence wasn’t

Continued on pg 22

Chris Desilets. | POOL PHOTO BY CHRISTIAN GOODEN, POST-DISPATCH

Continued from pg 21

a pivotal factor, the prosecution seemed to her “scattered.” Vincent’s lawyer adeptly cast doubt on his guilt, leaving her believing in his innocence.

Murphey said his absence likely prevented Chigurupati from presenting a coherent narrative of the crime and investigation. “I’m pretty much sure that me not being there didn’t help the case at all. If I’m sitting on a jury and the main detective’s not there, I’d be wondering why,” he said.

During his holdout, Murphey agreed to testify in one case: the trial of Eric Lawson, who was accused of murdering his 10-monthold son, his ex-girlfriend and her mother in 2012. Murphey agreed to cooperate because Gardner’s office recused itself due to a conflict of interest, leaving the prosecution with then-Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a vocal critic of Gardner.

Murphey also said he felt a special duty to one of the victims, the sister of a police officer. “The bias,” he explained, “is it’s a policeman’s family. And, you know, we’re all supportive for each other.”

In pretrial motions, defense attorneys argued that Murphey’s credibility was a central issue in the case, and said that, during the trial, they should be allowed to ask him about his Facebook posts and his removal from the homicide unit. Since Lawson was Black, they contended that Murphey’s use of the word “thug” and his disrespectful nickname for Gardner “could be perceived by jurors as evidence of racial animus.”

The judge in the trial refused to allow the defense to cross-examine Murphey about his social media activity, saying it “may be unprofessional, but it’s not racist.” Murphey ultimately testified at trial and, in May 2021, a jury convicted Lawson and sentenced him to life in prison without parole.

Murphey never faced disciplinary action for his refusal to cooperate with prosecutors. In fact, the police department continued to send him to investigate cases after he was placed on the exclusion list. He continued to draw the same salary.

Murphey said that, in mid-2020, during staffing shortages in the worst months of the pandemic, his supervisors asked him to work again as a detective, though not in the homicide unit. Murphey said

he warned supervisors that putting him back on investigations was ill-advised. “I said, ‘I’m not going to be good to you, because I’m just going to be sitting there,’” he recalled. He even cautioned supervisors about pairing him with a partner as a way to work around his restrictions.

Peter Joy, a law professor at Washington University in St. Louis who specializes in legal ethics, said Murphey’s stance was “absurd” and a “dereliction of duty.”

“If you’re hired to do something, you do it,” he said. “You don’t have to love your boss. If you hate your boss, you should leave. But don’t sabotage the work you’re doing.”

But he said the police department was wrong as well to let Murphey continue investigating cases while he was on Gardner’s exclusion list, because the department knew his involvement could compromise those cases.

Joyce, Gardner’s predecessor, said it was hard to believe the department allowed Murphey to refuse to testify for so long. “The mindset that ‘I’m not going to testify in murder cases as a protest’ is, I believe, unprofessional,” she said.

Cassidy, the Boston College law professor, said “the police chief needs to order that person to testify, and on threat of discipline.” He said the prosecutor “needs to either convince the police chief to order him to testify or needs to go to court to get a subpoena, and when he refuses to come in, ask the court to issue an arrest warrant for his appearance.”

None of that was done. Desilets said forcing Murphey to court would have done no good. Murphey would have still refused to testify and become a hostile witness. And hostile witnesses, he said, are “mostly ineffective with jurors.”

Just before her resignation, Gardner had scored a major victory, one that epitomized what many say is the ideal role of progressive prosecutors. On February 14 of this year, a local judge exonerated Lamar Johnson, who had spent almost three decades in prison for a

crime he did not commit. Gardner had spearheaded the effort to free Johnson after her conviction integrity unit uncovered prosecutorial misconduct and shoddy police work in his case. The state attorney general’s office under Eric Schmitt, before his election to the U.S. Senate in November 2022, had opposed the effort.

But a series of events quickly sapped her political support. Four days after Johnson’s release, a 17-year-old visiting downtown St. Louis for a volleyball tournament was struck by a reckless driver and had to have both legs amputated. The driver had been free on bond even though he had violated the conditions of his release dozens of times.

The responsibility for the lapse was unclear, falling somewhere between Gardner’s office and the judge, but public outrage rained hard on Gardner. Republican lawmakers began to push for legislation that would allow the governor to appoint a special prosecutor to handle violent crime in St. Louis, effectively undermining Gardner’s authority.

Mayor Tishaura Jones, a former Gardner ally, added her voice to the criticism. She said Gardner had lost the “trust of the people.” Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who succeeded Schmitt, sued to remove Gardner from office.

Then Gardner’s office, which had been losing key lawyers, failed to appear on the first day of a high-profile murder trial of a man accused of killing someone on the grounds of the Gateway Arch. Gardner’s office blamed the snafu on a staff attorney not properly requesting time off; a text message from that lawyer, which became public, showed him writing of Gardner: “I half expect her to be in jail before my vacation ends.”

The following week, Gardner’s office failed to show up at a hearing in the case of a man accused of shooting an 11-year-old. The prosecutor’s office had already missed the first day of the scheduled trial, and this second no-show prompted the judge to appoint a special prosecutor to consider contempt

charges against Gardner and the prosecutor assigned to the case.

The judge, during a court hearing, called Gardner’s office “a rudderless ship of chaos.”

Gardner dug in. But the following weeks saw her office embroiled in additional controversies, including the resignation of a prosecutor who criticized her leadership. As her office continued to lose staff, it was revealed that Gardner was enrolled in an advanced nursing program, a possible violation of a state law requiring the circuit attorney to give their “entire time and energy” to their official duties.

A few days before her resignation, Gardner spoke from the pulpit of a church to a few dozen supporters and said she “never had a fair shake.” All along, she said, she was surrounded by people “who have colluded and conspired inside this office and out to make sure we’re not successful.”

One unresolved murder case that involves Murphey — though he did not act as lead detective — is the 2015 death of Kristopher Schmeiderer, who died from a knife attack that had occurred in 2014.

Before Schmeiderer’s death, Andrew Lynn Barnett had been convicted of first-degree assault and armed criminal action for attacking Schmeiderer. But the Missouri Supreme Court overturned the conviction in 2019, ruling that the judge in the case had erred by not giving the jury an instruction that self-defense could have justified the attack, even though Barnett had claimed in his defense that he didn’t attack Schmeiderer at all.

In 2021, the circuit attorney’s office charged Barnett with seconddegree murder. A trial is expected this fall.

Though Murphey didn’t testify at the assault trial, he did contribute to the evidence collection. He helped find clothes that Barnett allegedly discarded in a sewer after the attack and seized them as evidence.

Now, his testimony has become more valuable. One of the detectives who testified at Barnett’s first trial has since died, and the circuit attorney’s office is trying to line up its witnesses — including Murphey.

Kathy Schmeiderer, the victim’s mother, said she hopes Murphey will testify.

“We want justice for our son, to close the wound,” she said.

But Murphey said he won’t take the stand. n

“ If you’re hired to do something, you do it. You don’t have to love your boss. If you hate your boss, you should leave. But don’t sabotage the work you’re doing.”

— Peter Joy, Washington University law professor

CALENDAR

BY RIVERFRONT TIMES STAFF

THURSDAY 10/12 Life’s Short; Talk Fast

Has there ever been a TV show that lends itself better to trivia than Gilmore Girls? If there is, we don’t want to know about it. Amy Sherman-Palladino really knew how to pack her dialogue with literary, pop culture, political and historical references, which would seemingly make for an endless pool of questions to be asked at Gilmore Girls Trivia Night this Thursday, October 12, at Schlafly Bottleworks (7260 Southwest Avenue, Maplewood; 314-241-2337). Whether you’re a Rory or a Lorelai, a Luke or a Dean, bring all your Stars Hollow knowledge to the Maplewood brewery for the free event, which kicks off at 7 p.m. Visit schlafly. com for more details.

FRIDAY 10/13 Witch, Please

Even witches need a little fun now and then, and 9 Mile Garden (9375 Gravois Road, Affton; 314-390-2806) is happy to hook them up with this week’s Witches Night Out event. Get dressed up in your witchiest garb and pilot your broom to the Affton food truck park on Friday, October 13, to celebrate with all of your St. Louis sister-witches. In addition to hosting a costume contest (the best-dressed witch wins some “9 Mile Garden Bucks”), they’ll have a vendor market where you can buy all manner of witchy things such as crystals and candles. They’ll also have tarot readings, of course, because obviously an effective witch needs all information available to achieve her best witchy life. You must be at least 21 to attend the event. Tickets are $35, but they include a welcome cocktail, access to the charcuterie bar and a special dessert from the Sweet Side. Visit facebook. com/9milegarden/events to find more information and a link to buy your tickets.

Grin and Bier it

Time and time again, Soulard Oktoberfest is one of the best Oktoberfests in town. Happening this year on Friday, October 13, and Saturday, October 14, this party in Soulard Market Park (Lafayette Avenue and South Eighth Street) is quite a bit more German than others in the area. All Oktoberfests are about drinking (too much) beer, but Soulard Oktoberfest is about drinking too much beer while enjoying music from six (!) different German bands. No, were not talking about industrial tunes from the boys in Rammstein; we’re referring to the traditional music from the Waterloo German Band, the Bolzen Beer Band, the Brasshaufen Brass Band, the Good Times Band, Deutschmeister Band and Die Spitzbuam. And while you’re getting your polka on and stuffing your face full of beer and pretzels, you can amuse yourself by browsing the many vendors and exhibitors on site and take a trip to the wine garden. (Or

should we say the wine garten?) The event is free but tickets to the VIP Bier Hall are $30. You’ll also want to set aside $14 for a commemorative stein that will help you remember that you actually attended the event and that the hangover was totally worth it. More info, including a schedule of events, is at soulard-oktoberfest. com.

SATURDAY 10/14

Shagadelic, Baby

One of the joys of visiting the Green Shag Market (5733 Manchester Avenue, 314-646-8687) is the contrast between the exterior and the interior. Outside, it looks, to be frank, a bit dubious. Manchester isn’t the prettiest street, and the building itself is rather industrial. But once you enter, oh the wonders that you can behold. From a plethora of mid-century modern furniture to vintage Tupperware to beautiful, old-school glassware to random oddities, it’s a delight.

And that’s just a normal visit. During the annual Shag’s Open-Air Market, the fun insides of the market spill out into its parking lot. Visitors will find vendor tents with vintage and secondhand goods as well as handmade crafts such as beard balm and customblended tea. It’s a one-day event, and the hordes of St. Louisans who will descend upon it on Saturday, October 14, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. are thoroughly in the know. Don’t miss your chance to be one of them. Entrance is free. For more information, visit thegreenshagmarket.com.

Anarchy in the STL

There’s only one time each year when you can view more than 200 pieces of art that speak to the punk teenager that’s still inside you. This Saturday, October 14, marks the fifth edition of the Punk Rock Art Show, a highly anticipated event where viewers can peruse the punk-rock inspired art at 31art gallery (3520 Hampton Avenue) while listening to live music and sipping

This week offers multiple opportunities to unleash your inner witch on an unsuspecting public. | VIA FLICKR /MARKUS REINHARDT

beer from a cash bar. There are several artists whose work will be displayed, including abstract expressionist and contemporary artist Jared Minnick, as well as oil painter Maxine Thirteen, whose surreal and macabre work instills an unsettling feeling while daring the viewer to look away. Entrance is free. Live music from a rolling set of artists including Amy Elizabeth Quinn, Fritz Beer and Mid Tempo Death March begins at 5 p.m. More details at 31artgallery. com.

SLICE of Life

For years, there was a much-loved event by the name of the St. Louis Small Press Expo, a bustling oneday affair that launched in 2014 at Firecracker Press in Old North. The event quickly outgrew those bounds and then expanded year after year in the Central Library until COVID-19 stopped it in its tracks. But fear not. The St. Louis Independent Comics Expo, or SLICE, is set to be the longed-for successor to that bygone annual party. A group headed up by St. Louis-based comic artist Steenz resurrected and reimagined the expo, which finds a new home

at the Sheldon (3648 Washington Avenue, 314-533-9900) this year. The free event will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, October 14, and is set to include a book fair with plentiful exhibitors, local and not, that run that gamut from comic artists to printmakers to illustrators to small press publishers and more. Special guests include Zachary Clemente, a small press comics publisher from Somerville, Massachusetts; Bianca Xunise, an illustrator, writer and educator hailing from Chicago; and Cassi Mothwin, a tabletop RPG designer, writer and illustrator living in St. Louis. The fun starts at 10 a.m. and runs through 5 p.m. Visit slicexpo.org for more information.

No Mere Mortal Can Resist

Darkness falls across the land, the midnight hour is close at hand, as all manner of ancient evil rises anew from its restless slumber intent on but one thing: participating in a “Thriller” flash mob for the amusement of the good citizens of O’Fallon, Illinois. And that’s just one, er, thrilling aspect of the

Witches and Wizards Festival, which returns to O’Fallon Station (105 South Vine Street, O’Fallon, Illinois; 618-624-0139) this Saturday, October 14. In addition to the Michael Jackson-themed fun, this event will include fire dancers, a tightrope performance, a night market, a costume contest, a magician and more, as downtown O’Fallon is transformed into a hauntingly fun ode to all things

WEEK OF OCTOBER 12-18

Spooky Season. Advance tickets start at $45 and run up to $65 if purchased on the day of the event, so you’ll want to act now to save some cash. The festival is a decidedly grown-up affair, and kids under 16 need to be accompanied by an adult. Festivities kick off at 6 p.m. For more information, including a complete schedule, visit facebook.com/witchesandwizardsfestiv. n

Maxine Thirteen’s surrealist work will be on display at the Punk Rock Art Show. | VIA 31ART GALLERY Your knowledge of all things Gilmore Girls gets put to the test Thursday. | PROMO ART VIA NETFLIX

Green Shag offers plenty of ways to spend a fortune on retro treasures. | VIA GREEN SHAG MARKET

All Style, All Substance

Anita Cafe & Bar enlivens Midtown’s dining scene with arresting Lebanese-inflected cuisine

Written by CHERYL BAEHR

Anita Cafe & Bar 2700 Locust Street, 314-669-7700. Mon.Wed. 8 a.m.-3 p.m.; Thurs. 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sun 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (Closed Fri. and Sat.)

When you walk through the front doors of Anita Cafe & Bar, you’re greeted with a stunning interior design aesthetic. Several multitiered crystal chandeliers hang from the soaring ceilings, their light sparkling off two walls of windows that make up the front and one side of the corner storefront. A mix of round and square marble bistro tables surrounded by modern, blond wood chairs provide the bulk of the seating; a handful of high-tops and sumptuous teal and mustard velvet chairs fill the rest of the main dining room, and ivory tweed barstools are placed in a perfect diagonal along the marble bar that lines the entire back wall. That wall, painted emerald green, is a gorgeous backdrop for a gold, Arabicinspired hanging sculpture, and inside a small, greenery-covered nook to the side of the bar is a gold-framed mirror adorned with colorful flowers.

As visually arresting as such a scene might be, it’s not the first thing you notice upon entry. Instead, it’s the mouthwatering aroma from the kitchen that immediately hits you: a perfume of herbs, spices, simmering pots of slowcooked Lebanese-inflected stews so intoxicating, it nearly puts you under a trance — and once you come to, you realize that, no matter how stylish the digs, the substance is the most beautiful thing about this delightful addition to the Midtown dining scene.

Considering her background, it’s not surprising that owner Anita Abdul-Karim would be able to deliver such a magical cu -

linary experience. A registered dietician by trade, Abdul-Karim has dedicated much of her professional life to the idea of food as nourishment, not only for the body but for the spirit.

On its surface, then, the story of Anita Cafe & Bar seems linear: Abdul-Karim left behind her dietician career to open a restau -

rant so that she could have a proactive impact on her customers’ health and wellness.

However, she is emphatic that her desire to open a restaurant had less to do with nutrition and is more of a confluence of many things — not the least of which is her Lebanese heritage, which she draws upon both for its in-

gredients and its notion of food as a way of bringing friends and family together. Though AbdulKarim says it wasn’t always easy growing up in the U.S. as the kid bringing Lebanese food to school, over time, she grew to appreciate this part of her identity and felt an urge to share it. This, coupled with her desire to inspire others to take entrepreneurial leaps to create the lives they want for themselves, combined with her food background to become Anita Cafe & Bar.

You can feel Abdul-Karim’s earnest passion in every aspect of Anita Cafe & Bar — most notably, the food. Though it is not a Lebanese restaurant, per se, Abdul-Karim lets this part of her story lead with dishes such as the ful medames, a deeply rich stew made with fava and garbanzo beans. Earthy flavors such as garlic, cumin and the beans themselves are punctuated with parsley, cucumbers and mint to create a dish that is at once hearty and bright.

The fatteh, too, is a satisfying slow-cooked dish; here, flawlessly cooked garbanzo beans are stewed with hunks of eggplant and bell peppers, then smothered in thick, garlicky yogurt that forms a coating

A selection of dishes from Anita Cafe & Bar including avocado toast, ful medames, O.N.O. Rose parfait and za’atar toast. | MABEL SUEN

Anita Abdul-Karim gave up a career as a dietician to open Anita Cafe & Bar. | MABEL SUEN

the texture of meringue. Slivered almonds and toasted pita strips add a delightfully crunchy texture.

Abdul-Karim offers two salads; the first, fattoush, takes cues from the Lebanese classic by pairing romaine, tomatoes, cucumbers and onions with fried pita chips. A vibrant sumac-lemon dressing wraps the dish in mouth-puckering brightness and complements the citrus-marinated salmon that is an optional accompaniment. Anita Cafe & Bar’s Caesar salad is equally punchy. Bucking the traditional creamy, anchovy-forward dressing typically served with a Caesar, this version is light and lemony — a perfect match for plump citrusherb shrimp.

Anita Cafe & Bar shines brightest on its simplest offerings. The Shaye Cheese is an outstanding elevated grilled cheese thanks to its olive oil-saturated bread, gooey white cheese, blistered tomatoes and a whisper of za’atar that wraps the sandwich in mouthwatering Middle Eastern spice. The restaurant’s three toasts are equally magical. A labneh toast features a griddled piece of sourdough slathered with thick, Lebanese yogurt and accented with halved grape tomatoes and mint. The avocado version is what you wish all avocado toasts would be: A garlicky base is completely covered with sliced avocado, small cubed beets, feta cheese and fresh herbs. However, the showstopper is the za’atar toast, a masterful showcase of eastern Mediterra-

nean flavors. For this wonder, Abdul-Karim makes a paste of olive oil, sesame seeds, thyme, oregano and sumac, spreads it on toasted sourdough, then tops it with a generous amount of creamy feta cheese, tomatoes and mint. It hits every note you want in such a dish: tangy, rich, earthy, garlicky,

zesty, salty and subtly sweet from the tomato and mint — so intensely flavorful your mouth tingles after every bite.

You could be eating the za’atar toast in an unadorned cinder block room and still your spirit would be flooded with color. That you get to enjoy it in a space as

lovely as Anita Cafe & Bar is an absolute gift — one that AbdulKarim will be generously giving our city for years to come. n

Anita Cafe & Bar

Za’atar toast $12

Caesar with shrimp ................................ $22

Ful medames $15

The sumac feta fries are topped with a traditional spice blend and tangy feta. | MABEL SUEN

The O.N.O. Rose parfait combines overnight oats with rose water, vanilla Greek yogurt and chia seeds, topped with berries, nuts, bananas, coconut and organic raw honey. | MABEL SUEN

The za’atar toast is covered in sumac, sesame seeds, thyme and oregano mixed with olive oil and spread on toasted bread, topped with feta, tomatoes, cucumbers and a Mediterranean drizzle. | MABEL SUEN

SHORT ORDERS

Part of the Solution

The Drip brings Tower Grove South a Black-owned coffee shop with a purpose

Written by JESSICA ROGEN

When LaTosha Baker first walked into 3615 Potomac Street, there was nothing there. Well, there was a building, but it had been completely devastated by time and being uninhabited. It would have made sense for Baker and her partner, Elena Coby, to turn around. But Baker had a vision of golden gates as she walked through those doors.

“This space kind of chose me,” Baker says. “It was imperfect. Me and my partner completely rehabbed this building. We didn’t know what we were doing. So we called in friends and everyone kind of helped build it, but it really chose me. I remember passing by it many times. I was like, ‘No, that’s not it.’ And then I came in.”

The renovation took five years of steady work and love. But when Baker opened the doors to the Drip Community Coffee House about three weeks ago, all the struggle and work had officially paid off.

When you walk into the Drip, the experience could not be more different than what Baker and Coby must have faced. The doorway, which sits just steps away from South Grand, is somewhat innocuous, until you notice it’s literally colored gold. A few stairs up, you’ll find a hallway with a library of “banned books,” and then you’re greeted by a large space positively covered in artwork (her own and Coby’s) as well as, in all likelihood, a Drip staff member.

“Welcome home,” they’ll call out in greeting.

The space then opens up into a large room that is filled with squishy-looking furniture, including rows of sofas that face each

other, with a devoted kids corner replete with books, toys and enchanting decor. This room holds the counter where you order and a pastry case.

The Drip sells both coffeehouse fare as well as some food. Coffee and espresso drinks range from what you’d expect (drip coffee, Americano, latte) to what you’d never expect, such as the Riot, a spicy coffee that Baker says was inspired by the fervor of the Ferguson protests. It’s like “that internal flame,” she says.

The food options include a few sandwiches, such as a cajun turkey, and salads including a blackeyed pea and a cob, as well as a hummus plate. Across the board, prices are reasonable. Drinks max out at $4.25 for a 16-ounce mocha or flat white, and food is $3.25 for

a cup of soup to $7.25 for a salad to $8.88 for a salad/sandwich combo.

The kids’ prices are even more reasonable. That’s by design and drawn from Baker’s life experience. She remembers living in Seattle, working at Starbucks while trying to raise her three children and struggling to make ends meet.

“That was important to me, that my kids saw the coffee industry, but we were priced out,” Baker says. “Sometimes people are so worried about the overhead instead of thinking about the community. So you come here, you have some great food, some yummy food, and you can afford it.”

All of it speaks to why Baker wanted to open a coffee shop in the first place. A St. Louis native, she was in Seattle when she heard about the shooting death of Nor-

velle Brown in 2007. A St. Louis city police officer, he’d been killed while patrolling north city.

“I said, ‘I got to go home to do something,’” Baker says. “I want[ed] to be in a place where it was totally a mess, where I can be part of the cleanup part, a part of the solution, not just a part of capitalism. … We can come up with a solution. Superman’s not coming. No one’s coming to help us.”

Baker envisioned a space in St. Louis that would be focused on community, a place where people could come together and that would be accessible to anyone. Then she set about learning the coffee industry, deliberately getting that Starbucks job to do so.

She didn’t yet know how to use an espresso machine, so she thought her shop might just serve drip coffee, and that became its name in her heart: the Drip (“It became a thing with the young people [later]. … It was just funny,” she says).

You might think that opening a coffee shop is an odd dream for someone who initially lacked any coffee experience. But Baker says it makes total sense.

“Coffee was born from us,” she says. “It was born from Black and brown people, right? And a lot of Black and brown people are scared and don’t like it. They assume that it’s not for them.”

Baker and her coffee — which is sourced from California’s Red Bay Coffee, a Black-owned roastery — is truly for Black and brown people. And for everyone else.

“We’re about great food and community,” she says. n

The Drip is intended to be a place for community to come gather over good coffee and reasonably priced eats. | JESSICA ROGEN

LaTosha Baker first dreamed up the Drip living in Seattle. | JESSICA ROGEN

Beetlejuice Pop-Up Bar Opens

The Botanical Heights space will be open Wednesday through Sunday through Halloween

Written by JESSICA ROGEN

Attention all strange and unusual St. Louisans: A new pop-up cocktail bar is opening up locally just for you — live people not welcome.

The Burton Bar, a Beetlejuicethemed speakeasy, opened October 4 at Utopia Studios (3957 Park Avenue, 314-773-3660) in Botanical Heights. The pop-up is promising an “illicit, edgy atmosphere,” vintage decor, themed cocktails (there has to literally be a Beetlejuice cocktail, right?) and an immersive experience. So we’re expecting that mid-sip you’ll start singing “DayO,” or its contemporary equivalent, and shaking your butt at your drinking companions against your will, before a hand reaches out of your cocktail and grabs your face. Or maybe everything will just look dark and artistic, as if Tim Burton himself had picked it out. You’ll have to visit to find out.

One thing we can promise though is that you won’t need to wait for millennia in a waiting room for the recently deceased to get in. You just need to cough up $15 (which includes one welcome drink) to reserve a spot. But when 90 minutes are up, you’ve got to go. Don’t make

your bartender call a bio-exorcist. Spots are available from 5.30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Sunday. The pop-up is mostly for those over 21, but there will be some familyfriendly sessions on the weekends.

So the only thing left to do now is spike your bangs, grab your best goth gear and say Beetlejuice .... Beetlejuice ... Beetle — no, actually, just head to explorehidden. com for more details. And then get yourself there before it ends after Halloween. n

and light — they’re certainly good enough to be the main event.

Wright’s Tavern

The Tavern Rings at Wright’s Tavern (7624 Wydown Boulevard, Clayton; 314390-1466) are a case study in texture: crisp, yet pillow-soft; firm enough to contain the perfectly softened sweet white onion slice, yielding so that the coating and onion melt together on the tongue. Chef Cary McDowell is on an unyielding pursuit of perfection at this marvelous restaurant, and the rings are no exception.

Twisted Tree

served alongside a delectably smoky, surprisingly spicy, dipping sauce. These addictive beauties are offered in two sizes, but you’re a fool if you don’t get the large one.

The Parkmoor Drive-In

Lester’s

French fries may be the classic sandwich side dish, but there’s a case to be made that’s because a perfectly executed onion ring has the potential to steal the show. At these five restaurants — where the o-rings range from battered and plump to flaky

If you can resist the temptation to make an entire meal out of the croutons at Twisted Tree (10701 Watson Road, Sunset Hills; 314-394-3366), its onion rings are a must-try. Tender sweet onions are dipped in light-as-air, flaky batter and

Though the sting of the original Parkmoor’s demolition is still present every time you pass the Walgreens at the intersection of Big Bend and Clayton Road, it’s become more bearable over the past few years thanks to its reincarnation at the nostalgic Webster Groves eatery the Parkmoor Drive-In (220 West Lockwood Avenue, Webster Groves; 314-938-5554). Though the menu is smaller than it was at the old place, thankfully it includes the restaurant’s beloved thick, batter-dipped rings that are a vital piece of St. Louis restaurant history.

Alone, the chunky, batter-dipped rings at Lester’s (9906 Clayton Road, Ladue; 314-994-0055) are excellent, but when dipped in the accompanying ancho chile ranch, they become otherworldly. The only way to make them better is to serve them alongside the restaurant’s mind-blowing Reuben.

O’Connell’s Pub

For decades, this Botanical Heights institution has been the place for quintessential pub fare like delicious burgers, fish and chips (on Fridays) and that glorious roast beef sandwich, which is affectionately called the “roast beast” by those in the know. No matter what you get, though, the magnificently salty, fluffy battered wings at O’Connell’s Pub (4652 Shaw Avenue, 314-773-6600) are the essential accompaniment.

Burton Bar, a Beeetlejuice-themed speakeasy, will pop up in Utopia Studios through Halloween. | COURTESY IMAGE

CHERYL BAEHR’S ONION RING PICKS

Mission Sues Mission Taco Joint

The Mission chip people couldn’t have thought about trademark infringement, oh, 10 years ago?

Written by SARAH FENSKE

The company behind Mission tortillas and chips is taking on St. Louis’ favorite Mission: Mission Taco Joint.

The homegrown SoCal-style eatery is accused of unfair competition and trademark infringement, with the 60-year-old food products company accusing the St. Louis restaurant group of a “misleading representation” that is “likely to cause confusion” in the taco market.

Mission Taco Joint started a full 10 years ago with a single restaurant on Delmar, and it’s since grown to eight lo-

cations, as well as a food truck.

But the company’s growth put it on the radar of Gruma, the company that owns the Mission taco brand. In the words of its lawsuit, “Gruma recently became aware of Mission Taco and Mission Taco’s use of Mission at the 2023 Tortilla Industry Association meeting in Austin, Texas. This lawsuit is a response to the recent rapid expansion of Mission Taco’s use of the name and the marks Mission, Mission Taco and the MTJ Logo and the likelihood of expansion of that use outside of Missouri and into grocery stores and supermarkets on Mexican food products.”

The lawsuit, filed in federal court last week, asks the judge to bar Mission Taco Joint from using its name, from opening any new restaurants under it and to “be ordered to deliver up for destruction any and all labels, signs, prints, packages, wrappers, receptacles, menus, and advertising in the Defendants’ possession bearing the Mission, Mission Taco or Mission Taco Joint name and mark.”

The suit was filed by St. Louis attorney Matthew A. Braunel of Thompson Coburn.

Mission Taco Joint co-owner Adam Tilford did not respond to a message seeking comment. n

OPENINGS & CLOSINGS: SEPTEMBER

BY JESSICA ROGEN

September was a little quieter than August in terms of restaurant openings, but we still saw some real treasures pop up in St. Louis last month.

A big one is definitely El Molino del Sureste, the second concept from chef Alex Henry and his brother Jeff, who are the minds behind the St. Louis Foundry Food Hall spot Sureste. Like the latter, El Molino del Sureste focuses on dishes from their native Yucatan. It differs in the “el molino” part — an on-site mill where the Henrys grind corn to make their own masa that they are turning into tortillas, arepas and other delicious items. Those are sold not just to their customers at an on-site retail counter but other restaurants around town too.

Less novel — because it’s been a thing in St. Louis since 1980 — but just as exciting is the reemergence of the King & I, which reopened in Maplewood last month after closing its longtime South Grand spot. Tower Grove South residents were more than a bit sad to see it go, but we’re consoled and relieved to see the beloved Thai restaurant reopen.

OPENINGS

The Brothers Beer & Bourbon House, Creve Coeur & Sunset Hills

The Drip Community Coffee House, Tower Grove South El Molino del Sureste, Southampton

King & I, Richmond Heights

Looking Meadow Cafe, Maplewood

Millwoods Sports Bar & Grill, Maryland Heights

Rated Test Kitchen, Downtown Rollup Ice Cream & Eatery, Oakville

Sugaree Bakery, Clayton-Tamm

Steve’s Hot Dogs, Enterprise Center, Downtown West

Videira Wine Shop & Bar, Midtown

CLOSINGS

Al-Tarboush Deli, University City

Baked Bear, St. Charles

Crispy Edge, Tower Grove South

Hanlen’s Fine Meats & Catering, Kirkwood

Friends Bar & Grill, Downtown West Navin’s BBQ, Tower Grove East

El Molino’s octopus. | JESSICA ROGEN

REEFERFRONT TIMES 35

Hat Trick High

The heady Florida Kush and cerebral LA Baker are worthy additions to Vivid Cannabis’ lineup

Written by GRAHAM TOKER

Well well well … after a multimonth hiatus, I’m back in the saddle reviewing Missouri dispensary marijuana products. It’s exciting to be here again, and to dive back in, I decided to venture to the Swade dispensary in the Grove to procure materials for review.

Prior to arriving, I did some light reconnaissance online and saw that Vivid Cannabis had several appealing new flower options. It also had a deal that included a discounted preroll. I recalled a good experience with Vivid’s Wild OG, so I decided to see how the brand was doing.

A massive mural with abstract colors and shapes covers the facade of Swade on Manchester Avenue. After a slight issue checking in at the front desk that held up the line of people trying to get in, I got access to the showroom.

No one greeted me on the floor like previous Swade visits, so I meandered over the register without a chance to explore the displays of available products. A budtender hastily came around the corner, stood in front of the register and we were off to the races.

There was no menu, so I just stared at the shelves of products hoping I’d see what I wanted. I sheepishly asked for the Florida Kush, a strain I had my eye on from creeping online. The budtender whipped around and thumbed through several of Vivid’s orange and white jars that were on one shelf of a rolling cart. “Yeah, man, we got that one,” they bellowed with their back toward me. “It’s really good.”

“Cool, dude, thanks,” I replied. “It also said something online about

getting a preroll when I buy one of these. What are my options?”

The budtender called out a couple of choices. I was very open, so I asked the budtender to make the decision for me. They picked something that would compliment the heady Florida Kush: a one-gram preroll of LA Baker. The 4.5 grams of flower cost $57.34.

Usually most information about marijuana products is printed on a small sticker slapped on the back of the package, and it’s tough to read. Vivid does a good job of communicating a few key pieces of information very clearly on the top of the jar: strain name, which terpenes are in the strain, terpene percentage and total cannabinoids. This Florida Kush weighed in with 2.99 percent terpenes, mainly limonene and caryophyllene, and had 32.47 percent total cannabinoids.

When I cracked the jar, there was a seal to protect the nitro flush. The flower was an assortment of mid-sized nuggets alternating between light and dark green with noticeable trichrome

coverage, making them visually very appealing. The Florida Kush’s genetic makeup (Triangle Kush backcross crossed with LA Kush Cake) made for some tastysmelling flower. I got a big waft of citrus, mainly lemon, sharp fuel fumes and that kush bass note when I cracked the jar. The flower had a good bounce back when squeezed and had some tack when grinding it up.

My first few samplings of the Florida Kush were in small joints. I moved up to a larger joint after working a bar shift and crushing some Up Late on the way home. I was impressed by the flower’s nice oil ring and white ash. The high settled in my temples and upper body, and the higher dose was great after physical activity. There were some mild cerebral effects, but overall it was a great strain for relaxing.

Now it was time to move on to the one-gram LA Baker preroll for a relaxing afternoon. First things first: This cannabis reviewer definitely prefers the one-gram size over the half-gram size more

commonly seen in prerolls. As I started this session, I noticed the ash wasn’t as white as the larger Florida Kush joint that I’d rolled. Even so, I was just as impressed with the preroll’s oil ring.

The Florida Kush and the LA Baker, which is LA Kush Cake crossed with Jungle Cake, have a similar genetic makeup. The LA Baker had a milder body high than the Florida Kush, but it had more pronounced cerebral effects. As I worked my way through the joint, the tingle started on the top of my head and slowly crept down onto the forehead, temples and eyes.

I’d read that the strain is often used to stimulate appetite. I definitely see why, as I combated the munchies when the joint was almost finished. While I’d stick with the Florida Kush for a night in due to its more sedative effects, I would be inclined to use the LA Baker for more social outings such as a concert or dinner, or even playing video games. My only knock on the LA Baker was its less pronounced terpene flavors, but that is likely due to it being a preroll.

I was pleasantly surprised with Vivid’s offerings and was happy to enjoy them as much as I did before. Looking over its website, the brand’s genetic lineup has a lot of great options that offer something for everyone.

And I can see why the budtender was so excited about the Florida Kush: The strain recently won the top prize at the 2023 Major Cannabis Cup in Kansas City. n

Vivid Cannabis’ Florida Kush is an appealing mix of light and dark green, with noticeable trichrome coverage, and has a lemony scent. | GRAHAM TOKER

The high settled in my temples and upper body, and the higher dose was great after physical activity. There were some mild cerebral effects, but overall it was a great strain for relaxing.

You Won’t Believe It

The Exorcist: Believer tries to match the horror of the original — but even Ellen Burstyn isn’t enough

Written by CRAIG D. LINDSEY

The Exorcist: Believer

Every time someone decides to drop a new entry to The Exorcist franchise, it’s always a direct sequel to recently departed director William Friedkin’s shocking original, the one that fucked up so many moviegoers’ days when it was released 50 years ago.

When William Peter Blatty, who wrote the book and the Oscarwinning screenplay adaptation, made the bold move to write and direct The Exorcist III (the first and last supernatural film to feature wordless cameos from Fabio and Patrick Ewing as angels) in 1990, he ignored everything that happened in John Boorman’s reviled 1977 follow-up The Exorcist II: The Heretic. In that film, Linda Blair returned as formerly possessed child Regan, who’s now a teenager with psychic powers. (This happened a year before Brian De Palma had Amy Irving playing the same damn character in The Fury.) A short-lived TV spinoff popped up on Fox a few years back and ignored the sequels altogether. Even the two versions of the Exorcist prequel (originally directed by Paul Schrader and heavily retooled by Renny Harlin) that crashed and burned in the aughts only wanted to be associated with the genuine article.

After saying it wasn’t going to do another remake/reboot/rewhatever-the-fuck, Morgan Creek Entertainment (which has had

sequel and remake rights to The Exorcist for decades) has now got The Exorcist: Believer rolling into theaters. And, of course, it’s a direct sequel to the original.

Not only did it bring in horror mogul Jason Blum to produce, but it also got professional horrorfranchise revivers David Gordon Green and Danny McBride. The former indie-film director and his cringe-comedy-loving pal churned out the recent Halloween trilogy, which also disregarded the oodles of sequels and reboots that came before and linked straight to John Carpenter’s 1978 slasher groundbreaker.

For this brand-new part two, Green and McBride (along with Peter Sattler and Halloween Kills co-writer Scott Teems) basically do a super-sized revamp. They give us not one, but two possessed lasses — Angela (Lidya Jewett) and Katherine (Olivia Marcum) — who head off to the woods to communicate with ghosts and somehow get their bodies taken over by dickhead demons. I assume Green and McBride saw the first season of The White Lotus and were inspired to do the literal equivalent of Sydney Sweeney and Brittany O’Grady’s bile-spewing mean girls.

We also have an increase in parents freaking the hell out. Hamilton alum Leslie Odom Jr. slaps a Wesley Pipes-ish scowl on his face to play Angela’s old man Victor, a skeptic of all things religious

ever since his pregnant wife was fatally injured in an earthquake in Haiti and he had to get his Sophie’s Choice on to decide whether to save his wife or his unborn daughter.

Victor is the parent who springs into action once his very spiritual neighbors (including venerable character vet Ann Dowd as an exnun-turned-nurse) convince him that the devil is in these girls. He even gets backup from someone who wrote a book about her ordeal with a possessed child: Ellen Burstyn’s Chris MacNeil, in her first return to Exorcist-land since the 1973 original. After years of turning down sequels (she agreed to do the film only if the producers set up a scholarship program for young actors), Burstyn basically has a glorified cameo in this one. She’s mostly there to explain where the hell she’s been and what the hell needs to be done.

Interestingly enough, when Burstyn gets put on the sidelines for the rest of the movie (in a rather schlocky sequence that also has a few Easter eggs), that’s when Believer shifts from an Exorcist homage to just another soupedup Blumhouse production. In the first half, Green tries to recreate the mundane yet off-kilter rhythm that Friedkin brought to The Exorcist’s first hour, the rhythm that made audiences paranoid and creeped out even before the actual scary shit went down. Of

course, there are also some jumpscares to keep you nice and antsy.

Unfortunately, all that gets dropped in the chaotic, CGI effects-enhanced second half. It’s also here where Believer shades organized religion, as Odom’s dedicated dad corrals his neighborhood crew (as well as a ritualistic healer and a Baptist pastor for good measure) for an evil spirit-purging kickback at his place, ready to cast out some dark souls in case a Catholic priest can’t be dispatched.

For a sequel that seeks to be just as worthy as one of the most unsettling films ever made, Believer is ultimately more quaint and hopeful than blood-curdling and scream-inducing. Green (who is scheduled to helm two more Exorcist sequels) is too much of a starry-eyed optimist, basically declaring good will always beat evil if we all come together, to get all dark-hearted and button-pushing as that inglorious bastard Friedkin, who went to his grave giving zero fucks.

The first Exorcist had people falling out in theater lobbies from all the crazy shit they witnessed. This Exorcist, like so many Exorcists before it, may make people fall out. But, in all likelihood, it’ll be because they got bored and dozed off. n

Directed by David Gordon Green. Written by Peter Sattler and David Gordon Green, based on characters created by William Peter Blatty. Now playing.

Instead of one possessed child, The Exorcist: Believer gives us two. | UNIVERSAL PICTURES

For a sequel that seeks to be just as worthy as one of the most unsettling films ever made, Believer is ultimately more quaint and hopeful than blood-curdling and screaminducing.

CULTURE 37

My Father the Con Man

Created by two St. Louis natives, How To Destroy Everything tells the story of one of their dads

Written by JESSICA ROGEN

The podcast opens with a coaching session before what, at first, seems to be a meeting between a couple and a con artist. The woman isn’t taking it seriously enough.

“Give him your birthdate and phone number,” her partner says, “and he’ll find out your social security number, and next thing you know, he’s opened up bank accounts in your name, he’s buying real estate with your credit score …”

Pretty soon, the listener learns that the con artist the man is describing is his own father. And while the retelling is dramatized, the story is true. The podcast cohost, Danny Jacobs, really did use this approach to get his now-wife ready to meet his dad.

The scene is from the first episode of How To Destroy Everything, created by Jacobs and his childhood friend Darren Grodsky and produced by Aileron Podcast Studios.

“The podcast is about a malignant sort of abhorrent narcissist — my dad — who spends his life essentially destroying his career, his family and the broader community,” Jacobs says. “And it is about my journey to try to get a better understanding of who he was and how my life today is affected by him.”

Jacobs’ father, Richard Jacobs, did wild things — in the first episode, Jacobs talks about how his dad was arrested in front of him, argued with everyone he met, sued at the drop of the hat, was disbarred, got fired from his job at the SEC and, in short, “destroyed nearly everything he touched.”

As he was growing up in Creve Coeur in the ’90s, Jacobs felt a lot of

shame about his father. “This is the great trauma of my life,” he says. And he could never quite shake it, no matter what he did or how much therapy he went through. Richard died in 2015, yet he still haunts Jacobs to this day. So this podcast — it’s his attempt to shake that ghost. “Everyone grieves in their own way,” Jacobs says. “Well, I think everyone processes trauma in their own way. … Storytelling is the way through which I have the courage to examine my own life.”

He’s joined in that effort by Grodsky, his friend and now his writing partner; the two wrote and directed Growing Up and Other Lies (2014) and Humboldt County (2008). Grodsky’s parents had known Richard Jacobs since high school, and the sons officially became best friends at age six. So, like everyone in the Jacobs’ orbit, Grodsky was also affected by

Richard, albeit in smaller ways.

“It’s surreal and strange, and it’s been emotional for me also,” Grodsky says. “I knew Danny had a lot of pain, but I was a kid and so I didn’t really understand it. … I visited [Danny’s home] many times and had many sleepovers, and walking into that house and listening to all these stories was surprisingly emotional for me.”

The podcast actually started off in a completely different form, a TV pilot, which makes sense considering the co-hosts’ previous film projects. On April 22, they were talking with a friend, who also happens to be a Conde Nast executive, and she suggested that it might actually be easier for the story to get made if it was a successful podcast first — and said that she thought it would be a good podcast.

“That was the initial spark,” Jacobs says.

Initially, the two had no idea how to even start. But the more they talked, the better the idea seemed. So they began calling around to acquaintances, asking for advice.

One of those calls was to Joel Peissig, who runs Aileron Podcast Studios and describes himself as being everything from “a writer to director to editor, sound designer, music supervisor, social media director.” What started as a request for advice soon turned into bringing the podcast under Aileron’s production company.

It was Peissig who suggested they look at Errol Morris’ docuseries Wormwood, which incorporates narrative techniques such as fictionalized scenes, interviews, conversations and more to tell its story. Jacobs and Grodsky liked that idea, and How to Destroy Everything thus uses multiple techniques to get the message across in its first two episodes, which are out now.

The switchups keep the podcast from sounding like other podcasts, which is a good thing. But it did create more work.

“That makes the production of this podcast a little bit more tricky and elaborate than just two people sitting at a microphone talking, something you could just pump out on a weekly basis,” Grodsky says.

The process of making an episode begins with research and interviews, then a script and then casting the script. Jacobs and Grodsky had an idea of a general outline for the whole series. But that’s shifted over time as new information has come in through interviews or from people reaching out to the duo.

Finding out new things about his father has been an odd experience for Jacobs, who describes him as very closed off and secretive. One of the many things he discovered was that his father had been a passionate photographer as a child and had won competitions. He looked up old newspaper articles about his dad and found stories about his photography.

“I have a hard time squaring that [with] the guy that I knew,” he says. “He was a bit of this black box when he was alive. … As I’m learning more about him, it feels like I’m sort of taking back some control over my own story.”

That experience has been cathartic and also darkly comic. And, with a whole season ahead of them, it’s just getting started. n

Writer/director duo Danny Jacobs and Darren Grodsky, friends since childhood, now have a new podcast about Jacobs’ father. | COURTESY IMAGE

MUSIC 39

More Than The Voice

TV made Neil Salsich famous, but his attention these days is on his band the Mighty Pines — and its Pines Fest

Written by STEVE LEFTRIDGE

It’s a big day for Neil Salsich, the affable singer and guitarist for local roots-rock favorites the Mighty Pines. As we talk over the phone on October 4, Salsich is preparing to see Bob Dylan, one of his heroes, for the first time ever. It’s a surprising admission given that Salsich is a seasoned Dylan enthusiast, having obsessed over Dylan’s 2004 memoir Chronicles, Volume 1, meticulously studied Dylan’s music for the Voodoo Bob Dylan cover band and even taught a course on Dylan for KDHX’s now-defunct Folk School.

The ending of Folk School is, sadly, another sign of a deteriorating KDHX amid a series of disastrous decisions made by two executives — including the callous firing of several of the station’s best-loved DJs — that led Mighty Pines’ mandolinist Gerard Erker to write a protest song, “Hey KDHX!” which the band recently recorded with a group of St. Louis musicians.

Salsich has gotten a lot of ink in the Riverfront Times this year. His attention-grabbing appearances as a contestant on NBC’s The Voice were the subject of a series of RFT reports. More recently, he picked up the RFT’s Best of St. Louis nod for Best National Splash and was honored for the “Best Acoustic Guitar Solo” at Music at the Intersection.

Next up for Salsich is the return of Pines Fest, the multi-artist showcase that the Mighty Pines headlines and debuted last year at the Big Top. For the second annual Pines Fest, on Saturday, October 14, again planned for the Big Top, the band has curated an all-

new expanded lineup, including six bands on two stages and an artist-at-large, vocalist Emily Wallace, who will make a cameo with each of the festival’s acts.

Before heading off to Stifel for the Dylan show, Salsich gave us the scoop about Pines Fest, plus some thoughts on how The Voice changed him as a singer.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What were your takeaways from the first Pines Fest?

Truly being an independent band producing and promoting our own shows is hard enough, but a festival is like times five. Given the fact that it was the first Pines Fest, it was a great success. The musical lineup was just outstanding. We were really proud of it, and we could tell the audience was really connecting with it. Having an artist-at-large was definitely a huge cool factor last year, and that was a no-brainer to bring that back this year.

What’s different for this year’s Pines Fest?

We didn’t want to do anything radically differently. We just wanted to do everything better. It’s all going to be a little bit richer and tastier. We wanted to have a totally different lineup of bands, first of all, and a new artist-at-

large, and there’s one more band than we had last year. There’s also a side stage this year. We’re going to have Moon Valley perform sets, little palate cleansers, between each main stage act.

Also, Pines Fest had no sponsors last year. This year, we have Swade Cannabis, Four Hands Brewery and Mighty Kind all pitching in in different ways to help this festival be successful. The most important thing about growing a festival over time is sustainable growth. We have a lot of ideas that we would love to see happen, but we have to implement them at a reasonable pace to make sure this is profitable and works year after year and let it grow. We’re going to keep leaning into that. We like working with Jamo Productions and Drew Jameson. It’s a great partnership that we want to keep working with. That’s a big reason why we chose the Big Top.

How do you go about curating the lineup?

We all sit down with a bunch of names on a whiteboard and start putting the puzzle pieces together. We want to make sure we have a true mix of sounds and people and different scenes within the St. Louis community.

Let’s talk about the artists in the lineup. You have Aaron Kamm and the One Drops.

That was a no-brainer. That’s someone who has been on our radar for a long time. We look up to the One Drops as a band that gave us a lot of inspiration when we were starting out. They taught us that you could have a couple hundred people out on a weeknight singing the words to original music in St. Louis. We hadn’t seen that in our generation. They are incredibly talented. Sounding great as a trio in a rock setting is one of the hardest things, and they do that extremely well. And they actually have their own unique sound or genre. I’ve never seen a band that is 50 percent roots reggae and 50 percent Stevie Ray Vaughan-style Texas blues. To me, that’s so special.

How about the Burney Sisters?

Incredibly talented band of young women. They represent the next generation of the music we’re putting on stage at Pines Fest. It will be a full band set. The first time we met them was at Katfish Katy’s outside of Columbia in, like, 2017, so even though they are much younger than us, we kind of came up together. We also knew that by booking the Burneys that they would bring their own unique crowd.

You had the Red and Black Brass Band last year. This year, it’s the Saint Boogie Brass Band. We love that sound. We think it’s important to have something other than just roots or rock-based stuff. And in a festival atmosphere, nothing brings that like a brass band. Red and Black was a huge success last year, and we wanted to bring that vibe back. Back in February of 2021, one of the first nights people were going out again was the grand opening of the Golden Record, and we went to the Brass Band Blowout with Red and Black, Saint Boogie and Funky Butt, and we were, like, “We’re going to have all of these bands play with us at some point.”

And the Brothers Lazaroff. We’re super excited to have them. I’m almost not sure what to expect because they have so many different lineups and different sounds. They are such a mature band musically and artistically. We just love the way they present themselves and who they play with, and we love the brothers themselves. They have a cer-

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The Mighty Pines’ second annual Pines Fest takes place October 14. | COURTESY IMAGE

PINES FEST

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tain cool factor and a style that is really palatable.

And Emily Wallace is this year’s artist-at-large.

Emily has always been in the conversation. She was at the top of the list for a lot of reasons. Like Brian Owens, last year’s artist-atlarge, she’s one of the top-tier, upper-echelon vocalists in St. Louis. She is super versatile. She can sing folk, blues, pop and anything in between. An artist-at-large needs that kind of vocabulary. And she’s just super cool. It will be no sweat for her to walk on stage and do something amazing with these bands.

So what should we expect from the Mighty Pines at Pines Fest this year?

We’ll have Dave Grelle on keys and a horn section like last year. It’s exciting to express ourselves musically with that lineup of musicians we’re really proud of. Plus, these musicians are our friends, and there’s something about that that is super magical. The backstage hangs are amazing. The whole night will culminate with our set, and I think a lot of the musicians from earlier in the day will be on stage with us.

Will we hear new material from the Pines at Pines Fest?

We treat our St. Louis shows as a necessity to give our fans something new. So there will be at least a few new songs. There are also older, unrecorded songs that we finally have the maturity and skill to be able to make work. They didn’t quite work before, and we didn’t know why. But revisiting them as older, wiser musicians, we’re able to get them off the ground, so there are some songs from our back catalog that we are bringing back.

Does that mean a new Mighty Pines album is on the way?

Yes, absolutely. There will definitely be some heavy writing and recording in 2024. I think the best albums come from whittling down the best songs from the biggest pile possible, and the time is nigh for us to release some new music.

Have you been in contact with anyone from The Voice since the show ended?

I hate to burst anyone’s bubble, but the truth is when I walked off the show that last time, it was the last I heard from anyone on the show. And I kind of knew that. By that time in the journey, I had seen enough behind the curtains not to expect anything more.

Do you think you sing differently after being on the show?

Oh, 100 percent. That’s the part I’m really grateful for. I just got way better as just a singer. It really helped me see my voice as an instrument and to work on singing the way I would work on a guitar solo, being more methodical about it.

Do you credit these changes with any actual coaching on the show, or were you just digging in harder yourself?

Just digging in myself. The amount of coaching on the show was kind of laughable. But being out there in that situation just made me get to work. And also being around so many great singers, hearing these incredible singers do these runs, I was, like, “Well, I know I can do that. I can learn that.” It’s like with the guitar. I really think that the more tricks you have up your sleeve, as long as you know when and how to use them, they only make you a better musician.

How has the experience on The Voice affected your role in the Mighty Pines?

The Voice changed me not just as a singer, but it made me a better performer. I didn’t even realize I had those strengths until I saw them on TV and saw people respond to them. Being on stage without a guitar for the first time in my life was hugely out of my comfort zone, and I’m much more comfortable with it now. If I learned anything, it’s how to engage and perform intentionally and really sell it and not be so afraid.

Will the band play your new protest song “Hey KDHX!” at Pines Fest?

People can expect that, yeah. It’s a super potent moment. Right now, it’s a tough time for the St. Louis music community. There is so much sadness and frustration, and the song is trying to express some of that.

Have fun at Bob Dylan!

Yeah! You know, in 2017, I read Chronicles for the first time. That blew my mind more than any of his albums actually. I consider it to be the best music writing by an actual artist I’ve ever read. I read it almost every year. No book of mine is more dog-eared and underlined than that one. And it was published on October 4 [the same date as Dylan’s St. Louis concert]! So that carries so much for me because that is the most important moment of my Bob Dylan experience. n

Pines Fest takes place Saturday, October 14. See jamopresents.com/ event/pines-fest-2023-at-the-bigtop for ticketing and other info.

Succession Meets Game of Thrones

The Midnight Company’s The Lion in Winter is a tense, suspenseful drama

Written by TINA FARMER

The Lion in Winter

The Midnight Company, and its artistic director, producer, frequent playwright and performer Joe Hanrahan, is quite possibly the busiest theater company in town. The fact the company has managed to add a full-length, full-scale production of The Lion in Winter to its season is remarkable. That the production is a riveting, mesmerizing drama with exceptional performances is profound.

It is Christmas 1183 and, after quelling an uprising that resulted

in the death of his firstborn son and presumed heir, King Henry rules in relative peace. With an eye to preserving his legacy and averting war between his remaining sons Richard, Geoffrey and John, he has invited them and the queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine (whom he’s imprisoned for her part in the uprising), home for Christmas and some spirited gamesmanship. Which prince will claim the crown and the hand of French Princess Alais — and will Philip, Alais’ younger brother and newly crowned king of France, accept Henry’s choice? There’s also the question of Henry’s own deep infatuation with Alais and his passionate quarrels with his queen. Which woman will he choose if he can’t have both?

As Henry, Hanrahan is a wizened warrior king familiar with battles both on and off the field and accustomed to getting his way. When relaxed and confident, Hanrahan’s Henry is pleasant; when pricked, he expands with imperious certainty and punitive reactions. Lavonne Byers is his perfect foil as Eleanor, playing her husband and sons against each other with cavalier cruelty and an effectively poisonous tongue. Whether she’s the aggressor or deflecting attacks, she thinks she holds the upper hand, though she unwittingly exposes herself to the sting of Henry’s brutal blow.

Joel Moses, as Richard, threatens any peace that doesn’t place him on the throne with fire, an-

ger and the capacity to inflict lethal damage at any moment, at the tiniest provocation. Everyone recognizes and fears his destructive prowess. As Geoffrey, John Wolbers may be the most successfully manipulative villain ever penned. His is a constantly calculating mind with the ability to pivot in the moment, keeping all paths open, and Wolbers shows each machination with barely concealed disdain. As youngest son John, Ryan Lawson-Maeske is pampered, pimple-faced and petulant with a boundless sense of entitlement. For self-preservation, Shannon Campbell’s Alais is smarter than she reveals and most acutely aware of her role as pawn, even to her upstart brother Philip, played with measured confidence and a vengeful edge by Michael Pierce.

A single set enables quick transitions and period-appropriate music keeps the story moving, while the armor, richly textured costumes and moody lighting enhance both the suspense and period. Director Tom Kopp guides the impeccable cast through the rising familial tensions and increasing stakes with a sure hand and an eye for highlighting conflict. Imagine the rapid-fire arguments of Succession set in medieval England, with more weapons and near-absolute power. If you are intrigued by sharptongued, quick paced suspense and scandalous drama, you don’t want to miss this electrifying production of The Lion in Winter n

SAT, OCT 14

Written by James Goldman. Directed by Tom Kopp. Presented by the Midnight Company at .Zach through October 21. Shows are at 8 p.m. Thursday to Saturday and at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $20 to $25.

In The Lion in Winter, King Henry invites the whole family, including his imprisoned queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, home for the holidays. | JOEY RUMPELL

OUT EVERY NIGHT

Each week, we bring you our picks for the best concerts of the next seven days! To submit your show for consideration, visit https://bit.ly/3bgnwXZ. All events are subject to change, especially in the age of COVID-19, so do check with the venue for the most up-to-date information before you head out for the night. Happy showgoing!

THURSDAY 12

AMANDA FISH: 7:30 p.m., $15. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745.

THE CENTAURETTES: w/ Kat and the Hurricanes, The Public 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

THE FARSHID TRIO: w/ Emerson Magana 8 p.m., $15. Joe’s Cafe, 6014 Kingsbury Ave, St. Louis.

G FLIP: 8 p.m., $22.50. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

GLASS HUMAN: w/ Ish, Squircle the Destroyer 8 p.m., $10. Platypus, 4501 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-359-2293.

JAKE CURTIS BLUES: 7 p.m., $5. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

NATE LOWERY: 3 p.m., $5. Hammerstone’s, 2028

S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

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

FRIDAY 13

120 MINUTES: 7 p.m., $5. Hwy 61 Roadhouse and Kitchen, 34 S Old Orchard Ave, Webster Groves, 314-968-0061.

ADAM GAFFNEY: 4 p.m., $5. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

ADVENTURE CLUB: 10 p.m., $25-$600. RYSE Nightclub, One Ameristar Blvd, St. Charles.

ASHNIKKO: 8 p.m., $32.50-$47.50. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

THE BROTHERS COMATOSE: 8 p.m., $20-$25. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505.

CARLY PEARCE: 8 p.m., $32-$42. Stifel Theatre, 1400 Market St, St. Louis, 314-499-7600.

CLEM SNIDE: 8 p.m., $20. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.

DAMIEN ESCOBAR: 8 p.m., $40-$50. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900.

THE EMO NIGHT TOUR: 8 p.m., $13. The Hawthorn, 2231 Washington Avenue, St. Louis, 314-887-0877.

GET THE LED OUT: 8 p.m., $29.50-$59.50. The Factory, 17105 N Outer 40 Rd, Chesterfield, 314-423-8500.

HOWARD STREET: 7 p.m., $25-$35. National Blues Museum, 615 Washington Ave., St. Louis.

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

THE KINGDOM BROTHERS BAND: w/ Zach Pietrini 7 p.m., $6-$15. The Attic Music Bar, 4247 South Kingshighway Blvd., 2nd Floor, St. Louis, 314-376-5313.

THE LEGENDS OF HIP HOP: w/ Juvenile, 8ball & MJG, Goodie Mob, Scarface, Bun B, DJ Quik, Tha Dogg Pound 8 p.m., $64-$255. Chaifetz Arena, 1 S. Compton Ave., St. Louis, 314-977-5000.

THE LION’S DAUGHTER RECORD RELEASE SHOW: w/ Hell Night, Spinal Fetish 7 p.m., $12. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

LUCKY OLD SONS: 8 p.m., $5. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

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

MICKY DOLENZ: 7 p.m., $50-$105. Family Arena, 2002 Arena Parkway, St Charles, 636-896-4200.

MOM’S KITCHEN: 10 p.m., $14. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

The Lion’s Daughter Record Release Show w/ Hell Night, Spinal Fetish

7 p.m. Friday, October 13. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street. $12. 314-289-9050.

There is perhaps no more appropriate way to spend a Friday the 13th in the month of October than with the music of the Lion’s Daughter. The genre-melding, horror-obsessed St. Louis act provides the perfect soundtrack to the Halloween season, mixing black metal heaviness with John Carpenter-worshipping synthwave to create a pummeling and wholly unique sound perfect for being hunted down and dismembered by some unspeakable eldritch horror. The only thing better would be to actually see the band perform its unsettling songs live; the only thing better than that would be to walk away from said show with a new record in hand as well. In other words, the Lion’s Daughter’s record release show this week is, without a doubt, the social event

NOAH KAHAN: 8 p.m., $40.50-$70.50. St. Louis Music Park, 750 Casino Center Dr., Maryland Heights, 314-451-2244.

PHILLIP PHILLIPS: 8 p.m., $25. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

SELEKTA 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY: w/ Black Sun Empire, Ed Rush, The Upbeats noon, $25-$35. Europe Nightclub, 710 N 15th St, St. Louis, 314-221-8427.

SWAMP LION: w/ Murtaugh, Mindclot, the Vast 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

TWIZTID: 7 p.m., $20-$49.50. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720.

SATURDAY 14

ALL ROOSTERED UP: noon, free. Broadway

of the spooky season. That new record, Bath House, is its fifth full-length release since the band’s inception (sixth if you count 2013’s album-length collaboration with Indian Blanket), and judging from the three singles that have been released so far it sees the the already boundarypushing group expanding its sound to absorb ever more elements from a wide range of genres and styles while still remaining cohesive and staying true to its blackened self. Frontman Rick Giordano said in a recent interview that the album was influenced by “everything that I’ve ever liked,” adding, “It really feels like you uploaded my entire record collection to a hard drive and had an AI create an album based on that.” Find out for yourself what that sounds like by getting to the show and grabbing yourself a copy.

Opening Shots: Warming the stage for this show are the hardcore-peddling scene stalwarts of Hell Night and the raw death metal merchants of Spinal Fetish, both also from St. Louis. Don’t be late.

—Daniel Hill

Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

BAD RELIGION: 8 p.m., $49.50-$79.50. The Factory, 17105 N Outer 40 Rd, Chesterfield, 314-423-8500.

BANDTOGETHER HALLOWEEN CONCERT: 7:30 p.m., free. The 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., University City, 314-421-3600.

DAN DEACON: 8 p.m., $20. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444.

DJANGO KNIGHT: 7 p.m., $25-$35. National Blues Museum, 615 Washington Ave., St. Louis.

EUGENE & COMPANY: 8 p.m., $5. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

FEM7EST 2023: AN ALL FEMALE SHOWCASE: 5 p.m., $15. HandleBar, 4127 Manchester Ave.,

St. Louis, 314-652-2212.

FRAGILE PORCELAIN MICE: w/ Sinister Dane, 33 on the Needle 8 p.m., $25-$30. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. THE GLORIOUS SONS: 7:30 p.m., $23-$197. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. THE HIRELINGS: 7 p.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521.

HOT HANDS WONDERLAND: 8 p.m., free. Maggie O’Brien’s, 3828 S Lindbergh Blvd, St. Louis, 314-842-7678.

KYLE KILLGORE: w/ Little Hills 7 p.m., $6. The Attic Music Bar, 4247 South Kingshighway Blvd., 2nd Floor, St. Louis, 314-376-5313.

MERCYME: 7 p.m., $20-$80. Family Arena, 2002 Arena Parkway, St Charles, 636-896-4200.

OWL CITY: 7:30 p.m., $32. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

PEDRITO MARTINEZ: 8 p.m., $40-$50. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900.

PINES FEST: w/ the Mighty Pines 3 p.m. The Big Top, 3401 Washington Avenue, St. Louis, 314-533-0367.

PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS: 8 p.m., $22. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. ROCKIN RASCALS: 3 p.m., $5. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

ROSCOE MITCHELL: w/ Damon Smith, Weasel Walter, Sandy Ewen 8 p.m., $10-$20. Saint Louis University-Xavier Hall, 3733 W. Pine Mall, St. Louis, 314-977-3327.

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

THE SINKHOLE’S 7TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW: w/ Hex Cassette, Ex Lover, Soumir 8:30 p.m., $12$15. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.

THUMPASAURUS: 7 p.m., $18. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.

SUNDAY 15

2ND ANNUAL FANETTI FEST: 1 p.m., free. Fanetti Park, Michigan Ave., St. Louis.

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

CANDICE IVORY: 4 p.m., $25. National Blues Museum, 615 Washington Ave., St. Louis.

ERIK BROOKS: 8 p.m., $5. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

JOHN MCVEY BAND: 3 p.m., $5. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

PROWL: w/ Direct Measure, Polterguts, Volition 7 p.m., $12. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.

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

MONDAY 16

BUTCH MOORE: 5 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD AND TECH N9NE: 7 p.m., $39.50-$49.50. The Factory, 17105 N Outer 40 Rd, Chesterfield, 314-423-8500.

MONDAY NIGHT REVIEW: w/ Tim, Danny and Randy 7 p.m., $5. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

SATURDAYS AT YOUR PLACE: 8 p.m., $12. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444.

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

TURQUOISE: w/ VIN 8 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.

TUESDAY 17

CREE RIDER: 5 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

LES CLAYPOOL’S FROG BRIGADE: 7:30 p.m., $44.50-$74.50. The Factory, 17105 N Outer 40

The Lion’s Daughter. | CHRIS BAUER

[CRITIC’S PICK]

Rd, Chesterfield, 314-423-8500.

MUSHROOMHEAD: 7:30 p.m., $26-$49.50. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

NAKED MIKE: 6 p.m., $5. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

TENNIS: 8 p.m., $32. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

WEDNESDAY 18

DEVON CAHILL: 6:30 p.m., $15. Blue Strawberry

Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745.

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

EL PERRO: w/ The Maness Brothers 8 p.m., $15. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.

JOHN MCVEY BAND: 7 p.m., $5. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

MARGARET & FRIENDS: 3 p.m., $5. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

MOTIONLESS IN WHITE: 7 p.m., $39.50-$59.50. The Factory, 17105 N Outer 40 Rd, Chesterfield, 314-423-8500.

SAD PARK: 7:30 p.m., $18. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.

VOODOO BLUES BROTHERS: 8:30 p.m., $14. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

THIS JUST IN

2ND ANNUAL FANETTI FEST: Sun., Oct. 15, 1 p.m., free. Fanetti Park, Michigan Ave., St. Louis.

AFTER WEDNESDAY: Fri., Dec. 8, 7 p.m., $10. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444.

AS THE CROWE FLIES FEATURING GARY HUNT: Fri., Nov. 10, 7:30 p.m., $15. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745.

BANDTOGETHER HALLOWEEN CONCERT: Sat., Oct. 14, 7:30 p.m., free. The 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., University City, 314-421-3600.

BEN DIESEL: W/ The Stars Go Out, The Holy Hand Grenades, BadNames, Joe Roe, Sat., Dec. 9, 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

BEN RECTOR: Thu., Oct. 19, 8 p.m., $59.59$79.50. The Factory, 17105 N Outer 40 Rd, Chesterfield, 314-423-8500.

BENEFIT SHOW FOR ILLINOIS CENTER FOR AU-

TISM: W/ Death and Memphis, Modern Angst, Boss Battle, NoPoint, Fri., Nov. 3, 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

BENNY BENACK III: Sat., Nov. 11, 7:30 p.m., $30. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745.

BROTHER FRANCIS AND THE SOULTONES: Fri., Oct. 20, 7 p.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521.

DOM L’AMOUR: A NIGHT OF SAM COOKE: Wed., Nov. 8, 7:30 p.m., $20. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745.

DR. SLAPINSTEIN ALBUM RELEASE SHOW: W/ Brother Francis and the Soultones, Fri., Nov. 24, 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

DREW LANCE: Wed., Oct. 25, 4:30 p.m., free.

Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

EMILY WALLACE: Thu., Oct. 19, 4:30 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

EMO HALLOWEEN: W/ Finding Emo, Fri., Oct. 27, 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

EVIL INCARNATE: W/ Abraded, Bloodspawn, Wed., Nov. 15, 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

THE FALLING MARTINS: Fri., Nov. 3, 7:30 p.m.,

The Legends of Hip Hop Tour w/ Juvenile, 8ball & MJG, Goodie Mob, Scarface, Bun B, DJ Quik, Tha Dogg Pound

8 p.m. Friday, October 13. Chaifetz Arena, 1 South Compton Avenue. $64 to $255. 314-977-5000.

When a fan tweeted to Juvenile back in April suggesting that he perform as part of NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series, he didn’t hesitate in his response. “Wtf is a tiny desk,” he tweeted, adding, “no.” But by the next day, presumably after somebody told him what the fuck said fan was talking about, he followed up with a proposition: 10,000 retweets and he’d reconsider. Some 12,000 retweets and a few months later, Juvenile’s Tiny Desk debut aired on June 30 and rapidly became one of the most celebrated of the series in recent memory. Backed by a live band and flanked by longtime collaborator and superproducer Mannie Fresh, the

free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090.

FLYING HOUSE VINYL RELEASE PARTY: Fri., Oct. 27, 8 p.m., $12. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.

GANSER: W/ Condiments, Tue., Oct. 24, 8 p.m., $12-$15. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.

THE GASLIGHT SQUARES: Sat., Nov. 11, 7:30 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090.

GHOUL-O-PHONIC: Sun., Oct. 29, 7:30 p.m., $15.

Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444.

HALLOWEEN ‘23: Tue., Oct. 31, 8 p.m., $10. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.

HARD BOP MESSENGERS FEATURING TAYNKA

MIMI: Thu., Nov. 9, 7:30 p.m., $20. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745.

LIGHTHEARTED: W/ Cave Radio, Dubb Nubb, Wed., Dec. 6, 8 p.m., $10-$12. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

LOCAL H: Fri., Dec. 15, 8 p.m., $30. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444.

MARGARET & FRIENDS: Wed., Oct. 25, 3 p.m., $5. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

MATTHEW SCOTT: Sat., Nov. 18, 7:30 p.m., $25. Sat., Nov. 18, 7:30 p.m., $25. Blue Strawberry

Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745.

MISSOURI EXECUTIVE ORDER 44: W/ Joust, Iron Linings, Harmon Dobson, Mon., Oct. 23, 7:30 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.

MONDAY NIGHT REVIEW: W/ Tim, Danny and Randy, Mon., Oct. 23, 7 p.m., $5. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

MONGOOSE: W/ Cloud Machine, Lizard Breath, Sat., Nov. 4, 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

MS. LAURYN HILL & FUGEES: Sat., Nov. 25, 7:30 p.m., $55.50-$295.50. Enterprise Center, 1401 Clark Ave., St. Louis, 314-241-1888.

MURTAUGH: W/ Karenocalypse, Grindylow, Sat., Nov. 18, 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

NEIL SALSICH & FRIENDS: Fri., Nov. 10, 7:30 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090.

NORCOS Y HORCHATA: W/ Radio Buzzkills, The Kuhlies, Fri., Nov. 17, 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

PAUL BONN AND THE BLUESMEN: Thu., Oct. 19, 7 p.m., $5. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

RHETT MILLER: Wed., Oct. 25, 7:30 p.m., $38$45. City Winery St. Louis, 3730 Foundry Way, Suite 158, St. Louis, 314-678-5060.

SARAH LEE GUTHRIE: Sun., Oct. 22, 7 p.m., $20$30. City Winery St. Louis, 3730 Foundry Way, Suite 158, St. Louis, 314-678-5060.

SMOKING POPES: Thu., Nov. 30, 8 p.m., $20. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.

SNAILMATE: W/ Superfun Yeah Yeah Rocketship, Home&Office, 3 of 5, Farout, Wed., Oct. 25, 8 p.m., $10. Platypus, 4501 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-359-2293.

SOULARD BLUES BAND: Mon., Oct. 23, 9 p.m., $8. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

THE STARS GOT OUT: W/ The Bitter Ends, Mobile Alien Research Unit, Sat., Dec. 2, 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

STEVE HACKETT GENESIS REVISITED: Tue., April 2, 7:30 p.m., $49.50. The Factory, 17105 N Outer 40 Rd, Chesterfield, 314-423-8500.

—Daniel Hill

Cash Money OG tore through a 10-song ripper of a set that served as potent proof that he’s still one of the best Southern rappers in the business. Hits on hand included everything from “Slow Motion” to “Project Bitch” to “Rodeo” to the indelible classic that is “Back That Azz Up,” the latter recruiting a — no fooling — cellist and violinist from the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra to round things out. The whole set was a breath of fresh air, and it was plain to see that Juvenile thoroughly enjoyed himself, even if he had no idea what a Tiny Desk was mere months prior. It was also a great reminder that Juvenile is a damn treasure, and that when he comes to your town — as he does this week as part of the Legends of Hip-Hop Tour — it would be wise to be in attendance. Set it Off: Joining Juvenile on this run is Memphis’ 8Ball & MJG, Atlanta’s Goodie Mob, Houston’s Scarface and Bun B, and LA’s Tha Dogg Pound, consisting of Kurupt and Daz Dillinger. Each is more than worthy of the use of the word “legend” in the tour’s name.

THE HARD PROMISES - A TOM PETTY TRIBUTE: Sat., Nov. 25, 8 p.m., $25-$30. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

J.D. HUGHES: Mon., Oct. 23, 5 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

KILLER QUEEN: Fri., July 26, 8 p.m., $30-$65. Fri., July 26, 8 p.m., $30-$65. River City Casino & Hotel, 777 River City Casino Blvd., St. Louis, 314-388-7777.

THE KUHLIES RECORD RELEASE SHOW: W/ The Frozen Headz, Pretty Pink Flowers, Fri., Dec. 8, 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

LADIES OF THE LOU: Fri., Nov. 17, 8 p.m., $12. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720.

LET’S NOT: W/ Prairie Rehab, Sat., Nov. 11, 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

SUZIE CUE: W/ Jeffy and the Sunken Heads, The Defeated County, Thu., Oct. 26, 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

TINA FEATURING LAKA: Fri., Nov. 17, 7:30 p.m., $20. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745.

TONKSGIVING 2023: Fri., Nov. 24, 8 p.m., $20. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.

UNITY IN THE COMMUNITY: POSITIVE VIBES RECORD SPIN AND CONCERT: W/ Professor Skank & Michael Kuelker, Nonstop Reggae Band, Zion, Yard Squad., Sat., Oct. 28, 6 p.m., $10. The Big Top, 3401 Washington Avenue, St. Louis, 314-533-0367.

VOLORES: W/ Lousy with Coyotes, Sun., Oct. 22, 7 p.m., $12-$15. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.

ZEDS DEAD: Fri., Dec. 29, 8 p.m., $59.50-$89.50. The Factory, 17105 N Outer 40 Rd, Chesterfield, 314-423-8500. n

Juvenile. | VIA GROOVE ENTERTAINMENT

[CRITIC’S PICK]

SAVAGE LOVE 45

Quickies

BY DAN SAVAGE

Hey Dan: I’m a 57-year-old guy, married but separated, in reasonable shape. I usually masturbate at night as a “sleeping pill.” Over the past few years, it’s gotten more difficult to orgasm. I get hard, I vary my technique, but I just can’t come. Sometimes I’m up for hours jerking it before trying to fall asleep. Toys like sleeves sometimes help, but they’re messy since they need lube, so that’s not my first choice. Any magic suggestions for things to try?

Fire on all cylinders — use sleeves and lube (keep a small stack of hand towels on your nightstand), put clothespins on your tits (whether they’re wired or not), get a powerful vibrator with a sleeve attachment, slip a plug in your ass (flared base!), read some erotica and/or watch some porn. Past a certain age, you may need to really crank things up to meet your production goals.

Hey Dan: Best lube for anal sex?

Adrenochrome when available, ivermectin if adrenochrome is in short supply, and the blood of Christian babies in a pinch.

Hey Dan: What is the most common cause of bickering in longterm relationships?

There are four: the unbelievably stupid shit your partner insists on doing (despite being asked not to do that shit), the bleedingly obvious shit your partner refuses to do (despite being asked to do that shit), the stupid shit your partner likes (despite it being explained to them how stupid that shit is) and the amazing shit your partner doesn’t like (despite it being explained to them how amazing that shit is). Basically, it’s them.

Hey Dan: Is sexual compatibility in a relationship a prerequisite or an achievement?

Establishing some basic/bedrock/ baseline sexual compatibility at the start is a prerequisite; sustaining sexual compatibility over time

is an achievement.

Hey Dan: What’s the best threesome position? (Do not say “The Eiffel Tower.”)

The Three Gorges Dam.

Hey Dan: My rent went way up, and I’m thinking about starting an OnlyFans account for extra cash. Thoughts?

You submitted your question via Instagram DM, so I took the liberty of scrolling through your feed … and the answer is yes.

Hey Dan: Online romance novels help me get off. Lately, I’ve been reading about BDSM, as some of the lighter versions of that practice are featured in novels I’ve recently read. So I searched for photos using Google. Nothing I’ve found looks anywhere near as pleasurable as what I read. How do guys keep an erection while enduring things that appear to be painful? Do they take a drug?

Lots of male porn performers take drugs — ingestible or injectable ED medications — to stay hard during porn shoots; while some may take boner drugs to keep an erection while enduring something they may not enjoy (although lots of porn performers, like lots of regular people, enjoy BDSM), most take boner drugs so they don’t lose their erection during the tedious parts of the shoot, e.g., lining up shots, repositioning cameras, getting into bondage, etc.

Hey Dan: How does one re-train their dick to stay hard for another person during partnered sex after decades of self-pleasure?

One incorporates self-pleasure into the partnered sex one is fortunate enough to be having with another person — one might also wanna lay one’s hands on some boner pills.

Hey Dan: Former fat girl here. How do I not hate my body compared to the cute girl my boyfriend and I play with?

“Comparison is the thief of joy,” as someone or other once said. “Stop comparing bodies” is a lot easier said than done, I realize, and tak-

ing “yes” for an answer isn’t always easy either. But if I could learn to do it — I’m a former fat kid myself — so can you.

Hey Dan: What is the etiquette when you puke on a sex partner during a deep-throating session?

Shower off, towel off, get off — perhaps in a more reliable orifice.

Hey Dan: Someone I met on Biggercity moved across the country to my city. He then changed his Biggercity name to one that includes my BC name. It’s hot as fuck. But I just realized he might be a stalker. Within the last hour I left him a bunch of flirty texts. Stupid and horny. TBH, now I’m a bit scared. Any suggestions?

Moving across the country to be closer to someone you met on a dating app and taking his name … does seem a little stalky. It also screams “I don’t have a job or friends” (broke and won’t be missed back home) or “I don’t need a job or friends” (wealthy and is an asshole). If your gut is telling you to block him, block him.

Hey Dan: Straight cuck here. I did the one thing a cuck should never do and blew up at my girlfriend for doing what I’d asked her to do. I found a kink-positive therapist, did the work and now I am ready to try this again. But I’m single now. Advice?

Um, this seems kind of obvious that I’m sure your therapist covered it with you, but … go find a new girlfriend and don’t fuck it up this time?

Hey Dan: This is too off-topic for a regular column, but perhaps you could treat it in one of your Quickies columns, or turn it over to your readers? Which currently active English-language advice columnists would you recommend to someone who has a question that doesn’t have enough to do with sex or relationships?

My short list: Carolyn Hax, Miss Manners, Lizzie Post and Dan Post Senning, Lori Gottlieb, Meredith Goldstein and Alison Green.

Hey Dan: Is it possible to learn to squirt, or is it either you’ve got it or you don’t?

I’ve spoken to women who’ve tried to learn and couldn’t — they unsurprisingly tend to believe a woman either has it or she doesn’t. I’ve also spoken to women who’ve tried to learn and succeeded — they unsurprisingly believe squirting can be got.

Hey Dan: Any advice for a burgeoning masochist?

Don’t let anyone do anything to you that they haven’t let someone else do to them — also, masochists make the best sadists.

Hey Dan: Are “gynosexual” and “androsexual” real sexual identities or are they like “sapiosexual”?

A gynosexual is someone who is attracted to women and/or femme traits and/or people, and an androsexual is someone who’s attracted to men and/or masc traits and/or people — and seeing as there are people out there who fit those descriptions, I guess we’ll have to concede that those are real sexual identities … unlike “sapiosexual,” which is some made-up bullshit.

Hey Dan: Is it unethical to attribute lack of wish for romantic and sexual intimacy to menopause when it’s quite a bit more complicated? It’s a partial truth. Should I feel guilty about this?

Sparing someone is one way of loving someone.

Hey Dan: Ever since we built our dungeon, my parents have been trying to bust their way into it. We are out of excuses as to why they can’t see our room renovation. They are both very religious and probably don’t know what the word “kink” means. Part of me just wants to say “FUCK IT” and let them see it.

If you tell your parents they can see your room renovation after they watch every episode — every single one — of How to Build a Sex Room on Netflix and your parents actually watch every single episode of How to Build a Sex Room on Netflix … your parents won’t want to see your sex room.

Send your burning questions to mailbox@savage.love Podcasts, columns and more at savage.love