august 2003
Sunday in the Park With George Kimberly Akimbo by David Lindsay-Abaire—314241-1517 or info@hothousetheatre.org for info. Broadcast online at stlhiphop.com, Midwest Swang Radio features a collage of Midwest rap, hip-hop, and spoken word. Listen to Midwest Swang at http://midwestswang.stlhiphop.com. New Line Theatre will hold auditions for Stephen Sondheim’s musical masterpiece, Sunday in the Park With George, on two successive Monday evenings, August 4 and 11, at the ArtLoft Theatre, 1529 Washington. New Line is looking for adult men and women aged 17 or older who are strong actors, who sing well, and
Quick Hits ADAM’S OFF OX (4-song demo) Their sound is a blend of groove, sparse beats, world rhythms, hip-hop, reggae, Latin, and rock. Though the songs here are somewhat disparate, they suggest a range that would be worth seeing live. www.adamsoffox.com BAGHEERA: DISTANCE DIVIDED BY RATE (3-song demo) Like fellow indie rockers Rainer Maria, this male-female duo creates smart, quirky songs. Though the production’s a little flat, a nice variety of texture and sounds accompany the sassily sung vocals. www.bagheeramusic.com BIBOWATS: BREAKUP NO. 2 The new Bibowats CD is a catchy, guitardriven gem with strong vocal harmonies. The boys mix things up with their time changes and multitrack effects. Equally satisfying on headphones or blaring from the speakers of your car stereo. www.bibowats.com FIRECRACKER BLONDE: FRICTION Firecracker Blonde’s debut is a highly professional and well-produced alt-rock offering. It’s a little formulaic, a little too much of the vein of Point music—but there’s no denying their talent. www.firecrackerblonde.com KOOKS: TUNES FOR YOU (3-song demo) Despite the deceptive name, this four-piece plays jazzy, world-influenced songs with lots of
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who are willing to take risks onstage. One of the women must be able to play a young bratty girl convincingly. The music for Sunday is challenging, but strong acting is a priority for us. Sunday will be produced at the Art Loft Theatre over four weeks, October 9 to November 1. In other Web radio news, Patrick Rebmann hosts The Local Show from SIUE (http://webradio.siue.edu). He’s looking for people to listen and bands to submit music. E-mail Patrick at localmuse@hotmail.com for details. Poppies 3’s “That Stone” has been selected for the soundtrack of feature film Abdul Loves Cleopatra; the band also makes an appearance in the movie. P3 was also chosen to participate in—and be the cover art on the brochure for— the Mom’s Music Festival held July 22 to 27 at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom. Shine is going into the studio to begin recording their second CD with Darryl McClanahan at AngelFish Studios at the end of summer. It will be a full-length CD (ten songs or so). So far, the band’s new members are Mark Grilliot (bass) and Ben Pitts (drums). Shine is also seeking a second lead guitarist.
bright piano. Toss Ben Folds, Sting, and Phish into a blender and Kooks comes out. LORD BALTIMORE: LORD BALTIMORE (5-song EP) Lord Baltimore is Dave AlanS’ “rock” band, with Trey Guzman on bass and Wesley Nile on drums. The EP is a solid, straightforward rock effort, and manages the capture the energy of the band’s live set. The musicianship is skilled and tight; AlanS’ tongue-in-cheek lyrics are icing on the cake. www.lordbaltimore.net JOHN HENRY PARR: JOHN HENRY PARR This album of quick-tempoed pop songs obviously takes its cue from punk-influenced modern rock. The instrumentation, though solid, sometimes seems a bit rushed. A worthy debut. www.johnhenryparr.com SHINMA: MECHANICAL DREAMS SAMPLER (4-song demo) These four tracks do, indeed, sample lines from DJs and spoken word. The music is heavy industrial dance; the only vocals are the sampled lines incorporated into the dark techno sound. www.shinmamusic.com TOM WEHRLE: SOMETHING YOU CAN’T FIND Tom Wehrle has a high, gentle voice with which he sings earnest, sunshiny pop; you can’t help but like the guy and his music. Behind his words are soaring pianos, guitars, drums, and even kazoos. Highlights include the understated “Finding Ourselves” and the searching “Just a Boy.” www.tomwehrle.com
