Quick Hits

Sunday in the Park With George Kimberly Akimbo by David Lindsay-Abaire—314- 241-1517 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

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

B AGHEERA: 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

B IBOWATS: 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

F IRECRACKER 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

K OOKS: TUNES FOR YOU (3-song demo)

Despite the deceptive name, this four-piece plays jazzy, world-influenced songs with lots of 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.

L ORD 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

J OHN 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

S HINMA: 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

T OM 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

THUGS AND CHILDREN

BENJAMIN CAVELL: RUMBLE, YOUNG MAN, R UMBLE (Knopf)

In Rumble, Young Man, Rumble (Knopf), Benjamin Cavell’s surprisingly well-blurbed first short story collection (“airtight meditations on American masculinity,” writes Richard Price), blandly macho males enter and exit the boxing ring, pick street fights, play paintball, work out, and play the role of would-be assassins. They say things like “I never killed anybody. But I could,” and “Indecision, kid. It’s what separates us from the animals.” The book’s females are for the most part taken in, posing questions such as “Are you strong?” The answer is obvious (physically, yes; mentally, not so much), and it’s in line with what seems to be the book’s point: the stunted growth of the musclebound. But the reader understands this point the first time most of these characters open their mouths, leaving the remaining pages with little purpose or interest.

Part of the problem is that Cavell doesn’t develop these characters from the inside so much as place in their mouths a series of general statements that could belong to anyone (which, of course, could be the point, but it makes for boring reading). The characters’ lines are often either instructional (“In close quarters, the pistol is ideal because of its concealability and ease of use”); inventorial (“We’ll beat them with phone cords and Spirit-breaker riding crops (two for $79.50)”); or completely incidental (“For dinner, Heather had the New Orleans–style catfish with chipotle dipping sauce”). Over the course of the book, these statements simply accumulate, rarely resonating on a larger, more meaningful level.

Cavell, 26, produces a few moments of realized prose, but even these sometimes suffer from repetition. After one narrator neatly describes his intimidatingly beefy father (a dinner glass “disappears in his fist”), Cavell hits the same note a few pages later (“He picks up the tie clasp. In his hand it looks like a toothpick”). On the first page, even, there’s room for an editor’s pen: “His face is cratered with acne scars. It looks like the surface of the moon.”

The book’s final story, “The Ropes,” is solid. Much more time is spent building the narrator alone, as he recovers from an in-ring bludgeoning, then touchingly pursues an engaged wealthy girl intrigued by his fighting life. But this in-depth treatment—not held down by the side-cronies who crowded the other stories—just reminds us that the previous stories were of little depth at all.

I don’t doubt that Cavell understands the plight of his characters—that their dull lives ruled by muscle-development leave little room for the development of the mind. But the book can’t shake off the characters’ inherent dullness to reveal anything moving or insightful. In the end, the characters’ deadened deliveries—their stock machismo, their lack of having anything original to say—become the book’s.

J OSHUA FURST: SHORT PEOPLE (Knopf)

There is so much to admire and be moved by in Joshua Furst’s first collection of stories, the brave, thoughtful, and kid-centered Short People(Knopf). It begins, appropriately, with “The Age of Exploration.” It’s summer—a time for “things that haven’t stopped growing”—and two boys inspect the ground, play in the pool, imagine, and generally ride the day, “grass-stained, kool-aid-tongued, starbursting in a limitless world.” The story’s about the boys’ parting, and their meantime adolescent activities provide surprising meaning to their wave goodbye. As the boys drop pebbles from an overpass, Furst writes that they’re “less interested in destruction, in their own ability to destroy, than in the construction that they provoke, in the mystery of creation.” Heady thoughts for kids just roughing around town, but the sentiment works because it’s not about intellect, but about wonder, which for kids is all.

“This Little Light,” takes the focus from two boys to just one, Shawn Casper, a nine-year-old awaiting the baptismal pool. The author captures the wandering minds of kids (Shawn’s trying to listen to Preacher Dan, but thinking of what it’d be like to be color-blind), along with their expectation of immediacy (having just been dunked, Shawn “wonders when the feeling of transcendence will kick in”). Transcendence doesn’t, but moral condescension does, lifting Shawn to a religious high horse from which he sneers at his classmates and even his parents (“It’s called covetousness, Mom,” he says at one point). But then come the hormones. He’s handed A Christian Kid’s Guide to Sex, which is

supposed to scare him silly, but, of course, turns him on. Soon he’s steering sessions of late-night onanism, mind-exploring “his beloved—whoever she is—danc[ing] blurry and half-formed in the olive grove of his imagination.” Furst is exact in describing the boy’s interior shifts, and by the end of the long story, Shawn—having dismounted the high horse—is left feeling like something wonderfully inexact—“like a scribble that could mean anything.” Much, that is, like a kid.

Furst has a gift for revealing fresh patches in familiar terrain, and he does so throughout the book’s other stories: a shady estranged father on his random drop-in dinner; the insecure character with the much cooler friend; the smothering humiliations of the picked-on. And while Furst’s narrators occasionally let slip lines that sound a bit out of place—a young narrator’s notion that “Scientists should be dispassionate” is one of only three examples in the book—the author succeeds in creating characters both believable and original.

In between the stories in Short Peopleis a series of one- or two-page case studies—ominous predictions for young people in danger. “She’ll be ten years old the first time,” one study begins, graphing the creeping onset of a father’s sexual abuse. “She’ll know something’s not right the way she knows smog’s diseased sky: by the sick feeling she has about it later.” Another study, this one on behavioral medication, begins, “He’ll gag and heave, but his parents will force him, twice a day, to swallow, and eventually he’ll appear healed.” These brief interludes—poetic, moving, and relentless—are put into context in the book’s final section. We learn that they’ve come from the pen of another character, a nurse in the second-to-last story, “Failure to Thrive.” I grew immediately angry with Furst for having this single character—a nurse who kills in the guise of love—usurp these studies that had become such a memorable part of the book. It was a surprising, bold choice, and one I’m still not certain improves the book. But credit goes to Furst for creating stories that mattered so much to me. If I hadn’t been so moved by these characters’ stories— and by the author’s penetrating prose throughout the book—I wouldn’t have cared. But I do. —Stephen Schenkenberg

ALANNA NASH: T HE COLONEL (Simon & Schuster)

Every biography doubles as a mystery, and for The Colonel, her latest bio, journalist Alanna Nash has chosen as her subject someone worthy of Conan Doyle: the man known as Colonel Tom Parker (1909–97), the Machiavellian, even Mephistophelian, manager of Elvis Presley.

The phrase the man known as should signal the complexity of Nash’s task here. To wit, Parker, who listed Huntington, West Virginia, as his birthplace on a 1937 Social Security form, was born Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk in Breda, Holland. Like the fraudulence of his title, that fact scarcely qualifies as new, and Nash, to be sure, doesn’t present it as such in The Colonel. Rather, she expands on existing information to sometimes astonishing effect.

This should come as no surprise, in context. Nash, who covers country music for Entertainment Weekly and who’s written five prior books, devoted six years to crafting the biography at hand. In doing so, she interviewed a mind-boggling number of people, both here and abroad, and conducted research in such arcane places as the Records Reconstruction Branch of the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. (The acknowledgements to the volume cover ten pages, for pity’s sake.) Her diligence bore fruit, at a minimum, regarding two events in Parker’s life: his abrupt departure from Holland and his subsequent discharge from the U.S. Army. “The army doctor had seen this kind of psychotic breakdown before,” Nash notes of the latter. Of the former, she posits a positively Holmes-and-Watson scenario involving a Dutch murder unsolved since 1929. Tantalizing? Quite.

Otherwise, Nash’s biography (which tops 300 pages and includes 24 pages of black-andwhite photos) portrays Parker as a Horatio Alger hero gone terribly wrong, a grifter and bully who hit the jackpot yet, in mismanaging Presley, still squandered his esthetic winnings between the slot machine and the door. As a portrait, in short, it’s not so much compelling as devastating.

The dust jacket to The Colonel bears a twoshot of its subject and his famous client. The latter, in dress uniform from his own 1958–60 army stint, looks sharp and timeless, befitting perhaps the preeminent secular icon of the last half of the century just past. In contrast, the image of Parker, shown in profile to the sinister, blurs— equally fittingly. With The Colonel, however, Nash has focused that image, further reducing the blurriness of the kingpin behind the King. —Bryan A. Hollerbach

Dave Eggers Left Bank Books, July 21

Dave Eggers, author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, not to mention the more recent You Shall Know Our Velocity!, turned up for a talk and signing at Left Bank Books on July 21, the first time that he has been in town since he gave a lecture at Graham Chapel back in early 2001, well before he became the hipster icon that he is today. What was likely the official reason for his book tour is that Velocity has just been released widely in paperback (it got a lot of press last fall because Eggers only made it available through his Web site and independent bookstores), but the unofficial reason for his tour— apparent from either visiting mcsweeneys.net (the Web version of the literary journal that he founded and edits) or from having gone to the signing— is that he wanted to promote the establishment of a student writers’ workshop akin to his growingly famous 826 Valencia out in San Francisco.

When Eggers was at Graham Chapel, he put on one hell of a show for the scads of Wash U students in attendance, including, but not limited to, such outrageous stunts as the following: giving a $5 bill to almost everyone in the audience; having his friend, Arthur Bradford (author of the overlooked but fucking brilliant book of short stories entitled Dogwalker) come onstage, read a story, and violently smash a guitar (not in that order); and even calling a professor on stage at a student’s request and chastising him for being too tough. At Left Bank, though, Eggers was much more low-key, but still genuinely entertaining, especially in the generally boring field of author signings. He spent his time updating those in attendance on the current status of his little brother Toph (the “star” of AHWOSG) (he’s helping the disabled at Camp Jabberwocky this summer), reading a new short story he wrote about a 13-year-old who has a crush on his teacher, and explaining the mechanics of running and tutoring in 826. After speaking for nearly an hour and a half, he signed everyone’s books and headed in the direction of his alma mater, the University of Illinois Champaign –Urbana, where he had a signing the next day.

The short story was genuinely amusing, as is pretty much everything Eggers has ever published, but even more amusing was the way that Eggers read it. He didn’t read anything at all in his trip to Graham Chapel, so the way that he reads stories was kind of a shock, at least to me. He has this way of reading every sentence like how a high schooler would if he was really trying to get a part in a school play. He even began making fun of himself for the way that he was saying “rabbit” (the teacher had a pet rabbit, if you’re curious), but he failed to notice that he was saying “rabbit” pretty much the exact same way he was saying “crotch,” a word which was employed at least as frequently as “rabbit.”

To while away the time for the people standing in line for autographs (there were a crapload of people there, and Eggers spent a good couple of minutes talking to each one, so the people in the back of the line were there for a very long time indeed), the folks at Left Bank put on the DVD that comes with the newest issue of McSweeney’s, which is made up of all special features and no feature. The bulk of the DVD is writers reading their pieces or something of that nature (I got to see very little of the DVD), including Jesus’s Son scribe Denis Johnson singing his contribution (don’t ask), but then it also features a “Making of the DVD,” a “The Editing of the Making of the DVD,” and even a director’s commentary by Francis Ford Coppola (even though he didn’t direct it) on “The Editing of the Making of the DVD,” not to mention a million other little Might Magazine–esque satirical ideas on the state of DVDs.

In spite of all of his antics, though, Eggers’ genuine want to branch out 826 and his love of the children that he tutors at his own branch were the most resonant pieces of the night. After all, how many authors (ridiculously famous and talented ones, at that) have you come across that make an open invitation to stay as long as necessary or even go to get something to eat with anyone in the crowd who claimed to be willing to help him with his cause? If Eggers’ work does not achieve classic status ( AHWOSG is already required reading for a large number of freshman English classes at St. Louis–area colleges), perhaps the fact that he founded 826 Valencias all over the United States will make him a figure worthy of studying for all of this coming century’s students. —Pete Timmermann

TOMB RAIDER: THE CRADLE OF LIFE

STARRING ANGELINA JOLIE PARAMOUNT PICTURES, RATED PG-13 NOW PLAYING AT MOST THEATERS

Lara Croft is the perfect character for a complex actress like Angelina Jolie. Croft lives fast, loves hard, and is always balls to the wall. She definitely lives life exuberantly. Who’d’ve guessed contemporary film’s most notorious heroine would stem from a computer game? And who would have imagined Jolie so relishing this part? Lara Croft is a heroine in the vein of Ripley in the Alien films or Sarah Connor in the Terminator films. However, Croft has a certain panache and devilish charm that most action heroines lack. Jolie gives her style. Lara Croft thinks, manipulates, and shoots her way through her escapades. This movie would be flat if the supporting cast were not also terrific. Gerald Butler is perfect for the not-so-sure-if-he-is good Sheridan. He is devious, devil-may-care, and sneaky. His scenes with Jolie are believable; he makes this Lothario likable, which is hard to do in action films. Cradle Of Lifeis an action film with all the trademarks of the genre. It has a choppy plot, a high suspension-of-disbelief quotient, loosely defined baddies, and ominous apocalyptic peril. All in all, this is a fun time. — Rob Levy

EVANESCENCE

WITH COLD, REVIS, & CAUTERIZE AT THE PAGEANT AUGUST 23, 7:30 p.m., all ages TICKETS: $27.50; CALL: 314-726-6161

Though their name means “dissipation,” this band doesn’t look to be fading away any time soon. The group’s debut album, Fallen, has been a mainstay in Billboard’s top ten album chart for over 15 weeks and was recently certified doubleplatinum. Lead singer Amy Lee may only be 20 years old, but the messages in the songs she sings are dark and full of anxiety, suggesting experience beyond her years. —Jeremy Housewright

WHAT’S GOING O

AMERICAN THEATER 416 N. 9th St. • St. Louis, MO 314-231-7000

8/1: David Gray w/Turin Brakes

BB’s JAZZ & BLUES 700 S. Broadway · St. Louis, MO 314-436-5222 www.bbsjazzbluessoups.com

8/1: Leroy Pierson, The Gamble Brothers 8/2: Tom Hall, Bobby Parker Blues Band 8/3: Hard Bop Heritage, Dave Black 8/4: Sessions Big Band, Hot House Sessions 8/5: Tom Hall, Cryin’ Shame 8/6: Alvin Jett & the Hired Help 8/7: Leroy Pierson, Rich McDonough 8/8: Leroy Pierson, Arthur Williams Blues Band 8/9: Eric McSpadden & Margaret Bianchetta, Bennie Smith & the Urban Blues Express 8/10: Hard Bop Heritage, Dave Black 8/11: Sessions Big Band, Hot House Sessions 8/12: Tom Hall, Cryin’ Shame 8/13: Alvin Jett, Arthur Williams Blues Band 8/14: Leroy Pierson, Renee Smith & Solo Blue 8/15: Leroy Pierson, Arthur Williams Blues Band 8/16: Arthur Williams & Larry Griffin, The Bel Airs 8/17: Hard Bop Heritage, Dave Black 8/18: Sessions Big Band, Hot House Sessions 8/19: Tom Hall, Cryin’ Shame 8/20: Pennsylvania Slim Blues Band 8/21: Leroy Pierson, Oliver Sain’s R&B All-Stars 8/22: Leroy Pierson, Soulard Blues Band 8/23: Tom Hall, Michael Burks Blues Band 8/24: Hard Bop Heritage, Dave Black 8/25: Sessions Big Band, Hot House Sessions 8/26: Alvin Jett & the Hired Help 8/28: Leroy Pierson, Oliver Sain’s R&B All-Stars 8/29: Leroy Pierson, Pennsylvania Slim Blues Band 8/30: The Fab Foehners, Bennie Smith & the Urban Blues Express 8/31: Hard Bop Heritage, Dave Black

BERZERKER STUDIOS 3033 Locust · St. Louis, MO 314-652-7300 • www.berzerkerrecords.com

BLUEBERRY HILL 6504 Delmar • St. Louis, Missouri 314-727-0880 • www.blueberryhill.com

8/1: Jesse Harris & the Ferdinandos w/Dan Darrah 8/2: Murder City Players 8/13: Jimmy Chamberlain drum clinic 8/14: Chuck Berry 8/16: Steve Davis & the TCB Band 8/23: CD release party: Brandy Johnson & TED (formerly of Colony) w/Kevin Barry 8/28: Kindred the Family Soul

CICERO’S 6691 Delmar • University City, MO 314-862-0009 • www.ciceros-stl.com

8/1: Jake's Leg 8/2: Pepperland 8/3: Afternoon Show: Dead Roseboys 8/4: Madahoochi and Friends 8/5: Kind Tuesdays with the Schwag 8/6: John Mancusso Productions Presents 8/7: Mountain of Venus w/Metaphysical Jones 8/8: Jake's Leg 8/9: Just Add Water, Leo w/Thos 8/10: Afternoon Show: Yur Mom w/Essence of Logic and Supervillian Zero, Open Mic Night 8/11: Madahoochi and Friends 8/12: Kind Tuesdays with the Schwag 8/13: Wayland Sphere w/Cresent Moon Connection & Mr. I 8/14: Lojic and Heiruspecs w/Liquid Groove Theory 8/16: EKe (CD Release w/Dark Water & Cactus Smile) 8/17: Afternoon Show: IQ 22 w/Loser's Luck, The Drive Home, Point of Failing Poetry, Open Mic Night 8/18: Madahoochi and Friends 8/19: Kind Tuesdays with the Schwag 8/20: Midwest Avengers w/TBA 8/21: Doze Mary Pool, Blind Shepperds, Johnny West 8/22: Jake's Leg 8/23: Supercrush w/Greenscene w/Flynova 8/24: Afternoon Show: 4th and Long w/Maralyn High, Minutes too Far, Tom Foolery and the Mistakes, Open Mic 8/25: Madahoochi and Friends 8/26: Kind Tuesdays with The Schwag 8/27: TBA 8/28: Olospo w/Riker's Mailbox 8/29: Jake's Leg 8/30: Diggler's Lounge 8/31: Afternoon Show: Losers Make Good w/Hyphen 0, Title Dictates, Open Mic Night

CITY IMPROV 1820 Market St., #250 • St. Louis, MO www.cityimprov.com

ROCKET TO REGAZZI

WE REGAZZI AT THE ROCKET BAR AUGUST 15, 9 p.m., 18+

The Chicago trio returns to St. Louis in support of its sophomore release, 2002’s The Ache(SelfStarter Foundation) . There’s a bit of Joe Jackson in Anthony Rolando’s voice, and a bit of Prince and the Rolling Stones in Colleen Burke’s bass and Aliana Kalaba’s guitar. The result is an appealing mix of ache and urgency that will get you moving. —Laura Hamlett

JUST TED

TED WITH BRANDY JOHNSON & KEVIN BARRY AT BLUEBERRY HILL AUGUST 23, 9 p.m., 21+, $6

Last fall, Colony’s Ted Bruner moved to L.A. to complete the new Colony album. Doing most of the work himself, he found the music heading in a more acoustic direction than Colony fans had grown used to, an “early R.E.M. sound,” according to Bruner. He’s since renamed the band TED—rounded out by drummer Matt Hickenbotham and bassist Steve Nowels—and will be back in town for the CD release. With two other of our town’s finest singer-songwriters on the bill, it’s sure to be a great night of music. —Laura Hamlett

THE CREEPY CRAWL 412 N. Tucker • St. Louis, MO www.creepycrawl.com

8/1: Early Show: Planes Mistaken for Stars, End Game, Riddle of Steel, The Drive Home; Late Show: Inimical Drive CD Release Show w/Wounds, Spatik, A Moment Gone 8/2: Hey Mercedes, Sense Field, Damone, Sountrak 8/3: Early Show: One Last Hope, Proof of Purchase, 4th and Long, Fed Up; Late Show: Bombs Away, The Adversary Workers, Sweet & Easy, 12 Summers Old 8/4: Peelander-Z, The Order Of The Fly, Frankenhookers, Saw Is Family, Hit By A Semi 8/5: Evelynn, This Runs Through, Sine Nomine, Small Town Tragedy, Five Story Fall 8/6: Glasseater, Bayside, Celebrity, Parkridge, The Apology Clause 8/7: Mae, Armor For Sleep, Westcott, Losers Luck 8/10: Dying Fetus, Skinless, Divine Empire, Misery IndexNuclear Blast America Recs, Ornament of Disgrace, All Will Fail 8/12: Neptune, Pat Sayack Assassins, TBA 8/13: A Life Once Lost, One Cycle Occur, Stain of Mind, Scream For Silence (last show), Lack Halo 8/14: 105.7 The Point Presents Year of the Rabbit, Codesven, Ring Cicada 8/15: Early Show: Snobank, Moderndayhero, Saved From Tomorrow, Stateside (formerly 5th Man Down) Late Show: Tree of Woe CD Release Show w/ Sine Nomine, A Picture Book of Saints, 12 Summers Old 8/19: Soilent Green, Black Dahlia Murder, Lickgoldensky, Byproduct 8/20: Brian Jonestown Massacre, TBA 8/30: The Lyndsay Diaries, Casey Reed, TBA 8/31: Sophmore, Bi-Level, Failing English, The Skyline

ENIGMA LOUNGE 15480 Clayton Road • Ballwin, MO www.enigmalounge.com

8/21: TED

FREDERICK’S MUSIC LOUNGE 4454 Chippewa • St. Louis, MO 314-351-5711 • www.fredericksmusiclounge.com

8/1: Snakebite Orphans, Two Cow Garage 8/2: The Swabbies , The Returnables 8/4: FREE MONDAY MOVIES featuring Mel Brooks’ The Twelve Chairs (1970) 8/5: The Ragtime Serenaders, Nobody's Perfect (Kalamazoo, MI), Arcade 8/6: Ragtime Pianist Gale Foehner (no cover), TBA, Scott Follmer 8/7: TBA, Free Noiseday Hootenanny, Open Mic & Jam Session, Host: Jonathan Baer 8/8: Rex Hobart, Mary Alice Wood 8/9: Ray's Vast Basement, John Vecchiarelli 8/11: FREE MONDAY MOVIES 8/12: The Ragtime Serenaders, Spot, Ben Hanna, Jay Goettlemann 8/13: Ragtime Pianist Gale Foehner (no cover),TBA, Squint 8/14: Free Noiseday Hootenanny, Open Mic & Jam Session, Host: Tommy Halloran 8/15: Rowdy Cum Lowdies, Fred's Variety Group 8/16: The SIlvermen, The Leghounds 8/18: FREE MONDAY MOVIES 8/19: The Ragtime Serenaders, The Terranauts, Goldenboy 8/20: Ragtime Pianist Gale Foehner (no cover), Pala Solution, Robert Collins 8/21: Free Noiseday Hootenanny, Open Mic & Jam Session, Host: Bob Reuter 8/22: Diesel Island, Jackhead 8/23: TBA, Citizen's Band 8/26: The Ragtime Serenaders, TBA 8/27: Ragtime Pianist Gale Foehner (no cover), TBA, Tractor Kings 8/28: TBA (no cover), Free Noiseday Hootenanny, Open Mic & Jam Session, Host: Bob Camp 8/29: Honky Tonk Chateau, Pitchfork 8/30: TBA, Rockhouse Ramblers, North Country 8/31: "Bring your jukebox money"

HI-POINTE 1001 McCausland Ave. • St. Louis, MO 314-781-4716 • www.hi-pointe.com

8/4: These Arms Are Snakes 8/20: The Format, The Rocket Summer

G ON HERE?

Want to SPONSOR next month’s calendar? Call 314-630-6404 for details.

LEMP NEIGHBORHOOD ARTS CENTER 3301 Lemp Ave. • St. Louis, MO 314-771-1096 • www.lemp-arts.org

8/1: Valient Thorr, The Kickass, TBA 8/2: Edipis, Fork Knife Spoon, Deface, Nineteen 8/3: Shitgeist, Sadistic Kids 8/5: Amorous Radio, Bullet Train to Vegas, So Many Dynamos, Tree of Woe 8/7: Wormwood 8/8: Sadaharu 8/9: Karlheinz 8/10: Failing English, Parkridge, The Requiem, National Fire Theory 8/12: Primordial Undermind, Bahrain, Julia Sets, Tone Rodent 8/13: I Collide Orchestra, TBA 8/14: Plan of Attack, a18 8/15: Thousandaire, TCMC, An Albatross, The Sick Lipstick, She Notes the Chariots 8/17: Anchors for Architects, Potomac Accord 8/18: Modern Day Urban Barbarians 8/21: In the Socket 8/22: Becky Stark & Xander Marro Operetta, TBA 8/29: Viki, Mammal, Brain Transplant, TwoLips

MISSISSIPPI NIGHTS 914 N. First St. • St. Louis, MO 314-421-3853 • www.mississippinights.com

8/1: Surreal w/Brian Curran 8/2: Reggie & The Full Effect 8/5: Ziggy Marley 8/7: KSHE Presents Dicky Betts & Great Southern 8/8: Les Nubians w/ Schoolz of Thought & Zap Mama 8/9: Pomeroy CD Release Party 8/10: Nickel Creek 8/15: Panic Attack CD Release Party 8/16: Joe Jackson 8/22: Flynova 8/23: Javier Mendoza 8/25: Stretch Armstrong w/Norma Jean, The Bled, & The Takeover 8/28: The Big Wu 8/29: Side of Fives

OFF BROADWAY 3509 Lemp Avenue • St. Louis, MO 314-773 3363 • www.offbroadwaystl.com

8/1: Old Man Joe CD release party 8/2: Joe Hipperson & Steve Kramper w/TBA 8/6: The High Strung w/Dignan 8/7: Dark Water w/Tangerine & My 2 Planets 8/8: Panic Attack w/Spent & The Zeroes 8/9: Nadine w/Gingersol 8/13: Showcase of the Bands 8/15: 7:30 show: Pieta Brown w/Bo Ramsey; 10:00 show: Celia's Big Rock Band 8/16: 7:30 show: Bradley Cole; 10:00 show: Corey Saathoff + The Brain Regiment w/TBA 8/20: The Blazers w/Anchondo & P-Nuckle 8/21: NSAI Songwriters in the Round w/special guest Pat Liston 8/22: THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS 8/23: 7:30 show: Darryl Purpose w/Tim Grimm; 10:00 show: Kip Loui & the Town Criers w/Salt of the Earth 8/29: Pernice Brothers w/Peter Bruntnell & Larissa Dalle

THE PAGEANT 6161 Delmar Blvd. • St. Louis, MO 314-726-6161 • www.thepageant.com

8/1: The Missouri Black Expo Gala w/Boney James 8/2: Weird Al Yankovic (two shows) 8/3: G. Love and Special Sauce 8/5: Jason Mraz & Liz Phair w/Sondre Lerche 8/9: Core Project, Lojic, Anchondo 8/11: The Human League 8/15: Sister Hazel 8/22: Little Feat 8/23: Evanescence, Cold, Revis, Cauterize

POP’S 1403 Mississippi Ave. • Sauget, IL www.popsrocks.com

8/7: Kottonmouth Kings 8/8: Anthrax 8/9: DVD Release Party w/The Brews 8/12: Type O Negative MINUS THE BEAR

AT THE ROCKET BAR AUGUST 23, 9 p.m., 18+

Part jam band, part modern rock, part experimental, and all pleasing, Minus the Bear began as a side project when five members of popular Seattle bands wanted to try something new. Three years later, it’s still going strong, and growing stronger. Nearly a year after the release of Highly Refined Pirates(Suicide Squeeze) , a swirling alt-rock gem of sound, voice, and mood, CMJ has named Minus the Bear as a band “on the verge.” Who ever knew songs about girls, drinking, and driving could sound so good? —Laura Hamlett

HE’S THE MAN

PHOTO: DUNN

JOE JACKSON AT MISSISSIPPI NIGHTS AUGUST 16, 9 p.m., all ages TICKETS: $30, CALL: 314-534-1111

The original Joe Jackson Band—Jackson, Graham Maby (bass), Gary Sanford (guitar) and Dave Houghton (drums)—has reunited for a new album and tour. In part, this is to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the band’s formation and the recording of Look Sharp. However, this is not just an exercise in nostalgia, since the band has recorded a whole album of new songs, Volume 4. Playback St. Louis saw them in Austin at SXSW and was thoroughly impressed by this quarter-century-old band that sounded more vital than many of the new bands out there today. —Jim Dunn

ROCKET BAR 2001 Locust St. • St. Louis, MO 314-588-0055 • http://rocketbar.net

8/2: Rye Coalition 8/15: We Regazzi 8/16: Jesse Malin & Rocky Votolato 8/16: The New Amsterdams 8/23: Minus the Bear

SALLY T’S 6 Main St. • St. Peters, MO 636-397-5383 • www.sallyts.com

8/2: Aaron James Band w/Maxtone Four & Two Cow Garage 8/5: Girls Acoustic Open Mic Night 8/6: Westscott w/Start December 8/7: Another Kind of Hero, So Called Something, Until Tomorrow 8/8: Em Grueve 8/9: Auk, Inimical Drive 8/12: Mental Floss 8/13: Decluded, TBA 8/14: Spring Loaded, Where's Waldo 8/15: B. Koolman, The Barnacles, Jonny Fox 8/16: Spring Clock Wonder, Failure to Thrive 8/21: Gammits, Anti Dyer, Straight to Your Brain 8/22: Doze Mary Pool 8/23: Supergod Showcase 8/29: Parts Per Million, Lung Dust, Garden 9

SAVVIS CENTER 1401 Clark Ave. • St. Louis, MO www.savviscenter.net

8/9: Cher 8/15: Fleetwood Mac

SHELDON CONCERT HALL 3648 Washington Blvd. • Saint Louis, MO 314-533-9900 • www.sheldonconcerthall.org

8/1: Steve Brinberg is…Simply Barbra 8/8: Fontella Bass 8/15: Aska Koneko and Friends 8/21: Kevin Spirtas from Broadway to Hollywood 8/22: Kevin Spirtas from Broadway to Hollywood 8/23: Jazz Explosion

THREE-1-THREE 313 East Main St.• Belleville, IL 618- 239-6885 • www.three-1-three.com

8/1: Bear Claw, Helicopter Helicopter 8/2: Jeffery Simmons and the Symptoms, Amsterdamband 8/9: Mandown 8/13: Piedmont Charisma, Spring Clock Wonder 8/29: Burn Disco Burn

UMB BANK PAVILION 14141 Riverport Dr. • Maryland Heights, MO 314-298-9944 • www.riverport.com

8/1: Toby Keith 8/8: 311 8/9: Chicago 8/10: Neil Young & Crazy Horse w/Lucinda Williams 8/16: James Taylor 8/23: Sammy Hagar w/Michael Anthony & Montrose 8/24: Radiohead

THE WAY OUT CLUB 2525 S. Jefferson Ave. • St. Louis, MO 314-664-7638 • www.wayoutclub.com

8/1: Leadville, Palookaville, Wormwood Scrubs 8/2: Hail Marys, Sonic Reducers, Hearts of Darkness 8/6: Aintry 8/7: Bug 8/8: Thee Fine Lines, Gentleman Callers, Thee Lordly Serpents (all-day event) 8/9: Kings of Pop, Patcee Decline (all-day event) 8/13: Eyes of Space 8/15: The Round Ups, The Outlaw Family Band 8/16: El Mail Boxo 8/19: The Whole Sick Crew 8/20: Squint 8/21: Pitchfork 8/23: Trip Daddys, Dead Celebrities 8/26: Countach

SONDRE LERCHE

WITH JASON MRAZ & LIZ PHAIR AT THE PAGEANT AUGUST 5, 7:30 p.m., all ages TICKETS: $20, CALL: 314-726-6161

Bergen, Norway, is unquestionably one of the most exciting musical cities on earth right now, Norway is quietly exporting one delightful, dazzling artist after another, each distinct from the rest. Meet Sondre Lerche, the 20-year-old singersongwriter whose debut, Faces Down, has been hailed as a remarkably rich, sophisticated song cycle for one in such an early stage of his career. The praise is justified; the album is a peerless example of assured musical (and literate!) craftsmanship, with a blend of warmth and wisdom (and plain old-fashioned tunefulness) impossible to imagine coming from any American popster in Lerche’s age bracket. Reached by phone between tour dates, Lerche, who speaks in perfect, fluent English, expressed gratitude for the acclaim his work has earned so far. “It’s very nice that they realize the difference between me and…whoever else is popular at that age,” he said. “My music is based on my references and my discovery, on what I really love and cherish.” Creating his debut, the boyishly handsome Norwegian drew inspiration from the multi-layered craftsmanship of veterans like Elvis Costello. “At the time I was planning this recording, the songs were very influenced by Elvis Costello—I was fascinated by all of his different projects, from the Bacharach record to his early stuff to the Brodsky Quartet. The focus for him is always on the delivery of his songs—his telling of the story, and the performance. But the arrangement surrounding it could be anything from his guitar to a whole orchestra.” In comparing the massive amount of press given to Swedish bands versus the more erratic attention accorded Norway’s artists, Lerche commented, “I think Sweden has a more advanced music industry. The bands [have] been able to get their name out there. But the best music, or what is most appealing, is not always what the media…or the audience sees. The people who scream the loudest are not always the brightest.” It’s a fitting sentiment for a remarkable young songwriter who has no need to shout—his music has the kind of sparkle that is sure to illuminate the ears and hearts of fans far and wide. www.sondrelerche.com —Kevin Renick

Backstage Pass

The fans are overwhelmingly white. The parking lots outside the events tell of a gigantic subculture formed around lore and memorabilia (and, in Phish’s case, nitrous oxide). And even though they sell out enormous venues in such burgeoning metropolises as East Troy, Wisconsin, you wouldn’t learn much about them from anyone in standard media. (Incidentally, there was one other major gathering in that neck of the woods the same weekend; it went by the name of “Country Thunder.”)

Despite their popularity, nobody thinks of them as mainstream. I’ve heard Phish described, in fact, with the exact same phrase that one of my Alabama relatives once used in regard to stock-car racing: “Either you get it or you don’t.”

In the interests of disclosure, I seem to be one of those that gets Phish. Don’t, worry though; I’m not going to try to explain it to you. Many Phishheads are defensive about their band and love to preach their gospel, but it just doesn’t work that way. Phish’s music—a weird amalgam of classic rock, jazz, funk, classical, reggae, and bluegrass—rewards affection and close scrutiny (hence a fan base that loves to discuss the relative merits of the 12/6/96 “Weekapaug Groove” and the 6/28/00 “Bathtub Gin”) but deflects advocacy. If I spend this review trying to convert you, not only will it not work, but also I will soon discover a scarlet “PH” on my forehead that earns me the eternal scorn of self-respecting music critics everywhere.

So I won’t do that. One thing, though: their most clichéd defense is true. First you have to see them. Literally. Seeing lighting director Chris Kuroda at work is a joy unto itself. By interacting so skillfully with the intricate turns of a song like “David Bowie,” he undoubtedly becomes a fifth band member. That he can anticipate the second-by-second whims of a band so opposed to scripted performances that they don’t preplan their set lists is nothing short of amazing. The cacophonous vocal jam at the end of this weekend’s “You Enjoy Myself” would be worthless on CD, but in person, one could see that they were simply following Kuroda’s lead. Hands-down, the best light show in the business.

As for the music itself, it’s pretty clear that Phish’s main attraction is its utter lack of predictability. My favorite moment from this weekend came in an overcrowded men’s bathroom before the first show, playing call-the-opener with 30 or so full-bladdered guys who all seemed to know which songs kicked off each of the past six or seven shows. Nobody guessed “Axilla Part I,” though. I’ve still never heard anyone correctly call a Phish opener.

Spontaneity is a difficult trait to maintain over 18 years, but the Vermont quartet—who used to come off as egalitarian but are now clearly led in every way by guitarist Trey Anastasio—seems to have it down to a science. There was something for everyone this weekend: the quirky brilliance of “The Mango Song,” the seamless segue from the Velvet Underground’s “Rock and Roll” to their own “Seven Below,” the steadily building radiance of “Bathtub Gin,” and the 20-minute-plus navigations of “Down With Disease” and “Piper.”

from page 17

Phish’s neatest improvisational trick is to careen into dissonance as a way of building anticipation. To an untrained ear, it might sound at first like they’re stumbling badly, all four members at once, but they tug it back to the original theme, one by one. Kuroda follows suit, sending the lights in disarray to feign confusion before rejoining the band with a flourish. They call it “tension-and-release” playing, aptly enough, and the crowd eats it up. No other band I’ve seen does this (although Widespread Panic tries).

It was during such a moment in “Reba,” the second song on the second day of this gorgeous weekend at Alpine Valley, that I spotted a girl about 15 feet in front of me in the tightly packed crowd receiving medical attention. Not an uncommon sight at so-called jam band shows: a bad trip resulting from excess of one drug or another, or a mixture of too many. Blah blah blah, kids these days, blah blah. But my question: for a band whose charge is to make every show memorable (as they did this weekend, helped in part by a solo rendition of Kansas’s “Dust in the Wind” on vacuum—seriously), why medicate oneself past the point of being able to remember? —Taylor Upchurch

Summer Sanitarium Tour Edward Jones Dome, July 25

It would be nice to say that the last big summer rock show to roll through St. Louis was the best, but in truth, it was far from that.

The Deftones were the most disappointing act of the night. The band played for a mere half hour and the music was just plain boring. If not for lead singer Chino Moreno jumping around and flailing out high-pitched screams one after the other, some of the crowd may have fallen asleep.

Linkin Park was the only band that performed to my expectations. The group played an hour-long set and the crowd really got into it. Mike Shinoda and Chester Bennington both have a certain powerful presence on stage that is engaging to watch.

After Linkin Park, it seemed that business would pick up, as Limp Bizkit was back in St. Louis for the first time in nearly three years. I had to admit; I had looked forward to this day for a long time. As an avid Limp Bizkit fan, I had been both nervous and anxious to hear new material since the departure of guitarist Wes Borland. As the group took the stage, with new guitarist Mike Smith in tow, Fred Durst appeared to have hit the weights in his time off—in addition to his much-publicized fling with Britney Spears, which he mentioned at the show. Smith's guitar added a much-needed heavier metal sound to the group's music. Limp Bizkit sounds more like they did early in their career, which is a good thing. Durst pulsated with anger and fury throughout the group's whole performance. I have to admit, though, I was a bit disappointed with the performance. Left off the set list were noteworthy songs "Rollin'," "Boiler," "Counterfeit," and "Stuck." Also, there was no new music, only a sign that read "New Album Fall 2003."

After Bizkit left the stage, there was a 60-minute break until Metallica actually appeared. The group played for nearly two hours, and many of the older fans sang along to every song. It was almost like being with a group of cult followers—very unique and memorable, to say the least. I enjoyed hearing the older songs, such as "One," "Master of Puppets," and "Sanitarium." However, Metallica played only two songs from their new album, St. Anger.

All in all, it was a disappointing night of music. Deftones and Limp Bizkit did not live up to my expectations and, truth be told, the Ed is just not a great concert venue; a metal show like the Sanitarium tour is meant for an outdoor place, not indoor. Despite one of the poorer performances I have witnessed from Bizkit, I still consider them to be my favorite band. Still, their new sound is promising; metal fans should be ready for the "old" Limp Bizkit to return this fall. Metallica showed why they are one of the biggest bands in the world, and that also may have had something to do with the high ticket prices. For a tour with so much promise and hype, it was mostly a letdown. —Jeremy Housewright

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