March 2004
www.mentalsewage.com
STEVE BEQUETTE
Last month, Steve Bequette, who has just released his first CD, Maybe Wednesday, spent a weekend in Orlando recording at Kyle Cook’s (matchbox twenty) studio. After a recent STL jam session, Cook asked Bequette to come to his studio so that he and his producer, Brian Kunitz (also from St. Louis) could put together a couple of tracks. Cook will personally mix both songs and has asked to produce all of Bequette’s future material.
Radio Cherokee has reopened! Check for show listings and other information at www.radiocherokee.net (the page should be up in a week or two). Remember, shows are early, all ages, and no booze. Lance Hildebrand, drummer for local altcountry act Pitchfork, reports that the band is taking a break from performing during the month of March to finish its first (as-yet-untitled) CD. Production is being handled by Pitchfork bass player Shawn “Buck-O” Bell of Buck-O Productions. Look for a CD release party in April or May, likely at Frederick’s Music Lounge, where the band played its first-ever gig. Submissions are being accepted through April 2 for the 2004 Bread and Roses Exhibition in the categories of visual art, musical entries, and poetry/spoken word. The event is intended to be both an annual celebration of the arts in political action and a fundraiser for the St. Louis Jobs With Justice coalition. Each year, submissions are requested on a different theme; this year’s theme is “This Is What Democracy Looks Like.” The exhibition will be held May 7; more information is available at www.stl-jwj.org/breadroses/. The next Lunar Menagerie is set for Tuesday, March 2, at the Way Out Club, with doors at 8 p.m. and show at 9:30 p.m. Lunar Menagerie is the brainchild of local writers/dreamers Kenneth J. Pruitt and Shane Mosby, wherein they invite local poets, musicians, and performers for a not-so-open open mic performance. Come see what talent the city has to offer! This Longing, a show of black-and-white photography by Bob Reuter, continues at Atomic Cowboy through March. The 19th Annual Women & Blues Concert to benefit Redevelopment Opportunities for Women will take place Saturday, March 27, at the Pageant. The concert will feature St. Louisans Denise Thimes, a nationally acclaimed jazz diva
LOCAL SCENERY
and actress, and Kim Massie, whose powerful blues renditions have thrilled concert and club audiences across the region. Both women have packed the house at previous ROW Women & spacey keyboards, conjuring a remarkable and Blues concerts. Ménage a Cinq, a group exhibition featur- unique sound. Check out their wherabouts at ing the work of Southern Illinois University www.eeromusic.com. On Sunday, April 25, the Music Folk will Carbondale graduate students Greg Cochenet, Phil Davis, Fiona Jappy, Baggs McKelvey, and be offering a Taylor Guitar workshop with Ruth Pringle, runs March 5 through April 11 at Chris Proctor. Proctor is currently one of Taylor the Mad Art Gallery. An opening night recep- Guitar’s most active clinicians. A pioneer of the tion will be held from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday, contemporary fingerstyle guitar movement, he March 5. The reception is free and open to the arrived on the scene after Leo Kottke but before the Windham Hill label popularized the style in public, with a cash bar available. Nadine’s Adam Reichmann recently played the early ’80s. The clinic will look at the cona solo acoustic show at the Town Hall Pub in struction and artistry of Taylor guitars. Plenty of examples, visuals, and fine playing from Proctor North Melbourne, Australia. Conquest has been back in the studio work- are also on the agenda. St. Louis’s Living Things made Spin’s “Next ing on their next CD, which they hope to have out in late spring. The CD was recorded at Big Things” list for 2004. Local scenester Erik Carlson has created Angelfish Studios, with some tracking done at Red Light Studios. The band predicts the CD is www.stlscene.net, a forum for the STL music scene. going to be much heavier than previous releases, The site features MP3s of local bands, a daily going so far as to call their music “in your face” events calendar, photos, polls, artist/venue/record metal. In other news, the band has been selected label/studio pages, message boards, and more. According to Carlson’s disclaimer on the site, as an official Jägermeister band. STLScene was created Following last year’s TripStar PHOTO BY BOB REUTER as “a forum for everyone breakup, Donny Besancenez in the local music comtook a break in an attempt to munity. Artists, venues, rekindle the fire for his love of listeners, and, yes, even music. He started writing some writers can congregate of the best songs he has written and embrace a beautiful in years, with the intention of togetherness under a releasing a solo record. Longing single metaphorical roof.” for the camaraderie of a band, Donny decided to hook up with a friend, guitarist The design is top-notch, too; check it out. There’s a new TV show on WB11 called Scott McGreer. Scott brought the chocolate, his tasty licks, and sense of atmosphere; after playing a Audaphobia. Host/producer Mark Bland couple of shows to test-drive the material, the two describes the show as “a mix of American looked to recruit a drummer and bass player. Bassist Bandstand and TRL (MTV) where we showJon Parsons (ex–The Ambassadors and Nadine) case the newest, hottest talent as well as play brings his melodic bass playing, along with his the hottest music videos.” Audaphobia is friend, drummer Scott Lampley. The music is self- sponsored by Nelly and described as a combination of rock and soul, with his charity, 4sho4kids. a twist of twang pop. Look for an upcoming release For more information and schedule information, go to in 2004 as well as upcoming shows. Javier Mendoza Band have released their www.audaphobia.com. Bonnie Boime may best fourth album, Matter of Time, and will be celebrating with a CD release party at Missississippi Nights be known as the bass player on March 6. The last CD release party the band had of The Skulls or for her work at the Hi-Pointe Café, but she is also dedicated attracted nearly 1,200 people. eero, a band making its live debut with to the cause of animal rights. She held a benefit Maxtone Four last month, is composed show last month at the Hi-Pointe for S.T.A.R.T. of singer/songwriter/guitarist Derek Bayer (ST. Louis Animal Rights Team), a nonprofit ani(ex–TripStar, the Dave AlanS Band, and The mal rights organization, and puts together about Adored), bassist/keyboardist Jeff Lehman four benefit shows a year. The Saw Is Family played a show last month (formerly known as the hilariously acerbic singer/songwriter “John Dear”), and drum- at the Way Out Club with a slightly new lineup mer Bill Wheeler (ex–TripStar and the Dave and some inflatable dolls, which they brought on AlanS Band). This melodic pop/rock trio infuses stage. Bob Putnam, owner of the Way Out, even its hooky, emotionally intense songs with gor- came on the stage to sing along with “White geous melodies, loops, samples, and tastefully Trash Trailer Park Girl.”
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