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38

Not Just Politics as Usual

JACQUES JOUET: MOUNTAIN R (Dalkey Archive Press) O Z SHELACH: PICNIC GROUNDS (City Lights Books)

A glance at the best-sellers list in The New York Times or at Amazon.com over the last six months would produce clear proof of the popularity of books about politics. Whether it’s Al Franken’s Liars or Bill O’Reilly’s No Spin Zone, Americans have been reading and writing about our current government from a multitude of political persuasions. While the eleventh-grade civics teacher in me may find seductive pleasures in recent attention given to public consciousness, a closer examination of this zealous genre of books reveals angry rants, loose connections, broad interpretations and little factual documentation. Like viewers of Michael Moore’s films, readers of these books are harassed with noisy social angst in order to find a few key questions that ultimately go unanswered. (Not surprisingly, Moore has offered two of the more popular titles in recent years, Stupid White Men and Dude, Where’s My Country?) It seems as if the political diatribe has become commonplace, while the intellectual evaluation of public policy has been forgotten.

It is difficult to write eloquently and effectively about current events because the analysis and commentary remain short-sighted by nature. Recent political offerings display exactly how hard it is to comment on complex issues related to societal leadership. While these nonfiction selections have declined to allow the reader to analyze and consider the issues for oneself, two recently published books— Mountain R by Jacques Jouet (translated from the French by Brian Evenson) and Picnic Grounds by Israeli writer Oz Shelach—may offer an informed audience refreshingly new perspectives on political opinions. These two novels consider very different international issues, but their nuance and subtle styles may delight a reading public that’s grown tired of bombastic and superficial analysis.

Told from three different perspectives in three short sections, Mountain R details a “Republican Council” in a fictitious country that’s decided to conduct a massive public-works project called “Mountain R.” Literally a gigantic mound of earth, this government endeavor is plagued with corrupt contracts, political doubletalk, and murderous scandals. In the first section of this ambitious satire, the president informs the public about this 1,500-meter monument that will be dedicated to the nation’s greatness. “Therefore we’ve thought of this great notion of a grand mountain (which is no less a grand notion of a great mountain), which will provide members of the Republic with good air for the lungs, the fragrance of high-country pines, snow for the eye to admire, peace and quiet for our children and skiing for all!” Reminiscent of New Deal deficit spending or cynical views of foreign war as a means of distracting the country from social issues, “Mountain R” is suggested to represent the “future of this grand democracy”; however, it’s unnecessary and designed simply to keep people busy.

The second section of the novel describes the construction site, and the reader is made aware of the total dysfunction of this corrupted project by one of its chief engineers, who was guilty of covering up numerous accidental deaths. “They bought Mrs. DiPascale’s silence, but she wouldn’t even have the right to be a widow. Superior interest of the State! There never was any catastrophe on the construction site of Mountain R! Isn’t that clear?” A trial scene provides the novel’s concluding section, in which an investigation is meant to properly assess guilt for several scandals related to the construction of the mountain. Picnic Grounds differs in writing style and subject matter, though it’s still related to current politics. Organized like a collection of short poems, this captivating book provides original insights into daily life in the violent world of Israel. Subtitled A Novel in Fragments, the book’s every page creates a new event, character, or reflection on the simple notion of living amidst a religious and political crisis that has been waged for hundreds of years. Almost like a photographer capturing an exact moment in time or a cartographer locating a precise location, Shelach establishes the mood of a person or group within the subtle context of the complicated issues in the Middle East. Plotline is dismissed for brief and intimate portrayals of a normal life that lacks our Western sense of normality. In one scene/chapter/ page, a Jewish family vacationing along the Sinai Peninsula encounters an older Bedouin waiter. “We wanted him to address us by our first names, we wanted to give him a generous tip, even a pair of good sandals, but because of the openness with which he told us his story we could see no point in trying to assuage him.” As if feeling a need to connect out of guilt or sadness, the family forces their kindness upon a stranger who has lived in refugee camps established because of the Israeli occupation. In another scene, the author offers an insider’s perspective on the city of Jerusalem. “We, who know our way through all the narrow alleys, as well as the wider winding streets and recently bulldozed express-roads that cut through the mountainous slopes of our city at impossibly straight angles, know also that this sense of being trapped in a maze is the foundation, the very essence even, of Jerusalem.” With other references to mandatory military service, car bombings, and political protests, the reality of the Middle East comes to life on the pages of Picnic Grounds through the words and actions of people that could easily be your own friends or family.

Unlike numerous recent works of nonfiction that offer opinions without creative insight, Mountain R and Picnic Grounds allow the reader to explore two different political realms and develop personal interpretations in a more subtle and therefore more convincing manner. Both books break from traditional plot-driven narratives to offer multiple perspectives and various interpretations. Their strengths lie in the nature of literature, allowing the reader to approach serious political topics on their own terms. —Paul Hoelscher

R EBECCA BROWN: THE END OF YOUTH (City Lights Books)

Upon the death of his famous mother, John F. Kennedy, Jr., reportedly said that one doesn’t really become an adult until both parents have died. The narrator of Rebecca Brown’s The End of Youth is in accord, for her passage to adulthood is defined by the explorations of her history and relationships with her late parents.

The book opens with the one-page story “Heaven,” in which the narrator—she’s never

March 2004

given a name, and the reader always stands just out of reach of fully knowing her—offers her two versions of heaven, one centered around her mother and the second around her father. Brown chooses a simple, conversational tone, opening with a basic sentence: “I’ve been thinking a lot about heaven lately.” Although the narrator focuses on the loss of her parents’ physical presence and her memories of them, the reader need not have experienced such a loss to find kinship with her. The stories are a one-sided conversation, and it’s easy for the reader to play the listening, nonjudgmental bartender to the narrator, a onetime customer in need of a stranger’s kindness and patience as she finds her own way.

The narrator relays those parental events branded into her memory as relevant, although their importance isn’t always instantly apparent. Despite the intimacy of the revelations, the narrator withholds herself, allowing only snippets of her past life to be told. There is no indication of the narrator’s age and minimal discussion of her loves or her siblings. And there is no discussion of the present except for the conclusions she has drawn from her nostalgia.

The narrator’s stories unravel in a disjointed, nonchronological manner, often starting with one thought and jumping seemingly haphazardly into another history, as casual conversations with near strangers often do. As the reader continues, however, it’s clear that a story preceding the primary one shares its continuous theme and that the initial story was needed to provide some elucidating information. For instance, “The Fish” starts with a prized moment with the father and his fish, a moment photographed for Field and Stream. The story detours from this youthful memory through a scattered selection of other fish memories and concludes with an adolescent dispute between the narrator and her father. In

Critic’s Choice ELIZABETH ROBINSON: THE TRUE & O UTSTANDING ADVENTURES OF THE HUNT SISTERS (Little, Brown)

Armed with some fierce schmaltz-detector, debut novelist Elizabeth Robinson has written a family comedy-drama that’s moving where it could have been maudlin, funny where it could have been forced, and real where it could have auto-driven into generalities. It’s as if a cheesy disease flick had been moved to the hands of an indie-hearted spitfire, then remade completely.

The story’s told by Olivia Hunt, a movie producer recently dumped, recently fired, and recently sensing an oncoming mustache. (“A mustache!”) She just used her last sack of cash to buy a script of Don Quixote, a seemingly unconquerable book-to-movie project that migrained the real-life minds of directors Orson Welles and Terry Gilliam. On the other side of luck is Olivia’s married and pregnant sister Maddie, who’s dying of leukemia. And there’s much of the emotional thrust: Olivia’s bruises versus Maddie’s chemo. “It’s weird you’re such a bad loser and I’m not, and you’re the one with everything,” Maddie tells her sister at one point. “It’s always been like that. You make me sick, actually.” What’s a relief here is that Olivia is as deep-down thoughtful as she is caustically witty, too smart not to be aware of the sorry imbalance; this allows the book to bypass any Sweet Novemberization—watch the selfobsessed character turn caring—and become

the end, father and daughter make amends with bait and tackle and a midnight venture to a lake. It is through the journey from one fish story to the next and the next that the reader learns about the ties between father and daughter that make the last story so pivotal for the narrator. something all its own and larger than that sad single issue.

The novel is told entirely through Olivia’s letters—to her family, to lovers, to Hollywood heavies (“I’ve always admired you, your exquisite taste, your incredible box office”), and to friends and doctors. While I thought the epistolary route might produce exposition-cranking, tiresome prose, it did the opposite; the plot moves briskly and believably, and the letters’ change in tone and subject matter—one berates a too-cool indie director, then another captures a solemn family moment (“Maddie and I sat in the garden, digging holes in the damp black dirt, and buried the bulbs with our questions”)—keeps the narrative feeling authentic and worth following.

The rest of the book follows Olivia’s Quixote project and romantic tangles, Maddie’s cancer, and the Midwest family’s coming together. Despite a few wobbly moments here and there, Robinsons lands us safely at the end untouched by the bathos that seemed to be waiting around every corner. And while the novel’s first half gained our confidence through humor and cultural cachet—Olivia on the Guthrie/Wilco gem “California Stars”: “It’s so wistful I could kill myself”—what it’s saved by is sadness, which is jokeless and real and harder to do. —Stephen Schenkenberg

Brown’s book lags in sections when she opts to write in poetic, vague interludes during which the narrator’s tone changes. These jagged breaks, seemingly randomly placed, are usually marked by italics or an asterisk and often detract because they break so far from the original voice and continued on page 39

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March 2004

THE FRANK SINATRA SHOW: WELCOME HOME E LVIS (Music Video Distributors)

The Oxford English Dictionary defines curio as a souvenir or rarity. Think back to the brief heyday of picture discs. They were curiosities, vinyl-record LPs embossed with a still photograph (my favorite was a pressing of Sgt. Pepper’s that had the Beatles in full uniform on one side, gold vinyl on the other). And even though the picture disc contained music I already owned, I had to have one.

So I have sympathy for anyone who might be tempted by the DVD release of The Frank Sinatra Show: Welcome Home Elvis, but as an artifact of either man’s career, this particular episode is solely a curio, for completists only.

Taped on location at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida, on March 26, 1960, and broadcast that May, Welcome Home Elvis was to be the King’s triumphant return from his two-year, U.S. Army exile. Despite an audience every bit as animated as the Beatlemaniacs in the Ed Sullivan theater four years later, the Elvis who performs here is a straight-laced, family-friendly King, oddly restrained in his physical movement and noticeably stiff in performance.

Unfortunately, the show can also be seen as a harbinger of the crass commercial enterprise that the later, fatter Elvis would become. He’s still in fighting trim here, even donning a tuxedo to trade lines with Sinatra on a famous duet of “Love Me, Tender” and “Witchcraft,” with the two singers giving their take on the other’s signature song. Still, given the $125,000 Elvis received for the special, he’s on stage just 9 minutes, a 30-second introduction followed nearly 40 minutes later by a three-song performance. The rest of the special is given over to ill-conceived dance numbers, awful Borscht Belt shtick between Sinatra and Joey Bishop, and a duet between Sammy Davis Jr. and Peter Lawford. The show closes with a pair of uninspired numbers featuring not the King, but Sinatra’s modestly talented daughter, Nancy.

Perhaps it is the noticeable absence of Dean Martin, but throughout the program, Sinatra himself seems distracted, and his attempts at comic spontaneity using Bishop as his straight man end up as non sequiturs. While the quality of the program itself is disappointing, the DVD suffers added injury from its clearly substandard source tape. The original video masters of the Sinatra ABC specials were destroyed by the net

NOW PLAYING DVD

work in 1975, allegedly to free space in its storage facilities. The sole surviving print of the show is a kinescope badly in need of restoration and digital remastering. The resulting straight video-toDVD transfer shows performers who look oddly washed out, except for a heavily made up Sinatra who performs “Gone With the Wind” on a darkened set. Without serious computer-assisted correction to the master, the tuxedos appear at times to be almost light gray, and the pageantry of Sammy Davis Jr.’s costumed performance of “Come on Bess” is nearly lost amid the poor picture quality.

Perhaps the most jarring moments of the performance come in those electrifying nine minutes when Elvis actually sings. If the Welcome Home Elvis special has any historical significance, it’s only that the Elvis of 1960 arrived home to an audience that craved the rebellious Memphis-era performer who dominated the late 1950s. What they received instead was a precursor to the corporate Elvis of mediocre films and overblown Tropicana Ballroom concerts. Except for the one leather-clad comeback special some eight years hence, the Elvis that this audience screamed for was already dead. —Steve Kistulentz 41

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occur too infrequently to make them an identifiable thought process of the narrator. However, a few italicized interludes make one of the later stories, “Description of a Struggle,” a little less jolting. It reads:

Always it was here except for sometimes.

Although perhaps that’s not the case.

It may not have been when I was young.

When I was young I was not as I am. It may have been but I nor knew nor recognized.

I was, when I was young, resilient full of hope.

I had not learned to not have hope.

I am no longer young. Always it was here except for sometimes.

This story does not focus on a single memory, but wanders in poetic circles. Although aptly named, “Description of a Struggle” is not difficult to read. It is reminiscent of an inner struggle, of the circles run in one’s mind while trying to make a difficult decision.

Although the prevailing themes of The End of Youth sound depressing, Brown does not allow her narrator to linger in self-pity or overstate hardships, nor does she focus solely on the negative. Like most parent-child relationships, these stories have as many traumatic events as beauti

from page 37 ful ones, and Brown balances them without ever overwhelming the reader. The narrator relays her memories with the distance of time so that no one story is ever burdensome. The narrator’s focus is on closure and, perhaps, on letting go. So the book always feels bittersweet.

Reading The End of Youth doesn’t elicit tears or thundering laughs, but it ignites memory and emotion within the reader, who wants always to jump in and tell the narrator a related story. Unfortunately, the narrator just passes through for an afternoon. —Stacey Rynders

BEN KWELLEREN KWELLER

w/DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE

AND +/-

AT MISSISSIPPI NIGHTS

MARCH 27, 7:00 p.m., ALL AGES

TICKETS: $16/$18 • CALL: 314-421-3850

My friends get completely sick of me sometimes. I have a tendency, when in groups of three or more, to turn certain random comments into unnecessary burns. For instance, if one of my as yet non-riled pals says, “This pizza could use a few more minutes in the oven. It’s still doughy in the center,” I’ll more often than not instinctively say, “ You could use a few more minutes in the oven. You’re still doughy in the center.” And this goes on and on, with every utterance twisted into a Chris Farleyesque reply, circa Tommy Boy 1995.

But I catch a lot more shit for another of my mannerisms that, to me, is a public service, not an annoyance: I recommend albums and bands to those who don’t subscribe to every music publica42 tion known to man or ransack used bins for hours to find a replacement for that Of Montreal record of mine ( Cherry Peel, if we’re being exact) that a drunk girl broke at a party or Beautiful Rat

Sunset , the last Mountain Goats album I needed to finally have the complete discography. They would explain that they have more important things to worry about. But when I do think something is great, I talk about it until I’m red in the face, which, unfortunately for my friends, takes a lot of talking. With Ben Kweller’s new album, I’m going to blab until I’m beet-red.

Kweller, a prodigy who was winning songwriting competitions at nine years old, turns in what will not only be a defining album for the year 2004, but for his career. With his latest album, On My

Way (ATO), Kweller has written his first Pet Sounds.

Where Brian Wilson stacked his masterpiece with a zoo of instruments and harmonies, Kweller actually achieves the same kind of wonder with a less robust arsenal and a raw production that has vocals maxing out, reaching an unconventional, but holy fuzz in places. And it’s mysteriously sinister.

The title track is an acoustic-only tale about versions of himself that he worries about becoming or not becoming. He’s got more “That’s Not Me”s on the record (it’s hard to deny the pure-cane pop songs inside a person) than “Caroline, No”s, but it all adds up to one of the most remarkable albums you’ll hear this year—from an artist who took a soaring leap forward. And to think Kweller did this at 22, a year before Wilson could achieve true greatness. My friends are going to hate me.

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

3/1: Sessions Jazz Big Band 3/2: Cryin’ Shame Blues Band 3/3: Baker-McClaren Blues Band 3/4: Johnnie Johnson Band 3/5: Leroy Pierson, Arthur Williams Blues Masters 3/6: Tom Hall, Bennie Smith & Urban Blues Express 3/7: Malik White Benefit Concert 3/8: Sessions Jazz Big Band 3/9: Cryin’ Shame Blues Band 3/10: Alvin Jett & The Phat noiZ Blues Band 3/11: Oliver Sain’s R&B All-Stars 3/12: 7 pm: Leroy Pierson; 10 pm: Patti & the Hitmen 3/13: 7 pm: Eric McSpadden & Margaret Bianchetta; 10 pm: The Holmes Brothers 3/14: Leroy Pierson, DJ Ranx & Dubtronix Reggae Band 3/15: Sessions Jazz Big Band 3/16: Cryin’ Shame Blues Band 3/17: John Primer Blues Band 3/18: Johnnie Johnson Band 3/19: Leroy Pierson, The Bel Airs 3/20: Tom Hall, Soulard Blues Band 3/21: Leroy Pierson, DJ Ranx & Dubtronix Reggae Band 3/22: Sessions Jazz Big Band 3/23: Cryin’ Shame Blues Band 3/24: Uncle Albert Blues Band 3/25: Oliver Sain’s R&B All-Stars 3/26: Leroy Pierson, Alvin Jett & The Phat Noiz Blues Band 3/27: Fab Foehners, Bennie Smith & Urban Blues Express 3/28: Murder City Players Reggae Band 3/29: Sessions Jazz Big Band 3/30: Cryin’ Shame Blues Band 3/31: Janiva Magness Blues Band

BLUE NOTE 17 N. 9th St. • Columbia, MO 573-874-1944 • www.thebluenote.com

3/4: Asylum Street Spankers 3/5: Bockman’s Euphio 3/6: Dr. Woo, Ludo, Red Guitar, Breaking English 3/8: Guided by Voices, The Go 3/12: Zoso 3/13: The Hackensaw Boys 3/14: Chimaira, God Forbid, Full Blown Chaos, Cast the Stone 3/15: Rhymesayers 3/29: Sound Tribe Sector 9

BLUEBERRY HILL 6504 Delmar Blvd. • University City, MO 314-727-0880 • www.blueberryhill.com

3/6: Marshall Crenshaw 3/7: Arvin Mitchell 3/11: Jeff Austin & Chris Castino 3/17: Chuck Berry w/Eric Lindell 3/25: Murphy’s Law

BRANDT’S 6525 Delmar Blvd. • University City, MO 314-727-3663 • http://brandtscafe.com

3/1: Georgy Rock w/Mr. Dill 3/2: Bosch, Gokenbach & Gough Jazz Trio 3/4: Jesse Gannon w/Ben Wheeler

BROADWAY OYSTER BAR 736 S. Broadway • St. Louis, MO (314) 621-8811 • www.broadwayoysterbar.com

3/1: Soulard Blues Band 3/2: Big Bamou 3/3: Mojo Syndrome 3/4: Bennie Smith & Urban Blues Express 3/5: Rich McDonough Band 3/6: Hudson & the Hoo Doo Cats 3/7: 3 pm: Scott Kay & the Continentals; 8 pm: Tom Hall 3/8: Soulard Blues Band 3/9: Big Bamou 3/10: Bottoms Up Blues Gang 3/11: Bennie Smith & Urban Blues Express 3/12: Rockhouse Ramblers 3/13: Gumbohead 3/14: 3 pm: Melissa Neels Band; 8 pm: Johnny Fox 3/15: Soulard Blues Band 3/16: Big Bamou 3/17: Naked Groove 3/18: Bennie Smith & Urban Blues Express 3/19: Baker McClaren Band 3/20: Dangerous Kitchen 3/21: 3 pm: Radioking; 8 pm: Johnny Fox 3/22: Soulard Blues Band 3/23: Big Bamou 3/24: Jeremy Lyons & the Deltabilly Boys 3/25: Bennie Smith & Urban Blues Express 3/26: Cumberland Gap 3/27: Jake’s Leg 3/28: Hamilton Loomis 3/29: Soulard Blues Band 3/30: Big Bamou 3/31: Alvin Jett & the Phat Noiz Band

THE SOUNDS w/KILL HANNAH and IMA ROBOT at MISSISSIPPI NIGHTS MARCH 2, 8 p.m., all ages TICKETS: $10 • CALL: 314-421-3853

They must be having a pretty good time in Sweden these days. Their economy is good, the health care system is among the best in the world, and they keep producing one kickass band after another. The latest is The Sounds from the southern town of Helsingborg, on their first U.S. headlining tour. The quintet are gloriously retro ‘80s, with the requisite blonde bombshell upfront (Maja Ivarsson), the pinging synth, and the infectious dance rhythms. Their debut album Living in America, may not have a truly original bone in its body, but who could resist such terrifically catchy tunes? Says bassist Johan Bengtsson, “This is all about dancing and having a good time. We are a major chord band!” That they are, calling to mind early MTV sonic pop tarts like Berlin, Missing Persons, The Motels, Kim Wylde, and Blondie. Sure, this is aural candy, but what could be better these days? Put on your dancin’ shoes and go party like it’s 1983. —Kevin Renick

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

3/1: Madahoochi & friends 3/2: Kind Tuesdays w/The Schwag 3/3: Pala Solution. Benevolent Mushrooms 3/4: Cornmeal w/Woodbox Gang 3/5: Jake’s Leg 3/6: 12 oz. Prophets, Ocean Six, SevenStar 3/7: Afternoon: City A; eve: Open Mic Night 3/8: The Soul of John Black w/Madahoochi 3/9: Kind Tuesdays w/The Schwag 3/10: Murder Happens, Sonic Reducer, Sullen 3/11: Phix w/The Station 3/12: Jake’s Leg 3/13: Bockman’s Euphio w/Future Rock 3/14: Afternoon: Stooky; eve: Open Mic Night 3/15: Madahoochi & friends 3/16: Kind Tuesdays w/The Schwag 3/17: Sac Lunch 3/18: Speakeasy w/Starrunner 3/19: Jake’s Leg 3/21: Afternoon: Centerpoint, Yer Mom, Say Goodbye 3/22: Madahoochi & friends 3/23: Kind Tuesdays w/The Schwag 3/24: The Slip w/Debasser 3/25: High on the Hog w/Slip Stream 3/26: Jake’s Leg 3/27: Frank Bang’s Secret Stash 3/28: Open Mic Night 3/29: Madahoochi & friends 3/30: Kind Tuesdays w/The Schwag 3/31: Prosthetic Head w/The Whiskey Hounds

COWBOY MONKEY 6 Taylor St. • Champaign, IL 217-398-6665 • www.cowboy-monkey.com

3/6: Poster Children 3/12: Decibully w/The Reputation & Shakin’ Babies 3/13: Fotamana 3/19: Prairie Dogs

CREEPY CRAWL 412 N. Tucker • St. Louis, MO 314-851-0919 • www.creepycrawl.com

3/1: One Eyed Jack Night 3/3: Macabre, Premonitions of War, The End, Ornament of Disgrace, Lye by Mistake 3/4: Number One Fan, Gunrunner, Bi-Level, Ever since January, The Nat Attack 3/5: Calico System, Remembering Never, From a Second Story Window, On Broken Wings, Beret!, Tree of Woe, Lexington 3/6: 4:30 pm: Psycho Dad, The Monskasities, The Chupacabras, LHD, Soma, Klean Kut Kids; 9:30 pm: Baine, Metal Progress, Self-Betrayal, Gimili 3/7: The Dream Warriors DJ spin 3/10: The International Playboys 3/11: The Everyothers, The Menstrual Tramps, & TBA 3/12: 6 pm: Summer Always Ends, Perfections Countervail, Stuck on Third, Best of Winter; 9:15 pm: Overdrawn & TBA 3/13: Early November, Hey Mercedes, Spitalfield, Limbeck 3/14: John Vanderslice, Okkervil River, North Country, Ester Drang 3/16: One Line Drawing, Retisonic, Cardia, & TBA 3/17: Yakuza & TBA 3/18: Bane, Armor for Sleep, Alexis on Fire, Bear vs. Shark, Silent Drive 3/21: Hawthorne Heights, When Sparks Fly, Blame Gary, Modern Day Hero, Alisdair 3/22: Stookey, Stranded, Like Linus, Pyro!, Building Rome 3/25: Dillinger 4, Grabass Charlestons, The Methadones 3/27: Mark’s Invaders, Yowie, Skarekrauradio, The Adversary Workers, Pat Sajak Assasins, Corbeta Corbata, The Conformists, Tree of Woe, The Arch, Orb Vroomer

3/28: Time & Distance, The Lyndsay Diaries, Blinded Black, Staying Up Late, Good as Famous

FOCAL POINT 2720 Sutton • Maplewood, MO 314-781-4200 • www.thefocalpoint.org

3/2-3: Celtic Fiddle Festival 3/7: Tim O’Brien & the Crossing 3/12: Steve Seskin 3/13: Eire Japan 3/19: Brooks William 3/27: 2 pm: Song Circle of Friends; 8 pm: Tom Hall

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

3/1: Free Monday Movies: Cabin Boy & Get a Life 3/2: Jerry Castle Band, Chris Johnson 3/3: Midwest American Idle w/Julia Sets & surprise guests 3/4: Free Noiseday Hootenanny Open Mic & Jam Session 3/5: Rex Hobart & the Misery Boys 3/6: Magnolia Summer, Bagheera 3/8: Free Monday Movies: Blue in the Face 3/9: Ransom Note, The Moonglades 3/10: Midwest American Idle w/Julia Sets & guests 3/11: Free Noiseday Hootenanny Open Mic & Jam Session 3/12: Graham Lindsey, Ben Weaver 3/13: The Tripdaddys 3/15: Free Monday Movies TBA 3/16: The Drapes, The Phonocaptors 3/18: Free Noiseday Hootenanny Open Mic & Jam Session 3/19: Randy Cliffs w/Rockhouse Ramblers 3/20: The Silvermen w/TBA 3/22: Free Monday Movies TBA 3/23: Dresden Dolls, Danny Black 3/25: Free Noiseday Hootenanny Open Mic & Jam Session 3/26: Diesel Island 3/27: Two Cow Garage, Dexter Romweber, The Ghostwriter 3/29: Free Monday Movies TBA 3/30: Bell Dora, Adam Brodsky, Jonathan Baer

THE GARGOYLE Washington Univ Mallinckrodt Ctr. • St. Louis, MO 314-935-5917 • http://gargoyle.wustl.edu

3/18: Starlight Mints w/Palomar & Dressy Bessy

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

Mondays: KDHX Superfunhappyhour live remote Tuesdays: Get your foot in the door nite Wednesdays: F5 Records showcase Thursdays: Non-Prophets Comedy Troope Sundays: Leon’s Ladies Night 2004 3/5: Fred’s Variety Group and Baysayboos 3/6: START benefit 3/12: Shame Club tribute to The Who w/Gentleman Callers 3/13: Forty Till Five w/KRT & Murda Happens 3/19: Supercrush, The Charmers, & Steve Bequette w/Maybe Wednesday 3/20: The Elements, LP Outsiders, & Sac Lunch 3/26: Tripdaddys 3/27: Shame Club & Bible of the Devil

THE HIGHDIVE 51 Main St. • Champaign, IL 217-356-2337 • www.thehighdive.com

3/5: 5th Platoon 3/10: The Walkmen w/French Kicks & Orphans 3/13: Ronnie Baker Brooks 3/15: Red Hot Valentines, Cordalene, Greedy Loves, Spindle

INFIERNO 1403 Washington Ave. • St. Louis, MO 314-588-8900 MARSHALL CRENSHAW at BLUEBERRY HILL’S DUCK ROOM MARCH 6, 9 p.m., 21+ TICKETS: $16 • CALL: 314-727-0880

If you don’t know who Marshall Crenshaw is (and it’s a crime if you don’t), you probably know his songs. His first hit, “Someday, Someway,” appeared on his debut album, Marshall Crenshaw, released 22 years ago; to this day, the song still shows up on TV shows and movie soundtracks. But Crenshaw is much more than a one-hit wonder—or, more accurately, a three- or four-hit wonder. His second album featured the song “Whenever You’re On My Mind” and he also co-wrote the Gin Blossoms’ hit “’Til I Hear It From You.” It would even fall short to say that Crenshaw is a working musician who is still putting out new material. In his early days, he played the role of John Lennon in Beatlemania and later portrayed Buddy Holly in the film La Bamba. In the mid ’90s, he published the book Hollywood Rock: A Guide to Rock & Roll in the Movies. More recently, he has scored episodes of Sex and the City and a PBS documentary on Yogi Berra. Crenshaw is not just a pop/ rock icon in his own right, he is a rock ’n’ roll scholar of the highest credentials. And on top of all that, he is an absolutely phenomenal guitarist. —Wade Paschall

Mondays: Monday Night Metal Tuesdays: Music Industry Night/ $1 tacos Wednesdays: Crazy Movie Night 3/5: Angryland, TBA 3/6: Crazy Beats, Hockey Night, Femme Fatality 3/10: The Deal, Hazel Would 3/12: Spiders, American Moustache, Corbeta Corbata 3/13: Bug, TBA 3/19: Robie, Ryan Sears, The Agency 3/20: 3 legged dog 3/23: Stretchmarxxx w/TBA 3/26: Form Follows Failure, Shattered Angel, Last Annual, First Class, Failing English 3/27: Lungdust, Killjoy4Fun, Nervous Pudding

JAZZ AT THE BISTRO 3536 Washington Ave. • St. Louis, MO 314-531-1012 • www.jazzatthebistro.com

3/3-6: Cyrus Chestnut Trio 3/10-13: Steve Tyrell 3/17-20: Ann Hampton Callaway 3/26-27: Dave Venn Quartet 3/31-4/3: Jane Monheit

LEMMON’S 5800 Gravois • St. Louis, MO 314-481-4812

3/4: Bibowats 3/5: The Dead Celebrities, The Hailmarys, The UnMutuals 3/6: Puerto Muerto, The Potomac Accord, Mr. 1986 3/11: The Love Experts, Brain Regiment 3/12: Shine, Driver 3/13: The Crazy Beats, Billy Coma, The Moonglades 3/18: Miles of Wire, Dead Letter Drop 3/19: Earl, The Round-Ups, Aintry 3/20: Reigning Heir, Book of Lies 3/25: Phonocaptors, The Bamboo Kids, The Bloody Hollies 3/26: Fred’s Variety Group, Wormwood Scrubs, Bug 3/27: Tomorrow’s Caveman, The Civil Tones

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

3/4: The Chromatics, Jet Black, Sleepaway 3/5: Bad Business, Step On It, Cardiac Arrest, No Control 3/6: Daughters of the Revolution, Damage Deposit, Corbeta Corbata, The Effect! 3/10: Fallout Project, With Childlike Eyes, Sine Nomine, Knife 3/11: The Show Is the Rainbow, Glorybee, TBA 3/12: Roustabouts, Tanka Ray, Chokehold, Fare Thee Well 3/13: He Who Corrupts, Seyarse, Hyphen-O, Sleepaway 3/15: Lying in States 3/16: Rick, The Church of Gravitron, Hyphen-O, TBA 3/17: Self Evident, TBA 3/18: The Ground Monkey, Max Noi Mach, TBA 3/19: Comfortable for You, Goodbye Blue Monday, Bricklayer, The Fragments 3/20: Life at Sea, Krafted in Korea, TBA 3/21: Pseudosix, Conformists 3/24: Oh Yeah, Jerusalem & the Starbaskets, TBA 3/25: Oliver’s Army, Knife, Scatter the Ashes 3/26: Terror at the Opera, Yowie 3/27: Conductor, Nathan Crowley, Lye by Mistake, Breaking the Vessels 3/30: Blue Sky Mile, Target Market, Bricklayer, Whiskey Ring

LIL NIKKI’S 1551 S. 7th St. • St. Louis, MO 314-621-2181

3/5: Awakened, Manek, Drizzit 3/6: eKe 3/12: Ocean Six 3/13: Bound 3/19: Symptoms of Illusion, Left4Dead, Tinnitus 3/20: Madahoochi 3/27: Nothinghead

MAGEE’S 4500 Clayton Ave. • St. Louis, MO 314-535-8061

Every Monday: Open mic night w/Heather Barth Every Thursday: Jake’s Leg 3/2: Jazz Trio 3/3: The Moonglades & The Unmutuals 3/4: Jake’s Leg 3/5: Jackhead 3/6: Murder City Players 3/9: 8 pm: Tim Fahy & Randy Furrer; 11 pm: Ali & Emily 3/10: Earl & Leadville

BLUE OCTOBER w/BETTER THAN EZRA at the PAGEANT MARCH 19, 8 p.m. • all ages TICKETS: $20/22 • CALL: 314-726-6161

“When we get on stage, don’t you dare bring the calculations and precisions up there, just let loose.” —Justin Furstenfeld Justin Furstenfeld is a walking contradiction; hell, just listen to any Blue October album (2000’s Consent to Treatment (Universal) or last year’s Brando/Universal release, History for Sale; there’s also a self-released first album that’s no longer available) and you’ll hear it: heartbreakingly beautiful love songs (“Clumsy Card House,” “Amazing”) interspersed with songs of madness, anger, and hatred (“Razorblade,” “Somebody,” “Sexual 43 Powertrip”). Furstenfeld’s the singer/songwriter/ emotional washrag fronting this San Marcos, Texas, quintet, and he’s the one responsible for making the band a form of art rather than a bunch of noise. The latest album is just as it sounds: Furstenfeld’s personal history, for the price of a CD. He’s got songs “about lying...about getting to the core of relationships and understanding where they fell apart”; he’s got songs picking himself apart, facing his own demons; and he’s got songs of people who have done him wrong, people about whom he harbors no good will. And he’s ruthless in his honesty, holding nothing back. When asked how he draws the line in writing, he responded, “I don’t; that’s the thing. I just don’t name names.” Still, he admits, “It’s hard emotionally. Like, ‘Do I actually want to say this, do I actually want to admit this?’ Because then it’s going to fuck up a few of my relationships if I go ahead and do this. But then I always come back to, ‘Yeah, you’ve got to do this, or else you’re a half-ass.’” Still, he accepts the wrath of friends, family, even strangers, saying ever so wisely, “Art is not made to be beautiful all the time.” Yet “beautiful” is one word you’ll use to describe Blue October, whether live or on CD. There’s such a precision to their choices: words, instruments, delivery, a squealing guitar here, a gentle violin there. They’re the antidote to bland, boring rock bands with nothing to say and no motives other than money and stardom. This is the real deal, St. Louis: are you ready for it? If you are, then this is the band for you. (And they’re playing on my birthday; what more encouragement do you need?) —Laura Hamlett

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3/11: Jake’s Leg 3/12: Racket Box 3/16: Confluence benefit 3/17: The Whole Sick Crew & The Spiders 3/18: Jake’s Leg 3/19: Slipstream 3/20: Jalopy 3/23: Racket Box 3/24: Mega Hurtz & Bloodletters 3/25: Jake’s Leg 3/26: Team Tomato 3/30: Ali & Emily 3/31: Palmers Room & Big Star Kadillac

MANGIA ITALIANO 3145 S. Grand Ave. • St. Louis, MO 314-664-8585 • www.dineatmangia.com

3/1: Open mic w/Keiren Malloy 3/3: eighty-four Glyde 3/4: The Moonglades 3/5: Dave Stone Trio 3/6: Brian Sullivan Trio 3/7: Reggae-dub Spin 3/8: Open mic w/Keiren Malloy 3/10: eighty-four Glyde 3/11: Cherry Octopi 3/12: Dave Stone Trio 3/13: Palookaville 3/14: Reggae-dub Spin 3/15: Open mic w/Keiren Malloy 3/17: eighty-four Glyde 3/18: Hicks & Kreher 3/19: Dave Stone Trio 3/20: The Good Griefs 3/21: Reggae-dub Spin 3/22: Open mic w/Keiren Malloy 3/24: eighty-four Glyde 3/25: Johnny Fox 3/26: Dave Stone Trio 3/27: Swing Set 3/28: Reggae-dub Spin 3/30: Open mic w/Keiren Malloy 3/31: eighty-four Glyde

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

3/2: The Sounds w/Kill Hannah & Ima Robot 3/4: Howie Day w/Stereophonics 3/5: 12 Summers Old, Fourth & Long, Your Mom, Camden 3/6: Javier Mendoza Band w/Ghetto Prenup 3/7: Phunk Junkeez w/Saint Dog, Mower, & Last Laugh 3/9: Guided by Voices w/The Go 3/12: Few and Far Between, Lexington, Stateside, & Saved From Tomorrow 3/13: Core Project 3/16: Ziggy Marley w/Michael Franti & Spearhead 3/19: Shanti Groove 3/20: Dada w/Just Add Water 3/26: Ludo w/Anchondo 3/27: Ben Kweller & Death Cab for Cutie w/+/- 3/30: Sound Tribe Sector Nine

MOJO’S 1013 Park Ave. • Columbia, MO 573-875-0588 • www.mojoscolumbia.com

3/1: Annie Quick, Nova Lunacy 3/3: The People’s Republic of Klezmerica 3/4: British Sea Power w/Kaito UK & The Passion 3/5: Bottoms Up Blues Gang 3/6: Mountain of Venus w/Buddy Rose 3/9: The International Playboys, Monte Carlo, Tall Wats 3/10: Three Headed Moses, Cast the Stone, Verbal Narcotic 3/11: Kingdom Flying Club, Ambulance Ltd., Company Men 3/12: Don Caballero, The Exempt, Transponder 3/13: The Walkmen, The French Kicks 3/15: The Stills, Billy Schuh & the Foundtry, Photolab, Washington Social Scene

THE LAWRENCE ARMS at the HI-POINTE CAFE MARCH 15, 9 p.m. • CALL: 314-781-4716

If you’re in the mood for a lively night out, and if you’ve also been in withdrawal from the cutback in shows lately at the Hi-Pointe, seek no further. On March 15, the walls of the Hi-Pointe’s tiny yet comfortingly snug upper room will again be shaking with the reverberations of good old-fashioned punk rock. The Lawrence Arms, hailing from the same Chicago music scene of Alkaline Trio and other Asian Man Records affiliates, has produced a number of solid records while resolving as a mainstay to not take themselves too seriously. As a result, they’ll undoubtedly show you a funloving, raucous good time. Don’t forget your earplugs. —Anne Valente

3/17: Fat Possum Record Showcase 3/20: Trebuchet, Long Since Forgotten, Confident Years, Copilot 3/22: The Apes, Modey Lemon, & Gris Gris 3/23: TV on the Radio, The Panthers, Oh*Yeah 3/24: Southern Culture on the Skids 3/26: Chump Change

MUSIC CAFÉ 120 S. 9th St. • Columbia, MO 573-815-9995 • www.themusiccafecolumbia.com

3/5: Frank Bang’s Secret Stash 3/10: Edi Okri & the Legacy Crew 3/11: The Nadas 3/12: The Everyothers, Ghosty, Triple Whip 3/15: The Wrens w/The Bloodthirsty Lovers & Bottom of the Hudson 3/16: Starlight Mints w/Dressy Bessy & Palomar 3/17: Japonize Elephants, A bateria, Tabla Rasa 3/20: Frankenixon 3/22: The Dresden Dolls w/Demolition Doll Rods & Kilowatthours 3/23: Polysics w/Stendek

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

3/3: Brenda Weiler w/Justin Carroll 3/4: Jack Ingram w/Rough Shop 3/5: 7:30 pm: Dave Moore w /Bob McKee; 10 pm: The Asylum Street Spankers 3/6: Leon Russell 3/10: The Basement Duo 3/11: Miles of Wire w/The Hibernauts & Dead Letter Drop 3/12: Bugs Henderson w/Kirby Kelly

PLAYBACK

ST. LOUIS

3/13: 12 oz Prophets w/Thos & Bound 3/17: Showcase of the Bands 3/17: Nathan Davis Duo w/Geoff Kessell 3/19: 7:30 pm: Pieta Brown & Bo Ramsey; 9:30 pm: Billy Coma w/Book of Lies & The Highway Matrons 3/20: 7 pm: Mick Byrd; 9 pm: Chubby Carrier & The Bayou Swamp Band 3/24: Anna Fermin’s Trigger Gospel w/Rough Shop 3/25: Tom Russell & Andrew Hardin w/Kristi Rose & Fats Kaplin 3/26: Ian Moore w/Milton Mapes & Donny & the Feelgoods 3/27: 7:30 pm: Ellen Rosner; 9:30 pm: Barefoot Jones w/The North Country & Jive Ass -Slippers 3/31: Michael Fracasso

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

3/1-3: Bob Dylan 3/4-5: 1964: The Tribute 3/6: Henry Rollins Spoken Word 3/10: Keb’ Mo’ w/Kaki King 3/12: Lucinda Williams w/Bottle Rockets 3/13: The Edwin McCain Band w/Robert Bradley & Blackwater Surprise 3/16: Liz Phair w/Wheat & Rachael Yamagata 3/17: Dream Theater 3/19: Better Than Ezra w/Blue October 3/20: Indigo Girls w/Shawn Mullins 3/23: Ruben Studdard 3/26: Three Days Grace, Apartment 26, Edgewater, Lo-Pro 3/27: 19th Annual Women & Blues

POP’S 1403 Mississippi • Sauget, IL 618-274-6720 • www.popsrocks.com

3/2: Devil Driver 3/5: Broke 3/6: Mojo Risin’: a tribute to the Doors 3/8: Tech N9ne 3/13: Zoso: a tribute to Led Zeppelin 3/14: Poison the Well 3/19: Manalishi: a tribute to Judas Priest 3/20: Tesla 3/22: Dillinger Escape Plan 3/26: Yngwie Malmsteen & George Lynch 3/27: Evolution: a tribute to Journey 3/30: SnoCore featuring Trapt, Smile Empty Soul, Fingereleven, Strata

POP’S BLUE MOON 5249 Pattison • St. Louis, MO 314-776-4200 • www.popsbluemoon.com

Open jam every Tuesday; see Web site for listings.

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

3/5: Superhopper 3/6: Just a Fire, Camp Climax for Girls, Lost to Metric 3/10: Target Market, Shuttlecock, Stylex 3/12: Railers of Kiev, Overstep, The Affair 3/13: Don Caballero, Constantines, Dakota/Dakota 3/16: Sick Lipstick, In Medias Res, In Medias Res 3/17: Desert Fathers, Bibowats 3/19: Elefant, The Race, The Floating City 3/22: Ted Leo & the Pharmacists w/Electrelane & Paris TX 3/23: All Night Radio w/Cass McCombs 3/24: TV on the Radio, Panthers, Year Future

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

3/2: Girls’ Acoustic Open Mic 3/3: Outbound w/High Existence & Perfect Existence 3/5: Nine-O-Five w/Holy Frog & TBA 3/6: Middle Ground w/442 & The Dead Drive Fast 3/10: Burnt Ninja & Spatik 3/11: Ever Since January, Brad Miller, SevenStar, & Arbo 3/12: Del Ray w/Exe & Artificial Hip 3/13: Spent w/B. Koolman & TBA 3/17: Madahoochi & Pepperhoochi w/Salt Vision 3/18: O’Nathan Davis Band w/Bound & Matt Lilley 3/19: Adams Off Ox, Opie Hicks & the Elements, Stendek 3/20: Five x’s Over w/Dead Root 3/22: Andy Camp w/We’re From Japan & Norm’s Band 3/23:Patrick Thomas w/Matt Lilley & TBA 3/24: High on the Hog & TBA 3/25: Dan Potthast w/Rick Johnson Rock ‘n’ Roll Machine 3/26: Again w/The Saw Is Family & Book of Lies 3/27: Something More & One Way Conflict 3/31: The Rove w/Lithic & The Projections

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

3/14: 5th Annual Sheldon Wine Tasting & Buying 3/18: Mary Black 3/24: Juilliard Jazz Small Ensemble 3/26: Celebrate Life With Laughter Comedy Jam 3/28: Spring Into Spring w/Paul James 3/31: Franck, Faure & Chopin

STUDIO CAFÉ 1309 Washington Ave. • St. Louis, MO 314-621-8667

3/6: Urban Blight Players 3/12: Agency 3/19: Twisted Oak 3/20: Pud 3/26: The Ted Wilson Inexperience 3/27: Coral Courts

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

Every Monday: Park Avenue Trio Every Tuesday: DJ Rob Gray Every Wednesday: Open mic night w/Matt Schomber Every Thursday: Industry night w/DJ Kenny Kingston 3/7: CJ Boyd 3/12: Honest Pod 3/13: Tailspin 3/17: The Beautiful Down, The Audible Campaign 3/20: Through Dint of Heavy Wishing 3/26: Southerly, The Conversation

TOUHILL PERFORMING ARTS CENTER University of Missouri – St. Louis • St. Louis, MO 314-516-4949 • www.touhill.org

3/6: Alexandra Ballet: Sleeping Beauty 3/10: Cambio de Colores 3/12: John Whelan Band 3/18: UMSL University Singers & Orchestra & SLCC Meramec Singers 3/19: Paula Poundstone 3/20: St. Louis Symphony Orchestra 3/25: Fosse 3/31: Kronos Quartet

VENICE CAFÉ 1905 Pestalozzi • St. Louis, MO 314-772-5994

Call for schedule.

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

3/5: Brain Regiment 3/6: The 45s 3/13: What’s Up Benefit w/The Round Ups, Wydown, & more 3/20: Maxtone Four See Web site for additional listings.

The B a r g a i n B a s e m e n t o f D r i n k i n g

SUNDAYS Leon’s Ladies Night 2004 with Guest DJs and Dirt Cheap Drinks $5

MONDAYS Superfunhappyhour with a live KDHX remote check website for listings

TUESDAYS Get your foot in the door night – check website for listings WEDNESDAYS F5 Records showcase – check website for listings

THURSDAYS Militant Propoganda Bingo Machine w/NonProphets Comedy Troupe

SHOWS NOT TO MISS! March 5 – Fred’s Variety Group & Baysayboos March 6 – START benefit March 12 – Shame Club perform a tribute to The Who w/Gentleman Callers March 13 – Forty Till Five w/KRT & Murda Happens March 19 – Supercrush, The Charmers, & Steve Bequette w/Maybe Wednesday March 20 – The Elements, LP Outsiders, & Sac Lunch March 26 – Tripdaddys March 27 – Shame Club & Bible of the Devil