may 2003
21 MY 2 PLANETS
LOCAL SCENERY Wydown have released their first EP, Rock Ends. Song samples will soon be available at www.wydown.com; in the meantime, you can procure your very own copy by sending $10 (postage paid) to 1240A Moorlands Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63117. Maxtone Four (B Brian McClelland, Karl Dodson, Jeremy Miller, and Chris Clark) are currently working with producer Drew Johnson on their debut recording, slated for a June 2003 release. Check out the MP3 page at www.maxtonefour.com for a preview. Based on a two-song sampler received at Playback headquarters, the music’s catchily poppy and worth a listen. Anyone who enjoyed Shame Club’s opening set for Ghoul 5 at the Hi-Pointe will be glad to know the group’s eight-song CD, Bad Idea Realized, is now available. The actual CD release party was at Frederick’s and, after their recent performances, it seems there will be many CDs to come.
Wedding Laine is in the National Shorts Competition at the USA Film Festival in Dallas. The festival runs April 24 to May 2, and director (and Cinema St. Louis/SLIFF coordinator) Andrea Sporcic plans to attend. When the basement bar of Lemmon’s closed late last year, it meant the end of one of St. Louis’s most promising venues for music. Now Lemmon’s is going to try hosting live music upstairs; the debut show will be a CD release party for the Rowdy Cum Lowdies. Held on Saturday, May 10, the party runs from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m., with free pizza and other giveaways throughout the event. Spring Clock Wonder have completed their first CD, The Great Purification. The disc is currently available via their Web site (www.springclockwonder.com); look for it in local record stores in the coming weeks, with upcoming CD release parties at Sally T’s and three-1-three. While the large crowd waited, candles burned onstage and a slide show flashed messages that proposed a somewhat fictionalized history of My 2 Planets. I wondered, did one of the members really play sax on several Metallica albums? All part of the fun of the CD release party at Mississippi Nights April 12 for The Other Side of Summer. The show, like the new CD, featured a combination of great lyrics and
intelligent melodies and sounded fantastic from the big stage. The all-ages show really did attract all ages: one of the funniest and telling sites of the night was a four-year-old shaking his butt to a My 2 Planets tune…proof that good music knows no particular age, only quality. Playback St. Louis wishes them the best of luck. The City Museum is now open Friday and Saturday nights until 1:00 a.m. All About Fun and Entertainment St. Louis are putting on ACT One, Washington Avenue’s first street festival of 2003, the weekend of May 3 and 4. Free for all ages, ACT One encompasses art, culture, and tunes, along with a downtown St. Louis housing tour. Mark your calendars for May 16, when yet another Ticketmaster New Music Spotlight rolls into the Pageant. The all-ages show features local rock bands Nadine, Magnolia Summer, Tinhorn, Grandpa’s Ghost, and American Minor. Go to www.playbackstl.com for your chance to win free tickets.
