Riverfront Times August 22, 2018 by Riverfront Times

AUGUST 22-28, 2018 I VOLUME 42 I NUMBER 34

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TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURE

14.

Goodbye to All That As the nation’s longest voluntary student transfer program begins to wind down, St. Louis-area education leaders have no answers for what comes next Written by

CAMILLE RESPESS Cover design by

EVAN SULT

NEWS

ARTS

DINING

CULTURE

The Lede

Calendar

Your friend or neighbor, captured on camera

Seven days’ worth of great stuff to see and do

Police

Stage

Cafe

Cheryl Baehr finds utter perfection in the smoked-meat sandwiches at the Wood Shack

Expert Opinion

A St. Louis officer captured on tape beating a suspect has been the subject of numerous other complaints

St. Louis Shakespeare’s King Charles III ponders the man who could be king

Senada Grbic offers the essential Bevo Mill

Film

Health

A Ferguson-based nonprofit tries to tackle those troubling mortality stats for black mothers

Robert Hunt enjoys the YA drama of The Miseducation of Cameron Post

Sneak Peek

Lexie Miller visits the Cinder House, soon to open in the Four Seasons

Travel

Aimee Levitt checks out the Provel references at the U.S. Pizza Museum

Courts

Missouri now owes its corrections officers millions

Homespun

Falling Fences goes electric on its new rock-infused album

Comedy

LouFest adds a new stage for 2018

Retail

Kismet plans to say goodbye to Cherokee

Out Every Night

The best concerts in St. Louis every night of the week

This Just In

This week’s new concert announcements

Savage Love 6

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Publisher Chris Keating Editor in Chief Sarah Fenske E D I T O R I A L Arts & Culture Editor Paul Friswold Music Editor Daniel Hill Digital Editor Jaime Lees Staff Writers Doyle Murphy, Danny Wicentowski Restaurant Critic Cheryl Baehr Film Critic Robert Hunt Contributing Writers Mike Appelstein, Allison Babka, Sara Graham, Roy Kasten, Jaime Lees, Joseph Hess, Kevin Korinek, Bob McMahon, Nicholas Phillips, Tef Poe, Christian Schaeffer, Lauren Milford, Thomas Crone, MaryAnn Johanson, Jenn DeRose, Mike Fitzgerald Proofreader Evie Hemphill Cartoonist Bob Stretch

A R T Art Director Evan Sult Contributing Photographers Mabel Suen, Monica Mileur, Micah Usher, Theo Welling, Corey Woodruff, Tim Lane, Nick Schnelle P R O D U C T I O N Production Manager Steve Miluch Production Assistance Jack Beil

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YOUR MUSIC HAS A HISTORY Tuesday, SEPTEMBER 4

King of Pain: A Tribute to the Police and Sting Tuesday, SEPTEMBER 11

Dogs of Society: Elton John Rock Tribute Tuesday, SEPTEMBER 18

LLC & Friends

This R&B/soul vocal group will take you on a journey through the music of the Dells, the Stylistics, After 7, Barry White, the Temptations, and more!

6–8pm Forest Park • Museum’s North Lawn mohistory.org/twilight-tuesdays

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Tuesday, SEPTEMBER 25

Dirty Muggs

NEWS Cop Captured Beating Suspect Had Many Complaints Written by

CLARK RANDALL

n August 14, 2017, Jamal White, a black man in his mid-twenties, was standing in downtown St. Louis when a confrontation occurred with St. Louis Police officer Adam Feaman. Officer Feaman attempted to place White under arrest, allegedly for violating a city noise ordinance with his car and disturbing the peace. White, who was unarmed, stepped back, saying, “I’m not under arrest!” Then, “How am I under arrest?” Feaman, continuing to walk towards him, ordered, “Put your hands behind your back! You’re under arrest!” White broke into a nervous jog away. Feaman, now running at White, yelled once more, “You’re under arrest!” As Feaman caught up, White responded, “What? Get the fuck off me bro! How am I under...” That’s when Feaman struck White in the face with a large flashlight, mid-sentence, cracking his jaw. As White fell to the ground, Feaman struck him in the back of the head again with the flashlight. With White injured and on the ground, Feaman yelled, twice, “Get on the fucking ground!” A bystander captured the incident on video, and later provided the video to White’s lawyer, Jermaine Wooten. The attorney filed a lawsuit on White’s behalf in April in federal court, alleging excessive force. As the lawsuit notes, the standing orders issued by St. Louis police specifically note that flashlights “may not be used as impact weapons.” In the suit, Wooten claims that a little over a month after the incident, Officer Feaman identified

A bystander’s video showed Officer Feaman beating Jamal White with his flashlight. | SCREENSHOT White at a local bar or club and, after apparently having heard that White planned to sue him, threatened to “crack [his] jaw again.” That night, September 30, 2017, Feaman had to be escorted out of the establishment after starting the confrontation with White. But those two incidents involving White are only the latest in alleged misconduct by Officer Feaman dating back to at least 2010. “Employee Misconduct Reports” in Feaman’s file from 2010 to 2017 show the officer has faced numerous complaints over his treatment of young black men. Generated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the reports were obtained by Samuel Sinyangwe and Campaign Zero, who shared them with the Grassroots Accountability Movement, GRAM. (This story is being published in a joint effort between the RFT and GRAM.) In 2010, a 22-year-old black man filed a complaint alleging that Officer Feaman had pulled him over and directed racial slurs at him, the records show. The next year, 2011, a 22-year-old black man complained that Officer Feaman planted drugs on him, and that while Feaman arrested him, another officer hit him in the face multiple times. In 2012, a 21-year-old black man filed a complaint alleging that Officer Feaman had punched him in the face, using unnecessary vio-

lence. Two years later, in 2014, a 31-year-old black man alleged that Officer Feaman and another officer stole $400 from his car during a traffic stop. When asked if disciplinary actions had ever been taken against Officer Feaman, Sergeant Keith Barrett, a spokesman for the department, said those records were

closed. When asked if the department was concerned about the presence of multiple complaints against Feaman, Barrett said, “We investigate all complaints made against members of our department from external and internal sources; while taking the action steps required by department policy and those of local, state and federal law.” An officer in St. Louis since 2003, Feaman attended the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Academy, where he was trained as an officer. The misconduct reports obtained by Campaign Zero only go back to 2010; it’s not clear if Feaman faced any allegations of misconduct from 2003 and 2009. In the lawsuit, Wooten alleges that Feaman’s use of force against White was “inappropriate, un-

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warranted and unjustified,” saying, “The underlying criminal allegations do not relate in any way to the use of deadly force..” Summoned to a deposition for White’s lawsuit, Feaman declined to answer any questions. He also declined to answer whether he was invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, or explain why he was not answering, to the frustration of the lawyer questioning him. In Feaman’s report summarizing the incident, Wooten notes, Feaman alleges that White was “blading his body...in a fighting stance,” with “fists clenched.” Furthermore, Feaman wrote, “Believing Jamal White was going to attack me...I attempted to stop his oncoming assault” by “attempting to strike Jamal White in the left shoulder.” Then he claims White stepped forward, causing the flashlight to hit his face. Those claims do not match the bystander’s video, which shows White running away from Feaman. White neither blades his stance or clenches his fist while retreating. Instead, he appears to open his arms outward in a questioning gesture. In the deposition, Wooten quotes Feaman’s claim that he was threatened, saying, “That too is a lie; isn’t that correct, Officer Feaman?” The deposition ends with Wooten asking Feaman, “Is it the policy and practice of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department to commonly use excessive force against young black males?” Once again, the officer refused to answer. “I don’t have anything further,” Wooten said. Wooten filed a motion to have the federal lawsuit dismissed on June 29, 2018, but says he will refile in state court. In his motion to dismiss the suit, Wooten said he would be making claims in state court instead “because the City of St. Louis appeared to abandon Defendant Adam Feaman individually at his deposition.” This story was commissioned by freelancer Clark Randall on behalf of GRAM, the Grassroots Accountability Movement focused on policy, legislation and enforcement in city and state government and is being published by the RFT as a joint effort with the non-profit.

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Compose Your Own Series Familiar Classics. Blockbuster Films. Iconic Artists.

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314-534-1700 slso.org/cyo *Excludes Boxes, Orchestra Right Front and prior sales. Discount available for performances purchased in the same transaction.

Nonprofit Targets Black Mothers’ Mortality Written by

SARAH FENSKE

n recent months, the high mortality rate for black women giving birth has become a growing national concern. From reports by the Centers for Disease Control and in-depth reporting by the New York Times to Serena Williams’ widely publicized personal horror story, the rate of pregnancyrelated death for black women — which is three to four times higher than their white counterparts — is finally gaining attention. For Brittany “Tru” Kellman, founder and executive director of the Ferguson-based Jamaa Birth Village, the awareness is welcome. But she can’t help but be a bit frustrated by the way things are playing out. “It’s like, ‘Finally!’” she says. “But in terms of money going into it, it’s going to huge organizations with huge budgets, people having talks about it and strategically planning how to change it. There’s hardly any money going to organizations providing direct care and who can actually change what’s going on.” Organizations like, yes, her own. Kellman was just thirteen years old when she found herself pregnant — and, like so many black girls and women, she found herself being attended to by doctors who wanted to tell her what to

Devin Durdin, center, with newborn Khaleb Durdin. Brittany “Tru” Kellman, a doula who works with mothers in north county, is second from right. | COURTESY OF BRITTANY KELLMAN do rather than listen. Her labor was induced early to accommodate her physician’s vacation — and she ended up having to get a Cesarean after complications developed. (The risk of “several maternal morbidities” increases threefold with C-sections.) It was many years later that she began to fully understand some of the choices that had been made for her. “Depression led me to study more — to deal with my depression and my anger,” she says. “I was learning about women’s wellness, and when I learned about midwifery, it fit like a glove.” After a successful vaginal birth for her third child, she herself became a doula, assisting other women in their birthing journeys — and is on a full scholarship at the Midwives College of Utah. When she graduates in December, she’ll be

the first black woman to become a “certified professional midwife” in Missouri. In the mean time, in 2015, she founded Jamaa Birth Village. It’s a true labor of love — the organization is entirely volunteer-driven, and even Kellman takes no salary. But it’s achieving big results. The non-profit has worked with more than 250 families, helping guide them toward low-intervention births and address their specific physical and emotional needs. It also works to train more doulas of color; more than 30, Kellman says, have come through its program. Next year, the organization plans to open St. Louis’ first equal-access midwifery clinic, helping people regardless of their insurance status. She can cite studies showing the methods Jamaa is using have made a real difference for women

of color in Florida; she’s certain they’re on their way to similar outcomes in St. Louis. As a part of those efforts, the organization recently got a major opportunity: After working out of a suite, it has a real chance to get a building of its own for an incredibly good price. It just needs $60,000. It happened like this. Kellman had long had her eye on a building in Ferguson that the SSM health system was operating as a clinic. When SSM left the space, Kellman learned that the local physician who owned the building was hoping to sell it — and, while it wasn’t on the market, that he would be asking approximately $200,000. She cheekily suggested that he avail himself of the tax benefits of virtually donating it to Jamaa. “Would you consider allowing us to pay $50,000 rather than $200,000 and you can write it off?” Unsurprisingly, he told her “absolutely not.” Just one month later, though, he had a change of heart. “If you’re still interested,” he told Kellman, “I think we’ve got a deal.” That was in June, and for the last two months, Jamaa Birth Village has been excitedly planning for its new home — and running a capital campaign aimed at raising $60,000 in 60 days. The only problem is this: The campaign wrapped at midnight on Friday, August 17, and as of the night before, they’d taken in just $12,000. No matter what happens in the final hours, Kellman vows, the organization is getting that building. “This work needs to be done, and we’re going to do it,” she promises. But she’d much prefer to pay the organization’s share in full, not have to get a mortgage and put that pressure on monthly expenses. She continues to hope for a miracle. Continued on pg 12

STREAK’S CORNER • by Bob Stretch

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JAMAA BIRTH VILLAGE Continued from pg 11

And, in truth, the deadline was an artificial one. The idea of raising the money in 60 days had a certain ring to it, but as long as they can get the money by month’s end, they can get the building, paid in full. Going from a terrified pregnant teen to a woman who’s running a successful organization with all too few resources isn’t for the faint of heart. Tru Kellman isn’t a woman who gives up hope easily. “I’m not one bit disheartened,” she says on the night before the campaign’s official closure. “I will ride forth until midnight tomorrow — and keep going until the end of the month.” But more financial supporters would be incredibly welcome. Of the buzz around race-based disparity in pregnant and laboring mothers’ mortality, she notes, “I’ve heard a lot of people being excited about the issue. A lot of those same people, we’re not seeing them contribute. But I’m not going to focus on that. I’m going to focus on what we’re doing, and what’s right.” For more on Jamaa Birth Village, see jamaabirthvillage.org. n

Missouri Slapped with Huge Jury Verdict

or years, the state of Missouri stiffed its prison guards on overtime — and now it has to pay them $113 million. Last Wednesday, a Cole County jury announced the eye-popping award for the corrections officers in their longrunning class-action lawsuit against the Missouri Department of Corrections. According to the filings, guards were expected to undergo lengthy scans and security checks before they clocked in and after they clocked out each shift. That part of their daily routine was unpaid, although corrections officers had long argued it should be considered part of their work. Jurors agreed. “I hope the Department of Corrections takes this opportunity to pay this verdict and change its systems,” attorney Gary Burger, who represented the corrections officers union, said in a prepared statement. The suit covers 13,000 corrections officers who worked for the state during all or part of an eleven-year period. In filings, Burger and attorneys from the Cuneo, Gilbert and DeLuca law firm pointed out the U.S. Department of Labor had twice

Two happy corrections officers with attorney Gary Burger following a $113 million jury verdict. COURTESY GARY BURGER LAW before investigated the Department of Corrections for the same issues covered in the lawsuit. In 2013, the Labor Department found the state withheld more than $500,000 owed to corrections officers for unpaid work before and after shifts at the prison in Bowling Green. The

state refused to pay up at the time or change its system, citing the corrections officers’ pending lawsuit, according to the petition. A spokesperson for the Department of Corrections did not respond to a request for comment. —Doyle Murphy

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As the nation’s longest voluntary student transfer program begins to wind down, St. Louis-area education leaders have no answers for what comes next BY CAMILLE RESPESS

or the past five years, Cynthia Wren, 66, has applied to get her ten-year-old granddaughter, Ariel Gibson, into St. Louis’ student desegregation program. The Voluntary Interdistrict Choice Corporation, or VICC, oversees the student transfer program. It is a race-based transfer that allows black city children to attend county schools, even as white students in the county can attend city magnet ones. Ariel is black and lives in the Shaw neighborhood of St. Louis city. Part of her application includes ranking her interest in much more highly rated suburban districts. If she’s chosen, it could be a ticket to a top-tier

public school district: Brentwood, Kirkwood, Clayton. But she hasn’t gotten in. So the ten-year old attends Tower Grove Christian Academy. In lieu of sending her granddaughter to an elementary school run by the St. Louis Public Schools, or SLPS, Wren pays Ariel’s private school tuition. A former teacher’s assistant and current substitute for St. Louis County Special School District, Wren says that paying Ariel’s tuition is a hardship for her family. “It’s not always easy,” she says. “But we do what we have to do.” Wren plans to continue applying to VICC for her granddaughter in the years to come. But it’s a lottery situation, and with a 17 percent acceptance rate, the odds are

Over the last 35 years, St. Louis County schools participating in VICC have averaged a student body composition that’s 18 percent black. Without the students attending via the desegregation program, only 6 percent of their student bodies would be black.

against her. “I just don’t understand the situation,” Wren says. “[Ariel’s] being skipped over and it breaks my heart to know she hasn’t gotten in.” Ariel isn’t alone. In 1999, VICC reached its peak enrollment of 14,626 students. Since then, though, the program has been on steady decline. Last school year, 4,392 students were enrolled. It’s not a case of lessening demand. A total of 2,488 black students living in the city applied to VICC for the 2017-2018 school year. Just 413 were accepted. (Of the 148 white students from the county who applied to attend St. Louis magnet schools through VICC, 85 were accepted.) And the clock is ticking for Wren and her granddaughter. This month marks the official beginning of the end for the desegregation program, beginning the

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five-year extension that provides one final reprieve before the education leaders running VICC plan to shut it down entirely. VICC oversees the longest-running race-based student transfer program in the nation, and even as it’s brought a dose of color to many affluent county districts, it’s also been a real boon to thousands of lucky city kids. State Representative Bruce Franks (D-St. Louis), who graduated from Lindbergh High School in 2002, is just one prominent alumnus. Yet if you ask the people in charge of the program — the superintendents of the twelve schools that make up VICC’s governing board — what comes next, and what they’ll be doing to increase diversity in districts that would be largely monolithic absent the transfer students, they’ll acknowledge they

AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018

Continued on pg 16

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GOODBYE TO ALL THAT Continued from pg 15

don’t know just yet. “We want to roll into this new five-year extension,” says Eric Knost, Rockwood superintendent and VICC chairman for the 20172018 school year. “Once things start to settle a little bit, we will start talking about what’s beyond the five-year extension.” He acknowledges, “We really haven’t even scratched the surface yet on what’s to come.”

ince 1981, more than 70,000 black students from St. Louis city have attended schools in St. Louis County through the VICC program. Under its auspices, white students from the county have also been attending magnet schools in the city since 1982, albeit in much smaller numbers (9,000). Those students have added much-needed diversity to some county districts. In 1999, the year of VICC’s peak enrollment, participating county districts notched an average of 20 percent black students. Had VICC not existed, the projected black enrollment would have averaged a mere 4 percent. Nearly two decades later, not much has changed, demographically. In 2017, black enrollment within participating districts averaged around 15 percent. Without VICC it would’ve been just under 7 percent. But as the years have gone by, some of VICC’s original partici-

Ariel Gibson, with father Leon Gibson and grandmother Cynthia Wren, is one of the 2,488 students who applied to VICC last year. | MONICA MILEUR pants have pulled out. Hazelwood, which was steadily growing more diverse even without transfer students, left in 1988. Ladue and Ritenour both exited in 1999, Pattonville in 2005 and Lindbergh in 2011. (Students in the program were allowed to graduate from the districts they’d been placed in, making the districts’ withdrawal a gradual one.) According to VICC, the districts

left the program after finding other ways to enable diversity in their schools. Ladue, for example, consolidated its ten neighborhood elementary schools to four in the 1970s. At that same time, Ladue also redrew its school boundaries. In doing so, the district, which is made up of nine municipalities (Creve Coeur, Crystal Lake Park, Frontenac, Huntleigh Village, Ladue, Olivette, Richmond

Heights, Town and Country and Westwood) plus some parts of unincorporated St. Louis County, created more racial diversity in its schools. Lindbergh, though, hasn’t quite done that. The district saw black enrollment as high as 20.56 percent in 1999 thanks to its participation in VICC. By the time it pulled out, that had dropped to 6.11 percent. Lindbergh’s last

St. Louis’ Desegregation Program: A Timeline 1972 The class-action lawsuit Liddell v. Board of Education of City of St. Louis is filed in federal court, challenging school segregation in the city.

1972

1980

1975 Chief Judge James Meredith approves a settlement, which outlines plans to increase the number of teachers of color in St. Louis Public Schools and redraw zoning lines to make schools more racially diverse. 16

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1981 U.S. District Judge William Hungate proposes a voluntary desegregation plan for St. Louis-area schools. This same year, a pilot transfer program begins with six school districts.

1976 The NAACP disagrees with the settlement. It fights for, and wins, the right to intervene in the case. The Missouri State Board of Education and Missouri Commissioner of Education are added too.

AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018

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1980 To address segregation in the region much more broadly, the U.S. District Court of Appeals suggests a transfer program between city and county schools.

VICC student graduated in 2017, and at that point, its black enrollment had sunk to just 2.69 percent — around ten times smaller than it was in 1999. In the coming years, absent some sort of replacement transfer program, what’s happening at Lindbergh could happen to districts across the county. VICC’s board approved that final five-year extension in November 2016. It’s set to run from the school year that just began through 2023-2024 and will accept around 1,000 students into the twelve participating school districts during these five years. Priority for acceptance into VICC during its final extension will be given to siblings of students already in the program. It’s a long goodbye, by any measure. If a kindergartner is chosen for the program during its last year, 2023, he or she wouldn’t be on track to graduate until 2036 — walking an increasingly lonely road as other minority students graduate and move on. From its inception, VICC’s model was built on continual phase-out. The program was set up in 1999 to dwindle at a rate of 5 percent over a twenty-year period. And that’s exactly the outline its remaining districts are following. VICC leaders say that their longheld plan to phase out the program dovetails nicely with the growing ambitions of the St. Louis Public Schools. After all, VICC takes black students to county schools who would have otherwise been zoned to attend city schools.

Without VICC’s students, St. Louis County schools would be significantly less diverse. | GRAPHIC BY CAMILLE RESPESS “Clearly, county schools benefit [from VICC] by creating a more real and diverse student environment,” Knost says. “At the same time, we have got to keep the interest of the SLPS.” In 2012, the St. Louis district regained provisional accreditation after five years of operating as non accredited. In 2017, the district became fully accredited. “We are trying to be competitive as we can for families to look at us as a real option,” SLPS superintendent Kelvin Adams says. But while Adams says he believes the desegregation program has fulfilled its purpose, he agrees

1983 The St. Louis Student Transfer Program is approved by the federal court. Twenty-three districts are participating. The program allows black students in St. Louis city to attend schools in the county. White students living in the county are also eligible to enroll in city magnet schools.

the ending of this iteration of VICC may not mean the end of transfer programs between the city and county school districts. “I’m not saying it can’t continue in some way, shape or form in the future,” Adams says. Maalik Shakoor, 22, graduated from Clayton High School in 2014. He was bussed from his neighborhood of Baden in north St. Louis for the twelve years he was in VICC: first to Bierbaum Elementary School in south county, then to Clayton for middle and high school. Shakoor graduated from Webster University in May with a

degree in film production. He’s spent the summer as a teacher at the Freedom School in St. Louis. Though Shakoor wishes he could have gotten a strong education in his own neighborhood, he sees the value in VICC. “If [black children in the city] can’t get a good, quality education where they’re at, then the next best solution is to bus them out,” he says. “Until the city schools can be up to par with the county schools, I see no other option.”

Continued on pg 18

1999 The state of Missouri gives jurisdiction for the transfer program to the Voluntary Interdistrict Choice Corporation, or VICC, which is comprised of superintendents from the participating districts. Under VICC, the program is set to continue until at least 2009.

1990

2000

1993 Jay Nixon, then attorney general of Missouri, attempts to shut down the program. His reasoning: It’s expensive for the state and its purpose has been achieved.

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GOODBYE TO ALL THAT Continued from pg 17

hile the VICC program was never meant to last forever, it’s still lasted longer than its creators anticipated. In 1972, a group of five black St. Louis families filed a class-action lawsuit, Liddell v. Board of Education of City of St. Louis. They argued that SLPS was intentionally making its schools more segregated and giving its minority students fewer resources than its predominantly white schools. Three years later, U.S. District Judge James Meredith, who heard the case, was ready to approve a settlement crafted by the parties’ attorneys. The plan aimed to increase the number of teachers of color at SLPS and redraw zoning maps to make schools more racially diverse. The settlement also included the addition of magnet schools in SLPS to attract white and black students. But the settlement wasn’t enough for the NAACP. The organization intervened in the case in 1976 and was eventually granted standing by the appeals court, along with the Missouri State Board of Education and the Missouri Commissioner of Education. In 1980, the appellate justices suggested a transfer program between city and county schools. One year later, U.S. District Judge William Hungate, who’d taken over the case, oversaw the beginning of a pilot transfer program

Enrollment in the desegregation program has dropped over time as county districts withdraw. | GRAPHIC BY CAMILLE RESPESS between six school districts. After Hungate threatened to order a merger of county and city school districts if county schools didn’t step up to the plate, a much higher number of country districts signed on. By 1983, all 23 districts in St. Louis County and city had joined VICC — and by that September, city kids chosen by lottery began their education in county districts. Fifteen years later, a remodel of the program included a ten-year phase-out, with a 5 percent decrease each year. In 2007, though, VICC voted to extend the program for another five years. The board

made that same decision again in 2012. In 2016, the board voted to extend the program for what it claims will be the final time. One reason cited by VICC for its phase-out is a fiercely fought U.S. Supreme Court decision from 1991, Board of Education of Oklahoma Public Schools v. Robert L. Dowell. In a 5-3 ruling, the justices ruled that race-based education programs cannot run into perpetuity. Another reason to wind down, according to VICC, was Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s opinion for a 2003 affirmative-action case.

2004 Minnie Liddell, whose lawsuit started it all, dies at age 64. This same year, VICC caps tuition payments to county schools based on available funding. This equals out to around $7,000 per student per year.

2003

2012 The state of Missouri grants St. Louis Public Schools provisional accreditation. 2017 St. Louis Public Schools gain full accreditation.

2010

2007 St. Louis Public Schools lose accreditation. VICC votes to extend its program for an additional five years. Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Supreme Court states in a 5-4 decision involving Seattle schools that any sorting of public school students by race must be narrowly tailored to address “a compelling government interest.” 18

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O’Connor wrote, “We expect that 25 years from now, the use of racial preferences will no longer be necessary to further the interest [in student body diversity] approved today.” David Glaser, VICC’s CEO, says such language, and precedents like the Oklahoma case, suggest a need to wind down the transfer program. “We have concerns about continuing VICC beyond this five-year extension,” he says. But Veronica Johnson, a civil rights attorney in St. Louis and counsel for the NAACP for nearly two decades, doesn’t agree.

AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018

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2016 The VICC board votes for one final five-year extension for the transfer program, which will accept roughly 1,000 students and give priority to younger siblings of students currently enrolled.

“I think it is a terrible shame that it has to come to an end,” she says. “I don’t necessarily agree with VICC that it has to come to an end. I understand why they think that, but I don’t agree with it.” Needless to say, Johnson wants to see efforts continue to diversify schools in St. Louis. But she won’t be using the Liddell case to that end, suggesting she sees the same writing on the wall as VICC. “We, as attorneys for the NAACP and the Liddells, are not going to be able to go back to court and get this program continued or restarted,” she says. Instead, Johnson hopes that educators, parents and students involved with VICC can create a groundswell of support for the continuation of some sort of transfer program, even if it cannot continue as a race-based one. She says that as the current program nears its end, its purpose has been undeniable. “The value of it has always been the idea of equal educational opportunity,” she says. “Any child should have any opportunities as any other child, regardless of where they were born, their zip code, the color of their skin.” What’s more, she says, is that the diversity created through the program impacts all students, regardless of race. “That is an integral part of the educational process,” she says. As the VICC program has been winding down, so has the number of black students in the participating county schools. According to data from the Mis-

Michael Liddell’s family launched the class-action suit that led to VICC’s creation. Today his kids attend magnet schools. | LEXIE MILLER souri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the eleven county school districts still in VICC today saw an average black student enrollment in 1991 of 20.17 percent. By 2017, it had dropped to 14.9 percent. The county has grown more racially diverse during that time, but not nearly enough to make up for the reductions in the program.

In 1980, 45.6 percent of people living in the city were black. In the county, it was 11.3 percent. Fast-forward 38 years, and the city’s percent of black residents remains similar, at 47.9 percent. Meanwhile, the county’s black population has grown to just 24.7 percent. It’s a much smaller percentage in some individual districts. Clay-

Continued on pg 20

2036 If kindergarteners are accepted into VICC in 2023, they would graduate in this year — the final participants in VICC as it is currently modeled.

2023 Under the current timeline, this year will be the last that new students are accepted into VICC.

2020

ton’s black population in 1980 was just 2.7 percent. Today, it stands at 8.4 percent. Johnson and other NAACP lawyers believed in the 1990s that the diversity created through the desegregation program would change decisions in housing for those students as they grew older. “Well, that was the hope,” she

2030

2018 It’s the beginning of the end for VICC, as August begins the final extension for the transfer program. Only 12 of the original 23 school districts are still participating.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wish that the schools in the city had the same opportunities so that I could send him locally,â&#x20AC;? Kristina Darden says of her son Mansa Lyons, who attends the Parkway school district. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Because they arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t there yet, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m grateful for VICC.â&#x20AC;? | MONICA MILEUR

GOODBYE TO ALL THAT Continued from pg 19

says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had hoped at one time that the program would result in less segregation. Apparently, it has not.â&#x20AC;?

@CARDINALSNATION

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@CARDSFOODTRUCK

AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018

@CARDINALSNATION

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s the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s longest and largest desegregation program, VICC has outlived lawyers, educators, legislators and even Minnie Liddell, the mother of five who led the lawsuit that kicked everything off. The lead plaintiff in the case was her son, Craton Liddell. The Liddell family was living in north St. Louis in the 1970s. Everchanging school zones left Minnieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s children bouncing around from school to school, without receiving adequate resources and education along the way. Their lawsuit over those conditions led to the desegregation program that still continues today. The youngest of Minnieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s five children, Michael Liddell, 42, attended magnet schools in the city in the 1980s. The magnet program was expanded, improved and designed for diversity increases as a direct result of the familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lawsuit, and all five Liddells eventually attended them. Today, Michael Liddellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two children, carrying on the fam-

ily tradition, are both enrolled in SLPS magnet schools. Though Michael believes his mother would be ecstatic about St. Louisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; desegregation program running so long and educating so many students, he thinks she would understand that now, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a different battle. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think the next step is to fight for whatever we have left in the city. No matter what the division of races are,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We need to fight for better resources and better teachers. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a struggle out here.â&#x20AC;?

ven before VICC hit its expiration date, Daishanae Crittenden, nineteen, struggled to get her two youngest brothers, both ten, into the Clayton School District through the program. Crittenden entered the VICC program as a third-grader in 2007. She was placed in Clayton. Six years later, it was time for her twin brothers to begin kindergarten. High enrollment numbers in the district in 2013 made it challenging for the two to get spots in Clayton even though they had sibling seniority. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was scared,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was a mess.â&#x20AC;? What made Crittenden so fearful was what could become of her Continued on pg 21

GOODBYE TO ALL THAT Continued from pg 20

brothers had they not been accepted into VICC. Crittenden grew up in west St. Louis. There, she perceived clear differences between her education and those of her neighbors who attended SLPS schools. “I was living in the inner city,” she says. “My neighbors, their English was so bad. I am so blessed that my mom did as much as she did to get us into Clayton because I would be illiterate just like the rest of these kids out here that are going to these neighborhood schools.” Crittenden is now in her second year studying elementary education at the University of Missouri in Kansas City. Her scholarship

appreciation for and the interest in what VICC does remains very high.” It took nine years from the Liddells’ first court date to the implementation of the original transfer program. With five years left, Knost says it’s too early to make any concrete plans for its next iteration — but he says there will be one. “Obviously, we are going to have some plan in place in 2023,” he says. “Actually, well before that. This is not something we will be waiting up until the last minute for.” Despite that tenuous future, St.

Louis families continue to rest their hope in the program. Kristina Darden, 48, lives in south city. Her son, Mansa Lyons, ten, attends school in the Parkway School District through VICC. Before he got into the program just over two years ago, he attended a private school. SLPS was never an option for Mansa, Darden says. “I wish that the schools in the city had the same opportunities so that I could send him locally,” she says. “Because they aren’t there yet, I’m grateful for VICC.” In some ways, getting Mansa in was like winning the lottery.

Darden’s sister, Cynthia Wren, hasn’t been so lucky. With help from Ariel’s father, Wren continues to pay tuition at Tower Grove Christian Academy for her granddaughter, even though it means Wren is often behind on other bills. She still holds out hope for a VICC placement, even in the program’s final years. “If she got in, I would know she is getting a quality education and it wouldn’t come at a cost for me,” Wren says. “But year after year, it’s just not happening. There would be so many more opportunities for her if she was in VICC.” n

“I think it is a terrible shame that [VICC] has to come to an end. I understand why they think that, but I don’t agree with it.” program at UMKC is designed to help students who want to teach at urban schools. Unsurprisingly, Crittenden credits her Clayton education through VICC for her collegiate success. And her family’s story is shaping up to have a happy ending: Her two older brothers, seventeen and fifteen, attend Clayton High School, while the twins, ten, are in the fifth grade in one of the district’s elementary schools. By applying for VICC, and the sheer luck of being chosen, all four siblings have a much better shot at a good education than their peers back in west St. Louis. But what happens to families like theirs in the future? Each year, the odds of a city kid being chosen for transfer become more and more of a longshot. In five years, it may not even be a possibility. Knost, VICC’s most recent board chairman, admits there aren’t many certainties for St. Louis pupils in the years to come. But, he says, “What’s definite is that the

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AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018

RIVERFRONT TIMES

CALENDAR

BY PAUL FRISWOLD

RiffTrax: Krull

The Festival of Nations brings the world to Tower Grove Park. | COURTESY OF THE INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ST. LOUIS

THURSDAY 08/23 Jon Lovitz Jon Lovitz is best known as a comic actor and voice-over artist, but his original dream was to be a standup comic. Some bad career advice and his big break on Saturday Night Live set him on a different path for a few decades, but Lovitz eventually got up on stage and told jokes in 2013. Now a seasoned comic, he brings his act to the Helium Comedy Club (1151 St. Louis Galleria; www.stlouis.heliumcomedy.com) for a short run. Jon Lovitz performs at 8 p.m. Thursday, 7:30 p.m. Friday and 7:30 and 10 p.m. Saturday (August 23 to 25). Tickets are $25 to $36.

FRIDAY 08/24 Sunken Cities Behind-the-Scenes By now you should have seen the amazing exhibition of Egyptian antiquities, Sunken Cities, at the Saint Louis Art Museum (1 Fine

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Arts Drive; www.slam.org). You may have even wondered how the museum managed to get a weighty, sixteen-foot-tall statue into the building. Lisa Çakmak, curator of ancient art, and Jeanette Fausz, director of collections, explain the nuts and bolts of artifact transport in the lecture Sunken Cities Behind-the-Scenes. It’s a peek behind the curtain at the tremendous amount of work and stress that goes into installing a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition. The lecture takes place at 7 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Sunday (August 24 and 26) in the Farrell Auditorium at the Saint Louis Art Museum (1 Fine Arts Drive; www.slam.org). Admission is $5.

Grim Tales, Horrific Vignettes It’s been a solid couple of years for horror films (It, A Quiet Place, The Witch), but the only time you get a good scare at the theater is around Halloween. Spooky, Scary Productions brings the nightmares to the stage with its St. Lou Fringe show, Grim Tales, Horrific Vignettes. It’s an anthology of six original horror stories

AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018

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brought to life right before your eyes. Performances of Grim Tales, Horrific Vignettes take place at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 6 p.m. Friday and 2:30 p.m. Saturday (August 23 to 25) at .Zack (3224 Locust Avenue; www.stloufringe.com). Tickets are $15.

The 1983 fantasy film Krull is an incredibly earnest adventure story with beautiful sets, lavish costumes and dull execution. The plot is by-the-books: Prince Colwyn almost marries Princess Lyssa, but a group of killers dispatched by the Beast purloins her and then threatens the world from his teleporting fortress. Only a raggletaggle group of misfits and thieves can bring down the Beast and save both the princess and the world. There’s nothing particularly terrible about it — but there’s nothing particularly exciting about it either, other than Prince Colwyn’s magical weapon. The glaive looks like a super-sized throwing star, and Colwyn can control it with his mind. (Really, it should have received top billing.) The RiffTrax team (Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett and Kevin Murphy) lampoons the movie in a live broadcast at 7 p.m. Thursday, August 23, at the Marcus Wehrenberg Ronnies Cine (5320 South Lindbergh Boulevard); that broadcast is screened at 12:55 p.m. Saturday, August 25, at the AMC Chesterfield 14 (3000 Chesterfield Mall, Chesterfield; www.fathomevents.com). Tickets are $12.50.

SUNDAY 08/26 SATURDAY 08/25 St. Louis Blues Festival of Nations Icebreaker Summer can’t end in St. Louis without the International Institute’s Festival of Nations. The cultural celebration takes over Tower Grove Park (4256 Magnolia Avenue; www.iistl.org) from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday (August 25 and 26) with Polynesian dance, storytellers from around the world, demonstrations of cricket, gymnastics and martial arts, and, of course, food from from all points of the globe. The festival is proof that St. Louis is home to many peoples and faiths, and that that makes us stronger as a city and a community. Admission is free, but bring money for food and the vendor booths.

After a disappointing season last year (did anyone else just experience déjà vu?), the St. Louis Blues are set to start a new campaign. The season unofficially/officially gets going with the St. Louis Blues Icebreaker, a free party for fans at 5 p.m. Sunday, August 26, at Ballpark Village (601 Clark Avenue; www.stlballparkvillage.com). For new Blues Chad Johnson, Tyler Bozak and Ryan O’Reilly, it’s an opportunity to meet the fans, and vice versa. The team’s new third sweater will officially debut, and you can buy your own at one of the on-site merchandise stands. Entertainment is provided by the Charles Glenn Band, and fans can try out a 360-degree, virtualreality hockey experience and

WEEK OF AUGUST 22-28

The Rickmobile is heading to town. | COURTESY OF ADULT SWIM compete on the inflatable obstacle course. Current defenseman Colton Parayko, Blues legend Bob Plager and fan-favorite Cam Janssen will also be there, along with team leadership.

WEDNESDAY 08/29 Game of Thrones Night What could be better than George R.R. Martin delivering the longawaited sixth book in his A Song of Ice and Fire saga? How about Game of Thrones Night at Busch Stadium (700 Clark Avenue; www. stlcardinals.com)? Will that tide you over? On Wednesday, August 29, an official Game of Thrones Iron Throne will be at the stadium for photo ops before the team takes on the Pittsburgh Pirates, and a special bobblehead depicting a smiling Ozzie Smith seated atop a tiny Iron Throne will be handed out to those who’ve purchased promotional tickets ($22.90 to $100.90). This benevolent wizardking believes in a strong defense and the occasional demonstration of long-ball power when the chips are down. The game starts at 7:15 p.m.; regular tickets start at $10.90.

Rickmobile Rick, the more intelligent and far

more destructive half of the wildly popular Adult Swim TV show Rick and Morty, has taken on the form of a large truck dubbed the “Rickmobile,” and is now careening across the country on the “Don’t Even Trip” Road Trip 2018. 4 Hands Brewing Co. (1220 South Eighth Street; www.rickmobile. com) will host the intrastellar vehicle from 5 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, August 29. Inside the Rickmobile is a treasure trove of limited edition Rick and Morty merchandise, and it’s all for sale. You’re right, that does sound suspicious. Anytime Rick dabbles in commerce, he usually has an ulterior motive. The self-proclaimed “smartest man in the universe” is consumed by arms deals, microscopic amusement parks tucked inside a drifter’s body and countless schemes yet to be revealed. Do you risk becoming enraptured by all that dangerous craziness and crazy dangerousness? It may be worth it. The Rickmobile has offered inflatable Gwendolyn pool floats (the sex robot Morty acquires in “Raising Gazorpazorp”), T-shirts that depict the necessary steps for making the Plumbus and more. All of the merchandise is extremely limited, and the Rickmobile only accepts credit and debit cards — no cash. You’re welcome to dress up as your favorite character, but if the line grows too long it will be capped and not even your sweet-ass Birdperson costume can help stop it. n

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AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018

RIVERFRONT TIMES

AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018

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STAGE

[REVIEW]

The Man Who Could Be King St. Louis Shakespeare makes the imagined history of King Charles III all too relevant Written by

PAUL FRISWOLD King Charles III Written by Mike Bartlett. Directed by Donna Northcott. Presented by St. Louis Shakespeare through August 26 at the Ivory Theatre (7620 Michigan Avenue; www. stlshakespeare.org). Tickets are $15 to $20.

ing Charles III, Mike Bartlett’s imagined future history of the potential British monarch, begins with a funeral and ends with a coronation. In between those two milestones we witness a surprisingly non-traditional king spark a near-revolution, the imperilment of the royal family, the political maneuvering of both opponents and friends and an unlikely salvation wrought by an act of true love. That alone would be enough to give Bartlett’s drama a Shakespearean glow, but Bartlett underlines his intentions by using iambic pentameter throughout. Who knew that Charles, Prince of Wales, carried such terrific theatrical potential? St. Louis Shakespeare’s current production of the play more than fulfills that potential. In director Donna Northcott’s capable hands, Bartlett’s bold conjecture about what kind of king that Queen Elizabeth II’s oldest son might be becomes a fascinating morality story and a humanistic tragedy. A king is made and a country nearly destroyed, all because of one man’s fear of how history will remember him. That king is Charles (Colin Nichols). As the play opens, his mother is dead and the crown is now his, and he wants to make a huge impression in what time he has left. When a new law that will

Colin Nichols, as the eponymous title character, leads the cast of King Charles III. | RON JAMES limit the freedom of the notoriously voracious English press hits his desk for his ritual signature, Charles refuses to sign. (While the British monarchy is symbolic and wields no political power, the royal signature is a necessity for a law to take effect.) He believes a strong press is the last hallmark of a strong democracy, and while he would personally benefit from the change, he stands his ground. Thus begins a showdown between the king and the staunchly anti-royal Prime Minister Kristin Evans (Andra Harkins), with the country itself equally divided. Nichols wields an arsenal of awkward grimaces to depict Charles’ discomfort with the English practice of repressing emotion, even as he talks openly of his love for his sons, William (Michael Bouchard) and Harry (Jeremy Goldmeier). The boys are his most loyal subjects, refusing to argue for or against any

course of action out of respect for his paternal authority. Harry is mostly too preoccupied with his new “common” girlfriend Jessica (Britteny Henry) to do so, but William stands firm even when his wife Kate (Lexie Baker) urges him to take charge. She’s clearly the real force in their marriage. As firm and commanding as Charles wants to appear, he’s also unintentionally quite funny thanks to Nichols’ dry delivery. “I’m not prone to certainty,” he gravely tells the members of Parliament, even as he’s dissolving the legislative body by royal decree. He warns one turncoat, “I can wait a long time,” but his threat is only a reminder of his long-delayed ascent to the throne. The man who fears how history will remember him transforms from an ecologically friendly gentleman farmer to bellicose recluse surrounded by soldiers and tanks,

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which is the cruelest joke of all. Despite the very English setting and subject matter, there’s an eerie, through-the-lookingglass feeling to King Charles III. Charles risks everything to protect the press and nearly destroys his country, while America’s own king attacks the press at every turn and is currently destroying our country. Bartlett’s script, which was written in 2014, accurately predicted several important elements, such as Harry’s non-royal girlfriend and Charles dipping his toe in political matters by privately petitioning various government officials over the years, even as the royals are strictly forbidden from involving themselves in political matters. Can Bartlett’s imagined ending, in which a bold woman engineers the solution to all problems, also work on American soil? If so, God save the queens. n

AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018

RIVERFRONT TIMES

AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018

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FILM

[REVIEW]

When YA Becomes “Yay” Chloë Grace Moretz makes a gay conversion drama an affecting portrait of courage Written by

ROBERT HUNT The Miseducation of Cameron Post Directed by Desiree Akhavan. Written by Desiree Akhavan and Cecilia Frugiuele. Based on the novel by Emily M. Danforth. Starring Chloë Grace Moretz, Sasha Lane and Forrest Goodluck. Opens Friday, August 24, at the Landmark Tivoli Theatre.

lthough “young adult,” or YA, literature, has been so loosely defined as to include almost anything ever read by teenagers, one of the genre’s chief appeals is that it represents prob-

lems both real and fantastic as seen through the freshly opened eyes of the once innocent. The heroes and heroines are all young Holden Caulfields (though often less foulmouthed, bitter and cosmopolitan) on the verge of the great realization that things are not what they seem. Their relationships are unstable, their families carry dark secrets, adults and authority figures are not to be trusted and that cute guy who just showed up in English class is a vampire. The YA field has moved into films as well, from obvious examples like the Twilight and Hunger Games films to recent independent titles like Leave No Trace, Eighth Grade and now The Miseducation of Cameron Post, which is based on a popular 2012 novel by Emily Danforth and told firmly from the point of view of its teen-aged heroine. The film opens with a scene that looks like 1950s Americana, as teenagers in a Montana small town get ready for junior prom. That nostalgic bubble bursts within minutes; it’s 1993 and Cameron Post (Chloë Grace Moretz) is caught in the back seat in a clinch with her best friend Coley ... who is, yes, another girl. In what seems like a matter of days, Cameron’s

It’s 1993, and Cameron Post is caught in the back seat in a clinch with her best friend Coley ... who is, yes, another girl. rather distant family (she’s an orphan, living with relatives) ships her off to God’s Promise, a gay conversion center run by the ineffectual Reverend Rick and icy therapist Dr. Marsh. While enduring a curriculum that ranges from hellish pop-Christian banality to New Age psychobabble (students are encouraged to spend much of the year drawing a picture of their “iceberg,” where the SSA — that’s “Same-Sex Attraction” — is the part visible above surface), Cameron simply struggles to get along with her fellow students/inmates. Some are genuinely guilt-ridden true believers; others, like her friends Jane Fonda

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and Adam Red Eagle, are just biding their time until they can see a way out. Director Desiree Akhavan treats Cameron’s story with a light touch. God’s Promise isn’t something out of The Snake Pit and even Dr. Marsh, despite the bland, unreadable terror in Jennifer Ehle’s performance, is no malicious Nurse Ratched. It’s closer to The Breakfast Club, only without John Hughes’ class stereotypes. Avoiding the melodramatic, Akhavan lets Moretz carry the story with a kind of practical resignation, a refusal to toe the pseudospiritual line or bow to pressure. The story is slight, but Moretz turns it into a small portrait of courage. We see her disappointments, her moments of friendship and connection (working kitchen duty with Fonda and Red Eagle, they defiantly turn the radio away from bland Christian rock and share an exuberant performance of the 1992 Four Non Blondes’ hit “What’s Up?”) and most of all, a steadfast determination to remain true to herself no matter how absurd her surroundings. In the best self-conscious YA tradition, she matures in a hostile environment but remains standing. n

AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018

RIVERFRONT TIMES

THIS WEEK THE GROVE SELECTED HAPPENINGS

Day or night, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always something going on in The Grove: live bands, great food, beer tastings, shopping events, and so much more. Visit thegrovestl.com for a whole lot more of what makes this neighborhood great.

2 4 R RI VI VE ER RF RF RO ON NT T T IT MI ME ES S MF EJAUBRNRCEUHA2R104Y- -22680,-, M220A0R118C8 H r5ri,ivve2er0rf1frr8oonnt trt ti ivmmeeersfs.r.coconomtmt i m e s . c o m 28 RIVERFRONT TIMES AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018 riverfronttimes.com

WEDNESDAY, AUG 22

FRIDAY, AUG 24

321 COUNTDOWN WITH TASSANDRA KRUSH

$20, 6PM AT ATOMIC COWBOY

THURSDAY, AUG 23

$32-35, 7PM AT THE READY ROOM

THROWBACK HITS WITH DJ BRIAN LEWIN

$10, 8PM AT THE MONOCLE

9:30PM AT REHAB

10PM AT REHAB

SEOUL TACO, BYRD & BARRELL COLLAB DINNER $12-15, 7PM AT PARLORSTL

TAB BENOIT

SHELBY LYNNE

ARCH CITY BRASS

SATURDAY, AUG 25 ROCK WITH YOU! A SOULITION MJ TRIBUTE PARTY $6, 8PM AT THE READY ROOM

HAPPY HOUR 3–5pm Mon–Thu 9-Close Everyday

SCHLAFLY DRAFT............................ $3 SIX MILE BRIDGE DRAFT ............... $3 WELLS ................................................... $3 HOUSE RED/WHITE ......................... $3

SLIDERS (BEEF OR JANE) ...... 3 FOR $5 FRENCH FRY BASKET..................... $4 TRADITIONAL HUMMUS ................ $3 KRISPY KALE ...................................... $3

4130 MANCHESTER AVE. IN THE GROVE FIRECRACKERPIZZA.COM

SOUTHSIDE NACHOS ..................... $4 SPICY OR EDAMAME HUMMUS ........... $4

SUNDAY, AUG 26

WEDNESDAY, AUG 29

MICHAEL CLEVELAND & FLAMEKEEPER

LOUFEST LOCAL SHOWCASE, DRACLA, SCRUB, GRACE BASEMENT

DARLING WEST

THURSDAY, AUG 30

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REAL MEXICAN STREET FOOD Trivia Every Tuesday | Live Music Wednesday - Saturday (Never a Cover) 4069 Shenandoah Ave. | 314-696-2783 | thurmansinshaw.com

RIVERFRONT TIMES

AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018

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CAFE

[REVIEW]

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes The Wood Shack’s smoked-meat sandwiches are utter perfection Written by

CHERYL BAEHR The Wood Shack 1862 South 10th Street, 314-406-7441; Tues.-Wed. 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Thurs.-Sat. 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m.; Sun. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. (Closed Mondays.)

he sign above the Wood Shack’s front door tells you all you need to know about the place: “It doesn’t get better than this.” What, in fact, could be better than the “Soulard Primer,” a prime-rib sandwich that puts to shame every roast-beef sandwich that came before it? Hunks of inch-thick prime rib, kissed with hickory and mulberry-wood smoke and so tender you could butter your bread with them, are cooked to a quintessential, wellrested medium-rare. Grillers at the city’s top-dollar steakhouses should take note of such perfectly cooked beef. Had I been presented with a platter of the Wood Shack’s prime rib at one of these swanky, white-tablecloth establishments, I wouldn’t have batted an eye. Yet I was seated at a rustic wooden picnic table looking out onto one of Soulard’s most charming, tree-lined streets, devouring it at a casual sandwich shop. And it isn’t just the meat that makes the “Soulard Primer” a masterpiece. The prime rib is nestled into a warm French roll that balances a pillow-soft interior with a crisp, flaky crust. On top of the meat, bone-marrow aioli and bleucheese cream combine for a rich, slightly funky sauce. Charred onions underscore the bleu cheese’s earthiness and peppery arugula brightens the rich flavors. And somehow it gets even better than this: In place of the watery au jus that often accompanies roast-beef

Chef Chris Delgado’s creative sandwiches include the “Soulard Primer,” top right. You can also get a “Mac ’n’ Cheese Boat.” | MABEL SUEN sandwiches, the “Soulard Primer” comes with a large ramekin of thick, savory gravy made from meat drippings that’s as thick as beef stew. I swear I heard angels singing. If a sandwich shop is supposed to be a humble endeavor, Chris Delgado never got the memo. Instead, he’s imbued his year-and-ahalf-old quick-service restaurant with the sort of swagger typically reserved for more upscale establishments. That should come as no surprise in light of his résumé. A veteran chef who counts Shiitake, the St. Louis Club and One 19 North as former employers, Delgado has spent his entire restaurant career in fine dining. Around 2016, he started to feel like he was finished with that style of service and wanted to strike out on his own with a more casual concept. Delgado had begun experimenting with smoking meat as a way to assuage his homesickness. A native of southern Arizona, he grew up in a culture that used traditional Mexican smoking techniques and fell in love with cooking as he watched his family prepare meals for special occasions. When he moved to St. Louis around fifteen years ago, he left that heritage

behind, but it remained a part of him, even as he went on to cook vastly different styles of food. Delgado saw the local barbecue scene exploding, but he resisted that direction, even as he saw smoking as the key element of what he wanted to do. Instead, he settled on sandwiches as the vehicle to show off his skills, seeing them as both less limiting than traditional barbecue and a way to distinguish himself from the crowded smokehouse field. As he was scouting for a location, Delgado’s wife introduced him to Patrick McGinnis, a chef who owned the Soulard building that used to house his preparedfoods shop, Spring Center Gourmet. The pair clicked, and within a few months, they converted the space into the Wood Shack. (McGinnis has since moved to Florida and amicably turned over his portion of the partnership to Delgado and his wife, who are now the Wood Shack’s sole owners.) Delgado may be responsible for the Wood Shack’s menu, but he credits his wife for the restaurant’s inviting aesthetic. The interior is tiny, with room for one six-seater communal table and a wall ledge with stools. Exposed brick, corrugated metal and mis-

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matched wooden boards line the walls, which serve as a rustic backdrop for funky artwork. The restaurant’s unofficial mascot is a stuffed wild turkey that hangs from the ceiling over the communal table. It’s a cozy space, but the best seats in the house are at the bright-purple picnic tables on the leafy patio. Sitting at one under twinkling lights, a light breeze blowing as you look out onto tree-lined 10th Street, is one of St. Louis’ most underrated dining pleasures. But the real pleasure at the Wood Shack is its food. Though the “Soulard Primer” may be my personal favorite, its excellence is no outlier. The “Three Cheesy Pigs” is a pork-lover’s dream, pairing peppery, thick-sliced bacon with tender pulled pork and cherry-and-hickory smoked ham that balances the barbecued pork trifecta of sweet, salt and smoke. I would have been happy had Delgado slapped the ham on white bread and called it a day, but instead, he piles it with the bacon and pulled pork onto a French baguette with luscious comte cheese, pickled okra and pungent Champagne mustard. The accompaniments allow the pork to shine, but

AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018

Continued on pg 32

RIVERFRONT TIMES

THE WOOD SHACK Continued from pg 31

give it a bright accent. The smoked pork butt gets solo billing on the “Mule Kick,” a love song to Delgado’s Arizona. Creamy “Baja” slaw adds a backbeat of heat to the juicy pork that is stuffed into a sundried tomato wrap with salty cotija cheese. It’s a solid offering that showcases Delgado’s smoking prowess. If traditional chicken salad is the demure lunchtime fare of country clubs, the Wood Shack’s “Voodoo Chicken Salad” is made for raucous after-hours staff parties. Red-hot marinated chicken is tossed in mayonnaise; it makes the mixture creamy but does not mitigate the heat. Pickled onion and charred onion dress this fiery filling, which is served on griddled wheat bread that soaks up the spicy mayo like a sponge. I loved the flavors on the “Burley Which,” in which cumin-forward adobo-spiced pork belly is slathered with piquant tomatillo guacamole and garnished with crumbled pork rinds. However, the pork belly was tough and not easy to chew. I was almost able to over-

BREAKFAST. LUNCH. OPPORTUNITY.

The veggie wrap’s jackfruit is cherry-smoked, then accompanied by cotija cheese. | MABEL SUEN

look that, though, thanks to the accompanying over-easy egg, which gilds the meat with its silken yolk. The Wood Shack’s pastrami is briny, tender and infused with a whisper of clove. It’s good, but lacking the black-pepper bark I love in a good pastrami. However, the pungent cream-cheese mustard sauce gave enough of a kick I almost didn’t miss it. Had I been missing a peppery

kick on the pastrami, I would have found it on the “Ragin’ Cajun.” Maple-pecan-smoked turkey is dressed with pink-peppercorn dressing that has a sneaking, backof-the-palate heat that is more suggestive than overt. Creamy, smashed avocado and bourbonbacon jam form a delectable paste — a combination that takes the idea of a turkey-bacon club and turns it up to eleven.

Sides at the Wood Shack include a creamy house slaw that is amped up with chile heat and a potato salad that would be standard picnic fare were it not for the smoked potatoes. The pleasant, earthy flavor given to these spuds pairs well with the smoked meats. The standout, however, is the mac and cheese, a velvety, cheesy concoction of corkscrew noodles and three-cheese sauce, its richness cut with a liberal amount of crushed black peppercorns. Delgado hints that the Wood Shack might be a precursor for a more ambitious, Mexican-inspired concept, but he felt that St. Louis restaurantgoers first needed an introduction to his style of cooking, a taste of what he can do when he’s free to cook on his own terms. Build trust, he says, then bring folks along for the ride as he shows off his way around the fire, just like his mom taught him many years ago. It’s a good plan, but with sandwiches this wonderful, it’s hard to imagine how he could top himself. The Wood Shack is as good as it gets.

The Wood Shack “Voodoo Chicken Salad” ............................ $9 “Three Cheesy Pigs” ................................. $10 “Soulard Primer”....................................... $13

A social enterprise program of

Bloom Café serves a fresh take on casual dining while helping people with disabilities grow their independence through a unique job training program.

O R DER ON LI NE FO R PIC K UP OR DELI VE RY 5200 Oakland Ave. in St. Louis 314-65-BLOOM | thebloom.cafe Open Monday-Saturday, 7 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Just steps away from Forest Park and the St. Louis Science Center, Bloom Café serves breakfast and lunch six days a week.

HELPING SCHLAFLY NAME: Kevin Nash ROLE: Bartender YEARS WITH SCHLAFLY: 24 RESIDES IN: Maplewood WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT YOUR ROLE? One of the main reasons I like working here is the variety of people you meet.You have your regulars and locals and you also meet people from all over the country and the world. © 2018 The Saint Louis Brewery LLC, Saint Louis, MO

RIVERFRONT TIMES

AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018

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FEATURED DINING

6 RESTAURANTS YOU NEED TO CHECK OUT...

THE BLUE DUCK

THURMAN’S IN SHAW

314.769.9940 2661 SUTTON BLVD, MAPLEWOOD, MO 63143

314.696.2783 4069 SHENANDOAH AVE, ST. LOUIS, MO 63110

There aren’t many businesses named after Adam Sandler movies, but at the Blue Duck, the food is as whimsical as its “Billy Madison” reference. Originally founded in Washington, Mo., owners Chris and Karmen Rayburn opened the Blue Duck’s Maplewood outpost in 2017, bringing with them a seasonal menu full of American comfort-food dishes that are elevated with a dash of panache. Start the meal with the savory fried pork belly, which is rubbed with coffee and served with a sweet bbq sauce and root vegetable slaw. For the main event, the Duck’s signature DLT sandwich substitutes succulent smoked duck breast instead of the traditional bacon, adding fried egg and honey chipotle mayo along with lettuce and tomato on toasted sourdough. Save room for dessert; the Blue Duck’s St. Louberry pie – strawberries and blueberries topped with a gooey buttercake-like surface – is a worthy tribute to the Gateway City.

In January, Doug Fowler made big changes to Thurman’s in Shaw, and it’s paid off big time. A year and a half after taking over the old Thurman’s Grill location, Fowler switched from burgers and traditional bar fare to hearty handheld Mexican grub to great acclaim. Everything on Thurman’s menu now is designed for maximum portability – perfect for both full dinners and light bites on the go. The street tacos and giant burrito have earned love from Shaw residents, with tortillas bursting with a choice of mouthwatering meats, fish or vegetable mix plus all the fixings. Looking to scoop up deliciousness? Try Thurman’s chips with frijoles dip (traditional or vegetarian), spicy salsas, queso (chorizo or vegetarian) or smooth guacamole. Polish off a meal with churros sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and served with warm chocolate dipping sauce. Don’t forget drinks! Thurman’s goes well beyond its tasty margaritas, with plenty of craft cocktails, wines and beers available.

STONE TURTLE

J. SMUGS GASTROPIT

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314.349.1933 6335 CLAYTON AVE, ST. LOUIS MO, 63139

314.499.7488 2130 MACKLIND AVE, ST. LOUIS, MO 63110

At Stone Turtle, a classic American gastropub menu finds a way to fit right in with Dogtown’s Irish history. Principal owner and general manager Nick Funke drew on his years in the restaurant business in both St. Louis and New York and on Stone Turtle chef Todd Bale’s expertise to develop the signature menu. In a neighborhood known for burgers and drinks, Stone Turtle instead offers elevated dinners that are perfect for date night. Fried burrata serves as a much-lauded appetizer, exploding when a knife cuts into the breadcrumb-coated molten cheese. Mushroom gnocchi continues the cheesy goodness, mixing marsala mushrooms and garlic alongside spinach and goat cheese in tiny pasta curls. The highlight of the menu is the savory pork chop, cut thick and served with jus and creamy grits. But true to Dogtown roots, whiskey does take a star turn, with the Smoked Old Fashion appearing on many “must-try” lists in St. Louis.

Housed in a retro service station, J. Smugs GastroPit serves up barbecue that can fuel anyone’s fire. Married teams of Joe and Kerri Smugala and John and Linda Smugala have brought charred goodness to the Hill neighborhood, nestled among the traditional Italian restaurants, sandwich shops and bakeries. Part of St. Louis’ ongoing barbecue boom, the J. Smugs’ pit menu is compact but done right. Ribs are the main attraction, made with a spicy dry rub and smoked to perfection. Pulled pork, brisket, turkey and chicken are also in the pit holding up well on their own, but squeeze bottles of six tasty sauces of varying style are nearby for extra punch. Delicious standard sides and salads are available, but plan on ordering an appetizer or two J. Smugs gives this course a twist with street corn and pulled-pork poutine. Several desserts are available, including cannoli – a tasty nod to the neighborhood. Happy hour from 4 to 7pm on weekdays showcases half-dollar BBQ tastes, discount drinks, and $6 craft beer flights to soothe any beer aficionado.

CARNIVORE STL

BLOOM CAFE

314.449.6328 5257 SHAW AVE, ST. LOUIS, MO 63110

314.652.5666 5200 OAKLAND AVE, ST. LOUIS, MO 63110

Carnivore fills a nearly 4,000-square-foot space on The Hill with a dining area, bar lounge, and adjoining outdoor patio gracefully guarded by a bronze steer at the main entrance. Always embracing change, Joe and Kerri Smugala, with business partners Chef Mike and Casie Lutker, launched Carnivore STL this summer. As the Hill’s only steakhouse, Carnivore offers a homestyle menu at budget-friendly prices appealing to the neighborhood’s many families. Steak, of course, takes center stage with juicy filet mignon, top sirloin, strip steak and ribeye leading the menu. Customize any of the succulent meats with sautéed mushrooms, grilled shrimp, or melted housemade butters, such as garlic-and-herb and red wine reduction, on top of the flame-seared steak. Other main dishes include a thick-cut pork steak (smoked at J. Smugs) and the grilled chicken with capers and a white wine-lemon-butter sauce. St. Louis Italian traditions get their due in the Baked Ravioli, smothered in provel cheese and house ragu, and in the Arancini, risotto balls stuffed with provel and swimming in a pool of meat sauce. With an exciting new brunch menu debuting for Saturday and Sunday, Carnivore should be everyone’s new taste of the Hill.

A new restaurant with a meaningful cause has sprouted up near the Saint Louis Science Center. Bloom Café is a breakfast and lunch spot with a mission – empower people with disabilities through job training while providing a tasty menu full of sandwiches and sweets. An endeavor from Paraquad, a disability resources nonproft, Bloom Cafe makes good on its promises. Trainees work under culinary director Joe Wilson to prepare a variety of fresh dishes (including plenty of vegetarian and gluten-free options) that are perfect for a lunch date, a business meeting or a family meal before fun in Forest Park. For a morning jolt, try the breakfast burrito, stuffed with sausage, egg and pepperjack cheese and topped with tomato salsa. At lunch, the reuben stands out, making mouths water with a smoky, juicy corned beef brisket, sauerkraut, melted Swiss cheese and tangy Thousand Island sandwiched between swirl rye bread and toasted. A rotating array of pastries is available daily, but you’ll definitely want to pick up the cinnamon roll – cinnamon and sweet glaze make their way into every nook of the light dough for a delight in every bite.

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AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018

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RIVERFRONT TIMES

AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018

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SHORT ORDERS

[EXPERT OPINION]

Senada Grbic’s Guide to Bevo Mill Written by

CHERYL BAEHR

enada Grbic can’t help but smile when she recalls the childhood she spent running around the Bevo Mill neighborhood with her parents, brother and sister. “Really, the community is the best part of Bevo,” Gribc says. “The people are always welcoming, caring, supportive of local businesses. When I think of Bevo, I think of the butcher shop around the corner, the florist who has been there for every happy and sad occasion of my life, the artists who bring a sense of community, the coffee shops where you meet with family and friends. It’s where I grew up and is near and dear to my heart.” Having moved to St. Louis from their native Bosnia in the mid’70s and early ’80s, respectively, Grbic’s father and mother built a life for themselves in and around the Bevo Mill area. When the war broke out in Bosnia in the early 1990s, the formerly German neighborhood in south city welcomed their countrymen and women as refugees, integrating them into the fabric of the community. Coffee shops opened, bakeries fired up their ovens and the area was transformed into what many refer to as “Little Bosnia.” Though the family would go on to open their iconic Bosnian restaurant, Grbic, in neighboring Dutchtown, they still consider the Bevo Mill neighborhood to be home. And these days, it is home for Grbic — Lemmons by Grbic (5800 Gravois Avenue, 314-8999898), the restaurant she owns with her brother and sister, is located just down Gravois from the historic windmill that gives the neighborhood its name. Every day, as Senada Grbic uses the same butchers and bakeries her

Senada Grbic’s family came from Bosnia but found new life in Bevo Mill. Now she and her siblings own Lemmons by Grbic. | MONICA MILEUR family has been using since she was just a kid, she can’t help but feel fortunate to spend her days in such a wonderful place — one that she is eager to share through her picks for her essential Bevo. “This will let people know what it’s like to live there,” Grbic promises. “I went through a week of traveling around the neighborhood, and these are the places I visited. I’ve had a hard time pinpointing favorites because the best thing for me about Bevo is that it’s where I grew up. It’s family.” Europa Market 5005 Gravois Avenue, 314-481-9880 “This is my favorite import shop in the city because they carry products from all across Europe,” Grbic says. “It’s a one-stop shop for everything you need for a home-cooked meal. Plus, when I need something for my coffee collection, they have all of that there. I’ve been going since I was a kid. My dad used to let us buy all the chocolate we could fit in our arms!” Das Bevo 4749 Gravois Avenue, 314-832-2251 “It’s such an iconic landmark and it’s what the neighborhood

is named after. It’s what all of us associate with it,” Grbic explains. “The architecture brings to mind all of these warm, fuzzy memories of my grandma’s house. Now that they have redone it, I love going to outside shows on the patio. And now they are doing tours of the windmill — just ask after your dinner, and they will give you a tour of the windmill.” J’s Pitaria 5003 Gravois Avenue, 314-339-5319 “I love it here. It’s such a small, intimate, cozy place and gives you the feeling of being in Bosnia in a pitaria,” says Grbic. “It’s such a hidden gem. They open at 10 a.m., and we go there and get buttermilk and pita and either eat there or bring it home. I can make pita, but it is so time-consuming that it is nice to go to a place that can do it without me having to do it at home.” Mariscos el Gato 4561 Gravois Avenue, 314-282-0772 “I had trouble picking one of the great Mexican places that have been opening up in the neighborhood, but I love Mariscos el Gato,” says Grbic. “I like that you are able to get all of that fresh produce and fish. The platters and how they serve it is just amazing.”

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Golden Grain Bakery 4573 Gravois Avenue, 314-752-3004 “They do bread as well, but what I love about Golden Grain is that they have a small counter where you can get lunch,” Grbic says. “They are the friendliest women. You walk in and they say, ‘Hi, honey. What can I get for you today? How hungry are you?’ I love to go for a quick lunch and get the chicken sandwich. It’s made on a fresh, crispy hoagie Bosnian bun with mayo and cheese. My husband always gets the doner kabob on fresh bread, but really, you can’t go wrong here.” Infinity Hair Design 5216 Gravois Avenue, 314-352-4247 “There are two sisters who own this place. One of them is a family friend,” says Grbic. “I love walking in. There is this glamorous, luxurious feeling to the place. They are so friendly and sweet. You can get a quick touch-up or a full transformation here and they are always so polite and do a great job. It has such a traditional feel.” Sebilj of St. Louis 5000 Gravois Avenue “One of my favorite things about

AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018

Continued on pg 37

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Tuesdays SEPT 4–25 6–8pm Forest Park Museum’s North Lawn mohistory.org/twilight-tuesdays

FREE side of pasta with each sandwich purchase

2619 Cherokee St. St. Louis, MO 63118 | (314) 833 - 3034 Parmpasta.com

RIVERFRONT TIMES

AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018

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[SNEAK PEEK]

Cinder House Offers a Glimpse of South America Written by

LEXIE MILLER

he new restaurant Cinder House (999 North Second Street, 314-881-5759) from acclaimed St. Louis chef and restaurateur Gerard Craft is expected to open August 29 on the top floor of the Four Seasons Hotel downtown. The South American concept is one close to Craft’s heart: He grew up on many of the menu items thanks to his Brazilian nanny. Craft, who won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest in 2015, is trained in French cooking. But he credits much of what he knows about South American food to her. “As I started cooking professional I got to cook with her more and I really got to learn how to do a lot of these things,” Craft says. This knowledge led him to the concept for Cinder House, a restaurant centered around a wood-fired grill and South American comfort food. Even though a majority of the menu at Cinder House is totally new, a few dishes are making a comeback from Craft’s former restaurant Niche. These include “Dia’s Cheese Bread,” which is his take on the classic Brazilian pao de queijo, and the seasonal veg-

SENADA GRBIC Continued from pg 35

Bevo is seeing Sebilj Park,” says Grbic. “The Bosnian community made a replica of a famous water fountain in Sarajevo. It’s an iconic landmark, and if you are in Sarajevo, you go there and take a picture. Superstition says that if you drink from the fountain, you will return to Sarajevo. For St. Louis’ 250th birthday, the Bosnian com-

The newly renovated rooftop patio provides a terrific view of the Arch, its own bar and casual seating. | LEXIE MILLER etable risotto. A personal favorite of Craft’s that he expects to be a hit is the coxinha, or deep-fried chicken and Brazilian cream cheese, and the feijoada, the classic Brazilian stew of black beans and rice served with five different meats. “It’s one of the most soulful dishes on our menu,” says Craft. “It’s something I could eat every single day and not get tired of.” The Four Seasons’ Italian-inspired Cielo will be closing this month. Its space has been expanded for this new concept, as well as the rooftop bar, which now has more seating and an additional bar. The patio offers beautiful views of the Arch. Hours will be 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Cinder House will open at 11:15 a.m. on Fridays and close at 9 p.m. on Sundays. n

munity got together and raised money to build it as a gift so the city would know how thankful everyone is that they were welcomed and accepted.” Sana Bakery 4412 Morganford Road, 314-481-5356 “We’ve been getting our bread for Grbic from here since day one,” Grbic says. “When I opened Lemmons, I was looking at other bakeries and then thought, ‘We have Sana and they do such an amazing

The feijoada includes five different meats, including braised beef and ham hock. | LEXIE MILLER

job.’ They make their bread from scratch every day from traditional Bosnian recipes. It’s a small momand-pop operation, and they have no big equipment. They also have a tiny grocery store where you can grab coffee. When you walk in, the smell of fresh bread just hits you. It’s buttery and yeasty — one of my favorite things ever! When I bring it to work, my car smells like it for the whole day. On Saturdays, they make pita, but you have to get there by 8 a.m. because everyone goes early to get

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their bread for the weekend. It reminds me of being in Bosnia.” Grbic 4071 Keokuk Street, 314-772-3100 “OK, technically it’s in Dutchtown, but I had to put it on here because it is so near and dear to my heart,” Grbic says. “Even though I am over at Lemmons, I still feel like it is my restaurant home. I love it when I go and dad is sitting there, and we have coffee together. I love looking at all the brick and woodworking that he did. It’s home to me.” n

AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018

RIVERFRONT TIMES

SUNDAY BRUNCH For Reservations Call (314) 932-1034

3212 SOUTH GRAND BLVD WWW.BRASILIASTL.COM 314-932-1034

Authentic MexicAn Food, Beer, And MArgAritAs!

August 25 ................................................. Pappy with a Hatchet August 31 ...............................................................Whoa Thunder Sept 1 ................................................... AV and the Dirty Details Sept 8 ...................................................................... The Darrells Sept 15 ...............................................................................keokuk

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AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018

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2817 cherokee st. st. Louis, Mo 63118 314.762.0691 onco.coM www.tAqueriAeLBr

[ T R AV E L ]

U.S. Pizza Museum Has Provel Covered Written by

AIMEE LEVITT

he first thing you probably want to know about the U.S. Pizza Museum, which opened earlier this month in Chicago, is if it’s truly national, or if it’s just a propaganda tool for deep dish. The subtext is: Does this museum recognize other styles of pizza, like, say, St. Louis? Yes! Yes it does! St. Louis has its own entry on the list of regional pizzas, right along with Sicilian, Neapolitan, Detroit and Quad Cities, and there’s an Imo’s box on the pizza wall of fame. Provel is mentioned, but not in a derogatory manner. It’s legit. Kendall Bruns, the museum’s owner and proprietor, is that rare creature, a pizza agnostic. As a child, he was a picky eater, and the only food that consistently made him happy was pizza. His dad was in the U.S. Air Force and the family moved often, so he didn’t have a chance to become attached to one particular style. He loves and appreciates pizza in all its forms, and the museum is devoted to fostering that appreciation in others. There’s wall text describing the history of pizza and how it has evolved through time and geography. There are also plenty of representations of pizza, in photographs and in many other forms, including menus and boxes from classic pizza joints, board games, video games, children’s books, comic books, luggage tags, baseball caps, plastic figurines of the Pizza Inn mascot and the ShowBiz Pizza crew, sleeves from the Fat Boys’ first album and Lou Monte Sings Songs for Pizza Lovers, a DVD called The Original Video Pizza that promises “1 pizza-filled hour,” a protest sign that demands “Pizza not Patriarchy,” and a crocheted scarf that looks like a very long and very droopy slice of pepperoni. The whole effect can make a person very hungry. Unfortunately, there is no actual pizza. This made a woman who

U.S. Pizza Museum founder Kendall Bruns with items from the museum’s collection, which include an Imo’s box. | COURTESY OF THE U.S. PIZZA MUSEUM

knocked on the front door one day before the museum’s opening, attracted by the gigantic picture of a pizza in the front window, slightly cranky. “You’re a pizza museum that doesn’t have pizza?” she asks incredulously. The museum doesn’t have cooking facilities, Bruns explains. The space, located in an upscale shopping mall between a Loft and a LensCrafters, was previously a clothing store. Fortunately, in addition to his enormous collection of pizza memorabilia, Bruns possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of nearby pizzerias. “We’re not too far from Pat’s,” he says. “Is that good? It’s really thin, tavern-cut.” He rattles off several more recommendations in other parts of town: coal-fired in West Town, Detroit-style in Logan Square, the new Roman-style place in the West Loop that sells pizza by the pound. “They have really interesting toppings: salmon, octopus.” Soothed by Bruns’ pizza expertise and recommendations, the woman promises to come back to visit the museum after it opens. Then she disappears into the night, presumably in search of pizza.

“It’s not about ranking. I love so many different kinds, I wouldn’t want to pick just one.” Before Bruns moved to Chicago in 2010 from Cincinnati, all he knew about Chicago pizza was deep dish. That wasn’t what had attracted him: He was more interested in the local art and music scenes. He was, however, pleased to learn that there were many other local styles as he happily explored the city’s pizza scene, too. Then in 2012 he read an article that listed the top 25 pizzerias in the country. He realized he’d only visited two or three, which was a bit shameful for a pizza aficionado. He resolved to visit more of the places on the list. He’s also a fan of national parks — his other big project has been writing acoustic songs inspired by the various parks — and was happy to have guidance of where

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to eat when he traveled. Also, he says, “pizza tastes better after a long day of hiking.” He decided to collect memorabilia to commemorate the pizzerias he visited. And thus it began. Eventually, of course, his obsession grew beyond travel souvenirs. He began hunting for pizza-related ephemera at garage sales and on eBay. A friend who owned a toy store hooked him up with vintage games and action figures. In 2015, he began posting pictures of pieces from his collection online. The following year, he set up an exhibition at the first annual Chicago Pizza Summit, which attracted, among others, Andrew W.K. (A quote from W.K. from that event hangs on the Record Wall: “Pizza transcends food just like music transcends sound.”) “There was such a huge, positive response at the event and in the media,” Bruns says now. “I felt like I should take it more seriously.” Bruns was disappointed to learn that the Pizza Brain Museum of Pizza Culture already existed in Philadelphia. But, he reasoned, almost every city he visited had an art museum or a natural history

AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018

Continued on pg 40

RIVERFRONT TIMES

ALL KILLER. NO FILLER. HAND-CRAFTED SMOKED MEATS AND BREWS

A scarf resembling a droopy slice of pepperoni? You got it. | COURTESY OF THE U.S. PIZZA MUSEUM

PIZZA MUSEUM Continued from pg 39

Photography by JENNIFER SILVERBERG

RIVERFRONT TIMES

AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018

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museum. So why couldn’t there be multiple pizza museums? He began planning more events, mostly pop-up exhibitions, and began making guest appearances on podcasts. In a public library exhibit in the suburb of Niles, he finally had room to create display text that discussed the history of pizza, both in general and in Chicago. He got to know pizzeria owners, who taught him about the craft of pizza-making and donated old menus and pizza boxes so Bruns could see how prices and toppings have changed over time. (One of his prize possessions is a 2011 menu from the late, great Burt’s Pizza, legendary in Chicago for its caramelized cheese crust and for requiring customers to place their orders a day in advance.) The storefront location seemed like a natural evolution to, as Bruns says, “display the objects that are best at telling the story we want to tell.” (Yes, he’s a guy with experience working in art galleries.) In its current form, the U.S. Pizza Museum consists of three glass display cases and three display walls, plus a small gift shop that sells, among other things, T-shirts, pizza umbrellas and pool floats, and a triangular plastic pizza holder that you can wear on a lanyard around your neck. Bruns stores the remainder of his collection in a back room, and he may add more items during

the museum’s run, which will last at least until October, depending on the number of visitors. “I don’t think people understand how complicated pizza can be,” Bruns says. “It seems to be a simple thing, but you think about how it needs great dough, sauce, and toppings, plus the way it’s baked, and you realize how much craft goes into making it really well. When it’s good, there’s nothing better. The U.S. Pizza Museum celebrates all forms of pizza. It isn’t about us telling people what to like. We want other people to tell us what they like. It’s not about ranking. I want to shine a spotlight on the craft. I love so many different kinds, I wouldn’t want to pick just one.” Although some forms of pizza get more attention than others — New York style because it was the first on these shores, deep dish because Chicagoans feel as strongly about Uno’s and Lou Malnati’s as St. Louisans do about Imo’s — true to Bruns’ philosophy, all pizzas are treated with equal love. St. Louis pizza, for instance, “features Provel, a processed cheese blend of cheddar, Swiss, and provolone with a low melting point that gives it a gooey texture.” See, not derogatory at all! On a recent trip to St. Louis, Bruns sampled several local pizzerias, including Imo’s. He claimed to like them all. When pressed, however, he confessed that his favorite slice was the vegan offering at Pizza Head. “It was amazing,” he says. “If I went back there, that’s the slice I’d be ordering.” n

MUSIC AND CULTURE

[HOMESPUN]

Plugged In Falling Fences goes electric on new rock-infused album II Written by

CHRISTIAN SCHAEFFER

he two musicians at the core of Falling Fences have plenty in common — a love of rootsy American music and an easy melding of their voices, for starters — but Sean Canan and Joe Stickley look like an unlikely pair. Canan’s long hair, bushy beard and benevolent intensity make him seem a little like St. Louis’ own Doctor Teeth. His graying hair in an artful swoop, Stickley is a bit more buttoned-down, as befitting his day job as a math teacher. Every Sunday night Falling Fences plays at McGurk’s in Soulard; normally Canan and Stickley are joined by bassist John Hussung, who has become a regular part of a band that has sprung out of the initial duo. For Canan and Stickley, the weekly gig at McGurk’s is a relatively low-pressure gig that gives them time to workshop new songs in front of a receptive audience while still slinging out Irish drinking songs and assorted covers. If the camaraderie displayed on the narrow stage looks easy, that’s because it has developed over time. “Joe and I have been friends for twenty years and have been playing music together that long,” says Canan shortly before the band’s set. “There’s something about playing music with your brothers that makes it more spiritual or something — it’s more powerful.” Their friendship dates back to their undergraduate days at Mizzou and has led them through various musical incarnations over the years — Canan played as part of Stickley’s folk-oriented outfit Blue Print and Stickley occasionally joins Canan’s Wednesday-night covers set with his Voodoo Players at Broadway Oyster Bar. This fall marks the tenth anniversary of their weekly McGurk’s residency,

Falling Fences started as an acoustic duo, but has since evolved into a many-headed rock beast. | GEOFF STORY and Falling Fences is celebrating the occasion in fine style: Along with a recent opening gig for Little Feat at the Pageant, the band is releasing its second full-length, II, this month. “The way I see it is, we started doing this gig just the two of us, and then it was a weekly venue to play our original songs,” says Stickley. “But then it just became so tempting to have another rock band. We were away from it — I couldn’t imagine myself not playing acoustic guitar. But now, we talked when we were making this record and I said something like, ‘Fuck this acoustic shit. We’re gonna play some rock & roll for a while.’ And that’s what I think this is.” Indeed, on II, Falling Fences steps away from its acoustic origins and wraps Stickley’s voice and lyrics with twin-guitar energy and, on several tracks, electric piano and a full horn section. Canan notes that his weekly Voodoo Players tribute nights, in which he and a rotating cast of musicians tackle a single act’s songbook, helped plant the seeds for a more electric-guitar-focused album. “We had been doing Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers together over the last few years, and that’s an electric thing, and they were sort of our compass for the record,”

“When we were making this record I said something like, ‘Fuck this acoustic shit. We’re gonna play some rock & roll for a while.’ And that’s what I think this is.” Canan says. “Learning those songs intricately — why does it sound so good? That was a question we had and we went way in, trying to dissect the songs. If you want your stuff to sound like them, you have learn how they did it and apply it.” Canan’s fluency with some of the best American rock and pop music from the past 60 years is a boon to this record — most tracks hew close to an Americana/indie hybrid reminiscent of early Wilco, but the players will drop in the oc-

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casional reggae uptick of Beach Boys-inspired vocal arrangement. Stickley says that his songs are almost always dreamt up with an acoustic guitar, and Canan serves as midwife to make sure the song both conveys the spirit of Stickley’s lyrics and the energy of a live band. “I’ll be toying around with tunes, three or four or five at a time, and playing them on an acoustic guitar on the couch, trying to figure out where they’re going,” Stickley says. “I’ll go over there and even if I don’t feel like I have something ready to record, we record it. And before I know it, we have a basic structure. Basically, he gets the song off the floor in the hour we’re together.” As the hour approaches the Falling Fences’ showtime at McGurk’s, Canan reflects on the creative energy that comes out of the weekly gig, and how the setting has crept into the DNA of their songs. “This gig is so unique in the fact that the pub-song vibes are meant for a group of drunk people to sing along, and so we’ve sort of honed that skill in getting the crowd to sing with us,” says Canan. “So that is integrated into our original music. We always joke that we trick people into thinking they’ve heard the song before.” n

AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018

RIVERFRONT TIMES

Something new comes to LouFest this year: a stage featuring both local and national comedians. | THEO WELLING

[COMEDY]

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RIVERFRONT TIMES

LouFest Adds Comedy Stage for 2018 Written by

DANIEL HILL

his year’s LouFest experience will, at the very least, be good for a laugh. That’s not meant to be a dig. Quite the contrary, in fact, as in addition to a lineup that includes legendary rocker Robert Plant, beloved indie-rock act Modest Mouse and virtuoso blues guitarist Gary Clark Jr., LouFest is introducing an entirely new form of entertainment to this year’s festivities: a comedy stage. The Last Laugh Stage will feature ten local comedians and three national headliners — Matt Rife, Mia Jackson and Taylor Tomlinson — over the course of two days. Each comes with some serious credits to their name: Rife is an LA-based standup and cast member on MTV’s Wild ’N Out; Jackson was a semi-finalist on NBC’s Last Comic Standing who has also appeared on Comedy Central’s Inside Amy Schumer; and Tomlinson is a co-host of the Self-

AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018

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Helpless Podcast with a Netflix special set to air this summer. The inclusion of comedy in this year’s lineup comes through a partnership between LouFest, local comedy-centric entertainment and media company We Are Live! and St. Louis-based apparel company By Jack. We Are Live! co-founder Chris Denman, 34, also hosts the related St. Louis Live! alongside Travis Terrell on WGNU (920 AM) from 7 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. He says he initially reached out to LouFest organizers in March to see about adding comedy to the festival. Denman’s first LouFest experience came in 2016, and he was immediately impressed with the expansive operation. “It was just fun! Everybody got along, there wasn’t anything stupid happening as far as behavior — people just enjoyed themselves,” he says. “They have a great vendor area; they got all kinds of food. So to add to the experience, I just feel like comedy is such a uniting thing. It’s just one more way for people to enjoy themselves. “I don’t know that there’s a ton of ways to add to LouFest at this point,” he admits. “They’ve done a good job of maxing that out, you know?” LouFest’s founders were receptive to the idea. “We are always trying to come up with ways to move the festival forward in regards to programming,” says Mike Van Hee, managing partner of Listen Live

Entertainment, which hosts the fest on every year. “The comedy scene in St. Louis has taken off over the past few years, and we are excited to have them join our lineup and show our audience all the great comedic talent St. Louis has to offer.” Apropos for “Lou”Fest, the local comics on the agenda serve as a veritable who’s who of St. Louis’ comedy scene: Stephon Hightower, Angela Smith, Chris Cyr, Duke Taylor, Nathan Orton, Emily Hickner, Bobby Jaycox, Kenny Kinds, Tina Dybal and Rafe Williams will all perform. We Are Live! was able to use its deep ties in the local community to secure the city’s finest talent, Denman explains. If all goes well, Denman says, he hopes to include even more comedic offerings for next year’s festival. “We’d love to expand it next year. And if we think that it’s a success I think LouFest is open to that discussion too,” he says. “So we have a lot of potential tied up in this. That’s why we wanted to really blow it out with a great group of comics, and then also with the headlining talent too.” Above all, he simply hopes that a comedy stage will add to the overall LouFest experience. “My main thing is I hope people think it’s cool,” he says. “I’m so into comedy and I’m such a big fan ... It’s one of those things where I’m just like, ‘I think this is a great idea. I hope other people also feel that way.’” n

[CLOSINGS]

Kismet on Cherokee to Close Written by

DANIEL HILL

fter four years in business, Kismet Creative Center (3409 Iowa Avenue, 314-6968177) is closing its doors. The eclectic Cherokee Street record store and odds-andends shop, which first opened in September 2014, will close for good at the end of September. “It’s a financial issue, and not enough traffic,” says Tom Maher, 40, who co-owns the store with his longtime girlfriend Sonia Slankard. “If we had enough traffic we could keep this going, but, you know.” Kismet’s location on Iowa Street, just barely off Cherokee Street proper and with only Yaqui’s separating the two, made for fewer passersby than the couple could have expected had the store been on the main drag. Though Kismet is plainly visible from the larger street, Maher says the short distance may as well have been a chasm. “That’s a huge thing, absolutely. People don’t just walk by the store,” Maher says. “We put signs out there [on Cherokee], but I’ve watched people just walk right by it over and over without actually looking down.” Kismet came to its identity as a record store more by circumstance than by design. When the store first opened it was a center for arts and crafts. “Originally it was — it still is — but it was especially art-oriented,” Maher says. “It was Kismet Creative Center because you could come in and do crafts and stuff like that. But it didn’t pan out as much as we had hoped.” And when beloved Cherokee Street shop Apop Records closed in 2014 after ten years in business, Maher saw an opportunity. He had previously owned a record store in Durango, Colorado, before he moved to St. Louis; with Slankard’s encouragement he opted to shift his business strategy. The shop at that point, while still eclectic, became mostly a retail record store. Kismet stocked a wide variety of records, but specialized in weird

Kismet co-owner Tom Maher will continue to man the shop until its last day. | DANIEL HILL soundtracks and more experimental stuff, Maher says. And in addition to the music on hand, the shop sold a fair number of additional odds and ends: herbs, crystals, art, books, lotions. The couple even frequently let members of the community set up pop-up shops in front of the store to peddle their wares, whatever those wares were. But it’s perhaps the shop’s identity as a venue for live music that will be most missed by its customers. Over time the small space played host to between 150 and 200 shows, Maher estimates, mostly of the experimental or electronic variety. One artist in particular stands out to Maher. As the years have passed he’s forgotten the man’s name, but his performance is one he’ll never forget. “Every time he did a show it was something different. This happened to be some poetry that he had written in the morning after some kind of weird dream he had,” Maher says. “So he’s standing there in overalls and a T-shirt and shit, and he just starts reading what he had written that morning.” Then, unexpectedly, the show suddenly included something of a striptease element. “He starts unbuckling and unbuckling, and dropping the pants and lifting off the shirt — and still reading,” Maher continues. “And then he took this piece of cloth and cut a hole in the center of it and put it over his head. He continued reciting, and then lifted it up, and there was this fake flower — you

know the kind with the wiring? He had wrapped it around his penis. And then he put that back down and then jammed a drum solo for like twenty minutes. And that was the show.” Suffice it to say, that kind of anything-goes, let-your-freak-flag-fly atmosphere helped to make Kismet unique. And though Maher wishes more people would have appreciated the store’s offerings, he’s not bitter, just disappointed that things didn’t pan out. “I do have a quote from my girlfriend that she wanted me to put in there,” he says. “She said, ‘If they ask how you feel about it, tell them I’m pissed because people in the area and outside the area are more interested in craft beers than in actual crafts.’” There’s still time, though. Kismet is currently running a sale to cut down on some of its stock. Customers can purchase five used 45s for only $1, and CDs and books are half off. Maher says he will be returning any stock he got on consignment to those he consigned with, and he intends to push his new, unopened records online and at pop-up shops and record shows around town. Once he’ll be no longer tied down to the brick-and-mortar store, he and Slankard plan to do some traveling, and may even sling records out of their trunk. “We’re looking towards more adventure in general,” he says. “And hopefully still selling records will be a part of that. “This isn’t the end of Kismet,” he adds. “It’s just the end of this incarnation of Kismet.” n

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Wednesday August 22 9:30PM Urban Chestnut Presents

The Voodoo Players Tribute To Bob Marley Thursday August 23 9:30PM

Alligator Wine

Tribute To The Grateful Dead Friday August 24 Urban Chestnut Presents

The Return of Superjam! The #1 After Party

Following the Def Leppard, Journey & Cheap Trick Show at Busch Stadium.

UCBC DRAFT SPECIALS - 8 TO CLOSE. Saturday August 25 10PM

Funky Butt Brass Band Wednesday August 29 9:30PM Urban Chestnut Presents

The Voodoo Players

AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018

Thursday August 30

9PM

Grass is Dead

RIVERFRONT TIMES

AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018

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OUT EVERY NIGHT 314-328-2309. JOURNEY AND DEF LEPPARD: w/ Cheap Trick 6 p.m., TBA. Busch Stadium, 700 Clark Ave, St. Louis, 314-345-9600. MARQUISE KNOX BLUES BAND: 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. ME LIKE BEES: w/ Carter Hulsey, Gooding 8 p.m., $10. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. MULE MAN MASSEY: 7 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. RANDY ROGERS BAND: w/ Casey Donahew 7 p.m., $25-$45. Chesterfield Amphitheater, 631 Veterans Place Drive, Chesterfield. RENEE DION: 8 p.m., $10-$15. Ozark Theatre, 103 E. Lockwood Ave., St. Louis, 314-962-7000. ROLAND JOHNSON & SOUL ENDEAVOR: 8 p.m., $3. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. SHELBY LYNNE: 8 p.m., $32-$35. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. TAB BENOIT: 7 p.m., $25. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-0775. THE ULTIMATE HIP HOP SHOWCASE: w/ Tef Poe, Lil Taylor, E. Spinks, Eugeno 8 p.m., $10-$15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

[CRITIC’S PICK]

Matthew Ryan. | SCOTT SIMONTACCHI

Matthew Ryan 8 p.m. Thursday, August 23. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue. $15. 314-773-3363. Maybe you were paying attention in the late ’90s when a young songwriter from Chester, Pennsylvania, released his debut album May Day to the kind of accolades that in his smoked-out heart of hearts he knew portended no good. More than likely you weren’t, which means you’re lucky enough to discover Matthew Ryan today. He’s still at the height of his lyrical and

THURSDAY 23

AN UNDER COVER WEEKEND 12: NIGHT 1: 7 p.m., $15. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. THE BLACKLIST REGULARS: w/ Shock the Junkie 7 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. BOOGIE ON THE BOULEVARD: 5 p.m., free. The Boulevard-Saint Louis, S. Brentwood Blvd. & Galleria Parkway, Richmond Heights, 314-558-4151. CITY WIDE SOUNDS: w/ The Trophy Mules, Andrew Ryan & the Travelers, Millie 8 p.m., $5. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. THE FIBS: w/ Mother Meat, Sunwyrm 9 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. G.O.A.T.: w/ Yr Mom 8 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. KILVEREZ: w/ Astral Moth, Motherfather, Van Buren 7 p.m., $7-$10. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. LOBSTER & THE CRABS: 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. MATTHEW RYAN: 8 p.m., $15. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. PATTI: w/ Shux 10 p.m., $5. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. RICH MCDONOUGH & THE RHYTHM RENEGADES: 8 p.m., $3. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

performing powers. Songs and ideas and arrangements pour out of insanely prolific Ryan, and they’re all worth hearing. Like his heroes Joe Strummer and Bob Dylan, he writes and sings songs to change his audience, to move them as only fierce, unfiltered, unflinching emotion can. Don’t miss him this time. Rock This Town: Ryan’s rare appearances in St. Louis have been largely solo acoustic. This time he’s bringing his band, which means his songs will take on a whole new, electric life. –Roy Kasten

STRUNG OUT: w/ MakeWar 8 p.m., $18-$20. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. TOM HALL: 4 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. VICKY MICHAELS & EDICKS WAY BLUES BAND: 10 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. YUNO: 8 p.m., $12-$15. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929.

FRIDAY 24

AN UNDER COVER WEEKEND 12: NIGHT 2: 7 p.m., $15. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. BACK 2 SCHOOL BASH: w/ Jake’s Mistakes, Away From Reason, The Open Books, Honey Stache, Oversleeping, Ending Orion 6 p.m., $10-$15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. COWBOY MOUTH: 8 p.m., $20-$35. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. EARTH, WIND & FIRE: 6 p.m., $40.50-$226. Stifel Theatre, 1400 Market St, St. Louis, 314-499-7600. EILEN JEWELL: 8 p.m., $15. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. THE FEW: w/ Inner Outlines, Marriott, Luxora 6:30 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. GRÜN WASSER: w/ Sea Priestess, Databank 9 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. HOUDINI: w/ Old Hand, Beyonder 9 p.m., $5. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis,

SATURDAY 25

ABIGAIL WILLIAMS: w/ Ghost Bath, WOLVHAMMER 6 p.m., $15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. ALL ROOSTERED UP: 8 p.m., $5. Hwy 61 Roadhouse and Kitchen, 34 S Old Orchard Ave, Webster Groves, 314-968-0061. AN UNDER COVER WEEKEND 12: NIGHT 3: 7 p.m., $15. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. ANDY SYDOW BAND: 7 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. BILL MAHER: 8 p.m., $45-$125. The Fox Theatre, 527 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 314-534-1111. BLIND ADAM & THE FEDERAL LEAGUE: w/ Bassamp & Dano, the Fighting Side, Powerline Sneakers 8 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. COWBOY MOUTH: 8 p.m., $20-$35. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. HONYOCK: w/ Seashine 9 p.m., $7. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. LIVERPOOL LEGENDS: w/ Clar & Gigi Monaco 8 p.m., $40-$100. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. LUKE BRYAN: w/ Sam Hunt, Jon Pardi, Morgan Wallen 6 p.m., TBA. Busch Stadium, 700 Clark Ave, St. Louis, 314-345-9600. MIKE MATTHEWS PROJECT: 9 p.m., free. Nightshift Bar & Grill, 3979 Mexico Road, St. Peters, 636-441-8300. NIALL HORAN: w/ Maren Morris 6 p.m., TBA. Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, I-70 & Earth City Expwy., Maryland Heights, 314-298-9944. PAPPY WITH A HATCHET: 7 p.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521. ROCK WITH YOU: A SOULITION MJ TRIBUTE PARTY: w/ James Biko 8 p.m., $6-$10. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. ROCKY & THE WRANGLERS: 4 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. SKEET RODGERS & INNER CITY BLUES BAND: 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. A TRIBUTE TO KEM AND CHRISETTE MICHELE: 7 p.m., $20. Voce, 212 S. Tucker Blvd., St. Louis, 314-435-3956. WOLF PARADE: 8 p.m., $25-$30. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.

SUNDAY 26

BIRDTALKER: 8 p.m., $12-$15. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. CAUSE FOR PAWS BENEFIT: noon, $15. BB’s Jazz,

[WEEKEND]

BEST BETS

Five sure-fire shows to close out the week

FRIDAY, AUGUST 24 Drekka w/ Kevin Harris, Blank Thomas, Carter Frerichs 9 p.m. Flood Plain, 3151 Cherokee Street. $5. No phone.

For well over two decades, noisefolk artist Drekka has drip-fed long, ambient cuts built from a mass of both electronic and acoustic sources to the masses. Whether crafted in a bedroom, a studio or in front of a live audience, composer Mkl Anderson has managed to mold a multiverse by hitting the record button just about everywhere. Yet sifting through the backlog still gives the impression of careful curation — a canon of sound sculptures that stand the test of time.

Grün Wasser w/ Sea Priestess, Databank 9 p.m. Foam Coffee and Beer, 3359 South Jefferson Avenue. $5. 314-772-2100.

Frantic voices howl atop a kinetic backline of bass and thud in Grün Wasser, the experimental trip-hop union of Chicago performers Keely Dowd and Essej Pollock. The two work together like fresh glue, delivering haunting vocals over a backdrop of pulsing, near-industrial synths. There’s a gothic undertone here that thankfully isn’t driven to the point of distraction, and that’s the key with this duo: subtlety. These songs have tendrils that grow, easing into an expanse of sound.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 25 Acid Leather w/ Slusk, Lumpy and the Dumpers, Unspeakable 9:30 p.m. RKDE, 2847 Cherokee St. $5. 314-669-9240.

Acid Leather brings the kind of unrelenting shred heard in grind bands whose songs range from ten to twenty seconds, yet its endurance test of warped riffing and precision blast beats can stretch for more than a few minutes at a time. St. Louis’ own salted slug punks in Lumpy in the Dumpers leave a slimy trail by bringing a more direct if simple approach to its songs. And that’s the deal with this night — it’s a four-

Continued on pg 48

riverfronttimes.com

AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018

Continued on pg 50

RIVERFRONT TIMES

LOOK WHO’S LAUGHING! Tom Dustin Jim Florentine Joe Kilgallon Jim Florentine Jordan Rock Matt Holt 22 - 24 4 APRIL 19-22 A P R I L 1 1 - 1 5 M A R C HM2A2 R- C2 H

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• THE BINGLE SHOW PODCAST • SHOWTIME’S M A R TOMMY C H 3 0CHONG - 3 1 SHOW •HOST ON BOB & TOM SHOW • VOTED BEST MALE COMIC BY M A R TIMES CH 30-31 THE RIVERFRONT

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Duke’s Photos by Big Stu Media

ENTS PRES

SATURDAY

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AUG. 25

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AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018

RIVERFRONT TIMES

[CRITIC’S PICK]

Earth, Wind & Fire. | VIA ARTIST WEBSITE

Earth, Wind & Fire 6 p.m. Friday, August 24. Stifel Theatre, 1400 Market Street. $40.50 to $226. 314-499-7600. A lesser band might have called it quits when its founder and driving creative force shuffled off this mortal coil, but Earth, Wind & Fire is no mere band. The nearly 50-year-old act is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-certified musical institution with six Grammy wins and seventeen nominations under its belt, boasting more than 90 million records sold, making it one of the best-selling groups of all time. And so it makes sense that the February 2016 passing of bandleader Maurice White — who, to be fair, had stopped touring with the group in the ’90s after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s dis-

OUT EVERY NIGHT Continued from pg 45

Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314436-5222. DARLING WEST: 8 p.m., $10-$12. The Monocle, 4510 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-935-7003. DK THE DRUMMER: w/ Sucré 8 p.m., $12-$15. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. GESTALT: w/ MotherFather, White Hen 8 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. THE GODDAMN GALLOWS: 7 p.m., $12-$15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. LOVE JONES “THE BAND”: 8:30 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. THE MATTSON 2: w/ Astronauts etc. 7 p.m., $10-$12. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. MICHAEL CLEVELAND & FLAMEKEEPER: 7 p.m., $14.50-$18. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-0775. RYAN KOENIG & FRIENDS: 1 p.m., free. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. VIOLENT OPPOSITION: w/ Terminal Island, Stone Eater, Who Goes There 7 p.m., $7. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. WALKNEY: w/ Pollyanna 6 p.m., $12. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. ZAFIRA STRING QUARTET: 7 p.m., $10. Ozark Theatre, 103 E. Lockwood Ave., St. Louis, 314-962-7000.

RIVERFRONT TIMES

AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018

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ease — did little to slow things down. White’s brother, bassist Verdine White, is now the group’s only founding member, though he is joined by longtime drummer Ralph Johnson and singer Philip Bailey, who have each been with the band since the ’70s. Earth, Wind & Fire’s live lineup today swells to a dozen or so players on stage, dutifully delivering the high-energy, funky tunes that have allowed the band to endure. Nostalgia Will Do: Earth, Wind & Fire has continued to churn out records over the decades, including a Christmas album in 2014. Maurice White was involved in some way on all of them. It is unclear whether the group will continue to release new material, but its deep back catalog will provide plenty to keep fans dancing. –Daniel Hill

MONDAY 27

HALF TRAMP: w/ Melissa Jones, Waterproof, Toaster 8 p.m., $5-$7. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. MOBILE DEATHCAMP: 7 p.m., $12-$14. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. THIRD SIGHT “SPECIAL EDITION”: 8 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.

TUESDAY 28

BLACK & WHITE BAND: 9 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. (HED) P. E.: 7 p.m., $15-$17. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. KID CONGO AND THE PINK MONKEY BIRDS: w/ Slim Cessna’s Auto Club 8 p.m., $12. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. LEFT BEHIND: w/ Lowered AD, Bardock, Polterguts 7 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. MAD KEYS: w/ Saylor Surkamp, Syna So Pro, Big Step 8 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100.

WEDNESDAY 29

ADAMS/BUCKO: w/ Blank Thomas, JoAnn McNeil 9 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. BIG RICH MCDONOUGH & RHYTHM RENEGADES: 9 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. COUNTERPARTS: w/ Being As An Ocean, Have Mercy, Varials 7 p.m., $18. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

[CRITIC’S PICK]

An Under Cover Weekend 2018 7 p.m. Thursday, August 23, Friday, August 24, and Saturday, August 25. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Boulevard. $15. 314-726-6161. Turning twelve years old is hardly anyone’s idea of a good time — a lethal mix of puberty and insecurity makes most of us grateful for the encroachment of middle age. But like most twelve-yearolds, An Under Cover Weekend is using its time of transition to continue to experiment with its identity. Mike Tomko’s long-running tribute weekend had long been the provenance of local rock LOUFEST LOCAL SHOWCASE: w/ Dracla, Scrub, Grace Basement 8 p.m., $5. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. THE MOMS: 7 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. SADIE HART & THE HIGH VIBES: 8 p.m., free. Evangeline’s, 512 N Euclid Ave, St. Louis, 314-367-3644. SAWYER FREDERICK: 8 p.m., $18-$28. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. SORRY PLEASE CONTINUE: 8 p.m., $5. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. SY SMITH: 8 p.m., $20. .Zack, 3224 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-533-0367.

THIS JUST IN A TRIBUTE TO THE 25 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF UNCLE TUPELO’S “ANODYNE”: W/ Melody Den, Grace Basement, Trophy Mules, Native Sons, The Fighting Side, the Vondrukes, Thu., Oct. 4, 8 p.m., $12. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. ADAMS/BUCKO: W/ Blank Thomas, JoAnn McNeil, Wed., Aug. 29, 9 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. THE ALARM: Tue., Nov. 6, 8 p.m., $20. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. ALEXANDRE DOSSIN: Thu., Sept. 6, 7 p.m., free. The 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., University City, 314-421-3600. ALL GET OUT: W/ Homesafe, Household, Sunsleeper, Wed., Nov. 14, 7 p.m., $12-$15. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. THE ALLEY TONES: Thu., Aug. 30, 9 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. ANDY SYDOW BAND: Sat., Aug. 25, 7 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. ARC IRIS RELEASE SHOW: W/ Tristen, David Beeman, Sat., Nov. 3, 8 p.m., $12. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. ASSUMING WE SURVIVE: W/ Riot Child, Dose, Conman Economy, Fri., Nov. 16, 6 p.m., $12-$15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. AUBURN KISS: W/ People Seen in Cars, Sat., Sept. 29, 9 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. BACK 2 SCHOOL BASH: W/ Jake’s Mistakes, Away From Reason, The Open Books, Honey Stache, Oversleeping, Ending Orion, Fri., Aug. 24, 6 p.m., $10-$15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. BADFISH: A TRIBUTE TO SUBLIME: Fri., Oct. 12, 8 p.m., $20-$23. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. BAYSIDE: W/ Golds, Fri., Feb. 1, 9 p.m., $22-$25. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. BIG RICH MCDONOUGH & RHYTHM RENEGADES: Wed., Aug. 29, 9 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. BLACK & WHITE BAND: Tue., Aug. 28, 9 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. BLIND ADAM & THE FEDERAL LEAGUE: W/ Bassamp & Dano, the Fighting Side, Powerline Sneakers, Sat., Aug. 25, 8 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer,

bands paying tribute to guitar heroes of yore, but the last few years have also seen the city’s hip-hop and R&B talents pay homage to their heroes. This year’s three-night stand will feature sets by Tre G performing Usher’s songs, Mathias & the Pirates honoring De La Soul, and the unbeatable Theresa Payne channeling Whitney Houston. A Decade a Day: As in years past, AUCW is organized by decade: ’80s on Thursday, ’90s on Friday and the 2000s on Saturday. Visit undercoverweekend.com for a full lineup. –Christian Schaeffer

3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. BOXCAR: W/ Tim Leavy, Kvar Black Blues, Sat., Sept. 8, 8 p.m., free. CBGB, 3163 S. Grand Blvd., St. Louis. BRETT YOUNG: W/ Tyler Rich, Rachel Wammack, Sun., Nov. 18, 7 p.m., $30-$35. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. BREWTOPIA: Sat., Sept. 8, 9 p.m., free. Nightshift Bar & Grill, 3979 Mexico Road, St. Peters, 636-441-8300. CAUSE FOR PAWS BENEFIT: Sun., Aug. 26, noon, $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. COVEN: DARK ENTRIES: W/ DJ Dorian Dolore, DJ Skeletal, DJ Digital, Sat., Sept. 8, 8 p.m., free. Red Fish Blue Fish, 7 Hawks Nest Plaza, St Charles, 636-947-4747. COVEN: HALLOWEEN: DJ Dorian Dolore, DJ Digital, Sat., Oct. 20, 10 p.m., free. HandleBar, 4127 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314-652-2212. DIESEL ISLAND: Sun., Sept. 9, noon, free. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. EZZEY6: Thu., Sept. 20, 7 p.m., $10-$15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. GESTALT: W/ MotherFather, White Hen, Sun., Aug. 26, 8 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. GRAYS DIVIDE: W/ Abaddon, Wed., Sept. 5, 7 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. HALESTORM: W/ In This Moment, Thu., Nov. 29, 7 p.m., $46.50. Stifel Theatre, 1400 Market St, St. Louis, 314-499-7600. HALF TRAMP: W/ Melissa Jones, Waterproof, Toaster, Mon., Aug. 27, 8 p.m., $5-$7. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. HOBO JOHNSON & THE LOVEMAKERS: Tue., Oct. 30, 7 p.m., $25-$28. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. HOUDINI: W/ Old Hand, Beyonder, Fri., Aug. 24, 9 p.m., $5. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. HOUNDMOUTH: Wed., Sept. 12, 8 p.m., free. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. ILIZA: Sat., Oct. 20, 10 p.m., $35. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. JAKE’S LEG: Sat., Sept. 29, 9 p.m., $10-$12. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. JOCELYN & CHRIS ARNDT BAND: Fri., Aug. 31, 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. KAIJU KILLERS: W/ Slow Ocean, No Concern, Treading Oceans, No Good Hoods, Sat., Oct. 27, 6 p.m., $10-$12. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. KEVIN GATES: W/ Yung Bleu, Fri., Nov. 2, 8 p.m., $40-$45. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. KOPLANT NO: Fri., Sept. 21, 7 p.m., free. The 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., University City, 314-421-3600. LEFT BEHIND: W/ Lowered AD, Bardock, Polterguts, Tue., Aug. 28, 7 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. LEROY JODIE PIERSON: Fri., Aug. 31, 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway,

Continued on pg 50

STL’s Hottest DJ Dance Party! THURS - FRIDAY - SATURDAY

Duke’s Photos by Big Stu Media

Always Fun and Games on the Patio

AT THE CORNER OF MENARD & ALLEN IN THE HEART OF HISTORIC SOULARD FIND OUT ALL THAT’S GOING ON @DUKESINSOULARD

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AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018

RIVERFRONT TIMES

lunch specials mon–fri monday : Charbroiled Chicken Breast, Ranch & Bacon Pasta Salad, Broccoli tuesday : AfterBurner ( 2 Tamales Smothered in Chili & Topped with Onion, Tomato and Shredded Provel )

Wednesday : Homemade Salisbury Steak, Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, Vegetable Thursday : Opened Faced Turkey, Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, Vegetable Friday : BBQ Pork Steak, Homemade Potato Salad, Corn Cobbette shadyjackssaloon.com

1432 N Broadway

THIS JUST IN

Continued from pg 49 St. Louis, 314-436-5222. LIKE MOTHS TO FLAMES: W/ Oceans Ate Alaska, Phinehas, Novelists, Wed., Nov. 28, 6 p.m., $16. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. LJ WHITE: Thu., Sept. 27, 7:30 p.m., free. The 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., University City, 314-421-3600. LOVE A LITTLE LOUDER! A FREE MUSICAL MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS RALL: W/ The Wilhelms, Cree Rider Family Band, Justin Johnson, Sat., Sept. 15, 8 p.m., free. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. LOVE JONES “THE BAND”: Sun., Aug. 26, 8:30 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. MAD KEYS: W/ Saylor Surkamp, Syna So Pro, Big Step, Tue., Aug. 28, 8 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. MICHIGAN RATTLERS: Wed., Oct. 10, 8 p.m., $15. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. MORNING IN MAY: W/ Half Gallon and the Milk Jugs, Mild Martian, Relynness, $5-$10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. PERSEID STRING QUARTET: Sun., Sept. 16, 7 p.m., $5-$15. The 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., University City, 314-421-3600. REGULUS: W/ Sound Division, Sixes High, Thu., Sept. 27, 8 p.m., $5. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. RICHIE RAMONE: Sun., Oct. 7, 8 p.m., $15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. ROCKY & THE WRANGLERS: Sat., Aug. 25, 4 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. RUSTON KELLY: W/ Katie Pruitt, Sun., Nov. 18, 8 p.m., $12-$15. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. SCHOLA ANTIQUA CHICAGO: Fri., April 26, 8 p.m., $19-$42. Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, 4431 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 314-373-8200. SILVIAN ITICOVICI: Sun., Sept. 23, 7 p.m., free. The 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., University City, 314-421-3600. SKEET RODGERS & INNER CITY BLUES BAND: Sat., Aug. 25, 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. SLOW OCEAN: W/ the Underground Lemon Experience, Broken Kingdom, Send Me Home, New Day Pops, Fri., Sept. 28, 6 p.m., $10-$12. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. SOLID AS A ROCK: Fri., Sept. 7, 8 p.m., $10-$12. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. SORRY, SCOUT EP RELEASE: W/ Tonina, YOU-

Continued from pg 45

rounding out what’s sure to be one of many memorable rallies leading to the next election.

course meal of hardcore ranging from bloody rare to well done.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 26

Rock the Vote Fest

5 p.m. El Lenador, 3124 Cherokee St. $5. 314-875-9955.

Even with all the reasons to be registered to vote, some people still let their voter status lapse or simply don’t bother. The spectrum of bands on hand for this show — Chin Up Kid, Calloway Circus, Down Swinging, Nothing Still, Mental Fixation, the Stars Go Out, Divide the Empire, Malibu Band and the Lug — all strongly suggest that you exercise your right to vote. Even so, the lineup stands on its own as a veritable music festival worthy of your eyes and ears. And your mouth, if the Boardwalk Waffles & Ice Cream tent outside is any indication. Travis Major adds a visual element with live art rendered throughout the show,

RIVERFRONT TIMES

AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018

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THIS WEEK

ABIGAIL WILLIAMS: W/ Ghost Bath, WOLVHAMMER, Sat., Aug. 25, 6 p.m., $15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. ADAMS/BUCKO: W/ Blank Thomas, JoAnn McNeil, Wed., Aug. 29, 9 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. ALL ROOSTERED UP: Sat., Aug. 25, 8 p.m., $5. Hwy 61 Roadhouse and Kitchen, 34 S Old Orchard Ave, Webster Groves, 314-968-0061. AN UNDER COVER WEEKEND 12: NIGHT 1: Thu., Aug. 23, 7 p.m., $15. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. AN UNDER COVER WEEKEND 12: NIGHT 2: Fri., Aug. 24, 7 p.m., $15. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. AN UNDER COVER WEEKEND 12: NIGHT 3: Sat., Aug. 25, 7 p.m., $15. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. ANDY SYDOW BAND: Sat., Aug. 25, 7 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. BACK 2 SCHOOL BASH: W/ Jake’s Mistakes, Away From Reason, The Open Books, Honey Stache, Oversleeping, Ending Orion, Fri., Aug. 24, 6 p.m., $10-$15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. BIG RICH MCDONOUGH & RHYTHM RENEGADES: Wed., Aug. 29, 9 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. BILL MAHER: Sat., Aug. 25, 8 p.m., $45-$125.

BEST BETS

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Sissy Spacek w/ Ghost Ice, Toto, Ulrike Sissy Spacek’s sincere brand of brutality is hard to grasp on record. That’s not to say that group’s new album, Ways of Confusion, is compromised in any way. It’s just that the audible blow is lessened when taken out of context. Composer John Wiese takes to the bass to elevate this grindcore act into a pervasive kind of performance art, and that approach could only work with the help of a maniacally gifted drummer in Charlie Mumma. Opening act Toto, formerly DJ Dog Dick, adds levity to the show by supplying plenty of opportunities to dance between sets of sordid noise. A mid-summer nightmare, to be sure. –Joseph Hess

The Fox Theatre, 527 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 314-534-1111. BLACK & WHITE BAND: Tue., Aug. 28, 9 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. THE BLACKLIST REGULARS: W/ Shock the Junkie, Thu., Aug. 23, 7 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. BLIND ADAM & THE FEDERAL LEAGUE: W/ Bassamp & Dano, the Fighting Side, Powerline Sneakers, Sat., Aug. 25, 8 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. BOOGIE ON THE BOULEVARD: Thu., Aug. 23, 5 p.m., free. The Boulevard-Saint Louis, S. Brentwood Blvd. & Galleria Parkway, Richmond Heights, 314-558-4151. CAUSE FOR PAWS BENEFIT: Sun., Aug. 26, noon, $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. CITY WIDE SOUNDS: W/ The Trophy Mules, Andrew Ryan & the Travelers, Millie, Thu., Aug. 23, 8 p.m., $5. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. COUNTERPARTS: W/ Being As An Ocean, Have Mercy, Varials, Wed., Aug. 29, 7 p.m., $18. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. COWBOY MOUTH: Fri., Aug. 24, 8 p.m., $20-$35. Sat., Aug. 25, 8 p.m., $20-$35. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. DARLING WEST: Sun., Aug. 26, 8 p.m., $10-$12. The Monocle, 4510 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-935-7003. DK THE DRUMMER: W/ Sucré, Sun., Aug. 26, 8 p.m., $12-$15. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. EARTH, WIND & FIRE: Fri., Aug. 24, 6 p.m., $40.50-$226. Stifel Theatre, 1400 Market St, St. Louis, 314-499-7600. EILEN JEWELL: Fri., Aug. 24, 8 p.m., $15. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. THE FEW: W/ Inner Outlines, Marriott, Luxora, Fri., Aug. 24, 6:30 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. THE FIBS: W/ Mother Meat, Sunwyrm, Thu., Aug. 23, 9 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. G.O.A.T.: W/ Yr Mom, Thu., Aug. 23, 8 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. GESTALT: W/ MotherFather, White Hen, Sun., Aug. 26, 8 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. THE GODDAMN GALLOWS: Sun., Aug. 26, 7 p.m., $12$15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. GRÜN WASSER: W/ Sea Priestess, Databank, Fri., Aug. 24, 9 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. HALF TRAMP: W/ Melissa Jones, Waterproof, Toaster, Mon., Aug. 27, 8 p.m., $5-$7. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. (HED) P. E.: Tue., Aug. 28, 7 p.m., $15-$17. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. HONYOCK: W/ Seashine, Sat., Aug. 25, 9 p.m., $7. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. HOUDINI: W/ Old Hand, Beyonder, Fri., Aug. 24, 9 p.m., $5. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. JOURNEY AND DEF LEPPARD: W/ Cheap Trick, Fri., Aug. 24, 6 p.m., TBA. Busch Stadium, 700 Clark Ave, St. Louis, 314-345-9600. KID CONGO AND THE PINK MONKEY BIRDS: W/ Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, Tue., Aug. 28, 8 p.m., $12. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. KILVEREZ: W/ Astral Moth, Motherfather, Van Buren, Thu., Aug. 23, 7 p.m., $7-$10. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. LEFT BEHIND: W/ Lowered AD, Bardock, Polterguts, Tue., Aug. 28, 7 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. LIVERPOOL LEGENDS: W/ Clar & Gigi Monaco, Sat., Aug. 25, 8 p.m., $40-$100. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. LOBSTER & THE CRABS: Thu., Aug. 23, 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. LOUFEST LOCAL SHOWCASE: W/ Dracla, Scrub, Grace Basement, Wed., Aug. 29, 8 p.m., $5. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. LOVE JONES “THE BAND”: Sun., Aug. 26, 8:30 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.

LUKE BRYAN: W/ Sam Hunt, Jon Pardi, Morgan Wallen, Sat., Aug. 25, 6 p.m., TBA. Busch Stadium, 700 Clark Ave, St. Louis, 314-345-9600. MAD KEYS: W/ Saylor Surkamp, Syna So Pro, Big Step, Tue., Aug. 28, 8 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. MARQUISE KNOX BLUES BAND: Fri., Aug. 24, 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. THE MATTSON 2: W/ Astronauts etc., Sun., Aug. 26, 7 p.m., $10-$12. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. ME LIKE BEES: W/ Carter Hulsey, Gooding, Fri., Aug. 24, 8 p.m., $10. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. MICHAEL CLEVELAND & FLAMEKEEPER: Sun., Aug. 26, 7 p.m., $14.50-$18. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-0775. MIKE MATTHEWS PROJECT: Sat., Aug. 25, 9 p.m., free. Nightshift Bar & Grill, 3979 Mexico Road, St. Peters, 636-441-8300. MOBILE DEATHCAMP: Mon., Aug. 27, 7 p.m., $12$14. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. THE MOMS: Wed., Aug. 29, 7 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. MULE MAN MASSEY: Fri., Aug. 24, 7 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. NIALL HORAN: W/ Maren Morris, Sat., Aug. 25, 6 p.m., TBA. Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, I-70 & Earth City Expwy., Maryland Heights, 314-298-9944. PAPPY WITH A HATCHET: Sat., Aug. 25, 7 p.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521. RANDY ROGERS BAND: W/ Casey Donahew, Fri., Aug. 24, 7 p.m., $25-$45. Chesterfield Amphitheater, 631 Veterans Place Drive, Chesterfield. RENEE DION: Fri., Aug. 24, 8 p.m., $10-$15. Ozark Theatre, 103 E. Lockwood Ave., St. Louis, 314-962-7000. ROCK WITH YOU: A SOULITION MJ TRIBUTE PARTY: W/ James Biko, Sat., Aug. 25, 8 p.m., $6-$10. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. ROCKY & THE WRANGLERS: Sat., Aug. 25, 4 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. ROLAND JOHNSON & SOUL ENDEAVOR: Fri., Aug. 24, 8 p.m., $3. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. RYAN KOENIG AND FRIENDS: Sun., Aug. 26, 1 p.m., free. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. SADIE HART & THE HIGH VIBES: Wed., Aug. 29, 8 p.m., free. Evangeline’s, 512 N Euclid Ave, St. Louis, 314-367-3644. SAWYER FREDERICK: Wed., Aug. 29, 8 p.m., $18$28. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. SHELBY LYNNE: Fri., Aug. 24, 8 p.m., $32-$35. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. SKEET RODGERS & INNER CITY BLUES BAND: Sat., Aug. 25, 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. SY SMITH: Wed., Aug. 29, 8 p.m., $20. .Zack, 3224 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-533-0367. TAB BENOIT: Fri., Aug. 24, 7 p.m., $25. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-0775. THIRD SIGHT “SPECIAL EDITION”: Mon., Aug. 27, 8 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. A TRIBUTE TO KEM AND CHRISETTE MICHELE: Sat., Aug. 25, 7 p.m., $20. Voce, 212 S. Tucker Blvd., St. Louis, 314-435-3956. THE ULTIMATE HIP HOP SHOWCASE: W/ Tef Poe, Lil Taylor, E. Spinks, Eugeno, Fri., Aug. 24, 8 p.m., $10-$15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. VIOLENT OPPOSITION: W/ Terminal Island, Stone Eater, Who Goes There, Sun., Aug. 26, 7 p.m., $7. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. WALKNEY: W/ Pollyanna, Sun., Aug. 26, 6 p.m., $12. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. WOLF PARADE: Sat., Aug. 25, 8 p.m., $25-$30. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. ZAFIRA STRING QUARTET: Sun., Aug. 26, 7 p.m., $10. Ozark Theatre, 103 E. Lockwood Ave., St. Louis, 314-962-7000. n

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SAVAGE LOVE PICKLES & SURROGATES BY DAN SAVAGE Hey, Dan: I’m in a pickle. All I want is to experience touch, intimacy, and sexual pleasure — but without freaking out. I grew up with a lot of negative messages from men due to developing early, as well as having some other physical/sexual trauma (no rape or abuse), but the combination has me seriously fucked up. Whenever I get close to physical intimacy with someone, I run away. I actually faked an emergency once and physically ran away because I knew sex was a possibility that night. I’m not a virgin — but in those instances, I’ve been really drunk (and experienced no emotional/physical pleasure). This is not what I want for my life. I want a relationship and love, and to be open and comfortable with someone expressing their care for me in a physical way without panicked thoughts flooding my brain. I’ve done lots of therapy, which has helped, but not enough. I recently heard of something called a sexual surrogate. From what I understand, it’s somebody who is trained to therapeutically provide physical touch and intimacy in a controlled and safe environment. Are they legit? She Can’t Adequately Release Extreme Dread Sexual surrogates are legit, SCARED, but please don’t call them sexual surrogates. “We’d like to see the language shift back to ‘surrogate partner,’ which was the original term,” said Vena Blanchard, president of the International Professional Surrogates Association (IPSA). “Masters and Johnson originated the concept, and their treatment program was based on the theory that many people had problems that required the help of a cooperative partner, and some people didn’t have partners. So they trained people to work as ‘partner surrogates.’ The media took the term ‘partner surrogate’ and changed it to ‘sexual surrogate’ because it sounded sexier. But ‘sexual surrogate’ implies that the work is all about sex.”

So if surrogate partner therapy is not about sex — or not all about sex — then what is it primarily about? “Surrogate partner therapy is a therapeutic treatment that combines psychotherapy with experiential learning,” said Blanchard. “It’s a program designed for people like SCARED, for people who struggle with anxiety, panic and past trauma — things that can distort a person’s experience in the moment.” Surrogate partner therapy happens in stages, with each progressive stage representing another “teeny, tiny baby step,” as Blanchard put it. “The client first works with a legitimate therapist until the therapist thinks the client is ready to work with a surrogate partner,” said Blanchard. “You may start by sitting in opposite chairs and just talking. At some point, they might sit and hold hands, practice relaxation techniques and focus on simple sensations. In the next session, they might touch each other’s faces with their hands.” Sex can and does sometimes occur in the later stages of surrogate partner therapy, SCARED, but it doesn’t always and it’s not the goal — healing is. “By having these repeated safe experiences, in a context where there’s no pressure, and consent is emphasized, and the patient is in control,” said Blanchard, “someone liked SCARED can learn to manage her anxiety, and her prior negative experiences are replaced with positive new experiences.” While I had her on the phone, I asked Blanchard the first question many people have about surrogate partners: Are surrogate partners sex workers? “A sex worker offers a sexual experience — that is the primary intention of what is a business transaction,” said Blanchard. “What a surrogate partner offers are healing and education. And while healing and education might also take place in a sex-work environment, and while some form of sexual contact might take place in surrogate partner therapy, the primary intention is different. A patient working with a surrogate partner is there to heal old injuries or break out of bad patterns so they can have a relationship in the fu-

ture. People go to sex workers for an immediate experience — the agenda is sexual and about right now, not therapeutic and about the future.” Then I asked Blanchard the second question many people have about surrogate partner therapy: Is it legal? “There’s no place that it’s illegal,” said Blanchard. “There’s never been a court case challenging it. In California, where surrogate partner therapy is most common, no one has ever in 50 years challenged it.” If you’re interested in working with a surrogate partner, SCARED, you can contact the referrals coordinator at IPSA’s website: surrogatetherapy.org. Finally, SCARED, the number of trained and qualified surrogate partners is relatively small — IPSA has just 70 members — so you might need to go where most of those trained and qualified surrogates partners are in order to work with one. (The part of California that isn’t on fire is lovely this time of year.) “Since there aren’t many qualified surrogate partners available,” said Blanchard, “people sometimes need to travel to another location and work intensively. People will come for two weeks and work every single day with a therapist and a surrogate partner.” Hey, Dan: My partner and I have been together for eleven years and have always had a great sex life. I love his cock, we have similar appetites, and until recently everything was great. But he has always had an aversion to blood. He is a pacifist, a vegetarian and a recovering Muslim, so as much as I don’t understand his fear, I would never push him to have sex during my period. The problem is now I bleed whenever we have sex — just a tiny bit, but that’s enough to kill it for him, and the sex is immediately over. We already have enough constraints with differing schedules, kids, lack of privacy, periods. This is a big deal for me, and I don’t know how to deal with it. Any ideas? Afraid To Bleed Turn off the lights, draw the curtains, have sex in the dark, get him a blindfold — and insist he

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see a therapist who specializes in helping people overcome their irrational phobias. Hey, Dan: I’m a 35-year-old gay man and I’ve been single for ten years. I’d kind of given up, but suddenly I’ve got a real sweet guy in my life. He’s 24, so we’ll see how the age thing works out. I used to be pretty adventurous with sex, but I feel extremely nervous now. I feel like a virgin all over again — except I’m not turned on. On our first date, we ended up in a public bathroom, where I gave him a handjob (his idea). Last night, we messed around at my place. We kissed and got naked, but I couldn’t get hard. We watched porn. That always works, but not this time. Finally, he played with my nipples and — presto chango — there was a happy ending at last! (Plus, it was a learning experience. I found out I like having my nipples licked, a lot!) I’m worried this will continue to happen. It’s like I’m thinking too much. I deal with anxiety and depression every day, and this is part of why I’ve been single for so long. I’m not feeling the urge to end the relationship yet, but I’ve been a wreck since we started dating. I’m attracted to this guy, but I can’t get turned on. Is this like not having the urge to eat when you’re nervous? Do I just need to wait it out until I’m comfortable with this guy, and hope he sticks around long enough to stick it in me? Lacking In My Pants You’re attracted to this guy, LIMP, and you’re turned on by him, and you’re capable of getting hard. When he played with your tits — when he licked your nipples — it took the focus off your cock, and your cock instantly got hard. Do that more, LIMP: more dates with this guy, more rolling around with him, more exploring other erogenous zones. And it’ll help if you can tell him the truth: You’re a little nervous because it’s been a while since you dated anyone. Once you’re more comfortable with him — once you’re more comfortable seeing someone — your boners will come. Listen to Dan’s podcast at savagelovecast.com. mail@savagelove.net @fakedansavage on Twitter ITMFA.org

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Mon. - Sat. 9 AM - 7 PM; Sunday Noon - 5 PM Unless otherwise limited, prices are good through Tuesday following publication date. Installed price offers are for product purchased from Audio Express installed in factory-ready locations. Custom work at added cost. Kits, antennas and cables additional. Added charges for shop supplies and environmental disposal where mandated. Illustrations similar. Video pictures may be simulated. Not responsible for typographic errors. Savings off MSRP or our original sales price, may include install savings. Intermediate markdowns may have been taken. Details, conditions and restrictions of manufacturer promotional offers at respective websites. Price match applies to new, non-promotional items from authorized sellers; excludes “shopping cart” or other hidden specials. © 2019, Audio Express.

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AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018

RIVERFRONT TIMES

HAPPY HOUR SPECIALS A TASTE OF KC IN THE LOU BOOTLEGGIN’ BBQ SMOKES THE COMPETITION

HAPPY HOUR 4-7 Tuesday–Friday

$2 Tall Boys $3 Wells $4 Wine $15 Buckets $18 All-You-Can-Eat Wings

1933 Washington Ave, STL MO

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720 N. 1ST ST, ST. LOUIS, MO 63102

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• Large or small groups welcome into program -

One Hour Free Happy Hour Buffet from 20 to 400 people. Discounted Beers & Cocktails • Book once a month, Monday-Friday. Hassle free - takes two minutes to sign up. Book Once a Month, Monday-Friday • Book online today @ lacledes-landing.bigdaddystl.com From•20 to 400 People Entertainment requests (DJ, karaoke, trivia, live music) FREE upon request with large groups.

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Make Big Daddy’s “THE OTHER OFFICE” for happy hour. Book it today. Totally free to sign up!

I think it is fair to say the KC vs St. Louis rivalry can take a backseat at this Kansas City-style barbeque joint in downtown St. Louis. Bootleggin’ BBQ Tavern, located at 1933 Washington Ave, not only provides some of the best BBQ in town, but is the place to be for happy hour. Tuesday through Friday from 4 to 7pm and all day on Wednesday’s you can enjoy $2 tall boys, $3 wells, $4 wine, and $15 buckets. Hungry? Great! For just $18 you can get all-you-can eat chicken wings during happy hour. Bootleggin’ BBQ’s wings are rubbed with their Flapper’s Flavor, smoked, fried, and sauced. Try their bang sauce (BBQ and Wang) it’s their most popular choice. Trying to stay active at happy hour? Challenge your friends to a game of bags with Bootleggin’ BBQ’s complimentary sets, or play any other of their multitude of games located in the tavern. Bootleggin’ BBQ has one of the best happy hours in town, but make no mistake

RIVERFRONT TIMES

HAPPY HOUR

MONDAY–THURSDAY 3–6 PM (ALL LOCATIONS) SUNDAY–THURSDAY 10 PM–CLOSE (DELMAR) THE LOOP

314-721-3388 6307 DELMAR BLVD. UNIVERSITY CITY, MO 63130

DES PERES SOUTH COUNTY

314-858-1067 11925 MANCHESTER RD. DES PERES, MO 63131

314-293-3614 40 RONNIE’S PLAZA ST. LOUIS, MO 63126

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HOTSHOTS BURGER 9” PIZZA BONELESS WINGS MONDAY - FRIDAY 3 - 6PM

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HAPPY HOUR MONDAY – SATURDAY 4 TO 7PM

Domestic Buckets..........................$15 Select Drafts...........................$2 off Wells...............................................$3 Pizzas........................................$3 off Select Appetizers.....................$2 off

see our website for party reservations doubledstl.com

1740 S. Brentwood Blvd

CLASSIC COCKTAILS $7 GIN TONIC $6 CLASSIC MARTINI’S $8 DOLLAR OFF LOCAL BEERS

you are going to want to stop by this place outside of the hours of 4 to 7pm as well. Pit master Brenton Brown is a Kansas City native serving up Kansas City-style barbeque so the menu is obviously highlighted by burnt ends, a Kansas City classic. Ribs, Pulled Pork, and Brisket round out the other meat offerings. Their sandwich and burger selection includes their Jammin’ Brisket Burger, a house ground burger, smoked, then topped with tomato bacon jam, cheddar cheese, and lettuce. Looking for a non meat option, try their Ring my Bella, smoked portabella mushroom caps, layered with provolone and onion straws. Whether it be happy hour, lunch, dinner, or just wanting to hang out, Bootleggin’ BBQ Tavern is the place to be for good food, good drinks, and good times in downtown St. Louis. For more information go to bootlegginbbq.com, or check out their Instagram and Facebook pages.

BOOTLEGGIN’ BBQ | Bootlegginbbq.com | 1933 WASHINGTON AVE. STL, MO 63103

HAPPY HOUR DAILY 3PM – 6PM

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