Riverfront Times June 27, 2018 by Riverfront Times

JUNE 27 - JULY 3, 2018 I VOLUME 42 I NUMBER 26

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THE LEDE

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TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURE

12.

This House Is Not a Home For low-income tenants, even high rent doesn’t equal good living conditions Written by

CAITLIN LEE & CLARK RANDALL

Cover illustration 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

Media

Jamie Allman takes his fight against his former employer to the FCC

Film

Robert Hunt is bored stiff by Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Cafe

Honey Pit Smokehouse’s hightech smoker isn’t enough to guarantee good barbecue, writes Cheryl Baehr

Side Dish

David Stidham left his corporate gig to open A Fine Swine

Police

Food News

St. Louis’ community-policing experiment lives to see another day

Olive Boulevard restaurateurs fear the future as U. City contemplates clearing a path for Costco

Courts

At long last, Up-Down Arcade Bar wins its liquor license

Radio

Writer Thomas Crone hopes to chronicle KDHX’s hidden history

Homespun

For Ben Davis and Danny Kathriner, playing together is a hard habit to break

Comedy

Local podcast tackles failure; hilarity ensues

Out Every Night

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

The Spot House combines Vietnamese classics with bar standards

First Look

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 Editorial Interns Alison Gold, Mario Miles-Turnage, Lexie Miller, Camille Respess, Ian Scott 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

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NEWS Fired 97.1 Radio Host Petitions FCC Written by

SARAH FENSKE

he St. Louis radio host who lost two talk-show gigs over an ill-advised tweet about gun-control activist David Hogg is now asking the federal government to intervene on his behalf. Jamie Allman, who’d hosted The Allman Report on ABC affiliate KDNL (Channel 30) and Allman in the Morning on KFTK (97.1 FM), lost both jobs in April after he tweeted that he was “getting ready to ram a hot poker up David Hogg’s ass” — a crass reference to the rectum of the seventeen-yearold school-shooting survivor. In a lawsuit filed in late April, the mercurial host argued that his firing from the radio station was without cause, noting that his duties required him to be on Twitter and “maintain an active social media presence.” He’s also claimed the tweet did not represent a literal threat. And then, last month, he filed a petition seeking to get his former radio employers in trouble with the Federal Communications Commission. In a petition filed May 30 — but not previously reported on — Allman asked the FCC to reconsider

Jamie Allman is hoping the FCC will investigate his former radio employer. | SCREENSHOT its approval of the deal that allowed broadcast giant Entercom to acquire KFTK from Emmis Radio. The eight-page complaint, filed by Clayton attorney Kevin Whiteley on Allman’s behalf, is less about the merits of Allman’s firing and more about how and when it went down. As the complaint details, Allman had worked for Emmis Radio since 2002. In August 2017, Emmis had renewed his contract, signing him to a deal that ran through July 2020. But on February 22, Emmis entered into an “asset purchase agreement,” effectively selling KFTK and four other stations to Entercom for $15 million. An application asking for the FCC’s consent was filed March 2. Several weeks later, Allman

tweeted his controversial tweet. And several weeks after that, on April 6, the Riverfront Times reported on it — setting off a firestorm that quickly led to a national furor. On April 10, Entercom executives convened a conference call with Allman and fired him. The problem, Allman argues, is that Entercom had no business doing the firing. The FCC didn’t approve the transfer of assets until April 27. And until then, he argues, federal regulations require Emmis, not Entercom, to be in “control over station finances, personnel and programming.” He’s now asking the FCC to reconsider its previous approval of the deal, saying Emmis wrongly allowed Entercom to take control early. And that, he argues, could — and should — have big consequences for KFTK.

“Willful violations of or willful failures to observe any rule or regulation of the commission authorize the revocation of any station license,” his petition argues. More specifically, he’s arguing that the FCC should revoke its consent to the sale and initiate an investigation. Emmis and Entercom, however, say that’s hogwash. The two radio companies filed a joint reply, saying Allman’s claims lack standing, weren’t filed on time, and “offer no substantive basis to reconsider the grant of the application.” They also call his petition “nonsensical.” “In short,” they write, “the Petition is completely without merit and presumably has been filed in a misguided and uninformed attempt to create leverage for Allman in his employment lawsuit against Entercom and Emmis currently pending in court. The Commission should not allow its processes to be abused in such a manner.” In a statement, Emmis spokeswoman Kate Healey Snedeker added, “KFTK was operated under a Local Marketing Agreement prior to the actual closing on the sale. Local Marketing Agreements have been customary in radio station sales for decades, and ours was fully compliant with all applicable FCC rules.” On Allman’s behalf, Whiteley declined to comment on the record. Allman’s lawsuit against Emmis and Entercom continues in the meantime. The radio companies successfully got it moved to federal court earlier this month. n

STREAK’S CORNER • by Bob Stretch

Continued on pg 9

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Beat Cops to Stay on Cherokee

t. Louis’ only dedicated footpatrol officers are sticking to Cherokee Street. That wasn’t a given, considering the police force is stretched thin while dealing with another year of spiking violence, especially homicides. The foot-patrol officers, Devin Guajardo and Jazmon Garrett, were the subject of an RFT cover story in January, which explored the city’s experiment in old-fashioned police beats. At the time, even the two cops acknowledged that their continued presence on Cherokee Street was far from a sure thing. “We are aware that any day we could be removed from Cherokee. It’s permanent, but it’s not permanent,” Garrett said at the time. “We could get a new captain tomorrow and we’ll be back in the district.” Indeed, as Garrett suggested, the District 3 captain who assigned them to Cherokee, Shawn Dace, was recently reassigned to

downtown. It was Dace who first recognized the roles Guajardo and Garrett could play as foot-patrol officers around Cherokee Street, a territory that features shops, restaurants and clubs surrounded by densely populated residential blocks. It’s also an area that’s dealt with a particular criminal dynamic, one that’s included both occasional incidents of shocking violence and persistent issues arising from juveniles. What began as an experiment in community policing has become a boon to the area, says 20th Ward Alderwoman Cara Spencer, who was among those who first lobbied Capt. Dace to create a new foot patrol for the area in 2016. “Businesses and residents who might not otherwise call the police call them, and that’s a really good thing,” Spencer says. “They play an important role; they know the kids in the neighborhood.” District 3’s new captain, Ryan Cousins, announced during a May meeting of the Cherokee Street Business Association that the foot patrol would remain on Cherokee Street, though he suggested that the officers may be “periodically” moved to other districts. Granted, this wouldn’t be a change of policy, as both officers had previously assisted in assault investigations in

Officers Devin Guajardo, left, and Jazmon Garrett on Cherokee Street. | DANNY WICENTOWSKI other parts of the city. Cousins’ appointment is also a significant move up after a rocky couple years. In May 2016, thenPolice Chief Sam Dotson fired Cousins, who was commander of District 6 at the time, over allegations that he had ordered subordinates to alter police reports in order to protect a crime victim from a felon-in-possession charge. The

Up-Down Wins Long Battle for Liquor in CWE Written by

SARAH FENSKE

lmost a full year after Up-Down Arcade Bar won a liquor license from St. Louis City Hall, it finally won permission from the court to use it. The decision, issued Friday by St. Louis Circuit Court Judge Joan L. Moriarty, clears the way for the Iowa-based chain to open at long last inside the space that previously held Herbie’s Vintage 72 (405 N. Euclid Avenue). A small group of neighbors had opposed the bar’s opening — and, after losing at City Hall, sued to make their case that the city’s Excise Division had erred in granting the license. Moriarty ruled for the city and against neighbors Elizabeth Heller and Hannah Roth. “The Court finds that the record compiled by the Excise Division is adequate and complete,” Moriarty wrote in a threepage ruling. “The Court further finds that Petitioners have failed to demonstrate that the decision was not supported by competent and substantial evidence upon the whole record; that it was arbi-

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Patrons enjoy Up-Down Arcade Bar in Minneapolis. | DAVID HAYDEN, COURTESY OF UP-DOWN trary, capricious, or unreasonable; or that Excise Division abused its discretion.” Excise’s hearing officer had issued his preliminary approval last May after a contentious hearing that lasted for several hours. He followed up with a thirteenpage written decision fleshing out his reasoning in July. For most bars, that’s enough to start pouring drinks. But thanks to the neigh-

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bors’ challenge, Up-Down has been stuck in legal limbo, its future home just south of McPherson empty and dark even as at least two other arcade bars have opened their doors within city limits. Herbie’s closed in the Central West End in October 2016, merging with Cardwell’s and moving to Clayton. But though Up-Down announced plans to move into its space not long after, it

firing sparked fierce pushback from Cousins’ supporters, and Cousins subsequently sued, alleging he was the target of officers seeking to cover up their own misconduct. In September 2017, Cousins got his job back thanks to a vote by the city’s Civil Service Commission. —Danny Wicentowski ran into resistance from neighbors even while gathering signatures for a liquor license. And while it eventually cleared that hurdle, co-owner Josh Ivey told the RFT last May that he had stopped work on rehabbing the building after it became clear that the neighbors’ unhappiness could be enough to derail the project. Reached Saturday, he said it was too soon to get a sense of when the bar might be opening: “It’s hard to have an accurate timeline right now as we really couldn’t put anyone on schedule until we got an answer.” Still, Ivey said he is “excited to get this project going again after the delay.” The battle had gotten heated — and, in some cases, personal, with the faction of unhappy neighbors and the building’s longtime owner, Pete Rothschild, in vehement disagreement over the best use of the large storefront. The neighbors opposed Up-Down because it was a bar; Rothschild said the space was simply too big to work as the restaurant they yearned for. But to the victors go magnanimity. Rothschild declined his chance to crow about the ruling, and the lawyer who represented him and Up-Down, Al Watkins, kept his remarks uncharacteristically brief. “Time to tip a hat and a glass to an organization seeking to move into St. Louis,” he said Friday. n

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THIS HOUSE For low-income tenants, even high rent doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t equal good living conditions

By Caitlin Lee & Clark Randall

IS NOT A HOME

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Terry Waller found herself despairing over her family’s living conditions under prolific landlord Nathan Cooper. | THEO WELLING

or the last year, Nathan Cooper has been getting $1,450 a month to house Terry Waller’s family in a home he owns near Gravois Park in south city. Most of that sum is paid by the federal government and taxpayers through the Housing Choice Vouch-

er program. The program provides public funding for tenants in the private housing market. Yet Waller has been living without a working kitchen or any exterior doors capable of locking securely. Although both are requirements of the program, Cooper, her landlord, has not attended to them — despite multiple requests.

Out of other options, she’s called the St. Louis Housing Authority to run an additional inspection. The inspector, whom Waller refers to as Mr. Roberts, arrives at her front door. (The housing authority declined to provide his full name without a signed request from Waller.) He also inspected the property before Waller moved in. Now he takes stock of the unit. “Really, Nathan?” the inspector says, raising his voice, “What is this?” He gestures towards the back door, grabbing it with his other hand. “It was one of the kids’ fault, I guarantee it,” Cooper responds. “Listen,” the inspector continues, “all I know is that it’s unacceptable, and I need it fixed.” Cooper says, under his breath, “Yeah, if I can get in…” “Wait a minute! Listen to what I’m telling you,” the inspector says. “You have a key, right? Then come in and fix it whether she’s

here or not — OK?” The two go on, back and forth. Cooper isn’t backing down. “Well, it was one of the kids. Look, I know what happened, they kicked it in and broke it.” “But Nathan, all that wood is dry rot. It wouldn’t take a thing for the door to come right off,” the inspector says, attempting to bring an end to the argument. “This door has got to be completely fixed today before nightfall — it’s a totally unsafe situation.” The converted storefront at 3118 Chippewa was built in 1911, but all of its problems can’t be excused by its age. The kitchen floor is uneven, made of particle board. The stove has not worked for weeks. Slabs of drywall partially line the hallway. The basement is unusable due to prior flooding. A broken refrigerator blocks use of the kitchen table. The conversion fit two bedrooms Continued on pg 14

“I do have one question,” the housing inspector asks Waller. “Why would you pick this house?” But Section 8 tenants in south city can be limited in their choice of landlords. | THEO WELLING

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NOT A HOME

Continued from pg 13

downstairs. Five bedrooms are on the second floor — one of which is so small as to be debatable. When asked how many bedrooms it has, even Cooper is unsure. “Six or seven,” he says. As the RFT reported last year (“Do Not Pass Go,” July 27, 2017), Cooper tends to purchase homes when they’re cheap and makes minimal investments after that, just enough to pass the city and housing authority inspections. Records show one of his limited liability companies, Gateway Residences LLC, acquired this property in 2015 for just $7,500. Before that, records show, it was vacant and boarded. But with a bit of work, he was able to eventually move in a federally subsidized tenant and recoup his initial investment. Despite the large monthly sums he’s collected for Waller’s occupancy, the home retains a very low value on the city’s tax rolls; records show that last year Cooper paid the city a mere $146.34 in property taxes on it. “Are you writing all this down, Nathan?” the inspector asks after surveying the apartment. “OK, well then repeat back to me what you have to fix — start on the first floor and work your way up.”

“The refrigerator, the back door,” Cooper starts, “the ceiling tiles…” “No, no, before you get upstairs — what else down here?” the inspector interrupts. Cooper doesn’t reply. “Replace the stove. I want another one in here,” he commands. “And the windows, you need to replace them. That’s your responsibility.” “But it was shot from the inside, you can see that,” Cooper says. “Are you sure someone in here doesn’t have a BB gun?” “No, it wasn’t,” the inspector responds. “I want the stove for tomorrow — and the refrigerator. Wait, let me ask you a question, Nathan: When you brought the new refrigerator, why didn’t you take the old one out of the house? It’s not fair for her to have two refrigerators sitting there in the kitchen. “And no stove,” the inspector begins again after a pause. “She can’t cook anything healthy. The stove has to be replaced.” As of the April inspection, Terry Waller and her nine children have lived for the last year at 3118 Chippewa Street — and she describes her time dealing with her landlord there as a “nightmare.” Waller and her children have roots on the south side — friends, family and a familiarity with the neighborhoods. At the same time,

her block presents its challenges for raising children. Once, when Cooper was late to secure a window, she sent a text: “It’s Chippewa, man, are you serious?” Waller is a proud mother; she often shares stories about her kids. When Cooper assumes they are to blame for property damage, she quickly defends them. But Waller acknowledges that she and her children have had an impact on the home. “I can take responsibility for that,” Waller says when the inspector points out a small hole in the drywall upstairs. She concedes the same about two bedroom doors she has taken off their hinges. In Cooper’s absence, she’s made some repairs to keep things together: fixing locks, boarding windows, sealing cracks for insulation. For a moment between rooms, the inspector turns to Waller. “I do have one question to ask you now…why would you pick this house?” “I have no idea,” Waller says, frustrated. “This is tenant choice,” the inspector says, “and we tell all tenants before you move into a house, look at it thoroughly, and if it’s not what you want, don’t accept it. Also,” he says, “don’t listen

Terry Waller, right, with two of her children on the day they finally moved from Chippewa to the west side. | THEO WELLING 14

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to a landlord when he tells you he’s going to fix something.” Cooper, though he’s within earshot, refrains from commenting. Waller and the inspector walk through the hallway towards the living room. “This is just cheap carpeting he put down for when you came out.” “Of course it is,” he responds, “but like I said, the problem is that you picked this.” The inspector asks how long Waller has been on the voucher program. “More than six years now,” Waller says. “Alright, so you know better — and you have to know better,” the inspector says. “I don’t get it,” Waller says later. “The Housing Authority spends all this money for people to live and then let him get away with this? For that price — a person should be comfortable.” erry Waller’s problem, initially, was that she was in a rush. She left her last place in Gravois Park after a neighbor held a gun to her son. The chances of finding a landlord in south city who took vouchers and had room for all her children were slim. Looking back, she says, “I still wish I would’ve waited.” “I couldn’t have known, right?” she asks rhetorically. “Y’all are the inspectors, you all know Nathan better than anyone.” Cheryl Lovell, the executive director of the St. Louis Housing Authority, says her staff is trained to not direct families in their choice of units. She is wary of infringing on fair-housing requirements. It is, however, within policy to encourage clients to be cautious of unit conditions. “We also suggest that they check the landlord’s reputation.” Yet there is no formal means to do so. Lovell says clients pressed for time are often talked into units by the promise to repair things not enforced by the housing authority. “We inform our clients to be aware of these promises because they may not happen.” (Says Waller of Cooper, “I was trying to take him at his word.”) Inspections typically only happen before moving in and then every two years after. (Units rented to voucher holders are also inspected separately upon move-in by the city’s building division.) Waller sought additional help from the housing authority because of the poor conditions she says she experienced. She resisted calling the building division for an inspection, though, even after her situation with Cooper deteriorated.

“I’m concerned for the residents potentially displaced if the city were to respond by boarding up all his buildings at once.” “I was kind of scared to call the city,” she says. “I called them before about a property a couple of years ago, and they gave me ten to fourteen days to get out, and that honestly scared me — they condemned it.” Over the last fourteen months, the RFT has visited more than 50 properties owned or managed by Cooper and interviewed 32 tenants, in conversations ranging from ten minutes to more than ten hours, checking back in over time. Among them, the conditions at 3118 Chippewa have been the rule, not the exception. For Cooper, a former state legislator representing Cape Girardeau, south St. Louis has been a strategic focus. He’s been accumulating properties since 2007, in neighborhoods hit hardest by the foreclosure crisis, at times making purchases at the tax sale — but only when he can get something at the right price. As of June 2017, the nine LLCs that Cooper is a member of collectively owned 209 properties in the city of St. Louis, a number that continues to grow as he buys and sells. That’s enough to make him one of the most significant property owners in the city. In addition to these properties, the RFT’s 2017 analysis found that he manages properties for at least eleven additional companies with holdings in the city. The properties he owns are almost entirely residential — and a large percentage end up being leased to lower-income tenants with Section 8 vouchers. In 2016 alone, Cooper-owned companies hauled in $908,000 in federal monies from the city and county housing authorities, records show. Many at City Hall know his name; aldermen on the south side bemoan his practices. Alderman Shane Cohn said in 2017 that Cooper “perpetuated the decline” of

some south-city neighborhoods. But city officials believe taking action presents its own conundrum. In a 2017 interview, 9th Ward Alderman Dan Guenther said, “I’m concerned for the residents potentially displaced if the city were to respond by boarding up all his buildings at once.” Still, Cooper disagrees with the assertion that he targets any particular type of unit, demographic or family size. “I’m not focusing on anything,” he says in an interview after the inspection of Waller’s house. He does say, though, that he prefers single-family units. “Having two different units together, you end up becoming a psychologist, a peacemaker.” Lovell says the housing authority sees many of the same problems during inspections of Cooper’s properties: “Items that seem to be reoccurring are plumbing, broken windows, appliances not working, roofing leaks and floor conditions.” She continues, “In our experience, many units do not pass the first HQS inspection.” However, Cooper continues to be eligible within the program. Lovell says, “Mr. Cooper normally corrects the deficiencies, after they are cited on an inspection, within the required timeframe.” The housing authority often gives landlords extensions to get properties in line with housing authority standards, she says. Within an hour of Waller’s April inspection, two of Cooper’s men start fixing a front door and working down the list of items, preparing for the follow-up inspection the next morning. The property passes re-inspection the next day, barring one issue with a window. That too is eventually fixed, Lovell says.

few days before the inspection, Waller sits on her couch with her two youngest children. “My kids, they love it when I make baked ribs, mashed potatoes, smothered pork chops or fried chicken,” she says. “There’s this one recipe they love where I bake the chicken and put it with pineapples and lemons, and I let it all cook together — they’ve been asking me about that one. “The kids like the home cooking,” she finishes. “They always want to do that, you know, as a family.” Waller turns to two of her Continued on pg 18

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L 18

ittle research exists on landlords who model their business around housing-voucher holders, or, as Eva Rosen, an assistant professor at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy, calls them, “voucher specialists.”

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Nathan Cooper, right, tells an inspector he’s not to blame for conditions in Waller’s home. | CAITLIN LEE For more than a year, Rosen conducted one of the few studies on this issue, focusing on Baltimore landlords and tenants. While researching, Rosen stayed in the Park Heights neighborhood, a community that mirrors the demographics of Gravois Park, interviewing landlords and residents at length. One reason to become a voucher landlord, she found, is the premium that can be charged for rent. Rosen discovered strategic “sorting” and “trapping” of voucher holders into units, “where they can be most profitable to landlords.” That involves recruiting tenants with the least ability to move for the units that are hardest to rent out — either due to their location or condition, and often both. And while kicking tenants out through eviction constitutes a national crisis, landlords also fight to retain, or trap, tenants in their properties to ensure cash flow. Taken together, Rosen sees landlords as an under-scrutinized locus of power in urban segregation and the concentration of poverty. “If you look at rental prices in the neighborhood and the criteria,” she says in an interview, “you can get more with a voucher, no question.” Landlords charge voucher holders based on fair-market rent for the surrounding metropolitan area. This

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measure of average rent per bedroom means fair-market rent will be higher than the typical rent in any low-income neighborhood. Charging $1,450 for an unfinished home, in a poor, majority black neighborhood, exemplifies this. “It’s appalling,” says Alderwoman Cara Spencer, who represents Waller’s ward, the city’s 20th. “I pay way less for my mortgage here.” In St. Louis, after all, $1,450 per month can go a long way. Shortly after Spencer was elected to office in 2015, she began taking “walking audits” of her ward. “I was down on Wisconsin Ave,” Spencer says, “and there was a whole bunch of stuff in the alley, like sofas and food and clothes. Well, I went around to knock on the door and the woman was in tears. I said, ‘What’s wrong?’ “She opened the door. Behind her, the second-floor bathroom was gushing water everywhere, and she said, ‘It’s been this way for two days.’ And I’m like, ‘Who’s your landlord?’ “So — that was my introduction to Nathan Cooper,” Spencer says, adding, “Properties under his management continue to be a problem.”

youngest. “Landyn, let your brother play with the phone too,” she says, mediating a disagreement in the next room. Landyn circles the corner in tears, moving towards his mother’s lap. “Don’t give me the fake stuff, Landyn, you’ll be OK,” Waller says. “Looking like you need a nap, huh, let’s go upstairs.” The two walk upstairs. “You could be an actor someday, boy, I’m telling you.” Landyn’s brother stumbles into the room next, seizing the chance for some of his mother’s attention. Back on the couch, Waller continues, “I’ve had no refrigerator, no stove for weeks, so yes, it’s hard. I have nine children and I can’t maintain any food, you know, no cold milk for breakfast, nothing cooked on the stove. But Cooper’s still getting paid all the same.” Her text messages to her landlord all start similarly: “Hey this is Terry at 3118 Chippewa.” She follows with a short description of the problem. “No response here either,” Waller says, holding her phone in her hand, showing their recent communication. One message to Cooper reads, “Hey this is Terry at 3118 Chippewa, I’ve been trying to call you for three weeks now, no answer. The refrigerator has gone out, and I had to throw out food.” Waller estimates she’s thrown out $300 worth of food. She’s been buying fast food several times a day to keep the kids full. “All the money I’m putting towards fast food, I wanted to save up for the deposit in my next place,” Waller says. “And my kids, they’re really tired of it, but I just gave my brother another $40 to take them to eat.” Cooper disputes Waller’s claim that he doesn’t respond. “Every time she’s called, we’ve been here,” he says, “We take care of her issues. We always do.” With a week left in her lease, Cooper sees a connection. “This is what happens towards the end of a lease, after the place has already been destroyed. When they move in, the house is beautiful, it’s wonderful. Then it gets destroyed.”

his December, the heating in Waller’s home stopped working. More than a month passed, and Waller was forced to move her kids in with relatives to keep them warm. Eventually,

Waller reached out to Spencer. “I don’t know what Cara did, but they came after that,” Waller says. Cooper tells a different story. “We came to fix the furnace a couple hours after being contacted. She called the alderman,” he says, visibly annoyed. “It wasn’t even a direct call. It was through a third party. “It’s a game, the whole thing’s is a game — it’s a game that’s played,” Cooper says. Rosen, too, uses the “game” metaphor to describe some voucher specialists. But, she says, “I don’t think the tenants are playing some kind of game. I think the tenants are poor.” “If it’s a game,” Rosen says, “the landlords know the rules and the tenants don’t — they know how inspections work and what minimal effort they have to put in.” (Lovell, of the housing authority, confirms this is something she has witnessed in St. Louis.) Power is unevenly distributed; often single mothers living in poverty are up against large-scale land owners. “When Terry is happy,” Cooper continues, “she says the nicest things about me. When she’s not, she’s like this — the mood swings.” He says, “This is all about her — she’s upset. A year from now she’ll probably be calling me, though, looking for another place.” But Waller says she wants to avoid spending any more time under a roof managed by Cooper. She’s looking for a new place. The problem is that he is one of the few landlords on the south side who both accepts voucher tenants and has homes with enough bedrooms for her kids. “It’s like everywhere I look when I’m trying to move, it’s just ‘Nathan, Nathan, Nathan,’ so this is why I’m at the end of the road,” Waller says. “Everything I was finding was Nathan. I’m gonna be homeless, homeless, homeless. I’d rather sleep in my car, honestly, than another one of his properties.” Barb Potts, the neighborhoodimprovement specialist currently overseeing Spencer’s ward, is the main contact between the city and Cooper. When asked for comment, Potts declined, even after receiving permission from the mayor’s office. Mayor Lyda Krewson declined requests for an interview, referring questions to her building commissioner, Frank Oswald, and Matt Moak, the attorney for the “Problem Properties” section. “I’ve told this to Nathan — I see him as someone who owns too many properties,” Moak says. “It’s Continued on pg 20

Cheryl Lovell, executive director of the St. Louis Housing Authority, has experience with Nathan Cooper’s buildings. “Items that seem to be reoccurring are plumbing, broken windows, appliances not working, roofing leaks and floor conditions,” she says. At 3118 Chippewa, where Cooper receives $1,450 in rent each month, much of it public money, painted particle board serves as flooring in the kitchen, and hallway walls include sheets of raw plywood. | THEO WELLING riverfronttimes.com

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Continued from pg 18

hard to keep up with. And it would behoove him to divest from some of those properties and focus in on the ones that remain.” Oswald adds that the city has prosecuted Cooper “on various occasions” for failing to address code violations in a timely matter, generally over 30 days.

fter the inspection, Cooper calls the water company to prove to the RFT that Waller is behind on her water bill. Cooper often resorts to what Rosen calls “the teeth” of the voucher program. In St. Louis, like many other cities, voucher tenants cannot move if they have an outstanding balance with their landlord or utility company without risking the loss of their voucher. The housing authority says some St. Louis landlords routinely notify it of outstanding debts only when tenants present their landlords with move-out documents. “Allowing small sums to build up

over time,” writes Rosen, through repairs, utilities or a tenant’s copayment, turns into a “strategy of indebtedness,” holding tenants in their units. Justine and her four kids rent a four-bedroom detached, singlefamily property near Gravois Park that Cooper manages for a company called DJMMS LLC. (She’s asked the RFT not to use her real name.) The unit was in bad condition when Justine moved in during 2015, but Cooper had already taken her $2,200 deposit. Justine had been homeless for three weeks while waiting for the place to pass inspection. Justine says, “He was like, ‘Until I get it fixed up, you don’t have to pay me your monthly share of rent.’” She says, “I should have got him to put that in writing.” Justine does not know how the house passed the initial inspection. She cites myriad problems during her tenure, not limited to raw sewage in the basement, a gas hookup incorrectly connected to the unit next door, rain pooling in the kitchen and causing the floor to cave in, vermin infestations, broken fire alarms, missing floorboards, a caved-in ceiling and a broken toilet gushing water for

The RFT’s 2017 analysis shows Cooper’s significant footprint in southeast St. Louis. | CAITLIN LEE

Continued on pg 22

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three days. “I wasn’t going to cook for my kids in those conditions.” One time a city staffer stopped by for an inspection without notifying Cooper first, Justine says. He would have condemned the property, but Justine requested he not. She didn’t have another place to go. After almost two years, she couldn’t put up with the house anymore. When the housing authority performed a special inspection, records show, the unit failed. The inspector cited ten failed items as the owner’s responsibility. The housing authority granted Justine a new voucher to move; they wrote to Cooper explaining that they would stop his direct deposits unless the unit passed a re-inspection. In response, Cooper sent Justine a bill for $2,673 — the amount of rent he had supposedly waived since move-in. The letter also noted her outstanding water bill. “Every time I tried to tell him to let me move, he just held it over my head,” she says. “He’d say, ‘But Section 8 is gonna take your voucher if you do that.’ He did everything he could to keep me in fear.” With that, two days later, Justine signed a housing authority form, stating she would stay in the unit and forgo the voucher that would have allowed her to move. “The practice of allowing debt to accrue as a means of retaining tenants may serve as a broader mechanism that prevents voucher tenants from leaving undesirable living situations,” writes Rosen. “The threat of voucher loss can weigh heavily on a family.” “He did that to keep me trapped and bonded here,” Justine says. Cooper had sent a copy of the bill for two years of accrued debt to the housing authority. The ledger initiated a voucher termination proceeding. A local policy tries to account for similar situations: Only debt reported to the housing authority within two months can be considered as grounds for terminating a voucher. Lovell says, “It’s our attempt to prevent landlords from holding the stuff back until somebody decides to move.” But whether the policy is being applied consistently — much less achieving the agency’s desired result — is unclear. Justine lost her status as a voucher holder due to a “serious or repeated lease violation, specifically nonpayment of rent,” recprds show.

“Every time I tried to tell him to let me move, he’d say, ‘But Section 8 is gonna take your voucher if you do that.’ He did everything he could to keep me in fear.” They quote Justine stating in her appeal, “He is blackmailing me.” She lost the appeal. And after Cooper was no longer receiving federal funds, he started a formal eviction process. All the while, Justine was trying to leave with the money she’d saved. Now, she was searching with an eviction on her record; landlords turned her down more than ten times. Today, she is happier with the condition of her new place, a twobedroom in north city. “I don’t regret giving up my voucher at all. We’re doing so much better now,” Justine writes. “And my hair is growing back because I’m not stressed.” Rosen found landlords using similar tactics of threatening voucher loss in Baltimore. “It also has the potential effect of retaining the most disadvantaged voucher holders — those behind on their rent — in some of the worse quality units in the poorest neighborhoods,” she writes. Cooper has since moved another family into the house Justine had been renting on Tennessee Avenue. (Cooper did not respond to follow-up requests for comment on Justine’s case.)

t is late May, and Waller got the keys to her family’s new house three days ago. She’s balancing her kids’ graduations with moving their belongings out of their storage

locker. Waller found the new place online. It’s a three-story, singlefamily house on the west side, far from the neighborhoods where Cooper’s units are clustered. Continued on pg 24

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Waller had her sights set on another house, but it didn’t pass the housing authority’s inspection. “A large percentage of voucher holders just don’t find a place in the allotted amount of time, and that’s because so many places don’t pass inspection,” says Rosen. “And so it’s very common for people to go around looking for a place and just repeatedly have units fail.” In April, housing authority records show, 73 of 186 initial inspections failed. When Waller first looked at her new place, it wasn’t in the best shape either. It went through multiple rounds of inspection. And it needed agency approval before Waller could move in. Between leases, her family was homeless. The family split up, explains Waller’s oldest son, a rising high school junior we’ll call John. (He asked that the RFT not use his real name.) “The family’s coming back together now,” John says as he leans against the banister just inside the front doorway. “My little brother, I just saw him for the first time in a couple of weeks.” “The two small ones, they went with their dad. My other brother, the one always running around, he was on the other side of Gravois Park. My two brothers, they go with they grandma,” he says. “My two little sisters, the ones that are graduating, they were with their uncle. He treats them like they’re his daughters. We see him pick them up from school each day even though the kids could walk.” Waller’s third oldest, Tooki, was with her auntie. Since moving out of Cooper’s place, John stayed with his mom. Without a home for three weeks, they split nights between Waller’s car and a friend’s place. “We’ve also missed a couple days of school ’cause, you know, Nathan,” John says. “We had to get up out of there.” He motions to his brother. “He just graduated, so that’s a good thing for him. I finished my biology and my world-history finals ’cause they’re my best classes. It’s just, I know I’m going to have to go to summer school; I missed two of my finals. But that’s nothing to me. I make sure them grades stay ’cause it’s so easy for me.” Housing instability, however, isn’t always forgiving to high schoolers. Nationwide, even one move during adolescence significantly reduces a student’s likelihood of graduating high school,

as Molly Metzger, an assistant professor at Washington University’s Brown School, concluded in a 2015 study. Years ago, Waller and her three oldest received a voucher after a time she describes as being “completely homeless.” Since then, Waller and her kids have experienced four periods of homelessness while transitioning between units with a voucher. The longest stint was three months, while Waller was pregnant with her sixth child. Vouchers significantly reduce hardships such as housing instability, food insecurity and child separations for homeless families. Still, the St. Louis Housing Authority says it is common for there to be a gap between leases, although there is limited data on the extent of the problem. Lovell says that is because around 100 families are moving each month and application packets are often turned in close to the end of a lease. (Sometimes the housing authority is able to negotiate a lease extension to limit any gap in housing.) In Waller’s new house, the kids have picked out their rooms. “Mom said all the boys on the top floor, but my sister, she trying to get up there,” one boy says. Waller feels optimistic about her new landlord. “I like him way better than Cooper ’cause as soon as I called him to come out, he stuck to his word,” she says. “I like the new place,” John says. “But I really wish we would have stayed in south city ’cause that’s where I have been growing up my whole entire life. The only way I know my way around is the south. The north, west and the east, man, if you take me to one of those streets, I don’t know where to go. “I just got to start over. That’s all it is,” he continues. He was hoping to stay at Roosevelt High School, but his mom says he’ll go to nearby Soldan instead. “We heard people talk about the ‘Wicked West,’” he says. “The other day there was a shootout nearby.” He notes the new house’s closeness to the store and several schools, making the point that his siblings can stay tight. “I watch out for people,” he says. “But my little brother — he can’t just stay in the house. He’s easily distracted — so he hangs in the yard.” Waller points down the street, counting three vacant houses on their new block. Neighbors have already come over to introduce themselves. She likes the new area. “I like to stay quiet. The older people — like where I am at now — that’s my type of party.” n

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BY PAUL FRISWOLD

FRIDAY 06/29 Aisha in Wonderland For more than twenty years Italian-Senegalese artist Maïmouna Guerresi has created art that depicts strong women. For Guerresi’s new exhibition, Aisha in Wonderland, she photographs women draped in the rich and vibrant fabrics worn by Muslim women and then sets those figures against backgrounds in shades of gray. Inspired by the changes that Lewis Carroll’s Alice experiences as she travels through another world, particularly her expanding and shrinking form, Guerrisi manipulates her images so that our perception of their dimensions change. An impossibly tall woman hidden inside a crimson robe stands on a plank high above a mysteriously closed door; a diminutive figure wearing a patterned robe in hues of green and blue strides past a cluster of plastic jugs and containers, the minarets and domes of an Islamic city hugging the horizon. Aisha in Wonderland: Maïmouna Guerresi opens with a free reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 29, at Projects + Gallery (4733 McPherson Avenue; www. projects-gallery.com). The exhibit remains on display through July 28, and the gallery is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Admission is free.

Messages from Mercury

Maimouna Guerresi, Red Trampoline, 2016. | COURTESY MARIANE IBRAHIM GALLERY

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Strongly influenced by the ideas of semiotics and sacred geometry, artist Benjamin Lowder creates works of deconstructed text that convey ideas about the hidden world that exists all around us. For his new show, Messages from Mercury, Lowder paints street signs, then breaks them apart and reassembles them so the familiar words become glyphs that bear a cautionary tale to our inner voices. Just as Mercury was the messenger from the gods in Roman theology, so Lowder’s art carries a warning from the gods that we’re on the wrong path. Benjamin

Lowder: Messages from Mercury opens with a reception from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, June 29, at the artist’s brand-new Cherokee Street Gallery (2617 Cherokee Street; www.cherokeestreetgallery.com). It remains up through the end of August. Also on display are new works by Jerald Ieans and Zack Smithey in conversation with one another. Admission is free.

SATURDAY 06/30 Budweiser’s Backyard ’Tis the season for backyard cookouts and other summer delights, and even old-school brewing powerhouse Anheuser-Busch is getting in on the act. Budweiser’s Backyard is a burgers, beer and country music celebration that has the added appeal of the famous Clydesdales. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 30, the parking lot of the Budweiser tour center (South 12th and Lynch streets; www.budweisertours.com) will host food trucks, a “Beer and Bites Bar,” musicians Kassi Ashton and Clare Dunn, tastings of the new Freedom Reserve Red Lager (brewed by Budweiser’s veterans for America’s veterans and the folks who support them) and the Big Sizzle. The Big Sizzle is an attempt to break the world record for the most burgers grilled at one time. (Visit the website to find out how you can register to be one of the necessary 800 grillers who will bring their own grills and skills to compete for the honor of their city.) Admission is free, but bring money for the food trucks and other purchases.

Grand Center Theatre Crawl St. Louis has a thriving local theater scene; you can see pretty much anything from experimental works to classics to entirely new musicals on any given weekend in St. Louis. Whether you’re a veteran audience member or someone who’s wanted to check out some plays but wasn’t sure where to start, the Grand Center Theatre

WEEK OF JUNE 28-JULY 4

Klaus Kinski and Jean-Louis Trintignant battle one another in the frozen mountains of Utah in The Great Silence. | ©1968 ADELPHIA COMPAGNIA CINEMATOGRAFICA S.P.A. ROME Crawl is the perfect introduction. More than 30 local companies will perform short works and excerpts from full productions this Friday and Saturday (June 29 and 30) from 6 to 11 p.m. throughout Grand Center (North Grand and Lindell boulevards; www.stlpublicradio.org/theatrecrawl). Admission is free; all you need to do is register to attend and you’re set. Newish group Theatre Macabre presents The Statement of Randolph Carter, a slice of weird horror drawn from the short story of the same name by H.P. Lovecraft, while the even newer STL Opera Collective performs an excerpt from Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s Three Decembers, a chamber opera about a distant mother trying to get to know her children. Old pros the Midnight Company offer the new drama Audition, which is about an actress with an unusual résumé trying out for a part at a company that professes to be very accepting.

Resilient The interesting thing about being resilient is that you aren’t, until you need to be. It’s a mysterious quality that only manifests after trauma or a tragedy; events that should incapacitate you are instead quelled by an inner drive to keep going and keep moving

even when you’re in the depths of despair. Resiliency doesn’t numb pain or mute anguish, but it allows you to function when those without it would curl up in a ball. This quality inspires Leverage Dance Theater’s new show, Resilient. Choreographers Diana Barrios, Vance Baldwin, Keli Brook Hermes and Jenny Battenberg all created dances that demonstrate the force that makes the unbearable bearable. Resilient is performed at 8 p.m. Friday and 5:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday (June 29 and 30) at the Intersect Arts Center (3636 Texas Avenue; www.leveragedancetheater.org). Tickets are $15 to $20.

ter doesn’t get them first. Sergio Corbucci’s spaghetti Western The Great Silence is the cultest of cult films, a bleak and violent political commentary on the fate of a moral man fighting an immoral government. The Webster Film Series presents The Great Silence at 7:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday (June 29 through July 1) at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood Avenue; www. webster.edu/film-series). Tickets are $5 to $7.

SUNDAY 07/01 The Great Silence

The Fourth of July means America, baseball and fireworks, which is what you’ll get when the Gateway Grizzlies host a three-game series against the Windy City ThunderBolts at GCS Credit Union Ballpark (2301 Grizzlie Bear Boulevard, Sauget, Illinois; www.gatewaygrizzlies.com) Monday through Wednesday (July 2 to 4). The Grizzlies always celebrate the holiday with All-American Week, which includes a salute to the troops, post-game fireworks and Frontier League baseball prices (lawn and bleacher seats are just $6 to $11). And don’t forget the concessions, which are insane. The hamburgers use doughnuts for buns, the

The man known as Silence hates bounty hunters. When he was a child, they slashed his throat to keep him from testifying about their crimes, and he was rendered mute as a result. Now he’s the guardian of a group of settlers in the Utah mountains who are being terrorized by man hunters. These hired killers are led by Loco (Klaus Kinski), a thoroughly polite and deadly man. Silence and Loco both know it will come down to a duel, if the fearsome Utah win-

MONDAY 07/02 All-American Week

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hot dogs come with two kinds of bacon, sauerkraut, onions and nacho cheese, and the infamous cheesesteak nachos are just like the Founding Fathers used to eat.

WEDNESDAY 07/04 Fair St. Louis It’s been a few years since Fair St. Louis has set up on the Arch grounds, but in 2018 America’s birthday festivities return to their rightful home. This Fourth of July Wednesday (and on Friday and Saturday, the sixth and the seventh of July) Fair St. Louis takes over the Gateway Arch National Park (200 Washington Avenue; www.fairstlouis.org). You can do some hands-on learning in the STEAM expo area, buy anything in the fairway from clothing to custom jewelry to a small wooden flag carved with a chainsaw, have fun with the kids in the festival zone and enjoy music by the St. Louis Symphony (Wednesday), Jason Derulo (Friday) and Martina McBride (Saturday). And of course, a massive fireworks display over the Mississippi finishes off every evening. Fair St. Louis takes place from noon to 10 p.m. on Wednesday and Saturday and from 4 to 10 p.m. on Friday. Admission is free. n

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FILM

Dinosaurs run amok, and you’ll never guess what happens next. | © UNIVERSAL PICTURES 2018

[REVIEW]

Dino-meh Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is a chaotic mess of a movie Written by

ROBERT HUNT Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Directed by J.A. Bayona. Written by Derek Connolly and Colin Trevorrow. Based on characters created by Michael Crichton. Starring Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, James Cromwell and Daniella Pineda. Now screening at numerous theaters.

teven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park, which premiered a quarter of a century ago, had a curiously lopsided quality. It began with very long stretches of exposition — it was, after all, an adaptation of Michael Crichton’s pseudo-scientific novel — teasing the audience with 40 minutes or so of Richard Attenborough’s character breathlessly describing the details of cloning and Jeff Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm tossing off sardonic dialogue about chaos theory before finally getting to the main attraction: state-ofthe-art CGI dinosaurs. The digital beasts were impressive, but also

a little anticlimactic, bigger than life but at the same time too big to be of much interest dramatically. The film wanted them to be majestic and terrifying at the same time, but it turns out that dinosaurs don’t really make convincing villains. They’re not malicious or malevolent; they’re just there. Humans run from them in terror and the predators willingly follow. Spielberg followed his film with an unnecessary sequel, The Lost World, which dropped the Science 101 tone in favor of old-fashioned dinosaurs-stomping-through-the city mayhem, but the beasts remained uncompelling, oddly indifferent to the destruction they create. Two more sequels followed (I’ll admit I missed both). And now in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, whether they’re running from an exploding volcano or wandering around an enormous mansion, they remain as casually destructive as ever. For this fifth tale of dinosaurs among us, the creatures, having been abandoned on their island theme park, are threatened by the aforementioned volcano, while politicians and animal rights activists debate whether they should be rescued. (Jeff Goldblum appears briefly, representing the pro-extinction side.) But if you’re concerned that this will become another exercise in Crichton-style pedantry about the ethics of clon-

ing or the irrationality of humans and dinosaurs living in the same environment, worry no more. The new film is a crazy quilt of postSpielbergian spectacle, dizzily careening through crashes, collisions and carnage without wasting a second on the fine points of story-

It turns out that dinosaurs don’t really make convincing villains. They’re not malicious or malevolent; they’re just there. telling. It’s a disaster/horror/action/ science fiction movie, each genre played out in five-minute chunks before the filmmakers get distracted by some new turn of events. The fragments of narrative involve Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, returning from the most recent film in the series after being recruited by an elderly millionaire to rescue the endangered dinosaurs. That relatively coher-

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ent notion disappears quickly as the film is hijacked by a grab bag of plot twists involving mercenary dinosaur hunters, international arms dealers, evil businessmen and a mysterious child, the millionaire’s granddaughter, who crawls around his sprawling mansion spying on events and uncovering her own secret past. To his credit, director J.A. Bayona does his best to keep up with the shifting tones and unabashed confusion of the screenplay, but a movie like this relies less on direction than on management skills and simple endurance. There’s no emotional weight, nothing at stake or designed to stay in your mind from one scene to the next. Bayona wastes an overqualified supporting cast (James Cromwell as the millionaire, Toby Jones as a ruthless American businessman with an unconvincing accent and Geraldine Chaplin, banished to little more than a cameo), while being saddled with a lead couple going through the motions of action-hero-and-heroine without enthusiasm or charisma. The screenwriters don’t provide much of a personality for Howard (this is, after all, part of the Spielberg clubhouse: no girls allowed), while Pratt, in comparison, is the contemporary equivalent of every affable 1970s TV leading man who briefly spun his “oh, shucks” appeal into a starring role in a forgettable movie of the week. He’s the Greg Evigan of our time. One minute a character is being chased by a T-Rex or scaling a window ledge, the next they’re falling through a ceiling or hiding from a window-rapping beast. For some viewers, the sheer relentlessness may be enough. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is a mess, but it’s a headstrong, deliberate mess, as chaotic in its execution as it is in theory. Those with an eye for detail will notice a few mild and relatively bloodless comments on our current political state. A bad guy refers to a character as a “nasty woman,” and television headlines include mild references to a clueless president and global warming (something that Michael Crichton, a longtime opponent of environmental activism, wouldn’t have appreciated). This is the state of resistance, Hollywood style: throwaway one-liners on a chyron. n

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[REVIEW]

Speed Kills Honey Pit Smokehouse pioneers a faster, wetter way to barbecue, but comes up short Written by

CHERYL BAEHR Honey Pit Smokehouse 951 S. Kirkwood Road, Kirkwood; 314-6982121; Mon.-Sun. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

lipping through the old Sky Mall catalog a few years back, I recoiled in horror at an item that seemed to go against everything that is sacred in this world. Billed as a “miracle stick,” the Clef du Vin purported to shortcut wine’s aging process by using a blend of copper, gold and silver to force oxidation. For the impatient imbiber, it might sound genius. Why wait for that bottle of cheval blanc to mature on its own when you could reap all the benefits of twenty years of cellaring by swirling what looks like a metal pregnancy test in your glass? Yet such a gimmick makes me cringe in the same way as when I hear about AI sex robots with back stories. Call me old-fashioned, but can technology really replace the human touch? More importantly, how can it possibly improve upon the already-divine brisket? If you’re wondering what any of this has to do with barbecue — the most primal of all cooking forms — it’s because of Honey Pit Smokehouse, which opened on the southern edge of Kirkwood last December. Honey Pit’s claim to fame is its technology, a water smoker designed by one of the barbecue world’s winningest pitmasters, Myron Mixon. Co-owner Zach Fagas says the smoker’s moisture-rich atmosphere allows the pitmasters to cook Honey Pit’s barbecue hot and fast as opposed to the traditional low-and-slow method. No sitting around all night monitoring the fire — a special smoker, a pan of water and some high heat can shave hours off the cook time by simultaneously steaming and smoking the meat. It’s barbecue for the atten-

Honey Pit boasts a health-focused menu, including salmon, broccoli and “macro-friendly slaw,” as well as traditional barbecue favorites. | MABEL SUEN tion deficient. Fagas’ partners, Shane Mihaljevic Sr. and his son, Shane Jr., are no strangers to fast food. As the owner of three Imo’s Pizza franchises, Mihaljevic Sr. has made his living in a business whose success rests upon getting food to guests as quickly as possible. But he had bigger ambitions. A few years ago, the three men began musing about getting into barbecue and eventually decided to give it a go. They attended Mixon’s barbecue school in Georgia and became so dazzled with his branded smokers that they bought one of their own. They parked the behemoth in the Mihaljevics’ driveway, played around with their technique, and grew ever more determined to get their smokehouse idea off the ground. That happened when they came across the building that used to house the Chinese restaurant Steak and Rice, at the corner of South Kirkwood Road and Big Bend Boulevard. If the trio put effort into honing their barbecue craft, they doubled those efforts in converting the long-neglected building into Honey Pit. It was a makeover so extreme as to render the space

unrecognizable. Knotty wooden walls and beams give the feel of a log cabin, and large windows flood the room with light. Old wagon wheels attached to wooden banquettes, camping lanterns and country music playing over the sound system create an old West vibe. The décor, however, is telling. On the walls hang photos of mouth-watering barbecue that are actually stock photos from Kuna Foodservice. It’s a generic design choice that does not bode well for what is to come. Having never used the Clef du Vin, I can’t say whether it’s an innovation that results in better wine without lengthy aging times. I can say, however, that no amount of gadgetry on Honey Pit’s Mixon smoker can substitute for the many details that go into making superior barbecue. Innovative water smoker or not, it’s the end result that matters, and unfortunately, Honey Pit’s meats show that there are some things you just can’t rush, even if you have hightech gear promising just that. Ribs are advertised as “competition style,” a technical term for what is considered ideal in barbecue competitions. Yet they fall

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far too easily off the bone to be award winners and had a mushy texture. Though traces of smoke were present, they lacked that deep earthy taste and had little flavor from any sort of rub or seasoning, instead relying on sauce to mitigate their blandness. Brisket is downright criminal. I won’t take you down the “hot and fast” versus “low and slow” barbecue rabbit hole, but suffice it to say that whatever Honey Pit is doing results in inferior brisket. The meat is dry, tasteless and has zero bark — the sort of brisket you’d get if you found yourself at IHOP and inexplicably decided to order off a “Smokehouse Sensations” menu insert. Somewhere, Aaron Franklin is crying. But though the brisket was irredeemable, it was not the worst offering. That honor goes to the salmon, a piece of fish so overcooked it was inedible. I appreciate Honey Pit’s efforts at offering a smoked seafood selection, but the execution was so flawed, it was for naught. The restaurateurs should also be commended for trying to offer healthier options in a genre of food

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HONEY PIT

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that can be gout-inducing. Honey Pit has an entire selection of “macro” offerings, developed with the local nutrition consultancy Fit Home & Health but executed with mixed results. Turkey was tender, succulent and well seasoned, but the salmon was as dried out as the regular menu version. In fairness, not all of Honey Pit’s meats were so disastrous. Pulled pork, though fairly bland without the addition of sauce, was tender and juicy. A sausage link was well seasoned with some welcome chile heat. The snappy seared casing blistered from the smoker’s heat, making it one of the better meat choices. Turkey was equally impressive. Its sweet wood-smoke-infused meat was positively succulent — a feat that is difficult to accomplish with a protein that is notorious for drying out. This is one meat that Honey Pit has mastered. Honey Pit’s burger is a solid backyard burger, a thick patty with a delightfully charred exterior that tastes like lawn darts and fireworks. A brisket cheesesteak is another likable sandwich offering. The brisket’s dried-out tex-

ture gets reconstituted with garlic butter and molten Provel cheese, turning it into a respectable rendition of a Philly. And some of the other menu items also work well. The Honey Pit crew is proud of its sides, and indeed, the restaurant puts more thought into them than many smokehouses. Touches such as honeyed peaches in the baked beans or hard-boiled eggs and dill mixed with the potato salad elevate these classic accompaniments, while mayonnaise-based broccoli salad pairing the vegetable with cheddar cheese and cranberries has all the nostalgia of a 1970s family reunion. The Provel mac-and-cheese was the one disappointment. I would have expected this superior melter of a cheese to result in a decadent concoction, but instead the pasta sauce proved thin and tasteless. I’d say to skip the mac-andcheese and save room for dessert, but only if you were getting the gooey butter cake. The night’s other offering, a pecan pie, was cloying and overly sticky — more like a one-dimensional pecan caramel bar than pie. Just double up on the turkey and pass on dessert. Besides that turkey, the best thing about Honey Pit is the hospi-

Honey Pit has transformed the space that previously held Steak and Rice. | MABEL SUEN tality. Though the restaurant is set up as a fast-casual concept, both the people who took the orders at the counter and the servers who delivered it and bussed the tables went out of their way to create the sort of warm, welcoming environment you’d find in a well-run full-service restaurant. It may not translate to great barbecue, but there is heart here — a good oldfashioned ingredient that can’t be simulated, even with the fanciest equipment money can buy.

It’s the one thing that makes me hopeful that Honey Pit will find its way. You can tell that Fagas, Shane Sr. and Shane Jr. are earnestly committed to doing good barbecue. That learning curve is just pretty steep, and unfortunately, no gadgets can speed up the process. Like good ’cue and good wine, that has to take its time. n

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SHORT ORDERS [SIDE DISH]

He Left His Corporate Gig for Barbecue Written by

CHERYL BAEHR

avid Stidham may be an award-winning pitmaster and the restaurateur behind the successful Metro East smokehouse A Fine Swine (423 West Hanover Street, New Baden, Illinois; 618-588-5141). However, it wasn’t that long ago that he nearly laughed his youngest son out of the room at the suggestion he get into barbecue. “We were watching TV one day and the show Barbecue Pitmasters was on,” Stidham recalls. “My son said, ‘Dad, why don’t you go on that show? You’re great at barbecue.’ I just laughed at him and said, ‘Jacob, those guys are at a whole different level than what I do in the backyard.’” But even if Stidham qualified his work as mere “backyard barbecue,” his talents were evident well before he won his first competitions. The son of a U.S. Navy officer, Stidham moved around a lot as a kid but spent a great deal of his childhood in Memphis, a place that proved instrumental in instilling a passion for smoking meat at a young age. “In Memphis, you could close your eyes, throw a rock and hit a barbecue shack,” Stidham says. “Having the privilege of growing up so close to so many barbecue restaurants, we ate a lot of it, and we learned to cook it too. It was a part of the culture, and it was embedded in me at a young age.” Stidham’s restaurant career, however, initially went in a different direction. He began working on the corporate side of the industry, working all the way up to the role of vice president of marketing for Wisconsin-based Culver’s.

Stidham enjoyed a great amount of professional success in that role, but no amount of that could make up for his desire to live closer to his family after his father got sick. After retiring from the Navy, the elder Stidham had settled in New Baden, Illinois, and the rest of the family followed suit — except for Stidham. He felt guilty about that and had a moment of clarity one day while en route to the hospital to see his father. Though Stidham had been winning competitions and bottling his own barbecue sauce for a while, he didn’t want to seriously consider opening his own restaurant unless the perfect opportunity came along. But as he was driving to the hospital that day in New Baden, a “for lease” sign caught his eye. Something compelled Stidham to check out the restaurant space, so he pulled over. What happened next was the clearest sign he could get. “I called the leasing agent, and it turned out it was a father-andson team,” Stidham recalls. “I was feeling sentimental because of my dad, but when they asked if I wanted to see it, I told them no because I lived out of town and was on my way to visit my dad. It turned out, they were pulling into the parking lot that very minute.” For Stidham, the property checked off every box on his list of requirements. The only hitch was his wife. “I took some pictures and sent my wife a text about it,” Stidham says. “She said, ‘Wow, this looks good. Where is it?’ I texted back that it was in New Baden. I didn’t hear from her for about 30 minutes.” It took some convincing to get his family on board to move to New Baden from Wisconsin, but they eventually rallied behind him. That was October 2016 and now, less than two years later, Stidham’s smokehouse is proving to be not just a local favorite but a destination restaurant — so successful that he and his family are getting ready to open a second location, a barbecue-and-pizza concept in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. “I had a really good corporate job as an executive, and it was a risk to quit,” Stidham muses. “I’m not trying to be boastful, but I am good at this — I think I may have

David Stidham parlayed backyard barbecue into a career. | COURTESY OF A FINE SWINE found my hidden talent.” Stidham took a break from the barbecue pit to share his thoughts on the local food-and-beverage community, why mind-reading should be a superpower and the one spice you will never find in his rubs. What is one thing people don’t know about you that you wish they did? We don’t talk about it much, but we continuously try to help people through community giving. Sometimes through fundraisers, other times cash donations and quite of-

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ten gift cards and gift baskets. We try to say yes as often as possible in some way — sometimes until it hurts. But we are so blessed and feel it our obligation and blessing to give back. What daily ritual is non-negotiable for you? Praying for my team, our guests, our community and of course my family. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? The ability to fly. Always wanted that, and still do! I guess mind-

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[FOOD NEWS]

Olive Blvd. Restaurants Fear Future Written by

ALISON GOLD

itting down for an interview with the owners of Tai Ke (8604 Olive Boulevard, University City; 314-801-8894), St. Louis’ first restaurant focused solely on Taiwanese food, requires a Mandarin-English translator. That is, except for about halfway through the conversation, when owner Calvin Koong interjects four words in crystal-clear English: “Over. My. Dead. Body.” Koong and his co-owner, Zhenglu Sun, immigrated to St. Louis from Taiwan in the mid-’90s. In September 2015, the duo opened (with Brian Hsia) a restaurant to bring the cuisine of their homeland to St. Louis, earning raves for their street food-style menu items. They’ve invested all they have into making Tai Ke a University City staple — from painting the intricate, black city skyline on the interior wall to building clientele despite a relatively hidden location in an Olive Boulevard strip mall. That’s why the two were shocked and upset to learn about the $190 million, 50-acre project proposed by St. Louis-based Novus Development. The plan, subsidized by $70 million in tax increment financing, or TIF, would bring a Costco, hotel and apartments into an area known for its wealth of ethnic, particularly Asian, cuisine. Their restaurant sits squarely within the project’s footprint. Koong and Sun staunchly oppose the redevelopment. The strip of Olive on which they’re currently located, they explain via the translator, is the only “Chinatown” in St. Louis (ironically, one that Asian entrepreneurs moved to after officials razed the one in downtown St. Louis to put in a parking lot). If the plan goes through, they fear they’ll have nowhere else to do business. They’re talking about that via their translator when Koong interjects in English, explaining under what conditions the massive TIF project would displace his res-

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Thaun Kieu (right, with My Hu) opened Pho Long more than a decade ago. Now the eatery is in the footprint of redevelopment plans. | ALISON GOLD taurant: “Over. My. Dead. Body.” TIF plans enable a city to give local property and sales taxes back to the developer to subsidize the redevelopment of “blighted” areas. At the first two city hearings on the project, hosted May 23 and June 6, residents and business owners expressed mixed opinions on the plan. With the third — and possibly final — public hearing for the project last week, immigrant business owners in the project’s bounds are in some cases hostile to the plans, and in others, concerned and confused. It’s not just that they fear being driven out. It’s also that it all seems to be happening with very little direct communication from the city. “They talk about how it’s gonna benefit the people of U City,” says Kakungulu Majesty Mukulu, who works with his mother Christine Mukulu Sseremba at her restaurant, Simba Ugandan Restaurant (8531 Olive Boulevard, University; 314-475-5630). “Well, the current people of U City, if they’re gonna benefit, tell them how it’s gonna be better for them, be direct and tell them what you’re trying to do. It feels very back-doorish and like they’re kind of keeping it behind curtains.” A center of diversity and culture, University City hosts 983 minority-owned businesses. That’s more than five times as many as

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Clayton and eleven times that of Ladue, according to 2012 U.S. Census data. Thaun Kieu, the owner of family-run Vietnamese eatery Pho Long (8627 Olive Boulevard, University City; 314-997-1218), moved with her two children to St. Louis

The culture and spirit of Olive, cultivated by its multitude of small businesses, may soon be traded for a more corporate form of commerce. in the mid-’90s. Initially, the family opened a jewelry store in University City, an area they chose for its diversity and centrality to the Asian community. Three years later, in 2006, the family decided to lease another space nearby and open a pho restaurant. During those first six months of business, they wondered if they had made a mistake. “A lot of people don’t under-

stand, the restaurant business, period, is difficult. First, a lot of restaurants are done in the first three years, they can’t make it,” says Kieu’s son, who helps manage restaurant operations. (He says he is speaking for the family, but prefers not to have his name used.) But the family hung on. “Every season after that first year, we doubled our clientele until we maximized occupancy about two or three years ago.” Last fall, he remembers, rumors began to swirl among local business owners about potential changes in ownership and construction in the area. Tired of the rumbling, he went directly to city hall and provided his contact information, asking to be updated of any changes going forward. He wasn’t. That winter, Novus purchased Jeffrey Plaza, the strip mall on Olive where Pho Long is located. Since then, the family has continued to remain mostly in the dark. In fact, during the June 6 meeting, Kieu’s son recalls, one woman asked everyone who had received notification of the meeting directly from University City to raise their hands. He says in a sea of people, only one raised her hand. “When I brought it up I said, ‘Couldn’t you guys just let us know?’ And [the official] said, his words were on behalf of the city, Continued on pg 39

Simba Ugandan Restaurant chef Christine Mukulu Sseremba, center, fears Olive could get much more corporate if the city has its way. | MABEL SUEN

OLIVE BOULEVARD Continued from pg 38

that it’s not feasible for them to go door to door letting people know,” he said. “I said, ‘It’s not door to door, I gave you our information, you can call us. You can send mail to us, email us, whatever, keep us in the loop.’” In a 5,000-word defense of the project, Councilwoman Paulette Carr quotes resident Brian Burkett, who argues (based on numbers Pho Long provided at the last TIF commission meeting) that it would take more than 200 Pho Longs to equal the taxable revenue of Costco. “I’m a business person, and we think of everything in terms of business,” Kieu’s son says. “There’s the community side of things and there’s the business side of things. Without business, there’s no community, and without the community, there’s no business either. They work together. What I feel like is I think there should be some sort of development. I agree with development, but not the extent they’re going with it right now ... It’s almost like they’re painting this fabulous picture but we don’t know if that’s gonna really happen.” Christine Mukulu Sseremba of Simba Ugandan Restaurant expresses many of the same con-

Sseremba’s restaurant, too, lies within the proposed TIF’s footprint. | MABEL SUEN cerns about University City’s lack of transparency. She and her sons came to the U.S. from Uganda in 2011. In 2015, they opened Olive Green International Cuisine in Jeffrey Plaza. This February, they moved their restaurant to a standalone building nearby, redecorated and rebranded as Simba. They’ve been thrilled with the volume of business. Yet even though they’re no longer in Jeffrey Plaza, their restaurant remains in the TIF’s foot-

print. And since they don’t own the building, just the business, they have little control over negotiations. “We’re renters, so if [the developers] make a proposal to our landlord, the owner, and it’s a good proposal, why [would] he turn it down?” says Sseremba’s son, Mukulu. “To us, though, that is life-changing.” Mukulu adds that the city did not contact them about the public hearings. He found out about the

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second public hearing by word of mouth only an hour before it started. Luckily, he was able to quickly prepare his thoughts. “Even just the opportunity to be able to speak, voice our concerns, hear some responses if there are responses to our questions, we’re glad that could happen,” Mukulu says. “If all of this was said and done, whether us being there and speaking had any change on what’s going on is not necessarily even the point. It’s the fact that if there was that opportunity to do that and we didn’t even know about it, I feel like that’s terrible that a lot of people don’t even know that they have the opportunity to even be involved, whether it’s speaking or being there.” Documents available at the hearing promise the project will enable economic development on Olive, increased employment opportunities, educational funding, higher property values and a host of other benefits. But, like Mukulu, Kieu’s son remains skeptical. He notes a slew of maintenance and safety issues that have been neglected in the 3rd Ward for too long. For example, he mentions a tree that recently fell in his mother’s neighborhood and dilapidated roads that haven’t been touched in the more than 20 years since they’ve done business there. “We’re kind of like the bastard child down here,” he says. “And it’s like now you care about us because Costco is going to miraculously save everybody. And that’s what they’re painting the picture of.” Sseremba and her family worry that stores like Costco will conflict with the existing small businesses in the area. Specifically, these bigbox stores could attract a different type of clientele than those who currently frequent the neighborhood. If so, Mukulu worries the culture and spirit of Olive, cultivated by its multitude of small businesses, may be traded for a more corporate form of commerce. Sseremba wonders if the money that would otherwise be used for the TIF might be better allocated to improve the appearance and condition of the businesses and amenities already existing in the city, perhaps to offer incentives to landlords to improve their properties. “I hope when all is said and done, University City will be University City, that it will have the uniqueness that it has, the welcoming spirit that welcomes diversity and will embrace it,” Sseremba says. n

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RIVERFRONT TIMES

NOW OPEN

music

SUNDAYS 10AM-8PM

SERVING BRUNCH 10AM-1PM

read more at The Spot House specializes in Vietnamese food, but also offers American items. | CHERYL BAEHR RIVERFRONTTIMES.COM [FIRST LOOK]

A North-County Spot for Bar Fare, and Bánh Mì

618-307-4830 www.clevelandhealth.com 106 N. Main | Edwardsville, IL

Written by

CHERYL BAEHR

dining read more at

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urgers and bánh mì may sound like strange bedfellows, but Jay and Lisa Nguyen are not letting that stop them. At their new restaurant, the Spot House (6 Mullanphy Court, Florissant; 314-755-1500), the husbandand-wife team are are proudly serving an eclectic menu of American bar-and-grill staples and Vietnamese specialties, and they see no problem with that — in fact, they see it as a selling point. “We have three or four different countries’ food in the same restaurant,” Jay Nguyen boasts. “We want to give people a choice — to make people feel that all are welcome.” Nguyen is an automobile mechanic by trade, and his entrepreneurial spirit has led him to a varied career: He’s done everything from flipping houses to owning liquor and convenience stores. His wife, Lisa, had always been supportive of his endeavors, but in 2011, she made it known that she was eager to get into business herself. A talented home cook, she felt she could translate her prowess into a successful restaurant, so the couple took the leap and opened an American bar and grill, Cedar Hill Resort, along the Great River Road in Brussels, Illinois. The Nguyens continue to enjoy success with Cedar Hill Resort, but they decided to open a second restaurant for two reasons. First, Cedar Hill Resort is a seasonal establishment. Because of its

location on the river, the restaurant caters to water-sports enthusiasts and is only open a few months out of the year. The Nguyens wanted a restaurant that would be open year-round. More importantly, however, the Nguyens wanted a business in their own neighborhood. When the opportunity arose for them to open a location just down the road from their house, they jumped on it. “Florissant is my hometown,” Jay Nguyen says. “I wanted to have a restaurant in my own community.” That community is deep into Florissant, on the northern outskirts of the north-county suburb not far from the Missouri River. The Spot House is located in an unremarkable strip mall in a residential neighborhood off Mullanphy Lane (which is also home to the area mainstay Roberto’s Italian Restaurant, an underrated destination for St. Louis-style pizza) that you might pass if you were not paying attention. Using his skills in home renovation, Nguyen himself did most of the work transforming the double storefront into the Spot House. The space is large, consisting of a massive dining room and a second room dedicated to the bar. Both are sparsely decorated with tables, chairs, wood paneling and the occasional beer or liquor poster. The Spot House’s menu is divided almost equally between American and Vietnamese fare. On one half, guests will find burgers, fried-chicken sandwiches, shrimp poppers and onion rings. Though it reads like standard bar fare, Jay Nguyen emphasizes that his wife makes nearly everything from scratch. “The mushrooms are stuffed and hand-breaded here, the burgers are made here, the shrimp poppers are stuffed by her,” he explains. “Most places doing American food just get in frozen things,

A FINE SWINE Continued from pg 37

Jay and Lisa Nguyen hope the Spot House feels like home. | CHERYL BAEHR but we do everything as fresh as possible. It’s healthier that way.” The Vietnamese side of the menu has such classic dishes as pho, bánh mì, spring rolls sizzling pork and a crepe filled with bean sprouts, pork and shrimp. Jay Nguyen has been pleasantly surprised by the reception the more traditional dishes have been getting. In fact, the bánh mì is one of the restaurant’s most popular dishes. As for the name, Nguyen explains that it took him a long time to think of some-

thing to call the eatery, and he felt this captured exactly what he is trying to get across with his inclusive restaurant. “A ‘spot’ is a place where people come together — family and friends. People say, ‘This is our spot,’” he says. “And the shape of the roof on this building made it look like someone’s home. So that’s why I came up with the name — it’s a place where people can come and be together and feel like they are at home.” The Spot House is open daily from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. n

reading would be a close second? Is that a superpower? I submit that it is, or should be. What is the most positive thing in food, wine or cocktails that you’ve noticed in St. Louis over the past year? Personally speaking, I have to say the continued growth of the high-end barbecue segment. I truly believe St. Louis is quickly becoming one of the premier barbecue cities in the country! I have been to them all and believe we stack up nicely against anyone, including Kansas City. What is something missing in the local food, wine or cocktail scene that you’d like to see? More regional collaboration to help attract more diners to an area specifically for the dining scene. Who is your St. Louis food crush? Mike Johnson and Christina Fitzgerald of Sugarfire Smoke House. Who’s the one person to watch right now in the St. Louis dining scene? David Sandusky of BEAST Craft BBQ.

Which ingredient is most representative of your personality? Black pepper. It’s bold but complementary and not overpowering — and necessary. If you weren’t working in the restaurant business, what would you be doing? It’s actually hard to even imagine. I have always been infatuated with food and restaurants. Perhaps pro bass fishing? Name an ingredient never allowed in your restaurant. Cumin! When I was younger, one of the first briskets I ever smoked had way too much cumin in it, and it was just awful. It put a very poor taste in my mouth and I have stayed away from it since. It’s probably not fair, as cumin is actually a wonderful spice ... just not for me. What is your after-work hangout? Home with the family. What’s your food or beverage guilty pleasure? Chorizo street tacos and bloody marys. What would be your last meal on earth? A two-pound Wagyu bone-in ribeye cooked “caveman style” to rare-plus with a hard sear. That and whatever side is laying around as a garnish, but it’s really only about the meat at this point. n

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CULTURE [RADIO]

An E-Book to Tell KDHX’s Story, With Help From Its Friends Written by

DANIEL HILL

DHX (88.1 FM) has operated as an independent radio station since 1987 and in its three decades become a beacon of culture beloved by the people of St. Louis. But for all that history, information about the station can be difficult to find. It’s spread out across the internet in news articles and video clips, leaving no one place that tells the full KDHX story. Thomas Crone intends to change that. A volunteer fill-in programmer with the station (and longtime contributor to Riverfront Times), Crone has recently launched an Indiegogo campaign, which as of this writing has reached $1,502 of its $10,000 goal, for an e-book that will delve into the rich history of St. Louis’ favorite source of community radio. “The idea is to do a 31-chapter book on KDHX, but it will live online,” Crone says of the ambitious project. “It won’t be a book that you would order on a Kindle; it would just be a hybrid website-slashbook with that many chapters in it. It would cover everything from the KDNA precursor radio station all the way through today.” The 31-chapter setup is a nod to the fact that the station is turning 31 years old this October. Crone says the endeavor would cover everything from DJs such as Bob Reuter, who died at the height of his on-air popularity in a tragic accident, to the buildings that have housed KDHX, to some of the bigger events like Midwest Mayhem, among many others. Crone himself has hosted mul-

tiple shows over the years including Silver Tray, The Wire (renamed Topic A when a certain HBO series came along) and Friday Afternoon Show, which filled in briefly after Reuter’s passing in 2013. He estimates he’s been involved with the station in one way or another for thirteen or fourteen years. “It’s been something I’ve had as a touchstone for a lot of years of my adult life,” he explains. “I did a show with a friend named Kurt in the early ’90s and we only made it eight months before there was a big culling of shows. We were one of the shows that got cut. For a while I was a little bit angry about things, but in time I realized what a positive thing KDHX is.” Crone says that, while KDHX’s current staff is aware of the project and has pledged to offer up their archives, he’d maintain his independence as an author rather than publishing it under the station’s official imprimatur. He’s already found some gems: a magazine/program guide that the station published in the ’70s called Fat Chance, a cache of videos from KDHX’s old public-access division. “People kind of forget that KDHX had the local-origination cable-access arm,” Crone says. “People are offering up tapes of those, so I’d be looking at digitizing quite a bit of material, both text and video. And these are mostly videotapes from the ’90s. Those are coming to me.” The web format, Crone reasons, will let him embed those archival videos in a way that print would not allow. “If there’s a chapter about live performance at the station, we can embed videos or just link like crazy,” he says. “That wouldn’t be doable in an ink publication.” Some of the people who were key to the station over the years, such as former executive director Beverly Hacker, have already reached out to be a part of the project. Author Amanda Doyle, who has written multiple books on St. Louis for Reedy Press including 100 Things to Do in St. Louis Before You Die, will also write some chapters. And Allison Wilson, who just left the station after a stint as chief engagement officer, has signed on to assist. “She’ll be doing proofreading, copy-editing, layout, all that,” he says. “So I feel really good with her involvement too, because

Doug Morgan, host of The Record Sto’ on KDHX (and before that, The Underworld). | BOB REUTER

The cover of the February 1972 edition of Fat Chance, the “monthly program guide” of KDNA 102.5 FM, the community station that preceded KDHX. | COURTESY KDHX ARCHIVE she’s been working at the station for a couple years. She’ll know the names and some stories.” For Crone and company, KDHX is a St. Louis institution — and one with more than enough history to warrant devoting their time. “It’s neat to see a thread of any station that can go back that far,”

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he says. “I think KSHE is somewhat beloved not because of present programming but because it just has that history, right? And I think KDHX is kind of similar. “It’s that constant presence,” he adds, “plus reinvention from time to time, that I think people enjoy a lot.” n

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RIVERFRONT TIMES

[HOMESPUN]

A Hard Habit to Break Davis Kathriner is a welcome return to form for two accomplished St. Louis natives Written by

CHRISTIAN SCHAEFFER

he roots that bind Ben Davis to Danny Kathriner go back a few decades. Back in the late 1980s, Davis’ band Wagon was a darling of Washington University undergrads and an early exponent of the as-yetunnamed alt-country movement. Kathriner joined up on drums and vocals and the band decided to try to make an honest go of it: Regional and national tours, production deals and a major-label debut soon followed. “When we first started out it was very Jayhawks-like; we got compared to them a lot because of the harmony,” Kathriner recalls of the band’s sound. “Not intentionally — we both came out right about the same time.” A few more albums followed, but once the core members scattered from St. Louis, Wagon “kind of petered out,” in Kathriner’s words. It’s a familiar story for many bands who struggle to rise above the grind of mid-level tours and paltry record-company support. Now, some 22 years after Wagon’s debut album, its two lead singers are reuniting for a duo called, simply, Davis Kathriner. The pair has released a digital-only album, Losing Habits, and while the songs recall some of the Americana-infused folk of Wagon’s output, the songs bear traces of love and loss that once accrues over a few decades on Earth — elements that a band of college-aged kids could only muster by guesswork. When Davis and Kathriner performed in Wagon, the pair used to split singing and songwriting duties down the middle, with each singing his own compositions. This time Kathriner sings lead on almost every track. Davis doesn’t sing a note, but he wrote all songs but two on the album. Davis, who is based in New York, says via email that Davis Kathriner scratches an old itch; as a music producer and supervisor,

RIVERFRONT TIMES

Ben Davis and Danny Kathriner performed together in Wagon long ago. | HENRY DAVIS/BETH KATHRINER Davis works in the industry but had put aside his own songwriting. In reuniting with an old partner, he knew that he could trust Kathriner to understand and embellish his songs. “With Wagon, Danny and I traded vocal duties, generally singing the songs that we wrote, and there were times when the lack of consistency outweighed anything positive that came from the variety,” says Davis. “With this project, we talked early on about having Danny do the lead vocals to give the album that consistency. “There is also a selfish reason I did not sing on this album,” Davis continues. “I would rather listen to Danny sing than hear myself.” For his part, Kathriner is quick to credit his bandmate. “It’s mostly Ben’s genius, really,” he says. “In some ways I’m sort of a sidekick.” Kathriner still works as a songwriter — he and Chris Grabau colead the ruminative folk quartet Cave States — and notes that his time working with Davis, then and now, inspired much of his own songwriting. “We do have similar songwriting aesthetics, but I would say I learned more from Ben about songwriting than really anyone else,” Kathriner says. “He’s very concise with

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his lyrics, very melodic.” One of the album’s early standouts is “Breakfast Table,” the kind of song that practically writes the definition of a kitchen-sink drama. A long-married couple enumerates the slights, doubts and misgivings that gradually corrode a relationship; the breakfast table of the song title becomes a battleground, a vacuum and a confessional booth all at once. On the track, Kathriner partners with guest vocalist Laura Cantrell, a celebrated singer, songwriter and radio DJ whose guileless voice is an ideal vessel for the song’s slow simmer. While the song is technically a duet, it’s hard to tell if the protagonists are in conversation or are simply talking past each other. For Kathriner, Davis’ lyrics hit at a central, if little-discussed, truth of marriage. “If you’ve been married for any length of time, I think anyone can relate to that sort of lull in the relationship. Marriage is a big commitment, and you grow apart, and then you grow back together. It’s a constant cycle of in and out of love. “That’s that song,” he continues. “I think that song captures that moment in the relationship when things aren’t going so well.”

It turns out that Cantrell was a fan of Wagon way back when — the band played on her radio show on WFMU, the beloved Jersey City free-form station. “With ‘Breakfast Table’ and Laura Cantrell, the collaboration initially came out of wanting another perspective on the writing,” says Davis, who showed her an early draft of the song. “I snuck in the singing question after she and I started to talk about the song, and we’re so grateful that she joined us on the record.” Wagon had its brush with major-label success back in the late ’90s, and Kathriner and Davis are far too wise to expect anything approaching that experience with their new duo. “In some ways it was easier because you have fewer personalities to deal with — sometimes less is more, especially with the songcrafting process,” says Kathriner. “We don’t have any lofty goals to do any kind of touring; we’re not that kind of band.” But if age has made the expectations more realistic, it has also sweetened the results. “The most rewarding thing was just getting together again and writing with someone who you really admire,” says Kathriner. n

[COMEDY]

Local Podcast Tells Tales of Failure; Hilarity Ensues Written by

THOMAS CRONE

hen local comedian Jeremy Essig received a text from Tina Dybal with the simple question “Do you like podcasts?” he assumed that she was making a dry joke about the class he recently taught at Webster University on ... podcasting. In fact, she simply wanted to combine talents on, yes, a podcast, and once that initial confusion passed, they moved forward with speed. Former co-workers at popular Dogtown pizzeria Felix’s, the two had a personal rapport, equipment — Essig has a pro recording studio in his basement called Listless Sound — and lots of stage experience in standup comedy. The concept came to them relatively quickly, like everything else in this matter. And so, just a few short months after that text, the two have recorded and released a handful of editions of Where’d You Fuc* Up? (asterisk theirs), a freewheeling, hour-ish bit of conversation that includes guests as well as some recurring bits. Critical to the podcast is an interviewstyle riff on the central theme; as the name might suggest, the pair prompt their guests to discuss experiences in which, erm, said guests have, um, made a misstep (or two, or ten). That can mean a life-altering experience, or simply a change in plans brought on by messing something up badly. “If people are genuinely funny and will get into telling their story, you’ll probably get something good out of it,” Essig, who is also an occasional RFT contributor, says. “I don’t think we’ve known anyone’s story coming into the taping, which, I think, makes it feel fresher on the podcast. You have two people learning the story for the first time. “My bachelor’s degree is in psy-

Tina Dybal and Jeremy Essig, hosts of Where’d You Fuc* Up? | LANGEN NEUBACHER chology and I’ve got a graduate degree for journalism,” he adds. “I feel, for whatever reason, that this show plays to my strengths.” Dybal brings a high level of energy to the show, especially when discussing Essig’s constant quest to score deals while shopping. Her parents, Igor and Svetlana, are also a frequent reference point, with Essig and Dybal concocting a running gag about their being part of a Communist sleeper cell. “There’s an age difference between us,” Essig notes. “I’m a bit more curmudgeonly. Tina’s often very excited. For a lot of reasons, that gives me the straight man role, or I’m the annoyed person.” That was the case on the first episode, when Essig went into a lengthy spiel about the shortcomings of people who raise chickens and goats in urban environments. How much of that annoyance was real, and how much for added color … well, that’s part of the magic of funny people speaking into open microphones. While a general runtime of an hour has been their rule, there’s not a set clock, so conversations can breathe, rants can run and interviews can be interrupted for backstory 100 times or more. On that same episode, the pair set out to establish a general sense of how their interviews would flow. Their debut guest was a sympathetic character in Zack Gzehoviak, a co-founder of the Flyover Comedy Festival. His mistake was signing on for duty at a local anarchist bakeshop. (Though never named, anyone with south-city roots would presume the location to be Black Bear Bakery, RIP.) The

story unfolds slowly, with Gzehoviak giving a heartfelt backstory on really wanting to get hired on at Maplewood’s Foundation Grounds, only to be rebuffed time and again. Instead, he wound up at (presumably) Black Bear Bakery, where he was sent on delivery runs without directions, or set to baking without recipes. How much of this is accuracy as opposed to righteous embellishment a listener will never know, but the story works — anyone who’s taken on a new job without a safety net (or guaranteed paycheck) would find kinship in Gzehoviak’s tale. Of course, prodding him on the entire time are Essig and Dybal, ensuring things never flow in a natural A-B-C fashion, but more of a J-Q-F progression. “We didn’t know his story at all,” Dybal says. “He’s funny in his own way and a good friend of ours. Somehow, he was duped into working at a community bakery. We’ll take that.” Keeping things light and loose is the goal, say both hosts. If nothing else, they’ve enjoyed reconnecting, years after their boss/worker days at Felix’s. “With 47 other things going on in our lives, this is just fun,” says Essig. “With social media today, you mistakenly think you’re spending time with people. At least once a week now, we have to hang out. And we have to hang out with another friend, at least once a week.” And if one listener tunes in, the circle is complete. You can find their efforts at www.facebook. com/WYFUPodcast. n

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RIVERFRONT TIMES

Thursday June 28 9PM

Katy Guillen and The Girls Plus Dustin Arbuckle and The Damnations Hard Blues, Roots Rock and Americana Friday June 29 10PM

The Provels

Saturday June 30 10PM

Bassel & The Supernaturals Funk and Soul from Chicago Tuesday July 3 Special Holiday Show by

Mom’s Kitchen

Wednesday July 4 9:30PM Urban Chestnut Presents

The Voodoo Players Tribute To The Eagles Thursday July 5 9:30PM Urban Chestnut Presents

Alligator Wines’

Tribute To The Dead featuring Special Holiday Show Guests Saturday July 7 10PM

Jakes Leg

It’s WAY better than a photo booth! info@FishEyeFun.com FishEyeFun.com 314-621-8638 46

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OUT EVERY NIGHT

It’s Always a Party!

[CRITIC’S PICK]

duke’s Essential Knots. | DAVID BEEMAN

ESSENTIAL KNOTS

official recorded debut with a cassette

7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 28. Foam, 3359 South Jefferson. $5. 314-772-2100.

single release this weekend. Written with

When the Blind Eyes called it quits a few

Bachmann, “In the Sun” and “Weight”

years ago, our town lost one of its best

show the band’s knack for smart hooks

and tightest purveyors of punk- and New

and relatively lush production, updating

Wave-inspired rock bands. But its mem-

the Blind Eyes’ nervy austerity into some-

bers have kept busy since then; Kevin

thing more mellow but no less affecting.

Schneider with Thee Fine Lines, Andy

Arrive on Time: Paige Alyssa, a rising

White in Hell Night, and singer and song-

R&B singer who recently performed as

writer Seth Porter with Essential Knots.

part of PrideFest in downtown St. Louis,

Porter’s group has been playing around

will open the show.

town for some time now but makes its

THURSDAY 28

BAD BAD HATS: 8 p.m., $12-$15. The Monocle, 4510 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-935-7003. DEAF POETS: w/ Free Thinker, Apex Shrine 8 p.m., $7-$10. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. ESSENTIAL KNOTS SINGLE RELEASE: w/ Paige Alyssa 8 p.m., $8. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. FREEDM: w/ FALLEX, Vanilla Gorilla, Mobcat, TonyDaTyger 9 p.m., free. 2720 Cherokee Performing Arts Center, 2720 Cherokee St, St. Louis, 314-276-2700. HELMET: 8 p.m., $20-$22.50. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. JOSH GARRETT BAND: 8 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314436-5222. LIVE COMEDY DVD: 9 p.m., $5. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-3525226.

VOTED ST. LOUIS’ FAVORITE BAR & BEST SPORTS BAR AT THE CORNER OF MENARD & ALLEN IN THE HEART OF HISTORIC SOULARD

bassist and renowned pop-smith Kevin

Duke’s Photos by Big Stu Media

Duke’s Sports Bar Where the Games Begin

—Christian Schaeffer

MELISSA ETHERIDGE: 7 p.m., $65-$125. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900. MOCK IDENTITY: w/ Ex Salis 9 p.m., $7. Blank Space, 2847 Cherokee St., St. Louis. NEIL YOUNG: 8 p.m., $65-$275. The Fox Theatre, 527 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 314-534-1111. NOVENA: w/ Hello JiZoo, Lakes the Voice 8:30 p.m., $5. Way Out Club, 2525 S. Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-664-7638. RED SHAHAN: 8 p.m., $10. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. SAM LEWIS: 8 p.m., $10. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. SOCIAL DISTORTION: w/ Low Cut Connie, Aaron Lee Tasjan 8 p.m., $35-$175. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-2746720. THE STORY COLLIDER: 8 p.m., $10. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314833-3929.

Continued on pg 48

FIND OUT ALL THAT’S GOING ON @DUKESINSOULARD

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LISTINGS Continued from pg 47

music

FRIDAY 29

read more at RIVERFRONTTIMES.COM

Tacos & Ice cream are breaking

the rules!

2738 Cherokee Street •St. Louis, MO 63118

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BRANDON SANTINI BLUES BAND: 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. DJ LIMEWIRE PRIME: w/ DJ Plantie 9 p.m., free. RKDE, 2847 Cherokee Street, Saint Louis. EVEN THEN RECORD RELEASE: w/ Mild Martian, Shark Dad, Young Animals 8 p.m., $8-$10. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. FREDDIE MCGREGOR: 8 p.m., $20-$25. 2720 Cherokee Performing Arts Center, 2720 Cherokee St, St. Louis, 314-276-2700. GROUPTHINK REUNION & FAREWELL SHOW: 10 p.m., $7. The Bootleg, 4140 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314-775-0775. JACK GRELLE AND JEREMY PINNELL: 8 p.m., $8. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314498-6989. JETHRO TULL: 8 p.m., $35-$195. The Fox Theatre, 527 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 314-534-1111. JOSEPH: 8 p.m., $25. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. LEROY PIERSON: 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. LUNG: w/ Francis, PaperKite, The Vigilettes 9 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. MUSIC FOR A CURE: w/ Chris Black 8 p.m., $20-$25. Voce, 212 S. Tucker Blvd., St. Louis, 314-435-3956. PATTY & THE HITMEN: 9 p.m., free. 1860 Saloon, Game Room & Hardshell Cafe, 1860 S. Ninth St., St. Louis, 314-231-1860. PEPPERLAND: 8 p.m., $10. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. SYVERS: w/ Dutch Courage 9 p.m., $7. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. THE TRIP DADDYS: 7 p.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521. TROUBLE BOYS: w/ The Uppers, Slish 9 p.m., $5. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.

SATURDAY 30

ANNALYSE CROWDUS: w/ Rachel Deschaine, Amber Skies, Eric Bolander Music, Bobby Stevens 7 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. THE AVERY HILL BAND: 9 p.m., free. 1860 Saloon, Game Room & Hardshell Cafe, 1860 S. Ninth St., St. Louis, 314-231-1860. COMMON JONES: 7 p.m., $8-$10. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. DIESEL ISLAND: noon, free. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. HITSVILLE USA: A TRIBUTE TO MOTOWN: w/ Roland Johnson, Kim Massie, Eugene Johnson, Marty Abdullah, Miss Molly Simms, Sean Kimble 8 p.m., $12. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. JOHNNYSWIM: w/ Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, Penny & Sparrow 8 p.m., $35-$37.50. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. THE MISSOURI BIG BAND: 6 p.m., free. West City Park, 2200 Sunshine Drive, Festus. RICH HOMIE QUAN: 9 p.m., $20-$25. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. RIVAL COAST: w/ Baseline 7 p.m., $10-$12. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. ROCKY & THE WRANGLERS: 4 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314436-5222. SAMURAI 5: 9 p.m., free. Nightshift Bar & Grill, 3979 Mexico Road, St. Peters, 636-441-8300. SOUL KISS: 8 p.m., $15. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. SUGARLAND: w/ Brandy Clark, Clare Bowen 7 p.m., $31.50-$101. Chaifetz Arena, 1 S. Compton Ave., St. Louis, 314-977-5000. SUMMER GRAS: w/ Funky Butt Brass Band, Sean Canan’s Voodoo Mardi Gras, The Grooveliner, The Service, DJ Hal Greens 5 p.m., $10. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. TOM HALL: 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. TORREY CASEY & SOUTHSIDE HUSTLE: 10 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway,

St. Louis, 314-436-5222. TRIGGER 5: 7 p.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521. ZERO BOYS: 8 p.m., $15-$16. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

SUNDAY 1

AK1D VAN FUNDRAISER & VIDEO SHOOT: 6 p.m., $10. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-0775. BISHOP BRIGGS: 8 p.m., $25-$28. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. C.H.E.W.: w/ Soakie, G.N.A.T., Body Leash 9 p.m., $7. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. CARLEONE CARL’S BIRTHDAY BASH: 9 p.m., $15. 2720 Cherokee Performing Arts Center, 2720 Cherokee St, St. Louis, 314-276-2700. IYA TERRA: 8 p.m., $15. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. KELLY WILLIS: 8 p.m., $17. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. LOVE JONES “THE BAND”: 8 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314436-5222. MALLORY RUN: w/ Dead Fall, Murder Person for Hire, the Open Books 8 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. MAV’S BIRTHDAY BASH: 8 p.m., $5. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. MELISSA NEELS BAND: 4 p.m., $7. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314621-8811.

MONDAY 2

BREAKOUT: w/ Stinkbomb, Lysergik 7 p.m., $8-$10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314289-9050. ETHER: w/ Chalked Up, Coffin Fit 8 p.m., $5. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. GRAMMA: w/ Harper’s Jar, The Public, The Slow Boys 8 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. THE NEW MISSOURI FOX HUNTERS: w/ Willi Carlisle 7 p.m., free. Tick Tock Tavern, 3459 Magnolia Ave, St. Louis. SOULARD BLUES BAND: 9 p.m., $7. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314621-8811. THIRD SIGHT BAND: 8 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.

TUESDAY 3

DIRTY WORK: 8 p.m., $7. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. DIRTY WORK: 8 p.m., $5. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. K. MICHELLE: 9 p.m., $45-$60. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. MOM’S KITCHEN: 10 p.m., $8. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. ST. LOUIS SOCIAL CLUB: 8 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314436-5222. VANS WARPED TOUR: noon, TBA. Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, I-70 & Earth City Expwy., Maryland Heights, 314-298-9944. WARPARK: w/ Meso, Mild Martian 7 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100.

WEDNESDAY 4

BIG RICH MCDONOUGH & RHYTHM RENEGADES: 7 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. CRUCIAL ROOTZ: 8:30 p.m., $7. Club Viva!, 408 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, 314-361-0322. FAIR ST. LOUIS: noon, free. Gateway Arch, 200 Washington Ave., St. Louis, 877-982-1410. FRESH PRODUCE: THE BEAT BATTLE: first Wednesday of every month, 9 p.m., free. The Monocle, 4510 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314935-7003. FUNKY BUTT BRASS BAND: 7 p.m., free. Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Blvd., St. Louis, 314-577-9400. HYDRA PLANE: w/ Daytime Television, Bounce House, Josie Voyer 7 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. MARGARET & ERIC: 4 p.m., $5. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. VOODOO EAGLES: 9 p.m., $7. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

THIS JUST IN

[WEEKEND]

BEST BETS

Five sure-fire shows to close out the week

FRIDAY, JUNE 29 Joseph 8 p.m. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Boulevard. $25. 314-726-6161.

If you force-fed a highly sophisticated AI all eight seasons of Portlandia, there’s no doubt it would spit out something like Joseph. But this Portland trio is of the human race, with members who play sweet-andlow folk with little more than voices, six-strings and a foot-drum. These three sisters bring a simple charm, whether it’s through their minimal setup or lush voices that soar through every single song.

Lung w/ Francis, PaperKite, The Vigilettes 9 p.m. Foam Coffee and Beer, 3359 Jefferson Avenue. $5. 314-772-2100.

The soundtrack for a dollhouse in disarray, Lung makes runaway rhythms with an electric cello riding shotgun. The duo commands a cabaret from hell with a subtle sweetness befitting Kate Bush — or the nearest neighbor. Punk permeates the sound, lending a saw-toothed edge to an otherwise accessible set of songs. But really that’s all for the better, since that same lo-fi aesthetic gives the duo its unique rip. From the cool and dark sound of PaperKite to the Vigilettes’ unapologetic rock & roll, St. Louis comes correct with a strong local lineup.

SATURDAY, JUNE 30 Common Jones Album Release Show 7 p.m. The Firebird, 2706 Olive Street. $8 to $10. 314-535-0353.

Reaching down the deep well that is local, or even regional, hip-hop will do more than just get your hands wet. Common Jones is one group that can drown you in sound, letting up only when smashing that final note. This vehicle has a rockContinued on pg 50

A TRIBUTE TO THE QUEENS OF NEO SOUL 2.0: Sat., July 28, 6 p.m., $20. Backstreet Jazz & Blues, 610 Westport Plaza, Maryland Heights, 314878-5800. AARON LEE TASJAN: Wed., Aug. 15, 8 p.m., $10. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314498-6989. AMY HELM: Thu., Oct. 11, 8 p.m., $20-$25. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314588-0505. THE BAND OF HEATHENS: Thu., Sept. 20, 8-10 p.m., $20 General Admission, 314-533-9900. Thu., Sept. 20, 8 p.m., $20. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900. BASTARDS OF YOUNG: A TRIBUTE TO THE REPLACEMENTS: W/ The Defeated Country, Dan Johanning, Breakmouth Annie, Fri., July 20, 8 p.m., $10. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. BLACK FAST RECORD RELEASE PARTY: Fri., Aug. 17, 7 p.m., $7-$10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. BLACK TUSK: W/ White Nails, Sat., Aug. 11, 8 p.m., $15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. BLUES TRAVELER: Fri., Nov. 2, 8 p.m., $30-$35. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. BONSAI TREES: W/ The Public, Big Tobacco, Mon., July 16, 8 p.m., $8-$10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. CAMEO, DOUG E. FRESH: Sat., Aug. 18, 7 p.m., $25-$125. The Fox Theatre, 527 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 314-534-1111. CARLEONE CARL’S BIRTHDAY BASH: Sun., July 1, 9 p.m., $15. 2720 Cherokee Performing Arts Center, 2720 Cherokee St, St. Louis, 314-276-2700. CLUTCH, SEVENDUST: W/ Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown, Thu., Oct. 18, 8 p.m., $36-$40. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. CRUCIAL ROOTZ: Wed., July 4, 8:30 p.m., $7. Club Viva!, 408 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, 314361-0322. DAN WHITAKER & THE SHINEBENDERS: Fri., July 27, 8 p.m., $5. San Loo, 3211 Cherokee St., St. Louis, 314-696-2888. DAVYNE TRUTH: W/ New Money, Bryce Green, Carleone Carle, Kevo, Shailynn, Cedes, Bud Locco, Lil Kev, Sat., July 14, 9 p.m., $5-$10. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. DISCREPANCIES: W/ Hallow Point, City of Parks, Broken Youth, The Greater Good, The Skagbyrds, Tyler Keast, Sat., Sept. 22, 6:30 p.m., $5-$8. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. DJ LIMEWIRE PRIME: W/ DJ Plantie, Fri., June 29, 9 p.m., free. RKDE, 2847 Cherokee Street, Saint Louis. EMO NITE TOUR: Sat., Sept. 22, 8 p.m., $10. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. FELIX CAVALIERE & GENE CORNISH’S RASCALS: Fri., Nov. 2, 6 p.m., $50-$88. Family Arena, 2002 Arena Parkway, St Charles, 636-896-4200. FOXING: Fri., Sept. 28, 8 p.m., $15-$18. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. THE FRIGHTS: Sat., Oct. 13, 8 p.m., $17-$20. 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. GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS: Sat., Nov. 10, 8 p.m., $12. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. HARVEY PEKAR: W/ Family Medicine, Magmadiver, Mon., Aug. 13, 8 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. HERB ALPERT & LANI HALL: Sun., Aug. 19, 7 p.m., $28. Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square, St. Louis, 314-533-0367. JACKIE COHEN: Tue., July 17, 8 p.m., $10-$13. Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 N Grand Blvd, St. Louis, 314-533-0367. JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA WITH WYNTON MARSALIS: Fri., Oct. 12, 8 p.m., $55-$65. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900. JOE: Sun., Aug. 5, 7 p.m., $30-$50. Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry Rd, North St. Louis County,

Always Fun and Games on the Patio

duke’s duke’s

Photos by Big Stu Media

STL’s Hottest Dance Party! THURS - FRIDAY - SATURDAY FIND OUT ALL THAT’S GOING ON @DUKESINSOULARD

Continued on pg 50

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j u ne 2 7 - JU L Y 3 , 2 0 1 8

RIVERFRONT TIMES

LISTINGS Continued from pg 49 314-869-9090. THE KAIJU KILLERS: W/ Lysergik, Slow Ocean, Noir Daze, The Yesterdays, Fri., July 20, 6 p.m., $8-$10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314289-9050. LA GUNS: Sun., July 22, 8 p.m., $20-$25. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. LAKE MARY: W/ Ralph White, Dee Bird, Sun., July 8, 9 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. LILY & BELLA: W/ Alexa Dexa, Tights, Details, Mon., July 23, 8 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. LIVERPOOL LEGENDS: W/ Clar & Gigi Monaco, Sat., Aug. 25, 8 p.m., $40-$100. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. LOS LONELY BOYS: Sun., Oct. 7, 8 p.m., $30. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. LUXORA: W/ Birds Of Squalor, Name It Now, Anaphora, Stefan Drinnon, Fri., July 13, 7 p.m., $3-$5. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. MALLORY RUN: W/ Dead Fall, Murder Person for Hire, the Open Books, Sun., July 1, 8 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. MASEGO: Mon., Oct. 29, 8 p.m., $22.50-$75. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. MAV’S BIRTHDAY BASH: Sun., July 1, 8 p.m., $5. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. MAX: W/ Nina Nesbitt, Ezi, Sat., Oct. 27, 8 p.m., $20-$25. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. ME LIKE BEES: W/ Carter Hulsey, Gooding, Fri., Aug. 24, 8 p.m., $10. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. MESS: W/ Ursa Major, Young Animals, Sun., July 29, 10 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. MICAWBER: Mon., July 16, 7 p.m., $8-$10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. THE MIND OF JAY E: W/ E-40, Mvstermind, Fri., July 20, 9 p.m., $10-$20. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. MINIHORSE: W/ the Astounds, Wed., Aug. 1, 9 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. THE NELS CLINE 4: Fri., Aug. 10, 8 p.m., $20-$25. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. NO MORE!: A BENEFIT FOR THE WOMEN’S SAFEHOUSE OF ST. LOUIS: W/ Blood People, Blight Future, Redbait, Sat., Sept. 1, 7 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. OHMME: Wed., Sept. 26, 8 p.m., $10-$13. The Monocle, 4510 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314935-7003. THE PI TOWN PARTY: W/ Ej Carter, Sat., Aug. 11, 9 p.m., $10. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS: W/ Kraus, Thu., Oct. 18, 8 p.m., $15. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. PUSHA T: W/ Sheck Wes, Valee, Fri., Aug. 3, 8 p.m., $34.50-$37.50. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. R. KELLY: Fri., Aug. 17, 7:30 p.m., $48-$98. Family Arena, 2002 Arena Parkway, St Charles, 636-896-4200. RAY WYLIE HUBBARD: Fri., Oct. 5, 8 p.m., $20$35. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. ROCK FOR TERBROCK – BENEFIT CONCERT FOR JILL: W/ Impala Deluxe, SuperJam, Joe Dirt & the Dirty Boys, Danny Liston, Dave Glover Band, Sun., July 15, 6 p.m., free. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. RUMOURS STL: Sat., Dec. 15, 8 p.m., $8. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. THE SCHWAG: Sun., July 8, 6 p.m., $11. Jefferson Barracks Veterans Memorial Amphitheater, 345 N Road, St. Louis. START MARKING SENSE: TALKING HEADS TRIBUTE: Fri., Sept. 28, 8 p.m., $10-$12. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. THE SUMMER SLAUGHTER TOUR: W/ Between

RIVERFRONT TIMES

The Buried And Me, Born Of Osiris, Veil Of Maya, Erra, The Agony Scene, Allegaeon, Terror Universal, Soreption, Entheos, Wed., Aug. 1, 2 p.m., $29.50-$35. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. SUMMONING THE LICH: W/ Polterguts, Sat., July 7, 6 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. T-REXTASY: W/ Blackerface, Amalghemy, Camp Counselor, Fri., Aug. 3, 8 p.m., $8-$10. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. TRIVIUM: W/ Avatar, Light The Torch, Sat., Oct. 20, 7 p.m., $25-$28. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. TURNPIKE TROUBADOURS: Sat., Nov. 17, 8 p.m., $22.50-$25. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. WARPARK: W/ Meso, Mild Martian, Tue., July 3, 7 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. YAKUZA: W/ Aseethe, Sun., Aug. 12, 8 p.m., $10-$12. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314289-9050. YEAR OF THE COBRA: W/ Spacetrucker, Thu., Aug. 9, 7 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

THIS WEEK

AK1D VAN FUNDRAISER & VIDEO SHOOT: Sun., July 1, 6 p.m., $10. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-7750775. ANNALYSE CROWDUS: W/ Rachel Deschaine, Amber Skies, Eric Bolander Music, Bobby Stevens, Sat., June 30, 7 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. THE AVERY HILL BAND: Sat., June 30, 9 p.m., free. 1860 Saloon, Game Room & Hardshell Cafe, 1860 S. Ninth St., St. Louis, 314-231-1860. BAD BAD HATS: Thu., June 28, 8 p.m., $12-$15. The Monocle, 4510 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-935-7003. BISHOP BRIGGS: Sun., July 1, 8 p.m., $25-$28. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. BRANDON SANTINI BLUES BAND: Fri., June 29, 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. BREAKOUT: W/ Stinkbomb, Lysergik, Mon., July 2, 7 p.m., $8-$10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. CARLEONE CARL’S BIRTHDAY BASH: Sun., July 1, 9 p.m., $15. 2720 Cherokee Performing Arts Center, 2720 Cherokee St, St. Louis, 314-276-2700. COMMON JONES: Sat., June 30, 7 p.m., $8-$10. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. CRUCIAL ROOTZ: Wed., July 4, 8:30 p.m., $7. Club Viva!, 408 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, 314361-0322. DEAF POETS: W/ Free Thinker, Apex Shrine, Thu., June 28, 8 p.m., $7-$10. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. DIESEL ISLAND: Sat., June 30, noon, free. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. DIRTY WORK: Tue., July 3, 8 p.m., $5. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314328-2309. DJ LIMEWIRE PRIME: W/ DJ Plantie, Fri., June 29, 9 p.m., free. RKDE, 2847 Cherokee Street, Saint Louis. ESSENTIAL KNOTS SINGLE RELEASE: W/ Paige Alyssa, Thu., June 28, 8 p.m., $8. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. EVEN THEN RECORD RELEASE: W/ Mild Martian, Shark Dad, Young Animals, Fri., June 29, 8 p.m., $8-$10. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. FREDDIE MCGREGOR: Fri., June 29, 8 p.m., $20$25. 2720 Cherokee Performing Arts Center, 2720 Cherokee St, St. Louis, 314-276-2700. FREEDM: W/ FALLEX, Vanilla Gorilla, Mobcat, TonyDaTyger, Thu., June 28, 9 p.m., free. 2720 Cherokee Performing Arts Center, 2720 Cherokee St, St. Louis, 314-276-2700. FRESH PRODUCE: THE BEAT BATTLE: First Wednesday of every month, 9 p.m., free. The Monocle, 4510 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314935-7003. GRAMMA: W/ Harper’s Jar, The Public, The Slow Boys, Mon., July 2, 8 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. GROUPTHINK REUNION & FAREWELL SHOW: Fri.,

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June 29, 10 p.m., $7. The Bootleg, 4140 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314-775-0775. HELMET: Thu., June 28, 8 p.m., $20-$22.50. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. HITSVILLE USA: A TRIBUTE TO MOTOWN: W/ Roland Johnson, Kim Massie, Eugene Johnson, Marty Abdullah, Miss Molly Simms, Sean Kimble, Sat., June 30, 8 p.m., $12. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. HYDRA PLANE: W/ Daytime Television, Bounce House, Josie Voyer, Wed., July 4, 7 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. IYA TERRA: Sun., July 1, 8 p.m., $15. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. JACK GRELLE AND JEREMY PINNELL: Fri., June 29, 8 p.m., $8. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. JETHRO TULL: Fri., June 29, 8 p.m., $35-$195. The Fox Theatre, 527 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 314-534-1111. JOHNNYSWIM: W/ Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, Penny & Sparrow, Sat., June 30, 8 p.m., $35-$37.50. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. JOSEPH: Fri., June 29, 8 p.m., $25. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. JOSH GARRETT BAND: Thu., June 28, 8 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. K. MICHELLE: Tue., July 3, 7 p.m., $25-$50. Ballpark Village, 601 Clark Ave, St. Louis, 314-3459481. Tue., July 3, 9 p.m., $45-$60. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. KELLY WILLIS: Sun., July 1, 8 p.m., $17. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. LEROY PIERSON: Fri., June 29, 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.

LIVE COMEDY DVD: Thu., June 28, 9 p.m., $5. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. LUNG: W/ Francis, PaperKite, The Vigilettes, Fri., June 29, 9 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. MALLORY RUN: W/ Dead Fall, Murder Person for Hire, the Open Books, Sun., July 1, 8 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. MAV’S BIRTHDAY BASH: Sun., July 1, 8 p.m., $5. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. MELISSA ETHERIDGE: Thu., June 28, 7 p.m., $65$125. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900. THE MISSOURI BIG BAND: Sat., June 30, 6 p.m., free. West City Park, 2200 Sunshine Drive, Festus. MOCK IDENTITY: W/ Ex Salis, Thu., June 28, 9 p.m., $7. Blank Space, 2847 Cherokee St., St. Louis. MUSIC FOR A CURE: W/ Chris Black, Fri., June 29, 8 p.m., $20-$25. Voce, 212 S. Tucker Blvd., St. Louis, 314-435-3956. NEIL YOUNG: Thu., June 28, 8 p.m., $65-$275. The Fox Theatre, 527 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 314-534-1111. NOVENA: W/ Hello JiZoo, Lakes the Voice, Thu., June 28, 8:30 p.m., $5. Way Out Club, 2525 S. Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-664-7638. PATTY & THE HITMEN: Fri., June 29, 9 p.m., free. 1860 Saloon, Game Room & Hardshell Cafe, 1860 S. Ninth St., St. Louis, 314-231-1860. PEPPERLAND: Fri., June 29, 8 p.m., $10. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. RED SHAHAN: Thu., June 28, 8 p.m., $10. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. RICH HOMIE QUAN: Sat., June 30, 9 p.m., $20$25. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. RIVAL COAST: W/ Baseline, Sat., June 30, 7 p.m., $10-$12. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-

WEEKEND Continued from pg 49

Simms and the rest of the crew.

and-blues vibe that hits a long list of

Summer Gras w/ Funky Butt Brass Band, Sean Canan’s Voodoo MardiGras, The Grooveliner and more

genres like so many speed bumps along the way. Thankfully the band arrives at its destination fully intact —

5 p.m. Old Rock House, 1200 South Seventh Street. $10. 314-588-0505.

no small feat for those who don’t as-

For those of you still walking the

cribe to a single vibe. 105.7 the Point

streets of Soulard with a forlorn look

should just go ahead and throw Com-

on your face, reminiscing about the

mon Jones on Pointfest next year,

days of Mardi Gras, this show takes

since the band keeps winning those

a party vibe and drops it right in the

Battle for Pointfest shows anyway.

middle of summer. New Orleans funk and zydeco have taken their sweet

Hitsville USA: A Tribute to Motown w/ Roland Johnson, Kim Massie and more

time floating upstream since Mardi

8 p.m. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue. $12. 314-498-6989.

leak out at Old Rock House. Expect

What St. Louis needs is more tribute

funk when the Grooveliner and Funky

shows. No, really. You thought we

Butt Brass Band rain on the collec-

were being sarcastic? If tributes led

tive parade. There’s enough for all

by the likes of Roland Johnson and

five senses too, with gumbo, Cajun

Kim Massie are on offer, we’ll happily

burgers, Cajun veggie burgers and a

take whatever’s thrown our way. Luck-

crawfish boil served as a side dish to

ily, Motown is near and dear to many

all the bands on hand.

hearts, so consider this a time warp

Gras, but luckily all that sound will the dance floor to be flooded with

—Joseph Hess

back to its heyday with a smart, sensible approach to covering the hits. And if anyone can do justice to some of the greatest of all time, it’s local legends such as Eugene Johnson, Molly

Each week we bring you our picks for the best concerts of the weekend. To submit your show for consideration, visit riverfronttimes. com/stlouis/Events/AddEvent. All events subject to change; check with the venue for the most up-to-date information.

WEEKENDS ARE FOR GOOD TIMES

[CRITIC’S PICK]

Harm’s Way, the heaviest part of this year’s Warped Tour. | SARAH DUNN

WARPED TOUR

lationships you see ending over festi-

11 a.m. Tuesday, July 3. Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, 14141 Riverport Drive, Maryland Heights. $45 to $55. 314-298-9944.

val fatigue. Behold the deflating effect

It would be difficult, at this stage of the

founder Kevin Lyman announced in No-

game, to recommend attending Warped

vember that this will be the fest’s final

Tour on the basis of the music that will

cross-country run after more than two

be played there — in that regard, the

decades; get out there and make the

punk-themed fest’s best days are far

most of it.

in the rearview mirror. But as a people-

Get Out the Way: While most of the mu-

watching experience, you’re looking

sic on this run is not worth your time,

at unending opportunities. Relive your

you should probably check out Harm’s

carefree youth as you watch try-hard

Way while you’re there. Watch kids run

young punks in leather jackets collapse

in terror from one of the most terrifyingly

from heatstroke on the pavement. Keep

heavy bands in the Midwest.

sweat has on the glue upholding the once-mighty mohawk. Warped Tour

a running tab of how many upstart re-

–Daniel Hill

289-9050. ROCKY & THE WRANGLERS: Sat., June 30, 4 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. SAM LEWIS: Thu., June 28, 8 p.m., $10. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. SAMURAI 5: Sat., June 30, 9 p.m., free. Nightshift Bar & Grill, 3979 Mexico Road, St. Peters, 636-441-8300. SOCIAL DISTORTION: W/ Low Cut Connie, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Thu., June 28, 8 p.m., $35-$175. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. SOUL KISS: Sat., June 30, 8 p.m., $15. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. THE STORY COLLIDER: Thu., June 28, 8 p.m., $10. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. SUGARLAND: W/ Brandy Clark, Clare Bowen, Sat., June 30, 7 p.m., $31.50-$101. Chaifetz Arena, 1 S. Compton Ave., St. Louis, 314-977-5000. SUMMER GRAS: W/ Funky Butt Brass Band, Sean Canan’s Voodoo Mardi Gras, The Grooveliner, The Service, DJ Hal Greens, Sat., June 30, 5 p.m., $10. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505.

SYVERS: W/ Dutch Courage, Fri., June 29, 9 p.m., $7. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. TOM HALL: Sat., June 30, 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314436-5222. TORREY CASEY & SOUTHSIDE HUSTLE: Sat., June 30, 10 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. TRIGGER 5: Sat., June 30, 7 p.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314224-5521. THE TRIP DADDYS: Fri., June 29, 7 p.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521. TROUBLE BOYS: W/ The Uppers, Slish, Fri., June 29, 9 p.m., $5. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. VANS WARPED TOUR: Tue., July 3, noon, TBA. Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, I-70 & Earth City Expwy., Maryland Heights, 314-298-9944. WARPARK: W/ Meso, Mild Martian, Tue., July 3, 7 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. ZERO BOYS: Sat., June 30, 8 p.m., $15-$16. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

Voted St. Louis’ Favorite Wings & Favorite Appetizers

DJ DANCE PARTY FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE MUSIC SATURDAY AFTERNOON & NIGHT LIVE MUSIC SUNDAY-FUNDAY AFTERNOON

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YOU LEAVE IT ALL ON YOU LEAVE ALL ON YOU YOU LEAVE LEAVE IT IT ALL ALL ON ON THE COURT. WE’LL LEAVE THE COURT. LEAVE THE THEIT COURT. COURT. WE’LL WE’LL LEAVE LEAVE ALL ON STAGE. IT ALL STAGE. ITIT ALL ALL ON ON STAGE. STAGE.

FACE OFF AGAINST YOUR FRIENDS AND ROCK OUT TO SOME FACE OFFAAGAINST AGAINST YOUR YOUR FRIENDS F AFACE CE O OFF FF GAINST FFRIENDS RIENDS LIVE MUSIC, EVERYYOUR WEEKEND. AND ROCK ROCK OUTTO TO TOSOME SOME SOME A NAND D RO CK OOUT UT LIVE EVERY WEEKEND. w pMUSIC, oICr,t sEVERY oEVERY c i a l-WEEKE sWEEKEND. t l . cN oD .m L ILIVE VEe sMtMUSIC, US

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SAVAGE LOVE BOTH & BAGGAGE BY DAN SAVAGE Hey, Dan: When I started dating my husband, he told me he had a low libido. I said I could deal with that. We waited several months before having sex, and then after we started, it was infrequent and impersonal. There was some slow improvement over the three years we dated. Then we got married, and suddenly he had no libido at all. He blamed health problems and assured me he was trying to address them. Despite being diagnosed and successfully treated for multiple physical and mental health issues over time, things only got worse. After four years of marriage, the relationship has become strictly platonic. I can’t even start a conversation about intimacy without him getting irritated. After we married, he also decided he no longer wanted children, and I eventually convinced myself it was probably for the best, given his health. We built our dream home, adopted a pet and built an outwardly successful life together. I was, if not happy, at least complacent. Until I ran into an ex-boyfriend at a party. We split many years ago on good terms. We ended up talking about how important it is to him to have a biological child — something we talked about a lot when we were dating — and we got physically close, and that got me thinking about how much I missed sex with him. Ever since, I’ve been thinking about him. I think he was hinting that he wants me back, and right now that sounds like the answer to all my problems. But if not, I don’t want to leave my hubby and lose the decent life we built together. Plus, my leaving would hurt my husband’s feelings, his health and his finances. I also worry that people would blame me because it will look like I left because things were tough. Can I follow up and clarify with my ex before I break it off with my husband, or is that too much like cheating? Is it selfish of me to even consider leaving at this point? I’m a 30-year-old woman, so I don’t have a lot of time left to decide about children. Indecisively Married Dame On Nearing Exit

Here’s something I’ve never seen in my inbox: a letter from someone explaining how sex with their partner was infrequent, impersonal, uninspired, unimaginative, etc. at first but — holy moly — the sex got a fuck of a lot better after the wedding! Now, maybe that happens — maybe that happened for you, dear reader (if so, please write in) — but I can’t imagine it happens often. So, boys and girls and enbies, if the sex isn’t good at or very near the beginning, the passage of time and/or muttering of vows isn’t going to fix it. If sex is important to you — if you wouldn’t be content in a companionate marriage and/or don’t want to wind up in divorce court one day — hold out for someone with whom you click sexually. Okay, IMDONE, either your husband married you under false pretenses — putting out/in just enough to convince you to marry him and only pretending to want kids — or his good-faith efforts to resolve his health issues didn’t help (at least where sex is concerned) and he changed his mind about being a dad (perhaps because he doesn’t feel healthy enough to do the work of parenting). Either way, you’re free to go. Even if the sex was good and your husband wanted 30 kids, you’d still be free to go. Whether or not you stay, IMDONE, you should explore your options before making up your mind. So go ahead and call your ex and ask him if he’d like to get coffee with you — in a public place and shortly before an appointment you can’t cancel. Your ex may have been hinting about wanting to get back together, or he may not want to get back together and was engaged in what he thought was a little harmless/nostalgic flirtation — harmless because he knows you’re married and presumably unavailable. There’s only one way to find out what your ex wants or doesn’t want, and that’s by asking your ex. So ask. And while that convo could be regarded as pre-cheating or cheating-prep or even cheating-adjacent, it isn’t cheating. You married someone who unilaterally changed the terms and conditions of your marriage — no sex, no kids — and you have an absolute right to think through your options. And a husband who won’t

If the sex isn’t good at or very near the beginning, the passage of time and/or muttering of vows isn’t going to fix it. even discuss intimacy with you can’t ask you to refrain from contemplating or even discussing intimacy with one of those options. Whether you have that convo with your ex or not, IMDONE, you need to ask yourself if you want to stay in this marriage. You’re only 30 and you wanted and still want kids. Ex-boyfriend or no ex-boyfriend, you can leave your husband — and you can leave him without abandoning him. You can still be there for him emotionally, you can offer what help you can financially and you can help him secure health insurance. Finally, IMDONE, you frame your choice as the husband or the ex — one or the other — but there is another option. It’s the longest of long shots, I realize, but I’m going to toss it out there anyway: one or the other or both. Your husband would have to agree to an open relationship, and your ex-boyfriend –– if, again, he’s interested at all — would have to agree to it, too. Good luck. Hey, Dan: You ran a letter about a gay man (“Sam”) who has been sucking off his straight friend. Sam said he’s never done this before and isn’t turned on by the idea of “servicing straight guys.” I am a gay man who enjoys sucking off straight guys and I wanted to share my perspective. I’m not trying to “convert” them. I simply find that straight guys have less emotional baggage than most gay guys. A guy’s dick is his proudest possession. They like to have them admired, especially the straight guys who don’t often get much feedback about their dicks from women. I’m very skilled, so it’s a thrill for me to

riverfronttimes.com

give a guy a lot of pleasure. I like doing things that make other folks happy, and sucking dick is something that’s appreciated. One guy I’ve known for about twenty years, and after many years apart, he is wanting to see me again. I don’t want a relationship; I don’t want to have to think about two people and have to adjust my plans. It’s hard enough to plan for just me. I prefer the friendship and the occasional dick sucking. They can always trust me to be straightforward with them. I will never take advantage of them, even when they get drunk. I like pleasing them and having their trust. And for the big question everybody asks: “Do you get lonely?” No, I don’t. I have all kinds of friends and lots of interests and hobbies. And from time to time, I get to suck a guy’s dick. Whatever Acronym Works Like most gay guys, WAW, you’ve got some baggage there of your own. You don’t want a relationship — and, hey, that’s fine! Not everyone wants to pair or triple or quad off, and not everyone has to want that. But you’re seeking out straight guys not because they have less baggage on average than gay guys (they don’t), but because straight guys won’t be interested in you romantically, and consequently won’t demand a commitment from you or ask you to prioritize their needs and feelings the way a boyfriend would. So it’s not that you and all the straight guys you’re sucking off are baggage-free, WAW, it’s that your baggage fits so neatly inside theirs that you can momentarily forget you’ve got any at all. Listen to Dan’s podcast at savagelovecast.com. mail@savagelove.net @fakedansavage on Twitter Want to reach someone at the RFT? If you’re looking to provide info about an event, please contact calendar@ riverfronttimes.com. If you’re passing on a news tip or information relating to food, please email sarah.fenske@riverfronttimes.com. If you’ve got the scoop on nightlife, comedy or music, please email daniel.hill@riverfronttimes.com. Love us? Hate us? You can email sarah. fenske@riverfronttimes.com about that too. Due to the volume of email we receive, we may not respond -- but rest assured we are reading every one.

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Employment Sr Software Engineer @ Mastercard (O'Fallon, MO)

Sr Engineer, Internet Engg @ Mastercard (O'Fallon, MO)

F/T: Spearhead the archtctre of frmewrk implmnttns. Prtcpte in the Sftwre Dvlpmnt Life Cycle thru coaching, R&D, proof of concpts, prttypng, code review. Reqs a Master's deg, or frgn equiv, in Cmptr Scnce, Cmptr Engg, or rltd & 2 yrs of exp in the job offrd, or as a Prgrmmr Anlyst, Tech Analyst, or rltd. Altrntvly, emp will accpt a Bachelor's degree, or frgn equiv, & 5 yrs of prgrssvly resp exp. Exp mst inclde 1 yr w/ each: Oracle; Object Oriented Programming; Web services; REST API's; JSON; Java; C++; JS; Springboot; Spring; NO/SQL. Emp will accept any suita combo of edu, training, or exp. Mail resume to Pushkala Lakshmipathy @ Mastercard, 2200 Mastercard Blvd, O'Fallon, MO 63368. Ref MC21-2018.

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SOUTH: 5616 S. Lindbergh • (314) 842-1242 WEST: 14633 Manchester • (636) 527-26811 HAZELWOOD: 233 Village Square Center • (314) 731-1212 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.

RIVERFRONT TIMES

4197 Old Hwy 94 S. St. Charles, MO 63304

636-685-0330

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314-620-6386

Full Body & Foot Massage 7 Days A Week Before & After Hours By Appointment Open Everyday 9:30am - 10:30 pm

314-738-9060

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riverfronttimes.com

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