MARCH 7–13, 2018 I VOLUME 42 I NUMBER 10
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IN THE SHADOW OF THE TOWER AS THE LEWIS & CLARK TOWER FALLS INTO DISREPAIR, ITS NEIGHBORS WONDER: WHAT NEXT? BY THOMAS CRONE
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“Out of 205 murders in the city, 203 are black on black. You have to address the elephant in the room. Why are our young men killing each other? Why do they feel like there’s nowhere to go? We as a black community have to look within ourselves as to why that is. What is the cause? We have whole generations that are lost.”
—Lucinda Frazier, 3rd ward committeewoman, photographed at St. tereSa and Bridget Faith community in JeFF VanderLou on FeBruary 25
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TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURE
11.
In the Shadow of the Tower
As the Lewis & Clark Tower falls into disrepair, its neighbors wonder: What next? Written by
THOMAS CRONE
Cover by
KELLY GLUECK
NEWS
ARTS
DINING
CULTURE
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19
28
37
The Lede
Calendar
Your friend or neighbor, captured on camera
Seven days worth of great stuff to see and do
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20
Op-Ed
Stage
Mark Osmack wants to send Ann Wagner to early retirement. There’s just one problem
Paul Friswold finds himself swept to sea by New Line’s surprisingly tart Anything Goes
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21
City Hall
A whistleblower and an alderwoman team up to take on ‘the McKee exemption’
Film
Robert Hunt can’t imagine worse timing for the schoolgirl-as-vixen film Submission
Cafe
Cheryl Baehr finds chef Rob Connoley’s gifts on full display at Squatter’s Cafe, even in a daytime format
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Side Dish
Homespun
Pigeonhole Tonina Saputo at your own peril, writes Christian Schaeffer
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Super Fans
Kevin Pellegrino is the man who keeps St. Louis sharp
Jaime Lees meets the people paying $2,000 each to greet Gene Simmons
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First Look
DD Mau is hurrying up Vietnamese cuisine in Maryland Heights
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Food News
It’s a triumphant return for Donut-King, while Perennial City Composting has big plans for your table scraps
Preview
Snail Mail, playing Off Broadway Saturday, is all grown up
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Out Every Night
The best concerts in St. Louis every night of the week
43
This Just In
This week’s new concert announcements
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NEWS [OP-ED]
Pushing Past the Money Question Written by
SARAH FENSKE
M A home i Old North off St. Louis Ave. | KELLY GLUECK
MCKEE EXEMPTION COULD BE A GONER
A
few months ago, Alderwoman Cara Spencer was contacted by a whistleblower. The person, who apparently works for the St. Louis building department, told Spencer about a little-known city ordinance that’s likely saved north city’s biggest property owner hundreds of thousands of dollars. In short, anyone who owns a vacant building in the city of St. Louis can be on the hook for fines if they allow the building to fall into disrepair. As Frank Oswald, the city’s building commissioner, explains, a property maintenance violation on a vacant building results in a $200 fine. If the owner doesn’t fix it in 90 days, they get hit with another $250. And the cycle begins again six months later — $200 for a violation, followed by $250 if they don’t remedy it. But city ordinances provide one 8
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big — and largely unknown — exemption. If the property is under a “redevelopment agreement” in partnership with the city, its owner is exempt from such fines. The one person with properties in such an agreement? Paul McKee — the same person who’s infamously allowed hundreds of houses in north city to languish without ever actually redeveloping them. The whistleblower thought that wasn’t right, and Spencer agreed. “It’s an issue of fairness,” she says. “We issue code violations all over the city when buildings present a clear and present danger. There’s really only one exemption.” And as Spencer explains it, it’s not a matter of generating revenue for the city; it’s a matter of getting buildings up to code. For most landlords, the fines and fees can be a powerful deterrent to letting their properties rot. With that in mind, she introduced Board Bill 171. The bill, which would remove the redevelopment exemption, passed out of committee last
MARCH 7-13, 2018
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week and should be headed to the full floor for a vote. Building Commissioner Oswald testified in its favor. He says he’s not sure of the origins of the exemption, other than that he believes the previous administration may have felt the high cost of land assemblage meant McKee was due a break. As for Oswald, he says, “I think everybody should be treated the same.” Spencer estimates that McKee owns roughly 500 parcels with buildings on them. If the board bill is approved, and those buildings are found in violation, he could be looking at significant costs unless they’re remedied. And coincidentally, Spencer’s co-sponsor on the bill, Alderwoman Christine Ingrassia, recently sponsored a bill that would make it easier to force violators to pay up. Under the terms of Board Bill 242, the city’s fines could be added to tax bills, making for easier collection. The bill got its final approval from the Board of Aldermen two weeks ago. —Sarah Fenske
ark Osmack is the kind of candidate that Democratic strategists dream of: a guy with blue-collar roots (lived in a double-wide as a kid), an Army veteran who did two tours in Afghanistan, a St. Louis County native who just so happened to grow up in a district that is suddenly, and decidedly, in play. Oh, and he’s also an unabashed progressive — one who can speak persuasively about his beliefs to the guys he grew up with in Fenton. There’s only one problem. Mark Osmack is not a lawyer at a whiteshoe law firm. In fact, Mark Osmack is not a lawyer at all. Before he enlisted, before the G.I. bill paid for his master’s in public administration, he was an English literature major at Mizzou, one who can confidently discuss the work of Tim O’Brien — surely a quality we need more of in our elected representatives. But in St. Louis, and in many metro areas like it, to raise the kind of money that proves you’re a viable candidate for office, you need Big Law connections. The problem is not, Osmack hastens to explain, that he can’t raise money. He’s taken in $43,000 so far, and should he win the primary and get to represent Democrats in their quest to un-elect U.S. Representative Ann Wagner (R-Ballwin), he presumes he could raise a lot more. But Osmack’s chief rival in the primary, Cort VanOstran, has raised six times that — $343,000. VanOstran, who went to Harvard for undergrad and Washington University for law school, has been able to tap into the Big Law network and raise so much money that it tends to generate more money. And that tends to get a guy some attention. I’m personally guilty of just that.
A few weeks ago, I wrote a quick newsy piece about Wagner’s sudden vulnerability. A Democratic upset in a statehouse special election inside Wagner’s district had caught my attention, followed by the Cook Report declaring that Wagner’s race was shifting to favor Democrats. In my piece, I called VanOstran “the frontrunner” among Wagner’s opponents and quoted the Cook Report’s tally of his fundraising success. That kind of free media reverberates; VanOstran was then able to use our shot-out in a fundraising email. Money begets money. Osmack, 36, is tired of that. He called me up after my tossed-off blog post, not to argue so much as to remind me the race isn’t always to the rich. “It’s not about money,” he says. “If it was about money, Jon Ossoff would have won in Georgia’s 6th district. That was the most expensive House race in history,” as the Democrats flooded the district with more than $23 million. It wasn’t enough to ensure victory. “He got walloped,” Osmack reminds me. “It wasn’t even close.” Osmack is a reasonable guy; he gets that primary voters want to support someone who can win in the general, and understands that armchair analysts like me to tend to equate dollars with viability. But he argues that beating Wagner is less about being able to tap into millions of dollars and more about being the right candidate: Someone who grew up in the district (he says this pointedly, as VanOstran did not); someone who can talk persuasively about the issues that matter to voters.
Mark Osmack wants to take out Ann Wagner. | KELLY GLUECK I test him out a little bit. Can he talk about guns? He sure can; he’s fired them. He was even carjacked in the Central West End last year (sooo St. Louis). He easily explains exactly why having a gun wouldn’t have helped him in that incident — in fact, he argues, it would have resulted either in his murder or his assailant driving off with yet another gun. He volunteers that he’s not afraid to talk about racial inequity, the elephant in the room for many county voters. He also wants us to leave Afghanistan. Look at his website, he urges me; he knows exactly where he stands and he’s ready to sell voters on it. “I don’t speak in platitudes,” he says. He’s right. The other major contender in the Democratic primary race, Kelli Dunaway, dropped out in December. In an exit interview with Daily Kos, she too blasted the perception that
you can only be treated as a viable candidate by raising hundreds of thousands of dollars. “The system is set up so that only two kinds of people can successfully run for office: People who are wealthy, or people who are retired. There’s no place for a single mom,” she said. Osmack says Dunaway has become a good friend, and he’s saddened by her conclusion. “If I didn’t join the Army, I wouldn’t be talking to you right now,” he says. Still an Army reservist, he says, “I’ve been living off my savings for seven months. If I had a wife or kids, this is a no-go.” And how is that a good thing? No wonder Congress seems so disconnected from our concerns — only the wealthy or childless need apply. Now, it would be unfair to paint VanOstran as a rich kid. He grew up in Joplin, son of a single mom —
and you have to be extraordinarily capable to go from Joplin and a single mom to Harvard. He too has positions on his website, and voters should give them a good look. All Mark Osmack is asking is that we hear him out, too, and not just let money steer us toward what looks like a sure thing. In the mean time, Osmack keeps making his own fundraising calls by day, and by night he tries to figure out where the voters will be. “I go to every single meeting, every single night,” he says. “Labor stuff, women’s groups, Democratic committees, everything.” Maybe, he figures, they’ll listen to his message — even if the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee just wants to know his contribution totals. And on weekends, he knocks on doors. He’s not just going to the parts of the district that he’s called home, Fenton and south county, and his home today, Creve Coeur. “I look forward to going to places where I think there will be pushback,” he says. “I’m going to Chesterfield and Ballwin, and I want to talk about gun reform, talk about race.” You won’t see the famously elusive Ann Wagner doing that, even though those wealthy suburbs are ostensibly her strongholds. And that, not money, is the reason Missouri’s 2nd congressional district is in play — and why Mark Osmack wants to be the guy who send her to retirement. Sarah Fenske is the editor in chief of the Riverfront Times. Follow her on Twitter @sarahfenske and email her at sarah. fenske@riverfronttimes.com
STREAK’S CORNER • by Bob Stretch
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In the Shadow of the Tower AS THE LEWIS & CLARK TOWER FALLS INTO DISREPAIR, ITS NEIGHBORS WONDER: WHAT NEXT?
T
BY THOMAS CRONE
he Lewis & Clark Tower’s circular presence on the north-county landscape is more than a bit exaggerated in scale, its mid-century modern design a bold reminder of architectural notions from another time. Surrounded by single-story, frame-and-brick ranch homes on one side, roads and parking lots on the other three, the unusual 10-story cylinder cuts a sharp contrast to its neighbors. A landmark at the intersection of Lewis and Clark Boulevard and Chambers Road since 1965, the Tower showcased its human element for years, with its small terraces filled by BBQ grills, satellite dishes and clotheslines. These small touches suggested that an alien craft hadn’t, in fact, landed onto the anchor position of a suburban strip mall. Today, though, a drive-by visitor wouldn’t be blamed for not knowing what the structure was at the height of its use. The only real clue above graffitied walls and broken windows is the signage on its roof: Top of Tower Restaurant. It was more than a restaurant, of course. In its heyday, the Tower was the ultimate suburban magnet, a destination for moviegoers, grocery shoppers and bowlers, with a residential component that spoke to the ’60s idyll of having all your needs bundled together, with ample parking for all. The Tower really mattered to north county then, a robust engine of commerce, a home to dozens of residents and a place that said, “This is how we’ll live, play and shop in the years to come.” We didn’t. The structure has been abandoned for not quite a half-decade, but the death signals came long, long before the town of Moline Acres issued the final condemnation orders in 2014. In the years before that, the condos and businesses inside had suffered internal strife within the condo association, disputes with out-of-state ownership and a general lack of upkeep, with various units losing access to essentials like working elevators and hot water. By then, the in-house pool had long since closed and the on-site movie theater and bowling alley were solely memories. Today a few seemingly operable cell phone towers exist on the rooftop,
San Francisco blogger John Lumea found this 1964 Architectural Digest advertisement for the Lewis & Clark Towers, back when there were supposed to be two. |COURTESY OF B.E.L.T. AND JOHN LUMEA
Continued on pg 12
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LEWIS & CLARK TOWER Continued from pg 11
the only functional items within the Tower’s footprint. And while several long-running businesses remain active in the adjacent plaza, questions about its future are prevalent. Answers are much more elusive. Tom Stelmacki is a manager at the business closest to the Tower, Stelmacki’s Family Market, an apt name. It’s an old-school grocery in the absolute best sense; it’s tidy and trim, with design elements that haven’t changed a lot since the store opened in 1965, like the wooden, farm-like shingles hanging above the meat department, where Tom’s brother Mike works. Tom Stelmacki’s memories of decades spent working in the plaza mirror those of countless north county residents. “It was a hustling and bustling area right here,” he says. “The Top of Tower was one of the best restaurants in all of north county. I remember the limos pulling up and dropping people off on Friday and Saturday nights. I remember the kids going to proms and dinner dances there. You had the bowling alley, the movie theater. It was all right here and when that was all going, it was bustling, busy.” As the businesses up and down the retail plaza flourished, then receded, then hung in, Stelmacki’s thrived, becoming something of a destination of its own. These days, Stelmacki says that folks come from all over the area for specific items at his expansive grocery, especially the store’s most popular element: its meat market. “We’re all happy here,” he says. “We’ve been here all my life. I know the people that shop here. Those who’ve been coming for years, we know by name. Everyone that I employ is from the area. We’ve given a lot
back to the area by being here, and we didn’t ever give up.” Stelmacki is often found in the shop’s narrow, paneled office, talking to customers on the phone, ordering products, monitoring the day’s affairs. His sister, Nancy Weber, works a few feet away at the service desk. As a businessman, he tends to both the grocery’s essential needs and probably a few tasks that shouldn’t fall on his plate, but do. For example: He and his staff often pick up trash on the parking lot. Much of it has blown over from the abandoned and emptied Tower, located just a few dozen feet from the market’s front door. He has a lawn service mow the grass at the Tower, too, if only to “help take care of it as best as we can.” “It’s not for our business to have to do,” he says. “It’s not our position, really, but if it’s not getting done, you have to do it. You have to keep it clean.” In October 2007, Toby Weiss, an architectural blogger with an interest in mid-century modern design, wrote a piece about Rizzo’s Top of Tower restaurant. Five years later, she uploaded a post about the Tower’s broader history to her blog, Built Environment in Layman’s Terms, or B.E.L.T. The two posts have since taken on something of a half-life, constantly referenced and linked during online conversations about the Tower’s past, present and future. The comment sections have seen dozens of St. Louisans pouring out memories of the Tower’s faded glory; while not always accurate, they’re certainly passionate and lively. Weiss’ stories have informed the conversation about the abandoned landmark, something that gives her joy. She calls the ongoing attention to her coverage “beyond fucking cool!” She writes, “It’s heartening to know
“Come in here on a Friday afternoon or a Saturday morning, and our whole parking lot’s full,” says Tom Stelmacki.|KELLY GLUECK
that people care, both in past-tense (their nostalgia for by-gone glory days) and currently. I’m a research junkie, and knowing there’re others like me who get their fix FROM me is a blast! There’s no way of knowing what will interest someone down the road. I simply cataloged what mattered to me about St. Louis built environment and the Google bots take care of the rest. I’m thrilled that so many natives care enough to even put something like ‘Ackerman Buick sign’ in as a search term!” Weiss’ 2012 post in particular answers a lot of questions about how the Tower came to be: planned in 1963, constructed in 1964, with business and residential tenants fully arrived by 1965. While what eventually cropped up was a fascinating, unusual destination for li’l Moline Acres, the site’s development never fully realized its potential. For one very big reason. Originally, audaciously, two towers were in the plans. Architectural sketches Weiss posted on B.E.L.T. show a pair of alike buildings, with a single-story, multi-unit retail plaza running between the two anchors; the towers are described as featuring “St. Louis’ first cylindrical apartments,” which did come to pass, as did a single tower’s completion. Its twin never came to be, presumably due to financial woes on the developer’s part. So only a single, cylindrical tower was built, designed by architects George J. Garza & Associates, built by United States Construction Co., and featuring the output of the Laclede Steel Co. But the idea, footprint and
ghost of that second tower remain today; looking at the plaza, you can see that the outermost business, Dowling Optometry, has both a slope and curve to its outer wall, with ample space for the missing ghost tower beside it. Once you’re aware of the intended second tower, you can’t help but notice its non-presence on the site. But while that second tower wouldn’t rise, there was a longtime subterranean life to the space. As Weiss wrote of the building’s heyday: In 1966, the place was 100 percent jumping with at least seven floors of wedge-shaped residential apartments (now condominiums,) each with two sliding doors out to the continuous balcony, with its own swimming pool and gym in the basement. Businesses on the first two floors of the Tower included Alpha Interior Designer, Donton & Sons Tile Co., Figure Trim Reducing, King’s Tower Pharmacy and a Missouri State License office. Shooting off the Tower is a strip of retail facing Hwy 367, long-anchored by Stelmacki Supermarket, a rare, independent grocer still unaffected by the continuous grocery wars. The site slopes down to the West, creating a lower 2nd level building which held the Towers Bowling Lanes and the Lewis & Clark Theater. Occupancy for the complex was robust for 10 years, with an influx of dentists and doctors filling tower spots when others moved out. The Courtesy Sandwich Shop even had a storefront for a bit. The Tower didn’t show any longterm vacancies until the late 1970s.
A FEW DOZEN SQUATTERS HAVE CALLED THE TOWER HOME OVER THE YEARS, AND THEIR LIVES ARE TOLD BY SMALL REMAINS: VIALS OF PILLS, CLOTHING PILES, TRASH BAGS OF DRIED FECES. In time, the submerged ground floor would become a pair of clubs: Animal House, an all-ages venue that birthed a significant number of notable St. Louis bands of the ’80s and ’90s, and Club 367, which was St. Louis’ punkand-metal linchpin during its too-brief lifespan. Eventually, that space became a flea market; today, it’s just as condemned as the Tower, with busted police tape across the entryway and police units frequently circling the huge parking lot out back. Our recent attempts to explore that particular space were foiled on a couple of occasions by the presence of Moline Acres’ Finest. But the Tower itself is accessible. riverfronttimes.com
While the front doors of the Lewis & Clark Tower are firmly sealed with an industrial-sized padlock-andchain combo, entry to the building doesn’t require a lot of work or innovation, as a large pane of glass just steps away has been smashed to bits. It’s one of several entry points, and it’s obvious from a self-guided tour that dozens of people have called this place “home” since the last official residents left in 2014 — this despite thousands of dollars in municipal funds for board-up efforts. Just inside the doorway, a business directory in the curved lobby gives a decent sense of what was left when the building was emptied of both of residents and businesses. Paperwork, photos and other assorted detritus give a sense of lives lived in the nine lower floors (the restaurant took up all of the tenth). The first, second and half of the third floors were occupied by businesses. And, just like the condos and apartments, each business was built to fit the unusual, rounded walls. Some of the bigger businesses had fewer walls and a more open floor plan, with a larger, suite-like feeling; others were contained to one room and these feel tiny, outmoded by modern standards. A former State Farm Insurance office has the most complete feel of all, as hundreds of pieces of correspondence, checkbooks, policies and other papers still litter the desks and shelves. Like others in the building, this space has been ransacked, with almost every bathroom and kitchen wall featuring thin strips of demolition, where scrappers have obviously (and successfully) searched for copper. It’s a pattern that continues on up to the residential floors, which extended from the hybrid commercial/residential third floor up to the ninth. Each story pinwheels out from the center, where a dual elevator system, two sets of steps and the building’s HVAC, electrical and plumbing systems were found. These walkways, like the condos and businesses, have been liberally sacked, spray-painted, occupied and photographed by numerous urban explorers. In the abandoned condos, especially, you get a sense of how quickly people left. Personal effects are everywhere. Photos and scrapbooks. Artwork. Furniture of all sorts. Books. Electronics. Toys. A little of everything’s been left inside, almost all of it picked through over the years by urban explorers, graffiti taggers and the few dozen squatters who’ve called the Tower at least a temporary home and whose own lives here are told by small remains. They’ve left vials of pills, clothing piles made into bedding,
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ven a cursory search of the web reveals that the Lewis & Clark Tower of Moline Acres and its longtime anchor tenant, Rizzo’s Top of Tower Restaurant, are sometimes confused for two other structures. The Tower itself has been erroneously tagged or linked to the Lewis & Clark Confluence Tower, a 180-foot tall, low-key tourist attraction that’s open seasonally at the confluence of the Illinois and Missouri rivers, near Hartford, Illinois. For a small fee, visitors are able to elevate up to three outlook decks, where there is a view of the natural world, true; though the dominant visual elements are nearby refineries. It’s not the most dramatic roadside landmark you’ll come across in America, but it’s worth a stop if nearby. The two Lewis & Clark Towers, when traveling by car, are located fourteen minutes (and several decades) apart. Even people who dined at the old Rizzo’s Top of Tower Restaurant at the Lewis & Clark sometimes get one thing wrong about the restaurant: It did not spin. That distinction belonged to the Stouffer’s Top of the Riverfront, which revolved on the 30th floor of what would eventually become the Millennium Hotel downtown. The 80-minute revolution of the windowed dining area was a huge hit for families and visitors, especially during the ’70s and ’80s. Its existence has often been conflated with that of north county’s own high-up restaurant. This can likely be pinned to the name of Top of Tower’s most popular item, Spinning Salad, which is still mourned in contemporary media and message boards. Though Rizzo’s salad was spun, the home of it did not.
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trash bags of dried feces in countless toilets. Lastly, all the way up, there’s the Top of Tower Restaurant space within the building’s tenth and final floor. Inside the once-posh restaurant, you can feel what was once a vivid example of mid-century style. Thick carpets remain, though filthy and mold-riddled now. Windows not spray-painted over the years offer the same wide views of the surrounding north-county landscape as seen on postcards of the glory days. But like other floors, the air’s thick in here; one member of our party picks up an immediate, mold-induced headache inside and the temps are colder by several degrees than outside. We head out onto the roof, observing the Top of Tower Restaurant signage from here; every letter is remarkably still intact. Out here, the breeze is refreshing, life-affirming. Every other level of the building is filled with a sense of death; not necessarily of lives, but of bank accounts and dreams and better days. Out here, looking at the world, framed by those big, remaining block letters, you can’t help but wonder, “What’s next?” At this point, no good answer to that question exists. And the mathematics to the equation have become somewhat muddied in recent years, as the plaza and Tower are now owned by different entities registered in California: The plaza’s owned by Lewis & Clark 195 LLC of Long Beach, while the Tower is under the control of SNB Investing LLC of Newcastle. Since 2008, Michele Deshay has been mayor of Moline Acres’ 2,400 or so residents, serving on the city council since 2003. Her time in office has overlapped with the demise of the building, which has been blamed on many interlocking factors, most taking place outside of the town’s compact city hall. In fact, the Tower is something of a coat of many colors. Whatever you use to observe the region’s relative strengths and weaknesses, well, you’ll find elements of that worldview at this site. Overlays of race and class? Check. The effects of suburban decay where there was once mid-century progress? Check. Video cassettes killed movie theaters and people stopped bowling in leagues, you say? Many a book has been written. St. Louis County’s 90 municipalities also are a talking point, as Moline Acres’ small population and dwindled commercial base no longer offer the civic/financial oomph to restore the Tower to greatness.
Above, Rizzo’s Top of the Tower Restaurant was once a destination.|COURTESY
OF B.E.L.T. AND MICHAEL COLLINS
Below right, the restaurant in its prime.|COURTESY OF B.E.L.T.
Unknotting all of these elements is complex enough. Developing a renewal plan will be even more complicated, and Deshay is frank in saying that there’s no easy answer. There is, though, a sense of civic loss. “It’s disappointing and depressing and everything else when you look at this building sitting in the state that it’s in,” Deshay says. “We’re a small city and we don’t have the resources to do much more than we have. We try to go ahead and spend; we’ve used around $6,000 to $7,000 of city funds to keep it boarded up and to keep it from not being a dump, but that’s what it’s turned into. St. Louis County is pretty much what you’d call ‘not wanting’ to put in more money. “The status of the building is that it’s condemned,” she says. “At this point in time, it’s just condemned. People didn’t pay their taxes or condominium fees; there should be about 90 units in there, with all the townhouses and condominiums. I don’t know when things exactly started going wrong, but as people were leaving them, times were changing and the condo association just disbanded. Some people were paying in, some weren’t; others were renting out their units and making money that way. We were caught in the middle, as a city, trying to see about putting the building into a trust, or simply to see what the owners wanted to do with it. After a while, no one was trusting anyone else with their money.” Once aimed at a cool, cosmopolitan-in-the-suburbs type of resident, the
“I DON’T SEE HOW IT COULD BE RESTORED. IT WAS NICE WHEN IT WAS UP AND GOING. IT WAS LIKE LIVING IN OUR OWN LITTLE CITY.” Tower became a less desirable property over time. Condo prices fell and, towards the end, a block of 21 units were being offered at just $11,000 each, a far cry from the earlier values. As the residential population became more transient, temporary and low-income, the in-building services, somewhat predictably, began to dissolve. That caused a situation that dissolved five years ago into not only a quality-of-life issue for residents, but a potentially life-threatening one. Nita Carnes was among the last people to move, “though a few stragglers stayed on” until condemnation forced them out in 2014. Her unit, she
Above, Top of the Tower Restaurant today.|CARRIE ZUKOSKI
says, had “been without water for three years,” with baths and kitchen needs requiring daily rounds of boiling water. Even before that, the Tower was no Eden. Carnes recalls that the relatively thin walls of the complex made things problematically loud and that there wasn’t any sense of community among the residents. Still, she says, “you made your own positives out of the situation.” By the end days, the pair of elevators were in and out of operation and the mostly older residents were forced to haul their belongings up and down the steps. The businesses and offices were increasingly occupied by social service providers, rather than for-profit operations. The remaining amenities had disappeared. Officials in 2014 were forced to evacuate the final residents, even as ownership claims for the individual units were slowing that process. What’s left is a jumble of messes: riverfronttimes.com
legal, structural and financial. “People here want someone to step and take responsibility,” says Deshay. “My position on the building right now is that it would take a lot of money to re-do what’s been done. The building’s severely deteriorated; it’s a big eyesore for north county. I have been in talks with the county council, and the consensus is that we, as a city, can’t maintain it. We can try to keep people out of it by boarding up the two bottom floors; we’ve had someone walk through every floor and close the doors.” These are temporary fixes, if that. Deshay would prefer for someone to acquire the building, someone who “has an actual plan for those acres of land. Either that, or tear the building down, honestly. I don’t see how it could be restored. It was nice when it was up and going — I do remember the time
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when limousines were driving up on a Saturday night. There was the swimming pool in the basement. It was like living in our own little city.” Interestingly, when Carnes hears that there was a pool in the basement, she’s somewhat surprised. A multi-year resident of the space, she says, “I thought that only was a myth.”
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The notion of myths, of what-ifs, is a constant refrain when it comes to Lewis & Clark Tower’s future, with business owners in the plaza either declining conversations about it or wishing to speak off the record. There’s a sense that the building is there for now, it’s not going anywhere anytime soon, and the best that can be hoped for is a demolition, at some point. When told what this story is about, Tom Stelmacki says, without anger, “Well, I have no idea. You’re talking to the wrong person about that.” He adds, bluntly, “I wish they’d tear it down today. It’s an eyesore. It was an eyesore at the end of its days and wasn’t being taken care of. The back of the building is a complete mess; people are dumping trash all over. The back parking lot is beat up. The city’s talking about about wanting to do something. Maybe a new strip center, maybe getting rid of this whole thing.” But the adjacent plaza, he says, remains a place of commerce, despite the decay next door. “It’s always been full; just a couple tenants have left. But you come in here on a Friday afternoon or Saturday morning, and our whole parking lot’s full. There are a lot of tax dollars going to the city from this building. “The word, I think, is ‘frustrating’ for our part,” he says. “I think for everybody’s part. No one knows what they can do. I’m not a lawyer and don’t known the legalese of eminent domain. Maybe the city, working with the county, could work something out to get the thing torn down.” Weiss foresees just that fate. “That building is a goner,” she writes in an email exchange. “When even Moline Acres city hall wants it gone, it’s a goner.” “I drive by at least once every two months on my way to Alton,” she adds. “Its rapid decline is nauseating! The first time I saw the first bit of graffiti on the top floor my heart sank. As that graffiti spread across the entire tower, coupled with broken glass, my heart broke. I now drive by and moan. The last time I pulled in for updated photographs, I had tears streaming down my face. It just hurts.” For Weiss, though, the Tower’s fate isn’t singular. Moline Acres has a story.
The neighboring municipalities have a story. As the years pass, residential and shopping trends change, buildings fall and examples of the region’s mid-century modern past dim or disappear outright. On her blog, she reminisces about losing a nearby neighbor, the Lewis & Clark branch of the St. Louis County Library system. “They tore down the old one to build the new,” she explains in an email. “That was, literally, an important piece of NoCo childhood extinguished. And as I’d watch them tear down the old library, I’d look up the hill and see the Tower being destroyed by disregard, and my heart hurt for Moline Acres’ past and present. Which is odd, because the library — ultimately — was a GOOD thing, investing in the future. But they didn’t need to kill its past to welcome the future. There’s so much wonderful history and [mid-century modern] architecture along Chambers Road in that area. Some of it is being kept up and utilized. Others are decaying, and it’s sad. At this point, it’d be nice to raze them for some new pre-fab business buildings. I hold onto hope that it will happen. What other choice is there BUT hope?” Stelmacki hears that concern and gets it. But he hears from plenty of people, with a variety of desired outcomes. Nostalgia plays a strong role in the conversation, no doubt. “A lot of people,” he says, “would like to see someone still do something with it. The feedback I get from customers is that they remember it from when they were little kids. ‘I remember the Tower. Why can’t they do something? There’s no reason for a building that we’re all used to seeing fall apart.’ And it was a beautiful building, very well taken care of. There were neon lights and a big canopy out here. The theater’s billboard was lit up, showing what was playing in back. That sign was right out here, in the grass out front. “But the longer the Tower sits, the worse it gets. In the beginning, it might’ve still been manageable. That was the time to do something. An owner could’ve bought the building for nothing, dumped some money into it and had something. Now it’s too far gone. Now it’s all about how we’re going to demolish it. What else can we do with it?” Stelmacki is one of eight siblings, four of whom still work at the grocery store. He grew up in the 53-year-old business. “I can walk out into the store and greet five shoppers by name.” But when he walks into the building, he aims not to look left. Something in that direction grates at him, daily. “I try not to look at it,” he says of his crumbling, iconic neighbor. “I try to not n even see it.”
SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT
John Caparulo MARCH 8-10 • CHELSEA LATELY • JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE AWARD WINNING SOUL/BLUES ARTIST
Johnny Rawls LIVE SATURDAY, MARCH 10
AT 9PM - ADMISSION $5
Jim Florentine MARCH 22-24 • THAT METAL SHOW • RIOTCAST
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FRIDAY 03/09
FRIDAY 03/09 A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder
APHRA BEHN EMERGING ARTISTS’ FESTIVAL
T
he Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble, commonly known by the catchy acronym SATE, has established itself as a company devoted to producing unusual contemporary plays and innovative twists on the classics. Members of The writers, directors, lighting designer and stage manager for SATE’s emerging artists’ festival. | JOEY RUMPELL the collective have recast As You Like It as a bluegrass mu- (Christopher Marlowe, Benjamin Jon- neutral listening and avoids making sical set in the Ozarks, crowd-sourced son, Shakespeare), Tibbetts shares suggestions, all in service of opening a genre-busting version of Pride and your curiosity. “For Ellie and I, it gives a dialogue about the piece in quesPrejudice and taken on off-beat shows us pause to think about why she’s tion. “Directors were asked to pick such as Heiner Müller’s Hamletma- not better known. We do seem to end which play they were most interested chine and Joseph Wilde’s Cuddles. on the general subjugation of wom- in,” she continues, “and most of them This year, SATE looks closer to en as the most likely reason for her ended up getting what they wanted.” home for its season-opening pro- being buried. I wish there was anothThe selected plays include Amanduction. The Aphra Behn Emerging er reason, and obviously we’ll never da Wales’ “How to Be a Woman,” Artists’ Festival comprises four new, know exactly why she disappeared,” which is an absurdist look at stanshort plays written by local women. Tibbetts admits. “I feel like The Rov- dards and double standards that evThe festival draws its inspiration from er is up there in terms of storytelling ery modern woman is asked to live by the eponymous Restoration-era play- and conception. A lot of devices used (and for, and under) and Lana Dvorwright, poet and novelist who made in it are still used today.” The mystery ak’s “The Accident of Sex,” which a living through writing — an unusual behind Behn’s slow fade from history, imagines a post-crash Amelia Earprofession for a woman in the seven- and the difficulty modern women still hardt doing some soul-searching on teenth century. face in seeing their work produced, a deserted island as the years fly by. SATE’s artistic director, Rachel Tib- were enough for Schwetye and TibAll four plays will be directed by betts, feels a sense of kinship with betts to choose Aphra Behn as their women, which is a goal and a debt the mostly forgotten Behn. Those figurehead for a new play festival. paid for Tibbetts. feelings became even keener when Unlike the inaugural event, which “One of the most important reaTibbetts played Behn in the compa- saw Tibbetts and Schwetye hand-se- sons we wanted to do this was that ny’s 2015 production of Liz Duffy Ad- lecting writers and directors, this SATE allowed us to direct from a pretams’ comedy Or, which fictionalized year’s festival was more open. ty young age,” she says, for which one fraught night in her life. “We asked writers to submit she credits SATE’s original artistic di“I knew a little bit about it at that works, we asked directors to describe rector Margeau Baue. “Margeau had point,” Tibbetts says now. “Both their work and themselves, and then the confidence to let us do it, and we [SATE managing director] Ellie made decisions,” Tibbetts explains. wanted the company to keep that atSchwetye and I knew her play The “Once we had all of the people in titude, allowing young women to act, Rover, probably Ellie more than I did. place, we all got together and read write and direct.” We were thinking of producing Rover, everything out loud and used the ‘Liz The 2018 Aphra Behn Emerging but then we read Or, and it seemed Lerman critical response process,’ Artists’ Festival takes place at 8 p.m. like we could honor Aphra and a liv- which is something Ellie and I fre- March 9 to 11 at the Centene Center ing woman writer at the same time.” quently use.” for the Arts (3547 Olive Street; www. If you’re curious why Behn is not A means of empathic communi- slightlyoff.org). Tickets are $15. as familiar as her contemporaries cation, the Lerman process deploys — Paul Friswold
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Monty Navarro comes from a very wealthy family, which bothers him more than a little. The troubling part is that he has so many relatives, and they all stand between him and the family fortune. But if they were to die early, Monty could be happy — and rich — while he’s still young enough to enjoy it. And so he decides to live out his dream by helping eight of his relations into early grave while also preventing his fiancée from finding out about his mistress. A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder won the 2014 Tony award for best musical on the strength of its black humor and songs. The show plays the Peabody Opera House (1400 Market Street; www.peabodyoperahouse.com) at 7:30 p.m. tonight. Tickets are $27.96 to $55.70. — PF
Ben Pierce: Ota Benga The 1904 World’s Fair still looms large in St. Louis’ collective consciousness, but not everyone who attended had grand memories. A young Congolese man named Ota Benga was at the fair not as a visitor but as an exhibit. He was kidnapped and transported across the Middle Passage by a venal American some 40 years after the abolition of slavery, and then displayed as an example of the “subhuman” nature of black people. After the fair he was removed to a cage in the Bronx zoo, where he suffered even greater indignities. This sad and needlessly cruel moment in the twentieth century inspired local artist Ben Pierce’s new show, Ota Benga. Pierce wondered how a man could reclaim his humanity after being treated in such an inhuman manner. His paintings of exotic birds transformed into ritual masks and sacred garb,
WEEK OF MARCH 8-14 Edgar Road; www.repstl.org). Tickets are $45 to $69.50. — PF
which become both symbols of the secret self and of freedom from your true identity. Ben Pierce: Ota Benga opens with a free public reception from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, March 9, at Hoffman LaChance Contemporary (2713 Sutton Boulevard, Maplewood; www.hoffmanlachancefineart.com). The show remains up through March 31. — PF
SUNDAY 03/11 Pénélope Bagieu The long sweep of history is littered with biographies of great men, but there are an equal number of great women whose stories remain largely untold and unknown. French comic-book artist Pénélope Bagieu illuminates these lost lives in her graphic novel Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World. Bagieu uses elegant linework and a nine-panel layout to recount the key points in the lives of women as diverse as Mae Jemison (the first African American female astronaut) and the pioneering (and perhaps mythical) midwife of ancient Greece, Agnodice. Bagieu discusses her book with local illustrator Rori! and signs copies of it at 4 p.m. today at Left Bank Books (399 North Euclid Avenue; www. left-bank.com) as part of the store’s Women’s History Month celebrations. Admission is free. — PF
SATURDAY 03/10 Archival Quality with Steenz Comic-book fans who shopped at Star Clipper during its Loop days might remember Christina “Steenz” Stewart. She was your friend behind the counter who read everything that came out and was exceptionally enthusiastic about comics that told a different kind of story. After several months of hints, she and her creative partner Ivy Noelle Weir can finally celebrate the official debut of their own new and different comic book, Archival Quality, written by Weir and drawn by Steenz. It’s the story of Celeste Walden, a librarian who loses her beloved job (both Steenz and Weir are librarians) and ends up working as an archivist for the Logan Museum. Perhaps it’s the building’s strange, haunting atmosphere, perhaps it’s a result of still pining for the library, but Cel begins to feel less connected to reality. And then she endures recurring dreams of a young woman who eventually asks for her help. Is all this really happening, or is Cel losing her mind? Steenz will sign copies of her new comic today from 3 to 6 p.m. at Star Clipper (1319 Washington Avenue; www. fantasybooks.com). Admission is free. — PF
Show Me Kicks Expo Some people really, really like shoes. To the tune of thousands
One of the more than 40 pieces in Ota Benga. | BEN PIERCE of dollars they amass gigantic collections of them, for purposes unknown — certainly not for strapping onto one’s stinky, value-depreciating feet. The popularity of collecting sneakers has even given birth to an entire stock market dedicated solely to the pursuit. But why? Ask some of those sneakerheads yourself this weekend at the Show Me Kicks Expo. Now in its fourth year, the expo offers collectors and hype-beasts alike the opportunity to buy, sell and trade pristine, unused shoes in an open market. For just $10, you can bring three pairs of your own shoes to trade or sell, or you can simply peruse those brought by the many vendors on hand. What you choose to do with your newfound wares is your business — just don’t you dare wear them. The Show Me Kicks Expo will be held from noon to 5 p.m. today at the Old Post Office (815 Olive Street; showmekicks.com). — Daniel Hill
Caught Chinese artist Lin Bo made headlines with his audacious virtual protest on the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, and the wave of publicity surrounding him hasn’t crested yet. The artist will appear in St. Louis to address his work, conditions for dissident artists in China and activism as the guest of the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis this month. His address includes examples of the work that riled China’s ruling powers, which will be on display for the duration of his stay. Lin Bo is also a character in Christopher Chen’s play Caught, which asks pointed questions about art collectors’ love of a sob story, the politics of supporting dissidents as an investment, and the slippery nature of looking for objective truth in the subjective media of art and theater. Caught is performed Tuesday through Sunday (March 7 to 25) at the Loretto-Hilton Center (130 riverfronttimes.com
The Elixir of Love Spring is imminent and the first hints of love are in the air, but for Nemorino that’s no solace. He loves only the beautiful Adina, and she has no time for him. Inspired the legendary love shared by Tristan and Isolde (which was kindled by a magic potion), Nemorino spends all his money on one of Dr. Dulcamara’s philtres. The good doctor is a quack, and all Nemorino gets is an afternoon of drunkenness — but his sudden confidence allows him to ignore Adina, which irks her and then spurs her to win back his affections. Gaetano Donizetti’s comic opera The Elixir of Love has been pleasing crowds since the 1830s; it’s the perfect capstone to Winter Opera St. Louis’ current season. The Elixir of Love is performed at 7:30 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Sunday (March 9 and 11) at the Skip Viragh Center for the Arts (425 Lindbergh Boulevard; www.winteroperastl.org). Tickets are $35 to $55. — PF
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Ted (Stanley Tucci) finds himself seduced by a novel written by Angela (Addison Timlin), and other things. | COURTESY OF GREAT POINT MEDIA [REVIEW]
#HimToo Submission asks the burning question, “But what if young women were the sexual predators?” Written by
ROBERT HUNT Submission
Written and directed by Richard Levine. Based on the novel by Francine Prose. Starring Stanley Tucci, Addison Timlin, Janeane Garofalo and Kyra Sedgwick. Opens Friday, March 9, at the Landmark Tivoli Theatre.
I
t’s almost certainly a coincidence, but it’s hard to imagine a film coming out at a more unfortunate time than Submission. In the midst of a wave of neo-puritanism and hashtag activism regarding sexual behavior, Submission tells the familiar story of an affair between
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a college professor and a student, of a ruthless sexual predator and a helpless, innocent victim — but it’s not the story you’re thinking of. It’s a curious film, almost quaintly out of date and out of touch with the times. Imagine, if you will, a made-for-TV adaptation of a Joyce Carol Oates novel reshaped into a timid remake of Fatal Attraction. Ted Swenson (Stanley Tucci) is a once-promising novelist now passing time as a tenured professor in an idyllic but remote college, his teaching duties apparently limited to letting a group of stereotypical students stare at him blankly as he encourages them to discuss (or destroy) each others’ writing. One day, to his great surprise, Angela Argo (Addison Timlin), the young woman sitting quietly in the back corner, actually pops up with an opinion. And, even better, admiration for Swenson’s sole published novel. And cites her own novel-in-progress, which she’d be ever so grateful if he would read. Although he’s barely noticed Angela Argo before, everyone else on campus, from fellow aca-
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demic Magda Moynahan (Janeane Garofalo) to the school librarian already know she’s bad news. Unpersuaded, Ted is bowled over by Angela’s novel Eggs, which depicts a series of sexual encounters between a teenage girl and various older men (including a teacher, of course). He even digs up her previous work, a collection of autobiographical poems about phone sex. Soon he’s championing her work in class and pushing it to his editor in place of his own long-delayed second novel, even while making excuses to his wife (Kyra Sedgwick) about long absences and strange phone calls from young women who don’t leave their names. As adapted by director Richard Levine from Francine Prose’s eighteen-year-old novel Blue Angel (the filmmakers wave copies of von Sternberg’s great 1930 film across the screen just so you don’t miss the belabored connection), Submission is so willfully insular and onesided that it’s almost quaint. Sure, there’s a little bit of sex and a few dramatizations of Angela’s breathily erotic prose, but despite all that
and an engagingly understated performance by Timlin, the film never moves even an inch away from the professor’s short-sighted point of view. Swenson is portrayed as an allaround nice guy who just happens to get carried away by his love of literature; he’s so blithely unaware of the trap he’s falling into that the film often steers very close to unintentional comedy. (The wigged Tucci even looks a bit like Stephen Colbert, which only adds to the sense of benign cluelessness.) Submission is so bizarrely confused about the story it’s trying to tell and the emotional dimensions of its characters that it ultimately misses whatever dramatic point might have been intended; there is puzzlingly little at stake for the characters or their lives. In von Sternberg’s film The Blue Angel, Emil Jannings lost his teaching job and ended up humiliating himself as a run-down circus performer. The worst thing Submission can throw at its protagonist is a grotesque but bloodless meeting with a faculty ethics committee. n
THE ARTS
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[ S TA G E ]
Ship Shape New Line Theater offers a tart — and hilarious — take on Cole Porter’s timeless Anything Goes Written by
PAUL FRISWOLD Anything Goes
Music and lyrics by Cole Porter. Book by Guy Bolton, P.G. Wodehouse, Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. Directed by Scott Miller and Mike Dowdy-Windsor. Presented by New Line Theatre at the Marcelle Theater (3310 Samuel Shepard Drive; www.newlinetheatre. com) through March 24. Tickets are $15 to $25.
I
f there’s a surer thing in musical comedy than Cole Porter’s Anything Goes, I can’t think of it. Its steamship setting and 1934 period is so far in the past as to be an unknown country, and 80-plus years of rewrites, additions and rearranging of songs and scenes allows the show to be anything to anyone. The modern version of Anything Goes avoids reality entirely, with zany comedy, fantastic costumes and broad performances gilding the lilies of Cole Porter’s songbook. As such it’s a strange choice for St. Louis’ self-proclaimed “bad boy of musical theater,” New Line Theatre. And yet, here we are, with directors Scott Miller and Mike Dowdy-Windsor charging right up the gangplank of the S.S. Fantasy America. Working with the 1962 version of the script and incorporating Miller’s standard deep research into the original show’s origins, the boys have found an Anything Goes that’s sharper, tarter and more satisfying than you’d think possible. In all honesty, I haven’t laughed so much at any play in quite some time. And it’s not just the zany comedy that gets you; it’s the skewering of the super-rich, talentless celebrities, the British and indeed anything else that walks across the ship’s deck. Somehow, scenic designer Rob Lippert has squeezed most of a ship into the Marcelle Theater, complete with multiple decks and a small band in the prow. We watch
Bonnie (Sarah Gene Dowling) and Billy (Evan Fornachon) are both skeptical of the latest scheme from Moonface (Aaron Allen). | JILL RITTER LINDBERG a host of wealthy people pose for a society photographer and then board the ship to escape dreary, Depression-era America for fun and no sun in England. Among the glitterati are blustery Wall Street tycoon Elisha J. Whitney; evangelist-turned-entertainer Reno Sweeney and her backing dancers, the Angels; hapless “gangster” Moonface Martin and his boss’ moll, Bonnie Letour; Mrs. Evangeline Harcourt, her daughter Hope and Hope’s fiancee Sir Evelyn Oakleigh; and Billy Crocker, Whitney’s whipping boy, who’s smitten by Hope. Billy wants more time to change Hope’s mind about her impending passionless marriage, so he stows away and wreaks havoc on the ship while wooing Hope and donning increasingly ridiculous disguises. Hope (Eileen Engel) and Billy (Evan Fornachon) are delightful together, flirting and fighting when together and falling to pieces whenever they’re separated. Both Engel and Fornachon have outstanding voices, and their duet on “All Through the Night” rivals the balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet for pure romantic longing. Fornachon also gets to try out a number of bad accents for comedic effect, all of which hit the mark.
New Line stalwart Zachary Allen Farmer reimagines Sir Evelyn as a permanently embarrassed English gentleman and almost runs away with the show. His nervous, noncommittal grunts when asked to appreciate the beauty of the full moon, his delight at the ripeness of American slang and his absolute unflappability when he learns that Hope stayed out with Billy until 7 a.m. spark guffaws from the crowd. (“You got your moonlight, I got my beddy-bye. ‘Twas a perfect night,” he sniffs.) It also makes Reno’s eventual seduction of him all the more real. Speaking of Reno, Sarah Porter turns in another sterling performance as the all-brass bombshell, which should be no surprise (her dancing Angels are also top-notch, as is their choreography, by Michelle Sauer and Sara Rae Womack). Porter’s Reno is wry, wicked and startlingly vulnerable when she confesses to Sir Evelyn that her fake seduction of him has grown into the true love. It’s the first time I’ve believed it when Reno says she loves him, rather than just accepting it as a necessary plot twist. Reno and Evelyn’s convincing romance is not the only major change. Moonface Martin (Aaron riverfronttimes.com
Allen) is now more schnook than crook, as nonthreatening and inept as the perpetually drunk and mostly blind Whitney (Jeffrey M. Wright). Allen lurches around the stage with rounded shoulders and big dreams of moving up on the most-wanted list (he currently stands at No. 13), but mostly gets bossed around by the man-eater gun moll Bonnie (Sarah Gene Dowling), who’s working her way through the crew at a prodigious clip. Allen’s physical comedy skills get a workout as well, losing a wrestling match with Reno and Method-acting his way through “Be Like the Bluebird.” Do you want to think about the ramifications of all of these beautiful, happy-go-lucky people living out their dreams with Champagne flutes in hand, while back home Americans crowd the breadlines and don’t know where they’ll sleep tonight? No? Me neither. Forget the backdrop to the story and instead, let’s appreciate the New Line Band, which is led by Nicholas Valdez and treats Porter’s songs very well indeed. Let’s be like the president; screw the poor and slip away for some fun this weekend aboard Anyn thing Goes.
MARCH 7-13, 2018
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RANDY COUTURE,
THE BADDEST DUDE ON THE PLANET, will be at Twin Peaks - Maplewood hosting a benefit for his
XTREME COUTURE GI FOUNDATION, founded in 2009 to honor the veterans of America’s armed forces, especially those wounded in action and their families. Here is your chance to give back!!!
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MARCH 7-13, 2018
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CAFE
23
Squatter’s Cafe excels with both savory and sweet, a fact born out in everything from the vegetable marrow to the triple-ginger cookies. | MABEL SUEN
[REVIEW]
Morning Glory At Squatter’s Café, Rob Connoley shows his skill even in a casual daytime format Written by
CHERYL BAEHR Squatter’s Café
3524 Washington Avenue; 314-925-7556; Mon.-Fri. 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. (Closed Saturdays and Sundays.)
I
f Rob Connoley had his way, Squatter’s Café would not exist — at least not as Plan A. Perhaps somewhere down the road — after he had garnered national acclaim for
his modern, forage-focused tasting-menu concept, secured a James Beard nod and wanted a break — it would have made for a good sophomore effort: a cozy breakfast-andlunch spot where he’d cook off hot plates directly in front of his guests while sipping tea and bantering with his regulars. Connoley had much grander plans for his hometown debut. He’d sketched out his vision even before he’d left New Mexico and his acclaimed restaurant there, the Curious Kumquat. Called Bulrush, his introduction to St. Louis would be a fine-dining canvas for his foraging passion. He’d worked out how he’d source the menu, what the aesthetics would be, the system he’d use for charging diners and how he would compensate his staff. When he arrived in town, he figured all he would have to do was find a building and sign on the dotted line. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that easy. The real estate component
has proven much more onerous than Connoley anticipated, forcing him to spend more than a year and a half chasing down the perfect location that, though he’s come close, has so far remained elusive. To occupy himself, he’s done pop-up dinners, cooked on lines around town and toured the country to promote his cookbook, Acorns and Cattails. Still, it wasn’t enough to satisfy his restless chef’s heart. This past November, Connoley decided he could no longer sit by and wait for Bulrush to happen. When he learned that KDHX was looking for a tenant to take over the former Magnolia Cafe restaurant space inside its building, Connoley jumped at the opportunity to give eager diners a regular place to eat his food. He knew upfront that it wasn’t going to be Bulrush — and he didn’t want it to be. He just needed to get back to cooking his own food again. As a casual daytime concept, Squatter’s seems a far cry from riverfronttimes.com
what Connoley still plans to do at Bulrush. However, those differences are more in form than substance. Digging beneath the surface, the two restaurants are philosophically congruent in the sense that they both adhere to Connoley’s ethos of using hyper-local, seasonal ingredients — some of them foraged — in reimagined dishes, making as much in-house as possible and deploying a fierce no-waste policy. In this sense, you may not be sitting down to a formal Bulrush tasting menu at Squatter’s, but you’re probably not going to be eating all that much differently than if you were. You will, however, be sitting in a vastly different dining room. The space is small and low-key, consisting of a handful of tables and a seven-seat lunch counter. If you dined at the former tenant, you’ll notice that not much has changed in the looks department. The layout still consists of a high,
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HOmE o
THIS WEEK THE GROVE SELECTED HAPPENINGS
IN
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SQUATTER’S CAFE Continued from pg 23
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black-ceilinged room with graypainted exposed-brick accents. Squatter’s uses the old cafe’s rustic wood, four-top tables, which complement the wooden bar. Exposed ductwork, pendant lights and KDHX-themed artwork adorn the room, giving the feel of an artsy deli/coffeeshop. For a restaurant dry-walled off from a radio station, Squatter’s feels warm, mostly because Connoley and his sous chef, Justin Bell, prepare food that lights up the soul. Do not be fooled by the casual concept and seemingly familiar dishes: These chefs are preparing some of the city’s most exciting, innovative food off nothing more than three tabletop burners and a small TurboChef oven. Dishes that seem familiar — a jar of yogurt and granola, some overnight oats — are reimagined to the point that you question whether or not you’ve ever really eaten them. Yet they remain accessible. The former — a tart, housemade yogurt as luxurious as its Greek brethren — is made even more decadent by apricots, sugar-coated pecans and a caramelly granola that makes you wonder why Connoley doesn’t shift gears
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and open a trail-mix company. And he doesn’t stop there. Hiding underneath these layers of texture and flavor sits a sphere of white chocolate filled with sweet cream that bursts when you bite into it, like a high-end chocolate truffle. It’s a yogurt parfait in the sense that St. Peter’s Basilica is a church. I wonder if I’ll be able to eat hot oatmeal again after having Squatter’s overnight oats. This no-cook preparation of the breakfast staple has a taste and consistency somewhere between steel-cut oats and cake batter. Butterscotch, hazelnuts and pecan praline add texture and a balance of sweet and savory. Like the yogurt, this is oatmeal in technicolor. Naturally, then, biscuits and gravy prove to be nothing like the bland, often pasty dish you find at diners. Anything less than Connoley’s silken, bacon-infused gravy would be an insult to his cloud-like biscuits. Flecks of candied bacon crumbles give a backbeat of sweetness without overwhelming the savory notes. If you want a window into Connoley’s and Bell’s obsessiveness, observe the sweet potatoes that serve as the base of their hash:
Each piece is cut with such uniformity that any size difference is microscopic. It might seem like a minor point, but the fact that they are so fastidious with their cuts on a breakfast dish at a fast-casual cafe speaks volumes about the care they put into their food. Then again, asking someone to pay attention to such things is next to impossible when you are devouring those potatoes and the pork confit that tops them. The meat is spreadable, paired with apples and butterscotch and an over-easy egg that ties everything together with its rich yolk. Grits so creamy they’d bring a tear to the eye of a Southern grandma would normally be the star of the show, but here they share equal billing with a pullapart chicken mole. Unlike the rich, chocolatey style often favored by local restaurants, this version is more delicate and cinnamon-forward, as if chicken jus was turned into a baking-spiced pan sauce. Squatter’s changes the topping for the grits on a regular basis, so you won’t always get to feast on this wonderful chicken. That provides an opportunity to see more of what the chefs can do, though it
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Sous chef Justin Bell and chef Rob Connoley keep their sourcing farm-fresh. | MABEL SUEN also means not having daily access to this transcendent mole. The mole may be a high point, but it is merely one peak in a mountain range of perfection. If the ricotta toast were sitting on the floor of the Sistine Chapel, you’d be forgiven for looking down rather than up. It’s a visually breathtaking mixed-media assemblage of colors, shapes and textures that looks like a garden at the height of springtime. Whipped ricotta and carrot jam coat a slice of hearty wheat and rye bread; jewel-colored pickled vegetables and herbs adorn the toast and cut through the creaminess of the cheese. It’s a feast for both the eyes and the palate. “Meat & Beans” is what cassoulet looks and tastes like in Missouri — and Connoley’s riff is as good as what’s served in Provence. If you think of risotto, but sub in white beans for rice, it captures the texture. Roasted pork, housemade pork sausage and pulled chicken bob in the luscious bean “soup,” crowned by a single, pork-filled dumpling. It’s perfect. Even something as straightforward as toast is an experience at Squatter’s. The rustic wheat bread has a nutty sweetness on its own
but can be paired with custard-like lemon curd or an herbal honey butter. This is only a small window into Connoley’s baking prowess — he’s the rare chef who is as proficient in pastry as the savory side of the kitchen. Other examples include the whimsical “Squat Tart,” a brown-sugar-and-cinnamon riff on a pop tart, a ginger cookie that — gasp — is flecked with chunks of actual ginger, and a bacon-studded kouign amann that is a thoughtful, savory take on the trendy pastry. And pastry isn’t the end of Connoley’s gifts. Judging by his social-media posts, which advertise candies that look straight out of a high-end, artisanal chocolate shop, he is a bona fide chocolatier. Maybe he’ll open one of those next. And a granola business. And a dairy. Wait, wasn’t he here to open Bulrush? Fine, he can do that too. But seeing how well he’s keeping us fed in the interim, we can’t help but selfishly smile that things didn’t go quite as he planned. n
Squatter’s Cafe
Overnight oats $10|Hash $13|Meat & Beans $15
BUY ONE ENTREE, RECEIVE 50% OFF THE SECOND Open Easter Sunday Reservations Accepted
Squatter’s Café
Overnight oats ����������������������������������$10 Hash ������������������������������������������������� $13 “Meat & Beans”������������������������������� $15
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SHORT ORDERS
[SIDE DISH]
The Chef Who Keeps STL Sharp Written by
CHERYL BAEHR
K
evin Pellegrino’s tone gets serious when he talks about knives. “It started as an obsession and it’s become a ritual,” the Nudo House (11423 Olive Boulevard, Creve Coeur; 314-2748046) chef says of his knife-care protocols. “When you learn how to sharpen and think you are getting good, you’re not. I’ve been doing this for about five years now and didn’t really know what I was doing until about two years ago.” Pellegrino may not have thought he knew what he was doing, but others did, and they took notice. In the last few years, the Florida native has garnered worldwide acclaim for his skills — so much, in fact, that chefs from all over the world send him their knives for sharpening. He’s even had sushi chefs from Japan seek out his expertise. However, it took Pellegrino years of being in the kitchen before he developed this particular set. He started out in the industry as a high school kid in need of a job. After graduating, he casually attended community college but dropped out to work in restaurants full time while he figured out what he wanted to do with his life. Around that time, his parents moved from Florida to Colorado. Pellegrino decided to stay behind, but he quickly realized that doing so meant he would have to get serious about his life direction. “I said to myself, ‘OK, I need to take a little more note of what I am doing while I am at work to better myself,’” Pellegrino explains. “That’s when I decided I needed to figure out a way to advance in this business.” When he was around 21, Pel28
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legrino moved to St. Louis and took jobs managing the kitchen at CJ Mugg’s in Webster Groves and working the line at Trattoria Marcella. He eventually made his way to Annie Gunn’s, where he got an education not only in high-end cuisine, but one in a high-volume setting. “It’s the busiest restaurant in town. It’s unbelievable,” Pellegrino says. “I estimate I cooked probably 100,000 steaks in the four years I worked there. But that’s where I learned how to make sure things run fluidly through service. There is no amount of business that could scare me off after that.” Pellegrino’s big break into the knife world would come courtesy of Five Bistro, chef Anthony Devoti’s farm-to-table restaurant. While working there, he was empowered to ask questions about every aspect of the business and grow as a chef. He was also shown how to properly take care of his tools. “That’s where my obsession began,” Pellegrino explains. “Tony [Devoti] let me sharpen and butcher everything, and I realized how nice it was to be able to take care of my own tools and keep them sharp.” The more Pellegrino learned about knives, the more he realized that he had a passion for that aspect of the business. He began teaching himself techniques and experimenting through trial and error, honing his skills and developing a sense of camaraderie with an online community of knife enthusiasts he didn’t know existed before stumbling upon it. “Never in a million years did I realize there was this knife community out there,” Pellegrino says. “I started posting photos of what I was doing on Instagram, and the next thing I knew, I had 2,500 followers. I couldn’t believe that many people were into it.” Through Instagram, Pellegrino began getting requests for him to sharpen knives from around the globe — a phenomenon that was so inexplicable to him he didn’t even charge people for the first few years. Now, his reputation has grown enough that he is listed on a site for Japanese knives as a specialty sharpener. He also offers
MARCH 7-13, 2018
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Kevin Pellegrino works his magic on a knife by Missouri-based Halcyon Forge. | MONICA MILEUR his services to some of the chefs around town. “What I do is a pretty boutique thing,” he explains. “It takes me about four to six hours to sharpen a knife, so the people who want that type of work done aren’t just the everyday users.” Pellegrino admits that his passion has become an obsession. On his time off work, he all but lives in his basement, poring over YouTube videos, asking questions of others in his field, and of course, sharpening. “Once you’ve felt what it is like to cut with one of these, it’s like a drug,” Pellegrino says. “It’s my happy place.” Pellegrino took a break from sharpening to share his thoughts on the St. Louis food-and-beverage scene, his after-work buddies and the joy of cutting. What is one thing people don’t know about you that you wish they did? I don’t have a good answer for this, because I’m only really a fan of people that know me knowing things about me.
What daily ritual is non-negotiable for you? Cutting something. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Making people disappear. Who is your St. Louis food crush? My wife, Britt Pellegrino. Who’s the one person to watch right now in the St. Louis dining scene? Nick Bognar [of Nippon Tei]. He’s getting some of the best fish I’ve had in St. Louis. If you weren’t working in the restaurant business, what would you be doing? Sharpening knives in a knife shop somewhere. Name an ingredient never allowed in your restaurant. All ingredients are welcome. What is your after-work hangout? I don’t go out after work — straight home to work on knives or hang with my pretty lady and my handsome dog. What’s your food or beverage guilty pleasure? I like all food that isn’t good for you, fried chicken and stuff like n that.
La Vallesana CHEROKEE STREET’S ORIGINAL DESTINATION FOR TACOS & ICE CREAM TW O L ARG E PAT I O S • I ND O O R & PAT I O B AR HA P P Y HO U R 2- 6P M M O N- T HU RS 2801 CHEROKEE STREET • 314-776-4223
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SAINT LOUIS ORCHESTRA “A Fantastic Symphony”
ROBERT HART BAKER Conductor
Friday, March 9, 8pm
J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts Lindenwood University 2300 West Clay Street St. Charles, MO 63301
Two works with strong literary ties: Berlioz’s magnificent tribute to Shakespearean actress Harriet Smithson in the symphony that launched the Romantic Era, and Vaughan Williams’ heartfelt setting of Walt Whitman’s poetry.
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14 Vaughan Williams: Dona Nobis Pacem with
The Lindenwood University Concert Choir (Pamela Grooms, director) The Saint Louis Community College – Meramec Chorus (Gerald Myers, director) St. Charles Community College Chamber Choir Becky Thorn, Director Guest Soloists: Sarah Price, Soprano Jeffrey Heyl, Bass-Baritone FOR TICKETS OR INFORMATION
(314) 421-3600
www.stlphilharmonic.org 30
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Fast-casual riffs on Vietnamese cuisine include salads, vermicelli bowls and Chinese-style bao packed with bánh mì fillings. | CHERYL BAEHR
[FIRST LOOK]
DD Mau Hurries Up Vietnamese Written by
CHERYL BAEHR
G
rowing up, Julie Truong swore she would never work in the restaurant industry, and until four months ago, she was making good on that promise. She’d learned the fashion business at Los Angeles’ Fashion Institute of Design and Management, finished her bachelor’s degree in business from Mizzou and landed her dream job working for Levi’s in Chicago. Still, no matter how hard she tried to shake it, Truong could not deny that the restaurant industry was in her blood. Growing up the daughter of immigrant parents who own the north-city restaurant Vinh Chop Suey, Truong was raised with a passion for food that never left. In Chicago, she’d spend her spare time cooking and daydreaming of the type of restaurant she’d open if she had the chance, and then one day, it hit her: She did have that chance. All she had to do was take it.
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Troung made her dreams a reality on February 7, when she opened her debut restaurant, DD Mau (11982 Dorsett Road, Maryland Heights; 314-942-2300), in Maryland Heights. Named for the Vietnamese phrase that roughly translates to “let’s go” or “hurry up,” DD Mau represents her vision for a fresh, fast-casual concept that she feels is missing in the area. “There are not a lot of Vietnamese restaurants around here,” Truong says. “There really isn’t even a lot of fresh food, and there are all these businesses and offices in the area. Maryland Heights is at 95 percent capacity for businesses, and around 120,000 people are here during the day. It just made sense to focus on a daytime concept.” In that sense, DD Mau borrows from the fast-casual, counter-service model popularized by places like Chipotle. Guests choose from a handful of proteins like steak, shrimp or tofu and then choose how they’d like them prepared, with options including a vermicelli bowl or over a salad. However, the restaurant diverges from the fast-casual model in the sense that dishes are cooked in the kitchen to order — not assembled from a steam table of pre-made items. Truong decided to do things this way to adhere to the traditional Vietnamese way of cooking as much as possible. “We are modern, but our recipes are authentic,” she explains. “I stay true to what
my mom taught me, but I still put twists on things.” Those twists include serving traditional Vietnamese bánh mì fillings inside of Chinese-style bao sliders, or serving her bánh mì with grilled chicken. As Truong explains, these touches, as well as a more fast-casual format for ordering Vietnamese flavors, make the restaurant more accessible to the casual diner. But guests can still adhere closely to tradition with dishes like the pork vermicelli bowl, which is garnished with lettuce, cucumber, cabbage, cilantro, pickled vegetables, peanuts and an egg roll. The restaurant also serves traditional pho in a variety of preparations. Truong’s contemporary touches are on display in the polished, modern decor. The space, which used to be occupied by the Rice House, is large, open and decorated with posters featuring food pun cartoons done by her artist friend. Truong laughs about landing in the business that she so insistently said she would never work in, but she is happy to be home and doing what she loves. And she’s not the only one. “My parents are happy about this,” Truong says, smiling. “They are happy that I am working in the business, but I think they are more happy just to have me back home.” DD Mau is open Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. until 8 p.m. and Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. until 7 p.m. n
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EATS SO FRESH IT SHOULD BE ILLEGAL 9 South Vandeventer Ave. Saint Louis, MO 63130 • 314-391-5100 • blkmkteats.com riverfronttimes.com
MARCH 7-13, 2018
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RFT 1-4 Ad - Friday 4.55 x 5.9 PR.pdf
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Tim Kiefer and Beth Grollmes-Kiefer have a new business. | COURTESY OF PERENNIAL CITY COMPOSTING
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[FOOD NEWS]
COMPOST AS EASY AS A DROP IN THE BUCKET Written by
SARAH FENSKE
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or the last five years, Tim Kiefer has brought St. Louisans their food through his bicycle-driven food-delivery business, the Food Pedaler. Now Kiefer and his wife, Beth Grollmes-Kiefer, want to come take the table scraps away and convert them to compost. The couple’s new business, Perennial City Composting, launched in January. It promises to provide a subscription-based composting service to anyone who lives in St. Louis, University City or Clayton. If you pay their monthly fee, they’ll provide you with a four-gallon composting bucket — and pick up the materials inside on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, depending on which plan you choose. They’ll even provide coffee chaff to keep the compost bucket smelling OK between pickups. “If you keep the bucket in your house, you can sprinkle some on top and it’s a really pleasant coffee aroma,” Grollmes-Kiefer explains. And as for the bucket you’ll get, she promises, “I think it’s really cute. I wouldn’t be ashamed to put it on my kitchen counter!” A native of Topeka, Kansas, Grollmes-Kiefer moved to St. Louis to attend Saint Louis University. When she met Kiefer, a native of St. Louis County, he’d just launched the Food Pedaler — and proved a passionate ambassador for his hometown. He
sold her on the city, and eventually the business he’d founded. Now he’s returning the favor by helping her launch Perennial City. Long a passionate composter, she read in Mother Earth News about a business offering subscription-based composting in Arizona and began to envision how it could work here. She and Kiefer ended up acquiring two acres of vacant land in the city’s Visitation Park neighborhood through the city’s Land Reutilization Authority. They plan to use the acreage for growing food, turning the contents of those composting buckets into soil that will eventually be used to plant crops. The couple began advertising the business in their neighborhood, Skinker-DeBaliviere, by hanging door-knockers. They’ve also done some promotion on Instagram. Based on those small-scale beginnings, Grollmes-Kiefer says, they’ve been notching new clients every day. Grollmes-Kiefer has grown to share her husband’s love of St. Louis, and she’s hopeful that their new business will help “close the loop” for one key measure of sustainability. “We want to take a problem and turn it into a solution,” she says. And she’s convinced composting is an idea whose time is overdue. “If you see someone these days throwing away their plastic water bottle, you’re silently judging them,” she says. “That’s how composting will be going forward.” Perennial City Composting subscription plans run from $20 to $30 a month, depending on how long you sign up for and whether you want them to pick up your compost weekly or bi-weekly. See the company’s website, compost.perennial.city, for more n details.
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WWW.BRASILIASTL.COM • 314-932-1034 3212 SOUTH GRAND BLVD Photography by JENNIFER SILVERBERG
Photography by JENNIFER SILVERBERG
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[FOOD NEWS]
Return of the (Donut) King Written by
KEVIN KORINEK
A
ll hail! Donut-King (662 1st Capitol Drive, St. Charles; 636723-7680) will rise again thanks to new owners Paul and Alissa Thoenen, who are taking up the mantle of the beloved shop and breathing new life into it after its surprise closure. Paul will run the shop while Alissa, a special-education teacher, will help out and handle social media. The divey doughnut shop was a cult favorite in St. Charles for close to five decades. It was best known for its “Chop Suey,” a monstrous cinnamon bun that defied expectations. Before announcing its sudden closure in January, the original owner of Donut-King floated the idea of selling his shop to a few regular customers who had expressed interest in buying. But, Alissa says,
most of their pitches fell flat. “I think people were being pretty picky,” she says. “Somebody wanted to move locations, somebody else wanted to change the equipment, but we wanted to just keep Donut-King the same—their recipes, their product — that was their selling point to us.” After an agreement was made, the couple were given the green light and began working on the necessary paperwork. Alissa made a Facebook announcement that received more than 400 shares and garnered 1,000 likes for the Donut-King page. “The response has just been amazing,” she says. Paul Thoenen is a longtime chef with a history in the restaurant trade and has always imagined owning his own business. “I think for every person who works in the restaurant industry, it’s their dream to have their own place, but I wasn’t looking for a doughnut shop,” he says. “I’m just excited to keep this tradition alive.” The original owner plans to stay on board for a short time to show Paul how to make everything from the old menu. “The main factor is just to learn their secrets and their traditions.” There’s just one caveat — Paul has never made doughnuts before.
Donut-King’s new owners have taken possession. | COURTESY OF PAUL AND ALISSA THOENEN But the first-time business owner is ready for a new challenge. “Going into this doesn’t scare me at all, because I just need to learn everything I can about making doughnuts and I know I can do it.” His wife is his biggest supporter. “I married him because of his blueberry muffins,” she boasts. While Paul will focus on bringing back Donut-King in all its original doughnut glory, in time he hopes
to get the swing of the process and try a few surprises of his own. “In the future, we’ll probably add some new items, but initially I just want to open up the door and get to selling them again. Once we focus on that, then we’ll see what else we can do.” Probably one of the boldest changes they plan to implement? Credit cards. Look out, St. Charles. The new owners hope to have the shop open again by month’s end. n
Lunch Special Monday – Friday from 11am - 4pm Any sandwich with choice of soup, salad, or fries for $10.00 331 N. Euclid Ave. in the Heart of the Central West End 314-875-0657 | www.tasteoflebanonstl.com
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restaurants • shopping • arts • music
History of the Area
DUCK ROOM Blueberry Hill
JUST ADDED! Tues 6/5 Tues 6/19 Wed 6/20
Next came the Delmar Loop Planet Walk, a 2,880-ft scale model of the solar system. In 2011 The Loop unveiled the iconic Chuck Berry Statue, an eight-foot bronze statue dedicated to the Father of Rock & Roll along with the Centennial Greenway bicycle and pedestrian trail. In the 2010s, with the opening of the colorful Peacock Diner in 2014, The Loop became a true 24/7 neighborhood. And in 2016, the 800-capacity Delmar Hall music venue opened next to The Pageant. Many consider The Loop to be the live music center of St. Louis with its 8 stages showcasing music of all genres. The most exciting new attraction of 2018 will be the fixed-track vintage trolley. It will connect the #1 city park in America (Forest Park) to “One of the 10 Great Streets in America,” the Delmar Loop. Yesss! ★
The Toasters Speedy Ortiz Night Riots
Landmark restaurant & music club Six party spaces BlueberryHill.com • 6504 Delmar in The Loop
UPCOMING Fri 3/9 Sat 3/10 Sun 3/11 Mon 3/12 Wed 3/14 Sat 3/17 Sun 3/18
Amzy Lida Una Taylor Bennett Sorority Noise Hot Snakes Empire Groove St. Patrick’s Day Party I Wanna Laugh
6504 Delmar in The Loop ★ 314-727-4444 BlueberryHill.com Tickets: at Blueberry Hill (no service fees with cash), BlueberryHill.com, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster.com, 800-745-3000 36
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Pin-Up Bowl Fantastic kids birthday packages PinUpBowl.com • 6191 Delmar in The Loop
2010s
IN T
2000s
1980s
! LIVEHE
In the 1990s the Delmar Loop MetroLink station opened, allowing visitors to ride right to The Loop. The elegant 1924 Tivoli Movie Theatre was beautifully restored in 1995 and, along with many new gift shops and clothing boutiques, signaled that The Loop had arrived. Fitz’s opened its vintage 1930s root beer & soda bottling line. Opening in 2000 was The Pageant, a 2,000+ capacity concert nightclub that has featured artists such as Bob Dylan, Imagine Dragons, Jason Derulo, Mumford & Sons, Dolly Parton and Pharrell. Also in the 2000s, Pin-Up Bowl bowling and martini lounge debuted, followed by the boutique Moonrise Hotel which features the world’s largest man-made moon rotating above the indoor/outdoor Rooftop Bar.
1990s
1970s
During the last 45 years, the Delmar Loop has evolved into one of the most vibrant and entertaining areas in the United States. The revitalization of The Loop began in the early 1970s with legislation that limited occupancy of first floor storefronts to retail shops, galleries and restaurants to attract more pedestrians. Nationally renowned restaurant and music club Blueberry Hill was the first of a new era of unique owner-operated businesses. In the 1980s dusk-to-dawn lights, trash receptacles, and flower planters were added to make The Loop brighter, cleaner, and more colorful. The non-profit St. Louis Walk of Fame was founded and became a unifying attraction for the area. Now more than 150 stars and informative plaques are embedded in the sidewalks.
CULTURE [HOMESPUN]
Containing Multitudes Pigeonhole rising St. Louis star Tonina Saputo at your peril Written by
CHRISTIAN SCHAEFFER
S
ome people preach musical diversity and cross-genre pantheism; Tonina Saputo simply lives it. An upright bassist by training, she gradually shied away from classical music and gravitated to jazz studies, which took her to the storied Berklee College of Music in Boston (she graduated last year). She made her first album, a basement hip-hop joint, with St. Louis-born/L.A.-based producer Dylan Brady, and she’s currently working on a largely folk-inspired album with former Pokey LaFarge trumpet player Luc Klein. Oh, and in April she will release a Spanish-language album on Grammy-winning songwriter and producer Javier Límon’s label and embark on an upcoming tour of Italy and Spain. To understand Saputo’s many musical personalities, it helps to get a snapshot of her family tree. Her father played bass and drums in the Marine jazz band. Her older sister is a classically trained violinist. Her uncle, Tony Saputo, played drums for Reba McEntire before he and two other members of the touring band died in a plane crash. Another uncle, Mike Saputo, still plays in a local bluegrass band and encouraged her to pick up a guitar at age six. But even those diverse branches go only part of the way to explaining Saputo’s reach and range. Depending on what night you catch Saputo play — and depending on the venue she is playing in — you’ll see at least two sides of the same young artist. When she plays jazz gigs at places like the Dark Room, she’s leading her quartet on upright bass, pushing and pulling her instrument like
From funk to folk to jazz to R&B, Tonina Saputo’s music defies genre conventions. | COURTESY OF THE ARTIST a dance partner. In solo shows, she favors a hollow-body electric guitar, which she cradles against herself as she plays spare but harmonically rich patterns. At any gig, her voice will be the magnet that draws you in — no matter the language or the style, Saputo has internalized soul’s emotion and jazz’s phrasing. When reached by phone, Saputo is recounting a previous weekend’s gig; she played as part of a hodgepodge of up-and-coming acts at Off Broadway alongside LéPonds, Looprat and Monhk & the People. She was worried that such a diverse bill would alienate the crowd, but was pleasantly surprised to find an audience that took the time to listen to all four acts. As a solo performer, Saputo doesn’t always have that luxury.
“My setup that night was me, my electric bass and my guitar — I’m primarily an upright bassist, it’s what I’m most comfortable on,” she says. “I’ve been playing it the longest. I’ve been playing guitar for a minute now — I’ve been super nervous about showcasing it because I know there are a lot of better guitarists than me.” She had picked at the guitar from a young age, but found herself drawn back to the instrument during her time at Berklee. “I learned those chord shapes, but being in music school my guitarist friends would teach me here and there,” she says. “I feel I need to learn a chordal instrument — you put me in front of a piano and it’s tragic,” Saputo says, laughing. “I feel like guitar is more linear on the riverfronttimes.com
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strings; it’s something I can relate to. “I think my songs are better suited on guitar,” Saputo continues. “My writing is geared around folk — I think I’m a folk musician, yet I have this R&B voice.” When asked about the limitations of supporting herself on bass, an instrument she knows intimately, Saputo claims that the song “just comes out different. When I play them on bass, it has a different spin, but it’s not what I intended.” Her upcoming Spanish-language album came through a study-abroad program in Valencia, Spain; Límon was serving as a visiting instructor and, impressed with Saputo’s contributions to the program, offered her a recording deal. While she is excited about that album and European tour, in conversation she seemingly brushes it off, even more excited about her solo material and its relationship to her hometown. “I’m trying to stay true to my market,” Saputo says. “I want to start here and play my songs here. “My personal album is so important to me — it’s fully me. No one is telling me how to write and how to sing. “I just really care about my city, and how that relates to me and my music,” she adds. For her solo album, which is being recorded at Cherokee Street’s Native Sound Studio with a host of local players, Saputo gives a hint of the different textures she is working with. “I think you’re gonna hear some intimate lyrics — it’s not gonna be drowned out by anything,” she says. “I think you’ll hear some more folk, delicate, pick-y guitar, and some you’ll hear a more R&B band. I really want to showcase all aspects of my artistry. I love being that basic girl with a guitar sometimes — I love that ’70s Joan Baez ish. But I also love Hiatus Kaiyote and Vulfpeck, those modern-day funk groups.” That flexibility across genres makes Saputo hard to pinpoint, but as she stands on the cusp of a multi-pronged musical career, she has begun looking at her mutability as a virtue. “I am finally accepting myself as a musician and coming to the realization that I don’t have to categorize n myself,” she says.
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[ S U P E R FA N S ]
Kiss and Tell Written by
JAIME LEES
W
ho goes to a Gene Simmons event that costs $2,000 to attend? Are they weird rich guys? Are they mega fans? Are they average rockers just looking for some fun? There was only one way to find out. Best known as the flamboyant co-founder and bassist of classic rock mega-machine Kiss, Simmons is also an unstoppable entrepreneur. He will proudly brand and sell any item, once famously licensing and releasing the Kiss Kasket. His latest moneymaker is the Gene Simmons Vault Experience. Simmons is selling a mega box set that looks like a combination between a safe and a road case. It weighs 40 pounds, and it contains hours of unreleased recordings. It also includes a little Simmons action figure and a massive book, among other things. Among those things? For $2,000, fans get to bring a guest to an allday event in a major city near them, where Simmons personally gives them their Vault. The event in St. Louis was hosted on February 24 by Music Record Shop and held in the .ZACK building, where the shop is now located. Instead of taking place at the store, however, the Vault Experience was hosted at the shop’s luxury green room/event space, 303. The day would include an extended town-hall-style Q&A, a break for some fragrant Pappy’s Smokehouse barbecue and then an acoustic set where Simmons was joined by Ace Frehley. All throughout the day, Simmons served himself up for private meet-and-greets with fans, autographing their Kiss memorabilia. Upon arrival, guests were asked to sign a photo release form and were given what looked like a tour laminate. Then they all hung out together in the lobby, speaking enthusiastically about their love for Simmons and about Kiss Kruises and other fan events that they’ve attended. (Did you know the Kiss Kruise has a waiting list?) It was here, at the very beginning, that it became clear who had shown up for the event. Yep, it was the Kiss Army. And they were in
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Gene Simmons (right) performed with Kiss co-founder Ace Frehley inside the Music Shop’s private event space. Tickets? Just $2,000 a head. | JAIME LEES full uniform. They looked amazing in all of their gear, showing it off to each other and having a great time. As the only journalist at the event (Simmons only allows one at each Vault stop), I was led through the crowd and escorted backstage to do an interview with him before the show started. When Simmons entered the room, he took it over. He’s tall and moves smoothly, and with a few long strides he flipped off the overhead light and asked everybody else to leave us alone. For a split second I thought I might have to tell him I wasn’t that kind of girl, but he was just making the room more cozy. We settled in right away. He’s easy to talk to, and every sentence he speaks is highly quotable. When I mentioned that I saw him last year at Chuck Berry’s funeral and that his impromptu speech was my favorite of the day, Simmons paused as if he was sincerely appreciating my compliment and then launched into a beautifully flowing monologue about the importance of Berry and how Berry’s music had influenced and been interwoven with Simmons’ own life.
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“I was so ashamed that Keith Richards, Paul McCartney, everybody who owes their start to him [wasn’t in attendance] — I mean, rock & roll without Chuck Berry … no guitars,” Simmons explained. “And the guitar is the backbone of all of it. I mean, he is maybe the godfather of rock & roll. Yes, there was Little Richard and Fats Domino, but that’s keyboards. So I didn’t have anything prepared, I just spoke from my heart. And he’s right in front of me with the open casket — it was difficult to speak.” He continued: “When I came to America, there was no Beatles or Stones. I mean, you knew about Elvis. It was 1958 and I was eight years old and the first music I heard was Chuck Berry.” [Simmons sang a line of “Rock and Roll Music.”] “As a little kid I remember barely being able to speak English and not understanding the words and just kind of moving. And I’m aware that my body is moving because Lawrence Welk never did that to me. Chuck Berry opened the door.” He went on to praise black music extensively, and I found myself swelling with new respect for the man. It doesn’t matter that Simmons has given similar quotes in
the past, or even that he said a similar thing about an hour later to the (very touched) local crowd; each time Simmons says anything, it feels like he’s saying it for the very first time. You believe him. Gene Simmons is such a charming bastard, it’s astounding. He could totally be a serial killer and get away with it, no problem. His personal magnetism is palpable. When he speaks he has something that makes you want to like him, even if you’re initially suspicious. Before he was rock star, Simmons was a sixth-grade teacher, and I’d wager that he was a darn fine teacher, too. His recall abilities for dates is top notch, and his easy way of speaking could make even the most boring topic interesting. After devoting a bunch of time to me (and insisting that we take a selfie together), Simmons went out to greet his crowd. They loved him, and honestly, it’s easy to see why. He’s just so freakin’ good at entertaining. Every person there had so much damn fun. A couple even got engaged with Simmons assisting during the proposal. As for me, I arrived curious but I think I left as a fan. I guess I owe Gene Simmons $2,000 now. n
[PREVIEW]
Snail Mail Grows Up Snail Mail 7 p.m. Saturday, March 10. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue. $13 to $15. 314-7733363.
T
wo years is an eternity in your late teens. It’s enough time for perceptions to shift, opinions to change and tastes to broaden. That’s why it’s not so surprising that Lindsey Jordan, the eighteen-year-old powerhouse behind Baltimore indie rock act Snail Mail, is looking forward to releasing some new music. In 2016, Snail Mail released Habit, an engaging and powerful six-song EP. Jordan’s guitar sound was halfway between atmospheric dream-pop and Mary Timony’s spiraling leads. (That’s no surprise — Timony was Jordan’s guitar teacher for awhile.) Her full-throated voice radiated confidence, even when the songs themselves were melancholy. With powerful backup from a group including St. Louis-based drummer Shawn Durham (known for her work in town with Posture and the Stranger), Habit caused an immediate buzz and quickly led to two years of touring and media attention. Recently signed to Matador, the current Snail Mail lineup (with bassist Alex Bass and drummer Ray Brown) has finished a new album scheduled for release in June. Not surprisingly, Jordan sees it as a big step forward. “We’ve been working on it for the past year, but it took two years to write,” says Jordan from Baltimore as she and Bass drive from rehearsal to a record store. “It’s definitely an honest expression of how I have grown as a musician and as a person, and a real reflection of how my life has changed a lot. Habit was sort of shrouded with these loose ideas and metaphors and stuff; I was almost trying to protect myself and my subject. Also, I wasn’t openly gay at the time, so I didn’t allow myself to write as directly as I wanted to. I mean, I didn’t use any pronouns on the record. I’m a lot older and have had more time to grow and reflect on what makes good music.” This perspective has necessarily changed her songwriting approach. “I already feel like the writing process has changed,” she says. “A lot of it is your surroundings and resources, your growing community and stuff. But a lot of it is also just changing as a person and as a musician. My inspirations have changed a lot, so I feel like definitely there’s a lot more pres-
Snail Mail will be at Off Broadway this Saturday. | VIA GROUND CONTROL TOURING sure. I put a lot of it on myself. But I’m a better musician, and I’ve spent a lot more time with myself as a songwriter and as a person. I just think creative development goes hand in hand with that.” Some of her goals include honing her rock guitar skills and paying attention to how other songwriters approach their craft. When she was writing Habit, Jordan says she didn’t have much interest in guitar-centered rock music. But while she’s been working on the new record, she’s been listening to and drawing influence from artists including Kurt Vile, Mark Kozelek, Electrelane and Marnie Stern. Jordan herself has been playing guitar since age five. She was trained in both classical and jazz guitar. Her first guitar, she says, was a red Fender Squier, “the same kind I play now.” She played in her church band as a child and began writing songs when she was eleven or twelve. “I didn’t really take it seriously. I kind of dreaded it,” Jordan says. “I remember I really wanted to be, like, the lead guitarist in someone else’s band. That was the dream. My parents are musicians, and they would encourage me to be the singer. And I was always like, ‘Hell no. That won’t ever be me. I don’t even like to sing. I’m bad.’” Still, she would frequently get up onstage with her parents’ friend’s bands for a few songs. “I played sports bars, because I didn’t know what else there was,” she laughs. Jordan credits Durham for introducing her to a deeper level of music. “I feel like I owe most of my music knowledge to Shawn,” she says. “I met her when I was like twelve or thir-
teen, and she would share everything that was cool with me. I spent a week or so in St. Louis because of Shawn, and actually we went to Off Broadway then.” Snail Mail’s first shows were in Baltimore, a city that has hosted a small creative community for decades. In the 1980s and 1990s, it was home to the proto-emo of Lungfish, Moss Icon and Reptile House, while Half Japanese lived an hour west in Uniontown. More recently, Baltimore has spawned such diverse talent as Dan Deacon, Wye Oak, Beach House and Outer Spaces. For Jordan, who grew up in nearby Ellicott City, it’s a special place, even if she doesn’t spend as much time on the scene nowadays. “Baltimore has some really amazing minds, but as far as the scene, I barely leave my house to go to shows when I’m home,” she admits. “There are still lots of young people doing cool things and booking shows. I know about some hardcore stuff. But it’s hard to book anything here. It’s, like, the spot where shows get canceled first. I think there’s a select handful of awesome promoters who really care, and there are creative and amazing musicians. But it’s not really what it used to be.” With a new record under its belt and shows with Ought, Japanese Breakfast and (for two New England dates) Belle & Sebastian on the horizon, Snail Mail expects to be busy for the foreseeable future. “It doesn’t slow down for a really long time,”Jordan says. “But I don’t know. That’s kind of the part of playing I like the most.” — Mike Appelstein riverfronttimes.com
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TUESDAY, MARCH 13 7:00 P.M. PLEASE VISIT WBTICKETS.COM AND ENTER THE CODE CDULW93929 TO DOWNLOAD YOUR COMPLIMENTARY PASSES! RATED PG-13 FOR SEQUENCES OF VIOLENCE AND ACTION, AND FOR SOME LANGUAGE. Please note: Passes are limited and will be distributed on a first come, first served basis while supplies last. No phone calls, please. Limit one pass per person. Each pass admits two. Seating is not guaranteed. Arrive early. Theater is not responsible for overbooking. This screening will be monitored for unauthorized recording. By attending, you agree not to bring any audio or video recording device into the theater (audio recording devices for credentialed press excepted) and consent to a physical search of your belongings and person. Any attempted use of recording devices will result in immediate removal from the theater, forfeiture, and may subject you to criminal and civil liability. Please allow additional time for heightened security. You can assist us by leaving all nonessential bags at home or in your vehicle.
IN THEATERS MARCH 16 TombRaiderMovie.com #TombRaider
MARCH 7-13, 2018
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OUT EVERY NIGHT
[WEEKEND]
Arlo Guthrie 9 p.m., $35-$55. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900.
BEST BETS
HALLOW POINT: w/ Outcome of Betrayal, As Earth Shatters, Broken Youth, We Are Descen-
Five sure-fire shows to close out the week
dants 7 p.m., $8-$10. The Firebird, 2706 Olive
FRIDAY, MARCH 9
Cherokee St., St. Louis, 314-771-2222.
Huht w/ Lord Soul
3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.
St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. HUHT: w/ Lord Soul 9 p.m., $5. El Lenador, 3124 JACK INGRAM: 8 p.m., $20-$35. Off Broadway, KERPLUNK: A TRIBUTE TO GREEN DAY: w/ Shots
9 p.m. El Leñador Bar & Grill, 3124 Cherokee Street. $5. 314-875-9955.
Fired 7 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.
The father/son duo of “Q” and Ian Quattrocchi make up two-thirds of the eclectic trio Huht. Far from the confines of a jam band, Huht leans on the hypnotic repetition of kraut rock while injecting prog elements with the relative whimsy of a weathered jazz outfit. Songs here are less structured than most, yet avoid the risky venture of full-on improv. With a DNA makeup that includes members from 18andCounting & TheOnlyEnsemble and resident King Crimson tribute Thrak, Huht reaches across the aisle with a strong tendency to shred.
Propagandhi
SATURDAY, MARCH 10
The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Avenue. $15 to $20. 314-833-3929.
Desert Dwellers w/ Alexis Tucci, David Starfire
Over the last four decades, few radical punk rockers have remained as melodically metal and as riotously relevant as Propagandhi. The pride of semi-socialist Canada — Winnipeg, to be precise — the band released Victory Lap last year, a barrage of absurdist satire, chunky riffage (courtesy of new guitarist Sulynn Hago) and brutalist kick-out-the-jams. The band’s consistently tuneful approach tempers founder Chris Hannah’s technocratic
obsessions, and the ferocity of the band’s delivery argues that it’s not paranoia if the state really is out to get you — even if that state is Canada. Whether your flag is organic vegan hemp or just straight-up black, hoist it along with a cheap beer as this legendary band blows you through the back of the room. Triple Threat: Long Island, New York, act Iron Chic adds a dose of pop-punk to the proceedings, while Dominican-American outfit La Armada ups the anti-colonialist stakes. Both openers merit your attention and ear plugs. —Roy Kasten
THURSDAY 8
8 p.m., $10. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St.
314-775-0775.
CATERPILLARS: 7 p.m., $8-$10. Fubar, 3108
Louis, 314-498-6989.
HARD LOSS EP RELEASE: w/ Scouts Honor, For
8 p.m. 2720 Cherokee Performing Arts Center, 2720 Cherokee Street. $5. 314-276-2700.
Led in part by Treavor Moontribe of LA’s Moontribe Collective — the psy-trance purveyor of the ’90s — the Desert Dwellers opt for a more meditative realm of beat-based ambiance. To wit, its chief export is world music that seems laser-focused on the yoga community, but for all its aural exploration, the group still keeps a palpable pulse. Futurist hippie-chic meets pseudo-science for a philosophic middle ground that begets a kaleidoscope of sound.
LUCKY OLD SONS: 9 p.m., $3. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. MURMUR: A TRIBUTE TO R.E.M.: w/ In Between Days: A tribute to the Cure, Miserable Now: A Smiths tribute 8 p.m., $10. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. THE OH HELLOS: w/ Lowland Hum 8 p.m., $18$20. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. RAW EARTH: 7 p.m., free. The Abbey, 6500 W.
[CRITIC’S PICK]
Main St., Belleville, 618-398-3176. RICHIE DARLING AND THE DIAMOND CUT BLUES BAND: w/ The Ex-Bombers 9 p.m., $5. The
Propagandhi. | COURTESY OF DO IT BOOKING
8 p.m. Thursday, March 8.
Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.
Haunt, 5000 Alaska Ave, St. Louis, 314-4815003. VINTAGE PLUTO: w/ Modern Gold, Scotty Bergt Band 9 p.m., $7. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. THE WERKS: w/ Break Night, Brother Francis and The Soultones 8 p.m., $12-$15. The Bootleg, 4140 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314-775-0775. WYCLEF JEAN AND THE ST. LOUIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: 7 p.m., $45-$85. Powell Hall, 718 N. Grand Blvd, St. Louis, 314-534-1700.
SATURDAY 10 BONGOJAK: 8 p.m., $5. Livery Company, 3211 Cherokee St., St. Louis, 314-643-8758. DESERT DWELLERS: w/ David Starfire, Alexis Tucci 8 p.m., $5. 2720 Cherokee Performing Arts Center, 2720 Cherokee St, St. Louis, 314276-2700. FUTURE FUSION 314: w/ JD Hughes, Waiting For Flynn, Two Cities One World 7:30 p.m., $10. The Bootleg, 4140 Manchester Ave., St. Louis,
the City, Man The Helm 8 p.m., $12-$14. Delmar
JEREMIAH JOHNSON ACOUSTIC DUO: 4 p.m., free.
FRIDAY 9
Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-
AMZY: 8 p.m., $10. Blueberry Hill - The Duck
6161.
773-5565.
Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-
HUSH LITE: 3 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S.
ONE WAY TRAFFIC: w/ Jackson Howard, Lia
727-4444.
9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.
9 p.m. El Leñador Bar & Grill, 3124 Cherokee Street. $5. 314-875-9955.
Menaker 7 p.m., $7-$10. The Bootleg, 4140
ANN JOHNSON: w/ Nadir Smith, DJ Gull, Orlando
MATT “THE RATTLESNAKE” LESCH: 7 p.m., free.
Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314-775-0775.
T. Morrissey III 9 p.m., $7. Blank Space, 2847
Hwy 61 Roadhouse and Kitchen, 34 S Old Or-
With his beaming presence, Eric Dontè could be the cult leader of a vampirical squad of teddy-bear-toting hardasses. Off stage he sports a humble veneer atop an unending drive for success, but on
PROPAGANDHI: w/ Iron Chic, La Armada 8 p.m.,
Cherokee St., St. Louis.
chard Ave, Webster Groves, 314-968-0061.
$20. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St.
ARLO GUTHRIE: 8 p.m., $35-$150. The Sheldon,
MICHALE GRAVES: w/ Dillon Dunnagan 2 p.m.,
Louis, 314-833-3929.
3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900.
$12-$14. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-
RICH MCDONOUGH & THE RHYTHM RENEGADES:
BRUISER QUEEN: w/ The Free Years, Sorry Scout
289-9050.
8 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St.
9 p.m., $10. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester
OUGHT: 8 p.m., $13-$15. Off Broadway, 3509
Louis, 314-773-5565.
Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929.
Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.
Continued on pg 43
SHANE SMITH & THE SAINTS: w/ Flatland Calvary
FRIENDS OF THE SHELDON BENEFIT CONCERT: w/
PAUL BONN & THE BLUESMEN: 9 p.m., free.
Eric Dontè w/ DJ Hood Bunny
40
RIVERFRONT TIMES
MARCH 7-13, 2018
riverfronttimes.com
Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-
[CRITIC’S PICK]
The Oh Hellos 8 p.m. Friday, March 9.
You might only know the Texas-bred indie-folk group the Oh Hellos from its pageant-like Christmas shows — the group’s “Christmas Extravaganza” stopped in town in December 2016. But its songs-for-allseasons are just as engrossing; this year’s Eurus works less as a seven-track EP and more as an unbroken suite of songs, rang-
ing from gentle Fairport Convention-style folk to clattering, group-sung exhortations. Siblings Maggie and Tyler Heath are at the core of the group, but have gathered enough fellow travelers to make a joyful noise both on record and on stage. Hum a Few Bars: Lowland Hum, the husband-and-wife team of Lauren and Daniel Goans, will open the show with a set built on acoustic thrums and interwoven harmonies. —Christian Schaeffer
Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-
Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis,
773-5565.
314-833-3929.
The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Boulevard. $20. 314726-6161.
RUMPSHAKER: w/ Blvck Spvde, DJ Boogieman, RADAMES, DJ Baby Bear 9 p.m., $5. Blank
MONDAY 12
Space, 2847 Cherokee St., St. Louis.
BAROQUE, TOO: 7 p.m., $38. The Sheldon, 3648
THE WILD & FREE: w/ Glass Mansions, New
Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900.
American Classic, Cleanrisk, The Friction,
EARTH GROANS: w/ This Is Me Breathing, Dead
Raviner 7 p.m., $7-$10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St,
Ends, Cavil 6 p.m., $12-$15. Fubar, 3108 Locust
St. Louis, 314-289-9050.
St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.
THRESHOLD: 9 p.m., free. Nightshift Bar & Grill,
SORORITY NOISE: w/ Remo Drive, Foxx Bodies 8
3979 Mexico Road, St. Peters, 636-441-8300.
p.m., $15-$18. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room,
TY DOLLA $IGN: 8 p.m., $29.50-$35. The Ready
6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-
Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-
4444.
833-3929. YUNG PINCH: 8 p.m., $23-$25. The Firebird, 2706
TUESDAY 13
Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353.
ACT OF DEFIANCE: w/ Shattered Sun, Shaping
SUNDAY 11
SEC
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
Louis, 314-289-9050. MOVEMENTS: w/ Can’t Swim, Super Whatevr,
Bootleg, 4140 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314-
Gleemer 7 p.m., $13-$15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St,
775-0775.
St. Louis, 314-289-9050.
DAVE DICKEY BIG BAND: 5 p.m., $20. Grandel
NOTHING,NOWHERE.: w/ Shinigami, Lil Lotus, Jay
Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square, St. Louis, 314-
Vee 8 p.m., $15. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St.
533-0367.
Louis, 314-535-0353.
ESCUELA: w/ Coffin Fit, Deep Space Killer,
THE REBELLION LOST: w/ About Time 10 p.m.,
StoneEater 8 p.m., $7-$10. Fubar, 3108 Locust
$10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-
St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.
9050.
3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.
WEDNESDAY 14
JUNIOR REID: w/ Yung Jr. & the One Blood Band
4 HANDS RIPPLE LAUNCH PARTY: w/ The Yawp-
7 p.m., $25. 2720 Cherokee Performing Arts
ers, the Wilderness 8 p.m., $4. Off Broadway,
Center, 2720 Cherokee St, St. Louis, 314-276-
3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.
2700.
HOT SNAKES: 9 p.m., $22-$27. Blueberry Hill -
LITTLE BANDIT: w/ Elise Davis, Oak Steel &
The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University
Lightening 8 p.m., $10-$13. The Monocle, 4510
City, 314-727-4444.
Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-935-7003.
LIGHTS: 8 p.m., $21-$23.50. Delmar Hall, 6133
MOREHOUSE COLLEGE GLEE CLUB: 4 p.m., $15-
Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.
$50. Central Visual and Performing Arts High
MALCOLM LONDON: 8 p.m., $10-$13. The Mono-
School (Central VPA), 3125 S. Kingshighway, St.
cle, 4510 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-935-
Louis, 314-771-2772.
7003.
RAHEEM DEVAUGHN: 6 p.m., $15-$40. Ballpark
PIGEONS PLAYING PING PONG: w/ Joe Hertler &
Village, 601 Clark Ave, St. Louis, 314-345-9481.
the Rainbow Seekers 9 p.m., $12-$15. Old Rock
TAYLOR BENNETT: 8 p.m., $15-$20. Blueberry
House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505.
Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd.,
PINK: 6 p.m., TBA. Scottrade Center, 1401 Clark
University City, 314-727-4444.
Ave., St. Louis, 314-241-1888.
VARSITY: w/ Golden Curls 8 p.m., $10-$13. The
Duke’s will be Hoops Crazy All Month with Every Conference & NCAA Game
Motion 6 p.m., $15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St.
BLACK FAST VIDEO SHOOT: 2 p.m., free. The
ICON FOR HIRE: 8 p.m., $15-$18. Off Broadway,
Like & Follow us on Facebook @dukesinsoulard
MAKE DUKE’S YOUR HOME-BASE FAN GROUPS WELCOME FREE SHUTTLE TO GAMES
SATURDAY NIGHT BOXING
2001 MENARD (AT ALLEN) IN THE HEART OF SOULARD
Continued on pg 42
riverfronttimes.com
MARCH 7-13, 2018
RIVERFRONT TIMES
41
OUT EVERY NIGHT Continued from pg 41 [CRITIC’S PICK]
Wyclef Jean will perform with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. | COURTESY OF THE SLSO
Wyclef Jean and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
Two titans of music become one as rap superstar Wyclef Jean joins forces with the world-renowned St. Louis Symphony Orchestra for a show billed as a “night of symphonic hip-hop” this weekend. As one-third of the Fugees, Wyclef is a legend whose slick rhymes and smooth baritone will be well-served by the presence of
a world-class orchestra. And with more than three decades’ worth of hits from his career to pull from, the SLSO will prove that classical music and rap fit together much better than you might imagine. Hip-Hop Hooray: The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra has increasingly been dipping its toes in the rap world of late, as evidenced by last year’s well-received performance with Nelly in addition to the its upcoming concert with Boyz II Men in May. For our money, this is a very good thing. —Daniel Hill
STEEP CANYON RANGERS: 8 p.m., $30-$40. The
Louis, 314-533-9900.
Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis,
DEAD BOYS: Wed., June 27, 8 p.m., $18-$20.
314-533-9900.
Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.
7 p.m. Friday, Fri., March 9. Powell Hall, 718 North Grand Boulevard. $45 to $85. 314-534-1700.
THIS JUST IN
42
RIVERFRONT TIMES
MARCH 7-13, 2018
riverfronttimes.com
DIRTY PROJECTORS: Mon., May 21, 8 p.m., $20$23. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave,
106.5 THE ARCH PRESENTS THE BOY BAND
St. Louis, 314-833-3929.
NIGHT: Sat., July 28, 7 p.m., $12-$15. Delmar
EVANESCENCE: W/ Lindsey Stirling, Sat., July 7,
Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-
6 p.m., $25-$99.50. Hollywood Casino Amphi-
6161.
theatre, I-70 & Earth City Expwy., Maryland
4 HANDS RIPPLE LAUNCH PARTY: W/ The Yawp-
Heights, 314-298-9944.
ers, the Wilderness, Wed., March 14, 8 p.m.,
AN EVENING WITH GHOST: Fri., May 25, 9 p.m.,
$4. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis,
$25.50-$55.50. Peabody Opera House, 1400
314-498-6989.
Market St, St. Louis, 314-499-7600.
BIG BOI: Thu., May 17, 8 p.m., $20-$25. Thu.,
FAMILY AFFAIR: W/ DJ Shay Money, West End,
May 17, 8 p.m., $20-$25. The Ready Room,
Domino Effect, Zeus, Sat., March 31, 8 p.m.,
4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929.
$15. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Lou-
BLACK FAST VIDEO SHOOT: Sun., March 11, 2
is, 314-726-6161.
p.m., free. The Bootleg, 4140 Manchester Ave.,
FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY: W/ Great American
St. Louis, 314-775-0775.
Ghost, Yahsira, Mon., April 16, 6 p.m., $15.
BUBBA SPARXXX: W/ Common Jones, O’Brien
Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.
So Mo, 86 Family, P.R.E.A.C.H., Mike Milli,
KELLER WILLIAMS: W/ More Than a Little, Sun.,
Frost Money, Sun., April 22, 6 p.m., $15-$18.
April 22, 8 p.m., $25. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion,
Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.
4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-
CHARLEY CROCKETT: Thu., May 24, 8 p.m., $15.
0775.
Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-
THE LONELY BISCUITS: Sun., June 10, 8 p.m.,
498-6989.
$12-$15. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester
DAILEY & VINCENT: Fri., April 20, 8 p.m., $30-
Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929.
$40. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St.
MAMMOTH PIANO VIDEO SHOOT: W/ Hands and
Feet, Fri., March 23, 7 p.m., $5. The Monocle, 4510 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-935-7003. MICHIGAN RATTLERS: Fri., April 13, 8 p.m., $15. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. MOTHICA: W/ Ehiorobo, Mon., April 30, 7 p.m., $12-$15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314289-9050. OCEAN ALLEY: Mon., June 25, 8 p.m., $13-$15. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. ONE WAY TRAFFIC: W/ Jackson Howard, Lia Menaker, Thu., March 8, 7 p.m., $7-$10. The Bootleg, 4140 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314775-0775. ORPHAN WELLES: W/ Sister Wizzard, Brian McClelland, Wed., March 21, 8 p.m., $5. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. THE PRETENDERS: Wed., July 18, 7 p.m., $29.50$129.50. Peabody Opera House, 1400 Market St, St. Louis, 314-499-7600. RADAR: W/ The Radio Buzzkills, The Kuhlies, Sunwyrm, Sat., May 26, 8 p.m., $7-$10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. RAY LAMONTAGNE: W/ Neko Case, Sat., July 7, 8 p.m., $29.50-$125. Peabody Opera House, 1400 Market St, St. Louis, 314-499-7600. RISK! TRUE TALES, BOLDLY TOLD: Fri., May 18, 8 p.m., $20. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. SHAWN JAMES: W/ Cara Louise, Sun., April 15, 7 p.m., $12-$15. The Bootleg, 4140 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314-775-0775. SLAYER FINAL TOUR: W/ Lamb of God, Anthrax, Testament, Napalm Death, Thu., Aug. 9, 4 p.m., $29.50-$59.50. Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, I-70 & Earth City Expwy., Maryland Heights, 314-298-9944. THE STEEL WHEELS: Thu., April 12, 8 p.m., $12. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314498-6989.
THIS WEEKEND Continued from pg 40 stage he quickly morphs into equal parts Michael Jackson and Marilyn Manson. The Fadda Vampire’s beats come with bat wings, propelling his rhymes with an air of gothic flair. Not that his act is all smoke and mirrors — Dontè arrived on the scene with legitimate bars, as can be heard on 2016’s God Don’t Like Ugly. This birthday show has been teased as a possible impromptu shoot for a music video, and if history is any indication, nothing is off limits at an Eric Dontè party.
Post Animal w/ Pono AM, Town Criers 7:30 p.m. Faom Coffee and Beer, 3359 South Jefferson Avenue. $12 to $14. 314-772-2100.
To listen to Post Animal’s pop-sensible psych rock is to candidly peek into a messy Chicago basement where five dudes binge on pizza and beer between long bouts of jam-banding. This is music made by childhood friends for whom any success is secondary to having a good time, but that’s not to say the songs lack skill or artistry. The lackadaisical vibe is more of a welcome mat to an ear that’s keen to do more digging. The band will soon share its many layers in physical form with the release of When I Think Of You In A Castle, set to come out through Polyvinyl on the very appropriate date of April 20.
T.S.O.L.: Thu., May 3, 8 p.m., $16-$18. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.
Ty Dolla $ign
THE ST. LOUIS UNDERGROUND HIP HOP TOURNA-
8 p.m. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Avenue. $29.50 to $35. 314-833-3929.
MENT GRAND FINALE: Sun., March 25, 7 p.m., $10-$15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. TIM & LISA ALBERT: Sat., March 31, 3 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. TIM ALBERT & THE BOOGIEMEN: Sat., March 17, 9 p.m., $3. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. TIM REYNOLDS & TR3: Sat., April 14, 8 p.m., $16-$18. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. TOMORROWS BAD SEEDS: W/ Sun-Dried Vibes, Thicker Than Thieves, Sat., May 19, 8 p.m., $13-$15. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-
Posters for Ty Dolla $ign’s “Don’t Judge Me” tour invoke a courtroom aesthetic, yet the double meaning here is lost on no one. Ty might rub shoulders with Wiz Khalifa, Migos and the like, but he opts for the role of singer over rapper, picking up influence from Prince and Kim Burrell. And that added layer of the multi-instrumentalist’s talent paints a picture of a virtuoso whose stock has only risen since dropping “Toot It and Boot It”way back in 2010 with YG.
4444. TRASHCAN SINATRAS: Wed., June 13, 8 p.m., $22-$25. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. URBAN CHESTNUT BLACK LAGER LAUNCH PARTY: W/ Town Cars, the Vigilettes, Sat., March 17, 9 p.m., free. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.
SOULARD’S HOTTEST
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.
DANCE PARTY
COLLEGE NIGHT - THURSDAY $2 Tall Boy (16 oz) Cans Neon Beer Pong DJ Ryan - 9 PM to Close
FRIDAY & SATURDAY NIGHT DJ DAN-C
9 PM - CLOSE 2001 MENARD (AT ALLEN) IN THE HEART OF SOULARD LIKE & FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK: @dukesinsoulard riverfronttimes.com
MARCH 7-13, 2018
RIVERFRONT TIMES
43
44
SAVAGE LOVE
ZAPS BY DAN SAVAGE Hey, Dan: I’m an eighteen-year-old cis hetero girl from Australia and I’ve been listening to your podcast and reading your column since I was thirteen. Thanks to you I’m pretty open minded about my sexuality and body. Having said that, I do have a few questions. I started watching porn from a youngish age with no real shame attached but I have some concerns. 1. I get off really quickly to lesbian porn but it never feels like a “good” orgasm. My guess is that subconsciously I think it’s inauthentic and therefore degrading. 2. I really enjoy and have the best orgasms to vintage gay male porn and trans FTM porn, which seems odd to me because I’m so far removed from the sexual acts that these kind of porn movies portray but I always feel satisfied after getting off to them. 3. I get off to tit slapping videos but it screws with me morally. I understand why I like these kinds of videos. I have quite large breasts and I feel resentment towards them. It seems both morally wrong towards the progress I’ve made towards accepting my body and also to the message being sent about violence towards women. Care to weigh in? Concerned About Porn Preferences 1. There are gay men who watch straight porn, lesbians who watch gay porn and 18-year-old hetero girls in Australia who watch lesbian porn and vintage gay porn and trans FTM porn. So many people get off watching porn that isn’t supposed to be for them — so many people fantasize about, watch and sometimes do things that aren’t supposed to be for them — that we have to view these quote/unquote transgressions as a feature of human sexuality, not a bug. 2. Lesbian porn gets you off, vintage gay porn and trans FTM gets you off, but you feel conflicted after watching lesbian porn because it seems inauthentic. That’s understandable — a lot of so-called lesbian porn is inauthentic, in that it’s made by and for straight men and 44
RIVERFRONT TIMES
features non-lesbian women going through the lesbian motions (often with long and triggering-for-actual-lesbian fingernails). Some gay porn features gay-for-pay straight male actors, of course, but most gay porn features gay actors doing what they love; the same goes for most trans FTM porn, which is a small and mostly indie niche. I suspect your orgasms are just as good when you watch lesbian porn, CAPP, but the sense — suppressed when you were turned on, surfacing once you’re not — that the performers weren’t really enjoying themselves taints your lesbian-porn-enhanced orgasms in retrospect. The solution? Seek out lesbian porn featuring actual lesbians — authentic lesbian porn is out there. (I found a bunch with a quick Google search.) 3. Sometimes we overcome the negative messaging our culture sends us about our identities or bodies only after our erotic imaginations have seized on the fears or self-loathing induced by those messages and turned them into kinks. Take small-penis humiliation (SPH). Before a guy can ask a partner to indulge him in SPH, CAPP, he has to accept (and kind of dig) his small cock. So the acceptance is there, but the kink — a turn-on rooted in a resolved conflict — remains. It can be freeing to regard a kink like SPH or your thing for tit slapping as a reward — as the only good thing to come out of the shitty zap the culture put on the head of a guy with a small cock or, in your case, a young woman with large breasts. So long as we seek out other consenting adults who respect us and our bodies, we can have our kinks — even those that took root in the manure of negative cultural messaging — and our self-acceptance and self-esteem, too. Hey, Dan: I have a deepthroating fetish. All the porn I watch is nothing but rough, sloppy blowjobs. I would love nothing more than to watch this kind of porn with my boyfriend, so we can add it to the bedroom excitement, but I’m embarrassed to share this as a straight female. How do I go about sharing a fetish I have? Do I tell him over a candlelit dinner? Do I just turn some deepthroating porn on and see what happens? Help!
MARCH 7-13, 2018
riverfronttimes.com
Deepthroat Queen There’s never really a bad time to tell someone they won the lottery, DQ. Over a candlelit dinner, pop in some porn, send him a singing telegram — however you decide to tell him, DQ, the odds that he’ll react negatively are pretty low. Of course, watching someone deep throat and doing it yourself are two different things, DQ. You won’t be able to go from disclosing your kink to realizing it during that candlelit dinner. Take it slow, maybe watch a few how-to videos in addition to the porn, find the positions and angles that work for you, etc., and work your way up to taking him all the way down. Hey, Dan: I’m a 32-year-old male. I recently met a hot older woman, age 46, who has told me she finds me equally hot. I’ve always preferred older women. I just love their confidence and their comfort in their own skin. They’re just so much sexier than my age cohorts. The problem is that I take a serious interest in feminism. I think I do pretty well with the overt stuff: I don’t mansplain, I call out peers who ignore sexism and I don’t objectify women, even when I do find them attractive. (Small steps, but steps nonetheless.) But when I see this woman and we flirt like mad, my brain just shuts off and all I can think about is her hot bod and the many hours I want to spend with it. However, I worry that she’s spent her whole life relying on her looks to gain validation from men, and that my brain-dead, loinsalive attraction is only perpetuating her objectification. Is that so? Or am I just overthinking things? Man, I Love Feminism At the risk of dansplaining… There’s nothing feminist about slagging off younger women to justify your attraction to older women. You like what you like and you can own that without implying that younger women lack confidence and aren’t comfortable in their own skins. The same culture that put the zap on CAPP’s head for having large breasts — her breasts attracted unwanted attention and she resented her breasts and now gets off on erotic images of breasts being punished (even though she
now knows her breasts weren’t the problem) — put the zap on your head. Men, young and old, are supposed to be attracted to younger women. You’re not attracted to younger women, you’re attracted to older women; instead of accepting that, you feel compelled to justify it by comparing younger women to older women and declaring — again, by implication — that there’s something wrong with younger women. You sound like one of those gay men who can’t tell you why he’s attracted to dudes without also (or only) telling you what he dislikes about women. As for objectification, MILF, the problem with objectification is when the person doing the objectifying isn’t capable of simultaneously seeing the object of their affections as a three-dimensional human being with desires, fears and agency of their own. Technically, MILF, we are all objects — “a material thing that can be seen and touched” — but unlike, say, Fleshlights or vibrators, we feel joy and pain and have wants and needs. You can’t help being drawn to this woman’s externals; there’s a huge visual component to human attraction and, as your thing for older women demonstrates, there isn’t one universal standard of beauty. So long as you can objectify someone while at the same time appreciating their full humanity — so long as you can walk that walk and chew that gum — you don’t have to feel like a bad feminist for objectifying someone. (Particularly when that someone is clearly objectifying you!) Listen to Dan’s podcast at savagelovecast.com. mail@savagelove.net 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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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.
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