Riverfront Times, January 8, 2020 by Riverfront Times

RIVERFRONT TIMES

JANUARY 8-14, 2020

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JANUARY 8-14, 2020

RIVERFRONT TIMES

JANUARY 8-14, 2020

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THE LEDE

PHOTO BY THEO WELLING

“These stories are important. And they’re not just important to black people; they’re important to all of us. They just are.” LOIS CONLEY, FOUNDER OF THE GRIOT MUSEUM OF BLACK HISTORY, PHOTOGRAPHED AT THE IMPACT HIV/AIDS EXHIBIT ON DECEMBER 18

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Publisher Chris Keating Editor in Chief Doyle Murphy

E D I T O R I A L Managing Editor Liz Miller Arts & Culture Editor Paul Friswold Music Editor Daniel Hill Digital Editor Jaime Lees Staff Writer Danny Wicentowski Restaurant Critic Cheryl Baehr Film Critic Robert Hunt Columnist Ray Hartmann Contributing Writers Mike Appelstein, Allison Babka, Thomas Crone, Jenn DeRose, Mike Fitzgerald, Sara Graham, Joseph Hess, MaryAnn Johanson, Roy Kasten, Kevin Korinek, Bob McMahon, Lauren Milford, Nicholas Phillips, Tef Poe, Christian Schaeffer Proofreader Evie Hemphill Editorial Interns Ella Faust, Caroline Groff, Ronald Wagner

COVER

Bad Landlord TEH Realty has racked up hundreds of complaints on its apartment complexes. Is a reckoning finally at hand? By Ryan Krull

A R T Art Director Evan Sult Contributing Photographers Virginia Harold, Stephen Kennedy, Monica Mileur, Zia Nizami, Andy Paulissen, Nick Schnelle, Mabel Suen, Micah Usher, Theo Welling, Jen West P R O D U C T I O N Production Manager Haimanti Germain

Cover photo by

THEO WELLING

M U L T I M E D I A A D V E R T I S I N G Advertising Director Colin Bell Senior Account Executive Cathleen Criswell Account Managers Emily Fear, Jennifer Samuel Multimedia Account Executive Jackie Mundy C I R C U L A T I O N Circulation Manager Kevin G. Powers

INSIDE The Lede Hartmann

News Feature Calendar

An airport idea for the ages

12 20

Two Trains Running | Ester & Ericâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s One Woman Show | Schlafly Cabin Fever | Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles

Film

Cafe

Short Orders Culture

31 35

Out Every Night

Savage Love

Just Mercy Utah Station

Karen Choi | T-Dubb-O

The Radolescents | Jack Grelle | Linda Ronstadt Tribute

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E U C L I D M E D I A G R O U P Chief Executive Officer Andrew Zelman Chief Operating Officers Chris Keating, Michael Wagner VP of Digital Services Stacy Volhein Creative Director Tom Carlson www.euclidmediagroup.com N A T I O N A L A D V E R T I S I N G VMG Advertising 1-888-278-9866, vmgadvertising.com S U B S C R I P T I O N S Send address changes to Riverfront Times, 308 N. 21st Street, Suite 300, St. Louis, MO 63103. Domestic subscriptions may be purchased for $78/6 months (Missouri residents add $4.74 sales tax) and $156/year (Missouri residents add $9.48 sales tax) for first class. Allow 6-10 days for standard delivery. www.riverfronttimes.com The Riverfront Times is published weekly by Euclid Media Group Verified Audit Member Riverfront Times 308 N. 21st Street, Suite 300, St. Louis, MO 63103 www.riverfronttimes.com General information: 314-754-5966 Fax administrative: 314-754-5955 Fax editorial: 314-754-6416 Founded by Ray Hartmann in 1977

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HARTMANN We’re Almost There Cooperation at the airport is the hope of the new decade. Sort of BY RAY HARTMANN

s we roar into the Twenties, it’s certainly nice to see people from the city and county showing a patient willingness to work together at St. Louis Lambert International Airport. Just consider this reporting from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “The Missouri Aeronautical Society, it was announced today, has leased a 160-acre tract on Natural Bridge, near Bridgeton, St. Louis County, as a landing place for airplanes. The move is preliminary to a plan for establishing passen-

ger airplane service between St. Louis and other cities.” The plan was worked out by three key city residents, brothers W.B. and Frank H. Robertson and Albert Bond Lambert, “a pioneer promoter of aeronautics here,” the paper reported. “The selection of a new landing place was determined after it was decided that the Forest Park landing place, near Forest Park Highlands, selected for the Government for aerial mail, would not do for large passenger planes. The Forest Park site is too small and too closely hemmed in by buildings and wires, aviators say, to be a desirable place for landing with a large plane.” Despite that issue, the process has reflected consideration of the county’s needs: “The lease on the Bridgeton tract will be in effect as soon as the new crops on the fields have been harvested. The lease is for six years at $2,000 a year.” Oh wait. My bad. I’m a little behind on my reading and grabbed the wrong copy of the Post-Dis-

patch. This one’s from 1920, not 2020. The article was dated June 18, 1920, two months to the day before the 19th Amendment was ratified, giving women the right to vote in America. So, it’s fair to say this whole cityairport-in-the-county thing has been with us for a while. We can’t go back in time and change the city fathers’ uncontested choice to locate an airfield out in the country. Although it should be noted that had they stayed with the Forest Park site, the Loop Trolley could have taken people to the airport. Lambert, who had been taught to fly by Orville Wright and had made daring exhibition flights at Fairgrounds Park back in 1911, paid the rent, personally took part in grading the fields and in 1925 put up most of the $68,352 that the then-169-acre site cost from Mrs. Mary J. Weldon. In 1928, Lambert sold it to the city at his cost, paid out of a $2 million bond issue that city voters had approved — through the philanthrop-

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ic Lambert’s leadership — and voila, we had our city-owned airport smack dab in St. Louis County. What could possibly go wrong? There were no city-county territorial arguments back then. Consider this ad from May 1934: “FREE AIR SHOW! Sunday May 6th, 2:30 p.m. Thrills! Races! Stunts! Kroger-Piggly Wiggly air show in co-operation with Lambert St. Louis Airport Association at St. LouisLambert Municipal Airport.” Note that word “co-operation.” At the time, nearly 300 Kroger and Piggly Wiggly stores were dotted throughout the city, dominating the local grocery store business. In 1956, city taxpayers invested $7.2 million — along with $500,000 from the federal government — to fund the cost of opening Lambert’s original main terminal, which at the time was considered a state-of-the-art landmark nationally. That’s also about the time the city and county started giving one another the hairy eyeball.

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HARTMANN

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onsider this, from the 1959 editorial page of the St. Louis GlobeDemocrat: he first impression which many visitors to St. Louis receive is an excellent one when they arrive at our superb Municipal Airport. The second may be far less pleasant if they use one of the airport taxis. For many years, rivalry between the city and the county has prevented St. Louis taxi cabs from picking up passengers in St. Louis County and county taxis from picking up passengers in the city unless the cabs are licensed by both city and county, as few are.” The editorial concluded: “Isn’t it time that common sense prevailed and that reciprocity between city and county, resulting in savings to each, became the order of the day?” So city-county arguments at the airport have been going on at least 60 years, and that’s about the same time that unproductive chatter would start and stop between mayors and county executives about Lambert. Mayor Raymond Tucker and County Executive James H. J. McNary (no relation to later County Executive Gene McNary) were said to have discussed it. Then, according to Post-Dispatch reporting, “in 1976-77, Mayor John H. Poelker and Gene McNary considered having the county buy half the airport and share in its management.” c ary offered $25 million and Poelker was “willing and anxious” to talk, according to the Post-Dispatch, but Mayor Jim Conway, elected in 1977, wasn’t selling. In retrospect, that was a pretty smart decision from the city’s standpoint, and it might be a cautionary tale from city leaders’ point of view going forward. About a decade later, Mayor Vince Schoemehl and McNary had serious talks about swapping partial ownership of Lambert for partnership in an indoor sports stadium downtown (ahem). Here’s how that got reported by the Post-Dispatch: “Several members of a task force appointed by Mayor Vincent C. Schoemehl to determine the value of Lambert Field said they would make sure the city’s “priceless commodity would be well-protected.” The Post-Dispatch added, “McNary has said that he was concerned about the future of the airport and about maintaining Lambert as the chief airport in the region.” It discussed how only the city benefited financially from the

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We need to get big ideas from someone not named Rex Sinquefield. then $65 million annual budget reaping its general fund $4 million a year. “We just want to be joint owner of the airport,” McNary said. He added that the county would pay its half share of the airport through money raised by revenue bonds that would be retired by airport proceeds. Well, that didn’t happen. But other stuff did, like building that $1.1 billion runway that didn’t work out so well, and TWA collapsing, and the World Trade Center bombings and American Airlines changing its mind about a hub after all. As if that weren’t enough, we ended the past decade with the 2019 implosion of two big ideas: the toxic etter ogether fiasco and the really-scandalous-looking airport privatization deal. The two dreadful episodes did rally people from all over the region around one central point of agreement: We need to get big ideas from someone not named Rex Sinuefield or any other person who has offered a big idea to date. Apparently taking that principle literally, a sizeable group of “county and municipal leaders in St. Louis, St. Charles and Jefferson County” are reported by the PostDispatch to be floating the idea of buying Lambert from the city. They’ve even discussed setting up a “massive special sales taxing district” spanning their counties and more to get it done. The date of the story announcing this exciting development was, fittingly, anuary 1, 2020. I suppose I should weigh in on its merits, but for now, I’d rather not. For some reason, the timing is making me think about 1920. I’ve never been more tempted to put a column in a time capsule. “Hello there, good people of 2120, here’s an idea we were thinking about ... ” n Ray Hartmann founded the Riverfront Times in 1977. Contact him at rhartmann@sbcglobal.net or catch him on St. Louis In the Know With Ray Hartmann and Jay Kanzler from 9 to 11 p.m. Monday thru Friday on KTRS (550 AM).

NEWS

Dojo Pizza Owner Sentenced to 65 Years Written by

DOYLE MURPHY

x-Dojo Pizza owner Loren Copp, who sexually abused multiple girls for years, has been sentenced to 65 years in federal prison. The former pastor was convicted a year ago of eight of nine charges, including production, attempted production and possession of child pornography. Much of the abuse took place in the old Bevo Mill church that Copp turned into a community center, pizzeria, karate school and residence, where he lived with a shifting number of young girls. Starting more than a decade ago, Copp began taking in children who had no place to go and slowly, steadily manipulating them with mind games, fake identities and a twisted sense of family until he could coerce them into sex acts. He routinely raped two girls, whom he called his daughters, and he persuaded their friends to send him nude photos by posing online as a thirteen-year-old girl who always seemed to want to play sexualized games of “Truth or Dare.” “These are among the most heinous crimes in our society,” U.S. District Judge Audrey Fleissig told Copp on December 27 during the sentencing hearing. Justice was a long time coming for Copp’s victims, who sat together at the side of the courtroom, their arms across one another’s shoulders. St. Louis police and building inspectors first raided the old church in October 2015. Copp was arrested then on suspicion of endangering children as police investigated accusations that the now-50-year-old was illegally forcing kids to work in the pizzeria, but he was released within two days without charges. However, code violations forced

Loren Copp abused multiple girls for years at a former Bevo Mill church where he operated Dojo Pizza, a judge found. | STEVE TRUESDELL the closure of the building, and the girls were taken away from Copp. The FBI searched the building multiple times during the following weeks, and agents removed computers and hard drives that ultimately turned up a cache of illicit images, including photos of the girls. Copp was arrested six months later on the federal child porn charges. Prosecutors had assembled damning evidence, including internet chat logs and emails that pointed to Copp, but it was his victims who knitted the case together, testifying during a ten-day trial in April 2018. The girls were able to fill in gaps, identifying themselves in photos of their most vulnerable, most painful moments and supplying details to support the timing and location of Copp’s campaign of abuse and manipulation. Federal prosecutors from the . . ttorney s O ce played a videotaped statement from one of the girls at the sentencing hearing. She described her two attempts to commit suicide and the unyielding terror. “It just put me in a different state of mind,” she said. “I just feel like I’m trapped in there.” Two of the girls moved in with Copp more than a decade ago when their mother lost their apart-

ment and needed help caring for the girls and their siblings. He was a married pastor at the time and lived in the county. The girls were nine and eleven years old, and Copp would abuse them while his wife was out of the house. At one point, his wife returned home unexpectedly and walked in while Copp was in bed with the elder sister, prosecutors say. He tried to explain it away, but the incident was reported to authorities. An investigation followed, but the girl told police nothing happened. he later testified that she was scared to say what was really going on. Shortly after, Copp took the girls out of the house while his wife was laid up in the hospital, and he moved them into the Bevo church. It was part of what would become a pattern of separating girls from adults who might help them. In the following years, he collected children, persuading their desperate mothers to sign powers of attorney as they headed off to jail, battled drug addictions or struggled with homelessness. wo of the mothers testified at the sentencing. “You stole my children’s lives, trust and dignity from them,” one mom told Copp through sobs. nother said she had confided

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in Copp, revealing to him secrets of her own molestation only to later learn he was doing the same thing to her daughter. “It hurts,” she said. “It hurts these kids.” Installing himself as a guardian of the girls gave Copp an added layer of control. He wielded the power to throw his young boarders onto the street if they didn’t follow his rules. At the same time, he styled himself as a champion of underprivileged children, publicly presenting the quirky pizzeria with its child waitresses dressed in karate uniforms as a vehicle for supporting and teaching kids. He impressed neighbors who credited him with running off gangs who previously congregated around the church, and he won over others, hosting free classes, open mic nights and community events attended by a mix of kids, Bevo residents and even cops working in the Second District. In 2015, multiple people wrote letters praising Copp, but that support began to fall away as the case progressed and prosecutors fleshed out their allegations of horrendous abuse. Copp has continually refused to admit any wrongdoing. At trial, he presented a theory of a

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COPP SENTENCED Continued from pg 9

complex conspiracy to frame him by a supposedly crooked police officer. omputer records showed Copp had posed as thirteen-yearold “Chrissy” from China to befriend and coerce the girls online. And he sent emails to one of his victims, adopting the persona of a school resource o cer who threatened to send men to sexually assault the girl if she didn’t submit to sex with Copp. He referred to himself as “Grandpa” in the Chrissy chats, sometimes called one of his victims his “secret wife” and tried to use his false identities to persuade other victims to “date” him, according to evidence presented at trial. Prosecutors were able to show photos the girls sent to Chrissy had been saved on Copp’s hard drive, and IP addresses for the fa e identifies traced bac to

his computers. But Copp insisted that info was implanted on his devices as part of the supposed frame job. “He’s a despicable person who deserves the 65 years he received today,” U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Jensen told reporters after the sentencing. Copp represented himself at trial. That gave him the opportunity to cross-examine his victims, which he did for hours as they squirmed miserably in the witness chair. He made one of the girls read years-old Facebook posts, in which she had written lovingly about her “dad.” Judge Fleissig told Copp that those posts only hurt him in her eyes, because they showed how thoroughly he had manipulated girls who were too young to understand the depravity of his actions. “You delude yourself, Mr. Copp,” she told him. “To me, this is not evidence of your innocence;

it is evidence of their susceptibility and vulnerability.” Copp had previously rejected a plea deal that would have come with a recommended twenty-year sentence. In the days before today s hearing, he filed a re uest to resurrect that sentence. Prosecutors fought that request, noting it was only offered to prevent the girls the pain of testifying. Fleissig rejected his request, telling him it was her intent to impose what is essentially a life sentence. When the hearing was over, the girls and the mothers hugged as U.S. Marshals secured Copp’s hands to shackles at his waist. Among those watching the hearing was his ex-wife Julie Copp who says she tried ten years ago to stop him. They were going through a divorce back then, and Copp through his attorney told her attorney that Julie had been removed as a guardian and no longer had any power in regard to the girls, she

Legal Weed Comes to Illinois Written by

LIZ MILLER

f your New Year’s resolution is to finally be able to smo e legal weed at home (or at least close by, which hey, is still progress), you’re in luck. On January 1, Illinois joined ten other states across the U.S. in legalizing weed for people without medical cannabis cards — and locals showed their support for the change by turning out at dispensaries in droves. In Collinsville, which is currently the closest destination for St. Louisans to buy legal weed across the river, extremely long lines stretched outside of Illinois Supply & Provisions (currently doing business under the name HCI Alternatives) at 1014 Eastport Plaza Drive. On social media, would-be customers reported wait times of more than four hours. The queue started assembling before sunrise, hours before the shop opened at 7 a.m., according to reporting by St. Louis Public Radio. Hours before its 9 p.m. closing time, employees had to

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Looks like legal marijuana is going to be popular in Illinois. | SARA BANNOURA turn away folks who were standing at the end of the line, lest they wait only to miss the cutoff time. Those who waited were rewarded with more than trees, however, as area food trucks showed up to cash in on the crowds and local TV reporters documented the scene for on-air broadcasts. Naturally, people waiting in line burned through the time by posting about the experience online. A user on Reddit posted a photo of the dispensary product and price list, which was being handed out

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to the eager masses waiting in line. According to the post, vape prices range from $60 to $65 for .5 grams while disposable vape prices range from $40 for 0.3 milliliters to $55 for 0.5 milliliters. annabis flower is currently $65 for 3.5 grams and cannabis concentrate is $60, while edibles like gummies, chocolate bars and sour candies range from $25 to $29. Prices are pre-tax and product is subject to availability — and considering the opening-day demand, we’d recommend stopping in

says. She only learned during the trial that wasn’t true. “He deceived everyone,” she told the Riverfront Times. She says she tried contacting the girls for more than a year after they moved out of the house but found out later opp had confiscated their cellphones to cut them off from those they knew. “It was the worst hell imaginable to know that I tried to protect them, and I had no power,” she says. Even after Copp was charged, Julie Copp says she was unable to speak to the girls because there was a possibility she would testify against her ex-husband. But that restriction evaporated with Copp’s sentencing. Moments after the former pastor was led away, she eagerly waited on an elevator that would carry her to the floor of the courthouse where the girls and their mothers had gathered. “I’ve got a little girl I’ve got to talk to,” she said. n

sooner than later. Illinois residents can purchase as much as 30 grams of weed (sorry, ahem, cannabis flower , 500 milligrams of THC-infused product and five grams of cannabis concentrate. If you live in St. Louis or anywhere outside of Illinois, however, those limits are cut in half. And we here at the Reefer Front Times would be remiss if we didn’t mention that transporting legal weed purchased in Illinois into Missouri is still very much illegal. (St. Louis city no longer prosecutes for marijuana possession under 100 grams unless there are aggravating circumstances, although please remember that it’s not a get-out-of-jail card.) Illinois Supply & Provisions is also operating a location in that state s capitol, pringfield. Its Collinsville location is currently the only dispensary in the metro area, but that may soon change, as other neighboring municipalities have approved local regulations for dispensaries to open there, including Belleville, Edwardsville, East St. Louis and Fairview Heights. Collinsville has restricted its total number of dispensaries to four, so no more than three additional dispensaries can open there right now. Illinois Supply & Provisions is currently open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. n

St. Louis police Chief John Hayden’s officers probed multiple New Year’s killings. | DOYLE MURPHY

Seven Killings in First 48 Hours of 2020 Written by

DOYLE MURPHY

t. Louis police have released the names of the seven people shot to death during the first 8 hours of the new year. The carnage began shortly after midnight New Year’s Day with a triple homicide on the western edge of the Benton Park neighborhood. Police responded at 12:18 a.m. to the 3000 block of South Jefferson Avenue and found 24-yearold Shemar Carnell of Florissant and Karma Richmond, 23, of Ferguson dead inside a car. The body of Deandre Davis, 21, of the Gravois Park neighborhood was discovered around the corner on Indiana Avenue. Two other men, ages 22 and 26, were also shot during the same incident but are expected to survive, police say. Investigators recovered three guns from the scene, but police say the shooter or shooters are unknown. Less than three hours later in the Walnut Park East neighborhood, 39-year-old Thomas Wherry was killed and a 30-year-old man was wounded in another shooting. Po-

lice drove to the 5400 block of Genevieve Avenue and found the two on the ground next to a vehicle. Wherry was already dead, and the other man was taken to the hospital where he was listed in critical and stable condition. At 11:01 a.m. in the 1200 block of North Euclid Avenue, police officers found 36 year old arrell Smith in the street. He had been shot multiple times, and medical responders confirmed he was dead. Smith lived in the Fountain Park neighborhood, not far from where he was killed. St. Louis police Chief John Hayden described the burst of violence as one of the worst New Year’s in recent memory, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. There were 194 homicides reported in 2019. The New Year’s Day killings continued into January 2. At 2:15 a.m., 911 callers reported a shooting in south city’s Dutchtown neighborhood. O cers responded and found 33-year-old Johnnie Lee Anderson Jr. down in a gangway in the 4100 block of Minnesota, near Marquette Park. Anderson, who lives nearby, was confirmed dead shortly after. At about 12:30 p.m., police returned to Dutchtown where they found 32-year-old Jason Dudley next to the curb in the 4400 block of Dewey Avenue. He was dead of a gunshot. Police say he was shot during a struggle over a gun. A suspect was taken into custody, interviewed and released pending further investigation, police say. Police are still searching for suspects in the majority of the killings and ask anyone with information to call the department’s Homicide Division at 314-444-5371 or CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS (8477). n

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he first Saturday of December, I visited the Southwest Crossing apartments in the south-city neighborhood of Carondelet because a group of residents there had declared a rent strike. The striking tenants stated publicly that TEH Realty, the vague and largely absent entity that owned the property where they lived, would get no more of their rent until their demands were met. Their demands included air conditioning, heat, maintenance, removal of mold, and doors that locked.

A rented U-Haul idled in one of the parking lots outside the complex. In another lot, two men loaded a mattress into a trailer behind a truck. “This is the ultimate rent strike,” said one of the men securing the mattress in the trailer. He was helping Eli Findley, a tenant in his 30s, move out. Findley moved into Southwest Crossing in March 2019, and even though he signed a year lease, he was leaving three months early. He wasn’t particularly worried about breaking the lease. The main office was staffed only sporadically, and in general the people running the place, whoever they were, didn’t seem to have their act together enough to enforce any penalties an early exit might incur. Never in Findley’s nine months at the Crossing was it an ideal place to live. Maintenance was slow if it happened at all. Roaches were prevalent. For

a while Findley’s air conditioner ran nonstop unless he shut it off at the breaker. Another resident had to control his unit’s water at the main — if he wanted water he had to run all his sinks and shower at once. But things really started going downhill in October, Findley said. Not coincidentally, it was around that time the administrative staff and maintenance workers stopped getting paid. When Findley went to the leasing office to pay his November rent, a maintenance worker told him not to bother. There was no one working in the office. Since then, Findley said, people have been on his roof stealing air-conditioning units and copper wire. His apartment has had plumbing backups, and there’s no one to fix them. Elsewhere in the complex, a portion of a roof collapsed. While Continued on pg 14

At its peak, TEH Realty controlled almost 2,400 apartments in the greater St. Louis area. Tenants have complained of inoperable furnaces, doors that don’t lock and an absentee property management company disinterested in repairs.

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BAD LANDLORD Continued from pg 13

hearing gunshots isn’t exactly uncommon in the city, Findley has heard not only the bang of gunfire but also the clink of shell casings bouncing on his sidewalk. According to police records, in just the past month the apartment complex had seen two instances of breaking and entering, two assaults and a theft of a car, among other crimes. As Findley put it, “It’s like when the teacher leaves the classroom. Kids start acting up. It’s the same thing here. When there’s not a management company to hold anybody responsible, everyone is acting out.” Bobby Giammanco is one of the maintenance people who stopped working when TEH stopped paying. He lives with Lisa Jones in an apartment next to the leasing office. When I met him he was getting ready to barbecue on the narrow strip of concrete between his door and the sidewalk. Giammanco said he’s owed for 96 hours of work. Among other indignities, he and Jones have endured at least a half-dozen plumbing backups since they moved in to the Crossing a year ago. The bathtub and toilet have overflowed. They’ve had to jerry-rig a trash bag in a five-gallon bucket just to meet basic needs. A number of the apartments here have been deemed unfit for human habitation, but that doesn’t mean they’re not being used. Jones is an early riser, and before the sun is up, she sees squatters leaving these condemned units and heading back towards the River Des Peres. “I don’t have any bad feeling toward them,” she said of the squatters. “They need a place to crash. I get it.” She paused and pointed to the nearby industrial plant next door. The website for the plant describes it as a “global leader in industrial additives,” and Jones said some mornings its thick exhaust wafts toward these apartments. “This place is a shithole,” Jones added. “That’s all it is.” The 328-unit Southwest Crossing complex has been reviewed by residents on Google 51 times. The average rating is 1.6 stars out of five. Google doesn’t allow a zero-star response. Michael McKinney’s write-up from May is pretty representative: “The 5-star reviews are from the management staff. They could have at least used fake names. This is the home of bedbugs, roaches, and bad customer service ... But if you’re ever

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TEH bought the Southwest Crossings in Carondelet in 2015 and, after four tumultuous years, lost custody of the property at the end of 2019. late on your rent, they have multiple plans of action. Welcome to Hell.”

ast year was a pretty bad year for a lot of folks living in TEH apartment complexes. It was seemingly a pretty bad year for the company itself, too. They had custody of at least two of their properties taken away by the courts. The St. Louis PostDispatch published more than twenty stories about them, most of them by reporter Jesse Bogan, none of them particularly flattering. Pulitzer-winning columnist Tony Messenger called them “rogue” landlords. The editorial board said they “write the book on slumlord management.” Also in 2019, TEH went to legal war with a tiny north-county municipality. Additionally, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office stepped in to resolve at least sixteen complaints tenants had with the company. Perhaps most impressively, TEH managed to draw bipartisan condemnation from both Repub-

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lican Senator Josh Hawley and local socialist organizers. TEH was founded in 2006 in Israel by Gilad Israeli and Eliram Rabin. According to the Israeli tech news website Calcalist, “Israeli worked as a lawyer for years before pivoting to real estate, while Rabin boasts years of experience in Israeli and American real estate.” According to the Calcalist article, the mayor of Jerusalem is an investor, as are a handful of other big wigs in Israeli higher education and politics. The firm also owns low-income housing in Tulsa, Kansas City and Pennsylvania. In 2014, TEH Realty bought the Springwood apartments in BelRidge (1.2 stars on Google) and a year later, about twenty miles south, the Southwest Crossings in Carondelet. The purchases were part of a larger buying spree that the company embarked on around St. Louis, eventually buying eleven other properties in the region, mostly in north county. Since 2015, the Post-Dispatch re-

ported, the firm has collected more than $1.25 million in rental subsidies from the county. After Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson killed Michael Brown in August 2014 near the Canfield Green apartment complex, Bogan and his colleagues at the newspaper started reporting more on life in subsidized housing, both in north county and around the region. The Northwinds and Park Ridge, both in Ferguson and both eventually bought by TEH, were of particular interest because about a decade ago they were refurbished in part with taxpayer money. Even as TEH became an increasingly important player in the subsidized housing market, eventually owning apartment complexes totaling nearly 2,400 units, the owners refused to talk to media. “When owner Eliram Rabin finally did sit down for an interview [in 2019] he was gracious, but his comments rang hollow,” Bogan said. “Asked why TEH was buying more properties instead

A chemical plant sits just beyond The Southwest Crossings apartment complex in south city’s Carondelet neighborhood.

of investing in the ones it already owns, he acted surprised to hear of dismal living conditions.” Rabin either lied to Bogan or had somehow missed the prolonged battle his company was fighting against Bel-Ridge, at the heart of which were a slew of violations issued in September 2017. That month Bel-Ridge’s building inspector Raymond Winston conducted an inspection of Springwood and cited TEH for everything from defective roofs and railings to cracked sidewalks to graffiti. Sixteen buildings in the complex were cited for issues related to roofing, thirteen for grading and drainage, seven for sidewalks and driveways. The list went on, and it would eventually lead to an allout legal war between the company and the municipality. The total population of BelRidge is a little more than 2,500, meaning that the 270-unit Springwood, which according to court documents was 94 percent occupied at the time TEH bought it, encompassed a significant chunk of Bel-Ridge’s total residents. Gradually the number of things Bel-Ridge found to be wrong with Springwood grew, and in August 2018, the city cited Springwood for more than 150 violations. In January 2019, an administrative search warrant was served on Springwood, and Winston conducted another inspection. This inspection found defective floor coverings, inoperative heating units, water leaking from heating units, broken windows, and holes in walls and ceilings. Additionally, Winston’s report states 30 families were allowed to move into units without first obtaining occupan-

“This is the home of bedbugs, roaches, and bad customer service ... But if you’re ever late on your rent, they have multiple plans of action. Welcome to Hell.” cy permits or inspections. There were signs that TEH wasn’t a totally absentee landlord, but even the work the company did at the complex was problematic. Winston found new electrical panels installed, new furnaces and new water heaters that had not been installed with proper permits and were therefore cause for violations. After this inspection, BelRidge sent TEH a bill for about $34,000, a $170 charge for each of the 202 units Winston inspected. Later, in a messy court case, TEH would point out that just a few weeks before that September 2017 inspection Bel-Ridge passed an ordinance raising the fee for an occupancy inspection to $170. A similar inspection fee in St. Louis city is $90. To determine the fate of Springwood, Bel-Ridge held an administrative hearing that was also a

public hearing as well as, oddly, a sort of trial at City Hall. The director of Bel-Ridge public works Cary Herndon presided as a quasijudge. As Bogan reported, “an attorney representing the owner of the complex addressed Herndon as ‘your honor’ at times, and the attorneys questioned residents who spoke.” St. Louis County Councilwoman Hazel Erby, who was present, called the proceedings a joke. In a court filing, TEH complained that given Herndon was the city inspector, he was in essence both a judge and interested party. Nonetheless, residents spoke about the condition of Springwood. One resident stated that for a nine-day period over Thanksgiving he was without running water. Another said that he had to resort to heating his apartment with his electric stove after the furnace stopped working. A home health care worker whose client lived at Springwood said her client’s window was broken and door would not lock. Current and former residents spoke of mold and bug infestations, appliances that went un-repaired despite frequent requests for fixes. The complaints went on. Afterward, Herndon concluded that Springwood was “a nuisance and detrimental to the health, safety and welfare of the residents” and ordered the complex “vacated and closed.” TEH sued Bel-Ridge over what the company saw as its property being shut down through a kangaroo court. It claimed that the building inspector, Winston, often only made it aware of violations through informal “back on the envelope” ways, such as in

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emails sent from his iPad. TEH accused Winston of preferring to “maintain a specter of blight over [TEH’s] property in order to continue to extract payments.” TEH submitted an affidavit in which Abir Levy of Midwest New Construction swore that he went to Bel-Ridge City Hall and attempted to apply for occupancy permits for units but was told he could not do so. Midwest New Construction and TEH both have offices in Reading, Pennsylvania. In fact, both companies seem to work out of the same suite in the same building. Regardless, TEH and BelRidge quickly reached a legal impasse. The municipality insisted due diligence had been followed. It denied Winston had issued violations in any improper manner. The city wouldn’t even concede that TEH owned the property that TEH said it did. In September 2019, due to the volume of resident complaints, the Housing Authority of St. Louis County informed TEH it would no longer issue housing vouchers to properties it owned. The case between TEH and BelRidge was still unresolved in October when Fannie Mae, the government-sponsored mortgage loan company that secured the loan TEH used to buy Springwood, filed suit in St. Louis Circuit Court demanding that the property be put in receivership. Receivership is a somewhat complicated legal and financial concept, but in essence it’s a mechanism that protects a lender’s investment. In this case, Fannie Mae feared TEH would never be able to pay back the money (plus interest) it had borrowed to buy Springwood. In accepting the loan secured by Fannie Mae, TEH agreed to a receivership clause, which allowed Fannie Mae to take control of the property from TEH and bring in another entity to run it. On November 1, management of the Springwood Apartments was handed over to San Diegobased Trigild, Inc. With that, TEH lost custody of and the ability to make money from Springwood. TEH’s court case with Bel-Ridge is still technically ongoing, though it has largely been rendered moot. TEH switched counsel, and both their current and former lawyers declined to comment for this story on the record. In general TEH is pretty tricky to get ahold of. They have no central office. An email sent to one of the investors was not answered. In court filings, the listed address is always that of their counsel, and the employees at the complexes are usually as in

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Continued on pg 16

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Bobby Giammanco and Lisa Jones, who live in the Southwest Crossings, did their own repairs after maintenance workers quit over unpaid labor.

BAD LANDLORD Continued from pg 15

the dark as the journalists asking them questions.

he seeds of last month’s rent strike at Southwest Crossing were being sewn as far back as March 2019. Around the same time TEH was crying foul over the $34,000 bill from BelRidge, the decaying conditions at the Crossing came to the attention of Homes for All St. Louis. Homes for All describes itself as “a tenant organizing coalition made up of grassroots and non-profit organizations.” Michael Schultz, who like everyone at Homes for All is a volunteer and who came to the organization through St. Louis Socialists, was one of the people who began knocking on doors at the Crossings, talking to whoever was home and trying to figure out how their complaints could be remedied. Schultz said when he first met residents the complaints he heard included “everything from a hole in the ceiling with water coming down to the mold that you can smell and taste when you walk in, bugs, cockroaches, rats, mice.” Homes for All helped residents form a tenants association and encouraged them to report every instance of mold and other hazards to the city’s Citizens’ Service Bureau and to document those requests. Ultimately more than 70 such calls were made to the CSB in 2019. “We’re telling the tenants, I

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know it sucks and you feel like you’re being ignored, [but] write down the call, when you made it, who you talked to, what you complained about and we’ll keep track of what it actually took to get a response,” Schultz said. At some point, TEH became delinquent on payment to the city for trash service and to the power company for electricity to the common areas at Southwest Crossing. Those services only stayed online because the city began footing the bill. Fall proved to be a chaotic and confusing season at Southwest Crossing. In October, maintenance workers like Giammanco as well as the entire office staff stopped getting paid. Tenants were more or less left to their own devices. When Giammanco and Jones’ plumbing backed up again, Giammanco was able to fix a broken auger that other workers had abandoned and use it to snake his pipes. With the office staff also off the job, there was no one to collect rent. Some residents still paid, and the checks piled up in a box in the leasing office until someone — it’s unclear who — eventually took them. Amid this confusion, seemingly random individuals knocked on residents’ doors, claiming to be the new owners and asking for rent checks to be made out to them. Local TV news incorrectly reported that the building had been condemned. Schultz said this caused a panic among many of the residents who thought they would have to find new places to live. On a Monday morning, four days after TEH lost the Springwood

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property, TEH co-founder Eliram Rabin showed up at the Crossing in Carondelet with a group of investors and was quickly confronted by unpaid employees. One man, Corey Thompson, said he’d been hired to clean mold out of the apartments but had never gotten paid. He pulled his motorcycle behind Rabin’s sedan, preventing Rabin from leaving. The police showed up. When Rabin did leave, Thompson gave chase on his bike in hopes that, as he told Bogan who was there covering the standoff, Rabin would “pull over and give me my money.” I later asked Thompson if he ever got paid. He said he hadn’t but that he wasn’t worried about it: Karma would take care of it in the end. “Was that the first time you ever chased someone on your motorcycle?” I asked. “First time for a good reason,” he said.

EH faced a reckoning at the end of 2019. Better-organized tenants, another fed-up municipality and even Senator Hawley converged on the company. It began a week before Thanksgiving, when the north-county municipality Bridgeton took TEH to court over ordinance violations for failing to provide heat to residents at their Bridgeport Crossing Apartments. In court, in front of a real judge, TEH failed to show. A few days later, Hawley visited the TEH-owned complex in Bridgeton to check on the living conditions there. News cameras in tow, he talked to residents who

said they’d been living without heat and running water. After the visit, Hawley called for a federal investigation. The conservative senator later tweeted that what he saw at the Bridgeport Crossing Apartments was “deplorable” and that he’d urged the Department of Housing and Urban Development to take action. In December, the tenants association at Southwest Crossing working with Homes for All declared a rent strike. Schultz said it’s important to keep in mind that many of the tenants taking part in the rent strike put their money in an escrow or in dated cashier’s checks as a sign of good faith that payment would go through once the owners resolved their issues. Jones gave her rent to a social worker at St. Patrick’s Center. On December 6, Mayor Lyda Krewson’s office filed a petition in circuit court to have Southwest Crossing deemed a nuisance and force TEH “to take corrective action or order the property be sold.” Four days after Krewson’s office filed its suit, Freddie Mac filed a lawsuit for Southwest Crossing to be put in a receivership. Not long after, the Sansone group took control of the Crossing. My most recent visit to Southwest Crossing saw things looking up at the property. A pickup truck with the Sansone Group written on its door was parked out front. A few lots over was a Laundry Matters van. About ten construction workers were moving about the buildings, though neither they nor the staff in the office were eager to talk to a reporter.

Jones said that the new owners had been quick to begin repairs. In the first days of them being on site, they built a wheelchair ramp for her disabled neighbor and replaced his carpet, which had flooded long ago. “They’ve been working their butts off,” she said, seeming optimistic. But when we talked a week later she said she felt more and more like Sansone was “putting a dollar-store Band-Aid on a war wound.” The whole place was in such disrepair. Plumbing in particular continued to be a problem. She and Giammanco loaned their neighbor the auger to clear a clog, but the auger hit mud, implying a pipe had broken. When Giammanco and Jones’ own plumbing backed up again, the office workers were nice enough to give them a key to a vacant apartment to use its running water. Jones says she appreciated this, but at night she has to walk across a hall where she knows people are squatting just to use the bathroom. Jones, who has been a victim of domestic abuse, wants people to know that Southwest Crossing isn’t just a place where people come to eke out some sort of bare minimum, that she’s had to work hard to get to a place where she has an apartment, money for rent every month. “We’re people, too,” she said.

hile going into receivership has quickly proved a benefit to residents at Southwest Crossing, it’s not clear if the same can be said of Springwood. In fact, the 2019 court battle between TEH and Bel-Ridge is discouragingly reminiscent of a 2011 court battle over the same complex. At the time, Gannon Properties owned and managed Springwood, and the company was at odds with PNC Bank, which had loaned it the money to buy the properties. In 2011, like in 2019, many of the units had fallen into disrepair, and the entire complex faced possible condemnation by Bel-Ridge. Coverage in the Post-Dispatch at the time was not as robust as in 2019, but the issues residents had with the property were largely the same: broken appliances, no heating or cooling, crime, an unresponsive property manager. Instead of blaming the city, though, Gannon blamed PNC for taking control of tenant rents, controlling “which vendor bills to pay” and not authorizing payments on sewage service. In the end, just as would happen eight years later,

Springwood went into receivership and Brentwood-based MLP Investments took over. In August 2011, Springwood was bought by Taterville, an LLC set up by St. Louis-based lawyer Michael P. Steeno. At the end of 2014, the apartments were sold to TEH. Will the receivership managed by Trigild be any more successful than the receivership managed by MLP? An article in the PostDispatch a few days after management of Springwood was handed over to Trigild mentioned new locks on doors and an inspection of units. A message left for Trigild at their local office went unreturned. A recent visit to Springwood on a Friday afternoon found the place to be a bit of a ghost town. In the complex’s various parking lots less than one in ten spots was occupied. A piece of paper taped to the front door of the leasing office instructed residents to mail their rent checks to Trigild at an address in San Diego. A man in the office who wasn’t particularly interested in talking did say that residents in fact still lived at Springwood but that no new tenants could be accepted at this time. On the leasing office desk, a sign stated that new residents must have an occupancy permit and their unit’s electricity service registered in their name. Emblazoned on the sign was the logo for TEH Management.

t’s difficult to know what TEH will do next, because it’s hard to know what their plan was to begin with. Maybe the firm took on too many properties too fast and the widespread problems have more to do with incompetence than malfeasance. Alternatively, perhaps the plan all along was to keep overhead costs as bare bones as possible while the company sucked as much rent money out of the region as they could until the whole operation collapsed. The status of TEH’s other properties in the metro are unclear. At least one other property seems to no longer be under TEH’s management — the key word being seems. A recent visit to Blue Fountain Apartments (1.1 stars on Google) in north city’s Baden neighborhood made it clear that no one who lives there is entirely sure who owns the complex. The property was quiet except for the hum of electric wires. The buildings looked unkempt though not in any sort of severe disarray. No one was in the leasing office and Continued on pg 18

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BAD LANDLORD Continued from pg 17

a sign taped to the front door began, “We understand that the last several months have been a difficult time within the community ...” The note went on to say that a new, unnamed company had bought the complex. The new owners, the note said, would host a meet and greet December 1, which by the time I got there had been about a week ago. Samuel Rodgers is a Blue Fountain tenant in his late thirties who has lived at the property for thirteen years. He says he is without hot water and a working furnace. Recently, a neighbor reported a carbon monoxide leak in the basement below Rodgers’ unit, and when firefighters arrived, they got no answer knocking on Rodgers’ door. Fearing he was passed out, firefighters were about to bust down his door when he returned home. He’s glad he got home in time, because he’s not sure when or if his door would have been repaired. I also bumped into Ryan, a seven-year resident of Blue Fountain who didn’t want me to use her last name. She said she’s seen her share of shortcomings at the

Samuel Rodgers has lived in Blue Fountain apartments for thirteen years. apartments. Flooded basements, broken furnaces, a woman who’s ceiling fell into her shower, another woman who every night has to shove her couch against her door because it won’t lock. The meet and greet set up by the new owners left Ryan with more questions

than answers. “I could have run that meeting,” Ryan told me. “He didn’t know anything. It was like somebody sent a maintenance man. We don’t know who bought it. We don’t know if someone is going to use it. We don’t know if they’re go-

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ing to condemn it.” She asked the man running the meeting if this was still TEH property. “I don’t know,” he responded. “Well then who sent you?” she asked him. “I don’t know.” n

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CALENDAR

BY PAUL FRISWOLD

FRIDAY 01/10 Collision Imminent Memphis Lee’s diner has seen better days, as has the neighborhood. Once the Hill District was one of Pittsburgh’s most well-off black neighborhoods, but now it’s uic ly emptying out of people and businesses. The city wants to use eminent domain to force Lee out in order to renew this end of town, but he won’t budge unless they meet the price he sets. It’s the classic story of the high and mighty having their way with the little guy, but Lee is high-handed in his own right. Risa, who works for him, gets no appreciation or respect. Sterling, fresh out of jail, thinks she may be interested in an upcoming rally for racial justice, but Risa isn’t buying it. August Wilson’s drama Two Trains Running captures the deep divides in the civil rights movement after Malcolm X’s murder, between generations, and men and women. he lac ep presents Two Trains Running at p.m. hursday, 8 p.m. riday and aturday and 3 p.m. unday anuary 10 to 26 at Washington niversity s dison heatre 6 65 orsyth oulevard www.theblackrep.org). James A. Williams, who originated the role of Roosevelt in Radio Golf on roadway, returns to t. ouis to perform the part of Lee. Tickets are $ 5 to $50.

Pot, Cookies For the seventeenth edition of its teapot biennial, the Craft Alliance enter of rt esign 66 0 elmar oulevard, niversity ity www.craftalliance.org) has added a second form. Tea and Cookies challenged ceramicists to create a paired dynamic in the form a teapot and cookie jar. Stephen Heywood linked his entry physically through a purpose-crafted base to hold both vessels. Jill Foote Hutton’s laughing-being-shaped teapot holds the demonic dog cookie jar on a chain, while Joy Jones entered a set suitable for matching or mixing with a pot and jar in blue and another in green. Tea and Cookies opens with a free reception from 6 to 8 p.m. riday,

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The Met Opera broadcasts its production of Wozzeck this week. | SF/RUTH WALZ, COURTESY OF FATHOM EVENTS craft s final days, as various men attempt to snooker her out of her wealth. Fly North Theatricals presents the local premiere of Madam. erformances are at 30 p.m. hursday through aturday and 2 p.m. unday anuary 10 to ebruary 2 at the . ac heater 322 ocust treet www.flynorthmusic. com). ic ets are $20.

Frenemies, Ester and Eric. | MATT LUMMUS anuary 10. he wor remains on display through ebruary 23.

Lady of the House li a aycraft is one of t. ouis unsung success stories. After arriving as a broke young woman, Haycraft rose to own and operate one of the most successful chains of brothels in the city. She used her money to buy property and distribute aid to the poor, but she was never going to be accepted by society this despite many of society s leading men fre uently visiting her establishments). Colin Healy’s new musical Madam is about Hay-

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SATURDAY 01/11 E-Squared ster and ric are familiar with each other’s work, and that familiarity has bred a small amount of contempt between them. The highly competitive performing artists both want to be stars, and the perfect vehicle for that is a solo show, which both have successfully booked. The problem is that they chose the same venue, and each reserved the same night. What happens when frenemies reach for the stars on the same stage at the same time? Ester & Eric’s One Woman Show illustrates what happens when a pair of narcissists must compromise that title implies that one of them was forced to compromise a bit more than the other . ster tein-

berg and ric Williams a native St. Louisan) conceived the show and perform it together at 8 p.m. Saturday, January 11, at the Jewish ommunity enter 2 illstone Campus Drive, Creve Coeur; www.jccstl.com/esteranderic). ic ets are $25 to $ 5.

Get Out If you don’t mind a nip outside when there’s a nip outside, Schlafly Cabin Fever is your ideal beer festival. The outdoor party features more than 30 types of beer, all of which is available for your sipping pleasure. Your $35 to $ 0 tic et buys you a commemorative tasting glass and unlimited samples within reason for four hours. Some old favorites will be available, as well as some new surprises. In addition to the smooth drin ing oy of chlafly s xtra pecial itter, several variations on the brewery’s Scotch Ale will be available, including a Scottish Red, a Whisky-Infused Scottish Red and a Single Malt Scotch Ale. If the weather is bad, samples of any of these four will keep you toasty. Food is available for purchase, bonfires will be burning and if you’d prefer to play favorites there will be a cash bar serv-

WEEK OF JANUARY 9-15 ing pints of what’s normally on tap. Cabin Fever takes place from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, January 11, at chlafly ottlewor s 260 Southwest Avenue; Maplewood; www.schlafly.com).

America will test Mojada and Jason in a modern retelling of a Greek tragedy. | PHILLIP HAMER

Cabin Fever will get you outside. | JON GITCHOFF

SUNDAY 01/12 Immigrant Song The ancient Greek tragedy Medea is about a woman who abandons her homeland and family to be with the man she loves the hero Jason, of Jason and the Argonauts fame). In many versions of the story, Medea is betrayed by Jason and takes her revenge on various relatives of her husband. Luis Alfaro has adapted the old story into Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles, a modern drama about a exican family who flees home to make a new, better life in America. Mojada, her husband Jason and son Acan must deal with the precarious nature of life as an immigrant, the horror of their escape from Mexico and the constant pressures of assimilation, ambition and tradition. The Repertory Theatre St. Louis presents Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles riday through unday anuary 10 to ebruary 2 at the oretto ilton enter 130 dgar oad, Webster Groves; www.repstl.org). ic ets are $20 to $9 .50.

WEDNESDAY 01/15 Poor Guy There’s a persistent feeling of doom in the world for the lowly soldier Wozzeck. A poor man, he worries as much about money as he does the strange visions that plague him, which are perhaps caused by bizarre experiments practiced on him by the camp doctor. All he has in the world is Marie and their infant son, and when she’s seduced by the Drum Major, he realizes his doom is closer than ever. In the build-up to World War I, doom is everywhere, however, and perhaps Wozzeck is the only one who knows what comes after. Alban erg s opera Wozzeck is inspired by eorg uchner s unfinished drama Woyzeck. Wozzeck deals with the callousness and heightened militarism of an increasingly war-like world, and its atonal score remains as bracing as ever. The Metropolitan Opera presents a live broadcast of the scathing Wozzeck at 11 55 a.m. aturday, January 11, with encore screenings at 1 and 6 30 p.m. Wednesday, anuary 15. he s uire 6 06 layton oad, layton www.fathomevents.com) hosts all three broadcasts, and tickets are $19.66 to $26.02. n

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FILM

[REVIEW]

And Justice for Some Just Mercy tells a vital story about our courts, even if it glosses over the worst of it Written by

ROBERT HUNT Just Mercy Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton. Written by Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Lanham. Based on the book by Bryan Stevenson. Starring Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx and Brie Larson. Opens Friday, January 10 at multiple theaters.

apital punishment holds such a respected place in our eye-for-an-eye civil landscape that it seems unlikely to face any serious challenge soon. Though shunned by twothirds of the world, our flawed but final judicial practice is a safe and politically expedient issue, embraced when necessary by lawmakers on all points of the political spectrum. (As governor of Arkansas, Bill Clinton took time to approve an execution while in the middle of his 1992 presidential campaign, an extreme example of a “tough on crime” stance.) It’s also unlikely that Just Mercy, the film adaptation of Bryan Stevenson’s deservedly acclaimed memoir, will change laws, reverse unjust sentences or activate spinal development in our morally lazy political leadership. But if it reaches a few new viewers, inspires a few discussions or even gets a few more copies of Stevenson’s book into reader’s hands, it will have helped raise awareness of a subject too often ignored. Stevenson founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a non-profit organization that provides legal assistance to the large number of prisoners currently sitting in death rows who have been subject to illegal or unfair sentencing. His book is both an account of his own career and a discussion of several aspects of the juvenile system and its misuse. In alternat-

Stevenson’s wideranging argument against injustice is reduced, for better or worse, to an audience-friendly narrative. ing chapters throughout the book, Stevenson describes the case of Walter McMillian, an Alabama prisoner accused of murder and facing execution after a trial process that included false testimony, an indifferent judge and a sheriff’s office that showed little interest in investigating the crime. Director Destin Daniel Cretton

focuses primarily on the McMillian story, condensing much of the background material for dramatic purposes. It’s an understandable decision and an effective one, but it places Stevenson, played by Michael B. Jordan, in the center of the film as the hero and real-world Atticus Finch. (McMillian’s trial took place in Harper Lee’s hometown, Monroeville, which makes the comparison inevitable.) Stevenson’s wide-ranging argument against injustice is reduced, for better or worse, to an audiencefriendly narrative, a conventional courtroom drama (is there any other kind?) that hits most of its emotional targets while still allowing some of the book’s outrage to seep in. Cretton moves through the details at a steady pace, allowing even the compressed events to make an impact. The scenes showing the stages of an execution are

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grim and disturbing, although the same events in the book are even worse. The sense of prison life’s grim monotony is strong and the cast — Jordan, Jamie Foxx as McMillian, Rob Morgan as a condemned inmate and Brie Larson as Stevenson’s assistant — is excellent. There’s also an eccentric performance from Tim Blake Nelson as an unstable witness, taking scene-chewing “Southern” stereotypes to an extreme. It would be easy to dismiss Just Mercy as a rather toothless form of activism, a film that lets its audience feel outraged and/ or self-righteous for a few hours before it sends them home. There is some truth to that: A movie can tell stories and raise issues, but it can’t act on them. Admittedly, Just Mercy is a story that deserves to be told, whether in print or on screen, because Bryan Stevenson is a real-world hero. n

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THIS WEEK THE GROVE SELECTED HAPPENINGS

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

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 25

DRESS THE PART

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22

CALEB'S DAY IN THE GROVE

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DRAG ME TO HANDLEBAR: A DRAG SHOW

3 PM AT JUST JOHN

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SLUMFEST AWARDS 2020 AT THE BOOTLEG

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 24

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314.310.3343 4168 JUNIATA STREET ST. LOUIS, MO 63116 What began in 2013 as a passion project in the founder’s kitchen has now grown into a retail and wholesale potsticker manufacturing facility located right in the heart of Tower Grove South. Crispy Edge believes that potstickers are the perfect vehicle to explore authentic global flavors from breakfast to dessert: handheld, wrapped in dough, and CRISPY! The restaurant features indoor and dog-friendly outdoor seating, private dining room, and a café lounge. The full bar and hot beverage program highlight local specialty coffee, cocktails, and beers. All products are made in-house and sourced from the finest ingredients. From Ordinary to Extraordinary - Crispy Edge is a global community for those who want something fun, tasty, social and exciting to eat.

314.888.8688 9616 OLIVE BLVD OLIVETTE, MO 63132 The Kickin’ Crab has joined the Crustacean Nation and is here to satisfy your taste sensation. The Kickin’ Crab is a fun-filled Cajun seafood destination where patrons come and escape into flavor paradise. Offering a distinct ambiance to enjoy the finest and freshest Cajun seafood around! Kickin’ Crab is a great place to hang out with friends, family, or both! No plates...no utensils! Just your hands, a bib, and our unique and absolutely irresistible KC sauces - a combination of spicy, sweet and tangy flavors - over freshly prepared seafood that will give your taste buds satisfaction unlike anything else you’ve ever tasted. Join us and partake in the festivities and quality of seafood that The Kickin’ Crab has to offer.

POKE DOKE

J. SMUGS GASTROPIT

POKEDOKESTL.COM

314.499.7488 4916 SHAW AVE ST. LOUIS, MO 63110

314.833.5900 8 S EUCLID AVE ST. LOUIS, MO 63108 314.553.9440 6316 DELMAR BLVD UNIVERSITY CITY, MO 63130

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

Poke Doke offers St. Louis their energized recipes intertwined in a fast-casual model. Best part is every bowl is customizable to the patron -- whether you know what you want and can come up with your own flavor pairings — but it’s certain your heart will be content with the rich, high-quality seafood. Customers choose a size, a base, (such as rice, greens, or soba noodles) and choose from proteins (such as salmon ahi tuna, spicy tuna, shrimp or tofu), then add as many toppings and drizzles as they wish. If you’re less interested in the simple pleasures of fish and more in playing around with accoutrements, both the shrimp and tofu are neutral enough that they benefit from the enhancements. The menu also offers appetizers such as pork-filled pot stickers, miso soup, and crab rangoon, along with an assortment of bubble milk teas and soft serve ice cream. With locations in both the Central West End and the Delmar Loop, Poke Doke is the perfect spot to grab a quick bite!

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BLK MKT EATS

CRAWLING CRAB

BLKMKTEATS.COM

314.328.3421 6730 PAGE AVE ST. LOUIS, MO 63138

314.391.5100 9 S. VANDEVENTER AVE. ST. LOUIS, MO 63108

Looking for the best seafood in St. Louis or the Midwest—don’t fret, Crawling Crab is now open! Here, we drizzle everything in garlic butter and then sprinkle on our magic dust! In a fun and casual atmosphere, you’ll enjoy fresh, hand-cleaned seafood ranging from lobster, shrimp, and of course crab legs. All platters come with corn sausage potatoes and Cajun boiled eggs and shrimp that won’t disappoint. For those pasta and veggie lovers out there, there is a spot for you here too! Enjoy our double dipped garlic butter rolls along side with your meal. And if you are still not stuffed, we have homemade dessert on the menu too! Have a big family coming in or an event coming up? Enjoy our family meal options and our beautiful seafood tables. As we continue to grow, we are excited to add new items to the menu, get creative with new recipes, and give back within the community. Join us on the first Tuesday of the month for $20 platter specials, and $5 appetizers on every Wild Wednesday! Open Tuesday thru Saturday 4pm-10pm, currently located in the 24:1 Coffee House Cafe.

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JANUARY 8-14, 2020

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The fast-fresh, made-to-order concept has been applied to everything from pizza to pasta in St. Louis, but the sushi burrito surprisingly had no Gateway City home until BLK MKT Eats opened near Saint Louis University last fall. It was worth the wait, though, because BLK MKT Eats combines bold flavors and convenience into a perfectly wrapped package that’s ideal for those in a rush. Cousins and co-owners Kati Fahrney and Ron Turigliatto offer a casual menu full of high-quality, all-natural ingredients that fit everything you love about sushi and burritos right in your hand. The Swedish Fish layers Scandinavian cured salmon, yuzu dill slaw, NOT YOURAnother AVERAGE Persian cucumbers and avocado for a fresh flavor explosion. favorite, the OGSUSHI Fire, featuresSPOT your choice 9 SOUTH VANDEVENTER DINE-IN, jalapeño TAKEOUT and OR DELIVERY MON-SAT 11AM-9PM of spicy tuna or salmon alongside tempura crunch, masago, shallots, piquant namesake sauce; Persian cucumbers and avocado soothe your tongue from the sauce’s kick. All burrito rolls come with sticky rice wrapped in nori or can be made into poké bowls, and all items can be modified for vegetarians.

CAFE

[REVIEW]

Rocket Fuel Utah Station’s popularity has skyrocketed — but can it scale up to meet demand for its vegan eats? Written by

CHERYL BAEHR Utah Station 1956 Utah Street, 314-588-8099. Mon. 3-10 p.m.; Thurs.-Sun. 3-10 p.m. (Closed Tuesday and Wednesday.)

hris Bertke knew he was on to something — and perhaps in a bit of trouble — when he did his first vegan junkfood pop-ups a few years ago. He’d been approached by his friends, Carrie and Sam Bauer, about helping them open a restaurant inside a converted gas station in Benton Park, and he thought pop-ups would be a good way to test out his theory that there was an appetite in the area for greasyspoon, plant-based food. He’d felt it himself. It had been 26 years since he’d gone vegan, but he still could not shake his craving for Jack in the Box tacos, the deepfried beauties he’d last tasted so long ago. Surely, his fellow vegans felt the same way. Bertke got his answer when, in just ten minutes, he sold 300 tickets to his first pop-up. He got the same response to the next one, and the one after that, and before he knew it, he wasn’t just doing research for a forthcoming Benton Park restaurant — he was leading the charge for a reimagining of all that is possible with plant-based cuisine. That reimagining — a shift from what he calls “California style” vegan cuisine characterized by raw foods and chia smoothies to the guilty pleasure of plant-based junk food — is the basis for Utah Station, the Bauers’ fast-casual eatery where Bertke serves as executive chef. Only five months into its operations, the restaurant has already become a wildly popular gathering place, drawing crowds of vegans, vegetarians and omnivores alike for its whimsical

Utah Station’s Crack Tacos are a winning vegan homage to the Jack in the Box classic. riffs on fast-food pizza and its barlike atmosphere. Reflecting on how popular the restaurant has become, it’s hard to imagine that Utah Station was originally conceived as something entirely different. When the Bauers first approached Bertke about helping them with the place, they had plans to turn it into a pizzeria. Though Bertke was looking for a way out of his job in catering and was eager to work with the Bauers, he was not so sure that pizza was the way to go. The city seemed saturated with similar concepts, he thought, and if they wanted to do pizza, they needed a way to differentiate themselves. That’s where the vegan junkfood idea came in. A self-taught cook who has been experimenting with vegan recipes for years, Bertke felt that if he could tap into the nostalgia of hearty American comfort and fast food, Utah Station could both satisfy vegan and vegetarian diners and also appeal to omnivores who were either concerned about the amount of their meat consumption, or just wanted to try something different — a “gateway drug” for trying

vegan food, as he likes to joke. Bertke had plenty of time to hone the concept. He started doing the vegan junk-food pop-up more than two years ago, thinking that the restaurant would come together much quicker than it did. Instead, it took every bit of that time to do the buildout because of the logistics and bureaucracy involved in converting a gas station into a place where people can safely eat food. He used the time wisely, however, perfecting his recipes and building a buzz for the place that, when it finally opened its doors this past August, has been packed almost nonstop. You understand the allure the moment you walk inside. Unlike the stereotypical plant-centric restaurant (at least the ones I’ve visited), Utah Station feels like a restaurant and bar that happens to have vegan food, rather than a vegan restaurant. This is partly due to the fact that, while roughly 90 percent plant-based, the restaurant does carry a few meat items, such as a grass-fed burger, a BLT and a handful of meat toppings for its pizzas. As such, Utah Station feels inclusive to all di-

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etary needs. However, a lot of the buzz relates to the space itself, divided into a takeout counter and pizza kitchen on one side and the main dining room and bar on the other. Concrete floors, exposed brick and green-painted garage doors tease its former life as a gas station, while landscaping around the substantial patio make you feel like you are in an oasis in the middle of the city. Even during this time of year, the roaring fire pits make Utah Station’s outdoor space an inviting place to have a drink. Chances are, you’ll have no choice but to embrace its outdoor environs; Utah Station is so busy that its first-come, first-served seating can be hard to come by. Set up as a fast-casual operation, guests order food at the bar, then try to find a place to sit. Get there early enough, and it’s not usually a problem. Arrive after 6:30 p.m. and it’s a free-for-all. Noshing on Utah Station’s vegan toasted ravioli — flattened, golden brown discs stuffed with filling that shockingly mimics ground beef — you get the hype. The appetizer is

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UTAH STATION Continued from pg 27

the sort of unfussy bar food you crave to pair with a beer, its zesty marinara and vegan Parmesan perfect complements to the pasta fritter. Had I not known the dish was plant-based, I would have assumed it was made with the traditional meat filling. This same filling is found in one of Utah Station’s signature items, its Crack Tacos. You can taste Bertke’s years-long efforts to recreate his beloved Jack in the Box tacos in this plant-based rendition; he positively nails it, all the way down to the sliced vegan American cheese and fried lettuce. Here, you wonder if Bertke is less a chef than a magician. The vegan poutine is another success. Crispy, thin-cut fries serve as a base for a silken gravy that tastes like Thanksgiving. Though there were no meat drippings to fortify it, Bertke relies on savory herbs like sage to give it depth; shreds of vegan cheese add a suggestion of creaminess, even if they do not have the melty richness of dairy cheese. Surprisingly, though, Utah Stations’ Roast Veef and Chedda manages to capture that molten cheese effect. Velvety as the gooey cheese that comes with ballpark nachos, almond milk-based Chedda soaks over the faux roast beef and into the bun. Covered in the luscious cheese blanket, the Veef is a morethan-adequate substitute for roast beef, an effect Bertke credits to the way he cooks his plant-based proteins. Rather than simply steaming them, he sears, braises and roasts the Veef in the same way he would roast beef, resulting in not only better-tasting faux meat, but a much better texture than is typical of meat substitutes. Bertke’s faux meat reaches its apex as part of Utah Station’s gyro. Seasoned with Greek spices, seared and cut into slices, the gyro “meat” was so similar to the traditional lamb and beef product served in non-vegan versions that I could discern no difference between the two. Crisp tomatoes, olives, lettuce and creamy vegan tzatziki, all nestled into grilled pita bread, finished off this plantbased masterpiece. There were a few dishes that were less successful, however. Like the Jack in the Box tacos, Bertke tries to replicate McDonald’s Big Mac in vegan form (here called the Big Mak), and though he gets the flavors right, the texture leaves much to be desired. The

Utah Station’s Big Mak gets the flavor right, but its texture leaves much to be desired. | MABEL SUEN buns are way too big for the thin, faux meat patties and completely overtake the sandwich. The texture was an even bigger problem: The patties and bread melded into one another, resulting in a mushy amalgamation. Another issue had less to do with conceptual problems and more with execution in an overly busy restaurant. Overall, Utah Station’s pizzas — vegan, gluten-free or topped with meat — are adequate. However, on one visit, our dinein order was served inside a to-go box. This was not a problem except it seems that the box was an attempted Band-Aid for a flaw in the pizza itself. The restaurant had run out of pizza dough, and the one being used for our order had split when it was being prepared. The cook tried to mask this by hiding it in a box, but instead, the crust-less toppings melded to the cardboard. When we attempted to scrape them off and put them on the crust (which was little more than an exterior ring of dough), the cardboard came up with them, rendering the dish inedible. A few minutes after this pizza was served, an employee arrived at our table with a dessert and an apology. Apparently, the cooks realized it was a bad decision to serve this after the fact and regretted that they’d done so. I appreciated the gesture, and I commend them on admitting a mistake. However, it

speaks to the larger issue for Utah Station, which is that it is almost too successful for its own good, at least this early in the game. Bertke admits as much, noting that the restaurant outgrew the space the day it opened. Envisioned as a low-key, neighborhood spot, Utah Station is a bona fide juggernaut, not only attracting diners from all over the city, but from as far away as Chicago, Denver and everywhere in between. The restaurant can barely keep up with demand; the microsized kitchen is too small for food storage, so Bertke has to prep everything he serves daily. On the weekday night of the pizza incident, there was a carryout order line that stretched well out of the door. That the restaurant ran out of pizza dough by 7 p.m. is not shocking. Bertke, is, after all, a human being who can only do so much. Of course, there are worse problems to have than too many customers, but for Bertke and company, the fact that everyone wants what they’re selling is their only limiting factor. Clearly, they’ve tapped into what people want, and once they can get it to them, there’s no stopping them.

Utah Station Toasted ravioli............................................. $6 Utah Gyro .............................................. $9.50 Crack Tacos ........................................... $8.50

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SHORT ORDERS

[SIDE DISH]

Suji Grant on Appreciating Simplicity in Pastry Written by

CHERYL BAEHR

rowing up in Santa Monica, California, there was a strict line of demarcation in Suji Grant’s family kitchen. Her mother cooked. Her father baked. There was no crossover, and both were terrible at the other. This meant that Grant’s father was in charge of the birthday cakes, and he was always good about letting his daughter lend a hand, even if the results weren’t perfect. “Up until I discovered my love of store-bought cake, my dad would make my birthday cakes,” Grant recalls. “I have such fond memories of those little teardropshaped bottles of food dye he’d use for making all the different colors. He’d always let me help. It would look terrible, but he’d let me do it anyway.” Her time spent baking with her dad instilled in Grant, now the pastry chef at the Last Kitchen & Bar (1501 Washington Avenue, 314-390-2500), a passion for cooking, but she did not make the connection that it was something she should pursue professionally until she was in college and well into a biology degree. There, anytime she d find herself overwhelmed with her schoolwork, she’d dream of making and decorating cupcakes. It was the one thing that got her to drift off to sleep when she was particularly stressed. After graduating from college, Grant was unsure what she wanted to do with her biology degree. She knew she didn’t want to teach, and she was not enthused about becoming a doctor or a nurse. Unsure of what to do, she turned to cooking and got a job in a cafe, where she fell further in love with

Suji Grant runs the pastry program at the Last Kitchen & Bar. | ANDY PAULISSEN pastry as well as the restaurant business. One of Grant’s good friends had recently moved to New York City, so she decided to join her there to attend culinary school. Grant enrolled in the Institute of Culinary Education, a six-month program, where she focused on pastry and made some connections that would secure her a job upon graduation. er first gig was at the Lamb’s Club, followed by Lincoln Ristorante, where she worked for three years, then another Italian restaurant in the West Village. Grant was doing well in New York and may have stayed were it not for a guy. Their relationship prompted her to move to St. Louis, and though it didn’t work out, she decided to stay. “I bought a house and didn’t want to leave,” Grant explains. t first, moving to a new city was hard, but my dog had a yard, I had started working at Niche [Food Group] and made friends. It got easier to be here.” Grant worked for Gerard Craft’s Niche Food Group in its commissary, making pastries for Taste

and Pastaria as well as the softserve ice cream for Brasswell. It was a good gig, but, having had the experience of running her own kitchen back in New York, she longed to again have that level of creative freedom. She’d get the opportunity to do just that when she was introduced to Evy Swoboda through a mutual friend and colleague. Swoboda, who formerly cooked at Pastaria, was gearing up to open the Last Kitchen inside the Last Hotel, and she offered Grant the chance to run the restaurant’s pastry department. The role gave Grant full creative control of that side of operations and empowered her to try new things — even wedding cakes, which she’d been itching to do ever since she got her first taste of baking them in New York. “When I worked at Lincoln Ristorante, they won the bid to do the wedding cakes for the Brooklyn Botanic Garden,” Grant explains. “It was fun doing them — I love the challenge, the problem-solving, having to fix stuff on the fly. Getting them to Brooklyn from Manhattan was crazy, but it was a

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good learning experience.” Although Grant has been given free rein with the Last Kitchen’s pastry program, she doesn’t feel the need to push that into the direction of the esoteric. Instead, her pastries pull from the things she remembers fondly from the past and have a familiarity about them that she hopes will bring people joy. “I’m not so much into innovation anymore,” Grant says. “When I was younger, I’d think, ‘What about plum and tarragon?’ I don’t want to eat that, and if I don’t want to eat that, other people don’t want to either. When you’re younger, it all sounds so interesting and cool, and we do need that, but now I want to make things that just make people happy. Cheesecake makes people happy. It’s basic, but I am OK with that now.” Grant recently took a break from her pastry work to share her thoughts on not being a food snob, her love of QT cappuccinos and Rice Krispies Treats and why someone in St. Louis needs to open a proper New York-style bagel shop.

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SUJI GRANT

Continued from pg 31

What is one thing people don’t know about you that you wish they did? I’m not a food snob! Most people assume that because I’m in the business I’m picky about what I eat, or they get nervous to cook for me. The truth is, I love Taco Bell just as much as the next gal, and I will never be upset or critical about a home-cooked meal that I didn’t have to make. I love QT cappuccinos — this is probably one of the grossest things about me — and if you get more than one of us pastry girls together for dinner, chances are high that we’re eating Papa John’s pizza with garlic butter. What daily ritual is non-negotia-

ble for you? Caffeine. I’m a real monster without it. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Teleportation. I loathe driving. What is the most positive thing in food, wine or cocktails that you’ve noticed in St. Louis over the past year? The variety of cuisine that’s becoming available. It’s so exciting to watch restaurants open that are doing something a little different from what’s been classic St. Louis fare in the past. What is something missing in the local food, wine or cocktail scene that you’d like to see? Bagels. Seriously, someone please open a New York-style bagel shop. I will be there every week! Who is your St. Louis food crush?

The team at Union Loafers can pretty much do no wrong. I could seriously eat their potato salad and pizza every week for the rest of my life. Who’s the one person to watch right now in the St. Louis dining scene? Sarah Blue. She’s at so many different places right now, and I’m really excited to see what she does in the post-Niche Food Group chapter. Which ingredient is most representative of your personality? Cloves, maybe? We can both be a little spicy at times… If you weren’t working in the restaurant business, what would you be doing? Remodeling houses. I gutted my kitchen last year, and I love the whole process of bringing something back together. Plus, it really

[FIRST LOOK]

The Get Down Serves Craft Cocktails, Late-Night Eats Written by

LIZ MILLER

he night before Thanksgiving is famously one of the busiest evenings for bars in St. Louis, and this year, it also marked the soft opening for the city’s latest watering hole and restaurant. On Wednesday, November 27, the Get Down (1449 South Vandeventer Avenue) quietly opened in the Grove. Located south of Manchester Avenue at the intersection of South Vandeventer and South Boyle avenues, the space was previously home to America’s Tavern. Owners Eric Kopsky and brothers Joe and Tony Collins have worked in the local restaurant and bar scene for years. The three business owners first met while working at the now-shuttered Wheelhouse in Clayton and later transferred over to sister business Start Bar (1000 Spruce Street, 314-376-4453) in downtown St. Louis. At Start Bar, Kopsky and Tony mixed drinks behind the bar — Tony helped opened the spot as bar manager — while Joe worked as the general manager. Now, at the Get Down, the business partners are divvying up responsibilities in much the same way, with Joe overseeing the opening food menu. “We always had in mind a funky vibe and atmosphere,” Joe says of the concept. “We wanted it to have a retro feel to it. I always think of the Emporium in

Cocktails are made with the freshest ingredients, including housemade syrups. | LIZ MILLER Dazed and Confused, the neighborhood hangout spot.” The bar’s name is a reference to the lyrics “there ain’t no shame in the get down” from the track “Nothing to Lose” by funk band The Floozies. “I’ve always loved funk,” Tony says. “We always have a funky playlist going on here. We brainstormed a ton of names but this was the only one that stuck. We never got tired of it; once you know, you know.” The trio signed their lease in the Grove in July and quickly set to work putting their own stamp on the space. Kopsky refinished the commanding, gorgeous wood bar, tables and wood booths, while Joe and Tony painted the floor and walls and redid the ceiling with dramatic and

funky lights that change colors (although the bar’s signature purple and green are usually what you’ll see). The only interior work that was commissioned was the salmon-hued damask wallpaper that adds a touch of whimsy to the space. Tony even learned how to do electrical work to make changes to the bar’s electrical system. “It feels good to do everything yourself,” Kopsky says. “When it was happening, though, every single bone in my body hurt, but we learned a lot.” In the kitchen, Joe has prepared a selection of tasty, fun and made-fromscratch snacks, sandwiches and wraps inspired by recipes from his and Tony’s mom, Marynel Collins.

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challenges your problem-solving skills and creativity, which I also love. Name an ingredient never allowed in your restaurant. Prickly pear. Such a beautiful color but the flavor does nothing for me. What is your after-work hangout? My couch. I know, so lame, but welcome to my thirties. It’s an added bonus if one or both of my dogs are there too. What’s your food or beverage guilty pleasure? Rice Krispies Treats. It’s disgusting how many I can eat. What would be your last meal on Earth? Korean food. All the Korean food. Especially duk mandu guk, kimchi pajeon and dubu kimchi. Oh, and ginger-molasses cookies. n

“For our house red sauce, she pretty much came in the first day we opened and made it with me that day — ‘Mom, good news: You’re working a double today,” Joe says with a laugh. “It was fun, though, and she loved it. I’d made it before, but I wanted her to be there with me that first time here. Same with making the meatballs, too.” Entrees include a killer cheesy meatball sub with hand-rolled meatballs, housemade red sauce and fresh mozzarella, as well as a blackened chicken Caesar wrap with fresh chopped romaine, Parmesan cheese and Caesar dressing. “I’m finalizing the menu as we speak,” Joe says. “It’s going to be a short, nineto-eleven-item menu of awesome things. Once I get that, I’m going to hire a cook to come in and execute what needs to be done.” Snacks and sammies aren’t your only food options here, though. Keep warm this winter with one of Joe’s favorite menu items, Jojo’s Meatball Soup, with chicken, celery, carrots and meatballs served over a bed of farfalle pasta with Parmesan cheese. “I basically stole a lot of stuff from my home,” Joe laughs. “So they’re homestyle recipes that I’ve tweaked over the past ten years. I like to cook, so I took my core group of staples from back at home and brought them into the bar, and they’re going over very well. I’m trying to make it a point to have the best meatball sub in town.” Small plates range from garlic cheese bread and jerked chicken skewers to the Krabby Crab Puffs with cheese spread, fresh crab and a horseradish cheese on an English muffin. “We wanted to make everything from scratch — from-scratch bar and fromscratch kitchen,” Joe says. “With the smaller menu, the items come out pretty Continued on pg 34

JANUARY 8-14, 2020

RIVERFRONT TIMES

[FOOD NEWS]

Strange Donuts Owner Buys World’s Fair Donuts Written by

LIZ MILLER

n iconic St. Louis business has been sold — but that’s about all that’s changing, says the new owner. In a call with the Riverfront Times, Strange Donuts owner Jason oc man confirmed that he has purchased longtime local favorite World’s Fair Donuts in Shaw. The shop has been shuttered in recent months due to health and personal reasons for former owners Peggy and Terry Clanton, who had operated the business at

THE GET DOWN Continued from pg 33

quick, and that was important to us, too: speed, efficiency and stuff that tastes awesome. I didn’t want a menu with 30 different things, and if it’s all good, it should be a win-win.” The kitchen also stays open late — until 1 a.m., just like the bar — which means folks now have a new destination in the neighborhood for late-night eats. The cocktail list features a few updated classics as well as some unique house offerings. Riffs on standards include the cinnamon-maple old fashioned with bourbon, cinnamon-maple syrup and bitters, and the Beez Kneez, with tequila, amaretto, housemade sour mix and honey simple syrup. Kopsky juices fresh fruit and makes all of the bar’s syrups in house for his drinks. “Cocktail-wise, my favorite is the old fashioned,” Kopsky says. “I took maple syrup and cinnamon sticks and boiled them down to make a cinnamon-maple syrup, and it’s a good wintry drink with whiskey, cinnamon, maple, just a little bit of bitters and then I express an orange peel over it so it’s nice and balanced. It’s a good cocktail for winter weather.” Other cocktails, though, reveal more of the bar’s personality. Try the Manolin, for example, with rum, luxardo, lime,

RIVERFRONT TIMES

Jason Bockman is the new owner of World’s Fair Donuts. | BRITTANI SCHLAGER 1904 South Vandeventer Avenue since 1974. Bockman will not be changing the name of the shop or the menu, adding that he has purchased it under a separate LLC apart from Strange Donuts.

“It will be the same name and the same menu,” Bockman says. “And don’t expect to see marketing or Instagram posts from World’s Fair: It’s $1 coffee and classic donuts at a classic donut shop.”

house simple syrup and rhubarb bitters, or the Sunset Overdrive, with vodka, Aperol, strawberry, lemon and orange bitters. Stop in during happy hour on weekdays from 4 to 7 p.m. for half-price draft beer, select cocktails and small plates. “The list touches all the major spirits, but I didn’t want to make it too pretentious,” Kopsky says. “Most of the cocktails are going to change with the seasons; I can’t wait to get into spring and summer because gin and vodka drinks with fresh mint, strawberries, raspberries — that’s my forte. Before we opened the bar I did more reading than I’ve ever done in my life — cocktail books, liquor books, books on bitters — to absorb that knowledge and put it to work.” “It’s all fresh, made to order and meticulously crafted,” Tony continues. “The menu we have now is a very good, solid core of cocktails, and there’s something for everyone. We have a couple of gin cocktails, a couple of whiskey cocktails, vodka, one tequila.” So far, Kopsky says that customers are loving the range of cocktails on offer as well as the attention to care and quality. “Watching people drink the drinks that we make and say, ‘That’s damn good,’ — it’s exciting when somebody likes it,” Kopsky says. “I enjoy [the work] and I’m passionate about it.” Behind the bar customers will also

find a nice selection of local craft beers on draft, including those from Schlafly Beer, 4 Hands Brewing Co., Civil Life Brewing Co. and Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. Canned brews from Logboat Brewing Co. in Columbia, Missouri, are also on offer, as are options from craft breweries across the country. “As far as the bar goes, we have a good selection of draft beer and a lot of bottles and cans — just a few from every family or style of beer,” Kopsky says. In addition to a full bar and eats, the Get Down has a range of games to entertain customers. More focused on traditional bar games and board games than arcade or video games, the bar features a foosball table and bubble hockey as well as board games such as Guess Who? and Rock’em Sock’em Robots. Eventually, the owners say, they’d like to expand into the vacant space next door to offer a larger game room. “Because of the whole neighborhood bar vibe, we were originally going to have pool tables and darts, but when we found this location, we didn’t really have the space for that, so we had to tone it down a little bit,” Joe says. “So we brought in the games we could, and it’s very intimate and cozy.” The partners hope to eventually expand the bar seating and lounge area into the building next door to add those pool tables, dart boards and other

JANUARY 8-14, 2020

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Bockman says that before the purchase was finali ed there was a possibility that the space would be sold and transitioned into a different business entirely — possibly a cellphone store — but that the Clantons wanted to keep the beloved spot alive, if possible. “That’s what was happening; [Peggy] said it wouldn’t be World’s air and it definitely would have changed,” Bockman says. “It would be like if Ted Drewes was replaced by a Sprint store.” Bockman says he hopes to reopen the St. Louis institution in mid-January after completing some deferred maintenance. Bockman is working with the Clantons to staff the shop, too, hoping to find fol s in the neighborhood to employ. “I’ve cried a couple of times, honestly, thinking about it,” Bockman says. “I feel so honored. This is crazy to me that the place … I lived on 39th treet for fifteen years. They’re legends to me; those people are the salt of the earth, good people, and it’s crazy to me that they could have gotten way more money from other people but they had trust in me to carry on World’s Fair as a brand, as a company, as a service to the community.” n

games. “We want to knock out a portion of one wall and then put classic bar games in there — pool tables, shuffleboard,” Tony says. “That was our vision from the get-go. We eventually want to have space for a party room as well.” The building also features a sizable back patio with a small stage, so come spring, guests can expect to see live music — funk, no doubt — while they sip Kopsky’s signature warm-weather cocktails. “We’re keeping a lot of plants alive in the apartment [attached] next door so that we can plant them on the back patio this spring,” Kopsky says. “I water them every day and am keeping them alive so we can have a rainforest on the patio.” For now, though, the partners are just excited to be open and serving St. Louis quality eats and drinks in the Grove. “I think the people who have come in ... we’ve had a lot of people from the neighborhood come in multiple times, including a guy who used to work here when it was America’s Tavern, and he was raving about how good and much better it looks,” Joe says. “I don’t think we’ve come across a complaint yet, which, knock on wood ... but that feels good, too. Everybody is liking what we’re throwing down.” The Get Down is open Tuesday through Sunday from 4 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. n

MUSIC + CULTURE

[HOMESPUN]

All Who Wander Karen Choi’s new EP Lost County ruminatively reflects her return to St. Louis’ Americana scene Written by

CHRISTIAN SCHAEFFER

native of Lincoln, Nebraska, singer and songwriter Karen Choi is currently on her second go-round of living and performing in St. Louis. Her first stint was about a decade ago when she was enrolled in graduate school; about three years later, her husband’s job brought the family back to town. So what has changed in the intervening years? For Choi, who is about to release her third collection of songs, the city’s folk and country scene appeared to bloom upon her return. “I am not sure if this is just my experience, but I found it to be a lot more friendly to the Americana genre when I came back,” Choi says. “I don’t think I was very plugged into the music scene back then, but coming back there were a number of musicians working in that umbrella term that catches a lot of music. It felt like maybe there were more opportunities.” Some of those opportunities came through the friendships she developed with other performers and scene-makers: Beth Bombara helped Choi navigate the do-ityourself world of self-releasing music, and John Henry helped her get some opening sets at Off Broadway. But it was a long-ago meeting with engineer and producer Tim Gebauer that led to the creation of Choi’s latest, Lost County. “Oddly enough, eight or nine years ago I met him at an open mic at Music Folk, and I remember we met and chatted about his studio,” Choi recalls. “We went our separate ways and I ended up working down in Nashville. We had a reconnection at a show I

Karen Choi’s latest release is a spare affair, giving her voice and acoustic guitar center stage. | TIM GEBAUER opened, and that’s what led to doing this project together.” Gebauer is perhaps best known for using his Electropolis Studios to record Le’Ponds’ records, including last year’s Lean To, and he has worked on projects by Sleepy Kitty and Spectator. Choi says that she was drawn to Gebauer’s spare aesthetic and a more theoretical approach to recording. Having made her first record in ashville, where the producer’s choices and session players’ pedigree could often be intimidating, working with a stripped-back palette suited Choi. “Some of my favorite records are sparse and minimal, and I wanted that for my music,” she says. “I knew that Tim would not want to take me in the direction of a big country record. I’ve noticed that if you have a little twang in your voice people want to put you in a certain box. I love old-timey country music, but that doesn’t mean I want this sleek, overproduced sound.” “In the studio I am always dialing things back, asking for more space and more room,” Choi continues. “I knew that Tim was going to be even more conservative than I was. He wanted all the space for the record, and that was a big choice to keep things open and spacious.”

Choi’s voice and acoustic guitar take center stage on the EP’s six tracks, but from the outset one can hear the way the instruments push air around the room. Opening track “Hand to Hold” slinks along on an oily, slapback guitar riff and some nearly rocksteady organ accents before settling into a more traditional Americana groove. Working with some of the same musicians that she regularly gigs with also helped the vibe of the recordings; here, the core band comprises Tony Barbata on drums, Stephen Nowels on bass and Nick Dahlquist on electric guitar, organ and backing vocals. Much of the EP walks in a ruminative space, but the final two songs touch on loss, regret and acceptance, and both are drawn from Choi’s family tree. “I often say that anything is up for grabs, but ‘Clear Lake’ is absolutely autobiographical,” Choi says. “I wrote that song rigth after I finished my record in inneapolis — I got snowed in and stuck in a town in Iowa. They closed the interstate. I woke up the next morning and my locks were frozen.” Due to the storm, Choi had to miss her grandfather’s funeral, a loss she transmits keenly on the song. A similar kind of loss — the

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death of her grandmother — inspired onarch, the s final song. “It’s hard to write a song about someone who has died without it being cheesy,” Choi says. “It took me a while to capture something that is heartfelt without being trite.” Both of these songs hit close to the bone for Choi, and while she is often able to set emotion aside during a performance, her more autobiographical songs can sneak up on her in concert. “I’ve only played ‘Monarch’ live once,” Choi says. “Sometimes the experience of performing can surprise you. Without notice, sometimes they’ll just hit you and you become emotional on stage.” Now that Choi and her family are settled back in St. Louis, she is happy to have a truly local album to share, made close to home with musicians who understand her vision. “When you’re a singer-songwriter and making albums, each one needs to be different than the other ones,” she says. “I wanted something that sounded a little more raw. I was really interested in having an accurate depiction of what I do onstage.”

Karen Choi CD Release 7:30 p.m. Friday, January 10. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue. $10. 314-498-6989.

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RIVERFRONT TIMES

JANUARY 8-14, 2020

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JANUARY 8-14, 2020

RIVERFRONT TIMES

[PROFILE]

BattleHardened St. Louis rapper and activist T-Dubb-O brings the fight home with Defiance Written by

KE LUTHER

t. Louis rapper and political activist T-Dubb-O is prepared to fight. nd as one of the artists who faced down guns and tanks during the Ferguson protests, and who was even invited to the White House to speak on the matter, he knows exactly what that requires. “When I say that I’m an active revolutionary in training, I mean that,” the rapper born Antoine White says. “I’m willing to do anything necessary to help push my people toward liberation. Because our lives and liberty are on the line. So comfort is the last thing on my mind.” In conversation, White has an almost professorial air. He speaks quietly but authoritatively, answering most questions about himself with astute lessons on American history. In this way, he is the embodiment of the concept that the personal is political. “Selling drugs or gang banging or getting kicked out of [North Technical High School] with a 4.0 because I was a victim of the school to prison pipeline, these are things that I went through that made me who I am,” he says. “But the same person that has gone through all of these challenges was able to sit and advise President Obama.” Defiance, the rapper’s third studio album, draws on these experiences to create a broad portrait of his hometown. According to White, the October release “is one of the first hip hop pro ects that embodies every side of urban culture in St. Louis. That means battle rap. That means lyricism. That means the streets, gang culture, drug culture. Just everything that the city encapsulates.” And starting early this year, White is taking this epic vision to the rest of the country with a national tour spanning from Los Angeles to Atlanta. For White, this kind of success

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T-Dubb-O’s Defiance puts the talent of the veteran St. Louis rapper on full display. | VIA THE ARTIST is a form of resistance — a theme that runs throughout the new material. On the dark, synth-driven “Debo,” he raps, “God bless anybody go against me / I made diamonds out of coal then I lit me.” The rapper’s thick St. Louis drawl makes the hook soft and sticky, but the message is clear — pain only makes T-Dubb-O stronger. “Most of my friends are dead or in jail,” he notes. “Technically I’m not supposed to be here right now. o every breath I ta e is defiance. That sense of triumphing over adversity is well earned. In a nation where young black men are more likely to die by homicide than from any other cause, White grew up in one of the epicenters of American violence. Raised in north St. Louis, he says that most of his cousins were involved in the drug trade. The older boys sometimes enlisted White to help with small errands, and in exchange, they gave him a cut of their profits. “I wanted Jordans and new games and new clothes,” he admits, “and my mom can’t afford it. But it’s plenty of entrepreneurship opportunities out there.” Despite the fact that he was already writing and producing his own music, he eventually joined the Crips — a decision that he stands behind to this day. “It’s actually an organization that was started to protect the black community from issues that continue to plague it, like predatory policing,” he says. While the gang went through a period of turmoil during the crack epidemic, White still believes that “what it stands for is a positive thing. It’s protect your community, uplift your commu-

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“Being a young black male walking around this city, we don’t have any expression for the trauma we face.” nity, look out for your people and represent them the right way.” As an artist, White puts his encounters with drugs and violence at the center of his music. But unlike some rappers, he refuses to glorify those aspects of his past. He understands that, for many young people, hustling is the only job available — a way to support themselves and their families. When it comes to making money, he says, “I can tell you the best way to go about everything. And I can tell you how to set up yourself to get out.” But he warns, “You’re going to hate yourself. You’re going to lose a lot of people you love. And you’re not going to want to live anymore.” On “Made for This,” one of the most fully realized tracks on Defiance, the rapper summarizes this narrative in four short bars. Over a fragile piano line and stuttering, a inflected drums, he spits, “This shit impossible where I’m from / so we choose crime / most my friends dead or jailed for a long time / but I’m strong inside.”

A seemingly omnipresent gospel choir only heightens the sense of urgency in T-Dubb-O’s delivery. The result is powerful enough to move any listener to action. The recently released video for “Eat Your Words,” another standout track, makes the mental health consequences of violence even clearer. The piece follows White in the aftermath of a shooting — the rapper chanting “you gonna eat your words, you gonna eat your words / I got everything you said I didn’t deserve” to his reflection in the mirror. he video ends with T-Dubb-O putting a gun to his own head. “Being a young black male walking around this city,” he says, “we don’t have any expression for the trauma we face.” In 2014, White took these issues to the streets of Ferguson, where he joined Tef Poe (born Kareem Jackson) and other in the hip-hop community on the frontlines of the protest. A battle rapper with a national following, he was eventually invited to the White House. Over a series of meetings with former President Barack Obama, he expressed his concerns with the administration’s handling of predatory policing, sentencing disparities for drug crimes and the transfer of high-powered military equipment to civilian law enforcement. In the process, he became a central figure among a new generation of activists. When he returned to St. Louis, he helped to establish Hands Up United, a human rights organization that funds a variety of initiatives throughout the city. More recently, White began working with the Drug Policy Alliance to curb the opioid epidemic in Missouri. e advocates against flooding the streets with products like Naloxone: “You’re basically telling somebody, ‘Okay. Go do as much dope as you can. And we’re going to bring you back to life if you overdose.’” Instead, he wants to see more economic development and mental health support in communities of color. While White is excited about Defiance and the upcoming tour, he is increasingly looking toward a future in politics. At the moment, he is contemplating a challenge to Mayor Lyda Krewson, running on a platform of criminal justice reform and violence prevention. “I don’t know if God put me here for something specific, he laughs. “But I know that I’m still learning and still growing.” And as always, he’s using that ourney to fight for the people of St. Louis. n

OUT EVERY NIGHT

[CRITIC’S PICK]

The Radolescents. | VIA ARTIST BANDCAMP

The Radolescents 8 p.m. Thursday, January 9. Fubar, 3108 Locust Street. $15. 314-289-9050. Considering its ubiquity and outsize legacy, it can be easy to forget that the members of the Adolescents were just teens when they recorded the band’s debut LP, the self-titled record also known as the Blue Album, released in 1981. As one of the first hardcore punk albums to see wide distribution in the U.S. it quickly became one of the genre’s bestselling, and the record is credited with cementing the southern California punk

THURSDAY 9

BILLY BARNETT BAND: 10 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314436-5222. IVAS JOHN & BRIAN CURRAN: 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. KINGDOM BROTHERS: 8 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. NATE LOWERY: 4 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. RADOLESCENTS: w/ the Hajj 8 p.m., $15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

FRIDAY 10

AUREOLE: w/ Dear Satan, Trivia Night 8 p.m., $7. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. BREWTOPIA: 8 p.m., free. Rich’s Place, 4149 S. Highway 94, St. Charles, 636-922-0500. EMILY SKINNER: 8 p.m., $30-$40. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745. GOLDFINGER: w/ Mustard Plug 8 p.m., $29.50$32.50. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. IVAS JOHN BAND: 7 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-4365222. JACK GRELLE’S THIRD ANNUAL EVENING OF SONG: 8 p.m., $12-$15. The Focal Point, 2720 Sutton Blvd, St. Louis, 314-560-2778. JENNA & MARTIN: w/ Cree Rider 9 p.m., $7. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. KAREN CHOI CD RELEASE: 7:30 p.m., $10. Off

sound and influencing countless bands of similar geography. That record gets a proper tribute from the Radolescents, a group comprising past members of the Adolescents’ deep bench (including two Agnews, naturally, in Rikk and Frank Jr.), who will play it in its entirety at this show. Stupid Science World: The Blue Album was home to the Adolescents’ most wellknown songs, including the impossibly catchy earworm “Amoeba” as well as the genre-bending “Kids of the Black Hole.” Be prepared to sing along. —Daniel Hill

Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-4986989. LANCO: w/ Matt Stell 8 p.m., $15. Ballpark Village, 601 Clark Ave, St. Louis, 314-345-9481. LOVE JONES “THE BAND”: 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314436-5222. MAGGIE ROSE: w/ Them Vibes 8 p.m., $20-$23. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. PARTYROCK LIVE: 8 p.m., free. 612 Kitchen & Cocktails, 612 W. Woodbine, Kirkwood, 314965-2003. REVEREND JACK: 6:30 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. TERRAPIN FLYER: 9 p.m., $12-$15. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505.

SATURDAY 11

BLEEDERS: w/ Kids, David Morrison 9 p.m., $7. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. BOTTLESNAKES: 8 p.m., $10-$15. The Focal Point, 2720 Sutton Blvd, St. Louis, 314-5602778. CEDRIC GERVAIS: 9 p.m., $10-$30. Ameristar Casino, 1 Ameristar Blvd., St. Charles, 636-9497777. DUKE TUMATOE & THE POWER TRIO: 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. EMILY SKINNER: 8 p.m., $30-$40. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745. HEART LIKE A WHEEL: A TRIBUTE TO LINDA RON-

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RIVERFRONT TIMES

Wednesday, January 8 9PM

Sean Canan’s Voodoo Players Tribute To Little Feat

Thursday January 9 9PM Nightchaser Presents

Electrojive

with Osunlade and Master Kev

Friday January 10 10PM

The Provels

Saturday January 11 10PM

Marquise Knox

Sunday January 12 8PM

Soul, Blues and Pop Diva Kim Massie Wednesday January 15 9PM

Sean Canan’s Voodoo Players Tribute To Acoustic Jerry Garcia’s

Thursday January 16 10PM

Aaron Kamm and the OneDrops

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JANUARY 8-14, 2020

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[CRITIC’S PICK]

Jack Grelle. | NATE BURRELL

Jack Grelle 8 p.m. Friday, January 10. The Focal Point, 2720 Sutton Boulevard. $12 to $15. 314-560-2778. These days it seems like many of the acts that made Big Muddy Records a safe haven for dirt-rock weirdos and ragged country vagabonds have grown up and gotten respectable. The musical Swiss army knife Ryan Koenig has continued releasing acoustic recordings made live at Maplewood’s Fo-

OUT EVERY NIGHT Continued from pg 39 STADT: w/ Jenny Roques, Beth Bombara, Sam Golden 8 p.m., $12. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. HVRTBOY: 7 p.m., $8. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. JORDAN BAUMSTARK: w/ Loogey, Jerei, Brock Seals, Jack Spears, Lil Ana, Chris Cannibal, Kamikaze Cole, Narco Flash 8:30 p.m., $8-$12. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. KINGDOM BROTHERS BAND: 7 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. MU330: w/ Clownvis Presley 9 p.m., free with ticket. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. RICK ROSS: 7 p.m., $60. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. ROCK 4 TOTS: w/ Whiskey Thunder, Sorry Scout, Spacetrucker 9 p.m., $12. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314833-3929. SKEET RODGERS & INNER CITY BLUES: 4 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. STAGFEST III: w/ Bruiser Queen, tristano, Banana Clips, Eric Donte, Star Wolf, Chiller Whale 7 p.m., $15. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. THE WAY DOWN WANDERERS: 8 p.m., $12. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-5880505.

SUNDAY 12

DEVILS ELBOW: 5 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-4365222. DOWNTOWN ABBY & THE ECHOES: 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. G. LOVE AND SPECIAL SAUCE: w/ Shamarr Allen 8 p.m., $29.50-$30. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314727-4444. THE HI-JIVERS: 7 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-4365222.

cal Point, and this week Jack Grelle returns to that beloved listening room for a varied and intimate set. Grelle has long been one of the city’s best purveyors of honky-tonk music, and along with his full-band performance, the singer-songwriter will perform solo, as part of a duo with violinist Sarah Vie and backed by a string quartet. Prime the Pump: Grelle will be previewing songs from his forthcoming LP, If Not Forever, which is due out in March. —Christian Schaeffer

MONDAY 13

JESSE GANNON & THESE HANDS: 8 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. MONDAY NIGHT REVIEW: w/ Tim, Danny and Randy 7 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. TRISTANO: 8 p.m., free. The Dark Room, 3610 Grandel Square inside Grandel Theatre, St. Louis, 314-776-9550.

TUESDAY 14

ERIC SLAUGHTER PROJECT: 8 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. MOBILE DEATHCAMP: 7:30 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. MOTHER STUTTER: w/ Young Animals, The Grand Opening, Lee & Laneve 7:30 p.m., $8$10. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929.

WEDNESDAY 15

BIG RICH MCDONOUGH & RHYTHM RENEGADES: 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. GREENSKY BLUEGRASS: 8 p.m., $27.50-$32.50. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. JASON COOPER BAND: 10 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314436-5222.

THIS JUST IN 10TH ANNUAL SHIMMY SHOWDOWN: Fri., Jan. 17, 9 p.m., $20-$30. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. ANOTHER LOST YEAR: W/ Cold Kingdom, Arise in Chaos, Inner Outlines, Shallowstate, Sun., Feb. 23, 5:30 p.m., $15. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. AUREOLE: W/ Dear Satan, Trivia Night, Fri., Jan. 10, 8 p.m., $7. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. BIG RICH MCDONOUGH & RHYTHM RENEGADES: Wed., Jan. 15, 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. BILLY BARNETT BAND: Thu., Jan. 9, 10 p.m., $5.

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RIVERFRONT TIMES

GREAT NEWS: BRUNCH IS BACK!

VIP & EARLY BIRD TICKETS ON SALE NOW

There’s no better way to chase away a hangover than brunch with friends. And Riverfront Times is once again bringing together the best restaurants in town with one mission: unite to cute St. Louis’ hangover. In its 5th year, United We Brunch will be more than just bottomless Bloody Marys and Mimosas — enjoy screwdrivers, bellinis, Irish coffee, beer and more! Plus, all the best brunch hot spots in the St. Louis area under one roof.

Saturday, Jan. 29 • 11 am-2:30 pm • Chase Park Plaza Info & Tickets: 42

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RFTBrunch.com • #rftbrunch

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OUT EVERY NIGHT

[CRITIC’S PICK]

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BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. BLEEDERS: W/ Kids, David Morrison, Sat., Jan. 11, 9 p.m., $7. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. BOOGIE T: W/ SoDown, Thu., March 26, 8 p.m., $5. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. BREWTOPIA: Fri., Jan. 10, 8 p.m., free. Rich’s Place, 4149 S. Highway 94, St. Charles, 636-9220500. Sat., Feb. 22, 9 p.m., free. Nightshift Bar & Grill, 3979 Mexico Road, St. Peters, 636-441-8300. Fri., Feb. 28, 8:30 p.m., free. Domain Street Wine Bar, 3253 Rue Royale #1, St. Charles, 636-9162092. CELEBRATION DAY: A TRIBUTE TO LED ZEPPELIN: Fri., Feb. 28, 8 p.m., $25-$40. Sat., Feb. 29, 8 p.m., $25-$40. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. CLINT LOWERY: Thu., Feb. 13, 8 p.m., $25. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. COAST TO COAST LIVE: Mon., March 23, 8 p.m., $10-$15. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. CODY CANADA & THE DEPARTED: Fri., Feb. 21, 8 p.m., $16. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. DAT NEW SHIT POETRY OPEN MIC: W/ 16 Bars, Fri., Jan. 17, 9 p.m., $5. Legacy Books and Cafe, 5249 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-361-2182. DEVILS ELBOW: Sun., Jan. 12, 5 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. DOGLEG: W/ Choir Vandals, Thirty Six Red, Sun., Jan. 19, 8 p.m., $10. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314727-4444. DOWNTOWN ABBY & THE ECHOES: Sun., Jan. 12, 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. DUKE TUMATOE & THE POWER TRIO: Sat., Jan. 11, 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. ERIC SLAUGHTER PROJECT: Tue., Jan. 14, 8 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. FALLING IN REVERSE: W/ Escape The Fate, The Word Alive, Sun., Feb. 23, 7 p.m., $27.75-$30.25. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314726-6161. THE FLOOZIES: W/ Sunsquabi, Late Night Radio, Fri., March 6, 8 p.m., $20-$25. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. FRONT COUNTRY: W/ One Way Traffic, Thu., Feb. 20, 8 p.m., $10-$12. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. FUBAR FAREWELL SHOW: W/ Fister, Ultraman, Slow Damage, the Disappeared, Sat., Feb. 15, 8 p.m., $8. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314289-9050. FUNKY BUTT BRASS BAND CD RELEASE: W/ River Kittens, Sun., Jan. 26, 3 p.m., $10. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.

Linda Ronstadt. | ALBUM ART

Heart Like A Wheel: A Tribute to Linda Ronstadt 8 p.m. Saturday, January 11. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue. $12. 314-773-3363. On the occasion of awarding the 2014 National Medal of the Arts, our last sane president confessed to his boyhood crush on Linda Maria Ronstadt. Though she can no longer sing, her voice lost to progressive supranuclear palsy, Ronstadt is still eminently crushable. She remains a fierce activist for the environment and immigrant rights, and she continues to defend multicultural and musical education. Of course IVAS JOHN & BRIAN CURRAN: Thu., Jan. 9, 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. IVAS JOHN BAND: Fri., Jan. 10, 7 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. JACKSON STOKES CD RELEASE PARTY: W/ Sebastian Lane, Tonina, Fri., Jan. 24, 8 p.m., $10-$12. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314588-0505. JADE JACKSON: Thu., Feb. 6, 8 p.m., $10. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-4986989. JASON COOPER BAND: Wed., Jan. 15, 10 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. JEREMIAH JOHNSON CD RELEASE PARTY: Sat., March 7, 8 p.m., $15. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. JESSE GANNON & THESE HANDS: Mon., Jan. 13, 8 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. JUSTIN BIEBER: Mon., July 13, 6 p.m., TBA. Enterprise Center, 1401 Clark Ave., St. Louis,

her music, spanning five decades and more than 30 albums, will always provoke wonder, and a tribute concert in St. Louis (overrun with such events) is long overdue. Enter “Heart Like a Wheel,” a tribute to Ronstadt featuring Jenny Roques, Beth Bombara, Sam Golden, Cheryl Rider & the Poneys, Cara Louise, Kit Kellison and Devon Cahill. It’s a worthy lineup to honor an artist of boundless talent and inspiration. Dream Stream: If you’ve yet to see the 2019 documentary Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice, a pre-show watch party is in order. —Roy Kasten

314-241-1888. KIDZ BOP: Fri., Aug. 21, 7 p.m., $22-$72. Stifel Theatre, 1400 Market St, St. Louis, 314-499-7600. KINGDOM BROTHERS BAND: Sat., Jan. 11, 7 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. LADY ANTEBELLUM: Sat., Aug. 15, 6 p.m., TBA. Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, I-70 & Earth City Expwy., Maryland Heights, 314-298-9944. LAST PODCAST ON THE LEFT: Sun., April 19, 8 p.m., $35-$150. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. LIQUID STRANGER: W/ Dirt Monkey, Hydraulix, INZO, Fri., March 27, 8 p.m., $29.50-$35. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-7266161. LOVE JONES “THE BAND”: Fri., Jan. 10, 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. THE MATCHING SHOE: Fri., Feb. 7, 10 p.m., $10. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. Thu., Feb. 13, 7 p.m., free. The Abbey, 6500 W. Main St., Belleville, 618-3983176. Sat., Feb. 29, 9 p.m., free. Red Fish Blue

Fish, 7 Hawks Nest Plaza, St Charles, 636-9474747. PATRICK SWEANY: W/ Dirty Streets, Fri., March 6, 8 p.m., $13-$15. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. PHANGS: Fri., April 3, 8 p.m., $12-$14. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. POGUERTY: Sat., March 14, 8 p.m., $35. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. THE QUEERS: W/ Handguns, Thu., March 19, 6:30 p.m., $15-$17. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. RELEASE THE HOUNDS 2 : A BENEFIT FOR THE STRAY RESCUE OF ST. LOUIS: W/ the Fuck Off and Dies as ME FIRST AND THE GIMME GIMMES, DayBringer as PINK FLOYD, Voidgazer as HIGH ON FIRE, My Boy Ox as MINOR THREAT, Excites as BOREDOMS, Fri., Feb. 21, 8 p.m., $10. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. ROYAL NOIRE CONCERT: W/ Eldraco, BlvckSpvde, Elle Patterson and the Focus, Fri., Feb. 7, 7 p.m., $5-$10. The Chapel, 6238 Alexander Dr, Clayton. SKEET RODGERS & INNER CITY BLUES: Sat., Jan. 11, 4 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. THE STADIUM TOUR: W/ Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe, Poison, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Thu., June 25, 6 p.m., $49.50-$750. Busch Stadium, 700 Clark Ave, St. Louis, 314-345-9600. STANK THUNDER: Fri., Jan. 17, 9 p.m., $5. Pop’s Blue Moon, 5249 Pattison Ave., St. Louis, 314776-4200. TAURUS RILEY: Thu., Feb. 20, 9 p.m., $28. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. THE HI-JIVERS: Sun., Jan. 12, 7 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. THE THROWBACK PARTY: Fri., Feb. 28, 8 p.m., $7-$101. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. THUNDERHEAD: THE RUSH EXPERIENCE: Sat., March 21, 8 p.m., $20-$25. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. TOBYMAC: W/ Tauren Wells, Jordan Feliz, We Are Messengers, Ryan Stevenson, Aaron Cole, Cochren & Co., Sat., March 14, 7 p.m., $28-$78. Enterprise Center, 1401 Clark Ave., St. Louis, 314-241-1888. TRISTATE: W/ Calloway Circus, Decedy, the Slow Boys, Jopnah Ray, Fri., Jan. 31, 7:30 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. THE TUNGSTEN GROOVE: Fri., Jan. 31, 8 p.m., $10$12. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. VARIALS: Wed., March 25, 7 p.m., $16. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. VOODOO FLEETWOOD MAC: Sat., Feb. 8, 9 p.m., $12-$15. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. WEDNESDAY NIGHT TITANS: Tue., Feb. 4, 8 p.m., $12. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505.

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JANUARY 8-14, 2020

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SAVAGE LOVE QUICKIES BY DAN SAVAGE Hey, Dan: I have a question about porn, and I can’t think who else I can ask that will give me an intelligent, educated answer. In modern porn, anal on women is gaining popularity. I’m a fan of anal with my boyfriend. However, in porn, it seems like the gaping asshole is a thing, a sought after thing, a desired thing. And I guess my boyfriend and I don’t get it. We can get quite vigorous when we have anal sex, but MY butthole never gapes open like that — my boyfriend assures me that when he pulls out, it goes back to its cute little flowerlike effect. Why is the gaping asshole so popular? I promise this is not a frivolous question or just for titillation. We really do wonder: What gives? Gaining Anal Perspective Entails Serious Question It’s funny how a chief fear about anal sex — that your asshole would gape open afterward and poop would fall out while you walked down the street — became eroticized. (The asshole gaping open part, not the poop falling out part.) Did I say funny, GAPESQ? I meant predictable. Because a big part of the collective human subconscious is always at work eroticizing our fears, and the gaping-open, just-been-fucked, completely “wrecked” asshole many people feared inevitably became something some people found hot. And as more people began experimenting with anal sex — as anal went mainstream over the last two decades — people realized that the anal sphincter is a muscle and the secret to successful anal intercourse is learning to relax that muscle. Situationally, not permanently. You could relax, get loose, gape after, post the video to a porn tube, and then tighten back up. Now, not everyone thinks a wide-open, gaping asshole is desirable. And not everyone, in the immortal words of Valerie Cherish, needs (or wants) to see that. Hey, Dan: Honest question: If you, being a homosexual, don’t die from HIV, will you have to wear a dia-

per before the age of 42? Optional question: What does a prolapsed rectum look like? I bet you can describe it without doing an image search. Sickening Homosexuals Are Malignant Errors Honest answers: I know you meant this to be hate mail, SHAME, but I’m just thrilled someone out there thinks I’m not 42 yet. Also, I’m HIV-negative — last time I checked — but even if I were to seroconvert (go from HIVnegative to HIV-positive), a person with HIV who has access to meds can expect to live as long as a person without HIV. Also, a person with HIV who is on meds and has a zero viral load (no trace of the virus can be detected in their blood) cannot infect another person. So even if I were to contract HIV after all these years, SHAME, I would likely live long enough to die of something else, and, once I got on meds, I couldn’t pass HIV on to anyone else. And quickly: I’m way past 42 and not in a diaper yet, thank you very much. And while some people think a prolapsed rectum looks like a rosebud, I happen to think a prolapsed rectum looks like a ball of lean hamburger. nd the first one I ever saw — and, no, I didn’t need to do an image search because it makes a real impression — was in straight porn, not gay porn. P.S. If you can’t think about gay men without thinking about our poops and the diapers you hope we’re wearing and our meaty prolapsed rectums, SHAME, that says a lot more about you than it does about gay people. Hey, Dan: My significant other wants me to delete any NSFW pictures of my exes, but I don’t feel comfortable with that. I don’t have an emotional attachment to my exes or really look at these photos anymore, but I feel that old pictures saved on old computers aren’t doing any harm and deleting them won’t fix my partner’s insecurity. Personal Images Causing Strife Accommodating a partner’s irrational insecurity is sometimes the price we pay to make an otherwise healthy and functional relationship work, PICS, as I recently told another reader. But one possible workaround — one possible

Dating someone in secret isn’t impossible, but it rarely leads to long-term love. A healthy trans (or gay or big) person — the kind of person you might be able to fall in love with — isn’t going to put up with being someone’s dirty secret. accommodation — is telling your insecure partner what they want to hear even if it isn’t true. Telling a partner who is concerned about safety that you’re using condoms with others when you’re not isn’t okay, of course, just as telling a potential partner you’re single when you’re not isn’t okay. But telling a partner that you deleted photos you never look at on a passwordprotected computer they can’t look at ... yeah, that’s a lie you don’t have to feel too awful about telling. Hey, Dan: How long after using an oil-based lubricant do I have to wait before I can safely use latex condoms? Not right after, presumably. Next day? Next week? Next century? I’ve been experimenting with oil-based CBD lube for hand/ toy stuff, but I’m worried about the timing relative to penetrative sex. Oily Inside “Oil and latex condoms do NOT mix, period,” said Melissa White, CEO of Lucky Bloke, an online condom shop, and a condom expert. “Using an oil-based lubricant

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with a condom can cause the condom to leak and/or break. And unlike water-based lubes, oils do not evaporate readily. While oil is absorbed over time, that absorption rate likely varies based on many factors, including age. Oiling up internally? Now we’re talking vaginal versus anal absorption rates! The bottom line: We have not found su cient studies to issue a reliable recommendation on what an overall safe time frame might be. So here’s the deal: Oil or condoms — choose one.” I would add only this: Condoms made out of polyurethane are more expensive, but you can safely use them with oil-based lube. Hey, Dan: I’m a straight guy who loves the female body — the look, touch, and smell. I’m in my mid30s, I’ve never had a serious relationship, and I don’t know if I’m capable of falling in love. I’m exclusively into trans women, and I’ve kept it a secret because it’s nobody’s business. If I were in love, I’d make it public, but that hasn’t happened. I can’t help but feel like this is an addiction, and I’m ashamed of it. I’m sure I’m not the first straight guy who’s into trans women who’s written to you. Where do I go from here? Straight And Struggling While dating someone in secret isn’t impossible, SAS, it rarely leads to long-term love. Being kept hidden because you’re trans (or you’re gay or you’re big) and the person you’re dating hasn’t gotten over their shame about being attracted to trans people (or members of their own sex or bigger people) ... well, it sucks to be someone’s dirty secret. And a healthy trans (or gay or big) person — the kind of person you might be able to fall in love with — isn’t going to put up with that shit. So it’s a catch-22: So long as you keep the women you date a secret, none of them are going to stay in your life for long. They’ll be either so damaged you want them out of your life or not damaged enough to want you in theirs. Check out Dan’s podcast at savagelovecast.com. mail@savagelove.net @fakedansavage on Twitter ITMFA.org

JANUARY 8-14, 2020

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JANUARY 8-14, 2020

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JANUARY 8-14, 2020

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