Riverfront Times March 20, 2019 by Riverfront Times

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“Something I like about the U.S. is that wherever you’re from, you’re actually allowed to embrace your own culture, your own religion and have fun. So that’s good! There’s a lot of places you can actually be as you are. I would say back 30 years ago, you might not. The world is changing with the time.” SAI MUKUND RAMAKRISHNAN, PHOTOGRAPHED AT THE HOLI FESTIVAL OF COLORS IN OLIVETTE’S STACY PARK ON MARCH 16 riverfronttimes.com

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Publisher Chris Keating Editor in Chief Sarah Fenske

COVER How St. Louis Changed the World

1949-TOMMY BANKHEAD

For fifty years, St. Louis blues fans could find Tommy Bankhead holding court in some small club or another, leading a tightly knit ensemble in the kind of blues that got people dancing. Born in Mississippi, Bankhead came to St. Louis in 1949 and set up shop as one of the most beloved musicians in our town. Bankhead was a working musician, a singer with great control and evocative ability and a guitarist equally adept at playing rhythm

chords and biting leads. He was not primarily a writer of blues, but he put his spin on the classics and obscure songs that came his way. Strangely, he never recorded (outside of a couple of sessions) until 1984, when he released his first album on the Deep Morgan label. More records came occasionally, but Bankhead’s blues was primarily heard in front of appreciative crowds looking for relief after a week of working and ready to have a good time with a great purveyor of the music.

St. Louis Sound, a new book from Reedy Press, explores the River City’s massive footprint on American music

ST. LOUIS SOUND 35

A R T Art Director Evan Sult Contributing Photographers Tim Lane, Monica Mileur, Zia Nizami, Andy Paulissen, Nick Schnelle, Mabel Suen, Micah Usher, Theo Welling, Jen West, Corey Woodruff P R O D U C T I O N Production Manager Jack Beil M U L T I M E D I A A D V E R T I S I N G Sales Director Colin Bell Senior Account Executive Cathleen Criswell, Erica Kenney Account Managers Emily Fear, Jennifer Samuel Multimedia Account Executive Michael Gaines, Drew Halliday, Jackie Mundy

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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

INSIDE The Lede Hartmann

E D I T O R I A L Arts & Culture Editor Paul Friswold Music Editor Daniel Hill Digital Editor Jaime Lees Staff Writers Doyle Murphy, Danny Wicentowski Restaurant Critic Cheryl Baehr Film Critic Robert Hunt Columnist Ray Hartmann Contributing Writers Mike Appelstein, Allison Babka, Thomas Crone, Jenn DeRose, Mike Fitzgerald, Sara Graham, MaryAnn Johanson, Roy Kasten, Jaime Lees, Joseph Hess, Kevin Korinek, Bob McMahon, Lauren Milford, Nicholas Phillips, Tef Poe, Christian Schaeffer Proofreader Evie Hemphill Editorial Interns Ryan Gines, Chelsea Neuling, Benjamin Simon

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Jeff City is attempting to strip Title IX

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HARTMANN Cruel Intentions A push in Jeff City to ‘reform’ Title IX takes away critical protections for victims of sexual misconduct BY RAY HARTMANN

n a move that might prove historic, the Missouri state legislature has decided to lead the nation to protect an oppressed minority in the name of social justice. They’re throwing down for the rights of men. In a push inspired by a wealthy donor and fueled by dark money, the Republican majority has introduced legislation to eviscerate enforcement of Title IX regulations on state college campuses — public

and private — and make Missouri the most difficult place in America for a young woman to make an allegation of sexual misconduct or harassment. Conversely, it would provide protection to young men — especially those of means — that they haven’t had in many years. To understand the state situation, you have to understand the federal landscape, because therein lies the well from which the crusade for men’s rights has sprung. President Donald Trump’s imperative could not be clearer: “My whole life I’ve heard, ‘You’re innocent until proven guilty,’ but now you’re guilty until proven innocent. That s a very, very difficult standard. It’s a very scary time for young men in America when you can be guilty of something that you may not be guilty of.” Trump made that statement during the confirmation process for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. It came with the full moral authority of a man who famously displayed his respect for

women on videotape with such memorable passages as, “I moved on her like a bitch” and “I just start kissing them. ... Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything.” Then we elected him. And shortly after taking office, one of his first acts was to reverse resident Barack Obama’s effort to improve higher-education enforcement of Title IX, the 1972 law that became one of the most consequential antidiscrimination measures in history. Unlike Trump, Obama had both his heart and his hands in the right place with regard to women. So, in a 2011 “Dear Colleague” letter, his Department of Education laid out bold steps to jolt universities into better compliance with the letter and spirit of Title IX. ong before Trump identified the world as a “dangerous place for men,” a vast sea of evidence had found it a dangerous place for women, with one in five female students reporting they were sexual-abuse victims (and one in sixteen males, by the way: Title IX

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isn’t exclusively about women). The Obama administration dramatically broadened the definition of sexual harassment and discrimination, lowered standards of proof for accusers, mandated that off-campus incidents be investigated and required quicker response to complaints, among other things. While the changes drew backlash, Obama undeniably improved protection for young women. It’s an important piece of his legacy. But whether it represented some overreach is a matter of debate. Some tweaks to better ensure institutional autonomy and safeguard civil liberties might well be a good thing. Total regression, however, would not. Which brings us to the swinging of the pendulum with hurricane force by Trump, and his infamous education secretary, Betsy DeVos, known in education circles as the woman who has been irritable ever since that house fell on her sister in the Land of Oz.

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HARTMANN

Continued from pg 7

One of De os first acts on behalf of her misogynist boss was to repeal the Obama directives. Her new rules, likely to be issued this summer, are expected to represent the polar opposite of Obama’s: narrowing the definition of se ual abuse, increasing the standard of proof, allowing institutions to ignore off-campus acts and relieving them of pressure to act quickly. But Missouri Republicans, proud infantrymen in the culture wars, cannot wait. In a rush to get to the political right of the groperin-chief — which is saying something — they have introduced concurrent bills in the legislature, HB 573 and SB 259. The rallying cry is to restore the civil liberties of young college men, whose claimed oppression has made them the new stars of the cult of victimization. Yet the effect of the bills would be to provide actual oppression to young college women. At the moment, there are two versions of the bill. In the Senate, where amendments are often made from the floor, SB remains in its original uncut version — and it’s simply unbelievable. It would, among other things, expose accusers and/or Title IX administrators to personal lawsuits, along with their institutions, even in cases where the alleged perpetrator hasn’t been clearly exonerated. It would remove longstanding rape-shield protections for accusers, subjecting them to attacks on their character and se ual history for the sin of filing a complaint. It would require Title IX administrators to make sworn statements about their own personal histories, supposedly to root out biases they might have in favor of an accuser. On the House side, the legislation was amended in committee to remove the most extreme provisions. It’s likely that the Senate will follow suit, but there’s no guarantee. And even if these no ious e amples don t survive to the final product, their existence exposes the clear intent of this legislation: to protect men by threatening to destroy women and administrators who would dare file a Title complaint against one of them. Even the amended form of the bill has plenty of toxicity. Washington University, among others, continues to oppose it strongly because it would provide for re-traumatization of those alleging rape or harassment by subjecting them

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MARCH 20-26, 2019

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to cross-examination (probably by experienced trial lawyers) without the protection of the judicial system. That’s a cruel prospect. Protecting the privacy and security of women who come forward must remain the top priority of the institutions they attend. That goal would not be incompatible with tweaks to protect dueprocess rights of the accused. Yet even the amended version of the bill would make that difficult, if not impossible. Indeed, these bills don’t tweak. They instead seek to apply a sledgehammer to the entire process. In one absurd new procedure (present in both House and Senate ver-

The Missouri state legislature is throwing down for the rights of men. sions), accused students would be able to appeal an adverse finding to the state Administrative earing Commission, a little known, three-person panel that hears complaints against state agencies and has neither the expertise nor resources for such a task. As a darkly comedic aside, the Kansas City Star has reported that one of the three hearing commissioners is married to a lobbyist pushing the “reform” bill; another is married to an attorney who’s testified in its favor. But there s nothing humorous about its impact: It would invent an entirely new proceeding, heavily tilting any case in favor of students with the resources to hire a lawyer and against accusers who don’t. Using the hearing commission as a bulwark for the accused reflects the bills central aim to make Title IX accusations as difficult to file as possible. Here’s the bottom line: Reasonable people can differ on ways to better protect civil liberties for accused students, without further victimizing victims. But for now, this isn’t in the hands of reasonable people. It’s in the hands of unreasonable ones. n Ray Hartmann founded the Riverfront Times in 1977 and recently made his triumphant return to these pages as a columnist. Contact him at rhartmann@ sbcglobal.net or follow him on Twitter at @rayhartmann.

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NEWS Escape Artist Goes on the Lam Again Written by

DOYLE MURPHY

T A new campaign hopes to help St. Louis get over its inferiority crisis. | DANNY WICENTOWSKI

STLMade Tells St. Louis That St. Louis Is Alright Written by

DANNY WICENTOWSKI

t’s hard to beat March 14 — known locally as “314 day” — for a reminder to indulge in St. Louis city pride. But in addition to providing a good excuse to eat a bunch of local junk food, the day this year offered the perfect opportunity for the launch of STLMade, a campaign attempting to convince St. Louisans that St. Louis is, in fact, OK. Better than OK, even. With the kick-off event, which drew hundreds to the Venture Cafe gathering in Cortex, STLMade is seeking to do no less than to highlight a “renaissance” unfolding in St. Louis. “I think there’s a sense of inferiority we have as a group of residents,” suggests Lee Broughton, who’s leading the campaign. “We assume that everybody looks at us

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and thinks that it’s a bad place.” It’s not hard to think of reasons St. Louisans might be leery of the city’s reputation, from our NFL team lurching off to Los Angeles to the police department imploding to our regular placement atop the rankings of the nation’s most dangerous places. Part of the problem, says Broughton, is that St. Louis residents are missing out on the stories that provide a counterweight to the negativity. “The news cycle tends to be conflicted about how positively it reflects the region, says Broughton, the former head of global marketing for Enterprise Holdings. “What STLMade is about is saying, ‘Hang on a second, we’ve got stuff to celebrate.’ There are people doing epic things on a daily basis, and we should figure out how to get their stories told.” In the works since 2017, STLMade stems from the coming together of the St. Louis Regional Business Council, the St. Louis Regional Chamber, Civic Progress and 35 other groups. Last Thursday’s event at the Venture Cafe coincided with the launch of a new website, theSTL.com, which rolled out with an array of stories that, in a previous age, might have easily graced the features section in a major metropolitan daily.

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But with shrinking newsrooms and limited budgets, stories are falling through the cracks, says theSTL. com editor-in-chief Allison Babka. “St. Louis doesn’t necessarily know what’s happening within its own backyard,” she warns. “Journalistic resources are scarce right now. There are only so many reporters to go around and only so many ways they can cover something.” Babka, a longtime RFT contributor and its former digital editor, notes that human interest stories — stories like theSTL.com one about a local veteran making a business out of barrel-aged beard oil, or its piece about the St. Charles company behind the clocks used in NASA’s rocket countdowns — are most often “lost in the shu e of breaking news.” Going forward, Babka says the site plans to add several new stories each week, with both written pieces and highly produced videos. What do the stories add up to? For Babka and other backers of STLMade, the mission comes down to the brand’s slogan, “Start up. Stand out. Stay.” “There’s kind of a notion to get things done, to start a business, that you have to leave St. Louis,” Babka says. “These stories prove that isn’t true.” n

ravis Lee Davis, a 30-yearold squirrel poacher from rural Missouri, led police on a manhunt last week after escaping from jail in Sedalia on March 9 and later stealing a police car 350 miles south in Oklahoma. The wiry 150-pounder with the Eye of Providence tattooed on his throat was on the run for more than a week. Authorities called him dangerous — and tough to hold. “He’s an escape artist,” LeFlore County, Oklahoma, Sheriff Rob Seale tells the Riverfront Times. Davis has a long history of running, fighting and sometimes escaping from police. In 2012, a Missouri Department of Conservation agent described tracking him around Morgan County in a wildlife poaching investigation. In a freezer that belonged to the family of Davis’ girlfriend, investigators found deer meat, a raccoon and seven squirrels, according to court records. When they came for Davis, they had to chase him through the woods before taking him into custody, the agent says. In 2015, Sedalia cops checking warrants spotted Davis in a house. As soon as he saw them, he shouted, “These guys don’t know me,” and ran upstairs, police say. He smashed out an upstairs window and started climbing down the wall before he spotted another officer and crawled back inside. One of the cops fell through a floor onto the porch as they hunted through the house. Davis busted through another spot in the floor, and they eventually found him hiding under a bed, police say. He has not slowed down in recent years, according to court records. In February alone, he scrambled away from Sedalia cops on two separate occasions, authorities say. Officers trying to serve a warrant for

parole violations managed to catch him on February 1, but he seemed to be suffering an overdose, so they sent him to the hospital. Before they could re-arrest him, he took off. They tried again on February 7 after receiving a tip about his location. By the time officers arrived, he had already driven away. Officers spotted him shortly after, but Davis sped away, crashed and then ran, police say. A witness at the scene told a Sedalia police sergeant that a man and woman had run east from the crash. “I followed footprints leading from the crash area through fields, wooded areas, over creeks, over fences,” the sergeant wrote in a probable-cause statement, “that lead in a mostly easterly direction for approximately 1.5 miles ... I could not locate Travis.” It was not long before police got another shot. On February 13, officers went to a house after getting a tip he was there. One officer went around back, noting in a report that Davis is a “known flight risk” and was likely to bolt out of a window. A woman in the house told police that Davis was in a back bedroom with her baby. When officers called for Davis to come out, he shouted that he had a “motherfucking pistol” and warned them to get out, police say. He then began threatening to kill not only the eight-month-old baby but a second woman also locked in the room: his pregnant girlfriend, Christole Hurst, police say. Police eventually persuaded Davis to let them take the baby, but he allegedly would not let Hurst go. When she spoke, they say it was clear her captor was coaching her on what to say. “Davis continued to make statements that he was going kill Hurst, and then himself,” police say in a probable-cause statement. Davis finally opened the door and said Hurst was free to leave, police say, but it was a fakeout. He had a scarf wrapped around her throat and was choking her, police say. An officer shocked him with a Taser, but it was of no use. “Even after a full cycle [of the Taser] Davis refused to let go of Hurst,” police write. Police were eventually able to wrestle Hurst out of his grip and put him in handcuffs, they say. Hurst

Travis Lee Davis, escape ninja. | COURTESY OF MISSOURI STATE HIGHWAY PATROL later told police Davis punched her and stomped on her head before they got there. She claimed he had used meth that morning. Davis was charged with kidnapping, domestic assault and endangering the welfare of a child and booked into the Pettis County Jail. He was there less than a month before the most recent escape. In typical Davis fashion, the jailbreak was a surprising and determined affair. Jailers in Sedalia first noticed Davis missing from his cell during a routine check on March 10, authorities say. Their investigation revealed that he had climbed into the ceiling the night before, scurried across the rafters and slipped through a hole in a concrete wall. He is then believed to have climbed into a maintenance closet, leading to an exterior door. From there, investigators think, he skipped out onto the street and ran. His travels in the days that followed are hazy. But he surfaced early March 13 at a gas station/casino run by the American Indian tribe in Heavener, Oklahoma. Heavener cops and tribal police responded after a woman told casino employees Davis had kidnapped her. She claimed she had slipped away after he fell asleep in the car. After a brief struggle, officers were able to cuff the elusive escapee and put him in the caged backseat of a Heavener patrol car, authorities say. But as officers

Davis somehow worked his hands from behind his back to the front, forced open a small panel in the backseat cage and wriggled through an opening of less than two feet to the front seat. interviewed the woman, Davis somehow managed to work his hands from behind his back to the front, force open a small panel in the backseat cage and wriggle through an opening of less than two feet into the front seat. “He’s a little skinny dude, so he just crawled through the partition in the cage and was able to get in the front,” explains Sheriff Seale. The patrol car was still running, and Davis gunned it out of the parking lot. He made it less than two miles before veering off the road and slamming into a tree. A reporter for 40/29 News would

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later show video of the car’s mangled front end, a deep V in the heavy-duty push bumper. Even that did not stop Davis, who bailed out and ran, the sheriff says. Seale thought he may have boarded a passing freight train. There is a hub for Kansas City Southern Railway nearby. “We have people jump those trains in Heavener all the time,” Seale says. And shortly after the patrol car crash, a tipster reported seeing a white man riding on the side of a boxcar. Law enforcement were able to stop the train about 35 miles to the north, but they did not find Davis. There were other reported sightings. Workers at the LeFlore Baptist Association, about twelve miles north of Heavener, told authorities a soaking-wet man with an eye tattoo on his throat arrived on their doorstep asking where he could find some free clothes. They referred him to another place in town, but Seale says he never showed up there. Instead, he believes Davis stumbled upon a camper on the edge of Heavener and hid out there for two nights before stealing a Dodge pickup and driving back to Missouri. On Monday, authorities found the truck abandoned in Pettis County. Pettis County Sheriff Kevin Bond said in a news release that law enforcement conducted an extensive search overnight. The sheriff told KMBC that a tipster reported seeing Davis Tuesday morning in a garage in East Sedalia. Later that morning, Sedalia cops finally caught him. Naturally, Davis put up “some resistance” before they were able to get him into custody, Bond said. The escapee’s time on the lam made headlines across the country and led to school lockdowns and worried locals along his route. In Sequoyah County, Oklahoma, a school employee called authorities after mistaking a man walking along the highway for Davis. Responding sheriff’s deputies fatally shot the man, 27-year-old Shawn Taylor Watie, alleging he came at them with a knife. Davis is now back in Pettis County Jail, where he is facing charges of kidnapping, domestic assault and endangering the welfare of child related to a February standoff. After his escape, prosecutors added charges of escape. n

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Cops Seize Server in Battle with Gardner Written by

DOYLE MURPHY

t. Louis police officers raided the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office last week and seized the office’s servers — only to be stopped by appellate judges. The officers, who arrived on March 12 around 3 p.m., were executing a hotly contested search warrant related to a grand jury investigation into perjury during the blackmail case against former Gov. Eric Greitens. They kept the servers for an hour before returning them, according to the circuit attorney. Shortly after, an appeals court issued an order halting any more action on the search warrant for the time being. The search was designed to “intimidate and humiliate” Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, her lawyer says in a written statement. “In my decades of work in the criminal justice system, I have never seen a chief prosecutor treated this way by a court or a police department,” attorney Roy Austin Jr. says. “I believe the true motivation of yesterday’s actions by this Special Prosecutor, the police department and Circuit Judge was to intimidate and humiliate Circuit Attorney Gardner and strip her of the powers granted to her by the people of the City of St. Louis.” The grand jury is looking into, among other things, whether an investigator hired by Gardner, former FBI agent William Tisaby, perjured himself in the Greitens case. The ex-governor was accused of taking a nearly nude photo of a woman with whom he was having an affair as a safeguard against her telling anyone about their relationship. Gardner eventually agreed to dismiss invasion of privacy charges against Greitens rather than testify about Tisaby. The police department is now investigating the perjury charges. Normally, that case would go to Gardner’s office, but Judge Michael Mullen ruled she had a conflict of interest. He then appointed attorney Gerald Carmody, over the circuit attorney’s objections, as a special prosecutor. Carmody sought a search warrant for all emails and electronic files stored on the circuit attorney’s server between January 1, 2018 and June 30, 2018. Mullen later granted the search warrant, despite vehement opposition from the circuit attorney. In a motion fighting the search warrant, the circuit attorney’s chief of staff and outside attorneys argued that information on the servers was too sensitive to release. Along with information on crime victims and witnesses, it includ-

Wednesday March 20 9PM

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John Gros Band from NOLA Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner fought for the return of her office’s server. | DANNY WICENTOWSKI

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Sunday March 24 8PM

Legend Sundays w/ Kim Massie

Along with information on crime victims and witnesses, the server included files on investigations into “judges, elected officials, and police officers.” ed files on investigations into “judges, elected officials, and police officers,” the lawyers say. Those cases, some of which were closed without charges, go far beyond the perjury investigation, they argue. The motion also outlines the circuit attorney’s heated battle with the police department, beginning with her campaign promise to act as a “reformer.” Violent crime is down since she took office in January 2017, the circuit attorney’s lawyers note. “Nonetheless, the Circuit Attorney is under a near-constant barrage of criticism from the St. Louis Police Department... for her statutorilyauthorized decisions to investigate allegations of misconduct within the Department itself.” Gardner’s office says that police are furious that she has challenged the department, indicting officers in shootings and placing 28 cops on a secret list of officers from whom prosecutors will not accept cases. Gardner claims the ongoing grudge motivated police to seek a

special prosecutor in the perjury case. “The Department’s animosity toward the Circuit Attorney’s efforts resulted in the unprecedented appointment of this Special Prosecutor,” the Gardner’s lawyers say in the motion. “Now, the unelected Special Prosecutor is using the Warrant to usurp the power of the St. Louis-elected Circuit Attorney.” The idea that the special prosecutor undercuts Gardner’s authority is a repeated theme in the motion. “Finally, through the Warrant, and the underlying investigation, the Special Prosecutor seeks to undermine the position of the elected Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner, who is an African-American woman successfully reforming the criminal justice system.” All of that came to a boil March 12, when Judge Mullen ruled Gardner would have to comply with a search warrant for the servers. Gardner’s attorneys immediately challenged the decision in the Missouri Court of Appeals. While that appeal was pending, the circuit attorney contends police officers and the special prosecutor “rushed” to seize the servers, according to a news release. It is not clear what information, if any, police were able to get. The circuit attorney’s news release says the investigators couldn’t figure out what information they wanted to take during what proved to be a brief window of possession. Shortly after the search warrant was executed, the appellate court issued a stay, halting further action. Judge Mullen now has until March 22 to respond and attempt to justify his approval of the warrant. Gardner says she’s not backing down. “Over the past two years, I have fought diligently to protect the constitutional rights of the people of St. Louis, including the private information of victims, witnesses, and defendants,” she says in a statement. “I will not allow anyone to interfere with the important work the people have elected me to do.” n

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Wednesday March 27 9:30 pm Urban Chestnut Presents

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Gun Supply Store Asks If Muslim Massacre Was ‘Fucking Great’ Written by

DANNY WICENTOWSKI Tactical Shit, of course, doesn’t have an opinion. | SCREENSHOT VIA YOUTUBE/FACEBOOK

eterminedly edgy local gunsupply store Tactical Shit took a break last weekend from promoting its St. Patrick’s Day sale to ask its Facebook followers their opinion of Friday’s massacre of Muslims in New Zealand: Was the incident a tragedy, the poll asked, or was it “fucking great?” The Facebook poll, which appears to have been deleted between Saturday evening and Sunday, drew thousands of votes and hundreds of comments. According to a screenshot, fifteen percent of respondents viewed the killing of 49 innocent people as a cause for celebration. “How do you ‘feel’ about the NZ Shooting?” the query began. “This poll is because in our posts and news stories, our shitheads seem pretty divided.” The store, which is based in suburban St. Peters, seemed to be aware that it was basically inviting the bigots in its audience to step forward. “We are in no way are indicating our opinion,” the post added, “just want yours.” But it wasn’t just the poll being pushed through Tactical Shit’s Facebook feed Saturday. That same afternoon, the account liked and then reshared a version of the “distracted boyfriend” meme. In this case, the boyfriend in the meme is labeled “literally the whole fucking world” while ignoring the woman behind him identified as “daily acts of terror committed by a religion preaching violence.” The object of the boyfriend’s distracted attention is a woman in the foreground. She is labeled “one guy shooting Muslims in revenge.” Tactical Shit devoted numerous posts Saturday to the mass shooting, and the page has continued to post stories and commentary,

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Tactical Shit owner T.J. Kirgin models one of his shop’s t-shirts. | SCREENSHOT VIA YOUTUBE inviting its “shitheads to fill its comment sections with crusader-themed memes and photoshopped images from the shooter’s livestream that present the tragedy as a scene from a video game. Tactical Shit’s massacre-related content also includes an entire episode of the store’s podcast, “Shots Fired,” which examines the Australian shooter s ustifications for murdering innocent people. The episode, titled, “Radical Gamer Trolls World in Real Life First Person Shooter,” features a lengthy conversation between Tactical Shit owner T.J. Kirgin and store employees Alex Milberg and Kris Dickson. Around the three-minute mark, Kirgin describes his reaction to seeing live-streamed footage of

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the massacre, which the killer made using a helmet camera. (The footage has drawn comparison to first person video games, which inspired the podcast’s title.) At Tactical Shit, Kirgin says in the podcast, “We don’t like Muslim extremists at all. We’re not fans of Islam in any shape or form. Still, killing of innocent civilians is probably not cool.” Kirgin now says the “probably not cool” was sarcasm. He notes that his first acebook post about the shooting came so soon after the attack, it referenced four shooters, not just one. The initial post he shared was a clear condemnation. “These four scumbags in New Zealand,” it said, “are no better than ISIS & the IRA, killing unarmed civilians. Not Warriors

or Soldiers, just scum.” In Kirgin’s remarks on the podcast, however, he says he was shocked to find that the post had caused the Tactical Shit Facebook page to lose hundreds of followers. “I was like, ‘Whoa, what the fuck,’” Kirgin tells his cohosts. Kirgin deleted the post, and then decided to post something on the other side of the spectrum of reactions, what he describes as a “’too-soon’ meme, like, going the other way with it” — referring to the distracted boyfriend meme. That post, too, apparently caused hundreds of Facebook followers to leave. “That’s how polarized this thing is already,” Kirgin continues, “So then I’m like, ‘Fuck it, fucktards, I gotta find out what you re thinking here,’ because it’s obviously a polarized thing within our fan base, which are hardcore motherfuckers. So I put out a poll.” Even Kirgin was surprised by the number of his fans who voted that the shooting was “fucking great.” “That’s hardcore, man,” Kirgin says. “But that speaks to the nature of what’s happening in America, the nature of what’s happening in the gun community, and globally with this event.” Throughout the episode, the hosts pick apart the shooter’s manifesto and firearm skills. Often, though, their discussion appears to affirm many of the debunked theories espoused by the shooter. To the Tactical Shit team, Islam is a “violent religion,” and the show’s hosts are quick to agree that atrocities committed by Muslim terrorists are given less media attention than those committed by Christians or whites. To be clear, Kirgin and co-hosts

Tactical Shit posted, and then deleted, this meme over the weekend. | SCREENSHOT interject throughout the episode to declare that they themselves don’t approve of the shooting (and Kirgin repeated that condemnation in a written statement Monday). But at the same time, they find little to dispute in the shooter’s manifesto. Kirgin even makes a lengthy defense of the manifesto’s contention that a high Muslim birthrate threatens to “dominate most of America and pretty much all of Europe.” At that point, Milberg jumps in. He agrees, but suggests that the idea of Muslim dominance is “amazing, because they spend most of the time porking each other in the ass, so you’d be confused, because they aren’t really a big fan of women.” Again, this is one day after the shooting. But that’s the Tactical Shit brand. The same day it posted the poll, Tactical Shit ran a Facebook ad for a gray t-shirt that says “Nationalist” over an outline of a map of the U.S. “We don’t sell white nationalist shirts,” it read. “We do have grey ones.” With 890,000 followers, Tactical Shit has long encouraged “libtard”-bashing, anti-PC humor. It sells products like “Liberal Tears Gun Oil” and produces videos that cater to a particular brand of conservative dudebro — including a St. Patrick’s Day Sale ad that shows an employee applying a discount sticker to a bent-over woman’s behind.

To owner T.J. Kirgin’s shock, the post caused the Tactical Shit Facebook page to lose hundreds of followers. Last year, the store even posted a clip mocking the concept of racial bias training by introducing a black employee, “Token Marcus,” who walks into a scene chugging grape soda. We also reported last year on the store’s sale of an $8 Star of David patch, stitched with the words “Gun Owner.” One day after our story broke, the store removed the patch. But when it comes to the New Zealand mass shooting, the store seems have known it was straying into indefensible territory. At some point, it decided to delete the poll asking people whether they “feel” fucking great about a mass murder of Muslims. And perhaps that’s why the poll’s author added quotation marks around the word “feel” — because even trolls sometimes know when they’ve gone too far. n

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SY OF GETTY IMAGES

FONTELLA BASS PHOTO COURTE 18

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g in h t g in is r p r u s The most is u o L . t S k o o b w e n e about th , t a h t t c a f le p im s e Sound is th . d e t is x e r e v e n it , w until no en scholarly studies of St. Louis mu-

Sure, there have be es â&#x20AC;&#x201D; d scene-focused tom an enr ge nt lle ce ex sic history, n e Confluence by Kevi th at il ev D e ud cl in recent examples s Owsley (jazz), and In ni en D by s el ri ab G of Belford (blues), City St. Louis by John in ck Ro of s ar Ye + Concert: KSHE and 40 r starters. But fo st ju â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s at th d an ), Neiman (classic rock the e dots or charted th d te ec nn co er ev no book has its outlying regions, d an , ty ci is th es ak m evolution of what places for musical t an br vi d an t an rt one of the most impo ent in the world. invention and enjoym Continued on pg 20 . at th s ge St. Louis Sound chan riverfronttimes.com

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ST. LOUIS SOUND Continued from pg 19

The hefty and striking coffee-table book is billed as an “illustrated timeline,” a phrase that’s both accurate and modest. The illustrations are extraordinary, handsomely laid out to tell their own stories, with many photos no one outside of archivists at the Missouri Historical Society has likely ever seen. Those stunning images, coupled with the witty and knowledgeable writing of co-authors Steve Pick (a veteran music writer and longtime KDHX DJ) and Amanda E. Doyle (writer of five previous books, including 100 Things to Do in St. Louis Before You Die and To the Top! A Gateway Arch Story), sprawl across 170-plus entries covering centuries of St. Louis music. Put plainly, it will change the way you think of this city and its culture. “I knew almost everybody in the book,” says Pick. “But to see them all in one place and follow this development over 100 years of recorded history is something else. The breadth just overwhelmed me. I knew these musicians as

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St. Louis Sound features lush photos of musicians from the last 1,000 years of music in the River City, including relatively recent artists such as Angel Olsen (left) and Oliver Sain. | ANGEL OLSEN COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES individuals, but I didn’t think of them as part of a bigger St. Louis musical story.” Reedy Press, a St. Louis publisher with whom Doyle had previously

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worked, originally approached her to suggest the project in 2016. The book follows the model of Reedy’s recently published Nashville Sound, but its soul derives from

the depth of knowledge both Doyle and Pick bring to their subjects, whether they are covering legends like Grant Green and Tina Turner or scenes like the Way Out Club or the fanzines of the ’80s. The story begins in Cahokia, circa 1000, with our first known civili ation, and ends with one of the youngest bands in the book, Old Salt Union, which also happens to hail from the east side. In between, the reader is guided through all the twists and turns and triumphs and missteps of our musical heritage. Ultimately, an argument about what the sound of this city means comes into focus. “In the steamboat entry, you might think of this freewheeling, Dixieland music. But no, not really,” Doyle says as an example. “It was tightly controlled; the musicians weren’t improvising. They gave St. Louis a reputation as a place where people could flat out play. eople would then want to come here and work with these musicians. I hadn’t thought about that and the importance of that music. You still see that reputation for musicianship today.” While the scope of St. Louis Sound is impressive, part of the fun of a book like this is the opportunity afforded for quibbles and Continued on pg 22

And the Beat Goes On St. Louis Sound grows from a book into a festival — err, Project

he tales told in St. Louis Sound are only part of the story of the city’s rich musical culture — as the authors note, that history is still being written today. In keeping, the brains behind the book tapped tastemakers in the local scene for help in booking St. Louis’ best and brightest for five days’ worth of music at venues across town in a festival they’ve dubbed the St. Louis Sound Project. Jazz writer Terry Perkins, music producer Rob Ford, longtime KDHX DJs John Wendland and Keith Dudding, and John May, owner of BB’s Jazz, Blues and Soups, assisted in putting together a lineup that reflects the abundance of talent in the city’s jazz, rock, blues, hip-hop and Americana scenes. Tickets are $10 for each individual night or $30 for all five, and can be purchased at metrotix.com/events/detail/st-louissound-project. Read on for previews of each show, and make plans to join the city in celebrating its ongoing musical heritage.

—Daniel Hill

EXPERIENCE JAZZ SHOWCASE

Tonina / Adam Maness Trio Dabby Campbell & Helios Anita Jackson 8 p.m. Saturday, March 23. The Grandel, 3610 Grandel Square. $10. 314-533-0367. It’s fitting that the Grandel should serve as the venue for the St. Louis Sound Project’s jazz showcase — ever since the Dark Room opened in the entrance to the theater, it’s served as an unofficial headquarters for St. Louis’ jazz scene. This night will see performances by bassist and vocalist Tonina, who in 2018 landed a track on President Barack Obama’s year-end list of his favorite songs; the Adam Maness Trio, consisting of multi-instrumentalist Maness, drummer Montez Coleman and bassist Rob Deboo (all constants in the local jazz scene); and a tribute to legendary jazz horn players (and native St. Louisans) Miles Davis and Clark Terry by trumpet and flugelhorn player Danny Campbell and his band Helios, with a guest spot by singer Anita Jackson.

EXPERIENCE ROCK SHOWCASE

Grace Basement / Desire Lines Finn’s Motel 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 26. The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Boulevard, University City. $10. 314-727-4444. What better place is there in St. Louis to celebrate the history of rock & roll than the longtime home of its founding father, Chuck Berry? The Duck Room, named after Berry’s famous “duck walk,” will play host to three bands carrying on his legacy, each in different ways. Grace Basement, the project of multi-instrumentalist and folk artist Kevin Buckley, will bring its lush songwriting and airtight arrangements to deliver a diverse set ranging from twangy ballads to British Invasion-indebted melodies to hard-driving rock & roll. Desire Lines is the project of scene veteran Jenny Roques, known for her work with the Trio Project, Arson For Candy, Jenny and the Late Nite, Tortuga and JOANofDARK. Rounding out the evening’s lineup is Finn’s Motel, with smart melodies and even smarter lyrics delivered by frontman

and founder Joe Thebeau.

EXPERIENCE BLUES SHOWCASE

Roland Johnson & Soul Endeavor / Marsha Evans / Robbie Montgomery / Rich McDonough & Rhythm Renegades / Vince Martin / Marquise Knox Aaron Griffin Band / Boo Davis Eric McSpadden 8 p.m. Thursday, March 28. BB’s Jazz Blues and Soups, 700 South Broadway. $10. 314-436-5222.

Tonina. | COURTESY ARTIST WEBSITE

It’s no surprise that a showcase of the blues booked at BB’s would be absolutely stacked — after all, the South Broadway venue serves up the good stuff every single night of the week. Still, this night brings an embarrassment of talent, a veritable family reunion of the venue’s regular performers coming together to remind St. Louis that the blues is much more than a game played on ice. Soul stalwart Roland Johnson and his band, Soul Endeavor, will be joined on stage by lifelong blues singer Marsha Evans and Robbie Montgomery, a former Ike and Tina background singer (and Sweetie Pie’s restaurateur) fresh off her first release in 40 years. The Aaron Griffin Band will likewise collaborate with fellow traditional blues performers Boo Davis and Eric McSpadden, and Rich McDonough and his Rhythm Renegades will welcome accomplished guitarist Vince Martin and blues firebrand Marquise Knox to perform during their set.

Grace Basement. | COURTESY ARTIST BANDCAMP

EXPERIENCE HIP-HOP SHOWCASE DJ Sir Thurl / Bates Saint Oeaux / Looprat 8 p.m. Friday, March 29. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Avenue. $10. 314-833-3929.

The Ready Room, a relative newcomer compared to some of the more storied venues hosting the St. Louis Sound Project, is nevertheless a perfect venue to pack in St. Louis’ many hip-hop fans. With a capacity of 800, it has the size to handle the crowds likely to turn out for Bates, the hip-hop firebrand and founder of Femcee Nation, who has been on an absolute tear since releasing For Colored Folk in 2016; Saint Oeaux, the New Orleans-born, St. Louis-raised MC best known for his regional hit “We Don’t Luv Em”; Looprat, the U City hiphop collective heralded for its use of live instrumentation in jazz-rap; and DJ Sir Thurl, a radio personality and legend behind the decks who has been keeping the city partying hard for more than fifteen years.

EXPERIENCE AMERICANA SHOWCASE Colonel Ford / BAJA Fine to Drive 8 p.m. Saturday, March 30. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue. $10. 314-773-3363.

Off Broadway is by far one of the most consistent hosts of roots music in the St. Louis area, so it makes sense

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Roland Johnson. | VIA BLUE LOTUS RECORDINGS

that it would serve as the home to the St. Louis Sound Project’s Americana showcase. Colonel Ford, founded by scene veterans Dade Farrar and Gary Hunt, will deliver a set of original honky-tonk jams alongside a selection of classic covers. BAJA, a supergroup of sorts consisting of Brad and Auset Sarno of the Auset Music Project along with John Wendland and Andy Ploof (of One Fell Swoop, Rough Shop and the Wilhelms), will deliver a set of countrified DIY folk. Fine to Drive caps off the lineup with the soulful harmonies of Suzy Bacino and Michael Eisenbeis and a backing band of pedal steel, drums and upright bass.

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WA 1978-NSETW . LOUIS HITS

, out in 1976 album came st fir ’ Clash es e th on d The Ram Sex Pistols an scene es from the ng on vi ri by th a ed t w follo a while to ge ok to s s. ui ld or Lo . w in 1977. St ck/new wave ent punk ro a sc na ith e w , th 77 in going early as 19 al was held as other barely A punk festiv rs and some de el W e th g in here and ud cl up in lineup nds sprouted ba ax w fe A . ts ac inosaurs, M remembered etros, the D ing ay apores, the R pl ng — Si e rk Je th l there— milland, Coo amaros, Ray Load, the C . gs gi off s or oneere was house partie ch other. Th ble finding ea ou tr w shows fe d a ha ng ns ri Fa dio station ai ra t at -w sheet of 10 ge KWUR, a a free one-pa d there was an buted s, ri st nd di ke as ee w on w d Noise that lle ca n and io ed in iz info and op uld be ostrac , Teenagers co . ly es ow or Sl st . rd ck in reco ing punk ro beaten for lik sted a ho o isc D e occasionally o Nam in ed up. The N few months venues popp onday for a M y er ev t ing out gh nt ni re e d av te w ar w st ne . Bands d early 1980 s. late 1979 an put on show to lls ha on more gi ed in person, American Le gl in rm te in ians ic us lar duo m pu d po an a As fans Langrehr was to find . Brown and sly ed es ar el pe tir d ap s ke or band e Langrehr, w rli y, ha er C rg t, Su ris whose guita s, the Felons, es, . The Oozkick uk ay N pl e to th es s, er ac rik new pl Mation, the St tig An La t ts, Je . isfi ingly at once the Zanti M in routed up seem g sp in l al ay pl s— ts ne ac the Clo and national the red the local line to spread magazine cove wave concert w ne a d re so on sp d town an music. ore about this t of St. Louis word even m nds broke ou ba e av w w ne or ose shows No punk ho attended th e, but those w av creativity and w of st t fir rs at bu a in th s energy and ou m or en those who an to remember connection gave a sense of at th t Hill and oa ie er G e ad lli ar Bi cam other scenes. ith w in live bands. fit of hadn’t quite rge numbers ed booking la rt e for sta ac b pl Pu a s d’ ve Bernar nge Club, ga P, or the Cha ong in about al e m ca nk The Club Opdcore pu ners to meet. Har ians and liste younger fans e many music er w e er s. th ea id ly, t 1982. Sudden est and freshes es to the new lv se em th g dedicatin D ST. LOUIS SOUN

1925-JOSEPHINE BAKER 1989-THE UR

ely lightdhood as the unfortunat From a poverty-ridden chil rnational inte to ss dre laun unmarried black skinned child of an Theneind nald Do Mc epe Jose nde da phi nt music scene Fre on, fame and obsessive adorati regg eve allypunk infl t ska, ae, ntu tha fun file k, pro pici and aus ous u the for d tine didn’t seem des ped 198 skip gro hun up 9 rs a gry, of yea you y ng guys from earl her spe nt She her. re befo ed unfold a group toobin k up ingwit thohse styles. W l with her family, andcom school, stole food and coa sing er, dStev fromng,the her Ewi save at e would turn o Wh men her family found unsuitable. ty, withamb tivi mam n,thcrea mo pip itio her es e and exquis wer , ugh tho h, likely end of that pat ente ry eve rtai h nm wit ent valu the e on on line the stage. put whi she of ch all nt, and raw tale performer’s ladder. rung she climbed of the vaudeville her family) haunted the Josephine (“Tumpy” to orhood— ghb Val nei ek ley Cre l Mil and movie houses of the Jazzland, atre , The T. shington such places as the Booker Wa and tage ons t saw wha she ted by and the Comet. Captiva a St. Louis ed join ma she her rk, determined to make in her the Dixie Steppers while still vaudeville group called rn circuit sou the ted ega segr the young teens and traveled touring From there she joined a performing minstrel shows. went on to n the and ia, lph lade Phi musical theatre based in Chocolate Dandies. In ed New York with a show call The the all-black musical and is Par to 1925, she made her way wildly on ced sensually and flailed La Revue Nègre. She dan ies Bergère Fol ized Les . mer mes were the stage, and audiences dance ston arle t came the famed Ch came next, and after tha her of rest the all and skirt performed in only a banana legendary daring. ewer. “It’s no dancer,” wrote one revi “This is no woman, odiment of emb the sic, mu as ive tic and elus something as exo d, both nge ver cha Her life was fore all the sounds we know.” rded affo s dom free and the onstage by the freedom she felt tions al ecta raci exp ined by America’s her offstage. Less constra ed acc ept was star she ng , risi as a and racist limitations, and h , wit her be Everyone wanted to into all levels of society. r of her dinner with her. The colo e w hav , kno her dress her, too dark and iety blac soc k for t skin—at home, too ligh le status among European for whites—conferred a desirab it ly to stereotype her, albe like audiences, who were just as app ” eal. tive “primi through a more flattering lens of y part ntual film acting were onl eve and g, cin dan g, gin Sin to her an see beg more Josephine of the package. More and sm raci g cin den of oun service calling as using her art in 126 ST. LOUIS SOUND

16 ST. LOUIS SOUND

ST. LOUIS SOUND Continued from pg 20

objections. What, no J-Kwon? Really, the experimental DIY scene doesn’t get a spread? No Frederick’s Music Lounge? My favorite band isn’t in the index? Every book and every history has the limits of time and paper. But here, if there’s anything disappointing, it’s that there aren’t enough gaps, there aren’t enough missing figures to allow the reader to feel superior in noting their absence. And, in the end, the pure enthusiasm that Pick and Doyle bring to their subjects is more than enough to compensate for the necessary elisions. “I wanted the book to have hu-

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mor,” Pick, who composed the majority of entries, says. “That goes back to my life of writing. I was influenced by ester Bangs and Stan Lee, Creem magazine and comic books. I wanted each entry to stand on its own. Coffeetable books can have great pictures and boring words. I never wanted this to be boring. I love this music, and I loved telling this story from a point of view that hadn’t been told. We mixed musicians who are known worldwide with musicians who are known only to a few hundred people here in St. Louis. Facts were important, but hopefully even if there are mistakes of facts there are no mistakes of heart.” Adds Doyle, “I think the style of the book is conversational

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Steve Pick. | COURTESY REEDY PRESS

but fairly authoritative. It’s like a conversation with someone who knows what they are talking about. It should sound like something that was experienced by the author, having that first hand e perience with the music and the place. You want someone who knows a lot about musical history to not be bored by the book, but we also wanted it to appeal to a wider audience.” Because it takes a distinct chronological approach, the evolution of St. Louis music — from the social music of the nineteenth century to the icons of pre-war blues and jazz to the emergence of rock & roll and new wave and Americana — becomes a fascinating conversation across time, between music lovers and scenes and record labels

ER ghtonal URGE E

music scene in St. Louis alw ays had its share of ally nd punk influences, so it was onl y natural that by d ppe ung guys from We bster Groves would coalesc h wit e into those styles. What was une xpected was that their he would turn out to be a barn burner of a front man, , vity es and exquisite phrasin not to mention sheer g, yon the stage. With each self-rel eased cassette or

eville od— and, nd

CD sold at their bigger and bigger shows in a wider and wider range of Midwestern locales, the Urge became more beloved. In 1996, they signed to the nationally dist ributed Immortal label, and in 1998 they had a hit single, “Jump Right In,” with guest vocals from the singer in 311. By 2001, the party was over, and the band bro ke up. They re-formed years later and released a seventh album in 2013. National attention may be gone, but the Urge continues to play that fun ky music.

n her uit uring n to In sical dly on Bergère dance er

r. “It’s iment of ed, both orded pectations ccepted h her, r of her dark opean , albeit l. only part o see her acism

“We mixed musicians who are known worldwide with musicians who are known only to a few hundred people here in St. Louis,” says co-author Steve Pick. Above, a selection of pages. | COURTESY REEDY PRESS and musicians who never planned to change the world from their homes in St. Louis (OK, Miles Davis probably had a plan), but who did all the same. “It’s fascinating how many times St. Louis played a key role in the development of music in general,” Pick says. “From the fact that Frankie Trumbauer brought Bix Beiderbecke here, and those two guys influenced everything that came for years after. Jimmy Blanton was playing here and decided that bass could do more than play those root notes. Miles came from here and developed six different styles that are still being played today. Chuck Berry, Ike Turner, Uncle Tupelo, Nelly. They all became heavily influential, and it all started here. You don’t think of St.

Amanda Doyle. | COURTESY REEDY PRESS

Louis as being this creative spark place. But it is.” One of the book’s most important contributions is the way it reclaims many legendary performers for this region and refocuses their story through a distinctively St. Louis lens. “We came to realize the importance of people who were here for a minute in the scheme of things, but who touched a lot of musicians,” Doyle says. “You might not think of someone like Josephine Baker as a St. Louisan, but her presence here was so important. She was here at a certain moment in time that was significant. To accompany the release of the book, Pick and Doyle will be doing talks and signings all over town (even at the Bellefontaine

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emetery, the final resting place for some of the featured musicians) and will be hosting a festival called the St. Louis Sound Project, which features five different concerts at five different venues, spanning jazz, blues, rock, Americana and hip-hop. The authors enlisted five “curators, tastemakers in the local scene, to put the shows together, which will run March 23 to 30. “We didn’t expect to get only artists that are in the book,” Pick admits. “But Finn’s Motel and Marquise Knox, who are both in the book, are performing. It’s a way to tie the book into now. “There’s somebody inventing something right now that s significant,” he says. “The story doesn’t end.” n

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FORTY RESTAURANTS. FOUR FAMOUS CHEFS. ONE NIGHT OF EXCITEMENT! IT’S THE BIGGEST FOOD NIGHT OF THE YEAR — AND ONE HELL OF A PARTY. INDULGE IN DECADENT FOOD, HAND-CRAFTED COCKTAILS, AND ALL THE HEART-POUNDING DRAMA OF OUR SIGNATURE CULINARY THROWDOWN.

AT THE CITY MUSEUM 7-11 PM | WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019 WWW.RFTIRONFORK.COM

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CALENDAR

BY PAUL PAUL FRISWOLD FRISWOLD BY the masses, and ten new stouts will be served to make sure those lil’ devils go down easily. Stout options range from the unusual (the German Dry Hopped Stout) to the sublime (a Horseradish Stout, a S’More Stout). There will be live music throughout the event from the Provels, Hip Grease and Hazard to Ya Booty, among others. The main event is the Stout & Oyster Shuck Off, in which teams of three shuckers will have to shuck, slurp and then chug a stout, with the fastest time winning. The festival starts at 5 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday (March 22 and 23) at the Schlafly Tap oom ocust Street www.schlafly.com , and admission is free.

THURSDAY 03/21 Blue vs. Red At this point in the hockey season, the St. Louis Blues are on course for the playoffs, but it’s no sure thing. The team barely holds on to the seventh of eight available playoff spots and needs every win it can get to make it to the postseason. Old enemies the Detroit Red Wings are suffering after years of success (often at the Blues’ expense), scudding along in second-to-last place in the Eastern Conference. Surely you see where this is going: The Blues need to win, the Red Wings lose a lot, but there are no gimmies in hockey. (Indeed, the Blues recently lost to Ottawa, the team behind the Wings in the standings.) The Blues and the Red Wings meet again at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 21, at the Enterprise Center (1401 Clark Avenue; www.stlblues.com), and tickets are $40 to $209.

FRIDAY 03/22 Pharaoh Down In his sonnet “Ozymandias,” Percy Bysshe Shelley describes the legs of an epic statue in the desert wastelands, its ruined face lying “half sunk” in the sand. The inscription on the pedestal reads, “My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!” The poem is a meditation on time wearing away the memory of even the mightiest, and a reminder that death means forgetfulness. In truth, it may have been Ozymandias’ successor who destroyed the statue upon assuming the title of pharaoh. Statues and memorial inscriptions held ritual power for the Egyptians, and it behooved the new ruler to sweep away all remnant of his or her predecessor. In the Pulitzer Arts Foundation’s (3716 Washington Boulevard; www.pulitzerarts.org) new exhibition, Striking Power: Iconoclasm in Ancient Egypt, the legacies of the pharaohs Hatshepsut and Akhenaten are examined through almost 40 historical objects that are both defaced and whole. Memory and visual culture are intertwined, and the destruc-

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SATURDAY 03/23 Tour de Lou

his “The Joke’s on US Tour.” The self-proclaimed socialist has an abiding dislike for stupidity, selfishness and mendacity, and that’s practically the family motto for the current American president (the opposition party hasn’t done a whole lot to distinguish itself, either). As a comedian, Black mines the horrors of such cads for bitter laughs, but this regime may be too much of a dumb thing. Rest assured, Black will break down the modern state of affairs with all the fury of someone who expects better but knows he’ll never get it. Black takes the stage at 8 p.m. Friday, March 22, at the Stifel Theatre (1400 Market Street; www. stifeltheatre.com). Tickets are $36.50 to $72.

The Tour of St. Louis is the first big bicycle race of year — and what a way to start. Three races over two days will test cyclists’ mettle and give spectators a wide range of watching options. Race one is the Wildwood Centaur Time Trial, which starts at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, March 23, at 114 North Eatherton Road, Wildwood. The eleven-mile, out-and-back course is flat and winding, and the road will be open to traffic with police monitoring the race course. The second race is the Carondelicious Circuit Race, and it starts at 9 a.m. Saturday, March 23, at 3900 Holly Hills Boulevard. It’s a 1.3-mile-long course with an uphill finish. The Mike Murray Classic Criterium closes out the weekend at 9 a.m. Sunday, March 24. This is a fast, flat circuit in orest ark that will take cyclists past the Missouri History Museum and the Muny, with the start/end point in the lower Muny parking lot. Admission for spectators is free. For more information, visit www.bigshark.com.

Aww, Shucks

The Looks of Love

This year marks the twentieth edition of Schlafly’s Stout & Oyster Festival, and the craft brewery is going all out. Twenty five professional shuckers are flying in from both coasts to serve up the 80,000 oysters necessary to feed

Asako meets the dreamy Baku at a photography exhibition and is instantly smitten with the charismatic, devil-may-care young man. He reciprocates those feelings, or at least appears to do so. Asako’s friends aren’t so sure about her

Senenmut, ca. 1478-1458 BCE. Granite. Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 67.68. | BROOKLYN MUSEUM tion of the latter can easily erase the former. Striking Power opens with a free reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, March 22. The work remains on display through August 11.

Black Day Lewis Black, the angriest man in America, returns to St. Louis for

MARCH 20-26, 2019

Lewis Black returns to St. Louis. | CLAY MCBRIDE

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WEEK OF OF MARCH MARCH 21-27 21-27 WEEK

Waitress is a feel-good musical. | PHILICIA ENDELMAN new boyfriend; some say he’s a noted heartbreaker. But Asako is deeply infatuated. Who knows how Baku feels? One day he simply disappears, and Asako is left with nothing but memories and longing. A few years later, Asako spots Baku. But is it him? The man she meets is quieter, less exciting and says his name is Ryôhei, but she could swear it’s her Baku. Director y suke amaguchi adapt-

ed Tomoka Shibaski’s novel for the film Asako I & II, which flips the manic-pixie dreamgirl trope on its head. The Webster Film Series presents the strange romance at 7:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday (March 22 to 24) at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 Edgar Road; www.webster.edu/ film series . Tickets are to . Check out our full review in the film section.

Asako finds two identical boyfriends who are very different. | GRASSHOPPER FILM

TUESDAY 03/26 The Life of Pie Jenna has a gift for piemaking and a horrible marriage to the loutish Earl. Her friends at the diner all have their own problems, and so she does what she can — dream of a better life away from Earl and take solace in her baking. Things get worse when she discovers she’s pregnant, but then improve slightly when she meets her dreamy OB/GYN, Dr. Pomatter. Jenna and the doctor have a lot in common, and before you know it they’re embroiled in a steamy affair. But is an affair any way out of a marriage? Jenna pins her hopes on winning the grand prize in a baking contest and using the money to escape her small town and start over somewhere else, but life doesn’t always give you what you want. The new fanfavorite musical Waitress is a feel-good story based on the Keri ussell film of the same name and features songs by Sara Bareilles. Waitress is performed Tuesday through Sunday (March 26 to April 7) at the Fox Theatre (527 North Grand Boulevard; www. fabulousfox.com). Tickets are $29 to $104. n

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FILM

Baku and Asako (Masahiro Shigahide and Erika Karata) have a passionate, short-lived relationship. | GRASSHOPPER FILM

[REVIEW]

Love, Actually? Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s romance Asako I & II explores the strange state of falling in love Written by

ROBERT HUNT Asako I & II Directed by Ryûsuke Hamaguchi. Written by Sachiko Tanakand and Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, from the novel by Tomoka Shibasaki. Starring Masahiro Higashide, Erika Karata and Sairi Itô. Plays March 22 to 24 as part of the Webster Film Series.

wonderfully erratic spirit guides Ryûsuke Hamaguchi s multifaceted new film, an esoteric sense of freedom that pulls it through the conventions of a romance but never

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quite allows it to comfortably settle on generic rules. As contradictory as it sounds, it s both timeless and conspicuously, designedly contemporary. Its heroine is almost unconsciously shaken by the world she lives in, and the film fre uently steps back to provide overviews of the landscape, urban and otherwise, that seems to overpower her. (According to the director, these images are also reminders of the disasters — an earth uake, a tsunami and the ukushima nuclear accident — that shook Japan in 2011.) She’s a modern girl but an uneasy one, and the balance tells us much about the way we live now. I’d suggest that Hamaguchi sums it up in a single image late in the film a smart phone dropped from a car window. The story, a slim one, is this Asako rika arata , a young woman in Osaka, falls in love with Baku asahiro Shigahide , a brash, rebellious DJ. Baku, prone to sudden absences, abruptly disappears. Two years later, Asako relocates to Tokyo and meets y hai, a cautious, career driven fellow who

MARCH 20-26, 2019

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She’s a modern girl but an uneasy one, and the balance tells us much about the way we live now. happens to be the exact image of Baku, other than a different haircut and business clothes. It’s almost inevitable that they will become a couple, but Asako is reluctant, even unnerved. s she in love with Ryôhai or simply holding on to the memory of Baku The theme of duality obviously suggests Hitchcock’s Vertigo (and is possibly echoed in the original Japanese title Netemo sametemo, which can be translated as “when asleep or awake , but amaguchi takes a lighter approach, one that more closely recalls the thoughtful romantic studies of Éric Rohmer. Like Rohmer’s frequently dissatisfied heroines, Asako is per-

plexed by the psychological state of being in love, of seeing herself in someone else yet also always examining the relationship from a distance. As the film progresses and the relationship becomes more complicated, she uestions her own personality even as she begins to assert herself. Are there two Asakos, as the title suggests, psychological complements to Baku y hai She s self aware and even enigmatically self-centered, but amaguchi seems to suggest that this is an inevitable part of self-consciousness. There’s an absorbing sense of restlessness to the film as amaguchi, best known for his five hour improvisatory Happy Hour, allows both cast and story to meander freely. It’s a psychological drama when necessary, a hint of a enry James ghost story when the director feels like shaking things up — a melodramatic tale of ilted love, suppressed passions and regret given a slightly icy twist. Yet all of the loose ends and cut corners add up to a complete image of life and love that is both timeless and ruthlessly of the minute. n

[REVIEW]

Destination Wedding Michael Winterbottom’s The Wedding Guest is a loose and loping crime thriller Written by

ROBERT HUNT The Wedding Guest Written and directed by Michael Winterbottom. Starring Dev Patel, Radhika Apte and Jim Sarbh. Opens Friday, March 22, at the Landmark Tivoli Theatre.

ne of the hallmarks of British director Michael Winterbottom is his refusal to be tied down by generic restraints. He leaps easily from dissecting pop culture (24 Hour Party People) to sober Oscar bait (A Mighty Heart), from ambitious literary adaptations (Tristram Shandy and a daunting trio of Thomas Hardy novels) to the brilliant free-form dialogues of his Trip trilogy. The Trip cycle’s

killed, Jay and his hostage Samira (Radhika Apte) take to the road. As they wind their way through India, the usually cool criminal, who’s used to being in control, begins to realize that nothing about his assignment or his fellow traveler is what he expected. Part film noir, part existential drama along the lines of Michelangelo Antonioni’s The Passenger, The Wedding Guest unfolds at a seemingly improvised pace, each new twist requiring a spontaneous response from the outlaw couple. Following the pair as their relationship evolves, Winterbottom favors mood over narrative, and a rambling sense of uneasiness sets in. Despite the specificity of the Asian location and the inescapable presence of 21st-century technology, there is a timelessness to the characters and their dilemma. It’s like a Graham Greene novel with cell phones. Despite a swerve into Hitchcock territory in its final third, I suspect that The Wedding Guest will disappoint viewers looking for decisive action and clearly defined heroism. (For those who like strong resolution, the ending is completely logical, yet both predictable and disappointing.) Winterbottom is stronger

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Jay (Dev Patel) is hired to kidnap a bride. Then his plan goes off the rails. | COURTESY IFC FILMS sense of movement and (in the third installment) understated hint of paranoia are echoed in The Wedding Guest, the director’s latest. Set in Pakistan and India, The Wedding Guest is a loose, rootless crime film, a kind of road movie in which the motivations and directions of the characters keep changing. Protagonist Jay (Dev Patel) is a no-nonsense professional criminal, the kind of man who knows how to get a job done no matter how many redirections and fake passports it takes. Jay arrives in Pakistan on an assignment to kidnap a young bride on the eve of her wedding and deliver her to her boyfriend. When his plans go awry and a guard is

on atmosphere and small details than on plot and is clearly more interested in watching his lead performers react to their settings than in worrying about how to tie things up neatly. At its best, The Wedding Guest skillfully creates a kind of intimate connection between the camera and his characters, a subjective connection that suggests we’re sharing their immediate reaction to everything, whether it’s picking up a gun or simply answering a phone. With two fine lead performers and an evolving, unfamiliar setting (for most Western audiences), it’s a compelling journey — if you’re not too worried about the final destination. n

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MARCH 20-26, 2019

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Located inside the Cortex Innovation Hall in midtown St. Louis, The Chocolate Pig’s fun, unique location perfectly complements the interesting fare offered up by this well-regarded new entrant to the local dining scene. Open every day, The Chocolate Pig’s primary restaurant space offers salads, sandwiches, burgers, elevated comfort foods such as shrimp and grits and intriguing daily specials inside the attractive dining room and bar. The Market component, meanwhile is a “quick grab kitchen,” allowing those with limited time a chance to order a coffee and sandwich quickly, while offering an elevated set of expectations than the normal “grab & go” concept; it’s open from 7 am-5 pm daily and provides a great option for Cortex workers. Destination diners, though, are going to want to sit and savor the fare from The Chocolate Pig during lunch and dinner service, the restaurant serving moderately-priced entrees that are heavy on locally-sourced ingredients. Though the menu items featuring proteins (especially pork) are among the most-popular, a variety of vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free items complement them. All items are offered up in one of the most-unique, thoughtfully-stimulating restaurant environments in town.

Bobby’s Place is named after Bobby Plager, a former St. Louis Blues defenseman and cultural icon of the 70’s. Bobby’s Place is located in Valley Park and on Hampton Ave., and both locations offer their respective neighborhoods are a place where our patrons can feel at home. Bobby’s Place is known for their wide variety of flavors of Chicken Wings, their fresh meat Hamburgers and Chicken Sandwiches, and their not too thin Pizzas that come out on a rectangular metal tray. A wide assortment of freshly made appetizers, sandwiches, salads and pastas can be enjoyed while watching any of your favorite sports on the many flat screen TVs throughout the Bar & Grill. Beer you say? Well we have 16 local and regional tap handles of your favorites and countless bottles and cans to wet your whistle. Bobby’s Place is known for a $6.99 daily lunch special and a wide variety of drink specials. There is always something going on at Bobby’s Place, whether that something is Trivia Night, Beer Pong, DJ Music, or live bands. A full bar with signature drinks and shots will compliment a good night out with friends at Bobby’s Place.

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Any realtor will tell you it starts with location: the 1800s brick row house across the street from the Anheuser-Busch brewery provides an elegant speakeasy-feel stage for Chef Stephan Ledbetter’s delicious creations. Scallops with grapefruit over risotto, pork gnudi with mushroom, butternut squash soup, an asparagus salad with burrata and prosciutto - the rotating seasonal menu promises a culinary delight worthy of a first date, a milestone anniversary, and anything in between. One of the better-curated wine lists in town alongside a selection of whiskeys and craft cocktails can begin or round out your evening. This quiet upstart to the Soulard dining scene even provides ample parking. Whether you’re looking for a glass of wine and apps to start the evening, an elevated dining experience, or just a late night cocktail -OAKED delivers. Make plans now and call for reservations before the word gets out.

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.

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

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 NOT right YOUR AVERAGE SUSHI SPOT everything you love about sushi and burritos in your hand. The Swedish Fish layers Scandinavian cured salmon, yuzu dill slaw, Persian cucumbers and avocado for aTAKEOUT fresh flavor explosion. Another 9 SOUTH VANDEVENTER DINE-IN, OR DELIVERY MON-SAT 11AM-9PM favorite, the OG Fire, features your choice of spicy tuna or salmon alongside tempura crunch, masago, shallots, jalapeño and 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.

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CAFE

[REVIEW]

Craft’s Beer At Brasswell, inside Rockwell Beer Co., an acclaimed chef is serving one of the best burgers in town and much more Written by

CHERYL BAEHR Brasswell 1320 South Vandeventer Avenue, 314-2561657. Tues.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-midnight; Sun. 11 a.m.-8 p.m. (Closed Mondays.)

f you plan on going to Rockwell Beer Company for a Brasswell burger on a Friday or Saturday night, be prepared. It’s not enough to say that securing a seat is difficult. inding a place to park yourself in the perpetually packed tasting room is a feat of strength so intense it should be a Ninja Warrior challenge. Fellow guests are not kindred beer and burger enthusiasts. They are competitors to be edged out with speed and agility yet enough selfrestraint to refrain from asking a table halfway finished with their beers if they intend to order anything else. Instead of winning the challenge, you may well find yourself relegated to a small piece of a communal high top, crammed between an office happy hour and a family of si , trying to balance your coat, pint of beer, phone, keys and a cafeteria tray filled with fries and a sandwich. f this is your first time eating a Brasswell burger, you may wonder if having to endure the gauntlet is worth it. One bite is all it takes to answer that question unequivocally. Without a doubt, yes. Nestled onto the most buttery, pillow-soft brioche bun known to man, the Brasswell burger is pure beefy bliss. A juicy, quarter-pound smashed-style patty drips with enough glistening fat to qualify as a condiment. Molten American cheese melds with dijonnaise and the meat’s juices, forming a rich, cheesy goo that soaks into every crevice of the burger, while white

On the menu at Brasswell (clockwise from top left): beignets, a chicken sandwich, fries, a double burger and a beer brat. | MABEL SUEN onions and thinly sliced pickles add a spark of acid to balance out the decadence. You could eat this sandwiched between fellow patrons, sitting on the floor or hanging upside down from the rafters, and you wouldn’t even complain. It’s that wonderful. But while you might assume the Brasswell burger must be the reason for Rockwell’s crowds, it’s only part of the story. After announcing in April 2016 that he was going to open his debut brewery, Rockwell’s owner and brewer Andy Hille became one of the city’s most buzzed-about entrepreneurs. Hille had made a name for himself in the local craft beer community as a brewer at Perennial Artisan Ales, and the e citement for his project only grew as details emerged about his vision for a modern tasting room on an industrial stretch of Vandeventer that, once completed, would serve as a connector between the popular Grove and Botanical Heights neighborhoods. Hille may have been destined for success, but Rockwell hit some

stumbling points along the way, adding to the anticipatory fervor even while delaying its opening by two years. Hille made good use of that time, however, making sure he got the right brewery team, branding, and design for the space — a cool, industrial building made in part from old shipping containers. He also made an important decision about food, tapping acclaimed chef Gerard Craft and his Niche Food Group to run Rockwell’s culinary operations. The James Beard award-winning chef, whose concepts include Sardella, Cinder House, Pastaria, Brasserie by Niche and Taste, relished the idea of doing simple, well e ecuted bar food in a setting that would e pand his brand s reach. Craft, together with his longtime cook Joe Landis, tossed around ideas for Rockwell’s food operations before landing on an obvious choice. Rather than reinvent the wheel, they decided to use Brasserie’s popular happy hour menu and former lunchtime brats-and-burgers concept as the

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menu’s basis, sprinkling in a few new items and rotating specials as well. Named Brasswell (they style it brassWELL, but a newspaper must have some limits), the operation would be a low-key food counter, serving the sort of simple, fast-food-style dishes that, while made e pertly from uality ingredients, would pair well with a low-key evening of beer. Rockwell’s beers are well suited to such an evening, balancing the tastes of both casual beer drinkers and hardcore enthusiasts. The “Stand By” pilsner, in particular, hits that sweet spot between approachability and interest with its easy-drinking yet bright and snappy finish. ts hops are gentle, as opposed to the citrus-bomb slap that comes courtesy of the “New Feeling” India Pale Ale. An IPA drinker’s dream, it’s tailormade to cleanse the palate after a juicy burger. Such pairings finally got their chance to play out when the brewery’s tasting room opened in late November. The place enjoyed

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BRASSWELL

Continued from pg 33

immediate success, becoming a destination as much for the food as for the beer. The two concepts are interwoven seamlessly, with guests ordering food from the same bartenders who pour their beer. You get your pint, grab a buzzer and head off into the packed dining room, hoping to find a seat before your food is up. The real estate issue stems from the sheer popularity of the place, not a design flaw. ockwell is amply sized, consisting of a large, open room in a former machine shop. An industrial aesthetic, with concrete and metal design details, reflects the building s former incarnation. It hits you the moment you pull up to the building and spot four old metal shipping containers — two jetting out of the building; two mounted so that they look like they are suspended in the air. nside, you find a tasting bar on one side of the room and a mi of wooden booths and high-top communal tables scattered throughout the remainder of the space. ille and company even set up e tra seating in the large room that holds the fermentation tanks. On weekends, they try to accommodate additional guests by bringing in the tall, round cocktail tables you d find at a wedding reception. It’s still not enough to meet the demand, perhaps because while the burger may be the restaurant’s shining beacon, it’s not the only show in town. Far from it. The chicken sandwich is a showstopper in its own right, a deep-

Rockwell’s beers on tap include the Cousin Peter, Byrd Up! and Major Key. | MABEL SUEN fried composite of brined and breaded dark or white meat. I opted for the latter and was impressed by the succulent chicken, its seasoned breading cooked up to a crisp, dark-golden hue. If the peppery arugula on top gives it a small kick, the fiery aioli, made from Crystal hot sauce, lands a harder blow, wrapping the tangy heat of the Louisiana condiment in creamy mayonnaise. t s the flavor of a Buffalo chicken sandwich but decidedly more haute. Brasswell’s beer brat is delightfully porky and snappy. Warm spices evocative of the cardamom and caraway of Indian cuisine give the sausage a haunting per-

fume, while seeds from the liberally applied whole-grain mustard pop with each bite like little fireworks of tartness going off in your mouth. Vegetarians are not out of luck at Brasswell. A veggie burger, made from brown rice, quinoa, corn, black beans and red peppers, had a subtle Southwestern spice to it and a pleasant te ture that is soft toward the interior, but crisps up around the edges. Even a simple grilled cheese (listed on the kids’ menu but available to all ages) is a delight, its thick slices of Te as toast slathered with enough butter to form a rich crust. Landis is given the freedom to

create specials, and for Fridays in Lent, he is doing an off-menu sandwich of flaky, beer battered cod, served on that outstanding brioche bun and garnished with arugula, pickles and a rich sauce gribiche, a French condiment akin to tartar sauce with eggs. And to think Lent is supposed to be a time of sacrifice. Of course, Brasswell would not be complete without the Brasserie fries: liberally salted, thin, crispy frites that are one of the Craft restaurant group’s most famous offerings. Sweet-potato chips are a worthy alternative thanks to an une pected chile heat that sneaks up on you after eating a handful. As tempting as it may be to devour the entire basket of fries or chips, you’ll want to save room for another Brasserie carryover: the beignets. At Brasswell, they are a smaller version of the cloudlike fritters, so you can pop them in your mouth one after another, allowing them to dissolve on your tongue like sugary poufs. Then again, you can also wash them down with a dish of velvety chocolate or vanilla soft-serve ice cream that evokes the summer vacations of your youth. That feeling of nostalgia — a burger and fries, beer and brats, chocolate and vanilla soft-serve — permeates so much of Brasswell that it’s easy to see why it’s been such a runaway hit. Nevermind that you’ll likely be sharing a table with a total stranger. That’s the beauty of good food: It brings people together.

Brasswell Single burger .............................................. $7 Chicken sandwich .................................... $10 Beignets ...................................................... $6

DAILY LUNCH BUFFET : WEEKDAYS - $9.99 WEEKENDS - $10.99

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MAKE YOUR DINNER SPECIAL WITH A BOTTLE OF WINE & GET OTHER 1/2 PRICE

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SHORT ORDERS

[SIDE DISH]

Ready to Rise and Shine, Again Written by

CHERYL BAEHR

pening a coffee shop was never part of Jessie Mueller’s plan. A teacher and aspiring social worker, she was simply out working on a community service project in the Grove with a classmate at Saint Louis University when they realized they needed a little caffeine pick-me-up. To their dismay, there was no coffee to be found. “We were out picking up trash, which the program called ‘beautification efforts, and we were tired and needed coffee,” Mueller recalls. “We got to talking about how crazy it was there wasn’t a coffee shop in the area yet. The next thing I knew, I was going down the rabbit hole of opening my own cafe, even though I had never known anything about coffee. My friend told me that there was this whole world of coffee out there that I needed to learn about if I wanted to do it, and I remember thinking, ‘What do you mean?’ It was such a naive thing, but I just got inspired and decided to take the risk.” Mueller did not realize it at the time, but her inspiration to open Rise Coffee House (4176 Manchester Avenue, 314-405-8171) actually went back much further than that fateful, caffeine-deprived day. Mueller may not have known much about coffee, but, in her mind, that was only part of what she wanted her cafe to be. Her plan was for a community gathering place, where people could be themselves and feel that they belonged. That vision dovetailed with her lifelong inclination for community building and empowering others, even if she did not know the first thing about single-origin bean sourcing. Mueller traces her passion for helping others back to her child-

Jessie Mueller is back at Rise, the coffee shop she founded, after a few years focusing on her family. | JEN WEST hood. As the daughter of a single mom, Mueller watched as her mother struggled to make ends meet, and she felt the sting and shame of poverty. The experience cultivated within her a deep empathy for the suffering of others. Drawn to the education field, she combined her love of reading and writing with her passion for empowering others as a languagearts teacher. But with many of her students coming from marginalized communities, she began to realize that her true calling was to try to effect social change outside of the classroom. Working on Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign made her realize that she needed to refocus her talents. She enrolled in Saint Louis University with the goal of becoming a social worker — and then came Rise. On the outside, it seemed like an abrupt departure from her planned path, but Mueller saw the cafe as an extension of her desire to help others. “As I developed the brand and concept, that’s where my personal love for issues surrounding equity emerged,” Mueller says. “I wanted it to be a place where we allowed others in the community to rise.” Mueller was clear in what she

wanted Rise to be, but she admits to getting bogged down at first by the details of running a business, especially the coffee side. She had a very quick learning curve from idea to implementation. She got help from local roasters, such as Sump, Blueprint and Goshen, and took a trip to Portland to immerse herself in coffee culture, but she still felt like she did not know what she was doing — and that initially caused her to stray from her original goals. “Without having the experience of running a cafe or working in coffee, felt like a fish out of water,” Mueller explains. “It was a very vulnerable feeling. I felt a lot of pressure to create this highquality experience for people, but it did cloud my vision, which was to create and effect change in St. Louis by holding space for people.” Fortunately for Mueller, she met Aaron Johnson, who was exactly the right person to help her with the business and coffee side of Rise. Johnson had been a regular customer at the cafe, and, because of his extensive coffee knowledge, he became someone Mueller would regularly seek out with questions related to her business. After she begged him to come and

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help her, Johnson agreed to work a Saturday shift at Rise. There was no turning back. “It was the best day I had ever worked there,” Mueller recalls. “He was handling the groundwork, and was able to fly. didn t know at the time that I wanted to sell it to him, but I knew I needed him to be in the cafe.” When Mueller later decided to step away from the business to adopt her son, there was no one else she wanted to turn to. Johnson agreed to her request, running Rise from 2015 until earlier this year and turning it from a simple coffee shop into a bona fide restaurant. The expansion of offerings went far beyond anything Mueller could have imagined, and she was thrilled. However, as she began to feel a restless pull to get back into the workforce, she felt called back to the Grove, where she bought a building just down the road from ise. At first, she was not sure e actly what she wanted to do with it, but that problem ended up solving itself in a way she never could have imagined. As it turned out, Johnson, too, was looking for a change. He

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JESSIE MUELLER Continued from pg 35

wanted to open his own roastery, Botanical Roasters, and, once he got to talking with Mueller, realized that the perfect solution would be a sort of trade. He would take over Mueller’s building for his roastery, and she would buy back Rise, returning to her roots and original vision. This March, they made the deal official, with ueller taking back ownership of the coffee house she founded. With the ship running smoothly thanks to Johnson’s capable leadership, Mueller is now able to focus on her original vision for Rise. She plans to keep the food-and-beverage side of the operation as Johnson left it, but wants to amp up the communitybuilding side by serving as a space for politically oriented events such as fundraisers and policy talks. The way she sees it, she is back exactly where she needs to be, doing what she wanted to all along, even if it took a while to realize it. “This thing is such a good machine that works so well with our coffee and our staff,” Mueller says. “Now, we need to ask how we engage the community and effect the change St. Louis needs. We all rise when we lift each other. I thought, “Let’s lift each other and change St. Louis.” Mueller took a break from Rise to share her thoughts on the St. Louis food-and-beverage scene, her hope for more inclusivity in the local coffee community and the latest reason her cafe staff is making her smile. What is one thing people don’t know about you that you wish they did? During my twenties spent five years teaching middle school language arts, and many of my students were a part of the Voluntary Interdistrict Choice Corporation (VICC) program or from Bosnian immigrant families. The relationships I built with those students, in particular, shaped much of my thinking around issues of equity and injustice in St. Louis. What daily ritual is non-negotiable for you? Music with my morning cup of coffee. Also a quick step outside to take a deep breath, even if it’s cold out or raining, just to feel the elements. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? My superpower would be to understand all languages so I could

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travel the world without any communication barriers. This would be especially handy when ordering in restaurants! What is the most positive thing in food, wine or cocktails that you’ve noticed in St. Louis over the past year? The recurring story of emerging chefs leaving our region to gain more experience in larger markets, but feeling pulled to return to the city they love and make their mark on St. Louis, is something incredibly positive that we should celebrate. What is something missing in the local food, wine or cocktail scene that you’d like to see? I’d like to see more people of color being trained and lifted up in the coffee community — and even placed on a national stage to compete in barista and brewing competitions. We have a thriving coffee culture in St. Louis, and we have the power to create some great talent. Representation matters. Who is your St. Louis food crush? Like much of St. Louis, I’m pretty hype on Loryn and Edo Nalic of Balkan Treat Box. What an incredible story! Who’s the one person to watch right now in the St. Louis food scene? Gibron Jones of Hosco Foods and Bohlen Family Farms are on the cusp of something really exciting with regards to education and empowerment on the agriculture side of the food business in STL. Which ingredient is most representative of your personality? Rise baristas recommend chai ’cause I’m “spicy and sweet and easy to like.” This made me smile. If you weren’t working in the restaurant business, what would you be doing? Something in social entrepreneurship. I love people and championing a cause to effect change. I especially enjoy helping folks realize their full potential and helping them see what they have to offer to their community. Name an ingredient never allowed in your restaurant. “Pumpkin Spice.” What is your after-work hangout? Skateboards and bikes outside in the street with my husband and two sweet boys, plus all the super rad neighbors. What’s your food or beverage guilty pleasure? Double Rye High West Manhattan, in a vintage glass. Up. What would be your last meal on earth? Fish and chips at Dressel’s Pub with a Civil Life Brown. n

[FOOD NEWS]

La Bamba Will Bring the Fiesta Downtown Written by

SARAH FENSKE

l Burro Loco (313 N. Euclid Avenue, 314-224-5371) is getting ready to double the fun — the popular Mexican spot in the Central West End will be opening a second location within the next few weeks. And yes, that means more than 100 different margaritas, more than 370 tequilas and a festive atmosphere, only this time downtown. The restaurant, which will be called La Bamba, is set for 1101 Lucas Avenue, just behind the Flamingo Bowl. The space previously held Mango Peruvian Cuisine before it moved around the corner

to Washington Avenue in 2016. Fernando Mendieta, who is the general manager at El Burro Loco, is leading the ownership group at the new concept, says partner Jaime Hernandez. Hernandez says the new restaurant may prove a “slightly more laidback” version of its sibling, which opened in January 2015. “El Burro Loco can get pretty wild,” he acknowledges. “This is definitely still a fun, authentic environment, but this will be a place you can bring the family and have a fun environment.” El Burro Loco’s famed mariachis, he adds, may limit appearances to the weekends. But like its older sibling, the new place also has a sizable patio, with seating for about eighty. Another people should fit comfortably inside, Hernandez says. The menu will include meats roasted “al pastor,” as well as other specialties from El Burro Loco, Hernandez says. Many decor elements come directly from Mexico. “The interior is beautiful,” he promises. And the place should be open by the first week of April, if not sooner. Hernandez says the partners are just waiting on the computer system and then should be up and running. n

La Bamba will offer the same Mexican classics as its Central West End sister. | MABEL SUEN

[FIRST LOOK]

Now You Can Drink With Your Best Friend Written by

CHELSEA NEULING

he Doghaus Soulard (1800 South 10th Street, 314-335-7183) opened last week in the former Tropical Liqueurs location, offering a two-story restaurant and full bar with a back patio and dog park. You can bring your good boy or good girl to socialize with other humans and dogs, both inside and out. Co-owners Stephen Walters, Joe Schira, and Laurie and Kevin Simpson are animal lovers who are passionate about this business. Photos and artwork of the owners’ dogs are on display throughout the building. And on the bar, you can see a host of neighborhood dogs, enshrined under a resin coat. The DogHaus features food from Good Bowl by Mandy Estrella, better known as the Plantain Girl. Estrella preps the food off site since the kitchen on the premises is so small. The food is inspired by some of her specialty Caribbean-style dishes at her restaurant Alphateria. Here, befitting the name, they’re all

All of the Good Bowl’s offerings are served in bowls. None is more than $12. | CHELSEA NEULING served in a bowl. And each bowl is $12 or under. The names of the bowls are dog themed, such as the “Blues Q’s,” which is tortilla chips topped with queso, mango barbecue, pico de gallo, black beans, house jalapenos and chipotle ranch, with the option of adding pork or chicken for an additional charge. The “Soko Phooey,” pictured above, consists of bulgogi-style beef, rice, pickled carrot, green onion and sesame seeds.

As for “the Regulator,” it’s named for the song by Warren G featuring, yes, Nate Dogg. It offers citrus-braised chicken, red beans, rice, Chihuahua cheese, pico de gallo, chipotle cream and cilantro. Staffers like to play the song every time someone orders one. Perhaps as a result, it’s proven the DogHaus’ most popular dish. But if your dog joins you, they won’t go hungry. That’s why Purina dog food and treats are also available for purchase, along with T-shirts and dog sweaters.

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When arriving with your on-leash dog, you must enter through the side gate on the back of the building. Leashed dogs are allowed in the patio area and the upstairs dining area. Due to food and alcohol being sold and served on the first floor, it is dog free. No membership is required for any of those areas. However, the business also incorporates a brand-new dog park. (That’s in addition to the Frenchtown Dog Park, which sits across the street.) To access that off-leash area, you must become a member. It costs $40 per year and you’ll need to provide proof of vaccination and shot records. Staffers can get you hooked up right on site. “We wanted to showcase something we are passionate about and allow people to socialize with each other and their animals,” Walters says of the concept. “It feels good to see dogs have fun together and watch people get excited about it. Our vision came to life.” Walters says that both Purina and Tito’s have been a great help in supporting the DogHaus. And as for Estrella, she credits her life and business partner Bradley Payne, who she says has been instrumental in getting food service up and running. The DogHaus is open from 10:30 a.m to 1 a.m, Tuesday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to midnight on Sundays. The dog park is open until 9 p.m., during which time children are also welcome on site. n

MARCH 20-26, 2019

RIVERFRONT TIMES

[FIRST LOOK]

A Wine Bar That’s Much More Than That Written by

SARAH FENSKE

aked (1031 Lynch Street, 314-305-8647), the stunning new restaurant that opened in Soulard February 15, has its roots in a conversation among neighbors and, fittingly, wine. Venessa Schwarz and her husband Christopher and Anne Cochran and her husband John live just four doors down from each other in Soulard. One night, while Christopher Schwarz was out of town, the other three found themselves on the porch, wine glasses in hand, pondering an existential question, namely, “Why are there no good places to drink wine in Soulard?” The neighborhood is packed with bars, but they have a common vibe, with fried food and drinks designed for high-volume service. “There was no place with an interesting wine list, a place you could stay for a while and explore,” Venessa Schwarz says. The three started dreaming aloud about the wine bar they’d open. It would have a great wine list. Live music. Leather and velvet and elegant chandeliers. “We went into pretty excruciating detail that night,” Schwarz recalls. The very next day, Schwarz saw the building that most recently held Lynch Street Tavern (and before that Fleur de Lilies, and before that Sage Bistro) was for sale. “It’s such a shame,” she observed. “We need something that’s not another twentysomething bar.” And then a lightbulb went on. She called the Cochrans. “Lynch Street Tavern is for sale,” she reported. “When we were talking about wine bars, how serious were you?” The answer, as it turned out, was very serious. In just two months, the two couples closed on the building their first step in opening the sort of bar they’d dreamt of that night in May. Today Oaked has all the ele-

RIVERFRONT TIMES

Oaked co-owners Anne Cochran, left, and Venessa Schwarz went from daydreaming about a wine bar to opening a restaurant. | BTP BY ALISON ments the trio outlined in conversation: leather, and velvet, and wine and live music and great chandeliers. But it also has a whole lot more, including a full restaurant serving contemporary cuisine, an extensive whiskey program and even a cigar patio. What used to be a low-key bar serving, yes, fried food in the shadow of the Anheuser-Busch brewery has become an elegant destination. As Venessa Schwarz and Anne Cochran describe it, everything snowballed from their initial conversation. The two women personally directed the renovations, giving the space a huge style upgrade and installing a grand piano right there in the middle of the first floor. The couples hired an accomplished chef: Stephan Ledbetter, who until December was executive chef supervising the three restaurants in the Gamlin Restaurant Group. They also ended up hiring Carlos Rivas, who had been bar manager at the Gamlin Whiskey House, to supervise a list that grew to 80 whiskeys. (They had no need to hire someone to supervise the wine

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list enessa Schwar is a wine aficionado, and personally curated a list of 101 bottles, each of which can be purchased by the glass.) In a series of multi-course tastings, Ledbetter tested dish after dish for large groups of the couples’ friends, ultimately settling on a menu that runs the gamut from “Devilish Eggs” infused with beet juice ($7) to a tenderloin served with carrots, rosemary, parships and a demi glace ($30). There’s also a sensational butternut squash soup. But while the menu is elegant, Ledbetter took care to keep the price point reasonable. Most entrees are less than $20. The restaurateurs hope to have created a place where you’d be comfortable dressing up for date night — or swinging by on a Wednesday for a quick supper or a drink before the baseball game. “ ou could come here in flip flops and eans or a dress and heels,” Venessa Schwarz says. “Either way, there’s going to be something here that you love.” Oaked offers “slates” of cheese, charcuterie or both.

In that, it’s true to the concept they dreamed up that night on the porch, even as it’s become so much more. You can listen to jazz or a pianist in the downstairs room on Friday or Saturday, have a more traditional dinner in the upstairs dining room, grab a drink on the leafy downstairs patio or smoke a cigar in the upstairs one. Oh, and there’s also another room with a bar, and all those whiskeys and wine options, along with two cocktail lists — a New Orleansinfluenced one for the patio, and another one for inside. For Venessa Schwarz and Anne Cochran, watching their vision materialize has been intoxicating. “We knew exactly what it would look like from the beginning,” says Schwarz. “So it’s been a matter of watching everyone else go, ‘Oh, that’s what you meant!’” “And we’re like, ‘Yeah!’” Cochran says. “It just took a while for everyone else to see it,” Schwarz says. Oaked is open Wednesday through Saturday from 4 p.m. to midnight. Weather permitting, the patio will open April 4. n

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[HOMESPUN]

The Science of Sound Modular-synth artist Bret Schneider’s latest is a bold experiment in tone and texture Written by

CHRISTIAN SCHAEFFER

or much of his professional career, Bret Schneider has worked in the art world. That includes his education at the Art Institute of Chicago, a stint at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation here in St. Louis and, most recently, a month-long stay in Austin, Texas, to help with the installation of a new exhibition at a history museum there. “It’s a weird thing to say, but a lot of people don’t know how to do simple things like hanging paintings or hanging photographs,” he says by phone from Austin. “It’s a strange thing that it’s become an in-demand thing.” That’s a particularly practical application of his background in the arts — the literal, physical placement of the material in a room — but much of Schneider’s own work has tended toward the theoretical side. As a musician, his recently released song set Constellations takes that fascination with theory and sets it loose in computer-generated algorithms that spin out synthesized patterns of various tones and textures. Schneider grew up in Cleveland, where his earliest forays into electronic music were inspired by what he calls “the alienatedbedroom-producer idea.” His education in Chicago was focused in sound art, a field of study that is concerned with the physics of sound much more than musical theory or traditional composition. “I went to study it because I heard some composers that I really liked, and it was really compelling to hear these works that were emphasizing spatial and acoustic environments and were playing with the science of sound,”

Bret Schneider’s work is less rooted in music theory than in an artistic exploration of sound. | VIA THE ARTIST he says. “It wasn’t really music, which was always really interesting to me as an idea.” Many of the artists and composers Schneider studied focused on physical material and sonic space, and as he re-engaged with his own musical creations about five years ago, he says he was initially thinking about what he calls “the material of vibration.” But as atonal, noise and experimental musics have continued to evolve with the proliferation of modular synthesis, Schneider took the roots of his sound back to the bare necessities: simple waveforms without any complex harmonics or overtones. “Constellations was an attempt to get back to simplicity,” he says. “We’ve been immersed of this sound-expansion world where you can achieve any sound you want to. It’s not really about the complex timbres you’re making; it’s about evolving over time. I just went back to the fundamental waves rather than work with complex tonality.” That simple palette differentiates his album from other similar releases, which will often seek to load a tone with as much harmonic information as it can bear before stripping it away again.

“Whether that’s expressed on a computer or modular synth or a guitar, it’s about the ability to hear changes over time,” Schneider says. The goal, he says, is to experience “the way sound events occur over time.” Opening track “Imi’s Song” pairs looping patterns of soft, plucked tones with more resonant trails that trip up and down the scale. The sequences don’t quite intersect or speak to one another, but their proximity gives a plangent, moody undertone to the three other tracks, which often employ more aggressive tones and a greater rate of arpeggiation. “ t s definitely a change from the way I work, in hearing glacial changes in the way a pattern changes into another pattern,” Schneider says of the pace of several compositions. “I don’t want to describe it as melodic but it has a more traditional palette.” Schneider says that while his compositions take a lot of work on the front end — writing algorithms, reducing musical events to numeral values — his entire goal is to create environments where the musician, such as it were, plays no role in the compositions’ performance. “I was trying to create a system

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where I could press play before I go to work and have it generate eight hours of music,” he says. “It didn’t quite happen that way; it’s hard to break that spontaneity barrier. The holy grail of generative music is that it will develop something on its own without a human hand.” Schneider’s album was released through local imprint Distant Bloom, launched by Oxherding’s Fitz Hartwig last year as an outpost of this type of generative and modular music (the label also released a tape by the Portlandbased artist Ann Annie, one of the leading lights of YouTube’s robust modular-synth community). The label’s releases, to date, celebrate slow, ponderous and largely serene events of electronic music where evolutions are subtle but cumulative for the attentive listener. He knows, though, that ideal circumstances don’t always exist and that artists are lucky to grab ten minutes of the modern listener’s magpie brain. “That’s an interesting problem, to make it as complex and dense as you can,” he says of distilling his work into something compact. “It’s important that the listener hears the permutations of the pattern.” n

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[ALBUM RELEASE]

Understated and Underrated Shady Bug’s Aaron O’Neill releases sophomore solo effort Denim Jacket Weather Written by

BEN SALMON

aron O’Neill is an understated guy. When talking about his various musical projects — including his solo project Ronnie Rogers, which released a new album March 1 — the St. Louis-based singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist tends toward succinct, straightforward answers. He’s not the type to ramble on in search of a story that isn’t there, and he doesn’t seem predisposed to mining his works for hidden meaning. When asked which instrument he s most proficient at playing, for example, he has a very practical response. “Well, I’ve made money playing bass,” he says. “I guess that’s a thing.” That’s not terribly surprising, perhaps, given that O’Neill, 28, attended Southern Illinois University’s school of music to study jazz performance with a focus on the upright bass, performing in jazz and classical settings for a while. But he also had a deeply embedded love of rock & roll from his time as a high school kid. The son of a military man, he soon became a home-recording enthusiast during his time in Germany. “I had friends there that did it and that was my gateway into DIY. I was like, ‘Yeah, that seems like fun,’” he says. “All the songs were recorded terribly and the songs were messy and bad. I found a CD a while back of my old music and it was pretty embarrassing. But it was still cool that I did it, I guess.” O’Neill played in the jazz band at school, but he also played in hardcore and folk-punk bands with friends, and they’d take a train to nearby towns to play shows. It was a formative experience for an American teenager who’d grown up listening to mainstream coun-

In addition to his solo project Ronnie Rogers, Aaron O’Neill is known for his work with Shady Bug, Isabel Rex and A Leaf in the Street. | VIA THE ARTIST try and classic rock. “I got to travel a bunch,” he says, “and that was really my introduction to playing rock shows.” Fast forward a few years, and O’Neill’s rock spirit reawakened when he met his friend Josiah Joyce, who plays guitar in Old Souls Revival and also alongside O’Neill in Ronnie Rogers. The two formed a band called Early Worm, and O’Neill has been writing and recording mostly indie rock ever since. (In addition to Ronnie Rogers, he plays drums in the fastrising band Shady Bug, guitar and drums in Isabel Rex and bass in A Leaf in the Street.) “I think I always wanted to focus on rock more because it’s a more immediate term of expression, I guess. I feel like it’s just easier to get your music across because there’s more people [who are into it],” he says. “Jazz is such a niche thing. It’s got a lot of preconceived things that come with it. Even just writing songs is much easier with a guitar and standard harmonies and some friends. Not everyone plays jazz, but everyone can figure something out on rock instruments.” That pretty much sums up Ronnie Rogers, which was named — not after the ’70s country musician — during a manic weekend of recording last year that resulted in a fine debut album called Death of a Dumb Guy, released in

May. Its eight songs are fuzzy and catchy and tightly wound, with gleaming keyboard lines, pretty acoustic guitar parts snuggled up against spoken-word samples and motorik rhythms chugging along under airy melodies. Shady Bug vocalist Hannah Rainey sings on a few songs, including the twangy “Dreamer Kid,” which lopes along like an indie-pop band playing old-timey music. While not necessarily a staple of indie rock, twang is a foundational element of Ronnie Rogers’ sound, O’Neill says. “I grew up listening to Garth Brooks and Kansas and stuff. I love American music, so I try to get a little of that in there,” he says. “Compared to a lot of my other bands, I think Ronnie Rogers has more of that kind of old music influence rock roll, country, soul music. It’s not super apparent but it s definitely a big part of my DNA.” O’Neill’s new album under the Ronnie Rogers name is called Denim Jacket Weather, and it’s a significant step forward from its predecessor. Its nine songs are more muscular and more precisely arranged without losing their unrefined charm. The twang remains, but it’s threaded subtly through songs like “Yankee” and “Leaning On.” The bent guitar strings in “Mantra” recall early Modest Mouse, the leisurely electric gui-

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tars of “So Bright” compare favorably to Stephen Malkmus’ work in Pavement, and “Angels” is a flat out rocker, with crunchy riffs and a zigzag at the end that brings to mind the band Sebadoh. Lyrically, O’Neill describes the songs thusly: “I think they’re about defeat, probably. Kind of depressing but then also trying to keep a little humor in there, too, so it’s not just all depressing.” Perhaps the biggest upgrade on Denim Jacket Weather, however, is the sheer sound quality, thanks in large part to the efforts of recording engineer Zach Schimpf. “Zach is really comfortable to work with. He is a very understated and quiet kind of guy who really knows his stuff, like where to place microphones, how to mix things, when to add things and when not to,” O’Neill says. “He’s just the full package and he’s really easy to work with.” Did you catch it? There’s that word again: understated. It speaks to O’Neill’s entire approach to his own music, from his decision to quietly release Denim Jacket Weather just days before Shady Bug’s much-buzzed Lemon Lime to his future plans for Ronnie Rogers. “It’s just a fun project that I’ll probably continue to do ’til whenever, I guess,” he says. “I hope to record another album before Zach moves [to California later this year]. We’ll see.” n

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[VINYL]

For the Record How a garage-door repairman made Hell Night’s first-ever vinyl LP happen Written by

DANIEL HILL

ell Night’s debut full-length slab of vinyl might never have seen the light of day if not for a persistent garage-door repairman named Dieter Pingel. Sure, the guys from Maplewood’s Planet Score Records shop had toyed with the idea of starting a label for years — decades, even. And Hell Night is, of course, one of St. Louis’ more prominent and prolific metal bands; releasing an LP is a logical move. And yet ... And yet. Pingel, explains Hell Night guitarist Andy White, is a record nerd. The northcounty resident’s Instagram account is a sea of album covers, records he owns personally, including old-school hip-hop, metal and more. And he knows the band’s drummer, as well as the Planet Score owners. To hear White tell it, Pingel had been pushing Hell Night’s members to release a full-length vinyl LP to add to his collection for quite some time. Regardless of their plans or accomplishments, Pingel would crop up with the same question: Is there going to be vinyl? “We’d be like, ‘Hey dudes, here’s a fucking album release we’re doing, it’s a fucking new CD. Here’s the show, here’s the event page, here’s our fucking commercial, here’s the poster, here’s my dick, here’s all this shit — get excited,’” White explains with a laugh. “And then the first post on Facebook would be Dieter: ‘You doing vinyl?’” White had long been hesitant to release vinyl with Hell Night, relishing instead the band’s quick and cheap CDsand-downloads model. He’d released music on vinyl in prior bands and simply found it to be more trouble than it was worth. “I’m down with vinyl. I buy vinyl. But I don’t like feel like I have to have it,” he says. “With vinyl it’s like there’s all this thought and preparation and remastering and test presses and all this shit you have to send them. And you have to order them a fucking year in advance, and what if Record Store Day happens inside of that time? Then you’re fucked. Then, like, how do you want to ship ’em? Because they are coming from the Czech

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Hell Night performed to a packed Ready Room for its record release show. | DAVID TORRENCE Republic and, you know, there’s only three places that make ’em ...” White trails off, then offers his thoughts succinctly: “I just think they’re a pain in the ass.” But Pingel would not be deterred. One day while working on White’s garage door, he again started needling the guitarist about his chosen medium. But this time, he also played matchmaker. “Yeah man, those Planet Score dudes are fucking wanting to start a label — you should talk to them about putting something out,” he told White. “And then he was telling them, ‘Yeah man, you should put out the Hell Night dudes’ album, you know?’” White recalls. “I think it was literally this one fucking dude just making the discussion happen.” Praise be that he did. Hell Night’s new LP, Unlimited Destruction, compiles eleven previously released tracks — all the songs from the Human Shelves CD, three from the Hell Night Songs CD and one from the Cancercise single — alongside five brand-new rippers that stay true to the band’s punk-infected metal style. Limited to 300 records pressed on red vinyl, recorded by Gabe Usery at Encapsulated Studios and featuring cover art by local artist Lauren Gornik, it may have been a pain in the ass, but it’s nevertheless a gorgeous pain in the ass — and the perfect splashy debut for a fledgling record label. As the Planet Score guys explain it, White and his bandmates — vocalist Brian Fair, bassist Eric Eyster and drummer Adam Arseneau — made it easy. “It just came together really fast,” explains Joe Stulce, 40, who co-owns Planet Score with Tim Lohmann, 53. “Those dudes are just workhorses, man. I mean, we barely had to do anything as far as the behind-the-scenes stuff goes. They

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took care of it all, and they’re just super, super nice guys. It seems like every idea they had we were totally down with.” Stulce has known drummer Arseneau since his time working at a northcounty record store that the drummer frequented. And when Planet Score opened in Maplewood, White, who lives in the neighborhood, started coming in frequently, dropping off CDs and tapes to sell on consignment. After customers started asking if the band had anything on vinyl — OK, one certain, specific customer started asking — Stulce asked White about it one day. “Fast-forward a little while and he came to us and just asked if we’d be interested in helping them put out a record,” Stulce says. “It’s pretty much a no-brainer, ’cause they’re a killer band, got a great following and they’re just awesome dudes.” For Stulce and Lohmann, starting a label was something they’d toyed with for years. The two met when they started playing together in the early ’00s in the dark-tinted power-pop act the Helium Tapes — Lohmann on guitar and Stulce on drums. They self-released a few projects with that group before it disbanded and wondered at that time if they should dip their toes into putting out some other local bands as well. “We would listen to tapes of all these ’80s and ’90s punk bands and underground bands that [Lohmann] played in and was friends with,” Stulce says. “And we were kinda thinking, ‘Man, it would be kinda cool to get this stuff out there somehow, you know?’ Just all the local talent in St. Louis.” Years passed. From his perch as a record-store clerk Stulce witnessed the decline of physical media firsthand, and the idea was largely (and probably wisely) shelved.

“I worked in a record store since the late ’90s, so I watched it all kind of crumble,” he says. “And then, slowly, it started to build back up.” That’s when something strange happened: Vinyl saw a huge resurgence. Suddenly, starting a record label didn’t seem like such a bad idea after all. Enter the perfect band and the perfectly insistent garage-door repairman, and next thing you know, Unlimited Destruction is stamped with “Planet Score Records #1.” Stulce and Lohmann don’t have any immediate plans for future releases — best to see how this one goes first — but they say they’re open to anything. And with half the copies of Hell Night’s record already sold in less than a month, they just may be in a position to take the leap again. Still, they’re not going to produce just anything. “Whatever we like and is interesting, we might go ahead and put out,” Lohmann says. “It’s gotta stay fun, man,” Stulce adds. “Just like when we used to play music together, I always said, ‘Once it seems like a job and it’s not fun anymore, I don’t wanna do it.’” And for now, it’s still plenty fun. Hell Night’s record release at the Ready Room brought out more than 200 people, and records have been flying off the shelves ever since. Hell Night finally has a proper slab of vinyl that even the skeptical White admits was wholly worthwhile, Planet Score has finally launched the label they’d dreamed about for so long, and fans finally have a record that they can cherish for years to come. And Dieter Pingel? One presumes he got the record he dreamt of. Music fans will have to wait to see what he achieves next. n

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OUT EVERY NIGHT

[CRITIC’S PICK]

Dhoruba Shakur. | ADEM SIBIC

The Dhoruba Collective 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 21. The Dark Room, 3610 Grandel Square. Free. 314-776-9550. It is no longer a secret that St. Louis is in the midst of a jazz renaissance. That’s shown not only in the number and quality of local performers but in the uptick in solid local venues. The Dark Room, located in the foyer of Grand Center’s Grandel Theater, has become a nexus for established and up-and-coming jazz artists to ply their craft — recent weeks have featured sets by Tonina, Kasimu Taylor and Owen Ragland (all of whom

THURSDAY 21

THE 442S: 7 p.m., $15. Joe’s Cafe, 6014 Kingsbury Ave, St. Louis. AARON WATSON: 8 p.m., $22.50-$25. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. BOB KAMOSKI: 6 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. BOB WEIR AND WOLF BROS: 7 p.m., $65-$100. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. BRIAN CURRAN: 4 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. THE DHORUBA COLLECTIVE: 7:30 p.m., free. The Dark Room, 3610 Grandel Square inside Grandel Theatre, St. Louis, 314-776-9550. THE DOLLYROTS: 8 p.m., $12-$14. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. FAT SUN: w/ Mother Meat 8 p.m., $7. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. INGS: w/ Rightteen 7 p.m., $5-$8. Foam, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. KINGDOM BROTHERS: 8 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. LOS GUEYS: w/ Abi Ooze, Big Whoop 9 p.m., $7. Foam, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100.

are represented on the Kranzberg Arts Foundation-produced The Sound of St. Louis — Jazz Compilation Volume 1). Local drummer Dhoruba Shakur takes over the spot with his collective this Thursday night; he’s been featured on recent releases by Jesse Gannon and Andrew Stephen, and his intensely energetic and pinpoint-precise playing will provide the backbone for his headlining spot. Rainchecks Available: The Dark Room offers live music seven days a week alongside food and cocktails, so if this Thursday doesn’t work for you, check the venue’s schedule at darkroomstl.com and pop in soon. —Christian Schaeffer MISS MAYBELL & CHARLIE JUDKINS: 8:30 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090. NOT SO QUIET! SETH BRAND: 6:30 p.m., free. St. Louis Public Library, Central Branch, 1301 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-241-2288. PICKIN’ ON PICKNIC PRE PARTY: 8 p.m., $7. The Bootleg, 4140 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314-775-0775. TAMARA MUMFORD: 7:30 p.m., $15-$40. The 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., University City, 314-421-3600. TONY MACALPINE: w/ Jacky Vincent, Lonero 6:30 p.m., $20-$22. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. YOKE LORE: 8 p.m., $12. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.

FRIDAY 22

AFTER WEDNESDAY: w/ Sigmund Frauds, Tristate 8 p.m., $10. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. BONERAMA PERFORMING A TRIBUTE SET TO LED ZEPPELIN: 7 p.m., $15-$18. The Bootleg, 4140 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314-775-0775. BOSS UP OR SHUT UP: w/ Slim Beezy, Jay Loc,

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MBT Forever, Beezy, Boss Heavy, Mike G 9 p.m., $10-$13. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. ERIC MCSPADDEN: 7 p.m., $10. National Blues Museum, 615 Washington Ave., St. Louis. FLATLAND CAVALRY: 8 p.m., $15-$18. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. GATEWAY BLUES FESTIVAL: w/ TK Soul, Pokey Bear, Shirley Brown, Sir Charles Jones, Terry Wright, Theodis Ealey, Calvin Richardson 8 p.m., $55-$102. Chaifetz Arena, 1 S. Compton Ave., St. Louis, 314-977-5000. GYPSYSOUL: 9 p.m., free. Trainwreck SaloonWestport, I-270 and Page Ave., Maryland Heights, 314-434-7222. JANET EVRA: 7 p.m., free. Evangeline’s, 512 N Euclid Ave, St. Louis, 314-367-3644. JESSE LÉGE & JOEL SAVOY: 8 p.m., $20. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900. JOHN WAITE: 8 p.m., $35-$40. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. LIVID: w/ Overstayer, Primitive Rage, Kill Their Past 8 p.m., $6. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. LUTHER VINCENT: w/ Andrew Ryan, Adam Gaffney, Bobby Stevens 9 p.m., $7. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. MICHAEL BUBLÉ: 8 p.m., $65-$135. Enterprise Center, 1401 Clark Ave., St. Louis, 314-241-1888. MISS JUBILEE: 8 p.m., $5. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521. MISSOURI BREAKS: 9:30 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090. MOUND CITY SLICKERS: 8 p.m., $12-$15. The Focal Point, 2720 Sutton Blvd, St. Louis, 314-560-2778. OLIVER LAKE: 8 p.m., $10. Saint Louis University-Xavier Hall, 3733 W. Pine Mall, St. Louis, 314-977-3327. POP ROCK! COMEDY FUN FEST: 8 p.m., $12-$15. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. PULCHRA MORTE: w/ Blackwell, J Brewer, Animated Dead 8 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. RAW EARTH: 6:30 p.m., free. 50Fifty Kitchen, 3723 S Kingshighway Blvd, St. Louis, 314-875-9623. ROLAND JOHNSON & SOUL ENDEAVOR: 8 p.m., $3. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. RONNIE MILSAP: 8 p.m., $29.50. River City Casino & Hotel, 777 River City Casino Blvd., St. Louis, 314-388-7777. THE SERVICE: 9 p.m., free. The Dark Room, 3610 Grandel Square inside Grandel Theatre, St. Louis, 314-776-9550. SON OF THE PALE YOUTH: 8:30 p.m., $5-$8. Foam, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. ST. PAUL & THE BROKEN BONES: 8 p.m., $25-$40. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. TREY: w/ Bright Kid 7 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

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A TRIBUTE TO OLD & IN THE WAY: 8 p.m., $10-$13. The Bootleg, 4140 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314-775-0775. A.L.I.: 9 p.m., free. Nightshift Bar & Grill, 3979 Mexico Road, St. Peters, 636-441-8300. ALL ROOSTERED UP: noon, free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. ANNIE AND THE FUR TRAPPERS: 7:30 p.m., $5. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521. ANNIE AND THE FUR TRAPPERS: 7:30 p.m., $5. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521. THE BAILSMAN: 8 p.m., $15-$20. The Focal Point, 2720 Sutton Blvd, St. Louis, 314-560-2778. COPELAND: w/ Many Rooms, From Indian Lakes 8 p.m., $20-$23. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. THE HARDHOP AND SOUL SHOW: w/ Dramatik, StringZ EmB, MVRQS, Thrush, J-Rebel, Steve O’Brien, Jay Edd 8 p.m., $10-$15. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. IRIS DEMENT: 8 p.m., $30. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900. JOHN GRO BAND: 10 p.m., $10. Broadway Oyster

Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. JOHN MCVEY: 9 p.m., $3. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. KELLER WILLIAMS’ PETTYGRASS: w/ The HillBenders 9 p.m., $30. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. LEGENDS OF HIP HOP TOUR: w/ Juvenile, Scarface, 8Ball and MJG, Too Short, DJ Quik, Bun B 8 p.m., $55-$128. Chaifetz Arena, 1 S. Compton Ave., St. Louis, 314-977-5000. MASON JENNINGS: 8 p.m., $20-$22.50. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. A NIGHT AT THE OPERA: 2 p.m., $38. The 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., University City, 314-421-3600. PETTY CASH JUNCTION: 8 p.m., $20-$25. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. PICKWICK COMMONS: 7 p.m., $10-$12. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. THE REVIVALISTS: 8 p.m., $39.50-$45. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. RICH MCDONOUGH & RHYTHM RENEGADES: 3 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. SOMEBODY TO LOVE: w/ Saints in the City 8 p.m., $10-$15. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. SUPERFUN YEAH YEAH ROCKETSHIP: w/ Matt F. Basler, Jesus and the Astronauts 8 p.m., $7. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. VINTAGE VIBE: 9 p.m., free. Halfway Haus, 7900 Michigan Ave., St. Louis, 314-256-0101. THE WARBUCKLES: 9:30 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090.

SUNDAY 24

DEMETRI MARTIN: 7 p.m., $39.75. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. DIZZY ATMOSPHERE: 11 a.m., free. The Dark Room, 3610 Grandel Square inside Grandel Theatre, St. Louis, 314-776-9550. ERIC LYSAUGHT: 4 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. ERIK BROOKS: 8 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. KIM MASSIE: 8 p.m., $8. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. PENTAGRAM: 8 p.m., $18. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. ROBERT ELLIS: w/ Ian O’Neil 8 p.m., $14-$17. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. RYAN KOENIG AND THE GOLDENRODS: 1 p.m., free. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. SUNDAY FUNDAY: w/ Shaed, House 1 p.m., $17$20. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-0775. WEEZER, PIXIES: 7 p.m., $25-$125. Enterprise Center, 1401 Clark Ave., St. Louis, 314-241-1888.

MONDAY 25

BOTTOMS UP BLUES GANG: 6 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. KEITH BOWMAN QUARTET: 7 p.m., free. The Dark Room, 3610 Grandel Square inside Grandel Theatre, St. Louis, 314-776-9550. MONDAY NIGHT REVIEW: w/Tim, Danny, Randy 7 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. SOULARD BLUES BAND: 9 p.m., $5. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

TUESDAY 26

AARON GRIFFIN BAND: 7 p.m., free. The Dark Room, 3610 Grandel Square inside Grandel Theatre, St. Louis, 314-776-9550. DILLY DALLY: 8 p.m., $18-$20. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. ERIC LYSAUGHT: 9 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. EVAN COLE: 9 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. NAKED MIKE: 7 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028

Continued on pg 49

[CRITIC’S PICK]

The Legends of Hip-Hop. | TOUR PROMO IMAGE

The Legends of Hip-Hop Tour 8 p.m. Saturday, March 23. Chaifetz Arena, 1 South Compton Avenue. $55 to $128. 314-977-5000. As the years have gone on and ’90s kids have advanced into their forties, there’s been a dramatic upsurge in the number of arena tours populated by oldschool hip-hop bands, though the quality and caliber of artists on deck varies greatly. Some strive solely to satiate the nostalgic hunger of the masses — MC Hammer’s House Party, we’re looking squarely in your direction (seriously, Tag

OUT EVERY NIGHT Continued from pg 48 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. TORI KELLY: 8 p.m., $35-$37.50. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. TREVOR HALL: 7:15 p.m., $20-$25. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. UNTURNED: 7:30 p.m., $12. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

WEDNESDAY 27

HARMONY WOODS: w/ Frankie Valet, Camp Counselor 8 p.m., $5. Foam, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. JOHN MCVEY BAND: 8 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. MARGARET & ERIC: 3 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. MILLENNIUM TOUR 2019: w/ Mario, Pretty Ricky, Lloyd, Ying Yang Twins, Chingy, Bobby V 7 p.m., $45.50-$250. Enterprise Center, 1401 Clark Ave., St. Louis, 314-241-1888. NOVO AMOR: 8 p.m., $18-$20. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. SONGBIRD CAFE: w/ Karen Choi, Elliot Pearson, The Deep Hollow Trio 7:30 p.m., $20-$25. The Focal Point, 2720 Sutton Blvd, St. Louis, 314-560-2778. SORRY PLEASE CONTINUE: 8 p.m., $5. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

THIS JUST IN 3 RING CIRCUS: Sat., April 20, 9 p.m., free. Nightshift Bar & Grill, 3979 Mexico Road, St. Peters, 636-441-8300.

Team?) — while others package older titans of the craft into a must-see night. The Legends of Hip-Hop Tour provides the latter. Featuring Cash Money rapper Juvenile, Houston rapper and King of the South Scarface, Memphis duo and Three 6 Mafia associates 8Ball & MJG, West Coast legends Too Short and DJ Quik, and Houston MC and UGK member Bun B, this show is wall-to-wall packed with classic artists for real hip-hop fans. But Respect to the Monsta Mack: OK, we’ll probably be at MC Hammer’s thing too, if only for Sir Mix-A-Lot. Posse up! —Daniel Hill

AARON WEST & THE ROARING TWENTIES: Fri., June 7, 7:30 p.m., TBA. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. ADAM ANT: Fri., Sept. 6, 8 p.m., $37.50-$55. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. AJR: Sat., Oct. 26, 8 p.m., $38.50-$43.50. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. AS IT SEEMS: W/ Piss Pocket, Fri., April 12, 7 p.m., $8-$10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. THE BLACK KEYS: W/ Modest Mouse, Repeat Repeat, Wed., Sept. 25, 7 p.m., $36.50-$496.50. Enterprise Center, 1401 Clark Ave., St. Louis, 314-241-1888. CLASSIC 107.3 RADIO ARTS FOUNDATION GALA: Tue., April 30, 5:30 p.m., $500-$1500. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900. CLOVEN HOOF: W/ Archdragon, Tue., June 4, 7:30 p.m., $15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. DWIGHT YOAKAM: W/ Steve Earle, Junior Brown, Fri., May 24, 6:30 p.m., $39.50-$125. Chesterfield Amphitheater, eterans lace Drive, hesterfield. EARTH, WIND & FIRE: Sun., July 21, 7:30 p.m., $42.75-$228.25. Stifel Theatre, 1400 Market St, St. Louis, 314-499-7600. EL MONSTERO & CELEBRATION DAY: W/ the St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra, Sat., June 8, 7 p.m., TBA. Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, I-70 & Earth City Expwy., Maryland Heights, 314-298-9944. FATALLY YOURS: A TRIBUTE TO ALKALINE TRIO: W/ Anxious Mo-Fo (Minutemen/Firehose Tribute), Brasky (The Lawrence Arms Tribute), Sat., April 6, 9 p.m., $7. The Heavy Anchor, 5226

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Robert Ellis. | ALEXANDRA VALENTI

A singer-songwriter who changes instruments doesn’t exactly make for a whitehot, burning lede, but in the case of Robert Ellis, it’s the key to his most recent story. The Houston, Texas, musician has never been content to follow in the footsteps of the Lonestar School of pickers and shitkickers. His sound has a rich, often hyper-layered texture that suits his supple, falsetto-friendly voice. It’s not quite yacht-Americana but it’s not quite not. The recently released Texas Piano

Man comes as advertised, and it’s the kind of record he sounds born to have made. His chops at the keys are solid, and his melodies and rhythms are set free, like Tumbleweed Connection channeled through his own sardonic wordplay — song titles like “Passive Aggressive” and “Fucking Crazy” catch the drift — and spirited, pop-friendly tunefulness. He’s come a hell of a long way, and the ride’s still worth it. Deer Tick Picker: Guitarist for Rhode Island group Deer Tick, Ian O’Neill takes a break from the band as the must-see opener for this night. —Roy Kasten

Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. FIESTA LATINA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: Sun., April 28, 3 p.m., free. The 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., University City, 314-421-3600. FOOLPROOF: Mon., April 1, 7:30 p.m., $38. Tue., April 2, 7:30 p.m., $38. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900. THE GREETING COMMITTEE: Fri., May 17, 8 p.m., $12-$15. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. HARD HITTING HEROES: Thu., April 4, 7:30 p.m., $8-$10. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. IAMX: Wed., May 1, 8 p.m., $22-$25. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. KARATE BIKINI: W/ Scout Shannon and the Willing Deceivers, Big State, Fri., July 19, 8 p.m., $10. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. KIDD SILVER: Sat., April 27, 8 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. LOGAN MIZE: Thu., May 2, 8 p.m., $17.50-$20. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. MATTY MATHESON: Wed., May 8, 8 p.m., $20. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. MICHAEL ANGELO BATIO: Sun., May 26, 7 p.m., $18. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. MONSIEUR PERINÉ: Fri., June 21, 8 p.m., $25$30. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. MYSTERY SKULLS: W/ Snowblood, Sun., June 16, 8 p.m., $15. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. ONA: Wed., June 12, 8 p.m., $12-$15. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. PETE YORN: Wed., May 15, 8 p.m., $32.50. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. PRIMITIVE MAN: W/ Big Brave, Wed., June 19, 8 p.m., $15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

SHOW ME BURLESQUE FESTIVAL OPENING NIGHT BASH: Thu., May 16, 8 p.m., $20-$45. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. SNOW THA PRODUCT: Sat., May 25, 7 p.m., $20. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. SOUTHERN AVENUE: Thu., June 27, 8 p.m., $12$15. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. SUPERSUCKERS: Tue., July 16, 8 p.m., $15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. SUZIE CUE ALBUM RELEASE SHOW: Sat., May 11, 8 p.m., $10. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. THE FUTURE IS FEMALE: A STAND-UP COMEDY SHOW: Fri., April 19, 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. TONY MACALPINE: Wed., June 26, 7 p.m., $20. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. TROMBONE SHORTY & ORLEANS AVENUE: Fri., June 7, 8 p.m., $30-$40. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. VINTAGE VIBE: Sat., March 30, 9:30 p.m., free. Eddie’s Bar and Grill, 2900 Nameoki Road, Granite City, 636-452-4142. WALTER GREINER AND PAUL NIEHAUS IV: Sun., April 14, 1 p.m., free. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. WARD DAVIS: Fri., June 7, 8 p.m., $20. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. WAX FRUIT: W/ Reaches, JoAnn McNeil, NNNCook, Thu., April 25, 8 p.m., $7. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. WELCOME TO THE DUNGEON: W/ Kandi Burruss, Fri., May 24, 9 p.m., $65-$100. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. WIND ENSEMBLE CONCERT: Thu., April 25, 7:30 p.m., free. The 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., University City, 314-421-3600. THE WLDLFE: W/ Valley, the Cinema Story, Fri., April 19, 7 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. n

Robert Ellis 8 p.m. Sunday, March 24. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave. $14 to $17. 314-773-3363.

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MARCH 20-26, 2019

RIVERFRONT TIMES

MARCH 20-26, 2019

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SAVAGE LOVE CRAZY SWITCH ASIANS BY DAN SAVAGE Hey, Dan: I’m a straight white woman in my early 30s. In theory, I’ve always been into men of all races — but in practice, most of my exes are Latino and white. In September, I met this really handsome Chinese American guy, and I feel like he rewired me. I’ve been exclusively attracted to Asian guys since. I’m not writing to ask if this is racist, because I’m not asking these guys to, like, speak Korean to me in bed or do any role-playing stuff. We just date and have sex, same as my past relationships. But if any of these dudes saw my Tinder matches, they’d be like, “This woman has a thing for Asian guys.” Which I do, but it’s pretty new. Is this normal? Do people just change preferences like that? Also, can you do a PSA about Asian dicks? In my recent but considerable experience, they run the gamut from average to gigantic. If small Asian dicks were a thing, I would have encountered at least one by now. That shit is a myth. Asian Male/White Female Here’s my general take on racespecific se ual preferences So long as you can see and treat your se partners as individuals and not ust as ob ects we are all also ob ects and so long as you can e press your preferences without coming across and or being a racist shitbag, and so long as you ve interrogated your preferences to make sure they re actually yours and not a mindless desire for what you ve been told you re supposed to want i.e., the currently prevailing beauty standard or its e ually mindless re ection, the “transgressive fetishi ation of the “other , then it s okay to seek out se and or romantic partners of a particular race. I ran my general take on racespecific se ual preferences past Joel im Booster a writer and comedian whose work often touches on race and desire and he approved. Whew. also shared your letter with him, A W , and Booster had some thoughts for you. “ t doesn t sound like her new-

found preference for Asian men has anything to do with the uncomfortable fetishi ation of culture, said Booster. “ t s good that she s not asking them to speak orean or do any sort of Asian role playing something that s been asked of me before and it s a bummer, trust . er interest in Asian men seems to be mostly an aesthetic thing, which you certainly can t fault her for There are a lot of hot Asian dudes out there. Booster also had some uestions for you. “ t s not uncommon for people later in life to discover that they re attracted to something they d never considered se y before full grown adults are out here discovering they re bi every damn day, said Booster. “But she went years before she saw one Asian man she was attracted to And now this guy has rewired her to be attracted only to Asian men e said that he would like to see a picture of this magical guy, A W , and would, too. “ f she was chill about it and ust started adding Asian men into the mi , this wouldn t seem like an issue, added Booster. “But from what can gather, she has shifted to e clusively fucking Asian guys and feels the need to write a letter about it. That feels like a red flag, and yet can t pinpoint why. aybe you re ust making up for lost time maybe you re getting with all the Asian dick you can now to make up for all the Asian dick you missed out on before you ran into that one impossibly hot Asian guy and your desires preferences Tinder profile will achieve a racially harmonious e uilibrium at a certain point. But whether you remain e clusively attracted to Asian guys for the rest of your life or not, A W , make sure you don t treat Asian guys like you re doing them a favor by sitting on their gamut running dicks. “ m weary of people with a specific racial preference for Asian men. And it s less out of a fear of being fetishi ed though that s certainly part of it and more because of the implicit power imbalance that e ists in those relationships, said Booster. “ t s all artificially constructed by The ulture, of course, but m

Maybe you’re getting with all the Asian dick you can now to make up for all the Asian dick you missed out on before you ran into that one impossibly hot Asian guy. acutely aware that society views Asian men as less masculine and therefore less desirable. And ve learned that guys who have a preference for Asian men sometimes bring a certain kind of entitlement to our interactions, i.e., ou should feel lucky m paying you this kind of attention. And that s gross t doesn t sound like she s doing that, but something about this letter makes me feel like she wants to be congratulated for being woke enough to consider Asian guys. She d do well to keep this stuff behind the curtain no one wants to feel like someone was into them only because of some witch s curse a hot hinese American guy put on them at a bar. ollow Joel on Twitter ihate oelkim, and visit his website ihateoelkim.com. Hey, Dan: I’m a guy. I’ve been with my wife since 2006. She’s my sexy Asian babe. (Yeah, I’m that white guy who married an Asian woman — I’m a stereotype, but she isn’t.) In the bedroom, it’s great. I’m still madly in love with her two kids later, and she’s as sexy as ever. But she doesn’t like to give blowjobs — always been this way. When we were dating, she’d say I could go get blowjobs from someone else, but I always took it as a joke. At 35, I’m hornier than I was at 25. And my sexual tastes have changed over the years — or they’ve expanded, maybe, since I now want to see what it’s like to get head from a guy. How do I convince my

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wife to agree to this? She’s afraid I might like it; I obviously hope I do. There’s nothing I want more than to get head on the way home and then be able to tell her about it and fuck her later that night. How can I convince her to let me do this while also being able to tell her about it and be truthful? Horny Married Man m not lumping your uestion together with A W s in order to create some sort of hot for Asians themed column. o, m including your letter which arrived the same day because it illustrates a point Booster made in his response to A W “ ull grown adults are out here discovering they re bi every damn day, as he said, and you re apparently one of them. can only assume that by “she s afraid might like it, you mean you ve already asked the wife and she said no. ou can ask again maybe she ll change her mind but if the answer is still no, , then the answer is still no. aybe if this were a se ual adventure you could go on together, it might be more appealing to the wife. And it is, because ust as there are dudes out there who love blowing straight married men, there are dudes who are up for blowing straight married men in front of their wives. So if you haven t already proposed doing this in the conte t of a hot se ual encounter with a bi guy who d also be into your wife, maybe you should. As for your label, there are straight guys out there who can close their eyes and think about women while dudes blow them, i.e., straight guys capable of making the mouth is a mouth leap. But you re turned on not ust by the idea of getting an enthusiastic blow ob, you re specifically into the idea of getting one from a dude. That does make you bi, , but for marketing purposes eah, you re going to want to go with straight. Listen to Dan’s podcast at savagelovecast.com. (Musical-theater nerds rejoice, this week’s guest is Andrew Rannells!) mail@savagelove.net @fakedansavage on Twitter ITMFA.org

MARCH 20-26, 2019

RIVERFRONT TIMES

MARCH 20-26, 2019

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MARCH 20-26, 2019

RIVERFRONT TIMES

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