Riverfront Times April 24, 2019 by Riverfront Times

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APRIL 24-30, 2019

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THE LEDE

PHOTO BY THEO WELLING

“I don’t even like saying ‘daughter in law.’ This is my daughter. I like ‘daughter in love’ better. It feels like she’s always been there, like we’ve always been family. I think our souls — I know our souls — intertwined prior to her coming into our lives.” LUCIANA NELSON, PHOTOGRAPHED WITH DAUGHTER IN LAW LUNA MARIA AT TOWER GROVE PARK ON APRIL 21

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Publisher Chris Keating Editor in Chief Sarah Fenske

COVER Exiled in Lemay Tuesdays, MAY

7–28

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

Museum and a movie on Sunday.

Amazing Grace, Stockholm

Starting Monday, she’ll get a check for doing that same stuff. She just got hired at RFT.

7 9

12 22 25

Cafe

Short Orders

Music & Culture

Out Every Night

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The Bail Project’s mission is as crucial and relevant as ever

Saw a great band at a cool club.

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News Feature Calendar Film

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NICHOLAS COULTER

The Lede Hartmann

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Saturday night, she dined at a trendy new restaurant.

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Pictured on cover, top: Friday prayers at the Turkish American Society of Missouri. During the month of Ramadan, as many as 150 men fill this second-floor room. Bottom: Akif Guney used to diagnose people. In the U.S. he diagnoses cars.

Written by RYAN KRULL

What Did You Do Last Weekend?

They were doctors and professors in Turkey. In St. Louis, they sell cars

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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Valerie June | Emily King

Savage Love

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HARTMANN Presumption: Innocence One man did a terrible thing. That doesn’t mean we should retreat on reforming cash bail BY RAY HARTMANN

t was a tragedy made to order for a provocative news story. Marcia Johnson, 54, of St. Louis was found brutally murdered in her south city home, and the suspect — her husband, Samuel Lee Scott — had apparently come straight from jail to commit the crime after making bail. Scott had been held by the city for four days after being picked up on a “wanted” warrant alleging he’d punched Johnson in the face three months earlier. He had

been charged with fourth-degree domestic assault, a misdemeanor. What made this story uniquely newsworthy: Scott had been bailed out by a national socialjustice group known as the Bail Project, whose mission is “to combat racial and economic disparities in the bail system.” St. Louis is one of the group’s prime target areas, and since arriving here in early 2018, it has provided bail for more 1,300 low-income defendants incarcerated while awaiting their day in court in both city and county. You can’t blame the media for jumping on the story: It is an interesting and unusual twist on a horrible tragedy, and that makes it news. It even received some coverage outside St. Louis. But one important point needs to be stressed about this story: The Bail Project did nothing wrong, and the group absolutely should not be blamed for Johnson’s death, not even indirectly. Other local media, especially

the Post-Dispatch, gave the Bail Project’s role heavy emphasis. Yet the facts don’t bear that attention out. The Bail Project didn’t stage a jail break. It simply put up the bail set by the criminal-justice system. If a friend or relative of Scott had posted the bail, no one would be blaming that person for the ensuing tragedy, nor should they. Ditto for a bail bondsman. There’s only one party to blame for this horrific act, and that is Scott, assuming he is found guilty of murder. If that’s the case, he should and will spend the rest of his days in a maximum-security prison for killing a “loving, kindhearted mother” (in the words of a family member). Period, full stop. And even if one chose (and some have) to play a pointless, Mondaymorning-quarterback game of “what if Scott had not been bailed out of jail,” that exercise should instead target the criminal justice system. Judges set bail. Defendants do not, nor does anyone who acts on behalf of a defendant.

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If a scapegoat is needed, I suppose someone could unfairly chastise respected Judge Calea Stovall-Reid for setting bail at only ,000, or blame the o ce of Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner for charging Scott in the initial case with the lowest of the four available classes of domestic-abuse crimes. I won’t do that; the judge didn’t possess a crystal ball and the January incident seemed to fit the fourth-degree domestic-assault category. They’re blameless here, as was the Bail Project. Still, that didn’t stop the PostDispatch editorial board from essentially portraying the Bail Project as an accessory to murder: “Editorial: Accused assailant exits jail, thanks to the Bail Project. Then a victim dies.” In an historic low point in kneejerk liberalism, the editorial began by gently stating, “Under many circumstances, efforts like the Bail Project St. Louis would be praiseworthy for trying to level the play-

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HARTMANN

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APRIL 24-30, 2019

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ing field for oor defendants. But after paying homage to its quasi-concern over the injustices of the cash-bail system and city Workhouse conditions, the Post asked rhetorically, “But what happens when this well-meaning effort backfires as it did on ril Here’s one answer: People sometimes lose their minds. Peole flail angrily at the sky with the judicial equivalent of killing the messenger who’s delivered the bad news. Then they write words like the Post did: “Sorry, but cash bail systems, unfair as they can be, pale in comparison to the injustice of murder.” Now there’s a courageous and insightful point. The Post’s 20-20 hindsight was probably well-received in law-enforcement circles. Gardner, herself well-meaning, had already offered publicly to sit with the Bail Project and explain the need for it to take special caution in bailing out those charged with domestic abuse. A police source told me the Bail Project “needed to own” what happened with Scott. Wrong. The Bail Project resembles an ATM more than a judge. The responsibility to protect society from defendants who might reasonably be considered a security threat, or a flight risk the two considerations traditionally weighed in setting bail — lies with a judge, acting with input from prosecutors and police. The people working at the Bail Project — they call themselves “bail disruptors” — possess neither the resources nor ualifications to supplant judges’ judgment regarding bail. Even if they had the capability to do so, it’s not their job. Tellingly, when I ran this by another law enforcement source (who defended Stovall-Reid and Gardner, but not the Bail Project), they intimated that $5,000 bail for a Class A misdemeanor was essentially the judge’s way of making certain that Scott would stay incarcerated, suggesting it indicated Scott was viewed by law enforcement as posing a greater danger than his relatively minor offense would have suggested. “Wait a minute,” I asked. “If the guy was that dangerous, why give him bail at all r why not have set it at $25,000” — the average in the city — “or even higher hy wasn’t there electronic monitoring The answer: After considering

Scott’s inability to pay, the judge likely believed $5,000 all-cash bail was su cient to kee him imprisoned. That’s just how these things are handled in the city: It’s a passive-aggressive bail system, designed to keep a defendant incarcerated until trial without appearing too draconian. And so by showing up with that $5,000, the Bail Project inadvertently messed with the natural order of things in St. Louis. And what was the Bail’s Project’s sinister motive as it making a statement that requiring cash-bail is worse than murder o, it was bailing out a guy charged with a misdemeanor that carries the same penalty as shoplifting. (Which, by the way, is something that needs to be revisited in Jefferson City.) In a lawsuit ArchCity Defenders filed last year over the city orkhouse, Bail Project claims that in its first year in St. ouis, it got more than 1,300 low-income defendants released — and that those defendants notched a ercent success rate in making their court appearances. More than 53 percent of their cases, it says, were ultimately dismissed. If those numbers are even close to being true, they cry out for the need to abolish the cash-bail system. It’s outrageous enough — as ArchCity argues in that lawsuit — that the average defendant languishes 2 1 days in the hellish Workhouse waiting for trial. Now the Bail Project adds two giant logs to the fire ne, that these defendants would have shown up to their court dates even without this oppressive detention and, two, that most of them wouldn’t be convicted when they did. If a suspect such as Scott poses a risk to society, don’t give him bail before trial. But thousands of others — here and across the nation — are having their civil liberties trampled because of their low-income status. It is unacceptable that poor people are punished for being poor before even getting their day in court. And their plight is compounded by getting cut off from their families and jobs and lawyers during a time they’re presumed to be innocent of a crime. You want to get rid of those troublesome disruptors at the Bail ro ect ere’s a suggestion et rid of cash bail. n Ray Hartmann founded the Riverfront Times in 1977 and recently returned to these pages as a columnist. Contact him at rhartmann@sbcglobal.net or follow him on Twitter at @rayhartmann.

NEWS

Comptroller Green Blasts Delay on Airport Bonds Written by

DANNY WICENTOWSKI

I Newly revised census numbers show St. Louis has retained its place among the nation’s twenty largest metro areas. | FLICKR/DAVE HERHOLZ

STL Is Back, Baby Written by

SARAH FENSKE

ast spring, the news was bleak. “St. Louis region falls out of the Top-20 metros in the U.S.,” the St. Louis PostDispatch reported, in a story that blazed across the top of its website. Due to local population declines, the daily reported, St. Louis had been surpassed by Baltimore altimore in o cial census data and was now the 21st largest in the nation instead of the twentieth. Serious hand-wringing ensued. But that was then, and this is now. And now we’re pleased to report the new news: St. Louis is back, baby! According to U.S. Census Bureau numbers released last Thursday, St. Louis again lands at No. 20 on the list of the nation’s largest metro areas. Baltimore is back at No. 21. And with that, we can again swell with regional pride! Whether it was the mere idea

of Better Together vaulting us to the list of top-ten cities or the new campaign to help the city get over its inferiority complex that did the trick, we should all agree it’s time to rejoice. We’re big, and growing! Except ... we’re not. The new census numbers actually show that the St. Louis MetropolitanStatistical Area (MSA) lost 385 people in the last year. That’s even as the Baltimore MSA gained 4,202. We are shrinking, albeit very slowly. So how does this possibly count as a comeback? As it turns out, the secret is this: The Census Bureau gives, and the Census Bureau takes away. Even though the Bureau’s March 2018 press release noted that St. Louis had fallen out of the top twenty, a helpful spokeswoman explained to us this morning that the numbers used to reach such conclusions are routinely revised. And so now, rather than showing Baltimore’s MSA with 2.8 million souls as of July 1, 2017, the Census Bureau has retroactively determined that the Maryland metropolis actually only had 2,798,587 at that time. St. Louis, in contrast, had 2,805,850 souls on July 1, 2017. That’s fewer than were counted in the release that set off the P-D’s la-

ment — but as long as we’re beating Baltimore, we get to stay in the top twenty. And this year’s numbers, we’re pleased to report, allow us to stay on top. Thursday’s release shows us with a population of 2,805,465, in contrast to Baltimore’s 2,802,789. Our lofty zero percent change lets us hold on to the position that has long been rightfully ours: No 20. Asked why the Census Bureau wouldn’t wait for more exact numbers before issuing such releases, thereby sparing St. Louis the anxiety that consumed the region in 2017, its spokeswoman didn’t have much of an answer. There’s a whole methodology to this stuff — you can read it online — and even if the Bureau is giving St. Louis a heart attack with each new release, it’s almost certainly not going to change. As for our newly reclaimed status, doesn’t it feel good to be part of a growing, vibrant region — the twentieth largest in the nation? Let’s enjoy this narrow margin of victory while we can. Come next spring, the Census Bureau will be revising again. With our regional identity apparently hanging in the balance, we should all say a prayer the next error is in our favor. n

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t was something new for Darlene Green, the usually stoic St. Louis city comptroller. She wanted everyone in the room to know it. “ his is a first, I want that on the record,” Green declared at last week’s meeting of the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, often abbreviated as E&A. The board’s three voting members — Green, Mayor Lyda Krewson and Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed — spent twenty minutes in a rolling argument over an airport bond issue. Green, who was pushing for the issuance, says it could save the city $20 million. And she later angrily charged that Krewson and Reed were holding it up at the behest of consultants pushing for airport privatization. (The two denied that.) That the bond issuance could save the city millions was undisputed, even by Reed, who bickered with Green both over scheduling (he wanted to delay the vote) and his supposed desire to personally read the 106-page bill. The proposal seeks to refund bonds issued in 2009, while also issuing new bonds valued around $24 million. But to get the $20 million savings touted by Green and her financial advisers, the city would need to finalize the deal by July 1. The proposal has been in the works for months. Green pointedly noted to Krewson and Reed that their o ces had bombarded her staff with questions. And yet, on the day the comptroller expected the measure to pass, Reed and Krewson slammed on the brakes. “We’ve formally put this process in place six months ago,” said an exasperated Green. “Now you’re

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AIRPORT BONDS Continued from pg 9

saying that you just don’t know fiddly about diddly. Reed protested, responding that the bill was already locked into an aldermanic schedule, and that a week’s delay at the Board of E&A wouldn’t prevent it from passing. “I have not had a chance to look at this 100-page bill,” Reed said at one oint, but then added, “I think it is a great idea and I want to su port it.” Reed didn’t raise any questions about the actual details of the bond measure during the meeting. Krewson, meanwhile, lobbed uestions at one of reen’s financial advisers as he summarized the financing ackage. Critical to the deal, explained Ramon Ortega of Siebert Cisneros Shank o., is that the refinancing of the bonds be done before the “call date” — that is, the date where a bond can be refunded before it reaches maturity. That allows the bond issuer, in this case St. Louis, to refinance at a lower rate. “The issue with issuing a refund after July 1, is it becomes a diminishing asset,” Ortega warned. “You actually lose savings because you’re losing the market that you could have pulled the trigger on.” But when Krewson interjected to ask about the difference in interest rates — “So the new payment will be more than the payment we’re making now?” — the answer, an emphatic “no,” came from both Ortega and from St. Louis airport director Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge, who was seated behind him. “Well,” continued Krewson, “these are the uestions I had earlier. I’ve had them for a while. I’m just trying to understand what that model was. I understand fully that it’s the comptroller’s bailiwick to figure this out, but we do have a process here, where the board of E&A and ultimately the Board of Aldermen have to aprove this. So, I’m ust trying to understand the very basics of this transaction.” hat didn’t seem to ha en. Instead, the matter circled between the mayor’s struggle to understand the details, Reed’s insistence that delaying the E&A vote wouldn’t harm the proposal, and Green’s insistence that yes, it absolutely would. Eventually, Green shifted gears. Reed and Krewson simply would not budge. “You are saying there is no way you’re going to approve this to-

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St. Louis Comptroller Darlene Green blasted her E&A colleagues. | DANNY WICENTOWSKI day, reen said. “I hear you. ut the level of scrutiny that you’ve shown is unacceptable to me. You need to hear that loud and clear today. And you need to hear it from me.” Green’s frustration wasn’t only about Reed’s demands for a delay. It was about reen’s role as the city’s chief financial o cer. “I need you to understand that the power of the comptroller’s office to do this financing is there, and we have come prepared,” Green said. “The [city] charter has given me charter responsibilities, that you’ve decided to remove. Do what you want. I’m done. After about 25 minutes, the board voted 2-1 to delay the vote. Two hours later, the comptroller’s o ce released a scathing ress release, accusing both the mayor and board president of blocking the measure, “despite the obvious advantages to pursuing refunding.” “It is fiscally irres onsible for Krewson and Reed to attempt to derail a financial transaction that will produce a savings in excess of $20 million,” Green said in the press release. It’s not the first time the issue of the airport has riven the Board of E&A. Last May, Krewson was left sputtering when Reed abruptly derailed a vote to approve hiring consultants tasked with exploring the unprecedented option of leasing operations at St. Louis Lambert International ir ort. Green has been a staunch critic of privatization efforts. Last year, when eed fli ed his osition, approving the privatization consultants — coincidentally, after a number of Reed’s campaign contributors were added to the rolls — the comptroller voted no and again found herself on the lonely side of a 2-1 vote. More recently, in February,

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“We’ve formally put this process in place six months ago,” said Green. “Now you’re saying that you just don’t know fiddly about diddly.” Green criticized the lack of public vote on the privatization issue, calling it “arrogance.” Even in last week’s contested bond measure, the issue of airport privatization lurked just beneath the surface. That’s because reen’s o ce and its financial advisers are planning for every possible scenario, including that Lambert will be leased to a private entity in the near future. According to an executive summary produced by Siebert Cisneros Shank, the proposed bond package includes a provision that would allow the city to pay off, or “defease,” the 2019 bond if the airport is privatized. he firm’s analyst rtega e plained to the mayor that if the city did decide to lease the airport, “should they need to pull the trigger on this transaction to defease the bonds, it will be minimal or no cost to the city, or a similar cost to leaving the bonds outstanding.” That’s an important point for any entity considering rivatization. If someone does make Lambert the largest privately run airport in the U.S., the purchase price wouldn’t

simply drop into the city’s general revenue fund, but would first be used to pay off the airport’s approximately $600 million in debt, which includes the cost of defeasing the millions wrapped up in various airport bond measures. What Ortega described was an attempt to cover multiple positions at once, making sure neither outcome — privatization or status quo — would leave the airport in worse shape than it is presently. “To the city,” Ortega continued, the possibilities “should be somewhat neutral, while also balancing doing what’s best for the airport, and locking in those savings in a favorable market environment.” If you’ve made it this far, it shouldn’t be surprising that anyone, even Krewson and Reed, had trouble following the financial details. But those details, Green insisted, were the roduct of her o ce’s expertise and the help of professional consultants like Ortega. The intrusion onto the turf of the com troller’s o ce clearly incensed Green. During the meeting, she said Krewson and Reed trying to intercede because they didn’t understand the details amounted to an attempt to “belittle the power of her o ce. After the meeting, Green directly accused the two o cials of tanking the bond proposal to make the airport a more attractive candidate for privatization. “They are attempting to make the operations of the airport look less than professional, less than capable, so a privatization in their eyes would make more sense,” Green told the Post-Dispatch after the meeting. “It is unconscionable. And to activists who oppose airport privatization — in part because the entire process, including the city’s consultants, is being underwritten by libertarian billionaire e Sin uefield uesday’s standoff was yet another example of how the game is stacked. “How far will they go to force privatization of our airport?” queried the activist group Not For Sale STL in a Facebook post. The comptroller’s post was also shared by 15th Ward Alderwoman Megan Green, who recently challenged Reed on a platform that vowed to stop the airport from going private. In her own acebook ost, lderwoman Green suggested that the E&A meeting revealed the tactics of the privatization conspiracy weaken the air ort’s financial position, thus making it easier to sell. Or in other words: “Starve the beast, force privatization.” n

DJ Wilson, with the Cabrini Academy soccer team, was both coach and storyteller. | THOMAS CRONE

R.I.P., DJ Wilson Written by

THOMAS CRONE

ennis J. Wilson, known to many from his rolific byline of DJ Wilson, died Saturday. His passing from the complications of a long battle with brain cancer came just days after his 67th birthday. Wilson was a staff writer at the Riverfront Times from 1995 to 2002, serving as a reporter at large and metro columnist. While he could write on almost any topic, his knack was in unknotting the arcane aspects of our region’s civic culture, often tweaking those in the power class with his wry humor and love of the underdog. The RFT gig brought him back to his native St. Louis after reporting stints in Waynesville, Missouri; Houma, Louisiana; and Houston, Texas. He and his wife Cole arrived in town with four children, a number that would quickly double. Those eight kids would become adults as part of a huge cast of extended family members, including a growing batch of oftloving, sometimes-squabbling cousins, nephews, nieces, in-laws, couch crashers and family members by choice. A friend count for Wilson would be impossible to calculate. On the list were people who’d been in his life since grade school. Several of his closest friends were made at

Bishop DuBourg High School in the late 1960s. Other friendships were established at his various writing outposts. He met folks in bars, courthouses, gymnasiums, libraries ... or by simply running into them on the street, with Wilson bringing to life the old adage of someone able to carry on a conversation with a fencepost. This ability served him well as a reporter and interviewer. Even if he zinged a source in print one week, it wouldn’t be odd for Wilson to tip a lukewarm cup of Bud Select with the same person at a fish fry the ne t. or years after his RFT stint, he wrote about politics for St. Louis Magazine, even while serving in a communications position for the East-West Gateway Council of Governments, a role that gave him a unique insider-outsider perspective. He explored many of the same topics on the KDHX radio show-turned-podcast Collateral Damage, a program he was dedicated to, continuing to record throughout his illness. The program allowed him to meander through his unique thicket of interests; guests always knew they were in for a broadcast experience different than most. A storyteller as much as anything, Wilson honed his material through repetition, talking through his best material with gusto, whether it was the 92nd or 256th retelling, often to the same audience. The topics were many and varied, though his subjects most frequently ran to family, sports, politics and St. Louis generally. His mind was best displayed at the annual St. Frances Continued on pg 12

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Cabrini Academy Trivia Night, where he emceed the action and gave some of his gags (Q: “What’s the capital of Djibouti?” A: “Djibouti”) a yearly airing. He was also a collector of things. Documents were among his most beloved possessions. His cubes and o ces were a testimony to the power of paper, with boxes and folders and teetering stacks that were semi-legendary for their, let’s call it, comprehensiveness. He’d

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root through these collections and generally could find e actly the source material he’d been hunting for; though he met his deadlines, they were usually last-second filings, slowed by good, long conversations in the hallway. Coaching was a common topic. As his children/grandchildren aged through the CYC youth sports system, Wilson was a constant resence as both o cial and uno cial coach and he was generous with opinions regardless). His mentoring of kids wasn’t limited to game time. Over many sports seasons, a familiar sight at south

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Wilson was interviewed for a video called The South Side of Luck. | SCREENSHOT

city QuikTrips was DJ Wilson in a weathered Volvo station wagon, a rambunctious, multi-hued batch of soda-greedy children tumbling out of every door, including the trunk. Some of these kids, arriving in St. Louis from around the world, would become de facto family members, their presence a constant at the Wilson family’s three-story home on Arsenal. For well over a decade, he hosted Wednesday Night Basketball there. Some people made memorable cameos and never returned. Others were weekly attendees, joining Wilson’s children and childhood friends in games that brought together the full spectrum of humanity, with judges, politicians, workers at nearby restaurants, academics and a slew of journalists sharing the court. Players of all ages, heights, skills, ethnicities, genders and sexualities hooped with abandon on that three-car arking ad. In between games, Wilson would be courtside, listening to KMOX, constantly adjusting his knee brace, shelling peanuts and humble-bragging about the latest beer deal he’d scored at Globe Drug. The scene was funny and profane, and probably too loud for his neighbors. As a human being, DJ Wilson was more of a puzzle than some, if not most. He was the smartest guy in the room (like: literally, he was) and big-hearted, too. Cantankerous and caring, a hopeful cynic. Giving of his time and last penny, but able to spear you with his round-the-clock texting habit; woe be you if your favorite team lost a big game, as you’d be gifted that acerbic, 3 a.m. zinger from DJ Wilson! And he was patterned, no doubt stubborn in certain ways. Which brings us back to basketball. His patented move started near the wood fencing at his home court’s right corner. With a high leg kick, he’d drive baseline to the basket. From here, one of two things would happen. Option A: He’d sizzle a hard pass through a forest of arms (and skulls) into the hands of a startled teammate. Option B: He’d continue his drive, fli ing u a li’l di sy-do of a scoop shot, mixing in the occasional half-hook. Everyone saw those drives coming, but the stubborn baller persisted. And he still made his share of shots. At some point around 1 a.m., the night-owl host would finally bid adieu to the last visitor with one of his trademark phrases. “Hail and farewell,” he’d say, the message usually repeated back to him. “Hail and farewell, D.” n

Klan Wife Cops to Murder Written by

DOYLE MURPHY

he cat-hoarding wife of a Ku Klux Klan leader in rural Missouri pleaded guilty Friday to murdering him in 2017 and dumping his body. Malissa Ancona, 47, admitted in St. Francois County Court to shooting Frank Ancona twice in their house in Leadwood. “I fired both shots that killed my husband,” Ancona told Judge Wendy Wexler Horn, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. The killing was the subject of a Riverfront Times cover story in March 2017. As we reported then, Frank Ancona had confided to relatives and others that he suspected his wife had drugged him in the past and was possibly trying to kill him. Then, in February 2017, he went missing. Investigators soon discovered bizarre online posts made by Malissa Ancona, seeking a roommate. She told law enforcement she believed her husband had left her, so she was looking for someone to help with the bills. Frank Ancona’s body was discovered near a river outside the small town of Belgrade, Missouri, shortly after he was reported missing by family members. Investigators quickly focused on his wife and stepson, Paul Jinkerson Jr., as the prime suspects. They were both charged on February 13, 2017, with first-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence and abandonment of a corpse. Malissa Ancona’s story has changed repeatedly since the killing. She at first blamed her son, Jinkerson, saying he fired on her sleeping husband in the master bedroom of the house. She later wrote the judge a letter, saying she was actually the shooter, only to say in a later letter she hadn’t been in her right mind when confessing. She had been scheduled for a hearing Friday to set dates in her trial, but she instead made a deal with prosecutors to plead to second-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence and abandonment of a corpse. She told the judge that Jinkerson was not involved in the killing but helped her clean up the crime scene and

Malissa Ancona. | ST. FRANCOIS COUNTY SHERIFF

Ancona plead guilty to seconddegree murder, tampering with physical evidence and abandonment of a corpse. dispose of the body. Jinkerson’s case is still pending. Before his death, Frank Ancona had made brief appearances on the national stage through interviews with the New York Times and MSNBC, leveraging his role as the imperial wizard of the Traditionalist American Knights of the KKK. Despite the grandiose name, the hate group was a tiny, disorganized collection of small-town white supremacists numbering maybe 40 at the height of the organization’s influence, the Southern Poverty Law Center previously told the RFT. Ancona had supported her husband in his Klan activities, sewing robes for him and other members — an activity that earned her the mocking nickname “Seamstress for the Klan” from an ex-husband. But she and Frank Ancona clashed in the months before his death. Against her husband’s wishes, she turned their house into a filthy, off-the-books animal rescue, relatives and animal rescue workers say. When law enforcement arrived at the couple’s home to investigate Frank Ancona’s death, they had to pick their way through piles of garbage and dozens of cats, who had free reign of the place. Relatives say Frank Ancona had talked of leaving his wife, but worried what she might do. n

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APRIL 24-30, 2019

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EXILED IN LE

They were doctors and professors in Turkey. In St 14

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EMAY

n St. Louis, they sell cars

BY RYAN KRULL

PHOTOS BY NICHOLAS COULTER

hen I catch up with Akif Guney it’s about 9:30 in the morning and he’s walking a sprawling lot of used cars in search of a few low-priced ones he can resell with minimal repair at maximum rofit. e’s got his eye out for orollas, amrys and ltimas. ed ones, in articular. hose have been selling well. ess than a year ago, before he was a refugee, uney racticed medicine. e kneels at the back bum er of a Subaru Im reza, one that’s mostly red, and gives it a hysical. “ his anel is after market, he says. “ ot the original art. he color is a little off and you can see they had some trouble installing it. nless you work in the car business, you’ve likely never heard of anheim uto uction in ridgeton. ut there’s a decent chance your car at some oint assed through it. very uesday about 2,000 cars are urchased here, most by dealers who resell them on lots throughout the region. he auction starts around 11 a.m., and uney has been here since daybreak, walking the rows and rows of vehicles and test driving the occasional one that looks romising. y hone says the temerature is a few degrees above freezing, though the consistent gusts of wind make it feel much colder. ou should ut your hood u , uney tells me. here’s your hat little while later we’re test-driving a amry on a small track ad acent to the lot. I ask Guney if there are any similarities between diagnosing people and diagnosing cars. e says there are a few key differences sychology, Continued on pg 5

Not long ago Akif Guney was a physician and Omer Ozyurt taught history at a university. Now they’re kicking ass in the used car business. riverfronttimes.com

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Omer Ozyurt power washes a car on his dealership’s lot. Tax refund season has been particularly good for business.

EXILED IN LEMAY Continued from pg 3

neurosis. ars don’t have these things. “I worked as a primary care hysician for si years, he says. “And for many of the patients who came to see me my ob was often trying to hel them realize they weren’t actually sick. he amry’s transmission is in solid sha e, uney says. he ball oints are good. “ his time last year, how much did you know about cars I ask. “ robably less than you.

uney’s boss is mer zyurt, the owner of uto ova in emay. oth men are urkish, recent arrivals to the nited States. hey’re here because they’re members of the ethullah len movement, which to put it mildly has fallen out of favor with the urkish government. he len movement is hard to classify. Its members are moderate uslims, friendly to the est, who put a lot of emphasis on public service and collaboration with other religions. Some scholars

call the len a subsect of Islam. lenists themselves say they’re a social movement rather than a religious one. It’s estimated there are around 5 million Gülenists in urkey, and they tend to be welleducated members of the country’s middle and u er classes. he grou has started schools all over the world, including the two ateway Science cademy charter schools here in St. ouis. he movement is named after its founder, ethullah len, who was born in urkey but has been living in ennsylvania since the late 1 0s. In 201 , members of the urkish military attem ted to overthrow resident ece ayyi rdo an. he cou failed, and afterward rdo an made the len into a national boogeyman. nder the auspices of protecting the country from the len, the increasingly authoritarian rdo an shut down more than a dozen universities and shuttered 200 media outlets. ccording to merica, urkey now leads the world in the number of im risoned ournalists. hile some number of the military o cers involved in the attempted coup were likely Gülenists, rdo an in his retribution

has ainted every lenist all over the world as ublic enemy number one. Scholars and academics may quibble about how to classify the ethullah len, but retty much all reasonable watchers of international politics agree that rdo an is ower hungry, aranoid and increasingly autocratic. e’s im risoned more than 70,000 people deemed responsible for the cou and, erha s most bizarrely, attempted to extradite back to urkey nes anter, the all-star center for the ’s ortland rail lazers. anter is urkish and a lenist. rdo an claimed the professional basketball player laundered money, wireta ed eo le and su orted terrorism. rdo an’s government tried to have uney returned to urkey, too. In 201 uney, who holds an . . and did his residency in medical microbiology, was working as a general physician at a hos ital in bu a, igeria. is wife ehta was finishing her own medical residency back in urkey, and when the two talked she always had news of their home country taking turns for the worse. State-controlled media

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emitted a steady stream of antilen messaging. he ro aganda found particular purchase in rural areas of the country, but all over friends were turning against friends, family members against family members. ehta ostoned her residency and moved to igeria, along with the cou le’s young daughter. But after the failed coup against rdo an, the uneys’ life in igeria became increasingly uncertain. rdo an’s government incentivized frican countries to de ort back to urkey any len urks living within their borders. igeria resisted, but kif uney worried that might change. So the couple immigrated to the United States, originally settling in hiladel hia but soon moving to St. ouis because his cousin lived here and had bragged about lower cost of living. In St. ouis, uney met zyurt, a former professor of history in urkey who himself had ust resettled in the .S. he two of them along with several other urkish refugees have been selling cars in emay since. hat chilly morning in ridgeton, uney meets u with zyurt

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EXILED IN LEMAY Continued from pg 5

and lets him know about the amry we test drove and a few other cars up for auction that seem like smart buys. round 11 a.m., a dozen or so auctions begin simultaneously, each one run by its own fasttalking mic’d-u auctioneer. wo thousand individual sales in the course of a few hours means that things ha en very uickly. steady stream of cars pull slowly into a giant garage, get bid on almost immediately, and then ull out. arely does a car remain on the auction block for more than 30 seconds. he atmos here is noisy and chaotic. he amry rolls onto the block. zyurt bids on and eventually buys it for around two grand. “ ow much of him do you understand uney asks me, ointing to the auctioneer facilitating this articular auction. “ aybe every tenth word, I say. “I can understand nothing, he says, laughing.

uto ova sits ust south of the city-county border off emay erry oad. fter fleeing urkey, zyurt s ent time in various .S. cities but decided to open the dealership here after encouragement from a friend of his from back home who was selling cars in ’ allon. ine months ago uto ova began with twenty cars, and now more than 0 sit for sale on his lot. he eole who hel zyurt run the dealershi are all urkish refugees or children of refugees. ne afternoon when I dro by, zyurt’s housemate hmet altaci ha ens to be there. e hangs out in the lobby sometimes, drinks urkish coffee and shoots the breeze with other urks in e ile. Baltaci’s mustache is always neat and he speaks with a deliberate hy er- recise annunciation. year and a half ago he directed all the foreign language programs at eliksah niversity in ayseri, a city of about a million in the center of urkey. f all the refugees in the orbit of zyurt’s dealershi , his story of escape is perhaps the most harrowing. In the fall of 201 , around the same time Guney was getting nervous in igeria, altaci was beginning a new semester of academic work. hen overnight the government shuttered his university as well as fourteen others across the country. altaci watched from his a artment ne t to the university as olice walled off the cam us.

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The once and future doctor, Akif Guney, in the lobby of Auto Nova in Lemay. Immediately he considered fleeing the country, but rdo an had made it nearly impossible for Gülen members to do so legally. s fall turned to winter, altaci and his family endured a precarious e istence. he olice fre uently raided their home, searching for what they wouldn’t say. andomness and illogic reigned. hen, for no discernible reason other than altaci being len, the olice arrested him and 72 colleagues, cramming them into a cell with scant food or fresh water and no access to medicine or lawyers. he ailers shouted at them constantly. altaci was never charged with anything; after ten days, they released him. ut soon after he heard through a contact in the ustice system that the authorities planned to arrest him all over again. fter a di cult discussion with his wife and family altaci fled to the border city of eric. At two in the morning he and a group of strangers escaped in a small boat across the Maritsa iver to reece. he others on the boat were all lenists a mayor, former olice o cers, a doctor and another college professor among them. he now-refugees hiked for nine hours, the adults with small children on their backs, to a small border town. ater it was on to Athens and from there a lane ride to the .S. nder different circumstances, a urkish man like altaci would encounter a thicket of bureau-

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For no discernible reason other than Baltaci being Gülen, the police arrested him and 72 colleagues, cramming them into a cell with scant food or fresh water and no access to medicine or lawyers. cracy u on arrival in the .S. ut several years rior altaci had planned to chaperone a trip to e as for urkish students learning nglish. ot enough students had registered to warrant Baltaci going, but he had been granted a visa at the time that was still valid. “I was so ha y, he says. “ ut also so sad and disappointed because I had to leave my wife, my daughters, my house, my car, my motorcycle. verything. y life. nce in the .S., altaci traveled to more than ten .S. cities before settling in St. ouis. e found the urkish community here warm and welcoming, and he decided

he’d stay for at least a little while. ow he does odd obs and hangs out on the car lot with his roommate, the director of a foreign language de artment observing a doctor and a professor making a few bucks on re-owned amrys and orollas thousands of miles from home. ike altaci, zyurt is also se arated from his family they fled urkey and are now living in osovo. ecause zyurt is here on a business visa he must a ly for ermission to bring his wife, two sons and daughter to the States. ue to the family’s se aration this re uest has been “fast tracked, he says, but the a lication will still likely take 21 months. zyurt, the historian, can’t hel but think of his situation in the conte t of his disci line. “ here are many countries in history where you can find dictators, he says. “ hey always create an enemy and then say to their people only a strong leader is going to rotect you from this enemy. very riday zyurt and the others at uto ova leave the lot early to attend Friday prayers down the street at the urkish merican Society of issouri. bout 0 men come this afternoon, all of them urkish lenists, filling an u er rayer room. he society’s director ucel ktas says about 1 0 families come to this center and that he knows personally at least 2 or 30 urkish men in St. ouis who, like altaci and zyurt, have been torn from their families by

Mister Excitement! When you’re not at a gallery opening, you’re at the hippest late-night hang out. And you’re getting paid for it. ‘Cause you just got the coolest job in town. A boy sports an Enes Kanter T-shirt at the Turkish American Society of Missouri’s Friday prayers. Kanter, a Portland Trail Blazer and outspoken Gülenist, fears extradition by Turkey’s government.

the government’s crackdown on the len. “ here are even some urkish eo le who believe in rdo an here in St. ouis, ktas says. “ hey cut off seeing us because they want to be able to go back to urkey and visit their families. hey say, If we see you, then go back to urkey, they’ll ut us in ail.’

nna rosslin, the resident and of the International Institute in St. ouis, says that it’s not uncommon for refugees, articularly those with high levels of education, to take obs in the .S. that have nothing to do with what they did back home. “ lmost all refugees have to start over, but not all necessarily make the um from, say, medicine to selling cars, rosslin says. “But it can take years and years for someone to be a nurse again, to be a doctor. ven someone who s eaks nglish fluently is likely to face barriers because the degree from their home country often does them little good in the .S. nd re-earning that degree is not easy. or instance, medical schools are often hesitant to accept older individuals, including older refugees, because they’d be left with less time to practice medicine than an a licant right out of undergrad. rosslin cites a recent re ort from her organization, which surveyed all the refugees they hel ed resettle in the ast several years. early one in five had a college degree from their home country. owever, the number of those who could continue to work in their field immediately on arrival in the .S. was “almost

negligible. or uney and altaci, however, their time at the dealershi looks to be a sto over. In the fall Guney will start medical school at the niversity of ouisville in entucky. altaci has found a ob at a middle school in Oklahoma ity it’s not a directorshi at university, but it’s a start.

hat chilly uesday morning at the Manheim Auto Auction, it turns out that zyurt has not actually bought the amry. he auctions ha en so quickly it’s easy for someone to think he’s bidding on one car when in fact he’s bidding on the ne t one in line. nglish being a second language only makes this more likely. he roblem is common enough that an intricate series of cameras, not unlike the ones used in re lays, are set u to sort what e actly ha ened after the fact. In this case the video shows zyurt had actually bought a issan ltima. uney views the ta e and lets zyurt know what ha ened. hen we all head out to the lot to see the car that is accidentally now zyurt’s. “It looks like a good get, uney says. Lines of wear and tear mark the leather seats, but the outside of the car is clean. “I think it’s better than the amry, uney adds. “ s long as it starts. zyurt turns the key in the ignition, and the engine comes to life.

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Ryan Krull is a freelance journalist and assistant teaching professor in the department of communication and media at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

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APRIL 24-30, 2019

RIVERFRONT TIMES

CALENDAR

BY PAUL PAUL FRISWOLD FRISWOLD BY

THURSDAY 04/25 The Film of Life Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace is an all-consuming novel about the entirety of love, life, war and death, all set against the magnificent backdrop of early-nineteenth-century Russia. As Napoleon invades the country, the misogynistic Prince Andrei and his social misfit friend ierre ezukhov interact with their large cast of friends and rivals as everybody prepares to deal with the war. People fall in and out of love, fortunes are lost and life grows grim for many. Sergei ondarchuk s ent si years making the four installments of his film ada tation and suffered two heart attacks during the process. He emerged with a truly monumental seven-hour film that employed thousands of actors 12,000 alone in the e ic attle of orodino set iece , as well as valuable artifacts and props loaned by Russian museums, all of which give the film a swee and verisimilitude worthy of the source material. The Webster Film Series presents a recently restored version of ondarchuk’s War and Peace, Part I at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 25, in Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood Avenue; www.webster. edu film-series . arts II through IV will be shown on successive nights through Sunday, April 28. ickets are to 7 er film, and a $15 punch pass good for all four installments is also available.

FRIDAY 04/26 Together ’til the End Elderly twin sisters Iola and Anest have lived together on the rugged coastline of Wales all their lives. The only thing that’s changed is Iola, who suffers from dementia. Her end is in sight, but can Anest live without her sister? Sooner the tide go on without the shore. When Anest’s adult daughter Menna arrives to see what can be done for Iola, she finds the two sisters changed. Anger, acceptance and

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Napoleon surveys the wreckage of his Russian campaign in War and Peace. | COURTESY OF JANUS FILMS the old Welsh stories of the sea intertwine in Tim Price’s poetic drama Salt, Root and Roe. Upstream Theater presents the American premiere of the play at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and at 7 .m. Sunday ril 2 to ay 11 at the ranzberg rts enter 01 orth rand oulevard www.u streamtheater.org . here’s a final matinee at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 12. Tickets are $25 to $35.

Say Cheese! ortable cameras democratized photography. Once anybody could carry a camera with them, photography became a hobby as well as an art. Poetics of the Everyday: Amateur Photography 1890-1970, the new e hibition at the Saint Louis Art Museum (1 Fine Arts rive www.slam.org , features 110 works by unknown moms and dads. They show children, landscapes, family gatherings and of course the family dog, with often unintentional effects such as the dreaded double e osure. es ite being made by strangers, the images of family vacations and candid shots have a familiarity that makes them universal. Poetics of the Everyday is on display in galleries 234 and 235 from Friday, April 26, to August 25. Admission is free.

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SATURDAY 04/27 Book It Independent Bookstore Day takes place this year on Saturday, April 27, and the Novel Neighbor, the ook ouse, eft ank ooks and Subterranean ooks all mark the day with special events. The ook ouse 73 2 anchester Road, Maplewood; www.book-

housestl.com and eft ank 3 North Euclid Avenue; www.leftbank.com have o cial merchandise for the occasion, which this year includes literary tea towels, a James aldwin in and the tlas Obscura Guide to Literary Places. Staff at Subterranean (6275 Delmar oulevard, niversity ity www.subbooks.com will dress as literary characters, while some special merchandise on offer features shop dog and de facto

Chinese Culture Days’ Grand Parade. | JOSH MONKEN/MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN

WEEK OF OF APRIL APRIL 25-MAY 25-MAY 11 WEEK mobot.org . he festival also features acrobats, martial arts demonstrations, arts and crafts for the kids and food. The Grand Parade featuring a 70-foot dance dragon is at 2 .m. both days. hinese ulture ays takes lace from a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and admission is $5 to $16.

SUNDAY 04/28 Say His Name

Untitled (ice scene), 1936; American; gelatin silver print; sheet: 4 × 5 1/8 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, Gift of John R. and Teenuh M. Foster 311:2018

Fredy Hirsch was one of many young German Jews who were just finding their lace in the world when the azis rose to ower. keen athlete and strong believer in the benefits of hysical health and education, Hirsch was a respected sports instructor in the Jewish youth club system. He was also gay, which led to some murmuring, but his charisma and personal integrity carried him through most of

mascot Teddy. The Loop shop is also hosting the reat ookstore ake ff, in which staffers create a signature bake from a literary reference. Meanwhile, the Novel eighbor 7 0 ig end oulevard, Webster Groves; www. thenovelneighbor.com will have snacks and adult beverages for adult shoppers. All locations, suffice it to say, will be selling books, books, books. heck the websites for hours and more information, and buy more books.

It Takes a Steady Hand an ing a er cutting is a hinese art used to create intricate and detailed portraits of people, animals and flora. sing only scissors and monochrome paper, the artist deploys a series of folds and cuts that reduce the paper to the essence of a monkey, a chrysanthemum or a branch sprouting blossoms. hang Jun is a fifth-generation Nanjing master of the art form, which S laced on the Intangible ultural eritage ist. e will demonstrate the art at this year’s Chinese Culture Days Saturday and Sunday (April 27 and 2 at the issouri otanical arden 3 Shaw oulevard www.

it. When the Jews were deported to the camps, Hirsch looked after and trained more than 4,000 children and teens. eading by e am le, he stressed hygiene, osture and e ercise, all of which kept morale high and child mortality e ce tionally low. In uschwitz, irsch continued caring for the children; he also had a lover and lived as an out gay man in the dwindling days of his life. Rubi Gat’s documentary Dear Fredy tells the story of Hirsch — one of the few eo le whose history survived the Holocaust — through animation, archival photos and eyewitness testimony of his legacy from the children who survived the camps and honored his memory. his year’s est film festival, which celebrates and illuminates the lives of eo le, runs Saturday through Thursday ril 2 to ay 2 , with all films at the Landmark Tivoli Theatre (6350 elmar oulevard, niversity ity www.cinemastlouis.org . Dear Fredy is shown at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, ril 2 , as art of est. ickets are $10 to $13.

MONDAY 04/29 Bright Lights, Small City

In Hard Paint, two young Brazilians find each other. | COURTESY OF CINEMA ST. LOUIS

Dear Fredy documents the life of Fredy Hirsch. | COURTESY OF CINEMA ST. LOUIS

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Life as a young gay man in the small city of orto legre, razil, has been lonely and di cult for Pedro. Painfully awkward, he lives in a small apartment with his older sister and has been bullied at school. At night he escapes online, where he does an internet show as the highly erotic Neon oy. aked and slathered in neon paint, he dances for and seduces an audience of strangers. When another camshow dancer steals his act, Pedro has to brave the outside world to put an end to the imoster. ili e atzembacher and arcio eolon’s film Hard Paint is a story about small towns, coming of age and romance; it won the eddy ward for best film at the erlin International ilm estival. est resents Hard Paint at .m. onday, ril 2 , at the Landmark Tivoli Theatre 3 0 elmar oulevard, niversity ity www.cinemastlouis.org . Tickets are $10 to $13. n

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FILM

Aretha Franklin works up a sweat in Amazing Grace. | COURTESY OF NEON

[REVIEW]

Heavenly Voice At long last, a lost documentary captures Aretha Franklin in a legendary 1972 gospel performance Written by

ROBERT HUNT Amazing Grace Directed by Alan Elliott and Sydney Pollack. Starring Aretha Franklin, Reverend James Cleveland and C.L. Franklin. Now playing at the Landmark Tivoli Theatre.

n 1972, Aretha Franklin, already one of the greatest R & B performers of all time, decided to return to her roots by recording a live album of gospel favorites not in a concert hall but from the pulpit of a church, backed by the Reverend James Cleveland and a full choir. Recorded on two successive nights in Los Angeles, the performances/services were filmed by Sydney ollack but left unfinished when the filmmakers were unable to synch the audio recordings to their footage. (To avoid disrupting the performers, they shot without using clapboards.) Nearly 50 years later,

the footage has been salvaged and synched, redeemed and recreated, re-emerging as a powerful cinematic time capsule, a nononsense record that captures the intensity and energy of a musical performance — or a church service. rom the first frame to the very last, Amazing Grace lives up to its title. he film is loose, s ontaneous and unquestionably natural, an uninhibited portrait of one of the great voices of the twentieth century in her natural element, performing the music that lifted her and taught her how to sing. But it’s also a fascinating document on another level, a refreshingly raw iece of non-fiction filmmaking that presents the two evenings with little adornment or alteration. ad they com leted the film in 1 72, I sus ect the filmmakers might have gone for a seamless but traditional concert film. here are even a few brief moments of split-screen, a cliché of many ‘70s erformance films. This belatedly restored version splits the screen in a different way; we witness Aretha and the choir while simultaneously being aware of the very process that allows us to view them. We see the filmmakers wandering around, trying to make sure they’re getting the best angles; we’re always aware that they are experiencing the performances in real time, with no idea of what will happen next.

And what happens is a simply remarkable display of Franklin’s amazing natural talent, truly graceful in every sense. The songs, which range from gospel standards such as “Mary Don’t You Weep” to a few carefully selected secular tunes (Marvin Gaye’s “Wholly Holy,” and a version of “You’ve Got a Friend” that delicately transforms into “Take y and recious ord , rise and expand, spreading through the room. And as Franklin sings,

[REVIEW]

The Hawke Misses Inspired by a real-life incident, Robert Budreau’s Swedish heist film Stockholm fails to connect Written by

ROBERT HUNT Stockholm Written and directed by Robert Budreau. Starring Mark Strong, Noomi Rapace and Ethan Hawke. Opens Friday, April 26, at the AMC Dine-In West Olive 16.

than Hawke has been a dependable presence in films for nearly 35 years, but it was only when he entered his forties — illustrated by Richard Linklater’s decade-spanning personal epic Boyhood — that the former juvenile

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usually accompanying herself on iano, each song flows out like a message she’s been holding inside for years, with a kind of loose improvisatory quality that also suggests she’s letting her voice run free just to see where it might go. he filmmakers merely watch in awe, catching the magic. We see Franklin in close-up, her face looks almost like it’s under a veil, covered with perspiration but completely glowing. When she performs the title number, the film crew ste s back to show her effect on the room, studying the reactions of the choir behind her, completely absorbed in the song and the voice. he early 1 70s saw a flood of concert films and music documentaries. They were heavy on spectacle and egotism and usually reflected more interest in exhibitionism and their stars’ hip credentials than the music they almost indifferently recorded. ollack and his crew may not have known what to expect (or even knew what they had captured) but you can sense that they’re moved by it, humbled enough to let the songs and images stand for themselves. It took 45 years to find out what they had achieved, but Amazing Grace stands alone, timeless. On those two nights in 1972, Aretha Franklin earned — and won — respect. n star gained his current status as the reigning king of independent films. Directors know that if he’s given a difficult film like First Reformed, he’ll provide energy and depth to hold it together. They also know he can turn on the charm to give light romantic films like Juliet Naked more depth than they deserve. He’s a force of nature, the last untamed spirit carrying the Gen X flag into middle age, just as Jeff Bridges did for the previous generation. Director Robert Budreau knows what Hawke is capable of — the two men last collaborated on the 2015 Chet Baker biography Born to Be Blue — and essentially hands the creative keys over to his lead actor in the new Stockholm. Sure, there’s a relatively detailed plot and a handful of secondary characters, but Budreau can only devote so much time to them before he’s distracted by the outsized performance in the center of every scene. What should have been a tension-driven crime film becomes The Continued on pg 24

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STOCKHOLM

Continued from pg 23

Ethan Hawke Show, with the star doing his best to provide the energy and personality lacking in the script. Stockholm is a very loose retelling of a real event, a 1973 bank robbery in the eponymous Swedish city, in which the would-be thief, Jan-Erik Olsson, held four hostages in a vault for nearly a week. By the time they were released, the hostages had bonded with their captor and refused to testify against him. Olsson’s place in the annals of crime may be minor, but the behavior of his hostages gave

Budreau’s film is an act of nostalgia, more play acting than rebellious. a name to a newly diagnosed psychological condition: Stockholm syndrome. In Budreau’s version, the bank robber, now called Hansson (Hawke), is a wild but slightly naïve, denim-clad hippie in a cowboy hat and wig with a bagful of weapons and a transistor radio. He’s loud, he’s brash and, after demanding to

Ethan Hawke robs a bank and takes hostages in Stockholm, but there’s no real point. | SMITH GLOBAL MEDIA be reunited with his jailed brother (Mark Strong), more inclined to relive old stories and sing along with Bob Dylan songs than to hatch viable crime schemes. (He’s also, curiously, the only cast member with an American accent.) No wonder the hostages (including Noomi Rapace as a mousy, unhappily married bank clerk) find him more interesting than the very dull, square police detective who’s always trying to spoil their fun.

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Sidney Lumet’s excellent 1975 film Dog Day Afternoon is a model for this kind of bank-robbery-as-cultural-rebellion story, but Stockholm is a few generations removed from that film in time as well as in spirit. Lumet’s film was based on a real robbery that had occurred only three years before; the tension between the criminal and the police and the sense of a crime scene turning into a media spectacle still resonated. Budreau’s film,

with its wigs and costumes, period detail and golden-oldies soundtrack, is an act of nostalgia: it’s more play acting than rebellious. It rolls along pleasantly for about 90 minutes, but there’s no heart in it, no commitment. Hawke gives it plenty of charm, but he can’t give it credibility. Budreau gives his character room to fly, but leaves out any kind of dramatic foundation when he has to come back down. n

THE BEST LOCAL MUSIC WEEKEND OF THE YEAR!

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CAFE

[REVIEW]

Something Bold, Something New Sultan, a Kurdish addition to the Grove’s dining scene, positively dazzles Written by

CHERYL BAEHR Sultan Mediterranean Restaurant 84200 Manchester Avenue, 314-390-2020. Tues.-Thurs. 11:30 a.m.-8:45 p.m.; Fri-Sat. 11:30 a.m.-9:45 p.m., Sun. 11:30 a.m.-8:45 p.m. (Closed Mondays.)

our first clue that Sultan is something s ecial comes courtesy of its dolmas. It’s not that their resence is novel you can find rice-stuffed gra e leaves at ust about any editerranean restaurant. sually, though, they are basic and often even from a can, lo ed ne t to some shawarma as an afterthought. o liken Sultan’s dolmas to such a mass- roduced roduct, however, would be like com aring agyu beef to a sirloin from onderosa. ere, the gra e leaves serve as a delicate wra er for flawlessly cooked rice, fresh herbs and lentils that are bound together with ust a touch of s ice- erfumed tomato sauce. ra e leaves are the most common wra er, but the hea ing latter also includes halved red and white onions, egg lant and zucchini, all stuffed with the same delectable filling. ou could find a mi like this simmering all day on the stove at a home in Ira i urdistan and if the taste doesn’t clue you into the fact that om is in the kitchen making these from scratch, the fact that she fills the late with a ortion that could feed an army will make that abundantly clear. he matriarch res onsible for Sultan’s e ce tional dolmas is Jenar ohammed, who owns the

Menu highlights at Sultan include, clockwise from top left, saksuka, mixed grill, Sultan pilau, rice pudding and musakhan. | MABEL SUEN three-month-old restaurant with her husband, kram Saeed. talented home cook, ohammed dazzled her family with her interretations of traditional urdish reci es well before they fled Ira in the 1 0s. Saeed had become a target of Saddam ussein’s brutal regime after working for the .S. rmy. earing for their safety, the family was granted refugee status and landed in St. ouis. In their ado ted city, Saeed worked as a valet, ta i driver and local truck driver while ohammed stayed at home with the family. here, she erfected her recies and e anded her re ertoire by teaching herself other iddle astern cuisines urkish, Syrian, alestinian . She still wanted more, so ohammed got a ob as a re cook as Sameem fghan estaurant. It was a nice enough gig, but it was no substitute for ohammed and Saeed’s dream of o ening their own restaurant. Still, it o ened the air’s eyes to the bustling rove neighborhood and got them e loring available locations to go out on their own. hen they came across the former rney’s 32

egrees at the corner of anchester and oyle, they knew they had found their s ot. he ohammed-Saeed family s ent roughly a year doing a gut rehab of the s ace, turning the former nightclub into two inviting dining rooms. iddle astern ta estries hang from the greyainted walls, and colorful chandeliers with stained-glass globes dangle from the ceilings. astry case on my visits filled with ust a handful of orders of rice udding takes u half of the back wall in the main dining room. Shelves filled with gorgeous, gilded urkish coffee serving vessels sit alongside it. here is no alcohol. Sultan has am le seating roughly 2 tables but the restaurant is already o ular enough to ensure those are full during most dinner services. he dolmas are ust one of many reasons for the acked house. aba ganoush, another ubi uitous iddle astern s ecialty, is a ste above other versions. ere, the egg lant di is chunkier and loaded with tahini, which rovides a dee , earthy undertone. Sesame seeds and za’atar add additional com le ity

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the za’atar es ecially airs beautifully with the char-blistered naan that is rovided for di ing. ven the hummus late and falafel are s ecial, elevating the humble chick ea to a thing of beauty. he former is velvety, s iked with rich tahini and brightened with a flourish of sumac the latter e ually im resses with its cris , brown e terior and an almost fluffy, couscous-like te ture. gain, these are not sim ly rehashes of common dishes ohammed re ares them as if it’s the first time anyone has done so. er talent for egg lant dishes is not limited to the baba ganoush. Saksuka, a mash of grilled egg lant and tomatoes that’s generously slicked with olive oil and s iked with garlic, is ositively lu urious. urkish-style fattoush airs grilled egg lant with roasted red e ers the concoction is layered onto dee fried ita bread, then dressed with cool cucumber yogurt sauce, arsley and tart omegranate arils. It’s a sym hony of te tures and flavors that is both richly savory and refreshing at the same time. or main courses, Sultan offers

APRIL 24-30, 2019

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SULTAN

Continued from pg 27

several kabobs, served with basmati rice, a grilled tomato and tomato-cucumber salad. he chicken version is mildly seasoned, yet sur risingly dazzling thanks to a succulent te ture rarely found in white meat. ut the beef kabob steals the show. he ground, herbflecked meat is so tender you could butter your bread with it. layer of char around the e terior dee ens its flavor. oth show that something as sim le as grilled meat can be e traordinary when e ecuted flawlessly. ahmageen is billed as a “ editerranean-style izza, a descri tion that hardly conveys its comle ity. rilled naan serves as the base for a m lange of minced beef, onions and herbs the te ture evokes rustic tomato sauce, but the flavor is more di cult to wra your head around leasantly gamey, tart, almost cinnamon-s iked. different flavor reveals itself with every bite. usakhan is similar in format to the ahmageen meat served ato a izza-sha ed flatbread but it is even more im-

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Chef-owner Jenar Mohammed serves dishes she perfected over years of practice. | MABEL SUEN ressive. ulled chicken that has been roasted with onions, sumac, alls ice and saffron is shockingly bright and uicy. he meat is iled ato char-blistered naan, making it like a cross between the most wonderful shawarma you’ve ever had and a ea olitan izza. It’s ust meat and bread, but oham-

med is able to elevate them to the level of master iece. Still, nothing re ares you for her Sultan ilau, a dish that is as im ressive to the eyes as the alate. ohammed calls the e terior of the dish a “ hyllo ocket, but it’s actually hyllo shell fashioned into a mound the size and sha e

of a fez. he hyllo layers cris u to a golden brown and stand about si inches high. ou don’t cut you crack into the shell. hen it’s breached, an into icating steam ours out, teasing what awaits inside rice and mild ulled lamb, accented with almonds, istachios, walnuts and raisins. It gives you the leasure of crunch, the satisfaction of savory, the o of sweetness from dried fruit it’s like a lamb biryani given museum- edestal treatment. nd therein lies ohammed’s talent. ver and over, she adheres to traditional notions of iddle astern cuisine while elevating them with her flawless e ecution and eye for thoughtful additions. er efforts make you feel as if you are eating these tried-and-true dishes for the first time, a talent that marries the skill of a chef with the nourishing comfort of a mother’s home-cooking. hat she can o erate in this sweet s ot makes Sultan a terrific addition to the city’s dining scene one we didn’t even know we’d been missing.

Sultan Mediterranean Restaurant Saksuka ................................................. $5.95 Dolma (vegetarian) ..................................... $8 Sultan pilau ..........................................$14.96

10AM – 1PM

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APRIL 24-30, 2019

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APRIL 24-30, 2019

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SHORT ORDERS

[SIDE DISH]

The Woman Who Tames the BBQ Beast Written by

CHERYL BAEHR

elen Beshel can’t help but laugh when she recalls the rocky start she got off to with David Sandusky, who is now her dear friend and boss at BEAST Craft BBQ (20 South Belt West, Belleville, Illinois; 618-257-9000). “I thought he was the biggest douche,” Beshel recalls. “But only because we had people who weren’t being held accountable for things at the smokehouse we worked at. Dave came in and asked me if we had a cleaning list and then asked me why a table was filthy. e told me, ou know why people don’t clean? Because you’re managing them.’ t first, I thought it was so rude, but then I realized, oly cra , I am the roblem, and I have to fi it.’ It was a real breaking point for me that I will never forget.” And at that moment, she knew she wanted to work with Sandusky — a realization that has led her to grow with BEAST from head line cook all the way to director of operations over a growing company that will soon include two locations. Beshel traces her passion for the restaurant business much further than that, though. In high school, she discovered that she loved to cook and, after graduation, enrolled in culinary school to pursue her dream of becoming a chef. But she soon realized it was the wrong path. “I went to culinary school because I wanted to e and my knowledge, but once I got there, I knew it wasn’t for me,” Beshel says. “I just wasn’t that good at it, and because of that, I didn’t give it my all.” Still, Beshel knew she loved the

Helen Beshel’s job as director of operations at BEAST Craft BBQ involves everything from budgeting to branding. | JEN WEST restaurant business. She’d realized that on her very first day as a si teen-year-old newbie at ittle Caesars. “They are corporate, so everything was done in the e act same way; if you went to a new store it was easy because the flow and everything was the same,” Beshel says. “I loved that. There were no grey areas and everyone had a clear vision of e ectations so you didn’t have to manage on the fly. I loved working on schedules and doing the closing stuff because it was putting everything together. They wanted to make me a manager, but I wasn’t old enough.” Still, Beshel applied what she’d learned at ittle aesars during her culinary school internship at ully’s Smokehouse, finding that she loved the business side of the restaurant business much more than cooking. That’s where she first met avid Sandusky. nd as she worked her way up from line cook to general manager, she de-

veloped a passion for creating policies and procedures, holding people accountable, calculating food costs and budgeting. “I love food and I love to eat, but I’m not the greatest cook,” Beshel e lains. “I’m not afraid to admit it. I love the customers and the fast pace of a restaurant, but it’s the business side that drives me.” And while Beshel and Sandusky had a rough first day, they quickly became good friends and co-workers with mutual respect. When Sandusky left the smokehouse to open BEAST with his wife, Meggan, he wanted Beshel to come with him, but she felt like she wasn’t ready. e ersisted. “ e told me that he was going to call me every three months and ask me to work for him,” Beshel recalls. “I kept telling him no, but after a year, I finally said yes. Beshel joined the BEAST team as head line cook, then worked her way u to e ecutive chef, o erations manager, assistant general

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manager and general manager. When the Sanduskys announced that they would be opening a massive operation in the Grove, Beshel took on an even bigger role as director of operations over the entire com any. s she e lains it, she will be responsible for the numbers side of the business, keeping up employee morale, branding and networking, budgeting and menu development — everything she loves about the business without having to cook on the line. “I have such great visions for the com any and am su er e cited to see where we can go with it,” Beshel says. “And hopefully for a very long time.” Beshel took a break from the restaurant to share her thoughts on the metro area’s restaurant scene, what it’s like to spend the day wrangling Sandusky and why she believes St. ouis is a worldclass restaurant city.

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RIVERFRONT TIMES

[FIRST LOOK]

HELEN BESHEL Continued from pg 33

What is one thing people don’t know about you that you wish they did? I was sorted into the ry ndor House! What daily ritual is non-negotiable for you? I make sure Dave is following policies and procedures. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? I would love to clone myself. What is the most positive thing in food, wine or cocktails that you’ve noticed in St. Louis over the past year? St. Louis is home to the best restaurant network outside of New York City. As a group, they can compete with anyone, which is why I think the level of camaraderie here is so fantastic. The resulting drive to put the St. Louis restaurant scene on the map has created a bond that has taken St. Louis favorites to the next level and introduced “new area” St. Louis traditions in the process. I’m lucky to be a part of it. The landscape has changed, and everyone is watching. The last year has proven that we will win more together than apart. What is something missing in the local food, wine or cocktail scene that you’d like to see? I would love to see more female chefs and restaurateurs take their place in our industry. Girl power! Who is your St. Louis food crush? Qui Tran (don’t tell David). Who’s the one person to watch right now in the St. Louis dining scene? Loryn Nalic of Balkan Treat Box. Which ingredient is most representative of your personality? Cheese sauce! If you weren’t working in the restaurant business, what would you be doing? Jeffree Star’s personal assistant. Name an ingredient never allowed in your restaurant. Commodity pork. What is your after-work hangout? At David and Meggan’s house while my husband does the laundry. Just kidding! At home with my husband and daughter. What’s your food or beverage guilty pleasure? Raw chocolate chip cookie dough. What would be your last meal on earth? A “Volcano Burrito” with a Baja Blast. Don’t forget the mild sauce. n

RIVERFRONT TIMES

Bulrush Brings the Ozarks to the City Written by

CHERYL BAEHR

ob Connoley can’t help but laugh when detailing the Planes, Trains and Automobiles-style quest he endured to get his liquor license. It was a race against the clock to ensure he could open his restaurant Bulrush (3307 Washington Avenue, 314-449-1208) on schedule. Car crashes, multiple school busses, an elevator full of pizza partygoers and a race through several floors of City Hall all conspired to keep him from making it to the city’s Excise Department At Bulrush, diners sit around the kitchen for an interactive experience. | CHERYL BAEHR before it closed. In the end, though, he prevailed, getting his license with a timestamp of Friday, April 12, at 4:59 p.m., time restaurant, Squatters Cafe, Bulrush cuisine” means the unique culinary is the distillation of the chef’s vision of heritage of Missouri and its southern a mere 60 seconds before closing time. Such a down-to-the-wire ordeal might food in restaurant form. Though the bar neighbors. It’s a heritage they have strike anyone who has followed Connol- up front is traditional enough, the tast- spent hours upon hours painstakingly ey’s journey to open Bulrush as comical. ing-menu showroom in the back makes researching, and then reimagining for a After all, the James Beard award-nomi- you understand that it is not just about contemporary restaurant. It’s the elevation of a cuisine that has been nated chef has been working written off as “poor people’s toward the concept ever since food” and now rediscovered. he returned to his native Bulrush’s signature, the St. Louis from New Mexico, Ozark Tasting Menu, is a roughnearly three years ago. The ly seven-course chef’s table fact that his ability to open experience where diners will his doors last Thursday came be served personally by Condown to a matter of seconds noley and Bell, interacting with is not just funny; it also runs them as they cook and then counter to the fastidiousness present their wares. The estiwith which Connoley has apmated 90-minute dinner runs proached the project, from $100 per person, inclusive of big things like location down tax and gratuity. Optional bevto seemingly minor details erage pairings are available for like coasters and flatware. an additional charge. Walking into the stunning Though the chef’s tableBulrush, however, it’s clear style dining room will only that Connoley’s exacting stanserve the prix fixe meal, guests dards have paid off. Its tiny storefront door gives nothOn the bar menu: a fried venison bologna sandwich. | CHERYL BAEHR may order a la carte entrees at the bar; Bell estimates a ing away. But once you step complete meal there will run inside, a large, square bar in the center of the room greets you, as getting fed. It is a conversation about roughly $20 per person. Voll’s bar program fully embraces the does a modern, colorful mural the entire dining. That conversation, Connoley explains, idea of Ozark cuisine as well, featuring length of the restaurant, done in shades of purple, orange and red. A spindly light centers around what regional Ozark cui- cocktails made with ingredients such as fixture hangs on the wall, its industrial sine looks like in 2019. As an experienced paw paw and potlicker (the liquid in a pot touch softened by shelves stocked with forager, he is interested in exploring what after cooking greens). There’s also a cuis native to the region — something he rated selection of local beer and a wine books and jugs of fermented elixirs. list that embraces Missouri’s place in That’s just the front. The main event had in mind for Bulrush from the get-go. “When this started, I knew that I was the world of wine. That includes internahappens in the restaurant’s back dining room, which is actually a bar-style seat- going to adapt the food that I know to tional wines with a regional connection, ing arrangement centered around the the local cuisine, like I did in New Mex- such as the French varietals that grew on kitchen, done in red, black and earth ico,” Connoley explains. “And here, that Missouri rootstock during that country’s tones that evoke the elegance of a high- meant the food that I was raised on. We phylloxera epidemic in the 1800s. “For both the food and the bar, we end sushi bar with the reverence of a tra- pretty much just put a name on it; Squatditional Japanese tea ceremony. The fact ters was Southern breakfast food, even need to be able to answer why something that it is barely visible through thin wood- though we didn’t really call it that. Here, is on the menu,” Connoley explains. “If en slats from the bar area only adds to it was a conscious decision to name we can’t do that authentically, we can’t do that.” what we were already doing.” the mystique. Bulrush is now open Thursday through To Connoley, his sous chef Justin Bell Located in Grand Center, just a few n blocks east of Connoley’s former day- and his bar manager Chris Voll, “Ozark Sunday, beginning at 5 p.m.

APRIL 24-30, 2019

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[FOOD NEWS]

Taco Circus Is on the Move Written by

SARAH FENSKE

t. ouis’ favorite circus is getting a few more rings. Taco Circus (4258 Schiller Place, 314-808-2050) announced last week that it’s moving to a significantly bigger s ace and adding both a drinks menu and full-service dining. The four-year-old taco joint has become a Bevo Mill favorite for its e cellent ustin-style e e and cheeky attitude (just check out those ads in these very pages every week). Now owner Christian Ethridge plans to take his show to the former home of Three Flags Tavern, located at 4940 Southwest Avenue just west of Kingshighway. The Bevo location will stay open until the new one is ready — likely late summer. Joining the new venture are Sean Baltzell (the tattoo artist behind Tower Classic Tattoo as well as Parlor Arcade Bar and the forthcoming Takashima Records) and asey olgan a mi ologist who’s Baltzell’s partner in both Parlor Arcade Bar and Takashima Records). Per the press release, “ heir influence from d cor to drink menu perfectly compliment

Taco Circus is taking its signature menu item to a new spot in Southwest Garden and also adding drinks and evening hours. | MABEL SUEN hristian’s vibrant gra ti art and tagger style.” s the release romises, “ a y hour and late night specials will be the norm. The drink menu features unique and crazy cocktails with classic margaritas [alongside] contem orary renditions. he e anded sit-down menu feeds the foodie culture with premium ingredients at an everyday price.” Oh, and did we mention that the new space features a sizable patio? Three Flags Tavern closed in 2017 after a three-year run. It’s

a lovely space and normally a prime location, but its operation had the misfortune to coincide with the Kingshighway Bridge project, which cut it off from all points to the east. As for Taco Circus, it’s long been a food lover’s destination, but its new (and more central) location should make it one for people just wanting to hang out as well. The old space only had about a dozen seats; the new one should seat 50 indoors and another 50 outside, Ethridge said in the release.

“I want to bring the Austin-style e - e e erience to St. ouis in a way that’s familiar but surprises you every visit,” the restaurateur e lained. “I’m here to bridge the ga between flashy and tasty, offering classic, guilty pleasures done with high-end ingredients. Everything is on display when you sit down at Taco ircus. y heritage, my influences, my artistry; they’re all here to create an environment where you just want to hang out.” We’ll drink to that. n

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314.821.2601 223 S KIRKWOOD RD KIRKWOOD, MO 63122

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.

Spencer’s Grill is a historic diner in the heart of downtown Kirkwood. Bill Spencer opened the Grill on Route 66 back in 1947. Over 70 years later a lot has changed but the diner is still a timeless staple cherished by locals. These days Alex Campbell is the owner and the road goes by S. Kirkwood, but the old grill lives on. Known for its breakfast, Spencer’s cooks up crispy pancakes, from scratch biscuits and gravy, omelets, hash browns, and other traditional breakfast favorites. For the after breakfast crowds, Spencer’s offers a variety of lunch options including sandwiches as well as some of the best burgers in town. Jake Sciales (previously head chef at Farmhaus) runs the kitchen at Spencer’s and creates delicious off-menu specials daily. His culinary excellence makes even the most familiar dishes divine.The charming breakfast bar is welcoming and the service is friendly and fast. Mornings can be busy but the lines move quickly and breakfast comes out fast. Looking for a new breakfast spot? If you haven’t tried Spencer’s yet, you need to check it out. Spencer’s Grill is open 6AM until 2PM seven days a week.

CARNIVORE STL

MORRISON’S IRISH PUB

CARNIVORE-STL.COM

MORRISONIRISHPUB.COM

314.449.6328 5257 SHAW AVE, ST. LOUIS, MO 63110

618-433-8900 200 STATE STREET ALTON, IL 62002

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.

Several, long-beloved Irish pubs have staked a claim to being the most-authentic in town, though a strong case be made for one of the newer entrants. Located in the historic and scenic Alton, IL, Morrison’s Irish Pub brings all the elements of a great Irish pub under one roof - which, in this particular case, dates way back to 1865. Live music’s on-hand, with a strong selection of the area’s finest Irish and Irish-tinged groups and solo performers, heard from Thursday-Saturday nights. The selections of whiskey and beer reflect just the right touches of domestic and imported options, with plenty of favorites on-hand, including a wide-and-deep selection of Irish whiskeys that’d rival any other spirits menu in town. But it’s the menu that really solidifies the deal, with corned beef and cabbage, leek soup, Irish stew and Irish soda bread all available on a daily basis, along with rotating specials. Fare such as burgers, salads and wraps add to the traditional Irish fare, giving families a host of options. Open every day but Monday, Morrison’s offers a legit Irish pub feel without any artificial ingredients.

OAKED

THE BLUE DUCK

OAKEDSTL.COM

BLUEDUCKSTL.COM

314.305.8647 1031 LYNCH ST, ST. LOUIS, MO 63118

314.769.9940 2661 SUTTON BLVD, MAPLEWOOD, MO 63143

Treat yourself to an elevated culinary experience. With spring’s arrival, OAKED introduces its Pink Moon menu. Diners can order the entire menu inside the speakeasy-feeling lounge, upstairs in the spacious dining room, and now on the beautiful New Orleans-style patio dubbed “the Veranda”. Chef Stephan Ledbetter and crew create new dishes each menu using the finest available ingredients while keeping past winners. This time around includes Duck Breast with charred Cabbage; Ratatouille with Spaghetti Squash and Vegan Burrata; and the housegem - Wild Mushrooms served with Duxellé, Truffle and Mushroom Tea. OAKED ensures their menu includes several vegan and gluten-free options so everyone can savor their evening. OAKED also has one of the better curated wine list in town alongside a selection of whiskeys and craft cocktails. It even has a small cigar bar outside on “the Gallery”. Offering Happy Hour specials from 4-6 daily. Music in the lounge Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Ample parking. Walk-ins are welcome, but reservations are recommended.

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

RIVERFRONT TIMES

APRIL 24-30, 2019

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[BARS]

Angad’s Rooftop Is Spring’s New Spot

n April 11, the rooftop bar at the Angad Arts Hotel — A.R.T. Angad Rainbow Terrace (634 North Grand Boulevard) — officially opened its doors, kicking off the spring season with a party featuring cocktails, a performance by the All Purpose Band and, of course, its very own killer view of Grand Center and the surrounding St. Louis neighborhoods. With food and drinks by the hotel’s restaurant, Grand Tavern by David Burke, the rooftop space offers both an indoor bar and an outdoor terrace with room for 80 guests. Grand Tavern’s beverage director Meredith Barry crafted the beverage menu; like the hotel’s rooms, it’s organized by color and mood. As for the food, by star NYC chef David Burke, let’s just say in addition to grilled shishito peppers and beef sashimi, offerings include CBDinfused guacamole. Talk about a mood lifter! The rooftop opens daily at 11:30 a.m., with hours ’til 11 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 1 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. —Sarah Fenske

The A.R.T. Angad Rainbow Terrace, which sits atop Grand Center’s newest hotel, offers a wonderful view and CBD-infused refreshments. | RYAN GINES

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APRIL 24-30, 2019

RIVERFRONT TIMES

APRIL 24-30, 2019

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MUSIC + CULTURE

“I’ve always been a producer who plays music — I don’t want to sample. I felt that challenge to electronic music was so unique that I wanted to tap into it.”

[HOMESPUN]

The Big Chill Known for his work with Tef Poe, Tech Supreme’s Derrick Kilgore is finding his groove with EDM-style beats Written by

CHRISTIAN SCHAEFFER

s a self-professed comic book nerd and pop culture consumer, Derrick Kilgore is in his zone this spring. Game of Thrones is back on air after almost two years away, and the season’s biggest film event the final Avengers movie is so important to him that he has an app on his phone counting down the minutes until the premiere. “I didn’t sleep the night the tickets went on sale because no one knew what time they would be released,” Kilgore says. “I’m hardcore into it, have been my whole life. But these days, Kilgore’s life encompasses far more than just his pop culture obsessions. He’s also a music producer, beatmaker and a podcaster. His nerdy side comes out most strongly on the podcast, The 60 Minute Shit Show, which he produces bi-weekly with local comic book artist Benjamin Sawyer. n recent e isodes the air have o ined on everything from ra per Nipsey Hussle’s killing (and the conspiracy theories that surround it) to the culture’s recent reckoning with long-standing allegations against Michael Jackson and R. Kelly. For Kilgore, the podcast is an informal way to work through the glut of news and pop culture in this digital, social-media-heavy age. “We just get so much information constantly,” he says. “You’re going to absorb it, so this is a good way to talk about it and get it out.” Kilgore is an easy-going presence behind the mic, but music fans have seen a different side. As Tech Supreme, Kilgore is best known as a key collaborator with Tef Poe, the locally bred rapper and activist who came to national

As Tech Supreme, Derrick Kilgore has moved from hip-hop to EDM. | COURTESY OF THE ARTIST rominence through his advocacy following Michael Brown’s death and the ensuing unrest in Ferguson. Together, the pair created much of the hard-edged palette that launched ef from his native north St. Louis County to Tommy Boy Records and fellowships at arvard niversity. The fact that Kilgore and Tef (born Kareem Jackson) were roommates at the time helped their workflow, which ilgore describes as “super organic” and a byproduct of working in close quarters. “When I did ‘Out the Kitchen,’ I was just making [the track], and he walked by and said, ‘I need that. That’s mine.’ We just knew it was time to make music; we’d sit down and focus,” Kilgore says. ut over the ast year, ilgore has transitioned from the style of music-making that brought him local and national recognition and toward purely instrumental tracks that fit in the wide realm of

EDM, or electronic dance music. “I kind of got away from hiphop,” he says from the courtyard of the Venice Cafe on an early s ring afternoon. “I’ve been doing more electronic music with house, chill, downtempo, future bass and that type of thing.” As Tech Supreme, Kilgore released twelve instrumental tracks last year through Apple Music and Spotify, but his latest release, The Grooveland EP, is a more cohesive four-song set available on Bandcamp. As the title suggests, The Grooveland is laden with laid-back vibes and a blissed-out air. Its seeds were planted a few years ago when Kilgore attended the lectric orest estival in ichigan, a ma or event for fans and musicians. “I saw Zedd perform and I just thought it was incredible, the musicality of it,” he says. “I’ve always been a roducer who lays music I don’t want to

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sample. I’d rather play it, and I felt that challenge to electronic music was so special and unique that I wanted to tap into it.” Kilgore has been producing long enough that he knows how to work with both the seemingly obsolete world of drum machines, samplers and synths alongside modern tools like Ableton and other digital audio workstations he even teaches a twice-weekly music production class at a northcounty middle school). But EDM showed him that his production did not have to e ist solely as a backdro for a lyricist’s verses. It could stand on its own. “In electronic music, one thing that I gravitated towards is the fact that these people are playing their music, their beats, in front of these huge crowds,” Kilgore says. “And, like, most times there’s no vocals, ust beats and I’m a beat roducer. I love that idea, right In a recent edition of the monthly Fresh Produce battle in the rove, in which beatmakers square off in a good-natured competition of supreme sonic dopeness, ilgore served as a udge before taking the stage alongside fellow producer Trifeckta. It was a moment where his new direction felt validated and embraced. “It was wall to wall, shoulder to shoulder, just playing beats back and forth, and the crowd is just listening and dancing and enjoying it,” he says. “That is the moment I make music for that’s literally the moment that makes me happy.” n

APRIL 24-30, 2019

RIVERFRONT TIMES

C R A F T E D C A R E F U L LY. D R I N K R E S P O N S I B LY.

WOODFORD RESERVE KENTUCKY STRAIGHT BOURBON WHISKEY 45.2% ALC. BY VOL. THE WOODFORD RESERVE DISTILLERY VERSAILLES, KY WOODFORD RESERVE IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK.

QUALITY IS WHAT WE ARE JUDGED AGAINST. IF WE AREN'T GREAT, NOTHING ELSE MATTERS. 40

RIVERFRONT TIMES

APRIL 24-30, 2019

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[VENUES]

Big Space, Bigger Plans Josh Loyal takes over weekday booking at the massive, newly renovated El Volcan Written by

DANIEL HILL

hen Joshua Grigaitis, better known as Josh Loyal, first ste ed foot inside the freshly renovated El Volcan Nightclub (4920 Northrup Avenue, 314-241-2005), he could scarcely believe his eyes. oyal, 1, has lived ust a few blocks away from the Hill neighborhood s ot for years. e’d driven past it innumerable times, and as the founder of the Loyal Family romotion and events com any, he’d even once booked a reggae show there, some fifteen years ago or so. It was the only show he’d done at El Volcan, though, as the e erience hadn’t been ideal. So when friend and fellow promoter Clayton Elkins recently asked him what he thought about doing an event there, oyal’s recommendation was tempered. He suggested Elkins poke his head in and see for himself if the space would fit his needs. Elkins came back stunned by what he saw. “He was like, ‘Dude, that’s a pretty cool place. It’s pretty big,’” Loyal recalls. “I was like, ‘Yeah it is, probably 500 people.’ He’s like, ‘No, it’s way bigger than 500.’ I’m like, ‘Eh, I mean 500 is pretty packed, probably 300 is more comfortable.’ He’s like, ‘No dude, it’s huge.’” nbeknownst to oyal, the building, situated between I-44 and a - aul store off ingshighway, had been under new ownership for the last two years, and those owners had also taken over the room ne t door to the venue’s old space. That much, much larger room was reviously a two-level with an o ce u stairs and a factory on the first floor the owners had gutted the whole thing and transformed it into a massive concert venue with a full lighting and sound system on par with those you’d find at more established, larger venues in town. bout si months ago they finally got the building’s sprinkler sys-

Josh Loyal shows off the giant stage and sprawling dance floor of El Volcan. | DANIEL HILL tem in place. When Loyal went to check the s ace out, he was flabbergasted that it had managed to fly under his radar for so long, despite his living only three blocks away. e estimates it now has a capacity of about 1,600 people. “It is huge,” Loyal says. “There’s no other way to say ‘huge.’ And people still don’t really understand what I’m saying when I say ‘huge’ until you walk in and you’re like, ait this is huge.’ oyal has been involved in booking shows and running venues in the St. Louis area for decades now. He’s best known for his work with Loyal Family and the 2720 Cherokee Performing Arts Center, which he owned for the majority of its run (it closed last year). And his family owns Pop’s Blue Moon, where oyal first got his sea legs booking musical acts. He estimates that El Volcan is twice as big as the famously large 2720 s ace. nd on to of everything else, it has a license to sell alcohol until 3 a.m. “This room holds twice as many people,” he says. “It’s more Pop’s [Nightclub]; it’s more Delmar Hall, really.” After seeing the space, Loyal went to speak with the new owners a atino family that is a parently press shy. (RFT spoke to the father briefly earlier this month, but he declined to be in-

terviewed. e suggested his son or daughter might call back, but that never ha ened. s it turns out, they’d been using the space to host events catered to St. ouis’ Hispanic community since taking it over two years ago. ut those shows tend to take place only on the weekends, leaving the building empty most of the time. Enter Loyal. He and the owners struck up a deal that would allow him to handle weekday bookings while they retain its use for weekend shows which a arently really pack ’em in. “I’ve seen videos of this room with 1,200 people, with giant LED panels on each side of the stage, LEDs up in the top and like a tenpiece mariachi band rocking out and everybody dancing, oyal says. “ here’s fourteen moving lights already installed all around the room. So when it’s dark and they’re blasting, it’s like, ‘Whoa!’” For his part, Loyal intends to bring diverse rogramming to the weekday shows. That should involve electronic music, rock roll, burles ue, comedy anything that could be well served by the space. “You could do probably 500 eo le seated, he says. “I haven’t even done the math yet, but I don’t even have to. If I can get 22 on the floor at 2720 I can robably get 600 in here. That’s a lot of seats.”

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oyal says that he’s not motivated by money he’d been mostly retired from booking and promoting shows until this perfectly tailored opportunity fell into his lap. In keeping, he says he doesn’t intend to try to compete with the other larger venues in the St. ouis area but he won’t be sitting on his hands, either. “I’m not trying to hustle or battle with anyone. I’m not gonna try to outbid Delmar Hall on anything, oyal e lains. “ ut I am gonna put some fair offers in, and their offers are going to have to be more fair. And they’re probably not gonna be happy about that.” Loyal’s goal, he says, is simply to bring great music to an amazing but underutilized venue for the people of St. Louis to enjoy. “I don’t want to misrepresent myself or anyone else or the whole vibe of the lace. It’s not a takeover, he says. “ e’re coming into the place and we’re gonna help curate the calendar. And we’re gonna make good shows happen and bring good crowds and make good vibes and ut lots of different music in here.” Though frankly, he’s still a bit stunned by the whole thing. “It’s 1,600 capacity, 3 a.m., on the Hill,” he says. “That little phrase that I ust said I don’t think St. ouis ever thought that would even be done. n

APRIL 24-30, 2019

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THIS FRIDAY APRIL 26

Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels APRIL 28TH

Rich Guzzi

Hypnotist Show

MAY 10TH

Journeyman

A Tribute To Eric Clapton

JUNE 6TH

An Evening with

Roger McGuinn JUNE 8TH

Al Stewart

St. Louis hip-hop band iLLPHONiCS has seen its sound evolve over a dozen years. Now a superstar producer is fine-tuning it. | VIA IMPULSE ARTISTS

[NEW RELEASES]

Like a Regular Dude iLLPHONiCS’ new EP got an assist from David Bowie’s longtime producer Tony Visconti Written by

THOMAS CRONE

he latest music coming from the long-running St. Louis hip-hop band iLLPHONiCS runs at a lean six minutes and 45 seconds, which might not seem like a huge amount of material. But what the new release lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality, with a special assist from a big name in recording. Brooklyn-born Tony Visconti enjoyed long runs as a producer for both T. Rex and David Bowie, while collaborating with a strikingly diverse list of rock & roll artists including Iggy Pop, Adam Ant, the Moody Blues, the Damned and various members of Yes during their solo outings. Dozens of artists deep, his list of production credits is rich and varied and now includes time spent at SmithLee Productions in St. Louis with iLLPHONiCS. The band consists of Larry “Fallout” Morris, emcee and lead vocals; Keith Moore on keys and vocals; Kevin Koehler on guitar and vocals; bassist Simon Chervitz; and drummer/vocalist Chaz Brew. Together, they’ve just offered up a pair of songs — “Work,” “Make Your Move” — under the banner of Dv8, Pt.1, the first in a small series of EPs informed by Visconti’s ear.

Reached by phone, Morris and Moore are effusive in their praise of Visconti, while noting that they were going to be releasing music this year even before he signed on. (SmithLee’s Justin Fisher, they say, did much of the heavy lifting.) That their new release comes with Visconti’s stamp of approval is a bonus. A bonus, too, was the fact that they were working with someone who came across as a normal kind of fellow. Visconti approached them, Morris says, with “the idea that ‘I’m just here to work with what you’re doing.’ ... He was super laidback and didn’t come in to bully us around. ‘You guys have already got it; let’s refine what you’re doing.’ We

Working with Visconti inspired the band’s members to return to their roots. worked together until we found what we liked.” “It was like hanging out with a regular dude,” says Moore. “He wasn’t pretentious or stuck up. Just a regular guy with a passion for music.” Koehler, who idolized Visconti, faced maybe the toughest task: attempting to live up to the standards that he assumed he needed to bring to every studio performance. But while the remaining members were without that level of keyed-up expectation, they did make sure to come in with t’s crossed and i’s dotted.

“Most of the tracks we brought to Tony were 75 percent complete,” Morris explains. “We had a good idea of what we wanted to accomplish and he added his touches and polish.” With an all-original membership dating back over a dozen years, iLLPHONiCS has been able to stay true to a basic aesthetic, even while adapting to new recording approaches, musical styles and the current influences of its membership. (Older tracks are influenced not just by hip-hop, but rock.) Visconti appreciated the band’s willingness to change up its sound, Moore says. In the beginning, Moore recalls, “We were a pure live band, rehearsing for two to three hours, four to five days a week. In that time, playing music together gave us such camaraderie. Playing together is like having muscle memory.” And Visconti picked up on that. Says Morris, “You come to an iLLPHONiCS session knowing that we are a group.” Working with Visconti inspired the band’s members to return to those roots. “We’re not changing our sound or subject matter, but we want to be touring, even in this day and age. I think the biggest thing we took out of this is our being in St. Louis for thirteen years. We’ve really started to look outside of this market, set up our satellites. There’s only so much original music you can play in this town and we’ve been looking more towards the South. We’ll gain more confidence being on the road and in other markets.” Meanwhile, the Visconti tracks will keep coming. For at least another season. “Summertime songs,” Morris promises, “just in time for summer.” Dv8, Pt. 1 is available now on Spotify, Bandcamp and other services.

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playing his Greatest Hits

COMING NOV. 13TH

David Bromberg

Wednesday April 24 9:45PM Urban Chestnut Presents

Sean Canan’s Voodoo Tribute To Neil Young

Thursday April 25 9PM

Alexander Ruwe Band Friday April 26 10PM

JD Hughes’

Tribute To Steely Dan with Special Guests Brother Francis and the Soul Tones

Saturday April 27 10PM

Funky Butt Brass Band Sunday April 28 8PM

Sunday Legend Series

featuring Roland Johnson and Soul Endeavor

Wednesday May 1 9:45PM Urban Chestnut Presents

Sean Canan’s Voodoo

APRIL 24-30, 2019

Tribute To The Band

RIVERFRONT TIMES

APRIL 24-30, 2019

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OUT EVERY NIGHT

[CRITIC’S PICK]

Valerie June. | VIA THE BILLIONS CORPORATION

Valerie June 8 p.m. Saturday, April 27. Blueberry Hill Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Boulevard. All ages, $25. 314-727-2277. Valerie June has lingered on the verge of commercial breakthrough for years, yet she remains far less known than peers like Neko Case or Rhiannon Giddens. Maybe it’s the high, sandpapery twang of her voice or the banjo-loving caprice of her musical instincts. Or maybe she could care less about headlining Coachella. Fame is fickle; June’s soul is not. Her most recent album is two years be-

THURSDAY 25

AARON GRIFFIN: 10 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. HITCHCOCK & THE HITMEN: 9 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090. JEREMIAH JOHNSON ACOUSTIC DUO: 4 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. LARRY GWALTNY BLUES BAND: 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. MARCELL STRONG & THE APOSTLES: 8 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. THE MAVERICKS: 8 p.m., $45-$55. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. NEIL HILBORN: 7 p.m., $17-$20. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. OH SLEEPER: 6:30 p.m., $15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. PRETTY VICIOUS: 8 p.m., $12. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. SORRY PLEASE CONTINUE: 8 p.m., $5. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. THE UNITY QUARTET: 7:30 p.m., free. The Dark Room, 3610 Grandel Square inside Grandel Theatre, St. Louis, 314-776-9550. WAX FRUIT: w/ Reaches, JoAnn McNeil, NNNCook 8 p.m., $7. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. WIND ENSEMBLE CONCERT: 7:30 p.m., free. The 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., University City, 314-421-3600.

hind her, an epoch in Spotify terms, but Order of Time melds down-home country blues, psychadelicate folk, weird gospel and wild rockabilly with the conviction of a major artist. In her own demure way, she is major, and on stage she performs with an utterly original, devil-may-care joy and grace. Are You Experienced? Dozens of artists have covered “Little Wing,” Jimi Hendrix’s most beautiful song. None see into its haunted soul as June has on her latest single. Cue it up before heading to this sold-out show. —Roy Kasten

FRIDAY 26

ALEXANDRA SINCLAIR: 6 p.m., free. The Dark Room, 3610 Grandel Square inside Grandel Theatre, St. Louis, 314-776-9550. BASSAMP & DANO: w/ Tite Fright, Blight Future, the Jag-Wires, Stinkbomb 9 p.m., $5. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 3 14-328-2309. BEATLES GO JAZZ: 7:30 p.m., $10. Ozark Theatre, 103 E. Lockwood Ave., St. Louis, 314-962-7000. BIG MIKE AGUIRRE: 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-4365222. BONEY JAMES: 8 p.m., $35-$50. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. BOOPITY BOOP: w/ Toxik Cultr, Imza, Snakebyte, Random Dan 10 p.m., $5. The Crack Fox, 1114 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-621-6900. BOY NAMED BANJO: 8 p.m., $10-$12. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. BRYAN WHITE: 7:30 p.m., $15-$20. Jacoby Arts Center, 627 E. Broadway, Alton, 618-462-5222. DEL MCCOURY BAND: 8 p.m., $35-$45. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900. ETHAN LEINWAND & FRIENDS: 9 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090. FRESHMAN CLASS XVI: 8 p.m., $5-$10. Blank Space, 2847 Cherokee St., St. Louis. HOT MULLIGAN: w/ Belmont, Kayak Jones, Fredo Disco, Future Teens 7 p.m., $12-$15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. JEREMIAH JOHNSON BAND: 10 p.m., $10. BB’s

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[CRITIC’S PICK]

Emily King. | VIA HIGH ROAD TOURING

Emily King 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 30. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Boulevard. $20. 314-726-6161. Emily King may have first come to national recognition with a feature on a Nas album and early tours opening for John Legend and Alicia Keys, but her brand of singing and songwriting has long defied easy categorization. On her third record, this year’s Scenery, she maintains her nimble, breathless R&B delivery but suffuses it with a gossamer production that

OUT EVERY NIGHT Continued from pg 45

Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. JEREMY ENIGK: w/ Tomo Nakayama 8 p.m., $16-$18. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. JOE PARK AND THE HOT CLUB OF ST. LOUIS: 8 p.m., $12-$15. The Focal Point, 2720 Sutton Blvd, St. Louis, 314-560-2778. OLD SALT MUSIC: 8 p.m., free. Rhone Rum Bar, 2107 Chouteau Ave, St. Louis, 314-241-7867. PATTON OSWALT: 8 p.m., $40-$85. Family Arena, 2002 Arena Parkway, St Charles, 636-896-4200. ROLAND JOHNSON & SOUL ENDEAVOR: 8 p.m., $3. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. SCHOLA ANTIQUA CHICAGO: 8 p.m., $19-$42. Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, 4431 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 314-373-8200. TRACER: 9:30 p.m., free. The Dark Room, 3610 Grandel Square inside Grandel Theatre, St. Louis, 314-776-9550. TWEET: 8 p.m., $35-$65. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. ZAC BROWN BAND: 7 p.m., TBA. Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, I-70 & Earth City Expwy., Maryland Heights, 314-298-9944.

SATURDAY 27

ADVENTURE CLUB: w/ Bear Grillz, ARMNHMR, Wooli, William Black 7:30 p.m., $27.50-$32.50. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. ALL ROOSTERED UP: 8 p.m., $5. Hwy 61 Roadhouse and Kitchen, 34 S Old Orchard Ave, Webster Groves, 314-968-0061. AZIZ ANSARI: 7:30 p.m., $35-$65. Stifel Theatre, 1400 Market St, St. Louis, 314-499-7600.

lets her sensual delivery marinate over every note. The album’s bucolic mood (and title) were inspired by her move out of Manhattan to upstate New York, but on a track like “Marigolds,” King’s love of ’80s production values — pliant synth pads and gated drums — gives the song more body and bounce than its gentle acoustic origins suggest. If I Were A Bell: Jennah Bell, another singer with R&B fluency and pastoral folk inflections, opens the show. —Christian Schaeffer

BEL CANTO CHORUS OF ST. LOUIS SPRING CONCERT: 4 p.m., $7-$10. Parkway United Church of Christ, 2841 N. Ballas Rd, Town & Country, 314-872-9330. DEVILS ELBOW: 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. DEVMO: 7 p.m., $10-$15. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. ERIC PREWITT: 8 p.m., free. Rhone Rum Bar, 2107 Chouteau Ave, St. Louis, 314-241-7867. THE GASLIGHT SQUARES: 9:30 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090. JET BLACK ALLEY CAT: w/ Hardcastle, Malibu ‘92 7:30 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. JOHN MCVEY BAND: 9 p.m., $3. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. KIDD SILVER: 8 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. KILBORN ALLEY BLUES BAND: 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. KSLU REVIVAL TOUR: w/ The Sigmund Frauds, Le’Ponds, Tonina, Hounds 7 p.m., $10. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. LATE NIGHT GROOVES: 10 p.m., free. The Dark Room, 3610 Grandel Square inside Grandel Theatre, St. Louis, 314-776-9550. LENGTH: w/ Justin RA 9 p.m., $7. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. LOCAL UNDERGROUND: w/ Bacon Beatz, Quasar Camp 10 p.m., $5-$15. Europe Nightclub, 710 N 15th St, St. Louis, 314-221-8427. LOVELYTHEBAND: w/ Flora Cash 8 p.m., $20$22.50. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. MORE FIDDLERS FOUR: w/ Colin Blair, Alena Wheeler, Robert Ryan, Alyssa Avery 8 p.m., $15-$20. The Focal Point, 2720 Sutton Blvd,

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OUT EVERY NIGHT Continued from pg 47

St. Louis, 314-560-2778. POINT OF VIEW JAZZ ENSEMBLE: 11:30 a.m., free. The Dark Room, 3610 Grandel Square inside Grandel Theatre, St. Louis, 314-776-9550. RICH MCDONOUGH & THE RHYTHM RENEGADES: 3 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. SOFT KILL: 9 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. TERROR JR: 7:30 p.m., $20. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. TOM HALL: 4 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. UNDER THE SEA GLOW PARTY: 9 p.m., $13. The Crack Fox, 1114 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-621-6900. VALERIE JUNE: 8 p.m., $25. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. VINTAGE VIBE: 7 p.m., free. Failoni’s, 6715 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314-781-5221. VINYL WILLIAMS: 8 p.m., $10-$12. Foam, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. WHISKEY DRIVE: 9 p.m., free. Nightshift Bar & Grill, 3979 Mexico Road, St. Peters, 636-441-8300.

SUNDAY 28

ANNIE AND THE FUR TRAPPERS: noon, $20. Joe’s Cafe, 6014 Kingsbury Ave, St. Louis. THE CONTORTIONIST: 7:30 p.m., TBA. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. DIESEL ISLAND: 1 p.m., free. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. FIESTA LATINA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: 3 p.m., free. The 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., University City, 314-421-3600. GETTIN’ FUNKY TO FIGHT LUPUS BENEFIT: w/ Eric Lysaght, Funky Butt Brass Band, Big Mike Aguirre and the Blu City All Stars 4 p.m., $20. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. LEE DEWYZE: w/ Elizabeth and the Catapult 8 p.m., $20-$25. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. LISA JONES: 3 p.m., free. Rhone Rum Bar, 2107 Chouteau Ave, St. Louis, 314-241-7867. THE LIZARDTONES: w/ the Slow Boys, the Ragstripes 8 p.m., $5. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. LOVE JONES “THE BAND”: 8:30 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. THE MIDWEST JAZZ-TETTE: 3 p.m., $15. Ozark Theatre, 103 E. Lockwood Ave., St. Louis, 314-962-7000. MONTEZ COLEMAN & FRIENDS: 11:30 a.m., free. The Dark Room, 3610 Grandel Square inside Grandel Theatre, St. Louis, 314-776-9550. POWER TRIP: w/ Red Death 8 p.m., $16-$18. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. RIVER CITY OPRY: 1 p.m., $5. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. SENSUAL SUNDAZE: 3 p.m., $10. State Street Market, 208 State St., Alton, 618-462-8800. SHY GLIZZY: 8 p.m., $35-$40. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. SWEET LIZZY PROJECT: 8 p.m., $10. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. YOUNG ARTISTS OF THE BACH SOCIETY OF SAINT LOUIS: 4 p.m., free. Second Presbyterian Church, 4501 Westminster Place, St. Louis, 314-367-0366.

MONDAY 29

BROADWAY COLLECTIVE JAZZ: 5 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. INDOOR CREATURE: w/ Frankie Valet, Star Belly, Big Step 9 p.m., $5. Foam, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. 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. PJ MORTON: 8 p.m., $25-$35. Old Rock House,

1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. PULLING STRINGS: 8:30 p.m., $38. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900. THE TALLEST MAN ON EARTH: 8 p.m., $25-$28. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. THE DUKE’S AMBASSADORS: 7:30 p.m., $15-$20. The Focal Point, 2720 Sutton Blvd, St. Louis, 314-560-2778. THIRD SIGHT BAND: 8 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. THIS WILD LIFE: w/ Sleep On It, Crooked Teeth 6 p.m., $18. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

TUESDAY 30

CLASSIC 107.3 RADIO ARTS FOUNDATION GALA: 5:30 p.m., $500-$1500. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900. DMX: 8 p.m., $30. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. EMILY KING: 8 p.m., $20-$22.50. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. HAYLEY AND THE CRUSHERS: w/ the Kuhlies, Sewer Urchin 8 p.m., $5. Foam, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. LANY: 8 p.m., $25-$30. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. LOVE SUCKS!: 8 p.m., $7. The Monocle, 4510 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-935-7003. THE MARIAS: 8 p.m., $10. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. METAL CHURCH: 7 p.m., $20. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. MONKS OF DOOM: w/ Victor Krummenacher 8 p.m., $10-$12. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. NAKED MIKE: 7 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. STL SHED: 7 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. SUPERORGANISM: 8 p.m., $15-$18. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929.

WEDNESDAY 1

BOOMBOX: 9 p.m., $15-$18. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. BORN A NEW: w/ Sledge 7 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. CHVRCHES: w/ Cherry Glazerr 8 p.m., $28.50$31. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. FRESH PRODUCE BEAT BATTLE: first ednesday of every month, 9 p.m. continues through Oct. 3, free. The Monocle, 4510 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-935-7003. IAMX: 8 p.m., $22-$25. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. LUNG: w/ Bounce House, Biologist 9 p.m., $7. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. ROBERT CRAY: 8 p.m., $25-$55. River City Casino & Hotel, 777 River City Casino Blvd., St. Louis, 314-388-7777. SKATING POLLY: w/ Jo Passed 8 p.m., $12-$15. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929.

THIS JUST IN

3 PROBLEMS: W/ Jumpman Joey, QSKO, YNF, Rico Sutso, Wed., June 12, 8 p.m., $10-$15. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. 85 SOUTH: W/ DC Young Fly, Karlous Miller, Chico Bean, Sat., June 29, 7 p.m., $37-$52. Stifel Theatre, 1400 Market St, St. Louis, 314-499-7600. AARON GRIFFIN: Thu., April 25, 10 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. THE ADICTS: Tue., Aug. 27, 8 p.m., $25-$30. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. AJ MITCHELL: W/ Marteen, Brynn Elliott, Tue., May 7, 8 p.m., $15-$18. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. AMANDA SEALES: Thu., July 11, 8 p.m., $34.50$100. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. AVI KAPLAN: Mon., Aug. 19, 8 p.m., $17-$20.

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OUT EVERY NIGHT Continued from pg 49

The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. BAD HABITS: W/ Rabbit Ear Movement (R.E.M. Tribute), Miserable Now (Smiths Tribute), Fri., May 24, 8 p.m., $10. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. BASSAMP & DANO: W/ Tite Fright, Blight Future, the Jag-Wires, Stinkbomb, Fri., April 26, 9 p.m., $5. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. BEATLES GO JAZZ: Fri., April 26, 7:30 p.m., $10. Ozark Theatre, 103 E. Lockwood Ave., St. Louis, 314-962-7000. A BENEFIT CONCERT TO SUPPORT SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY PARK: W/ Damon Johnson, The Black Moods, Andy Schmidt, Wed., May 22, 7:30 p.m., $22-$75. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. BIG GEORGE BROCK’S 87TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION: Sat., May 18, 6 p.m., $15. Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry Rd, North St. Louis County, 314-869-9090. BIG MIKE & THE BLU CITY ALL-STARS: Thu., May 16, 7:30 p.m., $15-$20. Lincoln Theatre, 103 E. Main St., Belleville, 618-233-0123. BIG MIKE AGUIRRE: Fri., April 26, 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. BIG WILD: Thu., Oct. 17, 7 p.m., $20-$25. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. BOB SCHNEIDER: Fri., June 21, 8 p.m., $22-$25. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. BORN A NEW: W/ Sledge, Wed., May 1, 8 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. THE BOY BAND NIGHT: Sat., July 20, 8 p.m., $15$25. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. BROADWAY COLLECTIVE JAZZ: Mon., April 29, 5 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. BRYAN WHITE: Fri., April 26, 7:30 p.m., $15-$20. Jacoby Arts Center, 627 E. Broadway, Alton, 618-462-5222. DANA DANE: Sun., May 5, 7 p.m., $20-$30. Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry Rd, North St. Louis County, 314-869-9090. ESHAM: W/ Pimp on Wheels, Oddity, Archetype, Ace Banger, Sat., May 18, 8 p.m., $13-$15. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. GEORGE THOROGOOD AND THE DESTROYERS: Tue., July 30, 7:30 p.m., $39-$62. River City Casino & Hotel, 777 River City Casino Blvd., St. Louis, 314-388-7777. ILANA GLAZER: Wed., June 5, 7 p.m., $35-$45. Wed., June 5, 9:30 p.m., $35-$45. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. JAYDAYOUNGAN: W/ Yungeen Ace, Sun., June 2, 7 p.m., $25-$40. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. JEREMIAH JOHNSON BAND: Fri., April 26, 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. JINJER: Sat., Sept. 7, 7 p.m., $18-$125. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. JON WORTHY & THE BENDS: W/ Jeske Park, Casey Bazzell, Jackie Presley, Sat., June 8, 8 p.m., $5. Foam, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. JOSÉ GONZÁLEZ: W/ Bedouine, Fri., Aug. 30, 8 p.m., $35-$40. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. JOSH RITTER & THE ROYAL CITY BAND: Thu., Aug. 22, 8 p.m., $25. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. KATHLEEN MADIGAN: Sat., Nov. 9, 7 p.m., $22$42. Stifel Theatre, 1400 Market St, St. Louis, 314-499-7600. KID SISTER: Wed., May 15, 7 p.m., $8. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. LARRY GWALTNY BLUES BAND: Thu., April 25, 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. LIZZO: Tue., Oct. 8, 8 p.m., $39.50-$50. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis,

314-726-6161. LOST DOG STREET BAND: Mon., July 22, 8 p.m., $15. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. LOVE JONES “THE BAND”: Sun., April 28, 8:30 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. LUKE WINSLOW-KING: W/ Roberto Luti, Wed., May 8, 8 p.m., $12. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. THE MIDWEST JAZZ-TETTE: Sun., April 28, 3 p.m., $15. Ozark Theatre, 103 E. Lockwood Ave., St. Louis, 314-962-7000. MIDWEST RUSHFEST: W/ Thunderhead: The Rush Experience, Sat., June 29, 8 p.m., $20-$50. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. MIKE AND THE MOONPIES: Wed., May 15, 8 p.m., $10-$13. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. MONO: W/ Emma Ruth Rundle, Thu., June 13, 8 p.m., $15-$17. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. NAILS: Fri., June 7, 7 p.m., $18-$20. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. NATE SMITH: Wed., May 8, 8 p.m., $35-$45. Gaslight Lounge, 4916 Shaw Ave, St. Louis, 314-496-0628. NIGHT MOVES: Wed., June 26, 8 p.m., $12-$15. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. PUP: W/ Illuminati Hotties, Tue., Sept. 24, 8 p.m., $22-$25. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. RAGK: W/ Battalion of Cloudships, Wamhoda, itchfit, eauty ageant, hu., ay , .m., $7. Foam, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. RIVAL SONS: W/ Wilderado, Sat., June 15, 8 p.m., $26-$28. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. SCRANTONICITY: A WORKPLACE COSTUME & DANCE PARTY: Thu., June 6, 7 p.m., $10-$55. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. SLEEPWALKERS: Thu., June 20, 8 p.m., free. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. STL SHED: Tue., April 30, 7 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. STRUGGLE JENNINGS: W/ Brianna Harness, The Stixxx, Big Buzz, Fri., May 24, 7 p.m., $20-$75. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. A SUMMER CELEBRATION: W/ Bobby Venezuela, TKrak, Kelby, $ergio Bey, Sat., June 22, 8 p.m., $12. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. TAV FALCO’S PANTHER BURNS: Wed., May 22, 8 p.m., $12. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. THE FUTURE IS FEMALE V: A STAND-UP COMEDY SHOW: Fri., May 10, 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. THIRD SIGHT BAND: Mon., April 29, 8 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. TIM BUCHANAN: W/ Jack Grelle, Jenny Roques, Sun., July 14, 9 p.m., $7. Foam, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. TOM RUSSELL: Fri., June 7, 8 p.m., $35. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. UNDISCLOSED SATURDAY MORNING AUDIO TOON: Sat., May 4, 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. VESPERTEEN: Sat., June 1, 8 p.m., $18-$20. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. WEATHERS: W/ The Stolen, States & Capitols, Roses! Hands!, Thu., June 20, 7 p.m., $15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. WILL VARLEY: Wed., June 19, 8 p.m., $13-$15. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. WIZ KHALIFA: W/ French Montana, Playboi Carti, Moneybagg Yo, Chevy Woods, DJ Drama, Thu., Aug. 1, 6 p.m., TBA. Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, I-70 & Earth City Expwy., Maryland Heights, 314-298-9944. X AMBASSADORS: W/ Your Smith, Sun., June 30, 8 p.m., $10.57-$30. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. n

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APRIL 24-30, 2019

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SAVAGE LOVE THE LIKED BOYS BY DAN SAVAGE Hey, Dan: My best friend’s father is an avid user of social media. He’s retired and spends most of his day posting memes on Facebook and Instagram. Recently, I realized he might not know how Instagram works. I noticed over the past week or so that he has been following, liking and commenting on a lot of Instagram pictures of young gay men. I don’t think he realizes that anyone who follows him can see that activity. At first I was worried, not because he might be gay or bisexual, but because he may still be “in the closet.” He’s married, with a son (my friend), and to my knowledge, if he is bisexual or gay, nobody knows. I thought about warning him that his activity is public, but then I saw more. Not only has he been liking pictures of younger-looking men, he’s also been liking and following accounts of very young boy models. Underage boys. I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but the evidence is there. So now I’ve gone from wanting to warn this guy that he may be accidentally outing himself by not knowing how apps work to feeling morally obligated to tell my friend that his dad is into dudes and might be a pedophile. I can only imagine the ramifications this news would have on him and his family. Best Friend’s Dad “I’m sympathetic to BFD’s concerns,” said Dr. Michael Seto, director of forensic rehabilitation research at the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group and an expert on pedophilia and sexual offending. “I know many people wonder what to do if they suspect someone is sexually attracted to children. And I understand how much of a burden it can feel like to keep a big secret, especially from a best friend.” But before we discuss your options and responsibilities here, BFD, let’s get our terms straight: If by “young boy models” you mean teenage boys past puberty but under the age of consent, then your friend’s father’s behavior is icky and inappropriate — but it is not, by itself, evidence that he’s a

pedophile. “Clinically, pedophilia refers to attraction to prepubescent children,” said Dr. Seto, “though I know it’s still commonly used in public to refer to attraction to anyone underage.” Actually, the term “pedophile” gets tossed around so indiscriminately these days that some of my own readers have used it to describe (or condemn) people in their 40s or 50s who are attracted to (or fucking) grown men and women in their 20s and 30s. For the record: An attraction to younger/youngish adults does not make someone a pedophile. If that were the case, almost everyone on earth could be described (and condemned) as a pedophile. Dr. Seto estimates that just one percent of men are in fact attracted to prepubescent children. So depending on your point of view — depending on whether you’re a glass 99 percent empty or one percent full kind of guy — pedophilia is either exceedingly rare or alarmingly common. “Attraction to underage teens — boys or girls — is more common,” said Dr. Seto, “though it’s hard to estimate how common because it’s a taboo subject. We get hints from the popularity of certain porn genres like ‘schoolgirl,’ ‘twink,’ ‘barely legal,’ and so on. We also have a hint from how so many fashion models begin working in their teens.” But Dr. Seto emphasizes that sexual attraction does not equal sexual behavior. “The Instagram follows and likes may indeed suggest an attraction to underage boys,” said Dr. Seto. “And it may even be pedophilia if the models are that young. But that doesn’t mean his friend’s father is going to do anything beyond following or liking.” Understanding what separates pedophiles who’ve offended against children (read: pedophiles who’ve sexually abused children) from pedophiles who’ve never inappropriately touched a child is an important focus of Dr. Seto’s research, BFD, and his insights could inform your course of action. “One thing we know is that people who are low in self-control are more likely to act on sexual as well as nonsexual impulses,” said Dr. Seto. “That low self-control

shows up in other ways, including addictions, problems holding down a job, problems in adult relationships, unreliability and criminal behavior. My hypothesis is that someone who doesn’t show these signs is unlikely to offend against a child. They might look at child pornography, though, which is illegal and problematic, or they might look at legal images of children — like on social media — as a sexual outlet.” Viewing child pornography is hugely problematic because it creates demand for more child pornography, which leads to more children being abused. But even if no new child porn were ever created, sharing images of the rape of a child is itself a violation of that child. And while it may not be pleasant to contemplate what might be going through a pedophile’s mind when they look at innocent images of children, it’s not against the law for someone with a sexual interest in children to dink around on Instagram. “Returning to BFD’s question about whether to disclose, I don’t think it’s an easy yes-or-no answer,” said Dr. Seto. “It depends on what else BFD knows about the father. I’m required by law and professional ethics to report someone if I believe an identifiable child is at imminent risk. This mandatory reporting requirement is NOT triggered simply by knowing whether someone is sexually attracted to children. Instead, I have to consider information like whether the person has ever expressed fantasies or urges about a s ecific child, whether they work with children regularly, whether they live with children who are in their attraction category, or whether they have ever engaged in suspicious behavior like direct messaging with a child.” Does your friend’s dad work with underage boys? Does he sometimes look after underage boys — say, grandsons? Do they have sleepovers with friends at grandpa’s house? Has he ever behaved in an inappropriate manner around underage boys — e.g., inventing reasons to be alone with them, offering them booze or drugs, or making suggestive comments o ine or online “In the absence of these kinds of red flags, what we have here is someone who might be sexu-

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ally attracted to underage boys but who might not pose a serious risk to children,” explained Dr. Seto. “So while not disclosing might mean some risk of a child being harmed, disclosing could definitely cause harm to the best friend, to the father, and to their relationship.” You’re in an agonizing position, BFD. You essentially have to weigh the chance — most likely very remote — that your friend’s dad would harm a child against the near certainty that telling your friend about his father’s behavior would do irrevocable harm to their relationship. Your relationship with your friend would also be at risk this is definitely one of those circumstances where the messenger risks being shot. Figuratively speaking. I hope. Personally, BFD, in your shoes, I would err on the side of protecting even a hypothetical child. I would say something to the dad, perhaps via direct message (you could create a throwaway account and reach out anonymously), and I would also say something to my friend. But I would emphasize what the best available research tells us about pedophilia: It’s not something a person chooses, and most pedophiles never sexually abuse children. (And not everyone who sexually abuses a child is a pedophile.) So even if your best friend’s father is attracted to prepubescent boys — if he’s looking at prepubescent children and not teenagers who happen to be just under the age of consent — that doesn’t mean he’s harmed a child or would ever harm a child. He may need help to avoid offending — if, worst-case scenario, he actually is attracted to children — and being held accountable by loved ones is one way pedophiles avoid offending. Dr. Seto is the author of Pedophilia and Sexual Offending Against Children: Theory, Assessment, and Intervention and more. Follow him on Twitter @MCSeto. ou can find his book at htt s www.amazon.com/gp/product/ B00CO5Y3ZC. Listen to Dan at savagelovecast.com mail@savagelove.net @fakedansavage on Twitter ITMFA.org

APRIL 24-30, 2019

RIVERFRONT TIMES

APRIL 24-30, 2019

riverfronttimes.com

APRIL 24-30, 2019

RIVERFRONT TIMES

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