Riverfront Times, May 29, 2019 by Riverfront Times

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THE LEDE

PHOTO BY THEO WELLING

“ I’ve had a couple of people tell me that seeing the cape and the hood from A Handmaid’s Tale in real life is scary. Like, seeing someone actually in real life wearing it spooked them. I was like, ‘Yeah, it should!’” Maggie ThursTon, phoTographed aT The reproducTive righTs proTesT aT aloe park on May 25 riverfronttimes.com

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Publisher Chris Keating Editor in Chief Sarah Fenske

E D I T O R I A L Arts & Culture Editor Paul Friswold Music Editor Daniel Hill Digital Editor Jaime Lees Staff Writers Doyle Murphy, Danny Wicentowski Restaurant Critic Cheryl Baehr Film Critic Robert Hunt 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

COVER Look What They Saved Twenty-five years ago, when the rest of St. Louis saw a slum, a band of rehabbers said yes to Lafayette Square Story by THOMAS CRONE

THEO WELLING

C I R C U L A T I O N Circulation Manager Kevin G. Powers

INSIDE For some lucky students, opportunity abounds

News Feature Calendar

P R O D U C T I O N Production Manager Haimanti Germain M U L T I M E D I A A D V E R T I S I N G Sales Director Colin Bell Sales Manager Jordan Everding Senior Account Executive Cathleen Criswell, Erica Kenney Account Managers Emily Fear, Jennifer Samuel Multimedia Account Executive Chris Guilbault, Drew Halliday, Jackie Mundy

Cover photo by

The Lede Hartmann

A R T Art Director Evan Sult Contributing Photographers Virginia Harold, Tim Lane, Monica Mileur, Zia Nizami, Andy Paulissen, Nick Schnelle, Mabel Suen, Micah Usher, Theo Welling, Jen West, Corey Woodruff

E U C L I D M E D I A G R O U P Chief Executive Officer Andrew Zelman Chief Operating Officers Chris Keating, Michael Wagner VP of Digital Services Stacy Volhein Creative Director Tom Carlson www.euclidmediagroup.com

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Tangled Up in Lou: Dylan Tribute | Judas Priest | Twangfest: Craig Finn & The Uptown Controllers

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HARTMANN The Best and the Brightest Forget the doom and gloom. Two new graduates show everything that’s right with public education BY RAY HARTMANN

raduation season is upon us, caps and tassels joyously flung through the spring air by proud students against a backdrop of beaming parents, friends, relatives and educators drinking it all in. These are the good days in education. When you attend a commencement or awards ceremony — I just came from one, happily — it’s a fine respite from the consternation writ large over the horror stories and the runaway spending

and the hopelessness that supposedly characterize our educational system. Now, we all know that schools are not created equal. The disparities in public education are legendary, especially in the St. Louis area, where the richest of the rich live in districts miles away, literally and figuratively, from the city’s poor. But let’s put that aside and look at a couple of success stories from the class of 2019, stories of kids lucky enough to attend public schools that actually cared about them, schools that they cared about in return. Maybe the cynics will say that they represent the privileged few, that I’m cherry-picking a couple of success stories from the relatively small slice of public districts where opportunity abounds in St. Louis. Maybe I am. So be it. Meet Kayvion Calvert, one of the privileged few. Thanks to his own initiative — and to the fact that he went to a high school that cared about him and afforded

him the chance to make the most of his abilities — Kayvion is off to Alabama A&M University to major in political science and minor in secondary education, with a résumé that’s almost ridiculously impressive. He was class president as a senior, serving all four years in student government. He was also a four-year member of the school choir, a passion he pursued while singing in both the choir at his church and another one in the community, as well as acting in drama club productions. Kayvion also took part in Washington University’s College Prep Program and Wyman’s Teen Leadership Program, in addition to his work volunteering for a not-forprofit known as the Village, which helps mentor young African American men. It’s no surprise he was a finalist for the Boys & Girls Clubs’ “Youth of the Year” award. Obviously, Kayvion Calvert is not your average kid. And, admittedly, maybe it helped that he

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didn’t come from just any public school district. Then there’s Gabrielle Brown, Kayvion’s classmate. She was class valedictorian, with a GPA of 3.96. But, in fairness, she too was a bit privileged: Not only did her high school launch her to a college scholarship in computer science at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, but it provided an opportunity to supplement her high school studies in an associate degree program at St. Louis Community College-Florissant Valley. So, in addition to graduating as class valedictorian, Gabrielle is already a member of the Phi Theta Kappa college honor society, which honors students at two-year colleges. She was also a member of the high school band. And she had an internship at Centene. You could forgive Gabrielle if she were a little boastful about all this. But she’s not, deflecting credit to the fact that she was one of the fortunate ones who attended

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HARTMANN

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a high school that, in an email, she termed “a critical factor” in her success. “At my school, you establish so many connections and develop so many relationships, you meet people from so many diverse backgrounds it’s honestly astonishing,” she wrote. “The people you meet don’t just fade out of your life, either. They are present and encourage you [to] continue on your road of success. “When I was little, going to my elementary school as a child, they had programs to help children succeed. Whether the child was advanced or a little behind, they are capable of supporting children on a more personal level and really connect with them. They influenced me to become the person I am today, and I intend to continue giving back.” That’s not your everyday loyalty from a high school student. But kids like Gabrielle and Kayvion didn’t go to your everyday privileged high school. No, they graduated from Normandy. Yes, the same Normandy Schools Collaborative often presented as the symbol of all that’s wrong with public education in St. Louis and the nation. I’ll confess I chose the word “privileged” with irony. I do not cite the wonderful, real-life stories of Kayvion and Gabrielle to suggest, in any way, that all is well with the Normandy Schools Collaborative. It’s not. The test scores are still near the bottom of the heap. So are the challenges facing the district. The numbers illustrating the mountain of a challenge faced by Superintendent Charles Pearson and the district haven’t changed. The district serves a particularly poor swath of north county including Pagedale and Wellston. Ninety-seven percent of its students are black, and a stunning 92 percent of the 3,100 kids residing in the district’s 23 municipalities are poor enough to qualify for free and reduced student lunches. The median household income in the district is $30,100, and the median home value is $69,700. Perhaps even more daunting, according to Dr. Pearson, the district has a 40 percent “mobility rate.” That means, unlike your Claytons and Ladues, nearly half of the kids in the district are either homeless or moving between homes in the school year. Many people look at these num-

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Kids like Gabrielle and Kayvion didn’t go to your everyday privileged high school. bers, and the district’s test scores, and proclaim the situation hopeless. But I had a chance last winter to visit with Dr. Pearson and his team, and to see some classrooms, and what I saw didn’t look like those numbers. Instead, I met teachers and administrators with no false pretenses about what they were facing, but absolutely no trace of self-pity. What I saw instead was pride, from Dr. Pearson to the staff to the teachers. Pride in how they were getting ready a new preschool that would create a more seamless transition from early learning to kindergarten. The goal: for kids at Normandy to perform at or above grade level in reading, math, science and social studies by the time they finish third grade. And they’re excited that Normandy will become the first district in St. Louis to adopt a model called EleMiddle, in which kids from grades one through eight are together, in place of the traditional middle school approach, which can be especially fraught in poorer districts. Dr. Pearson sees it as a path to improvement both in academic and behavioral terms. I left Normandy with one basic takeaway: These people are really trying to help these kids. And the kids — the ones I saw — are just cute kids like anyone else’s. They’re not numbers. While the customary measures and accountability certainly matter, I wish everyone could visit Normandy and see how human this story is, and see how hard people are working to achieve success stories. Graduation day at a more fortunate school reminded me of my visit to Normandy. From afar, maybe it’s easy to brand Normandy a “failing” school district. But don’t try telling that to Kayvion Calvert or Gabrielle Brown. n Ray Hartmann founded the Riverfront Times in 1977. Contact him at rhartmann@sbcglobal.net or catch him on St. Louis In the Know With Ray Hartmann and Jay Kanzler from 9 to 11 p.m. Monday thru Friday on KTRS (550 AM).

NEWS Party’s Over at the Offsets, Judge Says

site cannot reopen without significant changes. She outlines thirteen steps the Hensons would have to take, from requiring life jackets, to hiring lifeguards and posting signage outlining the risks, to fencing

off or repairing sinkholes. Despite the series of deaths, the judge notes the Hensons had no liability insurance and no safety personnel. “Defendants only informal plan

is to call 911 and wait for help to arrive,” the judge wrote. “However, given the time it takes for first responders to arrive and reach the Offsets swimming area, by the time they reach the Offsets swimming area, there is insufficient time to respond to a struggling swimmer in order to prevent a drowning, a serious physical injury or a death.” Added the judge, “Defendants also allow guests to bring limitless amounts of alcohol onto the property.” And now the party is officially over. In a statement, Attorney General Eric Schmitt praised the closure. “It was incredibly important to me to ensure that swimmers were kept off the water at The Offsets for Memorial Day until proper safety measures are implemented,” Schmitt said. “As Attorney General, my duty is to protect all six million Missourians, and ensuring that people can safely enjoy summer festivities falls under that duty. It’s my hope that The Offsets will implement the necessary safety features and ensure that their patrons are able to safely enjoy themselves.” n

Paralegal Alleges Racial Bias by Circuit Attorney

They reportedly told Woods, who worked the child support unit, that she would be moved to another office. It was the first of three meetings, the suit says. In a second with Warrick and Simmons, Woods claims she was told she was rude and not a team player. A third meeting, on January 26, 2018, included Gardner’s former first assistant circuit attorney Robert Steele. Steele, who has since gone to work for the St. Louis prosecuting attorney, told Woods she wasn’t a team player and that it was her last day, the suit says. When Woods refused to resign, she was fired and escorted out by armed investigators who worked for the prosecutor’s office, according to the suit. Steele, Warrick and Simmons, all of whom are black, are named as defendants in the suit. Circuit attorney spokeswoman Susan Ryan told the RFT in an email: “The Circuit Attorney’s Office has not been served in this lawsuit. Given this, it is premature and improper to comment on this matter.” The RFT wrote in September 2018 about the turbulence and turnover in the office after Gardner took over for longtime Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce. Former and current prosecutors told us

Gardner walled herself off from staff during her first months in office, and multiple former prosecutors claimed that she and her top advisers seemed hostile to the attorneys and staff. However, their interpretation of Gardner’s motives were mixed. Several said the new leadership targeted white staff, but others told the RFT she seemed to be more interested in purging the office of anyone she suspected of being loyal to Joyce, which included black prosecutors. Woods alleges in her suit that race was an early undercurrent of firings and bad treatment. At a staff meeting, Steele told white employees, “You people might think we’re stupid because we are poor and black, but we’re not,” the suit alleges. Woods claims Gardner’s alleged bias drove her indictment of former Governor Eric Greitens on invasion of privacy charges. Greitens later resigned as part of a deal with prosecutors, who agreed to drop charges. The suit also alleges age discrimination. At the time of her firing, Woods was 64, and she was replaced by a much younger, black employee, she says. The suit seeks an unspecified dollar amount for lost wages as well as compensation for pain and anguish and a punitive reward. n

Written by

SARAH FENSKE

eclaring the site a public nuisance, a judge has ordered the popular Missouri swimming hole known as the Offsets permanently closed to the public unless a series of major changes are made to its operation. The site, previously known as Paradise Cove, is a five-acre lake in a former lead mine. It’s located about thirteen miles south of Farmington, and was a popular recreation area for daredevil St. Louis residents who enjoyed jumping from its 40-foot cliffs. But in a blistering May 23 ruling, Madison County Circuit Judge Wendy L. Wexler Horn blasts the owners of the old quarry for charging admission to the site but doing little to ensure the safety of those who jumped and swam there, or even make sure they were sober while doing so. The result, Horn concludes, was a dangerous situation that resulted in nine deaths during 30 years of operation under owners Gary and Rebecca Henson. The ruling came in response to a lawsuit initiated by the Missouri Attorney General’s Office last July after two people died at the site. In a Facebook post on May 20, which appears to have since been deleted, the Hensons said they didn’t have the money to fight the AG’s office. “The government should not be able to dictate nor demonize a privately owned business/swimming hole,” they wrote. However, because the judge’s order was not final at that point, it wasn’t clear whether the decision to close was their choice, and whether they might revisit it at some point. (The Facebook post mentioned a GoFundMe to pay for attorneys.) The newly released ruling shows the couple had little, if any, choice in the matter. In the thirteen-page decision, Judge Horn makes it clear that the

The Offsets’ high cliffs attracted thrill seekers, but also left nine dead. | KRISTIN DENNIS

Written by

DOYLE MURPHY A white paralegal is suing St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, alleging she was fired because of her race. Nancy Woods worked for more than 27 years in the prosecutor’s office before Gardner took office in 2017. She claims in a federal civil rights lawsuit filed last week that the new circuit attorney and her top lieutenants targeted white employees, firing several and driving out others. In January 2018, a year into Gardner’s term, Woods says she was summoned to a meeting with the circuit attorney’s chief of staff, Michael Warrick, along with Eula Simmons, the office’s chief clerk and Woods’ boss. Woods claims the two grilled her, repeatedly asking if there was anything she wanted to tell them until she was in tears. When she began to cry, they backed off, telling her all the attorneys had good things to say about her, the suit says.

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[FIRST PERSON]

A Distracted Driver Killed My Mother Written by

GABE PEARSON

t around 9 p.m. on Friday, September 2, 2016, my life changed forever. My mother, Gretchen Stahlschmidt, was killed, struck by an SUV while crossing the street. She was 43. I was seventeen at the time and a senior at Kirkwood High School. My sister Thora was only fourteen and a freshman. A Clayton resident named Michael Loftus, then 26, had been out with friends to celebrate getting engaged. He left the bar and got into his Jeep Grand Cherokee, planning to drive to another bar to meet his fiancée and continue the party. While driving eastbound on Clayton Road he became distracted. He later told police he looked down for a second to change the radio station. Whatever he did, he must have looked away from the road long enough to not see my mother, who was about a third of the way across the intersection of Highland Terrace and Clayton Road in the crosswalk when he hit her. A witness reported that he saw my mother wait for the green light to start crossing the street; Michael Loftus had blown through a red. When Loftus struck my mother with his car, he bumped her onto the hood of his car, denting the car and knocking off the front license plate. My mother’s body flipped head over feet “two or three times” before landing face up in the right lane of eastbound Clayton Road. Her shoes were knocked right off her, her groceries scattered. Loftus got out of his car and went to check on my mother. Noticing she didn’t have a pulse, he started performing CPR. Emergency personnel arrived on scene and immediately rushed my mother to Barnes-Jewish Hospital. She was pronounced dead on arrival. The official cause of death was abdominal trauma. At the scene, police questioned Loftus. One of the investigating officers noticed that Loftus had

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The author, left, with his mother and younger sister in happier days. | COURTESY OF GABE PEARSON blood on his hands. She asked him if he had been hurt in the accident. He said no, it was my mother’s blood. The police asked him to take a breathalyzer. Only after he had made several phone calls, the report says, did he agree. His breathalyzer result was 0.056 percent, putting him under the legal limit of 0.08. Loftus told the police that he didn’t run the red light. But based on the witness’ statement, he was charged with failing to obey a traffic device. I didn’t know any of this then. My parents were divorced, and my sister and I were with our father that night. The next morning, he woke me up. He said, “Gabe, I need to talk to you about something.” I came out of my room and saw my aunt standing in our living room. She told us to sit down, then told us what happened. I just remember feeling washed over with utter shock and numbness. How could my mom be dead? My mother was the perfect mother, loved by everyone who knew her. She just had that effect on people. She was someone you could never forget. When she was

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I just wanted the judge to give him some time in jail — it didn’t have to be long. But it would have shown my mother’s death mattered. in high school at Visitation Academy, she went to a Ratt concert. She made her way back stage, and lead singer Stephen Pearcy asked for her phone number. She gave it to him, and the next day he called and my grandmother answered. Realizing she was a teenager, Pearcy hung up. So much for that. She was a free spirit who loved to cause trouble. When I was a kid, we lived not far from the Planned Parenthood clinic in the Central West End, and after

she saw a particularly aggressive protester dressed as a doctor covered in blood, holding a baby doll with a knife stuck in its head, she decided we needed to protest the protesters. So we made signs, and then she took my sister and I down to the clinic. The protestors yelled at us and, after we decided to leave, followed us down the alleyway until we got to our backyard. I was six. She used to make crazy Halloween costumes. During the 2012 presidential race she wore a mask of Mitt Romney and a suit with flip flops glued to the sport coat. She carried around a binder with my sister’s Barbie dolls sticking out of it: a “binder full of women.” When George W. Bush was president, one year she wore a mask of Bush with a dunce hat on. When we went trick-or-treating, people stopped to take pictures of her. As an adult, she owned a successful jewelry business in the Central West End: Gretchen P. Jewelry. She’d studied art in college at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, and the University of San Francisco, though she didn’t finish her degree. Around the time of our first Christmas without her, my aunt said, “If there’s a heaven, she’s up there eating Christmas dinner with David Bowie, Carrie Fisher and Prince. She was like them. She didn’t care what anyone thought of her; she just wasn’t famous.” At first I didn’t know what to think about Loftus. Was it a genuine accident? Or was he being stupid? He admitted he had been drinking that night. Court records show that in 2013 he was sued by a woman for vehicular injury and also had multiple speeding tickets on his record. But it seemed like we were the only ones who were outraged. Then-St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch decided not to prosecute him for manslaughter, just running a red light. And when he pleaded guilty, the prosecutors suggested a $50 fine as punishment. I was furious. The prosecutors knew that he hit and killed my mother. They knew he was drinking that night. They knew he was distracted. They knew my mother had the right of way. But they didn’t think he committed manslaughter. The sentencing hearing ended up being delayed nine times, until July 2, 2018. I just wanted the judge to give him some time in jail — it didn’t have to be long. But it would have shown my mother’s death mattered.

My sister, my aunt, my grandmother and I came to read victim impact statements. We waited in the lobby for over an hour past the scheduled time for the hearing. Eventually Loftus arrived. After hearing our statements Judge Robert Heggie decided not to follow the prosecutor’s recommendation of the $50 fine. The maximum sentence for running a red light is fifteen days in jail. So Judge Heggie gave him a suspended fifteen-day sentence and four days of shock probation, meaning four days in jail, and required him to complete a victim impact panel. I could have lived with that sentence. But Loftus couldn’t. Immediately after Judge Heggie issued his sentence, Loftus’ attorney Grant Boyd asked to speak with the judge in his chambers. We learned that Loftus had decided to take back his guilty plea — a chance to try his luck with a new judge. I had thought he would never do that. No judge would let him off. But he decided to try, and took back the plea. That meant even more time passed. And on March 1, 2019, we gathered in the courthouse again with a new prosecutor and a new judge, John Newsham. This time Michael Loftus wore a suit, not just a polo shirt, and he brought his wife and parents with him. Once again my family and I came to read our victim impact statements. We all asked Newsham to stick with Judge Heggie’s sentence: four days of shock probation and a victim impact panel. Then Loftus’ wife and mother made their statements. They talked about how sorry they were for us. They talked about how he was in a fraternity in college and how he played roller hockey. They said he was in therapy because of what happened. Now, we are all in therapy too; that should be expected after something like this. To me, the fact someone is in therapy says nothing about how guilty he feels or about his character. You should be in therapy if you run a stoplight and kill someone. But it sounded like they were trying to show how bad he felt about it. In my opinion, if he truly felt bad about it, he would have taken the four days in jail. Then Loftus himself made a statement. He gave a pretty detailed account of what happened from his point of view, which was hard to listen to. He again claimed that the light was yellow (my sister left the room rather than have to listen). Maybe he has convinced himself that that was the case,

that the light was yellow, but the witness said it was red, and the police believed that too. I was infuriated; it showed to me that he didn’t believe that the accident was his fault when it was his fault and his fault alone. When Loftus finished his statement Judge Newsham asked the attorneys if they wanted to make a closing statement. The prosecutor said no; she had hardly spoken the entire hearing. Then Loftus’ attorney, Grant Boyd, said, “I work with a lot of child sexual abuse [victims], and with a lot of people who don’t

seem to hold themselves responsible for their crimes. I have never seen this in Mike Loftus.” That made me really angry. After all, we had just listened to Loftus and his family fight to avoid responsibility. I yelled, “Then he would have taken the four days!” The courtroom paused for a second. Then Boyd continued: “Your honor, please follow the original recommendation.” Judge Newsham announced his decision: a fifteen-day sentence, with all fifteen days suspended, and two years of probation. Loftus also had to complete a victim

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impact panel and community service, and pay a $300 fine. He will have to have a device on his car so it won’t start if he’s been drinking. But as long as he keeps his nose clean for two years, he won’t do a day in jail. Judge Newsham said that he hadn’t been a judge for very long and that this was the hardest case he ever dealt with. I believe that he genuinely thought that he gave a justified sentence. He said that he thought it would be better for Loftus to have to do something than to sit in jail for a few days.

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The author’s mother, far left, backstage after a Ratt concert. | COURTESY OF GABE PEARSON

MANSLAUGHTER Continued from pg 11

But that is the punishment that we, the family, wanted. I have heard people say that a victim panel is a form of torture: to listen to people talk about how their lives have been ruined by the crime you committed. But that only works if the person holds themselves responsible. Nothing Michael Loftus has done suggests he believes the accident was his fault. He has convinced himself that the light was yellow so he had the right of way. That’s what he said in his statement to the court, even though he pled guilty to running a red light. And that’s what he said to the police when they questioned him after the accident. He’s going to go to the victim impact panel and probably think, “This is sad, but it doesn’t apply to me. The light was yellow.” It’s infuriating. I graduated high school and my mom didn’t get to see it. My mom didn’t get to see me start college at Webster University. She didn’t get to hear about my experiences studying abroad in Athens. I am angry not only because my mom was taken away from me too young, but also at our justice system. The prosecutors seem to see their cases as nothing more than statistics, not realizing that behind every case is a story and people who are deeply affected by it. After the hearing my father emailed the office of Wesley Bell, who was elected prosecuting attorney last November, replacing McCulloch. He asked for a meeting so we could ask Bell to explain why the prosecutor from his office let

Loftus’ lawyer make a case for no jail time without doing anything to push back. We didn’t get the meeting, nor did we get any response at all from Wesley Bell — despite his pledge at a recent town hall that he wanted to be “more transparent” and that he “would meet with anyone who lost a loved one as a result of a crime.” As NPR has reported, a record number of pedestrians were killed last year across the U.S. Experts blame drivers distracted by their phones, and the larger vehicles now common on the roadways. But I’d argue some of the problem is that we just don’t take distracted driving seriously. The justice system failed my mother on every level. The first prosecuting attorney, McCulloch, wouldn’t charge Loftus with manslaughter. After Bell took office, the assistant prosecutor reporting to him let Loftus talk his way out of any jail time. And the judge fell for it. As we pushed for Loftus to face a punishment that fit what happened to my mother, it felt like my family was treated as the bad guys, like we couldn’t just go with the program everyone else had agreed to. It made me feel powerless. When I was six years old, my mother took me to that protest at an abortion clinic because she believed in standing up for her rights. I decided to write this essay because I think she would have wanted me to do the same. But now I am going to try to move forward with my life and be successful. That’s something she would have wanted too. Gabe Pearson is a student at Webster University. You can reach him at gdp315@icloud.com.

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Look What They Saved Twenty-five years ago, when the rest of St. Louis saw a slum, a band of rehabbers said yes to Lafayette Square

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BY THOMAS CRONE

PHOTOS BY THEO WELLING

hen Martha Rose Greer-Green moved from Texas to Lafayette Square in 1970, her mother had some tart words about her decision: “People move away from St. Louis, they don’t move there.” That was the perception at the time even within the metro area. Once you could, you headed to the suburbs. You did not put down roots in a neighborhood that was filled with the neglect of disinvestment, aging structures and a population considered rough and tumble. Indeed, Greer-Green moved to the historic neighborhood just southwest of downtown at a time when it had fallen so far, the only way to go was up. The grand old Victorians that once held St. Louis’ most eminent citizens had been subdivided, abandoned or, in some cases, turned into flophouses. There were shells all over the neighborhood’s 218 acres, and you could buy one for a song — $3,000, even $1,000. Demand was that low. “When, in the late 1960s, bright, young, ambitious professionals began buying derelict properties in the Square, they often did so against the wishes of their families, who feared for their safety and questioned their sanity,” notes neighborhood historian Mike Jones, who maintains lafayettesquare.org/archives. “Lafayette Square was known as Slum D in city plat maps in 1950.” Adding to the sense that the neighborhood was a poor investment, the long-discussed North/South Distributor highway was slated to cut through its eastern end. It wasn’t until the 1980s that the threat was

Duke Haydon's photo album shows a much different Lafayette Square.

extinguished and the Square left its state of limbo. Yet even at the time of GreerGreen’s arrival, there were signs of new life, indications that someone cared about these houses and this neighborhood. The Lafayette Square Restoration Committee, an organization with a mission as straightforward as its name suggests, was founded in 1969 and began hosting house tours in its very first year. The restoration movement wasn’t organized on any official level, and no governmental assistance was at its root. It was the result of individual buyers purchasing single properties, perhaps moving onto a second, but certainly not buying them as entire blocks or via big parcels. In that, it represents the best qualities of small-scale redevelopment, with buyers coming in the exact moment that prices hit an absolute low, bringing the equity of sweat and tears. Laughs Houston Smith, a past president of the restoration committee who moved to the Square in 2000, “[You] would buy a house with no roof, a tree growing through the third floor. You’d spend $6,000 and then the rest of your life trying to rehab this thing.” Twenty-five years later, just about everything has changed in Lafayette Square. In December, a single-family home sold for $1 million, and while plenty of rentals and more affordable townhouses remain, listings in the $600,000 and $700,000 range are common. And it’s not just the adventurous and the child-free who have taken up residence. There are strollers everywhere these days, so many Continued on pg 16

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LAFAYETTE SQUARE Continued from pg 15

that the neighborhood’s charter school, Lafayette Prep, has a major expansion underway and the shared neighborhood pool has a waiting list rumored to be approaching the five-year mark. “It’s quite a popular option for residents,” Smith says. This weekend, hundreds of visitors will arrive to take part in the Restoration Committee’s annual spring tour. They’ll pay $25 to tour a selection of the neighborhood’s homes and gardens — a good percentage likely unaware that many St. Louisans once wrote off the neighborhood as a lost cause, and never thinking of the band of pioneers who proved them wrong.

few decades for a movement to catch up with him — in Jones’ telling, it was galvanized by the destruction of a mansion at Mississippi and Kennett. By the time Greer-Green arrived, rehabbers had already begun the hard work of restoring the neighborhood’s biggest homes, brick by brick. Wrote author Tim Conley in Lafayette Square: An Urban Renaissance, published in 1974, “It will be some time before the park, the broad avenues, and the surrounding townhouses reflect their original appearance,

“Some of the locals were pretty rough.” In many ways, it was that life you dream of — rent was cheap and Greer-Green walked to her job at the nearby Malcolm Bliss mental health facility. In other ways, it was less of a dream: “At Gratton and Park there was a tire shop. I rented the upstairs unit. At that point, I thought it was filled with potential, very little of which I could actualize,” she recalls. “When I got there, there was no hot water and when I went to the landlord, they seemed to think

THE TRANSPLANT:

Martha Greer-Green

s a young expat from Texas, Martha Greer-Green came here to take part in a communally owned-and-run building on Mississippi Avenue, though that project would sink about six months after her arrival. She would come to call several places in the neighborhood home. “I had two friends who talked me into coming up and working on this house,” she recalls. “I didn’t have any other connection, but these were my best friends at the time. And I thought, ‘Why not?’” There were a few reasons, not that she heeded them. By the time of her arrival, the neighborhood was already a full century removed from its early days as the home to St. Louis’ elite, then living along what was considered the western edge of the city. The neighborhood built itself around the first park west of the Mississippi, dedicated in 1836. Two- and three-story homes constructed with exceptional detail cropped up in all four directions in what seemed like breathingroom distance from the city’s commercial center downtown. But in 1896, the “Great Cyclone” tore through the neighborhood, devastating many structures. And if that wasn’t a near-fatal blow, the Depression would be. By the ’30s, many once grand homes were converted to rooming houses. Jones, the neighborhood historian, dates interest in restoration to architect John Albury Bryant, who purchased a home on Benton Place in 1945. But it took a

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Diana and Duke Haydon, left, and Walter Jones and Sarah Beaman-Jones have been Albion Place neighbors since the early '70s. but the vast majority of the homes near the pleasant vista of the park are already undergoing extensive rejuvenation.” Added Conley, “The families that occupy these residences represent a broad spectrum of St. Louis’ population. They are bound, not just by an eccentric love for brick and mortar, for high ceilings and beautiful casework, but also by their determination to renew this unique neighborhood ...” “Unique” is one adjective. Greer-Green has another. “It was more sketchy then,” she says, with some understatement.

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that was normal. Here I am from Irving, Texas. I expected hot water, so he did get me a hot water heater. That was my first battle, so to speak.” In addition to what she was finding inside her new apartment, there was fascinating activity outside it. “My friends were working with the neighborhood association,” she says. “They were socialwork-inclined and wanted to be a part of the neighborhood, but not kick people out.” She recalls noticing a neighbor one day walking down the street in an agitated state and holding a gun. Looking

back on the situation, she laughs a bit at her pluck, as she went over, talked to the man and helped resolve the situation peacefully. That was one occasion. More often, there was a general sense of the community falling a bit apart at the edges, at least in terms of personal safety. Even in her second-floor apartment, she says, “I had fears. I would sleep with my purse in my bed, keys out. Nothing really ever happened to me, but there was an aura I felt there, though that can sound silly.” Eventually, Greer-Green returned to Texas, but it was a shortlived trip that simply stirred up the emotions she had felt in St. Louis. So she returned. Though it’s hard to define, there was an energy she felt drawn to, a spirit coming into being within cities all across the country. “It was like a tapestry,” she offers. “There were a lot of layers that one could experience at different times. Sometimes there was a volatile energy, it was unpredictable and dangerous. Other times, you felt the idealism, the freeness, new challenges and changes and transformation. I think all of those things were there. St. Louis is so old that you can feel the energy, questionable or not. In Lafayette Square, it was there. When people started rehabbing there, you had artists. The gay community was strong. People had different ideas of what they wanted in life.” Asked if she misses that moment in time, Greer-Green answers quickly. “You know what,” she says, “it’s random. I do still think about it, as it was so formative. Yes, I was in my twenties. I wasn’t moving there at 16 or 21. I was 26 and an adult or on the verge of that. It did kind of consolidate my values in some ways. There was still a ’60s hangover happening, there was talk of The Man, talk of the corporate world. I was never a big fighter against the system, but I knew that I didn’t want a certain life. I knew I didn’t have to have all of that.” When her mother tried to warn her off from St. Louis, she understood the point. “I knew what she meant, but she didn’t know St. Louis. I was in a fast-growing town, Irving, Texas, the original home of the Cowboys. It wasn’t completely country, but it really was on some level. Here, everything was vertical, these red-and-green structures, with red-and-green trim. I missed the Texas horizon. But I sure did love St. Louis.” She has called St. Louis home since, though she now lives in

Benton Park, a neighborhood that, in some ways, mirrors the relaxed, freewheeling spirit of the earlier Square.

THE ANCHORS:

Walter Jones & Duke Haydon When Walter Jones was looking at a home on Albion Place in Lafayette Square in 1972, he found what you could generously call a fixer-upper. “There were actually three fires set in the home, one on each floor,” he says. “We never found out the real story on that. The doors were boarded up, there was collapsed plaster, the interior doors were burned, a lot of the woodwork was charred. The wiring had burned and part of the roof was gone. The highway was set to come through Lafayette Square, so there were more of these [burned buildings] all through the Square.” He remembers a neighbor almost draping herself over his car when he was leaving; she was that enthusiastic to see anyone take an interest in one of the multiple board-ups on Albion Place, which only runs a single city block from Jefferson to Missouri. Despite the numerous reasons to not buy the building, there was one number that made sense in his mind: $1,000, the home’s asking price. He took the deal. “I had no experience in renovation, at all,” he says with a smile. “We thought we could figure out how to do this. I was a young, wacky kid. Basically, it started with the cleanup. Shoveling out all of the debris took me four or five months. At the same time, I had to make things workable, like installing some temporary electric service just to do some work inside.” During the cleanup, he found a roofer. “Overlaying an entirely new roof was $580, or over half the price of the house. Now, that same job would cost like $30,000 with all these peaks and gables.” A couple of years later, a fellow named Duke Haydon would look at a building across the street from Jones’ place, a low-key rooming house with a couple of tenants that Haydon remembers as “no prizes.” Haydon says, “We ended up paying $10,000. Everyone we knew said that was exorbitant, that we were getting taken. And I pretty much agreed with them, but I didn’t care. This place had so much of the original workmanship that I just figured I’d eat the

cost; I’d take it.” Unlike Jones’ burnout, Haydon’s Victorian-era structure was largely intact. It was somewhat “spooky,” he says, recalling the darkness inside, the heavy curtains and use of paneling over original plaster walls, carpets over gorgeous wood floors. The building had been given the kind of cheap fixes that split up many a home into a boarding house. As an example, Haydon slides open a lovely pocket door, noting that a bolt once sealed it, allowing that first-floor tenants some privacy and security. Initially, Haydon didn’t veer that far from the model. “When I eventually wound up divorced and finishing school, a bunch of my derelict friends moved in and were paying $50 a month to help me make ends meet,” he says. “They were a little better behaved than the prior tenants, but not by much. They were all musicians. We had some great parties in here.” His comment draws a sort of pleased, faraway look from Jones, who has been Haydon’s neighbor for most of their adult lives. “Those guys were a lot of fun,” Jones says. “They were great and we all had great times.” From the early ’70s on, the pair set down some roots across Albion. Jones’ wife even owned a nearby corner store for a while. “The idea was about ten years too soon,” Jones says. The couple also bought a four-family on the block, and though they don’t own it now, the move was only partially about making money as a rental property and more about helping to protect their investment. Throughout their time on the block, Jones’ kids “were among the last free-range children,” enjoying time in Lafayette Park, found at the eastern end of their block. Haydon, too, recalls moments of wonder, trying to process the possibilities of the Square, whether it was moving up, down, sideways or something altogether else. He remembers the building next door, which had been an apartment building. “It burned one night, it left nothing but the brick walls. It sat for like five or six years, maybe ten years. Now, this is the house right next door, so that’s kind of a big deal. Finally, somebody from the neighborhood who’s no longer here bought it and turned it into condominiums. I can’t believe she made any money on the deal, but we’ve had some very nice neighbors because of it, though they don’t always Continued on pg 18

Lafayette Park has anchored the neighborhood since 1985.

Lafayette Square: A Timeline 1836 Lafayette Park is platted, the first public park west of the Mississippi River. 1851 The park is dedicated. 1896 The Great Cyclone tears through the neighborhood; many residents relocate. 1923 A new city ordinance allows for commercial and multi-family units around the park. 1945 Preservationist architect John Albury Bryant purchases a home on Benton Place. 1958-1968 Planning and construction of I-44 as it passes through St. Louis city is underway. 1969 The first Lafayette Square House Tour is held. Tickets, priced at $1, are comped back by the Lafayette Square Restoration Committee if the purchaser also bought a house to go along with the ticket. 1970 With the demolition of the Barlow Mansion (at Mississippi and Kennett), the Lafayette Square Restoration Committee becomes official. (OGs, to this day, debate the exact year and nature of the committee’s formation; we’re deferring to the call of the nabe’s official historian, Mike Jones.) 1972 Lafayette Square becomes St. Louis city’s first historic district during the administration of Mayor Alfonso Cervantes. 1973 Federal protection for the Square comes

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with placement on the National Register of Historic Places. 1981 With the election of three-term Mayor Vince Schoemehl, the long-discussed North/South Distributor/Route 755 is considered dead, after existing in draft forms since the Comprehensive City Plan of 1947. With the plan ceased, developers who were land-banking buildings in hopes of a government buyout open up their holdings to rehabbers. 1987 City Hospital #1 closes (it’s given National Register of Historic Places status in 2001). Gilded Age LLC would develop the largest share of the property into The Georgian in 2005. Work on the site continues in 2019. 1999 Demolition of the Darst-Webbe housing projects commences east of the Square. 2001 SqWires Restaurant anchors a large residential and commercial development in a former wire factory, giving the neighborhood a significant destination restaurant and a catalyst for further food-and-beverage development. 2019 A handful of major projects are slated to open this year, or soon thereafter. Included in the ranks: Lafayette Reserve, which involves fourteen townhomes; the Bordeaux Apartments, 50 apartments in an early 1900s space; the LaSalle Apartments, including 34 new two-story apartments and six ground-level commercial spaces; and the Chouteau Partnership, to be filled with a potential hotel, high-end apartments, restaurant and retail. – with thanks to neighborhood historian Mike Jones

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Haydon suggests that the pair haven’t been as active on boards and committees as some others, but that they’ve been useful to the neighborhood “as anchors.” The phrase seems to please Jones. “There is an aging population here, like myself and Duke here,” Jones says. “I have been considering moving into something smaller, while new people are continuing to move in, changing things, making up a different kind of Lafayette Square. At least as far as I can tell, it seems to have been done in the right way. The neighborhood has lots of room to grow, while not wanting to kick people out when they don’t fit in economically.” That includes the new apartments now underway in the former mop factory at Park and Tucker, which will all be rental units, as well as various other development projects catering to various income levels. “This has always been a pretty welcoming neighborhood,” Jones says. “People tend to accept newcomers. It’s a real broad patch of social, economic and racial differences.”

THE PIONEER:

Charlie Struckhoff

Charlie Struckhoff and his family rehabbed a home on Missouri Avenue.

LAFAYETTE SQUARE Continued from pg 17

stay long.” Certainly not as long as Haydon and Jones. Sitting in Haydon’s dining room, the two reminisce about times good and bad. They recall how their street used to be a throughway, cars racing by to get to Jefferson (it’s since been sealed off). They remember people walking to the nearby National supermarket, cursing and threatening and generally causing some stir as they passed through. They also recall the early years, when the people who Greer-Green referred to as “spelunkers” were constantly darting in and out of buildings slated for demolition, freeing woodwork, bits of HVAC, electrical systems, decorative ele-

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ments. Essentially, anything that could be scavenged before the wrecking balls hit, these folks were freeing. In fact, checking off the names of some of the best of this lot, including the late Bob Cassilly (himself a resident rehabber, beginning in the early ’70s), Haydon and Jones indicate that they may have themselves known the joys of spelunking. Jones allows, “It’s scary when you’re in a vacant building, doing something you’re not supposed to be doing, looking over your shoulder and scared to death.” Mind you, this was a long time ago and done for all the right reasons. “With the things we saw, abandoned homes knocked down and carted aways, you felt justified in going in and saving a mantle or some doors,” he adds.

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Charlie Struckhoff arrived in Lafayette Square in 1969 and moved out in 1981. In many respects, his dozen years there mirrored some of the neighborhood’s most significant changes. Asked about his deepest memory of that time, his answer is an interesting one. “The most important thing that was happening there is that every week there was a house burning,” he says. “I can’t say if these were professional arsonists or people trying to make a buck on insurance. At least once a week we’d all go down to a fire and cheer on the fire department. And, if necessary, we’d salvage things out of there. We ended up buying a house on Mississippi Avenue and stored a lot of things there.” Struckhoff and his crew of adventurers weren’t above the law. “We did that,” he acknowledges. “Then there were people who were paid to go in and take [items] here and there. At one point, we had to call the police on a ‘reputable’ antique dealer who was known to stash stained-glass windows and mantles.” As Struckhoff recalls it, growth in the Square was gradual in his first five years of residence. “There were bargains available. Then some speculators came in

and prices went up. I think people were buying those that were as well preserved as possible. We paid $2,500 for a place that was livable, with bedrooms on Missouri Avenue, and we got a good house. “People were looking for livability and so it was a gradual progression. As those houses were snatched up, people were looking at the damaged houses.” So many stoves, radiators and other, big pieces of furnishings piled up on curbs in the neighborhood that the city adopted a bulk pickup system; Struckhoff was one of the very first drivers in the fleet, ferrying trash from the Square to the city dump on a regular basis. The Struckhoffs’ Missouri Avenue house came with a tenant, an elderly gent who paid $40 a month for a room, a refrigerator and a shared bath; the Struckhoffs allowed him a place until he needed to move into assisted living. At the time, Struckhoff estimates that three-quarters of the buildings inside the Square were rooming houses. The owners were often on the older side themselves, and they took deals to sell as they came. Others had made the neighborhood their own as well. “Before we moved in, there was a small gay community in Lafayette Square, centered around Benton Place on the north side of the park,” Struckhoff says. “And we became friends with those people, the early birds who preceded us. There was an influx of educators, too. It was a mix of people, the ordinary and the extraordinary.” Among them were those who gravitated to Mannering and Woodstock, two communal buildings on Waverly Place, a small stub of a street on the neighborhood’s southern edge. As one of seven people buying into those buildings (a group that included three couples), Struckhoff was instrumental in putting together that shared living experience, with up to fifteen units housing more than 30 people at a time. The group shared some facilities, like TV rooms and kitchens. Here, too, ingenuity flourished. The buildings’ kitchens were, for example, purchased from a shuttered hotel in Frontenac. Stories about the Square, he’s got them. Even a few that are fit for print. Asked about the general vibe of the neighborhood, Struckhoff says it was “always amazing.” But then, he pauses to note, “Life is always amazing.” The Lafayette Square House Tour takes place this weekend, June 1 and 2. Full details are available at lafayettesquare.org.

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CALENDAR

BY PAUL FRISWOLD

THURSDAY 05/30 How to Be Cool If you head to New York this weekend and you get lucky, you could get tickets to see Joe Iconis and Joe Tracz’s hot musical Be More Chill on Broadway. Or you could save a ton of money by staying home to see Joe Iconis and Joe Tracz’s hot musical Be More Chill in St. Louis, at New Line Theatre. How is it possible that a first-run Broadway show is playing concurrently in St. Louis? Scott Miller, co-artistic director of New Line Theatre, says it all comes down to timing. “Be More Chill was originally commissioned by Two River Theater in New Jersey, and after the run the show didn’t get any takers to go Broadway,” Miller explains. “So they did a cast album and released the rights for colleges and regional theaters — and then they got an offer for Off-Broadway, and from there it went to Broadway.” The big league’s slow reaction time is to our benefit. But Miller also isn’t surprised that Be More Chill was a slow starter. “It doesn’t feel like Broadway — it kind of tricks the audience,” Miller enthuses with the passion of a musical theater lifer. “It seems like a rom-com about a lovable loser who wants to get the girl but can’t. And then the Squip comes in at the end of Act I, and you realize it’s a sci-fi thriller! “They sneak up on you with it,” he finishes. “The Squip” is an an acronym for Super Quantum Unit Intel Processor. In the show, teenaged Jeremy is a loser on the outside of high school society. When he learns he can swallow a tiny Japanese supercomputer — the Squip — that will upgrade him with a customized internal voice advising him on how to be more chill, he takes it. The musical is based on a novel by Ned Vizzini, and it deals with teen depression, the digital age and bullying, all filtered through ’50s sci-fi and the teen movies of the ’90s. It’s the exact sort of rock & roll musical Miller loves to sink his teeth into, and with his co-artistic director Mike Dowdy-Windsor taking the lead as director, he has

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In Be More Chill, a tiny supercomputer can make you a cool kid. | JILL RITTER LINDBERG been left with more time to dig into what makes Be More Chill and its young cast (more than half of which are first time New Liners) tick. “The interesting thing about this is it doesn’t show off, lyrically,” offers Miller. “There are no interior rhymes, no tricks. They don’t sound like lyrics; they sound like high school kids talking. The show really treats these kids with respect, and if feels real. The kids say dumb things and do dumb things.” Be More Chill is performed at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday (May 30 to June 22) at the Marcelle Theater (3310 Samuel Shepard Drive; www.newlinetheatre.com). Tickets are $12.50 to $30.

summer picnic, keep your eyes peeled for fairy doors. Handmade wee little doors have been hidden throughout the park, with supplies stashed nearby so you can make your own. The Big Glamp takes place from 4 to 9 p.m. Friday, noon to 9 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday (May 31 to June 2). Admission is free.

Ah, Madeleine Charlie Johnson is a no-nonsense

guy. He was raised in rural Indiana with the values of hard work and straight talk. So when his daughter-in-law makes a snide comment about him dipping his Starbucks madeleine in his coffee and then briefly lectures him on his “Proustian moment,” Charlie decides to do something about it. Namely, he determines to read Marcel Proust’s famous book In Search of Lost Time by next Christmas, so that he and his daughterin-law can discuss it together. Amy Crider’s one-man play Charlie Johnson Reads All of Proust makes its St. Louis debut thanks to Midnight Company. The monologue is performed by Joe Hanrahan at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday (May 30 to June 15) at the Kranzberg Fine Arts Center (501 North Grand Boulevard; www.midnightcompany.com). Tickets are $20.

SATURDAY 06/01 Father Knows Best? The Duke of Mantua is well known for pursuing any woman who catches his eye, even if that woman is married to one of his own courtiers. The Duke’s jester, Rigoletto,

FRIDAY 05/31 Get Strange Strange Folk Festival’s free-range art party, the Big Glamp, is back for another year. Carondelet Park (3900 Holly Hills Boulevard; www.strangefolkfestival.com) once again welcomes the arty and crafty makers and shakers, with a pop-up coffee house on site (Kitchen House Coffee, which has a location in nearby Patch, runs the joint) and live music from Superfun Rocket Ship Yeah Yeah, Aaron Jacobs and Spin Cycle DJs. While you’re wandering from artist tent to tent and perhaps enjoying a

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Lena is certain Anselm is a Nazi war criminal in Winter Hunt. | COURTESY OF ZWEITES DEUTSCHES FERHSEHEN

WEEK OF MAY 30-JUNE 5 Born Peter Woolnough in Tenterfield, Australia, he changed his name when he entered show biz in the early ’60s. While performing in a Hong Kong hotel one fateful night, Allen dazzled Judy Garland, who was in the audience. Garland brought Allen back to America as her opening act, which launched his international career. Allen also embarked on an ill-fated romance and marriage with Garland’s daughter, Liza Minnelli, although Mama always had some suspicions about his sexual preferences. In his professional life, Allen wrote a ton of hit songs, including “I Honestly Love You” and “Don’t Cry Out Loud.” Both of these songs and an armful of Allen’s other hits are featured in the jukebox musical The Boy From Oz, which retells Allen’s life story through his music. Stages St. Louis opens its new season with the show, which is performed Tuesday through Sunday (May 31 to June 30) at the Robert G. Reim Theatre (111 South Geyer Road, Kirkwood; www.stagesstlouis.org). Tickets are $25 to $65.

Justin King’s Kraken’s Cove, part of Golf the Galleries, is a tough hole to beat. | RAY MARKLIN mocks the cuckolded men at court afterward, which eventually spurs them to take their revenge on the easier target. Rigoletto has been spotted with a beautiful younger woman. Certain she is his mistress, the men decide to abduct this woman to teach Rigoletto a lesson. Their action sets off a series of mistaken identities and counterplots that result in the death of an innocent. Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto is a dark tragedy filled with the maestro’s trademark beautiful melodies. Opera Theatre St. Louis presents Rigoletto at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 1, at the Loretto-Hilton Center (130 Edgar Road; www.opera-stl. org). The show is performed six more times in repertory through June 30. Tickets are $25 to $129.

Fore! Miniature golf, that salve for many a dull summer night, returns to the Sheldon Galleries (3648 Washing-

ton Boulevard; www.thesheldon. org) this summer, with creative and challenging holes designed by artists. The indoor golf course will fill the Sheldon’s second floor, providing a welcome respite from the summer heat. Golf the Galleries officially opens Saturday, June 1, with nine all-new holes. Justin King, creator of last year’s recycled cardboard fantasia Serengeti Park, will be back with a new hole that’s again made of old cardboard. King’s Kraken’s Cove has a giant octopus and other sea life; players must thread their ball through the creature’s tentacles to sink their putt. Master puppeteer and theater scene designer Ryan Marshall will offer The Little Foxes, a scaled-down version of the Fox Theatre, starring marionette versions of Louis Laclede and a skulk of tiny foxes. And Constance Vale, architectural director of the Factory of Smoke and Mirrors, will

offer The Mat, the Tapestry and the Magic Carpet, which inverts the golf course. Carpeted surfaces travel up the wall and are suspended above the floor, so that the playing surface becomes the obstacle. Golf the Galleries will be open from noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 1 to August 11. The last tee time is one hour prior to closing. It’s free to walk through the course, and $6 to $10 to play. Tee times are first come, first served. Group rates and private rentals are also available; call 314-533-9900.

SUNDAY 06/02 An Aussie Boy Singer, songwriter and all-around entertainer Peter Allen made it a long way in his too-short life.

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TUESDAY 06/04 Hunting the Past When an unknown and injured woman turns up at the door of Maria’s remote home, she is concerned. Her elderly father, Anselm, has been in the news a great deal lately. Anselm was accused of being an SS soldier active at Auschwitz, but never convicted. Still, Maria lets the wounded woman, Lena, into their home to get medical attention. But Lena immediately turns on her hosts and demands Anselm confess to the atrocities he’s long denied. Astrid Schult’s taut drama Winter Hunt takes place in a single location, with three characters attempting to find the truth about a past only one of them experienced. Winter Hunt is shown at 4 p.m. Tuesday, June 4, at the Landmark Plaza Frontenac Cinema (1701 South Lindbergh Boulevard, Frontenac) as part of the St. Louis Jewish Film Festival. Tickets are $12 to $13. For the full schedule, visit www. stljewishfilmfestival.org. n

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Behold the Man Kenneth Branagh plays a very human Shakespeare in the affectionate All Is True Written by

ROBERT HUNT All Is True Directed by Kenneth Branagh. Written by Ben Elton. Starring Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench, Ian McKellen and Lydia Wilson. Opens Friday, May 31, at the Landmark Plaza Frontenac Cinema.

n 1613, William Shakespeare withdrew from the literary and theatrical life that had brought him wealth and celebrity and returned to his home in Stratford and to the family he had barely seen during the previous two decades. His London theater, the Globe, had burned down during a performance of All Is True (now known as Henry VIII), perhaps providing the impetus to retire. The aged playwright was 49, already ten years past the average life expectancy of the time. What little we know of the remainder of his life — which ended three years later, on his 52nd birthday — comes from public documents, most famously the will he signed a month before his death bequeathing to his wife Anne Hathaway his “second best bed.” Already a renowned interpreter of Shakespeare, Kenneth Branagh now takes a daring but affectionate shot at the man himself in All Is True, a highly speculative tale about the author’s final three years in Stratford. Written by Ben Elton (better known for comic work, including Blackadder), it’s not the story of a great artist but of a relatively ordinary man facing retirement and attempting a new, quieter life with his family. Branagh, who developed the story with Elton, is surprisingly uninterested in presenting Shakespeare as a larger-than-life literary giant. He doesn’t unconsciously lapse into iambic pen-

William Shakespeare retires and discovers the quiet wonders of family, hearth and home. | ROBERT YOUNGSON, COURTESY OF SONY PICTURES CLASSICS tameter when he speaks or carouse in taverns like Falstaff. He works in a garden, plays with a neighbor’s dog, wanders through his estate. In short, and much to Branagh’s amusement, he’s not very Shakespearean. What made William Shakespeare? Because we know so little of his life, it’s been easy for some to dismiss it, imagining that no man from so simple a background could have produced such work. Fortunately, All Is True is not designed to provide fuel for the antiStratfordian conspirators. Much of Elton’s script is a lighthearted attempt to account for some of the mysteries and loose ends of Shakespearean scholarship: the shifting reputation of his family, the inspiration for the sonnets, the second best bed and, most importantly, his reaction to the death of his son Hamnet, who died in 1596 at the age of eleven. I don’t think that Branagh or Elton are claiming to have reached an accurate conclusion about these things; they’re merely trying to provide a sense of atmosphere, a feel for what it might have been like inside Shakespeare’s busy mind. This is not one of those films that reduces the artist’s life to a series of cameos from his work — you won’t hear him muttering “to be or not to be” or putting on a don-

Branagh’s Shakespeare doesn’t carouse in taverns like Falstaff. He works in a garden, plays with a neighbor’s dog, wanders through his estate. key mask — but there are enough lively allusions to recall the vivid theatrical life he’s left behind. The spirit of the villainous Aaron the Moor from Titus Andronicus is invoked when Shakespeare needs to throw a fright into a would-be scandalmonger. A visit from the aging Earl of Southampton (Ian McKellan), no longer the “Fair Youth” of the sonnets, gives both author and subject an opportunity to revisit and recite “Sonnet 29” — “When in disgrace with Fortune and men’s eyes.” Branagh even gives himself a brief but impressive soliloquy when Shake-

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speare confronts the pretentious Sir Thomas Lucy, a local political leader. It’s a passionate defense of his life and career not as a literary legacy, but as a feat of engineering, one spent managing actors, sets and attracting thousands of spectators. All Is True is also quite consciously a film about the role of women in society, with daughter Susanna (Lydia Wilson) bristling under the rule of her puritan husband and daughter Judith (Kathryn Wilder) appalled by the traditions that deem her inferior to her twin brother, even after he’s dead. Even Shakespeare’s wife Anne, played with deceptive calm by the great Judi Dench, notes the irony of being married to a famous writer when she herself is illiterate. The Shakespeare women have managed to get by just fine with a mostly absent husband and father, and his sudden appearance raises a slight touch of bitterness. At the center of the domestic drama, Branagh’s Shakespeare is confused, even overwhelmed, by the passage of ordinary life. He nevertheless processes it all with the wit and insight we would expect from the man who created Puck, Falstaff and Caliban. Ultimately, it’s a warm and humane view of life — not just of a Great Life. You can’t get more Shakespearean than that. n

MAY 29-JUNE 4, 2019

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MAY 29-JUNE 4, 2019

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CAFE

[REVIEW]

No Taste Like Home Hotel Saint Louis’ determinedly local Union 30 is way more than just another a hotel restaurant Written by

CHERYL BAEHR Union 30 705 Olive Street (inside the Hotel Saint Louis). Mon.-Sun. 6:30 a.m.-11:30 p.m.

t’s hard to walk through the front doors of the Hotel Saint Louis without letting out an audible gasp. The building’s soaring lobby dazzles with so much gorgeous, historic detail it feels like you’ve stepped into a Gilded Age time capsule. Marble floors lead to a bank of golden elevators — original to the building’s first incarnation as the Union Trust Company — and luxe peacock-blue velvet chairs beckon you to take a seat and drink in the beauty. Sink into one and look up, and you’ll be awestruck by what’s above: A vibrant stained-glass inlay, replicated from the original by a local artist, filters light through rich jewel tones as it fills the room. This stunning scene carries through to the hotel’s restaurant, Union 30. The color palette from the lobby is also on display in the dining room in the form of light grey leather chairs, black wood and a massive bar outfitted with a light-colored granite top. Bronze wagon-wheel chandeliers provide lighting to an already bright space, while vintage crystal highball glasses and mismatched antique flatware adorn the tables and give the room character. From an aesthetic standpoint, elegant Union 30 is miles apart from executive chef Matthew Birkenmeier’s former home, Quincy Street Bistro. Birkenmeier took over the beloved neighborhood restaurant roughly two years before its closure last October, honoring its ethos as a quality, scratch kitchen that put out some of the best comfort fare in the city. Cozy

The New York strip is cold-smoked at 75 degrees, and served with crème fraîche mashers and vegetables. | MABEL SUEN and quaint with an almost downhome feel, Qunicy Street was the embodiment of a St. Louis neighborhood gathering place — the antithesis of an upscale restaurant inside a swanky hotel. And that is precisely why Amy and Amrit Gill, the developers behind the renovation of Hotel Saint Louis, sought out Birkenmeier to run its restaurant. As owners of Restoration St. Louis, the husband and wife have centered their business around embracing the character inherent in historic properties — a philosophy they wanted to extend to Hotel Saint Louis’ food. Persuading diners to see a restaurant in a hotel as something more than a “hotel restaurant” would be a heavy lift, but they knew their chances of success would increase with Birkenmeier on their team. A veteran chef whose résumé includes everything from the influential Monarch to riverboat restaurants and a barbecue joint in Ja-

maica, Birkenmeier was up to the challenge. Infusing Union 30 with a distinct St. Louis character without making it a caricature, Birkenmeier has eschewed the tropes found in generic hotel restaurants for a menu of locally inspired offerings that would have been at home at Quincy Street Bistro. The translation to an elegant hotel environment gives Birkenmeier’s comfort food dishes a more elevated feel, but doesn’t sacrifice authenticity. Conceptually, it works; I can only imagine the sigh of relief a weary business traveler experiences when she sees something like toasted ravioli, instead of a generic Cobb salad, on Union 30’s menu. Here, Birkenmeier smartly substitutes succulent pulled pork for ground beef, resulting in a dish that marries a quintessential St. Louis finger food and the city’s barbecue heritage. Crisp and golden fried on the outside, the ravioli is served alongside a tomatoey barbecue

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sauce that evokes local favorite Maull’s. It’s the t-rav version of a St. Louis backyard cookout. Birkenmeier’s nod to another St. Louis favorite, the muchmissed Famous Barr French onion soup, is a masterpiece as stunning as the stained-glass window in the lobby. Studded with hunks of prime rib, the thick, gravy-like soup has a voluptuous mouthfeel. A thick crouton soaks in the beefy liquid underneath a layer of molten cheese. If there is a better version of French onion soup in the world, I haven’t tasted it. Though not a uniquely St. Louis dish, Birkenmeier’s chicken wings are perfection of the form. Plump drummies and wings have a thick crunch coating that can be glazed in your choice of sauce. I opted for the sweet Thai chile version and was impressed with its restraint. Sticky in texture but not in taste, the sauce deftly balanced sweetness with vinegar to keep it

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Continued on pg 28

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314-343-0294 1900 ARSENAL STREET ST. LOUIS, MO 63118 Like pizza? Nobody does it better than Café Piazza, a Sicilian Café &amp; Bar in Benton Park &amp; a stone’s throw from Anheuser-Busch (enjoy this iconic St Louis vista from our patio). Our “Big Momma” (a 4-ton laser wood-fired pizza oven) has been firing out pizzas since 2017. Try the original 11” Italian style: bestsellers include our Pizza Bianca (garlic infused alfredo sauce, grilled chicken, bacon and parmigiana) or Queen Margherita (fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil). Prefer a deeper dish? Try our Sicilian pizzas baked in Extra Virgin Olive Oil &amp; tomato fillet sauce with your choice of toppings. Heard of our famous graffiti mural which covers the entire ceiling? Created by legendary artist Paco Rosic, it depicts famous St Louis luminaries: kudos to those who can name all eleven! If pizza isn’t your thing, our appetizers, paninis, and salads definitely will be. Open for lunch &amp; dinner daily. Brunch served Saturday, Sunday 10am – 2pm. $7 original 11” Italian pizzas all day every Monday! Happy Hour 4pm – 6pm weekly ($3 draft beer), all-day Sunday. Open until midnight Friday &amp; Saturday. Group catering also available.

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.

THE CHOCOLATE PIG

CARNIVORE STL

314.272.3230 4220 DUNCAN AVE, ST. LOUIS, MO 63110

314.449.6328 5257 SHAW AVE, ST. LOUIS, MO 63110

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.

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-lemon-butter 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.

OAKED

J. SMUGS GASTROPIT

OAKEDSTL.COM

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314.305.8647 1031 LYNCH ST, ST. LOUIS, MO 63118

314.499.7488 2130 MACKLIND AVE, ST. LOUIS, MO 63110

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.

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

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MAY 29-JUNE 4, 2019

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SHORT ORDERS

[SIDE DISH]

Charlie Gitto Never Tires of Spaghetti Written by

CHERYL BAEHR

very morning around 10:30 a.m., Charlie Gitto arrives at the downtown restaurant that bears his name, gets a cup of coffee from the bartender and settles into his designated spot at the corner of the bar — the best seat in the house, if you ask him. “This is my office,” Gitto explains. “I can see the entire restaurant, and who comes in and who goes out. I’m comfortable here.” Gitto’s perch may be tucked around the corner from the front doors, but that doesn’t stop an endless parade of friends, regulars, acquaintances and general well-wishers from finding him. After 40 years running Charlie Gitto’s Downtown (207 North Sixth Street; 314-436-2828), it stands to reason that the oft-referred-to “Mayor of Sixth Street” would spend his days at the end of a receiving line of people eager to say hello. It’s a far cry from his first days in the business, working as a lowly busboy on the Hill. Gitto got the gig as a summer job when he was in eighth grade, and as he explains, it’s where his passion for the restaurant industry began. “It was this famous steakhouse, and everyone went there,” Gitto recalls. “There were celebrities who’d come in, this old-fashioned bar, people downstairs cooking steaks. Something about it just got into me — it was the atmosphere that I liked. It really captured me, and I thought that this was the kind of life that I wanted. I was thirteen years old, and I fell in love with it.” Though he was barely a teenager, Gitto knew then and there that he wanted to run a restaurant of his own one day. After gaining experience as a waiter, when he was

The eponymous Charlie Gitto is a fixture at his downtown restaurant. | JEN WEST just 22, Gitto took his first stab at restaurant ownership, with admittedly mixed results. “This place on the Hill opened up, and I bought it, but it never set the world on fire,” Gitto explains. “But I learned a lot — what mistakes I didn’t want to make. I grew up there; it was like going to college.” Gitto sold the restaurant and went on to become maitre d’ at a few different restaurants, including the hotspot Stan Musial & Biggie’s. He thrived on the energy that came with the position — something that others around him noticed. In fact, some of his family members were so impressed by his knack for the business that they asked him to come work at a new place they were opening. That restaurant, originally part of the Pasta House family, opened in 1974 with Gitto as its manager. After a few years, he bought the restaurant and building and re-

named it after himself, attracting a crowd of movers and shakers. (His son, Charlie Gitto Jr., opened Charlie Gitto’s on the Hill in 1981; the two restaurants are not affiliated, and Gitto’s son has contested that he used the name first.) Celebrities, politicians, media personalities and a who’s who of the city patronized the downtown restaurant, one after another, eager to get a taste of what Gitto was serving — something that went beyond what came out of the kitchen. “The secret to us holding our own is that I’m here almost every day,” Gitto explains. “You have to have good food — don’t get me wrong — but you can’t concentrate on only that. You have to have ambiance; you have to be out with the public so they know that Charlie Gitto is a real person. When I was younger I hit every table and introduced myself. I’ve met thousands of people over the

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years. It’s that personal touch that makes us hold our own.” Though Charlie Gitto’s is still a successful restaurant, the patriarch cannot help but feel nostalgic about what things were like when it opened its doors. As he likes to tell people, the restaurant was the only one of its kind in the area: “Hamburger places, a Chinese place, a Mexican place and a peep show across the street. That was it.” Those times were better for business, he admits, lamenting what he sees as a decline in people’s willingness to come downtown unless they are heading to a certain entertainment megaplex next to the stadium. Still, after 45 years he’s seen the ebb and flow of business in the neighborhood and is optimistic that downtown can turn things around again. That hope is one of the things that keeps him going.

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Continued on pg 33

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CHARLIE GITTO Continued from pg 31

The other? The personal connections and friendships he’s made over the years in a life he lives without regret. “People tell me that I should write a book, but I’m not a writer,” Gitto says. “I’m just who I am.” Gitto took a break from holding court over the restaurant to share his thoughts on the business, the importance of slowing down for a good meal, and why spaghetti is always the answer. What is one thing people don’t know about you that you wish they did? I couldn’t tell ya. People know everything about me. I’m a family

man. I’ve been in the restaurant business my whole life. What daily ritual is non-negotiable for you? I wake up, take a shower, read the paper, get a cup of coffee and come to work. That’s what I do every day of my life. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? I would make downtown the way it used to be. This place used to be flooded with people. Conventions and Cardinals games are what keeps downtown business afloat. What is the most positive thing in food, wine or cocktails that you’ve noticed in St. Louis over the past year? There are so many new restaurants. Everyone wants to be in the business nowadays. Everyone

thinks that it’s easy. It’s not easy. You need hard work, know-how and luck. What is something missing in the local food, wine or cocktail scene that you’d like to see? I miss how you used to come in for a big night with your family and enjoy yourself. Now everyone wants to be so fast paced. We have more business meetings here than families. Who is your St. Louis food crush? It was Vince Bommarito of Tony’s Restaurant. He was the guy that everyone looked up to in the business. Who’s the one person to watch right now in the St. Louis dining scene? Charlie Gitto (chuckles). Which ingredient is most representative of your personality?

[BEER]

Old Newsroom Is Now a ... Brews Room Written by

CHELSEA NEULING

xtra! Extra! Drink all about it! Old Herald Brewery and Distillery (115 East Clay Street, Collinsville, Illinois) is now located in the former home of the Collinsville Herald. The newspaper’s huge headquarters sat vacant for more than twenty years before Derik and Whitney Reiser purchased it in 2017. After two years of renovations, the Reisers opened their brewery in January. But Old Herald is more than just a brewery. It’s also a tap room, restaurant and distillery. In fact, it’s the first brewery/distillery combo in the Metro East and only the second in all of Illinois. Located only steps away from Collinsville’s lively main street, it’s a fun addition to Collinsville nightlife — and a newspaper-themed destination that should attract visitors from the other side of the river. The bar and restaurant area seats 120. Adjacent is a cocktail lounge with board games and rustic chic decor, while through the doorway is an event space that seats 80. A biergarten will be opening adja-

(Left to right) Derik Reiser, Whitney Reiser, Torin O’Brien. | CHELSEA NEULING cent to the building this summer. For decor, you can find art including giant typewriter letters, old newsboy photos and more. The couple had been homebrewing for more than 30 years before making this big step. “I wanted to bring my craft experience into the spirits world and make craft distillery right,” says Derik Reiser. They hired Torin O’Brien, previously of Perennial Artisan Ales and 12Degree Brewing in Louisville, Colorado, to run the brewing operation.

The beer lineup includes six approachable brews: the American Pale Ale, Saison, Rye Saison, an IPA, Printer’s Ink (black ale), and a Kölsch. Ten percent of profits from the Kölsch is donated to the restoration of the 100-year-old Miner’s Theater in Collinsville. As far as spirits, they distill under the name Ardent Spirits Inc. Within the Old Herald complex you can sip housemade rum, gin and agave spirits. These smooth spirits are made easy to drink straight or mix. Their name comes from the property deeds establishing Col-

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Easily, spaghetti sauce. It’s the most important. If you weren’t working in the restaurant business, what would you be doing? I’d be retired. Or I would have joined the workforce. Name an ingredient never allowed in your restaurant. What? Well, it can’t be garlic because I love garlic. I love all food. What is your after-work hangout? Home. What’s your food or beverage guilty pleasure? Spaghetti. What would be your last meal on earth? A big plate of spaghetti and meatballs. I grew up loving spaghetti. My mom would make it every Wednesday and Sunday. Those were my favorite days. n linsville in 1837. The deeds apparently included a clause requiring landowners who produced “ardent spirits” to forfeit their land. That’s not the only local homage. Collinsville happens to be the horseradish capital of the world, even if those passing through know it by its giant ketchup bottle. Ardent Spirits is working on perfecting its horseradish vodka just in time for the horseradish festival in early June. (Just please, no ketchup vodka!) There is a full food menu. “We try to keep it from-scratch and local while we partner with local producers,” says Whitney Reiser. Expect upscale food at a reasonable price, with no entree over $18. Enjoy favorites such as fish and chips, which are grain-battered from in-house brewing, or the “Old Herald Fries,” a riff on poutine loaded with braised beef cheeks, brown gravy and garlicherb cheese curds. It’s not all hearty pub food, though. The seared tuna couscous salad is served with roasted squash, dried currants and marinated tomatoes tossed with chimichurri vinaigrette and topped with feta cheese and red onion. And for dessert, you can grab a “Beeramisu,” a beer doughnut or a chocolate stout brownie. The Reisers have big plans in the works, such as distributing Arden Spirits and Old Herald beer to other local bars. They also plan to introduce our favorite six-letter word — brunch. Old Herald Brewery and Distillery is open Tuesday through Thursday 11 a.m to 10 p.m, Friday through Saturday 11 a.m to 11 p.m and Sunday from noon to 8 p.m. n

MAY 29-JUNE 4, 2019

RIVERFRONT TIMES

BAR TAB

by Ellen Prinzi

Where we’re drinking: Elmwood (2704 Sutton Boulevard, Maplewood; 314-261-4708) What we’re drinking: The Suze ($11) When we’re drinking: End-of-the-week cocktail hour

he month of May finally got its act together, and it feels like summer weather is here at last. The changing seasons also mean I switch up what I’m drinking. So it’s goodbye bourbon and heavy cabernets, and hello rose and citrus cocktails. Currently, the drink I’m loving is the Suze at Elmwood. The light-anddelicious Suze consists of Hendricks gin, banana-bay (a mixture of banana and bay leaf syrup) and lime, shaken and then poured over ice. There are no fancy or cutesy cocktail names at Elmwood. (Suze, for example, is a French brand of bitters.) The ingredients are simply listed, with the spirit getting top billing. As you make your way through the list, you’ll notice the cocktails are separated into full-proof, low-proof and zero-proof. Co-owner Chris Kelling explains the thought process that went into the composition of the list (and hitting a little too close to home in the process), “I like drinking cocktails, but having three Manhattans isn’t always the best idea. Having lower-proof options means those same three cocktails don’t come with the same consequences.” The refreshing Suze is one of the low-proof options, and since they go down with ease, Elmwood is basically saving you from yourself. The zero-proof option is also a welcome change that allows non-drinkers to enjoy something with a greater flavor profile than water. “My wife was pregnant when Elmwood was opening, and it was very top of mind how boring it was for non-drinkers going to nice dinners with limited beverage options,” Kelling says.

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MAY 29-JUNE 4, 2019

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Behind the bar at Elmwood is a familiar face in Dave Greteman — formerly of HandleBar, Taste, Parlor and Sardella (where he met Kelling). “Dave was the first hire we made. Having him be a part of this was very important to Adam [Altnether, co-owner and executive chef] and I. His knowledge of spirits and being able to translate it to the guests is one of the reasons he’s such a talent.” The Suze was a Greteman creation, and while I was hesitant to go with a gin cocktail, the smoothness and flavor profile mean the gin isn’t going to overpower you. Four months into its tenure, Elmwood has nestled in nicely along the main drag in Maplewood, offering not only elevated small plates but coalfired masterpieces that pair perfectly with post-work cocktails or wine from the well-manicured list. The 26-footlong bar, made by local woodworking aficionado Dave Stine of Dave Stine Woodworking, seats twelve without any jostling. Kelling sought to give the bar a more casual vibe than the rest of the restaurant. “The barrier in between the bar area and the restaurant is by design,” he says. “We want people to feel just as comfortable coming and hanging for snacks and beer as they would in slacks for a dinner out.” The blend of casual and elevated can be hard to pull off. Elmwood does. You can grab short rib beef jerky skewers for $4 each alongside a Scrimshaw pilsner. Or you can go with the aforementioned Suze, which pairs well with the oysters prepared with lime granita. Either works. And either way, you’ll go home happy. n

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DID YOU KNOW:

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Wednesday May 29 9:30PM Urban Chestnut Presents

Sean Canan’s Voodoo Tribute To The Highwaymen

Friday May 31 10PM

Matt Stansberry and The Romance Sunday June 1 8PM

The Legendary Kim Massie Wednesday June 5 9:30PM Urban Chestnut Presents

Sean Canan’s Voodoo Tribute To Tom Petty

Friday June 7 10PM

From NOLA, Big Al and the Heavyweights 36

RIVERFRONT TIMES

MAY 29-JUNE 4, 2019

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MUSIC + CULTURE

[HOMESPUN]

Who Killed Ellen the Felon? Ellen Hilton Cook’s upcoming set following Amanda Palmer at the Halo Bar marks a reinvention for a local treasure Written by

CHRISTIAN SCHAEFFER

ost St. Louisans know this anecdotally, but Courtesy Diner on Kingshighway at Arsenal really is open 24 hours. And for a certain type of night owl, it’s no small comfort to know that a BLT or slinger can be your salvation as midnight turns to 1 a.m. and beyond. Most of us have never darkened its doorway without a few questionable decisions having led to this greasy-spoon Valhalla. So it’s only slightly disorienting to enter Courtesy at 5 p.m., with the late-afternoon sun still shining as the diner’s few patrons and stalwart staff populate either side of the counter. In the last booth sits Ellen Hilton Cook with a coffee and a notebook; her choice of venue for an interview is appropriately off-center for a musician known for her flights of fancy. But for a former wild child who has embraced sobriety, Courtesy is a fitting locale. A diner is no longer a place to stave off the next morning’s regrets; it’s simply a place to get a cup of coffee. Cook has spent much of the past decade playing piano and singing her campy, dramatic and witty songs. Sometimes she performed solo, or with a drummer, or as part of a rock-centric quartet. Sometimes, she recalls, she would get too drunk to perform or would get into set-ending fights with her bandmates on stage. But she almost always went by the name Ellen the Felon, a high school nickname that gave her an edge

Newly sober after years of hard partying, Ellen Hilton Cook is formally shedding her “Ellen the Felon” moniker. | ALLAN K CRAIN and an identity as she navigated the local rock scene as a twentysomething. But at 33, Ellen Hilton Cook is looking forward to a modest reinvention of her image — leaving the “Felon” part of her name behind — and a reinvestment in her art. She’ll perform at the Halo Bar on May 30, immediately following Amanda Palmer’s set at the Pageant, and a recent embrace of electronic textures, loops and beatmaking has given her piano playing a new palette to work against. The Halo Bar show will also serve as her highest-profile gig since a recent health scare left her hospitalized. “I’ve had a lot of health issues the past few years; some of it is genetic and some of it was my lifestyle,” Cook says. “I quit drinking last year and in January, my doctor told me that I had Type 2 diabetes; turned out she misdiagnosed me and it was Type 1.” In addition to that diagnosis, Cook had developed ketoacidosis, a condition that left her tired, dizzy and thirsty, all the time — basically, she said, she felt perennially hungover despite her sobriety. She cops to some poetic justice, since she credits her drinking for having brought on many of her health issues. “Things got really bad; basically all of my organs were shutting

down,” she says. “Everything in my body was just collapsing. I’m a delicate flower, I guess. I just can’t drink sixteen hours a day!” A lifelong service-industry vet, Cook she says she’s still fine going to and playing at bars these days. On a recent Sunday afternoon, in fact, she was behind the spinet at the Tick Tock Tavern, playing a set of mostly cover songs. While it wasn’t quite billed as a fundraiser, Cook did the show as a small token of thanks for those who contributed to an online campaign to help defray her medical bills. “A lot of people supported me; I don’t even know why,” she muses. “It was a lot of support, so I’m planning on giving back, for sure, in a few different ways.” The set at Tick Tock, while a one-off, gave a view of Cook’s skills as an interpreter of songs — she played cuts by Crowded House, XTC and Blondie that afternoon — but she continues to write her own material. Some of it still comes from a place of “emotion and trauma,” she said. Some of her earliest material as Ellen the Felon was written after a 2010 hit-and-run accident that left her injured and caused the death of her boyfriend, beloved local musician Dave Hagerty. For many local listeners, that part of her story has become grafted to her music as well.

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“Do I, as a songwriter, want to perpetuate my feelings or use my music as a crutch? As someone who has an addictive personality, am I just avoiding the truth by putting them into songs rather than dealing with things?” Cook leaves that as an open question, but notes that her newer material is less informed by personal history. “I just want the option of knowing that I can write a song just as a professional musician.” Cook’s upcoming show at the Halo Bar will be a recall of a similar show in 2010, not long after her accident, where Cook played after a Dresden Dolls set at the Pageant and Amanda Palmer joined her onstage for a song. Asked to reflect on her journey over the almost-decade between those shows, Cook looks back on her younger self — Ellen the Felon of yore — with a mix of love, concern and respect. “I mostly just want to forgive younger me for being so full of guilt,” she says. “I’m a different person; I’ve been through a lot in the past ten years. And I don’t want my trauma and my quitting drinking and my recklessness to define me. I just want to be Ellen.”

Ellen Hilton Cook Immediately following Amanda Palmer at the Pageant, Thursday, May 30. Halo Bar, 6161 Delmar Boulevard. Free. 314-726-6161.

MAY 29-JUNE 4, 2019

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[RECORDS]

THIS FRIDAY MAY 31 Thunderstruck

America’s premier AC/DC tribute

JUNE 6TH

Written by

An Evening with

Roger McGuinn

DANIEL HILL

JUNE 8TH

Al Stewart

playing his Greatest Hits

JUNE 14TH

Erin Bode

performs the new American songbook

JULY 18

10,000 Maniacs JULY 20TH

Greg Warren

Comedy Special Filming

AUGUST 2 & 3

John Mayall

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St. Ann Is Lining Up for SOHO’s Eclectic Mix

hen kicking off a new business venture — a record store within a northcounty antique mall, let’s say — it’s always a good sign when you have a line waiting outside the doors before you’re even open. “This morning an associate sent me a message that says, ‘There’s twenty people waiting in a line outside,’” says Graham Swimmer of Saturday’s grand opening of SOHO Record Shop at Manhattan Antique Marketplace (10431 St Charles Rock Road, St. Ann; 314733-5285). “I said, ‘Oh wow!’” Swimmer is a managing partner of the massive St. Ann-based antique mall, and for the past two weeks, as preparations were being made to open the new record store within its walls, his whole life has been vinyl. Tasked with sorting through the 5,000-piece record collection he and his partners had amassed for the store, he’s intimately familiar with the stock on hand. “Ten days ago there was a pile of 5,000 records there, which was 5,000-records-sized,” Swimmer says, pointing to a corner of the shop. Adds fellow managing partner Lindsey Richert, “We stuck Graham in the room for the past two weeks and just said, ‘You stay,’ until all this was sorted and stickered.” That pile of records, sourced from a few private collections as well as from Record Exchange’s massive stock with the help of that store’s owner, Jean Haffner, accounts for only about half of SOHO’s total inventory. The rest of it comes from individual vendors renting out kiosks, following a model similar to that of the larger mall. Each kiosk can hold up to 800 records, and rents for $50 to $75 per month. “Jean is a great guy, the guy who owns the Record Exchange, and

MAY 29-JUNE 4, 2019

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Vinyl enthusiasts dig through the crates at SOHO’s grand opening. | DANIEL HILL I’m not saying this as hyperbole: He’s sitting on one of the greatest collections in America of vinyl,” Swimmer explains. “So he advised us on how to buy collections. We bought a couple collections from private people and we filled in all the rest with stuff from Jean — he’s sitting on so much. He’s also been working with a guy that owns a place called Monster Vinyl in Collinsville; it’s a record store with a horror theme. So between Monster Vinyl, private collections we bought, buying from Jean and renting out spaces to the vendors, that’s how we filled out the whole space.” In total it makes for between 10,000 and 11,000 pieces of vinyl, Swimmer estimates. And that’s not counting the records for sale in booths throughout the larger mall, which Swimmer says account for another 1,000. Small signs inside the record store helpfully indicate which booths sell music, and Swimmer hopes that by sending people to venture outside of the record store and through the antique mall, people might find some other goodies they can’t live without. “It’s to spread the love around, make sure that if you come in here for vinyl you get to see it all,” Swimmer says. “Besides the fact that after you walk up and down the aisles, you’re going to leave with a lamp or something.” Predictably, with records coming from so many different sources, the end result is a pretty wild mix. Light on new releases in favor of golden oldies, the store is heavy on country records (Hank Williams, Johnny Paycheck, Kenny Rogers) as well as rock (Molly Hatchet, Vanilla Fudge, Black Oak Arkansas) and soul/funk (Bootsy Collins, Commodores, Rick James),

with a smattering of hip-hop to round it all out (Sugarhill Gang, Eric B. & Rakim). There are also some oddities that Swimmer unearthed along the way. “My favorite of the last few weeks has got to be Zingers From the Hollywood Squares, where it’s just like the best questions and answers,” he says. “Paul Lynde, Redd Foxx. The Red Foxx is fantastic. He says, ‘Redd, are most stolen cars recovered?’ And he says, ‘I had one recovered in zebra once.’” Richert points to a kiosk in the corner, which she says contains a lot of ’80s aerobic workout records. “There’s one that has Stan Musial on the cover in his windbreaker doing sit-ups,” she says. “It’s brilliant. The most random things. Something about workouts for new moms. It’s quite the dollar bin.” Even outside that bin, the records are affordable. According to Richert, fully 90 percent of the store’s stock is priced at less than $10, with 60 percent landing between $1 and $3. In all, it makes for a unique shopping experience in St. Ann — one that brought in plenty of customers for its opening weekend. “It was nuts. It was crazy in a good way,” Swimmer says. “We sold a ton of beer, the vendors sold a ton of stuff. I was spying on the receipts; I was a little worried that it was gonna be record, record, record and that’s it. But a lot of these receipts, it would say record, record, bookshelf, pickles. You know what I mean? Records, vintage women’s dress, six pack of beer. You know? “Which is exactly what we were trying to pull off,” he adds. “The receipts like that made my heart happy.” n

Paige Lewis, left, and Ryan Jacobsen will be the co-owners of Ember. | SARAH FENSKE

[CLUBS]

Ember Has Big Plans for Big DJs and Bottle Service in the Grove Written by

SARAH FENSKE

mber, the new nightclub planning to open in the next month or so in the Grove, is going to be huge. “It’s one of the largest clubs in St. Louis,” says co-owner Ryan Jacobsen of 4121 Manchester Avenue. He’s not kidding — the space that was most recently home to Siam and was previously Novak’s is roughly 4,000 square feet inside, with another 2,500 square feet of sprawling, brick-lined patio. And if Jacobsen and co-owner Paige Lewis have their way, it’ll be huge in other ways too. “We want to do a Vegas-style nightclub with St. Louis sensibilities,” Jacobsen says. “We love the idea of opulence, luxury, couches and bottle service — but we also want to be able to say, ‘Here’s a $4 shot, here’s a $4 beer.’” That pricing, Jacobsen promises, will extend to bottle service. That option, along with top DJs, is how they hope to define the club. But it’s not all for high rollers. “We’ll have $250, $300 options,” he says. “And we’ll even have $1,500 bottle options. But the vast majority of bottles will be an affordable choice, especially if you’re there with a few friends.” They hope the patio, in particular, will be a destination for that kind of night out. They’ve purchased no less than five sets of sectional couches so that just about ev-

erybody outdoors can enjoy a lounge-like feeling, not just the select few. “We spent almost as much money on the furniture as we spent on the sound system, and that was $35,000,” Jacobsen reports. Jacobsen and Lewis are both industry veterans. With fifteen years of management experience under his belt, Jacobsen is a Lake St. Louis/Wentzville native who did stints at various country clubs and the Hooters on Kiener Plaza before landing a gig at Ballpark Village’s Budweiser Brew House. There he met Lewis, a Belleville native who was working at the Crown Room. “She started there about four months after I did,” he says of the downtown entertainment juggernaut. “I could identify right away that she was crazy creative and able to do all kinds of stuff.” She’ll be taking the lead on social media, entertainment and marketing. They chose the Grove, he says, because they like the way its nightlife is by locals, for locals. “I have a lot of respect for everything Ballpark Village does for the community as a whole,” Jacobsen says. “I’m not going to disparage them in any way. But it’s a big-box company. We want something local and homegrown.” And the new residents coming to the neighborhood are a huge draw; there’s a seven-story apartment building under construction almost literally in the bar’s backyard; another large complex, the Chroma, is just a block away. Add the thousands who come into the Grove just for its nightlife, and there may be enough revelers to fill that huge space. As for food, Ember has a kitchen, but for now, they won’t be cooking. For Jacobsen, who himself graduated from culinary school, that was an easy decision. “How can I even compete with the restaurants in this neighborhood?” he asks. “They’re so good!” n

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MAY 29-JUNE 4, 2019

Tangled Up in Lou: A Tribute to Bob Dylan 8 p.m. Saturday, June 1. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Boulevard. $15 to $20. 314-726-6161.

8122 S. Broadway 63111 314.261.4279

@710glaSSco |

The Jack of Hearts. | ALBUM ART

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As the man of a thousand poses leans hard into his 80s, what the hell is left to say? Bob Dylan is 78, he’s on the road, and at any given second in any given town, someone somewhere is singing his songs. In St. Louis, tributes to the laureate who never asked for your garlands or crutch are common, but when the likes of Brothers Lazaroff and Sean Canan’s Voodoo Players tackle his catalog it’s always worthy of note. To celebrate his recent

THURSDAY 30

AMANDA PALMER: 7 p.m., $35-$45. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. BOUNCE HOUSE: w/ The Vincent Scandal, Safety Beach 9 p.m., free. Schlafly Tap Room, 2100 Locust St., St. Louis, 314-241-2337. BUTCH MOORE: 6 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. EVE MONSEES, MIKE BUCK & CHRIS RUEST: 7 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. HUNTER: 4 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. KELLY FINNIGAN & THE ATONEMENTS: 8 p.m., $12$15. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. LARRY GWALTNEY: w/ Stuart Williams 8 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. MEG WILLIAMS BAND: 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. MOLLY GENE ONE WHOAMAN BAND: w/ Rum Drum Ramblers 8 p.m., $5. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. T.S.O.L.: w/ Ultraman, Bastard Squad 8 p.m., $18$20. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. TECH TREK IV: w/ Archspire, Inferi, Virvum, Summoning the Lich, Polterguts 7 p.m., $18$20. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. THE WESTERN SATELLITES: 7 p.m., $15. Joe’s Cafe, 6014 Kingsbury Ave, St. Louis.

birthday, the bands will be joined by a crazy eclectic array of guests — including Tonina, Anita Jackson, Gary Hunt, Larry “Fallout” Morris of Illphonics and more — and you can be confident they won’t just cover the hits. The songs still have a lot to say, especially when channeled by musicians of this caliber. Tangled Up in Blues: You’ve probably heard the St. Louis Blues are battling the Bruins for the Stanley Cup; this night overlaps with the start of their home-ice matches. Fear not: The game will be on the big screen at Delmar Hall, and the music will start after the victory. —Roy Kasten

WOODEN PUDDIN’: 9:30 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090. WOOLLY BUSHMEN: w/ Pono AM, Beach Bodies, Sunset Over Houma 9 p.m., $7. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.

FRIDAY 31

BURNING BEATS SPRING DANCE PARTY: 10 p.m., free. HandleBar, 4127 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314-652-2212. CIGAR BOX GUITAR FESTIVAL: 7 p.m., $10. Hwy 61 Roadhouse and Kitchen, 34 S Old Orchard Ave, Webster Groves, 314-968-0061. CREE RIDER: 7:30 p.m., $5. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521. EXMAG: w/ DJ Alexis Tucci 9 p.m., $15. Club La Onda, 4920 Northrup Ave., St. Louis, 314-971-9543. HOWIE DAY: 8 p.m., $25-$30. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. JAMES ARMSTRONG BAND: 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. LITTLE COWBOY: w/ Quality Cable, Cherokee Moon, Space Dingus 8 p.m., $7. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. LITTLE DYLAN BLUES BAND: 8 p.m., $3. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. MATT STANSBERRY AND THE ROMANCE: 10 p.m., $15. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. MIDWEST AVENGERS: 8 p.m., $20. The Sheldon,

Continued on pg 41

3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900. NASHVILLE PUSSY: w/ Guitar Wolf, The Turbo A.C.’s 8 p.m., $20-$25. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. ORPHAN WELLES: w/ The Cordial Sins,North by North, Fluorescent 8 p.m. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. ROCK OUT HUNGER: w/ Dr. Zhivegas 6 p.m., $10. Chesterfield Amphitheater, 631 Veterans Place Drive, Chesterfield. THE SPRING MUSIC FESTIVAL: w/ Jaheim, Monica, Tank, Avant, Donell Jones 8 p.m., $59-$99. Chaifetz Arena, 1 S. Compton Ave., St. Louis, 314-977-5000. TECH N9NE: with Krizz Kaliko, Dax, Mayday, Ubi of Ces Cru, ATG 8 p.m., $29.50. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. THE SCANDALEROS: 9:30 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090. TOM HALL: 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. TOM SEGURA: 10 p.m., $45-$99. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. THE TREEWEASELS: w/ Keokuk, The American Professionals 9 p.m., free. Schlafly Tap Room, 2100 Locust St., St. Louis, 314-241-2337. VULTURE CULTURE ALBUM RELEASE: w/ The Slow Boys, Dutch Courage 9 p.m., $7. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. YEAR12: 6 p.m., $5. Sky Music Lounge, 930 Kehrs Mill Road, Ballwin, 636-527-6909.

SATURDAY 1

AARON KAMM & THE ONE DROPS: 6 p.m., $12$15. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-0775. AGITATE THE AIRWAVES BIRTHDAY DEBAUCHERY 2: 6 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. ALL ROOSTERED UP: noon, free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. ANNIE & THE FUR TRAPPERS: 9:30 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090. BLUE GROOVE: 9 p.m., free. Nightshift Bar & Grill, 3979 Mexico Road, St. Peters, 636-441-8300. CIGAR BOX GUITAR FESTIVAL: 10 a.m., $10. Hwy 61 Roadhouse and Kitchen, 34 S Old Orchard Ave, Webster Groves, 314-968-0061. JAKE’S LEG: 10 p.m., $10. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. JOHN D HALE: 8 p.m., $10-$12. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. KVAR BLACK BLUES: 8:15 p.m., free. CBGB, 3163 S. Grand Blvd., St. Louis. LISTENER: w/ Birds In Row, Quentin Sauvé, Reaver 6 p.m., $15. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. LU FEST 2019: w/ The Centaurettes, Jason Detroit, Pealds, Death Hole, The Lizardtones, Jackie Presley, Zach Sullentrup, Southpaw Sonata, Young Animals 4 p.m., $10. Foam, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. ST. VILLAGERS: w/ Gary Robert and Community, Roger Dodger, MetalliCats 9 p.m., $7. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. THE STONE SUGAR SHAKEDOWN ALBUM RELEASE: 8 p.m., $10. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. TANGLED UP IN LOU: BOB DYLAN BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION: w/ Sean Canan’s Voodoo Players 8 p.m., $15-$20. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. $3 SLAMDOWN: w/ Ending Orion, Warheadd, The Ricters, Frago, Are You In? 7 p.m., $3-$5. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. TIG NOTARO: 8 p.m., $40. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. VESPERTEEN: 8 p.m., $18-$20. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353.

SUNDAY 2

DABABY: 9 p.m., $25-$55. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. JAYDAYOUNGAN: w/ Yungeen Ace 7 p.m., $25$40. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. KIM MASSIE: 8 p.m., $10. Broadway Oyster Bar,

736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. MELISSA NEELS: 4 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. O’IVY: w/ Sad Baxter, Boreal Hills, Sister Wizard 8 p.m., $7. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. RECKLESS KELLY: 8 p.m., Reckless Kelly. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. TEN FOOT POLE: 7:30 p.m., $12. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

MONDAY 3

4TH ANNUAL ST. LOUIS PIANO FESTIVAL: 7 p.m., $20. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. BOTTOMS UP BLUES GANG: 6 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. JUDAS PRIEST: w/ Uriah Heep 7:30 p.m., $55.50$121.50. Stifel Theatre, 1400 Market St, St. Louis, 314-499-7600. PIANO FESTIVAL: 6 p.m., $20. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. SOULARD BLUES BAND: 9 p.m., $5. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. TERMINATOR 2: w/ Chalked Up, Who Goes There 9 p.m., $7. Foam, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. WAKING THE CADAVER: 7 p.m., $18-$20. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

TUESDAY 4

CHRIS O’LEARY BAND: 9:30 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. CLOVEN HOOF: w/ Archdragon 7:30 p.m., $15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. JUICE WRLD: w/ Ski Mask the Slump God, the Lyrical Lemonade All-Stars 8 p.m., $29.50$49.50. Chaifetz Arena, 1 S. Compton Ave., St. Louis, 314-977-5000. KIEFER SUTHERLAND: 8 p.m., $25. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. MY LIFE WITH THE THRILL KILL KULT: w/ Curse Mackey 8 p.m., $20-$25. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. NOISEM: w/ Organ Dealer 7:30 p.m., $12. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. THE RAIL WHISKEY JAM SESSIONS: 8 p.m., free. Pop’s Blue Moon, 5249 Pattison Ave., St. Louis, 314-776-4200. STEVE BAUER: 9 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. THAMES: w/ Nordista Freeze, Future Crib, Hazel Avenue 7:30 p.m., $7. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.

WEDNESDAY 5

ADAM SANDLER: 8 p.m., TBA. Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, I-70 & Earth City Expwy., Maryland Heights, 314-298-9944. BEN LEVIN: 9:30 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. FREDO BANG: w/ Lit Yoshi 8 p.m., $22-$70. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. FRESH PRODUCE BEAT BATTLE: first Wednesday of every month, 9 p.m. continues through Oct. 3, free. The Monocle, 4510 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-935-7003. ILANA GLAZER: 9:30 p.m., $35-$45. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. TWANGFEST 23 NIGHT 1: CRAIG FINN + THE UPTOWN CONTROLLERS: w/ the Delines, Rough Shop 7:45 p.m., $20-$23. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. VOODOO PLAYERS TRIBUTE TO TOM PETTY: 9:45 p.m., $8. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

THIS JUST IN 3 PROBLEMS: W/ Jumpman Joey, Osko & YNF, Wed., June 12, 8 p.m., $10. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. 40 OZ TO FREEDOM: Sat., June 29, 8 p.m., $10$13. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. AUTOGRAPH: W/ Torchlight Parade, AXETICY, Fri., July 19, 8 p.m., $20-$25. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

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Judas Priest. | VIA APA AGENCY

Judas Priest 7:30 p.m. Monday, June 3. Stifel Theatre, 1400 Market Street. $55.50 to $121.50. 314-499-7600. It’s Judas Fuckin’ Priest, man. What more needs to be said to sell you on this show? This is the band that wrote Painkiller. And British Steel. And Screaming for Vengeance, for fuck’s sake! Did you know Judas Priest is almost solely responsible for heavy metal’s leather-and-studs fashion? Sure, the bandmates took some cues from punk rock for that, but as a wise

OUT EVERY NIGHT Continued from pg 41

BECCA MANCARI: Sun., Sept. 29, 8 p.m., $12. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. BEN LEVIN: Wed., June 5, 9:30 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. BLACK MAGIC FLOWER POWER: W/ Rover, Spark Thugs, Fri., June 7, 6 p.m., $5-$8. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-0775. BOTTOMS UP BLUES GANG: Mon., June 3, 6 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. BREWTOPIA: Sat., June 15, 9 p.m., free. Nightshift Bar & Grill, 3979 Mexico Road, St. Peters, 636-441-8300. CHELSEA HANDLER: Fri., July 12, 8 p.m., $45$65. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. CHRIS O’LEARY BAND: Tue., June 4, 9:30 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. CIRCLES AROUND THE SUN: Thu., June 13, 6 p.m., $17-$20. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-0775. CLOVEN HOOF: W/ Archdragon, Tue., June 4, 7:30 p.m., $15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. THE DEAD SOUTH: Thu., Aug. 1, 6 p.m., $20-$25. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-0775. DR. ZHIVEGAS PERFORMING THE MUSIC OF PURPLE RAIN: Sat., July 13, 9 p.m., $15. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. EMPIRE: A TRIBUTE TO RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE: Sat., July 13, 8 p.m., $10. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. FORCES: W/ the Abducted, the Green Leaves, Thy Descent, Nolia, Thu., Aug. 29, 7 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

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man in a zebra-striped shirt said when asked about the band in 1986’s immortal “Heavy Metal Parking Lot,” “Heavy metal rules, all that punk shit sucks. It doesn’t belong in this world. It belongs on fuckin’ Mars, man.” How could you argue with that? Very ’eavy, Very ’umble: Perhaps the fact that the band is coming with fellow legends Uriah Heep will get you off the fence? This one’s a no-brainer. Head to Stifel Theatre’s parking lot and start pregaming now. —Daniel Hill

THE FOXIES: Mon., July 1, 8 p.m., $12-$15. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. GENE JACKSON: Thu., June 6, 7 p.m., free. St. Louis County Library, Florissant Valley Branch, 195 New Florissant Rd, Florissant, 314-921-7200. GOODNIGHT, TEXAS: W/ the Bones of J.R. Jones, Fri., July 26, 8 p.m., $12-$15. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. GRYFFIN: Tue., Oct. 29, 8 p.m., $25-$108. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. JAN SHAPIRO GROUP: Fri., June 7, 8 p.m., $10. Ozark Theatre, 103 E. Lockwood Ave., St. Louis, 314-962-7000. JEREMIAH JOHNSON: W/ Tony Campanella, Fri., June 28, 6 p.m., $12-$15. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-0775. JERRY JOSEPH: Fri., June 21, 8 p.m., free. Pop’s Blue Moon, 5249 Pattison Ave., St. Louis, 314-776-4200. JJ GREY & MOFRO: W/ Jonny Lang, Fri., Aug. 2, 6 p.m., $37.50-$200. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-0775. KIM MASSIE: Sun., June 2, 8 p.m., $10. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. LUCY DACUS: Mon., Nov. 4, 8 p.m., $17-$20. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. MARGO PRICE: W/ Cara Louise, Sat., July 20, 6 p.m., $25-$30. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-0775. MARIANAS TRENCH: Sun., Sept. 22, 8 p.m., $25$28. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. MELISSA NEELS: Sun., June 2, 4 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. THE MIGHTY PINES: W/ The Kay Brothers, Handmade Moments, Sat., June 15, 6 p.m., $12-$17. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-0775. MIKE WATT: Mon., Oct. 21, 8 p.m., $20-$23.

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[CRITIC’S PICK]

Craig Finn. | SHERVIN LAINEZ

Craig Finn & the Uptown Controllers 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 5. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue. $16.25 to $30. 314-773-3363. While the Hold Steady is still a going concern — the venerated Brooklyn band released a new track in 2019 — its lead singer and songwriter Craig Finn rarely sits still long enough to enjoy any breaks from recording and touring. He’s just released his fourth solo record, I Need a New War, and each solo release has

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Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. MONT BABY MIXTAPE RELEASE: Fri., June 28, 8 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. MURDER MACHINE EP RELEASE: W/ Fun With Napalm, Defcon, Mantra of Morta, Sat., June 22, 6:30 p.m., $12. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. NELLY: Fri., Sept. 6, 8 p.m., $27.50-$38. Liberty Bank Ampitheater, 1 Riverfront Drive, Alton Township. O’IVY: W/ Sad Baxter, Boreal Hills, Sister Wizard, Sun., June 2, 8 p.m., $7. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. OTHER PEOPLE RECORD RELEASE/FINAL SHOW: Fri., Aug. 30, 8 p.m., free. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. PIANO FESTIVAL: Mon., June 3, 6 p.m., $20. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. THE RAIL WHISKEY JAM SESSIONS: Tue., June 4, 8 p.m., free. Pop’s Blue Moon, 5249 Pattison Ave., St. Louis, 314-776-4200. REBIRTH BRASS BAND: Fri., Sept. 6, 6 p.m., $20$23. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-0775. THE RIGHTLY SO: Sat., June 15, 8 p.m., free. Evangeline’s, 512 N Euclid Ave, St. Louis, 314-367-3644. RIPE: Thu., Oct. 31, 8 p.m., $14. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. RISK! TRUE TALES, BOLDLY TOLD: Sat., June 22, 8 p.m., $20. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. SAMANTHA FISH: Wed., June 26, 6 p.m., $25-$30. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-0775. SHAWN JAMES: Thu., July 25, 8 p.m., $15. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.

seen Finn nurture the verbose, witty but always humane narrators who fill out his songs. Increasingly, he has also embraced melody, rhythm and a more florid style of production than his other band employs, helping to give Finn’s solo work a space to stand on its own. Twang-Banging: Finn’s headlining set serves as the first night of Twangfest, and the night also features the Delines (featuring members of Richmond Fontaine and the Decemberists) and local quintet Rough Shop. —Christian Schaeffer

SOULARD BLUES BAND: Mon., June 3, 9 p.m., $5. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. ST. VILLAGERS: W/ Gary Robert and Community, Roger Dodger, MetalliCats, Sat., June 1, 9 p.m., $7. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. STEVE BAUER: Tue., June 4, 9 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. THAMES: W/ Nordista Freeze, Future Crib, Hazel Avenue, Tue., June 4, 7:30 p.m., $7. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. THE MOWGLI’S: W/ Petal, Arms Akimbo, Mon., July 29, 7:30 p.m., $20-$23. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. TONINA: W/ Loose Loose, The Knuckles, Sat., Aug. 17, 8 p.m., $15-$20. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. UNDERTOW: A TRIBUTE TO TOOL: W/ Koreigner: A Tribute to Korn, Divine Sorrow, Sat., July 6, 8 p.m., $10. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. UNDERTRIPPER: W/ Brasky, Boston Profit, NoPoint, Fri., Aug. 30, 8 p.m., $8. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. VOODOO PLAYERS TRIBUTE TO TOM PETTY: Wed., June 5, 9:45 p.m., $8. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. WEATHERS: W/ the Stolen, States & Capitols, Roses!Hands!, Thu., June 20, 6 p.m., $15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. WIFI’S FUNERAL: W/ Camp Yola, 2 Stoned, Sun., July 21, 8 p.m., $22-$62. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING BAND: W/ Arkansauce, Sat., Aug. 10, 8 p.m., $29.50-$32.50. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. ZAO: W/ Wolf King, Hollow Earth, Not Waving But Drowning, Sun., Aug. 4, 7 p.m., $15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. n

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SAVAGE LOVE SEATTLE & DENVER BY DAN SAVAGE Savage Love Live swooped into Seattle’s Egyptian Theater and Denver’s Oriental Theater over the last two weekends. I couldn’t get to everyone’s questions at these soldout shows — there were so many great questions and I’m just one lousy advice columnist — so I’m going to power through as many as I can in this week’s column. Hey, Dan: Weddings are terrible. I attended “Dueling Dallas Lesbian Weddings,” and both couples are pressuring me to tell them whose wedding was better (or better in the eyes of social media). Am I obligated to “rat” these couples out to each other? Weddings aren’t terrible, people are — some of them, not all of them. But you certainly aren’t obligated to “rat” these couples out to each other. You aren’t even obligated to speak to any of these terrible people again. What is the best relationship advice you’ve ever received? Cup the balls. I’ve been talking to a guy for four months, and we still haven’t met in person. He’s recently divorced, and I find it odd that he is all into me with sexting, etc., but doesn’t want to meet. What do I do? Stop wasting your time. I have always loved anal sex with my partner of more than a decade. He loves it, too. We’ve noticed a trend over the years where he gets melancholy after we have anal sex. He doesn’t know why. Do you have any ideas or theories about why? Nope. How do I make sure I enjoy my upcoming wedding instead of worrying about how it will go? Elope. I’m a woman and I’ve been in a relationship for two years. My part-

ner is not able to make me orgasm. He is my first lover. HELP. If you can make yourself come, show your partner how you do it. If you can’t make yourself come — if you’re one of those people who have never masturbated — start masturbating, learn how to make yourself come, and then show him how you do it. My boyfriend is a cuckold and very into the humiliation aspect of cuckolding. I’ve been hooking up with one guy who is so into humiliating my boyfriend that it’s kind of freaking me out. They message each other so much, I feel like I’m the one being cheated on! You get the D. Let your boyfriend have the DMs. We are married ten years, monogamish, pansexual. My friends are opening up their relationship and so are we. Any good reason I shouldn’t have sex with my friends? Only the most obvious one: If someone gets hurt, these friendships could end. But friendships end all the time without anyone getting off, so … I’m 31; he’s 44. I know how you feel about splitting the rent in proportion to income, but my higherearning boyfriend points out that I’ve opted for more leisure time and less stress with my lower-paying job. How should we split the rent? Someone making two or three times as much money as their partner should be willing to pay more of the rent. Splitting the rent 50/50 wouldn’t be fair, particularly if the higher earner wants a larger and/or nicer space, because then the partner making more money is effectively having their lifestyle subsidized by the one making less. But if someone chooses to make less money because they want more leisure time, they shouldn’t expect to have that choice underwritten by a partner making more money. I don’t think they should pay half the rent — but a higher percentage of their income should go toward the rent. How can I nicely convince my girlfriend to have anal sex?

“My boyfriend is a cuckold and very into the humiliation aspect. I’ve been hooking up with one guy who’s so into humiliating my boyfriend that it’s kind of freaking me out.”

Blair is entitled to Blair’s opinion, but Blair isn’t the boss of blowjobs.

By using your words — your best noncoercive, nonthreatening, willing-to-take-no-for-an-answer words. And it will help if you tell her you’re willing to take it slow and willing to take turns.

How do you introduce BDSM into your sexual relationship?

My boyfriend of 1.5 years doesn’t feel it is “appropriate” to tell me he is in love with me. I want so bad to have our “I love you” moment. What should I do? Say it to him — and if he doesn’t hit you with an “I love you, too,” then either he’s not in love with you or he’s in love with you and knows how badly you want to hear him say “I love you” but he won’t say it because he likes to torture you. My partner discovered — with someone else — that she loves BDSM, including pain and humiliation. I’m trying, but she’s not impressed. What do I do? Presumably your partner doesn’t love BDSM to the exclusion of all the hot vanilla sex she’d been having with you previous to this discovery. So instead of trying to be something or someone you’re not, let your partner enjoy BDSM with others while making sure you two maintain your sexual connection by continuing to explore your shared sexual interests. Blair says all blowjobs should end with a swallow. Thoughts?

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I’ve been with my partner for two years. We love each other and have no real issues, except family. I’m out of the closet to everyone in my life. My partner is, too. Her mom “accepts” her being gay, except around extended family. At family gatherings, her mom pretends my partner is heterosexual and interested in men, as if our two-year relationship doesn’t exist. Is it OK that I think this is not OK? It’s OK that you don’t find this at all OK. But I’m curious what your partner thinks. Presumably your partner isn’t a houseplant — which means she must have feelings about this and presumably she’s capable of communicating those feelings to her mother.

Suddenly and without warning — trust me, the element of surprise is crucial when it comes to kinky sex. Joking! For the record: You introduce BDSM into your sexual relationship by first initiating a conversation about your sexual interests and, if there’s interest on both sides, gradually and slowly introducing JV BDSM play into your relationship. I ran into a coworker at a fetish party, and he was wearing a “URINAL” T-shirt. Does that mean what I think it means? It means you don’t have to leave your workstation when you need to take a piss. Thanks to everyone who came to Savage Love Live in Seattle and Denver! Savage Love Live is coming to San Francisco (with Stormy Daniels!), Chicago, Madison, Minneapolis (with Stormy Daniels!), Toronto, and Somerville. For more info and tickets, go to savagelovecast.com/events. On the Lovecast, Dan chats with sex workers’ rights advocate Alex Andrews: savagelovecast.com. mail@savagelove.net @fakedansavage on Twitter ITMFA.org

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