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THE LEDE

PHOTO BY THEO WELLING

“This wasn’t meant to happen. Naw, he’s supposed to be in college somewhere. Mike Brown’s supposed to be at home laying down, probably eating, chillin’, working on his second degree in college or something. Ain’t none of this supposed to happen.” TAVEON EDWARDS, PHOTOGRAPHED AT CANFIELD GREEN APARTMENTS ON AUGUST 9 riverfronttimes.com

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Publisher Chris Keating Interim Editor in Chief Doyle Murphy

COVER

Dog’s Best Friend In St. Louis dog parks, pet owners find plenty of common ground Story by

THOMAS CRONE

E D I T O R I A L Arts & Culture Editor Paul Friswold Music Editor Daniel Hill Digital Editor Jaime Lees Staff Writer Danny Wicentowski Restaurant Critic Cheryl Baehr Film Critic Robert Hunt Columnist Ray Hartmann Contributing Writers Mike Appelstein, Allison Babka, Thomas Crone, Jenn DeRose, Mike Fitzgerald, Sara Graham, MaryAnn Johanson, Roy Kasten, Jaime Lees, Joseph Hess, Kevin Korinek, Bob McMahon, Lauren Milford, Nicholas Phillips, Tef Poe, Christian Schaeffer Proofreader Evie Hemphill Editorial Interns Katie Counts, Joshua Phelps, James Pollard 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 P R O D U C T I O N Production Manager Haimanti Germain

Photos by

STEPHEN JOHNSON On the cover: Kia Saint-Louis with her dog Ollie.

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

INSIDE The Lede Hartmann

News Feature Calendar

Legislature hits a high note

14 24

The Giant Spider Invasion | Glory Denied St. Louis Small Press Expo | World’s Fare Heritage Festival | Midnight Ramble | etc.

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

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Jenny Lewis | Tonina | City Nights at City Museum

Savage Love 6

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HARTMANN Hitting a High Note Medical pot is a constitutional right at last in Missouri. And the state is almost ready for it BY RAY HARTMANN

here’s something surreal about going to the official website of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and having the top link pose the question, “How do I apply for medical marijuana identification card?” That’s quite something to process if one has railed against Reefer Madness for, say, half of a century. It evokes a mandatory double take, as if a police officer pulled over your car and said, “Excuse me,

would you like to share this bong?” This is happening. It’s not a trap. Real-world relief is here for people in Missouri who can benefit from this use of medical marijuana for a wide range of serious illnesses, the side effects of chemo treatment and the like. We have traveled a long and winding road to arrive here. Now the buzz wouldn’t seem right without some feeling of disorientation. There is this: For reasons totally benign, Missouri is granting medical marijuana cards by the thousands before said marijuana will be legally available for purchase by the those individuals. Good for DHSS that it has wasted no time processing requests for the ID card. This is a serious health matter for people who cannot wait for the relief that medical marijuana can provide. There are a few bumps in the road, however. You see, several months will be needed to establish the infrastructure through which patients will receive the mari-

juana they need. Again, I can’t believe I just wrote that sentence, one that reads so much more graciously than just the words “scoring weed.” But this is serious business, and it’s truly about medicinal purposes and not recreation (no matter how many of us think it should exist for both). It’s important to understand what is provided for by Article XIV of the Missouri Constitution, the one established last year by a landslide margin of 66 to 34 percent of state voters — that’s 752,000 voters. Not to mention the dozens who showed up a day late to vote. (Sorry, couldn’t resist at least one old pot joke). The voters passed something called Amendment Two, the Medical Marijuana and Veteran Healthcare Services Initiative. But that’s not what it is anymore: Now it’s Article XIV of the Missouri Constitution guaranteeing qualified Missourians the right to possess pot legally for medicinal purposes. This is real.

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To be clear, this isn’t about drug dealing on the street. Missouri law now concerns itself with four areas of logistics: commercial cultivation of marijuana; food and beverage processing for edibles and extracts; testing facilities for contaminants and potency; and the establishment of 192 retail dispensaries (24 for each of the state’s eight congressional districts). It’s a sensible system but one that will take several months to implement. The dispensaries are expected to start opening at year’s end, but they can only sell marijuana legally produced in Missouri. And the related commercial enterprises — cultivation, manufacturing and inspections — will need time to get up and running before there’s product to sell in those dispensaries. Herein lies a rather intriguing kerfuffle: The people who are obtaining medical marijuana ID cards now have the right to possess pot, and cannot be busted for

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HARTMANN

Continued from pg 7

having it, and they seriously need it now and shouldn’t be arrested for trying to get it. But there’s no one to sell it to them legally yet. You cannot acquire legal pot in a state like Colorado and bring it across state lines — that’s a problem — so the only way now to exercise your Missouri constitutional right to possess it for medicinal use is to buy it from someone who cannot sell it to you legally. r something like that. I realize that if you’re stoned, that might be a little hard to follow. But I believe it’s also confounding if you’re not stoned. The situation cried out for me to deploy my vast journalistic investigative skill to get to the bottom of things, so I made one call to Columbia attorney Dan Viets, the man I’ve leaned on shamelessly for decades regarding all things pot-related. Viets was studentbody president at the niversity of Missouri-Columbia when I was student-newspaper editor there in the early 1970s. More significantly, he has been a leader in the National rganization for Reform of Marijuana aws and the coordinator and driving force behind Missouri N RM , and thus, Article XIV. Given that our shared experience on this subject has involved many more defeats than victories, I was stunned by his response when I inquired as to how badly Missouri might be expected to louse up becoming the nation’s 33rd state to legalize medical pot. “DHSS has done a great job with this program,” Viets says. “In many other states, they’ve dragged their feet after the citizens passed a marijuana initiative, but Missouri has not.” Viets, who is pro-choice, even goes so far as to give a shout-out to DHSS Director Randall Williams, a man despised by many for his prominence in the state’s war on Planned Parenthood and reproductive rights. Acknowledging that Williams has been a “lightning rod” on that issue, Viets says it’s different regarding medicinal pot. “Williams has done his level best to do exactly what Article XIV says to do,” Viets says. “It has been pretty amazing.” He adds that one of Missouri’s key — and rare — features is that it has provided DHSS with enough upfront user revenue, already some 3. million in applications fees. But what about the whole thing where patients have their ID

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cards but can only buy marijuana from people who can only sell it to them illegally? The official position of DHSS is that those folks are simple going to have to wait. Viets, who has represented pot-related defendants for four decades, does depart very sharply from DHSS on that one. “It’s legal to possess marijuana, and it doesn’t matter where you got it,” Viets said. “But if you’re asked, don’t answer.” He added that the problem might not exist for individuals who have paid an extra 100 to grow their own, albeit under carefully controlled conditions. Still, there will remain challenges for a process that likely will take well into 2020 to run smoothly. And, as Viets says, there’s this: Most hospitals, worried if nothing else about a hostile federal government, aren’t allowing their doctors to “qualify or certify” patients to DHSS. Viets believes that’s unjustified, but he holds out optimism that it will change over time. In the meantime, companies are springing up — one called Missouri Green Doctors appears poised to be prominent in St. ouis (and there are others) — that will serve as a go-between with DHSS for qualified patients with unwilling doctors. So the world of pot remains a bit cloudy in Missouri. But there’s much to celebrate, including a four percent sales tax on marijuana sales that will generate millions to provide health care services to veterans. lus, it can’t help but dent the opioid crisis and help divert criminal justice resources to more serious purposes, like fighting violent crime. “We have one of the best laws in the country partly because we had the benefit of seeing what happened in those other states,” Viets said. A key provision: Doctors are given discretion to qualify patients, even beyond the ten conditions specified in Article XIV (including cancer, glaucoma, epilepsy, arkinson’s, TSD and HIV, among others). So Missouri is on the way to getting things right with regard to marijuana. I like writing those words. But doesn’t it sound like I’m stoned? 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

Stenger Sentenced to the Max Written by

DOYLE MURPHY AND JAMES POLLARD

judge on Friday sentenced ex-St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger to three years and ten months in prison, the maximum under the federal guidelines. Stenger pleaded guilty on May 3 to three felonies in a pay-to-play scheme that rewarded political donors with taxpayer-funded contracts and land deals. The 47-year-old had been the target of a long-running criminal investigation that included clandestine recordings of the disgraced politico sounding like a wannabe mob boss as he railed against political enemies and bragged profanely about his naked corruption. “How about that, motherfuckers?” he was recorded saying after winning re-election in November 2018. “I don’t show up to the council meetings. I don’t do fucking shit. I’ve been sitting at my house for the past two months fucking raising money and then won by twenty percent.” In court on Friday, he cut a more somber figure, reading a letter of regret for his crimes. “I heartfully apologize, and I’m deeply sorry for the harm I’ve caused,” he said. His schemes included steering multiple illicit deals to former night club owner and insurance company owner John “Johnny Roller” Rallo, including a bogus consulting contract through the Port Authority that paid $130,000 for six months of nothing. Rallo pleaded guilty on July 16 to three counts of honest services mail fraud/bribery — the same charges as Stenger. He’s due to be sentenced in October. Members of Stenger’s inner circle have also been caught up in the investigation. His former chief of staff, Bill Miller, pleaded guilty to fraud charges on May

Steve Stenger heads in federal court with attorney Scott Rosenblum, left, for last week’s sentencing. | JAMES POLLARD 31, and Sheila Sweeney pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony — admitting she knew about the crimes and covered them up — on May 10. She formerly ran the Port Authority and was CEO of the St. Louis County Economic Development Partnership. Stenger is the first of the political crime ring to be sentenced. Once the most powerful elected official in the state’s largest political subdivision or county, his fall has been swift. He was indicted and resigned on the same day in late April and pleaded guilty five days later, silently entering and exiting the Thomas F. Eagleton Courthouse in downtown St. Louis alongside his high-powered attorney, Scott Rosenblum. That’s the way he arrived on Friday, dressed in a dark suit as he and Rosenblum climbed the courthouse steps to face judgment in front of U.S. District Judge Catherine Perry. Since the charges were announced, Stenger has tried to conduct himself as a contrite former public servant, conveying through his attorney his great remorse as he pleaded for a sentence on the low end of the 37 to 46 months recommended by federal guidelines. In response, assistant U.S. attorneys Reginald Harris and Hal Goldsmith have dished out a few of Stenger’s choice comments from a trove of secret recordings and seized text messages that reveal him as defiantly crooked. Among his schemes, he hired people solely for their political

in uence and then boasted about his ability to hide the do-nothing jobs in a haze of government dysfunction. “That’s one of the greatest powers I have,” he was recorded saying. “That I have 52 people who I hire and nobody knows where they’re coming from. For instance, there are two slots over at the jail. Nobody knows if Julia Childrey [director of the Department of Justice Services] put those people there or I did. It’s good fucked up. We like it fucked up. I care about my politics.” At Friday’s sentencing, Goldsmith described a Stenger speech from 2013 in which the politician painted his predecessor as corrupt and decried the deterioration of the public’s trust. In the end, the prosecutor said, it was Stenger who attacked that trust. “Through his illegal pay-to-play scheme aimed at filling his own political coffers, the former county executive shattered that trust,” Goldsmith added in a statement. “The residents of St. Louis County and St. Louis County government employees have suffered immeasurable harm as a result.” Rosenblum described Stenger as a remorseful public servant, who faltered under the pressure of a political campaign system that requires an endless supply of fundraising and donors. The case shows the need to re-evaluate that system, Rosenblum said, adding that his client “has suffered in a way that is particularly unique to high-profile clients.”

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Federal authorities say Stenger’s corruption was egregious and self-serving, with dire implications for taxpayers. “Steve Stenger abused his power as an elected official to benefit himself,” Special Agent in Charge Richard Quinn of the FBI St. Louis Division said in a statement. “Had the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s ffice not stopped Stenger from misusing taxpayer dollars for his personal gain, he would have continued to run St. Louis County into the ground. He will now have years in federal prison to re ect on the cost of his greed.” Judge Perry chastised Stenger for his crimes, calling it a “sad day” for his former constituents, whom he victimized through his years of corruption. “This was your whole way of life, as best I can tell, from the whole time you were in office,” erry said. The judge granted Stenger’s request to surrender on September 21, taking into account that his wife is pregnant and due to deliver on September 13. His punishment will include a 250,000 fine, three years supervised release and $130,000 in restitution, which he has already repaid to the Port Authority. Rosenblum said he believes his client will emerge from prison a better man. “I have no doubt that he’ll take this period of incarceration to better himself,” Rosenblum told reporters after the hearing. “I have no doubt he will continue to be successful in his next endeavor.” n

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Comic Book Crooks Foiled Written by

DOYLE MURPHY

artin Casas learned some terrible news a little more than a week ago — his entire personal collection of 3,000 comic books had been stolen. Thieves had clipped the lock on his storage unit at Public Storage off Third Street and hauled away ten boxes of comics unnoticed. Casas was with his daughter when he arrived to survey the loss. He tried to play it cool for her sake, but he was furious. “I was boiling on the inside, seething,” he says. His collection’s value was more sentimental than financial, marking milestones of the past thirty years of his life. He had kept comics from the year his daughter was born and the year he was married. The book his stepmother gave him after his dad died had been in those boxes. Now, they were all gone. Police were initially stumped. Casas says they told him there had been a series of storage unit burglaries lately, but no one had been arrested. In his case, he had rented the locker to clear some space while renovating his home and only learned after the theft that his unit was in a part of the facility that was not covered by surveillance cameras. The thieves left behind his old dresser and an exercise machine. On the ground, Casas spotted his ruined Master Lock. Still, he was hopeful about seeing his comics again. One summer, his Dodge Caravan was stolen four times, and it was recovered four times, he says. His house had also been burglarized in the past, and he got his stuff back that time, too. The comics, he knew, would be tougher to trace. “All that stuff had serial numbers,” he says of his past stolen possessions. “This was like 3,000 pieces of paper.” Working in Casas’ favor was a relatively new business venture. More than a year ago, he opened Apotheosis Comics & Lounge (3206 S. Grand Boulevard, 314802-7090), a combination comic book store and bar. After the theft, Casas told his staff that if anyone called with an offer to sell a collection, tell them he was definitely

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Martin Casas, shown with Superman, leapt into action to save his stolen comics. | PHOTO PROVIDED interested. Sure enough, a Chesterfield woman called within days of the storage locker burglary and asked if Apotheosis might want to buy a box of her comics. Encouraged by a store employee, she dropped off the box on Thursday for review and left her name and phone number. Casas arrived shortly after she left to see what she had brought. As soon as he saw the box, he knew. He had written “Cap” on the side, designating it as a box of Captain America comics. Inside, he searched for one particular comic, the third installment of the Captain America Truth series. He had gotten it years ago and knew his copy had a small red mark on the corner. “Sure enough, there’s that book,” Casas says. “It’s my box.” He called the cops first, and then the woman. She apparently had no idea she was trying to sell the comics back to their rightful owner, so Casas played dumb. “This is a great collection,” he told her on the phone. “You’ve got

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at least a couple hundred dollars in comics there.” He arranged a meeting for 10 a.m. the next morning, Friday. But before he hung up, he asked if she might have any more, as he was interested in buying whatever he could for the shop. In fact, she said, she had recently come into a lot of comics. “Me and my boyfriend, we do storage units,” she said, according to Casas. It was a long night for the comic book store owner. He quickly found Facebook pages for the woman and her boyfriend and discovered mountains of items for sale. “It was the most random shit you’ve ever seen,” Casas says. There were used Jordans, tires on 20-inch rims, Louis Vuitton handbags, crystal candy dishes and an antique cash register. The boyfriend, a 46-year-old ex-con who calls himself “Wicked,” posted a 300-piece toy car set for the low price of $350. “No low ballers this isn’t my first time selling hot wheels,” he

wrote. “I know there value and priced well below it.” On Friday morning, Casas and police from the department’s burglary unit arrived early at Apotheosis and waited for the woman to arrive. ne officer hid upstairs while another ducked into the basement. Everyone was in place when the woman called to say she was having car trouble and wouldn’t be able to come until 2 p.m. Casas tried to remain casual about it and told her to call when she was on her way, so he could be sure he was there. Finally, that afternoon, she notified him she was heading his way from Chesterfield. She would be there in 45 minutes. nce again, police officers stationed upstairs and in the basement while Casas manned the counter. Eventually, the door to the shop opened, and in walked the woman while her boyfriend waited outside. “I had to pretend I didn’t know who this person was, even though I’d been obsessively looking at her Facebook page for the last 24 hours,” Casas says. He asked about the other boxes of comics, but she said she wanted to see how this deal went before she committed to selling more. It was about this time that the officers sprang out of their hiding spots, guns drawn. A third officer took the boyfriend into custody outside. A little unsure about what to do, Casas ushered away incoming customers, offering to buy drinks if they came back later. Cops sat the woman at a table in the back of the shop, questioning her as a cardboard cutout of Batman glowered over the scene. Casas says he felt a little bad for her and the boyfriend. (The RFT isn’t publishing their names because they hadn’t been charged with a crime as of press time.) “No one ever wakes up and says, ‘I want to grow up and break into storage units,’” he says. He is not sure whether it was the woman or the boyfriend, but one or both of them eventually told police where they could find the rest of the stolen bounty. Not only did they have the rest of Casas’ comics but also piles of items that detectives were able to identify from other burglary cases. That Friday night, police called Casas and told him he could come pick up the rest of his collection from a police precinct. He still can hardly believe that it worked out so well. He says, “It was absolutely the most bizarre 24 hours of my life.” n

Why Don’t City Cops Have Body Cameras? Written by

DANNY WICENTOWSKI

y April, some 700 St. Louis County Police officers will be wearing body cameras which are designed to automatically turn on in various situations, for instance, when a sensor detects an officer running or pulling their gun. The program will make the department the largest police force in Missouri to wear the recording devices, and yet, just over the city line, St. Louis city’s department fields about 1,300 officers. But there is no parallel body camera program in the city, and there doesn’t appear to be one on the horizon, either. That’s not for lack of stated support for body cameras by city and police officials. In a recent news release, Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed reacted to the news of the county’s program, saying he was “disappointed” that other regional police departments were taking steps to improve public safety, while St. Louis City “is at a standstill.” Reed noted, “The entire body camera discussion began in our own backyard after the Mike Brown shooting in Ferguson almost 5 years ago,” and he added that the city’s last meaningful action on body cameras came after a September 2017 meeting of the Board of Estimate and Apportionment. At the time, the board approved the creation of a selection committee to evaluate bids for a body camera supplier for city officers. In an interview last week, Reed lamented the fact that a proposed one-year-trial program with the company Axon — a trial Reed says would have been “free, no obligations” — came to nothing after that 2017 hearing. And even though a committee was formed to start a competitive selection process, that process stalled even after receiving multiple bids. “The committee that was created, they received responses from vendors all over the country, and nothing ever happened. It’s frustrating,” Reed says. Indeed, in an email, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department spokeswoman Michelle Woodling confirmed that the department “does not currently utilize body cameras.” Eventually, four vendors did submit bids to the selection committee after it was formed in 2017, but Woodling says the committee stopped there: “A funding source has not been identified for this program at this time.” In St. Louis County, the funding for the body camera program came from Proposition P, which provides the revenue for the $5 million expenditure approved by the County Council in July. Under the arrangement, all 350 of the county’s

For now, this is about as close as St. Louis city cops are to body cameras. | DOYLE MURPHY marked patrol cars will be outfitted with cameras. Of the county’s approximately 950 officers, 700 will soon be wearing smartphone-like cameras that upload data to a cloud storage system. As for the SLMPD, only about 70 police vehicles are currently equipped with incar cameras, Woodling says in a followup email. In interviews last week, St. Louis City Mayor Lyda Krewson and Public Safety Director Jimmie Edwards says they supported a body camera program and believed it could improve public safety — but both made the case that the city just doesn’t have several million dollars to throw around. After St. Louis City voters approved their own version of Proposition P in 2017, Krewson says those funds went to needed salary increases for police officers and firefighters. “Every bit of our Prop P money has gone into people,” Krewson says. “This is about balancing the funds that we have. At this point, there’s not any plan to go back to voters for another tax increase.” Edwards, who was appointed Public Safety director in late 2017, says he researched body camera programs soon after joining city government. He says he found that supposedly “free” field trials came with various catches. And if St. Louis City wanted to fully deploy a body camera system to its 1,200-plus officers, the cost could be as much as $20 million for a five-year program. “Long term, it was problematic. It was also problematic short term,” Edwards says, and he argued that it’s not just cameras that add to the bill, but the costs for things like processing Sunshine Requests or sending record custodians to testify in court about how videos are stored. “I envy St. Louis County,” Edwards adds. “I hope the public realizes that we agree that officer safety is improved with

body cameras, as well as public safety and police accountability. We agree with all of that.” It’s worth noting that while St. Louis County Police are setting a precedent with a full-department rollout of body cameras, officers in both the county and city have worn body cameras in the past. In 2015, the SLMPD approved a 90-day pilot program for body cameras, but the program only involved 90 of the department’s 200 sergeants. At the time, then-Police Chief Sam Dotson told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he and then-Mayor Francis Slay planned to advance the program beyond the trial stage, and even claimed the city had “secured funding for the initial purchase of equipment.” The Post story noted, however, “[Dotson] would not disclose the estimated amount, saying the city wants to solicit bids from vendors after the pilot program.” Obviously, whatever funding Dotson thought he had secured, it didn’t work out. Four years later, as St. Louis County boasts of fielding one of the largest body camera-equipped police forces in the country, St. Louis city’s police force is, as Reed suggested, at a standstill. Still, Reed insists that the monetary hurdles can be overcome, and he contends that SLMPD’s high number of officers will give it leverage in negotiating with potential vendors. But Reed also suggests that this is really about politics, not money. He points out that after the resignation of disgraced St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger, it only took the County Council a couple months to restart its own stalled body camera program. “You have to have the political will to do it,” Reed says. “It’s people saying, ‘This is something that we need, just get it done.’” n

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Dogs’ Best Friend

In St. Louis dog parks, pet owners find plenty of common ground BY THOMAS CRONE

PHOTOS BY STEPHEN JOHNSON

on Porter has adopted a boxer mix named Rusty. More of a sidekick, really, Rusty is his constant companion on the weekends, when the two spend time at a few of St. Louis’ most popular dog parks, including the unique situation that’s cropped up on the corner of Lindell and North Grand boulevards. There, a green space called the Ellen Clark Sculpture Park has been a presence for the better part of a decade. If intended to be the quiet showcase of a prolific artist priest with ties to Saint ouis University, it’s instead become an oasis for area dog owners, who ock to the space on the weekends, creating kinships that extend beyond SLU’s signature black fencing. As Porter describes it, the space isn’t like any other in St. Louis — and he’s not just talking about dog parks. Instead, as he sees it, the area is one that people use for a few different reasons. Proximity is part of it, of course, given the location within an easy drive of north and south city, as well as Highway 40. It is also free, saving users $50 to $100 in annual membership fees charged at other dog parks. And maybe there’s just something about the location that calls out to people, with a little bit of an urban oasis vibe at any given moment. Let’s travel back to the weekend of July 4 as example. With temperatures in the hot zone, a dozen or so dog owners gather in the northeast corner of

the park. Blessed as it may be by large-scale sculpture, the tree cover is minimal, and on a sunny day, the few park benches and single picnic table fill up quickly as dog owners huddle underneath trees and along the back fence line. They catch up on the day’s news, updates in their personal lives and other bits of fractured conversation to go with quick bursts of dog behavior correction. The remnants of an Independence Day parade slow-roll down Lindell, with tiny pirate ships and apples and rocket ships passing down the block. That might be the kind of thing you only see occasionally, but other sights are more frequent. Porter promises a vision of real diversity. Nursing students from campus gather in the early mornings before classes. Nearby apartment dwellers head in at the same time, or after work and at lunch. Visitors from other parts of the city arrive, mostly, in the happyhour zone, when as many as 50 dogs have been seen in the summer. A 70-degree day in October can send even that number north. The owners are black, white, young, old, serious dog people and those who just want to tire out their animal. Dana Abell is part of a group of friends who coalesced here, a self-dubbed Dog Pack. As happens with groups of young professionals, members come and go. The dozen or so who made up the group two Continued on pg 16

Jon Porter with his pal Rusty have both made friends at a Saint Louis University dog park. 14

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Visitors, such as Sara Isbell with Domino and Jake Wheeler, can use the park nine months out of the year.

DOGS’ BEST FRIEND Continued from pg 14

years ago have dwindled to about half, with folks moving to all parts of the country. Those who remain still hang out, invite a person or two into the fold. “We’ve all made connections here and network about things that aren’t related to dog parks,” she offers. “We know about your martial arts,” she says, pointing at Porter. “And you can talk about things dog-related, like good vets or places that offer doggie pool days.” As she says this, her friend Mariah Greer pops back over to the picnic table. With two small dogs and a naturally high motor, she’s zipping through the park, keeping track of her dogs, who’ve both been known to slip the fence for quick runs into Grand Center. Hearing some of the talk of diversity, she jokes, “I wouldn’t hang

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out with this many white people without this dog park.” “We’re bridging communities,” Porter says sincerely of the dog community, though SLU would necessarily get some of that shine, as well. Mind you, none of this was part of a plan.

ormer Saint Louis University president Lawrence Biondi is generally lauded for the positive impact he made on the built environment of the school’s midtown Frost Campus, but there’s an undercurrent of criticism attached to that legacy. Specifically, that for all the positives, there was a needless, heedless use of the wrecking ball in his tenure, and that instead of mothballing structures for later use there was a preference for permanent green space, be that used for statuary, playing fields or fountains. The footprint that contains the Ellen Clark Sculpture Park provides an example for those who

AUGUST 14-20, 2019

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are critical, in that a building with multiple commercial uses and a street-facing presence was taken down for the added green space that was a hallmark of SLU expansion in the 1990s and 2000s. If cities are built by intersecting grids of streetside buildings, this corner is one more glitch in the matrix. SLU’s communications department notes, “SLU purchased the Marina Building, which was on the [northeast] corner of Lindell and Grand, in 2001. At the time, the building’s occupants were the Golden Dynasty Restaurant, an optometrist, uniform company, beauty college and bar. After the building was removed, open space was created in 2011, which was imaginatively turned into a dog park and sculpture garden. Form meets function.” Construction began in 2010, with a blog/blogger named stlexplorer noting that a de facto dog park had already started to coalesce. On December 15 of that year, stlexplorer noted, “This lot

has been informally used as a dog park for several years and I am glad to see it made into a more attractive place. Although I am disappointed to see a permanent use for the land that doesn’t add to the density of the neighborhood, the fact that something is happening is a relief.” The construction there was about a decade in the making. Saint Louis University’s campus newspaper, The University News, noted on July 11, 2001, that “this summer SLU purchased the Marina building at the corner of Grand Boulevard and Lindell Boulevard and the adjacent Feathers building at 3557 Lindell. While the Marina building was nearly vacant, the Feathers building is home to Vito’s Pizza and 17 apartments. These property acquisitions come after the purchase of a vacant Jack in the Box at the corner of Grand and Olive Street, giving SLU control over the block at the entrance to Grand Center.” Kathleen Brady, cited as the vice

Sadhna Samantarai and Louie are among the dozens of visitors who use SLU’s park in Grand Center on nice days. president for facilities management and civic affairs at SLU, was quoted as saying the purchase of the Marina and the neighboring Feathers Building was possibly part of a more urbanistic future for the northeast corner of Lindell and Grand. Brady, in the piece, added that SLU’s goal, along with that of Grand Center, was to develop the property for a variety of uses, such as retail, restaurants, housing and possibly commercial office space. “This will benefit the University by bringing life and vitality to that corner of campus and providing more retail, restaurant and housing opportunities for students, faculty and staff,” Brady explained. “By investing and improving the Grand Center area, the entire University community benefits from increased housing, retail and dining opportunities and from the stabilization of that area.’” It was a good goal. But it changed.

he addition of a sculpture park at the crossroads of SLU and Grand Center can be understood within the broader landscape of the area; after all, Grand Center has long been building (or at least branding) itself as the hub of artistic energy in St. Louis. That this particular real estate has been given over to the works of Brother Mel Meyer, on one of the busier intersections in St. Louis City, makes sense in that context. Tucked away in other, less visible outposts of the city are smaller oases of dog culture, including a wooded corner of Soulard known as the Frenchtown Dog Park. Run by an association of the same name, Frenchtown is a membership dog park. While a few members travel some distance, a larger group live in the immediate neighborhood, walking their dogs along the cobblestone sidewalks of Soulard for some shaded respite. On a recent Saturday morning, Kalyn Niehoff is chilling with her

energetic two-year-old dog, Lou. In search of a good chase, Lou darts among the three other dogs in the park without much luck. This sends him scampering hither and yon in search of fun in the larger of two zones, fitting in that it’s the designated home of larger dogs. Even with a hot summer morning developing, the tree canopy keeps the temps down a bit as nearby Interstate 55 offers the morning’s soundtrack, a steady buzz of traffic passing a couple dozen yards down the hillside. Niehoff is likely correct in guessing that no homeowner would want that traffic noise so close. But for a group of dog owners and their wards, it’s perfect. Over time, the Frenchtown Association, a fees-based group, has added shelters, various bits of “dog playground” elements and other amenities like running water. Dogs run, conversations are held. “It’s a great place to get advice for your dog, too,” Niehoff says. “Like chewing behaviors. I’ve

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asked other people about leashes, because Lou likes to pull. It’s a great place to get information about how to make your life with a dog easier.” “Easier” is a term that doesn’t always apply to the arrival of dog parks in urban areas. St. Louis isn’t a unique entity among cities, but something our urban center does have is space. Pocket parks of this sort have popped up in different areas without needing to displace. Even so, gentrification is a term that gets bandied about with the arrival of any new park. Even a cursory web search of “dog parks gentrification” leads to some similar themes being discussed in various American cities. A lot of those articles point back to a story on CityLab from August 11, 2017. The story, by CityLab staffer Laura Bliss, sketches out a variety of debate points in relation to dog parks nationally. “Resistance to dog parks,” it reads, in part, “takes on a different

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Aigner Smith and Roxanne take advantage of the room to roam.

DOGS’ BEST FRIEND Continued from pg 17

tenor when animals seem to displace humans in housing-crunched cities. New dog owners are disproportionately younger and whiter than the residents of the cities they move into, and that has real estate implications: For one third of Americans aged 18 to 36 who’d purchased a first home, finding better space for a dog was the primary motivator, according to a SunTrust Mortgage poll. When young, white, affluent dog owners snap up properties in historically lower-income neighborhoods of color — and start advocating for amenities like dog parks, which can bump up property values further — the optics are complicated.” In St. Louis, those optics are different, as parks have taken over empty lots or off-the-beaten-path locations. And the dog-walker com-

munity here is so much smaller; unliked other cities, there typically aren’t pros walking a Medusa-like batch of eight leashed animals into dog parks. The ratio feels closer to one-to-one. If there’s a dark cloud of development needs in St. Louis, the sliver of a silver lining is the ability to use spaces for new and alternative uses. There is a generational component that seems to run along with the conversation as well. At Frenchtown, the dogs vary in age, but their owners seem locked in a fixed age range of 25 to 35. Again, these are optics, but it’s a younger crowd there. The park’s litter bins are filled to the brim with spent cans of Natty Light and leftover packets, signs of price-conscious good times. “Market research shows dog ownership has skyrocketed some 29 percent nationwide in the past decade,” the CityLab piece continues, “an increase propelled large-

ly by higher-income millennials. As young adult professionals increasingly put off having families, dogs have become ‘starter children,’ as Joshua Stephens wrote in The Atlantic in 2015. With demand growing, cities and developers are building more dogfriendly zones both in response to and in anticipation of more fourlegged residents. Off-leash dog parks are growing faster than any other type of park in America’s largest cities, with 2,200 counted as of 2010.” On this morning, even a non-dog walker can understand the appeal. As a breeze gently blows through the heavily canopied Frenchtown, a few dogs scamper, a few people share a casual greeting. One member of the big dogs play group bounds straight up a tree for a longer-than-expected run in pursuit of a squirrel. “That was cool,” Niehoff says. “I’ve never seen that happen.” And she’s

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spent a good deal of time here. “The doggy pool and shade allow people to hang out longer. I have friends in the area, and we’ll meet here at the dog park, catch up, and the dogs get to play.”

renchtown’s presence in Soulard makes sense. If there was ever a zone of town that represented that blend of dog/ person/hangout culture, it’s Soulard. Spots like the old version of Molly’s (itself named after a dog) and the Shanti were ahead of any trends in allowing fourlegged visitors. That the Doghaus Soulard is found in this neighborhood — well, it more than makes sense. Stephen Walters is part of a four-person ownership group at Doghaus, which took on the former location of Trop’s and, before then, Gladstone’s. They opened at Mardi Gras this spring, an

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Continued on pg 21

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The sculpture park shows off artist priest Brother Melvin Meyer’s work — while pets race across the grass.

DOGS’ BEST FRIEND Continued from pg 19

experience that Walters says, with only a pained laugh, allowed them to work out some operational kinks under extreme conditions. Since then: smoother sailing. He says that “we’re a regular old bar that allows animals. If you want to use the dog park, there’s a day pass and you sign an electronic waiver. There’s a fee of $10 a day, and that’s good all day, since a lot of people in Soulard bounced around. The other option is a membership, and you just need hard copies of your shot records. You get a tag for the dog’s collar, and that’s good for a calendar year and allows you to come and go as you please.” Walters says that “even though we started out as a neighborhood bar, we’ve got dog park members from Earth City, Fenton. Alton,

Carbondale. That’s been crazy, nuts. A lot of people are regulars and members, and it’s become a great place for members to socialize. The social aspect behind it’s been awesome and not just for the animals. I’ve had a couple people tell me that ‘things are getting pretty serious with this girl, or this guy, and we met here.’ That’s cool. We wanna provide a place for people to do their thing.” And sometimes they connect more deeply, “even though we’re not a dating service.” On a recent weekend afternoon, a brick building just to the south of the Doghaus’ two fenced-in play yards allows for a little bit of shade. So that’s just where Dayna Drennan and Dana Abell huddle as their combined three dogs play with a handful of others on a burner of a Saturday. Part of SLU’s Dog Pack, the Da(y) nas enjoy the Doghaus for exactly what it provides its members. As

Drennan says, “It functions as a bar and a restaurant. That’s kinda nice, because there might be a night when you wanna talk to a friend or significant other and you haven’t given your dog the attention it needs. It’s nice to do both.” And there’s at least some code of conduct at play here. As dogs zip across astroturf and op in and out of a wading pool, Drennan notes that “SLU can be a little less responsible than a place like this. There’s accountability here. If your dog’s a real dick, you can’t come back. And I’ve stepped in a lotta poop at SLU over the years.”

s dogs scamper through the Ellen Clark Sculpture Garden, they’re shooting in and around the works of a Marianist priest known as Brother Mel, whose pieces number just more than a dozen in this park, and thousands in total.

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Upon his passing at age 85 in October 2013, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted that “Brother Melvin Meyer once estimated that he had created more than 10,000 pieces of art during his 45-year career. He made large, colorful abstract metal sculptures; stained glass; watercolors; paintings; and handmade paper. St. Louis residents are familiar with Brother Mel’s art. It seems to be everywhere in the region — in Forest ark, in hospitals, office buildings and chapels; throughout the campus of St. Louis University, and in hundreds of homes and backyards here and across the country.” Keeping the park intact as a dual-use facility is the job of the college’s custodial and grounds services department, headed by popular SLU employee Jeff Macko. For a while now, SLU’s de facto dog park has a been a place that’s existed in a funny half-life. Being

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Continued on pg 23

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DOGS’ BEST FRIEND Continued from pg 21

closed for several days a week and several months a year offers an opportunity to keep the natural carpet of grass alive and thriving. “We have a warm-season grass in there,” Macko says. “It’s primarily Bermuda, and that doesn’t do well with heavy traffic when it’s dormant and wet in winter months. That’s why we shut it down. We’ve tried overseeding a little bit lately, which helps somewhat, but for us to keep it to the standards of where it fits in with the overall university grounds, we schedule a rest for that space.” Macko says he’s unaware of another park of this sort. “This is a sculpture park that’s morphed into a place where people bring their dogs,” he says. “I’m not aware of anything else necessarily like this at another university or school. Maybe there are. But yeah, this is a park that started out as a place to put Brother Mel’s art, and it’s turned into what we have here today.” And what they have today is a place that people want to enjoy, for free. The caveat here is that the park is open from Thursday to Sunday, 24 hours a day. It’s shuttered the rest of the week, though determined dog parkers know just where to jump or shimmy through the fence line. It’s also closed during the winter, from December 15 to March 15, a situation that causes no amount of consternation among the multi-hued diehards that inhabit this space the rest of the year. Some are more philosophical than others. “We’re really appreciative of what SLU does,” Greer, an effervescent sort, offers. Even if the hours are partial, the effects of this underrated slice of city real estate might be more lasting than the preconceived notion of what a dog park is all about. Porter, a self-described introvert, is an active voice at the SLU park, meeting and greeting anyone he doesn’t know, making introductions between newbies and regulars. Generally, he tries to ensure it stays a welcoming place. If the group that inhabits the park feels pretty good about itself for diversifying their hangout zone, well, they may deserve the praise. “There’s more diversity and more interaction that takes place than any other example I can come up with right now,” Porter says. “People here have changed minds, interacted in ways you wouldn’t think they would.” n

Ellie Wilson and Olive enjoy the shade.

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CALENDAR

BY PAUL FRISWOLD

THURSDAY 08/15 Talking Spiders If ever there was a cheesy film made for Minnesota-based Mystery Science Theater 3000, it was the 1975 monster ick The Giant Spider Invasion. Set in Wisconsin (Minnesota’s natural enemy), the film’s titular stars are actually VW bugs dolled up in spider mufti. Why giant spiders? When a meteor smashes into the Wisconsin countryside, the other-dimensional spiders riding along disembark and start growing at a furious rate (must be all those cheesefed people they eat). The local astronomer and a vacationing NASA scientist figure out a way to stop them, and a guy who looks a lot like im Gaffigan but with a worse haircut rambles around doin’ stuff. MST3 veteran Mike Nelson returns to the scene of the crime to mock it all over again with help

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from old pals Bill Corbett and evin Murphy. RiffTrax ive: The Giant Spider Invasion takes place at 7 p.m. Thursday, August 15. You can watch it as it unfolds at the Marcus Ronnies 20 Cinema (5320 South indbergh; www.fathomevents.com). Tickets are 13.47.

AUGUST 14-20, 2019

FRIDAY 08/16 Homecoming nion Avenue pera closes its season with Tom Cipullo’s modern chamber opera Glory Denied. Inspired by the true story

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of .S. Army Colonel im Thompson, who endured nine years as prisoner of war in Vietnam. The opera features both a young and an older Thompson, one dreaming of his life in America when he’s freed, and the elder version lamenting how much his country and society changed while he was imprisoned. He was essentially trapped in amber, forever living in 1964 pre-war America in his mind while the world kept spinning. Glory Denied deals honestly with the uncomfortable truths many veterans face when they return home: They’ve changed in ways only another veteran can understand. nion Avenue pera presents Glory Denied at p.m. Friday and Saturday (August 16 to 24) at the nion Avenue Christian Church (733 North Grand Boulevard; www.unionavenueopera. org). Tickets are 30 to 55 for civilians. Active military personnel pay 15, and admission is free for all veterans.

WEEK OF AUGUST 15-21 ables and more, as well as a Ferris wheel for everyone’s enjoyment. The World’s Fare Heritage Festival takes place from 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (August 16 to 1 ) at the World’s Fair avilion in Forest ark (www.stlworldsfare.com). Admission is free.

MONDAY 08/19 Roamin’ in Love

The St. Louis Small Press Expo overflows with local art. | ©FLOATING HEAD, ©DANNY HOUK, ©RISO HELL PRESS, ©RACHEL WYRICK, ©DAN ZETTWOCH

SATURDAY 08/17 Ramble Returned The Moonlight Ramble rides again ast year’s bump in the road has been successfully navigated, and a recharged Moonlight Ramble is now ready to ride through the nighttime streets of the city. The 2019 edition of the group bicycle ride officially starts at 7 p.m. Saturday, August 17, at Soldiers Memorial (1315 Chestnut Street; www.moonlightramble.com) with the pre-ride festival. Food trucks will be on site (Wok and Roll, Sarah’s Cake Stop, Wayno’s International Cuisine) as you stretch and prepare to ride either the seven-to-eightmile route or the sixteen-to-eighteen-mile route (your choice). The ride starts at 10 p.m., and all participants must wear a helmet and have a bike in good working order (with all the lights and

re ectors). Hazard to Ya Booty starts playing at 10:30 p.m. Registration is 25 to 40, with a 150 VI option if you want to start in the first wave.

A Pressing Engagement In its sixth year, the St. Louis Small Press Expo has new organizers and more than 100 vendors who make books, poetry, comics, posters, zines and printed, risographed, collaged and letterpressed goods. articipating artists include Mountain of nives, im Mosley, Floating Head, Erika Akire and too many more talented printers to list, and they’ll all be selling their work from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, August 17, at St. ouis ublic ibrary’s downtown branch (1301 live Street; www.stlspex.com). The St. ouis Small ress Expo will also be accepting submis-

sions for its zine collection, and there will be workshops and presentations throughout the event. Admission is free, but bring your cash and spend freely.

SUNDAY 08/18 A Historic Meal The World’s Fare Heritage Festival is one of those uniquely St. ouis events that combines local history with the arts, alongside a healthy serving of food. The fest tips its cap to the namesake 1904 World’s Fair with a selection of local memorabilia and historical presentations, while also opening discussions about our current state of affairs. The food and live entertainment are nothing to sneeze at either, with a parking lot of food trucks, vendors and a full slate of bands performing throughout the event. There’s also a kid’s island within the fest, with games, in at-

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William Wyler’s romantic comedy Roman Holiday returns to the big screen once again, thanks to the Classics in the Loop film series. Audrey Hepburn stars as rincess Ann, who escapes her royal minders to have some fun in the Eternal City. American reporter oe Bradley (Gregory eck) finds her sleeping on a bench and allows her to spend the night in the safety of his apartment (calm down, it was 1953, so nothing happened). The next morning he figures out who she is, and intentionally bumps into her out in the city with a photographer trailing him. Together oe and an incognito Ann enjoy everything Rome has to offer, and fall in love. But princesses aren’t permitted to end up with reporters, and oe knows it. Theirs is a whirlwind romance that sparkles with Golden Age of Hollywood brilliance. Roman Holiday is shown at 4 and 7 p.m. at the andmark Tivoli Theatre (6350 Delmar Boulevard; www. landmarktheatres.com). Tickets are 7 to 9.

TUESDAY 08/20 Birds vs. Brewers At the time of writing, the St. ouis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers are locked in a battle for the N wild card slot that’s so tight it squeaks. The Brewers are a half-game up on the Cardinals, so this week’s three-game series between the two teams is crucial. First pitch for the Cards and Brewers is 6:45 p.m. Monday through Wednesday (August 19 to 21) at Busch Stadium (700 Clark Avenue; www.stlcardinals.com). Tickets are 10.90 to 240.90. n

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FILM

[REVIEW]

Outback Payback The Nightingale is a satisfying, but rote, revenge story Written by

ROBERT HUNT The Nightingale Written and directed by Jennifer Kent. Starring Aisling Franciosi, Baykali Ganambarr and Sam Claflin. Opens Friday, August 16, at the Landmark Tivoli Theatre.

he revenge story has been central to Western storytelling (that’s “Western” as in European/American civilization since the Roman empire, not cowboys and cattle rustlers and the lone prairie, although it’s certainly a central feature of the latter as well) for so long that there’s almost nothing we expect in the way of variation or embellishment. Somebody does the hero or heroine wrong. After overcoming a few obstacles, the hero tracks them down and (usually) gets even. Jennifer Kent’s second feature The Nightingale (her first was the 2014 horror film The Babadook) takes place in the early nineteenth century on the rugged Australian island known as Van Diemen’s Land (now known as Tasmania), where Great Britain set up a military outpost to defend its claim on the territory. Clare (Aisling Franciosi) is a young Irish woman living in servitude with her husband and baby and subjected to unwelcome advances from a boorish British officer. After a brutal assault and the death of her family at the hands of British soldiers (I’ll spare readers the details and merely note that the film takes an excruciating thirty minutes to reach this point), Clare takes off in pursuit, recruiting an Aboriginal tracker, Billy (Baykali Ganambarr) to guide her through the wilderness. What follows, as you’ve probably guessed, is a streamlined version of the basic revenge plot. The obstacles are few and the entire film takes place within a few

Clare (Aisling Franciosi) traverses the Australian wilderness for revenge. | COURTESY OF IFC FILMS days. There are few surprises, no digressions on the finer points of vengeance and no cathartic self discovery. Clare and Billy follow the soldiers, facing a few other threats along the way. The journey is relentlessly arduous, but no hardship is too small for Kent to pass up. She shows every fall, every scrape. When Clare discovers that leeches have covered her legs, the film registers her horror but doesn’t bother to stop and show her removing them. The Nightingale is a film about struggle, a story of discomfort and pain. Every ordeal is just an interruption, a set of obstacles to be overcome before the inevitable confrontation. But inevitability doesn’t diminish The Nightingale’s effectiveness as a tale of retribution. Franciosi is admirably determined as the vengeful Clare, and Ganambarr brings charm and depth to a role which could easily have turned into a patronizing stereotype. The British soldiers are perhaps a bit

The Nightingale is a film about struggle, a story of discomfort and pain. Every ordeal is just a set of obstacles to be overcome before the inevitable confrontation. predictably rendered as pompous and crass, but this is not the sort of story in which empathy for the villains is required or respected. They have their place and make no more of a claim on the viewer’s emotions than they deserve.

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(Though I wish that Kent had managed to avoid the movie cliché which demands that any time vengeance is sought against multiple bad guys, one of them must be found while engaged in some form of sexual activity). Kent is a careful, methodical filmmaker; you get the impression that she meticulously planned out every second of The Nightingale on storyboards and wouldn’t allow so much as an eyebrow twitch to diverge from her plans. Her singlemindedness doesn’t leave much room for spontaneity and even limits the cast from responding to each other naturally, but it serves the formulaic pleasures of the revenge plot well. The film moves along with the dogged determination of Clare herself. Kent sets her goals, stages them carefully and for the most part, achieves what she came to do. The Nightingale doesn’t break any new ground creatively, but it’s a well-crafted revenge tale that limits its scope and sticks to its guns. n

AUGUST 14-20, 2019

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PING PONG TABLE • POOL TABLE • BOARD GAMES WEDNESDAY TRIVIA • LIVE MUSIC / DJS 5 DAYS A WEEK

THIS WEEK THE GROVE SELECTED HAPPENINGS

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314.499.7488 4916 SHAW AVE ST. LOUIS, MO 63110 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.

CRAWLING CRAB

STIR CRAZY

314.328.3421 6730 PAGE AVE ST. LOUIS, MO 63138

STIRCRAZY.COM

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

RIVERFRONT TIMES

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

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314.569.9300 10598 OLD OLIVE STREET RD CREVE COEUR, MO 63141 Stir Crazy Asian has been serving the St Louis area for 20 years. The pan-asian fusion style restaurant offers something for everyone. The market bar allows the guest to choose thier own vegetables and sauce, hand it to a chef to wok fry, and get fresh healthy options everytime. Serving gluten free, vegetarian and keto friendly options, Stir Crazy has tastes for any of your Asian desires from sushi to fried rice. Homemade sauces, fresh vegetables, handrolled crab rangoon and springrolls, bring out the true suttle flavors of Asia. With no MSGs the food will have you feeling great for lunch or dinner. Come see us at 10598 old olive rd. Creve Couer MO.

CAFE

[REVIEW]

Hold the Red Sauce Il Palato follows a new and welcome path in St. Louis Italian Written by

CHERYL BAEHR Il Palato 222 South Bemiston Avenue, Clayton; 314-224-5331. Mon.-Thurs. 11a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 4:30-9:30 p.m.; Fri. 11-2:30 p.m. and 4:30-10:30 p.m.; Sat. 5-10:30 p.m. (Closed Sunday.)

y now, chef Timothy Adams doesn’t bat an eye when he gets the inevitable question from one of Il Palato’s confused diners: Where’s the spaghetti and meatballs? Such questions are bound to happen. After all, the restaurant is owned by Michael Del Pietro, a prolific restaurateur whose surname carries the weight of decades in the business and the expectations that come with it. The Del Pietro family has had a major role in defining what is meant by St. Louis-style Italian food. Since 1976, when Mary Rose and Michael Del Pietro Sr. opened the iconic Del Pietro’s on Hampton, the family has been synonymous with the red sauce dishes the city so deeply loves. Through it all, Michael Jr. was there by his parents’ side and felt a calling to carry on their legacy after his father passed away in the late 1980s. However, he was determined to forge his own culinary identity, and, after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in 1994, he launched his own restaurant group that includes such well-received restaurants as the former Portabella and Luciano’s and the current Sugo’s Spaghetteria, Babbo’s Spaghetteria, Via Vino, Tavolo V and a modern update of Del Pietro’s located on Big Bend. Del Pietro’s restaurant pedigree appealed to Adams because it was similar to his own. Growing up, Adams’ parents owned the popular Lafayette

Il Palato distinguishes itself with dishes such as pan-seared scallops, bottom left, and bruschetta topped with tuna cubes, bottom right. | MABEL SUEN Square Italian eatery Ricardo’s Italian Café, a place that, not unlike Del Pietro’s restaurant, was known for northern Italian-inspired comfort with a St. Louis twist. Ricardo’s closed in 2015, but the business got into his soul. Adams decided to go to culinary school at the French Culinary Institute in New York (now the International Culinary Center), where he specialized in Italian cuisine. For the first few months of the program, he learned the basics in the United States before departing for the prestigious ALMA, a school just outside of Parma, Italy. During his time there, Adams soaked up all the knowledge of traditional Italian cuisine that he could and applied what he learned while staging at an acclaimed restaurant in Alba. Even when he returned to the States, he found himself cooking high-end Italian cuisine at such prestigious restaurants as Spiaggia in Chicago and the former Cielo in the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis. When Adams met with Del Pietro about the Il Palato executive chef gig, there was an immedi-

ate connection, not just because of their shared past but because of their vision for the future. Del Pietro wanted Il Palato to be a modern, elevated restaurant that offered something different from what’s expected in the St. Louis Italian restaurant scene. Adams was eager to bring that vision to light and did so in the form of a menu more in tune with the lighter culinary leanings of the country’s southern regions than the offerings found at either’s family restaurants. Your first clue that you should not ask for a side of pasta con broccoli is the space. The moment you walk into Il Palato, you’re awestruck by how light and elegant it is. What was once the dark and busily decorated Remy’s Kitchen & Wine Bar has been transformed into a bright, modern space outfitted with white marble and a recessed ceiling that glows with soft, rose-gold-hued light. Luxe taupe velvet banquettes, gray upholstered chairs and whitetableclothed tables provide seating in the dining room. A few pieces of modern artwork, including an abstract painting of Marilyn Mon-

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roe, add interest to the stark white walls. The vibe is more that of a swanky hotel in Sorrento than a St. Louis red sauce joint, a feeling that carries through to the food. Charred zucchini is pureed with olive oil, forming a luxurious bittersweet dip. Thin slices of grilled bread and even thinner, lengthwise shavings of zucchini are provided for dipping. It’s a simple, powerful dish – a tone-setting example of what Il Palato wants to achieve. A atbread appetizer is another pleasant diversion from the standard Italian American playbook. An airy crust — uffy on the inside, buttery crisp on the outside — serves as the base for corn puree that melds with molten taleggio cheese to form a subtly sweet, decadent concoction that substitutes for a sauce. Thick slices of zucchini garnish the plate, and several drops of neonata (a condiment made from fish and hot peppers) give a haunting suggestion of spicy funk. Adams gives his bruschetta a coastal Italian twist by topping it

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IL PALATO

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with gorgeous, grapefruit-colored cubes of diced tuna. The fish is tossed in shallots, garlic, olive oil and fresh tarragon, turning it into a southern Italian riff on poke. Cured egg yolk adds richness to this spectacular dish. The only appetizer that failed to impress was the cozze, or mussels. I enjoyed the sauce that covered the base of the serving bowl — a white wine, shallot garlic broth enlivened with fiery nduja sausage. The mussels themselves, however, were dried out, some so much that they were shriveled. It gave an otherwise promising dish an off texture. Adams shows his skill in preparing fish in Il alato’s numerous seafood offerings. Idaho trout, roasted skin on to give it a layer of crispness, is awlessly cooked and served on a bed of fingerling potatoes enlivened with olives, tomatoes and artichokes. The brininess of the olives and artichokes season the dish in a way that accents without overpowering it. Scallops are also outstanding. lump and seared so that the outside develops a delicate golden crust, the large shellfish are served alongside rich saffron cream. It’s a beautiful if not decadent pairing, but Adams cuts through this richness with a few demistassesized spoonfuls of neonata. It’s a thoughtful touch that balances the dish. Branzino, a whole Mediterranean seabass stuffed with fresh herbs and a lemon slice, is presented as simply as if you were

Executive chef Tim Adams, with operating partner Ryan French, tries something new. | MABEL SUEN at a beachside cookout. Unfortunately, it was overcooked, a factor which came to the edge of drying out its delicate esh. Il alato may be seafood focused, but the restaurant also excels with its meat dishes. A half game hen is perfectly cooked so that its esh is succulent while its skin crisps up to a gorgeous caramel brown. Red wine vinegar, red onions and a best-in-class panzanella salad electrify the dish. An equally awless pork chop dazzles with accents of vibrant pomegranate reduction and lemon oil. White bean puree adds an earthy touch

to this outstanding main course. Il alato may impress at many turns, but its pasta dishes are where it stands out the most. You can tell that Adams spent days on end making and cooking pasta in Italy — not only does he imbue his pasta dough with such shockingly rich avor, he cooks it impeccably al dente so that there is a pleasant chew to each bite. Orchietta is tossed with Brussels sprouts and salsiccia. The fennelkissed sausage mixes with the accompanying ricotta cheese to form a decadent cream sauce that coats the noodles.

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The ravioli preparation changes regularly; on my visit, I was treated to a wonderful version stuffed with a puree of beets and mascarpone. The dish’s highlight was a brown butter sauce that wrapped the pasta in a nutty richness. If I was happy with the orchietta and ravioli, I was over the moon as a result of Adams’ tortellini. The wonderful noodles were shaped like miniature wonton dumplings and filled with a mixture of peak-ofthe-summer corn and mascarpone cheese; the filling oozes out when pierced, mixing with the sweet corn broth that glazes the exterior of the pasta. Shiitake mushrooms and slivers of chiles finish this outstanding pasta. If you ended your meal here, you’d be properly satisfied. However, Il alato offers a handful of desserts that give you just a taste of something sweet without being overbearing. Tiny, honey-glazed doughnuts offer a yeasty, sticky treat that is akin to funnel cake. Just as wonderful, the strawberry sorbetto captures the very essence of freshly picked strawberries. It’s the latonic ideal of the fruit, distilled into a refreshingly frozen form. It’s not unlike that tortellini: a simple dish, yet a masterpiece of avor, texture and presentation that represents the essence of modern Italian cuisine. After one bite, you’ll wonder why you asked for spaghetti and meatballs in the first place — if you can remember such a dish even exists.

Il Palato Flatbread .................................................. $14 Tortellini (primi) ....................................... $13 Trout .......................................................... $26

AUGUST 14-20, 2019

RIVERFRONT TIMES

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SHORT ORDERS

[SIDE DISH]

Zac Adcox Went From Rebel Teen to Wine Pro Written by

CHERYL BAEHR

ac Adcox makes no bones about the less-than-honorable way he came to his big break in the restaurant industry: He lied to get it. “I got hired at this new French bistro because I lied and told the manager I was going to school for hospitality management,” Adcox says. “The funny thing is, I loved the industry so much, I actually ended up doing it.” Now the co-manager and beverage director at Indo (1641D Tower Grove Avenue, 314-899-9333), Adcox has enough experience under his belt to get just about any restaurant job he’d want. However, it wasn’t always that way. In fact, it wasn’t that long ago that he was a struggling high school graduate trying to find his way in his native Arizona. “I graduated from high school and didn’t have a plan and was kind of fed up with Arizona in general,” Adcox explains. “I was working at a revolving sushi restaurant and getting into trouble here and there — nothing crazy but enough to make me think. I think everyone has that syndrome when it comes to where you grow up. Eventually, you just want to get out.” Adcox decided to leave his hometown and move across the country to Baltimore to be with his dad and stepmom. He saw the move as a chance to start fresh and get some perspective, and he found just that when he noticed that a new restaurant was opening not far from where he was planning to attend community college in Columbia, Maryland. In need of a job, he applied, thinking it would be convenient to his school. What he didn’t realize was that it would end up

Zac Adcox discovered a talent for wine as a busser in Maryland. Now, he has landed at new St. Louis favorite Indo. | JEN WEST giving him the sense of purpose he’d been seeking. “There was this manager who was this hardass, plate-throwing, old-school French-style guy who was so demanding, but he had this presence,” Adcox recalls. “He just walked in and scared the shit out of everyone and was dressed to the nines. He just had this essence. I really liked him and the way he handled himself.” That scary manager would go on to become Adcox’s first mentor, instilling in him a passion for service and a fierce commitment to doing things the right way. Adcox soaked up not just his teachings but the restaurant business as a whole. He was particularly taken by wine and, even though he wasn’t old enough to do tastings, he took it upon himself to do research and learn as much as he could outside of work. His enthusiasm impressed his managers and one sommelier in particular, who took him under his wing and fostered his blossoming talent for wine. Before he knew it, Adcox was the restaurant’s goto person for wine and, even as a busser, was called to tables to help guests with their bottle selections. When his mentors left the bistro to open their own restaurant, Ad-

cox followed and threw himself even further into his wine education. That quest brought him to St. Louis to take a Court of Master Sommeliers exam. Not only did he pass the test, he got a job out of the trip as well. “After the test, we went to Blood and Sand to eat, and T.J. [Vytlacil, its former bartender] completely dazzled us,” Adcox says. “I ended up telling him I wanted to work there, and he asked me if I was serious about moving cross-country. I was like, “Yes, obviously.” Adcox packed up his life and moved to St. Louis to take a job as manager at Blood and Sand. He enjoyed getting to know his new city and, after about eight months in that position, decided it was time to move on to one of the area’s other top restaurants. That decision put him at Reeds American Table, where he worked under now-master sommelier Andrey Ivanov. At first, Adcox was brought on as a weekend sommelier, but he eventually worked his way up to general manager, where he worked until the restaurant closed earlier this year. In need of a new job, Adcox reached out to Nick Bognar, the rising star chef of Nippon Tei who was getting ready to open a new con-

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cept, Indo. The two instantly connected, and Bognar offered Adcox the opportunity to manage the hotly anticipated restaurant, as well as run its beverage program. It was an opportunity he couldn’t refuse. Now, less than two months into his new role, Adcox feels like he has found his groove at Indo and is enjoying working with Bognar and his co-manager, Mike Brown. For the first time in his career, he is working with people his age who have the same level of passion and seriousness regarding their career paths, while having fun in the process. He’s also relishing his chance to pay his knowledge forward. Now that he is more established in his career, he’s taking every opportunity to pass on what he’s picked up along the way to anyone willing to learn. “I teach the staff to be good people before all of the other stuff,” Adcox explains. “We need to get something out of them, but they should get something out of us, too. If someone wants to do this industry thing, I want to teach them how to do it the right way, and that means teaching them to care about our guests and never take them for granted.” Adcox took a break from Indo

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[FIRST LOOK]

ZAC ADCOX

Continued from pg 35

to share his thoughts on the St. Louis restaurant community, his admiration for line cooks and why you should never pass him a piece of black licorice. What is one thing people don’t know about you that you wish they did? I wish I had kitchen experience. I admire cooks and their dedication to their craft. An “O.G.” line cook is like meeting a master sommelier. What daily ritual is non-negotiable for you? Coffee. Shower. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? The ability to freeze time. What is the most positive thing in food, wine or cocktails that you’ve noticed in St. Louis over the past year? Smaller restaurants with more chef-centric and conceptdriven food and beverage. What is something missing in the local food, wine or cocktail scene that you’d like to see? An awesome late-night industry bar with cheap, good fresh food. Who is your St. Louis food crush? Juliette Dottle [Elmwood]. Who’s the one person to watch right now in the St. Louis dining scene? Chef Adam Altnether at Elmwood. I would say equally Adam Gnau of Acero. Both are humble, quiet restaurateurs that we could all learn something from. Also, they serve my favorite foods in the city. Which ingredient is most representative of your personality? Crispy garlic. If you weren’t working in the restaurant business, what would you be doing? Probably getting out of college trying to figure out what to do with my life. Name an ingredient never allowed in your restaurant. Anise. What is your after-work hangout? Crow’s Nest. What’s your food or beverage guilty pleasure? Average stuff. Mainly chips and candy. What would be your last meal on earth? A feast of classic French dishes with a bottle of white Burgundy. n

RIVERFRONT TIMES

There’s a New Butcher on the Block Written by

KATIE COUNTS

avid Sandusky is ready to shake up the barbecue scene on his own terms at BEAST Butcher & Block (4156 Manchester Avenue; 314-9446003). The hotly anticipated location opened in the Grove on June 15, and has already made an impression on the city’s barbecue scene in just two short months. “We feel like we are underestimated, an off-the-grid, kind-of company,” Sandusky says. “We don’t necessarily have to meet the expectations of those who think they know how to do barbecue right or that have these preconceived notions of what it’s supposed to be. We do what we want, whenever we want, however we want.” BEAST Butcher & Block is an offshoot of BEAST Craft BBQ Co. (20 S Belt W, Belleville, IL; 618-2579000), the acclaimed Belleville restaurant that opened in 2014. Riverfront Times food critic Cheryl Baehr praised the barbecue at BEAST as being the best in the St. Louis area. Sandusky owns and operates both restaurants with his wife, Meggan. The Grove location has room for 95 guests inside the 6,000-squarefoot space; an outdoor patio seats 25. The barbecue complex has a whopping six smokers in the back of the building, next to its parking lot. Diners order their food through counter service, but that’s only part of the BEAST experience. Two other entities reside in the space including a butcher shop, named the Butchery, and a forthcoming interactive dining experience, the Skullery, where meat will cook on live coals right in front of the customer. “We really want to move barbecue forward,” Sandusky says. He wants this restaurant to be anything but traditional, especially in terms of the menu. He says he is excited to cook St. Louis classics like pork steak and snout and even add vegetables to the menu. While Sandusky says it’s important to hold onto St. Louis’ barbecue heritage, he says you can’t

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The Grove Team: Kelvin Johnson, CJ Baerman, Ryan McDonald, Jim Thomas and David Sandusky. | COURTESY OF BEAST BUTCHER & BLOCK

peg BEAST down to any barbecue style — they’re just doing their own thing. “We’re not St. Louis style. We’re not Texas style. We’re not Carolina. We’re not Kansas City,” Sandusky says. “We’re not any of those things. We do whatever we want to do. We are what we want to be.” Meat is sourced from out-ofstate farms that have reputations for treating animals ethically. Pork is sourced from Compart Family Farms in Minnesota, and beef comes from Idaho’s Snake River Farms. Locally sourced meats are also available both on the restaurant menu and in the Butchery. Draft and bottled beers are available. Seating at BEAST Butcher & Block consists of wood tables with brightly colored chairs. A mural featuring an animal skull and part of the St. Louis skyline stretches across one wall — a large, brightly colored painting of a boar is emblazoned across the exterior wall. Often, rock music plays throughout the restaurant. In addition to dine-in service, BEAST serves a variety of local meats, vegetables and barbecue sauce at the adjacent Butchery counter. All prepared items are made according to Sandusky’s personal recipes. When the Skullery opens in a few weeks, Sandusky says it will be getting at the core of what barbecue is. He calls the experience “fire-to-table.” Diners will be able

to watch food as it’s being cooked and, Sandusky says, maybe even help cook it. He wants to keep the scene intimate and interactive. “If they can’t interact with it, they can’t learn from it, they can’t see it, they can’t be involved with in it. It doesn’t mean anything to them,” Sandusky says. He’s no stranger to providing that sort of elevated experience to guests. Before opening BEAST Craft BB in Belleville, he worked in fine dining. Eventually, he realized how much he loves barbecue for being a cornerstone of America. “It’s just at the heart of who I am, and it’s a way for me to express myself as my art,” Sandusky says. He is especially excited to be in the Grove. He says it felt like every other St. Louis neighborhood was represented by its own barbecue place, and he looks forward to being that place for the Grove. “We’re going to be in uenced by the Grove, and I think the Grove is going to be in uenced by us quite a bit,” Sandusky says. At the end of the day, his main goal is to support his own family and the families of everyone who works at BEAST. But he is not shy about his ambition to disrupt the barbecue scene. “We’re not just out to be the best in St. Louis,” Sandusky says. “We want to be the best. Period.” BEAST is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. n

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AUGUST 14-20, 2019

RIVERFRONT TIMES

BAR TAB

by Ellen Prinzi

Where we’re drinking: The patio at Failoni’s Restaurant (6715 Manchester Ave., 314-781-5221) What we’re drinking: Busch Light When we’re drinking: There’s never a bad time

he new official/unofficial beer choice of St. Louisans is Busch beer. Granted, the pale lager has been around since 1955, and it’s lighter cousin, Busch Light, since 1989, but the popularity of both are noticeably on the rise. Over the past three years, area bartenders have seen an increase in the demand for the beer — after all, fads in beer culture come and go. Remember when PBR was all the rage despite tasting like crap? Well, Busch and Busch Light are having their moment, and we are here for it. It’s delicious, easy to drink and easy on the wallet. A 30 pack will only set you back $15.73 plus tax. That’s roughly 50 cents a beer! The rise in Busch and Busch Light sales seemingly came out of nowhere. Though Bud Light is still the king when it comes to overall sales and distribution, local restaurateurs have noticed the shift. Joe Meiners, part-owner and general manager of Failoni’s, took over the family business a decade ago and vividly remembers the first night he started selling Busch Light. “Three years ago, some regulars requested we start selling Busch Light,” Meiners recalls. “I wasn’t sure how it would go, so I bought a couple of cases. We sold out the first night and haven’t looked back since.” Failoni’s, the family-run Italian restaurant and bar, has been in business since 1916; when one graces such a storied institution, ordering the local brew is a rite of passage. It’s just a beer kind of place, and the beer of choice should be none other than St. Louis’ own Busch Beer. Or in my case, Busch Light, because calories (and the elusive dream of a beach body). Once inside the confines of the gem that is Failoni’s, you’ll notice a dimly lit interior, neon beer signs and a similar atmosphere to almost every dive bar/ restaurant in existence. Where the establishment really shines is its expansive patio and various entertainment offerings, like live music, karaoke and trivia. My first experience came on a Wednesday afternoon, where I was treated to the sounds of crooner Tom Kelly singing easy-listening tunes like Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London” and almost every Billy Joel song in existence. After a taste of some of their toasted ravs and other specialties perfected over a century in business, I was sold.

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Busch Light. | ELLEN PRINZI

Nowadays, bars like Failoni’s — family-run, laid back and with good food and a great atmosphere — are harder to come by. Trendy spaces and corporate concepts garner the most attention. But there is no better place to enjoy an ice-cold Busch Light on a summer evening than out on the patio of Failoni’s. Every Thursday, Failoni’s hosts a four-person band called the Convertibles. On Friday nights, you will find St. Louis treasure Kelly, who has been singing at Failoni’s for the past 25 years. On Saturdays, there is always a different band, but as always: no cover charge. “There is a whole new generation of St. Louisans finding out about Failoni’s,” Meiners says. “Between the different bands we bring in and the home-cooked meals my grandma, Rosemary Failoni, still cooks five days a week, we keep the traditions but also keep it fresh.” St. Louis is indeed a traditional kind of town, and places like Failoni’s know a thing or two about maintaining that spirit. Next time you reach for your beloved Bud Light, consider giving a new St. Louis tradition a try and grabbing an ice-cold Busch Light instead. Ellen Prinzi is our bar columnist. She likes strong drinks and has strong opinions. You can catch more of her writing via Olio City, a city guide app she started in 2017.

CULTURE

[PREVIEW]

Back to Basics Beth Bombara takes her sound in a rock & roll direction with new album Evergreen Written by

THOMAS CRONE

or her new album Evergreen, songwriter Beth Bombara rode a fine line between pushing some creative boundaries and seeking a sense of comfort. Familiarity was found by recording at Dan Mehrmann’s Jettison Studios, where she’d worked before. Though the rural Illinois studio is located within a reasonable drive of her south city home, Bombara preferred to make things a more immersive experience. “We could’ve slept at home every day,” she says. “But we got an Airbnb really close to the studio. It solidified the process. We were just focused on this and not worrying about other distractions. This album was the most fun I’ve had in the studio. There’s always an element of pressure. I think a lot of it has to do with people feeling comfortable to be more experimental.” She amends that final word to more specifically mean “off the cuff,” acknowledging that her band went into the studio with a new contributor. That’s multiinstrumentalist and co-producer John Calvin Abney, who had only a single rehearsal day with the remainder of her crew before going to record. His work on keys is heavily present on Evergreen, alongside the members of her touring group, which includes guitarist Samuel Gregg, drummer Mike Schurk and her husband and longtime collaborator Kit Hamon on bass, vocals and other instruments. Abney’s presence as a new player in the mix afforded the group the opportunity to really push their boundaries, Bombara explains. “It allowed us to come up with some really great ideas,” she says. “It wasn’t a set idea of, ‘This is ex-

Beth Bombara went on a media fast to cut out distractions as she began writing the songs for her new album. | NATE BURRELL

actly every single note that we’re playing.’ The songs were written, the basics were there, but [John’s arrival] made it a little bit more spontaneous.” For this album, Bombara notes that there’s only a light smattering of acoustic guitar compared to previous efforts. “This one’s definitely got more of a live rock band vibe,” she says. “I don’t know if that’s the exact right phrase, but my stuff in the past has had banjo, lots of acoustic guitar. And there’s hardly any acoustic guitar on the album, just a little bit. It’s me going back to my earlier, rock & roll days.” For Evergreen, Bombara took some time in developing the songs, especially the lyrics. She recalls that at the start of the work, she took a five-day media fast: no books, no internet, distractions minimal. That approach, she says, drove her crazy for a day, but made sense only a day later. By the end of it, some material was beginning to come into sharper focus. She then took another new step, in co-writing a track that would become the single from the album, “ pside Down,” with fellow local songwriter Seth Porter. “I like the idea of co-writing,” she says, “but when it comes right down to it, it’s intimidating. I’d only co-written with it prior to this, and he suggested that ‘you gotta go out and find somebody else to write

“My stuff in the past has had banjo, lots of acoustic guitar. There’s hardly any acoustic guitar on the album ... It’s me going back to my earlier, rock & roll days.” with.’ So I called up Seth. I could tell he was hesitant. I told him that I had this song, but it was missing the words — well, I had one line of lyrics. I asked him to come over and we’ll sit, listen to the demo, just see if anything can happen. He came over, brought a six-pack and we played for a couple hours and came up with something totally great.” She does take a moment to laugh that it almost felt like an awkward first date. But as the two got to work, she thought, “This is alright,” she says. “I don’t know if

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Seth would describe it that same way, but he might.” In advance of the album’s official release, Bombara got her band readied for more time out on the road, and she’s been working with a radio promoter, publicist and booking agent, a small team that she feels will allow her an opportunity to focus on the material more clearly. Now a veteran with a half-dozen releases, she admits that she always forgets “how intense it is, how much time and effort it takes to put an album out. That’s been our focus these past four months.” That work is paying off, though. Last week, she and her band were in town for the official release of Evergreen, a show that took place at Old Rock House on August 9. The day prior they played a club in Nashville, and that very afternoon, they also performed a live set for a Nashville radio station. Pulling into St. Louis, she notes, the band didn’t even have a chance to land at their houses before soundcheck and the hometown show. A hectic day, but one she wouldn’t trade. “The aspect of creating that I’m loving most right now is live,” she says. “Sharing that part of me with people, being able to interact with people in a real-life, physical situation. Obviously, I enjoy writing, recording. But the thing I get most excited about is gigs.” n

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[HOMESPUN]

Return to Form Not Waving But Drowning is still thrashing after all these years Written by

CHRISTIAN SCHAEFFER

n the late ’90s and early 2000s, Not Waving But Drowning made a glorious noise at maximum volume and at breakneck speed — first in its homebase of St. Louis, and eventually on stages across the country. Despite this success, the quartet was never quite sure what its role was in the larger music scene. “We were kind of a hardcore band, kind of a metal band, kind of a punk band,” recalls guitarist ustin Mank. “We never really fit in.” The band has its roots in the lifelong friendship of Mank and lead singer Todd Finoch, whose delivery matched the histrionics of hardcore with some stage-prowling theatricality. “It all started with the two of us,” Mank says of Finoch. “We changed the rhythm section a couple years into it, but once we got Jeff [Meyer] and Calvin [McRoy] in the band we knew that was it.” That particular foursome is what Mank, and most NWBD fans, will consider the “classic era” of the group. And since Mank took the lead on bringing many traveling hardcore bands to town at venues like the Creepy Crawl and the Galaxy, his band often played alongside touring acts and made connections with out-of-town bands and promoters. All that touring, though, led to more miles than money. “We toured extensively for a few years, and after a few labels and things falling through, we found that only got us so far — especially when you’re living out of your van,” Mank says. The band split up in 2002 and released a retrospective compilation in 2004. For a while, that seemed to be the end. But as the years went by, the occasional Not Waving But Drowning reunion gig would appear around the holidays. While Mank says that many of those gigs amounted to “a high school reunion of sorts,” the band decided to make their return official in 2017.

Not Waving But Drowning first called it quits in 2002 but returned to the scene in 2017. | ED ALLER “We got older but realized that we liked playing together so much, even if we knew we wouldn’t make a living at it,” Mank says. “Now, it’s about us wanting us to hang out.” Relaunching the band gave the members of NWBD a chance at a redo; they had no desire to rewrite history or just rehash its old songs, but an older, wiser version of the band could honor its legacy and still break some new ground. Better yet, they could make some recordings that better represented the group’s signature sound. “That’s the lineup that we toured with the most, but we never spent as much time as we should have in the studio,” Mank says. “It wasn’t until recently that we recorded as the four of us that sounded great and that we were happy with.” Initially, the reunited Not Waving But Drowning had contributed one very brief track to Encapsulated Records’ Quarter Hour of Power comp, but that experience gave the band the itch to return to the studio. “We never felt like we did this lineup justice,” Mank says. So when the chance came along to record a two-song seven-inch for the label Mind Over Matter’s subscription series, it felt like a good excuse to get back in the studio. “If anything, it seems like we were better songwriters this time around,” Mank says of the new recordings. “We just know how to

“We just know how to work with each other really well and anticipate what the other person is going to be doing next. And we’re not trying to play a million miles an hour — we’re old, so we slow it down a little bit.” work with each other really well and anticipate what the other person is going to be doing next. And we’re not trying to play a million miles an hour — we’re old, so we slow it down a little bit.” Both tracks retain the thrashing, pulverizing energy the band was known for. A-side “Bright Eyed and Bushy Tailed” reintroduces the group in a urry of cymbal

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crashes and metallic, atmospheric double-stops; B-side “A Secret and a Truth” has a slower build, helping Finoch transition from a banshee howl to a Vincent Price horror-show delivery. “I feel like, not so much on recordings but in our live shows, Todd felt like he was more of a showman than a singer,” Mank says. “His live shows are wacky and people don’t know what to expect from them. I think this recording, that definitely came across.” As for future plans, the band is setting reasonable expectations; the obligations to family and work come first, though future recordings are not out of the question. “The original goal was to write a full-length and we’re all pretty busy with work and kids and stuff,” Mank says. “We’re still not playing a ton of shows; there’s no plans to tour. We just kind of figure it out as we go.” In a nice twist of serendipity, Mank is planning to pick up where he left off when Not Waving But Drowning was first getting national acclaim: He’s going back to college to finish his bachelor’s degree. “I dropped out to tour, and when I got back I never finished it up,” he says. Now, it seems, Mank is able to juggle work, family and school, with a little time still left for a hardcore band that never fully sank beneath the waves. n

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[VINYL]

Wax Rats Opens on Cherokee Street Written by

DANIEL HILL

tanding out on a wall behind the counter of Cherokee Street’s newest record shop is a particularly eye-catching album. Its cover art features an anthropomorphic beast with the head of a cat and the body of a man, wearing a belt but no pants, and carrying a knife. The band’s name is spelled out in near bubbleletter font across the top: antera. “Oh yeah, that’s Metal Magic,” remarks the store’s owner, Gus Theodorow. “That’s before Phil Anselmo. We can listen to it if you want. It kinda sucks.” Theodorow tosses the slab of wax onto a record player. And it’s true: antera’s debut studio album does indeed kind of suck. Released in 1983, the record sees the band still in its hair-metal days, back when drummer Vinnie Paul and guitarist Dimebag Darrell were in their teens and plainly obsessed with the music of bands like Kiss and Ratt. Aside from its ridiculous cover art, Metal Magic is a wholly unremarkable affair. But that makes it the exception at Wax Rats (2308.5 Cherokee Street), a new record store that opened this summer on Cherokee Street, just east of efferson. At present a smaller, somewhat niche affair, the store specializes in punk and metal vinyl — with some serious rarities on hand as well. “I bet this record shop has two more Rudimentary Peni records than any other record shop in town,” Theodorow boasts. Those records — 1983’s Death Church, the British anarcho-punk band’s debut, and its follow-up, Cacophony — share shelf space with a litany of other noteworthy albums. Slayer’s Haunting the Chapel, an early Hawkwind record and a number of albums by Judas Priest sit alongside Uriah Heep, Faith, 45 Grave, Tragedy, ower Trip and on and on. The overwhelming majority of the store’s stock consists of used

Gus Theodorow, Wax Rats’ owner, in front of his Cherokee Street shop. | DANIEL HILL records — much of it from Theodorow’s own expansive personal collection. “I had too many records to ever be able to find what I wanted,” Theodorow says. “Even though I’d alphabetize ’em, people would come over and mess ’em up. I was just like, ‘I don’t need this many records.’ We were short on stock, so I just pulled like 500 records out of my collection. A bunch of those have sold; a bunch of original pressings of, like, London Calling and shit like that. Punk rock staples, and a lot of hardcore stuff. “I’ll probably regret it one day,” Theodorow laughs. The store’s shelving holds a capacity of 4,500 records, Theodorow says, but at present he estimates the shop carries less than half that number. The idea to start a record shop came when a friend brought a huge collection of records into Theodorow’s prior business venture, an antique furniture shop on Hampton. Theodorow grew up in the antique furniture business — his dad showed him the ropes — and though it was a reliable way to make money, he was ready to try his hand at something new. Peddling records with his friendturned-business-partner seemed like a great way out of the game. “I was totally sick of furniture,”

See? Terrible. Save your bucks for Slayer’s Haunting the Chapel. | ALBUM ART he says. “Sick of the business and sick of moving heavy stuff all the time. Records are a lot lighter.” Theodorow and his friend sold records out of the furniture store for a while before getting the Cherokee Street storefront, which was previously home to the Creaky Crow taxidermy shop. But the friend pulled out just before the shop opened, taking his records with him. Theodorow decided to push forward anyway. He’s since teamed up with Tom Maher, whose own Cherokee Street record store, Kismet Creative Center, closed just last year. Wax Rats now carries some of Kismet’s former stock, and Maher

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even mans the register on Sundays. Still, the store’s stock is small for the time being, lending the shop something of a boutique feel. But Theodorow is in active purchasing mode, and hopes to have the shelves filled soon. “I wanna buy as much as possible right now actually,” he says. “I’d like to buy more punk; I’d be into buying rap. All kinds of stuff.” In addition to the LPs and EPs on offer, Wax Rats carries a small collection of tapes and CDs. The store also sells patches — Eyehategod and Gism are well represented — as well as T-shirts (Short eash, Septic Death, oison Idea, etc.), sunglasses and even Kangol bucket hats. “I just kinda wanna focus on punk stuff and whatever I like, really,” Theodorow says. As Metal Magic blares on, Theodorow decides that glam-metal antera decidedly does not fit that criteria. He steps over to the record player and pulls the needle off the album. “This is a pretty marginal fucking record,” he laughs. Luckily, at Wax Rats, that makes it a rarity. Wax Rats is open Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.

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OUT EVERY NIGHT

[CRITIC’S PICK]

Jenny Lewis. | VIA PRESS HERE NOW

Jenny Lewis 8 p.m. Saturday, August 17. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Boulevard. $30 to $40. 314-726-6161. Amid the tie-dyed pantsuits and rhinestone revelries that color her Americana-pop songs, there has been a steady stream of melancholy and spiritual realignment on Jenny Lewis’ last two records. This year’s On the Line opens with “Heads Gonna Roll,” as good a song as she’s written and a study in

THURSDAY 15

BROTHER JEFFERSON DUO: 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. LAUREN MITCHELL BAND: 9 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. MEETUP’S JAM SESSION AND MUSICIAN NETWORKING: 6:30 p.m., $5. Gaslight Lounge, 4916 Shaw Ave, St. Louis, 314-496-0628. PARKER MILLSAP: 8 p.m., $15. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. RYAN KOENIG & THE GOLDENRODS: 8:30 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090. STEPHEN MARLEY: 7 p.m., $25. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-0775. YOUNG AR: w/ Hitman Tazzo, Sunny with Special Guest J. Fitzgerald & Jennices Omega, B$B WAVY 7:15 p.m., $12-$15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

FRIDAY 16

AARON KAMM & THE ONE DROPS: 7 p.m., $12$15. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-0775. ANDERS OSBORNE: 8 p.m., $23. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. BLANKFEST 2019: 8 p.m., $10-$15. Blank Space, 2847 Cherokee St., St. Louis. THE BOUNCING SOULS: w/ The Bronx, Swingin’ Utters, The Bar Stool Preachers 7 p.m., $25-$30. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

romantic dissolution that shows her knack for scene-specific detail and holistic heartbreak. The rest of the new record collects what makes Lewis so compelling — some SoCal loucheness, a little languid sensuality and a whole lot of twangy and glossy hooks. A Little Help From Her Friends: On the Line features contributions from the likes of Beck, Ringo Starr, Don Was, Jason Falkner and — before he was summarily canceled — Ryan Adams. —Christian Schaeffer

ETHAN LEINWAND & MAT WILSON: 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. GODDESS AWARDS: 8 p.m., $12. St. Louis Skatium, 120 E Catalan St, St. Louis, 314-631-3922. HUNTER HAMILTON: w/ Caroline Steinkamp, Amber Skies 8 p.m., free. Livery Company, 6728 S Broadway, St. Louis, 314-558-2330. KIM MASSIE BAND: 4 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. MASTER: 7:30 p.m., $15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. NICK JORDAN: 8 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. NICK MOSS & THE FLIP TOPS FEATURING DENNIS GRUENLING: 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. ROCKIN’ CHAIR: 8 p.m., $20. Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square, St. Louis, 314-533-0367. RYNE WATTS & FRIENDS: 9:30 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090. WHITEY MORGAN: 8 p.m., $25-$75. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.

SATURDAY 17

3 RING CIRCUS: 9 p.m., free. Nightshift Bar & Grill, 3979 Mexico Road, St. Peters, 636-441-8300. BLANKFEST 2019: 8 p.m., $10-$15. Blank Space, 2847 Cherokee St., St. Louis. BRUISER QUEEN: w/ Red Light Cameras, the JagWires 8 p.m., $10. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. DIONNE WARWICK: w/ Peabo Bryson, Deniece

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RIVERFRONT TIMES

Wednesday August 14 9:30PM

Sean Canan’s Voodoo Players Tribute To The Blues Brothers

Friday August 16 10PM

One Way Traffic CD Release Party

Saturday August 17 10PM

Jakes Leg

All Dead All Night

Sunday August 18 8PM

Blues and Soul Diva Kim Massie Monday August 19 9PM

The Longest Running Blues Jam in America hosted by Soulard Blues Band

Wednesday August 21 9:30PM

Sean Canan’s Voodoo Players Tribute To Bob Marley

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[CRITIC’S PICK]

Tonina. | JESSICA PAGE

Tonina 8 p.m. Saturday, August 17. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Boulevard. $15 to $20. 314-726-6161. To say that no musician working in St. Louis, absolutely no one, sounds like Tonina is no slight to the community that continues to nurture her impossible-to-categorize art. But Tonina Saputo, a Berklee College of Music-trained bassist, singer and songwriter, also challenges that community and its counterproductive divisions of genre and audience. She calls her music “folk” not because she hues to such stereotypes but because she absorbs and

OUT EVERY NIGHT Continued from pg 45

Williams 8 p.m., $70-$125. Stifel Theatre, 1400 Market St, St. Louis, 314-499-7600. EMO NITE: 9 p.m., $10-$12. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. IN THE MOUTH OF RADNESS: w/ Rad Enhancer, Who Goes There, Dad Jeans 8 p.m., $7. Foam, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. IVAS JOHN BAND: 7 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. JENNY LEWIS: 8 p.m., $30-$40. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. KIM FULLER PERFORMS THE MUSIC OF BILLIE HOLIDAY: 8 p.m., $10-$15. Ozark Theatre, 103 E. Lockwood Ave., St. Louis, 314-962-7000. KINGDOM BROTHERS DUO: 4 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. KNOBOOZLE 2019: 3:30 p.m., $12. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. LUKE BRYAN: w/ Cole Swindell, Jon Langston, DJ Rock 7 p.m., TBA. Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, I-70 & Earth City Expwy., Maryland Heights, 314-298-9944. MARQUISE KNOX BAND: 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. MISSOURI BREAKS: 9:30 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090. OLD SALT UNION RECORD RELEASE: w/ Jon Stickley Trio, Grassfed 7 p.m., $15-$18. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-0775. RED WHITE & FLOYD: A TRIBUTE TO PINK FLOYD: w/ The Cops: A Tribute To The Police 7:45 p.m.,

transforms all manner of tradition for personal and social purposes. On her new, extraordinary song-cycle St. Lost, you’ll recognize jazz-fusion, Latin balladry — she often and gorgeously sings in Spanish — contemporary and classic R&B, but what you won’t be able to deny is the utter originality and pure, lyrical beauty of her music. Local Horizons, Expanded: Opening the show are hip-hop duo the Knuckles (Corey Barnett and Aloha Mischeaux) from St. Louis and experimental urban-soul band Loose Loose from Columbia, Missouri. All told, this will be a mind- and genre-bending night of regional music. —Roy Kasten

$10-$100. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. ROCK THE HOPS: 2 p.m., $30. Downtown Alton, Third St., Alton. THE SHAE N’ JAY EXPERIENCE: 8 p.m., free. Casino Queen, 200 S. Front St., East St. Louis, 618-874-5000. TONINA: w/ Loose Loose, The Knuckles 8 p.m., $15-$20. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

SUNDAY 18

DEAD RECKONING: w/ Blood of Heroes, Defcon 6:30 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. DECEASED: w/ Savage Master, Bastard, J. Brewer 7 p.m., $18. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. LOVE JONES “THE BAND”: 8 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. MAKING MOVIES: 8 p.m., $12-$15. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. ROBERTNELSON & RENAISSANCE: 4 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. SAMANTHA RIOTT: w/ Janet, Damon Smith & Alex Cunningham 9 p.m., $7-$10. Foam, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. SLIPKNOT: w/ Volbeat, Gojira, Behemoth 5:30 p.m., $24-$129. Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, I-70 & Earth City Expwy., Maryland Heights, 314-298-9944.

MONDAY 19

AMERICAN AQUARIUM: 8 p.m., $20-$25. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.

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[CRITIC’S PICK]

Allie Vogler of AV & the Dirty Details rocking the rooftop. | TYLER SMALL

City Nights at City Museum 7 p.m. Thursday, August 15. City Museum, 750 North 16th Street. $8 to $10. It’s no secret that City Museum is one of the absolute best attractions St. Louis has to offer, so when the beloved art-projectturned-adult-playground throws an event, you can bet it’s equally exciting. Enter City Nights at City Museum, a four-nightonly affair that takes over the building’s rooftop with live music, a light show, art by a variety of vendors and more. This

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AVI KAPLAN: 8 p.m., $17-$20. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. PEAER: w/ Camp Counselor, Hover, Dubb Nubb 8 p.m., $7. Foam, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. ROCKY MANTIA & KILLER COMBO: 8 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.

TUESDAY 20

BRIAN SETZER’S ROCKABILLY RIOT: 7:30 p.m., $27.50. River City Casino & Hotel, 777 River City Casino Blvd., St. Louis, 314-388-7777. CHRIS O’LEARY BLUES BAND: 8 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. THE FELICE BROTHERS: 8 p.m., $15. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. MATRIX: w/ Mala Leche, Big Hog, Spit Bubble, Forced Into Femininity 9 p.m., $5-$10. Foam, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100.

WEDNESDAY 21

BIG RICH MCDONOUGH & THE RHYTHM RENEGADES: 9 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. COUNT BASIE BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION: w/ KS Orchestra 7 p.m., $15-$20. Ozark Theatre, 103 E. Lockwood Ave., St. Louis, 314-962-7000. KISSING CANDICE: 7 p.m., $12. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. PUDDLE SPLASHER: 8 p.m., $5-$7. Foam, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100.

THIS JUST IN ’68: W/ the Inspector Cluzo, the Messenger

week’s party will feature music by locals Bloom, Sister Wizzard, Mammoth Piano, LS XPRSS, Mother Meat and StlLegend. Ever wanted to catch some of the city’s finest musicians while perched in a lit-up Ferris Wheel more than ten stories off the ground? Here’s your chance. Early Birds Get Worms: This is the last of the City Nights events this summer, and the previous nights have sold out easily. Make sure to get your tickets in advance. —Daniel Hill Birds, Tue., Sept. 24, 7 p.m., $13. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. THE ALMAS: W/ The Shaved Cat Project, Relynness, Bury The Shadows, Arthur Yore, Tue., Sept. 3, 7 p.m., $10. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. AMPLE WARNING: Sat., Sept. 28, 9 p.m., free. Nightshift Bar & Grill, 3979 Mexico Road, St. Peters, 636-441-8300. ANTHONY BROWN AND GROUP THERAPY: Wed., Oct. 23, 8 p.m., $25-$30. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. AUGUSTANA: Sat., Nov. 2, 8 p.m., $20-$23. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. BIG EASY: Sat., Sept. 7, 9 p.m., free. Nightshift Bar & Grill, 3979 Mexico Road, St. Peters, 636-441-8300. BIG FREEDIA: W/ Low Cut Connie, Sat., Nov. 9, 8 p.m., $25-$30. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. BIG RICH MCDONOUGH & THE RHYTHM RENEGADES: Wed., Aug. 21, 9 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. BILLY PEEK: Sat., Sept. 7, 8 p.m., $5. Hwy 61 Roadhouse and Kitchen, 34 S Old Orchard Ave, Webster Groves, 314-968-0061. BLACK MOUNTAIN: W/ Ryley Walker, Tue., Nov. 26, 8 p.m., $20-$25. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. BLACKWATER ‘64 ALBUM RELEASE: W/ Thames, Fluorescent, Sat., Sept. 7, 6 p.m., $10. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-0775. BLUES CITY SWING: Fri., Sept. 6, 7 p.m., free. Hwy 61 Roadhouse and Kitchen, 34 S Old Orchard Ave, Webster Groves, 314-968-0061. BLUES OFF GRAND: Sat., Nov. 9, 6 p.m., $40. Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square, St. Louis, 314-533-0367. THE CALIFORNIA HONEYDROPS: W/ Javier Matos,

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OUT EVERY NIGHT Continued from pg 49

Tue., Nov. 5, 7 p.m., $17-$20. The Bootleg, 4140 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314-775-0775. CARA LOUISE EP RELEASE SHOW: W/ Bendigo Fletcher, Essential Knots, Fri., Oct. 25, 8 p.m., $10. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. CHEVY’S PUNK RAWK BIRTHDAY SHOW: W/ An Unfortunate Trend, Postal Modern, the Centaurettes, the Cinema Story, Fri., Oct. 11, 7 p.m., $8. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. CHRIS O’LEARY BLUES BAND: Tue., Aug. 20, 8 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. COLLIE BUDDZ: W/ Keznamdi, Tue., Nov. 19, 8 p.m., $22-$25. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY: W/ Lorna Shore, the Last Ten Seconds of Life, Dyscarnate, Tue., Nov. 19, 7 p.m., $15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. FOREVER ROCK: W/ Hookie, St. Villagers, Sunset Over Houma, Let’s Not, Fri., Sept. 27, 8 p.m., $10. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. FRUITION: W/ TK & The Holy Know-Nothings, Sun., Sept. 8, 6 p.m., $13-$16. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-0775. GOODBYE LOSER: A FAREWELL PARTY FOR JEREMY ESSIG: W/ Tina Dybal, Party Bear, Sisser, Let’s Not, Kenny Kinds, Emily Hickner, Jon Venegoni, Thu., Sept. 19, 8 p.m., free. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. IN THE MOUTH OF RADNESS: W/ Rad Enhancer, Who Goes There, Dad Jeans, Sat., Aug. 17, 8 p.m., $7. Foam, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. IVAS JOHN BAND: Sat., Aug. 17, 7 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. JACK KLATT: Wed., Nov. 6, 8 p.m., $10-$12. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. JAMFEST CONCERT FESTIVAL FUNDRAISER: Fri., Oct. 18, 7 p.m., $75. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521. JOHN 5: W/ Jared James Nichols, Reverend Jack, Mon., Nov. 11, 7 p.m., $20-$25. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. JUST FRIENDS: W/ Save Face, The Sonder Bombs, Candy Pop, Wed., Sept. 25, 7:30 p.m., $15. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. KINGDOM BROTHERS DUO: Sat., Aug. 17, 4 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. LOUIS THE CHILD: W/ DUCKWRTH, John The Blind, Sat., Dec. 7, 8 p.m., $29.99-$36. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. LOVE JONES “THE BAND”: Sun., Aug. 18, 8 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. MARQUISE KNOX BAND: Sat., Aug. 17, 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. MATHIAS & THE PIRATES: W/ Daemon, Sat., Sept. 7, 8 p.m., $8. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. MATRIX: W/ Mala Leche, Big Hog, Spit Bubble, Forced Into Femininity, Tue., Aug. 20, 9 p.m., $5-$10. Foam, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. MELVIN SEALS AND JGB: Sun., Sept. 1, 7 p.m., $25-$30. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-0775. THE MEMORY PALACE: Tue., Sept. 24, 8 p.m., $20. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. THE MIDNIGHT HOUR: W/ Loren Oden, Angela Munoz, Jack Waterson, Tue., Oct. 22, 8 p.m., $12-$15. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. THE NEW MASTERSOUNDS: Sat., Oct. 19, 6 p.m., $20-$25. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-0775. OLD SALT UNION RECORD RELEASE: W/ Jon Stickley Trio, Grassfed, Sat., Aug. 17, 7 p.m., $15-

$18. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-0775. PEAER: W/ Camp Counselor, Hover, Dubb Nubb, Mon., Aug. 19, 8 p.m., $7. Foam, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. PRICELESS LION BDAY BASH: W/ P.R.E.A.C.H. , Von, RIP James, J Rebel, Big Blaze Propane, Dramatik, Sat., Aug. 31, 7 p.m., $10. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. PROTOJE: W/ Blackillac, Boomtown United, Thu., Aug. 22, 7 p.m., $20-$25. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-0775. PUDDLE SPLASHER: Wed., Aug. 21, 8 p.m., $5-$7. Foam, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. Q STREET RELEASE SHOW: W/ Amethyst, Postal Modern, Dillon Furlow, Sat., Aug. 24, 7:30 p.m., $8. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. REBIRTH BRASS BAND: Fri., Sept. 6, 7 p.m., $20$23. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-0775. RICK WAKEMAN: Sun., Oct. 6, 7:30 p.m., $49.50$69.50. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900. ROBERTNELSON & RENAISSANCE: Sun., Aug. 18, 4 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. ROCK THE HOPS: Sat., Aug. 17, 2 p.m., $30. Downtown Alton, Third St., Alton. ROCKY MANTIA & KILLER COMBO: Mon., Aug. 19, 8 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. SAMANTHA RIOTT: W/ Janet, Damon Smith & Alex Cunningham, Sun., Aug. 18, 9 p.m., $7-$10. Foam, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. SEAN CANAN’S VOODOO PLAYERS: VOODOO WOODSTOCK: Fri., Aug. 23, 7 p.m., free. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-0775. SEGO: Tue., Oct. 8, 8 p.m., $7-$10. The Bootleg, 4140 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314-775-0775. SEVENTH PLANET: Sat., Sept. 21, 9 p.m., free. Nightshift Bar & Grill, 3979 Mexico Road, St. Peters, 636-441-8300. SHIVER: Sat., Sept. 14, 9 p.m., free. Nightshift Bar & Grill, 3979 Mexico Road, St. Peters, 636441-8300. SIMPLE PLAN: W/ State Champs, Wed., Nov. 13, 6:45 p.m., $29.50-$59. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. SOLOMON GEORGIO: Thu., Oct. 17, 8 p.m., $15. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. SPOONFED TRIBE: W/ Surco, Sat., Sept. 14, 6 p.m., $12-$15. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-0775. STUNNA 4 VEGAS: Sat., Sept. 21, 9 p.m., $25-$35. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. TANYA TUCKER: Thu., Nov. 21, 7:30 p.m., $29.50$49.50. River City Casino & Hotel, 777 River City Casino Blvd., St. Louis, 314-388-7777. TELEHOPE: W/ Malibu 92, Night Hike, Taylor James, Wed., Oct. 9, 7 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. THE SHAE N’ JAY EXPERIENCE: Sat., Aug. 17, 8 p.m., free. Casino Queen, 200 S. Front St., East St. Louis, 618-874-5000. TRAVIS TRITT: Wed., Oct. 23, 7:30 p.m., $60-$300. River City Casino & Hotel, 777 River City Casino Blvd., St. Louis, 314-388-7777. TYLER CHILDERS: W/ Courtney Marie Andrews, Wed., Oct. 30, 8 p.m., $36-$41. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. WALKER LUKENS: Sun., Sept. 22, 8 p.m., $10-$13. The Bootleg, 4140 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314-775-0775. WESTERN STATES: W/ Hillary Fritz Band, Sat., Nov. 9, 6 p.m., $10. The Bootleg, 4140 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314-775-0775. YA BOI KT: W/ King Zay, Preme, Genre, Jonah Boy, Hxppa, Cayrenegade, Koshiz, Thu., Sept. 5, 8 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. ZOSO: THE ULTIMATE LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE: W/ Brother Lee and the Leather Jackals, Fri., Aug. 30, 7 p.m., $20-$25. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-0775. n

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AUGUST 14-20, 2019

RIVERFRONT TIMES

AUGUST 14-20, 2019

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SAVAGE LOVE SHRINKAGE BY DAN SAVAGE Hey, Dan: I’m an otherwise healthy male of 54. When I was a teen, my cock measured about six and a half inches. Not small, not huge, pretty average. I never kept track of the situation down south, but suddenly I find my junk reports in just over four inches. WTF? Is this normal? Do men lose size/girth as they age? I’m only 54! How much more do I have to lose before 60? And beyond? I’m single now and suddenly I’m afraid to be intimate with women I formerly would have embraced without a second thought out of embarrassment. My confidence is at an all-time low. I’m actually afraid to ask anyone out for fear of “exposing” the evidence. I assume there are no pills for this, but please tell me there are options. Shrinking In Seattle “We have to make a distinction between observed penile length and actual penile length,” said Dr. Ashley Winter, a board-certified urologist in Portland, Oregon. “Penis length changes in real time based on a number of factors, factors that include level of arousal, stress and ambient temperature. For this reason, researchers like to limit variability by measuring the ‘stretched accid length’ in a warm room.” Needless to say, most men aren’t observing — much less measuring — their dicks when they’re soft. “We know that almost ZERO home dick measurements are done in the accid state,” said Dr. Winter. “But unless SIS jotted down the room temp or precise level of arousal when he measured his teenage penis, it’s unlikely he’s comparing apples to apples. Another issue — and a far less appreciated one — is that the penis is anchored to the undersurface of your pelvic bones, so nearly one half of the average penis length is hidden’ along the undersurface of the pelvis.” There’s a very special tendon — the suspensory ligament — that runs from the base of your penis to your pelvis. In addition to providing you with some degree of control when you’re erect, SIS, the suspensory ligament also holds some of your dick up and inside

the body. Men who want their cocks to look larger when they’re soft and who don’t mind if their hard cocks are harder to control or op around during intercourse will sometimes have this suspensory ligament cut, which causes the penis to “drop.” Their cocks aren’t as useful for sex, it’s true, but there’s more “observable” cock for other men to admire in locker rooms and at urinals. “The most dramatic cause of lost observed’ penile length with aging is weight gain,” said Dr. Winter. “As the average guy gains weight, more of his fixed penile length gets hidden, as the crucial sit-bone-toskin distance gets longer.” So your dick may not be any smaller than it was in your teens, SIS; it’s just that more of it may be hidden inside your now-middleaged body thanks to weight gain and that damn ligament. But hey, let’s say you’re no thicker today than you were in your teens and that your arousal levels are constant and that you’ve kept your apartment at a constant temperature over the decades. Could something be causing your cock to actually shrink? “The main causes of actual penis shrinkage are having your prostate removed, eyronie’s disease (plaque development that narrows or bends the penis), or the scarring of erectile tissue, something called corporal fibrosis. SIS would know if he’d had prostate surgery, and he would have a noticeable lump’ or change in erection shape if he had eyronie’s. So the main concern here is corporal fibrosis. It can be insidious and is usually associated with conditions that make blood vessels unhealthy — like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. SIS says he’s healthy, but the penis is often the first body part to manifest signs of the above conditions because it is so dynamic. Which means the penis, wonderfully and tragically, is often the canary in the coal mine’ for cardiovascular health.” et’s say your canary is shrinking, SIS. What can you do about it? “First and foremost, he should realize that far less women would care about his penis length than he does,” said Dr. Winter. “Studies including 52,000 individuals showed that 85 percent of women were satisfied with their partners’ penile length, while only 55 per-

“Since I’ve gotten older, my orgasm is very intense and lasts about five minutes.” cent of men were satisfied with their own length.” And unlike you, SIS, the women you sleep with today aren’t going to be comparing the dick you’ve got now with the dick you had (or thought you had) then. “But if SIS wants to maximize his observed’ penile length, he should shed extra weight — if he’s overweight — and should also check in with his doc for a test of his cholesterol, blood pressure and a diabetes screen,” said Dr. Winter. “Regular erections do help keep the penis healthy, so if he has some ED, a Viagra (or similar med) can preserve length.” Hey, Dan: I am 66 years old and a gay man. After a very promiscuous youth, I have settled down a lot as far as sex and mostly just masturbate, with a trip to the baths every few months. I have a question about orgasms. I have noted, since I’ve gotten older, that my orgasm from masturbation is very intense and seems to last about five minutes after I ejaculate, during which I feel orgasmic feelings in my penis, legs and sometimes my whole body. I’ve never had this before. Is this normal? Mr. Sixty Fucking Six “The question of normalcy in sexual function is hammered into us from the start — but it’s pejorative and irrelevant,” said Dr. Winter. “As a physician, the relevant question here is: Does MSFS find this distressing or harmful?’ It doesn’t sound like five-minute total-body masturbation-induced orgasms are painful for MSFS, nor are they interfering with his day-to-day quality of life. So by definition they are nothing to worry about.’ Furthermore, they are not the harbinger of any dangerous medical condition. As you like to say, Dan, this is more of a YAHT EE ’ than a problem.” Anecdotal evidence — my own,

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a huge pile of it, gathered over the years — indicates that you’re something of an outlier, MSFS; most of the older men I hear from with questions about their orgasms are concerned about their slow and steady deterioration, MSFS, not their sudden improvement. (Erections are harder to get, their orgasms are less intense and their jizz is less abundant.) But even if this isn’t a problem — even if this is a yahtzee — what might be going on? “That’s the far more interesting question: Why is this happening?” said Dr. Winter. “I don’t have a lot of quotable studies on that one, but I have a few thoughts. First off, this may have nothing to do with age and everything to do with his position. Contraction of the muscles in the pelvis, thighs (even calves!), and the muscles at the base of the penis (or clitoris) can contribute to strength of erection and intensity of orgasm, and certain positions may allow more effective muscle recruitment.’ So differences in position or stance during partnered versus masturbatory activities may hold clues for MSFS.” Another possible explanation — and another definite “Yahtzee ” — is that you’re ever so suddenly multi-orgasmic. “While it is more common for women to be multi-orgasmic, there are men who can do this too,” said Dr. Winter. “Longer duration of arousal — common with porn watching — and certain medications that prevent prolactin surge in the brain and strong Kegels (those muscles again!) may lead to the condensed multi-orgasm,’ a phenomenon that may fit the description MSFS is providing.” But finally and again, MSFS, so long as those powerful, long-lasting, all-body orgasms aren’t diminishing your quality of life, they’re nothing to worry about. Enjoy! Follow Dr. Ashley Winter on Twitter @AshleyGWinter. Dr. Winter cohosts The Full Release (thefullreleasepod.com), a terrific, funny and informative sex-andrelationship advice podcast, with comedian Mo Mandel. Listen to Dan online at savagelovecast.com mail@savagelove.net @FakeDanSavage on Tritter ITMFA.org

AUGUST 14-20, 2019

RIVERFRONT TIMES

AUGUST 14-20, 2019

riverfronttimes.com

AUGUST 14-20, 2019

RIVERFRONT TIMES

HAPPY HOUR SPECIALS CRISPY EDGE Located in the heart of Tower Grove South, Crispy Edge is St Louis’ first and only potsticker restaurant. Voted as one of St. Louis’ best new restaurants, Crispy Edge’s menu boasts an impressive list of internationallythemed dumplings seared to perfection. Many of its potstickers, like the savory and sweet ‘Chorizo Date’, are also available as vegan version.

HAPPY HOUR

The restaurant is elegant, modern, and dark. Purple grow lights accenting a hydroponic living wall create warm mood lighting and an atmosphere worthy of date night. A dog-friendly