SEPTEMBER 19-25, 2018 I VOLUME 42 I NUMBER 38
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THE LEDE
“ Drag racing is fun. But you gotta be careful, you know? It’s not just that you gotta watch out for yourself; you gotta watch out for the person who you’re racing. If they lose control, are you going to be able to hit your stop in time? Are you gonna be able to get out of their way? It’s not all about you. We do it in safe places where there’s no cars, no trees, no nothing. If somebody loses control, they’re gonna go into a field.”
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PHOTO BY THEO WELLING
Daniel Bishop, photographeD with Daughter aBygail Bishop at the shapiro steelfest on natural BriDge roaD on septemBer 16
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TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURE
12.
2018 Fall Arts Guide 11 can’t-miss events and much, much more Written by
PAUL FRISWOLD
Cover image from “Chosen Rebirth” by
BASIL KINCAID
NEWS
ARTS
DINING
CULTURE
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The Lede
Your friend or neighbor, captured on camera
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Feature
The Bon Bon Plot’s Janet Evra takes center stage with her new solo debut
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Calendar
Seven days’ worth of great stuff to see and do
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11
Elections
Seventeen months after it was pronounced defeated, Prop NS sees victory
Homespun
J Smug’s GastroPit is serving up solid barbecue in a neighborhood where old-school Italian is king
Police
St. Louis gets hit with numerous lawsuits on the anniversary of its police department’s infamous kettle
Cafe
Paul Friswold reports on the Regional Arts Commission’s bold plan to transform St. Louis
Film
Robert Hunt admires Chloe Sevigny’s star turn in Lizzie
Side Dish
Jeff Stevens’ WellBeing has found a way to bring true craft to beer without the ABV
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First Look
Krab Kingz Seafood and Yellowbelly offer totally different takes on seafood
Pastimes
Roller skating is alive and well in the Gateway City
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Pinball
The Waiting Room’s new owners have a terrific south-city pedigree
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Out Every Night
The best concerts in St. Louis every night of the week
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This Just In
The best concerts in St. Louis
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Savage Love 6
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Publisher Chris Keating Editor in Chief Sarah Fenske E D I T O R I A L Arts & Culture Editor Paul Friswold Music Editor Daniel Hill Digital Editor Jaime Lees Staff Writers Doyle Murphy, Danny Wicentowski Restaurant Critic Cheryl Baehr Film Critic Robert Hunt Editorial Interns Tom Hellauer, Desi Isaacson, Dustin Steinhoff Contributing Writers Mike Appelstein, Allison Babka, Sara Graham, Roy Kasten, Jaime Lees, Joseph Hess, Kevin Korinek, Bob McMahon, Nicholas Phillips, Tef Poe, Christian Schaeffer, Lauren Milford, Thomas Crone, MaryAnn Johanson, Jenn DeRose, Mike Fitzgerald Proofreader Evie Hemphill Cartoonist Bob Stretch
A R T Art Director Evan Sult Contributing Photographers Mabel Suen, Monica Mileur, Micah Usher, Theo Welling, Corey Woodruff, Tim Lane, Nick Schnelle P R O D U C T I O N Production Manager Jack Beil
M U LT I M E D I A A D V E R T I S I N G Sales Director Colin Bell Senior Account Executive Cathleen Criswell, Erica Kenney Account Managers Emily Fear, Jennifer Samuel Multimedia Account Executive Michael Gaines, Jackie Mundy Event Coordinator Grace Richard C I R C U L A T I O N Circulation Manager Kevin G. Powers E U C L I D M E D I A G RO U P Chief Executive Officer Andrew Zelman Chief Operating Officers Chris Keating, Michael Wagner VP of Digital Services Stacy Volhein Creative Director Tom Carlson www.euclidmediagroup.com N A T I O N A L A D V E R T I S I N G VMG Advertising 1-888-278-9866, vmgadvertising.com S U B S C R I P T I O N S Send address changes to Riverfront Times, 308 N. 21st Street, Suite 300, St. Louis, MO 63103. Domestic subscriptions may be purchased for $78/6 months (Missouri residents add $4.74 sales tax) and $156/year (Missouri residents add $9.48 sales tax) for first class. Allow 6-10 days for standard delivery. www.riverfronttimes.com The Riverfront Times is published weekly by Euclid Media Group Verified Audit Member Riverfront Times 308 N. 21st Street, Suite 300, St. Louis, MO 63103 www.riverfronttimes.com General information: 314-754-5966 Fax administrative: 314-754-5955 Fax editorial: 314-754-6416 Founded by Ray Hartmann in 1977
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NEWS
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Flurry of Lawsuits Targets PD’s Kettle Written by
DOYLE MURPHY
M
ore than a dozen people who were trapped and brutally arrested last year in a downtown intersection marked the anniversary Monday by suing the city and eleven St. Louis cops. All the people suing were caught up in the infamous police “kettle” on the third night of protests following the acquittal of ex-St. Louis cop Jason Stockley on charges of murder. In twelve separate suits, a total of fourteen plaintiffs allege they were surrounded, pepper sprayed and, in many cases, beaten, slammed to the ground and dragged across pavement despite complying with police orders. “I feel like they wanted to make an example out of us to all the protesters,” says Demetrius Thomas, a 37-year-old filmmaker who is bringing one of the suits. Cops knocked Thomas to the ground, clubbed him in the ribs with batons and broke his cameras, he says. In the year since, he has
Protesters marched through downtown streets on September 17, 2017, a night ending with mass arrests and disturbing allegations. | THEO WELLING had to rent equipment for video assignments, eating up his profits. He says the financial strain ended a long-term relationship and cost him his house in south county. Thomas says he had to move in with his mother and struggles with anxiety. “Now, if I see police or I’m close to police, I just feel nervous,” he says. “My hands get all clammy and shaky.” The cases were filed by the St. Louis civil rights law firm Khazaeli Wyrsch and the nonprofit firm ArchCity Defenders. They are the
latest chapter in the ongoing legal fallout from the police department’s heavy-handed tactics during weeks of protests following the Stockley verdict. The ACLU won a preliminary injunction in November that outlawed several of the most aggressive tactics police used during the demonstrations. U.S. District Judge Catherine Perry wrote that police used pepper spray to “punish protesters” and followed no clear criteria for declaring assemblies unlawful. “Plaintiffs’ evidence — both
video and testimony — shows that officers have exercised their discretion in an arbitrary and retaliatory fashion to punish protesters for voicing criticism of police or recording police conduct,” Perry wrote in her 48-page order. That case is still in settlement negotiations between plaintiffs and the city. The lawsuits filed Monday cover a lot of the same conduct as the ACLU litigation, and several people called to testify by the ACLU are plaintiffs in the new cases. Continued on pg 10
STREAK’S CORNER • by Bob Stretch
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KETTLING SUITS Continued from pg 9
Attorney Javad Khazaeli says his clients had originally hoped to see the ACLU suit settled first, but they decided they could not wait any longer. Another factor in the timing is the statue of limitations on potential charges from their arrests. The city let the one-year deadline pass without pursuing the “failure to disperse” charges listed in nearly all of the 123 arrests from the night of the kettle. Plaintiffs in the new cases include protesters as well as people such as Thomas, who say they were neutral observers. He is one of several in the group who insist they were there only to film that night and that cops homed in on them and their cameras. The demonstrations began almost immediately on September 15, 2017, after now-retired Judge Timothy Wilson found Stockley, who is white, not guilty of murder in the 2011 killing of Anthony Lamar Smith, who was black. Protesters flocked to the streets next to the courthouse, and police responded in force, unleashing the department’s Civil Disobedience Team, better known as “riot police,” to turn back the crowds. Despite a previous settlement that sought to rein in police, officers unloaded on demonstrators with pepper spray. But the department is facing its highest scrutiny for what happened on September 17. After two tense nights, more than 1,000 people marched nonviolently through downtown and Midtown. But as darkness fell, something shifted. Police ended up corralling more than 100 people in a move called a “kettle.” Then, some of those people say, officers pepper-sprayed, cuffed and beat them even as they fully complied with orders. In a news release issued the next day, police claimed the scene turned dangerous as the hour grew late. “Many of the demonstrators were peaceful, however after dark, the agitators outnumbered the peaceful demonstrators and the unruly crowd became a mob,” the statement said. Police cited broken windows downtown and other vandalism. But when called to testify during the ACLU suit, police supervisors admitted that was hours before and blocks away — and that by the time of the mass arrests they could not be sure the vandals were even in the crowd. They also
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Police arrested 123 people on September 17, 2017, but ended up dropping the cases. Now they face more than a dozen lawsuits. | THEO WELLING admitted that they hadn’t given any recent orders to disperse before lines of officers blocked off all four sides of Washington and Tucker, trapping dozens of people inside. Khazaeli says the police version of events was a lie from the start. There was no mob or growing danger, he says. If anything, the night was winding down and many of the people arrested had no idea they were being targeted by police until they were surrounded and officers moved in. “You can understand the ludicrousness of kettling people into an intersection, not letting them leave, beating them and then charging them with failure to disperse,” Khazaeli says. Another of the plaintiffs, a National Guard lieutenant colonel and downtown resident named Brian Baude, claims in court papers he went out to photograph and document damage done by vandals. “His goal was to act as a neutral observer safeguarding the truth, and he wanted to help protect the community,” the filing says. Baude says he recorded damage and even picked up an overturned trashcan. But he still ended up in the kettle. “Mr. Baude approached another officer in line across Tucker south of Washington and asked if there was anything he could do to be helpful,” according to his lawsuit. “The officer grabbed him by the lapels and shoved Mr. Baude back into the intersection.” He was one of at least two members of the military arrested that night. Another, Lt. Alex Nelson, and his wife, Iris, are also plaintiffs. In their suit, the Nelsons say
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“You can understand the ludicrousness of kettling people into an intersection, not letting them leave, beating them and then charging them with failure to disperse.” they had been at their loft nearby and went out to see what was happening. Despite lying on the ground with his hands in plain sight, Alex Nelson says officers beat him and lifted up his head so they could pepper spray him directly in the face. “You like that, cocksucker?” one officer told him, according to Nelson. Despite claims that people failed to disperse, video from that night shows people were desperate to do just that. Thomas’ footage shows people going from one side of the kettle to the other, pleading to leave. Police, standing shoulder to shoulder, beat their night sticks on the ground in unison as bicycle cops lined up their bikes like a barricade, shouting “move back”
as they closed in. Thomas’ footage, as well as that of another plaintiff, Jonathan “Reb Z” Ziegler, shows people raising their hands and voluntarily lowering themselves to the ground. Cops blasted them with pepper spray and manhandled them anyway. On Ziegler’s video, an officer is heard mocking Ziegler, a popular livestreamer, as “Superstar” as he is showered with pepper spray. Police were in a celebratory mood after the arrests. Multiple witnesses say they saw officers smoking cigars, and they were heard mockingly chanting, “Whose streets? Our streets.” The lawsuits include a photo of at least seventeen officers posing with the kind of banner neighborhoods hang out of civic pride. The pic was posted on social media with the caption: “SLMPD CDT [Civil Disobedience Team] Team welcomes protesters.” Then-acting chief, Lt. Col. Larry O’Toole, capped off the evening by bragging to reporters, “The police owned the night.” The suits specifically name Colonel Gerald Leyshock, who was in charge the night of the kettle, as well as Lt. Scott Boyher and Sgt. Matthew Karnowski of the bike unit; Lt. Timothy Sachs, who oversaw the riot police; and two of Sachs’ sergeants, Randy Jemerson and Brian Rossomanno, whom protesters call “Riot King.” The suit also includes several unnamed officers, listed as John Does 1-5. Khazaeli says they have been hard to identify, because they covered their faces and did not wear name tags. “They were just nameless,” he says. n
Better Late Than Never for Prop NS Written by
SARAH FENSKE
A
year and a half after election authorities said it had gone down to defeat, a St. Louis ballot proposition has officially declared victory. Prop NS, a citizen-led initiative on the April 2017 ballot, asked city residents to increase property taxes to pay for a new project to restore vacant houses owned by the Land Reutilization Authority, or LRA. The tax money — which amounts to about $3 annually on a $150,000 home — will be used to issue bonds, and that money will ultimately be used to fix up the vacants, making them more attractive to buyers. Supporters have said it would raise about $6 million every year for seven years. As of last year, the LRA owned approximately 3,400 vacant homes,
Vacant homes could get new resources after a ballot prop won belated passage. | KELLY GLUECK a major problem for many lowerincome city neighborhoods. In assessing Prop NS, St. Louis’ board of election commissioners were relying on the city charter, which holds that propositions related to bonds require a twothirds majority, or 66 percent. It was only months later that the citizen group behind the initiative,
working with Alderwoman Cara Spencer, began to question that. State law says that bond-related propositions need only a fourseventh majority, or 57 percent. When state and city law conflict, state law is supposed to carry the day — and Prop NS had earned 58 percent of voters. Spencer asked City Counselor Julian Bush to look
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into whether election-night defeat actually meant victory after all. Bush did one better, with the city filing suit. The city’s lawsuit, filed last September, asked that the judge declare that the proposition had passed. Yesterday, St. Louis Circuit Judge Michael F. Stelzer did just that, issuing a seven-page ruling in the city’s favor. Mayor Lyda Krewson wrote on Facebook that she was “very pleased” with the ruling. And Spencer says the citizen group that pushed the proposition — and then pushed to have the original elections-board decision overturned — is positively ecstatic. “Even my letter to the city counselor asking him to reexamine this was largely driven by the group,” she says. “They want to see change in their communities, so they developed a solution and mobilized to get it passed. That is democracy at its core.” And unlike many recent taxes approved in St. Louis, this one doesn’t even rely on a regressive sales tax increase. “Because this is based on property taxes, the bulk of the money will be coming from affluent neighborhoods, where those taxes are higher,” Spencer notes, “and puts it into neighborhoods where there are vacancies.” n
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The Regional Arts Commission is making big changes — aimed at transforming the entire St. Louis area BY PAUL FRISWOLD
F
elicia Shaw never considered that she would return to St. Louis for any reason — not even as the leader of an organization that would change the community. “I’m a little black girl from the north side,” she explains. “I went to Beaumont High School, and as early as I can remember I said, ‘I’m leaving here.’” After graduation, Shaw headed to Chicago for Northwestern University and was faced with a decision when she’d completed her degree. Would she enter the Peace Corps, or would she marry her boyfriend, who had been drafted by the San Diego Chargers? She chose the latter and headed to the West Coast, where she spent the next 35 years and lived the life of an NFL wife (and at some point, ex-wife). “I never thought I would come back to stay, and then Ferguson happened,” Shaw says. “Something was calling me back. I thought, ‘If I could get back there, I’d go.’ And then a headhunter I know called me about something and mentioned this job in passing: ‘You’re from St. Louis; I’m looking for a new executive director for the Regional Arts Commission. Do you know anybody?’” At the time Shaw was the director of arts and culture strategy and analysis at the San Diego Foundation, a civic-engagement program that supported fellowships for creative entrepreneurs and neighborhood revitalization.
Before that she’d held the position of program director for San Diego’s Commission for Arts and Culture, which implemented a grants program to maintain the city’s standing as a cultural-tourism destination. She was pretty much exactly the person that the St. Louis Regional Arts Commission, or RAC, was looking for. “Six months later I handed over the keys to my house and the Prius to my son, and came home,” Shaw says.
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nce Shaw had RAC’s keys in hand instead of that Prius, she took stock of what she had to work with. RAC is the largest funder of the arts in the St. Louis area. Founded in 1985 — two years after Shaw left town for college — its mission is to grow, sustain and promote St. Louis’ cultural identity, using funds levied by the area’s hotel/ motel tax. The organization has awarded 7,000 grants totaling more than $300 million since it began, funding everything from the Saint Louis Art Museum to, in one recent example, a one-off gal-
lery show featuring local artists in a series of trading cards. In 2018 alone, the commission received $6.4 million in tax money. Of that, $3.8 million has been awarded through a grants process to organizations and individuals working within the arts community. The next largest portion is used for the Community Arts Training Institute, which teaches individuals how to use the arts in a collaborative way to change their community. Funds are also used to support local workshops and conferences that fit RAC’s mission. Remaining funds go to things like support, salaries and building maintenance for the organization’s three-story building on the eastern edge of the Delmar Loop. It can be tempting for anyone starting a new job to downplay the accomplishments of their predecessors. How better to show how hard you’re working than to suggest you were handed a mess? But Shaw is a professional. She asks as many questions as she answers, and it’s clear her goal is finding positives and trumpeting St. Louis’ successes. She’s quick to credit the people who came before her 2015 entrance. “The first 30 years of this organization has been extraordinary,” she says. “I didn’t inherit a dump; look at what’s already here.” In that, she’s referring both to RAC’s headquarters and the thriving local arts community that surrounds it in all four directions. But Shaw didn’t move back to St. Louis to take it easy. On her
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watch, RAC has been exploring some significant changes — and what’s arguably its most ambitious project yet.
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voke, the city’s first comprehensive cultural and regional planning effort, began for RAC with a question. How do St. Louisans value the arts, and how could the arts play a larger role within the region? More than 3,000 St. Louisans from all walks of life responded during listening sessions held in communities from East St. Louis to St. Charles County. A majority of them wanted to see a more equitable distribution of the wealth, more support for small and midsized groups and individuals doing good work, and increased arts opportunities for youth. Armed with that knowledge, on Thursday, September 13, RAC announced Arts &: A Creative Vision for St. Louis, its new plan for supporting the arts and culture of the city and county. It shifts RAC’s position within the community from solely a grant-making entity to one as a facilitator for change. Its primary goal is to use the arts as a means to emphasize our shared humanity and involve a greater proportion of all St. Louisans in the arts community, particularly those who have traditionally not been included. As representation increases, the organization posits, more connection and collaboration between diverse groups will follow, not just in the arts but in the area’s broader civic life.
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SAINT LOUIS ORCHESTRA ROBERT HART BAKER
Conductor 2018–2019 Season “HEROIC CELEBRATION” Friday, Oct. 19, 2018 at 8:00 pm
Purser Auditorium, Logan University Conductor Robert Hart Baker celebrates his 35th season with a 100th anniversary birthday tribute to his mentor Leonard Bernstein, summoning the courage and vision of Beethoven and Shostakovich. Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55, “Eroica” Meyerbeer: Overture to “Le Prophete” (edited Mark Starr) - US première Bernstein: Three Dance Episodes from “On The Town” (1945) Shostakovich: Festival Overture, Op. 96
“SPELLBINDING STORIES” Friday, Nov. 16, 2018 at 8:00 pm
Purser Auditorium, Logan University Saint Louis Symphony principal horn Roger Kaza joins the Philharmonic both as soloist and narrator in a program of enticing musical storytelling. Sibelius: Karelia Suite, Op. 11 Haydn: Horn Concerto No.1 in D, Hob. VIId:3 Dukas: Villanelle for Horn and Orchestra. Roger Kaza, French horn soloist Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf, Op. 67 Roger Kaza, narrator
“FRENCH CONNECTION” Friday, Mar. 1, 2019 at 8:00 pm
The J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts Virtuoso pieces for keyboard & orchestra and sublime choral music, reflecting the high cultural influence of France in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 78 “Organ”. Chris Loemker, organ soloist Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue For Piano and Orchestra, arr. Ferde Grofé. Ian Gindes, piano soloist Fauré: Requiem, Op. 48. With Lindenwood University Choirs, St. Louis Community College- Meramec Choir, St. Charles Community College Chamber Choir with soloists Darcie Johnson, soprano and Jeffrey Heyl, bass-baritone.
“SONIC SHOWCASE” Friday, Apr. 26, 2019 at 8:00 pm
Skip Viragh Center for the Arts, Chaminade The Philharmonic’s own John Thomas takes the spotlight as composer with the local première of his first symphony. Afterwards, the orchestra performs colorful classical masterpieces made popular in the films Amadeus, Caligula, and Ice Age. Edmond John Thomas III: Symphony No,1 “The Little Symphony” (1998). Performance by 2018 Aspiring Young Artist Competition winner Mozart: Symphony No. 40 in G minor, KV 550 Khachaturian: Spartacus Ballet selections Reservations and Information available by calling (314) 421-3600, online at www.stlphilharmonic.org or by mail.Please make checks payable to Philharmonic Society of St. Louis and mail to P.O. Box 220437, St. Louis, MO 63122. All contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by the law.
FOR TICKETS OR INFORMATION
(314) 421-3600
www.stlphilharmonic.org
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RAC AND ROLL Continued from pg 13
RAC still intends to foster and support the arts. The change is that now it’s relying on the entire community to have a greater say in how that will be done. A continual note sounded during Evoke sessions was that St. Louis lacks a central artists’ district. To that end, in partnership with the Kranzberg Foundation and Incarnate Word Foundation, RAC would begin work on the St. Louis Art Place Project, a planned arts community within Gravois Park. The south-city neighborhood just south of Cherokee Street has seen an influx of creatives in the last decade, but it also struggles with high rates of poverty and crime. It has both high population density and a large number of vacant houses. And that made it a perfect target for the Kranzberg Arts Foundation, the twelve-year-old organization that’s transformed Grand Center, one venue at a time. Founded by Ken and Nancy Kranzberg, the foundation has made an unparalleled investment in the St. Louis arts scene by doubling down on the neighborhood surrounding its theater district. It now owns the Kranzberg Arts Center, .ZACK, the Marcelle and the Grandel Theater. It throws numerous community events, including the Wednesday night Grand Center Jazz Crawl and Music at the Intersection, and subsidizes .ZACK’s arts-incubator program. And now, Shaw explains, the foundation has turned its attention a bit further south. It’s already acquired a dozen buildings and thirteen vacant lots in Gravois Park. Many of the buildings have been vacant for years, and are in sorry condition. Renovations will begin on the current structures and new buildings will rise on the empty lots, according to the plan. “Artists will be able to buy these places affordably, for homes or studio space, and help sustain something in the city,” Shaw says. Much of the project is still being worked out. The legal incorporation of the project as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a working board and a paid administrative assistant is still being finalized, as are the particulars of the selection process for determining how artists can apply for residency. RAC will have one seat on the board and will advise the project specifically on artist engagement and selection. In addition, the board will
Felicia Shaw. | COURTESY OF THE REGIONAL ARTS COMMISSION
“We developed a formula so
everybody would be evaluated with the same standards . Just because you’re friends with someone, or showed up on the day of review, shouldn’t outweigh someone who couldn’t get away from work that day.” maintain communication with the neighborhood to ensure that current residents aren’t priced out, and also work with elected officials to forestall any economic problems that arise. The goal is not the gentrification of Gravois Park, but rather a new development that will benefit the neighborhood, the residents and the
artist community. And by investing so heavily in that community, Shaw hopes to elevate the entire city. “We need to be more inclusive, more strategic and to reinvest,” she says. “Most of the major funders pass St. Louis by. If we could lift up the arts community, they won’t pass us by at some point.”
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est assured, RAC’s grantmaking function isn’t ending. But under Shaw, RAC has made some big changes to it as well. RAC’s $3.8 million earmark for grants in 2018 meant funding for 125 organizations. The earmarks are as large as the one granted the St. Louis Symphony ($413,276) and as small as $500 for one person’s one-off project. In between: dozens of mid-size performing arts groups and nonprofits in disciplines ranging from music to visual arts. They’re awarded from $2,100 to $13,500, depending on stated need. In a separate bracket are the artist fellowships awarded to individuals working in literary, theater, musical or theater arts. Each grantee receives $20,000 to sustain themselves and their work. When Shaw arrived on the job, she saw the grant process needed improvement. Whether grounded in reality or not, there were whispers around town that if you were liked by someone in the building, or friends with an employee, your application was rubber-stamped. If you were new in town, or had never gone through the process before, your application was a long shot at best. “That anyone had the impression that their tax money was locked up in a system of nepotism, whether that’s true or not, was unsustainable,” Shaw explains. The new director made transparency and fairness into major goals. “How could we even the playing field so everybody had a shot?” she asks rhetorically. “If you’re doing good work, and manage your organization well and you’re providing something good to the community and you told your story well in your application, you’re getting money. “We developed a formula so everybody would be evaluated with the same standards. Just because you’re friends with someone, or showed up on the day of review, shouldn’t outweigh someone who couldn’t get away from work that day.” Under the new process developed by Shaw and other executive staff beginning in 2015, all grant applications are now adjudicated by a combined force of volunteer review panelists, who have a background in the arts, and volunteer discipline readers, who possess working knowledge about a particular field. (All are trusted to declare any potential conflicts of interest.) Panelists review an application and samples of work before assigning a rating. RAC’s
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ESTATE SALE PREVIEW NIGHT Friday, November 9th, 6pm to 8pm
Saturday, November 10th, 10am to 2pm
Signature Cocktails & Light Refreshments
ALL PROCEEDS FROM THIS EVENT SUPPORT THE PROGRAMS AND SERVICES OF INDEPENDENCE CENTER, AN INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED LEADER IN THE CLUBHOUSE MODEL OF PSYCHOSOCIAL REHABILITATION.
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RAC AND ROLL Continued from pg 15
Grants Committee then considers their findings, and uses them to determine if an application is approved and how much will be allocated. The RAC Board of Commissions then approves the grantees and amounts. RAC prides itself on the transparency of the process. Anyone is welcome to sit in on a Citizen Review Panel meeting to see how applications are evaluated, and panelists’ names are shared with the applicants before the review. But just because the process is clear cut doesn’t mean everyone is happy. RAC’s 2018 awards may have made 125 organizations happy — but 79 found their applications rejected. Scott Miller, the co-artistic director of New Line Theatre, was surprised to learn that his theater company, which he founded to produce high-quality rock & roll musicals, wasn’t getting funded this year. “When we got zero-funded, we were in shock,” Miller says. “Part of the shock is that RAC has been amazing to us over the years. We incorporated in ’91 and produced the first show in spring ’92, but RAC gave us the first grant before we’d even done a show.” New Line has received a grant every year since. Miller knew the application and review process were changing. But at first, that didn’t sound like a bad thing. “We were told that they were developing a new category for organizations like ours, and that we could potentially get $15,000 to $20,000,” Miller recalls. Then came the bad news: “Got a call back that we weren’t eligible because we don’t meet the $150,000 operating expenses requirement.” Undeterred, Miller filled out a new application for the theater company’s usual grant category. That was also unsuccessful. “The feedback we got is that [it’s] because the office is in my apartment, and we hire people as independent contractors and not as employees,” he says. But, he adds, “The state and our accountant tells us that’s the way we should be paying them.” (RAC’s guidelines state that “an experienced administrative staff and/or volunteers to implement the project” is something it looks for in a grantee, which suggests the bedroom office was more the problem than the contractors.) RAC has an appeals process, but only if the applicant feels an error
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New Line Theatre’s award-winning 2015 production of Threepenny Opera was funded in part by RAC. | JILL RITTER LINDBERG
Scott Miller. | STEVE TRUESDELL was made. Miller didn’t file one. “We know how the appeal process works,” he says. “I don’t think they made any errors.” Miller is candid about New Line’s past financial difficulties and acknowledges they may well be an additional factor. But he says he believed his handling of those matters should count in his favor. “We know we’ve had some problems in the past years,” he admits. “We’ve reduced our debt by about half and reworked our budget after losing a few big donors. We have new board members. We’re in a pretty stable place right now.”
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The feedback Miller received from the peer panel seemed to support that view. “There were compliments about how we’ve worked on our budget and dealt with the debt,” he says in a puzzled tone. And beyond that, he feels the quality of the company’s work should matter more than its finances. “In the past it’s always been about how we fill a need in the community. We use local people, we do unusual shows. The one proof of quality we have is the reviews, and we get great reviews.” While Shaw won’t discuss any individual applications, RAC’s grant guidelines make it clear that good reviews, artistic merit and community benefit matter, but so does an organization’s financial health and fiscal responsibility. No one part should be lacking. “Now your application depends on what’s in those pages,” she says of application process. “Past work, or likability, doesn’t matter anymore.” As for Miller, he’s philosophical, and already working on patching the hole in his budget. “We’ll just have to make it up,” Miller says. “The one bright spot is that several donors have already sent us notes that they heard about what happened and
included a little extra, and hoped it would help.”
F
or RAC’s still-newish director, the big changes ahead aren’t just about making the grant process more transparent, and they aren’t just about the ambitious new project about to get underway in Gravois Park. They are also about continuing to build an organization that can sustain the arts in St. Louis — and do it in a way that acknowledges the community’s diversity and struggles. “Equity” is a key phrase. One path to that, Shaw says, is examining the balance of the organization’s giving. To some extent, RAC considers the area’s big organizations to be feeders. They’re both a source of employment for young artists and a host organism that later launches dozens of offspring into the area’s ecosystem. Shaw is quick to acknowledge the importance of that role. And yet Shaw says she’d like to see less well-off organizations see a bigger piece of the pie. “The majority our funding was going to a few large organizations, and then a smattering of small groups got what was left. I reviewed our portfolio and tried to balance it so that the money went out in a
Artist Basil Kincaid received a RAC grant this year. | BASIL KINCAID more equitable manner. Because I was new I was in a unique position to review everybody with fresh eyes.” Armed with its Evoke findings, RAC is in a position to make a holistic assessment of all its programs, processes and policies and then implement change. What the people of St Louis, artists and arts organizations say they want and believe RAC should care about will inform its work in the near future. To that end, the commission won a major grant from the Gateway Foundation that will help fund students who want to go into arts administration. “The grant will go to pay for fellowships for ten people of color who will be embedded within local nonprofits for a year, in the hopes they’ll want to work in the field and stay here to do so,” Shaw explains. In addition, a $1 million grant from Wells Fargo will help “develop a new curriculum based on the Lincoln Center plan to help
young people understand who they are through the arts,” Shaw says with obvious pride. Armed with knowledge about the arts and how it can help them make sense of the world, these local kids will be tomorrow’s audiences and arts supporters. That’s something that’s hugely important to Shaw. She still remembers being that little girl growing up on the north side — and being blown away by seeing Robert Goulet starring in On a Clear Day You Can See Forever at the Muny. She wants other little girls to experience that same magic. Yet her goals are bigger than just putting audience members of color into theater seats. It’s worth remembering that Ferguson was a major catalyst for her homecoming in 2015. She understands the arts don’t exist in a vacuum. “This new era moves away from RAC as just a grant maker to RAC as a force of community change,” she says. “We’ll open ourselves up to the public as a servant.” n
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S
o what if summer is over? Don’t cry for falling leaves and shorter days. Winter is still a long way away, and the following months should feature not only much better weather, but also an abundance
of events that will open your mind, challenge your perceptions and expose you to laughter and beauty. Here are eleven great options we’re marking on our calendars now. Evil Dead the Musical
What happens if you take the comedic-horror stylings of Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead 2 and smash it into the modern musical? You get Evil Dead the Musical, which grafts an emotional arc and frequent song breaks onto the gory, nightmarish story of a group of stock-character teens who find an unholy book — and awaken demonic forces. Over the course of a single night they’re possessed, tor-
mented and ultimately destroyed. And when one of them is slain, the rest sing about their fear while making crass comments. Stray Dog Theatre has mounted the horribly funny show twice before to great acclaim, and now the company brings it back by popular demand. If you’re really into it, you’ll want to buy tickets for the splatter zone, which comes with a souvenir white T-shirt that will be mostly red by the end of the show.
Stray Dog Theatre raises the musical dead this October. | JON GITCHOFF
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A social enterprise program of
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FALL ARTS
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Evil Dead the Musical runs October 11 to 27 at the Tower Grove Abbey (2336 Tennessee Avenue; www.straydogtheatre.org).
The Tempest
Shakespeare’s The Tempest is a story of betrayal, magic, revenge and redemption. Prospero is the rightful Duke of Milan, but his ambitious brother Antonio effectively banished him to a remote island. With his daughter Miranda for company, Prospero has mastered the use of magic to the point where their lives are comfortable but not as luxurious as home would be. When Prospero realizes that his usurper and the complicit king are on a nearby ship, he raises a storm that wrecks them on his treacherous isle and wreaks magical revenge. The play presents great challenges to a theater company: How do you effectively convey a dangerous storm at sea and the destruction of a ship onstage? How do you represent the use of magic? Patrick Siler, who is scheduled to direct St. Louis Shakespeare’s October production of the show, has a talent for making the mundane magical; it should be a show to remember. St. Louis Shakespeare presents The Tempest October 12 to 21 at the Ivory Theatre (7620 Michigan Avenue; www.stlshakespeare.org).
Postmodern Jukebox
Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox proves a good arranger is vital — and Bradlee is a brilliant arranger. The musical group’s shtick is simple: It takes modern pop songs by artists such as Avril Lavigne, Robin Thicke and Daft Punk and reworks them into doo-
wop or New Orleans jazz or torch songs. It only appears simple because Bradlee surrounds his piano with a rotating cast of ultratalented instrumentalists and vocalists from the LA club scene and points beyond. The result? Songs you know and love, reinvented as classics from a lost era. The magic is that songs you don’t care for become swinging, catchy gems. It’s the best kind of déjà vu. Bradlee and the Postmodern Jukebox play a one-night show at Lindenwood University’s Scheidegger Auditorium (2300 West Clay Street; www. lindenwood.edu/j-scheideggercenter-for-the-arts) on October 13.
Redemption of a Dogg
Snoop Dogg has been many things in his life: a uniquely talented rapper, a compelling narrator for short nature documentaries, a reggae performer and even Martha Stewart’s co-host. But now he’s taking a stab at live theater. Working with writer/producer/director Je’Caryous Johnson, Snoop has crafted the play Redemption of a Dogg. Snoop plays a man who chases fame and fortune at the expense of his family. When he wises up, he recognizes his mistakes and attempts to make amends by placing his family first and his career second. Redemption of a Dogg stars Snoop, Tamar Braxton and a selection of songs culled from Snoop Dogg’s 25 years in the music business. It is performed October 19 at the Stifel Theatre (1400 Market Street; www.stifeltheatre.com).
Kehinde Wiley: Saint Louis Artist Kehinde Wiley leapt into the public consciousness when his presidential portrait of Barack Obama was unveiled, but he’s been making vital work that ex-
“Kehinde Wiley,” 2018; courtesy of the artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles. Photo by Brad Ogbonna plores the nexus of race and representation for years. The New York City-based artist visited the Saint Louis Art Museum in 2017 to review its collection with an eye toward a future exhibit inspired by the historic style of portraiture. While he was here, Wiley went to north St. Louis and Ferguson to meet with people and find subjects for his own paintings. Kehinde Wiley: Saint Louis is an exhibition of eleven large-scale paintings of everyday black St. Louisans, dressed in modern clothing yet posed in the manner of portraits of kings, statesman and other powerful figures. Wiley’s new work will be on display in galleries 249 and 250 from October 19 to February 10 at the Saint Louis Art Museum (1 Fine Arts Drive; www.slam.org). Admission is free.
MST3K 30th Anniversary Tour
Dancing leads to love in Romeo and Juliet. | PRATT KREIDICH COURTESY OF SAINT LOUIS BALLET
The cult TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000 made a triumphant return to broadcasting thanks to a wildly successful crowd-funding mission and Netflix. Because
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of that, the MST3K 30th Anniversary Tour feels much more like a celebration of the show than an exercise in pure nostalgia. Series creator and original host Joel Hodgson is back in his red jumpsuit, and he’ll join current host Jonah Heston (Jonah Ray to his family) for an evening of sketches and robot-grade nonsense from Crow T. Robot and Tom Servo. And, naturally, the bots and both hosts riff on a film together. In St. Louis, that means seeing Canadian sci-fi flop The Brain skewered live by the full cast. The MST3K 30th Anniversary Tour visits the Stifel Theater (1400 Market Street; www.stifeltheatre. com) on October 30.
Doctor Faustus
Christopher Marlowe was a contemporary of Shakespeare, and Marlowe’s plays were a large influence on Shakespeare’s own. Today, Doctor Faustus remains Marlowe’s most famous play — perhaps because of a persistent legend that actual devils appeared onstage during a sixteenth-century performance. It’s a dramatic version
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Faustus tries to get out an apology before the Devil finally claims him. | PUBLIC DOMAIN
FALL ARTS
Continued from pg 23
of the Faustus myth, in which a well-educated man who finds most things easy begins studying magic and diabolism for the challenge. After revoking his baptism, Faustus summons a devil (but not the devil) and arranges to sell his soul for 24 years of life and unlimited magical power, after which his body and soul will belong to Lucifer. Despite a divine message from God, Faustus signs the paperwork and condemns himself. Now nearing the end of his deal, Faustus struggles to think of a way he could free himself, but his pride may be too great to allow him salvation. Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble presents Doctor Faustus, adapted by John Wolbers from Marlowe’s play. Performances take place from October 31 to November 17 at the Chapel (6238 Alexander Drive; www.slightlyoff.org).
Romeo there for the first time, and the music underscoring the moment is appropriately memorable. It evokes both strife and young love, two big themes in the story. Listen for it when you’re watching Saint Louis Ballet’s production of Romeo and Juliet this November 2 through 4 at the Touhill Performing Arts Center (1 University Drive at Natural Bridge Road; www.stlouisballet.org), and see how it works to bridge the gap
Romeo and Juliet
Sergei Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo and Juliet may be best known for its frequently excerpted piece of music, “Montagues and Capulets,” which has been sampled by everyone from Sia to A Tribe Called Quest. Within the ballet, it serves a very important moment in the story. At the onset of “Montagues and Capulets” the prince of the city orders fighting to cease between the families, which leads into the Capulets’ Ball. Juliet sees
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Snoop Dogg adds actor to his résumé. | COURTESY OF JE’CARYOUS ENTERTAINMENT
friday & saturday John Storgårds leads the SLSO through Bruckner’s Ninth. | MARCO BORGGREVE
between the warring families.
Die Fledermaus
Johann Strauss II (“the waltz king” Strauss) also wrote for the stage, and his most popular work remains Die Fledermaus. The operetta is a comic tale of mistaken identities, disguises and a mostly harmless plot to exact revenge on a friend for a past prank. Eisenstein is a wealthy Viennese gent facing a brief jail sentence for insulting an important person, but he forestalls his time in the clink by one day so he can go to this season’s big ball. He sends a substitute to jail in his place that day and goes to the ball in disguise as a Frenchman, despite not being able to speak much French. What Eisenstein doesn’t know is the whole ball is a setup arranged by Falke, the target of Eisenstein’s last prank. Mrs. Eisenstein is there to trap her husband in a near-infidelity, the maid is in on it and all Falke has to do is watch his friend put his head in the noose. Winter Opera St. Louis opens its new season with Die Fledermaus. Performances are November 9 and 11 at the Skip Viragh Center for the Arts (425 South Lindbergh Boulevard; www.winteroperastl.org).
Lemp Legends: A Ghost Story It’s no exaggeration to say that the Lemp family shaped St. Louis. Adam Lemp introduced lager to the city and opened a brewery to produce the great quantities of it demanded by the St. Louisans of the mid-nineteenth century. The Lemp Brewery’s Falstaff beer out-
sold Budweiser near the dawn of the twentieth century. The next generation married into the Pabst brewing family and into a railroad supply family, further concentrating its wealth. But what the family is mostly remembered for today is its slow destruction, which was brought about by Prohibition and a series of suicides. Big Muddy Dance Company explores the Lemps in the dance concert Lemp Legends: A Ghost Story. Performances take place November 16 and 17 at Washington University’s Edison Theatre (6445 Forsyth Boulevard; www. thebigmuddydanceco.org).
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Bruckner’ s Ninth
Anton Bruckner’s monumental Symphony No. 9 is dedicated to God, and the composer labored over it for nine years at the end of his life. By the time he could see the finish line, Bruckner was too weakened to finish the score, leaving only three of the four intended movements completed. But what movements they are; Bruckner conjures an enormous volume of sound to praise his chosen subject and uses swathes of silence and dissonance in what was then an unprecedented manner. Even in its incomplete state, the symphony made it clear that something new had happened in music. The St. Louis Symphony, led by conductor John Storgårds, performs Bruckner’s Ninth for the first time in almost 30 years on November 30 and December 1 at Powell Hall (517 North Grand Boulevard; www.slso.org). If you miss it this fall, you may not hear it performed again for decades. n
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CALENDAR
BY PAUL FRISWOLD
Faustus tries to get out an apology before the Devil finally claims him. | PUBLIC DOMAIN
THURSDAY 09/20 Sorry About All That What would you do if you knew with absolute certainty that you would not live through the night? Would you spend your last hours with loved ones, or maybe try to cram as much living as possible into the time you had left? In the case of Dr. Faustus, he’s spending the time offering an apology to a crowd. The good doctor has been a bad man, looking the other way while evil flourished in the world. Evil here is personified by Mephistopheles, a servant of hell who waits until Faustus’ time expires and the demon can take his soul. The Mickle Maher oneact play “An Apology For The Course and Outcome of Certain Events Delivered by Doctor John Faustus on This His Final Evening” is performed by Midnight Company at 7 p.m. Thursday and 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday (September 20 to 29) at the Monocle (4150 Manchester Avenue; www. midnightcompany.com) as part of Faustival. Following “Apology/ Faustus” is another Maher oneact, “The Hunchback Variations,” which sees Beethoven and the Hunchback of Notre Dame dis-
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cuss their individual attempts to create “a mysterious sound,” efforts hampered by the deafness of both men. Tickets for the double bill are $15.
FRIDAY 09/21 Dine and Dance Karlovsky & Company Dance celebrates its fifteenth straight year of bringing free dance to the public with this year’s two Dine on Dance shows. As is tradition, the company will perform a program of newly choreographed, site-specific pieces at Strauss Park (Washington and North Grand boulevards; www.karlovskydance.org) at noon on Friday, September 21. This year’s choreographers are Vance Baldwin and Elise Marie Ringenberg, Dawn Karlovsky and dance historian Alice Bloch. Performing traditional folk dances of Colombia, Grupo Atlantico will make a special appearance, while a new piece by Ashley Tate features dance students from the Grand Center Arts Academy. Admission is free, so quit staring at the internet and go outside to get some culture under some sun. A second performance minus the arts-academy students takes place
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The Green Man welcomes you both to autumn and the Renaissance Festival. | JON GITCHOFF at noon on Friday, September 28, at the Old Post Office Plaza (Ninth and Locust streets).
Meat Me in St. Louis There’s only one number you need to know to understand what Q in the Lou is all about: 18,000. That’s the number of pounds of meat that will be barbecued in Kiener Plaza (500 Chestnut Street; www. qinthelou.com) this weekend. From 4 to 9 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday (September 21 to 23) that meat will be given the smoky respect it deserves from pitmasters Marlando “Big Moe” Cason, Carey Bringle and hometown favorites Mike Johnson, Christina Fitzgerald and Mike Emerson. If
that’s not enough, you can reserve one of eighteen slots in the Rib Rumble on Saturday and Sunday, which gives you ten minutes to eat as many ribs as you can. You can compete for the sheer joy of it, but prizes go to the biggest and fastest eaters. The Pernikoff Brothers, Hillary Fitz, the Darrells and Nate Lowry play live during the festival, and admission is free. You pay for BBQ and beer as you go, and VIP options are available.
SATURDAY 09/22 Turn Back the Clock If the modern world has you down, you could always escape to the past in Wentzville. The
WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 20-26 pens that the Cards and Brewers have a three-game series here at Busch Stadium (700 Clark Avenue; www.stlcardinals.com), and it would help the home team’s cause greatly if they could sweep the beer boys. It’s the final homestand of the season and could be a tremendous cap to a year of surprises. First pitch is at 7:15 p.m. Monday and Tuesday and 6:15 p.m. Wednesday (September 24 to 26), and tickets are $5.90 to $254.90
Mooning St. Louis
Vance Baldwin performing at last year’s Dine on Dance. | BOB MORRISON St. Louis Renaissance Festival is back in action from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through October 14 at Rotary Park (2577 West Meyer Road, Wentzville; www.stlrenfest.com), celebrating the better qualities of the sixteenth century. There are knightly jousts daily at 11:30 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., wandering performers, a royal court with no power to screw up anyone’s life, belly dancers, pirates and giant turkey legs to gnaw on. This weekend (September 22 and 23) is Celtic Festival, with kilt contests, beard competitions, a “bonny knees” competition for, yes, the bonniest knees and a William Wallace costume contest. Admission is $10.95 to $19.95.
Book It Readers, start your … glasses, maybe? BookFest St. Louis is back for a second year, with an impressive array of authors from all corners of the Dewey decimal system. Sally Field starts the party at 7 p.m. Friday, September 21, with a discussion about her new memoir, In Pieces, at the Chase Park Plaza (212 North Kingshighway; $37 for one person and one copy of the book). Day two gets underway Saturday, September 22, at 10:30 a.m., with A. LaFaye and Deborah Zemke hosting a children’s storytime
with costumed characters and photo opportunities at the Schlafly Branch of the St. Louis Public Library (225 North Euclid Avenue). It’s off to the races after that, with panels ranging from Deborah Eisenberg, Rebecca Makkai, Anne Valentine and Lucy Jane Bledsoe discussing “Fresh Fierce Fiction” at noon to Michael Isikoff and Sarah Kendzior addressing the worst presidential election ever and authoritarian states in “Russian Roulette: Global Politics in the Age of Trump.” If you’re into spoken word, Cheeraz Gormon, Paul Tran and Jacqui Germain will be waiting for you at 2 p.m., and at 4 p.m. Wayétu Moore, Bethany Morrow and Marcia Douglas will get into the heady delights of magical realism and speculative fiction at “Alternate Realities: Re-Imagining the Past & The Future.” The vast majority of the panels are free to attend, and it all takes place in the Central West End. Visit www.bookfeststl.com for a full schedule.
MONDAY 09/24 Wild Card War The St. Louis Cardinals are hovering near a Wild Card slot for the playoffs, and at the time of writing the Milwaukee Brewers are the main obstacle. It just so hap-
The first full moon of autumn rises on Monday, September 24, and if you want to really get a look at the old girl, there’s no better view than from the top platform of the Compton Hill Water Tower (1900 South Grand Boulevard; www.watertowerfoundation.org). The full moon tour takes place from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., and it will take your breath away — it’s 198 steps to the top. But what a reward for all that huffin’ and puffin’. Admission to the tower is $5 cash, and the platform is limited to 25 people at a time, so there may be a wait. The moon ain’t going anywhere, so just be patient.
TUESDAY 09/25 Game On Hockey season ended June 7 when the Washington Capitals victoriously hoisted the Stanley Cup. Barely three months later, the Capitals roll into town for a preseason game against the St. Louis Blues, ending the interminable period between seasons. Pre-season games don’t normally bring much excitement, but hockey is hockey. A couple of young guys trying to win permanent spots on each team’s roster may fight and there’s a chance for a surprising goal or two, but what you most want to see is complete lack of injuries. Certain Capitals players may not yet have sobered up from the summer-long celebration, so don’t expect to see a lot of the bigname players play regular-season minutes. The game starts at 7 p.m. at the Enterprise Center (1401 Clark Avenue; www.stlblues.com) and tickets are $8.10 to $144. n
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The Compton Heights Water Tower provides an excellent view of Monday’s full moon. | COURTESY OF THE WATER TOWER FOUNDATION
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[REVIEW]
Whacks On, Whacks Off Chloë Sevigny plays a woman who wasn’t made for her time in Lizzie Written by
ROBERT HUNT Lizzie Directed by Craig William Macneill. Written by Bryce Kass. Starring Chloë Sevigny, Kristen Stewart, Kim Dickens and Jamey Sheridan. Opens Friday, September 21, at the Landmark Tivoli Theatre and the Landmark Plaza Frontenac Cinema.
A
lthough it may seem quaint next to the scores of mass murderers and serial killers who hack their way through contemporary popular culture, the story of Lizzie Borden, the 32-year-old woman who, according to a popular bit of verse, “took an axe/and gave her mother 40 whacks” on a hot day in 1892, has shown considerable staying power. A modest figure compared to real-life Charlie Mansons and literary American Psychos, Borden has seen her notoriety endure for more than a century, even though the murders associated with her name remain unsolved. (She was tried and acquitted, and remained for most of her life in the same small town where the killings took place.) The story is simple: On August 4, 1892, the bodies of Andrew Borden, a successful but stingy bank director, and his second wife Abby were discovered in their home in Fall River, Massachusetts. Both bodies had multiple wounds. Andrew’s daughter Lizzie (Abby was her stepmother) and an Irish maid named Bridget Sullivan were the only ones home. Lizzie gave vague and inconsistent explanations of her activities that day and became the prime suspect, despite a lack of physical evidence tying her to the crime. Lizzie, the latest account of Borden and the crimes that have already been recreated in dozens of novels, an opera, two made-
Lizzie Borden (Chloë Sevigny, right, with Kristen Stewart) breaks all kinds of mores. | COURTESY OF SABAN FILMS AND ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS for-television movies and a ballet, draws from the material that has been discovered or speculated about in the last 126 years — family relationships, business transactions, rumors and physical evidence. But while director Craig William Macneill and screenwriter Bryce Kass sift through the decades of Bordenology to provide a reasonable reconstruction of the events, the film is less a History Channel version of Unsolved Mysteries than a look at the social and psychological pressure that may have caused them. It’s a disturbing and at times brutal story, but it’s also a vivid attempt to get inside of Lizzie’s mind, to understand how it felt to be a young woman in the oppressive climate of Victorian America. We first see Lizzie (Chloë Sevigny) at home on the morning of the murders, the camera following the back of her head so intently that it leaves no doubt whose perspective will dominate what follows. Once the bodies are discovered, the film leaps back in time to present the emotional state of the Borden household. Lizzie, nearly past the respectable age for marriage, is rebellious, longing to live a social life but largely ostracized by her neighbors. Her father (Jamey Sheridan) is obsessed with his business dealings and, in Lizzie’s opinion, being exploited by her shady uncle, while her stepmoth-
The film is less a History Channel version of Unsolved Mysteries than a look at the social and psychological pressure that may have caused them. er is so determined to keep up appearances that she insists on calling their new Irish maid (Kristen Stewart) “Maggie” rather than bothering to learn her name. To add to the discomfort, someone is dropping death threats around the house, a sub-plot only partly resolved by the film’s end. Director Macneill keeps the tensions in the Borden home sharply at the forefront, from domestic abuse and questionable financial dealing to extreme bursts of anger and outright sexual violence. This would be a disturbing family portrait even if we weren’t aware of the impending violence, and when a pair of axes finally make their appearance (a major plot
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point involves the killing of several pigeons), the camera lingers on them repeatedly, increasing our level of apprehension. Despite the inevitability of the climax and an intriguing if not entirely convincing “solution” to the 1892 mystery, the film is most resonant as a character study, a portrait of a cool, analytical independent woman in an age that neither encouraged nor respected those qualities in young ladies. Lizzie explores a class-breaking relationship with the maid (Stewart is excellent as usual, if somewhat restrained by her supporting role, and her scenes with Sevigny, with the latter serving as both romantic object and teacher, are the film’s most touching). She is determined to express herself and carries the weight of her father’s disapproval. She realizes she’s a pawn in both her family and society, discouraged from speaking out or even securing her own financial interests. Sevigny, who has matured from her early days as indie-flavorof-the-week to a thoughtful and seasoned actress (she also co-produced the film), seizes the camera from the first scene and never releases it. With a sensibility that merges contemporary awareness with Victorian reserve, she takes the myth of Lizzie Borden and transforms it into a sadly convincing portrait of a very real and very human young woman. n
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[REVIEW]
Pit Stop J. Smug’s brings solid, down-home St. Louis barbecue to a tiny space in the Hill neighborhood Written by
CHERYL BAEHR J. Smug’s GastroPit 2130 Macklind Avenue, 314-499-7488. Tues. 4-9 p.m.; Wed.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-10 p.m. (Closed Sunday and Monday.)
W
hen Joe Smugala had the opportunity to take over the old-gas-station-turnedrestaurant at the corner of Macklind and Bischoff, he did what any self-respecting south-city dweller would do: He called up his daughter’s friend from grade school. It’s an origin story that is as peak St. Louis as Provel-covered t-ravs gobbled down with a concrete. A restaurateur in his own right, Smugala wanted to bring a barbecue concept to the spot in the Hill neighborhood, which he’d purchased with his brother, John, and their wives Kerri and Linda. However, his background was in pizza, not barbecue. Digging deep into his south-side connections, he knew just who to call for help in realizing his vision. That person was Alex Cupp, who, in addition to being his daughter’s dance partner as a seven-year-old, had played select soccer for Smugala several years later as a student at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park (Smugala was the coach). Of course that was before Cupp became one of the city’s top pitmasters, and though he had enough on his plate running his own barbecue restaurant, the Stellar Hog, Cupp made time for an old friend. With his help, the Smugala brothers learned enough about barbecue to open J. Smug’s GastroPit and compete in the city’s crowded smokehouse scene. Last July, the Smugalas fired up their smoker and opened their doors, bringing a missing genre to the Hill in a space that, while cute as a button, has had a difficult time keeping its occupants. Originally
Highlights at J. Smug’s include smoked brisket, a brisket burger and a combo platter with pulled pork, pulled chicken and turkey breast. | MABEL SUEN Rizzo’s Station Pizzeria, then Leonardo’s Kitchen & Wine Bar and, most recently, Leonardo’s Burger Kitchen, the building’s quaint charm has also been its Achilles heel. Comprised of two rooms too small to house a full-scale dining area, the former gas station can fit only four two-person tables, a wall ledge and a bar, relying on an enclosed (yet not air-conditioned) patio and some outdoor tables to handle the majority of its seating. If you’ve lived through even one sweltering St. Louis summer or dreary, bone-chilling winter, you know those options are attractive only about three weeks out of the year. But where the other restaurants have failed, J. Smug’s seems to have found a winning formula, banking on a concept that, while enjoyable on site, is just as attractive for takeout. You only need observe the steady stream of customers walking up to the counter for their call-in orders to realize that the key to its success is as much the lady enjoying some ribs in the comfort of her armchair as it is the dine-in patron. For those who want to eat in, however, the Smugalas have created a cozy scene, maximizing the real estate to make it seem somehow less small. The most striking update is the front room; the old order counter and grab-and-go beverage cooler have been re-
placed with a proper bar that seats eight people. With shiny white walls as a backdrop, a stone bar top to rest your elbows upon, and cool red-and-black overhead wiring that evokes the industrial materials you’d find at the auto mechanic’s, J. Smug’s bar is the sort of neighborhood watering hole that could turn you into a regular — and its impressive craft-beer selection certainly doesn’t hurt its case. Nor do the ribs, the restaurant’s standout dish, which are simply dazzling. J. Smug’s smokes a dry-rubbed version, and, more than others in town, their generous, salty rub forms a thick crust that actually crunches when you bite into it. It’s reminiscent of the bark you get on a well-prepared brisket, and just as deeply smoky. Underneath this crisp, seasoned layer is succulent, cherry-woodscented meat that has the proper chew you get from good ribs but still yields without too much effort. They’re some of the finest in the city, the restaurant’s clear standout. If the ribs are a study in differing textures, the pulled pork is singular in its silken mouthfeel. Succulent meat drips in a mélange of spice rub and rendered fat that makes you want to eat it with a spoon. Of course, you can simply sop it up on a bun in sandwich form, though the pleasure of eat-
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ing hunks of the decadent meat bare-handed, with no other accoutrements, is positively primal. About three months ago, the Smugalas hired a new pitmaster, Carlos Hernandez, who has added a few items to the menu, such as the smoked turkey. The meat is sliced into thin strips, its exterior coated with a black-peppery spice blend that calls to mind Cajun blackened seasoning. The rub is delightful, standing up to the smoke that permeates the delicately flavored bird. However, the meat was dry, one of the few instances here where I would reach for the sauce. The pulled chicken was also not as moist as I would have liked, though better than the turkey, and its seasoning was gentler. Bits of coarsely ground black pepper spiked the meat throughout; when paired with the restaurant’s rich, molasses-like sauce, it’s a pleasant mix of sweet and spice. I’m positively fanatical about brisket (and in my book, it goes without saying that I mean Texasstyle). I found J. Smug’s to be adequate, but not earth-shattering. With its thick slices, crumbly texture and faintly licorice-like bark, it gets close, but it was simply not fatty enough. There is possibly no more powerful an edible pleasure than biting into a piece of caramelized brisket fat, but that
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sensation was missing here. The brisket’s obvious lack of fat also made the meat a bit too dry. The brisket burger, on the other hand, is outstanding. Though overcooked on one occasion (well-done and then some), on two others it was spot-on: a perfect medium pink throughout and kissed with smoke to give it that quintessential backyard taste. It’s the burger you would get if you invited Thomas Keller to run your cookout. Ground brisket also plays a starring role in one of the standout appetizers, the smoked meatballs. Though technically a starter, these plump, mandarin-orange-sized beauties were satisfying enough I would have happily made them a meal. As a nod to the neighborhood, they sit atop a ladleful of chunky marinara sauce and are crowned with melted Provel cheese. Sure, you could get something similar down the road, but “similar” is the key word — the smoky flavor that permeates the brisket is unlike anything you’ll find at one of the neighborhood’s trattorias.
Linda, Joe and Kerri Smugala are three-fourths of J. Smug’s management team. | MABEL SUEN You will want to put nothing on that meatball but your fork. However, J. Smug’s does offer sauces for its more condiment-friendly meats, ranging from sweet and brown sugary to mouth-puckering Carolina to a savory Memphis style with the oddly pleasant distinction of tasting like a slightly sweet bloody mary. If you want something more original, the
Dr. Pepper barbecue sauce is the most interesting — and, unexpectedly, the restaurant’s spiciest. The teeth-tingling soda might be the sauce’s namesake, but it’s not the forward flavor. Instead, the sugary drink provides a canvas for deep chile and black-pepper spice that hits you on the back of the palate. It’s excellent poured over that pulled chicken.
J Smug’s side dishes and accompaniments are standard barbecue fare — crispy coleslaw, a typical Italian-greens salad, an above-average creamy potato salad and a pepperjack mac and cheese that, though laden with jalapeños, needed more flavor. Baked beans, however, are a standout. More pork stew than mere side dish, the beans are steeped in pork drippings and sweet without being sticky. They’d be my favorite accompaniment unless you count the deviled eggs that appear on the happy-hour menu. Hard-boiled to a firm yet silken texture, the eggs offer a yolky filling so velveteen it could double as hollandaise. I’m enamored. Those eggs are the sort of picnic fare you’d find alongside macaroni salad and a Jell-O mold on a long folding table in a southcity church basement. They’re about as St. Louis as it gets, from a restaurant steeped in the connections that make this place so lovely — and one that, while still finding its way, is serving food that nourishes its people, one rack at a time.
J. Smug’s GastroPit Brisket burger .......................................... $12 Pulled pork (regular) ................................ $14 Ribs (full rack) ......................................... $22
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THE PATIO IS OPEN! 2661 sutton maplewood 314-769-9940 blueduckstl.com
FREE side of pasta with each sandwich purchase
2619 Cherokee St. St. Louis, MO 63118 | (314) 833 - 3034 Parmpasta.com
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6 RESTAURANTS YOU NEED TO CHECK OUT...
THE BLUE DUCK
THURMAN’S IN SHAW
314.769.9940 2661 SUTTON BLVD, MAPLEWOOD, MO 63143
314.696.2783 4069 SHENANDOAH AVE, ST. LOUIS, MO 63110
There aren’t many businesses named after Adam Sandler movies, but at the Blue Duck, the food is as whimsical as its “Billy Madison” reference. Originally founded in Washington, Mo., owners Chris and Karmen Rayburn opened the Blue Duck’s Maplewood outpost in 2017, bringing with them a seasonal menu full of American comfort-food dishes that are elevated with a dash of panache. Start the meal with the savory fried pork belly, which is rubbed with coffee and served with a sweet bbq sauce and root vegetable slaw. For the main event, the Duck’s signature DLT sandwich substitutes succulent smoked duck breast instead of the traditional bacon, adding fried egg and honey chipotle mayo along with lettuce and tomato on toasted sourdough. Save room for dessert; the Blue Duck’s St. Louberry pie – strawberries and blueberries topped with a gooey buttercake-like surface – is a worthy tribute to the Gateway City.
In January, Doug Fowler made big changes to Thurman’s in Shaw, and it’s paid off big time. A year and a half after taking over the old Thurman’s Grill location, Fowler switched from burgers and traditional bar fare to hearty handheld Mexican grub to great acclaim. Everything on Thurman’s menu now is designed for maximum portability – perfect for both full dinners and light bites on the go. The street tacos and giant burrito have earned love from Shaw residents, with tortillas bursting with a choice of mouthwatering meats, fish or vegetable mix plus all the fixings. Looking to scoop up deliciousness? Try Thurman’s chips with frijoles dip (traditional or vegetarian), spicy salsas, queso (chorizo or vegetarian) or smooth guacamole. Polish off a meal with churros sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and served with warm chocolate dipping sauce. Don’t forget drinks! Thurman’s goes well beyond its tasty margaritas, with plenty of craft cocktails, wines and beers available.
STONE TURTLE
J. SMUGS GASTROPIT
STONETURTLE.COM
JSMUGSGASTROPIT.COM
314.349.1933 6335 CLAYTON AVE, ST. LOUIS MO, 63139
314.499.7488 2130 MACKLIND AVE, ST. LOUIS, MO 63110
At Stone Turtle, a classic American gastropub menu finds a way to fit right in with Dogtown’s Irish history. Principal owner and general manager Nick Funke drew on his years in the restaurant business in both St. Louis and New York and on Stone Turtle chef Todd Bale’s expertise to develop the signature menu. In a neighborhood known for burgers and drinks, Stone Turtle instead offers elevated dinners that are perfect for date night. Fried burrata serves as a much-lauded appetizer, exploding when a knife cuts into the breadcrumb-coated molten cheese. Mushroom gnocchi continues the cheesy goodness, mixing marsala mushrooms and garlic alongside spinach and goat cheese in tiny pasta curls. The highlight of the menu is the savory pork chop, cut thick and served with jus and creamy grits. But true to Dogtown roots, whiskey does take a star turn, with the Smoked Old Fashion appearing on many “must-try” lists in St. Louis.
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.
CARNIVORE STL
BLOOM CAFE
314.449.6328 5257 SHAW AVE, ST. LOUIS, MO 63110
314.652.5666 5200 OAKLAND AVE, ST. LOUIS, MO 63110
Carnivore fills a nearly 4,000-square-foot space on The Hill with a dining area, bar lounge, and adjoining outdoor patio gracefully guarded by a bronze steer at the main entrance. Always embracing change, Joe and Kerri Smugala, with business partners Chef Mike and Casie Lutker, launched Carnivore STL this summer. As the Hill’s only steakhouse, Carnivore offers a homestyle menu at budget-friendly prices appealing to the neighborhood’s many families. Steak, of course, takes center stage with juicy filet mignon, top sirloin, strip steak and ribeye leading the menu. Customize any of the succulent meats with sautéed mushrooms, grilled shrimp, or melted housemade butters, such as garlic-and-herb and red wine reduction, on top of the flame-seared steak. Other main dishes include a thick-cut pork steak (smoked at J. Smugs) and the grilled chicken with capers and a white wine-lemon-butter sauce. St. Louis Italian traditions get their due in the Baked Ravioli, smothered in provel cheese and house ragu, and in the Arancini, risotto balls stuffed with provel and swimming in a pool of meat sauce. With an exciting new brunch menu debuting for Saturday and Sunday, Carnivore should be everyone’s new taste of the Hill.
A new restaurant with a meaningful cause has sprouted up near the Saint Louis Science Center. Bloom Café is a breakfast and lunch spot with a mission – empower people with disabilities through job training while providing a tasty menu full of sandwiches and sweets. An endeavor from Paraquad, a disability resources nonproft, Bloom Cafe makes good on its promises. Trainees work under culinary director Joe Wilson to prepare a variety of fresh dishes (including plenty of vegetarian and gluten-free options) that are perfect for a lunch date, a business meeting or a family meal before fun in Forest Park. For a morning jolt, try the breakfast burrito, stuffed with sausage, egg and pepperjack cheese and topped with tomato salsa. At lunch, the reuben stands out, making mouths water with a smoky, juicy corned beef brisket, sauerkraut, melted Swiss cheese and tangy Thousand Island sandwiched between swirl rye bread and toasted. A rotating array of pastries is available daily, but you’ll definitely want to pick up the cinnamon roll – cinnamon and sweet glaze make their way into every nook of the light dough for a delight in every bite.
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AUGUST 22 - 28, 2018
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[SIDE DISH]
Brewing Craft Beer, Minus the ABV Written by
CHERYL BAEHR
B
efore he founded WellBeing Brewing Company (wellbeingbrewing.com), Jeff Stevens spent most of his career working in advertising for national liquor brands, a gig that placed him squarely in the club scene. He traveled the world working with beer-and-spirits clients and was always in bars, whether entertaining clients or just being social. There was one huge problem, however. Stevens doesn’t drink. “I quit drinking when I was 24, but I was always in a position where I was around people drinking,” Stevens explains. “I drank a lot of non-alcoholic beer because it doesn’t have caffeine and a lot of sugar — and it was OK. But as the craft-beer industry began to really take off, I asked myself why there wasn’t any craft non-alcoholic beer. I finally said, ‘I’m going to do this. I’m going to figure this out.’” For a non-drinker like Stevens, craft non-alcoholic beer seemed like a no-brainer considering the skyrocketing popularity of the alcohol-filled version. However, as Stevens began to research the void in the market, he came to an obvious realization: People who brew beer like drinking beer that contains alcohol. N/A beer was an afterthought — something they brewed because they felt they had to, not because their hearts were in it. As a consequence, only the big brands did it, not the passionate craft brewers working for the sheer love of it. Stevens, however, loved beer and lamented that his non-drinker status prevented him from enjoying it to its fullest capacity. He quickly found that he was not alone. Not only was the N/A category growing overseas, it was becoming apparent that, even in a beer-
Working with O’Fallon Brewery, Jeff Stevens’ WellBeing developed a way to brew N/A beer that tastes like the real thing. | JEN WEST obsessed place like St. Louis, there was a need for such a product. “There are so many people who are not drinking — not necessarily all the time, but for a particular moment,” Stevens explains. “Maybe they don’t want one for this lunch, or even this round. Maybe they want two beers but not four. These people are finding us and telling us how happy they are that we are here.” The people Stevens describes are the consumers of WellBeing, the brand he launched in January as a way for people to enjoy the taste of craft beer without the booze. Unlike other methods that remove alcohol from beer by stopping fermentation and boiling it off, WellBeing employs a high-tech method using equipment from Munich that eliminates the alcohol at room temperature after the beer is fully fermented. This results in non-alcoholic beer that tastes fully brewed — because it is. “If you taste a traditional nonalcoholic beer, it tastes like a watered-down lager or super sweet because the sugar doesn’t ferment. It just tastes off,” Stevens explains. “Ours starts out as fullalcohol beer that could be packaged as such, but instead, we remove the alcohol at the very end. It has the right body and tastes fully brewed.” Though WellBeing is Stevens’ brainchild, he relies on the people at O’Fallon Brewery, in particu-
lar owner Jim Gorczyca and head brewer Brian Owens, to bring his vision to life. Currently, they are producing two beers for WellBeing: the Heavenly Body golden wheat and the dark amber Hellraiser, a beer whose name embodies what Stevens wants to do with his brand. “The thing about not drinking is that you are worried you are killing somebody’s buzz and feel bad,” he says. “But then they feel bad because they are worried they shouldn’t be drinking in front of you. Hellraiser says, ‘Hey, I’m not drinking, but I am still ready to party. We can go pool-hopping or whatever. I’m ready to blow off some steam, and if you want to get silly, I am here to get silly. I can just drive you home.’” Stevens took a break from the beer business to share his thoughts on the St. Louis foodand-beverage scene, his passion for green and red chiles, and the places you will see him cutting loose after work — with an N/A beer in hand, of course. What daily ritual is non-negotiable for you? A walk in the park with my dog, Salvador. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Time travel, for sure. What is the most positive trend in food, beer, wine or cocktails that you’ve noticed in St. Louis over the
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past year? Lots more non-alcoholic drink choices on menus all over town! Mocktail menus and WellBeing N/A beer. What is one thing missing or that you’d like to see in the St. Louis food-and-beverage scene? Proper green and/or red chile for smothering burritos. Hit me up if you have some! Who is your St. Louis food or drink crush? Pierce and Lona from Lona’s Lil Eats. Who’s the one person to watch right now in the St. Louis food scene? Whoever is behind BLK MKT Eats! Which ingredient is most representative of your personality? Tapatio sauce. How would you describe the current state of St. Louis’ food and beverage climate? We punch way above our weight. Name an ingredient never allowed in your brewery. FD&C-colored anything. What is your after-work hangout? Basso, L’Acadiane, Pop’s Blue Moon, the Monocle. What’s your edible or quaffable guilty pleasure? Ghirardelli dark-chocolate chips, straight out of the bag. What would be your last meal on earth? A pork green-chile-smothered burrito, of course. n
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Yellowbelly’s menu features cheddar biscuits, as well as many riffs on seafood. | TOM HELLAUER
[FIRST LOOK]
Yellowbelly Brings RumBased Fun to the CWE Written by
TOM HELLAUER
L
ike many a bad decision, Yellowbelly (4643 Lindell Boulevard), the new island-influenced bar and restaurant that opened Monday in the Central West End, started with a little rum. Only in this case, creators Tim Wiggins and Travis Howard are confident the spirit took them down a good path, not a bad one. Originally, the concept was “pretty beverage specific — we didn’t know how the food mingled with that,” Wiggins explains. The pair also co-own the wildly successful Retreat Gastropub (6 North Sarah Street, 314-261-4497), which opened nearly three years ago in the same neighborhood (as at Yellowbelly, Wiggins is also the bar manager). For months, they tested different combinations of liqueurs, syrups, bitters and more to develop Yellowbelly’s rum-happy cocktail list. This process helped them craft a menu that counters rum’s shortcomings — narrow flavor, a tendency to be paired with sugary mixes and those dang tiny umbrellas. The Yellowbelly team is working hard to present the liquor at its best. Consider the house rum, containing both whites and darks to help build complementary bitterness and savoriness, counterbalancing one another for a rich taste. “You don’t see people making old-
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fashioneds with five different whiskeys; that’s obnoxious,” Wiggins says. “But when you add more rums you build flavor.” While there is some serious chemistry and mixology behind the Yellowbelly bar, there is an enticing simplicity to the drinks as well. This balance between the intricate and minimal comes to define the design of the entire operation. “The way the bar is set up, it takes maybe three touches to pour a cocktail, but in those three different touches, there’s eight hours of prep work going into each different ingredient,” Wiggins says. Even the physical menus, which offer both illustrations and concise descriptions, serve to inform patrons of unknown tastes without overwhelming. The food embodies these themes as well, with Top Chef alum Richard Blais designing a menu that offers both islandinspired fare and Midwestern favorites, such as burgers and ribs. Executive chef Jason Gethin will be tasked with the execution. Gethin, a St. Louis native, spent the past eighteen years in San Diego working with seafood before being brought onto the Yellowbelly team a few weeks ago. For Gethin, the food, space and cocktails are all interrelated. “I think it’s the same,” Gethin says. “The food is very simple but it makes people think. With our menu it’s approachable, but I think it will definitely open people’s eyes.” While Yellowbelly had yet to open at the time we visited, Wiggins and Howard were already envisioning its future. “This isn’t going to be a dimly lit, exclusive bar. This is going to be a bustling, busy, fastpaced restaurant,” Wiggins says. And, he adds, while “St. Louis doesn’t need another restaurant, it needs a new experience.” If they have it their way, that experience will be heavy on the rum. n
SUNDAY, SEPT. 23RD 6:00PM-8:00PM
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[FIRST LOOK]
Mo’ Butter Makes the West End Better Written by
DESI ISAACSON
W
elcome Aboard” is plastered on a lifebuoy hanging on the wall of Krab Kingz Seafood (5860 Delmar Boulevard), the new restaurant that opened September 8 in the city’s West End. The greeting fits Krab Kingz’s understated nautical theme, and also the personality of the place and its staff. They want you to come try what they have to offer and become a part of an ever-multiplying family. Krab Kingz started in Texas in 2015 as a food cart in a parking lot and has since grown to numerous franchises across the U.S., including ones in Florida, Louisiana, Kansas City and now St. Louis. The West End location is co-owned by Lamar Jackson (not that Lamar Jackson), Cortez Burnett and Craig Scott, who is also involved in the ownership of the two Kansas City locations. Krab Kingz specializes in, yeah, crab legs and their smaller counterpart, shrimp. On Facebook, the owners describe their food as Southern-style seafood. But it might be more accurate to say they specialize in butter, because all of the food is drenched in it. And you have butter options, lots of them: original, lemon pepper,
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Krab Kingz’s “loaded platter” offers a bit of everything. | DESI ISAACSON honey garlic, Cajun or spicy. Judging by the length of the line at the restaurant’s grand opening and the upwards of 10,000 likes on its Facebook page, people are excited the shop has crawled all the way to St. Louis. There are only a few menu items to choose from, and they are mainly different configurations of crab, shrimp, sausage, corn and potato. When you walk in, you get in line and order at the counter; when your food is ready they’ll yell out your name and somewhere between the counter and your table, your food will change hands. Prices vary from about $12 to $25 per person, depending on what and how much you order. The first item on the short menu is the loaded platter for two. A tinfoil tray comes out covered in shrink wrap and it’s heavy, heavy enough to make you double clutch when you grab it. Everything inside is piled on top of everything else, allowing the flavors to mix together and for everything to soak in the butter of your choice. The potatoes and shrimp are especially drenched, but you likely won’t be able to resist dipping
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No frills, no waiters, no cloth napkins. Just paper towels, tinfoil boxes and as much butter as you can handle. them back in one last time before each bite. The crab legs are so large and so numerous, you may not even see any shrimp until several minutes into the meal, making them a happy surprise of sorts. Stuffed in the corner are two sausage links and two small ears of corn, both better for having been seasoned, and for spending time in the butter with everything else. As the restaurant proclaims in a Facebook post, “Remember ‘Mo Butta Makes it Mo Beta’!!!” The restaurant has décor, but not a lot. One wall has fish nets hanging on it, with seashells spread among them. Another has
small mirrors hanging from the kind of nautical rope you would use to tie your boat to the dock. The lighting is dim, but not to the point where it feels dark or romantic. Any notions of romance go out the window with the Bud Light-branded buckets on each table for your shells and the full roll of paper towels replacing napkins. Chill R&B songs play in the background, overshadowed by the excitement each employee projects about getting started. Scott’s two franchises in the Kansas City area, the first two locations in Missouri, have both been successful. “But St. Louis is my home,” he says, explaining his excitement about this opening. He was eager to bring another restaurant to this area of St. Louis, and to bring on his business partners Jackson and Burnett. “We wanted to bring what we do well, which is seafood, to St. Louis.” Based on his other locations, Scott expects most of the business to come through takeout orders, which is why seating inside is limited. He estimates 70 to 75 percent of orders will be takeout, and even when you eat in, the disposable utensils and tinfoil tray are ready to be wrapped up for the drive home after you inevitably can’t finish everything you ordered. If the opening here goes anything like Scott’s past openings in Kansas City, he says, customers should expect a pretty long wait — more than an hour — for the first few months before things start to level off. When we first stopped by, the owners asked matter-of-factly, “Do you like crab legs?” Krab Kingz offers a simple solution to the question they raised. No frills, no waiters, no cloth napkins. Just paper towels, tinfoil boxes and as much butter as you can handle. Krab Kingz is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. n
HAPPY HOUR 3-6 PM APPY PEOPLE ONLY)
SLIDER HOUSE 2.0 $3 (H $4 New Menu Expanded Patio Live Music Thursday-Saturday $5 $6 Well Cocktails Bud Select "True" Sliders
Blue Moon House Wines Chips & Cheese Fried Pickles
Slider House IPA Slider House APA
"Sprarti" Dip Six Wings Buffalo Chicken Dip Bean Dip
9528 Manchester Rd | (314) 942-6445 | Slider-house.com riverfronttimes.com
SEPTEMBER 19 - 25, 2018
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MUSIC & CULTURE
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[HOMESPUN]
A Star Is Born The Bon Bon Plot’s Janet Evra takes center stage with new solo debut Written by
CHRISTIAN SCHAEFFER
F
or most American students, study-abroad programs are a chance to experience a foreign culture up close while furthering their studies in a new and exotic place. It’s also a chance for them to get drunk and stumble around Rome or Madrid or Dublin instead of Columbia or Lawrence or Champaign-Urbana. But when Janet Evra was a teenager in Gloucester, England, she chose to go abroad to the bucolic river town of Elsah, Illinois, to study at Principia College. “I first ended up coming over to the states for a gap year, which is pretty common for British teenagers,” Evra says. “I was taking all these classes in sustainability and sugar-bush management.” She had so much fun that she decided to stay. “I thought, I don’t want to go home and study English literature,” she explains. After heading to Michigan for further studies, Evra returned to the area and settled in Alton, Illinois. By day, Evra puts those sustainability classes to good use through her work for an environmental nonprofit that specializes in floodplain management and watershed conservation. But a few nights a week, she and her husband Will Buchanan pack up his guitar and her upright bass to perform at spots like the Dark Room and Evangeline’s, often for brunch or happy-hour crowds. The pair began gigging around town a few years ago with a drummer, calling their group the Bon Bon Plot and specializing in breezy, soft-touch arrangements of bossa nova standards, French chansons and selections from the Great American Songbook. While Evra and Buchanan still play un-
The Gloucester native says her time in St. Louis helped her write Ask Her to Dance. | HOLLY BARBER der that name, increasingly the couple has been putting Evra center stage, and her forthcoming debut album Ask Her to Dance (due in November) will formally introduce Evra as a singer-songwriter, not just an apt interpreter of other people’s songs. From the few songs teased off the album, it’s clear that Evra and Buchanan have internalized both the construction of songs from the Gershwin brothers or Cole Porter as well as some of the gentle sway from the Brazilian music often covered in their sets. As with many listeners, Antonio Carlos Jobim provided a point of entry. “I bumped into the Best of Jobim album when I was a teenager, the one with Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto on a bunch of tracks,” she says. “I started to learn to play some of those songs; I taught myself guitar as a teenager.” As an upright bassist, Evra is tasked with handling the subtle syncopations of the Brazilian-inspired songs while singing atop them; it’s a dichotomy she enjoys. “I’ve always liked the sound of bass, the way that it holds down the low end of every tune and the way you can add a whole lot of flavor to it,” Evra says. “I really en-
joy holding down those rhythms. Those have come pretty easily to me. It helps that I’m singing it; I can hold down the meat of the song while singing over the top.” The title track off Ask Her to Dance exemplifies Evra’s musical direction. Against a gentle bed of subtle samba rhythms, Buchanan’s nylon-string guitar strums and unobtrusive cocktail piano dressing compliments of Adam Maness, Evra signs a song of missed connections and burgeoning desire. “Funnily enough, it’s one of the oldest songs on the record,” she says of the track. “There are some lyrics about he picks up the phone and lets it ring twenty times — I wrote that when people still used landlines! Now it’s just a vintage touch, I guess. I started writing it so long ago that I brought it up to date to finish off the lyrics.” Evra says that her time living in the area and gigging around St. Louis helped flesh out some of the material, noting that grand old ballrooms like the Casa Loma were in mind as she completed the lyrics. Playing cover sets for so long has given Evra and Buchanan familiarity with a deep and varied songbook, and as a longtime songwriter making her formal debut,
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Evra notes the connective tissue between those classics and her originals. “We talk about our own stuff in reference to all of these other tunes,” she says. “We say, this song could have the feel of something like ‘Corcovado’ or something. We’re listening to this diverse bunch of music; we want to be really sensitive to show our sources but also bring something fresh to it as well.” As Evra approaches the release date for Ask Her to Dance, she’s dropped a pair of videos (directed by Bill Streeter) to goose interest. It was a new experience for a performer more accustomed to serving as gentle background music at bistros and barrooms around town. “It was something new for me, for sure. I guess I’ve been performing for a long time, so that part was not so scary,” Evra says of shooting the videos. “But knowing what I do in the next few minutes could be immortalized — that was definitely new. “It’s still unusual to me that I am the star of the show, the person in the middle,” Evra continues. “But that means I have more control over the project.” n
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[ PA S T T I M E S ]
At Rinks and Churches, St. Louis Skates Written by
MARIO MILES-TURNAGE
M
onday nights aren’t typically time for fun, but on a recent Monday around 8 p.m., if you strolled by 701 North 18th Street in downtown St. Louis, you would think there was a party going on. You can hear the music playing from the street, along with the energetic commentary from the DJ letting the crowd know what a great time they will be having tonight. Every Monday, dozens of roller skaters gather here inside a historical, wood-grained-floor gymnasium under neon flashing lights in order to, as Vaughan Mason & Crew would say, “Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll.” With towels in hand, some make variations of dips and glides that fill the floor, while others congregate in a circle to show off their fanciest footwork. St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Church has offered these skate nights to the public since the 1960s, hosting them in a gym that used to be its actual house of worship. “Where the skating rink is now used to be the original church,” explains Father Art Cavitt. He sees the skate nights as part of the church’s mission: “Reach out beyond ourselves.” Says Cavitt, “It seems like it is a place for gathering and fellowshipping, while honing in on some expert skating skills.” This unlikely spot where downtown meets north city and religion meets good old-fashioned funk isn’t the only place where rollerskating continues to captivate St. Louisans. In addition to St. Nick’s, two popular rinks, Coachlite and Skate King, draw crowds of skaters showing off their moves. Some have fond memories of growing up in these rinks, while others are making new ones by lacing up their first pair of skates. Veterans share skills honed over years of practice, while the young watch in amazement and awe. Among the skating community
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Skaters at Coachlite show off their moves. | LEXIE MILLER that frequents St. Nick’s for its Monday night sessions is Chad Ha, a 34-year-old entrepreneur. “I would like to see rollerskating put into a spotlight like skateboarding, because I think people take it just as serious,” says Ha. “I see it when I go skating.” A St. Louis native, Ha grew up in the Walnut Park area and laced up his first pair of skates at age six, at a birthday party his mother took him to. He took it from there, mimicking the moves he saw from other skaters — and got good enough that a video someone took of him performing at Skate King garnered 7,000 views online. That proved the inspiration for SkateLyfe Co., the organization he founded to increase participation in skating. Under that brand, Ha has hosted several events around the St. Louis area, most of them outdoors (including a few downtown at Kiener Plaza). “I want to start something that I can actually teach and show the art of what we do as far as roller skating goes,” he says. “We want people to see what we do. I just not only want to reach the skate community, but the mass community.” Overall, St. Louis is known for its smooth style of skating. But each of the rinks has a feel of its own. Skate King is urban, with an old-school feel. St. Nick’s is classic. Coachlite Skate Center, which is a bit more suburban thanks to its location, has a mood that’s upbeat
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and bouncy. “Adults that grew up skating — skating was really big in the ’70s and ’80s, and now they are adults — they want to bring back the memories of skating,” explains Coachlite manager Gene Fridblom. Fridblom notes that his rink tends to be busier in the fall and the winter, but the diehards are always out. One of those, Darryl Poindexter, is the current president of the skating club S.W.A.T., which stands for Skaters With Amazing Talent. The group, which began thirteen years ago, has members spread across St. Louis. “It was a small group, about only five people, and it kind of grew from there,” Poindexter explains. Now not only do they hit all the various rinks in the city, but they also visit other cities to learn and compete. “We do a little bit of everything,” he says. “Because we travel we have learned other city styles of skating.” (One team member, he notes, is from Detroit, which has a style Poindexter describes as “Open-House, Sliding, Stop.”) With travel comes trophies and interest; S.W.A.T. has received several “best team” awards honoring its full synchronization of uniforms, communication and choreography. Joining S.W.A.T. is fairly informal, Poindexter says. “It’s more about people asking, their interest and them wanting to learn more about it.”
The classic or “old school” style is seen more at St. Nick’s and Skate King. The owner of Skate King, Mathew Foggy Jr., opened his first skate center in East St. Louis in 1970 after feeling inspired at the age of twenty, his daughter Niah Foggy explains. “He opened it because he understood [there] was nothing for African Americans to do in the inner city and wanted an outlet for black families to come and have fun,” she says. Skate King derives its name from its founder’s admiration for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Foggy Jr. originally contemplated naming it the Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial Skating Center, his daughter says, but he didn’t want to commercialize the civil rights leader’s name.) Located in Pine Lawn, the rink has been in business for 48 years, opening two years after the East St. Louis location in 1972. Since then the center continues to thrive by hosting events to give back to the community such as Skate for a Cure, Rolling for BackStoppers and Skills on Wheels. “It’s a family,” says Niah Foggy. “When you see a fellow skater, it’s like seeing family. The skate community is so tight here in St. Louis, and we have some of the smoothest skaters around. We kind of set the tone for smoothness all over the skate community as a nation, but Skate King has really brought a lot of unique relationships together.” n
[PINBALL]
Silver Ballroom Owners Take the Reins of the Waiting Room Written by
DANIEL HILL
F
or ten years, the Waiting Room (10419 St. Charles Rock Road, St. Ann; 314-890-8333) has served as a little slice of south city dropped into a nondescript north-county strip mall, with patrons often likening it to beloved Bevo punk-and-pinball bar the Silver Ballroom. Now, with Silver Ballroom owners Steve and Shelly Dachroeden taking the reins of the Waiting Room from original owners Jimmy and Shannon Nichols, that comparison is more apt than ever. They will join longtime bartender Scott Fogelbach, who stepped into the role of business partner back in June, in run-
Dachroeden and Nichols families have been friends for years, even before the Waiting Room opened, Dachroeden says. And Dachroeden and Fogelbach have known each other for more than two decades. Fogelbach has even served up suds at the Ballroom from time to time. “I think it’s great,” Fogelbach says of the new partnership. “I love Jimmy and Shannon to death and I know that they are missing some time with Stella and everything.” The Dachroedens, he says, will bring some new, exciting life into the bar. The group has renovations planned for the space — first and foremost, the pool table in the front room will be moved out, and in its stead will be a slew of new pinball machines, similar to the ones the Silver Ballroom is known for. “That whole front section will be, I’m guessing, ten — minimum of ten, maybe even more,” Dachroeden says. “Whatever I can squeeze in that front section before you get to the bar.” In addition, the interior will get a facelift, with fresh paint and new tables and chairs as well as updated lighting. Dachroeden says the bar’s massive back patio will also be renovated and better
Wednesday September 19 9:30PM Urban Chestnut Presents
The Voodoo Players Tribute To Bob Dylan
Thursday September 20
9PM
Old Souls Revival Friday September 21
10PM
Clusterpluck
with special guests Potomac Accord
Saturday September 22
Jakes Leg
Sunday September 23
10PM
8:30PM
The Garcia Project Wednesday September 26 9:30 PM Urban Chestnut Presents
The Voodoo Players Tribute To Talking Heads
Scott Fogelbach will be joined by Shelly and Steve Dachroeden as co-owners of the bar. | DANIEL HILL ning the watering hole. “We’re excited,” Steve Dachroeden says of the plans. “We talked about it a long time ago, and then I think Jimmy was ready to move on. He kinda made us an offer I really could’t refuse. And Scotty is gonna be in there helping me out doing stuff, so that’s always cool. He’s not going anywhere either.” The Nichols announced in February their intentions to sell the bar, citing the toll that late nights and long hours took on their ability to spend time with their young daughter, Stella. Even with that admirable motivation, it was still difficult to move on. “We used to say owning a bar was the hardest thing we’ve ever done,” Jimmy Nichols told RFT at the time. “But I think selling it is going to be even harder.” Still, it’s hard to imagine they could have found a better set of buyers. The
utilized as well. He expects the bar will be closed for about a week in mid-October while that work takes place. “I’m not gonna make it too fancy,” Dachroeden promises, “but I’m gonna just make it a little cleaner.” Perhaps most importantly, the Waiting Room is going to start selling the absolutely delicious Australian meat pies the Silver Ballroom is known for as well. North county, frankly, is not ready. “We’ll have the pizzas like we had before, but we’re gonna have those meat pies, which I think is gonna go over pretty well,” Fogelbach says. “There’s a lot of people out that way that don’t get down to the Ballroom, so they haven’t experienced those things yet.” All told, Fogelbach is looking forward to the future with his new partners. “I got a lot of high expectations for it,” he says. “I think it’s gonna be fun.” n
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OUT EVERY NIGHT THURSDAY 20
THE BAND OF HEATHENS: 8 p.m., $20. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900. BRIAN CURRAN: 4 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. BROTHER JEFFERSON DUO: 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. COREY SMITH: 8 p.m., $20-$23. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. EZZEY6: 7 p.m., $10-$15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. HARRY POTTER PARTY STL: 8 p.m., $15-$75. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. OLIVIA GRACE: w/ Ella Fritts, Alex Eakin 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. PAT TODD AND THE RANKOUTSIDERS: 8 p.m., $8. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. THE RECORD COMPANY: 8 p.m., $24-$29. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. SCOTT YODER: w/ Danny Dodge & the Dodge Gang, Polyshades 8 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. SLIDERS: 8 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. TORREY CASEY & SOUTHSIDE HUSTLE: 10 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. THE VINCENT SCANDAL: w/ PRYR 9 p.m., $7. The Monocle, 4510 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-935-7003. VINYL THEATRE: 8 p.m., $12-$15. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505.
FRIDAY 21
DAVID DEE & THE HOT TRACKS: 8 p.m., $3. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. EMPIRE: A TRIBUTE TO RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE: w/ Undertow: A Tribute to Tool 8 p.m., $10. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. JESSE AND THE HOGG BROTHERS: 9 p.m., $5. The Haunt, 5000 Alaska Ave, St. Louis, 314-481-5003. JOE METZKA BAND: 10 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. JONATHAN MCREYNOLDS: 8 p.m., $20-$75. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. KOPLANT NO: 7 p.m., free. The 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., University City, 314-421-3600. LEROY JODIE PIERSON: 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. LOBBY BOXER: w/ Jacob James Wilton, Magu, Big Tobacco 8 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. LORD HURON: 8 p.m., $33.50-$38.50. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. MINIATURE TIGERS: 9 p.m., $20-$25. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. NIGHT MARKET: 6 p.m., free. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. SAINTSENECA: 8 p.m., $15. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.
SATURDAY 22
AFTER MIDNIGHT: 9 p.m., free. Nightshift Bar & Grill, 3979 Mexico Road, St. Peters, 636-441-8300. BENNY BENASSI: 9 p.m., $15. Ameristar Casino, 1 Ameristar Blvd., St. Charles, 636-949-7777. BILLY PEEK: 8 p.m., $5. Hwy 61 Roadhouse and Kitchen, 34 S Old Orchard Ave, Webster Groves, 314-968-0061. THE DEFEATED COUNTY SINGLE RELEASE PARTY: 9 p.m., free. Schlafly Tap Room, 2100 Locust St., St. Louis, 314-241-2337. DISCREPANCIES: w/ Hallow Point, City of Parks, Broken Youth, The Greater Good, The Skagbyrds, Tyler Keast 6:30 p.m., $5-$8. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. EMO NITE TOUR: 8 p.m., $10. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929.
University City, 314-727-4444.
[CRITIC’S PICK]
MONDAY 24
COURTNEY MARIE ANDREWS: 8 p.m., $10. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. DARRYL DARDEN PROJECT: 6:30 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. THE GLORIOUS SONS: 8 p.m., $12-$15. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. JOLLYS: w/ The Jag-Wires, Tit for Tat, Captain Jane 9 p.m., $5. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. THIRD SIGHT “SPECIAL EDITION”: 9:30 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.
TUESDAY 25
MC50. Yes, that’s Kim Thayil in the hat — daaang! | CHRIS MCKAY
MC50 8 p.m. Wednesday, September 26. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Avenue. $30 to $149. 314-833-3929.
Any debut album that calls its audience “motherfuckers” would be memorable; the fact that MC5’s Kick Out the Jams did so nearly 50 years ago helped cement the raw, wild Detroit band in the rock & roll firmament. That live album provided a sharp rebuttal to the Summer of Love, serving as a soundtrack to the angst and agitation that came out of the war in Vietnam and the riots in Chicago. To END OF SUMMER BEACH PARTY: w/ Sister Wizzard, Polyshades 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. FLINT EASTWOOD: 7 p.m., $10-$13. Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 N Grand Blvd, St. Louis, 314-533-0367. MARQUISE KNOX BLUES BAND: 4 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. MELVIN SEALS AND JGB: 7 p.m., $25. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-0775. OHGR: w/ Lead Into Gold, Omniflux 8 p.m., $25$28. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. OKKYUNG LEE DUO: w/ Bill Orcutt, Chris Corsano Duo 8 p.m., $10-$20. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. R.J. MISCHO & FELIX REYES WITH THE RENEGADES: 6:30 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. ROCKY & THE WRANGLERS: 4 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. ROY BOOK BINDER: 8 p.m., $15-$20. The Focal Point, 2720 Sutton Blvd, St. Louis, 314-560-2778. SINK THE BISMARK: w/ Company Retreat, Breakmouth Annie, Fight Back Mountain 7 p.m., $7. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.
celebrate the 50th anniversary of Jams’ recording, guitarist and vocalist Wayne Kramer, along with founding drummer Dennis Thompson, has assembled a murderer’s row of musicians to fill out the lineup for what he’s dubbed MC50. Rock Royalty: Kramer’s bandmates for this tour, all of whom were in bands far more commercially successful than MC5, include Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil and Matt Cameron, along with Zen Guerrilla’s Marcus Durant and longtime producer, bassist and record exec Don Was. —Christian Schaeffer
STONE SOUR: w/ Shaman’s Harvest 8 p.m., $30$55. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. THE SWEET SPOT BURLESQUE: 6 p.m., $20-$50. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. THE YESTERDAYS: w/ Eddie’s Munsters, Down Swinging, Austin Estrada 7 p.m., $10-$12. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353.
SUNDAY 23
ELVIS PRESLEY MUSICAL GEMS: 3:45 p.m., $10-$15. Ozark Theatre, 103 E. Lockwood Ave., St. Louis, 314-962-7000. JMSN: 8 p.m., $15-$18. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. LAURA RAIN & THE CAESARS: 7 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. LE’PONDS: w/ Seasaw, Mother Stutter 8 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. LOVE JONES “THE BAND”: 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. NEVER SHOUT NEVER: 8 p.m., $25. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. SILVIAN ITICOVICI: 7 p.m., free. The 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., University City, 314-421-3600. SUNFLOWER BEAN: 8 p.m., $12-$15. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd.,
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BLACK & WHITE BAND: 9 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. BLESSTHEFALL: w/ The Word Alive, Ded, Thousand Below, A War Within 6 p.m., $18-$20. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. CHAMBER PROJECT ST. LOUIS: 7 p.m., $5-$15. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900. DIET CIG: 8 p.m., $13-$15. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. SAM MORROW: 8 p.m., $10. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. SMALL HOUSES: w/ Shaughn Uebinger, Andy Berkhout 8 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100.
WEDNESDAY 26
BAT HOUSE: w/ Tonina 9 p.m., $6. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. KAONASHI: w/ Nolia 8 p.m., $7. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. MAPS & ATLASES: 8 p.m., $12-$15. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. MARKEY BLUE & RICK LATINA BLUES BAND: 9 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. MC50: 8 p.m., $35-$149. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. OHMME: 8 p.m., $10-$13. The Monocle, 4510 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-935-7003. PARKER MILLSAP: 8 p.m., $15-$18. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. SONGBIRD CAFE: 7:30 p.m., $20-$25. The Focal Point, 2720 Sutton Blvd, St. Louis, 314-560-2778.
THIS JUST IN ACTION BRONSON: Wed., Oct. 24, 8 p.m., $30$35. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. AL HOLLIDAY AND THE EAST SIDE RHYTHM BAND: Fri., Nov. 30, 8 p.m., $10. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. AQUEOUS: W/ Goose, Wed., Dec. 12, 8 p.m., $13$16. The Bootleg, 4140 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314-775-0775. BLACK & WHITE BAND: Tue., Sept. 25, 9 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. BLUE WATER HIGHWAY: Sat., Oct. 20, 8 p.m., $12$15. The Bootleg, 4140 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314-775-0775. THE BOTTLE ROCKETS: Sat., Nov. 24, 8 p.m., $20. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. BOXCAR: Fri., Oct. 19, 7 p.m., free. 50Fifty Kitchen, 3723 S Kingshighway Blvd, St. Louis, 314-875-9623. BREAD AND ROSES BIRTHDAY BASH: W/ The Soulard Blues Band, Sonja Gholston Byrd, Fri., Oct. 5, 7 p.m., $20-$30. Joe’s Cafe Gallery, 6010 Kingsbury Ave., St. Louis, 314-862-2541.
SEPTEMBER 19 - 25, 2018
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september 22 / all da y stein hoisting competition at 2pm SIGN UP WITH YOUR SERVER ON EVENT DAY UNTIL 1:30PM
- FOOD AND DRINK SPECIALS -
Offers, dates, times, prices, details and availability subject to change and may vary by location. See Server for details. All federal, state and local laws apply. We serve responsibly, you should drink responsibly. ©2018 BL Restaurant Operations, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
[CRITIC’S PICK]
Courtney Marie Andrews. | VIA PARADIGM AGENCY
Courtney Marie Andrews 8 p.m. Monday, September 24. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue. $10. 314773-3363.
Cast your mind back to the first time you heard Lucinda Williams or Neko Case or, hell, Loretta Lynn. That shock of recognition and revelation of a voice and songs that can wreck you awaits with the music of Courtney Marie Andrews. Once one of the best-kept secrets in Americana (whatever that is), Andrews released May Your Kindness Remain this year, and it’s
OUT EVERY NIGHT Continued from pg 53
BREWTOPIA: Fri., Oct. 5, 9 p.m., $5. Maggie Malones, 909 Main Plaza Drive, Wentzville, 636-332-1176. BRONZE RADIO RETURN: $13-$15. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. COHEED AND CAMBRIA: W/ Maps & Atlases, Thank You Scientist, Wed., Nov. 7, 7 p.m., $35$40. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. CYCLES: Fri., Nov. 16, 8 p.m., $7-$10. The Bootleg, 4140 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314-775-0775. DARRYL DARDEN PROJECT: Mon., Sept. 24, 6:30 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. THE DEFEATED COUNTY SINGLE RELEASE PARTY: Sat., Sept. 22, 9 p.m., free. Schlafly Tap Room, 2100 Locust St., St. Louis, 314-241-2337. DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC SHOWCASE: Sat., Oct. 27, 1:30 p.m., free. The 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., University City, 314-421-3600. ELVIS PRESLEY MUSICAL GEMS: Sun., Sept. 23, 3:45 p.m., $10-$15. Ozark Theatre, 103 E. Lockwood Ave., St. Louis, 314-962-7000. THE ENGLISH BEAT: Sun., Oct. 28, 8 p.m., $27.50$30. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. ERIC LINDELL: W/ Sam Ravenna, Wed., Oct. 24, 8 p.m., $22-$25. The Bootleg, 4140 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314-775-0775. ESPANA: Mon., Oct. 8, 7:30 p.m., free. Tue., Oct. 9, 7:30 p.m., free. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900.
not just a career-defining album. All the bittersweet blues, all the avid storytelling and all the Southern-gospel, gale-force range of her voice come into searing focus. You won’t hear a finer country-soul album this year, or for many years to come. Native Nuance: Choctaw-American singer and songwriter Samantha Crain opens this show with her own searing, poignant songwriting. She’s no stranger to St. Louis stages, so arrive early and welcome her back. —Roy Kasten
AN EVENING WITH SCHUBERT AND BEETHOVEN: Mon., Nov. 5, 7:30 p.m., $5-$12. UMSL at Grand Center, 3651 Olive St, St. Louis. FRIENDS OF MUSIC CONCERTO COMPETITION: Mon., Oct. 8, 4 p.m., free. The 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., University City, 314-421-3600. GLOWRAGE: Fri., Oct. 5, 9 p.m., $15-$45. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. GO FOR BAROQUE: Mon., Oct. 22, 7:30 p.m., TBA. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900. HEAVY LIDS: W/ Benni, Fri., Sept. 28, 9 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. HERE COME THE MUMMIES: W/ Sun Stereo, Sat., Dec. 1, 8 p.m., $25-$27.50. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. HUHT: W/ Kaleb Kirby, Lord Soul, Fri., Oct. 5, 9 p.m., $5. Way Out Club, 2525 S. Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-664-7638. IGGY AZALEA: W/ Cupcakke, Tue., Nov. 20, 8 p.m., $26.50-$46.50. Stifel Theatre, 1400 Market St, St. Louis, 314-499-7600. INSANE CLOWN POSSE: W/ Waka Flocka Flame, Fri., Oct. 12, 7 p.m., $30-$35. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. JAZZ BAND CONCERT: Wed., Oct. 10, 8 p.m., free. The 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., University City, 314-421-3600. JEFF AUSTIN BAND: Sat., Nov. 17, 9 p.m., $17$20. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. JESSE MCCARTNEY: Mon., Jan. 28, 8 p.m., $30-$149. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.
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Sept 8 ....................................................... The Darrells Sept 15 ................................................................ keokuk Sept 21-23 ................... OKTOBERFEST / details to come Sept 29 .....................................................Karate Bikini
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[CRITIC’S PICK]
Bonerama 7:30 p.m. Friday, September 21. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue. $13 to $16. 314-775-0775.
You’d be hard pressed to find two bands with names as worthy of a childish giggle as Bonerama and the Funky Butt Brass Band, but then again you’d also have a hell of a time trying to find two acts better-suited to perform on the same stage with one another. That’s because the two brass-led bands have a lot in common. Both groups keep the horns at the forefront — Bonerama, as the name suggests, mostly favors the trombone (get your mind out of the gutter, ya perv), JOHN MELLENCAMP: Tue., March 12, 8 p.m., $39.50-$126.50. Stifel Theatre, 1400 Market St, St. Louis, 314-499-7600. KINGOFTHEHILL: Fri., Nov. 9, 8 p.m., $17-$20. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. KINGSBURY ENSEMBLE: Sun., Oct. 7, 7 p.m., $8-$20. The 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., University City, 314-421-3600. LAURA RAIN & THE CAESARS: Sun., Sept. 23, 7 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. LOVE JONES “THE BAND”: Sun., Sept. 23, 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. MALI MUSIC: Sat., Oct. 13, 8 p.m., $35-$55. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. MARK AKIN: Fri., Oct. 5, 7 p.m., free. The 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., University City, 314-421-3600. MARK CHESNUTT AND JOE DIFFIE: Sun., Dec. 2, 7 p.m., $39.50-$49.50. River City Casino & Hotel, 777 River City Casino Blvd., St. Louis, 314-388-7777. MARKEY BLUE & RICK LATINA BLUES BAND: Wed., Sept. 26, 9 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. MARQUISE KNOX BLUES BAND: Sat., Sept. 22, 4 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. MATT “THE RATTLESNAKE” LESCH CD RELEASE PARTY: Sat., Oct. 20, 7 p.m., free. Hwy 61 Roadhouse and Kitchen, 34 S Old Orchard Ave, Webster Groves, 314-968-0061. MILLENNIAL: Sun., Oct. 14, 7 p.m., $5-$15. Schlafly Tap Room, 2100 Locust St., St. Louis, 314-241-2337. MONUMENT TO THE DREAM: Sat., Oct. 27, 8 p.m., free. Gateway Arch, 200 Washington Ave., St. Louis, 877-982-1410. NEW YEAR’S EVE WEEKEND COMEDY FESTIVAL: W/ Mike Epps, Sommore, DC Young Fly, Guy Torry, Sat., Dec. 29, 8 p.m., $49-$99. Chaifetz Arena, 1 S. Compton Ave., St. Louis, 314-977-5000. NONAME: Wed., Jan. 23, 8 p.m., $25-$30. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. PASTOR TROY: W/ PBE Pluto, Kid Kembi, Mon., Oct. 29, 7 p.m., $12-$15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. PINK TALKING FISH: Mon., Dec. 10, 8 p.m., $10$13. The Bootleg, 4140 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314-775-0775. POKEY LAFARGE: Thu., Dec. 27, 8 p.m., $20. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. R.J. MISCHO & FELIX REYES WITH THE RENEGADES: Sat., Sept. 22, 6:30 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. ROBBIE MONTGOMERY: Sat., Oct. 13, 8 p.m., $30$50. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900. ROCKY & THE WRANGLERS: Sat., Sept. 22, 4 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. ROOMFUL OF TEETH: Sun., Oct. 21, 7 p.m., $15$25. The 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., University City, 314-421-3600.
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and the New Orleans group’s three-man trombone section has become a highly in-demand group of session players in its own right. And like our native Funky Butt Brass Band, Bonerama keeps the energy high and the music funky, delivering a jazz-funk hybrid with just the right amount of rock & roll thrown in for good measure. Most importantly, both bands are sure to deliver an ass-shaking good time for all in attendance. Rain or Shine: This show takes place on the huge stage behind Atomic Cowboy, one of the finer places in town to see a show, whether the weather cooperates or not. —Daniel Hill
[WEEKEND]
BEST BETS
Five sure-fire shows to close out the week
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 Lobby Boxer w/ Jacob James Wilton, Magu, Big Tobacco 8 p.m. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Avenue. $7. 314-772-2100.
When a critic needs to spout off laundry list of genres just to scratch the surface of a band’s sound, it’s not always a good sign. But with Lobby Boxer, those parts form a complete whole, with strong vocal leads, jittery time shifts and hyperactive beats mixing into a smooth stylistic blend. This is math rock with a sleight of hand that listens like pop — that is to say, the songs are accessible, but an attentive ear will find weird little pockets of noise. The trio’s recent Daytrotter set works as a bridge between its debut full-length Big Bucks and its upcoming second record. On this night, Lobby Boxer courts a crew of like-minded musicians from Omaha, Nebraska, with the shoegazing Magu and the searing alt-rock of Jacob James Wilton.
Miniature Tigers w/ Jasper Bones 9 p.m. Blueberry Hill’s Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Boulevard, University City. $20 to $25. 314-727-4444.
Since getting its start in the mid2000s, the pop-peddling Brooklyn act Miniature Tigers has pumped out an album every other year. It’s little surprise, then, that the band would employ a tradition as old as rock & roll itself — the anniversary tour — to celebrate a decade since its seminal record Tell It to the Volcano. Clocking in at just under a half hour, the 2008 release is a brisk Continued on pg 59
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THIS JUST IN Continued from pg 57 ROOTS OF A REBELLION: Fri., Nov. 2, 9 p.m., $10-$13. The Bootleg, 4140 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314-775-0775. ROY BOOK BINDER: Sat., Sept. 22, 8 p.m., $15-$20. The Focal Point, 2720 Sutton Blvd, St. Louis, 314-560-2778. TERRY CREWS: Mon., Oct. 15, 7 p.m., $10-$20. Loretto-Hilton Center, 130 Edgar Road, Webster Groves. THE LAST WALTZ ST. LOUIS FEATURING SEAN CANAN’S VOODOO PLAYERS: Sat., Nov. 24, 8 p.m., $15-$20. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. THIRD SIGHT “SPECIAL EDITION”: Mon., Sept. 24, 9:30 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. THE TILLERS: Fri., Oct. 19, 9 p.m., $13-$15. The Bootleg, 4140 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314-775-0775. VOODOO FORREST GUMP: Fri., Oct. 5, 6 p.m., free. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-0775. VOODOO GRATEFUL DEAD: Fri., Oct. 26, 9 p.m., $10-$12. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. WADE BOWEN: Wed., Nov. 14, 8 p.m., $20-$30. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. THE WAR AND TREATY: Mon., Dec. 10, 8 p.m., $20-$23. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. WIND ENSEMBLE CONCERT: Thu., Oct. 25, 7 p.m., free. The 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., University City, 314-421-3600. YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING BAND: W/ Old Salt Union, Sun., Dec. 30, 8 p.m., $35-$40. W/ Old Salt Union, Mon., Dec. 31, 9 p.m., $69.50-$75. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.
THIS WEEK
AFTER MIDNIGHT: Sat., Sept. 22, 9 p.m., free. Nightshift Bar & Grill, 3979 Mexico Road, St. Peters, 636-441-8300. BAT HOUSE: W/ Tonina, Wed., Sept. 26, 9 p.m., $6. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. BENNY BENASSI: Sat., Sept. 22, 9 p.m., $15. Ameristar Casino, 1 Ameristar Blvd., St. Charles, 636-949-7777. BILLY PEEK: Sat., Sept. 22, 8 p.m., $5. Hwy 61 Roadhouse and Kitchen, 34 S Old Orchard Ave, Webster Groves, 314-968-0061. BLACK & WHITE BAND: Tue., Sept. 25, 9 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. BLESSTHEFALL: W/ The Word Alive, Ded, Thousand Below, A War Within, Tue., Sept. 25, 6 p.m., $18-$20. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. CHAMBER PROJECT ST. LOUIS: Tue., Sept. 25, 7 p.m., $5-$15. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900. COURTNEY MARIE ANDREWS: Mon., Sept. 24, 8 p.m., $10. Mon., Sept. 24, 8 p.m., $10. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. DARRYL DARDEN PROJECT: Mon., Sept. 24, 6:30 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. THE DEFEATED COUNTY SINGLE RELEASE PARTY: Sat., Sept. 22, 9 p.m., free. Schlafly Tap Room, 2100 Locust St., St. Louis, 314-241-2337. DISCREPANCIES: W/ Hallow Point, City of Parks, Broken Youth, The Greater Good, The Skagbyrds, Tyler Keast, Sat., Sept. 22, 6:30 p.m., $5-$8. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. ELVIS PRESLEY MUSICAL GEMS: Sun., Sept. 23, 3:45 p.m., $10-$15. Ozark Theatre, 103 E. Lockwood Ave., St. Louis, 314-962-7000. EMO NITE TOUR: Sat., Sept. 22, 8 p.m., $10. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. END OF SUMMER BEACH PARTY: W/ Sister Wizzard, Polyshades, Sat., Sept. 22, 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. FLINT EASTWOOD: Sat., Sept. 22, 7 p.m., $10-$13. Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 N Grand Blvd, St. Louis, 314-533-0367.
THE GLORIOUS SONS: Mon., Sept. 24, 8 p.m., $12$15. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. JMSN: Sun., Sept. 23, 8 p.m., $15-$18. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. JOLLYS: W/ The Jag-Wires, Tit for Tat, Captain Jane, Mon., Sept. 24, 9 p.m., $5. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. KAONASHI: W/ Nolia, Wed., Sept. 26, 8 p.m., $7. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. LAURA RAIN & THE CAESARS: Sun., Sept. 23, 7 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. LE’PONDS: W/ Seasaw, Mother Stutter, Sun., Sept. 23, 8 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. LOBBY BOXER: W/ Jacob James Wilton, Magu, Big Tobacco, Fri., Sept. 21, 8 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. LOVE JONES “THE BAND”: Sun., Sept. 23, 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. MAPS & ATLASES: Wed., Sept. 26, 8 p.m., $12$15. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. MARKEY BLUE & RICK LATINA BLUES BAND: Wed., Sept. 26, 9 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. MARQUISE KNOX BLUES BAND: Sat., Sept. 22, 4 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. MC50: Wed., Sept. 26, 8 p.m., $35-$149. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. MELVIN SEALS AND JGB: Sat., Sept. 22, 7 p.m., $25. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-0775. OHGR: W/ Lead Into Gold, Omniflux, Sat., Sept. 22, 8 p.m., $25-$28. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. OHMME: Wed., Sept. 26, 8 p.m., $10-$13. The Monocle, 4510 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-935-7003. OKKYUNG LEE DUO: W/ Bill Orcutt, Chris Corsano Duo, Sat., Sept. 22, 8 p.m., $10-$20. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. PARKER MILLSAP: Wed., Sept. 26, 8 p.m., $15$18. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. R.J. MISCHO & FELIX REYES WITH THE RENEGADES: Sat., Sept. 22, 6:30 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. ROCKY & THE WRANGLERS: Sat., Sept. 22, 4 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. ROY BOOK BINDER: Sat., Sept. 22, 8 p.m., $15$20. The Focal Point, 2720 Sutton Blvd, St. Louis, 314-560-2778. SAINTSENECA: Fri., Sept. 21, 8 p.m., $15. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. SAM MORROW: Tue., Sept. 25, 8 p.m., $10. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. SILVIAN ITICOVICI: Sun., Sept. 23, 7 p.m., free. The 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., University City, 314-421-3600. SINK THE BISMARK: W/ Company Retreat, Breakmouth Annie, Fight Back Mountain, Sat., Sept. 22, 7 p.m., $7. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. SMALL HOUSES: W/ Shaughn Uebinger, Andy Berkhout, Tue., Sept. 25, 8 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. SONGBIRD CAFE: Wed., Sept. 26, 7:30 p.m., $20-$25. The Focal Point, 2720 Sutton Blvd, St. Louis, 314-560-2778. STONE SOUR: W/ Shaman’s Harvest, Sat., Sept. 22, 8 p.m., $30-$55. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. SUNFLOWER BEAN: Sun., Sept. 23, 8 p.m., $12$15. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. THE SWEET SPOT BURLESQUE: Sat., Sept. 22, 6 p.m., $20-$50. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. THIRD SIGHT “SPECIAL EDITION”: Mon., Sept. 24, 9:30 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. THE YESTERDAYS: W/ Eddie’s Munsters, Down Swinging, Austin Estrada, Sat., Sept. 22, 7 p.m., $10-$12. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. n
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SAVAGE LOVE FRESH STARTS BY DAN SAVAGE Hey, Dan: I am newly divorced and have started a relationship with a man I’ve known and deeply cared about for decades. The sex is amazing — from start to finish, I feel better than I ever did even in the best moments with my ex. And in the most intense moments? He makes me see stars. He is a very generous lover — he turns me on like crazy and I regularly come while sexting with him. But I have yet to have an orgasm with him. In the past, I have had an orgasm with a partner only from oral or very occasionally from digital clit stim. My ex-husband was not skilled at oral, so I always had to fantasize pretty hard to get there (and regularly chose not to bother). My new partner has amazing moves and amazing oral skills. And he is willing to keep at it for as long as it takes. But regardless of how amazing I feel when he’s going down on me, every single time I eventually hit a wall where I am just done. I haven’t had a single session with him where I’m left feeling unfulfilled, despite the lack of orgasm. In contrast, any sex with my ex that didn’t end in an orgasm left me feeling frustrated or, worse yet, bored. (There were also times when I’d ask my ex to leave the room so I could masturbate after sex.) Do you have any ideas as to why I can’t get over that hump? I wonder if I just need him to be more boring and repetitive so that I can focus. But if that’s the case, is it even worth it? Why would I want to make the sex worse to make it “better”? Or should I just be satisfied with the mind-blowing sex I am having, even if it means I don’t have an orgasm? Is it OK to give myself permission to give up on partner-based climaxing? No Orgasm Possibly Ever Beware of those self-fulfilling prophecies! If you sit there — or lie there — telling yourself that being with Mr. AmazingMoves means giving up on “partner-based climaxing,” NOPE, you’re increasing the odds that you’ll never have an orgasm with this guy or any other
guy ever again. Here’s what I think the problem is: You had tons of shitty sex with your ex, but you could climax so long as you focused, i.e., so long as you were able to “fantasize pretty hard.” Your ex provided you with some half-assed oral and/or uninspiring digital clit stim that didn’t interfere with your ability to focus/fantasize. In other words, NOPE, with your ex you were able to — you had no other choice but to — retreat into your own head and rely on your own erotic imagination to get you there. You may have been physically present during sex, but you were not emotionally or erotically present. Because Mr. AmazingMoves’ moves are so amazing — because he turns you on like crazy, because whatever he’s doing feels great, because sometimes you see stars — you aren’t able to retreat into your own head. For years, you had to figuratively leave the room so you could focus/concentrate on whatever it was you needed to focus/concentrate on in order to come; sometimes you even asked your ex to literally leave the room. You created a powerful association between going to a private, safe, sexy place — pulling away from your partner emotionally, erotically, and sometimes even physically — and climaxing. You aren’t able to pull away from your current partner in the same way. Nor do you want to. And, hey, wanna know why you come when you sext with him? Because sexting is assisted fantasizing. You’re alone when you’re swapping those dirty messages with Mr. AmazingMoves, NOPE, kind of like you were alone when you were having sex with your ex. It’s going to take some time to carve a new groove, i.e., you’re going to have to create a new association, one that allows you to be fully present (emotionally, erotically, physically) during partner-based sex and able to climax during it. The trick is not to rush it and, again, not to box yourself into negative self-fulfilling prophecies like the one you ended your letter with. So instead of telling yourself you’re never going to come again during partnered sex, tell yourself that your orgasms will come again. It may take some time, sure, but trust that your body and your brain are already becahard
Because Mr. AmazingMoves’ moves are so amazing — because he turns you on like crazy, because whatever he’s doing feels great, because sometimes you see stars — you aren’t able to retreat into your own head. at work carving that new groove. One practical suggestion: The next time you have sex with Mr. AmazingMoves — the next ten times you have sex with him — tell him in advance that you’re going to ask him to stop eating you out long before you hit that wall. Then stimulate yourself, either digitally or with a vibrator, while he holds you. If you need to lean back and close your eyes, lean back and close your eyes — but do not retreat into your own head. Maintain physical contact and ask him to say dirty/sexy things to you while you get yourself the rest of the way there, so you’re always aware of his presence. A couple of dozen self-administered orgasms with both of you in the room — in the room emotionally, erotically, and physically — will speed that newgroove-carving process along. Hey, Dan: I’m a straight man and I recently got out of a relationship with a woman who would monitor my internet use to make sure I wasn’t “masturbating to the wrong things.” (My kinks are nothing too outrageous: feet and mild FemDom.) I’ve been dating a new woman for three months, and it’s time to lay my kink cards on the table. But I’m really afraid to open up, thanks to my kink-shaming ex. My new
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girlfriend and I read your column together — so if you publish my letter, I’ll be able to gauge her likely response if I decide to disclose. Help A Guy Out? My pleasure, HAGO, but be careful: Sometimes people react negatively to any mention of a kink, not because they’re necessarily turned off or grossed out but because they assume their partner is. So don’t panic if your new girlfriend’s first reaction is negative (“Ew, gross! Feet and FemDom!”), because it may not represent her true feelings and/or openness to your kinks. To learn how she really feels, you’re probably going to have to make the disclosure you’re trying to sidestep. Hey, Dan: I’m a 24-year-old woman, and three weeks ago I got out of a long-term relationship with a guy in his mid-30s. Over the last few months of the relationship, I started falling for someone else and began dating the new guy pretty much immediately after the breakup. When should I tell my old boyfriend? We agreed to stay friends, and we still talk and see each other at least once a week. I want him to hear it from me, but I’m not sure how much time is appropriate/respectful. Don’t Wanna Be An Asshole Meeting up too soon after a breakup has a way of keeping emotional wounds open and fresh, DWBAA, particularly for the person who was dumped (I’m assuming you did the dumping here). And once-a-week meetings definitely qualifies as too much, too soon. That said, if you think your exboyfriend is likely to hear about your new boyfriend from mutual friends, telling him yourself (and soon) is obviously the right (and difficult) thing to do. But if your ex is going to find out about your new boyfriend from, say, your Instagram account, encouraging him to unfollow you and letting some time pass — enough so you can fudge the start date of your new relationship — would be the right (and ego-sparing) thing to do. Listen to Dan’s podcast at savagelovecast.com. mail@savagelove.net @fakedansavage on Twitter ITMFA.org
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RIVERFRONT TIMES
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HAPPY HOUR SPECIALS DEFINITELY NOT A DRAG
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HAMBURGER MARY’S FEEDS YOUR CRAVINGS
St. Louis’ ONLY Axe Throwing Bar and Grill FREE Axe Throwing with Food and Beverage Purchase!
All hours at Hamburger Mary’s are good hours. How could they be anything but? Drag shows, fun drinks, delicious food – you’ll find something you crave no matter what time you show up! But let’s face it, the traditional happy hour is a great time to visit Hamburger Mary’s, especially on the second Friday of the month. Sure, you’ll find specials like $5 Mary margaritas and $5 appetizers from 4 to 6 p.m., but you’ll also enjoy downtown’s only early-evening drag show. The entertainment kicks off at 5 p.m., which makes it convenient to grab your work pals and celebrate the beginning of the weekend with pizzazz. Let’s talk about those drag performers at Hamburger Mary’s – they’re among the best in the biz. There are plenty of opportunities to catch a show, too. On Tuesdays, enjoy food and drink specials while playing Bingo, hosted by Nina DiAngelo and Desiré Declyne. Michelle McCausland hosts “The Sound of Musicals” every Wednesday, when you can grab half-price bottles of wine or flatbread as you sing along with your favorite tunes. Fridays are fierce and Saturdays soar with several “Dining with the Divas” performances; you’ll want to make reservations to see
six amazing performers show off their frisky talents. Cap off the weekend with an entertainment brunch each Sunday; the noon showtime, all-you-can-eat brunch buffet, bottomless mimosas and build-yourown-bloody-mary bar all make Mary a saint on this holy day. The performances are hallmarks at Hamburger Mary’s, but don’t feel shy about stopping in for a meal during entertainment-free times. The 10,000-square-foot space is one of the largest among the national Mary locations and holds up to 400 people for lunch, dinner, drinks and events. The menu boasts an impressive number of burgers that will delight any carnivore, including the Proud Mary, Black & Bleu Boy and Meaty Mushroom; diners can choose from a traditional angus beef patty, seasoned turkey patty, blackened chicken breast, black-bean patty and the Impossible Burger – a plant-based patty that closely resembles meat. Diners also can enjoy a full range of appetizers, sandwiches, flatbreads and desserts. We guarantee that Hamburger Mary’s will serve the Deep-Fried Twinks – a twist on the classic snack cake – with a wink and a smile.
HAMBURGER MARY’S 400 Washington Ave. St. Louis, MO 63102 Hamburgermarys.com | Facebook.com/stlouismarys | 314-833-4000
720 N. 1ST ST, ST. LOUIS, MO 63102
HAPPY HOUR 4-7 Tuesday–Friday
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ENJOY THE BIG 3 FOR $3.50 EACH
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SIGN YOURYouWHOLE can even pickOFFICE the food! OR GROUP• Discounted UP TODAY & GET: $3 you-call-it beers & cocktails & $5 premium & specialty drinks.
• Large or small groups welcome into program -
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HAPPY HOUR
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314-721-3388 6307 DELMAR BLVD. UNIVERSITY CITY, MO 63130
DES PERES SOUTH COUNTY
314-858-1067 11925 MANCHESTER RD. DES PERES, MO 63131
314-293-3614 40 RONNIE’S PLAZA ST. LOUIS, MO 63126
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1730 South 8th Street | Soulard
HAPPY HOUR DAILY 3PM – 6PM
HAPPY HOUR MONDAY – SATURDAY 4 TO 7PM
Domestic Buckets..........................$15 Select Drafts...........................$2 off Wells...............................................$3 Pizzas........................................$3 off Select Appetizers.....................$2 off
CLASSIC COCKTAILS $7 GIN TONIC $6 CLASSIC MARTINI’S $8 DOLLAR OFF LOCAL BEERS NatashasGinRoom.com
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•The Usual stuff everybody else does!
314.863.9909 BARCELONATAPAS.COM 34N. CENTRAL AVE. ST. LOUIS, MO 63105