Riverfront Times October 10, 2018 by Riverfront Times

OCTOBER 10-16, 2018 I VOLUME 42 I NUMBER 41

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THE LEDE

“ This is my first time living in the Midwest. And I’m digging it. I like that the people are real, the city’s real, it’s brick and stone, it’s lasted for 100 years. You can walk down the street and see shit that people 100 years ago used to look at. How many red bricks are in this city? I love that. I love the cracks in the buildings that took years and years of rain to put there. You can’t recreate that.”

PHOTO BY THEO WELLING

Cody Moore, tattoo artist at alCheMy tattoo ColleCtive, photographed on Cherokee street on oCtober 4 riverfronttimes.com

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SAINT LOUIS ORCHESTRA

Heroic Celebration

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Publisher Chris Keating Editor in Chief Sarah Fenske

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

ROBERT HART BAKER Conductor

Friday, October 19, 2018 8 pm

COVER

Purser Auditorium, Logan University 1851 Schoettler Road Chesterfield, MO 63017

The Parking Lot Suicides

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.

Phillip H. Crews killed himself in the waiting room of St. Louis’ VA hospital. He’s part of a troubling trend. Written by

MIKE FITZGERALD Cover photo of the flag at half mast above Phillip Crews’ grave by

Beethoven

TOM HELLAUER

Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55, “Eroica”

The Lede News Feature Calendar Stage Cafe Short Orders Music & Culture Out Every Night Savage Love

Overture to “Le Prophete” (edited Mark Starr) - US première

Bernstein

Three Dance Episodes from “On The Town” (1945)

Shostakovich

Festival Overture, Op. 96

(314) 421-3600

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Correction: Last week’s cover story, “Here He Is... Miss Gay America” contained incorrect credits for two photos. The photo of Lady Gaga is courtesy of the Miss Gay America pageant. The photo of Vivian Vaughn is by D.j. Bonet V’lentino & After Six Photography Studios. We regret the errors.

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NEWS In a First, New District Would Reach Across Delmar Written by

RYAN KRULL

n Tuesday, October 2, as neighborhoods across the country celebrated National Night Out with block parties and barbecues, the gathering on the 4300 block of Delmar in St. Louis’ Vandeventer neighborhood carries special significance. The party, happening on the street known around the world as a symbol of the city’s inequality, is itself part of an ambitious plan to erase the Delmar divide. Before the night’s fun begins, Vandeventer residents as well as people from the northern part of the Central West End gather in Galilee Missionary Baptist Church to learn about the proposed North Central Special Business District. Mayor Lyda Krewson sits in the front pew next to Police Chief John Hayden. A pair of residents, Judith Arnold and Eric Kyser, are asking residents to vote to raise their own property taxes, with the

Residents from both sides of Delmar celebrate National Night Out. | NICHOLAS COULTER funds to be used for beautification and security, to fix sidewalks, to clear vacant lots and fund services not covered by the city. Both Arnold and Kyser live within the proposed district’s boundaries and over the past three years have spent considerable time and energy trying to make it an actuality. Both see it as a way for the prosperity in the heart of the Central West End to make its way north. “Once this community forms, it will spread to other places,” Arnold says. Right now almost 20 neighborhoods in St. Louis have at least one special business district. The Central West End currently has seven, but none of them reach north of Olive, and for the most

part they shore up prosperity in already well-to-do areas. The proposed North Central Special Business District would extend from Lindell north all the way to Finney, from Vandeventer on the east to Taylor on the west. Straddling the northern end of the (affluent, majority white) Central West End and the southern half of the (less affluent, majority black) Vandeventer, it would be the first special business district, or SBD, in the city to encompass areas both north and south of Delmar. The phrase “special business district” may sound too steeped in the wonky language of local government to be any match for the near-mythic Delmar divide. However, it’s important to keep

in mind that the divide itself is in part a product of restricted deed covenants, residential security maps and zoning ordinances — government policies and practices that stripped of context can sound wonky and dry, but which have had major impact for north St. Louis. After Arnold and Kyser finish their pitch, residents leave the church to party outside on Delmar. Food is served. An artist draws caricatures. A Boy Scout color guard troops through. A band plays hits from decades past. Eighteenth Ward Alderman Terry Kennedy mingles with residents on the street. “This will be the first one like this,” Kennedy says, referring to the SBD crossing Delmar. “It’s a big deal. We have our challenges. Some individuals were skeptical about it, feeling like it wasn’t going to work, that they pay taxes already. But putting it on the ballot ultimately gives the people the opportunity to make that decision.” Kennedy has introduced a resolution at the Board of Aldermen for the SBD. If it is approved, everyone living within the district’s boundaries will vote on the proposal in either the March primary or April general municipal elections, Kennedy says. If the district is approved, the average person living within it will see their property taxes increased between $200 and $300 a year, Kyser says — a tax of 75 cents on every $100 of assessed home value. The proposal would either sunset or have to be renewed after five years. Continued on pg 10

STREAK’S CORNER • by Bob Stretch

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Ferguson Nonprofit Closes on New Home Written by

SARAH FENSKE

n August, things were looking bleak. In fact, on August 17, the day the Riverfront Times published a story about Jamaa Birth Village’s attempt to purchase a building, the Ferguson-based nonprofit had raised just $12,000 of its $60,000 goal. That was after two months of fundraising — and with its capital campaign set to close that night. But the grassroots organization, which assists women of color seeking low-intervention childbirth, is used to tough odds. Founder Brittany “Tru” Kellman was herself pregnant at thirteen; she later channeled her horror at what she experienced into becoming a doula. She’s on pace to become the first black woman to become a certified professional midwife in Missouri this December, and next year, Jamaa aims to open St. Louis’ first equal-access midwifery clinic, providing services regardless of patients’ ability to pay. And Kellman was determined not to give up on the campaign.

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Barry Williams, who listened to Arnold and Kyser’s pitch, is dubious though not completely against the idea. He’s kept an eye on places nearby that have adopted similar measures. “I’ve watched the neighborhood,” he says. “And I haven’t seen anything that has really benefited the people who are here that have been here.” Another man who asks not to be named says that he’s lived his whole life in the Vandeventer neighborhood, that he has seen initiatives come and go without effecting much change. He says he doesn’t expect this one to be much different. However, plenty of longtime residents are more optimistic. William Roth, for instance, is a

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She’d been given an amazing gift: The physicians selling the building had agreed to sell it to Jamaa for $60,000, a huge discount from its $200,000 estimated value. But without the cash in hand, the organization was looking at a loan — and with so many needy women to serve, spending money each month on a mortgage felt less than ideal. It took only a few short days for everything to turn around. Kellman says she was stunned by the outpouring that followed the RFT story. Donations poured in to the organization’s GoFundMe page almost immediately on August 17 even as others contributed directly. “By Saturday morning, we were at just a little over $20,000,” she says. But that was only the beginning. It’s what happened that weekend that left Kellman nearly speechless. That Saturday, Kellman got an email. The author said he or she was with a private foundation and they were ready to help Jamaa Birth Village meet its goals. They wanted to connect by phone. Kellman responded cautiously. “I wanted to believe it, but I was worried it was a hoax,” she admits. It wasn’t. Instead, the donor — who has chosen to keep their identity a secret — couriered over a check for $45,000 within just a few short days. The sum gave Jamaa $5,000 more than it had even hoped for, allowing it to close on the building Kellman had dreamt of. Even after being told the check was on its way, Kellman was al-

most too nervous to tell her board of directors. It wasn’t until she had it in hand — and it cleared — that she exhaled. “It was the most surreal moment opening that envelope and seeing those digits,” she recalls. “I deposited it right away!” On September 28, the organization closed on the building. It’s really only the beginning of its journey — it needs to find a contractor, begin renovations, and a host of things from there. But it still feels like a miracle. Kellman had previously stated her frustration with how little money being poured into the issue of black women’s mortality was making its way to grassroots groups like her own. It felt like the big foundations were sucking up

everything, and organizations like Jamaa continued to struggle despite a growing focus on the issue. But the outpouring that greeted the first publicity her organization has garnered made her see things in a new light. “It gave me hope,” she says. “When you’re grassroots and you make a way, there are folks who want to work with you. They just need to know you exist.” And going forward, it won’t just be media coverage that will remind people of the work being done by Jamaa Birth Village. It will be a brick-and-mortar building in Ferguson, a physical presence at long last for an organization that’s been held together by volunteer sweat and pure determination.

true believer. The artistic director of St. Louis Actors’ Studio also owns the West End Grill and Pub, which donated the food for the block party. He sits on the SBD’s planning committee. In 2005, Roth bought a pair of buildings that were in total disrepair on Boyle about nine blocks south of Delmar. Anything that wasn’t stone or brick had deteriorated and fallen into the buildings’ basements, save for one bathtub that hung precariously from a sliver of an intact second floor. Pigeons had left their traces everywhere for decades. But with the help of state and federal tax credits Roth was able to rehab the structures. They now house his restaurant and the Gaslight Theater as well as several other businesses. As a person who owns multiple large buildings within the pro-

posed district, Roth knows his taxes will go up more than most. But, he says, if the area is going to improve, then “someone has got to buck up.” Catherine Knights, who is dishing out the food Roth’s restaurant donated, has lived since 1979 on West Bell, four blocks north of Delmar. Her two-story brick house sits in the far northeastern edge of the proposed district. Years ago she moved to Seattle but, even after marrying a man who lives there, found that she couldn’t leave her house in St. Louis behind. She says she mourned the loss when the abandoned husks of houses occupying the two lots adjacent to hers were torn down. She bought both from the city’s Land Reutilization Authority and planted gardens in the new open space. Knights says that when people

ask where she lives, her answer can be a little complicated: “If it’s something positive in the news, then I’m in the Central West End. But if it’s something negative like a shooting or robbery or something really bad, I’m in north St. Louis.” Knights is herself a big supporter of the proposed North Central SBD. She sits on its board. She tells about a time when her alderman got criticized for installing lighting and beautification near her house where there were no businesses. It highlighted a catch-22, she says. It’s only when an area gets lighting and its vacant lots cleaned up that people start to see a place as a potential business location. “Delmar is the invisible divide and it shouldn’t be,” she adds. “Nothing should stop there. This city has so much to offer. It could be so much more than it is.” n

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Brittany “Tru” Kellman, center, beams with real estate agent Holly Gerchen and Dr. Donald Blum. She credits both for helping make the project happen. | COURTESY OF BRITTANY KELLMAN

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The Parking Phillip H. Crews killed himself in the waiting room of St. Louis’ VA hospital. He’s part of a troubling trend

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY EVAN SULT FROM PHOTOS BY TOM HELLAUER

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Lot Suicides

BY MIKE FITZGERALD

hillip H. Crews spent his last moments of life in a place he knew well: a room on the first floor of the sprawling John Cochran VA Hospital at 915 North Grand Avenue, just north of downtown St. Louis. The hospital’s first-floor waiting room is officially titled “the Ambassador’s Suite.” A gently sloping ramp leads upward from the south visitor parking lot through sliding doors to the suite, which can accommodate dozens of patients and visitors at a time. Crews, 62, a Marine Corps veteran who had served during the waning days of the Vietnam War, had been a frequent visitor to the John Cochran VA hospital for many years. A self-employed handyman from the city’s south side, Crews suffered from severe stomach pains that eluded a medical diagnosis. VA doctors prescribed Crews powerful opioid painkillers, to which he became addicted in his later years, according to his family and friends. As his stomach pains worsened with no end in sight, Crews grew increasingly frustrated with the hospital,

says his nephew, Tim Tim Harrison, of Herculaneum. “He just got worse and worse,” Harrison says. “And then in the last three to four months he looked really, really bad.” Crews earned a precarious living as a handyman and from occasional work rehabbing houses. His financial situation deteriorated in his last years of life as his health declined. The bank that held his mortgage sought to take possession of his home, while Crews found it increasingly difficult to make ends meet on the $1,200 he earned each month from Social Security. In late March, Crews told his nephew he was going to kill himself. “He said, ‘Tim, I can’t take it no more,’” Harrison recalls. Harrison asked his uncle if he was serious about

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PARKING LOT SUICIDES Continued from pg 15

taking his own life. Yes, Crews replied. “When I do it, I’m going to do it at the VA because these are the guys who failed me,” Harrison recalls his uncle saying. Crews made his final visit to the hospital in the pre-dawn hours of March 26, 2018. He left his modest house at 4472 Beck Avenue and drove his 1996 maroon-colored Buick Regal sedan the five miles north to the hospital. It was just after 4 a.m. when Crews parked the Buick and walked the last few hundred feet into the Ambassador’s Suite. In his right hand he held a pistol. All six chambers were loaded. When he entered the Ambassador’s Suite, it was empty. He lowered his body onto a couch near the entrance. Crews inserted the barrel of the gun, a Herman Weihrauch .38-caliber Special revolver with black polymer grip, into his mouth. The time was 4:19 a.m., according to security cameras. Crews angled the barrel upward so that it touched the roof of his mouth. Then he squeezed the trigger. The bullet exploded out the left side of his skull, according to the St. Louis medical examiner’s report. Apparently no one inside the hospital heard Crews’ gun go off. More than an hour elapsed before a man walked into the Ambassador’s Suite to buy a soft drink from one of its vending machines. There the man “observed a white male subject seated on the couch, unconscious, and bleeding from the head,” according to an incident report prepared by a St. Louis police officer. The man ran into the nearby emergency room and alerted staff to the situation. Crews was rushed to the emergency room on-site. But it was too late. A VA physician pronounced Crews dead at 5:33 a.m., according to the police report.

n estimated twenty military veterans take their lives each day in the United States. But Crews’ decision to end his life at the VA hospital put him in a smaller subset of those deaths, that of veterans committing suicide at VA facilities or on public grounds. The phenomenon even has a name: parking lot suicides. From October 2017 to June

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A collage of photos from Phillip Crews’ life is one of the family’s few remaining keepsakes. | COURTESY OF SHERRY CREWS HARVEL 2018, fifteen on-campus suicides occurred at VA facilities nationwide, according to figures released to the Riverfront Times by the VA headquarters in Washington. The reasons for the phenomenon range from veterans protesting poor and long-delayed treatment to their desire to spare family members the shock of discovering their corpses. The phenomenon of parking lot suicides gained the attention of Dr. David Shulkin, who, in early 2017, was still serving as the VA secretary. He described these suicides as part of a growing, if tragic, trend. “As some of you may know, veterans tend to come to a VA — either drive a car or come to the VA — and actually commit suicide on our property,” Shulkin said in a speech at Georgetown University. “There are a number of reasons, not all of which I completely understand, but one of them being they don’t want their families to have to discover them.” These veterans know that “if they’re discovered at a VA, that we will handle it in an appropriate way and take care of them,” including the handling of paperwork for military burials and benefits for survivors, Shulkin said. Shulkin made the reduction of veteran suicides his top clini-

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cal priority when he took the VA’s reins. At the time, he said he didn’t know how many parking lot suicides had occurred at VA facilities. “But every day I am notified of more and more of these that happen. So we just have to do more, we have to do better, we have to innovate,” Shulkin said. On March 28, 2018, two days after Crews’ suicide, Shulkin was fired by President Donald Trump as part of a dispute over the privatization of VA health care. For David Barbash, who runs a website that raises money to help family members of veterans who commit suicide, the motivation behind these parking lot suicides makes a certain kind of sense. “They obviously want to make a statement, a political statement,” he says. But committing suicide at a VA hospital can also signal another message. “It’s a cry for help,” Barbash says. “And they don’t want their families to clean up the mess, so to speak.” Although the problem of parking lot suicides was an issue of special concern for former VA director Shulkin, the VA does not keep comprehensive figures on suicides at agency facilities nationwide, according Gina Jackson, an agency spokeswoman. The agency provided the tally of

fifteen suicides in nine months at the Riverfront Times’ request, but offered little additional information. “That information is available at each individual facility, but is not something we have compiled (other than what we have provided to you),” Jackson wrote in an email in August. The Riverfront Times reached out repeatedly to the VA to determine how the agency had arrived at its figures, as well as to determine the dates and locations of each veteran suicide. The agency, however, declined to provide the information. “Due to the low total number of on-campus suicides, we are unable to provide further detail as doing so could jeopardize patient privacy,” Curt Cashour, press secretary for the Department of Veterans Affairs, wrote. News accounts, however, abound of VA patients taking their lives at VA facilities or other public property over the past two years. These cases include: • An unidentified 76-year-old Navy veteran who killed himself in August 2016 in the parking lot of the Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center on Long Island, New York, where he had been a patient. • Peter A. Kaisen, of Islip, Long Is-

land, a former police officer, died after he shot himself at the Long Island VA center. The veteran had reportedly been frustrated that he was unable to see an emergency-room physician for reasons related to his mental health. • In November 2016, the body of John Toombs, a former Army sergeant and Afghanistan veteran, was discovered in a vacant building on the campus of the Alvin C. York VA Medical Center in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Toombs, who hanged himself, left behind a video in which he stated, “Earlier today, I was discharged for trivial reasons. They knew the extent of my problems. When I asked for help, they opened up a Pandora’s box inside of me and kicked me out the door.” • In February 2017, the body of 63-year-old Navy veteran Paul Shuping was found in the parking garage of the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center in North Carolina, six days after he took his own life. Police announced that Shuping had used a .22-caliber rifle to kill himself inside a parked car. • In March 2017, Hank Brandon Lee, 35, a former U.S. Marine lance corporal who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, fatally overdosed on fentanyl while under lockdown at the Department of Veterans Affairs psychiatric facility in Brockton, Massachusetts. Fitting the pattern, but not happening on site, in June 2018, an Air Force veteran upset with the VA set himself on fire outside the Georgia state capitol in Atlanta. He died soon afterward. “He was strapped with some homemade incendiary devices, some firecrackers and doused himself with some kind of flammable liquid and attempted to set himself on fire,” an Atlanta fire department captain told reporters. A major aspect to veterans’ oncampus suicides is the fact their health is deteriorating, says Barbash, who runs the website to help survivors of veteran suicide. “Whether it’s physical, emotional or spiritual, they’re convinced they’re done,” Barbash says. “So this is their last kind of service to their country. And that breaks my heart.”

n a warm September afternoon, Sherry Crews Harvel sits in her house in Oakdale, Illinois, a tiny farm community about 65 miles south-

east of St. Louis. Nearly six months have passed since Harvel’s older brother Phillip took his life. In Harvel’s hands is a copy of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department report on her brother’s suicide. After several minutes reading the report, Harvel sets down the document. She leans back in her chair, then takes out a pack of cigarettes and lighter. She lights up, takes a few thoughtful drags and stares through the swirls of smoke that twist and float toward the ceiling. What concerns her, Harvel says, are the contradictions between what hospital staff told her on the morning of her brother’s death and the information in the police report. Harvel recalls a conversation with her brother’s hospital-assigned physician a few hours after his death.

your ass when you were talking to them,” Tim Harvel says to his wife. “If security had been there like there should have been, he couldn’t get in the door with the pistol to begin with. Something else would’ve happened instead of him committing suicide. If security had been there at that front desk, at least he wouldn’t have killed himself that night.” Marcena Gunter, a St. Louis VA hospital system spokeswoman, declines to address Crews’ family’s concerns about the quality of his treatment and the hospital’s lack of security. “Our deepest sympathies go out to Mr. Crews’ family and loved ones,” Gunter writes. Gunter adds that Crews’ death “has prompted changes in our facility security plan, which now has an additional level of security at our emergency entrance and patient waiting areas.”

After years of complaining to the VA, Crews was allowed to see a private physician, who diagnosed an inflamed stomach lining. But the VA would not pay for subsequent visits to the private physician. “I talked to his doctor that morning and I was furious,” Harvel recalls. “I said, ‘I want to know how in the hell you can walk through there and he shot himself and nobody heard anything?’ She says, ‘We have a “no firearms in the building” sign.’ I said, ‘What the hell is the good in that? What good is a sign going to do if you can still walk in there?’ I said, ‘You all knew he had mental problems. Why didn’t you do something about it?’” The doctor claimed that Crews “was in a wing that nobody goes to and nobody is ever around there,” Harvel recalls. “I said, ‘Well, it had to echo, and nobody heard it.’” But the St. Louis police report states that Crews killed himself in the Ambassador’s Suite, the hospital’s main waiting room, which was under 24/7 video surveillance, Harvel says. “How could his body just sit there for over an hour with no one noticing?” she says. From across the room, Harvel’s husband Tim announces his theory. “They was blowing smoke up

Gunter declined to identify the extra security measures now in place. And when an RFT writer visited in both August and early October, we encountered no metal detectors, no front desk personnel and no security officers. Gunter acknowledges that the Ambassador’s Suite area “is typically unoccupied at that hour of the morning and he was not discovered for approximately 50 minutes.” She says the VA St. Louis Health Care system has three providers on its suicide prevention team and is working to hire a fourth. “Patients can come here to get the care they need that day,” Gunter wrote. “We want veterans and their loved ones to know we stand ready to help whenever possible.”

he John Cochran St. Louis VA Hospital, named for the late Missouri congressman, is one of the largest VA hospitals in the Midwest. With 355 beds, it is a full-ser-

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vice health-care facility providing in-patient and ambulatory care in medicine, surgery, psychiatry, neurology and rehabilitation, plus more than 65 subspecialty areas. A two-division facility, it serves veterans and their families in east central Missouri and southwestern Illinois. The St. Louis VA Hospital system has been the subject of complaints over the years regarding the timeliness and quality of medical care provided to patients. In 2012, a federal review of Cochran and its sister facility, Jefferson Barracks, reported that staff at both hospitals failed to conduct follow-up checks as required with mental-health patients, including those assessed as “high risk” for suicide. Dr. Jose Mathews, the former psychiatric chief for the St. Louis VA system, has complained for years about the quality of mental health care provided to patients. Long a thorn in the side of other VA officials, Mathews quit his job at the hospital in early 2018. Five years earlier, in 2013, Mathews had filed a whistleblower complaint with the federal Office of Special Counsel. Mathews alleged in the complaint that mental health-care staff at the hospital treated patients only a few hours a day and exaggerated their work hours. In July 2014, Mathews testified before a congressional panel that he suffered reprisals from superiors after disclosing that psychiatrists at the St. Louis VA hospital were seeing patients fewer than four hours a day. Mathews told the U.S. House Veterans Affairs Committee that “it was as if there was an agreement amongst all the clinic employees to only work for less than half the time they are paid to work.” Two major metrics in mental health care are “engagement and care” and the drop-out rate of patients, Mathews testified. More than 60 percent of veterans showing up at the St. Louis VA hospital “were not coming back for their visits in the outpatient setting. So there was 60 percent attrition rate,” he said. Gunter, in her email statement, discounts Mathews’ allegations, calling them “several years old” and deriding them as “largely unsubstantiated after being thoroughly investigated four years ago by two separate Office of Inspector General inquiries.” “These largely unsubstantiated allegations have absolutely no relation to Mr. Crews’ suicide,” Gunter writes. “There was no evi-

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friday & saturday DINNER SHOW AT 7P.M. Phillip Crews was buried in April at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. | TOM HELLAUER

PARKING LOT SUICIDES Continued from pg 17

dence found of artificial inflating the work hours or productivity, or manipulation of wait-time data …”

hillip Crews lived in a small, crumbling house at the end of a cul-du-sac off South Kingshighway. As of early August, the house was as he left it on the morning he took his life nearly five months before. The only difference was a cut-off notice from gas utility Spire, hanging from the front door knob. In a handwritten scrawl, a sign posted in the house’s front window warns visitors, “If you are not the mailman or a parcel delivery guy, do not come on my property By law!! You will be shot!!!! Survivors will be shot Again!!” Other crudely drawn signs warn of video and audio surveillance. A side window, its curtains open, shows a house jammed with the detritus of Crews’ 62 years on Earth: old power drills and weed whackers, a tool box, a kid’s lunch box, car jumper cables, a corner piled high with dirty clothes. Nineteen-year-old Keith Boyd, who lives nearby, says Crews could get easily upset, Boyd says. “If he’s working on something and he didn’t get it correctly, he’ll say all these violent words,” he recalls. “Like one day there was somebody that threw a can. Phil said, ‘Pick it up.’ He said, ‘Motherfucker, pick that up.’ And the guy wouldn’t pick it up. So Phil started

going off on the guy. And the guy just kept on walking.” John Noecker, Crews’ friend and occasional employer, described him as a troubled man of many moods. He could be easy-going and friendly one moment, but thinskinned and irritable the next. “I liked Phil. He was a fun guy to be around most of the time,” Noecker says. “When he was feeling good he was generous, and he’d help. He’d lend you a hand or a hand-out.” Crews, Noecker adds, was “somewhat of a protector of his neighbors. He wouldn’t take any guff from anybody, particularly the police.” Yet Crews suffered from depression and stomach pains, and he relied on painkillers and anti-anxiety medications to deal with his health problems, Noecker says. “He had to have them all the time,” Noecker says. “He finally admitted to me he was addicted to those things. I guess he didn’t know what to do about it. He needed them, I guess.” Eating became a painful challenge for him, Noecker says. “It seemed likely any time he tried to eat something, he’d throw up,” Noecker says. “And sometimes they’d give him something that would make him feel better for 24 hours at the most, then, bang, he’d be right back.” In his last few years, Crews talked a lot about suicide, Noecker says. “It was kind of something we thought he was joking about it at first,” Noecker says. “But then in the last few months, we knew it was something that was on his

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PARKING LOT SUICIDES Continued from pg 19

Gregory F.X. Daly Collector of Revenue

Public NOTICE Suits have been filed on the properties listed on the Collector of Revenue website.

www.StLouisCollector.com Collector of Revenue Office St. Louis City Hall Room 109 1200 Market Street St. Louis, MO 63103-2895 Phone: (314) 622-4105 | Fax: (314) 589-6731 Email: propertytaxdept@stlouis-mo.gov Hours of Operation: Mon. - Fri., 8:00am - 5:00pm Tax Sale: 182 195 Circuit Court Division No: 29

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mind. I’d ask him if he was ever thinking about suicide, and he’d say, ‘Well, how can I not think about it? You ask me about it every time I come here, you know.’ Yeah, he was definitely thinking about it.” Noecker downplayed the threats. “We just sort of thought, ‘Well, that’s not going to happen,’” Noecker says. “I couldn’t get inside of his head.” Crews and his three siblings — two sisters and a brother — actually grew up in the house on Beck. Their father worked at a local printing plant, and their mother worked in nursing homes and at a coat factory. It wasn’t an easy childhood; their father could be a tough disciplinarian, according to Sherry Crews Harvel. “My dad was very strong,” she says, declining to elaborate further. Phillip Crews had a daughter with a girlfriend after his time in the service, Harvel says, but father and daughter became estranged. Crews, however, became very close to his daughter’s daughter, a gifted student who is now fifteen, Harvel says. Harvel points to a series of photos of her late brother. Several show him posing with his granddaughter. “As you can tell from the pictures, him holding her, that little girl was everything to him,” Harvel says. “He lived and died for that little granddaughter there.” In his last year of life, Crews began talking more often about taking his life, Harvel says. “He was hurting so bad, he said, ‘Man, I’m sick of this. I’m not going to live like my mom,’” Harvel says, noting their mother suffered immense pain as a result of the colon cancer that eventually claimed her life. After years of complaining to the VA, Crews was finally allowed to see a private physician, who diagnosed an inflamed stomach lining. But the VA would not pay for subsequent visits to the private physician, Harvel says. By this point, Crews was dealing with after-effects from a heart attack, worsening diabetes and depression. His medical problems made it difficult to work, so his financial situation also spiraled downward, Harvel says. Then, about a year ago, the VA cut him off from his supply of opiates and antidepressants, touching off a new round of threats of suicide, Harvel says.

“At the time we all thought he was blowing off steam,” she says. “We never thought he’d really do it. But then, towards the end, when he was getting all his stuff in order, we knew then he was going to do it.”

rews belonged to three groups of Americans especially susceptible to suicide: He was a military veteran, he was a white and middle-aged male, and he owned a handgun. Suicide rates for all three groups have been soaring in recent years. Last year more than 45,000 Americans took their lives, a staggering statistic reflecting the fact that America’s suicide rate has increased by almost 30 percent in less than two decades, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported June 7. The rate for white Americans ages 35 to 64 jumped 40 percent from 1999 to 2010, with men more than 3.5 times more likely to kill themselves than women. Experts cite a wide range of reasons for the sharp jump, including easily accessible painkillers, the lingering effects of the last decade’s mortgage crisis and the challenges of an economy in which wages are stagnant and job security is increasingly rare. Missouri’s suicide rate rose 36.4 percent, while Illinois’ climbed 22.8 percent. Missouri’s suicide rate is now thirteenth highest in the nation. Elizabeth Matoushek, crisis intervention chief for St. Louisbased Provident Inc., says the increase in suicides in Missouri could be caused by a myriad of factors, including financial stress, retirement uncertainty, family struggles and a lack of connection with other people. “All those things can come together into a perfect storm for some people that could lead them to believe that suicide is the only option for them right now,” Matoushek says. It doesn’t help that gun ownership is widespread in the Show Me State, where hunting is a popular pasttime. “Any home that has a firearm in it has a much higher risk that somebody in that home will die by suicide, no matter what the person could do to secure or separate the ammunition from a gun,” Matoushek says. “Seventy percent of people who think about suicide act on it within one hour.” Missouri also exceeds the national average when it comes to the suicide rate for military veterans. In Missouri, it’s 47.2 per

100,000 people, compared to 38.4 nationally, according to a recent Veterans Administration report. Even when mental health care is available, veterans are often reluctant to access it because of the stigma that attaches to mental illness, Matoushek says. “They’re lacking that connection, that brotherhood the military can give them,” she says. “Sometimes men struggle to know, ‘Who am I? What is my purpose in being here if I’m not part of this brotherhood?’”

rews joined the U.S. Marine Corps at age seventeen after dropping out of Cleveland High School on the city’s South Side. He served as a Marine for more than two years, training as a surveyor, before receiving an early discharge under “honorable conditions” in 1974, according to his military records. Crews blamed the VA for his physical problems, Noecker says. “He said, ‘I don’t know what good it does to go,’” Noecker recalls. “Sometimes they’d keep him in the waiting room until nine o’clock at night.” The hospital staff would admit him and allow him to stay overnight. “Then the next morning

they’d kick him out to free up the room for someone else,” Noecker says. Like Crews’ sister, his nephew Harrison recalls the trouble that followed the VA’s decision to cut off his prescriptions. The first time was ten years ago. “They pulled his medication out from under him,” Harrison says. “Well, he was doing fine with the opioids, working every day, dealing with the pain, having no problems, and then they pulled it out from under him, so all he had from then on was just pain, until like the last year.” (Gunter, the spokeswoman, does not address allegations that Crews originally became addicted to opioids thanks to prescriptions he received at the VA.) After that, the VA started giving him opioids again, “but they didn’t do him any good,” Harrison says. “He still had all the pain, and he kept telling them, ‘Look, they’re not doing me any good. I need something to get rid of the pain. You need to find out what’s causing it. I need something for the pain, but I want to know why I’m hurting so damn bad all the time.’” About a year ago, the VA again decided to cut him off, according to Harrison.

“‘That’s why you’re hurting,’” Harrison says VA doctors told his uncle. “He’s like, ‘Fine, I guess I’m hooked on them.’ And then they started telling him the reason he was having so much pain is because he’s hooked on them and he was trying to cut back off of them. I think it was all bullshit.” In Crews’ last month, things took a turn for the worse. “He was in so much pain. He couldn’t eat, he couldn’t sleep,” Harrison says. “He was in so much pain for the last month or so, maybe two months, he couldn’t eat anything, he couldn’t keep it down. He was shitting all over himself. He couldn’t go to sleep. He couldn’t lay down in bed. He couldn’t sleep at all. He’d get very little sleep, if any. He couldn’t work.” Finally, Crews reached a breaking point, telling Harrison, “Look, I can’t live like this. I’m not going to live like this. And I can’t pay my bills if I can’t work.” Crews’ remains are buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in south county. Harrison helped arrange Crews’ burial, as well as the subsequent family reception at a nearby sports bar. Harrison recalls a rifle salute and a bugler playing “Taps.” “It was a nice funeral, I can say that,” he says.

Harrison still thinks about the night his uncle called him just before taking his life. Harrison was on vacation, and Crews’ phone call woke him up at 3:30 a.m. “And he said he was going to the VA and doing it then,” Harrison says. “I told him, ‘I’m on vacation’ and ‘Don’t do anything until I get home.’” “He said, ‘I ain’t waiting no more.’” Months later, in early September, Ameren cut the power to Crews’ house on Beck Avenue. The outdoor lights that had provided some measure of security went dark. On the same night the power went out, thieves kicked in the house’s back door and cleaned out everything, Harvel says. “As soon as they seen the lights were out they were in there,” she says. “There was nothing left. They took it all. Everything.” For those struggling with suicidal thoughts, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7. It is free and confidential. Its number is 1-800-273-8255. RFT contributing writer Mike Fitzgerald can be reached at msfitzgerald2006@gmail.com.

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CALENDAR

BY PAUL FRISWOLD

In A Doll’s House 2, Torvald and Nora (Michael James Reed and Caralyn Kozlowski) are reunited, but why? | PATRICK LANHAM

THURSDAY 10/11 Don’t Look Back

p.m. Sunday (October 11 to 14) at the Grandel Theater (3610 Grandel Square; www.kranzbergartsfoundation.org). Tickets are $6 to $9.

The Greek myth of Eurydice and Orpheus has been retold and reimagined in numerous works of art because a tragic love story is universal. Orpheus and Eurydice are happily married when Eurydice dies in an accident. Distraught with grief, Orpheus journeys to the underworld to beg for her return. He gets his wish, with one caveat: If he looks back at his wife on the journey to the upper world, she’ll be forced to remain dead forever. In Eurydice, playwright Sara Ruhl tells this story through Eurydice’s point of view and adds a new character in the form of Eurydice’s father, who has conquered the forgetfulness of Greek death. He sends letters to the upper world and also receives responses. The University Theatre at Saint Louis University opens its new season with the strange yet classic tragedy. Performances are at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2

Deadites Ahead

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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 teenagers who find an unholy book and with it awaken demonic forces. Over the course of one night they’re possessed, tormented 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 can buy tickets for the splatter zone. It comes with a souvenir white T-shirt, which will

OCTOBER 10 - 16, 2018

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be mostly red by the end of the show. Performances are at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday (October 11 to 27) at the Tower Grove Abbey (2336 Tennessee Avenue; www.straydogtheatre.org). Tickets are $25 to $45.

FRIDAY 10/12 Stormy Weather The Tempest is a story of betrayal, magic, revenge and redemption — and in St. Louis Shakespeare’s new production of the show, the main characters are all women. Prospera is the rightful Duke of Milan, but her ambitious sister Antonia effectively banished her to a remote island. With daughter Miranda for company, Prospera has mastered the use of magic to the point where their lives are comfortable even if not as luxurious as home would be. When Prospera realizes that her usurper and the complicit king are on a nearby ship, she raises a storm that wrecks them on the same treacherous isle and

magically wreaks her revenge. Shakespeare’s The Tempest presents great challenges to a theater company: How do you effectively convey a dangerous storm at sea and the destruction of a ship on stage? 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 become magical. It should be a show to remember. Performances are at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday (October 12 to 21) at the Ivory Theatre (7620 Michigan Avenue; www. stlshakespeare.org). Tickets are $15 to $20.

Scenes from a Marriage Henrik Ibsen’s classic drama A Doll’s House ends with Nora Helmer walking out on her husband and family so that she can live an independent life. This was a shocking, scandalous ending for a play in 1879, but it’s less so in the modern era. In Lucas Hnath’s A Doll’s House 2, Nora returns after fifteen years of traveling, affairs and work. But what does she want? Her dutiful and somewhat dull husband Torvald would certainly like to know. Their youngest child, Emmy, is recently engaged, and neither father nor daughter

WEEK OF OCTOBER 11-17

Artica lives again. | STEVE TRUESDELL wants this reminder of a failed marriage around. Is it possible Nora didn’t find the freedom she wanted? The Repertory Theatre St. Louis continues its season with A Doll’s House 2. Performances are Tuesday through Sunday (October 10 to November 4) at the Loretto-Hilton Center (130 Edgar Road; www.repstl.org). Tickets are $19 to $92.

Soulard Oktoberfest brings gemütlichkeit to the people. | C.D. WAY PHOTOGRAPHY a one-night show at 8 p.m. Saturday, October 13, at Lindenwood University’s Scheidegger Auditorium (2300 West Clay Street; www. lindenwood.edu/j-scheideggercenter-for-the-arts). Tickets are $39.50 to $79.50.

SATURDAY 10/13 Reinventing the Hits

Down by the River

Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox is a musical group that proves a good arranger is vital — and Bradlee is a brilliant arranger. The 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 is 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

Artica began near the dawn of this century, and yet it remains forever new. The outdoor celebration of art, music, people and the Mississippi River adopts a new theme each year, with new installations and performances made in response. The theme for 2018 is MississipEpiphany, a compound thought designed to inspire reflection on the history of the region — both good and bad — and the timeless nature of the river that has flowed through all of those societies, cities and years. The Mississippi has been transformed by dredging and construction, yet still it flows. Artica 2018 takes place from noon to midnight Saturday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday (October 13 and 14) on the Artica site

(Dickon and Lewis streets; www. facebook.com/articafest). The annual Boat of Dreams parade, in which small boats made of biodegradable materials are put in the water to float downstream, starts at noon Saturday. After dark Sunday, the Lady of Artica will be set aflame, to burn in the darkness until next year. Admission is free.

Eins, Zwei, Drei, Soulard It’s mid-October, and it’s high time we had another Oktoberfest in this town. The revived Soulard Oktoberfest steps into the breech from 4 to 11 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday (October 13 and 14) at Soulard Market (Lafayette Avenue and South Eighth Street; www.soulard-oktoberfest.com). You’re a St. Louisan; you know the drill. There will be pretzels, beer (and bier) and polka music, along with a stein-holding competition, axe throwing and the St. Louis Low Brass Collective’s Oktubafest, which combines the tuba

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family of instruments, members of the St. Louis Symphony and a flash mob to great effect. Bogart’s Smokehouse provides a specially designed German menu for the weekend; proceeds benefit neighborhood groups, including the Soulard School and the Soulard Restoration Group. Admission is free, but the VIP option is only $20 and includes access to the Bier Hall tent, premium German food and beer, and a commemorative stein.

SUNDAY 10/14 Talkin’ ’bout Stars Kevin Smith is half the man he used to be. A massive heart attack followed by wholesale lifestyle changes and the switch to a plantbased diet resulted in dramatic weight loss for the director/raconteur. Smith, now with cheekbones, is on the road with pal Ralph Garman for a series of live editions of their Hollywood Babble-On

OCTOBER 10 - 16, 2018

Continued on pg 25

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The characters in Evil Dead the Musical read the wrong books. | JUSTIN BEEN

CALENDAR

Continued from pg 23

smodcast (it’s a portmanteau of “Smith” and “podcast”). Each episode features Smith and Garman discussing Hollywood news, gossip and the stars they encounter with foul-mouthed enthusiasm. Smith and Garman take the show to the Pageant (6161 Delmar Boulevard; www.thepageant.com) at 8 p.m. Sunday, October 14. Tickets are $39.50 to $50.

A Trial of Faith Judas Iscariot’s crime is well known, and his fate of eternal damnation was decreed long ago. An enterprising defense attorney

believes he’s being unjustly punished, however; if the essential tenets of the Christian faith are love and forgiveness, isn’t the former apostle entitled to them? This legal argument brings about a trial that sees Pontius Pilate, Sigmund Freud, Mary Magdalene and Satan himself called to the stand to testify either for or against Judas’ plight. Mustard Seed Theatre opens its twelfth season with Stephen Adly Guirgis’ courtroom black comedy The Last Days of Judas Iscariot. Performances are at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday (October 10 to 28) at the Fontbonne Fine Arts Theatre (6800 Wydown Boulevard; www. mustardseedthreatre.com). Tickets are $15 to $30. n

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STAGE

[REVIEW]

Zombies in My Operetta New Line’s new undead riff on The Pirates of Penzance is a delightmare worth seeing Written by

PAUL FRISWOLD The Zombies of Penzance Book and Lyrics by W.S. Gilbert and Scott Miller. Music by Arthur Sullivan and John Gerdes. Directed by Scott Miller and Mike DowdyWindsor. Presented by New Line Theatre through October 20 at the Marcelle Theater (3310 Samuel Shepard Drive; www.newlinetheatre.com). Tickets are $25 to $30.

omething has gone terribly wrong in Victorian-era New England. The dead no longer remain dead, instead climbing from their graves to stalk the living, sing and occasionally break into a ramshackle chorus line. The living must deal with the prospect of being eaten alive every time they leave the house, and then becoming that which killed them. New Line Theatre’s The Zombies of Penzance adds a dark tinge of horror to Gilbert and Sullivan’s classic operetta of jolly pirates raiding the upper class, and the result is both a nightmare and a delight — let’s call it a “delightmare.” The songs are ripping, the performances are outstanding and the philosophical questions raised by the undead’s increasing dominance are chilling. Scott Miller and John Gerdes are the responsible parties, tinkering with Gilbert’s lyrics and Sullivan’s music to create something more than the sum of the parts. The two St. Louisans have added modern references, profanity and a careful adherence to the spirit of the original operetta. Portraits of George A. Romero and Queen Victoria hang above the old-fashioned stage and its working footlights, hinting at the twin forces at work here. Romero is the godfather of zombies in popular entertainment, and Victoria led the society that simultaneously embraced Gilbert & Sullivan’s jaunty work and harbored

Major-General Stanley and the Zombie King (Zachary Allen Farmer and Dominic Dowdy-Windsor) discuss life and undeath. | JILL RITTER LINDBERG

The Stanley sisters are ready to rumble. | JILL RITTER LINDBERG a morbid fascination with life after death. All of these elements come together on stage, to strange and often comic effect. Our protagonist, Frederic (Sean Michael), is a new-made zombie, and unlike his fellows he’s retained a spark of passion and a moral urge to not eat humans. The former is kindled when he sees the beautiful Mabel (Melissa Felps) and implores her to not fear him. Both Michael and Felps have beautiful voices, and their scenes together are very good. Frederic’s not so free to fall in love, however. The Zombie King (Dominic Dowdy-Windsor) and his horde of starving zombies assure him he’ll soon desire flesh and brains the way they do. Still, they haven’t eaten in far too long,

because it’s the Zombie King’s policy to neither fight nor eat other undead. Word has spread of this quirk, and so every human they encounter claims to be recently undead. Mabel has her own problems. Her father, Major-General Stanley (Zachary Allen Farmer) is a renowned zombie killer, and he’s trained his many daughters in the art. Despite her budding romance with Frederic, Daddy’s not likely to approve of her new beau (or let him go undestroyed). The major set pieces of the original are still present, such as the Stanley sisters hoving into view while singing “We’re Christian Girls” and the Major-General’s patter song, “Modern Major-General,” here recast as “Modern Ma-

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jor Zombie Killer.” Farmer blazes through the song with perfect enunciation, allowing you to catch Miller’s updated lyrics, which include the declaration, “I’ve seen Romero’s movies and I’ve memorized all six of them.” But it’s not all fun and popculture riffs. Despite his lethal nature, the Major-General has a most troubled conscience. The second-act song “When the World Went Bad” cracks open the show’s candy coating to reveal the darkness within. Stanley sings of his fears about the forces bringing the dead to life, and worries about the coarsening of his soul. Is he less moral than the Zombie King, who spares some people (albeit under false pretenses)? The Major-General kills them all, and then shakes with terror and remorse late at night. Is he worse than what he hunts? It’s a question that harkens back to Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel I Am Legend, which was Romero’s own inspiration. The book also informs the finale, which is preceded by a delightfully ridiculous brawl between the Stanley daughters, who are in their bloomers and bearing cricket bats and nunchucks, and the zombie horde. Things become very dark indeed. But you know what they say: It’s always darkest before the dawn of the dead. n

OCTOBER 10 - 16, 2018

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WEST COUNTY

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CAFE

[REVIEW]

Das Wurst Belleville’s long-awaited Hofbräuhaus is about as bad as it gets Written by

CHERYL BAEHR Hofbräuhaus St. Louis-Belleville 123 St. Eugene Drive, Belleville, Illinois; 618-800-2337. Mon.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-midnight; Sun 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

f you want to know what it’s like to dine at Hofbräuhaus St. Louis-Belleville, save yourself the trip across the river. All you need to do is open a can of Read’s German potato salad, dump its entire contents onto a plate with some boiled store-brand hot dogs, and visualize yourself bent over a bierhall table, getting walloped on the ass with a large wooden paddle while an oompah version of Jimmy Buffet’s “Margaritaville” plays in the background. You’re welcome. You might think this nightmare scene is an exaggeration, or perhaps taken from a new Bavarianthemed installation of the Hostel series. I assure you it is not. Instead, it’s a regular occurrence at the Belleville location of the kitschy German bierhall franchise. Unenthusiastic dirndl-decked waitresses smiling with dead eyes as they get groped by patrons? Check. Busloads of conference-attending corporate bros in from Topeka looking to unload after their day-long accounting seminar? Yep. And of course, what visit to Hofbräuhaus is complete without someone clad in a WWII-era German officer’s hat? If you want to encapsulate 2018 in a restaurant, Hofbräuhaus comes shockingly close. Perhaps I am a bit grumpy, having spent more than an hour and a half waiting for a table at Hofbräuhaus on a Saturday night during Oktoberfest (an admittedly amateur mistake). However long that wait, though, it was nothing compared to the delays that have plagued the project from its inception. When the ceremonial groundbreaking occurred for

You can get all the German classics here, from a sausage plate to Jägerschnitzel. But maybe stick to the apple strudel. | MABEL SUEN the St. Louis-Belleville location in 2015, the plan was to open in late 2016, only to have that timeline pushed back again and again until it finally opened to the public this past March. The restaurant was pitched as just one part of a bigger development, with a conference center and multiple hotels. Yet the land around Hofbräuhaus remains vacant, without another building in sight. The effect is eerie, the giant, gleaming white, castle-like structure rising from a treeless field, as out of place as the monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey. The soundstage-like feel is appropriate in that Hofbräuhaus is more theme park than authentic German experience. Though loosely related to the iconic, centuriesold Hofbräuhaus in Munich, the watered-down version that has made its way to the States is part of a franchise with eight locations, including Las Vegas and St. Petersburg, Florida. The look certainly captures the feel of the original: large, communal wooden tables and soaring white arched walls with blue-checkered accents. But while its Bavarian model feels like an organic, traditional German

If you are at Hofbräuhaus for anything other than the spectacle, prepare to be dismayed, with food that tastes like it was made for “German night” at a nursing home. experience that seamlessly blends into the city’s culture and architecture, transported to southern Illinois, it feels purely performative. Which is fine if you like the touristy kitsch of, say, Medieval Times or Dixie Stampede. You go to places like this for the spectacle, and on that front, Hofbräuhaus delivers. For every instance of impropriety you see on a beer-fueled Saturday

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night (if you think I’m making up the butt-smacking antics, Google “Take a Shot Get a Swat”), you’ll find twenty examples of good ol’ German-American fun: kids doing “the Chicken Dance,” multigenerational families dressed in lederhosen and dirndls, parents and children playing cornhole in the adjacent outdoor field, and a full-sized Alphorn bellowing traditional tunes. Are you surprised that everyone yells “Ricola” at the end of the performance? If you are at Hofbräuhaus for anything other than the spectacle, however, prepare to be dismayed, with food that tastes like it was made for “German night” at a nursing home (apologies to the talented chefs who deliver much better food at some of the area’s fine skilled-care centers). In theory, the dishes are authentic. In actuality, they are sad approximations of traditional German cuisine, which, though it gets a bad rap, can be utterly delicious if prepared correctly. Here they are not, which was immediately apparent when our order of obatzda arrived. Billed as a Bavarian cheese spread consisting

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HOFBRÄUHAUS Continued from pg 33

of brie, butter and cream cheese, the concoction arrived as two melon-baller scoops of barnyardscented orange glop, plopped on shredded iceberg lettuce and served with a pretzel. It tastes like a burp after eating super-funky blue cheese. The pretzel itself is of good quality and appropriately crusted with salt, and thankfully you can order it without the obatzda. As part of the “Jumbo Pretzel Combo,” it’s served with razor-sharp onion mustard and honey-like sweet mustard. Both are adequate, though my preferred condiment is the beer cheese sauce that can be ordered for an additional charge. Velvety and laced with the sweet tang of beer, it was the secondbest thing I ate at Hofbräuhaus. First place goes to the potato pancakes, two thin fritters akin to hash browns and flecked with black pepper. Crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, these golden beauties have the salty rich satisfaction you want to soak up a day of beer-drinking. Entrees, however, were one disaster after another. Jägerschnit-

zel was tough, tasteless and smothered in a substance akin to the dark brown film that forms around the edges of a gravy pan when it sits on a steam table for too long. If the texture was off, the flavor was even more so, overwhelmed by the tinny taste of canned mushrooms. The crispy fried onions and pieces of bacon topping the pork were the best part of the dish. The worst, besides the gravy, was the tasteless spätzle. The dried-out, bland noodles were the plastic texture of Top Ramen before it’s reconstituted. It was a slap in the face to the traditional dish. The breaded pork cutlet, or “Schnitzel Weiner Art,” was less offensive because it had fewer components — just fried pork, German potato salad and some cranberries. The pork itself was chewy and lacked salt; the German potato salad tasted canned and slimy. The “Grillhendl” promised half a roasted chicken stuffed with parsley, beer butter and onion. Instead, it was dried out and overcooked like a day-old rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. The promised “dark beer sauce” was more like packet brown gravy that covered the meat and bled into the mediocre German potato salad.

Sauerbraten was one of the better entrees. The slow-cooked beef pot roast was tender, if not a bit mushy, and its delicate red-wine braising liquid was the best of the entrée sauces I tried at Hofbräuhaus. The root vegetables that accompanied it were softened but still had pleasant crunch. I also enjoyed the “Gebackenes Fischfilet,” a large piece of cod cut thick and fried so it broke apart in thick flakes. The fish’s breading was well seasoned and not crisp, and the accompanying tartar sauce pleasantly piquant. A pork-and-beef burger, however, was so overcooked, dried out and generally tasteless, it makes the concession-stand patties you get at the zoo seem like Wagyu. The funny thing is that the bun — not the well-done beef — was the toughest part of the sandwich. I had to saw vigorously with my knife to cut it in half. The hot dogs, er, “Vienna-style frankfurters,” were a better choice. But even they were disappointing. The snappy sausages were one of three meat tubes served on the “Wurstplatte.” The other two, which supposedly featured pork and chicken, respectively, tasted like average bratwurst — and oddly identical.

BREAKFAST. LUNCH. OPPORTUNITY. O RD ER O N L I N E F O R PI CK U P O R D EL I V ERY 5200 Oakland Ave. in St. Louis 314-65-BLOOM | thebloom.cafe Open Monday-Saturday, 7 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

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Still, I’ll hand it to Hofbräuhaus on one point: They know how to end on a high note. The apple strudel is, hands down, the best thing on the menu. A buttery pastry is filled with softened apples that are shingled with layers of dough. The layered effect is like a beautiful marriage of baklava and the perfect apple pie. The servers must like it when guests order dessert; such a pleasant endnote is guaranteed to make guests more receptive to the gratuity chat that accompanies every credit-card payment. Apparently, Hofbräuhaus’ point-of-sale system was designed in Germany, where tipping is not customary, and so it offers no way to leave a gratuity on your credit card after it’s run through the system. Instead, servers are forced into an uncomfortable situation where they have to explain the problem, then ask you to tell them what you would like to tip before they take the payment. It’s completely awkward — but I’ll give credit where it’s due: At least they have one authentically German thing down pat.

Hofbräuhaus St. Louis-Belleville Potato pancakes ...................................... $11 Wurstplatte .............................................. $17 Sauerbraten salmon ................................ $20

A social enterprise program of

Bloom Café serves a fresh take on casual dining while helping people with disabilities grow their independence through a unique job training program. Just steps away from Forest Park and the St. Louis Science Center, Bloom Café serves breakfast and lunch six days a week.

SHORT ORDERS

[SIDE DISH]

A Jersey Boy Who Found His Spot in St. Louis Written by

CHERYL BAEHR

rowing up in Cape May, New Jersey, Michael Fricker began working in kitchens not so much by choice, but because it’s what you did in a tourism-driven coastal community. “In the winter there are about 3,000 residents, but during the summer it goes up to 78,000,” explains Fricker. “It’s 100 percent hospitality driven — just hotels, bed-and-breakfasts and fishing. Everyone worked in either hospitality or fishing. That’s just how you made your money.” Now executive sous chef at the new Cinder House (999 North 2nd Street, 314-881-5759), Fricker may have originally felt the restaurant business was his only option, but once he got there, he realized he had a passion for it. At first, he began in the front of the house, working at a quintessential touristy lobster shack where he bussed tables and ran food. Eventually, he moved his way up to a service bartending position, making rum runners and frozen drinks. The pace was bruising, but Fricker found the environment exhilarating. Still, he did not consider the business as a long-term career path, opting instead to go to college where he majored in theology and Jewish studies. About halfway through his degree program, however, he began to feel antsy. Eventually, he was overcome with the feeling that he was not on the right track. Fricker left college and traveled a bit before returning to Cape May and getting a job in a restaurant. This time, though, he found himself in the back of the house,

After growing up in coastal New Jersey, Michael Fricker now embraces the Midwest’s bounty at Cinder House. | JEN WEST where it felt as if a light switch had been turned on. He was hooked. “I fell in love with the culture, the stress, the adrenaline, the heat, the knives,” Fricker explains. “It was electric. We would go to the docks in the morning to pick up fish, and we would butcher and serve it that night. Being able to work with living organisms — whether it was fish or mushrooms or whatever — meant understanding that these were living things that needed to be respected. You had to have an appropriate understanding of what you were doing.” Fricker moved from Cape May to Portland, Oregon, where he enrolled in culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu. After graduating, he traveled around, staging and working everywhere from Seattle to Oaxaca until he felt the pull to come home to New Jersey. This time, he was able to get a gig at an elegant boutique hotel running several of the property’s food-service outlets and assisting with its massive wedding program. Fricker was happy at the hotel, but he wanted to be a part of something bigger — a brand with international recognition where he could advance his career. When a recruiter informed him of

a position at an Italian restaurant at the Four Seasons in St. Louis, he was curious. “I didn’t know how to cook Italian food — being from Philly and New Jersey, I don’t know how that happened,” Fricker laughs. “The recruiter said he thought it would be a good opportunity for me, and the next thing I knew, I was moving out here four weeks later.” Fricker knew little of St. Louis before he came for his job interview, but he was immediately smitten by the parks, architecture, overall cleanliness of the city and the great restaurants. It helps that Gian Nicolo Colucci, executive chef of the Four Seasons St. Louis, took him to Olio. “I remember sitting outside eating octopus and beet salad and hummus in this gorgeous restaurant and thinking, ‘Wow, this could be home,’” Fricker recalls. “I wanted to see what St. Louis had to offer.” Much has changed since Fricker moved here two years ago, not the least of which was a major transition for the hotel’s dining options. The Italian cuisine he was initially drawn to at the hotel’s acclaimed restaurant Cielo has been replaced with Gerard Craft’s Latin American-inflected Cinder House, with Fricker one of the main point

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people responsible for making sure it was a seamless changeover. To his credit, it has been. “The staff has taken to it and bought into the concept immediately,” Fricker says. “We told them that you have to evolve and change and update and become new and better. Change is difficult, but if we go through it together, we will come out on the other side better.” As for Fricker, he feels that he is also evolving, not just with the concept but with the move to the Midwest — the most landlocked place he’s lived. However, he says that leaving the coast and its bounty hasn’t been hard and has not changed the way he approaches food. In fact, it’s underscored his philosophy. “The one thing moving away from the ocean has taught me is that you have to let the ingredients speak, no matter where you are or what you are doing,” Fricker says. “Every region has beautiful product in its own right, and you have to understand where you are and allow dishes to go where they are supposed to go. You never want to force something. As you create, you have to evolve.” Fricker stepped away from the

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With aims of being the best sandwich shop in the city, Snarf’s award-winning sandwich shops has carved out quite a delicious niche in St. Louis. Owners Jodi and Maty Aronson opened Snarf’s first successful St. Louis location after Jodi’s brother Jimmy Seidel founded the concept in Colorado. Currently at four locations, Snarf’s is readily feeding the Gateway City’s appetite for fast, flavorful, toasted sandwiches using only the finest ingredients. Choosing a favorite from more than 20 classic and specialty sandwich options is difficult, but try the New York Steak & Provolone, with juicy bits of premium meat cooked to perfection and accented with cheese and Snarf’s signature giardiniera pepper blend for a kick. All sandwiches are made with Fazio’s locally made fresh-baked bread and can be customized with a variety of fresh toppings. Don’t forget to check out the salads served with homemade dressings, rotating soups, sides such as Zapp’s gourmet potato chips, and desserts. Snarf’s also offers vegetarian options, a gluten-free menu, a full catering menu and delivery.

“Laissez les bons temps rouler” typically is what you’d hear in New Orleans, but thanks to the southerncomfort cooking at Highway 61 Roadhouse & Kitchen, there are plenty of good times rolling in St. Louis, too. The Webster Grove hotspot blends the voodoo of the bayou with hearty fare and drinks for a spicy experience. In a charming, funky space with colorful blues paraphernalia lining the walls and live music throughout the week, kick off the night with deep-fried wontons stuffed with shrimp, Cajun grits, bacon and a blend of pepperjack and ghost cheese. For a real taste of Louisiana, order the D.D.D. Sampler; named for the “Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives” episode that visited Hwy 61, the sampler includes the restaurant’s signature red beans and rice, BBQ Spaghetti and CajAsian potstickers. If you’re really hungry, opt for platters that feature the smothered catfish, stuffed chicken or blackened meat medallions served with a variety of kickin’ sides. Wash it all down with plenty of beers, wines and specialty cocktails.

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For a transcendent wine experience in St. Louis, Copia is the place to be. Named for the Roman goddess of abundance, wealth, pleasure and harvest, Copia pours plenty of vino alongside its classic New American fare. Experience the world through dozens of wines, available by the bottle or by the glass; for the adventurous, there are wine or spirit flights that offer tastes of Copia favorites. The wine doesn’t stand alone, though – at Copia, the food is as thoughtful as the drink. For dinner, feast on slow-roasted prime rib or slow-braised lamb shank, each succulent and served with delectable sides. From the sea, try jumbo jalapno and cilantro shrimp jambalaya, served with cajun-spiced andouille sausage and creole rice. And now there’s even more Copia to go around – 14 years after opening the flagship location downtown, Copia recently has added a location in Clayton and also soon will be in West County.

As one of the premier vegetarian restaurants in the St. Louis area, Frida’s has earned accolades for serving hearty meals that are as tasty as they are nourishing. Owners Natasha Kwan-Roloff (also the executive chef) and Rick Roloff elevate vegetarian cuisine by marrying high-quality, local ingredients with innovative flavors. All items are made from scratch, have no butter or sugar and use little to no oil – but with the flavors and creativity at Frida’s, you won’t miss anything. The University City restaurant’s newest hit is the Impossible Burger – a massive plant-based patty that has the texture and juiciness of meat and often fools carnivores. Frida’s award-winning signature namesake burger is no slouch, either, with its tahini-chipotle slaw topping and local bun. The menu also boasts decadent favorites like tacos, wraps, pizzas and desserts, and a new Sunday brunch that just launched in April. Beer and wine are available, and many of Frida’s menu items can be modified for vegan or gluten-free diners.

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Everyone needs a hideaway – a place that’s “yours,” where you can find good food, good drink and good friends. In St. Louis, Blood & Sand is such a special spot. The acclaimed downtown parlour has become known for excellent cocktails like its namesake, a tribute to the Rudolph Valentino silent movie; other favorites are named for popular songs, such as the Wannabe (Spice Girls) and The Harder They Come (Jimmy Cliff). Blood & Sand has an carefully crafted New American menu to complement those drinks, as well. Kick off dinner with the ceviche, featuring king diver scallop, aguachile and avocado before moving on to main courses like wild boar loin or roasted quail. At the end of the meal, don’t miss the Candy Bar, a decadent log of coffee, chocolate, dulce de leche, coconut and almond. Previously available for its membership only, Blood & Sand now has opened its doors to the public, though members will continue to receive extra touches like preferential pricing and special tastings.

The fast-fresh, made-to-order concept has been applied to everything from pizza to pasta in St. Louis, but the sushi burrito surprisingly had no Gateway City home until BLK MKT Eats opened near Saint Louis University last fall. It was worth the wait, though, because BLK MKT Eats combines bold flavors and convenience into a perfectly wrapped package that’s ideal for those in a rush. Cousins and co-owners Kati Fahrney and Ron Turigliatto offer a casual menu full of high-quality, all-natural ingredients that fit everything you love about suAVERAGE SUSHI SPOT shi and burritos right in your hand. TheNOT SwedishYOUR Fish layers Scandinavian cured salmon, yuzu dill slaw, Persian cucumbers and avocado for a fresh flavor explosion. Another the Fire, features your choice 9 SOUTH VANDEVENTER DINE-IN,favorite, TAKEOUT OROG DELIVERY MON-SAT 11AM-9PM of spicy tuna or salmon alongside tempura crunch, masago, shallots, jalapeño and piquant namesake sauce; Persian cucumbers and avocado soothe your tongue from the sauce’s kick. All burrito rolls come with sticky rice wrapped in nori or can be made into poké bowls, and all items can be modified for vegetarians.

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MICHAEL FRICKER Continued from pg 35

kitchen to share his thoughts on the St. Louis food-and-beverage community, the virtues of coconut water and why his dream meal is a taste of home. What is one thing people don’t know about you that you wish they did? That I’m actually a pretty shy person. I think it comes from growing up in a very small town. Even though I’ve traveled and moved around a lot, it still takes a lot for me to get comfortable with people. This is one of the reasons I love the back of house so much. What daily ritual is non-negotiable for you? This one has started kind of recently but I’m trying to cut the extensive amount of coffee that I drink, so I’ve been drinking coconut water every morning. It has become something that really wakes me up and gets me ready to go on my drive to work. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Without a doubt, flying — the ability to travel and have an adventure on a dime would be in-

credible. What is the most positive thing in food, wine or cocktails that you’ve noticed in St. Louis over the past year? The sense of community. I’ve never felt so supported in the industry before. It’s incredible how close-knit everyone is and how open they are to letting new people in. It’s really different and great here in St Louis. There are so many cool collaborations that come out of that; it’s really fun to watch and experience! What is something missing in the local food, wine or cocktail scene that you’d like to see? For me, personally, it’s late-night food. It’s kind of limited after 10 p.m., and since I usually don’t get done until 11 or so I would like some more options for that. I love that Good Fortune is doing the late-night Friday thing and am really excited to check that out. Also, something that I loved when I lived in Philly was a speakeasy — a legit one that is hard to get to and an adventure to find. It makes the experience so much more worth it when you have to seek it out. Who is your St. Louis food crush? I’m not sure it is a crush, but what Matt McGuire has done at

Louie is amazing. The food is so good. You can taste the care and love they put into it. They have a really strong and dedicated staff and it reflects in the product. Who’s the one person to watch right now in the St. Louis dining scene? It’s difficult to choose one. I’m excited to see what Brian Moxey does taking the lead at Sardella; I think that’s going to be a lot of fun. Alex Henry from Nixta does some great, really fun food. Alex Herman who did the Young Blood dinner is one to watch as well. I will say I’m pretty in love with my staff too; I think they have such a desire to be great and an openness to learning that is fun to watch. There is some real talent here that I’m excited about. Which ingredient is most representative of your personality? This is a tough one. I think it’s an oyster. I was raised in a beach town and so the ocean is so important to who I am. Also it takes a little work to get me to open up. If you weren’t working in the restaurant business, what would you be doing? Fishing. My hometown industry is hospitality and commercial fishing, so if I didn’t start in restaurants I most likely would have

ended up on a boat. Name an ingredient never allowed in your restaurant. There really aren’t any. I try to respect food enough to never close the book on something. I think the only answer is something that isn’t in season and tasty yet. What is your after-work hangout? I have a few. Taste Bar is the big one for me because they have great late-night snacks and always fantastic drinks. The Heavy Anchor has become one of my favorite dive bars — fantastic beer selections and just a really fun spot to be with friends. Tick Tock Tavern is another that has become a mainstay for me. What’s your food or beverage guilty pleasure? Without a doubt, chocolate milk. We drink a fair amount of chocolate milk. It all steams from our chef de partie Austin Beckett, who would make it in a gallon milk jug for the kitchen when we finished up. What would be your last meal on earth? Oysters, beer-steamed crabs in Old Bay, grilled corn on the cob and you-peel shrimp. I’m from a coastal town and I can’t help myself around those items. n

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Downtown 2000 Market Street St. Louis, MO 63103 (314) 421-1388

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Sunset Hills 3828 S Lindbergh Blvd St. Louis, MO 63127 (314)842 - 7678

OCTOBER 10 - 16, 2018

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[ L AT E - N I T E ]

This Slice Spot Stays Open Late Written by

DESI ISAACSON

he Grove finally has a latenight pizza spot. Pie Guy Pizza (4189 Manchester Avenue, 314-899-0444) offers New York-style pizza by the slice until 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. The small counter-service spot, which is attached to Gezellig Bottle Shop, is fronted with a garage door that stays open to the street during most hours of operation. After 1 a.m. on the weekends, however, the door closes and pizza is served out a late-night window for the final two hours. The spot isn’t much bigger than a garage, with one metal communal table in the center and a counter separating the kitchen from the rest of the restaurant. The high-top table feels like one you might prepare a pizza on. And with no wall between the kitchen and the dining area, you always feel as if you might accidentally be in the kitchen, or they might want you there. The white walls and cement floor across the length of the restaurant make the whole thing feel like one big room (which, re-

[BARS]

Now You Can Cycle While You Sip in Downtown STL Written by

SARAH FENSKE

he idea came, as they sometimes do, over bottomless mimosas. Brian Beirne was talking to his friends at a post-brunch workout, and one mentioned that he’d recently had a blast in Nashville. They started talking about the “barcycles” there — basically bars on wheels that let riders pedal as a group, sipping (or stopping for) drinks along the way. It was a casual conversation, but for Beirne, who runs his own screen-printing

Nestled in the Grove, Pie Guy Pizza offers an order window open ’til 3 a.m. | DESI ISAACSON ally, it is). Two additional small tables on the sidewalk outside are perfect for people-watching. A passageway inside leads you into Gezellig Bottle Shop. At the two-year-old bottle shop, you can order from a large assortment of beers or even take a seat; Pie Guy will bring your pizza to your table on either side of the wall. The partnership is perfect because Pie Guy doesn’t serve alcohol of its own. Co-owner Mitch Frost is something of a pizza savant. He started working in his teens at Dewey’s

on Delmar and has even taught a course on pizza-tossing at the Kitchen Conservatory, according to Feast Magazine. At the counter, you can order a full pie any way you like with an assortment of toppings including pepperoni, sausage, mushroom, spinach, roasted garlic and more. There are also slices of classic favorites like cheese, pepperoni and veggie, ready to be heated up on your command. Frost uses sourdough bread that’s been cold fermented for three days and gets many of the other ingre-

business, it felt like it could be something more. “That’s the thing about being self-employed,” he says. “I realized, ‘This could be a viable business — and also a lot of fun.’ And then you just go for it.” Which, yes, he did. Beirne’s new enterprise, Cycle Saloon, launched last month with a fleet of two barcycles, each available for rental in two-hour blocks and capable of seating up to fourteen. The concept is not new to St. Louis — if you’ve ever been to Soulard, you may well have seen one puttering around the proverbial island along with all those golf carts. But Beirne believes he’s the first to offer the service in downtown St. Louis. He too plans to offer a Soulard option, but says downtown will truly be his focus. “A lot of people just see downtown at twenty miles an hour,” he says. “When you drive by in your car, you don’t really get a feel for it. It’s really beautiful.” The company is offering a variety of routes — you can pedal the whole time

or stop at various bars along the way. Or, what the heck, the stops don’t even have to be bars. “There’s so many fun activities here, and a lot of them are free,” Beirne says of downtown. So far, he says, traffic hasn’t been a problem. While downtown is certainly faster paced than Soulard, on the weekends, it’s often fairly quiet, and the wide streets lend themselves to cars being able to get around if need be. And if you’re part of a smaller group, or you’re simply exhausted after, say, bottomless mimosas, Cycle Saloon has you covered. The machines have a small electric motor that can be turned on when necessary, whether it’s to get you up that hill or just get you home at the end of your journey. You don’t need to be fit to power the thing. “It’s about whatever you want to put into it,” Beirne says. For more information on Cycle Saloon, check out stlcyclesaloon.com. n

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dients from Italy. The menu has a few other options other than pizza, like pistachio nuts or garlic knots, but Frost says he is working on other items to add, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. As we sat at the communal table on a recent Friday, people kept asking if we had tried the pizza yet and if we liked it (over and over again). We didn’t even have time to snap a few photos of our slices before we were getting nagged about how we could let something sit there so long that looked so delicious. Maybe they were drunk; maybe they were just rooting hard for the spot to succeed. The Pie Guy website describes its style as “hand-tossed New York style pizza.” The thin crust is crispy, full of flavor, and can be folded just like a New York slice. There is just the right amount of grease to make it simmer, but not feel heavy and gross. Crust bubbles pop up and add extra crunch. And each slice is pretty damn big. It might be the closest you can get to New York in this city without taking a flight. So, the next time you’re barhopping around the Grove on the weekend and you realize the hunger is coming, but everything is closed, fear no longer. You might remember Pie Guy is still open, or you might stumble in on accident. As the website says, “No point in mentioning those flying slices of pizza. You’ll see them soon enough.” Pie Guy Pizza is open Tuesday through Thursday from 4:30 p.m. to midnight, Friday from 4:30 p.m. to 3 a.m., and Saturday from noon to 3 a.m. n

Brian Beirne hopes to focus his two new barcycles on the downtown scene. | COURTESY OF CYCLE SALOON

OCTOBER 10 - 16, 2018

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Slider House IPA Slider House APA

"Sprarti" Dip Six Wings Buﬀalo Chicken Dip Bean Dip

MUSIC & CULTURE

[HOMESPUN]

A New Leaf Elliott Pearson & the Passing Lane goes full country on its debut EP Written by

CHRISTIAN SCHAEFFER

s he enumerates his own musical history, country-flecked singer-songwriter Elliott Pearson stumbles on a truism that will resonate with most working musicians. “Every band you’re in, you think is gonna be the last band you’re in,” he says. Of course, most bands are lucky to spit out a few albums before internal combustions or outside forces interfere, and Pearson has done time in enough well-regarded local outfits to know this intimately. The Wood River, Illinois, native crossed the river to play around St. Louis with the folksy Great Outdoors, and that band’s dissolution led him to the muscular indie band Search Parties, which wore its love for Arcade Fire, Wilco and Springsteen nakedly. “Relationships soured,” Pearson says of the Great Outdoors. “The same thing happened a few more times and then I decided to do my own thing.” Doing his own thing is in keeping with Pearson’s musical genesis, which was ignited when he harangued his father for a guitar. “He wanted me to play piano, but piano is lame and guitar is awesome,” Pearson recalls of his intransigence. A trip to the music store to pick out a trumpet for his brother led to his first axe: a long-since-sold Austin guitar and, as he recalls, “a shitty little Crate combo amp.” Pearson’s father was no match for his son’s persistence. “I saw a guitar, and after wearing him down he bought it for me.” He now serves as the honcho in Elliott Pearson & the Passing Lane, which made its recorded debut with a three-song EP, Devil’s Paradise, in early October and has already hit local stages and festivals around town. This group leans into explicitly country ter-

Pearson previously put in time with the Great Outdoors and Search Parties before stepping up as a bandleader. | LOREN DOUGHTY ritory, with a heavy influence of still-ascendant voices like Isbell and Sturgill and Stapleton — “all the big guys in Nashville doing it themselves, not the pop garbage,” as Pearson says. “My music taste is just everevolving and eclectic,” he continues, noting how past and present influences have collided in his latest project. “Springsteen is rock & roll, but those songs on Nebraska are basically country songs.” After Search Parties split, Pearson didn’t have a master plan to kickstart a new band, and his role performing under his own name wasn’t preordained. “I had a lot of these songs in my back pocket for years that never fit, and I sat on them,” he says. As he began working on the songs that the Passing Lane would fill out, he found that twangy guitar and weepy pedal steel felt appropriate, fitting nicely against a warm and bristly voice that can hide its heart in a mumble or soar above a Telecaster’s strings. “It just seemed fitting to go the Americana route to tell the stories,” he says.

Devil’s Paradise is designed to give a brief taste of Pearson and Passing Lane’s sound, from the end-of-love farewell “Lucky” to the soulful, trumpet-laced “Tennessee Soul.” But such a brief introduction wasn’t part of the plan, either. “We made a ten-song LP at first and recently decided to pivot because we haven’t been a band for that long and we wanted to get something out there,” Pearson says of the EP, which finds the band sounding assured but still malleable. After years of playing and singing in bands of great promise but faulty interpersonal dynamics, Pearson is a little more intentional this time around. The band is still democratic, he says, but since it’s his name on the album, he feels the need to direct traffic more directly. “I am trying to be more of a band leader now than I was,” Pearson says. “I don’t want to say I’m a pushover, but I’m kind of a pushover. In previous bands, if someone wasn’t doing what I heard in my head, I always rationalized it

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in my head. Now I’m trying to be more active — not to put my foot down, but to say what it is I want.” Even still, Pearson finds that he is still occasionally on the business end of showbiz machinery. In a just-released video for “Lucky,” Pearson walks through a leafy hiking trail, intoning the words of the song as he’s decked all in black. As often happens, this was not the original plan, which involved the band playing at a church in Columbia, Illinois. The resulting video is bucolic, ruminative and, for its star, a reminder of a damned hot summer day. “That video is really just me sweating my ass off in the woods,” Pearson says. “I was dressed for a downtown video shoot, so I was wearing all black. It had rained the night before and there was no air moving through.” After six or seven takes, though, Pearson was ready to call it a day. He’s happy with the resulting clip, even if he’s typically nonchalant about the final product. “It’s just me walking through the woods, touching a bunch of leaves,” he says. n

OCTOBER 10 - 16, 2018

RIVERFRONT TIMES

[ICONS]

Order Up Local legend and former Ikette Ms. Robbie Montgomery releases her first new music in 40 years Written by

ROY KASTEN

s. Robbie Montgomery has had an extraordinary life: in music, in cooking, in restaurant ventures, in television and in the St. Louis community, which she still calls her own. And at the age of 78, she’s not near done yet. In the last two years alone, she’s closed one restaurant (Sweetie Pie’s at the Mangrove), opened another (Sweetie Pie’s Hamburger Heaven, in the Skinker DeBaliviere neighborhood) and ended a long run (100 episodes) of the awardwinning reality television show Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s, which aired on the Oprah Winfrey Network. With Sweetie Pie’s locations still open in Ferguson and Grand Center, she remains an icon of both soul food and soul music, though for the last decades of her life, she has only performed the rare concert and released no fulllength recordings. This fall, however, Montgomery has decided to return to performing and to recording, with Miss Robbie Is What They Call Me, her first substantial release in 40 years. The seven-song EP finds the singer in warm and feisty voice, her distinctive vibrato only barely mellowed by time. The release would sit well beside the late-career work of her deep-soul peers Candi Staton, Mavis Staples and even Tina Turner, with whom she came of age as a working musician in the Ikettes. “I learned everything from my time in the Ikettes,” she says on the phone from her home in St. Louis. “We all left home at a young age. We learned to dance, how to deliver songs, please an audience. We were a family. There were maybe twenty of us. We did everything together.” That early life in music introduced Montgomery to both the art and business of entertainment. She grew up fast and saw the world, including the segregated South, with one of the greatest rhythm and blues revues in history. She was more than just a backup singer

RIVERFRONT TIMES

“I tell everyone that music is my first love and the kitchen is my second,” says restaurateur and reality star Ms. Robbie Montgomery. | VIA 2R’S ENTERTAINMENT & MEDIA PR to Ike and Tina Turner. She was Tina’s confidant through some of her darkest days, and her life on the road only made her more convinced of what she was born to do. “Back in the ’60s it was called the Chitlin Circuit,” she says. “We traveled on the bus, slept on the bus, and there were very few hotels for black entertainers. We’d wait on our bus till James Brown and his band checked out, wait ’til the maids cleaned the rooms, and then we’d check in. And then another group would follow us. Things were very limited. Restaurants were segregated, so we’d go in through back doors. But that was what the world was made of. So we had to adapt and do what we had to do.” Surveying Montgomery’s musical history is like plunging into a deep well. As a young woman living in the Pruitt-Igoe projects she formed a group called the Rhythmettes, sang on the legendary session for Ike and Tina’s breakout hit “A Fool In Love,” formed the Mirettes with Venetta Fields and Jessie Smith (also alumni of

OCTOBER 10 - 16, 2018

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the Ikettes) and released several albums with that vocal group. Throughout the ’70s she remained in demand as a singer, working with everyone from Dr. John to Stevie Wonder to B.B. King to Pink Floyd, although contrary to some reports she never recorded with the Beatles. Just as the music of Aretha Franklin would not be so transformative without the backing of the Sweet Inspirations, it’s no overstatement to say that the evolution of rhythm and blues into rock & roll and into soul and funk would sound very different without the voice of Robbie Montgomery. (And in case Joe Edwards is reading this: Ms. Montgomery is way overdue for a star on Delmar’s Walk of Fame.) For years Montgomery poured her soul out on stage, though she often did so through the pain of the asthma, until finally her lungs gave out at a concert in New York and she had to put a halt to her musical career. “Nobody told me I couldn’t sing,” she explains, “but I had to give myself the proper time to

heal. You keep trying and trying. I did little songs here and there and conditioned myself with breathing. I’m not going to work like I did back in the day on the road, not every night. But a few shows a month, I think I can do.” Along with the strength of Montgomery’s voice, the most welcome revelation on Miss Robbie Is What They Call Me is her choice of songs. Along with moving (and funky) original material, she turns to some of her favorite country songs, including hits from unlikely sources like Barbara Mandrell and K. T. Oslin. “I love country music,” she says. “You don’t have to be black or white to listen to it. It’s just like gospel. It doesn’t matter how good you can sing. It’s the stories. I’m an Elvis Presley fan, and I really loved him back in the day. I’ve always listed to the lyrics, the content of the song. Country songs are love songs to me.” And just as she sees no boundaries between musical genres, Montgomery sees no separation between her culinary and musical gifts. Both are about keeping the customer satisfied — that’s ultimately her motivation and reward. “I’m a people person,” she states. “If I’m dealing with the public, I feel right at home. You’re trying to please people. It was the same thing when I went into the restaurant business. I was pretty comfortable with the transition, with the exception of my health. I came from a big family of nine, and my mama taught me how to cook. I’d do all the cooking on the road, and if the band liked the food, I knew I could do it. I cook my food with love, so it’s better than the average. When my customers are happy, and they say they like the food, that’s a reward you can’t buy with money.” For her EP release at the Sheldon Concert Hall, Montgomery will be joined by a full band largely drawn from the St. Louis gospel community and directed by veteran musicians Charles Creath and Donald Gibbs. At the concert, Montgomery will cover music from across her career, including songs by Etta James and Tina Turner. “I’m hoping all my years as a singer, singing with all these different groups, I can make this work,” she says. “I tell everyone that music is my first love and the kitchen is my second. I’m just doing my best to put on a great show.”

Ms. Robbie Montgomery EP Release 8 p.m. Saturday, October 13. The Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Boulevard. $30 to $50. 314-533-9900.

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OCTOBER 10 - 16, 2018

RIVERFRONT TIMES

[PREVIEW]

Bates Teams Up with Major 88 Keys for New Album Written by

NICK HORN

wednesday october 10 9:45 Urban Chestnut Presents

the voodoo players

tribute to the beatles let it be album thursday october 11 9pm

bumpin uglies

friday october 12 10pm

jeremiah johnson band saturday october 13 10pm

funky butt brass band friday october 19 10pm

waterseed from nola 44

RIVERFRONT TIMES

he opening track on St. Louis rapper Bates’ latest release, One God, makes clear from the outset that the album isn’t for the faint of heart. In its first moments, “Vain” feels something like the beginning of a rollercoaster ride: A massive opening hit creates the initial jerk of movement, while several measures of more mellow sounds allow listeners to take a few last deep breaths before launching into an intimidatingly intense ride. And that’s just the beginning. On One God, the rapper born Tamara Dodd uses a framework of religious themes along with wideranging and consistently highquality beats from St. Louis producer Major 88 Keys (born Kelvin Ellison) to showcase her versatility and cover significantly more lyrical ground than any of her previous work. “It’s basically my representation in totality — it’s very far-reaching,” Dodd says. “There’s all different types of emotions that come along with it. You can be happy, you can be sad, you can wanna party, wanna laugh. It’s all sorts of different stuff in there.” The album’s title is an important part of that theme, Dodd says, tying together the vengeful, angry deity of the Old Testament with the considerably more mellow higher being of the New Testament. She explains, “People read the Bible and they’re like, ‘God’s just saving and loving,’ when actually God has a really ugly side that people should be terrified of.” Dodd says she wanted to highlight those darker elements of a higher being, “because without those things, there’s no totality.” This theme opened the door for her to express herself more freely than she could on her tightly focused (and correlatively more re-

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The album, One God, sees Bates incorporating religious themes into her music. | ROACH strictive) previous albums For Colored Folk and Strange Woman. But while One God’s unifying theme allowed the lyricist greater aesthetic and conceptual leeway, Ellison’s unrelentingly energetic beats ensured that openness didn’t equate to ease for the rapper. “A lot of the tracks are intimidating,” Ellison admits. “Some producers won’t use that word, but some of these tracks are intimidating to artists. You can’t halfstep on this whatsoever. Ninetynine and a half ain’t gonna do it. “A lot of those tracks are complicated tracks,” he continues. “They’re varied, they have dynamics, so you’ve gotta maintain energy. You can’t vocally let up, because the music behind you is still pushin’.” Unsurprisingly for those familiar with Bates’ previous work, the resulting collaboration is sonically and lyrically uncompromising/ For those reasons, it isn’t wellsuited to casual listening. The trap sounds of “Vain” and second track “Idolatry” soon give way to the rock-infused groove of “Pride,” calling to mind Jay-Z’s Rick Rubin-produced Black Album. Then comes what may be the album’s standout track: “Apostasy,” an old-school boom-bap banger on which Bates and company create a stormy, brooding atmosphere with the perfect balance of toughness and vulnerability. The track also holds a special place for Dodd. “’Apostasy’ is my shit. It was the beat that started this,” she says. “I grew up on that music. That’s a sound that I latch onto every time

I hear it. It reminds me of sitting in my parents’ car, I’m hella little, and we’re on the way to one of my daddy’s baseball games. “I love that song,” she says. “I love it top to bottom — just a beautiful song.” Though the album was made available to the public on August 30, the official album-release party will be held this Friday at the Firebird, with appearances from Kourtney Nicole, Tootz, Mz. Tigga and Tank the Machine, among others. But Dodd hasn’t been sitting on her hands in the meantime. True to her reputation as one of (if not the) hardest-working emcees in the city, the creator of the Femcee Nation collective and the annual FemFest (which this year featured more than 50 artists between the festival’s two stages) continues to be outspoken in her advocacy for women artists in and out of hip-hop. On October 3, she hosted the monthly Fresh Produce Beat Battle, held the first Wednesday of every month at the Monocle. And for the first time, the beat battle exclusively featured the city’s female producers. It’s just one more element to a multi-faceted artist, one who contains multitudes. “I don’t have to be just street right here; I don’t have to be just conscious right here,” she says. “I can do all of this at the same time, because I’m using this idea of totality.”

Bates Album Release 9 p.m. Friday, October 12. The Firebird, 2706 Olive Street. $10. 314-535-0353.

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OCTOBER 10 - 16, 2018

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OUT EVERY NIGHT

BLUES

[CRITIC’S PICK]

WE’VE GOT EVERY NHL GAME! Amy Helm. | VIA PARADIGM AGENCY

Amy Helm 8 p.m. Thursday, October 11. Old Rock House, 1200 South Seventh Street. $20 to $25. 314-588-0505. Even before Levon Helm’s 2012 passing, his daughter Amy Helm advanced her father’s legacy one juke-joint hymn at a time. She toured with him in his final years, leading the band as a potent singer when he could no longer voice the Americana tradition he, more than anyone, created. On her latest album, This Too Shall Light, she cedes some author-

THURSDAY 11

AMY HELM: 8 p.m., $20-$25. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. THE BURROUGHS: 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. ELLIOTT PEARSON & THE PASSING LANE: 9 p.m., $5. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. FULL MONTY: w/ the Winks, Small Claims 8 p.m., $7. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. IVAS JOHN & BRIAN CURRAN: 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. LINDSAY LOU: 9 p.m., $12-$15. The Bootleg, 4140 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314-775-0775. NATE LOWERY: 4 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. RADIOACTIVITY: 8 p.m., $12-$14. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. SARAH SHOOK AND THE DISARMERS: 8 p.m., $12. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. SLIDERS: 8 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. SOB X RBE: w/ Quando Rondo 8 p.m., $20. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. TRAMPLED BY TURTLES & INFAMOUS STRING-

ity to prolific producer Joe Henry, who selected (as is his wont) the material and sprung it all on the singer at the eleventh hour. The results are a revelation, from her blue-eyed gospel take on Levon and the Hawks’ “The Stones That I Throw” to a fuzz-slide-drenched and aching take on Rod Stewart’s “Mandolin Wind.” Helm may be daughter to the man, but she’s ready to make her own legacy. Prairie Fire: Local semi-country, semifolk, semi-pop band Prairie Rehab opens with the warm vocals and personal songwriting of Lacie Williams. —Roy Kasten DUSTERS: 8 p.m., $25-$30. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

duke’s

VOTED ST. LOUIS’ BEST BAR & BEST SPORTS BAR

NFL SUNDAY WATCH EVERY GAME

FRIDAY 12

BADFISH: A TRIBUTE TO SUBLIME: 8 p.m., $20$23. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. BATES ALBUM RELEASE SHOW: w/ Tank the Machine, King Geno, MBZ, Cedes, Chris Grindz, Shai Lynn, Bow Lil Ryan, Tootz, Kourtney Nicole, MZ Tigga, DJ Rico Steez, Precious J 9 p.m., $10. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. BLUE OCTOBER: 8 p.m., $30-$35. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. CODY CANADA & THE DEPARTED: 8 p.m., $15-$18. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. DEVON CAHILL EP RELEASE PARTY: w/ Tonina, Mt. Thelonious 8 p.m., $10. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. INSANE CLOWN POSSE: w/ Waka Flocka Flame 7 p.m., $30-$35. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA WITH WYNTON MARSALIS: 8 p.m., $55-$65. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900. KILBORN ALLEY BLUES BAND: 7 p.m., $5. BB’s

AT THE CORNER OF MENARD & ALLEN IN THE HEART OF HISTORIC SOULARD

Continued on pg 48

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OCTOBER 10 - 16, 2018

RIVERFRONT TIMES

p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. THE FRIGHTS: 8 p.m., $17-$20. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. HUSH LITE: 3 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. HY C & THE FRESH START BAND: 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. LARRY GRIFFIN & ERIC MCSPADDEN: 4 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. MALI MUSIC: w/ Corey Allen and Music Unlimited, Theresa Payne 7 p.m., $25-$55. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. NATIVE SONS: 7 p.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521. ROBBIE MONTGOMERY: 8 p.m., $30-$50. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900. RUMPKE MOUNTAIN BOYS: 11 p.m., $12-$15. The Bootleg, 4140 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314-775-0775. STRYPER: 8 p.m., $25-$30. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. THRESHOLD: 9 p.m., free. Nightshift Bar & Grill, 3979 Mexico Road, St. Peters, 636-441-8300. THRICE: w/ The Bronx, Teenage Wrist 8 p.m., $23-$28. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

[CRITIC’S PICK]

[WEEKEND]

BEST BETS

Five sure-fire shows to close out the week

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12 Devon Cahill EP Release Show w/ Tonina, Mt. Thelonious 8 p.m. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue. $10. 314-498-6989.

The single thread that connects three of St. Louis’ foremost folk outfits — the Defeated County, Traveling Sound Machine and Prairie Rehab — is singer-songwriter Devon Cahill. And, as part of Letter to Memphis, voted Best Folk Band by Riverfront Times readers in 2015 and 2016, she has even graced the stage at the Sheldon Concert Hall. When I Wake is the solo debut for the young artist, who brings six fresh songs of heartache and hope following the split of her former band. Outside of Cahill herself, there’s no one who knows these songs better than producer Matthew Sawicki, who recorded the new EP this past summer at his Suburban Pro Studio. He’ll be joining her on stage to play keys alongside singer Lacie Williams and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Bouma.

Imelda Marcos w/ Sexual Jeremy, Mother Meat, Skin Tags 9 p.m. Schlafly Tap Room, 2100 Locust Street. Free. 314-241-2337.

By approaching the drumset melodically and, likewise, the guitar with a percussive rip, Imelda Marcos makes a mesh of esoteric jazz. Some might cry “math rock” at the tumbling textures, slingshot loops and jittery vibes, but this playful prog wanders even further outside the box. That’s not to say the shred takes precedent over the songwriting — quite the opposite. It’s just that there are more sections in a single Imelda Marcos song than in some bands’ entire albums. Vocals might be a good entry point into a sound this dense, but this Chicago duo opts to let their hands and feet do the talking, walking and whatever other moves they can cram into a set.

Minus the Bear 9 p.m. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Avenue. $20 to $25. 314-833-3929.

For a band as prolific and beloved as Minus the Bear, an announced breakup can be taken about as seriously as DC killing off Superman or Batman. At some point, you know the group will retcon the split with a reunion tour or some twenty-year celContinued on pg 49

RIVERFRONT TIMES

SUNDAY 14

Waka Flocka Flame. | EDDY RISSLING

Waka Flocka Flame with ICP 7 p.m. Friday, October 12. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Avenue, Sauget, Illinois. 618-274-6720. Juggalos aren’t known to be especially welcoming of outsiders. Insane Clown Posse fans infamously near-murdered Tila Tequila when she appeared at the Gathering in 2010, raining bottles and actual human feces onto the stage during her performance. Andrew W. K. was greeted with the same treatment, except it was bottles of urine. If you’re not bringing the “wicked shit,” juggalos simply ain’t having it — which makes their embrace of Waka Flocka Flame all the more impressive. The Atlanta rapper per-

OUT EVERY NIGHT Continued from pg 47

Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. LETTUCE: 6 p.m., $25-$30. Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-775-0775. LUCKY OLD SONS: 8 p.m., $3. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. MINUS THE BEAR: 9 p.m., $20-$25. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. RICO! LATIN ROCK: 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. TEN FOOT POLE: w/ The Disappeared 7 p.m., $15$16. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. WOOKIEFOOT: 8 p.m., $20. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. ZETA: w/ Cruelty of the Heavens, Path of Might, Cult Season 8 p.m., $5. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.

SATURDAY 13

BENEFIT SHOW 3.0: w/ Ben Diesel (as Weezer),

OCTOBER 10 - 16, 2018

riverfronttimes.com

formed at the Gathering in 2015, and at first it looked as though he’d get the same treatment most mainstream musicians get when they step foot on that hallowed ground, as face-painted clowns threw bottles, cans and fireworks at the stage. But Flocka won the audience over in an unorthodox way: by jumping into the hostile crowd and rapping right in their faces. Since that set the rapper has been fully accepted by the juggalo community; his shows co-headlining with ICP just make it official. Send in the Clowns: Joining Flocka and ICP on this tour is St. Louis’ own Clownvis Presley, who made his Gathering debut this year. He’ll serve as host on the crosscountry trek. —Daniel Hill Biff K’narly and the Reptilians, The Vigilettes, The Fighting Side, The Stars Go Out 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. CASSIE RAMONE: w/ Fiscal Spliff, Carondelet Guy 9 p.m., $7. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. THE DREEBS: w/ the Sediment Club, Complainer, Apathist 8 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. EUGENE & COMPANY: 9 p.m., $3. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. FALLING MARTINS: 2 p.m., free. Molly’s in Soulard, 816 Geyer Ave., St. Louis, 314-241-6200. FOO FIGHTERS: 7 p.m., $46.50-$96. Enterprise Center, 1401 Clark Ave., St. Louis, 314-241-1888. FORTUNATE SONS AND DAUGHTERS: A 50TH ANNIVERSARY TRIBUTE TO CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL: w/ Cara Louise Band, Jon Bonham and Friends, Funky Butt Brass Band, Nick Pence and Friends, Eastsiders Review Band, Cree Rider Family Band, The Homewreckers, Marcell Strong and the Apostles 8 p.m., $12$25. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. FRANK BANG & THE COOK COUNTY KINGS: 10

4U: A SYMPHONIC CELEBRATION OF PRINCE: 7 p.m., $35-$125. The Fox Theatre, 527 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 314-534-1111. BLACK & WHITE BAND: 5 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. THE CORONAS: 8 p.m., $15-$18. Blueberry Hill The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. HOLLYWOOD BABBLE-ON: w/ Kevin Smith, Ralph Garman 8 p.m., $39.50-$$50. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. JR. CLOONEY: w/ Jadewick, Lobby Boxer, Choir Vandals 8 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. LOVE JONES “THE BAND”: 8 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. MILLENNIAL: 7 p.m., $5-$15. Schlafly Tap Room, 2100 Locust St., St. Louis, 314-241-2337. THE YALE WHIFFENPOOFS: 5 p.m., $10-$25. St. Louis University High School, 4970 Oakland Ave., St. Louis, 314-351-0330.

MONDAY 15

A HAWK AND A HACKSAW: w/ Randi Bolton, Whsky Gngr 8 p.m., $12. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. KEN MODE: w/ Birds in Row, Slow Damage, Dodecad 7 p.m., $12-$14. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. ROCKY MANTIA & THE KILLER COMBO: 8 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. TERRY CREWS: 7 p.m., $10-$20. Loretto-Hilton Center, 130 Edgar Road, Webster Groves.

TUESDAY 16

CHRIS ROBINSON BROTHERHOOD: 8 p.m., $25$28. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. THE GTVS: w/ the Jag-Wires 8:30 p.m., $7. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. PERMISSION: w/ Tamagotchi Teenage Dirtbag, Canned Laughter, G.N.A.T. 8 p.m., $7-$10. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. ST. LOUIS SOCIAL CLUB: 8 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.

WEDNESDAY 17

ASTRONOID: 8 p.m., $12-$15. Blueberry Hill The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. BIG RICH MCDONOUGH & RHYTHM RENEGADES:

[CRITIC’S PICK]

SOULARD’S HOTTEST DJ DANCE PARTY FRIDAY & SATURDAY NIGHT

Creedence Clearwater Revival. | FANTASY RECORDS

Fortunate Sons & Daughters: A Tribute to CCR 8 p.m. Saturday, October 13. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue. $12. 314-773-3363. For a band that was truly only active for five years, Creedence Clearwater Revival had an outsized impact on American music. Some of that was good timing: A few California high school buddies turned their cover band into a vehicle for John Fogerty’s songs just as the Summer of Love was ending and the Vietnam War led to turmoil at home and abroad. CCR’s seven

7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. DESERT NOISES: w/ Zach Sullentrup & Fears, Morning Teleportation 8 p.m., $8-$10. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. MARTY SPIKENER & ON CALL BAND: 10 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. NOSFERAT II: w/ Bastard Squad, Fight Back Mountain 8 p.m., $7. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. ROBBIE FULKS: w/ Kevin Gordon 8 p.m., $15. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. STEVEN PAGE TRIO: w/ Wesley Stace 8 p.m., $30. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. THUNDERPUSSY: 8 p.m., $15-$18. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929.

THIS JUST IN #STLISTHEMOVEMENT: Sun., Dec. 2, 7 p.m., $10. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. AND THAT’S WHY WE DRINK: Sat., Jan. 19, 8 p.m., $25-$60. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. THE BAND PERRY: Sun., Oct. 28, 8 p.m., $29.50$32.50. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. BEN WAH BOB: Sat., Nov. 17, 9 p.m., free. Nightshift Bar & Grill, 3979 Mexico Road, St. Peters, 636-441-8300. BERT KREISCHER: Sun., Jan. 20, 8 p.m., $37.50. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

LPs cut a wide swath through American music — swamp-rock, country-boogie and gospel strains melded with Motown cover and Louisiana grooves. The band’s legacy gets doused with a little bit of St. Louis rock & soul at this weekend’s Fortunate Sons & Daughters tribute, thrown by the folks at Twangfest in celebration of the band’s golden anniversary. Big Wheels Keep On Turnin’: The locals performing include Marcell Strong & the Apostles, the Cree Rider Family Band and the Cara Louise Band. —Christian Schaeffer

BIG EASY: Sat., Nov. 24, 9 p.m., free. Nightshift Bar & Grill, 3979 Mexico Road, St. Peters, 636-441-8300. BIG RICH MCDONOUGH & RHYTHM RENEGADES: Wed., Oct. 17, 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. BLACK & WHITE BAND: Sun., Oct. 14, 5 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. THE BURROUGHS: Thu., Oct. 11, 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. CASSIE RAMONE: W/ Fiscal Spliff, Carondelet Guy, Sat., Oct. 13, 9 p.m., $7. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. DAVID DEE & THE HOT TRACKS: Fri., Oct. 19, 8 p.m., $3. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. DOM KENNEDY: W/ Cozz, Jay 305, Warm Brew, Tue., Oct. 30, 8 p.m., $25-$85. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. DR. ZHIVEGA PLAYING THE MUSIC OF PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION: Sat., Dec. 22, 8 p.m., $20-$25. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. THE DREEBS: W/ the Sediment Club, Complainer, Apathist, Sat., Oct. 13, 8 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. DYLAN BECKER: W/ Dan Bell, Kenneth Sheppard, Tom Kennedy, Fri., Oct. 19, 7 p.m., $7-$10. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. EUGENE & COMPANY: Sat., Oct. 13, 9 p.m., $3. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. FOR LOVERS ONLY: A TRIBUTE TO BABYFACE & EL

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duke’s MORNING AFTER

BRUNCH

SATURDAY & SUNDAY MORNING riverfronttimes.com

OCTOBER 10 - 16, 2018

RIVERFRONT TIMES

OUT EVERY NIGHT Continued from pg 49 DEBARGE: Sun., Nov. 18, 6 p.m., $20. Voce, 212 S. Tucker Blvd., St. Louis, 314-435-3956. FOR THE BIRDS: Mon., Nov. 5, 7:30 p.m., $38. Tue., Nov. 6, 7:30 p.m., $38. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900. FRANK BANG & THE COOK COUNTY KINGS: Sat., Oct. 13, 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. FULL MONTY: W/ the Winks, Small Claims, Thu., Oct. 11, 8 p.m., $7. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. GARY ROBERT AND COMMUNITY: W/ Sunwyrm, Fri., Nov. 30, 9 p.m., $7. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. GREENSKY BLUEGRASS: W/ Circles Around the Sun, Fri., Jan. 18, 8 p.m., $25-$30. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. THE GTVS: W/ the Jag-Wires, Tue., Oct. 16, 8:30 p.m., $7. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. A HAWK AND A HACKSAW: W/ Randi Bolton, Whsky Gngr, Mon., Oct. 15, 8 p.m., $12. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. HEARTLAND MUSIC: Sat., Oct. 27, 3 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. HERE COME THE MUMMIES: W/ Sun Stereo, Sun., Dec. 2, 7 p.m., $25-$27.50. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. HUNTER: Thu., Oct. 25, 4 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. HUSH LITE: Sat., Oct. 13, 3 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. HY C & THE FRESH START BAND: Sat., Oct. 13, 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. ICKES & HENSLEY: W/ Jason Eady, Wed., Dec. 5, 8 p.m., $15. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. IVAS JOHN & BRIAN CURRAN: Thu., Oct. 11, 7

BEST BETS

Continued from pg 48

ebration of its first record. But just for one moment, let’s pretend that this last shot across the United States, a lengthy two-legged tour, really is the band’s final farewell. That makes this show mandatory for even marginal fans, who will be treated to a long set that reaches from every release in Minus the Bear’s long line of records, EPs and singles. This particular night promises to be an intimate one, as it’s the only date on the 30-plus day tour without an opening act — other cities have either Caspian or Tera Melos in tow.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14 4U: A Symphonic Celebration of Prince 7 p.m. The Fox Theare, 527 North Grand Boulevard. $35 to $125. 314-534-1111.

With the Roots’ Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson at the helm, don’t expect “the symphony plays Prince” at this celebration of the Purple One’s music. While that would surely be a fine experience, 4U takes it further, serving as the sole estate-approved show of its ilk, with care and curation by a selfprofessed Prince superfan and historian. This blending of live band and chamber ensemble treats the source

RIVERFRONT TIMES

OCTOBER 10 - 16, 2018

riverfronttimes.com

p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. JANET EVRA & THE BONBON PLOT: Sat., Oct. 27, 8 p.m., $10. Jacoby Arts Center, 627 E. Broadway, Alton, 618-462-5222. JANET EVRA ALBUM RELEASE PARTY: Sun., Nov. 18, 2 p.m., $10. .Zack, 3224 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-533-0367. JEREMIAH JOHNSON ACOUSTIC TRIO: Thu., Oct. 18, 4 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. JEREMIAH JOHNSON BAND: Thu., Oct. 25, 8 p.m., $5. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. JR. CLOONEY: W/ Jadewick, Lobby Boxer, Choir Vandals, Sun., Oct. 14, 8 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. KILBORN ALLEY BLUES BAND: Fri., Oct. 12, 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. KUNG FU CAVEMAN: Sat., Nov. 10, 9 p.m., free. Nightshift Bar & Grill, 3979 Mexico Road, St. Peters, 636-441-8300. LARRY GRIFFIN & ERIC MCSPADDEN: Sat., Oct. 13, 4 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. LAUREN SANDERSON: W/ Sizzy Rocket, Sun., Nov. 4, 8 p.m., $10-$55. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. LOVE JONES “THE BAND”: Sun., Oct. 14, 8 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. LUCKY OLD SONS: Fri., Oct. 12, 8 p.m., $3. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. MARTY SPIKENER & ON CALL BAND: Wed., Oct. 17, 10 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. NATE LOWERY: Thu., Oct. 11, 4 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK: W/ Salt-N-Pepa, Tiffany, Debbie Gibson, Naughty By Nature, Wed., May 8, 7:30 p.m., $26.95-$176.95. Enterprise Center, 1401 Clark Ave., St. Louis, 314-241-1888. ODDSOUL AND THE SOUND: W/ Tim Leavy Band, Meghan Yankowskas, Thu., Nov. 29, 9 p.m.,

with reverence while artfully injecting in-jokes and nods for hardcore fans. A Prince tribute act this is not, and that fact alone might be the key to 4U’s endurance as a celebration, rather than an impersonation, of the Artist Formerly Known As.

Jr. Clooney w/ Jadewick, Choir Vandals, Lobby Boxer 8 p.m. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 South Jefferson Avenue. $7. 314-772-2100.

These days the players in Jr. Clooney are most often seen as Le’Ponds’ backing band, yet they still make time to carve shapely songs out of marble. The band layers melodic riffs over fragmented breakbeats that change trajectory with a sharp and deliberate tone. Jazz fans will hear jazz and prog-rockers will get a double dose of braining-bending gnar. Jr. Clooney is at its collective best when playing in a basement or intimate space, and luckily this show marks the first in a U.S. tour where the band will do just that, with Memphis’ Jadewick along for the ride. —Joseph Hess Each week we bring you our picks for the best concerts of the weekend. To submit your show for consideration, visit riverfronttimes. com/stlouis/Events/AddEvent. All events subject to change; check with the venue for the most up-to-date information.

OUT EVERY NIGHT Continued from pg 50 $7. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. OLD DOMINION: W/ Jordan Davis, Mitchell Tenpenny, Fri., March 29, 7 p.m., $32.50-$62.50. Chaifetz Arena, 1 S. Compton Ave., St. Louis, 314-977-5000. PERMISSION: W/ Tamagotchi Teenage Dirtbag, Canned Laughter, G.N.A.T., Tue., Oct. 16, 8 p.m., $7-$10. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. POETIC JUSTICE OPEN MIC: Sun., Nov. 25, 7 p.m., $10. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. PONO AM: W/ The Schizophonics, Fri., Nov. 16, 9 p.m., $7. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. RICH MCDONOUGH & THE RHYTHM RENEGADES: Sat., Oct. 20, 3 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. RICO! LATIN ROCK: Fri., Oct. 12, 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. ROCKY MANTIA & THE KILLER COMBO: Mon., Oct. 15, 8 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. ROLAND JOHNSON & SOUL ENDEAVOR: Fri., Oct. 26, 8 p.m., $3. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. SEAN CANAN’S VOODOO PLAYERS STEVIE WONDER NYE: Mon., Dec. 31, 9 p.m., $15-$20. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. SHIVER: Sat., Nov. 3, 9 p.m., free. Nightshift Bar & Grill, 3979 Mexico Road, St. Peters, 636-441-8300. SLIDERS: Thu., Oct. 11, 8 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. SONGBIRD CAFE: Wed., Oct. 24, 7:30 p.m., $20-$25. The Focal Point, 2720 Sutton Blvd, St. Louis, 314-560-2778. SONIC MISCHIEF: Wed., Nov. 21, 9 p.m., free. Nightshift Bar & Grill, 3979 Mexico Road, St. Peters, 636-441-8300. ST. LOUIS SOCIAL CLUB: Tue., Oct. 16, 8 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. SUMMONING THE LICH: W/ Distant Eyes, Biff Knarly & the Reptilians, This Is Me Breathing, Fri., Oct. 26, 7 p.m., $10-$12. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. SYNTHFEST III: W/ CaveofswordS, Sea Priestess, Hands & Feet, Modern Welfare, Ethik’s Mind, Captured Planet, Wax Fruit, Kudzu, Sat., Oct. 20, 7 p.m., $12. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. TENGYUE ZHANG: Sat., Oct. 20, 8 p.m., $24-$28. Ethical Society of St. Louis, 9001 Clayton Rd, Richmond Heights, 314-991-0955. THE PLUS ONE WEDDING SHOW: TODD AND MAGGIE GET MARRIED: W/ Dubb Nubb, Sunsulking, Fragile Farm, 3 of 5, Sat., Nov. 3, 6:30 p.m., $7. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. THE REVEREND PEYTON’S BIG DAMN BAND: Sat., Dec. 29, 8 p.m., $17-$20. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. TIM ALBERT & THE BOOGIEMEN: Sat., Oct. 20, 9 p.m., $3. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. ZETA: W/ Cruelty of the Heavens, Path of Might, Cult Season, Fri., Oct. 12, 8 p.m., $5. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.

THIS WEEK

ACTION BRONSON: Wed., Oct. 24, 8 p.m., $30$35. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. ALICE COOPER: Sat., Oct. 20, 8 p.m., $29.75$179.50. Stifel Theatre, 1400 Market St, St. Louis, 314-499-7600. THE APPLESEED CAST: W/ Flow Clinic, Lightrider, Sun., Oct. 21, 8 p.m., $12. Blueberry Hill The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. THE ATARIS: W/ the Eradicator, Cuban Missiles, Horror Section, Sat., Oct. 20, 7 p.m., $15-$17.

Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. BILLY F. GIBBONS: W/ Matt Sorum & Austin Hanks, Thu., Oct. 18, 8 p.m., $30-$42.50. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. CLUTCH, SEVENDUST: W/ Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown, Thu., Oct. 18, 8 p.m., $36-$40. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. CURSIVE: W/ Meat Wave, Campdoggz, Fri., Oct. 19, 8 p.m., $18-$20. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. FLEETWOOD MAC: Sat., Oct. 20, 8 p.m., $66.50$226.50. Enterprise Center, 1401 Clark Ave., St. Louis, 314-241-1888. GLADYS KNIGHT AND PEABO BRYSON: Fri., Oct. 19, 8 p.m., $47.50-$152.50. The Fox Theatre, 527 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 314-534-1111. HOODIE ALLEN: W/ Gianni & Kyle, Sat., Oct. 20, 7 p.m., $29.50. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. JAKE OWEN: W/ David Lee Murphy, Fri., Oct. 19, 7 p.m., $25.50-$60.25. Chaifetz Arena, 1 S. Compton Ave., St. Louis, 314-977-5000. JON BATISTE: Sat., Oct. 20, 8 p.m., $35-$50. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900. JULIA BULLOCK: Wed., Oct. 24, 8 p.m., $30-$35. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900. 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. MC LARS & MC FRONTALOT: W/ Mega Ran, Schaffer the Dark Lord, Mon., Oct. 22, 8 p.m., $18. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS: W/ Kraus, Thu., Oct. 18, 8 p.m., $15. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. RAINBOW KITTEN SURPRISE: Fri., Oct. 19, 8 p.m., $25-$27.50. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. RECKLESS KELLY: Wed., Oct. 24, 8 p.m., $22-$25. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. ROADDOGG’S GOING AWAY PARTY: W/ Brother Lee and the Leather Jackals, Thu., Oct. 18, 10 p.m., free. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. ROOMFUL OF TEETH: Sun., Oct. 21, 7 p.m., $15$25. The 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., University City, 314-421-3600. RUSSIAN CIRCLES: Thu., Oct. 18, 8 p.m., $16-$18. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. RYAN KOENIG: Sun., Oct. 21, 1 p.m., free. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314498-6989. W/ Charles Hill Jr., Jenny Roques, Michaell Sandman, Wed., Oct. 24, 8 p.m., $7. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. S.M.A.S.H. FEST: W/ Tef Poe, Ace & Wan, Og Rach, CHE, Indiana Rome, The Knuckles, TDubb-O, Bo Dean, UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley, St. Louis Humanitarian Honoree Kayla Reed, Sat., Oct. 20, 8 p.m., $10-$15. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. SEVEN LIONS: Fri., Oct. 19, 8 p.m., $30-$32. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. SLOTHRUST: Fri., Oct. 19, 8 p.m., $16. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. SLUIVILLE: W/ Nikee Turbo, Arshad Goods, J’demul, Najii Person, Myrion Two$, DJ Benny Honda, Thu., Oct. 18, 9 p.m., $10-$14. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. THE STRUTS: W/ Spirit Animal, Tue., Oct. 23, 7 p.m., $23.50-$27. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. SYNTHFEST III: W/ CaveofswordS, Sea Priestess, Hands & Feet, Modern Welfare, Ethik’s Mind, Captured Planet, Wax Fruit, Kudzu, Sat., Oct. 20, 7 p.m., $12. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. TITUS ANDRONICUS: W/ Ted Leo, Tue., Oct. 23, 8 p.m., $22-$25. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. n

THE BEST DESTINATION PATIO BAR AROUND

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OCTOBER 10 - 16, 2018

RIVERFRONT TIMES

OCTOBER 10 - 16, 2018

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SAVAGE LOVE QUICKIES BY DAN SAVAGE Hey, Dan: I was involved with a straight man who enjoys crossdressing and taking explicit photos. The problem is that the props he uses belong to his three children, all under age 12. For example, he dressed up as a slutty schoolgirl and wore his daughter’s backpack. He dressed up as a slutty cowgirl and posed with his son’s stuffed horse. He even had the horse eating his “carrot.” I told him he should not use his children’s things as props. He believes that his children will never see the photos, so no harm will come of it. I’m horrified at the thought of these kids (perhaps as adults) stumbling over these pictures. He posts them on Instagram and Facebook, so they aren’t private and he can’t control where they go. It’s one of the reasons I ended the relationship. Is there anything I can say to him? Canceled Definitely Promising Relationship Over Photo Sessions You told him what he’s doing is wrong, you explained the enormous risk he’s running and you dumped him, CDPROPS. You could take one last run at it and try to explain that his children finding these photos isn’t one of those “low-risk, high-consequence events,” i.e., something that’s unlikely to happen but would be utterly disastrous if it did. (Think of the super volcano that is Yellowstone National Park erupting or a deranged, racist billionaire somehow managing to win a U.S. presidential election.) Nope, if he’s posting these photos online, at least one of his children will stumble over them — or one of their friends will. (“Hey, isn’t this your dad? And your backpack?”) Your ex needs to knock this shit off, and will most likely need the help of a mental-health pro in order to do so. Hey, Dan: My parents were married for almost 40 years — and on paper, things seemed fine. They rarely fought and were an example of a strong, monogamous marriage until the day my mother died. Recently, I found writings by my

dad revealing he had several casual encounters with men over the course of their marriage. Do I tell him I know? We are close, but sex isn’t something we usually discuss. What should I do with this information, if anything? A Deeply Upsetting Lie That Scalds When you say their relationship seemed fine “on paper,” ADULTS, what you mean is their relationship was decent and loving. Well, now you know it wasn’t perfect — but no relationship is. Your mother is dead (I’m sorry for your loss), and either she made peace with this fact about her husband long ago or she never knew about it. Either way, no good will come from confronting your father about the handful of dicks he sucked decades ago. Hey, Dan: I’m a 47-year-old virgin straight man. What advice can you give me on losing my virginity? Wanting And Hoping There are lots of 40-year-oldand-up women out there who are virgins — they write in, too — so putting “middle-aged virgin seeks same” in your personal ad wouldn’t be a bad idea. Find someone in your same situation, WAH, and treat her with kindness, gentleness and patience — the same as you would like to be treated. Hey, Dan: I’m married and poly, with one partner in addition to my husband. My partner has a friendwith-benefits arrangement with a woman he’s been with since before we met. The FWB is not poly, but she’s always known my partner is. She has always insisted they’re not a couple, but he knows she would be hurt if she found out he was with someone else, so he has avoided telling her he’s now also with me. I don’t like being someone’s secret. My husband knows I’m with someone else and is fine with it. If my partner’s FWB felt the same, I wouldn’t see a problem. But this feels oddly like I’m helping my partner cheat on his FWB, even though they’re “not a couple” (her words). So it’s not cheating... is it? Pretty Obviously Lost, Yeah It’s not cheating — it’s plausible deniability. Your partner’s FWB

We commit, and recommit, and forgive and muddle through — but when asked about our relationships, we lean on clichés like “It was love at first sight,” “I just knew,” “The One” — clichés that often fill others with doubt about the quality of their relationships. would rather not know he’s seeing anyone else, so she doesn’t ask him about his other partners and he doesn’t tell. Accommodating his FWB’s desire not to know about other partners — doing the DADT open thing — does mean keeping you a secret, POLY, at least from her. If you’re not comfortable with that, you’ll have to end things with your partner. Hey, Dan: I’m scared of two things. (1) I’m scared that if I break up with my girlfriend of four years, I will be throwing away the best thing I will ever have because I’m scared that I don’t love her in the way she deserves (in the way people say you will “just know” about) or because we have normal relationship problems and both have our own mental-health issues. (2) I’m also scared that if I don’t break up with her, I am keeping her in a relationship that is not good because of my fear of never finding someone as good as her, and we would both actually be happier with someone else. Scared Of Being Alone

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1. Nobody “just knows,” SOBA, and everyone has doubts — that’s why commitments are made (consciously entered into) and are not some sort of romantic or sexual autopilot that kicks in when we meet the “perfect” person. We commit, and recommit, and forgive and muddle through — but when we’re asked about our relationships, we tend to lean on clichés like “It was love at first sight,” “I just knew,” “The One” — clichés that often fill others with doubt about the quality of their relationships. 2. Get on iTunes and download the original Broadway cast recordings of Company, Follies and A Little Night Music. Pay particular attention to “Sorry-Grateful,” “The Road You Didn’t Take,” and “Send in the Clowns.” Hey, Dan: If I write you a letter asking for advice and don’t want it published, even anonymously, will you answer? Keeping It Confidential, ’Kay? While I can’t respond to every letter I receive, KICK, I do sometimes respond privately. Just one request: If you send a letter that you don’t want published, please mention that at the start. I will frequently read an extremely long letter — so long that I start making notes or contacting experts before I finish reading it — only to discover “please don’t publish this” at the bottom. If a letter isn’t for publication, please mention that at the beginning. I promise that doing so increases your chances of getting a private response. Listen to Dan’s podcast at savagelovecast.com. mail@savagelove.net @fakedansavage on Twitter Want to reach someone at the RFT? If you’re looking to provide info about an event, please contact calendar@ riverfronttimes.com. If you’re passing on a news tip or information relating to food, please email sarah.fenske@riverfronttimes.com. If you’ve got the scoop on nightlife, comedy or music, please email daniel.hill@riverfronttimes.com. Love us? Hate us? You can email sarah. fenske@riverfronttimes.com about that too. Due to the volume of email we receive, we may not respond -- but rest assured we are reading every one.

OCTOBER 10 - 16, 2018

RIVERFRONT TIMES

OCTOBER 10 - 16, 2018

riverfronttimes.com

OCTOBER 10 - 16, 2018

RIVERFRONT TIMES

HAPPY HOUR SPECIALS SPONSORED CONTENT

BARCELONA

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•The Usual stuff everybody else does!

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St. Louis’ ONLY Axe Throwing Bar and Grill

Though tapas restaurants aren’t new to St. Louis, the Spanish style of eating, drinking and socializing retains all of its charms. There’s no better place to get a reminder of that than at BARcelona, Clayton’s longtime popular tapas hotspot. As the restaurant notes on its website, “A tapa is a delicious morsel of food that defines a lifestyle as well as a culinary style. Tapas in Spain are almost always accompanied by wine, but they are as much about talking as they are about eating and drinking. The wine is, perhaps, the medium that holds the conversation, the friends, and the food together. The primary purpose of tapas is to talk to friends, to share the gossip of the day.” A great time of day to enjoy conversation at the bright, colorful BARcelona is during the happy hour slot of

4 to 6:30 p.m., when a variety of food and drink specials are offered at the bar and on the expansive front patio, one of Clayton’s finest spots to imbibe and to people watch. Specials include $2 calamari, sliders and burgers, with half-off appetizers and $10 pitchers of sangria. Speaking of drink offerings. BARcelona offers a full bar, with a host of international favorites. Its famed sangria joins such fare as bellinis, mimosas, caipirinhas and the self-titled house special (yes, “the BARcelona”), made up of Stoli Vanil, Midori Melon Liqueur, Chambord and pineapple juice. On Wednesday evening, live music is a fixture along with the restaurant’s other attractions. Which include, we should note, an easy-to-remember slate of hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week.

FREE Axe Throwing with Food and Beverage Purchase!

720 N. 1ST ST, ST. LOUIS, MO 63102

HAPPY HOUR 4-7 Tuesday–Friday

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1933 Washington Ave, STL MO

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BARCELONA | 34 N. CENTRAL AVE. SAINT LOUIS, MO 63105 | Barcelonatapas.com

HAPPY HOUR DAILY 3PM – 6PM

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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

LAMBERT AIRPORT TERMINAL 2

THREEKINGSPUB.COM

Happy Hour Mon-Fri 3pm-7pm

$2 Domestics • $3 Wells

Tues - $2 tacos • wed - steak night

thurs - 1/2 off all pizzas 1432 N Broadway

HAPPY HOUR MONDAY – SATURDAY 4 TO 7PM

Domestic Buckets..........................$15 Select Drafts...........................$2 off Wells...............................................$3 Pizzas........................................$3 off Select Appetizers.....................$2 off

see our website for party reservations doubledstl.com

1740 S. Brentwood Blvd 56

RIVERFRONT TIMES

OCTOBER 10 - 16, 2018

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CLASSIC COCKTAILS $7 CLASSIC MARTINI’S $8 DOLLAR OFF LOCAL BEERS THURS – SAT BAR NOW OPEN UNTIL 11PM NatashasGinRoom.com

314-771-3411