OCTOBER 24-30, 2018 I VOLUME 42 I NUMBER 43
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The Nanjing Connection How an international love story is bringing together two cities on opposite sides of the world
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Ad Claims ‘White Democrats’ Will Usher in Lynching Written by
SARAH FENSKE
A
noxious ad that accuses “white Democrats” of returning to “race verdicts” and lynchings “when a white girl screams rape” has been airing on St. Louis radio in support of Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley. In the ad, two black women discuss the recent Kavanaugh hearings and suggest that they could mean big trouble for the men in their lives. Republicans, one woman suggests, know that it’s “dangerous to change the presumption of innocence to a presumption of guilt — especially for black men. .... What will happen to our husbands, our fathers, our sons, when a white girl lies on them?” “White Democrats will be lynching black folk again,” the second woman says. “Honey, I always told my son, don’t be messing around with that,” the first woman says. “If you
Josh Hawley hasn’t commented on an odious ad running in support of his campaign. | TOM HELLAUER get caught, she will cry rape.” The ad is being paid for by a West Virginia-based political action committee calling itself Black Americans for the President’s Agenda. It’s reportedly also airing in Kansas City and in Arkansas, where someone captured audio of the local version and uploaded it to Twitter. In paperwork filed earlier this month with the Federal Communications Commission, or FCC, the political action committee said it was paying for ad buys in the St. Louis market in support of Hawley and “criminal justice reform.” Hawley, who is running against U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill (DMissouri), has also attempted to
make Democrats’ treatment of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh an issue in the race. The state’s attorney general even called for a special counsel to investigate the actions of Senate Democrats. McCaskill had indicated her opposition to Kavanaugh’s nomination even before several women came forward accusing him of sexual misconduct; she ultimately voted “no” on his confirmation. The FCC records show that Black Americans for the President’s Agenda made an $11,560 ad buy at WFUN (95.5 FM), an R&B radio station based in Bethalto, Illinois, that broadcasts to the St. Louis area.
The ad was set to air 80 times from October 1 to October 12, with another 56 spots set to begin last week and run through the election, the records show. It’s not clear at this point what other St. Louis area stations may be airing it, if any. And while we don’t have audio of the St. Louis version, several people who have heard it say it’s consistent with the Arkansas spot, other than the candidate it discusses. In Arkansas, incidentally, the candidate being supported by the ad has strongly condemned it. We’ve reached out, but Hawley’s campaign has yet to make any comment on it. n
STREAK’S CORNER • by Bob Stretch
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[OP-ED]
Hyperloop Is a Great Idea, Say Hyperloop Backers Written by
SARAH FENSKE
T
he people who want to build a hyperloop from St. Louis to Kansas City think a hyperloop is totally feasible. You don’t say! Last week, Virgin Hyperloop One unveiled its feasibility study on the system at VERGE18, “one of the most prominent annual sustainability-focused conferences in the world.” The study, they say, confirms “the commercial viability of Virgin Hyperloop One technology” — and as it turns out, Missouri’s I-70 corridor is just the place to put it. But despite presenting the study, and issuing a press release on the study, Virgin Hyperloop One is not actually releasing the study. Instead, they’ve cited “intellectual
Say Goodbye to Library Fines Written by
SARAH FENSKE
L
ate in returning that library book? No problem! Under a new policy the St. Louis Public Library quietly rolled out last month, it will automatically renew your materials for you — no need even to ask. The automatic renewals are part of the library’s ongoing quest to stay connected with its patrons, says Brenda McDonald, director of central services. Among public libraries, that goal is part of a national conversation. Fines, the libraries believe, are holding people back. “We’ve been talking about the way people accumulate small fines because they forget to bring a book back for a day, or a few days, because it’s just not con-
If you build it, they will ride. Or something? | COURTESY OF VIRGIN HYPERLOOP ONE property theft.” So! We’ll just have to take their word for it ... even if it does feel like patter straight from that monorail conman on The Simpsons. “And well sir, as far as Virgin Hyperloop One is concerned, there is nothing on Earth like a genuine bona fide electrified monorail hyperloop.” Among the avowals Virgin Hyperloop One’s study is making: • Traveling from KC to STL in a chute could take just 28 minutes • That same chute could get your ass to Columbia in just fifteen minutes. • For passengers, it would be even cheaper than the cost of gas, because Missouri is all in on Hyperloop One, and so MoDOT has told project backers they can just use its land around the highway,
venient,” she says. Yet the financial benefit to the library — especially in St. Louis, where fines are just five cents a day per book — is negligible. Thinking about that dichotomy led the St. Louis library administrators to do some research. As it turns out, the St. Louis system already had technology in place that would allow it to renew books automatically for customers. The cost of implementation was low, McDonald says. After discussions that took place over what McDonald characterizes as a sixmonth period, the library decided to go for it. As of last month, as long as no one else has put a hold on your book, the library renews it automatically up to three times. You’ll get an email notice showing which books were automatically renewed, as well as any where that wasn’t possible. Bring them back during that window, and it’s like you were never even late. In essence, McDonald acknowledges, the library is now out of the overdue fine business. But that doesn’t mean you can just keep your books forever: Once your three renewals are up, if you don’t act promptly, you’ll be charged the full price of
no eminent domain needed. • It would single-handedly save Missouri drivers $91 million every year simply by reducing accidents on I-70. • It would also save $410 million annually, because time is money, and apparently a whole lot of people are just sitting in their cars trying to get to Kansas City rather than building empire. And here’s the real kicker: Demand for trips to Kansas City from St. Louis (and vice versa), the Virgin Hyperloop people claim, is going to skyrocket. Simply because we have a hyperloop, we’re going to all feel like using it, to the point that 51,000 people are going to sign up for each trip — apparently an 80 percent increase over the number of people currently trying to get to and fro on a given
day without a pneumatic tube. The fact is, with 51,000 people per trip, they’re clearly not talking about only St. Louisans with actual business in Kansas City using this thing on the regular. The rest of us are apparently meant to chute over for dinner, or drinks, or even just Tinder hookups. Because hey, hyperloop! Feasible! Now, you might ask, why would we suddenly want to spend time (albeit only 28 minutes) and money (albeit less than the cost of petroleum) to traverse back and forth to a place that’s perfectly lovely and all, but basically has all the same stuff St. Louis has? Not to be nattering nabobs of negativity or anything, but most of us can’t be bothered to visit Maryland Heights more than once a year, and we can do that in the comfort of our cars. Why would we mess around with chuting ourselves back and forth in a pneumatic tube? Alas, answers to these questions are not forthcoming — intellectual property theft being the threat that it is and all. We’ll just have to take their word for it. If they build it, we will come! Field of dreams, baby! St. Louis and Kansas City, the center of a new national transportation option even better than, well, monorail. Let’s face it: It’s more of a Shelbyville idea, really. Sarah Fenske is the editor in chief of the Riverfront Times. Follow her on Twitter @sarahfenske
The library wants to give you a break (or at least renew your books for you). | FLICKR/JONATHAN CUTRER the book. And if you end up owing $15 or more, you’ll still find yourself with a block on your card until you pay it off. This is a lending library, not a book giveaway. McDonald says it’s too soon to know the impact the policy will have, but so far, the library has been enjoying patrons’
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delighted reactions. “People have said, ‘This is wonderful — I won’t have those little fines on my card anymore,’” she says. “We’re going to keep an eye on it, and we’ll see then if we need an adjustment for any reason. We want people to be happy.” n
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THE NANJING
中美建交，圣路易斯与 How an international love story 南京是如何结为中美间 is bringing together two cities on 第一对友好城市的？ opposite sides of the world BY RYAN KRULL 12
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缘
CONNECTION
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im Hermann had never lived outside of St. Louis until, in his late 50s, he moved to China.
Hermann’s initial trip there in 2008 was one of curiosity, and the first thing he noticed about the country was the dozens of construction cranes dotting the skyline of every city he visited. As the CEO and board chairman of Collins and Hermann, a multi-million-dollar specialty construction outfit, he was naturally drawn to China’s building boom. He returned to China again and again, traveling around by train trying to drum up business. He saw the labor-intensive way Chinese crews
carried out certain projects and he thought his firm could do it cheaper. He really took to the country, particularly the southern city of Shenzhen with its tropical-like weather and ocean views. In all the cities he visited, the welcoming and open nature of the people he met felt at times more Midwestern than the Midwest from which he’d come. Eventually, tired of spending money on hotels, he rented an apartment in Shenzhen and kept traveling around China meeting people in local government and business. “It took me a while to realize that this was a difficult opportunity for a foreigner,” he says. “The type of business we’re in is more of a state-owned business here.” However, before he came to that realization, a language
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He Jian Ping (who goes by “PJ”) and Tim Hermann at JP’s condo in St. Louis. She’s currently enrolled in English classes at UMSL. | TOM HELLAUER
NANJING 南京 Continued from pg 13
teacher offered to set up Hermann, who was divorced, on a date with a woman who the language teacher said would be his perfect match. There was just one problem. This perfect woman lived in Nanjing. In terms of distance, if Shenzhen is St. Louis, that would put Nanjing somewhere around Buffalo, New York. Undeterred, Hermann began exchanging messages with the woman on QQ, a messaging app that was popular in China at the time. She was a middle school teacher in Nanjing, and her name was He Jian Ping, although she goes by JP. Hermann’s Mandarin was improving, and JP’s English was then only so-so. But over text that didn’t matter. “He would text me in English and I would translate into Chinese,” JP
says. “I’d text him in Chinese and he’d translate into English.” After a lot of messaging back and forth, Hermann finally asked if JP wanted to visit him in Shenzhen. Her response: I don’t know you that well. Why would I come down there? Hermann’s reply: Good point. How about I fly to Nanjing? Their first date, which involved a translator, was a success. Now 55, JP says she right away found Hermann to be kind and generous. Hermann, who is now 67, liked that JP was smart and extroverted and very pretty. JP is a gogetter, too. She raised a daughter as a single parent while teaching. At one point, when her daughter was young, the two had to sleep in the schoolhouse, but JP eventually saved up enough money to buy multiple properties throughout Nanjing, which she used for rental income. When she met Hermann, her daughter, who had
On the previous pages, St. Louis and Nanjing are both river cities separated by an ocean. Left, one of the longest rivers in the U.S. rolls under the Martin Luther King Jr. bridge. Right, a jogger runs past the Nanjing Eyes Pedestrian Bridge, the first footbridge to span Asia’s longest river, the Yangtze. | MISSISSIPPI RIVER BY SHUTTERSTOCK; YANGTZE RIVER BY RYAN KRULL 14
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finished school and was working as a flight attendant, encouraged her to pursue the relationship. They hadn’t been dating long when JP came across an old newspaper article that mentioned the sister-city relationship between St. Louis and Nanjing — the very first between any Chinese city and one in the U.S. She thought it was nice that their hometowns had a connection that mirrored their own. She showed the article to Hermann, who was even more enthusiastic. As he put it: “You got a St. Louis guy living in a country of 1.3 billion people who ends up meeting and falling in love with a woman from Nanjing. And it happens to be that the first sister city relationship between our two countries is Nanjing and St. Louis. Completely by accident. It’s serendipity.”
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he sister-city relationship between St. Louis and Nanjing officially began in 1979, when China was hardly the economic powerhouse it is today. The tumultuous Cultural Revolution had ended a few years prior and free-
market reforms were only beginning. The U.S. was still thick in its Cold War mindset, and no American city had formal ties to any cities in Red China. St. Louis, not exactly known for its communist leanings, was an improbable candidate to be the first. James Conway, mayor of St. Louis from 1977 to 1981, is likely the St. Louisan most responsible for the sister city relationship. I recently visited his Midtown office, and behind his desk hang a collage of photos showing a trip that Chu Jiang, mayor of Nanjing in the ’80s, made to St. Louis. The photos show Conway and Chu at the Arch, at the floating McDonald’s. Forty years ago, the potential for pushback must have been daunting. But Conway says Nanjing seemed like the perfect partner. Both it and St. Louis were on major rivers. Both cities were in areas where agriculture was one of the primary industries. Also, he says: “We wanted to beat San Francisco.” At the time San Francisco was working with Shanghai to establish a sister-city relationship. The two cities eventually came to
terms in 1980, one year after St. Louis and Nanjing. But before that, in 1979, Conway and a small delegation flew to Nanjing to sign the agreement making the partnership official. Foreigners in China, especially outside the largest cities, were still exceedingly rare, to the point that 5,000 Nanjingers showed up to witness the signing. Typical for the era, Conway said, the vast majority of both men and women wore the traditional single-color Mao suit and kept their hair short. “I walked around the city with my wife, who was wearing a dress and heels that were by no means stilettos,” Conway recalls. “And still people on the streets were bumping into each other, staring, everywhere we went. They’d never seen anything like it.”
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here were very few Mao suits in sight in Nanjing this past July when I visited for a few days. It would be both condescending and a grand understatement to call the metropolis of more than 8 million modern. Parts of its cityscape are soaked in neon, downright futuristic. Its restaurants, shopping districts, subways and sidewalks buzz with activity. A few locals I talked to said the pace of life in Nanjing is a bit more relaxed, but that’s only in comparison to China’s megacities. In the historic downtown, foot traffic, buses, cars, motorbikes, bicycles and scooters converge at intersections, and it seems impossible that everyone can make it through the green lights OK. During rush hour Nanjing’s impeccably clean subway cars get so packed as to erase any notion of personal space. It’s easy to enter a shopping center in search of a restaurant, pass Bulgari, Prada and Polo stores on the way to the seventh floor, inadvertently cross a sky bridge or two, dine at the restaurant and exit onto a bustling square that is completely different than the bustling square through which you entered. This can happen even when being guided by a local. There is much St. Louis might envy in its sister city aside from the robust public transit and Blade Runner-esque views. The parks offer free ping-pong tables. Food stalls sell dumplings and noodles late into the night. The Yangtze, Asia’s longest river, runs alongside the city and a new pedestrian footbridge spans its banks. The bridge is supported by two giant circular towers that when illuminated at night are known locally as the Nanjing Eyes. Silhouette-like
statues of javelin-throwers and cyclists dot the city in commemoration of when Nanjing hosted the Youth Olympics in 2014. The city is a mix of old and new, says Zhang Lin, a staff member with Nanjing’s Sister City Friendship Association, the counterpart to St. Louis’ Sister City Committee. She doesn’t use “old” lightly: It was the capital of China back in the third century. The wall surrounding the inner city was constructed in the 1500s. East of downtown, a hike through the botanical gardens and forest leads to a mausoleum constructed almost a thousand years ago. Recently, Nanjing has developed a reputation in China as a smart city. With 53 universities and 800,000 students, it’s a college town in the way that Boston might be called a college “town.” As a way to retain graduates as well as attract talent, the municipal government recently implemented a new law giving city residency, a very important piece of status in China, to anyone who has a bachelor’s degree. The municipal government here has also been quick to embrace new technology. Any interaction with the government, from scheduling a doctor visit to paying a parking ticket, can be accomplished through one single app. There are so many bike shares here — yellow ofos, orange Public Bikes, the list runs on — the joke goes that if a new competitor were to start up, it would have to first invent a new color. About 200 miles east of Nanjing lies Shanghai, the second most populous city in the world as well as China’s financial capital and biggest job market. High-speed rail means the two cities are only about an hour apart. With a scrappy attitude that should resonate with St. Louisans, Lin says Shanghai’s alpha status is all to Nanjing’s benefit. Smaller companies and startups have found a home in Nanjing. Nanjing also offers a lower cost of living and (slightly) more relaxed pace of life. “Our relationship with Shanghai is not contrasting, not competitive. It’s complementary,” Lin says. “Shanghai can’t develop to its next stage without Nanjing. Nanjing produces the talent needed in Shanghai through our schools.” “It really is an interesting sister city relationship,” says Neal Perryman, a partner at the Lewis Rice law firm and board chairman of the St. Louis-Nanjing Sister City Committee. “St. Louis is a historically important city, but Chicago has kind of eclipsed it in some ways in the Midwest. Nanjing is a historiContinued on pg 16
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Illuminated skyscrapers in Nanjing next to skyscrapers under construction. Nanjing, like much of China, is undergoing a construction boom. | RYAN KRULL
NANJING 南京 Continued from pg 15
cally important city in China, but is smaller than Shanghai. There’s some interesting parallels there.” Before Perryman joined the Sister City Committee, he’d always had an interest in Chinese history. Two of his three sons studied Mandarin at Saint Louis University High School, and he’d visited Nanjing in 2013 as a chaperone on one son’s trip to the city with fellow students. He’d even hosted a student from the Nanjing Foreign Language School, Tong, who studied for a year at his son’s school. His family enjoyed Tong’s presence so much that two years later Sunny stayed with the Perrymans when she became one of the Jesuit school’s rare female students. (Tong is now a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford; Sunny is at Yale.) After Perryman’s trip to Nanjing, his son’s Mandarin teacher suggested he get involved with the Sister City Committee. After joining, Perryman quickly found himself elected its chairman. But at the time not much was happening. “When I came on board I think we had about $6,000 and had never filed a real 501(c)3 tax return because we’d never had any income,” Perryman says. The lack of action and funding stemmed from a fundamental disparity between how the two cities carry out international relations.
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In St. Louis, it’s not anyone’s job to maintain the sister-city relationship with Nanjing, whereas in its Chinese counterpart, these responsibilities are under the government’s purview and covered by state money. “We’re all private citizens who take time off work to do this,” Perryman says. “But on the Nanjing side, this is their full-time job.” The Sister City Committee met a few times and had good conversations, but a lack of money severely limited its capabilities. Enter Hermann, the construction CEO from St. Louis, and JP, the school teacher from Nanjing.
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y 2010 Hermann had more or less moved to China full time. He frequently treks back to St. Louis, where his two daughters live, but Shenzhen is where he prefers to be. Being in the city, which is often called the Silicon Valley of China, positions Hermann perfectly to consult both with American companies wanting to do business in China as well as with Chinese companies wanting to enter the U.S. The tropical weather doesn’t hurt, either. More than once Hermann has messaged me a panorama of the ocean view from his apartment balcony. “As far as I know you can’t find this view in St. Louis,” he jokes. Even as JP and Hermann became a bona fide couple, she
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stayed in Nanjing while he stayed in Shenzhen. The long-distance relationship suited them fine. JP’s professional and family life were in her hometown and it was easy enough for the two of them to rendezvous. He accompanied JP as she walked her daughter down the aisle. JP, sometimes accompanied by her daughter and son-inlaw, made trips to Shenzhen to take in the view. In 2012 Hermann’s daughters visited China to take in the sights and meet JP. Not long after that, the couple began planning JP’s first visit to St. Louis so she could meet the rest of Hermann’s family. Flying to St. Louis the following summer, they changed planes in Chicago. To JP, Chicago looked “normal.” “But when I first landed in St. Louis,” JP recalls, “I said, ‘Where are the buildings? Where are the people?’ That made Tim laugh.” She took to the city, though, visiting multiple times and exploring it in part through a camera’s lens. After spending a lot of time photographing St. Louis’ churches, in 2016 JP compiled the photos into a book. The couple arranged an exchange of photographers between St. Louis and Nanjing, and it was this project that put them on the radar of both the Sister City Committee in St. Louis as well as the Friendship Association in Nanjing. In 2017, Nanjing foreign affairs officer Xia Yan contacted JP and Hermann with a proposal. The
40th anniversary of the St. Louis-Nanjing sister-city agreement was on the horizon (in 2019), and Yan was keen on there being an exchange to mark the milestone. Hermann and JP asked Yan what he had in mind. The foreign affairs officer looked to the couple and said, “Baseball.” In the following months various ideas were brainstormed and then scrapped. There was talk of putting together a team from St. Louis to play a demonstration game in Nanjing. But what if no one showed up to watch? Hermann came up with the idea for two statues: one in Nanjing depicting an American pitcher and then, in St. Louis, a Nanjing catcher poised to receive his pitch. Already Nanjing has countless pieces of public art commemorating the recent Youth Olympics and sport in general; why couldn’t a baseball player be among them? Likewise, St. Louis has plenty of statues of American ball players; why can’t there be one of a Chinese national? Hermann recruited Harry Weber, the sculptor behind the bronze statues of Lewis and Clark on the riverfront and the bull in front of the Stifel, Nicolaus building downtown. Weber was intrigued by the idea but thought a pitcher and a batter might be more appropriate than a pitcher and a catcher. Throwing the ball to a batter, he explained, means the batter might hit it and then something else will happen. There’s a continuation. It’s ongoing. “The idea was to have them look like they were separated by 60 feet instead of 7,000 miles,” Weber says. “The pitcher will be in his follow-through, and the batter will be in the early stages of his swing.” Furthermore, thanks to Weber’s work crafting the statues of iconic ball players outside Busch Stadium, he had a good relationship with Bill DeWitt Jr. and was friends with Adam Wainwright. Maybe, Weber suggested, the pitcher didn’t have to be generic. Two bronze statues, one of which has to be transported to the other side of the world, don’t come particularly cheap. Fortunately, Collins and Hermann has thus far given the Sister City Committee $250,000, filling the program’s coffers. A pair of statues can seem at first glance like a luxury, little more than a nice bit of cultural enrichment. But it’s important to keep in mind that amid major gridlock and dysfunction at the federal level, sustaining sister-city relationships can really matter. The committees from both cities
Xuanwu Lake Park, a city park and green space in the downtown of Nanijng. | RYAN KRULL act as international matchmakers, facilitating introductions for entities in one city to find meaningful collaboration with entities in the other. How else would St. Louis’ Cortex form a relationship with Nanjing’s BioValley? The Missouri Botanical Garden with the botanical gardens in Nanjing? For more than three decades Saint Louis University High has been exchanging students with the Foreign Language School in Nanjing. In the early ’90s, the Nanjing Foreign Affairs Office introduced University of Missouri-St. Louis professor Joel Glassman to Nanjing University faculty, and every year since St. Louis has benefited from Nanjing students coming into the region to study. Will every introduction be a home run? Not at all. But the relationship creates the potential. Given the general chaos of the world, why wouldn’t St. Louis want a sister two millennia older and 60 times bigger? As Hermann puts it: “The question is, how we can both economically and culturally connect the two communities? It’s going to have to be connecting people over and over and over again. And if I’m able to promote cultural exchange between the two cities, it wouldn’t have happened if not for the love of a St. Louis man by happenstance for a Nanjing woman.” “You really connect people when people connect,” Perryman adds. “People in Nanjing will notice when someone like Tong, who stayed with us, goes to St. Louis. His friends and family will say, ‘Where’s St. Louis?’ Tong’s going to London, but he’ll always have St. Louis in his heart. Simultaneously, the students from [Saint Louis University High] or UMSL who go to
Nanjing will have that place with them.”
I
n June, Nanjing Mayor Lan Shaomin visits St. Louis ahead of next year’s 40th anniversary. He brings with him a delegation that includes Zhang Lin. They visit Cortex, Emerson and the Botanical Garden. They meet with Mayor Lyda Krewson. In the evening the Sister City Committee hosts a dinner for the delegation at Kemoll’s on the 42nd floor of One Metropolitan Square downtown, with its famous view directly overlooking the Arch grounds. It is a swanky affair with about 80 guests in attendance. Seated at the head table with Lan are St. Louis deputy mayor for development Linda Martínez, former mayor James Conway, Perryman, JP and Hermann. Lan, speaking through an interpreter, says, “We take much pride in becoming the very first pair of cities between China and the United States. Over the past four decades we have forged very deep engagement which has further enhanced the understanding between our two communities.” Martínez, also speaking through an interpreter for the Mandarin speakers in the audience, says, “Today we strengthen a strategic partnership with an eye toward the 21st century by entering into three landmark accords with our Chinese friends. These framework agreements will foster joint innovation to ensure the next 40 years will be as fruitful as the past 40 years.” The three accords concern the two cities formally renewing their commitments to joint cooperation in the areas of business, research, Continued on pg 18
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NANJING 南京 Continued from pg 17
education and cultural exchange. The event has a familiar, convivial atmosphere fitting for two cities who have been partners for nearly four decades. Jokes are made about baseball and the warmth of Midwestern welcomes. Much shade is given to slowfooted San Francisco. Lan quips that Nanjing and St. Louis can exchange a lot of things, but that Nanjing can’t compete in baseball. Half the room laughs when jokes are made in their native tongue; the others wait until Ding Zhao, who is kept busy as interpreter, catches them up. One of the big reveals of the evening is that the two statues of baseball players won’t be generic. The previous night Perryman got the OK from the Cardinals to put the statue of the Nanjing baseball player in Ballpark Village, and he also got the OK from Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright for the statue in Nanjing to be in his likeness. Wainwright responded to the idea enthusiastically, Weber notes, remarking that there are a lot of statues of baseball players around the U.S., but how many ball play-
Hermann came up with the idea for two statues: one in Nanjing depicting an American pitcher and then, in St. Louis, a Nanjing catcher poised to receive his pitch. ers can say they have a statue in China? “When this statue is in Nanjing, representing a connection between our cities, kids are going to walk by that and say, ‘What is baseball?’” Perryman says. “And that will lead to them learning about our culture and our people in a way that is very beneficial to our understanding of each other.”
T
he details of the 40th anniversary have yet to be finalized, but Perryman went to Nanjing in late July to discuss next year’s plans with the Nanjing Foreign Affairs office. Very likely, he says, a group of St. Louisans will be going to Nanjing and a group of Nanjingers will come here. Since Lan has come to St. Louis, officials in Nanjing are keen to have Krewson visit. The Wainwright statue will likely be installed either outside the Nanjing Youth Olympic Stadium or, possibly, at a brand-new park dedicat-
ed to the sister-city relationship with St. Louis. Hermann and JP were at the July meeting in Nanjing, too. But when they tell me about it, they’re back in St. Louis. The couple, now officially engaged, is in the Gateway City because JP, who retired from her teaching job over the summer, has enrolled at UMSL. The last time she was a student was in China, when the country was still largely closed from the rest of the world; she’s excited to study a more global curriculum. If her initial English classes go well JP would like to move on to videography, eventually teaching Americans photography and videography while simultaneously teaching them Mandarin. Either that or she could go back to China and teach Chinese students how to take photos and shoot video while also helping them with their English. She’ll have options. In the meantime, she’s rented an apartment here and with Hermann’s help is learning the finer points of
driving in St. Louis traffic. While JP studies in St. Louis, Hermann will still be in Shenzhen, though he plans to come back to his hometown every six weeks or so. Before he heads back to China he’ll meet with various local organizations in the hopes that eventually the makeup of the St. Louis Sister City Committee will better reflect the city’s diversity. The last time I see Hermann and JP is just before the start of the school year. I ask her how she feels going back to school as a student after teaching for decades. JP responds by singing a few bars of “Shūbāo Shūbāo (Book bag, Book bag),” a song typically sung to children before their first day of school. “Now all my friends back in Nanjing are singing that for me,” she says. Ryan Krull is a freelance journalist and assistant teaching professor in the department of communication and media at UMSL
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CALENDAR
BY PAUL FRISWOLD
THURSDAY 10/25 Horror in the Opera There’s an art form to playing a live score for a silent film. The band has to match the pace of the action on-screen, the music has to support the story without drawing too much attention to itself and, on top of all that, the musicians must still keep in synch with each other. The Invincible Czars of Austin, Texas, honed its craft while accompanying weekly screenings at the Alamo Draft House, and really leaned into the art form. The band has original scores for a host of films that require a small music shop’s worth of instruments — and also devises unique wardrobes for each one. The Invincible Czars rolls into town to perform with the terrifically creepy 1925 version of The Phantom of the Opera, which stars Lon Chaney. The movie starts at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, October 25, at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood Boulevard; www.webster.edu/film-series), and tickets are $10. ton Center (130 Edgar Road; www. repstl.org). Tickets are $46 to $71.
FRIDAY 10/26 White People Problems
Ladies Under Siege
Sherri Rosen-Mason works as the admissions director for a prep school, but she’s “one of the good ones.” She fights both to diversify the school and its brochures, which is right in line with her ardent progressive politics. Understandably, Sherri is blindsided when her teenage son Charlie claims his mother’s convictions and policies deny him opportunities, and the proof is that Yale has passed him over while his mixed race friend was accepted. Can Sherri and her husband Bill remain true to their ideals if their son is denied the quality education they want him to have? Joshua Harmon’s play Admissions, a deep dive into the nature of white privilege, opens the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis’ Studio Series. Performances are Tuesday through Sunday (October 26 to November 11) at the Loretto-Hil-
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Everybody shows up at the Central West End Halloween party. | STEVE TRUESDELL
Witches are a hot topic around Halloween, but it’s not like the old days. Back in the sixteenth century, the original old-time religion could get a woman killed, even if she wasn’t a practitioner. If women lived alone, or knew about the medicinal properties of herbs and flowers, or had a cat, they could be accused of witchcraft. Today women aren’t prosecuted for any of those things — although modern advertising makes sure they’re still tortured for being different or failing to adhere to modern beauty standards. Theatre Nuevo marries these two forms of woman-hating in its newly devised play, whither should i fly. Inspired equally by the sixteenthcentury witchcraft that appears in the Faust legend and the militarygrade beauty-industrial complex, the play explores the way society keeps creating new ways to control women. whither should i fly
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is performed at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday (October 25 to November 11) at the Centene Center for Arts & Education (3547 Olive Street; www.theatrenuevo. com). Tickets are $15.
SATURDAY 10/27 Party Town USA There are Halloween parties, and then there is the Central West End Halloween Party. The allday, outdoor celebration starts at 11 a.m. Saturday, October 27, with a kids’ costume party and parade, led this year by Cinderella and her magical carriage. At 1 p.m. the costume parade for dogs and their people starts, and then general revelry continues until 6 p.m. when the adults-only party begins. The big event is the costume contest, which always features the most creative and inspired costumes in the city because $6,000 in cash and prizes is up for grabs to the best of the best in various categories. Competing in the adult
contest costs $25 for individuals and $50 for groups (cash only), but entry to the event is free. The CWE Halloween Party is centered on the intersection of Maryland and Euclid avenues (www.cwescene.com). Pretty much all the neighborhood restaurants and businesses participate in one way or another, so bring your party money to ensure a good time.
Step into the Party Dungeon Halloween falls on a Wednesday, which isn’t really the ideal party night. By order of the Great Pumpkin (lo, do we fear and honor thou), dispensation has been given to allow for parties to commence on the more amenable Saturday. Johnnie Brock’s Dungeon Halloween Party obeys, with an 8 p.m. start on Saturday, October 27, at Ballpark Village (601 Clark Street; www.stlballparkvillage. com). It’s perhaps the biggest indoor fete of the season, spreading from the Budweiser Brew House
WEEK OF OCTOBER 25-31 to PBR St. Louis to FOX Sports Midwest Live. The Joe Dirt Band performs live, DJ Deception spins and then there’s the big draw — the costume contest with $10,000 in cash and prizes. Judges will roam from 7 to 10 p.m. seeking the fifteen bests costumed revelers to advance to the finals, with the winners chosen by audience vote. Tickets are $40 to $50 and are all-inclusive for draft beer, house wine and well spirits, which makes this a 21-and-older party. Sorry, kids — stick with the candy.
SUNDAY 10/28 The Show Goes On As World War II rages in Europe and the Pacific, a group of St. Louis women have to keep the home fires burning. Those fires don’t just burn wood, though; the ladies all miss going to the theater. With the men at war and the theaters closed for the duration, an idea is hatched. It’s time for a new production of Henry V, with an allfemale cast storming Agincourt. George Brant’s comedy Into the Breeches! makes its St. Louis debut as part of Shakespeare Festival St. Louis’ In the Works program. The family-friendly play A Most Outrageous Fit of Madness (inspired by The Comedy of Errors) and two staged readings of Michael Saenz’s The Thousand Natural Shocks round out the program. Into the Breeches! runs Wednesday through Sunday (October 28 to November 18) at the Grandel Theatre (3610 Grandel Square; www.sfstl.com). Tickets are $25 to $55.
TUESDAY 10/30 Quipping the Light Fantastic
Are your costumes ready? | STEVE TRUESDELL
The cult TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000 made a triumphant return to broadcasting thanks to a wildly successful crowdfunding mission and Netflix. Because of that, the MST3K 30th anniversary tour feels much more like a celebration of the show than an exercise in pure nostalgia. Series
Doctor Faustus (Ashley Bauman) made the worst choice for the best reasons. | JOEY RUMPELL creator and original host Joel Hodgson is back in his red jumpsuit, and he’ll join current host Jonah Heston (Jonah Ray to his family) for an evening of sketches and robot-grade nonsense from Crow T. Robot and Tom Servo. Once assembled, it’s only natural that the bots and both hosts riff on a film together. St. Louis will see Canadian sci-fi flop The Brain skewered live by the full cast. The MST3K 30th-anniversary tour visits the Stifel Theatre (1400 Market Street; www.stifeltheatre.com) at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 30; tickets are $36.50 to $46.50.
WEDNESDAY 10/31 A Noble Effort Christopher Marlowe was a contemporary of William Shakespeare, and Marlowe’s plays were a large influence on Shakespeare’s own. Of course, Shakespeare’s
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work greatly eclipsed Marlowe’s in popularity, consigning him to the past. Doctor Faustus is undoubtedly Marlowe’s most famous play still — perhaps because of a persistent legend that actual devils appeared on stage during a sixteenth-century performance. John Wolbers has adapted the script for the modern era, while still keeping much of the original’s poetry. Now the female Doctor Faustus is disgusted by the rampant abuse of power and position of the world’s leaders, and so enters into a contract with the devil. She plans to use her new power for good, to save the weak and bring mercy to the world. But ultimate power has a nasty effect on the human soul, even when it’s a noble one. Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble presents Doctor Faustus at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday) October 31 to November 17 at the Chapel (6238 Alexander Drive; www.slightlyoff.org). Tickets are $15 to $20. n
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Your Guide to Freaky Fun MULTI-NIGHT The Darkness St. Louis’ longest-running haunted house is celebrating its 25th year. Rated as America’s best haunted house, the Darkness recently had a total renovation to make it longer and more terrifying than ever before, with Zombie Laser Tag, new special effects and a new three-minute Jigsaw Horror Escape Room. MondaysThursdays, Sundays, 7:30-10 p.m.; Fridays, Saturdays, 6:45 p.m.-12:15 a.m. Continues through Oct. 27, plus Wed., Oct. 31, 6:45-11:45 p.m. $25-$35. The Darkness, 1525 S. Eighth St., St. Louis, 314-631-8000.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show The essential Halloween musical returns to the Tivoli Theatre for midnight screenings with a live shadow cast, the Samurai Electricians. Costumes are encouraged. Let’s do the Time Warp again! Fridays, Saturdays, 11:55 a.m. Continues through Oct. 27, $11. Landmark Tivoli Theatre, 6350 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-7271.
Haus of Horrors Snuggle cats and be spooked at movie night at the cat cafe. Every Friday and Saturday night in October will feature a different public-domain horror film. These movies will be playing during open hours, from 6 to 8 p.m., so you can come and go during the films or purchase a two-hour reservation. Adults only. 10/19 Nosferatu; 10/20 The Killer Shrews, The Wasp Woman; 10/26 Dracula; 10/27 Night of the Living Dead. $5 to $15, mauhauscafe. com/horror. Mauhaus, 3101 Sutton Blvd., Maplewood, 314-384-2287.
Evil Dead the Musical What happens if you take Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead 2 and smash it into the mod-
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ern musical? You get Evil Dead the Musical, which grafts an emotional arc and frequent song breaks onto the gory, nightmarish story. Performances 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. Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee Ave., St. Louis, 314-865-1995.
The Forgotten Leverage presents The Forgotten, an evening of immersive dance theater that has audience members following performers through the mazes, hallways and stairwells of Intersect Arts Center. You may, at times, feel visibly part of the performance. Dress in theme: preferably in something black, dark, creepy or decaying. Fridays and Saturdays from Oct. 19 to Oct. 27, 7 and 9 p.m. $15 to $20. Intersect Arts Center, 3630 Ohio St., St. Louis.
Nightmare in the Corn Indiana Jones found a piece of the shattered Ten Commandments in the Egyptian desert and was then kidnapped. Your mission is to solve who kidnapped him, with what weapon and where in the sea of corn. You’ll need a stout heart, sturdy shoes, keen powers of deduction, a flashlight and the price of admission. Saturdays and Sundays, 6:30 to 9 p.m. through Nov. 1, $12 for corn maze or escape tent; $20 for both adventures. 314-609-5488, www. nightmareinthecorn. St. Jordan Creek Winery, 2829 US-50, Beaufort.
THIS WEEKEND The Legendary CWE Halloween St. Louis’ most legendary Halloween street party returns Saturday, Oct. 27. Festivities kick off with fun daytime activities for the whole family. As the sun sets,
the party continues with an adults-only bash and costume contest, known for its elaborate, complex and outrageous costumes and featuring $6,000 in cash and prizes. Free. Sat., Oct. 27, 11 a.m. to midnight, www.cwehalloween.com. Central West End, Euclid and Maryland avenues, St. Louis.
Spookapalooza At Cherokee Street’s Halloween party, venues include Foam, the Whiskey Ring, the Fortune Teller Bar, the BSide, the Juice, Propaganda STL and more. Drag Queen Story Time with Celeste Covington and live music by Sister Wizzard, Seashine, The Evening Glories, Amber Skies and Sean Kimble, a.k.a. “Lucilee Joplin, Jr.” VIP options available, with private lounge and complimentary food and beverages. Sat., Oct. 27, noon to 1 a.m., $10$25. Whiskey Ring, 2651 Cherokee St., St. Louis, 314-669-5817.
Nosferatu Enjoy the German horror classic Nosferatu, scored live by the Rats & People Motion Picture Orchestra, with food and bier specials including Count Orlok, Urban Chestnut’s Black Pumpkin Wheat Ale, plus other spooky treats. Festivities start at 6 p.m.; the movie starts after the sun has set and it’s safe for the count to come out (around 7 p.m. for those who like to measure time more precisely). Thu., Oct. 25, 6 p.m., free admission. Urban Chestnut Midtown Brewery & Biergarten, 3229 Washington Ave., St. Louis, 314-222-0143.
Spirits in the Garden Celebrate with the spirit of Henry Shaw while sampling from local distilleries, wineries and breweries. Strut your stuff in a costume contest, solve a scavenger hunt, dance the night away with DJ Lamar Harris, watch classic horror movies, meet local paranormal investigators, and enjoy a fortune teller, fire performer and stilt-walking Frankenstein’s monster. Samples from distilleries included in admission price; cash bar available. 21+. Fri., Oct. 26, 6-9 p.m., $20-$30. Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Blvd., St. Louis, 314-577-9400.
An Iconic Drag Show The Ready Room in the Grove will be transformed on October 26 into the “spooktacular” setting for an iconic Halloween celebration featuring a celebrity drag show, Halloween costume contest and dance party benefiting Pride St. Louis and ArchCity Defenders. The party will include performances by top local female impersonators and music by DJ Rico Steez, with a costume contest focused on icons.
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Witches Night Out STL The popular Witches Night Out STL Halloween event has moved its annual ladies-only 21-plus costume dance party from Eureka to the Family Arena. Admission includes fire jugglers, a DJ dance party, and inclusion in door prizes and costume contests. Arena parking $10. Fri., Oct. 26, 5:30 to 10 p.m., $30, 314-852-3617, www. witchesnightoutstl.com. Family Arena, 2002 Arena Pkwy., St. Charles.
Halloween Spectacular Conjure up some creative crafts, play some ghoulish games and spin some silly stories during the Field House Museum’s not-so-spooky Halloween Spectacular. Don’t forget to dress up as your favorite character for this notricks, all-treats event. Sat., Oct. 27, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., $5 to $10, 314421-4689, www.facebook.com/ events/261810591125463/. Field House Museum, 634 S. Broadway, St. Louis.
The Event That Must Not Be Named Magic is coming — for all ages. Get out your wands, cloaks and brooms and get ready for a magical time. Come out and enjoy all of your favorite activities: Magical Alley, magical creatures, the history of magic, magical food, strolling characters, herbology, potion classes, photo ops, a balloon artist, costume contest, themed drinks and so much more. Sat., Oct. 27, 3 to 9 p.m., $34.40. Family Arena, 2002 Arena Pkwy., St. Charles, 636-896-4200.
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Halloween Movie Night Nine Network and St. Louis Public Radio, in partnership with Johnnie Brock’s Dungeon Party Warehouse, present Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein. A costume contest, live music and food round out the fun. Fri., Oct. 26, 6:30 to 10:30 p.m., $10, publicmediacommons.org/schedule/. Public Media Commons, 3653 Olive St., St. Louis.
Down the Rabbit Hole Join the St. Louis paranormal group 3 Girls in the Dark for its fourth annual Halloween party, located in Soulard’s haunted 3rd district police station, next to the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. Drag show starts at 8 p.m. with St. Louis’ own Maxi Glamour. Party in the jail cells, enter the cash-prize costume contest and check out the “Haunted Art Show” by DekönstrucContinued on pg 24
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HALLOWEEN 2018 Continued from pg 23
tive Collection. Drink specials every hour, with specialty drinks and shots. 21+. Sat., Oct. 27, 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., $10 pre-sale; $15 at the door. 314-771-8230, www.madart.com. Mad Art Gallery, 2727 S. 12th St., St. Louis.
Ross Elementary Fall Festival A fun-filled event with food, games, crafts, Halloween maze, Halloween dance party, contests (adults and kids), prizes and face painting. Sun., Oct. 28, noon to 4 p.m. Email awbland28@ gmail.com for more details. Ross Elementary, 1150 Ross Ave., St. Louis.
Halloween Costume Johnnie Brock’s Dungeon Party Cruise Break out your Halloween best on Halloween Party the Halloween Costume Party Cruise. Johnnie Brock’s Dungeon and Ballpark Village team up again to throw the biggest Halloween party in town. Don’t miss an all-inclusive package from 8 to 11 p.m. with access to three venues, live entertainment by Joe Dirt band and DJ Deception, and the costume contest with a $5,000 prize package. Doors open at 7 p.m. 21plus. Sat., Oct. 27, 7 p.m., $40-$50. Ballpark Village, 601 Clark Ave., St. Louis, 314-345-9481.
STLBEER Halloween Party The STLBEER Halloween Party features breweries from throughout the region pouring samples, live music, grwild costumes, a Hefe Ride (think hay-ride with kegs on it) and more. Ticketgoers will also enjoy local food vendors, a commemorative tasting glass and more. Food trucks, food vendors and retail vendors will be on site for attendees to purchase whatever they want. Designated Driver tickets are $5. 21+. Sat., Oct. 27, 1 p.m., $40. Lafayette Park, Park & Mississippi avenues, St. Louis.
Downtown Bar Crawl Party downtown. If you are into dressing to impress for Halloween, enter the Halloween costume contest for a chance to win $500 and bragging rights. More info at www.facebook. com/events/340127470062808. Sat., Oct. 27, 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., $12, 312-600-9035. Lucas Park Grille, 1234 Washington Ave., St. Louis.
Halloween Concert The Town & Country Symphony Orchestra presents its annual Halloween concert in costume. Bring the kids, and enjoy music from movies, theater and even some “spooky” classical works too. Kids who come in costume are welcomed on stage to get a small gift from the orchestra. Free. Sun., Oct. 28, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., www.tcsomo. org/events/halloween-concert-2018/. The Principia, 13201 Clayton Rd., St. Louis, 314-434-2100.
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Enjoy a live DJ, light hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar, along with Halloween treats. The winner of the costume contest will receive two tickets to the New Year’s Eve cruise. 21+. Sat., Oct. 27, 8:30 to 11 p.m., $26, 877-9821410, www.gatewayarch.com/experience/riverboat-cruises/specialtycruises/. Gateway Arch Riverboats, 11 N. 4th St., St. Louis.
HALLOWEEN NIGHT Welcome to Twin Peaks Join the Mahler Ballroom at Club M and travel to Twin Peaks, Washington (population 51,201). Featuring a special reunion show of the band Baby Baby Dance With Me, the celebration will include pop-up performances from the series, cocktails, dining and “a damn fine cup of coffee.” Tickets include entry and one drink ticket. Wed., Oct. 31, 7-10 p.m., $20$25, 314-361-4411, www.facebook. com/events/463951790678413/. Mahler Ballroom, 4915 Washington Blvd., St. Louis.
Alton Halloween Parade The “most haunted small town in America” holds its traditional Halloween parade at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31. More than 80 floats, marching bands and costumed characters wend their way through the streets after dark. Wed., Oct. 31, 7:30 p.m., free admission. Downtown Alton, Third St., Alton.
Witch Please!
GutterGlitter’s fourth annual witch dance is back to celebrate queers and femmes and non-binary/trans babes. Don your sexiest cloak and be ready to celebrate at this non-corporate-sponsored, underground, working-class/poor, queer dance party. DJ Vinca Minor will spin only music by women and queer/femme bois, and the organizers promise “witches in the house, binding Trump and his goons.” Wed., Oct. 31, 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., $5, 314-664-7638, www.facebook. com/events/301329340689652/. Way Out Club, 2525 S. Jefferson Ave., St. Louis.
FILM
25
[REVIEW]
Death of a Celebrity Rupert Everett’s love letter to Oscar Wilde celebrates the man, not the legend Written by
ROBERT HUNT The Happy Prince Written and directed by Rupert Everett. Starring Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Emily Watson and Colin Morgan. Now showing at the Landmark Plaza Frontenac Cinema.
W
ith a notorious novel and a string of brilliant theatrical successes to his credit, Oscar Wilde spent the first half of the 1890s as one of the most celebrated men in London. In the second half he became its most disgraced, brought down by a reckless and flamboyant affair with a young man, Lord Alfred Douglas, and an ill-considered libel suit against Douglas’ father, which exposed Wilde’s personal life and led to a two-year prison sentence for “gross indecency.” Released in 1897, Wilde was a broken man, living in self-imposed exile in France, his fortune gone and reputation shattered. Since his death in 1900, Wilde has become a convenient symbol for a kaleidoscope of social positions and cultural attitudes. He’s the lily-carrying aesthete, the sophisticated playwright, an impudent, endlessly quotable wit, a champion of gay rights or a martyr for them, a butterfly broken on a wheel. As a champion of nonconformity, he even makes an appearance in Todd Haynes’ 1998 musical fantasy Velvet Goldmine as an alien who comes to Earth to become the spiritual godfather of glam rock. Rupert Everett’s The Happy Prince presents Wilde in the selfimposed exile of his declining years, ailing and abandoned, trying to rebuild and relive his past glories while hiding from a scornful public and surviving on handouts. Wilde once said “no man is
Alfred Douglas and Oscar Wilde (Colin Morgan and Rupert Everett) enjoy a stroll in better times. | WILHELM MOSER, COURTESY OF SONY PICTURES CLASSICS
Everett rests his performance not on the largerthan-life Wildean image but on his own empathy for his subject. rich enough to buy back his past,” but the Wilde of this film seems to have forgotten that maxim. Despite the ironic title, The Happy Prince is inevitably a story of defeat, of failure, but that doesn’t make a difference. Even as we know Wilde is not long for the world, Everett (who also wrote the film) wants us to admire his determination, his ability to preserve his dignity when the world is trying to bury him. The pace is leisurely and mostly plotless. Everett lounges at his own pace, only briefly erupting in short bursts, as when Wilde angrily confronts a taunting batch of English tourists or playfully convinces the angry mother
of one of his “guests” that the debauched party in his hotel room is a perfectly innocent gathering since clearly no women have been invited. It’s not a biography, although most of the pertinent details — his past successes, his marriage and his trials — are glimpsed in flashbacks. Despite a fine supporting cast, which includes Colin Firth as Wilde’s friend Reggie Turner and Emily Watson as Wilde’s wife Constance, the film has the feel of a one-man show. The other performers could just as well be figments of his imagination. It’s more of a character study, a freestyle portrait of the artist in which Everett immerses himself. Modest in period detail, The Happy Prince doesn’t rely on caricature; Everett’s Wilde carries few reminders of the dandified wit so often targeted by the parodists and cartoonists of the day. Everett rests his performance not on the larger-than-life Wildean image but on his own empathy for his subject. The project is clearly a labor of love for Everett, both in his performance and in his screenplay, a tribute to Wilde that cuts through the reputation and the literary/cultural weight to pay sympathetic respect to the real man as he fades from the world. n
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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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FRIDA’S
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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 favorite, the OG Fire, features your choice 9 SOUTH VANDEVENTER DINE-IN, TAKEOUT OR 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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CAFE
27
[REVIEW]
Thai’s the Limit At My Thai, the founder of Basil Spice finds the confidence to mix things up Written by
CHERYL BAEHR My Thai 4495 Forest Park Avenue, 314-833-4404. Mon. 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-9 p.m.; Tues. 5-9 p.m.; Wed.-Sun. 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-9 p.m.
S
omying Fox was born and raised in Thailand, grew up eating home-cooked Thai dishes and even took a class on her native country’s cuisine in high school. Yet if you ask her where she learned to really cook Thai food, she doesn’t hesitate: Tulsa, Oklahoma. If the location of Fox’s culinary awakening is shocking to her customers, it was even more so to Fox. After graduating high school in her home country, Fox came to the United States to study business and finance with the intention of returning to Thailand to teach. Falling in love would change those plans. Not only did Fox meet her husband in the U.S., she also discovered a passion for cooking thanks to a part-time job at a Thai restaurant. Though she took the gig to support herself during college, she quickly discovered both a love and a knack for cooking. Inspired to share the food of her homeland with an American audience, Fox prepared to open a restaurant of her own after graduating. The plan was to do that in New Orleans, where Fox’s husband had gotten a job as a university professor. Fox scouted a location, secured a lease and got to work preparing to open her debut restaurant. Less than a month after they arrived, however, Hurricane Katrina struck, devastating the city. Though they were not able to leave town immediately because of her husband’s contractual obligations, Fox put her restaurant
The sauce on the “Drunken Noodles” coats tofu, peppers, onion, carrots and broccoli in a delicate, and delicious, fish-sauce umami. | MABEL SUEN dreams on hold to wait for another opportunity in a city that was less hurricane prone. That city would be St. Louis. After Fox’s husband landed a job teaching here, she again pursued her goal of opening a Thai restaurant, this time with much better results. She opened her debut effort, Basil Spice, on South Grand in 2008, and it quickly became the successful operation she had envisioned. In fact, it became so successful that it took up every waking hour of Fox’s life. After five years of running the business basically on her own, she decided to cede many of her duties to other family members so she could focus on raising her kids. Still, the restaurant bug did not leave Fox, and as soon as her kids were grown, she decided to go all-in again, this time with the new concept My Thai. The eatery, which opened in July in the Central West End, draws upon what she created at Basil Spice, but it’s not a carbon copy. Instead, it’s an evolution of the concept, inspired
by Fox’s growth as she has found her culinary voice. Having mastered more traditional recipes, Fox feels free to experiment now, adding her own touches as she enters a new chapter in her restaurant career. Fox had been toying around with the ideas behind her sophomore effort for a while; finding its location in the Central West End was the “aha!” moment. She had always loved the neighborhood’s cosmopolitan feel, but wanted a spot that was easy for her guests. That meant parking, and so when she saw that the strip mall at Forest Park Avenue and Taylor had a space (and parking) available, she jumped on it, converting a former Great Clips into a modern, yet cozy, restaurant. Though a few tables dot the front portion of the space, most of the seating consists of a single row of neutral-colored banquettes that line the back of the dining room. Grey-hued wooden slats cover the floor, and the walls are painted different shades of olive green.
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The restaurant’s most striking decorative feature is a series of paintings that look like geometric renderings of flowers, courtesy of an artist friend of Fox. Fox’s training in Oklahoma may seem far removed from the country that inspired her dishes, but once you taste her food, you’ll understand the connection. Her offerings, such as a simple appetizer of fried shrimp rolls, are authentic but approachable for the American palate. Wrapped layers of paper-thin wonton, the shellfish is fried to a golden brown and served with a delicate sweet chile sauce for dipping. There’s a little bit of fish-sauce funk to the condiment — enough to give it complexity, but not so much as to alienate less-adventurous diners. Initially, My Thai’s chicken wings appear overly simple, but each bite reveals more and more interest. The attached wing and drummy are barely seasoned, but they’re cooked in a way that allows the skin to caramelize, resulting in
OCTOBER 24 - 30, 2018
Continued on pg 31
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MY THAI
Continued from pg 27
the deeply savory, almost nutty flavor you get from a perfectly roasted chicken. Fox serves them with sweet chile sauce for dipping, but I found myself putting it aside in favor of experiencing the wings’ subtle yet powerful chicken flavor. Though not a traditional Thai dish, My Thai’s crab Rangoon are a must-try for anyone who has a soft spot for the guilty pleasure of deep-fried cream cheese. Fox’s are far superior to the frozen version that so often accompany takeout Chinese food. Here, they are rectangular, encased in thin wonton wrappers that flake apart after being fried. Scallions and imitation crab spike the molten creamcheese interior, adding just a touch of pungent and salty flavors. My Thai’s spring rolls are fair, but they’re filled with too many noodles and shreds of iceberg lettuce, taking away the crispness and punch of fresh herbs that comprise superior versions. Skip these and order the pot stickers instead. Like the crab Rangoon, these are completely different than the traditional version —
in this case, they have more in common with an Indian-style pakora than a Chinese dumpling. Rather than being stuffed inside, the minced pork is interwoven into the dough and flecked with caramelized onions. Alone, they are excellent, but dipped into the accompanying garlic sauce — a transcendent mixture of fried garlic and garlic oil I can’t stop lovingly referring to as “garlic crispies” — they are positively outstanding. For the Thai-noodles dishes, Fox does not deviate from the playbook. Pad Thai is adequate, more funky and less sweet than other renditions. Pad see ew ticks off the essentials of the classic: Sugary-soy-coated noodle ribbons are tossed with carrots, broccoli and fried egg. Both dishes, however, lack the brightness and complexity that differentiates good from great. The “Drunken Noodles,” however, are My Thai’s essential noodle dish. Rather than being sticky, these noodles are dressed in a delicate sauce that has just an essence of fish-sauce umami. Combined with the licorice-forward Thai basil that is generously incorporated into the dish, the flavor is at once deeply savory and peppery with
a lingering essence of anise. You can choose among several proteins; I opted for the beef and was impressed with hunks of meat reminiscent of pot roast. This is a prime example of how Fox shines brightly when she allows herself to experiment. If the “Drunken Noodles” are My Thai’s most popular dish, Fox’s curries and stir-fries are the menu’s highlights. I expected a stir-fry of pork with garlic to be a simple wok-seared entrée; instead, it bobbed in enough delectable broth to qualify as soup. The tender white meat and mixed vegetables are steeped in a light broth evocative of pho; a dash of fish sauce deepens the flavor. I can’t think of a better way to warm up in this already-cold weather than this steaming bowl of comfort. If the stir-fried pork is warm and soothing, the green curry is a fiery jolt of heat. The broth has so much green chile spice it lights the mouth on fire, but rich coconut milk softens the flames. The Panang curry was even hotter, a basil-and-sweet-coconut-scented bowl of fire that is, appropriately, the color of the midday sun. Both varieties are served with mixed vegetables and an optional
protein. I found the shrimp and chicken preferable over the tough tofu, though served searing hot, all proved utterly addictive. After enjoying the curries to the point of pain, my palate craved sugary respite, and My Thai’s desserts delivered. Steamed sticky rice drenched in sweet coconut milk is like a thick, less liquid-y rice pudding. A scored half mango rests atop the rice and cuts through its richness with tartness. I also enjoyed the Thai crepe, a spongy, rolled-up piece of dough glazed in sweetened condensed milk. The crepe is then griddled so that the milk solids caramelize, creating a nutty flavor. As I ate the crepe, I could not help but be reminded of the pleasure that comes from bread pudding, just as the stir-fried pork brought me back to the chicken soup that simmered on the stove at my great-aunt’s house. Perhaps it’s not so odd that Fox had to travel all the way to Tulsa to learn Thai cooking. Flavors this good know no boundaries.
My Thai Pot stickers ................................................. $5 ”Drunken Noodles” ..................................... $9 Panang curry .............................................. $9
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[SIDE DISH]
Brasserie Chef Has Food Service in His Blood Written by
CHERYL BAEHR
A
s a little kid running around the dining room of the legendary Spiro’s in Bel-Nor, Alex Feldmeier seemed destined for a life in the restaurant business. Still, his uncle, legendary local restaurateur Spiro Karagiannis, did his best to dissuade him. “He told me to be a pharmacist,” Feldmeier laughs. “He always told me it pays better, it’s cleaner and I wouldn’t have to work the same hours as him.” Having just been promoted to executive chef at the Central West End mainstay Brasserie (4580 Laclede Avenue, 314-454-0600), Feldmeier clearly did not take his uncle’s advice — nor did he have any intention of doing so. From the moment he began working at Spiro’s as a kid, washing dishes and bussing tables, Feldmeier had the restaurant bug. He carried it with him to college. Straight out of high school, he enrolled at the University of Tulsa, but nothing there captivated him the way restaurants did, and he got the feeling that nothing would. After a brief stint taking general education requirements, he realized his passion lay in the kitchen jobs he had taken to help him pay the bills. He felt certain that he should leave school and pursue his passion as a career. Feldmeier left Tulsa and enrolled in culinary school in Chicago. However, his real education began during an internship at that city’s acclaimed Everest restaurant, where he was exposed to elegant, ultra-traditional French cuisine. It was love at first sight. “It’s where I really learned about French food, and working under the chefs there was the big-
Alex Feldmeier spent his childhood running around Spiro’s. Now he’s in charge at Brasserie. | JEN WEST gest influence on my cooking career,” Feldmeier explains. “I fell in love with French food, but it was the chefs and the experience of working there that most influenced me. It was intense.” Coming from mostly mom-andpop operations, Feldmeier saw Everest’s traditional French kitchen setup as an eye opener. At first, it was almost too intense, but he ultimately thrived, staying on for two years. He might have stayed longer, but personal reasons took him to Phoenix, where he worked at a resort for eight months before deciding to come home to St. Louis. “I feel like I lucked out getting into cooking here when I did,” says Feldmeier, who landed a gig at the now-shuttered icon downtown An American Place. “I got to work side by side with [acclaimed chef] Larry Forgione. He had good stories to tell. But really, I got to work with so many talented people and see how far we have all come.” Both An American Place and Monarch, where Feldmeier sub-
sequently worked, were training grounds for the city’s top culinary talent, and he was no exception. After Monarch closed, he went on to another titan of the St. Louis food and beverage scene, Niche, where he began the rise through the ranks that would lead him to Brasserie and his recent promotion to become its top chef. Feldmeier credits some of his success with Niche Food Group, as well as his other jobs, to his unique role in the culinary field: a cook who is comfortable with both the savory and pastry sides of the kitchen. That has allowed him not only to be a utility player, but has also given him a unique perspective. “People always say that pastry has to be precise and measured, and it does to a certain extent, but I’m not a super big believer in that,” Feldmeier explains. “If you have baked a cake enough, you can just feel when something is off or right. It’s the same with savory. Something I learned from [chef] Joel Reno at Everest is that regard-
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less of what side you are on, you can always learn from the other and take components of it to incorporate it into what you are doing.” Feldmeier insists that he doesn’t dare touch the pastry program at Brasserie. “That’s Elise Mensing’s job,” he laughs. He also insists that he sees his executive chef role as more of a steward of what’s already established than as someone there to push for big changes. “Change can be scary, but just because there is a new name doesn’t mean you are going to have a different experience there,” Feldmeier says. “We have a winning formula. And no, the roasted chicken isn’t going anywhere. People would not be able to handle that.” Feldmeier took a break from Brasserie’s kitchen to share his thoughts on the St. Louis foodand-beverage community, his commitment to black coffee and why he’ll always come back to Cinnamon Toast Crunch. What is one thing people don’t
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[SWEETS]
Bespoke Ice Cream Sammies Come to the Loop Written by
DESI ISAACSON
A
bright blue neon sign reading “Cookie Monsters Only” hangs on the back wall of the Baked Bear (6140 Delmar Boulevard). It may make you laugh or smile, but only the ice cream sandwiches will make you say “wow.” The shop — located just east of the Loop, across the street from the Pageant — opened about a week ago in the room that previously held Pi Pizzeria’s takeout counter. It’s the first Missouri franchise for the San Diego-based chain. Owner and founder Shane Stanger previously told the Riverfront Times that this will be the only location in St. Louis for now, saying, “Each one must be special.” When you walk into the Baked Bear, the menu can at first seem overwhelming despite its small size. Basically, you’re getting to customize the ice cream sandwich of your dreams. You get to
ALEX FELDMEIER Continued from pg 33
know about you that you wish they did? I am a very shy person. I get nervous every time that I go out into the dining room at Brasserie, but it’s because I care about how each and every dining experience is going for our guests. What daily ritual is non-negotiable for you? Black coffee in the morning. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Probably teleportation. It would be so nice to finish a shift and immediately be home. What is the most positive thing in food that you’ve noticed in St.
The Baked Bear’s choose-your-own ice cream sandwiches have customers lining up in the Loop. | DESI ISAACSON pick what cookie (they offer several varieties), brownie, or donut you want, and whether you want it on either the top or bottom of your sandwich (they don’t have to be the same). Then you pick a flavor of ice cream and finally finish it off with the special toppings of your choice, whether that’s mini M&Ms or crushed Oreos. Oh, and after you put your creation together, you can get your sandwich warm-pressed, so your cookies are warm like they just came out of the oven. It’s a stroke of genius that melts away in your mouth. There are endless possibilities, and it can be difficult deciding what should go where. If sandwiches aren’t your thing, you can also get a bowl with ice cream and a cookie, cones, sundaes or even
just a cookie. But don’t let the options overwhelm you; the scoopers are always happy to help you walk through your decision and give tips on their favorites. We eventually landed on a brownie on the bottom, a peanut-butter cookie on top, and in between them cookies-andcream ice cream covered in mini M&Ms. It did not disappoint. The ice cream is thick, which keeps it from melting away and onto your hands as you hold your sandwich. Even near the end when the whole thing falls apart, the brownie, doughnut, cookie, ice cream combination does just fine off the end of a fork. The inside is well lit and quite spacious, with polo bear logos everywhere, posed nicely against the blue walls. There are four
tables to relax at inside, and two more out front. A place to sit is more important here than your normal ice cream shop, as the large sandwiches are tough to eat on the go. One whole wall features large photographs of ice cream sandwiches close up with beautiful backgrounds. It makes you think, “I want to try that combination — no, that one, not that one!” The Loop is already filled with interesting ice cream spots, but not one with as many different combinations and different things to try as this one. After just one bite, it’s clear why this franchise is growing quickly. The Baked Bear is open from noon to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and noon to midnight on Friday and Saturday. n
Louis over the past year? The sense of camaraderie among the entire St. Louis food community. Everyone seems to be friends with each other and supports each other. What is something missing in the local food, wine or cocktail scene that you’d like to see? I don’t get out all that much, and there has been so much happening in the food scene that I have not experienced. It’s hard to say what’s missing when there is so much I haven’t tried. Who is your St. Louis food crush? Either Rick Lewis at Grace Meat + Three, one of my oldest industry friends since An American Place, or Brian Moxey at Sardella. Anyone who has ever had hot-dog casserole for a family meal will un-
derstand why. Who’s the one person to watch right now in the St. Louis dining scene? Brian Moxey at Sardella, for sure. Sardella might just be the perfect place for him to do the food in which he is so incredibly knowledgeable and experienced. Which ingredient is most representative of your personality? Probably an onion, with the many layers cliché, but it can also be sweet with a little work. If you weren’t working in the restaurant business, what would you be doing? I probably would have stayed in college and would have a boring office job. Name an ingredient never allowed in your restaurant.
Nothing. There are certainly things that I am not a fan of, but if other people like something, I certainly will not make it off limits. What is your after-work hangout? Most days, it is at home on my couch, but every once in a while, I’ll go around the corner from Brasserie over to iTap. What’s your food or beverage guilty pleasure? I don’t have a crazy sweet tooth, but I would say super-sugary kids’ cereal, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, especially. What would be your last meal on earth? Probably coq au vin. It’s not something I had growing up, but it sure is one of my favorite things to eat now. 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
COME TASTE WHAT OTHERS ARE TALKING ABOUT! Kalbi Taco Shack
At Poke Munch, you can get your protein in a burrito or a bowl. | TOM HELLAUER
[FIRST LOOK]
Poke Munch Gives the Hawaiian Treat a Midwestern Twist Written by
TOM HELLAUER
N
adeem Hosseini’s first venture into the food industry, as owner of the new restaurant Poke Munch (630 North New Ballas Road, Creve Coeur; 314-556-2670), came after working in the non-emergency medical transport industry. “After seeing how debilitating health can be, I wanted to open a restaurant that’s clean, healthy and trendy,” Hosseini says. Hosseini first tried poke while visiting Hawaii in 2016 for his brother-in-law’s wedding. His appreciation for the diced raw fish dish grew during several business trips. Like his own family, which spent time in Iran and India before immigrating to the United States, Poke Munch offers a fusion of several flavors. In a single dish, you can eat Scottish salmon, Japanese sushi rice and homemade sauces crafted by Hosseini’s mother and chef James Choi. But while the counter-service restaurant opened only a few weeks ago, it’s already tweaked the menu to please its St. Louis County customers. (The city of St. Louis has seen three poke spots open in the last year; this appears to be the first in the suburbs.) Hosseini and Choi added cooked meat options, such as tempura-battered chicken tenders and shrimp. The pair cut traditional poke
sauces such as shoyu and ponzu, opting for mirin and soy-based sauces. “We are in the Midwest — some of those [traditional poke] flavors did not sit very well, so we had to cater to our customers,” Hosseini says. There remain plenty of options for the sushi and poke lovers, though. Poke Munch’s homemade unagi sauce takes Choi two days to make before it can grace a customer’s nori burrito or bowl. And if you’re into raw fish, you can still get that. The difference is now your less adventurous friends have options too. (And so do vegans and vegetarians — chef Choi offers a variety of tofu dishes.) Patrons can choose from five signature items — all available in nori burritos or in bowls. More adventurous can build their own bowl or nori burrito, choosing from an array of dozens of colorful, fresh ingredients. Sides such as tofu fries and sweetpotato waffle fries are also available. Craft fountain sodas from Stubborn Soda with no artificial sweeteners and several glass-bottled sodas and health drinks pair nicely with meals. Under the wavy cedarwood counter made by local carpenter Joseph Bross, colorful fish made of Nanoleaf lead customers through the line while lighting up in rhythm to the eatery’s soundtrack. “We play a bit of every music,” Hosseini says. When chef Choi is the DJ, he says, that means ’80s classics. Metallic epoxy floors make customers feel like they are walking on water, while fish-scale tiles behind the counter from designer Ted Baker add to the ocean motif. Local surrealist painter Phil Jarvis will be painting a mural over the wall adjacent to the counter shortly and Hosseini is in the market for a large cedar surfboard to add more color to Poke Munch’s interior. Poke Munch is open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. n
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Authentic Hong Kong Style Cuisine
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[FOOD NEWS]
Coffee Cartel Closes, Cardwell’s to Follow Written by
SARAH FENSKE
T
he Central West End’s 24/7 home for late-night coffee, food and people-watching closed its doors last week after 22 years. Coffee Cartel (2 Maryland Plaza) made the announcement on Facebook on October 15, giving customers just two days’ notice. In its post, the cafe said it had seen a dramatic decrease in business in the last two years — “24 percent this year and 11 percent last year. It’s just not possible to continue to operate with monthly losses.” The post continued, “The Central West End is a fantastic neighborhood and our location at #2 Maryland Plaza and Euclid is at the heart of it. This is a wonderful space with a great patio and we hope a new opportunity comes along to this corner that everyone will embrace. Contact MAC Properties at (314) 309-3354 for space information.” In recent years, the Central West End has been busier than ever — with a host of high-end and fastcasual restaurants alike vying for
Everyone’s favorite 24/7 coffee shop bid farewell to St. Louis last week. | ERIC FRAZIER
business along the bustling Euclid corridor. But in the increasingly upscale neighborhood, a business like Coffee Cartel had begun to feel like a throwback, a lowkey cafe that frequently hosted live music and served an eclectic menu instead of boasting about its “coffee program.” Still, it was beloved by RFT readers, who frequently voted it the best in the city — for best smoothies, best coffee, best staff and, yes, best people-watching. “Some coffeehouses cater to students or to the hipster contingent or to
snooty java snobs,” we wrote in 2006. “But this Central West End institution welcomes one and all, and thanks to its generous hours (open 24/7, even on holidays), Coffee Cartel welcomes them at all times.” It will be missed. Cardwell’s at the Plaza (94 Plaza Frontenac, Frontenac; 314997-8885) had a different, but no less welcoming, atmosphere. The fine-dining restaurant opened in 1994, seven years after the flagship Cardwell’s in Clayton. But the Clayton spot became Herbie’s two years ago in a cre-
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ative hand-over that allowed Cardwell to relinquish control, even as his employees kept their jobs. And on October 11, chef Bill Cardwell announced that the Frontenac landmark would close in late December after 24 years. “I’ve been inside a kitchen cooking, teaching and running one or more large restaurants for five decades,” he said in a prepared statement. “Once the celebration is behind us, I want to play with my two grandchildren. I want to ski. It’s time to live a little.” Cardwell said that his lease was up at the end of the year, and suggested that the high-end shopping mall in which his restaurant is located forced his hand a bit. In his statement, he explained that Plaza Frontenac ownership wanted to “broaden” the shopping center’s dining options. They approached him about doing something new — but they wanted a ten-year lease. “I’m just too tired to take on another huge endeavor like that,” said Cardwell. “Anyone who knows me understands that I’m a hands-on guy. I’m completely committed to providing a great dining experience for our guests each and every day.” In the release, Cardwell said he was announcing the changes at Plaza Frontenac early in order to give his staff time to line up new jobs for 2019. He also wanted the chance to say goodbye to his longtime customers. “You can’t be in business as long as I have without loyal diners,” he said in his statement. “I wanted time to thank the people who have been so good to me over the years before I moved on to the next chapter in my life.” n
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[HOMESPUN]
Painting a Masterpiece Nick Gusman’s approach on his debut album Dear Hard Times was inspired by Dylan Written by
CHRISTIAN SCHAEFFER
D
ear Hard Times may be the debut offering from singersongwriter Nick Gusman, but there’s a lot of history on the album. Take the cover, for example, which features a portrait of Gusman cradling a 1943 Martin guitar that belonged to his grandfather, a musician who played up and down Cherokee Street and along South Broadway in his day. The album’s artwork is dotted with pressed flowers that belonged to a friend’s grandmother; they date back about 100 years, Gusman says. And certainly there is history and tradition in the folk songs that populate the album, which serve as a showcase for Gusman’s flinty guitar playing and strong voice. But across its fourteen songs and hour-long run time, he and his bandmates work through several strands of Americana and rock styles. On his official first outing, Gusman is an apt student of an old style, but keeps a keen eye on modern times. When reached by phone on a recent afternoon, Gusman had just wrapped up installing windows and storm doors in his day job as a carpenter and contractor. It’s one of his last projects before his November 9 release show at Off Broadway, for which he’s been busy rehearsing. “All that is coming to a slow as I try to transition to full-time music,” Gusman says of his contracting work. “Putting this record together, the release date is sort of a marker of mental preparedness for me.” This isn’t Gusman’s first time fronting a band — he was in a rock combo called the Moon Glampers
Gusman picked up his first Bob Dylan record in an unlikely place: Starbucks. | VIA THE ARTIST that broke up before it could release its first album — but a few years of steady gigging and nearconstant songwriting helped fill in some of the blanks for a musician who was, by his own admission, a later bloomer. “I’m 33 now, and I started playing at age 19, sort of late in the game, after high school,” Gusman says. “My first instrument was from a neighbor down the street — this old guitar was always sitting out in his basement. I got sucked into it even though it was a shitty three-string guitar.” And while the thumbprints of Bob Dylan are easy to hear on almost any folk-indebted singersongwriter, his imprint is strong on several Dear Hard Times tracks — he even gives a little shout-out to “When I Paint My Masterpiece” early on. “One of my biggest musical inspirations was Bob Dylan,” Gusman says. “It’s kind of cliché but that’s how it goes.” His road to Dylan was somewhat idiomatic, however. Rather than getting hipped to him at an impressionable age, as many do, Gusman traipsed across an anthology for sale at a Starbucks. Gusman recalls almost being talked out of
the purchase. “I asked my friend who was with me, ‘You ever heard of this Bob Dylan dude?’” Gusman explains. “He was like, ‘Yeah, people like him but I don’t think you’d like him. He’s not that good of a singer.’” Dylan’s well-known trajectory, from studious folky to protest singer to rock iconoclast, gives a useful foothold to Gusman’s work, which does shy away from ragged electric twang. “I didn’t want to put a lot of love songs on it, and I didn’t want to put a lot of songs that sound very similar on it,” Gusman says. “I wanted to showcase my writing ability — there’s a soul ballad, there’s some really deep folk stuff. The general sound is that Americana vibe. That’s what I like and what I like to listen to.” The record’s most Spartan and striking track, “The Ballad of Jon Wilson #1156889,” takes the form of a folk-song archetype — the missive from prison — and uses both generous empathy and a slightly shocking finale to transmit a message of humanity for the incarcerated. “When you hear people talk about criminals, they often don’t see value in their lives,” Gusman says. “There’s so much gray that
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goes into that that no one wants to think about sometimes. This character was brought up without a lot of love, and he didn’t see the value in his life or a lot of other lives.” The story is fictional, but enough of the detail is wrought from the experiences of those close to Gusman. “I guess I get a soft spot for people who talk that way about criminals,” he says. “My brother is in prison for bank robbery; it was drug related. When people dig on criminals and not go into the real reason [behind the circumstances], it gets under my skin a little bit.” Gusman will release Dear Hard Times with a show at Off Broadway on Friday, November 9. He has a few tours, both as a solo artist and with his band, lined up, but in the meantime he’s happy to have a home for his still-growing songbook. “Without sounding like an asshole, I write a ton and I feel like I put out a lot,” he says. “That sort of gave me the confidence — songs were getting written. I’d write a song and then throw it away, and I realized that I need to make something now: I should put them into a physical thing and make a big deal out of it.” n
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[RADIO]
RIP to the Man, Gabriel Written by
ROY KASTEN
G
abriel, a beloved and influential St. Louis disc jockey whose exuberant personality and passion for blues and gospel entertained radio audiences from the 1950s to the present, died at Mercy Hospital South on October 19. He was 88. A mainstay on KDHX (88.1 FM), he hosted Gabriel’s Tin Pan Alley every late-night Sunday (technically midnight to 3 a.m. on Monday mornings) for decades. The program began each week with the strains of Strauss’s “Also sprach Zarathustra” and a sampled voice declaring, “The man. I mean the man! The sensational! The incomparable! The king of the blues! The dynamic! Gabriel!” His playlists knew no bounds save those of the soul. He segued effortlessly (and sometimes perversely) from James Brown into Sunnyland Slim into Roy Acuff. Doo-wop? Boogie-woogie? Rock & roll? Western swing? Swamp pop? TV sitcom novelties? The holy blues (as he memorably called gospel music)? He played it all. His knowledge of American music was encyclopedic and his joy in sharing it irrepressible. Gabriel was born Mitchell Hearns in Louisiana in 1930, but grew up in East St. Louis, where he attended Lincoln High School at the same time as Miles Davis. Both learned to play the trumpet there. In East St. Louis, he came to know and worked with many of the legends of rhythm and blues, both regional and national, including a significant relationship with Ike Turner. In 1958, he released “Boxtop” by Turner on his own Tune Town label. Copies are among the holy grails of rhythm and blues, as it was the first recording of Tina Turner (under the name Little Ann). “Ike would ask me to pick [Tina] up and take her to the gig or the studio or whatever,” he once recalled. “I was the only one he trusted to pick her up. He knew I wouldn’t try to hit on her.” Gabriel owned a record store in St. Louis called the House of the Blues and had his own recording
A longtime presence on KDHX, Gabriel only needed one name. | BRIAN HEFFERNAN and performing career, releasing singles under various names — “The Flock-Rocker,” “Gabriel, His Trumpet and Band of Angels” and “Gabriel & the Angels” — on which he often played trumpet and was sometimes backed by Ike Turner’s band and legendary St. Louis guitarist Bennie Smith. According to the St. Louis Radio Hall of Fame, his career in radio began in 1952 with WOKZ in Alton, Illinois, and then WTMV in East St. Louis and KATZ, where he held down a five-hour Sunday night/ Monday morning slot through the late ‘60s. He loved to joke with and quiz his audience. (“I don’t want to know the name of the song,” he’d say. “I want to know the singer.”) In 1969, he quit the station after a programming change. “I can no longer with a clear conscience play the music which you have selected me to play,” he said in his resignation letter. “Radio stations are not the only ones to blame for this garbage, sharing the blame equally are record companies that take noise, distortion and in most cases people with little or no talent, make recordings and in turn the radio stations (including KATZ) play this so-called music 24 hours a day on the minds of the young.” In the early ‘70s, Gabriel was part of KDNA, the short-lived, community-supported precursor to KDHX, and began broadcasting on 88.1 FM in 1989, two years
after its launch. He influenced every DJ on the station (including this writer), many of whom remember him fondly. In a message to a KDHX DJ email group, Dennis Clancy (former cohost of the blues show Blursday) wrote, “Gabriel never changed. He really was one of a kind. He loved music and shared it with all of us. He also kept in touch with his friends and never forgot where he came from. Ordering White Castles from the booth, having a cab driver bring them by the station. KDHX has done a service to the community by having people like Lou ‘Fatha’ Thimes, Bernie Hayes and Gabriel on our station.” A June 2010 fire ravaged his East St. Louis home, destroying many irreplaceable records from the collection that formed the basis for his radio show. A benefit that summer at BB’s Jazz, Blues and Soups featured local blues legends Marquise Knox, the Arthur Williams Band and Silver Cloud. He continued spinning delightfully unpredictable music on Gabriel’s Tin Pan Alley right up until the weeks before his passing, but it was the force of his spirit, his way of connecting with an audience, that kept listeners returning. On-air he would read letters written by prisoners, recognize births and deaths, and give shoutouts by name to all-night truckers, cabbies and veterans. Hound Dog Brown, host of
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Boogie on Down on KDHX, often subbed for Gabriel over the years. “I was part of the team that filled in for his time slot this past week,” he says. “Josh Weinstein [the KDHX DJ whose jazz show aired just prior to Gabriel’s] summed it up this way: ‘Gabriel was always there.’ It didn’t matter if you listened a little or lot. You’d turn on the radio and he was there. He was like a friend on the air. He was a constant in St. Louis. It didn’t matter what the year was. Gabriel was Gabriel. Some things in this world don’t change.” “Gabriel was a shining example of something no longer heard on commercial radio,” says Tom Ray, host of KDHX’s long-running Soul Selector. “He was a singular, regional eccentric personality, given to free-form programming instead of rigid playlists with no more than 70 or 80 songs for an entire week. Gabriel’s roots go back to the 1950s and even before that; he was witness to the sort of rhythm and blues music in the late ‘40s that a few years later was tagged ‘rock & roll.’ For Mr. Hearns, the likes of Motown was too pop, a shiny product with the raw blues and gospel rinsed away. Gabriel pre-dated black radio’s ascendancy in the 1960s, harking back to when a strict playbook had not been written. “The mold that gave us Gabriel has been broken,” he adds, “and we won’t see his like again.” n
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[FISH BOOBS]
Jason Spencer’s Insane Art Is Taking Over St. Louis Written by
DANIEL HILL
I
t would be fair — and frankly a dramatic understatement — to describe Jason Spencer’s art as “off the wall.” His subject matter certainly fits that description. There’s a walrus with five eyes and a set of severed arms, floating as they adjust the crown perched on the beast’s head. There’s a deranged unicorn with blood dripping from its mouth, ripping its own chest open to form a heart-shaped hole liberating a rainbow dotted with skulls and bones. There’s a fish holding a can of gasoline and a rag in its human arms, drinking from a can of oil over a banner that reads “Skip class, huff gas.” There are a lot of fish, actually. Most notable for our purposes is the one that accompanies the words “Exercise Your Demons,” a slogan that also serves as the name of an upcoming group show he’s participating in at Cherokee Street Gallery (2617 Cherokee Street), opening October 27 and running through the 31st. Says Spencer, 31, “It’s a fish with boobs and sweatbands on, holding a crucifix.” He adds with a laugh, “And it’s spelled ‘exercise,’ like working out. So it’s for fitness.” Spencer’s love of drawing scaly sea life started through a partnership with local blues-rock act the Maness Brothers, near the time of their first-annual Whiskey War Festival some seven years ago. “They asked me to do a gentleman catfish for a T-shirt design,” Spencer explains, “and I was like, man, I actually love drawing fish now.” The Maness Brothers are far from the only band to take note of Spencer’s chops. Through his Killer Napkins brand, which primarily peddles T-shirt designs, Spencer has worked with Panic! at the Disco, the Black Dahlia Murder, Sui-
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The mural Jason Spencer has been painting for the Gramophone’s patio is just one of many in St. Louis. | DANIEL HILL cide Silence and numerous others. And he’s currently in the process of drawing art for local metal act Voidgazer’s upcoming album. But Spencer’s art doesn’t just come through partnerships with musical acts. In fact, despite his determinedly off-the-wall style, the walls of St. Louis are exactly where you’re most likely to see his work. Spencer’s mural of a skeleton surfing a slice of pizza on a wave of PBR while firing lightning bolts out of a guitar graces the side of Pizza Head on South Grand. An alien creature with three heads, two of which blast fire from their eyes and mouths, rises from a murky swamp bearing bottles of 1220 Origin Gin on an interior wall at the Ready Room. These days, Spencer is working on a wall on the patio of the Gramophone, painting a mural that depicts sandwiches and cans of 4 Hands’ City Wide beer as spaceships flying through the galaxy. “It’s gonna look a lot better with the lasers and stuff,” he says. Asked just how many murals in the city of St. Louis he is responsible for, Spencer is unsure — there are simply too many. “Oh man, I’d have to think about
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that,” he replies before counting on his fingers. “I think I had like ... I’m trying to think of what I just did last year. I think it was somewhere in the ten or twelve range, and I think I’m doing even more this year. I think it’s been a more busy year.” He thinks for another couple moments, then simply gives up. “Yeah, I gotta sit down and look at each one,” he laughs. Spencer got his start in the large-scale medium after traveling to Memphis to spend time with an artist friend, who hooked him up with a wall to paint. While he was working there, Spencer was interviewed for a short video that wound up making the rounds in artistic circles. “That got seen a lot,” he says. “And as soon as I came back I got a job painting Atomic Cowboy through Pabst Blue Ribbon.” Spencer soon began working with other breweries as well, most notably 4 Hands, for whom he’s done several murals. The breweries pick the venues and pay for his time, he says, while the venue owners often add a little artistic input (a Gramophone employee suggested the space theme, for example).
The work opportunities have become so plentiful, Spencer says, that he was able to quit his day job in construction at the start of 2017. He now makes his living entirely off of his art, with the murals paying the bulk of the bills. Still, it’s his more insane, more off-the-wall artwork that will be on display at Exercise Your Demons. “I’ve got a bunch of wood cutout pieces that I made a little while ago, a bunch of weird demon things,” he says. “You know, I heard it was gonna be like a Halloween-based show, so I got some of my scary work in there. The more macabre stuff. I guess I kinda tame it down when I’m doing murals. “I get weird, weird as hell if I can do whatever I want to do, when I’m doing stuff for art shows,” he adds. “Because who cares?” Exercise Your Demons will run from Saturday, October 27, to Wednesday, October 31, and will feature art and photography by Jason Spencer, Lauren Marx, Rebecca Bolte, Dan Mutchlor and Ben Lowder. On October 31, the bands Redbait, Lizzy Quinn and the Ontario Survival Plan, and Abi Ooze will perform.
[NUPTIALS]
For Illinois Truckers, Wedding Was Another Date with the Darkness Written by
DANNY WICENTOWSKI
O
n the day of her wedding, Stefanie Greenhalgh considers her reflection in the makeup artist’s mirror. The changes had started small: A corpse’s pallor brushed on her cheeks, circles of bruised purple etched around her eyes. Then came the delicate red veins creeping up her jaw — and the gruesome stab wound dripping blood down her bodice. She was the perfect bride for a haunted-house wedding. In St. Louis, no house is more haunted than the Darkness. Inhabiting a two-story warehouse in Soulard, the Halloween attraction employs more than 80 actors in a production that’s gone on seasonally for 25 years. It’s where Greenhalgh and her fiance, Justin Ethridge, went on their first date, followed by several dates since. And today, it’s where they’re getting married. Naturally, they’re doing it darkly. From a nearby chair, Ethridge watches his fiancee’s transformation. Ethridge’s face is a mottle of purple veins, his skin zombified to a sandy texture, as if he’d been left somewhere to rot. “Other people would go out to eat and things like that, or go to a movie,” he says later. “We go to a haunted house. It’s just our personalities. We both enjoy the same dark sense of humor.” Ethridge and Greenhalgh are both in their mid-30s. Both live in Illinois about 100 miles outside St. Louis, and both work as long-haul truckers. The job is not easy on the couple. They work for separate companies, and Greenhalgh estimates they see each other only three or four days a month. But that was enough for love to do its thing. In October 2016, he proposed to her at a music festival while her favorite band, Avenged Sevenfold, played her favorite song, “Gunslinger.” (“After I said yes,” she recounts, “he hoisted me up and sent me off crowd-surfing for the first time in my life.”) Greenhalgh grew up in a family that cared, really cared, about Halloween. They fashioned a homemade haunted house every year, and in her twenties she started making an annual pilgrimage to the Darkness. “The decor in there is so beautiful,” she says. “I walk through there and get home-decorating ideas.” When it came time to plan the wedding, the idea of doing it at the Darkness struck Greenhalgh as a lark. She didn’t
Stefanie Greenhalgh and Justin Ethridge had their first date at the Darkness, so naturally it is where they wed. | DANNY WICENTOWSKI expect owner Larry Kirchner to say yes. She would have been happy to simply get married in the parking lot, with a traditional reception replaced by a trip through the house after the ceremony. The Darkness was totally on board. “They took it one step further,” Greenhalgh says. “They said, ‘Come inside and get married inside the haunt itself.’” After the first round of makeup is done, one of the actors leads Greenhalgh and Ethridge through the labyrinth of back hallways that connect the attraction’s main rooms. They pass by curtained doors leading to a decrepit Victorian study and a morgue with dismembered bodies left writhing and split open on examination tables. These passages are the blood vessels of the Darkness. Up a flight of stairs, the couple comes to the brain — an office complete with a kitchen, bathroom and lounge (also, a closet full of spare clown masks). In the bathroom, Greenhalgh changes into her blood-stained wedding dress, and a manager at the Darkness assists in tightening the corset. Greenhalgh has never worn one before. “I never even wear dresses,” she says, laughing. “A wedding was the only way I was going to get into one.” On a nearby table, two skull-shaped candles rest next to a palm-sized black coffin with the words “till death do us
part” painted in white. Ethridge’s nineyear-old son, Levi, will be the ring bearer. On the pillow he carries lie two severed fingers made of plastic. The rings are in the tiny coffin. When the hour of marital horror arrives, about a dozen costumed guests are led through the haunt’s unnaturally quiet hallways. When active, the Darkness’ interior shrieks with the amplified screams of angry spirits. Now it’s mostly giggles and small gasps of surprise; even without sound effects, it’s easy to be startled by a mannequin hanging from the ceiling by a hook through its chest. The ceremony begins in a room modeled on a sort of hunting lodge (based on appearances, the hunt apparently went awful for everyone involved). The officiant signals for silence, his voice echoing behind a Grim Reaper mask. “Dearly departed,” he begins, “we are gathered here today to mourn the undead, unholy union of Justin and Stefanie, two demented souls who have wandered the earth in despair.” The couple wrote the words together. Leaning on his wooden scythe, Death remarks that the two “demented souls” had spent years searching for an equal, “a mind as twisted, a heart as black as their own.” The reaper turns to Greenhalgh. “Stefanie, do you take Justin to be your husband? To hurt and to harm, in
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bad times and worse, in sickness and death, through torture and torment, for the rest of your unnatural lives?” Despite the dour makeup, the bloody bride’s eyes seem to glow. “I do,” she says. Then it is Ethridge’s turn. “I do,” he says. They kiss. The crowd howls like werewolves. Then, somewhere in the recesses of the Darkness, someone flips a switch. Through the air comes the sound of chains clanging, the angry whispers of ghosts. Then, inches behind Greenhalgh, a wild boar covered in intestines bursts through a dresser, its mouth opening and closing with awful anatomical accuracy, its tusks drenched in blood. Greenhalgh shrieks and laughs as the room comes to horrific life around her. The wedding party poses for photos — in one shot, the bride and zombie husband stare menacingly at a baby crib. They reenact their engagement in a room piled with bodies. Ethridge pretends to rip his wife’s neck out with his teeth. But they soon clear the area. Actors need to get into their places and ready themselves for a long day of scares, and there’s pizza on the way for the wedding party. But afterwards, the newlyweds have one more date planned. It’s close to Halloween, after all. They have their tradition. A date with the Darkness. n
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[CRITIC’S PICK]
Gwar. | VIA FREEMAN PROMOTIONS
Gwar 7 p.m. Thursday, October 25. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Avenue, Sauget, Illinois. $25 to $28. 618-274-6720.
Most bands opt to hang it up upon the death of their most influential member, but most bands are not Gwar. More of a long-running performance art collective than a band, the Richmond-area group vowed to continue after singer and founding member Dave Brockie’s 2014 overdose death, and the fans have enthusiastically followed. Lest that somehow seem callous, it should be noted that Brockie’s
THURSDAY 25
AARON GRIFFIN BLUES BAND: 7 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. BOB KAMOSKI: 6 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. BOXCAR: 7 p.m., free. The Abbey, 6500 W. Main St., Belleville, 618-398-3176. CLOZEE: w/ Frameworks 8 p.m., $20. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. DAVID COOK: 8 p.m., $18-$78. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. GWAR: w/ Hatebreed 7 p.m., $25-$28. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. HALLOWEEN PAJAMIE JAM: 8 p.m., $10-$12. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. HUNTER: 4 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. JEREMIAH JOHNSON BAND: 8 p.m., $5. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. LOS STRAITJACKETS: 8 p.m., $20. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. TORREY CASEY & SOUTHSIDE HUSTLE: 10 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway,
wish had long been that Gwar would live on eternally, regardless of who donned the costumes for which the group is known. And speaking of costumes, this show comes just one week before Halloween, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a more appropriate band for the occasion. Expect to leave Pop’s covered in (fake) blood, grinning ear to ear. Rise of Brutality: Long-running Connecticut hardcore act Hatebreed is joining Gwar on this tour, bringing its metalinfused, heavy-as-shit sound to open the show. —Daniel Hill St. Louis, 314-436-5222. TYPESETTER: 8 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. WIND ENSEMBLE CONCERT: 7 p.m., free. The 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., University City, 314-421-3600.
FRIDAY 26
3 CROOKED MEN: 9:30 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090. BLACK & WHITE BAND: 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. BREAKMOUTH ANNIE EP RELEASE: 9 p.m., $5. RKDE, 2847 Cherokee Street, Saint Louis. BRUCE COCKBURN: 8 p.m., $40-$45. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. CHIEF KEEF: 8 p.m., $30-$35. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. DEATH BELLS: w/ Ex Salis, Abi Ooze 9 p.m., $7$10. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. IVAS JOHN BAND: 7 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.
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[CRITIC’S PICK]
[WEEKEND]
BEST BETS
Five sure-fire shows to close out the week
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26 Breakmouth Annie EP Release Show w/ 33 on the Needle, Carondelet Guy
9 p.m. RKDE, 2847 Cherokee Street. $5. No phone.
When people talk about the music scene, they don’t always give enough fanfare to the bands who make up the building blocks of the community. Breakmouth Annie feels like the mortar between the red bricks of St. Louis punk, consistently playing benefit shows and opening for touring acts between a steady output of split records and EPs. Drummer Josh Van Hoorebeke is one of the best beat-smiths in town, gluing Josh Edwards’ wiry bass riffs to an urgent and immersive set of guitar-driven songs. Both pop-sensible and raw, the band toes the line with a vibe that’s equally fit for the side stage at Warped Tour or a grimy south-city basement.
Chief Keef
8 p.m. October 26. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Boulevard. $30 to $35. 314-726-6161.
The fact that rapper Chief Keef isn’t about putting his face all over the internet 24 hours a day doesn’t make him an introvert, contrary to popular belief. It just means that his head is in the studio and he puts his product over his promo. At 23 years young, the Chief is already cited as an influence across the board, and he has worked with the likes of Kanye West — quite a feat, even if that’s not an association he’s trumpeting these days. Most fans will come to the rapper’s Pageant show to see his seedier side, represented by the 2017 release Thot Breaker and the infamous video with a fan that got him banned from Instagram back in 2012. (You can Google it, but don’t say we didn’t warn you.)
Death Bells w/ Ex Salis, Abi Ooze
9 p.m. Foam Coffee and Beer, 3359 South Jefferson Avenue. $7 to $10. 314-772-2100.
Sydney-based Death Bells could be a genuine article torn right out of the mid-’80s, but its retro feel isn’t a facsimile of the bands that flourished then or even a half-hearted attempt at hero worship. With clean, understated bass lines and resonant riffs, the band takes to postpunk as if its members were the very first to find the sound. What sets Death Bells apart, aside from Continued on pg 49
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Los Straitjackets. | VIA YEP ROC
Los Straitjackets 8 p.m. Thursday, October 25. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue. $20. 314-7733363.
The sound of surf rock could have been a footnote to the evolution of American music, a faddish novelty that came and went like bubble-gum punk and new jack swing. Thank the guitar gods for the likes of Link Wray and the Ventures and their modern-day disciples Los Straitjackets, for whom the beat goes on and the twang rings out like a call to elemental rock & roll arms. Based in Nashville, Los Straitjackets is known for its Mexican
OUT EVERY NIGHT Continued from pg 47
JACKOPIERCE NIGHT ONE: 8 p.m., $40-$50. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. THE MAIN SQUEEZE: 8 p.m., $13-$16. The Bootleg, 4140 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314-775-0775. MELODIME: 8 p.m., $15. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. MIA BORDERS: 10 p.m., $10. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. PANICSVILLE: w/ Dead From The Neck Up, Harris/Melsha 9 p.m., $7. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. ROLAND JOHNSON & SOUL ENDEAVOR: 8 p.m., $3. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. RONNY COX: 7 p.m., $20-$25. Espenschied Chapel, 317 County Road, Mascoutah, 618-566-7425. SUMMONING THE LICH: w/ Distant Eyes, Biff Knarly & the Reptilians, This Is Me Breathing 7 p.m., $10-$12. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. VOODOO GRATEFUL DEAD: 9 p.m., $10-$12. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505.
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wrestling masks, which began as a whim at one of its first hometown shows (the group’s members haven’t shows their faces on stage since). It has witnessed a boost to its profile thanks to a close association with Nick Lowe, but the ensemble doesn’t need star power. Its instrumental jams, which are fun and melodic and wildly danceable, have the force of a storm surge — no surfboards required. Briefcase of Blues: Most often performing as a one-man, junk-stomping band, the Suitcase Junket (a.k.a. Matt Lorenz) makes a slide-guitar and quasi-throat singing racket in the opening slot. —Roy Kasten
SATURDAY 27
AARON KAMM AND THE ONE DROPS: 10 p.m., $10$13. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. ALL ROOSTERED UP: noon, free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. “MONUMENT TO THE DREAM” LIVE ORCHESTRA PERFORMANCE: 8 p.m., free. Gateway Arch, 200 Washington Ave., St. Louis, 877-982-1410. BOX OF NERVES: 7 p.m., free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521. DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC SHOWCASE: 1:30 p.m., free. The 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., University City, 314-421-3600. HEARTLAND MUSIC: 3 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565. JACKOPIERCE NIGHT TWO: 8 p.m., $40-$50. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. JAKE’S LEG HALLOWEEN PARTY: 7 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. JANET EVRA & THE BONBON PLOT: 8 p.m., $10. Jacoby Arts Center, 627 E. Broadway, Alton, 618-462-5222. KAIJU KILLERS: w/ Slow Ocean, No Concern, Treading Oceans, No Good Hoods 6 p.m., $10-$12. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.
KATHY GRIFFIN: 8 p.m., $35-$95. Blanche M Touhill Performing Arts Center, 1 University Dr at Natural Bridge Road, Normandy, 314-516-4949. KENT EHRHARDT & THE BLUE MOON BAND: 8 p.m., $5. Hwy 61 Roadhouse and Kitchen, 34 S Old Orchard Ave, Webster Groves, 314-968-0061. LO MOON: 9 p.m., $13. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. LUDO: w/ Tidal Volume 7 p.m., $25-$35. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. MAX: w/ Nina Nesbitt, Ezi 8 p.m., $20-$25. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. MICHAEL IAN BLACK: 8 p.m., $25. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. MIKE MATTHEWS PROJECT: 9 p.m., free. Nightshift Bar & Grill, 3979 Mexico Road, St. Peters, 636-441-8300. MONUMENT TO THE DREAM: 8 p.m., free. Gateway Arch, 200 Washington Ave., St. Louis, 877-982-1410. NEW ORLEANS SUSPECTS: 10 p.m., $15. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. PRE-HALLOWEEN DANCE PARTY: 9 p.m., free. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. ROCKY & THE WRANGLERS: 4 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. SHADOW OF INTENT: w/ Depths of Hatred 7 p.m., $15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. TOM HALL: 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.
SUNDAY 28
AL HOLIDAY EAST SIDE RHYTHM REVIEW: 8 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. THE BAND PERRY: 8 p.m., $29.50-$32.50. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. BRIAN CURRAN: 2 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. CORTÉGE: w/ the Schisms, Pirate Signal, Hands and Feet 7:30 p.m., $5. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. EDGAR WINTER: 6:30 p.m., $45. Lincoln Theatre, 103 E. Main St., Belleville, 618-233-0123. THE ENGLISH BEAT: 8 p.m., $27.50-$30. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. JULIAN MARLEY: 8 p.m., $25. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. LOVE JONES “THE BAND”: 9:30 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. MAYDAY PARADE: w/ This Wild Life, William Ryan Key, Oh Weatherly 7 p.m., $27.50-$30. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. OXYMORRONS: w/ Bonelang 8 p.m., $5. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. POLYRHYTHMICS: 8 p.m., $10-$12. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. RIVER CITY OPRY: w/ The Red-Headed Strangers, Miss Molly Simms, The Fighting Side, The Dirty Beet Brothers, The Aught Naughts, Quinlan Conley & The I-90 Blues, Johnny Baker, Bryan McQuaid 1 p.m., $5. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. TOM AROUND THE WORLD BENEFIT: 3 p.m., $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. WILLIAM ELIOTT WHITMORE: 8 p.m., $18-$20. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.
MONDAY 29
BOTTOMS UP BLUES GANG: 6 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. MASEGO: 8 p.m., $22.50-$75. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. PASTOR TROY: w/ PBE Pluto, Kid Kembi 7 p.m., $12-$15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. SOULARD BLUES BAND: 9 p.m., $5. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.
[CRITIC’S PICK]
Black Lips. | VIA PARADIGM TALENT AGENCY
Black Lips 8 p.m. Wednesday, October 31. The Duck Room at Blueberry Hill, 6504 Delmar Boulevard. $20. 314-727-4444.
Chaos is a vital element in the Black Lips’ sound, live performance and overall ethos, as anyone who has come within 100 yards of the Atlanta-bred garagerock misfits can attest. But last year’s Satan’s Graffiti or God’s Art? introduced some shake-ups to the band’s lineup: Jared Swilley and Cole Alexander still trade front-man duties, but an entirely new
THIRD SIGHT “REGGAE EDITION”: 8 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. TRACE MOUNTAINS: w/ Frankie Valet, American Poetry Club 8 p.m., $6-$8. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100.
TUESDAY 30
BLACK & WHITE BAND: 8 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. BOB LOG III: 8 p.m., $10. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. DOM KENNEDY: w/ Cozz, Jay 305, Warm Brew 8 p.m., $25-$85. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. ELTON JOHN: 8 p.m., $46.50-$221.50. Enterprise Center, 1401 Clark Ave., St. Louis, 314-241-1888. ERIC LYSAUGHT: 9 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. HABITAT FOR INSANITY: w/ Nicole Grace, Toaster, Randi 8 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. HOBO JOHNSON & THE LOVEMAKERS: 7 p.m., $25$28. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis,
set of players help it make its swampy racket. The resulting album retains the band’s weirdo energy, no small feat for an act coming up on its twentieth anniversary, and Zumi Rosow’s saxophone adds a welcome dimension, especially on the smoky set-pieces that open and close the album. Lip or Treat: Every day is Halloween for a band like the Black Lips, but seeing them play on Halloween itself is a blessing of the band’s schedule that St. Louis fans shouldn’t take for granted. —Christian Schaeffer
314-726-6161. NEIL SALSICH: 6 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. THE OTTOMEN: w/ Dad Jeans, Remember Remember, Cheapest Chimp 8 p.m., free. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. THE PACK A.D.: 8 p.m., $10-$13. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929.
WEDNESDAY 31
BIG RICH MCDONOUGH & RHYTHM RENEGADES: 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. BLACK LIPS: w/ Surfbort 8 p.m., $18-$20. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. BOUNCE HOUSE: w/ Sorry Scout, Granddad, Tiger Rider 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. DIY HALLOWEEN 2018: 9 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. LEAH OSBORNE: 5:30 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.
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OUT EVERY NIGHT Continued from pg 49 MISFITS TRIBUTE NIGHT BY WE BITE: w/ Somewhat Damaged, Gravitational Constant 8 p.m., $10-$12. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. TORREY CASEY & SOUTHSIDE HUSTLE: 10 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. VOODOO WEEN: 9:45 p.m., $8. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.
friday october 26 10 PM
mia borders band
THIS JUST IN
hot soul from new orleans
3 CROOKED MEN: Fri., Oct. 26, 9:30 p.m., free. Fri., Dec. 21, 9:30 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090. 4TH ANNUAL PUNK ROCK FOR PET FOOD: W/ We’re a Happy Family, the Danged, Fri., Nov. 30, 7 p.m., $10. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. AARON GRIFFIN BLUES BAND: Thu., Oct. 25, 7 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. AARON WATSON: Thu., March 21, 8 p.m., $22.50$25. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. THE ACES: Tue., March 12, 8 p.m., $15-$18. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. AL HOLIDAY EAST SIDE RHYTHM REVIEW: Sun., Oct. 28, 8 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. ALL ROOSTERED UP: Sat., Oct. 27, noon, free. Sat., Nov. 3, noon, free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. BIG RICH MCDONOUGH & RHYTHM RENEGADES: Wed., Oct. 31, 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. BILLY PEEK: Sat., Nov. 10, 8 p.m., $5. Hwy 61 Roadhouse and Kitchen, 34 S Old Orchard Ave, Webster Groves, 314-968-0061. BLACK & WHITE BAND: Fri., Oct. 26, 10 p.m., $10. Tue., Oct. 30, 8 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. BOB KAMOSKI: Thu., Oct. 25, 6 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.
saturday october 27 10 PM
the new orleans suspects new orleans supergroup sunday october 28 8 pm
al holliday & the east side rhythm review we are off to europe show!
wednesday october 31 9:45pm Urban Chestnut Presents
the voodoo players
WEEN on halloWEEN show thursday november 1 9pm
jaden carlson band from boulder co. 17 year old guitar phenom
BEST BETS
Continued from pg 48
its airtight execution, is how the songs revel in repetition without wearing out their welcome. St. Louis own Ex Salis provides local support for Friday’s show at Foam, bending angular melodies to a forceful, almost no-wave approach to the rhythm section. Highly recommended.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27 Max w/ Nina Nesbitt, Ezi
8 p.m. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Boulevard, University City. $20 to $25. 314-726-6161.
Much of the pop and, for that matter, the R&B crowding the Top 40 right now seems like musical smoke and mirrors packed with every studio trick out there. Yet Max’s YouTube channel (which boasts 200 million views and counting) shows that people still value a strong voice above 70 layers of synths and special guests. It’s backed up by what feels almost like a minimalist approach to songwriting. “Worship,” released earlier this month, is the latest proof-of-concept, with a few war-
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BOOTYGROOVE: Sat., Nov. 3, 8 p.m., $15. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. BOTTOMS UP BLUES GANG: Mon., Oct. 29, 6 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. BRIAN CURRAN: Sun., Oct. 28, 2 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. THE BROKEN HIPSTERS: Sun., Nov. 4, 8 p.m., $5. Hwy 61 Roadhouse and Kitchen, 34 S Old Orchard Ave, Webster Groves, 314-968-0061. BRUISER QUEEN: W/ NIL8, Spacetrucker, Thu., Nov. 22, 7 p.m., $10-$12. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. CHRIS KNIGHT: W/ Charley Crockett, $25. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. CODY KO & NOEL MILLER: Thu., Jan. 24, 8 p.m., $25-$80. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. COMEDY NIGHT: W/ Scott James, Marquise Moore, Kate Barton, Nicholas Cuvar, Thu., Dec. 6, 8 p.m., $5-$8. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. CORTÉGE: W/ the Schisms, Pirate Signal, Hands and Feet, Sun., Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m., $5. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. DAVE EAST: Sun., Dec. 9, 8 p.m., $30. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. DEATH BELLS: W/ Ex Salis, Abi Ooze, Fri., Oct. 26, 9 p.m., $7-$10. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. DEMETRI MARTIN: Sun., March 24, 7 p.m., $39.75. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. THE DEVIL MAKES THREE: Wed., Jan. 30, 8 p.m., $22.50-$25. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. DIY HALLOWEEN 2018: Wed., Oct. 31, 9 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. THE DUSTCOVERS: Fri., Nov. 16, 9 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090. EDGAR WINTER: Sun., Oct. 28, 6:30 p.m., $45. Lincoln Theatre, 103 E. Main St., Belleville, 618-233-0123. ERIC LYSAUGHT: Tue., Oct. 30, 9 p.m., free.
bling keys wrapping around a sparse beat. It gives Max all the space he needs to do his thing.
Ludo
7 p.m. and 11 p.m. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Boulevard. $25 to $35. 314-726-6161.
Once poised for breakout success, signed to Island Records and able to sell out the Pageant, St. Louis alternative-rock band Ludo fizzled out of existence right at the top of its game. The band went on hiatus after recording just two albums of a five-record deal for Island, and was subsequently dropped from the label. But fret not, Ludo fans, because the band is back, at least for one night. Still able to pack ‘em in, Ludo saw its 7 p.m. show tonight sell out so quickly, a late 11 p.m. show was added. Like-minded St. Louis rock band Tidal Volume will open both. —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 Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. THE FACELESS: W/ Rings or Saturn, The Last Ten Seconds of Life, Vale of Pnath, Interloper, Mon., Dec. 17, 6:20 p.m., $20-$22. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. THE FOGGY MEMORY BOYS: Sat., Dec. 8, 9:30 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090. FRUITION: Fri., Jan. 4, 8 p.m., $15. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. THE GASLIGHT SQUARES: Sat., Nov. 10, 9 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090. HABITAT FOR INSANITY: W/ Nicole Grace, Toaster, Randi, Tue., Oct. 30, 8 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. HITCHCOCK AND THE HITMEN: Fri., Nov. 2, 9:30 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090. IVAS JOHN BAND: Fri., Oct. 26, 7 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. JADEN CARLSON BAND: Thu., Nov. 1, 9 p.m., $8. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. JAKE’S LEG HALLOWEEN PARTY: Sat., Oct. 27, 7 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. KOE WETZEL: Thu., Jan. 31, 8 p.m., $12. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. LEAH OSBORNE: Wed., Oct. 31, 5:30 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. LET’S NOT RECORD RELEASE SHOW: W/ Mammoth Piano, the Defeated County, Fri., Nov. 16, 8 p.m., free. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. LOVE JONES “THE BAND”: Sun., Oct. 28, 9:30 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. LUKAS SIMPSON & FRIENDS: Fri., Dec. 7, 9 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090. MARIAH CAREY: Sat., March 16, 8 p.m., $64.95$499.95. Stifel Theatre, 1400 Market St, St. Louis, 314-499-7600. MIA BORDERS: Fri., Oct. 26, 10 p.m., $10. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. MISSOURI BREAKS: Sat., Nov. 3, 9:30 p.m., free. Sat., Nov. 17, 9:30 p.m., free. Sat., Dec. 15, 9:30 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090. MONSTER TRUCK: Sat., Jan. 19, 8 p.m., $15-$18. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. THE MOUNTAIN RIVER VALLEY BOYS: Fri., Nov. 23, 9 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090. MOUNTAIN SPROUT: Fri., Jan. 4, 8 p.m., $12. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. NEIL SALSICH: Tue., Oct. 30, 6 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. Tue., Nov. 27, 9:30 p.m., free. Fri., Dec. 21, 9:30 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090. NEW ORLEANS SUSPECTS: Sat., Oct. 27, 10 p.m., $15. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. ONE WAY TRAFFIC: Sat., Nov. 24, 9 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090. THE OTTOMEN: W/ Dad Jeans, Remember Remember, Cheapest Chimp, Tue., Oct. 30, 8 p.m., free. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. PANICSVILLE: W/ Dead From The Neck Up, Harris/Melsha, Fri., Oct. 26, 9 p.m., $7. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. PETAL: Mon., Jan. 21, 8 p.m., $12-$15. Blueberry
Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. PRE-PHILADELPHIAPOLOZA: W/ Sophisticated Babies, Stone Sugar Shakedown, Scandeleros, Fri., Nov. 2, 9 p.m., $8. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. RIFFS FOR GIFTS: W/ Outrun The Fall, ThePour, Steeples, Monkh & The People, The Matching Shoe, Silent Hollow, Sat., Nov. 24, 6:30 p.m., $10. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720. ROCKY & THE WRANGLERS: Sat., Oct. 27, 4 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. ROGERS & NIENHAUS: Wed., Nov. 21, 7 p.m., free. Hwy 61 Roadhouse and Kitchen, 34 S Old Orchard Ave, Webster Groves, 314-968-0061. RONNY COX: Fri., Oct. 26, 7 p.m., $20-$25. Espenschied Chapel, 317 County Road, Mascoutah, 618-566-7425. SEBASTIAN MANISCALCO: Sat., May 4, 7 p.m., $44-$67. Stifel Theatre, 1400 Market St, St. Louis, 314-499-7600. SILVERCREEK BLUEGRASS BAND: Sat., Dec. 1, 9 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090. SILVERSTEIN: W/ Hawthorne Heights, As Cities Burn, Capstan, Thu., Jan. 17, 7 p.m., $22. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. SOULARD BLUES BAND: Mon., Oct. 29, 9 p.m., $5. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. SWITCHFOOT: W/ Colony House, Tyson Motsenbocker, Tue., March 5, 8 p.m., $38.50-$42. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. THE TALLEST MAN ON EARTH: Mon., April 29, 8 p.m., $25-$28. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. THE ST. LOUIS STEADY GRINDERS: Fri., Nov. 30, 9 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090. THIRD SIGHT “REGGAE EDITION”: Mon., Oct. 29, 8 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. TOM AROUND THE WORLD BENEFIT: Sun., Oct. 28, 3 p.m., $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. TOM HALL: Sat., Oct. 27, 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. TORREY CASEY & SOUTHSIDE HUSTLE: Thu., Oct. 25, 10 p.m., $5. Wed., Oct. 31, 10 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. TRACE MOUNTAINS: W/ Frankie Valet, American Poetry Club, Mon., Oct. 29, 8 p.m., $6-$8. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. VOODOO WEEN: Wed., Oct. 31, 9:45 p.m., $8. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811. THE WARBUCKLES: Fri., Nov. 9, 9 p.m., free. The Frisco Barroom, 8110 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-455-1090. WHISKEY AND THUNDER: W/ Backwash, Haze Bond, Sat., Jan. 5, 7 p.m., $10. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929. YESSONGS: A TRIBUTE TO YES: W/ Thrak USA: Tribute To King Crimson, Fri., Jan. 4, 8 p.m., $12-$15. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.
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ARC IRIS RELEASE SHOW: W/ Tristen, David Beeman, Sat., Nov. 3, 8 p.m., $12. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. BASS DRUM OF DEATH: Fri., Nov. 2, 8 p.m., $15. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. BIT BRIGADE PLAYS MEGA MAN II: W/ Thor Axe, Sun., Nov. 4, 8 p.m., $10. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW: Thu., Nov. 1, 8 p.m., $17-$20. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. CHRISTINA AGUILERA: W/ Big Boi, Tue., Nov. 6, 8 p.m., TBA. Stifel Theatre, 1400 Market St, St. Louis, 314-499-7600. n
JUST 15 MINUTES AWAY OFF ROUTE 3 200 N. MAIN IN DUPO, IL LIKE & FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK @GOODTIME.PATIO.BAR
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SAVAGE LOVE MEOW AND FOREVER BY DAN SAVAGE Hi, Dan: I am a homosexual young adult seeking advice about kitten play. I find it very intriguing, and I’m wondering where to start. It’s a turn-on when someone calls me kitten, but I’m not sure how to express my kink or desire for kink play to the person or persons I am into. Any advice would be appreciated. Constructive Advice Thoughtfully Sought Hi, CATS: I am a homosexual notso-young adult without much advice to offer where kitten play is concerned. I’ve encountered plenty of gay puppies in the wild — at various leather/fetish events — but I’ve seen only one fetish kitty in my lifetime, and she was a queen. (A female cat is called a queen, a male cat is called a tom, and a group of cats is called a glare. #TheMoreYouKnow!) But Amp Somers, who hosts the kink-friendly sex-ed show Watts the Safeword, assures me that gay kitties are definitely a thing. “Kitten play is a subcategory of the ‘animal role-play’ or ‘pet play’ kink,” said Somers. “It is a form of domination and submission in which someone gets into the head space of an animal they are role-playing and takes on its characteristics — be it with gear (masks, tails, collars) or by acting out the mannerisms of their animal. Most importantly, and this goes for all proper pet players, there are no actual animals involved in this play.” Puppy play is the most common form of pet play — by far — and it’s very popular among younger gay kinksters. (Please don’t confuse gay pups or kitties with gay bears or otters. The former is about role-play and fetish; the latter is about body type, affirmation and community.) But what accounts for the popularity of pet play among younger kinksters? “This sort of play allows someone to get into kink easily with or without a partner and in a playful manner,” said Somers. “Pet play allows players to get their feet wet in the BDSM world without having to visit a dark dungeon, get tied
up, or engage in anything a newer kinkster might find intimidating. It’s a great entry-level kink.” As for expressing your kink, CATS, that’s something you’re going to have to work out on your own. “I imagine CATS already has an image of what kitten play looks like to them, and I bet it differs from what I might imagine my own pet play would look like or even from what readers imagine a kitten player to look like,” said Somers. “Is CATS a domesticated lazy kitten who lies in the sun? A curious, well-trained, docile cat responsive to cuddles and treats? Or is he a rambunctious, bratty, independent stray?” To find your way into the kink scene, Somers recommends getting online. “That’s how I first found pet play,” he said. “Sites like kittenplay.com offer in-depth written pieces by players, links to resources and forums where CATS can educate himself. Other sites like FetLife or Facebook provide more private groups to ‘meet’ others, ask more in-depth questions, find local get-togethers and make friends to socialize with. Or if they prefer video content, YouTube has a number of creators (like ‘Scream Kiwi’) who talk about their kinks in a fun, educational and personal way. And once CATS feels comfortable in their own identity and has defined what they want out of this play, they will be able to really communicate to their partner(s) what they’re into and what they want out of kitten play.” Check out Amp Somers’s show — Watts the Safeword — at youtube.com/WattsTheSafeword, and follow him on Twitter @Pup_Amp. Hey, Dan: I’m a gay male, and one of my good friends has put me in a strange position. The friend has been married to his husband for fifteen years, and they are allowed to “play.” I have no desire to be in an open relationship, and I don’t think my boyfriend does either. I occasionally go over to this friend’s house right after work to buy weed, and he’s always alone when I come by. He joked about answering the door naked and then did it. (He told me he was going to, but I honestly didn’t think he would do it.) I was extremely uncomfortable, and he knew it. The last time I went over,
Your “good friend” is violating the don’t-jerk-off-tocompletion-infront-of-otherpeople-withouttheir-enthusiasticconsent norm (aka the Louis C.K. Career in Comedy Memorial Norm). he was naked again — and this time, he jerked off to completion in front of me. He asked me to join in, and I told him I couldn’t because I hadn’t discussed anything like this with my boyfriend. I’m supposed to go over again tomorrow, and he asked me to come by early because his husband would be getting home from work early that day. This leads me to believe that the husband would not be OK with this. I haven’t said anything to his husband or my boyfriend because I don’t want this to become a huge mess and I hoped my palpable discomfort would put an end to it. Any thoughts on how I should handle this nicely to make it stop without hurting his feelings? Undressed Naked Friend Really Is Engineering Needless Drama Your “good friend” is an asshole, UNFRIEND. He’s violating a whole bunch of social norms — chiefly the don’t-jerk-off-to-completionin-front-of-other-people-withouttheir-enthusiastic-consent norm (aka the Louis C.K. Career in Comedy Memorial Norm) — and relying on your adherence to other social norms (avoid being rude, defuse don’t confront, spare others’ feelings) to get away with violating you as well. This asshole is sexually harassing you, and you haven’t told him to stop in unambiguous language. The only reason you’ve given him for not whipping it out yourself is that you haven’t “discussed
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anything like this with [your] boyfriend.” He has self-servingly interpreted your reason for not joining in like this: “He wants to, and maybe he will after he has a ‘discussion’ with his boyfriend.” I’m sorry, UNFRIEND, but you’re going to have to be blunt: “You have to knock this shit off. It’s disrespectful, it’s nonconsensual, and it’s pissing me off.” Don’t worry about hurting his feelings — he obviously doesn’t care about your feelings — and find a new weed dealer. Hey, Dan: I have a follow-up question on your advice for JACKS, the gay manager who ran into an employee at a JO party. Alison “Ask a Manager” Green told him he couldn’t go to these parties anymore. A distinction was made between sexual situation encounters between bosses and those they manage in “private clubs” (the JO club) or at “public events” (Folsom Street Fair). My question is about Grindr/Scruff/Growlr/etc. Are these more like “private clubs” or “public events”? In part, my question stems from being a professor and having seen students and colleagues on these apps. I feel like I should not be reading the profiles of students in my department (who are mostly graduate students). I am also troubled by my colleagues appearing on these apps — from the perspective that this seems to be a sexually oriented space and there is the power differential between faculty and students. Basics Of Sexual Spaces Dating apps are the new gay bars — more than 75 percent of samesex couples met online — so telling gay bosses or college profs they can’t go on dating apps because their gay male students or underlings might be on them means condemning gay bosses and profs to celibacy. Bosses and profs shouldn’t flirt with their students and underlings, of course, and it might be a good idea to block ’em when you spot ’em — so you won’t be tempted by their profiles/torsos and they won’t be tempted by yours — but gay bosses and profs are free to look for dick on dating apps. Listen to Dan’s podcast at savagelovecast.com. mail@savagelove.net @fakedansavage on Twitter
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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
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