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1 1 WILL TEACH FOR FOOD Adjunct professors have it hard. Could unionizing them solve the problem? BY RICHARD NEWMAN

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Marijuana-Law Mastermind Turns to Missouri

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Left: The Maurer family at home in Oregon.

C O U R T E SY O F T R AV I S M AU R E R

ver since July 2, a happy cloud of pot smoke has hovered over Oregon. On that date, the state’s governor signed a marijuana-legalization measure into law, making Oregon the fourth state in the U.S. to reject the failed tactics of pot prohibition. It was a particularly heady moment for Travis Maurer. But not necessarily because of the legal weed. A Missouri native, Maurer had been living in Columbia in 2009 when police officers burst into his home. Acting on a tip, investigators discovered 300 pot plants and assorted growing equipment. During the raid, Maurer’s wife, Leah, miscarried what would have been the couple’s third child. Maurer was charged with felony-level drug crimes. “A lot of people like to blame law enforcement in particular for these types of things,” Maurer says now. “But I blame myself for making a decision to operate illegally in the state under such a draconian regime of laws. I didn’t realize at the time that the potential outcome could be paramilitary-style invasion. I think it’s really easy to blame law enforcement. I blame the laws.” In the six years since the raid, Maurer moved his family to Oregon, eventually working behind the scenes to organize opposition to the kind of drug laws he encountered in Missouri. His work paid off: In a lengthy profile published last week, The Oregonian credited Maurer with “masterminding Oregon’s marijuana initiative.” Back home, progress has been harder to come by. Missourians have been hoping to pass a cannabis legalization measure for decades, but efforts have been on a slow simmer. Maurer founded the organization Show-Me Cannabis in 2010 to advocate for legalization, but afterwards kept his head down while dealing with fallout from his arrest. Now off probation, Maurer is taking a more public role in bringing legal pot to his home state. New Approach Missouri, a political action committee, hopes to run a legalization campaign for Show-Me Cannabis. (Maurer’s wife is on its board.) First, however, the organization has to figure out what kind of legalization measure to back. According to Show-Me Cannabis executive director John Payne, the immediate challenge is obtaining polling and research data. “We’re still tweaking the language. We’re about to do a round of polling, and that will determine how we go forward,” Payne says. This is nothing new for Payne, Maurer and other Missouri pot activists. In 2014, Show-Me Cannabis scrapped plans for a legalization initiative after polling data indicated that only 50 percent of Missourians would support such a measure. For Show-Me Cannabis, that margin was just too slim. Two years later, many are wondering if it’s finally Missouri’s turn to embrace full legalization. But Payne cautions that such a victory may be still further down the road: Instead of a full legalization bill, he says, it’s possible that voters would prefer to pass a measure legalizing medicinal marijuana.

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“We don’t want to be in a position where we put something in the ballot and fail, especially at the harm to medical patients,” Payne says. “In Oregon, the goal that they were looking for was 55 percent in their polling. If we hit a similar mark here in Missouri, we would feel good, but that’s still a gambit — 60 percent is considered the gold standard.” Payne tells us that Show-Me Cannabis and New Approach Missouri will make a decision on a ballot initiative “very shortly.” He hopes to begin collecting signatures by September. As for Maurer, he says the success of Oregon’s pot measure should serve as encouragement for more states to take the plunge. And while the Oregon bill isn’t without its problems, he says those challenges are far preferable to the systemic flaws of marijuana prohibition. “Not everyone is going to agree at the end of the day,” he says. “At the end of the day, adults in Oregon won’t be criminalized for owning cannabis. And the same thing needs to happen in Missouri.” — DANNY WICENTOWSKI

Taking on Racist Union Members — and Their Kids? eady for a filthy political gutter fight? You may want to take a shower after this one. State Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal, who represents District 14, which includes University City, has long been a friend to organized labor. That helps explain her feelings of betrayal when she discovered that commenters on the Facebook page of Pro-Union St. Louis were calling her nasty epithets. In response, the senator went on a Twitter rampage, posting what was said and by whom. She also offered $1,000 for employment info on one commenter, and she posted photos of him and the others — photos in which some of her targets were posed with family members and children. It started last week when a friend texted her, suggesting she check out the union group’s Facebook page. There, someone had posted a Post-Dispatch article about an education-reform bill the state senator championed in Jefferson City. The bill, which was opposed by teachers unions, was ultimately vetoed by Governor Jay Nixon. The Facebook post with the article in question has since been removed, but commenters apparently took to bashing the senator as a “racist,” “cunt,” “worthless piece of shit” and a “loud mouth black bitch.” Chappelle-Nadal took screen shots and put them on Twitter. She tells Riverfront Times that the language they used reminded her of threats she had received during the Ferguson unrest, so she decided to research the commenters — for her own safety, she says, although she concedes that none of them had threatened her directly. Then she tweeted their photos and comments. She even dug up a Facebook photo of one of the commenters in blackface. (He was costumed as boxing promoter Don King.) She then tweeted it with an offer of $1,000 for details on where he works. “$1000: If you can find out his union membership & who employs him (other than his bar). Must provide proof,” she tweeted on July 6. She says she did all this as a way to start a conversation about race within the unions, where she believes minorities are unequal members: “If you’re going to treat a labor family member in this way, you’re going to treat a minority coworker this way.” And the senator does consider herself a member of the labor family. She stood behind Governor Nixon’s veto of the Right to Work bill, for example. She also says she has received private messages of support from union ranks over the last few days, including from two different labor leaders. Sean Fauss, a former member of MNEA and UFCW 655, e-mailed RFT to point out, “The few ad hominem attacks made against Senator Chappelle-Nadal [on the Facebook page] were vastly outnumbered by the commenters condemning those disgusting remarks.” Not all of the senator’s accusations make sense. After one of the commenters called her a cunt, Chappelle-Nadal tweeted that he was a “racist.” Pressed to explain how that’s racist, the senator told us it had to do with Ferguson. Some of the photos she tweeted include children. She says she’s taken them all down, but at least one remains on Twitter. Asked why she decided to drag children into an adult argument, the senator evaded the question, saying the photos were public, and it’s the commenters who brought this on themselves. In fact, within just a few days, the state senator seems to be trying to publicly close the whole episode. She tweeted on July 7, “Let’s move this discussion back to racism in St. Louis. Picture is down. #BlackLivesMatter.” — NICHOLAS PHILLIPS

J E N N I F E R S I LV E R B E R G

Above: State Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal. Left: When ChappelleNadal saw this photo of a union member dressed in blackface as Don King, she blasted him on Twitter — and offered $1,000 for info about his employer.

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adjunct noun | ad· junct

1 : something joined or added to another thing but not essentially a part of it 2 : A thing which is added or attached to something something else as supplementary, rather than an essential part of something larger or more important 3 : an associate or assistant of another

WILL TEACH FOR FOOD ADJUNCT PROFESSORS FACE LOW WAGES, LONG HOURS AND NO BENEFITS. A NATIONAL UNION DRIVE TO CHANGE THAT HAS MADE ST. LOUIS A KEY BATTLEGROUND.

have to work at Trader Joe’s to afford to teach at Webster,” says Elizabeth Sausele. Sausele, 50, has a master’s in divinity and a doctorate in education with an emphasis in intercultural studies. She worked on her dissertation in Rwanda, studying adolescent trauma in the wake of war and genocide. For the last six years, she’s taught at Webster University’s Institute of Human Rights and HumaniBY tarian Studies, part of the College of Arts R I C H A R D and Sciences at the private, non-profit university in Webster Groves. Currently, she NEWMAN teaches two classes a semester. It doesn’t pay the bills. “Trader Joe’s pays me more to stock bananas than Webster pays me to teach,” she muses. She quit Webster’s academic subcomittee for the Human Rights Program for just that reason. “I can’t afford to go to meetings for free anymore,” she states flatly. In fact, thanks to her four-day-a-week job at Trader Joe’s, she couldn’t attend many meetings of her fellow adjunct professors as they contemplated unionizing. continued on page 12 riverfronttimes.com H X1X–X riverfronttimes.comM O JNUTLY 5 - 2X 1 ,, 2200105X RRIIVVEERRFFRROONNTT TTIIMMEESS 111

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She even missed the Webster adjunct faculty vote at the National Labor Relations Board on May 11, though she would have liked to have been there. She was too busy stocking bananas.

n recent years American universities, both public and private, have become the Walmart of education. Anti-union CEOs from the likes of Peabody Energy and Emerson Electric sit on their board of trustees; their presidents and chancellors in turn sit on the CEO’s corporate boards. Yet universities pay the people doing

chances are many of your professors were living in poverty. Adjuncts are the lowest wage earners in universities, making less than janitors and food service workers. The median pay per course for an adjunct in the U.S. is $2,700, according to the AAUP. So it’s not surprising that the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series, a project that analyzes census data, found that 31 percent of part-time faculty live near or below the poverty line. A recent report from UC Berkeley suggests that 25 percent of all U.S. adjunct professors receive public assistance such as Medicaid or food stamps, costing taxpayers $468 million. In contrast, university presidents, chancellors and provosts have never done

“I have to work at Trader Joe’s so I can afford to teach at Webster,” says Elizabeth Sausele. most of the work — in this case, the actual teachers — non-livable wages. Even as administrators’ salaries have grown exponentially, so too has the percentage of college-level instructors who are part-time adjuncts. In 1975, 43 percent of U.S. college instructors were adjuncts or contingent workers, according to the American Association of University Professors. By 2011, that figure had climbed to 70 percent. If you have attended college this century,

better. The median compensation for a public university president, according to Forbes, is $478,896. The median compensation for a private university chancellor is $627,750 — and numbers soar much higher at some schools. According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, Rensselaer Polytechnic institute paid its president $7.1 million in 2012. Adjunct faculty are now attempting to unionize across the country, some more successfully than others. It’s part of a national

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Elizabeth Sausele.

K E L LY G L U E C K

Adjunct

push by the Service Employees International Union, or SEIU, which has become a powerhouse by organizing workers far outside labor’s traditional manufacturing bases — healthcare staffers, janitors, civil servants. For the last three years, SEIU’s Adjunct Action campaign has crusaded for part-time university instructors in cities from Boston to Los Angeles, an effort that continues to gather steam. Adjuncts at universities including Tufts, Northeastern, Georgetown, American University, Boston University and Lesley universities have successfully unionized through the Adjunct Action campaign. SEIU’s most recently negotiated contract, at Tufts, guarantees that an adjunct must make at least $7,300 per course by September 2016. The

contract also provides for two- and three-year contracts instead of the usual semester-tosemester assignments. Some of the union’s most ferocious battles have taken place right here in St. Louis — including at Washington University, where adjuncts voted in January to join SEIU by a vote of 138 to 111. One of those “yes” votes came from Chris Boehm. Since 2011, Boehm has taught as an adjunct in Wash. U.’s English department, where he received his doctoral degree. (And, in the interest of full disclosure, another came from me. I currently teach creative writing at Washington University and have also taught writing and literature at St. Louis Community College, the University

public university president

= $478,896

private university chancellor

= $627,750

2012, Washington * In University’s Chancellor made

B R I T TA N I S C H L AG E R

$1.4 million - information courtesy of Forbes

schools have poor academic results at best, and there have been problems with financial aid on the London campus where the U.S. Department of Education required Webster to repay $95,464 in what was determined to be ineligible student aid. The Thailand campus has probably been most disastrous. According to insidehighered. com, Webster students studying in Thailand have made wide-ranging allegations: “concerns about issues of academic rigor, student health and safety, student services, the condition of physical facilities, continued on page 14

oth Wash. U. and Webster are private, not-for-profit and located in leafy suburbs west of St. Louis. But that’s where the similarities end. Tax returns show Washington University generated a $181 million profit in the 2012 fiscal year and $221 million in 2011. Webster, however, has struggled with its budget. Last fall, Webster University’s own The Journal reported that the school was facing a shortfall in its operating budget of $12.2 million. It planned to close three of its campuses. In an effort to make itself a “truly global university,” Webster has sought to put campuses in every country of the world. Unfortunately, this model of franchising has left some schools with more staff and administration than actual students. Webster is a mile wide and an inch deep. Franchising has had other bad repercussions for the university. Many of its

“I don’t know how to phrase what is happening to adjuncts better than systemic exploitation,” says Boehm.

Washington University.

J O N AT H A N H E I S L E R

Median Salary

of Missouri-St. Louis and St. Louis College of Pharmacy, sometimes at all four places in one semester in order to pay the bills.) “Collective action is the only way to counteract systemic exploitation,” says Boehm, “and I don’t know how to phrase what is happening to adjuncts better than systemic exploitation.” The Wash. U. vote came after almost a year of organizing, planning, knocking on doors, emails, rallies and meetings. Boehm plays blistering guitar in a swamp rock band and boasts a backwoods chin beard to match, but he speaks like a tactician as well as an impassioned organizer. “When only 25 to 30 percent of the teaching labor on college campuses is full-time/tenure track, then not being able to nail down a full-time job has less to do with merit, and more to do with conditions manufactured by administrations so that they can exploit a cheap pool of labor,” he says. After the Washington University campaign, Boehm took a part-time job with SEIU organizing on other campuses: “They needed part-time help, and, being an adjunct, I needed more part-time work to make ends meet.” Boehm’s new job put him on the frontlines of a campaign that ended up being even harder fought — the fight to unionize adjuncts at neighboring Webster University.

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Adjunct faculty and staff turnover, and reported fears of retribution against those who dare to challenge the administration.” Through its spokeswoman, Jennifer Starkey, Webster declined all comment for this story. The university has become increasingly reliant on adjuncts. According to collegefactual. com, Webster’s use of full-time instructors ranks among the nation’s lowest: Only 13 percent of its instructors teach full-time. That’s significantly lower than the nationwide average of 51 percent. Those adjuncts are paid $3,500 per class. There is no health insurance, no 401k, no sick leave. Adjunct professors don’t even have a guarantee — or often any idea — of what classes, if any, they may teach the following semester. SEIU argued that it could help change that. Some Webster adjuncts reported that the union suggested teachers could make as much as $15,000 per class — although Boehm says that wasn’t a promise so much as an aspirational goal. What the SEIU could promise, if instructors voted to unionize, was the power of collective bargaining and the opportunity to negotiate a contract. Ann Haubrich teaches cultural policy for the Arts Management in Leadership master’s program at Webster. She was on the fence for several months about unionizing because of past family experiences with unions, but after some soul-searching, she decided to support SEIU’s effort. Haubrich wonders about the ethics of Webster’s business practice. “Ultimately, you think about the Loreto nuns who started Webster and their social-justice advocacy — what would they think about 80 percent adjuncts making unfair wages?” These days, Webster administrators live much differently than the women in religious orders who founded the college — and much differently than its more than 500 adjuncts. President Elizabeth Stroble earned $500,174 last fiscal year, including a $75,000 bonus.

PAT R I C K G I B L I N

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In 2011, Webster also purchased Stroble tro robl ble a ble $935,000 home. Like most universities, Webster is bloated with administration. Like bureaucratic Russian dolls, even the president’s administrative assistant has an administrative assistant. Webster Provost Julian Schuster made $357,111, including a $45,000 bonus. Like Stroble, Schuster received a new car. Many Webster faculty, staff and students have wondered if top Webster administrators should be receiving bonuses when the university is facing such large budget issues — or when 80 percent of its faculty receives nowhere near a living wage. “If Webster had to pay their employees proportional to what full-time professors make, they would probably have to fold,” says Webster adjunct philosophy professor Steve Findley. “Or at least make some big changes.” I first met Findley at Foundation Grounds in Maplewood, where he lives. We sat down and talked over coffee — adjunct to adjunct. The son of a United Methodist minster, Findley was originally a pre-med and a chemistry major at Rice University, but the “big questions” got him hooked on philosophy.

WEBSTER UNIVERSITY

B R I T TA N I S C H L AG E R

President = Elizabeth Stroble

- last scal year earned $500,174 including a $75,000 BONUS

In 2011 Webster purchased Stroble a home

cost of home = $935,000

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Webster University. “I applied to both medical school and a philosophy program and got into both,” Findley says, “and I picked philosophy. Not the most genius move I ever made.” With a doctoral degree earned from Boston College in 1996, Findley has taught philosophy around the country. Since 2002, he’s been an adjunct philosophy professor at Webster. The $3,500 he makes per course at Webster is above the national average, as he knows well. At the University of Southern Indiana he made a little over $2,000 per class of 60. That’s a lot of philosophy papers to grade. Including class prep, office hours, and invariable out-of-classand-office student meetings, the math worked out to about a nickel a paper. Findley’s wife is an associate professor of French at Saint Louis University, which does a lot to pay the bills. Chris Boehm’s wife is an accountant at Turk & Associates. Adjuncts without spouses need to work many other places in order to survive — and many receive federal assistance. Sausele, for example, would have been eligible for benefits at Trader Joe’s, but after the Affordable Health Care Act passed, the grocery chain began requiring workers to put in 30 hours a week instead of 20 to qualify for health care. Sausele now gets her insurance through Obamacare. When we spoke, she had just returned from an urgent-care visit — treating a dog bite that required stitches and later become infected. Because her insurance is a limited plan, she’ll still have to pay hundreds of dollars out of pocket.

teve Findley signed his union registration card and went to the first organizing committee meeting in January 2014. He was one of its first members and says he never feared repercussion. “Getting fired from an exploitative job is not the worst thing that could happen!” he laughs. “And the full-time faculty at Webster were pretty supportive of the unionizing effort, I think, as were many department chairs.” Already in a precarious financial situation, Webster had much to lose if its adjuncts

K E L LY G L U E C K

“If Webster had to pay their employees proportional to what full-time professors make, they would probably have to fold,” says Webster adjunct philosophy professor Steve Findley.

Steve Findley.

the organizers used the same tactics they’ve employed to organize hotel workers. “They do not understand the relative independence of thought and self-direction that most adjuncts at Wash. U. (and Webster) bring to their jobs at a university. They certainly do not understand, or care to understand or appreciate, the mostly collaborative and collegial environment that we want and work to create and maintain,” he continues. “It is in the nature and function of the SEIU to create discord between adjuncts and unrepresented faculty and staff, and even between adjuncts who wish to join the SEIU as members and those who do not.” Stockton concludes, “I encourage you, if you’re genuinely interested in the truth, to stop drinking the SEIU Kool-Aid, and start doing your own exploration and due diligence.” I also contacted Jason Greer to talk about his work for Webster. When we spoke on the phone, he told me he had worked as an NLRB agent for three years and had helped with the Dean’s Forums at Webster. Then Greer told me there was a phone clarity issue, and he would call back in an hour when he had better reception. He never called back and didn’t respond to any subsequent requests to reconnect.

n May 11, while Elizabeth Sausele tended to the Trader Joe’s produce section, federal workers counted ballots cast by Webster University’s adjuncts. At 4 p.m., Steve Findley sat in the hearing room of the National Labor Relations Board. For two hours he had intently watched the final vote count, keeping score himself on a yellow legal pad. Located in the Robert A. Young Federal Building on Spruce Street and Tucker Boulevard, the hearing room looks like a cross between traffic court and a makeshift church, with a wooden gate and railing to partition witnesses and onlookers from the attorneys and federal employees. Witnesses from SEIU, Webster and Washington universites sat in wooden pews as federal employees opened signed envelopes, confirmed or contested their eligibility, and counted votes. Instead of a stained-glass window or altar, the National Labor Relations Board seal, with its eagle and shield emblem, hung at the front of the room flanked by the American and Missouri state flags. As Findley sat on his wooden pew, he could soon tell which way the vote was tilting. The final vote: 212 for unionizing and 268 against. “I was surprised,” he says later. “Frankly, I thought if we were going to lose, it would have been closer.” Not everyone was surprised. Sausele, for one, didn’t feel SEIU’s goals were realistic. “SEIU’s campaign of $15,000 per class is a pipe dream,” she says. “Where’s that money going to come from? It’s an unrealistic jump to go there from where we are now.” But she’s also disappointed that she’ll be supporting her passion as if it were a hobby. “As retail jobs, you can’t get any better than Trader Joe’s,” she says, without bitterness. “But it’s still retail.”

Final Vote 212 = for unionizing 268 = against

B R I T TA N I S C H L AG E R

they were actively opposed.” Webster calls its business school adjuncts “professional practitioners” — teachers who already have well-paying jobs and want to “give back.” Observes Findley, “Their charity keeps the adjuncts in arts and sciences living in poverty.” Jeff Stockton, who has taught business classes in Washington University’s University College, voted against unionizing that campus. He is also on the roster as an adjunct at Webster, though he “hasn’t accepted offers for a year or two.” Outspoken in his “no” vote at Washington University, he was also vocal in the “no” campaign at Webster. He places blame for the failed Webster campaign entirely on SEIU, for whom he spares no vitriol. “I’m not against unionizing. I’m not against collective bargaining at all,” Stockton insists. “I’m against SEIU. SEIU practices the lowest forms of union behavior, most of which are anachronistic for the 21st century, and certainly out of synch with higher education at a top-tier university.” As one example, Stockton claims, “The local leadership had not taken the time to even learn that Wash. U. was not a Catholic school.” (Boehm denies that, calling it “ridiculous.” “One of the things that makes Washington University particularly appealing for SEIU,” Boehm says, “is the school doesn’t have some of the issues that surround religious institutions when it comes to unionization.”) Stockton is also disdainful of SEIU’s communications. “They’re incompetent in maintaining a website that you, as an educator and as a faculty member at Wash. U., could be proud of,” he says via email. “Communications that come from or are represented by the SEIU are typically coarse, poorly worded, embarrassingly peppered with typos, misspellings and wrong word choices.” Instead of getting to know the workers they now represent at Wash. U., Stockton complains,

unionized, which is likely a big reason the university chose a much different path than Washington University. Wash. U. agreed to stay neutral during the union drive. Webster did not. Both schools hired J. P. Hasman, a lawyer who works for Armstrong Teasdale and specializes in “union avoidance” campaigns. And though not all of Washington University’s informative letters to faculty from the provost seemed completely neutral, Boehm says that Webster was far more aggressively anti-union: “They fought hard, and they fought dirty.” In informational meetings, Boehm claims, Webster “perpetuated misinformation about dues, the negotiation process and how the union would change relationships between professors, administration and students.” These meetings were moderated by Jason Greer, a former National Labor Relations Board agent who now specializes in union avoidance and stopping union drives. At the meetings, Boehm says, adjunct faculty were told that if they unionized they would no longer be able to talk with administrators, and that the administration would only be able to communicate through the SEIU. The union, it intimated, would make all their decisions and become a wedge between the parties. Another key difference between the two organizing efforts? Their business schools. To determine who can vote to unionize, the NLRB looks for a “community of interest,” a legal definition for who will be included in a potential bargaining unit. At Wash. U., the business school was not included in that community. But at Webster, the business school was. According to a spokeswoman for the NRLB, the vote at Webster was part of a “stipulated election,” with an agreement between union organizers and university administration determining when the vote would be held and who would get to participate, among other things. In its stipulations, SEIU agreed to include all Webster adjuncts, including those who teach at its business school. In hindsight, that may not have been the best strategy. According to Findley, Webster’s Walker School of Business and Technology has the most adjuncts, “and

t Washington University, the administration and the newly formed adjunct-bargaining committee are currently negotiating a contract. The first bargaining session was April 23, with the union bringing twelve representatives and the university bringing nine. I attended the first bargaining meeting as an adjunct, and both parties agreed not discuss specific information from that and future meetings with the press. I can say that the first meeting went cordially. Both sides agreed to the bargaining ground rules within two and half hours. Currently, the two sides are bargaining over non-financial articles in the contract — academic freedom, recognition of which schools are actually included in the bargaining unit and others. It will be a long process. Chris Boehm seems hopeful about taking the fight to the next college or university — Saint Louis University, St. Louis Community College? SEIU hasn’t decided yet. At least, it hasn’t made its decision public. The union could also return to Webster next year. Ironically, Washington University and Webster University already offer the best adjunct pay rates in the St. Louis area, at $4,200 and $3,500 per class respectively. Jefferson College is the worst at $1,900. Fontbonne isn’t much better at $2,500. Yet the job market is so bad that many people with graduate degrees are willing to work for substandard wages. Findley seems discouraged. The system, he says, just isn’t sustainable. “The only hope I see is if state legislators get together and decide to make higher education affordable. It’s more and more expensive and out of reach for most people in Missouri.” As for Elizabeth Sausele, she’s taking joy in her work, even if she has to keep plugging away at Trader Joe’s to pay for it. “I teach because I love teaching,” she says. “Even if one student becomes aware of the broader world, I’m thrilled. I don’t fit into a university box or career track because I love teaching, not research or publishing. I’m not looking for a tenure-track spot. I’m looking for job security, a contract and, over time, a raise that honors what I do.” Webster adjuncts will need to wait another year before they can vote on union representation again. The results of other union votes in town may determine whether it will be a long year or a short one. ■ Richard Newman’s most recent poetry collection is All the Wasted Beauty of the World (Able Muse Press, 2014). He has served as editor of River Styx for twenty years and currently teaches creative writing as an adjunct at Washington University.

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T H U R S D AY |07.16

[THEATER]

City of Night brings a little magic to your Saturday.

THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH

Thornton Wilder is best known for that evergreen of American drama, Our Town, but his second major play was The Skin of Our Teeth. (Both were awarded the Pulitzer Prize.) The latter premiered in the fall of 1942, not too long after the United States had entered World War II and the outcome of that conflict was very much in a precarious balance. In the play, Wilder’s fictional Antrobus family from New Jersey serves as an allegorical vehicle that represents humanity’s ability to survive every type of calamity over the course of history. This theme resonated deeply in 1942, when America and its allies were fighting powerful forces of nihilism and destruction worldwide. Check out Clayton Community Theatre’s production of The Skin of Our Teeth at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday (July 16 through 26) at Washington University’s South Campus Theatre (6501 Clayton Road, Richmond Heights; 314-721-9228 or www.placeseveryone.org). Tickets are $15 to $20. — ALEX WEIR

F R I D AY |07.17

[THEATER]

THE RUNAWAY CUPCAKE

Cupcakes, especially those at SweetArt, hold delicious, belly-pleasing magic within their miniature size — everyone knows that. But in The Runaway Cupcake: A Play About Eating for Families Who Eat, an actual enchanted cupcake stirs up some trouble. This latest offering from the OnSite Theatre Company was written by Nancy Bell, and it tells the story of a baker who is trying to appease a pesky bill collector, with a small cake and a mysterious girl also in the mix. A folktale set in the modern world, The Runaway Cupcake is a site-specific production for cupcake-eating theatergoers of all ages — yes, of course, dessert will be served! The show is performed at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday (July 17 through 26) at SweetArt (2203 South 39th Street; www.onsitetheatre.org). Tickets are $12 to $20. — ALISON SIELOFF

S AT U R D AY |07.18

[MAGIC]

THAT’S MAGIC

Tonight at 9 p.m. at the Ready Room (4195 Manchester Avenue; 314-833-3929 or www.thereadyroom.com), the paths of four masters of the mystic arts converge center stage at the City of Night St. Louis: That’s Magic event. Zi the Mentalist demonstrates his cerebral supremacy with uncanny feats that delve deep into the audience’s innermost thoughts. The City Museum’s resident conjuring comic Christian the Magician gets audiences rolling in their seats with his blend of sly humor and sleights of hand. Dimitri the Mage, sacred seer to royalty, royally blows minds with his sovereign, spellbinding sorcery, and escape artist supreme Dr. Judas Lynch dodges continued on page 18 riverfronttimes.com H X1X–X riverfronttimes.comM OJNUTLY 5 - 2 1X, , 2200105X RRI IVVEERRFFRROONNTT TTI IMMEESS 171

STEVE TRUESDELL

ART CREDIT HERE

continued from page 17

[CYCLING]

death’s grip time and time again. Tickets — which are sure to vanish — are $10 with a $2 minor surcharge at the door. — MARK FISCHER

WORLD NAKED BIKE RIDE

[BENEFIT]

SLLSAW VII: GOOD VIBRATIONS

The Saint Louis Lady Arm Wrestlers refuse to be pinned down by stereotypes or social convention. This group of fighting feminists empowers women through theater and philanthropy. Armed with attitude, brute strength and activism, their second series of matches for 2015, SLLAW VII: Good Vibrations, is a ferocious evening of hand-to-hand combat benefiting Venus Envy’s Women in the Arts Scholarship Fund. Venus Envy is a nonprofit organization that inspires women through the arts. This showdown features the ladies grappling limbs and beating the heat in their battle to strengthen cultural girl power in the community. Good Vibrations starts at 8 p.m. tonight at 2720 (2720 Cherokee Street; 314875-0233 or www.stlouisladyarmwrestlers. org). Admission is $7 at the door. — MARK FISCHER

LEVIN’S

When bike rides are naked, everyone wins. With an event like the World Naked Bike Ride, thousands of cyclists can ride au naturel (or mostly so) through the city — while wearing helmets, of course — to raise awareness about cyclist rights, promote a positive body image and encourage reducing our dependence on oil. And other folks get to revel in their courage and toast the riders afterward. This year’s twelve-mile, police-escorted World Naked Bike Ride in St. Louis starts and ends in the Grove (on Manchester Avenue, between South Sarah Street and Kentucky Avenue), and goes through Saint Louis University, downtown, Soulard, Benton Park and Shaw. The pre-party starts at 5 p.m., the free ride begins at 7 p.m., and the post-ride celebration begins at 8:30 p.m. Visit www.wnbrstl.org to learn more. — ALISON SIELOFF

S U N D AY |07.19

[DOGS]

PADDLE WITH YOUR POOCH

Your dog is the best — or so you claim. But can Fido help you win ultimate glory? Can he help you paddle to victory at the annual Paddle with Your Pooch paddleboat race? Participate in one of three heats today at 1 p.m. at the Boathouse in Forest Park (www.boathouseforestpark. com), and see if you qualify for the finals. Perhaps your puppyface (a cocker spaniel coxswain?) will howl and bark and encourage you to sail to victory. Heck, maybe you’ve even trained him to operate a paddleboat. But maybe he will be making eyes and tail-wags at the cute, well-placed lady dog across the way. Only one master-dog team can win at this race — will it be yours? Fortunately, even if you are not crowned champion, Forest Park Forever will win, because the organization benefits from a portion of the race proceeds. It costs $40 to enter the race, but admission is free for spectators. — ALISON SIELOFF

[WRESTLING]

WWE: BATTLEGROUND

During last March’s Wrestlemania 31, Brock “the Beast” Lesnar had the WWE World Heavyweight Championship stolen out from under him by Seth Rollins. When Rollins refused an immediate rematch Lesnar went ballistic, attacking commentators and suplexing a cameraman in a furious fit of blind rage. Lesnar was immediately suspended for his actions and has remained in seclusion — until now. At WWE Battleground, reigning champ Rollins will finally have to defend his ill-gotten title against a determined Lesnar, who has held the WWE Championship title four times and is certainly this generation’s uncontested world wrestling champ. He is, after all, the only wrestler to have won the UFC Championship, the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, the NCAA Wrestling Championship and the WWE Championship. The Lesnar vs. Rollins title bout is just one of the wars waged in the squared circle when WWE Battleground is broadcast live from Scotttrade Center (1401 Clark Avenue; 314-2411888 or www.scottradecenter.com) at 6:30 p.m. tonight. Admission is $25 to $450, and the card is subject to change. — MARK FISCHER

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[FILM]

WELDONKRIEG

If you want to be a Civil War reenactor, the equipment list is long but mostly attainable — there are companies that cater the historic enthusiast’s particular needs. But World War II recreationists show up to their events with working jeeps, half-tracks and even tanks — good luck with that. WW II reenactment originated in the mid-’70s in Weldon Spring, of all places. Filmmaker Chris Grega examines the origin of the hobby in his documentary Weldonkrieg, and also chronicles the 2014 gathering that commemorated the original Weldon Spring gathering. Weldonkrieg screens at the Landmark Tivoli Theatre (6350 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-727-7271 or www. cinemastlouis.org) as part of the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase. Tickets are $12. — PAUL FRISWOLD

M O N D AY |07.20

W E D N E S D AY |07.22

[FILM]

[MUSICAL]

FERGUSON MATTERS

INTO THE WOODS

The protests and police actions in Ferguson are not quite a year-old memory, and the people of St. Louis continue to struggle with what happens next. The St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase presents a host of short films that address the still-pressing topic of Ferguson Matters. Laura Caldie’s five-minute documentary “Rooted in Ferguson” examines how the EarthDance Organic Farm School has helped the residents of Ferguson, while Gerald Pisk’s short cut of his forthcoming documentary 22minutes looks at the protests as it was seen by the protestors, activists and reporters. Howard Fields III and Annette Fields’ short subject “Speak” gives one black teen the opportunity to discuss the lingering concerns of the African American community in the aftermath of the grand jury’s decision not to indict Darren Wilson. Ferguson Matters happens at 7:15 p.m. at the Landmark Tivoli Theatre (6350 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-727-7271 or www.cinemastlouis.org). Tickets are $12. — PAUL FRISWOLD

Fairy tales are often dismissed as “kids’ stuff” because people mistake the form’s simplicity of storytelling for being simplicity of meaning and moral. But Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine realized that the inherent simplicity allowed them tell an emotionally complex story with Into the Woods. The duo set the stock characters of fairy tales — Cinderella, Rapunzel, bold princes and horrid witches — in the same magical forest and let their desires and motivations create a tangle of plots and cross-purposes that result in an emotionally complex (and satisfying) story. The Muny presents its first-ever production of Into the Woods at 8:15 p.m. Tuesday through Monday (July 21 through 27) at the Muny in Forest Park (314-361-1900 or www.muny.org). Tickets are $14 to $87. — PAUL FRISWOLD

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From the left: SLLAW grapples, cyclists ride free, Brock Lesnar fights for the title and Anything Goes at Stages.

Planning an event, exhibiting your art or putting on a play? Let us know and we’ll include it in the Night & Day section or publish a listing in the online calendar — for free! Send details via e-mail (calendar@riverfronttimes.com), fax (314-754-6416) or mail (6358 Delmar Boulevard, Suite 200, St. Louis, MO 63130, attn: Calendar). Include the date, time, price, contact information and location (including ZIP code). Please submit information three weeks prior to the date of your event. No telephone submissions will be accepted. Find more events online at www.riverfronttimes.com.

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• Cosplay:

First-Ever St. Louis Public Library

COMIC CON

July 25

10 a.m.-4 p.m. Central Library

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14388 COMIC CON RFT AD.indd 1

– Family-friendly costumes encouraged – Photo op with the 501st Legion (Star Wars) • Meet comic and graphic novel artists and writers • Hands-on comic crafts for all ages • Workshops for adults and teens • Vendors with comics and collectibles for purchase • Superhero power lunch and snacks available for purchase courtesy of Urban Eats Café Central

slpl.org 1301 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 63103 I 314.539.0347 “St. Louis’ Original Search Engine®” is a registered trademark of the St. Louis Public Library. Use without written permission is strictly prohibited. 7/9/15 8:59 AM

film True Detective

The High Priestess Speaks

MR. HOLMES EXAMINES THE GREAT DETECTIVE IN OLD AGE — AND THE ELUSIVE NATURE OF TRUTH IN FICTION

reated in the Victorian era by Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes not only persists into the 21st century but is altogether ubiquitous, with manifold versions of the character appearing across every conceivable media. Whether updated to contemporary times in TV’s Sherlock (with its acting power couple of Benedict BY Cumberbatch and Martin CLIFF Freeman) and Elementary (with Lucy Liu as a female Dr. F R O E H L I C H Watson), or transformed into a wisecracking action hero by Robert Downey Jr. in Guy Ritchie’s film franchise, Holmes seems infinitely malleable and persistently appealing — a detective for all ages and audiences. Bill Condon’s Mr. Holmes, adapted from a novel by Mitch Cullin, offers yet another alternate take on the character. Here Holmes is 93 years old and long retired to beekeeping on the English coast, in a film that’s far more contemplative, serious-minded, and leisurely than its hyperactive kin of recent years. Like its aged protagonist, Mr. Holmes is mature, a work deliberately pitched to adult rather than adolescent sensibilities. Primarily set in 1947, the film adroitly employs a tricky flashback structure, toggling back and forth between that year, the recent past (a journey to Japan from which Holmes is returning in the opening scene), and 30 years previous. Slow-moving and unsteady, Holmes in 1947 (Ian McKellen) is physically compromised, and he requires tending by a somewhat dour housekeeper, Mrs. Munro (Laura Linney), and her alertly curious young son, Roger (Milo Parker). Even more dismaying, although he retains many of his deductive powers, Holmes’ memory has begun to fail, and his search for a restorative cure — a compound from a rare Japanese plant — served as the impetus for his trip to the Far East. Holmes is naturally distraught by his periodic inability to recall even the most basic of facts (names especially escape him), but he’s more specifically concerned with recollecting his final case, whose unfortunate conclusion prompted his retirement.

LIZ GARBUS’ DOCUMENTARY ABOUT NINA SIMONE EXPLORES THE CONTRADICTIONS AND STRUGGLE OF AN AMERICAN ORIGINAL

G I L E S K E Y T E C O U R T E SY O F M I R A M A X A N D R O A D S I D E AT T R AC T I O N S

Mr. Holmes Directed by Bill Condon. Written by Jeffrey Hatcher and based on the novel by Mitch Cullin. Starring Ian McKellen, Laura Linney, Milo Parker, Hiroyuki Sanada, Hattie Morahan and Patrick Kennedy. Opens Friday, July 17, at the Landmark Plaza Frontenac Cinema, 1701 South Lindbergh Boulevard. Call 314-995-6285 or visit www.landmarktheatres.com.

What Happened, Miss Simone? Directed by Liz Garbus. With Nina Simone, Dick Gregory and Lisa Simone Kelly. Currently streaming on Netflix.

Ian McKellen, as Holmes, with the mysterious Ann Kelmot (Hattie Morahan).

Holmes needs to haul up the details from his well of memory — one partially filled bucket at a time — because he wants to correct the fictionalized account written by Watson. In the case in question, the detective was engaged by Thomas Kelmot (Patrick Kennedy) to follow his melancholy wife, Ann (Hattie Morahan), who’s still grieving two children lost to miscarriage. Kelmot fears that she’s being unhealthily influenced by an instructor in the art of the glass harmonica, an instrument whose study, intended as a distraction, has turned into an obsession. In Watson’s story, a tidy but illogical resolution is offered, with Holmes typically triumphant. The just-the-facts memoir that Holmes is slowly putting to paper — with Roger eagerly reading as the pages accrete — tells a different story. Even though Holmes knows that Watson’s version of the case is hokum, he struggles to remember what actually occurred, and his pursuit of the elusive truth drives him in much the same way as the loss of Ann’s children governs her own actions. Their fates, as the film eventually reveals, are intimately intertwined. Mr. Holmes thoughtfully explores many subjects — the importance and unreliability of memory, the ravages of age, the need for empathetic understanding and sympathetic companionship. What it dwells on most, however, are the uses (and misuses) of fiction: The film is a disquisition on storytelling. Because Holmes has served as the model for Watson’s simulacrum, he’s painfully aware

of the distortions that result when messy reality is wrestled into a pleasing narrative form. The public’s image of him — the deerstalker cap, the pipe — has been formed by Watson’s stories and the illustrator’s fanciful drawings, and he chafes at the misconceptions. Worse, the editorial demand for satisfying endings — all mysteries neatly solved — required flatout alterations of incidents and facts: lies, in Holmes’ rationalist’s view. In one revealing sequence, Holmes goes to the movies, where an adaptation of Watson’s version of the Kelmot mystery is unspooling, and he’s appalled by its fraudulence. (Condon playfully casts Nicholas Rowe as the film-within-a-film’s Holmes, providing another layer of meta-commentary: The same actor played the role as a teen in Young Sherlock Holmes.) Throughout the film, Holmes makes explicit commentary on such matters, calling Watson’s tales “penny dreadfuls,” albeit with a literary gloss (which is a fair assessment of Doyle’s work), and extolling the virtues of nonfiction. But by Mr. Holmes’ finale, he recognizes the value of fiction in a kind gesture that makes the Japanese story strand, which till that juncture seemed oddly superfluous, belatedly essential. Mr. Holmes thus offers its own version of the all-ends-tied happy ending, even providing a pleasing solution to a late-arriving mystery that’s wonderfully foreshadowed in the film’s first scene. Mr. Holmes, my dear Watson, proves far from elementary. ■ riverfronttimes.com

he musical career of jazz singer and pianist Nina Simone was — like much of her life — filled with contradictions. She rose to fame rather quickly — she was 25 when her recording career took off — but only began playing in clubs in order to finance her classical training. She was a revered figure in the 1960s, nearly as known for her activism as for her music, but by the beginning of the 1970s she had disappeared from public life. She lost most of her money and became an exile, living in Barbados and Liberia to avoid arrest for tax evasion. Though she continued to perform occasionally — she enjoyed a brief comeback in 1987 when her 1958 hit “My Baby Just Cares for Me” was used in a TV commercial — she retained a low profile until her death in 2003. The title of Liz Garbus’ documentary, What Happened, Miss Simone? (taken from a 1970 magazine profile written by Maya Angelou), isn’t merely rhetorical. This is a question that many of Simone’s fans had been asking for decades. Garbus’ film, the first of at least three competing Simone film projects to be released, is a straightforward compilation of interviews, archival footage and musical performances. That in itself is hardly a surprise, although it is refreshing, given the number of recent documentaries which resort to animated sequences, re-enactments and other gimmicks. Perhaps less expected is how close the film gets to the emotional pain in Simone’s life and how open it is to the flaws and contradictions of her personality. Through diary entries, the film depicts a very different Simone than the public knew 50 years ago. Garbus shows the singer’s deep depression, her violent rages and her resentment at being forced through a grueling schedule by her abusive husband, Andrew Stroud, who also happened to be her manager. (Their daughter Lisa Simone Kelly is the executive pro- continued on page 22

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RIVERFRONT TIMES

Nina Simone

ducer of What Happened, and while some have criticized the film’s use of interview footage of her father, his perspective — as well as Kelly’s own account of her often strained relationship with her mother — add considerable depth to the film’s portrait of Simone.) There are so many conflicting and intermingled strands in Simone’s life that it’s remarkable that Garbus’ film can follow anything close to a narrative. Yet the director manages to fi t it into 105 minutes without trivializing Simone or reducing the events to sound bites and old TV footage. The singer’s intense involvement with the civil-rights movement and increasing interest in black identity are presented in detail, and the film shows both how they affected the artist’s life and transformed her music. What Happened illustrates the political and cultural era in which Simon emerged, how it turned her into a voice of black rage and protest, and also shaped her into a fine interpreter of the changing musical scene. (How many other jazz musicians were then covering songs by Dylan and the Bee Gees?) But the film also reveals the pain and anger created by her mental illness, a bipolar disorder which was undiagnosed for more than half of her life. Knotted into all of these things is Simone’s odd ambivalence to her musical career, a frequently casual indifference (and occasional outright hostility) which makes her music unconventional, vibrant and even a bit threatening. Having never reached her goal of becoming a classical pianist, Simone often belittled the more commercial musical path she had chosen. That detachment can be heard in her records, her voice straining to expose the bitter, romantic dreams of the lyrics while her fingers effortlessly travel along their own path, surreptitiously slipping tricky baroque-styled figures into the jazz rhythms. And perhaps most revelatory are the many scenes of Simone in performance, sometimes carried away by the music, at other times treating the stage as a battlefield with the audience an enemy to be challenged. The film is book-ended by two performances, both from the Montreaux Jazz Festival, which show the extremes of her 22

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C O U R T E SY O F S U N DA N C E I N S T I T U T E

continued from page 21

The jazz great Nina Simone. musical personality. In the first, from the 1970s when she hadn’t performed widely for a few years, Simone walks out on stage, strikes an awkward curtsy and then freezes, glaring at the audience for several seconds before finally taking her seat at the piano. Suddenly she flashes a wide grin, as if deliberately adopting a new face, and tells the audience that she has decided to stop playing jazz festivals. The second, the film’s last and arguably most stunning performance, comes from 1987. Again Simone, now older and showing signs of medication, addresses the audience, this time to reveal her acceptance of them and her acknowledgment of her long career. She starts to play, returning to her early hit “My Baby Just Cares For Me,” but while her vocals remain close to her original interpretation, the crisp chords and infectious bass shuffle of the 1958 recording are replaced by an elaborate Bach-inspired fugue that races along yet astonishingly holds its own against the original jazz tempo. This isn’t just an artist offering resistance to the audience’s expectation; it’s an artist leaping unafraid into her abilities, following the path of an inner musical voice. —ROBERT HUNT

STILL ROLLING OUR ONGOING, OCCASIONALLY SMARTASS, DEFINITELY UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO WHAT’S PLAYING IN ST. LOUIS THEATERS Almost every day, it seems, we hear about the death of another pop-culture touchstone: “The inventor of the Hula-Hoop died? Sad,” we think. And just as quickly: “Can you super-size that?” Which is to say, few deaths hold our attention even minutes after we learn about them. And then there’s Amy Winehouse. Watching an explosive natural talent disintegrate in real time, her death four years ago at 27 wasn’t a complete shock — but the failure of anyone to successfully save her from herself was. Asif Kapadia’s Amy is already being called one of the

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best music documentaries ever made. It reveals the root of so many of her ills — eating disorders, alcohol and drug abuse, manic depression — and how the wrong people in wrong place at the wrong time only sped up a frantically ticking clock. ● Little. Yellow. Different. But not better:

JULY 23, 7:00 P.M.

ALSO… TO SUBMIT FOR THE #VACATIONMOVIE CONTEST: AWKWARDFAMILYPHOTOS.COM/ VACATIONMOVIE !!! CONTEST DETAILS: Submit your most awkward vacation photo by July 27th, 2015 and the winner will be announced on July 29th, 2015. THE PRIZE: Winner receives the ultimate vacation redo ~ a $5000 getaway courtesy of AFP! That’s right– we’re sending you on another vacation. THIS FILM IS RATED R FOR CRUDE AND SEXUAL CONTENT AND LANGUAGE THROUGHOUT, AND BRIEF GRAPHIC NUDITY. Please note: Passes are limited and will be distributed on a first come, first served basis while supplies last. No phone calls, please. Limit one pass per person. Each pass admits two. Seating is not guaranteed. Arrive early. Theater is not responsible for overbooking. This screening will be monitored for unauthorized recording. By attending, you agree not to bring any audio or video recording device into the theater (audio recording devices for credentialed press excepted) and consent to a physical search of your belongings and person. Any attempted use of recording devices will result in immediate removal from the theater, forfeiture, and may subject you to criminal and civil liability. Please allow additional time for heightened security. You can assist us by leaving all nonessential bags at home or in your vehicle.

IN THEATERS JULY 29 #VacationMovie

origin story and about their attempts to carry out the whims of some of history’s most despicable despots, right up to Scarlet Overkill in London.

T:9”

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This sums up the Minions, the adorably evil army of Despicable Me fame. We learn their

She’s a self-appointed queen without a crown and enlists the help of the wee yellow ones to swipe the Queen of England’s. Can’t blame a gal for wanting to accessorize. Really, that’s how the Minions are best utilized — as accessories, little pops of color — and less the main draw. ●

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Two socially awkward teens (Greg and Earl) are pushed into friendship with a dying girl (Rachel) in the straightforwardly titled Me and Earl

INCLUDES “GAME ON” PERFORMED BY WAKA FLOCKA FLAME FEATURING GOOD CHARLOT E

and the Dying Girl. The film doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to its ending, but

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more than we can say for many of the films inLive the rapidly growing (puzzlingly so) “Kids with Cancer” genre. Here’s hoping the pendulum swings back toward the “Well-Adjusted Kids Who Grow Up Healthy and Happy, and Turn

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Geriatrics” genre. Boring, perhaps, but at least

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we could leave the tissues and Zoloft at home for a change.

FINAL

Production Artist

Production Manager FOUR LUCKY PRIZE WINNERS WILL BE SELECTED AT RANDOM Proofer 1 Proofer 2 TO RECEIVE A $25 GIFT CERTIFICATE TO DAVE & BUSTER’S. Project Manager

IN THEATERS FRIDAY, JULY 24

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ST LOUIS RFT WEDNESDAY, JULY 15

Notes 4 pt. rule for border 8 or 7.5 pica rating PP billing

ST LOUIS RFT THURSDAY, JULY 16 4.776x8

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[stage]

the arts

A LaBute-iful Night THE LABUTE FESTIVAL KICKS THINGS OFF WITH A NEW ONE-ACT BY THE MASTER PLAYWRIGHT, PLUS FIVE OTHER THOUGHT-PROVOKING SHOWS. The LaBute New Theater Festival Presented by St. Louis Actors’ Studio through August 2 at the Gaslight Theater (358 North Boyle Avenue; 314-458-2978 or www.stlas.org). Tickets are $30 to $35.

P R O P H OTO S T L . C O M

The cast of The Killing of Sister George: Shannon Nara (Childie), Erin Kelley (Mercy), Lavonne Byers (June) and Cooper Shaw (Madame Xenia).

[STAGE]

Sisters Doing It to Themselves A SMART NEW PRODUCTION OF THE KILLING OF SISTER GEORGE FOCUSES ON HUMAN NATURE — NOT ITS PROTAGONIST’S SEXUAL ORIENTATION The Killing of Sister George Written by Frank Marcus. Directed by Brooke Edwards.Through July 26 at the Wool Studio Theatre, 2 Millstone Campus Drive, Creve Coeur. Tickets are $30 to $35. Call 314-7958778 or visit www.maxandlouie.com.

he Killing of Sister George caused quite the scandal in 1965 London for its outright portrayal of a lesbian relationship. What’s interesting in 2015 is not the lesbian part, but the relationship part: Radio soap star June Buckridge and her “flatmate” Alice McNaught never get more BY romantic than a little slap ‘n’ tickle, after all. What’s left of PA U L their shared passion are small F R I S W O L D comforts, bickering and the petty annoyances that accrete over seven years together. Whether it’s because of the mid-’60s mores that forbade prurience on stage or Marcus’ 24

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honest depiction of human nature, director Brooke Edwards has crafted The Killing of Sister George into a production that feels far ahead of its time. It offers stark depictions of a souring relationship, an aging star and the uncanny way our jobs define ourselves that just happen to have lesbians at the center. It’s also wickedly funny. Of course, all of this insight wouldn’t be so easy to apprehend if not for Lavonne Byers’ electrifying portrayal of June as a cranky clenched fist ready to push in every face that gets too close. Stomping across stage in her tweeds and sensible shoes, June — or, as she prefers, “George” — guzzles gin and chews through cigars so rapidly it’s a wonder she doesn’t breathe flame by night’s end. June, incongruously, plays the role of beloved country nurse Sister George in the longrunning BBC serial radio drama Applehurst. After six years, she suspects the producers are about to kill off her character for a ratings bump and to showcase younger stars. She feels cornered and betrayed and doesn’t know how to fight back, so she takes it out on Alice (Shannon Nara) with cruelty, abrupt demands and jokes at Alice’s expense. Alice, or “Childie” as George calls her, is a younger woman who dresses in the colorful fashions of the day, loves her dolls and is very much subservient to George. So much so that when Alice mouths off, George forces her to her knees and makes her eat last night’s cigar butt as punishment, all without laying a hand on her. While George is the blustering hurricane that forces you to keep a wary eye on her, Childie has an unsettling sadness that draws your attention in subtle ways. What makes

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her bend to George’s tyrannical demands so willingly? How can she stand up for herself and then apologize in the same sentence? Nara plays her as something more than a punching bag; Childie has a penitent’s sorrowful gaze when George disciplines her, as if the humiliation is just what she deserves. George and Childie’s turbulent relationship is tested by the frequent visits of Mrs. Mercy Croft (Erin Kelly), one of the Applehurst producers. In Mercy, costumer Cyndi Lohrmann has found her muse. Dressed in BBC-approved conservatively cut women’s suits and coordinating gloves, Mercy crowns each outfit with an increasingly large hats — and the bigger they get, the more the power shifts in her favor. Kelly’s upper lip is stiff, her back makes ramrods look crooked, and she’s unfailingly polite as she doles out reprimands, punishments and the ultimate decision on Sister George’s fate. Is it any wonder that Childie expresses a more than casual interest in this powerful and courteous disciplinarian? That fate is foretold in the show’s title. Sister George and June Buckridge are symbiotes, each intricately tied to the other after all the years, and there’s a real fear — verbally expressed by Alice, and tacitly displayed by George’s spiral into all-night drunken rages — that the death of one is the death of both. What sort of afterlife exists for an overthe-hill, unemployed butch actress? As the lights dim and June — now just June — drains another bottle, the answer rings out just before the darkness takes her. It’s not what you think; the BBC might have killed George, but June lives to fight (and drink and smoke and swear) another day. ■

n its three short years of existence, the LaBute New Theater Festival has become a bone fide event. Opening night last Friday saw a full house of eager people who were there to see new plays – and not just new, but good and interesting works. The night featured no cell phone interruptions, very little talking during the changeovers and an excited buzz at intermission. It drew the sort of rapt audience that wants to be challenged as well as entertained. An audience very well served by what St. Louis Actors’ Studio had to offer. “Kandahar,” the Neil LaBute-authored premiere that serves as the opening piece for the duration of the festival’s run, is a one-man drama about an American soldier, directed with feeling by John Pierson. Michael Hogan sits behind a card table, barefoot but in military fatigues. Without preamble, he blames “it” on his wife. The thing he did – which soon becomes clear is a massacre of his fellow troops on an American base – is foretold in Hogan’s twitching eyes, which he frequently rubs. Hogan lays out his case in an unemotional, methodical fashion. Lurking in the soldier’s “facts” are tell-tale markers of deeper troubles than an unfaithful spouse. His oft-stated belief that women have powers that allow them to manipulate men sounds more like the misogynistic ramblings of spree killer Elliot Rodger (of the 2014 Isla Vista mass murder) than those of a soldier suffering from PTSD. As a result, “Kandahar” is both surprising and gripping. “Kandahar” is the only play in the festival you can see at every performance. The opening week’s slate of six shows will be repeated this weekend, and then four new one-acts debut Friday, July 24, to close out the run. So you should get in quickly if want to see this sixshow opening salvo, which includes works by established and emerging playwrights from as far afield as San Francisco and London. It’s an interesting selection which fulfills the festival’s mission of presenting new works that focus on “fundamental dramaturgy: plot, character and theme” with varying degrees of success. Mark Young’s “Custom,” directed by Christopher Limber, is a far more hopeful piece about an aged jeweler specializing in made-

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to-order works. GP Hunsaker plays the jeweler as a man devoted to his craft at the expense of the rest of his life. Nathan Bush is the blandly friendly customer who has an air of menace to his pointed questions about the jeweler’s work. As his line of questioning becomes more personal, Bush’s face twists and crumbles when the jeweler explains that custom work always features the imperfections of “the human touch,” as if Bush is fighting to stifle something deep inside. “Custom” has a fairy tale quality that showcases the talent of both actors very well. Chris Holbrook’s “A Taste of Heaven” (directed by B. Weller) is a bureaucratic comedy starring Nancy Crouse as a woman preemptively declared dead and Kevin Minor as the functionary who demands proof of life before anything can be done to help her. Crouse gets to cycle from bemused to frustrated to terrified, and Minor is exceptionally funny as the man who helped write the test that proves someone is alive, but “A Taste of Heaven” falls too much in the familiar territory of the Monty Python “man behind a desk” sketch to feel novel. Steve Apostolina’s “Cold in Hand” (directed by Christopher Limber) is similarly well-worn material. A young white boy (Rynier Gaffney) who loves the blues and an old blind black man (Don McClendon) who lives the blues argue about

Michael Hogan in “Kandahar.” who feels it more. Some service is paid to current racial strife and the legitimacy of musical appropriation, but the play suffers from a pat ending. However, McClendon is a legit comedic threat as the wiseacre Razz, who is by far the more appealing character and gets the best lines. Nathan Bush gets another good role in Lexi Wolfe’s “Stand Up for Oneself,” also directed by John Pierson. As a 40-something wallfl ower nursing a whiskey at a party, Bush again displays his gift for revealing intentions and passions in the cock of his head or a sidelong glance. Accosted by 20-something free spirit Lila (Alicia Smith), Bush slurs slightly as the duo verbally spar in a sort of one-sided flirtation, with Smith taking the lead as the delightful aggressor. This is not the first romantic short at LaBute Fest (LaBute himself had one in the inaugural), but it might be the most charming, thanks to its May-early November leads and Wolfe’s snappy dialogue. Technically, we’re only at the midway point of this year’s LaBute New Theater Festival, and yet it’s tempting to already declare it a winner. Judging by the sustained ovation that rang out the first night, there are plenty of other theatergoers who would agree. ■

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P H OTO S B Y M A B E L S U E N

cafe

The Way We Were AT THE Q SHACK, LARRY AND ANGIE LAMPERT SERVE UP AN OLD-SCHOOL KIND OF ST. LOUIS BARBECUE The Q Shack 6900 Noonan Avenue; 314-657-0702. Mon.Sat. 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sun. 5-9 p.m. Open from the beginning of Daylight Saving Time till its end. Closed Sundays.

efore the elite smokehouses fired up their Ole Hickories, and well before barrel-aged cocktails were paired with pulled pork, the Gateway City got little recognition as a serious barbecue BY town. Yes, it’s true that we were overshadowed by our C H E RY L Memphis and Kansas City BAEHR brethren, but mostly it was because St. Louis barbecue

was defined one of two ways. Either it was your jort-clad, mustachioed dad guzzling Busch and “Maulling” pork steaks on the back yard grill, or it was your local Boy Scout troop — usually on a Saturday afternoon and definitely in a parking lot — cooking rib tips out of a smoker that looked like a rusty metal trash drum turned on its side. Times have changed, arguably for the better, but father and daughter restaurateurs Larry and Angie Lampert are banking on our nostalgia for the ’cue of yesteryear. Their latest barbecue venture, the Q Shack, is built on the premise that there is room in St. Louis’ crowded scene for barbecue the way it used to be: cheap, unfussy and eaten out of Styrofoam next to a used-car lot. The “shack” part of the name is literal: It’s a red-painted single-wide parked in the Walgreen’s lot on the corner of Manchester and McCausland avenues. The Lamperts have done a good job classing up the joint, adding an open-air, lattice-covered seating area that is outfitted with resin patio chairs and redand-white-vinyl-clothed tables. The ambiance

is minimal. The Q Shack abuts OK Used Cars A selection of Q Shack specialties: burrito, on one side and offers a panoramic view of a “Gorilla Link” and pork burnt ends. Family Dollar on the other. Somehow, this doesn’t kill the vibe. On a spare ribs to give St. Louis-style ribs their rare humidity-free evening, the gentle breeze signature rectangular shape — were my favorand smell of smoke in the air could have con- ite barbecue offering. These small pieces of vinced me I was sitting on the side of the road pork, considered throwaways by some, were in a dusty Texas border town. Blame the vin- coated in a spicy, black-peppery rub and pertage version of “El Paso” playfectly caramelized on all ing over the loudspeakers. sides. Here, the Lamperts The Q Shack’s barbecue is are the most nuanced with The Q Shack “Wet Burrito” ........$5.95 decidedly old St. Louis-style: their barbecue, letting the “Gorilla Link” .........$7.95 soaked in sauce and as close to rub and cherrywood smoke Spare ribs soul food as what’s served in take center stage, while the (half slab) ...........$13.95 Memphis or Kansas City. sauce plays a supporting St. Louis-cut spare ribs are role. served swimming in a sweet I was equally impressed and tangy tomato-forward sauce, the meat with the pulled beef, taken from chuck steak so tender that I had to fish around the to-go and rich from its rendered fat. Served atop a container to pick out the pieces that had fallen simple white roll, its juices mingle with the from the bone. Those more familiar with baby- house barbecue sauce to form a rich gravy. back ribs will find these much fattier, but that’s The Q Shack also dabbles in Tex-Mex the nature of the St. Louis cut, not a knock on street food with a barbecue flair. Surprisingly, the Q Shack. I thoroughly enjoyed the “Gorilla Link” — Rib tips — the odds and ends trimmed from a long, mild pork link continued on page 28 riverfronttimes.com H X1 X–X riverfronttimes.comM OJNUTLY 5 - 2 1X, , 2200105X RRI IVVE ERRF FRROONNT T T TI IMME ES S 271

Father-and-daughter team Larry and Angie Lampert.

Q Shack

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(they call it “American chorizo”; it’s actually a smoked sausage) covered in Mexican-spiced taco meat, diced white onions and shredded cheese. Think of it as “chili dog meets slinger” — something that sounds like a good decision after a twelve-pack, but will make your heart hurt the next day. For those feeling less masochistic, the taco meat does double duty on the “Sloppy Jose,” a Mexican (albeit Americanized) take on a Sloppy Joe. The seasoned ground beef, mixed with just a touch of mildly spiced tomato sauce, is heaped onto a simple white bun and topped with shredded lettuce, diced onions and cheese. Granted, it’s the consistency of Taco Bell ground beef, but it was tasty nonetheless. Enchiladas would have been fine — soft tortillas, spicy salsa — but the chicken filling was dry and chewy. I’d recommend filling them with either pulled beef or pork. The latter made for a tasty burrito. It’s not going to win any awards for authenticity, but the moist, lightly sauced pork added a pleasant smoky element to the Mexican-style beans, rice and “Ranchero” salsa rolled with it in the flour tortilla. The same meat is also available as a simple and cheap street taco, stuffed into a 28

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The Q Shack’s barbecue is decidedly old St. Louis-style: soaked in sauce and as close to soul food as what’s served in Memphis or Kansas City. crispy corn tortilla and garnished with lettuce, cheese, sour cream and mild salsa. This isn’t the Lamperts’ first barbecue rodeo. Years after Larry Lampert made his name running a chain of auto-parts stores (and paying to air commercials starring himself ), father and daughter ran the Plush Pig, first in Clayton, then in Rock Hill, before opening the Q Shack last November. With this current venture, however, they seem to have found their voice — and it sounds an awful lot like Dad singing Skynyrd on a Saturday afternoon. Which is about as St. Louis barbecue as you can get. ■

PHOTO & DESIGN : RICK GOULD

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short orders [COCKTAIL CHAT]

How Natasha Bahrami Became the Gin Girl

SCAN

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MABEL SUEN

f Natasha Bahrami seems at home behind her bar at the Gin Room, it’s because she’s had years of practice. The self-styled Gin Girl grew up toddling around the Persian restaurant that bears her name, working the room at her parents’ Café Natasha since before she could walk. She always knew that the future of her family’s restaurant rested on her shoulders, but it took her awhile to embrace that fact — if she was going to carry Café Natasha’s torch forward, it would be on her terms. “My parents have always been very supportive of me finding my own way,” Bahrami explains. “But still, I knew that if they were going to move the restaurant forward, I was going to have to lead it. They told me, ‘Listen, either you come back and run it, or we’re not.’” At t h e t i m e o f this heart-to-heart, Bahrami looked like anything but a future restaurateur. She had T H IS C O D E TO DOWNLOAD THE FREE recently graduated RIVERFRONT TIMES f r o m We b s t e r IPHONE/ANDROID APP University with an FOR MORE RESTAURANTS OR VISIT riverfronttimes.com M.A. in international relations and was living in Washington, D.C., working at the Middle East Institute. Her days were spent writing scholarly papers and learning IT. But while on paper she had made it, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing. Bahrami’s mother came for a visit and could sense her daughter’s internal conflict. “She said to me, ‘Look, I know that you seem to feel the need to have all of these day jobs, but you should feel free to do what you actually want to do,’” Bahrami recalls. Hearing her mother’s words was like a light switch being turned on. She kept her day jobs, but by night Bahrami she decided to follow her passion, seeking out work at the hottest cocktail bars in the District and learning as much as should could about cocktail culture — and, in particular, gin. Armed with this knowledge, Bahrami moved back to St. Louis to take over Café Natasha — only with a twist. Half of the space would remain the family’s Persian restaurant; the other half would become the Gin Room, a first-of-its-kind lounge dedicated to the botanical spirit. It’s a far cry from her days of researching Middle East politics, and Bahrami wouldn’t have it any other way. “I had to explore all of

Natasha Bahrami grew up toddling around her parents’ restaurant, Café Natasha.

my other options,” she explains, “but in the end, I knew that my heart was here.” Bahrami took a break from preparing her housemade tonics to share her thoughts on the St. Louis food and beverage scene, mapping the mind and her dad’s lamb chops. What is one thing people don’t know about you that you wish they did? I’m a sucker for enthusiasm. Not enough people have passion for what they do. What daily ritual is non-negotiable for you? Mind maps. I make a list of everything I can shove into my day before rolling out of bed. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? To speak and understand all languages. What is the most positive trend in food, beer, wine or cocktails that you’ve noticed in St. Louis over the past year? Cross-industry collaboration. Local breweries pairing with doughnut shops and Mexican tacos interpreted by our favorite Asian chefs. It’s like having a genius talent pool come together for mastermind, outsideof-the-box concepts. Who is your St. Louis food or drink crush? Wil Pelly [downtown’s Sugarfire Smokehouse]. When he cooks for me, I swoon. Who’s the one person to watch right now in the St. Louis food and beverage scene?

Sasha Alms and Joshua Johnson [Element]. These two have a ferocious passion and ridiculously creative ideas. They are about to explode on the cocktails scene with their Cocktail Collective. Which ingredient is most representative of your personality? Caraway. Very few people understand how it’s used, but it’s often the behind-the-scenes element that transforms mediocre recipes to outstanding dishes. If someone asked you to describe the current state of St. Louis’ food and beverage climate, what would you say? Cultivating superstars. Name an ingredient never allowed behind your bar. I’ve heard I’m not a particular fan of sloe gin... What is your after-work hangout? Any chef willing to feed my soul afterhours. Mission Taco is my staple, but we take turns trying out all the newest spots in the South Grand/Cherokee area. What’s your edible or quaffable guilty pleasure? Stinky cheese. I can’t get enough. What would be your last meal on earth — including drinks of course? Garlic everything, dad’s lamb chops, generous pours from my private gin collection while surrounded by my very favorite people. — CHERYL BAEHR

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[BEER]

A Beer Mocking Islam, Brewed in St. Louis

St. Louis-based craft brewery is backing away from plans to market a new beer mocking Islam called Submission Ale, after outrage immediately flared on Twitter last week. But Alpha Brewing Company isn’t necessarily scrapping the label, which depicts a pig wearing a hijab, or even the idea of a beer targeting the Muslim faith. The company’s head brewer, Derrick Langeneckert, says Submission Ale will get a new name because he didn’t realize 2nd Shift Brewing already makes a beer with the same moniker. That beer, Sub-Mission IPA, has nothing to do with Islam — it’s part of a collaboration with St. Louis’ much-loved Mission Taco Joint. Alpha Brewing’s Submission Ale, on the other hand, is explicitly aimed at Islam. “Alpha Akbar,” one part of the label reads. “This smoked ale will blow your mind.” After Alpha announced the beer would soon premiere, St. Louis’ community of beer lovers responded immediately, and angrily. “Incredibly offensive,” the women’s craftbrewing collective Femme Ferment tweeted. “This should not be tolerated. Period.” “Yes, we get that you crave negative attention and weren’t loved as a child,” added @Shep133. “Still not buying your beer.” But Langeneckert says the criticism is silly. “This is the eighth beer in our Indoctrination Series,” he says. “No one was upset when we put the pope on a label.” Alpha announced the series making fun of religion back in January, and put all twelve labels online at that point, Langeneckert says. There was no controversy. Nor was there any in previous months when everyone from atheists to “door knockers” to Scientologists came in for a ribbing. “Everyone’s OK when it’s L. Ron Hubbard you’re mocking,” he says. “Religion is kind of

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funny. Everyone thinks theirs is the right one, and everyone is ridiculous.” It’s only when he realized the conflict with 2nd Shift that Langeneckert decided to change course. He’s still trying to decide just how much will change about the packaging. “I wouldn’t say the label is off the table quite yet,” Langeneckert says. He says he’ll make up his mind in a few days, admitting, “I don’t know. I got whacked in the face with a big wet fish this morning.” That said, he notes that the people complaining don’t seem to be Muslims, or

even people who regularly buy his beer. “People are tweeting things like, ‘I’ve never bought an Alpha beer, and I never will.’ Great. Don’t buy this one, either.” This isn’t the first time Alpha has found itself in the middle of controversy, as Langeneckert acknowledges. In January 2014 he apologized for “insensitive and hurtful statements” about other breweries. Asked why he seems to find so much controversy, the 28-year-old laughs ruefully. “Because I’m young and stupid,” he says. — SARAH FENSKE

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dining guide The Dining Guide lists only restaurants recommended by RFT food critics. The print listings below rotate regularly, as space allows. Our complete Dining Guide is available online; view menus and search local restaurants by name or neighborhood. Price Guide (based on a three-course meal for one, excluding tax, tip and beverages): $ up to $15 per person $$ $15 - $25 $$$ $25 - $40 $$$$ more than $40

CENTRAL WEST END Evangeline’s 512 N Euclid Avenue; 314-367-3644. Evangeline’s Bistro & Music House comes from the mind of a musician. Don Bailey, who got his start in the food business while running a concert venue named Three-1-Three in Belleville, Illinois, brings his latest venture to the Central West End. There, he presents Southern-style dishes alongside live blues, jazz and singer-songwriters. Eats include appetizers like the “Crawfish Carolyn” made with Louisiana crawfish tails, Brandy cream sauce and Parmesan cheese. For a more filling meal, supplement that with entrée options including gumbo, red beans and rice, chicken and sausage jambalaya, Louisiana shrimp creole and etouffée. A drink menu features wine by the glass or bottle, several beer options, classic cocktails and Champagne cocktails to drink the night away New Orleans style. $$ Gamlin Whiskey House 236 North Euclid Avenue; 314875-9500. Gamlin is unapologetically masculine with rustic décor, a hearty menu and what seems like every brown liquor under the sun. The spirits list includes selections from every major whiskey producer as part of a flight or in a craft cocktail. Signature drinks like the “Bees Knees,” a delicious blend of Knob Creek Rye and ginger ale over honey-laced ice cubes, showcase Gamlin’s cocktail creativity. Ask one of the expert bartenders for a quick lesson on the nuances between Kentucky Bourbon, Tennessee whiskey, and Irish T H IS C O D E and Scotish whiskey, singleTO DOWNLOAD THE FREE barrel bourbon, 12-year RIVERFRONT TIMES single malt Scotch, 20-year IPHONE/ANDROID APP old bourbon, small-batch FOR MORE RESTAURANTS OR VISIT whiskey and rye, or just riverfronttimes.com dive in solo. Whiskey may be the theme, but Gamlin does not skimp on the food. The menu is unfussy, with items like rib eye, pork steak and bourbon-brined chicken providing hearty comfort. The “Moon Dance Farm Pot Pie” is especially noteworthy, its beef-laden tomato broth made rich with tender meat, vegetables and creamy mashed potatoes. Sure, Gamlin is a little indulgent, but after a few Manhattans, we don’t really care. $$$ Juniper 360 North Boyle Avenue; 314-329-7696. Pop-up and underground-dining star John Perkins puts down some roots at Juniper: A Southern Table and Bar. Juniper’s menu draws its down-home, Americana dishes from Appalachia to Louisiana, with such dishes as Zapp’s potato-chipcrusted fried catfish, “pork-n-beans” and Southern fried chicken. Juniper’s signature is its fried chicken and waffles, with each season bringing a different iteration. Appetizers, or “Snackies,” include standouts such as pimento grilled cheese with bacon and Brussels sprouts jam and a Mason jar of smoked trout and country ham rillettes. The cocktail menu keeps with the Southern theme and leans heavily on rum and bourbon, and the thoughtfully crafted highballs, such as the hibiscus liquor with Mexican Coke, should not be overlooked. The cozy, refurbished-barn-like interior makes this an ideal spot to eat some unapologetically fried food and sip a stiff drink. $$$ Mary Ann’s Tea Room 4732 McPherson Avenue; 314361-5303. Located in the large greenhouse in the back of the boutique Enchanting Embellishments, Mary Ann’s Tea Room is an ostentatious scene — think Scarlett O’Hara meets Marie Antoinette. The Central West End lunchtime eatery is named after Mary Ann Allison, the late socialite and building’s former owner who tragically passed away in

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2009 while trying to save her pets from a house fire. Mary Ann’s Tea Room serves classic “ladies who lunch” fare, such as chicken salad with grapes on a croissant, quiche and smoked salmon. The restaurant excels at soups, including the must-try crab bisque that is loaded with lump crabmeat and garnished with caviar. The savory chicken pie and smoked-salmon duo are also noteworthy options, as are the boozy tea infusions. Take your mom and grandmother on a lunch date, and they will be impressed. $$ Nathalie’s 4359 Lindell Boulevard; 314-533-1580. Nathalie Pettus brings the bounty of her Overlook Farms to the Central West End at Nathalie’s. The restaurant is truly farm-to-table: Nearly all of the ingredients, including the meat, are sourced directly from Overlook, hand-selected by Pettus and chef Jimmy Voss. Through his eclectic menu, Voss takes diners on a culinary world tour. There’s classic French, represented by rich and tender coq au vin; Greek moussaka al forno; Middle Eastern-style vegetable kofta; and feijoda, the national dish of Brazil. The pâté maison should not be missed. The housemade beef-liver pâté is flecked with hazelnuts and served with a red-onion jam and traditional accompaniments. The food is only part of the story at Nathalie’s. The building, a magnificent 19th-century mansion, is one of the most ornate dining rooms in town. Venetian chandeliers hang from the ceilings, gold paint trims the walls and red roses decorate the white-linen-clothed tables of the dining salons. (The term “dining room” just doesn’t do the space justice.) There’s even a marble fireplace in the ladies’ room. It’s a sight to behold. $$$$ Pizzeria Mia 4501 Maryland Avenue. Bosnian émigré Dado Beganovic brightens the residential Central West End Corner of Maryland and Taylor avenues with Pizzeria Mia. Occupying the storefront that used to be a travel agency, the pizzeria cooks up wood-fired pies that are like a cross between Neapolitan and New York styles. The signature crust — a secret recipe from Beganovic’s Bulgarian friend — is soft and raised with just a little bit of crispness around the edges. Toppings include classics such as fresh mozzarella and basil (the Margherita) and greasy pepperoni, as well as nontraditional pizza offerings such as the gyro pizza. The signature pie is the spinach pizza, a rich blend of roasted garlic, spinach, ricotta and mozzarella cheeses. The restaurant also serves a few pastas and a calzone, as well as homemade desserts by Beganovic’s mom — literally, she makes them at her home and brings them in her personal to-go containers. When the weather permits, pull up a chair under the bright red umbrellas, and don’t forget to bring the pooch; the patio is dog-friendly. $-$$

MIDTOWN The Dark Room 615 N Grand Boulevard; 314-531-3416. Shutterbugs and winos alike will delight in Grand Center’s Dark Room. Part art gallery and part bar, the Dark Room features monthly photography exhibits curated by the International Photography Hall of Fame alongside an artisan wine program highlighting a substantial selection by the glass or bottle. The minimal space features decorative vintage film equipment and clean, contemporary design. Pappy’s Smokehouse 3106 Olive Street; 314-535-4340. Mike Emerson has cooked with Super Smokers founder Skip Steele at the prestigious Memphis in May barbecue contest, but midtown St. Louis is the big winner now that he’s opened Pappy’s Smokehouse. The modest joint is more restaurant than shack but utterly unpretentious. Servers wear T-shirts that say “The Hog Whisperer,” and the pulled pork and pork ribs — cooked dry and slow over apple and cherry wood — are nothing short of extraordinary. Even beef brisket is practically fork-tender. Sides are simple and delicious. Pappy’s closes when each day’s barbecue sells out, so call ahead if you go late. $ Small Batch Whiskey & Fare 3001 Locust Street; 314380-2040. Restaurateur David Bailey takes the whiskeybar trend in an unexpected direction with his vegetarian eatery, Small Batch. Bailey doesn’t bill the place as a crunchy vegetarian spot; instead, he hopes that diners will enjoy the vegetable-focused concept so much that they fail to miss the meat. The carbonara pasta, made with housemade linguine, replaces the richness of bacon with smoked mushrooms. Even the most die-hard carnivore will be satisfied by the “burger,” a greasy-spoon-style corn and black bean patty topped with creamy guacamole, Chihuahua cheese, and Bailey’s signature “Rooster” sauce (tangy mayonnaise). Small Batch’s bourbon selection and creative cocktails are also impressive. For a taste of summer in a glass, the “Rickey” is a bright concoction of elderflower liquor, grapefruit, lime and white corn whiskey. The gorgeous, vintage setting provides an ideal spot to indulge in some Prohibition-era-style drinking. $-$$ Triumph Grill 3419 Olive Street; 314-446-1801. Another addition to midtown’s suddenly teeming restaurant scene, the Triumph Grill is attached to the Moto Museum and named for the classic motorcycle. (Brando and Dean each owned one. So did Dylan.) The lengthy menu includes many of the dishes that spring to mind when you call a restaurant a “grill” — wings, calamari and onion rings; nine different salads and more than a dozen sandwiches; steaks, pork chops, chicken breasts and salmon — but with occasional, unexpected touches from the cuisines of Japan, India and the American southwest. The décor is contemporary-art gallery. When the place is crowded, though, the hubbub will make you think of a passing fleet of Harleys. $$-$$$

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music

B-Sides 38 Critics’ Picks 42 Concerts 43 Clubs

Crazy Like a Fox TRACY SWIGERT LEFT CORPORATE AMERICA BEHIND TO START AN ALL-GIRL BURLESQUE ROCK BAND Crazy XXX Girlfriend 9 p.m. Saturday, July 18. The Bootleg at Atomic Cowboy, 4140 Manchester Avenue. Free. 314-775-0775.

wrote these songs because I always had a chip on my shoulder,” says Tracy Swigert, speaking in front of Kevin’s Place on Cherokee Street. “You always see guys rocking, and I was like, ‘I want to do that. Why can’t I do that?’” Her band Crazy XXX Girlfriend released its debut EP Dick Magnet in March. Its songs are rife with unapologetic carnal imagery, and the band’s live show, Swigert explains, is a mix of rock & roll and burlesque. “‘Dick Magnet’ — it’s meant to be kind of funny. It’s poking fun at douchebaggery,” she says, her BY bright green eyeshadow contrasting with her blond highJEREMY lights. “Guys who expect to ESSIG just have girls falling all over them — it’s the same kind of concept, but it’s from a woman’s perspective.” The seeds for what would become Crazy XXX Girlfriend were sown years ago, when Swigert was an undergraduate focusing on social science and women’s studies. Troubled by a perceived dearth of all-women rock bands, she composed the song “Girls are Better,” along with Dick Magnet’s title track, while she was still in school. But the path from writing the songs to actually putting the band together involved a large detour. Having played in bands since she was seventeen, Swigert took a long break from music after college. Beginning with a stint managing the theaters at Plaza Frontenac, she dove headfirst into the corporate world, eventually working for more than six years at a payroll company. “I guess I just started to feel the pressure of getting a job,” Swigert says. But she grew weary of the anxiety and physical aliments that come with a life spent behind a desk. She returned to her guitar and poetry, and soon realized how much of herself she had lost over the years spent chasing a nine-to-five paycheck. “I need to express myself. I’m a weirdo,” she says. “I can’t sit in an office all day; it’s

TERRENCE STRONG

not who I am.” In 2012 Swigert began making changes. She started attending open mics and moved from south county to the city. Armed with the skills she learned during her time in corporate America, the newly recharged musician began 2013 with a goal: She vowed to quit her job by the end of the year. “I’ve always been successful — a good student and a star employee. Why not direct that focus back at myself?” Swigert remembers wondering. “Maybe if I put all my effort into something I believe in and have a dream, maybe I can make myself successful.” She gave notice at her job and cashed in her 401K. With more free time and a small financial cushion, Swigert could finally put together the band she had envisioned as a college student years before. “SEXY all GURRRL band seeks rock women,” read the Craigslist ad Swigert placed. Though that approach proved unsuccessful, it didn’t take long to find two other women who

fit the bill — drummer Kelsey Liesen and bassist Allie Vogler — through connections she had made in the St. Louis music community. Dubbing the project “Crazy XXX Girlfriend” and — in the style of the Ramones — each member taking “X” in place of her surname, the band made its debut in July of 2014. The trio recorded the Dick Magnet EP before Vogler had to bow out owing to commitments to her other band, River Kitten. Undeterred, Swigert found a new bassist in Ashley Blackshear, who was quickly christened “Lavender X.” A musician who plays flute, keyboards and clarinet in addition to bass, Blackshear had been looking to get into the burlesque scene when the chance to audition for the band came her way. “It was like love at first sight,” Blackshear says. “As we get to know each other more and more, we see that our expressions and personalities are very similar. We all have most of the same tastes in music, and we all have an innate drive for self-expression and riverfronttimes.com

Lavender X, Kelsey X and Tracy X of Crazy XXX Girlfriend.

liberation that comes through in our music.” The public’s first chance to see the new Crazy XXX Girlfriend will be Saturday, July 18, at Atomic Cowboy, as part of the World Naked Bike Ride after-party. Now entering its eighth year, the event aims to promote cyclists’ rights, promote positive body image and protest oil dependency. Blackshear, who has participated in the ride and the after-party in previous years, describes the event as an awesome party. And though Swigert hasn’t yet experienced the World Naked Bike Ride, it should come as no surprise that the self-described weirdo who started an all-girl burlesque band is fully ready to embrace the experience. She wants to go full-out nude for the show, but her bandmates worry that that might not be professional. “[But] I personally enjoy being nude. I think it would be fun.” ■

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b-sides From Trappin’ to Rappin’

Freddie Gibbs at the Pageant in May 2014.

RAPPER FREDDIE GIBBS ISN’T INTERESTED IN “FAKE SHIT” Freddie Gibbs 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 21. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Avenue. $20 to $40. 314833-3929.

J O N G I TC H O F F

he will to win. It comes out of Gary, Indiana. I was supposed to lose, but I didn’t,” Freddie Gibbs says over the phone from Los Angeles. “My story comes from a real victorious place in my heart. Don’t nobody want nothing in Gary, so you gotta want for yourself.” The 33-year-old Indiana native is indeed one of few rappers to come from the state. “You talking to the music scene,” he laughs. Since 2003, Gibbs has released a deluge of mixtapes, EPs and studio albums. His next full-length, Lifestyles of the Insane, is slated for a late-summer release. The video for his most recent offering, “Pronto,” sees Gibbs rapping while lying in a tub of 200 snakes (yes, he did get bit). The imagery is provocative, and speaks to his desire to use hip-hop as a path to success. “Got the new edition, rap game then the dope game,” he spits. In other words, he

has moved on from his previous drug-selling endeavors to settle into a full-time rap career. But that life will always be a part of him. “In Gary, you [had to] be affiliated with somebody,” Gibbs explains. “You not in the gangs or you not affiliated with one of the drug crews, you might be lunch meat. If you don’t wanna be lunch meat, you better get down at a young age. “Most of the rappers are gang members or drug dealers,” he adds. “Going to the studio in Gary was like just going to a drug lab.”

Gibbs turned to selling drugs after being kicked out of Ball State University. Dealing was convenient at first, but he knew he was capable of something better. “I was sitting on my phone, selling crack, doing the bullshit that I knew how to do,” he says. “I wasn’t using my full mental capacity that God gave me. My little brother is a doctor and my sister is a scientist. My mom is a good mother. I had the intellect — I was just in the streets doing dumb shit.” As he picked up rapping, he continued

HOMESPUN BUNNYGRUNT Vol. 4 www.bunnygrunt.com Bunnygrunt Record Release Shows 8 p.m. Saturday, July 18. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue. $10. 314-773-3363. 4 p.m. Sunday, July 19. Vintage Vinyl, 6610 Delmar Boulevard. Free. 314-721-4096.

att Harnish is the face of Bunnygrunt — the cherubic, affable, sometimes mustachioed face of a band that has remained mostly cherubic and plenty affable some twenty-odd years after forming. But the heart of Bunnygrunt rests in bassist and vocalist Karen Ried. It’s easy to forget that, maybe because she moved away from St. Louis a few years ago or because Harnish is such an apt pitchman for the band, but Ried carries much of the weight on the new LP Vol. 4 (the band’s first full-length since 2009’s Matt Harnish & Other Delights). Ried won’t be present for the local release shows or the band’s upcoming UK tour — Ashley Hohman (formerly of Doom Town, currently of Veil) will be taking her place — but on the album, at least, Ried shines. After a brief instrumental/guitar solo overture, “Just Like Old Times” rumbles to life with Eric Von Damage’s rolling snare and Ried’s beguiling kiss-offs. “Open My Eyes” shows a little more muscle with some stop/start dynamics and shifting tempos as Ried rips through another tale of romantic dysfunction in under 90 seconds. Ried’s songs are given prime real estate on Vol. 4, but it’s Harnish’s “Chunt Bump” — perhaps the set’s most typically ’Grunt-esque song 38

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name — that serves as both a scene report and a moment of selfreflection. While the song’s lyrics are expended in about a minute, the music continues until the seven-minute mark, cycling through the dirty chime of Harnish’s guitar and Ried’s buoyant counterpoint until the strings come in. You could cram three or four other Bunnygrunt songs in this instrumental interlude, but the record is better for the detour. The rest of the album keeps typical pace — catchy, witty songs that are over in a flash — though there’s a nice nod to local history, via a live recording of “Frankie Is a Killer” from 2013. The song features the late Bob Reuter on lead vocals, on a track originally cut by his old band, the Dinosaurs. The proper set ends with “Still Chooglin’ (After All These Beers)” — OK, that’s the most typical Bunnygrunt song title on the album — but the record comes with an additional eight bonus tracks of covers, some tour-only singles and assorted ephemera collected for wide release. Warren Zevon’s “Carmelita” is frayed around the edges but no less heartfelt, and the ukulele standard “Tonight You Belong to Me” sounds like it was ripped from a decaying 78. Ried’s tender “Where Eagles Dare, Part 2” is turned even more mournful and atmospheric in this acoustic rendition. Taken as one piece, these sixteen tracks give an abundant picture of what defines this iteration of Bunnygrunt in sweet and sloppy strokes. — CHRISTIAN SCHAEFFER Want your CD to be considered for a review in this space? Send music c/o Riverfront Times, Attn: Homespun, 6358 Delmar Boulevard, Suite 200, St. Louis, Missouri, 63130. Email music@riverfronttimes.com for more information.

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to hustle to finance his music. His career went through a number of ups and downs in the beginning — his contract was dropped from Interscope in 2006, and in 2012 he left Young Jeezy’s CTE label. Gibbs eventually created his own label, ESGN — Evil Seeds Grow Naturally, which is also the title of his first studio album. The name is an ode to his love of sports (he watches a lot of ESPN), and it’s dedicated to the streets that raised him — blue-collar working families, the oppressed and those who have had to struggle. “It’s like, look what America did to us, with drugs and slaves and all of that, and like we still grow into something beautiful,” he says. “Like Tupac [Shakur] said, ‘The Rose That Grew from Concrete.’” After ESGN, Gibbs released the Madlibproduced album Piñata, which sees the rapper in rare form. The 2014 release brought his music to a much wider audience, and was celebrated by critics and fans alike. The title is again rooted in dealing: He was trying to think of a unique way to transport drugs, when one night he dreamt of a piñata. After actually moving drugs in one, he made an album about it. “[Authenticity’s] always been an important thing to me as well. I think that can shine through. I feel like rapping about some fake shit ain’t going to get you nowhere,” he says. “It don’t feel right rapping about it. I’m not going to rap about having one hundred bricks when I only have ten. “I only rap about the things I’ve experienced,” he continues. “It just so happens that those things are street things. If I was the guy that went to college, finished college, started rapping, I’d rap about that. It may sound dark and all that, my spirit, but I’m in a real good space, musically and mentally and financially. I gotta thank God for that.” Gibbs’ honesty ultimately makes him a more multidimensional rapper. He banks much of his career on being real, which is the spirit of ESGN. His ability to work with Madlib — which he says was “like trying to piece together a puzzle” — is a testament to his adaptability, and it was a boost to his artistry. Madlib helped Gibbs become a sharper and more genuine lyricist. Now that Gibbs is earning money from rap, he wants to start calling the shots at ESGN. Gibbs has financed his career with zero backing from a major label and no radio singles. He’s garnered endorsements from companies such as Adidas all on his own. And he considers it just another part of his growth. “I feel like if you don’t evolve as an artist and do the same thing, it’s nothing [interesting] about you,” he says. “[Rap is] art — it’s like cooking crack. The clean gonna rise to the top, and the bullshit gonna float away.” — TARA M AHADEVAN

FAMILY JAM FESTIVAL

JULY 24-25, 2015

Saturday Sessions

FEATURING 2 NIGHTS OF

Soulard Concert Series

Look for the RFT Street Team at the following featured events this week:

AARON KAMM & THE ONE DROPS MOUNTAIN SPROUT NONSTOP REGGAE A TRIBUTE TO BOB MARLEY ASTRAL GYPSIES GIANT PUPPETS AND MORE!

ASTRAL VALLEY IN FRENCH VILLAGE, MO

45 MINUTES SOUTH OF STL FAMILYJAMFESTIVAL.COM

Soulard Concert Series

Thursday 7.16.15 What: Not So Quite Music Fest American Idiot: A Tribute to Green Day

When: 5:30 - 8:30 PM Where: St. Louis Public Library

Party in the Park

Friday 7.17.15 What: Music at the Intersection When: 4:30 - 7 PM Party in the Park

Where: Strauss Park

“Pioneers of the St. Louis craft beer scene”

Friday 7.17.15 What: Party at the Park When: 7 - 8:30 PM

Party in the Park

Where: Fairmount Park SUMMER BEER SCHOOL IS IN SESSION! COME LEARN FROM THE PROS EVERY WEDNESDAY AT 6 PM JULY 8 TH-AUGUST 12 TH BEER SCHOOL IS FREE!

STL CRAFT BEER WEEK STARTS JULT 25 TH New Holland Brewing Co. Presents: STL CRAFT BEER WEEK KICKOFF PARTY with HAZARD TO YA BOOTY

Saturday 7.18.15 What: Saturday Sessions When: 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM

The Urge at Ballpark Village

Where: Tower Grove Farmers Market

DESCHUTES is July Brewery of the month: Buy any Deschutes beer on Tuesday & KEEP THE GLASS!

6691 Delmar In the University City Loop

314.862.0009 • www.ciceros-stl.com

For more photos go to the Street Team website at www.riverfronttimes.com. The Urge at Ballpark Village riverfronttimes.com

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Bowling the way it is now– FUN!

Unique Spaces We are more than a 24 hour restaurant. Besides our late night food, we serve up some awesome spaces to celebrate in.

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critics’ picks

Clockwise from the top: Modern Life is War, Humming House and Desaparecidos.

VINCE STAPLES 8 p.m. Sunday, July 19. The Firebird, 2706 Olive Street. $15. 314-535-0353. The last time LA’s Vince Staples came to St. Louis it was as direct support for Earl Sweatshirt, the Odd Future collective’s premier wordsmith. Staples won over the crowd at the Ready Room with a tight, focused set — the reception was warm at best in the beginning, but by the end of his time the young audience had been worked up to near-frenzied levels. That ability to sell himself carries over into his recorded output as well: His latest, Summertime ’06, was released in late June to near-universal critical acclaim, with no less than Rolling Stone dubbing Staples “the most exciting man in rap.” Early Adopters: This is Staples’ first appearance in St. Louis as a headliner. See him now so you can brag about it later when he blows up. —DANIEL HILL

DESAPARACIDOS

HUMMING HOUSE

8 p.m. Friday, July 17. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Avenue. $22. 314-833-3929. You’d be forgiven for thinking that Desaparacidos — a band named for South American dissidents who are forcibly “disappeared” by their country’s dictatorships — had lived up to its name. Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst started the band with a handful of Omaha friends and released a blistering, politically charged piece of garage-punk in 2002 called Read Music/Speak Spanish. That was it until a few stray singles were released in 2012 and 2013, and this year’s fulllength Payola suggests that the current political landscape has given Oberst and Co. grist enough. Lead single “City on the Hill” is a shotgun blast that covers everything from Reaganomics to modern-day consumerism, but what the band lacks in subtlety it makes up for in guitar-fed fury. Warm Leatherette: Digital Leather, Shawn Foree’s punk/ no-wave outfit, will open the show. —CHRISTIAN SCHAEFFER

8 p.m. Sunday, July 19. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue. $10to $12. 314-773-3363. There’s no denying that Nashville band Humming House — led by songwriter Justin Wade Tam — follows the folk-pop trend established by Mumford and Sons, the Lumineers and the Lone Bellow. But the band doesn’t follow slavishly, certainly not on the new album Revelries. The record is a highly danceable suite of devil-may-care pop songs anchored in lots of twee minimalism — the group sounds like a ukulele orchestra at times — but also the bluesy wail of Leslie Rodriguez, some expert fiddle by Bobby Chase, translucent group harmonies and lots of Latin folkloric rhythms that keep the “whoa ho” choruses from becoming a pirate costume party. Uncovering the Covers: There’s not a trace of irony when Humming House tackles songs by Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake and even Moby. —ROY KASTEN

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MELISSA MADISON FULLER

7 p.m. Friday, July 17. Fubar, 3108 Locust Street. $14 to $16. 314-289-9050. Modern Life Is War has a bit of a thing for St. Louis. The Iowa-based hardcore band performed here more than a dozen times during its first six years of existence, before calling it quits with a farewell tour in 2008. Most of those shows took place at the Lemp Arts Center — then a hardcore haven — and its farewell stop in St. Louis took place at Building R, a short-lived warehouse space-turned DIY venue. Both spots featured plenty of room, which is good for a band whose performances famously inspire wall-to-wall mosh pits and frantic pile-ons. Fubar’s venue side should work nicely as well, but fair warning to those who don’t like people jumping on their heads: Stay away from the stage. This Marks the Return of a Threat: Citing tour burnout, MLIW broke up in 2008 but reunited in 2012, releasing Fever Hunting in 2013. This show is part of a ten-year anniversary tour for its Witness LP, which was re-released this June through the Deathwish label. Singing along is virtually mandatory. —DANIEL HILL

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THIS JUST IN 50 Cent: Tue., July 28, 8 p.m., $25. Knockouts Bar and Grill, 13141 New Halls Ferry Road, Florissant, 314-972-6160. 7th Annual St Louis GMSH TOUR: W/ Yo! Gang Music, Donnie Ink, Jayali, GM Dez, J. Fields, Ron D, M Port, Thu., July 23, 8 p.m., $10-$12. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. After the Burial: W/ Murder Machine, the Tortured Anomaly, Me the Monster We the Victim, Formations, Sun., Aug. 30, 6:30 p.m., $15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-2899050. All Time Low: W/ Sleeping with Sirens, One OK Rock, Wed., Nov. 11, 6 p.m., $26.50. Chaifetz Arena, 1 S. Compton Ave., St. Louis, 314-977-5000. Big Muddy Blues Festival 20 Day 1: W/ Rick Estrin & the Nightcats, Mike Zito & the Wheel, Nick Schnebelen Band, Fruteland Jackson, David Dee and the Hot Tracks, Rich McDonough & Rough Grooves, Marcel Strong and the Apostles, Impala Deluxe, Sat., Sept. 5, 3 p.m., TBA. Laclede’s Landing, N. First St. & Lucas Ave., St. Louis, 314-241-5875. Big Muddy Blues Festival 20 Day 2: W/ Carolyn Wonderland, Grady Champion, Popa Chubby, Hadden Sayers, Roland Johnson and Soul Endeavor, Jeremiah Johnson Band, the Blue Shadows, Edward David Anderson, Sun., Sept. 6, 3 p.m., TBA. Laclede’s Landing, N. First St. & Lucas Ave., St. Louis, 314-241-5875. Blindside USA: W/ Reach, Kept In Line, Skinner, Sat., July 18, 10:30 p.m., $6. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314289-9050. Boyz II Men: Fri., Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m., $38-$78. Peabody Opera House, 1400 Market St, St. Louis, 314-241-1888. Brian Posehn: Wed., Oct. 14, 8:30 p.m., $20. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. Broncho: Wed., Oct. 14, 8 p.m., $10-$12. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. Bungler: W/ Ocean’s Grey, Lake Effect, Past Consent, Handful of Zygotes, Mon., July 20, 7 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. Cafe Soul Presents: Black Girls Rock!: W/ Syleena Johnson, Dharma Jean, Tish Haynes-Keyes, Truenessia Combs, Fri., July 31, 8 p.m., TBA. The Marquee Restaurant & Lounge, 1911 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-436-8889. Desecrate: Mon., Aug. 31, 7 p.m., $7-$10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. The Doobie Brothers: Sat., Oct. 10, 8 p.m., $69.50-$99.50. Lindenwood’s J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts, 2300 W. Clay St., St. Charles, 636-949-4433. Dreadnought: W/ Ashes and Iron, Grand Inquisitor, ((ZXEL)), Fri., Aug. 21, 8 p.m., $8. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. Emancipator: W/ Wax Tailor, Tue., Oct. 27, 8 p.m., $20. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis. The Everscathed: W/ Beyond Deth, Tyranny Enthroned, Cryptic Hymn, Melursus, Absala, Fri., Aug. 28, 6 p.m., $10-$12. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. Everything Leaves: W/ Left Home, City of Parks, Wed., July 29, 7 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-2899050. The Few: W/ Hodera, the Winks, Silverfern, Wed., Aug. 12, 6 p.m., $7. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. Frank Sinatra, Jr.: Sat., Dec. 19, 8 p.m., $59.50-$89.50. Lindenwood’s J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts, 2300 W. Clay St., St. Charles, 636-949-4433. Gillian Welch: Thu., Aug. 13, 8 p.m., $35-$38. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900. Glen Hansard: W/ Aiofe O’Donovan, Mon., Nov. 23, 7:30 p.m., $27.50-$35. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. Goatwhore: W/ Xaemora, Final Drive, Stormcaller, Mon., Aug. 24, 7:30 p.m., $10-$12. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. Grace Potter: Sat., Oct. 17, 8 p.m., $30-$50. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. Ha Ha Tonka: W/ Craig Finn, Fri., Aug. 7, 8 p.m., $17-$20. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-773-3363. Hearts Like Lions: W/ the Fillmores, Angelhead, Mon., Aug. 10, 6:30 p.m., $10-$12. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. The Hottest Lady in the City: W/ Blossom, Sun., Sept. 6, 8 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. Jarabe de Palo: Wed., Oct. 28, 9 p.m., $30-$40. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. Josh Rouse: Fri., Sept. 18, 8 p.m., $25. Blueberry Hill, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. K. Michelle: W/ Azealia Banks, Thu., Sept. 17, 7:30 p.m., $45-$100. The Fox Theatre, 527 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis,

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Grace Potter will perform at the Pageant on October 17. 314-534-1111. Kodaline: W/ Good Old War, Thu., Oct. 8, 8 p.m., $20-$23. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis. Lowered A.D.: W/ Concrete, Resolute, AliOop, Mon., July 27, 7 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-2899050. Marty Friedman: W/ Exmortus, Sat., Sept. 19, 8 p.m., $20$25. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. Michael Bolton: Thu., Feb. 11, 8 p.m., $59.50-$89.50. Lindenwood’s J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts, 2300 W. Clay St., St. Charles, 636-949-4433. Natalie Cole: Sat., Dec. 12, 8 p.m., $59.50-$89.50. Lindenwood’s J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts, 2300 W. Clay St., St. Charles, 636-949-4433. Raheem DeVaughn: W/ Leela James, Wed., Oct. 14, 8 p.m., $26-$30. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis. Refelections: W/ Toothgrinder, Yüth Forever, Exalt, Lo And Behold, Tue., Sept. 22, 6:30 p.m., $12-$15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. Roots & Boots: Featuring Sammy Kershaw, Aaron Tippin, Pam Tillis, Sat., April 16, 8 p.m., $39.50-$69.50. Lindenwood’s J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts, 2300 W. Clay St., St. Charles, 636-949-4433. Ryan Bingham: Sun., Aug. 9, 8 p.m., $30-$40. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-773-3363. Sacrificial Slaughter: W/ Nuclear Age, Ends Of Infinity, Nevalra, Sun., Sept. 13, 7 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. Shai Hulud: W/ Lions Lions, the Engineered, Staghorn, Wed., Sept. 2, 7 p.m., $12-$14. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. Sidewalk Chalk: W/ Tiffany Elle, Adam & Kizzie, DJ Nune, Wed., Sept. 23, 8 p.m., $8-$10. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. Sinbad: Wed., Dec. 30, 8 p.m., $24.50-$49.50. Lindenwood’s J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts, 2300 W. Clay St., St. Charles, 636-949-4433. Sirens & Sailors: Thu., Aug. 13, 6:30 p.m., $10-$12. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. Stayin’ Alive: A Tribute to the Bee Gees, Sat., March 19, 8 p.m., $24.50-$49.50. Lindenwood’s J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts, 2300 W. Clay St., St. Charles, 636-949-4433. Todd Rundgren: Tue., Sept. 1, 8 p.m., $25-$27.50. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. Tony Bennett: Sat., Sept. 19, 8 p.m., $69.50-$99.50. Lindenwood’s J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts, 2300 W. Clay St., St. Charles, 636-949-4433. The Turbo A.C.’s: W/ 2 Man Advantage, Thu., Oct. 1, 7 p.m., $12-$14. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. Yelawolf: W/ Meg Myers, Fri., Oct. 23, 8 p.m., $29.50$59.50. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. Your Chance To Die: W/ Acid Era, Wed., Sept. 2, 7 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

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T H U R S DAY Dikembe: w/ Bike Path, New Lives, Thu., July 16, 7 p.m., $10-$12. The Demo, 4191 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, www. thedemostl.com. Ish: w/ Stank Thunder, Concentrator, Thu., July 16, 9 p.m., free. Schlafly Tap Room, 2100 Locust St., St. Louis, 314-2412337, www.schlafly.com. Josh Hoyer & the Shadowboxers: Thu., July 16, 8 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222, www.bbsjazzbluessoups.com. Mine Enemies Fall: w/ BlackDeth, Skinbound, Saracidal, Zustiak, Thu., July 16, 7 p.m., $12. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050, www.fubarstl.com. P.O.D.: w/ Hoobastank, From Ashes to New, Thu., July 16, 6 p.m., $23-$25. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720, www.popsrocks.com. Ringo Deathstarr: w/ Bantam Foxes, Thu., July 16, 8 p.m., $12-$14. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535SL Riverfront Times 0353, www.firebirdstl.com. The Wife and Kids: w/ I Am Clark Kent, Thu., July 16, 8 p.m., $5. Melt, 2712 Cherokee Street, St. Louis, 314-771-6358, https://www.facebook.com/meltoncherokee. William Clark Green: Thu., July 16, 8 p.m., $10-$12. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-773-3363, www. offbroadwaystl.com.

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A Celebration of the Life & Music of Ray Kennedy: w/ John and Bucky Pizzarelli, Martin Pizzarelli, Konrad Paszkudzi, Fri., July 17, 8 p.m., $40-$50. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900, www. thesheldon.org. Alien Ant Farm: w/ Run 2 Cover, the Former Me, Fri., July 17, 7 p.m., $16-$18. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353, www.firebirdstl.com. Desaparecidos: w/ Digital Leather, Fri., July 17, 8 p.m., $22-$25. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, www.thereadyroom.com. Dwight Twilley: Fri., July 17, 8 p.m., $20-$25. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-773-3363, www.offbroadwaystl.com. Jeff Austin Band: w/ Old Salt Union, Fri., July 17, 9 p.m., $17-$20. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314588-0505, www.oldrockhouse.com. Mail the Horse Record Release Show: w/ Moon Glampers, Kim Logan, Fri., July 17, 9 p.m., $8. Blueberry Hill, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444, www. blueberryhill.com. Modern Life Is War: Fri., July 17, 7 p.m., $14-$16. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050, www.fubarstl.com. Scanlines: Fri., July 17, 9 p.m., $5. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226, www.theheavyanchor.com.

S AT U R DAY Andie Case: w/ You, Me & Dougie, Sat., July 18, 8 p.m., $15. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505, www.oldrockhouse.com. Awolnation: w/ Panic! At the Disco, Cold War Kids, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, Vinyl Theatre, Sat., July 18, 5 p.m., $57. Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, I-70 & Earth City Expwy., Maryland Heights, 314-298-9944, www.livenation. com/Verizon-Wireless-Amphitheater-St-Louis-tickets-Maryland-Heights/venue/49672. Blindside USA: w/ Reach, Kept In Line, Skinner, Sat., July 18,

10:30 p.m., $6. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-2899050, www.fubarstl.com. Bunnygrunt Record Release #1: w/ Eureka California, Sat., July 18, 9 p.m., $10. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-773-3363, www.offbroadwaystl.com. Dawn Patrol: w/ Mother Meat, Tropical Storm!, Sat., July 18, 8 p.m., $8. The Demo, 4191 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, www.thedemostl.com. Harm’s Way: w/ the Beautiful Ones, Eternal Sleep, Sat., July 18, 8 p.m., $10-$12. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353, www.firebirdstl.com. Samantha Crain: Sat., July 18, 8 p.m., $10. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100, foamvenue.com/. Tom Hall: Sat., July 18, 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222, www.bbsjazzbluessoups.com.

S U N DAY Bunnygrunt Record Release #2: Sun., July 19, 4 p.m., Free. Vintage Vinyl, 6610 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314721-4096, www.vintagevinyl.com. Commander Keen: w/ Braver, We Are Like Computers, Sun., July 19, 7 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100, foamvenue.com/. Humming House: Sun., July 19, 8 p.m., $10-$12. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-773-3363, www. offbroadwaystl.com. Jesse Malin: Sun., July 19, 8 p.m., $12.50. Blueberry Hill, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444, www. blueberryhill.com. Lil Jay Malloy: Sun., July 19, 8 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050, www.fubarstl.com. Walter Trout: Sun., July 19, 8 p.m., $20-$22. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505, www. oldrockhouse.com.

— 7/16/2015

M O N DAY

Animal Children: Mon., July 20, 8 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100, foamvenue.com/. Bungler: w/ Ocean’s Grey, Lake Effect, Past Consent, Handful of Zygotes, Mon., July 20, 7 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050, www.fubarstl.com. Ghost Foot: w/ the Maness Brothers, Mon., July 20, 10 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100, foamvenue.com/. Repeat Repeat: Mon., July 20, 8 p.m., $10-$13. The Demo, 4191 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, www.thedemostl.com. Ry Cooder, Sharon White and Ricky Skaggs: Mon., July 20, 8 p.m., $56.75-$62. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900, www.thesheldon.org.

T U E S DAY ßFreddie Gibbs: Tue., July 21, 8 p.m., $20-$40. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, www.thereadyroom. com. Radioactivity: Tue., July 21, 8 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100, foamvenue. com/. What Moon Things: w/ Einsam, Birds of Stanhope, Persh, Tue., July 21, 7 p.m., $8-$10. The Demo, 4191 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, www.thedemostl.com.

W E D N E S DAY Curt Copeland: Wed., July 22, 6 p.m., Free. Hard Rock Cafe, 1820 Market St., St. Louis, 314-621-7625, www.hardrock. com/cafes/st-louis/. Official Stand Up Summer Tour 2015: w/ Deleasa, the House On Cliff, Time Atlas, Clay Borrell, My Only Escape, Six Stories Told, Drew Ryniewicz, Lauren Carnahan, Wed., July 22, 6 p.m., $15-$30. The Demo, 4191 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, www.thedemostl.com. Saint Motel: Wed., July 22, 8 p.m., $12-$14. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353, www.firebirdstl. com. Steely Dan: w/ Elvis Costello, Wed., July 22, 7 p.m., TBA. Hollywood Casino, 777 Casino Center Drive, Maryland Heights, 314-770-8100, www.hollywoodcasinostlouis.com. Union Specific: w/ the Trio Project, Wed., July 22, 8 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100, foamvenue.com/. Veruca Salt: Wed., July 22, 8 p.m., $25. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, www.thereadyroom.com.

savage love Quick Hits Hey, Dan: I have been happily married for twelve years. I’m deeply in love with my wife — she’s amazing, very sexy and gorgeous. I used to be jealous, but about six years ago, I lost my feelings of jealousy. In their place, I developed a strong desire to share my wife with other men. It’s my only fantasy. She knows about this, but she says it’s wrong. I never asked her to actually do it. Am I wrong for feeling this way? A Shamed Husband, A Marital Erotic Deadlock

Objectively speaking, ASHAMED, there’s nothing wrong with your BY fantasy — hell, there would be a fuck of a lot right with DAN your fantasy if your wife were turned on by it. So when your S AVA G E wife says, “It’s wrong,” try and hear what she should be saying: “It’s wrong for me.” And if you’re the optimistic type, ASHAMED, you can opt to hear, “It’s wrong for me at the moment.” There are lots of women out there happily cuckolding their husbands — or happily playing the role of hotwife — who rejected the idea when their husbands first shared their fantasies. Don’t allow yourself to be shamed — “It’s not wrong, honey, but I understand it’s wrong for us” — and don’t pressure your wife to do it, and she may surprise you one day. Hey, Dan: With my past four serious girlfriends/sexual partners, I noticed that my sweat began to smell more like theirs after we had been sleeping together for a while. Is that a real thing or is it all in my head? Sweat Turning Into New Kink

I haven’t heard of this, STINK, and it might be all in your head — but my hunch is that it’s all in your diet. The things you ingest impact the scent of all of your bodily fluids, some more noticeably than others, and the longer you’re with a particular woman, the likelier you are to be sharing the same meals, the same wines, the same beers, juices, recreational drugs, etc., and this is probably what’s causing your sweat to smell more like theirs the longer you’re together. Hey, Dan: Mom came for a week and snooped. She found our bondage stuff, just a set of cuffs and a blindfold, and completely lost her mind. What do we say to her? My Outraged Mom’s Madly Yelling

“It’s a hotel for you next time.” Hey, Dan: I am a wife and a cuckold. I’m turned on when my husband sleeps with other women. I have wanted to pursue these fantasies pretty

much for as long as I have been in serious relationships. My husband and I have been married for four years, and we worked hard to get to where we are today, learning how to communicate and setting rules. Lately, though, I feel like my feelings are changing. While we do all our communicating with other women in group-chat settings, my husband has more free time than I do. Some days I wake up to literally hundreds of message exchanges, and I can’t keep up or get a word in. Making it worse: I oftentimes have to talk to him about mundane things, like bills and what we are having for dinner, while his conversations with other women revolve around hot sexts. We have better sex than ever, and I come harder, faster, and more often after he has been with another woman. But I am not sure how to reconcile these feelings of jealousy and inadequacy. I worry that he’s thinking, “What am I doing with her when I could be by myself and get all the pussy I want?” I do not want to quit seeing other women (see the bit about hot, hot sex), but I do not know how to balance my fears and jealousy. Trouble In My Intense Desires

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Always nice to hear from the exception that proves the rule — typically, husbands get straight couples into cuckolding — but you’re not a cuckold, TIMID. Cuckolds are men. Women who are turned on when their husbands cheat on them are cuckqueans. (Credit to Annie W., a former coworker who introduced me to that term.) OK, TIMID, let’s make a list of everything your husband would lose if he dumped you: love, stability, history, family, intimacy, hot sex and someone to co-tackle the day-to-day crap (cleaning, bills, dinner) that he would otherwise have to tackle all by himself. He would also lose a wife who’s happy to let her husband fuck other women — lots of other women — and those wives are few and far between. I’m not saying you’re wrong to feel insecure, just that you have more leverage — and more value — than you seem to realize. Inform your husband that these feelings of jealousy and inadequacy — which are fueled by his thoughtlessness and inconsideration — are putting your arrangement and maybe even your marriage at risk. Your cuckquean marriage, which he ought to regard as a paradise, is only gonna work so long as you feel included (in the fun) and secure (in his commitment). Tell him he has to cut way, way back on the sexting, which has gotten way the fuck out of hand, and that he has to make an effort to include you more, or he risks getting cast out of paradise. On the Lovecast, Dan talks with special guest Tristan Taormino: savagelovecast.com. mail@savagelove.net @fakedansavage on Twitter riverfronttimes.com H 1X5X–X ER FR IM E S 451 riverfronttimes.comM OJNUTLY - 2 1X, ,22001 0 5X RR I VI V ER FR OO NN T TT IT M ES

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100 Employment 110 Computer/Technical ENGINEER-Abeinsa Engineering, Inc. seeks Mechanical Piping Engineer to work in Chesterfield, MO to review piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs), 3D modeling and vendor drawings, prepare pipe index and pipe specifications. Prepare pipe layout using PDMS, perform stress analysis for high pressure steam piping system. Master’s degree in Mechanical Eng. + 3 yrs of exp. in engineering, design and review of piping systems and pipe stress analysis or Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Eng. + 5 yrs. Submit resume to: Anna Lawson, HR Generalist, Abeinsa Engineering, Inc. 16401 Swingley Ridge Rd., Ste 700, Chesterfield, MO 63017. Must put job cod MPE2015 on resume.

105 Career/Training/Schools THE OCEAN CORP. 10840 Rockley Road, Houston, Texas 77099. Train for a new career. *Underwater Welder. Commercial Diver. *NDT/Weld Inspector. Job Placement Assistance. Financial Aid avail for those who qualify 1.800.321.0298

120 Drivers/Delivery/Courier ! Drivers Needed ASAP ! Requires Class E, B or A License. S Endorsement Helpful. Must be 25 yrs or older. Will Train. ABC/Checker Cab Co CALL NOW 314-725-9550

155 Medical Research Studies Interested in research studies on diabetes call Washington University, Vitamin D Study at (314) 3620934. Washington University study seeks women 1449! Available services include birth control, GYN exams, & STI tests. 314-747-0800

167 Restaurants/Hotels/Clubs HOUSEKEEPERS & HOSPITAL FOOD SERVICE WORKERS NEEDED ASAP. BACKGROUND CHECK AND DRUG SCREEN REQ. CALL 314-863-7400

WANTED: DISHWASHER

11939 Olive Blvd. Creve Coeur 314-997-4224

177 Salons Stylists wanted w/clientele. Lafayette Square. 314-771-0771

190 Business Opportunities Avon Full Time/Part Time, $15 Fee. Call Carla: 314-665-4585 For Appointment or Details Independent Avon Rep.

193 Employment Information CDL- A DRIVERS and Owner Operators: $1,000.00 sign on, Company/ Safety Bonuses. Home daily/ weekly. Regional runs. Great Benefits. 1-888-300-9935

500 Services 525 Legal Services DWI/BANKRUPTCY HOTLINE: R.O.C. LAW , A Debt Relief Agency, Helping People File For Bankruptcy Relief Under the New Bankruptcy Code. 314-843-0220 The choice of a lawyer is an important decision & shouldn’t be based solely upon advertisements.

DWI/Traffic from $50/Personal Injury.

Mark Helfers, 314-862-6666 Choice of a lawyer is an important decision & should not be based solely on advertising

Personal Injury, Workers Comp, DWI, Traffic 314-621-0500

ATTORNEY BRUCE E. HOPSON

The choice of a lawyer is an important decision & should not be based solely on advertising.

527 Legal Notices Notification is hereby given that The Peoples National Bank, 520 South 42nd Street, Mt. Vernon, Illinois 62864 has filed an application with the Comptroller of the Currency on July 9, 2015 as specified in 12 CFR 5 in the Comptroller’s Manual for National Banks, for permission to relocate the Clayton branch of Peoples National Bank located at 7600 Forsyth Boulevard, St. Louis, MO to 101 South Hanley Road, St. Louis, MO. Any person wishing to comment on this application may file comments in writing with the Deputy Comptroller, One Financial Place, Suite 2700, 440 South LaSalle Street, Chicago, Illinois 60605 within 15 days of the date of this publication. The non confidential portions of the application are on file with the Deputy Comptroller as part of the public file. This file is available for public inspection during the regular business hours.

530 Misc. Services

800 Health & Wellness 805 Registered Massage

HHHHH Simply Marvelous

Call Cynthia today for your massage. M-F 7-5, Sat. 9-1. 314-265-9625 - Eureka Area #2001007078

HHHHHHH A New Intuitive Massage Call Natalie 314.799.2314 www.artformassage.info CMT/LMT 2003026388

A Wonderfully relaxing intuitive massage by licensed therapist. OPEN SUNDAYS 314-706-4076 2002030286 AmandasMiniDaySpa.com $40/1 hr, $60/1.5 hr-Incall.

314-467-0766

510 E. Chain of Rocks, Granite City, By Appt Only. 8A-9P. Lic #2001010642 Escape the Stresses of Life with a relaxing Oriental MASSAGE & Reflexology You’ll Come Away Feeling Refreshed & Rejuvenated. Call 314-972-9998 Full Body Massage FOR MEN Tailored to YOUR needs. IN/OUT CALLS. Call or Text Paul @ 314608-4296. M-F 12pm-9pm. #2004009095

Health Therapy Massage

Relax, Rejuvenate & Refresh!

Flexible Appointments

Monday Thru Sunday (Walk-ins welcome) 320 Brooke’s Drive, 63042 Call Cheryl. 314-895-1616 or 314-258-2860 LET#200101083 Now Hiring...Therapists

Make Every Day Special with a Luxurious Asian Massage at Spa Chi Massage & Day Spa 109 Long Rd Chesterfield MO 636-633-2929 www.spa-chi.com

Ultimate Massage by Summer!!!!

More than you’d expect for less than you’d imagine. The Best Views in St Louis overlooking the Arch/Riverfront. Spacious studio’s, 1 & 2 bedroom apartments-Fully Furnished Apt’s and short-term leases also available. Rooftop pool, two fitness centers, community room and business center w/WiFi. Penthouse Suites Available. www.gentryslanding.com DOWNTOWN $750 314-306-1526 STUDIO Apt: includes ALL utilities. Stainless Steel Appliances. Large Balcony. Fitness Center. Laundry Facility. Game Room. 24 Hour Security. Great Location! Private Parking Available. http://stlouis.craigslist. org/apa/5092257332.html d.watkins3@yahoo.com

WESTPORT/LINDBERGH/PAGE $525-$575 314-995-1912 1 mo FREE! 1BR ($525) & 2BR ($575 specials) Clean, safe, quiet. Patio, laundry, great landlord! Nice Area near I-64, 270, 170, 70 or Clayton

THE GENTRY’S LANDING

DOWNTOWN Cityside-Apts 314-231-6806 Bring in ad & application fee waived! Gated prkng, onsite laundry. Controlled access bldgs, pool, fitness, business ctr. Pets welcome

810 Health & Wellness General

MAPLEWOOD! $475 314-309-2043 1 br, all-electric, central air, kitchen appliances, hardwood floors, pets, off street parking! rs-stl.com RGQHE

ARE YOU ADDICTED TO PAIN MEDICATIONS OR HEROIN? Suboxone can help. Covered by most insurance. Free & confidential assessments. Outpatient Services. Center Pointe Hospital 314-292-7323 or 800-345-5407 763 S. New Ballas Rd, Ste. 310 SUNRISE DAY SPA *SPECIALS* $30-Therapeutic Foot Massage $50-1 HR Full Body Massage See display for coupon! 9441 Olive Blvd. St. Louis, MO 314-993-0517 www.sunrisedayspa.com

600 Music 610 Musicians Services MUSICIANS Do you have a band? We have bookings. Call (314)781-6612 for information Mon-Fri, 10:00-4:30 MUSICIANS AVAILABLE Do you need musicians? A Band? A String Quartet? Call the Musicians Association of St. Louis (314)781-6612, M-F, 10:00-4:30

300 Rentals 317 Apartments for Rent CWE! $575 314-309-2043 Updated apartment, exposed brick, hardwood floors, all kitchen appliances, pets, built in shelves, character filled! rs-stl.com RGQHB DELMAR! $525 314-309-2043 $200 Deposit! 1 br, all-electric, central air, kitchen appliances, pets, off street parking, recent updates! rs-stl.com RGQHC

NORTH-CITY! $375 314-309-2043 1 br, central air, hardwood floors, enclosed porch, recent updates! rs-stl.com RGQG8 NORTH-COUNTY $500 (314)606-7868 Senior Community: 2Br, Fridge, Stove, Dishwasher, C/A, W/D Hkup. NORTH-COUNTY! $399 314-309-2043 1 br, cold a/c, fitness room, sauna, flexible deposit, pool access, appliances, pets! rs-stl.com RGQHA RICHMOND-HEIGHTS $515-$555 (Special) 314-995-1912 1 MONTH FREE! 1BR, all elec off Big Bend, Metrolink, 40, 44, Clayton SOULARD $700 314-724-8842 Spacious 2BR, old world charm, hdwd flrs, yard, frplcs, off st prk, no C/A, nonsmoking bldg, storage. nprent@aol.com SOUTH CITY $400-$850 314-771-4222 Many different units www.stlrr.com 1-3 BR, no credit no problem SOUTH ST. LOUIS CITY 314-579-1201 or 636-939-3808 1, 2 & 3 BR apts for rent. www.eatonproperties.com. Sec. 8 welcome SOUTH-CITY 314-504-6797 5052 Miami: remodeled 1 BD, sunroom, C/A, appls, near shopping. SOUTH-CITY $400-$495 314-707-9975 813-815 Courtois St: 1 & 2 BR, hdwd flrs, C/A.

P.O. Box 545 • Malden, MO 63863 • 1.888.276.3860 • www.smtds.com

• More driving time than any other school in the state •

CARONDELET-PARK! $625 314-309-2043 Updated 2 bed house, finished basement, central air, thermal windows, hardwood floors, fenced yard, dishwasher, pets ok! rs-stl. com RGQHK DELOR! $650 314-309-2043 Sharp 2 bed, 2 bath house, full basement, central air, fenced yard, hardwood floors, ceiling fans, all appliances, off street parking! rs-stl. com RGQHL HALLS-FERRY! $450 314-309-2043 All-electric 2 bed house, central air, plush carpet, off street parking, pets, only $250 deposit, short term lease! rs-stl.com RGQHH KINGSHIGHWAY! $750 314-309-2043 2-Story brick 3 bed house, full basement, central air, custom tile & hardwood floors, 2 car garage, walk-in closets, off street parking! rs-stl.com RGQHO MARYLAND-HEIGHTS $1100 314-443-4478 1557 Redcoat: All elec. 3 bdrm, 2 bath house. Parkway Schools. NORTH ST. LOUIS COUNTY 314-579-1201 or 636-939-3808 2, 3 & 4BR homes for rent. eatonproperties.com. Sec. 8 welcome SOUTH-CITY $790 314-223-8067 2 BR house,some wood floors, stove/fridge, W/D hkup in bsmt, new C/A, garage, porch. No Sec. 8. SOUTH-CITY! $575 314-309-2043 Private 2 bed house, full basement, central air, garage, hardwood floors, fenced yard with deck, all kitchen appliances! rs-stl.com RGQHJ SOUTH-COUNTY! $550 314-309-2043 Remodeled 1 bedroom house, all kitchen appliances, hardwood floors, frosty a/c, large yard for pets, lawn care included! rs-stl.com RGQHI

SOUTH-CITY $475 314-223-8067 Move in Special! Spacious 1BRs, Oak Floors, Ceiling Fans, Stove & Refrigerator, A/C, W/D Hook-Up, Nice area SOUTH-CITY! $385 314-309-2043 1 br, central air, all appliances, carpet & tile, w/d hookups, pets ok! rs-stl.com RGQG9 SOUTH-CITY! $495 314-309-2043 2 br, walk-out basement, hardwood floors, storage, off street parking, part utilities paid!, rs-stl.com RGQHF SOUTH-CITY! $600 314-309-2043 3 br, basement, 2 car garage w/opener, central air, hardwood floors, fenced yard, appliances, pets, flexible lease! rs-stl.com RGQHG ST. CHARLES COUNTY 314-579-1201 or 636-939-3808 1 & 2 BR apts for rent. www.eatonproperties.com. Sec. 8 welcome

Are You Addicted to Pain Are You Addicted to Medications or Heroin? Pain Medications Suboxone Can Help. or•Confidential Heroin? Outpatient •Convenient OUTPATIENT SERVICES

$45-$50 thousand the 1st year, great benefits, call SMTDS, Financial assistance available if you qualify. Free living quarters. 6 students max per class. 4 wks. 192 hours.

BROADWAY! $700 314-309-2043 Roomy 3 bed house, full basement, garage, central air, ceiling fans, fenced yard, cute kitchen w/dishwasher, ready to rent! rs-stl.com RGQHN

SOUTH-CITY $450-$495 314-707-9975 Grand & Bates: 1 BRs, hardwood flrs, all electric, C/A.

•Covered by most insurance

IF YOU DESIRE TO MAKE MORE MONEY AND NEED A NEW JOB EARNING

320 Houses for Rent

SOUTH-CITY $430-$554 314-277-0204 3901 Keokuk 1BR; 3841 Gustine 1BR; 3718 McDonald 2BR

•Free & confidential assessments Suboxone Can Help.

420 Auto-Truck

www.LiveInTheGrove.com

SOUTH-CITY $530 314-481-6443 6429 Gravois- Apt. 2 BR, C/A, Carpet, Draperies. $530 deposit

SOUTHERN MISSOURI TRUCK DRIVING SCHOOL

400 Buy-Sell-Trade

314-968-6555

ST. JOHN $495-$595 314-423-3106 Special! 1BR.$495 & 2BR.$595. Near 170 & St.Charles Rock Rd

$569-$3000

Relaxing 1 Hr Full Body Massage. Light Touch, Swedish, Deep Tissue. Daily 10am-5pm South County. 314-620-6386 Ls # 2006003746

WANTS TO purchase minerals and other oil & gas interests. Send details to P.O. Box 13557, Denver, Co 80201

BUYING JUNK CARS, TRUCKS & VANS

888-323-6917

DOWNTOWN

Outpatient - Confidential - Convenient 763 S. NEW BALLAS RD. STE. 310  Covered byLOUIS, most insurance SAINT MO 63141  Free & confidential assessments

314-292-7323

or SERVICES OUTPATIENT

Sr. SyStemS engineerS

Multiple positions avail. Loc: St. Louis, MO. Integrate new tech, improve existing tech processes, lead team fr design to release, using tech incl WebLogic, JBOSS, & JVM based applications. Min Reqs: Bach deg in Comp Sci, Comp Info Systms, Elect Engnrg or rel & 6 yrs exp in software develpmnt or systems engnrg, advanced Linux & Apache & exp in scripting, JAVA, retail e-commerce.

5000 CEDAR PLAZA PKWY., STE. 380 For complete position desc, 763SAINT S. NEWLOUIS, BALLASMO RD.,63128 STE. 310 ST LOUIS, MO 63141 &/or to apply, contact: 314-842-4463 After hours 314-292-7323 or weekends 800-345-5407 Nicolette_nelson@s5a.com or 5000 CEDAR PLAZA PKWY., STE. 380 STriverfronttimes.com LOUIS, MO 63128 J U LY 1 5 - 2 1 , 2 0 1 5 R I V E R F R O N T T I M E S 47 314-842-4463

After hours or weekends: 800-345-5407

BUYING JUNK CARS, TRUCKS & VANS 314-968-6555

Complete Home Remodeling-30+ Yrs Exp Licensed - Insured - Door Specialist Timber Run Builders, LLC 314-623-9262 DATING MADE EASY... LOCAL SINGLES! Listen & Reply FREE! 314-739-7777 FREE PROMO CODE: 9512 Telemates

DWI/BANKRUPTCY HOTLINE:

R.O.C. LAW , A Debt Relief Agency, Helping People File For Bankruptcy Relief Under the New Bankruptcy Code. 314-843-0220 The choice of a lawyer is an important decision & shouldn’t be based solely upon advertisements.

MAKE MONEY BY MAKING A DIFFERENCE.

DWI/Traf $50+/Personal InjuryMark Helfers, 314-862-6666- CRIMINAL former Asst US Attorney, 32 years exp

www.HelfersLaw.com The choice of a lawyer is an important decision & should not be based solely on advertising

EarthCircleRecycling.com - 314-664-1450

Earth Circle’s mission is to creatively assist businesses and residents with their recycling efforts while providing the friendliest and most reliable service in the area. Call Today!

GOLD CONSULTANTS NEEDED www.globalgoldbars.com New Scripts Workshop

Acting, Writing. Thurs Eves Starting 7/23 or 7/30. 40 Yrs Exp. CWE $15/class. Call 314-361-1885

Personal Injury, Workers Comp, DWI, Traffic 314-621-0500

ATTORNEY BRUCE E. HOPSON

The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely on advertising.

Spiritual Readings by Randy Call Today for Your Free Mini Reading. 314-744-9160 www.LiveInTheGrove.com

Donate at Octapharma Plasma today.

IMPROVE YOUR CREDIT SCORES WITHIN 30 TO 120 DAYS

8780 Pershall Road Hazelwood, MO 63042 • 314-524-9015 Must be 18-64 years old with valid ID, proof of social security number and current residence postmarked within 30 days. Information at octapharmaplasma.com.

WE DO REAL CREDIT REPAIR

We removed bad debt, charge-offs, collections, bankruptcy, judgement, repossessions, foreclosure & more so call 314-774-4614 www.protradelines.com

NEW DONORS EARN UP TO $250 FOR THE FIRST FIVE DONATIONS

Specials $30 $50

Specializing in Chinese Accupressure, Deep Tissue, Hot Oil, Hot Stone, Swedish, Therapeutic Foot Massage

A clinical research study for adults 18-70 yrs old, who suffer from depression.

9441 OLIVE BLVD. ST. LOUIS, MO 63132 HOURS 9AM - 9PM

•Full Body Massage •Deep Tissue Massage •Hot Stone •Couples Massage •Swedish Massage •Chinese Accupressure

Are you addicted to Opiates? Pain medications or heroin? SUBOXONE CAN HELP

109 Long Rd. • Chesterfield, MO 63005

No upfront fees. Covered by most insurance.

www.spa-chi.com • Open everyday 9:30-9:30

NOT AFFILIATED WITH A HOSPITAL

If you’re feeling exhausted and sad and have no interest in things you used to enjoy, if your appetite has changed and you can’t sleep, you may be suffering from depression. Learn more at www.mac-research.com or call 314-647-1743 to see if you qualify.

Mid-America Clinical Research, LLC 48

RIVERFRONT TIMES

J U LY 1 5 - 2 1 , 2 0 1 5

riverfronttimes.com

314-993-0517

w w w. S U N R I S E DAYS PA .C O M

CALL 636-477-6111

ARE YOU DEPRESSED?

Therapeutic Foot Massage 1 Hr. Full Body Massage

Specializing in Adolescents, Adults, and Women Medication Management and Therapy 255 SPENCER RD., ST. PETERS MO 63376

636-633-2929

Make Every Day Special with a Luxurious Asian Massage

Are You Addicted to Pain Medications or Heroin ?

Suboxone Can Help. Outpatient • Confidential • Convenient •Covered by most insurance •Free & confidential assessments

OUTPATIENT SERVICES

763 S. NEW BALLAS RD. STE. 310 SAINT LOUIS, MO 63141

314-292-7323 or

5000 CEDAR PLAZA PKWY., STE. 380 SAINT LOUIS, MO 63128

314-842-4463

After hours or weekends 800-345-5407

Are You Addicted to Pain Medications