Riverfront Times - March 22, 2017

MARCH 22–28, 2017 I VOLUME 41 I NUMBER 12

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SHATTERED How did a friendship forged at church and on the football field end in bloodshed? DOYLE MURPHY

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RESTAURANT GUIDE 2017 40 x 40

pho to by m abel suen

40 RESTAURANTS WE LOVE AND 40 READERS’ FAVORITES

40 X 40: 40 RESTAURANTS WE LOVE

& 40 READERS’ FAVORITES

The RFT’s Restaurant Guide is back, and this year it’s better than ever. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Riverfront Times’ founding, we’re naming 40 Restaurants We Love. But that’s not all: We’re letting our readers vote for their favorites in 40 categories.

Our 2017 Restaurant Guide hits the streets in April to over 1,000 locations and available online all year. This once-in-a-lifetime special issue, 40 x 40: 40 Restaurants We Love and 40 Readers’ Favorites, is sure to be savored by readers and saved by savvy diners, so it’s the perfect opportunity to reach over 360,000+ readers looking for places to dine.

APRIL 26, 2017 FOR ADVERTISING CALL 314-754-5966 4

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MARCH 22-28, 2017

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c o m

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THE LEDE

“I came here with the sole intention of celebrating Chuck Berry’s life, not mourning his death.

That’s why I brought music. People have been stopping by and dancing all day long. Chuck Berry is so important to me and everybody else. He lived almost 91 years, and it’s no doubt, 91 years from now they’ll still be playing those songs.

PHOTO BY THEO WELLING

“The songs he wrote, I call them the soundtrack of my youth, but it’s the soundtrack of America’s youth, really. Songs about going to school, having a girlfriend, driving a car. Everything that needed to be said about being a teenager, Chuck Berry said it in a song.”

—Ralf MoRse, photogRaphed at the ChuCk BeRRy statue in the delMaR loop on MaRCh 19, one day afteR BeRRy’s death

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MARCH 22-28, 2017

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TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURE

13.

Shattered

How did a friendship forged at church and on the football field end in bloodshed?

Written by

DOYLE MURPHY Cover by

KELLY GLUECK

NEWS

CULTURE

DINING

MUSIC

5

21

27

39

Calendar

The Lede

Your friend or neighbor, captured on camera

Seven days worth of great stuff to see and do

9

24

Reaching for the Gun

Forget what you’ve read in the national media: Darren Wilson’s story has not changed

Film

Kristen Stewart shines in Olivier Assayas’ Personal Shoppper

10

Home Sweet (Pre-Fab) Home

Tower Grove East gets a new resident, and neighbors aren’t happy

25

Stage

Paul Friswold reviews Never the Sinner at the New Jewish Theatre

12

A Reason to Smile

RIVERFRONT TIMES

MARCH 22-28, 2017

32

41

Side Dish

B-Sides

With the Atomic Cowboy, Chip Schloss helped make the Grove a major destination

Christian Schaeffer sits down with Charlie Halloran in New Orleans

35

44

First Look

Sarah Fenske visits Mak’s Pub & Grub, while Johnny Fugitt finds good Lebanese food in west county

Food News

The Purple Martin is back, with a new menu and a new focus

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Playing with Fire

Sarno Music Solutions’ new pedal, the Solar Flare, has bigname musicians lining up

36

Lewis Claybon, one of our “75 Reasons to Love St. Louis,” delights in a new set of teeth

6

Native Son

Cheryl Baehr visits Shawarma King, a delicious hole-in-the-wall shawarma joint on the Loop

Out Every Night

The best concerts in St. Louis every night of the week

48

This Just In

This week’s new concert announcements

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MARCH 22-28, 2017

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NEWS

9

No, Darren Wilson’s Story Has Not Changed Written by

DANNY WICENTOWSKI

D

espite recent reports to the contrary, the man who killed Michael Brown has not changed his story about what happened during the fatal altercation on August 9, 2014. And despite some bombastic headlines, not all that much has changed about what we think we know about Brown’s death, either.

The confusion surrounds a nearly three-month-old legal document from a still-pending wrongful death lawsuit filed by Brown’s family. The lawsuit is aimed at Darren Wilson, the former Ferguson officer who shot and killed the unarmed eighteen-yearold (and has since disappeared from public life). The document, an “interrogatory,” comprises 173 written yes/no questions. Among other things, the document shows Wilson admitting that he and other Ferguson officers used the N-word to refer to black people, though Wilson was allowed to clarify that his use of the word was limited to “[repeating] a racist remark made by someone else.”

The document represents a rare instance of Wilson being grilled outside the context of a criminal investigation. In fact, aside from his media interviews with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos and the New Yorker’s Jake Halpern, this is the first time we’ve seen Wilson in anything close to an adversarial interview.

But the former officer’s responses in the interrogatory have been badly misinterpreted, possibly because an interrogatory, despite its name, does not actually work like a police interrogation.

In particular, Wilson’s responses

Protesters outside the Ferguson Police Department in 2014. Michael Brown’s shooting has seen new scrutiny in recent weeks. | DANNY WICENTOWSKI prompted several national news websites to publish stories claiming that the interrogatory showed Wilson contradicting statements he’d previously made to police investigators and a St. Louis County grand jury.

Writing for The Root on March 14, Michael Harriot’s now-viral story about the interrogatory claimed, “New court papers reveal that Brown never tried to take the officer’s gun.”

The problem is that the document reveals nothing of the sort.

On Wednesday, in response to criticism by the Washington Post’s Wesley Lowery — who actually broke the story about the interrogatory’s existence — Harriet updated the piece but defended his interpretations, calling them “separate conclusions.”

The contested information about the gun comes from questions 38 and 40 in the interrogatory document. “Michael Brown never tried to remove your gun from your holster,” No. 38 reads. “Admitted,” Wilson replied.

“You eventually decided to draw your gun from your holster and point it at Michael Brown,” says No. 40. “Admitted,” Wilson replied.

Harriot concluded from this passage that Wilson had contradicted a key element of his previous testimony: that Brown had tried to take the officer’s gun during a scuffle that took place through the open window of Wilson’s police SUV. The problem is that such a conclusion misstates the officer’s previous testimony. Wilson actually testified that he’d drawn his pistol in response to alleged physical attacks from Brown, and only then did Brown attempt to grab his gun.

Wilson never claims that Brown tried to take the gun from his holster. He says instead that Brown tried to take the gun after he unsheathed it.

However, since the interrogatory’s questions are framed in such a limited way — and lacking context of the moment-by-moment events of the struggle — Harriot and others read the response as a startling admission that undercut Wilson’s previous justification for using deadly force.

It wasn’t just Harriot who made this mistake. KMOV’s Russell Kinsaul drew the same erroneous conclusion in a story last week, suggesting that Wilson’s statements riverfronttimes.com

The conclusions drawn by some media outlets misstate Officer Wilson’s previous testimony. He never claimed Brown tried to take the gun from his holster. in the interrogatory “may show” contradictions with his previous testimony. KMOV even managed to entangle Saint Louis University law professor Marcia McCormick, who remarked to Kinsaul that if Wilson was lying about Brown reaching for the gun, “What else did he lie about?”

In reality, there is no “may show” here. The persistence of this Continued on pg 10 misreading

MARCH 22-28, 2017

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Officers held the line against protesters in Ferguson three years ago. | DANNY WICENTOWSKI

DARREN WILSON Continued from pg 9 can probably be chalked up to the disjointed timeline of the interrogatory’s questions and the case’s general complexity. (It’s also worth remembering that the interrogatory’s questions were selected and structured by attorneys who are actively trying to prove that Wilson lied about what really happened that day on Canfield Drive.)

Indeed, the messy dispute over the interrogatory shows more than anything that questions remain about Brown’s death — and these are questions that clearly exert a force more than two years later.

On March 12, the screening of previously unreleased surveillance video in a new documentary showed Brown in the Ferguson Market engaging in an attempted (and very small-scale) drug barter hours before his death. Some people immediately jumped on the footage as proof that Brown 10

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MARCH 22-28, 2017

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could not have robbed the store later that day.

The video’s release triggered protests and boycotts of the store; employees were accused of suppressing the footage and helping police slander Brown’s character. Since its release, though, serious doubts have been raised about what that footage actually shows. And its relevance is even more in doubt: Whether Brown had a deal or didn’t have a deal with store employees, it’s his interaction with Wilson that proved deadly — not whatever happened in the hours that preceded it.

There’s no bombshell here.

These two recent additions to the story of Brown’s death have done little more than renew the tragedy, offering (at best) embellishments to the parts of the story we already know. In the end, what we know about the death of Michael Brown remains pretty much intact — and whether we believe him or not, the man who killed him is standing by his story. n

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

Pre-Fab Home Arrives, Panic Ensues

The City of St. Louis, Department of Health (DOH), Bureau of Communicable Disease – Grants Administration is requesting proposals from local organizations, community agencies, universities, local governmental entities and other interested parties eligible to receive federal funds to provide Childcare services.

Written by

SARAH FENSKE

I

t was a rude awakening for a pair of neighborhoods that pride themselves on both their striking architecture and their community involvement: Many residents first learned that pre-fabricated houses were on the way to Tower Grove East and Tower Grove South when one showed up on a tractor-trailer.

The ready-for-installation newcomer, first spotted last week in Tower Grove East, quickly had locals buzzing. With a little sleuthing, neighbors reported that a development company listed it as one in a series of seven modular homes planned for the area — and that one of the houses was even slated to replace a much-loved community garden in Tower Grove South.

As it turns out, however, things are not quite as dire as residents feared. The home that arrived March 15, slated for 2912 Michigan, is definitely happening. But pretty much everything else about the project is in limbo, two alderwomen who represent the area tell the RFT. For one thing, the community garden has been spared, at least for now. Alderwoman Megan Ellyia Green, who says she was just as blindsided by the news of the infill project as some neighbors, says she quickly learned that the developer’s proposal for that parcel, at 4259 Connecticut, had been rejected by the city’s Land Reutilization Authority, or LRA. The LRA’s garden lease program encourages neighborhoods to plant gardens; it’s fair to assume the agency didn’t want to disrupt the two-year-old community planting.

Alderwoman Christine Ingrassia, whose ward houses the remainder of the lots on the developer’s website, says the LRA also rejected the developer’s plans to build on 2902 Michigan.

The company behind the units, Thrive Development, promises “smart urban infill development in the heart of our great city.”

Founder Ryan Sheridan says he voluntarily agreed to take the plan

Interested parties are encouraged to respond to the solicitation for proposal beginning Secretary I, DOH, 1520 Market Avenue, Room 4027, by either calling 314-657-1556 or via email JohnsonP@stlouis-mo.gov. Interested parties may also download the RFP from the City of St. Louis website at http://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/procurement. cfm. If interested parties have downloaded the proposal from the website, they must register with Mr. Johnson; in order to be notified of any changes or amendments to the RFPs.

Tower Grove East’s pre-fab home will have a price point in the $200,000 range. | THOMAS CRONE for the garden site off the table, but that he continues to have an option for the other parcels.

At this point, though, only the one home is moving forward. Sheridan says he’s building it on spec and plans to put it on the market for more than $200,000.

“Per square foot, it’s going to be one of the more expensive homes in the neighborhood,” he says — with new construction details generally not available to city buyers at that price point. He believes that once people see the home for themselves, opposition will crumble.

Ingrassia is skeptical. The alderwoman tells the RFT that Sheridan presented plans for the home on Michigan to the Tower Grove East neighborhood association more than a year ago.

“I was interested in the idea of affordable housing, but we had concerns about the particular look of his design,” she says. “It just didn’t fit in with the aesthetic integrity of the neighborhood.”

The association asked Sheridan to come back with updated plans.

That was the last Ingrassia heard, she says, until the home literally showed up on wheels.

Both Ingrassia and Sheridan agree that the city has little recourse when it comes to design

concerns on privately owned lots in the neighborhood. While Tower Grove East is on the National Register of Historic Places, it has no local designation that comes with design or construction standards (unlike, for example, its neighbor to the northeast, Lafayette Square). The neighborhood’s power to enforce standards on private lots is basically nonexistent, Ingrassia says.

LRA lots are a different story.

And, as Sheridan confirms, the city agency owns all the lots he’s looking at for the remainder of the project.

Sheridan is convinced he can sell the LRA — and the neighborhood — on what he’s doing, and continues to hold his options on the lots in hopes of doing just that.

Ingrassia says the agency is taking a wait-and-see attitude for now.

She believes that the LRA will be sensitive to the neighbors’ design concerns — and that means something different from the house now being installed on 2912 Michigan.

“Tower Grove East has been supportive of affordable housing,” Ingrassia says, noting that the area has a wide mix of price points. “Not all neighborhoods are like that. But the design he showed us doesn’t fit even under the very loose standards of the National Register.” n

The deadline for submitting proposals is 4:00 p.m., Monday, March 27, 2017 at the address referenced above.

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WED 3/22

ACAMPROSATE MADE ME QUIT SMOKING To see how this could be possible view abstract below from Cedars-Sinai LA Acamprosate is used in the treatment of alcoholism; however, there is little information on its effects on nicotine addiction. The objective of this study was to determine whether acamprosate inhibits cue-induced relapse to nicotine self-administration in the rat. Rats were trained to press a lever to obtain intravenous infusions of nicotine (0.03 mg/kg/infusion) that were associated with the illumination of a cue light. After 29 days of nicotine self-administration sessions, extinction sessions were run during which responses on the active lever did not result in the infusion of nicotine or the illumination of the cue light. After 14 days of extinction sessions the rats received twice-daily injections of saline or acamprosate (50, 100, or 200 mg/kg/intraperitoneally). Seven days later the response to the previously conditioned cue was tested, but only saline infusions were delivered. Pretreatment with all doses of acamprosate reduced responding to a cue previously associated with nicotine. The lowest dose of acamprosate (50 mg/kg) reduced responding for the cue previously associated with nicotine infusions, but had no effect on food-rewarded behavior. These results show that acamprosate reduced cue-induced nicotine-seeking behavior and suggest that acamprosate might be efficacious in treating nicotine addiction in humans.

Source: Pechnick RN, Manalo CM, Lacayo LM, Vit JP, Bholat Y, Spivak I, Reyes KC, Farrokhi C. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Brain Research Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA June 22, 2011

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MARCH 22-28, 2017

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Lewis Claybon long had crooked teeth (top). Now he’s got new reason to smile. | DOYLE MUPRHY

A REASON TO SMILE FOR ‘REASON TO LOVE ST. LOUIS’

I

f you ever needed proof karma is real, check out Lewis Claybon’s new smile.

The daycare cook, who spends hours every weekday morning and afternoon watching over little kids and waving to south St. Louis commuters, has a new set of teeth thanks to a Bridgeton dentist who heard about his good work.

“I like his message,” Dr. Ted Rechtin says. “He’s just trying to brighten up people’s day.”

Claybon has posted up for the last dozen or so years outside Lamb’s Bride Child Care Center on the corner of Tower Grove and Vista avenues, cheering the daily procession of sullen drivers with a big, if crooked, smile.

“Positive brings about positive,” he says, explaining his simple philosophy.

Claybon found himself in the news in 2016 after years of service.

We named him one of our “75 Reasons to Love St. Louis,” and budding filmmaker Christopher Hill also highlighted him in a short feature. One of Hill’s acquaintances through the nonprofit Mission: St. Louis passed the article and Hill’s film to Rechtin, who offered to replace Claybon’s teeth.

Hill thought it was a great idea, but he did not want to insult Claybon if his dental problems were a sensitive topic.

“I was like, man, I don’t know how to approach this,” he says. So he just asked.

He need not have worried. “I was like, ‘Woo!’” Claybon says. “I told them, ‘Yes!’” He had never liked the looks of his teeth, but he had made peace with them long ago. They never kept him from smiling.

Then last month, Rechtin pulled all his old teeth and replaced them with gleaming white dentures. The dentist will eventually replace those with a permanent set.

“I never had pain,” Claybon says of his old teeth, “but the smile is like, ‘Yeah, baby!’”

— Doyle Murphy

SHATTERED

How did a friendship forged at church and on the football field end in bloodshed?

Written by

DOYLE MURPHY

O

n July 7, 2016, two days before his death, Tyler Gebhard opened up his Facebook account and typed a message to Julie Boyd.

“Happy birthday!!!” he wrote.

“Thanks Tyler. Come see us!” she replied six minutes later.

The Boyd family had not seen much of Tyler since he went away to college.

Co-founders of a small nondenominational Christian church, the Boyds had run into Tyler about a month before at a mall food court and had shared a pleasant meal with him, by their account. They had known him for four or five years. He played varsity football at Affton High School with Julie’s youngest son, Jonah; her older son, Josh, was an assistant coach. Tyler had often joined other athletes and classmates on Wednesday nights for a church youth group led by Julie’s husband, Rich, at the family’s house in the tiny south St. Louis County suburb of Lakeshire.

The homey setting and multiple ties through sports, school and church made for a close-knit bunch. Tyler had joined them for church services some weekends and had even once played Joseph in a Christmas pageant.

On Facebook, Tyler promised Julie Boyd he would see them on July 9 for church.

“It’s at 6 right?” he wrote.

“That is correct and great!” she replied.

One day later, on July 8, he showed up at their door. It did not go well.

Rich Boyd was out of town for work, but Julie Boyd was home with her married daughter, Jordan Lasley, and young grandchildren. They later told police that Tyler was polite, taking off his shoes as he entered, but he seemed different than he had the month before at the food court.

“It’s getting real bad,” he reportedly told them as he sat on the couch.

They thought at first he was talking about the weather, but his mind was on a string of recent police shootings. The Boyds are white. Tyler is biracial — his father was black and his mother white — and the past three days had been filled with explosive news stories about law enforcement officers killing and being killed, with race the underlying context in much of the coverage.

A black man named Alton Sterling had been shot dead on July 5 while he was pinned to the

ground by police in Louisiana. A black man named Philando Castile had been shot dead on July 6 by police during a traffic stop in Minnesota. Videos from the shootings spread quickly on social media, sparking protests across the country. A black military veteran named Micah Johnson gunned down five police officers on July 7 during a march in Dallas, reportedly retaliating for the deaths of black men killed by cops.

Tyler had begun to worry. “Things are about to get bad,” he had told his stepfather early on the morning of July 8.

That afternoon in Lakeshire, he told Julie Boyd and Jordan Lasley that it was getting dangerous with cops killing people. He was afraid for his safety.

Jordan Lasley was worried about the shootings, too, but for different reasons. She later told detectives that she reminded Tyler that her husband, Josh Lasley, was a police officer and told him she did not want to talk about the recent news. She claimed she tried to steer the conversation in another direction, but it was no use.

“He kept coming back to the police,” she said.

It was unsettling — so much so that Julie Boyd surreptitiously asked her oldest son, also named Josh, to drop by the house, they said. Tyler was still talking about the police when Josh Boyd and his wife arrived. They said they also tried and failed to change the subject. Jordan Lasley was becoming more and more upset.

“Why are you here?” she asked. “Why did you come to visit? Why are you bringing this up?”

He just came by to say hello, he told them. Apparently realizing he had upset everyone, he said he would leave. It was an awkward exit, so Josh Boyd followed up with him later on Facebook.

“Tyler, I that think both sides need to be able to have discussions with each other about getting upset,” he wrote. “I hope you realize I wasn’t trying to be mean but my sister is extremely upset and worried with all the police that have been killed in the last two days. Obviously, there are some bad cops, but I think the majority of cops are good guys.”

Tyler responded shortly after.

“You’re right but I don’t feel bad for Josh [Lasley] he knew what he was getting into when he took his oath,” he wrote. “He’s supposed to be out there making a difference. But he needs to be careful.”

Josh Boyd replied that he thought everyone needed to be careful. His brother-in-law would be careful, because he’s a smart guy, he added.

“I know he is,” Tyler replied. “He just needs to keep his head down.”

Less than 24 hours later, Tyler was dead. Josh Lasley shot him three times in the Boyds’ kitchen.

riverfronttimes.com

Continued on pg 12

MARCH 22-28, 2017

RIVERFRONT TIMES

13

SHATTERED Continued from pg 11

J

osh Lasley and Tyler Gebhard were not strangers. That’s something that was often lost in the aftermath of the shooting. Early reports claimed the biracial twenty-year-old and white cop had argued bitterly online about Black Lives Matter, sparking a deadly confrontation.

No evidence has emerged showing the two ever corresponded about anything online, but it was too late to slow the false narrative. People on the right and left seized on the idea of simmering racial tensions spilling from Facebook into the real world. Tyler and Lasley quickly became cliches of a divided America that was surely hurtling toward violence and destruction.

The official account from law enforcement did little to clear up the confusion.

“The suspect was known to the officer and the four additional family members present at the residence” is the way police described the relationship in a news release after the shooting. Behind those bland seventeen words were years of high school football practices, church services, birthday parties and Wednesday night youth groups convened with sodas and snacks in the Boyds’ home. When Lasley was hired by the St. Louis County Police Department in 2013, Tyler joined the family for a celebration dinner at Red Robin.

“He trusted those people,” his grandmother, Marlene Gebhard, says.

She goes over this point in her mind as she tries to sort out what happened. Marlene is the clear matriarch of the Gebhard family. The retired president of Shop ‘n Save grocery stores, she has assumed the role of spokeswoman for her grandson’s heartbroken friends and relatives. It is Marlene who most often answers reporters’ questions, who corresponds with the family’s lawyers at ArchCity Defenders and who sat down in February with St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch and a spokesman for what she says was an “extremely disappointing” meeting — a meeting in which she learned that Lasley would face no charges for her grandson’s death.

“It’s the same story they’ve told from the beginning with a few other details thrown in,” she told the Riverfront Times a few hours

14

RIVERFRONT TIMES

Larry Gebhard was close to his grandson Tyler, even sharing an apartment. | GEBHARD FAMILY after the sit-down.

She and her husband, Larry Gebhard, lived next to a golf course in O’Fallon, Missouri, and raised their grandson for large swaths of his life. Tyler and Larry were especially close. His grandfather taught Tyler to play golf and went to all his football and baseball games. When Tyler wanted to transfer to Affton after a year at Christian Brothers College High School, Larry rented an apartment in south county and moved with his grandson so they would live in the right school district.

“Wherever there was Tyler, there was Larry,” Marlene says.

They were proud of their grandson. He was a handsome, gifted athlete with a soft spot for people in need. She recalls how the coins from his piggy bank landed in the hands of a friend whose family was in danger of being evicted. Once, she questioned him in college about his dwindling checking account only to learn he had been renting a hotel room for a homeless man.

“Tyler was loving and kind and compassionate,” she says.

Ask his high school friends about him, and they’re likely to mention something dorky — the fedora he tried to pull off all through high school, video game marathons, his quest to win over anyone who was not a full-on enthusiast of Little Cae-

MARCH 22-28, 2017

riverfronttimes.com

He could have done anything and been great at it. sar’s pizza. A natural athlete who had speed, size and power, he was also a six-foot-one, 220-pound cello player who excelled at math and talked of becoming an architect.

“He could have done anything and been great at it,” childhood friend Laura Deen says.

Marcus Burse probably knew him better than anyone. They met during their sophomore year at Affton and quickly became friends.

Two of the school’s best athletes, they were also good students — Tyler in math, Burse in biology. On free days, they would hop in Tyler’s black Chevrolet Cruze and drive, looking for new places.

“Me and Tyler, we just like to explore,” he says. “We just didn’t like

to be in the house.”

Burse accepted a scholarship to play football at Truman State University. Tyler enrolled at Southeast Missouri State University and made the football team’s spring roster as a walk-on. At first they were too busy to talk much, but then Burse hurt his leg and had to have surgery. While he recovered, he and Tyler would pick a show — Orange Is the New Black, How to Get Away with Murder, Dexter – and bingewatch while they talked on the phone. Burse did not have a car, so Tyler would drive over to the Kirksville campus and bring him home for school breaks. The winter of Burse’s surgery, when he could not move his leg, Tyler physically lifted him and put him in the car.

Burse was leaving a drive-in theater with his girlfriend on July 9 when he started getting calls from Marlene. He missed a couple of them, and then saw a text from a friend, saying something had happened to Tyler. Burse called Marlene, and she was crying.

“I pulled over at a gas station,” he says. “I couldn’t drive.”

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Tyler had made the football team and joined a fraternity at Southeast Missouri State. | FACEBOOK

F

or all his generosity and good spirits, Tyler soon ran into some serious problems in college.

In the spring of 2015, life should have been good.

Tyler had joined a fraternity, and even though they hadn’t offered him a scholarship, Southeast Missouri’s football coaches were impressed enough by his size and speed to offer him a spot as a backup fullback.

But on April 17, campus police responded to reports of a man swinging a golf club at cars.

Outside the football team’s training facility, two squad cars pulled into the parking lot where a young man in a black shirt, blue shorts and tall socks was jumping up and down.

“I saw him approach another squad car and then run backwards jumping up and down,” one of the officers later wrote. “Due to my past training and experience it was clear the subject was under the influence of some kind of drug.”

A trainer for the football team had called campus police after Tyler started acting strangely in

the training room that morning. He told the trainer that he had smoked marijuana and insisted she turn him in to the NCAA, according to her written statement. He was not making sense; he asked her who she was and if she was perfect, the trainer wrote. She could not get him to calm down.

An assistant coach soon joined her, and they followed Tyler outside, where he ranted about Jesus Christ and NBA star Steph Curry, they told police. They watched as he ripped the gas tank lid off his Chevy and threw it, along with his keys, shoes and cellphone.

One of the first officers on the scene hopped out of his car with an extendable baton. As soon as the cop started walking toward him, Tyler laid down on the pavement and put his arms behind his back.

The officer cuffed him, figuring he was witnessing the effects of a bad acid trip.

“He was having severe mood swings where he would be happy and would yell for officers to shoot him,” the officer wrote in his report.

Continued on pg 14

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I

SHATTERED Continued from pg 15 Police shackled his legs when, they say, he began to kick. They called an ambulance. “Am I Jesus Christ?” Tyler asked.

The Riverfront Times obtained copies of the police reports through an open records request. Asked about the incident, his grandmother says it was Tyler’s first manic episode, characterized by what she would later recognize as “religious euphoria.” He was briefly hospitalized and diagnosed as suffering from bipolar disorder, not a bad reaction to drugs. He returned to school, but stopped taking his medication not long after, telling his grandmother that a counselor didn’t think he was bipolar.

A month later, football coaches recognized another episode coming on and contacted authorities.

Tyler willingly accompanied the dean of students and a police officer to a counselor’s office, and his grandfather drove down to pick him up. This time, Tyler checked into Mercy Hospital in St. Louis for an extended stay.

Marlene insists these are the only two manic episodes she and her husband ever witnessed. Her grandson may have acted erratically during them, but he was never actually violent, she says, nor was he ever charged with a crime.

However, Tyler’s stepfather, Christopher Johnson, told police in a taped interview that the problems began much earlier, when Tyler was a teen, and could be frightening.

Johnson claims a sixteen-yearold Tyler attacked his mother with a pipe, after which he went to live with his grandparents. “He’s had a lot of mental issues,” the stepfather told police in July.

Marlene disputes Johnson’s account of the incident but declines to go into detail.

“It is not the way it happened — I can say that,” she says. “That was a family issue, and Tyler went to live with us afterward, and we never had an issue.”

Similarly, she insists that other reported incidents have been misconstrued. A former college roommate who told campus police in April that Tyler warned him not to “get caught alone in the dark” was really a thief, she says; her grandson had caught the guy stealing from him. And she believes that the confusing mixture of angry and conciliatory Facebook messages Tyler 16

RIVERFRONT TIMES

Tyler had attended church with the Boyd family. | INSTAGRAM posted on July 8 and 9 shows only the disjointed way his mind was processing his fear and concern after the recent police shootings.

Johnson, however, says his stepson was worked up in the days before his death. He told police that Tyler suddenly showed up at their door on July 7 and announced he was moving in — four years after his mother kicked him out over the pipe incident. Tyler instructed his younger sisters to bring his clothes in from his car, and then left as soon as they finished. The family did not see him again until he returned at 5:30 a.m. the next day.

It was Friday, July 8, the same day he’d later visit the Boyds.

Johnson says he was getting ready for work when his stepson walked through the door, making bizarre statements.

“Oh, all kinds of odd stuff,” Johnson later told St. Louis County police. “He said, ‘I’ve been out,’ and he said, ‘I’ve outrun the cops in my car’ and all this, and ‘I’ve been doing this, and things are about to get bad.’”

Johnson had long ago adopted a system of appeasement to handle these types of situations. (“They say if it’s raining meatballs, you’ve gotta go get a plate,” he explained to police.) They chatted a little more, and Johnson headed off to work.

Tyler was crashed out on the couch when his stepfather re-

MARCH 22-28, 2017

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turned later that day. Tyler woke up ten minutes later and left. He did not come back that night or Saturday morning.

Johnson says they grew worried after speaking to one of Tyler’s younger sisters. She told them about a disturbing conversation on Friday. Tyler told her he was saying goodbye because he claimed to be “headed to Dallas to start killing cops,” the sister says, according to Johnson. He reportedly told her he was never coming back.

Marlene says she has not spoken to her granddaughter about that conversation and cannot say what happened, but it seems likely Tyler was at the beginning of another manic episode. One of her daughters even called a friend at a small police department in north county and asked him to spread the word: If they encountered Tyler acting strangely, please react without violence, she said.

The family was trying to head off a tragedy, but ultimately it would not be enough.

“He was a great kid who had the misfortune of having a chemical imbalance of the brain known as bipolar disorder,” Marlene says of her grandson. “In this world we live in, mental illness is a stigma. It’s not treated like any other thing. If I went and told you my grandson had cancer, I’d have all kinds of support.”

n the aftermath of the July 9 shooting, the Boyd and Gebhard families studied the Facebook exchange between Tyler and Josh Boyd from two days prior and drew very different conclusions about what it meant.

Tyler’s family would later interpret his “keep his head down” advice as well-wishing, the same as telling someone to drive safely.

A cousin, Leslie Hanlon, had spoken to Tyler twice on July 8 — before and after the weekend’s first visit to the Lakeshire house. She had noticed a string of his Facebook posts about the recent shootings.

Some were angry, others called for unity. They have at least ten active and former police officers in their family, and the posts included a picture of a candle for fallen officers.

“He was very empathetic toward both sides of the situation,” she says.

Hanlon says she just wanted to tell him his family cared about him.

“The reason I reached out to him is because I know he has a very tender heart and is very caring, just a passionate person,” she says.

“I could just tell by what he was posting on social media that he seemed upset, and I just wanted to call him and tell him, ‘Hey, we love you. We support you.’”

But where the Gebhard family saw a young man grappling with fear and compassion, the Boyds saw menace. The idea that Josh Lasley should be careful and “needs to keep his head down” was cited by family members as a possible threat when they later spoke to police.

There were other warning signs, too, they claimed. Two random people reportedly contacted them on their church Facebook page the next morning, posting screenshots attributed to Tyler with statements about killing white people and police.

In fact, the Boyds summoned Lakeshire and St. Louis County police to their house at about 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 9. Officers took a report about possible threats. Based on what appeared to be Tyler’s postings online, the cops also contacted Webster Groves police. They deployed an officer to the church the Boyds were renting for services that evening, just in case Tyler showed up.

That evening, shortly before 5:30 p.m., he did show up. But he didn’t come to church. He returned to their home.

Tyler had spent the day with a friend he knew from Affton and another young man. The friend,

21-year-old Neiko Warren, was wanted for a burglary. He later told police they had pawned some of Tyler’s stuff and used the money to buy marijuana they planned to sell.

Warren claimed Tyler had seemed paranoid lately, shouting at people at the mall and saying he was a god.

That afternoon, Tyler told Warren he planned to go to church with the Boyd family, so they drove over to Lakeshire. Warren dropped him off and then drove away in Tyler’s car, planning to pick him up in a couple of hours, he said.

But this time, something went terribly wrong.

As with Tyler’s visit the day before, Julie Boyd, her daughter Jordan and Jordan’s two young children were home — only Jordan’s husband, Josh Lasley, was there too.

Tyler began ringing the doorbell.

Josh Lasley says he was using the basement bathroom after finishing up work at his side job when his wife, Jordan, called out to him from the basement stairs.

“She was pretty hysterical, saying, ‘He’s here! He’s here! He’s trying to bust in through the front door,’” he said in a recorded interview with law enforcement. “I asked her who, she said, ‘Tyler, Tyler Gebhard.’”

Lasley said he bolted up the stairs while his wife locked herself in a front bedroom with their two kids and her mother. Jordan dialed 911.

Tyler had left the front of the house by the time the off-duty cop reached the door, Lasley said. But when he looked out the back of the house, he could see the younger man’s shadow.

Lasley slipped out the front, ran to his truck and grabbed a gun — his personal .40-caliber Glock pistol — and then ducked back inside. He still couldn’t see Tyler, so he went to check on the rest of the family hiding out in the bedroom, he said.

“As I was telling them to call 911, I heard a loud bang coming through the window,” he said.

Lasley claimed he returned to the kitchen to find a hunk of concrete lying in a pile of glass. Tyler, having apparently thrown the heavy block through the floor-length window, was climbing into the house, he said.

At this point, the interaction reached a neighbor’s ears. She later told police they could hear Lasley shouting, “Get the fuck down! Get the fuck on the ground!”

A Lakeshire police officer, responding at 5:25 p.m. to the 911 call for a burglary, arrived at about the same time. He edged around

to the back of the house, where he saw broken glass on the deck next to the window. Seconds later, he heard three gunshots from inside the house.

But no one knew who’d been shot. Inside the bedroom, Jordan Lasley and Julie Boyd panicked.

They pushed out a window screen and began crawling outside.

“I heard a gunshot, and I didn’t know who shot the gun,” Julie Boyd would later tell a detective. “I didn’t know who was going to be coming through the door next.” When St. Louis County police officers arrived, they found the 54-year-old grandmother dangling half out of the bedroom window in a desperate attempt to flee with her daughter and grandkids.

In the meantime, the Lakeshire cop, still in the rear of the house, crept toward the broken back window. “Police! Come out,” he cried.

The man who peered out was Lasley — and the officer recognized him as a county cop.

The rear entrance was littered with broken glass, so they agreed to meet at the front door. There, they were joined by the first St. Louis County police officers on scene. Lasley led his fellow officers through a hallway into the kitchen, according to the police report. His gun was on the kitchen table. Sprawled out on the hardwood floor next to a center island was Tyler.

The officers began calling dispatch for an ambulance. Two of them slid the twenty-year-old’s arms out from under his body and cuffed his wrists behind his back while the Lakeshire cop radioed for an ambulance. Tyler was bleeding out.

One officer led Lasley outside, while the others pressed towels against Tyler’s chest. They were having a hard time finding the bullet holes. Too much blood was soaking through his white Under Armour shirt. Tyler was gasping when they decided to uncuff him, roll him onto his back and begin CPR. An Affton Fire Protection District ambulance arrived at 5:36 p.m. Tyler did not have a pulse when they loaded him onto a stretcher at 5:47 p.m. and took off for St. Anthony’s Medical Center, according to the medical records. He had been hit three times: twice in the chest and a graze wound to the neck.

The ambulance arrived at the hospital at 5:55 p.m., and it was already too late. Three minutes later, a doctor confirmed Tyler was dead.

Continued on pg 18

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17

SHATTERED Continued from pg 17

I

n the hours after Tyler Gebhard’s death, St. Louis County detectives began their interviews. Josh Lasley agreed to speak in the presence of his attorney, as did his wife and inlaws.

Shortly after midnight, on the second floor of the county police headquarters in Clayton, he described rushing up the basement stairs and checking on his wife, kids and mother-in-law. He told the detective about grabbing his gun from his truck, running back inside and hearing the crash of a window shattering.

He described standing the kitchen of his wife’s parents’ house and pointing his gun at a family friend.

“I kept telling him just to get out, get out,” Lasley says in the recorded interview. “He kept saying, ‘You know who I am. I’m Tyler. You’re not going to shoot me. I’m Jesus. Give me the gun.’”

Lasley claimed he fired only after Tyler lunged for the pistol, the bullet grazing his neck. Then Lasley pulled the trigger twice more.

It did not fire, so he re-racked it.

He claimed Tyler followed him as he backed around a kitchen table.

“You shot me, bro,” Tyler said, according to Lasley. “Why did you do that? I’m Tyler.”

Lasley shouted at him to get down. It was loud enough for their neighbor to hear, but Lasley claimed that Tyler kept coming.

“You can’t kill me; I’m Jesus,” he said, according to Lasley.

Tyler made one more lunge, Lasley claimed, and this time the gun did not malfunction.

Inside the house, police found three shell casings and a bullet that apparently ricocheted off the wall after grazing Tyler’s neck.

They circled the rooms, photographing anything that seemed relevant: a broken picture frame, Lasley’s gun, Tyler’s blood. A 100-pound hunk of concrete was lying in a pile of glass beneath a highchair next to the shattered window.

Dozens of officers filled the tiny neighborhood, and the St. Louis County police chief conducted an on-scene news conference. His comments were reported in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

“I don’t think the officer had a choice,” he told reporters. “I honestly don’t.”

18

RIVERFRONT TIMES

Police tweeted a picture of the Boyds’ broken window after the shooting. | ST. LOUIS COUNTY POLICE

C

hief Jon Belmar’s quote from that first night nags at Marlene Gebhard to this day.

How could the chief be so certain so soon when she still has so many questions more than eight months later, she wonders.

Even after prosecutors released their report in February, and police released their records three weeks later, Marlene says she still does not have answers.

She wonders how her broadshouldered grandson could fit through that waist-high hole in the Boyds’ window without

MARCH 22-28, 2017

riverfronttimes.com

cutting himself or knocking over the highchair sitting right there.

She wonders why Josh Lasley, a physically strong and professionally trained law enforcement officer, immediately pulled a gun when her grandson had none. She wonders why, if the Boyds were so worried about Tyler, they did not contact her, a woman they had known for years.

“Why in the hell didn’t they call me?” she asks one afternoon. “They called everyone else.”

She has so many questions. On the day of her meeting with prosecutors, she says she carried four pages of

things she wanted to ask. After listening to McCulloch say the words “justifiable homicide” in the first five minutes, she put them away.

Marlene says the family interviewed some of the region’s top attorneys after her grandson’s death and ultimately hired ArchCity Defenders because of the nonprofit firm’s work on social justice issues, including police abuse. She now spends hours every day looking at cases of police shooting unarmed black men across the country. She says she has lost faith in our justice system.

grandmother were crawling out of a bedroom window when a massive chunk of concrete shattered the back door of their home.”

The head pastor of the Boyds’ church, Owen Taylor, says the family has struggled with the shooting.

The attorney advised him (as well as the Boyds) not to speak to reporters, Taylor says, but he is worried people will think no one cared. Tyler was a good kid, and the Boyds are a good family, he says. It’s a tragedy on all sides.

“Being friends with Rich,” the pastor says, “I don’t think there’s a day that goes by that he doesn’t think about Tyler.”

M Josh Lasley was an officer in Desloge before joining the St. Louis County department. | DESLOGE POLICE Maybe she’ll start a foundation in her grandson’s name or write a book to help other families, she says.

She would like legislation that would require police to update families as cases progress. She has lost count of the times a reporter asked about some piece of information she had yet to see. It is an excruciating process, she says, like having her “skin peeled off.”

Finally, after months of asking, Marlene received the police and prosecutors’ reports and read through them. She has listened to the audio interviews recorded by detectives. The attorneys at ArchCity will continue to go through them piece by piece. But she knows the shooting will never make sense to her.

She cannot picture her grandson “lunging” at anyone.

She does believe that Tyler was afraid for his safety in those last days. If he was also in a state of religious euphoria, she says, it is even possible he made the comments about Jesus. But it seems to Marlene that her grandson had agreed to go to church with a family he had known for years, and that’s what he was doing on July 9.

Reminded of the comments he supposedly made to his sister about driving to Dallas and shooting police officers, she says little can be discerned from his nonsensical ramblings in the final hours of his life, other than that he was upset as a result of all the news of police shootings.

“All I can say is this: He put some stupid stuff on Facebook, too, that day,” she says. “If he said those things, he didn’t go to Dallas. He didn’t do anything bizarre like that.”

She looked at his posts about Dallas, his posts supporting the pro-police Blue Lives Matter and a picture he posted of a black baby and white baby hugging.

“He was all over the place,” she says. “All over the place, but they don’t tell you that. They just tell you the thing that makes the case seem justified.”

The Boyd family’s attorney, Joseph Goff, responded to a handful of emails from the Riverfront Times, but neither he nor the family ultimately agreed to an interview. In February, he wrote, “… keep in mind that a 3 month old baby, a 2 year old baby and a mother and

arlene and Larry Gebhard gave their dead grandson’s car to his friend Marcus Burse after the funeral.

Burse and Tyler had spent hours upon hours driving around St. Louis in the Chevrolet. Now Burse drives it alone, delivering pizzas to help pay for college. He has transferred to Harris-Stowe State University, where he plans to play basketball next season.

He never had any money, moving nearly a dozen times as a kid before a teacher took in him and his brother and enrolled them at Affton, he says. The Gebhards became like an extended family. They always assumed the two friends would follow similar tracks: sports, college, jobs. After high school graduation, Marlene and Larry asked the boys to drive one of the family’s cars down to the Gebhards’ vacation property in Florida. The idea was to give them a vacation together before they headed off to different universities.

The trip was full of new experiences for Burse. He had never been to Florida. He had never seen the ocean. Tyler took him golfing.

“I’d never been golfing before, and now I like it,” Burse says.

But it is the drive down there that he remembers most. Tyler drove the whole way, steering the sedan south on a diagonal path across the country. Burse could not keep his eyes open, dozing in the passenger’s seat as his friend carried them along hour after hour. Tyler mostly just let him sleep, but whenever they neared something interesting, he would lean over to wake him.

Now that his friend is gone, Burse thinks back to the way Tyler would rouse him each time another state line came into view. Burse would wake to his friend gesturing to some new sight on the horizon — “just so I wouldn’t miss it.” n riverfronttimes.com

MARCH 22-28, 2017

RIVERFRONT TIMES

19

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WEEK OF MARCH 23-29

THURSDAY 03/23 Imagery of Chess: St. Louis Artists In 1944 Marcel Duchamp, Julien Levy and Max Ernst organized The Imagery of Chess, an exhibition of chess sets reimagined by artists and performers. Their hope was that people’s vision of the chess board and pieces would be expanded beyond the then-accepted options of either the classic Staunton design or the “French” set. In 2016, the World Chess Hall of Fame exhibited some of the works from the 1944 show to acknowledge the debt owed to those artists for forever altering the look of chess. Imagery of Chess: St. Louis Artists is the new follow-up exhibit, which invites twenty local artists to have their way with the game pieces. Among those participating are Eugenia Alexander, who cites the Afrofuturism movement as a key influence on her work; fashion designer and Project Runway vet Michael Drummond; and Yuka Suga, a glass and metals artist who also works as a therapist. A second, simultaneous show, Pow! Capturing Superheroes, Chess & Comics, showcases more than 200 chess-themed comic books (you’d be surprised by how many super villains play chess to keep their minds sharp for optimal intricate scheming functionality). There are also superhero-themed chess boards and a comic book reading room. Both exhibitions open a free reception from 6 to 8 p.m.

Thursday, March 23, at the World Chess Hall of Fame (4652 Maryland Avenue; www.worldchesshof.org).

Imagery of Chess continues through September 14. Pow! remains up through September 17. Admission is a suggested $5 donation.

FRIDAY 03/24 Gospel According to the Other Mary Composer John Adams and li-

Michael Drummond imagines a new look for chess as part of Imagery of Chess: St. Louis Artists. | MICHAEL DRUMMOND

BY PAUL FRISWOLD brettist Peter Sellars addressed Handel’s Messiah from the twentieth century with their nativity oratorio El Niño. Now, from the stark weirdness of the 21st century, they bookend that work with The Gospel According to the Other Mary, a symphony/operatic mash-up that tells the story of the Passion from the point of view of Mary Magdalene, her sister Martha and their brother Lazarus.

It’s a massive work that requires a sound designer, a cimbalom (a large hammered dulcimer sized for concert halls), a half-dozen vocalists and the power of a full chorus. This Gospel (a joint reply

to Bach and his Passions) weaves in social narratives from writers such as medieval mystic Hildegard of Bingen and Dorothy Day, the bohemian who converted to Catholicism and advocated for the poor and homeless as part of the Catholic Worker Movement. This musical tale is a much more feminine view of the Passion than the version found in the Bible. The St. Louis Symphony presents The Gospel According to the Other Mary at 8 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Sunday (March 24 and 26) at Powell Hall (718 North Grand Boulevard; www.slso.org). Tickets are $25 to $111. riverfronttimes.com

Lot 49 The Luminary’s second installment of Lot 49 is not a celebration of the Thomas Pynchon novella The Crying of Lot 49. It is, rather, an art auction and celebration of local artists, as well as a fundraiser for the host institution. The name comes from the auction’s financial plan: 51 percent of the money from the sale of each piece goes to the artist, while the remaining 49 percent stays with the Luminary (2701 Cherokee Street; www.theluminaryarts.com). More than 50 pieces are up for grabs by artists such as Eric Wesley, Jason

MARCH 22-28, 2017

Continued on pg 22

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CALENDAR Continued from pg 21 Lazarus, Kahlil Irving and Lyndon Barrois Jr. Potential bidders can opt for the VIP cocktail reception and auction preview ticket ($50), which includes complimentary wine and beer, chef-prepared food, the chance to mingle with the artists and the first crack at bidding from 7 to 8 p.m.

The public event ($10) runs from 8 to 11 p.m. and features interactive bidding, DJ sets and artist-designed-cocktails.

SATURDAY 03/25 St. Louis Undy Run/Walk Once you reach a certain age, you think more about the time that’s behind you than what’s in front of you.

And you know what else is behind you? Your colon. Colorectal cancer is highly treatable, but only if discovered early. Once you hit 50, you should get tested for colon cancer regularly. And even if 50 is still a ways away, you probably have a loved one in the danger zone — give ‘em a reminder to get it checked out.

March is Colon Cancer Awareness month, and to help raise awareness about the efficacy of early testing, the St. Louis Undy Run/Walk invites you either to compete in the 5K run or 1-mile fun run to help raise money for the Colon Cancer Alliance. You don’t have to strip down to your underwear to participate, but all racers and fun-runners receive a free pair of boxers with their registration. The St. Louis Undy Run/ Walk starts at 9 a.m. today at Forest Park in the Lower Muny parking lot (www.undyrunwalk.org). Registration is $35 to $40.

St. Louis Osuwa Taiko If you’ve ever been the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Japanese Festival, you’ve likely heard the group St. Louis Osuwa Taiko, if not actually seen it. Members perform intricate and rhythmic percussion pieces on traditional Japanese taiko drums, some of which are so large that their report can be heard throughout the garden. Tonight at 8 p.m. the group takes its act indoors to the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the 22

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University of Missouri-St. Louis campus (1 University Drive at Natural Bridge Road; www.touhill.org). Osuwa Taiko will collaborate with special guests Afriky Lolo (well-known for his west African drum and dance ensemble) and local Japanese musical ensemble Gaku. Tickets are $10 to $25.

SUNDAY 03/26 Light: A Celebration of Life The Gateway Men’s Chorus will not give in to the darkness of this year.

Instead, the group fights back with a program of songs dedicated to life in the midseason concert of its 30th year, Light. “Community” and “courage” are the watchwords, as the chorus joins forces with soloist Christine Brewer and two additional choirs (the Council Oak Men’s Chorale of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the Lindenwood University Men’s Chorus) to perform the music of Verdi, Radiohead and Florence and the Machine. Also on the bill is Randall Thompson’s Testament of Freedom, which underlines the ongoing fight for LGBT equality by joining the struggle to the words of the founding fathers. The chorus also has the pri vilege of debuting a new work in Eric Lane Barnes’ composition that satirizes the cruel stupidity of North Carolina’s bathroom bill. The Gateway Men’s Chorus celebrates Light at 3 p.m. today at the 560 Music Center (560 Trinity Avenue, University City; www.gmcstl.org). Tickets are $15 to $25.

can bang into the post-season and then play spoiler. Don’t underestimate the power of schadenfreude — ruining the Blackhawks’ season is always a pleasure. Tonight at 7 p.m. the Blues take on the Arizona Coyotes, who are hanging out near the bottom of the standings once again, at Scottrade Center (1401 Clark Avenue; www.stlblues.com).

The Coyotes have nothing to play for but pride, so expect a tight-checking game (that spoiler role is also an option near the end of the regular season for some teams). Tickets are $20 to $319.

MONDAY 03/27 Blues vs. Coyotes

WEDNESDAY 03/29 QFest

Who are the 2017 St. Louis Blues?

The team has been doing its best roller coaster imitation with a long winning streak followed by a long losing streak — and then, just to mix things up, another solid winning streak. Management traded away a top defenseman (Kevin Shattenkirk) during that streak of streaks, so it feels like the Blues aren’t championship contenders this year. But maybe they’re still playoff contenders? Recent wins against the Minnesota Wild and the Los Angeles Kings have shown there’s still fight left in this team. Maybe the Blues

For its tenth installment, QFest moves into a new home. The annual festival of LGBT films takes over .Zack (3224 Locust Street; www.cinemastlouis.org) for five nights (Wednesday through Sunday, March 29 to April 2) of features, classics and documentaries, with topics including the fight for the right to get married in your hometown and ex-girlfriends who somehow manage to share a true crime podcast.

QFest opens with a free screening of Lovesong at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

So Yong Kim directs the story of two friends, Sarah and Mindy (Riley Ke-

MARCH 22-28, 2017

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Can Vladimir Tarasenko shoot us into the playoffs? | © SCOTT ROVAK/ST. LOUIS BLUES ough and Jena Malone), who take a road trip together mostly because Sarah is tired of being ignored by her husband. Somewhere out there on the road, they both feel a more romantic spark for each other — but Mindy pulls back and returns home. Several years later, Sarah goes after Mindy and attempts to rekindle the feelings they shared on the ill-fated trip, but arrives shortly before Mindy’s own wedding. William Friedkin’s 1970 film version of Matt Crowley’s seminal play, The Boys in the Band, screens at 9 p.m. ($10 to $13). Michael hosts a birthday party for his pal Harold and their small circle of friends — all of them gay and out. When Michael’s college roommate Alan unexpectedly shows up, his thinly veiled revulsion for homosexuality leads to spats, fights and a cruel game designed to humiliate everyone who plays it.

Planning an event, exhibiting your art or putting on a play? Let us know and we’ll include it in the Calendar 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 300, 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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FILM

[REVIEW]

Text Me Maybe Kristen Stewart waits on the line in Olivier Assayas’ pensive ghost story Personal Shopper

Written and directed by Olivier Assayas.

Starring Kristen Stewart, Lars Eidinger, Anders Danielsen Lie and Ty Olwin. Opens Friday, March 24, at the Landmark Plaza Frontenac Cinema.

Written by

ROBERT HUNT

T

hough he has never had the kind of breakthrough hit that would guarantee a U.S. arthouse audience, Olivier Assayas has been one of the most interesting filmmakers of the last two decades. He’s hard to pin down, shifting from small family dramas and chamber pieces that recall Bergman and Rohmer (Clouds of Sils Maria, Summer Hours) to international epics (the masterful Carlos) and weird genre-busting films, including the tech-paranoid Demonlover and the delirious Irma Vep, in which Hong Kong heroine Maggie Cheung (who later, briefly, became Assayas’ wife) channels the villainess from the 1915 serial Les Vampires while her unstable director, Jean-Pierre Léaud, has a breakdown. Assayas is a post-New Wave director who borrows from the methods of the generation that preceded him but remains keenly attuned to the cultural and technological shifts that have followed.

But while his interests seem to go in every direction, the connecting factor is a strong critical look at the way we live and communicate in the media-saturated contemporary world.

With Personal Shopper, Assayas reunites with Kristen Stewart after her revelatory supporting role in Clouds of Sils Maria (for which she became the first American actress to win a Cesar award). I’m sure

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Kristen Stewart wanders through the world in search of actual communication. | CAROLE BETHUEL, COURTESY OF IFC FILMS that some people will complain that nothing much happens in the film, despite two supernatural episodes and a grisly murder, or that Stewart, whose flawlessly subtle performance commands every scene, isn’t really acting — one critic praised her “riveting non-performance.” But those responses don’t do justice to the psychological depth or casually ambiguous nature of the film.

It’s simultaneously a ghost story in the Henry James tradition, a slightly abstract suspense film and a psychological profile of a young woman coasting through life — a cool Repulsion for the text-andselfie age. For a movie in which nothing much happens, there’s an awful lot going on.

Stewart plays Maureen, a young American in Paris struggling with solitude and juggling a network of strained relationships and mixed signals. She has a boyfriend whom she sees only via Skype, while her employer is a constantly absent celebrity for whom Maureen samples and negotiates

MARCH 22-28, 2017

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a seemingly endless supply of expensive jewelry and haute couture garments, functioning, in a sense, as a fitting-room surrogate.

(Maureen’s secret vice is that she likes to surreptitiously try on her boss’s clothes.) She has a mysterious admirer/communicant who teases her and makes demands via text message. And most importantly, she has a standing commitment with local spiritualists to watch for possible spirit messages from her recently deceased twin brother.

(That’s one reason — though certainly not the only one — that she’s so tolerant of her mystery texter.)

For much of the film, Assayas simply observes Maureen as she passively navigates various personal and profession obligations, meeting with fawning dealers and designers, wandering through train stations and hotel lobbies.

She’s indifferent to life, yet at the same time passionately looking for some kind of meaningful communication, poring through volumes of art and trying to hear her

brother in the taps and creaks of an old building.

There is a relentlessness to Personal Shopper, a sense, perfectly conveyed by Stewart, that Maureen is being gradually worn down by the trivial demands of her job and the emptiness of the online tightrope act her life has become.

(Dealing with ghosts and a murder don’t make things any easier.) It is also, strangely, a kind of mystery, although she doesn’t know exactly what she’s searching for.

Her uneasiness, Assayas suggests, comes from being bombarded from all sides by too many messages and not enough content.

She’s caught between the mysteries of the spiritual world and the superficial attractions of the material one, and in the long run, spirit tappings and text messages can be equally difficult to decipher.

Though I suspect viewers will be divided as to whether she actually receives an answer, Stewart and Assayas turn the very process of questioning into a fascinating drama. n

THE ARTS [ S TA G E ]

Birds of Prey A powerful production at the New Jewish Theatre revisits Leopold and Loeb’s thrill-killing Written by

PAUL FRISWOLD Never the Sinner

Written by John Logan. Directed by Rick Dildine. Presented by New Jewish Theatre through April 2 at the Jewish Community Center’s Wool Studio Theatre (2 Millstone Campus Drive, Creve Coeur; www. newjewishtheatre.org). Tickets are $39.50 to $43.50.

J

ohn Logan’s drama Never the Sinner is inspired by the true story of young and handsome thrill-killers Leopold and Loeb, but it is not a blow-by-blow factual account. Instead, Logan goes looking for an artistic truth — what occurred between the two youths that drove them to kill? — which he frames as a love story.

Under Rick Dildine’s direction at New Jewish Theatre, Never the Sinner becomes something more than a meditation on the peculiar alchemy that takes place when two people merge into a single entity.

Contained within its flashbacks and courtroom scenes is a debate about whether justice is better served by mercy or vengeance, as well as a subtly told chase story that is as engrossing as the love story is salacious.

We first encounter our murderous millionaires as Leopold (Jack Zanger) delivers a lecture on the hunting technique of the falcon, which contrasts with its shy nature when threatened. Behind him in the darkness sits Loeb (Pete Winfrey), chuckling at the merciless nature of the falcon’s practice of stunning its prey with a powerful blow to the head. Leopold breaks into an oleaginous smile at the thought of it, his saturnine features becoming ghoulish.

Loeb appears to be the main force in their relationship.

Garrulous, classically handsome and prone to flights of fantasy

that bring him to a near-ecstatic state, Loeb’s passions seem to be the only thing that matter to him, other than being recognized as a paragon of Nietzsche’s theory of the übermensch. His money, his many girlfriends and Leopold’s love for him all pale beside his dream of wowing the world with his brilliance, something he planned to demonstrate by getting away with a series of increasingly elaborate crimes, with Leopold’s help. (Leopold gets sexual favors out of the bargain.)

It is in this excitable state that they hatch their scheme to commit the “perfect crime,” which will prove to all of Chicago that they cannot be restrained by the law or mundane morality; they are the supermen. And so they decide to kill a younger boy and convince the police their victim is being held hostage somewhere in the city.

Despite their “supermen” status, they muck it up and are caught.

The men who will later serve as their prosecutor and defense attorney watch the pair fumble their way through the planning, capture and actual killing from chairs set just outside the performance area (a benefit of the theater’s in-the-round staging).

Scenic designers Peter and Margery Spack frame the black box theater as a well-appointed study, with wood paneling and anatomical drawings of birds on the walls, to sumptuous effect. They also make good use of “red crime-solving yarn” (you see it in every police procedural, connecting clues on a wall), which spans the walls and brings us all into the connective tissue of the story.

Prosecuting attorney Robert Crowe (Eric Dean White) is determined to see Leopold and Loeb hang, and not just because he’s up for reelection next year and all Chicago is baying for blood (John Reidy, Maggie Conroy and Will Bonfiglio serve as the city’s chorus, reading outraged news reports and filling in as hostile witnesses when needed). Crowe must face off against the renowned Clarence Darrow (John Flack), who is morally opposed to the death penalty but enters a guilty plea nonetheless; he hopes to persuade the court that more murders

25

Leopold and Loeb (Jack Zanger and Pete Winfrey) plot to kill a child. | ERIC WOOLSEY won’t solve anything and win life sentences for his clients.

Both White and Flack are excellent, bringing a palpable heat to their arguments about the nature of justice and the sanctity of life. Winfrey, too, does great work as a laughing, almost emotionless killer. He rejects Leopold’s early suggestion that they kill Loeb’s brother with “no, it might upset mom,” which Winfrey delivers with detached hesitancy. That hesitancy returns when Loeb finally realizes that the court most likely doesn’t care about his superman fantasies, and that his death is imminent.

Winfrey suddenly goes to pieces, and then just as quickly becomes still when Leopold agrees with his assessment of their chances.

Zanger delivers the outstanding performance of the show, however.

Still a junior in college, his portrayal of Leopold is one of mature nuance and subtle power. Rational and calculating at all times, he is the falcon of the opening scene. For him the killing is as justifiable “as an entomologist killing a beetle on a pin.” riverfronttimes.com

While imprisoned, Leopold composes aloud a letter to his father to thank him for mailing ornithological books to the prison.

In it he expresses his surprise to read that the falcon has a smaller brain than the common crow. Zanger’s voice slows as he says this aloud, realizing with reserved horror the implication: As smart as he believes himself to be, Robert Crowe has him dead to rights. (Bird imagery is woven throughout: If you take a closer look above Crowe’s chair during the intermission, you’ll see a print of crows and blackbirds hanging above it. A massive depiction of a raptor’s talon is paired with Zanger’s opening remarks.)

These twinned stories of pursuit, bloodlust and plain old lust all come together in the final scene, which is chronologically the first. Leopold and Loeb meet at a party, and a dark flame of attraction flickers between them.

That flame ultimately consumes them, but not before the falcon n takes his prey.

MARCH 22-28, 2017

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CAFE

27

The mixed shawarma entree is served with rice, tahini sauce and an Arabic salad. | MABEL SUEN [REVIEW]

Fit for a King Mohammed Alsalem brings the best of the Middle East to a holein-the-wall off Delmar Written by

CHERYL BAEHR Shawarma King

571 Melville Avenue, University City; 314261-4833. Mon.-Sun. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

W

hen he was just three years old, Mohammed Alsalem was sent to Jordan by his father. He doesn’t like to talk much about it — partly because of the feelings it conjures, but mostly because he really doesn’t understand his father’s reasons. “He said he wanted me to learn about my country,” is all

Alsalem knows. “But I was born here, right down the street at St. Mary’s Hospital.”

Born in Richmond Heights to an American mother and Jordanian father who split up before his second birthday, Alsalem considers St. Louis home, even though he spent the better part of his youth in the Middle East.

After leaving the U.S. for Jordan, he lived with extended family who did their best to instill in him the culture of his paternal homeland.

He went to school, worked odd jobs and lived his life — but as soon as he turned eighteen, he was on a plane back to St. Louis.

“Why would I come back?” he asks. “Why wouldn’t I? This is my country.”

However eager he was to return to the States, one thing stuck with Alsalem from his time in Jordan: the cuisine. As a youth, Alsalem had a passion for cooking, and he’d taught himself how to make the Middle Eastern delicacies he saw at home and on the street. It

wasn’t a career move — the jobs he worked in Jordan were outside the food business. He pursued cooking simply for the love of it and for something to do.

Those skills served him well when he returned to St. Louis seventeen years ago. In need of a job, Alsalem worked at several Middle Eastern restaurants around town before opening Petra in downtown Kirkwood.

When that spot closed after only a year, Alsalem’s friends and family hoped he would leave the insecurity and long hours of the restaurant business behind him.

However, he could not shake the feeling that another concept swirling around in his head, a hole-in-the-wall shawarma spot, would be a success.

Armed with his signature beef and chicken shawarma recipes and a commitment to serving only freshly prepared foods, Alsalem opened Shawarma King this past December. The restaurant sits in the small storefront just off riverfronttimes.com

Melville that was the original home of Seoul Taco and, more recently, held Zippy Burger. The space is small, with room for only six yellow painted tables and a small ordering counter. The yellow and dark blue walls are sparsely adorned, creating the feel of a casual takeout spot.

Alsalem is quick to point out the open kitchen that allows his two spits of shawarma — one beef and one chicken — to be visible the moment you walk through the front door. Alsalem is proud of how he makes the dish: Every day, he spices the meat and stacks it on the spit by hand, a technique he says is lost on many of the Middle Eastern restaurateurs around town who buy their shawarma meat already prepared.

The added effort results in perfectly seasoned, succulent m e a t , e a r n i n g A l s a l e m ’s shawarma a spot at the head of the town’s pack of Middle Eastern restaurants. Chicken, shaved off to order and Continued on pg 29

MARCH 22-28, 2017

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Tabbouleh, stuffed grape leaves and falafel are among the classic appetizers on offer. | MABEL SUEN

SHAWARMA KING Continued from pg 27 scented with garlic and lemon, is placed on the plate in thick, succulent hunks over rice. This is no plain basmati, however: The bright orange rice is generously spiced with turmeric, cumin and various Middle Eastern spices akin to Indian masala. It has a slight kick to it, which amps up the mild flavors of the chicken. A little drizzle of tahini cools the heat.

As excellent as Alsalem’s chicken shawarma is, I found myself positively enamored by the beef version. It’s easy to see why Alsalem wants to show off this beautiful hunk of meat. The fat cap that crowns the spit glistens and renders down, infusing the beef with rich flavor. When sliced, the exterior pieces come off in little caramelized bits, leaving an interior as juicy as a well-cooked steak. Like the chicken, it’s served with a side of tahini, though the meat is flavorful enough to stand on its own.

Platters come with rice and a tomato cucumber salad, but the meat can also be prepared “Arabi” style, meaning wrapped in pita and pressed. The result is

a crisp sandwich that’s the Middle Eastern version of a panini, served with a side of battered fries that beg to be drowned in the pungent, house-made garlic purée.

Shawarma may be king at this restaurant, but it’s not the only reason for a visit. Alsalem makes everything from scratch, and his efforts show on dishes like the falafel, its crisp fried exterior yielding to a soft chickpea mixture on the inside.

You may think you’ve had your falafel fill after enjoying such a fine specimen, but then you’d be missing out on the “Falafel Mahshi.” In addition to the usual seasoned chickpea mix, the “Mahshi” version is studded with onions, sesame seeds and sumac that turn the croquette into a punchier masterpiece of the form.

Even the side dishes are created with great care at Shawarma King.

The hummus is silken, drenched in olive oil and topped with a green pepperoncini tapenade that infuses it with spice. Baba gannoujh is creamy and liberally flavored with tahini, giving it a deep earthy flavor. It, too, is capped with the spiced tapenade, though Alsalem is happy to leave it off if you’d prefer to experience

the joyful simplicity of the eggplant and tahini taste.

Stuffed grape leaves, here called “Warak Inab,” are a refreshing finger food, wrapped around rice, tomatoes, garlic, parsley and drizzled with a lemony sauce. Creamy cucumber yogurt dip is bright, studded with hunks of cucumbers and flecked with fresh mint and the tahini salad — basically a Middle Eastern slaw made with diced tomatoes and cucumbers. It serves as a refreshing garnish for the various forms of shawarma.

Alsalem knows that he could cut corners and still be successful — buy pre-made hummus, serve frozen shawarma meat — but he thinks this is short-sighted. “This has been missing in St. Louis,” he explains. “I don’t mean shawarma.

You can get that here, but this sort of real, quality shawarma like they serve in the Middle East, you can’t find that anywhere here in town.”

Alsalem would know — even if he had to leave behind his family and travel halfway around the world to find out. n

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31

32

SHORT ORDERS

[SIDE DISH]

How Chip Schloss Launched Atomic Cowboy — and Made the Grove Written by

CHERYL BAEHR

I

f everything had worked out according to plan, Chip Schloss would never have opened Atomic Cowboy (4140 Manchester Avenue, 314-775-0775).

“When I bought this building in the Grove twelve years ago, I thought the neighborhood looked like it could become the next Loop,” Schloss recalls. “Unfortunately, nobody else believed that.

I had a vision for a restaurant in the downstairs storefront of the building I’d bought, but I couldn’t get anyone to occupy it. So I said, ‘Screw it, we’ll do it ourselves.’ Everybody thought I was nuts.”

A business developer for Sony by day, Schloss had found himself in the Grove when the Washington Avenue loft where he was leasing office space was bought by a redeveloper. He was given a choice: Purchase the 900-square-foot space for an astronomical price or buy elsewhere. “They were asking five times the price I paid for this entire building in the Grove,” says Schloss. “So I opened our offices on the second floor and looked for a tenant for the first floor.”

Twelve years ago, the Grove was not the hotspot that it is today. Though the neighborhood

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RIVERFRONT TIMES

Restaurateur Chip Schloss saw the Grove’s potential more than a decade ago: “It looked exactly like the Loop.” | MABEL SUEN was anchored by a few iconic bars (Novak’s, Attitudes), storefronts stood vacant and real estate was cheap. Schloss saw the opportunity. “It looked exactly like the Loop. It was about the same size between Vandeventer and Kingshighway as the Loop is between Skinker and Trinity,” he explains.

“The buildings were designed the same, to be residential on the top and retail storefronts on the bottom. I thought that if we could get a restaurant in here, it could be like the Blueberry Hill of the Grove.”

Schloss didn’t have experience in the restaurant business, but he drew upon his time spent in Southern California and Mexico’s Baja California region for the Atomic Cowboy concept. “I always say that the way it looks out back, with the open walls and the rustic feel,

MARCH 22-28, 2017

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that all we need is an ocean down the block and it would be Baja,” Schloss laughs.

To bring people to the neighborhood, Schloss knew that he would have to make the place not just a restaurant, but an entertainment destination as well. He also consciously cultivated a well-worn aesthetic to give Atomic Cowboy the feel of an institution, even from its inception. “It became a joke about how much knotty pine I’d use,” Schloss laughs.

These days, Schloss’ vision for the Grove has come to fruition, and even as the neighborhood grows, Atomic Cowboy has too.

Bartending legend Tony Saputo now heads the bar, the restaurant has a new events space, and chef Josh Ledbetter (formerly of Central Table Food Hall) has created

a new, barbecue-focused menu to compete with the many food options now available up and down the street.

Still, Schloss can’t help but maintain that irreverent spirit that made Atomic Cowboy into the mainstay it is today. “I’m not a restaurateur, I’m a ringmaster,” he says. “We’re in the circus business here. If people walk out of the doors, shake their heads and ask what just happened, then I know they are likely to come back.”

Schloss took a break from his three-ring show to share his thoughts on the St. Louis food and beverage scene, why St. Louis needs to connect to its river roots and the last thing he’d like to taste before the shaman rips out his heart.

Continued on pg 37

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RIVERFRONT TIMES

MARCH 22-28, 2017

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SERVING BOURSIN MAC AND CHEESE

[FIRST LOOK]

Mak’s Pub & Grub Aims to Be a Mac & Cheese Mecca Written by

SARAH FENSKE

L

ike just about everyone who goes to culinary school, Michael Makhamreh knew he wanted to open a restaurant of his own someday. But when he found the building that would eventually house Mak’s Pub & Grub (6109 Gravois Avenue, 314-354-8148), “someday” felt like it had arrived just a bit too quickly. A student at the highly respected Culinary Institute of St. Louis, Makhamreh hadn’t even graduated yet. He was still in his early twenties.

But deep south city is full of bargains, and Makhamreh had found one he just couldn’t resist.

“It was just so cheap,” he marvels. And once he was lured in by the low rent, he says, “I fell in love with this place.”

“This place” is a light-filled storefront on Gravois just east of Holly Hills Boulevard. Best-known for its stint as a 3 a.m. bar called Nellie Glenn’s, it has also been called Screamer’s, JV’s Pub & Grill and, for awhile, just Nellie’s. Exposed brick, a sizable patio and big windows facing the street make it feel like a corner pub, even on a street where the cars tend to race past.

Its checkered history led to some complications as Makhamreh sought a liquor license. Some neighbors, he says, were convinced that the restaurant he was proposing was just a Trojan horse, that they’d get stuck with yet another late-night spot.

But Makhamreh has won over skeptical locals by opening a place that not only closes by 10 p.m. on weeknights (1:30 a.m. on weekends), but also takes its food seriously. Rather than a bar that offers some food, he’s opened a restau-

Creative riffs on mac & cheese include, left, one topped with barbecue pork and cornbread and “the Brinner,” a breakfast/dinner hybrid. | SARAH FENSKE rant that also has a bar — a shrine to mac & cheese with both ambition and skill. Mak’s Pub & Grub is the neighborhood restaurant you wish your neighborhood had.

Its young chef is clearly having a blast. There’s a fair amount of drunk food on its menu, including the “Brinner,” a breakfast-at-dinner (get it?) take on mac & cheese that features a bed of corkscrew pasta on top of hash browns, studded with bacon and topped with both a fried egg and cornflakes (yes, really).

“I like weird stuff,” says Makhamreh. “I want to do things people are familiar with, but to present them in a way they’re not familiar with. I guess that’s what chefs do: We want to have our own take on everything.”

And so the “Southside Gravy Fries” aren’t the same riff on

poutine everyone has been doing lately; they’re a pile of fried potatoes given a Southwestern twist with chorizo pork gravy, ghost pepper cheese, red chiles and a delectable cilantro-lime crema. The same flavors are at play in the “Mi Chaparrita Mac,” which features corn, cilantro and lime on a bed of ghost pepper jack cheese and corkscrew pasta.

The heart of the menu are the mac & cheese options — there are six, each a creative riff on the classic. There’s also “the Meltdown,” a mac & cheese-stuffed grilled cheese sandwich, served with fries for a heart attack on a platter. Oof. There are also salads, wings and even hummus, the recipe courtesy of Makhamreh’s mother, who emigrated from Jordan. Nothing is more than $9.50, and the portions are huge. riverfronttimes.com

“People will say, ‘It’s $10?’ And I tell them, ‘Finish it. I dare you to finish it,’” he reports. Most people cannot.

A laidback old pro at 23, Makhamreh admits that opening a new restaurant from scratch has been even harder than he thought.

He’s still smarting from his very first negative review, which someone posted on a neighborhood site complaining that the kitchen was slow. “Dude, we had three people working that, and 100 people in here,” he says. He knows that’s on him, but trying to figure out how to deal with the ups and downs of the restaurant business has been a challenge. So has the space’s kitchen, which is unbelievably tiny.

Still, Makhamreh wouldn’t trade it for anything. “There’s a lot of stress in being the boss, but there’s a lot of n pleasure in it, too,” he says.

MARCH 22-28, 2017

RIVERFRONT TIMES

35

[FOOD NEWS]

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RIVERFRONT TIMES

est county’s newest restaurant, Phoenicia Mediterranean Deli (15344 Manchester Road, Ellisville; 314-764-9222), promises a healthful menu of Mediterranean classics. But that’s not all — not by any means. Co-owner Rana Baydoun also offers terrific baked goods.

Baydoun is an avid baker of pastries from both the eastern and northern shores of the Mediterranean. Her desserts are intended as compliments to the rest of the vegetable-heavy, Mediterranean menu.

Sandwiched between Ballwin Cycles and a nail salon in one of the innumerable strip malls lining Manchester, Phoenicia is one of the few options in the far-out ‘burbs available to those looking for a falafel fix or to scratch a shawarma itch. Hicham Baydoun, Rana’s husband and co-owner, notes that many of his friends in the area regularly drive to Tower Grove, downtown or the Loop to find similar offerings. The couple hopes to change this, with a counter-service restaurant that also offers six tables and a few bright touches.

MARCH 22-28, 2017

riverfronttimes.com

The Baydouns have lived in the St. Louis area for about five years.

Originally from Lebanon, the family made stops in Europe and Kansas City as Hicham worked toward a PhD focusing on cancer research.

Today, he’s fighting leukemia and lymphoma by day and serving labneh by night.

The menu features fresh, madefrom-scratch Mediterranean favorites, with a particular focus on the flavors of Lebanon. If your perception of a shawarma is a dry pita-taco, Phoenicia is a good place to break such an understanding of the dish.

Both chicken and beef are available, and the oversized “Tomahawk Shawarma” can include a mix of both meats. Full of textures, the flavorful spit-roasted meat comes topped with a creamy, non-spicy sauce.

Approximately 75 percent of the menu is vegetarian, and Hicham is quick to point out the health benefits associated with Mediterranean cuisine. Rana tries to carry this health ethos over to the pastries as much as possible by starting with healthier recipes and making everything from scratch — real whipped cream instead of icing, for example. Talk about health food we could all get into.

Phoenicia Mediterranean Deli is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. n

n December, the Purple Martin (2800 Shenandoah Avenue) announced it was closing. But rumors of its death proved to be greatly exaggerated.

On January 16, a trio of new owners closed on a deal to buy the Fox Park eatery from founder Brooke Roseberry. And within days, they’d quietly reopened — serving a small neighborhood crowd even as they worked through some IT difficulties.

“We didn’t really advertise we were open, because we wanted to get things straightened out,” says Mark Hinson, one of the new owners. “The IT issues were a problem pretty much every day.”

In the last two months, Hinson says he and co-owners George Walker and Tina Zweifel have worked through those problems, hired a chef and rolled out a new menu, one that replaces the restaurant’s North African dishes with American comfort food classics. Chef Desmon Hines is aiming for accessibility with offerings that include burgers, sandwiches including a chicken club and brisket sandwich, salads and flatbread. “Mark’s Meatloaf” and chicken saltimbocca are among the entree offerings.

But even though kids eat free on Mondays, it’s not just for families. Walker and Hinson were previously co-owners of Van Goghz, and they know how to draw a bar crowd. They put in dart boards and a jukebox, and they’re offering karaoke on Fridays and bar trivia on Wednesdays. “We want to offer a little bit of nightlife, too,” Hinson says. “We don’t want people to come to eat and then just leave.”

Now that they’ve finally got the cash register system working and the details taken care of, the owners are ready to share the good news: The Purple Martin is back, and open for business six nights a week. (Later, they may add Sunday service, but for now, that’s the one day off.)

“We want to get the word out,” Hinson says. — Sarah Fenske

Mi Lindo Michoacan

CHIP SCHLOSS Continued from pg 32 What is one thing people don’t know about you that you wish they did?

That I believe people are not measured by their mistakes but how they resolve them, and I hope to receive the same sentiment in kind, because mistakes…I’ve made a few.

What daily ritual is non-negotiable for you?

Music. I listen to music on my drive time to work — not the radio. I stream music apps. I search up whatever comes to mind and crank it through my car’s audio system. There’s always a cup of coffee en route as well. It’s not a long drive, not nearly long enough, but it’s TK. I’m used to expecting the unexpected when it comes to whatever the day is gonna throw at me, so music helps me cross that bridge as I head into the unknown.

Sometimes I get lucky and hit some long slow traffic.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

For the greater good, the ability to instantly fix stupid. So many problems have obvious common sense solutions to me. For my own personal good, time travel. I’d love to dine with the Mayans, the Egyptians, the ancient Greeks.

What is the most positive thing in food, wine or cocktails that you’ve noticed in St. Louis over the past year?

St. Louis beer culture is in fulltilt renaissance mode and we are very busy engaging that at Atomic Cowboy. The world-class brewers and brewery startups are a catalyst for our city in so many ways, right down to playing a role in the revitalization of our neighborhoods where people go to dine and drink their products.

What is something missing in the local food, wine or cocktail scene that you’d like to see?

A connection to the Mississippi. I am a fan of “Chouteau’s Landing,” the landing on the south side of the arch. I’d like to see something authentic in one of those historic buildings that takes us back to St. Louis roots — a big bawdy restaurant like Tony Faust’s overlooking the river.

Who is your St. Louis food crush?

Danny Meyer. He’s turned his childhood impressions of St. Louis food culture into an empire. Barbecue, the Hill, Alan’s Delicatessen, Steak & Shake — it’s all playing out

in NYC. Who’s the one person to watch right now in the St. Louis dining scene?

Chef Liz Schuester. She’s cooked her way around the world for sheiks and rap stars, grew up in a German-speaking southside bakery, has an MBA and is a licensed bow hunter and a former Arch Rival Roller Girl. She’s got these formally trained global culinary chops, is smart as a whip, tough as nails, and can wow an audience all while keeping her head on straight. Were preparing to launch a very eclectic Firecracker Pizza & Beer together in the Grove this year, and all those characteristics will come into play.

Which ingredient is most representative of your personality?

A cast-iron skillet. I’m seasoned, I can take the heat, and you never want to let me go.

If you weren’t working in the restaurant business, what would you be doing?

Making music and hanging out with my musician friends. I’d set up a rehearsal studio in my living room and keep lots of food and drink on hand and invite all sorts of other good people.

Name an ingredient never allowed in your kitchen.

Well, I wish it was alcohol. It’s so hard to babysit. I’ve seen too many talented people become unworkable due to their proclivities when they don’t separate what they do outside the kitchen from what they do inside.

What is your after-work hangout?

My work with Atomic Cowboy is already a circus of entertainment, events, festivals and concerts of every kind. It’s always on, so I don’t really have to get out much. I am lucky to have this amazing woman in my life, and we are soon going to take a week in Tulum, Mexico, at an off-the-grid catered group of beach bungalows. I have a feeling that’s gonna be my new favorite after-work hangout.

What’s your food or beverage guilty pleasure?

Oregon pinot noir and Mexican dark chocolate, followed by a pint of sea salt caramel ice cream.

What would be your last meal on earth?

I’d like to have some tamales at Chichen Itza, right before the shaman rips out my heart. n

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MARCH 22-28, 2017

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MUSIC

39

[GEAR]

Playing with Fire The latest creation from Webster Groves’ Sarno Music Solutions, the Solar Flare pedal, has bigname musicians lining up Written by

THOMAS CRONE

N

ot quite a year back, the RFT profiled Brad and Auset Sarno, a Webster Groves couple with a variety of musical businesses growing inside of their tidy, two-story home. Down in the basement is where a lot of the magic happens, as Brad Sarno tackles recording projects while wearing the hat of his Blue Jade Audio Mastering endeavor. One room over, in his workshop, he creates guitar pedals under the moniker of Sarno Music Solutions.

With his wife Auset handling everything else (branding, design, promotions and sales), Sarno is left to the crafting of the pedals themselves. After months of modifications, trial runs and an eleventh-hour wait for the distinctive front stickers, the pair’s latest pedal, the Solar Flare, is being slowly introduced to the market.

Whereas their top seller, the Earth Drive, is an overdrive pedal, Brad says the Solar Flare “is the natural companion to the Earth Drive. It’s a very straight-ahead distortion pedal in the vein of a classic, ‘70s-era pedal. Auset comes up with the names and designs.

And there’s a kind of theme here.

The Earth Drive is earthy, organic, warm, natural. Your guitar still sounds like it sounds, with a friendly, non-invasive alteration of your sound. The Solar Flare again speaks to the idea of elements. Fire is fitting for this type of a distortion pedal. It’s got a fiery, searing-hot type of sound.”

The process of producing a new pedal starts with a prototype,

Brad and Auset Sarno, pedal makers to the stars. | VIRGINIA HAROLD which Brad builds from scratch.

Then there’s a test phase, for which local musicians lend their talents and ears.

“There’s wires and a box. I have a goal in mind. And I think I know what I want it to sound like,” he says. “Then you let people play it and I get feedback, fine-tune it, make adjustments. The early version of the Solar Flare was a little light in the bass. I noticed that, and others did, too. So we made it more fat, bigger-sounding.”

Using a core of top area guitarists as advisers, the first crop of twenty or so pedals are now on the boards of folks around town — early adopters include CaveofswordS’ Kevin McDermott, the Bottle Rockets’ Brian Henneman, Tritone Guitars’ Dave Anderson, TK’s Gabe Doiron, TK’s Tracy Lowe, the Funky Butt Brass Band’s Tim Halpin, and Vandeventer’s Mikey Wehling.

Out of town, the pedal’s gone to Nels Cline, probably best known for his work in Wilco, and a huge fan of the Earth Drive — he bought some fifteen or twenty of those, Brad says, giving them out as gifts and getting them (directly or

indirectly) into the hands of Sean Lennon (John and Yoko’s kid), Lee Ranaldo (of Sonic Youth fame) and Andy Summers (of the Police).

“Very early on, when I’d heard he knew about our gear, I made connections to him through Wilco,” Brad says of Cline. “He got his hands on the Earth Drive, really liked it, got a second one and then started buying them as gifts. He’s also one of the nicest, coolest humans on earth. When the band comes through town, we’ll get dinner and sometimes talk gear, sometimes not. The last time through, he wanted to hear the new pedal and we brought the prototype down.”

Getting a few prominent players to rock your gear is the quickest way to boost sales, Brad notes.

His Black Box for pedal steel guitars is well-represented by top players, both in Nashville and on the road. And his Earth Drives got a boost when they wound up on the pedal boards of Bob Weir and Oteil Burbridge of Dead & Company.

“In the boutique pedal business, it really, really helps to have riverfronttimes.com

someone prominent clearly say that they own it, or it’s seen on the pedal board in a photo, or it’s mentioned in a magazine,” Sarno says. “That’s huge. That’s the way you’re going to survive.”

The Solar Flare’s $195 price tag is a little bit lower than other boutique pedals and a little bit higher than a mass-made pedal.

And there’s always a market, Brad says. Asked to explain this to a non-guitarist, he sketches out the notion that are a few players who have “made up their minds” about their accessories, never wanting to change them out. But that’s a small group.

The rest, he jokes, suffer from GAS, or “gear acquisition syndrome.” This larger group, he says, “is always hungry for a new things, a new toy. They get a little bored and need something new.

I would say a small percentage have totally settled in, are happy and aren’t looking for anything.

Most guitarists get excited about something new and think it’s the solution.”

And, sometimes, that happens to be a Sarno Music Solution. n

MARCH 22-28, 2017

RIVERFRONT TIMES

39

A St. Louis Landmark

GREEN DINER While you recharge yourself, recharge your devices.

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SHOW 8:00

Aaron Kamm and the One Drops

“St. Louis pioneers of craft beer and live music”

fri. march 24 10PM Sidewalk Chalk with Special Guests Gang of Thieves

THURSDAY,MARCH 23 RD

Frathouse Presents: Loop Legend Hip Hop - 9pm-$12

wed. march 29 9:30PM

FRIDAY, MARCH 24 TH

Voodoo Players Tribute to Tom Petty

THU. 3/30 SAT. 1/14

fri. march 31 10PM Funky Butt Brass Band

thur. march 13 9PM New Orleans Suspects

FRI. 3/31 TUE. 1/17

SAT. 4/1

1/22 1/24 2/1 2/6 2/6

TALKING DREADS MONSTER TRUCK LUKE WADE thePOUR CHAIN GANG OF 1974 2/15 COLONY HOUSE

sat. april 22 10PM Tickets available at Blueberry Hill (no service fees with cash) & all Ticketmaster outlets.

Charge by phone 800-745-3000 · Online at ticketmaster.com are at General Admission doors 7 pmcash) unless otherwise noted.outlets.

TicketsShows available Blueberry Hill (nowith service feesatwith & all Ticketmaster

sat. april 29 10PM Cedric Burnside Project 736 S Broadway St. Louis, MO 63102

40

RIVERFRONT TIMES

SATURDAY, MARCH 25 TH

Fresh hosted by So’n’So and DJ Smitty Hip Hop - 9pm - $5 *THE BAR AREA - Geeks Who Drink Pub Trivia - Trivia - 8:30pm - FREE

SUNDAY, MARCH 26 TH

Open Mic Night hosted by Mark Z- Variety-8pm-FREE *IN THE VENUE - Vino Van Goh - Art - 5pm

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29 TH

Marcia Ball

(314) 621-8811

ScribeCash, Mile Gaines, TDubz, and more Hip Hop-7pm-$15

Geeks Who Drink - Pub Trivia - 8:30pm - FREE

UPCOMING SHOWS

Charge by phone 800-745-3000 · Online at ticketmaster.com

3/31 Vesperteen 4/1 Silence the Witness 4/6 Lever & Anaphora

Open 7 days from 11 am 6504 6504 Delmar in The Loop H 314-727-4444

In the University City Loop

MARCH 22-28, 2017

riverfronttimes.com

6691 Delmar

314.862.0009 • www.ciceros-stl.com

B-SIDES All That Jazz St. Louis native Charlie Halloran has found success in New Orleans’ hot music scene Written by

CHRISTIAN SCHAEFFER

F

air Grinds Coffeehouse is a staple in New Orleans’ Bayou St. John neighborhood, couched on a street that runs catty-corner to leafy, picturesque Esplanade Avenue. The vibe of the place is both funky and conscientious — you’re more likely to hear Leonard Cohen on the P.A. than, say, Dr. John as you sip a sustainably harvested cup — but a month from now, the shop’s neighborhood will be overrun with several thousand revelers and music fans as they descend on the nearby Fairgrounds for the annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

When Charlie Halloran, a St. Louis native and longtime fixture in New Orleans’ traditional jazz circles, sits down for coffee at Fair Grinds, he notes that he’ll be playing four sets during Jazz Fest’s two-weekend stretch. That’s a light load for a trombone player chameleonic enough to play with a host of pop, indie and R&B heavyweights — he has sat in with both Calexico and the legendary Allen Toussaint at past Jazz Fests — and tutored enough in the city’s jazz history to be a first-call session player with some of the city’s longest-running brass bands.

Halloran’s musical education began in St. Louis; the Webster Groves native studied trombone in school and played in a variety of ska and swing bands in his youth. At a young age he was already a standout soloist in his brother Tommy Halloran’s outfit the Ambiguous They, but in his early twenties, Halloran’s love of traditional jazz led him to its source. He’s been living and steadily gigging in New Orleans for almost ten years.

“When I was in St. Louis and playing at ska shows, I was having

a ball,” says Halloran. “But I would have rather been in a traditional jazz band.”

On this day, Halloran is fresh off a recording project with another St. Louis native and longtime Crescent City resident, pianist Tom McDermott. The project is one of Halloran’s own devising; as a longtime sideman, he is taking the reins for an album of beguine music derived from the Caribbean island of Martinique.

Ever the modern antiquarian, Halloran and his crew are cutting the sessions directly to acetate discs on a Presto K8 record cutter — the same kind Alan Lomax used.

Like many things in New Orleans, the recording technique is charming, antiquated and unnecessarily cumbersome.

“They have people over and just record into a mic that’s about an inch big,” Halloran says of his engineer friends. “It’s pretty awesome — it sounds terrible!

It has that great, awful, terrible sound. There’s even variations between the discs.”

While Halloran came to town to play jazz full time, he gradually learned of beguine’s many roots and tributaries, and of the interplay between cultures that left its imprint on the city’s sound. Halloran found the music “through YouTube and French Amazon and a couple other international record labels that put this stuff out,” he recalls.

“I really love that kind of music, but I’m not from Martinique — I don’t know if I’m playing it properly. I’ve never even met anyone from Martinique!” Halloran continues. He hopes to have the album ready for the upcoming festival season, his busiest time of the year.

When he’s not researching and playing music from Martinique, Halloran stays busy in a host of different groups: the Little Big Horns, the Shotgun Jazz Band, the Palmetto Bug Stompers and the Panorama Jazz Band. He’s also played for years with the Squirrel Nut Zippers, the true bright spot of the late ‘90s swing revival. His connection to the band dates back to his teenage years when he met the band after a show at Mississippi Nights; almost twenty years

41

Charlie Halloran has been living and gigging in New Orleans for ten years. | ARTIST WEBSITE later, Halloran is currently making a new Squirrel Nut Zippers record in New Orleans with longtime producer Mike Napolitano.

As Halloran reflects on his tutelage in St. Louis and the realities of being a working musician in New Orleans, he points to the crowds of hungry, thirsty and culturally curious tourists who regularly swarm clubs like the Spotted Cat on Frenchmen Street, just outside the French Quarter.

“It is a drag, kind of, that Frenchmen Street has gotten so popular, but the gigs pay a lot more,” says Halloran. “It’s a tough nut. But definitely what makes being a musician here viable is that the tourists are different every day, and they’re always coming. It’s like touring, but they come to you.

I’m not sure how much that’s happening in St. Louis.”

Halloran makes a few trips to riverfronttimes.com

St. Louis each year to visit family and play the occasional gig; he even had his brother Tommy sit in with his bands recently. But the musical landscape of New Orleans — the history, the culture, the ravenous crowds — makes living and working there a singular experience.

“I was able to start working with the people I had grown up listening to within a year, year and a half,” says Halloran. “I still play with those people. Now, if you move here, you’ll definitely have to pay your dues for a little bit longer before you’re getting the Palm Court or the Preservation Hall call. But at the same time, there are new venues opening up all the time, so you can start working pretty quickly, assuming you can play your horn good and know the songs. The gigs are there, n the venues are there.”

MARCH 22-28, 2017

RIVERFRONT TIMES

41

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30+ HDTVs ALUMNI GROUPS WELCOME DUKE’S IS THE PLACE FOR

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All Day Opening Day Party Sunday - April 2 riverfronttimes.com

MARCH 22-28, 2017

RIVERFRONT TIMES

43

44

OUT EVERY NIGHT

THURSDAY 23

way, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-773-3363.

CBGBBBQ BENEFIT FOR PLANNED PARENTHOOD:

HYBORIAN: w/ Bastard 10 p.m., $10. Fubar,

BILLY JOE SHAVER: 8 p.m., $20-$30. Off Broad-

THE SHECKIES: 8 p.m., $5. San Loo, 3211 Chero-

w/ The Vigilettes, DinoFight!, Buttercup, Middle

3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

way, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-773-3363.

kee St., St. Louis, 314-696-2888.

Class Fashion 7 p.m., free. CBGB, 3163 S. Grand

J.R.: w/ Doughboy 6 p.m., $7-$15. Fubar, 3108

BODY PRESSURE: w/ Pryss, Skin Tags, My

SKEET RODGERS & INNER CITY BLUES BAND: 10

Blvd., St. Louis.

Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

Bloody Underwear, Bubbleheads 8 p.m., $5.

p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broad-

CONOR OBERST: w/ The Felice Brothers 8 p.m.,

MUSIQ SOULCILD: w/ Lyfe Jennings, Kindred

Blank Space, 2847 Cherokee St., St. Louis.

way, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.

$27.50-$30. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St.

the Family Soul, Avery Sunshine 8 p.m., $55-

Louis, 314-726-6161.

$102. Peabody Opera House, 1400 Market St,

ERIC HALL: w/ The Potomac Accord, Le’Ponds 9

St. Louis, 314-241-1888.

DAVE HERRERO & THE BLUES ALL-STARS: 8 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway,

SATURDAY 25

St. Louis, 314-436-5222.

A.L.I.: 9 p.m., free. Nightshift Bar & Grill, 3979

p.m., free. Schlafly Tap Room, 2100 Locust St.,

PAULA POUNDSTONE: 7 p.m., $38.50-$41.50.

ENDORA: w/ Mathias & the Pirates, Hands and

Mexico Road, St. Peters, 636-441-8300.

St. Louis, 314-241-2337.

The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St.

Feet 9 p.m., free. Schlafly Tap Room, 2100

ALVIN YOUNGBLOOD HART & MUSCLE THEORY:

ESSENTIAL KNOTS: w/ Summer Magic, Stacey

Louis, 314-533-9900.

Locust St., St. Louis, 314-241-2337.

10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S.

Winter 9 p.m., $10-$13. Off Broadway, 3509

PETER KARP BAND: 7 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz,

JUKEBOX ROMANTICS: w/ OC45, the Had-

Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.

Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-773-3363.

Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis,

donfields, Sweat Shoppe 7:30 p.m., $7. The

CARA LOUISE BAND: w/ Major Cities, Justin

FIVEFOLD: w/ Welcome Home 8 p.m., $15.

314-436-5222.

Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis,

Johnson 9 p.m., $7. The Heavy Anchor, 5226

Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-

ROBERTA SPARROW: 8 p.m., $5. San Loo, 3211

314-328-2309.

Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

726-6161.

Cherokee St., St. Louis, 314-696-2888.

ST. LOUIS OSUWA TAIKO: 8 p.m., $25. Blanche

KIM MASSIE: 10:30 p.m., $10. Beale on Broad-

M Touhill Performing Arts Center, 1 Universi-

way, 701 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-7880.

SO MANY DYNAMOS: w/ Solid Waste, Necessities

[CRITIC’S PICK]

ty Dr at Natural Bridge Road, Normandy,

8 p.m., $8. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St.

314-516-4949.

Louis, 314-588-0505.

TRIGGER 5 SPRING TWANG THANG: 4 p.m., $5.

SONDER SWAY: w/ Monkh and the People, Jeske

BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St.

Park 8 p.m., $5. The Ready Room, 4195 Man-

Louis, 314-436-5222.

chester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929.

SOUTHERN SOUL ASSEMBLY: w/ JJ Grey & Mofro,

SUNDAY 26

Luther Dickinson, Anders Osborne, Marc

ARCH MADNESS: 7 p.m., $30. The Firebird,

Broussard 8 p.m., $30. The Pageant, 6161 Del-

2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353.

mar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

CAUSE FOR PAWS BENEFIT: 2 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St.

FRIDAY 24

Louis, 314-436-5222.

BRIT FLOYD: 8 p.m., $29.50-$59.50. Peabody

CHEVY WOODS: 8 p.m., $15-$18. Fubar, 3108

Opera House, 1400 Market St, St. Louis, 314-

Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

241-1888.

CONDOR AND JAYBIRD: w/ Tara Terra, Francis,

THE CROOKED VINES: w/ FreeThinker, Lucas

Saturn V Rockets 9 p.m., $5. The Sinkhole,

Jack 8 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St.

7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-

Louis, 314-289-9050.

The Grindmother. | CONTINENTAL CONCERTS USA

GARY OWEN: 8 p.m., $35-$50. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

GEOFF TATE: 8 p.m., $20. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505.

THE GRINDMOTHER: w/ Outcome of Betrayal, Marked by Honor 6 p.m., $12-$15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

THE JAG-WIRES: w/ We Party Portugal, Nicole Grace 9 p.m., free. Schlafly Tap Room, 2100 Locust St., St. Louis, 314-241-2337.

JOHN WINTERS: 7 p.m., free. Hwy 61 Roadhouse and Kitchen, 34 S Old Orchard Ave, Webster Groves, 314-968-0061.

JUDAH & THE LION: 8 p.m., $20-$22.50. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-7266161.

LEROY JODIE PIERSON: 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314436-5222.

MADE UP: 8 p.m., free. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100.

MIPSO: 8 p.m., $12-$14. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353.

OLD TIME ASSAULT ALBUM RELEASE SHOW: w/ Matt McGibany, Lukas Simpson 9 p.m., free.

Pop’s Blue Moon, 5249 Pattison Ave., St. Louis, 314-776-4200.

RODNEY CROWELL: 8 p.m., $25-$35. Off Broad-

44

RIVERFRONT TIMES

The Grindmother 6 p.m. Friday, March 24.

Fubar, 3108 Locust Street. $12 to $15. 314-2899050.

Between Mac Sabbath and Okilly Dokilly coming to town earlier this month and this week’s upcoming performance by the Grindmother, gimmicky metal is apparently all the rage in St. Louis. And that is just fine — especially when your gimmick is as hilarious and weirdly adorable as the Grindmother’s. The 68-yearold is the mother of the vocalist of Canadian grindcore band Corrupt Leaders. In 2014, just for a laugh, the extreme metal group posted a video on YouTube, “My Mother recording grindcore vocals,” in which the sexagenarian pushed her vocal cords to the limit with a series of blood-cur-

MARCH 22-28, 2017

riverfronttimes.com

2309.

KRISTEEN YOUNG: w/ Langen Neubacher 8 p.m., $10. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-773-3363.

dling screams over the band’s blastbeat-laden, breakneck-speed music.

Unsurprisingly, the video went viral, prompting the band to release an EP with Grindma on vocals, and eventually to split the lineup into its own side project. Now the Grindmother’s popularity has handily eclipsed Corrupt Leaders’ — the band has gone mostly silent, while Mom bursts eardrums with the shrieks of the elderly.

For Real Though: The Grindmother has gotten attention from innumerable music news outlets, has released an album called Age of Destruction (I get it!) and has even attracted fans in the form of Black Sabbath and Sepultura members. Gimmick or not, the Grindmother is the real deal.

–Daniel Hill

LOVE JONES “THE BAND”: 8:30 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.

MADELEINE PEYROUX: 7 & 10 p.m., $45-$100.

Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505.

SOUL REUNION: 10:30 p.m., $7. Beale on Broadway, 701 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314621-7880.

TAYLOR CANIFF: 2 p.m., $20. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

MONDAY 27 ANGEL PRESENTS SOUL SEARCHING: 8 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.

BRING ME THE HORIZON: w/ Underoath, Beartooth 8 p.m., $40-$45. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

SOULARD BLUES BAND: 9 p.m., $5. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314621-8811.

SPOKEN: 6 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

Continued on pg 47

DANCE PARTY EVERY FRIDAY DUKE’S BALCONY BAR Featuring DJ Dan C 9:00 pm

Rhythm & Blues • Reggae Latin • Jazz

BRUNCH

EVERY SATURDAY & SUNDAY

Fletcher Moley Group with Katie Turnbull

Evangeline’s 7-11 pm - no cover Friday, March 31

512 N Euclid Ave, CWE St Louis

Duke’s Crab Cakes Benedict Bottomless Mimosas & Bloodys 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

2001 Menard (Corner of Menard & Allen) in the Heart of Soulard Tel: (314) 833-6686 riverfronttimes.com

MARCH 22-28, 2017

RIVERFRONT TIMES

45

THE HAUNT 5000 Alaska Ave

April 1st Dr Jekyll Vs Mr Hyde Book Release Party Live Music and raffles with some very generous prizes Party starts at 9pm April 9th Party with an Aries Free Haunt glass for the first 10 Aries OPEN POOL TABLE EVERY MONDAY AND TUESDAY KARAOKE MADNESS EVERY THURSDAY AT 9PM Happy Hour 3-7 Every Day $2 domestics & Rails Open daily at 11 am

music read more at

RIVERFRONTTIMES.COM

46

RIVERFRONT TIMES

MARCH 22-28, 2017

riverfronttimes.com

OUT EVERY NIGHT Continued from pg 44 [CRITIC’S PICK]

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS’ BEST DESTINATION BAR ENCLOSED, CLIMATE CONTROLLED PATIO PAVILION IT’S A PARTY - ALWAYS!

Rodney Crowell. | NEW FRONTIER TOURING

Rodney Crowell

Rodney Crowell knows country archetypes — the lucid melodies and the witty or heartbreaking rhymes — but in the rewarding second act of his career, long after he left the charts, he’s learned that his own life is all he needs to find emotional truths.

Mentored by the likes of Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt, the Houston Kid (as he once titled an album) has returned this year with Close Ties, an

Americana/blues masterpiece that’s at once wholly universal and wholly personal, even when he’s singing with the Civil Wars’ John Paul White, Sheryl Crow or ex-wife Rosanne Cash. Crowell isn’t just a songwriters’ songwriter.

He’s as vital to this moment as any country craftsman could be.

Nashville 1972: Crowell closes out his most recent album with a haunting and hilarious tribute to the reckless and romantic days of ‘70s-era Nashville.

Crowell’s old home has changed; his spirit hasn’t.

–Roy Kasten

TUESDAY 28

THE VICTOR WOOTEN TRIO: 8 p.m., $30. Old Rock

BLIND WILLIE & THE BROADWAY COLLECTIVE: 10

House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505.

8 p.m. Friday, March 24.

Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue. $25 to $35.

314-773-3363.

p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.

WEDNESDAY 29

JAMAICA LIVE TUESDAYS: w/ Ital K, Mr. Roots, DJ

BIG RICH MCDONOUGH & RHYTHM RENEGADES: 7

Witz, $5/$10. Elmo’s Love Lounge, 7828 Olive

p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broad-

Blvd, University City, 314-282-5561.

way, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.

JOE PASTOR LEGACY JAZZ ENSEMBLE: 7 p.m., $5.

BOB “BUMBLE BEE” KAMOSKE: 8 p.m. Beale on

BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St.

Broadway, 701 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-

Louis, 314-436-5222.

7880.

KIM MASSIE: 10:30 p.m., $10. Beale on Broad-

EAST SIDERS REVIEW: 10 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz,

way, 701 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-7880.

Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-

THE SKINTS: 8 p.m., $14. Blueberry Hill - The

436-5222.

Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City,

NEVER SHOUT NEVER: 7 p.m., $20-$22.50.

314-727-4444.

Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-

STOLAS: w/ Mylets, Icarus The Owl, Vya 6 p.m.,

726-6161.

$13. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-

SCOTT REYNOLDS: w/ Guy Morgan, Daren Grat-

9050.

LIVE MUSIC or DJ EVERY FRIDAY & SATURDAY HDTVs EVERYWHERE & ALL THE SPORTS

Continued on pg 48

riverfronttimes.com

MARCH 22-28, 2017

RIVERFRONT TIMES

47

FIND ANY SHOW

IN TOWN

rft ’ s online music listings are now

sortable by artist , venue and price . you can even buy tickets directly from our website

— with

more options on the way !

X: Sat., Ma

THIS JUST IN Continued from pg 47

6133 Delm

delmarhal

[CRITIC’S PICK]

A.L.I.: Sat.,

Conor Oberst 8 p.m. Saturday, March 25.

The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Boulevard. $28.50. 314726-6161.

It seems unlikely that Conor Oberst will ever be separated fully from his musical identity as the force behind Bright Eyes and the music he began making as an emotionally vulnerable and musically ambitious teenager.

Well into his mid-30s, Oberst has tried on a host of other musical mantels, but last year’s Ruminations, released under his own name, was the musician at his most spare — guitar, piano and voice painted the outlines of those

THIS W

Bar & Gril

songs. Oberst revisits many of those tracks and offers a few more on the new Salutations, this time enlisting the Felice Brothers and legendary drummer Jim Keltner to give a rustic, full-hearted performance. This rare St. Louis date, with the Felice Brothers in tow, should channel that same energy.

Family and Friends: Helping fill out the sound on Salutations are a host of musicians from throughout Oberst’s career — M. Ward, Gillian Welch, Azure Ray’s Maria Taylor and My Morning Jacket’s Jim James all contribute.

–Christian Schaeffer

441-8300,

ALVIN YOUN

Sat., March

& Soups, 7

5222, bbsja

ANGEL PRE March 27,

700 S. Bro

bbsjazzblu

ARCH MAD

The Firebi

0353, fireb

BIG RICH M

Wed., Mar

& Soups, 7

5222, bbsja

BILLY JOE S

$30. Off Br

314-773-33

BLIND WILL

RIVERFRONTTIMES.COM/CONCERTS

ton 8 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis,

St. Louis, 314-833-3929, thereadyroom.com.

Tue., Marc

314-289-9050.

I LOVE THE ‘90S TOUR: W/ TLC, Mark McGrath,

& Soups, 7

WEDNESDAY NIGHT JAZZ CRAWL: 5 p.m. contin-

Biz Markie, Rob Base, C+C Music Factory, Fri.,

5222, bbsja

ues through Dec. 27, free. The Stage at KDHX,

Sept. 15, 7 p.m., $25-$83. Family Arena, 2002

BOB “BUM

3524 Washington Ave, St. Louis, 314-925-7543,

Arena Parkway, St Charles, 636-896-4200,

p.m. Beale

ext. 815.

familyarena.com.

Louis, 314

XENIA RUBINOS: 8 p.m., $10-$12. Old Rock

JIMMY BUFFETT AND THE CORAL REEFER BAND:

BODY PRES

House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505.

Thu., July 6, 8 p.m., $36-$136. Hollywood

Bloody Un

Casino Amphitheatre, I-70 & Earth City Expwy.,

23, 8 p.m.,

Maryland Heights, 314-298-9944, livenation.

St. Louis, f

AMY BLACK: Mon., June 12, 8 p.m., $15. Off

com/Verizon-Wireless-Amphitheater-St-Lou-

BRING ME

Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-773-

is-tickets-Maryland-Heights/venue/49672.

Beartooth,

3363, offbroadwaystl.com.

MILKY CHANCE: Tue., Oct. 10, 8 p.m., $31.50-$35.

The Pagea

BIG GEORGE BROCK CELEBRATION: W/ Mickey

The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-

726-6161,

Rogers, Skeet Rodgers, Marquise Knox, Sat.,

726-6161, thepageant.com.

BRIT FLOYD

April 1, 7 p.m., $15-$20. National Blues Muse-

MYSTIC BRAVES: W/ The Creation Factory, Sun.,

$59.50. Pe

um, 615 Washington Ave., St. Louis.

May 7, 8 p.m., $10. The Ready Room, 4195 Man-

St. Louis, 3

THE BOTTLE ROCKETS: Sat., April 8, 8 p.m., $20.

chester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929, theready-

com.

Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-

room.com.

CARA LOUI

773-3363, offbroadwaystl.com.

SCREECHING WEASEL: W/ Masked Intruder,

Johnson, S

CONSTANT COCOON TWO YEAR BIRTHDAY PARTY:

Thu., May 4, 8 p.m., $26.50-$30. Delmar Hall,

Anchor, 52

W/ Scribble, Seashine, Mariner, Bryn Dawdy,

6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161,

5226, theh

DJ Jillian, Sun., April 16, 7 p.m., $7. Off Broad-

delmarhall.com.

CAUSE FOR

way, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-773-3363,

SMINO: W/ Monte Booker, Jay2, Bari, Sun., May

2 p.m., $10

offbroadwaystl.com.

28, 8 p.m., $20-$22.50. Delmar Hall, 6133 Del-

Broadway

DEMETRI MARTIN: Thu., May 11, 8 p.m., $39.75.

mar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161, delmarhall.

bluessoup

The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-

com.

CBGBBBQ

726-6161, thepageant.com.

SOSOSUMMER 17 TOUR: W/ Deetranada, Supa

W/ The Vig

ED SHEERAN: Sun., Sept. 17, 7:30 p.m., TBA.

Peach, Prince of NY, Lil Key, King Roscoe, Nia

dle Class F

Scottrade Center, 1401 Clark Ave., St. Louis,

Kay, Jermaine Dupri, Bow Wow, Da Brat, Wed.,

CBGB, 316

314-241-1888, scottradecenter.com.

June 7, 7 p.m., $29.50-$59.50. Peabody Opera

com/pages

FLATFOOT 56: Fri., April 28, 9 p.m., $12. Delmar

House, 1400 Market St, St. Louis, 314-241-1888,

CHEVY WOO

Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-

peabodyoperahouse.com.

Fubar, 310

6161, delmarhall.com.

THE SWORD: Tue., May 23, 8 p.m., $17-$20. The

fubarstl.co

GASLIGHT COLLECTIVE RELEASE PARTY: W/

Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis,

Brother Lee and the Leather Jackals, 4th City

314-833-3929, thereadyroom.com.

Rag, Miss Molly Simms, Cara Louise Band,

TONY BENNETT: W/ Antonia Bennett, Wed., June

Sat., April 8, 8 p.m., $12. The Ready Room,

7, 7:30 p.m., $41-$176. The Fox Theatre, 527 N.

4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929,

Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 314-534-1111, fabulous-

thereadyroom.com.

fox.com.

HELL NIGHT EP RELEASE: W/ Black Fast, Train-

TREY SONGZ: Fri., May 5, 8 p.m., $49-$99. The

dodge, Ashes and Iron, Sat., May 6, 8 p.m., $10-

Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-

$12. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave,

6161, thepageant.com.

THIS JUST IN

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON BECOMING A VENDOR OR A SPONSOR GO TO WWW.PRIDESTL.ORG

48

RIVERFRONT TIMES

MARCH 22-28, 2017

riverfronttimes.com

SAVAGE LOVE CURIOUS MINDS

BY DAN SAVAGE I recently spoke at Curious Minds Weekend in Toronto at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema. Audience members submitted questions on cards before the show — anonymously — but the moderator, Lisan Jutras of the Globe and Mail, and I were having so much fun talking with each other that we didn’t get to many cards.

So I’m going to quickly answer as many of the questions as I can this week.

My husband and I have been seeking a third for a threesome. After a very palpable night of flirtation, I asked a mutual friend (as we shared a cab) if he would be down for a threesome. He said yes, but when I texted him later about it, he has ignored me. What should I take from this?

The hint.

A friend’s BF won’t go down on her no matter how much she asks. She still won’t break up with him, even though she told me that oral is the only way she has ever had an orgasm. How do I get her to realize her sexual pleasure is a priority?

If your friend’s BF doesn’t know oral is the only way she can orgasm, she should tell him. If she told him and he doesn’t care, she should dump him. If she told him and he doesn’t care and she won’t

dump him, you’re not obligated to listen to her complain about the orgasms she’s not having.

I’m a bisexual 42-year-old female with an extremely high sex drive who squirts with every orgasm.

How do I deal with friends — even people at a sex club — who think I’m a freak because “women aren’t supposed to be horny all the time”?

If your friends — presumably people you aren’t fucking — complain that you’re horny all the time, maybe it’s because you don’t talk about anything other than the sex you just had or the sex you hope to have soon. If people at sex clubs (!) are complaining about how horny you are… either you’ve accidentally wandered into a yacht club or even people at a sex club wanna talk about something other than sex every once in a while.

My very Christian friend is about to get married. Though she is socially very liberal, she is pretty sexually repressed. I want to do something to encourage her to explore her sexuality a bit before she takes a try at partnered sex. How weird would it be to buy her a vibrator as a shower present?

Don’t give your friend a vibrator at her shower — gifts are opened in front of guests at showers — but go ahead and send her one. Tell her it’s a pre-bachelorette-party gift.

Two guys divorced in order to bring a third man into their relationship on equal terms, and they now plan

to start a family with their sisters acting as surrogates. Thoughts?

Mazel tov?

I am 31. My husband is 46, almost 47. He takes FOREVER to come, no matter what I do. How do we speed up this process? My jaw, fingers, etc., are all very sore.

Your husband speeds up the process by incorporating self-stimulation breaks into the blowjobs, handjobs, etcetera-jobs you’re giving him. He strokes himself while you take a quick breather and/or an Advil, he gets himself closer, you get back to work.

49

I have been reading your column since the early 1990s. Since that time, what has struck you in the kind of problems people write you about?

People don’t ask me about butt plugs anymore. I used to get a letter once or twice a week from someone who needed to have butt plugs explained to them. But butt plugs have their own Wiki page now, so no one needs me to explain them anymore. For old times’ sake: They look like lava lamps, they go in your butt, they feel awesome, and they typically don’t induce gay panic in butt-play-curious straight boys.

I’m 47 and my wife is 31. I take a lot longer to come and recover than she would like. Could you please explain to her that it’s normal for a man my age to “slow down” and it’s not her?

Would you share your thoughts on our prime minister, Justin Trudeau?

Happy birthday. And, yes, it’s normal for a man to slow down as he ages — it’s not her — and there are younger men who take a long time to come. But such men need to take their partners’ physical limitations into consideration. To avoid wearing out their partners’ jaws, fingers, etc., they need to take matters into their own hands.

They should enjoy that blowjob, handjob, twatjob or assjob, take breaks to stroke their own dicks, eventually bring themselves to the point of orgasmic inevitability, and end by plunging back into that mouth, fist, twat or ass to blow their load.

When are you going to move to Canada already?

I think Justin needs to stop fucking around and legalize weed already, like he promised.

See above.

Why are so many lesbians into astrology?

All the lesbians I know are strict empiricists. So the more pertinent question would be this: Whose sample is skewed — mine or yours?

Listen to Dan’s podcast at savagelovecast.com. mail@savagelove.net @fakedansavage on Twitter

STREAK’S CORNER • by Bob Stretch

riverfronttimes.com

MARCH 22-28, 2017

RIVERFRONT TIMES

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100 Employment 105 Career/Training/Schools THE OCEAN CORP. 10840 Rockley Road, Houston, Texas 77099.

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120 Drivers/Delivery/Courier

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183 Trades

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530 Misc. Services WANTS TO PURCHASE minerals and other oil & gas interests. Send details to P.O. Box 13557 Denver, CO 80201

533 Miscellaneous

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600 Music 610 Musicians Services

317 Apartments for Rent

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400 Buy-Sell-Trade

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riverfronttimes.com

MARCH 22-28, 2017

RIVERFRONT TIMES

51

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South City Area Must Have Basic Tools $15-$20/hour.

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Call Angela Jansen ~314-645-5900~ Bankruptcyshopstl.com

Mon. - Sat. 9 AM - 7 PM; Sunday Noon - 5 PM Unless otherwise limited, prices are good through Tuesday following publication date. Installed price offers are for product purchased from Audio Express installed in factory-ready locations. Custom work at added cost. Kits, antennas and cables additional. Added charges for shop supplies and environmental disposal where mandated. Illustrations similar. Video pictures may be simulated. Not responsible for typographic errors. Savings off MSRP or our original sales price, may include install savings. Intermediate markdowns may have been taken. Details, conditions and restrictions of manufacturer promotional offers at respective websites. Price match applies to new, non-promotional items from authorized sellers; excludes “shopping cart” or other hidden specials. © 2017, Audio Express.

MARCH 22-28, 2017

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AUDIO EXPRESS!

Lowest Installed Price In Town — Every Time!

amandaminidayspa.com 4 Sally Drive • Maryland Heights, MO 314-325-4876 Book online for the best way to get an appointment