All Aboard for Fun Times: St. Louis show highlights for 5/18-5/20

All Aboard for Fun Times Train

commons.wikimedia.org

The Alejandro Escovedo show at Off Broadway Wednesday was exceedingly wonderful, diminished only by the inconsiderate and inappropriate behavior of some of those in attendance.  
 
I’ve usually found the source of such distractions to be young (and assumed they were products of deficient rearing by an over-indulgent and/or inept parent or two), but most of the bad actors within earshot for this were grey-haired (perhaps they’re the boorish parents of the younger miscreants).

A housekeeping note: since my estimates on show duration are, at best, a guess, I’ll now mostly list times for the door (if available) and start time (about which venues are frequently flexible).
 
A hectic week wraps up, with showcase/festival options in abundance:
 
Friday, May 18
 
Tower Groove Records Showcase
El Leñador  3124 Cherokee  8 door/9 start  $5  Smoke-free
 
Although it was made available during the Record Store Day celebration in April, this weekend marks the official release for the TGR sampler, a two-record (with a download card for us binary types) collection of songs from many of the musician collective’s members.  
 
Tonight’s show offers sets from the Feed, Accelerando, Bunnygrunt, Warm Jets USA, Sleepy Kitty and Maximum Effort.  
 
I don’t have time to opine on each act, but you can visit the TGR site for bios.
 
The door and start times on this are guesses; get yourself some tasty tacos if you arrive too early.
 
The Educated Guess with the Emperor Norton Orchestra / Lisa Houdei
Off Broadway  3509 Lemp  8:30 door/9 start  $10 (+2 under 21)  Smoke-free 
 
This is a welcome return from TEG (who’ve been absent for some time), a large-ensemble art-pop outfit that took on the ambitious task of composing an oratorio, “West Skyline Drive,” and pulled it off, the album was nominated for an RFT Music Award. This is a full show with the ENO (strings and brass).
 
I couldn’t locate info on LH.
 
Saturday, May 19
 
The Folk School of St. Louis presents their inaugural St. Louis Folk & Roots Festival at Atomic Cowboy (4140 Manchester), running 2-12.
 
Ten acts will appear on three stages, with the evening wrapped up by a farewell visit from Springfield, Mo. country/folk/bluegrass/gospel/rock purveyors Big Smith, who will soon disband (scheduled to play 10-12).
 
Admission is $15 for this all-ages show. Tickets and more info on the lineup can be found here.
 
Show Me Show(case)
Plush  3224 Locust  door 6/show 7  $5 (18+)  Smoke-free
 
This showcase features acts that have appeared in videos on the Show Me Shows website.
 
Bo and the Locomotive, Dots Not Feathers, Pretty Little Empire, Last to Show First to Go, Netherfriends, Trotting Bear and Little Horn fill the bill.
 
Tower Groove Records Showcase
Off Broadway  3509 Lemp  door 8:30/show 9  $5 (+3 under 21)  Smoke-free
 
Tonight’s edition offers Magic City, Old Lights, Ransom Note, Beth Bombara, The Hot Liquors, Death of Yeti, Demonlover and Peck of Dirt. 
 
Read more

Posted by | May 18, 2012 | Local, Music | 1 Comment 

Album review: Tracie Bennett Sings Judy: Songs from the Broadway Production of End of the Rainbow

The theatrical subgenre of celebrity impersonation has always been an odd duck. It’s easy to do badly, damned difficult to do well, and gets the impersonator little respect in any case. In fact, duplicating a performer’s on-stage persona in a way that will allow audience members to suspend disbelief and react as they would to the original is quite a challenge, especially when the performer in question is well represented on audio and film/video.

Judging from the praise she has received for her performance as the late Judy Garland in Peter Quilter’s play with music “The End of the Rainbow”, Tracie Bennett has risen to the challenge. In the New York Times, Ben Brantley praised her “electrifying interpretation”. The Huffington Post’s Mark Kennedy) said she was “so stunning that she manages to raise the dead”. Others have had similar praise for her performance even when they have found the play itself a bit monochromatic.

I haven’t seen the show, but judging from the original cast recording now available on Masterworks Broadway, Ms. Bennett has eerily captured not just the sound of Garland, but more specifically the sound of Garland towards the end of her career, when drugs and drink were taking their toll. To quote the Times again:

“In her terrifyingly manic, Ritalin-fueled “Come Rain or Come Shine” you hear not only the music but the rage that produces it.”

You don’t really hear that in Garland’s recordings from the period, in my view. But then, this isn’t an attempt to duplicate those recordings. It’s a look (albeit fictionalized) at the pain they masked. And on that level I think it works perhaps a little too well. At times, it’s difficult to listen to—not because Ms. Bennett has done her work poorly but rather because she has done it so very well.

The album consists of songs from the Broadway production of the play, fleshed out with new recordings by Bennett and members of the on-stage band of Garland classics not in the stage version, including “Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart”, “San Francisco” and “When The Sun Comes Out” (full track list below). If you’re a Garland fan you’ll probably want to add this to your collection; ditto if you have seen and enjoyed the show. For the rest of us it’s an interesting curiosity. The CD is available from the usual music outlets. You can also purchase the MP3 version at iTunes.

Track list:

  1. I Can’t Give You Anything But Love/Just In Time (Dorothy Fields, Jule Styne, Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Jimmy McHugh)
  2. I Could Go On Singing (E.Y. Harburg, Harold Arlen)
  3. Smile (Charles Chaplin, John Turner, Geoffrey Parsons)
  4. Medley: The Bells Are Ringing For Me And My Gal/You Made Me Love You/The Trolley Song (Joseph McCarthy, Ray Goetz, Hugh Martin, George Meyer, Edgar Leslie, Ralph Blane, James V. Monaco)
  5. Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart (James Hanley)
  6. The Man That Got Away (Ira Gershwin, Harold Arlen)
  7. Come Rain Or Come Shine (Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen)
  8. When You’re Smiling (Mark Fisher, Joe Goodwin, Larry Shay)
  9. Somewhere Over The Rainbow (E.Y. Harburg, Harold Arlen)
  10. San Francisco (Walter Jurmann, Gus Kahn, Bronislaw Kaper)
  11. When The Sun Comes Out (Ted Koehler, Harold Arlen)
  12. Get Happy/By Myself (Ted Koehler, Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz, Harold Arlen)
Posted by | May 17, 2012 | Album Reviews, Culture, Music | Comment 

Album review: Silversun Pickups roll through ‘Neck of the Woods’

Silversun Pickups
“Neck of the Woods”
Dangerbird
 
As a Silversun Pickups record, “Neck of the Woods” sounds exactly like you’d expect it to: cascading guitars, distorted shimmer and Nikki Monninger’s breathily-insistent vocals cosseted in waves of reverb that wash through the speakers.
 
The band’s distinctive alt-indie sound set them apart from other Silver Lake acts in the early-to-mid-2000s and still marks them immediately. “Pikul” sounds much like “Carnavas” which sounds much “Swoon,” and “Neck of the Woods” follows this pattern. While there are a few embellishments on each successive album, deviation is not a part of the Silversun Pickups’ plan. This can be restrictive, but “Neck of the Woods” opened in the iTunes Top 100 U.S. Albums chart and later moved to the Top 10, so I’m left to assume that this was a calculated (and evidently successful) choice.
 
Produced by Jacknife Lee (who also produced, among others, The Raveonettes, Snow Patrol, Crystal Castles and R.E.M.), “Neck of the Woods” plays on physical reactions to emotional triggers. The band’s distortion is measured and their drone harmonious, resulting in a dark swoon that brings to mind driving too fast through L.A. at night or maybe a few less pure deeds.
 
The first track, “Skin Graph,” slowly builds with choral vocals and strings, then expands with an industrial swell of sound before contracting abruptly into Chris Guanlao’s shallow snare staccato. The song is an erratic heartbeat, flutter mixed with a rush of blood to the extremities, deep heavy breathing followed by a sucking in of air so tight that your chest hurts to bursting.
 
The follow up, “Make Believe,” is both desperate and dizzying, broken and then rebuilt by Brian Aubert’s crunching guitar. Later songs like “Here We Are (Chancer)” are intimate and tense like breakup sex, while “Mean Spirits” is frantic, driven and loud, backed by twisted instrumentals and punctuated with honeyed panting.
 
Read more

Posted by | May 17, 2012 | Album Reviews | Comment 

Thursday morning music news: Loretta Lynn taps Zooey, Jay-Z has Obama’s back and Duck Dunn and Chuck Brown pass on

Donald "Duck" Dunn. Photo courtesy of flickr.com/photos/kenf/548589354 / Ken Ficara

The bottom of soul just got so much less deep. Donald “Duck” Dunn has passed away at the age of 70.

Congrats to one of the best blogs ever: NYCTaper has turned 5.

Jay-Z declares support for gay marriage.

KDHX’s Robin Wheeler interviews New Orleans duo Quintron and Miss Pussy Cat.

Lady Gaga fans push back against Islamists in Indonesia.

Dude! It’s John Waters. Pull over!

Watch what happens when you ask a bunch of cute British kids to review Skrillex.

Listen to Roseanne Cash on the life and music of Bobbie Gentry.

David Arnoff talks about his remarkable punk and post-punk photography.

The season finale of “Saturday Night Live” will feature Foo Fighters, Arcade Fire and Mick Jagger.

Whether you knew or not, these 10 female producers are running the show.

The new Animal Collective album is called “Centipede Hz” and will be out September 4.

RIP Chuck Brown, the Godfather of Go-Go.

Yep Roc turns 15 and throws a party I really wish I could attend.

Vanity Fair connects the dots between Winnie the Pooh, the Rolling Stones and real estate.

The Voice chats with Victoria LeGrand of Beach House.

Watch the Wainwrights, McGarrigles and Roches pick their favorite songs from their families.

Leonard Cohen wins the Glenn Gould Prize and gives the money away.

DJ Shadow makes an excellent use of Facebook’s Timeline.

Listen to a new B-side from the Walkmen.

Admit it: If you were Loretta Lynn you’d probably want Zooey Deschanel to play you too.

What’s on Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s iPod?

Maybe lazy eye will finally put an end to the emo swoop.

Posted by | May 17, 2012 | Music, News | Comment 

‘The veil of extreme uncomfortableness’ An interview with Quintron and Miss Pussycat

quintronandmisspussycat.com / Zack Smith

Longtime St. Louis favorites Quintron and Miss Pussycat are making their way up the Mississippi from their home in New Orleans this Friday. The band brings its mix of homemade electronic instruments and puppet craft in support of “Sucre Du Sauvage,” an album recorded as an art exhibit last year at the New Orleans Museum of Art.

In two recent phone conversations, Quintron discussed his St. Louis roots, the discomfort of recording as an exhibit, and his new title of Grammy nominee. Miss Pussycat shared some secrets to making her puppet shows, and fun things to do with rubberized fabric.

Robin Wheeler: You do have a St. Louis connection…

Quintron: Very much. If I can say I’m from anywhere, which is hard being a military brat … I’ve lived in New Orleans longer than I’ve lived anywhere in my life, but I had my formative growing-up years in St. Louis, Missouri.

RW: Of course, the question that follows is, where did you go to high school?

Q: Parkway North. My dad worked at McDonnell Douglas and we lived in Florissant for a long time. Then we moved to Creve Couer. He was in the National Guard and he was also an engineer.

RW: How did you come about recording your new album in the art museum in New Orleans?

Q: The curator of the contemporary wing of the New Orleans Museum of Art asked us to do something. She wanted to do, like, a retrospective exhibit of our work. She wanted to do something for a show. I’m not a visual artist. Miss Pussycat’s a visual artist, and that makes sense, with her puppets. She’s a painter and photographer.

I was like, I don’t know what you want me to do because I don’t do that kind of thing. So I thought, well, I know. I’ll use this opportunity to make a really weird experiment on myself [laughs]. Set up a recording studio and record an album in the museum. We had full 24-hour access. It was like we were employees and could be there anytime, day or night.

I ended up doing a lot of work when people weren’t there because I found it very difficult to work with the public there. I thought I could tune them out, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t. It was really annoying and I hated it when people were there, actually. I devised all kinds of ways to make it work. I’d turn my back to the public and rope myself off. I’d blast white noise in the room so I could just tune out the chatter, and nothing ever lifted the veil of extreme uncomfortableness. That part of the experiment was a failure, in a way. But having access to the museum — the whole experience — I wouldn’t trade for the world. I’m happy with the album. I wouldn’t have made that record in any other circumstances.

Read more

Posted by | May 15, 2012 | Interviews, Music | Comment 

Concert review: The Polyphonic Spree (with New Fumes and Sweet Lee Morrow) raise all voices at the Duck Room, Friday, May 11

The Polyphonic Spree at the Duck Room in St. Louis. May 11, 2012

The Polyphonic Spree. Photo by Kate McDaniel.

Down the stairs and past the bar, a screen on the Duck Room stage displayed a jerky psychedelic image resembling a collage of contorted faces.

The disco ball spun slowly in the foreground as the stage was prepared for New Fumes to perform. Leaving his position behind the merchandise table, a tall, thin, man humbly approached the stage and looped a guitar over his shoulder as he crouched behind. He carried the unassuming air of a roadie, but this was the sole member of New Fumes, a psychedelic rock and dance act on Tim DeLaughter’s Good Records label from Dallas.

“Hi, I’m Daniel,” he began, placing a goat mask atop his head. “I have a pretty brief set so if you don’t like my music don’t worry, it will be over soon.” As he began with a trippy swirl of electronic chaos he smoothly launched into a psychedelic rendition of the Star Wars theme. With equally trippy video playing on the background screen the crowd roared with approval. Continuing to paint his tapestry of electronic psychedelia, New Fumes gained the respect of many attendees who applauded as he left the stage just as humbly as he had entered.

The second performer, Sweet Lee Morrow, took the stage also as a lone member act. However, the shy and quiet nature of the previous performer was contrasted by a much more vocal and confident display of folk and pop-rock piano and guitar tunes. Moving from behind his keyboard, he kneeled as he took hold of his guitar. Placing the headstock on his finger, he offered the crowd a bonus balancing act before submitting a final set of gracious jams.

As the crowd prepared for what they hoped would be an extraordinarily uplifting time with the Polyphonic Spree a red curtain was stretched across the front of the stage. A Vaudeville-sounding tune sprinkled out from the speakers as the spotlighted disco ball spun and sent sparkled light squares across the room.

Scissors punctured the curtain from behind. The shape of a heart was cut out as the piano began to play softly. Blasting into a full-band chorus, lead singer, Tim DeLaughter, cut the curtain in half, revealing a crew of 13 people playing and singing in white robes. A single red heart adorned each robe as a symbol of the group’s message.

Horns blared over dual percussion. Keys and a cello added to the mix with four females lending vocal support to DeLaughter. By the end of the first song the band was conducting an audience-aided sing-along. Throughout the evening some sang the lyrics like gospel while others simply stood and smiled. And of course, Beatle Bob was there rocking away in the front row.

The band set included the hits “Hold Me Now” and “Light and Day,” but also offered up a smoothly transitioned set of lesser-known crowd pleasers like “Soldier Girl.” One of the major highlights of the evening was the band’s rousing cover of the Who’s “Pinball Wizard.” The band danced and grooved as DeLaughter led the show, grabbing the rafters as he leaned toward the crowd.

Following a triumphant, horn-focused finale the band took a short break before returning to gracious cheers. Playing another three songs, the Spree’s symphony entertained the packed house as they true their hands to the ceiling in celebration. As the end of the last song approached, the crowd chanted with the harmonies of the band, “All in good time, raise our voices.”

The band members slowly left the stage in pairs until all that remained was DeLaughter with his hand on the rafters extending his microphone to the choir in the crowd. Bowing in appreciation DeLaughter waved as he followed his crew exiting the stage.

Posted by | May 13, 2012 | Concerts | 1 Comment 

Event review: KDHX fans and DJs share love, music and chaos at Midwest Mayhem at the City Museum, Thursday, May 10

Funky Butt Brass Band outside the City Museum at Midwest Mayhem 2012

Funky Butt Brass Band outside the City Museum. Photo by Sara Finke.

St. Louis music fans of all stripes gathered at the City Museum for Midwest Mayhem on Thursday evening to celebrate with the city’s independent radio station, 88.1 KDHX.

While walking towards the entrance one could glimpse the familiar school bus extending over the street as the mantis praying from above seemed to bless the mayhem ahead.

The night began with the sounds of Bob Reuter’s Alley Ghost welcoming patrons at the first floor Whale Stage (Reuter is host of Bob’s Scratchy Records on Friday afternoons on 88.1 KDHX). The crowd continued to grow throughout the evening as attendees wandered and climbed through four floors of entertainment including an excellent variety of live music, indoor and outdoor playgrounds, spin sessions by DJs, burlesque performers and even an in-house vintage clothing shop featuring its own side stage.

Like KDHX, the City Museum is ever evolving. Areas under construction at last year’s event were now open to exploration as renovations were being done on new sections. The evening was highlighted by musical acts ranging from traditional folk and country to modern rock and electronica.

Opening on the second floor, synth-pop group Née provided dance tunes beneath white icicle lights hanging from the ceiling. Meanwhile, the third floor was washed over by the folk and country blend of the Five and Dimers. On the other side of the building, burlesque performers entertained a packed house with three sets that included a grand finale male performer.

As the night continued, featured drinks by New Belgium and Sailor Jerry ensured a well-lubricated evening. Javier Mendoza was second to take the Whale Stage; the St. Louis veteran offered up a selection of singer-songwriter rock tunes attracting familiar fans and passers by who were simply following their ears.

Up again on the third floor, the Lawn Chair Brigade was present and in full effect as they marched around, snap-folding their chairs and providing a welcomed pre-show for the KDHX Blues Band (which included long-time 88.1 KDHX DJs Papa Ray, Art Dwyer, Ron Edwards and Michael McHenry). The crowd continued to expand as the band wielded wildly entertaining harmonica solos over lively and tight blues jams, attracting a wide variety of listeners.

Read more

Posted by | May 11, 2012 | Concerts, KDHX, Music | Comment 

‘Let’s see what feels good’ An interview with Brothers Lazaroff

facebook.com/brothers.lazaroff

It’s been a big spring for Brothers Lazaroff. They stormed South by Southwest, armed with genre-bending remixes of Austin pal Elizabeth McQueen’s retro jazz before returning to St. Louis to release their new album, “Science Won.”

Rather, they launched the new album into the world with a series of three shows: an electric gig with Cree Rider at the Gramophone, an acoustic show in the Focal Point’s Local Heroes series and a brunch set with JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound at Lola.

Recently, I shared lunch with David and Jeff Lazaroff at Market Grill to discuss the roots of their music, the making of the new album and new projects.
        
Robin Wheeler: One of my first experiences seeing you was at the Uncle Tupelo tribute in 2010. I was in the balcony with my friend, who was also at the original Uncle Tupelo shows, and we both said, “They get it. This is what Uncle Tupelo would have sounded like had they not imploded.”

David Lazaroff: Honestly, we had to learn a lot about them. We didn’t know the catalog because we’re more Wilco fans. But we love old-time music. We didn’t come at it so much from the punk angle. We came at it from the country angle. More the Dylan, folk side of the things.

RW: You did “No Depression,” right

DL: We did “Watch Me Fall.”

Jeff Lazaroff: And then we did …

DL and JL: “I Wanna be Your Dog.”

RW: You guys got it. Whether you’d done your research or came from the background.

JL: I think more than anything we are, as a band, we’re friends, and it’s not necessarily about our individual talents. It’s about the sound we all make together. I think that’s the one thing we got from them is a return to that spirit of getting into old time and folk music, but coming at it from a rock perspective. That’s how we learned playing. Learning old Stanley Brothers and all the old bluegrass. And not having to be flat pickers. Not having to be bluegrass musicians, per se. That’s why, when we found the song “No Depression,” it really was an easy transition with the style we’ve developed with this unit over the past four years. We play old fiddle tunes and make them our own.

DL: Like a lot of other musicians we like to walk our influences backwards. Here’s who we love. Who did they love? Walk it back a few generations. I got into the punkier side of things later. Like getting into Sonic Youth … I think “Sonic Nurse” was their first album I owned. It was kind of cool timing to do that thing. I had that Iggy Pop album with “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” so when we were asked to do it, we were ready.

JL: We practice every Tuesday night. We make a meal and we practice. Every time one of these KDHX tribute nights has come, it’s been a good excuse for us all to dive into that artist. We’ll be geeky about them and learn six or seven tunes, do the ones that feel good and let the band decide.

DL: You can feel the ones you should do. I think for the Dylan one we ran through 20 tunes.

RW: Last night I listened to “American Artifact” back-to-back with “Science Won.” How did you get from point A to point B? Listening to “American Artifact,” there’s the feel of this being what Uncle Tupelo might have sounded like had they not broken up, and now you’re getting into more groovy and jazzy, but there’s still slide guitar undertone. So, what happened?

DL: We used to use all Austin musicians for our recordings. That’s where I lived for 13 years.

JL: He was still living in Austin with that recording.

DL: Yeah. That recording featured Gary Newcomb on pedal steel. He played with a band called Li’l Cap’n Travis that was Wilco-derived. The drummer was a woman named Stacy Hoobler who had more of a punk thing. We put that band together for that album, specifically. And then we recorded with Jacob Detering here at Red Pill, and we asked him for some recommendations for local musicians. He turned us on to [drummer] Grover [Stewart], and then Grover helped us find [bassist] Teddy [Brookins]. We went out to see Grover play one night and we found [keyboardist] Mo [Egeston]. And this all happened within a year. This is our fourth year with a solid unit. I think with the last album, “Give ‘Em What They Need,” we tried to throw it against the wall. We had developed this new style that was a combination of the groove-based styles Grover, Teddy and Mo brought, and our Americana, psychedelic thing.

We loved “Give ‘Em What They Need,” but we felt it was a little too dense. We did a lot of overdubs. Then we wanted to do the opposite. We developed an acoustic sound for certain gigs, and people really responded to it. It was a natural thing: “Oh, we have this acoustic feel where Grover uses brushes, but still being Grover. Teddy’s playing acoustic bass, but still being Teddy. And Mo’s a piano player to start. We just went in there and had this thought of, let’s see if we can do no overdubs. It had a jazzier feel. A lot of it is the grooves. Being an acoustic instrumentation, we all played the same instrument for every song, the same miking techniques, and we didn’t do any overdubs. They’re kind of folky instrumentation, but challenging ourselves to not do standard grooves on any tune.

Read more

Posted by | May 11, 2012 | Interviews, Local, Music | Comment 

← Previous Page — Next Page →