In his three-decade career, Marshall Crenshaw hasn't taken traditional routes. He's a Michigan-born singer-songwriter with a penchant for complex chord structures and pub rock-flavored pop while portraying other musicians. In the early years of his career, he played John Lennon in a production of "Beatlemania," then found himself onscreen as Buddy Holly in the 1987 film "La Bamba."

St. Louis has it good. Good beer, good music and good venues. And Saturday night local was king at the Pageant in celebration of Schlafly Beer's 21st year in operation.

Each month, this site features numerous photography pieces based on the work of the intrepid members of KDHX's pool of volunteer photographers.

The September 1 edition of 88.1 KDHX's Harvest Sessions featured Lookout Joe.

The inaugural Open Highway Festival's penultimate performances shook Off Broadway on Saturday night, with tunes from four stellar acts.

Watching Jason & the Scorchers howl, wail and swagger through a nearly two-hour set at Off Broadway was almost as fun as absorbing the crowd's frenetic reaction.

On "Not So Loud," the Bottle Rockets completely transform their sound, trading in guitar-heavy, bluesy rock for a stripped-down take on alt-country.   

James McMurtry and the Bottle Rockets, double bill at the Pageant. All photos by Nate Burrell. See more at my Flickr stream.

This was the first show of an unusual Midwestern tour, in which the musicians had not met previously and had only practiced together for two days prior to the show, rehearsing on this very stage.

Live at KDHX, Vol. 8 isn’t just a music anthology. It’s a 22-track mixtape, selected with care, sequenced with love, and remixed and mastered to capture all the warmth and intimacy of the Magnolia Avenue Studios. And needless to say, it rocks (and swings and twangs and grooves) with the spirit of independent radio in St. Louis, 88.1 KDHX.