"Get my [guitar] strings out of the toliet!" Welcome to a recording session for the new Pretty Little Empire record at Native Sound studios.

With the unruly fervor of foot stomping and string picking, the Hackensaw Boys stir new life into Americana music and songwriting.

KDHX hosted over 200 in-studio sessions this year, and our volunteer photographers kept up with all the action.

Local Pink Floyd tribute band El Monstero kicked off its 13th annual run of sold-out shows at the Pageant this weekend.

Trampled by Turtles is a young string band with a surreal name and an unreal approach to bluegrass, folk and rock 'n' roll.

Eric Bachmann is best known to many as the frontman of '90s indie-rock iconoclasts Archers of Loaf. While that band found more popularity than Crooked Fingers have as of yet, Bachmann's work with Crooked Fingers has eclipsed that of his former group in artistic vision and execution.

Street musicians connect with their audience where it counts the most, their everyday lives. In this piece, I document nine performers in action, live from the sidewalks you walk on.

The head-banging extravaganza that is Uproar Festival rolled through Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on Sunday. 

Alison Krauss & Union Station performance was well recieved by the crowd at the Fabulous Fox Theater on Thursday night.

Last weekend was St. Louis' hottest two day indie music festival, Loufest. Loufest 2011 featured TV On The Radio, Deerhunter, Questlove, Cat Power, The Hold Steady, the Low Anthem, Lost in the Trees, Ume, and many more bands.

A crowd full of backup vocalists were treated to a trio of talented voices saturday night at the Old Rock House.

The crowd at Off Broadway sang and danced along to Slaid Cleaves' heartfelt, acoustic songs and were especially pleased to hear a new album will be released this fall.

The kickoff to Twangfest 15 exceeded all expectations at the Pageant Wednesday night.

Theodore got down and dirty last night at Off Broadway, Friday, May 20.

The gritty twang of Holly Golightly and Lawyer Dave certainly inspired some boot stomping on a Tuesday night.

The Black Angels made their mark at The Old Rock House Friday night with Suuns and Tone Rodent to back them up and rock it hard.

All Photos by Nate Burrell. See more at my Flickr Stream.

With stage smoke leaving a layer of haze in the Firebird on Thursday night, the the Black Lips combed through the fog and unleashed their in your face garage rock style for an appreciative crowd.

All photos by Nate Burrell. See more at my Flickr Stream.

The music community of St. Louis (and beyond) is saddened by the news of Gene Roberts' passing on January 12, 2011. Gene was 82 years old.

Thirty minutes before the doors opened, a line of 100+ folks stood in the winter winds outside of the Old Rock House chanting, "Let us in, let us in!" as they waited to see Nashville bluesman Patrick Sweany and Mississippi songster Paul Thorn.

Nearing the end of a 45-day tour, Cleveland's Mr. Gnome still had plenty in the tank for a stellar performance at the Firebird on Friday night.

The 4th Annual St. Louis Blues and Soul Revue took place at the Sheldon Ballroom in St. Louis this weekend. Performers included the Soulard Blues Band with the Voodoo Blues Horn Section, Renee Smith, Ms. Monya, Big George Brock Jr., Marty Abdullah and Tom "Papa" Ray, master of ceremonies.

All photos by Kate McDaniel. See more at my Flickr stream.

All photos by Kate McDaniel. See more at my Flickr stream. 

The Paste Tour offered a wide variety of sights and sound to the audience. From the delicate melodies of the Mimicking Birds and haunting guitar and vocals of Jesse Sykes and Phil Wandscher to Langhorne Slim’s signature swagger and Jason Isbell’s impressive guitar chops.

All photos by Kate McDaniel. See more at my Flickr stream.

All photos by Tom Lampe. See more at my Flickr.