St. Louis Music Blog

Good times were had by all at the Tap Room last night at the RFT Music Awards Presentation shindig. Thanks to everyone -- winners, nominees, fans, supporters -- who came out to the event to honor this year's winners. As our slideshow reveals, things on display included:

Friendship:

Stew Smith

Eric from Bunnygrunt (left) and two members of The Humanoids. View full slideshow here.

Beer:

Stew Smith

The Trip Daddys and Bunnygrunt. More photos here.

Awards

Stew Smith

Luca Brasi. More photos right here.

And even a little bit of making out...

Just a reminder that the RFT is having its free, open-to-the-public awards party tomorrow night at the Schlafly Tap Room from 7 to 10 p.m. Performers will be Earthworms and Rum Drum Ramblers; presenters of awards will be Roy Kasten, Christian Schaeffer and yours truly. Swing by and have a drink (or three) and celebrate the city's musical talent. The winners of said awards, don't forget, are here.

The ballots have been counted and tallied, and so without further ado, here are the RFT's 2009 Music Awards winners! Remember, it's not too late to RSVP for our Music Awards party, which is taking place next Tuesday, June 23, from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Schlafly Tap Room. All of the information is here. The emcees will be Roy Kasten, Christian Schaeffer and yours truly, so expect good times. BTW, Tom Huck also drew this week's cover, seen below.

Tom Huck

Here's set number two from the music showcase! More here and on slideshow number one. (Bunnygrunt at the Delmar by Stew Smith is below.)


Entire slideshow here

The final stuff from Roy! Thanks, Roy!

Magnolia Summer

Again by Roy.
Grace Basement:

Courtesy of Roy.
Bunnygrunt:

Here's one of a few slideshows of photos we have from yesterday's music showcase! More coming as they're uploaded.

Photo: Nick Schnelle

The Trip Daddys. More photos here.

Entire set of photos here

Thanks to the talented Roy Kasten (who I imagine must be far less hungover than I am today to have been so fast at uploading these clips), here are bunches of videos from yesterday's music showcase. Up first are clips from the Sham, Rough Shop and Leadville. Check back throughout the day for more clips!

The Sham

A bit late, but below the jump you'll find links to as many blogposts we've run with MP3s -- and the occasional MySpace page and embedded tune -- of each nominated band. Whew. Chime in with any URLs that have tunes in the comments, of course. I think I have everyone. The music showcase blurbs/information is out today in the paper. All 10,000 words of it.

Lifetime Achievement
Bunnygrunt
Trip Daddys
Murder City Players
Bottle Rockets
Kim Massie

Just a heads up that there are a few minor changes to the music showcase schedule. First, Rockwell Knuckles and Black Spade are no longer playing the night hip-hop showcase. And because the Wooden Kites broke up last weekend -- aww -- Say Panther is playing in its place at the Delmar Lounge. There are still tons of great locals playing the event, however! And voting is still open! Don't forget, the fun is Sunday, June 7, all day in the Loop.

Hi, music awards nominees: Next Friday, I'd like to put up a list of links to music/MP3s from nominated bands. Now, I know that we've uploaded music from many of you this year -- and so I'd likely just link to these existing blogposts, for ease of everything -- but if we haven't uploaded music from you, and you want us to, please email an MP3 to hndinglove@gmail.com this weekend! I'll put up a few blogposts next week with music links/music, so people can check out what you're all about.

Thanks!
The Management

Just before we adjourned for the three-day weekend, I received the lineup/schedule for this year's RFT Music Showcase, on Sunday, June 7. Here's the full list of nominees -- and don't forget to vote for your faves! And if you have any complaints/gripes -- I don't want to hear them, because I didn't book the event.

Main Outdoor Stage
1 p.m. The Beat Street Crew
2 p.m. Jon Hardy & the Public
3 p.m. One Lone Car
4 p.m. Gentleman Auction House
5 p.m. LOGOS
6 p.m. The Feed

Just a quick update for everyone!

*The poll is still online, right here. Check it out and vote for your favorite local bands!

*The schedule of bands playing the showcase on June 7 is nearly completed. I haven't seen it yet. As soon I do, I'll blog it here.

*Become a fan of the music awards on Facebook, and follow our music twitter for more updates.

Because we all need more things to clutter up our Facebook account, head over to this link and become a friend of the 2009 RFT Music Awards Showcase. (I also created an event for the June 7 shindig, because I'm fancy like that.) Voting is now open online -- head here to cast your votes for your favorite local acts. The winners will be revealed in our June 18 issue.

And while we're talking about online things -- don't forget to be friends with the RFT Music Folks on Twitter (if by "folks" you mean "me.")

That's right, the 2009 version of the RFT Music Awards ballot is up and running online! The link is here -- feel free to spread it around near and far, and vote for your favorite act. Facebook page coming in the next few days, fyi. And the showcase is June 7, lineup TBA.

Here are the nominees for this year's music showcase. Enjoy 'em after this year's poster, courtesy of the amazing Tom Huck.

Tom Huck

Without further ado, I'm about ready to post the nominees for the 2009 RFT Music Awards. The showcase is all day in the Delmar Loop on Sunday, June 7. Before that, here are some common questions and complaints, which I hope clear up the misconceptions and grumbles that come up every year.

1. Why wasn't "X" band nominated? Because these awards are meant to honor folks that have made contributions to /strides in the local music community in the past year. It's not a reflection on talent (well, sometimes), but who we feel has made a difference in the past year. Some bands haven't played out as much, many bands have broken up -- seriously, a lot of bands have broken up -- and others are regrouping with lineup changes and such. Call it a rebuilding year. That doesn't mean these acts won't return in coming years -- but in the 2008/09 time period, other people were a bit better.

2. Why was "X" band nominated? Because they're my friends. That was a joke. Seriously. I can honestly say I haven't met a vast majority of the nominees below -- something they'll verify -- and this ballot was cobbled together with the input of a lot of people, including responders to this post. People who earned a nomination stood out from the pack for some reason. Simple as that.

To answer a question a commenter asked today: As a reminder, the 2009 RFT Music Awards Showcase is Sunday, June 7, all day in the Delmar Loop. The showcase bands haven't been chosen yet, because I'm still working on the music awards nominations ballot. (And to clarify something that people ask every year: Showcasing bands are chosen from the ballot; it's not an open nomination/application process.) Those nominated will be announced in the April 23 issue of the RFT.

Tom Huck's 2008 logo

However, because every year people ask how bands are chosen -- and think that I only nominate my friends or play favorites or something -- I figured I'd be open with how bands are chosen. I send an email around to record store workers, venue employees, RFT writers, local musicians and promoters and such, asking for suggestions for great bands/people they've seen. Everyone's tastes are different, and everyone hangs out in different places, so it helps me remember things I may have forgotten about, or discover things that might be overlooked. Those choices and my own observations help me cobble together a ballot.

Here's something a bit different this year, though: I figured I'd toss up a blogpost asking you guys about the good, talented local bands you've seen out and about. I don't care as much about genre as I do quality. I also don't care about street-teams, so 50 comments about one bands will be transparently based off a MySpace bulletin. But I'm curious to hear your input.

So, go on. What talented bands have you seen lately? Comment away. As a reminder, last year's winners and nominees can be found at those links.  

The 2008 RFT Music Award winners represent a diverse cross-section of the old and the new, the familiar and the upstart. Congratulations to the following musicians!

Here is a photo slide show of the winners.

See photos of Tuesday night's ceremony here.

-- Annie Zaleski

Well, it's Wednesday morning, and I'm finally starting to feel a bit more coherent after the showcase. The ballots for music award winners have been counted, and I'm awaiting the electronic beancounters to tell me the results. Don't forget, you can find out all of the winners at our awards ceremony NEXT TUESDAY at the Pageant! YOU MUST RSVP! ALL DETAILS HERE!

I hope it isn't too late to give a brief overview of some of my music showcase highlights -- even though everyone in the other post has done a great job summing things up. (As has Todd over at the Post-Rockist. Whew.) So in a fest with much camaraderie, silliness and celebration, I'd instead I'd like to highlight one of the coolest examples of collaboration and cooperation I've seen in a long time.

Freelance photographer Nichole Torpea sent us this footage of the Humanoids performing to an enthusiastic crowd at the Halo Bar next to the Pageant during Sunday's annual RFT Music Showcase.

This was shot with a point-and-shoot camera, so the sound leaves something to be desired.

If you have video from the Showcase, send it our way and we'll try to post it at A to Z.

Humanoids Videos after the jump.

There's still time to come down to the Loop and participate in the RFT music showcase! We've been here since 2 p.m. Highlights so far:

*Jon Hardy and the Public being predictably good.

*Vandalyzm rapping over, among other songs, Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and Dee-Lite's "Groove Is in the Heart."

*Shame Club tearing it up as per usual, metal-tastic style.

*So Many Dynamos playing a song they haven't played in years. Despite equipment malfunctions, they were good.

*The Monads -- featuring water balloons and such! -- also killed it.

More later! Come on out!

-- Annie Zaleski

Without further ado, here is the schedule for the June 1 Music Showcase in the Loop! This post will be at the top of the blog until June 1; new posts will be under this.

VOTE BY CLICKING HERE!

Main Stage – Outside Vintage Vinyl
2 p.m. Jon Hardy & the Public
3 p.m. Gentleman Auction House
4 p.m. So Many Dynamos
5 p.m. Vandalyzm
6 p.m. Victoria

(Thanks to bands for permission to post music!)

(The Humanoids)

The Humanoids
www.myspace.com/thehumanoidsruleearth
The boys in the Humanoids put their hearts into every live performance, creating an electric, sweaty scene in venues all around town. The bands sound is open, blazing straightforward punk, without any unnecessary additions or other confusing elements. The lyrics stream by fast, the guitars ring loudly and the drumming is hard and quick. With the aid of several high-profile opening slots (including for the Misfits at the Roberts Orpheum Theater) and constant gigs, the band has swiftly built up a following here and around the country, with both young kids and punk veterans singing along and furiously pumping their fists in the front row of nearly every show. -- Jaime Lees
Halo Bar, 8 p.m.

MP3: The Humanoids, "Youth of America" (Wipers cover)

Lye By Mistake
www.myspace.com/lyebymistake
Lye By Mistake will not rest until your brain is melted and your jaw has congealed with the spilt beer on the venue floor. Led by the virtuoistic shredding of guitarist Josh Bauman and the guttural, often effected vocals of Tony Saputo, the band crafts intense tech-metal that isn't afraid to push the boundaries of human ability or the preconceived notions of their genre; for Lye By Mistake, "breakdown" means a jazz-fusion guitar solo over a salsa beat. The easiest comparisons are to Dillinger Escape Plan or Mike Patton's many projects, but Lye By Mistake is almost peerless. They have not only transcended their influences, they are making them look like chumps. -- Ryan Wasoba

(Thanks to bands for permission to post these MP3s!)

(Cross Examination)

Cross Examination
www.myspace.com/crossexamination
In the liner notes to Slayer’s 1996 cover album Undisputed Attitude, the group explains that while bands such as Minor Threat and D.R.I. weren’t all that fast, they appreciated their intensity. Well, maybe those early hardcore outfits, which Cross Examination resembles, weren’t speedy by metal’s standards, judged by double-bass beats-per-minute and total solo-notes shredded, but they sounded as if they were about to combust. It’s the difference between an airplane, cruising overhead at some unfathomable velocity, and an overtaxed car doing 150 on the highway. Other acts might be technically quicker than Cross Examination, but they’ll never sound more reckless, dangerous and, well, fun. -- Andrew Miller

MP3: Cross Examination, "Menace 2 Sobriety"

Harkonin
www.myspace.com/harkonin
Last summer, Harkonin signed a multi-album deal with Battlegod Productions, a label run by Gorgoroth. (Not the Gorgoroth, black-metal fans, but an Australian dude who performs under that name; still, his band Baltak sounds pretty brutal.) In March, Battlegod, which boasts a distribution deal with metal empire Century Media, reissued Harkonin’s stellar 2006 disc Ghanima. Harkonin recently leaked “Chaos Anthem,” a rough demo from its in-progress 2009 release, and the new tune hints at a few changes in the group’s sound: Most notably, singer Jason Barron sounds decidedly less snakelike. -- Andrew Miller

(Thanks to all of the artists for the music!)

(DJ Crucial)

Crucial
www.myspace.com/ffiverecords
Every Thursday night at new Grove venue the Gramophone, DJ Crucial and DJ Needles unleash Sound Clash, a free, tag-team celebration of hip-hop, soul and R&B. This plum gig is the latest feather in the cap for the F5 Records president, whose musical reputation both in and out of town continues to grow by leaps and bounds – thanks in no small part to live DJ gigs with Nato Caliph and a well-received collaboration with Hi-Fidel (In the Company of Wolves). -- Annie Zaleski
Pin-Up Bowl, 11 p.m.

MP3: DJ Crucial feat. MF Grimm, "Vultures"

Trackstar
www.myspace.com/djtrackstar
Gabe Moskoff (a.k.a. DJ Trackstar) hasn’t let the cessation of his long-running Friday night Halo Bar spin slow him down. His weekly local hip-hop e-newsletter continues to be a must-read collection of news, free mixes and shows listings, while his artfully curated Boogie Bang mixtapes continue to arrive fast and furious (he’s up to volume thirteen). Even better, people outside of the Lou are starting to take note: Earlier this spring Trackstar hosted a mix by underground luminary NYOil. -- Annie Zaleski
Pin-Up Bowl, 11 p.m.

FREE MIX: Still Dreamin' Volume 2 (Hosted by Black Spade)

Target Market
www.myspace.com/targetmarket
Since releasing 2006’s No Thrills, Target Market has gone through quite the metamorphosis in terms of lineup and musical direction. Recent live performances have found the band leaving behind most of its spastic post-rock in favor of a more hook-driven indie-pop sound that draws more from the simple genius of Lou Reed than complex Midwest mathiness. But danceable grooves, deceptively complex drum patterns and inventive melodies still serve the band well and should fuel its upcoming album, which is expected later this year. -- Shae Moseley
Cicero’s, 7 p.m.

MP3: Target Market, "The Beat Plays On"

(Bunnygrunt)

Bunnygrunt
www.myspace.com/therealbunnygrunt
By day, Matt Harnish slings records behind the counter at Vintage Vinyl. But by night, he and his merry cast of ‘Grunt workers (long-time foils Karen Ried and Eric Von Damage and – sometimes, if we’re lucky -- scene staples Jason Hutto and Mario Viele) unleash foaming-at-the-mouth twee-punk that will tickle your pop fancy – while inducing more awkward dance moves this side of a junior high mixer. -- Annie Zaleski
Delmar Lounge, midnight

MP3: Bunnygrunt, "1000% Not Creepy"

(Thanks to bands for permission to post songs for download!)

(.e)

.e
www.myspace.com/dottiesound
In recent years, home recording software has put the ability to make quality recordings in the palm of nearly every musician’s hand. Naturally, this has spawned a new generation of bedroom recording savants who base their compositions on careful layering and overdubbing of multiple motifs (and the occasional charming background noise of a television set or roommate shuffling around in the next room). But .e manages to bring her one-woman creations to life in the live setting as well. A tasteful array of looping devices, effects pedals and a dreamy whisper of a voice adds up to the ethereal sway of her noise-pop experiments. -- Shae Moseley
Vintage Vinyl, 8 p.m.

MP3: .e, "Noah's Arc"

The Conformists
www.theconformists.com
Like the slightly shifting monotony of a ship at sea on choppy waters, the Conformists writes music that is ever-morphing yet manages to create a trance-like effect. The band holds audiences hostage, until it sees fit to drop an assault of jagged dissonance and strange tempo shifts that are perfectly “wrong.” Mike Benker’s voice can shift from psychotic whispering chants to full-bodied baritone shouts that are reminiscent of Glenn Danzig – but it always finds its place among the confounding instrumental menagerie that resembles the angular experiments of bands like Slint and the Jesus Lizard. -- Shae Moseley

MP3: The Conformists, "Tax Deduction"