Friday, Nov. 6 2009 @ 2:01AM
Neko Case's show last night at the Pageant wasn't that different from her September 2008 appearance at the same venue. However, the comfortably crowded show was, shall we say, loose. Not musically - oh no, Case throws her head back, shakes her tomato-red mane and out pours her sweet, unadulterated voice, like clockwork. And her backing band - which includes long-time vocal foil Kelly Hogan and pedal-steel wizard Jon Rauhouse - helps her gently replicate the studio versions of her songs.
But Case was clearly in a goofy mood, from the second she stepped onstage, wearing simple blue jeans and a T-shirt. The show began with the big reveal that she and the band were comparing bad song lyrics before the show started. The winner? According to Case, it's the line, "I feel the horses coming gallopng," from Hole's "Malibu" - which she shared via a bellowed Courtney Love imitation.
See more photos from last night's show.
Thursday, Nov. 5 2009 @ 10:17AM
It's too easy to take AFI for granted. The Bay Area hardcore-turned-take-your-pick-of-genres band is such a strong live act -- and makes such smart music -- that it's easy to forget that nobody else out there sounds like it.
But the quartet reaffirmed its brilliance at last night's crowded show at the Pageant, with a dynamic set. Bathed in deep blue night, bassist Hunter Burgan strode onstage, teasing the audience with some eerie rumbling before the rest of the band exploded into the gothic-Nintendo "Torch Song." Wasting no time, AFI then launched into manicured-punk fan favorites "Girl's Not Grey" and "The Leaving Song, Pt. 2.," which spawned massive sing-alongs and set the energetic tone for the night.
See more photos from last night's show
Wednesday, Nov. 4 2009 @ 12:01PM
By the second song of opening act Paper Route's set, it was clear that last night's Paramore show at the Pageant was going to be extremely loud and very in your face. The Nashville act (which is friends with the headliners) enveloped the near sellout crowd with its highly stylized blend of slick, ambient pop, echo-laden guitar effects work and danceable hooks. (Think Tears for Fears' studio-pop precision mixed with the spaced-out vibe of Massive Attack or M83 with the thickly layered percussion breakdowns of indie-rockers like Arcade Fire.) The band's sound was enormous, but the flawless and emotive dual lead vocals from J.T. Daly and Andy Smith always lofted over the top. In the end, Paper Route held the audience's attention like few opening acts ever manage to do.
When Paramore took the stage, the energy level in the room rose. The quintet made its presence felt in a big way, with a bombastic tour intro that featured a double-drum attack that literally sounded and felt like the Pageant's sound system was poised to burst. But when spunky vocalist Hayley Williams, sporting a tousled blond mop of blue-streaked hair, strutted out to take hold of her candy-cane-striped microphone stand, the crowd erupted into even more of a frenzy.
Sunday, Nov. 1 2009 @ 11:35AM
 |
| Shae Moseley |
A truly charismatic, energetic opening act that commands the audience's attention is a rare find at most bigger rock shows. But at Friday's Our Lady Peace show at the Pageant, Chicago's Company of Thieves set the bar high, thanks to an irresistible blend of dance-party funk and soulful, spaced-out psychedelia.
The band pulled out all the stops with its Halloween spirit, taking the stage dressed as the cast of The Wizard of Oz. Vocalist Genevieve Schatz made a perfect Dorothy and wowed the packed crowd of Our Lady Peace disciples with her genuinely charming stage presence and rafter-rattling pipes. Judging by the songs Company of Thieves played from its debut album, Ordinary Riches, it's definitely a must-see live act and a new band to watch.
Thursday, Oct. 29 2009 @ 11:32AM
Last night, Uncle Monk -- the bluegrass project featuring Ramones drummer Tommy Ramone -- performed at Off Broadway. Nick Schnelle was there and took a bunch of photos. See a few below;
view the entire slideshow here!
Thursday, Oct. 29 2009 @ 9:20AM
Superstar DJ
Tiesto performed at Home Nightclub on Wednesday, October 28. Egan O'Keefe was there and took photos of the man -- and crowd -- in action. View a few samples below, and an
entire slideshow here.
Monday, Oct. 26 2009 @ 1:26PM
 |
| Shae Moseley |
Between songs at last night's Firebird show, A Place to Bury Strangers guitarist/vocalist Oliver Ackermann crouched down over a mysterious, suitcase-sized box with cables protruding from it. He dialed knobs like some kind of short-wave-radio operator tuning in scrambled signals from another galaxy.
Getting the chance to witness Ackermann coaxing these overwhelming sound collages from his guitar, effects rig and wall of Fender amplifiers in a small club setting feels almost voyeuristic, like you're maybe being allowed to see more of the mad science lab than you're supposed to. But the near darkness that shrouded the band for most of its set -- along with the seeming ease with which Ackerman executed his pedal switching dance in the near smoky darkness -- provided plenty of mystery. This probably has a lot to do with the fact that he designs his own effects: His boutique, Death By Audio, has become a go-to effects shop for everyone from Trent Reznor to Jeff Tweedy.
Thursday, Oct. 15 2009 @ 2:47AM
The signs on the doors of the Pageant box office and entrances said it all: "Earplugs are available for purchase at the bar and soda areas." The occasion? Dinosaur Jr. was in town last night, and the band is notorious for being loud. How loud? Well, friends who saw the trio's show in Columbia a few years back swear it was one of the loudest shows they've ever been to. And during the show, bassist Lou Barlow said that somebody called the venue last week and swore they were going to kill the band - because that same Columbia Dino Jr show ruined their hearing.
I generally wear earplugs at shows anyway, so tonight was no exception. And I was skeptical about the volume - could it really be that bad? A few times during the 90-minute show, I took the right earplug out a few times, just to see how loud it really was. "Huh," I thought. "After last night's Mastodon/High on Fire/Converge/Dethklok show, this isn't bad at all." Right? Wrong. It's about 12:30 a.m. right now as I'm writing this, and the hearing in my right ear is a wee bit muffled. It was worse 90 minutes ago when I left the venue. Huh. Lesson learned.
See a photo slide show from last night's concert.
Wednesday, Oct. 14 2009 @ 11:07AM
At one point, Converge vocalist Jake Bannon thanked the Pageant crowd just for being there - and acknowledged the diversity of the quadruple bill of which his band was a part. He noted that whether you were a "punk kid, a metal kid or a hardcore kid, you were there for the love of music." He was certainly right on all counts.
Although High on Fire went on at exactly 6:30 p.m., a healthy-sized portion of the crowd was already in place for the band. Accordingly, its half-hour opening set exhibited what they do best: sludgy, stoner metal, performed with precision and power. It's impossible not to nod your head in time to the trio's galloping tempos, whether they're unleashed at a slow trot or a bit faster, even if the band itself didn't move around much. Shirtless, tattooed vocalist/guitarist Matt Pike sounded like a jaguar in a wind tunnel, or Cookie Monster being eaten by a vulture. And volume-wise, imagine a freight train heading full-speed into a tornado. Then imagine this a few dBs louder. Presto: High on Fire.
Converge's set started abruptly: Kurt Ballou stood in the middle of the stage and casually started playing his guitar, like he was a roadie soundchecking. Then the other three members of the Boston post-hardcore band ran onstage - and for the next 40 or so minutes, Converge destroyed.
Sunday, Oct. 11 2009 @ 2:09PM
REVIEW BY BOB MCMAHON; PHOTOS BY NICK SCHNELLE
Notes were flubbed, lyrics were dropped and it was sometimes hard to hear the bass melody, but damn if it wasn't great to see Riddle of Steel play again. The group spent most of this decade rocking St. Louis with extended chords, rapid-fire drumming, tricky guitar/bass interplay and the occasional hypnotically beautiful ballad before calling it quits last September. Fortunately, the trio reunited for one night to celebrate the wedding of its record label's owner with a loose but powerful performance that left both long-time fans and the band smiling.
Riddle kicked off its first show in over a year with two of its most straightforward and best songs, "Baby Bird" and "Plenty of Satisfaction." The group did its finest hooks justice, blasting them at full volume with a sweet but edgy sound that filled the room. After a solid version of "Loose Talk," the group teased the enthusiastic and sizable crowd with the intro to "Got the Feeling." The crowd's strong cheers convinced the group to actually follow through with the song, despite lead singer/guitarist Andrew Elstner saying that the band haven't played or practiced it in over a year. Elstner proved his honesty when he hilariously started the song in the wrong key and took about 20 seconds to notice his mistake, but by the end of the song everyone was too busy rocking to care. And as Elstner said, "If we play a really bad set, what are you going to do? Not see us anymore?"
Saturday, Oct. 10 2009 @ 4:57PM
 |
| Jon Gitchoff |
| The two Johns: Linnell (left) and Flansburgh. Slideshow here. |
They Might Be Giants has been playing all of its beloved 1990 album Flood in select cities on its current tour. St. Louis - long one of the most popular markets for the band - had the honor of hearing one of these performances last night at the Pageant.
This special enticement likely contributed to the show selling out. Although TMBG swings through town annually, the full house tickled the bespectacled John Flansburgh, who proudly mentioned it several times from the stage. The feel-good times continued for the next two hours, as TMBG mixed hit after hit with new tunes from this year's educational kids album, Here Comes Science.
After the rocking new song "Meet the Elements" and chestnut "James K. Polk" -- introduced as coming from a pre-Flood EP, but later popular due to its appearance on 1996's Factory Showroom - the sing-alongs started: cue "Theme from Flood" and the ageless pogo-pop hit "Birdhouse In Your Soul." Although keyboardist/accordionist/vocalist John Linnell promised Flood in order, that didn't quite happen -- the twanging boot-stomp "Cowtown" and a raucous version of "Why Does the Sun Shine?" (I believe the version rerecorded for Science) cropped up, and the sequencing of Flood's songs was haphazard.
Wednesday, Oct. 7 2009 @ 2:03AM
Brand New means business during its shows. The goal of its live experience is to exorcise demons, to provoke thought and, above all, produce catharsis. Looking for a night of frivolous entertainment? Go see another show instead. These Long Islanders are kicking out the post-hardcore, post-grunge, post-goth jams - angst and aggression firmly at Def Con One.
This emphasis on weightier matters was obvious during Brand New's sold out Pageant show. The quintet spent much of the night bathed in dim light; only occasionally did a harsh spotlight and smattering of yellow lights bloom - or an abstract video appear -- to create dancing shadows or visual stimulation.
See more photos of Brand New's show last night at the Pageant.
Tuesday, Oct. 6 2009 @ 7:54AM
Those wacky Big Muddy kids held a show last Friday night at the Jefferson Underground, featuring Bob Reuter, Rum Drum Ramblers, Pokey LaFarge and more! Sarah Paradoski was there and took some snaps. View the entire slideshow here, and a few samples below.
 |
| Sarah Paradoski |
Friday, Oct. 2 2009 @ 11:23AM
A few songs into her hour-plus set,
St. Vincent's Annie Clark told the crowd that she was "flummoxed by your enthusiasm." For once, it didn't seem like an instance of rock-star faux-modesty -- her wide-eyed visage seemed to be taking in the nearly full house at the Firebird with equal parts grace and disbelief. But it was hard to be anything less than enthused with her performance, her first headlining appearance in St. Louis and her first trip since she's become a darling of the art rock and indie pop worlds.
See a photo slideshow from last night's show.
Monday, Sep. 28 2009 @ 2:38PM
Last night Social Distortion returned to Pop's in Sauget, Illinois for another show. As anyone who knows about the 30-year-old punk rock band from L.A. can tell you, many fans adorn their skin the Social D skeleton via tattoos.
Thursday, Sep. 24 2009 @ 4:24PM
Motorhead performed at the Pageant last night along with Nashville Pussy and the Reverend Horton Heat. Todd Owyoung was there and took photos; check out the entire bunch here. Pay special attention to the following two, however:
 |
| Todd Owyoung |
| LEMMY |
AND -- the kid with the coolest parents in the state of Missouri. Really.
 |
| Todd Owyoung |
Monday, Sep. 21 2009 @ 11:06AM
The Atlas Sound -- i.e., the project featuring Bradford Cox of indie-shoegaze darling
Deerhunter -- played at the 560 Music Center on Saturday night, September 19.
Egan O'Keefe shot a whole ton of photos, as you can see here. Here's a sampling:
 |
| Egan O'Keefe |
| Bradford Cox of the Atlas Sound |
Monday, Sep. 14 2009 @ 4:44PM
Crocodiles returned to St. Louis for a free show at the Halo Bar as part of London Calling on Saturday night. (
Hottub also played later, in the Pageant.)
This time, however, the
band played -- and the set seemed to go off without a hitch.
See the entire slideshow here. All photos by Nick Schnelle.
Friday, Sep. 11 2009 @ 10:36AM
Gaslight Anthem vocalist Brian Fallon offered two thank-yous -- equally heartfelt -- last night at Pop's. The first thanked the crowd for "coming out on a Thursday night," as if the day of the week mattered to either the crowdsurfers or arm-folders, both of whom might sooner skip their grandma's funeral than miss a band as immune and bulletproof as Gaslight Anthem. Its set--no surprise to anyone familiar with its groundswelling popularity, here or in England--was as clean and accurate as a well-driven nail.
See more photos from last night's show.
But even less of a surprise was the second tribute. "Thank you, Boss!" Fallon shouted, almost to himself, before the encore break. That would be, of course, Mr. Springsteen (hallowed be His name). Chances are many of the attending at Pop's were not shocked themselves. By thy Bruce they have known thee. That His Bossness has not only taken these fellow New Jerseyites--Fallon, guitarist Alex Rosamilia, bassist Alex Levine and drummer Benny Horowitz--on tour but has also played with them is more than being ravished by luck: It's being given the confidence of an aircraft carrier. Talent, Gaslight Anthem had; a legend's blessing, until that gesture, it had not.
Wednesday, Sep. 9 2009 @ 6:21PM
Paul Friswold summed up Beatles Day at Vintage Vinyl better than I ever could, but I swung by the store in the afternoon a little after 2 p.m. to take some photos of the festivities anyway. What I found was that virtually all of the albums post-Help! -- save for 1969's Yellow Submarine -- were completely sold out. That includes Rubber Soul. Revolver. Abbey Road. The White Album. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band. Magical Mystery Tour. And Let It Be. (Our food critic, Ian, tried to buy Abbey Road a bit after noon and it was already gone.) In fact, what you see in these two photos is all that was left:
Wednesday, Sep. 9 2009 @ 2:01AM
When the Mars Volta unleashed its 2002 debut EP, Tremulant, some critics cheekily tagged the band "Punk Floyd." Given that vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala and guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez cut their teeth in the castle-storming emo-core outfit At The Drive-In, it seemed natural that "punk" would the predominant word in their freshly hatched group's nickname.
Wrong.
Seven years later, the band's psychedelic and progressive tendencies -- lengthy jams, epic guitar solos, trippy vocal effects -- have risen above mere fascination and embedded themselves deeply into the band's core. Last night at the Pageant, the Mars Volta was so prog-rock (audience participation: "How prog-rock was it?") that when I noticed the gong hanging behind Thomas Prigden's drum kit, I jokingly wrote "Gong Count" on my notepad. By the time the house lights came on -- as unrequited cheers for an encore continued -- I had drawn seventeen tally marks.
Sunday, Sep. 6 2009 @ 5:04PM
An Undercover Weekend and its like-minded events are fun for so many reasons. The concert series, in which local combos don the guise of a famous band/artist and play its/his/her music, allows bands to jump outside of their comfort zone, play to new audiences and pay homage to their favorite artists.
The audience is rewarded with a diverse lineup of talented musicians playing the music of acts that probably wouldn't share a bill on something short of Farm Aid. In short, great local bands + beloved music = a hugely entertaining show. Saturday's concert was no exception to this equation. The show featured the emerging talents of the Sham, the Dive Poets, John Henry & The Engine, Fattback and the Monads covering the songs of Tears for Fears, John Mellencamp, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Talking Heads and Andrew W.K, respectively. All of the acts did their alter egos justice and made sure that nobody in the sizable crowd left unhappy.
Monday, Aug. 31 2009 @ 12:14PM
The all-day music festival known as The Lot happened this past Saturday in the parking lot of the
Schlafly Tap Room. Nick Schnelle was there for the bands, the beer and the dunk-tankery. If you missed it this year,
check out the scene here.
Monday, Aug. 24 2009 @ 2:12PM
Nothing really happens unless it's documented on the Internet, right? That's what I hear. Anyway, web editor Nick Lucchesi (@nicklucchesi AND
@riverfronttimes in Twitter-speak) was kind enough to show up early to the
Matt & Kim show and snap photos of the folks who came to our first-ever
@rftmusic Tweet-up. (Basically, online folks meeting in real life.) It was successful enough that we're going to have another one -- as per suggestion, somewhere free, so everyone can show up. Yeah! Here's some photographic proof of the brave, the few, the proud who attended.
 |
| @eammon and @katatomiclabs |
Monday, Aug. 24 2009 @ 10:02AM
 |
| Photo: Egan O'Keefe |
| Matt and Kim last night at Off Broadway. |
Matt & Kim's way-sold-out show at Off Broadway felt more like a bumping Friday than it did a school night. (The fair amount of
toddlers and kids running around, rocking out and/or looking tired contributed to the festive mood -- albeit made for strange bedfellows with the drunken, sweaty hipsterati.) And the Brooklyn duo, perma-grins slapped on their face, did its part and whipped the excited crowd into a frenzy.
(See 30-photo slide show from Matt and Kim last night.)
M&K's music isn't complicated: Take one part circus-theme keyboards -- with an emphasis on the primitive and repetitive -- one part unpolished vocals and add in riotous, dancefloor-ready drums. While on its albums (including and especially its most recent LP, Grand) the music has more new wave/'80s electro influences, live, the act strips its music down to the rhythmic, party-ready core. For that reason, last night it was easy to be fatigued by the pair's shambling body-movers -- many of the songs sounded the same, and came off as cloying.
Sunday, Aug. 23 2009 @ 5:11PM
Last night at the
Atomic Cowboy, a showcase of break-dancing, skateboarding, graffiti-styled artwork and all things hip hop were celebrated at this bar in the Grove. Photographer Nick Schnelle was at the
Hip Hopper's Holiday and has this
slide show of the scene. Below is a taste of what went down.
Sunday, Aug. 23 2009 @ 12:18PM
Yesterday on Cherokee, neighboring shops --
Binge & Purge and
Apop Records -- hosted bands and barbecue, for an end-of-summer party. Pat Sajak Assassins, The Fins, Suburban Smash, Medical Tourists, Maximum Effort, God Fodder, Cardiac Arrest, Kansas City's Dark Ages and Lester Shy and The Shyphonics were on the bill.
 |
| God Fodder behind Binge & Purge. |
Thursday, Aug. 20 2009 @ 10:28AM
(View photos from the show last night.)
Fall Out Boy's concert Wednesday night at the Pageant afforded many opportunities, but primary among them was the chance to answer, in one continuous sitting, that ancient question: What are the precise differences among prattle, drivel and patter? To compile a highlight reel of between-song chat, you would have experienced prattle about Bruce Wayne, patter about drinking and dancing on tables, and drivel about the geographic possibility of St. Louis being in Indiana. (Seriously.) You would have also heard semi-coherent information about AIDS in Africa (for which this concert was organized by (RED)Nights).
Depending on your age, you found these half-mumbled reveries and tumble of non sequiturs endearing or unintelligible. And depending on your disposition, you guessed it either congenital quirk or willful shtick. But only your pulse rate (alive or long dead) determined if you knew it was all the compulsive yammering of Pete Wentz, bassist for Fall Out Boy. Had Wentz said something funny, the show might've qualified as vaudeville.
Friday, Aug. 14 2009 @ 10:45AM
Last night,
Reel Big Fish and the
English Beat worked the Pageant into a skanking frenzy like it was the late '90s, if you're an RBF fan, or the late '70s if 2-Tone is more your speed. (Be sure to check out our
interview with Dave Wakeling of the English Beat in this week's issue.) The Beat
were last in St. Louis last summer.
Photographer Stew Smith was at the Pageant last night and has this
photo slideshow.
Wednesday, Aug. 12 2009 @ 3:12PM
Let's get right to it: Motley Crue may be tabloid royalty -- from blowjobs to blackouts, is there anything we don't know about Mick, Tommy, Nikki, and Vince? -- but last night at Crue Fest 2 at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, you could hardly tell that they've oozed into elder statesmen. Call them pornogenarians. All back in health and wealth, the Crue provided enough deep-cleavage sleaze and yesteryear hits in their headlining slot to justify this two-stage festival-lite.
(See a photo slideshow from the concert.)
This summer's Crue Fest attracted the same black-leather audience, from hawt chicks to motorcycle mamas and all the men who love them, that Motley Crue has been pulling for over thirty years. On a stage lavishly adorned with medical paraphernalia, the Crue performed the entirety of Dr. Feelgood in celebration of its 20th anniversary (yes, it's been two decades). All the usual suspects were rehashed, of course: the wrack-and-ruin of the title track, "Kickstart My Heart," and the roadhouse raunch of "Same Ol' Situation (S.O.S)." Even those songs rarely (if ever) played live were met with rapturous applause from the packed crowd.
4 comment(s) / Post a Comment
