St. Louis Music Blog

So says a press release received from his publicist, with a list of 2010 solo tour dates. February 16 is the St. Louis one listed for the Lemonheads frontman, although the Old Rock House's website doesn't list it yet. The tour is this, says the email:

Evan will be performing an intimate set featuring songs from his solo album and plenty of classic Lemonheads tunes along with several inspired covers, including some from his most recent covers album, Varshons (06/09, The End Records).

The Lemonheads played at the Voodoo Lounge a few years ago, btw. Show info as it's announced.

Update, Friday morning: MCS' publicist says that Pierre will also be by the Arch at 3:30 p.m. performing. Ha! Awesome.

Motion CIty Soundtrack vocalist/lyricist Justin Pierre is doing a renegade acoustic tour to promote his band's forthcoming album, My Dinosaur Life. His intrepid journey is bringing him to St. Louis on Saturday, where he'll be at Vintage Vinyl at around 5 p.m. playing acoustically. Follow his travels on Twitter or via the web here. Here's the band's new video for "Disappear" below:

Motion City Soundtrack - "Disappear"

Motion City Soundtrack | MySpace Music Videos

Here's one I didn't see coming: The Magnetic Fields will be performing in St. Louis at the Pageant on Saturday, March 6, 2010. The reserved show tickets cost $26 and go on sale this Friday at 5 p.m. The band has a new album, Realism, out January 23, and it's described on the band's website like this:

KK & BBQ.

​UPDATE Monday, November 16: A Kentucky paper is reporting that the controlled substance in question is magic mushrooms. The band has issued an official statement and will resume their tour, starting Tuesday in L.A. No word yet on a make-up in St. Louis. Full details here and here.

Free advice to all musicians driving from Nashville to St. Louis: Stick to the main roads, especially when in Kentucky.

The King Khan & BBQ Show didn't show up for their nearly sold-out gig last night in St. Louis (original openers Those Darlins and Deer Tick's John McCauley filled in nicely), apparently because they got lost in the backwoods of the Bluegrass State and had a run-in with the law.

Trooper John Hawkins of the Kentucky State Police says the duo, along with tour manager Kristin Klein, were stopped sometime yesterday afternoon in Oak Grove, Kentucky.

Never heard of Oak Grove? Neither has Google-- the tiny town, located about 100 miles north of Nashville near Bowling Green, isn't even a speck on Google Maps. UPDATE: Apparently there are two towns called Oak Grove in Kentucky. The band was stopped in the one just north of the Tennessee state line, about an hour northwest of Nashville on I-24. Here it is on the map:

View Larger Map

Klein is now in custody in the Christian County Kentucky jail, charged with driving with a suspended license and possession of a controlled substance. Her bond is $3,000. A sergeant at the jail had no information as to what Klein was allegedly caught with.

Neither the Christian County Jail nor the Kentucky State Police had any records of Arish Khan or Mark Sultan being arrested or charged with a crime.

Sgt. Bedell of the Oak Grove Police declined to comment on Klein's arrest, directing the inquiry to a media relations officer whose shift doesn't start until 10 p.m. this evening. An arrest report may be available then to shed more light on the situation.

Oak Grove Police Chief Milton Perry was also unavailable. Bedell said the chief was working a "sobriety check point" -- at 1 p.m. in the afternoon. Guess they start hitting the bourbon early on Fridays in Kentucky.

So how did the group get so far off the beaten path?

Nick Schnelle

Girls at the Firebird in August

​Buzzy San Francisco quartet Girls opened for Los Campesinos! at the Firebird back in August. That was your last chance (for now) to see 'em in a traditional venue, however: The indie-shambling band is coming back to town and performing at the Gargoyle on February 7, 2010. Did anyone who saw the LC! show like the band? Its live show has been receiving some negative press as of late.

​Per an email received just now, Jay-Z will be performing next year on March 19, 2010 at the Scottrade Center. Tickets are on sale Saturday, November 14, and prices are TBA. Nice! He's in Champaign, Illinois, next week -- and so anyone who doesn't feel like driving, you don't have to.

British garage-rock queen-bee Holly Golightly is returning to St. Louis for the first time since August 2005 at the Firebird on Tuesday, December 1. Details forthcoming.

Also, John Mayer has announced a show with Michael Franti and Spearhead at the Scottrade Center on Saturday, March 20, 2010. Ticket info also TBA. Mayer's Twitter is the stuff of legend, and his interview style, well, makes me both nervous and in awe. Behold:

What do you think about guys with seventies mustaches?
I don't give a fuck about who wears their face what way. If I could grow a beard, I'd have some nutty things going on on my face.
You can't grow a beard?
It's a pituitary thing. I know you're not that much of a moron.
These are questions my editor wanted me to ask. I'm trying to build my journalistic career here. You're not building a journalistic career. You're making yourself look like a moron and you're not a moron. Who's your editor?

Big news brewing on the local airwaves: The Clear Channel-owned hip-hop/R&B station KATZ 100.3 The Beat has fired all of its on-air talent and changed formats, as of 12 p.m. today.

As the station's already re-designed website indicates, they will now play seasonal music. It's currently "stunting" (in industry parlance) as "Halloween 100.3 Scary Music for St. Louis."

See for yourself:

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Expect non-stop Christmas music (perhaps the only thing more obnoxious than Soulja Boy) after this weekend.

According to Pollstar and her own website, Lady Gaga will be at the Fabulous Fox on Thursday, January 7, 2010. Hotly tipped hip-hop artist Kid Cudi is the opener. LG certainly wasted no time getting a tour together after her planned jaunt with Kanye West fell through in September. When the show confirms via the venue, we'll let you know. [Update! Show is confirmed, tickets go on sale next Saturday at 10 a.m. and tickets are $42.50 and $52.50.]

That's right: R. Kelly's "Ladies Make Some Noise!" tour is hitting the Fabulous Fox Theatre on Tuesday, December 8, at 7:30 p.m. Pleasure P and K Michelle open. Tickets are $48 to $68 and are on sale next Friday at 10 a.m. Kelly has a new album forthcoming, apparently -- here's a new song, "Religious":

Two Cyndi Lauper posts in one week on A to Z, eh? However, this one's not for a sad reason: According to her official website, Lauper is playing at the Ameristar Casino in St. Charles on Friday, February 12. Best Valentine's Day present ever? I think so! 

Sad news this morning that Captain Lou Albano -- the wrestling legend who joined forces with Cyndi Lauper in the '80s in the bizarre/infamous WWF rock & roll storyline -- has died at the age of 76. Albano was known for appearing in Lauper's music videos in the '80s -- including a few of the following.

"She Bop"

Tegan and Sara fans know where they'll be on Friday, April 2, 2010. The Pageant, where the Canadian sisters (and their crack band) will be there performing songs from their new album, Sainthood. Tickets are $25 and are on sale at 10 a.m. this Friday. (This is the band's first STL show since May 2008, incidentally.) Here's a YouTube-i-fied clip of its new single, "Hell." If you wonder why it sounds a bit like Death Cab for Cutie, well -- T&S used drummer Jason McGerr and Chris Walla (who also produced the record) as instrumentalists. Awesome! 

Owl City -- the Postal Service-meets-Jack's Mannequin act who is currently blowing up with his song "Fireflies" -- will be at the Pageant on Thursday, January 21, 2010. All ticket info TBA.

So a little bird tells me that Pale Divine is doing another show at the Pageant this December. Perhaps on Tuesday, December 29. Last year's show was beyond packed, so this is good news for both the members of the band -- and anyone who missed out!

Here's a unique show coming to town: Piano chanteuse Nellie McKay is performing for two nights at the Kranzberg Arts Center in November, the 18th and 19th. Tickets are $40 in advance, $45 at the door. McKay attempted to achieve crossover success with her 2004 double-disc debut, Get Away from Me, but in recent years she's been content to focus on cabaret and Broadway tunes instead. In fact, her forthcoming album is a tribute to Doris Day, called Normal As Blueberry Pie - A Tribute To Doris Day.

*Paramore's show, which was originally scheduled for this Wednesday (October 7) at the Pageant is now at the same venue on Tuesday, November 3. Vocalist Hayley Williams' voice needs some rest. Get well soon!

*Miley Cyrus' concert, which was originally supposed to happen last night, at the Scottrade Center is postponed to Wednesday, October 28, also because of illness.

*The Postmarks and Brookville show on Monday, October 12, is now happening at Off Broadway. Good news here: Also on the bill is Caroline Smith and the Good Night Sleeps, whose new album, Backyard Tent Set, is fantastic.

*The Amazing Baby show scheduled at the Billiken Club on November 18 has been canceled, says the venue.

*The November 3 Scotland Yard Gospel Choir show that was scheduled at Off Broadway is also canceled, because the band was in a serious car accident. Please click here to see how you can help.

Ah yes, I hear that Brendan Benson -- the Raconteurs member who has quite a fantastic string of power-pop/'70s rock-leaning solo releases under his name, including this year's My Old Familiar Friend -- will be at Blueberry Hill's Duck Room on Friday, November 13. The show goes on sale this Friday; ticket prices TBA.

Fellow RFT writer Christian Schaeffer made a salient observation about Wilco during its Farm Aid set: Seeing the band in a festival setting is an entirely different experience than seeing it in a club. Compared to the band's three-night Pageant stand last year, this was certainly the case. Those shows had no shortage of raucous moments, but yesterday's set was loose and raw - more like the tightest jam session you'll ever see than a well-orchestrated gig.

Now, this isn't to say that the six-song set was a mess. It was quite the opposite, in fact, starting with a stunning version of "Bull Black Nova," from this year's Wilco (The Album). Mixing Television's ringing chord repetition with Tweedy's gruff-soul man vocals - and a crashing, unison chorus which underscored the band's tightness -- the song kept building and building in intensity and volume as it progressed, culminating in a hurricane of noise: Tweedy, bassist John Stirratt and guitarists Nels Cline and Pat Sansone pounding out shrieking riffs and masterminding effects. The look on Tweedy's face during this section was bulldog-ferocious and intense - making him seem like the kind of man you'd be scared to meet if you saw him in a dark alley.

5 Score Pachyderm notes on Twitter this morning that on today's "The Morning After" on 1380 AM, InsideSTL.com's Tim McKernan said that U2 was set to play the Edward Jones Dome on July 10, 2010. A post on STLtoday's forums, however, says that the show supposedly will be at Busch Stadium. (The Cards are away, so that's plausible.) 

So, Kanye West and Lady Gaga's "Fame Kills" tour has been canceled, before it even started. According to Livenation:

If you're scoring along at home, there's been another change in the supporting bands for tonight's rescheduled Blink 182 show. The Academy Is... will now be opening along with Fall Out Boy at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. (Where did All-American Rejects go? No idea, although TAI was originally supposed to be on the AP Fall Ball tonight at Pop's, which was canceled, so they're in the area.) Originally, don't forget, the show was Blink 182, Taking Back Sunday, Weezer and Chester French on September 3. Whew. Tickets are still available, however.

FYI: According to the venue's website, Creed's Tuesday, October 13, show at the Chaifetz Arena has been cancelled due to a "scheduling conflict." The show has been off the schedule for a few weeks now -- the comments over at Kevin John's blog announcing this are rather priceless.In fact, I'm surprised at the vitriol being thrown the band's way. Either way, perhaps it has something to do with Curious George Live!, a show that was announced on September 8 hitting the Chaifetz Arena from October 8-11 -- with the way tour schedules worked out (Creed's in KC October 10), the stage load-in would be tight. 

The list is swirling around the Internet...and they are...

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From the Vintage Vinyl:

Ink this one in your schedule book...friggin' Brand New is coming to town and is stopping in at Vintage Vinyl for an ultra rare acoustic instore performance!!! Due to the extremely rare nature of this event, admission will be limited to people who purchase the band's brand new release, "Daisy", at Vintage Vinyl where you will get a special wristband to catch the band's acoustic set on October 6th starting at 4:00PM sharp. Make sure not to miss the band's face melting electric performance later that night at The Pageant but ink in the time/date for a very special acoustic set from Brand New and a post-set meet and greet where the band will be signing copies of "Daisy".

Eagle-eyed blogger 5 Score Pachyderm reports that Boston indie-synth darlings Passion Pit and legendary rap duo Method Man and Redman are headlining Wash U's W.I.L.D. festival on Saturday, October 3. That's the good news. The bad? Well, as always, the event is for Wash U students, alumni and affiliates only. If you are lucky enough to be in that category -- or can make fast friends with someone in that category -- the policy on how to get tickets is here

Well, here's something I never expected to see: Brookville -- the Andy Chase-lead indie-pop band that opened for Trashcan Sinatras here in August -- and Camera Obscura/Beach House-esque indie-rockers the Postmarks just announced a show in St. Louis on Monday, October 12. The venue? Pop's Blue Moon, on the Hill. No more info as of yet, except that these two bands are so worth going out on a Monday night to see. Both specialize in gentle, fluffy-clouds music full of sweet, blissful melancholy. Brookville is releasing a new album, Broken Lights, on September 29, while the Postmarks' Memoirs At The End of the World is out now. The following is the former's cover of The The's "Slow Emotion Replay."

Over at the Daily RFT, my colleague Chad Garrison reports on a press release sent over today by the American Mustache Institute -- a press release that insinuates that John Oates (who is appearing at the organization's 'Stache Bash in October) is regrowing his famed mustache for the occasion!

John Oates, one of the most famous mustached rock 'n soul performers in music history, will reunite with his mustache as headliner of the American Mustache Institute's 'Stache Bash 2009, presented by Quicken Online.

The show will be the first appearance of Oates and his mustache since the two parted ways, reportedly in Tokyo in 1990. His mustache has since gone on to star in the new animated series "J-Stache," while Oates has continued to tour the world.

"We are proud to be bringing the two back together for the first time," said Dr. Abraham Froman, executive director of the American Mustache Institute. "This will be an important event, not unlike the moment when Frank Sinatra reunited Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin or when the cast of "Saved by the Bell" appeared on the Jimmy Fallon Show. It's big."

Holy shit, you guys. Read the rest here. By the way, you can follow J-Stache on Twitter.

Very quietly, Ghostland Observatory is set to play the Pageant on Thursday, October 15. DJ Lord from Public Enemy opens. Now, it's not quite a regular show: It's sponsored by Southern Comfort, and to get a ticket you have to give 'em your cellphone number at this link. 24 hours before the show, you'll then get a mobile ticket code, which you'll flash at the door.

I'm also told you can sign up via a Facebook page, here.

Check out this rad video of Ghostland with a marching band.

Indie-rock slackers Pavement -- who, like the Pixies, arguably seem to be more popular now than when they were together -- are reuniting in 2010, according to blog Brooklynvegan. Pitchfork notes a September show at Central Park's Summerstage next year as the first confirmed date. (Vocalist Stephen Malkmus, as you'll remember, drew a pretty disappointing crowd to the Pageant last November.)