(I never said they had to be new bands, did I?)

Name: The Trip Daddys
MySpace: myspace.com/thetripdaddys
Members: Craig Straubinger (guitars/vocals), Jamey Almond (bass/vocals),
Dennis Williams (drummer)
Sounds like: As anyone who attended the band's righteous CD release show for Too Much, Too Fast, last night can attest -- such as this commenter here -- the group is the bar band you want playing on a no-holds-barred weekend night. The part of the set I saw was raucous and raw, and inspired unrestrained dancing, rampant drinking and joyful carousing -- exactly what music should do. Playing its first show in months, the band didn't sound rusty; it sounded ecstatically happy to be back onstage, channeling all of that pent-up energy into a solid gig.
References: KSHE classic rock, rockabilly hepcats, old-school punks
Next show: July 14, Way Out Club

"By the Heart":

-- Annie Zaleski

No, not Peter, Paul and Mary. And not peanut butter & jelly. But the Swedish trio Peter, Bjorn and John are playing the Pageant on Tuesday, August 7. Whistle along with me, on the video for its song, 'Young Folks'!

-- Annie Zaleski

So reports label head Robert Griffin. And he's looking for a few good helpers to make the move just a tad bit easier this Sunday afternoon, starting at 10:30 a.m.

Anyone who helps can take their pick of label releases (and I will be generous) -- or used classical LPs if they are so inclined. Helpers should have at least 4 hours free in the late morning/early afternoon and be able to lift up to 50 pounds.

Griffin says they're located "near the Esquire," but interested parties should email him for exact directions.

-- Annie Zaleski

In this week's Homespun column, Christian Schaeffer reviews Team Tomato's new self-titled CD, which the quartet will be releasing with a show at 9 p.m. Saturday, June 30, at Off Broadway. (The Monads and Bravo Company open.) He had this to say:

Team Tomato sounds as if it’s having a personality crisis on its new self-titled record. Musically there’s almost an even split between Americana and big-guitar modern rock – making the quartet perhaps one of the only bands to tread the ground between the Jayhawks and Alice in Chains. But the main problem with Team Tomato is that there’s little crossover between these two styles; either the precise power-pop band or the acoustic, open-strumming folk band shows up.

But lest you think that Schaeffer's completely ripping the band's music apart, read on: He's not.

Every now and then, the group takes something ordinary and makes it shine. “Last Lesson” moves from generic alt-rock into something cosmic and wonderful, aided by synthesized strings and a chorus of “oohs” that could happily go on forever. The next track, “Quietly,” continues the trend with a bit of Foo Fighters-esque stomp and strut...

Size constraints prevent us from sharing "Last Lesson," but after the jump, listen to "Quietly" and the Bowie ca. Hunky Dory piano-glam torch song "Is It True?" -- and judge the quality of TT's music for yourself.

In this week's paper (link here), Jason Toon interviewed a handful of local musicians (and a writer or two) about the influence of the Police both here in St. Louis and beyond. The legendary trio hits the Scottrade Center on Monday night, July 2, at 7:30 p.m. I'll be at the show and will have a review of it up on A to Z after.

In the meantime, Toon's interviewees had some entertaining things to say that didn't make the print edition; after the jump, read about another of the trio's early gigs in town, mentions of Sting's pretentiousness and near-universal feting of drummer Stewart Copeland's mad skills.

I've been up to my elbows in packing tape and cardboard boxes (and CDs, trust me) for the past week, as I'm moving apartments tomorrow. (You're not getting rid of me, though; I'm just moving somewhere cheaper.) Since I've been attempting to compartmentalize up my life, I somehow keep reaching for albums from three bands: Jimmy Eat World, Get Up Kids and R.E.M. My love for the latter is well-documented, but for whatever reason, the band's entire catalog has helped keep me going as much as the espresso has.

After the jump, take a look at a live video (from England's old music show the Tube) of "Driver 8"/"Can't Get There from Here," two songs from 1985's Fables of the Reconstruction. More substantial content is coming later in the day.

It's a light week in terms of new shows on the St. Louis Concert Calendar (a.k.a. the St. Louis Snappy Show Schedule). This week's additions include theSTART and Voodoo Glow Skulls at the Creepy Crawl; this week's feature musician Corey Smth at Blueberry Hill's Duck Room; Bobby Bare Jr.'s Pixies cover band, the Hibernauts' CD release show and oh my god at Off Broadway; Mindless Self Indulgence at Pop's; Bonerama at the Broadway Oyster Bar -- and later in the year, Sammy Hagar playing not one, but two shows at the Fox Theater. Wabo-riffic!

-- Annie Zaleski and Christian Schaeffer

Loyal A to Z readers, I have to confess: I've been cheating on you today, and wrote an entry for Ian over at our food blog, Gut Check. I know, I know; I'll affix a scarlet letter "A" to my shirt in shame.

But to make this post music-related: The restaurant I reference, La Dolce Via, is fond of playing the Shins, as they were yesterday. It was a pleasant experience while I read the 33 1/3 book on Jeff Buckley's Grace. (So far, so good.)

-- Annie Zaleski

My pal D.X. Ferris in Cleveland (the only man I know who loves R.E.M. and Slayer equally) sends an updated version of this missive about Joe Jack Talcum of the Dead Milkmen, who's playing a show Monday night at the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center. A to Z totally spaced on this show, so we hope that people still go out and support. YouTube footage after the jump, Ferris' words just below:

Former Dead Milkmen member Joe Jack Talcum is back on the road, winging his way through a boppy set that won't disappoint faithful Deadheads, who remember the gnarlieness of some of the happiest punk rock ever. "I usually don't use set lists, but I do at least 50-percent Dead Milkmen songs -- often more," says Talcum. "I do take requests, but there are a lot of songs I can't remember. I've performed both 'Bitchin' Camaro' and 'Stuart' in my acoustic sets in the past, but only with help from someone in the audience. Indeed, it is all acoustic solo. I don't have what you would call a tender style, though. It's usually a casual and fun vibe." It sure as heck is. Turnouts have been spotty on the underpromoted tour -- a report from Friday night's Pittsburgh show said the (truly) gross attendance was around 20 -- so go see him; you can tell your friends you sang 'Bitchin' Camaro' with the 'Punk Rock Girl' guy.

Interpol’s major label debut, Our Love to Admire, leaked on the Internet this week, two-and-a-half weeks before it arrives in stores officially on July 10. (And a mere five-and-change weeks before the NYC quartet plays the Pageant, on August 1.)

The Joy Division/Echo & the Bunnymen/Chameleons comparisons thrown at the band remain valid, but Admire also channels the work of another seminal gloomy band, at least in an abstract sense: The Cure. More specifically, the stark, stormy clouds of Faith/Seventeen Seconds/Pornography-era Cure, a time when Robert Smith & Co. focused on atmosphere over traditional song structure, a time when abject misery and howling despair dominated its music. A few pop songs peek out from the murk, but the focus of Admire (and those Cure discs) is rich, gorgeous texture.