The Weekend That Was in St. Louis: What Else Happened?

By Annie Zaleski Mon., Mar. 31 2008 at 1:08 AM

Categories: Fiesta!, Show Reviews

From my operatives scattered around town this weekend, I hear that nearly every club was packed both Friday and Saturday nights. Along with British Sea Power -- for a slideshow of photos from this show, click here! -- and Explosions in the Sky, I also hit the Bluebird to see Jon Hardy & the Public on Friday -- it was packed, the band was amazing, etc. -- and the Billiken Club to see School of Language (hi, XTC meets the Police meets Pink Floyd, excellent).

But I also heard that the Monads sold out Off Broadway Friday night, and that the Gram Parsons tribute was a rousing success the following day, and that Rough Shop's CD release show at Schlafly was also well-attended.

Comment away -- what did you see? What was great? Set the scene.

-- Annie Zaleski

Tags:

gram parsons tribute, jon hardy, rough shop, school of language, the monads, the weekend that was

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I have to agree with Roy on the Gram Tribute show... amazing night, packed to the gills. Corey Saathoff's rendition of "Hickory Wind" was top notch!
I have to agree with Roy on the Gram Tribute Show... simply amazing night, packed to the gills. Corey Saathoff's rendition of "Hickory Wind" was top notch!
Sounds like it was a heck of a weekend for me to be selling out shows in Chicago!?
Gotta second the comments on: Dave Stone Trio - WTF?! Many nights they seem to phone it in, but I walked into a hell-storm of donkitude. Deeeeep grooves, sunfire outta the horn, Bass player whipped out a li'l arco action and mr. drum guy's solos sounded like a trap set falling off a cliff. Really great stuff. Tory Starbuck - What a loon. Just about the last real St. Louis Rock STARRRR in town. 20 years of playing shows at clubs not particularly sensitive to his brand of Sun Ra/no-Lemmy Hawkwind/Morricone donkness has learned him how to control. his. environment. Brought his own PA, sounded fantastic, and Derek (Derrick? Dereck?) from KDHX's klassik Jazz Mecca sat in on clarinet and sax, takin' the whole proceeding to a new level. Meow, Galacticat, Meow! Red Headed Strangers - Most underrated (are they rated? I don't even know) folk act in town. All great players, great voices, great t00nz (the all important t00nz!). Most folks I've ever seen crammed onto and around the Mangia "stage." I'm criminally not-in-the-know on those kids. CRIMINALLY. Jerx. Thao & the Get Down Stay Down - Great at being a *band*. Thao is a thru-and-thru star, she's got "it," the "stuffs," the "what the hell is going on back there, I better go check it out." Proved by the random folks shopping shuttin' the hell up and gettin' into it. Finally a drummer smart enough (or at least alert and concerned enough in the daylight hours) to lay a t-shirt on his tom whenever he used regular sticks. Made the snare really *crack* out the kit sound like, well, a kit. DJ Matt Harnish @ the Halo Bar - I know. I know. 1) He's my lover so you will ignore this comment. 2) No one, but *no one* wants to go to an empty Halo Bar on Sunday nights. 3) He's only marginally a DJ. More of a selecter. However! It is rock and funk and rasta and donk skool. The guy with arguably the best rekkid collection in town with arguably (and I really mean *arguably*, so don't get too pissy) some of the best taste-making abilities in town just lays it. the eff. down. Some nights I can't take the tedium of an empty bar for more than an hour, some nights I tuff it out, but I rarely miss a night, and usually bug the crap out of him with my constant, "Who dis?!"'ing. You all should, too. Even if you don't like the guy. Cuz he can be a bit of a pill. Tonight it's 'grunt and Keith John Adams the Brit-Brit and what's-his-face from those other Of Montreal rekkids @ cbgb on der S. Grand. Lovers of getting down take notice!
The Gram Parsons Tribute/KDHX benefit (full disclosure: I emceed part of the night) was a blast, with just-shy of sold out room, and not a single GP or GP-related tune repeated all night. I especially loved the trumpet and trombone minimalist-paradoxical take on "Wild Horses" by Theodore.
Caught a super-tight set by Simply Esoteric at the Bluebird... Dave went on really really early, so the 13 people who were there got a real treat. His cover of "Love and I Hate It" was dyno-mite. So were Black For A Second, tight punk with a gravelly, Dicky Barrett voice and some great covers - Jawbreaker especially. Then, Victoria slayed, sounding like an amped-up version of themselves. Last, but surely not least, my new friends John Hardy & The Public brought the house down. It was so hot in the Bluebird I thought I was gonna pass out.. though on reflection, it might have been the PBRs. Saturday, Ashborne tore up Cruisin' Rt 66 with some new songs and Jason Davis brought his vocal A-game. Before that, My Other Side rocked a too-short set, The Upright Animals returned with a new drummer, playing songs off "Scams" and I finally saw Enamel again - first time since December 2007.
Friday I was working so got to see Tory Starbuck's instore. Man, there ain't gonna be another like him. What an awesome nut-job! Late in the night I saw the Dave Stone Trio lay it down at Mangia. Played way fiercer than I'd seen in quite some time. Somebody gots to put out that guy's record. Saturday Wooden Kites destroyed at the Tap Room. Sometime in the last month or so those guys went from being really good to being really great. Woo-hoo! Best new band in St Louis (I'm calling it now). The Livers delivered as well, with a bunch of new stuff in the act (or at least new to me). I keep thinking they're gonna get old, but they just don't. They just do not. Sunday Thao did an instore at the rekkid shop as well and man, it was great! Like an unpretentious Cat Power or a non-Canadian Neko Case or some shit. I'm out of words...
I got out to Lemmons Sat. night and saw A Bit Shifty, Futants from KC, and Summit. Futants and Summit were really original rock music, great show and great pizza.
victoria was good on friday night. i don't remember much after that. shame club blew the doors off of a biker bar in charlack saturday night! the "Free Bird" salutin' white-bearded bikers stuck around and loved them too.
I was one of the many late arrivals to be turned away from the Monads show, after talking them up all week to a friend in from out of town. Wah-Wah. But I hear it was great. Bad Folk were out of control good on Saturday, Brien on fiddle is a great addition, and they played an outstanding slow acoustic number I'd never heard before. Tim played the piano with his foot.
I caught One Ring Zero at the art museum on Friday night and they were really good, although the sound didn't do them justice. I wish I'd remembered about the British Sea Power show!