Liz MIller

Mayer Hawthorne and the County | the Stepkids
May 22, 2012
The Firebird

Mayer Hawthorne is so smooth. His pitch-perfect pipes slide from fragile falsetto to deep, soul-filled croon; his style and swagger resemble a mix of Buddy Holly and Andre 3000. Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, less than 50 miles from the city that bore Motown, Andrew Mayer Cohen came of age during the rise of rap and R&B in the 1980s and 1990s. The stage name Mayer Hawthorne combines his middle name with the name of the street of his childhood home, otherwise known as the formula for generating porn star names. His breakout album, A Strange Arrangement (2009), and his latest release, How Do You Do (2011) share his talented, soulful sound, but understanding Mayer Hawthorne is best explained in his live show, where polished stage presence and creative crowd interaction bring the song to life.

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Roy Kasten

Bonnie Raitt and band take a bow at the Pageant

Bonnie Raitt | Marc Cohn
May 18, 2012
The Pageant

They'd come in from Kansas City, Columbia, Minneapolis, Chicago, Louisville and West County -- and places further, I'm sure. The general admission ticket holders lined up outside the Halo Bar four hours or more before the doors would open, tailgating in their own way with vases of vodka-spiked iced tea and lemonade and take-out pizza. Many had never been to the Pageant before, many more were astonished that Bonnie Raitt was playing such a venue. "Are there seats and tables inside?" one woman asked. "How do I get one?"

Another, like her friends, in a hand-embroidered blouse and sandals, waved her arms in the air and started a sing-along to "Not the Only One," from a moment in time when the blues burst fully into pop in a way that it rarely does. The soulful, sexy and expert music of Bonnie Raitt, and - the loaded word must be used - the authenticity of her persona can still make an impression. Hearing and seeing the really real thing always does.

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Todd Wolfson

Alejandro Escovedo
Off Broadway
May 15, 2012

Storytelling is a craft that is formulated through years of experience and must be as finely tuned as a guitar. Spirited rock & roll is the backdrop to Alejandro Escovedo's heartfelt and sincere storytelling. Last night in St. Louis, he bared his soul, shared gritty details of writing and recording, and thanked his fans -- all while wearing a warm smile and strumming his guitar.

St. Louis guitar legend Jimmy Griffin pulled double duty as the opener and then as one of the stellar cast of St. Louis musicians acting as Escovedo's backing band.

Despite the crowd at Off Broadway both onstage and on the floor, Escovedo created an intimate atmosphere, one conducive to his prolific style of performance and telling of tales. Many musicians feel obligated to talk between songs and fill every quiet space with unnecessary banter or awkward retellings of nonsensical stories, but Escovedo's quips invited you in to his 30-plus years as a musician. Exuberance, in both the crowd and the band, was plentiful and intensified with each iteration of Alejandro Escovedo -- starting with a four-song "set" of acoustic tunes, roaring in to the full band version of songs (including new ones from the upcoming album Big Station) and ultimately ending after three encores.

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Roy Kasten

Steve Winwood at the Peabody

Steve Winwood | Bobby Long
May 14, 2012
Peabody Opera House

As go case studies in paying respects to the elder statesmen of rock & roll, there are worse fates than fourth-row tickets (so what if they're far orchestra right?) to Steve Winwood at the Peabody Opera House. Unlike many of the retirement-countdowners in attendance, I never tripped out to Blind Faith or Traffic, and unlike some of my fellow middle-agers I didn't lose my virginity to Arc of a Diver (that would be Sade's Diamond Life). I have no history with Winwood, save that I know how hard the Spencer Davis Group could rock.

Could Winwood at the recently-turned age of 64?

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Photos by Jason Stoff

Tim DeLaughter passing on his joy via osmosis.

A Polyphonic Spree show is the closest you will ever come again to sitting around a campfire as an eight-year-old. The group is impractical (you try going on tour with a minor army), unhip (robes with hearts on them, guys!) and one of the best live experiences in music. What separates them from other bands with infectious happiness is the quality of the songs, but it is also the commitment of front man Tim DeLaughter. The Spree came to St. Louis over the weekend and photographer Jason Stoff was there. The bliss of this band is visual, and below you will find a sense of what it was like.

View a full slideshow of the Polyphonic Spree with openers New Fumes and Sweet Lee Morrow.

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Kholood Eid

Emily Wells | The Portland Cello Project
May 8, 2012
Old Rock House

Emily Wells is a one-woman symphony on record. Nimble violin harmonies meet looming keys and trunk-rattling drum beats. She's also pretty handy with a guitar, banjo, assorted percussion and plenty more. And that is to say nothing of her voice, otherworldly and schizophrenic and looped until the whole thing resembles a hall of mirrors. How do you do all that live?

Last night at Old Rock House, she manned a violin, a couple tables full of loop triggers and a drum kit arrayed at her sides and behind her. Snare drum on her left, floor tom on the right and a kick drum behind her, which she played by stamping her foot on the pedal and playing accent notes with a mallet held in her right hand. Which seems like a lot, for sure, but it was hard to focus on any of that. She sang up into the mic with her head tilted, her eyes half closed, so absorbed in each song that her movements seemed involuntary.

View a full slideshow of Emily Wells and the Portland Cello Project at Old Rock House.

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Mabel Suen

The Melvins w/ Unsane
The Firebird
May 3, 2012

The Melvins beckons a special brand of music worship. The band pushes otherwise psychedelic sounds through sludgy down-trodden songs that confuse rock with metal. This April 2012 tour kicks off a prolific year for the group, and promotes their new EP, The Bulls and The Bees, produced by SCION. The Firebird was damp with sweat and beer on Thursday night, an apt after effect of Unsane and The Melvins.

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Jon Gitchoff

Exhibit A.

Ed. Van Halen came to the Scottrade Center on April 29, 2012 with Kool and the Gang in tow. The band, in its fifth decade, is back to its David Lee Roth roots. But his onetime replacement, Sammy Hagar, is not without his supporters. To settle the debate, Michael Dauphin spent some time with the true experts -- the Van Halen fans in attendance last night, many of whom came dressed for the occasion.

All remaining photos by Michael Dauphin

Names: Shane and Doug
From: St. Louis
Hagar or Roth? "Do you like my pants?" -Shane

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Kholood Eid

Florence + the Machine
Peabody Opera House
April 29, 2012

It's been a year since St. Louis last hosted Florence + the Machine, but things have changed in the short time that's passed. Florence Welch has been catapulted into a whole other realm of popularity, selling out the Peabody Opera House in what felt like the blink of an eye, or in the time it takes a browser to refresh for a chance at whatever seats might still be available.

Or in actuality, less than 30 minutes. The band released its second album, Ceremonials, in November, and it dominated charts across the pond and debuted at number six in the States.

The Peabody suits Ms. Welch, with its sophisticated beauty and grandeur - attributes shared with Ceremonials. The stage was set with pillars of stained glass, tall structures that resembled the inside of a giant clock and eight other musicians accompanying Welch (two backup singers, Tom Monger on the harp, bassist, Rob Ackroyd on guitarist, Chris Hayden on drums, pianist and Isabella Summers on keyboard). Despite there being so many people on stage, it never looked or felt crowded. The rest of the set often disappeared into darkness, leaving Welch standing, swaying and belting her lungs out in a spotlight reserved only for her. And of course, there was the fan positioned in front of Welch, giving a constant breeze that only enhances her look of being this ethereal creature, floating before us in a long black gown with a plunging neckline and collar.

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Mike Appelstein

Joe Thebeau of FInn's Motel

Back to Rockville: A Tribute to R.E.M. And 88.1 KDHX Benefit
Off Broadway
April 27, 2012

When R.E.M. announced its breakup last September, the music world was shocked but not really surprised. After all, the three remaining original members had been together for 31 years by that point, most of them quite successful. However, 2011 was a long way from the band's early-1990s commercial and artistic peak, and though some of its later albums have their moments, it was easy to feel like each of them was another chapter of a long, gradual decline. Some people think R.E.M. should have quit when drummer Bill Berry left the band. Others never forgave the band for playing stadiums, not breaking up at the end of 1999, and backtracking from other rash promises the members made in their twenties to interviewers. But by making a definitive split and announcing it as such, R.E.M. not only put a firm cap on their career, but inspired many of us to give their work a fresh listen and remember why we loved the music so much.

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