Sole Power

It's all about the tootsies for rocknrollshoes.com

Comments (0) By Paul Friswold Wednesday, Feb 25 2004

Shoes are the domain of the ladyfolk. Men can collect baseball cards, power tools and electric guitars until said collections number in the triple digits, but no man worth his dudeliness will cop to owning more than a handful (footful?) of shoes. Everyday wear, sport, drinking and wedding/funeral are the acceptable categories for the fellas; anything more leads to indelicate questions and name-calling, usually along the lines of, "Nice clogs, Imelda."

Jennifer Silverberg

Details

8 p.m. on Saturday, February 28. Tickets are $8 to $10, and show co-sponsors Pabst and Jon Fluevog Shoes promise lovely parting gifts.

Rocket Bar (2001 Locust, 314-588-0055)

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Unless you love the rock, that is. Gene Simmons has a collection of boots that must certainly tighten Carson Kressley's pants, but he has millions of dollars, so he's an exception, right? Does the everyday rocker sport the same shoes on stage that he wears while lying to his boss about why he can't work the late shift at the tire and battery shop?

The answer, according to the photographic evidence at www.rocknrollshoes.com, is a resounding "sometimes." The brainchild of Amy Brown and Brian Marshall, RocknRollShoes is devoted to documenting what Amy and Brian's favorite rockers wear on their tootsies. The site is haunting in its simplicity. Pages of shoes with a brief listing of make and model, plus commentary by Amy and Brian, becomes a window into the soul of the working musician. Lots of Chuck Taylors, some serviceable work shoes, a few outstanding examples of the cobbler's craft (Sullen's Shanna Kiel has stunning knee-high leather boots, but she's a girl, so of course she's stylin') -- this is not just a description of the site, it's an apt metaphor for the current rock climate.

Fortunately for everyone, Amy and Brian are hosting a "Soled Out Showcase" featuring some of the "knee-high boots" of the St. Louis music scene, just because they can. Back of Dave (Brian's band), Shame Club, Riddle of Steel and the Botanists will be playing, and you can bet they'll be wearing some fancy clodhoppers (Ascetic Records guru Hieu Nguyen has leaked word of "shoe roadies;" be excited). Wear something flashy or be mocked online.