Pepperland

Next month, with the release of The Beatles: Rock Band, video gamers will have a chance to strap on a replica Rickenbacker and take a turn as one of the Fab Four. Of course, devotees have been donning Beatle boots and mop-top wigs for some time — and the continued success of tribute acts like Rain and 1964: The Tribute underscores the band's staying power. Naturally, St. Louis has its own Beatles cover band in Pepperland, an offshoot of the popular jam band Madahoochi. And while the four blokes and one bird in the quintet don't dress up in Nehru jackets, they perform the Beatles songbook with a bluesy energy instead of slavish devotion. The band favors the post-Rubber Soul albums, so don't be surprised if Pepperland rips through side two of Abbey Road in one fell swoop.