Email Author Christian Schaeffer

2005 Stories by Christian Schaeffer

• The Tripdaddys/ Johnny O & the Jerks

  published December 28, 2005

  It looks like it's gonna be a rockabilly rumble this New Year's Eve as long-time revivalists The Tripdaddys face off against young upstarts... More >>

• The High 5's

  published December 21, 2005

  What hell hath ProTools wrought? Not to get all Steve Albini on your asses, but there's something to be said for poorly recorded, mistake-laden... More >>

• Rockin' Around the Turntable

  published December 21, 2005

  Music fans dread December. Few bands are on tour, all the of the year's good records have already been released, and the sounds of the season are... More >>

• Pimping All Over the World

  published November 23, 2005

  The St. Louis area has always been fertile ground for jazz trumpeters, from all-time greats like Miles Davis and Clark Terry to outstanding... More >>

• Son Volt and the Fruit Bats

  published October 26, 2005

  Most multiple-band bills amount to little more than professional favors or label showcases. But taken together, Son Volt and the... More >>

• Live for Today

  published October 19, 2005

  "Mixing pop and politics, he asks me what the use is /I offer him embarrassment and my usual excuses." -- Billy Bragg, "Waiting for the... More >>

• The Rosebuds

  published October 12, 2005

  According to the title of the Rosebuds' second album, birds make good neighbors. But based on the sound of the album, spouses make good bandmates.... More >>

• Don't Stop the Beat

  published October 5, 2005

  It takes a lot to convince several hundred people to congregate in any room on an August evening in St. Louis. But when power-pop heavyweights the... More >>

• World Leader Pretend

  published September 28, 2005

  It takes guts to name your band after R.E.M.'s best song, especially when releasing your major-label debut on R.E.M.'s label. It takes even more... More >>

• Coldplay with Rilo Kiley

  published September 14, 2005

  Say what you will about the boys in anthem-rock band Coldplay (they're saviors, they're charlatans, they're a guilty pleasure) -- but they... More >>

• Michael Penn

  published September 14, 2005

  If most music critics are frustrated musicians, then most musicians are frustrated novelists. Some of this year's best records from Okkervil... More >>

• Song Sung Blue

  published September 14, 2005

  The history of rock is the history of stupid band names. None, though, are dumber than the moniker Slobberbone. Last year, after bassist Brian... More >>

• SeepeopleS

  published August 31, 2005

  When those in the jam-band sector attempt politically conscious music, the message can usually be summed up in three words: Legalize it, brah. But... More >>

• Cursive

  published August 31, 2005

  The subtitle of this compilation, "Lost Songs and Loose Ends 1995-2001," might very well be replaced by a big, blood-red "FANS ONLY" stamp. The... More >>

• Thunderbirds Are Now! and Rahim

  published August 17, 2005

  Thunderbirds Are Now! has earned that exclamation point. If there were a post-(pop)-punk category in record stores, TAN! would be its... More >>

• Li'l Cap'n Travis and Magnolia Summer

  published August 17, 2005

  There's nothing little about Li'l Cap'n Travis. With six members -- all of whom contribute vocals -- and a full rock lineup augmented by a... More >>

• John Vanderslice

  published August 17, 2005

  John Vanderslice has always brought a cinematic flair to the staid storytelling techniques employed by so many indie singer-songwriters. His best... More >>

• Koufax

  published August 17, 2005

  By titling its third album Hard Times Are in Fashion, Koufax inadvertently reminds listeners that being in fashion is harder than it seems.... More >>

• Fightin' Femmes

  published August 17, 2005

  It's a shame that the Clash's Joe Strummer -- who was famous for singing "I'm all lost in the supermarket/I can no longer shop happily" -- didn't... More >>

• No Alternative

  published August 3, 2005

  There are but few rules when working in this shadowy business called music criticism. The first one is easy: Make sure to have an unlisted phone... More >>

• Fruit Bats

  published July 27, 2005

  As the leader and only permanent member of Fruit Bats, Eric Johnson has spent several albums exploring the relationship between the natural and... More >>

• Elvis Costello & the Imposters

  published July 27, 2005

  St. Louis music fans shed a few tears when Elvis Costello & the Imposters cancelled their show earlier this year, reportedly owing to the... More >>

• Throw Rag

  published July 27, 2005

  Want to know what's really punk rock? Hiring a lunatic to play washboard and bugle -- two instruments that usually belong in a zydeco band... More >>

• The Eames Era

  published July 20, 2005

  When was the last time you looked at the ingredients on a pack of bubblegum? They're fairly complicated for such a sweet, passing pleasure:... More >>

• Don't Stop Believing

  published July 20, 2005

  It ain't easy being Journey. In an age where irony is an essential bit of cultural currency, the mulleted head of Journey has been perpetually on... More >>