Email Author Christian Schaeffer

2010 Stories by Christian Schaeffer

• Califone

  published March 10, 2010

  For much of his career, Tim Rutili has served as a bandleader, first in Red Red Meat and more recently in the experimental folk... More >>

• '70s Soul Jam

  published March 10, 2010

  Watch enough late-night television, and you're bound to see infomercials for various CD collections showcasing the soul hits of the '70s. Oddly... More >>

• Murder Most Foul

  published March 3, 2010

  True to its title, Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment explores the roots and effects of murder, though the novel centers on... More >>

• Homespun: Teddy Presberg

  published March 3, 2010

  Guitarist Teddy Presberg has become a mainstay at lounges and clubs around town, performing regularly with his troupe at Delmar Lounge and... More >>

• Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears

  published March 3, 2010

  Like its sweet-sounding namesake, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears squeezes out sticky rock & soul, but with plenty of bite. The band's... More >>

• Homespun: The Ottomen

  published February 24, 2010

  It's been a few years since singer and guitarist David Stevenson released a record with his bizarro rock outfit, the Ottomen. However, the band... More >>

• Kevin Renick finds hope in tragedy, thanks to Up in the Air

  published February 24, 2010

  Of all the St. Louis musicians hoping for national recognition — well-coiffed rock bands, streetwise hip-hop acts or blog-buzzed indie... More >>

• Elsinore

  published February 24, 2010

  Elsinore hails from Champaign, Illinois, but the quintet plays in St. Louis so often that it's tempting to claim the band as one of... More >>

• Balmorhea

  published February 24, 2010

  Since Balmorhea also comes from Austin, Texas, it's tempting to peg them as an acoustic version of Explosions in the Sky. Like... More >>

• Homespun: Murder Happens

  published February 17, 2010

  By looking at the album credits for Murder Happens' latest CD, one might think that band leader Paul Wood won a trip to Industrial Rock Fantasy... More >>

• Breathe Owl Breathe

  published February 17, 2010

  Judging by photographs on Breathe Owl Breathe's website, members of the Michigan group have a history of performing concerts while... More >>

• The Radiators

  published February 17, 2010

  The timing for the Radiators' return to St. Louis couldn't be better. The New Orleans swamp-rock combo comes to town on the heels of the... More >>

• Show Review: Freedy Johnston at Off Broadway, Thursday, February 11

  published Feb 12, 2010

  What becomes of the one-hit wonderr In the case of Freedy Johnston, whose 1994 song "Bad Reputation" was a bittersweet slice of acoustic alternative rock back when that was a viable genre, it appears ... More >>

• Heart of Glass

  published February 10, 2010

  The affections and devotions that you and your sweetheart share on Valentine's Day may last a lifetime (if you're lucky), but the gifts and... More >>

• Theodore refines its twang and noise sensibilities on Hold You Like a Lover

  published February 10, 2010

  It's an unseasonably warm January night in St. Louis, although you'd be forgiven for thinking you were in London: The remnants of the recent... More >>

• Homespun: Messy Jiverson

  published February 10, 2010

  Why does punk rock have a claim to the do-it-yourself ethos? Bands of all stripes make music from the ground up — and with the rules of... More >>

• The O'Jays/Patti LaBelle

  published February 10, 2010

  A few weeks ago, music fans mourned the loss of Teddy Pendergrass, a paragon of refined, sensual soul music who was almost certainly the finest... More >>

• Homespun: Sean Renner

  published February 3, 2010

  From the first few moments of Sean Renner's latest full-length, the specter of Radiohead's Thom Yorke waits in the wings. Opening track "Rite... More >>

• Nomo

  published February 3, 2010

  Long considered the closely guarded secret of record collectors and wide-eared listeners, Afrobeat continues its steady crawl toward the... More >>

• Umphrey's McGee

  published February 3, 2010

  Getting into jam band music is like making love to an elephant: You either stay on top of it or get crushed. Fans of the genre don't just... More >>

• Homespun: Troubadour Dali

  published January 27, 2010

  File this release under "Better Late Than Never." Psych-shoegaze alchemists Troubadour Dali have gigged around town, gone through several... More >>

• Bitch

  published January 27, 2010

  Bitch got her start as half of the duo Bitch and Animal, an artsy folk-rock collaboration that made a few records for Ani DiFranco's... More >>

• The Tugline

  published January 27, 2010

  The melding of music and film has a long and storied history, from the piano players who accompanied silent films to the Velvet Underground... More >>

• Homespun: Safety Words

  published January 20, 2010

  No other genre embodies the open-source mentality as well as hip-hop does. Samples and loops are the raw material for backing tracks, and the... More >>

• Owl City/Lights

  published January 20, 2010

  Owl City mastermind Adam Young has been termed a "laptop artist," a critical backhand for people with the audacity to make albums... More >>