Email Author Christian Schaeffer

2011 Stories by Christian Schaeffer

• Sebadoh

  published March 31, 2011

  It must make a certain strand of mid-'90s underground rock fan feel a bit nostalgic, wistful or just plain old to witness the slew of reunion... More >>

• Review: The Greenhornes at the Firebird, Tuesday, March 22

  published Mar 23, 2011

  Consider, for a moment, the ways in which Jack White's unseen hand has guided certain events and happenings in St. Louis in the past few weeks. First and foremost was the announcement that hometown he... More >>

• Nee

  published March 24, 2011

  It's been 30 years since New Order proved that you could create soul music with sequencers and drum machines, and in that time indie rock has... More >>

• Kaki King

  published March 24, 2011

  Guitar virtuoso Kaki King has won over stadium-size talents such as Dave Grohl and beloved boutique songwriters such as the Mountain... More >>

• Destroyer's Dan Bejar demystifies his new album, Kaputt

  published March 24, 2011

  Maybe it's not so surprising that Destroyer's most adventurous stylistic departure also yielded its most pop-friendly record. Dan Bejar has... More >>

• Daydream Lullaby

  published March 17, 2011

  Eric Ryszkiewicz records as Daydream Lullaby, and he crafts ambient instrumentals with minimal tools — normally just a guitar, a synth... More >>

• The Greenhornes/The Blind Eyes

  published March 17, 2011

  While a bare-bones duo from Detroit called the White Stripes was trying to make inroads in the nation's oft-insular garage rock scene, an Ohio... More >>

• Galactic/Mike Gordon

  published March 17, 2011

  For too many groups under the amorphous jam-band banner, the idea of "knowing your roots" extends only as far as the intersection of Haight and... More >>

• Rum Drum Ramblers

  published March 10, 2011

  The backward-glancing trio Rum Drum Ramblers is most commonly thought of as a blues band, and certainly, the young men in the group seek to... More >>

• Unwanted Advice

  published March 3, 2011

  If you've ever glanced through various advice columns, it's not hard to feel either a twinge of sympathy (or a shot of schadenfreude) for the sad... More >>

• Ra Ra Riot

  published March 10, 2011

  The worst thing you can say about Wes Miles' voice is that it's almost too good. His role as the lead singer of the orchestral indie band Ra... More >>

• Miniature Tigers

  published March 10, 2011

  Having survived a mid-'00s barrage of blog-buzz hosannas and an estimable amount of MySpace clicks, Miniature Tigers deserves some kind... More >>

• HUMDRUM

  published March 3, 2011

  For its second full-length, the space-pop quartet HUMDRUM compresses its fascination with buzzy synths, rangy guitars and interstellar... More >>

• Kem/Ledisi/Musiq Soulchild

  published March 3, 2011

  Kem's brand of R&B — smooth, reverent and spiritual — has always been more concerned with moving hearts than moving hips.... More >>

• Review and Setlist: Randy Newman at the Sheldon Concert Hall, Friday, February 25

  published Feb 26, 2011

  Normally, there are very few surprises at a Randy Newman show. Long-time fans know what to expect: the sui generis singer-songwriter-composer will sit at the grand piano for a few hours and give a gui... More >>

• Prairie Rehab

  published February 24, 2011

  When singer and guitarist Kevin Butterfield left St. Louis, he took with him a golden voice and a starring role in the Linemen, one of this... More >>

• On the eve of the Oscars and his St. Louis appearance, songwriting guru Randy Newman opens up

  published February 24, 2011

  It's safe to say that no one else has had the kind of musical career that Randy Newman has. He began as a behind-the-scenes songwriter, penning... More >>

• Homespun: Ian Walsh & Kevin Buckley

  published February 17, 2011

  For a town with a deep Irish Catholic heritage — one that persists outside the green-beer bacchanal of St. Patrick's Day — it's not... More >>

• Old 97's

  published February 17, 2011

  If Old 97's was supposed to be the post-Tupelo band to take alt-country into the mainstream, the Dallas act fell a little short. Even... More >>

• Homespun: Sine Nomine

  published February 10, 2011

  On its latest full-length, hard-rock trio Sine Nomine positions itself somewhere amid the intersections of hardcore thrash, head-banging metal... More >>

• Jonathan Richman

  published February 10, 2011

  On his last trip to St. Louis in fall 2008, Jonathan Richman threw some long-time fans for a loop with a set marked by some hard-earned... More >>

• Flat Rates on Flat Works

  published January 27, 2011

  Week in and week out, the good folks at Firecracker Press make this city a prettier, funkier place with one piece of heavy-weight paper stock at a... More >>

• Interview: Ellen Cook, a.k.a. Local Piano Songstress Ellen the Felon, Opens Up About Her Songs and Playing with Amanda Palmer

  published Jan 27, 2011

  Those fans who will flock to the Pageant on Sunday night for Ben Folds' sold-out concert should consider staving off the start of the work week a little longer and stick around for Ellen Cook's after-... More >>

• Paper Dolls

  published January 27, 2011

  Paper Dolls has been playing around town, in one form or another, for the past few years, but Sparks is the group's first release. The... More >>

• Rebelution/Iration/Orgone

  published January 27, 2011

  The notion of a white reggae band from the California coast may conjure memories of Sublime, but Santa Barbara's Rebelution plays it far... More >>