Email Author Mike Appelstein

2011 Stories by Mike Appelstein

• Vaclav Havel's Four Biggest Musical Influences

  published Dec 20, 2011

  This weekend, two world leaders passed. One, North Korea's Kim Jong-Il, is remembered as an eccentric but dangerous dictator, a man who suppressed dissent and kept his people in a perpetual state of w... More >>

• JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound at Off Broadway, 12/10/11: Review and Photos

  published Dec 11, 2011

  JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound | Bailiff Off Broadway December 10, 2011 Toward the end of its set at Off Broadway last night, JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound's bassist Ben Taylor addressed the crowd. Thou... More >>

• JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound

  published December 8, 2011

  Are you ready for star time? On record, Chicago's JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound forges a most infectious and soulful stew, with nods to Otis... More >>

• A Salty Salute: St. Louis Does Guided by Voices

  published November 24, 2011

  The club is open, even on Thanksgiving night. Last year, Dayton, Ohio's Guided by Voices reconvened its original lineup for the first time since... More >>

• The Complicated Legacy of GG Allin

  published November 24, 2011

  The song starts out simply enough with guitar, bass and drums all locked into a staccato three-chord pattern. Then the vocals come in. The... More >>

• Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin: Defending the Republic

  published Oct 08, 2011

  Can you feel itr Discontent has been in the air this week. The news has been full of #OccupyWallStreet and its various regional sympathy protests. On the face of it, it's hard to think of somethin... More >>

• The Bangles

  published October 6, 2011

  Too often dismissed as a cheesy '80s relic, the Bangles actually started off as a great garage band. If you ever see the SoCal quartet's debut EP... More >>

• Mount Eerie and Nicholas Krgovich at Foam, 10/1/11: Review and Photos

  published Oct 02, 2011

  Mount Eerie | Nicholas Krgovich Foam Coffee & Beer October 1, 2011 Last evening raised a few questions. Chief among them: when the heck did Mount Eerie get so popularr Granted, Phil Elverum has been... More >>

• Psychedelic Furs and Tom Tom Club at The Pageant, 9/23/11: Review and Setlists

  published Sep 24, 2011

  Psychedelic Furs | Tom Tom Club The Pageant September 23, 2011 Wellr What do you consider funr In his latest book, Retromania, author/theorist Simon Reynolds explores pop music's current obsession ... More >>

• The Raincoats and Grass Widow at the Double Door, Chicago, 9/19/11: Review and Setlists

  published Sep 21, 2011

  The Raincoats | Grass Widow The Double Door September 19, 2011 After three decades of sporadic activity, it's about time the Raincoats played the Midwest. This legendary late '70s/early' 80s Londo... More >>

• Widowspeak at The Billiken Club, 9/14/11: Review and Setlist

  published Sep 15, 2011

  Widowspeak Billiken Club September 14, 2011 As if to make up for lost time, NYC's Vivian Girls made a return trip to St. Louis last night -- the band's second in six months. As last time, their set ... More >>

• Yo Gabba Gabba! Live!

  published September 15, 2011

  Famously, this most hip and cross-generational of children's shows has St. Louis roots. Lance Robertson, a.k.a. DJ Lance Rock, is a native and a... More >>

• Tower Groove Records Carnival

  published September 1, 2011

  Talk about starting off with a bang: Tower Groove Records is a brand-new organization with the stated goal of "showcasing the quality and breadth... More >>

• 

  FEATURED STORY

  Interview: Amanda Rainey of Dubb Nubb and Special Passenger Records

  published Aug 10, 2011

  In this week's print issue, we spent some time with Delia and Hannah Rainey, the twin sisters of Dubb Nubb, and older sister, drummer and Special Passenger Records owner Amanda Rainey. Below is some o... More >>

• The Rainey Sisters' Dubb Nubb and Special Passenger Records

  published August 11, 2011

  When looking back at the summer of 2011, few locals will forget the swarms of cicadas that staged a brief, noisy invasion. For a few weeks,... More >>

• The Pains of Being Pure at Heart at Off Broadway, 8/5/11: Review, Photos and Setlist

  published Aug 08, 2011

  Pains of Being Pure at Heart | Craft Spells Off Broadway August 5, 2011 To my shock, they dedicated a song to me, so let's dispose with any pretense of objectivity right now. Admittedly, the song wa... More >>

• The Blow

  published July 21, 2011

  Khaela Maricich has been through enough divergent musical phases to confound a chameleon. Originally a singer/songwriter in the untrained,... More >>

• Wugazi: Five Mashups We Hope End Up on the Finished Project

  published Jul 05, 2011

  Wu-Tang mashups are nothing new - from The Beatles to Warren Zevon, the Shaolin collective has been and remains one of the ripest sources for remixing and reconextualizing. However, when word dropped... More >>

• Yo La Tengo at The Blue Note, 6/20/11: Review and Setlist

  published Jun 21, 2011

  Yo La Tengo The Blue Note June 20, 2011 Should the New Jersey Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ever become a brick-and-mortar reality, Yo La Tengo had better have a wing to rival Springsteen's. For more tha... More >>

• Haley Bonar/Daniel Martin Moore/Holcombe Waller

  published June 23, 2011

  It's a triple threat of solo acoustic performers, out on what they're calling the Waiting For Lightning to Strike tour. It's an apt title, as... More >>

• #95: Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse

  published May 19, 2011

  Let's stipulate from the start that bread pudding isn't a "St. Louis dish," as such. Apparently first concocted as a way not to waste stale bread, this dessert staple has lasted for centuries and stil... More >>

• Raekwon

  published May 12, 2011

  Wu-Tang Clan veteran Raekwon has recently managed a career renaissance. He created a classic on his first solo outing (1995's Only... More >>

• Ted Leo

  published May 5, 2011

  As a member of Chisel and the leader of current band the Pharmacists, proud New Jerseyan Ted Leo has built a near-peerless reputation... More >>

• Vivian Girls at Vintage Vinyl and The Firebird, 4/21/11: Review

  published Apr 22, 2011

  Vivian Girls with Black Lips Vintage Vinyl/The Firebird Thursday, April 21 Live music patrons of St. Louis, you had a choice last night: You could have gone to see Arcade Fire and The National play S... More >>

• The Fresh & Onlys and Crocodiles at the Billiken Club, 4/19/2011

  published Apr 20, 2011

  Fresh & Onlys/Crocodiles Billiken Club April 19, 2011 Somehow it seemed appropriate to be trekking out to the Billiken Club after a typical Midwest spring storm. I'd just spent an hour in my basemen... More >>