Email Author Mike Appelstein

2012 Stories by Mike Appelstein

• 

  FEATURED STORY

  The Ten Best Musical Happenings of 2012: Humble Edition

  published Dec 27, 2012

  Pussy Riot's incarceration was one of the most remarkable musical sagas of 2012.Editor's Note: The end of 2012 is upon us, so we thought we'd put a cap on things by sharing some of our personal favo... More >>

• Band Mom is The Man: Five Musicians with Politician Parents

  published Dec 19, 2012

  Sen. Daniel Inouye, who passed this week, was present for some of the 20th Century's pivotal events. Born in Hawaii in 1924, he witnessed the Pearl Harbor attack as a medical volunteer. He enlisted in... More >>

• 

  Pain Pills: The heated copyright debate over a St. Louisan's power-pop compilation

  published December 13, 2012

  It's a story as old as the music business itself: A fanatical record collector jumps at the chance to bring some favorite tunes to a wider... More >>

• 

  FEATURED STORY

  The Magnetic Fields at the Sheldon Concert Hall, 11/14/12: Review and Setlist

  published Nov 15, 2012

  The Magnetic Fields | Gal Musette Sheldon Concert Hall, 11/14/12 Since the Magnetic Fields last played St. Louis, it has completed its synth-free trilogy (2010's Realism was the last puzzle piece), l... More >>

• 

  FEATURED STORY

  Jeff Mangum is Coming to St. Louis

  published Nov 12, 2012

  Huge news today: Jeff Mangum is touring again after the New Year, and his itinerary includes a St. Louis date. The semi-reclusive singer/songwriter, whose unique twisted visions propelled Neutral Milk... More >>

• 

  Stands for Something: The dB's pop hasn't lost its power

  published November 15, 2012

  You can't hurry power pop. It's been 25 years since the dB's last released a proper album. However, with Falling Off the Sky, this North... More >>

• Amy Linton of the Aislers Set was the Victim of a Shockingly Discerning Record Thief

  published Oct 15, 2012

  Being robbed sucks. Being robbed of your record collection - especially if you are a music fan - is worse. But how about if your collection was robbed selectivelyr If it wasn't merely the work of a de... More >>

• 

  FEATURED STORY

  Schtick vs. Substance: The Very Uncomfortable Nardwuar Interview with Ian MacKaye

  published Oct 05, 2012

  There's very little middle ground with Nardwuar the Human Serviette. This plaid-clad Canadian DJ, musician and celebrity interviewer has been causing havoc for more than twenty years. His interviewin... More >>

• 

  FEATURED STORY

  Pussy Riot and Four Other Bands That Lost the Battle with Authority But Won the War

  published Aug 21, 2012

  If there's one thing the Pussy Riot trial has taught us, it's that protest music can still be a dangerous, subversive tool. By performing an anti-Putin "punk prayer" during a guerrilla action at a Rus... More >>

• Six Famous Musicians Influenced by The Frogs

  published Jul 11, 2012

  Sad news out of Wisconsin: Dennis Flemion, one half of the Milwaukee-based sibling duo the Frogs, disappeared over the weekend during a weekend family boating trip, and is currently presumed drowned. ... More >>

• What Came First: the Music or the Misery?

  published May 31, 2012

  Both in its original 1995 novel form and its 2000 cinematic counterpart, Nick Hornby's High Fidelity is a poignant, riotously funny... More >>

• Grass Widow at the Vault, Farmington, 6/5/12: Review, Setlist and a Photo

  published Jun 06, 2012

  Grass Widow | The Langaleers The Vault, Farmington, MO June 5, 2012 Sometimes showgoing throws you a curve ball. I drove an hour and a half to Farmington with the intent of catching Grass Widow, a g... More >>

• Grass Widow on Labels and Touring: "Bring some good pals, drink lots of water. Go swimming when possible."

  published Jun 04, 2012

  Here's a show worth a weeknight road trip: acclaimed Bay Area trio Grass Widow is playing in Farmington at The Vault (204 South A Street, Farmington, MO, 573-783-0173) this Tuesday, June 5. Touring ... More >>

• 

  Doom Town brings stories home from Europe

  published May 10, 2012

  For the average American indie-level band, one motivator to keep writing and playing is the chance to tour Europe. Every aspiring musician has... More >>

• 

  Schwervon!

  published May 3, 2012

  Schwervon!'s Nan Turner and Matt Roth legendarily met at a New York City "antifolk" night, but there's very little that's folkish about the... More >>

• 

  FEATURED STORY

  A Tribute to R.E.M. and 88.1 KDHX Benefit: Review, Setlist and Photo

  published Apr 28, 2012

  Back to Rockville: A Tribute to R.E.M. And 88.1 KDHX Benefit Off Broadway April 27, 2012 When R.E.M. announced its breakup last September, the music world was shocked but not really surprised. After ... More >>

• Pierced Arrows at the Gramophone, 4/24/12: Review

  published Apr 25, 2012

  Pierced Arrows | Doom Town | Alley Ghost The Gramophone April 24, 2012 Ever have one of those nights when leave a concert thinking, "man, I am getting too old for thisr" Sure you have, and Fred Cole... More >>

• Chain and The Gang at Pig Slop Studios, 4/21/12: Review and Photos

  published Apr 23, 2012

  Chain and The Gang | XXO | Little Big Bangs Pig Slop Studios April 21, 2012 Back in the mid-1990s, there used to be an Indie-Rock Flea Market in Arlington, VA every summer. These events would attract... More >>

• 

  FEATURED STORY

  Mission of Burma at The Firebird, 4/4/12: Review, Photos and Setlist

  published Apr 05, 2012

  Mission of Burma | The Conformists The Firebird April 4, 2012 One-third of a century isn't too long to wait for a band to come to town, is itr Mission of Burma - the band that basically invented Amer... More >>

• 

  FEATURED STORY

  Mission of Burma's Roger Miller Talks About the Band's Weird Death and Weird New Life

  published Apr 02, 2012

  In the past decade, there have been so many indie-rock band reunions, and so many song-by-song recreations of now-classic albums, that the whole scene threatens to take on the tacky air of a 1950s or ... More >>

• The Hive Dwellers at Luminary Art Center, 3/27/12: Review, Photos and Setlist

  published Mar 28, 2012

  The Hive Dwellers | Woodsman | Sleep In Sundays Luminary Arts Center, 3/27/12 It is hard to underestimate just how influential Calvin Johnson has been over the past three decades. Since 1982, he has... More >>

• Jennifer O'Connor Makes a Surprise Stop at Foam

  published Mar 16, 2012

  It's mid-March, which means it's once again time for South by Southwest. A couple of RFT scribes are currently soaking up the atmosphere (read: getting copiously drunk on Shiner Bock), but the rest o... More >>

• 

  FEATURED STORY

  The Del Fuegos at Old Rock House, 3/1/12: Review, Photos and Setlist

  published Mar 02, 2012

  The Del Fuegos Old Rock House | March 1, 2012 It's tempting to lament the Del Fuegos as one of the Bands That Never Made It. Indeed, after an compelling start, it was this Boston band's fate to becom... More >>

• 

  Barry Manilow

  published March 1, 2012

  In 1983, the New Jersey punk band Detention recorded "Dead Rock 'n Rollers," a list of ill-fated musicians climaxed by this indignant shout:... More >>

• Why Kids are an Exhausting and Rewarding Audience: A Conversation with Elizabeth Mitchell

  published Feb 28, 2012

  Elizabeth Mitchell didn't set out to sing children's songs -- or, more specifically, "all ages folk music." Along with husband Daniel Littleton, she was best known as the main voice of Ida, a NYC-base... More >>