Email Author Ryan Wasoba

2011 Stories by Ryan Wasoba

• The Bad Plus

  published December 29, 2011

  For every listener who greeted the Bad Plus' 2003 debut These Are the Vistas with open ears, a jazz elitist raised an eyebrow. The response... More >>

• Bhob Rainey

  published December 22, 2011

  Even the militantly DIY noise punks who frequent the Lemp Arts Center appreciate a good tradition. The venue is hosting its ninth annual... More >>

• The Six Most Absurd Pop Songs of 2011

  published Dec 19, 2011

  The old model of popular music: dumb it down to the lowest common denominator and make it go down easy. Reviewing the Billboard and iTunes charts of this past year, the tides have obviously changed. I... More >>

• The new sound of local music

  published December 15, 2011

  When discussing a St. Louis artist's recording, "local" is occasionally used as an insult to its quality. In the dismissive context of "That... More >>

• Ou Où

  published December 15, 2011

  The words "ambient," "drone" and "minimalist" often appear in discussions about local group Ou Où; the duo uses all three as tags... More >>

• The Six Sweetest Riffs of 2011

  published Dec 12, 2011

  There's no precise way to define a sweet guitar riff, much less a criteria for such categorization. A sweet riff is, like love or God or truly excellent barbecue, something only realized upon experien... More >>

• Hail the Women of St. Vincent and tUnE-yArDs, Creators of Some of 2011's Best Music

  published Dec 09, 2011

  The annual apocalypse is nigh, wherein critics celebrate the end of the year with a debaucherous amount of self-important analysis on the previous twelve months in music. I am among the many to rank m... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Drake Darrington Will Don his Massive Bulge for One More Metal StudZ Show

  published Dec 07, 2011

  Will Lackey's double life is the stuff of superheroes. He manages the video production team LumiVid in the daylight, but when the sun goes down he becomes Drake Darrington, lead singer of the spectacl... More >>

• The Queers

  published December 8, 2011

  "Back to the Basement," the title track from the Queers' newest offering, shows figurehead Joe Queer whining about a wimpy modern punk scene,... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Six Best Uses of Saxophones in 2011

  published Dec 06, 2011

  Nobody saw this coming - 2011 may go down as the Year of the Saxophone. The instrument infiltrated many of the year's most creative albums, often showing up unannounced to push an already awesome song... More >>

• Your One Chance to See Sound Pioneer Tony Conrad in St. Louis is Saturday

  published Dec 01, 2011

  Tony Conrad plays this Saturday at White Flag Projects (4568 Manchester Avenue, 314-531-3442) as part of the New Music Circle. Decades before Sunn O))), Sleep or Lightning Bolt pierced eardrums, Ton... More >>

• Zechs Marquise

  published December 1, 2011

  Let's get the name-drops out of the way: 60 percent of El Paso, Texas, outfit Zechs Marquise's members are younger brothers of the Mars Volta... More >>

• Six Better Things To Do This Christmas Season Than Listen To Trans-Siberian Orchestra

  published Nov 28, 2011

  Now a Christmas tradition, Trans-Siberian Orchestra will make a trek to St. Louis next month. I've been an outspoken critic of TSO for years now, and admit that my disdain toward the band has bred som... More >>

• Fly by Night

  published November 10, 2011

  Fiona is a fairy who offers Dom, the mopey hotel night clerk, three wishes when she purchases a room at his establishment. After two mundane,... More >>

• Now, Now

  published November 24, 2011

  Minneapolis' Now, Now honed its songcraft in the company of Afternoon Records, home of the Twin Cities' finest (One for the Team, Haley Bonar),... More >>

• Six Best Cranberries Songs for Thanksgiving

  published Nov 21, 2011

  As holidays go, Thanksgiving gets the short end of the wishbone. Its musical impact is generally limited to that damn Adam Sandler song. Yet, for anybody who survived the 1990s, one thought comes to m... More >>

• Love Is No Mere Child's Game

  published November 3, 2011

  Simple Simon, Sweden's entry in the Best Foreign Language Film category of the 2010 Oscars, explains its main plot point with an... More >>

• The Little Dog That Could

  published November 3, 2011

  Simply put, Quill is a dog movie. The 2004 Japanese film follows an unconventional Labrador named Quill from puppyhood as he laboriously... More >>

• Eight Exercises to Help Get the Funk Flowing for Tomorrow's Kings Go Forth Show

  published Nov 18, 2011

  One problem with Kings Go Forth, performing tomorrow evening at the Firebird (2706 Olive Street, 314-535-0353): The band's hardline, genuine funk is a rarity in modern times, and citizens of 2011 may ... More >>

• Listen to Dan Potthast of Mu330's New Band: Dan P and The Bricks

  published Nov 17, 2011

  Local third-wave ska legend Mu330 is getting more attention than usual. First, there is the upcoming reunion show with its original 1994 Press-era lineup. Now, the band's singer Dan Potthast has revea... More >>

• Plympton Comes Alive

  published November 3, 2011

  Cartoon geeks know Bill Plympton as a pioneer of independent animation; his award-winning short films and headstrong work ethic are the stuff of... More >>

• Kings Go Forth

  published November 17, 2011

  For various cultural and monetary reasons, Kings Go Forth should not exist. An active Milwaukee band should not be capable of creating such... More >>

• Six Indie Rock Songs That Sound Like Christian Rock Songs

  published Nov 15, 2011

  A plethora of compelling music has come from indie rock's complicated relationship with Christianity: Sufjan Stevens' folk hymns, David Bazan's tormented crises, the Thermals' blasphemous pop punk. Th... More >>

• Mikey Wheling's lo-tech sci-fi heartbreak trilogy

  published November 17, 2011

  In spring 2011, Mikey Wehling's life sounded like a terrible blues song: His wife left him, his band broke up, and his only consolations were... More >>

• Entertain Your Brain with a tUnE-yArDs Sudoku Puzzle!

  published Nov 08, 2011

  Editor's note: The first person to email me (kiernan DOT maletsky AT riverfronttimes DOT com) with the completed puzzle attached wins a prize pack grab bag that may or may not include Rockabye Baby! L... More >>