Arts, Entertainment, and Media

Here are Five Charity Songs that Sucked for the 28th Anniversary of "We Are the World"

Way back in the '80s, people liked feeling magnanimous. "I hear there are starving kids in Ethiopia." "Fuck that! We can feed people with a song!" And thus, the idea for "We Are the World" was born. Maybe. I haven't actually talked to Lionel Richie about his motivation for coordinating the song, bu ... More >>

Shaved Women Employs a Relentlessly DIY Approach to Music

Odometer Reading: By far the best thing about 4000 Miles is its venerable star, Rita Gardner

Kick the Cancan

Mrs. Sorken and the Duck Variations

Group-Think Yourself Happy

Quick Questions: Tef Poe Talks to the Creative Minds Behind Hitmakers Basement Beats

Editor: Tef Poe is an artist from St. Louis City. Through powerful imagery and complicated honesty, he has earned a reputation as one of the best rappers telling the story of St. Louis, which is about much more than one place. Poe has been featured in music publications such as XXL and Urb Magazine. ... More >>

The Best Concerts in St. Louis this Week: January 22 to 27

Well, I hope you enjoyed that temporary shot of springtime over the weekend while you could! Clouds are currently unloading some major snowflakes outside, but that's no reason to get left out in the cold during this week's shows. Check out Ian Fisher & the Present's CD Release and visits from Sponge ... More >>

Reel Big Fish at the Pageant Last Night: Photos

Reel Big Fish played the Pageant last night, delighting fans with pick-it-ups, upstrokes and all manner of ska-punk fury. The show was well-attended and fans were eager to skank the night away with the '90s most radio-ready third wave ska band. Our own Todd Owyoung was there with camera in hand to c ... More >>

The Six Most Misguided Career Moves By Ska Bands

This week, Reel Big Fish, The Pilfers, and Mu330's Dan Potthast play The Pageant. 'Tis a rarity among ska bills, in that each artist progressed through its career but never fully moved away from its birth genre. Others' careers have been less successful, both artistically and commercially. Here are ... More >>

There's Always a Cardinal on the St. Louis Bestseller List

Here's your weekly St. Louis bestseller list for the week ending January 6, as compiled by the St. Louis Independent Booksellers Alliance and based on sales at Left Bank Books, Main Street Books and Subterranean Books. There are some changes to the local bestseller list this week. For one thing, fo ... More >>

Comedians Are The New Rock Stars

Art and life co-habitate, informing, imitating, and enriching each other constantly. Each week in Better Living Through Music, RFT Music writer Ryan Wasoba explores this symbiotic relationship. No phrase encapsulates the worst elements of music quite like the phrase "rock star." My disdain is s ... More >>

The Cover of the January 10 Print Edition

Tony LaRussa's Wife: Huge Metalhead?

Lita Ford, Doro Pesch, Elaine LaRussa. Names that come to mind when thinking of the top heavy metal babes of all time? Not exactly, but it seems the wife of the man who led this city's baseball team to two World Series championships may prefer the mosh pit over the dugout herself. See also: - The 2 ... More >>

The Top St. Louis Hip-Hop Artists to Watch in 2013

Editor: Tef Poe is an artist from St. Louis City. Through powerful imagery and complicated honesty, he has earned a reputation as one of the best rappers telling the story of St. Louis, which is about much more than one place. Poe has been featured in music publications such as XXL and Urb Magazine. ... More >>

Win Tickets to Reel Big Fish at the Pageant

Reel Big Fish is coming to the Pageant on Tuesday, January 15, and we have a pair of tickets right here at RFT Music headquarters just waiting for you. The band will be joined on stage by the Pilfers and Dan Potthast of hometown ska heroes MU330. See also: - The Six Best Cover Songs By Ska Bands - ... More >>

Last Night: Method Man Kicked Me in the Face While Holding My Friend's Hand

A healthy-sized crowd (600 at the door, according to the promoter) showed up to the Coliseum last night to see the Wu-Tang Clan's most charismatic member in action. The inimitable Mr. M-E-F performed in his trademark microphone-dominating style, climbing repeatedly off the small stage and into the c ... More >>

The Cover of the December 27 Print Edition

The Dwarves

7 p.m. Sunday, December 30. Fubar, 3108 Locust Street.

Fatlip (DJ Set)

10 p.m. Friday, December 28. Lola, 500 North 14th Street.

2012 Village Voice Film Poll Results

View the 2012 Village Voice Film Poll

Tarantino, Alone: Hollywood insider, Quentin Tarantino tells of his struggle to make Django Unchained

Also Read: Django Unchained upends the Western -- and America's original sin

The Follies of 1832: Les Miserables doesn't dream daringly

The Six Best Shows of 2012 That Nobody Attended

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 favorite shows, albums, events and general shenanigans. Join us as we indulge in some navel-gazing! Despite what you may presume from the headline, I don't intend for this to be an "Oh ... More >>

Japandroids: How A Just Okay Record Became The Best Album of 2012

Japandroids' Celebration Rock is my favorite record of 2012 because I'm tired of albums that want to change my life. This is the simplest conclusion I can come to in my search for a deeper reasoning of what Celebration Rock means to me - or, more accurately, what liking Celebration Rock says about m ... More >>

Clutch, Pujol, Soulfly and More in This Week's New Show Announcements

Here again: every newly announced show for the week! On page one you'll find a quick list of shows that particularly caught our attention, followed by embedded YouTube videos; there, you can check out some of the artists you may not be familiar with. Page two contains our complete listing of new sho ... More >>

Talib Kweli

7 p.m. Saturday, December 22. Old Rock House, 1200 South Seventh Street.

Bo and the Locomotive, Magic City, Yankee Racers, Old Lights and Pretty Little Empire

7 p.m. Friday, December 21. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue.

Dale Watson

8 p.m. Thursday, December 20. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue.

Band Mom is The Man: Five Musicians with Politician Parents

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 the Army and fought in World War II; there he lost an arm and still stayed in the service until 194 ... More >>

Timmy Stallone is the St. Louis Rap Rookie of the Year

Editor: Tef Poe is an artist from St. Louis City. Through powerful imagery and complicated honesty, he has earned a reputation as one of the best rappers telling the story of St. Louis, which is about much more than one place. Poe has been featured in music publications such as XXL and Urb Magazine. ... More >>

The Cover of the December 13 Print Edition

Bobby Bare Jr. and Eef Barzelay

8 p.m. Thursday, December 13. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue.

Josh Ritter & the Royal City Band, Kishi Bashi, Yonder Mountain String Band and More in This Week's New Show Announcements

Here again: every newly announced show for the week! On page one you'll find a quick list of shows that particularly caught our attention, followed by embedded YouTube videos; there, you can check out some of the artists you may not be familiar with. Page two contains our complete listing of new sho ... More >>

W. Kamau Bell Explains why Bill Hicks is his Comedy Icon

Despite his ever-expanding recognition as a socio-political voice in our society, one thing remains the same for W. Kamau Bell: His desire to be recognized as a great comedian. Kamau will be storming the stage at the the Firebird in St. Louis on December 11th for the next stop on his The Kamau Mau U ... More >>

The Ten Best Shows In St. Louis This Weekend: December 4 to 6

It's my byline; we're doing what I want this week. And I want to bring back the word of the day, which just happens to be Bollix. Seriously! That's how you spell "bullshit" in British. So here we here, a Bollix fill-in weekend post from your esteemed music editor. Shouldn't it be "Bollocks"? Ah, who ... More >>

Tonight is Guitar Heaven at Off Broadway: Read our Review of the New Incurables Record

If you only know Jimmy Griffin as the consummate tribute-show guitarist, you only know half of the story. Griffin's high-profile turns playing the riffs of Keith Richards, Jimmy Page and David Gilmour in increasingly popular tributes to classic rock icons have been a central part of sold-out spectac ... More >>

Homespun: The Incurables

The Fine Art of Distilling
www.theincurables.net

The Cover of the December 6 Print Edition

Why You Should Listen to Music Outside Your Wheelhouse: The Jazz and Metal Connection

Art and life co-habitate, informing, imitating, and enriching each other constantly. Each week in Better Living Through Music, RFT Music writer Ryan Wasoba explores this symbiotic relationship. Every few months, Edwardsville's downtown dive bar The Stagger Inn hosts a show featuring locals The Go ... More >>

Make it A Tchaikovsky Tchristmas

Behind the Scenes at the Museum: A Preview of SLAM's New Addition

The new east wing of the Saint Louis Art Museum won't open until June 29, but the museum just received its occupancy permit from City Hall last Thursday, which seemed like a great opportunity for museum administrators to give a tour to the local press. No art has been installed yet, which meant the ... More >>

Out Every Night: The Best Shows From December 3 to December 9

Noted R&B heartthrob Trey Songz will be at the Fox this Sunday, but the show will absolutely not be worth killing a person and then yourself over. I just wanted to make that clear from the get-go since I suppose there has been some very heartbreaking confusion lately. Just to be clear, again: Trey ... More >>

The Ten Best Rock Clubs in St. Louis

Selecting Riverfront Times' Best of St. Louis 2012 was no picnic. Choosing the winner meant several worthy candidates would go unmentioned -- until now. In this RFT Music series, we're working our way through notable runners up in a number of categories. This week: The best blues clubs in St. Louis. ... More >>

Life of Pi Star Irrfan Khan Forges a Cross-Cultural Career

Homespun: Jonezy

Soar Thumbs
jonezy.bandcamp.com

The Cover of the November 22 Print Edition

Stephin Merritt Talks About How His Love For Shopping Affects His Songwriting

Stephin Merritt isn't the easiest guy to interview. He isn't rude but, at times, it's obvious that he'd much rather be drinking at a bar or playing with his dog than be stuck on the phone with a stranger asking him about his art. But such is life when you are one of the greatest songwriters in indie ... More >>

St. Louis Zoo Says There's No Evidence Employees Were Poisoned

Apparently, some of the animals at the zoo can be found outside the cages. At least two workers at the St. Louis Zoo have complained that someone intentionally put chemicals in their beverages. A supervisor and his employee in the maintenance department both say they got a nauseating shock after le ... More >>

Getting Bored and Angry at Lamb of God: Review and Photos

Lamb of God | Hatebreed | In Flames | Sylosis The Pageant November 7, 2012 Before I start trashing one of the most popular metal bands on the planet, let me offer my credentials: In 1989, I saw Sepultura at the Bridgeton Soccer club at just nine years old. I got in trouble for spray painting the S ... More >>