Arts, Entertainment, and Media

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 >>

King Khan and BBQ Show, dada's 20th Anniversary Tour, Father John Misty 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 >>

Kendrick Lamar's Debut is One of the Most Important Hip-Hop Albums of Our Era

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 >>

Propagandhi Resuscitates Punk at the Firebird: Review

Propagandhi The Firebird November 4, 2012 Before it became a simple formula, punk was a term used to describe bands whose urgent and passionate sound didn't conform to any typical rock n' roll standards; punk bands had actual unique identities. How do you easily summarize the differences between ba ... More >>

Out Every Night: The Best Shows From November 5 to 11

It's Monday, it's shitty outside, and I'm tired. My brain is mush, creativity is lacking, and there's an unknown chirp occurring somewhere in the vicinity of my desk (seemingly overhead somehow, but it is not a smoke detector) that is driving me to distraction. I've played out the coming hours in my ... More >>

Madonna at the Scottrade Center, 11/1/12: Review, Photos and Setlist

Madonna is considered a living legend, a cultural icon and one of the best performers of her time. She is one of the most influential artists in the history of American music, and last night at the Scottrade Center we found out why: hard work and natural charisma. If we are to believe any of the pe ... More >>

Your Weekly St. Louis Bestseller List

Here's your weekly St. Louis bestseller list for the week ending October 21, as compiled by the St. Louis Independent Booksellers Alliance and based on sales at Left Bank Books, Main Street Books, Pudd'nhead Books and Subterranean Books. In an exciting new development in the local book world, reade ... More >>

Gig Musicians Vs. Show Musicians

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 This weekend, I am playing guitar at a wedding. I do not know the bride nor the groom beyond email formal ... More >>

The Cover of the October 25 Print Edition

Minus the Bear and Cursive

8 p.m. Friday, October 26. Plush, 3224 Locust Street.

Midwest Desperado: Wild Bill Young brings the streets to modern country

The Cloud Atlas team dares you to leave your pod

The 25 Creepiest Heavy Metal Album Covers

Halloween is the time where it's acceptable to wallow in the creepy, the crawly, the dark, and the macabre. Sounds like the themes of heavy metal, year-round! Here then, are those most spine-tingliest metal album covers, for your All Hallow's Eve viewing pleasure. Step inside... By Jason Roche See ... More >>

Carry On, Carrie

Trey Songz, Yo La Tengo & Calexico, Speedwolf 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 >>

Your Weekly St. Louis Bestseller List

Here's your weekly St. Louis bestseller list for the week ending October 14, as compiled by the St. Louis Independent Booksellers Alliance and based on sales at Left Bank Books, Main Street Books, Pudd'nhead Books and Subterranean Books. Sometimes the bestseller list contains random, unexplainabl ... More >>

Meet Kelli Allen, the Poet Who Doesn't Sleep

Kelli Allen, who will be reading from her first collection of poetry, Otherwise, Soft White Ash at 7 p.m. this evening at Left Bank Books, does not consider herself a confessional poet. Though some of her poems concern the final illness and death of her mother, many others come from myths and fairy ... More >>

Blood Pressure