Christian Schaeffer

Out Every Night: The Best Shows in St. Louis from May 13 to 19

You'd think that having jobs like our's would grant us innate superpowers to recall the goings-ons of any particular day at the blink of an eye, but the reality of it is that staring at the dozens and dozens of new shows that roll in weekly can become somewhat disorienting (luckily, this here concer ... More >>

Out Every Night: The Best Shows in St. Louis from April 22 to 28

Wow, whatta weekend! 4-20 still has us in a daze (didn't get a chance to make it down? Check out slideshows of Record Store Day and InFest2). Congrats everyone on a successful and eventful RSD weekend. Keep that music high going this week with visits from the Besnard Lakes, Bob Dylan, Wax Idols and ... More >>

The Best Concerts in St. Louis This Week: February 18 to 24

Here at RFT Music, so many shows come across our desks on a regular basis in the form of announcements, previews and reviews that things can get pretty darn redundant. So when we come across fun coincidences, like the photo of Man Man sporting some homemade D.R.I. swag above, we're a little too easi ... More >>

Win Chromeo Tickets!

​Chromeo will be at the Pageant on Monday, packing a ton of dance nostalgia and an equal measure of good humor. As Christian Schaeffer's preview mentions, last year's Business Casual continued a path down the same very funky vein the duo's explored all along. So of course you want to go, and ... More >>

Psychedelic Furs With Tom Tom Club: Ticket Giveaway!

​New wave heaven hits the Pageant on Friday, when Psychedelic Furs share a bill with Tom Tom Club. And we want to send you to the show for free! Go to our Facebook page for contest details. Robin Wheeler and Christian Schaeffer previewed the show in this week's print edition; they're take ... More >>

Announcing STL Loud Volume Three

​The STL Loud series returns with its third volume -- all released in 2011. We tip our hats to the folks at R&R Music Labs for their consistency. The series, for the unfamiliar, brings St. Louis bands to the R&R Studio to record an unreleased track for a compilation. You can read Christian S ... More >>

She & Him's M. Ward talks about the creative process on his latest collection of timeless pop

Sex Robots Having Its LP Release Show for Nightmoves Tomorrow

​This weekend, Sex Robots is finally celebrating the release of Nightmoves, the LP we told you about in April. In this week's paper, Christian Schaeffer reviewed the album. He had this to say:

Homespun: The Pernikoff Brothers, On My Way

In this week's paper, Christian Schaeffer reviews the Pernikoff Brothers' On My Way. He had this to say: ...how does On My Way sound? Like a high-end studio job, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. [Brothers] Rick and Tom [Pernikoff], in addition to sharing vocal and songwriting duties, coprodu ... More >>

The 2010 RFT Music Award winners

KETC Spotlights Record Store Day, Vintage Vinyl, Dapper RFT Freelancer

On Record Store Day, KETC's "Living St. Louis" filmed a segment about record stores -- and specifically, Vintage Vinyl -- that aired this week. Among the interviewees is the RFT's own Christian Schaeffer, who is looking like quite the record-nerd-mafia don in his get-up. The segment is a nice introd ... More >>

10 Things to Do for $10 This Weekend in St. Louis, April 30 - May 2, 2010

The Bangles then.​ The Go-Go's vs The Bangles at That 80's Club (Friday) On Friday night, the final '80s pop star showdown takes place at Rue 13. Each Friday in April, That '80s Club DJs have pitted the music of two '80s icons against each other, and since the Bangles are due to come to St. Louis ... More >>

Homespun: Resoldered, Everybody in Between

In this week's paper, Christian Schaeffer reviews Resoldered's new album, Everybody in Between. He had this to say: The crunchy, snotty, breakneck pop-punk made famous by bands such as the Descendents and the Dead Milkmen is reborn in the metro East quartet Resoldered. For everyone who grudgingly a ... More >>

The Art and Music of Local Duo Sleepy Kitty

​In this week's paper, Christian Schaeffer interviewed local duo Sleepy Kitty. He says the band "write[s] effervescent rock songs that touch on layered girl-group harmonies, sound collages, noir country and power pop." Of its debut EP, What I Learned This Summer, Schaeffer says it "features t ... More >>

Homespun: Tilts, Cassingle EP

In this week's paper, Christian Schaeffer reviews Tilts' debut EP, Cassingle. He had this to say: Fronted by ex-Riddle of Steel frontman Andrew Elstner and bolstered by a few ex-members of Shame Club, the band plays ballsy riff-rock that sounded as good now as when T. Rex did it. But instead of mel ... More >>

Exclusive MP3s: Kevin Renick Goes Beyond "Up in the Air"

Jennifer Silverberg​In this week's paper, Christian Schaeffer chatted with Kevin Renick. After a chance meeting with director Jason Reitman at Webster University, the local singer-songwriter was plucked from obscurity: His song "Up in the Air" was included in the movie of the same name. (The s ... More >>

Feature: Theodore Brings the Noise, Twang

In this week's paper, Christian Schaeffer profiles Theodore, whose latest album, Hold You Like a Lover, was released via Moon Jaw Records this week. Schaeffer caught the band at a house party: To understand Theodore is to see the band in action. For this song, J.J. Hamon replaces his guitar with a ... More >>

Homespun: Earthworms, Midnight at the Capricorn

In this week's paper, Christian Schaeffer reviews the new album from Earthworms, Midnight at the Capricorn. He has this to say: Using dusty soul breaks, disco strings, heavy-metal guitars, symphonic backing tracks and even a Dolly Parton sample (as on "Circles") the members of Earthworms rhyme agai ... More >>

The Top Ten St. Louis Concerts of 2009

We reviewed a lot of shows this year -- nearly 100, judging by the number of posts in the "Show Reviews" archive. Deciding which 2009 concerts comprised the creme de la creme wasn't easy, to say the least. However, the following stood out from the pack. What did we miss? What were your favorites thi ... More >>

Homespun: The Hibernauts, Velvet Suit

In this week's paper, Christian Schaeffer reviews the Hibernauts' new album, Velvet Suit. Suit opens with the slow-grower "Make Me a Son," which unfolds with plaintive piano chords, some George Harrison-inspired slide guitar and a string section. Where the Hibernauts of old couldn't wait to get to ... More >>

Interview Outtake MP3: Stace England and the Salt Kings

​ In this week's paper, Christian Schaeffer interviewed Cobden, Illinois, resident Stace England. The singer-songwriter's latest project is an album called The Amazing Oscar Micheaux. As Schaeffer says, "Micheaux was an African American filmmaker whose work was, in part, a response to D.W. Gri ... More >>

Interview Outtakes MP3: Old Lights, "Losing My Mind"

In this week's paper, Christian Schaeffer wrote a feature on Old Lights. (Photo above by Jennifer Silverberg.) The band's limited-edition vinyl LP, Every Night Begins the Same, is available today on St. Ives. (Order here.) Schaeffer describes the band's sound thusly: Old Lights' ascent is first an ... More >>

Homespun: Phaseone, Thanks But No Thanks

In this week's paper, Christian Schaeffer reviews Phaseone's Thanks But No Thanks. He had this to say:As a songwriter, Phaseone relies on a few pet sounds: '80s orchestral synths, sharp-edged hi-hats and loads of reverb. His use of samples is tasteful and discreet (you'd have to be a hell of a crate ... More >>

Saturday! The Red-Headed Strangers Release Show at Off Broadway

In this week's paper, Christian Schaeffer critpicks the Red-Headed Strangers, the eight-piece featuring the Sullivan siblings. He says:  Along with their bandmates, the Sullivans use acoustic guitars, piano, fiddle and light drums to round out their folksy songs, which range from breezy and su ... More >>

Homespun: The Radical Sons, Throwing Knives EP

In this week's paper, Christian Schaeffer reviews the Radical Sons' debut EP, Throwing Knives. He has this to say: The Radical Sons' twin-guitar lineup allows for the interplay between lackadaisical strums, inventive leads and the occasional bit of stop-start dynamics. The guitars are mostly pl ... More >>

Reminder: Music Awards Party TOMORROW Night at the Schlafly Tap Room

Just a reminder that the RFT is having its free, open-to-the-public awards party tomorrow night at the Schlafly Tap Room from 7 to 10 p.m. Performers will be Earthworms and Rum Drum Ramblers; presenters of awards will be Roy Kasten, Christian Schaeffer and yours truly. Swing by and have a drink (or ... More >>

Homespun: The Pragmatic, Circles EP

In this week's paper, Christian Schaeffer reviews the Pragmatic's debut EP, Circles. He had this to say: On its self-released Circles EP, it's hard to miss the influence of the Postal Service, the collaboration between Jimmy Tamborello and Ben Gibbard that opened many ears to the beauty of sculpted ... More >>

Feature Story: How Celia Shacklett and Bruce Cockburn Became Collaborators, Pals

After Christian Schaeffer reviewed Celia Shacklett's album Transformateurs a few months ago, they got to talking, and it turned out she had a very interesting story about how she met folkie Bruce Cockburn, who appeared on the album. In our feature this week, she gives details: Jennifer ... More >>

Photos: R.I.P. Frederick's Music Lounge

Fred Friction, "proprietor and figurehead of the late, great Frederick's Music Lounge," as Christian Schaeffer writes in this week's RFT, has been busy in the basement of the Iron Barley in South City.Schaeffer writes: "Friction recently began booking shows in the basement space at the restaurant Ir ... More >>

Homespun: Upright Animals, Carnivore City

In this week's Homespun, Christian Schaeffer reviews the Upright Animals' Carnivore City. He had this to say:For its latest EP, the Upright Animals decamped to Blackbird Studio in Nashville, where the disc was recorded and mixed by Vance Powell (who has worked with the Raconteurs, among others). The ... More >>

CD Release: Splitface at Blueberry Hill's Duck Room, Saturday, November 1

Tonight! Michael Zapruder at Cicero's

Neko Case: A Video Compendium

Homespun: The Helium Tapes, The Helium Tapes

You Say It's Your Birthday...

Homespun: Femme Fatality, One's Not Enough CD Review

Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu Loves the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center

PLUG Awards Nominees Include Several St. Louis Folks

Married to the Sea Has Our Number

Quief Quota

Chattin' with Quief Quota (Self-released)

This Week's Issue

Washington University's a cappella group Mosaic Whispers: Rilo Kiley fans

Showbiz Pizza Rockafire Explosion "Ms. New Booty" = Genius

The Adversary Workers

Vide Poche (NoWire Records)

Red Water Revival Homespun: Review of In The Frostbidden Years

Team Tomato Homespun: Audio Bonus

Tomorrow's Awards Presentation

Christian Schaeffer Must Go!

Doesn't that dude like anything?

Homespun: Midwest Avengers

Evil Superheroes (Freedom Culture Coalition)

2006 RFT Music Awards

Dean C. Minderman|Kristyn Pomranz|Andrew Miller|Kristie McClanahan|Christian Schaeffer|Andrew Miller|Ben Westhoff|Annie Zaleski|Brooke Foster|Jaime Lees|Roy Kasten