Cyndi Lauper

One-Way Ticket: Priscilla Queen of the Desert is all spectacle and no substance

The Real Decade of the One Hit Wonder

In the last couple of weeks St. Louis has had somewhat of an influx of '90s nostalgia acts coming through town. Sponge played Cicero's, Soul Asylum made an appearance at the Old Rock House and Reel Big Fish just played the Pageant. This got us to thinking.... The '80s are remembered musically for t ... More >>

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 >>

New Year's Eve Karaoke Hell: Surviving The Company Party

Karaoke can be a dangerous endeavor. What can you sing that won't make friends shun you? How can you go balls-out during your next performance? Each week in "Ask a Karaoke Host," RFT Music writer and professional karaoke host Allison Babka answers your burning questions about maximizing your melodio ... More >>

Here's Your Soundtrack for National Coming Out Day

It's National Coming Out Day! Today is the day that we celebrate and give love to all of our out and proud gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer friends. In honor of this yearly event, we'd like to provide you with a soundtrack for your own personal National Coming Out Day. These songs will ... More >>

"Once People Start Giving You Free Shit You Have to Start Doing Things For Them." Steel Panther on Promotion and Ball Exposure

Let this week be a week for hairspray, black pleather, and boobs. Sunset Strip hair metal hooligans will let loose on St. Louis with a sweaty, balls out show at the Pageant on Wednesday. It's almost too easy to dismiss Steel Panther as a one-joke band that never realized Spinal Tap had been there ... More >>

Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three to be Featured on Jools Holland's NYE Show

Courtesy of the artist​Maybe you have heard of this band Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three? The St. Louis outfit keeps making progressively larger waves, and on New Years eve the four will appear on the BBC for Jools Holland's Hootenanny. Among those joining them will be: Cyndi Lauper, Jam ... More >>

Arcade Fire and the National at the Scottrade Center, 4/21/11: Review

Todd Owyoung​Arcade Fire/The National Scottrade Center Thursday, April 21 "We're still getting used to this arena-rock thing," Win Butler said last night. "But shit, a room's a room. Let's go!" With that, he and the indie rock juggernaut he fronts launched into "No Cars Go," seven of its eigh ... More >>

This Year's Five Best Super Bowl Commercials

​That was, without a doubt, one of the worst Super Bowls I can ever remember. Oh, sure, the game was just fine. Instant classic material, I guess. Two great quarterbacks, historic franchises, a great comeback that almost happened, plenty of drama in the last two minutes, and a brilliant storyline ... More >>

Video: Prince with Sharon Jones, Maceo Parker at Madison Square Garden

So, Prince has been doing these bonkers shows in New York City over the last month or so, playing all of his hits and bringing out guest stars/collaborators (Cyndi Lauper, Janelle Monae, etc.) On Tuesday, January 18, Prince tapped saxophonist Maceo Parker and the lovely Sharon Jones for a version of ... More >>

Grace Potter On Meeting Robert Plant, Bending Genre Rules and Going to Strip Clubs

In this week's paper, Katie Moulton spoke with Grace Potter, the leader of the currently sizzling Grace Potter & the Nocturnals. Moulton spelled out some of the band's accomplishments in recent times - including opening for the Avett Brothers and smoking on VH1's Divas Salute the Troops special - an ... More >>

Gregg Gillis talks about the continuing popularity of his mashup project, Girl Talk

Ten Musicians Who Don't Act Their Age

Last weekend, Chuck Berry gave fans in Chicago a scare: A New Year's Day concert ended prematurely after the 84-year-old fell ill. This gig aside, however, Berry remains a workhorse: Without fail, he plays monthly at Blueberry Hill's Duck Room, and he told Rolling Stone last year that he's working o ... More >>

Last Collector Standing: Jaime Lees on Cyndi Lauper, Music Blogs and the Rarest Vinyl LP She Covets

The number of chain record stores nationwide has dwindled. However, St. Louis has become an unlikely safe haven for indie record shops as well as for DJs who prefer to spin the black circle instead of scrolling their iPods. In this weekly column, we'll focus on personal portraits of St. Louis' recor ... More >>

LouFest Day One: Broken Social Scene

Jason StoffSweet Rush hat on one member of Broken Social Scene, LouFest's day one headliner.​You never know quite what to expect from a Broken Social Scene show. Line-ups, setlists, how songs will expand or morph in execution -- these elements are anybody's guess. Two things you can count on ... More >>

New Album Release Highlights: Tuesday, June 22

(New albums are typically released on Tuesdays, i.e., today. What can you spend your hard-earned pennies on this week? Find out below.) The Constellations' Southern Gothic​*Chemical Brothers, Further The Brothers' seventh album is an elaborate audio/visual project, with "interactive" videos a ... More >>

Bop 'Til You Drop with Rick Springfield at the Boogie Ball

So, Cyndi Lauper had to cancel her appearance at the annual Boogie Ball due to illness. But Ameristar just announced who's going to be appearing in her place: Rick Springfield. Can I get a heartthrob hell yeah to that? The $200 ticket benefits the American Liver Foundation and includes dinner, the ... More >>

News Tidbits You May Have Missed Over the Long Weekend

Lots of things happened over the three-day weekend. On this blog, too. Perhaps you missed some of them -- so here's a handy-dandy list of highlights if that was the case! *Deluxe Fine Food & Spirits is closing after the Sarah Borges & the Broken Singles show this weekend. *The number of benefit sh ... More >>

Mahjongg, Xiu Xiu, The Cave Singers Coming to St. Louis; Cyndi Lauper Isn't

​First, the bad news: Cyndi Lauper canceled her 2010 Boogie Ball appearance at the Ameristar Casino due to illness. Sadface. (A new performer will be announced today.) But now here's some good news: I kept forgetting to note that indie-electro innovators Xiu Xiu and indie-folk stalwarts Tune ... More >>

Blago to Compete on Next Celebrity Apprentice

It's been years since "You're fired!", accompanied by a cobra-like flick of Donald Trump's right hand, became a national catchphrase, so long, in fact, that Trump has resorted to casting celebrities instead of regular old celebrity-whores on his reality show The Apprentice.But now we may have a reas ... More >>

Download: Dragonette, "Easy" (Buffetlibre Remix)

The new album from UK electro-femmes Dragonette is in heavy rotation at A to Z HQ. Like neo-new wave peers Ladyhawke, Fixin' To Thrill cribs the best bits from the Gossip (danceable grooves), Yeah Yeah Yeahs (attitude) and Britney Spears (poppy electro). RIYL Robyn, Cyndi Lauper, all the acts menti ... More >>

Cyndi Lauper Back in St. Louis in February!

​Two Cyndi Lauper posts in one week on A to Z, eh? However, this one's not for a sad reason: According to her official website, Lauper is playing at the Ameristar Casino in St. Charles on Friday, February 12. Best Valentine's Day present ever? I think so! 

R.I.P. Lou Albano, Cyndi Lauper Video Fave

Sad news this morning that Captain Lou Albano -- the wrestling legend who joined forces with Cyndi Lauper in the '80s in the bizarre/infamous WWF rock & roll storyline -- has died at the age of 76. Albano was known for appearing in Lauper's music videos in the '80s -- including a few of the followin ... More >>

Video: Cyndi Lauper Covers Christine McVie

Now, as Christian Schaeffer pointed out this week, Christine McVie will not be with Fleetwood Mac tonight. Aw. However. I had no idea until a few months ago that one of Cyndi Lauper's first recorded sessions was a cover of Christine McVie's "You Make Loving Fun." Thanks to YouTube, here it is!  ... More >>

An Open Letter to Smashing Pumpkins Collectors

Dear Smashing Pumpkins collectors,Why do you keep emailing me, asking if I'm selling my Zeitgeist promo CD? I'm genuinely curious about these queries, which I assume are stemming from my review of the album. For starters, it's mad illegal; my copy is a record-label-issued, numbered and watermar ... More >>

Obscurity Knocks: The Cucumbers

(Welcome to Obscurity Knocks, where every Thursday we'll unearth something good -- but obscure -- we think deserves notice.) MP3: "Susie's Getting Married"Artist: The CucumbersAlbum: The Cucumbers four-song EP Year: 1983Label: Fake Doom RecordsWho were/are they?  A band from the New Jersey sub ... More >>

Xmas Jam Countdown: The Hives and Cyndi Lauper, "A Christmas Duel"

 (Each day until Christmas, A to Z will be posting a Christmas/holiday-themed MP3 in honor of the festive season, in hopes of warding off the seasonal blahs. Check back every day for a new nugget of sonic bliss.) MP3: The Hives and Cyndi Lauper, "A Christmas Duel" This bit of awesomeness nee ... More >>

Show Review: Tiffany at Home Nightclub, Friday, July 18

Show Review: Ingrid Michaelson, Greg Laswell at the Pageant

Second Spin: The Cucumbers, The Cucumbers

2008 Music Award Nominees: Best Funk/Soul/R&B

Valentine's Day Mixes: Love Me or Hate Me, I'm Still an Obsession

Band of Horses, Cass McCombs, Tyler Ramsey at the Gargoyle, January 31, 2008

Separated at Birth: Ashlee Simpson and Cyndi Lauper

Cyndi Lauper

8 p.m. Wednesday, July 4. Budweiser Main Stage, on the Arch grounds, as part of Live on the Levee.

Can't Miss Summer Adventures

As always, we’ve found cool ways to beat the heat.

2006: The Year in Music

Week of December 28, 2006

Cyndi Lauper

8 p.m. Thursday, October 5. The Pageant (6161 Delmar Boulevard).

Meat Beaters

Unreal mingles with true meat-masters, joins the campaign to save CBGB and receives a dispatch from Redbird Nation. Plus, what's Keebler doing handing out roach clips?

We Aren't the World

A critical fatwa of Live 8

This Week's Day-by-Day Picks

Week of January 26, 2005

Cam'ron

Purple Haze (Roc-A-Fella)

Song of the STL

On Saturday, September 4, we tuned in to local musical frequencies in their vast and varied incarnations. What we heard, all day and all night:

Muted Joy

The food at the Marquee's fine, though devoid of any star quality

Series/Festivals

Week of August 28, 2002

Paperback Writers

The latest music books struggle to demystify pop culture's greatest enigmas

Best Radio Station For Music

WSSM (106.5 FM)

The Great Escape

Baz Luhrmann makes movies -- and audiences -- in his own image

The Opportunists

Written and directed by Myles Connell