Fiona Apple

Pazz & Jop Results Are In! See this Year's Winners, Read Advice from St. Louis Artists

The Village Voice's annual critic's-list-to-end-all-critic's-lists, the venerable Pazz & Jop issue, is now in circulation. Each year the Voice polls hundreds of music critics in an effort to provide the most comprehensive list possible of the former year's most critically-acclaimed music. In additio ... More >>

The Ten Best Shows in St. Louis This Weekend: January 11 to 13

Making an album is a damn fine accomplishment, be it a self-mixed basement recording hand-dubbed to limited tapes, a mass quantitie of printed CDs that might ultimately end up in the bargain bin or even a pricier high-end studio recording committed immortally to vinyl (ok - perhaps records are a tad ... More >>

Euclid Records' 50 Best-Selling Albums of 2012

Euclid Records -- one of several excellent purveyors of music in this town and our 2012 winner for Best Record Store -- has just released its top 50 sellers of 2012. It's an interesting list for several reasons. It bears almost no resemblance to Billboard's list, of course. But it also speaks to the ... More >>

The 20 Best Concerts That Happened in St. Louis in 2012, According to Us

It's been another steller year for live music in St. Louis, whether you were looking for the most legendary living pop artist or the quiet birth of a powerful local band. We've racked our brans and come up with our twenty favorite shows (they're listed below), but what tops your list? Was it The Ur ... More >>

Ellen The Felon

Nelly and Crew Busted in Texas with 36 Bags of Heroin, 10 Pounds of Weed and a Loaded Gun [Many Updates]

Update, 9:00 a.m.: We spoke with Jay E, producer of almost every song on Country Grammar and frequent Nelly collaborator. While he certainly isn't about to condone anyone's actions here, he is urging restraint. After all, none of us were there. He posted the following on his personal Facebook page y ... More >>

Nelly's Tour Bus Bust: Brian Keith Jones's Mugshot

Well, there you have it folks, Brian Keith Jones, the man who Texas cops arrested for allegedly packing Nelly's tour bus to the gills with heroin and weed. See also: -The Mug Shots of Hudspeth County: Nelly's Bodyguard, Fiona Apple, Willie Nelson -Nelly's Tour Bus Busted with Heroin, Weed, Loaded G ... More >>

Nelly's Tour Bus Busted with Heroin, Weed, Loaded Gun [UPDATE]

Update: A Hudspeth County Sheriff's Department press release confirms that drug-sniffing dogs led cops to the enormous stash. Nelly's tour bus was just busted last night in Texas with massive amounts of weed, heroin and a loaded gun. Daily RFT is not certain what's crazier -- the sheer amount of ... More >>

On Safari at Bass Center VII

Bassnectar spent the weekend rattling skulls in Midtown at the Chaifetz Arena. This wasn't his usual show, however: This was Bass Center -- the huge DJ's annual blow-out tribute to low frequencies and the ways they make you move. On hand to celebrate the occasion were Zeds Dead, Gramatik and Gladkil ... More >>

The 15 Most Ridiculous Band Promo Photos

Here at RFT Music HQ we see literally one shitload of press photos every week. Many of them stick to a template: Gather all band members together, shoulder to shoulder. Make sure no one smiles, ever. Have the artists try to look thoughtful, but also like they are not trying to look like anything. Th ... More >>

The Ten Best Concerts of the Summer

Well, the white trousers are back in storage and the river flotation seat with tall-boy sized cup-holders is deflated. We may have a few warm days ahead still, but summer is behind us. Lest it all fade into a haze of sweating (so it was hot this summer...), we here at RFT Music have preserved the bi ... More >>

Fiona Apple at the Peabody Opera House, 7/14/12: Review, Photos and Setlist

Fiona Apple | Blake Mills July 14, 2012 The Peabody Opera House Fiona Apple is not afraid of silence -- but at least a few of her St. Louis fans might be. At Apple's concert Saturday at the Peabody Opera House (1400 Market Street; 314-499-7600) there were more than a few moments when hootin' and ho ... More >>

The Ten Best Shows In St. Louis This Weekend: July 13 to 15

This weekend would have been the hundredth birthday of Woody Guthrie, if he'd only lived that long. To celebrate, both Plush and Off Broadway are hosting tributes -- Plush's is on Friday night and Off Broadway's is on Saturday. It was good thinking on the part of these two venues to put their shows ... More >>

Out Every Night: The Best Shows From July 9 to 15

The Monday after Independence Day weekend is one most brutal. After a full weekend of barbecue and beer and illegal fireworks, going to work seems all the more objectionable. I'm too damned hungover on Freedom to be productive, personally. My "word of the day" today is "aliquant," which even my spel ... More >>

Out Every Night: The Best Shows From July 2 to 8

In case you hadn't heard, fireworks displays are cancelled all over town this year because everything is on fire. Fair St. Louis is just about the only game left in town, which is convenient for our music-related purposes since that's also where Heart will be playing this Wednesday. Other than that, ... More >>

The 2012 RFT Music Showcase Lineup for June 2

Girl Power: Best Coast, Bruiser Queen and Sleepy Kitty: Review and Photos

Best Coast|Bruiser Queen|Sleepy Kitty The Firebird May 30, 2012 Best Coast is vocalist and guitarist Bethany Cosentino and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno. Prior's to this month's second full-length, The Only Place, Cosentino was pleased to write songs about her cat, and churn out fuzzy gems like ... More >>

Farewell WSGX 100.3 FM, Gen X Radio, We Hardly Heard Ye

Yesterday, Wednesday, May 23, St. Louis radio station WSGX 100.3 FM switched formats from '90s music mecca "GenX Radio" to "The Brew," a classic rock station. The last song for the Generation X-aimed audience was Blind Melon's "No Rain" followed by jarring transition song "I Wanna Rock" by Twisted S ... More >>

Singer-Songwriter: Meet the 2012 RFT Music Award Nominees

The 2012 Riverfront Times Music Showcase is a month away. And if that is our own St. Louis Music holiday, then consider this the season: Over the next month, we'll be making our cases for all 125 bands and artists nominated for an RFT Music Award this year. Each weekday between now and the showcase ... More >>

Fiona Apple's Comeback Tide Rises with Release of "Every Single Night"

Fiona Apple is in an elite club of critical darlings that persevered, despite finding commercial success during the 1990s. Using the word "Despite" may sound odd, since selling a lot of records should indicate that a musical artist has something unusual to offer - a boisterous voice, an instrumental ... More >>

Fiona Apple Presale Password [Update]

Update, 4/19/12: The Fiona Apple presale password appears to be "criminal" for the St. Louis show. You can buy presale tickets for the show on Ticketmaster right now; the general sale is tomorrow. Prices range from $35 to $75 before fees. That's the same password used in February for the March 31 s ... More >>

Birdman & Mystikal, The Walkmen, Naked Raygun 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 with which you can check out some of the artists you may not be familiar with. Page two contains our complete listing of new ... More >>

The Best of SXSW Music: Wednesday 3/14/2012

​If you're familiar with chaos theory, which in its basic form is the attempt to find patterns in the random acts of shit on Earth, then you may understand the difficulty that comes with describing a full day at SXSW. To break down the bright, scintillating chaos, Village Voice Media's roving musi ... More >>

Fiona Apple, Tennis and Corporate Sponsorship: SXSW 2012 Days 1 and 2

Tuesday, March 13, 2012 6:25 p.m. I've been coming to SXSW for over a decade now, and pre- and post-apocalypse days off are as much essential rituals as 2 a.m. taco runs and sleep deprivation. This year, there'd be no day-before day off, as SXSW has extended the music portion of the festival/confer ... More >>

Alert: SXSW Coverage Ahead

"What I want from each and every one of you is a hard-target search of every gas station, residence, warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse and doghouse in that area." -- Tommy Lee Jones, The Fugitive You don't have to spend much time at South By Southwest to know that all of the above building ... More >>

Middle Class Fashion

Girl Talk
middleclassfashion.bandcamp.com

Middle Class Fashion's Debut Full-Length, Girl Talk: Release Saturday at Foam

​Middle Class Fashion, featuring endless pop founts Jenn Malzone and Brian McClelland, will release its debut full-length, Girl Talk, this Saturday at Foam Coffee & Beer (3359 Jefferson Avenue, 314-772-2100). The album is the subject of this week's Homespun review by Christian Schaeffer. Rea ... More >>

2011 RFT Music Awards Winners: Best Solo Artist (Female): Ellen the Felon

Company of Thieves

8:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 22. Firebird, 2706 Olive Street.

A comedy written by and starring women, Bridesmaids still screwed

Paper Dolls

Sparks
(self-released)

Interview: Ellen Cook, a.k.a. Local Piano Songstress Ellen the Felon, Opens Up About Her Songs and Playing with Amanda Palmer

Image via​Those fans who will flock to the Pageant on Sunday night for Ben Folds' sold-out concert should consider staving off the start of the work week a little longer and stick around for Ellen Cook's after-show concert at the Halo Bar. Cook, a pianist and singer, performs around St. Louis ... More >>

Hometown Proud: The top ten local releases of 2009

Review Setlist: The Swell Season and Rachael Yamagata at the Pageant, Friday, December 4

Annie Zaleski​It was Glen Hansard's show last night at the Pageant. Although he shared the stage with Markéta Irglová, the Swell Season's other co-founder - as well as his other band the Frames, opener Rachael Yamagata and the occasional overzealous audience member -- Hansard commanded the s ... More >>

Tonight! Brookville, The Postmarks, Pretty Little Empire and Caroline Smith and the Good Night Sleeps at Off Broadway; Nico Vega at the Firebird

Monday, Schmonday: Tonight's a great night for music in St. Louis, if you're feeling adventurous.First, at Off Broadway is a pretty dynamic quadruple bill featuring the Postmarks, Brookville, Pretty Little Empire and Caroline Smith and the Good Night Sleeps. The latter act hails from Minneapolis and ... More >>

Homespun: Sheila Shahpari, What Is Real

In this week's paper, Christian Schaeffer reviews Sheila Shahpari's album, What Is Real. He had this to say:What Is Real never settles on one style, a few elements guide most of these songs: forceful acoustic guitars, exploratory piano-playing, intuitive tempo changes and, most of all, Shahpari's st ... More >>

Homespun: Sheila Shahpari

What Is Real
(self-released)

Hump Day Slow Jam of the Week: Bill Withers, "Use Me"

The Singer: Bill Withers is an odd success story in the annals of soul music. His singing style is affecting but often understated, the instrumentation in his songs was often minimal, and his persona was so low-key that he often seemed to fade into the background of his own songs. His hits -- "Lean ... More >>

MP3: Hope and Therapy, "Just Go"

In this week's paper, I penned a short pick on the new band Hope and Therapy. Moody and introspective, the trio combines atmospheric jazz and classical touches with sighing piano melodies and rainy-day lyrics. Comparisons to Ben Folds Five, '90s obscurity Suddenly, Tammy! or Fiona Apple (sans smoky ... More >>

Hope and Therapy

9 p.m. Saturday, February 21. Schlafly Tap Room, 2100 Locust Street.

DeVotchKa / My Brightest Diamond

Sunday, December 3. Blueberry Hill's Duck Room (6504 Delmar Boulevard, University City).

Regina Spektor

Begin to Hope (Sire)

Punch-Drunk Love

Aimee Mann knocks out another pop jewel

My Favorite Things

2005's best and brightest albums

Stop Crying Your Heart Out

B-Sides sheepishly admits to liking Sheryl Crow, chats with sassy soul singer Bettye LaVette and introduces you to Emospace

Kate Earl

Tuesday, November 1; the Gargoyle (on the campus of Washington University, Forsyth and Skinker boulevards)

Critical Fatwa

Fiona Apple

Extraordinary Machine (unreleased)

Bass-Ackward

Irréversible desperately attempts to turn the world upside down

Fiona Apple

When the Pawn (Epic)