Jimi Hendrix

Jay-Z's Barack Obama Ad: You Can't Stay Rock & Roll Forever

I think I'm plagiarizing from Heraclitus here, but it's in the public domain, so whatever: You can't be scandalized by the same pop star twice. The ones you found thrilling or off-putting, even, will be anodyne to your younger cousins and goofy and gauche to your children. All this is to say that Ja ... More >>

There's a New Song from the New-Look Blind Eyes! Listen Here

A good pop song makes you want to listen to it all the time. The same goes with a good pop band, but the Blind Eyes, perhaps St. Louis' best, know that a brief musical rest only makes the audience crave the hook more. So after a short break -- spent recording their first EP as a foursome and, ya kno ... More >>

Pussy Riot and Four Other Bands That Lost the Battle with Authority But Won the War

If there's one thing the Pussy Riot trial has taught us, it's that protest music can still be a dangerous, subversive tool. By performing an anti-Putin "punk prayer" during a guerrilla action at a Russian Orthodox church, Pussy Riot intended to provoke and offend. Many saw their action as blasphemou ... More >>

Out Every Night: The Best Shows From June 25 to July 1

Little-known fact: According to our style guide (the big book of grammatical do's and don'ts that provide the RFT with its immutable styyyyyyle), all band names are to be treated as singular, not plural nouns. For example, when referencing a band such as "The Beatles," we'd write "The Beatles is com ... More >>

The 2012 RFT Music Showcase Lineup for June 2

R.I.P. Jim Marshall, The King of Loud

Marshall Amplification founder Jim Marshall passed away yesterday at the age of 88. He had been diagnosed with cancer late last year after suffering from a series of strokes. His name may not be familiar to the average music lover, but his amplifiers provided the massive, crunchy guitar sound that s ... More >>

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

Well Spring has sprung, or whatever, though the 90 degree temperatures belie the notion. Flowers, cool breezes, light jacket weather? Nay: air-conditioner-in-April, sweating in the shade, when-the-hell-do-the-pools-open weather -- you'd think we skipped to summer already. This week's list of shows h ... More >>

Talking St. Louis, Baseball, Country Blues and Crooning With Bhi Bhiman

Bhi Bhiman is an unlikely young hero for whatever remains of the folk-side of the singer-songwriter scene. The 29-year-old, second-generation Sri Lankan American grew up in Ballwin, Missouri. His new record, Bhiman,, is an album that twists and turns and sometimes sails through Americana conceits, i ... More >>

Wee Trio Plays Bowie at the Bistro

The music of David Bowie might seem an unlikely subject for a tribute by an all-instrumental jazz group, but on its new CD Ashes To Ashes -- A David Bowie Intraspective, the Wee Trio digs into the Thin White Duke's catalog with intriguing results. Featuring interpretations of six songs ranging from ... More >>

Dave Alvin with the Skeletons at Off Broadway, 7/7/11: Review, Setlist

Roy KastenDave Alvin and the Guilty Ones huddle at Off Broadway​ Dave Alvin and the Guilty Ones | The Skeletons Off Broadway July 7, 2011 Just a few hours before the show, F-4 tornadoes flirted with the far outskirts of the metro area, thunderstorms capable of producing shot-glass-sized hail p ... More >>

Sleepy Kitty's Infinity City Release Party

​Sleepy Kitty's debut full length, Infinity City, had an informal release party last week at the Royale. The band is playing a show tomorrow at Pig Slop with Cowboy Indian Bear and Little Big Bangs. We are introducing a feature, Live and Local, to help introduce St. Louis bands to people who ... More >>

Is God The New Black?

Terry Richardson/Rolling Stone​A span of three weeks separated their respective Rolling Stone covers--apart from the quality of the writing and the, howyousay, dynamism of each subject, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry's profiles in the formerly legendary mag offered the same startling conclusion--for ... More >>

Update: Chuck Berry Statue Kerfuffle in U. City

​Editor's note: This post was updated with additional information late Thursday afternoon Plans for the Chuck Berry statue set to be installed on Delmar in U. City were recently wedged between a rock 'n' roll and a hard place. The statue, initiated by unofficial King of the Loop Joe Edward ... More >>

Last Collector Standing: Sleepy Kitty's Paige Brubeck and Evan Sult on Art, Vinyl and Budgie

Jon Scorfina​Sleepy Kitty is never short of crazy endeavors. Guitarist/keyboardist/vocalist Paige Brubeck and drummer Evan Sult's next gig is following the sold-out Flaming Lips show at the Halo Bar tomorrow night. In celebration of the Lips gig, the pair has also come up with a clever plan of ... More >>

St. Louis-based label Red Pill Entertainment embraces music industry innovation

Review Photos Setlist: Pearl Jam and Band of Horses at the Scottrade Center, Tuesday, May 4

After Pearl Jam opened its first St. Louis show since 2004 with the moody No Code album cut "Sometimes," vocalist Eddie Vedder bellowed, "In the immortal words of Marvin Gaye - let's get it on!" Cue "Corduroy," just one of many snarled rockers the quintet unleashed during a two-hour-plus set. Ph ... More >>

Homespun: Steve Ewing

Zodiac
(self-released)

Raised On Radio: A new book about KSHE lovingly documents St. Louis music history

Ruining Woodstock: Who knew three days of peace & music would oppress us for 40 years? (Plus: this movie)

He Ain't Not Heavy: Exploring the phenomenon of the lesser showbiz brother

Vintage Vinyl's Top 50 Best-Selling CDs and Top 25 Best-Selling LPs of 2008

Vintage Vinyl just released its list of best-selling LPs and CDs of 2008. (Physical product? Remember that?) Interesting to see how many local releases -- and how much hip-hop/R&B/rap -- is on the CD list, while how much old (and new) indie rock is on the LP list. Looks like you kids are downloa ... More >>

Baseball Card of the Week: Special Dock Ellis (1945-2008) Edition

Dock Ellis, who in 1970 pitched a no-hitter for the Pittsburgh Pirates while tripping on acid, died Friday, December 19.In 2005 Ellis was the subject of a very good profile by Keven McAlester in the Houston Press. McAlester's piece begins with this anecdote:Thirty-five years ago, on June 12, 1970, P ... More >>

Hump Day Slow Jam of the Week: “(If Loving You is Wrong) I Don’t Want to Be Right"

Help!

Run for your life if you can, little girl: Julie Taymor’s ’60s-set musical is a bust.

Lucinda Williams: Outtakes from the Riverfront Times' interview and music feature this week

Smashing Pumpkins, Zeitgeist CD review: First Listen

The Re-Entroducer

Oliver Wang’s shares his soul-sides.

Buddy Guy

8 p.m. Wednesday, December 27. Harrah's VooDoo Café and Lounge (777 Casino Center Drive, Maryland Heights).

We Want the Funk

Underrated local talent Eddie Fisher finally sees his work released on CD, while KWUR celebrates its own week

Silent Night

B-Sides sends our parents to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, finds songs to make stray partygoers leave and geeks out with the technological geniuses in Hyperbubble

Core Meltdown

A local rap troupe breaks up, while Captured! By Robots is Star Trekkin' into town

Ten High

S.O.K.A. skateboard shop throws one helluva birthday party

Two Tickets to Paradise

We chat with Eddie Money, get all Punjabi on you and fatwa all over Robert Downey Jr.

Die, Jeff Buckley, Die!

It's time to put a bullet through the head of the Jeff Buckley zombie

The Ten Most Hated Men in Rock

(Besides Sting)

I'm from the Lou and I'm Proud

Radar Station retraces its steps through the Riverfront Times Music Showcase

N.E.R.D.

Fly or Die (Virgin)

Underdog Underground

It's not about bling to the hip-hoppers of STL Underdog

Devil in the Details

New books document heavy metal's ugly history

Rock On and On and On and On

Make Sweet Meat proud in the KSHE 95 March Bandness: Tournament of Rock; plus, give us your juiciest Berger Bite, check out some cranky public art and a Branson Idol hopeful -- and don't pack heat in Dierbergs

The Isley Brothers

Body Kiss (T-Neck/Dreamworks)

2003 Music Awards

The readers spoke, and the RFT music staff listened. Find out who's large and in charge on the St. Louis music scene.

Yo La Tengo

Summer Sun (Matador)

John Mayer with Guster

Saturday, August 3; Fox Theatre

Champing at the Bit

The Fucking Champs wage their solitary war on the wuss hegemony, the indie-rock cabal, the bass and soundmen

Shorty's Groove

Steeped in family and regional tradition, the brothers Dickinson create a variation on the hill-country blues for their North Mississippi All Stars

Best Performance-Art Troupe

Third Lip Cabaret

Torch and Twang

The fourth annual Twangfest, the biggest and the best so far, celebrates some of the country's best roots artists