Joseph Hess

Tone Rodent's Latest, A Bit Disconnected: Read Our Homespun Review and Listen

Guitarist/vocalist Adam Watkins and bassist Matty Coonfield have been the anchors in the member-shifting Tone Rodent, a band that swerves from psych to shoegaze to no-wave without losing a thumbprint of foreboding ambiance. The current six-piece lineup locks in nicely on this four-song EP, with Ashl ... More >>

Homespun: Tone Rodent

A Bit Disconnected
theblogthatcelebratesitself.bandcamp.com

The Day RFT Music Died

You may have noticed over the weekend, starting on Thursday, that RFT Music was largely inaccessible. Users of Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox and likely others were blocked by warnings of malware, looking very similar, if not identical, to the one you see above.

In St. Louis Music, Life Is a Never-Ending Conflict of Interests

Art and life cohabitate, informing, imitating and enriching each other constantly. Each week in Better Living Through Music, RFT Music writer Ryan Wasoba explores this symbiotic relationship. Two months ago, my wife and I began renting a building in Edwardsville, Illinois, and moved our home studio ... More >>

Out Every Night: The Best Shows in St. Louis from April 1 to 7

Spring has sprung (supposedly)! Celebrate by checking out the spry variety of shows going on this week. There's plenty to see, including an assortment of traveling acts such as Useless Eaters, Night Birds, Deerhoof and Hot 8 Brass Band. Get hopped up on all that leftover Easter candy and see what re ... More >>

Spelling Bee Outs "Joe Sly," Alleged Undercover Cop Posing as Punk Fan

We here at RFT Music can barely breathe this is so awesome. St. Louis's own Spelling Bee has apparently outed an undercover police operation in Boston. The cops' goal: Breaking up DIY punk shows by posing as fans. "Basically I think the cops should have something better to do," says drummer and vo ... More >>

Seven Local Artists to Watch in 2013

Homespun: Spelling Bee

Caterwaul
spellingbee.bandcamp.com

The Meticulous, Furious Cacophony of Spelling Bee: Review

Together, Joseph Hess and Mabel Suen make St. Louis a much noisier place. As light-night DJs on the KDHX (88.1 FM) program Wrong Division, the couple spins sides from labels like Skin Graft and Touch and Go with special attention paid to local bands, past and present. Their website, wrongdivision.co ... 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 >>

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 >>

Yowie Returns: Listen to a Track from the New Record Here

In this week's music feature, Joseph Hess writes about Yowie -- a band of such meticulous intricacy that it took the best guitarist in St. Louis five months to learn five of its songs.

Meet Escalade: the Foul, Thoughtful, Party-Starting Rapper from Noise Band Catholic Guilt

Escalade represents a foul mash-up of noise and rap music. Not rhythmic static or choreographed feedback, Escalade's songs shows a keen ear for tonality where songs have become occupied spaces of thought. We're not talking about hyper produced hip-hop or hardcore ghetto-spit, but pop songs coming fr ... More >>

Totally Gay Cop Has a New Totally Gay Seven-Inch

ACAB? ACAF? What about city cops? These questions and more (or less) plagued the minds of the members of Totally Gay Cop, forming the impetus that brought the band into existence in the fall of 2011. Featuring former members of Leeches, Sayonara, Dude Nukem and about a million more, Totally Gay Cop ... More >>

Out Every Night: The Best Shows From July 16 to 22

My word of the day calendar says that today's word is "skirl", which conveniently is defined as a musical term. Unfortunately, it is one that typically involves the act of bagpipin', and none of the bands listed this week feature that particular instrument. MISSED OPPORTUNITIES. Alberta Cross plays ... More >>

Sexual Poo Worship and the Death of Kuu: Let's Talk About the New Skarekrau Radio Album

No-wave tends to work as an anti-music, a reaction to pop music slathered in classy hooks.The wondrous prog of yore dared not mix with the rough edges of hairy music from the outer crust. Skarekrau Radio is a cult under the pretenses of fantastical rock and experimental sludge. Calling on the shriek ... More >>

The 2012 RFT Music Showcase Lineup for June 2

Hardcore: Meet the 2012 RFT Music Award Nominees

The 2012 Riverfront Times Music Showcase is a week away. And if that is our own St. Louis Music holiday, then consider this the season: Throughout May, we've been making our cases for all 125 bands and artists nominated for an RFT Music Award this year, introducing the nominees from one or more of o ... More >>

Psych: Meet the 2012 RFT Music Award Nominees

The 2012 Riverfront Times Music Showcase is a week away. And if that is our own St. Louis Music holiday, then consider this the season: Throughout May, we've been making our cases for all 125 bands and artists nominated for an RFT Music Award this year, introducing the nominees from one or more of o ... More >>

Out Every Night: The Best Shows From May 29 to June 3

Summer is upon us! The pools are open, the temperatures are high, and my stomach is still recovering from the barrage of barbecue it was assaulted with over the three-day weekend. Another sign of the season is the increasing number of great shows coming to town; summer tours and outdoor festivals ab ... More >>

Hard Rock: Meet the 2012 RFT Music Award Nominees

The 2012 Riverfront Times Music Showcase is two weeks away. And if that is our own St. Louis Music holiday, then consider this the season: Throughout May, we've been making our cases for all 125 bands and artists nominated for an RFT Music Award this year, introducing the nominees from one or more o ... More >>

Metal: 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 >>

The Melvins at the Firebird, 5/3/12: Review, Photos, Setlist

The Melvins w/ UnsaneThe Firebird May 3, 2012 The Melvins beckons a special brand of music worship. The band pushes otherwise psychedelic sounds through sludgy down-trodden songs that confuse rock with metal. This April 2012 tour kicks off a prolific year for the group, and promotes its new EP, Th ... More >>

New Band: 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 >>

Electronic/Dance: 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 >>

The Music of True/False Film Festival: A Conversation with Music Director Amanda Rainey

As its title suggests, The True/False Film Festival is focused around a cavalcade of non-fiction motion pictures. In its ninth year, the scope of the festival has widened to feature prevalent artists in independent music such as Dark Dark Dark and Bramble. Based out of Columbia, True/False has becom ... More >>

Schlafly Celebrates Twenty Years with Another Strange and Wonderful Free Show

Brett Underwood​Since 1991, Schlafly Beer has been a beloved institution in St. Louis. Pouring heart and soul into their passion, the brewery creates well-crafted beer much to the applause of microbrew enthusiasts worldwide. From the rolling ease of the classic Pale Ale to the rich, roasted ma ... More >>

A Very Bert Dax Christmas, Volume Nine: All Twelve Tracks, Streaming with Commentary

Roughly what we will look like after attending four Bert Dax Xmas release shows.​A Very Bert Dax Christmas, Volume Nine has now officially been released. The ninth annual X-Mas compilation, a joint release by Rob Severson from Pancake Productions (subject of a recent music feature) and Matt Ha ... More >>

Every Bert Dax Christmas Volume Nine Track, Streaming with Commentary: Part One of Six

​A Very Bert Dax Christmas, Volume Nine has now officially been released. The ninth annual X-Mas compilation, a joint release by Rob Severson from Pancake Productions (subject of this week's music feature) and Matt Harnish of The Bert Dax Calvacade of Stars, features a pool of truly diverse lo ... More >>

Spelling Bee Returns From A Tour That Included A Break-In And Several Great Bands

Photo by Mabel Suen​Noise-rock duo Spelling Bee recently embarked on a tour that took members Joseph Hess and Mabel Suen to Washington D.C., Baltimore, Bost and more. We explored the band's approach to D.I.Y. in a feature as the tour was kicking off. Now that they've returned, we asked drumme ... More >>

Spelling Bee Sets the Example For 21st-Century DIY

Advice To New Bands From Spelling Bee's Mabel Suen And Joseph Hess

Photo by Andy Peterson​Spelling Bee's Mabel Suen and Joseph Hess have thrown themselves into more-or-less every corner of DIY music -- their relentless efforts are detailed in this week's feature. Their band kicks off its sixth tour this Friday at Pig Slop Studios. As you might expect, there ... More >>

The Ten Best Things To Do This Weekend in St. Louis: April 8 to 10

​It's FRIDAY, FRIDAY! Gotta get down on FRIDAY! Here's where you can find this weekend's FUN, FUN, FUN and partyin', partyin' (yeah), starting with locals Bikini Acid at Floating Laboratories and ending with Lil' Wayne and a few of his famous friends.

Cranky Yellow, Cherokee Street Oddity Emporium, Tries to Fight City Hall

Amanda Beard​David Wolk moved to St. Louis immediately after graduating high school in 2005, and spent an entire year designing websites in order to save up enough money to open Cranky Yellow - a curio shop, underground music venue and art gallery of a sort on Cherokee Street. Since the store ... More >>

Crankfest 2011 Takes Place This Weekend at Cranky Yellow

Screenprint artist Curtis Tinsley will share the secrets of screenprinting on a budget on Sunday at Crankfest.​Kismet and ego have been at the root of great many happy accidents -- from the discovery of the New World to the discovery of Justin Bieber. This weekend, Joseph Hess is sharing anoth ... More >>

Eleven Things To Do This Weekend: October 1-3

This weekend? Busy. Very, very busy. Check out some of our critic's picks on the RFT's music page -- and read on below for much, much more to do. Friday: Taste of St. Louis -- Downtown There's a little something for everyone at this annual event: Soul-funk (JJ Grey & Mofro), rock (Sister Hazel) and ... More >>

2010 Music Showcase: 1 night, 50+ bands, 5 bucks this Saturday on Wash. Ave.

Homespun: Spelling Bee/Stove Blow, Solstice

In this week's paper, Christian Schaeffer reviews Spelling Bee's split CD with the Houston band Stove Blow. He had this to say about our locals: Guitarist Mabel Suen (last heard as the sax player for the Ultraviolents) and drummer Joseph Hess (Sleep State) make quick, shouted song-bursts as Spellin ... More >>

Homespun: Spelling Bee/Stove Blow

Solstice
(self-released)

Tour Diary: Spelling Bee. Show One

Joseph Hess from the band Spelling Bee wrote in to say that Internet issues and time have slowed the band's ability to send us tour missives. Instead, his friend Mitch Gilliam -- in the band Only the Bugman -- penned the following account of the tour's first show. And don't worry -- Hess promises a ... More >>

Tomorrow! Spelling Bee Tour Kickoff at Apop Records

Spelling Bee is a newish noise/experimental duo featuring Mabel Suen (Ultraviolents) and Joseph Hess (ex-Sleep State) who's starting to earn some buzz around town. Next week, the pair is heading out on a very cool, unorthodox Southern tour -- and has graciously agreed to keep a tour diary for us. Bu ... More >>

Sleep State

...Fuckin' Pervert EP (self-released)

Sleep State Homespun: Review of …Fuckin’ Pervert EP