Les Paul

The Ten Best Shows in St. Louis This Weekend: May 31-June 2

Things have been crazy around here, to say the least. I can't say for sure, but I have a theory that music editor Daniel Hill hasn't left the office in days and has only stopped working on the RFT Music Showcase for an occasional George Costanza-style under-the-desk nap. See the fruits of our labor ... More >>

Cro-Mags, Dessa, OneRepublic and More in This Week's 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; there, you can check out some of the artists you may not be familiar with. Page two contains our complete listing of new sho ... More >>

Win Tickets to the Black Crowes' Sold Out Concert at the Pageant

The Black Crowes are back, and in force, as evidenced by the fact that the band's upcoming show at the Pageant is completely sold out. The 23-year-old band emerged from its "indefinite hiatus" in December of last year, and is currently in the midst of a 21-date U.S. tour stopping in St. Louis -- and ... More >>

Six Songs for the Doomed Albino Hummingbird

Last week, our cohorts at Daily RFT brought you the story of an albino ruby-throated hummingbird, or maybe a pair of them, seen in northeast Missouri. The exceptionally rare species is easily spotted by predators and is therefore a small population that dwindles every year. The hummingbird, with its ... More >>

Play Google's Les Paul Logo: Win a Copy of Rockabilly: The Twang Heard 'Round the World [Update with Winner]

​UPDATE: Cory Hart congratulations! Email me at kiernan dot maletsky at riverfronttimes dot com to claim your book. Been to the Google home page today? It would have been Les Paul's 96th birthday, and to celebrate, the logo has been turned into a sort of guitar you can play by moving your cur ... More >>

Social Distortion at the Pageant, 5/4/11: Photos Setlist

Social Distortion. Photo by Jason Stoff​Taking the stage to 2Pac's "California Love," Social Distortion brought its California hustle and flow to The Pageant Wednesday night and treated the packed house of rowdy punks, jocks, skaters and auto mechanics to almost two hours of unadulterated punk ... More >>

LouFest, Day One: Bottle Rockets, stephaniesid, Airborne Toxic Event

Jason StoffBottle Rockets kick out the jams. Check out our entire slideshow of LouFest Day One.​​"These are the first musical notes of Loufest!" Brian Henneman crowed, and the members of the Bottle Rockets were off, igniting the first set of St. Louis' inaugural LouFest. The BoRox wasn't on ... More >>

Interview Outtakes: Sting's Guitarist, Dominic Miller, on His Solo Career and Guitar Heroes

Axel SchultenDominic Miller​Next Wednesday, June 23, Sting will be bringing his Symphonicities tour to the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. That's a night featuring nothing but solo songs (and a few Police classics) rendered by a full orchestra. Tickets of varying prices are still available. In ... More >>

SXSW Day Two: KDHX/Twangfest Day Party, Ray Davies, John Hiatt, Morning Benders, Roky Erickson/Okkervil River -- and More

Hating on South By Southwest is too easy. Just look around: Shit-faced lawyers waxing bizness gobbledygook to shit-faced salesmen of exercise bikes, members of psych-metal bands (probably called Red Octopus or Purple Cobra) barely remaining vertical for all their unbathed rock studiousness, the endl ... More >>

Black Crowes

8 p.m. Wednesday, November 11. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Boulevard.

Cuts Like a Knife: Lita Ford hasn't lost her edge — metal or otherwise — since stepping away from the spotlight

Local Harvest: For the first time ever, Farm Aid comes to St. Louis.

Review Setlist Videos: Neil Young at Farm Aid, Sunday, October 4

John Mellencamp's introduction -- directed toward what still-sizable crowd remained after Dave Matthews had left the building -- reminded that Neil Young has been with Farm Aid since the start. He remains the cantankerous old crank the event needs. The death-by-progress of American agriculture is no ... More >>

R.I.P. Les Paul, 1915-2009

Sad news: According to reports, Les Paul has died at the age of 94 in White Plains, New York. His innovations include multi-track recording and developing a solid-body electric guitar -- both of which are beyond standard in music at this point. He made it look easy, as this video below demonstrates. ... More >>

Show Review Photos: Slobberbone and Glossary at Off Broadway, Wednesday, August 12

Before we begin, a pledge. This review will not use the following words which fall like random keystrokes from a chimpanzee blogger's laptop: rock (or its derivations), crunchy, drunk, Americana, twang, testosterone, Neil Young, alt.country (or its derivations), wasted, and/or dudes. In other words ... More >>

Unreal gets down and depraved, then trolls for a copycat La Russa lawsuit

Twitter, Schmitter -- Tony La Russa Sues Unreal!

Unreal has spent all of June breathlessly tracking the Tony La Russa v. Twitter brouhaha. OK, so we've actually just quickly spent the past few minutes skimming our columnist colleague Bill Streeter's two dispatches about the lawsuit, and also the one by Kristen Hinman. And even though those two are ... More >>

Fifteen things you might not know about the Bottle Rockets, on their fifteenth birthday

The Cult

7 p.m. Thursday, November 29. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Boulevard.

Heartless Bastards

9 p.m. Thursday, January 11. Blueberry Hill's Duck Room (6504 Delmar Boulevard, University City).

You Play, They Pay

How much should it cost Internet radio operators like Jim and Wanda Atkinson to satisfy your cravings for streaming rock & roll?

La Russa Palooza

Five nights in November with the "Card-Carrying Rocker"

Black Celebration

Welcome to Harkonin's metal smorgasbord

Ted Nugent

Monday, July 4; Fair Saint Louis (Gateway Arch grounds)

Best Musical Instrument Store

Ron Busch Guitar Studio

Champing at the Bit

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

Best Guitar Store

Acme Guitars

Wiping the Plate Clean

Our intrepid reviewer calls for the last check and leaves some generous tips

Listening Post

Best Electric Guitarist: John Horton

Guitar-Playing Boyfriends