Michael Dauphin

Americana: Meet the 2013 RFT Music Award Nominees

The 2013 Riverfront Times Music Showcase is a week and a half away! Think of it as St. Louis Music's own official holiday, and consider this the season. Throughout May we at RFT Music have been working hard to make our cases for all 130 bands and artists nominated for a Music Award this year, introd ... More >>

Out Every Night: The Best Shows in St. Louis from May 20 to 26

Next weekend looks pretty awesome, though anything does when an extended weekend awaits most of us thanks to Memorial Day. Keep that extra sleep time in mind while slogging through the work week and affording yourself some time to enjoy visits from acts like Andrew W.K., Soundgarden and El Ten Eleve ... More >>

Out Every Night: The Best Shows in St. Louis from May 6 to 12

Guys, Daniel Hill made it rain blood yesterday. You know, for Slayer. We don't know about you, but this past weekend was a pretty intense party, blustery weather be damned. And it don't stop. Keep things moving this week with visits from the likes of Har Mar Superstar and more, and look forward to s ... More >>

Killer Blues to Install Headstones at the Graves of Stagger Lee, Milton Sparks This Weekend

All too often we read stories about aging, sometimes-forgotten music legends that slowly wallow away into obscurity. Highly influential music pioneers get left in the pits of financial hell when -- if there was any justice in the music business (spoiler alert: there truly isn't) -- these legends' e ... More >>

Out Every Night: The Best Shows in St. Louis from April 8 to 13

Warning: show-going can be bad for your health. I type this with watery eyes, a sore head and throat, and a forever-runny, impossible-to-breathe-out-of nose. I suppose all that putzing around in the rain between breaking a sweat at shows over the weekend really exacerbated things quickly. Bah! Worth ... 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 >>

The Best Concerts in St. Louis This Week: February 11 to 17

Perhaps one of the greatest joys of this here job is seeing what bands come up with for press photos. They range from strange and deranged to just plain silly (as shown above in string form). In case you missed it last year, my predecessor and now music editor Daniel Hill compiled a list of the 15 m ... More >>

The Jungle Fire Plays Fox 2 News Morning Show to Promote Upcoming Concert: Watch

If you weren't busy sleeping in 9:00 a.m. yesterday, thanks to the national holiday, you may have seen some familiar faces / heard some familiar sounds on your television. St. Louis' the Jungle Fire, named by RFT Music as one of seven local bands to watch in 2013, made watching particularly easy thi ... More >>

Seven Local Artists to Watch in 2013

Out Every Night: The Best Shows From December 10 to 16

And now a Public Service Announcement from RFT Music: It's wintertime, folks, and you know what that means: It's cold! And as we all know, in the cold, everything dies. The trees, the bugs, at least one ill-prepared bird I found in my side yard -- and most important for the purposes of this post: t ... More >>

The Magnetic Fields at the Sheldon Concert Hall, 11/14/12: Review and Setlist

The Magnetic Fields | Gal Musette Sheldon Concert Hall, 11/14/12 Since the Magnetic Fields last played St. Louis, it has completed its synth-free trilogy (2010's Realism was the last puzzle piece), left Nonesuch Records, and returned to Merge Records, the indie label that released its prime 1990s w ... More >>

Out Every Night: The Best Shows From September 17 to 23

I think I dropped several IQ points over the weekend when I attended / reviewed the Odd Future show at the Pageant on Friday. My headache has subsided, but matters of intelligent thought or focus are still coming slowly and proving difficult. In other words, I can't think of anything to write here, ... More >>

Encapsulated Studios, the New St. Louis Home for Punk Rock and its Ilk

Early last year, RFT Music featured a story on local punk rock entrepreneur, Mike Jones, and his record label I Hate Punk Rock Records. The end of the article alluded to a huge project Jones had in the works. After numerous visits from building inspectors, countless trips to hardware stores and lumb ... More >>

Jason Isbell is Moving to Nashville and Getting Sober, but He's Not Starting Over

Although he's a good 11 years into his musical career, it seems as though Jason Isbell (Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, ex-Drive-By Trucker) -- playing Friday, June 29 at the Sheldon Concert Hall (3648 Washington Boulevard) is just now settling into a comfortable place as an artist. After sweating it o ... 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 >>

Punk: 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 >>

Chamber Pop: 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 >>

Americana: 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 >>

Van Halen at the Scottrade Center: Fan Photo Essay and David Lee Roth vs. Sammy Hagar Debate

Ed. Van Halen came to the Scottrade Center on April 29, 2012 with Kool and the Gang in tow. The band, in its fifth decade, is back to its David Lee Roth roots. But his onetime replacement, Sammy Hagar, is not without his supporters. To settle the debate, Michael Dauphin spent some time with the true ... More >>

Tonight's Josh Caterer Show Has Been Cancelled

Michael Dauphin​Smoking Popes' frontman Josh Caterer has cancelled tonight's solo appearance at the Firebird due to a family emergency. No word on a possible reschedule. Caterer just released an EP called The Heart of Christmas, which you can hear on his official site. The Popes played the v ... More >>

St. Louis Punks Form Factory, a Springsteen Tribute Band: Tonight at the Heavy Anchor

​The folks at the Heavy Anchor have been consistently booking solid shows -- both local and national -- since it opened earlier this year, and their lineup tonight is no exception. While a solo set by Tom May of Pennsylvania's punk-rock purists the Menzingers (Epitaph Records) would be perfect ... More >>

Four Local Legends Are Reuniting For Holiday Shows This Year: Why You Should Care

Michael DauphinMU330 at the Firebird in June.​It's fairly common to see local bands get back together over the winter holiday season. With people taking time off work to come home to their families, it only makes sense to plan a reunion show somewhere around Thanksgiving to New Year's Eve. Tha ... More >>

Go Download The New Humanoids Record For Free!

Back in July, we ran a feature on St. Louis' favorite melodic, pop-core playboys, the Humanoids. The band was gearing up for the release of its new self-titled album on FreeMusicFirst.org., and about to embark on the highly-regarded punk rock package tour featuring Off With Their Heads, Dead to Me a ... More >>

Lucero Is Coming To Off Broadway

Memphis cow punk band Lucero is coming to Off Broadway on December 9th. Tickets are $16 in advance or $18 day of show, with a $2 minor surcharge. You can buy them starting this saturday through Up To Eleven. This will be almost exactly one year since the band's last stop at the same venue. Preview ... More >>

Rosanne Cash On Her Career And Memoir, Which She Is Signing Tonight In St. Louis

​Rosanne Cash has endured some seriously heavy blows over the last decade. She lost her father and step-mother (Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, respectively) over the course of a few months in 2003. Six weeks after her father's passing, her step-sister was found dead on bus in Tennessee. A c ... More >>

Bird's Mile Home and Alley Ghost at Heavy Anchor, 8/5/11

Photo by Michael Dauphin​Show Recap: Bird's Mile Home | Bob Reuter's Alley Ghost | The Ghetto Tumbleweeds The Heavy Anchor August 8, 2011 It seemed like an unassuming night at the Heavy Anchor, and generally it was. Early in the evening, there were more folks out on the smoking patio than the ... More >>

Smoking Popes At The Firebird, 7/27/11

Michael Dauphin​The term pop-punk had an entirely different meaning fifteen or so years ago. Back then, bands like Jawbreaker, The Descendents, Green Day and Screeching Weasel embodied the angsty sneer associated with punk music, but they all leaned on more poignant and desperate aspects of lo ... More >>

Fucked Up's Damian Abraham on his beard and the new album

Fucked Up's Damian Abraham: "I'm a Hardcore Kid. I Love Shitty Photocopied Zines"

Daniel Boud​Fucked Up, fresh off the release of its 18-track epic, David Comes To Life, will be in St. Louis on Friday. The Canadian six piece is touring with Nashville's JEFF the brotherhood. We talked to Fucked Up front man Damian Abraham in this week's print issue. More from our interview, ... More >>

MU330 at the Firebird, 6/11/11

Photo by Michael Dauphin​MU330 The Firebird June 11, 2011 There was a warming spirit in the room Saturday night at the Firebird, and it had nothing to do with relentless heat St. Louis has been dealing with over the last couple weeks. It had to do with the long overdue homecoming of St. Louis ... More >>

Sleepy Kitty: Meet Your RFT Showcase Main Stage Headliners

Corey Woodruff​Although the duo isn't originially from St. Louis, Sleepy Kitty still manages to serve as an ancillary conduit that helps keep the city's arts and music scene buzzing. Utilizing "all of the advantages of 1980s-style land line," as drummer/singer Evan Sult aptly quipped, both Su ... More >>

Slobberbone and The Dirty 30s at Off Broadway, 5/18/11: Review and Photos

Slobberbone. Photo by Michael Dauphin​Slobberbone/The Dirty 30s Off Broadway May 18, 2011 It's been nearly nine years since Slobberbone released an album (not counting side project The Drams), but that didn't stop a small but enthusiastic crowd from catching the Texas band's weeknight show at ... More >>

Chuck Ragan on Getting Wiser and Settling Down

wikimedia commons​Whether he's banging out guttural post-hardcore, punk rock anthems with Hot Water Music or delivering heartfelt, jagged-yet-delicate country ballads on his own, Chuck Ragan's honesty and sincerity have always seeped through his songs. His everyman's music paired with his non- ... More >>

Social Distortion's Johnny "2 Bags" Wickersham Talks About Staying Vital in an Aging Punk Band

Danny Clinch​Hardscrabble punk band Social Distortion comes to the Pageant on Wednesday. The band is touring in support of its new album, Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes, which came out earlier this year. We talked to guitarist Johnny "2 Bags" Wickersham about what sets the new album apart Socia ... More >>

Interview: Cheap Girls Singer/Bassist Ian Graham on Writing New Music and Keeping Touring All in the Family

Lance Nelson​There's something about guitar-based, pop-oriented rock music that has allowed it to stand the test of time. Big Star, Cheap Trick, the Replacements, the Lemonheads, Gin Blossoms, Superchunk... the list goes on and on. None of these acts felt obligated to rely on over-the-top inst ... More >>

Contest! Win the I Hate Punk Rock Records Label Catalog!

Mike JonesWin me!​In this week's paper, Michael Dauphin profiled I Hate Punk Rock records, the local label responsible for releasing music from locals such as the Disappeared, ((Thorlock)), the Haddonfields and Black for a Second. Courtesy of Mike Jones of IHPR, A to Z has a prize pack featuri ... More >>

The Riverfront Times' Best 31 Concerts of 2010: #31-21

Jon GitchoffAre the Drive-By Truckers on this list? ​After looking over the (very helpful) comments to my blogpost asking for the year's best concerts, I started perusing our show review archives. I got as far back as July before the archives ended -- which meant that in the past six months al ... More >>

2010: The Year In Music

Introducing the Sheldon Ballroom Series

Bill StreeterPokey LaFarge and the South CIty Three do a holiday show​November 10's May Day Orchestra release show at the Sheldon Concert Hall functioned as the inaugural concert in the Sheldon Ballroom Series. In an interview with Michael Dauphin, organizer Ryan Harris explained the aim of th ... More >>

Show Review: Rocky Votolato, Ha Ha Tonka and Casey Reeves at Off Broadway, Tuesday, November 9

Michael DauphinRocky Votolato at Off Broadway​Going into last night's show, it was easy to imagine a situation where Ha Ha Tonka would steal the show from the headliner, Rocky Votolato. It's not that the southern gentlemen of HHT would try to be contentious or territorial. It's just bound to h ... More >>

Show Review: forgetters Begins Anew at Cicero's, Friday, October 8

Michael Dauphinforgetters' Blake Schwarzenbach, front; drummer Kevin Mahon, back​It was hard to catch, but a couple songs into forgetters' set Friday night at Cicero's, singer/guitarist Blake Schwarzenbach glanced back at the band between songs and stated, "I'm actually feeling really good ton ... More >>

Party in the Park: The first LouFest was an unqualified musical success

Review: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin and Telekinesis Pop Into the Firebird, Tuesday, August 31

Michael DauphinSomeone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin!​When the Firebird announced the Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin / Telekinesis show several months back, one couldn't help but wonder why these bands haven't joined forces already. Both serve up indelible, candy-coated power pop; both ... More >>

Interview Outtakes: NOFX's Fat Mike Talks Cokie the Clown, Playing at Pop's and His Lyrical Evolution

courtesy of Fat Wreck ChordsNOFX returns to the St. Louis area for the first time since 1998.​In this week's paper, Michael Dauphin scored a rare interview with NOFX figurehead Fat Mike. The band will be performing at Pop's on Saturday, May 1, its first local club appearance since the late '90 ... More >>