Michael Jackson

Undead Format: Dissecting The Cassette Revival

Art and life co-habitate, informing, imitating, and enriching each other constantly. Each week in Better Living Through Music, RFT Music writer Ryan Wasoba explores this symbiotic relationship. My first musical memory involved a cassette tape of Michael Jackson's Thriller. I was in the backseat of ... More >>

The Real Decade of the One Hit Wonder

In the last couple of weeks St. Louis has had somewhat of an influx of '90s nostalgia acts coming through town. Sponge played Cicero's, Soul Asylum made an appearance at the Old Rock House and Reel Big Fish just played the Pageant. This got us to thinking.... The '80s are remembered musically for t ... More >>

The Ten Best Music Videos Featuring Zombies

I'm rereading the first 40 or so issues of The Walking Dead comics, since The Walking Dead TV show returns to AMC this Sunday, October 14. I'm super-psyched about the third season -- my friends are developing a drinking game around how many times Carl gets lost, and I'm more than ready to see Rick G ... More >>

Tributes and Tribulations

Art and life co-habitate, informing, imitating, and enriching each other constantly. Each week in Better Living Through Music, RFT Music writer Ryan Wasoba explores this symbiotic relationship Last week, RFT Music's Jamie Lees wrote an op-ed piece entitled The Problem With An Under Cover Weekend. I ... More >>

An Under Cover Weekend

8:30 p.m. Friday, September 7, and Saturday, September 8. The Firebird, 2706 Olive Street.

Please Familiarize Yourself With Rebbie Jackson's "Centipede"

Beloit's annual college mindset thing is out this week and making the Facebook rounds, performing its yearly task of making everyone over the age of fifteen feel super old. Most of its findings hit the mark -- Robert De Niro is from Meet the Parents, Bill Clinton is an elder statesman, CDs are somet ... More >>

Six Most Overused Rhymes

You've been there, listening to a song for the first time, hearing the word at the end of one lyric and thinking "please don't end the next line with (insert predictable rhyme here)." Of course, nine out of ten times, the internalized wish is futile. Nobody expects songwriters to reinvent the wheel ... More >>

The Six Worst Songs On Great Albums

Even on a quote-unquote perfect album, one song has to be inferior to the others, just as one song has to rule the roost. Such is the yin and yang of nature. Here are the six worst songs on the best albums. 6. Wilco - "Heavy Metal Drummer" from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Heavy Metal Drummer by Wilco on ... More >>

The Six Creepiest Children In Songs

Happy Halloween! Let's celebrate with a list of the six best cameos from creepy children in song. 6. Michael Jackson - "Little Susie" The inclusion of Michael Jackson on this list has nothing to do with any accusations of inappropriate behavior with children, of which I will always give the man th ... More >>

Das Racist At The Firebird, 10/16/11: Review And Setlist

Das Racist loves white people.​Das Racist | Danny Brown | Despot The Firebird October 16, 2011 The Cardinals are going to the World Series! There's dancing in the streets of St. Louis! Or so I would imagine. I don't know for sure, because I'm in the Firebird, where Das Racist is two songs in ... More >>

Glee's Matthew Morrison: An Onstage Study Of His Musical Contradictions

Jon Gitchoff​Monday night's show at the Scottrade Center was a spectacle to behold on many different levels, but let's focus specifically on Matthew Morrison. The 32-year-old came out onstage with vengeance, a bowtie and two back-up seductresses who were not afraid of a little grinding. The au ... More >>

R. Kelly

8 p.m. Friday, June 17. Chaifetz Arena, 1 South Compton Avenue.

The Ten Most Cringe-Worthy Celebrity Vocal Duets

The soon to be collaborating Voices. Courtesy of NBC​Oh great. The judges/coaches from NBC's hit karaoke tournament vocal competition "The Voice" are going to collaborate. Specifically, Maroon 5, led by slightly soulful popster Adam Levine will be joined by Christina Aguilera to perform their ... More >>

Interview: Tef Poe on War Machine, His Fantastic New Album

courtesy of Tef Poe​Tef Poe's War Machine is a nineteen-track tour de force. The Force member's musical versatility has always been his calling card, and so it's not surprise that Machine embraces diversity and defies pigeonholing. Genre-wise, it touches on warm R&B, ominous hip-hop, celebrato ... More >>

Memories of Elvis

8 p.m. Saturday, January 8. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Boulevard.

Five Epic Moonwalk Fails

After hearing the rumors that former President Bill Clinton busted out the moonwalk at his daughter's wedding a couple weeks back, we started wishing that some video would surface. Why, because odds are that it was an epic fail. That got us thinking. What other moonwalk fails are lurking out there? ... More >>

Warpaint's Stella Mozgawa Talks Gaga, Van Smells, Hip-Hop and the Band's New Album

LA's Warpaint play tonight at the Luminary Center for the Arts. From left, Theresa Wayman, Jenny Lee Lindberg, Stella Mogzawa, Emily Kokal(front).​The Los Angeles four-piece Warpaint crafts haunting dreampsych with iridescent harmonies and filmy reverb, but don't label them as an all-girl band ... More >>

John Legend

8 p.m. Saturday, July 3. Fair Saint Louis, Gateway Arch, 707 North First Street.

St. Louis Art Capsules

Jessica Baran encapsulates the St. Louis art scene

News Tidbits You May Have Missed Over the Long Weekend

Lots of things happened over the three-day weekend. On this blog, too. Perhaps you missed some of them -- so here's a handy-dandy list of highlights if that was the case! *Deluxe Fine Food & Spirits is closing after the Sarah Borges & the Broken Singles show this weekend. *The number of benefit sh ... More >>

What Happens When Michael Jackson Enters Super Mario Brothers' World?

If you're at work today, chances are you're ticked that you don't have the day off -- like (what seems like) everybody else in America does. In times like these, I like to bust out random bits of absurdity and foolishness, in hopes of making the workday that much brighter. Such as the following YouT ... More >>

FIRST!

The Best of 2009 in Music

Top Sellers at Area Record Stores: Week of November 2 to November 8

Every Monday, A to Z publishes the best-selling releases from area independent record stores from the preceding week. An asterisk after an album name indicates that the act is coming to town. And so without further ado: Apop Records 1 Lightning Bolt: Earthly Delights 2 Leonard Cohen: Live Songs ... More >>

Match Points: Readers chew on Match meat and tea parties

Last Week's Most Popular Daily RFT Posts, June 29-July 5, 2009

If you missed any of these items posted last week on the Daily RFT -- or were like some of us and just checked-out for the holidays by Monday -- here's your chance to catch up before you have to do any real work this morning.Michael Jackson Watched Donald Duck to Fall Asleep, Exercised with Incredib ... More >>

Aaron's Thing of the Week - 1st July, 2009: But Wait, There's More!

I found myself getting more than a little choked up last week over the death of Michael Jackson. Whatever the man may have been- and some of those things are certainly awful- he was the biggest thing in the world when I was growing up. I had a red leather jacket covered in zippers when I was five. I ... More >>

Show Review: The Avett Brothers and Samantha Crain and the Midnight Shivers at the Pageant, Thursday, June 25

BY KATIE MOULTON The Avett Brothers barnstormed the Pageant last night and lead a stomping jubilee with its genre-razing folk-punk. Fronted by string-snapping multi-instrumentalist brothers Seth and Scott Avett, the band destroyed any notion of traditional or roots music with a raucous set where ... More >>

Video: Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch Auctions

You might have heard that Michael Jackson was going to auction off the contents of his Neverland Ranch, but then decided to change his mind at the last second. However! Press in L.A. still had the chance to view the contents of the aborted auction -- and Videothing.com shot video of the contents of ... More >>

Show Review Photos Setlist: Fall Out Boy at the Creepy Crawl, Wednesday, December 3

At the end of a rambling bit of stage banter about Fall Out Boy being known as "emo boys made good" or being a "douchebag pop band," swoop-haired bassist Pete Wentz (who noted that he is/was often on the receiving end of the douchebag tag) said, "We're okay being your guilty pleasure." Slide Show ... More >>

Petur Ben at the Schlafly Tap Room, Tim Rakel and David Rovics at Black Bear Bakery

Muppet Gone to Heaven

Veteran bluesman Bobby Rush charms China, while B-Sides makes a mixtape for Elmo the Muppet’s life.

Dirty Dozen Brass Band

11 p.m. Saturday, December 29. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 South Broadway.

Menomena Photos from October 30's Billiken Club Show

Thrill-Seekers Wanted

Buckin’ Backhoes

Unreal does the "Thriller" dance, sips Starbucks with a fellow ex-barista and ponders the logistics of a backhoe rodeo.

Capsule Reviews

Dennis Brown and Deanna Jent suss out local theater

Robbie Fulks

Friday, August 13; the Hi-Pointe

Remembrances of Backspins Past

A breakdance battle is Radar Station's madeleine

Karaoke

It isn't just for losers anymore

Karaoke Dokey

People reveal themselves, often in ways they don't intend, and the rest of us get to watch!

What's the Rudest Thing Anyone Has Said to You?

Week of May 14, 2003

Borsao 2001 Red Wine

Viviano's Italian Grocer, 5139 Shaw Avenue, 314-771-5476

Guilty Pleasures

Nobody has the right to judge you for your secret musical kinks -- but everyone will

Best Repository of Printed Memories

Paragon Typographers

Bang the Drum All Weekend

Renowned session drummer Ndugu Chancler heads up a celebration of the beat at UM-St. Louis

Do You Need or Want Plastic Surgery on Any Part?

Week of July 11, 2001

Critical Mass

RFT music critics offer a cut-and-paste compendium of the year in music. Everyone's wrong. Everyone's right.

THROB, THROB

Herewith, a guide to the latest crop of musical heartthrobs

A Post-Poster World

It's the power of the music, not cartoonish surface appearances, that makes for a music hero, say the local young folk we polled