Mike Appelstein

The Ten Best Shows in St. Louis This Weekend: April 12 to 14

It's spring! It's sunny! It's raining! There's a tornado! It's cold! Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore. Whatever the weather may be this weekend during this typical questionable Midwestern season, the show must go on. Our "Out Every Night" post at the start of the week previewed some shows ... More >>

At Odds with the Modern World: Widowspeak chronicles its nostalgic struggles on Almanac

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: January 7 to 13

Monday mornings are weird when you have to share your home bathroom with nine or so near-strangers. Such was the case today after housing a couple of bands from a particularly noisy and awesome show last night. I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but officially as of today, my life is shows, shows ... More >>

What are the Legal Rights of a Compilation Curator? The Debate Over Yellow Pills: Prefill

This week's RFT Music feature story is about St. Louis power-pop connoisseur Jordan Oakes and Chicago label Numero. Mike Appelstein unpacks their disagreement over a compilation album Oakes curated and Numero released in 2003. See also: -Pain Pills: The heated copyright debate over a St. Louisan's ... 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 >>

Stands for Something: The dB's pop hasn't lost its power

Doom Town, St. Louis' Best Tour Diary-Writing Punk Band, Releases Two New Songs

Doom Town, St. Louis' premiere ambassador of punk to lands abroad, have recently made available two songs from its newly-released cassette demo, entitled Sleep. The first track, "Rat Says", is a straight up jammer, uptempo and hauntingly catchy, especially when the backup vocals come in at around th ... More >>

Out Every Night: The Best Shows From August 6 to August 12

This week's picks feature three rather large (as in a lot of bands) festival-type shows -- four if you count the 90s-fest happening at Verizon on Tuesday. On Friday, STL is the Movement 3 will go down at the Firebird; rappers Tef Poe, A-Game, Vega, Step or Get Left, Domino Effect, and ATG will perfo ... More >>

Grass Widow on Labels and Touring: "Bring some good pals, drink lots of water. Go swimming when possible."

Here's a show worth a weeknight road trip: acclaimed Bay Area trio Grass Widow is playing in Farmington at The Vault (204 South A Street, Farmington, MO, 573-783-0173) this Tuesday, June 5. Touring on the strength of its strong new album, Internal Logic (the first on the band's own HLR label), this ... 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 >>

Solo: Meet the 2012 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 >>

The Hive Dwellers at Luminary Art Center, 3/27/12: Review, Photos and Setlist

The Hive Dwellers | Woodsman | Sleep In Sundays Luminary Arts Center, 3/27/12 It is hard to underestimate just how influential Calvin Johnson has been over the past three decades. Since 1982, he has been the proprietor of K Records, a label that has been involved with some big names (Beck, Jon Spe ... More >>

Why Kids are an Exhausting and Rewarding Audience: A Conversation with Elizabeth Mitchell

Elizabeth Mitchell didn't set out to sing children's songs -- or, more specifically, "all ages folk music." Along with husband Daniel Littleton, she was best known as the main voice of Ida, a NYC-based acoustic band with several hushed, emotionally driven albums to its credit. During the day, howeve ... More >>

Best St. Louis Shows of 2011: Part Three

Show in a Van Down by the River, November 16 November 16th was chilly this year, as November 16ths in St. Louis tend to be. Rain was tentatively in the forecast, and a quick glance to the cloud-covered skies served only as confirmation of our local weather forecasters' suspicions. In an unassuming ... More >>

JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound at Off Broadway, 12/10/11: Review and Photos

Mike Appelstein​JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound | Bailiff Off Broadway December 10, 2011 Toward the end of its set at Off Broadway last night, JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound's bassist Ben Taylor addressed the crowd. Though they'd spent the last few months touring America and Europe, he said, they ... More >>

The Many Covers of GG Allin's "Don't Talk To Me"

In this week's feature, Mike Appelstein explores the recent rethinking of punk pariah GG Allin. It begins: The song starts out simply enough with guitar, bass and drums all locked into a staccato three-chord pattern. Then the vocals come in. The singer can carry a tune well enough, with a hint of ... More >>

The New Dubb Nubb Album, Sunrise Sleepy Eyed is Out Now: Listen

Dubb Nubb, the St. Louis duo turned Columbia trio, was the subject of an RFT Music feature in August. In it, Mike Appelstein talked about the bands origins and wholly unique approach to its lo-fi documents of its members' lives. In the feature, Appelstein noted that the band's newest album, Sunrise ... More >>

Mount Eerie and Nicholas Krgovich at Foam, 10/1/11: Review and Photos

Mount Eerie. Photo by Mike Appelstein​Mount Eerie | Nicholas Krgovich Foam Coffee & Beer October 1, 2011 Last evening raised a few questions. Chief among them: when the heck did Mount Eerie get so popular? Granted, Phil Elverum has been at it for more than a decade now, first with the Microp ... More >>

The Raincoats and Grass Widow at the Double Door, Chicago, 9/19/11: Review and Setlists

The Raincoats. Photo by Mike Appelstein​The Raincoats | Grass Widow The Double Door September 19, 2011 After three decades of sporadic activity, it's about time the Raincoats played the Midwest. This legendary late '70s/early' 80s London band toured the East and West coasts during its init ... More >>

Vivian Girls For Free! Tonight! Billiken Club!

Courtesy of Vivian Girls​Before this year, Vivian Girls had never played a show in Missouri. Now, after April stops at Vintage Vinyl and the Firebird, the trio will make its third appearance in St. Louis tonight at the Billiken Club. Widowspeak will open. Doors are at 8 p.m. and the show start ... More >>

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart at Off Broadway, 8/5/11: Review, Photos and Setlist

Photo by Mike Appelstein​Pains of Being Pure at Heart | Craft Spells Off Broadway August 5, 2011 To my shock, they dedicated a song to me, so let's dispose with any pretense of objectivity right now. Admittedly, the song was "My Terrible Friend," so if they'd sucked live, I could have slamme ... More >>

Win Tickets For The Blow This Sunday At Old Rock House

Chas Bowens​In this week's issue, Mike Appelstein previews Khaela Maricich's, a.k.a. the Blow's upcoming show at Old Rock House, saying, "Originally a singer/songwriter in the untrained, spirit-over-virtuosity K Records vein, she quickly embraced high technology and concept. As the Blow, she ... More >>

#95: Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse

Mike Appelstein​Let's stipulate from the start that bread pudding isn't a "St. Louis dish," as such. Apparently first concocted as a way not to waste stale bread, this dessert staple has lasted for centuries and still shows up on brunch and dessert menus from Argentina to Louisiana. (We once h ... More >>

Readers have scorn for Carnahan and Clay — but thrill to the Children of Sunshine

Children of Sunshine's Dandelions: Listen to a track from the surprising cult hit

​In this week's feature, Mike Appelstein tracks down the origins of a novelty recording from 1970 by a couple of Webster Grove fifth graders. Thérèse Williams and Kitsy Christner recorded as Children of Sunshine, putting out an album of amateur pop never meant to be heard by anyone besides ... More >>

Readers marvel at Madeline Green but have some harsh words for her papa

Interview Outtakes: Dum Dum Girls' Dee Dee on Writing Music Despite Tragedy and What Other Bands Influence Her

Tyson Wirtzfield​California retro-pop perfectionists Dum Dum Girls are at the Billiken Club tonight, with Minks and Dirty Beaches. In last week's paper, Mike Appelstein chatted with Dum Dum Girls' Dee Dee; below are some outtakes in which she describes writing music despite her mother's illnes ... More >>

Interview: Godfathers Vocalist Peter Coyne on Acting, Journalism and New Songs

After visa issues forced the Godfathers to postpone a few shows on its current U.S. tour, the show is happening tonight at Off Broadway. Here are outtakes from our recent interview with vocalist Peter Coyne.​Mike Appelstein: You know, I saw you play at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New ... More >>

The Riverfront Times' 31 Best Concerts of 2010: #20-11

Jason Stoff​(This is part two of our 31 Best Concerts of 2010 countdown. If you missed part one, #31-21, you can view that here.) 20. Todd Rundgren, Roberts Orpheum Theater, September 10, 2010 "Finally the curtain came down, but the last song wasn't over -- the band kept playing, and when the ... More >>

Tullycraft and Bunnygrunt = BFFs Forever

courtesy of Mike AppelsteinA single released on the Texas label Kittyboo Records, circa 1997​No one's really sure anymore when the word "twee" entered the musical vernacular, although it was probably right around the time that NME's fabled C86 compilation came out in the UK. What's certain, ho ... More >>

Interview Outtakes Free Music: Early St. Louis Punk Band The Welders Talks Reuniting, Raymilland and R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe

The Welders, back in the day​In the current issue of the dead-tree RFT, writer Mike Appelstein constructed an oral history of early St. Louis punk band the Welders. The quartet briefly got back together in December to play the reunion show of post-punks Raymilland (who we featured back in Dece ... More >>

Buy: Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy, featuring The National, Thom Yorke, Ben Kweller, Michael Stipe, Dinosaur Jr, more!

myspace.com/markmulcahy​Mark Mulcahy isn't a household name, but he should be. In the '80s, the singer-songwriter fronted Miracle Legion, a Connecticut jangle-pop act that managed to transcend early comparisons to R.E.M. and evolve into a pretty solid original rock band. In the '90s, Miracle Legio ... More >>

Tonight! Titus Andronicus and the So So Glos at the Firebird

Local favorites Titus Andronicus -- seriously, this is the third time the band's been in town already this year! -- are at the Firebird tonight. Although the group's records are rather o-fi indie-pop, Keegan Hamilton's recap of last year's Pitchfork festival set and Mike Appelstein's review of TA's ... More >>

SXSWow: In the weeks leading up to and after SXSW, St. Louis draws some of music's biggest talents to town. This year is no exception.

Today and Tonight! Los Campesinos! at Vintage Vinyl and the Gargoyle

In this week's paper, Mike Appelstein interviewed Tom of the Welsh septet Los Campesinos! This was my favorite bit: Who's "the other Kurt"? Tom: That's a really good story actually. While we were recording that song with John Goodmanson, we were talking with him. I think he was the first pers ... More >>

Ear Burns: Our critics spew some haterade about 2008's bummer songs, albums and events

Oxford Collapse Talks Spiral Jetty, Regional LPs/Cuisine Bonus MP3s

Oxford Collapse joins Love as Laughter at the Bluebird, on tour in support of its Sub Pop LP, Bits

MP3 Weekender: Pokey LaFarge, Tiffany, Apples in Stereo

The 75s: Outtakes from This Week's Feature

Kristin Hersh Personalizes Her Back Catalog -- For You!

The 75s make an extra-fancy splash with its debut record

Daily Web Crawl

Daily Web Crawl

A new book explores the history of the influential U.K. label Rough Trade — but does it get history right?

Plus, a sidebar detailing some of the label's essential releases.

Blog-alicious

Think the coasts have a lock on good MP3 blogs? Think again.

Stars and Bars

Slumber Party's Aliccia B.B. goes it alone, while B-Sides gives good Download and makes a mix of anti-patriotic songs

Take Me Out

We trace Franz Ferdinand's family tree, talk with Idlewild and dig the truth behind Brian Jonestown Massacre's St. Louis cancellation

Riverfront Times Music Awards '04