Pokey LaFarge

Homespun: Pain & Time
www.ryanspearman.net

Ryan Spearman's Pain & Time: Read Our Homespun Review

Ryan Spearman is too nice of a guy to talk dirty. His good-natured drawl and perennially laid-back air make even the obvious double-entendres of Mississippi John Hurt's "Candy Man Blues" sound almost innocent. But as the title suggests, Pain & Time is not lightweight on the lyrical themes (especiall ... More >>

Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three to Play New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

Where in the world isn't Pokey LaFarge these days? In the past year, he's made all sorts of waves -- on the radio, over the ocean and even on TV, culminating a wide range of adoring fans. Between appearing on Jools Holland's NYE Hootenanny, backing up Jack White and performing on HBO's Boardwalk Emp ... More >>

2012: The Year in St. Louis Music

The Ten Best Shows In St. Louis This Weekend: September 28 to 30

So did everyone check out this week's Best Of issue? What did you think of our music picks? RFT Music co-conspirator Ryan Wasoba was mourning the fact that there has been woefully little nay-saying of our selections in his column this week, and I got to say that I'm with him. Where's the righteous i ... More >>

Hear the Song Pokey LaFarge had on Last Night's Boardwalk Empire [Update]

Update: Pokey LaFarge reached out to us this morning to shed some light on the actual source of his inspiration for the recording of "Lovesick Blues" you heard last night on HBO: It was Emmett Miller, who committed the song to tape in 1925. "Just trying to give a nod to a cat who never got his due," ... More >>

Twangfest 16 Starts Tonight

Tonight, the KDHX (88.1 FM) affiliated Twangfest Festival kicks off tonight with a sold-out show at the Schlafly Tap Room featuring Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three, Humming House and Prairie Rehab. The festivities continue through Sunday and the lineup is impressive throughout; you can see th ... More >>

Jack White Featuring Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three: Listen Now

Jack White's solo record, Blunderbuss, comes out next week, but it's streaming on iTunes right now. It's his first as a "solo" artist, though he is backed by a litany of past collaborators and friends, including St. Louis' own Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three, who act as White's backing band on ... More >>

Twangfest 2012 Lineup: John Doe, Ha Ha Tonka, Langhorne Slim, Pokey Lafarge & the South City Three and More

The Twangfest lineup has arrived, and it looks like a good 'un: Headliners include John Doe, Ha Ha Tonka, Langhorne Slim, Pokey Lafarge & the South City Three and Kelly Hogan. The annual festival, presented in partnership with KDHX (88.1 FM) enters its 16th year on June 6 at the Schlafly Tap Room wi ... More >>

40 Best St. Louis Releases of 2011: Part Eight

​Part One: The Union Electric, Sweet Tooth, King Kong Magnetics, Warm Jets USA Part Two: Glass Teeth, Ryan Spearman, the Breaks and Adult Fur Part Three: Rum Drum Ramblers, Humanoids, Old Lights and Volcanoes Part Four: Bo & the Locomotive, Rockwell Knuckles, Dubb Nubb and Palace Part Five: S ... More >>

Watch Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three on Jools Holland's NYE Hootenanny

Just in case you weren't watching the BBC on Saturday in the middle of the afternoon, here's hometown heroes Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three on Jools Holland's annual Hootenanny. You can see clips of the quartet playing "Drinkin' Whiskey Tonight" and the always fantastic "La La Blues," below. ... More >>

40 Best St. Louis Releases of 2011: Part Three

​As you may have noticed, we were excited to be St. Louis music fans this year. And there is no more substantial document of the sound of this city in 2011 than the music released by its bands and artists. It is not an exaggeration to guess that the releases in the metro area number in the th ... More >>

Live Holiday Music on the Metrolink this Weekend

Courtesy of MTAPokey LaFarge & the South City Three during last year's Rhythm & Rails performance.​The second Rhythm & Rails series brings Funky Butt Brass Band and the Folk School of St. Louis Syncopators aboard MetroLink cars this weekend. Last year, Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three and ... More >>

Musicians, venue owners and organizers found new ways to make people care this year

The Wilders

7 and 10 p.m. Thursday, December 15. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue.

Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three to be Featured on Jools Holland's NYE Show

Courtesy of the artist​Maybe you have heard of this band Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three? The St. Louis outfit keeps making progressively larger waves, and on New Years eve the four will appear on the BBC for Jools Holland's Hootenanny. Among those joining them will be: Cyndi Lauper, Jam ... More >>

Pokey LaFarge and Ryan Spearman Record at KDHX in Preview of Tonight's Show: Listen

Tonight, Folk School of St. Louis will celebrate its ten year anniversary with a show at the Sheldon Concert Hall (3648 Washington Boulevard, 314-533-9900). The school is the subject of this week's music feature by Chris Bay; read it for an idea of what the organization is about and the struggles it ... More >>

Pokey LaFarge & The South City Three And The Wilders Are Coming To Off Broadway

​Off Broadway has just lassoed a very Missouri show for December 15: Kansas City's the Wilders, last seen taking the Oktoberfest crowd by surprise on a bill with the Monads and Rum Drum Ramblers, and Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three, which maybe you've heard of. As with the last Pokey sto ... More >>

Pokey LaFarge And The South City Three's Middle Of Everywhere Comes Out Tomorrow

Courtesy of Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three​Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three will officially release full-length Middle Of Everywhere tomorrow in a pair of shows at Off Broadway. The album's already had plenty of play, from a spot on NPR's First Listen to reviews in places like B ... More >>

Hear The New Pokey LaFarge & The South City Three Album On NPR's First Listen

Jo Mccaughey ​In case this was still unclear: The world, and NPR in particular, has officially embraced Pokey LaFarge. Just a couple months after posting a Tiny Desk Concert featuring LaFarge & the South City Three, everyone's favorite dulcet-toned public news outlet has posted the band's upco ... More >>

Here Are Your 2011 RFT Music Awards Nominees

Wikimedia Commons​Without fanfare, here are the 2011 RFT Music Awards nominees. Bands performing at this year's RFT Music Showcase, which takes place on Saturday, June 4, on Washington Avenue, will be taken from this list. Like they are every year, the nominations are cobbled together from fan ... More >>

Fifteen Bands Keeping the Spirit of American Music Alive, As Chosen by Pokey LaFarge

Jo MccaugheyPokey LaFarge​(Editor's note: This weekend, Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three is celebrating the release of a seven-inch, "Pack It Up" b/w "Chittlin' Cookin' Time in Cheatham County." The record is being released by Third Man Records, the label founded by Jack White. In fact, ... More >>

Ten must-know musicians and scenes of the '20s and '30s

Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three to Play the Newport Folk Festival in 2011

For the second year in a row, Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three will be playing the prestigious Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island. Pokey and co. will be performing on Saturday, July 30, the same day that the Decemberists headline. (Other acts performing that day include Gillian Welch, Gogol ... More >>

Rum Drum Ramblers

Mean Scene
Lightnin' Thunders

Interview: Pokey LaFarge on Working with Jack White and Releasing a Seven-Inch via Third Man Records

Todd OwyoungJack White playing with the Raconteurs at the Pageant in 2008​On Friday, Pokey LaFarge revealed that he and the South City Three have a new seven-inch forthcoming that was produced by Jack White - yes, that Jack White, of the White Stripes, Raconteurs and Third Man Records. Over th ... More >>

The Ten Best Things To Do This Weekend in St. Louis: February 18 to 20

​Leaving the house = still awesome. Some recommended critic's picks are right over here. Other beaucoup weekend events (such as Motörhead) are previewed elsewhere. And below, ten more good bets for the weekend. All Weekend: Crankfest @ Cranky Yellow Info about this all-ages art and music ce ... More >>

The ten best local albums of 2010, as chosen by the RFT

The Riverfront Times' Ten Best Local Albums of 2010

​In an age where bands can succeed or fail on the basis of one MP3, it's refreshing that full-length albums are alive and well in St. Louis. Each year, the Riverfront Times receives dozens of CD, MP3 and, occasionally, vinyl submissions for our local-review column, Homespun, and we do our best ... More >>

Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three

Five New Local Songs to Hear: Pokey LaFarge, Tef Poe, Illphonics, Dots Not Feathers, Jon Hardy & the Public

In recent weeks, a bunch of local musicians unleashed new tunes on the masses. Here's a brief round-up. Know of anything else? Leave a comment. Tef Poe​ Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three, "Brick Thieves" Occasional RFT contributor Bill Streeter is making a documentary about the city's uniqu ... More >>

Review: The Felice Brothers and Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three Break Through the Blues at the Old Rock House, Monday, September 20

Roy Kasten​The Felice Brothers are a sound man's worst nightmare, and they don't even perform with banjos. At the Old Rock House on Monday night, the upstate New Yorkers pushed the limits of cacophony through the 50-foot-high ceiling and somehow still made music - raging, touching, bouncing, b ... More >>

Pokey LaFarge Tour Diary, Part One: Conquering the U.K., One Town at a Time

(Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three are currently touring the U.K. He passed along some thoughts, which you can read below. Part two coming later.) Bill Streeter​Thursday 8/5, Big Chill Festival Our first performance of the tour. Big crowd with lots of young people dancing, which was surpr ... More >>

Hear Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three's Newport Folk Festival Set

Courtesy of NPR, you can listen to Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three's Newport Folk Festival set from last weekend. Back in April, it was announced that the band would be performing at the world-famous festival, which also featured Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Levon Helm, John Prine, Avett B ... More >>

The 2010 RFT Music Award winners

Your 2010 RFT Music Award Winners!

Last night at the Schlafly Tap Room, we announced the 2010 RFT Music Award winners. Here are the results. We'll be adding photos from the night once they arrive! Best Americana/Folk Band (Indie-Leaning) The Monads Best Americana/Folk Band (Untraditional) Brothers Lazaroff

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

Theodore Makes an Appearance on Daytrotter, Performs Unreleased Tracks

Jennifer Silverberg​Congrats to Theodore, which appeared on the Rock Island, Illinois-based live-music site Daytrotter over the weekend. joining Gentleman Auction House, So Many Dynamos and Pokey LaFarge as locals who have been featured on the website. The band covered "Engine Number Nine," tw ... More >>

The 2010 RFT Music Awards Nominees: The List

The 2010 RFT Music showcase takes place on Saturday, June 5, 2010, on Washington Avenue in downtown St. Louis. On and before that day, fans can vote for their favorite local musicians in the following categories. For more information on where and how to vote - and for up-to-the-minute details about ... More >>

Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three to Play the Newport Folk Festival

Big congratulations to Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three, who just announced that they're performing at the Newport Folk Festival on Sunday, August 1. To say the fest is prestigious is an understatement: Started in 1959, the event helped thrust Joan Baez and Bob Dylan into the national eye -- a ... More >>

Video Review: Deer Tick, Titus Andronicus, Pokey LaFarge and Theodore Play a "Secret" Show Last Night The Wedge

Last time Deer Tick was in St. Louis, frontman John McCauley dressed up in drag and played an impromptu show at Off Broadway, filling in for a missing King Khan & BBQ Show after they were arrested in Kentucky for possession of magic mushrooms.This time around the circumstances weren't quite so i ... More >>

New Video: Pokey LaFarge, "La La Blues"

In this week's paper, Roy Kasten caught up with Pokey LaFarge, who has been busy traipsing around the globe in the past few months. LaFarge was in Florida when Kasten chatted with him, and had just returned from the U.K. However, he'll be at Off Broadway on Friday night with the Hot Seats. Tickets a ... More >>

Download: So Many Dynamos' Daytrotter Session

It's good to see so many St. Louis bands recording sessions for Daytrotter, the Rock Island, Illinois, website/company/music mecca that's become a must-visit destination. Joining Gentleman Auction House and Pokey LaFarge in the website's spotlight is So Many Dynamos, whose session went live this pas ... More >>

Pokey LaFarge on Daytrotter Today

Head on over to Daytrotter today, where the featured spotlight artist is Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three. LaFarge dropped by the Rock Island studios and performed *four* unreleased songs. Congrats! His latest album, Riverboat Soul, is also available -- but for now, only if you buy one at a ... More >>

FoodWire: Blues City Deli Streetfest Saturday, 10.17

The totally awesome Blues City Deli (2438 McNair Avenue; website) is celebrating its fifth anniversary with a free street party. Streetfest runs from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. tomorrow, October 17. The event features live music from the Rum Drum Ramblers and Pokey LaFarge,Miss Jubilee and theHumdingers, Ellio ... More >>

2009 RFT Music Awards Nominees: The List With Music!

A bit late, but below the jump you'll find links to as many blogposts we've run with MP3s -- and the occasional MySpace page and embedded tune -- of each nominated band. Whew. Chime in with any URLs that have tunes in the comments, of course. I think I have everyone. The music showcase blurbs/infor ... More >>

Dark Dark Dark/Mayday Orchestra/Pokey LaFarge

10 p.m. Monday, January 5. CBGB, 3163 South Grand Boulevard.

B-Sides catches up with high-flying ex-Flat Duo Jet Dexter Romweber, and busts a move with throwback bluesman Pokey LaFarge

MP3 Video: Pokey LaFarge, 'Mr. Nobody'

Pokey LaFarge

9 p.m. Friday, December 7. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue.