Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum

Godmother of Punk Patti Smith Talks New Album, Book and Burroughs: "I wanted to come to St. Louis because I just wanted to say hello to William."

Patti Smith reads from her poetry and performs a rock set at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (3750 Washington Boulevard; 314-535-4660 ) Sunday at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30. There's no simple way to describe Patti Smith, the profoundly influential, incantatory songstress, poet, artist and writer ... More >>

From Sun Studios to Greg Ginn to Parliament: Meet Jay Brook Lipe

On a particularly frigid January afternoon this year, I stumbled upon an interesting scene in the Delmar Loop (where RFT Music HQ is located, for those unaware). Moving up and down the streets was an enthusiastic man with an acoustic guitar strapped on his back, flanked by another fella, pointing a ... More >>

The Ten Best Shows in St. Louis This Weekend: March 8 to 10

Working for an alt-newsweekly can be pretty damn entertaining. Outside of reporting on the latest in local music, food and news, we get to investigate messed up Craigslist ads gone viral, exchange yo momma style comebacks to St. Louis city haters and even play the occasional pranks on each other (se ... More >>

Son Volt's Jay Farrar on Honky Tonk, Ralph Mooney, Bending the Rules and More

In this week's print edition, Senior Writer Roy Kasten interviews Jay Farrar, longtime leader of Son Volt and first-time author, about the band's new album Honky Tonk (due out March 5) and his new book Falling Cars and Junkyard Dogs (due out March 19). "The impetus to write the book was born out of ... More >>

Gift Guide for Musicians we Love (and Love to Hate)

Last week, I received a surprising call from the North Pole. Apparently Santa Claus has become a fan of my column and wanted some musical selections to play in his sleigh on the big night. "Anything but 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus', I was told. "Mrs. Claus always looks askance at him when they ... More >>

Happy 86th Birthday, Chuck Berry!

A one Chuck Berry was born on this day in 1926. Last night he played a show at the Duck Room, wearing an ensemble remarkably similar to the one he's got on in that photo above, taken at Keiner Plaza a few years back. And somewhere in the middle, between 1926 and 2012, the man invented rock & roll. I ... More >>

Beastie Boys Co-Founder Adam "MCA" Yauch Dead at 47

Founding member and one third of the Beastie Boys, Adam "MCA" Yauch died today after a three year battle with cancer. The hugely influential rapper was diagnosed in 2009 after a tumor was found on his salivary gland. The Beastie Boys have not played together live since the diagnosis, having to cance ... More >>

Five Moments that [Almost] Validated the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

With music being so subjective, it's no surprise that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame emerged over the years as a colossal punching bag. When people disagree over whether Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music is dreck or a stroke of genius, no decision is going to be universally loved. The Cleveland instit ... More >>

Tumbling Down the Rabbit Hole With Mr. Gnome's Nicole Barille

In a literal sense, it's possible to put Mr. Gnome in a container. After all, the Cleveland-based band merely consists of two members. And they don't seem to take up that much physical space. But pushing Nicole Barille and Sam Meister's music into rigid categorization is difficult - and unwarranted ... More >>

Five Surprising Video Game Cameos by Musicians

In this day and age, it's become almost commonplace for artists to plug songs into a video game. Heck, there's an entire freaking genre dedicated to translating music into video game form. While musicians and their labels frantically rush to get a song in the latest FIFA title, there's a small subs ... More >>

The Del Fuegos at Old Rock House, 3/1/12: Review, Photos and Setlist

The Del Fuegos Old Rock House | March 1, 2012 It's tempting to lament the Del Fuegos as one of the Bands That Never Made It. Indeed, after an compelling start, it was this Boston band's fate to become sucked into the 1980s record-biz machinery. Pre-Nevermind, a major label contract was often a kiss ... More >>

Ike Turner, Who Died Four Years Ago This Week, Left A Turbulent Legacy

wikimedia commonsIke Turner's musical gifts were sizable. But his abuse of Tina Turner left a mark on his legacy.​Musicians aren't saints. For every selfless and untainted individual in the music universe, there are at least a thousand others with notable -- and often-massive -- flaws. More o ... More >>

Nicki Minaj Makes Chicken the Next Meat Fashion Statement

Move over, Lady Gaga. Red meat is so 2010. With the beefy meat dress now taxidermidied and encased at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it's time to move on to other meat-based fashion. Nicki Minaj has obliged, sporting a hot-pink fried-chicken-wing necklace at the IHeartRadio Festival on September 24 ... More >>

If Harry Potter Characters Had Bands: Twelve We'd Like To See

​If Draco Malfoy actor Tom Felton's promise (which turned out to be a joke/hoax) to become a white rapper was just one more sad reminder of a series you used to love, we don't blame you -- but we would like to discourage you. Harry Potter, as I'm sure you will remember, is after all a little m ... More >>

Yo La Tengo at The Blue Note, 6/20/11: Review and Setlist

Photo from a previous show by Kiernan Maletsky​Yo La Tengo The Blue Note June 20, 2011 Should the New Jersey Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ever become a brick-and-mortar reality, Yo La Tengo had better have a wing to rival Springsteen's. For more than a quarter of a century now (and close to 20 y ... More >>

The Return of Lady Gaga's Meat Dress

​You thought Gut Check was finished with its exhaustive coverage of the dress made from raw meat worn by intermittently intriguing pop megastar Lady Gaga.Honestly, Gut Check thought Gut Check was finished with its exhaustive coverage of the dress made from raw meat worn by intermittently intriguin ... More >>

Review: Wanda Jackson and Dex Romweber Duo at Blueberry Hill's Duck Room, Sunday, March 27

​"There's no room to dance!" repeated the girl with the double vodka cranberry beside me. No, there wasn't, and getting to the bar wasn't a cake walk either. Blame Jack White or blame one of the great careers in American music, but the Wanda Jackson show at the Duck Room was packed elbow-to-el ... More >>

Alice Cooper Old School 1964-1974 Boxed Set to Feature a St. Louis Concert

alicecooper.com​Alice Cooper's having a pretty good week. On Monday night, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. (He wore a snake for the occasion.) And this morning, he announced the June 2011 release of a monster (pun intended) boxed set, called Old School 1964-1974. Packaged in ... More >>

Son Volt, Uncle Tupelo Part of a new Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Exhibit

Annie ZaleskiJeff Tweedy at the Pageant, 2008​Over the weekend, A to Z was in Cleveland and headed to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. To her delight, there was a new exhibit on display called Kick Out the Jams, which focused exclusively on music from the Midwest. Our fair region was w ... More >>

Ten Musicians Who Don't Act Their Age

Last weekend, Chuck Berry gave fans in Chicago a scare: A New Year's Day concert ended prematurely after the 84-year-old fell ill. This gig aside, however, Berry remains a workhorse: Without fail, he plays monthly at Blueberry Hill's Duck Room, and he told Rolling Stone last year that he's working o ... More >>

Tom Waits a Van Halen Fan? Facebook, I Call Bullsh*t.

Our web editor, William Melton, found the following on Facebook. While Tom Waits is a new Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, I'm pretty sure that the scenario described here isn't exactly based in reality. (Even though yes, VH is in the Hall already as well.) As Will puts it, "I can't picture Wait ... More >>

Horror-rock king Rob Zombie talks his fall tour with Alice Cooper

Big Muddy Blues Festival and Bluesweek to Face Off This Weekend

In the epic battle between Laclede's Landing and, well, the rest of downtown, who will prevail?​We're talking, of course, about the dueling blues festivals going head to head in the two areas: the inaugural St. Louis Bluesweek in the downtown corner, and Big Muddy Blues Festival representing Lacle ... More >>

Interview, Part Two: KSDK's Art Holliday Discusses Fundraising with Conan O'Brien's Band, Other Memorable Interviews -- And When It'll Be Completed

image viaArt Holliday, TV news anchor and director of an in-production film, Johnnie Be Good​Last week, we published an interview with Art Holliday, who's working on a documentary about Chuck Berry pianist Johnnie Johnson, called Johnnie Be Good. Here's part two of our chat, below. Speaking ... More >>

This Weekend: Free Event at BB's Showcases Local Johnnie Johnson Documentary

JohnnieBeGoodTheMovie.comOfficial Film Poster​ BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups will be hosting a free event showcasing the progress of Art Holliday's forthcoming documentary, Johnnie Be Good.

St. Louis Video: The True Believers Covering the Stooges' "I Wanna Be Your Dog"

Earlier this week, the Stooges were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. In honor of that, here's Alejandro Escovedo (playing with his '80s band the True Believers) filmed covering "I Wanna Be Your Dog" at Mississippi Nights. Um, is nobody here for this show? The crowd looks rat ... More >>

Cleveland Rocks! With the Hall of Fame Inductions, Bruce Springsteen Exhibit and Music History

Last weekend when I was visiting my parents, I had the pleasure of taking a music-centric tour of Cleveland and some of its music landmarks. The timing was fortuitous, because the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies are taking place this Saturday, April 4, in the lakefront city. Those ... More >>

Chuck Berry: Too Pooped to Pop?

Entertainment Web site, Cinemablend, recently released its list of the 100 celebrities most likely to die this year. Topping the macabre ranking is 60 Minutes windbag Andy Rooney. (Obviously, Cinemablend doesn't know that Rooney actually died a decade ago. It's true. Since the late ... More >>

O, Brother!: Producer and guitarist T-Bone Burnett joins Robert Plant and Alison Krauss at the duo's Fabulous Fox performance

Iggy and the Stooges cover Madonna: "Ray of Light" and "Burning Up"

Punk is Finally, Truly, Absolutely, Completely Dead

A to Z on Vacation

Walking in Your Footsteps

Local musicians and writers weigh in on the Police's legacy in St. Louis -- then and now.

Salute the Dynasty

Meet the New Doors, Not the Same As the Old Doors

B-Sides peeks in on a rehearsal for Riders on the Storm and finds out that the (English) Beat goes on for vocalist Dave Wakeling.

Stipe Hunting

Fuck McGwire, Sammy Hagar's in the Hall

Bo Diddley

9:30 p.m. Thursday, September 7. Harrah's VooDoo Café and Lounge (777 Casino Center Drive, Maryland Heights).

"Brokedown Palace"

Not just a Claire Danes movie

Lynyrd Skynyrd/Shooter Jennings

Tuesday, June 27. UMB Bank Pavilion (14141 Riverport Drive, Maryland Heights)

Heil Heil Rock & Roll

Bob Heil and his legendary audio inventions head to Cleveland and the Hall of Fame

Fightin' Femmes

We duel with Gretchen Wilson and Kelly Clarkson, get home-cooking tips from the stars and delve into Omarion's psyche

Keep It Real

We pitch a hard-rockin' reality show, talk Jesus with an ex-Card and have a little tiff about Brian Wilson

Riverfront Times Music Awards '04

His Name Is Prince

And he is sexy -- maybe the last sexy musician around

Boardroom Blitz

It's all sex, drugs and systems analysis for corporate rock bands

Hall Pass

Looking for influence, significance, development and perpetuation at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

The Fucking Champs

IV; Drag City Records

Listening Post

King of Rhythm

Despite his personal demons, Ike Turner's contribution to St. Louis music lands him the Slammies' Lifetime Achievement Award