Roy Kasten

'Come Dancing' with Local Bands at Kinks Tribute Show, KDHX Benefit

That's where the big bands Used to come and play My sister went there On a Saturday -- "Come Dancing" Ten local bands hope you'll believe in the power of Ray Davies and "come dancing" during a benefit concert for KDHX 88.1 FM tomorrow, March 30. Ev'rybody's Gonna Be Happy: A Tribute to the Kinks ... More >>

Open Highway Music Festival at Off Broadway, 8/11/12: Review, Photos and Setlists

A block away from Off Broadway at sundown, you could see the glint of light on pearl snaps and smell the macaroni and cheese, bacon and apple butter melting on Texas toast. It was the final night of the first Open Highway Music Festival and the Cheese Shack food truck was cooking. Looking for jam ba ... More >>

Blues: 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 >>

Country: 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 >>

Out Every Night: The Best Shows From April 30 to May 6

This week is another of those extra-packed ones, so this list is a bit longer than usual -- hooray for St. Louis music! If anything remains of your vehicles after Saturday's ridiculous hailstorm (mine only lost a window or two, no biggie) make sure hit the town or else you'll be missing some excelle ... More >>

Talking St. Louis, Baseball, Country Blues and Crooning With Bhi Bhiman

Bhi Bhiman is an unlikely young hero for whatever remains of the folk-side of the singer-songwriter scene. The 29-year-old, second-generation Sri Lankan American grew up in Ballwin, Missouri. His new record, Bhiman,, is an album that twists and turns and sometimes sails through Americana conceits, i ... More >>

The End of SXSW 2012: Too Much Portland to Count and a Little St. Louis

Friday, March 16, 2012 2:15 p.m. By mid-afternoon the South Congress strip had become a not-quite-debauched Mardi Gras parade of young and old, hip and unhip, crunchy and coiffed, and dogs, lots of dogs, all taking in the food trucks, boutiques, vintage apparel encampments and day parties, lots of ... More >>

Blind Pilot's Israel Nebeker on Songwriting and "White Apple"

In this week's RFT, Senior Music Writer Roy Kasten chronicles the story behind Blind Pilot, a rising Portland folk-pop band touring behind its sophomore album We Are the Tide (produced by Tucker Martine, best known for his work with the Decemberists and Laura Veirs). The band performs at Plush (3224 ... More >>

Sitar Hero: Imrat Khan Cultivates Family Dynasty

imratkhan.comUstad Imrat Khan - a world-renowned sitar and surbahar player - has had a presence in St. Louis in recent times.​For most adherents of old time rock n' roll, the sitar is perhaps best known for its dynamic contribution to classic Rolling Stones and Beatles tunes. But long before ... More >>

Win Tickets To Orgone: Tonight At Old Rock House!

​There is no shortage of concert-going options on this Halloween evening -- among them is funk revivalist Orgone at Old Rock House. Previewing the show in this week's print edition, Roy Kasten says, "Seven-or-more-piece LA band Orgone lays the percussion on rich as molé poblano and twice as t ... More >>

Vetiver and Fruit Bats At Off Broadway, 9/19/11: Review and Setlists

Roy KastenVetiver at Off Broadway​Fruit Bats | Vetiver Off Broadway September 19, 2011 Most shows don't change your life; most don't even even rack up a couple of Instagrams on Twitter. Most are bands doing what they're paid to do and giving people what they paid to hear. The exchange can sti ... More >>

O'Death Ticket Giveaway!

​New York freak folk vagabonds O'Death will play tonight at Off Broadway, and we'd like to send you for free! Head over to our Facebook page to enter -- obviously the clock is very much ticking. We'll pick a winner at 4 p.m. O'Death has been making its wildly energetic hodgepodge of folk, pu ... More >>

The Appleseed Cast Is Coming To The Firebird

​The Firebird just snagged Lawrence's the Appleseed Cast for a show on August 30th. Hospital Ships will open. Tickets are $10 and will go on sale soon. The band, which has adapted its emo roots into a versatile post-rock sound with recent releases, released its Middle States EP earlier this ye ... More >>

Sunshine politics: An interview with folk icon Jonathan Edwards

Photo Credit: Stephen Ide​Folk troubadour Jonathan Edwards is a master of the less-is-more approach - so much so that his best known song, "Sunshine," still sneaks up on listeners as a catchy, acoustic pop ditty, and then, on repeated hearings, becomes a bold indictment of authority and war. T ... More >>

Holly Golightly and Lawyer Dave on their sparse and not-so-southern sound

hollygolightly.com​In this week's RFT, we interviewed singer, songwriter and one-woman, country-blues-punk wrecking crew Holly Golightly. But, in truth, she's not a solo artist, as her most recent album No Help Coming and her live performances feature the Brokeoffs, aka Lawyer Dave, a one-man ... More >>

This Week in Riverfront Times

​Our new issue is making its way to newsstands and has already found its way onto the Internets. So, what to look for in this week's issue? New staff writer John Tucker has his first cover story under his belt with "Daddy's Little Girl," the story of 12-year-old Madeline Green, a south-city tween ... More >>

The Super Fun Happy Hour Has Last KDHX Show Tonight

At 11 p.m. tonight, Monday, February 28, the Super Fun Happy Hour will be airing its last edition on KDHX. Described by Roy Kasten on the KDHX blog as "a blend of pure punk rock and innovative comic montages, mixed by friendly, knowledgeable and enthusiastic hosts," the show has been on the air sinc ... More >>

Review: Fitz and the Tantrums at Blueberry Hill's Duck Room, Saturday, February 12

Roy KastenFitz and the Tantrums at the Duck Room​Saturday afternoon and evening in the Delmar Loop, the icepocalypse was finally subsiding after weeks of sadistic winter. Gutters and parking lanes yet proved treacherous, but the scene at the sold-out basement bar, Blueberry Hill's Duck Room, d ... More >>

Kinky Friedman to Perform at Off Broadway

​Fired up KDHX's blog today to find this interesting scoop: Richard S. "Kinky" Friedman will be performing at Off Broadway on April 29. From the post, written by the RFT's Roy Kasten: The former candidate for governor of Texas, detective novelist, entrepreneur, satirist and inimitable songwri ... More >>

Show Review: Loudon Wainwright III Brings Mirth Without Mercy at the Old Rock House, Monday, November 22

Roy Kasten​ A Loudon Wainwright III gig is a performance but not a show. He stands on the stage alone, with a big Martin D-28 acoustic guitar, a small table with scattered cheat sheets and a bottle of water. He barely even dresses the folksinger part. With rumpled Dockers slacks, a button-down ... More >>

Bottle Rockets Backing Up, Opening for Power-Pop Legend Marshall Crenshaw

Oh, those sneaky Bottle Rockets. You never know where the band will turn up next! Just yesterday on Facebook, the band made the following announcement:​No word yet on if this trek will be hitting St. Louis; the only date to surface so far is in Chicago on January 20. (Crenshaw has a few more d ... More >>

Interview: The Walkmen's Peter Bauer on Recording, Songwriting and the Mystery of Lisbon

Billy PavoneThe Walkmen​For the Walkmen's sixth album, Lisbon, the band started out in the same New York studio where it had recorded the 2008 release You & Me. Then, however, the band left New York to take a chance on a studio in Dallas, which organ player Peter Bauer describes as a "small c ... More >>

Video: Deer Tick Pays Tribute to Fattback's Dave Hagerty, Covers Hanson at Off Broadway, Thursday, August 5

By all accounts, emotion ran high at Off Broadway last night during Deer Tick and Dead Confederate's sold out show. Travis from 5 Score Pachyderm passed along video he took of Deer Tick front man John McCauley opening the show with a solo version of "Sleep Walk," dedicated to Dave Hagerty: Roy Ka ... More >>

Video: Deer Tick Pays Tribute to Dave Hagerty, Covers Hanson at Off Broadway, Thursday, August 5

By all accounts, emotion ran high at Off Broadway last night during Deer Tick and Dead Confederate's sold out show. Travis from 5 Score Pachyderm passed along video he took of Deer Tick front man John McCauley opening the show with a solo version of "Sleep Walk," dedicated to Dave Hagerty: Roy K ... More >>

Win Tickets to See Nathaniel Rateliff and JBM, Playing Tonight at Off Broadway!

Nathaniel Rateliff hails from Bay, Missouri. As Roy Kasten said in this week's preview, "The sound of small-town quietude and sly complexities percolating below a placid surface still defines the Denver songwriter's mostly spare, acoustic concept. With his ripe and worn baritone, pick-and-scratch gu ... More >>

10 Things to Do for $10 This Weekend in St. Louis, July 2-4, 2010

​It's America's birthday on Sunday, and you know St. Louisans are going to celebrate hard. But if you're not sure what to do this weekend, just walk under the Arch on Saturday morning and stay there. You'll catch Fair St. Louis and performances by John Legend and the B-52s. Across town, there are ... More >>

The 2010 RFT Music Award winners

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 >>

Last Night: The Wooden Sky at Off Broadway

Roy Kasten checked out the Wooden Sky last night at Off Broadway, wrote some quick thoughts about its alleged "repressed klezmer-metal tendencies" and shot this video. Makes me think I should have gone. (Apparently, so should have other people: Twenty people were there.)

Interview Outtakes: Tom Russell, Playing at Off Broadway on Friday, Turner Hall on Saturday

This week in the RFT, freelance writer Roy Kasten interviewed Tom Russell about his creative process, especially for the new album Blood and Candle Smoke, which prominently features the sounds of Calexico, and some of his strongest compositions after over 30 years of songwriting. He'll be in the St. ... More >>

Stream Twangfest Performances from Andre Williams, Amy Lavere, Theodore, Brothers Lazaroff, Jason Isbell, more!

Want to hear live audio performances from Twangfest? Go here, sez twang guru Roy Kasten. There you'll find nifty cassette tape widgets and streaming live sets from Amy Lavere (who's back in town at Off Broadway in August), DADDY, Big Sandy, Jon Hardy & the Public, Andre Williams, Jason Isbell an ... More >>

Over the Weekend: Bob Dylan on the East Side, DJ Richie Hawton at Koken Art Factory, Counting Crows Under the Arch

The long weekend behind us, here's what you might have missed.Bob Dylan at GCS BallparkPhoto: Roy KastenBob Dylan and Donnie Herron at the end of the nightOn Thursday night, Bob Dylan, John Mellencamp and Willie Nelson performed at GCS Ballpark (home to the Gateway Grizzlies minor league team) in Sa ... More >>

Saturday! Gringo Star at the Firebird

St. Louis faves Gringo Star are sneaking back into town for an Independence Day gig at the Firebird with Kid Scientist and Pet Rock: The Musical. Roy Kasten wasn't entirely impressed with the band at SXSW, but Jaime Lees has given them plenty of love in the past. Decide for yourself this weekend -- ... More >>

Story Outtakes: Brothers Lazaroff

Brothers Lazaroff will be holding a CD release party for American Artifact, the band's second album, at Off Broadway on Saturday. Guests include the Educated Guess and the Auset Music Project. Roy Kasten profiled the band in this week's RFT, focusing on brothers Jeff and Dave. But their band (Mo Ege ... More >>

Reminder: Music Awards Party TOMORROW Night at the Schlafly Tap Room

Just a reminder that the RFT is having its free, open-to-the-public awards party tomorrow night at the Schlafly Tap Room from 7 to 10 p.m. Performers will be Earthworms and Rum Drum Ramblers; presenters of awards will be Roy Kasten, Christian Schaeffer and yours truly. Swing by and have a drink (or ... More >>

Living Things

4 p.m. Monday, May 11. Vintage Vinyl, 6610 Delmar Boulevard, University City. Also at 9 p.m. Monday, May 11. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue.

Gone to Texas for SXSW -- But Not for Long

A to Z is hightailing it down to Texas for some delicious Mexican food, free beer and more music than you can even imagine. I'll be gone until Sunday, but I will be Twittering the festivities at www.twitter.com/rftmusic. Feel free to add us and follow along! Roy Kasten will be providing some posts h ... More >>

Over the Weekend: Dave Holland at the Sheldon, Lambchop at Off Broadway, DJ Klever at Lush

Good morning St. Louis. Well, the worst is still to come, so if you're huddled at home, get up and get to work before the snow really comes down. Here are highlights from a few concerts and events from the past weekend.DJ Klever at LushSarah ParadoskiOn Saturday night, Atlanta's DJ Klever played rec ... More >>

The Linemen Release New CD, Reconsider on February 21

Roy Kasten has details about the Linemen's new CD over on the KDHX blog. His recent post says:Working mostly in Scott Swartz's basement studio, the band is set to release its second album, Reconsider, on February 21, with a party that evening at Off Broadway. The album features 10 originals and one ... More >>

No Depression.com Launched Yesterday; October 19 Lucinda Williams Pageant Show Part of Launch Parties

Over the Weekend: Iron and Wine, London Calling, Willie Nelson, That 80s Club, Australian Graffiti

The Raveonettes, Land of Talk, Jens Lekman at SXSW

More Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings Photos

This Week's Issue

Rock the Vote

The 2007 RFT Music Awards winners are here!

2006 RFT Music Awards

Dean C. Minderman|Kristyn Pomranz|Andrew Miller|Kristie McClanahan|Christian Schaeffer|Andrew Miller|Ben Westhoff|Annie Zaleski|Brooke Foster|Jaime Lees|Roy Kasten

2003 Music Awards

The readers spoke, and the RFT music staff listened. Find out who's large and in charge on the St. Louis music scene.

Michael Friedman with Nadine, Bob Reuter and Chris Grabau

Friday, April 5; Frederick's Music Lounge

Letters to the Editor

Published the week of August 2-8, 2000