The Beatles

The Six Best Sloppy Drummers

Of all rock and roll instruments, drums require the most physical ability and coordination. Sometimes musicians get so preoccupied with the technical aspect, they forgot that drums are also these loud things that sound cool when you hit them. Here are the six best sloppy drummers. Let us know your f ... More >>

The Six Best "Hey!"s in Rock and Roll

No musician puts a "Hey!" in a song for his/herself. "Hey!" is a social cue, an opportunity for engagement between a musician and the audience. It means nothing, but it means the same nothing to all of us and therefore means something, maybe even everything. Woah. Here are the six best "Hey!"s in ro ... More >>

Paul McCartney at the Scottrade Center, 11/11/12: Review, Photos and Setlist

70-year-old Paul McCartney tripped and fell face-first from his piano riser onto the stage at the Scottrade Center. It was halfway through the 35th song of a three hour set. He sprang back up, struck a pose like a cartoon thief caught in a spotlight, strapped on his guitar and started trading solos ... More >>

The Six Best YEAHs in Rock & Roll

A well placed, well delivered "yeah" can mean so much more than just a lazy "yes." Here are the six best YEAAAHs in rock and roll. Let us know your favorites in our comments, yeah? See also: -Six Most Overused Rhymes -The Six Best Effect-Enhanced Guitar Solos -Nitpick Six Archives

Obscurity Sucks

There is no conversation about music that is less interesting than one party talking about a band/album/song/genre that the other has never heard of or heard. Obscurity is a necessary evil when dealing with music, particularly for those constantly seeking a new aural thrill. But taking pride in obsc ... More >>

Out Every Night: The Best Shows From June 25 to July 1

Little-known fact: According to our style guide (the big book of grammatical do's and don'ts that provide the RFT with its immutable styyyyyyle), all band names are to be treated as singular, not plural nouns. For example, when referencing a band such as "The Beatles," we'd write "The Beatles is com ... 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 >>

Twelve-Year Old Youtube Commenters: Your Favorite Music Decade Sucked, Too

Yes, we had some of these in the 1990s. Some of them couldn't even hold a guitar.​I am 24 years old. When I was twelve years old, and Napster was a real thing and not a horrifying tale RIAA parents told their RIAA children to get them to clean their plate, I was briefly under the delusion that ... More >>

The Ten Best Things to Do in St. Louis This Weekend: August 19-21

Todd OwyoungThe last time they were here, Blink 182 gave us sex, immature jokes and rock 'n' roll. We're hoping for more of the last one this time. ​This weekend is one for nostalgia. There's the PG-13 excess of the Nickelodeon '90s that comes with a concert fronted by Blink 182 (and shared wi ... More >>

The Ten Most Facepalm-Inducing Uses of French in Pop Music: In Honor of Bastille Day

​Bastille Day is upon us, when all the world celebrates Louis XIV crossing the Delaware or something. We're not clear on the details, and on that front we join countless English-speaking pop and rock stars who took similarly haphazard forays into the Language of Love. In honor of the Frog's b ... More >>

Six Cartoon Cooking Lessons That Are Better Than Martha Stewart's

Because Martha Stewart doesn't have enough shows, she's producing an online cartoon featuring a ten-year-old Martha Stewart. The 26 episodes will be available on AOLKids. Of course, young Martha and her friends cook. Probably better than you. If young Martha and her childhood friends were so un ... More >>

Strings Attached

Ten Things to Do This Weekend: October 8-10

While our music page has plenty of things to do this weekend, a quick note: The fun./Steel Train/Jarrod Gorbel show at the Firebird is sold out. Hope you bought tickets! Now on to some other options: All weekend: *Soulard Oktoberfest Drink. Listen to Brave Combo, Copper Box and Soulard Blues Band. ... More >>

Guster/Everest

8 p.m. Saturday, October 9. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Boulevard.

Review Photos Setlist: Paul McCartney Defies Age at the Sprint Center, Kansas City, Saturday, July 24

Annie Zaleski​Among other things, the members of the Beatles have taught us that we should never take them for granted. While their (relatively) brief time as being part of the world's biggest band cemented them as musical untouchables, as human beings John, Paul, George and Ringo are (or were ... More >>

Last Collector Standing: Freezerburn's Ben Stegman on Album Reviews, New Bands and How Consuming Music Has Changed

(The number of chain-record stores nationwide has dwindled. However, St. Louis has become an unlikely safe haven for indie record shops -- and for DJs who prefer to spin the black circle instead of scrolling their iPods. In this new weekly column, we'll focus on personal portraits of St. Louis' reco ... More >>

Breaking: Deluxe Fine Food & Spirits Is Closing

​Acting on a tip from Beatle Bob (hey, credit where credit's due), I just popped into the venue/restaurant and confirmed that Deluxe Fine Food & Spirits (2733 Sutton Boulevard) is closing. The bartender I talked to said that they'll be open on Tuesday and then next Saturday, January 22, for th ... More >>

Top Sellers At Area Record Stores for 2009

Who says the record store is dead? Not us here in St. Louis, where both Vintage Vinyl and Euclid Records sold a lot of tunes. Below, please find the top selling albums from both stores, including a separate top vinyl list from VV. Enjoy! Vintage Vinyl: Top CDs ​1. Murphy Lee - You See Me 2. ... More >>

Sinking Ship: Pirate Radio gets a tame U.S. release, but we still love rock 'n' roll

Photos: Beatles Day at Vintage Vinyl, September 9, 2009

​ Paul Friswold summed up Beatles Day at Vintage Vinyl better than I ever could, but I swung by the store in the afternoon a little after 2 p.m. to take some photos of the festivities anyway. What I found was that virtually all of the albums post-Help! -- save for 1969's Yellow Submarine -- we ... More >>

Revolution 9.9.9: Will New Media Formats Bring the LP and The Beatles into Digital Age?

Photo by Crabchick via Flickr​Record companies have been dragged kicking and screaming by consumers (and Apple) into the digital age in the last ten years. And predictions are that 2010 will mark a tipping point where music purchased digitally via download will account for more than half of all mu ... More >>

The Takeover UK

9 p.m. Tuesday, April 14. The Firebird, 2706 Olive Street.

St. Louis Stage Capsules

Dennis Brown and Paul Friswold suss out the local theater scene

Don't Hide Your Love Away!

Beatles love is in the air

Wisely

8:30 p.m. Thursday, January 17. Lucas School House, 1220 Allen Avenue.

Tabla for Two, Please

The Download

The Go: Supercuts

Beat Happenings

Music news you can use

Nine Black Alps

Tuesday, April 11, at 9 p.m. Blueberry Hill (6504 Delmar Boulevard, University City)

Ask a Negro Leaguer Column

Week of February 16, 2006

Pink Spiders

Thursday, January 19; Creepy Crawl (412 North Tucker Boulevard)

Super Furry Animals

Love Kraft (XL/Beggars Group)

Letters

Week of September 21, 2005

Sit Down!

A Web site asks Beatle Bob to halt his happy feet

Marjorie Fair

Thursday, August 4; Blueberry Hill's Duck Room (6504 Delmar Boulevard, University City)

Hype Goggles

What will the beloved bands of '05 look like when the buzz wears off?

Letters

Week of December 22, 2004

Letters

Week of November 24, 2004

Letters

Week of November 17, 2004

Letters

Week of September 15, 2004

You Suddenly Learn That Doomsday Is Three Days Away: What Would You Do?

Week of July 14, 2004

Sibling Rivalry

A brother and sister discuss a brother and sister, plus we take a look at Twangfest

Fab Film

Forty years ago, Al Maysles met the Beatles

Best Bluegrass Band

Cumberland Gap

Paperback Writers

The latest music books struggle to demystify pop culture's greatest enigmas

Another Piece of the Rock

Nuggets II strikes gold by mining new territory

Edith Frost

Wonder, Wonder (Drag City)

Hall Pass

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

Beck to the Future