The Great Depression

Out Every Night: The Best Shows in St. Louis from March 25 to 31

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! Go to shows! Go to shows! Go to shows! OK, so one of those makes the other a bit difficult, but we know you have it in you. Grab a shovel, some snow boots, whatever it takes to make way for some great music this week (plus, we hear the forecast is beginning to ... More >>

St. Louis Labor Controversy: Is City Forcing New Employees To Sign Anti-Union Agreement?

Is this the "most draconian anti-employee policy in the history of the City of St. Louis?" So says Lewis Reed's mayoral campaign which is spreading the word about an internal memo that they -- and other union leaders and Reed supporters -- are arguing reveals an incredibly anti-union policy that t ... More >>

Ask a Mexican: How Mexican should I be?

The Great Depression's Knockout Punch

Ask a Mexican: Isn't DACA just a ruse to identify and deport DREAM Act students?

The Role Mexican Food Plays in the Immigration Debate

Shtick or Schlock: James Sherman's farcical tribute to Yiddish theater has everything but the laughs

Legal Moonshine Emerges from Copper Run Distillery in Walnut Shade, Missouri

Last week, Gannett profiled Copper Run Distillery out of Walnut Shade, Missouri, calling it the first legal distillery to crop up in the Ozark Mountains since Prohibition. Copper Run produces un-aged corn whiskey, also known as moonshine from a blend of 80 percent corn and 20 percent wheat. The end ... More >>

Wash. U. Writing Prof Anton DiSclafani Gets Reported $1 Million Advance for First Novel

This is how your life changes, if you happen to be Anton DiSclafani. It's a Wednesday morning in early February. You're still in your pajamas, thinking about how you should be preparing for the workshop in historical fiction you'll be teaching later this afternoon at Washington University. You get ... More >>

Woody Guthrie has plenty to say, 100 years after his birth

The Woody Guthrie Centennial Celebration Kicks Off in Tulsa

On Saturday the world's foremost Woody Guthrie scholars gathered at the University of Tulsa to discuss how Guthrie's Oklahoma roots shaped his music and the Sooner State musicians who've followed in his footsteps. "Different Shades of Red: Woody Guthrie and the Oklahoma Experience at 100" is the fir ... More >>

First Look: Root Features Old-School American Cuisine

Mabel SuenCreamed lobster with brandy and fried bread.​Envision a warm, open hearth with a pot of stew or suckling pig roasting. This was the image that chef Brian Hardesty imagined while dreaming up his concept for Root (1135 South Big Bend Boulevard, Richmond Heights; 314-781-2345), the spac ... More >>

Tea Party Princess: Victoria Jackson went from the big leagues of comedy to the rabid right of modern politics

Thrown Out At Home

Remembering St. Louis' Peetie Wheatstraw: the Devil's Son-in-Law

WikimediaEven though he died at 39, Peetie Wheatstraw had a sizable impact on the blues world.​Those who have been following RFT Music's "This Day in History" feature may have noticed that some posts use a notable St. Louis resident's birthday or death anniversary as a jump off of sorts. The ... More >>

Little House in the Present: America's economic downturns run through Laura Ingalls Wilder's books like a big three-hearted river

Joe Paterno: Old School, For Good and For Ill

Joe Paterno in better times. ​I'm sure everyone out there is at least somewhat aware of the scandal going out right now involving Penn State's football program. A former coach there, a man by the name of Jerry Sandusky, is facing a large number of charges, all relating to accusations he molested a ... More >>

During Historic World Series, Henry Bollinger Shines Many Lights

​Henry Bollinger woke up at 5:30 a.m. last Friday and tried not to disturb his wife and two young boys. He stepped out into the early-morning chill of Oakville, Missouri, and drove north, stopping only for a cup of coffee on his way to Busch Stadium. Once there, he took the elevator two flight ... More >>

The Ten Most Effective American Protest Songs

This one doesn't make the cut, unfortunately.​It's Fourth of July weekend, and in the haze of the heat, barbecue, domestic beer, and red-white-and-blue buntings, it's easy to get caught up in ranting-chanting, "USA! USA! USA!" The founding fathers and a lot of musicians might not agree with ... More >>

St. Louis Stage Capsules

Dennis Brown and Paul Friswold suss out the local theater scene

Clifford Odets' Awake and Sing! does precisely that

Mama's Boy

Homelessness in St. Louis: A Quick Primer

Daily RFT stumbled across this recently-uploaded student documentary today, and learned -- among other things -- that the nation's biggest shantytowns during the Great Depression were right here in STL. It's worth a look.

Kevin Jackson wrote the book on how to win (white) friends and influence (black) people

Artgasm: This Weekend's Art Openings, October 8 - 10, 2010

This weekend, butterflies are descending on St. Louis. Butterfly sculptures, that is, created for Wings in the City, a citywide art installation benefiting the BJC Home Care Services' expressive therapy program. Over 50 fiberglass butterflies decorated by area artists will be placed throughout St. L ... More >>

Yes Depression

Remember Nugent's Downtown St. Louis Department Store?

vanishingstl.blogspot.com​Yeah, neither do we. Then again, we'd venture to guess that 99 percent of St. Louisans have never heard of Nugent's, the multi-story retailer that once occupied the corner of Washington Avenue and Broadway. The department store went bankrupt during the Great Depression, t ... More >>

The Best of 2009 in Music

The Awful Truth: Attn: Wall Street. Michael Moore is a Marxist (but he's still selling the same old shtick).

Drink, Dammit

Prized Fighter: Boxing in St. Louis will never die — not as long as Kenny Loehr has a kid in the ring

Train in Vain