Tim Rakel

The 2013 RFT Music Award Winners

Came, saw, conquered! Another RFT Music Showcase / Awards Party in the bag. We'd like to thank all of the nominees, the good people of Washington Avenue and Atomic Cowboy for hosting the festivities, and everyone who voted in our 26 categories. Congratulations to all of the winners (you'll see their ... More >>

The Day RFT Music Died

You may have noticed over the weekend, starting on Thursday, that RFT Music was largely inaccessible. Users of Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox and likely others were blocked by warnings of malware, looking very similar, if not identical, to the one you see above.

The 2013 RFT Music Awards Nominees

Well, it's that time again, folks! Each year, we at RFT Music HQ present the RFT Music Awards, an annual celebration of the best and brightest musical acts St. Louis has to offer. The nominees are chosen by a crack team of industry insiders, dedicated die-hards and various other musical minds from o ... More >>

REO Speedwagon, Brandy, Sasha, Boris and More in This Week's Show Announcements

Here again: every newly announced show for the week! On page one you'll find a quick list of shows that particularly caught our attention, followed by embedded YouTube videos; there, you can check out some of the artists you may not be familiar with. Page two contains our complete listing of new sho ... More >>

Pinback, The English Beat, The Spits and More in This Week's Show Announcements

Here again: every newly announced show for the week! On page one you'll find a quick list of shows that particularly caught our attention, followed by embedded YouTube videos; there, you can check out some of the artists you may not be familiar with. Page two contains our complete listing of new sho ... More >>

InFest STL Tournament Of Champions: Round One, FIGHT!

This Saturday and Sunday, a few dozen local and regional bands perform at InFest STL, a two-day indie festival at 2720 Cherokee. The event is totally free. This is not a battle of the bands, and the acts are in no way competing with each other, but that's no reason not to pit twenty-five confirmed a ... More >>

Homespun: Union Electric

Time Is Gold
theunionelectric.bandcamp.com

Your Band is Worth Taking Seriously, Money or Not: Just Ask the Union Electric

After three years of shows and an equally accumulating number of seven-inches, St. Louis folk rock group the Union Electric releases its first full length CD Time is Gold. Members Tim Rakel, Glenn Burleigh, Melinda Cooper and Mic Boshans are more than just St. Louis music veterans; they are staples ... More >>

The 2012 RFT Music Showcase Lineup for June 2

Out Every Night: The Best Shows From May 7 to May 13

This week's Most Triumphant Beard of the Week award goes unequivocally to Map's and Atlases' Dave Davison, whose facial hair would be worthy of IFC's cut-throat Whisker Wars competitions -- if that show is still a thing, anyway (I sure hope so, but doubt it). Jack Passion would be proud. Maps and At ... More >>

Emily Wells

7 p.m. Tuesday, May 8. Old Rock House, 1200 South Seventh Street.

Dana Smith, St. Louis Painter, Celebrates Local Musicians with Southtown Famous

For local painter Dana Smith, art and music have always been intertwined. He can he found in the dark corners of music venues, his face obscured by a large lens, capturing live shots of local bands that he'll later use as a guide for his paintings. The sounds, sights and people of St. Louis are his ... More >>

Schlafly Celebrates Twenty Years with Another Strange and Wonderful Free Show

Brett Underwood​Since 1991, Schlafly Beer has been a beloved institution in St. Louis. Pouring heart and soul into their passion, the brewery creates well-crafted beer much to the applause of microbrew enthusiasts worldwide. From the rolling ease of the classic Pale Ale to the rich, roasted ma ... More >>

40 Best St. Louis Releases of 2011: Part One

​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 tho ... More >>

Homespun: The Union Electric

"Tunnels" / "An Irish Orphan"
Rankoutsider Records

Listen To Union Electric's "Tunnels" Before Saturday's Release

​In this week's Homespun column, Christian Schaeffer weighs in on the new release from the Union Electric -- "Tunnels" / "An Irish Orphan." The A-side is, in the bands' description, "Tunnels is based on the story of Chinese immigrants, who came to Mexico for work, and were forced to live liter ... More >>

Dengue Fever and tUnE-yArDs Highlight the Post-Record Store Day New Releases

Steve Pick with some of today's releases. Photo by Chrissy Wilmes.​Every week, we'll ask your local record store clerks to advise you on which new releases are worth your hard-earned pennies. Today, Euclid Records clerk (and KDHX DJ) Steve Pick fills us in on the post-Record Store Day crop. He ... More >>

The Ten Best Things To Do This Weekend in St. Louis: April 15 to 17

​It's the most wonderful time of the year: Record Store Day! For us at A to Z, it's like Christmas, only we're receiving special gifts from Wayne Coyne and Thom Yorke, and enjoying DJ sets and live performances by the best in local music. Which, as far as we're concerned, beats the pants off o ... More >>

The Riverfront Times' Ten Best Local Singles and EPs of 2010

​Singles and EPs have historically served invaluable purposes. For new bands, they can be the best method to come out swinging with their best songs. For established acts, they provide a low-pressure way to showcase new material, try out remixes, or clear the vaults of demos and alternate ta ... More >>

There's something for everyone in these new holiday albums, even for Wilson Phillips fans

Ten Mini Local-Album Reviews

​We receive dozens and dozens of local CDs a year at the RFT. Although we review many in our weekly Homespun column, there just isn't space to touch on all of them. To remedy that, here are brief reviews of ten more releases that crossed our desks this fall. The ChalkBoyz Chalk Dirty to Me Be ... More >>

Ten Essential 2010 Holiday Albums

​For many musicians, the lure of the Christmas songbook is hard to resist. Despite the challenge of reworking well-worn (and, in some cases, worn out) songs, each year a few dozen acts try to make something fresh out of these seasonal favorites. This year's crop is heavy on female-fronted pop, ... More >>

Tonight! May Day Orchestra Album Release at the Sheldon Concert Hall

The cover of the album​Tonight in the Ballroom at the Sheldon, the May Day Orchestra is releasing its new album, Ota Benga. The second "folk opera" in its catalog, Benga is about a "pygmy who was taken from the Belgian colony in the Congo in the early 1900s and brought to the World's Fair in S ... More >>

Working-Class Heroes: The Union Electric's unique brand of drone-folk busts genres — and bursts eardrums

May Day Orchestra Pens Second Folk Opera

The May Day Orchestra dropped me a line a few weeks ago to report that it's penned another "folk opera" and plans to debut it on Friday, October 30, at the Black Bear Bakery. Details! The first May Day Orchestra project concerned Lucy Parsons and the anarchist labor leaders of Chicago in the 1880s. ... More >>

MP3: The Union Electric, "You've Been Served"

The Union Electric -- the band featuring guitarist/banjoist/vocalist Tim Rakel, guitarist Glenn Burleigh and drummer Eric Von Damage -- was kind enough to send over a mastered version of "You've Been Served." This will appear on the band's first 7"! It's quite a menacing punk-folk drone; Rakel sound ... More >>

The Union Electric Posts Demos, Plays at Way Out Club on Wednesday

The Union Electric -- the new project of Bad Folk's Tim Rakel and Glenn Burleigh of Adversary Workers, among others -- just posted new demos on its MySpace page. The band recorded the songs with Grace Basement's Kevin Buckley. Click on the band name to check 'em out! .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padd ... More >>

Local Band to Know: String Buzz

A few weeks ago, I heard Tim Rakel play a plaintive folk song on his radio show. Turns out the tune was by a band called String Buzz, a local duo featuring Ann Hirschfeld on guitar and Ron Leible on drums. Music lifers might know the pair from the '90s band Plaid Cattle, although Hirschfel ... More >>

Homespun: The May Day Orchestra

May Day, or Songs for Lucy Parsons
(self-released)

Update: May Day Orchestra Album Update, New Band for Tim Rakel

Ran into Tim Rakel last night, and he filled me in on all of his goings-on. First, the long-awaited May Day Orchestra LP, called Songs for Lucy Parsons, will arrive on -- when else? -- May 1. An 8 p.m. show at Black Bear Bakery is your first shot at buying the new record. The sec ... More >>

Homespun: Bad Folk

Part of the Problem
(self-released)

Download: Bad Folk's Swan Song, Part of the Problem

Bad Folk vocalist Tim Rakel reports that his band's final album, Part of the Problem, is now available via lala.com. Here's the direct link. Listen to a sample MP3 here.

Bad Folk, Part of the Problem New Mayday Orchestra Coming Soon

Ran into Tim Rakel a few weeks ago, and got an update on his musical endeavors. First, he says that the last Bad Folk CD (which is titled Part of the Problem) will probably be released online soon. He also says that the Mayday Orchestra album is done, with a vinyl release to come early next year. H ... More >>

Bad Folk Broke Up -- But May Day Orchestra Lives

Complete 2008 St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase Schedule

Photos: DeVotchKa at the Pageant, Friday, May 23, 2008

Petur Ben at the Schlafly Tap Room, Tim Rakel and David Rovics at Black Bear Bakery

Bad Folk
Bad Folk/Rats and People

"That Great Atomic Power Scared Charlie Louvin More than God" 7"
(self-released)"Saw a Circus" / "I Sang to Heather Nethereye" split 7"
(self-released)

Sumatra Gayoland coffee

Typo Café at the Tin Ceiling, 3159 Cherokee Street; 314-910-7321.

The Anarchists' Cookbook

They make bread, not bombs, at the Black Bear Bakery

A Post-Poster World

It's the power of the music, not cartoonish surface appearances, that makes for a music hero, say the local young folk we polled