Mucca Pazza Fri., April 20, 9:00pm @ The Firebird - $15 By Christian Schaeffer For a certain stripe of one-time high school jock, a Mucca Pazza show must look like a reunion gone awry. For this punk-rock marching band, the band geeks have taken control of the reins. The Chicago-based outfit takes a battery of brass (alongside accordions, guitars and even a Day-Glo pom squad) and weaves in Balkan brass music, '60s surf rock and plenty of pulse-pounding rhythms in its tunes. Mucca Pazza has made a few records, but no amount of high fidelity can compare to the group's all-inclusive live show. So hide your letter jackets: the Big Man on Campus doesn't stand a chance against 30 sets of marching, stomping feet. Where'd He Go To High School: St. Louisan Jeff Thomas helped found the band, though his guitar playing is a little tough to hear over the saxophones and drum lines.
Apop Record Store Day Block Party Sat., April 21, 10:00am @ Apop Records - free By Daniel Hill Local lovers of punk rock/noise/metal/underground music in general have always found Apop Records to be an inviting establishment, and never is its overall hospitality so evident as it is come this time of year ― over a dozen bands will play its annual Record Store Day party, including seven RFT Music Awards nominees. Hardcore head honchos Shaved Women, noisy math-rockers Spelling Bee and drum and bass duo Volcanoes are just some of the day's highlights set to play in the street next to the building. Schlafly and New Belgium will provide the drinks, and the whole thing is free! This celebration of the independent record store happens every year on the third Saturday of April, providing a financial boost to the economically embattled establishments while simultaneously reminding us that physical media will forever trump the too-pervasive tinny low-fi downloads of the day. Don't Leave Empty Handed: Hey, while you're in there, why not buy all those records you were thinking about downloading? Go ahead; your ears will thank you.
The Hood Internet Sat., April 21, 8:00pm @ The Firebird - $12-$15 By Jaime Lees Windy City mash-up wizards the Hood Internet will be in town for a heavily sponsored event. This show is being billed as a party, not a concert and for good reason. The duo specialize in mixing hip-hop and '80s music with modern indie rock ― the resulting sound is a cluster-fuck of ever-changing, highly danceable tunes. The Hood Internet's contemporaries and co-conspirators are up-and-coming Chicago acts Flosstradamus and Kid Sister, so expect clips from these acts featured among samples ranging from Beach House to Drake to the Black Lips to Jamie Foxx to Deerhunter to Gucci Mane to Grizzly Bear. Pregame: Hit the Hood Internet's web site and download the free "mixtapes" to listen to while you're dressing and dancing in front of your mirror.
Lil Pete Benefit Show w/ Pillow Talk Sun., April 22, 6:00pm @ Lemmons - $5 By Joseph Hess Nine months have passed since Glass Teeth tore a hole through St. Louis music, only to bow out the same night as its CD release show. Drummer Mike Hansen and venerable front-man Jeff Robtoy have since moved on to more aggressive pastures in Pillow Talk. Hansen's break-beats and Robtoy's antagonistic banter draw clear parallels to their former band, but Pillow Talk features a metallic Albini-style guitar tone which differentiates the band from its predecessor. Comparisons aside, Pillow Talk offers vibrant psychedelic rock riffs with a vicious punk-rock delivery. Also playing: Fred Friction, Killer Whale, The Trip Daddys, Ellen the Felon & Mattranome, and Shut In. All proceeds from this show will go to help pay for Pete "Lil Pete" Kruchowski's recently acquired medical bills.
