Tok Friday, August 30, 9 p.m. w/ Heroes of the Kingdom, Dibiase @ Schlafly Tap Room - free By Bob McMahon From "Hard Rock: Meet the 2013 RFT Music Nominees:" This year Festus alt-rock power trio Tok finally took a break from playing Lemmons just about every week to finish and release Gold Hen House Volume 1, a new EP that stands as the group's first release since 2008. Thankfully, Tok picked up right where it left off, providing the same crunchy but melodic attack and fluid shredding that it made its name on. While plenty of bands make music rooted in this '90s sound, Tok distinguishes itself from the pack by its sense of fun. Whether it's song titles such as "I Wanna Crash My Car," guitarist Bryan Basler's snake-sharming dancing or the band's affectionate parody of the folk/blues sound favored in St. Louis on "Sliding Into Misery," Tok brings a sense of levity sorely missing from today's alt-rock scene.
Folk & Roots Festival Pre-Party Friday, August 30, 7 p.m. w/ Stickley and Canan, Capt. Rock, The Aching Hearts, Grace Basement, Five & Dimers @ Off Broadway - $10-$13 By Christian Schaeffer From "Homespun: Joe Stickley & Sean Canan:" Spend enough time in Irish bars in the United States (or, if you're lucky, Ireland) and you'll find that there are two types of Irish musicians: dexterous instrumentalists who can spin through reels and jigs on fiddles, tin whistles and accordions, and guitar strummers who lead the pub in boisterous or teary-eyed sing-alongs. On their first outing, Joe Stickley (Joe Stickley's Blue Print) and Sean Canan (Bockman) are firmly in the latter camp, having strung together thirteen tunes of folksy good cheer. Stickley and Canan have been holding down the tiny stage on Sunday nights at John D. McGurk's in Soulard, and that stint has helped the pair add the trappings of American folk music to these well-known, well-worn Irish chestnuts. Stickley and Canan are both fine, hearty singers, and they thankfully don't pour much schmaltz on these already sentimental tunes.
Ticket to the Beatles/Pepperland: A Beatles Revue Saturday, August 31, 9 p.m. @ Mount Pleasant Estates - free @ Off Broadway - $10-$13 By Mike Appelstein Talk about "Here, There and Everywhere." This Saturday, two different venues will host two different Beatles tribute bands. Actually, strike that, as neither of these local acts would endorse the "tribute band" title. At 2 p.m., Ticket to The Beatles (according to its website, "not a 'dress alike' band, but recreating the energy and excitement that was the Beatles in their Hamburg and Cavern days") performs a free show at Mount Pleasant Estates. Then, at 9 p.m., down the, uh, "long and winding road" of Route 94, you can catch Pepperland: A Beatles Revue ("performing Beatles and solo years with an offbeat, updated twist") at Off Broadway. Choose your preferred version of Beatlemania, or cue up "Two of Us" from the Let It Be soundtrack and catch both.
The Night Grinder Saturday, August 31, 9 p.m. w/ Happy Daze, Cup Collector @ The Heavy Anchor - $5 By Joseph Hess Wielding a twin set of microphones, Brad Schumacher draws feedback from subtle movements as The Night Grinder, his creeping alter-ego of noise. Mic cables dangle low from raised stands, which Schumacher uses as an extension of each arm. The whole affair looks like a demented dance, some form of post-apocalyptic Kabuki that results in a deep, convoluted sound. Static howls through rough texture while Schumacher exacts total control over the room's space. Cup Collector and Monstersizedmonster join the Night Grinder to showcase our city's best mix of drone and dark, ambient sounds. The live show is paramount - this dark corner of music is synonymous with performance art. Happy Daze joins this surly line-up of noise cretins by doing psychedelic somersaults by way of a humble six-string. Bring your ear plugs obviously, but bring a tye-dye shirt, too.
Slut River Sunday, September 1, 9 p.m. w/ Black Panties, Doom Town @ Blank Space - $5 By Mabel Suen Iowa City's Slut River sounds just as raunchy as the name suggests, beating trashy, thrashy garage rock sounds into submission via crunchy guitars and bumpy, heavy drum hits. Frontwoman Anna McDermott rattles resilient vocal chords to sing, then scream contempt-filled lyrics about rats, boys, cops -- none mutually exclusive from one another. The tightly constructed lines allow just enough room for sludgy slop to peek through. Songs sound as oppressed as punk can coming from the landlocked Midwest and groove just as hard as good, raw rock & roll should. Also at this show, local punks Doom Town release a record and rock & roll group Black Panties puts out its newest album before joining Slut River for a few days on the road.
Note: Though we wish we could, we can't feature every great show happening in town in just one measly post. Look for plenty more recommendations this Friday in our weekend shows post, and peruse the St. Louis concert calendar for more ideas any time. Let everyone know what else you're looking forward to seeing this week in the comments below, and send show tips any time to [email protected] to be considered for inclusion on these lists.
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