ROACH
Bates performs at Tower Grove Pride this Saturday at Ritz Park
In case you missed RFT's annual music festival ShowcaseSTL, many of our local favorites can be seen throughout the next three days.
FRIDAY, JUNE 23
Anderson East
8 p.m. 6133 Delmar Boulevard. $18-$20. 314-726-6161.
By Quinn Wilson
Alabama native Anderson East is bringing his soulful voice to Delmar Hall this Friday night. The singer is well-known for his debut major-label album Delilah, which peaked at #2 on the US Billboard Heatseekers chart in 2015. East also contributed a song entitled "What Would it Take" to the soundtrack to the movie Fifty Shades Darker — that track debuted at #1 on the US Billboard 200 charts in February 2017. East has worked with other well-known southern artists such as Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell and Sturgill Simpson.
Concert for Action w/ Javier Mendoza, Analog Thief, Mt. Thelonius, Two Cities One World
7:30 p.m. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue. $15-$20. 314-773-3363.
Most benefit concerts focus on one unified cause, but this event has as many beneficiaries as its does bands: four. All of the cash taken at the door will be split between the ACLU, Amnesty International, MoveOn.org and Habitat for Humanity. Capping off this show is St. Louis hidden-gem Javier Mendoza, who has written for artists such as Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias, but his own work as a songsmith shouldn't be lost in the shadow cast by his pop-famous clients. Mendoza will technically play as "Hobo Cane" and concertgoers will just have to stick around to find out what that alter ego really entails.
Rich Homie Quan
10 p.m. The Marquee Restaurant & Lounge, 1911 Locust Street. $20. 314-436-8889.
By Quinn Wilson
Atlanta-based rapper Rich Homie Quan will bring his southern trap music to St. Louis this Friday night. Best known for 2013's "Type of Way" and his 2015 single "Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh)," Quan has worked with a variety of rap superstars including Young Thug, Gucci Mane, Future and YG. No slouch himself, Quan is touring in support of his latest mixtape, Back to the Basics, released on Motown/Capital Records, with which he signed back in February. The sky would be the limit for the young artist, except this tour could potentially be the final time for quite a while that fans will have a chance to see Quan perform live, due to some recent legal trouble. The rapper currently has pending felony drug charges following an arrest on May 28 in Jefferson County, Georgia — with a potential sentence of up to 30 years. Money from this show, presumably, will be going straight to his legal defense.
Lamar Harris' Tribute to the Isley Brothers
7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Jazz at the Bistro, 3536 Washington Avenue. 314-571-6000.
By Christian Schaeffer
In our all-encompassing love of St. Louis music, sometimes we can blur the lines of what truly qualifies as the St. Louis Sound. So while the legendary Isley Brothers are most closely associated with the cities of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Teaneck, New Jersey, the Lou has been the home of Ronald and Ernie Isley since the turn of the century, and both have continued to make music together and separately as St. Louisans. So it’s fitting that local artist Lamar Harris pays tribute to the legacy of the Isley Brothers as one local to another — his two-night stand at Jazz at the Bistro, titled “The Ballad of Atlantis,” will marry the Isley’s peerless catalogue with Harris’ mix of brass and beats.
SATURDAY, JUNE 24
Bearcub Dual Album Release Show w/ Pat Sajak Assassins, 3 of 5
8 p.m. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Avenue. $5. 314-352-5226.
The spazzy, melodic math duo Bearcub has remained a half-buried gem in St. Louis music for more than a decade and that actually might be for a lack of trying — in every area but songwriting. For all its complex brain-bending structures and textural play, the pair opts to dig further down the rabbit hole than stop to make records. That the band has taken the time to release two albums on this night, A Map the Size of the World and Tragedies, might be the shock the group needs to go from underrated to appropriately appreciated. Joining Bear Cub on this night is chiptune pop darling 3 of 5 and Pat Sajak Assassins, a band that crafts a live soundtrack of NES-era Mega Man on acid by stitching looped vocals with thick, glitchy synths.
MoMo Fest w/ Alex Stewart, Carondelet Guy, Ish, Le’Ponds, Zak Marmalefsky, Isabel Rex, Persh, Shady Bug, Sleepeasies, The Vanilla Beans
6 p.m. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue. $5. 314-773-3363.
Benefit concerts have become the norm, woven into the DNA of a local music culture that opts to work toward broad causes within a heated social and political climate. Hosted by Off Broadway, this Mobilize Missouri event offers up outsider pop, indie rock and local songwriters split between both indoor and outdoor stages. Rep. Bruce Franks and 9th Ward Alderman Dan Guenther will both be on hand to speak between acts, lending an activist vibe to the diverse schedule of bands.
Tower Grove Pride w/ Superfun Yeah Yeah Rocketship, GNAT, Middle Class Fashion, Bates, The Goes, Tiger Rider, Eric Dontè, DJ Andy Pasek, many more
Noon. Ritz Park, 3147 South Grand Boulevard. Free.
In its 5th year running, Tower Grove Pride has grown to be a strong and open alternative to St. Louis PrideFest. Not that anyone has to necessarily choose, but the concert at Ritz Park makes a compelling enough argument for burlesque fans and concertgoers to stay on South Grand all day and night. Between the psychedelic rap of the vampire-esque Eric Dontè and the heady hip-hop of Bates, the schedule caters to a wide range of tastes while keeping things suitably strange. Food and drink will be on hand from Mangia Italiano, Bombay Food Junkies, the Little Dipper, 4 Hands Brewing Company and many more.
SUNDAY, JUNE 25
Dru Hill w/ Brad Young, Darius Bradford, DJ Cut
8 p.m. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Boulevard. $40-$60. 314-726-6161.
Dru Hill dominated the nineties by carving out its own place in hip-hop with a smooth, soulful take on the genre. The quartet's distinct approach gave birth to several Top 40 hits — you might remember "Tell Me" or "In My Bed." And sure, everyone knows Sisqó for that song about thongs, but his work in Dru Hill led to a longer, more enduring career of R&B classics. Who can complain about artists cashing in on nostalgia when their songs age with such grace?
Florida Georgia Line w/ Nelly, Chris Lane
7 p.m. Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, I-70 & Earth City Expressway. $31.75-$72. 314-298-9944.
By Quinn Wilson
With its pairing of country superstars with hometown legend Nelly, this show will be sure to draw a wide array of fans. Florida Georgia Line is best known for its hit singles "Cruise," "This is How We Roll" and "H.O.L.Y." The history between rapper Nelly and the country group began in 2013 when Nelly recorded a verse for a remix of Florida Georgia Line's song "Cruise." The song peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received critical acclaim. The show is set to begin at 7 p.m. this Sunday at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheater in Maryland Heights with Nelly and Chris Lane as the opening acts.
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
8 p.m. The Firebird, 2706 Olive Street. $18-$20. 314-535-0353.
On the cusp of its fourth studio effort, The Echo of Pleasure, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart are primed to perform a lengthy, varied set of songs spanning the group's expansive discography. Since the Myspace days of 2007, songwriter Kip Berman has worked out a consistent flow of singles, EPs and full-lengths. Although his output has started to slow in recent years, the upcoming album and busy summer schedule should beget enough shoegazing pop to drown in.
