The 5 Best Concerts in St. Louis This Weekend, March 23 to 25

Each week we bring you our picks for the best shows of the weekend! To submit your show for consideration, click here. All events subject to change; check with the venue for the most up-to-date information.

FRIDAY, MARCH 23

Earthless w/ Kikagaku Moyo, JJUUJJUU
8 p.m. The Duck Room at Blueberry Hill, 6504 Delmar Boulevard, University City. $18 to $20. 314-727-4444.
Depending on the angle, any band on this bill could be looked at as a “headliner.” Kraut rock powerhouse Earthless was founded by former pro skater Mario Rubalcaba, who also drums for hardcore supergroup Off!. The band is rare export of the Gravity Records label, an early '90s purveyor of post-hardcore and what would later be considered “noise rock.” The fact that Kikagaku Moyo is coming all the way from Tokyo to play a basement bar on Delmar should be enough to motivate even fairweather fans of psychedelic rock. After this show, LA's JJJUUJJUU has an insane 2018: Its debut LP Zionic Mud will release in April, followed by the Desert Daze Caravan II tour with Ariel Pink, DIIV and Acid Mother's Temple. And how does the west coast outfit plan to top what looks like an unbeatable spring season? By opening for Mastodon and Primus all summer long.

Atmosphere w/ Evidence, Plain Ol' Bill
8 p.m. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Boulevard. $25 to $30. 314-726-6161.
The duo that makes up Atmosphere – rapper Slug a.k.a. Sean Daley and his longtime producer Anthony “Ant” Davis – has held a dedicated audience for close to 30 years. It's easy to see how the pair's brand of hyper-sensitive hip-hop has grown with the internet, evolving from early web-sharing on forums and chat rooms to today’s ubiquitous state of social media. Atmosphere's eight studio records and long line of EPs surely have their place in the American rap canon, but the group's greatest contribution might be through the founding of its label, Rhymesayers Entertainment, which has pushed the likes of Aesop Rock and MF Doom among countless others, including support act Evidence (of Dilated Peoples).

St. Louis Folk and Roots Festival
Kicks off at 8 p.m. March 22 at the Stage at KDHX, continues through March 25 KDHX and the Sheldon. See folkandrootsfestival.com for full information.
March 22 through 25
By taking the quality-over-quantity approach, KDHX offers up a premium string of concerts that seek to educate and entertain in equal measure. This collaborative fest pools bluegrass luminaries, prolific composers and dynamic players for shows set across KDHX and the Sheldon. There's a barrier of entry here – the full festival package is set at $60, though tickets for individual shows are also available – but it's an investment worth making. Between the workshops and square-dancing on Saturday and the two evening shows at the Sheldon, this is an event built with an all-inclusive vision in mind.

SATURDAY, MARCH 24

The Conformists w/ Drew Gowran, Huht
8 p.m. Foam Coffee and Beer, 3359 South Jefferson Avenue. $7. 314-772-2100.
St. Louis is little more than a home-base for the Conformists, a band which has taken an odd trajectory with its distinct and deconstructionist rock. The group's last three records were recorded in Chicago by Steve Albini (Shellac, Big Black) and most of the Conformists' major touring is done in Europe, not America. With wiry riffs that run atop groaning bass, songs are propelled by a buoyant sense of rhythm through drums that slink in between the narrow spaces left by the guitars. Mike Benker's low, bellowing voice works to connect that set of gears with poetic duct-tape. The result is an alien sound piloted by the human element.

Phutureprimitive w/ Vanilla Gorilla, C3KO
8 p.m. 2720 Cherokee Performing Arts Center, 2720 Cherokee Street. $15 to $20. 314-282-8017.
How could a project called Phutureprimitive be anything but dubstep? Producer and Bay Area native Rain precedes genre trends in such a way that, years later, he is commonly lumped in with a style that he helped bring into the mainstream. Labels aside, Phutureprimitive has carved out its own little place in electronica by producing tracks that have a long shelf life, especially in the fast-moving world of club and dub. Last year's Flow, released through Rain's own Native Harmonix label, is a brief but substantive mix of bass and drum with heavy hit of glitch.

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