This week, a variety of interesting acts make St. Louis an exciting music town to live in. Just take your pick from a pool of talented performers traveling from near and far. Choose from concerts including OK Go, Wiz Khalifa, Ahleuchatistas, Umphry's McGee and much more. Read on to get a taste of this week's show recommendations.
Earth, Wind & Fire Monday, August 11 @ Peabody Opera House 7:30 p.m. | $33-$123 By Annie Zaleski From this archived write-up: Drummer and vocalist Maurice White founded Earth, Wind & Fire in 1970. You could staff an entire basketball league with the number of musicians who have passed through EWF, but in 1972 singer Philip Bailey became the band's focal point with his castrati-like range. Bailey's high-flying vocals paired nicely with White's more husky, countrified delivery, and the combo charted a number of hits with various styles, ranging from the breezy funk of "Shining Star" to the cosmos-exploring "Fantasy."
Wiz Khalifa Tuesday, August 12 w/ Jeezy, Tyga, Ty Dolla $ign, Richie Homie Quan, Sage the Gemini, Mack Wilds, IAMSU, DJ Drama @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater 6 p.m. | $27.75-$62.75 By Tara Mahadevan From "The Best St. Louis Hip-Hop Shows: August 2014": Wiz Khalifa, Jeezy and Tyga are coming through St. Louis for their Under the Influence of Music tour, with an incomparable list of openers including Ty Dolla $ign, Rich Homie Quan and Mack Wilds -- proof that the law ain't gonna interrupt Wiz's flow. Let us explain: This past May, while promoting his new mixtape 28 Grams, Wiz dropped a few cannabis-centric mixes that caught the eye of the authorities. He was subsequently jailed for possession before 28 Grams could debut. He was released after a day, but not before he posted a jail selfie and got #FreeTrapWiz trending on Twitter. Wiz's tour is in support of his next studio album, Blacc Hollywood, which drops August 19. Six is quite the early start time for a show, but this is a lineup you don't want to miss.
OK Go Wednesday, August 13 w/ DJ Mahf @ Old Rock House 8 p.m. | $18-$20 By Bob McMahon It's easy to get distracted by OK GO's flashy videos and showmanship. For most press outlets, the veteran quartet's music is secondary to the latest crazy concept with which the band is dominating YouTube. That's a shame, because the group continues to evolve while retaining its ability to write naggingly catchy hooks. Its new EP Upside Out, which contains four songs from the upcoming full-length Hungry Ghosts, finds OK GO continuing along the lines of the maximalist, synth-laden, occasionally funky sound that dominated 2010's Of the Blue Colour of the Sky. This time, the hooks are brighter and the group approaches Chvrches-level exuberance. It's a long way from the crunchy power-pop OK GO used to make, but the band's 2010 concert at Old Rock House showed its members can make a cohesive show out of their divergent styles.
Curtis Salgado Thursday, August 14 @ Old Rock House 8:30 p.m. | $12-$17 By Roy Kasten From this archived show preview: The blues don't bicycle, they don't microbrew, and they're as environmentally friendly as a pack of Winston straights. In other words, the blues don't belong in Portland, Oregon. And yet Curtis Salgado has emerged from the Northwest as one of the preeminent stylists and harmonica players of the post-blues rock era. He's a traditionalist, of sorts, with an instinctive feel for the Chicago style (John Belushi modeled the Blues Brothers after him) and for Southern-fried funk, two forces that come together on Clean Getaway, his first album since being given the death sentence of a liver-cancer diagnosis in 2005. But he's a survivor, and onstage he remains a powerhouse, all sweat and moan and urgency, with harp-licks sharp and mean enough to clear-cut Mount Hood.
