Electro house music kicks off a full-on aural assault of hyped shows all week long. While Steve Aoki brings theatrics (and cake, apparently) to the Pageant's stage, Juggalo rapper Blaze Ya Dead Homie brings out the clowns for a stacked bill at Pop's. This weekend brings the long-awaited release of Sigils, the latest release by beloved synth group Caveofswords (they have guitar and drums too, ya know). A Benefit for the Organization for Black Struggle features a diverse line-up at the Demo with Mikey Wehling, 18andCounting and more on Saturday night. March is packed already and if you know of a great show that we missed this time around, tell us in the comments below.
MONDAY, MARCH 2
Steve Aoki Monday, March 2 The Pageant 8 p.m. | $31-$33.50 By Benjamin Leatherman From Steve Aoki on How His Gigs Are "About Gettin' Crazy and Going Wild," With or Without Cake: Needless to say, the 37-year-old artist is big on the performance aspect at his shows and is credited with helping to amp up theatrics in the dance-music world, which is a byproduct of his love of punk and history in the hardcore scene. Aoki, a former hardcore kid and member of such bands as This Machine Kills and the Fire Next Time, also drew inspiration for his music from the world's mosh pits and three-chord thunder. "I went from writing guitar lines to writing in a computer, and my first [EDM] records were very aggressive, and I was sampling guitars and learning how to use distortion in my music," he says.
TUESDAY, MARCH 3
Little Howlin Wolf w/ Frank Hurricane, Wiggpaw, Fred Friction, Zak M Tuesday, March 3 Los Punk 8:30 p.m. | $5 By Joseph Hess No no no, this isn't the Howlin' Wolf you know, this is Little Howlin' Wolf. Completely different. Little Howlin' Wolf churns out quality blues, and does so with a penchant for comedy and free-improvisation. By experimenting with abstract sounds to augment a beloved genre, the man blows apart expectations of what blues should be.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4
Blaze Ya Dead Homie w/ Boondox, Trilogy, T-RYDE Freakz "R" Us, John Boi, NuttinXnycE, A.Z The Fallen, P.O.W. Wednesday, March 4 Pop's Nightclub 7 p.m. | $10-$17 By Joseph Hess Blaze Ya Dead Homie is a juggalo rapper possessed by the ghost of a murdered gang-banger circa somewhere in the late '80s. Let that sink in. While he pulls from a pretty vague pool of gimmicks, Chris Rouleau keeps a strong persona intact with a shotgun delivery of scattered rhymes and his own laid back take on the genre's call and response. At his best, Blaze brings a vicious style that sits somewhere between rapping and yelling.
THURSDAY, MARCH 5
Jonathan Richman w/ Tommy Larkins Thursday, March 5 Off Broadway 9 p.m. | $15 By Christian Schaeffer Jonathan Richman has carved a career out of subverting expectations, so it's no surprise that his live shows follow their own compass. His debut as the wunderkind behind the post-Velvets quartet the Modern Lovers didn't exactly set the course for his solo songwriting, which is marked by a sweet naivete cut with hard-won wisdom. His songbook is thick with well-loved tunes, but don't expect a greatest-hits set at his Off Broadway performance -- if past shows are any gauge, Richman will be accompanied by his own nylon-string guitar, the trusty Tommy Larkins on a cocktail drum kit and a meandering tour through forgotten baseball players, Dutch painters and whatever other corners of the world he chooses to alight with song.
Follow through for the best shows in St. Louis all weekend long.
