Punks are notoriously mouthy about society's ills, but they never really man up and do anything about any of their gripes. Instead, they rip off Chuck Berry's guitar licks, get out the rhyming dictionary and write another song about the president/the cops/the atom bomb. It's part of their charm, like their matching punk uniforms, which represent their individuality.
Jerome Gaynor has long served this punk need to criticize and create (and to self-promote) with his www.stlpunk.com monstrosity, and he's done it all for free. (Well, and for the $723 he's collected in donations toward his daughter's college fund). Bandwidth ain't free, though, so every once in a while, Gaynor sets up a little benefit show to raise enough scratch to keep the site running. Sunday is one of those once-in-a-whiles. Using the rarely seen (in St. Louis, anyway) matinee show, Gaynor has lined up ten bands to play their guts out at the Creepy Crawl (412 North Tucker Boulevard, 314-851-0919) for your $10 donation (that means pay more if you can afford it). Sullen (pictured), 13 LoKei, Sine Nomine and the "evil hybrid" of Kill Me Kate and Step on It, among others, are gonna rock you and your righteous self-anger -- and this time, it will actually help someone (Gaynor). With kick-ass attendance prizes from Slackers and Iron Age (high-dollar gift certificates, dude), everyone will go home happy. Well, happy for a punk, anyway. -- Paul Friswold
Berry Good!
Chuck still amok with rock
WED 12/17
How long have you lived in St. Louis? If you're from south of I-44, chances are the answer is the same number as your age. Whatever the number of years, if you've never seen a Chuck Berry performance in that span, surrender your rock & roll credentials now; you are outcast from the tribe and can only regain your former status by witnessing the Father of Rock & Roll in action. Mr. Berry keeps a regular gig at Blueberry Hill's Duck Room (6504 Delmar Boulevard, 314-727-0880), so if this month's performance is sold out (it usually is), make damn sure you get tickets for the next one ($25). Either end your year on a cultural high note, or start the next one out right. -- Paul Friswold
