Here at RFT Music, a lot of strange, often incomprehensible event submissions wash up on the shores of our sprawling inboxes. On a scale of one to WTF, one particular message scored about a 1,001 on our Richter scale of ridiculousness. If you're up for a strange, probably surreal experience, head to the dive-y confines of Pop's Blue Moon (5249 Pattison Avenue; 314-776-4200) tonight to see self-proclaimed "electronic cheerleader" Nathan Brown, a Texan who plays original '80s synth-pop soundtrack music in the vein of Top Gun and Beverly Hills Cop, complete with dual keyboards, involuntary hip twitching and spry falsetto.
Upon further research, we found an old video of Brown under his former alias, Browningham, in which his performance begins with a three-minute monologue about him going number two at a 7-Eleven. Spoiler alert: He throws his underwear in a dumpster. Skip to the 3:10 mark or so to hear his musical interpretation of the situation, "Gotta Get It Out of Here."
"The best reference people seem to spit at me is Prince or Michael McDonald," says Nathan Brown.
It's been seven long years since 39-year-old Brown has hit the road with his act, and he says he has played in St. Louis before at now-defunct music venues like Creepy Crawl and Frederick's Music Lounge. His last tour consisted of several years living on the road with with a 65-70 pound canine hybrid of coyote and house pet in tow.
The last time we were at Pop's Blue Moon, gratis air-popped popcorn flowed freely and adorned each table. If that's still the case, grab a bowl, wash it down with some bittersweet Stag and get ready for a one-of-a-kind show. There aren't any openers, as far as we know (where ya at, Superfun Yeah Yeah Rocketship?)
We gave Brown a call to learn more about the man behind the music. In Canton, Ohio, smack dab in the middle of an eight-day tour, he talks to us via a borrowed cell phone, from some place where a train goes by in the background every few minutes. He's surprisingly sedate and serious, and a really nice guy. Read on to learn more about him and his upcoming performance.
