The unholy alignment of Valentine's Day and Mardi Gras weekend is upon us, but Soulard won't be the only place to find love. Local zine and record label Acid Kat celebrates its third birthday with a packed house of fuzzed-out garage rock at Foam, but those looking for a more romantic outing should check out the Beach Boys at Lindenwood's J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts. Or avoid the Hallmark holiday altogether with a great show any other night this week -- from Beatles tribute group Pepperland to '90s-borne classics like Less Than Jake and Guster, we've got you covered.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9
Marilyn Manson Monday, February 9 The Pageant 8 p.m. | $53-$58 By Jaime Lees Marilyn Manson came to prominence in the '90s as the mainstream band that square parents loved to hate. The music was a cross between goth- and shock-rock, but the group was really just composed of guys from Florida singing songs about being spooky while wearing face paint. Lead singer Mr. Marilyn Manson, who advertised himself as an "antichrist superstar," became a sensationalized cultural icon, using this influence to create a rock & roll myth much bigger than the music. Still, the songs and style of the band combine to provide a solid, carefully curated soundtrack to an interesting -- if odd -- artistic evolution.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10
Less Than Jake w/ Reel Big Fish, Authority Zero Tuesday, February 10 The Pageant 8 p.m. | $22.50/$25 By Scott Heisel From the RFT Music archives: Ska may never have another true mainstream revival like it did in the mid-'90s, but it's nowhere near the levels of life support it was on a decade ago. Partial credit for the slow, steady resurgence can be given to the hard-touring ska-punk quintet Less Than Jake, a band that probably hasn't taken more than a few months off at a time in nearly fifteen years. Even when the genre fell out of favor with the record-buying public, people could always count on LTJ to come to their city at least once a year -- and typically bring a diverse, usually-ska-friendly bill with it. But even with all that time spent in the dingier rock clubs of America, the band's songwriting has yet to suffer.
See also: Eight Songs Less Than Jake Should Cover
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11
Guster w/ Kishi Bashi Wednesday, February 11 The Pageant 8 p.m. | $25/$27.50 By Christian Schaeffer From the RFT Music archives: It wasn't so long ago that a fresh-faced, slightly gawky guitar whiz named John Mayer was opening for Guster, a Boston quartet that used its status as a beloved college-rock band to prop up the young singer-songwriter. Of course, by now Mayer has run laps around Guster in terms of units moved and dollars earned, but the band has stayed strong to its harmony-laden, acoustic guitar-based tunes and, in doing so, has retained its cult following.
See also: The Five Quickest Ways Bands Can Tour Green According to Guster's Adam Gardner
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12
Taboo w/ Catholic Guilt, Larva Lou Thursday, February 12 Melt 10 p.m. | $7 By Joseph Hess Taboo digs through the human DNA, waking ancient dance genes with mystic no-wave. Hailing from the "other" Portland (Maine, not Oregon), the group feeds freaky folk through a visceral punk filter, bringing hooky tunes with a droning, repetitive slant. The whole affair is led with creepy lounge crooning and prophetic chants that give off a gothic vibe -- think less The Cure and more The Birthday Party. Catholic Guilt and Larva Lou provide the local support, making for a stacked bill of irreverent sound.
Follow through for the best concerts in town this weekend.
