In this weekly column, RFT Music gets to know local creatives, musicians and their missions. Get a slice of the local scene, complete with a snippet of sound and info about upcoming releases and shows. Stick around to see what St. Louis artists have to say whenever they Fill in the Blank.
When guitarist Brandon Lee started This City Of Takers in Summer 2009, the concept was simple: Each album would follow a narrative. Both releases to date, Going Along With The Delusions Will Not Be Helpful (2010) and The Felt (2011) invoke the sounds of folk cranked to max volume with audible influence from the lighter side of '90s grunge.
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This City Of Takers keeps good company. Frank Black (The Pixies), Joe Lally (Fugazi) and Tim Kasher (Cursive) are among the many Lee and his band have opened for. The group wears that influence on its sleeve unashamedly, grinding out distinct songs with gravel-throated singing from the gut. With two layers of guitar and a back line of hefty bass and drums, This City Of Takers plays with depth, lending an unbridled rip to a set that begs to be heard - background bar rock be damned.
While one of St. Louis' most underrated bands, This City Of Takers continues head-first into the future. Lee and his band mates enter Firebrand Studios next month to hammer out a brand new full length record. This new release is set to highlight the band's recent shift to more punk aesthetic mixed with classic rock.
"I really feel like right now the sky's the limit in this city, we really want to be a part of that. I remember when I first started playing shows it seemed like there were only two venues you could play in St. Louis, now there's about a dozen great venues and new ones opening constantly. It's a really exciting time to be here," Lee says, driven by the rapid rise of local music.
Lee and the rest of his crew met with us to talk about their work as a band, and of course, post-show food in St. Louis. Click through as This City Of Takers fills in the blank.
