The 2015 Riverfront Times Music Showcase is set to be the biggest local music festival in St. Louis history. On June 20, nearly 100 local bands will play across ten venues in the Grove Neighborhood, including just about every genre possible, sans polka. From now until the showcase, we will supply you with the lowdown on every act nominated for an RFT Music Award, so you can be in the know with regards to your vote. Read on and get familiar with your local scene. And don't forget to mark your calendar for June 20!
See also: -- The Complete 2015 RFT Music Showcase Schedule -- Vote Now For the 2015 RFT Music Awards
Bear Hive
Chris Phillips (Guitar, Vocals) Nate Heininger (Drums) Joel Burton (Bass)
Read more about Bear Hive in our review of 2015's All in Real Time:
The St. Louis music ecosystem is a curious thing, with its own cycles of hype and buzz, and its own rewards for productivity and lethargy. The fact is, whether a band releases an album every nine months or every five years, its members will likely be no closer to quitting their day jobs. So the long leadup to Bear Hive's official full-length follows a well-liked EP and a few years' worth of ground-level indie buzz, but the kinetic, assured All in Real Time is moody, evocative and danceable in almost equal measure. The trio of Joel Burton, Nate Heininger and Chris Phillips can operate as a guitar/bass/drums unit with shades of post-punk gray and Afro-pop red, though every track on this album is further colored by some form of electronic synthesis, either through scattershot drum programming or squiggly sine waves.
Bo and the Locomotive
Bo Bulawsky (Guitar, Vocals) Andrew Arato (Bass) Steven Colbert (Drums) Jordan Howe (Guitar) James Kane (Keys)
Official Website | Bandcamp | Facebook
Sleepy Kitty
Paige Brubeck (Guitar, Vocals) Evan Sult (Drums, Vocals)
Town Cars
Melinda Cooper (Guitar, Vocals) Kevin Buckley (Guitar, Vocals) Cassie Morgan (Guitar, Vocals) Sean McElroy (Bass) Corey Woodford (Drums, Vocals)
Read more about Town Cars in our 2014 interview:
If you've been to a local show over the past few years, you've likely seen Melinda Cooper play. She's performed with the likes of Union Electric, Humdrum, Cassie Morgan & the Lonely Pine, Celia's Big Rock Band, and most recently (this past Friday, in fact), as an auxiliary member of Bruiser Queen. Despite this pedigree, Cooper has seldom performed her own material. With Town Cars, however, she has stepped into the lead. Over the past couple of years, Town Cars has played around the city with a revolving lineup, generally including drummer Corey Woodruff and keyboardist/vocalist Jenn Malzone (better known as the leader of Middle Class Fashion). This week, Town Cars releases its debut CD, Hearts and Stars, on its own Extension Chord label. It's a solid, to-the-point listen, with a sound steeped in everything from 1990s indie rock and 1970s singer-songwriters.
Whoa Thunder
Brian McClelland (Guitar, Vocals) Curtis Brewer (Guitar) Alex McClelland (Bass) Mic Boshans (Drums) Syrhea Conaway (Synth, Vocals) Joe Taylor (Sampler, Synth, Vocals)
Previously: - Americana - Blues - Country - Cover Band - DJ - Electronic (Dance) - Electronic (Eclectic) - Emo - Experimental - Folk - Hard Rock - Hardcore - Hip-Hop (Group) - Indie Pop
