Thursday, February 9th

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Harry Bertoia, Untitled, 235, ink on paper, c. 1950s

When taking the metrolink to UMSL, post-departing the platform and hesitantly crossing the tracks, a weary traveller will happen upon Gallery 210 and promptly walk past it. If you have time today, tomorrow, this weekend, whenever… check out the worm hole that is 210. Pocketed carefully by UMSL as a craftly means of capitalizing on contemporary art, as Curator Terry Shure chooses a variety of artists for his disparate galleries. Separated by inches, Galleries acutely labeled A, B, and C house national and local artists in objectively disparate roles. Shure rarely melds his  galleries together. He tends to have them stand on their own as his own means of making artwork.

See Harry Bertoia‘s 40 Years of Drawing, an original permutation of his monoprints, sculptures, and furniture at UMSL’s 210 until March 17th from 11 AM – 5 PM.

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Lone ranger, Dave Beeman.

David Beeman is the poster-child for music St. Louis. He’s fronted numerous bands, most recently Old Lights. There’s a little but of Tom Petty in Beeman’s delivery. The same concentration on the frontal lobe, he nasally woos the microphone. The kinda sound you wanna listen to after a stressful day.

See him play with Kit Hamon (of the recording studio Native Sound and Old Lights), for freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, at PLUSH. 8:30 PM.

Friday, February 10th

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From their melancholic "Blue Period"

Before I had seen them, I had read about, heard about, and been bitched at about Little Big Bangs. Suffice it to say, they have penchant for mayhem. And if the rumors are true,  Little Big Bangs might just embody the danger missing from local rock n’ roll both on and off the stage.

Churchill Downs would be equal parts shocked and appalued by this comparison, but the band tears into each song like it’s the last turn before home at the Kentucky Derby. The intensity makes the audience roar louder after every song, push each other around, demand that the band play harder, and the band will return such feral behavior by running itself into an oblivion of muddy grunge riffs and coyote howls. If you want sweaty flanks, flared nostrils, and a drummer that beats. the. shit. out of his ride until it crosses the finish line, you have come to the right place.

Catch ‘em come unbrideled at The Boulder (3200 block of Knapp St.) with Scripts n’ Screwz and 18andcounting. 8PM.

Saturday, February 11th

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She's got leeee-eeeehhhhggggsssss. She knows how to uuussseee ttthhheeemmm!!!

Thought Hollerlujah was a riot? Wait until you see what we have up our sleeves this time around… We’re turning The Skatium into a discotheque complete with faux-70s garb, music, and the right to boogie down.

…and I’m just ganking the rest of this off our Facebook…

“Presented by Eleven Magazine, DJ Invisible Cola, & DJ Boogieman, with special guests M.S.I.F.

It’s cold outside. Stay warm in a pair of roller skates, as Eleven Magazine teams up with the city’s most in-demand disco DJ duo to bring you a night of grooves, moves, and booze.

That’s right, we’re getting down roller disco-style.

Don’t worry though: no previous skating experience necessary, only a willingness to boogie. If you’ve got a bad case of skate-fright, there’s plenty of room for roller-less foxy trot hustlin’. Be sure to wear your finest threads. Sequined and polyester clothes STRONGLY encouraged.

The magic maestros DJ Invisible Cola and DJ Boogieman will lay down the groove sound while you get funky and do the body-to-body boogie. M.S.I.F. will take center-rink at 10 PM for a special music & dance performance guaranteed to get you caught up in a one-night love affair.

Tickets are $8 at the door and include the cost of unlimited skate rental. Once you’re in, it’s $2 beers and $3 well drinks.

This is a 21+ event, so sorry to all the underage groovers and shakers!

M.S.I.F.’s choreography by Jo Morris. Special shout-out to Zoë Scharf for laying down the poster.”

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"Nature is a mutable cloud which is always and never the same." - Emerson

Navigator doesn’t sound like the same band live that they do on their record Bad Case of theVisions. Quiet, confused, and sentimental, when placed in a live setting, the band explodes out of the confines a 7-inch like an atom bomb. They blew the roof off Hollerlujah, changing the molecular chemistry of the night. We’re still brushing the atomic dust off out of our hair.

Accept the radioactivity and watch ‘em level Lemmon’s with Estevan, Potomac Accord, and I.O. Media at 9PM. $5.

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Cayetano Valenzuela licks starburst flavored colors onto canvases with the benevolence of a Lisa Frank spiral notebook. His brushwork is flimsy, his pencil work is flimsier, if not sophomoric. The whole deal is common, colorful, and a little pretentious. It’s almost like his unrefined hand lacks the know-how, or realization of its own rudimentary aesthetic. The only work that hints at formal training is Static Radio Behind the Train Tracks which incorporates acrylic under pencil to delicately maneuvers the folds of the subjects sweater. The clothing is done with such tenderness, it initially appears malleable. With that fraction excellence so confined within the bend of an elbow, Valenzuela eliminates the trivial motifs that charge Aisle 1 Gallery‘s walls. Nighttiming, halos, skulls, stiffly drawn figures are common within the work of uncommon Valenzuela. Overall, the exhibit is unimpressive, but, that minute moment of tenderness caught between the softness of a sleeve’s wrinkles, is enough of a reason to glimpse Valenzuela’s work and ponder its future.

//4//

Presented: the allegorical transformation of Anarbor's extracurricular activities.

Anarbor is, above all things, a pop-rock band. More so, they are a cooperative of five friends who have been playing music together in the badlands of Phoenix, Arizona since middle school. Rare long-term compatability aside, Anarbor also happens to be one of the most potential-ridden bands to access the mainstream in a while. When listening to their major label debut The Words You Don’t Swallow, Cheap Trick charisma, and The Kink’s knack for smirk-inducing subject matter, make for an arresting aural experience.

Lead singer and bass player, Slade Echeverria slings two syllable words like “women” (wuh-mhhhnnn’s more like it) out of his gullet with a wild west passive-aggressiveness that a secure talent can provide. He just sounds like the guy who purrs into your ear all night, then leaves the bed cold in the morning after he’s done cleaning his pistol in the sink. If a one-night-stand had a voice, it’d be Echeverria’s.

When performing live, he brings the same Jesse James-swag to his front-man position while members Mike Kitlas, Adam Juwig, and Greg Garrity comfortably handle the stage terrain like mustangs that have managed to escape the clutches of fun sucking cowhands.

Notes are hit, guitars are swung, fun is had. See Anarbor at The Firebird around 8 PM with these people and ask yourself why they aren’t the headliners.

Sunday, February 12th

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Where's the E?

I watched a lot of the documentary Hoop Dreams when I was trying to figure out whether or not I wanted to quit basketball in my Junior year of high school. The tale of two boys struggling to access the higher floors of the sporting industry was more relatable for me, an underfed-over aggressive giraffe with a daring J, than Basketball Diaries or He Got Game. Given my familiarity with the doc of Chicago players William Gates and Arthur Agee, I never thought I’d see the film’s title, a postcard for their troubles as poor, young African American men become a track for synthful- electronic act Teen Girl Fantasy.

See ‘em for $5, or free if you have the money to attend Wash U, at The Gargoyle. 8PM.

Monday, February 13th

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That poor penguin.

If being previewed in this month’s Eleven wasn’t enough,  it’s time to brace the “why” in “why you need to see” Talkdemonic.

A grind-producing hybridization of folk and electronic, Talkdemonic are a muse for a smokey-night by the pond in summer. Their live show rest lax restraint on the ambient echoes of a slow moving current towards floatation. Get a raft, lay down, mold to it in the water, and you have Talkdemonic’s loving sound.

Check ‘em with locals Navigator (I though fishes could hibernate?) at The Gramophone. 8 PM. $12.

Related posts

Thursday, February 2nd

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Is this not a fantastic photo? Golly!

Jubilee is not only a badass player in the X-Men game, but the stage name for another righteous lady coming to STL to bring a special blend of authentic hot jazz and swing music. Miss Jubilee combines playful stand-up bass with vocals that sound like they come right off your record player. Songs like “All of Me” bring energetic vocals akin to Miss Patsy Cline (think “Stupid Cupid“) with a the constant rhythmic trotting of a Hackney Pony.

See her 8 PM – 11 PM at The Schlafly Tap Room. Free, or so it seems.

Friday, February 3rd

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 The Skekses are a duo of Elly and Evan who bring the sleepy-pretty to Nashville sound. Acoustic compositions like “Mattress Truck” have the quiet composure of timeless country music without the cacophonous twang associated with contemporary songs. Just don’t ask me how to pronounce that name! Need more music? Peep their 9-track album, Collapse of an Alternate Universe here.

Also playing: Spoken Nerd (“satirical indie hip hop” = deft white man’s rhymes) and HUMDRUM. At The Schlafly Tap Room from 9 PM – midnight. Fo’ Free!

Saturday, February 4th

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Yeah, their lives shows are kinda like that...but bigger.

Bo and the Locomotive have garnered a lot of attention from STL music connoisseurs. To site a few recent instance: they make a video for STL.today’s LISTEN, their drummer Steven “interviews” Pretty Little Empire for KDHX as part of the ongoing Show Me Shows project,…oh!, and some publication I’ve never heard of called The Riverfront Times deemed their album “On My Way” as one of the best local releases of 2011. Not to mention, some of us (OKAY ME) at Eleven have this super professional propensity for getting drunk and seeing them live while simultaneously having the time of their lives…but whatever. Passionate, loud, exciting, and pretty damn talented, the group has a relatability and pervasive energy that make you feel at so at home, that you forget they’re not your house.

If you haven’t seen them live, you kinda owe it to yourself to get on the bandwagon and get down to The Firebird at 8 PM. It’s a $5 show so bring enough money for beer and celebrate The Firebird’s 3rd Anniversary with Bo and the Locomotive, Mutts, The Blind Eyes, and Sleepy Kitty.

 //2//

These team names are unreal...M-80s?! I love it!

Are you a fan of Drew Barrymore‘s feature length directorial debut, Whip It but always questioned the legitimacy of roller derby? Pontificate no more. STL’s Arch Rival Roller Girls are heading into their playoffs and demand you to come screaming and cheering for the packs of women haulin’ around a rink crackin’ skulls and scorin’ points in order to make their championship dreams come true.

See the action in Queeny Park’s Midwest Sport Hockey Rink around 7:30 PM for $15. No one said watchin’ chicks sweat and kick ass was free!

Sunday, February 5th

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I'd date Donald.

Head on over to CAM to check out Christodoulos Panayiotou‘s One Thousand and One Days exhibit. Themed on what cultural ceremonies says about a place, the exhibit of mainly black and white photographs (including some stunning full-color sunsets) explores different rituals of our domestic cultures and those foreign to us.

The photos are strikingly literal, you’ll wander around and see some familiar faces (Santa Clause, for instance), and moments of foreign tendencies that’ll make you scratch your head. A little incongruous, mostly intriguing, the photographs spark a conversation about how our cultures can relate to one other through what were commonly thought of as idiosyncratic moments of custom.

Related posts

Thursday, January 26

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In the Locals get LOUD feature of last month’s publication, we educated you on the ways of the STL LOUD crew. The LOUD Label is an extension of R&R Music Labs, a home-grown studio with its hand in the cookie jar of accessibility. Every so often they put together these compilations of unreleased music by local artists and have a release show per compilation. These local advocates have a goal to give St. Louis peeps and outsiders a taste of the music STL has to offer. Well, their latest release is up and ready to be celebrated. Look for Rum Drum Ramblers, Rev. Matt, and The LuLus can be found at Off Broadway. 7:30 PM. FREE!

Friday, January 27

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Last shows are always kind of a bummer, but at least this one brings hopes of a rekindling. Jailbox‘s Andy Tranz and Joseph Bassa have a relocation in the works, so they’ll be absent from the St. Louis music scene for a while.  Favoring “more slow songs than fast songs” (or so their FB says), tracks like “Baltimore” favor fragile guitar and a sweet vocal delivery. See ‘em at Plush. 8 PM. $5.

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I’m confused and frightened by this image.

Promising what seems like fun, “down and dirty drunken rock & roll from SPACE”, to be exact, The Browncoats‘ music certainly alludes to the extra terrestrial. “Space Age Loser” takes on Beck‘s token theme of loneliness and loser-dom and turns it into a reason( littered with grunge-inspired classic guitar riffs) to celebrate. See them at The Crack Fox with Gold Tooth and The Krank Daddies. Show 9 PM. $8.

Saturday, January 28

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I bet that thing still flies…

The enigmatic band formerly known as Ping Pong, Pillow Talk describe themselves as “noisy, weird, weird”. Good enough for me. The Winchester. Shaved Women. Black Panties.

See ‘em at Lemmons. 8:00 PM. $5.

QUICK QUESTION: Who, when they read “Black Panties”, thinks about this scene from 10 Things I Hate About You? BB JGL 4 LYFE!).

//3//

The hat and pallid epidermis seal it for me.

Our Editor Tara has been blasting Michael Franco all afternoon after interviewing venue mate Cartweel for Eleven’s blog. From what I’ve gleaned, he’s worth a look and listen. Ambient hip-hip beats under Billy Holiday vocal samples? Heck yes! Watch him work at Off Broadway (and in this video) tonight at 8:30 with Adult Fur and Cartwheel. $7.

Sunday, January 29

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Nice space, Adam!

With a unique set of pipes (think a restrained Tim McIlrath), flowing acoustic guitar, and a base of ambient tones, Adam Arcuragi is a nice reprieve from the cloying clutches of most singer-songwriters (with the exception of Drake Bell, dang it!).

See him at Cicero’s. 8PM. $8.

Related posts

When dealing with the promise of projects, the free-flow of invention, and the creative output that made the likes of Theaster Gates famous in the St. Louis community, a patron has to wonder: Who feeds the starving artist? Who is it that promotes the physical manifestation of an idea, and who is it that promotes this creativity that often leaves the wunderkind with a full stomach?

The answer for St. Louis’s creative type is SLOUP: a monthly Sunday congregation of artists, art lovers, and those who want to make art happen in St. Louis. A Sloup event consists of several applicants proposing future projects for an audience who will then vote for the winner of the night’s raised cash money. The micro-grant comes from the $10 cover that includes a dinner of soup and bread. Hence, the event’s title: Sloup.

Typically, the lot gathers around local establishments like Fort Gondo, the CAM, and Pig Slop. However, this month’s event will be held in many private locations, with a different host per locale. These locations are encouraged to explore a variety of inter-personal identities.

“In terms of talking about the open sites, it’s important, I think, to emphasize that having your own personal sloup at home with a friend is as meaningful and useful and creative as hosting an open Sloup or attending an open Sloup,” notes Sloup co-creator Maggie Ginestra.

This month’s Sloup is an opportunity to experiment with the Sloup format to gain participants. “We are hoping by having multiple dinners in the same nights will allow more populations to participate with greater ease and aid in attracting new applicants and attendees. Team Sloup is looking to grow up and out this year. Francesca Wilmott from Los Caminos is working with us now – this month seemed like the perfect time to be brave and try this experiment,” adds fellow creator, Amelia Colette Jones.

The results of their experimentation stem from the participation of the Sloup host. Each host will be able to retrieve the same array of proposals by printing what is provided on the Sloup website. The host will then invite some people over, feed them soup, collect $10 from each person in attendance, read the proposals, and cast a vote for the best idea.

Each host is responsible for creating a post-Sloup package containing (as listed on Sloup’s official blog):

**
post-Sloup packet contents
1. a list of participants & their email addresses (& any extra documentation!)
2. the recipe or story behind the soup
3. all ballots (or a tally if your Sloupers voted together)
4. $10 per ballot (or per vote in tally)
5. process notes from your Sloup based on these 7 questions:
-What drew you to hosting and what were your plans or hopes for your Sloup? How did it play out?
-Describe your Sloup’s dynamics (i.e. host/guest, dinner/proposals, etc).
-Describe the discussion and voting process regarding the artists’ proposals.
-What were some successes and challenges of hosting your Sloup? Any supreme moments, surprises, major issues, small awkwardnesses?
-Would you host a Sloup again? Why or why not? What elements would you keep or change?
-If you have attended Sloup before, compare your Sloup to others. If your hosting experience was your first Sloup, what do you now expect from future Sloups?
-After hosting a Sloup, do you have any advice for Sloup as it moves forward?
**

If you are an artist interesting in having your proposal in this month’s Sloup, e-mail a one-page of text detailing what you are making, how you’ll make it, when will you make it, what is your timeline, and what is something that you have heard or seen about making art that you have embraced to sloup2122@gmail.com. You have until the Friday before the event to submit.

And, finally, if you are interested in attending this month’s Sloup, look for host sites to be posted on the blog. Sloup’s on Sunday, January 29th from 6 PM to 8 PM.

DID YOU KNOW: January is the official international month of soup? Why not celebrate this glorious substance by becoming involved in a participating Sloup cite. Already the idea of sharing arts projects is infiltrating the world of Chesterfield and Ferguson!

Related posts

It’s a long standing musical tradition that at one time or another, bands must quit this brotherly love bull-hooey, and get busy with some serious sibling rivalry. A battle ensues, guitars get smashed, amps get broken, bottles of Jamieson get thrown, someone calls the fire department…or that’s at least how I would picture a proper Battle of the Bands. Not to say that won’t happen, but we at Eleven just hope for some good ol’ pure rawk rivalry. After all, we’re sponsors and don’t want the liability.

As for interested bands, applicants have been chosen, so you are too late to apply. Look for this battle to become annual as the prizes are substantial, enough to fix your tour van that keeps making that bizarre clinking sound every time I drive it to FOAM for a latte…

If you’re looking to go, expect a pretty high bar to be set for bands who are competing. First prize is $800, second place gets $350, with third place landing $150. Ask anyone in a band: That’s money to fight for.

Hosting the war battle is SIUE as part of a series of Campus Activity Board events. The carnage commences at 7pm, Friday, January 27th, at the MUC Meridian Ballroom.

Participating bands: The Ashland Project, The Madison Letter, Faraday, Primary Colors, Soccer Moms, The Broken Hands Band, Mouthbreaker, and Tear Down These Walls.

Related posts

Thursday, January 12th

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It must be said, that a community is nothing without collaboration. In order to let teamwork and community prevail, members of this community must work together in order to form a concrete whole. In St. Louis, we have a rather large network of musicians willing to work together and bring to our ears unique projects that illustrate the beauty and genius of STL’s brightest music minds.

Yankee Racer is the brainchild of musicians Aaron Greber and Riley Meek. Gathering multiple local artist, Greber and Meek created an album of the collaborative sounds of local musicians, many stretching with maximum dexterity in genres outside of their comfort zone to bring an interesting disparity to the tracks that comprise the album Doulogue.

Friday, January 13th

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South City has plenty of uncharted territory in terms of nightlife. Often the red-headed step child of St. Louis, South City is normally bypassed on the weekends in favor of its neighbor, Tower Grove . An underrated source of decent venues and cheap booze, South City is charming, hospitable, and a little dirtier than most would like to admit.

Invest a night visiting one of South City’s best bars, The Heavy Anchor. Known for its Hemingway meets nautical decor (completely with framed photos of the ex-patriot author), The Heavy Anchor is slowing building up steam toward becoming South City’s most venerable bar-venue. Stop in to see local indie-rock outfit, Fight for Midnight. The lead singer, Mr. Leif Johnson, has an issue with believing he’s a better singer than he actually is and ever will be, yet when he coasts within his range, and utilizes his esophagus, not nasal passages to produce sound, the band comes together with a pretty and promising sound.

Also playing are Mona Grooves and Highway Heat. Show starts at 9. $5.

//2//

Blending intelligent humor with sentimental alt-folk singer song writer aesthetics, Todd Snider effectively weaves factual tales of the Billy the Kid kinda antics of D.B. Cooper, with the realism of a frat-boy laden late night beer run.

The Portland native and Nashville based singer plays The Sheldon. 8 PM. $15 – $25.

//3//

With album tracks christened “Poop”, “Masturbate”, and “Cheetos, why the hell would you not want to check out the punk outfit called Stinkbomb? Apparently conscious of the issues plaguing uneducated modern punk-rock, Stinkbomb maintains a cantankerous and humorous approach to their lyrics’ subject matter. Never do they delve into tricky, sometimes pretentious topics like politics or corporate fuckery. Stinkbomb keeps it real. Really real. Like bowel movement real. The music carries with it a void in the realm of “noise”. Never cacophonous, always aware of rhythm and timing. Stinkbomb is an interesting band worthy of your time.

See ‘em at Fubar.  Doors at 7 PM. Free show.

Also playing: SCENE OF IRONY, GANG CONTROL, THE BASEMENT, PETCOCK, Captain DEE & THE LONG JOHNS, ALL THINGS AQUATIC, SNOOTY & THE RATFINKS, AL BUNDIE’s ARMY, LEFTOVERS, 431, and VIVISECTIDE.

Saturday, January 14th

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Pay attention to the shirt, not the melancholy expression on his little pre-pubescent face.

The Hibernauts, easy-to-shimmy shimmy shake-to indie rock, may have a peculiar marketing strategy (see the ennui victim above), but can definitely brighten up an other-wise overcast sky. Honest, bittersweet, and antagonistic lyrics manage to covet the spotlight on tracks like “People Better Than You”. While “Throwing Rice” is a colorful allusion to the musicianship starry-eyed  brit-indie pop bands like The Kooks.

Catch them at Off Broadway with Kishi Bashi. Show at 9 PM. $8/$11.

//2//

Jack Buck might make your ears bleed. But, maybe you shouldn’t be such a wuss and just handle it like a man. Coward is all instrumentals, all the time (as a voracious proponent for Fantasia, this sounds sweet to meeeee). Magic City incorporates a Leonard Cohen/Lou Reed style vocal delivery with tepid Strokes-esque arrangements for a surprisingly complete and intriguing sound.

Catch all three at The Heavy Anchor at 9 PM. $5.

 //3//

The Heartbreakers Rock and Roll Saloon might not be the most well known and it might not be where one would expect a band like Steepwater to play (I mean, how many more T&A themed bars does this world need?), but Chicago bred Americana-rock n’ roll troupe The Steepwater Band doesn’t seem to mind. After opening for the likes of The Black Crowes, Wilco, and Gov’t Mule, The Steepwater Band is in town to play a benefit show with the proceeds going to help Steve and Shaunna Eaton. Doors open at 8 PM. $5.

Sunday, January 15th

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Local psychedellic alt-indie rockers, Troubadour Dali, are getting in the swing of this residency idea that’s spreading through St. Louis. First it was So Many Dynamos at Foam. The band’s last record, Let’s Make It Right, sounded like a hybrid between a lucid version of Grandaddy and, what Scotty says is, Brian Jonestown Massacre. I agree. But, don’t take my word for it. Seriously. Do not take my word for it. Just go see them this Sunday, fo’ free at Off Broadway. Show starts at 8 PM.

Correction: Troubadour Dali’s first residency at Off Broadway was 2 years ago.

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Eleven: How did you come to find Tommy Hartung and Uri Aran?

Matthew Strauss: I first encountered Tommy’s work at the Greater New York exhibition at PS1. His film “The Ascent of Man” was something I wanted to show at White Flag and I put it in a group show called Impossible Vacation (MoMA actually just bought that film…) We started talking about a show of his work at that point. I was aware of Uri Aran’s work, but really it was Tommy’s idea to bring in Uri for a more or less collaborative show. They’ve known each other since grad school and have a very close friendship.

11: What is the theme of the exhibit?

MS: The nature of these two really great young artists’ exchange with one another.

11: Where is it you find a median between the work of Tommy Hartung and Uri Aran? Hartung is a filmmaker and Uri Aran arbitrary utilizes a vast breadth of approaches and mediums for his found sculptures. It seems like this could lead to either a disjointed exibit or an exciting experiment in the cohesion of two different mediums.

MS: They both make films, they both make objects, they help one another with their separate work… it’s really not about finding a median as much as it is about letting these two great friends and great artists try something out. It’s just about their relationship and the relationship of their work, and then my faith in them as artists.

11: In Aran’s last work, there where over 80 artists participating who effectively collaborated to create a distinct vision. Where your choices influenced at all by Aran’s participation in Commercial Break?

MS: That’s actually not my understanding of how Commercial Break was conceived if we’re thinking of the same thing- I think that was just a really disjointed bunch of videos Neville Wakefield put together for Venice that was supposed to go around with a big screen on a boat or something, right? Anyway, I don’t think those films added up to much aside from a good party in Italy. In any case I didn’t even notice Uri was in it- everyone was talking about the video with Lindsay Lohan that Richard Phillips made.

11: In reference to Tommy Hartung’s latest film, Tommy Hartung’s Budget Guide to New York, how is it that St. Louis artists could learn from Hartung’s film?

MS: That’s actually not one of his films- that’s something PBS’s Art21 did about him. I think the only thing a St. Louis artist could learn from that is that living in New York is not impossible, it’s just difficult and requires a lot more hustle and sacrifice than it does in St. Louis- but they probably already knew that.

11: Is there any local artist that you feel could make a pertinent film on how to make it in St. Louis as an artist? What aspects do you think he or she could focus on?

MS: There’s no such thing as making it as an artist in St. Louis… I mean I guess it depends a little bit on what one means by making it- an artist can survive here, make a living I guess. You can show your work and get a teaching job. But no artist is going to get work into MoMA hanging out in St. Louis. No one’s going to have Art21 following them around- for better or worse that’s just not how it works. If someone could make that film it would be pretty fucking impressive.

Thanks Matthew for clarifying the nature of Tommy Hartung’s Budget Guide to New York!

We’ll let the reader decide on the nature of the Commercial Break work. What do you think? Disjointed, cohesive, containing Aran’s work, or just plain lacking in the LiLo?

Who: White Flag Projects

What: New exhibit featuring Tommy Hartung and Uri Aran

Where: 4568 Manchester Avenue St. Louis, MO 63110

When: January 19 – February 18, 2012

Why: ‘cuz White Flag is dope and we all need to question the legitimacy of contemporary art as a reflection of our world.

Related posts

This coming Friday at the Koken Art Factory happens to be one of the most terrifyingly awesome nights of the year thus far (and for a while to come, I’d imagine) as St. Louis booty shakers Drew Digital and Get Serious combine their darks powers, giving birth to ”Glow 2 - Gore In the Dark,” a horror themed, glow-in-the-dark dance party .   As the second iteration of “Glow” to hit town, this party promises to please by highlighting some of St. Louis’ most talented DJs and producers under the same roof.  Most notably, St. Louis native and Mad Decent signee Jay Fay will be pushing out some serious moombahton rumble, while long time South side boys Sweets, Tapes and Brandon B deliver their own delicious takes on house, disco and moombah-x.  Also making a headlining appearance will be St. Louis’ prodigal son of boogie, Kool Hersh, spinning a vast collection of funk, electro, disco, house, breaks and anything and everything else you can think of.  Not to be missed for a mere  $10.  Check the facebook event here, rsvp and get ready to get your feet bloody. 

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In continuation of our Dec/Jan issue’s coverage of contemporary artist, Damon Davis, we bring you news of Davis‘s latest project, FarFetched. An independent music and art imprint, Farfetched is Davis’s brainchild comprising of forward thinking musicians, artists, and imaginative video artwork. Farfetched is celebrating its first record release, {Prologue}. A music mix comprising of the who’s who of upcoming local acts, {Prologue} is a preview of things to come. Gathering sounds from a breadth of genres, {Prologue} promises a preview that will highlight the strengths of its forward-thinking musicians whose work will be featured by Farfetched.

The acts featured will be: 18 and Counting, Adult Fur, Standing Sleep, Scriptz n Screwz, Thelonius Kryptonite, Helen Marie, Scrub, Whiteout, and Blank Generation.

FarFetched also incorporates other forms of art, such as the tactile. An example would be the installation from Matt Strom and Davis which will also be in attendance at the party.

You can catch the show, for free, January 20th. Festivities will commence within the space of 2720 (2720 Cherokee) with doors opening at 9 PM and music starting at 10 PM.

In addition to {Prologue}, FarFetched has begun a monthly musical podcast, BadTaste. Curated by a different musical mind each month, BadTaste will undoubtedly provide a curiously different aesthetic upon every listen. You can check out BadTaste‘s premier podcast by clicking on the graphic below:

Prologue Album Promo from Civil Ape on Vimeo.

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Thursday, December 15

//1//

I don’t really know where to begin with this graphic…but Black James, The Chill Dawgs, Ellen the Felon, and The Mattronome are in town!

Where: El Leñador

When:

How Much: $5

//2//

NastyNasty, Griz, Tekfro, Molecule = “Live Electronics/ Dub Step/ Bass Music“?

Um, YES PLEASE.

Where: 2720

When: 9PM

How Much: $10

//3//

CAM Night!

Laumeier‘s 2012 Composer in Residency, Eric Hall will be DJing under the pseudonymn, DJ Lil’ Daddy Reba McEntire.

Where: Contemporary Art Museum

When: 8 PM

How Much: $5

Friday, December 16

//1//

I have no idea who Dan Kelley is. His name makes me think “Used Car Salesman.”

Yet, the man can party.

Where: 2720

When: 7 PM

How Much: $10

Saturday, December 17

//1//

Need some X-mas gifts for your cronies/family/sig figs? Do go to the Old North Holiday Market. Everything from wood furniture (!!!) to jewelry will be available to buy. While you’re in the neighborhood, check out nearby shops like Closet Repeats, Poor Souls Society Art Gallery and Therapy Boutique for more options.

//2//

Let’s get real here: St. Louis is a sometimes a seriously pretty city. Part of her beauty is the brick architecture that studs homes throughout the city. Unfortunately, she’s just encrusted with the vandalism of apathetic denizens and burdened by a reputation that is in dire need of rehabilitating. Support STL by attending a screening of “Brick by Chance and Fortune“. The film centers around the history of brick-theft, neglect, and urban renewal, and the promise of a brighter future.

Trailer.

Where: The Historic Orpheum Theater at 416 North 9th Street

When: 3:30 – 6:30 PM

How Much: $10

//3//

And now, for your Saturday dose of music.

FOAM is hosting Union Tree Review, Bo and the Locomotive, Volcanoes, and The Mhurs tonight. After a full day, Foamoffers the perfect bands for a chill night accompanied by various libations.

Where: Foam Coffeehouse

When: 8 – 11 PM

How Much: No cover, but donation will be accepted.

//4//

It’s gonna be a busy night…

Ou Ou, Kid Counselor/Sean Brown and Corpse Kid at Pig Slop!

Where: Pig Slop!

When: 8 – 11PM

How Much: $5

//5//

And after that…you can “put your a$$ to work” as Bitch Please spins at El Leñador.

The femme fatales of Bitch Please are cited as, coming ‎”armed with graffiti, glitter, and a filthy collection of wax, and plastic designed to get you headed you toward a night of bad decisions fueled by Stag and dancing,”.

Sounds like a good time.

Where: El Lanador

When: 9PM – 1:30AM

How Much: FREE!

Sunday, December 18

//1//

Not content to kick it at home after a rowdy Saturday night on Cherokee? Prune, Dubb Nubb and Navigator are convening in South City for your aural pleasure (HA HA!).

Where: Lemmons

When: 6:30 PM

How Much: $5

//2// 

DJ Invisible Cola and Mike Stasny will be playing at the latest  SLOUP gathering. SLOUP is a monthly soup dinner that gives its profit to a local artist. Listen up for artist’s proposals and the opportunity to dance!

Where: Foam Coffeehouse

When: 7 – 11

How Much: $10

//3//

Fresh off signing with a major label whose name I could not recover from the abyss of internet lore, Alabama Shakes are bringing their soulful southern rock to the Old Rock House. Lead singer Brittney Howard sounds like a Janis Joplin condoning version of Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys…But better, younger, and disingenuously dangerous.

Where: The Old Rock House

When: 7 PM

How Much: $10

//4//

Karma is all parts-bookstore, gallery, publisher. They specialize in books about artists. Part of Karma’s charm is their special brand of sales. Installing pop-up stores to-and-fro, they effectively cast a capricious air to publication.

They also are shipping an enormous installation to White Flag. Multimedia neo-pop artist, Dan Colen is exhibiting his artwork in the White Flag Gallery this weekend.

Hailing from New York, this will be Colen’s first appearance in St. Louis.Part of Colen’s “Trash” series, the installation, consisting of materials varying from glass bottles to discarded posters, will hang from Thursday to Sunday.

Colen is part of an artist collective that calls, among others, photographer Ryan McGinley a member. Having been featured in a Karma pop-show himself, McGinley is most known for his voyeuristic aesthetic which utilizes stunned and stark composition of Larry Clark‘s Tulsa, to capture the naivety of his subjects who embody youthful splendor.

Colen’s work will be featured in the gallery Friday within the hours of  7-9, Saturday and Sunday from noon-5.

Where: White Flag Project, 4568 Manchester.

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