Catch them on Saturday, with Adult Fur and Michael Franco at Off Broadway.

11: So tell me how the band came together?

RB: Jason and I started playing together when we started dating.

JK: In sort of different forms, Rachel, Jon, and I have been playing together close to two and half years.

KC: I started playing with them in December [2011].

11: Tell me about your shared musical influences and how you bring those influences together in Cartwheel.

RB: Jason and I listen to a lot of Wilco together.

JK: I’d say my biggest influence personally is Lou Reed, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Pavement. I like the sort of poppy brashness of that style now. Mix that with Rachel’s style which is a little more lax and smooth. We try to mix those together in interesting ways. We try to keep it poppy but also highlight what Rachel does well I think, which is everything. (laughs)

KC: I think when I came into it, I wasn’t really pulling from any direct source of inspiration, any sort of band, or artist. It was just more the overarching genre. Kind of going for the indie pop sort of sound. I definitely do keep in mind the juxtaposition of the softness that Rachel brings and the beautiful melodies overtop against some more interesting, harsher backbeats.

RB: I like slow songwriters but I really like the idea of rock and roll too.

JH: It’s some combination of Feist and Spoon. Rachel’s voice with a little more driving rhythms and melodies.

11: So what does the name Cartwheel signify?

JK: I think it’s trying to be playful, right? I mean at the end of the day we play music because it’s fun. Am I going to get rich by playing music?

RB: I don’t think anyone’s getting rich by playing music now (laughs).

JK: We take our music seriously, but not too seriously. I think the trick is finding the right balance of we’re having fun playing and listening to other people and being a part of the St. Louis scene. You do a Cartwheel when you’re having fun right? We try to stick to that.

11: What effect do you feel that St. Louis as a city has on your music and also what effect do you have on St. Louis’s music scene?

RB: I feel like St. Louis has a really cool music scene. St Louis is known for blues and jazz. I feel like that’s part of the roots. There’s some alt-country stuff going on now. I feel like we bring a lot more indie pop to that. More rock and roll. I love the culture of St. Louis. I love the South City bars. I love that we can go and see a band in St. Louis that we actually, really like.

JK: There’s a lot of good Americana in this city. I think that what we’re seeing, at least from the band’s, a few of our friends we play with is the poppy, fun stuff which I think has its place. It has been kind of left behind the last five to ten years here in the city. I grew up around the St. Louis area and we all went to school around here. I think we’re even on the verge of bringing that scene up to snuff, you know?

JH: St Louis is beautiful but messy and grungy at the same time. I feel like you see a lot of that in our music as well.

11: What do you feel is unique about the bands and music in St. Louis? You’ve mentioned Blues and Americana. Is there any progressive movement? What role do you think you play in it?

RB: I think St Louis is getting better all the time, not to quote the Beatles. (laughs) A couple months ago on Designsponge.com… there [was] a guide to St. Louis, and they talked about Pokey Lafarge. I think he’s brought a lot to St. Louis. I think that it’s getting there. The city itself is getting more hip, maybe that’s just because we’re just now noticing it. I feel like St. Louis is getting noticed a lot more too. <<Mr. Lafarge was also Eleven’s September/October cover!>>

KC: We have a major music festival [LouFest] now that’s largely supported by local musicians and wouldn’t be possible if we didn’t have a large pool of talented local bands to pull from. That’s awesome to see. I didn’t grow up in St. Louis and wasn’t directly involved until a few years ago, but I did notice the scene from the outside. I can remember one, maybe two bands for a while that would have a consistent, solid draw and you could really count on and you thought that they were actually going somewhere. Now there’s two handfuls. There’s three shows a week going on that I’d like to go to. There’s tons of local bands right now that are doing really well. Definitely progressing.

11: You guys combine a classic, cabaret sound with a peppier, pop vibe. How do you find performing in the St. Louis bars has affected that?

JK: I think that’s something we struggled with. Translating the cabaret aspect is difficult because we definitely have that influence in quite a bit of our music. I think the one way we’ve done that, we’ve tried to pep things up a little bit.

RB: We’re just really loud. (laughs)

JK: We went into the studio with Kit Hamon and David Beeman from Old Lights, which is actually one of my favorite bands to go see live.  They had some really good ideas on how we could really liven our songs up. I think they translate much better on the stage now. Not trying to go away from the cabaret roots, but trying to keep the energy high. We’re definitely going that direction.

RB: It’s real easy to just play jazz standards and be okay with that in St. Louis but I feel like we’re trying to do something different, more accessible.

JH: I think it’s cool. A lot more of our music is starting to feel more driving, but at the same time Rachel’s voice still holds…

KC: Still soaring with the eagles. Right above the damage happening below. (Laughs)

11: Tell me more about your recording experience. Did you guys do a lot of experimentation with Kit in the studio?

KC: Kit was awesome to work with. We definitely gave him the green light for any production ideas he had. It was a fairly live recording, we were definitely open to anything he had to say. Having a fresh set of ears on the songs is huge, and definitely on a trusted friend and musician in Kit. Touching on what we said a little earlier, we definitely were trying to liven up the songs in previous performances, and it definitely did feel a little forced. The songs were still the same but we were forcing the liveliness of it. Kit took that energy and helped us restructure some things, rewrite a couple parts that definitely brought out more energy. They were both awesome to work with, Kit and David.

RB: I feel like we did a lot of editing in the studio. A lot of sounds were maybe drawn out. We made things really count. Not that we were minimalist about it.

JK: We’re still putting on the finishing touches. There’s more  production to be done.

JH: That objective set of ears from a trusted friend is always needed.

KC: Yeah, we were sitting on some of those songs for almost two years. You kind of get set in the way, can’t imagine another way but Kit saw that. I feel like there’s a lot more space on the album too than what we had been playing previously which definitely makes each individual part more appreciated and sound better.

11: Can you guys give me details on the release you’re working on?

JK: It’s going to be five tracks. It’ll be short and sweet. Most of the songs thematically are about coming to age. It sort of sounds cliché, but all of us are recently out of school and obviously going through transitions on our own. Certainly, we’re going to embrace that. The songs embrace that. I think that theme is very human and relatable.

11: What is it you feel that makes Cartwheel stand out in this kind of girl-fronted pop arena?

RB: I feel like there’s a lot of girl-fronted bands coming out now. I feel like what makes us stand out is we’re not a “girl band” – I’m the only girl in the band. I think what makes it stand out is the rock and roll behind it. I’m not trying to be Joan Jett, I don’t play guitar very well.

KC: It doesn’t feel like it’s [Rachel’s] songs with a backing band. It feels like its all one band that [Rachel] happens to do the vocals for.

JK: If you go on Pandora and you like a girl artist, they basically group every other female artist with you which I think is unfortunate. It’s still sort of a deep rooted sexism in music.

RB: I don’t know how many times I’ve heard “You sound just like Norah Jones” and I really don’t think I do. It’s just that’s the only girl that people know that sings apparently.

JK: What I would love, is to not be considered a girl band. If we can do that, if everyone can do that, I would think we did better good overall.

11: You mentioned Rachel started as a solo performer. How has it changed with a more permanent set of band members now that you are Cartwheel?

RB: I used to write really sad and depressing songs. I went to Martha’s Vineyard [in Massachusetts] for music for a semester at school and I started playing with a band there but it wasn’t really playing with a band. I didn’t really know what that meant. I was just playing, and the band was just backing behind me. I would tell them exactly what to play and they would play it. It wasn’t until I started playing with Jason that we started writing songs together. We started really collaborating on things. I never collaborated before that. It’s changed a whole lot. I love collaborating on songs. I think they sound a lot better because you have two sets of ears listening. I don’t think that goes for everybody. If you find the right person and the right mix then it sounds really good.

11: Rachel and Jason are an engaged couple.

RB: Yeah yeah.

11: You guys share vocal duties…

JK: A little bit.

11: Do you guys ever just sit around and sing songs to each other? Do you bounce awkwardly cute musical ideas off each other?

RB: Last week we sang Dashboard Confessional songs and shouted them at the tops of our lungs. I had a friend that was coming over and she was knocking on the door, but we could not hear her because we were singing so loud.

JK: One of my favorite things to do is to take melodies from pop songs and interject things about Rachel into them. I do this so often, in fact, that sometimes I’ll be at work and I’ll start humming one of these made up songs of mine and insert Rachel’s name into it. People will look at me funny. So music is certainly a part of what we do.

RB: We like to play cover songs together too. Even when we first started dating, we would just play ‘90s songs together. It’s probably the most fun you can have with somebody, just to play random ‘90s songs and just sing your heart out.

11: Your music comes off as infinitely optimistic at times. Is this intentional? How do you feel your lyrics effect the sound of the song or vice versa?

RB: I love the lyrics. I will be really angry if the lyrics don’t match the song. Even if they don’t necessarily mean anything to anybody else, they definitely mean something to me. I have a constant theme I’m thinking about the whole time that I’m singing. It reminds me of a place.

JK: A lot of the time the way our songwriting works [is] I’ll come up with a mood or a theme. I don’t want to go too far with it. That’s always my worry. We talked about with the recording process getting too caught up on what your song should be and not letting other people decide what that should be. I much prefer a lighter mood than a darker one.

11: How does your rhythm section function? How do you work together?

KC: We like to call it the “Apollo Mission.” I use a set of vintage Apollo drums then Jon picked up a vintage Apollo bass so when the two of us plug in and go at it…

JH:  We’ll never stop.

KC: It’s the “Apollo Mission” all over again. The two really lock in a harmonious way that has never been…

JK: It’s like ground control and Major Tom!

11: How do you know how far to drive a song live without overpowering the songwriting faction of it?

JH: I just try to look for the different climax points in the song instead of having something that’s more monotone rhythm wise. I try to have a lot variation in the drive. I think that just comes with playing songs a lot and seeing what feels right.

KC: I think the longer we play the song, the more we’ve seen other ways we could do it. It’s kind of different show to show sometimes with us, which is kind of cool. That’s something in itself. Jon and I, we fill it out. We make it a little louder. We make it a little more impactful and fun to play sometimes. This is the first band I’ve been in that’s only four members, has more of a melody to it, and an actual structure so I’ve had a lot of fun actually having more space in the songs. Just kind of featuring different parts. It’s not all out all the time, it’s fairly up and down for us. We strip it down in a lot of verses, then bring it back. It’s something we’re still working on. The album is going to help us with that.

JK: One of the things that took me a long time to learn was when not to play.  I think some of my favorites, like some of them here in town they know when not to play. We’re still learning that.

11: What’s in the future for Cartwheel?

JK: I want to get this record out… and then I want to focus on sitting down and really working on some new tunes. We have a whole lot of stuff that is back-lined right now.  Maybe a short little Midwest stint.

11: What do you think is the best way to get involved in the St. Louis music scene?

RB: A lot of it has to do with talking to people after shows. Going to see local music and then talking to artists who are doing it. If you do like what they’re playing, tell them. It’s really nice to hear that. Also to hear new music and appreciate that. I also think the local radio and magazine scene do a good job at promoting local music.

JH: I feel like St. Louis is definitely a local music town. There’s always two or three shows a week that you think would be fun to go to.

KC: Just talking to people in bands and at venues after shows. I know growing up that seems kind of awkward and when I’m out of town [at a show] that seems a little awkward. Once you start talking to people in St. Louis that are in a band or they’re running a venue, they’re all just like us. Everybody’s working a day job and doing this at night. Nobody really has egos. Everybody’s cool about it. With St. Louis being so vibrant right now with music, you can look at that optimistically or pessimistically. You can look at that as everybody’s in competition and there’s all these other shows people can go to. Or, kind of the way I’ve embraced it is just make friends with everybody and everybody goes out and supports everybody else. That’s going to help things for everybody.

JK: I think one thing St. Louis has going for it is it’s a very accessible music scene. For artists and for fans too. There’s room to be both. I certainly am both. You can’t say that about every town. It’s something we should be proud of.

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Aaron Long walked on stage for his set by himself.  The crowd was not very strong yet and it was a little awkward at first.  However, his music brought us all to silence.  There was magnetism in his vocals that hypnotized the audience, but what really caught my attention were his lyrics.  It’s generally hard to concentrate on lyrics throughout an unfamiliar artist’s set but not this time.  Every word resonated in my head and made the strangers surrounding me feel more like a community, than foreign faces.  “Streetlight Prophecies” made me want to grab a cup of coffee and pick Long’s brain on his life experiences and recoveries.  Suddenly, his lyrics were writing my resolution to even the tiniest problems.  Levi Weaver grabbed a couple drumsticks and snuck on stage beating out a rhythm that flowed perfectly into the acoustic guitar strumming.

Aaron Long-Tell Me

Participation in Long’s set was the perfect transition into Levi Weaver’s set.  It is not very often that I get giddy and antsy waiting for an artist to perform, but I was visibly shaking as Weaver wandered onto stage.  Weaver had the entire audience locked in on every chord change from the instant he strummed his first.  Researching his blog like the fan I am, I noticed that a pet peeve of his is when artists fill their song transition time with phrases like “This next song…” so I was paying close attention to his transition time and statements.  And I definitely noticed that without the abrupt “cliché” transitions, everything flowed very smoothly.   Weaver’s entire set felt more like a conversation with a close friend, where their story is so intriguing that you can’t wait for the next word (or note, in this case).  And his wonderful voice is a soothing mix of raspy and flowing.  The first time I witnessed Weaver’s talents, it was when he opened for Imogen Heap in 2006 (more about that in the interview following), and it was the first time I had seen someone dominate a loop pedal.  Specifically, his grace and subtlety in integrating it into a Radiohead cover of Idioteque.  And yet, this time, as if it was entirely unexpected, his ability to track each loop under the pressure of an audience blew my mind.

Levi Weaver- The Letters of Dr. Kurt Gödel

Next up was Dots Not Feathers.  I must say, I was a bit confused by the full-band finale, but I was not disappointed.  If I had not known better, I would have sworn the band was a super group.  Each band member is obviously a respected, vital piece in the mix.  Everything from the multiple vocalists, to the banjo, to the harmonica, to the keys expressed fine technique.  This was clearly a group of mature musicians who wanted the audience to enjoy music as much as they did.  Their energy was unimaginably contagious and even when I tried to stand stationary; I found that it was impossible.  The vibrato and clean harmonizing in the vocals complimented the technical instrumentals perfectly.  There were a few instances where it felt like the drums and female vocals were a bit overpowering, but besides that, they were a very fitting conclusion to the beautiful songs that previewed them.  Be sure to check them out at The Firebird on November 4, opening for Elsinore and Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin.

Realistically, this concert rejuvenated my passion for music, both local and national.  I heard my all-time favorite Radiohead cover, found a new “favorite” in Aaron Long, and a new respect for local musicians, Dots Not Feathers.  And all the while, I was witnessing it with a group of varying ages that came together to enjoy solid talent reflected thru two Nashvillians (as Long referred to them) and five local, passionate musicians.

Interview with Levi Weaver:

11: The first time we saw you was at the Imogen Heap tour in 2006.  Was that your first national tour?

Levi Weaver: It was…  Usually you have to work your way up to something like that and kill yourself for 10 years doing stuff like this.  But then you get the big break & then that happens.  But for me, it was quite the opposite.  Like, I had been doing my own thing for about a year.  And in 2006, I won a Myspace contest to open for her in Birmingham, England, which is where I lived.  And she really liked it and asked me to come on tour with her and play guitar for her during her set, and I got to open for her doing my own…  I didn’t know what I was doing and I totally mismanaged it from a music business standpoint, and kind of killed the momentum that I had…  I wish I had known then what I know now.

11: I thought your “Art Series” was a great way to get connected to your fans.  Was that the original purpose?

LW: It was.  Some of it to connect with fans and some of it to just promote some artists that I like.  I thought it would be cool because it’s a concept album, anyway… I tried not to let them hear the whole album.  I only wanted them to listen to that one song.  Because a lot of times, what I think happens is in a concept album, people get so sold out to the idea of a concept that the songs suffer because they’re like “no, this has to connect into the concept.”  And the songs don’t stand-alone once you hear the whole album.  I can appreciate that but I wanted each of the songs, with the exception of the 4 narratives, to stand-alone.  So, I said, “I want this song to be it’s own thing.  Can you do a piece of art for this song?” And then people would ask me “Well what are the other artists doing?” “No, you do what this song inspires.  Don’t worry about what the other people are doing.”  And I got some pretty cool stuff.  I was excited about how it turned out and it was good for me to keep that in the back of my mind.  Like, “don’t let it be such a concept album”- because sometimes people just like a song. And they just want to hear that song and they don’t care about the concept album.  I wish they did, but you have to recognize that they won’t always.

11: And how many tours have you been on since the first with Imogen in 2006?

LW: This will be the ninth in 5 years.

11: I noticed that you struggle with being told that you’re “talented,” whenever you see what “talent” is viewed as by the general public.  I was wondering if you have any advice for other artists that struggle with similar ideas?

LW: Not yet.  I’m still working through it.  You see people –I’m not gonna name names because I don’t want to be rude- but you see people that are… you just that someone would “Simon Cowell” them a little bit.  You don’t have to be rude about it but someone needs to tell them “this is not what you’re cut out to do.”  Some of those people are so sincere and such hard workers and you wish that they were good because they’re likeable people.  And then, at the end of the night, all their friends come up and either their friends don’t know what is good or they’re just being nice.

And then at the end of the night, it makes it really difficult for me to feel that when I get a compliment.  “Am I diluting myself and putting my family at risk by going on the road and doing this when maybe I should be doing something else? Maybe I’m that guy that everyone else that plays with is going ‘geez, such a hard worker but he needs to move on.’” Get back to me on that in a year or two and hopefully, I will have found something out.

11: Is your toddler son receiving and grasping the idea of you being gone on tour?

LW: I think so.  On that “welcome home, daddy,” sign that he made for me, (photos on his blog) there was all these sort of…things.  And what they had done was made a chain out of construction paper and each link had the name of the city I was in that night.  So every night, Heather (his wife) would take the link off and be like “okay, today daddy’s in Charlotte, NC,” and point to it on a map and show him where it is. So he maybe will kind of act out a little bit for the first few days that I’m gone and so that’s really maybe the most difficult for me.  Because not only is my wife at home taking care of him but he’s also misbehaving more when I’m away.

11: If there is one person, dead or alive, that could be in an audience that you play for, who would it be?

LW: Oh my gosh, that’s tough because a lot of great musicians- I would be so intimidated.  I don’t know that I would necessarily want to play for them.  There are guys that I would want to play with in hopes that they would take me on tour, I guess.  As far as who would be the best audience, (long pause) let’s go with King David from the Bible.  I think that would be interesting because he was like…he was definitely an artist.  He was a warrior but all the poems and stuff that he wrote, he had the artist mentality of when something went wrong, “evvverythingggg is wrong! The whole world is against me and God has forgotten my name.” I hope there’d be a translator so we could speak to each other about art and music and about writing lyrics.  I mean…he wrote Psalms.  That seems like such a Bible answer to give but of all the people in history- I wouldn’t want to play for Beethoven or Bach- “No thank you, you play, I’ll sit.”

11: What went on with the venue you were battling over to keep open?

LW: It’s the Riglea Theater. The way it started was that my wife and I were married in that theater so we went home last summer and saw that Bank of America had it under contract to buy and they were gonna tear it down and leave up the façade and build a bank. So I said (to his wife) ‘yeah, we should get some investors and maybe see if we can keep it open.’  And she said ‘yeah, that’d be really fun- we should try it.’  So we kind of just jumped in with both feet.  The more we worked, the more we thought that people really thought it was a great idea.  But, we couldn’t just buy it. It was almost like walking into an old west town and there’s this Mexican drug lord that’s terrorizing the city.  And somebody goes “Somebody should just shoot that guy” and the entire city goes, “yeah, he’s gonna shoot that guy!” All right, here we go. And so we kind of jumped into it. And it all culminated with me standing in front of the city council in Fort Worth, telling them we’ve got a business plan.  If the Bank of America backs out, we’ve got the investors to do this.  There was a lot of smear campaigns that went on- “this is all just a big publicity stunt for his music” so I just went.  I shut down my website and said, “I’m on a hiatus, Sorry. What’d ya got now?”  They’re like “Well, he’s not from here- he’s from Nashville.  He just wants to swoop in.  He’s one of those heavy metal kids (it was originally open as a metal venue). “  So I was like “Actually, my dad is a cowboy.  I still have my Texas driver’s license.  My father-in-law works right down the street.  My wife graduated from Southwest High School.  And I went to Texas Wesleyan University.  I grew up listening to Johnny Cash and Willy Nelson. Next…” Meanwhile, If I have doubts about music and I work my butt off at that, you better believe I had some doubts about if I could actually keep a theater open and renovate it and do it.  So after I appeared in front of the city Council, Bank of America, the next day, issued a statement (after pouring 100,000$ into it) that they decided it was no longer economically viable for them to pursue it and backed out.  And the entire town was happy.  But the guys that owned the company were really upset and they viewed me as the reason that their deal with Bank of America had fallen through.  Truth be told, anybody could have done that.  It wasn’t me; it was an entire city.  And so the owners issued a statement that was more or less “yeah, we’ll still sell it but not to that guy (pointing at Weaver).” So, originally, the plan was “Can we keep this from happening?” And it happened…. It’s going to be opening as a music venue.  So I can always take my son by and say “ya know, that’s where we were married, and oh, by the way, let me tell you this story about how my life revolved around that for a year.” And in the meantime though, I just let my music career die for a year.  So it’s been kind of tough to get it back up off the ground.

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See photo here.

The indie folk band from Minneapolis returned to the stage at Off Broadway to play old favorites from their debut release, “Backyard Tent Set,” and new material from their second album, “Little Wind,” released earlier this week. Great stage banter and infectious energy left the crowd dancing.

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Written by Jon Lampe

When I get back home, I won’t be the same no more. The opening lines of Handsome Furs’ third album, Sound Kapital, point to a recent change in the band’s sound since their return from tour. The married couple, Dan Boeckner and Alexei Perry, have evolved their sound a bit with each release, and this album is no different.

Plague Park and Face Control showcased Boeckner’s guitar, sometimes a resounding cascade, sometimes a muted continuity that varies just before stalling. Perry’s previously timid synthesizers command the direction of this third album; contracting beats and opalescent keyboard alternate with Boeckner’s poetic thrashing to create electropop that’s made for dancing in the sweating, heaving dark. The sound relegates the guitar work to background fills. Not to worry, the Casio claps and fervent lyricism remain unaltered. Although it sounds formulaic for a throwback to the ‘80s, the frenetic energy and pained honesty keep the sound from becoming an anachronism.

The album has interpretive political undertones coinciding with the couples’ recent tour in Burma, but there’s something more personal happening here. With the recently announced hiatus of Wolf Parade and plans for Handsome Furs to record this January, Boeckner is hurtling through some career changes. Happily, it seems. The chorus of “Memories of the Future” repeats, “Nostalgia, never meant much to me,” and “Repatriated” concludes with “I’ve seen the future, I will never be repatriated.” Whether a commitment to the new sound or a letting go of the old, Sound Kapital is an album about catalyzing and accepting change.

If you still need to be sold after “Bury Me Standing,” “Memories of the Future,” and “Repatriated,” wait for the album’s refined culmination. While some tracks (“Damage” and “Cheap Music”) seem a tenuous exploration in the new sound, “No Feeling” remains dedicated, doing everything right. The cardiac bass and clipped vocals exploring apathy, the energy here is taut and contagious. If you’re looking for something to get your skin itching and your limbs twitching, this is it.

In Boeckner’s own words, “Here comes the future, violent and bright.”

Handsome Furs will be in St. Louis, transmuting young listeners into contracting musculature on Wednesday, August 24th, at Off Broadway.

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TODAY – THURSDAY, August 11rd

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The Heavy Anchor has STL electronic punk rawkers (yes, really) Bug Chaser and Estevan, plus absolute face-melters Organized Sports from Portland and Brain Idea from Chicago. $5 for a killer 9pm show.

Latest tracks by Bug Chaser

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KDHX brings Grammy Blues Award winner John Lee Hooker, Jr., to the Gramophone. Paint the town red to these Detroit-born Delta blues.

Doors at 6:30pm, show at 7. $8 adv/$10 door.

FRIDAY, August 12th

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Awesome local acts Paper Dolls and The Reeling Gilly open for Chicago’s LUSTER at the Firebird, presented by the Loud Label and Do314. Jam out at 9pm. $8 gets you in, and an online RSVP gets you some free digital downloads from LUSTER and Paper Dolls.

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The Gramophone hosts Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band and The Stone Sugar Shakedown for a night of straight funk. If you wanna get funk’d up, go to this show. That is all.

$8 for 8pm doors/9pm show with free BBQ on the patio on a first come-first served basis.

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There’s an RFT Music Party at Off Broadway. We at Eleven have to admit: it’s gonna be rad. Kentucky Knife Fight, Bruiser Queen, Ra Cailum, and The Rats & People Motion Picture Orchestra performing an original score to Buster Keaton’s “The High Sign.” Need we say more?

$6 to get in at 8pm, show at 8:30.

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Embrace your inner (and outer, you mustachioed beast) creative by attending the Luminary Center for the Arts‘ FORM Design Show‘s VIP Preview Party. The Art Institute of Chicago’s Curator of Architecture and Design, Zoe Ryan, is keynote speaker, while silent auctions on designer wares, free food and drank, and DJ’d tunes rock your world. Duff’s, Harvest, Labeebee’s, Randall’s, and Schlafly provide the libations.

$40 buys you in. And holy frack, here’s the lineup for the weekend: http://formdesignshow.com/participants/. Clearly, FORM is doing awesome things to get STL on the design map!

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2720 Cherokee has Andrew Wyatt of Miike Snow spinning. #dancedancedance

Andrew Wyatt, while performing with Miike Sno:

SATURDAY, August 13th

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St. Louis is a music city and a river city – both influences evident at Saturday’s multiple record release parties for one of STL’s finest Americana groups, the Rum Drum Ramblers. Influenced by both punk rock and the Delta blues, the Rum Drum Ramblers, on the local Big Muddy Records label, have taken the city by storm. Their second album and first vinyl LP release Mean Scene drops on Saturday, August 13th, followed by two release shows with great music and free giveaways. Hear it first at STL’s own Vintage Vinyl at 4pm, and enjoy free Stag beer. Continue the party through the night at the Gramophone with BBQ, compliments of the venue. The Gramophone kicks off their celebration with the cookout at 6pm and Chicago’s Mississippi Gabe Carter at 7pm, followed by the Rum Drum Ramblers. The Ramblers don’t need the free booze or food to keep your attention—but who’s complaining about those perks? Cheers to a full day of music and fun the good ol’ STL way.

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Apop does it again – this weekend bringing The Men. Yes, The Men. Bad Drugs (from Chicago) and Shaved Women join them. All we can say is GO. AND. RAWK. OUT.

Shaved Women, at Apop before:

Shaved Women live @ Apop Records from Chizmo.tv on Vimeo.

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Chicago’s ever-catchy lo-fi pop rockers Animal City return to the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center. They’ll play with kazoo-clad, acoustic Walter Mitty and his Makeshift Orchestra, San Luis Obispo, CA, and St. Charles’ own Nathan Ponzar. As always, $5 gets you into this 8-11pm show. Check it out.

Animal City at the Lemp in December:

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Lola on Washington Ave has Funkin Right and Nappy DJ Needles
If the lineup alone doesn’t excite you, perhaps their Spike Lee (read: Rose Perez) -themed promo can get your body werkin’:

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BIKE RIDING. YES. Tonight, the 48th annual Moonlight Ramble and the FBC‘s 78th Full Moon Fiasco coincide. It’s will be one crazy night of wheeled shenanigans.
The Ramble starts begins at Soldier’s Memorial downtown (14th & Chestnut) at 9pm, including glow-in-the-dark tee shirts, an 18-mile route, vendors, and after-party! (Buy tickets before the price goes up by $2.50 the night of).
The Fiasco starts at 11pm at Turtle Park (Oakland & Tamm, in Forest Park by the Zoo) and goes as late as the crew can ride/yell/drink/dance.

We won’t pick favorites… but we do tend to root for the free and the late-night.

SUNDAY, August 14th

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Southern hardcore comes to the Old Rockhouse in the form of Nashville Pussy, along with veteran punks The Dwarves and local openers The Scam. You’ve seen the electric pink and yellow posters around, haven’t you? Prepare for chaos.

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Catch more Sunday night RAWK at the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center: 2 Ton Bug, Bees, We Are Empire, Carrion Decay, and Orion Pax. Word is that this show’ll be your last chance to see Orion Pax for a bit. Check it outttt.

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Now get out there, St. Louis. 

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TODAY – WEDNESDAY, August 3rd

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Local indie heroes Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three play the finale show of the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Whitaker Music Festival. The Garden opens free to the public at 5:30pm and will be chock-full of picnickers and old timey Americana folk fans. Fresh off their July release Middle of Everywhere, Pokey and company will be a delightful soundtrack to your garden exploration and lazy snacking.

Here’s their NPR Tiny Desk Concert:

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Cherokee Street’s beloved Apop Records brings the Coathangers, with Skarekrau Radio, Pink Sock, and Escalade. All we can say is: Prepare to have your face rocked off. Full details here.

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Cults and Guards play the Firebird. Cults will bring you undeniably catchy lo-fi twee to bop around to. Guards rock, a la Portugal the Man or Suckers – definitely a band to check out.

THURSDAY, August 4th

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Atlanta pranksters The Black Lips bring their shenanigans to the Firebird. Local openers Flaming Death Trap and Seattle’s Night Beats will get the mosh pits started.

Here’s Flaming Death Trap’s Stack Session at KWUR 90.3FM, St. Louis Underground Radio:

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On the folkier side, Frontier Ruckus grace The Gramophone with their banjo-laden mountain music. Perfect to sip a craft brew to.

FRIDAY, August 5th

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Screw Lollapalooza. We’ve got a show at the Gramophone with ultra-groovy Gardens and Villa, The Reeling Gilly, and Spectator. Enjoy the show for a chance to win LouFest tickets. RSVP here for free admission.

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Off Broadway brings The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, with Craft Spells. The Pains’ yummy twee jams and Craft Spells’ tasty synth tunes will feed your music cravings.

SATURDAY, August 6th

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Holy cow. Troubadour Dali throws their release show with The Blind Eyes, Ocean Rivals, and Secret Colours – new music bonanza! Troubadour Dali’s new album Let’s Make It Right kicks psychadelic-pop ass (we got it early from Euclid Records). The Blind Eyes just released their With a Bang in June, and have been playing a lot of shows to spread their ’60s pop vibes. Ocean Rivals also recently released Summer’s Dogs, in April, and their mellow guitar-heavy rock screams America. Secret Colours fits the bill, consistent with the psychadelic-tinged experimental rock of the night.

Here’s the Blind Eyes from inside one of the haning cages at the City Museum!

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See some of hip-hop’s hardest, when Tech N9ne plays Pop’s with Krizz Kaliko, Kutt Calhoun, Big Scoob, and Jay Rock. It’s undoubtedly going to be a wild show… slash dance-off?

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If you’re in the mood for a short road trip, the legendary Blue Note in Columbia celebrates 31 years with a show with emo-folk sweetheart Bright Eyes. Here’s a Connor Oberst classic:

Now get out there, St. Louis. 

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The Feed returned to the stage at Off Broadway, rocking a line-up change and new material.

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1. Red Bull Thre3style w/ DJ Who, DJ Deception, DJ D-Mega, DJ Needles, DJ A-Flex, DJ Kue, DJ Uptown, and DJ Lonnie Bee

-Where: The Old Rock House
-When: Thursday, June 9th @  10:00 PM
-How Much: $5 (21+)
-Why: Only two rules: three genres and fifteen minutes. The rest is left wide open to let the true STL party rock champion show his might and blast the dance floor the entire time. Go support our local DJs, and help choose who will rep the Lou in the national championships!

2. The Diplomats of Solid Sound w/ Hazard To Ya Booty
-Where: The Gramophone
-How Much: $7 (21+) / $10 (18+)
-When: Friday, June 10th @ 9 PM
-Why: It’s the weekend, so it’s time to let loose and get down to some slick soul from The Diplomats of Solid Sound. And, we’re “welcoming” them to the Lou, too – see the Gramophone’s site!

3. The Blind Eyes CD Release Show w/ Sleepy Kitty and The Livers
-Where: Off Broadway
-When: Saturday, June 11th @ 9 PM
-How Much: $10 (21+) / $13 (under 21)
-Why: You need to buy local power-pop mainstays The Blind Eyes’ new album as soon as possible, and this release show will be your first chance.

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Ted Leo ditched his band, the Pharmacists, for a quick stop at Off Broadway. Always bringing excellent stage banter (and an ongoing reference to KISS’ “Cold Gin”), Leo blasted through material from his past albums and ended with an a cappella rendition of a Celtic folk song.

Title Tracks (above)

The Blind Eyes (above)

Ted Leo (above)

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STL rock staples The Incurables dropped a new EP at Off Broadway, and we caught some of the action.

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