Safety Words

Where: Typo Cafe
When: 5:00 pm

Safety Words is the newest hip-hop offering from the West Side, and represents an unprecedented sound: 8-bit music straight from your favorite nintendo games, mixed with some of the best lyricism from your favorite rap records. Sure, it’s been done before, but never this authentically; there’s no gimmick here. The Battletoads pause music might just be the next Amen Break.

Safety Words – Crimingelo
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

The Skekses

Where:Firecracker Press
When: 6:00 pm

The Skekses, awesome band name aside, are a brand-spankin’ new duo with a ton of ambition and the talent to back it up. Preferring to play without microphones is one thing, but to belt vocals and still retain that bluesy kick in the pants is another altogether, and the Skekses certainly do both. Sometimes with a cello, sometimes with a melodica, sometimes with a mandolin, but always with a killer voice, The Skekses make perfect Cherokee St. shopping music.

The Skekses – Told My Momma Waltz (Live at Lemp Arts Center, Nov. 14th, 2009)

The Mhurs and HUMDRUM

Where:Foam Coffee & Beer
When: 8:00pm

HUMDRUM, who previously went by the name Hunger Artist, are a group who know no creative boundaries. Instead of attempting to describe their vast range of influences, I’m going to cop out and defer to a review of HUMDRUM’s first full-length, Individual Man, written by Eleven-ite Nelda Kerr: Read it!

As for the Mhurs — well, they are Belleville, Illinois’ best kept secret. Enjoying nearly universal acclaim in their hometown, their frequent trips to St. Louis often go unnoticed. This is quite a surprise, as their sound is difficult to ignore: the folk-rock influences of the ghosts of Belleville past reach through electric guitar hooks and wailing vocals to grab all within earshot by the scruff of their aural necks. Come down tomorrow, and help the cat get out of the bag.

HUMDRUM – Hide and Seek in the Universe
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

The Mhurs – Less Than Zero
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

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