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Saturday, October 21, 2017

#TheloniusMonk Centennial 10/25-26 @JazzStLouis At The Bistro w/ @Adam_Maness #BobDeboo #MontezColeman  

The time has come to celebrate the Centennial of pianist and composer Thelonius Monk. Jazz At The Bistro is hosting four shows in honor of the jazz legend happening on Wednesday, October 25th and Thursday, October 26th. Both start at 7:30 pm and then again at 9:30 pm. For more information and for tickets visit HERE for the event details on Facebook.

The following three are premiere St. Louis jazz artists being Adam Maness (pianist,  composer), Bob Deboo (bass) and Montez Coleman  (drums) who will be playing both evenings. Adam is from The 442's, Adam Maness Trio and has worked with Erin Bode. You can find him weekly live at the "Jazz Lab" on Thursday nights. Bob Deboo leads the Bob Deboo Quartet and performs routinely in the Kasimu Tet. He performs with Matthew Vondoran and also is involved with the weekly Kranzberg Jazz Jam on Wednesday nights. Montez Coleman plays in the Adam Maness Trio and also the Kasimu Tet. The latter can be found playing weekly on Wednesday nights at The Dark Room. Montez is also known for his work with Willie Atkins and Erin Bode also. You can also find Montez at the "City Wide Jam Session" on Tuesday nights at Troy's Jazz Gallery.

Thelonius Monk is known as one of the most gifted, unique, and influential pianists & composers of the last 100 years. Thelonius Monk's music & compositions have become an integral part of the history and fabric of jazz. A forefather of modern jazz & bebop, Monk's lasting impression on the landscape of jazz is constantly felt to this day. St. Louis' premiere piano trio, led by Adam Maness, with Bob Deboo (bass) and Montez Coleman (drums) will anchor a special salute to Monk's 100th birthday!

About Thelonious Sphere Monk :

[2] (/θəˈloʊniəs/, October 10, 1917[3] – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "'Round Midnight," "Blue Monk," "Straight, No Chaser," "Ruby, My Dear," "In Walked Bud," and "Well, You Needn't." Monk is the second most-recorded jazz composer after Duke Ellington, which is particularly remarkable as Ellington composed more than a thousand pieces, whereas Monk wrote about 70.[4]

 

#AaronKamm And @theonedrops 10th Anniversary Celebration Fri. 10/27 @TheGrandelSTL

Ten years is a long time. On Friday, October 27th the reggae. blues, jam sensation Aaron Kamm & The One Drops will be performing a high energy show in celebration of their 10th Anniversary at the historic Grandel Theatre. The doors open at 8 pm and the show starts at at 9 pm. This event is 18 and up. Tickets are $12.00 in advance, $15.00 day of show. Avoid online ticket fees by going to the Fox Theatre's box office. Open 10-6 on Wednesdays and 10-2 on Saturdays. For more on the show visit HERE for facebook event page. Also appearing that night will be Crate2Crate Sound System.

- Aaron Kamm & The One Drops online:

https://theonedrops.com

- AK1 Discography online:

https://akt1d.bandcamp.com/album/feed-the-meter

https://akt1d.bandcamp.com/album/the-bomb-and-the-beast

https://akt1d.bandcamp.com/album/grow

https://akt1d.bandcamp.com/album/gnu-gnu

- Buy Feed the Meter on:

 BandCampiTunes, or Amazon MP3

- AK1 Tour Dates:

10/21, Big Muddy Brew Fest, Murphysboro, IL

10/27, 10 Year Anniversary Party Saint Louis, MO

10/28,  Rose Music Hall Columbia, MO

11/10, The Mousetrap, Indianapolis, IN

12/20, The Riot Room, Kansas City, MO

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Mississippi Nights: @gracebasement To Debut Songs Off Their New Album 10/28 @offbroadwaystl w/ @spectatorstl #Bagheera

Grace Basement has completed their latest effort "Mississippi Nights" and will be debuting some of the music live on Saturday, October 28th at Off Broadway. Sharing the stage with them will be Spectator (indie-rock, dream-pop) and Bagheera (indie-rock, experimental, punk). All three acts are from the St. Louis area. The show happens from 8:00 pm to 12:00 am. Visit HERE for the event details on Facebook. Continue on for the links to the artists on this show and for for on the upcoming album by Grace Basement, which can also be pre-ordered.

- Visit Grace Basement online:

https://gracebasement.com

https://gracebasement.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/gracebasement/

- Visit Spectator online:

http://www.spectatormusic.com/

https://spectatorstl.bandcamp.com/releases

https://www.facebook.com/Spectatorband/

- Visit Bagheera online:

http://www.bagheeramusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/bagheeramusic/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4sH0mlYE6uduTWxhoaitRL

- Grace Basement Biography:

Grace Basement, the acclaimed rock-and-roll side project of St. Louis folk musician, multi-instrumentalist and producer Kevin Buckley, will release their fourth full-length album, Mississippi Nights, in early 2018.

While the band’s previous effort, Wheel Within a Wheel (2013), saw Buckley turning inward with an intimate folk-based sound, Mississippi Nights takes a more bombastic approach inspired by the performances of his longtime rhythm section, drummer Jill Aboussie and bassist Greg Lamb.

The title refers to the atmospheric vibe of the album along with a nod to the beloved downtown St. Louis rock club which hosted untold amounts of great bands until early 2007, when it closed its doors -- and was replaced with a casino parking lot.

Mississippi Nights the album is less steeped in nostalgia and more interested in capturing the sound of everyday experiences, with each song taking on a character and narrative of its own. Ten story songs from various perspectives, united by themes of love, loss, hubris and hope with a familiar setting.

Sonically, the album explores a guitar-based rock sound accented by orchestral flourishes and chromatic swirls. In many ways, it follows in the spirit of Alex Chilton’s Big Star, and later Wilco: two bands from the heartland, in tune with British Invasion-esque melodies and a willingness to experiment. In addition, there are references to classic rock radio stalwarts like the late, great Tom Petty, Free, T. Rex and The Beach Boys, in addition to Stax-inspired soul, St. Louis natives Chuck Berry and John Hartford and '90s alternative bands including XTC, the Pixies and Pavement.

At live shows, Buckley is joined by Aboussie, Lamb, guitarist Marc Schneider and a who’s who of other area musical ringers.

A full-time musician based in St. Louis, Buckley is always on call with his fiddle and guitar, performing nearly every night of the week with a variety of bands ranging from Irish music to western swing and country. When not playing in St. Louis or around the country, Buckley can be found in his home studio, Avonmore, where he writes and records Grace Basement albums, as well as projects by other artists. 

First Songs: @anna_st_louis (KC) Native Announces New Release

Anna St. Louis announces new release for Kevin Morby's Mare Records, shares "Fire" via Stereogum and preps for album release with "288" on NPR:

STREAM: "Fire" -
Stereogum / SoundCloud

STREAM: "288" -
NPR / Spotify / Apple / SoundCloud

Despite her last name, Anna St. Louis was born and raised in Kansas City. She grew up a painter and singing in punk bands, eventually leaving her hometown to attend art school in Philadelphia. After graduating she made the move to Los Angeles where she began teaching herself guitar, writing songs and recording them on her own in her bedroom. First Songs is the sound of someone discovering their talent in real time - a peak into the collage of a wonderful mind that is absorbing their new surroundings and using new tools to put them into the room. Listening to this collection you can feel the sun coming in through the window - Anna on the foot of the bed with a guitar on her knee, finding her voice. St. Louis wears her influences well - think Patsy Cline singing over John Fahey - but has a style all her own. And while you can take the artist out of the midwest, you can't take the midwest out of the artist - so let this be known; this is Midwestern music ran through a California filter. I believe Anna will have many more releases in her lifetime, but let it all begin here - First Songs.
 
Anna St. Louis
First Songs
(Mare / Woodsist)
Street Date: Nov. 3, 2017
Pre-order: iTunes

Track List:

Wind-Up
Evermore
288
Keep Walking
Mercy
Stray
Sun
Fire

ANNA ST. LOUIS LINKS:
Bandcamp
Instagram

Clear The Way: @KevinRenick Album Release Tues. 10/24 @sheldonstl

Kevin Renick will be releasing his fifth studio album of folksy, pop-rock titled "Clear The Way" on Tuesday, October 24th at The Sheldon Concert Hall from 7:30 pm to 10:30 pm. He recently uploaded two of the new songs on Number One Music for people to stream. Visit HERE for the event details on Facebook.

https://www.kevinrenick.com

Kevin Renick's Biography:

As the closing credits rolled in Jason Reitman's 2009 Paramount Pictures release UP IN THE AIR, starring George Clooney, many moviegoers wondered who was singing that high, breathy tune about uncertainty and indecision, a now classic song also titled "Up In The Air." The correct answer: Kevin Renick, a singer/songwriter whose stirring, autobiographical tune about the unpredictable and often anxiety-producing nature of life not only caused moviegoers to stay in their seats a few extra minutes at the end of Reitman’s Oscar-nominated film, it also appeared on the offiicial soundtrack to UITA alongside contributions from artists such as CSNY and Elliott Smith.  Renick also recorded a  fresh new studio version of the song for his debut full-length CD, Close To Something Beautiful, available on CDBaby.com, amazon.com and iTunes.

The story of "Up In The Air" reads as a serendipitousalignment of stars for Renick, a St. Louis native--one that aspiring artists usually can only dream about. Renick is a passionate music lover previously known around his hometown as a freelance journalist who'd contributed countless album, film and concert reviews to publications such as Playback:STL Sauce The Riverfront Times and various online music hubs over the past three decades.  Renick’s talent as a songwriter, however, remained hidden from all except his close friends. In Fall of 2008, after an unexpected layoff from his long-standing proofreading job at a top ad agency, Renick was moved to take his secret musical dreams public. Guitar in hand, he began performing live for the first time at the tiny Grove Deli in suburban St. Louis, mainly to an audience of close friends and family members. The set lists consisted of covers by Neil Young, The Beatles, Bob Dylan and other iconic artists, as well as a handful of originals.

Only a few months later, in February 2009, Renick’s chance to meet director Jason Reitman at a college lecture provided him with the opportunity of a lifetime.  Renick handed Reitman a cassette tape featuring his original composition titled “Up in the Air” and told Reitman the story of his recent layoff.  After Reitman looked at the primitive format and wondered aloud where he would be able to listen to the cassette, Renick admits he left the encounter without a lot of expectations.  But thanks to Reitman’s unique diligence in seeking out a cassette player, the song – which echoed the movie's theme and aesthetic – would not only become the title track of Reitman's new movie, the version appearing in the film would be the same one Renick recorded in demo form, sitting on the couch in front of his old cassette recorder, specifically to give to Reitman. In Dec. 2009, Up In The Air was finally released in the U.S., with openings in other countries throughout 2010. What followed for Renick was a whirlwind of attention: appearances on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric and numerous TV programs in St. Louis; live hometown performances at the 2009 St. Louis Film Festival and the Songwriters Showcase in nearby Greenville, IL; a press junket to Japan with UITA actress Anna Kendrick co-sponsored by Paramount Pictures and American Airlines; and articles in the Washington Post, the Huffington Post , the Los Angeles Times , St. Louis Magazine , the Riverfront Times and many others. Blogs around the world upon Up In The Air 's release buzzed with Oscar talk sparking debates over why the Oscar rules (that made Renick’s song ineligible for nomination) should be changed...

Renick launched a recording career following his song’s appearance on Rhino Records' Up in the Airsoundtrack with a pair of self-released CDs: Close To Something Beautiful in 2010 and Come On Down in 2011. He also released a long-gestating ambient/spoken word collaboration with Canadian electronica artist John Sobocan, whose Eno-esque soundscapes proved the perfect complement to Renick's soft-spoken meditations on life, love and loss. That project, The Road To Olandra , was a crucial and influential stepping stone on Renick's creative journey. In late 2012, Renick released his fourth outing, Under The Wishing Tree , an ambitious song cycle that features "Ballad of the American Farmer," a song he'd been commissioned to write and record  for the upcoming James Roberson documentary about the history of American agribusiness, In the Interest of National Security .

Renick performs gigs regularly around St. Louis and neighboring cities, in both a coffee house singer-songwriter format either solo/duo, and as a 4-piece band. He has played at venues including the prestigious Sheldon Concert Hall, the Old Rock House, Blueberry Hill, Off Broadway, the Way Out Club, Vin de Set restaurant and others, and appeared as a featured performer at the Nashville Songwriter's Festival in June 2011. With Renick’s special ability to channel Neil Young, he also performs periodically in a Neil Young tribute act called Shakey Deal. And he has recorded a children's song called “Read A Book” about the joys of reading; this song was submitted to the American Library Association for consideration in their literacy campaigns. Having penned close to two hundred beautifully crafted songs, Renick has forged a singular aesthetic that captures the timeless themes of love, friendship, loss and leaving childhood behind. 

MTV called Renick's journey "one of the best true-life success stories we've heard lately." The international film magazine Empire , published in the U.K., chose Renick's "Up in the Air" song as #5 on their list of "Best Movie Songs of 2010." Renick keeps in active touch with his fans through Facebook, Reverb Nation, YouTube and other online hubs. He hopes 2017 will be a pivotal year , and is busy making lists of goals and songs needing to be finished. Both lists keep getting longer and longer... 

Indie Rockers @Schwervon 7 Inch Vinyl Release 10/20 w/ #EmmalineTwist @thebrickkcmo

Schwervon (Shawnee, Kansas) is a two-piece indie-rock band and they are releasing a 7" vinyl on Friday, October 20th at The Brick in Kansas City. Emmaline Twist (KC) is a post-punk, shoegaze group that is also on the bill and the show happens from 10:00 pm to 1:00 am. Visit HERE for the event details on Facebook. Experience the artists on this show below.

Schwervon:

http://www.schwervon.com/

Emmaline Twist:

http://www.emmalinetwist.com/

Monday, October 16, 2017

@durand_jones And The Indications w/ @TheeCommons Fri. 10/20 @AtomicCowboySTL Pavilion And The @bootlegstl

This Friday, October 20th at Atomic Cowboy Pavilion and The Bootleg is a highly anticipated show by Durand Jones And The Indications (Indiana) along with Thee Commons (California). The show goes from 8:00 pm to 1:00 am. Visit HERE for the event details on Facebook. Experience the artists music and websites below then feel free to continue on for more about the acts on this bill.

https://www.durandjonesandtheindications.com

https://www.theecommons.com

My grandma always heard me singing at home, and she said, ‘I’m gonna put your ass in the youth choir,’” remembers Durand Jones. “I was reluctant. But one day the organist could hear me in the choir, and said ‘boy I’m gonna give you a song.’ So I sang the song… the whole church just flipped out. People were running and jumping and afterwards they were giving me money and stuff. Man it was really cool. That’s when the realization came that maybe I could make something of this.”

In the fall of 2012, Durand Jones made left small-town Louisiana for the foot-hills of Indiana. Alto saxophone in tote he enrolled in the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. “Being a singer was never part of the plan,” Jones admits. But soon enough Jones found his way in front of a rowdy rock-n-roll band belting out a rambunctious rendition of “Dock Of The Bay,” to a basement full drunken undergrads. That rowdy band unfolded into the Indications – comprised of drummer, Aaron Frazer, guitarist Blake Rhein, bassman Kyle Houpt, and organist Justin Hubler.

Inspired by a handful of dusty and obscure 45s baring names like the Ethics, the Brothers of Soul, and the Icemen, the Indications set out to make a record steeped in heavy drums, blown-out vocals, and deep grooves. Gathered around a Tascam 4-track cassette recorder and a case of Miller High-Life, the group spent their Sunday evenings recording into the early hours of the morning.

Their fiery single, “Smile” caught the ear of regional record-man Terry Cole of Colemine records, who swiftly pressed up a batch of 45s. Initially a sensation among record collectors, Durand Jones & The Indications began to receive recognition from music fans of all kinds. 

When Durand Jones & The Indications debut album was released, we had no idea what the world would think,” explains Terry Cole owner of Colemine Records.  "After all, the record, albeit finely crafted, was conceived in a dingy Indiana basement on a shoestring budget of 452 dollars and 11 cents (we kept receipts). They didn't have ‘buzz.' They didn't have a following. They didn't have the measured flash of more polished operations. But as the final mixes spun off of the master reel, we knew what they did have was one remarkable soul record. To our delight, the record was a smash and their no-frills LP continues to fly off the shelves."

Easily one of the best deep soul albums we've heard in years.” – DUSTY GROOVE

“… soul music that's so much of the old school that it might as well drive a car with fins.” - MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL

"The album is beautifully produced...Jones absolutely dominates the songs with his powerful, soulful and ever-evolving voice.” - SPILL MAGAZINE

_____________________

Cosmica Artist East Los Angeles Trio Bring Their "Psychedelic Cumbia Punk" Coast To Coast. Recently, the LA Weekly had this to say about Thee Commons.

From acid and folk to tacos and Korean short rib, the tradition of melding unlikely elements is deep in the blood of this city. Thee Commons are the new musical torchbearers of this practice — a band that pull together cumbia, punk and psychedelic rock tighter than the strings on a Fender Jaguar. Frontman/guitarist David Pacheco and his brother, drummer Rene Pacheco, are inspired in part by the cumbia sounds they grew up with — music that, for all its subversive power, can't really be said to rock. Now it does. In their short tenure, Thee Commons have hosted legendary live shows, from an early album-release party at the Teragram Ballroom that ascended into chaos to the unhinged carnival that constituted their Coachella set. (From the stage, Pacheco memorably proclaimed: "East L.A. invaded Coachella, baby!") Their new album, Paleta Sonora, is a Technicolor popsicle of sound, spiked with the sly silliness that makes their shows so fun. The record takes the band even further afield sonically, into disco, space jazz, goof-rap and more. It's their best work yet. If you're still not hip, catch the band before they blow up, and let the carnival carry you away. —Chris Kissel

theecommons.com.

Since banding together in 2012, psychedelic cumbia-punk trio Thee Commons have made waves in and around their hometown of East LA.  Featuring los hermanos Pacheco and one of several lively session bassists, these romp ‘n’ rollers have managed not only to marry two unlikely genres -- world’s apart -- in perfect pastiche harmony but have also compiled a prolific catalogue of music to which they toured through the United States in an extensive 32 days, 35 shows tour in the Summer of 2016. Named #15 on LA Weekly’s “LA’s 20 Best Live Shows of 2016” outranking the likes of ELO, Bruce Springsteen and The Who, Thee Commons have created a buzz with their vivacious performances. Chris Ziegler founder of LA Record wrote about Thee Commons, “Live, they’re fearless, confident and ready to go off-script at a moment’s inspiration. It’s wild stuff, just as it absolutely should be.” To which Chris Kissel of LA Weekly further comments, “If Thee Commons aren’t the best live band in Los Angeles, they’re damn near the top.”  
 
Altogether, Thee Commons have played well over a hundred shows, gaining in the process hundreds more in fans -- those eager for something new to call their own. They have performed at several of Southern California’s prestigious venues and festivals, including Echo Park Rising, Desert Daze, Viva Pomona, The Echoplex of Echo Park, The Regent Theatre of Downtown Los Angeles, the Glasshouse of Pomona, the Roxy of West Hollywood and the Observatory of Santa Ana; have been hosted for a residency by pocho wine bar Eastside Luv of Boyle Heights -- which consisted of a weekly burlesque-dancer-entangled-affair dubbed the “Cumbia Psicodelica Cabaret”; and have opened up for such acts as Chicano Batman, Bomba Estereo, Thee Midniters and even unofficially -- by way of an impromptu guerilla-style street show -- for The Pixies.  
 
Discographically, Thee Commons’ “DIT” (do it together) hard work ethic has yielded them a debut 7inch vinyl EP paradoxically titled Sunburn at Midnight -- self-released spring 2013 -- and a fragmented compilation entitled Rock is Dead: Long Live Paper and Scissors, which is to say an 8-volume limited edition EP series, the volumes of which they released successively throughout 2014.  As of 2015, however, Rock is Dead is available, as a full-feature 20-song CD,  and as a specialty, limited edition cassette and 10-inch -- 10-song -- vinyl originally co-released by the independent O.C. label Burger Records. 2016 brought about their sophomore album “Loteria Tribal” co-released with Burger Records on CD, Cassette and limited edition Flexi Vinyl. The same year also brought about two new 7-inch vinyl’s that include their refreshing cover of Los Saico’s “Demolicion,” on Denver, Colorado’s Heavy Dose Records, and a single of “La Fiesta” an obscure swinging Mexican cover b/w a grungy cover of Selena’s “La Carcancha” on Steady Beat Records out of San Pedro, CA..
 
Looking forward, 2017 Thee Commons plan to release the ambitious 18 song junior follow up album “Paleta Sonora” out later this year. Teamed up with Cosmica Artists Management group and Monterey Int. Booking Agency, the future looks auspicious for these young and determined “chunsters” who doggedly strive to perfect their hypnotic yet invigorating act -- which includes an intertextual take on Nirvana's Love Buzz” and a punk cover of Selena’s “Baila Esta Cumbia”-- and disseminate the perfect pastiche that is psychedelic cumbia punk.

#BreakmouthAnnie @TwoHousesChi 7 Inch Split Release w/ @HospitalJob217 #HorrorSection Fri. 10/20 @sinkholestl

The time is almost here for Breakmouth Annie (STL) and Chicago, Illinois' Two Houses 7" Vinyl Split Release Show at The Sinkhole. This punk rock extravaganza is going down this Friday, October 20th from 9:00 pm to 1:00 am.
Sharing the stage with them will also be
Hospital Job (Springfield, IL.) and Horror Section (STL). Visit HERE for the event details on Facebook. The links are below to all of the acts on the bill, plus a debut from Two Houses' newest EP courtesy of The Bad Copy.

Breakmouth Annie (STL):

https://breakmouthannie.bandcamp.com/album/breakmouth-annie-two-houses-7-split

Two Houses (Chicago, IL.):

https://twohouses.bandcamp.com/

Hospital Job (Springfield, IL.):

https://hospitaljob.bandcamp.com

Horror Section (STL):

https://horrorsection.bandcamp.com/



Sunday, October 15, 2017

Free: Ancient Greek Music w/ Ensemble De Organographia Thurs. 10/19 @Wustlmusic @560MusicCenter

This Thursday, October 19th at 7:30 pm is a free discussion and performance on Ancient Greek Music by Ensemble De Organographia at the Pillsbury Theatre, 560 Music Center. Visit HERE for the event details on Facebook. For the full program of the evenings selections visit HERE.

Ensemble De Organographia has presented numerous concerts, lecture-demonstrations in the U.S., Germany, Norway, Japan, Turkey, Greece, Israel, and Jordan. They have performed at the Getty Center, the Getty Villa, the Smithsonian Institution, the Cleveland Museum of Art, Oberlin Conservatory, Case Western Reserve University, the Bodrum Knights of St. John Museum in Turkey, the Amman Music Conservatory in Jordan, and the Regensburg Old Town Hall in Germany.  They have been featured on numerous radio and television programs including NPR's Millennium of Music, Performance Today, and the all-Russian Kultura's Novosti Kulturi.  They are also instrument builders whose early woodwinds are played by Piffaro, Ciaramella, and other ensembles worldwide.  Their recordings on the Pandourion label include  "Music of the Ancient Greeks" and "Music of the Ancient Sumerians, Egyptians and Greeks" ( available at http://www.northpacificmusic.com/Sumerians.html ), excerpts of which were used in a TED Talk by Michael Tilson Thomas on the history of musical notation.  They appeared in the recent movie "Buddymoon" released by Orion Pictures, and recorded music on ancient instruments for the recent remake of "Ben-Hur."