Recent Articles
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Recent Articles By Roy Kasten

  • The Campbell Brothers
    8 p.m. Friday, February 15 and 11 a.m. Saturday, February 16. Edison Theatre, 6445 Forsyth Boulevard
  • Nina Nastasia
    8:30 p.m. Saturday, February 9. The Bluebird, 2706 Olive Street.
  • Richard Thompson
    8 p.m. Monday, February 11. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Boulevard
  • Parachute Musical
    9 p.m. Friday, February 1. The Bluebird, 2706 Olive Street.
  • Giant Bear
    9 p.m. Wednesday, February 6. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue.

Recent Articles By Dean C. Minderman

  • B.B. King
    7:30 p.m. Wednesday February 13. Family Arena, 2002 Arena Parkway, St. Charles.
  • Chris Botti
    8 p.m. Friday January 18 and Saturday January 19. Touhill Performing Arts Center at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, One University Boulevard.
  • Smooth Operators
    Schoolhouse Rock's songwriter celebrates a few special birthdays in St. Louis while we pit Kenny G vs. Trans-Siberian Orchestra in a fight to the holiday death.
  • Preservation Blues

    Local niche labels keep the music coming.

  • Backstoppers Benefit
    7 p.m. Sunday November 4. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Boulevard.

Recent Articles By Andrew Miller

  • Tesla
    7 p.m. Saturday, February 16. Pop's, 1403 Mississippi Avenue, Sauget, Illinois
  • Oh, Sleeper
    6 p.m., Monday, January 7. Creepy Crawl, 3524 Washington Boulevard.
  • Light This City
    6 p.m. Monday, November 26. Pop's, 1403 Mississippi Avenue, Sauget, Illinois.
  • The Action Design
    8:30 p.m. Wednesday, November 28. Cicero's, 6691 Delmar Boulevard, University City
  • Xasthur
    Defective Epitaph

Recent Articles By Christian Schaeffer

Recent Articles By Brooke Foster

Recent Articles By Ben Westhoff

  • Being Darryl Strawberry
    Baseball's bad boy is now doing the Lord's work in O'Fallon, Missouri. How long will that last?
  • Doomsday Disciples
    Be it nuclear holocaust, quake or hurricane, St. Louis' Zombie Squad is ready for anything — even an attack from the living dead.
  • Vokal Critics
    In the cutthroat world of urban fashion, there's lies, damn lies — and sales statistics.
  • Yo! RFT Raps
    Week of February 8, 2007
  • Yo! RFT Raps
    Week of January 18, 2007

Recent Articles By Annie Zaleski

  • Sleep State
    8 p.m. Saturday, February 9. Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center, 3301 Lemp Avenue.
  • Soft
    9 p.m. Tuesday, February 12. The Bluebird, 2706 Olive Street.
  • Lloyd Dobler Effect
    9 p.m. Monday, January 14. Bluebird, 2706 Olive Street.
  • Career (Remix)
    The trials and tribulations of R. Kelly.
  • The Aviation Club
    9 p.m. Friday, January 4. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue.

Recent Articles By Malcolm Gay

Recent Articles By Kristie McClanahan

Recent Articles By Kristyn Pomranz

Recent Articles By Jaime Lees

National Features

Femme Fatality
www.myspace.com/femmefatality; www.femmefatality.net
Incorporating a new member into an established act isn't easy, especially when said band is a duo that emphasizes on-stage interplay. But Femme Fatality pulse just as hard even after replacing Octavia Leito with Hephaestion Palermo last fall. The group wrings the sweat, style and sexiness from genres such as hip-hop, new wave and electroclash; their live shows are bawdy parties that use throbbing beats as foreplay fodder and turn akimbo indie scenesters into maniacs on the floor. Femme Fatality have vanished from local bills lately, a trend that's sadly going to continue: They've announced their breakup, effective after a final show in November. (AM)

Murder Happens
www.myspace.com/murderhappens; www.murderhappens.com
With its casually homicidal moniker and propensity for gory publicity photos, Murder Happens satisfies the electro-industrial scene's bloodlust. However, the band isn't monochromatically moribund: The married couple (singer Brenda and guitarist Brian Merry) that heads this group also writes ethereal trip-hop tunes under the name Vela Uniform, and Murder Happens' sets draw from that band's repertoire (including a graceful Cure cover). Icy keyboard melodies and Brenda's delicate-chanteuse tones complement hard-crunching guitars and alternate singer Chumley's aggressive growls. (AM)

Superfun Yeah Yeah Rocketship
www.myspace.com/superfunyeahyeahrocketship
The description "computer-obsessed one-man band" conjures images of an onanistic mouse-clicking stage show that's much more entertaining for the artists than for the audience. But Corey Goodman, also known as Superfun Yeah Yeah Rocketship, simply pushes play and spazzes out, leading to sloppily compelling performances. Goodman puts his technological knowledge to smart use, decorating "Restart My Heart" with PC start-up sounds and mocking/celebrating the MySpace world with "Image Comment." A prolific perfectionist, Goodman inundates fans with new tracks while constantly tinkering with his existing material. (AM)
6 p.m., Market in the Loop Outdoor Stage

Polarized Mind
www.polarizedmind.com; www.myspace.com/polarizedmind
By nature, electronica is sharply composed music built by synthesizers, robots and other indestructible items. So it's a testament to Polarized Mind that they can make the genre so intimate and gritty. The hypnotic duo compels its audience to dance like trip-puppets strung by the music, thanks to an industrial backbone and sexy-scary lyrics. At once futuristic and frightening — and fond of propelling a bit of gothic new-wave into the electronic age — Polarized Mind provides the attitude that computers lack. (KP)

Best Funk/R&B/Soul

Coultrain
www.myspace.com/coultrainmusic
"If he isn't as famous as D'angelo or Maxwell in a couple years, the universe makes no sense at all," the RFT wrote about Coultrain in 2003. Coultrain's best-kept-secret status makes a strong case for the baffling-cosmos theory, but this socially conscious soul crooner knows that the inherent unfairness of life is no reason to abandon dreams. "The poor keep gettin' poorer/Still we rise, like a rocket in the sky," Coultrain sings on "Rocket," a track from his Echoes of Autumn mixtape. Like Stevie Wonder, Coultrain acknowledges that ghetto life is a struggle — but he still refuses to overlook the community's strength and beauty. (AM)

Isis Jones
www.myspace.com/isismustardseedjones; www.isismjones.com
Isis Jones is often heard imparting her wisdom as a DJ on both the Beat (100.3 FM) and Majic (104.9 FM). But Jones' honeyed voice sounds just as self-assured when she's performing her own creations — judging by the confidence permeating her 2005 debut, Woman Child. The CD features gentle grooves and tasteful horns that capture the nostalgic glow of neo-soul, while still nodding to the dulcet tones of modern girl-next-door divas like Ashanti. (AZ)

Kim Massie
www.kimmassie.com
Kim Massie never experienced the recording breaks earned by her better-known St. Louis soul sisters Fontella Bass and Ann Peebles — but when it comes to R&B belting, she has all the towering blues power to dominate a stage, even when she isn't grinding out her patented, super-size lap dances on unsuspecting Soulard tourists. Funk, blues, gospel, rock and jazz — genres are just fodder for her sexy growl and howl. Massie doesn't own classic covers like "Midnight Train to Georgia" or "Fever"; she crushes them. — Roy Kasten
7 p.m., 609

The FuFops
www.fufops.com; www.myspace.com/fufops
Thanks to the FuFops, it's now impossible to mention the local R&B scene without including Belleville, Illinois. The group's sound is sometimes a throwback to soul of bygone times (albeit done in a style that's unmistakably fresh), as singer-songwriter MC Angel Z's words roll in rich and smooth over addictive, funky beats. Plus, the FuFops are reaching more fans than ever, bolstered by their opening performance for Afroman early last month at Pop's. — Kristie McClanahan

LaMar Harris
www.jowilliemusic.com; www.myspace.com/lamarharris
Call it funky, call it jazzy, call it whatever you want — but LaMar Harris' seamless blend of electric guitar, horns and vocals forms an explosive combination. In his younger years, he crafted hip-hop infused with spiritual undertones — and these influences (along with brass-playing greats) are reflected today in an upfront style that's cognizant of the classics, yet all his own. Though his backup band is a rotating cast of characters, Harris is an artist whose passion is audible in his music, his life playing out in bold, brassy swaths. (KM)
8 p.m., 609

Best Garage/Rockabilly

Johnny O & the Jerks
www.geocities.com/jerkstrashabilly; www.myspace.com/johnnyoandthejerks
Johnny O & the Jerks is one of those bands that really seem to love to play. These boys will rock a house party, street festival, record store and, hell, even a music venue from time to time — all the while mixing the slow, thumping beat of the Stray Cats with the screaming glam of the Cramps to create some rocking, dirty Midwest blues. These little white boys will make you want to snap your fingers and stomp your feet while dirty-dancing to tunes about bad girls and zombie love. — Jaime Lees
9 p.m., Halo Bar

The Gentleman Callers
www.thegentlemancallers.net; www.myspace.com/thegentlemancallers
The term "garage rock" can mean a lot of things, but for the Gentleman Callers it's all about simple, gritty grooves and detached cool. Last year's Don't Say What It Is offered enough swaggering, blowzy attitude and ready-steady-go drumbeats to please any Nuggets fan. Seth Porter's wheezy organ saddles up right next to Kevin Schneider's righteous yowl, taking the listener back to the days of beat clubs and raw rock music. If there's life beyond 1966, the Gentleman Callers prefer to ignore it. — Christian Schaeffer
10 p.m., Halo Bar

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