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Hot Summer Music

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"The model that we like to use — or, at least, that I use — I use the River Splash model in this," says Levee co-booker Sam Foxman. "I was totally keyed up for a diverse schedule. People in St. Louis like that kind of programming, they like a lot of different genres.

"But it's diverse enough so people come out for three or four [of the shows]. That's what happened with River Splash, and that's what I think will happen this year." "Summer's here, the light is raising/Hopes and dragonflies/....I won't pine for what could have been — I'm preoccupied!/Summer turns to high" — R.E.M., "Summer Turns to High"

The city's favorite pastime isn't baseball, but rather complaining about what concert tours and bands don't, haven't and never will come to St. Louis. Forgotten among all this griping are all of the exciting, up-and-coming acts that do drop by — even in summer.

For some of these shows, earplugs are a must. Whip-smart grrl-punks Be Your Own Pet play Off Broadway on Monday, May 28, while Led Zeppelin-bombastic rockers Earl Greyhound drop by Lemmons on Saturday, June 9.

Highly touted and bizarrely emo-friendly, Southern-fried rockers Maylene & the Sons of Disaster perform at Pop's on Sunday, July 15, and country-punks the Blasters return to Beale on Broadway on Friday, August 3.

Thanks to Blueberry Hill's Duck Room, the caliber of singer-songwriters passing through is also high. Singer Ike Reilly lands a plum Thursday night (June 21) gig with a full band, the Assassination, in support of this year's We Belong To the Staggering Evening.

That same venue warmly welcomes back some other familiar faces: Concrete Blonde's Johnette Napolitano (Thursday, May 31) and down-home rockers Cracker (Thursday, July 5) — and some beloved cult figures. Of particular note are sad-sack indie-troubadours the National (Monday, June 11), literate folk-poet Jonatha Brooke (Wednesday, June 20) and Radiohead-meets-Jeff Buckley act Ours (Friday, June 22).

On the buzz-worthy tip are brittle, post-Kraut-punks Electrelane, who hit the Creepy Crawl on Thursday, June 7. Scottish post-punks the Cinematics and spiky dance-punks the Photo Atlas open for new-wave lamers the Bravery at Pop's on Wednesday, June 20. And neo-shoegazing rockers People Noise performs at the Lucas School House (Thursday, May 31) and the Ground Floor in Belleville (Friday, June 8).

Before heading to the metro east that same night, drop by the Pageant, where Bay Area psych-blues-rock duo Two Gallants performs before Primus-member-turned-jam-band-god Les Claypool. a

"Spending warm summer days indoors/ Writing frightening verse/To a buck-toothed girl in Luxembourg" — The Smiths, "Ask"

It always blows my mind when people say that they're bored in St. Louis. In my case, there's almost too much to do and not enough hours in the day for the bands and shows I'd like (or need) to see. Along with the regular docket of shows at normal venues, summer in St. Louis features some special events.

Ex-New Kids on the Block heartthrob Jordan Knight headlines Pridefest on Saturday, June 23 (although sorry, guys, he's married with kids). Twangy bad-boy Bobby Bare Jr. and ex-Jason and the Scorchers frontman Jason Ringenberg are confirmed for Schlaffenfest on Friday and Saturday, August 3 and 4, at the Schlafly Tap Room.

Speaking of alt-country, the eleventh-annual Twangfest snagged some quality talent this year: beloved alt-country act Centro-matic (Wednesday, June 6, at the Schlafly Tap Room), singer-songwriter Tim Easton (Thursday, June 7, at the Duck Room), power-pop legend Graham Parker (Duck Room, Friday, June 8) and power-pop underdogs the Figgs (Duck Room, Saturday, June 9).

KDHX (88.1 FM) and the Whittaker Foundation, meanwhile, will co-present the Harvest Sessions early every Saturday morning, from 10 a.m. until noon at the Tower Grove Farmers' Market. Dedicated largely to local music, the sessions will also include a kid-friendly show once a month, as well as a day devoted to international music once a month.

"We've been looking for a while now for a way to present music in a non-traditional venue, to make it more accessible to families," says KDHX radio station manager Nico Leone. "We found a great venue to present music that will enhance the atmosphere of the market and provide great exposure for local artists."

But of course, just as these markets eventually run out of seasonal fresh produce to sell, the summer concert scene wanes as the school year beckons. The only constant seems to be Gayle Foehner, who tickles the ragtime ivories outside of the Tivoli Theatre — and the RFT's windows — until well into the chilly fall.

August, though, isn't completely devoid of good shows. Touring folksy faves Jackopierce perform at the Voodoo Lounge at Harrah's Casino in Maryland Heights on Thursday, August 23. Raucous rockers the Detroit Cobras slither into the Creepy Crawl on Monday, August 27.

Pop's has already booked the Reverend Horton Heat (with ooky-spooky indie-rockers Murder by Death) for Saturday, August 18, and hard-working Chicago punks Rise Against for Tuesday, August 28.

Paul Weller, in his post-Jam band the Style Council, once sang, "I once stood proud, now I feel so small/(I don't know whether to laugh or cry)/The long hot summer just passed me by."

With this guide, here's hoping that Weller's prophecy doesn't come true.

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