We spend a lot of our time here at the St. Lou Jew trying to figure what to get into next. A lot of it is music, and while St. Louis has a great music legacy, St. Louis of today isn't known for being a thriving music community. Truth is, though, that if you are prepared to dive in, you'll find a rich subculture of accessible and talented musicians.
Our story starts at the Broadway Oyster Bar, a personal favorite of mine, and St. Louis Luminary Ron Gubitz. Located downtown on Broadway, the Oyster Bar prides itself on New Orleans music, food, and culture. It is home to Gumbohead and the Funky Butt Brass Band, two of the most fun NOLA style groups in the city, and Friday night, hosted a new band called Hot Carl and the Cleveland Steamers (they joked that if they add a horn section, they'll have to call it the Rusty Trombones).
Speaking with Bassist, and KDHX engineer Andy Coco after the show, I got an invite to his musicians' holiday pot-luck and jam session. A sort of mini-Mecca for a lot of the guys who 'really play music' in St. Louis, the event was a sort of dream-come-true for any fan like myself. Members of all of the aforementioned bands, plus the Dogtown Allstars, Team Relevance, and others were all present. The jam session was amazing, with every musician taking a turn, and others grabbing cowbells, shakers, and other odds and ends to fill out the sound.
The ambiance was amazing. To have so many talented and experienced musicians and their fans in one place was unbelievable. And it needs to happen more frequently.
But say you don't happen to know any of the local artists. . . where do you start?
There are a number of smaller local venues that host great music. A few to start with, other than the Oyster Bar, are (in no particular order): Beale on Broadway, BB's Jazz Blues and Soups, The Gramophone, The FireBird, The Old Rock House, Off Broadway, and The Wedge.
The Riverfront Times is a decent place to hear about local music, but what the city really needs is someone with the knowledge and passion to create a site that will keep shows up to date and help people find out more information about artists they might like. Any takers?
Read More......
Showing posts with label Off Broadway. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Off Broadway. Show all posts
Monday, November 23, 2009
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Some Independence Weekend Musings
In honor of the 3-day weekend our forefathers so graciously bestowed upon us, some thoughts on recent goings-on around St. Louis...
Nothing like the good ol' Arch to frame a fireworks display, huh? And the street fight that almost broke out in the parking lot afterwards? Icing on the cake!
Although we may not have the Hamptons, the Cape or the Bay, don't underestimate the power of the pool. Tanning, reading, sleeping, water polo, diving, drinking, eating, flirting, saw it all at the pool this weekend, and thats just to name a few.
Shout out to Pi, a new deep-dish pizza restaurant in the loop, right across from the Pageant. For all you Bay Area folk, it compares favorably to Zachary's famous deep dish. Translation, it's real good and a large will give two grown men at least two full meals. Plus they have good beer on tap and have a green (read: environmental theme) that you can't help but respect.
I love the Muny and certainly recommend everyone go there each and every week (especially in the free seats) but last week's production of High School Musical left something to be desired. Granted, the teeny-boppers who came sporting their shirts and assorted paraphernalia had a great time, but I was HSM virgin and left somewhat down on the whole scene. So it's a Grease wanna-be with lame music and less sex? Am I missing something here? (Disclaimer: I have found said bland music popping into my head without warning all week... Kinda like you think you have the plague beat and back it comes)
Laumiere Sculpture Park, check it out.
Llewyelln's Trivia Night, solid alternative to MoBot in the rain: Wednesday's, 9ish, $1 PBR pitchers.
On a related note, we're on the hunt for St. Louis' best trivia, and everyone has their favorite, so post yours in the comments and we'll hit it up!
Also a shout-out to the Pinstripes and their awesome show last night at Off-Broadway. For those of you who don't know them, they are a ska/funk/reggae/rock/punk/something of everything band out of Cincinnati, and Y?s brother is the lead singer/sax player. Hopefully they will be around St. Louis some more for you to check them out.
And Off Broadway, while not right in the middle of things, was a good/not too crowded place to check out music. Plus, they don't allow smoking in doors, which is always a plus.
Finally, the Moishe House events are up and running, with the July 4th pool party and Saturday night's Mexican-themed dinner (in honor of our friends to the South) kicking things off right. As I understand it, there will be a mix of events (some Jewish, some not), a mix of people (some Jewish, some not) and a mix of entertainments (some fun, some not... kidding!). But more than anything it's all part of the attempt to grow the Jewish community here in St. Louis, so come be a part of it.
There's a lot to do here, you just gotta find it... Luckily, you got us. Catch you soon!
Read More......
Nothing like the good ol' Arch to frame a fireworks display, huh? And the street fight that almost broke out in the parking lot afterwards? Icing on the cake!
Although we may not have the Hamptons, the Cape or the Bay, don't underestimate the power of the pool. Tanning, reading, sleeping, water polo, diving, drinking, eating, flirting, saw it all at the pool this weekend, and thats just to name a few.
Shout out to Pi, a new deep-dish pizza restaurant in the loop, right across from the Pageant. For all you Bay Area folk, it compares favorably to Zachary's famous deep dish. Translation, it's real good and a large will give two grown men at least two full meals. Plus they have good beer on tap and have a green (read: environmental theme) that you can't help but respect.
I love the Muny and certainly recommend everyone go there each and every week (especially in the free seats) but last week's production of High School Musical left something to be desired. Granted, the teeny-boppers who came sporting their shirts and assorted paraphernalia had a great time, but I was HSM virgin and left somewhat down on the whole scene. So it's a Grease wanna-be with lame music and less sex? Am I missing something here? (Disclaimer: I have found said bland music popping into my head without warning all week... Kinda like you think you have the plague beat and back it comes)
Laumiere Sculpture Park, check it out.
Llewyelln's Trivia Night, solid alternative to MoBot in the rain: Wednesday's, 9ish, $1 PBR pitchers.
On a related note, we're on the hunt for St. Louis' best trivia, and everyone has their favorite, so post yours in the comments and we'll hit it up!
Also a shout-out to the Pinstripes and their awesome show last night at Off-Broadway. For those of you who don't know them, they are a ska/funk/reggae/rock/punk/something of everything band out of Cincinnati, and Y?s brother is the lead singer/sax player. Hopefully they will be around St. Louis some more for you to check them out.
And Off Broadway, while not right in the middle of things, was a good/not too crowded place to check out music. Plus, they don't allow smoking in doors, which is always a plus.
Finally, the Moishe House events are up and running, with the July 4th pool party and Saturday night's Mexican-themed dinner (in honor of our friends to the South) kicking things off right. As I understand it, there will be a mix of events (some Jewish, some not), a mix of people (some Jewish, some not) and a mix of entertainments (some fun, some not... kidding!). But more than anything it's all part of the attempt to grow the Jewish community here in St. Louis, so come be a part of it.
There's a lot to do here, you just gotta find it... Luckily, you got us. Catch you soon!
Read More......
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