Lo-Fi Cherokee Can't Stop, Won't Stop

Photo: Glenn Hall

Bill Streeter originally began his Lo-Fi STL video series as a way to document bands in the city—and in City Museum specifically. The idea was simple: find an interesting spot (not a hard task in City Museum), do a one-shot runthrough of a song, and post the results. No editing, no trickery, just documentation.

Turns out there’s a lot of room in that idea. On April 12, Streeter and a crew of photographers are shooting Lo-Fi Cherokee, a one-day event in which they somehow propose to shoot 16 different bands in 16 separate venues along the street, as a crowd of interested observers looks on. It’s a crazy idea—but this is his third year doing it, so he must be doing something right. 

Each year Streeter has invited a host of new bands to participate, and found all new venues along the relatively short street. In 2013 Streeter opened up his own video-production storefront, Hydraulic Pictures, on Cherokee, and this year’s bands include Cherokee locals Née and Bruiser Queen, alongside some of STL’s strongest bands, including Popular Mechanics, Middle Class Fashion, Ellen The Felon, Syna So Pro, and more.

The big news, of course, is that this year’s Lo-Fi Cherokee will include a performance by Streeter’s friend Pokey LaFarge, who will be freshly back in town from a tour of New Zealand. 

This year will also feature a couple of bands from down the road, including Columbia, MO ragers The Hooten Hallers and Springfield, MO’s The Yowl. And that’s where things get particularly interesting, because it turns out, upon investigation, that The Yowl is really fuggin’ cool—as in, you should check them out immediately.  They’ll be playing Don’s Muffler Shop (of all places) at 12pm, so if you’re planning on joining in the Lo-Fi action, get there early, because this is a band you’re going to want to clap your ears on sooner rather than later. Check out their “Lips of the Apocalypse” video if you need proof, and remember, you heard it here first.

Streeter and crew welcome a crowd to witness the madness. These are some of the best bands in the city—and region, and country—attempting to pull off a day that some would say is impossible. Should you be there to see what happens? Probably. I would if I were you.  Keep your eyes peeled here and on Lo-Fi St. Louis' Facebook Page for the remaining bands to be announced!  It's worth! 

-Evan Sult

This story includes a correction from the original print version, Yowl was originally scheduled for 11am and has been corrected to 12pm in this version

Here is the schedule, as it stands.  As always, it may be subject to change on Saturday.  Additionally, while there is no charge to watch, admission to all of the shoots is not guaranteed.  

1 Ellen the Felon  - Pianos for the People (Jackson Piano) 3138 Cherokee 10:00 AM

2 SHEILA SHAHPARI - Tenth Life 3200 Cherokee 10:30 AM

3 Middle Class Fashion - Velvet Elvis 3214 Cherokee 11:00 AM

4 Bruiser Queen - Livery 3211 Cherokee 11:30 AM

5 The Yowl - Don's Muffler Shop 2923 Cherokee 12:00 PM

6 Neé - Whisk 2201 Cherokee 12:30 PM

7 Javier Mendoza - Melt 2712 Cherokee 1:30 PM

8 Hooten Hallers - Bank 3420 Iowa 2:00 PM

9 POPULAR MECHANICS - Craft Art Bar 2732 Cherokee 2:30 PM

10 Kentucky Knife Fight - Whiskey Ring 2651 Cherokee 3:00 PM

11 Cree Rider - Strange Overtones 2626 Cherokee 3:30 PM

12 Ryan Spearman - Smalls 2619 1/2 Cherokee 4:00 PM

13 Syna So Pro - Scarlet Garnet 2619 Cherokee 4:30 PM 

14 Al Holliday & The East Side Rhythm Band - Saxquest 2116 Cherokee 5:00 PM

15 The Feed - The Heirloom Room 2114 Cherokee 5:30 PM

16 Pokey LaFarge - TBD 6:00pm

American Country Superstar Toby Keith Set to Headline Summer Rocks Festival

Today in Los Angeles, ICM Partners, the company behind the "Summer Rocks" festival planned for downtown St. Louis in 2015 and beyond announced that Toby Keith would be the exclusive headliner for both weekends of the festival, each year, for the next ten years. There is also an option within the agreement for Keith to be the exclusive Country Music Superstar Performer at all events within the St. Louis City limits for the next 10 years, including any and all sporting events, Fair St. Louis, Shakespeare in the Park, the Balloon Glow, Midwest Rib Week, Ribfest America, The Great American Rib-off, The Mississippi River Rib Round Up, LouFest and all Schlafly seafood-related festivals as well as most events at the Peabody and Fox Theaters. It was also announced that Keith will be be the new Artist-in-residence at the St. Louis Symphony and will work closely with conductor David Robertson to craft the upcoming 2014-2015 season and every season until Keith decides he is bored and wants to move on. Attending the press conference were Keith (with his signature red solo cup in hand), ICM President Chris Silbermann, Mayor Francis Slay and Louie, the Blues bear-like mascot thing.

Show Preview: DRIVE BY TRUCKERS, Blitzen Trapper

photo by David McClister

Saturday, March 29

The Pageant

Alt-country darlings Drive-By Truckers are at it again. Mike Cooley and Patterson Hood keep on truckin’ even after the departure of the much revered guitarist and songwriter Jason Isbell, who is now strumming away on his own critically acclaimed solo career. After 10 studio albums, several live albums, and enough high praise from critics and fans to kill a mule, the band releases their 11th studio record this year and will embark on a new cross-country tour. 

Ever since their formation in 1996, the Georgia-based band have been hosted by a litany of record labels, while undergoing enough line-up changes to make you drop your PBR. They’ve finally landed at ATO Records, a great label for all things confederate. 

Through the traditional ups and downs of keeping their sound alive, they’ve written well and toured hard to earn the kind of following they have. The band excels at blue-collar blues and ballads, plaid-shirt roots rock and harmonies that focus on storytelling and target the more traditional southern narratives of loaded guns in dresser drawers, poker games gone awry, and mothers abandoning their sons for the comfort of wayward strangers. 

This sort of Alabama-rebel sound is boozey and brawling, easy to make friends with, but only if you buy it a drink first.  With subtle nods to the greats that came before them, like young Tom Petty or Jay Farrarr, who traditionally do this genre better than most, the Drive-By Truckers stand apart from all of them. Just a band of hard-working guys, rocking and rolling their wheels as far as the whiskey can carry them. 

Blitzen Trapper opens the show and deals a similar southern-hand with a bit more groove and funk, an ace or two up their sleeves. 

by Kevin Korinek

(Almost) Eleven Questions with Phantogram

By Thomas Crone

First, a little bit of inside baseball: there are phone interviews that come off to perfection. Others fall into the “just okay” camp, to one degree of another. A smaller group, well, you’d love to have the experience back. For me, it was simply too tempting to speak to the principal members of Phantogram, guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Josh Carter and vocalist/keyboardist Sarah Barthel. But to get the phone chat, I had to grab an interview slot that was a bit too close for comfort to the start time for a class of mine. Taking the interview after all, I arrived at school a few minutes late, pushing the interview even further into pre-class prep time.

My rattled state was almost a for-sure thing during our brief conversation, which Barthel and Carter soldiered through despite my fragile state. In the questions, I bounced around some legit topics, but we never fully discussed the group’s newest album, Voices. Luckily, for Eleven readers, Jack Probst ably tackles that job in the current, March issue of the print edition, calling it “an album full of hooks and hits that will garner more attention for the band this year and for many to come.”

Having really enjoyed the band’s debut, Eyelid Movies, I knew they were sharply attuned to bringing smart, visually appealing, evocative videos to life and that’s where we started the conversation. (In fact, go check out “When I’m Small” and “Mouthful of Diamonds” just as soon as you’ve finished reading this.) We didn’t get to the eleventh question, but got as close as some weird circumstances allowed.

1. How involved are you in the creation and visioning of your videos?

For us every aspect is important and Phantogram is a very visual band. We spend a lot of time collaborating with the director, the producer, to make sure the the concept is followed through upon. We’re very visual artists and when it comes to writing music, the visual are also very important to us.

2. Is the process of video creation a labor for you, or a joy?

It’s more of the idea and concept that we get into before the shoot. That’s what’s important to us. We leave it the hand of the director after that, in order for them to refine the idea.

3. Can you give a sense of your embrace of the EP format?

We’d been busy touring so much that we just didn’t have the time to put out a full-length. I will say in the future that we’ll be putting out EPs constantly. It’s a good way to fans to keep up with us. It’s good for the fans and for us, its keeps everyone interested. In this day-and-age, everything seems so disposable with the internet and downloading, it’s better to put things out more frequently. Digital singles and EPs, something to keep everybody happy.

4. At the risk of ignorance, I haven’t been able to find this info. Will this be your first appearance in St. Louis?

No, we played LouFest a few years ago. And we played The Firebird - is that a club there? - about three years ago. So it’s been awhile.

5. Do you ever get sense of towns’ individuality when your tour?

Yes and no. It depends on the day, of course. We just started touring in a bus. So we can finally see something other than a green room when we show up in a city. We’ve spent a lot of time touring in cars and vans. You go to bed, pack up for the show, get up and drive. Hopefully, you make it in time for load-in, for soundcheck. You try to eat, sleep and play. That’s the thing of touring with busses. You can see cities, you can see a little bit of the nightlife. Before now, we haven’t had a lot of chance to hang out in St. Louis, but we hope to.

6. What cities have adopted you over time?

As far as playing different cities, a lot of smaller markets are fun to play. Fans there are less-jaded and super-excited to see some live music. Bands don’t come around as frequently as in New York or Chicago. Most of the smaller markets are fun. There’s a real feeling of energy.

7. How often do you play festival dates? You have a lot to play this year?

Yeah, for sure. Sasquatch has been announced, another one in Atlanta, too. There’ll be a couple more.

8. What’s the feeling of playing those dates, form a performer’s perspective?

Just playing in front of a large audience is always fun. There’s a really cool vibe playing festivals, since people are so excited about being there. It’s more like a big party, in a way. It’s great to hang out with other bands and see them backstage, catch up with lots of people that we’re friends with.

9. Immediately following this interview, I’m teaching a class, with a large number of audio students, most of whom see themselves working in the music industry in a couple of years. What advice should I pass along to them?

Yeah, I would say that if you want to do it, do it all the way. Don’t half-ass it. In our case, music was our only option, it’s what we really believe in and what we wanted to do. If you really want to do it, don’t let anything stop you.

Phantogram play The Pageant on Tuesday, April 8.

Album Review: Lambchop Nixon (reissue)

Merge Records

This year, Merge Records is celebrating their 25th anniversary with a 45 subscription series, a 25k race, and a reissue of a classic Merge album every month. Considering Merge’s back catalog, that’s a pretty fantastic way to get acquainted, or reacquainted, with some of the best music of the last 20 years. 

Kicking off the reissue series is Lambchop’s Nixon, originally released in 2000 and a diamond in the rough that has never been pressed to wax. It’s not the most obvious choice; Lambchop has never been one of the label’s more popular bands. They have a solid fan base overseas, and are highly lauded, legendary even, at indie record stores in their Nashville hometown and around the country. But Merge’s method has always been to release great records, whether they sell millions or hundreds, and they’ve stood by the perpetually underrated Lambchop since the beginning.

Nixon is the band’s fifth album, and a great entry point into the band’s catalog. Never a band with strict membership policies, by this point in their career Lambchop was rolling 14 members deep, filling in songs with lush strings, horns, slide guitar, banjo, and whatever else they could catch hold of. As the band kept ballooning, the original alt-country sound they started from began to absorb whole new genres and influences. It could have been a mess, but it’s not: Nixon’s arrangement feels classic and complete, while still being all over the place.

Lead singer/guitarist Kurt Wagner’s voice is generally low and calm, like he’s sitting next to you singing a lullaby, complementing the mellow arrangements on tracks like opener “The Old Gold Shoe” and “Nashville Parent.” Verse after verse of smart lyrics give a little wink and smile with their cleverness. Echoes of funk and soul, as well as Wagner’s rarely used, strange falsetto, pop up on “Grumpus” and “What Else Could It Be,” while a gospel choir help make “Up with People” a grand spectacle, and the pinnacle song of the band’s long career. 

Over the course of the record, things start off sedately enough, and the narrative threads wind toward a happy peak. But that’s just the middle of the album—a point made more apparent in the vinyl’s two-sided incarnation than on the original CD—and the album slides southward from there, eventually ending in the darkest of places. It’s laid out perfectly that way, with ups and downs feeling like you’re floating in a sea where things are starting to get worse. Jack Probst

Album Review: Superchunk, Indoor Living (reissue)

Merge Records

For those of us who were around but not actually listening to Merge records in the ‘90s, Superchunk existed as kind of an urban legend. You might see the bespectacled David Cross on Mr. Show with Bob and David wearing a Superchunk shirt but, this being life before the internet,  you’d have no clue what it meant. I’ll admit that was my experience with the band until 2011’s Majesty Shredding—their ninth—made me track down their back catalog. 

The new reissue version of 1997’s Indoor Living is manna from the musical heavens. Contrasted with The Laughter Guns, an EP released in 1996, this version of ‘Chunk is far less punk-driven and more expansive. There are also elements that weren’t there on older Superchunk albums, like the piano that shows up on the excellent yet somber “Under Our Feet.” 

But what’s more apparent now is the existential angst of the lyrics, dealing with love lost and hearts destroyed. On “Unbelievable Things,” lead character Mac McCaughan bitterly describes a relationship between “a queen with several kings / and I, a bird without wings,” and deep cut “Every Single Instinct” burns with resentment.  On the technical side, yes, much of Superchunk’s signature, ear-bleeding guitar work remains, on tracks like “Burn Last Sunday,” where a jangly riff builds inexorably to a mountain of noise—but you can also more clearly hear the low end, as John Wurster wrestles a coherent drum phrase out of thin air on “Nu Bruises,” and Laura Ballance provides “The Popular Music” with graceful bass. 

Especially entertaining in the reissued edition of Indoor Living is the appended live disc, Clambakes Vol 8: We’d Like to Thank the Homecoming Committee – Live at Duke 1997. It’s a great encapsulation of the band’s live show at the time, which was nearly as cuttingly funny as the band was tight.  Jason Robinson

Album Review: Ellen The Felon And The Mattronome, Bang Bang Bang

 

Self Release

Ellen Cook, quite simply, is a woman born during the wrong time: Bang Bang Bang should have been the punk album of the Big Band era.

Ellen The Felon And The Mattronome’s debut album defies any specific genre in the best way possible. Starting strong with “Crazy Psycho” and “Where the Heart Is,” the album really hits its stride by third track “Chaos,” where the band sounds like they could’ve backed Miles Davis during the Birth of the Cool sessions. Drummer Matthew Reyland and saxophonist Dave Farver are on fire, Cook’s lyrics flow like Beat poetry, and the music evokes images of Gaslight Square in the ‘60s on a long-gone Friday night.

Songs like “Cross Marketing” and “Party Girl” showcase Cook’s masterful arrangements. From the start, “Cross Marketing” feels like the love child of Frank Zappa and Amanda Palmer, and “Party Girl”’s tender shuffling introduction gives way to a delicious melody that sets up a chorus part riot grrrl and part cabaret.

Bang Bang Bang sounds fresh and exciting, like a band giving everything it has while having the most fun possible. From the poppiness of “Crazy Psycho” to the cha-cha melody of “Oh Timothy” or the weirdness of closing track “Temple,” glimpses of the band’s source material flash by. Cook’s voice is in top form from start to finish, Reyland and violinist Abbie Steiling are the perfect complement to Cook’s piano, and this might just be the classiest, campiest and most vulgar album of 2013. Rev. Daniel W. Wright