Third Set Blues: The Soulard Blues Band Keeps Mondays Moving into Tuesdays, Every Week of the Year at Broadway Oyster Bar, stlmag.com, 12.28.11
The Campbell House Mysteries: The Case of the Hidden Half-Dollars: A look at a weird happening at the Campbell House. Fun piece! With pic. Published on 12.26.11.
DJ Nick Cowan is the Consummate KDHX Night Owl: A short Q/A for the Up All Night Series, with 88.1′s Nick Cowan. Published on 12.21.11.
If You’re Lucky, Buying Local Can Also Mean Buying Weird: A look at a trio of unusual, local buying options for the X-mas season. Published on 12.19.11.
An East St. Louis Overnight means Taking to Another Level: Hanging with DJ Disco-T at Another Level in East Saint. Part two of the “Up All Night” month. Originally published on 12.14.11.
The Mice That Roar: Fragile Porcelain Mice Celebrate a Milestone This Friday at Pop’s: Coverage of the last FPM show. With photo. Originally published on 12.12.12.
It’s Just Another Weekend at the Courtesy Diner on Kingshighway: As the title implies, a look at a regular late-night gathering at the landmark diner. With pic. First part of the “Up All Night’ month. Originally published on 12.7.11.
Meet Laumeier’s Composer-in Residence: Eric Hall: A chat with Hall about his appointment to Laumeier’s artistic staff. Originally published on 12.5.11.
Thanks & Giving, Vol. 5: A Different Kind of Thanksgiving: A hopelessly useless attempt to panhandle on Thanksgiving. Yup. With picture. Originally published on 11.30.11.
Weary of Black Friday (and Cyber Monday) Chrerokee Print League Holiday Sale Offers a Local, Handmade Alternative: Wow, the name says it all. Originally printed on 11.28.11.
Thanks & Giving Month, Vol. 4: Ryan Albritton’s Ambitious Adventures in Music Promotion: The studio owners discuss the STL Loud series and his R&R Sound. Originally published on 11.23.11.
The Consiglio-Zurick Show: A Multimedia One-and-Done at the Hi-Poitne: Roy Zurick’s films and John Consiglio’s music, on display together, for one night. I previewed it here. Originally published on 11.21.11.
2011 St. Louis International Film Festival: Fever Year: A review, not a positive one, of the Andrew Bird documentary/concert film. Originally published on 11.18.11.
2011 St. Louis International Film Festival: Bob and the Monster: A review of the excellent documentary of that name. Originally published on 11.18.11.
St. Louis International Film Festival: The Athlete: As noted, a review of said film, an excellent biopic of Abebe Bikila. Originally published on 11.15.11.
Some Notable Rock Reunions: MU330, Fragile Porcelain Mice, the Painkillers and More: A roundup of key rock shows in St. Louis over the holiday season. Features original photography. Originally published on 11.14.11.
Thanks & Giving Month, Vol. 3: Musician Raven Wolf Plays (and Gives) on 9th Street: That he does. He also sells CDs and I bought one. With pic. Published 11.9.11.
A Conversation with Amanda Doyle, Author of “Finally! A Locally-Produced Guidebook, By and For St. Louisans, Neighborhood by Neighborhood”: Wow, that took a second to type, but it says it all. Originally published on 11.8.11.
Thanks & Giving Month, Vol. 1: The Food Line at Occupy STL: A visit to the now-departed Occupy zone in Kiener. With pic. Published on 11.2.11.
The Top Singles in St. Louis, 2011, St. Louis Magazine print edition, 11.1.11
The Culture (and Culture Clashes) of Occupy STL: A quirky piece that kept rewriting itself as it played out. Followed a story for SLM Daily, re: the food donations program at Occupy. Features original photography. Originally published on 10.31.11.
HaikuLou, Ume. 10/27/11.
Kickboxing and MMA Trainee Donna Mattison Rises to a Fitness Challenge in a Male-Dominated Environment: Well, the header really does summarize it. Originally published on 10.27.11.
Weird and Spooky Month, Vol. 4: A Dusky Sojourn Through the City’s Old Graveyard Park, the Old St. Marcus: Part park, part graveyard, all somber. With pic. Published 10.25.11.
Let’s Do the Time Warp Again: Five Bars Stuck in a Different Day and Age: A fivesome of odd/fun/nutty STL tavern. Lots of original photography. Originally published on 10.24.11.
Weird and Spooky Month, Vol 3: Climbing the Creaky Sunridge Park Tower: Man, this was a trip. Not just to Jeff Co., but to the limits of the human imagination! Or something. With pic. Published 10.19.11.
Bunnygrunt is the House Band at El Lenador, At Least for the Month of October: The title says it all. Features original photography and video. Originally published on 10.17.11.
HaikuLou, Spindrift. 10.16.11.
HaikuLou, Dead Meadow. 10.16.11.
HaikuLou, Black Angels. 10.16.11.
Weird and Spooky Month, Vol 2.: Getting Ghoulish at The Darkness Haunted House: Most fun of the year. Just the best. Yay. With video and pic. Published on 10.12.11.
Blast Furnaces Under Route 3? Granite City’s “Art and Industry” Conference”: A fun look at some grassroots, participatory art works in Granite. Features original photography and video. Originally published on 10.10.11.
Motorcycle helmet laws separate Missouri, Illinois: An update on Illinois’ helmet law. Features original photography. Initially published on 10.9.11.
Weird and Spooky Month, Vol 1: Science Fiction and Fantasy Fans Mix and Mingle at Archon 35: What the title says. Lotsa original pics. Published on 10.5.11.
Video: Bob Cassilly v Pablo Weiss, Hoosierweight Boxing Bout, City Museum, March 22, 2003: An essay with video. Originally published 9.29.11.
Urban Exploration Month, Vol. 4: Inside North County St. Louis’ Looming Lever Soap Factory: One of my fave spots to hit, with a group or alone. Accompanied by pic and video. Published on 9.28.11.
Toy Stories: The Toy Man Toy Show Brings Back Memories… with a Price Tag Attached: A dewy-eyed look at the long-running toy show. Features original photography and video. Originally published on 9.26.11.
Urban Exploration Month, Vol. 3: Inside an Abandoned Apartment Complex on the Edge of the CWE: Didn’t mean to go there, but did. With a snap. Originally published on 9.21.11.
STL Improv Anywhere Seeks to… Well, Facilitate Improv Everywhere: A summary of the improv group’s recent projects. Originally published on 9.21.11.
HaikuLou, Viva Voce. 9.20.11.
Jazz Legend Joe McPhee Appears at the Kranzberg Theater this Saturday: A preview of the upcoming season of the NMC, featuring the season-opening show. Originally published 9.15.11.
Urban Exploration Month, Vol. 2.: Traveling the Bent Roads of Western East St. Louis: A quirky trip through the sidestreets of our region’s most unusual town. With picture. Published on 9.14.11.
Gravois Bars: They Are (And Aren’t) What You’d Expect: A roundup of various new/notable taverns on the venerable block. With original photography. Originally published on 9.12.11.
Urban Exploration Month, Vol. 1: Visiting the Ghost of Retail’s Past at the Stone Center in South City: Baby steps to start out the month of solo UE. With picture. Published on 9.7.11.
The Staycation, Part V: Hitting the Hills of the Mastodon State Historic Site: Unexpectedly enjoyable hiking. With picture. Published on 8.31.11.
Old Lights Have a New Record and a LouFest Slot: A talk with David Beeman, lead Light about his band’s mid-’11 progress. Originally published on 8.26.11.
The Staycation, Part 4: Getting Up Close with the Frontier League’s Gateway Grizzlies: Can’t say I had fun, but I’d always been curious about the team and stadium. Now I know. With original shot. Published on 8.24.11.
The Staycation, Part III: Visiting the Mother of All Illinois Monuments, the Mother Jones Monument: Took a couple decades, but finally visited. Published on 8.17.11.
Artist Explores Experience of Brain Tumor with “Life is Meant for Living”: George Malich created a video series about his life-threatening brain surgery and we checked in on the results. Originally published on 8.17.11.
Staycation Part Two: Watching Practice and Breaking the Rules at Rams Park: Almost got booted on the hottest day in the world’s history. Yikes. Original photo, but no original video, as the story indicates. Published on 8.10.11.
HaikuLou: Troubadour Dali. 8.6.11.
Review, Troubadour Dali’s “Let’s Make it Right”: Some observations about the rock band’s second disc. Originally published on 8.5.11.
The First St. Louis Staycation Visit: Hartford’s Twin Peaks and the Confluence Tower: Finally made it to the quirky overlook tower up Route 3. Worth the trip. With original shot. Initially ran on 8.3.11.
The Groove is in the Soul: The Launch of Tower Groove Records: A look at the new South Side rock collective. Originally published on 8.1.11.
Singles Club: The Union Electric Officially Releases Another 7-Inch This Weekend: A quick take on some new vinyl from the South City band. Originally published on 7.29.11.
The Barber Shop Divide: Race and the Cut in South St. Louis: Some musings on taking an African kid to an African-American barbershop for custom work. Features original video. Originally published on 7.27.11.
Brick by Chance and Fortune: A St. Louis Story Screens August 14: A conversation with Bill Streeter about his brick documentary. Originally published on 7.26.11.
A Farmer on Wheels: Brian DeSmet’s Truck Farm Takes Produce-Growing to the Streets: A neat bit of synchronicity, running into this great agricultural project. Includes some original video. First published on 7.20.11.
Overdriven: Sampling the Many Promises of Fat-Burning, Energy-Increasing Supplements: I got onto the 1DB Overdrive Fast Pack. And lived to writ about it. Originally published on 7.20.11.
Kyle Watson’s Building His Brand: Local MMA Fighter Establishes Midtown Training Center: Yup, that’s what this one’s about! With original photograph. First published on 7.23.11.
Fireworks and Boats of All Sorts Make the July 4 Scene at Lake Tishomingo: Lakeside reportage on Independence Day, via Jefferson County, MO. Originally published on 7.6.11.
South Grand Comes Alive During PrideFest: With original pics, many in number. Published 6.29.11.
The Latest Picture Show: Granite City Cinema Aims to Revitalize the City’s Downtown: A quick look at the GCC, which exists in the heart of Downtown GC. Accompanied by pic and vid. Originally published 6.26.11.
Finding Peace, Nature and a Roadside Bar at Granite City’s Horseshoe Lake: A bit of summer meandering on the Ill-side. Features original photography. Originally published on 6.22.11.
The Zen of the St. Paul: Finding Peace with a Storefront Sandwich: I’ve written about the St. Paul for virtually every medium that’s hired me, so… it was time for it to emerge in this context, especially with the find of a Facebook fan page. Includes photo. Originally published on 6.15.11.
Quick Time Movies: The 48 Hour Film Project Revisits St. Louis: This clip discusses my weekend shooting with (another) new crew as part of STL’s 48HFP. With photo. Originally published 6.8.11.
Free Dirt: The City Provides Free Mulch and People-Watching Daily: Think the title says it all. I love the City mulch pile! Originally published on 6.1.11.
HaikuLou, Loverboy. 5.28.11.
Pointfest in Review: Korn, Papa Roach and Lots of Rain: Went to the Korn show. Wrote about it. Shot some video, too. Originally published on 5.18.11.
Shingles: Warning Signs, Treatment, and What You Can Learn from Tony LaRussa: The title says it all! Originally published on 5.17.11.
HaikuLou, Korn. 5.15.11.
The Grove’s Better Block deserved better weather: The second portion of two pieces on the Better Block initiative, held at the Tour de Grove in midtown St. Louis. Accompanied by photos and connected to video. Originally published: 5.15.11.
The Grove builds a Better Block: This is the first of two pieces on the Better Block initiative in The Grove, written for the STLBeacon. This first piece previews the one-day overhaul of six buildings on the 4200 block of Manchester. Part two to follow, this weekend. Published 5.11.11.
Mouse Racing Made Easy: Worked a Derby Day party at the Royale and orchestrated some mouse races that same day. Here’s the results, featuring some video and photography. Originally published on 5.10.11.
A Sauget Sunrise: It was one of the first ideas to be filed, the notion of witnessing the sun come up over our region, from the vantage point of the Pop’s parking lot. Missed the sunrise, as I was inside people-watching. But the overall vibe was unreal. Enjoyed this. With pic. Originally published on 5.4.11.
Ringside in Red Bud: This one’s a keeper. Caught the minor league Independent Hardcore Wrestling crew in Red Bud, IL. Added pics and video. Too much fun. Originally published 4.27.11.
The Gathering of the Nerds: Crowds Gather on Record Store Day: An accounting of my DJ shift at Euclid Records’ version of RSD. Originally published on 4.20.11.
The Smoke-Filled Rooms: Three Lit-Up Illinois Bars: A Saturday afternoon jaunt to southwestern Illinois found us at three establishments that don’t exactly honor the state-wide smoking ban. Includes original photography. Originally published on 4.13.11.
Acupuncture: A Field of Pink Rabbits and Misconceptions: This time out, I interview my acupuncturist, Dr. Thomas Duckworth, who discusses the basics of acupuncture and what’s involved in the practice. Originally published on 4.6.11.
The Poor Man’s Riverfront: A look at a Sunday afternoon’s visit to the scenic River Des Peres. Features some original photography and video. Originally posted on 3.30.11.
A Walk in the Parks: Here’s a look at some urban exploration, done at the abandoned Parks College, in Cahokia, IL. Includes photos. Originally published 3.16.11.
Nato Caliph has earned Appreciation: Profile of St. Louis hip-hop artist Nato Caliph. Originally published on 3.11.11.
Behind the Lines at Hammerstone’s on Mardi Gras: Just what the name suggests, I worked the outdoor bar at 9th and Russell on Parade Day. Whee. With accompanying video and photo. Originally published on 3.9.11.
Saturday Night’s All Right for Fighting: Enjoy watching MMA fights, I do, and here’s where and when and how I watch them. Originally posted on 3.2.11.
A “Closer” Look: Behind the Scenes at the Gaslight Theatre: As the title imples, I get to hang out with the light/sound crew of the Gaslight, during a St. Louis Actors Studio performance of “Closer.” Originally published on 2.23.11.
This high school senior is ready for his soundcheck: A profile of local pop songwriter Andre Cataldo. Originally published on 2.20.11.
Dinner and a Move: Entre Underground hosts alternative dining experiences all over town and I caught up with them for a five-course Valentine’s Weekend affair. Forgot to post this! Originally published: 2.16.11.
The Cats of Clark Ave.: A look at the new Animal House, a cat shelter for the City of St. Louis. With TC photo. Originally published on 2.9.11.
ABA Basketball Hangs On: A look at the new ABA team in St. Louis, the Pioneers. With self-shot photo and video. Originally published on 2.2.11.
Sister, Sister: This feature story looks at the twin songwriters of Dubb Nubb, Hannah and Delia Rainey. Confession here: this piece has been fairly heavily-edited from the rough draft, so I’ll note that here. Still, happy to be in the pages of the magazine. Originally published in the January, 2011, edition. Added to their website in 2.1.11.
The Needle and The Tattoo Done: A look at Cheap Trx tattoo artist Jamie Toon, executing a Friday afternoon custom job. Originally published on 1.27.11.
On the 12th Day of Birkam: A 12-session-in-12-day run of Bikram yoga causes fitness and a freakout. Originally published on 1.19.11.
Sound waves brings hip-hop to the Pulitzer: A look at January’s sound waves event at the PFA. Originally published on 1.17.11.
At the Movies, Watching the Projectors, with Dick Bauer: Catching films at the Webster U. Film Series. Originally published 1.12.11.
Time Traveling to Gaslight Square: A reflection on some vintage magazines, called Near By, which detailed the Square’s rise to prominence. Originally published on 1.5.11.
Sampling Hopeville: a walk-through of the Hopeville encampment on the North Riverfront, on a very cold night. Originally published on 12.30.10.
Working the Door: A quick essay for SLM Daily on being a doorman, especially in the winter months. Originally published on 12.22.10.
Blues add to “Sound Waves” at the Pulitzer: A look at Ron Edwards’ set at the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts. Originally posted on 12.21.10.
How do you find a good laugh in this town?: A look at alternative comedy venues around St. Louis, for the Beacon. Posted on 12.15.10.
Hanging with the Hellbenders: A look inside the Zoo’s expanding hellbender exhibit. Shot with accompanying video. Posted on 12.15.10.
Post-Industrial Sightseeing: A wintry walk through the Hunter and Armour meat-packing plants in East St. Louis. My first entry in a new, weekly blog series. Took accompanying photo. Posted on 12.8.10.
Stendek leads the country in looping — the digital one-man band: Highlights STL musician and looping champ Phil Stendek, posted 12.6.10.
Lost: Wabash Triangle Cafe: Had forgotten about this piece for a bit and didn’t want it falling deeper into the digital cracks. As the name indicates, it discusses the old Wabash Triangle Cafe, a landmark in the “old” Delmar Loop. RIP, WTC. Originally published: 8.24.10.
To Remember a Madam, 52nd City, 4.08
Past Perfect: Thomas Crone on slowing down, growing up and mellowing out to mix tapes of yore, St. Louis Magazine, 2.08
The B-Team: Sunday’s Oddest Sports Program is Plenty Lively, St. Louis Magazine, 11.07
Peanuts’ Gallery: They play around with tape loops, free jazz, found sound and odd time signatures. But for the trio known as Peanuts, improvisation is the ultimate, St. Louis Magazine, 11.1.07
How Lo Can You Go?: Lo Fi STL chronicles St. Louis cultural underground one Web clip at a time, St. Louis Magazine, 9.1.07
Rock Art: Painter and musician Dana Smith finds his inspiration in rock’n’roll, 5.1.07
Fate tests the resiliency of hometown jazz legend Mae Wheeler: The classic Saint Louis jazz singer Mae Wheeler passed this week, reminding me that I’d written about her in the past. While my Sauce Magazine pieces no longer exist on the Sauce homepage, they do reside on the greater web and this is the first that I’ll try to locate and place here. Had a good run with the mag, but then the gig went away. Alas. But it did allow me a chance to meet some interesting people, ala Mae Wheeler. Originally published 4.1.07.
Five Minutes of Hell with Harley Race, 52nd City, 4.07
He’s Tricky, St. Louis Magazine, 3.1.07
Jessica Butler shows she’s more than just another pretty voice, Sauce Magazine, 2.28.07. Accompanied with photo.
A local guitar legend moves away from his hard rock past: An early piece on the band The Incurables, featuring singer/songwriter/guitarist Jimmy Griffin. Accompanied by photo. Originally published 1.1.07.
A longtime rocker checks back in with Finn’s Motel: Another Noteworthy piece on Joe Thebeau and Finn’s Motel. Originally published on 10.1.06.
Off Broadway’s new owner keeps the beer selection and chucks the old carpet: A look at the “new” Off Broadway, with owners Steve Pohlman and Kit Kellison. With photo. Originally published on 9.1.06.
St. Pete’s, 52nd City, 4.06 (w/ Franklin Jennings)