Music Showcase Schedule

Bennie Smith
The royal pantheon of blues guitar is full of Kings, but here in St. Louis, the ruler bears the more workmanlike name of Smith. Bennie Smith has been plying his trade since the 1950s; over the years he's worked with more stars, legends and great-but-obscure singers and musicians than can be named in a short paragraph. He continues to perform several times a week in local nightspots, cementing the reputation he's built as a guitarists' guitarist, the master who journeyman guitar players go out to hear on their nights off. — Dean C. Minderman
9 p.m., 609

Henry Townsend
www.stl-music.com/henrytownsend
Given that he played music back in the day with Robert Johnson and has recorded in every decade since the 1920s, Henry Townsend is a true rarity, a blues original whose ties to the music's Delta roots are direct and personal. Now a nonagenarian, the man nicknamed "The Mule" limits his performances to very special occasions these days — but as a true blues survivor, he's earned the enduring esteem of the entire St. Louis music community. (DCM)

Big George Brock
www.cathead.biz/BigGeorge.html
Singer, harmonica player and showman extraordinaire Big George Brock is enjoying something of a late-career renaissance — thanks to two recent CDs that have caught the ears of both older blues purists and younger listeners whose first exposure to blues was via the likes of R.L. Burnside and his Fat Possum labelmates. Brock's take on the music reflects his Mississippi roots, with a raucous spirit and spontaneous feel that recall the excitement of the years when the blues first became electric. (DCM)

Soulard Blues Band
www.soulardbluesband.com
Now working on its second quarter-century together, the Soulard Blues Band has had a remarkable run as one of St. Louis' most durable and popular blues acts. Fans have stuck with them through many personnel changes and stylistic shifts, and their continued patronage has always been rewarded by a fine crew of singers and players assembled by bassist and bandleader Art Dwyer. With former lead guitarist Tom Maloney now back in the fold, and former lead vocalist and one-time Blues Brother Larry Thurston returning for the occasional gig, the current edition of the band more than lives up to its hard-earned reputation. (DCM)
6 p.m., 609

Marquise Knox

Best Club DJ

DJ Kid Delicious
www.djkiddelicious.com; www.myspace.com/djkiddelicious
Mathematics is essential to being a great DJ; matching beats per minute is crucial, lest mixing become an exercise in futility. Lucky for DJ Kid Delicious, math is innately woven into her artistry. While she's particularly well-versed in progressive house, Delicious also deftly infuses tribal beats, making ululations as common as techno loops. Always upbeat without being too atmospheric, she juxtaposes sounds without jumbling elements, making for a seamless flow of danceable digs. In a world of DJs eager to mix it all, Kid Delicious shows what a little scrutiny and structure can do. — Kristyn Pomranz
9 p.m., Pin-Up Bowl

Flex Boogie
www.myspace.com/flexboogie; www.waxdj.com/djs/1177
Look no further than South Grand hotspot Urban if you're seeking soulful, funky DJ nights — at least on the weekends, when the "Soul in the City" concept brings more than a little heat to the city. Chief among the Urban DJ posse is Flex Boogie, whose mixes are perfect for working up a dancefloor sweat or chilling out after one too many martinis. Expect disco swerves and downtempo dub, hip-hop breaks tinged with jazz, and hot cuts from artists ranging from A Guy Called Gerald to Gilles Peterson in Boogie's sets. — Annie Zaleski

Mike Gow
www.djgow.com
It's a vast understatement to say that DJ Mike Gow has had a pretty good year — especially if one considers that he became the first St. Louis electronic DJ ever to release a mix CD in stores. Gow's Residents: Vol. 1 featured impressive artists such as N'dea Daveport and Joi Cardwell, but more importantly helped show the rest of the world that high-quality trance and ethereal house doesn't only originate on the coasts (or remain limited to Gow's many nights spent entertaining patrons at Miso on Meramec). (AZ)
8 p.m., Pin-Up Bowl

Adrian Fox
Cute-as-a-button Adrian Fox proudly repped for the RFT (oh, heck, all of St. Louis) at this year's Winter Music Conference in Miami, thanks to his triumphant win at our annual DJ spin-off in March. But he also shared the decks with Boy George when the latter came to town last fall, and is one of the city's best purveyors of upbeat techno, tribal house and diva-driven soul; self-proclaimed faves include Frankie Knuckles, Kevin Saunderson and Danny Tenaglia. (AZ)

Scotty Mac
www.myspace.com/djscottymac; www.puredeep.com
The grizzled vet among the nominees, Scotty Mac has been pounding the wheels of steel around town since the early 1990s and is currently often seen spinning at Oz, Atomic Cowboy and 609. His greatest asset as a DJ is diversity; the 'Mac favors, as he so eloquently puts it on MySpace, "jazz-drenched house — heavily textured with juicy elements of soul, disco, tech, garage, latin, tribal, acid, funk, dub.... from the smooth and soulful to downright jumpin n' bumpin." (AZ)

Best Electronic Act

The Bureau
www.myspace.com/thebureau
Bureau vocalist Mike Cracchiolo plays dominant basslines, the type that can devour listeners and force them to follow the rhythm's every whim. He also sings in a vulnerable baritone, recalling Martin Gore's emotional authority (but not austerity). This dapper quartet also stocks its songs with keyboard counter-melodies, stuttering drumbeats, piercing lead guitar and shadowy harmonies. The Bureau just worked on their debut full-length record, with Carl Amburn (Riddle of Steel, Russian Circles) assigned to corral their mammoth low-end rumbles onto slabs of wax. — Andrew Miller
9 p.m., Cicero's

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

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