From the Fish Fry Fest at Broadway Oyster Bar to the Stout & Oyster Festival at the Schlafly Tap Room this weekend, St. Louis has an overabundance of music on offer. Maybe part of that festive vibe can be traced to several bands passing through St. Louis on the way home from SXSW in Austin. Standouts include Chicago post-punk outfit Stuck with a free show at Platypus in the Grove on Thursday and Yves Tumor at the Old Rock House on Friday night. When it comes to COVID-19 guidelines, most venues seem to be deferring to the featured artist's preference, so precautions will vary from venue to venue — come prepared.
Stuck w/ Kids, Pink Strap
8 p.m. Thursday, March 24. Platypus, 4501 Manchester. Free. 314-448-1622.
Songwriter Greg Obis leads Chicago's Stuck through a set of elastic post-punk with the kind of honed tone and delivery that can only be achieved after years of targeted erosion. It makes sense then that Obis' day job as an engineer at Chicago Mastering Service has him analyzing and, at times, sculpting other musicians' work. The songs of Stuck feel similarly carved by the scalpels of each band member, as warbling no-wave guitars ride atop the cement-footed, bottom-heavy punk beats racing underneath. Obis provides a bellowing voice that weaves between howling calls to action and pointed spoken word, yet the unifying feature is in the urgent, semi-anxious tone imbued throughout. This is the kind of stuff that just can't be faked. While Stuck's 2021 release Content That Makes You Feel Good presents the band at a creative peak, 2020's excellent Change Is Bad went right under the radar, as it came only a couple weeks into COVID-19 & Chill — a time when so many of us thought the coronavirus would be around for a few months, max. Stuck hits St. Louis at the end of a two-week tour that includes a string of shows at SXSW in Austin.
Let's Go to the Mall: Speaking of the pandemic, the first virtual set I saw after the venues shut down in 2020 was a cathartic livestream from the Mall's Facebook page. Two years later and the brains behind the Mall, Mark Plant, will debut a new project at this show, dubbed Pink Strap.
—Joseph Hess
Yves Tumor
8 p.m. Friday, March 25. Old Rock House, 1200 South Seventh Street. $25 to $30. 314-588-0505.
In the video for Yves Tumor's latest single "Secrecy Is Incredibly Important to the Both of Them," the visionary singer plays several roles, ranging from a trapped and panicked punk rocker to a sleek businessperson, writhing and bloody in a spotlight. Maybe these depictions are pieces of a greater narrative, or perhaps they're references to the many hats that Sean Bowie, the brains behind Yves Tumor, has worn throughout the years. From breaking new ground in the cold wave scene in the early 2010s under the alias Teams to producing under the name Shanti for Ecco2k and Bladee, Bowie has evolved as a once-in-a-generation artist. Since Yves Tumor debuted in 2015, their upward trajectory has been slow and steady, so the genre-fluid singer's recent surge in popularity feels earned, although fans who cry "underrated" still have reason to do so. Owing to Bowie's past as a vaporwave supernova, Yves Tumor's 2021 EP The Asymptotical World feels like a surreal celebration of glam rock and post-punk through an Afrofuturistic lens. While comparisons to David Bowie will be made — painfully and obviously so — Yves Tumor has straight up name-dropped Throbbing Gristle as a major influence, which makes all the sense. Consider this show an intimate night with a musical act that will be playing on an exponentially bigger stage when, or if, they return to St. Louis.
See You In the Streets: To dive way down the wormhole of Sean Bowie and their many contemporaries and past collaborators, hit up the r/sadboys subreddit and start digging through those threads like old record store crates.
—Joseph Hess
St. Paul and the Broken Bones w/ Wyatt Waddell - Show Postponed
8 p.m. Saturday, March 26. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Boulevard. $30 to $45.
314-726-6161.
For as much as the band has accomplished in the ten years since its birth, it somehow still feels like St. Paul and the Broken Bones have yet to get their due. Perhaps that's a preposterous sentiment. After all, opening for the Rolling Stones, as the group did in Atlanta in 2015, is just about as good a sign as any that a band has made it. Add to that its numerous other accomplishments — appearances on Letterman, Colbert, Kimmel, Conan, Seth Meyers, Craig Ferguson; slots on festivals including Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza; movie and television placements on NCIS, Grey's Anatomy, ESPN, Fifty Shades of Gray and on and on — and it starts to sound like I'm arguing against my own point. But no! Where are the awards and accolades, the statues and the inductions into halls of fame? Where are the keys to all the cities? St. Paul and the Broken Bones deserves them all, with a horn-heavy Southern soul sound, anchored by the powerful pipes of singer Paul Janeway, that hearkens back to the best of Stax Records' storied catalog. The band's latest, January's Alien Coast, brings ever more disparate influences to the mix, with twinges of psychedelia and stoner metal thrown in. The result is, as the band puts it, "A fever dream in sonic form" that sees the act at the top of its game. Perhaps it's the release that will finally bring the band the national holiday it so rightly deserves.
Early Adopter: Chicago's Wyatt Waddell opens this show, bringing his unique mix of pop, funk and R&B to a St. Louis stage for the first time. As an artist on the rise, it's no doubt it will not be his last visit, but showing up on time for this one will give you much-envied scene cred.
—Daniel Hill
For more shows this week, check out our complete calendar.
THURSDAY
Array Trio: 6 p.m., free. Copperfire, 200 E Main St, Belleville, (618)235_5010.
Galactic: w/ LowDown Brass Band 8 p.m., $25-$30. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.
Jason Cooper Band: 7 p.m., $15. BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.
Molly Morgan: 7 p.m., free. Evangeline's, 512 N Euclid Ave, St. Louis, 314-367-3644.
Sarah Shewmake: 6 p.m., free. Alpha Brewing Company, 4310 Fyler Ave., St. Louis, 314-621-2337.
The Sleepy Rubies: 8 p.m., $15. Joe's Cafe, 6014 Kingsbury Ave, St. Louis.
Sports: w/ J Ember 8 p.m., $15. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.
Steven Woolley: 5 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.
Stuck: w/ Kids, Pink Strap 7 p.m., free. Platypus, 4501 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-359-2293.
FRIDAY
All That Remains: w/ Miss May I, Varials, and Tallah 6:30 p.m., $25-$50. Pop's Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720.
Andy Shauf: w/ Helena Deland 8 p.m., $25-$28. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444.
Boogiefoot: 7 p.m., free. Evangeline's, 512 N Euclid Ave, St. Louis, 314-367-3644.
Cafe Soul Open Mic with Live Band: 8 p.m., free. House of Soul St. Louis, 1204 Washington Avenue, St. Louis, 314-504-7405.
Clusterpluck: w/ Eureka Strings 10 p.m., $10. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.
Cohen: w/ Broken Youth, CMD 81 7 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.
DJ Uptown: 9 p.m., free. Platypus, 4501 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-359-2293.
Eric Slaughter Group: 10 p.m., $5-$15. The Dark Room, 3610 Grandel Square inside Grandel Theatre, St. Louis, 314-776-9550.
Freddy Vs.: w/ Puhoy, Horse Magik 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.
Ivas John Band: 7 p.m., $15. BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.
Kingdom Brothers Band: 11 p.m., $15. BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.
Meatwood Flack: 8 p.m., free. Copperfire, 200 E Main St, Belleville, (618)235_5010.
One Night of Queen: 8 p.m., $37.50. River City Casino & Hotel, 777 River City Casino Blvd., St. Louis, 314-388-7777.
Parmalee: 8 p.m., $30-$35. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.
Piano Happy Hour with Chase Garrett: 6 p.m., free. Alpha Brewing Company, 4310 Fyler Ave., St. Louis, 314-621-2337.
Raven Fox: w/ Mark Lewis 10 p.m., $5. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745.
Schlafly Stout and Oyster Festival Day 1: w/ Skeet Rodgers and the Inner City Blues Band, Funky Butt Brass Band 5 p.m., free. Schlafly Tap Room, 2100 Locust St., St. Louis, 314-241-2337.
The Soulard Stumblers: w/ Mars Sinclair 7 p.m., $8. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745.
The Rum Drum Ramblers: w/ Jake Sanders 8 p.m., $16. The Focal Point, 2720 Sutton Blvd, St. Louis, 314-560-2778.
Vibes on Vibes Tour: w/ Eric Bellinger, Sammie 8 p.m., $30-$150. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.
Yves Tumor: 8 p.m., $25/$30. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505.
SATURDAY
All Roostered Up: noon, free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.
Blacktop Mojo: 7:30 p.m., $18. Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.
The Brock Walker Band: 10 p.m., $10. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.
Brother Jefferson Band: 3 p.m., $15. BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.
Chainsaw Boyz: w/ 9volt, buyhercandy 7 p.m., $10. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444.
Couch Prints: w/ Sex Dad, Faced Out 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.
Crim Dolla Cray: 9 p.m., free. Platypus, 4501 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-359-2293.
Danger Zone Band: 7 p.m., $15. BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.
Distinguisher: w/ Mugshot, CELL, Feverdream, Hard Graves 7 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.
The Dude Abides: 8 p.m., free. Copperfire, 200 E Main St, Belleville, (618)235_5010.
Joe Bozzi Band: 7 p.m., free. Evangeline's, 512 N Euclid Ave, St. Louis, 314-367-3644.
KVtheWriter: Unplugged: 10 p.m., $15-$25. The Dark Room, 3610 Grandel Square inside Grandel Theatre, St. Louis, 314-776-9550.
Lane Narrows: 2 p.m., free. Copperfire, 200 E Main St, Belleville, (618)235_5010.
Mama Cass - The Gertrude Stein of Laurel Canyon: w/ Bob Wetzel, Carol Schmidt, Steve Schenkel, Ric Vice 7:30 p.m., $20/$25. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745.
Mobley: w/ Jesus Christ Supercar, Various Blonde 7 p.m., $15. Alpha Brewing Company, 4310 Fyler Ave., St. Louis, 314-621-2337.
Mr. Blue Sky - A Tribute to ELO: w/ Emily Wallace 8 p.m., $25. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.
Saturday Brunch with Tyler Sweitzer from the Unemployed Architects: noon, free. Evangeline's, 512 N Euclid Ave, St. Louis, 314-367-3644.
Schlafly Stout and Oyster Festival Day Two: w/ Moon Valley, Bootycoustic, The Grooveliner, Saint Boogie Brass Band, Sean Canan Voodoo Players 11 a.m., free. Schlafly Tap Room, 2100 Locust St., St. Louis, 314-241-2337.
St. Paul and The Broken Bones: w/ Wyatt Waddell 8 p.m., $30-$45. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.
We The Kingdom: w/ Matt Maher 7 p.m., $28-$48. Chaifetz Arena, 1 S. Compton Ave., St. Louis, 314-977-5000.
SUNDAY
B3 and Grooves: 2 p.m., $15. BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.
Belmont: w/ Super American, Youth Fountain, 93FeetOfSmoke 7:30 p.m., $18. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.
Ethan Jones: 2 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.
The Extra 3: 9 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.
Hot Jazz Brunch with Miss Jubilee and the Yas Yas Boys: 11:30 a.m., free. Evangeline's, 512 N Euclid Ave, St. Louis, 314-367-3644.
Joe Metzka and Rich McDonough: 3 p.m., free. Alpha Brewing Company, 4310 Fyler Ave., St. Louis, 314-621-2337.
Johnnyswim: w/ Katelyn Tarver 8 p.m., $30-$35. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.
Love Jones "The Band": 7 p.m., $15. BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.
Pop's Local Showcase: w/ The Doubted, Unknown and Sailing, Precarious Situation, Sacrifce The Sacred 7 p.m., $5/$8. Pop's Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720.
Youth Orchestra Performs Sibelius' Second Symphony Description: 3 p.m., $10. Powell Hall, 718 N. Grand Blvd, St. Louis, 314-534-1700.
MONDAY 28Add a New Mar 28 Event
Eric McSpadden and Margaret Bienchetta: 5 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.
Mindful Monday featuring Third Sight Band: 7 p.m., $10. BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.
Soulard Blues Band: 9 p.m., $5. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.
Zephr: w/ Van Buren, Heavy Weather 8 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.
TUESDAY
The Airborne Toxic Event: w/ Mondo Cozmo 8 p.m., $25-$30. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.
Baby Keem: 8 p.m., $30-$45. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.
Cassadee Pope: 8 p.m., $29.50-$59.50. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505.
Ethan Jones: 9 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.
Rachel Deschaine: 7 p.m., $12/$15. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745.
WEDNESDAY
Big Rich McDonough and Rhythm Renegades: 7 p.m., $15. BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.
Bright Eyes: w/ Christian Lee Hutson 8 p.m., $39.50-$49.50. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.
Elton John: 8 p.m., $210-$1449. Enterprise Center, 1401 Clark Ave., St. Louis, 314-241-1888.
Graham Curry: 7 p.m., free. Evangeline's, 512 N Euclid Ave, St. Louis, 314-367-3644.
The Greyboy Allstars: 6 p.m., $30-$57.50. The Lot at The Big Top, 3401 Washington Boulevard, SAINT LOUIS, (314) 549-9990.
Hit Like a Girl: w/ Tom Thanks, Gripslime 8 p.m., $10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.
Sean Canan's Voodoo Players: Voodoo Acoustic Garcia: 9 p.m., $12. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.
Tai Verdes: 8 p.m., $22.50-$25. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.
Touche Amore: w/ Vein.fm, Foxtails, Militarie Gun 7 p.m., $22. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.
