This Week's Best Live Music, February 8 to 14

Start your week off right — with a little bit of Bob's Scratchy Records. Though the late Bob Reuter's radio program is no longer on the air, his bandmates and friends honor his legacy tonight at the Stage at KDHX. Meanwhile, Michael Bolton comes to town on Thursday — tell your mom! Moms love that guy. Close out the week with local treasure Erin Bode's annual Valentine's Day show, sure to bring any couple closer together (if only for the evening). Our complete picks are below.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8

Bob's Scratchy Record Spin and Dance Party
8 p.m., Free. The Stage at KDHX, 3524 Washington Ave, St. Louis.
By Daniel Hill
Friends and fans of the late Bob Reuter will gather at the Stage at KDHX to spin records and share stories about the St. Louis firebrand. Reuter's radio show, Bob's Scratchy Records, always put rock & roll at the forefront, and Reuter's friend and bandmate Bass Amp will surely do the same while hosting this show in the man's honor. Oh yeah, and admission is free!

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9

Everything Went Black w/ Theories, Heavy Horse, Laika
8 p.m., $10. The Demo, 4191 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-5532.
By Ryan Wasoba
From the RFT Music archives: Everything Went Black, and it never went back. You could interpret that (accurately) as a bad joke, or see it as a commentary on the band's commitment to metallic hardcore. Formed in 2009, EWB has only become more vicious with time. Frontman Brandon Hoffman has the lungs of a man three times his physical stature, and the remainder of the quintet has road-tightened into a national-caliber band. The group has often drawn comparisons to iconic hardcore veteran Converge; today, the similarity has as much to do with Everything Went Black's stamina and energy as its stylistic choices.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10

Roland Johnson Soul Endeavor
10:30 p.m., $7. Beale on Broadway, 701 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-7880.
By RFT Staff
From the RFT Music archives: The minute Roland Johnson walks onstage for his semi-regular gig at Beale on Broadway, you know you're seeing a performer. The man drips charisma — all the way through his white leisure suit and down to his polished shoes. He can do the James Brown, the Sam & Dave, the Bobby "Blue" Bland, the Otis Redding, and he does them all, no matter how familiar, no matter how many times he's sung them, like the joint is on fire and his lungs are filled with kerosene. He's a growler, a belter, but cool enough to keep his musicians, featuring veterans of the Mighty Big Band, from jamming off their charts. A lot of bands in St. Louis play the Stax/Volt and Motown hits. None drives them home like Roland Johnson and Co.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11

Michael Bolton 8 p.m., $59.50-$89.50. Lindenwood's J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts, 2300 W. Clay St., St. Charles, 636-949-4433.

By Corey Deiterman
From the RFT Music archives: The fact is, Michael Bolton's taken so much abuse over the years. He's even infiltrated other bands and ruined their reputations; be glad if you don't remember that power ballad he wrote with KISS back in the day, because I wish I could scrub it from my memory. But Bolton's not a bad guy, he just got saddled with a shitty rep. Looked at from any perspective, he's got an amazing voice, he's a pretty generally decent person, and he makes your mom happy. Sure, he's recorded a lot of really lame music over the years, but let that die with the '90s. Let the man have his late-career revival however he can swing it. 

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12

Alarm Will Sound 
8 p.m., $20. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900.
By Joseph Hess
From the RFT Music archives: Alarm Will Sound is a twenty-piece chamber ensemble specializing in contemporary classical music. From the works of Steve Reich to Aphex Twin and even the Dirty Projectors, the massive group has written and performed a staggering number of arrangements. It's' even taken on the great challenge of replicating electronic songs with acoustic instruments — in a live concert setting, no less.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13

Low
8 p.m., $18-$20. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-773-3363.
By Christian Schaeffer
Like Yo La Tengo, another band helmed by a husband and wife that has recently come to town, Low has survived a few decades as mid-level indie icons through both restless creativity and the solid dependability of their songs. That would sound like faint praise if there weren’t thousands of bands that flashed and burned during Low’s tenure, using the same rudiments but missing the essential spark that Mimi and Alan Sparhawk bring to their music. Last year’s Ones & Sixes continues the reinvigorating streak of The Invisible Way from a few years before, with characteristic steeliness and Spartan production yielding to subtly engrossing compositions.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14

Valentine’s Day with Erin Bode 7:30 & 9:30 p.m., $30. Ferring Jazz Bistro, 3536 Washington Ave, St. Louis, 314-571-6000.

By Erin Williams
From the RFT Music archives: Valentine's Day can be such a complicated holiday. If you're in a relationship the ideas for celebrating can boggle the mind — and cost you an arm and a leg, if you're not careful — and if you're single you try as hard as possible to avoid being hit by all the "specials for two" and heart-shaped boxes of chocolate that seem to be in endless supply. But all parties can agree that a night of good music is worth the trouble — and the trip. Jazz vocalist Erin Bode and her band, the Erin Bode Group, will be playing their fourth set of Valentine's Day concerts at Jazz at the Bistro this Saturday.