TCB > April 2004

During one of our frequent visits to El Burrito Loco tonight (the delightful hole-in-the-wall on Bates, for those not in the know), we learned that the owner will soon be relocating to roomier digs at Loughborough and Gravois, with plans to expand with a bar, bigger dining room (it could hardly be smaller, I suppose) and a cultural area with pottery, art and information about Mexico. Viva el Burrito Loco!

Rumored to be within the time frame of two months.

For the love of all that is holy, please let commentary begin on this topic and overwhelm the camera-geek crowd...

Posted by Amanda Doyle on Fri., Apr 30, 2004 at 9:44 PM
Link & Discuss (4 comments) | Business District

I ordered the webcam for The Commonspace today, a D-Link DCS-1000W from NewEgg.com. Soon, you'll be able to see if your friends are at 615 North Grand by visiting our website, and we'll be able to webcast our events (sans audio).

Posted by Brian Marston on Thu., Apr 29, 2004 at 1:15 AM
Link & Discuss (14 comments) | The Commonspace

Rosa Maria Arenas (AKA Rosa Rama) is calling it quits for her email announcement list about the local arts and music scenes to focus on her artwork. The last Rosarama message will go out on Sunday, May 2. Her email list will be missed, but we wish her well in her new endeavors.

Posted by Brian Marston on Wed., Apr 28, 2004 at 1:28 PM
Link & Discuss (0 comments) | People

After ten years in business, Siete Mares Mexican & Nicaraguan Restaurant has closed up shop at 3204 South Grand. I wonder if the arrival of Qdoba up the street influenced their decision. Siete Mares was locally owned. Qdoba is owned by San Diego-based Jack in the Box. Siete Mares generally had slow service. Qdoba is a fast food establishment.

Posted by Brian Marston on Sat., Apr 24, 2004 at 12:52 PM
Link & Discuss (3 comments) | Business District

Tune into "All Things Considered" on 90.7 KWMU tomorrow (Wednesday, April 14) between 4 and 6 p.m. National NPR reporter John Ydstie was in town to hear about the issues that are on people's minds in the Heartland. The interview took place at The Commonspace. On the distinguished panel convened by Arch City Chronicle publisher Dave Drebes were Kraig Schnitzmeier, Butler Miller, Mary Lisa Penilla, Dave, Amanda and me. We talked about a whole lot of things, from local issues to the Bush administration's foreign policy. As a follow-up, we'll meet at Dave and Mary Lisa's house tonight to give our reactions to President Bush's press conference while munching on Black Thorn Pizza.

I don't know how they're going to edit down 4+ hours of conversation to a 7-minute package by tomorrow. Hooray for producers! I'm still amazed that this came together. When Dave told me about it a couple of days ago, I thought there must be some misunderstanding. On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog.

Update: NPR ran the story about the local reaction to Bush's press conference as a separate piece on "Morning Edition." On hand for that interview were David Stokes, Dave Drebes, Kate, Tom Reitenbach, and Amanda. The important thing is that they captured our pizza order on tape.

Americans React to Bush's Speech

NPR's Jeff Brady, NPR's John Ydstie and Brian Mann of North Country Public Radio get reactions from around the country to President Bush's press conference Tuesday night.

And here's the story that ran on "All Things Considered":

American Pulse: St. Louis

In the first of three stories about the national mood, NPR's John Ydstie meets with a group of 30-somethings from St. Louis. The most important issues for them are local revitalization -- and Iraq. While most of the group did not vote for President Bush, there is division about the war in Iraq. There is also concern that the Sept. 11 commission hearings are becoming more about finger pointing than finding answers about what happened and how to prevent attacks.

Posted by Brian Marston on Tue., Apr 13, 2004 at 6:43 PM
Link & Discuss (4 comments) | STL in the News , The Commonspace

Susie Gudermuth is opening a consignment shop to sell works by local artists at the corner of Spring and Wyoming in Tower Grove Heights.

Posted by Brian Marston on Sat., Apr 10, 2004 at 1:38 AM
Link & Discuss (0 comments) | Business District

Doris Haddock, the fiery 94-year-old political activist who travels the country in a bus encouraging (among other things) greater citizen participation in the political process, is in St. Louis today, according to hawkeyed tipster Heather Milton. Find out more, and even give a call to Granny D, from her website.

Posted by Amanda Doyle on Thu., Apr 8, 2004 at 10:19 AM
Link & Discuss (0 comments) | People

I receive a lot of music industry press releases, probably because I used to have a website about the St. Louis music scene. I usually regard them as spam and don't look at them, but this one from Premiere Entertainment Group caught my eye:

DEAD KENNEDYS MEMBER STARS IN ACTION MOVIE AND WINS ROCK ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Often referred to as "The King of Afro Punk," and recently appearing on The Allan Handelman Show, MTV.com, Playboy and radio stations across the United States and Canada, legendary rocker D.H. Peligro's pedigree runs deep. He's the original member/songwriter in the California punk quartet The Dead Kennedys. He is also a former member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nailbomb, and SSI. This St. Louis native took a machete to the music world and carved a path so uniquely his own that he's influenced some of today's popular punksters like The Offspring, No Doubt and many others.

Peligro can add another title to his list of accomplishments, Action Movie Star. He's been tapped to play the lead in the action movie The Four Horsemen. The film is described as having the intrigue of Clear and Present Danger (Harrison Ford), the gritty of Traffic (Michael Douglas), and the fast paced action of Lethal Weapon (Mel Gibson/Danny Glover).

"I'm performing my own stunts in this movie which means I have to stick to a strict workout regimen," says the rocker who besides acting is the front man of a rock trio simply known as Peligro, their third album Sum of our Surroundings recently won Rock Album of the Year with the American Independent Music Awards, DH Peligro was recently nominated for a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame and is preparing for a Europe tour with the Dead Kennedys, "It's tough, but unlike some of today's top action stars who depends mostly on stunt doubles to make them look good, I'm doing my own stunts and give people their monies [sic] worth."

When asked how it feels to have such a great musical impact on so many people Peligro responds, "It's mind blowing. While touring with the Dead Kennedys I would see kids and adults worldwide singing along to our songs and sporting their Dead Kennedys t-shirts. It shows how much love people have for us after all these years."

A bit more research revealed that DH Peligro was born Darren Henley in East St. Louis. He's due to receive his star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame in May 2004. "Peligro" means "danger" in Spanish.

Posted by Brian Marston on Tue., Apr 6, 2004 at 1:26 PM
Link & Discuss (4 comments) | People

Shouts out to our friends at BUILD — Businesses United for Independent Local Development — who also have a nice write-up in the Business Journal, and Schlafly co-founder Dan Kopman, who is a member. He has the guts to say that Schlafly hasn't signed on with RCGA because it seems so large that he doesn't know how his business could really be involved in a meaningful way; "But in helping other small businesses survive, that's something we can support."

Isn't it nice when people in charge of stuff actually seem to have the right instincts?

Posted by Amanda Doyle on Fri., Apr 2, 2004 at 3:27 PM
Link & Discuss (0 comments) | Business District

Word in the Biz Journal (Apr. 2-8 edition, not yet online) is that Lambert Airport, despite having a ghost-town feel thanks to the American pullout, will soon be offering loitering travelers wireless access throughout the airport. (Currently, the only on-site wireless is in the American Airlines Ambassadors Club; "Hey, sorry we had to bail out on all those flights...but bring your laptop on into the lounge and see if Expedia can't find you a bird headed outta here!")

Mike Donatt, communications manager for the airport, says an RFP will be out in a few weeks and he hopes the whole schmoo is operational by year's end.

Posted by Amanda Doyle on Fri., Apr 2, 2004 at 3:21 PM
Link & Discuss (0 comments) | Other

This just in from hip-hop head and New Yorker reader Butler Miller:

There's an article by Jake Halpern in the new issue of The New Yorker entitled "Selling the Beat: St. Louis’s Trackboyz break a new act." The article isn't online, but the press release includes this quote:

"The atmosphere in St. Louis is now a little like that of Nashville in the nineteen-thirties, with the Grand Ole Opry, or of Detroit in the sixties, with Motown Records."

The Trackboyz, in case you didn't know, are the producers behind J-Kwon's "Tipsy," which is No. 3 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart.

Posted by Brian Marston on Fri., Apr 2, 2004 at 12:37 PM
Link & Discuss (5 comments) | STL in the News