TCB > May 2005

Jordan Harper, the music editor of the Riverfront Times, is moving to Brooklyn.

He'll continue to be a staff writer at the paper until June 18, when Annie Zaleski will step in as his replacement and take over his weekly column. Jordan will continue writing for the RFT and other New Times papers. He's hoping to pick up some other freelance work and is interested in writing movie previews. Appropriately enough, you can email him at freelance@jordanharper.com.

Posted by Brian Marston on Tue., May 31, 2005 at 11:18 AM
Link & Discuss (0 comments) | People

The Maffitt Avenue Friends of The Ville are having a party in Tandy Park on Saturday, June 4, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. There'll be a DJ, plus free hot dogs and hamburgers for the kids. Invite your friends and cousins.

If you don't know about The Ville, you sleeping fo' real. It's St. Louis' Harlem. The tiny neighborhood gave birth to Annie Malone, Chuck Berry, Tina Turner and Arthur Ashe.

In related news, I'm happy to report that Robert and Juanita have continued their streak of being at Zack's Lounge every single time I've been there.

Posted by Brian Marston on Sun., May 29, 2005 at 1:57 AM
Link & Discuss (0 comments) | Other

The last seven additions to Sauce magazine's gossip page are bylined "John Carney," leading us to believe the big man has added another freelance gig to his stable. So far, he's yapped on dinner theater, sidewalk dining and gooey butter cake, among other tasty topics.

Other good bets for Lou dining news: stl.diatriber.com and STLalamode.com, both members of the STL Syndicate family.

Posted by Amanda Doyle on Fri., May 27, 2005 at 4:52 PM
Link & Discuss (0 comments) | People

Bob Costas was in the crowd at Gene Lynn and Jeanne Treavor's "Back to Gaslight Square" jazz concert at Finale tonight. So was Thomas Crone, who was selling autographed copies of his Gaslight Square book (Jeanne's on the cover). The newish Clayton (Bizarro downtown) venue is a nice size and has a classy vibe. As an added bonus, it's non-smoking. A staff member tipped that their Motown Revue show always sells out. Too bad there's a giant freakin' column directly in front of the stage that obstructs the view from most seats. It gave me flashbacks to the sight lines at the old Galaxy.

Posted by Brian Marston on Thu., May 26, 2005 at 11:26 PM
Link & Discuss (0 comments) | People

GreenMarket is a new farmers market that's coming to the Central West End on Saturdays between June 4 and October 29 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It will be held at 4814 Washington Avenue, on the parking lot next to the Pierce Arrow Building (home of LiveWire Media). The market will feature produce and gourmet items from local growers and live music.

Posted by Brian Marston on Mon., May 23, 2005 at 1:40 PM
Link & Discuss (3 comments) | Business District

The Shop at Spring and Wyoming is now carrying ceramics by Greg Svendsen. Stop by and check them out. They're open Thursdays 11-4, Fridays 12-5 and Saturdays 11-4. Note to Susie Gudermuth, The Shop's proprietress: those hours aren't exactly customer friendly for people who have a regular 9 to 5.

Posted by Brian Marston on Mon., May 23, 2005 at 1:17 PM
Link & Discuss (1 comment) | Business District

Congratulations to Milwaukee-based Motion Disorderz for taking home the $800 prize at the Durte Tactixs bboy battle on Saturday. The neo-punk Ground Syndrome crew out of Chicago came in second. About 100 people came out to watch ten crews go at it on the dance floor. Props to Skytlez for throwing his first jam in St. Louis and to Friedens Church for having the faith to try something new.

Update: View photos of the event taken by Thomas Evans (Detour Production)

Posted by Brian Marston on Mon., May 23, 2005 at 12:26 AM
Link & Discuss (3 comments) | The Commonspace

Jordan Harper's "Radar Station" column in this week's RFT highlights the Settle the Score 2004 DVD and the Durte Tactixs bboy jam. It was an unexpected and much appreciated boost for the local bboy scence. He got the distinction between funkstyles and breakdancing backwards (see the Electric Boogaloos site to be edified) and forgot to mention the date for Durte Tactixs (it's today), but we'll spot him that for his enthusiasm.

Posted by Brian Marston on Sat., May 21, 2005 at 12:02 AM
Link & Discuss (0 comments) | The Commonspace

In a story by editorial intern Julie Moon in the current issue of the St. Louis Journalism Review (last month's is the most current one online as of this writing), she laments the lack of campus media attention paid by other, in-town college papers to the recent sit-ins for living wages by students at Washington University. The story should have resonated beyond Wash U.'s Student Life publication, she argues.

Included are several juicy, hand-wringing comments from Tammy Merrett-Murry, faculty adviser to the student paper at STLCC-Meramec, including:

"We can talk until we're blue in the face, and if they're just interested in tuning it out or loading up their iPods, there is nothing we can do about it...If a story doesn't fall into their laps, they're not interested."

Why, I remember being a young pup journalism student and having to actually leave campus! Interviewing and hobnobbing and whatnot. These kids today...

Posted by Amanda Doyle on Fri., May 20, 2005 at 2:51 PM
Link & Discuss (0 comments) | The Media

The St. Louis Building Arts Foundation has a new website up about the Century Building, which was built in 1897 as "a marble palace for business and amusement." The site features historical images of the Century, as well as photos of artifacts that were recovered from the building before the evildoers tore it down for no good reason.

Posted by Brian Marston on Thu., May 19, 2005 at 5:04 PM
Link & Discuss (1 comment) | Fun Links

Just in time for summer, a bumper crop of new tiny mags has shown up in lit racks and windowsills of swell joints all over town. Their quality is, uh, varying, but they've all managed to find a first round of advertisers! Keep your eyes peeled for: Here & Now, which has the usual suspect restaurant/club/venue listings (though we'll bet the Associates won't be happy to see the "Fabulous Fox Museum" listed in Grand Center), plus some dubious English; Hipster magazine, devoted to "entertainment/fashion/lifestyle" and includes Red Moon, Boulevard St. Louis, Plush and Plaza Motors on its "Hip 20 List"; and unscene, (in which the "un" stands for "urban navigator"), devoted to independent businesses, restaurants, galleries and so on, grouped into neighborhoods. Maybe I'm just too old and today's text-happy, graphics-rich-environment kids will be all into it, but as much as I like the idea behind unscene, I found it to be sensorily jarring.

Hipsters, of course, may disagree.

Posted by Amanda Doyle on Wed., May 18, 2005 at 3:19 PM
Link & Discuss (0 comments) | The Media

Congrats to Sabine Eckmann, formerly curator of same, who was named director of the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum at Washington University. (Though we must confess, we loved it when it was just the "Washington University Gallery of Art," because it gave us opportunities to say "Wa-shooooooo-ga" in a ridiculous, cartoony way...)

But that's probably not something the curator actually decides.

Eckmann takes over as the museum commences its own Big Dig, preparing to fold into the gazillion-dollar Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts.

Posted by Amanda Doyle on Thu., May 12, 2005 at 3:43 PM
Link & Discuss (0 comments) | People

At the on-again, off-again Potter's Workshop, in the striving Forest Park Southeast neighborhood, we note that — for the moment — it's on again, at least on Saturdays from noon-3, when (says a poster in the front windows), it's "Open Clay Studio" time.

Posted by Amanda Doyle on Mon., May 9, 2005 at 2:24 PM
Link & Discuss (0 comments) | Business District

501creative has launched the first phase of Trailnet's redesigned website with funding from Lion's Choice. After a long day of bike riding, there's nothing I enjoy more than a hearty roast beef sandwich. Oh wait, I'm a vegetarian.

Posted by Brian Marston on Mon., May 9, 2005 at 1:03 PM
Link & Discuss (0 comments) | Fun Links

Thomas Crone has redesigned his website using Blogger. He's got lots of fun links and clips up there, and a lone blog entry that seems to indicate that he is excited by yarn. (The fact that the entry refers to "my knitting group" and includes the word "awesome" and an exclamation point leads me to believe that someone else wrote it. Julia?)

Posted by Brian Marston on Sat., May 7, 2005 at 4:32 PM
Link & Discuss (0 comments) | People

Christopher Carey of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has been named a Knight-Wallace Fellow. While he's on sabbatical at the University of Michigan, he'll be studying the permanent criminal subculture in the U.S. securities industry and its implications for investors, regulators and others with a stake in free and fair markets. In addition to being an journalist, Chris is the barefooted drummer for The Sugar Daddies.

Posted by Brian Marston on Tue., May 3, 2005 at 2:05 PM
Link & Discuss (1 comment) | People

Local politico Joe Hodes is writing movie reviews for Playback St. Louis. You can buy a subscription to the arts and entertainment magazine via Amazon.com.

Prolific STL Syndicate blogger Steve Patterson has a new monthly column in The Healthy Planet.

Posted by Brian Marston on Mon., May 2, 2005 at 6:33 PM
Link & Discuss (0 comments) | People

Congratulations to Tom and Angie Reitenbach on the Tuesday night arrival of Greta Ann. Daddy is the head of the Tower Grove Heights block captains.

Posted by Brian Marston on Mon., May 2, 2005 at 4:53 PM
Link & Discuss (0 comments) | People

Left Bank Books is expanding next door into the space previously occupied by Marty's Baking. In addition to more room for books and magazines, they'll have a public restroom. They're hoping to have the space up and running by June 11.

Upcoming author visits at Left Bank include David Sedaris (June 21, 7 p.m.) and Thomas Frank, who wrote "What's the Matter with Kansas?" (May 18, 7 p.m.).

Posted by Brian Marston on Mon., May 2, 2005 at 12:01 PM
Link & Discuss (0 comments) | Business District