TCB > January 2007

The bboys and poppers were in full effect again this year at First Night. They performed on the main stage at Grand and Lindell just before midnight.

Credits
DJ: Needles
Dancers: Chippa, Grand, Rugburn, Boogie IQ, Otter, JS One, Kevin
Camerawork: DJ Play
Video editing: Grand

Posted by Brian Marston on Wed., Jan 31, 2007 at 4:42 PM
Link & Discuss (0 comments) | The Commonspace

The PR-seeking heat missiles at City Museum have done it again, by gum: they're front-and-center (with a lovely photo by Mike DeFilippo) in a New York Times story about cities that offer something beyond bars and clubs for nighttime entertainment. (Thanks to Ajay for the link.)

Posted by Amanda Doyle on Wed., Jan 31, 2007 at 2:52 PM
Link & Discuss (0 comments) | STL in the News

Ah, you can always count on the Business Journal for some good, old-fashioned capitalist hatin'...(can you tell from these last two entries that I've just made it through the recent edition?)

So, the editorial in the Jan. 26 issue, entitled "Forest Park Forever," takes those tree-hugging, bleeding-heart "true believers" to task for their "faux populism" in wanting to deny BJC a long-term lease for that scrappy little easternmost patch of the park. The BJ paints the only "honest opposition in this fight" as "those who value green space over everything else." (Personally, I value copy-editing over everything else, so it pains me to see the candidate for aldermanic president misrepresented as "Louis Reid." But I digress.)

It takes both radical viewpoints, does it not? That's how we (potentially) get to good decisions that hew to the moderate middle, ostensibly where most people want to be. So, true believers, be ye nature-lovers or slaves to Caesar, keep on doing your thing.

Posted by Amanda Doyle on Wed., Jan 31, 2007 at 1:13 PM
Link & Discuss (0 comments) | The Media

The latest edition of the Business Journal, in an article by Patrick L. Thimangu, details an ordinance recently put forward by Aldermanic President Jim Shrewsbury and the 13th Ward's Fred Wessels: it would require the green-building LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) code to be met for any new or renovated city-owned buildings of 5,000 square feet or greater. Clayton already has such a requirement in place, and there are currently 8 buildings in the STL area meeting one of the LEED levels (certified, silver, gold and platinum). Aiming just above the bottom rung, the proposed bill would require silver certification for the city of St. Louis.

(Alberici Group, which built its Platinum-certified headquarters at Page and 170, had the highest-ever rating for a new construction LEED project, for LEED trivia buffs out there.)

Posted by Amanda Doyle on Wed., Jan 31, 2007 at 12:46 PM
Link & Discuss (1 comment) | Business District

Or, for the hard-core Baptists among us, would Jesus drink?

An article in the Post details the rift between The Journey -- one of those congregations with hipster members, modern music and oh, yes, a monthly outreach at Schlafly Bottleworks -- and the Missouri Baptist Convention, with whom it has a working (and financial) relationship. It's an interesting read, particularly as many of these so-called "emerging" churches have specifically chosen the city as their place of calling. We've run stories on two similar efforts, The Gathering and Midrash, in recent issues of TheCommonspace.org.

Posted by Amanda Doyle on Sat., Jan 27, 2007 at 4:38 PM
Link & Discuss (0 comments) | The Media

Behold the video for "Sun Sets in the City" by former St. Louisan (2000-2005) A-Bex:

"Sentimental," a chilled out track by A-Bex that appeared on DJ Trackstar's Renegade mix CD in 2004, is a staple in my music collection. Speaking of DJ and RFT cover model Trackstar, Boogie Bang 5 is out. I've been listening to it the last couple of days.

In other music news, our New York correspondent Amanda Doyle reports that hometown hero Jay Farrar was on AA flight 576 to La Guardia this afternoon. He's playing with Gob Iron in Hoboken, NJ, on the 19th and in Brooklyn on the 20th.

Finally, Jonathan Lethem reports that local boy DJ Play's James Brown Is a Bad Man mix CD is in heavy rotation in his whip when he's rolling through Brooklyn.

Posted by Brian Marston on Wed., Jan 17, 2007 at 6:56 PM
Link & Discuss (4 comments) | People

Saint Louis Investment Realty News is a monthly, full-color, eight-page newsletter published by Matt Kastner that's a must-read for people interested in city development and real estate investment news. Subscriptions are free.

In other development news, MayorSlay.com has juicy bits today about South Grand, MLK, the North Broadway Industrial Corridor and North Euclid.

Posted by Brian Marston on Tue., Jan 16, 2007 at 11:40 AM
Link & Discuss (0 comments) | Business District

Dag, yo. Brain Regiment is playing a few more shows before a final "CD Release/Farewell Show" sometime in late March. The first time I saw Brain Regiment frontman Corey Saathoff play was at a Metropolis Wash in the fall of 1999 in Gaslight Square that was organized by Thomas Crone. Brain Regiment played a couple of shows at The Commonspace, including an especially magical one on February 28, 2003. Their MySpace page quotes noted music critic Amanda Doyle.

Posted by Brian Marston on Wed., Jan 3, 2007 at 6:06 PM
Link & Discuss (1 comment) | Other