MAY 7–13, 2015 I VOLUME 39 I NUMBER 19
A Wolf in Youth Minister’s Clothing THE PEDOPHILE FOUND HIS VICTIMS AT FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF FLORISSANT. NOW HIS CONVICTION IS TEARING THE CONGREGATION APART. BY DA N N Y W IC E N TOWS K I
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P H OTO BY JA R R E D G AST R E IC H
“We went on the Old North House Tour and knew we wanted this house. It’s the same floor plan as the one down the street but just a little less finished. My wife, Kausta, grew up on the 2200 block of St. Louis Avenue and has good memories — like running through the sprinklers in the park and walking to Crown Candy. They’re constantly building this neighborhood up, and we want to be a part of it.” –DAMON MOORE, SPOTTED IN THE OLD NORTH NEIGHBORHOOD, MAY 2.
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VOLUME 39 NUMBER 19 M AY 7– 1 3 , 2 0 1 5 Publisher Michael Wagner Editor in Chief Sarah Fenske E D I T O R I A L Managing Editor Jessica Lussenhop Editorial Operations Manager Kristie McClanahan Arts & Culture Editor Paul Friswold Music Editor Daniel Hill Staff Writer Danny Wicentowski Restaurant Critic Cheryl Baehr Contributing Writers Drew Ailes, Mike Appelstein, Allison Babka, Nicole Beckert, Mark Fischer, Sara Graham, Joseph Hess, Patrick J. Hurley, Roy Kasten, Dan LeRoy, Jaime Lees, Todd McKenzie, Bob McMahon, Tef Poe, Christian Schaeffer, Alison Sieloff, Mabel Suen, Ryan Wasoba, Alex Weir A R T Art Director Kelly Glueck Contributing Photographers Jarred Gastreich, Abby Gillardi, Matthew Harting, Jennifer Silverberg, Mabel Suen, Steve Truesdell, Micah Usher, Theo Welling, Corey Woodruff, Caroline Yoo P R O D U C T I O N Production Manager Robert Westerholt Production Designer Randy Lutz M U LT I M E D I A
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10 A WOLF IN YO U T H M I N IST E R ’S CLOTHING The pedophile found his victims through church. Now his conviction is tearing the congregation apart. BY DANNY WINCENTOWSKI
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Strange Folk Festival Creator Battles O’Fallon
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Autumn Wiggins, Strange Folk founder.
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lmost ten years ago, Autumn Wiggins started the Strange Folk Festival in her hometown of O’Fallon, Illinois — and in the next decade, grew it into one of the Midwest’s premiere indie arts festivals. By this January, however, Wiggins says she felt battered by the Ferguson-related unrest that left her South Grand shop, Upcycle Exchange, with broken windows. She was also weary of how much work she was putting into the festival. She told the O’Fallon Arts Commission she wanted to pull the plug. But to Wiggins’ surprise, the city suggested that they actually owned Strange Folk — and began making plans for the 2015 iteration without her. That’s when things got ugly. Now the city’s attempt at what local crafters call a “fake folk fest” has led to dueling legal threats, ceaseand-desist letters, and even the intervention of local police. St. Louis’ close craft community is aligning with Wiggins. Members of the St. Louis Craft Mafia simply will not attend the event, says Beqi Brinkhorst of Beqi Clothing, who has participated in Strange Folk from the beginning. “I’ve been in business fifteen years, and I know almost all the major players in the indie-craft scene,” she says. “They are all pissed.”
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he purpose of the group in terms of the strategic plan is really just to answer one question, and that was, ‘With proper resources and evidence-based practices could we dramatically lower re-incarceration rates and do it in a scaleable fashion?’....We concluded the answer to this question was a resounding, ‘Yes.’” That’s what former Wells Fargo Advisors CEO Danny Ludeman told a well-heeled crowd of about 200 at the Missouri History Museum on April 29. Ludeman surprised
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That’s also true of the ShowMe Etsy group, says Michelle Volansky. “I don’t think any of us will be taking part in what the city is attempting to do,” she says. “If they’d done their own thing, they could have had quality vendors come back. But at this point, I don’t
think anyone of any quality will want to be a part of it. They’d be blacklisted by this tightknit community that supports Autumn. I don’t think any of us wants to turn our backs on her.” Mary Jeanne Hutchison, O’Fallon’s director of parks and recreation, did not respond
many when he retired in 2013, leaving his powerful post at the helm of a brokerage firm that managed $1 trillion in assets. At the time, he told the press he was doing it to “be selfless.” Years later, that promise has finally taken shape with the launch of the Concordance Academy and Concordance Institute, two arms of a new nonprofit organization whose goal is to end prison recidivism and dramatically reduce crime in St. Louis. But Ludeman’s vision does not end there. He wants to expand to the entire country eventually, changing the culture of prisoner reentry into society nationwide. “Today is about introducing something that has never been done before,” he told the room of businesspeople, attorneys, nonprofit workers and politicians. “A holistic, evidence-
based set of solutions.” The first class of Concordance Academy of Leadership men and women will be selected and begin their experience while still in prison — six months before release — in December. The goal is for all members to have their high school equivalency upon release, as well as a job. Sixty inmates will be provided a raft of services from Ludeman and his team, everything from housing assistance to substance-abuse counseling in both an inpatient and out-patient setting. Concordance will employ its own staff attorneys and offer spiritual guidance with the help of 50 houses of worship already committed to the program. The idea is to provide all these services inhouse, as opposed to contracting them out to different partner agencies. Concordance Institute for Advancing So-
to a message seeking comment. Wiggins, who received an RFT Mastermind Award in 2010, says she brought the idea for the festival to O’Fallon, Illinois, her hometown, more than a decade ago. She asked the city for some help — she didn’t want to have to worry about accepting checks and wanted their assistance in accepting credit cards. At that point, the parks department agreed to manage the finances, but Wiggins says she never imagined there would be confusion as to the festival’s ownership. It was at the January 2015 meeting of O’Fallon’s arts commission, which is under its parks and recreation department, that Wiggins told the city she was ending the festival in its current incarnation. Oddly, minutes from the meeting note only that the commission was “brainstorming possible changes for 2016; tabled until March meeting.” In March, Strange Folk was back on the commission agenda, but without Wiggins’ name next to it. Wiggins would post about what happened next in a long statement on the festival’s website. “A few weeks later, the emails, texts, and phone calls from the Parks Dept. began, insisting I hand over my personal account passwords, asking me to come show them ‘how to do Facebook ads.’ I discovered that a Parks employee had purchased the dot-org version of my domain on Go Daddy,” she wrote. Wiggins sent the city a cease and desist. In return, she writes on the festival website, “The city lawyer sent a short letter that said ‘as a former employee,’ I was to turn over my ‘website and Facebook passwords’ along with my laptop and $50. I sent another cease and desist, this time trying to explain why they were in the wrong. Not long after that, I got a call from the O’Fallon PD. Parks dept. staff had reported my MacBook stolen.” The $1,700 MacBook Pro is something Wiggins had personally purchased. True, she used Strange Folk’s proceeds, but she believed that was within her rights. Even the police officer she spoke to seemed befuddled — the only evidence he had, he said, was a creditcard statement with her signature. Yes, she explained, because she’d bought it herself. “I have every bit of proof I needed to show that I ran Strange Folk within its allotted budget, and then some, every year,” Wiggins says.
cial Justice will track the academy’s class in order to provide meaningful data and feedback to show what works in this reentry population. The institute will be operated by the Brown School at Washington University, with Dr. Carrie Pettus-Davis — a leading scholar on prisoner populations — at the helm. “Seventy-seven percent of all released prisoners end up back in jail. Prisoner reentry is not a quick and easy issue to address,” she said. “St. Louis, we are the ones to lead our country out of our incarceration crisis.” Ludeman has spent the last ten months raising $8.5 million for the academy and the institute. Each program participant will cost the organization about $15,000. The first year’s class will service 60 inmates; the program will slowly scale up to 80 participants in the second year and 110 in the third.
(Last year, in fact, she says, her balance sheets show that the festival left the city with a profit of several thousand dollars.) Still, she agreed to hand over the laptop. Wiggins says she initially hoped the city would just back down. If it wanted to host its own festival, great. It just couldn’t rip off Strange Folk. But in recent weeks it became increasingly clear that ripping it off was exactly what officials were attempting to do. The final straw was an email the city sent last week to the artists and vendors who’d participated in past years — instructing them to “Mark your Calendars for Strange Folk 2015.” It didn’t mention that Wiggins was gone, or that the festival would be changing in any way. A vendor of several years, Michelle Volansky received the email. But even though she was well aware of Wiggins’ conflicts with O’Fallon, she was shocked by the email’s contents — namely, that the city was using a clumsily edited version of the illustration she’d designed for the 2014 festival. Not only was it blurry (“I think they pulled it off the festival’s Facebook banner”), but they’d used Microsoft Paint to add the 2015 date. Under the contract Volansky had for the artwork — “a contract between me and Autumn,” she says pointedly — the rights for the work reverted to the illustrator in 2015. So she fired off a cease-and-desist letter of her own. She has yet to receive a response. “It just shows their naivete,” Volansky says. “I don’t think they understand the concept of intellectual property.” Brinkhorst, of Beqi Clothing, goes further. “This is Autumn’s festival, period. She made it, she owns the passwords and the trademark. O’Fallon provides the venue. That’s it. It’s like Madison Square Garden saying they own the rights to the Rolling Stones catalog because the band played they’re once. They’re a venue.” She adds, “It’s ludicrous what they’re doing. And they’re idiots.” Wiggins says she’s heard from crafters, and people offering legal help, from all over the country. She’s standing her ground. “I made this, and I’m not selling it to them, and not signing it over to them,” she says. “I wanted them to just respect that. I want it to be over.” — SARAH FENSKE For each Concordance Academy class there will also be a control group studied by the institute, who — while receiving some services — will not enjoy the academy’s holistic, one-stop-shop approach. Both groups will be monitored for five years. “Once we can prove we can dramatically lower re-incarceration rates, then we’ll expand to other cities in Missouri,” said Ludeman. From there, Ludeman hopes to replicate the program nationwide. After the presentation, Thomas Harvey of the ArchCity Defenders expressed optimism about the program’s chances. “If elite, wealthy white people care about the reentry population and dedicate resources to it, that is amazing,” he said. — JESSICA LUSSENHOP riverfronttimes.com
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A Wolf in Youth Minister’s Clothing
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CONVICTED PEDOPHILE BRANDON MILBURN FOUND HIS VICTIMS THROUGH FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF FLORISSANT. NOW THE FALLOUT IS TEARING IT APART. BY DA N N Y W IC E N TOWS K I
s he waits to face his victims, the former youth minister can do nothing but stare at his manacled hands. His piercing blue eyes barely move as St. Louis County Circuit Judge Robert Cohen adjudicates some half-dozen criminal cases — heroin possession, burglary, probation violations. An hour passes before Brandon Milburn’s name is called. Milburn’s case is left for last. From the back of the courtroom, nineteen pairs of eyes turn to prosecutor Michael Hayes as he begins his argument for the stiffest possible sentence. The date is March 30, 2015: two months since Milburn pleaded guilty to molesting two eleven-year-old boys; fourteen months since Milburn’s arrest; ten years since Milburn first set foot in St. Louis. “Your Honor,” Hayes begins, “Mr. Milburn has plead guilty to the seven counts of statutory sodomy, first degree. These seven counts represent a pattern of abuse that took place over a period of years, from the summer of 2007 till the spring of [2009]. The defendant had ingratiated himself with the victims’
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families and with the church that they all participated in.” And Milburn’s pattern of abuse began even before that. According to Hayes, the state had received information about three other victims in Milburn’s hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. Those molestations date back to 2000, when Milburn was in his early teens and the three boys in preschool. Hayes tells the judge that these earlier abuses spanned at least six years. As Hayes speaks, Milburn’s bald head droops toward his lap. His expression is blank. “This is a pattern that has been going on for ten years,” Hayes says. “We know there are other victims here in St. Louis, at least one who has been named.” There is more. Hayes cites a former staff member at First Christian Church of Florissant, or FCCF, the 2,500-member north-county megachurch where Milburn worked as an intern and volunteer on and off between 2005 to 2012. The staffer claimed Milburn showed pornography to some students and exposed himself to others. “Your Honor, again, he used his position as a youth minster to gain access to all these different victims,” continues Hayes. “In the sentencing advisory report, the defendant minimizes his activities, his offenses against
the boys in this case, and actually denies there are other victims.” Hayes calls Milburn a predator, a pedophile who would reoffend if given the opportunity. “For that reason, Your Honor, we believe a life sentence is appropriate in this case.” Hayes sits down. The two victims, now college freshmen, walk to the dais to address the judge. (Riverfront Times has changed their names, and those of their families, to protect their identities.) “I stand before you a confused and hurt individual,” says Adam Krauss, who first met Milburn through FCCF’s children’s ministry when he was in middle school. “Brandon Milburn was a guy I thought I could look up to and trust. He played as significant role in my spiritual life. He baptized me... He is a pathetic excuse for a man. He is a liar and a manipulator.” Next up is Harris Anderson: His family allowed Milburn to live in its house for several months in 2007. Anderson, too, met Milburn through his family’s connection to FCCF. “I kept the secret of what happened to me for seven years, seven very long years,” he says, his voice shaking. “Your Honor, Brandon Milburn’s effects on my life reach far past the sexual abuses of years ago. It seeps into my daily life even now. His actions broke my confidence, pride and trust.”
“I know that I sinned against God and that I sinned against them. I was given a position of trust, and I abused it on them. My actions have haunted me for years. I truly hate what I have done.”
The two boys’ parents take turns begging for consecutive sentences on each of the seven counts, what would amount to a true life sentence. Then several people speak on Milburn’s behalf. One is a Los Angeles firefighter who met Milburn through Real Life Church in Southern California, and who flew to St. Louis for the sentencing. He describes how Milburn spent many nights in his own home, around his children. He insists Milburn is a changed man. “I do not believe he is a predator,” he says. “I love Brandon; my children love Brandon. If Brandon was released today, he would be welcome to come and live in my home.” Finally, it’s Milburn’s turn to speak. “For over a year now, I’ve sat in my cell wondering what I would possibly say in this opportunity when it presented itself,” he says. “I continue to be a believer and follower of the one true God, so I know the importance of confession and taking responsibility for my actions, as well as seeking forgiveness. For that I truly am thankful for this platform I’ve been given to finally express my heart. With your permission, I would like to turn and direct my statement to the families...” Milburn spins 180 degrees to face the rear of the courtroom. “No, no, no, no,” whispers Anderson’s
Brandon Milburn in a LinkedIn profile photo (top) and on Twitter (bottom).
younger sister. She shakes her head violently. A middle-aged woman, a victims’ advocate with the prosecuting attorney’s office, leaps to her feet. “They don’t want that, judge.” “Well,” Judge Cohen says, “he can say what he wants, but if they don’t want to hear it...” Harris Anderson, a thinly built eighteenyear-old with glasses and a preppy haircut, slams his hands onto this thighs, jolts from his seat and strides to the courtroom door. He batters it open with both arms, barely slowing, and is followed by his parents and the Krauss family. In seconds, Milburn is left staring at two empty benches. His shoulders slump, and he slowly turns back to Cohen. In a voice barely higher than a trembling whisper, he continues his speech. “To the families I betrayed.... With everything I am, I’m so sorry. I would do anything to take my childish behavior back.… I know that I sinned against God and that I sinned against them. I was given a position of trust, and I abused it on them.… My actions have haunted me for years.… I truly hate what I’ve done. I’m sorry, God, I’m so sorry.” Between sobs, Milburn thanks the handful of supporters who spoke on his behalf. Then he delivers his final plea to Cohen. “I’m ready to be put continued on page 12 riverfronttimes.com
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Milburn continued from page 11
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awn Varvil met Brandon Milburn in the summer of 2006, a year after he joined the intern staff at FCCF’s children’s ministry. He’d arrived in St. Louis to pursue an associate’s degree at St. Louis Christian College, just a ten-minute drive from FCCF’s sprawling, fourteen-acre campus in the heart of Florissant. Founded in 1958 by the followers of the American Restoration Movement, the church is an evangelical, nondenominational center 12
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Once a friend to Brandon Milburn, Dawn Varvil is now under legal pressure to recant allegations that she warned FCCF of Milburn’s behavior around teen boys in 2012.
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this all behind me and to continue reaching for my dreams of filmmaking and in music. … Your Honor, I ask for your mercy in your decision today, for a chance to further prove who I am.” As Milburn returns to his seat, Dawn Varvil’s face contorts itself in a mask of bitterness and grief. A heavyset woman with a cigarette-hardened voice, Varvil had once counted Milburn as a friend, a trusted partner in ministry and youth outreach. Like others who knew and worked with him, she was once enamored with Millburn: his powerful preaching, his boundless creativity, his single-minded devotion to children in need. Now, she can only see the lies. As Cohen announces Milburn’s sentence — 25 years, to be served concurrently on each of the seven counts — tears stream down her cheeks. But there will be no closure for Milburn’s victims, and none for Varvil. And none, for that matter, for the members and leadership of First Christian Church of Florissant. Today, more than a month after Milburn’s sentencing, Varvil is at the center of a controversy that threatens to tear the 58-year-old church apart at the seams. At play are dueling narratives from Varvil and senior pastor Steve Wingfield: Wingfield maintains he knew nothing of Milburn’s monstrous secret life until his 2014 arrest. Varvil insists that’s not true, and that she personally told the pastor about Milburn exposing himself to five boys and sleeping in bed with a fourteen-year-old boy. Wingfield says Varvil is a liar — and he’s seeking a court order to force her to recant the claims about the 2012 meeting. Filed April 16, the lawsuit also seeks at least $25,000 in damages. Now one of the largest churches in north St. Louis County is in crisis. And for atonement for Milburn’s sins, Varvil and a growing coalition of former members, dissenters and abuse survivors want accountability from Wingfield, a man they’ve come to see as a calculated and self-serving manipulator. Some want nothing less than Wingfield’s resignation. Brandon Milburn, they say, wasn’t just a lone wolf in minister’s clothing. He was enabled and supported by church leadership even after others made their concerns clear. “Distancing yourself may be the safe thing to do, but it is morally wrong and a failure of Steve’s and the rest of the elders’ leadership. It was also against the law,” a former FCCF minister named Titus Benton wrote in a letter to the board of elders in February. “There is so much that has happened that remains a secret, and that is not acceptable. “There are people who are suffering and… look at the church as a co-conspirator instead of an agency of healing.”
“There were always kids that would sneak out to the back property of the church. They weren’t too interested in the church programs. I had a heart for those kids. He seemed to as well.” of religious and communal life in this northcounty suburb. Attendance at the main Sunday service regularly tops 1,000, and worship features a drummer, bassist, guitarist, keyboard player and three vocalists. When Steve Wingfield delivers his sermon, his face is splashed across two giant projection screens. Milburn quickly gained a reputation within the FCCF community — and initially, it was a positive one. He could preach, sing, play guitar or hammer away on a piano. He knew his way around graphic design, and could run stage productions: anything from highly technical concerts to children’s plays. Best of all, he seemed to be looking, always, for ways of bringing the word of Christ to kids. “He was cool; all the kids loved him and related to him,” Varvil recalls. Even the trou-
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bled ones: “There were always kids that would sneak out to the back property of the church. They weren’t too interested in participating in the church programs. That’s where Brandon and I first connected, because I had a heart for those kids. He seemed to as well.” Milburn’s place in the FCCF community brought him into the lives of Jacob and Carrie Anderson, members of the church for more than a decade. They regularly hosted luncheons for FCCF members, which is where they began to bond with the fresh-faced college student from Louisville. “He gave our kids gifts,” Jacob says. “He was a big University of Kentucky fan. He took [Harris] to a UK basketball game, to his parents’ home. We got to know his parents.” Though he had a dorm room on campus, Milburn basically moved into the Anderson’s home in the fall of 2007, staying there until he received his associate’s degree several months later. During that time he took eleven-year-old Harris to Cardinals games and joined the family on outings and vacations. “For us, it was like he became a part of the family, that he was a brother,” Carrie says. “It didn’t occur to us that it was favoritism, or that he was grooming our son. When you accept somebody into your home like that, that’s how brothers treat each other.” “Looking back,” Jacob adds, “you see a lot of things clearer.” Milburn nabbed another paid position at FCCF in 2008, a six-month internship under middle school ministry leader Titus Benton. The 40-hour-per-week internship paid $8 an hour and involved Milburn working with fourth and fifth graders. “We had a great student-ministry team. Brandon was part of that,” Benton says.
But it was around this time that Milburn began molesting Harris Anderson, as well as his friend Adam Krauss. According to the criminal indictment, between June 2007 and March 2008, Milburn violated the two boys multiple times; he took advantage of the Anderson family’s generosity to prey on Harris, repeatedly, in their own home. The two boys, close childhood friends, told no one what had happened, not even each other. Milburn earned an associate’s degree from St. Louis Christian College in 2007, and after his six-month church internship ended, he returned to Louisville. There he immediately found a full-time job as an “atmosphere and media tech” at his home church, the 20,000-member Southeast Christian Church. But Milburn seemed to have a restless side. After five months in Louisville he returned to Florissant in April 2009 to pursue a bachelor’s degree in preaching at his alma mater. His desire for that degree confused Doug Lay, an FCCF member who’d been Milburn’s professor and mentor at St. Louis Christian College. “First, he’s unbelievably talented, and he had a job at a church with 20,000 people,” Lay says. “Number two, he was a terrible student. He’s a very good public speaker, but he could barely write your standard research paper. So I said, ‘Brandon, you don’t need a bachelor’s degree! Why would you come back?’” In hindsight, the answer seems clear to Lay. “I think he came back because the victims were still there.”
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f you ask people in the FCCF community when they started noticed something was, well, off about Brandon Milburn, there’s a good chance they’ll mention Sarah Thiele.
C O U R T E SY O F S A R A H T H I E L E
Sarah Thiele and Milburn connected in California in 2010. She says their relationship unraveled because of his erratic temperament, as well as his obvious emotional attachment to teenage boys.
A striking brunette and academic overachiever, Thiele bonded with Milburn over their shared love of youth ministry while both worked at a California church. In January 2011, sixteen months after Milburn returned to Florissant, Thiele herself enrolled at St. Louis Christian College. Like Milburn, she became enveloped in the FCCF community. “There was a romantic connection, possibly,” she says of Milburn. “He was exactly what I wanted in a partner. The ministry wasn’t just a job for him, he poured his heart into it. There was an attraction in his commitment, which from the outside felt like selflessness.” Yet Milburn would get jumpy when Thiele touched him. She remembers him becoming more distant as she tried to get closer. And Milburn’s passion for ministry was undercut by a strange emotional imbalance. Thiele began noting his attachment to certain high school boys in the ministry, how he became distraught when they’d fail to sign text messages with “I love you” or miss one of his sermons. “You’re too emotionally invested,” she told him. “It looks like something is going on.” He would insist he was just a normal twentysomething guy. “I believed him,” she sighs. “Brandon,
“I believed him. Brandon, when he preached, he was so captivating. You couldn’t possibly think that someone who preached so well could be hiding such a secret.” when he preached, he was so captivating. You couldn’t possibly think that someone who preached so well could be hiding such a secret. I didn’t think he was abusing kids sexually, but that he had been abused and refused to confront it, that he was trying protect these kids by being so emotionally protective.” This sentiment — that Milburn’s attachment to young boys was strange but seemingly well-intentioned — is re- continued on page 14 riverfronttimes.com
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Milburn
According to victims and their families, Milburn’s pattern was to single out one or two boys, then spoil them with gifts, attention and Cardinals games before abusing them.
peated numerous times in interviews with former friends and church coworkers. And Milburn’s carefully cultivated image of piety may also explain why the subject of his sexual orientation never rose higher than rumors. In a church where homosexual acts are considered sinful, no one wanted to believe this rising star had same-sex attractions, let alone was a sexual predator. In the end, Thiele stayed in Florissant just seven months. As for Milburn, it wasn’t long after his return to Florissant in 2009 that the Anderson family became distrustful and wary of their former houseguest. According to Carrie Anderson, two friends — one an abuse victim and the other a youth minister in another church — had approached her after seeing Milburn’s earlier behavior around Harris. They asked her, “Is that an OK relationship your son has with Brandon?” Carrie took to the Internet and began researching sexual predators. What she found filled her with dread. “I started researching, and there was a list of things, the gift-giving, ingratiating himself with the family. And I went, ‘This is Brandon, this is Brandon, he groomed my son, he groomed our family, he abused my son.’” But when Carrie and her husband went to Harris, he rebuffed their questions. “He said, ‘No, Mom; no, Mom; no, Mom; that didn’t happen,’” she says. “Because he wasn’t going to tell until it was time.” The Andersons’ unease, however, was palpable. Milburn spent the summer of 2010 interning at various California churches, and when he returned to Florissant for the new school year, “he knew that it wasn’t the same,” Carrie says. “He wasn’t welcome in our house. We didn’t have to have a confrontation, we just — it was obvious from all of us that he wasn’t welcome. And [Harris] reinforced that. He didn’t want anything to do with him.” But Milburn no longer needed the Andersons to connect him with teenage boys. By then he’d cultivated a close relationship Dawn Varvil. During Milburn’s stay in California, Varvil had clashed with FCCF’s youth ministry programs and Steve Wingfield. Wingfield thought she wasn’t pushing teens hard enough to attend the church’s formal Sunday school program, she says. She chafed at his micromanaging and his unwillingness to expand the church’s youth program. In 2009, she left the church. She began hosting high schoolers at her house, which became a hangout spot for neighborhood kids with unstable home lives. A Facebook correspondence with Milburn turned to friendship, and in 2010 Varvil returned to FCCF and apologized to Wingfield. But she soon began feeling conflicted about her new partner in ministry. On one hand, she trusted Milburn. They collaborated on ideas to reach teens deemed too troubled for the church, and they planned on building an independent skatepark ministry, going as far as to registering a nonprofit in both of their names. Varvil even allowed Milburn to chaperone her own teenage son and daughter 14
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“One night he was actually spooning me. I was asleep, and I remember feeling something down here, on my leg. I woke up, and I feel him getting closer to my dick. I was frozen with fear, I didn’t know what to do.” on a mission trip to California. During the trip, however, her kids reported back that Milburn went off for mysterious, hours-long trips with one teen boy. Varvil was incensed. “There were so many warning signs,” she says. “I would always address them with him, and he was so calculating and manipulative that he could explain everything to me.” When Varvil called him out on his favoritism of certain boys, Milburn quoted Bible verses, framing the teens as Timothys to his Paul. These select boys were special cases, he would tell her. They needed 24/7 attention that only he could provide. After Milburn graduated in 2011, Varvil let him move into her house. Shortly afterward, her teen daughter informed her that many of boys who used to come over now refused to because Milburn was a “creep.” “I asked her why, and she said he took a bunch of them out one night and he exposed himself to them, and then he convinced them to expose themselves to him,” she says. But
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when Varvil confronted him, he explained it away, telling her it had simply been a youthful indiscretion. “We were just joking around,” he told her. “It’s just a guy thing, Dawn. You don’t understand how guys are with each other.’” “Just the way he explained it, I believed him.” Then came the incident with Nathan Rayner.
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athan Rayner is sitting in a booth at a St. Louis Bread Company (As with the other abuse victims quoted in this story, Rayner is not his real name.) As he lays out his history with Milburn, he uses roughly the same tone most people would use to describe the steps to make a salad. Dawn Varvil sits across the table, interjecting occasional details. As Rayner tells it, Milburn first contacted him through Facebook when he was thirteen. He’d heard of Milburn through his churchgoing friends, so it’s not like the college-aged man was a total stranger. Still, Rayner recalls, “He started asking me questions, started getting kind of personal. I didn’t care. I was a sad kid — somebody cares, you know?” Eventually, Milburn convinced Rayner to attend a service at FCCF. “I went back the next week, told him I wanted to get baptized,” Rayner says. Soon, Rayner was hanging around Milburn all the time, mostly at Varvil’s house, joining the roughly 30 to 40 kids who made the home their unofficial hangout. It was a safe place, he says, away from a mother and stepdad who regularly threw him out of the house. Over the next year, Milburn and Rayner became inseparable, and the pattern established with the Andersons repeated itself: Milburn drove Rayner to church, treated him to Cardinals games and bought him gifts, including an iPad and iPhone. Milburn sent him constant text messages. “I was kind of blinded,” Rayner says. When friends would bring up Milburn’s doting, he blew them off. “So he likes me bet-
ter than you, whatever, I don’t care,” Rayner would tell them. At Varvil’s house, sleepovers were common, with as many as 30 teens spending the night after devotions, dinner and a movie. Girls and boys slept in separate parts of the house. Yet even when there was spare room, Milburn insisted on sleeping head-to-foot on a hideaway bed with Rayner. “One night he was actually spooning me. I was asleep, and I remember feeling something down here, on my leg,” Rayner says. “I woke up and I feel him getting closer to my dick. I was frozen with fear, I didn’t know what to do. He did that for a few seconds and then he stopped. I think he realized I was awake, and he just broke down in tears, saying, like, ‘Oh my God, I’m so sorry, I did not mean to do that.’” Rayner remembers Milburn sitting up on the couch, crying and apologizing. When Rayner told him it wasn’t a big deal, Milburn stopped crying. “Did you like it?” he asked. Rayner’s response: “No, dude, no. Don’t let it happen again.” It didn’t — and so Rayner continued to share his bed with the college student. That summer, Milburn drove Rayner to tornado-ravaged Joplin, where about 40 other FCCF members had arrived to assist in the cleanup effort and to distribute aid. The church elder who led the mission, Scott Seppelt, witnessed Milburn and Rayner sleeping away from the main group. In an email to another church member, Seppelt would later report sharing his concerns with Steve Wingfield upon his return to Florissant. “When I led the mission trip to Joplin, where Brandon brought a young boy and slept away from everyone else, I talked with Brandon about this the night it happened. He stated that the boy was shy and would move out where others could see them,” Seppelt wrote. “Upon returning I shared this with Steve.… I wish I had done more.” Wingfield took no action against Milburn. But it was around this time that Varvil got fed up. By the end of the summer of 2011, she told Milburn she’d had enough of his excuses. He could continue to sleep over at the house, but he couldn’t sleep with Rayner. “All of a sudden,” Varvil says, “he started looking for an apartment.” Milburn found his own place in October, two blocks from Rayner’s home. A different FCCF family helped Milburn move in and bought him appliances and furniture. Milburn gave Rayner a spare key.
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awn Varvil tried to stay friendly with Milburn for a time, but her breaking point came after perhaps the oldest teenager trick in the book: While Rayner was spending almost every night at Milburn’s apartment, he was telling his mother he was staying Varvil’s. As a mother, Varvil had no interest in being a part of that. She called Rayner’s mother, who cut off the sleepovers and ordered her son to return the gifts and never see Milburn again. Even though she could barely articulate her worst fears, much less admit what was really going on, Varvil began confiding her concerns to a small circle of friends. The details shocked her therapist — to the point that the counselor
called the hotline run by the state’s department of social services to make a complaint against Milburn. Even then, Varvil wasn’t ready to believe Milburn was a pedophile. “I thought she was blowing it out of proportion,” she says. One week after Varvil’s therapist made the call, Milburn called Varvil and asked her to meet him at a local park. When Varvil arrived, Milburn was already in tears. “He said, ‘I thought I was walking into an ambush, and you would have cops waiting for me when I got here.’ Which I thought was so weird. I didn’t know why he thought I’d have cops.” He begged her to convince Rayner’s mother to let him back into her son’s life. Even then, Varvil didn’t get it. It wasn’t until she took her concerns to her mentor, a minister and faculty member at St. Louis Christian College named Lisa Womble, that the scales finally fell from her eyes. “My husband and I stared at her, and we told her, ‘Dawn, you’ve got to call this in, or we’re going to do it,’” Womble says. That day, Varvil also phoned in a complaint to the state hotline. By February 2012, Varvil knew she had to take her concerns to FCCF leadership, and her confidants encouraged her to do so. But before she could, a twisted version of Varvil’s story reached the ears of Gateway Christian Church, a west-county church with close ties to FCCF. The game of broken telephone continued to spiral after the church’s senior minister, Karl
Schad, contacted Steve Wingfield. Wingfield then called Varvil. He told her he’d heard reports that she was telling people Milburn had molested her own son. Hoping to both correct the erroneous rumor and to tell the pastor the full truth about Milburn, Varvil agreed to sit down with Wingfield. That meeting would change her life.
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he main spire of First Christian Church of Florissant hovers like a brick finger over an ocean of parking lot. It was from this parking lot that Varvil called Lisa Womble for a quick prayer before her February 2012 meeting with Steve Wingfield and then-executive minister Scott Strandell. More than two hours passed before Womble next heard from Varvil. “After the meeting she was real upset, and I was upset for her,” Womble says. “They made her feel like she was crazy.” There’s no known recording of the meeting, but Varvil wrote detailed notes of her version of the proceedings, and she shared her thoughts with Womble immediately after it ended. According to Varvil, she told Wingfield and Strandell everything she’d told Womble and the state child-abuse hotline operator: Milburn’s propensity to spoon with Rayner, his history of exposing himself to five other teen boys, his excuse that it was “just playful stuff guys do.” Wingfield asked her repeatedly if she had directly witnessed Milburn molest any of her
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FCCF senior pastor Steve Wingfield (left), insists he knew nothing about Milburn’s predatory behavior before the 2014 arrest.
sons, Varvil says. She answered no each time. “Steve told me, basically, that he thought I needed mental help,” says Varvil. “He said I was obviously overly involved, overly upset, and that I should just be worrying about my own family, not worrying about what Brandon was doing. At that point I was so confused. I thought, ‘Well, maybe I am overreacting to everything.’” After hours of questioning, Varvil left the meeting more unsure than ever. She spoke to Womble, then decided to drive to the home of Doug Lay, who by nowhad developed his own nagging suspicion that something was not right with his former student. At Lay’s house, Varvil unloaded the full story. Sobbing, she described everything she had seen of Milburn to Lay and to his wife, and what happened at the meeting earlier that day. The Lays were horrified. They tried to reassure Varvil that she’d done the right thing. “Dawn was shattered,” Doug Lay says. “She told us everything, and then she said, ‘Do you think I’m crazy?’” At that moment, Lay realized he had a choice to make. “I thought that when this comes forward, someone is going to ask us, ‘Oh, you heard about allegations in 2012? What did you do?’” There was one thing that had to be done immediately, Lay decided. “I needed to talk to Brandon,” he says. “I needed to watch him lie to me.” A week later, the professor and student sat down and talked. Milburn denied doing anything inappropriate. And then he broke off contact, effectively ending a six-plus-year relationship with his mentor and friend. Lay left the meeting convinced that it was only a matter of time before Milburn’s crimes against Rayner would come to light. Yet a few months later, in May 2012, Milburn moved to California, where he found work with two churches there, including Real Life Church in Valencia. According to a church statement, Milburn had come highly recommended, with references from “a pastor in St. Louis.” Despite their concerns about Milburn, Lay and Varvil didn’t warn anyone in California about what they knew of Milburn’s time in St. Louis. For Varvil, the meeting with Wingfield had broken her spirit, and she was simply relieved Milburn was no longer circling the community. “I just kind of faded away,” she recalls. “I wasn’t going to church anywhere. I was trying to maintain relationships with the kids that I could.” Two years later, a police detective at Varvil’s door dragged her back into the fray.
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I
n January 2014, when Harris Anderson was a high school senior preparing to graduate, he told his parents the truth about Brandon Milburn. When Harris approached his best friend, Adam Krauss, the two were finally able to share the secrets they’d kept from each other for seven long years. With urging from their parents, the teens went to the police. The police investigation was swift, and barely a month later, Varvil found herself facing a St. Louis County police detective at her front door. “Do you know where continued on page 16 riverfronttimes.com
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Among the largest churches in north county, First Christian Church of Florissant boasts a 58year history, 2,500 members and a sprawling $18 million campus.
Milburn continued from page 15
Brandon Milburn is?” the detective asked. Milburn’s last listed Missouri residence was Varvil’s address. Varvil didn’t know. She gave the names of two FCCF staff members where she thought he might be staying. It didn’t take long for authorities to find him. According to St. Louis County police spokesman Brian Schelman, police reached out to an acquaintance of Milburn’s, asking him to relay a message to Milburn that he should contact the police. When Milburn, who was living in California, called a detective on February 6, she told him that she needed to speak with him about “an investigation.” The next day, when Milburn flew in to St. Louis to attend the wedding of Scott Strandell’s son, he stopped by St. Louis County Police headquarters in Clayton. He never made it to the wedding. Instead, under interrogation, he confessed to six of the ultimately seven counts of statutory sodomy. He pleaded guilty one year later, thus sparing the victims from the trauma of a trial. The arrest and charges tore through the 16
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FCCF community like a tidal wave through a teacup, but news coverage was relatively sparse. Aside from the police report, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s coverage relied heavily on this official FCCF statement: “Having just heard of these charges from something that happened in 2007, our first concern is with how we can best help any victim heal,” the statement read. “The charges point to a time when as a college student he served in a part time role as an intern. For the last several years he has been living in another state. We have a justice system who can do the investigation and we will assist them any way we can as our church family works through this.” A week after the arrest, Wingfield himself addressed the charges against Milburn during his Sunday sermon. “Sometimes in the very best families, bad things happen,” Wingfield said, according to a recording of the service. Milburn, he said, “moved away two years ago but during a time between 2007 and 2009 he allegedly sexually abused two eleven-year-old boys. This while he was a college student and working here part time as an intern.... And the thing we do about it is if anyone ever makes you feel uncomfortable or unsafe — young people, we want you to tell your parents, your school counselor, tell
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a pastor, even if it’s embarrassing to talk about it. A parent, a school counselor, a pastor will listen and help.” Wingfield continued: “Listen, we are not a perfect church, I am very imperfect as a pastor, our leaders are imperfect, and you at times, you’re not all that either. You know one of Satan’s oldest ploys is to create distractions for the church from its core mission to connect people to Jesus, and I am glad as a church family we’re not going to let something bad that happened years ago keep us from doing good right now, and as a church family we are going to stay positive.” When Lay read the press statement and heard Wingfield’s speech, he got angry. First, the church’s statement included a timeline that, while not technically inaccurate, made it sound like Milburn departed FCCF long before he did. Though Milburn’s FCCF internship ended in January 2012, he had continued to volunteer at FCCF on Wednesday nights. Photos show Milburn directing minors onstage during FCCF’s Vacation Bible School in June 2012 — four months after Varvil’s meeting with Wingfield and Strandell. Other FCCF members recall Milburn attending FCCF services and events at the time, usually in the company of teen boys.
Aside from the church’s ambiguous press release, Lay was most upset at Wingfield’s line about how “a pastor will listen and help.” Having heard Varvil’s description of her 2012 meeting with Wingfield, the pastor’s platitudes tasted like ashes in Lay’s mouth. A soft-spoken academic, Lay was both a Sunday School teacher and beloved professor. He had also been sexually abused twice in his life, at age ten by a neighbor and then in college at hands of a male classmate. It took him more than twenty years before he finally opened up to his wife about what happened to him. “You need to understand the enormous fear victims have,” Lay says. “The fear that, if I tell someone, what if you don’t believe me? Now what? Now I’ve made myself even more vulnerable, and if you don’t believe me — what the hell am I going to do now?” Lay decided he wasn’t going to let Wingfield and FCCF get a pass on bullying Varvil. He knew there were more victims: Rayner, the boys Milburn exposed himself to and likely numerous others. A fastidious researcher, Lay re-interviewed Varvil about the 2012 meeting. He enlisted the help of Titus Benton, who had overseen Milburn’s job in the FCCF middle school ministry in 2009. Benton had fled FCCF in 2011
to escape what he described as a toxic church environment under Wingfield’s leadership. Lay also went to visit Milburn in jail. No longer a friend, Lay came as an ordained minister. “He had only been in prison a couple days, and I asked him how it’s going, how’s the food, and he sat there and talked about all the stuff he was going to do when he got out,” he recalls. “He was still in shock. I saw him again a week later, and he had been on this three-day fast, praying. He was negotiating with God. He was saying, ‘I’m really convinced that I’m going to get out on bail.’”
In this June 2012 photo, Brandon Milburn directs middle school and teen boys during Vacation Bible School. Milburn was allowed to attend FCCF youth events despite what one parent says she told the church’s senior pastor four months prior.
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his March, just over a year after Milburn’s arrest, Lay sent out the first edition of his report on Brandon Milburn and FCCF. “Is It Enough: Sexual Abuse Within the Church: A Case Study at First Christian Church of Florissant” included detailed descriptions of Varvil’s 2012 meeting with Wingfield and Strandell, as well as Milburn’s work history from the time he arrived in Florissant in 2005 to his arrest in 2014. Initially sent to FCCF’s elders and Wingfield, the report was revised and re-released five more times. Each time, Lay requested input from the church. The meticulously annotated report paints a stark picture of Milburn as a calculated child abuser. It accuses Wingfield of ignoring Varvil’s warnings in 2012, of failing to alert the other Missouri and California churches where Milburn later found employment, and of covering up his and FCCF’s inaction after the 2014 arrest. The conclusion is blistering. “Is it enough to deny the existence of other alleged victims?” Lay wrote. “Is it enough to ignore the pain of the collateral victims? Is it enough to keep silent about the church’s responsibility towards dealing with sexual abuse? Is it enough to remain ignorant to the signs of sexual predators? Is it enough to miss the opportunity to learn from the mistakes of this tragedy — thus turning evil into good? It is not enough for me to close the book on this story — I will continue to turn on the light and turn the pages of this story. Should it not be enough for you too?” On March 19, Lay and Benton received a response from FCCF. “We are thankful that two victims came forward so that the authorities could conduct an open investigation and seek a judgment,” the letter read in part. “As part of our complete cooperation with the instructions of the prosecuting attorney, as a church we have not taken the role of investigator.... We believe honoring victims includes allowing them to initiate communication and process healing through the counselors of their choosing. As we have reviewed your correspondence, we feel that it contains a number of inaccuracies and does not fairly or accurately describe communications with our church or our approach.” The letter was signed, “Elders, First Christian.” For Lay and Benton, the response only confirmed that Wingfield was covering up his lack of action. (Edward Magee, a spokesman for the St. Louis County prosecuting attorney, is adamant that no prosecutor instructed FCCF not to investigate for other possible victims.)
“Is it enough to deny the existence of other alleged victims? Is it enough to ignore the pain of collateral victims? Is it enough to remain ignorant to the signs of sexual predators?” A day after receiving the letter, Titus Benton’s wife, Kari, posted a savage open letter on Facebook. Though rumors about what Wingfield had known about Milburn had bounced around social media for months, it was the first time those rumors were echoed by a widely respected former member of the FCCF family. In the letter, Kari Benton revealed that her family left FCCF in 2011 because of Wingfield’s “poor leadership.” She hammered Wingfield for the 2012 meeting with Varvil and called him out for not attempting to reach Varvil (or Rayner) after the 2014 arrest. “The first phone call you should have made after learning of his arrest was to that concerned adult that had previously come to you with concerns of abuse. But you did not do that — and to this day you still have not reached out to that concerned adult or to that teenage boy. You have failed both of them.”
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ari Benton’s letter spread on Facebook, gathering hundreds comments and shares, exploding the controversy far beyond the FCCF inner circle. Wingfield and his elders went into damage control. On April 7, three elders arrived at Doug Lay’s college office and read him a prepared statement. Effective immediately, Doug and his wife Tammy were barred from teaching their adult Sunday School class at FCCF. The reason? “For rejecting the leadership’s authority.” Wingfield then convened three invitationonly meetings to address the allegations in Kari Benton’s letter and “Is It Enough.” During an April 8 meeting, in front of an audience of around 70, Wingfield was asked to explain the 2012 meeting with Varvil. “That is a charge specifically against me that we’re trying to address, what I want to describe as a false charge, is that a parent came forward and told us about Brandon’s having some sexual crime,” stated Wingfield in a recording obtained by Riverfront Times. “That is not an accurate representation, but we want you to know that yes, we had a conversation that we initiated based on a rumor that was brought to our attention.… In that conversation the question was repeatedly asked if there was any sexual misconduct, any kind of sexual activity of any kind, and the person said, ‘No, Brandon Milburn never would do anything like that.’ “We have a legal right and an obligation to defend ourselves,” continued Wingfield. “To say what happened in that meeting and to say what is being said is not true. We can demonstrate that with evidence, and we’ll do whatever it takes to help that person to withdraw that false accusation.” On April 11, Wingfield arranged another meeting with Varvil. This time, she brought riverfronttimes.com
her husband, Roger, as well as Lisa Womble and her husband. Wingfield brought along two elders. According to Varvil’s notes on the meeting, Wingfield again focused on her previous denial that Milburn had sexually abused one of her sons. Varvil, in response, attempted to clarify that she denied it because that specific rumor was, in fact, false. They circled this point in an interminable game of you-said-I-saidyou-said. During the meeting, Wingfield maintained that Varvil’s description of Milburn spooning Rayner didn’t amount to a “sexual act.” He insisted that Varvil never told him about Milburn exposing himself to five other boys — an odd omission if true, since she had told exactly that to Womble and the government hotline, and had told Lay about the incident immediately after the meeting with Wingfield. “Dawn told three different sets of people the same thing,” Lisa Womble says. “And honestly, even if she didn’t mention him exposing himself, all the other things were red flags enough that everyone would say that you should take action.” The meeting produced little in the way of reconciliation. But neither Varvil, Lay nor the Bentons were prepared for what came next. On April 16, Doug Lay, Dawn Varvil and Titus and Kari Benton were notified through email that FCCF was seeking a restraining order against them. The message, sent by a lawyer retained by the church, asked the court to force them to retract and remove the “Is It Enough” case study and Kari Benton’s open letter from Facebook. The lawsuit also sought at least $25,000 in damages. At a court hearing that Friday, Doug Lay stood in the hallway of a St. Louis County courthouse with a dazed continued on page 18
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Milburn
Titus Benton supervised Milburn in 2008 as the head of FCCF’s middle school ministry. Now, he and his wife, Kari, are loudly calling for FCCF to confront its mistakes.
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expression on his face. “This is crazy,” he said. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
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n a Friday in April, one week after the court hearing, the hallways at FCCF ring with the giggling madness of some 200 preschoolers. They’re here for the church’s annual weeklong Vacation Bible School. Playing tour guide amid the chaos is Steve Wingfield, who proudly notes the various safety measures — a check-in system for parents, ID cards for all volunteers, full background checks — as he stops by the open door of a classroom filled with five-year-olds. Dressed in a gray, military-style shirt and jeans, the 53-year-old cuts a handsome figure as he strides the hallways of the building’s second floor. He’s been senior pastor for eight years, after previously serving 28 years on the ministry staff under his father. “Most of the other churches in our community have declined or died over the last fifteen years because of rapid transition in the population, and we’re committed to make a difference here,” Wingfield says, passing a gaggle of toddlers wearing paper angel’s wings. “We love Florissant, we love north county. Not everyone does, but we do.” At more than 100,000 square feet of space, the FCCF compound has sustained four major additions since moving to its current location. The value of the property, says Wingfield, is assessed at more than $18 million. Wingfield enters another youth-oriented space, called the Tank, a kind of lounge area for teens with comfortable chairs, an air-hockey table and a big-screen TV. “This was originally decorated by Brandon Milburn,” Wingfield says. “That was one of his roles…. It’s since been redecorated by my wife.” Accompanying Wingfield on this tour is his lawyer, James Wyrsch, an awkward reminder of Wingfield’s ongoing lawsuit against four ex-members of his flock. Lay and the Bentons have retained their own counsel and petitioned the court to dismiss the lawsuit. According to Wyrsch, the church would prefer to settle the matter without a lengthy and expensive legal fight. Asked about Milburn’s role at FCCF, Wingfield bristles at the suggestion that he or the church share any responsibility for the disgraced youth minister’s crimes. “Brandon broke our hearts. We did trust him; he was a part of this church family,” Wingfield says. “These events didn’t take place in the church, and what he did outside of this building we can’t control. We found out six years after the violation of these two children. I never heard of any sexual abuse from Brandon any time prior to that.” Wingfield has good reason for his defensiveness. As a minister, Wingfield is a “mandated reporter” under Missouri law, obligated to report suspected cases of child abuse to the state. So it makes some sense that Wingfield interprets Lay’s main accusation — that Wingfield ignored Varvil’s warnings about Milburn in 2012 — as more than just a “case study.” Rather, Wingfield sees it as an attack on his integrity and a blunt assertion of criminal
“There is so much that has happened that remains a secret, and that is not acceptable. There are people who are suffering and look at the church as a coconspirator instead of an agency of healing.” misconduct. If it was proven that Wingfield failed to report Milburn when confronted with evidence of molestation, the pastor could theoretically face a misdemeanor charge, which carries a maximum sentence of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Such a charge would have precedent: Robert Finn, the bishop of the Roman Catholic diocese in Kansas City, was convicted of failing to report a suspected child abuse case in 2012. He resigned his position last month amid a storm of pressure from victims’ advocates.
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“We’re going to civil court for one reason,” Wingfield acknowledges. “Because there’s a legal accusation. There’s an accusation that we committed a crime.” Yet Wingfield’s stance on the church’s limited responsibility for Milburn’s actions doesn’t extend to the people he’s suing. Asked if he had any regrets about the Milburn situation, Wingfield blames Titus Benton, replying immediately, “I wish that I had not let Titus hire Brandon.” He adds, “I did not supervise Brandon, [the hiring] was [Benton’s] personal request.” He doesn’t mention that, according to multiple former FCCF staff members, Milburn first joined the church’s paid intern staff in 2005 under the oversight of Wingfield’s mother, Ruth. (Wingfield and FCCF have not responded to requests for Milburn’s complete employment history at the church.) But as Wingfield and his lawyer maneuver against Varvil and her supporters, FCCF’s larger community appears conflicted about whether to support its lead pastor. Though Wingfield enjoys the backing of the church elders, some members indicate a growing unease with his leadership style. Many members appear especially upset that the name of their church is now attached to a lawsuit, which they believe violates a Biblical prohibition against suing other Christians. A GoFundMe campaign founded by a
FCCF member has so far raised $4,000 to a legal-defense fund for Varvil, Lay and the Bentons. Again and again, Wingfield insists the church is doing all it can under horrific circumstances. He wants to see the church move on. “First Christian Church is also a victim. As is Dawn, as is Titus and Kari,” Wingfield says with a sigh. As for Lay, Wingfield mentions his history as a survivor of sexual abuse. “Doug is approaching this as an advocate, from his own pain and experience. Doug’s saying, ‘If I had known Brandon was sexually abusing somebody, I would have done something to stop him.’ Isn’t that what he’s saying? Isn’t that what Titus is saying? And isn’t that what we’re saying? We all have in common the crime of someone we knew. How we handle that, whether we throw somebody under a bus...” Wingfield stutters, searching for the right words. “You have to wrestle with the accusations.”
B
randon Milburn today sits in a cell in the Eastern Reception Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre, awaiting psychological and medical evaluation before he’s shipped to prison to begin serving his 25-year sentence. For someone who made his name inspiring crowds with his preaching, it’s an especially
Brandon Milburn has denied allegations that he abused other children in St. Louis and Louisville, Kentucky.
lonely time. But Milburn is not alone. Records obtained by the Anderson family show that he’s been visited on site no less than 78 times by Barb Brazle. She’s the wife of Virgil Brazle, the “connections pastor” at FCCF and one of Wingfield’s top lieutenants. According to court documents, Virgil Brazle unsuccessfully petitioned a judge in 2014 to reduce Milburn’s $100,000 bond, even offering to let the confessed child abuser to stay in his home. In fact, when Riverfront Times wrote Milburn a letter at the detention facility asking for comment, it was Barb Brazle who texted back, asking for clarification on what the paper was seeking. According to Wingfield, he personally notified the Krauss family that Virgil Brazle was making church-sanctioned trips to minister to Milburn in jail. Wingfield says he and other church leaders have met “on a regular basis” with family since the arrest. The Krauss family says they have no memory of Wingfield disclosing that, and that they’re uncomfortable with Wingfield’s characterization. They’ve talked only four or five times with the minister since Milburn’s arrest — once at their initiation. The Andersons, who left the church in 2012, say they’ve had zero contact. “The obvious/normal/healthy thing to do would have been for SOMEONE at FCCF to reach out to us,” Jacob Anderson says in an emailed statement. “We had been members for 25 years there. Brandon Milburn was employed at FCCF. We met Brandon Milburn thru FCCF. We joined the church when my oldest daughter was an infant and our other three children were born/raised up in the church there. Virgil Brazle still had a long history with us and could have made contact with us. At least, a card in
the mail … a phone call … even an email note could have been sent to us. Nothing was. “No contact was made by ANYONE associated with FCCF. No contact after the arrest or anytime these past 15 months.” From his detention facility, Milburn sent a brief statement to Riverfront Times. On yellow legal paper, he wrote that he’d been saved from his past — a gift from God. “He loves me, so he gave it to me, and I reached out and took it,” he wrote. “No one will ever separate me from that love, and God extends that love to anyone and everyone no matter what they’ve done or where they are. I’ve chosen to do the same.” He ended with a P.S.: “Check out John 8:211.” The passage is the one in which Jesus defends a woman who’s been caught in an act of adultery. He’s asked if he would advocate stoning her. He responds, “Let anyone of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Milburn signs his letter “Choosing love, Brandon.” Q riverfronttimes.com
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NIGHT + DAY ®
A R I E L E E B AC H E R
W E E K O F M AY 7– 1 3
Circus Flora performs at the Pulitzer on Friday.
T H U R S D AY |05.07
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[THEATER]
MY MOTHER’S LESBIAN JEWISH WICCAN WEDDING
The issue of marriage equality couldn’t be more timely and controversial, but we doubt anyone has ever previously debated it in song. The musical My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding takes the hot-button topic and renders it tuneful. David Hein (with his wife, Irene Sankoff ) wrote this musical for his own mother — the story mirrors her real-life experience with coming out, honestly and publicly acknowledging her sexuality, rediscovering her faith and last but not least marrying her Wiccan partner. Marriage is a covenant honoring the true and deep connection between two human beings, and MMLJWW explores that sacred, life-affirming ceremony. The musi-
cal also hews to a thoroughly universal theme of the effort — and, often, pure luck — it takes to find true, fulfilling love, regardless of your partner’s gender. The New Jewish Theatre T H IS C O D E presents the wedding TO DOWNLOAD THE FREE RIVERFRONT TIMES of the season at the IPHONE/ANDROID APP Wool Studio Theatre FOR MORE EVENTS OR VISIT at the Jewish Comriverfronttimes.com munity Center (2 Millstone Campus Drive, Creve Coeur; 314-442-3283 or www. newjewishtheatre.org). Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 8 p.m. Saturday, and 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday (May 7 through 30); there is a 2 p.m. show only on Sunday, May 31. Tickets are $36 to $40. — ALEX WEIR
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F R I D AY |05.08
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[DANCE]
SAINT LOUIS BALLET: DON QUIXOTE
If you think there’s no room in prim-proper ballet for flair, ruffles and touches of flamenco, think again — and then buy tickets for Saint Louis Ballet’s production of Don Quixote. This season marks the first time that the company is staging a performance of the ballet version of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra’s novel The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha, and you should expect lively choreography that matches the bustling, breezy score. You also should expect to see dancers wear more than 100 costumes (!) as they piqué their way through the “knighted,” delusional Quixote’s Spain, all while he tries to resurrect a more gentlemanly time — a most noble idea, if we do say so ourselves. Performances are at riverfronttimes.com
7:30 p.m. Friday, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday (May 8 through 10) at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus (1 University Drive at Natural Bridge Road; 314516-4949 or www.touhill.org). Tickets are $18 to $49. — ALISON SIELOFF [CIRCUS]
CIRCUS FLORA
Circus Flora always turns whimsy into pure art — and tonight at 6 p.m., the magic unfolds not under the Big Top, but within the beautiful (and recently renovated) confines of the Pulitzer Arts Foundation (3716 Washington Boulevard; 314-754-1850 or www.pulitzerarts.org). The perfect complement to the current Calder Lightness exhibition (featuring sculptor Alexander Calder’s circus-inspired mobiles and stabiles), tonight’s event showcases artists performing aerial accontinued on page 22
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St. Louis Dance Festival always draws a crowd.
P E T E R W O C H N I A K C O U R T E SY S A I N T LO U I S B A L L E T
Don Quixote dances again.
continued from page 21
robatics, low-wire dancing, and trick roping. The evening concludes with the American debut of Jean Painlevé’s Calder Circus, followed by a screening of his 1955 film Le Grand Cirque Calder 1927. Admission is free. — BROOKE FOSTER
S AT U R D AY |05.09
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[ARTS]
RIVER DES PRESS EXPO
Ten, fifteen years ago, we’ll wager no one apart from a handful of exceptionally psychic soothsayers could have predicted the explosion of small printing-press culture. Regardless, and quite happily, there are now numerous artists creating zines, comics and art on small presses throughout St. Louis. And today from 6:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., the River Des Press Expo celebrates small presses and the vibrant scene they sustain here in St. Louis and in the
surrounding regions. Things get underway with 30-plus artists, writers, and comic-, zine- and printmakers showing their work, talking shop and mingling inside the St. Louis Skatium T H IS C O D E (120 East Catalan TO DOWNLOAD THE FREE RIVERFRONT TIMES Street; 314-631-3922). IPHONE/ANDROID APP At 9:30 p.m. tables FOR MORE EVENTS OR VISIT get moved outside to riverfronttimes.com make room inside for a passel of live bands (among them Superfun Yeah Yeah Rocketship, Mother Meat, Blondie Brunetti) and, natch, skating. The print expo continues unabated outdoors. Admission to the press portion of the evening is free; to skate while the bands play costs $6.99, not including skate rental. — ALEX WEIR
SCAN
[DANCE]
ST. LOUIS DANCE FESTIVAL
The St. Louis dance community suffered a great loss when Dr. B.N. Premachandra, the president of Dances of India, passed away in December. Dr. Prem was an ardent supporter of all forms of dance for the simplest reason: he loved the joy it brought to people. His pet project was the St. Louis Dance Festival, which brings unites companies from across the metro area for two evenings full of every kind of dance, from folk to hip-hop. This year’s installment is dedicated to Dr. Prem and takes place at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday (May 8 and 9) at the Edison Theatre on Washington University’s campus (6445 Forsyth Boulevard; 314-935-6543 or www.dancesofindiastlouis. org). Guest companies include Metro Dance Company, Slaughter Project, Ashleyliane, Collective Motion and Diva La Tap. Tickets are $15 to $25. Go and enjoy yourself — it’s what Dr. Prem wanted. — PAUL FRISWOLD
S U N D AY |05.10 [PERFORMING ARTS]
NICK OFFERMAN & MEGAN MULLALLY
Peek inside a day-to-day marriage, and you might see some carpool juggling and laundry delegation. Take a look at the wedded bliss of beloved funnycouple Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally, on the other hand, and find Summer of 69: No Apostrophe. The pair — known for TV and stage work, and also for being incredibly ace human beings (their vocal support of marriage equality went deservedly viral) — perform a two-person variety show featuring songs, comedy and brazen attempts to get to second base. Matrimony never looked more appealing. The duo get it on at 7 p.m. tonight at the Peabody Opera House (1400 Market Street; 314-499-7600 or www.peabodyoperahouse.com). Tickets are $36.50. — BROOKE FOSTER
WIN FREE STUFF Film Passes, Concert Tickets, Local events, Music/movies, Restaurant gift cards, and much, much more!!! enter to win at: Riverfronttimes.com/ promotions/freestuff/ 22
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Megan and Nick invite you into their marriage.
E R I C S C H WA B E L
Mother Meat entertains at the River Des Press Expo.
M O N D AY 0 5 . 1 1 [LITERARY EVENT]
ELAINE VIETS
St. Louis native Elaine Viets returns to her hometown to promote the brand-new title in her Dead-End Job Mystery series. Checked Out centers on a public library and its acquisition of a wealthy gentleman’s many books, donated to the institution after his death. The catch: The donor stashed a watercolor inside one of his books, and that painting is worth a cool million. But which book? You’ll have to buy Checked Out to enjoy the plot twists, but at the same time you can help out some needy animals. Tonight at 7 p.m. at Left Bank Books (399 North Euclid Avenue; 314-367-6731 or www.left-bank.com), meet the author at An Evening With Elaine Viets: Checked Out. You get face time with Viets, a copy of her new mystery — and a portion of all proceeds benefits Ani-
mal House Cat Rescue and Adoption Center. Animal House will also have adoptable kittens on-site to liven things up. Admission is $30 for one person and one copy of Checked Out. — ALEX WEIR
T U E S D AY |05.12
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[LITERARY EVENT]
MATTHEW PEARL
Society’s struggle with comprehending (and obeying) copyright law is not new to the Internet age. At the end of the nineteenth century books were the movies of their day, and copyright laws were so weak and ill-enforced that wildcatters published hot titles without the author’s consent or involvement. In his new novel The Last Bookaneer, Matthew Pearl drops you into the waning days of the book pirates’ reign of literary larceny. Two competing pirates vie for one last big hit before an inter-
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national treaty kills off their business. Their target: a new Robert Louis Stevenson novel, . Pearl reads from and discusses The Last Bookaneer at 7 p.m. tonight at Left Bank Books (399 North Euclid Avenue; 314-367-6731 or www.left-bank.com). Admission is free. — PAUL FRISWOLD
W E D N E S D AY |05.13 [SCIENCE!]
NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON
Neil deGrasse Tyson was voted “Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive” by People magazine, a modern-day Tycho Brahe with a PhD and a NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal. He has written numerous books (Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries), and has hosted television programs such as NOVA ScienceNOW and Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. Tonight at 8 p.m. the Peabody Opera
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House (1400 Market Street; 314-499-7600 or www.peabodyoperahouse.com) hosts An Evening with Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson. It’s certain to be a starry night of unbounded, captivating conversation on the limitless final frontier. Admission is $55 to $80. — MARK FISCHER Planning an event, exhibiting your art or putting on a play? Let us know and we’ll include it in the Night & Day section or publish a listing in the online calendar — for free! Send details via e-mail (calendar@riverfronttimes.com), fax (314-754-6416) or mail (6358 Delmar Boulevard, Suite 200, St. Louis, MO 63130, attn: Calendar). Include the date, time, price, contact information and location (including ZIP code). Please submit information three weeks prior to the date of your event. No telephone submissions will be accepted. Find more events online at www.riverfronttimes.com.
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film Documents of Our Destruction The Salt of the Earth Directed by Juliano Ribeiro Salgado and Wim Wenders. Written by Wim Wenders, Juliano Ribeiro and David Rosier. Starring Sebastião Salgado, Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado. Opens Friday, May 8, at the Landmark Plaza Frontenac.
I
t begins with an image of what appears to be an ancient city of towers and walls completely covered with — as you eventually recognize as your eyes focus — hundreds of bodies, as if the structure were actually made of human beings. It is in fact the Brazilian gold mine Serra BY Pelada, but the masses of minROBERT ers scrambling up and down its steep face create a kind of HUNT accidental surrealism, a fleshand-mud equivalent to the nightmares of Bosch or Doré’s illustrations of Dante’s Inferno. Shot in stark black and white, the Serra Pelada is merely the first of many corners of the world, some mysteriously unfamiliar, others painfully recognizable, captured by Brazilian photojournalist Sebastião Salgado,
The Who Who Made the Who LAMBERT & STAMP ILLUMINATES THE LIVES OF A PAIR OF FRUSTRATED DIRECTORS-TURNED-MANAGERS Lambert & Stamp Directed by James D. Cooper. Starring Christopher Stamp, Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, Terrence Stamp and Irish Jack. Opens Friday, May 8, at the Landmark Tivoli Theatre.
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lthough the subjects of Lambert & Stamp are no doubt familiar to Who obsessives, casual fans are more likely to echo one of the band’s song titles — “Who are you?” — upon hearing their names. But as James D. Cooper’s illuminating documentary makes clear, and as surviving Who members Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey readily confirm, Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp were equal partners in shaping the band, with Lam24
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whose work is explored in The Salt of the Earth. For more than 40 years, Salgado has traveled extensively making in-depth studies of unusual natural beauty and unimaginable man-made horror. From the Arctic Circle to the islands of the South Pacific, Salgado has photographed Canadian firefighters tackling the blazing oil fields of Kuwait, Saharan villagers suffering under a drought, Third World factory workers and Amazonian villagers whose way of life has remained unchanged for centuries. Trained as an economist, Salgado aims his analytical lens at the most troubled or impoverished corners of the world, frequently
Salt is a stunning documentary.
emphasizing the struggles of those displaced or destroyed by disaster. At times, the sheer scale of the events — a vast hillside covered with the thousands of small tents of a Rwandan refugee camp, or European streets turned into post-apocalyptic war zones — becomes almost unbearable. A collaboration between German director Wim Wenders (a distinguished photographer in his own right) and the photographer’s son, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, The Salt of the Earth immerses the viewer in the senior Salgado’s
bert exerting particular influence by playing Henry Higgins to Townshend’s Eliza Doolittle. The pair made for a superficially odd couple: The natty, Oxford-educated Lambert — son of classical composer and conductor Constant Lambert — was gay, whereas working-class yob Stamp was a gleeful skirt-chaser. Both, however, were movie-besotted and in thrall to the French New Wave, especially Jean-Luc Godard, and when they met while working at Shepperton Studios, they felt a powerful, immediate kinship. Despairing of ever rising above their station as second assistant directors, they lighted on the daft notion of making a cinéma vérité documentary about the ascension of a rock & roll band, which would necessitate first finding and then managing a group. At the time, 1964, neither man had a compelling interest in or any real knowledge of rock music: The band they sought was intended merely as a gateway to eventual careers as film directors. Spotting an impressively long line of mods snaking outside a London club, Lambert and Stamp squeezed inside and stumbled on their
grail: the nascent Who, then known as the High Numbers. Signing the band through force of personality — Daltrey recalls that Lambert was the first “posh” guy he’d ever met — and the even more alluring promise of a weekly salary, the first-time managers set to work. Despite their inexperience, the pair served as exceptional buzz generators, and Lambert proved rock-music adept, both molding Townshend as a songwriter and strongly influencing the band’s sound as album producer. Under Lambert and Stamp’s admittedly erratic guidance, the Who rose to stardom with surprising swiftness. Sadly, by the time the band was reaching the thin-air Everest heights of Tommy in 1969, Lambert was already beginning his own long descent, undone by addiction and Townshend’s increasing creative independence. Eventually, both managers were forced out — in a final indignity, Stamp was given the sack at the same Shepperton Studios where he first encountered his partner — and Lambert met his dissolute end in 1981. Perhaps the most devastating irony of Lambert
and Stamp’s career is that although the Who’s music actually served as the basis for two films, Tommy and Quadrophenia, their own directorial aspirations went unfulfilled. The film will perhaps frustrate those hoping for a larger sampling of the band’s music — which is heard largely in fragments — but with its propulsive, densely edited collage of archival footage and contemporary interviews, Lambert & Stamp displays the same raw, chaotic energy as a vintage Who performance. Townshend and Daltrey offer perceptive, ruminative observations on their younger selves, but the film’s clear star is the roguish, hilariously forthright Stamp, who died in 2012. Lambert’s absence is keenly felt — we long for his perspective — but Stamp is so lively and engaging in his interviews that he seems to reanimate his long-dead partner through vivid reminiscence. A 50-year gestation and a surrogate director may have been required, but Lambert and Stamp have at last managed to deliver the revelatory documentary they conceived so long ago. — CLIFF FROEHLICH
S E B A S T I ÃO S A LG A D O © 2 01 5 S O N Y P I C T U R E S C L A S S I C S
SEBASTIÃO SALGADO’S PHOTOGRAPHY IS THE TERRIFYING STAR OF WIM WENDERS’ LATEST FILM
work, making his images so prominent that you can’t help but absorb them, and also consciously wonder how they were created, how he learned to look at the world. The details of Salgado’s life are here, but they’re only one part of what the film is trying to convey. There is an unavoidable strangeness in a film which consists largely of photographs. The viewer becomes more aware of time, more conscious that they’re looking at something frozen. We know that a photograph is a moment in the past, but Wenders wants to make Salgado’s images present, to jolt us with by their suddenness. But how harrowing they are! Abandoned cars with corpses spilling out of them; sick, starving refugees hiding in forests; funerals for unbaptized infants, their eyes left open so they can find their way to Heaven. As the years go by the brutality Salgado witnesses seems to escalate, to seep into every culture on every continent. As the 71-year-old photographer relates what he’s seen, he seems to grow weaker, almost broken by the accumulation. Ultimately his story — and his work — is not just about images, no matter how skillfully captured: It’s about the state of the world, a cry for help on a global scale. But remarkably, The Salt of the Earth is a film about caution rather than despair. Wenders, like Salgado, wants the viewer to recognize the terrible things that humans do to each other. But the film also offers hope: Salgado is a man who has seen the worst that humanity can dish out but somehow he preserves his admiration for the planet. Without giving too much away, I’ll say that in the film’s final scenes, we see the photographer at peace and making his own contribution toward restoring the world. Q
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STILL ROLLING
ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE
OUR ONGOING, OCCASIONALLY SMARTASS, DEFINITELY UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO WHAT’S PLAYING IN ST. LOUIS THEATERS
“A STUNNING VISUAL ODE.”
A
s technology whirs terrifyingly ahead,
®
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE -Jay Weissberg, VARIETY
THE SALT OF THE EARTH A FILM DIRECTED BY
WIM WENDERS
AND
JULIANO RIBEIRO SALGADO
WWW.SONYCLASSICS.COM
© DECIA FILMS - AMAZONAS IMAGES - 2014
it’s not hard to imagine there’s a robot/
human hybrid with an ass that won’t quit taking shape in some genius’ rec room. So perhaps the thing that’s most outlandish about
STARTS FRIDAY, MAY 8
CHASE PARK PLAZA CINEMAS LANDMARK PLAZA FRONTENAC 212 N. Kingshighway Blvd, 210 Plaza Frontenac, St. Louis St. Louis (314) 367-0101 (314) 994-3733
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“RIOTOUSLY ENTERTAINING. LAMBERT AND STAMP WOULD MOLD THE WHO INTO ONE OF THE GREAT ROCK ‘N’ ROLL BANDS.”
Ex Machina is that someone (Domhnall Gleeson as Caleb) would enter a company-wide
-Jake Coyle,
contest with a grand prize of spending the week with your boss (Oscar Isaac as Nathan) at his remote cabin. The gift card, man. Always stick with the gift card. O Olivier Assayas’ Clouds
A FILM BY JAMES
D. COOPER
THE UNKNOWN STORY BEHIND THE CREATION OF
THE WHO
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of Sils Maria sounds exactly like the kind of film that’d be nominated for a French Oscar. In unrelated news, Clouds was nominated for two Césars: Kristen Stewart for Supporting Actress
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and Juliette Binoche for Actress. Binoche stars
INVITE YOU AND A GUEST TO SEE
as an aging actress who’s asked to again be in the play that catapulted her stardom. Now, twenty years later, she’s to portray the crinkly boss instead of the hot young thing. But it’s crinkly of Hollywood proportions (not french fry), so don’t feel too bad about the whole thing. O A group of approaching-middle-age (183 years old for the young ones, 8,000 years for the not-so) vampire roommates ponder the meaning of love, life and fashion without mirrors in Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi’s
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mockumentary What We Do in the
Shadows (presumably named as Reality Bites was already taken). The vampires here don’t sparkle à la Twilight, but turns out it’s way more amusing to watch them clean dishes and do the ironing. Vampires: They’re as boring as us! O Armed with sticks and a
STARTING TODAY! BE SURE TO TYPE “PITCH PERFECT 2” IN THE SUBJECT LINE.
dubious talent for finding underground water, Russell Crowe stars as Joshua Connor in The
Water Diviner. Connor’s an Australian father who encourged his three sons to fight in Turkey’s Battle of Gallipoli in World War
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. While supplies last. Passes are available on a first-come, first-served basis. One pass (each admits two) per person. Theater is overbooked to ensure capacity. Employees of participating sponsors are ineligible. PITCH PERFECT 2 has been rated PG-13 for innuendo and language.
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IN THEATERS FRIDAY, MAY 15
I; none returned. So he travels to Istanbul to try and recover their remains, fulfilling a vow to his now-deceased wife. There’s love, there’s anger, there’s cross-cultural tumult, and yet Crowe’s directorial debut somehow still lacks flavor. We recommend a shot of rakı. —Kristie McClanahan riverfronttimes.com
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$15 lunch, $20 dinner 44 N. Brentwood Blvd. Clayton, MO 63105 314-721-9400 • www.oceanobistro.com 26
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cafe All About Seoul
“L.A. Style” short ribs on the grill.
DAVID CHOI’S SEOUL Q NAILS THE KOREAN BARBECUE EXPERIENCE. Seoul Q 6665-A Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-863-1148. Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sun. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
oes St. Louis really need another barbecue restaurant? Before dining at Seoul Q I would have answered that question with a very loud and emphatic “no.” This town’s ribsand-brisket market has gotten so overcrowded, you can’t swing a rack of baby backs without hitting an Ole Hickory smoker. For aspiring restaurateurs looking to do something new and exciting, barbecue isn’t it. Unless, that is, you are David Choi. Leave it to the person responsible for the spectacularly successful Seoul Taco to figure out a way to distinguish himself from the rest. At Seoul Q he has accomplished that feat by giving us what he does best: a mix of the traditional Korean barbecue fare he grew up eating in his grandma’s St. Louis kitchen with contemporary, LA-style updates. Choi counted on St. Louis’ appetite for grilled meat when he took over Ginger Bistro’s spot on Delmar Boulevard this January. The space is large; the kitchen alone is triple the size of Seoul Taco’s original tiny brickand-mortar storefront on a side street off the Loop. Choi knew it would be too much for the fast-casual eatery alone, so he divided the room in half: One side houses his original KoreanMexican concept; the other is a Korean barbecue restaurant — a style of dining that’s relatively new BY to the area. C H E RY L The two spaces share a hostess desk framed by BAEHR a wall of brightly colored 1980s boom boxes, though that’s where the similarities end. Whereas the Seoul Taco room is bright with white tables and chairs and colorful martial-arts-themed paintings, the Q side takes on a more rustic and organic feel. Chrome ventilation hoods that pull down like periscopes hover over gray concrete tables inlaid with cooktops. One wall is covered in three-dimensional dark wooden strips, while the other is woven metallic, and spherical chandeliers that look like iron-clad sweetgum balls hang from the ceiling. It’s like dining in a 22nd-century tree house. I must offer a disclaimer: Seoul Q’s staff became aware of my identity within the first five minutes of my second visit (our server recognized me from her old job at one of my
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writing haunts). I would have thought this petizers that followed. Seoul Q’s handmade pork potstickers explained the royal treatment, had I not had an equally superb experience on my first visit. are plump, rounded and upright compared to the ubiquitous flat, halfAs soon as we were seated, moon-shape versions. This our server brought out a kaSeoul Q presentation allows for more leidoscope of banchan — tra“Seoul Wings” ............ $8 filling — the soft dumplings, ditional Korean side dishes “L.A.-Style” perfectly caramelized on evserved gratis with barbecue short ribs ................. $30 ery surface, were overstuffed entrées. The pungent kimchi, “Seafood with peppery ground pork. miniature beef croquettes, Jungle” .................... $40 The meat was so juicy that I salty fish cakes and sweet barely needed dipping sauce, black beans are good enough to make American barbecue enthusiasts jeal- though I could not refrain from digging into ous. The complex yet refreshing flavors lit up the deliciously pungent soy-based accompamy palate in preparation for the parade of ap- niment. continued on page 28 riverfronttimes.com
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Sides include sweet black beans, beef croquettes, and Napa, cucumber and radish kimchi.
Seoul Q
continued from page 27
A traditional Korean pancake that tasted like a cross between an open-face omelet and a German fried potato cake followed. Its shredded potato base, spiced with coarse black pepper and interspersed with long strips of green onions, is crispy around the edges while remaining soft in the middle. The seafood version, filled with tender squid, shrimp and mussels, gives the dish a pleasant mild ocean flavor. And while the pancakes dazzled with subtlety, the “Seoul Wings” wowed me with their ferocity. The large drummies and wings are fried and then coated in a thick fiery glaze that tasted like the best General Tso’s chicken of my life mixed with chile and cumin. My lips were still tingling with joy as I drove home. Dwen Jang is to Korea what chicken-noodle soup is to the United States — a simmering bowl of comfort. Seoul Q’s version demonstrates why it warms the soul. The delicate soybean-paste broth, served simmering in a cast-iron bowl, teems with onions, zucchini, mushrooms and tofu. For a vegetable stew, it’s shockingly hearty. Seoul Q may be a barbecue restaurant, but its hot pots deserve attention. I tried the “Seafood Jungle,” a bubbling, family-size cauldron of seafood-infused tomato broth filled with enough fruits de mer to feed three hungry diners. This bountiful stew is served with whole blue crabs, head-on shrimp, mussels, clams, squid, baby octopus and cod roe. Udon noodles, tofu and greens steep in the broth, picking up the fish’s flavor. My only complaint is that the clams were quite chewy. Otherwise, this is a wonderful seafood stew. Our server recommended the “Seoul Ssam Wrap,” a platter of salt shrimp, lettuce leaves, sweet and spicy red chile sauce, and sous vide pork belly and shoulder. The meat was so tender it spread over the crisp lettuce like butter. It’s intentionally given little seasoning — the better to pick up the tiny shrimp’s salty funk. The dish is a study in balance of flavor, texture and temperature. Seoul Q’s non-grilled items offer may offer a complete experience, but it’s difficult to ignore the siren song of the grill. Thankfully, we heeded the call. 28
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Without hesitation, I can say that the “L.A. Style” short ribs are the best thing I have eaten so far this year. We began with long strips of simple pork belly that our server placed onto the hot grill then cut for us with kitchen shears as it began to cook. Here, the servers’ default is to do most of the cooking for you — a different experience than other, more DIY-style Korean barbecue spots. The smell, the sight of the searing meat and the sound of it sizzling on the grill were so exciting, I could barely allow mine to finish cooking before pulling it off the grill, dipping it in salted sesame oil and tearing into the softyet-crispy meat. I was satisfied at this point, but our server insisted we try the restaurant’s signature barbecue dish, the “L.A. Style” short ribs. He has my eternal gratitude. The ribs are cut across the bone and flattened so they cook quickly. It also allows the deliciously sticky soy and brown-sugar marinade to coat more surface area so that every edge caramelizes. The result is equal parts bitter char and sweet candy. Without hesitation, I can say this is the best thing I have eaten so far this year, and I will be shocked if I encounter anything better. Seoul Q does not offer dessert, unless you count the excellent soju cocktails we had for a nightcap. A colorless, ethanol-based spirit that’s akin to vodka, soju provides a neutral base for a variety of concoctions, ranging from the fruity, pomegranate-and-mint-flavored “Seoul-jito,” to the “Seoul Greyhound,” with grapefruit, chamomile and cardamom. After eating an army’s worth of food, these refreshing liquid desserts were all I could handle. With Seoul Q, David Choi elbows his way into the crowded barbecue field — and by giving it a Korean twist, he may have ended up at the top of the pack. Q
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short orders Honors Long Overdue for Gerard Craft NBJO TU t FEXBSETWJMMF JM 618.307.4830 XXX DMFWFMBOEIFBUI DPN
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pparently six is Gerard Craft’s lucky number. The acclaimed chef and head of Niche Restaurant Group (whose properties include Niche, Taste, Brasserie and Pastaria) was named Best Chef: Midwest by the James Beard Foundation at its annual awards gala on Monday night in Chicago. This was Craft’s sixth nomination and ďŹ rst win. He has been jokingly referred to as the “Susan Lucci of the James Beard Awards,â€? which gives some idea of just how long the recognition has been in coming. Speak with Craft, and he will say that it’s an honor just to be nominated, and that the ďŹ eld is ďŹ lled with great talent. But there’s no question that he was long overdue to win. So why did it take so long for the foundation to recognize Craft? I’d argue that Craft has had a problem with optics. A Washington, D.C., native, Craft admits he selected St. Louis more than a decade ago, sight unseen, as the focus of his culinary ambitions after searching the Internet for cheap places to open a restaurant. Detractors view this with suspicion, arguing that he couldn’t have cared less where he landed so long as it gave him the opportunity to be a big ďŹ sh in a small pond. It’s a critique that perhaps points to, though does not fully capture, the heart of the matter: the perception that Craft comes to the kitchen from a position of privilege. There’s no denying the chef was born into [RESTAURANT NEWS]
Pie Five Pizza Co.’s First St. Louis Outpost
A
Friday, May 8 | 6:00–10:00 p.m. Saturday, May 9 | 10:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. Sunday, May 10 | 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. $10 | Ages 12 and up $5 | Ages 6 to 11 FREE | Ages 5 and under 12580 Rott Road | St. Louis, MO 63127 314-615-5278 | www.laumeier.org
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new fast-casual pizza restaurant that promises to serve custom-made pies in less than five minutes opened its doors in ChesterďŹ eld last week. Pie Five Pizza Co.’s location in the ChesterďŹ eld Commons Village, just south of I-64 at 17215 ChesterďŹ eld Airport Road, will be the company’s ďŹ rst franchise in the St. Louis area. Pie Five began in Dallas in 2011 and has already grown to more than 30 locations, with several hundred new franchises underway. (There’s already one in Kansas City.) The menu shows a variety of options that customers tailor to their preferences Ă la Chipotle, each costing just $6.99. There are four crust options (one gluten free!), seven sauces, and 29 different toppings.
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money, with family ties to the great Ford Modeling Agency (his grandmother was Eileen Ford). Some, though they won’t admit it publicly, have used this fact to create a narrative: Craft did not have to struggle to get where he is today, they whisper, but was instead a spoiled rich kid born on third base. And in choosing a small market to dominate, Craft had an easy route into the restaurant business. But such chatter is patently unfair. Regardless of his starting position, Craft took a big leap coming to a new town and starting from scratch. And even beyond that, he could have arrived with an elitist East Coast chip on his shoulder, insisting he was here to teach a bunch of good ol’ Midwesterners how it’s done. Instead, he immersed himself in the city and her environs, becoming an advocate for the region’s bounty and working his tail off to create a mini-empire in the process. He has taken the time to get to know every inch of this region and has become an earnest champion of his adopted city — arguably in a way that only an emigre can be. That’s become even more true in the last year, as Craft has transitioned Niche into a hyper-local establishment that deďŹ nes what it means to cook and eat in Missouri. Just about everything this restaurant now serves comes from within 300 miles of St. Louis. That’s unprecedented — and impressive. So forget how he got here. What’s important
After a customer makes his selection, the pies are loaded up and ďŹ nished in the oven for just 145 seconds before being served. Too much work to figure out your own? The company offers plenty of combinations, including (speciďŹ cally for the ChesterďŹ eld location) the “St. Louis Supremeâ€?: marinara sauce with “St. Louis-style cheese,â€? Italian sausage, red onions, peppers, mushrooms and bacon slices. St. Louis-style cheese? Sounds like we’re getting us some Provel! In addition to pizza, the chain offers four signature salads (classic Italian, Greek, spinach, chicken caesar) in a pizza-crust bowl, as well as the option to create your own. Desserts are also pie-based, with options for a chocolate cookie pie, turtle brownie or ultimate brownie. The doors are now open, with a grand opening scheduled for this Friday, May 8. That night, from 6 to 8 p.m., pies will be going for just $5. — SARAH FENSKE
Gerard Craft. is what he has done since. And that work holds up to the highest of standards, without question. It’s ďŹ tting, I think, that in the year that Craft fully committed to celebrating the region on his menu, the nation’s culinary powers that be gave him one of their biggest honors. Yes, St. Louis is a small pond. But Craft has shown us all just how big a ďŹ sh a chef can become by exploring Missouri’s bounty. And that’s something we can all be proud of. Find hundreds of restaurant listings and reviews, as well as the latest in Gut Check, at riverfronttimes.com
C O U R T E SY O F P I E F I V E P I Z Z A
[RESTAURANT NEWS]
J E N N I F E R S I LV E R B E R G
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The Margherita pizza with dessert at Pie Five.
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Thanks for voting La Vallesana a 2015 Riverfront Times Restaurant Guide Finalist! - Favorite Mexican - Favorite Burrito
La Vallesana
a family restaurant since 2000
Tacos * Tortas * Quesadillas * Burritos Gyros * Fajitas * Full Bar * Margaritas Homemade Ice Cream and Desert Bar
2801 Cherokee St. 314 776 4223
dining guide The Dining Guide lists only restaurants recommended by RFT food critics. The print listings below rotate regularly, as space allows. Our complete Dining Guide is available online; view menus and search local restaurants by name or neighborhood. Price Guide (based on a three-course meal for one, excluding tax, tip and beverages): $ up to $15 per person $$ $15 - $25 $$$ $25 - $40 $$$$ more than $40
KIRKWOOD/ WEBSTER GROVES 612 Kitchen & Cocktails 612 West Woodbine Avenue, Kirkwood; 314-965-2003. When Dan and Pat Graham decided to shutter Graham’s Grill & Bayou Bar after a seventeen-year run, the next generation decided to take over the reins — but put their own stamp on things. Brother and sister business partners Devin and Alison converted their parents’ Cajun-themed bar and grill into 612 Kitchen & Cocktails, a 1920s-inspired cocktail lounge and gastropub. The restaurant is at its best when it sticks to classic bar fare: Sausage-and-cheese-stuffed mushrooms, breaded and fried, make for an excellent snack; beer-battered fish and chips pair nicely with a cold one; and the smoked chicken is juicy and glazed with caramelized barbecue sauce. Craft cocktails are on the approachable end T H IS C O D E of the spectrum. Signature TO DOWNLOAD THE FREE drinks such include the “Great RIVERFRONT TIMES Gatsby,” made with cucumber IPHONE/ANDROID APP and basil-infused rum, lemonFOR MORE RESTAURANTS OR VISIT ade and blueberry purée. A riverfronttimes.com bridal shower in barware, the “Coco Chanel,” is a blend of strawberry vodka, lemon juice, pink champagne, strawberries and mint. The most austere offering — and that is a stretch — is the “Scarface.” Tequila, tomato water, triple sec and lavender-infused sour combine to make an interesting twist on the margarita. Regardless of how the younger Grahams brand it, 612 Kitchen & Cocktails is still a simple neighborhood watering hole. $$ Winfield’s Gathering Place 10312 Manchester Road, Kirkwood; 314-394-2200. Winfield’s Gathering Place is an upscale sports bar, smokehouse and American fare restaurant brought to life by business partners Mark Winfield and former Cardinals outfielder Jim Edmonds. Located in the space that formerly housed the first St. Louis Bread Company, Winfield’s serves up some serious barbecue. The ribs are classic dry-rubbed style, and the beef brisket holds its own in this ’cue-crowded town. Sandwiches include the must-try “BBQ Burnt Ends Sourdough Melt,” a pastrami Reuben, and a brisket riff on a French dip. Winfield’s is more than a smokehouse, though. Flatbreads and Italian specialties round out the menu, and entrées such as a “Wined and Brined” smoked chicken prove it. Don’t pass up the jalapeño cheddar au gratin potatoes — they’re alone worth a visit. $$-$$$
SCAN
L A FAY E T T E S Q UA R E 33 Wine Shop & Tasting Bar 1913 Park Avenue; 314-2319463. Though unassuming and simple from the outside, 33 Wine Shop & Tasting Bar provides outstanding hospitality, more than 700 wines and one of the best beer lists in the city. The result is a relaxing yet engaging opportunity to sip, contemplate or just plain drink your vino. Though lacking a full menu, there’s a nice array of cheese, cured meats and crackers to hold you over. Pricing is great, with bottles marked up just $9 over 33’s very competitive “take home” prices (it is a wine shop, too), which makes it a great place to go big on a specialty bottle. The oft-rotating draft selection, along with the list of bottled brew, highlights great beers both American and imported, many of which are rarely available on tap locally. $$-$$$ Eleven Eleven Mississippi 1111 Mississippi Avenue; 314-241-9999. One of the most popular restaurants on the square (though technically, it’s a few blocks away), Eleven Eleven Mississippi is the continued on page 34
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AUTHENTIC & DELICIOUS MEXICAN CUISINE
Full Bar Now Open 2812 Cherokee St. • 314-240-5990
www.chaparritosstl.com
meat me at
pappy’s ALL NEW BANQUET FACILITY
NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRIVATE PARTIES!
DINE IN OR CARRY OUT
HOURS:
3106 Olive Street St. Louis, MO 63103 pappyssmokehouse.com 314.535.4340
Mon. – Sat. 11 am – 8 pm* Sun. 11 am – 4 pm* *May close earlier if we sell out of food.
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continued from page 32
perfect spot for a dinner party or an intimate dinner date for two. The restaurant bills itself as a “Wine Country Bistro,” and the wine list is up to the challenge along with a menu featuring variations on casual Northern Italian and California fare. Wild boar is a house specialty — that’s right, wild boar. The soft lighting and graceful décor helps create an intimate atmosphere to ensure things go well on that first date. $$$ Element 1419 Carroll Street; 314-241-1674. Helmed by executive chef Brian Hardesty of Terrene and Guerrilla Street Food fame, Element serves up hearty rustic American food in a beautifully restored historic brick building. The two-story, warmly rich space is filled with glass and wood and features an open kitchen in the lower level restaurant area so that every table feels like a chef’s table. The top floor offers small plates and a gorgeous full bar in an urban-chic lounge area. Both levels offer outdoor seating with stunning views of downtown St. Louis. Notable dishes include a pork-belly small plate — so creamy it is almost spreadable — served with tangy blue-cheese mousse, plums, French prunes and walnuts. The short-rib large plate is equally decadent, the meat falling apart with the slightest prodding of a fork. Served with a rich sweet potato ale, rutabaga and Swiss chard, the short ribs are tailor-made for a chilly day. The wine list is small but thoughtful, the beer list features local craft selections and the bartenders are up to the challenge of customizing a craft cocktail based on a mood. $$$ Planter’s House 1000 Mississippi Avenue; 314-696-2603. Finally, master mixologist Ted Kilgore gets a house of his own with Planter’s House. This Lafayette Square temple to mixology is a showroom for Kilgore and company’s (his wife, Jamie, and business partner, Ted Charak) inspired cocktail artistry. Drinks run the gamut from the approachable “Planter’s House Punch” to the esoteric wormwood-laden “Unusual Suspect.” The joint is, first and foremost, a cocktail room, but it features an inspired food menu. The poutine is magnificent — thick, red-wine pork gravy covers a platter of fried and smashed fingerling potatoes. Or try the duck burger, a mammoth mix of ground duck, pork and bacon served open-face on a pumpernickel bun with Gouda and a fried duck egg. It’s quite possibly the perfect way to soak up all of that booze. $$-$$$
CARONDELET DINER OPEN DAILY 6 A M -7 P M
FRIED CHICKEN SPECIAL! 4 Piece Fried F Chicken Dinner
$6.99
After 4pm daily.
THE LOOP
St. Louis’ Favorite Italian-American Cuisine Unlimited Pizza, Pasta, Salad, & Appetizers at our New Lunch Buffet!
Monday - Friday 11 am - 2 pm Sunday 11 am - 4 pm
The best pizza, pasta & salad in town!
310 Debaliviere
(Between Forest Park Pkwy. & Delmar)
314 • 367 • 7788 34
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Order online at
stlitalian.com!
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The Good Pie 6665 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314899-9221. If a trip to Naples isn’t in the cards, you can sate a craving for classic Neapolitan-style pizza at the Good Pie. The Delmar Loop pizzeria churns out traditional pies, creative specialties and a small selection of housemade pastas. On any given night, patrons can peer into the open kitchen to see the chefs stoking the fire of its authentic wood-burning oven, kept so hot that the pizzas cook in mere minutes. Purists will be satisfied with the margherita pizza, D.O.P., simply prepared in the classic fashion with just-crushed San Marzano tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and a few sprigs of fresh basil. Also noteworthy is the prosciutto arugula pizza — an unsauced pie covered with fresh mozzarella, arugula and a generous portion of the Italian ham. Diners shouldn’t pass on the housemade pastas. The selection is small, but what it lacks in breadth it makes up for in quality. The delicate gnocchi, made with blue cheese, cherries, toasted pecans and brown butter, is exceptional. $$ Peacock Loop Diner 6261 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-721-5555. The latest feather in Joe Edwards’ (Blueberry Hill, Pin-Up Bowl) impressively plumed cap, Peacock Loop Diner serves breakfast and lunch staples 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The bright, retro-themed restaurant is outfitted with a dizzying array of 1950s kitsch and boasts a curtained, rotating circular booth called the Carousel of Love. The menu offers everything from omelets and biscuits and gravy, to burgers and corn dogs. On the breakfast side, the “Finals Breakfast Sandwich” is a good one: an egg, griddled ham, bacon, sriacha and mixed-berry jam are sandwiched between two malty waffles. Ask for a side of maple syrup, and the dish becomes a quirky take on a Monte Cristo. Another standout is the chicken curry salad melt with Muenster cheese. And don’t leave without trying at least one of the seventeen different varieties of spiked milkshakes. They are break-up cures in a frosty glass. $-$$ Salt + Smoke 6525 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-727-0200. Salt + Smoke infuses the Loop air with the unmistakable smell of barbecue. The scent may draw diners in, but the delectable barbecue taste will keep the crowds coming back for more. The latest venture from restaurateur Tom Schmidt, best known for Franco in Soulard, Salt + Smoke features Texas-style barbecue, a huge bourbon selection and comprehensive craft-beer offerings. Fried pickles and hush puppies dipped in honey butter are standout appetizers, and the falafel sandwich — though a surprise at a barbecue place — is the closest thing a vegetarian can get to barbecue. St. Louis-cut ribs are dry rubbed and fall off the bone. Those who order the brisket are given the option of the fatty part, the lean part or the burnt end. The lean part is tender and needs no sauce. The thick-sliced smoked bologna, flecked with fat, jalapeños and cheddar cheese, is more like salami than the thin-sliced Oscar Mayer deli slices. Be forewarned: A little goes a long way. Salt + Smoke offers thoughtful side dishes like white-cheddar-cracker mac & cheese, coleslaw tossed with apples and fennel, and sweet creamed corn. And make sure to save room for the chocolate pie. The flaky crust and bittersweet pudding-like filling make it an excellent ending to a great meal. $$
I Includes two sides.
321 EAST DAVIS 314.833.3470
2 Year Winner Wi
Taste of Maplewood
Best Margarita
Great Lunch Specials Every Day!! 1901 Washington Avenue 314-241-1557
4030 Woodson Road Woodson Terrace, MO 63134 314-427-7177
7356 Manchester Maplewood, MO 63143 314-645-3364
NICARAGUAN CUISINE
Join Us for our Mother’s Day Brunch!! Voted Best
Central/South American Restaurant –Restaurants Restaura Resta ura r nt nts s 2014 201 20 14
Private room now available!
2208 S. JEFFERSON AVE (1/4 mile south of I-44)
314.664.7777
www.fritangastl.net
Pat’s is back
under original family management
nc
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Pizza-A-Go-Go e 196
-HTV\Z MVY MYPLK JOPJRLU ÄZO HUK ZHUK^PJOLZ Large 15" Small 12" CHEESE $12.50 $7.00 SAUSAGE $13.50 $8.00 PEPPERONI $13.50 $8.00 BACON $13.50 $8.00 CANADIAN BACON $13.50 $8.00 MUSHROOM $13.50 $8.00 ONION $13.50 $8.00 BLACK OLIVE $13.50 $8.00 GREEN PEPPER $13.50 $8.00 ANCHOVY $13.50 $8.00 SPECIAL $18.00 $11.00 sausage, pepperoni, mushroom, green pepper, & onion MEAT SPECIAL $18.00 $11.00 sausage, pepperoni, bacon, canadian bacon VEGGIE SPECIAL $18.00 $11.00 mushroom, onion, green pepper, olive Additional toppings $1.50 $1.00 Thick crust $1.50 $1.00
Daily happy hour and game day bucket specials Private event room available
Thank you St Louis! Voted Favorite Thin Crust in 2015 Restaurant Guide!
6703 Scanlan St. Louis, MO 63139 314-781-1234 Open Sun-Thurs 4-9PM, Fri & Sat 4-10PM, Closed Wed www.pizzaagogo.blogspot.com
KIDS MENU 1/2 PRICE WEEKENDS! Saturday & Sunday Til 5PM
Across from Turtle Park, Zoo and Forest Park PATCONNOLLYTAVERN.COM
6400 Oakland Ave. @ Tamm in Dogtown (314) 647-PATS
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OPEN Casting Call B Casa del Mar (5/14, from 7-8PM)
The Riverfront Times is looking for outgoing, enthusiastic individuals to join the Riverfront Times Street Team. Team members promote the Riverfront Times at local events and take photos, gain e-mail addresses to build our database, and hand out free stuff! If you are interested in part time work (5-10 hours per week- nights and weekends are required) and want to attend the best events St. Louis has to offer, send your resume to emily.westerholt@riverfronttimes.com. Must be 21 years old!
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FIND ANY SHOW IN TOWN...
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With our new and improved concert calendar! RFT’s online music listings are now sortable by artist, venue and price. You can even buy tickets directly from our website—with more options on the way!
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music
B-Sides 38 Critics’ Picks 40 Concerts 43 Clubs
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Transcending the Darkness OF MONTREAL CONTINUES ITS EVOLUTION ON THE BITTER AUREATE GLOOM Of Montreal 8:30 p.m. Thursday, May 7. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Avenue. $20 to $23. 314833-3929.
on’t listen to the reviewers — Aureate Gloom is not Of Montreal leader Kevin Barnes’ breakup album. Yes, he and his wife, Nina Aimee Grøttland, separated in December 2013, leading many critics to jump to conclusions in regard to the 2015 record’s motivations. But Barnes wants them to know that they got it all wrong. “The reality is, it’s not at all a breakup album, and most of the songs aren’t even about my wife,” he says. “They’re about other people and other things that were happening postbreakup.” The confusion is understandable. Previous albums by the versatile Athens, Georgia-based indie-pop outfit focused on the intimate details and volatile emotions of toxic relationships, and the press release for 2012’s Paralytic Stalks confirmed that the bitter long-player did address Grøttland. But the truth this time around is more complex, Barnes says. Inspiration presented itself in many forms. “I was having all these exBY periences, all these different BOB kinds of people,” he explains. “And rather than try to focus MCMAHON on one person, because everything was so scrambled, it was easier to think about all of them — to think about all of it at once, and not stick to one subject the whole time.” Barnes’ famously expansive vocabulary may add to the album’s artistry, but it offers little in terms of clarity. Titles such as “Empyrean Abattoir” are common here, and obscure verbiage permeates the record. That’s thanks to Barnes’ aversion to repeating himself, but also stems from his zeal for incorporating recently discovered words into songs. “It’s sort of like collecting Pokémon or something,” he offers. “There’s things I might say in a song or write in a poem that would feel just preposterous to say in conversation.” That lyrical depth is matched by the album’s ever-shifting musical palate. While writing, Barnes traveled to New York for inspiration, seeking to channel ’70s CBGB mainstays
KEVIN BARNES
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Kevin Barnes: “I’m trying to bring myself out of that funk and into a better funk.”
such as Television and Patti Smith in his new work. Those influences shine through in the album’s jagged guitar riffs, jerky rhythms and snarling vocals, but are offset by moments of dreamy shoegaze, clave-enhanced acoustic breakdowns and clavinet-driven disco-funk. Tempos and time signatures stop on a dime and unexpectedly change course, and some tracks feel like multiple songs smashed together. The result is among Of Montreal’s hardest-rocking and most bracing records — but one that still requires multiple listens to fully comprehend and enjoy. The group is subject to sudden shifts on a macro level as well. Aureate Gloom’s tough musical core is a departure from the Bob Dylanand Neil Young-flecked twangy rock of its predecessor, Lousy with Sylvianbriar, which
itself broke from Paralytic Stalks’ elaborate electronic drones and overstuffed synth arrangements. All of this is a step away from the freaky Prince-inspired funk of the group’s 2007 to 2010 run, and quite far from the its late-’90s origin as a twee offshoot of the psychedelic Elephant 6 collective. Perhaps the project’s biggest shift was Barnes’ decision to stop recording every part by himself and instead recruit a band. Barnes claims his hired guns didn’t affect the writing process, but he acknowledges that their contribution brought new life to Of Montreal. “[Recording live] helped us move a lot faster and helped us sort of capture the energy of five people playing in the room together,” he says. “So the record feels more spontaneous, in my mind. And that’s what I was going for.” riverfronttimes.com
Between the elaborate costumes and a surreal, theatrical stage show, concertgoers can be forgiven for not fully deciphering the ugly emotions present in Of Montreal’s work. Barnes says he and his brother David, who is in charge of the stage show, work to strike a balance so crowds are “not just being hit over the head with somebody else’s sadness” while still trying to convey emotional depth. “A lot of times with the music, I’m trying to bring myself out of that funk and into a better funk,” Barnes says. “I hope that people can connect with it on that level and know that it is not completely vacuous, empty party music. It’s basically music that’s there to help you transcend the darkness. It recognizes the darkness and sadder side of the human condition, but it’s trying to transcend it together.” Q
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b-sides Mother’s Day Special
15% OFF ENTIRE STORE,
FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. MUSICRECORDSHOP .COM PHONE
314.675.8675
4191-A MANCHESTER IN THE GROVE
There’s No Place Like Foam Grace Basement All shows at 8 p.m. at Foam, 3359 South Jefferson Avenue. All ages. $7. 314-772-2100 May 12: Bryan Ranney (folk) May 19: Old Souls Revival (rock) May 26: Animal Children (jazz)
C O U R T E SY O F K E V I N B U C K L E Y
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he walls of John D. McGurk’s front room are covered with framed photos of musicians who have played on its stage — men and women armed with guitars, fiddles, bodhran drums and Uilleann pipes, musicians who have kept Irish folk music alive and well in St. Louis. Kevin Buckley is playing his fiddle on this narrow stage directly below a framed photo of himself in slightly younger days; the same benevolent intensity is evident in his eyes both in photograph and in person. The Irish Brigade, the Minnesota-based duo of BY Mike Wallace and Joe Smith C H R I S T I A N that performs a few monthlong stints at the Soulard pub S C H A E F F E R each year, is holding court on this uncrowded Wednesday night. Buckley sits in with them regularly, and tonight the trio works through “Down by the Salley Gardens” before launching into a full-throated take on the Beatles’ “The Long and Winding Road.” continued on page 39
Kevin Buckley.
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.E Of Crashing Symbols dottie.bandcamp.com
I
f you’ve thought of Dottie Georges as an experimental artist, you only know part of the story — those off-kilter impulses are most often deployed in the service of her rock- and pop-indebted music. Of course, if you’ve thought about Dottie Georges at all in the past few years, you are already in the know: The one-woman band known as .e had a fruitful start to the decade, but she’s been mostly quiet these past few years, save for a few stray digital missives. Her debut full-length, Of Crashing Symbols, puts an end to that long dormant period. Serving as an introduction for some and a welcome reminder for others, the record stands to be an epiphany for many who fall under the confident, if unassuming, sway of Georges’ shifting compositions and feathery vocals. The electric guitar is her weapon of choice, and she can use it to paint her songs with moody, shoegaze-inspired strokes. But she’s equally adept at synthesis and programming, and even the most spare of these nine tracks sizzles with electronic pulses and synaptic shimmers. Because this is the first time listeners have had a chance to sit with a complete .e recording (available on vinyl and CD as well as download), Georges takes the opportunity to display her range in her
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typically subdued fashion. “A Way (to Float) Away,” with its shambling structure, lightly chorused guitar and bouncy bass, could have fit on a C86 or Sarah Records comp. If kids still made early-summer mix tapes for their crushes, this would be a side-A centerpiece. A few songs later, the insistent drum programming and sub-octave distortion of “Click” finds Georges at her most aggressive. Many of these works strike a balance between these two poles, recalling the British dreaminess of Lush while channeling the digital unease of EMA. When .e stretches into purely electronic territory, the music reflects a similarly overcast mood with a new palette of tones. The bottom-heavy “Arp” shows Georges’ skill at nuanced, kinetic programming — the pitter-pat drum machine and thumpy groove play well together. The following track, “PS,” turns tail with jazzy guitar chords and dulcet harmonics, but that breezy intro serves as a background for simple and squelchy synth work. These moves are less a bait-and-switch than an honest convergence of Georges’ talents and interests, as she strives to make room for both pop and experimentalism in the same song. — CHRISTIAN SCHAEFFER Want your CD to be considered for a review in this space? Send music c/o Riverfront Times, Attn: Homespun, 6358 Delmar Boulevard, Suite 200, St. Louis, Missouri, 63130. Email music@riverfronttimes.com for more information.
Grace Basement continued from page 38
an Irish surname, after all.) Buckley says little and sings less; he’s an apt sideman in this modest setting, and when the band moves away from sing-alongs and Pogues covers to instrumental jigs and reels, Buckley shines. His skills on the fiddle have given him prominence in the Irish folk world, and alongside fellow St. Louisan Ian Walsh, Buckley plays traditional folk tunes at McGurk’s every Monday night. Between sets, the 35-year-old Buckley discusses his other musical persona: that of the singer and songwriter behind Grace Basement. The folk-rock band’s last LP Wheel Within a Wheel was named the best local album of 2013 by this publication, but Buckley’s Irish folk gigs — his livelihood — have kept the group from local stages. Grace Basement is set to reintroduce itself with a different kind of residency than Buckley’s weekly Irish gigs. Each Tuesday this month, Buckley and a rotating cast of musicians will be holding court at Foam. A different local band will join them each week, and that opening band’s genre will influence Grace Basement’s lineup and approach; indie rock one week, folk and country the next, and so on.
John Higgins and pianist Tim Sullivan for that performance. “That’ll be almost a completely different sound, but still all Grace Basement songs.” Sets from rock band Old Souls Revival on May 19 as well as jazz sextet Animal Children on May 26 will round out the month. This genre-bending approach to Grace Basement’s catalog is in keeping with Buckley’s method of making records. Each of his three releases has featured different players and sounds: His debut, New Sense, was a selfrecorded snapshot of well-crafted bedroom pop; Gunmetal Gray bristled with life thanks to a rangy, clangorous backing band; and Wheel Within a Wheel was almost entirely acoustic, a gentle folk record that found a newly married Buckley at his most mature, both as a songwriter and an arranger. He hopes to have
his fourth album out in time for the fall, and it promises to continue the band’s evolution. “For me, it’s gotta be something different each time in some way,” explains Buckley. “I’ve probably been playing with this lineup the longest of any of them. I’ll end up playing a lot of instruments, but I want to settle down on the lineup a little bit. I’ve been trying to figure out what I’ve wanted all these years, and part of it is just chilling out.” These shows, and the new record, will reunite Buckley with Marc Schneider, a St. Louis native who has recently returned after years of living in New York. The two played in their first band, Ashtray, together as teenagers, and Schneider will fill in on guitar and vocals. Of this incarnation, says Buckley, “It’s very much a guitar band. It’s like guitar rock; my
idealized version of KSHE 95 that does not actually exist.” For local music fans, the residency is a chance to see one of the city’s best bands shift and mutate from week to week. For Buckley, though, the goal is pretty simple: work out some new songs and play shows again after a long break. “I’m hoping by the end of it all, I hope to have a better idea of what the band is sounding like. All the other songwriting stuff aside, the only way to get good at something is to do it a lot. I don’t think we were playing enough shows — I know the band agreed — and we were talking about how to get better. You just need to play more,” says Buckley. “And it’s fun, obviously,” he concludes. “It’s a joy to do it.” Q
MEMPHIS. MUSIC. NEED WE SAY MORE?
“I’ll end up playing a lot of instruments, but I want to settle down on the lineup a little bit. I’ve been trying to figure out what I’ve wanted all these years, and part of it is just chilling out.” Buckley conceived the month-long residency as a way to kick the rust off his old songs while premiering new tracks from a forthcoming record. “I haven’t been too active with Grace Basement recently, because I’ve been too busy working and playing gigs,” he says. “But we started messing around with some recording a few months ago. Jill Aboussie [drums] and Greg Lamb [bass] were coming over a lot, and I had these songs all written. They were getting on me, Greg especially: ‘Let’s play some fucking shows!’ So, very impulsively, I contacted Mic [Boshans, owner/booker of Foam] about doing something different and fun as opposed to just booking a show.” Pairing with a different type of band each week is a way for Grace Basement to stretch itself, even while showcasing its versatility: “It was nice to structure it slightly, for my brain.” The kickoff show, held May 5 with indie-rock band American Wrestlers, Buckley says, was “kind of a standard show.... Half all-new shit, half old stuff. For the second week with Bryan Ranney, that’s gonna be all folky, country songs.” He’ll be joined by pedal-steel player
Let’s begin where it all began — Sun Studio and Elvis™. There’s Graceland®, Beale Street, the Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum and Stax Museum. But if you think that’s our entire playlist, you haven’t discovered our B side. See live shows at local spots, like Hi-Tone Cafe, Minglewood Hall and The Levitt Shell. Rock the river bluff during Beale Street Music Festival or go hi-fi and take home locally flavored vinyl from Goner Records. Whichever gig you choose, it’ll be real. Just like us. So, when you visit Memphis, flip it over and find out what we’re really about.
Memphis. Vacation on the B side.
SM
Visit MemphisTravel.com and enter to win a free trip for two, plus a recording session at Ardent Studios. riverfronttimes.com
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Clockwise from the top: Noise-rockers Melt Banana, Ray Wylie Hubbard and Action Bronson.
Tuesdays, April 28â&#x20AC;&#x201C;June 2
TWILIGHT
TUESDAYS SPRING 2015 AMEREN CONCERT SERIES MISSOURI HISTORY MUSEUM
8 p.m. Thursday, May 7. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue. $20 to $35. 314-773-3363. A preacher who refuses to preach, a rounder who quit drinking, a Zen poet who ďŹ nds transcendence in a MOSFET distortion pedal, a Texas bluesman who quotes Rilke and Lightninâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Hopkins like they were blood brothers â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Ray Wylie Hubbard is all these things and more. With his just-released album The RufďŹ anâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Misfortune, the Austin-based alchemist melts down primitive rock & roll and spiritual country-blues into sound as loose and grungy as rough mixes for Exile on Main St. and as real as a cyclone. (And only Hubbard could get away with namedropping Sylvie Simmons and Joan Jett in the same song.) Lone Star State of Mind: Fellow Texas songwriter Ronnie Fauss opens the show with crunchy, crisp, countryspiked rock & roll, and, if weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re lucky, his killer cover of Phosphorescentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Song for Zula.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; ROY KASTEN
TIM BERNEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S SNAKEOIL
6pm to 8pm â&#x20AC;˘ FREE Museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Front Lawn Forest Park â&#x20AC;˘ mohistory.org Featuring STLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best food trucks!
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7:30 p.m. Friday, May 8. The Stage at KDHX, 3524 Washington Avenue. $10 to $20. 314-664-3955. Fans of experimental, boundary-pushing jazz music should bring two ďŹ&#x201A;oral bouquets to this show: one for headliner Tim Berneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Snakeoil and one for the heads at New Music Circle, who have brought the likes of Black Host and Matthew Shipp to town in recent weeks. Berneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s outďŹ t can hold its own amid such august company; the alto saxophonist crafts melodically dexterous charts and leads an able combo through twists and turns. Oscar Noriega serves as Berneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s woodwind foil, matching him on clarinet and bass clarinet on these propulsive numbers. Expect to hear a live airing of the groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just-released album Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve Been Watching Me. Buck Up: While the New Music Circle does offer a discounted rate of $10 for â&#x20AC;&#x153;struggling music lovers,â&#x20AC;? think about skipping your latte this week and supporting the NMCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s good work instead. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; CHRISTIAN SCHAEFFER
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ACTION BRONSON
8 p.m. Tuesday, May 12. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Avenue. $30. 314-833-5532. March 23 was a pretty big day for hip-hop heads this year, serving as the release date for Earl Sweatshirtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s followup to 2013â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s acclaimed Doris as well as Kendrick Lamarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s huge return after 2012â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Good Kid, M.A.A.D City â&#x20AC;&#x201D; theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re both artists frequently named by critics among the most creative and intelligent lyricists working today. With all that noise, you may have missed Action Bronsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s major-label debut, Mr. Wonderful, also released that day. His is an ambitious affair, a no-skipper featuring more experimentation than his past works, with production duties coming from Mark Ronson and the Alchemist, to name a few. Stay Hungry: Speaking of lyricism, former chef Bronson didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stray far from his culinary inspirations â&#x20AC;&#x201D; keep count and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll notice no less than 25 references to food on the album. Sure, Earl and Kendrick can write, but comparatively, their ideas lack adobo.â&#x20AC;&#x201D; DANIEL HILL
C O U R T N E Y C H AVA N E L L
R AY W Y L I E H U B B A R D
M E LT- B A N A N A
8:30 p.m. Monday, May 11. The Firebird, 2706 Olive Street. $14 to $16. 314-535-0353. Tokyoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Melt-Banana has been pulverizing the brains of its listeners to mush for nearly 25 years now. Fans of the venerable noise-rock outďŹ t know its boundaryobliterating modus operandi well by this point: Expect melodies buried under a mountain of distortion, laser sounds, barked vocals and thunderous bass, with tempos shifting from head-nodding to hyper-blur on a dime. Melt-Banana ďŹ nds the common ground shared by noise freaks, punks, grind fans and open-minded indie-rockers alike, absolutely owning the center of that Venn diagram. Show Up On Time: St. Louisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; own Braining will be opening the show. A more appropriate pairing would be difďŹ cult to ďŹ nd, so donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be late. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; DANIEL HILL
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cinco de mayo MUSIC 5 DAYS A WEEK Tues t Thurs t Fri t Sat t Sun
MAY 2015
Presenting Exceptional Live Entertainment May 8, Friday 6-8 PM Steve Reeb with Ross Bell May 8, Friday 8-10 PM The Alley Mutts May 9, Saturday 2-6 PM Zero Friction May 10, Sunday 2-6 PM The Darrells May 12, Tuesday 6-9 PM Joe Mancuso & Dave Black Duo May 14, Thursday 6-9 PM Steve Bise May 15, Friday 6-10 PM 4th City Rag May 16, Saturday 2-6 PM Sean Bennight May 17, Sunday 2-6 PM P. Wee Saloon May 19, Tuesday 6-9 PM Paul H. Alpert May 21, Thursday 6-9 PM Jessica Tipton May 22, Friday 6-10 PM Ken and Mike Duo May 23, Saturday 2-6 PM Judith Howard May 24, Sunday 2-6 PM Becca & Co. May 26, Tuesday 6-9 PM The Jamily Fam May 28, Thursday 6-9 PM Ross Watson May 29, Friday 6-10 PM Jerry Rabushka May 30, Saturday 2-6 PM Loose Roots May 31, Sunday 2-6 PM Lucky Dan & Naked Mike Monthly Proceeds in support of Stray Rescue St. Louis
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herokee Street played host to Cinco de Mayo festivities and the People’s Joy Parade over the weekend — it’s one of St. Louis’ biggest, most colorful parties of the year. Photographer Steve Truesdell captured the food, music and people who made it great. See the rest of his images at riverfronttimes.com/slideshow.
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concerts THIS JUST IN 521 Briar: W/ Ryan M, Sun., May 17, 8 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. Animal Children: Mon., May 11, 8 p.m., $5. Mon., May 25, 8 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. Art of Dying: W/ Munj, Operator 303, Adarose, Tue., June 16, 7 p.m., $14-$16. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. Awkward Age: W/ I Actually, Dead Planet, the Mondales, the Winks, Sat., June 20, 8 p.m., $8-$10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. Billy Joe Shaver: W/ Ashleigh Flynn, Thu., May 28, 8 p.m., $20-$27. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314588-0505. Bob Schneider: Wed., Aug. 5, 8 p.m., $20-$35. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-773-3363. Bruiser Queen: W/ Modern Convenience, Tue., May 12, 10 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. Bruxism #9: Wed., May 27, 7 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. Burning Palms: W/ SeaKings, Polar, Thu., May 14, 8 p.m., $5. Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center, 3301 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-771-1096. CharFlies: W/ the Wilhelms, Karate Bikini, Fri., May 29, 8 p.m., $7-$10. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-773-3363. Chipper Jones: W/ Corduroi, Mike Brown, Sat., May 16, 8 p.m., $5. Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center, 3301 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-771-1096. Choir Vandals: W/ Strangers Now, Bike Path, New Lives, Thu., May 21, 7 p.m., $6. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. Cleric: Sun., Sept. 6, 7 p.m., $8-$10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. The Creepshow: W/ the Red Handed Bandits, Six Gun Salvation, Thu., June 4, 8 p.m., $12-$14. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. David Cook: Fri., June 5, 8 p.m., $20. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. Death Valley Girls: Wed., May 27, 10:30 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. Dharmageddon Fundraiser: W/ Travel Guide, Twin Cities, Sat., May 30, 8 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. Dopapod: W/ Twiddle, Wed., May 20, 9 p.m., $12-$15. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. D.R.I.: W/ Grand Inquisitor, Path of Might, Absala, Sun., Sept. 27, 7 p.m., $15-$18. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. The Echo Base Quartet: Sat., May 16, 2 p.m., Free. Music Record Shop, 4191 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-2724607. Edhochuli: Thu., July 2, 8 p.m., $5. Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center, 3301 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-771-1096. Emo Side Project: W/ SeaKings, Drangus, Jr. Clooney, Sun., June 7, 8 p.m., $5. Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center, 3301 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-771-1096. Ex Oh Ex: W/ Hands and Feet, Heel Turn, Thu., May 14, 8 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. Ex-Cult: W/ Beth Israel, Soda Boys, Tue., May 26, 8 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. Ferver Verve: Fri., May 15, 8 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. Floetry: Fri., June 19, 8 p.m., $35-$45. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. Gates: Tue., June 16, 8 p.m., $5. Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center, 3301 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-771-1096. The Glitch Mob: Thu., Sept. 3, 8 p.m., $22.50-$25. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. Grace Basement: W/ John Higgins, Tim Sullivan, Bryan Ranney Band, Tue., May 12, 8 p.m., $5. W/ Old Souls Revival, Tue., May 19, 8 p.m., $5. W/ Animal Children, Thu., May 26, 8 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. The Growlers: Fri., June 12, 8 p.m., $12-$15. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. Hollow Breath: W/ No Thanks, Perfect People, Church Key, Fri., May 29, 8 p.m., $8. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. HoneyHoney: W/ Ryan Joseph Anderson, Sun., June 7, 8 p.m., $13-$15. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505.
Hunnie Bunnies: W/ Wiggpaw, Catholic Guilt, Wed., May 13, 8 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. Ill Nino: W/ Kittie, Straight Line Stitch, Motograter, the Bloodline, Unloco, Davey Suicide, Sun., June 14, 3 p.m., $16-$20. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis. The Incurables: Fri., May 22, 9 p.m., $10. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-773-3363. Jack Grelle: W/ Palomino Shakedown, Jenny Roques, Fri., May 22, 8 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. Jason Zeh: W/ Sam Naumann, Adam Gabbert, M Saric, Fri., May 22, 8 p.m., $5. Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center, 3301 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-771-1096. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion: W/ Daddy Long Legs, Thu., June 18, 8 p.m., $15-$18. W/ Daddy Long Legs, Thu., June 18, 8 p.m., $15-$18. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams: Sun., June 21, 8 p.m., $17-$20. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-773-3363. Leon Russell: Sat., Oct. 17, 8 p.m., $32.50-$35. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis. Like Moths to Flames: W/ Sylar, From Ashes to New, This Is Me Breathing, Eurydice, Ascension of Akari, Torn At The Seams, Thu., May 28, 6 p.m., $15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. Lily Tomlin: Wed., June 24, 8 p.m., $47.50-$97.50. River City Casino & Hotel, 777 River City Casino Blvd., St. Louis, 314-388-7777. Little Hurricane: W/ Young Buffalo, Tue., June 23, 8 p.m., $10. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-5880505. Low Cotton: Thu., June 11, 8 p.m., $5. Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center, 3301 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-771-1096. Matt Braunger: Fri., June 5, 8 p.m., $15. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. Megawave: Tue., May 26, 8 p.m., $5. Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center, 3301 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-771-1096. The Milk Carton Kids: Wed., Nov. 4, 8 p.m., $30-$35. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-533-9900. Nate the Great: W/ Clay L, Jo Ary, Big Dude RoseGoldman, Chan-E Chain, Chezboi, SkareKrow, Scott, N.P.Y., Sun., May 17, 8 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-2899050. No Straight White Guys: Sun., May 17, 10 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-7722100. PHOX: Tue., June 9, 8 p.m., $13-$15. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. Population Zero: W/ RumLuck, Tue., June 16, 8 p.m., $8. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. Rocky Votolato: W/ Dave Hause, Chris Farren, Sat., Aug. 8, 8 p.m., $12. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314535-0353. Ruben Studdard: W/ Kimberly Locke, Elliott Yamin, Nikko Smith, Sat., Aug. 8, 7 p.m., $31. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. Slow Season: W/ Dead Feathers, the Judge, Noisy Boyz, Thu., May 28, 9 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. Songs4Soldiers Benefit Concert: W/ ClusterPluck, Impala Deluxe, Where’s Charlie?, the Feed, Dance Floor Riot, Sat., May 30, 7 p.m., $10. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. The Steeldrivers: Thu., July 2, 8 p.m., $20-$25. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis. Sudden Suspension: W/ Bad Luck, Sat., July 11, 6 p.m., $12. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. Sydney Street Shakers: Wed., May 20, 8 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-7722100. Symbol Six: Mon., July 27, 7 p.m., $10-$12. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. Tarpit: W/ Buffalo MRI, Larva Luau, Janet, Sun., May 10, 8 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. The Ting Tings: Fri., July 24, 8 p.m., $18-$20. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. Travis Bursik: W/ Onewayness, Hylidae, Eric Hall, Sat., May 23, 9 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. Tristen: W/ Big Harp, Mon., June 22, 8 p.m., $10-$12. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-773-3363. Turkuaz: Wed., Aug. 5, 8 p.m., $10-$12. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505. Underhills: W/ Old Souls Revival, Early Worm, Thu., May 21, 9 p.m., $5. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. Viking Moses: W/ Jesse Edmister, Sun., May 17, 8 p.m., $5. Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center, 3301 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-771-1096. WaterMeDown: W/ LifeWithout, Einsam, Fri., May 15, 8 p.m., $5. Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center, 3301 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-771-1096. Words Like Daggers: W/ Alistair Hennessey, Monolith, Monogram Suitcase, Arborium, Inner Outline, Sat., July 11, 7 p.m., $10-$12. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. The Young Rochelles: W/ Eaten Back To Life, Horror Section, Tthe Timmys, the Grow Ops, the Phantom Maggots, Wed., July 8, 8 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314289-9050.
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THE WHO
WWW.SONYCLASSICS.COM
STARTS FRIDAY, MAY 8
CHECK THEATRE DIRECTORIES OR CALL FOR SHOWTIMES
VIEW THE TRAILER AT WWW.LAMBERTANDSTAMPFILM.COM
riverfronttimes.com
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HIP-HOP
clubs Cinco De Mayo on Cherokee Street
R&B ROCK
Dining Out For at Life Molly’s In Soulard
Look for the RFT Street Team at the following featured events this week:
Friday 5.8.15, Saturday 5.9.15 & Sunday 5.10.15
Lital Release At The Ready Room
The Demo: 4191 Manchester Ave, St. Louis. The Yawpers, Sat., May 9, 9 p.m., $8-$10. Heaters, w/ Follakzoid, Tue., May 12, 7:30 p.m., $10. Success, w/ Murphy and the Death Rays, Wed., May 13, 8 p.m., $10-$13. The Firebird: 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. Bad Suns, Fri., May 8, 8 p.m., $15. Melt Banana, w/ Braining, Mon., May 11, 8:30 p.m., $14-$16. Foam Coffee & Beer: 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314772-2100. Bruiser Queen, w/ Modern Convenience, Tue., May 12, 10 p.m., $5. Fubar: 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. Metro Station, w/ SayWeCanFly, 7 Minutes in Heaven, Fri., May 8, 6:30 p.m., $18-$20. Halo Bar: 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-7261414. Belleview, Wed., May 13, 11 p.m., free. The Heavy Anchor: 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226. 18 Stories, w/ Moon Glampers, Fri., May 8, 9 p.m., $5. Magic City, w/ Red Mouth, Zak M., Sat., May 9, 9 p.m., $5. Off Broadway: 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-773T H IS C O D E 3363. Chui Wan, w/ DJ TO DOWNLOAD THE FREE Loud Panda, Tone Rodent, RIVERFRONT TIMES Mon., May 11, 9 p.m., TBA. IPHONE/ANDROID APP Penicillin Baby, w/ Big Blond, FOR MORE CONCERTS OR VISIT Boreal Hills, Wed., May 13, 9 riverfronttimes.com p.m., $5-$8. The Pageant: 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-7266161. Death Cab For Cutie, w/ The Antlers, Wed., May 13, 8 p.m., $37.50-$45. Pop's Nightclub: 401 Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, 618274-6720. Psychostick, w/ Downtown Brown, Urizen , Netherspere, Acid Era, Lyluth, Tue., May 12, 6:30 p.m., $13-$15. The Ready Room: 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis. The Story So Far, w/ Four Year Strong, Terror, Souvenirs, Fri., May 8, 8 p.m., $20.50-$23. TV On The Radio, w/ Bo Ningen, Wed., May 13, 8:30 p.m., $30. Scottrade Center: 1401 Clark Ave., St. Louis, 314-241-1888. The Who, Thu., May 7, 7 p.m., TBA. Sky Music Lounge: 930 Kehrs Mill Road, Ballwin, 636-5276909. Bombat Billy, Sun., May 10, 6:30 p.m., Free; Blue Lemmings, Sun., May 10, 9:30 p.m., Free. Lost Dog, Mon., May 11, 6:30 p.m., Free; Shrinking Violets, Mon., May 11, 9:30 p.m., Free. Venice Café: 1903 Pestalozzi St., St. Louis, 314-772-5994. Frank Ladish, w/ Suzie Cue, Traveling Sound Machine, Thu., May 7, 9 p.m., $3.
SCAN
28TH ANNUAL
What: Art Fair When: Friday - 6 - 10 PM, Saturday - 10 AM - 8 PM, Sunday - 10 AM - 5 PM
Twilight Tuesday at The History Museum
Where: Laumeier Sculpture Park
Saturday 5.9.15 What: Grand Opening Microfest at Forest Park
When: 2 - 4 PM Where: Howard’s in Soulard
JAZZ
Saturday 5.9.15 What: Urbanaire Microfest at Forest Park
When: 6 PM - 12 AM Where: Union Station Midway
Tuesday 5.12.15 What: Twilight Tuesdays
TWILIGHT
TUESDAYS AMEREN CONCERT SERIES
SPRING 2015
MISSOURI HISTORY MUSEUM
Derby Day at Twin Oak
When: 5 - 8 PM Where: The History Museum For more photos go to the Street Team website at www.riverfronttimes.com. Los Perros De Mayo at Canyon Cafe 44
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The Bootleg: 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis. Death and Taxes Album Release, w/ Mathias and The Pirates, Seymour Awesome, Sat., May 9, 9 p.m., $10. The Demo: 4191 Manchester Ave, St. Louis. Arshad Goods, w/ Tino, Lydia Caesar, Fri., May 8, 9 p.m., $10-$15. The Firebird: 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. Young Fathers, Wed., May 13, 8 p.m., $12/$14. The Ready Room: 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis. Action Bronson, Tue., May 12, 8 p.m., $30.
Foam Coffee & Beer: 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314772-2100. Animal Children, Mon., May 11, 8 p.m., $5. Sky Music Lounge: 930 Kehrs Mill Road, Ballwin, 636-5276909. Gateway City Big Band, Wed., May 13, 6:30 p.m..
BLUES BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups: 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314436-5222. Love Jones "The Band," Thu., May 7, 10 p.m.; Thu., May 14, 10 p.m.; Sat., May 16, 10 p.m.; Thu., May 21, 10 p.m., $5. The Kingdom Brothers, Fri., May 8, 7 p.m., $5; Rich McDonough & Rough Grooves Blues Band, Fri., May 8, 10 p.m., $5. Trigger 5, Sat., May 9, 7 p.m., $5; Stacy Mitchhart Band, Sat., May 9, 10 p.m., $10. Ladies of the St. Louis Blues Mother's Day Show, w/ Melissa Neels, Miz Rennee Smith, Uvee Hayes, Patti Thomas, Miss Hy-C, Kim Massie, Miss Clarine Wagner, Race Simmons with the New House Rockers, Sun., May 10, 4 p.m., $15. Baby Al Caldwell & Friends, Mon., May 11, 8 p.m.; Tue., May 12, 8 p.m., $10. Big Rich & the Rhythm Renegades, Wed., May 13, 7 p.m.; Wed., May 20, 7 p.m.; Wed., May 27, 9:30 p.m., $5; Liv Up Kru Reggae, Wed., May 13, 10 p.m., $5. Beale on Broadway: 701 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-6217880. Bob "Bumble Bee" Kamoske, Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Blumenhof Vineyards: Highway 94, P.O. Box 30, Dutzow, 800-419-2245. Eric McSpadden, w/ Mojo Syndrome, Sat., May 9, 2 p.m., free. The Sheldon: 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 314-5339900. Bottoms Up Blues Gang, Sat., May 9, 11 a.m., $5-$12.
Chaifetz Arena: 1 S. Compton Ave., St. Louis, 314-977-5000. Maze, w/ Frankie Beverly, Keith Sweat, Bell Biv Devoe, 112, Joe Torry, Fri., May 8, 6 p.m., $49-$99. The Pageant: 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. Interpol, Mon., May 11, 8 p.m., $28/$30.
FOLK Foam Coffee & Beer: 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314772-2100. Grace Basement, w/ John Higgins, Tim Sullivan, Bryan Ranney Band, Tue., May 12, 8 p.m., $5. The Fox Theatre: 527 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 314-5341111. Bob Dylan and His Band, Mon., May 11, 8 p.m., $49.50-$129.50.
COUNTRY Blumenhof Vineyards: Highway 94, P.O. Box 30, Dutzow, 800-419-2245. Dan Sproat, Fri., May 8, 4 p.m., free. Garden Party Trio, Sun., May 10, 2 p.m., free. Off Broadway: 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-773-3363. Ray Wylie Hubbard, Thu., May 7, 8 p.m., $20-$35. John D. Hale Band, w/ Dustin Clark and Stone Mountain Railroad, Fri., May 8, 8 p.m., $10-$12; John Paul Keith and the One Four Fives, Fri., May 8, 9 p.m., $10-$12. Tom Russell, Sat., May 9, 8 p.m., $28-$33. The Pageant: 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161. Jana Kramer, w/ Kelsea Ballerini, Sun., May 10, 8 p.m., $20-$22.50. The Ready Room: 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis. Granger Smith, w/ Earl Dibbles Jr., Sat., May 9, 8 p.m., $15-$20.
COMEDY The Fox Theatre: 527 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 314-5341111. Chris Tucker, Sat., May 9, 8 p.m., $35-$125. Peabody Opera House: 1400 Market St, St. Louis, 314-2411888. Lewis Black, Sat., May 9, 8 p.m., TBA.
E X P E R I M E N TA L Foam Coffee & Beer: 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314772-2100. Tarpit, w/ Buffalo MRI, Larva Luau, Janet, Sun., May 10, 8 p.m., $5. The Stage at KDHX: 3524 Washington Ave, St. Louis. New Music Circle presents: Tim Berne's Snakeoil, Fri., May 8, 7:30 p.m., $10-$20. William A. Kerr Foundation: 21 O'Fallon St., St. Louis, 314436-3325. Evening of Tapes 2, w/ Form A Log, Mon., May 11, 7:30 p.m., TBA.
PUNK Foam Coffee & Beer: 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314772-2100. Hunnie Bunnies, w/ Wiggpaw, Catholic Guilt, Wed., May 13, 8 p.m., $5. Fubar: 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. Teenage Rehab, w/ Dead to Begin With, Sat., May 9, 8 p.m., $10. Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center: 3301 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-771-1096. Eli Whitney, w/ Freya Wilcox, Antithought, Thu., May 7, 8 p.m., $5.
M E TA L The Firebird: 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. Flaw, w/ Seasons After, Tue., May 12, 7 p.m., $15. Fubar: 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. Grand Inquisitor, w/ Thanatos Eternal, Truculent Void, I Actually, Spirit Of Chaos, Sat., May 9, 6 p.m., $8-$10.
M E TA LC O R E The Firebird: 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. 36 Crazyfists, w/ The Faded Truth, Thu., May 7, 7:30 p.m., $15-$17. Fubar: 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. Ice Nine Kills, w/ Get Scared, Upon This Dawning, Brightwell, Thu., May 7, 6 p.m., $15-$17.
PUNK Foam Coffee & Beer: 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314772-2100. Hunnie Bunnies, w/ Wiggpaw, Catholic Guilt, Wed., May 13, 8 p.m., $5. Fubar: 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. Teenage Rehab, w/ Dead to Begin With, Sat., May 9, 8 p.m., $10. Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center: 3301 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-771-1096. Eli Whitney, w/ Freya Wilcox, Antithought, Thu., May 7, 8 p.m., $5.
savage love Teaching Moment Hey, Dan: Last summer, I reconnected with a high-school teacher I hadn’t seen for a year. We first met when I was fifteen, and I had nothing but respect for him and his intelligence. I also had a crush on him for the next four years. Fast-forward a year. He is sexting me and sending dick pics and wants to hook up. He has told me he loves me. I feel violated and tricked, like he was supposed to be someone I could trust and he didn’t respect that. Now I wonder how teachers really see underage high-school girls. This whole experience BY has made me feel dirty. Moreover, he has never respected DAN that I have a boyfriend and that I want nothing to do with S AVA G E his advances. I met up with a former classmate, and she told me that this teacher and another teacher said similar things to her. Ew! Most former classmates of mine still believe him to be a respectable man and a great teacher. But I know him for what he really is, and when I think of it, I get so angry. How do I move on from this? Schooling Thankfully Over Permanently
I would never want to minimize the creepiness factor of a former teacher sending you dick pics and refusing to take “I want nothing to do with your advances” for an answer. (And you didn’t just say “I have a boyfriend” and hope that he would hear “And I want nothing to do with your advances,” right? Because if all you said was “I have a boyfriend,” STOP, he may have heard, “I would love to fuck you, but I have a boyfriend.”) And I definitely believe high-school teachers — all teachers who work with minors — should refrain from fucking current students and sending dick pics to former students. One is statutory rape and an abuse of power (fucking underage students); the other is career suicide (hitting on former students will get your ass fired eventually). As for the other issues you raise… This guy was your teacher when you were fifteen…you had a crush on him for four years… a crush he doubtless picked up on…and you somehow reconnected with him after not seeing him for a year…and one year after reconnecting, he’s still contacting you despite your rejection of him. If I’ve got the timeline right (math is still hard!), STOP, you were 19 or 20 when you reconnected with your former teacher and you’re 20 or 21 now. Maybe even 22. That means nothing happened — nothing appropriate or inappropriate — until you were (1) no longer his student and (2) legally an adult. Your former teacher did nothing inappropriate when you were his student (you surely would’ve included that detail), and so far as you know, he’s never behaved inappropriately
toward a current student. Which means either your former teacher has a solid age-range floor (he’s not attracted to anyone under the age of 18) or he’s capable of exercising self-control (not only can he refrain from fucking girls under the age of 18 who he happens to find attractive, but he can conduct himself in such a way that those girls have no idea he finds them attractive). Your former classmate’s story complicates the picture — and yucks the picture — but she was a former student and an adult when these teachers said “similar things” to her, right? That’s still creepy, of course, it’s still not OK, and it’s still potential career suicide for both these idiots. But it’s not technically illegal. If you honestly believe that either or both of these idiots are behaving inappropriately toward their current students, STOP, you should approach the administration at your old high school with your concerns. Doing so will result in the end of their careers as educators — but if these guys are trying to fuck their current students and/or grooming their current students for fucking a year or two after they graduate, then both should get the fuck out of teaching. As for feeling dirty, STOP, I don’t understand where that’s coming from. You didn’t do anything dirty. The realization that this teacher might have had a crush on you back when you had one on him — and he might not have had a crush on you then — shouldn’t hurl you into some sort of existential crisis. If knowing that a teacher might have found you sexually attractive back when you were a junior in high school leaves you feeling violated, tricked and angry, STOP, if that realization has you convinced that all teachers are secret perverts, then you seem to be operating under a faulty set of assumptions about what teachers are. They’re not robots, they’re not eunuchs, they’re not humanoids from a parallel universe where life isn’t occasionally complicated by an unwanted sexual attraction. Teachers are human beings, and like all other human beings, they sometimes experience sexual attraction, including sexual attraction of the unwelcome and/or inappropriate variety. What they choose to do about it — suppress it, act on it — determines whether they’re respectable men and women and (possibly) great teachers or total creeps and/or sex offenders. This does not, of course, excuse what your former teacher is doing to you now. He’s sexually harassing you. Tell him to stop and threaten to take it up with the school board if he doesn’t. How do you move on? You do what I do on Twitter: Block and forget the asshole — BAFTA. On the Lovecast, science PROVES that liberals are happier than conservatives: savagelovecast.com. mail@savagelove.net @fakedansavage on Twitter riverfronttimes.com
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100 Employment 105 Career/Training/Schools AIRBRUSH MAKEUP ARTIST COURSE For: Ads . TV . Film . Fashion. HD & Digital 40% OFF TUITION For Limited Time.Train & Build Portfolio . One Week Course. Details at: AwardMakeupSchool.com 818-980-2119 (AAN CAN) AIRLINE CAREERS begin here - Get trained as FAA certified Aviation Technician. Housing and Financial aid for qualified students. Job placement assistance. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance 800-725-1563 (AAN CAN) THE OCEAN CORP. 10840 Rockley Road, Houston, Texas 77099. Train for a new career. *Underwater Welder. Commercial Diver. *NDT/Weld Inspector. Job Placement Assistance. Financial Aid avail for those who qualify 1.800.321.0298
120 Drivers/Delivery/Courier ! Drivers Needed ASAP ! Requires Class E, B or A License. S Endorsement Helpful. Must be 25 yrs or older. Will Train. ABC/Checker Cab Co CALL NOW 314-725-9550
155 Medical Research Studies Interested in research studies on diabetes call Washington University, Vitamin D Study at (314) 362â&#x20AC;&#x201C;0934. Women! Have you had unprotected sex within the last 5 days? Washington University seeks participants for a study. Call 314â&#x20AC;&#x201C;747â&#x20AC;&#x201C;1331.
167 Restaurants/Hotels/Clubs
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185 Miscellaneous MAKE $1000 Weekly!! Mailing Brochures From Home. Helping home workers since 2001. Genuine Opportunity. No Experience Required. Start Immediately. www.theworkingcorner.com (AAN CAN)
Start your humanitarian career! Change the lives of others while creating a sustainable future. 1, 6, 9, 18 month programs available. Apply today! www.OneWorldCenter.org 269-591-0518 info@oneworldcenter.org
190 Business Opportunities Avon Full Time/Part Time, $15 Fee. Call Carla: 314-665-4585 For Appointment or Details Independent Avon Rep.
193 Employment Information CDL- A DRIVERS and Owner Operators: $1,000.00 sign on, Company/ Safety Bonuses. Home daily/ weekly. Regional runs. Great Benefits. 1-888-300-9935
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400 Buy-Sell-Trade
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CASH FOR CARS: Any Car/Truck. Running or Not! Top Dollar Paid. We Come To You! Call For Instant Offer: 1-888-420-3808 www.cash4car.com (AAN CAN)
BENTON PARK $750 314-223-8067 Spacious 2BR, beautiful wood flrs, C/A, ceiling fans, wall-towall closet, kitch appls, W/D, back porch, great area
WESTPORT/LINDBERGH/PAGE $515-$575 314-995-1912 1 mo FREE! 1BR ($515) & 2BR ($575 specials) Clean, safe, quiet. Patio, laundry, great landlord! Nice Area near I-64, 270, 170, 70 or Clayton
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WANTS TO Purchase minerals and other oil/gas interest. Send details to: P.O. Box 13557, Denver, CO 80201
600 Music 605 Musicians Available/Wanted MUSICIANS AVAILABLE Do you need musicians? A Band? A String Quartet? Call the Musicians Association of St. Louis (314)781-6612, M-F, 10:00-4:30
DWI/BANKRUPTCY HOTLINE: R.O.C. LAW , A Debt Relief Agency, Helping People File For Bankruptcy Relief Under the New Bankruptcy Code. 314-843-0220 The choice of a lawyer is an important decision & shouldn't be based solely upon advertisements.
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610 Musicians Services
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DWI/TrafďŹ c from $50/Personal Injury.
MUSICIANS Do you have a band? We have bookings. Call (314)781-6612 for information Mon-Fri, 10:00-4:30
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ATTORNEY BRUCE E. HOPSON
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420 Auto-Truck
530 Misc. Services
CASH FOR CARS: Any Car/Truck. Running or Not! Top Dollar Paid. We Come To You! Call For Instant Offer: 1-888-420-3808 www.cash4car.com (AAN CAN)
AUTO INSURANCE STARTING AT $25/ MONTH! Call 855-977-9537 (AAN CAN)
537 Adoptions
SOUTH CITY! $495 314-309-2043 2 br, bsmt, hrdwd flrs, strge, no app fee, part bills paid! rs-stl.com RGLJC SOUTH ST. LOUIS CITY 314-579-1201 or 636-939-3808 1, 2 & 3 BR apts for rent. www.eatonproperties.com. Sec. 8 welcome SOUTH ST. LOUIS CITY $600 314-374-6366 3449 Hereford: 2 bl W of Kingshwy at Oleatha. 1BR, deck in rear & lrg fncd yard. A/C, refin hdwds, coin lndry onsite. No app fee SOUTHWEST CITY $700 314-374-6366 4933 Devonshire: Large liv rm & din rm, 2 BR, hardwood, W/D hkup, on site prkg. No App Fee ST ANN! $400 314-309-2043 1br, bsmt, newer carpet, hookups, frosty a/c, off street parking! rs-stl.com RGLJA
475 Want/Trade
PREGNANT? THINKING OF ADOPTION? Talk with caring agency specializing in matching Birthmothers with Families Nationwide. LIVING EXPENSES PAID. Call 24/7 Abby's One True Gift Adoptions. 866-413-6293. Void in Illinois/New Mexico/Indiana (AAN CAN)
WANTS TO Purchase minerals and other oil/gas interest. Send details to: P.O. Box 13557, Denver, CO 80201
ST. CHARLES COUNTY 314-579-1201 or 636-939-3808 1 & 2 BR apts for rent. www.eatonproperties.com. Sec. 8 welcome
210 Houses for Sale DELLWOOD $72,000 314-255-3408 103xx Bon Oak 3b/1ba w/bsmt. Coming Soon!!!
GATE DISTRICT $99,900 314-229-4530 Beautiful 3BR, 1BA rehabbed property, new windows, kitch, custom cabinets, granite counter, s/s appls. New baths, refin wood flrs
MICAH USHER Photographer
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Events Business Advertising Portraits Headshots
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â&#x20AC;˘ More driving time than any other school in the state â&#x20AC;˘
KINGSHIGHWAY! $850 314-309-2043 5 bed, 2.5 bath house, basement, 2 car garage, fenced yard, cold a/c, all appliances, flexible deposit! rs-stl.com RGLLC
DOWNTOWN Cityside Apts 314-231-6806 Bring in ad & application fee waived! Gated prkng, onsite laundry. Controlled access bldgs, pool, fitness, business ctr. Pets welcome
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$45-$50 thousand the 1st year, great beneďŹ ts, call SMTDS, Financial assistance available if you qualify. Free living quarters. 6 students max per class. 4 wks. 192 hours.
GASCONADE! $600 314-309-2043 2 bed house, finished basement, cold a/c, fenced yard, appliances, pets, main floor laundry! rs-stl.com RGLK9
More than youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d expect for less than youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d imagine. The Best Views in St Louis overlooking the Arch/Riverfront. Spacious studioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, 1 & 2 bedroom apartments - Fully Furnished Aptâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and short-term leases also available. Rooftop pool, two fitness centers, community room and business center w/WiFi. Penthouse Suites Available. www.gentryslanding.com
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IF YOU DESIRE TO MAKE MORE MONEY AND NEED A NEW JOB EARNING
320 Houses for Rent
RICHMOND HEIGHTS $495-$525 (Special) 314-995-1912 1 MONTH FREE! 1BR, all elec off Big Bend, Metrolink, 40, 44, Clayton
SOUTHERN MISSOURI TRUCK DRIVING SCHOOL P.O. Box 545 â&#x20AC;˘ Malden, MO 63863 â&#x20AC;˘ 1.888.276.3860 â&#x20AC;˘ www.smtds.com
300 Rentals
SV
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After hours or weekends 800-345-5407
Now taking appointments (314) 956 - 6422 â&#x20AC;˘ usherimaging@ gmail.com
Facebook.com/usherimages riverfronttimes.com
M AY 7 - 1 3 , 2 0 1 5
RIVERFRONT TIMES
47
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Specials $30 $50
R 314-754-5966
Therapeutic Foot Massage 1 Hr. Full Body Massage
Specializing in Chinese Accupressure, Deep Tissue, Hot Oil, Hot Stone, Swedish, Therapeutic Foot Massage 9441 OLIVE BLVD. ST. LOUIS, MO 63132 HOURS 9AM - 9PM
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314-993-0517
636-633-2929
w w w. S U N R I S E DAYS PA .C O M
MUSIC RECORD SHOP
Looking to sell or trade your metal, punk, rap or rock LP collection. Call us. 4191-A Manchester. musicrecordshop.com , 314-732-0164 CAMPS, WINERIES, SPORTING EVENTS, WEDDINGS, PARTIES, GROUP OUTINGS Call First Student to pick you up! Charter & School Bus Rental. 866.514.TRIP or www.ďŹ rstcharterbus.com
Made You Look!
DWI/Traf $50+/Personal Injury Mark Helfers, 314-862-6666- CRIMINAL former Asst US Attorney, 32 years exp
www.HelfersLaw.com The choice of a lawyer is an important decision & should not be based solely on advertising
BUYING JUNK CARS, TRUCKS & VANS 314-968-6555 DATING MADE EASY... LOCAL SINGLES! Listen & Reply FREE! 314-739-7777 FREE PROMO CODE: 9512 Telemates
NEW LOCATION NOW OPEN!!
Las Palmas 1901 Washington Ave. St. Louis 63103. 314-241-1557 Mon - Sat: 11am - 1am; Sun: 11am - 12am Find us on Facebook
Are you addicted to Opiates? Pain medications or heroin? SUBOXONE CAN HELP CALL 636-477-6111 No upfront fees. Covered by most insurance.
Join the RFT Email lists for an inside look on Concert listings, ticket sales, events & more! www.Riverfronttimes.com to sign up R.O.C. LAW , A Debt Relief Agency, Helping People File For Bankruptcy Relief Under the New Bankruptcy Code. 314-843-0220 The choice of a lawyer is an important decision & shouldn't be based solely upon advertisements.
Are You Addicted to Pain Medications or Heroin ?
Suboxone Can Help. 3YXTEXMIRX Â&#x2C6; 'SR½HIRXMEP Â&#x2C6; 'SRZIRMIRX Â&#x2C6;'SZIVIH F] QSWX MRWYVERGI Â&#x2C6;*VII GSR½HIRXMEP EWWIWWQIRXW
OUTPATIENT SERVICES
763 S. NEW BALLAS RD. STE. 310 SAINT LOUIS, MO 63141
314-292-7323
Want to ďŹ nd a good Happy Hour? Download the RFT's Free Happy Hour Phone app - search "Happy Hour" Interested in being on the RFT Street team? Promotional P/T work/ $10 Hr. Resume & some exp req'd Email: Emily.Westerholt@riverfronttimes.com
Firehouse Bar & Grill "A Place to Hang Your Helmet" Express Lunch - Happy Hour M-F 3-6pm - Great Dinner Menu 3500 Lemay Ferry in South County 314-892-6903
South City Scooters Great Selection of Scooters from $995 & Up. Sales & Service. @ the corner of Connecticut & Morgan Ford. 314.664.2737
Join the RFT Email lists for an inside look on Concert listings, ticket sales, events & more! www.Riverfronttimes.com to sign up
DWI/BANKRUPTCY HOTLINE:
R.O.C. LAW , A Debt Relief Agency, Helping People File For Bankruptcy Relief Under the New Bankruptcy Code. 314-843-0220 The choice of a lawyer is an important decision & shouldn't be based solely upon advertisements.
EarthCircleRecycling.com - 314-664-1450
Earth Circle's mission is to creatively assist businesses and residents with their recycling efforts while providing the friendliest and most reliable service in the area. Call Today!
M AY 7 - 1 3 , 2 0 1 5
Promotional P/T work/ $10 Hr. Resume & some exp req'd Email: Emily.Westerholt@riverfronttimes.com
Firehouse Bar & Grill "A Place to Hang Your Helmet" Express Lunch - Happy Hour M-F 3-6pm - Great Dinner Menu 3500 Lemay Ferry in South County 314-892-6903
South City Scooters Great Selection of Scooters from $995 & Up. Sales & Service. @ the corner of Connecticut & Morgan Ford. 314.664.2737
DWI/Traf $50+/Personal Injury Mark Helfers, 314-862-6666- CRIMINAL former Asst US Attorney, 32 years exp
314-842-4463
Spiritual Readings by Randy
Earth Circle's mission is to creatively assist businesses and residents with their recycling efforts while providing the friendliest and most reliable service in the area. Call Today!
MUSIC RECORD SHOP
Looking to sell or trade your metal, punk, rap or rock LP collection. Call us. 4191-A Manchester. musicrecordshop.com , 314-732-0164 CAMPS, WINERIES, SPORTING EVENTS, WEDDINGS, PARTIES, GROUP OUTINGS Call First Student to pick you up! Charter & School Bus Rental. 866.514.TRIP or www.ďŹ rstcharterbus.com
Made You Look!
Get the Attention of our 461,000+ Readers Call 314-754-5940 for More Info Like the Riverfront Times? Make it ofďŹ cial. www.facebook.com/riverfronttimees Download the FREE Best of...App to See Best of St. Louis winners and ďŹ nalists near you, or search by category, popularity and neighborhood. www.bestof.voiceplaces.com. $50 / 1 HR Massage
Evergreen Massage
Chinese Acupressure Deep Tissue, Hot Oil, Swedish, Hot Stone, Foot Massage
314-814-9852 (West of 270 off Manchester
2129 Barrett Station Rd near Burlington Coat Factory)
riverfronttimes.com
Want to ďŹ nd a good Happy Hour? Download the RFT's Free Happy Hour Phone app - search "Happy Hour" Interested in being on the RFT Street team?
www.HelfersLaw.com The choice of a lawyer is an important decision & should not be based solely on advertising
EarthCircleRecycling.com - 314-664-1450
Lic. # 2007006081
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or
5000 CEDAR PLAZA PKWY., STE. 380 SAINT LOUIS, MO 63128
After hours or weekends 800-345-5407
Specializing in Adolescents, Adults, and Women Medication Management and Therapy 255 SPENCER RD., ST. PETERS MO 63376
RIVERFRONT TIMES
SEE OUR AD ON PAGE 6 OR CALL 866-626-8346
DWI/BANKRUPTCY HOTLINE:
NOT AFFILIATED WITH A HOSPITAL OS
48
PAINLESS TATTOO REMOVAL
Like the Riverfront Times? Make it ofďŹ cial. www.facebook.com/riverfronttimees Download the FREE Best of...App to See Best of St. Louis winners and ďŹ nalists near you, or search by category, popularity and neighborhood. www.bestof.voiceplaces.com.
Complete Home Package includes:
650 Fee Fee Rd. in Maryland Heights 63043
not be based solely on advertising.
www.LiveInTheGrove.com
Call Today to Hear Special Offers. 314-744-9160
Sofa + Matching Chair + Coffee Table + End Table + 2 Lamps + Dinette Table + 2 Chairs + Queen Bed w/ Headboard + Nightstand + Clothing Chest w/ Drawers McGuire Furniture 314-997-4500
ATTORNEY BRUCE E. HOPSON The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should
Get the Attention of our 461,000+ Readers Call 314-754-5940 for More Info
Spiritual Readings by Randy
Furnish an Entire Apartment for Only $590!
Personal Injury, Workers Comp, DWI, TrafďŹ c 314-621-0500
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Call Today to Hear Special Offers. 314-744-9160
Furnish an Entire Apartment for Only $590! Complete Home Package includes:
Sofa + Matching Chair + Coffee Table + End Table + 2 Lamps + Dinette Table + 2 Chairs + Queen Bed w/ Headboard + Nightstand + Clothing Chest w/ Drawers McGuire Furniture 314-997-4500 650 Fee Fee Rd. in Maryland Heights 63043
BUYING JUNK CARS, TRUCKS & VANS 314-968-6555 DATING MADE EASY... LOCAL SINGLES! Listen & Reply FREE! 314-739-7777 FREE PROMO CODE: 9512 Telemates
NEW LOCATION NOW OPEN!!
Las Palmas 1901 Washington Ave. St. Louis 63103. 314-241-1557 Mon - Sat: 11am - 1am; Sun: 11am - 12am Find us on Facebook
Ultimate Massage by
Summer!
SWEDISH & DEEP TISSUE FULL BODY MASSAGE Daily 10 AM-5PM
South County Lemay Area
314-620-6386
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