Last Saturday night, Swedish dance pop princess Robyn graced Chicago with her presence. The night before, in Toronto, Robyn fell ill and was forced to cancel her concert. The Chicago show seemed in jeopardy, but the pint sized pop powerhouse rallied and rocked Metro Chicago’s sold out crowd. Dancing was required and the joint was … Read more
Pictured: Kentucky Knife Fight Hey, whaddya doin’ Saturday? Gotta hot date? Doesn’t matter. Bring her (him?) along to the party. Of course, I’m talking about the super spectacular Firebrand Recording Showcase at one of the best venues in all of Saint Louis, Off Broadway. It’s a night designed to celebrate the local recording studio, owned … Read more
I met with La Strada’s singer/accordion player James Craft before the show – fully admitting I had no prior knowledge of the band outside a few listens of what they have posted on their MySpace page. The songs I had heard, were somewhat deceptive streaming over the internet on my sweet, tiny PC speakers at … Read more
To see the entire album, visit our Speakers in Code Facebook page. All photos by Katie Guymon
GAYNGS absolutely lit it up last Thursday night in Chicago. Justin Vernon and Ryan Olson led the groove session as the band made its way through most of the outstanding tracks on the group’s debut LP, Relayted. Highlights included the show opening “Gaudy Side of Town,” the electrifying “Faded High,” and the one song encore, … Read more
When: May 21, 2010 Where: Madison Square Garden What: Sheer awesomeness
Photo Credit: Katie Guymon “Are you really a man, or are you a bag of sand?” lead singer Scott Hutchison sang mid-way through Frightened Rabbit’s set at the Old Rock House in St. Louis. The opening chords of “Swim Until You Can’t See Land,” the first “single” off Frightened Rabbit’s latest album, The Winter of … Read more
I’m taking up space, I’m right out of place I’m holding a half-hearted smile to your face It’s pretty enough, but watch out, it fades away Sunday night shows can carry a weird vibe. Sometimes, the energy in the crowd or from the artist performing can be lacking, making the occasion seem a little too … Read more
To say that our little blog called Speakers in Code is a fan of Wilco would be quite an understatement. Besides pulling our name from a line in Wilco’s “Can’t Stand It,” we’re all devoted road followers of the Chicago-based band; I’ve seen their shows in six different cities, I’ve seen Jeff Tweedy solo shows, … Read more
The way I look at it, a concert can be a great experience because of so many things. Some of these things have nothing to do with the music you came to hear or the band/artist you came to watch. Sometimes, it can have everything to do with where you’re sitting/standing, who you’re with, or … Read more
If you’ve lived in Saint Louis for any significant amount of time, you probably remember a local rockabilly band called Rockhouse Ramblers. (KDHX claims, “In their day, [they were] the hottest honky tonk band” in the city). According to founder Kip Loui, from 1999 to 2005, the band “played pretty much every bar, nightclub, dance … Read more
Photo by Katie Guymon “I’m terribly sorry for your loss.” These are the six words that concluded Deer Tick frontman John McCauley’s somber recognition of the late Dave Hagerty, vocalist/guitarist of the local Saint Louis band, Fattback. (Please read the touching obituary written by our friend, Christian Schaeffer, for A to Z, the music blog … Read more
Photo by Katie Guymon “What you were then I am today / Look at the things I do…” For as big as The Avett Brothers have become in recent years, it seems like the band from North Carolina is still indifferent to one word that has been hard to say: stardom. But all you had … Read more
We had a blast at the last Homegrown Showcase (starring Airplanes, Bruiser Queen, The Blind Eyes, and Tilts) held at The Pageant back in October, so we’re psyched that another edition is coming our way this Friday, December 3rd. This time ’round, Theodore, Union Tree Review, HUMDRUM, and Animal Empty will take the stage to provide … Read more
ALL PHOTOS BY NATE BURRELL Words by Jason Gonulsen I didn’t discover Sleater-Kinney until late last year. My excuse is that around the time they were hitting their stride in the 90s, I was obsessively listening to Neil Young and Bob Dylan, and I had time for little else. If you know me, this is my … Read more
Nathaniel Rateliff | All Photos by Kristen Abigail Nathaniel Rateliff and Gregory Alan Isakov performed for a sold-out crowd at 3rd & Lindsley in Nashville this past Wednesday. Please enjoy these photographs of their performance by Kristen Abigail. GREGORY ALAN ISAKOV
Hiss Golden Messenger | All Photos by Kristen Abigail Ben Howard and Hiss Golden Messenger performed for a sold out crowd at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville this past Thursday. Both groups delivered memorable sets, but the audience was vocal about their opinions of Howard’s set list. Howard is currently on tour in the US … Read more
Adia Victoria | All Photos by Nate Burrell Adia Victoria, Landlady, and Acorns to Oaks (St. Louis’ Chris Ward) performed at The Demo this past Thursday, kicking off the inaugural Art of Live Festival. Please enjoy these photos by Nate Burrell and visit his site here. LANDLADY ACORNS TO OAKS
ALL PHOTOS BY JOE O’TOOLE Florence + the Machine’s tour stopped in Phoenix last night, and Speakers in Code photographer Joe O’Toole was there to capture the action. Please enjoy these photos, and be sure to visit his site here.
José González and Ryley Walker performed at Headliners Music Hall last week in Louisville. Please enjoy these shots by Rachel Waters. RYLEY WALKER
Photo: Jason Gonulsen HAPPY MONDAY! Here’s a special concert announcement… Wilco will be returning to The Pageant in St. Louis on Monday, May 4th. Tickets ($35adv/$40dos & $45 Reserved Balcony) will go on sale at 10 AM on Friday, February 6th. Click here for more information. Speakers are speaking code…
ALL PHOTOS BY NATE BURRELL Beck and Willie Nelson lit up Kansas City’s Starlight Theatre on Friday night, and Speakers in Code photographer Nate Burrell was there to capture the action. This kicked off a tour for Beck, who, as you might recall, won the Grammy for Album of the Year for his 2014 release, Morning … Read more
ALL PHOTOS BY TIM BOTTCHEN Alabama Shakes and Father John Misty returned to St. Louis last evening, playing to a packed Fox Theatre. FJM’s opening set was solid and had him explaining, “I am the guy on the other t-shirts out there.” He ended it with a mic drop. The Shakes came out rumbling with … Read more
ALL PHOTOS BY BRIDGETTE AIKENS PipgPen Theatre Co. performed at The Evening Muse in Charlotte last week. Please enjoy these photos by Speakers in Code photographer Bridgette Aikens, and be sure to visit her site here .
The Weepies performed in Charlotte last night at Neighborhood Theatre. They have a new album out call Sirens, their first full-length in five years, and you can purchase it now. Speakers in Code photographer Bridgette Aikens was on hand to capture the action. Please enjoy her photos, and be sure to visit her site, here.
ALL PHOTOS BY CHRIS LAY Tame Impala visited The Pageant in St. Louis on Monday, playing songs from the forthcoming LP Currents. Kuroma opened the show. Please enjoy these photos from Chris Lay. KUROMA
ALL PHOTOS BY BRIDGETTE AIKENS Milo Greene’s tour stopped in Charlotte last Friday at the Visulite Theatre. Hey Marseilles opened the show. Milo Greene played songs from their latest album, Control, and their tour will extend into October, including festival dates at Firefly and Austin City Limits. Please visit their site for more information. Speakers … Read more
Nashville’s Tristen will be performing in St. Louis tonight at Off Broadway ($12; info here), previewing new songs from her forthcoming full length album. You might remember her playing in Jenny Lewis’ band last month at The Ready Room. But you probably know her because of her own songs like this one. Tristen recently took … Read more
ALL PHOTOS BY JASON GONULSEN Words by Jason Gonulsen Dawes’ new album tells it like it is. Things happen. Sometimes it’s too late and it’s just too bad. Even the title track, “All Your Favorite Bands,” is just a hope that things will stay like you want them to. There’s even a track named, “To … Read more
ALL PHOTOS BY TIM BOTTCHEN Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals delivered an epic at The Pageant this past Thursday. A few notes about the show from our photographer, Tim Bottchen: Ben and the boys were given flowers from a fan when they hit the stage and started with “Burn to Shine,” “Glory,” “Gold,” jammed … Read more