Photograph by Mark Gilliland
In 2006, there was a frightening moment when it seemed like the St. Louis club scene had taken too many blows to recover. Three of the scene’s mainstays—Frederick’s Music Lounge, the Hi-Pointe and Mississippi Nights—all closed their doors. Prior to that had been the loss of the Galaxy, the Rocket Bar, not to mention Lo and Tangerine. But the fields of St. Louis were not sown with salt—as suddenly as our giants had fallen, a new crop of clubs has sprung from their ashes …
The Bluebird
- 2706 Olive, downtown (west of Jefferson), bluebirdstl.com, myspace.com/bluebirdstl
- Hours: All-ages shows: 8 p.m.–midnight; 18+ shows: 8:30 p.m.–1 a.m.
- Mostly 18+, some all-ages shows
- Cover: $7
Presence of hot-bars (during the day, part of this space belongs to Beffa’s Cafeteria, a restaurant popular with A.G. Edwards employees) and overstuffed sofas make this feel a little like the rec center at summer camp. But it’s anything but amateur. The club’s sound system includes parts of the old Rocket Bar system and is run by local sound genius Jerry Boschert. As a result, even a Styx cover band fronted by your grandmother would sound awesome here.
Who’s played here: Gentleman Auction House, Superfun Yeah Yeah Rocketship, Ryan Lindsey (Starlight Mints), Shame Club
Two Cents Plain
- 1114 Olive, Downtown (east of Tucker), twocentsplainstl.com, myspace.com/2centsplain
- Hours: 7 p.m.–1:30 a.m.
- Generally 18+
- Cover: $6 for 21+, $8 for under 21
Gaslight Square fixture Carl’s Two Cents Plain lives on—at least in name. This venue is dark and narrow with a vibe like that of the old Creepy Crawl, sans graffiti and the veneer of punk grime. Check out the flat-screen televisions above the bar and you will spy some excellent films, possibly making it difficult to feign interest during lackluster sets. Features an eclectic mix of local and touring bands, from indie pop to dance rock to hardcore.
Who’s played here: Holy Python, Tub Ring, Genghis Tron, The Heathens, Johnny Saint and The Princes of Hell
Apop Records/Camp Concentration
- 2831 Cherokee (between Gravois and Jefferson), apoprecords.com, myspace.com/apoprecords, myspace.com/campconcentration
- Hours: In-store performances, noon–7 p.m. (storefront operating hours); Camp Concentration: 8 pm.–midnight
- All ages
- Cover: $5
Apop records specializes in overlooked, underappreciated and hard-to-find music of all kinds, but mostly the D.I.Y./punk rock/experimental varieties. Proprietors Dustin Newman and Tiffany Minx recently moved from Columbia, Mo., bringing Apop with them. Camp Concentration, located in the record store’s basement, is the primo venue for local and touring bands considered too noisy, too experimental or too weird to get booked anywhere else.
Who’s played here: Tory Z. Starbuck, Skarekrau Radio, Warhammer 48k, .e, Wildidlelife
Cruisin’ Route 66
- 7895 Watson, South County (Watson and Laclede Station)
- Hours: Shows, 8 p.m.–1:30 a.m.
- 21+
- Cover: $5
A Crestwood club doin’ its darnedest to bring local music to the county. Extremely popular with bands due to the royal treatment they receive when they play. Cruisin’ Route 66 also does a great job of using technology to reach out to fans, offering drink specials via MySpace and text blasts—but the thrill of cut-rate cocktails pales in comparison to the game room’s excellent selection of pinball, video games, and other good-time bar amusements.
Who’s played here: Team Tomato, The Town Drunks, Bunnygrunt, Naked Jimmy, Steve Ewing (The Urge)
