Photograph by Kevin A. Roberts
This past Sunday afternoon, Pat Liston strode up to the microphone stand at the Irish Corner Pub at 1:36 p.m. and announced that he’d start his gig, even if a bit late, or as he put it “on Irish time.” But it’s not like he wasn’t working in the half hour prior, as he paced the room and talked to every person at every table, knowing lots of them by name and generally serving as a greeter, emcee and performer during his own, regular gig at this South Side corner tavern.
Before heading up to play, Liston grabbed one last smoke outside and, as he did, he reflected on the fact that the last few weeks have been filled with work, literally bringing on sore fingers in the process. In addition to “the usual three gigs a week, I’ve been rehearsing two, three times a week and they’ve been about as long as these gigs.” The intensive rehearsals are part of his prep work for his annual holiday show at The Pageant, taking place this Saturday, December 10. Though he’ll obviously be playing songs from his time in Mama’s Pride (and his all-star band will include MP bassist Dickie Steltenpohl and other, frequent collaborators), he’ll also work in solo material and select covers.
And while Liston’s regularly played a Pageant gig in December in recent years, this particular show is special, as he’ll be releasing a memoir called 13 Notes to Life: A Life of Poetry and Melancholy Rhyme. The hardback, as described in the preface, was originally intended to be released as 50 Years in Music, a nod to Liston’s first band arriving at age 15 and this book’s first page being written at age 65.
Liston says that as much as he’s looking forward to this weekend’s gig, he “also can’t wait for it to over.” After all, the process of putting it together (the 244-page book, this particular band to support the show, etc.) has been a couple years in the making. A storyteller by nature, Liston began sketching out a general outline for the book, which obviously centers on his work with the ‘70s group Mama’s Pride, though it also discusses his early days as a player in Teen Town soul bands, a stint in California and his work post-Pride.
That said, no one who has an interest in the Pride—and thousands of those folks exist in-and-around our region—will leave 13 Notes to Life without satisfaction. The book’s filled with period photos, flyers and concert posters.
In doing so, the book adds to one of St. Louis’ favorite topics: St. Louis.
Though Liston moves relatively quickly into his musical life, he starts out with words about his childhood in Dogtown and his years as a student at Saint James The Greater; interestingly, that school, today, is in the process of fighting a potential closure. The old Southwest High School figures prominently. And venues great (Kiel Auditorium) and small (Rusty Springs) all get their due in the history of Liston and the Pride. References abound: KSHE 95’s a frequent reference point; Liston plays pretty much every Irish bar in town for at least a show, if not a residency; and there’s no shortage of encounters with local celebrities, politicians, musicians, promoters and a few, less-known, but equally-colorful roustabouts.
In telling his stories, Liston’s going to delight his fans, the kind of folks that show up at the Irish Corner Pub on Sunday afternoons to hear him riff through a series of Everly Brothers cuts, as they dine on Irish stew and drink Guinness, while NFL football plays on the big screen and a fire roars along the west wall. Liston’s played a million such gigs, and while he doesn’t need to detail each, the vibe he’s created at those permeate his recollections in 13 Notes to Life, which serves an apt love letter to his family, fans and the city he’s called home since birth.
Information on Liston’s Saturday show is found at The Pageant’s site.
Added reading: St. Louis Magazine profiled Liston in August 2014.
Adding viewing: the author of this piece, along with Mike Steinberg and Jon Scorfina, produced a film on Liston and Mama’s Pride called The Pride of St. Louis, released in 2009 and available on YouTube.
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect that Liston's show at The Pageant is Saturday, December 10. We regret the error.
