The first time St. Louis Punk Rock Flea Market founder Don Brazel tried to play music in Tower Grove Park was in 1995, and the show ended in chaos. The Loudmouths from San Francisco had just finished their set, and local hardcore band Very Metal was gearing up to close out the gig when Brazel spotted a few visitors from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.
“They basically told us to kick rocks and that the neighbors said it was too noisy. Thirty years later and we’re arguably making way more noise now and the park and neighborhood love it,” Brazel says with a hint of surprise.
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With more than 20 musical acts across four stages and more than 130 vendors, the St. Louis Punk Rock Flea Market (SLPRFM) returns to Tower Grove Park this Saturday, May 24, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The free, family-friendly event is expected to bring in more than 15,000 attendees for a full day of music, food, clothes, collectibles, and other curios.
“The moral of the story is this: Just stick with it kids, because 30 years later you might get to have that show finally,” Brazel jokes. This year’s SLPRFM is a full-circle moment for Brazel, who grew up in Tower Grove East and has fond memories of laying in the park with his headphones on listening to music.
Brazel was especially active in the local punk scene throughout the ‘90s, playing and recording with groups such as Very Metal and the Dirty Bastards. Although he took a step back from the band life to start a family, Brazel settled into a vocation as a collector and vendor of records, films, and obscure media. He built up an impressive collection and quickly became a regular at local swap meets and pop-ups, where he earned a reputation for having the coolest table around.
“I saw punk rock-themed flea markets in other cities, especially Trenton, New Jersey, and I thought somebody should do something here,” Brazel says. He credits a conversation with fellow St. Louis record collector Jason Ross, who told him back in 2015 that “you have to do it if you want it to happen.”
The first SLPRFM went down in 2018 at the now-shuttered San Loo on Cherokee Street. With five bands and 15 vendors, the event was more like a demo tape than a full-length album. Brazel even brought back his ‘90s band Bastard Squad for the show, and the one-off reunion quickly turned into a full-fledged reformation with an expanded lineup and new music.
Fresh off the success of the inaugural SLPRFM, Brazel opened his own brick-and-mortar shop on Gravois in December 2018. With a wild selection of music, movies, toys and other collectibles, The Record Space offers a quintessential record store experience in 2025 with maximalist decor and playable arcade machines.
Year two of the SLPRFM was hosted by The Silver Ballroom, one of the most undisputedly punk locales in the city. With sponsorship from 4 Hands Brewing Company and bands performing throughout the day on an outdoor stage across the street, the second iteration of the event saw an increase in vendors and foot traffic with Brazel estimating more than 1,000 attendees.
In 2019, Brazel started his own music label, The Record Label, with the goal of releasing music produced by local musicians, including his own band Bastard Squad, which recently became a major force in the St. Louis punk community.
“Then I started planning the third one. It was going to be at Atomic in The Grove, but then COVID happened and we watched everything fall apart. It kind of flip-flopped for a couple years, and I was just working so hard and not getting anywhere,” Brazel says. Although the event was absent for two years, Brazel regrouped and continued working on the project.
SLPRFM returned with a vengeance in 2022. Hosted by 4 Hands Brewing Company downtown, the event featured 10 bands and more than 50 vendors for a festival-like atmosphere that attracted well over 2,000 attendees. The show had already outgrown its new venue, and Kiener Plaza was brought up as a possible spot for the following year.
“Kiener is a place that, if you lived in St. Louis, you grew up going to events at. When someone said ‘Kiener’ I thought that would be crazy. I don’t think they hold hardcore events across from the courthouse,” Brazel says with a smile.
The move to Kiener Plaza Park in 2023 was a watershed moment for SLPRFM. While the event had grown from its humble start at San Loo, this iteration attracted local media and a broad audience with what Brazel describes as an “explosion” with 8,000 to 10,000 attendees throughout the day. One telltale sign of success was immediately selling out 100 SLPRFM T-shirts—merchandise made exclusively for the event.
“We maxed out Kiener. It was just a little too cramped, and they didn’t want people to be on the grass. I wanted to expand, and I felt like we could have even more vendors,” Brazel says. He reached out to his old stomping grounds of Tower Grove Park and, much to his surprise, park employees were already familiar with SLPRFM and eager to get involved.
With two stages of music and the largest and most diverse lineup of vendors yet, last year’s SLPRFM attracted approximately 15,000 folks to Tower Grove Park. The show was such a massive success for all parties that, for the first time in SLPRFM’s history, the all-day event will return to the same location two years in a row.
“It’s not that we’re just allowed to be there, now they want us there,” says Brazel. SLPRFM joins Tower Grove Pride, the Pagan Picnic and other events in Tower Grove Park that bring in many communities from across the region for a big, festival atmosphere every year.
“[SLPRFM] leads with what it is. St. Louis is number 1, and number 2 is punk rock. That’s where we bring the music in,” he says. More than 20 bands will perform across four stages throughout the day, including Bastard Squad and headliners NIL8, an influential cross-genre ‘80s punk band from nearby Springfield, Illinois.
“I did get Josh, the singer of Very Metal, to agree to come up on stage with Bastard Squad to do a version of a song that we would have played in the park 30 years ago if the cops didn’t show up,” Brazel says.
“For me, it’s about being part of something that people are genuinely excited about. What’s more DIY than that? ” says Kevin Tomorrow, Brazel’s Bastard Squad bandmate since 2019.
While Tomorrow helped out at SLPRFM as a friend and advisor in the past, Brazel called on him this year to help flesh out an event that has experienced organic and, at times, exponential growth. With three decades of playing in punk bands under his belt and a career in business management, Tomorrow brings a distinct perspective to the festivities.
“I’ve been doing DIY stuff forever. The years I spent in the corporate world and making things happen, it was kind of a natural fit to go into this. [SLPRFM] could be someone’s gateway into something they love. If you like art and creators, you belong here doing what we’re doing,” Tomorrow says.
The 130-plus vendor booths range from local eateries to curated collections to unique, one-of-a-kind creations. While not every applicant receives a spot, SLPRFM curates based on quality over quantity, with an emphasis on original concepts and local artists.
“If anything, check out the non-profit booths like Tower Grove Pride and Love of KDHX. This year, a few booths are promoting mental-health services. To me, the non-profit section of the SLPRFM is where we really tie into the community,” Tomorrow says.
SK8 Liborius returns as the event’s main non-profit, with a portion of the proceeds made by the Punk Rock Pilsner collaboration with 4 Hands Brewing Company going to the organization, which will have its own tent and a street course set up for skaters.
“I want young kids, old kids, anyone to come in and find their group. I want [SLPRFM] to be a starting point for people. If someone can come into this not knowing what they want and find a happier life through music, then we win,” says Tomorrow.
Hosted by Clownvis, with merch designed by St. Louis’ own Killer Napkins, SLPRFM returns to Tower Grove Park on Saturday, May 24 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
As a kickoff to the weekend’s festivities, Brazel’s Cinematic Chaos is presenting a screening of SLC Punk alongside live performances from Man With Rope and Hotel Party on Friday, May 23, at the Galleria 6 Cinemas.
For those who want to keep the party going into next week, the STL Punk Rock Flea Market is presenting The Effigies from Chicago alongside Still Animals, Hotel Party, and Bastard Squad on Thursday, May 29, at Off Broadway.
