The Commonspace > October 2001 > It's All Happening

Tuesday, October 2
The Potomac Accord with The American Analog Set and Volta Do Mar
Rocket Bar, 2001 Locust
9 p.m.

It's the night of bands with rather long names. Actually, that's most nights at the Rocket. Let's start over. It's a night of really cool, often rather slow bands at the Rocket. And kicking off the evening is one of St. Louis' finest, The Potomac Accord. The trio, who released their debut disc, "Silver Line on a Black Sea," earlier this year, will go into the recording studio in October to work on a follow-up.

Emotional and pretty, the band's got a unique sound in a town that seems to be swimming in punk these days. They're worth seeing. Don't know much about the other groups, save for a vague remembrance of American Analog Set at South by Southwest a few years back. The Shiner Bock beer makes for the "vague" part of that sentence. Were they not a slo-core band? (TC)

Wednesday, October 3
Cinema in the City, "Duck Soup"
Beatnik Bob's Cafe, 15th & Lucas
7:30 p.m., all ages, $4

Duck Soup The monthly movie series returns with the Marx Brothers classic, the first comedic classic in a few months. Well, a few of the monster movies were comedies, too, but mostly unintentional.

You know the drill: smoking and light conversation permitted, along with the coolest crop of people our city has to offer. All in one place, once a month. Enjoy. (TC)

Friday and Saturday, October 5 and 6
San Francisco Mime Troupe
"Eating It"
Nerinx Hall, 5:30 E. Lockwood at Big Bend
7:30 p.m. (10/5) and 2:30 p.m. (10/6), $16

For my money, anything advertised at the crazy-collection-of-literature table at the Great Green Pesto Feast is a good bet. And so it is that we recommend "Eating It," which has got to be right up there with the Greens' Radical Cheerleaders in the "Best Performances Ever" category. (These were four young womyn who performed various eco-, anarchic- and grrl-themed cheers at the pesto dinner, including a political corker that started, "To the left, To the left, Never to the right.") But I digress.

Get tickets now at Left Bank Books or The Natural Way store in Webster Groves for a thought-provoking musical look at the spectre of market-driven genetic engineering. Hey! Something the whole family can enjoy! These cats have won a Tony award, so they must be onto something. Call 771-8576 for more scoop. (AD)

Thursday, October 11
Revolution in the Revolution: A Showcase of Soviet Cinema in the 1960s
"I Am Twenty"
Winifred Moore Auditorium, 470 East Lockwood
7 p.m., all ages, varying prices

We won't pretend any expertise in the ways of Khrushchev-era filmmaking. Instead, we'll cadge directly from the promo notes: "What started as a 90-minute story about three youngsters confronted with the ghost of the war, became an epic three-hour journey in young, post-Stalinist Moscow. When Khrushchev was shown the early cut, he hated it — perhaps for the newfangled narrative techniques, the fantastical plot device, or the length — enough to necessitate a title change and re-shoots so extensive that the key part of the father ended up performed by a different actor. The result is a fascinatingly sprawling, urbane, contemporary drama. Directed by Marlen Khutsiev."

Seldom does Webster misstep with an ambitious series like this, which also includes showings on October 18 and 25 and November 1, 8 and 29. (TC)

Saturday, October 13
Teatro la Fragua
St. Louis University High School
4970 Oakland
3 p.m. and 8 p.m.

I had the privilege of watching the Teatro la Fragua (Forge Theater) troupe practice at their home base in El Progreso, Honduras in '94. Honduras, one of the most impoverished countries in the Western hemisphere, may seem like an odd place to cultivate the fine arts, but the group has been performing since 1979.

La Fragua will be stopping in St. Louis during their U.S. tour this month to perform Romero de las Américas by Carlos Morton. Directed by Fr. Jack Warner, a St. Louis native, their physical style of theater is imbued with a sense of political and religious purpose owing to the progressive, human-rights-centered mission of the Jesuits working in Central America.

The play should provide a glimpse of grassroots civics and culture in Honduras and serve as an uplifting reminder that great art often comes from unlikely places. (BHM)

Saturday, October 13
IMPACT for Animals Trivia Night
Grace Episcopal Church
514 E Argonne in Kirkwood
MPACT4pets@aol.com, (314) 995-9260
7 p.m., $12.50 per person

Prove how smart you are and help save homeless dogs and cats at the same time. If you've never been to a trivia night before, the participants usually run the gamut from those out to catch up with friends over a bowl of salty snacks to hard-core masters of minutiae on standing teams of perfectly matched specialists (the Sports Guy, the Science Girl, etc.).

Some food and drinks will be provided. Beer and soda will be available for a nice price. There will also be a bake sale and some raffles, and you can opt to bring your own munchies.

All proceeds will fund IMPACT's all-volunteer animal rescue efforts. To register, put together a team of up to eight people and mail your name and contact information to

PO Box 190184
St. Louis, MO 63119

Make checks payable to IMPACT for Animals. And if you're in the market for a furry companion, stop by the adoption days held at the Sunset Hills PetsMart (Lindbergh and Watson) on the first full weekend of each month (Saturdays 10-3 and Sundays 12-3). (BHM)

Monday, October 15
Reading: Adam Gopnik, author of "Paris to the Moon"
Left Bank Books
7 p.m., free

Adam Gopnik was the Paris correspondent for The New Yorker magazine from 1995 until quite recently, when, I understand, the magazine tried to get David Sedaris for the gig. Jury's still out on that question, I understand.

Anyway, he has collected some of his family's experiences into his book, and relates funny and tender and revealing tales that are as much about his own growth — and the rearing of his American son in France — as they are about the actual city of Paris. If that's not all enough recommendation for you, my cousin read it and loved it. So there. (AD)

Sunday, October 21
Spirit of St. Louis Marathon
Soldier's Memorial
7 a.m.

The main event in the Spirit of St. Louis Marathon race weekend will take place on Sunday morning, kicking off at 7 a.m., with a long course that runs through the gut of the City and into a short County loop, before heading back into the limits for the conclusion — back at the Soldier's Memorial from about 9:20 a.m. into the late hours of the morning.

Though the marathon itself will dominate the weekend, a series of other events, including shorter races and walks, take place. For full coverage, check out the organizers' comprehensive website, www.stlouismarathon.com, which is incredibly detailed.

Even if you're not a sporting person, marathons are great civic events. Head out to a neighborhood near you and catch the emotion. It's really a bit unlike anything else you'll ever (pardon the pun) run across. (TC)

Sunday, October 28
Friedens United Church of Christ 144th Anniversary
1908 Newhouse in the Hyde Park neighborhood
9:30 a.m.

If you are interested in the fabric of community, there's no better place to observe it wrapped around a neighborhood than at Friedens Church, a congregation that has changed much over the 144 years since its founding, but whose mission and ministry in its sometimes-depressing surroundings remain true. The congregants are a diverse mix of ancient blue-haired women who grew up in the church and young squirrelly kids from the neighborhood who frequently find themselves seated next to a matronly type telling them to be quiet and listen. All of it contributes to a soul-warming mix, and Reverend Martha Brunell's meditations are thought provoking even for non-believers. On this Sunday, the children's musical group, M.U.F.F.Y., that practices in the sanctuary after school will perform, and it's safe money that there will be a mess of food in the fellowship hall afterwards. (AD)

Recurring Events

Mondays
"Drive-In Movies at the Way Out"
Way Out Club, 2525 S. Jefferson, 664-POET
9-11 p.m., 21-up, free

Sherri Danger, host of the fine KDHX show "Dangerous Curves," digs into the boxes of old movie canisters sitting in the basement of the club for this evening of cult cinema. Unspooling classics on 8-mm and 16-mm, Danger's films run the gamut, from old-school adventure serials to "shock" dramas. They play outside, on the club's patio, giving you the feeling of being a kid invited to the really cool party down the block. Fun. (TC)

Tuesdays
Bob Reuter
Mangia Italiano, 3145 South Grand, 664-8585
9:30ish-1ish, free

The photographer that took the edgy shots of our Games section this month is, of course, a longtime musician around town, heading up various bands over the years, including the long-running Kamikaze Cowboy. On Tuesdays at Mangia Italiano, it's just Reuter, his guitar, a tiny amp and scuffed mic, a tip jar, a few cool patrons and the dozens of songs rattling around Bob's head. From country to rock to pop to covers of friends' songs, it's a casual evening and well worth a stopover. If you get there before 10 p.m., have some food. (TC)

Fridays
Music in the Park
Leon Strauss Park, Grand Center
5:15-7:15 p.m., all ages, free

Grand Center booked two months worth of bands for the after-work set on Friday afternoons. The location is the snazzy little park across from the Fox Theatre, named after the developer that saved the old movie palace. The lineup's been a bit across-the-map, from funksters to blues. Charlie Santangelo sports his hot dog cart for your vending pleasure. The mood's mellow and far from the yuppie score-fests that break out at other happy hours of this sort.

The remaining shows in October include:
October 5 - Farshid Etniko
October 12 - TBA
October 19 - Murder City Players
October 26 - LP Outsiders

Depending on shows, some of the local arts organizations might have something special up their sleeves, or just open galleries. Enjoy. (TC)

Saturdays
"Oasis"
Tangerine, 1405 Washington Ave., 621-PEEL
10 p.m.-3 a.m., 21-up, $3

The mainstay club on Washington, Tangerine, hosts DJ JB from KDHX radio on Fridays and Saturdays, though it's the second weekend night that usually brings in a little bigger and rowdier crowd, probably thanks to the go-go dancers. That's just a guess.

A fantastic spinner of loungecore, acid jazz and retro dance classics, JB is a record-buying maniac, knee-deep in wax and high up in the tiki hut. Able to link and cross genres and styles with a surgeon's precision, he's fun, though his "After Hours" is missed on KDHX. (TC)