The Gramophone 314.531.5700 // 4243 Manchester // STL, MO. 63110

A must-see for fans of percussion!

Doors at 8 p.m., show at 10 p.m. Free/21+/wine specials all night!

Please join us this and every Wednesday for Blue Ribbon Open Mic, presented by the Blue Ribbon of beers (yep, PBR), featuring $1.50 PBR Draft Beer. Doors for the open mic will open at 8 p.m., and music will begin at 9 p.m. Sets are the shorter of 3 songs or 15 minutes. Be sure to arrive early to secure prime performance time, and bring an entourage of friends to cheer you on. Visit www.myspace.com/blueribbonopenmic for more info.

As always at The Gramophone, this event is 21 and up.

Please note that beginning 7/8, open mic will go on a 3 week summer hiatus! Please visit for some live shows and plan to return to open mic on 7/29.

Celebrate Independence Day with St. Louis’ favorite DJ Crew, featuring DJ Needles, DJ Alejan, DJ B-Money, Da Fly D Ex and DJ G-Wiz!

Doors at 8 p.m., music at 9 p.m.

$4 before 10:30 p.m., $6 beginning at 10:30 p.m. 21+

A jazz saxophonist with hints of Lester Young (that is, if you were to substitute alto sax for the tenor), Bennett Wood has been playing professionally since 2003. In addition to his own projects, he has performed with Reggie Thomas, Rick Haydon, The St. Louis Jazz Orchestra, John Hartman, J-Rob, Downtime, So Many Dynamos, and Kentucky Knife Fight to name a few. Wood has performed at venues all over and around the city, including: The Sheldon Concert Hall, Jazz at the Bistro, Erato St. Louis, The Clayton Art Fair, The Midwest Salute to the Masters and the prestigious Stagger Inn…Again in Edwardsville, IL. Jazz up your Tuesday with this FREE show, which begins at 9 p.m. (21 and older, please). $4 house wines by the glass!

For a sneak preview of Bennett’s tunes, visit www.myspace.com/bennettwood.

Based in Asheville, NC, this large ensemble stays true to the elements that started afrobeat music- West African rhythms, song forms, and instrumentation- while bringing the music to the 21st Century through strong composition, improvisation, and heavy dance beats. Thirty-third generation djembe player Adama Dembele from Cote d‘Ivoire, West Africa brings his vast musical knowledge and touring experience to the Afromotive. These traditional West African rhythms combined with a mentality for upbeat funk music is what the Afromotive brings to its audiences. They have created a sound that crosses musical and ethnic boundaries.

Hazard to Ya Booty will perform an opening set to warm up your groove thang for shakin’.

Doors at 8 p.m., show at 9 p.m. $5/21+

www.myspace.com/afromotive
www.myspace.com/hazardtoyabooty

From the soul filled vocals and screaming guitar, to the jazz driven piano and funk-defying beats comes a new recipe for popular music. The result is a flavorful blend of jazz/funk and pop/rock fusion propelled by hiphop rhythms. Rhyme Or Reason is a high energy feel-good group sure to change the sound of urban America.

Acoustic jazz/blues/soul/hip hop soloist J Bomb will open.

Doors at 8 p.m., show at 10 p.m. $5/21+

www.myspace.com/rhymeorreasonmusic
www.myspace.com/jbomb2009

The frontman of 7 Smart Fellers, Dan Freund is returning from a successful summer tour with the Fellers to play solo at the Gramophone July 10. Over the course of the tour, Dan’s original music has been described as “a cross between Modest Mouse and Wilco with a little bit of country flavor.”

Robb Steele will open.

Doors at 8 p.m., show at 10 p.m. $5/21+

From Pegasus News in Dallas:

“To describe a Spoonfed Tribe gathering would take too many words, talking too small to measure what is gained by the actual experience of it all. So, to do our best, imagine a show that captures all senses, presents all musical styles, glows with a fluorescent fury, and creates space to be different and unique, all while making you dance like an idiot! Based in North Texas, the Tribe has toured from California to Florida to NYC to Colorado. As this musical spiral expands and reaches more people the potential shown is unlimited.

Touring w/ Lollapalooza and then playing Joshua Tree, High Sierra, and FireLake Music Festivals [Gramophone note–as well as Wakarusa 2009!] has solidified the Tribe in multiple genres. With four independent releases available for mass consumption and already a staple on college radio around the country, the Spoonfed Tribe movement is growing quickly. Five members comprise the musical core of Spoonfed Tribe. They all bring to the table a unique style of musical expression blending; tribal, funk, jazz, psychedelic, dance, rock, hip-hop, and reggae grooves into a thick audio visual experience.”

Autia (Kentucky) and Daddy Dank and the Goodness Gracious will join in the fun.

Doors at 8 p.m., show at 10 p.m. $7/21+

www.myspace.com/spoonfedtribe

Albert Castiglia (pronounced “ka-STEEL-ya”) learned to play guitar at the age of 12 and soon realized that the passions in his heart were expressed best by his music. Castiglia has a blues history. In 1990, he joined The Miami Blues Authority and later won “Best Blues Guitarist” from New Times magazine in 1997. Prior to launching his solo career, Castiglia toured with the legendary Junior Wells, as well as Sandra Hall. Doors at 8 p.m., show at 9 p.m. $5 cover, 21+.
www.myspace.com/albertcastiglia

Please note that Blue Ribbon Open Mic is on 3-week hiatus from 7/8 to 7/22, returning 7/29.

SPIRITUAL REZ is a Reggae Horn Funk Dance Party who tirelessly tours the country promoting their positive and extremely high energy music. Having released two records independently, the band has had many great opportunities to play with internationally known acts such as George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Gogol Bordello and Jimmy Buffet, as well as having keyboardist Bernie Worrell (Talking Heads, Parliament Funkadelic) play on their live shows.

Winners of the Boston Music Award for “Best World Music Act,” Spiritual Rez blends Reggae and funk with a zest of rock to make for one of the most energetic live shows around. The band formed in 2003 at Berklee College of Music with the partnership of frontman/songwriter Toft Willingham, bassist Jesse Shaternick, drummer Ian “Meat” Miller and lead guitarist/songwriter Van Gordon Martin collaborating their wide range of influences. With the addition of horns, the group attains a high level of energy that’s great for all ages and demographics.

Doors at 8 p.m., show at 10 p.m. $5/21+
www.myspace.com/spiritualrez

www.myspace.com/theonedrops

Celebrating the release of Teddy’s new album, Outcries from a Sea of Red!

Often compared to the funky, soulful jazz musicians such as Grant Green and Eddie Harris, you also hear artists such as The White Stripes and Beck influence his sound. His music is fresh, ever evolving, and lays out his immediate and unfiltered response to our society and times. He’s not flashy with in-your-face chops. He can own one note, and with that note, you know exactly what he means. Teddy plays for the moment, never repeating himself – risking the falls to reach the musical highs. Teddy’s debut solo album “Blueprint of Soul” consists of songs written in a stream of consciousness, tracks done in one take, and unforgettable improvisational grooves. The result is a funky Friday-night record that you’ll put .., during, and after the party. To much acclaim, the album was named a Critic’s Pick Top 10 Album of 2007 by All About Jazz.

Doors at 8 p.m., show at 10 p.m. $5/21+

Team Relevance will open.

www.myspace.com/teddypresberg

www.myspace.com/teamrelevance

From Margie’s MySpace:
“Margie Perez is a dynamic and vivacious performer specializing in a versatile blend of Blues, Pop, New Orleans Funk, and Latin music. She proudly makes New Orleans her home and has put together a fabulous band with whom she performs at clubs, festivals, and parties. They performed at the 2007 and 2008 Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo Festival in 2009 played the opening slot at the French Quarter Festival. Her infectious tune “Ooh Baby La La” won First place in the Pop category of the Songwriter’s Association of Washington’s 14th Annual Mid-Atlantic Song contest. Here’s what New Orleans music legend Allen Toussaint had to say about Margie: “Not only is she a great singer, but she’s also a great songwriter. She’s taking New Orleans music in a direction I’ve never seen before.” He invited her to sing backup for him at the 2007 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. She is also a background singer for the powerful Blues diva Marva Wright who said about her, “If you don’t know her now, you will.” Margie also performed at JazzFest 2007 as a member of the Afro-Cuban percussion ensemble Michael Skinkus and Moyuba. In 2008 they took home the Big Easy Award for Best World/Reggae band. Her star continues to rise. She is featured on the latest CD by Smoky Greenwell and the Blues Gnus, “Between Iraq and a Hard Place”. They played the 2008 French Quarter Festival. You can hear her on the latest CD by the Crescent City All-Stars featuring New Orleans trumpeter James Andrews, “People Get Ready, Now.” Of which the Gambit says “Charmaine Neville and Margie Perez shine on background vocals” . She currently sings lead for the Psychedelic Rock Party band, the Ibervillians, and she sings backup for R&B singer Josephine Maria. She is also a featured vocalist in the Fatien Ensemble, a perfect blend of Jazz and West African percussion. Fellow members include Dr. Michael White and Jason Marsalis. They performed at the 2009 French Quarter Festival and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. And if that’s not enough to keep her going, she is now acting. She starred in the television pilot “Dixie Melodie.” In August of 2008, Margie received the honor of a lifetime. She was invited to give a prime time speech on the opening night of the Democratic National Convention! It’s on Youtube! Margie is a happy homeowner in the Habitat for Humanity Musician’s Village. She looks forward to many porch front jams in her promising new community.”

Pete Lombardo and Elastik Soul will join the bill.

Doors at 8 p.m., show at 9 p.m. $5/21+

www.myspace.com/margieperez

(Photo credit: Micheal Elboim, via Margie Perez MySpace page)

Today’s musicians increasingly find themselves at a crossroad. They find that they must choose between originality and building and maintaining an active fan-base. Typically, success depends on their ability to provide the industry and their listeners with music that is truly unique. To combat this dilemma, the Starkville, Mississippi band Nash Street strives to artfully bridge the gap between country music and traditional bluegrass. Nash Street utilizes the inspiration of influences, such as Chris Thile, The Eagles, Ricky Skaggs, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Allison Krauss, as a pleasant compliment to the soulful melodies of Mississippi and the leisurely rhythm of southern life. In so doing, the quintet provides a hybrid genre of music which is being hailed as “grassroots country.” Grassroots Country is a self-ascribed title which Nash Street attributes to their love of contemporary country music and bluegrass instrumentation. Over the years, Nash Street’s uniqueness has matured as their ability to combine instrumental arrangements and vocal harmony has become more creative. Nash Street has opened for artists such as Rhonda Vincent, The Grascals, Jeff Bates, Little Big Town, and at Tim McGraw’s “Swampstock” – an annual concert Tim puts on to benefit his hometown of Rayville, Louisiana. Nash Street recorded their second CD this summer at Ricky Skaggs’ studio in Nashville. On January 24, 2008, the band was awarded for their diligence when they won the 2008 Colgate Country Showdown. Nash Street took home $100,000 and the title “Best New Act in Country Music.” It was held in the legendary Ryman Auditorium with host and country music star, Leann Rimes. With such young members, Nash Street’s distinct sound, stage presence, and ability to connect with varying audiences insures that they will become an attractive addition to the country music scene.

Doors at 8 p.m., show at 9 p.m. $5/21+

www.myspace.com/nashstreet

A Gramophone staff favorite, Heypenny recently won top ranking and the right to perform at Bonnaroo in this year’s “Road to Bonnaroo” competition! According to BMI, the competition’s sponsor, “Heypenny offer quirky pop-rock, driven by sanguine harmonies and punchy melodies.” Here’s what the guys have to say about themselves:

“What started as last year’s grand prize winner in Arklahoma’s ‘Scene in a Shoe-Boxx’ competition, which then morphed into a well-articulated marketing class group project (B-), which then spawned new life and became (of all things) the setup strategical crew for J. Lonely Farris’ house project, which (who’d'a guessed) was a tremendous success, leading to… well, some ‘personnel changes’ or ‘redundancies,’ freeing them to focus their efforts on the ever-pressing duties of ‘Growing Up & Staying Young,’ the six part mini-series which is to air on HBO in late summer (hooray, it’s finally done!), through which they met Mary Marty who suggested to them that they start a band, to which they said, ‘Fine, be that way, maybe we will,’ which upon hearing Marty replied, ‘Fine, do it,’ to which they all quipped in unison, ‘Okay.’”

Dan Dyer will open.

Doors at 8 p.m., show at 9 p.m. $5 cover/21+

www.myspace.com/heypenny

Please note that Blue Ribbon Open Mic will be taking a 3-week hiatus from 7/8 to 7/22, returning 7/29!

Mario Pascal, the Roots Troubadour, is a St. Louis based musician who’s musical style is described as Nyahcoustic Roots Fuzion. A mix of Afro-folk,funk, roots, rock, reggae with the purpose of spreading love, light, and livity through word, sound and power.

Doors at 8 p.m., show at 10 p.m. $5/21+

www.myspace.com/mariopascal

More info coming soon!

For more than four years, Earthworms has been one of the hardest working and most acclaimed hip hop groups out of St. Louis. Combining a fresh perspective on the sample-based ’90s “golden era” sound with an extremely energetic live performance, Earthworms (Mathias, Kama, Black Patrick & DJ Mahf) has more than gained the attention of the national hip hop community. The 2008 release Bottle Full of Bourbon (F5 Records) has been received extremely well with production by the buzz-worthy DJ Crucial, as well as guest spots from the likes of Pigeon John, Steve Ewing (The Urge) and Hi-Fidel. A new album is already well underway, again featuring DJ Crucial’s production and again featuring some well-respected guest artists including legendary lyricist Percee P. Earthworms has had a busy year, playing in Austin for SXSW, as well as taking a recent trip to Los Angeles for a few shows including The House of Blues on the Sunset Strip. Recently named “Best Emerging Music Act” by St. Louis Magazine, as well as receiving the coveted Editor’s Pick at CD Baby and the Riverfront Times 2009 Best Hip Hop Group, Earthworms is ready to cement that spot in the international scene.

Doors at 8 p.m., show at 10 p.m. $5/21+

www.myspace.com/earthworms

Utter Chaos is dedicated to recreating the unique sounds of the Gerry Mulligan/Bob Brookmeyer piano-less quartets of the mid 1950s. Baritone saxophonist Andy Ament is joined by Cody Henry on trombone, Chris Turnbaugh on bass and Jerry Mazzuca on drums. All members of the quartet are graduates of the SIUE jazz department and work extensively around the St. Louis area in a large variety of bands and ensembles. Jazz up your Tuesday with this free show, along with $4 wines by the glass! Doors at 8 p.m., music at 9 p.m. (21+, please!).  www.myspace.com/utterchaosjazz

Please join us this and every Wednesday for Blue Ribbon Open Mic, presented by the Blue Ribbon of beers (yep, PBR), featuring $1.50 PBR Draft Beer. Doors for the open mic will open at 8 p.m., and music will begin at 9 p.m. Sets are the shorter of 3 songs or 15 minutes. Be sure to arrive early to secure prime performance time, and bring an entourage of friends to cheer you on. Visit www.myspace.com/blueribbonopenmic for more info.

As always at The Gramophone, this event is 21 and up.

Big Smith is a band from Springfield, Missouri composed of five cousins, including two sets of brothers: Mark and Jody Bilyeu, Bill and Rik Thomas, and Jay Williamson. The newest member, fiddle player Molly Healey, brings the total to six creative individuals bound together by blood and harmony. After coming together professionally in the fall of 1996, they quickly earned a devoted following playing raucous acoustic music that captured the spirit of their native Ozarks, equipped only with an acoustic guitar, mandolin, bass fiddle and washboard. These early gigs demonstrated to unsuspecting audiences what joy and liberation could be found in the raw mojo of indigenous, authentic Ozarks culture; albeit a culture interpreted through the eyes of modern, intellectually astute neo-hillbillies, if you will.

The ten plus years they’ve been together have borne witness to an evolving instrumentation and sonic palate. The original acoustic lineup is still there as a tether to their legacy, but anymore it seems Big Smith simply aspires to be a great American band, regardless of whether the guitars are solid and amplified or woody and earthen.In 2007 music became the full-time profession for all the guys in Big Smith, as their expanded touring schedule attests – 2008 will see them playing upwards of 110 shows. They are still adored in their native Ozarks, but years of travel have earned them a place as a Midwest institution. They have made their mark outside their region with several forays to Chicago, Nashville, Austin and Colorado; several tours to the West Coast including two in 2007; and along the length of the Mississippi from the Twin Cities to New Orleans. They have recently enjoyed high-profile opening gigs for the likes of Emmylou Harris, Doc Watson, The Avett Brothers and the Del McCoury band. Summer of 2008 finds them performing at Wakarusa Music Festival and traveling to Europe for the 21st Annual Country Rendez-Vous Festival in Crappone, France.

The documentary “Homemade Hillbilly Jam,” profiling the band and the music of their extended family, has garnered rave reviews and a legion of new fans through numerous screenings at film festivals around the world. Much anticipated is the release of the DVD in Europe and the U.S.A with distribution from First Run Features.

As Big Smith begins work on a new album of original material, to be released in 2009, they continue to enjoy the success of the five releases that document their many years together. heir most recent studio CD is a double disc made with their young fans in mind, “Hay to Zzzzzz: Hillbilly Songs for Kids”. It is a generous portion of music - 42 tracks spread across two CDs. Prior to “Hay to Zzzzzz,” Big Smith released “Gig,” another double CD. Long requested by fans, it is a generous sampling of what one can expect from the band’s legendary club appearances. The band has also released two celebrated studio CDs - their self-titled debut, and “Big Rock.” The catalog is rounded out by and a live gospel CD, “Live at Lonestar,” that pays tribute to their family’s musical roots.

Charliehorse will open.

Doors at 8 p.m., show at 10 p.m. $7/21+

www.myspace.com/bigsmithband

(Photo credit: Stephanie Burk via Big Smith MySpace page)