52nd City: March 2006

El Mundo Latino

What used to be JaBoni's is now El Mundo Latino and having heard mucho positive feedback on the place, I made the scene for lunch on Monday.

What worked? The Craig Downs murals on the wall and the overall dark atmosphere-perfect for drinking way too many anythings. The small (really small) pre-meal plantain chips. The tap water from a plain, clear bottle and the not-much-larger than a shot glass vessels provided for drinking that water. The music from absolutely enormous speakers. The food was adequate but unremarkable.

Our server, who shall remain nameless for this story, was really the most amazing thing about the whole outing. If I described her as apathetic, I’d be implying some sort of intent and I don’t think that was the case. Exhibit one:

Diner: Can you tell me what’s in the black bean soup?
Server: It has black beans in it.

Mind you, this was not delivered in a deadpan/I’m going for the funny factor manner. Her demeanor was a delightful blend of south side disinterest and abject boredom with just a hint of surliness. Exhibit dos:

Diner: What do you have that is vegetarian?
Server: Nothing.
Diner: Could you just leave the chicken off the burrito and put vegetables on it instead?
Server: Uh. Yeah.

Yes! It was just as absurd as it reads! With every phrase or question uttered from her slack mouth, the quizzical looks around the table intensified. In retrospect, it may have been a very shrewd marketing ploy as I started to consider drinking heavily well before the entrees arrived. Brilliant! Here’s one more for the road:

Server: Are you done with your plate?
Diner: Yes. I am done.
Server: Do you want a box?
Diner: No, thank you.
Server: Should I take your plate away?

This Weekend: Mercury

Got a chance to preview the space that will soon - as of Saturday - be Mercury, the newest bar concept by veteran Downtown entrepeneur Paul "Pablo" Weiss. The small venue is located at 1025 Spruce, in one of the Cupples Station buildings, and includes both indoor and outdoor spaces.

I'll have plenty of thoughts about the new bar in next Thursday's "Get Out," but if you want to clue yourself in well before then, the place will be open for business this Saturday night, April 1, opening 'round 6-ish. The room will then open for regular hours on Monday, April 3, at 4 p.m., closing at 1:30 every night but Sunday, when lights will be off.

Interesting idea down there at Mercury, very interesting.

It's Easy, Being Green

If one makes enough purchases at the Soulard Farmer’s Market, it quickly becomes clear which vendors sell legitimate produce and which purveyors routinely pawn strawberries that will be wearing fur coats the next day.

I shop at the first outdoor stall on the most downtown side of the market. I like it because the cute little guy who works it makes eyes at me and I’ve never purchased less than absolutely fresh produce from him. Sweet plums and juicy citrus are found here.

My other favorite vendor does not flirt with me and has the disadvantage of being lumped anonymously in the northeast corridor. He is also challenged with having a certain unremarkable look. Denim jacket, bushy mustache and weatherworn face like most of the men hawking termaters down there. It matters not, as this generic dude has what I want most: avocados. He sells them in a plastic bag lined little wooden bucket and I usually get 7-10 soft ones for just a few bucks.

My main man Carlos, an authentic Mexican-American (with an accent and everything!) schooled me on guacamole making. The recipe, one bushel o’ avocados and a bag of gold tortilla chips is all I need to get through the weekend. Blender and tequila optional.

As mentioned previously, there are those from whom I wouldn't buy an onion. I consider knowing who to avoid a perk to urban living and leave patronage of those sellers to chain grocery store shoppers who know no better.

"What's New in Sports, Arts & City Living"

Geez, is there enough juice on this panel?

SLU to Host Discussion on St. Louis Rebirth

For more information or to register, contact the office of alumni relations at (314) 977-2250 or alumni@slu.edu. You can also register online at slu.cops.kintera.org/springevent.

Mayor Slay is Pro-Tattoo

At the very least, his website is:

http://www.mayorslay.com/podcasts/

Which leads one to wonder: Is Hizzoner rockin' any ink? I'm thinking a little Arch or "STL" on the shoulderblade. That'd be tastefully civic.

The Curse of the Playboy Club

Over at 3914 Lindell, the old Playboy Club sits as a tempting target for club owners and developers. It's understandable. Arguably the first "superclub" in St. Louis, the multi-leveled, multi-roomed space served the Playboy corporate philosophy well during the 1970s, by many accounts, when the venue was the local outpost for would-be swingers and sophisticates.

In the late '90s, the building was run as Kearbey's, a sorta half-baked operation that tried to take advantage of the inherent coolness of the long-shuttered Playboy Club, including the hanging seating loft, a strange pit of couches hung between two seperate levels. This spot was only part of a series of neat, period pieces that dotted 3914 Lindell, including basement vaults, private party nooks and walls with inlaid photo slots, for pics of the working Bunnies. Though they flirted with some success there, Kearbey's ran its course, as clubs do, and the space was vacant again.

The City Grille and Brewhaus moved into the same venue recently, pushing a dance club, a restaurant and a brew pub. Despite some so-so reviews from friends and associates, I went to review the place for the P-D. More than once. On several trips, a handwritten sign greeted any visitors hopping up the wide front steps: "Sorry, closed until Monday." Last night, the sign was joined by a cartoonishly-large padlock-and-chain, which didn't exactly say "Welcome, be back in five minutes." Not assuming that they'll be gone for good, but... I'm not booking a return trip to City Grille soon.

While it might irritate some of the purer eyes reading this site, the suggestion here is that the Playboy Club was simply too (corporate) cool for our town, at the time, and too (retro) cool for succeeding businesses. It's hard for a modern operator to affect a winning vibe in a space so keyed in to its time. The Playboy Club is almost a museum, and as each new venture comes in, it chips aways at some of the inherent sharpness of the original locale; even a look through the windows last night showed a lot of different design elements jockeying for attention in just the classic lobby area.

Time for the building owner to sell the fixtures (which could fetch a pretty penny), hole the joint out and to seek a business looking for office space, or some other non-industry purpose.

The Playboy Club is casting a imposing shadow that few modern club operators can work under.

Following Sean

As the offspring of geniune carob-eating, sandal-wearing hippies, I am dying to go see Ralph Arlyck's Following Sean at Webster this weekend. Arlyck interviewed Sean in '69 when he was a 3-year-old tyke, living with his parents in Haight-Ashbury. Sean claimed that he took some tokes off a roach now and then, and didn't wear shoes because they were "creepy." (I hope he pronounces it "cweepy.") Those interviews were edited into a short black and white film which launched Arlyck's career; a few years back, the filmmaker returned to the Bay Area to see how Sean was doing. Apparently, he managed to find a way to be a responsible human being without losing touch with his radical side. The filmaker himself will be there to answer questions, which is always nice (I've seen more than a few films that made me want to interrogate the director). I am all bummed out about missing Sun Ra last weekend, so fingers crossed, hoping to see the real thing and not having to settle for just ordering it from NetFlix.

Urbis Orbis Redux (Kinda)

Okay, Gallery Urbis Orbis - a big supporter of us at 52nd City, by the way - is gone, but the sharp space continues to house the occasional art show. Since the departure of the GUO, just before New Year's Eve, developer Craig Heller has been renting out the space on a temporary basis to local artists and arts groups, at a rate quite a bit less than that eventually charged for a retail tenant.

On April 7, from 6-10 p.m., another in a series of small exhibitions will be held at the 419 No. 10th Street space, featuring wood and stone sculptor Wes Fordyce and painter/current arts "it girl" Lyndsey Scott. The work will hang throughout the month of April, with appointments available after the reception, via 314-496-4228.

(52nd City Magazine is coming soon, April 12, supported, in part, by Hartford Coffee Company, the Royale and Fred Hessel of Edward L. Bakewell Realtors.)

A Foolish Evening for the Arts

If you don’t know by now that a major art conference is coming to St. Louis, in June, well you’ve been sleeping under something larger than a rock—maybe a Chihuly-sized chandelier? St. Louis will host The Glass Art Society’s 36th Annual Conference and nearly 2,000 artists, collectors, and glass enthusiasts from around the world are expected to attend the series of lectures, demonstrations, and exhibitions scheduled June 15-17th. Many of the conference events will be open to the public including an auction where signature one-of-kind pieces and collaborative works in a variety of price ranges will be available; a Gallery Hop with over 20 local galleries showing work from emerging to established artists; a Gallery Hop After Party at Mad Art Gallery; an International Student Exhibition; and a Closing Party at the City Museum.

On April Fool’s Day, Mad Art Gallery will host “A Foolish Evening: Come As You Aren't or As You Wish!” The party is being billed as “a head-turning evening benefiting The Glass Art Conference in St. Louis”. Parties at Mad Art can be legendary and this one has all the makings of a memorable one, with tickets available at two attractive price points.

A Foolish Evening

$50 gets you into A Foolish Prelude, from 6:30pm-8:30pm. Music by Farshid Soltanshahi, head-turning performance by ANNONYARts!, Fun Food (Cravings!), Frou Frou Drinks, Foolery in the World Famous Photobooth, Fabulous Glass, Art and Auction items.

$20 gets you into A Foolish Evening, from 8:30pm-12:00am. Music by hipster DJ Randall Roberts! Great Art, Performance, Cash Bar. Costumes encouraged and quite possibly rewarded!

•Tickets can be bought at Mad Art Gallery. Call 314-771-8230 or email info@madartgallery.com.
•Visit the Glass Art Society website for specific conference information.
•Visit the Mad Art website for more information on A Foolish Evening and its generous sponsors.

Tracy Varley, Director of Mad Art Gallery, is serving as a co-chair for the Glass Art Conference this year, along with Jim McKelvey and Jessica Cope of Third Degree Glass Factory. Explains Cope, “St. Louis offers world-class cultural institutions, international cuisine, great music and a thriving support for the arts. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to showcase our city to such a diverse international audience of art enthusiasts.”

TC Buys a Hat and Other Stories

In order to house my gigantic brain, I've been blessed with an oversized jug. This means that the simple act of purchasing, say, a ballcap for those days when my rug just won't cooperate is a chore, indeed. There's no single shop along the lines of, oh, "Melonhead's House of Hats," a place where a cantalopue head can do the in-out shopping bit. Carving out some valuable perusing time today, I found myself at three urban fashion emporia, the types of places known to sell a lid, or two.

Spectrum's: This Cherokee Street everything-goes-shop has been praised on these "pages" before, what with the store's curious selection of hip-hop fashions, bongs and porno. The hat selection, though, isn't the most expansive in town. Sad. This visit, though, predicted a sight that would be seen repeatedly as today's outing progressed: a new trend in t-shirt design is the wedding of a cereal pitch character with "blunt" imagery of Mary Jane. So everyone from Cap'n Crunch to the Trix Rabbit to the Snap, Crackle and Pop boys are now fronting 3X t-shirts, featuring these classic American cereal pitchmen in various states of being wacked outta their gourds. By summer, we'll all be sporting these tops, I'm certain. I'm gonna hold out for a way-baked Booberry.

Levin's: I've been passing Levin's for no less than 15 years, the shop located on the corner of 14th and Washington, next to the late, great Hungry Buddha. This is an old-school clothing store, with piles of pants stacked chest-high. It's also a place with a decent collection of sale hats, which meant my purchasing a fine KC Royals top for a resonable $18. Now, what's truly remarkable is that Levin's stocks clothing - shirts, pants, sundries - in sizes up to 10X. It's a place for the prosperous gent, the bountiful fellow, the big ol' dude. In fact, the store was being shopped by a collection of chaps that made me feel svelte, a fact that was much appreciated. Oh, my. Big clothes, people. BIG CLOTHES are sold here! Whoa! (Ah, thanks to an observant reader. I went to Levin's, not Levine's, which is on the same block. Zounds.)

Gus' Fashions: The venerable Gus' is on the move across the street, with much of the stock already outta the shop. What's left is a curious assortment of varied gear, including some pants, some shirts, some shoes. And some real odds'n'ends For example, a plethora of Rams replica shirts from the disgraced likes of Jason Sehorn and Tommy Polley. (Need your Grant Wistrom fix? This is your place for his jersey. No Jamie Martin's, though.) The Converse selection, though, needs to be witnessed to fully appreciate. Hundreds of Chuck Taylor's are on-sale, two pairs for 30 bones. There are a healthy variety of lows and highs, in a bunch of colors, including faux graf and camo styles.

A fun day of shopping. Yay!

A Makeover for Sandrina's?

According to several moles in the nightlife industry, the longtime South City after-hours haunt Sandrina's will be going into a new phase soon. Though it's currently being bothered by the Arsenal Street bridge construction just outside its front door, Sandrina's is said to be under contract to a group including principals from the Famous Bar, Juniper Grill and even some East Side interets. Hey, hey!

Though the place has long retained that sorta "time forgotten" feel, it won't necessarily be a negative seeing this faded gem restored. At one point, the shuttered dining area hosted regular lunch and dinner crowds, with an in-house piano man. According to what's being whispered, the new club will, in fact, bring the kitchen back into operation and will also see a revamping of the classic bar space, itself.

North City Parking Lot Tour '06

So, this one's a bit left field, but stay with me.

I'm at the Missouri History Museum's research library, combing through some old Polk's City Directories. (And, already, don't you all just hate me for having such an exciting Thursday afternoon?) After a bit of cursory reading, I realize I need a better notebook and some materials from home, so I jot down a couple dozen addresses of old STL movie theatres, just so I have some specific places to look for pics while I drive around.

Having shot old moviehouses for an off-on while, I know that many, if not most, are long gone and today's jaunt confirmed that. In fact, I hit about six in a row that were just, pfft, gone. Most of these are North Side, with a couple Midtowns and Sou'siders, too.

Here's a recap:

Douglas, 4201 Finney: demo, parking lot
Gravois, 2631 S. Jefferson: demo, now Lee's Fried Chicken
Midtown, 4819 Delmar: demo, now a state office building
Pageant, 5851 Delmar: demo, now Big Jake's BBQ
Union, 1510 Union: demo, parking lot
Wellston, 6226 MLK: demo, empty lot
Star, 16 So. Jefferson: demo, now MSD HQ
Merry Widow, 1539 Choteau: there, warehouse for Hibdon Hardwood
Empress, 3616 Olive: demo, now a parking garage
Victory/Mikado: there, abandoned and crumbling
Will Rogers, 1217 Union: demo, parking lot
Cirlce, 4472 MLK: missed it, but it's there, now a tire shop

I've got a fair number of dead theatre pics on my flickr site, avialable via www.thomascrone.com, if so inclined. And more on the way, especially once I log in for than 45-minutes at the MoHist library.

Ta!

Zombie Hunters Want Your Blood

Okay, we encourage you to write your own weisenheimer snaps in the comments section below.

The Zombie Squad is sponsoring a blood drive (there's some material) at the the St. Louis Police Lodge (there's some more) on March 25, between 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Refreshments will be provided and Zombie movies will be screened (ah!). Donations will be collected by the American Red Cross.

You can get the full info, as well as a wacky flyer, at:
http://www.zombiehunters.org/blooddrive.php

My question: if my heart is filled with a great sadness, is my blood still collectable? Or will it be tainted by this overwhelming ennui?

Video Press Release: "The Ballad of Jesse James"

Yo, you gotta love the trend of video press releases. (And this is written by a true Luddite.) Just got one from Joe Hanrahan of the Midnight Company, re: the upcoming production of his "The Ballad of Jesse James," a quick piece done in a rather Ken Burns-ey style, at that.

Here 'tis:

http://www.midnightcompany.com/site/james/

And you gotta love the fact that Dave Wassilak is a cast member. Don't know how much comedy is this piece - can't imagine a ton, what with all the killin' and gunplay - but this is one funny, funny man.

Sweet 16

Yes, it's time for the monthly showing of academic films. Last month, I missed the presentation, the first time in the 226 months of films that I was absent and the guilt is still consuming me. Even though I caught another free film in town that month, there's something to be said for sheer consistency and I must regain traction this month, with arguably the most civic program that Cine16 has yet brought to resurrected life.

The devil's in the details:

The Academic Film Archive of St. Louis and The Missouri Historical Society present:

CINE 16- Vintage School Films
at the MISSOURI HISTORICAL MUSEUM

This month's theme: "In the City"

'The Challenge of Urban Renewal' (1966) directed by Ted Yates

'Heritage Homes of St. Louis' (1967) directed by Pat Williamson

'Detached Americans' (1958) directed by Don Matticks

7PM (south entrance will remain open after museum hours)
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Southwestern Bell Education Center (lower level)
Missouri Historical Museum, corner of Lindell and DeBaliviere in Forest Park, St. Louis.
Admission is free.
The 2nd level snack bar will be open before the show and during intermission.

Directions and museum information:
314-746-4599
http://www.mohistory.org/content/HomePage/GettingHere.aspx

The Academic Film Archive of St. Louis is a satellite program of the Academic Film Archive of North America, based in San Jose, California. The series is co-curated in St. Louis by Claire Nowak-Boyd and Michael Allen. Bud Stanfield is the series projectionist. Evalyn Williams is the St. Louis archive manager. The Missouri Historical Society generously provides the screening venue.

What is "academic film"? From the early 1900s to about 1985, many of the best art, history, social science, literature and science films made were produced for academic settings on 16 millimeter film. AFA is dedicated to preserving these films and to educating the public about films of this era through free screenings and lectures.

For more information about AFANA, visit http://www.afana.org

For more information about AFA St. Louis, or to request that an email address be added or removed from this list please email, afasl@mac.com

Summer School: Sacred Architecture in St. Louis

I know several folks who would certainly enjoy such a course. Heck, I know several folks who could probably tackle such a course, though this one's locked in to one Dr. Stephen Werner.

This summer at Webster U's OPO campus: "Sacred Architecture in St. Louis"; Mondays-Thursdays, May 15-June 2. The slim flyer boasts that students will "see some amazing places!" while "tour(ing) churches, cathedrals, synagogues and cemetaries in St. Louis."

Where was this course in, say, 1986? Rats!

Did You Say "Smooth Jazz"?

Got a chance to see/hear Hugh "Peanuts" Whalum, recently, at a wake of all things. As always, the multi-talented performer sounded great, playing with a sort of all-star ensemble of local players, all brought together by the passing of Gaslight Square legend Miss Connie Morris. (More on this in the P-D, sometime later this week.) Even though it was a somewhat curious place to hear jazz, it made sense, with Morris' contemporaries bringing their A-game to honor her.

At the event, Jay Brandt mentioned that Peanuts would be playing at his place int he Loop later this month, with his nephew, the star of smooth jazz, Kirk Whalum. Brandt sent along this specific info, for an event that should fill his little room, and then some:

Kirk Whalum has been nominated for seven Grammys and received the Stellar Award for Best Gospel Instrumental. Kirk’s tour this spring will take him to the Blue Note in Tokyo, Japan with Dave Koz; the Playboy Jazz Festival in LA and the Hampton Jazz Festival, Hampton, VA. His 1998 release, FOR YOU, was on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Charts for 65 weeks and in the Top Ten for 53 weeks! Formerly with Warner Records and Columbia Records, Kirk has recently signed with Dave Koz’ Rendezvous Music.

There will be a $10 cover charge both nights and dinner reservations may be made by calling 314-727-3663.

A Cultural Czar for Grand Center

The following is a note from an "Art News" short by Diane Toroian Keaggy, from today's P-D:

Grand Center Inc. is conducting a national search for a cultural director to boost the district's artistic offerings. The position is a new one for the district, which has struggled to emerge as a must-visit destination.

The position is based on one of many recommendations made by AEA Consulting, a New York firm hired to help move "Grand Center from being a place where cultural institutions are located to a true cultural district." The firm also suggested the district focus on initiatives to keep patrons in the area after events, attract a variety of patrons from college students to young families, connect Grand Center to nearby districts and give the street a livelier feel.

Curious if people think the District will actually hire from outside the area? Or will GC hire one of the 10 people we could probably list here in about three minutes?

Then again, maybe that's not the most interesting set of questions around this. The thought that these types of events and amenities are needed along the GC corridor... well, how much AEA was paid to come up with this patently obvious suggestion? And could those same monies have simply been invested in local organizations that have a track record of making things happen?

And, while we're at it, why did I wake up in such a foul mood on a Sunday morning? Boy, oh, boy, why people read the paper first-thing is beyond me. Lesson learned.

Aaron Belz: Live & Digital

Ordinarily, I'd leave this type of post to my esteemed colleague, Stefene Russell. But I am in a posting frenzy - two, in one day! - and time is short.

You can find Aaron in person, tonight, at the Readings @ the Tap Room, 8 p.m. Ask him about his ankle.

You can find Aaron on the web, tonight, or any time, at: http://blog.myspace.com/orthodontist. Leave a comment, asking about his ankle.

Recently, one myspace user summed up an Aaron poem thusly: "This shit is crazy, and equally entertaining." Were I to ever have similar words written about my work, I'd consider this a life well-lived.

DJ Battle @ Clubhouse

Been too long since I've dropped into the Clubhouse, that li'l shotgun of a bar at 3502 Papin, near the Complex. But it's not been long enough since Mardi Gras to really get back into the late-night swing. Such a conundrum. And tonight's a DJ battle amongst DJ Karizma, DJ Sinamin and Adrian Fox. Hmm. No cover. Hmm. Doors open at 8 p.m., but I can't imagine any needles hitting vinyl at that early hour. Not that I'll be there.

New Music Circle @ SLAM

Not only does St. Louis have an embarrassment of great, alternative film options, the town seems to have a little thing for silent film accompaniment. Out there are not only the regular visits of the Alloy Orchestra to Webster University, but also the occasional appearances of St. Louis' own, long-running New Music Circle. That group'll have a show upcoming and the details are below. ("Lingering kisses"? Ooh-la-la.)

SPECIAL FILM PRESENTATION

Friday, March 3, 7:00 pm
Circle Cinema
Beyond the Rocks (1922, 85 minutes, tinted, silent)
Directed by Sam Wood

Join us as New Music Circle provides musical accompaniment to the recently rediscovered silent romance starring film legends Gloria Swanson and Rudolph Valentino in a rare pairing. This European version features full-length love scenes complete with lingering kisses.

Long considered one of the great lost films from the Hollywood golden age, BEYOND THE ROCKS was rediscovered in 2003 as part of a collection left to the Nederlands Filmmuseum.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.slam.org, call 314.655.5299, or stop by the Information Center during regular Museum hours.