Missouri Music!

Welcome to Road Trip, a special series where we get to vicariously go Rockin' Down the Highway with antiMusic's Kevin Wierzbicki as he takes us along on his road trips to various rockin' locales that played an significant part in the history of rock n roll, highlight that history or music's heritage. (Unless noted all photos are also by Kevin - click on photos to enlarge). 
 

You probably know that the state of Missouri has a cool nickname---the “Show Me State.” And if you visit in the spring, Missouri is not shy about showing off---it seems that the whole state has burst into bloom as the rural hills and urban gardens shout, “Look at me!” Even Farmer Brown’s cornfield looks inviting as it puts the finishing touch on a whole lot of future hot-buttered delight. But there’s another crop that’s long been harvested in Missouri, one that you can savor every day or night. It’s music, man! So grab a bushel basket and let’s fill ’er up. And about that nickname; just for now we’re going to change it. Missouri is now the “Hear Me State!”

St. Louis
Missouri is proud these days to be the birthplace of ragtime music, the only genre of music that is considered uniquely American. But at one time, the music was a dirty little secret, played only in bordellos and other places of ill-repute. Perhaps that’s why Scott Joplin, the child prodigy who would become the “King of Ragtime,” chose to perform little while he lived in St. Louis, preferring instead to stay at home and compose. One of his homes has been preserved for visitors, the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site (2658A Delmar, (314) 340-5790, www.mostateparks.com ). This is the place where Joplin wrote “The Entertainer,” the theme from the movie The Sting. While that piece is probably the best-known Joplin tune amongst the general public, ragtime aficionados will appreciate that “Elite Syncopations,” “Ragtime Dance” and “March Majestic” were also penned here. The home is filled with memorabilia from the era, including a player piano that is powered by treadle that visitors are welcome to try out. None of the stuff here actually belonged to Joplin; very few of his personal  possessions remain in existence. You can get the full story on that while at the house, but basically he suffered from a venereal disease that eventually attacked his mind, causing him to burn all of his belongings. Joplin died in 1917, and like many artists, his work was not fully appreciated until long after his departure. As ragtime music began to earn legitimacy and work its way out of the red-light district, more and more pianists were in competition to play for the public. This resulted in “cutting contests;” where two pianos would be placed back-to-back and the players would have at it trying to get the most applause. You could say that this was the origin of today’s “battle of the bands!”

If you’re like me, learning something always brings on the munchies. So after ragtime it was lunchtime! On the menu today: “The Loop” district of St. Louis in University City for a big fat hamburger at Blueberry Hill (6504 Delmar, (314) 727-4444, www.blueberryhill.com ). Now I know what you’re thinking. “Blueberry Hill” is a Fats Domino song, right? But he’s not from St. Louis, so what gives? The joint is owned by Joe Edwards, a long standing advocate of independent businesses and lover and supporter of music of all kinds. Back in 1972 when Joe was getting ready to open the doors of his restaurant, he flipped through his large collection of 45 RPM records looking for inspiration to name the place and found a winner in the Domino classic. As the years flew by, Blueberry Hill became THE place to eat while checking out the enormous amount of rock memorabilia on display. Downstairs from the eatery is The Duck Room, a live concert venue that holds about 300 people. The name here is taken from Chuck Berry’s famous “duck walk,” his unique way of motivating the stage while flailing away at his guitar. The St. Louis native, now in his 70s, is still active and plays to sell out crowds at the Duck Room once a month. When Chuck isn’t gigging at  the Duck Room, artists like the Supersuckers, Ari Hest, Moot Davis, Bettie Serveert and Jonathan Richman are keeping the stage warm. So if you buy a concert ticket for the evening, you can spend the whole day at Blueberry Hill; eating, drinking and maybe trying to stump the digital juke box that has over 145,000 selections! But if your time is more limited, allow yourself at least an hour here before or after your meal. It’ll take that long to soak in all the treasures looming everywhere you look. The guitar that Berry wrote “Roll over Beethoven” on is in a display case near Blueberry Hill’s entrance and Berry is also honored with a star on the city’s Walk of Fame right outside the restaurant. This is also a good place to buy souvenirs, including Rock and Roll Beer items. At least make sure to leave with one of Blueberry Hill’s menus---they’re free and packed with information. Oh, and about that big, fat hamburger---yummy!

What better way to round out a day in St. Louis than listening to some blues. Of course the city has always been known for its vibrant blues scene, so there are lots of places to hear live music. But there’s only one stage that floats down the middle of the mighty Mississippi, and that’s the one on board the Becky Thatcher. Every Thursday night from June through October, the Becky Thatcher hosts a 2 ½ hour “Blues Cruise;” shoving off at 8:30 PM from its berth near the famous  Gateway Arch. The view of the arch and the downtown skyline are breathtaking as the ship, modeled after an old-fashioned paddle-wheeler, taps into the downstream current. The ship has three decks---the lower where the band plays, a middle observation deck and the upper, open-air deck. Topside is the place to be to get a good look at the huge barges being pushed along by a single tug or to gawk at the Anheuser-Busch factory shore-side. An hour or so downstream, the ship turns around to head home and that’s a cue to get downstairs and enjoy some good music. On this particular night, the Baker-McClaren band was playing, heating up the night with lots of traditional blues along with crowd-pleasing covers from bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival and the Band. The deck has a surprisingly large amount of room serving as a dance floor, and adult beverages are served if one needs a little liquid courage before cutting a rug. The band plays throughout the entire cruise, even after the ship has docked and the passengers are unloading. Some acts scheduled to play a cruise this season are: Patti & the Hitmen, Rondo’s Blues Deluxe, Marcel Strong & the Apostles and the Soulard Blues Band. (Gateway Arch Riverboat Cruises, 707 N. First St., (314) 923-3015, www.gatewayarchriverboats.com ). With a last glance at the now spot-lit Gateway Arch, it was time to say goodbye to St. Louis and take a hint from what the arch symbolizes---the gateway to the west. Tomorrow it would be west (and south) to Branson!

Branson
Tucked into the very southwestern corner of Missouri, in the beautiful Ozark Mountains, is the live-music and entertainment mecca known as Branson. The fun to be had here is of the All-American variety; a collage of unrivaled wholesomeness fit for the entire family. And while grandma and junior weren’t along on this trip, its nice to know that nothing unbecoming or potentially embarrassing to anyone is ever going on anywhere in the vicinity. The first stop was at Silver Dollar City (399 Indian Point Rd., (417) 338-8210, www.silverdollarcity.com ) an old-timey amusement park that’s crammed full of rides, booth after booth of homemade crafts and food specialties and of course many stages for live entertainment. This day in particular the park was throwing my favorite kind of party---one with lots  of music and food! So Silver Dollar City’s annual “Bluegrass & BBQ” was an easy choice. Bluegrass entertainers were playing on several stages simultaneously, and my ears were caught by Monroe Crossing. The four piece featuring three guys and a gal reeled off a great set of bluegrass standards and also lent their acoustic sound to a few contemporary songs. And you know what I always say---“finger pickin’ leads to finger lickin’!” That means a massive plate of BBQ (extra napkins, please) and a juicy slice of watermelon before leaving the park. 

Next was the Music City Centre (1835 W. Hwy. 76, (417) 336-1600, www.musiccitycentre.com ) to see a Vegas-style (but clean) show. Branson’s claim to fame is its many theaters, where it is said that they have more seats than Broadway. On any given day here you have your choice of dozens of shows, ranging from country music stars like Jim Stafford, Elvis impersonators, comedians like Yakov Smirnoff and tributes to just about every big musical name from the past.  Tonight at Music City the Haygoods were showcasing their musical variety show. The Haygoods know all about family entertainment, since they are kin themselves. The troupe consists of 7 boys and 1 girl, ranging in age from 12 to 28. The kids put on quite an extravaganza; playing and singing, dancing and joking around, even throwing in some acrobatics. The show begins with a “countdown through the years” where the band does a medley of songs coming from the ’40s through to the current day. A highlight of the show is when several of the cast don exaggerated zoot suits for a boogie-woogie number. Over the course of two hours the show truly has something for everyone with exploding flash pots, fireworks shooting from guitars and a beach ball-into-the-audience barrage that sends the crowd into a frenzy. At show’s end, after they’ve had a minute to breathe and wipe off the sweat, the Haygoods do a meet-and-greet and sign posters and their DVD for fans. With another day of enjoying Missouri’s music almost over, thoughts of the morrow start to jingle. “I’m goin’ to Kansas City/Kansas City here I come!”

Kansas City
There’s only one thing to have in mind when rollin’ into Kansas City. Jazz, baby, jazz! It’s tough to remain calm when you already have a full night of club hopping scheduled out before you even hit the city limits. But a glance at the old Timex revealed that the sun wasn’t ready to set yet, so that left plenty of time to get a little education at the American Jazz Museum (1616 E. 18th St., (816) 474-8463, www.americanjazzmuseum.com ). The museum is located at 18th Street and Vine, the neighborhood immortalized in Wilbert Harrison’s smash hit from 1959, “Kansas City.” Vine Street used to be lined with club after club; so many that you couldn’t hit them all in one night. One of the most impressive displays at the American Jazz Museum hangs from the ceiling---a collection of vintage neon signs salvaged from some of these joints. Other displays feature memorabilia from famous Kansas City cats like Charlie Parker and Jay “Hootie” McShann.  But, like the museum’s name implies, the collection here is not limited to a local focus. So there are plenty of mementos from acts like Ella Fitzgerald, Big Joe Turner, Duke Ellington and dozens of others. The museum is relatively small but one should allow at least an hour to take it all in; longer if you want to play with the interactive displays. Some of the vintage instruments and clothing on display just begged to be photographed, but alas no cameras are allowed in the building. This is another place with a really cool gift shop that has quite a few unique items. You’ll be tempted to go there first, but go there on the way out so you won’t have to lug your purchases through the museum.

Finally the day gives way to evening and it’s off to the luxurious Fairmont at the Plaza (401 Ward Parkway, (816) 303-2942, www.fairmount.com ) for a couple of cocktails and a couple of sets by the Joe Cartwright Trio. Joe is a local favorite (and Kansas City native) and the hotel lounge quickly fills to capacity to hear jazzy versions of classic Van Morrison, interpretations of modern pop singers like Jack Johnson and of course jazz standards. With Joe’s music serving as a tasty appetizer, it was off to Jardine’s (4546 Main St., (816) 561-6480, www.jardines4jazz.com ) for a dinner of Kansas City beef served up with a steaming side dish  of vocal jazz from Ida McBeth. Ida can really belt out a tune and it’s no wonder that she packs the place to capacity every time she plays there. 

Next up was a stop at the Majestic Steakhouse (931 Broadway, (816) 471-8484, www.kansascitymenus.com ) for some cool-as-a-cucumber jazz styling from the Bram Wijnands Trio. Bram sings and plays the piano in a variety of styles including ragtime and barrelhouse and is accompanied by a trombone player and a drummer. After fielding a request or two from the audience, Bram grabbed the tip jar and a couple of water glasses and held them for the drummer who turned them into percussion instruments. That signaled the end of the set for the trio, so it was time to continue the tour! 

Up next was the Phoenix Piano Bar and Grill (302 W. 8th St., (816) 471-0001, www.phoenixjazznet ). Don’t let the name fool you, this large venue was filled to capacity and rockin’ the blues like there was no tomorrow. The crowd was so big that Mama Ray was practically standing on the sidewalk as she serenaded the crowded house. And if that weren’t enough, when Mama Ray went on break her back-up band featuring trumpet player George Robinson kept on playing. George and the boys tore the roof off the place, answering a request for the “Ike and Tina Turner” version of “Proud Mary” complete with the “We never ever do anything nice and easy” intro! Needless to say, it was difficult to leave this party, but one last stop awaited. The James Ward Band was playing at the Blue Room, a club attached to the American Jazz Museum (see above for address, etc.). The ambiance in the room is phenomenal with the walls lined with memorabilia, photographs and a mural featuring the history of jazz. The James Ward Band has seven or eight members and a really full sound that leans toward fusion. A perfect musical nightcap to cleanse the palate and leave you looking forward to next time! Some of these places are free but others have fairly significant cover charges. It’s a good idea to call ahead so there are no surprises.

You can pack an awful lot into a few days in the “Hear Me State.” But clearly you would need a lot longer to delve into the state’s significant musical history or to check out modern Missouri-based artists like Chingy, Nelly, Tech N9ne, So They Say, Veda and Murphy Lee. And you’re likely to run into all kinds of good music at festivals in the smaller towns, too.  So keep those wheels rollin’ and one ear out the window! ’Til next time…

Check out our archives (March 2005) for a CD review of Comomusic Vol. 1, a double-disc set featuring artists from Columbia, Missouri.