I'll be DJing at The Royale on 8/23

I'll be spinning a lovely little set of soul, punk, rock, pop and country tomorrow night (Sunday, August 23, 2009) at The Royale from 9pm until midnight under my stage name, DJ Bacon Shadow.

There's no cover, the dining room is now smoke-free and the kitchen is open until 10pm.

The Royale is located at 3132 South Kingshighway in South St. Louis.

Amidst all the stuff I'll be playing, local bands will have their moment in the sun, too. Hope to see you there!

The Wedge Grand Opening II: Electric Boogaloo

The Wedge Is Open

AT A GLANCE:
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- Grand Opening Party set for Saturday, November 29
- Open for lunch and dinner seven days a week with a menu created by Chef Blake Brokaw
- All food is made from scratch using fresh ingredients
- Lunch specials and carry-out available
- The music venue- The Iggy Ziggy Room- is now open and hosting bands and performances
- DJs, Trivia and other special events to be hosted in the main bar/dining room area
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Contact: Tyson Blanquart – info@thewedgebar.com

The Wedge – Pizza/Drinks/Music – 442 Bates St., St. Louis, MO 63111
314-351-1200 – http://www.thewedgebar.com – http://myspace.com/thewedgestl

St. Louis, MO – The long awaited opening of The Wedge has finally come. Adding to the recent neighborhood revival started by Iron Barley, The Wedge − recently renovated − opened its doors on Monday, October 21 and hosted its first concert on Wednesday, October 23.

The Wedge is St. Louis' newest hot spot for good food, good drinks and good music. Located one block West of I-55 at the intersection of Bates, Virginia and Compton Streets, The Wedge takes its name from the triangular piece of land on which it sits. Even more apropos, The Wedge now serves up pizza. But not just pizza. The menu also includes calzones, salads, appetizers and soups with more to come.

Consulting Chef Blake Brokaw has designed a menu of Italian fare that is certain to please the palate. Everything coming out of the kitchen is made from scratch using fresh ingredients. The pizza dough, sauces, salsicca, meatballs, dressings and soup are prepared right in the kitchen and cooked to perfection.

The Wedge's lunch specials will be served up daily, and weekly dinner specials will also supplement the menu. The Wedge opens for lunch at 11:00am seven days a week. Dinner is served until 10:00pm Sunday through Thursday and until 11:00pm on Friday and Saturday.

The bar itself is open until 1:30am Monday through Saturday, and 12 midnight on Sunday. Happy Hour runs from 4:00pm to 7:00pm Monday through Friday with daily drink specials. The Wedge has assembled a strong staff of servers and bartenders, and many familiar faces will be on hand to serve up the food and to sling drinks.

But one of the most exciting aspects of the new Wedge is the renovation of the second floor. The upstairs has been transformed into St. Louis' newest music venue, The Iggy Ziggy Room. With an intimate feel and a top notch sound and light system, the space will host a bevy of local and touring bands. Additionally, the room will host The NonProphet Theater Company and their critically acclaimed sketch comedy show The Militant Propaganda Bingo Machine on the fourth Friday of every month, as well as St. Louis Burlesque Queen Lola van Ella and her punk rock Burly-Q showcase on the second Saturday of every month. Weekly, The Wedge will be bringing Chippewa Chapel to the stage starting on Thursday, November 6. And downstairs in the main bar and dining room, Tenacious Trivia will take place every Monday night beginning at 9:00pm.

The Wedge will host its Grand Opening party on Saturday, November 29. There will be some surprises in store upstairs, and a DJ spinning downstairs. Admission for the entertainment will be free, and samples of favorite menu items will be available.
The main intent of The Wedge is to give St. Louis rockers a place to call home, as well as offering South City residents a local tavern to wander into for lunch or kick back at the end of the working day. A destination venue with a local feel, and most importantly, a place where everyone is welcome to come and have a good time.

The Wedge – Pizza/Drinks/Music
442 Bates Street
St. Louis, MO 63111
314-351-1200
http://www.thewedgebar.com
http://myspace.com/thewedgebar

Keep on pushin' on

So the new bar/restaurant/music venue I'm helping to open is pushing back the opening yet again. Its frustrating, but for the best, as we want our customers to really have a great experience when we open next week.

So, next week it is. We open next week. Finally. We have some bands, some comedy and some damn fine food.

More details will follow soon.

The Trade to host Melanoma Reasearch Benefit

The Trade to host Melanoma Research Benefit on Monday, September 15

Who: The Trade- St. Louis' newest rock and roll bar- and the Melanoma Research Foundation
What: Fundraiser to benefit melanoma research, held in memory of Shelia Faye Smith
When: Monday, September 15, 2008 from 5:00pm to 3:00am
Where: At The Trade, located at 3515 Chouteau Avenue, St. Louis (entrance on the rear of building)
How: You can help by donating a minimum of $5 at the door, and enjoy food, live music and games
Why: Because melanoma is the most common form of cancer for young adults, and a cure needs to be found.

Contact: Rachel Smith - rachelwrench@yahoo.com

St. Louis, MO- In 2007, Shelia Faye Smith passed away due to complications of melanoma, the most deadly type of skin cancer. Upon her death, her son, Jason Smith, and his wife Rachel made a pledge to do all they could to bring awareness to this disease and help in the fight against it. They teamed up with the Melanoma Research Foundation, and are pleased to announce that on Monday, September 15, they will host a fundraiser in which proceeds will benefit research by funding a career development grant with Dr. Alexander Krupnick at Washington University in St. Louis.

Jason and Rachel will host the event at their new drinking establishment, The Trade, located at 3515 Chouteau Avenue in St. Louis, beginning at 5:00pm and going through the end of business at 3:00am. The Trade is located in the lower level of The Complex Nightclub, with the entrance located on the back of the building, right off of the parking lot. The event will be a fun evening of live music, food, games and prizes. A minimum donation of $5 is requested. There will be a raffle, a silent auction and tattoo contest, with prizes and auction items being generously donated by a bevy of local shops and restaurants. The evening will also host the first annual Hoosier Games, including contests in Mexican Golf, washers and wiffle ball. The will also be a "car show" of epic proportions that will wow the spectators. On the patio, live music will be provided by St. Louis favorites Gassoff, Goldtooth and Doc Ellis, and the staff and volunteers will be cooking up good eats all evening.

Nearly 80% of all skin cancer deaths are a result of melanoma, and it is estimated that 116,500 new cases will be reported by the end of 2008. Incidents of melanoma are increasing faster than any other cancer, and an average American's chances of developing melanoma is now at 1 in 60. The incidence of melanoma has increased 690% from 1950 to 2001, and the overall mortality rate increased 165% during this same period.

Living up to the promise they made Shelia, Jason and Rachel, The Trade and the Melanoma Research Foundation are doing what they can to help find a cure for this deadly disease and they ask your help in achieving their goal.

For more information on melanoma or the Melanoma Research Foundation (which is a not-for-profit, IRS-approved 501(c)(3) organization), please contact Program Director William R. Marsch at 800-673-1290.

For more information on the benefit, contact Rachel Smith at by phone at (636) 387-2209, via email at rachelwrench@yahoo.com or by visiting The Trade on-line at http://www.myspace.com/thetradebar.

On the road

A while back, Thomas Crone of 52nd City asked if I would be interested in writing a piece for their Food issue about eating while on the road. I jumped at the opportunity, and today, I was excited to find that it had been accepted and published.

I had a lot of fun recounting my tour memories while writing this piece, and I realized that the experiences that resulted from this tour were innumerable. From getting to live on the road for three months, to getting to know some friends a bit better, to discovering the quirks of Missouri, to making little kids laugh and learn, the whole experience is just amazing. The pay ain't too bad, either!

Anyway, you can read the article here.

Pictures from the tour can be found here.