Blueberry Hill Duck Room, St. Louis

Once again Cracker, an indie-roots band with shots of Southern rock and a smidge of alt-country, will grace the Duck Room's haloed stage. Their latest release, Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey, hits shelves and iPods May 5.

Cracker's David Lowery, singer/guitarist, created the band with fellow guitarist Johnny Hickman at the end of the 1980s band Camper Van Beethoven. The Lowery-Hickman combination makes Cracker what it is today: a band who stays true to its original sound while darting in and out of other genres. Even with CVB and other various side projects, Cracker has maintained a constant presence in the rock scene, a true musical stalwart.

Revert back to 2006's Greatest Hits – Redux. This album surpassed expectations of the industry standard "best-of" collection. Perhaps this was fueled by the heated competition between the band's former music label, Virgin Records, which released Get on With It: The Best of Cracker and the band's own beloved reworking and re-recordings of their music. Cracker fans supported Redux and slammed the mega-record company's vault door shut on their greedy little hands. Sorry Virgin, but Cooking Vinyl won this battle with weapons of quality music and lower prices.

Cracker must be a fan of our Gateway city, gracing us with their first stop on the new album's tour. I recall their amazing party-like-there's-no-tomorrow show at the Duck Room last July, with wall-to-wall people dancing and singing. The Duck Room is a great venue for their talents. Year after year, St. Louis fans come out and support this great all-American band, and 2009 should prove to be no different. | Mary Beth Hascall

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