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Saturday, 31 May 2003 18:00

Here are just three of the great original St. Louis bands that play around town on a regular basis. Check these three out as soon as you get a chance.

Glow—Glow is a group that really stands out on the local music scene. The threesome combines an early ’80s guitar/synthesizer sound with a bit of a jazz influence, creating a sound that is hard to resist. It’s easy to be drawn into their set, even when the musicians are hidden from the audience with the help of some fancy lights and a smoke machine. Singer Brooke Edwards stands out in front and has a tremendous vocal ability that draws the audience in as soon as she starts singing. If this band keeps performing, they will most likely receive many glowing reviews in the future.

The Spiders—A lot of people seem to be scared of spiders, and people who don’t like loud music will no doubt be scared of this local punk band. The Spiders are a great punk band with a threatening lead singer who uses his microphone stand as a prop and offers stage antics which seem to be modeled after a childhood temper tantrum. The first time I saw them perform, I kept waiting for the singer to attack the audience physically or to assault the crowd with spit, but he never did. Pink Floyd may have written a famous song about going to school, but this band writes about eating the actual school supplies. I highly recommend seeing them.

The Skulls—I’m actually breaking my own rules by writing about this one, because the Skulls are not out playing originals; they’re a local Misfits tribute band. This group is so fun to go see that it’s impossible not to want to write about them. Devin Baker takes on the role of Glenn Danzig and gives such a great theatrical performance that it’s a perfect rendition. Plus, fans of Bonnie Boime’s bartending techniques at the Hi-Pointe will no doubt enjoy seeing her play bass guitar onstage with this group; she often has her own cheering section. There’s never a shortage of punk rock kids showing up to these shows, shaking their fists and singing along as if they were at a punk rock summer camp.