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| Photo by Louis Kwok |
Last Saturday, downtown Saint Louis played host to one of the biggest displays and celebrations of local music: The Riverfront Times Music Showcase. While it’s a fantastic way to dive headfirst into the deep end of our city’s immense local talent, the showcase itself presents a little bit of a conundrum. With bands scheduled to play in competing time slots, does one attend sure-thing sets by familiar bands, or does one use the showcase as a chance to check out never-before-seen artists?
I did a little of both.
My most valuable, brand new takeaway from the day was Bo and the Locomotive. The Saint Louis four (Bo Bulawsky, Andrew Arato, Steven Colbert and Evan O’Neal) played to the crowd with such refreshing, unabashed exuberance that I couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear. I wanted to jump into the mix, I wanted to bang on a tambourine, I wanted to sing along without knowing the words. And, isn’t that what the live music experience is all about?
Apparently, I’m not the only one who feels like this. Bo and the Locomotive is recording its first Daytrotter session this July, and the band was recently named one of the “10 Missouri Bands You Should Know” by Paste. The word is spreading fast.
You can purchase On My Way now at the band’s Bandcamp site. Catch ’em live on June 29th when they play Off Broadway with Water Liars, another Paste pick, that we interviewed recently.
Watch Bo and the Locomotive play today’s Jam of the Day, “On My Way,” as part of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s LISTEN video series. I can’t help but recall that Local Natives video where the guys cover “Cecelia.” It makes my soul happy in the same kinda way.