From Scott Joplin to Nelly to The Urge, St. Louis has been a breeding ground for great musicians of all demographics and sounds in the past. But recently many have been feeling a stagnation within this section of our artistic city.
Despite this, St. Louis still holds onto its musical heart. The Loop, lined with record stores and venues like St. Louis native Chuck Berry’s Blueberry Hill and the classic Vintage Vinyl, all the way to downtown, which is home to popular venues like the antique Off-Broadway and more contemporary REDFLAG on Locust Street, where popular and local musicians of all sorts come to play. The city has fostered a music scene for many years and while local acts have been few and far between when it comes to success, there has been a recent resurgence of serious groups coming together in the last few years.
Just last month, on Oct. 16, local Deathcore band Drop The Blade played its monumental EP release show, to great acclaim within the local scene. As for new beginnings, local band Hank, a midwest emo three-piece created by Ninevolt drummer Sammy V, played its first show at the Moshmellow on S. Jefferson Ave along with other notable local artists like fellow midwest emo band Cry Nonsense and another newer act called Disney Killed the Everglades.
Another fresh start within the scene has been Metalcore-aligned Fool’s World, from the 618 area, who debuted on July 7 at Buy Her Candy’s Jack Foust Birthday Basement Show. I interviewed the band through their Instagram (foolsworld618), getting a mix of answers from lead singer/ guitarist Noah, the drummer Gavin, and bassist Justin. I asked them a few questions about their experience as a fresh band in the scene and how it’s been to grow and integrate.
Q: What are some major musical influences for your guys’ unique sound?
A: For myself, I’ve found my primary influence (especially guitar-wise) to be The Fall of Troy! [And] lately, [I’ve been] ingratiating myself in the hardcore scene here, which I think has contributed to our newer songs having a much more aggressive edge.
Q: What genre would you guys consider yourself considering you have such a unique blended quality?
A: …[I] have never heard a band that sounds super similar to us, which I like… [but] I’d say we’re aligning ourselves with metalcore, but we have such an eclectic range of influences that we don’t try to go for one solidified sound.
Q: What has the experience been putting yourselves out there as a new band in the STL scene?
A: …STL’s lack of room for growth for local artists has bred a lot of bands totally dedicated to the improvement of their craft [and] I think it’s super cool how all the people in all different bands (for the most part) are all like one big family always promoting each other’s stuff around the local scene and going to each other’s shows. Also seeing/meeting new bands [who] play live that you share similar sounds with and building future shows together.
Q: For those not well-versed what are some exciting things happening in the scene to look out for?
A: … There’s a lot! Drop The Blade [had] a huge, all-local EP release show at Off Broadway [and] a lot of great new acts have arisen out of these past few years [for example] Hudai ****s hard and I’m very fond of Inner City Witches and Meremott. I’m [also] finding myself more interested in current acts such as SeeYouSpaceCowboy.
Q: Thank you guys for taking the time to answer me. It means a lot!
A: Of course! [It] was super cool to get our brains picked about this stuff, because we’re all pretty opinionated and it’s rare we get to express those thoughts outside of the art we make.
