NOIR AT THE BAR MARCH 23 AND NEW BOOK BY JEDIDIAH AYRES

If the week of Spring wasn't already exciting enough there is a Noir at the Bar on March 23 at Meshuggah!

Clayton Lindemuth, Frank Wheeler Jr., Josh Woods and the Loop's own Jedidiah Ayers reading from his new book Fierce Bitches!

Subby will be on hand, of course, with copies of all the books, and the Noir At The Bar anthologies, one and two.

If you like noir and crime fiction, you will love Noir at the Bar!!!

C U in the Loop! At Noir At The Bar!!!

Search results for all of Lupe's Noir At The Bar posts.

NOIR FANS: FREE LES EDGERTON EBOOKS AVAILABLE

There are TWO books of Les Edgerton's being offered FREE as Kindle editions through Amazon right now:
THE PERFECT CRIME
http://www.amazon.com/The-Perfect-Crime-ebook/dp/B005I654PM/ref=la_B000APH7SI_1_9_title_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1358013264&sr=1-9

JUST LIKE THAT
http://www.amazon.com/Just-Like-That-Edgerton/dp/0615572227/ref=la_B000APH7SI_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1358013264&sr=1-6

If you were lucky enough to hear Les Edgerton read at Noir At The Bar back in April then like Lupe you are probably a fan!

If you didn't get to hear him read, and you are a fan of true noir**, you will like Edgerton. 

He is the real deal.  In the Noir world he has the street cred for actually having served 2 years in prison.  And as a writer he is perhaps better known as the author of numerous Writer's Digest guides to writing.

He himself is like a real life book or movie character.  In fact, the man has had such a strange life it could probably be told in a whole series of stories.

He is most compared to Ed Bunker, as a writer.

So check it out if you have a Kindle!

Also, you can find many of the print editions, plus the EXCELLENT Noir At The Bar 2 (which includes an Edgerton short story, at Subby!!!

See you in The Loop!!!

**And Lupe says "true noir" because there is a kind of Tarantino-esque element to Noir these days. She finds it kind of tiresome. Not so much lurid as suburban fantasy.  Meaning to shock and thrill "respectable" society, instead of telling true stories of noir. 

Or the stories revolve around the narrator or protagonist adventure with a "tragic girl" or "dangerous woman" or a transgendered person, or drug addict, or felon.  "Bad" words are used liberally and casually to cover the fact the writer has gotten most of his information from other writers (Thompson, Stark, or perhaps Goines and Iceberg Slim).

READING IS SEXY

So World Book night is coming, and there are many events planned in the Loop and around St. Louis. Subby is having a pick up party on Tuesday, April 17th, and a flash mob downtown is planned for World Book Night during the day. (12:30 on the April 23.)

http://store.subbooks.com/event/world-book-night-pick-party-april-17

PS-- Subby does sell the "Reading is Sexy" t-shirts. http://store.subbooks.com/reading-sexy-t-shirt

MESHUGGAH CAFE DU MONDE

Lupe needed to quit drinking so much coffee. She decided the best way to do this was to cut the coffee with something else, so she switched to the chicory/coffee blend Cafe Du Monde.

It turns out that chicory coffee is even BETTER than regular coffee, and better than Meshuggah's Honey Vanilla Latte! So Lupe is not suffering any withdrawals.

Meshuggah has some nice new sturdy, square tables outside where you can sit and drink it and enjoy some fine people watching.

See you in the Loop!!!

Meshuggah
http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/28/321517/restaurant/St-Louis/The-Delmar-Loop/Meshuggah-Coffee-House-University-City

Meshuggah is the new host of Noir At The Bar.  The next N@B features Les Edgerton and more, so mark your calendars for April 28th at Meshuggah.  Hosted by Subby.

NOIR AT THE BAR

Must-see trailer for the new anthology of Noir at the Bar!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=2108811593373

THE ADJUSTMENT BY SCOTT PHILLIPS

Noir at the Bar "OG"  and ICE HARVEST author Scott Phillips has a new book out.  It connects with THE WALKAWAY and also COTTONWOOD, also by the author.

THE ADJUSTMENT.

Lupe always reads a Scott Phillips book in one sitting, cover to cover.  This one was no exception. It was definitely a good read!

You can have him sign it at BoucherCon on the 17th. http://store.subbooks.com/event/scott-phillips-signing-adjustment

LA TIMES review of THE ADJUSTMENT: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2011/08/book-review-scott-phillips-the-adjustment.html

SUBTERRANEAN BOOKS

Subby is on YouTube!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrLksaE3oGo

And isn't owner Kelly Von Ploski looking lovely?

See you in the Loop!

LOOP DE LOOP

There is so much going on this weekend Lupe doesn't know what to say!!!

Did you miss Tim Lane's awesome movie at Noir at the Bar on Wednesday? You can see it again tonight! And Joe Meno is there too!!!!

http://store.subbooks.com/event/joe-meno-tim-lane-book-signingfilm-premier

Lupe is posting to late for Art D Tour. They met at the Art Museum at 5:30. One of the tours comes to the Loop for the Regional Arts Commission and Craft Alliance.

http://stlouisartistsguild.org/new/artdtour

Former Loopies Deb Douglas and Amy Bautz are part of Mad Art Six. Both are great ladies and really wonderful artists!!! Their eyes see things much more beautifully than most of us!!! The opening reception is tonight!

http://www.madart.com/eventsexhibitions/artexhibitions/sixworkbyamybautzdebdougla.htm

Tonight and tomorrow night is the "so bad it is good" movie Birdemic at the Tivoli's midnight movie.

http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/movies/joe-williams/article_49855a0a-a050-11df-9598-0017a4a78c22.html

You will want to go tonight because tomorrow is the big Reggae Fest at Atomic Cowboy in the Grove, featuring Loopies Papa Ray (Vintage Vinyl, KDHX Papa Ray Soul Selector),  and DJ The Mad Russian!

And tonight at Blueberry Hill's Duck Room is the Delmar Kingz! Also featuring Loop local DJ Chilly C!!!!!

http://www.blueberryhill.com/

See you in the Loop!!!

SUBBY BOOKS INSIDER ART

Subterranean Books really is the best bookstore on earth. It is not the size of a mega-chain, or even half the size of St. Louis chain Left Bank Books, but the selection is so wonderfully refined! And always there are so many enticing titles in the window display, reminding one of what a fascinating world we live in.

Lupe just spent a few moments window shopping at Subby: The Lego Visual Dictionary of Star Wars; What The Internet Has Done To Our Minds; The Typewriter is Holy; Black Is The New White; The Art Of McSweeneys. Lupe has always felt it was unfair that readers and non-readers are both afforded the same amount of hours in a day. There is more to read in Subby's windows any week of the year than one person has the leisure time to pursue.

In the other window is a small sampling of the new art exhibit in the Loft: Insider Art. It is art created by prison inmates. The Riverfront Times points out in its review "Artistic Convictions" that "our correctional facilities exist to rehabilitate criminal behaviours, not to simply punish."

Lupe is glad that this exhibit came to Subby, and not to another store, even Left Bank, because if any neighbourhood in the St. Louis area has the people capable of truly solving societies "unsolvable" problems, it is in the Loop. Only here do you find such an intense concentration of intelligent, educated people; the young people, unafraid of flaunting conventions or breaking societies rules; free spirits unafraid to try new things, or do old things in new ways.

There are always students coming to the Loop seeking subjects for their term papers and doctoral theses. Or doing surveys, often asking questions about problems like crime and incarceration, either verbally or in writing.

The group that organized the show, Inside Dharma, helps prisoners to change their ways. All proceeds from art sales go to the group. The reception is Friday night at 7 P.M. Check out http://store.subbooks.com/ for details.

See you in The Loop!

"U"-NIQUE HAPPENINGS IN THE LOOP THIS WEEK

EDIT: The film was 74 minutes, not 7. The flyer had a typo. The film was very good and well-attended! Best of luck to the filmmakers!


As usual there are WAY too many great things going on in the Loop to keep up!

Here a few things Lupe wanted to be sure you know about.

A local St. Louis filmmaker will be presenting his indie short film at the Tivoli tonight and Sunday. IT SOOTHES MY SOUL. Lupe met the writer/director, Michael Larnell and was very impressed. She will be attending the Sunday screening. (Lupe is going to see L.A. ska stalwarts Fishbone at City Museum tonight.)

Screening times are 7 PM both days. Tickets are $7, which comes to about one dollar a minute for a seven minute film.

(7/7/7, hope this is lucky for the filmmaker!! The cost of an indie film to make is about $10,000 a minute. So the price to see this is worth every penny!)

Also tonight is Noir At The Bar, the monthly meeting of St. Louis crime and mystery writers at the Delmar Lounge. (Writers like Jedidiah Ayers.) Again, Lupe wishes she could be in two places at once!

Two other quick comments: the drum circle has vanished. Pushed out perhaps by the expansion of the Market Pub House. Or perhaps all things Bohemian and "cultcha" are leaving the Loop and migrating to the lower-rent South Grand area. She is very sad that this decades long tradition is leaving the Loop!

Finally, it appears that the Horse and Carriage rides were for that one weekend only. Which is really a shame. Because Lupe would like to ride from the Loop through Forest Park. Maybe it will become a regular feature soon!!!

SEE YOU IN THE LOOP!!!

SHAKE 38 AT SUBBY!!!

Subterranean Books will be part of a citywide Shakespeare marathon, Shake 38. A play an hour will be performed at different locations every hour for 38 hours. This is to kick off the annual performance of the Bard in Shakespeare Glen in Forest Park.

Subterranean will be participating Tuesday May 25 from 6 to 7 PM in front of the store. See their blog for the details.

Lupe would like to add that it is "happenings" like this that make St. Louis such a great place to live! There are so many creative people here that work to incorporate art (and whimsy, and culture, and celebration) into the mundane fabric of life here. (Like Guerrilla Florist, for instance.)

Lupe considers St. Louis to be a great place of "silent" culture. In the way that a nation's culinary sophistication is judged on its silent cooking, as opposed to erudite. (Americans get drive through and use the microwave; the French make salad and cook an entree and set the table and serve wine, dessert, and coffee.)

It is true that there is much culture in Los Angeles, silent and erudite, but much of it gets lost in the drive for fame and fortune. Here is it is all really for "the love of the game."

See you in the Loop!!!

SUBBY GIVES LOOPIES A DISCOUNT

Lupe was very thrilled to learn that all Loop employees receive a 10 percent discount at Subterranean Books!

6275 Delmar

314.862.6100

LOOPIE'S IN THE NEWS

If you haven't already seen this week's issue of the Riverfront Times, three of the bloggers featured are "Loopie's".

On page 11, the title page, is Adam Shriver, sitting in Meshuggah. On page 12 take a gander at Mike Flynn, standing in front of Fitz's. On page 16 Kelly Von Ploski, Subterranean Books proprietor and blogger extraordinaire; and on page 17, is Joe Stumble photographed in Riddles?

If that wasn't enough to distinguish this already distinguished neighbourhood, the West End Word also featured Loop events.

The front page previews the page 6 article on Brittany Woods middle school's attempt to bring a double decker bus to the Loop. The photograph also features Loop local Tony Street.

Lupe appreciates Tony's sax playing a lot. Street musicians contribute greatly to the lively and creative atmosphere of the Loop, and Tony is a great musician! He is always tapped into the "tune" of the day!

Congrats Loopies!

See you in the Loop!

A PERFECT LOOP DAY

The sun is shining but it's not too hot. Down in front of Ben & Jerry's a sax player is tooting out Dave Brubeck's TAKE FIVE. On Westgate next to Blueberry Hill the St. Louis Symphony Street Team is spray painting a street mural. (And you thought that only hip hoppers and indie rockers had street teams.)

The sidewalk tables at Blueberry Hill, Meshuggah, El Maguey, Brandt's, and even the neglected Starbucks are filled. (Lupe's random, sporadic, and unscientifically conducted poll has statistically determined that the Starbucks customers are not usually Loop locals or regulars. If you are in the Loop, skip the homogenized, bland chain and head on down to Meshuggah for some real coffee.)

Plenty of bare legs and bare arms as summer weather finally makes it's debut. You don't have to walk far to hear someone laughing. Or come across a chess game (mostly at Bread Co.) or a really interesting conversation, or see someone reading a book you've never heard of.

Lots of beautiful and stylish young muchachas are out shopping. Let New York keep Fifth Avenue, and L.A. can have Rodeo Drive. Loop ladies have something you can't buy from a designer: fearless personal style. (And if you do need to buy it, or at least be inspired, go to Ziezo's. You won't find one on Fifth Avenue, or on Georges V in Paris, or anywhere else on the planet.)

The world is here in the Loop, and the Loop is "u"-nique in all the world. There is no other neighborhood like it. New York has it's Greenwich Village, Los Angeles has Melrose and Venice Beach, Chicago has Belmont, New Orleans has the French Quarter, London has King's Road and Mayfair, Paris has Rive Gauche and Champs Elysee. But those places are like a rich man having money to spend.

For a city of two million to have such a wealth of culture and counter-culture, fashion and style, interesting and interested people; to have so many unique and one-of-a-kind businesses, and in a stretch of city pavement that barely measures a mile- well, that's like a poor man who knows how to spend a hundred bucks like it's a million dollars.

Stroll down past Napps Hair Salon and you will hear the lyrical tones of African women talking as they take a break from dreadlocks and braids. At El Maquey you will hear food ordered in staccato Spanish. Down Westgate and there is the Lebanese grocer and falafel restaurant.

Have a yen for some japanese sushi? There's Seki's. How about delicious garlic laden Middle Eastern food and belly dancers? Right across the street at Saleems. Want some Ethiopian? There's the Red Sea. Greek gyros, an abundance of Thai restaurants; toasted ravioli and St. Louis Italian style pasta at Cicero's.

There are American cheeseburgers and root beer at Fitz's, and plenty of eclectic choices at Blueberry Hill. (Mmmm, Lupe loves BH's mac and cheese. They have good jerk chicken, and BBQ beef sandwich, too. ) And fine dining is available at the Delmar Lounge and Riddles.

You have hippies, rappers, bohos, hip-hoppers, punk rockers, fashionistas, emos, rastafarians, trend-setters, collegian grungers, and enough tourists from the county to remind all the rebels what they are rebelling against. You can hear jazz, classic rock, reggae, soul, r&b, and indie rock at the different clubs. And you can find all these different kinds of music, and more, at Vintage Vinyl for a reasonable price.

Whenever Lupe shops at her favourite bookstore, Subterranean Books, she is always amazed at how refined it is. Every book Lupe wants is there. And a thousand she never would have found at a big chain- even if they'd carried it. Because Sub Books, like the Loop, has sifted through the fluff and down to just the best, the most interesting, the most provocative. There is no excess, just counter-culture excellence.

The City Planning Association was wrong. The Loop isn't one of the ten best neighborhoods in the U.S., it is the best neighborhood in the world!

And one of the best thing about the Loop, that is not true in any of those other places (except Paris), is that any restaurant will be happy to give tired doggies a complimentary bowl of water.

See You in The Loop!