It was a Labor Day weekend full of sweaty intoxication under the Pageant's marquee in the Delmar Loop, where music enthusiasts gathered for the first East Loop Block Party.  Teenagers, moms, babies, socialites, hipsters, urban fashionistas and reggae enthusiasts all mingled and grooved to the twenty-six or so bands that took to the stage on Saturday and Sunday. Organized by Holly Renshaw and Anna Zachritz of the Pageant, the event was meant to raise awareness about the shops and restaurants recently opened on the sparsely trafficked east side of the Delmar Loop, between Skinker and Des Peres Avenue.

Despite recent violent attacks by gangs of roaming teenagers in the Delmar area, the weekend went off without an incident and the crowds of people enjoying the music in front of the stage and across the street at Pi and Culture Café didn't seem too worried about safety. Several policemen staged nearby, just in case violence should erupt, seemed extremely bored.

The people- watching was almost as entertaining as the live performances. A wild-haired bohemian lady, clearly intoxicated with a few substances, stumbled on over from Saleem's, took off her shoes and gyrated wildly all over the security gate, then danced a serious hippy jig in the middle of the crowd. Another impressive audience member was an uber-fan of the band Luca Brasi, named "Squirrel." Squirrel, a wiry, greasy-haired gent was so enthusiastic during Luca Brasi's set that he stylistically posed for pictures in front of the band, earning him giggles from the crowd.

The local music line-up was a mix of hip-hop, indie, experimental and straight up rock. The hip-hop stand-out on Saturday was performance by Space and Jonathan Toth from Hoth. This mad flow duo came out and kicked it brand-new school with rhymes about living in the "most dangerous" city of St. Louis, getting older and trying to stay "underground" while also earning enough to eat. This white rapper/black rapper combo was for the most part innovative and hilarious, although their constant use of the "n-word" probably didn't sit well with the parents who had brought their small children to the block party.

Sunday afternoon featured a set by the notable group Exercise, a bunch of young guys sporting prominent facial hair with a sense of irony.  The music itself was a sloppy hodgepodge of Casio inspired experimental soundscapes. The overall effect was reminiscent of a young Beck, playing around with conventional song structures and electronic effects. Although they aren't quite there yet, Exercise shows incredible promise to become something more than just a local band.

Other than the bands, the block party also featured knitting lessons from Knitty Couture, live art by Calc2, a beer stand sponsored by Budweiser, hot dogs by Pam's Chicago Style Dogs, snow cones and discounts at East Loop businesses such as, Savvi Formal Wear, Chinese Noodle Café, Diversity Gallery, Tabu, Rina Wear , V Vegaz, Gabby, FiFi's, Pin-Up Bowl and Suite 100, the Pageant's own retail store and café.  All in all, the turnout could have been better, considering all that the party had to offer, but St. Louis is a very family barbecue on Labor Day type of town, so the holiday undoubtedly put a damper on the attendance.
A quick chat with the event organizers yielded more insight into the purpose of the East Loop Block Party:

 

Why did you guys decide to throw this block party and what did you hope to accomplish?

 

Holly: The idea actually started out pretty small. We originally wanted to have each store in the block participate in a "sidewalk sale" of sorts. I think Anna came up with the idea of having a more festive "block party" -type atmosphere. We decided to invite a few bands down in order to draw a crowd. Originally we had planned for one day, but the response from the businesses in the area and the local bands was so positive we decided to spread it over two days. It quickly became bigger than we anticipated.

Working in a retail shop during the day, we saw how little foot traffic found it's way down to our end. We wanted to bring awareness to the East end of the Loop and let people know it's safe to walk past Skinker. There are some amazing boutiques, shops, and restaurants in this area, but I don't think the majority of the public is aware of their presences. A lot of people stop at Skinker when walking around in the Loop. I know I didn't go much past Streetside when I was younger. Granted, things are even different now than they were then, but we wanted to let them know that the Loop doesn't end at Skinker.

Many of the businesses that have been in the area for a while have been waiting for something like this to happen. We just took initiative.

 

Anna: The East Loop has greatly expanded over the last few years. We wanted to celebrate this growing end of Delmar and let people know that we're here! All of the stores and restaurants down here have worked hard to get where they are today and we believe that is a great reason to have a celebration! I wanted to create something that was fun for the community and brought our neighborhood together.

 

How do you think it turned out?

Holly: I haven't had a chance to speak with everyone involved, but from my perspective it was a success. The bands involved seemed to have a lot of fun and many of them said they would love to play if we ever did something like this again.

Of course there are some things we could have done differently, but I think it brought people down to the area that normally wouldn't venture down. And it brought business to the area stores, especially the bars and restaurants, that normally wouldn't have much business, particularly on Sunday.

Anna: Considering this was a first annual event, I was really pleased with the turn out.

 

What do you hope to do differently next year?

Holly: We made sure to take note of all the suggestions we received throughout the weekend. A lot of them happened to be minor details. We'll probably move it away from Labor Day weekend. Initially we were trying to coordinate with students coming back into town and a show-free weekend at The Pageant. But St. Louis has a lot to offer on Labor Day weekend and we ended up having a lot of competition. It was a bit of an oversight on our part.

We may end up condensing it into one night and I would really like to get the area businesses more involved. We initially wanted each business to host an event that promotes themselves or some sort of entertainment in order to push people inside. Now that everyone knows a little more of what to expect we all have a better idea of how to do that.

Anna: Shade, shade, shade! We will beat the summer sun with a few more tents! We will also schedule the event on a weekend where only 30,000 other events are taking place in St. Louis, versus 45,000.

Considering the recent violent attacks in the Loop, do you think that the Loop is a safe place to hang out?

Holly: We partially wanted to do this to let people know it IS safe on the East end. The attacks were a very unfortunate event, but I believe pretty isolated. It's a lot safer place now than it used to be, as the Loop as a whole is a lot safer over the years. I feel safe working there.

Anna: Of course the Loop is a safe place to hang out. I work, play, and live down here and never once have felt threatened or unsafe.

 

Who was your favorite act?

Holly: That's a tough one. One, because it's almost impossible for me to pick a favorite anything, but also that's a matter of personal preference.

I really liked the vibe Saturday, especially during Bunnygrunt, Troubadour Dali, The Bureau, and The Incurables that closed out the night. We had a decent sized crowd and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Personally, I thought The Feed put on a terrific set. Left Arm seemed to be really enjoying themselves on stage along with the audience. It's always good to see a band have that much fun. And it was my first time seeing The Highway Companion and Tight Pants Syndrome, both of which I will be sure to catch again in the future.

See, I told you I can't pick a favorite.

Anna: We specifically chose a diverse lineup of our favorite bands in St. Louis, so this is a really tough question. When all is said and done, Abe the Babe (Jonathan Toth), The Feed, Troubadour Dali, The Helium Tapes, DJ Needles, and Models Need Sleep played the most memorable sets. Everyone worked so hard to put this together and I would certainly put everyone's efforts and support at the top of my "favorites" list.

We hope next year is even better!