Don Beasley Says You Should Listen To This

So, a few weeks back, I trolled my talented and knowledgeable friends for some recommendations on local music. Don Beasley responded from Kansas City with a fantastic list, which I will re-post below just as he sent it. Now, I always feel it's important to get a sense of who's doing the recommending in order to decide whether or not I want to take their advice. So for those of you who don't know, Don is a musician (St. Louis projects included Corbeta Corbata and Nerve Parade). Though he tends to traffic in punk rock, Don's musical taste is wide and varied, as evidenced by all the awesome mix tapes he used to make for me consisting mostly of soul, jazz, and old-school blues and funk. Sure, he threw in the occasional Pixies song, but that was more for my edification. In addition to ripping up the stage, Mr. Beasley is also a crazy talented artist and a really good haiku writer. He's a little obsessed with Elvis. And, my favorite part is he always wears all black (excepting the occasional punk rock shirt) with his pants legs rolled up just enough to reveal white socks. Those eccentricities might not seem to add up, but they've always proven to contribute to someone whose taste I trust, so here's what he thinks you should be listening to (and buying) this holiday season. All of the below CD's, except In Media Res, can be found locally at Vintage Vinyl or Euclid Records. The other's a little more difficult, but you like a challenge.

The List, dispatched from KC

Hello hello!
 
I have over 700 copies of the first Corbeta Corbata album that anyone anywhere can use as stocking stuffers. I mean with the price of coal nowadays...
 
The Bert Dax x-mas comps he puts out usually have great songs. As lame as it might sound one of the best local cd's i listened to was the 52nd City Sound Issue they put out. The Eric hall recordings are quite amazing and that's on there! but here's a list of my favorite St. Louis albums:
 
Chuck Berry - The Great 28 (watch the movie Hail Hail Rock and Roll)
 
Ike and Tina Turner - The Great Sounds of... (Any greatest hits will do)
 
Bunnygrunt - Karen Haters Club (now on 10inch record... impress your friends with that.)
 
Humanoids - Are Born (great catchy songs... makes you move)
 
Pokey LaFarge - Beat, Move and Shake (in fact check out Big Muddy Records. all St. Louis old tyme kinda roots blues get down and dirty kinda good fun thumpin' and bumpin' dancing on graves with a bottle of bad ideas, broken guitars and that heylordymamamamagetupand go kinda stuff... Praise the lard!)
 
In Medias Res - s/t (the best band to ever sit on there thumbs)
 
Nineteen - Tearing Me Apart (Kinda sounds like Rancid but a lot more tough and no ska parts! ANd a plus of getting that cd is you get 95% of everything they ever put out. it's quite an undertaking to get through but anything worth it usually is! Could be one of the best punk bands ever to come outta st. louis... well a punk band i wasn't in anway!)
 
Another good present would be to take someone to see The Livers. 4 members preformed by two. Want to know how it works... go see them! ANd force Irine Allen... or Green to put out an album and then give that to people! I hope this helps out a little bit. Well for x-mas im making a mixdisc boxed set for people. a 4 cd set to show people what i listen to and from early in life up to now.
 
Duty now for the future,
 
Don Beasley

RFT info on Bert Dax Christmas shows