BEST BET: MELODY DEN CD RELEASE PARTY
By Barry Gilbert
St.
Louis Post-Dispatch
August 9, 2007
9 p.m. Aug. 11 at Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue. $10. 314-773-3363.
Some things are well worth waiting for. Such is the case with "Melody Den," the St. Louis band's self-titled debut CD, which has been on front and back burners for two years. Led by singer-songwriter Marc Chechik (the Relatives, Waterloo), the CD scores with a variety of rootsy sounds - from the alt-country of "Forgiveness" ("if forgiveness is what you're lookin' for/ the dictionary's on the floor") to the spunk of "Stupid Drunk." Chechik's writing is sharp, creating images that are alive, and he's abetted by a solid band of St. Louis musicians including drummer John Baldus and bassist Dave Melson, veterans of Waterloo, Magnolia Summer and the Linemen, and guitarist Jerry Baugher. The show at Off Broadway, which doubles as a fundraiser for radio station KDHX (88.1 FM), will also feature Jennifer Niceley and Melody Den co-producer Joe McMahan (Kevin Gordon, Webb Wilder) of Nashville, Tenn., and St. Louis' John Henry and the Engine.