The Urge’s Thanksgiving Shows are a Holiday Feast for the Senses

-by Keith Brake

Well it is the holiday season in STL and we all know what that means, Black Friday shopping, eating way too much, and The Urge’s annual Thanksgiving Show at The Pageant! Hello everyone, Keith Brake here for Midwest Rewind and I hope you are all happy and healthy! If you are a 90’s kid and were making the rounds on the local STL music scene then this show was a must see for you!

On the bill with The Urge this year was Fragile Porcelain Mice, and for the first time in more than 20 years Sinister Dane took the stage in STL. The annual show that The Urge puts together is never a disappointment and this year was no exception! So, let’s dig in!

Sinister Dane performing at The Pageant Friday. Photo by Keith Brake/K.B.P. Studios.

It was a cold and brisk evening as the crowds built outside The Pageant but the spirits were high and very few seemed to notice the weather as they were in conversation of past show memories and showing off their band shirts both old and new. This show is a given to attend for many STL folks and they always show up to fill the venue with energy and atmosphere. Once things got rolling Sinister Dane kicked off the festivities with a solid set.

This was my first opportunity to see this band live, as I mentioned it has been more than 20 years since they played a show in “The Lou” and unfortunately for me I lived in a corn field (literally) in southern IL when they were on the scene in the 90’s. From the first note it was obvious they were happy to be rocking again with smiles abundant and great energy. The band said they had been practicing “Their Asses Off” to get ready for the show and that as apparent as they were very solid….much more so than one would expect for a 20 year break.

The set kicked off with an intro and went straight into “Vented” and about halfway through that first selection they had me loving it. It is always amazing to see a band come back together after significant downtime and put on the performance these guys did…a performance that left me hoping that I will be seeing them grace a stage again soon. Very Soon!

Next up was Fragile Porcelain Mice. Where to start with this band….? If you have seen a live performance from these guys you understand my question! Most would probably start by mentioning the audacious stage presence of front man Scott Randall and his ability to perform and captivate a crowd.

Fragile Porcelain Mice performing at The Pageant Friday. Photo by Keith Brake/K.B.P. Studios.

Me, being a musician, I will start with bassist Dave Winkeler. Dave is one of the most impressive bassists I have seen live, his ability to hold down insane grooves while playing finger style is simply amazing and provides a very key (if not THE key) element to the FPM sound and flare.

Now, back to Randall. Scott is as good of a live front man as you could hope to see as his performance borders upon controlled insanity…and it is beautiful! FPM goes hard…as hard as any band I have seen live and it is an amazing compliment to The Urge’s 200% energy show.

Randal took a moment to tell everyone in attendance how powerful it was for FPM to be on a bill with Sinister Dane and The Urge. In Randall’s own words “there would be no FPM without these guys” as he explained how these bands put them on opening bills during their infancy as a band.

Highlights from their set. Aside from the amazing stage performance and energy, were “More Cop Shows” and “Concept Of Grief”. If you have never witnessed this band live please do yourself a huge favor and correct that ASAP!

The Urge, what could I possibly say about this group that I have never said before…probably nothing. But with that said, perhaps the fact that I still gleefully go to every Urge show I can to cover this amazing gem of STL speaks the loudest. The performance these guys give is second to none and they leave everything on the stage for the fans to consume time after time. The set was riddled with highlights for me; “Brainless”, “All Washed Up”, “Too Much Stereo”, and more.

For loyal Urge fans we have some great news, during a conversation I had with front man Steve Ewing he let me in on the fact the band will be working on NEW MUSIC! I, for one, am very excited to hear what they will be bringing us!

I also would like to point out how amazing it is that this group continues to bring us amazing holiday shows. These shows are in many ways rights of passage as you will see parents with children, adults with their parents all excited to share the joy and energy of this annual party.