{"id":2034256,"date":"2025-09-19T11:44:55","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T11:44:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2034256"},"modified":"2025-09-19T11:44:55","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T11:44:55","slug":"how-to-discover-new-local-music-in-st-louis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/how-to-discover-new-local-music-in-st-louis\/","title":{"rendered":"How to discover new local music in St. Louis"},"content":{"rendered":"

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On a Saturday night in August, the dance floor in the basement of Tsch\u00fcss couldn\u2019t be more packed with dance music fans.<\/p>\n

The Cherokee Street bar and basement club inspired by German dance venues has brought out plenty of regulars since opening in 2024, many who discover new St. Louis artists by going to the club.<\/p>\n

Morgan Gallagher came to see Tilda Sweatin, a St. Louis-based house music DJ.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe go here kind of a lot,\u201d Gallagher said. \u201cThis is the place.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Gallagher and the packed basement of fans, the club has become one of the most popular ways for house music listeners to discover new music from St. Louis artists.<\/p>\n

Going out to venues is one way for many fans to discover new music. Fans can follow popular podcasts where their favorite artist reveals their album cover and title<\/u><\/a>. <\/p>\n

They can also tune into their favorite artist\u2019s cryptic livestreams across the world<\/u><\/a> or watching a series of skits of an artist on a New York City subway<\/u><\/a> and sharing copies of their album. But unless you know or are engaged to a podcast host, are on a world tour or can somehow get people in an NYC subway to care about a local album, these tactics might not work for homegrown talent.<\/p>\n

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Courtesy<\/p>\n

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Alex Vanderheyden<\/p>\n<\/div>

Dancers move to Playtime\u2019s set at Tsch\u00fcss on Oct. 24, 2024.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

In St. Louis, people are creating ways to introduce music fans to local artists in an increasingly crowded field of music releases. <\/p>\n

Venue owners, events organizers and music fans have been trying to make it easier for listeners to explore their favorite genres and find their next favorite artist. Part of that includes finding ways to connect St. Louis artists with one another and boost their profiles.<\/p>\n

Tsch\u00fcss hosts a residency program for St. Louis-based DJs. The program puts a spotlight on emerging artists and builds connections with other artists, Tsch\u00fcss creative director and booking manager Kalaija Mallery said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s another thing that’s important as a venue,\u201d Mallery said. \u201cTo try and be a space that people could look to to find new talent and then that creates that web.\u201d<\/p>\n

St. Louis on the Air<\/i> producer Miya Norfleet launched a new music roundup last year. <\/b>She invites local artists to share their music on the show. She said discovering music is just as simple as stepping out of your comfort zone and paying attention to the flyers at a coffee shop or restaurant.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really will stop and look at that and just be like, \u2018Oh, I hadn’t heard of this venue before, let me look that up,\u2019\u201d Norfleet said. \u201cIf I like it, then I’ll pay five bucks to see it. And if I don’t like it, then I’ll just leave because it was five bucks.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Brian Munoz<\/p>\n

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St. Louis Public Radio<\/p>\n<\/div>

St. Louis on the Air\u2019s Miya Norfleet records sound in January 2023 during a Fresh Produce Champions Beat Battle at Sophie\u2019s Artist Lounge in St. Louis’ Grand Center neighborhood.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

For a lot of people at Tsch\u00fcss, those old school methods are exactly how they find music.<\/p>\n

\u201cMississippi Underground has so many just, like posters and like, you’ll get like 10 flyers,\u201d Zendaya Lewis said.<\/p>\n

Others use social media.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like to use Instagram to follow some people that you know are already on the scene, kind of producing for the scene,\u201d said Logan Jackson.<\/p>\n

And of course, there\u2019s the most radical method, and one of Norfleet\u2019s favorites: just walking into a venue.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I see a crowd of people waiting patiently outside in any weather, I’m curious enough to ask, \u2018What are y’all doing, what are you here for,’\u201d Norfleet said. \u201cAnd they are more than happy to tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Norfleet said that\u2019s how she discovered St. Louis Metal band Fister after seeing a crowd of people waiting to see them perform at Fubar, which has been replaced by Red Flag. That led her to see them perform at the RFT Music Showcase, a local music festival that brought 100 artists to venues across the Grove.<\/p>\n

Joseph Hess helped book the acts for the showcase and has since co-founded Free 4 All, an event that launched in September<\/u><\/a> that featured performances from 100 St. Louis punk, country, alternative, hip hop and R&B artists.<\/p>\n

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Theo R. Welling<\/p>\n

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Free4All<\/p>\n<\/div>

Aida Ade performs during St. Louis’ inaugural Free 4 All music festival on Sept. 7 at Sally’s Rooftop Garden & Terrace in the city’s Grand Center neighborhood.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Hess says he designed the event to be a place for people to discover new local artists and artists can meet with one another.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat this is supposed to be is a local music holiday that is for musicians, made by musicians,\u201d Hess said. \u201cMore than anything else, I want local creatives to be able to mingle and collaborate in the future in ways that would not have been possible if this event did not put everyone in the same place at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The showcase ran Sept. 6-7 and brought music fans to nine stages across Grand Center. Each artist played 30 minute sets before handing the stage off to another act. Hess wants the festival to highlight that St. Louis is a music city with a large swath of artists that tackle every genre imaginable.<\/p>\n

And he wants music fans to know that, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just wish that residents throughout the St Louis region would acknowledge how incredible the St. Louis music community is and start taking chances by going out to those smaller clubs and investing their time and their attention into the local arts,\u201d Hess said.<\/p>\n