AMERICAN WRESTLERS
As previously reported by Riverfront Times' Christian Schaeffer, it’s been a wild year for American Wrestlers. The band began last year as the unheralded solo project of Gary McClure, a Scottish native now living in St. Louis’ Benton Park neighborhood. McClure’s self-recorded, self-titled record — made with found gear, inexpensive pawn shop guitars, a smartphone beat machine and a TASCAM eight-track — hit a nerve with the blogosphere, and the revered Fat Possum Records soon got in touch.
The one-time label of Andrew Bird, the Black Keys and many others offered McClure a two-record deal and the support of a team, and a live band was quickly pieced together via Craigslist ads, Facebook messages and marital connections — his wife Bridgette Imperial plays keyboard and guitar along with bassist Ian Reitz and drummer Josh Van Hoorbeke. They’ve been on the road since, and only got back to town after a show in Cleveland at 6 a.m. the morning of their 1:45 p.m. LouFest set.
“It’s strange. I think our last show was at Foam,” McClure said afterward. If you aren’t familiar with the Cherokee Street favorite, their coffee’s great, but it’s tiny (or shall we say intimate?) for a venue. Even early in the day, LouFest was packed. Did the larger setting make a difference for the freshly minted Wrestlers?
“The whole thing is a challenge,” said McClure. He’s quick to answer with a joke, but admits it’s not your average show. “Festivals very rarely work. Every time it just sounds bad and is received badly and feels terrible. But this time, it felt like one of the best shows we’ve played.”
“You just never know what you’re going to get,” agreed Imperial. “And it’s a little bit different just because we’re not used to playing for people that we know; we’re used to playing for strangers.”
Still, they had fun with it and played a tight 45-minute set. The band has seen six drummers come and go in its brief lifespan and is admittedly a work in progress, but their songs, instrument tones and McClure’s high-strung, warbly vocals and guitar licks are undeniable. If it’s experience the group needs, it will soon get it, as they’re on their way to MidPoint and Pygmalion Music Festivals before another venturing out on the band's first tour of the West coast. A contractual blackout period for shows in St. Louis three months before and two months after LouFest means they’ll be back in town next on on October 29 at the Billiken Club.
“I think it’s an all-ages show. It’s only $5, so there’s no excuse for people not to come unless they just think we’re crap,” McClure laughs.
They’re not crap — check that out.
