Dogtown Allstars

Best Funk/R&B/Soul Band: Dogtown Allstars

We love them because they're funky. We love them because they're from Dogtown. We love them because they don't hyphenate the word "Allstars," and really, it looks much better that way. It's hard to say when the band officially began -- three years ago, was it? Out of the combined efforts of members of Hip Grease and Gumbohead and various solo projects was birthed the Dogtown Allstars, a quartet of musicians who (sometimes) nix vocals in favor of deep, soulful, rhythm & blues-laden funk. And when we say funk, we mean funk. The real deal, not a white-boy impression or a brick house tickle.

All seasoned St. Louis musicians, the Dogtown Allstars know how to work the scene and a crowd, and they can make even the most sparsely populated weeknight bar seem like Dance Party USA. Consisting of Drew Weiss on drums, Andy Coco on bass, Adam Wilke on guitar and Nathan Hershey on keys, the band throws down sets with some original material but heavy on spicy covers from Robert Palmer to Jimmy Smith, Grateful Dead to Grant Green. They take notes from the Meters and Parliament, and are constantly tweaking their consistent repertoire while remaining dedicated to playing locally.

The band rarely ventures out on the road, but we're selfish enough to be happy that they have every intention of sharing their flavor with St. Louis and St. Louis alone. They appear monthly at Magee's in the Central West End and are regulars at Pop's Blue Moon and a host of other local and metro-east establishments including the Famous Bar, the Broadway Oyster Bar and the Stagger Inn. No one ever said St. Louis doesn't have soul, but thanks to the Dogtown Allstars, we can also say we have plenty of funk.

-- Jess Minnen - The Riverfront Times - June 15, 2005