Supe Granda: Future TV star?

St. Louis native Michael "Supe" Granda has gotten an audience with A&E Networks to pitch an idea for a reality TV show.

Local King, a concept created by Granda and local TV producers Kathy Bratkowski and Aleta Harris, has been named one of 16 finalists in the fifth annual A+E 360-Degree Unscripted Development Pipeline.

SVJ Marketplace: One Day cell-phone case

The One Day merchandise store is now open for business.

Singer Josh Herrin designed this cell-phone case and has made it the first product available for purchase at the band's store at Zazzle.com.

The case is available for several models of iPhones and Samsung Galaxy phones. You also can get one for the Motorola Razr or iPads and iPods.

SVJ Album of the Week: Les Gruff and the Billy Goat

Les Gruff and the Billy Goat has just released its eponymous second album -- a tighter, more cohesive effort than the band's first effort, 2013's sometimes rambling A Cup of Coffee, an Apple and a Suicide.

The new album, released to retail and streaming outlets Friday, is a focused collection of 11 roots-rock tracks. Billy Croghan's strong, expressive voice floats effortlessly over instrumental accompaniment dominated by Tony Compton's lead guitar and Sean Kamery's electric fiddle.

SVJ Playlist: Newgrass Invasion

A whole lot of country is going to be played on St. Louis-area stages this weekend.

The Josh Tyler Band will rock Pevely Saturday night at the Sun Valley Jams Fan Appreciation Concert. And SVJ friends Les Gruff and the Billy Goat will celebrate a CD release that same night at Off Broadway.

But before that, former Allman Brothers Band guitarist Warren Haynes will headline a newgrass show Friday night at the Pageant that also will feature Gill Landry and Chessboxer. Tickets are available through Ticket Liquidator.

The accompanying Spotify playlist includes songs from all three of Friday night's acts. Have a listen while you're trying to decide whether to go. If you like your country traditional with a progressive twist, this would be a good show -- and a good playlist -- to check out.

Countdown to SVJ Fan Appreciation Concert: Whiskey Kick

Whiskey Kick is going to bring a whole lot of '80s-era headbanging to Sun Valley Jams' Fan Appreciation Concert Saturday night.

The St. Louis quartet started playing together about 18 months ago, according to guitarist Jeff Durbin. They put their songlist of heavy-metal classics onstage for the first time in May at the Wentzville Blues and Classic Rock Festival.

Countdown to SVJ Fan Appreciation Concert: The Josh Tyler Band

The Josh Tyler Band, slated to appear Saturday at the Sun Valley Jams Fan Appreciation Concert, isn't so much a band as it is a stage name for country rocker Josh Middleton.

Middleton is a familiar presence on the cowboy circuit around Southeast Missouri and southwestern Illinois. He has performed acoustic solo sets around the area and has been known to show up onstage supporting and jamming with other acts.

Many fans knew him until recently as a member of Crimson County, which disbanded a few weeks ago.

SVJ Album of the Week: The Langaleers

The Langaleers' self-titled debut album grabbed me the first time I heard it a few months ago and hasn't let go.

This 12-song, 52-minute effort from July 2014 is packed with enough catchy riffs to keep you air-dancing for days.

Bassist Ryan Cosgrove and drummer Sean Kennedy keep the rhythm tight while Dylan Clubb tosses out fuzzy, piercing solos on guitar and electric keyboard. Principal songwriter Kory Meyer contributes rhythm guitar while tying it all together with distinct nasally vocals.

Highlights include "Golden Gate," featuring an infectious Clubb keyboard riff; and "They Don't Bother Me," in which Cosgrove and Kennedy are front and center pushing the action. "Forget" is a lazy, shuffling number that builds to a driving coda that struggles to stay under control.

SVJ Playlist: Hendrix Highlights

I wasn't a huge Jimi Hendrix fan when I was a kid. I was too wrapped up in the cult of the Doors to pay much attention to the psychedelic bad-ass who I knew even then was the greatest musician of our time.

I was familiar with his albums and did like a few of the songs. I do remember the day Hendrix died 45 years ago today, at the beginning of my sophomore year in high school -- not because I felt any kind of personal loss but because a couple of my friends seemed truly saddened by the news as if they had lost the family dog.

Little did I know at the time that, you know, these things do come in threes and Jimi's death would only be the first of a shocking trilogy. Janis Joplin, whom I cared not a thing about at the time, passed a mere 16 days later. And Jim Morrison -- the one that kicked me in the gut -- checked out the following summer.

The Faded Truth, three others to rock Overland

The Faded Truth, which played at Sun Valley Jams in August in Battle of the Bands #4, will join three other bands Saturday in some heavy rocking at Just Bills Place in Overland.

Fenton-based The Faded Truth is on the metal-heavy bill with Grafton, IL, band Ever More Broken and St. Louis-based Skyline in Ruins and Struck Down by Sound. The music starts at 7 p.m. The venue has a $5 cover charge.

SVJ Marketplace: Signature Retro music system with turntable

Tired of playing those great old songs in the stereo of your brain while all those vinyl LPs sit collecting dust? If so, this is exactly what you need.

Consumer-electronics manufacturer Electrohome is offering a 15% discount this month on this retrofit record player. The Signature Retro music system -- $199.99 full-price, $169.99 with checkout code SAVE15 -- looks like a classic tube radio but actually is a feature-rich hi-fi stereo system.

The system includes an AM/FM tuner, a CD player, a 3.5-mm auxiliary input and a USB jack. It has a built-in digital encoder so you can convert the music on your vinyl to MP3 files directly to a memory stick or media player without going through a computer.

SVJ Album of the Week: Pogo Funk's Sound from the Underground

Sun Valley Jams has one more show scheduled for this season -- a free concert Sept. 26 featuring Whiskey Kick and the Josh Tyler Band -- that we will start previewing later this week. But after that, the Balvens will be shutting down the outdoors concert venue for a few months.

So the ball's in my court to keep Sun Valley Jams going for the winter with this website. And I'm going to do that. I'm going to produce a couple of regular features to keep everyone entertained and informed, starting now.

Introducing: The SVJ Album of the Week.

Pogo Funk plans to start recording Sunday

Members of Pogo Funk setting up their studio

Pogo Funk is about to have a big day for the second straight Sunday.

The Festus funk/rap band will start recording its second album Sunday, a week after winning the Sun Valley Jams Battle of the Bands Finale.

But that's not all. The band also will get some radio exposure Sunday. Bob Scott of KBDZ/Classic Rock 93.1 in Perryville recorded an interview a few days ago with Pogo Funk vocalist Christopher "Goofy" Breck. Scott told Breck the interview will air a couple of times, tentatively in the 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. hours.

The interview with Battle of the Bands sponsor KBDZ is part of the Finale prize package along with a $2000 cash prize. You can catch KBDZ's live stream here.

Just a Girl: Pixie Houska as Gwen Stefani

A few Sun Valley Jams veterans are hooking up to form a new tribute band.

Pixie Houska, the lead singer for Hollywood 5, will portray Gwen Stefani in Just a Girl: A Tribute to No Doubt. The act is scheduled to debut Oct. 9 in the Duck Room at Blueberry Hill, 6504 Delmar Blvd. in St. Louis.

Also on the bill is American Idiot: A Tribute to Green Day, which appeared at SVJ in July at Battle of the Bands #3. Hollywood 5 performed at SVJ in June at Battle #2.

H5 and American Idiot guitarist Dan Elder will support Houska in Just a Girl, as will drummer Eric Hendrickson, who also is lead singer for American Idiot. Rounding out the band will be bassist John "Kingvegas" Keihne and keyboard player Phil Minardi.

Hollywood 5, meanwhile, is set to play Friday night at Bobby's Place, 108 Meramac Valley Plaza in Valley Park. Check the H5 Facebook page for its schedule for the rest of the month.

Here's Houska in action with Hollywood 5 at Battle #2:

Battle of the Bands Finale: Les Gruff and the Billy Goat video

Les Gruff and the Billy Goat rushed to Pevely late Sunday afternoon for the band's second appearance at Sun Valley Jams.

The Battle of the Bands #2 co-winner had played a set earlier in the day at Cree Fest in St. Louis, and the band did seem a little tired after a couple of weeks peppered with promotional appearances for their self-titled second album.

But singer Billy Croghan and the band found their rhythm a few songs into their 75-minute SVJ set and closed their day with a flourish.

Fan Appreciation Concert next at Sun Valley Jams

We're not calling it a day just yet.

Owners Lyn and Mark Balven have decided to stage a Fan Appreciation Concert on Saturday, Sept. 26, to thank everyone who supported Sun Valley Jams in its first Battle of the Bands season this summer.

Admission will be free. No tickets required. Just bring your lawn chairs and/or your blankets and kick back and enjoy the show.

Battle of the Bands Finale: Pogo Funk video

We're in the process of uploading our Battle of the Bands Finale videos to YouTube. They should all be there soon.

Here's one more from Finale winner Pogo Funk to pass the time while you're waiting for the rest:

Battle of the Bands Finale: Pogo Funk sweeps

Pogo Funk answered a late bell about three weeks ago to book the Sun Valley Jams Battle of the Bands Finale. The seven-piece funk/rap group from Festus knew why it finished second in Battle #1, caught a break when it got its late invitation to the Finale and acted quickly to overcome its earlier error.

Pogo Funk blasted away the competition Sunday by pulling together a huge contingent of fans and putting on a spirited performance that drew a near-perfect score from the judges to win the Finale in a sweep.

Countdown to the Finale: A preview

By now, I'm sure you've heard we have a show coming up in a couple of days. The Battle of the Bands Finale will begin at 1 p.m. Sunday with six of the best bands we've heard all summer.

This is our final show of the year, and it will be our biggest. We're bringing back six acts who were judged the best by either our judges or our fans in our four earlier Battle of the Bands.

It'll be a scorcher for sure -- six hot bands on an expected hot day. Come on out to Sun Valley Jams in Pevely and enjoy to day with us. Bring some sunscreen, bring a shade umbrella or a tent, bring your lawn chairs or a blanket and have some fun with us.

Keepin' Busy listening to Beau Diamond

Beau Diamond performing recently at Barnfest

I've been listening to Beau Diamond and the Collective Dream Band's album Keepin' Busy tonight. Trust me when I tell you: This is some good stuff.

For those who don't know, this is a group of young guys from High Ridge. I got acquainted with 21-year-old Beau Diamond a couple months ago when his band was booked for Battle of the Bands #3. He struck me as a nice, humble, hard-working kid seriously pursuing a musical dream.

He certainly is prolific. BD has a decent amount of material posted at Bandcamp.com, a website that helps unsigned musicians sell their music -- both with his band and as a solo act. I sampled a bit of it when I began researching him and his band for a blog post and was immediately intrigued. And I really enjoyed the band's 45-minute set over July 4 weekend at SVJ. It was the kind of stuff I never could have expected to hear from some young unknown surfacing in Jefferson County, MO.

Countdown to the Finale: One Day and L84dnr

One Day

Granite City, IL, alternative rockers One Day and Bridgeton cover band L84dnr round out our lineup for the Battle of the Bands Finale, set to begin at 1 p.m. Sunday at Sun Valley Jams.

One Day is coming off its appearance Saturday at Pause for the Cause -- a benefit staged by singer Josh Herrin for his brother Larry Jr., suffering from emphysema. The band has another performance scheduled for Oct. 16 at 300 State in Alton, IL, the pizzeria that hosted Pause for the Cause.

Beau Diamond's new album lands

Beau Diamond and the Collective Dream Band's new album, Keepin' Busy, has landed on Bandcamp for digital download.

The album also is available on CD, which you can purchase by contacting the band through its Facebook page. You'll get a code for a free digital download when you buy the CD.

The band said Monday on Facebook that Keepin' Busy should land on Spotify and iTunes within a few days.