Live from the Boom Room is a live music video series featuring live performances recorded in the Blip Blap Video HQ bunker in St. Louis, Mo. Learn more about Blip Blap Video at blipblapvideo.com, or follow them on Instagram and YouTube.
This week’s episode features West End Junction performing their original, “Looking at the Stars.”
About this week’s artist:
West End Junction is a folk-rock duo from St. Louis, MO, comprised of Cara Ristau (vocals, keyboard) and Dan Ristau (guitar). The pair met in 2014 in a south St. Louis apartment jam session through mutual friends. Unable to stay away from the music that brought them together, they created the name West End Junction in 2019. Lyricist Cara Ristau’s words often reflect themes around social justice and spirituality with a particular focus on climate change. As a full band with drummer Drew Weiss and bassist Sylvie Tinnin, they play often at a variety of local venues including listening rooms, breweries, and farmer’s markets.
What brought you to this point in your life as a working St. Louis artist?
We just kept at it. We wrote songs until we had enough for a set and began playing out pretty much immediately. Our first live show was three years ago at Evangeline’s and we are still playing there.
What inspires your music? What is this song called? What does this song in particular mean to you?
Cara writes most of the lyrics, but this song, “Looking at the Stars” is really Dan’s. Much of our music is about dealing with life and its challenges in our modern world with the backdrop of the Midwest, and “Looking At The Stars” is no exception to that. The song was written during the summer of 2020, and the final chorus “Out Here in the Plains” refers to our collective experience of that time, and ended up being the title of our first full-length album.
Who in St. Louis are you inspired by right now?
It is so hard to pick! po mia is doing some really interesting stuff and we have been consistently impressed by The Centaurettes’ stage presence and songwriting (you’ll notice Cara is repping their shirt in the video).
What bands are you performing with lately?
Both of us are in a bevy of other projects. Cara is singing backing vox for the Meowzas and performing with Giant Monsters on the Horizon as well. Dan is playing lead guitar for The Meowzas as well.
We recently shared a bill with Modern Andy and The Otto Modest at The Heavy Anchor, which was a truly humbling experience as both of them are such creative projects with really unique sounds. Can’t recommend listening to them enough.
Where do you hope to be in 5 years?
Doing more of this! Writing more! Playing more! And meeting even more awesome and talented St. Louisans. We love this city.
Links:
Website | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify
This season of Live from the Boom Room has been partially funded by a generous grant from the Regional Arts Commission. Help keep Live from the Boom Room an absolutely free service for musical artists by supporting the project with your donation here: https://paypal.me/blipblap.
