Star Clipper Sponsors "Old Dog, New Trick"

Many Star Clipper regulars who've come into the store or read our recent email newsletter might have heard that Star Clipper is sponsoring two films in the St. Louis International Film Festival. The two films are called "The Pride of St. Louis" and "Old Dog, New Trick," both of which I am the co-producer on. The films collectively trace the influence of KSHE 95 on the 1970s St. Louis music scene, particularly with regards to bands Mama's Pride and Pavlov's Dog. With heavy promotion from KSHE, both bands were close to breaking big on the national music scene. However, luck wouldn't have it and both acts broke up and fell into semi-obscurity. Taking an "almost famous" approach, the films catch up with members of both bands in their present lives, and explores how music still effects them. "Old Dog, New Trick" is particularly personal to me because the focus of the film is on my dad, Steve Scorfina, a founding member of Pavlov's Dog. Since I've been working on this project for a little over two years now, I'd love to share with you a little of what went into the filming.

First, the films were directed by Mike Steinberg and Thomas Crone. To put my relationship with them into context, I was a student with both teachers at Webster University. The first class I took with Thomas was the history of rock film. We watched everything from "A Hard Day's Night" to "Spinal Tap." Likewise, I worked as a work-study student for Mike at the Webster University Film Series. I think I made my presence know there by constantly bombarding him with rock film suggestions, from feature length documentaries "Sonic Youth in 1991 - The Year Punk Broke" or "The Fearless Freaks," to more obscure stuff like "Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story" (told with barbie dolls) or the unreleased Black Flag documentary "Reality 86'd." Many of my suggestion eventually made it to the film series calendar, so I guess I was doing something right.

I think Mike and Thomas met my dad through me. However, my memory may be wrong and Thomas might have met him when he wrote a review on the Pavlov's Dog reunion for the Post Dispatch in 2004. I'm pretty certain that Mike met my dad at the film series with me attending a film about vinyl collecting, or when we were selling records at the St. Louis Record Show around 2005. Mike is an avid record collector, So my dad and him hit it off instantly. Either way, when Mike and Thomas came up with the idea to document the St. Louis classic rock music scene, they ask me to get involved as a co-producer. To say the least, I was honored and excited to help.

As a producer, I did everything from filming certain scenes to scanning photographs and making and distributing flyers. The most interesting scene I shot was following my dad around my grandparents old home in Ferguson where his bands practiced at the legendary carriage house. The beautiful old victorian home was abandoned, but designated as a Missouri historical landmark for its age. I had heard so many stories about the carriage house, but this was the first time ever seeing it in my adult life.

The film "Old Dog, New Trick" traces my dad's life in music. He first played with Michael McDonald (The Doobie Brothers) in a high school band called Mike and the Majestics. He then transition into a psychedelic group called the Good Feellin' before joining the original blues rock line-up of REO Speedwagon in Champaign, IL. However, the zenith of his musical career was with St. Louis' own Pavlov's Dog, a seven piece art rock band that achieved a platinum album with their first record "Pampered Menial." The band tore apart after management stole almost everything they had achieved. Yet, the music carried on, and my dad now counterbalances a life as a quirky antiques salesmen with a reinvented music career as a band leader.

"The Pride of St. Louis" focuses on the brothers Liston. Pat Liston, now an Irish folk singer, and Danny, now a contemporary christian rocker, original formed southern rock act Mama's Pride in the mid 70s. The band slowly worked to acclaim, eventually being taken under the wing of Lynard Skynard's Ronnie Van Sant. However, when Van Sant died in the legendary plane crash, it effectively ended Mama's Pride journey as well. With little record company support, the band was dropped from their label ATCO and forgotten in the throws of Disco. Miraculously, when the band reunited in 2004 to amazing success it also jump-started an exciting second act for Mama's Pride.

Since the Star Clipper Blog is comic related I feel I should mention the amazing poster art local comic artist Ted May provided for Old Dog, posted above. Thanks so much Ted. Secondly, Pavlov's Dog had a comic strip featuring them in the late 1970s called "The Adventures with the Hounds." The twelve issue strip appeared in a local music magazine called St. Louis Music Scene throughout 76 and 77. I don't have all the issues, so if anyone reading this happens to have these please let me know.

The films premiere November 20 at the Tivoli at 7:00 pm and will be followed by a Q & A with Directors Mike Steinberg and Thomas Crone, subjects Steve Scorfina and Danny Liston, and myself. The film will be followed by a concert at Blueberry Hill's Duck Room with the Old Dog Scorfina and Danny Liston at 9:30 pm.

Thanks so much to Star Clipper for sponsoring this and I hope to see you there!

-Jon