Pale Divine Tickets

Pale Divine
Pale Divine ruled the music scene in St. Louis in the late '80s and early 90s. Back then it was known as The Eyes. The quartet consists of Michael Schaerer, lead vocals/guitar; Richard Fortus, guitar/vocals; Greg Miller, drums; and Dan Angenend Jr., bass. The quartet's style is one as well-appreciated in America's heartland as is Delta blues in Britain's inner cities.

In 1984 Richard Fortus (guitar), Greg Miller (drums) and Steve Hanock (bass) began writing and rehearsing instrumental jazz fusion. However, they soon realized that they needed a vocalist in order to get a big break and sustain their popularity.

At the time Richard was studying guitar and violin at the School of Visual and Performing Arts in St. Louis where he met Michael Schaerer who was studying theatre and vocal performance. Soon Michael was brought on board and they immediately started writing original material.

It was in these early years that the Eyes perfected their sound; something fresh on the path of the post-modern movement and sounding strikingly Brittish with lush guitars and haunting vocals. Michael Schaerer the vocalist was an instant hit with his powerful voice, charismatic stage presence, and total commitment to his music.

Other band members are equally strong; Richard Fortus pulls an astonishing variety of sounds out of his guitars, effortlessly switching from cunningly played accompaniment to burning leads. And the rhythm section of drummer Greg Miller and bassist Dan Angenend, Jr. forms a rock-solid pocket, providing driving support for Pale Divines unforgettable songs.

They played almost every weekend in the mid-to-late eighties in STL and surrounding college towns. It was the time when bands were almost always cover bands, rarely playing their own music, and the Eyes played a mix of covers and originals, throwing in Jane's Addiction, the Cult, the Furs, and a host of other popular alternative songs.

They were immensely popular for their live shows as they mixed their originals with underground covers from such bands as Red Hot Chili Peppers and Bauhaus. Drawing from the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan, the flamboyant and original Richard Fortus led The Eyes into being a premiere act dominated by their dark image, high energy, and fantastically produced sound.

However, their originals were just as popular with the crowds, They played out heavily at such local venues as Kennedy's and Mississippi Nights perfecting their skills and widening their devoted fan base. Their first CD called Freedom in a Cage was released in 1989 and produced by David Probst.

The CD release had all the numbers played by the band at the show at the old 1227 nightclub. This was followed by the bands sign up with Atlantic Records which released their finest album, Straight to Goodbye and subsequently toured the U.S. with The Psychedelic Furs in support of the album.

The band played their last gigs over the July 4th holiday in 1993 at one of their mainstay clubs, Kennedy's. Michael, the singer, emerged later and still plays around town in a more stripped-down acoustic setting.

After going on a tour with the Psychedelic Furs, guitarist of the band, Fortus formed a side project with the Furs' Richard Butler and left Pale Divine. He then went on to the band Love Spit Love.

It has been quite a while now and the fans have speculated about a possible reunion show, but it never seemed to happen. The reason being that Fortus moved from New York to Los Angeles and began playing with Guns N Roses and touring with a number of popular acts.

This year it is reported that the original lineup of Pale Divine is scheduled to get together on December 29, at the Pageant in Saint Louise. This will be the year-end holiday reunion in STL. Additionally, the band is producing a limited-edition (1000 copies) boxed.

It will be a hard-bound-book type of a package that will contain 2 DVDs of old live footage and backstage stuff and then 2 CDs. One CD will be a rerelease of the bands first record, Freedom in a Cage whereas the other disc is going to be the demos that they did for the second Atlantic record and that was never recorded. It will come with a stitched, 16-page book of photos.