Musicians, venue and record store owners, bookers, DJs, and music dorks all around St. Louis have been busting ass for the last several years cultivating a new ‘scene’ of sorts, where local artists feel supported and touring acts feel welcome and appreciated. Thus, the fortunate live music fans in this city now get to grapple with #feelings and #choices on where to go and who to see any given night of the week. Welcome then, to a new, possibly recurring feature on IWTAS: Twofer, a show preview post that provides a closer look a two (or more!) concerts happening on the very same night (OMGOMGOMG!). We hate choosing, so we’ll identify the selling points of each gig and you’ll have to decide for yourself. Everyone wins!

The inaugural Twofer features A BUNCH of steamin’ hot local acts with new music to share and a group of fun-loving, gorgeously locked gentlemen out of Philadelphia. So wake up from your long winter naps, Rumpelstiltskins. You have shows to attend.

Free Energy, the aforementioned dudes out of Philly, play Old Rock House on Thursday with our buddies Bo and the Locomotive, who have hinted that they’ll be using this show to crowd test new material. So come early and be one of the first to hear new BATL jams.

Free Energy plays brisk, slightly psychedelic rock that’s light but not flightly. They came through town back when we started this little blog and put on a massively fun show. The band is touring behind a brand new and damn snappy album, which you can preview on Spotify above. You won’t regret spending 10 bucks on these guys. More details here.

And at Off Broadway on Thursday, Ian Fisher and bandmate Ryan Carpenter (the Present) release a CD of gorgeous folk music propped up by the duo’s thoughtful lyricism and each guy’s musical familiarity with the other. We live in a big small city, and while standing outside The Firebird earlier this month for Father John Misty, I was introduced to the wild-haired and kind-eyed Carpenter who invited me to this show. At that time, I was wholly unfamiliar with the guys’ music, but I reeled off the date, venue, and support (Beth Bombara and The Great Granfathers in an acoustic formation) for this release nonetheless, thanks in part to the Internet and to the band’s bevy of friends and fans who have made the promotion of the event sincere and memorable. For a closer look at Ian Fisher & the Present, check out the ever eloquent Thomas Crone and his work in this month’s STL Magazine: http://www.stlmag.com/Blogs/Look-Listen/January-2013/Ian-Fisher-The-Present-Come-Back-from-Europe-to-Release-a-Record/.

So where will YOU be this Thursday night? Surprise us, but go out and make some memories with either of these IWTAS-endorsed concerts. We’ll see ya there.