Lo-Fi Saint Louis
Bill Streeter's video series documenting St. Louis music since 2005, one of YouTube's longest-running channels, with early sessions by Carolina Chocolate Drops, Pokey LaFarge, and Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear.
About the project
Bill Streeter launched Lo-Fi Saint Louis in 2005 to document St. Louis's independent music scene. Its first YouTube upload came in August 2005, four months after the platform's first video was posted on April 23, 2005. The channel has published consistently since, making it one of YouTube's longest-running channels.
Its one-take performance videos often gave artists their first serious video exposure. Lo-Fi filmed Carolina Chocolate Drops before their Grammy win and Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear before their national television debut on Late Show with David Letterman.
Streeter was an early champion of Pokey LaFarge, filming his first Lo-Fi sessions and shooting many of his early promotional photos. Across more than 20 years, the series has grown into an archive of hundreds of performances, from emerging acts to Son Volt and The Bottle Rockets. The channel now also hosts Streeter's documentary essays.