April 29, 2006Ruckus Video ShootPhotos courtesy of Elizabeth Harris
I was invited to be in the video, but I had a previous date at the Daisy! Can't wait to see the finished product! You can read an interview I did with these guys here. And the pics I took at their CD release here. This One's For RichensMUSIC: Wednesday May 3 6-9pm Debut performance of Latin jazz and Bossa Nova band Pellizco at Brooks Museum of Art “Pure Vida!” 1st Wednesday event. Free for museum members, $5 non-members. Overton Park, Memphis, TN, USA, May 3rd 2006. Come listen to a new combination of Memphis’ Musical talent come together to perform Bossa Nova classics of Jobim & Gilberto, jazz standards spun with Latin rhythms, and a few ghostly lullabies. Charlton Johnson on guitar, Randy Morris on percussion, Eric Mullins on saxophone, Robin Salant, vocalist from Scotch & Soda, Marina Strydom on keys and supporting vocals, Jonathan Wires on upright bass, Johnny Yancey on trumpet. About the musicians: Born in Tulsa, OK, Randy Morris moved to Memphis in 1989 and has been sharing his creative energy, spreading rhythmic grooves in local theatres, churches and concerts ever since. His unique style of percussion adds depth and a sliding ambiance. Eric Mullins began performing on Beale Street in Memphis at age fifteen and has played with Bob Newhart, Van Morrison, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Candido, Clark Terry, Kevin Mahogany, and Musiq Soulchild. Eric holds a B.F.A. from New School University in New York City and currently is a freelance performer and educator in Memphis, Tennessee. Salant began performing in and around Memphis in the trio “Scotch & Soda” with Lamar Sorrento and Rick Steff. With a repertoire including French cabaret and Bossa Nova classics in the original Portuguese, Salant’s unusual vocals have been described as subdued sultriness. Originally hailing from South Africa, Marina Strydom has more than a decade of professional experience as a musician and teacher. A skilled pianist, Strydom has toured the Southeastern United States with the ensemble INTHEOS, representing Trinity College of Florida, and is now completing her Masters of Music in Jazz Piano and Studio Performance at the University of Memphis. Known for his solid timing and responsiveness, Jonathan Wires has played bass in trio JAC3 with Chad Anderson and Art Edmaiston, as well as live and on numerous recordings for artists Kelley Hurt, Lynn Cardona, Ben Flint, and Ross Rice, to name a few. Influences include Charlie Hayton, Ron Carter, Ray Brown, and Eddie Gomez. Johnny Yancey plays a lyrical and melodic trumpet with a sensuous and romantic tone to melt the coldest heart. He has played with Donald Brown and James Williams, and now has his own Big Band in Memphis, the Sanctuary Jazz Orchestra.
April 27, 2006Quick! Somebody Lend Me Thirty Bucks!You are cordially invited to attend the "Scavengers' Ball", a benefit for Hope House at the Butler Street Bazaar, this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. There will be live music, juggling/comedy, film screenings, a silent auction, and of course SCAVENGING!!! You see something you like......TAKE IT!!! We've got an incredible music lineup, a world-renowned street performer, great films, and plenty more to do. Here's the line up: FILM SCREENINGS It only costs $10 to get in to the event and enjoy the music and festivities. The Butler Street Bazaar is located at 11 W. Butler In Downtown Memphis (just off South Front St., across from the old TN Brewery and the Lofts Apartments. It's directly on the trolley line and right near the interstate.) For more information, please email: fairandhonest@yahoo.com Where Else You can Find MeI know you hipsters won't be trekking down to mulletfest, but you can still check this out: http://blogs.commercialappeal.com/bsmf/ It will be just like reading one of those celebrity blogs, you can still be cool and say, "Dude, I don't watch tv" - yet still know everything about Lindsay Lohan's coke habit. * *alleged Feel free to repost - I will be doing rockstar sightings again this year - so holla if you see me - cause in Memphis everybody is a rockstar! P.S. If you go to Google Images and type in Music Fest, you'll see pics of two of the biggest rockstars in Memphis - well, one moved to Knoxville and one is in a fake band, but whatevs. Volunteers Needed!This Friday, April 28th's South Main Trolley Tour + Art Walk marks one of the biggest outdoor art installations in Memphis history..... but we cannot do it alone: WE NEED VOLUNTEERS to help install James' work on FRIDAY, APRIL 28TH FROM 9 AM TO 5 PM. EVEN IF YOU CAN ONLY COME FOR AN HOUR OR TWO, any help is appreciated. To volunteer or if you have futher questions, Help Memphis make this happen, and come meet James Clar:
April 25, 2006Do You Read Blogs?You should be reading this site: It compiles the best of the best every day!
Check it out and link it!!!! So I can make more money!!! April 24, 2006Memphis Gets Eco-FriendlyMEMPHIS, TN - The Memphis Area Transit Authority is hoping ot improve air quality in the Mid-South. Twenty-four MATA buses will run on bio-diesel fuel for the next 90 days as part of a test trial. The bio diesel fuel MATA is using is 20 percent soy oil and 80 percent regular fuel. Thursday, MATA made the switch on buses that serve the disabled community. MATA officials said rising fuel costs are forcing the company to look at alternative fuel options. Bio-diesel is about 12-cents more per gallon but as part of this trial run.. Mata will not have to pay the extra costs. MATA will release the findings of the experiment after the three month trial period. You can have your own car outfitted to run on fry grease here. Updated Panelist List For Indie ImpactDue to my inbox becoming overfilled with questions about this event: YES! The following people will be in Memphis to participate in Indie Impact Memphis Seminar and Showcase!! If you are a musician you should really take advantage of this opportunity to network. If there are four people in your band, it's 25 bucks each! Did you read the list? Not only are there a lot of well connected industry people from Memphis attending, there are a lot of people you will probably never have another opportunity to be in the same room with. Don't be a dumbass. The Indie Impact Seminar is a day-long series of panels focused on independent artists and labels. Workshops include: * What's your goal….do you want to be a major or an independent artist; the pros and cons of both, and who to surround yourself with in order to reach your goal. An independent music showcase featuring the top indie rock and urban artists in the Mid-South will be presented after the seminar at 9 p.m. Tickets for Recording Academy members are $25, non-members $45, and bands up to four members may attend for $99. Or join The Recording Academy for $100 and attend the Indie Impact Seminar & Showcase for a discounted rate of $20. Contact the Memphis Chapter for tickets. Panelists: - Rachel Hurley, Music Journalist/Website Publisher (Scenestars.net) - J. Reid Hunter, Entertainment Attorney, Serling Rooks & Ferrara, LLP (Drive-By Truckers, Soundtribe Sector 9, Redeye Distribution/Yep Roc Records, Ray Lamontagne, The Fray) - Steve Manning, Publicity/Marketing Director, Sub Pop Records (Nirvana, The Shins, Postal Service, Iron & Wine) - Shawn Rogers, Television & Film Licensing, Sub Pop Records - Patrick Moxey, President, Ultra Records (Indie label DJs John Digweed, Ferry Corsten, The Crystal Method, Morcheeba) - Lil Keke, Artist (Houston, TX) - Jeff Powell, Recording Engineer (Alvin Youngblood Hart, North Mississippi Allstars) - Ralph Sutton, Recording Engineer (Stevie Wonder, Jill Scott) - Larry Crane, Recording Engineer, Founder/Editor of Tape Op Magazine - Brett Clark, Product Specialist, digidesign - Cameron Mann, VP of Operations, Memphis Records/Young Avenue Sound - Jody Stephens, Director of A&R, Ardent Studios - Michael Watts, Founder & CEO, Swisha House Records (Label to Paul Wall, Mike Jones and leading distributor of chopped & screwed recordings) - Mike Clarke, VP Marketing/Promotions, Swisha House - Billy Hume, Producer/Mixer (Ying Yang Twins, Ludacris, David Banner, Lil John, Nelly) - Michael Weeman, Weeman Entertainment Group (Manager to producer Billy Hume) - Vanessa Satten, Deputy Editor, XXL Magazine - Wendy Day, President, Rap Coalition (Coined major label deals for Eminem, Master P, Cash Money, Twista, Ruff Ryders) - Peppa Williams, Mouth of the South Management (Former manager to Yo Gotti, Three 6 Mafia, indie promotions) - Ricardo Hunter, Hunter Promotions, TVT Records - Wes Phillips, Select-O-Hits (One of the largest urban indie distributors in the country) - Howard Q, DJ/Promoter (First DJ to break Yo Gotti) - Lindsey Collins, VP of Operations, CD Baby - Nakeeta Ragoowanski, Director of Artist/Label Relations, Sound Exchange - Rick Reed, Label Relations Representative, eMusic - Al Thrash, Director New Business Development, Emergent Music Marketing - David Fleishman, Fleishman Promotions - Bob Merlis, Publicist, Merlis for Hire - Jim Green, TCB Concert Promotions - David Less, President, Memphis International Records - Tonya Butler, Entertainment Attorney - Nancy Prager, Attorney, Intellectual Property - Thomas Cain, VP Writer/Publisher Relations, BMI - Jay Healy, Financial Advisor (and former recording engineer to Bruce Springsteen and R.E.M.), Progress Capital Inc. - Bruce Newman, CPA/Attorney - Stanley J. Blue, VP, First Tennessee Brokerage - Steve Mack, Principal, LUX Media (podcasting, streaming, webcasting) - Michael Allensby, Associate Manager, Red Light Management (Los Lobos. North Mississippi Allstars, John Butler Trio) - tobi, Program Director, XM Satellite’s XMU Channel 43 - John Allen, Sr. Creative Director, Bug Music Publishing - Devin Steel, Program Director, K97 FM - Andria Lisle, Music Journalist, MOJO/Spin/Paste/Harp/Wax Poetics Magazines April 23, 2006Funny StuffEvery Sunday I read the classifieds for job postings. Sooner or later, I will probably get sick of being poor and return to corporate America, if only for the insurance benefits. Today I came across this posting, which looks like a job at my old stomping ground WMC-tv. It made me laugh out loud. Very loud. Producers, how would you like to work in a place where you actually like working? Where critique and staff improvement are important parts of the every day culture? Where “team” really exists? Where you’re challenged to do your best, and recognized when you do it? If you want to work in a News Department where you’ll learn, grow, and be a part of an aggressive team we want to talk to you NOW! Risk takers and creative thinkers, this is the place for you. Send your resume, including references, along with a DVD or VHS tape containing three complete newscasts you’ve produced within the last two weeks (failing to meet this requirement disqualifies) to: Lisa Lovell Executive News Producer Clear Channel Television, Memphis 2701 Union Avenue Extended Memphis, TN 38112 My Birthday: The Pics
I think this one is the last one I am aloowed to show. I promised not to post anb drunk pics.
Indie ImpactThe GRAMMY Univeristy Network was created by The Recording Academy to bring music students interested in a career in music an opportunity to join together to form a unique community. The aim of GRAMMY University Network is to take you to the next level in your future career by bringing access to programs, panels, performance opportunities, leaders in the music industry and a whole host of other benefits. The Recording Academy has a membership of 17,000 industry professionals - a wealth of talented individuals who want to share their experience with you, tomorrow's recording industry professionals. The Academy's membership encompasses almost every area of music and recording technology. The GRAMMY University Network delivers you direct access to today's leading recording artists, producers, engineers and songwriters. UPCOMING EVENTS
I've just been added as a panelist at this event. As far as I know, you do not have to be a student to attend.
http://www.myspace.com/memphisgrammyu Hope to see you there. April 21, 2006Many, Many Thanks!Thank you to everyone who came out last night to help me celebrate! I am constantly reminded what an amazing group of friends I have and they should all be appreciated more! When I win the lottery I will buy a castle where we can all live happily ever after! Today is my actual birthday, so more shenanigans tonight! Pictures forthcoming! April 20, 2006What's Old is New Again! Lawnchair Generals Trevor Lamont Sean O'Daniels Funkblasta .. J-Logic Mary Jane DJ Josh and Soul Lasers by LazerShows.com This Event is 1 Mile South of Beale Street Limited Presale Still Available at I'm With The BandSometimes I mislead people into believing that there's nothing much going on by not bloggin, when really I'm just lazy. So, here we go with the shenanigans of the past week. Last Thursday I got a call from my friend David asking if I would come down to the Hitone and be an extra in a new film called EAT - it's being produced by the same folks that gave us Automusik Can Do No Wrong. Remember that one? Anyway, I was supposed to be a patron at a punk rock club, but as stated earlier, I am super lazy, so I just wore my regular clothes hoping to fade into the background. Of course, I ended up front and center looking like the biggest grandma mosher you've ever seen. When I got there I found out one of my old friends Alan Cook was actually one of the main actors, and a bunch of locals that I see at every film shoot were in the audience, including Jeff Pope and Jon Sparks.
Amber O'Daniels, famed Meisner acting teacher, played the singer in the punk rock band the crowd was supposed to be going crazy over.
And Jon Sparks played the uber-hip guy that's always on a cell phone at the show.
Later, we were treated to stellar performances from both The Final Solutions and The Secret Service. Righteous!
this was actually the third movie I've been in in the past month - maybe I have a new career on the horizon. April 18, 2006April 13, 2006My WeekendThursday - Secret Service @ The Hitone (w/ Final Solutions!) Friday - Clem Snide @ The Hitone (I think this is an Eef solo show) Saturday - Neko Case @ The Hitone (check the cover of the Playbook this week!) I think I might just set up a cot in the backroom for the weekend. But I am really broke, so if you see me out, you should really offer to buy me a drink! Carry on. April 12, 2006This is Tonight!indie memphis micro cinema club @ the powerhouse
A Search For EthicsTonight I was watching a Frontline special on PBS about security measures and the information lockdown in China (not because I necessarily cared, but becasue I couldn't figure out which channel Gilmore Girls was supposed to be on.) Anyway, I was pretty shocked (although, I don't know why!) at the information brought to light by this program. They showed a picture of the man who stood in front of tanks in Tianniman square in 1989 to students at The University of Beijing - and none of them could identify what the situation was. Why? Because all evidence of what happened has been erased in China. That seems so foreign to me, no pun intended, becasue we have this idea that because of the internet, now we all have access to everything. So Not True. Cisco has developed and sold software that censors Chinese content, so now if you Google 'tank man" in the US, you immediately get information on the chinese revolter - but in China no relevant information pops up. Ok, well, that makes sense, they do live in a communist country and are ruled with an iron clad fist. However, my outrage came when Yahoo, who has special contracts with the Chinese government, was asked to give up the IP address of a Chinese journalist who emailed comments made in a newspaper staff meeting to a democracy group in New York. The journalist has been sentenced to 10 years in jail. Does this leave a bad taste in anyone else's mouths? That now for the sake of profit, Yahoo is willing to give up those who reach out in the name of freedom. This is a complex ethical problem, I know that there are no easy answers. And Google loses the points it gained earlier this year when it rejected a request from congress to turn over statistical search information, cause they're just as in deep with the Chinese as anyone. April 11, 2006This Is BrilliantA group of college students hold up traffic, cause civil unrest, indirectly cause an accident, and perfectly demonstrate the absurdity of the 55MPH speed limit... all by going the speed limit. April 10, 2006Googling Your ExWow. After a very long weekend I slept most of the day today and decided against trying to go to the Dino Jr show at the Deli. So at around 10 PM I found myself fully awake and bored. So what did I do? Why, I Googled the ex of course! I was blown away by what I found. Last summer he took up blogging. Don't even bother to try to read it unless you have an advance degree in economics. (Update: I've read more of it now and it really is very interesting. But it all goes back to my biggest argument against the study of any kind of philosophy, if it isn't directly applicable to your life and you are able to gauge it's real life affects - then wtf is the point, other than to redirect your time into something that keeps you from dealing with your real problems! We can all use just about anything to avoid dealing wih our real everyday problems.) Anyway, I found out that it was named Blog of the Year in blogging about Risk Markets. I would love to sit here and disect and overanalyze the significance and irony of this situation, but I would probably bore you to tears (but it would still be more interesting than his blog.) My favorite part is when the guy who gave him the Blog of the Year honor descibes him: Of all the pajama bloggers that I index, Jason Ruspini is probably the most obsessive with prediction markets. (And on a lighter note, as I said, I know for a fact that he's midly paranoid —he'll probably take this Blog Of The Year award as ultimate proof that the entire field of prediction markets is conspiring against him. If you're a shrink and you've just hung out your shingle in Manhattan, then this guy is your natural first prospect.) That guy doesn't know the half of it! The worst thing that I can say about Jason is that YES! he is brilliant! The smartest person I have ever met by far. BUT he is also the most miserable person I have ever come in contact with. You know the old saying "ignorance is biss?" Well, whoever said that wasn't kidding! My 5 year relationship with Jason had an extremely profound effect on who I am today. We bonded over intellect. We were both philosophy majors in college and we would over analyze things for days. We would break down things to minute detail and debate and debate and debate. And for the first few years I loved it. I loved being taken seriously and we definitely had a mutual superiority complex. We bonded because we respected each others intelligence and got off on feeling like the smartest people in the room. The problem with the way we were was that it kept us isolated. When you feel like you're better than everyone else, people notice and they don't want to hang out with you. The longer I was in a relationship with Jason, the fewer friends I had. The few that I did deem worthy to hang out with, he was not impressed with. Everytime I did talk him into leaving our apartment I felt like I had to babysit him. He never had fun, he never talked to anyone and he always bugged me to go home. And so we kind of just gave up on going anywhere. He would come home from work everyday, drink a 6 pack and pace around the apartment laughing to himself. I had heard every economic and philosophical theory that he was working on a million times. All we watched were shows abouts stocks. I got really depressed and fat. We both turned into two crazy people that hardly spoke to each other. He became bitter about everything; his job, my interests, our dogs, our life. It would drive him crazy if I watched VH1 or some other "mindless" television show. We did not have similar tastes in movies or music. He had terrible fashion sense and he was super cheap! He was a completely negative person. Of course, I didn't figure any of this out until we had been lving together several years. Towards the end of our relationship he started hinting that I wasn't interesting and not that smart afterall, because I didn't only have the same two interests that he did. I was the one that dragged him to Broadway plays, concerts, the zoo, new restaurants, movies, Central Park, EUROPE and so on, and so on. But it eventually became such a pain in the ass to get him to agree to do anything, that I just gave up and we stayed home. But I was loyal, for a long time. I tried my very best to work it out. I have no doubt that I did absolutely everything that I could, because I loved him. But without going into the gritty details, sometime along the way I woke up and realized that I wasn't going to change him. And that by staying with him, I was missing out on life. I was missing out on having other people in my life. I was missing out on appreciating people for things other than their IQ. And so I packed up and came back to Memphis. I do remmeber when I had my first moment of clarity about our relationship. It was after seeing the movie A Beautiful Mind. My relationship with Jason at times resembled the relationship between Russell Crowe amd Jennifer Connelly's characters. Jason is not schizophrenic, as far as I know, but self-obsessed and self invlolved to say the least. The only thing he ever really cared about was his "work." At the end of the film when the John Nash character accepts his Nobel Prize and gives a speech about how he could not have succeeded without the support of his wife, I didn't think it was sweet or moving, I thought to myself, "Is that all she gets?" I decided I didn't want to spend my life supporting someone else's dreams and goals when they had no interest in mine. People always ask me now if I miss NYC and to be perfectly honest, I wish I had had more guts and stayed. But I was tired and heartbroken and a little beat down. And I know people always say that they don't regret the bad things that have happened to them because it made them who they are - but I think I do regret who he made me into, well, parts of me at least. People say that their experiences have made them stronger, but I think mine have just made me harder and less sensitive to other people's needs and feelings. That kind of sucks. I think I'll go google my ex-husband now. P.S. Jason also created the very first comprehensive Star Wars website during the very early days of the interweb. He got served a cease and desist order from Lucasfilms before anyone understood the power of fansites provided. I totally forgot about that until tonight. P.S. S. I found a comment Jason made about bloggers that says: Noise about fact-checking and agendas aside, if a blogger is well-read, there is a good chance that they're an expert in a specialized area, and will have much more substantial knowledge and insight than a journalist who by nature will tend to be more of a generalist. Which is funny because when I spoke on a panel at the SPJ last weekend, I basically said the exact same thing. April 9, 2006April 8, 2006A Poorly Written Cathartic PostI was discussing this website yesterday with a friend of mine that I highly admire and repsect. She happen to mention that her favorite thing to read was when I went on a semi-humorous rant about this or that. I immediately answered that that was the kind of stuff that I tried to avoid. I mean, I definitely feel like somtimes i use this blog as a soapbox to go off about things, because it really does make you feel better to just get it out, but I generally don't like blogs that are negative. I have had the idea ingrained in me that if you don't have a solution, there's no real need to bring up a problem. It's so easy for people to tear things down, and so much harder to build things up and have people believe you. And for all of Memphis' problems, that is genuinely what this site is about. That is why I wrote to the Memphis Flyer last week about John Branston's critical column about Memphis' new embracement of the Creative Class. I mean, I think we have to applaud any forward thinking idea that our local government has. And believe it or not, I pay attention to those things. I'm sticking around Memphis because I believe in it. ( and thanks to everyone who wrote to me supporting my response!) By the way, if you want to check out what Memphis is doing to recruit people to move here, check out http://www.mymemphis.tv But, as usual, I digress. The real point of this post was to say that I hate that as this blog has gained more readers it has lost a lot of it's substance. The more readers I gained, the more people felt like it was their job to tear apart any political or philosphical thoughts I wrote about. And that's just too much stress for a silly website. I've been called out by a few people about the name dropping I've started to do, but I feel like this is a promotional tool and I only talk about people that I genuinely like and think people should check out. I want to use my powers for good and not evil :) Again, off topic, but something I wanted to say. I guess what I really wanted to say is that I'm feeling that lately I've felt that people view me as a one demensional party girl, and I really am so much more than that (Friends - feel free to speak up!) But, i'm afraid this website is what it is and I don't plan on working in any deep thoughts I have - not because I don't have them, but because I don't feel like defending them in the blogosphere. April 7, 2006Show of the Week
Read the CD review here See ya at the show.. April 6, 2006Tonight @ Dish!!That's right; it's been two whole years since Mark Goodfella took over The Memphis Scene blog from the former Bonnie Brantley and built it into a digital powerhouse, a daily must-read for literally dozens (OK, maybe tens) of Memphians all over the galaxy. In honor of this momentous occasion, Mark will do what he does every Thursday: drink beer and play weird music really loud at dish. Your presence is highly encouraged. Stop by especially if you're going to the Asobi Seksu show across the skreet at the Smeli Deli. Come on out, say hello, have some drinks, maybe shake your booty a little bit. J-HARMONIC and Handsome Mark got your backs on the serious tunage (they play everything from 70s jazz-funk to 80s no-wave to 00s broken beat). $5 gets you an ice cold bucket of six pony Miller Hi-Lifes, and there's never a cover charge. For a nominal fee, Mark will be happy to autograph print-outs of your all-time favorite Memphis Scene posts. Ponderosa Stomp Official Line-UpSUNDAY MAY 7TH 9:00pm - 3:00am - Hi-Tone Cafe... $5.00 MONDAY MAY 8TH Time to be announced. - Gibson Lounge... Free Entry! MONDAY MAY 8TH (During the evening)... Gibson Lounge... $40.00 TUESDAY MAY 9TH Gibson Lounge... $40.00 WEDNESDAY MAY 10TH Gibson Lounge... $40.00 *** Harvey Scales recently got added to the bill. Night to be announced. "A BENEFIT FOR THE NEW ORLEANS AND GULF COAST MUSICIANS." Proceeds going to New Orleans Musicians' Clinc and Musicares! Tickets and Information: http://www.ponderosastomp.com/ Congratulations to Crippled NationHere's the thing about the popular music industry as it stands today, itwould be really great if everything were just about the music - but it just isn't. If it's just about the music, then do it in your bedroom. Once you get onstage, you're selling a product. The way you act, the way you look and the name of your band all have great impact on your success. No one wants to admit to that, but it's true. The girls have to want to fuck you, and the guys have to want to be you. Sorry, but that's just the way it goes. Anyway, I was really glad to hear that a local band called Crippled Nation has decided to change their name. I've met these guys around town a few times and I have always thought they were cool dudes with a very unfortunate band name. It's so "screamo". Their new name will be unveiled at The P&H during their last show.
April 3, 2006Last Week RecappedSo much for not going out. Why can't I ever make that happen? Last Tuesday I started out at The Hitone for Beer Bust and to celebrate Amy D's birthday. But you know what? At the risk of pissing many people off, I have to say that I just can't take 80's night anymore. I mean when I first started going to them in NYC in 1999, they were fun. When I moved back to Memphis and it seemed to be the thing to do on Tuesday nights, I tried to be a good sport. But my god, if I ever hear Loveshack again in my lifetime, it will be too soon. Can we start the 90's nights already? Actually, I guess that's kind of what Rusty Lemon is doing with his new band at The Blue Monkey on Tuesdays. They do a bunch of 90's alterna covers. The place was pretty packed, with a bunch of people I didn't think would go to the Blue Monkey, like John Stubblefield and Paul Buchignani. My favorite part of the night was running up to Stephen and saying, " Oh my god! aren't you in Egypt Central?" I dragged a crew over from The Hitone and we all ended up staying up way too late and making people call in sick to work the next day. hey, if you're gonna hang with us, you better give up the 9 to 5. Anyway, Wednesday night I got to sit in on Joe Presti's recording session at Ardent. He's kind of Ben Folds meets Elvis Costello. He came down from Brooklyn to record with Doug Easley and brought in his best friend from Austin, Palli, to play bass. Steve Selvidge sat in on guitar and Paul drummed. The recordings sounded really great, I can't wait to hear the finished product. We ended up going to Bosco's for beers after the session and I offered to show the guys around over the weekend. Thursday night was a Dish night, as usual. There was a wrap/premiere party for a local film, Divine Manipulation of the Threads, in the back room so I got to catch up with some of my film buddies like Jon Sparks and David Merrill. I left pretty early as i was on a 10 dollar budget for the evening. Friday night I started out at the SJP reception at The Center for Southern Folklore. I ate their food and then went over to The Jack Robinson Gallery to meet up with some folks to do the trolley tour, although we never made it on to a trolley. Afterwards we tried to crash the Keith Sykes show down at Chris Caliblahblahblah's warehouse, but it was $20 bucks so we bailed for Blue Fin and then a quick drink at Swig. At 10 o'cock I bailed on my friends to go meet Joe and Palli at The Hitone to catch The Rivercity Tanlines.
You can read my profile on Alicja Trout here. Since Joe and Palli didn't have a lot of time in Memphis, after the Tanlines, I dragged them over to Dish to have a beer, then we ended our night on the patio at Young Avenue Deli, where we ran into Cory Branan and Sherman Wilmott. Saturday I had to speak on a panel at The SPJ Conference. Afterwards I sat at a roundtable discussion with students and Commercial Appeal film critic John Beifus. We killed. I was supposed to stop by the sidewalk music fest on Highland to see Blair Combest Saturday afternnoon, but I bailed to go hime and take a nap before Lucero. When I got to the Deli at around 10:15 it was already packed. I was sitting on the stage waiting for Joe and Palli to show up when Ben Nichols walked up and declared that the next band was about to rock our faces off. The next band was ICLASOBINTHand I have to say I didn't care much for their redneck rock. Sample quote: "I once bought a $1600 bed for my first ex-wife. Now she's fucking her new boyfriend in it. I wrote this song fer her!" *shudder I found Joe and Palli by the pool tables.
We were all pretty tired form the night before. I wasn't really drinking and halfway through the show it hit me that it's really silly to go to a Lucero show and not drink or be by the stage, it just doesn't translate. I tried to hang out up front for a while, but it was just too crowded and too hot. So we bailed before it was over and I was in bed by 1AM. On a Saturday night, for me, that's an event to remember. Here's a few crappy pics:
As always, Windy Mayes, Memphis' premiere rock show photographer, has way better photos - HERE. And here are my pics from SXSW. Yes, that's Ted Leo sitting behind me.
I've been lucky enough to meet him three times now - sober none of them. Of course, that's not as embaressing as having to be driven back to my hotel in Lucero's van after the show in Texas. Those car bombs kind of got out of hand. My apologies. You can find my Playbook story on Lucero here Ok, that's all I got. MeDiA Co-op APRIL EventsTuesday April 4th 7:30pm Filmmaking Workshop Donations requested. We will open the night with an open-house Membership sign-up drive, and discussion of what's going on in the exciting explosiveness that is the local film community, and then, a special guest, David Pickett from ProMedia will be on hand to demonstrate the new Panasonic AG-HVX200 HD camcorder. He'll show off the highlights including the ability to shoot 24P in DV, DVCPRO, DVCPRO 50 and DVCPRO HD all on tapeless P2 memory cards.
The Tranny Roadshow will be returning to the Media Co-op again this year. For all those who failed to see the once in a lifetime performance, you have another chance. And for all those who came last year, well, this year is totally different. the Tranny Roadshow is a group of transgendered artists, musicians, storytellers, poets, and more that are touring the country. Check out their webiste HERE for more info.
OTHER EVENTS AROUND THE CITY TO SUPPORT:
The premiere screening of "What Goes Around…", directed by Rod Pitts, will be Thursday, April 6 at 9 p.m. at the Malco Studio on the Square. Tickets will be $5.00. ***The MeDiA Co-op, now in it's 4th year of existing in Memphis, would like to graciously thank First Congregational Church for their amazing, continued support for the community...Without their love, the MeDiA Co-op, 4 years later, would most likely still be, merely and idea. THANKS!!!!!! April 2, 2006 |
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