April 27, 2007April 26, 2007The Wallendas with Harlan T. Bobo2 for 1 Beers!! That's 2 beers for 2 Bucks!! I've been going to this for the past few Mondays and it's been a lot of fun~
Thursday Night!This is a great event for a good cause - you should definitely try to patronize it!! I am in charge of the raffle and the silent auction!
April 24, 2007
I stumbled upon a post from Gates of Memphis and in light of recent situations, thought I would share it with you.
It seems pretty obvious to me that Memphis has a fixed, as opposed to growth, mindset. Or perhaps I should write, Memphis' dominant mindset is static. A fixed mindset has historically dominated, but does not determine, Memphis. Where does that mindset come from, and how do we fight it? I think it comes from racism and anti-democratic hierarchism, which still tell us that there's only so much we can do, so sit down and shut up while the leaders figure out the rest. We fight it by learning and creating -- otherwise ignoring and/or making fun of the boundaries that never existed. And we can read the book by Professor Carol Dweck, who was the subject of Kawasaki's post. Ponderosa Stomp
May 2nd, 2007, at the House of Blues and the Parish, New Orleans Lineup April 23, 2007Got Kids?
http://memphisrocknromp.blogspot.com/ To get on the guest list, please send an email to memphisrocknromp@gmail.com. Adults must be accompanied by a child!!! Evites with the location will be going out the first week of April. The Rock-n-Romp crew is hard at work planning five shows for this year. They are currently looking for hosts and bands who are interested in playing. Please contact them at memphisrocknromp@gmail.com if you are interested. In the meantime, go ahead and mark your calendar for the following dates! April 28 Isaac Hayes Restaurant Closes It's DoorsFrom Memphisrap.com When someone asks you where to go in Downtown Memphis, TN they'll probably tell you either infamous Beale Street where the 24/7 club spots and bars reside or Peabody Place where the Muvico Theater, shops and cafes reside. Either way it goes, you'd never miss seeing the Isaac Hayes sign displaying in bright lights on top of the Peabody Place building on 150 Peabody Pl. Well sadly enough after five years in service and a second attempt to be the club spot in the Downtown area in Memphis, TN on the second floor of Peabody Place, Issac Hayes Restaurant & Nightclub has gracefully taken a bow and closed its doors. Sunday April 22 was Isaac Hayes Restaurant & Nightclub's last day of operating. You Get What You Ask ForI offer my sincerest apologies to anyone that I offended by calling them a "suit." I had no idea this word would effect people in such a serious way. I am going to reiterate the point I was trying to make in less flippant way. First, let's review what exactly the creative class is. From Wikipedia: The creative class is a class of workers whose job is to create meaningful new forms. The creative class is composed of scientists and engineers, university professors, poets and architects, to name a few. Their designs are widely transferable and useful on a broad scale, as with products that are sold and used on a wide scale. Another sector of the creative class includes those positions which are knowledge intensive. These careers usually require a high degree of formal education. Examples of this sector are health professionals and business management. Their main job is to think and to create new standard approaches for fixing the problem at hand. Creativity is becoming more valued in today’s global society. Employers look at creativity as a channel for self expression and job satisfaction in their employees. 38.3 million Americans and 30% of the workforce in America identify themselves with the creative class. This number has increased more than 10% in the past twenty years. In short they are shaping a new culture for the America of the 21st century. So, therefore, when I said "suit" - I, in no way, meant anyone who has a job that requires them simply to wear a suit, nor anyone that has a higher degree. I was actually referring simply to the high number of people that fall into the "so-called" follower category - and don't get me wrong - we need those people to - we just need to be very aware of where we lead them. I am going to try this argument one more time, and then I am going to move on. 1. In my humble experience, the true creative class thrives on being challenged by new things. In this case, an opportunity was missed to take a group of people, who are supposedly committed to making Memphis a more culturally forward thinking city, and expose them to something they have not already seen or heard. Yes, it is true, many Memphians do not support the local music scene, most likely because they are unaware of the high level of talent that exists here. 2. An opportunity was also missed to take the money that the Mpact members chose to invest and reinvest it back into the arts community by hiring local professional musicians. 3. Because of the nature of the party and the cost - it was highly exclusive, as I have felt many prior events involving Mpact have been. Basically, it has become more of a social club for the elite rather than an organization put together to have any actual impact. I have had a lot going on this past week and I should have put together a more thoughtful post about the entire situation rather than rattling something off at the last minute. I hope this rectifies what I have previously written. I realize that I have a knack for rubbing some people the wrong way. What I find the most interesting about people who come here simply to post vile remarks is that they can never make very good arguments about the subject matter, so they resort to calling me drunk/slut/narcissistic etc. I may very well be all of those things!!! But how does that negate my argument? And I drink HIigh Life, damnit!! April 19, 2007The Bloggerratti on Breakthru RadioCheck out the latest edition of This week my very special guest is Justin Gage from Aquarium Drunkard. we played new stuff from Lucero, Andrew Bird, The Lloyds, Travel By Sea, Matthew Ryan, J Tillman, Hezekiah Jones, Elephant Micah, and great tunes from Blair Combest, Cory Branan, Jeffrey James and the Haul and Dan Montgomery and the PBA. The show runs an hour, give it a listen!! 6 Degrees of Memphis - The PhotographsCome check out the phtos we took during our showcase at SXSW! It's trolley tour night!!
April 18, 2007April 17, 2007Stop The Presses!!!!Well holly hell!! I don't know exactly how this happened - but I just got an email saying that not only am I lucky enough to have The One Four Fives playing at my party Saturday night - but now they will be joined by the Tearjerkers!!!! That's right!!! I can not tell you how excited I am !!!! Friday night I get to see Giant Bear and Jump Back Jake at The Hitone and then Saturday The One four Fives and the Tearjerkers? I must have been a very good girl this year!!!!! I don't know if they're gonna charge a cover now or not - I didn't ask any questions!!!!!!!!
April 16, 2007April 12, 2007Worth Rockin' Out To
Buck Up! Benefit Concert for the Crisis Center. br /br /Music, photobooth, outreach, raffle. Ben Nichols of Lucero, Cory Branan, Susan Marshall, Giant Bear, Deering & Down, + guests... This show includes a powerful line-up of amazing Memphis talent organized by Rick Steff (recent tours include Cat Power & Lucero). Ben Nichols of Lucero, Cory Branan, Susan Marshall, Eddie Smith, Van Duren, Giant Bear, Deering & Down!! Superstars of the Memphis theatre community, Savannah Bearden & Michael Hoots are buckin up with a punk-glam polaroid booth at the event. Local Memphis Artist Sasha Barr contributed his talents to design the event poster (Coming SOON!!). Also big thanks to Neil's on Madison, Shangri-La Records, Sam Tibbs, Mark Jordan, Robin Tucker, and the gracious volunteers who give so much... Buck UP! Thursday 26 April, doors at 7pm under 21 must be accompanied by parent, contact Neil's for details. Add This To Your Weekly To Do!I have a new weekly radio show! The Bloggeratti on Breakthru Radio This week's special guest is EJ Friedman from the music blog Loudersoft.com. We play tracks from Canasta, Illinois, The Broken West, Probably Vampires, David Condos, Levy, The Coach and Four, Victory Mansion, Severe Severe, Jock, Esque, and Black Sunday. Nice! Yes, I Am A SnobI have been reluctant to say anything about this - but it's really been bugging me, and since nobody reads this site anymore anyway - (which is really how I like it!) - I have decided to vaguely mention it. A couple of weeks ago I crashed a party given by a fairly well known Memphis organization that is geared towards the city's "emerging" leaders. I ended up stopping by because my really good friend was there deejaying and we heard there was free food. Anyway, I used to be a member of this organization and let my membership lapse - mainly because it was lame and reminded me of belonging to a sorrority or frat in college - of course, I'm only guessing because I've never belonged to either. So, I don't want to step on any toes, and everyone has a right to have a good time any way they like - and I hate to judge, I really do! However, the problem with this organization lies in that their main objective, from what I have gathered, is to keep and recruit the brightest and most innovative. Well, I've traveled a great deal and as a freelancer I have had the opportunity to work with literally thousands of people over the years in a lot of high profile industries, and I can guarantee you one thing - no one who is bright and innovative gets their kicks from listening to a cover band playing the same crap we heard in high school. Talk about a bunch of folks that have obviously already lived their best years!!! We live in Memphis, TN!! Hire a real band!! April 11, 2007Buy Me A Bike For My Birthday!!
On April 14, 2007, Revolutions will be holding its Fifth Anniversary Celebration by hosting a Cycle Swap and Bike Fair. From noon to 8 p.m. we will provide a space for Memphis' community of cyclists to gather and celebrate. The Celebration will consist of: • A Cycle Swap Meet: Individuals or groups can rent a booth for $10 to sell and/or trade cycling materials. We want to encourage the circulation and continued use of bike components in Memphis (free entry to buyers) • A Bike Corral: For $3 Individuals can showcase and sell a bicycle from the Bike Corral. Purchase of booth space is not required sell a bike in the Corral • Shop tours and Repair Tutorials: Mechanical Apprentices will provide tours of the bike shop and offer tutorials on repairing flat tires and finding a bike that fits • A Raffle: Prizes from Memphis' many great bike shops • A Bike Giveaway: Raffled bicycles for neighborhood kids, • Live Music all day long: Local artists including Dan Montgomery, The Soul Enforcers and more • A Bike Parking Garage: A secure place to park your bike while you enjoy the festivities After the festivities, enjoy a post-celebration !!ALLEY-CAT RACE!! with after-party and prizes. All proceeds from the Fifth Anniversary Celebration, Cycle Swap and Bike Fair will go to Revolutions Community Bicycle Shop. For more information or to pre-register for a space in the Bike Swap e-mail Josh at jmgorman@gmail.com, or ring him at 901.605.1820. For more info check out www.revolutionscycleswap.blogspot.com. Thank you for your time and interest – we look forward to seeing you there. Remember to ride your bike! April 10, 2007Last Chance!Editor's Note: No more tickets for Big Head Todd, Soul Asylum or Suggarland - sorry! The folks at Bluesville would like to offer complimentary passes to these upcoming shows to the fabulous readers of Rachel and the City. If you would like to attend one of these shows, shoot me an email with the show you would like to attend along with your name, email, phone and physical address. Rachel@rachelandthecity.com Bluesville Concert Series Announces Updated April Lineup Bluesville, a 1,400-seat venue at the Horseshoe Hotel & Casino in Tunica, Mississippi, today announced an updated April line-up of performing acts. Tickets for all shows are available via Ticketmaster online at ticketmaster.com, or by calling 901-525-1515. Guests must be 21 or older. Edwin McCain - Thursday, April 5 at 8 p.m., tickets $20 McCain’s debut, Honor Among Thieves, captured his acoustic based blend of folk, pop and soul accented by some funky electric guitar, a horn section and backing singers. It did well, but nothing could have prepared him for the frenzy that was created by his second outing, Misguided Roses. The popular WB TV show "Dawson’s Creek" played "I'll Be," one of the album’s most romantic ballads, on an episode of the show and sent McCain’s career into overdrive. Misguided Roses went Gold; the song went Top 10 and was voted one of The Greatest Love Songs Of All Time by VH1. He was also invited to sing the song on Dr. Phil's syndicated show in 2005 after Dr. Phil's audience had voted it their favorite wedding song. Aaron Lewis (of Staind) – Friday, April 20 at 8 p.m., tickets $45/$55 To date, his band has sold more than 15 million records worldwide, with its last three albums entering the Billboard 200 in the #1 spot. 2005's Chapter V has been certified RIAA platinum and features the single "Right Here" which marks the group’s fourth #1 rock radio track. Soul Asylum – Saturday, April 21 at 8 p.m., tickets $20 True survivors of the rock struggle, whose home-made post-punk ethos made them one of the cornerstones of the no depression movement in the '90s, Soul Asylum is living proof of the ‘do-it-yourself’ ethic that has always meant life or death to rock bands in the American heartland. Sister Hazel – Sunday, April 22 at 8 p.m., tickets $20 Whether you call it roots rock or American rock, the music Sister Hazel makes is definitely not alternative or modern rock; they are not emo, screamo, anything-core or flavor-of-the-moment. Their music is solid and satisfying, comfortable and easy, like old friends and family. Sugarland - Friday, April 27 at 9 p.m., tickets $50
More information about Harrah's is available at its Web site - www.harrahs.com. Must be 21 or older to gamble. Know When To Stop Before You Start® April 9, 2007Open Mic NightThere is a rumor that someone you know and love might be making their comedy debut here...
all blog humor, all the time... April 5, 2007April 4, 2007Grindhouse! Summer Drive In! Friday Night!http://www.grindhousemovie.net/
it is so on... Hosted By:: When: Where:: Free Tickets!Editor's Note: No more tickets for Big Head Todd, Soul Asylum or Suggarland - sorry! The folks at Bluesville would like to offer complimentary passes to these upcoming shows to the fabulous readers of Rachel and the City. If you would like to attend one of these shows, shoot me an email with the show you would like to attend along with your name, email, phone and physical address. Rachel@rachelandthecity.com Bluesville Concert Series Announces Updated April Lineup Bluesville, a 1,400-seat venue at the Horseshoe Hotel & Casino in Tunica, Mississippi, today announced an updated April line-up of performing acts. Tickets for all shows are available via Ticketmaster online at ticketmaster.com, or by calling 901-525-1515. Guests must be 21 or older. Edwin McCain - Thursday, April 5 at 8 p.m., tickets $20 McCain’s debut, Honor Among Thieves, captured his acoustic based blend of folk, pop and soul accented by some funky electric guitar, a horn section and backing singers. It did well, but nothing could have prepared him for the frenzy that was created by his second outing, Misguided Roses. The popular WB TV show "Dawson’s Creek" played "I'll Be," one of the album’s most romantic ballads, on an episode of the show and sent McCain’s career into overdrive. Misguided Roses went Gold; the song went Top 10 and was voted one of The Greatest Love Songs Of All Time by VH1. He was also invited to sing the song on Dr. Phil's syndicated show in 2005 after Dr. Phil's audience had voted it their favorite wedding song. Aaron Lewis (of Staind) – Friday, April 20 at 8 p.m., tickets $45/$55 To date, his band has sold more than 15 million records worldwide, with its last three albums entering the Billboard 200 in the #1 spot. 2005's Chapter V has been certified RIAA platinum and features the single "Right Here" which marks the group’s fourth #1 rock radio track. Soul Asylum – Saturday, April 21 at 8 p.m., tickets $20 True survivors of the rock struggle, whose home-made post-punk ethos made them one of the cornerstones of the no depression movement in the '90s, Soul Asylum is living proof of the ‘do-it-yourself’ ethic that has always meant life or death to rock bands in the American heartland. Sister Hazel – Sunday, April 22 at 8 p.m., tickets $20 Whether you call it roots rock or American rock, the music Sister Hazel makes is definitely not alternative or modern rock; they are not emo, screamo, anything-core or flavor-of-the-moment. Their music is solid and satisfying, comfortable and easy, like old friends and family. Sugarland - Friday, April 27 at 9 p.m., tickets $50
More information about Harrah's is available at its Web site - www.harrahs.com. Must be 21 or older to gamble. Know When To Stop Before You Start® April 3, 2007St. Jude / Target House Benefit!
In the Spring of 2007 Vexar Entertainment compiled the majority of artists that performed in 2005 and throughout 2006 onto one great benefit CD entitled "Wednesday Nights In Memphis." Come out to Neil's on April 29 and celebrate the release of the benefit CD, "Wednesday Nights In Memphis," and help raise money for St.Jude's Target House with: 2PM - Nancy Apple Admission: Additional monetary donations and a reasonable donation from Target House Wish List is, of course, welcome as well. Sponsored by Vexar Entertainment, Neil's Music Room, Photography By Channin, L. Nix & Co. Inc. Mastering, Audiographics & Masterworks, & Spin Street Music. April 2, 2007The Relationship RetardI don't put much stock in astrology, or numerology, or religion, for that matter. But what I do know for sure is that every year, for as far back as I can remember, I have always had some incident happen in my life right around my birthday that has been very painful. It took me a really long time to figure out that these happenings were related to a specific time, but a few years ago it finally became clear and I have become more and more dreadful of the month of April. Ironically enough, the past few months, other than my bank account being thoroughly depleted, I have been pretty happy with the way things have been going. However, yesterday, I was reminded how quickly you can become broadsided when you aren't paying attention. Because of my recent lack of funds, I actually felt pretty lucky the week before I went to Austin to get a call from a production coordinator on Making the Band 4, which was headed to Memphis to do an audition show at Plush Club on Beale Street. She was looking for PA's and I told her that I was usually a production coordinator, but I would work on the shoot if they hired me as the Key which is paid a higher day rate than a normal PA position. Now, what you have to understand about production work is that although PA's are a super important part of any film or tv production, if you are any good, you don't stay one long ( I think I have PA'd on a total of three jobs), and most PA's, while they could very well be very bright in a normal situation, are pretty clueless on set and are usually treated pretty poorly. Let me back up. Let me share two items of background for context. One of the things I really hate about New Yorkers is their high and mighty attitude and their habit of bitching about EVERYTHING. It's just part of the social scene to converse about how stupid your cab driver was or how behind your co-worker is in their taste in music, clothes, restaurants, drink of choice, and the like. I mean it's a full time job there keeping up with what the latest trend is and complaining about the people who are clueless to what is hip. And you know who the absolute worst offenders are of this type of behavior? You guessed it! People in the entertainment business. What makes this whole act so ironic is that none of these epitomes of cool ARE EVEN FROM NYC!!! They are always from Michigan or Atlanta or Dallas. Anyway, in dealing with literally hundreds of these types who have come down to Memphis to work on projects I am always surprised at how unsophisticated these cats allow themselves to look when they share their preconceived notions of Memphis being a podunk town. Like Cincinnati is some how a better city because it's above the Mason-Dixon line? Anyway, they are usually very judgemental about everything about any city that is not NYC. I just think that's funny because to me, as a former resident, I have come to regard NYC as the place with the highest poseurs per capita in the nation. Well, of course, besides LA. There are cool and uncool things about pretty much every major city - and if you have been around at all, you learn this pretty quickly. ANYWAY. When the crew arrived from NYC for the shoot it was exactly pretty much what I expected. While most of the folks were, as far as I could tell over 4 days, cool people, there was definitely a sprinkling of those that thought they had been dropped off under a bridge in Arkansas for the shoot. BUT I digress. Ok, what was my point? Oh yeah. Whenever I am feeling pretty good about myself, I like to take a production job so I can get my humility back. Well, it wasn't really that bad. It just reminded me about how important it is to value people for just being people, not for who you think they are on a social scale. I mean, I have it pretty good. I know a whole lot of people and get mad love all over town, I get plenty of perks and people come up and say nice things to me and people I don't know seek me out at places to say very complimentary things - which is a far cry from the production manager of your shoot not remembering your name. Or the director barely acknowledging your presence. I ran a total of thirty PA's over the past three days and I remember every single one of their names. Not because of any reason other than if someone is WORKING for you, you should remember their name. It's just a matter of respect. OH, but now I have really digressed. Cause the shoot overall went really well, and I really like the coordinators I worked with and everything went smoothly - other than one really disrespectful PA named Antoine that ended up walking out on the shoot. Other than that, everything went really smoothly and the show turned out to be the best casting show they have done (you'll just have to watch to find out why!). It was a great experience, just extremely stressful to make sure that the crew left believing that Memphis is a really cool city, and the people here have all made it past a 6th grade education... Ok, so back to the disheartening moment. First, another bit of back story. For the past three years I have been involved in an on-again, off-again, fucked-up, confusing relationship with one of my closest friends. Most people who know me will know who it is, But I don't care. Anyway, we have never been exclusive, but in the last year we have twice decided to raise the level of the relationship. Last summer he ended up saying something so disrespectful to me that I didn't talk to him for 6 months. Then I ended up forgiving him and we decided to try again. You know what they say: Fool me once, shame on you... Anyway, it was him that kind of decided for whatever reason that he wanted to keep the whole thing under wraps. And I have never forced his hand on that decision, even though I have felt both that I didn't need to advertise my relationships to feel validated and very hurt that he was somehow worried about people knowing about it. I mean think about that: is it really that embarressing to date me? I guess for some the answer is yes. In the end, I always told myself was what really mattered was the relationship not who knew about it. And even though he might disagree, I will always contend that if you are sleeping together on a regular basis, you're in a relationship, whether you're exclusive or not. Anyway. For some reason, while I was working at my intensely stressful job on Sunday, this jackass decides that this is a good time to send me a text message saying that he wanted to break things off, that it was a mistake. Yes, you read that correctly; a text message break-up. Now let me make clear why this is so devastating for the kids who rode the short bus to school. Not only is it the most selfish and cowardly thing that has ever happened to me, it quite clearly illustrates what I really already knew to be true: not once has this person ever considered my feelings in any situation we have been in. He is so narcissistic that it probably never even occurred to him how this might affect me and what I was doing that day. It's like Britney sending K-fed the divorce text message while he was in the middle of an interview being filmed for Fuel TV. That was definitely a preconceived fuck over. Not that I think this was that! Oh, to the contrary - you would have to be emotionally involved to fuck someone over like that on purpose. So the question arises: does it feel better to know that someone is so emotionally invested in you that they seek out revenge - or care so little about you either way that it just never occurs to them how any action they take will affect you? Now think about how it must have been to concentrate and deal with directing 30 PA's after you just received a text message from the person whom you thought cared about YOU calling you a mistake. I mean, can you imagine what it feels like to be dismissed by the one person YOU care about the most? As much as people say they dread the "We have to talk..." sentence, let's break down exactly what that sentence means: We have to talk because I want to explain why I think things aren't working out I did not even get the courtesy of a "We need to talk.." I just can't think of a way that he could have more clearly shown me how little he gives a shit about me. He made that quite clear for the second time. I got a text message from a relationship retard. The silver lining of the whole thing has been the opportunity for me to wake up and take some of my own advice: When someone shows you who they are, you should believe them... |
<< HOME |
In the Fall of 2005 Vexar Entertainment organized local unsigned musicians from Memphis & The Midsouth to play acoustically for the children, families, & staff of St.Jude's Target House on Wednesday nights.