Author Archives: Charles Gray

Hey, kids, it’s about time to break out your hoola hoops and put away all those ambitions to be hygienic. Festival season is right around the corner, and there are 1500 bands that you haven’t heard of waiting to change your life if you only show up.

A good place to start looking for some great live music is the Head for the Hills Festival. The little festival that can may not have your favorite pop star who’s performin’ on the Grammys, but it will be affordable enough so you can bring your own party favors. The best part? The line-up they do have is riddled with amazing musicians and experienced producers.

One act that’s getting the spotlight at Head for the Hills is an electronic producer who’s been kicking around tracks for years now—Eliot Lipp. Last year saw the release of his album Shark Wolf Rabbit Snake, his debut on Pretty Lights Music. I recently got a chance to talk to the electronic producer about music and vinyl.

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Hey, Memphis! No matter how long you stick around, you’re always bound to leave some kind of impression.

This weekend we’ll have you dancing to the beat of a different drum, doing the Memphis folk thing, and seeing the last show at one of Memphis’ most important venues. I hope you’re off the clock—it’s time for some weekend shots.

Friday(2/22) starts off differently than you’d expect. Something you’d never expect in town, the host of one of the world’s biggest recurring dance parties is playing a set at one of Memphis’ most cozy bars. Memphis’ own Handsome Mark has managed to bring Mr. White from his regular gig of hosting Sensation—a 40,000+ attendee dance event that happens around the world— to Mollie Fontaine Lounge.

He’ll be playing to a little more low-key crowd than usual, but you can expect the seasoned DJ to work the space proficiently.

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Hey, Memphis! Regardless of whether or not the week has left your heart happy or broken, we at least hope you got stuffed on a variety box of cheap chocolate.

This weekend keeps it classy and low-key, but there are still a few good shows to see to take a date or just yourself out for a post-Valentine’s weekend.

Friday (2/15) kicks things off by reminding you that Memphis is heartily in the South with some of the most authentic country to come round these parts in two kicks of a horse heel. Wayne Hancock studied well at the churches of Hank Williams and Hank Thompson to churn out some original tunes in the true blue vein of country music’s top minimalists. This is one of the Hi-Tone Cafe‘s few remaining weeks, so be sure to swing by before it closes. Patrick Sweeney supports.

If you missed yesterday’s festivities and you want to do something lovey-dovey with your date, then there’s something just for you. Memphis’ incredibly inoffensive and super-charming pop-rock act Wuvbirds are playing a very appropriate post-Valentine’s set at The Cove. If you’re trying to take advantage of the holiday with a very special someone in a very shameless, cheesy way, this is definitely the place to be.

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Vinyl giveaway, free show, burlesque dancers… Oh, and did I mention a vinyl giveaway?

Memphis bluesman Jason “Hex” Freeman is a singer-songwriter who seems to navigate the world of grimy guitar songs with ease. The results of his aural expeditions culminate in a gritty and edgy modern sound that often speaks through a filter of twangy early twentieth century blues. He’ll be releasing a collection of his tunes on vinyl this Friday, and we’ve got a copy to give away for the release. Getting a hold of one is easy, so why not throw your hat into the ring?

Friday marks the release of Freeman’s Hex & Hell at the Poplar Lounge. Because a record release needs proper celebration, burlesque dancers will be on hand to shimmy to the hexxy vibes. There will also be screenings of Freeman’s music videos, which tend to involve sexy women anyways, so yeah, come for some nit-grit blues and lots of really awesome curves you can look at—for the sake of music, of course.

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Hey Memphis! Groundhog Day came and went with the groundhog not seeing his shadow. If you’re not in the know, this results in Spring arriving early. If you’ve been in Memphis through 2013, you’ll likely agree it started about three weeks ago.

To celebrate jort weather in February, this week we’ve got you checking out an elite Memphis rapper, making some voodoo music with a man who’s been compared to Jimi Hendrix on more than one occasion, and finding out what exactly to do with some Shovels and Rope. Make sure your DD is secured, it’s time for weekend shots.

Friday, (2/8) brings some hyped out country folk to The Hi-Tone. With the historic venue closing down, the Hi-Tone is packing some big shows before it bites the dust and this Friday makes for a perfect example. Shovels & Rope take a gritty and raw crack at twanged out country.

The South Carolina duo is lauded for their performances as well as the fresh take on old Americana. Contrasting the dirt, Andrew Combs brings a smoother stab at country as well.

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Whose Army? is a fundamental example of post-post-rock bands in the 21st century.

After all, hard rock and roll as the champion of American music has come and gone—taking with it the countless hordes of leeches who picked up an axe just to cover Staind at the high school talent show for the off-chance it could get ’em laid with the overzealous girl who didn’t quite make the cheerleading team. (I hear she puts out anyway.)

Though many fame seekers may find the world of overdriven guitars bleak and desolate, those loyal to their craft are left to roam the open lands with a new eye for the uncharted. Whose Army? has stuck around and steadily upped the level to prep an EP for late February that covers some fresh, new ground—and we’ve got hold of the new video for one of the EP’s best tracks.

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Hey Memphis! How was your week? Hopefully full of good times and great things. This weekend we’ve got you checking out an album release, getting into some Memphis r&r, and flying with the flocka. I hope you don’t have enough on you to get charged, It’s time for some weekend shots!

Friday (2/1) starts off with a gnarly bang. Psychedelic/ blues/ rock Graveyard have come all the way from Sweden to tour the states, landing this Friday at The Hi-Tone Cafe.

Graveyard is three albums deep, having released the most recent Lights Out in October of last year on the German heavy metal label Nuclear Blast. The Shrine supports. (We reviewed the DC show here. —Ed.)

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Hey, Memphis! If you’re either back to school or back at work, the full rush of the holidays has come and passed, but that doesn’t mean there still isn’t anything to do.

This weekend we’ve got you exploding to some blues, hearing some of the South’s most notable all-stars, and hopefully not bleeding on a dance floor (unless you’re into that kind of thing). Hope your fake ID is in check—it’s time for some weekend shots!

Friday (1/25) starts on a good note with long-running New York blues rock Jon Spencer Blues Explosion booked at The Hi-Tone Cafe. Jon Spencer and co. released Meat & Bone last year to positive critical reviews, which was something of a task considering it was the band’s first studio effort in eight years. Come to hear raw and catchy cuts like the album’s lead single “Black Mold.” The Jam Messengers support.

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Hey, Memphis! Are you staying warm in the cold weather? Just in case that coat isn’t thick enough, this weekend has you set up with plenty of live music to heat up those bones. We’ve got you hitting up an album release or two, getting down with Deering, and feeding that greedy kidney. Make sure you’re wearing enough layers—it’s time for weekend shots!

Friday (1/18) starts with one hell of a punch. The subtle sounds of lowkey rockers Idyl will be heard at The Cove. Idyl is riding the wave of their newest album Elements of the Field, released this past December sporting seven tracks of dense and woody indie rock. They’re on tour with a singer-songwriter with the voice of a siren, Aisha Burns. Memphis’ own Sultana supports.

At The Hi-Tone Cafe, local eccentric rock man Clay Otis is set to release his new album The Overachiever. Otis touches on jangly pop, blues, and throwback rock all through a slightly off-kilter and tongue-in-cheek filter. Time and Richard James are also billed, as well as a special performance by Marcella Simien. (Be sure to give her love—it’s her birthday!)

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The feverish pace of Memphis’s Switchblade Kid doesn’t slow down.

The thrash/shoegaze/throwback/rock outfit has been busy over the past few months, working on more than just music. Past their album that was released in December of last year, band leader and movie maker Harry Koniditsiotis has been hard at work handcrafting music videos from old 8mm footage that drip with warmth and are well-worth watching.

From a dance hall from decades past to ’90s gothic imagery, Switchblade Kid videos have an eclectic scenery list but all carry one unifying theme: relatable visual nostalgia that seems to hit where it counts.

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So usually when shots come around, fate sets Memphis up with a limited option of live sound excursions. Well holy crap Memphis, this Friday/Saturday has opted for the opposite and is stocked with more music to offer than Lil B’s discography… or at least pretty close.

This weekend we’ve got you training with the devil, throwing down with some local yokels, and jumping headfirst into an evening of folk and gangsta rap. (Err, what?) I totally hope you’re of age because it’s time for some weekend shots!

Friday (1/11) starts off with a bump, and then another bump in succession, and then a snare hat, and then some crescendo sounds, and then most likely a drop that’ll hit you in the face with more sub bass than in James Earl Jones vocal chords… or the way they EQ Howard Stern’s voice on the radio. Voodoo Village staple Strooly has made his way west from Nashville and is bringing along a grab bag of tastes that might reference anything from trap hats to island rhythms to hype electro drops at Brinson’s.

Last year he released an EP acting as half of the dart “post-trap” act GRIM, slang quite a few originals on Soundcloud, and even released a snazzy remix or two, traversing the work of artists like TNGHT and Kendrick Lamar. If your thing is dance parties for dance parties’ sake, this has your evening set up.

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