Tonight, May 11th at The New Daisy, “Four Shades of Blue” is going down.
Four unique artists will show the audience their take on the blues, from the swamp blues of Kenny Neal to the Afro-Cuban/Chicago-style blues of Eddie Turner, a wide array of the genre will be on display. Dennis Jones and Blues Hall of Famer Lazy Lester will be making appearances as well. Check out a video of Zac Harmon below.
Doors are at 6:30, show at 7pm. All ages. $20. Tickets here.
Punk godfathers Social Distortion will tear through Minglewood Hall here in town on May 1st. Formed in 1978, the band has seen its ups and downs, but has forever changed punk rock and will continue to inspire on Tuesday night.
Their last record Hard Times & Nursery Rhymes was released early last year; a new one is planned for next year sometime, which as Social D fans know, would be a very short wait between albums.
Doors at 7pm. Show at 8pm. The Toadies and Lindi Ortega will open the show. Get tickets here.
Two of Memphis’ best rock bands, The Dirty Streets and Tiger High, are hitting the Hi-Tone stage together this Saturday night the 21st.
Headliner The Dirty Streets are kicking off a mini-tour that night. Their album Movements was released back in November of last year on Good For Nothing Records.
Opener Tiger High has been getting some significant press the last several months and their debut Myth Is This was officially released in special edition form earlier this month on Trashy Creatures Records. A new record is to follow sometime this Summer.
Show is at 9pm. $5 / 18+. Rock!
This Saturday March 31st, local nonprofit GrowMemphis is having a benefit concert at the Hi-Tone featuring Wuvbirds, Jeffrey James & the Haul, The Near Reaches and Chris Milam.
GrowMemphis “fosters the creation of robust community food systems that eliminate hunger, promote health, and further social justice. We envision a Memphis and Shelby County with a healthy and sustainable agricultural economy and where all residents have enough good food on the table.”
Definitely a great cause. JD Reager, a director for both GrowMemphis and Makeshift Music, is organizing the show.
Doors at 8pm. $5 with all proceeds going to GrowMemphis. 18+. Go support a great local nonprofit!
The second annual Fareveller Music Festival starts Thursday the 22nd and runs through Saturday the 24th. Last year’s debut had a great turnout and we’re hoping for the same this go-around.
We sat down festival creator/curator Brandon Herrington last year to discuss the festival and also profiled the festival ourselves as a whole.
This year’s top artists consist of Those Darlins, Jessica Lea Mayfield, The Hood Internet, Maps & Atlases, The Rocketboys, and other great acts, both local and national. You can get tickets here. It’s only $25 for a three day pass to all the venues (Young Avenue Deli, Otherlands, and Newby’s).
Check out videos from some of the artists after the jump.
Brooklyn’s Jennifer O’Connor is at the Hi-Tone this Sunday, March 18th for the early show. O’Connor released her first post-Matador full length, I Want What You Want, this past November on her own Kiam Records and is on the road to let everyone know.
She started the tour in promotion of the record at the beginning of this month, is at SXSW the next few days, will head here after the festival then make her way back to the northeast.
Alexa Wilding and Tim Foljahn will both be opening for O’Connor. Remember, it’s the early show—5:30pm, $7, 18+. Enjoy!
Geez, it’s been a while since Newby’s has had a decent band in. Tonight, Ohio’s Lovedrug will be there, making their way to Austin for SXSW.
Their new record, Wild Blood, came out this week. I loved their first full-length Pretend You’re Alive and it looks like this record is somewhat of a return to form. Dig it!
Due to Newby’s incredible website and the Lovedrug site’s lack of details, I have no idea what time the show is, but I’m guessing it’s around 9 or so. Cost? Same situation, but I’d guess about 10 bucks. And, I think Newby’s is usually 21+.
Don’t forget to check out Wild Blood on store shelves now!
*EDIT: Got the details for the show… all ages, 7:30 pm, $10 advance/$12 at the door. Go!
This Saturday night, the Hi-Tone will host a benefit show for the best local radio station we’ve got, WEVL 89.9 FM.
WEVL is a badass, completely listener-supported station that’s been adding to Memphis culture for over 35 years. This benefit will host John Paul Keith and the 1, 4, 5’s alongside Jimbo Mathus & The Tri-State Coalition.
Whether you realize it or not, you benefit from this station being in our town. If you haven’t ever listened to WEVL, you can tune in next time you’re in your car or listen online. Check it out! 9pm, $10, all ages.
Nashville songstress Katie Herzig will bring her beautiful voice to the Hi-Tone stage Friday night, the 24th. Herzig has been going nowhere but up since her debut back in 2004, and with her latest record, The Waking Sleep, released in September of last year and a few high profile song placements, it looks like that rise will only continue.
I was first introduced to Katie when I was living in Nashville, playing for another female songwriter. We played Katie’s release show for her 2008 album Apple Tree. I remember being really blown away at the talent on stage that evening. And her voice was unbelievable. It didn’t hurt that close to the end of the show, she had a slice of freshly-baked apple pie brought to each person in the packed venue.
Don’t miss Katie’s great songs and beautiful voice Friday night. It’s an early show…7pm, all ages, $10/$12. Robby Hecht and Sandra McCracken will open. Robby is in Memphis playing the Folk Alliance International Showcase downtown this week. If you have a conference badge you can get into the show for free.
This Saturday night, local duo Deering & Down will release their new record Out There Somewhere at a show at the Hi-Tone. The two promise some special Memphis musical guests to accompany them throughout the night.
They did the new record at Willie Mitchell’s Royal Studio here in town; Mitchell even helped with horn arrangements before his death two years ago. Willie’s son, Boo, co-produced the album with the band.
You can check out some of the tracks from the new album over on the band’s SoundCloud. Looks like the show will be a lot of fun with all the guests, so come on out and support the best soul/r&b duo in town. Doors at 8:30. $5/18+
ELECTROCITY is throwing a vampire Valentines party this Saturday night, the 11th. This event, Love Bites, from the now monthly dance party with local DJs, will be at Senses.
ELECTROCITY has been growing like crazy and if you look at any of their pictures or videos on Facebook, you can tell these parties are chock full of energy and sweat.
The regular ELECTROCITY guys, plus guest Myrryrs, will DJ the night. You can check out the promo mini-mix for the event here and the flyer below. And don’t forget, it’s vampire themed!
So, I didn’t believe it at first, but it’s true. Something interesting musically is coming out of Jackson, TN. Singer-songwriter The Kernal will grace the stage of the Hi-Tone this Tuesday night, the 7th.
Playing self-described “imaginary country music,” The Kernal released his debut Farewellhello in August of last year. And if you buy it from his website, he’ll mail you a custom beer bottle (the “Kernal Bottle”) with download codes inside. Kinda badass.
Check out two live session videos on his website here. Doors at 8pm. 18+. $5. The Nobility and the Memphis Dawls will open. Be there!
This Friday night the 27th, local dance label Voodoo Village will host a free party at Mollie Fontaine Lounge (the coolest lounge in town, bee-tee-double-u).
The new label will be celebrating founder MarceauxMarceaux’s new EP, Spurrr. Check out more details on the show after the jump.
Outlaw country legend Billy Joe Shaver will turn the Hi-Tone into a honky tonk this Saturday night. The Texas singer, on whose life the movie Crazy Heart was based, is in the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame and has had songs on records from Waylon Jennings to Elvis Presley.
As of right now, he’s working on his first album in five years and another live album is due out some time this year.
Come on down and listen to some good old fashioned outlaw country this Saturday at the Hi-Tone. Local stunner John Paul Keith will open. Doors at 9pm, $15/$17 tickets, and 18+.
Okay, so this SOTW packs an extra punch. Friday night, local duo Deering & Down will debut their new music video for song “Linda McCabe” at a party/show at the Warehouse downtown.
This premiere is in anticipation of their new record Out There Somewhere coming out February 18th. The video was directed by James Sposto and David Merrill.
The Warehouse is located downtown at 36 E. GE Patterson Ave. Doors are at 7pm, $5 cover with a cash donation bar.
The Jeremy Shrader and Ed Finney Duo will open the night, followed by the music video screening at 8pm, then Deering & Down will close it all down.
