Hey, Memphis! How’s November treating you? Weather for sweaters is reason enough to get out there and do something fun.
This weekend we’ve got you getting crunk to hip hop beats, checking out a release for a Memphis country charmer, and reliving the old days with one of Memphis’ best acts from the past. Hope you’ve got your Bill Cosby attire ready—it’s time for some weekend shots!
Friday (11/9) brings the beats with DJ Quickie Mart coming to Hi-Tone Cafe. The Beatmaker who’s known for both his remixes and for backing rappers like Devin the Dude and Know One will joined by Unicorn Fukr and Memphis DJ Glitch Doctor, giving you a long night of dancing like a robot. (Everybody still does that, right?)
Hey Memphians, did you get any good treats on Halloween? If the holiday wasn’t kind to you, this weekend is sure to make up for it. We’ve got you getting historic, rocking out, and checking out a Brooklyn crooner. Get your costumes back out of the closet—it’s time for some weekend shots!
Friday (11/2) kicks things off on a good note. For Memphians with a taste for history, the Playhouse On the Square hosts the 15th annual Indie Memphis Film Festival featuring the long-awaited Antenna Club documentary. The club had its heyday in the latter part of the last century and has become legendary after closing, with a reputation for being a milestone in live Memphis music. An afterparty will be held at the 1884 Lounge inside Minglewood Hall. Angerhead and The Modifiers are billed.
Indie punk rock band Titus Andronicus is coming to The Hi-Tone Cafe. The four-piece from Jersey has recently released their third album Local Business through XL Recordings, and it has received a fair share of positive feedback. Also billed is Ceremony, a punk band who released their own new album this year in February with Zoo.
Hey Memphis! What’s scary, lavish, and awesome all over?
It’s this weekend’s long list of shows! In this edition, we’ve got you checking out a synth pop staple, going to see indie darlings from Brooklyn, and getting crunk with a local legend. Hope you’ve got your costume ready—it’s time for some weekend shots!
Friday, (10/26) kicks things off right with a hella show from THE chickenhead expert, Project Pat. Newby’s Memphis hosts Trick or Beats, a Halloween-themed costume show that features music from the ’90s trap hound as well as a crunk selection from DJ Ben Murray.
Those that are able to make it out early are in for a super special treat as underground Memphis producer Minivan Markus will play a set of weirdo beats characterized by abstract synth work, syncopated beats, and lots of deep bass. SPOILER ALERT: this is what the future sounds like.
Ever heard of a radio program spreading Memphis music around the world? Something like that couldn’t even last a dozen years!
But what about 16? Beale Street Caravan has been proliferating Memphis music, new and old, for 16 years, reaching over 2.4 million listeners through 400 different radio stations. On Oct. 25th, The Hi-Tone Cafe will play host to Beale Street Caravan’s Sweet Sixteenth with plenty of great memories and good music from dedicated Memphis musicians.
“We’re going to bust out some soulful tunes that run deep down in the roots of Mississippi country blues rock music. Put on a pot of turnip greens, pour yourself a glass of sweet tea, kick back and let the music take you to the banks of a muddy river flowing through the heart of Mississippi,” said Andy Ratliff of Reemus Bodeemus.
Memphis-based Star and Micey are one of those great bands who teeter on the cusp of indie stardom and are poised to shift gears and jump into the big leagues.
Backed by years of live gigging and touring, the folk-pop quartet made up of Josh Cosby, Nick Redmond, Geoff Smith, and Jeremy Stanfill is launching a huge tour with the release of their EP I Can’t Wait—an ambitious four-song stint that was overseen by famous producer Dennis Herring (Elvis Costello, Modest Mouse) and released on Ardent Music. This past Thursday the official kick-off at the Hi-Tone Café where they did so with a huge stage set, lots of cool swag to snag, and an abundance of energy dedicated to their new release.
What’s up Memphians? I hope your work week was easy. We’ll be taking you through the ringer this weekend with almost too much to see. We have you getting loud with some muted music, driving by some southern goodness, and getting an earful of a good Memphis showcase.
Friday, (10/19) starts things off on a good foot with the educated indie pop of MuteMath at Minglewood Hall.
Down a guitarist and up on hype, the newly reformed MuteMath are flying through a tour in support of their most recent, super jazzy (and effectively self-produced) album Odd Soul. South African Civil Twilight comes as support with heavy attention to their latest effort Holy Weather, released in March of this year.
Alty-folky act The Spring Standards are a trio of young’uns who have been kicking around since their 2008 EP, No One Will Know. What is known however is The Spring Standards’ penchant for simple, yet irresistable songs and a host of music videos whose number rivals that of Lil B. Their music has been featured on the TV shows Royal Pains and Exiled and they’ve been on Conan (twice).
The multi-talented musicians released the yellow // gold double EP this year and have been on tour over the past couple of months. The band plays the Record Bar tonight in Kansas, MO accompanied by The Caves and The John Mckenna Band. I recently had the opportunity to ask them a few Q’s about their music, videos, and of course, vinyl.
You guys are commonly given a “folk” tag, but seem to draw from many other influences both old and new. How would you define your own sound?
Probably unsurprisingly, we get this question quite a lot. We definitely have our roots in folk music, but we also integrate aspects of pop, rock, indie, Americana, and even bluegrass into our overall sound. In the past we’ve used really elaborate terminology to define our sound, but recently we decided to simplify our answer – we play rock’n’roll music. Because the essence of rock’n’roll is unbridled self-expression—music that can be whatever you want it to be—and that’s what we make.
Although there’s only three of you, your songs almost always have a big sound to them featuring an abundance of layered instrumentation and complex vocal harmonies. Is this a conscious effort or something that comes naturally?
The 3 of us enjoy writing those layered, multi-faceted songs—the hope being that you create something greater than the sum of its parts. I think it is both a natural and conscious effort, not one or the other. We like to push ourselves—playing multiple instruments and singing those tight harmonies keep us 100% engaged at all times, which is a very exciting way to write and perform.
Hey Memphis, Fall has fallen and it’s nice outside!
Keeping in mind how perfect it is outside for jackets and park walks, we’ve engineered a weekend shots for you that’s all about a walking distance. This weekend we have you getting dirty with some swampy blues, getting strung out on good country, and getting a hefty serving of tasty throwback. I hope you’ve bought tickets to the gun show, it’s time for some weekend shots!
Friday (10/12) starts things off on a gritty, bluesy, bayou laden note that’ll have you reaching for your slide guitar and thinking about the nearest restaurant that serves gumbo.
Honey Island Swamp Band bring their throwback southern blues to the gorgeous venue this is the Levitt Shell. The Swamp Band is a collection of musicians who can jam out and will have family friendly music, so bring the kids to this one and enjoy how nice a Friday can be.
With a registered ease and pleasant smile, Myla Smith and her guitar music carry more charm than Michael J. Fox in the ’80s.
The Memphis singer/songwriter has carved her niche with sweet-yet-intense songs with relatable lyrics and a penchant to make you feel good. Tonight holds the debut of her latest release Drugs at the Christ City Church inside of Minglewood Hall. I got to lob a few questions at Myla Smith about Drugs.
What does Drugs mean to you?
I think you can define a “drug” as anything that you use to medicate, intoxicate, heighten your senses, dull them, or—here’s a big one—distract yourself. If you define it that broadly, drugs can look likea lot of different things. The thing they all have in common is that they are all temporary. All drugs wear off. I feel like the age we are living in now is chock full of “drugs,” and I wanted to explore that on this record.
What’s up Memphians? This weekend we’ve got you set up for an R&B standout, a bitching record release, and a double dose of delicious jam.
Get ready to knock ’em down—it’s time for some weekend shots!
Friday (10/5) starts things off with reverence to some long-standing talent. R&B/funk/blues icon Cyril Neville is going to play the outdoor setting of the Levitt Shell. If you’re unfamiliar with the famed percussionist/singer, he’s gotten cozy recording with Robbie Robertson, Bob Dylan, and a number of other folk and blues notables.
After you get to hear some sweet funk from Nola, go on down to The Hi-Tone to catch the Hosoi Bros. on a special night. The 4-piece metalish-punk monolith of sound are releasing the 7″ vinyl single for their track “Snorlokk.” Along with the vinyl, the show hosts the release of the song’s video.
Becoming educated and hanging out with some of modern music’s most influential don’t always come hand-in-hand.
Thankfully, The Grammy’s GPS exists to mend this conundrum. This Saturday marks another installment of Grammy GPS, a concentrated effort put on by the Memphis Chapter of the Recording Academy, whch aims to help those trying to break into the industry burst through the glass ceiling of amateurism. Every year the Grammys bring an assorted and impressive guest list of speakers, panels, and shows to the Stax Academy and local venues to educate and open doors for anyone overwhelmed or curious and musically ambitious.
This year begins Friday evening at the New Daisy with dirt-rustling Alabama Shakes. The Shakes will have a sit-down Q&A as well as a short exclusive performance for GPS members before they take the stage in a fullscale production for a sold-out show at the New Daisy.
Vicious vibes are brewing up in Memphis this weekend. Thrashing guitars are king and snuff out any hope for sugary pop.
Memphis’ underground and legendary label Goner is hosting its 9th reccurance of GonerFest, bringing in the most known unknown icons from all around the world. Although the opening ceremony and subsequent first evening of Gonerfest have come and passed in the past 24, there’s still A LOT of great shows to see. Get your IDGAF attitude ready, it’s time for weekend shots!
Friday (9/28) starts at the break of waking for the late nighters at 1pm at the Buccaneer Lounge. Memphis band Toxie brings talent from the city’s vast musician sound scape. Will McElroy and Ben Bauermeister (Magic Kids) and Madison Farmer (Coasting) give Toxie its reputation of being an all-star bluff city line-up well worth seeing. After that, stick around to see a Madison, WI standout. The Hussy are a two-piece well versed in both psychedelic and garage. They’ll be closing the afternoon set so come out to rock your face off before the sun sets.
Hello Memphis! This weekend has you set up for some local folk, a rap underdog, and some world-class country! Get ready to get heady? It’s time for some shots!
Also on Friday, classically trained in 2000-era hip hop, Brabo Gator will come storming through with plenty of Eminem or 50-Cent-like rhymes (if you’re into that kind of thing). Broomhill comes in tandem to support.
On to Saturday (9/22) with a very special treat! Twelve-time Grammy winner Emmylou Harris will be playing everyone’s favorite outdoor venue when she takes the stage at the Levitt Shell. The country cowgirl who’s morphed her style as many times as the number of decades she’s been making music is booked for an evening set on the Overton park lawn. The Memphis Dawls will accompany Harris, giving the night a pleasant tint that will remind you that “country” wasn’t always a bad word.
Although he’d probably tell you a great story of touring rather than rock your face off, Chris Milam is definitely the guy for overt romanticism in all things tangible.
Milam’s love for our fair city was created through the tried and true package of a singer and his six-string and manifested in his most recent release the Young Avenue EP. Tonight, he’ll be dishing out a fresh serving of the EP at the launch show at The Hi-Tone Cafe.
The singer/songwriter started his musical journey in Memphis but has spent extended stays in locales that are heavy on music culture. From Nashville up to New York, this travelling salesman of the heart has covered the country spreading his endearing and heartfelt perspective on what love and life are, and what they ought to be, since 2004. His most recent effort is an adventure into introversion, a new undertaking for the pop crooner.
Alright Memphis, you know you haven’t reached your quota this week for hearty singer/songwriter music, but there’s no need to panic!
Sunday brings the guitar mastery and song writing excellence of Austin Lucas to the Otherlands Coffeebar, and it’s a show that you really shouldn’t miss.
Austin Lucas has made a name for himself touring across the country. He’s played with appearances at Canada’s Sled Island Festival, Florida’s Harvest of Hope, at the Philadelphia Folk Festival, and even did a stint on The Revival Tour. He’s penned and released 5 albums since his debut, 2006’s The Common Cold, all of which have gained him a wealth of fans and critical acclaim.
