Category Archives: TVD Memphis

What? You like crazy psychedelic music? You’re into futuristic tunes that bridge gaps between different cultures and genres that are worlds apart? You’re into mind-altering visuals and an incredibly involving musical experience?

Well, I think we have the perfect recommendation for you. World famous electronic artist Shpongle are bouncing through Memphis to play at Minglewood Hall tomorrow, April 11th.

In anticipation for the incredible evening, I had the pleasure of chatting with Shpongle’s Simon Posford about music, performing, and of course, vinyl!

If you’re unfamiliar with Shpongle live, it’s the visual equivalent of overindulging your eyes in a buffet of modern mysticism caked in overtly trippy visuals. As the conversation began, Posford discussed the difference between this expedition and those of Shpongle’s past. For old school Shpongle fans, this event will be a treat! The masquerade is for those who saw Spongletron; it’s an expansion of that—bigger, brighter, trippier.

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Another week in the can, another string of shows to give your weekend the jolt it needs. Those home for the holiday may feel they’ll be stuck with the family all weekend… but no worries!

This week we have you witnessing the work of an emotional tour de force, some great local heat, as well as a far out artist from up north. Swinging from dense arrangements of huge crescendos to slow crooners about retaining youth, this weekend will hit you hard and leave you looking for more!

Friday (4/6) will start things off by pulling at your heartstrings. UK acoustic ballad grand champion Marcus Foster is set to send hearts aflutter at the 1884 Lounge inside of Minglewood Hall. His sense of songwriting is a dense package of complex emotions that wraps up in gorgeous soundscapes of subtle guitar and meaningful vox work. Also billed for the evening are fellow tearjerker Sam Bradley and the sweet stylings of Anne Schorr.

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Via an obscure abstraction of some mutated form of pop, the indie living legends have just announced their next release.

If you skipped the title, no I’m not talking about Animal Collective—Dirty Projectors are releasing the follow-up to the palatable dissonance of 2009’s Bitte Orca.

Scheduled for July 10th on Domino Records, Swing Lo Magellan will precede Dave Longstreth and Co.’s appearance at the Pitchfork Music Festival. To promote the release, the band has uploaded the first single “The Gun Has No Trigger” to the all-hearing soundcloud.com.

With noticeably less guitar work than most of the tracks on Bitte Orca and a loopier beat than their usual, this new direction from the inventive band is a venture into avant-garde pop definitely worth looking into upon its release.

Andrew McCalla, also known as DJ Buck Wilders, is known around the city for being “that record store dude” who manages Shangri-la Records (named one of The Best Record Stores in the USA by Rolling Stone) in midtown.

He’s also known for spinning records at some of the most popular soul parties in Memphis. After going by several different DJ names that he made up before shows, “Buck Wilders,” a name given to him by a friend, stuck because he felt it perfectly personified how ridiculous he felt about having a “DJ name.”

An avid vinyl collector, his obsession started when he was 15 after his mother passed on her vinyl collection and an old turntable. Like most folks that go gaga over wax, he spent his youth digging through thrift stores and record stores, or pretty much anywhere he thought he might come across a hidden gem. Seventeen years later, he has thousands of records, which come in handy for McCalla since he has been playing records on Memphis radio station WEVL since 2007.

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I missed the premiere of the Big Star documentary, Nothing Can Hurt Me, along with the live redux of Sister Lovers / Third featuring Jody Stephens and Chris Stamey at SXSW a few days back. I was slated to perform with Memphis band Cloudland Canyon, but a last minute hissy fit and health problems helped me to keep my pledge to never play that nightmarish event again.

However, I was interviewed for the film a couple of years ago after Alex Chilton died, and, according to some of those who saw the cut of the documentary shown in Austin, I was described generously as comedic relief. I hope I was not described onscreen as Alex’s friend in the movie because the truth is that we were ex-friends for the last several decades of his life for numerous personal and professional lapses on my part.

Since his death, I have done quite a few other film and print interviews re: the late Mr. Chilton for other films in production about him currently, plus magazine articles and even a full-length biography to be printed by a reputable New York publisher. And with each interview, I feel just a bit more sleazy and uneasy about repeating what are now becoming clichéd, formulaic answers to easily anticipated questions. Recently, my (ex-?)girlfriend called me a “grave-robbing ghoul” re: the interviews about Alex that I am shamelessly doing now (hence the headline above). And I can’t disagree with her much on that score.

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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!

Well, hey there, Memphis! This week might have seemed way too long and full of allergies, but never fear! Winds of change are blowing through the city bringing with them plenty of great music to go out and see.

Dust off your favorite party hat—this weekend is going to provide you with ample reason to get buck!

Thursday (3/29) will act as the perfect opener to an awesome weekend. Fresh off a recording stint with world famous producer Dennis Herring, Star & Micey will be performing new pop bliss and old crowd favorites at The Young Avenue Deli. Coming off of a stellar showcase at SXSW and with an EP on the way, this band is definitely one to watch in 2012! The best part is, the evening doesn’t stop there! The Black Cadillacs will also be taking the stage with their reputation for remarkable musicianship. Also billed are the Americana-soaked sounds of Tom Evanchuck. If you have a thing for guitars and songs bursting at the seams with folksy goodness, you have to be in attendance!

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This past week, the tornado that is Fareveller hit ground in Memphis.

Acts like Ume and Those Darlins lit up stages and faces across a number of venues in midtown Memphis. Local and country-wide representation took turns bludgeoning Memphians with solid performances of great tunes. I had the opportunity to go see Eliot Lipp’s aural assault at Newby’s Memphis this past Friday, and luckily, lived to tell the tale.

Fellow beatmaker Mindelixir opened, playing plenty of what he’s known for—technical American dubstep is the name of his game, with plenty of mid-range wobble and super tight drum work. Mindelixir mixed his potions and dipped into instrumental hip hop by playing Hudson Mohawke’s crazy popular “Cbat,” but stayed above water for the most part with a tendency to only drop everyone’s favorite genre of womp womp.

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This past Monday, one of the key singer/songwriters of everyone’s favorite psychedelic folk/pop band Grizzly Bear released his first solo EP on the world. Daniel Rossen’s unaccompanied debut harkens back to the work of his past; however, its primary function seems to be portraying his unique voice alone.

Branching off from the more electronically involved Department of Eagles material of Rossen with fellow song writer Fred Nicolaus, past the glistening yet woody modern pop of Grizzly Bear, for the first time, the talented musician releases a collection of songs with a concentrated effort in his own sound.

Notable for its detached lyricism and chord progressions, the five song Silent Hour/Golden Mile EP wades through thick guitar textures and weighty piano pieces, all carrying densely packed equalization. From the Beatles-esque vocal layers of “Silent Song” to the complex web of guitars backed by thick horns and a patient beat in “Return to Form,” the EP keeps involving atmospheres close to its core.

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Hey Memphis! Riding the high tide of SXSW, our friends over at Fareveller are providing Memphians with 7 great shows this weekend.

In an almost “hair of the dog” fashion, keeping you hype from the week before, these next couple of days in Memphis are sure to give you something to go out and go see. With support from hot up-and-coming bands like Maps and Atlases and The Black Belles, it could be easy to get lost in the line-up and maybe miss out on some great shows. But never fear loyal readers, we here at The Vinyl District know you like to dance till dawn just as much as you like to rock out with your socks out, so here’s our heads up on the eclectic electronica celebrated at this weekend’s event.

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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.

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Hey Memphis! How was your Pi Day? Well, we’ve spent all week calculating the data, and this weekend is looking to add up to be killer.

This weekend, Memphis features the blackened metal of Nola natives Goatwhore and the sweet sounds of The Memphis Dawls, Cicada Rhythm, and Bret Ross. Such a wicked juxtaposition of genres from artists who proficiently showcase their work sets this weekend up for a high sum of fun.

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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!

Considering all the gray area involved in the wide world of modern hard rock, Jack White is still the shining example of the heroic legacy of rock ’n’ roll from years past. 

On stage, his quarter smile and raunchy ax work command the audience with an enlightened ease under a pseudo-indifferent guise. Easily winning attention and demanding his due, White worked the crowd like a seasoned NBA vet works any given court.

With well over a dozen years of live performances, White’s showmanship as a seasoned talent is wielded handily. His performance at the New Daisy Theater last Tuesday was a prime example. The troubadour pulled out all of the stops, hitting every corner of his catalog, from The Dead Weather’s “Cut Like a Buffalo” to The Raconteurs “Steady as She Goes.”

Of course, The White Stripes material was not neglected, as White played over half a dozen of their songs, even choosing to open his set with the White Blood Cells classic “Dead Leaves on the Dirty Ground.” Although his own solo material played second fiddle to the work he built his legacy on, and the audience might not have been able to sing along to the unfamiliar material, they never lost a beat and kept the groove by dancing to the unknown songs mixed in between familiar favorites.

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Holy crap, Memphis—Fareveller is fast approaching! The 3-Day festival, from March 22nd to 24th, is going to be overloading you with great music in several different venues around town. The local effort will bring a myriad of talented acts, both local and foreign, playing our beautiful bluff city. 

Friday March 23rd, Newby’s Memphis will play host to electronic aficionados Eliot Lipp and Mindelixer. In tandem, their music lays claim to a body of work of over 150 songs that touch on several different genres and styles. From hip hop, to dubstep, to far out IDM, the two acts are sure to bring fresh sounds to Memphis that you will love to dance to.

I got the chance to chat with Eliot Lipp about the writing music, analog synthesizers, and of course, vinyl.

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