…And that right there is not a juxtaposition of names you’re likely to see too often. This weekend, follow me on a journey of extremes, from laid back, classic pop and soul music that you love to badass, grinding, too-loud-for-your-mom metal. Here we go!
Friday, July 22nd: Huey Lewis and the News at the Memphis Botanic Garden
Huey Lewis & The News in Studio A at Ardent with engineer Curry Weber and assistant Lydia Gilman.
Now, I could go on about Huey Lewis for quite a while… So I will. When they came to Ardent Studos last year to record Soulsville, I thought sure, this will be great! I’ll get to meet Huey Lewis and Johnny Colla, get my picture made, brag to all my friends, etc. What I didn’t expect was for all of them – the entire News, and Huey to boot – to be such utter gentlemen. But how they were. And the best part – the part that made that record sound the way it does – is how laid back they were.
Take a listen to Soulsville and you’ll feel as if Huey was meant to sing those songs, and the News to play them. So it was no surprise when we saw them at Minglewood Hall (we meaning nearly the entire Ardent Studios staff) this year that they blew our collective socks off, nailing every one of the soul classics that they added to their repertoire of 80’s classics (yes, those are on the list too). Not to be missed!
Saturday, July 23rd: Flesh Parade, Incineration, Cremains, Powers that Be at Hi Tone Cafe
When you go to the website for Mainstay Recordings, the label for Louisiana death metal/grindcore outfit Flesh Parade (they are in fact the only act on the label), it reads “The cracker crumblin’ spicy blackened cajun grinders from New Orleans are back!” I really couldn’t think of a more accurate way to put it. The screams, growls, and generally terrifying sounds coming out of this band are the perfect way for you to wind yourself back up after the feel-good performance you will have experienced at Huey Lewis the night before. Come early to catch Cremains – one of my favorite locals from Memphis Hates You Fest.
So there you have it. Love, anger, sweetness and acrimony all in one weekend. Get out and experience it all!
