Since 2007, the Church Health Center has found a brilliant way to wed great music with an even greater cause.
The Rock for Love event has its aim on raising money for the Church Health Center. In a half dozen years, they’ve amassed over $120,000 to aid the Center in providing quality, affordable health care to uninsured working people and their families. Rock for Love 6 is an event at three different venues with over a dozen great bands all geared towards a bigger cause.
Starting up yesterday, the event has already hosted the talent of Mouserocket, Mark Edgar Stuart, and others. So what does Rock for Love have in store for us this weekend? Get your gear ready; it’s time for Weekend Shots: Rock for Love 6 Edition!
Friday (9/7) Hi-Tone Cafe has a strong dose of the heart with a few great sentimental acts. Love-centric Chris Milam will be playing romantic songs for girls and guys who like girls. Also billed, the rising power pop of Star & Micey (who are on the cusp of releasing a Dennis Hearing-produced EP!) will play a set. As if Star & Micey weren’t enough of a reason to go out and party by themselves, a few songs in the set will feature former Big Star drummer Jody Stephens.
Even better news, SnowGlobe is going to have a set! The indie pop/rock band has some of Memphis’ most stellar examples of composition and production, andgiven that they only play a handful of shows a year, this is definitely something you shouldn’t miss!
Saturday (9/8) comes bearing gifts of a full day of live music. Overton Square will be closed to traffic in kieu of a Rock for Love stage that will feature tons of great talent. The Memphis Dawls have been on a roll after re-releasing their debut EP and opening up for Jack White. The Dawls, who carry a haunting-yet-romantic folk sound, are a perfect balance between instinctual emotions and intellectually rich lyricism. Larry Raspberry has been knee-deep in music since The Gentrys came out strong with “Keep on Dancin'” in 1965. He later developed his second group, Larry Raspberry and the Highsteppers, who will be playing a set during the afternoon. Bringing it full circle, Raspberry’s band will feature members of The Gentrys, satisfying two completely different groups of nostalgia-hounds.
Getting back to the Hi-Tone Cafe, there’s yet another amazing night of music to catch. Fast Planet is one of Memphis’s few electronic heavy acts. What’s better is that they aren’t trying to recreate your favorite Deadmau5 or Skrillex song just because they make beats. Fast Planet has a delicate indie-electronica sound, somewhere around a more mature Postal Service. With brilliant production (both with their music and the videos that are attached to it), Fast Planet’s handle on their sonic soundscape is a refreshing look into what Memphis could offer the national electronic scene. Another great band to see on Saturday is the bouncy throwback psuedo honky-tonk of Dead Soldiers. The Soldiers have been trucking on for a few years with a throwback sound that dips into 50s rockabilly without losing its own modern flair.
Sunday (9/9) closes the weekend off at everyone’s favorite outdoor venue, The Levitt Shell. Rap aficianado Al Kapone will be spitting his sick rhymes as the sun goes down at Overton Park.
For an extra heaping of awesome from a completely different angle, Booker T. Jones close out the Rock for Love 6 event. You may know him from Booker T and the MG’s, but that’s not the only thing he’s done. From writing and recording for over 40 years to working with ?uestlove and The Roots, Booker T is a man that has been around the block so many times that he knows exactly where his sound is located. Come out and bring the fam; this last night will have all the fun you’ll need to recharge your battery to take on the next work week.
The full list of acts featured this weekend is extensive and not limited to the great talent we chose to spotlight. Come out, have fun, enjoy and support the Rock for Love 6!
Friday
Hi Tone Cafe $10
Chris Milam – 9:15 p.m.
Wuvbirds – 10 p.m.
Snowglobe – 11 p.m.
Star & Micey feat. Jody Stephens – 12 a.m.
Saturday
Overton Square
Ink Off!
The Memphis Blazers – 10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
STAX Academy Band – 11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
John Murry & J.D. Reager – 12:30 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Rev. John Wilkins – 1:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Larry Raspberry and the Highsteppers ft. the Gentrys – 2:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Marcela Pinilla – 4:15 p.m.- 5 p.m.
Kaleidophonix – 5:15 p.m. – 6 p.m.
The Memphis Dawls – 6:15 p.m. – until
Hi Tone Cafe $10
Fast Planet – 9 p.m.
Dead Soldiers – 9:50 p.m.
The Modifiers – 10:45 p.m.
Tanks – 11:40 p.m.
The Switchblade Kid – 12:30 a.m.
Sunday
Levitt Shell
Al Kapone – 6 p.m.
Booker T. Jones – 7:15 p.m.
