Bianca Phillips reports on changes MATA has made to several routes.
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Month: November 2013
Last week, we learned that Lafayette’s Music Hall will return to Overton Square. Loeb Properties has leased the site of the venerable showcase theater to Beale Street Blues Company. Lafayette’s was short lived but looms large in the mythology of Memphis music.
The club was something of an afterthought for Overton Square developers Ben Woodson, Charlie Hull, Buck Doggrell, Jimmy Robinson, and George Saig. The club was named for legendary bartender Lafayette Draper.
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“I knew them all,” Draper says. “They decided to name the club after me because I was familiar with everybody.”
Draper was not a partner in the bar. Having other jobs, he had to keep his association something of a secret.
“I was working at Sears and Roebuck at the same time. Of course, they were going through the liquor by the drink thing. My general manager [at Sears] wasn’t to happy about liquor by the drink. So I kind of kept a low profile.”
On a side note, Draper furthered his reputation as a pioneer with Lafayette’s Corner when Beale was first developed.
“That was in 1983,” Draper says. “Beale Street hadn’t taken off then. It stayed there until about ’85 or ’86.”
Lafayette’s is famous for booking acts that later went on to huge successes. Billy Joel has credited the club and Memphis for his breakout success. The club was part of a circuit, according to Jerry Swift, who booked local talent for Lafayette’s and opened his own club, the Ritz Music Hall, when Lafayette’s closed in 1975.
The bands that came through were part of a showcase circuit.
“They would start up at the Bottom Line in New York or the Cellar Door in DC,” Swift says. “And then come down the East Coast, the Great Southeast Music Hall in Atlanta, the Exit Inn in Nashville. They’d come in to Lafayette’s and when it closed to my place, the Ritz. Then they’d head to New Orleans and then to Armadillo World Headquarters (in Austin).”
It was another time altogether for music.
“Groups wanted to come here because of the power of FM100 at the time,” Swift says. “If they could get airplay and an add at FM100 — which is what made Billy Joel come back so many times. FM100 was a major powerhouse and AOR. If you got added at FM100, you got added at stations across the Southeast and all across the country.”
Lafayette’s only lasted from 1973 to 1975. But the square endured for a few years after that, leaving an impression on the minds of Memphians who appreciated a place to enjoy themselves.
“It was strange in the fact that it never set out to be a club,” Swift says. “The club never really had managers, etc. They didn’t have a kitchen. It was small, two story. They could max it out around 300 people. It was the ’70s and we had very cooperative state government officials, as well as local mayor Wyeth Chandler. People didn’t crack down on stuff like that. Lafayette’s was kind of an annex to Friday’s. They’d sent someone over there to manage the place, a few bartenders and somebody to book the place. Then it got to taking off.”
Jack Phillips of Beale Street Blues is excited to be moving into the Overton Square resurgence and sees the bar appealing to a wide range of musical patrons. People who have complained about late start times and band P.A. systems will find solace in the plans of the new proprietors.
“We’re still designing the logo,” Phillips says. “I hope to have Tab Beniot and Kermit Ruffin come up. We’re pretty open to what will be playing. Earlier in the evening, we’ll have an acoustical set or a trio, something a little quieter for the dinner crowd. Where people can hear each other talk, bring the kids, and have fun. Later in the evening, it gets a little louder, a little more involved.”
Lafayette Draper is proud to see his name returning to the Square:
“It made me feel good just to use the name. What made me want to do that was … I remember one of the tax collectors in town after I came out of the Navy — my dad was a bartender at the American Legion — he walked up and told me I wouldn’t be a better man than my daddy. I told him I might not be a better man, but I’d be a good man. And I’m going to make my daddy’s name known. That was one of the things that made me go on as strong as I could. I am just so proud of the name Lafayette. Sure am.”
The monthly Cherry party will have a holiday theme this weekend at the Dublin House (2021 Madison).
The party on Saturday, November 30th will feature drag and burlesque performances by Kissame Suga, Will Ryder, Iris Le’Fluer, FreakNasty, Fiona Nix, and Bianca Bruchette. And as always, Julie Wheeler will host the show. There will be holiday food and drink special before, during, and after the show. And the party continues into the wee hours of the morning with live DJs.
Doors open at 8 p.m. Show starts at 9 p.m. Cover charge is $10.
The Memphis Area Transit Authority is making some tweaks to the major route overhaul that happened in September.
Beginning December 1st, 11 fixed routes will be adjusted based on traffic conditions and rider concerns and suggestions.
“The major route adjustments made in September have been generally well received as our riders better understand the flow and begin to experience some of the time savings that are possible,” said Tom Fox, Deputy General Manager for MATA. “In the time since the changes in September, we have listened to many customers and are making these adjustments to reflect their concerns and suggestions. Covering ever-changing customer needs requires us to be flexible to change and improvement to meet those needs, and these changes are an example of that.”
The changes will cost MATA an additional $100,000 per year, but that is expected to be made up through adjusting MATA budget by cutting costs in other areas.
Two new routes that were added in September, the 42 and the 46, will have schedule adjustments, frequency increases, and stop additions. Other routes, such as the 57 Park and the 13 Lauderdale, will add stops that have been requested by riders.
Here are the rest of the changes:
7 Air Park — Add one outbound trip in the am peak beginning approximately 5:00 a.m. The trip will begin at Lamar and Bellevue.
11 Thomas — Route change for Weekday Nights and Sunday. Outbound from the North End Terminal (NET): right on A.W. Willis, left on Thomas, left on Pear, right on North Second/Whitney, left on Dellwood, left on Steele to end of the line at Steele and Corning. Inbound: right on Corning, right on Watkins, right on Frayser, left on Steele, right on Dellwood, right on Whitney/N. Second, left on Pear, right on Thomas, right on A.W. Willis, left on Second, right on Shadyac into NET.
13 Lauderdale — Route change for Weekday and Saturday. Inbound: regular route from Alice & Laramie to Central Station and then right on Front, and right A.W. Willis to the NET. Outbound: left on Shadyac, right on Third, right on Jackson, left on Front to Central Station; leaving Central Station, right on Front, right on G.E. Patterson and continue regular route to the end of the line.
20 Bellevue — Add one inbound trip to downtown in the am peak period beginning approximately 5:00 a.m.
36 Hacks Cross — Route change for Weekday and Saturday. Outbound: Regular route from NET to Union & Pauline, right on Pauline, left on Crump/Lamar and continue regular route to the end of the line at Hack Cross. Inbound: regular route from Hacks Cross to Lamar, right on Somerville/Linden, right on Pauline, and continue regular route to the NET.
39 South Third — Adjust schedule times at timepoints on Western Park branch on Weekday and Saturday.
42 Crosstown — Adjust schedule times to add four minutes to run time of each trip. Slight increase in frequency. Eliminate am and pm peak period trips serving Job Corps Center. See route 46-Whitehaven for replacement service.
46 Whitehaven — Name changed from 46-Whitehaven Flyer. Route change for Weekday. Serve all stops along the route instead of only selected stops and serve the Jobs Corps Center in Whitehaven. Inbound: Job Corps Center at McAlister, left on Millbranch, right on Winfield, right on Elvis Presley/Bellevue and continue regular route to NET. Outbound: regular route to Millbranch & Winfield, straight on Millbranch, and right on McAlister to Job Corps Center.
52 Jackson – Route change for Weekday, Saturday and Sunday. Outbound: regular route from NET to Austin Peay, right on Covington Pike to end of the line at Wal-Mart. Inbound: from Covington Pike, right on Yale, left on Austin Peay, and continue regular route to the NET.
53 Summer — Route change for Weekday and Saturday. On trips that serve Binghampton, the loop will operate the same as Night and Sunday loop. Outbound: regular route from NET to Tillman, right on Tillman, left on Johnson, left on Holmes, right on Summer, and continue regular route to the end of the line. Inbound: regular route from the end of the line to Summer & Holmes, left on Holmes, right on Johnson, right on Tillman, left on Summer and continue regular route to the NET.
57 Park — Route change for Weekday, Saturday and Sunday. Inbound: from the end of the line (St. Francis or Kirby Road), regular route to Lamar, right on Lamar, left on Harbert, right on Bellevue, right on McLemore, regular route to the end of the line. Outbound: regular route from Benford & Davant to McLemore & Bellevue, left on Bellevue, right on Lamar, and continue regular route to the end of the line (Saint Francis or Kirby Road).
You like the punk rock, do ya? Get ready to flip out, mister. Tanks, Special Agent Cooper, and Broken Arrow are at the Hi-Tone on Thursday.
Tanks:
Special Agent Cooper:
Frasyer’s Yo Gotti brings the I Am tour to town.
PARENTAL ADVISORY!!!!!!: He says the word “shit.” So look out. Lock the kids in the attic.
There is something wild about Newby’s the night before Thanksgiving. Memphians go away to school and get back together for the first time. It’s usually freakin’ haywire in there. Detroit’s 22-year-old producer Griz will likely whip up some sort of major frenzy.
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The Weekly Three-Pointer
Flyer Griz writer Kevin Lipe has lots of thoughts on the road forward without Marc Gasol.
- Larry Kuzniewski
- Jon Leuer: Scout #3 is not a fan, apparently.
Scout’s Honor
Sam Amick of USA Today had a piece on Sunday that caught the attention of some of us who watch the Grizzlies. The piece is an examination of the impact of Marc Gasol’s knee injury on the Grizzlies, and how the team is expected to fare until Gasol returns. Amick talked to LaMarcus Aldridge of the Portland Trail Blazers, who said that Gasol is “the engine behind that team.” Then, he talked to three NBA advance scouts—guys who travel around from town to town scouting opponents for NBA teams—what they thought of the situation. Remember, these are presumably actual scouts who work for actual NBA teams.
From Scout #1:
I hate to beat a dead horse but trading (Rudy) Gay (to the Toronto Raptors) last season, then firing (coach Lionel) Hollins this summer, is, and will continue to haunt them.
From Scout #2:
What can’t be overlooked is that he knows where every player is suppose to be on the court and many times has to direct Zach where to go. He is also a smart, positional defender. In addition, he is competitive and is a quiet, but respected leader in the locker room. Koufos will give them solid minutes, but now Ed Davis or (third-year forward) Jon Leuer will have to contribute key minutes in relief.
From Scout #3:
It will make them more perimeter-oriented and rely on Koufos, who is a glorified (NBA Development League player). They will find out if Ed Davis is the real deal or not. … At one time management thought his presence made Randolph expendable, which is laughable. Guys like Jon Leuer will have to play some minutes, and he wouldn’t be good in the D-League.
Which one of these three scouts sounds like someone who actually has watched a lot of Grizzlies games? Hint: not Scout #1 or Scout #3.
Remember, these are guys (I assume they’re guys) who get paid money by NBA teams to go watch other teams and report back on what they look like and how best to game-plan to beat them. There is a guy who gets paid money by an NBA franchise to report back that Kosta Koufos—81-game starter for the 3rd-seed Denver Nuggets last year—is a “glorified D-League player.” What does that even mean? And saying that Jon Leuer “wouldn’t be good in the D-League”: Jon Leuer has played in the D-League and I think averaging almost 20-10 is “good.”
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If anything, the quotes from these scouts just illustrate the divide between the basketball media and players, coaches, and scouts in the league. Guys like that are how players like Rudy Gay—a good-but-not-great talent who has never developed his game much—end up with $19,000,000 contracts that financially hamstring franchises. At some point, the scouts are going to be looking at the same data as everyone else, right? Until then, they’re going to keep perpetuating the same myths we’ve heard over and over, and teams are going to keep failing to make the most informed decisions possible.
The Pondexter Affair
I just used that title because it sounds like a crappy spy novel. What I mean is that Quincy Pondexter got a DNP Monday night against the Rockets, which is somewhat unexpected. The word—as reported by Chris Vernon on Twitter during Monday’s game—was that the team had decided on a rotation and he was the odd man out.
I said this in my game recap, but I don’t think that’s the kind of decision that should be made before a game and stuck to no matter what. Pondexter has been pretty bad all year, yes, but when Jerryd Bayless is shooting 1-7 and not accomplishing anything, what does it hurt to throw Pondexter in and see what happens? If anything, even if he’s not doing much, he’s going to play hard enough that maybe he’ll make a defensive play or get to the free throw line.
I’m not saying I think Pondexter has earned the right to play; this season, he hasn’t. But I think going “ride or die” with Mike Miller and Jerryd Bayless as your only backup 2-guards when you have Pondexter, who is young enough to hand the minutes Mike Miller is playing while Mike Miller isn’t, just sitting there looking at his shoes is a mistake. It illustrates some of the lineup issues we’ve seen so far in the Joerger Era—things that are probably to be expected from a guy who’s still only coached 14 games as an NBA head coach: he leaves certain guys (and certain groups of guys) on the floor far longer than he should, and doesn’t get other guys on the court enough. If Jerryd Bayless is out there laying bricks, and you’re committed to not playing Pondexter, why not put in Jamaal Franklin? Why not do something other than leave Bayless out there playing about as well as I would?
Deciding that Pondexter isn’t going to play before the game and sticking to it while Jerryd Bayless plays like a dirty diaper: not a decision I can get behind.
Grizzlies at Celtics
The last time these two teams played, back in the “are the Grizzlies going to be terrible this year?” period of the early season, the Grizzlies had to fight tooth-and-nail not to lose to the Celtics at FedExForum. Kelly Olynyk looked like an actual basketball player, and some dude name Vitor Faverani had 5 points and 6 rebounds. Needless to say, it wasn’t the Grizzlies’ finest hour.
Tonight the game is in Boston rather than in Memphis, but I expect the team to play much differently. This time, they’re going to have to play well to get on track as a team in the absence of Marc Gasol; good minutes together (and time playing with groups of guys that haven’t played together much yet) will go a long way towards making sure the Grizzlies can stay on the right track while Gasol is on the mend.
Last time these two teams played each other, Jeff Green scored 22 points on 6-12 shooting, taking advantage of the Grizzlies’ porous defense. The Griz have to do a better job of protecting the lane tonight, which is easier said than done given the lack of a large Spanish body to fill it with. I think the Grizzlies will win tonight, but I don’t expect it to be pretty, and I don’t expect the Celtics to roll over and play dead, either.
Who knows, maybe it won’t be so frustrating the only way I can express myself is through poetry. That’d be nice.
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Indie Spirit Awards Have Memphis Flavor
Greg Akers reports that the prestigious Indie Spirit Awards nominees include a number of Memphis-connected films, including Mud.