Month: February 2015

25 Historically Black Colleges and Universities to Participate in Mobile College Fair

Post author By Louis Goggans
Post date February 27, 2015

Tennessee State, Florida A&M, Tuskegee, and Grambling State are only a handful of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) traveling to Memphis in March to recruit local high school students.

From March 3rd through the 6th, representatives from 25 HBCUs within the Southern region will meet with Shelby County Schools (SCS) juniors and seniors during a four-day mobile college fair. The HBCU Awareness Foundation, along with SchoolSeed, is presenting the fair.

Ten high schools are being targeted for the fair. Students who are interested in post-secondary education will have the chance to meet with various HBCUs and potentially be admitted on-site to their institution.

Traditional college fairs require students to travel to a particular venue to receive assistance from college representatives. But with the mobile tour, students will enjoy the comfort of HBCUs coming to them.

Things will kick off on March 3rd at both Central and Booker T. Washington. Students will get a chance to sit down and talk with HBCU representatives about college, share any questions or concerns, have their transcript reviewed, and be potentially recruited.

The following day (March 4th), students from Douglas, Craigmont, and Kingsbury High Schools will get their chance to speak with the college representatives. High schoolers at both Kirby and Southwind will talk with representatives from the various HBCUs on March 5th.

On the evening of March 5th, a college fair open to the public will take place at Oak Court Mall. From 5:30 to 8 p.m., HBCU recruiters will meet and talk to Memphians about college and assist them with any inquiries.

The four-day college fair will culminate on March 6th. Students interested in higher education at Whitehaven, Oakhaven, and East High will get the opportunity to speak with college representatives and possibly be admitted to a HBCU.

“HBCUs have produced some stellar individuals,” said Corey Allen, founder of the HBCU Awareness Foundation, in a statement. “Common, who recently won an Academy Award, is a graduate of Florida A&M. Oprah Winfrey is a graduate of Tennessee State. The next Thurgood Marshall could emerge from this opportunity. My overall goal is to increase awareness of HBCUs and to also provide additional options for selecting a college.”

Aside from Tennessee State, Tuskegee, Florida A&M, and Grambling State, other HBCUs participating in the college fair include: Alabama A&M University, Alcorn State University, Bethune-Cookman University, Claflin State University, Dillard University, Fort Valley State University, Jackson State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Lincoln (MO) University, Mississippi Valley State University, Philander Smith University, Rust College, Southern University, Tennessee State University, Tougaloo College, University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and Wilberforce University.

Additional sponsors of the college fair are Leadership Memphis, SCS, and Streets Ministries.

Tags College Fair, HBCU Awareness Foundation, Louis Goggans, Memphis Flyer, News Blog, SchoolSeed, Shelby County Schools

News News Blog

Tennessee Brewery Beer Garden Dates Announced

Post author By Bianca Phillips
Post date February 27, 2015

The Revival, the name for the second go-round of last year’s Untapped beer garden at the Tennessee Brewery, will launch on Thursday, April 9th and will be open every Thursday through Sunday for lunch and dinner until May 31st.

The Revival event has been granted a city beer permit. Craig Blondis of Central BBQ will act as the food and beverage partner, and he’ll be responsible for coordinating craft beer and food truck offerings.

“Guests can expect a daily variety of locally sourced and beer garden-inspired food options,” Blondis said. “We’ve got a few great surprises in store that are being brewed up at this very moment.”

Drivers along Tennessee Street may have noticed the iconic “Invest in Good Times” graffiti has been covered with a plywood barrier. The building’s new owner Billy Orgel says fans of the painting, which is apparently named Professor Catfish, need not worry.

“Rest assured, Professor Catfish is being preserved and we are finding a location for him inside the brewery where his sage ‘Invest in Good Times’ advice can be enjoyed by all of The Revival’s guests and visitors,” Orgel said. “That window will be replaced, bringing street-level transparency and light to some new activities we are planning for that room.”

Orgel purchased the building last year, months after the highly successful “Untapped” beer garden brought attention to the historic brewery’s plight. The building’s previous owner had plans to demolish the building. Orgel plans to renovate the structure and turn it into apartments.

Tags Billy Orgel, Central BBQ, Craig Blondis, Tennessee Brewery, The Revival, Untapped

Music Music Features

Flyer Music’s Secret Cheat Sheet

Post author By Joe Boone
Post date February 27, 2015

CREDIT: Bianca Phillips

Have a seat. We need to talk. There are going to be some changes around here. It’s been great covering the musical bounty of Memphis for The Memphis Flyer for the past year and a half, but I need some space. Don’t cry; that just makes it worse.

There’s good news. That Chris Shaw guy, the one who actually goes to shows and has even heard of the band you’re prattling on about, is going to take over as music editor. He earned the job fair and square: paid the most cash and completed the Flyer music petty-crime obstacle course in record time and with record spoils. You’re in good hands. Shaw has been on the front lines of making records and touring. We haven’t written much about his band Ex-Cult, because only the music editor can write about his or her own band. Shaw will do a good job. Or the editor will take him on a “boat ride.” I’m just glad to get out of here alive. But before I go, I want to give you some advice. Everybody likes advice.

Bianca Phillips

Chris Shaw

I was recently told that some musicians have said they don’t know how to get into the Flyer. This is my Edward Snowden moment. You are about to find out the long-held secret of having your band get covered by this illustrious newspaper. Contrary to popular belief, the Flyer music desk is not a giant throne from which we look down and deny you coverage. I asked for that, but was told no. Here’s how it works:

Be good at music or be interesting: This inescapable reality has escaped a lot of people. Beautiful sounds have been pulling decent people’s lives off-course since the days of Odysseus. Too many people hear those sounds and set off on ill-advised forays into a hyper-competitive world that offers low rewards. This is hard work. Even when you are really good, those who can pay won’t value your talents. You have two options: either be great at music or become some sort of spectacle that people will pay to see. You can learn the scales, or you can bite the chicken. Your call.

Make a record: Recording music forces us to think about music. The benefits of organizing and arranging become immediately apparent. So many over-soloed live-music nightmares could have been avoided if people had thought of their performance in terms of the three-minute limit. Being aware of how you present your art is essential anywhere. But this is Memphis, everybody. You better have a record. You can go into roughly 75 million recording studios in this city and get the job done by master engineers. Want to learn about music? Go work with an engineer. Making records ranks third — after barbecue gobbling and yelling at the wrestling — on the list of stuff Memphis does. Want to be in the paper? Show us your Soundcloud page or, better yet, send us a proper vinyl record.

Get a real gig: Another great barometer of your musical worth? A crowd. Hurdling the bar of getting booked, showing up on time with all of your stuff, and not running off a room full of profitable beer drinkers all adds up to what we call credibility. Our friends the computers have tricked us into thinking that we can easily make music and double tricked us into thinking we should share it with everyone online. Settle down. Try your sounds in front of real people. Check out our listings for all of the bars that host music all over this city. Get on the bill.

The Big Secret: Give the chicken a benedryl. Just kidding. You have to let us know about your record or your gig. Our crystal ball got busted during a rumble with the television news people. We can no longer read your mind or divine when you are going to play somewhere. There is a “submit event” link at the top left of the Flyer website. Use it to put your gig into our calendar and digital coverage. Give us two weeks’ notice for print.

*This plan may not always lead to adoration. But that’s how the system works. Go game that sucker. The Memphis Flyer supports every knucklehead making records and playing gigs in this city. We have limited time and space but unlimited love for Memphis music.

Tags Chris Shaw, How to get your band in the paper, Joe Boone, Memphis Flyer Music Editor

Editorial Opinion

Cohen On Netanyahu

Post author By
Post date February 27, 2015

Close study of major changes in official American policies and attitudes reveals a principle that has been informally given the name of “Nixon-Goes-to-China” — a reference to President Richard Nixon’s historic 1971 diplomatic opening
to a country that U.S. officialdom had always withheld recognition from.

During Nixon’s early prominence, he was a scourge of what he and other Cold Warriors scorned as “Red China,” and it was only from that well-established position that he could so dramatically change positions and tilt for a change in policy.

So we come to the current controversy over a decision by the Republican leader of the House of Representatives to issue an invitation to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and to do so not only without consulting Democratic President Barack Obama but to make sure the president knew nothing of the invitation in advance.

Who better to come to grips with the matter than our own 9th District congressman, Steve Cohen, who, in a public statement, identifies himself as both “a supporter of the state of Israel and a Jewish American.” His views on the Netanyahu matter derive from an undeniable sincerity.

Cohen has declared that he will not attend Netanyahu’s speech before Congress. He noted the insult to Obama and the breach of precedent involved in the invitation by Boehner. He pointed out that the Israeli prime minister is a candidate in forthcoming elections in his own country, and that Netanyahu has improperly used video footage of previous speeches before Congress in his electoral campaigns, making the United States government an involuntary campaign supporter by proxy.

Cohen then noted the uses to which the Netanyahu visit will likely be put: “The Speaker’s invitation to Prime Minister Netanyahu is political gamesmanship and it is a very dangerous game. The prime minister’s use of the U.S. House chamber as a stage to argue against the comprehensive agreement on the Iranian nuclear program, which is currently being negotiated among Iran and the P5+1 — the United States, Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom and Germany, is reckless.

“While Americans and members of Congress may disagree on anything, even foreign policy, providing a forum of such immense prestige and power to the leader of another country who is opposing our nation’s foreign policy is beyond the pale. It endangers the negotiations, insults the good faith of the other nations involved in the negotiations, and emboldens Iran who may well view this schism in our government as an opportunity for advantage. While we can disagree with our president, we as a nation should be as one on our foreign policy and any disagreements should be presented in a respectful, appropriate and time-honored manner.”

Cohen concludes: “[M]y support of Israel has not wavered but I believe that this speech at this time and brought forth in this manner is dangerous to Israel as well as inappropriate. Nothing should come between our two nations. The actions of the Speaker and the Prime Minister have caused a breach between Democrats in Congress and Israel as well as the administrations of the United States and Israel. My lack of attendance does not mean I will not be aware of the content of the speech nor does it mean I won’t follow the commentary both pro and con, but I will not be part of the spectacle.”

Agree or disagree as you will, this is well and powerfully said.

Tags Benjamin Netanyahu, Congressman Steve Cohen, Israeli election, John Boehner, Speech to Congress

Sports Tiger Blue

SMU 66, Tigers 57

Post author By Frank Murtaugh
Post date February 26, 2015

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

Facing the 21st-ranked team in the country, the Tigers would have had their hands full with a complete arsenal Thursday night at FedExForum. By the third minute of the second half, though, two starting guards (Markel Crawford and Kedren Johnson) were out of the game for good and a third (Pookie Powell) was not even in the building, nursing an illness on campus.

Despite the emaciated roster, the Tigers found themselves tied (48-48) with SMU with less than ten minutes to play after Calvin Godfrey connected on a jump shot from near the top of the key. But Larry Brown’s Mustangs then reeled off a 15-4 run, capped by junior guard Nic Moore’s dagger three-pointer at the 2:49 mark to secure the visitors’ 23rd win of the season.

Larry Kuzniewski
Shaq Goodwin

Crawford collapsed to the ground after a collision with Mustang forward Yanick Moreira (setting a screen) with just over three minutes to play in the first half. Replays showed Crawford’s head made full impact with Moreira’s left shoulder. (No foul was called.) Crawford left the court after several minutes of attention for a bloodied mouth.

Then early in the second half — before either team had scored — Johnson was called for a personal foul (his fourth of the game) under the Mustang basket, then received a technical foul for a verbal exchange with an SMU player, which counted as a fifth, disqualifying violation. “[Sterling] Brown had something to say about the way I fouled his teammate,” explained Johnson after the game. “He approached me and said something I didn’t like, and I reacted the wrong way. The ref heard it and gave me a tech. It’s my fault; I take responsibility for it. It’s never happened to me before. It was shocking.”

“I’m proud of our guys,” said Memphis coach Josh Pastner. “We battled. We competed. Obviously, we were down some players. Kedren took that silly [technical] foul, and Markel being out with his jaw [injury]. Having those two guys down, it made it tough in the second half. Nic Moore hit a couple of big shots that broke our backs. We were mixing and matching, trying everything we could. SMU’s the best team in the league.”

The Tigers were down just two points at halftime (30-28), despite little offense from Austin Nichols (one for eight from the field) and the Mustangs taking 18 free throws to the Tigers’ three.

Shaq Goodwin had one of his best performances of the season with 17 points, seven rebounds, and a pair of blocks, helping the U of M outscore the Mustangs in the paint, 32-26. But Nichols never found his touch, missing nine of 11 shots and Avery Woodson wasn’t much better (three for 11). In addition to 16 points by Moore, the Mustangs got 11 each from Moreira and Ryan Manuel.

“We needed to come up with big plays in the final stretch,” said Goodwin. “We needed to come up with the plays they came up with. That’s why they won the game.”

“Losing Markel was a huge factor,” said Nichols. “He pretty much locked down [Ryan Boatright] of UConn. We were aiming for him to help us out with Nic Moore. That was a huge loss for us. We had to fight through it. We didn’t give up; that’s a positive. I’m proud of my teammates for not folding.”

Nick King came off the bench and scored 14 points for the Tigers, his most since mid-January.

The Tigers fall to 17-11 with the loss, which ended a three-game winning streak. They return to play Saturday night at FedExForum when Tulsa — tied atop the American Athletic Conference with SMU — comes to town. At halftime of the home finale, the 1984-85 Tigers will be honored as part of the 30th anniversary of the team’s run to the Final Four.

Tags Josh Pastner, Larry Brown, Memphis vs SMU, Mustangs, Tigers

Calling the Bluff Music

Throwback Thursday: Project Pat Talks Growing Up as Juicy J’s Older Brother

Post author By Louis Goggans
Post date February 26, 2015

The bond between Project Pat and Juicy J runs deeper than music. They’re blood brothers who emerged from humble beginnings together in North Memphis.

In 2013, Project Pat reflected on growing up as Juicy J’s older brother during an interview on Sway in the Morning. He also talked about Juicy J’s relentless hustle, joining Wiz Khalifa’s Taylor Gang imprint, and the potential of Three 6 Mafia reuniting.

Check out the interview below.

Throwback Thursday: Project Pat Talks Growing Up as Juicy J’s Older Brother

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Tags Calling the Bluff, Juicy J, Louis Goggans, Memphis Flyer, Project Pat, Sway in the Morning, Throwback Thursday

Film Features Film/TV

2015 Oxford Film Festival

Post author By Chris McCoy
Post date February 26, 2015

The Oxford Film Festival marks its 12th year of bringing fresh new films to Mississippi. This year marks the end of an era. “It’s the last year for us four volunteer directors,” says Development Director Melanie Addington, who, along with Executive Director Molly Fergusson, Operations Director Michelle Emanuel, and Hospitality Director Diala Chaney, has been integral in starting and growing the festival. An advisory committee will be searching for new leadership for the festival, with a decision expected to be announced soon. “I’ll be involved in some way, whether it’s making a film or volunteering as an usher,” Addington says. “But it’s time to hand it off for fresh, new ideas.”

Appropriately, this year’s opening night feature is The Sound and the Fury, an adaptation of the acclaimed 1929 novel by Oxford’s favorite son William Faulkner. James Franco both directs and stars as Benjy Compson in this tale of fallen Southern aristocracy and gothic tragedy. Actor Tim Blake Nelson, who plays Jason Compson III, will be on hand for the Thursday screening. Addington says one of the highlights of the film is the performance by Brady Permenter, a 10-year-old Misssissippian who plays Young Quentin Compson. “He’s amazing. This is going to be the start of a long career for him.”

The Sound and the Fury

The festival’s most anticipated film is a short from Memphis director Melissa Anderson Sweazy, The Department of Signs and Magical Interventions. A screenwriter who worked in Hollywood for several years before returning to Memphis, Sweazy says the film has been a long time in the making: “It was inspired by a dream I had, many years ago, that prominently featured a dragonfly. In waking life, things that happened in the dream started happening. I stared seeing a dragonfly. It got me wondering … this dragonfly seemed to be an answer to a question I had. I asked for a sign from above to make sure I was on the right track, then started seeing an actual dragonfly. And then I thought, ‘What if there actually was a place that was responsible for these signs, either confirming them and allowing your request or denying your request. What if I followed somebody who worked in this bureaucracy, and what if they were really bad at their job?'”

The 19-minute film stars Memphians Sean McBride as a recently deceased skateboarder who is tasked by a celestial bureaucracy, staffed by Bart Shannon, Eileen Townsend, Lindsey Roberts, and Darius Wallace, to keep tabs on the dreams of a young woman played by Brandi Gist. Sweazy’s screenplay won several screenwriting awards including the Grand Prize at the Vail Film Festival in 2012. “Part of the prize was a staged reading of the screenplay, and then afterwards people said to me, ‘You really should direct this!’ But I didn’t have the first clue how to do it,” says Sweazy. “And that’s why I did my first short [2013’s John’s Farm], to learn on that one to get enough experience to tackle Department of Signs.”

Another award-winning film with local ties is OzLand by Mississippi filmmaker Michael Williams. The post-apocalyptic story about a pair of refugees wandering a parched world who latch onto The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to help interpret their world, recently won Best Feature and Best Cinematography at the Magnolia Film Festival. “It’s really beautiful,” says Addington. “I think we programmed one of Michael’s films when he was a student, and we’ve been programming him pretty consistently over the years. We’re glad he finally came out with a feature. He’s really talented.”

Robert Allen Parker’s short music documentary, Jim Dickinson: The Man Behind the Console, coming off a successful screening at last year’s Indie Memphis, uses vintage clips to profile the legendary Memphis music figure whose production genius made some of the city’s indelible sounds. Addison says that’s just one of several films in the festival by and about Mississippians.

The 2015 Oxford Film Festival runs from Thursday, February 26th to Sunday, March 1st at the Malco Oxford Commons, with the traditional Lyric Theatre awards ceremony on Saturday, February 28th at 9 pm.

Music Music Blog

Cities Aviv Premiers New Songs on Fader

Post author By Chris Shaw
Post date February 26, 2015

Cities Aviv

Memphis was a better place when Cities Aviv was part of our music scene. Now that he’s moved to Bushwick, New York I can’t help but miss the mind-bending performances he used to put on around town. Lucky for us, The Fader just premiered two excellent new songs. Check them out, as well as our feature on him here. If you feel like jumping on a plane, he’s playing at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in New York City tonight.

Cities Aviv Premiers New Songs on Fader

Tags Cities Aviv, Memphis Music Alumni, New Music, The Fader

Memphis Gaydar News

Cherry’s “Love Or Lack Thereof” Burlesque Party

Post author By Bianca Phillips
Post date February 26, 2015

Whether you spent Valentine’s Day cuddling with your SO or cuddling a pint of Ben & Jerry’s, the monthly Cherry party for lesbians and their friends is offering a Valentine’s-themed do-over. And this time, everyone, single or not, will get to see some skin.

That’s because the monthly party features a burlesque show with Kitty Wompas, Requi Emma, Macc Onner, Spyke Styletto, Vivi Ven Detta, and Gypsy Magnolia. Catch the action at the 5 Spot inside Earnestine & Hazel’s on Saturday, February 28th. Doors open at 8:30 p.m., and there are two burlesque shows — one at 9:30 p.m. and another 11 p.m. Admission is $10 for general admission and $20 for VIP.

The 5 Spot should have their liquor license by then, so drink specials are planned. For food, they’ll be offering Soulburgers, oysters on the half shell, Thai sandwiches, and BLT’s.