Remember when we were all talking about the Grizzlies’ season, and about how they’d probably be fine as long as they didn’t suffer any major injuries?
…Now they’ve suffered a major injury. In the midst of an undeniably great start to the season, putting up the best numbers of his career in an offense designed to maximize his abilities on the court, winning more games than anyone thought they would, Mike Conley went down after a play last night and didn’t get up for a while. And now:
Sources: Grizzlies guard Mike Conley suffered a transverse process fracture in the vertebrae. He will miss an indefinite period of time.
The Grizzlies were already shorthanded, missing Brandan Wright (who has yet to play a regular season minute this year), Chandler Parsons, and James Ennis to injuries, and with Zach Randolph still away from the team after the passing of his mother. Conley’s injury was a freak thing, not related to playing too much or to overuse or anything—just one of those things. That doesn’t make the Grizzlies’ prospects over the next six weeks feel any better.
I don’t know that to say. At least there are young guys to play instead of Ryan Hollins and Jordan Farmar? That seems like pretty weak consolation. I got nothing. Maybe Conley should play in full pads from now on.
Juicy J returns to Memphis on February, 20th 2017.
Memphis rap legend Juicy J is bringing his “Rubba Band Business” tour to Minglewood Hall next February. Joining the founding member of Three Six Mafia will be Ottawa rapper Belly. Tickets are currently on sale for the February 20th gig, and can be purchased at the Minglewood box office, or by clicking here.
The show is all ages- making for one of the first times in recent memory that children of all sizes can enjoy the national treasure known as Juicy J. Check out music from the Memphis icon below.
A new, animal food ingredient factory will bring 75 jobs to a brand new plant on Presidents Island.
Cargill, Calysta Inc., and a group of investors plan to build and operate the world’s largest gas fermentation facility on Cargill’s 69-acre property on the industrial peninsula, according to a news release.
The plant will produce Calysta’s FeedKind protein, which is an ingredient used in food for fish, livestock, and pets, according to the company. The product can be shipped in either a powder or pellet form.
Here’s how Calysta describes the product on its website:
“FeedKind protein is a natural, traceable and safe non-animal source of protein produced using the world’s only commercially validated gas fermentation process.
“FeedKind protein is non-GMO, and approved for sale and use in fish and livestock feeds in the EU and has been extensively tested on multiple fish species, including Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout. It is also approved for use in multiple livestock species.”
The new plant on Presidents Island will house the company’s gas fermentation system. That system uses “naturally occurring microbes found in soils worldwide” in a process “similar to making yeast” to make “a nutritious, high protein feed that is a sustainable alternative to fishmeal.”
Local leaders lauded the move by the companies to build the new plant here.
The company will begin hiring workers for the facility in mid-2017.
The Grizzlies had their hands full last night because of all the injuries they’ve suffered.
Things did not go well for the hometown team last night. Without James Ennis and Chandler Parsons due to injury and without Zach Randolph, who wasn’t with the team due to a personal matter (Randolph’s mother passed away over the Thanksgiving holiday), the Grizzlies came into Monday night’s game shorthanded, played one good quarter, and then everything fell apart, eventually losing 104-85.
The loss wasn’t the only bad news of the night though, as Mike Conley was injured early in the third quarter and didn’t return. The early report for Conley was a “lower back injury,” but the Grizzlies said last night that they’ll have an update today when Conley is evaluated again. The game was already getting away from the Griz when Conley went down—these things happen when you lose the second quarter 31-14—but the Conley injury overshadowed whatever happened on the court from then on out, and frankly made it hard to care much one way or the other about what happened on the floor. Unfortunately, most of the crowd seemed to agree, and by the 2-minute mark, there was hardly anybody left in the building, a yawn of an end to a poor outing.
It’s not hard to understand why the game went the way it did: without Ennis and Parsons, the wing rotation is a shambles, depending on young and unproven guys like Troy Williams (who got the start last night) and Troy Daniels (who has yet to really have a game that convinces me he belongs on the roster) and old vets like Vince Carter, who is in a slump of his own after a blistering start to the season and who also left last night’s game with an injury. Not having Zach Randolph around means that there’s nowhere near enough offensive production from anyone else bud Conley and Marc Gasol to take the burden off the wings, which means that everything relies on Gasol and Conley. Against a well-coached, good team like the Hornets, that’s simply not good enough to hang on for 48 minutes. Last night it only really worked for 16 or 17.
The game wasn’t fun, so let’s have some fun with it:
19 Things That Were More Fun Than Last Night’s 19-Point Loss
Larry Kuzniewski
Jarell Martin had his first career double double last night.
Watching the (many) Garth Brooks-related promo items on the big screen. If you didn’t know Garth Brooks is coming to the Forum, you will soon enough. As a young man I had Ropin’ the Wind and No Fences on cassette.
There was a youth basketball game during halftime, and the biggest kid on the court—I’m not calling him fat, I’m saying he was a full head taller than all the other boys out there and built like Big Baby Davis when Big Baby Davis was still actually good at basketball—and, as is customary in Memphis now, he was wearing #50.
Troy Williams had a nice dunk, one of the several he’s already got in his NBA portfolio.
Tony Allen made some nice plays, including a spin move into a layup very similar to the one he pulled off when these two teams played in Charlotte just last week.
Jarell Martin got his first career double-double, but it was extremely inefficent (he shot 5/13)… but, for a guy who has never really been much of a rebounder, 12 (10 of which were defensive boards) is a nice night.
It wasn’t very crowded.
Did I say nineteen? Because that seems like it’s only six things. I guess last night was even less fun than I thought it was. Here is a clip of that Troy Williams dunk.
I’m not really sure what else to say about this one. “Grizzlies lose to good team while missing three of their best six or seven players” seems like a pretty straightforward explanation.
Game Haiku #18
When starters are hurt
The boulder rolls downhill fast;
The offense is crushed.
The Grizzlies will miss Zach Randolph while he’s out
How the Grizzlies’ defense got them back on track
Everyone ignores Phil when he’s right, including Kevin
Was the 2OT Sixers win a quality win?
How badly do the Grizzlies miss James Ennis? What about Chandler Parsons?
Does Fizdale really know what he’s doing? Why are the grizzlies so much more motivated?
What are the Griz doing with rest on B2B’s? Do they know?
This week: Charlotte, Toronto, Orlando, Lakers
The Beyond the Arc podcast is available on iTunes, so you can subscribe there! It’d be great if you could rate and review the show while you’re there. You can also find and listen to the show on Stitcher and on PlayerFM.
You can call our Google Voice number and leave us a voicemail, and we might talk about your question on the next show: 234-738-3394
The debut album by The Bangles recently got the Record Store Day treatment
Afghan Whigs- Black Love (Expanded Edition) Rhino 3LP
While it truly hurts my brain to think about how this band’s 1992 – 1996 three-album hot streak might or might not resonate with folks today, Black Love was nonetheless one of the definitive documents of this ’90s underground rock anomaly. And let’s not forget that Memphis’ own Paul Buchignani was the Whigs’ drummer on this album, having built a relationship with the band after working at Ardent Studios, where they recorded 1993’s discography high-point, Gentlemen (parts of Black Love were also done at the studio). Black Love has never been reissued on vinyl since its original release in 1996. No pressing count is given for this expanded 3LP edition.
Record Store Day ‘Back to Black Friday’ Highlights
The Bangles- Ladies and Gentlemen… The Bangles LP (Omnivore)
Founded in 1980 as The Bangs before avoiding a potential legal kerfuffle by changing their name to (The) Bangles, this all-female quartet emerged from the L.A. punk/hardcore reactionary offshoot sub-scene that (unfortunately) designated itself the Paisley Underground. So with The Dream Syndicate, Salvation Army/The Three O’Clock, Thin White Rope, Green On Red and The Blasters as contemporaries, the material recorded and released by the Bangles between 1981 and 1984 isn’t exactly a dead-ringer for 1988’s #1 mega-smash ballad “Eternal Flame”, the almost-shelved novelty nonsense of “Walk Like An Egyptian” or even the Prince-gifted “Manic Monday” that kicked off the band’s period of success in 1985 (but even their hits, save for the ballad, were toothier and more guitar-oriented than other pop confections of the day).
Ladies and Gentleman… was curated by the band and originally appeared (via their own Downkiddie! Records imprint) in digital-only format exactly two years ago on Thanksgiving Day 2014 and this marks its first time on vinyl. Along with their debut 7” from 1981 and the self-titled 12” EP that followed in ’82, Ladies and Gentlemen also features a strong selection of rarities/unreleased/etc, including the band’s great cover of Love’s “7 and 7 is”. Edition of 2000.
Record Store Day ‘Back to Black Friday’ Highlights (2)
Big Star Complete Third Vol. 1: Demos to Sessions to Roughs 2LP (Omnivore)
This will no doubt be a no-brainer for many, especially anyone who’d prefer a staggered approach to acquiring and digesting in its entirety the Complete Third boxed set released earlier this year. Complete Third Vol. 1 is, as the sub-title implies, the first of three 2LP sets that will eventually make up the whole of what is offered by the boxed set. 2500 pressed.
Record Store Day ‘Back to Black Friday’ Highlights (3)
Bolt Thrower- Those Once Loyal Metal Blade LP
England’s Bolt Thrower carved their own place in the initial death-metal era of the late-80s/early-90s, not only because they featured a female in their ranks (bassist Jo Bench) but also on the strength of the rhythmic bulldozing effect of massive and dense but melodic guitar + guitar + bass riffing the band perfected around 1990.
Those Once Loyal eschews the Games Workshop/World of Warcraft cover art that came to represent Bolt Thrower albums throughout the ’90s, and instead features a tasteful image memorializing WWI around which the record is themed (all B.T. albums carry a specific war or military-history theme). The band was active on-and-off in in a live capacity since this album’s release 16 years ago but broke up for good following the recent death of drummer Martin Kearns. 1000 pressed on gold vinyl.
Record Store Day ‘Back to Black Friday’ Highlights (4)
Death Grips- Fashion Week/Interview 2016 Harvest 2LP
Two recent instrumental releases, 2015’s digital-only Fashion Week and the Interview 2016 EP (Get it? There’s no interview!) from earlier this year, together on one 2LP set released in a pressing of 3000.
Regardless of whether you regard Death Grips as brilliant, a completely overrated hoodwink, or something in between, there’s no doubt their legacy will be discussed in terms of historical importance and lasting influence a decade from now.
Electric Wizard Witchcult Today (Metal Blade) 2LP
Quite possibly the gold standard in doom/sludge/stoner-metal, the UK’s Electric Wizard floored the metal community (and some outside of it) when, half-a-decade into their career, they dropped the next-level and now appropriately seminal genre landmark, Dopethrone, in 2000. One of the heaviest (essence and execution) bands of all time, Electric Wizard have so far followed that album with five more menacing mountains of riff-craft in celebration of the occult, H. P. Lovecraft, criminal dirtbaggery and the diggity-dank.
Any fan of metal or heavy music should be cozy with this band’s post-Y2K discography, proof that something forward-thinking, singular, absolutely crushing and catchy as hell can be done with the doom/sludge/Sabbath template. Electric Wizard has a knack for giving their best songs the most asinine titles, as is the case with sample track below, “The Satanic Rites of Drugula.” This pressing of 1000 (one clear disc and one silver disc) isn’t likely to remain in print forever.
Record Store Day ‘Back to Black Friday’ Highlights (5)
The Geto Boys “Mind Playing Tricks” 12″ (RapAlot)
Never before had a known quantity in the then-exploding gangsta/hardcore-rap genre let its guard down lyrically in such a fearless and honest manner as did this Houston crew on their 1991 masterwork, We Can’t Be Stopped. “Mind Playing Tricks on Me” was the most prominent example of this, tackling the reality of mentally unraveling as a result of the lifestyle and surrounding environment.
As with other releases in this legendary group’s (who should be just as retroactively respected and huge as NWA, IMHO) back catalog, the song carries a dark sense of humor and is insanely infectious. Proceeds from this 12″ will go to The JED Foundation, which works to promote emotional health and suicide prevention among college/university-aged students.
Record Store Day ‘Back to Black Friday’ Highlights (6)
GWAR Black Friday Ltd. Edition Picture Disc 7″ (Metal Blade)
An EP of two cover medleys that GWAR did for The Onion A/V Club in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Oderus (the late Dave Brockie) features on the A-side version of Billy Ocean’s “Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car” (which morphs into The Who’s “Baba O’Riley”), and his successor, Blothar (Michael Bishop, GWAR’s bassist from 1988 to 1999) handles on B-side’s medley of The Pet Shop Boys’ “West End Girls” (re-imagined as “West End Ghouls”) and “People Who Died” by The Jim Carrol Band. Hey, why not?
Record Store Day ‘Back to Black Friday’ Highlights (7)
Mike Watt + The Bobblymen The Bobblymen 7” EP (ORG Music)
I would wager a guess that “bobblehead” is not copyrighted but Mike Watt has a knack for coining his own terms so maybe that explains the unfortunate name of his latest backing band. Moniker and equally cringe-worthy cover art aside, drummer Bob Lee and members of Watt’s Missingmen and Secondmen bands assist in realizing three songs he wrote but never recorded some 35 years ago during the early days of the Minutemen. Edition of 1000.
Record Store Day ‘Back to Black Friday’ Highlights (9)
Other recommendations worth checking out:
Tav Falco & Panther Burns “Sway” b/w “Where The Rio Del Rosa Flows” 7” (ORG Music) Ed of 1000.
Isaac Hayes Do Your Thing Now 12” (Again Records) Ed of 2500.
Rudy Ray Moore This Ain’t No White Christmas LP (Traffic Entertainment/Dolemite Records) Ed of 1200.
Napalm Death/Melt Banana “Like Piss To A Sting” split 7” (Ipecac Recordings) pressing of 2000,
Xiu Xiu Knife Play LP (Graveface Records) Ed of 2000.
American Noise Volume One: Smart Studios Era 1 LP & The Smart Studios Story documentary DVD.
Today we’ve got a world premiere from Music Video Monday fav Marco Pavé.
“Cake” is Marco’s hot new single, and you can hear it first right here. Like his previous MVM song “Black Tux”, it’s all about the spiritual price extracted by the capitalist directive to “go get that money”.
The video is directed by GB Shannon, whose video for Vending Machine’s “Let The Little Things Go” topped MVM’s Best Of 2015 list. For this video, he revisited one of his favorite locations, the WREG building that featured prominently in his IndieGrant short film “Broke Dick Dog”. The video also stars Rosalyn Ross and Marcus Hamilton from “Broke Dick Dog”, as well as Memphis comedian Tut Weezy and the M-Town Dancers, choreographed by Robert Ward.
Twenty-seven wins (so far) over the last three years for the Memphis Tiger football team. This is a good time to pause and consider another recent three-year period (2009-11) during which the U of M won a total of five games. By the most quantifiable measure (victories), the Memphis football program has improved more than five-fold during a single presidential administration. This has occurred, remember, in the middle of the SEC jungle, where attracting talent — the depth of talent required to win consistently in college football — has proved nearly impossible for generations. The turn-around has been Herculean.
Here are a few achievements of the 2016 Memphis Tigers that will stay with us.
• Points galore. Offense sells tickets. Offense keeps television viewers tuned in. The last three Memphis teams have scored more points than any previous team over the program’s 105-year history. The 2016 Tigers have scored more points in 12 games (474) than the 2014 team did in 13 (471), and you’ll remember that 2014 team featured Paxton Lynch at quarterback and finished ranked 25th in the country. Should Memphis score 49 points in its bowl game (merely 10 points above its average), it will break last year’s season record for points in a season (522). For perspective, the season point totals during that miserable stretch from 2009 to 2011: 262, 173, 195.
Larry Kuzniewski
Anthony Miller
• Ant-Man. Entering this season, the Memphis single-game record for receptions was 13 (Maurice Avery in 2003), for receiving yards, 186 (Bob Sherlag in 1965). Isaac Bruce held the single-season records for receptions (74) and receiving yards (1,054). All of these marks now belong to junior Anthony Miller, the former walk-on from Christian Brothers High School whose two fourth-quarter touchdowns beat Houston last Friday. The game-winning score was Miller’s 15th catch of the contest. Miller had 250 yards in a Tiger loss to Tulsa on October 29th. With a bowl game to play, he’s caught 84 passes for 1,283 yards. Before the 2015 season, then-Tiger coach Justin Fuente described Miller as “different from anyone else we have.” He saw what was coming. Should Miller return for his senior season — and he’s suggested he will — the Tiger receiving record book can be placed on the highest proverbial shelf in the Hardaway Hall of Fame.
• Big wins.The Tigers didn’t beat Ole Miss this season, but they did handle a Top-20 team at the Liberty Bowl (Houston) for a second straight season. You have to go back a quarter century to count the two previous Memphis wins over Top-20 opposition (Tennessee in 1996, USC in 1991). And with hindsight, the Tigers’ 34-27 win over Temple at the Liberty Bowl on October 6th is significant, as it’s the only conference loss suffered by the Owls, who play Navy this Saturday in the AAC Championship. Counting wins is one thing. Notching memorable victories helps build a culture of success.
• Backfield stars. Miller stole the show with his romp through the receiving record book, but he got there on the right arm of junior quarterback Riley Ferguson, the transfer who entered the season as an unknown value asset. He proceeded to pass for 3,326 yards (second in program history) and 28 touchdowns, tying the record set by Lynch last season. Ferguson was named Offensive Player of the Week by the AAC three times. And let’s not forget the efforts of Doroland Dorceus. The junior tailback gained 783 yards on the ground and averaged a stellar 6.2 yards per carry. He scored ten touchdowns and now ranks fourth in Tiger history with 25 for his career.
Larry Kuzniewski
Riley Ferguson
• Steady crowds at the Liberty Bowl. In 2013, the Tigers hosted seven games and sold a total of 199,760 tickets (28,537 per game). For seven games this season, the U of M sold 261,419 tickets (37,345 per game). That is growth that can be counted in blue-clad bodies (the difference is greater than the stadium’s current capacity). This year’s average attendance dropped by more than 6,000 from last year’s, but Ole Miss visited in 2015 and more than 60,000 fans at that game boosted the season total considerably. (The Rebels won’t be back until 2019.) The goal, I’ve felt all along, should be 40,000 fans in the Liberty Bowl for a Tiger football game. Any game. (The largest crowd this season was for the opener against SEMO: 42,876.) It’s a shame an upper portion of the Liberty Bowl couldn’t be shaved off for game day, because the atmosphere would be enhanced without empty sections framing fans on either side of the stadium. Winning and scoring (a lot) sell tickets. Based on 12 games under the watch of coach Mike Norvell, the future appears bright for U of M football.
Memphis Democrats loomed large in the assignment of state House of Representatives party leadership positions for the forthcoming 110th session of the General Assembly.
Of the 12 positions voted on by the House Democrats’ caucus in Nashville on Saturday, six will be held by Memphis representatives.
Parkinson (l), Camper
The Memphis Democrats and their caucus positions are: Joe Towns, assistant minority leader; Raumesh Akbari, House floor leaders; Antonio Parkinson, caucus vice chair; Karen Camper, caucus treasurer; John DeBerry, leader pro tempore; and Larry Miller, one of three House Democratic members of the legislative joint fiscal committee.
Reelected by the caucus were Craig Fitzhugh of Ripley as House minority leader and Mike Stewart of Nashville as caucus chair.
DeBerry (l), Miller
Others elected were JoAnne Favors of Chattanooga, minority whip; Harold Love Jr. of Nashville, caucus secretary; and Johnny Shaw of Bolivar and Brenda Gil more of Nashville, the other two Democratic members of the legislative joint fiscal committee.
There will be 25 Democrats in all in the state House of Representatives.
Less than 24 hours after staggering through 40 minutes of an ugly dance with Providence, the Tigers found their shooting touch and beat Iowa in the consolation game of the Emerald Coast Classic in Destin, Florida. Dedric Lawson hit 15 of 22 shots from the field and scored a career-high 35 points to lead Memphis as the Tigers improved to 5-1 and earned their first win over a major-conference opponent this season. Lawson added 11 rebounds, while his older brother, K.J. Lawson, scored 17 points and grabbed 10 boards for the brothers’ fourth tandem double-double of the season. Dedric played 38 minutes while K.J. logged 39.
Markel Crawford added 16 points, Jeremiah Martin 14, and Craig Randall 15 off the bench in helping the Tigers reach 100 points for the second time in five days. The Tigers shot 56 percent from the field and needed the marksmanship as the Hawkeyes hit 54 percent of their shots. Peter Jok scored a game-high 42 points for Iowa.
The Tigers return home Wednesday night when Jackson State visits FedExForum. Tip-off is 8 p.m.
Larry Kuzniewski 
Calysta 
Larry Kuzniewski 
Larry Kuzniewski 
Larry Kuzniewski 
Larry Kuzniewski 
