Month: April 2019

Categories
Editorial Opinion

TN GOP Legislators Propose Another Voter Suppression Measure

CREDIT: JB

Those readers of even moderate faculties of memory will recall a pair of legal set-tos last year pitting the Shelby County Election Commission against plaintiffs who were charging either disproportionate voting processes favoring suburbanites or outright voter suppression. Both issues were decided in favor of the plaintiffs, against suppression, and for the maximum possible enabling of the voting franchise.

JB

Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett

The sad fact is — regarding this, as on a whole panoply of other matters — state government is attempting to intervene against the results of decision-making at the local level (in this case, against decisions in Shelby County Chancery Court). A bill backed by Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett and state Election Coordinator Mark Goins would not only penalize new-voter applications that are incomplete but would hold individuals and organizations responsible for helping turn them in via voter registration drives, saddling those individuals and organizations with fines of up to $8,000.

This issue of incomplete ballots, of course, was the one adjudicated last year in the courtroom of Chancellor JoeDae L. Jenkins, who directed the Election Commission, which had thrown out various incomplete applications, to extend its deadlines long enough to allow those applications to be completed and/or amended.

Democratic members of the General Assembly held a press conference at the Capitol on Tuesday to protest the measure (House Bill 1079/Senate Bill 971), which is pending this week in both the House and the Senate. They were backed up by representatives of the Tennessee Equity Alliance and the Black Voter Project. State Representative John Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville) went through a brief history of prior voter suppressions, including the photo ID law and the prohibition of college IDs in connection with it. He said, “Ask Tre Hargett and ask Mark Goins what they’re afraid of? Black students? Brown students?”

Another Nashville Democrat, Vincent Dixie, followed that up: “If they’re not afraid of competition, why are they afraid to let people vote? What is this legislation really addressing?”

Those two were followed by state Senator Brenda Gilmore (D-Nashville), who provided the interesting (and alarming) fact that, in the interval since Tennessee’s adoption of the Voter ID law, the state had fallen from number 27 in its ratio of voter turnout to dead last. And finally Representative Bob Freeman (D-Nashville) issued the compelling truism: “We don’t need to do anything to rebut people’s right to vote.”

It remains to be seen, of course, if the Republican supermajority that controls the General Assembly can be brought to re-examine its premises. And even if the bill should pass muster in both chambers this week, there would remain the hope that Governor Bill Lee, who is capable of common sense and compassion despite his ever more obvious conservatism, could issue a veto.

And, if worse should come to worst legislatively, there are always the courts — and the hope that the judgment of Chancellor Jenkins can be replicated on a statewide scale.

Categories
Music Music Blog

Buff City: New Burlesquers in Residence at Molly Fontaine’s

Velvetina Taylor

“A unique, indulgent experience. Super glamorous, classic burlesque.” Velvetina Taylor is trying to describe the evenings she’s cooking up for Memphis this spring and summer. With a name like that, of course she’s a dancer herself, as well as a “motorcycle enthusiast and producer, based in New York City,” as her website notes. Starting tonight, she’s setting up shop at Mollie Fontaine’s Lounge and Restaurant, and bringing other dancers from far and wide, for “Velvetina’s Blue Moon Revue.”

Of course, one can’t surpass the sumptuous interiors of Mollie’s for indulgent decadence, and it’s a wonder that the place hasn’t hosted more burlesque on a regular basis. Because a real honest-to-god piano lives there, singers and players have been a fixture there for years. But as of now, the venue is upping the ante considerably, with a leap into dinner theater. 

“I wanted the setting to match the costumes and the overall feel that this would a special night out,” says Taylor. “Mollie Fontaine Lounge couldn’t have been a better fit for the show. Karen Carrier’s menu and eclectic decor contribute beautifully to the evening of exquisite burlesque entertainment and provide the ideal, intimate space for the live Memphis music to be enjoyed.”

Amy Lavere, Will Sexton and Shawn Zorn will be the house band for all of the April shows, with other players being recruited for subsequent months. While none of the acts typically accompany burlesque, their main focus will be doing the history of Memphis music justice. “Karen was my connection to the Memphis music scene and suggested Will and Amy would be the perfect fit, with a repertoire of classic Beale Street songs and contemporary Memphis music. I’m so lucky to have them!” Taylor enthused.

And with the rotating musical performers, Taylor will be recruiting a diverse roster of dancers to fill out the nights as the summer progresses. “Burlesque performers will be coming in from all over the country, just to perform here in Memphis,” she says. “I liked the idea of bringing national acts that I know and love, that have only ever performed in nearby cities, like Nashville, Chicago and New Orleans, to Memphis for the first time. I’m so excited to combine all of the elements of the show, including live local Memphis musicians.” 

Buff City: New Burlesquers in Residence at Molly Fontaine’s

Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Tiger Bryant Talks Tops

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

Justin Fox Burks

Yesterday, it was announced that a new ownership group was taking over Tops Bar B Q. Among that group is Tiger Bryant, who is behind Soul Fish and Young Avenue Deli.

Bryant discussed his thinking behind the move and the group’s plans for Tops.

What was the idea behind this?
Tiger Bryant: It’s an iconic brand. The primary investors [Darrell Horn and Matt Salisbury] and myself were raised on barbecue. Back when Mr. Messick [who bought the business in the 1980s] passed away, we started to make inquiries.

Are you worried you’re going to mess it up?
No. There are no plans to change anything. The long-term employees are really part of the asset. Everybody is still secure in their jobs.

What do you like specifically about Tops?
It’s got the natural Memphis feel to it. It’s kind of old school.

I think it’s very welcoming, really, to all walks of life. I don’t care if you’re an attorney or a ditch-digger, you’re just as welcome and you’re going to get the same food.

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Was there any resistance from the family to selling?
It just naturally worked out. Ralph [Horn, Darrell’s father] is very tied to the financial world and they bumped into who I guess was the family trustee [and they said they were considering selling] and that just started the dance.

You said you weren’t going to change anything, but are you going to add to menu, maybe broaden it?
We’re not changing anything right now. I’ve had these phone calls and texts today telling me not to mess with the hamburger, don’t mess with the barbecue. I’m like, guys, nothing is changing.

If anything, we’re going to bring some operational efficiency and try to help the stores work at the same speed of service.

Do you have a particular Tops location that is your location?
I grew up in Central Gardens.

Anything else?
Like I said, I think everybody’s excited. We’ve brought in a great team, which I think is going to bring a lot to the table.

We’re taking the ball and running with it, but we’re not going to spike it.

Justin Fox Burks

Categories
Opinion Viewpoint

No Job For Old Men: Sanders and Biden Shouldn’t Run

CREDIT: JB

The joke among people my age is that every dinner party starts with an organ recital: Who’s lost a gall bladder, got a new kidney, or maybe just replaced a knee? What’s the pain of the day, and who sleeps through the night? Charles de Gaulle said old age is a shipwreck, so the question for the United States is whether it should consider the age of likely presidential candidates who, statistics and experience tell us, stand a pretty good chance of foundering on the rocks of old age.

JB

Bernie Sanders talking to Minnesota, Michigan, and Tennessee delegations on convention’s final day

I’m talking Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. Sanders and Biden are about the same age. Sanders is 77, and Biden 76, and because the next president will be inaugurated in 2021, I can say without fear of persnickety fact-checkers that both men will be almost two years older by then. It is not unlikely, therefore, that the next president of the United States will be well into his 80s before his first term is up. That’s a shocking figure.

Both men are now at about the age when the indomitable Winston Churchill started to hit the wall. He was a mere 77 when King George VI thought of approaching him to suggest he step down. Churchill did not — until a stroke forced him to. The argument here, of course, is that neither Biden nor Sanders lives a Churchillian life — no cigars, no whiskey for breakfast. On the other hand, they are not nearly as articulate.

Government statistics tell us that a man Biden’s age will live an average of 11 more years. He won’t, however, outlive Sanders, who is scheduled to kick five months later. These, though, are statistical averages, and neither Sanders nor Biden is anything of the sort. They are both white, middle-class by birth, and not likely to overdose on drugs, drive drunk, or get into a bar fight with someone wearing a MAGA hat, the dunce cap of our times. I am not sure if Sanders works out, but Biden sure does. I have been to the gym with him.

Vice President Joe Biden

But while looking good may be the best revenge, it isn’t the whole story. The brain ages. It slows down. It forgets. I know men in their 90s — Henry Kissinger comes to mind — who seem as sharp as they’ve ever been, but they are not the rule. It is not necessary to have great mental energy to get elected — President Trump is an intellectual sloth — but it helps. Old age can turn the delight in doing certain tasks into a plodding burden.

The old seek their own comfort zones. I wouldn’t be surprised if Biden thought Snapchat was a breakfast cereal. I wouldn’t be surprised if Sanders thought Drake was the English pirate who defeated the Spanish Armada. (How’s that for being an influencer?) It’s fine not to know about these things, but it suggests an unfamiliarity with a world that is ever-changing. The zeitgeist is forever on the move. When you’re over 70, it may well have passed you by.

Of course, a president need not be intimately familiar with youth culture. But he ought to feel at home in the world and feel that the culture is his, that he need not have to pause to translate a thought into politically acceptable language. I don’t know if either Biden or Sanders feels that way, but if they don’t occasionally hanker for a Beatles tune, they already lack all memory.

Most presidents were in their 50s when elected — mere youths by today’s standards. Most lived many years after leaving office. (Jimmy Carter, at 94, has been out of office for 38 years, a record.) John F. Kennedy was the youngest ever elected at 43, and Trump the oldest to be elected to a first term at 70. The rule here is that there is no rule.

Still, “September Song” has to precede “Hail to the Chief.” It is the lament of an old man for a young woman. It is about the passage of time, about how “the days dwindle down to a precious few.” It is about lost opportunities, about summer turning to autumn, and “one hasn’t got time for the waiting game.”

Biden and Sanders have waited too long. A pledge to serve only a single term would not reverse the clock. It would only hobble the president, making him a lame duck before his time. Of course, the ultimate decision is their own, but they have to know they will probably decline. If they don’t think so, they have gotten old without getting wise.

Richard Cohen writes for the Washington Post Writers Group.

Categories
Intermission Impossible Theater

Vince Vawter’s Paperboy a Future Musical?

CREDIT: Michael Donahue

Michael Donahue

Vince Vawter

Paperboy: The New Musical?

That’s the working title for a musical now in development based on former Memphian Vince Vawter’s 2013 novel, Paperboy. Jim Wann, composer/lyricist, author and star of the 1982 Tony-nominated Pump Boys and Dinettes, is doing the music.

The semi-autobiographical novel is about an 11-year-old boy named “Little Man” (Vawter), who throws a paper route in Memphis one summer in 1959. The novel recounts the adventures of the boy, who stutters, and the characters he meets on his Midtown route.

Vawter, 72, who threw the old Memphis Press-Scimitar newspaper as a teenager, went on to become news editor of that paper. He was managing editor of the Knoxville News Sentinel and publisher and president of the Evansville Courier & Press.

Paperboy was a Newbery Medal Honor book in 2014. Vawter’s current novel is Copyboy.

Vawter says the whole musical idea began about two years ago after he asked John Verlenden, a friend who went to school with him at Southwestern (now Rhodes College), what he thought about Paperboy becoming a stage play. “He said it ought to be a musical,” Vawter says. “You need to talk to my friend Jim Wann.”

“So, I contacted him,” Vawter says. “Sent him the book. And I didn’t hear anything for a couple of weeks. And then these damn songs started coming. And they blew me away. I don’t know much about that stuff, but he did what he calls ‘song sketches.’ Plays them on his guitar, writes the lyrics.”

Wann sent the songs as mp3s. “It’s just him and his guitar.”

Among the songs were “Paperboy Song,” “The Typewriter Song,” “Streets of our Neighborhood,” and “Lay That News Gently at my Door.”

They’re all “songs you wind up humming,” Vawter says.

Wann, 70, who lives near Hudson, New York, says he “was just entranced” by Paperboy after he read it. “Like so many people.”

He described Little Man as “a wonderfully brave character. And that impressed me so much. His bravery. His struggles to find a way to overcome his feelings about his stuttering. I guess he would have loved to wake up one morning and have it not be there at all, but he had to come to terms with it somehow.”

Wann, who is from Chattanooga, and Vawter share similarities about their Southern upbringing. I thought, ‘Well, I’ll write a few songs and see what Vince thinks of it.’”

Describing “Streets of our Neighborhood,” Wann says, “I just loved the sounds of these streets: Vinton, Melrose, Harbert, Union. It was a way of introducing Little Man into the world of delivering papers into the neighborhood.

“All of the music in all of my shows has a Southern roots connection. It always comes in some form of Southern roots music, whether gospel, folk, blues, rhythm and blues. And I felt like this being set in 1959, would be a good fit for that.”

When will the musical be finished? “We are still a good distance from achieving our goals for this story as a stage musical,” Wann says.

And, he says, “I feel, even though we have a full draft at this point, it’s still very sketchy and I think we’ve only just started figuring out how to let the other characters live and breath on their own. The other parts of the story are so rich and the characters are so interesting. I still think we have a way to go with really expressing Little Man’s feelings of loneliness and isolation and his bravery in going out into the world and making new friends, however awkwardly.”

Getting to know Vawter was the icing on the cake, Wann says. “We’ve worked together on and off for a couple of years now. I really enjoy his company. And all the things he tells me. It’s a real friendship between us now. And that’s a huge plus.”

Jim Wann

Categories
News News Blog

Council Again Delays Vote on 3.0 Plan

The Memphis City Council again delayed the first of three votes on the Memphis 3.0

plan 

— this time for 30 days.

The council first delayed the vote on the city’s comprehensive plan at its March 19th meeting after a group of residents from the New Chicago area voiced opposition.

Carnita Atwater, president of the New Chicago Community Partnership Revitalization community development corporation, does not support the plan, saying last week that “it’s very clear it’s not inclusive.”


Atwater said the plan does not detail specific improvements in the New Chicago neighborhood.

Facebook- Carnita Atwater

New Chicago Resident speaks against the Memphis 3.0 plan at a rally Saturday

Residents of the New Chicago area gathered for the “STOP THE GENTRIFICATION 901 MARCH” on Saturday to protest the 3.0 plan. (The march turned into a rally as organizers failed to get the proper permits in time.)

On Tuesday, the Memphis City Council again delayed the first of three votes on the Memphis 3.0 plan. It is not clear whether the protest led to the council’s decision to delay the first of three votes on an ordinance that would approve the plan. The council is now slated to vote on the plan at the council’s May 7th meeting.

Council Chair Kemp Conrad said the delay will allow for additional input from citizens. 

Councilman Worth Morgan said the council has to be careful before voting on a document with such weight.

“The 3.0 plan is 300-plus pages and 509 action items,” Morgan said. “It took over two years to complete. Before we cast any votes, I think everyone is being very careful to know precisely what the implications are.”

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The Memphis 3.0 plan, drafted with input from city officials, local nonprofits, community partners, and residents, is a comprehensive guide for future development and investments in the city, officials have said.

The idea is to improve and invest in the city’s core and surrounding neighborhoods in order to create dense, walkable, connected communities, according to the document.

To do this, it details specific strategies for nurturing, accelerating, or sustaining certain neighborhoods within the city’s 14 planning districts.

If adopted, the Memphis 3.0 plan will guide future policies, investments, and partnerships made by the city over the next 20 years.

Categories
News News Blog

Southland Launches Live Table Games, Unveils New Name

CREDIT: Southland Casino Racing

Southland Casino Racing

This rendering shows the $250 million expansion proposed for Southland’s casino and dog track in West Memphis.

Southland Gaming and Racing launched live tables games Tuesday afternoon and the casino and dog track has a brand new name.

The newly dubbed Southland Casino Racing received its formal casino license from the Arkansas Racing Commission and opened 40 live tables games at 1 p.m. Tuesday. Visitors there can now play blackjack, craps, and roulette.

The license also allows Southland to expand the number of slot machines, now with 2,050 machines on the casino floor. The expansion created more than 100 new jobs, according to David Wolf, president and general manager of Southland for Delaware North, the casino’s parent company.

In January, Delaware North announced plans for a $250 million expansion of Southland to include a new casino complex and high-rise hotel. Construction on the project is expected to begin this summer. The casino complex and parking garage are expected to be complete in about 12 months. The hotel tower should be complete in about 18 months.

Categories
News News Blog

Forum Aims to Stop Abortion-Ban Bill

CREDIT: Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi

Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi

Pro-choice advocates recently donned gowns in the gallery of the Tennessee Senate chamber. On those gowns were written ways women sought abortions before Roe V. Wade, ways such as ‘knitting needles.’

A forum aimed at stopping the passage of abortion ban legislation in Nashville is slated for Tuesday evening.

State lawmakers are now considering a bill that would ban abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected. House Bill 77 requires health care officials to record the presence or absence of a fetal heartbeat in a woman’s medical record and require results of the tests be offered to the to the woman.

[pdf-1]
Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi (PPTNM) says the plan would “criminalize abortion and set back reproductive rights a generation.” For that, the group is hosting a forum to join “faith leaders and community advocates for a rapid response forum to stop the ban on abortion.

“What happens in Nashville can hurt Memphis, and this radical ban on abortion services is no exception,” said Ashley Coffield, CEO of the Memphis-based PPTNM. “It’s time for us to stand up and be counted and let our lawmakers know we won’t stand for this assault on our health care.”
[pullquote-1] Coffield will be joined in the forum with Norma Lester, a nurse who will share her stories of caring for pregnant women before Roe v. Wade, and the Revs. Roz Nichols and Earle Fisher.

The Memphis Rapid Response Forum to stop the ban will be held from 5:30-7 p.m. Tuesday, April 2nd, at Freedom’s Chapel Christian Church Fellowship Hall (961 Getwell Road).

Categories
News News Blog

Advisory Group to Consider MLGW Switch from TVA

A Memphis Light, Gas, and Water (MLGW) official said Tuesday that the utility is forming an advisory committee to weigh the option of alternative power sources.

Switching from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to another power source has been a recurring topic for the Memphis City Council and MLGW officials over the past several months.

J.T. Young, president of the utility, told the council MLGW committee Tuesday that he’s been working with Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland to form a committee who will consider power sources other than TVA. Young said the process will be “rigorous” and could take months to complete.

The group will be comprised of business leaders, community members, and officials, who,  Young said, haven’t been finalized yet. He anticipates introducing those members to the council in two weeks.

At the same, MLGW is working on an integrated resource plan, which will outline the utility’s resource needs in order to meet electricity needs over a set period of time.

Young said that plan, along with input from the community and advisory team, will be taken into account when deciding whether to sever its agreement with TVA.

If the utility were to move away from TVA, it would have to give a five-year notice. Young said there are many other considerations that have to be taken into account if MLGW were to end the agreement that “go well beyond what the studies have shown.”

Ultimately, Young said the decision to switch power sources will be made by MLGW’s board and the city council.

A February study showed that MLGW could save between $240 million and $333 million each year if it were to switch from TVA.

Ordered by the environmental advocacy group, Friends of the Earth, the study suggested that Memphis could build its own energy systems or buy it from another supplier like Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), the nonprofit energy group supplying energy for parts of 15 states like Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi.


Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Tops Under New Ownership

CREDIT: memphisbbqguide.com

memphisbbqguide.com

Announced this morning, Tops Bar-B-Q has been sold to an investment group, which includes Tiger Bryant, who is behind Young Avenue Deli and Soul Fish.

The other investors are Darrell Horn of Green Wealth Management and Matt Salisbury, a banker. Terry Trim, a restaurant vet and most recently director of operations at Kooky Canuck, will act as president.

The restaurant, which has 15 locations in the area, is known for its pulled pork topped burgers and brisket.

Full release below.

Tops Bar-B-Q Announces New Ownership

Investor group acquires the 67-year-old award-winning restaurant group and iconic brand
New owners will continue the legendary restaurant’s tradition of great barbeque, delicious burgers and friendly service

MEMPHIS, TENN. – April 2, 2019 – Tops Bar-B-Q today announced that the company has been acquired by an investor group led by Darrell Horn, Matt Salisbury, and Tiger Bryant, a local restaurateur and founder of Soul Fish Café and Young Avenue Deli. With 15 locations throughout the greater Memphis area, the award-winning Tops Bar-B-Q has been serving classic barbeque, burgers and more in a family-friendly atmosphere for 67 years.

The new ownership team brings to the table both extensive restaurant expertise and financial acumen to build on what is already a successful business. Maintaining the warm customer experience, popular menu and friendly staff – the heart and soul of Tops – are the owners’ top priorities.

“Tops Bar-B-Q is a special institution in Memphis, and barbeque is big business here,” said Bryant. “Tops offers not just outstanding food, it is also a true gathering place where people from all walks of life – of all ages – come to enjoy.”

Nurturing the business and allowing it to continue for years to come was the impetus for one of the lead investors, Darrell Horn – a diehard fan of Tops’ barbecue since childhood – to buy the company. His father Ralph Horn is also an investor in the company. Ralph, the retired CEO of First Tennessee, is well known for the award-winning, positive workplace culture he helped build at the bank.

“Tops is very personal to a lot of people around Memphis, and it’s important to us to keep that tradition alive for many years to come,” said Darrell Horn. “Years ago, my grandfather used to drive from Mississippi specifically to eat at Tops Bar-B-Q. We owe a debt of gratitude to the Messick family, George ‘Monty’ Montague and the entire team for making Tops such a special place for so many people. In the coming years, we look forward to bringing Tops Bar-B-Q to a new generation of patrons in the greater Memphis area.”

Tops’ long-standing CEO Monty Montague, who has been with the company for 45 years, was part of the ownership search, looking at potential buyers alongside the trust that held the company after Messick’s passing. The 81-year-old Montague will continue in his current role at Tops and will be joined by Terry Trim as the new President who brings over 30 years of restaurant executive and operating experience. Horn, Salisbury and Bryant will serve on the Tops Bar-B-Q Board.

“One of our goals was to get new ownership that would be a good fit for our company, and we got a good fit,” said Montague. “We want to continue with the same culture and the same delicious barbeque, and do it the way we’ve been doing it for years – the old fashioned way. That’s the successful way.”