I ran into Mathew Shutt and Andrew Shutt at Crafts & Drafts. Great look! (Credit: Kaycee Cabreros)
I would have liked some drafts — as in the “wind” kind — along with the art and beer at Crafts & Drafts. The weather was pretty sweltering at the event, which supports the Memphis Flyer and Crosstown Arts.
The temperature didn’t seem to bother the crowd at the event, which was held June 25th in and outside Crosstown Concourse. People toted shopping bags and brews, and chatted as they made their way through 95 booths.
Which was more booths than last year, says event producer Molly Willmott. “It’s back to pre-pandemic levels,” she says.
As for how many attended, Willmott says, “We did better than we did — beer sales wise — than we did July of last year. So, I’m going to say we were probably at 1,500 to 2,000 folks over the course of the day.”
She describes Crafts & Drafts as “an event that showcases local makers, crafters, and artists. We curate it and host it.”
I called the National Weather Service to see how hot it was in the Crosstown area around 3:30 p.m., which is about the time I noticed that the crowd seemed to be larger than when I arrived a couple of hours earlier. Meteorologist Samantha Brown told me it was 100 degrees at 3 p.m.
I had my truck air conditioner on full blast for about an hour on the way to Crafts & Drafts, so the chill stuck with me for a while after I arrived. I thought, “Well, this isn’t so bad.” I lost my cool after a while, but the weather was still tolerable, despite being so hot hot. I guess a lot of people felt the same way I did because they were all over the place — outside, inside, standing in line in front of food trucks.
Cold beer was available. And people took advantage of the water sprays in the fountain. Others bought hot food from TacoNGanas, but, hopefully, they ate it in the shade.
Jay Barksdale and Luna take a shade break at Crafts & Drafts. (Credit: Michael Donahue)Finn Acker and Kit Acker beat the heat at Crafts & Drafts. (Credit: Michael Donahue)Connor Kennedy and Jake Kennedy also beat the heat at Crafts & Drafts. (Credit: Michael Donahue)Jaidon Morrell, Dee Raby, and Qwaili Brown take advantage of the air conditioning inside Crosstown Concourse during Crafts & Drafts. (Credit: Michael Donahue)Hollie Owens, Storm Owens, and Lauren Carlson at Crafts & Drafts. (Credit: Michael Donahue)
For those thinking about cooler December temps, Crafts & Drafts is a good place to stock up on holiday gifts.
I was intrigued by Jeffrey Farmer’s Rock Ya Sox booth. It looked like he had a zillion different designs of socks.
“Some of these are my designs,” Farmer told me later. “Some of these are already pre-made. I came up with the logo and idea.”
And, he says, “Overall, I think I have maybe 300 to 400 designs. I haven’t counted in a while.”
As for how many socks he personally designed, Farmer told me, “100, I want to say.”
During Crafts & Drafts, the nattily-dressed Farmer was wearing a style of socks called “Burgundy Illusion.” Thinking how hot it was during Crafts & Drafts, I asked Brown if he ever wears shoes without socks. “I never wear shoes without socks.”
Jeffrey Farmer of Rock Ya Socks at Crafts & Drafts (Credit: Michael Donahue)Jeffrey Farmer at Crafts & Drafts (Credit: Michael Donahue)Sock purchaser Trent Giddings and Lala Jones at Crafts & Drafts (Credit: Michael Donahue)Dominick Barconia and Frank Lilly at Crafts & Drafts (Credit: Michael Donahue)
I cooled off with a stracciatella gelato from Hugh Balthrop at his Sweet Magnolia Gelato Co., which is a permanent fixture at Crosstown Concourse. Balthrop, who opened that location May 7th, says they did three times the business during the festival than normal. But his business, in general, is “going great.” “We’re almost selling out every day at Crosstown,” he says.
Hugh Balthrop serves up a stracciatella at Sweet Magnolia Gelato Co. during Crafts & Drafts. (Credit: Michael Donahue)
And here’s a gelato scoop: Balthrop closed his location on the square May 1st in Oxford, Mississippi. But students at University of Mississippi at Oxford and the general public don’t have to worry about their sweet teeth suffering. “We’re going to be on the campus proper starting the first, second week in August.
They’ll have a “physical location’ at Weir Hall, Balthrop says. “And it’s right on the business row. So, back of that is where they put all the food trucks. We’ll actually be inside the building.”
His gelato also will be available at other campus spots. “They have these little convenience stores on campus. They have 10 locations. We’ll be inside those as well. They’re called ‘pods.’”
Balthrop’s gelato is also available at other locations in Memphis.
If you stayed away from Crafts & Drafts because it was too hot, there will be another Crafts & Drafts November 12th and 13th at Crosstown Concourse. Applications are now open for that one through August 1st at memphiscraftsanddrafts.com
DJ Zetta provided the tunes at Crafts & Drafts. (Credit: Michael Donahue)Madison Sago, Ronald Billingsley carrying Kairo Billingsley, and Daija Coffey at Crafts & Drafts (Credit: Michael Donahue)Jonathan Smith — an obvious super Grizz fan — at Crafts & Drafts (Credit: Michael Donahue)Angelica Rodgers and Chan Kim at Crafts & Drafts (Credit: Michael Donahue)Madison Dayton and Connor McGowan at Crafts & Drafts (Credit: Michael Donahue)
“Hot stuff! I can’t get enough!” Even in the current heat wave, some Memphians survive the summer by simply owning it. And now, as we bake under the blazing sun, we’ll all be singing that deliciously catchy line from the new single by Model Zero. I choose this heat! Yet the hot stuff that the band sings of may also reside on the dance floor, in a disco ball, or even in a little crystal.
Just what that little crystal is doing to us is unclear, but there’s some kind of transcendence happening — as seen in the video, when the Model Zero lads-about-town find their night of pool displaced to a land of wizardry. Perhaps they were transported there by some esoteric piece of quartz in their vintage drum machine?
Singer/guitarist/sythesist Frank McLallen offers this bit of insight into the sheer grooviness of the new single and video: “‘Little Crystal’ is a break in the surrounding gloom,” he writes. “It’s a sense of hope and travel, love and magic. We’ve already spent the first album recording our anger, fear, pain and distrust. It’s time for Little Crystal take our hands again so we can dip in that hot, hot stuff.”
For her part, video director Laura Jean Hocking was delighted to have the Little Crystal take her hand. “Model Zero is one of my favorite Memphis bands,” she notes in a statement. “I had wanted to do a video for them for some time, and the plan finally came together. The concept I brought to ‘Little Crystal’ meshed perfectly with a visual theme they had in mind, based on art director Sara Moseley’s ‘Candy Cult’ motif.
“In the ‘magic band’ section, the inspiration for director of photography Chad Barton’s camera moves and lens choices came from the original promo clip for The Rolling Stones’ ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’ and Parquet Courts’ ‘Homo Sapien’ video. I wanted the magic band to be pure escapism, wild and colorful, a portal into a world where you can dance the darkness of the world away.”
Watch for more Model Zero coverage in this week’s Memphis Flyer music feature, out on June 29th.
30 Days of Opera on Beale St. (Credit: Opera Memphis)
Opera Memphis has sold its building on Wolf River Boulevard and announced its upcoming performance season.
Confirmed so far are a collaboration with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra for a concert with famed soprano Renee Fleming on September 8th, and Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca with Opera Memphis favorite Reginald Smith Jr. in his role debut as Scarpia. The Christmas Fiesta, a collaboration with Cazateatro and the Dixon Gallery and Gardens, will return in December, and 30 Days of Opera will celebrate its 11th year in April. Closing the season will be the return of Zach Redler and Jerre Dye’s powerful The Falling and the Rising at the Scheidt Family Music Center at the University of Memphis.
Opera Memphis formed a committee in 2019 to explore new locations, and in early 2020, began preparing for a move. On Friday, June 24th, the Clark Opera Memphis Center was sold to Memphis Obstetrics and Gynecological Association, and will be used as a health care facility.
“The Clark Opera Memphis Center has been an amazing home for almost two decades,” said Ned Canty, Opera Memphis’ general director. “It helped us to grow from 10 or 12 performance days a year to well over 50, but it was designed to meet the needs of who we were 20 years ago. For opera to continue expanding in Memphis, we need to be a part of the positive change and growth that have defined the past 10 years and are creating the next 10, from Crosstown Concourse and Overton Square to Northside Renaissance and TONE’s Orange Mound Tower.”
The organization’s temporary offices will be in Overton Square, while rehearsals will take place at partner institutions throughout the city. The 2022-23 season will be in venues and public spaces across Memphis and Shelby County. This includes performances with its long-standing partners, as well as Opera Memphis’ inaugural performance at the soon-to-open Scheidt Family Music Center at the University of Memphis.
Jerry Schilling at the Memphis premiere of Elvis at The Guest House at Graceland (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Jerry Schilling was Elvis’ buddy for 23 years after he played football with the King one hot Memphis afternoon on July 11, 1954.
Schilling, who was 12 at the time, went on to become part of Elvis’s entourage, a business associate, and a long-time friend.
Now Schilling is watching himself being portrayed on screen in Elvis. The motion picture, which opens June 24th, was directed by Baz Luhrmann and stars Austin Butler as Elvis. “I think the movie, overall, is the best piece of work in a project done on Elvis,” Schilling says. “One, I think it answers a lot of questions by just telling the story of misconceptions of my friend.”
And, he says, Luhrmann, “put his heart and soul into it and put together an unbelievable cast.”
The project took 11 years from the idea to the finished movie, Schilling says. “There were sets burning up in Australia, Covid, you name it.”
But the delays “gave them time to really marinate this story. And everybody went back and rethought it and made it a much better film.”
Schilling now is manager of The Beach Boys, who recently released Sounds of Summer: The Very Best of The Beach Boys box set.
Author of the 2006 book, Me and a Guy Named Elvis, Schilling also has been involved in numerous Elvis-related projects. “Over the years, I have produced more shows on Elvis than I think anybody can count. I’ve cast or been part of casting various actors to play Elvis over the years. And I’ve worked with others cast by other people.”
He thought Michael St. Gerard, who played the King in the 1990 Elvis TV series, was “innately Elvis, because he was playing the younger Elvis and he didn’t have the high collars and jumpsuits and everything. But when I saw Austin Butler, he had the young Elvis down. He had the middle. He had the end. He didn’t overdo it.”
Austin Butler at the Memphis premiere of Elvis (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Butler concentrated on the part, Schilling says. “For years he did nothing but become Elvis. He was not a performer, not a singer, but a terrific actor. It was Denzel Washington who brought Butler to Baz Lurhmann. They had done something on Broadway — The Iceman Cometh. Denzel was so impressed with his work ethic.”
Butler’s role as Elvis was “multi-faceted,” Schilling says. “He did a lot of his own singing, which Michael didn’t do. I will never take anything away from Michael St. Gerard. I was in awe of him.”
But Butler was “so sincere. He fell in love with the character. He said it was like, ‘I can climb Mt. Everest.’ That was the challenge.”
But, Schilling says, “He doesn’t overdo it. He does it subtly. None of that curling the lip, ‘Thank you very much,’ all the bullshit. He’s got charisma. You want to be around him. You like him. And, you know what? When he walks in the room he’s got that little shyness Elvis had as well. It’s like a magnetic attraction goes to him.”
And, he says, Butler “fell in love with Memphis.”
Butler and Lurhmann spent time in Memphis and Tupelo, Schilling says. “They really put their heart and soul into this movie and I think it shows on the screen.”
Schilling met Lurhmann three years ago at dinner with an RCA executive during the promotional tour of the Elvis Presley: The Searcher at HBO documentary that Schilling conceived. “I think he was still looking for his Elvis at this point. He just said, ‘If this ship pulls anchor, I want you on it.’”
Baz Luhrmann at the Memphis premier of Elvis (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Schilling and Priscilla Presley got together with Tom Hanks — who plays Elvis’ manager, Col. Tom Parker — before filming began. “Priscilla ran into Tom Hanks’ wife, Rita Wilson, at the grocery store and Rita said, ‘Why don’t you and Jerry Schilling come over for dinner?’ This is two weeks before Tom went to Australia to start filming. So, we go there and Tom opens the door and the first thing he says is, ‘Jerry, are we going to talk about the Beach Boys or Elvis?’”
Hanks is a huge Beach Boys fan, Schilling says. But they spent the next three or four hours talking about Elvis and Parker. “Priscilla and I really wanted to give a full picture of Colonel Parker to Tom.”
The movie was “pretty much finished” when Schilling met Butler. “Priscilla and I went to New York for the Metropolitan Gala that Baz Luhrmann invited us to.”
They met Butler in a revolving door at The Carlyle hotel on their way out to dinner a few days before the gala. “He comes in and says, ‘Hi,’ to both of us. Seems like a nice guy. Good looking guy. It’s Austin. So, he goes, ‘Oh, my God.’ He’s really nervous. He says, ‘I want you two guys to be happy with this.’”
Schilling and Priscilla wouldn’t commit to going to the Cannes Film Festival for a showing of Elvis until they saw the movie. So, Lurhmann arranged a special screening of the film for the two of them. “I purposely didn’t sit next to her. I sat down, wanting to have my own thoughts. I wanted her to have her own thoughts. Half way through, I’m beside her. By the end, Priscilla looked at me and said, ‘Well, I guess we’re going to Cannes.’”
Priscilla Presley at the Memphis premier of Elvis (Credit: Michael Donahue)
They knew Luhrmann was going to make his type of movie. “Baz is a very private filmmaker. He’s going to do what he wants to do. So, you never know” — like the Russwood Park concert scene, where Elvis/Butler pulls out all the stops with his seductive gyrations, shakes, and wiggles. Schilling was 14 when he went to that show. “In real life, it was much more subtle than they make it in the movie ‘cause you’re making a movie. But he did make the statement and he did his own show. And it was a ‘wow’ show.”
Elvis had recently appeared in a tuxedo singing “Hound Dog” to a dog on TV’s The Steve Allen Show after being introduced by Allen as “the new Elvis Presley.” Elvis, Schilling says, told the Russwood audience, “I’m not going to let those people in New York change me. That was his way of saying, ‘You’re going to get the real Elvis.’”
Was Parker a villain in real life? “The film is really difficult for me because I know the controlling side of the Colonel. I know the bullying side. But I also know the human side of the Colonel. I don’t think he was dishonest at all. The only concern I have was when Elvis wanted to do A Star is Born and travel overseas and have his own production company.”
Tom Hanks at the Memphis premier of Elvis (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Elvis eventually started his own production company with himself and Schilling as heads of the company. But he never got to travel overseas. “The Colonel didn’t want it known he wasn’t an American citizen. But, creatively, the Colonel was really holding Elvis back.”
Elvis did “some good movies,” but most of them were the same type of musical. “I think I lost my friend at an early age because of creative disappointments. He was embarrassed and he tried to fight. And the machinery was too big.”
As for Elvis’s ambitions, including doing more serious roles, Shilling says Parker and other business associates “killed all that.”
With every Elvis musical, there was a soundtrack, “no matter how good or bad the music might be. At one point, Elvis said, ‘I’m not doing any more of this stuff.’ And the Colonel said, ‘You’ll fulfill your contract or you’re not doing anything.’”
As for Schilling talking back to Parker in the early days, he says, “Listen, I wasn’t in a position most of the time to be telling Colonel Parker what to do, or any of that.”
Schilling stopped working for Elvis for a time and went into film editing. “Because I quit working for him, I didn’t have to be under the Colonel’s supervision. For me, idolizing, looking up to Elvis as a 12 year old, and him not having a hit record when I met him, to be able, years later, to discuss a movie of his or a tour of his, that’s full circle.”
But, Schilling says, “There was a human side of Colonel Parker. Did he love Elvis Presley? Yes. Did Elvis love the Colonel? Yes.”
And, he says, “It was the best team. Elvis never forgot what the Colonel did for him in the beginning. It’s hard to get all that in the film.”
Schilling is portrayed in the movie by Luke Bracey. But Schilling hadn’t met Bracey when he, Priscilla, Hanks, and Butler flew to Cannes. “I asked Tom Hanks, ‘So, how was Luke Bracey playing me? I haven’t met him.’ He said, ‘He was the voice of reason through the whole thing.’ And Austin said, ‘Yep. He really was.’”
“I think what it means to me — and I think what the message they were trying to give me — is so many times the guys around Elvis were these hangers-on who laughed when Elvis laughed. And were just ‘yes’ men.”
Schilling wasn’t one of those. He remembered when he “challenged” one of Elvis’s decisions. “And he goes, ‘Okay, you can go back to Memphis if you don’t like it.’ Over the 23 years I knew him, we had three or four arguments. It wouldn’t have been a real friendship if we hadn’t.”
Schilling was “totally pleased” with Bracey’s portrayal of him, which he says was respectful and based on facts. “They read my book, I’m sure, more than once. Austin told me they read everything.”
Schilling says Bracey “doesn’t overdo anything. And yet when it was time to maybe have a difference of opinion whether it was Elvis or it was the Colonel, he played it right. He didn’t come back and do a big argument, which I wouldn’t have done either. He got me down.”
In trying to put Elvis’s life in perspective, Schilling says, “We’re all familiar with the ‘68 Comeback Special’ and what that did to Elvis’s career when it was really, as the movie says, in the toilet.”
Elvis, the movie, is “the ‘’68 Legacy Comeback,’” Schilling says. “I think this is going go do for his legacy what the ‘’68 Comeback Special’ did for his career while he was alive. It gives viewers an understanding of how special this man was.”
Schilling adds, “Ironically, 68 years ago in July was when Elvis’ first record was played, and when I met him.”
When I interviewed him, Schilling was headed to see the Elvis movie with Priscilla for his fourth time, and Priscilla’s fifth. “I’m glad this movie will be a record years from now for the history of Elvis, the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s, and of Tupelo, of Memphis. It really needed to be documented. If this was written and not filmed, I would put it in the National Archives.”
Ripples from the U.S. Supreme Court’s Fridy decision to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision protecting a woman’s right to choose an abortion will spread for years, no doubt touching many lives. Here are some of the immediate reactions from Memphis and Tennessee groups following the announcement of the decision.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee:
“Today’s landmark Supreme Court decision marks the beginning of a hopeful, new chapter for our country. After years of heartfelt prayer and thoughtful policy, America has an historic opportunity to support women, children and strong families while reconciling the pain and loss caused by Roe v. Wade.
“We have spent years preparing for the possibility that authority would return to the states, and Tennessee’s laws will provide the maximum possible protection for both mother and child. In the coming days, we will address the full impacts of this decision for Tennessee.”
Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery:
“Today, the United States Supreme Court issued its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. It overruled the Roe and Casey decisions establishing a federal constitutional right to have an abortion. Today’s decision restores to the states their authority to regulate and prohibit abortion.
“Tennesseans, through the affirmative vote of their elected representatives, amended the constitution a few years ago to confirm that the Tennessee Constitution does not provide a right to an abortion and leaves the issue up to the General Assembly.
“As a result of today’s ruling:
• I will notify the Tennessee Code Commission in writing that Roe and Casey have been overruled, as required by statute.
• We have asked the full Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals to stay the district court’s injunction of the timing provisions in our heartbeat abortion law, so that the law will go into effect as soon as possible.
• In 30 days, after the issuance of the judgment, the 2019 Human Life Protection Act should go into effect in Tennessee.
“To state the obvious: Dobbs is a momentous decision. Our republic is founded on the rule of law. Accordingly, we give respect and deference to the court on occasions when its decisions align and support our state laws, andin cases when a decision might be contrary to Tennessee state law and what the majority of Tennesseans want, as was the case with the 2015 Obergefell decision.
“Most importantly, after nearly 50 years, today’s decision gives the people of Tennessee a say on what the court called ‘a profound moral issue.’”
U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen:
“What has been a right for women for nearly 50 years has been struck down by this radical Supreme Court. Roe. v. Wade empowered women to make decisions about their health care and the most fundamental trajectory of their lives. That has been taken from them by an activist Supreme Court that has chosen to ignore the court’s precedents for a political agenda.
“Lucius Burch, a great Memphis lawyer, spoke to me many years ago about the possibility of Roe v. Wade being overturned. He said it would never happen because women in this country would march in the streets in protest. Mr. Burch was wrong about Roe never being overturned. But he was right about how women will react. Women in this country will march and march and march – and they will vote and vote and vote.”
Tennessee GOP:
”For half a century, Roe vs. Wade has been the law of our land and we applaud the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision to reverse course and allow the states to determine questions of life.
“We are proud that our work in Tennessee by electing good, pro-life Republicans has produced a long legacy of leadership that values the culture of life.
“However we know the fight for life does not end today, it merely shifts the debate from Washington to all the state houses across the country and serves as a reminder that our struggle is not complete. The prayers of millions and the actions of many were answered today as we all rejoice in the gift of life on this day.”
Tennessee Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dr. Jason Martin:
“For nearly 50 years, Roe v. Wade has been the law of the land — protecting the right to choose and reproductive health. Today, on this horrific day, that has come to end. In Tennessee, all abortions will be effectively illegal in 30 days and it will have the greatest impact on our most vulnerable communities.
”Make no mistake, abortions will still occur, but they will no longer be safe. Some will say that people can travel to other states, but not only does that further burden women without resources in an already difficult time, but it also fails to acknowledge that our rights are limited by an extremist Supreme Court and state legislature. As a physician, I also worry about how this impacts how we treat women in the hospital — how can I give someone the best medical care possible when medical decisions are no longer just between a woman and her doctor? Tennessee’s trigger law will be detrimental to the health and safety of all Tennesseans, and we cannot let that stand.
It has been clear for some time now that winning Tennessee’s gubernatorial race is a fight to protect women’s rights, freedoms, and safety. What happened this morning just shows us how urgently we need to act, and how much we need to come together to defeat this trigger law, Bill Lee, and the radical super majority in November.”
Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn:
”Having worked alongside Tennesseans to protect the innocent lives of unborn children for years, I applaud today’s Supreme Court ruling.
“Despite false claims from the left, this decision will not ban abortion. Instead, it returns the decision to the states and empowers state legislatures with more flexibility to craft policy through the democratic process.
“It is unacceptable that a draft opinion was leaked in advance and that the person responsible has not been caught. The leaker has jeopardized the safety of our justices, and threats of violence by the radical militant mob are unacceptable. We appreciate the brave law enforcement officers working overtime to protect our justices and their families.”
Healthy and Free Tennessee, a reproductive rights advocacy group:
”At Healthy and Free Tennessee, we have been preparing for this reality and will continue to center abolition in the fight for reproductive justice for all Tennesseans. We are not giving up on our communities and will not stop fighting for the decriminalization of abortion, pregnancy, and parenting.
“Now more than ever, we are backing our clinics, we are fighting against criminalization, and are here for our communities. Tennesseeans deserve freedom from state violence and criminalization. We will always oppose laws that punish people for pregnancy outcomes and will always work to provide accurate resources and information, fight for increased resources for pregnant people and families, and advocate for the rights of pregnant people. We deserve the dignity to make decisions about our own pregnancies, families, and futures.”
Tennessee House Minority Leader Rep. Karen Camper:
“I have often said that abortion is a complicated and very personal decision. And I personally believe that we don’t spend enough time on finding solutions to the reasons why some people have to have abortions.
“However, this ruling means that in Tennessee, all abortions will be criminalized, including for victims of rape and incest. Women should have the right to make their own, personal healthcare decisions. This is an unfortunate decision based on politics instead of established law and, according to the vast majority of polls, the will of people.”
Hendrell Remus, chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party:
“This decision is a direct assault on the rights of Tennesseeans. The court’s interpretation of the constitution on this issue is flawed and a direct insertion of political activism on the highest court in the land.
“This decision made by a conservative majority on the court, will empower a radical majority serving in state legislatures across the country. Politicians will be even more emboldened by this decision to impose their most restrictive views on us. Today, an essential and lifesaving freedom was discarded by a court installed to protect it.”
Brit Bender, executive director Tennessee Democratic Party:
“Clearly, this is a blow to Americans everywhere, but in Tennessee, abortion is most at risk due to a trigger law that will outlaw abortion without the federal right. This trigger law now criminalizes any abortion unless necessary to prevent death or ‘serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function.’ The abortion ban puts millions of Tennesseeans in danger and takes away their bodily autonomy.
“We are going to keep pushing back against anti-choice representatives and legislation any chance we get. The Tennessee Democratic Party will work to support pro-choice candidates and legislators as well as abortion rights groups in state. We’re prepared to fight for the safety and autonomy of Tennesseeans.”
Tennessee state Senator Raumesh Akbari:
“The Supreme Court just reset the clock on women’s constitutional rights to 1972. This decision puts the lives of women in imminent danger by handing politicians control over our most personal healthcare decisions. This is a stunning reversal of a decades-long expansion of our personal privacy rights and it’s disgraceful because it will not affect every American equally. Men’s reproductive liberties are completely untouched and protected.
“In Tennessee, abortion is already a right in name only for many people but even here the consequences for women will be swift and severe. Soon, a law from 2019 will make it a felony to provide an abortion in our state. As a direct result, the few abortion providers we have left will be criminalized and women and girls will be forced to carry pregnancies to term, even when they are a victim of rape or incest.
“Those with economic means, access to transportation, and friends who can help them get around legal roadblocks will still be able to exercise some control over their own bodies. But poor women and many Black women, women who already feel the sting of inequity in our laws and economy, will feel the repercussions of this decision right away.
“In this country, our sisters and daughters should have the same rights that our brothers and sons have, which is exactly why women should be trusted to start a family when they’re ready — without interference from politicians. Instead, we are going backward and the extreme politicians who brought us to this point are ready to shred our rights even further.”
Tennessee House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rep. Vincent Dixie (D-Nashville):
“This a sad day for this country. The Supreme Court was once the place that Americans could turn to for justice. The women’s movement, the civil rights movement, the disabled community and the LGBTQ community all turned to the high court to have their basic human rights affirmed. However today, politics overruled justice.
“Today, the black robes of the Supreme Court turned red and politics ruled the day. Now, we have to fight back and the best place to do that is at the ballot box. We have fewer than a dozen days now to register to vote in Tennessee and I urge everyone to let their voices be heard in this year’s upcoming election.”
Steve Mulroy, Democratic nominee for Shelby County District Attorney:
“This is a sad day. The politicized right-wing court goes out of its way to overturn half a century of precedent, with women as the victims.
“As District Attorney, I’ll be very different from Amy Weirich. Weirich’s party and Donald Trump want her to turn her attention away from prosecuting violent crime and prosecute women and their doctors. We need to be focusing on carjackings, murders, domestic violence – not jailing doctors helping women make reproductive choices.”
Louise Page at Betor Fest 2021 (Photo courtesy of Music is My Drug of Choice).
The sleeper hit music festival of the year will be happening in a week, and it may just be the most socially-enlightened concert series in town. But if you’re thinking Betor Fest 2022 is only for folks who can’t spell, think again: it’s devoted to a group that’s been quietly helping addicts and others in recovery for years now, A Betor Way.
I tracked down the organizers, Jennifer Dancy and David McNinch, to hear about the production company Dancy started, Music is My Drug of Choice, and how McNinch, best known as the drummer for Mama Honey, got involved in Betor Fest.
Memphis Flyer:How did Music is My Drug of Choice get started?
Jennifer Dancy: My friend Aaron Renfro and I started it back in 2018 doing music events with Shelby County Drug Court. We were both Drug court graduates. Aaron hasn’t be a part of it for several years now but he is performing at Betor Fest (as AR Music).
But actually there was a Betor Fest before we were a part of it. So this will be the third festival but only the second that we’ve produced.
How did Betor Fest come about then?
David McNinch: Really it grows from the work being done by a couple named Ron and Lisa Bobal. They had a son, Ron Bobal, Jr., who was a graffiti artist, and his tag on the street was ‘Betor’. You can still see some of his artwork around the Memphis area. He died of a heroin overdose on Christmas Day of 2016, so they took it upon themselves to start an outreach program, A Betor Way.
For years now, they have been setting up right at Summer Avenue and Sycamore View. There’s a real sketchy area of motels there, and they started taking care of the addicts that were living in that area. And it has really grown since its genesis. Now they have trailers, and they’ve networked throughout the community. They show up with these trailers and they have a triage center, a trailer staffed by volunteer doctors and different recovery agencies, and they administer to the health needs of the addicts.
At this point, people know it’s every Friday. So the clients go through triage, they’re screened for HIV and hepatitis. And they have a full blown buffet — one of the most beautiful buffets you’ve ever seen in your life. And there are organizations that donate meals and snacks. They even give away bags of groceries and clothes. It’s so meticulously organized that you just come right through. And if a person is willing to go into treatment, they’re set up with a rehab center immediately, on the spot. It’s pretty amazing.
I volunteer there, and it’s one of the most life-affirming things I’ve ever seen.
So the idea for this music festival was already there, and no Music is My Drug of Choice is running with it?
David McNinch: We’re both huge fans of Memphis music. So Jenn and I decided to take on a music festival, the second-ever Betor Fest, this time last year at Carolina Watershed. Both of us are very connected to local music. We did the festival last July and it was tremendous — we were able to make five grand to help with various things the organization needs. And it was a beautiful thing, seeing what it meant to local area musicians. So this year we’re doing it on July 2nd and 3rd. We’ve expanded it to two days, and we’re now doing it at Growlers. It’s 26 performers.
Are they all donating their time?
David McNinch: Overwhelmingly so. There are some cases where people need to augment their lineups with paid musicians, so we have sponsors that have donated to cover some of those costs. But a lot of people, like Louise Page, Roben X, and others, have 100 percent donated their time and talent. It’s unbelievable.
And I’d like to add one last thing. When I started playing music again in 2019 with my girls, Tamar Love and Fields Falcone, as Mama Honey, we noticed that it was always the same artists who were getting coverage. So it was really important to Jenn and I to have a sense of diversity. We have canvassed the area, and our festival is bringing in groups from all around town. We wanted to have the most diverse lineup that we possibly could. And it’s almost every genre of music, from bluegrass to death metal to folk to soul. We’re kind of doing a mixtape, so to speak. I’m from the 80s. Back then, if you had a good friend, you’d make them a mixtape. So this is an opportunity to make a mixtape representing what we think is a Renaissance in Memphis music right now. I’ve never seen Memphis music like this, since the mid-80s!
Music is My Drug of Choice Presents: Betor Fest Saturday, July 2nd and Sunday, July 3rd at Growlers.
Sunday Schedule 1. Rachel Maxann 1:00-1:30 2. Graber Grass 1:45-2:15 3. Danny Cosby 2:30-3:00 4. Life Explicit 3:15-3:45 5. For the Time Being 4:00-4:30 6. Mick Kolassa 4:45-5:15 7. N8 Boog13 5:30-5:45 8. Danny Davenport 5:55-6:10 9. Roben X 6:30-7:00 10. Spacer 7:15-7:45 11. Music by KOTA 8:00-8:45 12. Louise Page 9:00-10:00 13. AR Music 10:15-11:15
Single Day Passes are $12 Advance / $15 Day of Show Two Day Pass is $20
A recent post detailing median apartment asking rents for May 2022 has gone viral on social media. The comments section on the story, “Rents across U.S. rise above $2,000 a month for the first time ever” by Chris Arnold, is rife with speculation, commiseration, and accusation.
The story, which was posted by NPR, details numbers from a Redfin report that shows that asking rents for available apartments had risen 15 percent from a year ago, and had also risen above $2,000 a month for the first time. The post received a mix of reactions, with many agreeing that these numbers are “unsustainable.”
“Mainly it’s because we have a lack of housing inventory available,” explains Amy Schaftlein, executive director of United Housing, a nonprofit affordable housing agency.
According to Schaftlein, at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, rates were low, causing more people to “rush into the market,” in order to to take advantage of low interest rates.
She continues, “Because rates were some of the lowest that we’ve seen, you have a whole bunch of people trying to get into homeownership, and we haven’t been building new homes, especially at the starter home level in about 10 years. So the Great Recession has really stopped new home builds from happening over the last 10 years.”
Schaftlein explains that these historically low rates, combined with historically low inventory, led to a rush in demand, which in turn pushed up housing prices across the board. That is not just at selling price. The same applies for rent.
“You’re having people on the lower-rent side being able to stay in their homes because of the eviction moratorium and some of the rent assistance, but then you’re not seeing new rents or new homes coming,” says Schaftlein.
Factoring this in with inflation and rising costs, the Federal Reserve has had to raise interest rates, which causes people who are homeowners and “stuck at these low rates” not to move.
“With an overly competitive real estate market with millennials and GenZ’ers not able to get in because it’s too competitive to get a home loan, many people gave up,” Schaftlein continues. “Even millennials with a higher income represent a huge increase in the amount of rent applications.”
Those who can afford to buy, and are opting to stay out of the home ownership market, are choosing to stay out due to the highly competitive nature of the market, pushing them to move toward renting, which causes rent prices to go up, Schaftlein says.
There are a number of reasons why younger people are not qualifying for loans in a timely fashion, such as student debt, as well as new trends in employment.
“We’re working differently,” Schaftlein says. “A lot of people that are contract workers aren’t going to be able to show that 24-month work history necessarily, because they may be entrepreneurs, or do more contract type of work.”
Schaftlein says that this type of work is typically harder for loan officers and lenders to underwrite, which, in turn, makes it harder for the applicants to qualify to get mortgage loans, even if they have the income and show it in the bank.
Remote work has also removed the pressure for people to “put down roots,” Schaftlein says. This allows people the freedom to move around and have more flexibility in their jobs, which she believes also contributes to the idea that younger people are no longer considering being homeowners.
Another factor is out-of-town investment by larger companies, who can afford to invest capital unavailable to individual buyers. As the Flyer’s Toby Sells wrote in his 2019 cover story “Dream Denied,” “More and more Memphians are missing out on the American Dream, especially if you consider homeownership a centerpiece of that dream. Wall Street corporations are sucking up homes in struggling neighborhoods, spitting them back out as rentals, and — in doing so — sucking out wealth and access to upward mobility, particularly in African-American communities.”
Still, while many are postponing the dream of being homeowners, there are still those who prefer that option.
“I hear my peers talk about how high the rent is and how they have to make ends meet or how they’re tired of bills and although that will be my reality soon, I’m really thankful right now that it’s not.”
Berkley has decided to stay home with her parents, as they told her that they weren’t “rushing her to move out of the house.” It’s an option that is not available to everyone. But taken along with Schaftlein’s comment about millennials (who are now between 26 and 41 years old) representing an increase in the number of rental applications, it helps show a change in the age at which Memphians are attempting to achieve homeownership.
T’airra Fuller, 27, has lived in Collierville for two years for “an elevation in her career.” Fuller lost her job during the pandemic, and had to move back to Mississippi. Six-months later, Fuller says that rent had gone up to $1,100 and says that she is now paying $1,200 in rent. While she is paying for location and a promise of safety, she prefers to be in the process of purchasing a home.
“The house thing isn’t going too great right now,” Fuller says. “It’s kind of hard being a single woman and you’re the only one bringing income into the household. I had to take on another job. I quit my second job [retail], but I’m working on having my own independent call center, because it’s hard. You have to make ends meet. Some people have two incomes coming in, I have one.”
One of Memphis’ biggest drivers of change is about head off to a new challenge. On Thursday, Greater Memphis Chamber CEO Beverly Robertson announced that she would be stepping down from her role in December 2022. That same day, the Chamber board of directors voted to name the organization’s chief economic development officer, Ted Townsend, as her successor.
Robertson, the Chamber’s first Black president and CEO, took over the reins in 2018 in unfortunate circumstances following the death of former president and CEO Phil Trenary. She then had to navigate the Covid-19 pandemic. But despite this two crises, in 2021, she led the Chamber to its best year ever for economic development and its best financial year.
“My tenure at the Chamber has occurred in the midst of protest, politics and the pandemic,” said Robertson in a statement. “I stepped into the organization at a critical time. This work was more of a mission than a job. But my administration has been marked by inclusion – on our staff, in our community, and in the diverse voices we’re listening to – and by an entrepreneurial spirit that has led me to launch initiatives that others may have never considered. I am so grateful for the relationships that I have built over the years, along with new ones that I have fostered. The work would not have been possible without their support.”
“We are very fortunate to have a deep bench when it comes to leadership at the Chamber,” Robertson continued. “Ted is a strong, skilled professional who deeply cares about Memphis and this team. He is an expert when it comes to economic development and he knows this community. I’m looking forward to his future leadership of the Chamber.”
Under her tenure, the organization followed the mantra of “prosperity for all,” and focused much of its efforts on leading inclusive and economic workforce development. For the remaining few months in her role, Robertson will aim to raise $10 to $15 million that will mostly go towards economic development work. Afterwards, she plans to return to TRUST Marketing, the business she founded with her husband Howard Robertson.
Ted Townsend (Credit: Greater Memphis Chamber)
The Chamber recently revealed its Prosper Memphis 2030 plan, which seeks to add 50,000 regional jobs, and have Memphis leverage its status as one of the largest minority-majority cities in the country to attract businesses that place an emphasis on diversity in their workforces. Townsend was a key player in drafting that plan, and was also a huge part of securing Ford and SK Innovation’s $5.6 billion BlueOval City project near Memphis.
“Greater Memphis, the Chamber, and I all owe Beverly a debt of gratitude for the work she’s done to put inclusion and diversity at the heart of the Chamber’s work,” Townsend said. “In a majority-minority city, the only sustainable growth is inclusive growth, which is why we included bold minority inclusion goals in our recently announced Prosper Memphis 2030 plan to add 50,000 new, quality jobs.
“Memphis has momentum and it’s about to get even better,” he continued. “We have fully recovered the jobs we lost in the pandemic, we just had our best year ever for economic development, and we have more projects in our pipeline than ever before. A tsunami of opportunity is coming, and when it does, the Chamber will be leading the charge to make sure this prosperity is felt across Memphis.”
“Beverly Robertson is an incredibly tough act to follow, but if there’s anyone who can carry forward her work to make Memphis more prosperous for all, it’s Ted Townsend.” added Doug Browne, chairman of the Chamber’s board and president of Peabody Hotels & Resorts. “Ted has both the passion and the economic development experience to make Memphis one of the fastest-growing and prosperous cities in the nation. The board is 100-percent behind his vision to make our region an economic powerhouse.”
“After Phil’s death, the Chamber needed a leader with both a strong vision for this community and a deep compassion for an organization that had just suffered a tremendous loss,” said Richard W. Smith, president and CEO-elect of FedEx Express and past chairman of the Chamber’s Board of Directors. “We needed a champion to carry on the growth-focused ‘prosperity for all’ mission that Phil had started, and to build and improve upon it. Beverly was that champion. A trailblazer who became the right leader at the right time, she leaves our Chamber better than she found it. And I know Ted is determined to build on that solid foundation and not stop until Memphis is the city of choice for business. We are very fortunate to have our Chamber under the watchful eye of these two leaders.”
The cover art for the HKM collection, art by Jeff Wack (Courtesy Wraysong Records)
It all started in 1967 when Mac Davis was managing Metric Music in Hollywood California. Davis put Memphis-based duo Hial Bancroft King and Ray Chafin together to collaborate on a music project. Liberty Records wanted something to follow an Elton John and Bernie Taupin album. Both members sing and play multiple instruments, but King was something of a musical virtuoso (and an avid experimenter, especially with synthesizer music and sound effects) and Chafin had a deft touch with lyrics and conceptual form.
Thus the Hyle King Movement was born. Unfortunately, the group was short-lived. Metric Music balked at the more experimental song composition, and the group’s demos were shelved.
For a time, that put a pin in the group’s musical endeavors — at least together. King wrote symphonies and conducted orchestras, played concerts, and was endorsed by many legendary conductors. He worked with Leon Russell, Lou Rawls, Jackie DeShannon, and Brian Wilson, among a cadre of charting artists. Chafin went on to record two of the duo’s songs on Bob Marcucci’s Chancellor Records and appeared on American Bandstand with Dick Clark.
Now, after a 30-year hiatus, Hyle King Movement’s two-volume collection has been remastered and released on Wraysong Records. I spoke with Ray Chafin about (with input from Hial Bancroft King) about the journey to get these songs out in the world.
Memphis Flyer: The synth-driven sound wasn’t what I expected based on looking at the cover. Can you tell me a little about how you crafted the sound for the album.
Ray Chafin: All the songs on the album were recorded on multi-tracks with Hial playing all the instrument parts on multiple sessions of overdubbing. The synthesizer was the main instrument for both sound and effects. He also sang all the parts in the extensive vocal backup, along with Grammy winning artist Darlene Koldenhoven. Each song was recorded at different times over several years, in Hial’s state-of-the-art King’s Studio.
The album is quite atmospheric. Can you talk a little about the decision to include sound effects in the music?
We, as songwriters, believe songs should be felt as well as listened to, visualized as well as heard, and sound effects add that touch of being there, witnessing, and experiencing what the words describe.
Would you talk a little bit about your musical influences?
Hial was raised in Hollywood during those years of classic filmmaking. His award-winning grandfather, actor George Bancroft, set the environment for Hial to become the child prodigy he was, and the extraordinary musician he is today. I, on the other hand, was born and raised on a farm in West Virginia, with country music and bluegrass festivals as my major influence. I didn’t play an instrument until my late teens.
At least in “Silvery Dawn” it seems that science-fiction is one influence. Is that true?
Absolutely! What was considered fiction 50 years ago is finally becoming reality today. This song stems from the prediction of coming events that are not clearly explained. However, in making the video I considered it science-reality. Having witnessed a UFO encounter with my mother in I952, I gained great respect for the notion that we are not alone in this vast universe.
Again talking about “Silvery Dawn” but it seems faith plays an important part in the lyrical composition. Would you talk about that?
As a child we were taught about the coming rapture, Hial explained it as a childhood fear that became this visionary dream with biblical origins. Rapture, they say, or an ethereal garden, perhaps.
“Cozy Little Corner” seems to have more of a lounge feel. Do you enjoy experimenting with different genres?
Certainly. We both love to tread outside the musical boundaries of the norm. Hial is the “king” of versatility, as shown in his work. He can do it all!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
It has been said, “The chase is more enjoyable than the catch,” and in our case it rings true. We had the good fortune to create songs, play music, and share special times with some pretty amazing people.
“I’m back with another review and this time Dixie Queen I’m on your ass, big fellow,” promises a TikTok from @honey_drip_. And she delivers. Visiting Dixie Queen? HoneyDrip says bring cash because “these bitches, sometimes, the machine be down, and be sure to bring your bulletproof vest because, bitch, this is Memphis. Okay?” “Raggedy-ass sign.” Check. “Raggedy-ass intercom.” Check. “Raggedy-ass customer service.” Check. HoneyDrip said a Dixie Queen employee once repeated her order, which included a “murkshake” (milkshake) and a burger with “purkles” (pickles), spoken in beautiful Memphis-ese. She didn’t correct her because, “I don’t play with people who make my food.” Good tip. The signs may be busted and you probably won’t have it your way, says HoneyDrip, “but, bitch, you know where you at when you came here.” The video had more than 111,500 likes as of press time and had been shared nearly 7,500 times.
