Month: January 2024

Categories
Art Art Feature

A Memphis Legend: Calvin Farrar

Photo: Courtesy Calvin Farrar

Whether you realize it or not, you’ve seen Calvin Farrar’s artwork. It’s practically everywhere, his window paintings a part of the city’s landscape as they fill up the fronts of businesses from Midtown to Orange Mound to Downtown. The cartoon illustrations he paints create delightful scenes for passersby and patrons to enjoy; smiling snowmen, waving scarecrows, and dunking Grizzlies offer a moment of whimsy in a city of grit and grind. Today, as I speak with him, he paints the windows of Babalu in Overton Square, outlining cheery elves and Santa first in white paint and pencil, before intuitively adding in colors for the Christmas scene he’s created. His own smiles spread across his face as he steps back to look at his painting, his love of the work obvious.

For the past 25 years or so, Farrar has steadily grown his window painting business, from his first solo job at the old Ed’s Camera Store, then to The Bar-B-Q Shop and a Huey’s location, then to all Huey’s locations, and from there it blossomed to a year-round job all around town that allows him to pursue what he’s always wanted to: art.

“That’s the only thing I know how to do, is paint,” Farrar says. He took to it naturally as a child, his high school teacher, especially, encouraging his talents. Later, when he was an adult, his neighbor, Artiek Smith, also an artist, introduced Farrar to window painting, inviting him along to job sites before Farrar embarked on his own.

Calvin Farrar at work (Photo: Abigail Morici)

Today, as he works, he paints with ease, his strokes confident and smooth. He mastered his signature style a long time ago. When I ask him if he’s proud of his window art — that he can go just about anywhere from Brookhaven Pub & Grill in East Memphis to Superlo in Orange Mound and catch a glimpse of his work — he simply nods, beaming.

Yet window murals — no matter how much of a Memphis staple they’ve become — are temporary, meant to last only a season at a time. “A lot of people don’t want to take it down,” Farrar says. But, alas, they must.

For an artist, like Farrar, these window paintings are only a taste of a legacy that art can offer, so in his free time, he paints in oils, a medium much more permanent. Entrenched in nostalgia for the Delta and the blues, these folk-inspired paintings are rich in color and smooth strokes that suggest the artist’s assured process. When he paints, he says, “I just paint. If it’s a good subject matter, I work on it. … I just get a feel for it.”

“A lot of people didn’t know I painted oil paintings,” Farrar adds. In fact, it wasn’t until this past October that he had one of his first gallery shows “since a long time ago.” The First Presbyterian Church on Poplar hosted the duo exhibition, titled “When the Spirit Moves,” with Rosa Jordan. “I thought it was pretty cool,” Farrar says.

Already, his next show is on display at Buckman Arts Center at St. Mary’s Episcopal School. This exhibit, titled “It’s a Memphis Thang” and done in conjunction with Anna Kelly, features works from across his years as an artist, as well as Kelly’s mixed media works of Mid-South icons. “Calvin has spent so many years charming Memphians with his art,” says Cindi Younker, director of Buckman Arts Center. “Buckman is delighted to offer him a proper show to celebrate this living legend and his work.”

“It’s a Memphis Thang” will be on display through March 7th. The opening reception will take place on Friday, February 9th, 5 to 6 p.m. at Buckman Arts Center at St. Mary’s, 60 Perkins Extended.

Categories
Fun Stuff News of the Weird

News of the Weird: Week of 02/01/24

Creme de la Weird

The Kyiv Post reported on Dec. 13 that Russia’s security service, the FSB, has released its 2024 propaganda fundraising calendar, and it’s a doozy! The front cover features “art” of an improbably ripped Vladimir Putin giving his best sultry stare while leaning on a big, black compensator vehicle. Meanwhile, the apocalyptic November image depicts an FSB special forces soldier standing before the U.S. Capitol while drones and helicopters attack it. Is this a popular holiday gift in Russia? Who knows. The bigger question: Why does the FSB need to fundraise? [Kyiv Post, 12/13/2023]

Weird Science

• Gatorland in Orlando, Florida, can boast a fascinating new resident: a leucistic white alligator, born on Dec. 7, CNN reported. The female gator is believed to be one of only eight in the world and the only one born in human care. She was hatched along with a normal-colored brother of the same size (about 19 inches long). “Leucistic alligators are the rarest genetic variation in the American alligator,” the park said. They have bright blue eyes, as opposed to albino gators, which have pink eyes. The public is invited to vote on a name on the park’s social media sites. [CNN, 12/7/2023]

• Scientists at Northwestern University in Chicago have created teeny-tiny VR headsets for laboratory mice, Sky News reported on Dec. 8, so that they can experience the freedom they will never have. The Miniature Rodent Stereo Illumination VR has two lenses and two screens to give the little dudes a realistic 3D picture of … aerial threats, like an owl coming in for a meal. The goggles help the mice “engage with the environment in a more natural way,” said lead scientist Daniel Dombeck. [Sky News, 12/8/2023]

Crime Report

In Louisville, Kentucky, a bronze statue of President Abraham Lincoln has been seated on a rock, overlooking the Ohio River, since 2009, the Louisville Courier Journal reported. But Lincoln’s top hat, which rested at his side on the rock, disappeared sometime at the beginning of December. The sculptor, Ed Hamilton, suspects the hat was stolen: “It was anchored down into that monolith rock,” he said. “I don’t know what they could have used, maybe some more manpower or some crowbars. Bring the hat back because you can’t wear it,” he warned potential thieves. Police and park officials are investigating. [Louisville Courier Journal, 12/10/2023]

Bright Idea

An unnamed 22-year-old man from Taiwan was detained on Dec. 5 at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok after he was found to be transporting two Asian small-clawed otters and a prairie dog, Metro News reported. The man had the animals stuffed into three separate socks and taped into his boxer shorts; security officers became suspicious about the large bulge below the man’s waistband. They believe he purchased them at a market in the city. The animals were taken to the Wildlife Conservation Office; the smuggler was arrested. “We will catch anyone who tries to take animals on planes,” a Thai customs department spokesperson said. [Metro News, 12/8/2023]

Suspicions Confirmed

Cops in Genoa, Italy, were stumped by a drug-trafficking case in their city, BNN reported on Dec. 1 — that is, until they noticed a large number of bald and beardless men visiting a local barbershop. Investigators initiated surveillance and searched the shop, where they found 100 grams of cocaine, precision scales, and packaging materials. They also found hashish at the barber’s home and evidence of ongoing communication with inmates in a Genoa prison. The 55-year-old barber is awaiting sentencing at the Marassi prison. [BNN, 12/1/2023]

Awesome!

The Burnside Shelter in Portland, Oregon, hit the jackpot earlier in the year when workers discovered a pair of gold sneakers at the bottom of a donation bin, United Press International reported. Turns out, the Air Jordan 3 kicks were commissioned by Spike Lee for him to wear at the 2019 Academy Awards — and they’re valued at more than $10,000, according to Sotheby’s. The auction house were to donate 100 percent of the proceeds, expected to be as much as $20,000, to the Portland Rescue Mission, which operates the shelter. Bidding continued through Dec. 18. [UPI, 12/13/2023]

NEWS OF THE WEIRD
© 2024 Andrews McMeel Syndication.
Reprinted with permission.
All rights reserved.

Categories
Politics Politics Feature

Purgatory

When Judge Jayne Chandler (r) swore in Councilman Jeff Warren in early January, host and witness for the special ceremony was the iconic late former school board member Sara Lewis. It was her final official act. (Photo: Courtesy Jeff Warren)

The forced reaction of Mayor Paul Young in his interim appointment of Memphis Police Chief CJ Davis, coupled with the city council’s action this past Tuesday to defer action on reappointing Public Works Director Robert Knecht, suggests an emergent balkanization of power in the affairs of the newly installed city government.

Council chair JB Smiley has made it clear that he intends to position the council — and himself — as a counterbalance to mayoral authority. Smiley, who had taken the lead in the first deferral of action on Davis three weeks ago, reinforced his assertiveness last Tuesday in dressing down Knecht for “attitude” and alleged insularity and leading the council to postpone a vote on Knecht’s reappointment for two more weeks.

“Make sure you respond when we come calling on you,” was the thrust of Smiley’s message to Knecht. The contrast between Smiley’s firmness and Knecht’s docility was instructive.

And individual council members have their own axes to grind.

Councilman Jeff Warren, sponsor of the imminent council resolution that Young had to preempt and emulate in his interim appointment of Davis, has affirmed his position at the nexus of authority. Newcomer Jerri Green’s strong questioning of Davis underscored her determination to be a voice to reckon with.

Another new council member, previously seen as an unknown quantity, is Yolanda Cooper-Sutton, who has made a point of her intention to base her votes on her own independent researches. Yet another first-termed, Pearl Eva Walker, has to be regarded as a potential exponent of an abundant number of activist causes, including a reexamination of Memphis’ issues with TVA.

And so forth and so on. As the old saw goes: All have won, and all must have prizes. Young, who has yet to get his legs fully down, will be hard put to maintain the strong-mayor authority the city charter entitles him to — especially given a belated air of pushback against the relatively free hand enjoyed by former mayor Jim Strickland.

Not to be ignored, either, is the likely enhancement of self-interested power groups in the community. A key moment in the (temporary) resolution of the Davis matter was a come-to-Jesus meeting between Mayor Young and members of the Memphis Police Association on the Monday before the last council session.

The gathered police folk made it clear that they wanted more attention to their concerns that they had been used to in law-enforcement matters.

The bottom line is that rosy rhetoric does not apply to Davis’ case. Nor to her boss’. One noted pundit has hailed the interim appointment as a salvific opportunity for all the sides to get together in constructive kumbaya. The fact is, to employ the right existential terminology, Davis is in a form of purgatory and has, at best, an opportunity to expurgate herself. Meanwhile, she has to bear the ill-defined stigmata of public doubt. And so, sadly, must the mayor, as he still struggles to launch his mayoralty.

Some are already suggesting that Chief Davis might make her best contribution to the city’s welfare — and to her boss’ and to her own — by arranging for a graceful, voluntary withdrawal.

Categories
Food & Wine Food & Drink

Southern Comfort at Evergreen Grill

Chef David Todd (Photo: Michael Donahue)

Evergreen Grill will open in spring or earlier at 212 North Evergreen Street, the site of the old Cafe Society.

Chef/owner David Todd describes Evergreen Grill as “a neighborhood bar and grill.” The fare will be “Southern cuisine comfort food.” And, he says, “It’s what I always wanted to do.”

Todd, 45, who was executive chef at Longshot restaurant at Arrive Memphis hotel, as well as owner of Grub Life, a pre-ordered fully-prepared meal service, says, “I worked for a bunch of great chefs and I learned so many things from so many people.”

But, he adds, “Everybody hits that point at some point in their life, where they’re doing what they’re doing and they want to continue doing it.

“I figured out over the years, my strongest creative process and the place where I’m just the best at and happiest at as a chef, is understanding food; it’s about people, and food is about memories.”

And one of those memories involves his mother. “My mom taught me how to cook.

“I can remember being a younger cook and working with people and they’re explaining things to me or showing me this technique.”

He remembers a chef showing him how to cut oranges and grapefruits into segments. But Todd’s mother made fruit segments for him and his sister when they were growing up. “The bedrock of my palate and the way I like to cook things is influenced by my mother’s cooking.”

Food “belongs to everybody. It’s like this universal language.”

But he says, people “filter a lot of pretense into it.”

Describing Evergreen Grill’s fare, Todd says, “We really care about what we’re doing and we do it the right way, but we’re coming from that place of love, not that place of pretense. And I’m not trying to be grandiose.”

There are “unlimited images” out there of what chefs are creating. “I’m not knocking that. But also, in a weird way, it can interrupt the creative process.

“Sometimes I create the clearest when I don’t have an image I’m trying to work towards.”

Many chefs aspire to make it big in New York and California. “So many cool things exist in all those places,” Todd says, “but as chefs we get lost in this comparative culture.”

His goal? “All I’ve ever wanted to be is a Memphis chef.” And he wants the food at Evergreen Grill to reflect that. “One of the best cooks I ever met is my mother. And there’s so much technique there. So much talent there. There’s so much love in the things that she did and a lot of their mothers did. So, why don’t we highlight that?”

Instead of “lofty fine dining food with foams and that kind of stuff,” Todd will serve “approachable food” at Evergreen Grill.

He’s not using his mother’s recipes. “It’s not my mom’s cooking, but it’s leaning into that.”

Todd plans to include items people might get at other places, but not the way he’s going to prepare them.

Like country fried steak. “To me, there’s nothing wrong with putting love in country fried steak. But let’s get a good cut of meat and good breading.”

And, he adds, “I have no problem making one of the best cheeseburgers in town.”

As well as a “killer meatloaf.”

“If you want to get certain stuff now in this day and age it’s going to be premade frozen stuff,” Todd says, adding, “If it’s not of a certain tier, it’s not right to do it right and make it cool.

“We separate food into all these different classes and I just think a lot of it is kind of nonsense. It’s all applicable and it all has its space.”

Chefs can “put love into anything.”

People will know right away his sandwiches are different. “They can tell a few bites in, ‘Oh, hold on.’ Tell them we made the jalapeño jam for that patty melt here. The pastrami I smoked here. The pickled cabbage I made here.

“You can put just as much intent in a sandwich as somebody down the street would in a steak entree. And, to me, that’s a pretty cool moment.”

The Evergreen Grill will include “chicken wings. Nachos. Really good sandwiches. A few salads.”

There also will be “dinner plates,” including short rib plates and salmon plates.

But Todd won’t be serving any of the fare associated with the old Cafe Society. “This is going to be a complete departure from Cafe Society.”

As for the look of Evergreen Grill, Todd’s changes include knocking out a wall “so there would be a flow between the bar and the rest of the place.”

Todd, whose partners in the restaurant are Josh Huckaby and Meredith Brocato, didn’t want a fancy name. And he didn’t want “Grille” with an “e” in the title. Restaurants come up with super kitschy and super cool names nowadays, according to Todd. His thought was, “Let’s just open a restaurant like they did back in the day. And that’s kind of what we’re doing.”

Evergreen Grill will eventually be open for lunch and dinner. “We’ll open for dinner first, get our feet under us, and get the rhythm of it. And a few weeks later we’ll open for lunch.”

And when Todd says it’s going to be a “neighborhood” grill, he’s being literal. “This is my neighborhood. I live three-quarters of a mile away from Evergreen Grill.”

Categories
Astrology Fun Stuff

Free Will Astrology: Week of 02/01/24

Dario Bronnimann | Unsplash

ARIES (March 21-April 19): “Happiness” is an amorphous term with a different meaning for everyone. What makes me feel happy may be unlike what works for you. Besides that, any kind of perfect happiness is impossible to achieve. However we define it, we are always a mix of being happy and unhappy. Nevertheless, I invite you to ruminate about the subject in the coming days. I believe you are primed to arrive at a realistic new understanding of your personal version of happiness — and raise your happiness levels by at least 15 percent. Maybe more! Now here are helpful clues from philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche: “Precisely the least thing, the gentlest, lightest thing, the rustling of a lizard, a breath, a whisk, a twinkling of the eye — what’s little makes up the quality of the best happiness. Soft!”

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): I invite you to take an inventory of your taboos, inhibitions, and restrictions. Meditate on why you originally adopted them. Evaluate how well they have served you and whether they are still meaningful. If you find any of them have become unnecessary or even injurious, jettison them. And be excited and happy about being free of them. If you decide that some taboos, inhibitions, and restrictions are still wise for you to maintain, thank them for their service and honor the self-protection they provide.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini novelist Gregory Maguire says there are a “thousand ways people shrink from life, as if chance and change are by their nature toxic and disfiguring.” Your assignment in the coming weeks is to contradict his theory. I’m hoping you will interpret all chance and change as potentially expansive, redemptive, and interesting. You will never shrink from life, but will boldly meet challenges and embrace twists of fate as interesting opportunities. I have abundant faith in your ability to carry out this vigorous project!

CANCER (June 21-July 22): You could be a masterful eliminator of toxins and wastes in the coming weeks. Do it both for yourself and for those you care about. Start by purging nonessentials that obstruct the flow of the good life. These might include defunct fantasies, mistaken understandings, apathetic attitudes, and unloving approaches. Among the other dross or dreck you could root out is any clutter that’s making familiar environments feel oppressive. By the way, fellow Cancerian, this should be fun. If it’s not, you’re doing it wrong.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): My goals right now are to inspire you in the following three ways: 1. to be full of love for your daily life; 2. to adore yourself exactly as you are; 3. to shed any numbness or boredom you feel and replace them with alert aliveness. To help you in this exalted effort, I offer the inspiration of three quotes.
1. “The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson 2. “The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.” — Eden Phillpotts 3. “I have the mysterious feeling of seeing for the first time something I have always known.” — Bernardo Bertolucci

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In the coming weeks, I hope you avoid sucking up to egotistical manipulators. Please also refrain from being an unappreciated beast of burden and a half-willing pawn in boring games. If you are interested in paying off karmic debts, make sure they are yours, not anyone else’s. If you plan to work hard to lay the foundation for a future liberation, get a guarantee that YOU will be one of the liberated people. PS: I’m fine with you doing unselfish things as long as they will also have selfish benefits.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): One of the great maladies affecting modern people is the atrophy of the soul. It’s related to another affliction: the apathy of the soul. A key contributor to these misfortunes is the entertainment industry. Its shallow and artificial stimuli are engineered to overfeed our egos, leaving our poor souls malnourished. Please note that I have no problem with our egos. They are an important part of our makeup and are essential for healthy functioning. But it’s a shame they hog all the glory and sustenance. Now here’s my climactic message for you, Libra: It’s high time to celebrate a holiday I call Nurture the Soul. Make it last at least three weeks. Homework: Identify three actions you will take to excite, cherish, and enhance your soul.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In myth and legend, pregnancies don’t always begin with two humans having sexual communion. The well-known story of the Virgin Mary tells us she was impregnated when the Holy Spirit, disguised as a dove, whispered in her ear. The Roman goddess Juno conceived her son Mars solely with the help of an enchanted lily flower. The Greek hero Attis germinated inside his virgin mother Nana after she placed a pomegranate in her lap. This might sound outlandish, but I foresee you having a metaphorically comparable experience. Do you believe in the possibility of being fertilized by miraculous magic or a divine spirit? Might you be dramatically awakened or inspired by a very subtle influence? I think it will happen even if you don’t believe.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sagittarian computer scientist Grace Hopper (1906–1992) wrote, “The most damaging phrase in the language is: ‘It’s always been done that way.’” I will expand on that wisdom. The most obvious meaning is that we risk ignoring our individualized needs and suppressing our creative inspirations if we mindlessly conform to the habits of society. But it’s equally important not to mindlessly repeat our own long-standing ways of doing things. Maybe they were brilliant and appropriate in the past, but there’s no guarantee they will always be so. In conclusion, Sagittarius, I recommend you rebel against your own personal “it’s always been done that way” as well as everyone else’s.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Being in love is as desirable for you Capricorns as it is for everyone else. You may be less open and dramatic than the rest of us in expressing your yearnings, but they are still a driving force. Here’s an important point: Even if you are not constantly chattering to others about your urges to give and receive intimate care, it’s crucial that you acknowledge them to yourself. To keep your soul healthy, you must be in close touch with this core fuel. You must love your need for love. Now is an excellent time to deepen your appreciation for these truths.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): It’s the fifth annual Brag Therapy Holiday — for you Aquarians only. During this celebration, we expect you — indeed we want you — to boast with panache. Tell us all in exquisite detail why you are such a marvelous creation. Explain how you have overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to transform yourself into a masterpiece of intuitive intelligence. Regale us with stories of your winsome qualities, your heroic triumphs, and your hilarious and poignant adventures on the edge of reality. Make sure we understand how educational and healing it can be to bask in your influence. Show us why we should regard you as a role model.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I invite you to resolve old business, draw unrewarding projects to a close, and finish your lessons at the School of Tough Love. You don’t have to carry out my next proposal, but if you do, I will be glad: Politely and quietly scream, “Get out of my life” at anyone who doesn’t give you the respect and kindness you deserve. I also recommend that you do a Wrap-It-Up Ritual. Start by making an altar that pleases you with its beauty. Take scraps of paper and write on each one a description of an influence or experience you want to purge from your life. As you rip each scrap into bits, say this: “I’m grateful for what I have learned from you, but now I am leaving you behind.”

Categories
Opinion The Last Word

Memphis Is my Boyfriend: Snow Days, Losers, and Food!

Snowmageddon meant plenty of time for breakfast in bed and a competitive bowling session on Nintendo Switch Sports. (Photos: Patricia Lockhart)

It’s time for another tween/teen-friendly Memphis weekend! My kids are 15, 12, 12, (happy belated b-day, twins), and 10 years old. Unfortunately, this particular weekend landed on the Memphis Snowmageddon! So we went nowhere. But that doesn’t mean we did nothing!

Monday — Everything was covered in snow. It was MLK Day and I had planned on doing nothing anyway. I had stopped by High Point Grocery a few days before and picked up some items. (Hubby stopped by a store, too … a liquor store.) In other words, we had everything we needed. As I rolled over to go back to sleep, I heard a noise in the kitchen. First thought, “What could anyone possibly require from the kitchen at this hour?” Second, “I wonder how much those cabinets cost that close really slowly to prevent slamming them?” After listening to the cacophony that comes with someone cooking in — and destroying — the kitchen, a soft knock rapped at my door. My oldest child fixed me breakfast in bed! Hot Cream of Wheat topped with baked apples. We piddled around as we waited for MSCS to announce schools were closed. When they did, my hubby reminded the kids that they still had to brush their teeth and take baths.

Tuesday — When my kids are at school, I never hear tales of them starving. So can someone explain to me how at 10 a.m. we had to have a family meeting about the rationing of food? First, we took inventory of what we had on hand. Then we brainstormed and created a menu of lunch and dinner dishes. Lastly, we laid down the law! Under no circumstance could these crumb-snatchers eat anything that was needed for lunch or dinner. If they got hungry, they could eat a PB&J sandwich, ramen, or canned tomato soup. After spending a good chunk of the day doing work from home, I felt it would be nice to whoop the kids in a game of Monopoly. (I’d won the last two games!) We only had plain tortilla chips for a snack since they ate everything else. The game lasted four hours and I did not win. The last hour was brutal. I endured all sorts of verbal jabs from my oldest, who showed me no mercy. Upon bankrupting, I assigned him the chore of putting everything up neatly. I poured myself a glass of wine to lick my wounds only to be reminded by my daughter that I was supposed to have a “Dry January.” I stared at her in defiance as I drank straight from the bottle.

Wednesday — I woke up late to the smell of something burning. Irritated, I snuggled deeper into the covers. I know what you’re thinking, “You didn’t go see what was burning?” Absolutely NOT! Burnt food falls solidly in the categories of “None of My Business” and “I’m Not Eating It.” So you can imagine my surprise when hubby walks in with a plate of pancakes and coffee. I prepped my “I’m too old to be eating nasty food, even if my kids made it” speech, but was greeted with two perfect chocolate chip pancakes.

Later, I announced I was making chicken and dumplings for dinner. To be fair, I did Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe to decide who would be my sous-chef. I began, “Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe … ” Before I could finish, one of the twins HOLLERS and then calmly walks away. I was confused. Then the penny dropped. “If he hollers, let him go.” So I had to let him go and choose from the remaining kids. That was never the rule when I was growing up, but it makes sense. As I plated the dumplings, I called the kids down for dinner. They stared at their bowls, back at me, and back to their bowls. Twin #2 asked, “Where are the chicken dumplings?” Befuddled, I pointed to his bowl. He replied, “No, I thought you were making chicken dumplings like the ones at a Chinese restaurant.” While they devoured the meal, I told them the history of Southern chicken and dumplings and Black cuisine. Later we played “Uno No Mercy.” I lost that game, too.

Thursday — I opened my eyes to hubby placing a cup of coffee on my nightstand. I had to make my own breakfast, so I headed to the kitchen. I was greeted by my oldest son with a hug and a request. Can I teach him how to make French toast? Of course! We served up some French toast, and he topped it with his homemade whipped cream and baked apples. I balanced my day with work, video games, and reading. Everything was going swell until we ran out of dishwasher detergent. It’s now every person and dish for themselves. New rule: If you mess up a dish, you must wash it by hand! We are also dangerously low on eggs and butter. But not low on deodorant, which the boys seem to think is not a necessity. We played the Exploding Cats card game. I lost that game, too. My Dry January has officially changed to a Damp January.

Friday — My sleep cycle is all off. I woke up at 5 a.m., read in bed, went back to sleep, and finally woke up for good at 11 a.m. I was not greeted with breakfast in bed or hot coffee. I was served a nice Memphis-style “roasting” for sleeping so late. Since my clapbacks are infamously lame, I kept my mouth closed.

We spent the afternoon playing Nintendo Switch Sports. I did okay in bowling and golf. Not good enough to call it winning, but I’m proud of myself regardless. My oldest asked if I could teach him how to make chocolate chip cookies, so I busted out my recipe book and baked a batch with him. I am thankful for my tweens/teens. Because snow days with little children are not for the faint of heart.

Patricia Lockhart is a native Memphian who loves to read, write, cook, and eat. Her days are filled with laughter with her four kids and charming husband. By day, she’s a school librarian and writer, but by night … she’s asleep. @realworkwife @memphisismyboyfriend

Categories
Fun Stuff Metaphysical Connection

Metaphysical Connection: Attraction Magic

Don’t be afraid to attract and manifest the things that you want and need. (Photo: Elias Maurer | Unsplash)

February is the month we associate the most with love and romance thanks to Valentine’s Day.

Regardless of the history of Valentine’s Day — or how you feel about the holiday — it is not a bad thing to be reminded of love this time of year. We have finally settled back into our normal routines after the holidays, which could be a bit of a letdown. Taking a bit of an emotional break in mid-February to celebrate love in any of its forms can help break up the monotony.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to attract love and manifest it in your life. Everyone deserves to find a loving partner if that’s what they want. Maybe this Valentine’s Day you’re not looking for romance, but instead a little more self-love. This can be a good time energetically to work on self-love as much as it is an opportune time to work on romance.

Often when we hear the word “attraction,” we think of romance. But when it comes to spell work, attraction magic can be about much more than love. Attraction magic is any work that you do to manifest something in your life, be it love, money, an opportunity, or a specific item.

Attraction magic can be one of the easiest and one of the most difficult types of magic to do. To oversimplify, you can work attraction magic by simply wanting something really, really hard and focusing on having it. However, attraction magic is also easy to undo without meaning to.

Many of us are good at self-sabotaging, even if we don’t mean to be. When we are working on manifesting something it can be easy for us to negate the work we have been doing with our thoughts, comments, and actions. That does not mean that we do not want what we are trying to attract. But it can mean that we feel like we are unworthy of what we are trying to manifest. If we feel like we don’t deserve something or that something is impossible for us, those insidious feelings and thoughts can subconsciously undo your attraction work. No matter how many times you burn a candle or write a petition, if you don’t believe in what you’re asking for all the way to your core, you might not get it. If you are trying to manifest a new job with spell work but then tell your friends that you probably won’t get the job, you just undid all your hard work.

We all have insecurities. And most of us will likely have moments of doubt when we are trying to attract something into our lives. I don’t believe that a single occurrence will completely erase your attraction work. But if you don’t catch yourself in those moments of doubt and correct your thinking, eventually it could overwhelm your magic.

Self-love work is an ongoing work that we must do in our lives. Having more self-love and self-confidence can make any manifestation work you do easier and more potent. When you genuinely love yourself and are confident in your abilities, this will be reflected in your energy and your magic.

Regardless, don’t be afraid to attract and manifest the things that you want and need. Even if your self-love or confidence isn’t at an all-time high, that does not mean you do not deserve love or that you are not capable of loving someone. Just be sure to manifest someone who will help bolster those feelings in yourself.

One of my favorite, tried-and-true spells for attraction is to make a list. First, decide what you need or want to attract. Then write a list of all the qualities or attributes you want or need from that thing. Be realistic about it though, and understand that the list is a compromise. There’s not one person or job or thing that is going to be absolutely perfect, so you will not get everything on your list.

As we grind our way toward Valentine’s Day, don’t get caught up in the hype of the commercial holiday. Focus on your needs and desires, and manifest it with attraction magic.

Emily Guenther is a co-owner of The Broom Closet metaphysical shop. She is a Memphis native, professional tarot reader, ordained Pagan clergy, and dog mom.

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News News Blog News Feature

Memphis In May Triathlon Owner Looks Back as Potential Sale Looms

Credit: Blair Ball Photography via Memphis In May Triathlon

Memphis-based PR Event Management is getting out of the triathlon business, as we reported earlier this month, in hopes of finding a buyer for the area’s biggest events — the Memphis In May Triathlon (MIM Tri) and Annie Oakley Buffalo Bill Triathlon (AOBB Tri).

The MIM Tri event turned 40 last year. There for most of that event’s history has been Pam Routh, triathlete and co-founder of PR Events. She and company co-founder Wyndell Robertson also serve as race directors for the events. 

In Olympic-length triathlons, participants swim for .93 of a mile, bike for 24.8 miles, and run for 6.2 miles. The sport was born in America and Memphis served as an important proving grounds for it early on, Routh says.

The race was once part of the Memphis In May International Festival (MIM), part of a sports weekend. The triathlon later broke out for its own weekend. The rights to the event (and its bike racks) were later sold to three Memphis triathletes for $5,000, Routh said, and are not part of MIM.  

Those athletes later tired of helming the event and offered it up in a group meeting of Memphis triathletes. Routh stepped forward, thinking the next morning, “Oh, how many beers did I drink?” 

But in her time running the MIM Tri, it has grown from 600 participants to 1,800, one that has attracted top pros in the sport because “we ran a tight race.” The event here also touted the biggest purse in the sport for years. 

The MIM Tri was one of the races that helped get the sport into the Olympics, Routh said, and helped train its race officials when it debuted in 2000 in Sydney Summer Games. Memphis was also a practice race for national officials to test drug-testing protocols.

We recently caught up with Routh about the sale. 

This interview has been condensed for space and clarity. — Toby Sells

Memphis Flyer: What was the special sauce that made The MIM Tri so successful here early on?

Pam Routh: Because every person involved was a triathlete and we knew our business. We also wanted to put on a race that we wanted to go to.

[Inviting those from out of town] was basically like inviting people to my neighborhood to enjoy my race course, and my festivities, and my fellowship. It’s a very warm community.

What about now?

Memphis is a great community. We have Elvis that runs in with the last finisher. We usually have barbecue. We have beer. We throw a throw down and we always have. 

It’s also always a very, very well-run race. All my triathletes and staff are just the best of the best. 

Any fun stories?

[Years ago], I’m out at the race site two weeks out at Edmund Orgill Park. This girl is in the parking lot. I show her my [race] brochure. She’s in cutoff jeans and smoking a cigarette. She says, “I might do this.” I was like oh yeah, girl? Uh huh. But I say, “we’d love to have you.”

[Later], I was cleaning up the hospitality tent. The race is over and everyone is gone. This woman walks up and says, “well, I just finished.” I said, “what did you just finish?” She said, “I just finished the race.”

Because I have such a good team, they were following her. She borrowed a bike. She rode in the MIM Tri without ever having trained in a pair of cutoffs and in a pair of deck shoes. 

[The Commercial Appeal] did an article on her. People gave her a pair of running shoes. She got a bicycle. She started training. I almost started crying.

Now you’re ready to pass the baton?

I’d love to keep this thing strong. I’d like to find somebody to adopt it. Is it a business sale? Yes. 

And I know that emotions get in the way when something’s 40 years old. But not many events can say that you really have something and we have a strong brand. We are blowing and going and I want to get people back into being healthy. 

I’d like to see the right person buy this. So, “pass the baton” is really that. I really want to pass it on and adopt this out. I don’t want to shut it down. 

Categories
Music Music Blog

Lawrence Matthews Comes Out Swinging

Lawrence Matthews at The Green Room at Crosstown Arts (Credit: Gabrielle Duffie)

If you thought Don Lifted concerts used to be rare, Lawrence Matthews shows are even more so, leaving all who attended last Saturday’s sold out performance at the Green Room feeling lucky. Of course, the two artists are one in the same, Don Lifted being Matthews’ stage name for many years even as he built a name and a reputation in visual art under his given name. Then, back in September of 2022, Don Lifted took his final bow during one last show at the Overton Park Shell. A few minutes later, out came Lawrence Matthews, rapper, spitting tougher rhymes than ever, flanked by Idi x Teco.

That announced a new direction in Matthews’ music, but it also turned out to be a hiatus of sorts. The one sign of action was Matthews’ release, last May, of the single “Green Grove (Our Loss),” the first cut from what is still the unreleased album Between Mortal Reach and Posthumous Grip. And while that track sported some very Don Lifted-esque atmospherics until its harder-hitting beat kicked in, it then featured Matthews’ new voice, full of grim determination yet mixed with a new playfulness that made it even scarier as he sang of “This blood, this soil, infused, this river …”

Last Saturday, after the pre-show playlist of classic soul wound down, that same tune was the first thing audience members heard as Matthews stepped into the center of the chairs in-the-round, mic in hand. In stark contrast to the often elaborate sets and multiple screens of Don Lifted shows, this show was stripped bare, the music’s auteur wearing the utilitarian garb of a mechanic or delivery driver in a single beam of light.

Meanwhile, some of the sounds were downright lush, as other prolonged samples of soul, gospel, and blues (most taken from the Fat Possum-owned Hi Records catalogue) often shaped the intros, sometimes drenched in effects like echoes from the past, before giving way to harder, more militant beats and Matthews’ angrier raps, almost reminiscent of classic KRS-One, delivered solo as he prowled the floor for most of the night (except for a brief, powerful cameo by Idi x Teco).

Lawrence Matthews in The Green Room (Credit: Gabrielle Duffie)

At one point, that lush soul threated to engulf the night, as Matthews turned one track’s prolonged intro of “(Lay Your Head on My) Pillow” by Tony! Toni! Toné! into a singalong of sorts. Ultimately, it always came back down to hard slamming raps and beats (often co-created on the upcoming album with Unapologetic producer C Major, who was low-key in attendance Saturday night).

“It’s been a year and four months since I performed,” Matthews noted. “All through 2023, I was just tucked away, not really recording music, not really practicing anything.” Indeed, the album he promises to release later this year was essentially finished in 2022. “And while I was away, it just seemed like shit kept getting worse and worse in the world. And in this city, too.” He noted how he began hearing people’s “weight, frustration, and tightness, until it turned into desperation.”

All of that came out in his performance, and even in one moment in which Matthews, like his audience, simply listened and grooved along. That was when Matthews the performer was set aside and the artist implored us to simply listen to a track, “An Acquired Taste,” from his upcoming album. He too became a fan as it played on, featuring a powerful cameo by the singer Uni’Q.

Then it was back to business, as the pounding beats and atmospheric samples ground on, ultimately providing background to one of Matthews’ latest tracks, a meditation on the murder of Breonna Taylor by police officers titled “Breonna’s Curse.” In that final moment, however, the militant, simmering rage of most of the night’s beats and raps faded away somewhat, and Matthews ended the concert with something unexpected: a profound sense of mourning.

Categories
Film Features Film/TV

Music Video Monday: “Here I Am” by Line So Thin

Today on Music Video Monday, we bring you some big rock. Line So Thin’s “Here I Am” has a monumental sound which expresses a very personal sentiment.

“Really for me, ‘Here I Am’ is about the journey of struggle that comes with love and commitment,” says Line So Thin’s Dustin Allen. “Saying, ‘We can make this work, just don’t try and change each other.’ We accept each other for all that we are, the good and the bad, and realizing it was all worth it in the end.”

Blake Heimbach directed the music video, which was produced by his Hotkey Studio. It stars the band, plus MVM frequent flyer Alexis Grace and Ben Abney as a quarreling couple, and Memphis Flyer writer Jon W. Sparks lending gravitas.

If you would like to see your music video featured on Music Video Monday, email cmccoy@memphisflyer.com.