Bud Light Stage
Freesol 6:10 – 7:15 p.m.
Cake 7:40 – 8:50 p.m.
B.O.B 9:15 – 10:25 p.m.
Jason Mraz 10:55 p.m. – 12:15 a.m.
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Horseshoe Casino Stage
Manchester Orchestra 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Cage the Elephant 7:25 – 8:35 p.m.
MGMT 9:00 – 10:20 p.m.
The Flaming Lips 10:50 p.m. – 12:15 a.m.
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MATCU Stage
Egypt Central 6:10 – 7:15 p.m.
Everclear 7:40 – 8:50 p.m.
Slightly Stoopid 9:15 – 10:30 p.m.
Stone Temple Pilots 11:00 p.m. – 12:30 a.m.
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FedEx Blues Tent
Will Tucker Band 6:15 – 7:20 p.m.
Big Bill Morganfield 7:45 – 9:00 p.m.
Tommy Castro 9:25 – 10:40 p.m.
Jimmie Vaughan with Lou Ann Barton 11:10 p.m. – 12:30 a.m.
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SoCo Blues Shack
Grady Champion 6:30, 7:15, & 8:00 p.m.
Kenny Brown 9:00, 9:45, & 10:30 p.m.
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FreeSol
Bud Light Stage • 6:10 p.m.
Led by rapper/singer Free, this local hip-hop/rock/soul fusion band parlayed local popularity into a relationship with Memphis-bred megastar Justin Timberlake, who signed the band to his Tennman label. With a song featured on the HBO series Entourage last year and a recent performance at Austin’s SXSW music festival, FreeSol is gearing up for the release of its debut album for Tennman.
Cake
Bud Light Stage • 7:40 p.m.
The widely popular (and rather quirky) Northern California alt/roots act returns to Memphis following a triumphant, sold-out performance at Minglewood Hall back in January. Cake’s newest album, Showroom of Compassion, was created entirely without so-called corporate interference — the band recorded in an off-the-grid, solar-powered studio and released the album via their own independent label — but it still managed to debut at #1 on the Billboard charts.
B.o.B.
B.o.B.
Bud Light Stage • 9:15 p.m.
Once an underground fixture on the vibrant Atlanta hip-hop scene, young rapper B.o.B. was one of pop music’s biggest breakout stars last year, scoring massive hits via collaborations with Paramore’s Hayley Williams (“Airplanes”), Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo (“Magic”), and singer/producer Bruno Mars (“Nothin’ On You”), all from his debut album The Adventures of Bobby Ray.
Jason Mraz
Bud Light Stage • 10:55 p.m.
Rootsy singer/songwriter Jason Mraz is probably best known for his multi-platinum smash hit “I’m Yours” from 2008’s We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. The long-awaited follow-up has been stalled a bit in the studio by a seemingly Brian Wilson-esque level of ambition but should finally see the light of day this fall.
Manchester Orchestra
Horseshoe Casino Stage • 6:00 p.m.
This Atlanta-based indie rock band has broken through with appearances on a variety of late-night television programs and by placing a song on the television series Gossip Girl. The band will release its third full-length album, Simple Math, in May.
Cage the Elephant
Horseshoe Casino Stage • 7:25 p.m.
Veterans of the Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza festivals and former tour openers for Stone Temple Pilots, this guitar-heavy alternative rock band from Kentucky debuted at #2 on the Billboard album chart earlier this year with their second album, Thank You, Happy Birthday.
MGMT
Horseshoe Casino Stage • 9:00 p.m.
Despite the group’s local ties, MGMT’s bubbly, new wave-ish sound owes more to David Bowie and the New York City punk scene of the late ’70s than it does to anything derived from the Bluff City. Even so, the group’s 2008 debut Oracular Spectacular is nothing short of a spaced-out indie-rock revelation.
Flaming Lips
the Flaming Lips
Horseshoe Casino Stage • 10:50 p.m.
In a somewhat epic 25-year history, the Flaming Lips have evolved from modestly successful underground weirdos in the ’80s, to one-hit wonders (“She Don’t Use Jelly”) of the early-’90s alternative rock explosion, and finally to international superstars and elder statesmen of the Amercian indie rock scene from the late ’90s onward. The band’s 1999 album, The Soft Bulletin, is regarded as a definitive work of the indie/alternative rock era, on par with Nirvana’s Nevermind and Radiohead’s OK Computer.
Egypt Central
MATCU Stage • 6:10 p.m.
Long considered the heirs apparent to Saliva’s local hard-rock crown, the energetic Egypt Central are led by charismatic frontman John Falls. After scoring rock-radio hits with “Taking You Down” and “You Make Me Sick” off their eponymous debut album, the band is set to release its second album, White Rabbit, in May.
Everclear
MATCU Stage • 7:40 p.m.
In 1995, Everclear frontman Art Alexakis and company emerged as a viable replacement for Kurt Cobain and Nirvana as a pop-savvy grunge-era act, both on the strength of the immensely catchy hit single “Santa Monica,” and Alexakis’ damaged good looks. 2009’s In a New Light found the band expanding to a 5-piece, and also re-visiting hits such as “Santa Monica,” as well as other chart toppers such as “Wonderful,” “Father of Mine,” and “I Will Buy You a New Life.”
Slightly Stoopid
MATCU Stage • 9:15 p.m.
Laid-back stoner punks Slightly Stoopid’s reggae-infused grooves remind one of modern-day jam-rockers Jack Johnson or the Dave Matthews Band as much they do the group’s former labelmates Sublime, to whom they are often compared. But the band really shines when they remember their SoCal hardcore-punk roots and just let one rip.
Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots
MATCU Stage • 11:00 p.m.
Second-wave grunge rockers Stone Temple Pilots were initially dismissed as Pearl Jam/Alice in Chains knockoffs, but hindsight has proven them to be so much more. Hit singles like “Interstate Love Song,” “Big Bang Baby,” and “Sex Type Thing” reveal a creative depth the quartet is rarely credited for and hold up against anything produced by the group’s mid-late ’90s contemporaries.
Will Tucker Band
FedEx Blues Tent • 6:15 p.m.
Young Memphis-based guitar hotshot Will Tucker cut his musical teeth at B.B. King’s Blues Club, where his band plays regular gigs. The up-and-coming blues hopeful recorded his debut album, Stealin’ the Soul, at the venerable Ardent Studios and is planning for a summer 2011 release of his second album.
Big Bill Morganfield
FedEx Blues Tent • 7:45 p.m.
The son of blues legend Muddy Waters (aka McKinley Morganfield), Big Bill Morganfield has grown into a scene elder statesman in his own right, having released five albums over the past decade, most recently 2009’s Born Lover.
Tommy Castro
FedEx Blues Tent • 9:25 p.m.
San Francisco Bay area hotshot Tommy Castro is one of the leading stars on the modern blues circuit, a fiery electric guitar player in the Elmore James mold and a soul-schooled singer inspired by the likes of Otis Redding. Castro won “Entertainer of the Year” at the annual Blues Music Awards a couple of years ago.
Jimmie Vaughan with Lou Ann Barton
FedEx Blues Tent • 11:10 p.m.
A very promising pairing of Texas roots/blues musicians. Guitarist Jimmie Vaughan (Stevie Ray’s older brother) was a founding member of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, who paid homage to Memphis with their hit cover of Sam & Dave’s “Wrap It Up.” Lou Ann Barton, an Austin-based purveyor of Texas roadhouse blues, doesn’t tour much anymore. Blues fans won’t want to miss this show.
Grady Champion
SoCo Blues Shack • 6:30, 7:15, & 8:00 p.m.
Blues artist and Jackson, Mississippi, native Grady Champion is a triple threat of sorts as an equally skilled guitarist, harpist, and singer/songwriter. His 2010 album Back in Mississippi: Live at the 930 Blues Cafe is a testament to his ability as a dedicated live performer.
Kenny Brown
SoCo Blues Shack • 9:00, 9:45, & 10:30 p.m.
North Mississippi blues guitarist Kenny Brown’s résumé as a side player is unmatched; over the years he’s collaborated with nearly every noteworthy blues figure from the area, including R.L. Burnside, Jr. Kimbrough, and Paul “Wine” Jones. He’s also a capable frontman in his own right, as 2003’s Fat Possum-released Stringray can attest.
