Michael Donahue
Alexis Grace and Thomas Bergstig were at Railgarten
Alexis Grace and her husband, Thomas Bergstig, were the guests of honor at a party July 1 at Railgarten.
The couple are moving to Los Angeles.
The invitation for the event – “A Trash Party for Alexis” and an “Avskedfest for Thomas” – asked guests to “Come say goodbye to the two trashiest worst humans on the planet ….Let’s celebrate their awfulness together.”
A native Memphian, Alexis was a finalist who came in 11th place on season eight of TV’s “American Idol.” For the past eight years, she was a deejay on Q-107 FM.
Thomas, who is from Sweden, is the former music director at Playhouse on the Square. He and Isaac Middleton are the tap-dancing-musical-instrument-playing performers in Swedish Gun Factory.
It was Alexis’s idea to move to LA. “I decided LA over New York,” she said. “At first it was New York, but I just know so many people (in LA) and I know a lot of people in the same industry as me. I made a lot of friends and connections from my ‘Idol’ days and a lot of them live out there. That was a big reason. I want to do more TV and film, which, obviously, is heavier out there than in New York. I’ve always wanted to live in either city and I reached a point in my life where I’m able to do that now.”
Bergstig plans to focus on his tap dancing and composing in LA. On July 11, he and Middleton will officially release their Swedish Gun Factory EP, “Chris Raines,” which includes six songs and one piano composition.
“I’m going to bring Swedish Gun Factory to Los Angeles,” Bergstig said. “I have meetings set up with producers, managers and agents and I’m definitely going to try to make that happen.”
Asked who wrote their party invitation, Bergstig said, “It was Courtney Oliver (Playhouse on the Square special events director) who wrote it. We were supposed to have it at her house. We were sitting on her porch and said, ‘Write something.’ And she wrote that.”
Maybe it’s what she was really thinking and she finally got to write it, Bergstig said.
And the meaning of “avskedfest”? “It just means ‘goodbye party’ in Swedish.”
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Michael Donahue
From left, Robert Coletta, Jim Lord, Seth Cook and Juju Bushman at Canvas wedding.
Guests celebrated the nuptials of Canvas of Memphis and RAWK ‘n Grub July 1 at the Midtown club.
The “bride” – Robert Coletta, who, along with Brandon Knight, co-own Canvas – wore a gown and the groom – RAWK ‘n Grub owner/chef Steph Cook wore a tuxedo T-shirt and chef’s pants.
RAWK ‘n Grub is a “food truck specializing in gourmet sandwiches and burgers and unique dishes,” said Cook.
The marriage was “a union of two businesses,” Cook said. His food truck will provide the fare for Canvas seven days a week from 5 p.m. until 3 a.m. He’ll use Canvas’s kitchen as the prep area and he’ll cook the food in the truck.
“We’ve added a lot of our favorites,” Cook said. “In the past we couldn’t stay on top as a truck because we didn’t have the proper facility to hold product, which we do now.”
The menu includes “Kung Fu Al Green” (collards and kimchi) and “Fried Fleetwood Mac” (four cheese breaded and fried macaroni and cheese).
Asked why he wanted to join together Canvas and RAWK ‘n Grub, Coletta said, “Food is not my best forte.” He wanted to showcase creative food as well as paintings and other works by artists at Canvas. “Food should be art.”
Juju Bushman performed at the “reception.”
Michael Donahue
Snowglobe performed at Peabody rooftop.
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Snowglobe, which celebrates its 16th anniversary this year, performed June 28 at the Peabody rooftop party.
“I think the overarching thing that’s held us together is just our friendships,” said drummer/songwriter Jeff Hulett. “Some of us have known each other since we were kids. Brandon (Robertson) and Brad (Postlethwaite) have known each other – literally – since kindergarten.”
The band performed some of its well-known songs, including “Waves Rolling,” “Playground” and “Ms. June.”
“The other thing that’s kept us together so long are the friendships we’ve made with our fans. And the people singing along and coming up to us and telling us how much those songs mean to them and how they feel like they’re a part of the band.”
Memphis Flyer sponsored the June 28 rooftop party, which included a special cocktail appropriately titled the “Fireflyer.”
Michael Donahue
Boston at Live at the Garden
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Boston met Memphis July 1. Or at least a good portion of the city.
About 6,400 attended Boston’s performance at Live at the Garden, said Memphis Botanic Garden executive director Mike Allen. “That’s a good number,” he said.
About 2,800 of those people were in the VIP area, which held 300 tables, Mike said.
“I thought the huge video screen, the technology in the background, which is so current, juxtaposed against the music, which is 40 years old or something, made for a current and fun show. But still a throwback to the day, if you will.”
And, he said, “They’re from my era when I was in college. When they sang, a lot of memories came flying back.”
Michael Donahue
Gabrielle Pappas and Stephen Duckett at Trolley Night.
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Music was on track June 29 at Trolley Night.
“I had more music on the street between Green Beetle and Central Station down to St. Paul,” said South Main Sounds owner Mark Parsell.
He also held his South Main Sounds Songwriter Night, which featured Low Society Band, blues player Danny Green and singers Claire Radel and Levi Smith.
Earnestine and Hazel’s house band performed a tribute show to the late E&H manager Keenan Harding.
This wasn’t your typical trolley night. Joan Robinson with the Downtown Neighborhood Association “organized a committee to ramp it up a little bit,” Parsell said. “She had the Grizzline and the Second Line band.”
Adding to the energy of the evening were SuperLo on the Go’s steaks, which were grilled outdoors, and the Amurica photo booth.
The Trolley Tour committee included South Main Association president Don Williams and Penelope Huston with the Downtown Memphis Commission.
Michael Donahue
Bridges Phillips, Michaelyn Bradford, Stan Gibson, Cynthia Thompson, Angel Fisther, Charles Thompson were at Farm to Table Wine Dinner at the Crescent Club.
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How difficult is it to pair wines with a dinner?
Bridges Phillips, on premise sales representative for Southern Glazers Wine and spirits of Tennessee, took on that job at the four course Farm to Table Wine Dinner June 29 at the Crescent Club.
“Since it was warm outside, being on the patio, I wanted to do more white ’cause I knew it was going to be a little warm,” Phillips said.
He doesn’t do a taste testing. “I get the men from Stan (Gibson, Crescent Club executive chef). I pair the wines based on the menu. I don’t eat everything. I’ve tasted all the wines before. He gave me the menu one day. I had them paired the same day.”
Gibson’s dinner began with an amuse of roasted beets and gorgonzola with white balsamic vinegar and continued with free range chicken tortilla soup, farm-raised catfish-stuffed portabella mushroom, a local Tennessee beef tenderloin in cabernet sauce and smashed potatoes and a peach and preserve crepe.
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