Author: J.D. Reager

As the Memphis Music Foundation enters its third year of operations, the not-for-profit organization has slated perhaps its most ambitious programming schedule to date for 2010. That program kicks off Tuesday, January 26th, at Minglewood Hall with the second installment of the foundation’s annual Plug In Memphis: Indie Music Expo.

Plug In Memphis is a free event designed to help connect local musicians to the many music-industry service providers available in the area. It’s an extension of the foundation’s public workspace, the Memphis Music Resource Center. Plug In Memphis is built around three key components: an exhibit hall with 30 to 40 booths representing all types of industry-related businesses, an “Expert’s Lounge” that gives musicians a one-on-one opportunity for networking and career guidance with established industry professionals, and a showcase for emerging independent artists.

According to the foundation’s director of development and communications, Pat Mitchell Worley, last year’s Plug In Memphis event at the Botanic Garden was such a success that the staff knew immediately that they had struck gold with the idea.

“It was like a big light bulb went off for all us,” Mitchell Worley says. “We had over 400 attendees last year, but we only expected about half as many. Attendees discovered all kinds of new businesses, services, and fellow artists they didn’t know even existed before.”

The showcase component (to be held in Minglewood’s new 1884 Club) could prove to be the main attraction this year. Among the scheduled performers are former Hypnotize Minds rapper Lil’ Noid, soul/R&B singer Kris Thomas, who is rumored to be in negotiations for a major-label recording deal, and headliner 9th Wonder, a North Carolina-based hip-hop producer and artist who has worked with the likes of Nas, Jay-Z, and Destiny’s Child. (9th Wonder also will participate in the “Expert’s Lounge,” along with local rapper 8Ball and Reen Nalli, manager for India Arie.)

If one detects an urban/hip-hop slant to the event, it’s for a reason. According to Mitchell Worley, the membership of the Music Resource Center, which is the “signature program” of the Memphis Music Foundation, is 64 percent African-American, indicating a higher level of member interest in urban genres.

“It’s a reflection of the city we live in, but we’ve also made specific efforts toward engaging an urban demographic,” says resource center director Cameron Mann.

Another contributing factor is the lingering perception of a disconnect between the Music Foundation (and, in truth, the local music industry as a whole) and Memphis’ fiercely independent underground rock scene.

“It’s a continuing process of rebuilding trust,” Mitchell Worley says. “They’ve heard it all before from folks like us, so we just have to keep working and building relationships.”

Still, the Music Foundation has had more than its share of positive, attention-grabbing stories of late, including last year’s Memphis music presence at the South By Southwest music festival and the recent appointment of former Stax Records president Al Bell as the foundation’s chairman of the board. That said, it’s the personal attention and specialized consultation with the resource center staff that often is the most impactful for members.

“One of our primary goals is developing constructive personal relationships,” Mann says. “There is sort of a ‘library’ aspect to the center, which has its place and value, but I’ve seen that the most positive results are born out of a hands-on, proactive, individual approach.”

For example, the resource center staff recently helped to engineer a sponsorship deal for solo artist and noted session drummer Ryan Peel with Yamaha to promote their new “Rock Tour Custom” line of drums.

“Absolutely, the Music Foundation contributed directly to the Yamaha deal happening,” says Peel, who was recently flown to L.A. by Yamaha to demo the new drums at the unveiling press conference. “But more importantly, when I first came to them, I was basically handling the entire business side of my career by myself. They’ve helped me make connections and have been there for me to bounce ideas off of.”

Local rapper Teflon Don, one of the resource center’s most active members, agrees that the eagerness of the staff to step in and help makes the biggest difference.

“It’s a family-type atmosphere,” Don says. “Whenever I need something or have questions, they are there for me.”

After the Plug In Memphis event, the foundation will set its sights on the rest of the year’s programming, which includes developing a relationship with the Nashville Songwriter’s Association and the famed Nashville venue the Bluebird Cafe to provide a regular showcase opportunity for Memphis songwriters. Programing also includes a partnership with local video-game developer Resolute Games to help local artists create their own applications for the iPhone and Droid smart-phones and continuation of the Memphis Music Foundation’s presence at South by Southwest.

“We hope to further engage and connect the local music community,” Mitchell Worley says. “Hopefully, the things we do will reflect the things we teach.”

Memphis has somewhat of a reputation for spawning a host of
musicians and bands who eventually become more revered outside of the
city limits than within. It’s time to add local art-punk mastermind
Mike Bibbs to that growing list.

“I was doing an interview for an Australian magazine, and the writer
asked me if I had ever received any press at home, saying he’d tried to
look up some local reviews and couldn’t find any,” Bibbs says. “Maybe I
haven’t pushed as hard locally, but it seems like anytime I go out of
town, I get write-ups.”

Getting out of Memphis definitely has been a key for Bibbs. Since
disbanding his previous band, the Antique Curtains, in February of this
year, Bibbs has spent much more time on the road — around 30
shows this year so far — with his new band, Modern Convenience.
Essentially a solo project (Bibbs plays all the instruments on
recordings and is backed by a rotating cast of side players live), the
project has given Bibbs the freedom to tour more than ever before. And
so far, the result has been a growing following.

“I actually had to say no to some shows this year,” Bibbs says.
“I’ve never been in this position before.”

The increased autonomy also has led to more songwriting and
recording. Modern Convenience’s debut CD, Porcelain Doll, was
released in August by Bibbs’ own O.K. Stars label, a follow-up EP on
the U.K.-based label Savoury Days is due in December, and another
full-length is tentatively scheduled for early 2010.

“I’ve kept it more or less a solo project for a reason,” Bibbs says.
“I got into recording late last year and wanted to be able to do
something with all the songs I was working on. My intention, at first,
was not to break up the Curtains, just to have an outlet for all these
songs. But then Tony [Lucchesi, Antique Curtains bassist] left town,
and it just felt like time to finally do something new.”

Another recent under-the-radar local release is the eponymous debut
of longtime Pawtuckets and John Paul Keith & the One Four Fives
bassist Mark Stuart’s new project, dubbed M. Edgar S. & the
Slightly Possessed. The project marks the long-awaited unveiling of a
collection of instrumental songs Stuart and One Four Fives drummer John
Argroves have been kicking around for quite some time.

“I had the riffs in my head, and sometimes at the end of a session
that John and I would be working on together, Kevin [Cubbins,
producer/engineer and One Four Fives guitarist] would press ‘Record’
and let us goof off a little bit with these ideas I had,” Stuart
says.

After taking the basic tracks (rhythm guitar and drums) to four
songs from these studio sessions, Stuart finished all overdubs and
tracked two additional songs at home on his four-track recorder. The
end result is a loose, fun assemblage of danceable rock songs, or
“butt-rock” as Stuart and Argroves call it.

“We call it ‘butt rock’ because it’s supposed to make your butt
wanna shake,” Stuart says. “We’re just entertaining ourselves, really
— having fun. It’s all done with a sense of humor.”

Star & Micey

This week, local record label Ardent Music rolls out its
second full-blown release since its recent resuscitation (following
last year’s Brooklyn Hustle, Memphis Muscle from Jump Back Jake)
with the eponymous debut by local folk/pop outfit Star &
Micey.

The band — guitarist and lead vocalist Josh Cosby,
bassist Geoff Smith, and lead guitarist Nick Redmond
— will celebrate the release this Saturday night (October 17th)
with a carnival-like production planned to include an elaborate stage
set-up, a midway of sorts (ring toss, shooting gallery, and other
games), and a host of guest musicians at Neil’s Bar & Grill,
a key location in the band’s history.

Redmond, also a singer/songwriter and producer at Ardent Studios,
and Cosby connected there about two years ago, at a time when Star and
Micey (initially a duo of Cosby and Smith) were on a hiatus due to
Smith’s commitments to the power-pop band Chess Club. But the way they
tell it, the connection almost didn’t happen.

“I think we pre-judged each other harshly, from a distance,” Cosby
says.

Redmond goes into greater detail:

“I was playing the Wednesday-night ‘Bar Stars’ show at Neil’s, and
every week, we’d get one weird character that comes in, acts crazy, and
then vanishes into the night, never to be seen again. So I see [Josh]
sitting at a table, and he’s by himself, wearing these odd
goggle-glasses and stretching his arms in the air bizarrely. So I think
he’s the crazy guy for that week. But when he got up to play, I started
to get it,” Redmond says.

After a few more chance meetings, the two began to bond fiercely,
hanging out and recording songs in Redmond’s house. With time, Smith
returned to the fold as Chess Club went into its own hiatus, and the
idea of taking Star and Micey into Ardent with Redmond was starting to
get kicked around. After another series of demo recordings, Redmond
convinced the Ardent brass to let the band record a fully produced
three-song demo, which became the first of 10 songs cut for their debut
album.

“We took a lot of time with those three songs, and not only did
Ardent like it, but they decided to sign us,” Cosby says. “It’s an
honor for us to work with them.”

“They’re a great band, musically, and so far we’re very impressed
with their work ethic,” Ardent Music’s Joseph Davis says.

The album, which features a slew of well-known guest players from
Luther Dickinson to Paul Taylor to Cosby’s “secret hero,”
Dave Cousar, will officially hit stores October 20th but is
already available for purchase online at StarandMicey.com.

Meanwhile, Jason Paxton — a “retired” Memphis musician
best known for his time with the bands Delorean, The
Satyrs, and The Bloodthirsty Lovers — will make a
long-awaited return to the local scene this week as well. Paxton and
his new instrumental group, Glorie, will make their debut
Saturday, October 17th, at the Buccaneer Lounge, opening for
Noise Choir.

Paxton has more or less been away since 2002, when he quit the
Bloodthirsty Lovers (“I was actually thrown out of my last show,” he
says) and music in general to focus on school and developing a
career.

“To be honest, I just got burned out and wasn’t having fun anymore,”
Paxton says. “I felt very fake acting like I was having fun all the
time when I wasn’t. Creatively and emotionally, I had just hit a
wall.”

But around a year ago, Paxton began writing music again and feeling
the itch to put together a group, which would come to include
cellist/multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Kirkscey, Snowglobe’s
Jeff Hulett on bass, and his ex-Delorean bandmates, Andy
Saunders on drums and guitarist Rob Brimhall. (Paxton
himself primarily plays vibraphone and keyboards in the band.)

Musically, Glorie is a very psychedelic and textural, with layers of
melody and sound building and bouncing off of one another in a way that
ends up epic and exciting. But, as Paxton stresses, don’t go in
expecting to hear any vocals.

“Honestly, I just don’t feel like singing,” he says. “I have the
passion for it musically and emotionally, just not lyrically. I don’t
think I have enough to say, and right now I feel I have to be honest
about who I am making music. I think we make up for not having vocals
by incorporating strong, memorable melodies, which is something a lot
of instrumental rock bands don’t do.”

For more information on Glorie, visit MySpace.com/Glorierock.

The Bonnaroo Music Festival began somewhat modestly in 2002
as a standard-issue multi-day festival of jam bands and debauchery. In
recent years, however, it has grown into one of the nation’s most
prestigious and musically diverse summer concert events, annually
attracting nearly 100,000 fans, artists, and journalists from all over
the world to the tiny and apparently quite open-minded town of
Manchester, Tennessee, for four days of sensory overload.

A lot has been written in the local press about Austin’s South By
Southwest festival, which, like Bonnaroo, is a multi-day bonanza of
more acts than any one person could ever hope to take in. But Bonnaroo
is a different experience in almost every way. While South By Southwest
is a “showcase” event geared toward music-industry professionals,
Bonnaroo is overtly fan-centric.

The average ticket buyer has the same viewing access to the bands as
anyone else — including (unfortunately for me) the media. Most
attendees, including the artists themselves, spend the weekend on the
festival grounds, camping-out and mixing it up. Bonnaroo is a place
where you’re just as likely to almost get run over by David
Byrne on his bicycle while trying to get to the main stage as get
offered a joint by Wayne from Peoria while standing in line for the
comedy tent.

As a previous Bonnaroo attendee (2006 and 2008), I can say that this
year’s festival was an overwhelming success over previous years. Part
of it was pure luck, as Mother Nature cooperated by providing plenty of
temperature-checking cloud cover and breeze. This year’s lineup was
also, at the very least, superior to 2008’s. I’ll take Bruce
Springsteen, or even Phish, over Metallica any day of
the week. Even the most questionable, to my mind, of Bonnaroo 2009
choices, Nine Inch Nails, ended up delivering a decently fun and
entertaining set in the end.

The Comedy Tent was once again a principal attraction. Jimmy
Fallon headlined two shows on Saturday and was funnier than I
expected him to be. Former The State members Michael
Showalter and Michael Ian Black hosted a comedy revue on
Sunday that was highlighted by a surprise guest appearance by
Margaret Cho and a flawless set by Parks and Recreation‘s
Aziz Ansari.

The comedy highlight of Bonnaroo 2009, however, was the ongoing
presence of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, who hosted a variety
show Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, completely (and hilariously)
hijacked a press conference with Tift Merritt and Alejandro
Escovedo on Saturday, and roamed the crowds gathering footage for
The Tonight Show throughout.

There was no shortage of great musical moments at the festival. The
Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ energetic, new-wave assault on Friday afternoon
stands out for sure, as does Bruce Springsteen & the E Street
Band‘s marathon set on Saturday night, which included a crowd
request for the holiday jam, “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.”
Springsteen also made a guest appearance with Phish on Sunday
night.

But for the second year in a row, the musical highlight for me was
the Malian pop group Amadou and Mariam, whose hypnotic,
blues-inflected brand of Afro-pop is primal and perfect.
Guitarist/singer/songwriter Amadou Bagayoko’s howl, be it in French,
Malian, or broken English, is both heartbreaking and incendiary in a
way that reminds me of John Lennon, while his trance-like guitar work
is steeped in Delta grime. The band’s Saturday-evening side-stage set
was an absolute show-stealer.

In the end, though, it’s not for me to say what was great and what
wasn’t, because the whole experience is so personal, the choices so
limitless that Bonnaroo can be whatever you want it to be: a simple,
relaxing camp-out weekend with friends; a hectic, schedule-checking
carnival of cool bands and shows; or even, as it is for some, a wild,
drug-induced blur.

Would I go again? Ask me when they announce the schedule for
Bonnaroo 2010 next year.