Author: Michael Donahue

How do you define “emo” music?

“Think ‘punk,’ but more whining,” said Ben Beninati.

Scotty Theunissen described it as “Emotionally nostalgic.”

Will King, vocalist for “Indeed, We Digress,” said emo music is “darker in tone and the musician puts a lot of emotion and passion into the music.” And, he said, “Usually the songs are dark thematically.”

King came up with the idea of throwing an emo night in Memphis, which was held Oct. 14 at the Hi-Tone. “I always love bands like My Chemical Romance and Senses Fail and stuff like that,” he said. “I had seen that they were doing similar things in other cities like LA and New York and Chicago. And I thought, ‘What’s to stop us from doing that here?’ I posted a Facebook stat asking Facebook friends who’d show up for something like that. And i got a great response. I was like, ‘Screw it. I guess I’m doing this thing.’”

He asked Theunissen to help. “He was super into it. And we just went from there and it became this huge thing. It had a way bigger turnout than I possibly could have hoped for. A little less than 100 paid, which means about 100 people got in.”

King and Theunissen had a “meeting of the minds” with Hi-Tone owner Brian “Skinny” McCabe, who said he’d put their list of specially-named drinks with the regular list and feature happy hour prices all night.

The emo drinks included “Sunny D Real Estate,” a screwdriver; “I Write Gins not Tonics,” the gin and tonics; and “Coke Without the E,” which were the whiskey and Cokes.

“We came up with the idea of the eyeliner booth,” Theunissen said. “We called it the ‘Cry Liner’ booth.”

Erica Grant applied eyeliner to guests during the evening. “Because emo is all about being very sad or emotional,” he said. “And the scene used to focus on heavy eyeliner and dark clothing and dark hair covering your face. We felt people might like to relive that and have fun with it.”

They also featured “black volley balls to throw around. To give it a party atmosphere. It was fun. We had mesh gloves available for people to wear. They were big in the early 2000s for people to wear in the emo scene.”

Wes “ DJ My Chemical Remix” Carter; and Alyssa “DJ Honestly?” Moore played the appropriate music for the occasion.

Said King: “The thing about ours that set ours apart from everyone else’s is a lot of other cities were taking it way too seriously. I still love the music. Love the bands. But the culture around emo and the way we dressed back then was funny. Not serious. We made a few jokes about it and didn’t take it too seriously. That way people who were embarrassed that they like music like that showed up.”

King, 23, was 14 when he got into emo. He loved emo bands, but he didn’t really dress emo. “I wore tight jeans. Jeans that were way too tight. Aside from that, not too much. My hair was in my eyes.”

Theunissen, who is 28, remembered listening to emo bands Taking Back Sunday, Thursday and My Chemical Romance, when he was 14.

He didn’t really dress emo, he said. “I wore like extremely tight girl pants. Made for women. I had long, curly hair and wore bandanas all the time. Tight T-shirts. And a bandana around my head.”

Back then he dressed “just like I do now. Only now I wear man pants.”

Leather lederhosen isn’t the best attire when the temperature is in the high 80s.

“I am sweating,” said Jacob Griffin, who, along with Roy Wells, were wearing the suede German-style pants at the Cooper-Young Beerfest, held Oct. 14 at Midtown Autowerks.

“My lower half is uncomfortably warm,” Wells said.

Amber Griffin, who was in a dirndle skirt and blouse instead of shorts, said she wants EVERYONE to dress in similar Oktoberfest attire at next year’s festival. Which may be a tall order if that day turns out to be another scorcher.

About 1,000 people – many of them in flip-flops and shorts – attended this year’s festival, which benefits the Cooper-Young Community Association.

Foaming at the mouth wasn’t a bad thing.

The event has “definitely grown,” said Cooper-Young Community Association executive director Kristen Schebler.

Home brewing clubs and 31 breweries took part in the regional beer festival, she said.

“One thing that sets Beerfest apart is it’s a benefit for the local community,” Schebler said. “It’s all about community, right? So, it’s about Cooper-Young as a community and the brewing community as a community.”

When the festival began eight years ago, Andy Ashby and Drew Barton of Memphis Made Brewing Co. said the two communities should be combined. Brewers can “show off with each other and show off to other people what they’re doing,” Schebler said.

Goner Records provided music to sip or chug to.

Note: If you want a pair of those white socks with “BEER” written on them in red letters pictured on Cooper-Young Beerfest’s web page, you’ll just have to shop around. They weren’t selling them at the festival. “We have a lot of people who really get into it,” Schebler said. “It’s people who come out in all their different beer paraphernalia. I think that was just a fun one.”

The Brranimal did it again.

Brett Healey, appropriately nicknamed “The Brranimal” for his power-eating expertise, won the slider eating contest at the Best Memphis Burger Fest, held Oct. 7 in Tiger Lane. He ate 12 sliders in five minutes.


On Aug. 20, Healey won the meatball eating contest at the Monroe Ave. Festival in front of Bardog Tavern. He was the first contestant to finish 40 meatballs. He finished in 13 minutes and 14 seconds, which beat the previous record of about 15 minutes.

“This is a new one for me,” Healey said. “I’ve done burgers, but never cute little burgers.”

Contestants were allowed to dunk their sliders into water during the contest. “I didn’t know if dunking was going to be allowed. I’ve actually never dunked in a contest before. But everyone else had the water cups. I mean, that’s the level you’re playing at, so I just went in there and ate as fast as I could.”

Did he eat breakfast before the event? “There was no breakfast this morning. That was my breakfast. I was very hungry.”

Michael Donahue

Gay, Josh and Morgan Hammond at the ‘Rommy Hammond Way’ dedication.

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When he heard a section of Highland was going to be named after his dad, the late Rommy Hammond of Buster’s Liquors & Wines, Josh Hammond wasn’t sure “Rommy Hammond Street” sounded right.

Bill Boywid, long-time general manager at Buster’s, said, “It’s got to be ‘Rommy Hammond Way.’ We’ve got to do that.’”

And that’s what the section in front of Buster’s on Highland between Poplar and Central now is designated.

“For those who knew Dad, he truly did things his way,” Josh said. “He worked hard. He valued that in others. He said he was going to set out to build the largest liquor store in Tennessee. He said it at a young age and he did it. When he got behind something, he was full force with energy.”

Josh’s brother in law, City Councilman Kemp Conrad, suggested they name a section of the street after Rommy. Josh felt it was “very deserving.” Most people just know Rommy from “growing Buster’s into this incredible wine and spirits emporium.”

But, he said, many people don’t know Rommy “actually grew up in this area, a couple of blocks nearby on Ellsworth. He went to St. Anne’s Highland Elementary just down the street. The man probably spent 72 of his 76 years in this neighborhood.”

A special champagne celebration to commemorate the day and unveil the street was held Oct. 3. About 100 people, including family and friends of Rommy, attended. Included in the family group were Rommy’s wife, Gay, and sons Josh and Morgan.

The day was special in another way. “Today is Dad’s 77th birthday,” Josh told the crowd.

And, he said, “Cheers to Rommy!” Guests raised their glasses.

That’s not the end of the story.

“The next day when we came in I checked the customer count for that day,” Josh said. “It turned out to be 777 customers on his 77th birthday. If that’s not a sign, I’m not sure what is.”

Michael Donahue

Matthew Thacker-Rhodes, Dara Vongphrachanh and Jeremy Thacker-Rhodes at Baron’s Man Cave party.

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Well groomed spelunkers visited Baron’s Man Cave for the barber shop’s grand opening celebration of its “next level.”

Instead of stalactites hanging from the ceiling, suits and other stylish clothing were hung on racks.

“The first phase of it opened two years ago,” said Jeremy Thacker-Rhodes, who owns the store with Matthew Thacker-Rhodes and Dara Vongphrachanh. “Trying to come up with a concept like redefining the modern man was the goal when opening up the barbershop side. Baron’s is a new kind of barbershop. It’s designed with a modern man in mind. It brings you all the amenities and services of a high end salon, but delivered in a laid back, masculine environment.”

The store was ‘just a barbershop” when it opened, Jeremy said. “It basically offered haircuts, shaves and foot treatment and facials all under one roof.”

They then thought, “How can we take it to the next level? Throw in a full line of men’s grooming products, full men’s retail and jewelry into the mix.”

In addition to featuring master barbers and stylists, Baron’s Man Cave features Happy socks, Hudson and 7 All Mankind jeans, Scotch and Soda and Civil Society clothing lines, Jack Mason watches, Studebaker Metals and Corkcicle gift items.

“Our goal adding the retail was becoming a one stop shop,” Jeremy said. “A man can come in. He has a dinner date on a Friday night. He can come into Baron’s, change his whole style with his appearance – hair cut, all his grooming, his wardrobe. He can come in in gym shorts and leave full clothed and groomed for a night on the town.”

So, who is “Baron”? “‘Baron’ is actually a name that we came up with. It’s not anybody’s name that we know.”

They wanted a name that personified “a well groomed, masculine, well-put together man. What would be the name of a fine-tuned gentleman?”

Michael Donahue

Mike Divoky, Cathy Simmons, Susanna Kelley and Austin Bryeans at Spaytacular.

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A crowd of 160 two-legged people attended the 11th annual SPAYtacular to help their four-legged friends.

The event, held Oct. 9 at ANF Architects, featured food from area restaurants and an open wine and beer bar. Hank and Nora provided the music.

Board chairman/president Cathy Simmons chaired the event, which drew 160 people. “The purpose of the party is to benefit Spay Memphis, a non-profit dedicated to reducing pet overpopulation and high euthanasia rates by offering affordable spay and neuter surgery to the public.”

SPAYtacular “is our major fundraiser,” Simmons said. “However, we do accept private donations. We also get grants from certain organizations. We have a partnership with Memphis Animal Services. They pay us to spay and neuter dogs they are going to foster out.”

As for the proceeds from the event, Simmons said, “Whatever we raise from our fundraisers like this one will go for helping to run the clinic or offset surgery fees for people who can’t afford it. Some people come to the clinic and they don’t pay at all. We have a grant for people on government assistance. Or we have a grant for people over 65 or a grant for people on government assistance.

“All kinds of people can come to the clinic and not pay or get a reduced fee. Our fees in general – if you do pay full price – are generally lower than if you’re going to a private veterinarian. Some people cannot afford that.”

Brittany Pace is Spay Memphis executive director.

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Michael Donahue

Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell and Mayor Jim Strickland at Downtown Memphis Commission 40th Anniversary celebration/Vision awards ceremony.

Lots of cake and other treats, including the Memphis Grizzline, were on hand at Civic Center Plaza Oct. 4 for the Downtown Memphis Commission’s 40th anniversary celebration.

Vision Award winners also were honored:

Scott Crosby, Madison Avenue Park; ServiceMaster Day of Service Team; Old Dominick Distillery; Odell Horton; Jay Kumar and Snay Patel of Hotel Napoleon; and the Henry Turley Co.

Michael Donahue

Tom Gannon at wine tasting at Erling Jensen: The Restaurant.

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A wine tasting at Erling Jensen: The Restaurant is an enticing idea. Athens Distributing held a tasting Oct. 4.

“It was for the trade only,” said Ginger Wilkerson, vice-president of the artisan selections division of Athens. “It wasn’t a public tasting. It was for our clients, restaurateurs and retailers.”

The tasting featured wines from the Spire Collection, which is part of Jackson Family Wine Estates. Tom Gannon, Northeast regional sales manager for The Spire Collection of wines, conducted the tasting.

So, what did Jensen serve as an accompaniment to the wines? Among the culinary items were duck confit with braised red cabbage and a cheese plate with four different types of cheeses: blue Stilton, espresso rubbed barely buzzed, Dutch Muenster cheddar and Parmigiano-Reggiano, said chef de cuisine Will Hickman.

Wearing a cap with “Mem” on the front, the man in the gray mustache and beard stood out as he walked to his table at the Rendezvous. And it wasn’t just the cap. He had a distinguished air about him.

It was celebrated chef Guy Savoy of Restaurant Guy Savoy in Paris, Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas and four other restaurants in Paris, including Le Chiberta, which earned its first Michelin star after only six months of operation.A three-star Michelin guide chef, Savoy is a former recipient of the Legion d’ Honneur, France’s highest honor. His cookbooks include “Guy Savoy: Simple French Recipes for the Home Cook.”

This weekend, Savoy will be the featured chef at the Memphis Food & Wine Festival, which will be held Oct. 14 at Memphis Botanic Garden. He leads the roster of 13 out-of-town guest chefs and 20 local chefs who will prepare dishes that will be served by vintners and certified sommeliers.

Calvin Bell, who was named No. 1 server in Memphis Flyer’s recent Best of Memphis, was Savoy’s server Oct. 12 at the Rendezvous.

John Vergos, a Rendezvous owner, said, “He ate an array. He ate lamb ribs, pork ribs, brisket and the Rendezvous special – cheese, sausage, salami, pickles and peppers. He was very nice.”

Vergos heard Savoy say he loved the slaw, which is made from a 100-year-old recipe, and the lamb ribs, but he didn’t linger at the table. “I didn’t hover,” He said.

Second place wasn’t good enough for Calvin Bell, a server at the Rendezvous.

He came in No. 2 last year in the Memphis Flyer’s Best of Memphis contest.

This year he came in No. 1.

“This year when I was nominated, I gave it all I had,” Bell said. “I really lobbied for it.”

His strategy? After taking care of his regular customers, he’d say, “By the way, I got nominated for Best Server.”

He calls his good customers his “local loyalties.’ “I felt comfortable talking to them about it.”

Bell, who has been with Rendezvous for 27 years, and his fiance, Kimberly Farmer, attended the Best of Memphis 2017 party Sept. 27 at Graceland.

About 2,500 attended the event, which featured food (including duck legs from third place Best Chef winner Michael Patrick of Rizzo’s) and music by John Paul Keith and The Subtractions.

Michael Donahue

Gonerfest14. East patio at Murphy’s.

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Andrew Anderson, who is in the Shakes and Proto Idiot, is a fan of Gonerfest.

What sets it apart from other festivals is it’s “open and welcoming and unpretentious,” Anderson said.

Other festivals are populated by “people who try to be cool and try to impress you.”

And Gonerfest? “Everyone is open and friendly and nice.”

Anderson, whose bands played during the festival, was among the 400 or so at Gonerfest14 Saturday Afternoon Blowout at Murphy’s, held Sept. 30.

Rob Blake, from London, Ontario, Canada, is in the band, Klazo, which didn’t perform at Gonerfest. He described the festival as “this gigantic melting pot of people from all over the world. Everyone is an equal.”

About “2,500 plus” .attended this year’s Gonerfest, which featured 36 bands in four days, said Zac Ives, who owns Goner Records with Eric Friedl.

Nick Longmire, who is in Burning Itch, a Knoxville group that didn’t perform at this year’s festival, summed up the attraction of Gonerfest in four words: “All the bands, dude.”

Michael Donahue

Two Girls and a Whip soft opening. With whisks.

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The new bakery, Two Girls and a Whip, held a soft opening Sept. 29 at 363 South Front. The bakery is slated to open to the public Oct. 9.

A “whip” is another word for a “whisk,” which probably was used to beat the from-scratch batter to make the 300 plus cupcakes for the opening event.

The owners are Caroline Dean, Mary Katherine Dunston and Courtney Lollar. Dunston and Lollar are the bakers a.k.a. the two girls with the whip.

The bakery featured their regular cupcakes – strawberry, lemon, chocolate, white cake and yellow cake – at the soft opening.

They also served other cupcakes, including “chipotle chocolate,” one of their specialty flavors.

Dean described the cupcake as “a dark chocolate batter that has just a little bit of chipotle – a very finely-ground chipotle – added to the icing. Also a special dark chocolate icing.”

They also sell “Boozy Batter” cupcakes – “Ones that actually have alcohol in them,” Dean said.

Guests could tri “White Russian” cupcakes at the event. They’re made with vodka and Kahlua.

So, who came up with the name “Two Girls and a Whip?” “Aldo did,” said Dean, whose husband is Aldo Dean, owner of Bar Dog, Aldo’s Pizza Pies and Slider Inn.

“Aldo has all sorts of Aldo has all sorts of random knowledge in his head,” Caroline said. “I’m sure he was thinking about the whisk being called a ‘whip.’”

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Michael Donahue

Musa Banat, Mark Winder, Thomas Strickland, John Elmore at Mark Winder reception.

Memphis Blues Rugby Club players gathered Sept. 30, but they didn’t wear cleats or sideburns. They already played rugby, so they changed shoes. And the Elvis 7s rugby tournament/homage to the King with its “Mr. Sideburns” contest is held in August.

The event, hosted by attorney Larry Magdovitz and his wife, Nouth, was a reception for Mark Winder, who was Larry’s rugby coach at Boston University. Winder now is head coach of the Mandurah Pirates in Mandurah, West Australia, near Perth.

“I invited him to come to Memphis and he took me up on it,” Magdovitz said.

Area restaurants provided food, which included crepes from Crepe Maker, lamb from Owen Brennan’s, pasta from Ciao Bella and key lime pie from Houston’s. Nouth also prepared some of the food.

The event also served as an “after inner squad match” held that day at McBride Field, said Spencer Hansen, one of the players whose likeness was captured by caricaturist Kevin Reuter, who kept a line in front of his easel as he drew portraits of guests.

BreakFest 901 was more than sausage biscuits.

Take “Black Friday Biscuit,” one of the contributions from Glaze Hardage and Ricky O’Rourke from the Sun’s Out Bun’s Out team. It’s made with turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce and gravy on a sweet potato biscuit.

His other items were “Bacon Bread Pudding Waffle,” “Chinese Takeout Omelet” – General Tso’s chicken and fried rice omelette; “Bacon Situation” – biscuits with bacon and bacon jam; and biscuits with crawfish gravy.

Hardage also is cook/catering manager at Blink restaurant/Melissa Catering, which is located at Southern College of Optometry.

“I had to defend the home court,” he said.

The categories were “Breakfast Sweets,” “Breakfast Sandwich,” “Omelet,” “Bacon Lovers” and “Anything Goes.”

Sun’s Out Bun’s Out came in second in Bacon Lovers and second in Breakfast Sweets. The team got third in Omelet and third in Anything Goes.

This year’s event – the third – was their biggest, said Christin Yates, who chaired the benefit with Andy Wells and Amy Chadwick.

“We sold right at 1,000 tickets,” she said. “Last year was around 750 or 800 people.”

Asked what sets BreakFest apart from other festivals, Yates said, “We try to make it all inclusive. So, if you’re not on a cooking team, come have a good time. There are games, family friendly activities, music and lots of other things to enjoy. I think that kind of draws people in and gives everybody something to do.

And they can eat. Booths handed out samples. Food trucks also were on hand.

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Michael Donahue

Steve Mulroy, Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell and Judge Janice Holder at STRUT.

None of the bartenders at STRUT had to make frozen margaritas or even mix a scotch and soda. But if you were a guest, Shelby County Mayor Frank Luttrell or other Memphis celebrities might have poured a glass of red or white wine for you. Maybe a soft drink with ice. Or served you a beer.

The event, held Sept. 21 at Mercedes-Benz of Memphis, was presented by Community Legal Center.

About 200 attended the party, which included a fashion show, a buffet and drinks.

Jerri Green, director of community engagement, planned and coordinated the event. Long-time board member Steve Mulroy “should get MVP for the event,” said Anne Mathes with Community Legal Center.
“Recruiting emcees and celebrity bartenders, getting wine and beer donated, soliciting sponsorships and auction items and selling tickets – you name it, he does it.”

The event was presented by Laurelwood Shopping Center and Mercedes-Benz of Memphis.

Richard Ransom and Katina Rankin from Channel 24 news were emcees.

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Michael Donahue

Jamond and Brittney Bullock at Farm Fest.

Instead of weeding or hoeing, guests could whistle along – or dance if they wanted – to Star & Micey tunes at Farm Fest, held Sept. 24 at Loflin Yard.

Farm Fest, hosted by Memphis Farmers Market, is “our annual fundraiser,” said Memphis Farmers Market executive director Allison Cook. “The proceeds go directly into funding the upcoming season.”

About 300 attended. “I think it was a great success ‘cause we had such great support from area restaurants that donated as well as our newest brewery, Old Dominick Distillery.”

Another reason was “the community support,” she said.

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Michael Donahue

John Paul Keith and Will Sexton at The Hi Tone

The Hi Tone was hopping Sept. 22. The big room featured the “Gimme Shelter” Rolling Stones Tribute/Benefit for HOPE (Homeless Organizing through Power and Equality) and the small room featured a release party for Louise Page’s new EP, “Salt Mosaic.”

The HOPE benefit featured 15 acts, said Kelley Anderson, who organized the event with Graham Winchester. Winchester performed with his band, Graham Winchester and the Ammunition. Shangr-Lla Records sponsored the event.

HOPE “raises awareness around issues affecting people experiencing homelessness – a condition that can happen to anyone if they don’t have recourses like good friends and family. Things to fall back on.”

They raised about $800, but hoped to raise $10,000, Anderson said. “The concrete goal is to help HOPE get a van for their members. To help them get directly to their services: meal services, job interviews, things like that. And, mainly, a way to continue their organizing work.”

Page was “overwhelmed with joy and gratitude’ about her EP release. “The amount of enthusiasm and support from my friends, family and community was completely unprecedented and uplifting,” she said. “And now I can’t wait to do something even bigger and better and more luminous.”

Julia Wellford Allen, Page’s 91-year-old grandmother, was among the guests.

Also appearing with Page and her band were Strong Martian and Magnolia.

Michael Donahue

Toney Walsh from Mednikow Jewelers and chef Logan Guleff sport Bremont watches at a reception at Mednikow Jewelers.

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Mednikow Jewelers remembered Giles English’s birthday with a cake – decorated as the face of a Bremont Watch. Giles and his brother, Nick, are founders of the watch company.

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