Categories
Film Features Film/TV

Indie Memphis 2024: The Magic of LOC: LeMoyne-Owen at 160

When he was growing up, Caleb Suggs wanted to be a zoologist. “But when I went to Germantown High School, they have a TV station in their school, so I got involved with that and that kind of set me on my path to major in broadcast journalism and film. When I was at University of Memphis, I got my first film job through the journalism department. My teacher, Roxanne Koch was directing a documentary on the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination. I got a producing gig, and I edited it and narrated the movie through the film department. I got to do my first film that I directed in 2020, and I have made films every single year since then with my brother. We started the film production company called Studio Suggs in 2021.” 

Suggs’ film in Indie Memphis 2024 was the brain child of Debbie Robertson at WKNO-TV. “They came to me, because they knew about what I did in video and film, and pitched to me the idea, because they really wanted um to have something that showed up our local HBCU,” says Suggs. “They saw that other cities had some kind of documentary or program that highlighted their HBCUs, but Memphis didn’t have one. So they wanted them to put LeMoyne-Owen College on the map and raise more awareness.” 

Suggs says making The Magic of LOC: LeMoyne-Owen at 160 was as much of a learning experience for him as it will be for the audience.. “I actually didn’t know much of anything about LeMoyne-Owen College at all until we started the project. … I had no idea that it was really the students who spearheaded the desegregation of Memphis, and how they were the main ones doing the sit-ins in town. I learned what the draw was for HBCUs. You know, I’ve never been to an HBCU. I went to the University of Memphis. So I got first-hand experience about the culture. The first thing we shot for the documentary was their homecoming week. It was their 160-year anniversary. Seeing how everybody down there was really a family, and seeing how tight the connections were was something that was just completely new to me.” 

Suggs, who had directed indie comedies like “Homeboys Haunted”, was new to documentary helming. “I would say that documentaries are easier than narratives on the front end, but way harder on the back end,” he says. For narrative films “… you plan everything out — the lines, the camera movement, the lighting, everything — all the work at the front end. Then for me, because I typically edit everything, I direct, I know how everything has been shot and pieced together. It’s easier for me to get the skeleton of the film, and then really, editing just becomes putting on the finishing touches. For documentary, you’re showing up and you can’t really set too much stuff up, because you’re just kind of dropping in and following people or setting up interviews. The hard part becomes taking what everyone said and trying to build a skeleton from what you have, rather than from what you’ve planned out. Documentaries just take a lot more time, and a lot of playing around until you kinda get the feeling of the movie and the aesthetic from the words that people give you, not from something that you pre-plan. So especially for something like this, going in where it was my first experience with it. We just had to figure out the vibe of school before we could figure out the real tone and feeling of the movie, and the aesthetic that came with it. The movie is called The Magic of LOC, and it has this magical type of theme to it. We didn’t even know that until we walked in and started interviewing people.” 

Suggs says he loves to show his work at Indie Memphis. “I think it’s cool that we have a film fest to go to in town! It gives a lot of people here in town something to do with their movie, once they make it. It gives them something exciting to put it in, instead of just on Youtube. It gives you an audience. It gives you a way to meet other filmmakers. It’s just an overall cool experience. When I was first graduating college, and I had my first movie, that was just like the goal. It is the holy grail of where my movie could end up. Now that I’m a bit older, I’ve gone to other festivals, I realize Indie Memphis is a lot better than a lot of other film festivals around the country.” 

The Magic of LOC: LeMoyne-Owen College at 160 screens Saturday, November 16 at 3:15 pm at Studio on the Square. Tickets are available at the Indie Memphis website.

Categories
Beyond the Arc Sports

Lakers Edge Grizzlies in Thrilling Matchup

Two Western Conference rivals delivered an electrifying performance Wednesday night, with the Lakers narrowly defeating the Grizzlies 128-123, capping off their second exciting matchup this season. After allowing L.A. to score nearly 40 points in the first quarter, Memphis rallied to pull within one point at halftime. The game see-sawed through the second half, but All-Stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis combined to hold off a late Memphis charge.

In the loss, Memphis show-cased impressive depth and balanced scoring, with seven players — including four reserves — reaching double-digits.

The Lakers achieved a season-best 20 three-pointers, but were outpaced by the Grizzlies, 58-36, in points scored in the paint.

Jaren Jackson Jr. led the way for Memphis with 29 points and seven rebounds. Despite the team’s injury-plagued start to the 2024-25 season, Jackson Jr. has been a consistent bright spot, scoring in double digits in every game he’s played. Through 10 appearances, he is averaging 22.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game. 

After the game Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins shared his thoughts about the team’s performance, “Yeah, great fight by the guys. [We] dug ourselves a pretty big hole. [We] can’t give up 40 points in the first quarter on the road. I thought we let them get a little too comfortable. Way too comfortable, honestly. In the first quarter, we were taking the ball to the net too much and there were fouls and then we couldn’t run.” 

“Luckily, we found our groove in the second and third quarters,” added Jenkins. “We made that run in the fourth quarter. It just was a battle until the end. [I’m] proud of the fight. We definitely had a learning opportunity here. We got to come up better in the first quarter on the road.”

Jenkins concluded, “We had a couple of breakdowns defensively. They had some great execution with some zooming action and backdoor play for LeBron [James]. I thought we had some pretty good looks from the offensive side that didn’t fall. But I give them credit. They executed pretty well the last five minutes.”

History Maker

LeBron James will go down as one of the best players who ever stepped on a basketball court. He continues to make history, and Wednesday night against Memphis was no exception, as James, at 39, became the oldest player in NBA history to record three consecutive triple-doubles, surpassing his own record, set five years ago. Against the Grizzlies, he racked up 35 points, 14 assists, and 12 rebounds. It marked James’ 40th career 30-point triple-double and his fourth triple-double this season, solidifying his position as one of the all-time NBA greats.

That’s What They Said

Before fouling out, Zach Edey finished with 12 points and eight rebounds off the bench. 

“He’s a big body. He’s 7’4,” said Davis, who defended Edey. “When you have a guy like that, it’s hard to score and rebound, especially on the rebounding. He made a couple shots over me. And then you go to Friday against another guy in Victor Wembanyama. These guys are extremely tall, so you definitely have to put your work in a little early trying to push him out.”

The Grizzlies’ Luke Kennard on Edey:  “He’s been doing a great job of continuing to run the floor, being aggressive, protecting the paint, and that’s big for us. One of our biggest defensive keys is protecting the paint with everything that we’ve got. So having him down there, just being that presence; it really defers a lot of guys going to the rim. It’s stuff that really doesn’t show up on stat sheets. But I know personally, if I drive and I see a dude like that in there, it makes me want to pass the ball. But he’s been doing a great job. I feel like he’s picking stuff up really fast. We’re only … 11 games in now, or 12? He’s done a great job and [I’m] proud of him, how he’s really handled things.”

Who Got Next

The Grizzlies are set to face off against the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco on Friday at 9 p.m. CT, for NBA Cup Group Play. The matchup marks their first meeting of the season. The Warriors, with a 9-2 record, are looking strong. The Grizzlies stand at 7-5. 

Categories
Film Features Film/TV

Memphis Flyer Podcast November 14, 2024: Indie Memphis Film Festival

This week on the Memphis Flyer Podcast, we talk about the Indie Memphis Film Festival with Film/TV Editor Chris McCoy. We bring you interviews with Indie Memphis executive director Kimel Fryer, plus Hometowner directors Anwar Jamison (Funeral Arrangements), Thandi Cai (Bluff City Chinese), Michael Blevins (Marc Gasol: Memphis Made), Jaron Lockridge (Cubic Zirconia), John Rash (Our Movement Starts Here), and Jasmine Blue (Big Time). As if that’s not enough, we also get the skinny latte on the Grind City Coffee Xpo from Daniel Lynn.

Categories
News News Blog News Feature Uncategorized

Teachers Scoff at Bonuses In Gov. Lee’s School Voucher Plan

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, who’s trying again to enact his statewide private school voucher plan, is hoping to win over critics and skeptics with a $2,000 bonus for public school teachers. But many educators who would be eligible for the extra cash are dismissing it as a diversion tactic.

Some are calling Lee’s bonus offer an attempted bribe, or “hush money,” as he seeks to expand policies that provide public funding for students to attend private schools. Others say it’s insulting to teaching professionals who have spent their careers advocating for their students, and for more funding to support them.

“It’s a one-time bonus that’s basically asking us to sell out our public schools,” said Liz Marable, a longtime Memphis educator who is currently president of the United Education Association of Shelby County. “But we are not for sale.”

Details of the latest universal voucher proposal, reached during months of negotiations between the governor’s office and legislative leaders, emerged last week after Election Day. House and Senate Republican sponsors filed identical bills in an effort to avoid disagreements between the two chambers that killed their first attempts this spring in committees, even though Republicans held a supermajority in the legislature.

Some concerns that critics raised about the earlier bills apply to the new package, too. Among them: The program could create long-term funding uncertainty for public schools and set uneven standards for accountability through testing. It wouldn’t guarantee accommodations and services for students with disabilities and would bar undocumented students from participating, in violation of federal law.

The one-time bonus for approximately 86,000 public school teachers is new to the mix. It would cost about $172 million, which could itself be a concern during a fiscal year when state economists project declining or stagnant revenues.

The bonuses, and other public school benefits in the legislation, aren’t intended specifically to win over teachers, of course; they won’t get to vote on it. Rather, they’re aimed at winning over Republican lawmakers, mostly in rural Tennessee, who are wary of vouchers’ impact on their public schools.

These lawmakers have to answer to constituents in areas where public schools are often the only educational option, the largest employer, and the hub of their communities. Lee and Republican legislative leaders are betting that the bonus will make a vote for vouchers more politically palatable.

Lee’s Education Freedom Act also proposes new money to help local districts pay for school maintenance and construction. And it includes “hold harmless” language that pledges the state will reimburse school systems for any lost funding tied to students who withdraw from public schools to accept vouchers and attend private schools.

Educators interviewed by Chalkbeat said that they believe the promised reimbursements would be short-lived, and that the funding would be eliminated from future state budgets, ultimately draining resources from their public schools.

“Teachers aren’t fooled by the promise of a small bonus in exchange for a bill that would lead to public schools closing across the state,” said Tanya T. Coats, a Knox County teacher who is president of the state’s largest teacher organization, the Tennessee Education Association.

The one-year bonus would barely address pay disparities between teachers in Tennessee and those in other states. The average teacher in Tennessee made below $58,000, compared with $69,597 nationally, during 2022-23, the latest year for which national data is available, according to an analysis by the National Education Association.

The governor is budgeting next year to increase the state’s minimum salary for teachers from $44,500 to $47,000, in accordance with his plan to get base pay to $50,000 by the time he leaves office in 2027.

But critics say those increases aren’t rewarding experienced teachers, keeping up with inflation, or attracting high-quality candidates to the teaching profession, which is suffering from sagging morale.

Kathryn Vaughn has been a full-time teacher in Tennessee for 20 years and works two other jobs to make ends meet. She’s unimpressed by the idea of a $2,000 bonus, which likely would be closer to $1,400 after taxes. The underlying goal of Lee’s voucher plan, she believes, is to defund public education.

“If you’re really serious about helping teachers, why not make some sort of systemic change to teacher pay to alleviate the starvation funding we’re operating under?” said Vaughn, an elementary school art teacher in Tipton County.

Linking benefits for teachers to school choice agenda

It’s not the first time the governor has sought to package benefits for teachers with more controversial education proposals.

In 2023, Lee pressed for a bill to guarantee gradual minimum pay boosts for teachers during his second term in office — and also to ban school districts from making payroll deductions for employees’ professional association dues. Teacher groups and many lawmakers objected to the tactic, but the bill eventually passed.

Similarly, Lee’s bonus proposal is tied to the creation of a statewide program to give $7,075 each in public funding toward the cost of a private education for up to 20,000 Tennessee students, beginning next fall.

Lee has pushed for more education choices for families, while also investing hundreds of millions of dollars in public schools, since taking office in 2019. He remains adamant that both policies can complement each other.

“This piece of legislation represents a commitment to education for all children in the state, and that includes public funding, teacher funding, parental choice,” said Lee, when asked by reporters last week why the voucher and teacher bonus measures aren’t decoupled so lawmakers can vote on them separately.

Other governors, especially in predominantly Republican states, have used a similar playbook when pressing for vouchers.

In Arkansas, for instance, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a 2023 law to increase beginning public school teacher salaries from $36,000 to $50,000, while also creating a statewide voucher program to cover the costs of private school tuition, homeschooling expenses, and other educational expenses.

Teachers fear that vouchers will hurt their students

Many Tennessee teachers are skeptical about the new proposal to give them a bonus, viewing it as a ploy to push a policy agenda that they say will ultimately hurt their profession, public schools, and students in general.

“Teachers I am hearing from are very insulted that the sponsor of this bill thought any devoted Tennessee teacher would be willing to erode the future of public education for a one-time, taxed bonus of $2,000,” tweeted National Teacher of the Year Missy Testerman, who works for Rogersville City Schools in northeast Tennessee.

Like Testerman, Siema Swartzel teaches students who live mostly below the poverty level. More investments in public education would help, she said.

“I don’t see how creating a voucher program and adding $2,000 to my bank account is going to make sure my kids have all the things they need to be good learners,” said Swartzel, who teaches music at an elementary school in Cleveland, near Chattanooga. “They are our future, and I’m very afraid that vouchers will interfere with that.”

In Clarksville, near the Kentucky border, Karel Lea Biggs doesn’t think vouchers, as they’re proposed, would end up benefiting any of her middle schoolers, many of whom are considered economically disadvantaged.

Under Lee’s proposal, half of the first year’s vouchers would be subject to limits based on family income, but those limits would still be high: three times the threshold to qualify for free and reduced price school meals, or about $173,000 for a family of four. The remaining 10,000 slots would have no income restrictions.

Lee’s administration acknowledges that many enrollees would be the children of parents who intended to send their children to private schools anyway, and already had the resources to do so.

Meanwhile, Biggs says her public school desperately needs more resources to support students experiencing post-pandemic anxiety and other mental health issues. “A teacher bonus and vouchers,” she said, “just aren’t going to help my kids.”

Marta Aldrich is a senior correspondent and covers the statehouse for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact her at maldrich@chalkbeat.org.

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.

Categories
On the Fly We Recommend We Recommend

On the Fly: Week of 11/15/24

Indie Memphis Film Festival
Midtown Memphis
Thursday-Sunday, November 14-17
Let’s go to the movies! Let’s go see the stars! Cowboy heroes, cops and robbers, glamor and strife, bigger than life! It’s time for the Indie Memphis Film Festival! Enjoy premieres, Q&As with filmmakers, film workshops, and parties at Crosstown Theater and Studio on the Square, before hitting up encore screenings at Malco Paradiso on Monday and Tuesday, November 18th and 19th. A full schedule can be found here. Festival passes are $130, VIP passes are $240, virtual passes are $30, and single tickets are $15 — all of which can be purchased here.

Trans Awareness Week
Through Tuesday, November 20
Transgender Awareness Week (November 13-20) is a time to uplift and support the transgender community. It’s a week to raise awareness about the challenges, rights, and experiences of trans and gender non-conforming individuals. Here’s what’s on this week’s agenda:

  • Queering Masculinity: A Panel on Transmasc Experiences: This panel will feature Jasper Joyner, Malachi Allen, Phoenix Powell, and Will Ryder; moderated by Jessie Claudio | 4159 Willow Blvd., Friday, November 15, 11 a.m.
  • Mid-South Trans Nation Trans Fest: Trans Fest 2024 will celebrate the transgender community by promoting awareness and providing resources to the transgender community. The event will feature a range of activities including keynote speeches, resources, vendor booths, and music. | Lichterman Nature Center, Sunday, November 17, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
  • Trans Girls Rock: Celebrate the strength, resilience, and unique contributions of transgender women. | Timeless Event Center, Sunday, November 17, 6-9 p.m.
  • “I AM” TRANS Empowerment Summit: Enjoy an evening of celebration and storytelling with Mariah DaGoat and Symone Lyons, plus refreshments, music, and vendors. | Crosstown Concourse, Atrium Room, Monday, November 18, 3-7 p.m.
  • Voices of Resilience: Transgender Day of Remembrance: Mourn the lives lost and take collective action to protect transgender lives. You’ll also get a chance to be the first to see a new short film, exploring how My Sistah’s House creates a safe, affirming world through advocacy and tiny houses in Memphis. | National Civil Rights Museum, Wednesday, November 20, 7 p.m.

Science of Spirits
Lichterman Nature Center
Friday, November 15, 6-9 p.m.

Michael Donahue has already dashed any hope that this event will be an exploration of the supernatural world when he wrote about the Science of Spirits earlier this week. Fine. We can handle it. Especially because these “spirits” are the drinkable kind. At the Science of Spirits, guests will enjoy spirits tasting, food pairing, and fun activities that explore the science of making spirits. This inaugural event will feature caterer Bain BBQ, Huey’s, and Graz’n and distillers to help guests discover and appreciate the science and art behind their pairings. The event will also include live music by Mark Edgar Stuart. Tickets ($100) can be purchased here

The Wizard of Oz
Playhouse on the Square
November 15-December 22
Before there was a Wicked movie for celebrities to promote, there was The Wizard of Oz. You know it, you love it, and you can see it at Playhouse on the Square, starting Friday. Performances will run through December 22nd, Friday nights at 7 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. The last weekday of performances, December 19th and 20th, will offer evening public performances with a 7 p.m. curtain. General admission tickets are $25, senior citizens, military, and first responders are $20, and children under 18 are only $15. Purchase them here.

Grind City Coffee Xpo ’24
Crosstown Arts
Saturday, November 16, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Full steam ahead! It’s time to wake up and smell the coffee. Literally. The Grind City Coffee Xpo (GCX) is back and ready to celebrate coffee culture. During the GCX, attendees will be able to sample various brewing and roasting methods as well as food from local restaurants and bakers. Attendees will be able to meet with 25-plus coffee-centric vendors, attend three discussion panels (“Cupping with Sustain Coffee,” “Cooking with Coffee,” and “Ask a Barista”), and watch three coffee and cocktails demos. Tickets are $44.52 and can be purchased here. The Xpo will also have a Warm Up at Archer Recording on Friday, 6 p.m., where guests can enjoy Byway coffee and Grind City beer ($5/general admission). To wrap up the weekend, on Saturday at 6:30 p.m., the Xpo will host the Grind City Throwdown, which will have a latte art competition and Brewer’s Cup (sign up to participate in those here). Proceeds benefit Protect Our Aquifer. Cool beans, right?

Time Warp Drive-In: Deliciously Deranged – A Hannibal Lecter Double Feature
Malco Summer Drive-In
Saturday, November 16, 7 p.m.
Hannibal Lecter has been mentioned in our paper several times this year … for reasons. So why not mention him once more? This weekend, the Time Warp Drive-In is putting on a double feature of Hannibal Lecter films, screening The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal. Tickets are $25/carload. 

Spillit Grand Slam: Make or Break
Memphis Made Brewing
Saturday, November 16, 7 p.m.

Spill the tea at Spillit Grand Slam: Make or Break — except, actually, for this Spillit you won’t be spilling your guts. It’s the Grand Slam, which means all the Spillit winners from this year are coming back to find out who will be crowned the Grand Slam Champion. Tickets are $20 and are available to purchase here or at the door on the day of the show. Bring your listening ears. One, two, three, eyes not on you.

Bluff City Fest
Crosstown Arts
Wednesday, November 20, 7:30 p.m.
Memphis’ musical heartbeat comes alive at this festival, celebrating the city’s legendary music scene with a dynamic mix of genres — from rap and contemporary rock to pop, blues, jazz, and classic rock. Eight killer bands from the University of Memphis Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music will light up the stage. Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door, and $5 for students.


There’s always something happening in Memphis. See a full calendar of events here.

Submit events here or by emailing calendar@memphisflyer.com.

Categories
News News Blog News Feature Uncategorized

Redbirds ‘Committed’ to Memphis, AutoZone Park After 901 FC Departure

The Memphis Redbirds organization said 901 FC’s departure from AutoZone Park has “no impact on the Memphis Redbird’s current tenure” but says work is needed on AutoZone Park. 

The soccer club officially announced Wednesday morning it will leave Memphis for Santa Barbara, California. The news surfaced in media reporting Tuesday evening. The team is leaving because the city did not secure it a soccer stadium. 

“From the beginning, we emphasized that a soccer-specific stadium was essential for the long-term viability of professional soccer in Memphis,” reads a statement from the team on X Wednesday morning. “Following the city’s direction, we participated in multiple trips to lobby the Tennessee legislature in 2023 for a $350 million cash grant to fund sports facilities, including a new soccer stadium and renovations to AutoZone Park. 

“While the state of Tennessee fulfilled this grant to Memphis, funding for the Liberty Park soccer stadium and AutoZone Park was unceremoniously left out. In the past year, we have explored additional options, but unfortunately time was not on our side.”

The Redbirds, which manages AutoZone Park for the city, said it was “saddened” by the news, that it will stay Downtown, but more work needs to be done at the park. 

“Since AutoZone Park was not allocated any of the state funding made available last year, the city has deployed approximately $5 million in funds to help start to bring the city-owned facility into compliance with MLB standards before next year’s [Professional Development League] deadline,” reads a statement from the Redbirds. “However, we have communicated to the city that there is still a long list of vital needs that must be addressed in order for AutoZone Park to maintain a Triple-A club, including new seating, painting, bathroom renovations, and concrete repairs, among others. 

“These items must be addressed seriously and swiftly to safeguard the long-term future of AutoZone Park as the proud home of the Redbirds and a premier destination for events in the city.”

Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

FOOD NEWS BITES: The Return of Karen Carrier’s “Dō Sushi Pop-Up”

Kona Strawberry Roll. It’s what a foodie’s dreams are made of.

It’s a sushi roll I had for the first time at Karen Carrier’s Dō Sushi Pop-Up, which she held two years ago. I can still taste this sweet-and-savory (my favorite) amazing concoction. I haven’t had one since.

The pop-up was held in Carrier’s Bar DKDC, which is at 964 Cooper Street next to her Beauty Shop Restaurant in Cooper-Young. She originally opened the space as Dō Sushi, a Japanese restaurant, in 2003.

Well, Carrier is doing another Dō Sushi Pop-Up from 4:30 p.m. until they run out of food Thursday, November 14th, at Bar DKDC.

Karen Carrier (Photo: Courtesy Karen Carrier)

And, yes, they are going to include the Kona Strawberry Roll. It’s made of crab, masago, seared walu, strawberry, and a sweet soy reduction. “It’s so good,” Carrier says.

Sam Cicci, a former colleague, is also a fan of the roll. “Honestly, it’s probably one of the best rolls I’ve had,” he says. “I usually prefer a more savory roll, but the way the crab and walu play off that light layer of sweetness from fresh strawberry slices, it’s so easy to gobble the whole thing up immediately.”

The spicy seared scallop roll, another popular sushi roll that Carrier will bring back for the pop-up, is made of crab, avocado, masago, and sriracha aioli. “It’s got that wonderful, smoky grilled flavor.”

Seven sushi rolls will be a featured, as well as other items like nigiri and sashimi. They also will feature cooked items, including crispy duck spring rolls with shiitake mushrooms.

The Dō Sushi story is wonderfully quirky. “We opened Beauty Shop in 2002. And I had to take over the space next door,” Carrier says.

She turned that space into a general store, where they sold Vespas, Giraudon men’s and women’s Italian shoes from New York City, Amy Downs hats, Dinstuhl’s candies, assorted cheeses, coffees, refurbished bikes from the 1950s that were hung in the windows, and prepared food to-go from Carrier’s Another Roadside Attraction catering. “We were so ahead of our time. If it opened 10 years later we would have been packed.”

So, Carrier said, “I can’t do this. Retail is not for me. I need to have a bar.”.

Her chef, Eric Doran, said to her, ‘Why don’t we open a sushi bar? We don’t need a vent hood.’”

“I said, ‘Perfect.’”

That was in January 2003. Joining her were Mindy Son and Stacey Kiehl. Carrier and Doran came up with the ideas for the sushi and she and Kiehl made them. She hired Brett “Shaggy” Duffee to do the hot food, including all duck spring rolls, crispy dumplings, and all the tempura items. 

“The sashimis, the raw fish, that was sort of my part. The sushi part I stayed out of.”

Carrier also served her mother’s matzoh ball soup, “Bobo’s Chicken Matzoh Ball Soup,” which was named one of the 10 best phos in the United States by Bon Appetit magazine, Carrier says. The soup is made with lokshen kugel. “I grew up with that stuff.”

About 10 years later, Carrier’s thoughts about selling sushi changed after she saw sushi being sold at the Exxon service station at Ridgeway Road and Poplar Avenue. “I said, ‘Oh, no, no, no, no.’ I came back to work at the Beauty Shop and I said, ‘I’m losing the bar.’”

There was just something about sushi being sold at a gas station that didn’t sit well with Carrier.

So, instead of the sushi bar, Carrier said, “I want a music club.”

She turned Dō Sushi into Bar DKDC, which is now a popular music venue. The name is an acronym for “Don’t know. Don’t care,” which was Carrier’s response when people asked her what she was going to call her new music club.

As most people know, Carrier can come up with a new idea and implement it at the drop of a hat. “I get bored.”

Also an artist, Carrier says her restaurants are “just art projects. They’re just paintings.”

And, she adds, “You’ve got to stay on the edge. You’ve got to stay current.”

Asked why it took two years to do another Dō Sushi Pop-Up, Carrier says, “Life happens. It just dawned on me, ‘Oh, man. I want some sushi.’”

Categories
News News Blog News Feature

TBI Program Would Test Sewage for Drugs

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) is proposing a $3 million pilot project to test sewage from Knoxville-area high schools, college dorms, and other locations for illicit drugs, Director David Rausch said Tuesday.

If the budget for the project is approved, testing will initially begin on wastewater from 12 public high schools and 16 college dorms. Another 120 Knoxville locations could be selected for wastewater testing at the TBI’s discretion, Rausch said. The pilot would run for 30 weeks.

The testing is intended to identify specific illicit drugs and the concentration of drug use in a particular location using a key surveillance tool deployed during the Covid pandemic to monitor disease prevalence.

Results of school and dorm-based wastewater testing, Rausch said, can help keep parents and school administrators informed about student drug use.

“That becomes a great piece for those administrators at the school to be able to educate parents and make them aware this is an issue,” Rausch said in presenting the proposal to Gov. Bill Lee as part of his agency’s overall request for a $21 million budget increase next year.

“It also then becomes an educational tool for us to be able to educate the community on these drugs that are being used there.”

The testing would also have law enforcement uses, said Rausch, noting the surveillance — which would be done by an outside contractor — can pinpoint the source of illicit drugs “as close as a block as (to) where that issues.”

“If we have an area with a lot of drug complaints, we can have them test the water in that area,” Rausch said. “They wouldn’t be able to tell me the exact house, but they could tell me a selection of four houses. And then our work on intel and observation, we would be able to tell where the house is.”

Testing sewage for illicit drug use is underway in 70 U.S. cities as part of a National Institute on Drug Abuse-funded program intended to help guide cities in where they need to focus resources in preventing overdose deaths.

Unlike the TBI proposal, the Institute-funded testing is done in conjunction with local public health departments, not law enforcement.

Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com. Follow Tennessee Lookout on Facebook and X.

Categories
Music Music Features

IMAKEMADBEATS: Not of this Earth

The road to recovery from a major health condition can happen in stages. Confronting a disease when you’re in its grips, determined to keep moving forward, is one thing; putting yourself out in the world once the worst of it is over is another. Having gone through hell, you realize things about yourself — things you can’t forget.

That’s one way into WANDS, the new instrumental album by IMAKEMADBEATS, aka James Dukes, which arguably marks a new aesthetic high point in the producer’s career. That much will be evident on Saturday, November 16th, at the Pink Palace’s Sharpe Planetarium, when MAD (as he is known) will premiere the album live, in an extravaganza of light and projections that will likely be seen as a defining moment in Memphis’ Afrofuturist scene. 

It should come as no surprise that the producer who named his dream studio Outerspace has been fascinated with the cosmos, or characters like the Mars-dwelling Watchmen character Doctor Manhattan, all his life. “The only field trip I cared about as a kid was to the planetarium. I didn’t care about nothing else!” he says, as we chat amid the glowing buttons and dials of Outerspace. 

“I’ve always been attached to space and the unknown,” he explains. “In WANDS, the general idea is that I have to leave here to find out where home is. The very first song is about me leaving here. The second song is the soundtrack to me making my way through the Earth’s atmosphere. The third is about flying through stars. The fourth is about me running into an alien that is telling me where to go to find home. The fifth song is about me descending onto that planet where there are clouds of bubbles that sing to me. And so that song is called ‘Choir of Bubbles.’”

If such a tale captures the album’s epic sweep, that last title hints at the album’s sonic palette. While there are indeed mad beats throughout, sporting MAD’s trademark glitches and tweaks, there are also orchestral passages both ethereal and bombastic, at times sounding eerily like the ’70s synth-meister Tomita. It’s an interstellar trip in audio form, in which you’re never sure if you’re hearing a sample or an intricate new composition by MAD himself. The track “I’m Losing My Mind I’m OK” even features lyrics, hauntingly sung by Tiffany Harmon.  

Another track, “James Michael,” features the producer — typically seen behind a console of sample triggers — playing a solo keyboard passage. And that, it turns out, is a clue to how the entire album came to be, starting with MAD’s decision to take videoconference music lessons (full disclosure, from me) during Covid’s early months of social distancing. As with the great Sun Ra himself, MAD’s latest voyage to outer space began through that trans-dimensional portal known as a “piano.” 

“I wanted to be a jazz pianist since I was a teenager,” he says. “I just didn’t have any kind of keyboard. What I did have was access to old records and a sampler. So, you know, I had a professional career in music before I had an instrument. Then I bought this keyboard, the Korg SV-1, with the weighted keys on it, and it feels like a real piano. And I felt drawn to that, like, ‘Yo. This is my time to actually learn this.’”

But eventually there was an even more compelling reason to play. During his first forays into playing keyboards, “I was just messing around and having fun,” MAD says, “until I got sick.” Just as Covid emerged, the producer contracted a rare autoimmune condition which initially threatened his motor skills. “You know,” he reflects, “I spent my whole life making things with my hands, and suddenly I couldn’t use my hands, with any real accuracy, for a couple of months. That scared the shit out of me!” He points to our surroundings to underscore his point. “I mean, I’m literally surrounded by buttons and knobs.”

Nonetheless, he kept at it, often with Kid Maestro twiddling the dials under MAD’s direction, and eventually the material that became MAD Songs, Volume 1 and Volume 1.5 came together. Those albums stood as proof positive that he could soldier on artistically through the hardship of his illness. Yet after that came a recovery of sorts, and it was in that period that the seeds of WANDS were planted. 

“A few months later, my hands came back and I started hitting you up.” MAD was a student of singular focus and determination. “One of the top things I remember in those lessons was how you would slide from one note to the next, and it would just add these, like, half step emotions. Which I am addicted to: half step movements in any chord progression I ever write.”

But beyond the raw knowledge of harmonies and melodies, or the basic physical therapy of strengthening his hands, playing the piano became a skeleton key, thanks to the infinite library of sounds available to any producer now, into the world of composing and arranging. (If this was a film, we would insert the heroic montage here.) Taking long sabbaticals of studying only piano, MAD began experimenting with the complex jazz harmonies that had always fascinated him. At that point, pairing music’s infinite plane of harmonics with his love of space was an easy leap to make. That in turn led him to an insight into his own condition. 

“There’s no one else in my family with any sort of autoimmune disorder. So for me to have this is an extreme anomaly. And so it made me wonder, you know, maybe I’m an alien?” Which brings us back to the story of WANDS, soon to be premiered musically in the planetarium (on his birthday, no less), but later to be revealed narratively, a bit further down the road. Look for a second edition of the album early next year that includes voiceovers recounting the tale in all its world-building glory. In the meantime, just know that an alien walks among us, and he is MAD. “I literally was telling my mom a couple weeks ago,” he says. “I was like, ‘Mom, if you didn’t actually remember birthing me, I would swear I’m not from here. You are the sole evidence that I am from Planet Earth.”

Categories
News The Fly-By

MEMernet: Real MEMernet, Redbirds Update, Moneybagg

Memphis on the internet.

Real MEMernet

Wouldn’t it be cool to drive around Memphis in a video game? That’s just what Cory Owens has been working to do. His MemphisMETAs project is a “Digital Twin” of the city. Driving and walking around the virtual model is just the beginning. Owens imagines users buying virtual properties, hosting virtual events, and more.  

Redbirds Update 

Posted to Facebook by Memphis Redbirds

Turns out the “something big” teased by the Memphis Redbirds on Facebook last week was, indeed, an exhibition match with the St. Louis Cardinals in March. 

Moneybagg

Posted to YouTube by @saydattv

A new YouTube Short from @saydattv shows “Moneybagg Yo feeding the streets of Memphis.” Moneybagg played a sold-out show at FedExForum last weekend on Rod Wave’s Last Lap tour. The show included a surprise appearance by GloRilla.