Josh Aguilar and Jeff Williams (Photo: Michael Donahue)
Jeff Williams has been in two groups since he began playing guitar: Sacrum and his newest band, Light and Shade.
Sacrum was the heavy metal band he was in when he was in his mid 20s, says Williams. “‘Sacrum,’” he says, “sounds heavy. It’s so hard. Every metal band always had some name like ‘Rotting Corpse’ or ‘Rotting Death Carcass.”
They wanted a name like that, but they didn’t want to “go all horror movie with it.”
Fast forward 13 years to Light and Shade. It’s not heavy metal. It’s all instrumental. It even has a saxophone in it. People have called their sound “modern jazz” and “post rock,” Williams says. “People have called us ‘psychedelic.’”
“Anything can be psychedelic if you take enough,” adds saxophonist Josh Aguilar.
Others have also called them “folk” or “post folk,” Williams says. “I think of ‘folk’ as some dude sitting in an old smoky club singing some Dylan-y stuff.”
Their music has “that film thematic sound to it,” which makes it perfect for movie soundtracks, Williams says.
“Honestly, I just think of it as good instrumental music.”
Light and Shade, which also includes Harvey Waldman from Sacrum on drums, released its self-titled album in December.
When he was writing songs like “The Haunting” and “The Eyes” for Sacrum, Williams also was writing instrumentals similar to Light and Shade material. He didn’t want all his songs to be that “heavy metal gray kind of thing,” Williams says. “I wanted to paint with some different colors.”
He wanted to write instrumentals because he wanted to make people feel good. “I wanted to write some stuff anybody could listen to and not have to be a music nerd. I wanted people to feel it.”
A native Memphian, Williams “grew up on everything from classic rock, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Doors — stuff my dad listened to. Grand Funk Railroad.” He also listened to his brother’s tapes. “Anything from your hair metal stuff. Your Winger and Warrant. And your Whitesnake and your Dokken.”
Later it was grunge. Stone Temple Pilots and Alice in Chains.
Sacrum was “a power groove metal band,” Williams says. “The music was kind of progressive. People called us death metal or black metal, but we weren’t. It was just because we were so heavy and my brother was screaming.”
Sacrum, which was together from 2005 to around 2011, “did end up opening for a lot of national acts,” Williams says, adding, “We were going after it pretty hard. We had a lot of ‘almosts’ and ‘what ifs’ like everybody does.”
But, he says, “It just started to dissipate after a while of making no money. We all just had to get jobs and do whatever.”
Williams even thought about getting out of music altogether. “There was a period where I really thought about saying, ‘Fuck it.’ We’ve done it so long. I’ve made zero dollars. I only put money into it. We were all poor. Nobody had a rich uncle who could be the angel investor and help us make a record.”
Things changed in 2012 when Aguilar got a job at the Jimmy John’s where Williams was working at the time. They began jamming together. “Anybody could record shitty demos on their computer.” But, he says, “Shit started sounding like something. Sounded better.”
After more than 10 years of writing new songs, newer versions of the songs, and refining arrangements, they decided to go into a studio “to get a better sound,” Williams says. “We had the longest pre-production ever.”
They recorded “the whole album in five or six days” at Young Avenue Sound.
Waldman, who lives in Los Angeles, was still able to add his drum parts. “We recorded the whole album to a click track.” The drummer was “only in town for a couple of days and he knocked everything out at once.”
Light and Shade doesn’t totally get away from his old sound, Williams says. “Jafar,” one song on the album, has “heavy distorted guitars on it.” And, he — perhaps fondly — adds, the song “brings back a bit of the metal.”
The Mexico in Memphis family (Photo: Michael Donahue)
Mexico in Memphis? Think barbecue. Then think Mexican food.
The smoked meat — brisket, chicken, and pork — tacos Tim Shirley sells in his Mexico in Memphis food truck are “Memphis style,” says the cook, who, along with his wife Angelica, owns the business.
His Memphis-centric fare also can be found at events inside Agricenter ShowPlace Arena. As sole vendor for Agricenter International, Tim, 50, sells barbecued nachos, barbecue sandwiches, and smoked meat quesadillas — all of which he also sells on the food truck — as well as turkey legs.
“It’s a smaller menu,” Tim says. “It’s all quick food and the kind of food people enjoy for events like that. … I’m not claiming it’s 100 percent classic Mexican food. We take the Mexican dish and, basically, try to respect the soul of the dish by having pico de gallo and homemade salsa. We try to stay true to the Mexican flavors and Memphis smoked meat at the same time. Our slogan is ‘Memphis Smoked Meats, Fresh Mexican Flavors.’”
Tim got the idea when he remembered what his sons ate growing up: “Leftover barbecue meat stuffed in a quesadilla for breakfast or lunch.” He barbecued the meat and Angelica prepared the leftovers. “We also ate leftover barbecue meats in tacos and things like that.”
He got into barbecuing after calculating how much they spent eating out. “That led to experimenting with trying to recreate at home what we enjoyed at restaurants. … I got into barbecue and started going to barbecue joints across Memphis. And it became an obsession to go to as many barbecue places as I could.”
After Tim started his own blog, Memphis Barbecue Guide, he discovered more than 200 barbecue places just in Memphis while visiting “roadside pits and bars and really, any place that had real pit barbecue.”
A native Memphian, Tim says he got into Mexican cooking through Angelica, who was born in Mexico City. Her family taught him how to cook during visits to Mexico. The women let Tim join them in the kitchen and cook fried corn cakes, or sopes, topped with various ingredients. The men taught him how to grill steak tacos and fried fish tacos outdoors. Tim also tried the fare at “little roadside taco shops, taquerias, panaderias, and torterias throughout the region.”
Recreating these experiences when he got home “sort of morphed into the fusion stuff as well. Leftover smoked meats and making tamales and quesadillas.”
Tim, who was majoring in business management at Southwest Tennessee Community College, changed his major to hospitality management after the school opened its Culinary Institute. “Around this time I was really into this barbecue thing and Mexican cooking.”
Tim, who did his internship at Hog & Hominy restaurant, says, “I was going to all these barbecue contests, writing articles, and taking pictures for my blog. And I was cooking at home as well. A ‘backyard chef’ kind of thing. Experimenting.”
In 2020, while working as a corrections officer sergeant with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department, he began operating a food truck on the side for family events. “In 2022, I left the jail and opened the food truck full-time.”
He uses smoked brisket in his tacos. “That would be our replacement for the carne asada, meat cooked over hot coals like on a grill, or beef barbacoa, meat slow cooked underground with hot coals. It’s all about getting that smoked flavor in the beef. But we still have the pico de gallo, homemade salsa, lime, and cilantro, which are all classic taco condiments.
“A little more Memphis would be our Memphis smoked pork taco. That’s meant to be like a barbecue sandwich in a taco. ”
Tim will still be using the Mexico in Memphis food truck, but he will be “focusing on the concessions” at ShowPlace Arena. “As this business grows, we’ll be sending the truck out in coming months.”
People need to follow Mexico in Memphis on Facebook to find locations, he says.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): “Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow talent to the dark place where it leads.” So wrote Aries author Erica Jong. Is that true? Is it hard to access the fullness of our talents? Must we summon rare courage and explore dark places? Sometimes, yes. To overcome obstacles that interfere with ripening our talents, there may be tough work to do. I suspect the coming weeks and months will be one of those phases for you, Aries. But here’s the good news: I predict you will succeed.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In October 1879, Thomas Edison and his research team produced the first electric light bulb that was viable enough to be of practical use. In September 1882, Edison opened the first power plant on the planet, enabling people to light their homes with the new invention. That was a revolutionary advance in a very short time. Dear Taurus, the innovations you have been making and I hope will continue to make are not as monumental as Edison’s. But I suspect they rank high among the best and brightest in your personal life history. Don’t slack off now. There’s more work to be done — interesting, exciting work!
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I watched as the Thai snake charmer kissed a poisonous cobra, taming the beast’s danger with her dancing hands. I beheld the paramedic dangle precariously from a helicopter to snag the woman and child stranded on a rooftop during a flood. And in my dream, I witnessed three of my Gemini friends singing a dragon to sleep, enabling them to ramble freely across the bridge the creature had previously forbidden them to traverse.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): The horoscopes you are reading have been syndicated in publications all over the world: the U.S., Italy, France, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Netherlands, Russia, Cambodia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Venezuela, Ireland, and Finland. Yet it has never appeared in a publication in the U.K., where there are over 52 million people whose first language is English — the same as mine. But I predict that will change in the coming months: I bet a British newspaper or website will finally print Free Will Astrology. I prophesy comparable expansions in your life, too, fellow Cancerian. What new audiences or influences or communities do you want to be part of? Make it happen!
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Author Jean-Dominique Bauby wrote, “Today it seems to me that my whole life was nothing but a string of small near misses.” If you have endured anything resembling that frustration, Leo, I have good news: The coming months won’t bring you a string of small near misses. Indeed, the number of small near misses will be very few, maybe even zero. Instead, I predict you will gather an array of big, satisfying completions. Life will honor you with bull’s eyes, direct hits, and master strokes. Here’s the best way you can respond to your good fortune and ensure the arrival of even more good fortune: Share your wealth!
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo advice expert Cheryl Strayed wrote some rather pushy directions I will borrow and use for your horoscope. She and I say, “You will never have my permission to close yourself off to love and give up. Never. You must do everything you can to get what you want and need, to find ‘that type of love.’ It’s there for you.” I especially want you to hear and meditate on this guidance right now, Virgo. Why? Because I believe you are in urgent need of re-dedicating yourself to your heart’s desire. You have a sacred duty to intensify your imagination and deepen your willpower as you define what kind of love and tenderness and togetherness you want most.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Author Adam Alter writes, “Perfect success is boring and uninspiring, and abject failure is exhausting and demoralizing. Somewhere between these extremes is a sweet spot that maximizes long-term progress.” And what is the magic formula? Alter says it’s when you make mistakes an average of 16 percent of the time and are successful 84 percent. Mistakes can be good because they help you learn and grow. Judging from your current astrological omens, Libra, I’m guessing you’re in a phase when your mistake rate is higher than usual — about 30 percent. (Though you’re still 70 percent successful!) That means you are experiencing expanded opportunities to learn all you can from studying what doesn’t work well. (Adam Alter’s book is Anatomy of a Breakthrough: How to Get Unstuck When It Matters Most.)
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Sometimes you Scorpios are indeed secretive, as traditional astrologers assert. You understand that knowledge is power, and you build your potency by gathering information other people don’t have the savvy or resources to access. But it’s also true that you may appear to be secretive when in fact you have simply perceived and intuited more than everyone else wants to know. They might be overwhelmed by the deep, rich intelligence you have acquired — and would actually prefer to be ignorant of it. So you’re basically hiding stuff they want you to hide. Anyway, Scorpio, I suspect now is a time when you are loading up even more than usual with juicy gossip, inside scoops, tantalizing mysteries, taboo news, and practical wisdom that few others would be capable of managing. Please use your superpowers with kindness and wisdom.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Here’s a little-known fact about me: I am the priest, wizard, rabbi, and pope of Parish #31025 in the Universal Life Church. One of my privileges in this role is to perform legal marriages. It has been a few years since I presided over anyone’s wedding, but I am coming out of semi-retirement to consecrate an unprecedented union. It’s between two aspects of yourself that have not been blended but should be blended. Do you know what I’m referring to? Before you read further, please identify these two aspects. Ready? I now pronounce you husband and wife, or husband and husband, or wife and wife, or spouse and spouse — or whatever you want to be pronounced.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “You don’t have to suffer to be a poet,” said poet John Ciardi. “Adolescence is enough suffering for anyone.” I will add that adolescence is enough suffering for everyone, even if they’re not a poet. For most of us, our teenage years brought us streams of angst, self-doubt, confusion, and fear — sufficient to last a lifetime. That’s the bad news, Capricorn. The good news is that the coming months will be one of the best times ever for you to heal the wounds left over from your adolescence. You may not be able to get a total cure, but 65 percent is very possible. Seventy-five percent isn’t out of the question. Get started!
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): A psychic once predicted that I would win a Grammy award for my music. She said my dad and mom would be in the audience, smiling proudly. Well, my dad died four years ago, and I haven’t produced a new album of songs for over 10 years. So that Grammy prophecy is looking less and less likely. I should probably give up hope that it will come to pass. What about you, Aquarius? Is there any dream or fantasy you should consider abandoning? The coming weeks would be a good time to do so. It could open your mind and heart to a bright future possibility now hovering on the horizon.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I invite you to entertain the following theory: Certain environments, companions, and influences enhance your intelligence, health, and ability to love — while others either do the opposite or have a neutral effect. If that’s true, it makes good sense for you to put yourself in the presence of environments, companions, and influences that enhance you. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to test this theory. I hope you will do extensive research and then initiate changes that implement your findings.
Memphis Memes 901 asked Facebook folks last week, “What’s the most Memphis thing you’ve seen?”
There were potholes, busted cars, pretty sunsets, souped-up cars, cars with drive-out tags, and more. Local slang was on display, too. See above and below.
Posted to Facebook by Chris Roberts
2023 Weather
Posted to X by National Weather Service Memphis
The National Weather Service Memphis created a cool story map outlining all the major weather events of 2023.
Remember the three rounds of ice we got in January and February last year? That was fun. Wind blew hard. Tornados threatened. Drought drained the river. It’s an interesting and scary look back.
To leave a legacy means more than the dollars you leave in the pockets of your children. A legacy is an opportunity to have an impact after your time. You can ask yourself how you want to be remembered and what your core values are — and then put those answers into action. Here are four ways to leave a legacy for those you love.
Give back to your community.
If generosity and acts of service are among your core values, consider participating in volunteer activities with your community, which can be incredibly rewarding. You can take part in a fundraiser or donate your time or talent to a local nonprofit you’re passionate about. If you have an affinity for a particular cause, creating a charitable foundation can be a meaningful way to provide your loved ones with employment or board membership opportunities directly related to the cause you support. While a private foundation is certain to leave a powerful financial legacy, it also promotes collaboration, creativity, and continuity of your philanthropic vision. A foundation can be structured to operate indefinitely so that the lessons you leave to your heirs can be taught for generations to come.
Keep a record.
Record a video message or keep a journal. When a loved one passes away, it’s common to hear sentiments such as, “I wish I could see their face or hear their voice again.” Recording a video message is an opportunity to express your love, share your life experiences and values, and offer guidance to your loved ones. Think about answering questions such as:
• What do you love most about your family?
• What’s something you want your loved ones to remember about you?
• What do you hope the inheritance you leave your heirs will afford them? (This can be material or immaterial.)
• What’s the most important lesson you hope your loved ones take to heart?
If a video feels too formal or induces stage fright, consider keeping a journal. Put it someplace you’ll see it often so that you can jot down daily observations, funny memories, random thoughts, and pieces of wisdom you want to pass along. There’s no need to copy edit or write multiple pages at once. Keeping a journal can be a low-pressure way of putting your personality to paper — a gift your loved ones will cherish when you’re gone (and possibly even pass along to their heirs!).
Create a will and/or a trust.
The act of creating a will and/or trust gives the absence of chaos to your heirs following your death. These documents outline who will inherit your assets as well as how and by whom they’ll be distributed. Putting your wishes in writing helps to prevent disputes and legal battles among your heirs. Additionally, a trust may be able to protect your assets from creditors, reduce estate taxes, and provide financial support to your beneficiaries. A trust can also prevent your heirs from having to participate in probate, a lengthy and often expensive formal court administration process that “proves” the legitimacy of your will after death. While far from glamorous, creating a will and/or trust is a generous and loving act of housekeeping that may spare your children from unnecessary additional suffering after your passing.
Start a family tradition.
Whether it be the smell of homemade birthday cake, music coming from the kitchen on Saturday mornings, or counting constellations from a tent under the open sky every summer, a tradition reinforces your family’s values and creates a sense of belonging. Establishing positive family traditions has proven to increase a child’s ability to form a strong sense of identity — an identity you have the opportunity to forever influence.
So, take that annual spring break trip with your loved ones. Contribute to your favorite charity and participate in their fundraising events. Record a legacy video for the important people in your life. A little preparation now will make for a meaningful transition for your heirs down the line.
Gene Gard, CFA, CFP, CFT-I, is a Partner and Private Wealth Manager with Creative Planning. Creative Planning is one of the nation’s largest Registered Investment Advisory firms providing comprehensive wealth management services to ensure all elements of a client’s financial life are working together, including investments, taxes, estate planning, and risk management. For more information or to request a free, no-obligation consultation, visit CreativePlanning.com.
Gov. Bill Lee stands with Tennessee National Guard for a photo op.
(Photo: @GovBillLee | X.com)
“As America faces the most severe border crisis in decades, TN is showing the rest of the country what it means to lead. Today, I joined TN National Guard members who will soon deploy on a voluntary mission to secure the Southern border as the federal government fails to act.”
The quote is from an X post by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee last Friday. He was pictured standing in front of 20 or so camo-clad warriors who were apparently going to Texas to … stand along the border somewhere? No word on who would be giving them orders. The Texas governor? The Texas National Guard commander? President Biden? Doesn’t matter. It wasn’t about governing or policy or real life. It was political theater. A photo op.
Judging from the responses to the post, lots of other people besides me saw it as empty grandstanding. Many pointed out that Tennessee had plenty of problems of its own — gun violence, education, healthcare — that ol’ Bill could be paying attention to instead of doing Kabuki theater in a local gymnasium.
Others responded on X, correctly, that House Republicans had declined to support a border bill that could have done much to improve the situation just a week before. Here’s LGilmore: “Good grief. What a freaking waste of time and taxpayer money for political gain. We see your two-faced perpetuation of a problem you refuse to help solve.”
But there were also positive responses to Lee’s post. Here’s one from LITizen JEFF: “Thank you, Sir, and especially, thank you to the patriots in the TN National Guard.” He probably had tears in his eyes while he typed that.
What forms the differing attitudes of LGilmore and LITizen JEFF? Well, assuming they’re not ’bots, it would be a fair guess to say it’s the sources of news they consume. According to a Pew Research study, conservatives like JEFF head to the right-wing buffet table, where they can get a steady diet of Fox News, Newsmax, OAN, Joe Rogan, Epoch Times, etc. Progressive/liberal thinkers like LG are more likely to be consumers of CNN, MSNBC, NPR, PBS NewsHour, and The New York Times.
When it comes to news, what we consume quite naturally shapes what we believe. A great example of this is the current exchange of video-fire over which old guy running for president is in worse shape. Call it “Dueling Dodderers.” My social media feeds are now filled with clips of Donald Trump’s verbal miscues. He is slurring a lot of words in his stump speeches these days and frequently losing his train of thought. And every time it happens, a clip of it gets posted and amplified in all the liberal media. I consume it gleefully because I think Trump is an evil clown and it gives me hope that he may yet disintegrate into a gooey orange puddle of bile.
Likewise, there are lots of clips of President Biden misspeaking or turning the wrong way or stumbling on a stairway that make the rounds in right-wing media. I don’t see as many of these because I don’t visit those sites much. That’s mainly because the algorithm gods have learned I prefer not to consume right-wing stuff.
That’s how it works: You pick your news, then your news picks you. So, here’s some good advice: Learn how to pick news sources that are trustworthy. Don’t amplify news stories, quotes, memes, or even videos unless you are certain they are legitimate. That juicy clip of Trump being unable to pronounce “Venezuela” may tickle your schadenfreude, but don’t forward it unless it’s from a legitimate source. AI video is real — and, increasingly, a source of disinformation.
Media literacy is a course that should be taught in every school in America from the seventh grade on. Knowing how to discern reliable sources in the flood of information that deluges us — and our children — needs to be a top educational priority.
For starters, here’s a list of the 10 least-biased news sources, according to Pew Research: AP News, Reuters News Service, BBC News, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg.com, New York Times, C-Span, NPR/PBS, Forbes.com, NBC News. We need to be vigilant. If we consume disinformation and spread it, we’re nothing more than vacuous propagandists. Like Bill Lee.
“Four years ago, this week was the last normal week of our lives.”
I saw this unattributed quote on Facebook yesterday. Of course, it’s in reference to the start of Covid, when “lockdown” and “quarantine” crept into our everyday vocabulary. But four years ago this week, I was visiting my friend Kristin Burge in the hospital. I sanitized my hands after touching the elevator buttons to get to her floor, kept my distance from people coughing down the halls — confusion added to an already crippling experience. It wasn’t a normal week for me at all. And her memorial service on March 14th was far from normal. Few were masked in the church; some cautious loved ones opted not to hug. Her death marked the beginning of a year of grief for me, one that started with losing my friend, but one in which the whole world grieved the loss of “normal.”
Below is a condensed version of the piece I wrote for her, “Heroin, the Thief,” which was published in the Flyer on March 19, 2020. May all who’ve loved an addict and all who’ve lost a loved one to addiction find peace.
Kristin Burge, 1982-2020
I lost my friend to heroin this week. It was not quick and painless. She did not push the needle in and float off on a peaceful cloud into the ether. The last sound she made was with her body — heavy and limp, falling to the floor with a thud. She had overdosed on a batch cut with fentanyl. First responders arrived 20 minutes after the 911 call was made. She was without oxygen for too long. She went into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated four times the first day in the hospital, her chest and ribs broken to bits from the compressions. She spent nearly a week on life support as tests were run. Scans showed severe brain damage. She was completely unresponsive. A week, unable to communicate, twitch a toe, or even flit an eye. I sat at her bedside, talking about everything and nothing, joking and crying, and holding my phone up to her ear, playing some of our favorite songs. Her family gathered, her mother and children, friends, women from church — praying, pleading, mourning a life cut short … hoping for a miracle.
I lost my friend to heroin two years ago. It was not quick and painless. She was running from a contempt of court warrant for a bogus case that just wouldn’t end. She’d go to jail, 30 days, 60 days, be released. Repeat. Fines piled up. She couldn’t pay them. She was buried by an endless cycle, a broken legal system. She was running from a man who wanted to hurt her and wound up in Louisiana. She fell ill there and went to the emergency room. Diagnosis: endocarditis, likely a result of shooting up. Doctors performed emergency open heart surgery to replace a valve — they gave her a pacemaker. She came back home to heal, but didn’t stay long.
I lost my friend to heroin four years ago. It was not quick and painless. I drove her to Heroin Anonymous meetings. Sometimes she’d be high, but I’d pretend not to know; showing up was the first step. Once, after her boyfriend beat her badly, I took her into my home, where she detoxed for a few days — angry as a hornet, her insides churning, wanting more and more and more of the drug. She took a bunch of generic sleep aid and ibuprofen, hoping it’d knock her out; perhaps she wanted to dream through the worst of it. She slept for days, but the urge remained.
I lost my friend to heroin a decade ago. It was not quick and painless. It started when her dad died from cancer. She couldn’t cope, and his pain pills helped. It progressed with an ATV accident. Surgery, metal pins in her leg. Doctor prescribed pain pills. They helped, maybe too much. She took them for too long; now she needed them. When the doctor said no more, she got what she could from a methadone clinic. At some point, it became easier to get drugs on the streets. Heroin felt good — even better than pills.
I lost my friend to heroin. It was a slow death, and it hurt like hell. Her mother lost a daughter. Her sons lost their mother. The drug took her from them long ago. We mourned her in life, for years. The urge writhed through her blood, guiding her every move for more and more and more. Her kids were taken away, she couldn’t hold a job. She ended up on the streets with who knows who doing who knows what, all for more dope.
She was a good person. She was smart but made bad decisions. Her path kinked along the way and rerouted her aims. In moments of clarity, she tried damn hard to kick it. She loved her kids. She wanted to get better and spend time with them. She wanted to help people with her story of recovery. She’d been in rehab (this time) since December. A couple of weeks ago, she snuck out. The urge won.
I lost my friend to heroin this week. It was not quick and painless. We watched her die, slowly, for a decade, but she pushed the needle in for the last time. We watched her body swell and convulse on life support as it shut down day by day. As I write this, doctors are doing the necessary work to find donor recipient matches for her salvageable organs and tissues. By the time you read this, she will be at peace.
State Comptroller Jason Mumpower (Photo: State Comptroller’s
Office)
At a time when legitimate issues of state vs. local authority are proliferating — notably in proposed legislation regarding law enforcement and educational vouchers — the long, sad saga of Wanda Halbert is an embarrassing and parallel spectacle.
It is a case study, however, of the need for good-faith cooperation between state and local governments.
This week may see the beginnings of a resolution, through unavoidable state intervention, of the hot mess that is the Shelby County Clerk’s office.
On Monday, Jim Arnette, lead auditor in the state comptroller’s office and his chief deputy, Nathan Abbott, brought a contingent of six auditors to Memphis at the urgent request of Shelby County Trustee Regina Newman. Their task: to help straighten out the clerk’s fearfully tangled records so that the county can square its own accounts and prepare the way for its annual budget.
The problem, as Newman made clear in public alarms she raised last week, is that Clerk Halbert has failed in several belated tries to submit accurate figures regarding her office’s wheel tax receipts over the last several months — specifically failing to indicate the amount corresponding to a surcharge designated by the county commission last year to help pay for new schools and a multi-purpose center.
Once in town, Arnette, Abbott, and their six-person auditing team made a beeline for the county clerk’s office where they wasted little time combing through Halbert’s scrambled figures. At the end of the day, Arnette and Abbott departed, leaving behind the six other auditors to spend the week. Newman said she had every reason to hope that the team will generate an accurate compilation of the needed wheel tax figures.
If so, a ray of light will at last have penetrated Halbert’s murky corner of local government, one which has badly needed sunshine.
Also this week, Halbert has been summoned for a come-to-Jesus meeting on Wednesday with the county commission — the latest in many such encounters with that body during her tenure, now in a second term. Both the commission and the office of Mayor Lee Harris have been persistently thwarted in good-faith efforts to get the clerk’s office on the right track.
Halbert, a former member of the city council, where financial compensation is minimal, was first elected to her much more lucrative clerkship in 2018 and was re-elected in 2022, a “blue wave” year in which having a “D” (for “Democratic”) by her name on the ballot was helpful.
She was already floundering, however, as was indicated by long lines of desperate people seeking auto-tag renewal at the several county clerk offices. Worse, the number of those offices was shrinking, as Halbert, it developed, had failed either to renew the leases at several of them or had defaulted on the rent, incurring eviction.
Her slipshod auditing procedures had meanwhile attracted negative attention both elsewhere in local government, where concerns arose over the county’s credit rating, and from state Comptroller Jason Mumpower, who has pronounced on Halbert’s “incompetence and willful neglect.” Auto dealers complained that they could not get services, business licenses proved impossible to procure, and so forth and so on.
The list of Halbert’s failings is too numerous to detail in this space but is exhaustively contained in a lengthy document submitted by County Commissioner Mick Wright to Hamilton County DA Coty Wamp, who has been charged with the duty of investigating Halbert’s performance preparatory to possible ouster proceedings.
Whatever the ultimate result of those proceedings, and if Trustee Newman’s optimism over the potential outcome of this week’s state intervention proves to be justified, a degree of trust between local and state governments may have been achieved.
Perhaps, we are entitled to hope that will help to allay the current atmosphere of mutual suspicion prevailing elsewhere between the two spheres. That’s what you call a silver lining.
The SHE 901Tour visits five women-owned businesses. (Photo: Kristen Archer, ARCHd)
March is for the ladies, and the SHE 901Tour is ready to celebrate women of the past and present this March, with Downtown tours taking guests to women-owned businesses and historical sites centered around pivotal moments in women’s history.
“This is really a collaborative effort,” says Carolyn Michael-Banks, founder and owner of A Tour of Possibilities. For the tour, Michael-Banks partnered with Kristen and Lindsey Archer of ARCHd, a feminist gift shop, and Stephanie Wade of 492 Vance LLC, a firm focused on renovating and rebuilding minority-owned historic properties. The three businesses came together with the goal of highlighting various aspects of women’s empowerment through a dynamic mix of activities and experiences, from arts to food to history.
For the tour, groups of 10 will stop at Muggin’ Coffeehouse, ARCHd, Oh Sweets Skin Care, Stock&Belle, and Urevbu Contemporary, where they’ll hear from business owners about the work that they do. Tour guides will also point out other women-owned businesses along the way. “But one of the things I’m so excited that we’ll have a chance to do,” Michael-Banks says, “and it’s a four letter word that I do throw around a bit — it starts with an S … H … O … P — shop, shop, shop, shop, shop.”
After all, she says, “The S in SHE 901 stands for ‘support’ because we want to support those who are presently doing the work. The H stands for ‘honor,’ so we honor those who came before us, upon whose shoulders we stand today, and the E for ‘empower.’ We also need to empower each other and ourselves.”
Part of the honoring will be done throughout the tour as guides share stories about historical women who shaped Memphis by challenging norms and empowering those around them. The tour will also stop for even more immersive history lessons at the Equality Trailblazers Monument, Griggs Business College, and Ida B. Wells Plaza. At Griggs Business College, the site of Wade’s current project, guests will learn about the school’s history as a Black- and woman-owned institution, as well as the plans for the building’s future as a mixed-use space.
Altogether, Michael-Banks, the Archer sisters, and Wade hope the tour can inspire and connect, highlighting the diverse contributions of women in various industries and in various moments of history. Two tours will be offered every Saturday in March, with tours lasting about four hours. Tickets can be purchased at atopmemphis.com/she901tour.
Paint with local women painters on the riverfront this March at Cossitt Library. (Photo: Courtesy Cossitt Library)
With winter melting away, now is the time to spring into the arts as new exhibits, performances, and happenings begin to pop up all over town. So be like the groundhog and come out of your hidey-hole. Spring has sprung, Memphis.
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Painting on the River Series
With March being Women’s History Month, Cossitt Library has teamed up with five local women painters for a Painting on the River Series, offering a painting class each Saturday in March on the riverfront.
“We’re just trying to create an initiative that aligns with our commitment to promoting diversity and just celebrating women’s achievement,” Cobbert says. “I really wanted to highlight a lot of different artists. Me being in the art scene, it’s easily noticeable that sometimes the same artists are always on the pedestal, so I like to highlight local artists to just give them a platform. That’s something that the library can contribute since everybody can’t book out larger venues and stuff.”
Each artist will introduce their own style, Cobbert says. Baker will do a class on healing through watercolors, for instance, while Willoughby will focus on portraiture. “People should be able to find their fix within this group of five talented women.”
The classes are completely free, with all supplies provided through the Memphis Library Foundation. “We plan to have tables outdoors, so people can touch the grass a little bit and just paint,” Cobbert says. “It’ll be a way to build community through people who see painting as a hobby or a career and just come and learn.”
ARTSmemphis’ Art by Design will bring in vignettes of living spaces. (Photo: Laquita Tate)
After a pandemic pause, ARTSmemphis is bringing back its Art by Design fundraiser, a five-day series of events highlighting Memphis’ interior design community. At the core of the fundraiser is the gallery showroom where just over 20 designers will have created vignettes of living spaces. There will be arts activations, music, food, and more, during the showroom’s hours.
“It’s a great way for people to come and not only maybe get inspiration for their own houses, maybe buy a few things, maybe learn about some new Memphis artists they may not know about, but also to support our process,” says Elizabeth Rouse, ARTSmemphis president and CEO. “Most of our work is really focused on raising money and then granting it out and supporting arts organizations and artists in a variety of ways, and so this is just a really unique opportunity for interior designers, who in some cases are competitors, to come together for Memphis and to showcase their own work, which is very different.”
This will also be the first year that Art by Design will implement its Emerging Designers program, through which it will waive the vignette fee for regional emerging designers Colin Chapman, Brittney Murckson, Jurnee Kelley, and Baylor Pillow. “We really see this as an opportunity to help strengthen the interior design field in Memphis and bring that community together,” Rouse says.
Designer Carmeon Hamilton created this program in 2020, and even had designers prepared to participate, before the event was canceled due to Covid. Laquita Tate was one of those initial emerging designers, but she will now be joining Art by Design as a “fully emerged designer.”
“We were able to at least get together and plan some things out [in 2020],” Tate says. “I was able to see how some things work behind the scenes, which helped me, and so I’m just really excited to be able to do this even now, four years later. ”
Ultimately, though, Tate hopes that people will come out to the event for the sake of community. “Memphis is rich with a variety of different types of arts here,” she says, “and people might miss out on some of that with some of the other things that are going on currently in the city, but that should be the most important piece: Come out, support us, support the city of Memphis, and support the arts.”
Art by Design will have several accompanying events in addition to the showroom, such as Dinner with Designers, The Art of Mahjong game night, Cocktails by Design, and a special speaker. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit artsmemphis.org/art-by-design.
Art by Design will take place April 3rd to 7th at Agricenter International.
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“The Concert Photography of Jack Robinson”
“Horns High, Sam & Dave Horn Section, Soul Together” (Photo: Jack Robinson | The Jack Robinson Archive, LLC)
In partnership with the Jack Robinson Archive, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music’s latest exhibit presents 15 of Robinson’s finest images from the iconic Soul Together Concert of 1968. Held just two months after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Madison Square Garden concert raised more than $75,000 for two charities, and Robinson was on the job for Vogue magazine, capturing the star-studded roster of Atlantic recording artists such as Aretha Franklin, Sam & Dave, King Curtis, and more.
“Jack Robinson’s work is so well-known,” the museum’s executive director Jeff Kollath says, “and he has this incredible connection to Memphis. People have seen Jack Robinson photographs — they just might not know that they’re a Jack Robinson — but we’ve all seen Jack Robinson photographs. … His style and how he practiced his craft is just so unique and interesting and it really shows in these photographs.”
Yet unlike Robinson’s typical portraits and studio shots, the photos in this temporary exhibit are on-the-scene, so they have a different kind of “energy and raw power,” Kollath says. “He’s taking photo after photo after photo and they show how he’s able to capture movement in a way that still shows so much clarity — especially at a Sam & Dave day concert, where they’re dancing, the band is dancing, and you sense this movement, this speed at which they’re all moving and yet the photos are so clear. He’s a remarkably skilled photographer.”
Robinson’s photographs will be on display through the end of March.
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ON DISPLAY
Coe Lapossy’s “School of Ool”
“School of Ool: Whose Views Ooze Muse” Coe Lapossy revisits artifacts of queerness wedged within a seemingly straight world. Clough Hanson Gallery, through March 22
“Breaking the Rules” Seventy-five paintings, watercolors, and drawings spanning the entirety of Paul Wonner’s and William “Theophilus” Brown’s careers. Dixon Gallery & Gardens, through March 31
“Marking Time” Remy Miller’s landscapes and Joe Morzuch’s still-lifes and self-portraits. Dixon Gallery & Gardens, through April 14
Curtis Arima, Shifting Hierarchy, 2014. Recycled silver, copper, enamel, recycled gold, found objects. Courtesy of the Artist.
“Shelby Canopy: Our Shared Connection” An immersive public art project that aims to raise awareness of natural resources. Wolf River Greenway, through April 19
“Iliumpta” Birdcap’s retelling of Homer’s Iliad set in the Southernmost bayous of Mississippi. Crosstown Arts, through April 28
“The Earthworm and the Hawk” Melissa Dunn generates drawings intuitively from her imagination. Crosstown Arts, through April 28
“What Were You Meant For?” Kevin Brooks uncovers the seldom-seen layers of Black male identity. Crosstown Arts, through April 28
“Everyday People: Snapshots of The Black Experience” A photography exhibition showcasing Memphis artist Eric Echols’ photo collection of 20th-century African Americans. Museum of Science & History, through July 14
“Branching Out” Discover intricate connections between students, teachers, and casting communities. Metal Museum, through September 8
“A World Apart” Roger Allan Cleaves’ paintings exist in a rich and wondrous multiverse. Sheet Cake Gallery, March 9-April 27
“Christian Siriano: People Are People” Drawing from American designer Christian Siriano’s archive of bold creations. Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, March 22-August 4
“Progression” Exhibition of work by Sowgand Sheikholeslami. Dixon Gallery & Gardens, April 14-July 7
Kong Wee Pang, Voyeur Moment, 2023, featured in “Memphis 2024” (Photo: Courtesy Kong Wee Pang)
“Memphis 2024” A dazzling array of work by the most creative men and women working in the Mid-South today. Dixon Gallery & Gardens, April 21-June 30
Kelly Cook, Amber and Ruth, 2023, featured in “Memphis 2024” (Photo: Courtesy Kelly Cook)
“It’s All Relative” Morgan Lugo’s pieces speak to the lasting effects of past experiences. Metal Museum, April 21-July 7
“No Place Like Home” This brief, month-long installation encourages the visitor to consider the concept of “home” in the queer community, and specifically in metalsmithing. Metal Museum, May 1-June 2
ON STAGE
Little Women at Germantown Community Theatre (Photo: GTC via Facebook)
Little Women Jo March gives us her greatest story: that of the March sisters, four dreamers destined to be imperfect little women. Germantown Community Theatre, through March 17
Succession Succession explores the world of Black theater through the actions of Steve Harrison, a promising young actor. Hattiloo Theatre, through March 24
LOCAL: Art Moves Memphis Dance concert presented by Company d dancers with Down syndrome and inspired by the vibrant urban art and murals throughout the Memphis community. Wiener Theater, Hutchison School, March 23
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical This jukebox musical takes you on a journey that realistically documents Carole King’s rise to fame and superstar status as a songwriter and performer. Theatre Memphis, March 8-30
Peter Pan Fly with Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, and the Darling children straight to Neverland for a timeless adventure. Bartlett Performing Arts & Conference Center, March 8-10
(L to R) Axel Bernard Rimmele (Christopher Hillard), Giselle Gutierrez (Lydia Hillard), Rob McClure (Euphegenia Doubtfire), and Kennedy Alexandra Pitney (Natalie Hillard) (Photo: Joan Marcus)
Mrs. Doubtfire Everyone’s favorite Scottish nanny comes to Memphis. Orpheum Theatre, March 12-17
You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown Experience the magic of childhood and the beloved Peanuts gang in this Tony Award-winning musical. The Circuit Playhouse, March 15-April 13
Zanna Don’t! A Musical Fairy Tale Emerald Theatre Company presents a play, set in a world where everyone is gay — well, almost everyone. TheatreWorks @ The Square, March 15-24
Opera Memphis:La Calisto A baroque masterpiece of love, lust, vengeance and … astronomy. Playhouse on the Square, March 22-23
MOMIX presents ALICE at GPAC. (Photo: Courtesy GPAC)
MOMIX: ALICE Presented by a company of dancer-illusionists, ALICE, inspired by Alice in Wonderland, takes audiences on a journey down the rabbit hole. Germantown Performing Arts Center, March 23
Pink Floyd And The Planets Memphis Symphony Orchestra presents psychedelic tunes and enchanting melodies. Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, March 23 | Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center, March 24
Feelings & Other Uncomfortable Things Get in your feels with this artistic experience centered around listening to music and creating a collage. Shady Grove Presbyterian Church, March 29
Hattiloo Theatre Presents: Sing, Sistah, Sing Hattiloo celebrates the indomitable spirit of Black women with concerts, step routines, original all-women dance performances, and spoken-word from talented Black female artists. Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, March 30
Celia Hottenstein as Glinda and Olivia Valli as Elphaba in Wicked (Photo: Joan Marcus)
Wicked This Broadway sensation looks at what happened in the Land of Oz … but from a different angle. Orpheum Theatre, April 3-21
Fairytales on Ice Presents: Peter Pan and Wendy The beloved, classic story of Peter Pan and his pal Wendy comes to life with dramatic and imaginative enactment, as the Buckman stage converts into an ice rink. Buckman Performing Arts Center, April 4
Hamlet The tragedy by William Shakespeare. Tennessee Shakespeare Company, April 4-21
Master Class A fierce and clever production about diva opera star Maria Callas. Theatre Memphis, April 5-21
Out in the Woods Friends of George’s presents a dragnificent adventure. Evergreen Theatre, April 11-20
Blues in the Night The soul of the blues wails out full and strong in the scorching, Tony-nominated musical. Hattiloo Theatre, April 12-May 5
Science of Movement: Collage Dance Collective Witness how a dancer prepares for the stage and experience excerpts from Collage Dance Collective’s repertory. Museum of Science & History, April 13
American Roots Ballet Memphis’ celebration of Americana through dance. Crosstown Theater, April 19-21
ELEVATE Collage Dance’s spring program. Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, April 20-21
Celtic Woman (Photo: Courtesy Orpheum Theatre)
Celtic Woman A blend of traditional and contemporary Irish music. Orpheum Theatre, April 25
Steel Magnolias A touching portrait of women. Theatre Memphis, performances April 26-May 12
Your Arm’s Too Short to Box With God An uplifting musical with gospel-inspired music and inspiring storytelling. Playhouse on the Square, April 26-May 19
Orchestra Unplugged: Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture Memphis Symphony Orchestra Music Director Robert Moody brings you inside the minds and music of composers to discover new connections and meaning to incredible works of art. Halloran Centre for Performing Arts, May 9
Constellations Quark Theatre presents a play about free will and friendship, but also about quantum multiverse theory, love, and honey. TheatreSouth, May 10-26
The Hot Wing King Katori Hall’s searing new comedy that follows a group of friends as they prepare for the “Hot Wang Festival” in Memphis. The Circuit Playhouse, May 10-June 2
Memphis Symphony Orchestra’s Symphony in the Garden (Photo: Courtesy Dixon Gallery & Gardens)
Symphony in the Gardens The annual Mother’s Day outdoor celebration in a beautiful outdoor setting featuring the MSO Big Band. Dixon Gallery & Gardens, May 12
Opera Memphis:La bohème Puccini’s timeless classic of youth, love, and freedom in a brand-new production. Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center, May 17-18
Shrek the Musical This Tony Award-winning fairy tale musical adventure brings all the beloved characters you know from the film to life. Orpheum Theatre, May 31-June 2
AROUND TOWN
Resident Artist Talks Crosstown Arts’ spring 2024 resident artists will present artist talks. Crosstown Arts, March 20
Metal Petals & Healing Roots A one-day event where artists will create art from disassembled gun parts. Metal Museum, March 23
Art by Design A curated series of events and presentations designed to highlight Memphis’ interior design community and simultaneously support the local arts community. Agricenter International, April 3-7
Barrel to Barrel Grand Auction Enjoy exclusive wine pairings, premium bourbon tastings, incredible wine and bourbon pulls, and a grand auction filled with unique experiences, rare vintages, and whole barrels of bourbon. Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, April 6
Central to the Arts Festival Celebrate the arts with live performances, film showings, fashion shows, and interactive arts booths. University or Memphis, April 6
Art in The Loop 2024 A juried artists market, plus craft demonstrations and performances of classical music. Ridgeway Loop Road, April 12-14
Chalkfest at the Brooks (Photo: Courtesy Memphis Brooks Museum of Arts)
Chalkfest 2024 Join local artists and transform the Brooks’ plaza into the most colorful work of art. Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, April 27
Spring to Art with Creative Aging Activities, performances, and discussions for art lovers 65+ and carers. Dixon Gallery & Gardens, April 30
2024 Art For All Festival Arts and culture will showcase performances and art-making from across Shelby County through live performances, artist markets, food trucks, and more. Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, May 11
Here Comes the Sun Community Day Enjoy art making, garden tours, musical performances, and more at this community gathering designed for all ages. Dixon Gallery & Gardens, May 11
