On today’s Music Video Monday, we have an ode to the wing. Memphis is famous for barbecue, of course, but I’ll put our hot wing culture up against any other city in the nation. Yeah, that’s right Buffalo, I’m throwing down the gauntlet!
PreauXX knows wings. His new song is a tribute to his favorite flavor, lemon pepper. Producer CmaJor is so inspired by the flavor onslaught he is composing a beat right there at the table! Better wipe that drum machine down when you’re done, because these wings are “Lemon Pepper Wet.”
Cooking up these tasty visuals is prolific genius 35Miles. Take a look, but be warned: You will get hungry.
If you’d like to see your music video featured on Music Video Monday, email cmccoy@memphisflyer.com.
1000 Lights’ “666 Miles to Memphis” by Laura Jean Hocking at the Hometowner Music Video Showcase.
Day 4 of Indie Memphis is packed with life. It begins at 11:30 a.m at Playhouse on the Square with the world premiere of Ferny & Luca by director Andrew Infante. “The film is really interesting,” says Indie Memphis Artistic Director Miriam Bale. “It’s basically a rewriting of Saturday Night Fever, or a really diverse look at a rom-com. It really captures being in your twenties, and it’s a great New York movie.”
At 2 p.m. is one of the biggest gets for this year’s festival. C’mon C’mon is by writer/director Mike Mills, who got an Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay for his 2016 film 20th Century Women. C’mon C’mon is a road picture starring Joaquin Phoenix as an introverted artist who has to take his precocious nephew Jesse (Woody Norman) on a cross-country trip. The film also stars indie darling Gaby Hoffmann, perhaps best known for the series Transparent. The A24 release has been a hot ticket for this year’s festival.
At 5 p.m. is another world premiere at Circuit, this time for a Hometowner feature. Life Ain’t Like the Movies is by Memphis director Robert Butler. It’s a coming of age drama about an awkward 16 year old who can’t escape bullying at school or conflict with his father at home.
At 9 p.m., an Indie Memphis tradition that has been the source of a lot of great nights at Playhouse on the Square over the years: The Secret Screening. Probably the most talked-about secret screening in festival history was 2019’s Uncut Gems, which wowed Memphis audiences before its smash-hit debut later that year. Bale wouldn’t divulge to me what film she has lined up this year (I even said “please”), but she would say this: “I definitely think everyone watching it will really love it, even if they’re surprised, and even if it’s something they wouldn’t have realized they would love.”
Across town at the Malco Summer Drive-In, after the revival of 1989’s Chameleon Street, is the Hometowner Music Video Showcase. As the curator of the Memphis Flyer’s Music Video Monday series, and a connoisseur of the form myself, I can say that Memphis punches way above its weight in the music video ring. We’ve got “Warzone” by Chinese Connection Dub Embassy; director Jordan Danielz and Sharrika Evans taking on Idi X Teco’s “Buzzsaw Kick”; Talibah Safiya’s “Animal Kingdom” by Zaire Love; Kim Bledsoe Lloyd’s clip for “My Mind Comes From a High Place” by Robert Allen Parker; two by Don Lifted and Josh Cannon; “Slide” by PreauXX, 35Miles, and AWFM; Laura Jean Hocking’s video for the London industrial band Dead Anyway; and many more. It’s gonna be a rocking night.
As I detailed in this week’s Memphis Flyer cover story, Unapologetic is getting ready to transform Memphis with the Orange Mound Tower project. Right now, three of the Bluff City-based record label’s heavy hitters want to transform your earholes with the jam of the summer. “Slide” is the latest single by PreauXX (a frequentflyer on Music Video Monday) featuring a smooth guest verse by A Weirdo From Memphis. Produced and mixed by newly inaugurated Unapologetic president Kid Maestro and mastered by IMAKEMADBEATS, “Slide” is a sly groove for cruising in the whip.
“A ‘slide’ can be multiple things,” says PreauXX. “It can be a special person, it could be you visiting someone, and it could even be just hanging out. But ultimately, it feels good.”
The video is co-directed by PreauXX and Unapologetic visual leader 35Miles. It features the talents of Kierra Monique, Isadorabriony, Raphel Baker, Chris Craig, and R.U.D.Y. Drop what you’re doing and dig this earworm.
If you would like to see your music video featured on Music Video Monday, email cmccoy@memphisflyer.com.
At the beginning of this week’s music video, PreauXX is kicking it in the back yard with his friends C MaJor, AWFM, and Kid Maestro like Hank Hill and company in King of the Hill.
You probably wish you were chilling with the squad instead of working this morning, but you can live vicariously through the Unapologetic crew. Director 35Miles, who last teamed up with PreauXX to take home one of the Ten Best Music Videos of 2019, gets mellow with his clip for “Blunt In My Hands.”
Music Video Monday: PreauXX and C MaJor
If you would like to see your music video on Music Video Monday, email cmccoy@memphisflyer.com
The Memphis Flyer is proud to feature music videos from Memphis artists on Music Video Monday. Judging from the mind-bending difficulty of putting together this top ten list, 2019 was a good year. I scored the year’s videos on concept, song, look, and performance. Then, I shook my head at all the ties and did it all over again. It was so close, it was an honor just to be in the top ten, and I had to include three honorable mentions. Congratulations to all our winners!
C. Louise Page’s “Future Runaway Bride,” directed by Joshua Cannon and Barrett Kutas, will get you to the church on time, but what happens then is on you.
TOP TEN:
10. PreauXX – “Steak and Shake ft. AWFM”
The Unapologetic crew gets behind the counter of a sandwich joint in this video from director 35 Miles. This is one of those videos where you can just tell that everybody had a great time making it, and the fun is infectious.
Music Video Monday: Top Ten Music Videos of 2019
9. Uriah Mitchell – “Might Be”
Everything is wound up tight in Waheed AlQawasami’s video of a surreal night at the club with Uriah and his friends.
Music Video Monday: Top Ten Music Videos of 2019 (2)
8. Heels – “King Drunk”
Director Nathan Parten transforms Midtown into a D&D fantasia in this incredible animated video for Memphis’ hardest rocking duo.
Music Video Monday: Top Ten Music Videos of 2019 (3)
7. Talibah Safiya – “Healing Creek”
Director Kevin Brooks brought out Talibah Safiya’s beauty and charisma in this spiritual video, which won the Hometowner Music Video award at Indie Memphis 2019.
Music Video Monday: Top Ten Music Videos of 2019 (4)
6. Sweet Knives – “I Don’t Wanna Die”
Shannon Walton is outstanding as a stranded aviator in this video by director Laura Jean Hocking for the reunited veterans of the Lost Sounds, led by Alijca Trout.
Music Video Monday: Top Ten Music Videos of 2019 (5)
5. The Poet Havi – “Shea Butter (Heart of Darkness)”
Director Joshua Cannon and cinematographer Nate Packard took inspiration from Raging Bull for this banger from The Poet Havi, who clearly has more and better dancers than Martin Scorsese ever did.
Music Video Monday: Top Ten Music Videos of 2019 (6)
4. Impala – “Double Indemnity”
Director Edward Valibus and actress Rosalyn Ross created a heist movie in miniature for the kings of Memphis surf’s comeback record.
Music Video Monday: Top Ten Music Videos of 2019 (7)
3. John Kilzer – Hello Heart
Memphis lost an elder statesman of music this year when John Kilzer tragically passed away in January. Director Laura Jean Hocking created this tone poem in blue for his final single.
Music Video Monday: Top Ten Music Videos of 2019 (8)
2. Al Kapone – “Al Kapeezy Oh Boy”
Director Sean Winfrey knows how large Al Kapone looms in Memphis music, and he finally blew the rapper up to Godzilla size in this video for one of Kapone’s best jams since “Whoop That Trick”.
Music Video Monday: Top Ten Music Videos of 2019 (9)
1. Louise Page – “Harpy”
When this one dropped in October, MVM called it “an instant classic.” Animator Nathan Parten transformed Louise Page into a mythological monster and sending her off to wreak havoc on Greek heroes. Don’t feel sorry for Odysseus. He got what he deserved. Memphis, look upon your best music video of 2019:
Music Video Monday: Top Ten Music Videos of 2019 (10)
If you would like to see you music video on Music Video Monday, and maybe in the top ten of 2020, email cmccoy@memphisflyer.com. Happy New Year!
Rap supernaut A Weirdo From Memphis is back with the second clip from his latest Unapologetic EP, “You Goin’ To Jail Now”. This time it’s an old-school club banger, and he brought along MCs PreauXX and Hannya Chaos, and the whole Unapologetic crew for good measure. The video was directed by 35Miles and cut by FILOSOFI. “‘FYM’ is a song made by Memphis people to jump around to. It’s designed to be played loud as fuck while you crash into people or do fun stuff,” says AWFM.
Be warned, “FYM” by AWFM is NSFW. So put on those headphones before tearing up your club-icle.
Music Video Monday: AWFM ft. Hannya Chaos and PreauXX
If you’d like to see your music video featured on Music Video Monday, email cmccoy@memphisflyer.com.
Get with the times this Music Video Monday. Get weird.
As the prophet Hunter S. Thompson said, “When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.”
Well, my loyal readers, look around you. It’s weird out there, and getting weirder. That’s why it’s time to allow trained, professional freak A Weirdo From Memphis (AWFM) into your life. Unapolagetic’s strangest artist — and that’s saying something — is dropping his new, five-song, solo EP “You Goin’ To Jail Now” this Thursday, Jan. 31st.
This video for the C Major-produced lead single “GooseAcne” was directed by MVM frequent flyer 35Miles and cut by Troy The Editor. It gives off a strong “Too Many Cooks” vibe, but as always with AWFM, there’s a dense field of ideas underneath the surface shock.
Music Video Monday: A Weirdo From Memphis
If you’d like to see your music video featured on Music Video Monday, email cmccoy@memphisflyer.com
Rapper Bleu Levees makes his MVM debut with “Michael”. Engineered by Memphis’ secret studio weapon Alan Hayes, Bleu Levees says the song is a bit of autobiography. “Michael is my real name and I wanted to make a song that channeled what I was feeling at the time, and also shoot a video of how I look at things from my different perspectives.”
Featuring vocals by Zephaniah Dixon, and beautifully shot by 35Miles, here’s “Michael”:
Music Video Monday: Bleu Levees
If you’d like to see your music video on Music Video Monday, email cmccoy@memphisflyer.com.
MVM is back on the hardest Monday of the year with a double shot of Daz Rinko.
Oh, hi. Didn’t see you there. I was just enjoying some delicious ice cream with Music Video Monday fave Daz Rinko. Daz has had a big year, with not one, but two, appearances on this hallowed blog, so he deserves a treat.
In fact, we all deserve a treat. It’s been a hard year. Daz and McKenzii Webster and 35Miles have not one but two songs in one video! “Vanilla Ice” and “No Limit (Bigger Picture)” are from the album Black Boy Joy 2: The Bigger Picture. Enjoy!
Music Video Monday: Daz Rinko
If you would like to see your music video on Music Video Monday, email cmccoy@memphisflyer.com
MVM MVP Daz Rinko‘s got a new ride. The Memphis rapper directed this video for his new single “New Whip, Who Dis?”, the first from his upcoming album Black Boy Joy 2: The Bigger Picture. Shot and edited by 35Miles, with animation by Andrew McGinnis, this funky vibe is all about car trouble, and what it takes to get out of it. Take a look:
Music Video Monday: Daz Rinko
If you’d like to see your music video on Music Video Monday, email cmccoy@memphisflyer.com
