Tag: Bar DKDC

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Karen Carrier to open new Cooper-Young dining space, Back Dó at Mi Yard

CREDIT: Michael Donahue

Michael Donahue

Karen Carrier’s new ‘Back Dó at Mi Yard’

Karen Carrier is ready to open her back door to an oasis where movie lovers and lovers of her signature cuisine can enjoy themselves in an outdoor Jamaican-style paradise filled with palms and bamboo in the heart of Cooper-Young.

She’s opening a new space, Back Dó at Mi Yard, sometime in October.

And it’s literally in her backyard. It’s behind her restaurant, The Beauty Shop Restaurant, at 966 Cooper.

“It’s a hidden Oasis in Midtown behind The Beauty Shop,” says Carrier, a veteran restaurateur who also owns Mollie Fontaine Lounge, Bar DKDC, and Another Roadside Attraction caterers.

And, like her other restaurants, it’s something completely different.

“I get bored every six or seven years,” Carrier says. “I want to create something. I was painting for so long. I like creating little places.”

She came up with the idea 10 years ago. “I wanted to open a place called ‘Back Do’ and it would be a place outside. We’d show movies and have food and have a bar.”

“Mi yard” means “my home” in “patois,” which is Jamaican slang. Carrier is saying, “Meet me at my back door at my home.”

She discussed her idea with her long-time friend, the late Ron Shapiro, who owned the legendary Hoka theater in Oxford. “I told him I wanted to show movies every night. But Ron was going to be a big part of it. He was the movie guy. We talked about all these movies we were going to show. Then he got sick and passed away. It’s an homage to him as well.”

Musician Harlan T. Bobo built most of the deck before he moved back to France, Carrier says. A neighbor named “Cowboy” then offered to help her finish it. “Man, he has helped me build all this stuff. It’s unbelievable.”

Artist Wayne Edge put wood from a mill Carrier found in Eads, Tenn. over the cinder block building, where Carrier keeps her walk-in cooler.

Allison Furr-Lawyer helped paint the black-and-white checkered deck as well as the planters and some of the chairs.

They transformed the area. “This place was just a hole. It was where we hung out. It used to fill up with water. And it was a problem. We put in all this gravel and sand.”

They put up a fence and a gate so people can enter “Back Dó” from Young.

“I just kept coming up with ideas. I wanted it to be like a Moroccan jungle. My son, Austin, went to Morocco and kept sending me photos. I was like, ‘Oh, my god. This is what I want.’ I went to Millstone Nursery. They had all these amazing tropical plants. Everything. We planted tons of bamboo, palm trees. All kinds. It’s like a jungle.”

They also have a thatched roof bar.

As for the food, Carrier says, “it’s all done on a rotisserie. That’s what’s really fun.”
The menu will consist of grilled meats, which will be served sliced on platters with different nut dusts, salsas, and “a different bread every week. You can slather up those hot meats coming off the rotisserie. A couple of fresh crudos. Really simple and really good.”

Austin got her an outdoor projector. Carrier also got waterproof speakers. She hasn’t decided on the first movie to show.

Customers will be able to enter from Young or from inside the Beauty Shop.

Carrier isn’t sure what she’ll do if it rains. As for winter weather, she says, “I’m going to get a fire pit. I’m doing all this shooting from the hip.”

Back Dó at Mi Yard probably will be open Wednesdays through Saturdays. When it does open, Carrier plans a big blowout. “I don’t do soft openings,” she says.

Michael Donahue

Karen Carrier’s new ‘Back Dó at Mi Yard’

Michael Donahue

Karen Carrier’s new ‘Back Dó at Mi Yard’

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Food & Wine Food & Drink

Bar DKDC: Sanctuary for Real People

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

When it comes to drag performances, the higher the heels, the higher my expectations. Mary Gagz and Her Gaggle of Drags, performing at Karen Blockman Carrier’s Bar DKDC every Monday night from 8:30 to 11 p.m., leave little to be desired in their full-on takeover of one of Memphis’ favorite artful holes in the wall. The night also serves as the bar’s industry night. The evening’s general feel is reminiscent of Bar DKDC’s sister restaurant, The Beauty Shop’s Rehab nights that used to occur every Monday night. It’s a throwback to the grand days of Rehab: late nights, a colorful cast, and the sort of hangovers that leave you questioning many of life’s decisions. Looking for a reminder? Head to Bar DKDC and this time, remember to take off work on Tuesday.

We arrived about halfway through the show this past Monday and the girls and their fans were in full swing. Tia Burchfield is the bartender on Monday nights and said that part of the reason they began hosting Mary Gagz and the rest of her girls is to try out a re-launch of Rehab. The night includes a full show and industry night prices, including $5 well liquor drinks, $2 PBRs and High Lifes, and $6 Fireball and Tullamore Dew shots. If that doesn’t serve to lube one up after a long weekend of working in hospitality, then your expectations are, honestly, way higher than the heels will ever be.

Justin Fox Burks

Mary Gagz and Her Gaggle of Drags

In a manner, Bar DKDC caters overwhelmingly to us night owls; shows typically begin later and go late into the night. People roll in after long hours, ready to commiserate and imbibe with their fellow restaurant crews, eager to be among their people after dealing with the general public and their obnoxious children in various dining settings. That’s the feeling at DKDC; it’s authenticity and inclusion, a sanctuary for real people with real stories.

But unless you’re living under Mississippi mud, you know about the musical acts at DKDC. Mary Gagz and Her Gaggle of Drags are relatively new to the lineup; they began their weekly performances in late January. From the looks of it, they’ve already established themselves in the fabric of Bar DKDC and its incredible ability to morph into a perfect venue for whichever act it is hosting. Everyone has probably spent a sweaty night in DKDC. Shows get packed and those who do not arrive early will be doomed (or delighted) to stand and sway with the music rather than find a comfortable seat. But that’s the atmosphere! Get up close and personal with the rest of the fans. Pack into that small room and feel the passion. Find yourself falling backwards into the photobooth as the crowd runneth over. And, if you’re Mary Gagz and company, work the room like you own it and take possession of the hearts and souls of those who watch.

The drag performance was a more low-key affair than the pulsating throng of people you normally encounter at a late-night weekend performance (and thank the heavens above; it’s Monday, after all). The girls had plenty of room to move about, titillate, and invite others into their wild world. The audience came prepared to drink, cheer, and offer monetary support to our Memphis performers who put so much into their alter egos. Tia, our bartender who has probably seen her fair share of debauchery, rock-and-roll, and drunken exploits cited none of the former as her favorite reasons for working at DKDC. She simply said that it’s the people that she works alongside that make her job most enjoyable. It speaks to the scene that Bar DKDC cultivates. It’s a place for all of us, both queens and bartenders, both those looking for a thrill and those of us looking for a meal, both those in need of camaraderie and those in need of a break. DKDC bathes itself in a light that begs both for secrets to be kept and secrets to be told, and what better place for a drag show than that?

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Music Music Blog

Jose Feliciano Plays Unannounced Memphis Gig

CREDIT: Bruce VanWyngarden

Bruce VanWyngarden

Jose Feliciano at Bar DKDC

Jose Feliciano played Memphis Friday night — at the tiny Bar DKDC in Cooper-Young.

You didn’t hear about it? That’s because it was about as undercover a gig as could be imagined. As Feliciano told a jammed house who’d either stumbled into the place or heard about the gig on social media in the prior couple of hours: He was in town for some Elvis Week activities and decided he wanted to play somewhere in Memphis.

He told his friend, Memphis musician Greg Roberson, of his wishes, and Roberson called Karen Carrier, owner of Bar DKDC, to see if something could be worked out. A couple of local bands had to be bumped to a little later time-slot, but the good news is that now they can say Jose Feliciano opened for them. 

Feliciano was relaxed and genial — engaging with the crowd and playing covers by Ray Charles, Elvis, Bill Withers, and many others, including his seminal version of “Light My Fire” by the Doors. 

After about an hour of music and stories, the 73-year-old legend decreed that his left hand was tired and he was going to call it a night.

The dozens of fans packed into Bar DKDC called it a hell of a night. And no, he didn’t play “Feliz Navidad.”

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Music Music Features

Ultimate Painting at Bar DKDC

CREDIT: Juan Jose Ortiz

This Wednesday night, Ultimate Painting will return to Memphis for a performance at Bar DKDC. Attendees of Goner Fest 12 might remember Ultimate Painting as one of the more mellow acts of the three-day festival, as their music relies more on the sounds created by the Grateful Dead than GG Allin. This is the band’s sixth U.S. tour since forming in 2014, a pretty remarkable feat for a group signed to a small but formidable label like Chicago’s Trouble in Mind. Ultimate Painting is the project of Jack Cooper (Mazes) and James Hoare, who you might recognize from the band Veronica Falls. And while these projects hail from the “chill” side of garage rock, Ultimate Painting take that vibe to the next level, making Bar DKDC probably the perfect venue for this weekday gig.

Juan Jose Ortiz

Also on the bill are EZTV from New York City. Signed to indie label Captured Tracks (Mac DeMarco, DIIV, Blouse), EZTV have somewhat of an early Big Star vibe, meaning they sound about how you’d expect them to as members of the New York indie-pop revival that Captured Tracks has been at the forefront of for quite some time. The band has been on the road since releasing their sophomore album, High in Place, first touring with Jenny Lewis before a string of dates with Real Estate and a short European tour with Merchandise.

Wednesday night’s booking marks a change in what has long been a locals-only affair at Bar DKDC, save for a few touring acts like Useless Eaters, The World, and Thelma and the Sleaze. Taking that into consideration, it may be wise to inquire about advance tickets at Goner Records before the show.

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Music Music Features

Golden Loneliness

CREDIT: Don Perry

Jesse Davis has one of those voices that will make you stop what you’re doing and listen. The son of long-time touring musician Jimmy Davis, Jesse began playing music as a child, developing his voice along the way. After cutting his teeth at the Burgundy Ballroom (the old Sheiks headquarters where Time, Moving Finger, and Jack Oblivian frequently played), Davis formed an all-star lineup to back him, featuring members of bands from Aquarian Blood, the Sheiks, and Magic Kids.

While the band has been making waves on the local circuit for a couple years now, the only way to hear Davis’ croon over top of soulful garage riffs is through the Chickasaw Mound Bandcamp page. That’s about to change. After saving money from local gigs, Davis said the band will be self-releasing their long-overdue debut 45 sometime soon, hopefully this summer. I sat down with Davis to get the backstory of one of Memphis’ most promising young bands before their show at Bar DKDC this Saturday. – Chris Shaw

Memphis Flyer: Chickasaw Mound started out as a solo recording project for you. How did it morph into a full band?

Jesse Davis: I got asked to play a Halloween show at the Burgundy Ballroom, and I played solo with a laptop playing backing tracks. An old buddy of mine, Zach Beerman, came up to me with Coletrane Duckworth, and they both told me they wanted to start a band. I think Coletrane was about 16 at the time. We started playing some of my originals, and eventually Keith Cooper (of the Shieks) ended up playing with us before I moved to Texas for awhile.

I recorded the demo album Magic Sounds of Our Sanctuary while I was living in Texas in a small town called Wimberley. When I got back to Memphis, Zach couldn’t be in the band anymore, so we asked Ben Bauermeister (Magic Kids) if he would play, and we were excited when he agreed. That’s been the lineup ever since. Everyone plays in different bands so it’s hard to get shows together, but it’s definitely a dream team.

Your dad has been a touring musician for most of your life. How has he influenced your music?

Growing up with him making music in the house definitely influenced me to be creative as well. There were times where I’d be recording in my bedroom while he’d be recording in his office; there was a bunch of creativity flowing around our house. I was born and raised in Memphis, but a few years ago he bought this place out in Texas, just southwest of Austin. He’s got about six acres of land filled with trails and tons of cedar trees, so it’s easy to go out there and get your brain churning.

So the place in Wimberley is responsible for a lot of the songs on Magic Sounds?

Definitely. Some of those songs had already been written, but most of the songs I wrote for that album were directly inspired by my time out there. I would take my kayak out to this spring that had a waterfall and just write songs all day.

How would you describe the music you make with Chickasaw Mound? I’ve heard people call it soulful garage, or doo-wop garage.

Anytime I get asked, I just tell people it’s Memphis garage rock. I guess I also call it soul rock. I don’t really like describing my own music. I have too many influences to call it one thing. I’m super influenced by David Bowie and Iggy Pop, but, I think for this project, I’m channeling Little Richard the most.

Even though you’ve been around for a few years, I feel like Chickasaw Mound is still an extremely underground project. The most high-profile show I’ve seen you billed on was the River Series show you played with NOTS last month.

Yeah, I think that was one of our biggest shows. I was pretty happy with that set, even with our weird cover of “Purple Rain.” I think that show put our music in front of a lot of new people, but in general I think the River Series is really great. I’m really happy that Goner puts it on.

The only way to hear Chickasaw Mound right now is on Bandcamp. Are you guys planning on releasing your music on any kind of physical format?

There’s been nothing physical yet. We haven’t even burned a CD. But we’ve got new recordings that we’ve been sitting on for almost a year. We’re going to do a 45 with the stuff that we recorded last July. Some of those songs were on the Magic Sounds of Our Sanctuary album, but we re-recorded them, and they sound a lot better. The 45 will be self-released and hopefully out really soon.

I think your song “Loneliness is Golden” perfectly sums up the Chickasaw Mound sound. What’s the story behind that track?

I don’t know that I’d say I struggle with it, but I’ve always had depression, and I guess it’s just an intimate song with my depression. The lyrics to the chorus are “loneliness is golden, bitter sweet melancholy to hold me,” and I guess what I’m getting at is that yeah, depression sucks, but there are aspects of it that are comforting because it’s familiar. That might also be a break-up song. I’ve always been into Belle and Sebastian, and I was listening to them a lot when I wrote that song. Their lyrics are similar. They are humorous but they still cover dark subject matter.

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Guess Where I’m Eating Contest 94

Iconic …

The first person to guess where I’m eating wins a fabulous prize. 

To enter, submit your answer to me via email at ellis@memphisflyer.com. 

The answer to GWIE 93 is the Pimm’s Cup at Bar DKDC, and the winner is … Philip LeTard!

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Music Music Features

Clay Otis and friends live at Bar DKDC

Clay Hardee (stage name Clay Otis) cranks out more new music than most of the active bands in Memphis, frequently collaborating with the Sheiks, the Vest brothers, and anyone else he can convince to join him in the recording studio. Over the years, Hardee has introduced us to his weird, sometimes inappropriate brand of dream pop with albums like The Overachiever (released on the fictitious F*ck Florida Records) and Citizen Clay, his latest masterpiece with comical song titles like “Friend on Crack” and “Pills at Night” that was released in early 2014. In between those releases, he also found time to record the single “Disco Werewolf” with the Dream Sheiks, a super group of sorts made up of members of local bands Dream Team and the Sheiks.

Clay Otis

Not one to be tied to one group of instrumentalists, Hardee will debut all new material this Friday at Bar DKDC with special guests Luke White (James and the Ultrasounds), Logan Hanna, Greg Faison (Dream Team), Dirk Kitterlin (Marcella & Her Lovers), and Graham Winchester (the Sheiks, Jack Oblivian, Maitre D’s). While all of the players previously mentioned definitely have a lot of gigging under their belts, don’t count on Friday’s show at DKDC to be business as usual. If we’ve learned anything from Hardee over the years, it’s to expect the unexpected. While Hardee didn’t start making music until he was in his 30s, his progression as a local musician has been interesting to watch. In an interview with the Flyer from 2014, Hardee admitted that he had no intention of playing music until a movie he was working on got turned down. As one of the most unpredictable musicians currently playing in Memphis, it’s fair to say that Hardee made the right decision.

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Music Music Blog

Goner Records Swap and Hop at Bar DKDC

Goner Records.

The first annual Goner Records Swap and Hop is tomorrow night (Wednesday, November 18) at Bar DKDC. The premise of the Swap and Hop is simple: Goner is clearing out their back room for the holidays, and will be spinning the oddities they find. Throughout the night, those in attendance will be able to buy all the records played, for $5 or less (with few exceptions). It’s Goner Records’ way of giving back, and apparently they’ll have “mopers, punkers, jams and sleazers, all priced to please.” The event is free and starts at 9 p.m., so if you’re looking to score some cheap vinyl, DKDC is the place to be. Check out the Goner Records soundcloud to get you pumped for tomorrow night.  Oh yeah, and check out that Carbonas YouTube playlist, cuz it rules. 

Goner Records Swap and Hop at Bar DKDC

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Music Music Features

Three Nights of Rock at Bar DKDC

CREDIT: Nina Westervelt

The tiny bar on Cooper Avenue packs a big punch with great local concerts scheduled almost every night of the week this summer. This week is no different, with James and the Ultrasounds (pictured), Jack Oblivian and the Sheiks, and DJ Dropout Boogie bringing three straight days of Memphis rock-and-roll to Karen Carrier’s latest creation. Jack Oblivian and the Sheiks will start things off on Thursday, June 18th, fresh off a weekend run to Austin, Dallas and New Orleans. This will be the only local appearance by Jack and the Sheiks before they go on an extensive tour across the eastern United States. The band released the excellent Live! album earlier this year (which I reviewed awhile back), and the record is still available from the band and local record shops around town.

Nina Westervelt

James and the Ultrasounds take the “stage” at Bar DKDC on Friday, June 19th, bringing another night of ramped-up garage rock to the small venue. James Godwin released the acclaimed Bad To Be Here album last year and recently told us that he has already begun working on new music. Godwin used to back up Jack Oblivian and did time in the Grifters offshoot the New Mary Jane, making him a driving force behind some of the most appreciated local garage rock bands of the past five years.

Rounding out the three-night extravaganza is DJ Dropout Boogie (Eric Hermeyer), who is replacing long-time running local band Impala. Instead of the instrumental stylings of the swamp boogie veterans known as “The Kings of the Track,” DJ Dropout Boogie will be spinning danceable 45’s all night long, which, after two nights of noisy garage rock, doesn’t seem like that bad of an alternative.

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Music Music Blog

Amy LaVere and Will Sexton at Bar DKDC Tonight

Amy LaVere and Will Sexton

Amy LaVere and WIll Sexton play Bar DKDC tonight at 6 p.m. during happy hour. Shows at Bar DKDC normally start later in the night, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the midtown bar will be any less packed. 

Check out videos from LaVere and Sexton below, and then brave the winter weather to hear some great local music. 

 

Amy LaVere and Will Sexton at Bar DKDC Tonight

Amy LaVere and Will Sexton at Bar DKDC Tonight (2)

Amy LaVere and Will Sexton at Bar DKDC Tonight (3)