Tag: David Parks

Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Memphis Whistle Slated to Open for To-Go Orders December 17th in Cooper-Young

Memphis Whistle with edible flowers bed in Cooper-Young (Credit: Jef Hicks)

Memphis Whistle is slated to open December 17th for to-go orders at its first brick-and-mortar location at 2299 Young Avenue. The space is slated to open as a restaurant/bar by the end of 2021.

What began as a drink delivery service during the pandemic blossomed into a space that owner Jef Hicks describes as a “quaint little house” with four rooms. He describes Memphis Whistle, which features a lounge space, dining space, and bar, as “lounge comfortable.”

“One of the rooms has a couch, a couple of chairs, and a little settee. That is super loungey. Another room has three tables, a little more of a standard look. Everything will be lower lighting from lamps,” Hicks adds.

As for the decor, Hicks says, “Most of the colors are very rich, royal, jewel tone, romantic colors — so you could look beautiful in there at all times, especially in the evening.”

Memphis Whistle dining area (Credit: Amanda Hicks)
Memphis Whistle lounge area (Credit: Jef Hicks)

The exterior of Memphis Whistle is a rich purple, accented with turquoise. “You won’t miss it,” says Hicks. “You would have to try really hard to miss it.”

Also working with Hicks at Memphis Whistle are his wife, Amanda Hicks, who handles the office duties, IT, and accounting; and Winifred Henry, who Jef says, is “in charge of it all.” Jef and David Parks began the original Memphis Whistle. Parks will be bartending at the soon-to-open McEwen’s Memphis. 

Describing the drinks, Jef says, “Mine are more the Prohibition-style cocktails.” These would be “the old typically heavier booze” drinks like the Boulevardier and the Vieux Carre.

And, Hicks says, “I will be continuing to feature the Memphis Whistle cocktail recipes that brought us notoriety.” 
He described the drinks as “seasonal fruit forward with herbal tastiness and plenty of booze.”

Kyle Gairhan is executive chef. “We are concentrating on smaller fare along with sandwiches and burgers,” Jef says. “And finger foods and tater tots. We are going to make our own chips to go with all the sandwiches. We make our own barbecue sauce. We cook our own  pork. We’re going to be making our own brisket. We’re trying to do as much as we can in  house.”

And, Jef says, “We will try to support local farms or small businesses as much as possible. That’s really important. To keep the dollars local.”

Even the art on the walls is local. Featured artist Celeste Rachele did the pieces, which are for sale. “I want to support local art, food, drinks, produce,” says Jef.

Categories
Film Features Film/TV

Short Stories: Indie Memphis Hometowner Narrative Shorts are Weird, Wondrous, and Woke

Bryce Christian Thompson stars as Shah in "The Devil Will Run."

For a person who’s never been a film critic in any real capacity (okay, I thoroughly bashed a couple films while on my college newspaper staff a lifetime ago), I was both eager and anxious to take on the task of covering a snippet of what’s on offer in the Indie Memphis Film Festival.

The selection of eight short films in the Hometowner Narrative Shorts Competition — clocking in around an hour and half total —will close out the festival on Monday, October 25th, at Crosstown Theater. They run the gamut from weird and whimsical to thought-provoking and heart-tugging.

Kayla Myers, Indie Memphis Film Festival programmer, says, “One of the first things that struck Brighid [Wheeler] and I in programming is that almost all of the filmmakers in this bloc are filmmakers whose work we’ve seen before, but it showcases an incredible amount of growth and daring choices.

“I think people will be excited to see this work, especially with them being able to screen in person, since so many of our local filmmakers have only really been screening virtually. The pandemic has been such a trying time for all of us, but there are some bright spots in the fact that this work was created, a lot of it, during the pandemic, and we get to showcase it.”

Here’s a rundown of what to expect.

Director Laura Jean Hocking received the first-ever Indie Memphis Women’s Short Film grant for “Hot Singles.” The film opens with Daisy (Shannon Walton) seeking shelter from an apocalyptic event in a flower shop basement. Alone and unable to get cell service, she begins to unravel as days pass. A glimmer of hope arrives as she sees a flickering bar of signal strength — but there’s just one person she’s able to get through to, and unfortunately it’s not her father.

Jean Jackson directs “The Nest,” a Beats by Dre Black Creators short film, and a five-minute glimpse into the cyclical and mundane life of Byrdie (played at various ages by Chelsea Dargba, Autumn Whetstone, and Sallay Fofanah), who’s trapped in a repetitive loop of daily routines, alone in her room — until one day she chooses to venture outside, ready to embrace all that lies beyond the door.

2019’s Best Hometowner Narrative Short winner Kyle Taubken is back with “In a Bad Way.” The film introduces us to Mike (Keith Johnson) after he’s lost big at the casino. The money was meant for his kids’ Christmas presents, and he has a chance to make it right. Will the gambling addict save Christmas?

In “Beale Street Blues,” director Daniel R. Ferrell explores a world of crooked cops on the streets of Memphis. As an FBI investigation is underway, officer Arthur Breedan (Keith Johnson) enlists his cousin Floyd (Edward Fields) to assist in his ongoing scheme of robbing drug dealers. Though Floyd is hesitant, Breedan pushes, and things go a little too far — potentially bringing the rogue cop one step closer to justice. “Beale Street Blues” was funded by the 2020 Indie Grant for Proof of Concept, which means Ferrell intends to expand it into a feature film.

Joshua Woodcock directs “Main Street,” starring JS Tate, who is homeless and living along Main Street after losing his wife. His lonesome days are spent reading through her old journal pages, collecting change from passersby, and having solo lunches in the park. Until he meets an unexpected friend who, for a time, brings much-needed companionship.

“Chocolate Galaxy” is a futuristic musical journey.

Noah Glenn’s “The Devil Will Run” is a standout among this hometowner selection. Bryce Christian Thompson stars as 7-year-old Shah, who is convinced a hole in his backyard is a portal to hell, and whose brother teases him for it. After a precious and pivotal backyard scene with his best friend Nella (Posie Steinmetz), Shah confronts his fears. “The Devil Will Run” was a 2019 Indie Grant recipient and was co-written by Glenn and IMAKEMADBEATS.

“Chocolate Galaxy” (directed by Blake Heimbach, Ryan Peel, and David Parks) is — and I’m pulling this directly from the Indie Memphis site — “an Afrofuturistic Space Opera.” That’s an apt description for the Black Mirror-esque musical journey that takes Fuzzy Slippers (David Parks) to Sector 9 for a night out, where he meets — and falls for — The Goddess (Taylor Williams). Set design, costumes, and interspersed animation transport the viewer — moonrocks or not.

In “Watch,” directed by Mars Lee McKay, Sarah (Adrienne Lamb) finds an old tube TV on the street while she’s taking out the trash. It mysteriously powers on, and through shifting scenes and static, has a message for her.

The Indie Memphis Hometowner Narrative Shorts Competition films are available for online viewing Oct. 20th-25th and will screen at Crosstown Theater Oct. 25th beginning at 9 p.m., $10.

Categories
Music Music Features

David Parks’ The Q Tape: Quintessential, Quality Soundtrack Soul

David Parks

Though the 17th letter of the alphabet has become problematic in recent times, redolent as it is of anonymous sowers of discord in the political realm, Memphis bassist David Parks, aka Parks David, is having none of it. Listening to his EP, The Q Tape, which dropped in May, one could even say he’s reclaimed all the superior connotations of the now-infamous letter.

“I started creating this kind of sound during quarantine,” he tells me. “And so really it was the quarantine tape. Really locking in and just creating. But then I got sick of quarantine. Like, ‘I want to go outside.’ So it morphed into this whole different thing. And there are a lot of great ‘Q’ words.”

When I point out that the letter evokes both the nickname of the great Quincy Jones, whose jazzy, funky ’70s soundtracks can be heard as influences here, and the brilliant Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest, Parks readily agrees. “Absolutely. I’m a super-huge Tribe fan, a huge Q-Tip fan. And also, I’m bringing that soundtrack back, reimagining the relationship between film and music.”

Parks means that literally, as the all-too-brief EP, subtitled “a cinematic experience,” has a visual counterpart of the same name, featuring the auteur driving an Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme around Memphis with a mysterious briefcase, so bathed in the golden light of the “Me Decade” that one can almost smell herbal refreshments. And the music is mainly an instrumental odyssey that complements such images, full of atmospheric strings and sparse keyboard chords, undergirded with the kind of fluid basslines that are a staple of classic, old-school R&B.

“I made a conscious effort to put some real slick, Memphis, James Alexander bass on this,” Parks says. “I wanted to take my time and create some iconic lines. ’Cause that’s kinda missing from popular music right now. Great bass lines. Give me that live element! I wanted to incorporate the digital, the modern, with instruments that come from the earth, that come from the wood and the trees.”

Still, listeners shouldn’t sleep on that echo of Q-Tip in the mix, signified visually by Parks in his yellow hoodie and sonically by the exclusively programmed beats. “As much as it is Isaac Hayes,” Parks adds, “I feel like it is Juicy J as well. I wanted to put some Memphis influence and everything that I experienced and created here, from sweaty clubs to arenas and stadiums.” Referencing the rapper and producer designated by the alphabet’s 10th letter is no idle name-drop, for the group he co-founded, Three 6 Mafia, arguably did more than any other to combine the hard beats of hip-hop with the dark atmospheres of cinema. That’s echoed in The Q Tape as well.

And there’s another connection, only apparent if you reflect on the quality of the artists Parks is drawing from: If Juicy J and Isaac Hayes earned Oscars for their soundtracks, and Q-Tip had his “Award Tour,” Parks himself has joined their ranks, thanks to playing on Ledisi’s “Anything for You,” named Best Traditional R&B Performance at this year’s Grammy Awards.

“That was a big deal,” Parks reflects. “You always aim for playing on a Grammy-winning record. That’s a pretty big milestone in my career. So I’m ready to keep expanding, and just take it as far as I can take it, artistically. Honestly, it’s a bittersweet moment. Because it’s like, ‘Man, I contributed to something great.’ But truth be told, I want a Grammy with my name on it. You know? I’ve made a lot of people’s stuff sound good, so now it’s time to focus and deliver what my vision looks like.”

Parks pauses, then offers another alphabetical reference. “Quintessential. That’s a great word, right? I like helping my friends and playing on great records, but it’s time to take those talents and add them to what I’m doing for myself. You always hope that your art is quintessential.”

Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Memphis Whistle Delivers Cocktails and Food to Your Door



Wet your whistle with Memphis Whistle — a new Memphis drinks-and-food-to-go service.

“‘Memphis Whistle’ is a slang term for moonshine,” says David Parks, who, along with Jef Hicks, operate seven days a week at The Liquor Store restaurant on Broad Avenue.

They were approached by The Liquor Store owners Luis and Lisa Toro. “They were curious when we were going to get back up and running,” Parks says.

The Liquor Store had not been operating at night several months before the quarantine, Parks says. “We’ll take over their bar and turn it into a cool little bar and nightspot. Until we feel safe enough to do this, we’re going to do this cocktails to-go and make us all some money.”

Parks and Hicks started a Facebook group, which they called “Memphis Whistle.” “We do a lot of interaction with people on the page. A lot of back and forth. We take suggestions. We do polls about, ‘We’re thinking about doing a new cocktail. Here are two we’re thinking about. You guys write which one you want and that’s the one we do.’

“Memphis Whistle,” which also is slang for a sex position, is “just a way to promote The Liquor Store and the to-go and delivery that is just fun and is just silly. And nobody gets bent out of shape when I make an off-color joke or say something obnoxious. They know I’m a sick and twisted individual.”

They moved into The Liquor Store about a month ago, Parks says. “Luis literally carved out space for us to store all our gear and supplies we need.”

Jef Hicks and David Parks of Memphis Whistle

The Liquor Store is open for breakfast and lunch in-house dining. “At 3 or 4 [p.m.], their people go on about their business except two kitchen staff. They stick around and cook and we come in and we get everything staged up for delivery and pickup. They’ve got a pickup window. We’ll bring it to your car. We deliver.”

They have a “fairly limited menu” at night, Parks says. “Because some things don’t travel well. You go to the website [thebroadliquorstore.com] and that’s how you do your ordering.”

And, Parks says, “I put on enough drivers that we can do ‘on demand.’ If you order something at 3, unless we’re super busy, we can have it to you by 4 or 4:30.”

Customers no longer have to give 48 hours notice if they’re ordering.

Parks describes the food as having “a real Cuban influence to it.”

They now offer seven cocktails, which are served in Mason jars, on the menu. “But of those seven, three of them you can have your choice of the spirit you want. Vodka, gin, and bourbon.”

 Raspberry Sage Sipper, Blackberry Bramble, and Blueberry Lemonade are among their most popular cocktails.

“A lot of people ask for most of the recipes. The Tequila Mockingbird is usually popular. And the Purple Drank.”

Cocktails to go are available all day for pickup. But customers must order food if they order drinks to-go, Parks says.

Joining Parks and Hicks at Memphis Whistle are Justin Wells and Jordan Hester. “They kind of keep the books, and they respond to emails and keep up with orders.”

Memphis Whistle has been in operation for two weeks. “People are starting to discover us. I had 68 new people trying to join the group yesterday.”

“The community” is what makes Memphis Whistle special, Hicks says. “In the sense that we all banded together to make sure we all took care of each other in this pandemic time,” he says. “And the fact that we’re trying to look out for others.”

“As soon as we feel safe enough, we’ll start opening at night,” Parks says. “Let people come in. At first, we’ll let people come sit on the patio. And then we’ll open up the inside. But I don’t feel it’s prudent to do that right now.”

And if you’re thinking about ordering Memphis Whistle drinks out of Tennessee, Parks says, “Even though I am the sheriff of The Twilight Zone, I cannot deliver across Tennessee state lines. I don’t care if you want my cocktails in Michigan or in Arkansas or in Virginia, I cannot deliver across Tennessee state lines.”

The Liquor Store is at 2655 Broad Avenue; (901) 405-5477. Email is memphiswhistle@gmail.com for special orders.

Categories
Music Music Features

Dope Lyfestyle

When I reach David Parks, cofounder of Lyfe Is Dope, he’s just finished a sound check at the Hard Rock Cafe in Miami, a venue he’ll perform at later that night with platinum-selling artist Jason Derulo.

“I’m in Los Angeles about six months out of the year, on tour for about three months, and then back in Memphis for about three months,” Parks explains, while he tries to find a quiet place in the club to talk.

When he’s in Memphis, Parks and longtime friend Damien Woods curate Lyfe Is Dope, a production/clothing company that’s grown from a small block party-type event to an anticipated annual gathering, hosting artists and socialites like Drumma Boy, Bruno Mars member Kameron Whalum, Shanell, and K97’s Devin Steel. Parks and Woods first met while working at Club 152 on Beale, and quickly decided to join forces.

“We had started putting our ideas together, and around that time I was doing a lot of touring and going to a lot of live events, so I just started taking notes,” Parks says.

“I would go to happening shows in L.A. and New York, and I noticed that there was just a huge void in the Memphis hip-hop community. At the time, most of the hip-hop shows in Memphis weren’t well planned out, and the sound was almost always bad.”

After settling on the name —Woods had a production company named “Nice Life,” and Parks had a company called “Rated D for Dope”— Lyfe Is Dope was born. With the notion that this wasn’t going to be just another hip-hop show, Parks and Woods started to come up with the ideas that are now staples at every Lyfe Is Dope event: a live band backing a rapper or artist who normally wouldn’t perform with one, visual artists, projection screens throughout the venue, merch stations, body paint booths, and even a live chef.

The first Lyfe Is Dope events were held at 409 S. Main, but the packed shows quickly outgrew that space, leaving Parks wondering what the budding production company’s next move would be.

“It grew beyond South Main, and I started thinking about trying to move the event to Midtown to bring in as many people as possible. If you’re going to go to a big show, you’re going to go to Minglewood Hall, and so that was just the obvious choice.”

On Wednesday, November 25th, at Lyfe Is Dope Volume 6, Memphis legend Project Pat will perform with backing band Trump Tight for the first time, along with Lord T & Eloise and DJ Dnyce. Parks says that there will also be a jookin’ contest, in addition to shoe painting stations where attendees can customize whatever kicks they bring to the show. If you were holding out to find out who the live chef is going to be, you’ll be happy to know Chef Kenna — an upcoming contestant on the television show Hell’s Kitchen — will be in the house.

“You won’t see Project Pat with a live band anywhere else,” Parks says.

“It’s very important to include the live band aspect, because that is what Memphis is known for. We don’t want it to be an average show; it has to be a next-level experience every time. My band will be behind Project Pat, and I’ll be serving as the music director, taking all the skills and knowledge I’ve gained over the past five years playing with some of the biggest artists in the world.”

Still, the idea of Project Pat performing songs with a full band off his club-ready albums Ghetty Green or Mista Don’t Play seems a little bit weird, but Parks insists the crowd will like what they hear.

“The misconception is that rap music would be easy to play, but you have to lock in to all those grooves and hooks to make it feel right. There’s a lot more going on than what people think,” Parks says.

“We approach the artist ahead of time and make sure it works for both parties, but I think Project Pat already knew about Lyfe Is Dope because of his relationship to Damien. The band [Trump Tight] will normally spend about a week practicing the set, and then the artist will normally come in and do a couple of days of practice before the show. I’ve noticed that when you get to a certain level of musicianship, it’s not that hard to pull off. Everyone involved just has to do their homework.”

As for Park’s intense touring schedule, he sees the experience as a way to make Lyfe Is Dope one of the best hip-hop events in the country.

“I had to turn down an Australia run to do this show,” Parks says.

“But this is my dream. This is something I believe in. This goes further than me just being a side man for someone else. You’ve gotta sacrifice, and the band isn’t gonna miss me for too long. Right after Lyfe Is Dope, I go to Angola, then I come back to L.A., and then I go to the U.K. in December.”