Tag: Hi Tone

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Music Music Blog

Merry Christmas, Baby: HEELS Xmas Variety Show

CREDIT: Holly Jee

Holly Jee

Brennan Whalen (left) and Josh McLane of HEELS


“It’s got that ‘we’re putting on a show’ feel,” says Memphis comedian and drummer/vocalist for Memphis band HEELS, Josh McLane, of the Hi Tone’s small room. It’s the site for HEELS’ upcoming Christmas variety show on Saturday, December 21st. “That’s why I like this room so much. The Christmas show is a prime example of that.”

McLane says he owes his wife, Cara McLane, for the inspiration to transform the Hi Tone’s small room into a winter wonderland for a Christmas-themed extravaganza. Earlier this year, Cara threw him a birthday party in the music venue. “She made the entire room up with pink and streamers, and she got a 4-foot, blow-up unicorn,” McLane says.

“I’m a sentimental sucker,” McLane explains. “I’m a fan of old-school television, and with Brennan [Whalen] and I pushing, not so much a comedy gig, but having a lot of banter, I was like, ‘Why don’t we do something that nobody would do in Memphis? The variety show.’”

And a variety show seems an ideal task for the duo of McLane and HEELS guitarist/vocalist Brennan Whalen. The band, with its frequent lyrical nods to Memphis wrasslin’, comedic stage banter, and seemingly uncategorizable performances, is primed to take on such a challenge. But how did McLane and Whalen become, well, HEELS?

“When we started … I think a lot of people took from a lot of the Goner bands that nobody was talking. There was no banter anymore, it was just ‘Let’s get just up there and blow our rock down your face and kick ya in the teeth and be done with it,’ which is a great thing,” McLane says of HEELS’ transformation into a part-band, part-comedy-duo musical amalgamation. “I’ve been doing stand-up forever, and Brennan’s adorable and really funny, and nobody knows about it. So we made a rule that you’re not allowed to talk on stage unless it’s into the microphone. No matter what it is. ‘My string broke.’ ‘Sorry, I fucked that song up.’ anything,” McLane goes on to explain. “The whole rule of the band is we can be funny in between songs all we want; we’d never write funny songs.”

Ronnie Lewis

Okay, fair enough, but why Christmas, one might wonder. What about trucker hats, tattoos, love songs about a box of porn found in the woods, and a bombastic stage persona adds up to spell Christmas variety show?

“We’re both big suckers,” McLane says, explaining that the band’s veneer of sweat and sarcasm hides two tender teddy bear hearts. “So I wanted to bring in a bunch of people we like playing with. We don’t really play with bands a whole lot. When we book our own shows, we usually do stand-up [comedians] because it’s easier for me to pay stand-ups.”

“I love Christmas, so we brought our friends out. I’m using all the characters in our little world,” McLane says of the variety show. “Mitchell Manley shows up as Santa because we wanted to invite Santa to a Christmas party.” McLane excitedly continues, saying, “Ben Ricketts is doing a song. Kitty Dearing is doing a song. Brando from Wailing Banshees is doing a tune,” McLane continues, reeling off a list of names that includes Michaela Caitlin from Rosey, as well as Mitchell Manley and Josh Stevens from Glorious Abhor, a Memphis group for whom specially themed shows are old hat.

Glorious Abhor hosts the Memphis’ Last Waltz events every Thanksgiving — when the psychrock band recruits other Bluff City players to help recreate Martin Scorsese’s famous documentary about The Band’s farewell concert, The Last Waltz. HEELS has joined Glorious Abhor for past Memphis’ Last Waltz shows, and Whalen does a mean version of Neil Young’s “Helpless.”

McLane continues: “Jason Pulley from Tape Deck and a million other bands [including Glorious Abhor] is playing. I’ve been in bands with Jason since Mrs. Fletcher, so he’ll always be my piano player, even though I haven’t been in a band with him for 10 years.”

“You just want to be Johnny Carson who gets to play in the band,” McLane’s wife told him, and the comedian and musician assents that she’s right, asking, “Why just play regular shows if you can bend the rules?”


HEELS Xmas Variety Show at Hi Tone, Saturday, December 21st, 9 p.m.


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We Recommend We Recommend

Celebrate the Arts at Blackout Black Friday

CREDIT: Memetics

Art is the spice of life, and Memetics, a nonprofit organization that’s dedicated to fostering art in the community, wants to show off this idea on Friday at their artist showcase event Blackout Black Friday.

“Art challenges perception and sparks ideas, and creativity cultivates invention,” says Jamie Carpenter, founder and executive director of Memetics Memphis. “It’s only through a diverse lens that a community can prosper and grow.”

Memetics

Memetics

Multiple mediums of art will be included, with a musical lineup that features EDM DJ Brandon Thornburg and instrumentalist, composer, producer, and DJ Odd Wilson, along with visual artists like Jacob Platania, Ex Ossium, Brandon Hodges, and Phvntm Fuego displaying live, installation, and interactive arts. There will also be tarot card readings and a youth activities station.

While it’s an eclectic mix of arts, Carpenter says it’s important for the community to showcase their talents.

“Art brings us together,” she says. “It’s the human connection. It’s about community — finding a purpose beyond our individual selves.”

Memetics is hosting this event, along with bake sales and other similar events, to fund their 501(c) filing and to help them throw their next event.

“Our next production, in spring 2020, will focus on arts in local schools and will feature only area youths,” says Carpenter. “A school will be chosen at that show for our artists to create a mural.”

So as traditional holiday markets swamp your social media feeds, let Memetics show off what Memphis’ local arts community has to offer.

Blackout Black Friday, Hi Tone, Friday, November 29th, 7 p.m.-3 a.m., free.

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Music Music Features

MC Chris Comes to Hi Tone Sunday

When MC Chris calls me, he’s sitting in his van in a Denny’s parking lot, a stop on his way to this particular evening’s gig in Seattle. After a bumpy year financially and personally, he’s recently fired his booking agent. “I found out in mid-September that I had no tour dates,” he says. “And I booked 40 dates [on my own] in three weeks. I’m still booking shows. I love being in control.”

On this tour, he’s driving himself from his home in California, across the country (with a stop in Memphis this week), and back — and, to save money, sleeping in his van in Walmart parking lots along the way, a sort of throwback to the 44-year-old’s “punk rock days.”

“It can’t get any more DIY. I literally have to do everything by myself, even rap on stage!” he says, with his distinctive boyish voice and a laugh. “And I’m not half bad.”

Eleanor Stills

MC Chris

MC Chris (Illinois-born rapper Christopher Ward) — also a voice actor, comedian, writer, and animator — came into the public eye while working on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, most notably as the voice of Sealab 2021‘s Hesh Hepplewhite and Aqua Teen Hunger Force‘s MC Pee Pants, a rapping, diaper-clad spider.

After college, with a degree in writing for film and television from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, and before being “discovered,” he shuffled between production assistant jobs in New York. (“I worked for Michael Moore as a PA,” he says. “I would get him his McDonald’s and his Starbucks, which I thought was ironic.”)

During that time, the first glimmers of his future in music sparked. “I lived in a brownstone in Jersey City with two college buddies,” he recalls. “They had a punk band and put on shows all the time. When they’d break a string, I’d get to go on stage, the drummer would start drumming, and I would rap. That was such a thrill for me. I didn’t know MC Chris was happening, it was always like a college joke … a nickname. I did it at parties because I loved rap and hip-hop.

“In the late ’90s, I wrote a song about Boba Fett, and I had been writing a lot of raps and experimenting because we were all musicians, we were all experimenting, we were always recording.”

By happenstance, working as an intern in the box office at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, he met Adult Swim pioneers Dave Willis and Adam Reed and worked with Cartoon Network until 2004 when he left to focus on his music career. Since 2001, he’s self-produced more than a dozen albums, with songs about video games, smoking weed, Dungeons and Dragons, and Star Wars — music that’s often classified as “nerdcore hip-hop.”

Mara Robinson

“I was taught by Public Enemy to keep it real and represent,” he says, “and that means I have to rap about Star Wars.” Another part of keeping it real is being vocal with his fans on social media about his personal life, depression, and debt.

“I grew up in a Catholic household with a very repressed vibe,” he says. “So I look for opportunities to express myself. It helps me, and it also helps the people listening to me. Let’s say you’re feeling trapped, and you need to hear a voice. Sometimes music is the one voice a person will hear. I want my fans to have less stress in their lives, and if you can connect on issues that you feel are a source of pain, I think that helps everybody.”

His shows are a place to connect and be free. Attendees are encouraged to wear costumes, and the grand-prize winner — selected at the tour’s end — gets an MC Chris song written for, and about, them. Podcasts are recorded at the beginning of each set, with Chris interviewing fans on stage. Likely on the set list: “Pizza Butt,” “Wiid,” and “I Want Candy.” A definite, and a personal favorite for MC: “Fett’s Vette.”

“It’s something we’re all singing together,” he says. “Camaraderie feels good.”

MC Chris performs at Hi Tone with Lex the Lexicon Artist and Schaffer the Darklord on Sunday, October 27th, at 9 p.m. $20/advance. $25/door.

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We Recommend We Recommend

Midnight Yard Sale at the Hi Tone

CREDIT: Charles Nardi

The Hi Tone hosts its second Midnight Yard Sale this Friday, with items like art, vintage clothing, video game systems, and sound equipment for sale by independent sellers.

“I’ve always kept this in my back pocket in case a show canceled,” says Brian “Skinny” McCabe, owner of the Hi Tone. “Both of the shows I had scheduled in the big and small rooms canceled on the same day. It was really weird, but the first Midnight Yard Sale we threw a year and a half ago was a success, so I knew I had to do another one.”

Midnight Yard Sale is perfect for sellers who may not have the space to host their own yard sales and for buyers whose schedules don’t align with typical yard sale time slots.

Charles Nardi

Hi Tone

“We don’t close till 3 a.m. every night. So trying to get up on a Saturday morning at a reasonable hour and go to a yard sale can be kind of taxing,” says McCabe. “So I just had the idea. What if we just threw a late-night yard sale for restaurant employees and others who don’t get off work until 9 p.m. or later? Then they can just come yard sale-ing inside the Hi Tone after that and enjoy food and drinks while they’re at it.”

Slots for vendor booths filled up quickly, and the public will be able to browse stalls within the venue’s small room, big room, and lounge and inside OOTHOON’S (adjacent to the Hi Tone).

Many of the items that do not sell will be donated to the Union Mission.

Midnight Yard Sale, The Hi Tone and OOTHOON’S, Friday, August 23rd, 11:55 p.m., free.

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We Recommend We Recommend

Eve of Great Battle: Full-contact Steel Fighting at Hi Tone

CREDIT: MAFC

Memphis Armored Fight Club throws down the gauntlet for an eve of great battle Saturday night at the Hi Tone.

A few of their 25 armored men will showcase the sport of full-contact steel fighting by pummeling each other in the heads with blunted weapons, which may or may not include polearms, axes, or swords.

Despite the way it sounds, co-founder Nicholas Homa says the sport is relatively safe.

MAFC

Single combat!

“It’s an extreme sport,” he says. “It’s safe compared to boxing, where you have no equipment preventing injury. But accidents happen sometimes.”

Risk always comes with reward, though, according to Homa, who says there are numerous benefits to armored fighting.

“We have members who range from their early 20s up to their mid-50s, and they’re getting themselves in shape and receiving cardio they’ve never had before,” he says. “They’re also establishing healthy habits, like losing weight and eating better, to better help support themselves in the sport.”

Each set of armor members wear weighs between 40 and 70 pounds, and a lot of strategic research goes into ensuring replicas stay true to medieval times.

“Most of our armor is all from the 14th to 16th centuries,” he says. “Everything we use, we have to be able to document it from an actual source from a museum. So we’ll have to find images of something that we want to have made and put together a complete kit that’s within a 50-year time range.”
Memphis Armored Fight Club, Hi Tone, Saturday, August 10th, 8 p.m., $10.

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Sandwich Lovers Unite in the Memphis Sandwich Clique

CREDIT: Michael Donahue

Michael Donahue

Ryan Joseph Hopgood of Memphis Sandwich Clique loves sandwiches. He’s holding a ‘Dagwood’ style sandwich The Green Beetle made up for fun. Note: They don’t sell these at The Green Beetle.

Everybody likes sandwiches, right? Well, in about two weeks, more than 1,000 Memphis-area sandwiches were documented on Facebook’s Memphis Sandwich Clique group.

Ryan Joseph Hopgood got the idea for a local sandwich page after he noticed no Memphis sandwiches were included on “Show Me Your Sandwich,” a national sandwich Facebook page. “They were all New York, Atlanta, L.A.,” Hopgood says. “So, I figured, ‘Hey, Memphians love their food. So, why don’t we start one in Memphis?’”

He posted two Memphis sandwiches – The Sonoma Add Chicken sandwich from Young Avenue Deli and the barbecued pulled pork sandwich, which was a special at Bardog Tavern. They went “pretty viral,” he says. “People started posting their own things: ‘You think this is good, check this out.’”

Each day, they get about 200 to 300 sandwiches on the group. “We don’t discriminate against anything, but bad sandwiches.” They also get about 200 to 300 new members a day.

You also can include homemade sandwiches, Hopgood says. “But they have to list the ingredients.”

About 100 of the sandwiches have complete profiles instead of just a photo and caption. But, Hopgood says, “Most of them will have comments. People chime in about their sandwich: ‘I like to add pickles to that one.’ ‘Try this one with special hot sauce.’”

Reuben Skahill, the group’s “mood facilitating officer,” jokes about his first name being the same as a popular sandwich. “I’m glad my mom didn’t name me ‘Monte Cristo,’” he says.

And, Skahill says, “I emcee the events and I bring everybody together as a family. Every Sunday we do a ‘Sandwich Clique Meat Up.’ We decide on a local business and we call it the ‘economic stimulus package.’“

Sam’s Deli on Highland was the first location. “We sold them out of bread that first week,” Hopgood says. “They made a great ‘thank you’ video.”

They also held an event at RAWK’n Grub at Growlers. The next one will be from 3 to 7 p.m. August 11th at the Hi-Tone. The public is invited, but, Hopgood says, “We would urge people to join the movement. We’ve got information on secret sandwiches and secret menus throughout the city. And you can only get this information by joining the clique.”

How did the group get so popular so fast? “People really, really, really, like their food,” Hopgood says. “And they like to talk about food. And the thing about Memphis is we like to debate about food. We’re the home of the barbecue fest, the Jalapeno popper fest, the grilled cheese fest. We’re hoping for a sandwich fest. That’s next on the list.”

Memphians want to support their community, Skahill says. “This provides a directory of places they’d never heard of before.”

And, Hopgood says, “Anyone can spend eight dollars on a sandwich and sides. It’s an economical thing. And when you spend your money on it, typically, it’s going to be a good place when you have the Memphis Sandwich Clique showing all the cool places that need your business.”

“Anybody can make a sandwich, but not everyone can make a great sandwich,” Skahill says.


They have a debate going about whether a hot dog is a sandwich, so they’ve added “Thot Dog Thursdays,” so people can add their favorite hot dogs.

One main thing to remember if you’re in the Memphis Sandwich Clique: Don’t post bad photos of your sandwich. “People will make fun of you,” Hopgood says. “If it looks unappetizing, if the picture (makes it) look un-edible, do yourself a favor and don’t post it ‘cause we don’t want to roast you. But we’ll roast you like some roast beef.”

If you want to join, search “Memphis Sandwich Clique” on Facebook, like the page, and join the group, Hopgood says. “We’re basically the most public secret society in the whole world.”

Michael Donahue

Reuben Skahill and his son, Ezra.

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Film/TV Film/TV/Etc. Blog

Music Video Monday: Heels

Today’s Music Video Monday is reaching for that golden chalice.

Heels, Memphis’ own two-man punk riot, will release their debut full-length album on Altercation Records, Good People Even Do Bad Things, on Friday, July 12th. Brennan Whalen and Josh McLane will celebrate with a record release party at the Hi Tone featuring an expanded line up of musical guests.

The video for the first song from the album, “King Drunk,” was created by animator Nathan Parten. It’s like if a creature from classic Dungeons and Dragons illustrations came to life, and then sawed its own head off. One of its heads, anyway. Get some!

Music Video Monday: Heels

If you would like to see your music video on Music Video Monday, email cmccoy@memphisflyer.com. 

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Memphis Gaydar News

Weekender: Queer Fest 2, Big Top Tease, Pride at The Pump

FRIDAY

Memphis Queer Fest 2, Day 2
Hi-Tone
7 p.m.
$10

7 p.m. — Hormonal Imbalance
7:45 p.m. — Nefarious Damn Thing
8:20 p.m. — Boyfriend
9:00 p.m. — Androids of Ex-Lovers
9:40 p.m.— Tom Violence
10:20 p.m. — Beg
11:00 p.m. — Waxjaw
11:40 p.m. — Risky Whispers

Big Top Tease: Volume II
Dru’s Place
9 p.m.
$10

“QCG Productions will be taking the stage at Dru’s Place for a night you will not want to miss! There will be circus acts, dance, fire, acro, and more! Come see the sexy side of the circus and have. Fun night with us!”

SATURDAY:


Memphis Queer Fest 2: Day 3 — Day Show
Midtown Crossing Grill
2 p.m.
$5

2 p.m. — TBA
2:40 p.m. — Party Pat
3:10 p.m. — Androids of Ex-Lovers
4 p.m. — Hardagay

Memphis Queer Fest 2: Day 3 — Evening Show
Hi Tone
6 p.m.
$10

6 p.m. — Dixie Dicks
6:40 p.m. — Three Brained Robot
7:20 p.m. — Lackluster
8:00 p.m. — Craigzlist Punks
8:20 p.m. — Hummin’ Bird
9:20 p.m. — Tears For The Dying
10 p.m.— Lovergurl
10:40 p.m. — Wick and the Tricks
11:10 p.m. — The Gloyholes

Stand-up schedule:
7:10 p.m. — Joe Griz
7:50 p.m. — Lisa Michaels
8:30 p.m. — Josh McLane
9:10 p.m. — Jay Jackson
9:50 p.m. — Vala Bird
10:30 p.m. — Hann Cowger
11 p.m. — MOTH MOTH MOTH


Smith7 Pants Tour Benefiting OUTMemphis
Rec Room
7 p.m.
18 and over show
$5 cover

XVII TRILL – hip hop
PXLS – video game cover band
Wicker – Chaos rock
Ruzka – Fallout rock
Super Smash Bros Tournament

Pride At The Pump Part 2: The Pink Party
The Pumping Station
10 p.m.
No cover

“The Pump started World Pride Month with an incredible party! Now, we’re doing it again as part of the month’s closing ceremonies! Come join us and show your true colors! Pink and/or Pride attire (from tank tops to tutus – to whatever) is encouraged!

“In honor of the occasion and our community, and by popular demand, Record Player is serving up an encore play of his Pride DJ set that had the place packed with people dancing and singing all night long as we opened Pride Month!”

A Night with the Legends! – End of PRIDE Month Extravaganza!
Club Spectrum
9 p.m.
$15-$200

“Six of Memphis’ biggest names hit the stage as legendary music stars to help throw the Biggest Goodbye to Pride month you’ve ever seen! This show will feature:

Freak Nasty as Tina Turner
Keleigh Klarke as Adele
Iris LeFluer as Madonna
Slade Kyle as Bella DuBalle
Aubrey Ombre as Mariah Carey
Jerred Price as Sir Elton John
Obsinity as Reba McEntire

SUNDAY:

Memphis Queer Fest 2: Day 4
Dru’s Place
3 p.m.
$7

3:00 p.m. — Queer Circus Girls
4:45 p.m. — Stay Fashionable
5:30 p.m. — Midtown Queer
6:20 p.m. — Exit Mouse

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Music Music Blog

A Powerful Shade: Black Pistol Fire To Play Hi-Tone

Black Pistol Fire’s Eric Owen & Kevin McKeown

Black Pistol Fire sounds like it could be the name of a cowboy-themed arcade game, but it’s the moniker of the duo made up of vocalist/guitarist Kevin McKeown and drummer Eric Owen. The two Toronto natives met in kindergarten and started playing music together in high school.

They’ve since relocated to Austin, Texas, known (among other things) for its psych- and garage-rock scene and home to the LEVITATION Festival. (With records like 1967’s “Levitation,” Austin’s 13th Floor Elevators pretty much invented the psychedelic rock genre). And the Toronto transplants fit in to Austin well with their scruffy appearance, blues-tinged guitar licks, and energetic live sets. On Sunday, Black Pistol Fire are making a stop at the Hi-Tone, with Emily Wolfe to open the show.

The band recently released a new single, “Black Halo,” on Rifle Bird Music. The track’s vintage slapback guitar sounds demand attention. A lo-fi psych-rock shimmer gives the song a hint of darkness and just enough edge to act as a counterweight to its toe-tapping groove. Though the minimal production on the single is pristine, live performances are where Black Pistol Fire shines the brightest.

On guitar and vocals, McKeown samples freely from the popular music mosaic, employing a tightly wound punkish energy, blues riffs, and a good ol’ fashioned rock-and-roll veneer. Owen on drums is all shirtless flailing arms, and long curly hair, as the sticks in his begloved hands bounce off the toms and cymbals. It’s like Animal the Muppet learned to play by watching old videos of Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham.

The result is far greater than the separate parts; the band sounds too lush and too dynamic to be just two people. While some reviews compare the duo to another famous blues-rock-influenced duo with “Black” in their name, I think the similarities are superficial. The comparisons that come to mind for this listener run the gamut from Bo Diddley to Buddy Holly to the Black Angels (yes, I know, another band with “black” in their name).

I spoke with Owen and McKeown via email about Austin, Goner Records, the band’s new single “Black Halo,” and why they like the word “black” so much.

Memphis Flyer: Austin seems to be a town that loves its psych-rock and garage rock. Do you find that your adopted hometown has been a big influence on you?

Eric Owens: It definitely has over the last few years. Our earlier records didn’t really have that psych element, but we’ve really tried to incorporate more psych elements into the records these last few years. I have personally seen the Black Angels five times in the last two years, and they blow my mind every time. Their sonics are incredible, bordering on full madness at times.

MF: With your sound, I definitely hear some blues tinges as well as more psychedelic influences. Do you get tired of people bringing up acts like 13th Floor Elevators and Roky Erickson when talking to you?

EO: Not at all! We’d love to hear more of that. Our music is pretty varied; we’re kind of all over the place. It’s all under the umbrella of rock-and-roll, but we try to incorporate as many other sub-genres as we can.

MF: I love the tone on the guitars on the new single. Do you spend a lot of time dialing in tone, or are you more “set it and forget it” players?

Kevin McKeown: Thank you! It definitely takes a while to dial in the tone. Hours! Pedal combinations, amp combinations, it’s a never-ending battle. Trying out several new pedals on this run alone, always refining.

MF: Let’s talk a little more about the new single. With lyrics like “got my shadow in a black halo,” it sounds like a song about being cursed. Am I way off the mark here?

EO: Not off the mark. It’s inspired by the California Wildfires of last year and how someone can lose everything they have yet still be holding out hope. Searching for that silver lining.

MF: In some ways, the protagonist in the song seems to find comfort in his black halo. I guess it’s a constant, something that can be relied on.

EO: Relied on yes! Comfort and solace, you be the judge …

MF: Forgive me for pointing out the obvious, but it seems like you have an affinity for the color/word “black.” Is that rock-and-roll thing? Black leather, danger, and all that jazz?

EO: All that jazz! It’s just such a powerful shade, color, tone, whatever you’d like to call it. It’s kind of like the unknown.

MF: Where was the song recorded?

EO: This one was recorded in Austin at Arlyn Studios, where we’ve recorded the majority of the last three albums with Jacob Sciba.

MF: Can we expect more new music soon?

EO: Definitely. We’re dropping two tracks in early May and another later in the month, all leading up to the next album in the fall.

MF: Have you played Memphis before?

EO: We have not. We’re stoked though. Our opening act, Emily Wolfe’s bass player Evan is from Memphis, so it’ll be a homecoming for him. Plus Memphis has so much musical history. It’s the home to the King of Rock-and-Roll and Stax, for crying out loud. And we’re also big into Goner Records and what they’ve done.

MF: Is there anything else you want to add?

EO: The show’ll pretty rad ’n sweaty! Plus we’ll be playing some new tunes. Should be a gas!

Black Pistol Fire perform with Emily Wolfe at the Hi-Tone, Sunday, May 5th, at 8:30 p.m. $15-$20.

Categories
Music Music Features

Louise Page Organizes Concert for Mariposas Collective

CREDIT: Kaitlyn Flint

The Mariposas Collective is a Memphis-based grassroots organization (previously called Migration Is Beautiful) working to help immigrants who have been detained while crossing the southern border. After their indefinite detentions, if they are released, these immigrants and asylum-seekers are bused to other parts of the U.S., where they have family.

“Memphis is their first stop on the Greyhound bus,” says Memphis songwriter Louise Page. Volunteers with the Mariposas Collective meet these families with food, water, medicine, and toys. It’s a simple mission of human kindness, offering some warmth and comfort to those who have seen only the harshest side of our nation.

Kaitlyn Flint

Louise Page

“It’s really hard on the heart. It’s difficult to watch,” Page says of the political grandstanding at the border and the immigrants who suffer for it. “I think just being able to try to help is really valuable, not just to them, but to us.” To that end, Page has assembled an impressive array of local talent to perform at a benefit concert for the Mariposas Collective this Saturday night at the Hi-Tone.

Page volunteers with the collective, which operates out of the First Congregational Church. “I signed up for a few shifts bagging brown bag lunches.” Page remembers listing music among her other skills on a sign-up sheet during a volunteer shift, thinking: “How the heck is this going to help?” But then the collective’s Hunter Demster approached her about putting together a benefit concert.

“It’s all volunteers. It’s all donated stuff,” Page says of the Mariposas Collective, noting that creative fund-raising is often required. So the pianist agreed to put her special skills to use, and reached out to an eclectic group of musicians, united more by the night’s mission than by any similar style or genre. Marcella Simien, Crown Vox, Faux Killas, Magnolia, the PRVLG, the Ellie Badge, and Rosie will join Page on the bill.

“I was proud of my community,” Page says. “There were people who were really interested in making it work with their schedules.” And with eight bands on the lineup, that’s far from empty praise. “The one genre I didn’t get was hip-hop,” Page muses. “I need to get some hip-hop on the bill next time.”

Even without her volunteer work and the challenge of organizing an eight-band benefit concert, Page has been busy of late. The singer/songwriter released her second EP, Simple Sugar, in 2018, supporting the release with an East Coast tour, a set at the 20th anniversary Lucero Family Block Party, and a music video release. Not one to sleep on success, Page has kept up her momentum this year.

“I’m doing pre-production for my first full-length album,” Page says. “We’re going to be recording this spring and hopefully releasing the record this summer.”

Page wants the new album to be an evolution, rooted in her previous work but aiming for greater heights. “My first album was a little bit more eclectic, because I was looking back over years of music that I’ve written,” Page says. “I studied my first two EPs, listened to them with a critical ear, listened for what I could really hone in on and make intentional.”

To record the full-length album, Page plans to return to Young Avenue Sound, where she cut her first two EPs with Calvin Lauber. And she’s bringing back her band, including the violin and horn section that have become such a characteristic part of her sound. “I want it to be fun,” Page says of the album. “I’m really good at writing a sad song, and there will be some classic Louise Page bummer jams, but there are also a couple of songs I wrote to be fun to dance to. If the EPs are about heartbreak, I want this album to be about mending.”

Page has mending on her mind, both in her music and in bringing together a community of musicians to assist those being victimized in our name. This Saturday, she hopes you’ll come listen and celebrate, healing ourselves through helping others.

Louise Page, Marcella Simien, Crown Vox, Faux Killas, Magnolia, the PRVLG, the Ellie Badge, and Rosie at the Hi-Tone, Saturday, February 9th, 7 p.m. $15 suggested donation.