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Fly on the Wall 1352

Verbatim

“The only people at the park on Mud Island at 4 a.m. were Memphis police and the media.” — from The Commercial Appeal‘s report about how media and police were punked by a mysterious group calling itself the “Black Revolutionary Organization.” Earlier reports suggested that a protest would shut down traffic on the Hernando DeSoto Bridge at 4 a.m.

Listed

Mandatory.com, AOL’s man-brand site, made a list of America’s sluttiest states. Mandatory used Centers for Disease Control numbers related to “the three loveliest sounding STDs — chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis” to determine the likelihood that “you will catch something when you bring someone home from the bar.” By this standard, Tennessee turns out to be America’s 11th sluttiest state while Mississippi takes the pole position.

“So Much Money”

“‘I’m very sad to see Juicy J go,’ [Kayce Myers] said, wiping tears from her eyes. ‘We’ve been enjoying the last two days together. I gave him a bath, water to drink, and hay to eat, then let him lay around and be happy.'” So reported The Sentinel, a daily newspaper based out of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, when Myers’ 1,320-pound junior beef steer won the grand championship at the Pennsylvania Farm Show. Juicy the steer, named for Memphis rapper and producer Juicy J, sold for $15,000.

Hell on Wheels

Last week, Fly on the Wall commented on a WMC story about a woman who was outraged because local school bus brake lights remind her of an upside down pentagram.The ridiculous story spread far and wide, as ridiculous stories will. Wonkette’s story was headlined, “It’s the Black Magic School Bus,” while The Huffington Post claimed “Satan’s School Bus Makes Mom Mad as Hell.” It even made MSNBC’s “This Week in God” segment, where it was described as the week’s most “off the wall religion story.”

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Calling the Bluff Music

Project Pat Explains Juicy J’s Absence from Da Mafia 6ix

Back in 2013, the original members of Three 6 Mafia, excluding Juicy J, reincarnated themselves as “Da Mafia 6ix.” This caused many to question and speculate the reasoning for Juicy’s absence.

In a recent interview with VladTV, Project Pat explained why his younger brother decided not to be a part of the group’s reestablishment. Check out the interview below. 

Project Pat Explains Juicy J’s Absence from Da Mafia 6ix

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Calling the Bluff Music

Rick Ross Recruits Memphis A-list for “Elvis Presley Blvd. (Remix)”

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Rick Ross enlisted the help of a few notable Memphis rap artists for the remix to his track “Elvis Presley Blvd.”

The Miami representative, who was recently vocal about his love for Memphis, recruited Yo Gotti, MJG, Project Pat, Juicy J, and Young Dolph for the seven-minute recreation.

Ross’ forthcoming album, Hood Billionaire, is slated to drop November 24th.

Stream “Elvis Presley Blvd. (Remix)” below.

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Sing All Kinds We Recommend

10 for 10: October Sound Advice

Aviana Monasterio

Neev

1. Neev with Aviator, Rescuer and Gone Yard

Crosstown Arts, Oct. 5. $5. 7:00 p.m.

For those looking for something heavier than Katy Perry’s Prismatic World Tour, post-hardcore local NEEV will be opening for Aviator and Rescuer as they make their way through Memphis on their “Death-to-False Music” tour. While both touring bands have recently released records on No Sleep Records, NEEV put out their first full-length album Those Things We Tomorrowed on cassette in May through Ireland based ndependent label Little League Records. The post hardcore outfit combines melodic math rock with chaos, and while no song meets the three-minute mark – they are each packed with unpredictable twists and turns that keep you on your toes. This is not a band to ignore.

10 for 10: October Sound Advice

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2. Hea Head and the Heart

d and the Heart with Rayland Baxter

Minglewood Hall, Oct. 6. $30. 8:00 p.m.

On The Head and the Heart’s sophomore release Let’s Be Still, they managed to capture a sense of sincerity that is often lost in the now saturated indie folk genre that has grown popular over the last few years. This is serious, heartfelt songwriting. Perhaps it’s the band’s humble beginnings playing on street corners that separates them from the rest of the crowd. Without a doubt, their live show is less of a concert and more of an experience that will pull your mind away from Memphis for the evening and take you somewhere special.

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3. Berkano CD Release with Ugly Girls and Hair Party


The Hi-Tone, Oct. 7. $7. 9:00 p.m.

Berkano is everything that is right about garage rock. The guitars blend distortion and reverb while the vocals lazily echo their way into the mix. It’s beer-drinkin’-head-bobbin’ rock ‘n roll, and you’d be silly not to come pick up a copy of Santa Sleeping. Ugly Girls are also not to be missed. The three-piece punkers are unapologetic. They sing songs about hating “frat boys” and being gifted cancer from God. You can find more of that on their EP Bad Personalities that they released in February. 

10 for 10: October Sound Advice (2)

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4. Juicy J with Project Pat

Juicy J and Project Pat


Minglewood Hall, Oct 8. 8:00 p.m.

Juicy J has risen far beyond Three 6 Mafia fame, making his way to the soundtrack of the latest reboot of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Now, he’s rapping alongside Miley Cyrus and is an active member of Wiz Khalifa’s Taylor Gang. His third studio release Stay Trippy featured the radio favorite “Bandz a Make Her Dance,” and landed at 29 on the Billboard Top 100. J and his older brother Project Pat will be returning
to Memphis with some new, and, fingers crossed, hopefully some of the old iconic sounds that defined Memphis rap from the ‘90s to late 2000’s. If we’re lucky, maybe we’ll get to hear some classic Three 6 Mafia tracks. 

Footnote: Juggalos gather and spray your Faygo. Da Mafia 6ix, a new project formed in 2013 featuring six original members of Three 6 Mafia, will be joining Insane Clown Posse and Mushroomhead at The New Daisy Oct. 11.

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5. Interpol with Rey Pila

Interpol


Minglewood Hall, Oct. 9. $25 advance / $30 day of show. 8:00 p.m.

Interpol didn’t reinvent the wheel with their nearly brand new release El Pintor, but after four years, it breathes life into their tired, old routine. It’s reminiscent of Turn On The Bright Lights, the album that launched them into the spotlight, and is arguably the best thing the band has released since Antics. With bassist Carlos Dengler having the left the band, the former four piece is now made of three, which is not at all a bad thing. Interpol is playing like a band in their prime again, and the energy of their live show may very well be the best that it has been in quite some time.

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6. Slugz with Gimp Teeth and DJ Wasted Life
Josh Miller

Gimp Teeth


Murphy’s, Oct. 12. $5. 9:00 p.m.

Richmond, Virginia’s Slugz plays raw, punk music that gives show goers a reason to thrash their bodies against each other. Local punkers Gimp Teeth merge power violence with surf rock to create a sound that belongs in a Harmony Korine film. They recently played Gonerfest 11 and released an EP titled Naked City earlier this year.

10 for 10: October Sound Advice (3)

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7. The Jack Oblivian and Monsieur Jeffrey Evans Revue

Josh Miller

Jack Oblivian

The Hi-Tone, Oct. 18. 9:00.

Jack Oblivian and Monsieur Jeffrey Evans have spent decades creating and cultivating a sound derivative of blues and punk that has forever left a stamp on Memphis music. On Oct. 18, the two will share the stage with a batch of Southern musicians. If you can make it to only one show during October, this is it.

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8. City and Colour with Clear Plastic Masks

City and Colour


Minglewood Hall, Oct. 30. $25 advance / $30 day of show. 7:00 p.m.

Dallas Green’s distinguishable tenor and stripped down, acoustic structure coupled with his sentimental lyrics and catchy melodies have carried City and Colour from a small, independent band with a cult following to a household name, selling out venues all over the country. His latest release, The Hurry And The Harm, sees
Green moving into the mainstream with additional musicians and even poppier sensibilities. More recently, Green released the single “You and Me” with Pink, and the two have formed a duo under the same name with plans to release an album titled Rose Ave. While Green’s place in the indie music world seems to be ever growing, he hasn’t lost sight of the intimate performances that define City and Colour’s live show, and you shouldn’t miss out on it, either.

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9. Dead Soldiers with Clay Otis and James & The Ultrasounds
Jamie Harmon

Dead Soldiers


The Hi-Tone, Oct. 31. $10. 9:00.

Dead Soldiers are one of the most hardworking bands out there – playing a brand of alternative-country that is similar to no one else in Memphis. The Soldiers are packing out every show they book, and for good reason. For a relatively new band, 2013’s LP All The Things You Lose and follow up EP High Anxiety are impressive, to say the least. On Halloween night, they will play alongside local pop singer Clay Otis as well as James & The Ultrasounds, whose first full-length Bad To Be Here is due out through Madjack Records in December. The Hi-Tone will also hold their annual costume party, where they will choose the best dressed male and female who participate. The winners get free admission to The Hi-Tone for a full calendar year.

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10. Manchester Orchestra with Chris Staples

Manchester Orchestra


The New Daisy Theatre, Oct. 31. $18. 7:00 p.m.

The last time Manchester Orchestra came to Memphis, it was a cold February evening in 2010 at The New Daisy Theatre. The Atlanta-based rock quintet was touring heavily on their sophomore release Mean Everything To Nothing, and they were just on the cusp of the success that would carry them through 2011’s Simple Math. After releasing 2013’s COPE, an 11-track album that capitalized on the huge guitars and roaring vocals of Frontman Andy Hull that have come to define Manchester Orchestra’s sound, the band later released a stripped-down album entitled HOPE featuring alternative versions of all 11 songs accompanied with a string of stripped-down tour dates. When Manchester Orchestra comes back to The Daisy, it may be the first and last time we get to see the band abandon their amps and tone down their songs.

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Calling the Bluff Music

Throwback Thursday: Juicy J’s “Name It After Me”

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Long before Juicy J enjoyed commercial acclaim as a solo artist, he was part of Three 6 Mafia, one of rap music’s most successful collectives. Following the group’s first Platinum album, When The Smoke Clears, and their movie, Choices, Juicy released his debut album, Chronicles of the Juice Man, in 2002.

Juicy used a large portion of the album as an outlet to vent his frustrations with the incarceration of Project Pat, his older brother. The project was also a platform for him to provide listeners with that raw, bass/sample-heavy sound that popularized Three 6 during the early 90’s.

One of my favorite tracks off Chronicles of the Juice Man is “Name It After Me.” Over a sample of David Ruffin’s “Statue of a Fool,” Juicy smoothly flows about the lavish lifestyle he’s acquired from hard work before lyrically placing himself in the shoes of a disadvantaged man hustling to survive and provide for his family. Former Hypnotize Minds artist Frayser Boy also contributes a verse on the song. Peep it below.

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Calling the Bluff Music

Juicy J Awards Biology Major With $50,000 Scholarship

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Juicy J is known by many as a co-founder of Memphis’ most successful rap group to date: Three 6 Mafia.

But lately, he’s received attention for his emergence as a solo artist, crafting such hits as “Bandz A Make Her Dance,” and bringing more attention to twerking, a dance popularized in the South a couple decades ago.

Twerking involves a person moving their body in a sensual manner while shaking their butt and hips to music, typically hip-hop, R&B, or pop. In collaboration with WorldStarHipHop, Juicy J announced a twerking contest with a $50,000 college scholarship for the best dancer. However, the contest requirements were later changed so that participants simply had to create a video of themselves telling or showing Juicy why they deserved the cash.

Juicy recently revealed the winner of the $50,000 scholarship: 19-year-old Zaire Holmes. Check out Juicy awarding Holmes, a biology major and aspiring artist, with the scholarship in the video below. And find out if she had to actually twerk to win the contest.

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Sing All Kinds We Recommend

Juicy J and Justin Bieber in Maejor Ali Video

Memphis rapper Juicy J teams up with The Bieb on the new video “Lolly” for Maejor Ali, who produced two songs for Beiber’s Believe album. Juicy J also helped Katy Perry on her latest track “Dark Horse.”

Between Juicy J and Elliot Ives, the stars of pop can’t do it without their Memphis.

Video Bonanza:

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Sing All Kinds We Recommend

The Dozens: August Film and Music Calendar

Twelve things to look forward to this month:

Pink Flamingos: If you dare.

  • Pink Flamingos: If you dare.

1. The Big Lebowski at the Orpheum ( Friday, August 2nd): Filmmaker Craig Brewer will introduce and discuss Ethan and Joel Coen’s funniest, warmest, and perhaps most undeniable film. Brewer goes “Beyond the Screen” at 6:30 p.m. The film starts at 7 p.m.

2. The Hi-Tone Relaunches (Saturday, August 3rd): After a soft opening earlier in the summer, the main stage at the new Hi-Tone is christened in a double-bill of two newish, rootsy local bands, Dead Soldiers and Bottom of the Bottle. J.D. Reager has more here.

3. Pink Flamingos at the Brooks (Thursday, August 8th): John Waters’ 1972 midnight-movie outrage goes respectable with a local museum screening. If you want to watch a 300-pound transvestite eat dog shit at a fine-art museum, this is your chance. You can make your own pink flamingo lawn ornament at 6 p.m. and stay for the film at 7 p.m. for this “Art & a Movie” event.

4. The Oblivians at the Hi-Tone (Friday, August 9th): The living-legend Memphis garage-punk trio play their first local show since the late summer release of their 16-years-in-coming reunion album Desperation. Chris Davis profiled the band in this recent Flyer cover story. I reviewed the album here.

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Sing All Kinds We Recommend

Don Trip Releases Help is On the Way Mixtape

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As a Halloween treat for rap-starved fans, Memphis MC Don Trip released his second full-length mixtape of the year today, Help is On the Way, which follows the excellent Guerrilla from earlier this year. Trip has a third full-length collection, a sequel to his Step Brothers collaboration with Nashville rapper Starlito, in the can, which could see the light of day in the near future.

In an interview with the Flyer last month, Trip described Help is On the Way as as “honest and dark,” with more “Chris Wallace” (Trip’s real name) and less “Don Trip” in the songs. The 16-track mixtape features producers such as Cool & Dre and Young Ladd and guest appearances from rappers such as Starlito, indie-scene fave Danny Brown, and Memphis mainstay Juicy J. Help is On the Way is available as a free download from the mixtape site datpiff.com. You can get it here.