Tag: Memphis In May

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Beale Street Music Festival 2015 – Lineup and Schedule for Saturday May 2nd

SATURDAY MAY 2nd

Bud Light Stage (South) …

The Vespers 2:15 P.M.

Soul Asylum 3:45 P.M.

Big Head Todd & the Monsters 5:25 P.M.

Flogging Molly 7:05 P.M.

Band of Horses 8:45 P.M.

The Avett Brothers 10:30 P.M.

FedEx Stage (Middle) …

Copeland 2:10 P.M.

Devon Baldwin 3:30 P.M.

LeCrae 4:15 P.M.

G-Eazy 5:45 P.M.

Lindsey Stirling 7:20 P.M.

Bleachers 9:00 P.M.

Paramore 10:40 P.M.

Rockstar Energy Drink Stage (North) …

Dead Soldiers 2:10 P.M.

Diarrhea Planet 3:35 P.M.

George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic 5:10 P.M.

Wale 6:55 P.M.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band 8:30 P.M.

John Fogerty 10:15 P.M.

Pearl River Resort Blues Tent …

Ghost Town Blues Band 2:00 P.M.

Kelley Hunt 3:20 P.M.

Kenny Brown Band 4:45 P.M.

Lurrie Bell 6:10 P.M.

Matthew Curry 7:40 P.M.

Ana Popovic 9:05 P.M.

Kim Simmonds & Savoy Brown 10:45 P.M.

MetroPCS Blues Shack …

Terry “Big T” Williams Times Vary

Leo Bud Welch Times Vary

THE BANDS:

Leo Bud Welch

MetroPCS Blues Shack (Times Vary)

Age is nothing but a number – just ask 82-year-old guitarist Leo Bud Welch. Welch apparently once missed an audition to join B.B. King’s band because he didn’t have the bus fare, but he’s done all right since then, touring the States and Europe many times over with his sparkle-covered guitar.

Terry “Big T“ Williams

MetroPCS Blues Shack (Times Vary)

Another Mississippi bluesman that should not be missed this weekend. Williams grew up hearing stories about the blues from his grandmother, who saw legends like Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker.

Ghost Town Blues Band

Pearl River Resort Blues Tent • 2:00 p.m.

We already gave you the lowdown on Ghost Town Blues Band as part of our cover feature (p. 14), so make sure you get to the Blues Tent early to hear songs off the band’s latest album, Hard Road to Hoe.

Dead Soldiers

Rockstar Energy Drink Stage • 2:10 p.m.

Another band of Memphis boys, Dead Soldiers should definitely be shown some local love when they play on Saturday. Made up of members of old Memphis metal bands, Dead Soldiers put on an entertaining live show fueled by Tennessee whiskey and good times, both of which should be on hand all weekend long.

Copeland

FedEx Stage • 2:10 p.m.

This Lakeland rock band (that’s Lakeland, Florida, not Lakeland, Tennessee) has been around since 2001 and has made it clear that they are not a “Christian band” despite being associated with the Christian rock label Tooth and Nail. Their latest album, Ixora, was released last year and was the band’s first new album in six years.

The Vespers

Bud Light Stage • 2:15 p.m.

The Vespers reside just 200 miles east of Memphis in Nashville, but we won’t hold that against them. This Americana act is a family affair, with two brothers (Taylor and Bruno Jones) and two sisters (Callie and Phoebe Cryar) rounding out the lineup.

Kelley Hunt

Pearl River Resort Blues Tent • 3:20 p.m.

This Lawrence, Kansas-based piano player has been at it for a while, releasing influential albums since 1995.

Devon Baldwin

FedEx Stage • 3:30 p.m.

This former American Idol contestant and Bay Area native crafts modern pop songs that R&B fans would also find appealing. Baldwin has collaborated with G-Eazy (also playing Music Fest) on multiple occasions, including the YouTube hit “Let’s Get Lost.”

Diarrhea Planet

Rockstar Energy Drink Stage • 3:35 p.m.

Diarrhea Planet (DP) pack a punch with their live show that includes four electric guitarists. Hailing from Nashville, DP had a monster 2014, which included being named the best live act of the year by Paste Magazine. Musically, they fall somewhere in between pop-punk and indie rock, with enough on-stage energy to get the crowd moving no matter when they are billed.

Soul Asylum

Bud Light Stage • 3:45 p.m.

Remember that Soul Asylum video where Claire Danes has the freaky-looking shoulder blades, and all the kids at the school dance point and laugh at her, and then mid-dance, she grows angel wings? And then she’s all “take that, bullies!” as she flies away. Yea, that was awesome.

Lecrae

FedEx Stage • 4:15 p.m.

More like cray cray. Okay, sorry. This Christian rapper has been around since 2004 and is the co-founder of Reach Records. While there probably won’t be an offering plate passed around, LeCrae should provide a spiritual experience when he takes the stage on Saturday.

Kenny Brown Band

Pearl River Resort Blues Tent • 4:45 p.m.

Mentored by R. L. Burnside, Kenny Brown is an amazing guitarist from Nesbit, Mississippi. Brown’s guitar work was used in Black Snake Moan, and his Memphis ties run deep.

George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic

Rockstar Energy Drink Stage • 5:10 p.m.

We want the funk! And these guys are sure to bring it. Fronted by George Clinton, who revolutionized R&B in the ’70s by morphing psychedelic rock, soul, and funk into a unique sound — dubbed P-Funk — this group knows how to throw down. If you’ve yet to see them in action, picture this: a big crew partying on stage, lots of dancing, wailing guitars, funky bass lines, and a little jazz horn. And did I mention a party on stage? They might just tear the roof off the sucker.

Big Head Todd & the Monsters

Bud Light Stage • 5:25 p.m.

Okay, so we already gave out the best name award, but Big Head Todd & the Monsters are putting up a serious fight for second place. Since forming in 1986, the band has released a plethora of albums, including the classic Midnight Radio album released in 1980, which featured artwork by Chris Mars, formerly of the Replacements.

G-Eazy

FedEx Stage • 5:45 p.m.

Formerly of the “Bay Boyz,” G-Eazy is a Northern California hip-hop artist who was chosen to open for Drake after going viral on sites like MySpace and YouTube. G-Eazy has also played Warped Tour and released the critically acclaimed album, These Things Happen, last summer. Don’t miss the “James Dean of Rap” on Saturday evening.

Lurrie Bell

Pearl River Resort Blues Tent • 6:10 p.m.

Lurrie Bell has been playing since the ’70s, cranking out more than 10 solo records and almost twice as many collaboration albums with his father Carey Bell and other acts like the Doobie Twisters.

Wale

Rockstar Energy Drink Stage • 6:55 p.m.

Wale is one of the only hip-hop artists performing this year, but that shouldn’t deter you from checking out his performance on Saturday night. The Washington, D.C., native has solid hits like “Pretty Girl” and “Chillin” under his belt, in addition to songs on video games like Saints Row.

Flogging Molly

Bud Light Stage • 7:05 p.m.

In the early ’90s, some of the early members of this seven-piece Irish punk band played an L.A. bar called Molly Malone’s every week. Irish-born lead singer Dave King has said that they felt like they were “flogging it to death” at Molly Malone’s, and hence the band’s name was born. They’re best known for 2002’s Drunken Lullabies, which was filled with fast-paced Irish ditties (“Swagger,” “What’s Left of the Flag”) that make you want to dance a jig and slam-dance at the same time.

Lindsey Stirling

FedEx Stage • 7:20 p.m.

What do you get when you combine classical violin with dubstep? Lindsey Stirling, that’s what. Dubbed the hip-hop violinist, Stirling has forged her own path and basically created a genre that combines a soothing and sophisticated string sound with dirty dubstep bass drops. Stirling’s expert delivery somehow softens EDM’s often-jarring edge, resulting in music that would be equally appealing to a bro at a Skrillex show and your grandmother.

Matthew Curry

Pearl River Resort Blues Tent • 7:40 p.m.

Hailing from Normal, Illinois, there’s nothing that’s ordinary about Curry’s music. He’s only been around since last year, but his live show already has the approval of Steve Miller.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band

Rockstar Energy Drink Stage • 8:30 p.m.

A self-taught guitarist, Kenny Wayne Shepherd achieved success in the ’90s behind the hit “Blue on Black,” sung by Noah Hunt. Shepherd has been nominated for five Grammy Awards and has released seven studio albums.

Band of Horses

Bud Light Stage • 8:45 p.m.

Briefly known as Horses, Band of Horses formed in 2004. The Seattle, Washington, band features Ben Birdwell, formerly of Carissa’s Weird. Band of Horses have worked with some of the biggest labels in indie rock, including Sub Pop and Fat Possum Records.

Bleachers

FedEx Stage • 9:00 p.m.

This New York City band features Jack Antonoff of Steel Train and Fun. Relatively new in comparison to some of the other bands on the Music Fest lineup, Bleachers started out as a secret side project of Antonoff’s, until he debuted the critically acclaimed single “I Wanna Get Better” in February of last year.

Ana Popovic

Pearl River Resort Blues Tent • 9:05 p.m.

Shout out to all the Memphis, Tennessee-based Serbians who will be at Music Fest this weekend, including Ana Popovic. With six albums under her belt and no signs of slowing down, Popovic is a great example of the diverse talent the Memphis music scene has to offer.

John Fogerty

Rockstar Energy Drink Stage • 10:15 p.m.

The legendary king of the bayou should never be missed. Even the most casual fans will immediately recognize Fogerty as the voice behind the legendary classic rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, but the California native has also had an impressive solo career including the Grammy-nominated song “Change in the Weather,” among other songs that convey his classic sound. This will be Fogerty’s first Memphis concert in 20 years.

The Avett Brothers

Bud Light Stage • 10:30 p.m.

If you’ve detected a trend of alt-country punk bands playing this year’s Beale Street Music Fest, you might be on to something. The Avett Brothers represent the genre well and have had studio time with Rick Rubin to prove it.


Paramore

FedEx Stage • 10:40 p.m.

The original members of this emo-pop band hail from just down the road in Franklin, Tennessee. And though some of those members have left, the band is still fronted by the spunky Hayley Williams, whose fiery orange (or sometimes teal blue) locks and tiny stature give her an elfin appearance. Paramore are best known for their works from emo’s mid-oughts heyday — “Misery Business,” “That’s What You Get,” “Crushcrushcrush.” And although the band clearly falls into the emo genre, there’s something about their delivery that feels less obnoxious than that of their emo-pop contemporaries (like Avril Lavigne or Panic at the Disco!).

Kim Simmonds and Savoy Brown

Pearl River Resort Blues Tent • 10:45 p.m.

In case you didn’t know, Kim Simmonds is widely considered to be one of the fathers of British blues. That means he and Savoy Brown are a pretty big deal. You don’t want to disrespect British blues while you’re in the home of the blues this weekend, do you? Didn’t think so.

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Music Music Features

Music Fest Mayhem

Memphis In May has finally announced the artists playing the 2015 Beale Street Music Festival, unleashing an all-star lineup that’s packed with pop acts, classic rockers, and everything in between. The “song of the day” hints that Beale Street Music Fest was posting on its Facebook page already gave some of the mystery away – it’s been common knowledge for weeks that St. Vincent, The Flaming Lips, and Paramore were probably playing – but the annual music fest did save some of the best acts for today’s announcement, including the overall headliner Lenny Kravitz. Other surprises include The Pixies, Flogging Molly, and local outlaw country act Dead Soldiers. Here’s the complete list of performers at this year’s Beale Street Music Fest:

FRIDAY, MAY 1st:

Lenny Kravitz, The Flaming Lips, Five Finger Death Punch, Pixies, Ryan Adams, Breaking Benjamin, Awolnation, Slash, Jenny Lewis, In This Moment, Spin Doctors, Myslovitz, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Alejandro Escovedo, Ira Walker, Preston Shannon, Butch Mudbone, Terry “Harmonica” Bean.

SATURDAY, MAY 2nd:

The Avett Brothers, Paramore, John Fogerty, Band of Horses, Bleachers, Wale, Flogging Molly, Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band, Lindsey Stirling, G-Eazy, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Lecrae, Soul Asylum, Kim Simmons and Savoy Brown, Ana Popovic, Matthew Curry, Copeland, The Vespers, Dead Soldiers, Kenny Brown Band, Kelley Hunt, Leo Bud Welch, Terry “Big T” Williams.

SUNDAY, MAY 3rd:

Ed Sheeran, Wilco, Cage The Elephant, Hozier, St. Vincent, Rise Against, Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn, Of Mice and Men, Kaiser Chiefs, Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts, Shovels and Rope, Elle King, Bettye Lavette, Star and Micey, Prosevere, Tinsley Ellis, Will Tucker, Myslovitz, Indigenous, Jarekus Singleton, Blind Mississippi Morris, Deak Harp-N-Lee Williams.

While the specific stage times are still to be announced, we’ve picked 10 bands that are a must see at this year’s Beale Street Music Fest. Here they are, in no particular order:

John Fogerty

The legendary king of the bayou should never be missed. Even the most casual fans will immediately recognize Fogerty as the voice behind legendary classic rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, but the California native has also had an impressive solo career behind the Grammy-nominated song “Change in the Weather,” among other songs that convey his classic sound. This will be Fogerty’s first Memphis concert in 30 years.

George Clinton and Parliament

Funkadelic

Do you really need to be told to catch George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic live? I sincerely hope not. Catch this set on Saturday and stay funked up all weekend long.

St. Vincent

Anytime a Grammy Award-winning guitarist comes through town you should make plans to be there. St. Vincent has become a household name behind the tireless work ethic of founder Annie Clark, who’s toured with everyone from the Black Keys to Death Cab for Cutie before blasting off to superstardom.

Lenny Kravitz

The headliner of Beale Street Music Festival needs no introduction. He’s a platinum-selling artist and one of the best guitar shredders of his generation. Recently, Kravitz has ventured into acting (appearing in The Hunger Games trilogy and The Butler), but rest assured he’s got what it takes to leave Beale Street Music Fest in awe on Friday night.

Slash

Is there anyone in the world cooler than Slash? He designed costumes for David Bowie, partied hard with Charlie Sheen, and melted faces with Guns N’ Roses. That’s a pretty solid resume. Slash has now gone solo, with a raucous band called The Conspirators backing him up. Don’t miss this one.

The Pixies

Alternative rock superstars The Pixies lead the pack of ’90s nostalgia at Beale Street Music Fest, along with the Spin Doctors and Soul Asylum. Most people remember the Pixies for the epic “Where is my mind” scene in Fight Club, but the band from Boston has been cranking out infectious alternative rock for nearly 30 years.

Leo Bud Welch

Age is nothing but a number – just ask 82-year-old guitarist Leo Bud Welch. Welch apparently once missed an audition to join B.B. King’s band because he didn’t have the bus fare, but he’s done all right since then, touring the states and Europe many times over with his sparkle-covered guitar. The Mississippi legend plays Saturday at Beale Street Music Fest.

Dead Soldiers

Sure they are a Memphis band, but Dead Soldiers should definitely be shown some local love when they play on Saturday. Since forming a few years ago, the Dead Soldiers have rivaled Lucero as the best local alternative country band in town. Made up of members of old Memphis metal bands, Dead Soldiers put on an entertaining live show fueled by Tennessee whiskey and good times, both of which should be on hand all weekend long.

G-Eazy

Formally of the “Bay Boyz,” G-Eazy is a Northern California hip-hop artist who was chosen to open for Drake after going viral on sites like Myspace and YouTube. G-Eazy has also played Warped Tour and released the critically acclaimed album These Things Happen last summer. The “James Dean of Rap” plays Saturday.

Diarrhea Planet

Winner of the best band name of Beale Street Music Fest, Diarrhea Planet (DP)pack a punch with their live show that includes four electric guitarists. Hailing from Nashville, DP had a monster 2014, which included being named the best live act of the year by Paste Magazine. Musically, they fall somewhere in between pop-punk and indie rock, with enough on-stage energy to get the crowd moving no matter when they are billed.

Beale Street Music Fest tickets are on sale now at all Ticketmaster locations or www.memphisinmay.org/bsmf-tickets. Three-day passes are $95; single-day tickets are $40.

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Food & Wine Food & Drink

Three Teams Competing in Barbecue Fest On What It Takes to Get to Tom Lee Park

Back in January, USA Today told the rest of the country something people around here have known for decades: Memphis In May is the best barbecue competition in America.

Other competitions may have size on our swine soirée, but competitive cookers say Memphis has that “something” that makes it the undoubted, unrivaled Super Bowl of barbecues.

It’s formally called the Memphis In May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest (WCBCC). Locals call it “Barbecue Fest” or, simply, “barbecue.” (As in, “Are y’all going to barbecue tonight?”)

At its heart, WCBCC is a competition. Each team is judged on their food, of course, but judges also score them on the decorations of their tents, T-shirts, and a series of on-site visits where judges are expected to be wooed with hospitality. Winners get bragging rights, a big-ass trophy, and, of course, a slice of the $110,000 prize money.

But Barbecue Fest is more than a competition. It’s a way for friends, families, companies, unions and more to stay in touch, unwind, and network. It’s also a pep rally for one of America’s oldest traditions.

The competition will also tout a touch of celebrity this year. The Destination America television show BBQ Pitmasters has given competitive barbecue a national profile. Myron Mixon, the outspoken show judge and author, will field his team, Jack’s Old South, at WCBCC. So will show contestants Peg Leg Porkers, 10 Bones BBQ, and Central Smokers, the team from Memphis favorite Central BBQ.

We caught up with three teams on the WCBCC roster to just ask why (and how) they’ll be smoking on the river this year. 

For the Love of the Game

This is the year Killer Hogs will win it all at Memphis In May.

That’s how Malcom Reed sees it. It’s a dream for his team that is steeped in pit master braggadocio, of course. But it’s a goal backed up with years behind the grill, a primed-and-practiced game plan, and Reed’s gift of gab when it comes to courting judges (his favorite part of the contest).

The Killer Hogs competition schedule has taken the Southaven-based barbecue team to Kentucky, Mississippi, and other parts of Tennessee already this year, and they’ve placed in every single one. But Reed wants that Memphis In May trophy.

 “When you win at Memphis, you’re automatically on top, the best in the world for cooking barbecue,” Reed said. “There’s other sanctioned bodies that have the American Royal BBQ Contest, and the Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue, and Houston has theirs but they don’t compare to the pork that’s cooked at Memphis In May on that third weekend.”

It’s the Super Bowl, the World Series, the Stanley Cup, “the big show,” Reed said, and anybody who’s anybody in the sport of barbecue wants to win it. And, yes, Reed calls it a sport.

“I don’t know if ESPN would call it a sport, but down here, we take it pretty seriously,” he said with a laugh.

Reed made the head-first dive into full-time barbecue a few years ago. It was a now-or-never move for the former commercial architect who now runs the Killer Hogs website, another called How To BBQ Right, making and selling Killer Hogs rubs and sauces (even in the Netherlands), and running barbecue cooking classes with his brother, Waylon, and Mark Lambert, pit master from 2013 WCBCC champion team Sweet Swine O’ Mine.       

Killer Hogs gets plenty of practice by competing in about 30 contests a year. But getting to WCBCC is hard work, Reed said, and takes months of planning. Also, tents, scaffolding, cookers, meat, entry fees, drinks, decorations, and everything else get expensive, he said, and his team offsets the cost by cooking dinners and lunches for clients during the event and after it.

But Reed will keep on doing what it takes. He loves the sport, and Memphis In May is the biggest event and the one closest to his heart. He’s hoping his team’s hard work this year will pay off and that they’ll at least hear their name called on the stage on Saturday night. But he’s already planned for more than that.

“We’re due to win it all this year; I’ve already told everybody,” Reed said with a big laugh. “I’ve already worked on my acceptance speech. It’s Killer Hogs’ year. It’s got to be.” 

Fire House 5

For the Fraternity of the Flame

Fire House 5 has competed at WCBCC just about as long as the contest has been around.

It’s the house team for the Memphis Fire Fighters Association, and the union’s vice president, Joe Norman, thinks this is the team’s 36th year to compete.

For them, it’s not all about winning barbecue glory — hearing their name called on Saturday and walking across the stage to get a trophy. The contest gives the union an opportunity to entertain its membership, their friends, and their families.

 “We don’t travel the barbecue circuit,” Norman said. “These are your [Memphis] firefighters. They’re down there [cooking at WCBCC] for a few days, and then they’re right back to the fire station.”But that doesn’t mean Fire House 5 doesn’t compete. The squad of volunteer pit masters usually takes vacation days during the contest so they can put forth a full competitive effort, Norman said. The team has traveled to contests in Atoka and Covington, but Memphis In May is the only one they do consistently, Norman said.

And getting to Memphis In May is no small feat. Cooking on the river in May begins with an entry deadline in early March that comes with a fee as high as $4,300 this year.

Planning begins almost immediately, Norman said. Meat has to be purchased. Scaffolding and tents have to be ordered. Ice machines and port-a-potties have to be delivered. Then there’s ordering food, drinks, paper goods, tables, chairs, and enough adult beverages to fill a pond (including 120 cases of beer last year, Norman said).

But it’s worth it for the firefighters union. For that much work, it has to be.

 “It really gives us an opportunity to unwind for a few days, and then it’s back to business as usual,” Norman said.

Panama Knock-Out team

For International Acclaim

Giovanni Dorati’s road to the WCBCC began in Panama City — the one in Panama, not Florida.

Each year, Memphis In May organizers find a chef or team from the year’s honored country and invites them to compete in the WCBCC against the powerhouse pig smokers from the U.S. 

But if those American pit masters were based in Panama, they’d have their eyes fixed on Panama BBQ Fest, a contest that Dorati and his team, Panama Knock-Out Competitive Cooking Team, have placed in consecutively over the past three years. 

Dorati and his team have been training for the Panama contest (and now the WCBCC) for the past four months. Yes, he calls it “training,” and that’s likely because he applies the same discipline to cooking as he does to boxing. When he’s not training for barbecue contests, or running his Buns ‘n Burger food truck franchise, Dorati hits the gym as part owner of Roberto “Hands of Stone” Duran’s Boxing Academy. 

“We’ve seen [the WCBCC] on TV and other social media,” Dorati said. “We even used to joke about entering and how cool it would be to enter and represent Panama in such an event.”

While he’s here, Dorati hopes to pick up pointers on technique, patience, and “of course, style” from Memphis cooks, who he said have a reputation for being some of the “most inventive and resourceful cooks.”

But he’s also going to bring the diverse Panamanian culture with him. 

“That is what we hope to accomplish, bringing out some of that mixed and diverse cuisine — fusion cuisine — that Panama has to offer,” Dorati said.

Panamanian barbecue contests have been heating up over the past few years, he said, with more teams each year. A video from the Panama BBQ Fest last year will look familiar to anyone at WCBCC — cookers, aprons, slowly cooking meat, and beers, of course. 

“[WCBCC] is definitely another league, and we are deeply honored for the opportunity,” Dorati said.

The ABCs of BBQ Fest

* Official name: Memphis In May

World Championship Barbecue

Cooking Contest

* Founded: 1978

* 1978 entry fee: $12

* 2014 entry fee: $500-$4,300

* 1978: 26 teams

* 2014: 250-300 teams

* Original location: Beale and Main (parking lot in front of the Orpheum Theatre)

* Current location: Tom Lee Park

* Guinness World Record: “Largest barbecue-cooking competition in the world” (1990)

* Main categories: pork ribs, pork shoulder, and whole hog

* Other categories: beef, poultry, seafood, hot wings, and “exotic”

Sauce categories: tomato, mustard, vinegar

* 2013 clean-up costs: $65,000

* 1978 prizes: about $900

* 2014 prizes: more than $110,000

* 1978 attendance: about 5,000

* 2013 attendance: about 70,000

BBQ How-To:

A Newbie’s Guide to WCBCC

Official name: Memphis In May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest

Local name: Barbecue Fest, or just “barbecue”

What’s cooking? Pork shoulders, ribs, whole hog, chicken wings, beef, and more

Eating barbecue: Health codes prohibit barbecue teams from sharing their food with the general public. So, buying a ticket does not ensure you’ll eat any barbecue. To party with a team, you have to know someone on a team.

General admission tickets: $9.25, children do not get in free

V.I.P.it Pass: $425 gets you admission, a barbecue guide, invitations to hang with six teams, drinks, snacks, a private party area, and more. $525 gets you all this and nearby parking privileges.

Wanna eat like a barbecue judge? The Kingsford Tour of Champions lets you taste pork shoulder entries on Thursday and Friday. Also, you’ll get insider information on barbecue judging. Cost is $12 on top of general admission.

Getting around: Team tents have addresses that begin with either R (for ribs), H (for whole hog), and S (for shoulder). Rib teams are generally on the north end of Tom Lee Park. Whole-hog teams are in the middle. Shoulder teams are on the south. Once you’re in the right neighborhood, use the numbers after the letter like a street address.

Food and drink: Beer and food vendors are open throughout the park. Expect cold tallboys and carnival fare like turkey legs, funnel cakes, and fried everything.

More info: Download the Memphis In May app, available for iPhone and Android devices.  

Entertainment:

Thursday

Miss Piggy Idol. Barbecue team members perform skits, usually in pig drag. (6-7 p.m.)

Webb Wilder (8:30-9:40 p.m.)

Friday

Bottom of the Bottle (8-8:50 p.m.)

Molly Hatchet (9:15-10:30 p.m.)

Saturday

Awards ceremony (6:30 p.m.)

The Dazz Band (8 p.m.)

Categories
News

The Bands of Beale Street Music Fest

Your complete guide, with bios and pics, of the the bands appearing at BSMF this weekend.

Categories
Sing All Kinds We Recommend

Jazz Fest Lineup Announced: Memphis Handicaps

New Orleans Jazz Fest 2014 lineup went public today. It runs from April 25th through May 4th. There is usually some important overlap between the venerable Jazz Fest and our own Beale Street Music Festival, the lineup of which has not been announced. There’s usually some good handicapping to be done about who plays BSMF on the “festival circuit.” Heck, let’s all engage in rampant speculation.

Here’s the Jazz Fest 2014 lineup. Get your extra-bad self back over here for everything Beale Street Music Festival.

Categories
News News Blog

Memphis In May Has An App For That

Memphis In May has released their free 2013 smart phone app, and it’s a vast improvement over their apps in years past (thanks Paul Ryburn for letting us know). The app is available for iPhones and Android phones.

The app features the lineup of bands for the Beale Street Music Festival, and users can highlight favorites to create their own personal schedule within the app. There are two general maps of the park tailored to the music fest and the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, each highlighting where stages and vendor tents are located for the events. And there’s a separate map highlighting the disability-accessible viewing areas for music fest.

Additionally, the app includes information for where to take or locate “lost and found” items during the festivals, a list of events throughout May celebrating Memphis In May’s 2013 honored country of Sweden, and a list of barbecue teams participating in the cooking contest.

Perhaps, most importantly, the app includes themed photo booths for music fest, the barbecue contest, and Sunset Symphony. In the spirit of investigative journalism, we’ve tested them out.

Flyer intern Chris Shaw sings for the band Ex-Cult by night. But we just cant get him to stop singing ... like ever.

  • Flyer intern Chris Shaw sings for the band, Ex-Cult by night. But we just can’t get him to stop singing … like ever.

We cant believe Contemporary Media executive assistant Michael Shelton actually stopped eating to pose for this shot. Hes such a pig! Okay, we kid.

  • We can’t believe Contemporary Media executive assistant Michael Shelton actually stopped eating to pose for this shot. He’s such a pig! Okay, we kid.
Categories
Opinion

Beale Street Landing Restaurant Operators Bail Out

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Score another one for Beale Street Landing and the Riverfront Development Corporation.

Last week, RDC director Benny Lendermon notified board members that restaurant operator Beale and Second Inc. “is no longer interested in pursuing the lease of the restaurant space at Beale Street Landing.” Beale and Second consists of Bud Chittom, Kevin Kane, and Charlie Ryan, who also own Blues City Cafe on Beale Street. The group was the only one to respond to an RDC request for restaurant proposals.

“Based on this discovery, Beale and Second Inc. should cease and desist all actives (sic) on the Beale Street Landing premises other than specific catering services that RDC may contract with you to perform,” the memo says.

“You should turn in the keys to the premises to our manager Jimmy Ogle. Any access to the premises to remove equipment or supplies belonging to you should be coordinated with Mr. Ogle. We are disappointed that this didn’t work out but certainly understand that you have to protect your financial interests.”

Categories
Opinion

Reactions to the New Riverfront Report

CREDIT: John Branston

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Memphians with a stake in the riverfront have had time to consider the six “quick fixes” for the riverfront proposed by urban design expert Jeff Speck this week. Here is some of what they had to say.

Henry Turley, developer: “I thought the quote of the night was Paul Morris (head of the Downtown Memphis Commission) saying “plan less, do more.” I have long thought there was a battle between river access and expressway on Riverside Drive. Jeff Speck hit that right. On Bass Pro, I think he hit that right too. It is turned south and therefore does not significantly impact The Pinch. Several years ago I asked the McWherter administration not to put the state welcome center in Arkansas. The idea was to develop those sites, where the parks and development sites would go together. Overall, I didn’t find much to pick at.”

Charlie Ryan, partner in Beale Street Landing restaurant. “Wow. Wow. We already don’t have enough parking. So what else can I say. It is difficult to get to the building. It’s as simple as that.”

Bud Chittom, partner in Beale Street Landing restaurant: “Once the smoke clears there will be parking at the end of the park. We’ve got to have that little parking lot.”

Burton Carley, minister of Church of the River, called “the church of None Shall Pass” in the report. “It would cost the city millions for the river walk to come across our property. We spend a lot of money maintaining it.” Carley said the church has talked with the city and railroad about doing something to help the bike path to the Harahan Bridge without putting it in front of the church, with its big windows looking out over the river. “We are not obstructionists. The renewal of the riverfront began with the Church of the River.” Nor is he alarmed by anything in the report. “What I have learned in my 30 years here is not to pay attention too much.”

Tom Jones, who introduced Speck, wrote this on his Smart City Memphis blog, which includes links to the full report. Jones has been a close observer of downtown projects for more than three decades.

Jimmy Ogle, Beale Street Landing. “Taking out parking at Tom Lee Park would be tough right now. How do you get to the park?” Ogle said he is “lukewarm” to making changes in Riverside Drive.

Jim Holt, executive director of Memphis In May: “I met with Mr. Speck. Tom Lee Park has been our home for 37 years. Part of the magic of the event is the river. Every modification has an impact. We have been flexible.”

Greg Maxted, The Harahan Project: “The idea I liked a lot was Riverside Drive, adding a bike lane and parallel parking, and removing the parking lots and adding more green space.” As for the bridge project and the church, Maxted said the design utilizes Virginia Avenue for access and will not impact the church.

Virginia McLean, Friends For Our Riverfront: “I think what he had to say about Bass Pro Boulevard was a strong and good suggestion. If they would listen again they might have a chance of developing that little part. But if nobody listens now and they go ahead with their large sign and lights, then I don’t think there is any possibility of mixed-use going in there.”

While it is true that downtown has a lot of plans on the shelf, it also has a lot of riverfront projects costing many millions of dollars. Most of the projects since 1980 have expanded public parkland and amenities and deemphasized cars. A partial list includes:

Mud Island River Park, now entering its fourth decade and closed half the year. It has had two full-service restaurants in addition to a snack bar. It has been managed by the city and the Riverfront Development Corporation. At various times, it has had paid concerts, longer hours and a longer season, free concerts, a swimming pool, kayaks, paddle boats, air-boat rides, a museum, playground, overnight camping, and free admission.

Tom Lee Park was expanded to more than double its acreage, with a broad sidewalk at the edge of the river from just south of Beale Street to the top of the hill at Ashburn-Coppock Park. The sidewalk was extended south behind the Rivermont apartments to Martyr’s Park, which has the highest viewpoint of the river in Memphis.

A lighted sidewalk on the west side of Riverside Drive above the Cobblestones Landing.

The Bluff Walk from Beale Street to the South Bluffs, including a pedestrian bridge over Riverside Drive and staircases to walkways across the road to Tom Lee Park.

Henry Turley

Greenbelt Park on Mud Island, with a lighted sidewalk above the flood plain and paths and benches on the grass near the river, and room for several special outdoor events including a bike race.

Harbor Town was developed as a walkable residential community that now has thousands of residents.

The A. W. Willis Jr. Bridge opened Mud Island to private development. The bridge has protected sidewalks on each side.

Mud Island River Park is accessible by bike from the bridge or the sidewalk above the monorail, which can be accessed by elevator. Bikes are allowed in the park.

A landscaped median and crosswalks were added to Riverside Drive to make it more pedestrian friendly.

The Main Street Trolley goes north and south on the pedestrian mall. Cars are banned. The Riverfront trolley line carries passengers from Auction Street to the train station.

A pedestrian bridge was built to connect the University of Memphis law school with the park north of it.

Bike lanes on Front Street.

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New projects or additions to what urban experts call “the built environment” are often premised on the idea that people would walk and bike more if they only had more places to do it. I am unable to associate myself with this thesis. Most people bike for recreation, not to get somewhere for a specific purpose. And we love our cars. There is no better illustration than the bike racks and parking lots at Rhodes College and the University of Memphis, the very demographic that is supposed to be hot for bikes. One is packed, the other isn’t.

Categories
Opinion

Cookin’ Come Hell or High Water

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The high water came, and so did the cooks and the visitors, undaunted by panicky media reports.

“We don’t have water coming out of our ears,” said a grinning Mayor A C Wharton during a visit to the city’s cooking tent at Tiger Lane, substitute site for this year’s Memphis In May International World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. “They said they would do it come hell or high water and they did.”

Some 247 teams are taking part, with only three dropping out, and one of those was from the very busy U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The contest was moved from flooded Tom Lee Park, but Memphis in May executive director Jim Holt said plans are to hold the Sunset Symphony on the riverside at the end of May.

Sisters Kathy Lawson and Mary Rodriguez from Lansing, Michigan drove 750 miles. The thought they were going to have to cancel their trip until they saw Wharton on CNN saying that reports of the demise of Memphis were somewhat overstated.

“We heard about it on the Food Network and just had to come,” said Lawson, a travel agent. “I just loved seeing all those booths set up.”

Categories
News News Blog

No Flooding for Beale Street Music Fest

Ke$ha will perform at Beale Street Music Fest on Saturday.

  • Ke$ha will perform at Beale Street Music Fest on Saturday.

If the Mississippi River floods Tom Lee Park, it won’t be as early as this weekend, according to Diane Hampton, Memphis in May’s executive vice president.

“The river is anticipated to be below Tom Lee Park this weekend,” Hampton said. “And the weather is predicted to be great.”

There’s no chance of rain on Friday, a 30 percent chance on Saturday, and a 40 percent chance on Sunday. The annual music festival is traditionally plagued by bad weather. This year’s line-up includes MGMT, Ke$ha, Ludacris, Cage the Elephant, the Stone Temple Pilots, among other acts.

But the threat of river flooding following this week’s heavy rain storms may impact the Memphis In May World Championship Barbecue Festival, scheduled for May 12th-14th.

“No one knows what the river will do, but we’re working with the Emergency Management Agency and the National Weather Service,” Hampton said.

She said Memphis In May is exploring all options for what to do if the barbecue festival is flooded out.