Memphis Music Hub – Memphis Flyer

With social distancing as the new normal, countless musicians have taken to the internet, staging live video concerts of all kinds on multiple social media platforms. How did players manage a century ago, during the Spanish Flu pandemic? Now, at last, people have cause to be less snarky and more appreciative of online interactions, and musicians especially so.

David McClister

Southern Avenue

This week, the concept of the live-streamed music concert is being ramped up to festival-like heights, thanks to the efforts of the Memphis Music Hub, a division of Memphis Tourism, who have collaborated with I Love Memphis and Music Export Memphis to coordinate the Get Live! Memphis event. Scheduled to take place from March 26 –March 28, the series serves as a fundraiser for Music Export Memphis’ COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund.

Over the course of those days, viewers need only log on to Facebook to view live-streamed performances by nearly a dozen of Memphis’ finest musicians, including headliners MonoNeon, Ben Nichols of Lucero, Grammy-nominated band Southern Avenue, and producer IMAKEMADBEATS.

Justin Fox Burks

IMAKEMADBEATS

“This is the time to give back to the Memphis music community that has given so much to our city’s cultural identity,” says Music Specialist Jayne Ellen White of the Memphis Music Hub. “Our music has brought such joy to so many and now is the time to speak to the world through our universal language: music.”

Ben Nichols

“Our local musicians play an integral part of the Memphis destination’s identity as a live music city,” says Kevin Kane, President and CEO of Memphis Tourism. “Their talents not only keep Memphis’ music scene vibrant but, now more than ever, they are able to share those talents to lift up, not only our local community but also a world of music fans. As people around the world connect with us during this virtual musical festival, these outstanding artists will have an opportunity to not only share their talents with new audiences, but also share messages of hope.”

Justin Fox Burks

MonoNeon

To view the festival performances, viewers need only visit the Get Live! Memphis event page on Facebook and the various performers will connect their feeds at the appointed times. The festival schedule is:

Thursday, March 26th
7:00: MonoNeon

Friday, March 27th, 8PM – 10PM
8:00: D’Monet
8:30: IMAKEMADBEATS
9:00: Louise Page
9:30: Southern Avenue

Saturday, March 28th, 8PM – 10PM
8:00: Brandon Kinder of The Wealthy West
8:30: Doll McCoy & Derek Brassel
9:00: Cameron Bethany
9:30: Ben Nichols of Lucero
Toonky Berry

Memphis is a music city’s music city, as people who live here know very well. The challenge is reminding others of the embarrassment of riches we have. While many foundations have come and gone to do just that, locals, especially musicians whose livelihood depends on a hopping night life, have hoped for a more concerted promotional effort to help build profile. As of yesterday, we’ve taken a major step in the right direction.

Memphis Tourism, aka The Memphis Tourism Educational Foundation, has recently been taking a more pro-active role in promoting the city, and now they can boast a full fledged web presence promoting the city’s music. Their website at www.memphistravel.com took on a whole new dimension yesterday with the unveiling of its Music Hub pages.

The foundation’s music specialist, Jayne Ellen White, seemed undeniably proud of this new web portal and its various features. “The About Memphis Music section, and the Memphis Music Resources pages are my favorite sections to explore and see all of the assets the Memphis music industry has to offer including Memphis labels, studios, music venues, and more–– but the “What Is Your Memphis Music Vibe?” quiz is really fun too.”

On a more pragmatic level, prospective visitors and music fans can find a diverse, up-to-date guide to the many events and venues where music can be found. There’s even a link to inquire about booking Memphis artists. What’s not to love?

This follows on the heels of some major on-the-ground success stories that the foundation has had on the music front of late. They’ve had a hand in some very high-profile events, including the recent Jam in the Van series, the Liverpool & Memphis exchange program, and the Memphis Masters, a limited video series celebrating various albums from the iconic Stax Records label.

If you make a virtual visit to their page, give yourself some time. It’s easy to get lost in the many layers of images, information, and music, especially once you discover their AllMemphisMusic (AMM) Radio.