Tag: Newby’s

Strong Come On

Post author By Chris Shaw
Post date March 31, 2016

CREDIT: Jamie Harmon

Three garage rock titans take over the Highland Strip this Saturday when the Oblivians, Jack O and the Sheiks, and the Leather Uppers play Newby’s in celebration of Eric Friedl’s 50th birthday. As the founder of Goner Records and member of bands like Bad Times, True Sons of Thunder, the Dutch Masters, and the New Memphis Legs, Freidl has been an integral part of the Memphis garage-rock scene for decades. We caught up with Friedl the week before his 50th birthday party to find out more about Saturday’s blowout. — Chris Shaw

Memphis Flyer: How did the show come about and what made you want to host it at Newby’s?

Eric Friedl: We wanted to do something around my birthday and get a bunch of people in town to basically just have a good time. We looked around, and, by the time we had everything in order to book it, everywhere we’d normally play was unavailable. Jack had already been booked at Newby’s for that date, so we just decided to piggyback on his show.

The other thing that was attractive about Newby’s is that we’ve never played a show there, so it’s kind of new territory for us. I have no idea how many people they can fit in there or how many people will be able to get in. There are people driving in from Austin for this show and other places, so it should be pretty interesting.

When the band was more active, did you guys ever play the Highland Strip?

Oblivians never did, but my other band True Sons of Thunder made it over there a couple times. We played the Rally Point, and I’m pretty sure we played the side room in Newby’s one time. The Rally Point may have been the worst venue I’ve ever played in or been in. That place was bizarre; it was unbelievable.

Is this the only local show currently booked for the Oblivians?

I think this is it as far as local shows go, at least for now. We are playing the In the Red birthday party in Los Angeles in July, and doing some European dates in July as well. Jack (Yarber) and Greg (Cartwright) have their own things going on, so we just fit the Oblivians in when it makes sense for everyone to do it. It’ll be a good mix because the Oblivians kind of know what we’re doing, but Jack’s band is incredible right now. They have been killing it lately.

Let’s talk about the Leather Uppers. They’ve been around about as long as the Oblivians right?

They started in the mid ’90s, and they released a bunch of 45s that were later compiled into an LP by this guy Ryan Richardson. He’s basically like an archivist or a librarian when it comes to collecting.

The Leather Uppers were just this really raw and funny three piece. They existed in their own world, and they were one of those bands who, when we first started doing Gonerfest, we knew we had to have them play. It was kind of like “We will probably never get to see them otherwise, so let’s just ask and see if they’ll come down.” They said yes, and they’re just a great, ridiculously fun band. Saturday’s show will be their only U.S. appearance.

What is the Leather Uppers relationship with Goner like?

After Ryan released the singles compilation on his label, we released their follow-up album. By the time our record came out, the band had kind of moved on, but Ryan still had all those copies of the record he released, so we bought them from him and repackaged it as a Goner release.

How’d they get on the bill?

I already had the Gories play my wedding, so I wasn’t going to ask them again. I started thinking about who I’d like to see, and I thought “I’ll ask the Leather Uppers,” and they said yes again. They are a two piece now, but they agreed to do it.

At this level, they aren’t doing it to make a bunch of money or anything like that. They are basically just interested in coming down and spending a weekend in Memphis in between playing crazy rock-and-roll. They are both living in Canada, so I think they are excited about coming down.

50 is a pretty major milestone in terms of being a touring musician. You’ve been playing with this band longer than some of your fans have been alive.

The Oblivians has been a great opportunity to make noise that turned into an opportunity to travel and meet new people. We’re playing Finland in July, and I’ve never been to Finland. That’s not a place I could just go by myself. As long as we are having fun and it makes sense to do the band, we’re going to do it.

We’re not out to change the world, but writing a new record a few years ago was a kick in the pants and kept us from playing the same songs that are almost 30 years old at this point. We never set out to do much with the band, and we’ve exceeded all our expectations, so there’s no reason not to keep it going. If it gets to the point where we feel like geezers up there, we will stop playing, or other people will tell us to stop playing.

The Oblivians, Leather Uppers, and Jack Oblivian and the Sheiks, Saturday, April 2nd at Newby’s. 8 p.m. $15 admission.

Tags Eric Friedl, Goner Records, Jack Oblivian, Memphis Music, Newby's, Reigning Sound, The Oblivians

Food & Wine Food & Drink

A New Day for Newby’s

Post author By Lesley Young
Post date February 11, 2016

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

Larry Thompson knows how to throw a party.

In fact, he’s so good at it that his neighbor asked him to come bartend for him, and for two and a half years, Thompson helped keep the party rolling at his neighborhood bar, Newby’s.

Life went on for Thompson. He graduated from the University of Memphis, moved to Boulder, Colorado, and opened his own business, a hot wing delivery place, South Mouth Wings, that stayed open until 3 a.m. and raked in the dough.

In the meantime, Newby’s closed on November 19, 2014 — a dismal day for his former neighbor, Todd Adams, and the numerous Newby’s devotees, until Thompson got word that he might could help bring Newby’s back to life.

By August he had sold his hot wing business and was back in Memphis.

After several months of moving bathrooms, opening up alleyways, installing garage doors, and landscaping, Newby’s is back on the University District map and has a whole new outlook (and much of the same heart).

Justin Fox Burks

Larry Thompson is keeping the party going at Newby’s.

“We tried to give it a facelift while doing as much as we could to keep it the same,” Thompson, 29, says.

Perhaps most importantly, the bathrooms are no longer in an alleyway.

“Girls don’t care about how cold your beer is. They want to know what the bathroom is like,” Thompson says.

The brand-new bathrooms are now conveniently situated in the southwest corner of the establishment.

Thompson installed an entirely new kitchen, one expanded further back with a walk-in cooler, new ventilation, and a keen pizza oven.

“I have a super pizza oven. It cooks the pizzas so fast. I’m in love with our pizzas,” Thompson says.

Much of the menu is the same with a few enhancements and some fine-tuning.

“It’s bar food with a twist,” Thompson says. “We’re really more aiming for speed.”

They still offer their Ribeye Sandwich but with blue cheese butter and horseradish mayo on a brioche roll. The Triple Bypass made the cut, with eight ounces of Angus burger, ham, turkey, bacon, Swiss, cheddar, and a fried egg. And it wouldn’t be Newby’s without the MCS, the chicken breast marinated in the Newby’s secret sauce (which if, as stated on the menu, you “ask nicely, [they’ll] probably tell you”. Oh, and you can find Willy’s Chili too.

Thompson brought in Jeff Johnson, of Local, Agave Maria, and Oshi Burger acclaim, to consult with him on the menu and to help train his staff, which numbers close to 35, and just figure the ins and outs of the new Newby’s.

“I worked at Newby’s for about nine years. I trained Larry. When he opened his business in Boulder, I went out there to help him open,” Johnson says. “I’ve helped him train his kitchen staff, work up the menu, and with cost analysis.”

As far as the menu goes, they wanted to honor the 40-year-old institution that Newby’s became.

“We’re not reinventing the wheel. We wanted to go back and pay homage to the old menu, but we shaped it up and made it a little nicer. It’s good food items with great ingredients done well. We use fresh ingredients, and hand-cut and hand-bread our chicken tenders and portobello fries. It’s fun, quick, and easy bar food with quality ingredients.”

“I wanted to surround myself with the best of the best on my team,” Thompson says.

Other changes include moving the back patio indoors to the front of the building where Thompson installed a garage door, which he opens seasonally; a media wall with four large, flat-screen TVs; and the latest in serving draft beer, the Bottoms Up Beer Dispensing System, where beer is poured by fitting a plastic cup with a hole in the bottom onto the dispenser and then is held in place with a magnet.

“There is no waste, and it’s fast,” Thompson says.

Thompson says he’s happy to be a part of the Highland Strip renaissance taking place in his old stomping grounds, and welcomes all the activity.

“We’ll be getting a steak restaurant, and with Loeb buying all of this property and fixing it up, it’s going to be like Overton Square.

“November 19, 2014, was a horrible day. It was like a funeral. There was so much love for this place. I had the opportunity to come in and save it, so I’m going to do as much as I can to keep it the ‘college bar you never graduate from,'” Thompson says.

Newby’s hours are 11 a.m. to 3 a.m.

Newby’s, 539 Highland, 730-0520

newbysbar.com

Tags Jeff Johnson, Larry Thompson, Newby's

News News Blog

Best of Memphis Winner Gets Memphis Flyer Tattoos

Post author By Bianca Phillips
Post date January 24, 2014

Brian “Skinny” McCabe

Newby’s bar manager/bartender/booking agent Brian “Skinny” McCabe will never forget the times he’s won “Best Bartender” (or the times his Highland strip employer has won “Best College Bar”) in the annual Memphis Flyer “Best of Memphis” reader’s poll. That’s because his BOM awards are tattooed on his body.

McCabe recently had the finishing touches put on his latest Memphis Flyer tat, which pays homage to this year’s Mike McCarthy-designed comic book-style cover. McCabe took a few minutes to tell us about his Flyer ink.

Brian Skinny McCabes BOM tattoo collection

Brian “Skinny” McCabe’s BOM tattoo collection

Flyer: How many years has Newby’s received BOM awards?
McCabe: From what I was told, we’ve been winning ever since The Memphis Flyer started it. I’ve been there for almost nine years, and I can only think of once when we didn’t win Best College Bar.

You have two BOM tattoos. When did you get your first one?
The first was shortly after I won in 2012.

And what made you think, “I should get a tattoo commemorating this!”?
I want my co-workers to see it on a nightly basis so they know who is the “Boss Applesauce.”

Where on your body are the tattoos?
Right (massive) calf muscle

Who was your tattoo artist?
Super Dave at No Regrets. He’s done mostly all of my work since I turned 18. I’m 32 1/2 now.

Any regrets?
Sometimes I wish it would glow in the dark.

Will you continue this trend for any BOM awards in the future?
I have officially retired from the rat race, but just in that category. But, to answer the question, yes! I still have plenty of room.

Tags Best of Memphis, Newby's

Music Music Features

Devon Allman at Newby’s

Post author By Joe Boone
Post date December 12, 2013

Devon Allman was born with a perhaps burdensome last name. He is the son of Gregg Allman. Devon’s parents divorced, and he lived a pretty typical suburban life. But he forged a musical path of his own and did so in Memphis, where he lived when he was in high school. He returns to town to play Newby’s this Thursday night.

“I think I was 16 to 18,” Devon Allman says. “It was cool. That’s where I first started playing out. I remember playing the Omni-New Daisy, Rascal’s, and Stage Stop. Night Moves. It was the early ’90s. I was just cutting my teeth playing in the area.”

Those teeth are now honed and part of a serious outfit of musicians. Allman divides his time between solo work and playing with the Royal Southern Brotherhood, a super group centered around Cyril Neville, Allman, and a fantastic rhythm section: Drummer Yonrico Scott is something else. They are currently in the studio.

“We’re working on the second Royal Southern Brotherhood record,” Allman says. “Jim Gaines is producing and David Zee engineering. David engineered Prince’s Purple Rain.”

Allman is enthused about the Memphis show, which is for his latest solo release, Turquoise.

“Memphis is my favorite American city,” he says. “It’s always been a second home to me. Bar none. I love hanging out in Midtown and making records at Ardent. I’ve made several. I’ve got a bunch of friends there who are like family to me. I can’t wait. The show focuses on my solo record Turquoise, which came out this year. But there’s a little bit of Honeytribe, there’s a little Royal Southern Brotherhood in the set. There’s a bit of my father’s music too. It’s a little of everything.”

Devon Allman plays at Newby’s on Thursday, December 12th.

Tags Devon Allman, Newby's, Royal Southern Brotherhood

Food & Wine Food & Drink

Bar Guide

Post author By Flyer Staff
Post date October 24, 2013

Alchemy

Game Days at Alchemy Memphis: Happy Hour with $1 off domestic beers and discounts on featured items from our specialty cocktail list. The game isn’t over until we say it is!

940 S. Cooper • 726-4444 alchemymemphis.com

Bardog Tavern

Ignore the cold in our cozy downtown bar, but don’t ignore the cold beer! $2.50 Buds and Bud Lights, $3 Yuengling drafts during every Tiger and Grizzlies game. The sound is on on the upstairs and downstairs TVs, including the 60-inch HDTV in the Underdog Room. Open for those brunch games starting at 11 a.m., Saturdays and Sundays.

73 Monroe • 275-8752 • bardog.com

Belle Diner

Looking for a great new place to eat and have drinks before the game? Look no further than one of downtown’s newest restaurants, Belle Diner. With decades of bringing Memphis great food, the team of Roger Sapp, David Johnson, and Joe Ferguson have teamed up to bring an upscale Southern diner to downtown Memphis. Come in Game Day and try any appetizer prepared by Chef Johnson for only $8 and $1 off all drinks.

117 Union • 433-9851 facebook.com/BelleDinerMemphisTN

Blind Bear Speakeasy

Game Day specials start one hour before and last throughout every Griz and Tiger game: $2.50 Miller Lite, Miller High Life, and Coors Light bottles and $4 24-oz. Coors Light Griz cans! While you’re here, check out the new menus by Chef David Scott Walker, and be sure to mark your calendar for Bean’s Birthday Bash on October 25th and our Halloween Party on October 31st.

119 S. Main • 417-8435 blindbearmemphis.com

Celtic Crossing

Join us Monday nights at Celtic Crossing for the ultimate Game Day, featuring football, giant board games (Jenga, Cards Against Humanity, and lots more), and beer. Beginning Mondays at 5 p.m., all drafts are just $3.

903 S. Cooper • 274-5151 celticcrossingmemphis.com

Central BBQ

When Memphians want great barbecue and fun times, they head to their nearest Central BBQ location. Before Tiger and Grizzlies home games, visit the newest location just minutes away from the Forum and try one of our many draft beers featuring local microbreweries. For away games, come celebrate with other fans at the Summer or downtown locations, where there are plenty of large HDTVs.

4375 Summer • 767-4672

147 E. Butler • 672-7760

2249 Central • 272-9377

cbqmemphis.com

The Cove

The Cove offers too vast an array of expertly hand-crafted cocktails to single out just one as our “signature” concoction, but Town & Country, Southern Living, and Urban Spoon proclaim our authentic Sazerac as the perfect accompaniment to a sultry summer evening. For more outstanding cocktail options, see thecovememphis.com. Come by the Cove after games for the best late-night eats and treats!

2559 Broad • 730-0719

thecovememphis.com

Dan McGuinness

Dan McGuinness is your Game Day HQ with great specials for both college and pros: $3 pints and $9 pitchers of McGuinness Pub Ale, $11 buckets of longnecks. On Mondays, it’s 2-for-1 domestic beers and $3.95 burgers and fries.

4698 Spottswood • 761-3711 danmcguinnesspub.com

Dejavu Restaurant

Let the good times roll before and after Grizzlies and Tiger basketball games! The newest location at 51 S. Main is four minutes from FedExForum and is filled with all the extras you would expect in New Orleans. Check out the new bar and try some award-winning soul food and vegan/vegetarian cuisine.

51 S. Main • 505-0212

dejavurestaurant.org

Happy Mexican

Join us before, after, or during the game to watch with us! Happy Mexican has a Happy Hour for its award-winning margaritas Tuesday through Sunday 3 to 7 p.m. on the lime flavor only. Special pricing includes small for $4.25, medium for $6.99, or large for $8.99.

385 S. Second • 529-9991

6080 Primacy Parkway • 683-0000

7935 Winchester • 751-5353

happymexican.com

Hard Rock Café Memphis

Stop by Hard Rock Café Memphis on Friday Game Days for a Hard Rocking Happy Hour! Now featuring a new Happy Hour every Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. with a special “Bar Bites” menu. $2 domestic drafts; $3 import drafts; and $4 margaritas (bar area only).

315 Beale • 529-0007

Local Gastropub

Local has specials going on just about whenever there’s a game to watch. Happy Hour is Monday through Friday 4 to 7 p.m. Game Day specials run Monday (starting at 6:30 p.m.), Saturday (11 a.m.-6:30 p.m.), and Sunday (11 a.m.-11 p.m.) and include domestic beer buckets, five for $10, $25 table taps of draft, and small-plate food specials. Tuesday is half-off bottles of wine from 7 to 11 p.m. Wednesday is Pint Night with $2 off pints. Thursday is Ladies Night with $5 “tini’s” and tier-one wines. Join us Sunday for late-night Happy Hour starting at 11:30 p.m.

95 Main • 473-9573

2126 Madison in Overton Square

725-1845 • localgastropub.com

Los Comales Mexican Restaurant

Watch the game while enjoying our authentic Mexican food and unique drinks. Buy one margarita and get a second half-off every Monday and Thursday, and get $5 off any order over $20 when you mention our ad in the Flyer!

2860 S. Perkins • 369-0528 loscomalesrestaurant.com

Molly’s La Casita

Molly’s has the ultimate Game Day drink. It’s our first-place award-winning margarita (Memphis Flyer readers poll 2013). Be sure to try our new low-calorie Nectar Girl Margarita if you are trying to watch your darling figure. Molly’s has an ice-cold one ready for you that is sure to please.

2006 Madison • 726-1873 mollyslacasita.com

Mulan Asian Bistro

Sports and sushi are a great combination! Enjoy Mulan Asian Bistro’s Happy Hour for sushi and drinks from 3 to 6 p.m. daily. Try the Mulan Martini for only $7.95.

2149 Young • 347-3965

2059 S. Houston Levee • 850-5288

mulanbistro.net

Newby’s

Newby’s has all your Game Day specials. Monday is Ghost River $10 Beer Bust. On Tuesday, we have $2 burgers and beer. On Whiskey Wednesdays, it’s $3 whiskey drinks. The Always Happy Hour is $1 off bottle beers and mixed drinks every day ’til 9 p.m. Start early and stay late at Newby’s.

535 S. Highland • 452-8408 newbysmemphis.com

Paula and Raiford’s Disco

Come party after the game at Memphis’ best dance club! Paula and Raiford’s Disco is your one-stop shop for fun in downtown Memphis. Enjoy music, drinks, and dancing every Friday and Saturday night just minutes from FedExForum.

14 S. Second • 521-2494

paularaifords.com

Pearl’s Oyster House

Come watch the game with us! Happy Hour is Monday through Friday, 4 to 7 p.m. There are daily draft beer specials as well. Try the famous chargrilled oysters, only $1 each on Wednesdays. Pearl’s also features daily fresh fish specials and free parking too.

299 S. Main • 522-9070 pearlsoysterhouse.com

The Pumping Station

We have just the right stuff to enjoy your games every week. Friday Beer Busts: $3, Ghost River and Blue Moon $8. Sunday Beer Busts: PBR $5 and Ghost River and Blue Moon $9. Happy Hour specials all week long.

1382 Poplar • 272-7600 pumpingstationmemphis.com

The Slider Inn

Wow! During every Tiger and Grizzlies game, get your Bud and Bud Light longnecks for only $2.50. Come enjoy our great atmosphere and our heated deck this winter, complete with outdoor TV. It’s perfect for catching up with your Midtown friends. Who loves you, baby? We do.

2117 Peabody • 725-1155

thesliderinn.com

Tamp & Tap

Offering hand-poured coffees, sandwiches, and local beers all close to FedExForum, Tamp & Tap gives Game Day specials of 10 percent off your food purchase with the same-day ticket or stub.

122 Gayoso (Second and Main)

207-1053 • tampandtap.com

facebook.com/TampTap @tampandtap on Twitter

Sing All Kinds We Recommend

Shawn Lane: A Remembrance by Paul Taylor

Post author By Joe Boone
Post date September 26, 2013

This weekend marks the tenth anniversary of the passing of Shawn Lane. Lane was known the world over as a peerless guitarist. Newby’s is hosting a weekend-long festival of music to remember him. Below, his friend and student Paul Taylor remembers Lane as a mentor and considers Lane’s influence on his musical life.

Shawn Lane was a preternaturally gifted guitarist, who by the age of 14 had mastered his own techniques and speed on the guitar that to this day remain nonreplicable. To this day, the current guitar wizards all genuflect and marvel at his unparalleled speed, melodicism, and compositional skills.

When I was a boy, my father would take me to see Shawn, and I really couldn’t — I still can’t — understand how anyone could play that fast. At first, I made the common mistake of writing it off as finger-wiggling with no depth. My brain couldn’t process it. Many guitarists view Shawn this way at first. Maybe It’s a mechanism of jealousy, or all of our ears are just entirely too slow!

My dad’s band was Shawn’s rhythm section, so I had access to bootleg tapes that would become his Warner Brother record Powers of Ten. I obsessively wore those tapes out. Slowly it began to sink in. This guy was playing very legitimate musical patterns at blinding Art-Tatum-does-triple-time speed. It was no B.S. And it was all on top of his beautiful compositions that had the rare ability to invoke deep feelings. That trait is so hard to come by in instrumental music. It was a rare gift.

Shawn did his best to teach others how to do what he did but always would say that his nervous system was just wired differently.

I had the good fortune of befriending Shawn and playing music with him in my late teens and early 20s. It was at this time that his true depth became clear to me. He was an avid reader, student of philosophy, science and culture; a film devotee; a lover of soundtrack music and classical music. He was a self-taught piano savant and a student of music from all over the world, especially qawwali (Sufi music of Southeast Asia) and Indian classical.

In the last 10 years of Shawn’s life he was able to tour the world in a trio with bassist Jonas Hellborg and master drummer Jeff Sipe. Shawn’s interest in Indian classical music was fulfilled as they toured India, and he made music and studied with many of his heroes. Shawn himself is still regarded as a hero all across Europe and the east.

Shawn languished in obscurity stateside and particularly in his hometown of Memphis. In a city that claims to be a music town, his is no new story: Original artist/innovator can’t buy a gig, while cover bands thrive on Beale and dance and garage bands fuel people’s weekends. Shawn led that double life many of us know well. His craft was recognized largely everywhere on earth except for this town.

After battling illness for most of his adult life and without health coverage, Shawn’s health took a drastic downward turn in 2003, and he died from a lung-related illness 10 years ago today.

Although his technical wizardry will always be that for which he is most known, Shawn’s legacy lies far more in his melodicism and his compositions than in his speed and literally unparalleled technical prowess on guitar (and piano). His soul shines through in his songs: in the singing bits of his guitar parts, the little inflections.

Still, for pure fire and an unworldly experience, watch footage of Shawn. It’s unholy. Actually, it’s totally holy!!

His friends and family sorely miss Shawn, but he isn’t going anywhere. He still sits atop the ever-clattering mountain of competing guitarists, laughing down at a rat race he never had to play a part in. He transcended. He transcends.

LONG LIVE SHAWN LANE!

— Paul Taylor

Tags guitar, Memphis, Music, Newby's, shawn lane