Tag: Otherlands Coffee Bar

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Music Music Features

Chris Maxwell Returns

Chris Maxwell will make his way through Memphis this week for a show on Saturday, March 26th at Otherlands. Maxwell is currently touring in support of his new solo album, Arkansas Summer, but he might be best known around these parts as the leader of the Little Rock alternative band the Gunbunnies, which cut its 1991 debut Paw Paw Patch here in town with legendary local producer Jim Dickinson. After migrating north, Maxwell made a name for himself playing guitar for the New York band Skeleton Key, and, as a part of the music production team the Elegant Too, he has also collaborated with folks like They Might Be Giants, Yoko Ono, and Iggy Pop as well as created music for the TV shows Bob’s Burgers and Inside Amy Schumer. Maxwell spoke to the Flyer earlier this week. — JD Reager

The Memphis Flyer: The Gunbunnies were recently described to me as the “only band out of Little Rock to ever make it.” Do you think that’s a fair description?

Chris Maxwell: Ha! No, not a fair description, especially when you consider Evanescence sold around 20 million records. What is true is we were the first band to get a major label deal out of Little Rock — I’m not sure how important that is, but at least it’s more accurate.

How did you get paired with Jim Dickinson?

Our manager, Jon Hornyak, knew Jim. I had two dream producers. It was between him and T Bone Burnett. I ended up feeling better about Jim. Those records he made, especially Big Star’s Sister Lovers and the Replacements’ Pleased to Meet Me and even Toots Hibbert’s Toots in Memphis record were all big influences. To me, T Bone was more of a songwriter. Jim seemed like a mad, musical Sherpa. That’s what I wanted. Jon sent Jim my home demos, and he dug it.

What was it like to work with him?

It was one of the most bizarre, educational, stoned, and fun experiences of my life. Jim always showed up in some badass outfit. Then he’d start off every day telling some incredible story about someone like Aretha Franklin or Sam Phillips. It was inspiring to say the least. He taught us how to think like artists. He introduced me to the “happy accident.” He taught me music is something you conjure like a spell.

How much time did you spend hanging around Memphis?

We lived in Memphis for the couple of months we recorded. It was an incredible time to be there. Overton Park was having shows every weekend. Tav Falco took our band photos, Robert Gordon wrote our bio, and we played shows with Alex Chilton. It doesn’t get any better than that.

You’ve done a lot of work-for-hire for film and television over the years. How is that different from your usual songwriting?

It’s craft vs. art. Those things aren’t exclusive of each other, but the ratios are different depending on what you’re going for. If I’m writing an end credit for Bob’s Burgers, I have a very specific aesthetic that I’m working with. I can bring all of my experience as a songwriter to bear, but I’m digging around in my soul for the meaning.

Also, with songwriting, the words and stories inform the music as opposed to most of the work-for-hire composing, which is underscoring a movie. I have certainly brought a lot of my song craft to composing, and, likewise, a lot of the tools I use in composing have had an impact on how to underscore the narrative in a song.

Were you surprised at the overwhelming viral reaction to the song “Milk Milk Lemonade,” which your production team did last year with the comedian Amy Schumer?

That was a shock. I think [it got] four million hits in 24 hours? Something like that. “Milk” mostly came from my partner Phil [Hernandez]. He’s an amazing drummer and programmer. I worked with Amy on her vocals, and she was extremely sweet. She loved our track. We’ve just written and recorded another song for this upcoming season as well as produced one other track.

What inspired you to create Arkansas Summer?

It all started with the birth of my son. After Skeleton Key, I had gotten so involved in film and TV that I let my songwriting recede into the background. When Angus was born, I taught myself to fingerpick, and these songs about my life started coming out. When the song “Arkansas Summer” came to me, I realized I was making a record. That song became the heart of the record. I realized I had these stories, and I wasn’t telling them.

How did you record it?

It started in an Airstream I bought from Ethan Hawke after his divorce from Uma Thurman. Then, as it evolved, I moved into a couple of real studios that are minutes from my house: Dreamland and Applehead. Eventually I sold the Airstream and built a studio at my house where I finished recording and mixing everything.

It was a difficult process mainly due to the fact I write and record all day for my real job. That made it difficult to find the energy to write and record my own music. More often than not there was no gas left in the tank. But once I saw the thing that it was going to become, I kept pushing and finding the cracks to wedge in time.


Chris Maxwell live at Otherlands, Saturday, March 26th. 8 p.m. $7

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Music Music Features

Webb Wilder at Otherlands

I was never sure what to make of Webb Wilder. Growing up in the 1980s, you couldn’t open the music listings without seeing his name or his photo, always with the hat and a smirk. Every week. How was one to know the guy was not only the sort of movie star we can all live with, he also has one of the greatest credos of all time. Do you have a credo? I don’t, and I’m ashamed. We should all get credos but accept the truth that ours won’t be as great as Wilder’s: “Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard, grow big, wear glasses if you need ’em!” That’s some fine credo.

 And the movies? You won’t find him on Netflix. But that’s endearing, isn’t it? The character of Webb Wilder was created for a movie about a detective. There’s your hat. And the smarty-pants aspect of Philip Marlowe or Sam Spade informs Wilder’s musical output and has for almost 30 years. John Webb McMurry’s cinematic persona found its own life in music. Since 1986’s It Came From Nashville (now available in the “Deluxe Full Grown Edition”), Wilder released an album every couple of years or so, amassing a body of work that draws from underground sounds and noir vibes. It’s American and a little weird in the David Lynch sense. But hey, that’s a lot cooler than most of what comes from Nashville.

Webb Wilder returns to Memphis on Sunday, December 22nd, at Otherlands Coffee Bar.

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Music Music Features

Scruffs and Fareveller Return

This weekend, local music fans will have two rare chances to see Memphis power-pop cult figures the Scruffs perform live. The band is scheduled to play on Saturday night at the Poplar Lounge and on Sunday night at the Hi-Tone Café.

The Scruffs is the brainchild of Memphian Stephen Burns, who’s been living and performing in Scotland for the last decade or so, collaborating with members of Belle & Sebastian and Teenage Fanclub, among others. Burns recently moved back to Memphis, which could complicate things for live shows in the future, as half of the band’s current line-up — bassist Bobby Kildea, who did not make this trip, and drummer Mark Rodgers — are based overseas.

(Guitarist Adam Hill and fill-in bassist Chris Gafford are based in Memphis and Nashville, respectively.)

“I’ve lived here, there, and everywhere,” Burns says. “It does not affect recording. It can make the live-show issue a bit more difficult. However, my family has lived here for over 45 years, and I have to demonstrate a tad bit of responsibility. Difficult for a perpetual teenager. On the positive side, I have found a house that I like very much, quite close to Ardent.”

The band’s shows this weekend will be its last before Rodgers returns to the U.K. Sunday night’s Hi-Tone performance has the added distinction of being the CD-release show for the Scruffs’ new album, Kill! Kill!, which might be Burns’ strongest collection of songs since the 1977 classic Wanna Meet the Scruffs?.

“Frankly, I think it is an excellent album,” he says. “As good as anything the Scruffs recorded. Exciting, gentle, beautiful vocal melodies. Great pop rockers.”

The Scruffs perform Saturday, March 24th, 10 p.m., at the Poplar Lounge ($5) and Sunday, March 25th, 9 p.m., at the Hi-Tone ($5).

For more information, visit thescruffs.com.

Also on tap for this weekend is the Fareveller Music Festival, which runs Thursday through Saturday at various venues around town.

Now entering its second year, this year’s Fareveller is a somewhat more focused affair, with last year’s sprawling overload of venues and artists giving way to a tighter schedule and a few bigger names in indie-rock, including Maps and Atlases, Those Darlins, and the Black Belles.

“We have made an effort to focus on the individual shows this year,” says Fareveller founder/organizer and local musician Brandon Herrington. “My talent buyer, Seth Fein, is a wise young man with a lot of experience. With our limited budget, we felt it very important to get the most bang for the buck by making each show stronger in terms of headliners. It will be a lot easier from a logistical standpoint as well.”

Despite scaling back in some ways, including the number of locals on this year’s bill, Herrington sees the festival continuing to grow and take root in the current Memphis-music scene.

“Memphis needs more progressive music things,” he says. “I keep saying this, but we are held back by our heritage so much. It is the coolest thing about Memphis, but it also infiltrates everything. Part of building the shows better this year meant upping our headliner level and reducing the total number of acts for each show and the total number of shows. The unfortunate side effect is less available spots. I hope that as this thing grows, we can increase the local participation. The local scene is still integral to my vision. It’s absolutely where my heart is.”

Fareveller Schedule

Thursday, March 22nd:

Young Avenue Deli

10 p.m.: Ume

11 p.m.: Maps and Atlases

Friday, March 23rd:

Young Avenue Deli

9 p.m.: Canon Blue

10 p.m.: The Rocketboys

11 p.m.: The Black Belles

Midnight: Mobley

Otherlands Coffee Bar

8 p.m.: David Ramirez

9 p.m.: Myla Smith

10 p.m.: Among the Cranes

Newby’s

11 p.m.: Mindelixer

Midnight: Eliot Lipp

Saturday, March 24th:

Young Avenue Deli

10 p.m.: Arma Secreta

11 p.m.: Youniverse

Midnight: Those Darlins

Otherlands Coffee Bar

7:30 p.m.: The Underhill Family Orchestra

8:15 p.m.: Greenside Manners

9 p.m.: Water Liars

10 p.m.: Jessica Lea Mayfield

Newby’s

11 p.m.: Luke “Glitchdoctor” Sexton

Midnight: Strooly

1 a.m.: The Hood Internet

Three-day wristbands are $25 at the door and good for every show of the festival. For individual show prices or more information on the line-up, visit fareveller.com.

Categories
Music Music Features

Folk Alliance-Related Shows at Otherlands Coffee Bar

Following Wednesday’s “Public Night,” the International Folk Alliance conference at the Downtown Marriott is open only to conference registrants. But there are plenty of related events spilling out to the general public, and Otherlands Coffee Bar in Midtown might be an unofficial headquarters of public Folk Alliance-related events, with conference-connected shows across the long weekend. On Thursday, February 23rd, local singer-songwriter Dan Montgomery (pictured) will play host to a bevy of out-of-town friends, including California’s Julie Christensen (a longtime Leonard Cohen backup singer), England’s Michael Weston King (of the alt-country band the Good Sons), and Nashville’s Amelia White. Friday, February 24th, locals Grace Askew and Chris Milam will perform, and there will be a screening of the music documentary Blaze Foley: Duct Tape Messiah. And on Saturday, February 25th, longtime Memphis roots/alt-country stalwart Jimmy Davis will host a group of Folk Alliance performers. Showtimes are 8 p.m.

Categories
Music Music Features

Susan Marshall, Reba Russell, and Kim Richardson at Otherlands Coffee Bar

In addition to the Christmas shows we feature on page 26, three other local-music-scene stalwarts are getting together this week for an annual Christmas concert. The “Ho Ho Ho Show” will bring together diverse but compatible musical buddies Susan Marshall (pictured), Reba Russell, and Kim Richardson. Marshall’s sound is rooted in rock and soul, Russell’s in blues, and Richardson’s in folk/country, but all come together nicely in what is now a regular holiday show. The trio’s voices will blend at Otherlands Coffee Bar Thursday, December 15th. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Admission is $10. Unlike most early shows at Otherlands, this one is adults only.

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Best of Memphis Special Sections

Best of Food & Drink

CREDIT: Alex Harrison

Alex Harrison

Buttery tikka masala, tender tandoori, spicy vegetable dishes, and all other manner of Indian specialties are served at Midtown institution India Palace in its airy, comfortable Poplar Avenue location.

We’ll admit we find it adorable when, in the “Best Chef” category,
you write in “My Wife,” “My Husband,” or, better yet, “My Mom.” (The
answer “Your Mom’s House” for “Best Romantic Restaurant” is not so
cute.) Chef Boyardee didn’t stand a chance with only two votes for
“Best Chef,” but at least he’s got bragging rights over Mrs. Winner
who, despite the name and the chicken and biscuits, got only one
vote.

Justin Fox Burks

Kelly English, Restaurant Iris, 1st place: ‘Best Chef’

Best Chef

1. Kelly English, Restaurant Iris

2. Erling Jensen, Erling Jensen the Restaurant

3. John Bragg, Circa

Last October, Food & Wine magazine named Kelly English
one of the Top 10 “Best New Chefs” for 2009. That was quite the honor.
Now Flyer readers have vaulted English to the top spot for the
first time.

Best Lunch

1. Huey’s

2. Soul Fish

3. Lenny’s

Hey, you know all those other restaurants that were in the running
for “Best Lunch” in Memphis? Stick a toothpick in ’em. They’re done.
Huey’s gets the nod for lunch nosh this year.

Best Breakfast

1. Brother Juniper’s

2. Blue Plate Cafe

3. Bryant’s Breakfast

Oh Brother, Wherefore Art Chow? Sorry. Brother J. has won “Best
Breakfast” many times, and it’s because they offer delicious,
innovative, homemade food in an eclectic space crammed with interesting
people, especially on weekend mornings.

Best Romantic Restaurant

1. Paulette’s

2. Le Chardonnay Wine Bar & Bistro

3. The Melting Pot

Maybe it’s the desserts. Or maybe the soft tinkling of the ivories.
Or maybe just the wonderful menu, nice wine list, and warm ambience.
Paulette’s is a classic.

Best Sunday Brunch

1. Owen Brennan’s Restaurant

2. Boscos Squared

3. Peabody Skyway — tie —

Beauty Shop

Owen Brennan’s sits at the cusp of Germantown and East Memphis, but
it draws Memphians from all over for its New Orleans-themed Sunday
brunch: the best in town for 2009.

Best Wine List

1. Le Chardonnay Wine Bar & Bistro

2. Texas de Brazil

3. Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse

Le Chardonnay moved across Madison Avenue a couple years ago, but it
has retained its dark, ski-lodge-y charm, its extensive wine list, and
first place for “Best Wine List” in your hearts.

Best Steak

1. Folk’s Folly Prime Steak House

2. Ruth’s Chris Steak House

3. The Butcher Shop

Folk’s Folly valets meet you at the curb. Once inside, you hear
sweet piano-bar stylings and the sound of cold drinks and cocktail
chatter. But who are we kidding? It’s all about the steak here, and
Folk’s Folly’s steaks sizzle!

Best Barbecue

1. Central BBQ

2. Corky’s

3. The Bar-B-Q Shop

Central BBQ takes top honor in what is probably the toughest
category in this poll: “Best Barbecue.” No matter how you spell it
— barbecue, BBQ, Bar-B-Q, whatever — Central’s on top
again.

Best Ribs

1. Charles Vergos’ Rendezvous

2. Central BBQ

3. Corky’s

The Rendezvous is sometimes derided as a place where tourists go to
eat Memphis’ most famous food group (16 barbecued ribs), but the
Flyer‘s poll makes it clear that locals love the Rendezvous as
much as people wearing Elvis T-shirts. And well they should.

Best Burger

BOM 1. Huey’s

2. Earnestine & Hazel’s

3. The Belmont Grill

That “BOM” designation means Huey’s has won “Best Burger” for so
long that it’s not even fair to anybody else in the running. Lots of
places in Memphis make good burgers, but only one takes the top spot,
year after year after year.

Best Hot Wings

1. Buffalo Wild Wings

2. D’Bo’s Buffalo Wings-n-Things

3. Central BBQ

With five Memphis-area locations, 14 sauces (ranging in heat from
“Blazin'” to “Sweet Barbecue”), and TVs set to sports everywhere you
look, Buffalo Wild Wings is leading the city’s wing scene.

Best Fried Chicken

BOM 1. Gus’s Fried Chicken

2. Popeye’s Chicken & Biscuits

3. Jack Pirtle Fried Chicken

If you want to eat lunch at Gus’s, you’d better get there early.
Folks line up for the crispy, smoky, spicy uniqueness that makes Gus’s
fried chicken better than anybody’s in Memphis. Or in the world.

Best Cajun/Creole

1. Bayou Bar & Grill

2. Owen Brennan’s Restaurant

3. Pearl’s Oyster House

The Bayou, like its sister restaurant, Le Chardonnay, hasn’t missed
a beat by moving across Madison. It’s bigger, but it still has a nice
patio, cold beer, stellar gumbo, and lots of other Cajun
delectables.

Justin Fox Burks

Petra, 1st place: ‘Best Mediterranean’

Best Mediterranean

1. Petra

2. Casa Grill

3. Petra Cafe

What’s more Midtown than this: Greek-Korean fusion in a restaurant
housed in a former gas station/garage, with patio seating right next to
the pumps? Spanikopita, moussaka, falafel — Petra is Greek
delicious. And the Korean soups and kimchi are fabulous too.

Best Dessert

1. Paulette’s

2. Beauty Shop

3. Kooky Canuck

Restaurants come and go, but Paulette’s “K-Pie” is a constant. Rich
coffee ice cream in a pecan-coconut crust, topped with whipped cream
and Kahlua, the Midtown institution’s Kahlua-mocha parfait pie is a
classic but not their most popular dessert. That designation apparently
belongs to the restaurant’s hot chocolate crepe. With crème
brûlée, Key lime pie, and other desserts dotting the menu,
Paulette’s is where Memphians go for post-dinner sweets.

Best Italian

1. Ronnie Grisanti & Sons Restaurant (now closed)

2. Pete & Sam’s

3. Bari — tie —

Ciao Bella Italian Grill

Long synonymous with Italian dining in Memphis, Ronnie Grisanti’s
closed its doors in August after a 25-year run at its Chickasaw Oaks
Plaza location on Poplar. But Memphians won’t be without the Grisanti
family’s authentic Tuscan cuisine, which has delighted local diners for
generations. Most of the restaurant’s staff — including Ronnie
himself — will relocate to the family’s Germantown location,
Elfo’s, which will be renamed simply Grisanti’s.

Best Mexican

1. El Porton Mexican Restaurant

2. Happy Mexican

3. Taqueria La Guadalupana

In an increasingly saturated local Mexican food scene, El Porton
maintains the top spot with five area locations, quick, reasonably
price lunches, a diverse menu, a full bar, and happy-hour specials.

Best Chinese

1. P.F. Chang’s

2. Wang’s Mandarin House

3. A-Tan

National chain P.F. Chang’s became a big local hit when it opened
its lone Memphis location — on Ridgeway in East Memphis — a
few years ago. In P.F. Chang’s large, opulent dining room, patrons can
feast on a diverse array of Chinese classics such as Mongolian beef,
ginger chicken, and spicy dumplings.

Best Thai

1. Bhan Thai

2. Bangkok Alley

3. Jasmine

Located in a large, converted Midtown house (the former home of
restaurant Maison Raji), Bhan Thai offers intensely flavorful Thai
dishes — masaman curry, pad thai, crispy duck, coconut-milk-based
soups, etc. — in an elegant atmosphere full of character, from
its small, intimate dining rooms to its popular patio in the back.

Best Vietnamese

1. Saigon Le

2. Pho Saigon

3. Pho Hoa Binh

This no-frills Midtown eatery has a loyal clientele because of its
focus on the food, which includes authentic Vietnamese specialties
— fresh spring rolls, great pho soups, vermicelli and tofu
dishes, and plenty of vegetarian options.

Best Japanese/Sushi

1. Sekisui

2. Blue Fin

3. Sekisui Pacific Rim

Restaurateur Jimmy Ishii has come to define Japanese cuisine, and
particularly sushi, in Memphis. The local chain is celebrating its 20th
birthday this year, first opening its Humphreys Center flagship
restaurant in 1989 and now covering the city with five locations.

Justin Fox Burks

Soul Fish, 1st place: ‘Best Home Cooking / Soul Food’

Best Home Cooking/Soul Food

1. Soul Fish

2. The Cupboard

3. Blue Plate Café

For exquisite catfish and hush puppies and a big daily selection of
veggies, it’s hard to order anything else off of Soul Fish’s menu. But
try their smoked half-chicken, and you’ll be doubling up on meals to
satisfy all your menu urges.

Best Vegetarian

BOM 1. Whole Foods Market

2. The Cupboard

3. Jasmine

Whole Foods Market, a foodie oasis on Poplar Avenue in East Memphis,
is more than a grocery store. Its large prepared-foods section —
pizzas, sandwiches, salad bar, bakery, coffee and juice bar — and
dining area make it a popular lunch and dinner spot for vegetarians and
health-food enthusiasts, in particular. Whole Foods also offers cooking
classes to help you find interesting things to do with the fresh and
healthy items they sell.

Best Seafood

1. Tsunami

2. Bonefish

3. The Half Shell

The anchor restaurant of Cooper-Young does it again, taking “Best
Seafood” for the millionth year in a row. Scallops, sea bass, mussels,
you name it, Chef Ben Smith and crew deliver a ship full of great taste
in a sophisticated atmosphere.

Best Pizza

BOM 1. Memphis Pizza Cafe

2. Garibaldi’s Pizza

3. Old Venice

Memphis Pizza Café was an instant hit when it opened in 1993
and has since expanded its local pizza empire to five locations, all
serving tasty, crispy pizzas, including such faves as the white-sauce
“alternative” and the zesty Cajun chicken.

Best Deli

1. Fino’s from the Hill

2. Bogie’s Delicatessen

3. Young Avenue Deli

What says Midtown more than the intersection of Madison and McLean?
And what says a great deli sandwich better than Fino’s from the Hill,
on that very Midtown corner? In addition to the popular made-to-order
sandwiches — cold cuts, cheeses, toppings, all on good crusty
bread — Fino’s offers pasta dishes and grocery items. That’s
Italian!

Best Server

1. Jeff Frisby, Restaurant Iris

2. Michele Fields, Calhoun’s Sports Bar

3. Jean Pruett, Bardog — tie —

Brent Skelton, The Kitchen

Jeff Frisby at Restaurant Iris must be doing something right. Last
year, he was named one of the city’s best servers in our Best Of poll.
This year, he’s done it again. Must be that Frisby knows not only how
to serve, he knows what to serve when it comes to vino: He’s Restaurant
Iris’ wine manager. (Factoid: All our winners in this category work in
Memphis’ new or newish restaurant/bars. Good to see Flyer
readers appreciate the city’s evolving food scene.)

Best Service

1. Chick-Fil-A

2. Texas de Brazil

3. Houston’s

Drive-thru or in-store, the crew behind the counter at any of
Memphis’ Chick-Fil-A locations have it down pat: your order in your
hands — fast. More amazing (and given the volume of business),
they do it, hands down, with the friendliest service in town.

Justin Fox Burks

Chick-Fil-A, 1st place: ‘Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant’

Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant

1. Chick-Fil-A

2. Chuck E. Cheese

3. Huey’s

We forgot to mention (see “Best Service”) that the crew at
Chick-Fil-A must have nerves of steel. As a new winner in the
kid-friendly restaurant category, these folks have what it takes when
children combine with fast food. Call it grace under pressure.

Best Local Late-Night Dining

1. Huey’s

2. Earnestine & Hazel’s

3. Young Avenue Deli

And we mean late. We’re talking, at several of Huey’s
multiple locations, a kitchen that’s open until 2 a.m. Don’t deny it.
At that hour and after some damage, what your body’s craving is a
burger and onion rings.

Best Place for People-Watching

1. Flying Saucer

2. Young Avenue Deli

3. Celtic Crossing

The corner of Beale and Second: The wide-open windows at downtown’s
Flyer Saucer aren’t there for no reason. Whether you’re in the
restaurant or passing on the sidewalk, this place was tailor-made for
people-watching. Evidence: During the Memphis Music and Heritage
Festival a few weekends ago, the place was jamming, inside and out.

Best Patio

1. Celtic Crossing

2. Boscos Squared

3. Cafe Olé

In a word: trivia. Celtic’s popular Wednesday-night tournament this
past summer had the patio packed. Any night, any season, though, will
do for a Guinness and some major hanging-out in Cooper-Young. Bonus
attraction: On this patio, you’re only a few steps from the scene on
the street.

Best Local Place That Delivers

1. Garibaldi’s Pizza

2. Young Avenue Deli

3. Camy’s

Another new winner in our Best Of poll: Garibaldi’s Pizza —
established 30 years ago by owner Mike Garibaldi — has three
locations for handmade pizzas, pastas, salads, wings, sandwiches,
sweets, and more. Garibaldi’s caters to not only what you’re hungry
for, according to readers, it really delivers.

Justin Fox Burks

Muddy’s Bake Shop, 1st place: ‘Best Bakery’

Best Bakery

1. Muddy’s Bake Shop

2. La Baguette

3. Fresh Market

Again: a new winner. And, according to Muddy’s website, if you’re
rude, whiny, impatient, or otherwise unpleasant, forget stepping inside
this bakeshop. If you’re green-minded and egg-headed (Muddy’s uses eggs
from cage-free, free-range hens), you’re welcome! Plus, who’s to argue
with a cupcake called “Prozac?”

Best Local Coffeehouse

1. High Point Coffee (now closed)

2. Otherlands

3. Café Eclectic — tie —

Republic Coffee

High Point Coffee just closed. (It’s the economy, stupid.) But
Otherlands, Cafe Eclectic, and Republic Coffee — the hotshots
rounding out your picks for best local coffeehouse — havestill
got their vibe going and the caffeine coming.

Best Restaurant

1. Restaurant Iris

2. Tsunami

3. Huey’s

Iris: It’s in the eye of the beholder. Restaurant Iris, “Best
Restaurant,” according to Memphians who value fine dining. In the space
of a year, nationally recognized chef Kelly English has succeeded in
turning Restaurant Iris into the city’s go-to address for exceptional
French-Creole-inspired cuisine. Doesn’t hurt that the restaurant also
features first-rate service in an intimate, romantic atmosphere.

Best New Restaurant

1. Flight

2. Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen

3. Overton Park Pizze Stone

The interior’s gorgeous, but it’s the food at Flight that has
Flyer readers hooked — and voting. Flight’s “flights”
— a trio of tastings from the entrée, dessert, and wine
menus — make it a wonderful way to sample what’s cooking in the
kitchen. What’s on your table: small plates but great taste. Or you
want regular-size portions? No problem. You can order that way too.

Categories
Music Music Features

NTJ Squeezes Into the Cove

Neighborhood Texture Jam

Somehow, the members of Neighborhood Texture Jam will
shoehorn themselves and fans into The Cove Friday, July 17th,
for their first performance of 2009.

When NTJ formed in the late 1980s, the 400-square-foot Cove on Broad
was known as Fred’s Hideout. Then it became the Beer Joint, before
current owner Jim Marshall retrofitted the space with nautical
décor and opened the Cove in 2007. The limited space leaves
little room for a full band — especially a group like NTJ, which
often incorporates stage props like chainsaws, inflatable breasts, and
fake blood into the act.

“I don’t know how it’s gonna work,” admits NTJ guitarist John
Whittemore. “Everyone I’ve mentioned it to says, you’re doing
what?”

The band has been on an extended hiatus since self-releasing their
third album, Total Social Negation, in 1996.

“Initially, our goal was to get as big as possible, and for a while,
we felt we were doing that. Then I started running out of things to
say,” says frontman Joe Lapsley, a Rhodes College alumnus who
relocated to Chicago, where he currently teaches history at Loyola
College and at Columbia College. (Whittemore, guitarist Tee
Cloar, bassist Steven Conn, drummer Paul Buchignani,
and “texture” musician Greg Easterly all reside in Memphis.)

For Lapsley, a sociopolitical ranter who spewed esoteric and
inflammatory lyrics like “I fell into the Borax factory of your love”
and “Rush Limbaugh — evil blimp,” playing rock music for rock’s
sake was the kiss of death. Aiding in the decomposition was the fact
that although NTJ had inked a contract with the Ardent Records label,
the group was dropped before Total Social Negation could be
released.

“We never broke up so much as fell apart,” says Whittemore, who
currently plays in Papa Top’s West Coast Turnaround and the Rolling
Head Orchestra. “There was never any argument. It was death by
attrition. It slowly got harder and harder to take [the band]
seriously, and our shows eventually became less and less frequent.”

Yet NTJ never ground to a halt.

“People still enjoy hearing the band, and we enjoy getting together
once or twice a year to make it happen. But for the most part,
everybody’s got their own lives and [are] doing different stuff,” says
Buchignani, drummer for both the Tearjerkers and Harlan T. Bobo.

Occasionally, NTJ will showcase new material, such as the rock opera
Frank Rizzo at Colonus, which the band performed at the
Hi-Tone in 2006. Last November, NTJ debuted “Task Force Moose,” a
Lapsley composition that, he says, is about “progressive superheroes
that save gay bars from homophobes, kids from Jesus camp, and
nonviolent drug offenders from prison.”

That track will be included on Lapsley’s second solo album,
SLIP (Songs of the Late Imperial
Period), available on CDBaby and on iTunes later this
summer. He’ll be mastering it at Ardent with Larry Nix when he’s
in town this week.

“NTJ is not completely a nostalgia act,” Lapsley says, adding that
reuniting once or twice a year means “getting all of the fun parts of
being in a band without a lot of the bullshit.”

Dan Montgomery, who gigs at the Cove the first Friday of
every month, uses the room as a place to woodshed new songs.

“Usually, one crowd will come through the Cove to eat. The next
crowd is there to drink and talk. Once you get past that, you’ll find
people who are actually listening to the music. That’s when I use it as
my own little laboratory to try out new material,” Montgomery says.

Next week, he’ll begin recording those new songs with producer
Kevin Cubbins, guitarist Robert Mache, pedal steel player
Louis Meyers, bassist Andrew Simons, and drummer
Jessie Williams.

“This is the third attempt I’ve made at another record. I can’t
produce myself anymore. I’ll never work with me again,” Montgomery
jokes. “Songwise, the cast of characters include homeless women, jazz
bassists, birds, my parent’s ghosts, dealers, strippers, and
losers, boozers, and users — people clinging to the edge and some
well over it. You know, my usual,” he says.

Fans have two more opportunities to hear the new material with a
full band before Montgomery begins recording. Thursday, July 16th,
they’ll play at Memphis Mary’s, and Friday, July 17th, they’ll
perform at Otherlands. Showtime for both venues is 9 p.m.