Tag: Tom Lee Park

Categories
Music Music Blog

901Fest Lineup Announced

The North Mississippi Allstars will play the first ever 901 Fest on May 28th.

The first ever 901Fest goes down on May 28th, replacing the Sunset Symphony that wrapped for the final time last year. The festival takes place at Tom Lee Park and tickets are only $9 dollars in advance.

Below is the complete lineup, but for more information, including a list of food trucks and vendors, click here. 

North Mississippi Allstars 
Al Kapone
Zigadoo Moneyclips
Dead Soldiers
Frayser Boy
Opera Memphis
CCD Embassy
Star & Micey
CJ Johnson
Lil Wyte
School of Rock 
The Incredible Hook
Tyke T
New Ballet Ensemble
Stax Music Academy
Artistik Approach.

Categories
Music Music Features

Beale Street Music Fest 2016: Who to Watch

Beale Street Music Festival recently released the complete musical lineup for this year’s weekend-long concert. Here’s a small sample of some of the talent that will be rockin’ on the river this year.

Friday, April 29th

Neil Young + Promise of the Real

Neil Young. On the river, the first night of Beale Street Music Fest. Do I really need to tell you to be there? Do you like music? Good answer. I thought we were about to have a problem. In all seriousness, if this doesn’t get you excited, you may need to check your pulse.

Weezer

These platinum-selling pop-punkers have been at it for over 20 years, releasing hit after hit in between throwing parties on cruise ships and collaborating with current stars like Best Coast. Weezer will be on tour with Panic! At the Disco, who are also playing Friday night.

Julien Baker

Memphis’ biggest breakout star of 2015 keeps killing it, landing a spot on Beale Street Music Fest after a solid year of touring and seeing her name on every music-media outlet that’s relevant. Her first album, Sprained Ankle made plenty of year-end lists, but we were already onto Baker before she became a media darling. See our cover story on her from last summer for proof.

Trampled by Turtles

Minnesota’s Trampled by Turtles have seen their fair amount of success since forming in 2003, and the alt-country band will be setting out on a long tour with the Devil Makes Three shortly after their performance on Friday night. No stranger to festivals, the band has also played San Francisco’s Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits Music Festival, Firefly Festival, Rock the Garden, and the All Good Music Festival.

Saturday, April 30th

Yo Gotti

The king of Memphis has been on a tear lately, releasing hit after hit of club-ready, social-media-referencing rap songs. If Yo Gotti keeps up his summer show at Mud Island, this could mean that two epic outdoor Gotti concerts are heading your way soon. Yo Gotti put the city on his back, and his love for Memphis is well-known. Don’t miss Yo Gotti, and remember, it goes down in the DM.

Violent Femmes

Violent Femmes are no strangers to Memphis, having played the iconic Antenna club and, more recently, the Mud Island Amphitheater. The band has been active since 1980 and are best known for their quirky hit “Blister in the Sun,” although they’ve also had hits with “Kiss Off” and “Gone Daddy Gone.”

Cypress Hill

Who can forget the group that sang “Tell Bill Clinton to go and inhale?” Other than Snoop Dogg, no other artist or group personifies what it means to be a stoner better than Cypress Hill, the group that brought you songs like “Hits from the Bong,” “Superstar,” and “Dr. Greenthumb.” Cypress Hill were the first Latino-American rap artists to go platinum, and their music is immediately recognizable, as is B-Real’s high-pitched vocal approach. Get ready to go insane in the membrane.

Moon Taxi

Nashville’s Moon Taxi also earned a spot on Coachella, and their Day Breaker tour sees the band getting a slot on Beale Street Music Fest. Active since 2006, the band played the David Letterman Show and has had television placements from companies like BMW, HBO, the MLB, and the NFL.

Sunday, May 1st

Beck

Beck is back, only this time he’ll be at Tom Lee Park instead of the Mud Island Amphitheater. The Los Angeles singer/songwriter always puts on a great show, and his collaboration with Jay Reatard was proof that while Beck is definitely big time, he still keeps his ear to the underground. Anyone who was at his Mud Island show knows that Beck is not to be missed.

Paul Simon

Paul Simon has been a hit factory since the ’60s, cranking out songs like “Mrs. Robinson,” “The Sounds of Silence,” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” He was awarded the first Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in 2007 and has written music for Broadway and television. He’s been on Saturday Night Live 14 times and has 12 Grammy awards, making him one of the most successful artists on the entire Music Fest lineup.

Zedd

Grammy award-winner Zedd plays the last night of Beale Street Music Fest, and if the hype around this artist is any indication, his set should be a gigantic dance party. Mixing elements of electronic music with pop sensibilities, Zedd makes music larger than life, and he’s got the hardware to prove that he’s making some of the most influential music of the genre.

Alex da Ponte

Alex da Ponte just released her latest album, and the local artist is one of many worth catching over Music Fest weekend. On All My Heart, da Ponte wears her emotions on her sleeve, making for an earnest and honest album that will get stuck in your head after only a couple listens. Her song “Nevermind” is already a local hit, but don’t expect da Ponte to stay local for long.

Courtney Barnett

Courtney Barnett had a spectacular 2015 due to her amazing album Sometimes I Sit and Think and Sometimes I Just Sit. We had her album and her Third Man Records single as some of our favorites of the year, so we’ll take credit for this one. You’re welcome.

Categories
Cover Feature News

Sunrise, Sunset …

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

The night was beautiful.

The weather was perfect. The crowd that descended on Tom Lee Park for the last-ever Sunset Symphony was enormous. And they say that the fireworks display that closed this year’s Memphis In May (MIM) festival was the largest pyrotechnic show the city has ever witnessed.

That last bit may very well be true, but as impressive as the fireworks were, the night’s biggest bang wasn’t launched from a cannon set up behind the stage. It was delivered by conductor Mei-Ann Chen and the musicians of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra (MSO), who tore through a diverse selection of patriotic anthems, popular favorites, and classical crowd pleasers, pulling out the stops at every turn.

Earlier this year, Memphis In May President and CEO Jim Holt announced that the Sunset Symphony, a festival tradition since 1977, was being discontinued. The concert, he said, had reached the end of its natural life span and would be replaced by a new, more participatory event that won’t be announced until sometime in the first quarter of 2016.

So, for their 39th, and possibly final riverside concert for Memphis In May, the MSO packed the park front to back and gave the diverse and multigenerational crowd a generous taste of what they’ll be missing in the years to come.

“For me, this kind of program isn’t just about the kinds of things we love as lovers of classical music,” Chen said, explaining her method for selecting the appropriate sunset material. Chen has proven to be an especially thoughtful music director, who worked with Memphis In May to develop a nostalgic program that satisfied expectations, while still leaving room for some surprises.

“It’s about the community and creating a memorable concert experience for the widest audience we ever reach. It’s about creating that rich communal experience and doing whatever it takes,” Chen added.

In this case, Chen thought the appropriate communal listening experience required a healthy mix of familiar classical works, like Rossini’s “William Tell Overture,” some of the more romantic passages from Bizet’s Carmen, and three selections from Prokofiev’s Romeo & Juliet. The last Sunset Symphony also saw the return of popular favorites such as “Old Man River” and George Gershwin’s “Summertime,” as sung by Memphis-based soprano Kallen Esperian. Even piano-pounding Senator Lamar Alexander, who wowed MIM crowds back in 2008, showed up to play a medley of Memphis songs backed by the MSO.

“I’m here because I play piano just a little bit better than other senators and governors,” Alexander quipped modestly, as he sat down to the keyboard, name-checking the recently deceased B.B. King and reminding Memphis of the tremendous cultural gifts the city has given the world.

Not only was this year’s concert the last Sunset Symphony, it also marked the first and only time that Chen, a dynamic rising star in the world of classical music, has conducted at the event. “I did make it clear to [Memphis In May] that I would like to do at least one Sunset Symphony before I wrapped up my tenure,” Chen said, explaining that she often books guest conductor gigs several years in advance, and May is a popular month for scheduling concerts.

“We didn’t know at the time this was scheduled that this concert was also going to be the sunset for the Sunset Symphony. But I am so honored and grateful that, at least, I get to close the door. It’s such an honor to be on the podium for such an important, historic event, even though it’s bittersweet.”

The event was more bitter than sweet, in some regards. In February of this year, Chen, a highly sought after guest artist with an explosive and theatrically charged conducting style, announced that she would also be leaving the MSO when her contract ends in 2016. “But Memphis will always be home,” Chen said. “I will always come back.

“And I want to also let people know,” she said, “that even though the Sunset Symphony is ending, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra is always going to be here serving our community through incredible concerts.

“We’ve got so many talented musicians, and they are indispensable assets to our community. That’s why I also wanted to build into this [concert] music that would showcase the musicians before I wrap up my tenure here.”

The MSO’s CEO Roland Valliere has only lived in Memphis for 18 months or so, but he has a strong sense for what the event has meant to the city and faith that the MSO will find newer and better ways to connect to the community.

“The Sunset Symphony has been a signature event for the orchestra for a period of time,” he says. “It has been an opportunity for the orchestra to reach a broad segment of the community, and it’s something the community greatly enjoys,” Valliere said.

For many Memphians, he added, the Sunset Symphony and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra have become synonymous. “We’re exploring other possibilities, having active conversations about what might happen next, but we’re not prepared to announce anything definitive as of yet. Still, we are optimistic and encouraged about the future of this event or something similar.”

Although the MSO has depleted its modest endowment and continues to struggle financially, Valliere has good reasons to be optimistic.

“A year ago, the orchestra was faced with some significant challenges, but we have made remarkable progress,” he said, while allowing that the musicians have taken steep pay cuts and were “extraordinarily impacted” by changes as the organization shifted into austerity mode.

“But the community has really responded,” Valliere said. “Now we have some cash and some time. So we’re in a much better place than we were a year ago. We’re not out of the woods, but we’re on the path out of the woods.”

The Sunset Symphony has always had a patriotic edge, coming as it usually does on Memorial Day weekend. From the roar of retired war planes in the traditional airshow to the rousing strains of a John Philip Sousa march to usher in the closing fireworks, it has remained an old-fashioned community picnic.

Until he retired in 1998, bass-baritone James Hyter entertained the Sunset Symphony’s diverse crowds with multiple encores of “Old Man River,” the Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein classic contrasting the hard life of African Americans with the slow-moving Mississippi River’s endless ambivalence.

“You take the high note, and I’ll take the low note,” he’d say, encouraging the audience to sing along.

The song was powerfully revived by baritone Richard Todd Payne, who, like Hyter before him, was brought back for repeat performances.

“After ‘Old Man River,’ nothing can follow that,” Chen said. Nothing except for a reprise of “Glory,” the recent Golden Globe-winning theme song to the civil rights film Selma. The MSO, which had performed “Glory” in April at the National Civil Rights Museum with rapper Al Kapone, made the protest song its parting shot, prior to the “1812 Overture.”

“Resistance is us,” Kapone chanted, in what may have been the most socially relevant moment in the history of the traditionally conservative Sunset Symphony. “That’s why Rosa sat on the bus. That’s why we walk through Ferguson with our hands up.” Like Payne before them, Kapone and baritone Donald O’Connor were brought back for an encore.

Then, as it has for 39 years, the Sunset Symphony ended with the “1812 Overture” and “Stars and Stripes Forever,” while fireworks lit up the night.

Then it ended it for good. The music faded, the trucks selling funnel cakes rolled away, the families milled back to their cars. But old man river just kept rolling along.

Categories
Music Music Features

Beale Street Music Festival 2015 – Lineup and Schedule for Sunday, May 3rd

SUNDAY, MAY 3

Bud Light Stage (South) …

Elle King 2:20 p.m.

Myslovitz (Poland) 3:50 p.m.

Kasier Chiefs 5:20 p.m.
Hozier 7:00 p.m.

Ed Sheeran 8:40 p.m.

FedEx Stage (Middle) …

Star and Micey 2:40 P.M.

Shovels and Rope 4:15 P.M.

Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn 5:50 P.M.

St. Vincent 7:30 P.M.

Wilco 9:10 P.M.

Rockstar Energy Drink Stage (North) …

Prosevere 2:10 P.M.

Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts 3:40 P.M.

Of Mice & Men 5:20 P.M.

Rise Against 7:00 P.M.

Cage the Elephant 8:40 P.M.

Pearl River Resort Blues Tent …

Jarekus Singleton 2:15 P.M.

Indigenous 3:50 P.M.

Will Tucker 5:25 P.M.

Tinsley Ellis 7:05 P.M.

Bettye LaVette 8:45 P.M.

MetroPCS Blues Shack …

Deak Harp-n-Lee Williams Times Vary

Blind Mississippi Morris Times Vary

THE BANDS:

Blind Mississippi Morris

MetroPCS Blues Shack (Times Vary)

Don’t miss Blind Mississippi Morris at the Blues Shack on Sunday, an artist known locally as “The Real Deal on Beale.”

Deak Harp-N-Lee Williams

MetroPCS Blues Shack (Times Vary)

Deak Harp has been playing the harmonica since he was 12 years old, and he knows all the hits from genres ranging from Chicago blues to Mississippi hill country blues. He’s also the owner of Deak’s Mississippi Saxophones and Blues Emporium in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

Prosevere

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

Hard rockers, rejoice! Prosevere will be bringing the house down early when they play their blistering set of modern Memphis metal.

Jarekus Singleton

Pearl River Resort Blues Tent • 2:15 p.m.

Like the Ghost Town Blues Band, Jarekus Singleton has been nominated for multiple awards by the International Blues Foundation. Everyone from USA Today to Downbeat Magazine has heralded his latest album, Refuse to Lose.

Elle King

Bud Light Stage • 2:20 p.m.

Elle King sings about past loves in her song “Ex’s and Oh’s” and with a voice as mesmerizing as hers, it’s no surprise she’s breaking hearts across the globe. Fun fact: Elle King is the daughter of Rob Schneider.

Star and Micey

FedEx Stage • 2:40 p.m.

Another local act performing on Sunday, Star and Micey are familiar with the bright lights of Beale Street Music Fest. Hometown favorites for quite some time, Star and Micey represent the vastly talented indie rock scene in Memphis.

Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts

Rockstar Energy Drink Stage • 3:40 p.m.

Formerly of the Stone Temple Pilots, Scott Weiland is another rocker on the Beale Street Music Fest lineup who needs little introduction. With the Wildabouts, Scott Weiland sings over crunchy blues rock and his vocals are as rough around the edges as ever. It might be 2015, but one listen to the Wildabouts and you’d swear the ‘90s never ended.

Indigenous

Pearl River Resort Blues Tent • 3:50 p.m.

Indigenous is the project of Mato Nanji, a blues rock veteran of the Yankton Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. Nanji has toured with B.B. King and his songs have been featured on shows like Sons of Anarchy and The Deadliest Catch.

Shovels and Rope

FedEx Stage • 4:15 p.m.

Don’t miss this “sloppy tonk” duo from Charleston, South Carolina, featuring husband and wife team Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst.

Of Mice & Men

Rockstar Energy Drink Stage • 5:20 p.m.

Heavy metal band Of Mice & Men provide another chance to bang your head when they take the stage on Sunday evening. Fans of Linkin Park should be sure to catch these Rise Recording artists.

Kaiser Chiefs

Bud Light Stage • 5:20 p.m.

Indie-pop masterminds Kasier Chiefs found stardom behind hits like “We’re Coming Home” and “Ruby.” Taking cues from bands like the Strokes and Oasis, Kasier Chiefs should be on the radar of any fan of radio-friendly rock.

Will Tucker

Pearl River Resort Blues Tent • 5:25 p.m.

Another local who’s played the Beale Street Music Festival, Tucker can regularly be found playing one of many clubs on Beale Street. Don’t let his baby face fool you, this seasoned guitarist can shred with the best of them.

Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn

FedEx Stage • 5:50 p.m.

Husband and wife duo Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn will both showcase their banjo skills when the two perform Sunday. On their self-titled debut, Fleck‘s and Washburn’s different playing techniques made for a memorable album that NPR called “welcoming and calm.”

Hozier

Bud Light Stage • 7:00 p.m.

Don’t miss Hozier. End of story.

Rise Against

Rockstar Energy Drink Stage • 7:00 p.m.

Seven albums into a hiatus-free career, Tim McIlrath and company (including founding bassist Joe Principe) have used the template of melodic hardcore (in this case, a somewhat rougher cousin to pop-punk) to gain a massive following and the band’s strongly held concerns (animal rights and PETA being foremost among them) haven’t seemed to waver over time or due to fame. Rise Against’s last four full-lengths have been produced by Bill Stevenson of the Descendents and ALL, the most recent being last year’s The Black Market.

Tinsley Ellis

Pearl River Resort Blues Tent • 7:05 p.m.

Blues rocker Tinsley Ellis has thousands of live shows under his belt and has shared the stage with everyone from Stevie Ray Vaughan to Widespread Panic. His latest album, Tough Love, was released earlier this year.

St. Vincent

FedEx Stage • 7:30 p.m.

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 Annie Clark, who‘s made an album with David Byrne and toured with everyone from the Black Keys to Death Cab for Cutie before blasting off to superstardom.

Ed Sheeran

Bud Light Stage • 8:40 p.m.

British mega-star Ed Sheeran brings his collection of pop hits to Tom Lee Park Sunday. Sheeran’s been a star abroad for years but recently picked up momentum in the United States after appearing on Taylor Swift’s album Red. Simply put, Sheeran might be the biggest rising star at Beale Street Music Fest this year.

Cage The Elephant

Rockstar Energy Drink Stage • 8:40 p.m.

Cage the Elephant have some major hits under their belt including “Cigarette Daydream” and “Shake Me Down.” Their 2014 album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Top 200, and they’ve toured with everyone from the Black Keys to the Foo Fighters.

Bettye Lavette

Pearl River Resort Blues Tent • 8:45 p.m.

The Detroit soul scene was just beginning to percolate in the early 1960s, when 16-year-old Bettye LaVette made her first recordings for Atlantic. “So many people have asked me, ‘What was it like to cut a record when you were only 16?‘And I tell them that in 1962 in Detroit that‘s just what you did,” LaVette told the Memphis Flyer in advance of her first appearance at the Beale Street Music Festival. “Everybody had a record or was cutting a record.” LaVette’s most recent recordings have found her experimenting with classic British rock and folk songs à la Marlene Dietrich. Critical accolades and a revived popularity following the release of Scene of the Crime contradict the old saw about the absence of second acts in America.

Wilco

FedEx Stage • 9:10 p.m.

These Grammy Award-winning alt-rockers are no strangers to headlining music festivals. Fresh off a 20th anniversary tour, Wilco should be primed and ready to close out the 2015 Beale Street Music Festival with a career-spanning performance.

Categories
Music Music Features

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.

Categories
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.

Categories
Opinion

Another SNAFU at Beale Street Landing

CREDIT: John Branston

Benny Lendermon

The American Queen won’t be docking at Beale Street Landing when it comes to Memphis Friday. Instead the luxury river cruise boat will tie up at the north end of Mud Island for the second summer in a row, as will other visiting cruise boats.

The mooring arms of the 400-foot dock at Beale Street Landing are being detached this week because of low water at the mouth of the harbor. The daily excursion boats can still use the dock. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is not dredging the harbor this year due to budget cuts.

Meanwhile, the Riverfront Development Corporation’s contract runs out at the end of October. The RDC was on one-year contracts the last two years. The most recent one expired at the end of June — days before the big Fourth of July fireworks show on the river — so it was extended four months. Benny Lendermon, head of the RDC, said he is optimistic it will be renewed.

“We are in negotiations for a long-term contract,” he said in a dockside interview Thursday.

The RDC is also negotiating with a restaurant operator for the landing after no bids were received following the broken deal with the previous operator. The new prospect is said to be Beale Street restaurateur Tommy Peters.

The $42 million riverfront project has been plagued with problems and controversy almost since its inception. Here’s a snapshot history in Memphis Flyer photos.

Mooring arm of BSL dock

  • Mooring arm of BSL dock

The mooring arms raise and lower the dock, which consists of two 200-foot-long barges. They are being temporarily disconnected this week. The river is within five feet of a record low. Lendermon said it would have been possible but costly to design the dock for minus-15 feet on the river gauge, well below the record low. The RDC fired the dock contractor and a lawsuit is pending.

sidewalk.JPG

This plywood section of sidewalk from the shady space outside the future restaurant to Riverside Drive and Beale Street was supposed to be decorative tile. Another contractor screw-up.

restaurant.JPG

Restaurant partners Charlie Ryan and Bud Chittom decided in May not to go ahead with a much-needed food and beverage oasis, one of the main reasons for building the project in the first place. Ryan says there is not enough parking. A venue for parties and special events is one possible outcome. The only business inside the building is a gift shop and ticket office for daily excursion boats.

rubik.JPG

The multicolored elevator shaft, also known as the Beale Street Landing Rubik’s Cube, is the focal point of the project, to the dismay of some local urban design critics. It is supposed to represent . . . oh, never mind. It speaks for itself.

1340991500-paddleboat.jpg

The American Queen, whose regular visits were supposed to partially justify the cost of Beale Street Landing, will tie up at the north end of Mud Island Friday, just as it did last June when the water was low. Passengers get a bonus tour of Mud Island and Harbor Town by bus or limo enroute to downtown and their hotel. Lendermon said the dock at Beale Street Landing could be back in business for the big boats before the end of the cruise season in November.

parking.JPG

The black fence between the landing and the parking lot is supposed to come down within a week, making it easy for visitors to Tom Lee Park to climb the grassy hill to the top and the fine view of the river. It will also make it possible for some crazy vandal to drive up the hill. There will be a gate of some kind, like the ones currently in use at the parking lot entrances. As for the parking lot next to the landing, it is either not big enough (for a restaurant) or unsightly and unnecessary (design critics and proponents of a more pedestrian-friendly riverfront) because it separates the landing and the rest of Tom Lee Park.

mudisle.JPG

So near yet so far. A decent high-school quarterback could chunk a football from the dock to the southern tip of Mud Island River Park, but, alas, there is no close connection. To get to both, you have to walk or drive to or from the Mud Island entrance either at the parking garage across from City Hall or the parking lot at the north entrance to the river park.

workmen.JPG

Jobs, as always, were one of the justifications for the project. Beale Street Landing was envisioned as a $20-$30 million project and grew to a $40-million-plus project. The grand opening date, pushed back several times, is some time in 2014. Will Memphians embrace it, or shun it as they did Mud Island River Park? Readers of this blog know I have been critical of the overdo, design, and buck passing, but the view is really nice, visitors won’t care about the back story once it opens, and I hope it works now that we have it. See for yourself, but bring your own snacks and drinks.

Categories
Opinion

Beale Street Landing’s Colorful Topper

CREDIT: Riverfront Development Corporation

BSL_Phase_IV-A_sv__6_.jpg

From concept to completion, Beale Street Landing has been wrapped in controversy. Now comes a rendering of the elevator shaft atop the grassy hill atop the restaurant and pavilion atop the banks of Tom Lee Park atop the Mississippi River.

The proposal was set to go before the Downtown Commission’s design review board June 6th, but on Thursday afternoon the Riverfront Development Corporation asked for a delay.

“RDC just withdrew their signage application to DRB for this month because they didn’t have a very good depiction of what the signs would actually look like,” said Paul Morris, executive director of the Downtown Memphis Commission.

He said it could be reset for July.

Meanwhile, here are a couple of renderings that may or may not make the DRB meeting in July. The one atop (ha!) this post came from the RDC. The one below is compliments of Friends For Our Riverfront.

“The rendering is a conceptual depiction of the exterior of the elevator enclosure,” said Dorchelle Spence, spokeswoman for the Riverfront Development Corporation. “However, the exact colors and patterns of the multi-colored panels may vary from what is shown and appear more muted. The attached rendering is the architect of record’s presentation of what the elevator enclosure will look like.”

Virginia McLean of the group Friends For Our Riverfront has a different view.

“The proposed shaft/sign is a major change from the natural beauty along the riverfront in which Memphians have long taken pride and enjoyed and actually really taken for granted,” she said. “Options and alternatives to colors, materials, and lighting should be considered.”

beale_st_landing_shaft.jpg

This is the other view. Do not adjust your set.

Categories
Opinion

Advantage Downtown

It’s amazing how quickly Tom Lee Park is cleaned up each year after Memphis In May is over.

On Tuesday, the day after Memorial Day and near the end of a month in which the park was trampled and littered by thousands of people at the music festival, barbecue contest, and Sunset Symphony, most of the trash was gone. The tents, fences, and temporary structures had been taken down, and workmen were mowing and edging the bluff along Riverside Drive. The grass will be watered, the sidewalks hosed down, the flower beds spruced up, and with a little rain Tom Lee Park will be good as new in a few weeks — that is, if you don’t mind ground that’s as hard as concrete.

Now that’s service. Unfortunately, it’s not standard service for Memphis parks.

In 1993, a small group of Memphians, including Midtown residents, recreation directors at Midtown churches, and the principal of East High School, decided that the underused property west of the school would be a good place for playing fields, a track, and a playground. The impetus was a soccer game between Idlewild and Evergreen church teams that had to be played in Cordova because of a scarcity of fields in Midtown. With the help of Lora Jobe, who was then on the school board, and John Vergos, who was then on the Memphis City Council, the Memphis Park Commission hosted a couple of meetings, drew up some plans, and came up with the East High Sportplex.

There was a four-lane rubberized track, two baseball diamonds with backstops, drinking fountains, a football practice field, an asphalt walking path, an undersized soccer field with two goals, and a playground. Mayor Willie Herenton, who was then in his first term, presided at a modest opening ceremony, and that was that.

The total cost of the improvements was around $1 million. There were no consultants. The design certainly didn’t win any awards. There was no economic impact study. If the sportplex attracted any tourists, it was strictly accidental. The only beneficiaries were the students at East High, the little kids who play on the playground, the regulars who use the walking path, and the people who use the fields for pickup games of soccer, baseball, and touch football. The vision of a sports complex for Midtown churches and rec teams proved to be unrealistic, as bigger and better facilities were built in Germantown, Cordova, and DeSoto County. But it was a partial success.

Thirteen years after the East High Sportplex opened, it is no Tom Lee Park. The walking path is covered in spots by broken glass. One of the baseball diamonds doesn’t have any bases. Neither has any grass in the infield, and there are no outfield fences. The goals on the soccer field are falling down, and the nets are gone. If someone kicks a ball through the south goal, it is likely to roll all the way to Poplar Avenue. The football field has more sand and bare dirt than grass. Four guys working out on it Monday said they can’t ever remember it being watered. There is quite a bit of litter on all the fields.

Maybe it shows what happens when you build a public facility next to a poor neighborhood. People drink beer in the park and throw their trash on the ground and become apathetic. Except we don’t say that about Tom Lee Park, where people come to the music festival and drink beer and throw their trash on the ground. We don’t expect the patrons to come back the next day and clean the place up. The workers hired by Memphis In May and the Riverfront Development Corporation (RDC) do it for them. So the park and Mud Island and Riverside Drive look nice, which is as it should be.

But public parks and public facilities in other parts of Memphis are getting screwed. They’re either tended by volunteers and the Memphis Park Commission or they’re not tended at all. There’s no fully staffed and separately budgeted RDC to watch over them. There’s no $29 million project like Beale Street Landing to draw attention and public funds to them. There’s no board of directors to write letters to the newspaper at the first sign of criticism. There’s no catchy program with a shoestring budget and a name like Empty Nets or Stolen Bases or Green Fields to see that regular maintenance is done.

And that’s a shame.