Tag: We Rec

Categories
We Recommend We Recommend

Space Jazz: Michal Menert at Growlers

CREDIT: Jason MacLeod

Michal Menert, a Polish-American electronic music producer known for his experimentation with nu jazz, hip-hop, and trip-hop sounds and for his collaborations with fellow electronic artist Pretty Lights and Grateful Dead and Dead & Company percussionist Mickey Hart, makes his way to Growlers to perform a solo DJ set.

Although he’s not specifically promoting it, his latest album Slow Coast III, released in March, features a range of experimental techniques and instruments, such as the taishōgoto (a Japanese stringed instrument).

Jason MacLeod

Michal Menert

“A long time ago, we realized we’ll never have a perfectly tuned and precise studio at home, so instead of making things sound perfect and sterile, we started to purposely pursue terrible sounding things that we could refine into interesting tunes,” says Menert. “I feel lucky that I’ve been able to do things on my own terms, without having to cater to trends.”

The album, a third installment of Menert’s Slow Coast series, was inspired by his love for fantasy and for the Northern California coast.

“This installment of Slow Coast was inspired by a hazy fantasy realm I was imagining while piecing it together,” he says. “I pictured dark skies, a sorcerer returning from exile, and a world of destructive chaos desperate for magic. All of these things play out in my mind with the rocky coasts and giant redwood forests around me serving as backgrounds, even though the narrative isn’t necessarily apparent in the music itself.”

Between finding the right balance between touring and recording, Menert is looking forward to his performance in Memphis.

“One of my favorite people, Brock from Zoogma, is from there, and he’s definitely shown me a hell of a good time with great people in Memphis,” he says.

Michal Menert with Defcon Engaged, Maverick 1990, and Cel Shade at Growlers, Thursday, October 3rd, 9 p.m.-1 a.m., $15/advance, $20/door.

Categories
We Recommend We Recommend

Was the Moon Landing Faked? Memphis Astronomical Society Has Answers

CREDIT: Jeremy Veldman, MAS

July 20, 1969, became an important day in history when, after days of orbiting the earth on the Apollo 11 spacecraft, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed their lunar module, Eagle, onto new territory and became the first men ever to step foot on the moon.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of this prolific moonwalk, but through the years, several conspiracy theories have developed, claiming that this and other moon landing missions were faked.

“As many as 20 percent of Americans think that the moon landings were false, which creates a lot of doubt in the minds of the public,” says Jeremy Veldman, president of Memphis Astronomical Society. “The moon landings are a critical piece of American history. Not only was it one of the greatest achievements in the history of science, but also in the history of our democracy. It’s been 50 years since the first moon landing, and we’ve got a generation of people coming up who didn’t witness it. And they think, well, if it didn’t happen in my lifetime, then maybe it is impossible that it happened.”

Jeremy Veldman, MAS

See you on the dark side of the moon.

Veldman will lead a meeting this Friday at Christian Brothers University to address a few of the many conspiracy theories that have been generated over the years and debunk them with supporting evidence.

Memphis Astronomical Society leads meetings once a month discussing a range of topics that, in the past, have included stellar evolution, dark matter and dark energy, and taking a picture of an exoplanet.

The Apollo Hoax and Late Lunar Landings, Science Auditorium of Assisi Hall at Christian Brothers University, Friday, September 6th, 8 p.m., free.

Categories
We Recommend We Recommend

Have a Good Thyme at Art on the Rocks

CREDIT: Dixon Gallery and Gardens

For more than 40 years, Dixon Gallery and Gardens has been a mecca for art, showcasing horticulture and visual arts with lush botanical gardens and a gallery that displays a range of classic and contemporary arts.

Now, the museum fuses the arts of herbology and mixology at its second annual Art on the Rocks tasting event, featuring cocktails inspired by herbs from their gardens. Basil, sage, thyme, and lavender are just a few of the herbs that will be used as ingredients in uniquely crafted cocktails mixed by A Catered Affair.

Dixon Gallery and Gardens

“My favorite one is a play on a spicy lemon cocktail. It has Fever Tree ginger beer, jalapeño juice, mint, and vodka,” says Kristen Rambo, digital communications associate at Dixon Gallery and Gardens. “Another drink, which is kind of on-trend right now, uses Truly hard seltzer with lime juice, ginger, rum, and rosemary.”

Other signature drinks served will include frozé (a frozen rosé slushie) and Have a Good Thyme, an Old Dominick vodka drink with fresh thyme, ginger beer, Aperol, and lime juice.

Art on the Rocks, which evolved from the former beer tasting event Art on Tap, will also offer craft beers and mocktails; and several local restaurants, including Amerigo, Cheffie’s Café, and Grecian Gourmet, will be present offering food samples. The PRVLG and Josh Threlkeld will provide musical entertainment.

Art on the Rocks is the first of a series of events hosted by the Dixon this season.

“Art on the Rocks is kind of a kick-off event for us in the fall,” Rambo says. “And as we move into October, we’ll get more into the food tastings like with our Art on Fire event.”

Art on the Rocks, Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Friday, September 6th, 6-9 p.m., $40 for members, $50 for non-members and day-of tickets.

Categories
We Recommend We Recommend

Celebrate 901 Day at Exposure

CREDIT: New Memphis

Since 2016, New Memphis has hosted Exposure in conjunction with 901 Day and to carry along its mission of seeing to the prosperity and success of the city through growth, exposure, and support of local businesses, talent, government, communities, and education.

This year’s Exposure event, which falls three days before September 1st, celebrates the Bluff City while connecting longtime Memphians and newcomers alike to more than 175 local businesses and organizations.

“The event is kind of twofold,” says Anna Thompson, marketing communications manager for New Memphis. “If you’re a lifelong Memphian, you might not know all that Memphis has to offer because we’re moving, changing, and evolving every year. So we help to reignite Memphians’ love of their city. The second part of that is if you’re a newcomer, we want to ‘expose’ you to all of what Memphis has to offer, which is why it’s called Exposure.”

New Memphis

Expose yourself to good times.

Organizations representing categories like arts and culture, community, volunteer opportunities, fitness and outdoors, and social and entertainment will be set up in FedExForum’s concourse, with interactive activities like Southern Reins Center for Equine Therapy’s pool-noodle horse races and Memphis Escape Rooms’ 10-minute escape room challenge.

The Beale Street Flippers, Goldperms, and Opera Memphis are just a few of the performers providing entertainment on the two stages in the plaza and on the concourse.

Other events and offerings include giveaways to the first 200 attendees, celebrity bicentennial games, New Memphis T-shirts for sale, and a scavenger hunt with prizes like tablets and Explore Bike Share memberships.

For more information, visit exposurememphis.com.

Exposure, FedExForum, Thursday, August 29th, 6-8 p.m., free.

Categories
We Recommend We Recommend

Midnight Yard Sale at the Hi Tone

CREDIT: Charles Nardi

The Hi Tone hosts its second Midnight Yard Sale this Friday, with items like art, vintage clothing, video game systems, and sound equipment for sale by independent sellers.

“I’ve always kept this in my back pocket in case a show canceled,” says Brian “Skinny” McCabe, owner of the Hi Tone. “Both of the shows I had scheduled in the big and small rooms canceled on the same day. It was really weird, but the first Midnight Yard Sale we threw a year and a half ago was a success, so I knew I had to do another one.”

Midnight Yard Sale is perfect for sellers who may not have the space to host their own yard sales and for buyers whose schedules don’t align with typical yard sale time slots.

Charles Nardi

Hi Tone

“We don’t close till 3 a.m. every night. So trying to get up on a Saturday morning at a reasonable hour and go to a yard sale can be kind of taxing,” says McCabe. “So I just had the idea. What if we just threw a late-night yard sale for restaurant employees and others who don’t get off work until 9 p.m. or later? Then they can just come yard sale-ing inside the Hi Tone after that and enjoy food and drinks while they’re at it.”

Slots for vendor booths filled up quickly, and the public will be able to browse stalls within the venue’s small room, big room, and lounge and inside OOTHOON’S (adjacent to the Hi Tone).

Many of the items that do not sell will be donated to the Union Mission.

Midnight Yard Sale, The Hi Tone and OOTHOON’S, Friday, August 23rd, 11:55 p.m., free.

Categories
We Recommend We Recommend

Match Point: Play Tennis Family Day

CREDIT: Alyssa Ivey | Tennis Memphis

In an effort to introduce the public to the game of tennis and to the newly renovated tennis centers throughout the city, local nonprofit youth development organization Tennis Memphis has partnered with the city of Memphis’ Division of Housing and Community Development to host its first annual Play Tennis, Memphis! Family Play Day event.

The five participating tennis centers (Leftwich, Wolbrecht, Raleigh, Eldon Roark, Frayser, and Bellevue), which have received about $1 million in renovations, will host various tennis events.

Alyssa Ivey | Tennis Memphis

Anyone for tennis?

“We’re going to be hosting clinics at all levels, tournaments, skills challenges, cardio workouts, and more for every facet of every age group from tots up to senior citizens,” says Arnold Thompson, Director of Outreach & Community Development for Tennis Memphis and Elite Professional for the United States Professional Tennis Association. “There’s always something for everybody.”

Events are free to attend, and visitors are not required to bring their own equipment.

“Our mission is to build a better community and enhance lives with tennis education,” says Thompson. “To go along with that mission, our motto is ‘tennis is for everyone.’ So we look to equalize to make tennis available to everybody, not just to people who’ve been traditionally afforded. We want to do everything we can to take the financial constraints off people playing tennis.”

While taking breaks between clinics, games, and demonstrations, attendees can also enjoy music and grub from on-site food trucks, including Marble Slab Creamery, Chef TNT BBQ, and Central BBQ.

Play Tennis, Memphis! Family Play Day, various tennis centers, Saturday, August 3rd, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., free to attend. Pre-registration is encouraged but not required. Visit tennismemphis.org to register.

Categories
We Recommend We Recommend

Man Man and Rebecca Black in Upcoming 1884 Lounge Show

Experimental pop band Man Man hits Memphis this week with supporting act Rebecca Black — remember her 2011 hit “Friday”? Although the concert takes place on Wednesday, not Friday, lead man Honus Honus (Ryan Kattner) promises to deliver a fun show that may or may not involve “a jar of frogs, Billy Joel covers, and, if the air is right, maybe throwing a handful of spoons at a wall.”

All jokes aside, the band will perform an array of songs from past albums spanning from Man Man EP (2004) to Life Fantastic (2011) to On Oni Pond (2013) backed by woodwinds, horns, guitars, keyboards, drums, and “men singing like women and children.”

Man Man

After a brief tour together in March, Rebecca Black is back on tour with the band throughout July. “I wanted to bring someone who is inspiring to be around,” says Kattner. “I went and saw a friend perform in L.A., and she played afterward. I was familiar with the work she did when she was 13 years old, but I was really taken aback by how great she sounded at the show. She’s blossomed into a great songwriter, and she does a great performance and has great stage presence. I also thought it would be an interesting juxtaposition because I hate going to shows where the opening band sounds exactly like the main band. Our fans have been really respectful of her.”

Man Man, Rebecca Black perform at 1884 Lounge, Wednesday, July 10th, 8 p.m., $15-$17.