JANICE GRISSOM ELLISON, KAREN MILAM, DON MYNATT, TAMMY NASH, RANDY ROTZ, LEWIS TAYLOR, WILLIAM WIDEMAN Distribution
KENNETH NEILL Founding Publisher
THE MEMPHIS FLYER is published weekly by Contemporary Media, Inc., P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101 Phone: (901) 521-9000 Fax: (901) 521-0129 memphisflyer.com
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January has been a rough year, huh? United States citizens, torn apart like never before, have been inundated with a ridiculous array of presidential orders and policy changes dumped on us in an absolute whirlwind of nonsense in a matter of days. An emboldened and strange billionaire troll — who’s pulling political strings even beyond our scope of understanding — is not-so-subtly showing his true colors in front of the entire world. And, still, half of the folks we share this country with can’t agree that he and the guy who promised to “Make America Great Again” have more than a couple screws loose — and do not have our best interests in mind.
Lucky for you, I know that you’ve heard enough about this. You’ve processed or are still processing — maybe dissociating? Heh. Whatever the case may be, I’d bet we’re all more than a little dazed and confused in the dust of what’s happened since Inauguration Day — and under the looming worry of what’s to come.
So one thing I’ve done in recent weeks is meditate. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being an excellent meditator and 1 being the worst, I’m at zero. Maybe even -2. I am absolutely no good at quieting my anxious mind. But meditation is called “a practice,” so I’m practicing. I have some random app on my phone that had been sending me noti cation nudges to meditate every day for months. I, of course, ignored those noti cations because who has time for that? Honestly, I ignore most of the noti cations I receive. ey never stop coming, and I can’t keep up. ose reminders to drink water or weigh myself today or log a journal entry— well, they’ll have to wait. At least until a er I respond to a few dozen emails and contact the post o ce about why my package hasn’t been scanned in three weeks and call my insurance about charging me for medication that was previously covered. ere’s always a big, long to-do list, right? But, if I understand all this correctly, that’s why meditation — if you can get there — is important. ere are all sorts of videos on YouTube you can access, playlists on Spotify, and probably a million other free meditation resources online. I’ve started with short, 5- or 10minute guided meditations. It’s o en frustrating because I can’t for the life of me see the meadow or the stream or the sunny sky they’re guiding me to see with my mind’s eye. ere’s no staircase and no open window. And I spend an awful lot of time telling myself that I need to stop thinking. inking about thinking is not meditating. e point is not to think, right? Or to get past the thinking you and directly to the heart of consciousness? I really don’t know because I’ve never done it. But some people swear it does wonders for their love and appreciation of life, letting go of worry, increasing creativity, and on and on. Dive within, yes?
POP NUKOONRAT | DREAMSTIME.COM is month made the Flyer editor try meditation.
NEWS & OPINION
THE FLY-BY - 4 POLITICS - 8 FINANCE -9 AT LARGE - 10 VIEWPOINT - 11 COVER STORY “LISTEN UP” BY FLYER STAFF - 12
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
WE RECOMMEND - 15 MUSIC - 16 AFTER DARK - 17 CALENDAR - 19
NY TIMES CROSSWORD - 21
WE SAW YOU - 22
ARTS - 24 FOOD - 25
NEWS OF THE WEIRD - 26 ASTROLOGY - 27 FILM - 28 NOW PLAYING - 29 CLASSIFIEDS - 30 LAST WORD - 31
I guess for now, it’s good to at least put 10 minutes aside to lie with eyes closed even if I’m thinking about not thinking. I can certainly think of worse things to do and worse things to think about. And hey, mediation might be woo-woo to you. You don’t have to do it! I’m willing to try just about anything that’ll help me nd some peace and purpose. Both are incredibly important, especially now when things feel so out of control. Take a 10 from the chatter and fear.
Amid the dust and the rubble, we may not be able to see the stream or the meadow or the shining sun, but they’re there, somewhere … in the stillness, beyond the dark. No matter what, don’t stop looking.
Shara Clark shara@memphis yer.com
PHOTO:
THE fly-by
MEM ernet
Memphis on the internet.
GO FIGURE(INE)
It’s a great time to be alive if you live in Memphis, like to browse Facebook Marketplace, and love weird gurines.
Consider this “drunk pirate gurine” posted by Boula Baskhairoun from Olive Branch.
Surly with a pistol, sword, and holding a chimp’s hand, this guy is just $29. How Boula knows the pirate is drunk, though, was not disclosed.
Since you’re already down that way, swing a little further south to Hernando for Mary D. Wasson’s “Talking Trumpinator” gurine. He says, “I’ll be back … in 2024” and “hasta la vista, Biden.” Timeless fun. Only $40.
Complete your gurine road trip in beautiful Blytheville, Arkansas for the guy to the right. From a ’70s-era Lewis and Clark Expedition collection, he’s also a decanter. e drunk pirate will love him. If none of that interests you, Zach Runyon has 20 barrels of peanut butter back in Memphis that he’ll let go for $50 a pop.
Questions, Answers + Attitude
Edited by Toby Sells
{WEEK THAT WAS
By Flyer staff
Feagins, Lee, & the
Consent Decree
School leader red, the governor’s special session, and the MPD is again policing itself.
SPY FEARS
Critics fear a judge’s recent decision will weaken a long-standing federal order that bans the Memphis Police Department (MPD) from spying on citizens. e ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Jon McCalla modi es an order known as the Kendrick Consent Decree by replacing a private attorney who monitors police activities with two lawyers employed by the city of Memphis and assigned to the MPD.
e measure is endorsed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee (ACLU-TN), which successfully challenged MPD and the city of Memphis in federal court for illegally surveilling activists involved in protests against police abuse and other lawful dissent.
But Bruce Kramer, the lawyer who rst sued the city in 1976 for MPD’s illegal political intelligence gathering, says the ruling is not in the public’s best interest.
“It’s not as bad as putting the fox in charge of the hen house. But the history of this is that the city has never liked this consent decree and has wanted it to end. is is just one more step towards that process,” Kramer said.
LEE’S WISH LIST
e items proposed for Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s special session, scheduled to start this week, carried a price tag of nearly $917 million, with his school voucher plan alone costing $424 million in its rst year.
e session was set to only cover three major issues: Lee’s school vouchers, relief for Hurricane Helene victims in East Tennessee, and readying the state to conform to President Donald Trump’s immigration plan, which could include mass deportations.
LEE’S IMMIGRATION BUREAU
Buoyed by President Donald Trump’s plan for mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, Lee proposed to fund an immigration enforcement bureau that could take on deportation authority to remove people from the country.
In a proclamation calling a special session to start January 27th, Lee detailed the creation of a central immigration agency with enforcement powers, a closer relationship with
U.S. courts, and possible use of state courts to remove undocumented people. Lee’s plan establishes a fund to pay for the agency, but he has not given a cost estimate.
Under current law, federal authorities handle immigration law, in some instances working with local law enforcement. But this move would give the state wider latitude to enforce those laws, especially in conjunction with a federal court dealing with immigrants accused of “terrorism.”
FEAGINS FIRED
Marie Feagins was red last Tuesday as superintendent of Memphis-Shelby County Schools, setting the district back to where it has been repeatedly in recent years: searching for leadership.
A bitterly divided school board voted 6-3 to oust Feagins less than 10 months into her tenure, approving a resolution that cited allegations of professional misconduct and poor leadership.
Feagins, a former Detroit school administrator hired by a previous board to lead Tennessee’s largest school district a er a prolonged and problem-plagued search, vehemently denied any wrongdoing.
e board voted to name Roderick Richmond, a longtime district administrator now serving as the district’s transformation o cer, as interim superintendent. ChalkbeatTN and the Institute for Public Service Reporting contributed to this report.
Visit e News Blog at memphis yer.com for fuller versions of these stories and even more local news.
PHOTO: ARIEL J. COBBERT | CHALKBEAT
Marie Feagins engages with students during a visit to Grandview Heights Elementary School in April 2024, soon a er she took the job as MSCS superintendent.
‘Sex-Protective Laws’ {
LGBTQ
By Kailynn Johnson
OUTMemphis prepares for Trump, “hateful state legislature.”
The slew of executive orders issued by President Donald Trump on his rst day in o ce prompted organizations like OUTMemphis to be proactive and to prepare their communities for the challenges ahead.
OUTMemphis executive director Molly Quinn held a virtual press conference last week about the services the organization is o ering for extra support to those a ected by the orders.
“ e new presidential administration has issued several executive orders upon inauguration, including new discriminatory and ill-planned guidance around sex and gender identity,” Quinn said. “We anticipated this as a national LGBTQ+ movement. We’re working very closely with our national and local partners to understand the exact impact — and in what way, and what order — on transgender and nonbinary people in the Mid-South.”
PHOTO: BRUNO AGUIRRE | UNSPLASH
OUTMemphis prepares for the Trump administration.
“The fight that we have in front of us feels very new, but it truly isn’t.”
On January 20th, Trump signed a number of orders that tackle topics such as immigration, American citizenship, and more. ese orders will adversely a ect members of minority populations, including those in the LGBTQ community.
Among these orders is one that states that “sex” refers to an “immutable biological classi cation as either male or female.”
“‘Sex’ is not a synonym for and does not include the concept of ‘gender identity,’” the order said. “ ese sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality. Under my direction, the executive branch will enforce all sex-
protective laws to promote this reality, and the following de nitions shall govern all executive interpretation of and application of federal law and administration policy.”
Tennessee already has regulations and restrictions on the state level that are similar to the ones Trump has imposed federally. Last summer, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that residents in Tennessee would not be allowed to change the gender on their birth certi cate.
Court documents said, “ ere is no fundamental right to a birth certi cate recording gender identity instead of biological sex.” OUTMemphis o cials
said they are already o ering services to help individuals navigate this, as it can be a barrier to accessing social services.
Quinn also said this executive order could immediately impact federal sex-segregated spaces, such as prisons. is would cause transgender women to be transferred to a men’s prison, and transgender men to be transferred to a women’s prison.
e executive order also prohibits federal funds from being used to promote “gender ideology.” is is one of the things Quinn said her and her team are monitoring closely.
“OUTMemphis as an organization
bene ts from federal programs,” Quinn explained. “We deliver federal dollars for HIV prevention and care, mental health, and housing for youth and adults in the community. All of those programs are based on the idea that LGBTQ people are a protected class with regards to social services.”
OUTMemphis said its immediate focus is its legal clinics and nancial resources regarding identi cation and family rights. Its leaders are also looking to expand support systems for minors and teens.
“I think we all know and we all understand the broad spectrum of poor climate for the welfare of young people in our state,” Quinn said. “We have bathroom bans, bad school policy, bad foster policies. We have harmful healthcare policies, and the new federal attacks and stigmatization of transgender people will be particularly harmful to minors and adolescence who are coping with so much.”
Quinn also mentioned that new DEI regulations may also signi cantly impact organizations like OUTMemphis, as they have bene ted from several policy initiatives.
While these orders may be the signal of what’s to come, OUTMemphis said they’re prepared to help individuals access social programs and resources.
“ e ght that we have in front of us feels very new, but it truly isn’t,” Quinn said. “We already know how to prepare for Trump. We already know how to prepare for a more hateful state legislature, another wave of corporate bullies, of removing DEI culture within our capitalist systems. is is part of what we’ve done for a very long time.”
By Jackson Baker
Transitions
e rst month of the new year saw some notable comings and goings.
In the political sphere, both major political parties chose new leaders over the weekend.
e executive committee of the Tennessee Democratic Party (TNDP), meeting in Nashville on Saturday, elected Rachel Campbell of Chattanooga the party’s new state chair. Campbell, currently chair of the Hamilton County Democratic Party, defeated state Representative Gloria Johnson, the party’s unsuccessful 2024 candidate for the U.S. Senate, and three other candidates.
e election required two ballots, with Campbell ultimately winning over runner-up Johnson by a margin of 43 to 22. One of the issues militating against Johnson was a concern that, as an elected state o cial, her direct involvement in fundraising campaigns would be limited by restrictions set by the state Election Registry.
e TNDP elected Nathan Higdon of Blount County as vice chair.
hooted at from the oor by supporters of Morgan, one of whom hurled the deadly epithet “Rino” (for Republican in Name Only) at Fazlullah.
e tally results — 307 votes for Morgan, 100 for Fazlullah— indicated that the advance Sturm und Drang, which was considerable, had been wholly disproportionate to the actual alignment of forces in party ranks.
Morgan’s campaign, run under the rubric “25 [for 2025] to Revive,” had been well organized and clearly included in its ranks a lopsided majority of local GOP in uencers.
And in Shelby County, also on Saturday, a few hundred delegates turned out for the local Republican Party’s biennial convention at New Hope Christian Church in Bartlett, electing former Memphis city councilman Worth Morgan Shelby County Republican chair over party vice chair Naser Fazlullah.
e contest had generated a fair amount of friction in local Republican circles, some of it carrying over to the convention itself, largely on account of Fazlullah’s charge that Morgan had been insu cient in his support of President Donald Trump.
Fazlullah repeated the charge to the convention attendees on Saturday, and for his pains heard himself being
Patti Possel, a veteran of the erstwhile deannexation-fromMemphis movement in the suburbs, was elected local GOP vice chair.
• Jim Kyle, the onetime Democratic leader in the state Senate, who gave up his legislative seat a decade ago to make a successful run for Shelby County chancellor, made his retirement from the bench formal last week.
Some months ago, Kyle had been forced to step down from his judicial duties because of the debilitating e ects of CIDP (chronic in ammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy).
Lawyer Jim Newsom was appointed special judge, a temporary successor to Kyle, by Governor Bill Lee. Kyle reports progress in what has been a di cult rehabilitation period, one which has severely restricted his movements and con ned him to a wheelchair. He is looked a er by his wife, state Senator Sara Kyle, by other family members, and by various ad hoc helpers.
Gamely, Kyle says he is greatly buoyed by the imminent birth of a grandchild to his son James Kyle Jr. and by devoted watching of the televised games — “good, bad, and ugly” —of the Grizzlies basketball team.
PHOTO (ABOVE): MEMPHIS CITY COUNCIL Worth Morgan
PHOTO: TENNESSEE COURTS Jim Kyle
Invest in 2025
Six tips to begin your investment journey.
Anew year brings new goals and a fresh start. If your resolutions include investing for the future, congratulations! You’re taking the first step toward building wealth and achieving financial independence. Here are six tips to help you begin in 2025.
1. Start simple.
One of the easiest ways to start investing is through a retirement plan. If you have access to a workplace plan, such as a 401(k) or 403(b), make sure you’re contributing enough to take full advantage of any company matching contributions. If you don’t have access to a workplace plan, consider opening a traditional or Roth IRA.
Once you have an account in place, commit to making regular contributions. Automatic payroll deferrals are a great way to effortlessly build an account balance. Each year, have a goal of increasing your contributions by 1 percent to 2 percent. Even a small increase can have a big impact on your retirement savings over time, and you’re unlikely to even notice the impact on your take-home pay.
2. Find a fiduciary advisor.
A great way to start investing is by working with a qualified fiduciary advisor to establish an investment strategy that makes sense for you, given your current financial situation and goals for the future. Fiduciary advisors are held to fiduciary duty standards, which means they’re legally obligated to act in clients’ best interests at all times.
In contrast, some advisors are incentivized by investment managers and/or insurance companies to sell clients certain products that may or may not be in the client’s best interest. This practice can lead to high fees and the long-term erosion of your assets.
Look for an advisor who provides 100 percent of their services as a fiduciary advisor; offers low-cost, tax-efficient strategies; and uses an approach based on rational, sciencedriven, academic research. There’s a lot of misleading financial data out there. Your advisor should have the knowledge, background, and experience to get to the facts and develop well-researched solutions to the challenges you face.
3. Establish clear investing goals. Everyone has different goals for the future, so there is no one-size-fits-all strategy. A great way to begin your
investing journey is by establishing an overall financial plan. A solid financial plan can serve as a blueprint to guide all aspects of your financial life and can help ensure your investment decisions make sense, given your overall financial situation.
Consider working with an advisory team with experience navigating a range of financial challenges, including debt management, insurance planning, retirement planning, budgeting, estate planning, tax planning, and preparation, etc.
4. Diversify.
Regardless of where you are in your investing journey, it’s important to maintain a diversified portfolio. Investing in different types of assets can help spread out your risk because when one sector or investment type is performing poorly, another investment type that’s performing better can help smooth out overall portfolio volatility. While diversification won’t prevent losses, it can reduce your risk of being too heavily invested in the worst performing part of the market.
5. Don’t neglect your emergency savings. While investing in a diversified mix of stocks and bonds is a great way to build your wealth over time, it’s also important to have access to a liquid emergency fund to help cover unexpected expenses. Consider saving three to six months of living expenses in a short-term account separate from your invested assets.
6. Protect your nest egg. As you build your investment portfolio, be sure to implement a variety of riskmanagement strategies. These include things like life insurance, umbrella liability insurance, long-term-care insurance, disability/income replacement insurance, and more. Work with your wealth manager to determine which strategies make sense for your particular situation.
Gene Gard, CFA, CFP, CFT-I, is a Private Wealth Manager and Partner with Creative Planning. Creative Planning is one of the nation’s largest registered investment advisory firms providing comprehensive wealth management services to ensure all elements of a client’s financial life are working together, including investments, taxes, estate planning, and risk management. For more information or to request a free, no-obligation consultation, visit CreativePlanning.com.
AT LARGE By Bruce VanWyngarden
Cold Play
It’s not easy being Greenland.
If you had Greenland being invaded by the United States on your 2025 bingo card, congratulations! You may be a winner. e Financial Times reported last Friday on a 45-minute phone call made by Donald Trump, the newly elected president of the U.S., to Mette Frederiksen, the premier of Denmark, a longtime NATO ally. e results weren’t encouraging.
According to the Financial Times, Frederiksen “emphasized” to Trump that the world’s largest island — a self-governing territory of the kingdom of Denmark — was not for sale. at apparently went about as well as you would expect, given the intellectual maturity of our current commander in chief.
she wasn’t in the same room with him. No telling what he would have grabbed. e truth is, “people” actually do know if Denmark has a right to Greenland. And the answer is yes, they do — and have for over a millenium. Equally true is the fact that the United States has absolutely no claim to the place. Zero. Yet Trump is on record as saying he wouldn’t rule out military action to seize Greenland, which is an act of war. Forcibly taking the territory of one of our NATO allies is such a bonkers concept that some pundits are writing that Trump is just posturing — playing three-dimensional chess — in order to distract us from his horrible cabinet appointees and batshit presidential orders by making these outlandish (Ha-ha!) feints at taking sovereign territory from our allies.
Nope. He’s not that clever. Yes. He really does appear to be that delusional.
e FT spoke to “ ve current and former senior European o cials” who had been briefed on the call, each of whom said the conversation had gone badly. Trump was “aggressive and confrontational,” said one of the o cials. “He was very rm. Before, it was hard to take it seriously. But I do think it is serious, and potentially very dangerous.”
You have to forgive the Danes for being a bit shocked. ey have had dibs on Greenland for a long time — since 986 A.D., to be semi-exact. at’s 1,039 years, certainly long enough to have gotten a little attached to the place. Now, out of the blue, comes a call from the leader of the most powerful nation on Earth and his message is, basically, “Gimme your biggest piece of land.”
To quote e Don more precisely: “People really don’t even know if Denmark has any legal right to it, but if they do, they should give it up because we need it for national security.” Simple as that. Give it to us because we “need” it. It’s a geopolitical version of e Godfather. “It’d be a shame if something were to happen to your cute little kingdom, Mette. So hand over the island, capiche?” She’s lucky
According to the NATO treaty, an act of aggression toward one NATO member is seen as an attack on all members. So what Trump is dancing around by threatening Denmark is a circumstance that could put the U.S. in a military stare-down against Great Britain, France, Germany, and all the other NATO powers. Like World War II, only this time we’re the bad guys.
Trump seems to see Greenland, like Canada (who he’s pitched as a “51st state”), and the Panama Canal (“We’re taking it back.”), as nice additions to his North American Monopoly collection. Oh, and we’ve renamed the Gulf of Mexico because why not? (No word yet on whether my hometown of Mexico, Missouri, will become America, Missouri.)
If it weren’t so insane, all of this would be comedy gold, ripe material for a wacky Broadway farce: e Emperor Has No Clues. But imagine how terrifying all this is to the rest of the world. Imagine how we’d feel if China or Russia or some other nuclear power was suddenly being led by an erratic bu oon who was calling Australia and demanding they hand over New Zealand.
To most of the other civilized countries on planet Earth, the United States appears to have lost its freaking mind. How do you begin to comprehend a country that elects Barack Obama, then Donald Trump, then Joe Biden, and then Trump again? It’s not normal. None of this is normal. We’re all in Greenland now.
PHOTO: ROKAS TENYS | DREAMSTIME.COM Greenland: We “need” it. Apparently.
By
Stephanie Painter
The Pain of Not Knowing
“For a community where family is everything, the fear of separation touches us at our core.”
t work, the therapist often shares a psychoeducational handout that describes ways to cope with anxiety. The recommended tools of deep breathing and meditation can be helpful, and yet she doubts they are adequate in the present situation. Even classic cognitive restructuring — scaling back worstcase-scenario thinking — seems to her duplicitous. She wants to conjure exercises that banish all anxiety, particularly worries around Trump’s threats of mass deportation. But she isn’t that good.
Undocumented immigrants living in the United States have been in this spot before, and so has the therapist, who worked in this small office eight years ago, when Trump first set up residence in the White House. She has waited for this fear to resurface as a concern for those who visit the family medicine clinic to treat diabetes or high blood pressure and then stop in to discuss their life stressors. Soon after the 2024 presidential election, a patient brought up Trump’s aggressive threats. “I don’t belong anywhere in this country,” she said sadly. Some patients report difficulty controlling worrying, trouble relaxing, and feeling as if something catastrophic might happen.
Trained to maintain confidentiality, the therapist nevertheless believed back in 2017 that it was important to move outside the bubble of therapy and raise awareness of the toxic impact Trump’s immigration policies had on mental health. During Trump’s first term, she wrote an article for Memphis Parent magazine introducing Karla’s story. An article reflecting similar concerns could be written today. “Sixteen-year-old Karla plans a special Mother’s Day celebration. The high school junior will serve breakfast in bed to her mom, honoring her mother’s presence in her life. Throughout the day, she’ll try to push aside the anxiety she has experienced the past few months. ‘I try to cherish every moment.’ Inevitably, though, she will read a news report or social media post outlining President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. Karla is a U.S. citizen, and her parents are undocumented immigrants from Mexico. ‘I worry that one day my parents may not come back to my house,’ she said. ‘My 9-year-old sister looks at the news and worries when someone knocks on the door.’”
When at school, the distracted girls found it difficult to concentrate on academics. In many ways, Karla’s parents were typical — they worked hard, paid taxes, and built strong relationships in the community. The children looked forward
to attending college.
Another source for the article was Mauricio Calvo, the director of Latino Memphis, who said, “Children are hearing the conversation at the dinner table, ‘What happens if I don’t come back today?’ For a community where family is everything, the fear of separation touches us at our core. People fear that any interaction with the government will result in deportation — applying for food stamps for their U.S. citizen families, or going to any court, not just immigration court. Some skip doctors’ appointments, and fear of deportation may prevent crime victims from filing police reports. Even if nothing happens, anxiety makes people sick.”
He noted that at one elementary school, parents from four families approached a teacher, pleading with her to take custody of their children in the event of their deportation.
That year, local artist Yancy Villa shared her perspective with the Barrier Free installation displayed in pop-ups around the country. In silhouettes portraying a father carrying a child and a caregiver pushing a wheelchair, the artist left void spaces representing missing persons. Her project built on the controversial idea of Trump’s proposed wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Instead of concrete, the installation consisted of portraits of local families and individuals representing Memphis’ diverse tapestry. “Everyone is an essential part of our community, and separating us, physically, emotionally, or in any other form, makes our community incomplete,” she said.
It is now early 2025 just after the festive holiday season. In some areas of Mexico and the United States, children recently celebrated Epiphany, commonly known as Three Kings Day or El Día de Los Tres Reyes, by leaving out shoes filled with hay for the kings’ camels. It is a happy and joyful time. Weeks later, the 60th presidential inauguration ceremony took place, ushering in a period with many unknowns. It is vital for undocumented immigrants to know their rights, and the Latino Memphis website describes those rights and how to apply them.
The therapist is not fluent in Spanish, the “heart language” of many patients, and relies on medical interpreters to facilitate conversations about the ways of the heart and mind. Still, the pain comes through loud and clear, and Mauricio Calvo’s words from eight years ago return to the therapist. “Even if nothing happens, anxiety makes people sick.”
Stephanie Painter is a behavioral health consultant and freelance writer.
According to 2024’s “ e
In nite Dial” report by Edison Research, 47 percent of the U.S. population, 12 and older, listened to at least one podcast in the span of a month, up 12 percent from the year before. What can we say? People like their podcasts. So much so that there are millions of them. We tried Googling the exact number but got bogged down in the AI of it all, so we landed at millions … or at least hundreds of thousands.
What we can say with certainty is that a decent number of podcasts are being created right here in Memphis. Check out what a few local podcasters had to say in this week’s cover story, and take a peek at the sidebar to discover even more podcasts to add to your playlist.
Verbally E ective
Listen Up Listen Up
Memphis podcasters bring you politics, music, paranormal stories, and more.
If there’s a go-to expert in podcasting in Memphis, it’s Ena Esco. She’s the host of Verbally E ective, innovator in residence at Cossitt Library, founder of the PodBox Memphis Podcast Festival, and the wearer of many more hats in this new media landscape.
With a background in radio since graduating from LeMoyne-Owen College in 2001, Esco started her podcast in 2018. “With radio, you only have so many minutes that you can have a conversation,” she says, “and I
wanted to extend those conversations through podcasting. And so I wanted it to be a podcast that intersected art, culture, politics, entertainment, with a Memphis focus.”
Her Verbally E ective became home for just that, with each episode, over 300 in total, in conversation with a Memphis changemaker — from National Civil Rights Museum president Russell Wigginton to Grammy Award-winning Crystal
Nicole to therapist Brandy J. Flynn.
“You just never know what people have gone through to be where they are today,” she says, “and to hear their stories lets me know that the type of work that I’m doing with podcasting is important because I know that their stories will resonate with other people.”
Esco’s goal, she says, is to elevate voices, whether that’s in her own podcast or through helping others create theirs. “So much is going on right now, especially right now, with people trying to silence voices, but we can utilize the new media platforms to get our messaging across.”
“With podcasting, anything is on the table,” adds Esco. “In podcasting, you can create your own situation. You can format your show however you want to format your show. You can monetize. You can build relationships with people that you probably never would.”
A er building her audience with Verbally E ective, Esco drew the attention of Memphis Public Libraries’ leadership and before too long became its rst-ever innovator in residence, coordinating free podcast programming at Cossitt Library, developing workshops, curating panels and shows, and working with podcasters individually. In her nearly three years at Cossitt, Esco has helped podcasters in a gamut of genres, from
sports to lifestyle to travel. “When you get [people] into podcasting, you’re really building up their con dence in making them a stronger speaker, a better storyteller,” she says. “It just gives me joy to see people transform in their way.”
For her work through the library system, Esco earned an honorable mention from the Urban Libraries Council Innovation Awards in 2024. “It was a big deal because it a orded [the Memphis Public Libraries] the opportunity to receive a grant to bring in more innovators [in other areas],” she says. is coming year, Esco hopes to produce 10 podcasts, with a focus on community podcasting. “It’s going to be quite the undertaking,” she says. Also in 2025, Esco will lead digital radio, podcasting, and TV broadcasting programming for the recently reopened Lowery Communication Center at LeMoyne-Owen College. “ is is a full-circle moment for me because I started my media career as a senior, and now I’m back at my alma mater, seeing the students in this particular subject matter, so I’m just blessed. I am really blessed.”
In September, she’ll host the PodBox Memphis Podcast Festival, an annual event with industry experts, panels, mixers, and more. She’ll also host quarterly meetups with established and potential podcasters throughout the year.
PHOTO: COURTESY ENA ESCO
Ena Esco, host of Verbally E ective
Find Esco on social media @enaesco. Verbally E ective, in addition to being available for streaming, is aired on WXYR on Tuesdays at noon.
— Abigail Morici
Cemetery Row
A deep and ominous bell tolls over the cold, lonely, windswept graveyard.
It’d be pretty scary, but the hosts of Cemetery Row are there to hold your hand and tell you it’s all okay. en they start telling you the stories of some of the folks buried there and — before you know it, champ — you’re starting to have fun.
“Cemeteries are not scary places,” says Sheena Barnett, one of the podcast’s three hosts. “ ey’re not sad places. ey can be, obviously if you’re going to where a loved one is buried. But I see them as places of love, places full of stories, places that need to be preserved.”
e sentiment is shared by hosts Lori Pope and Hannah Donegan. e trio of “spooky girls” met as Ole Miss journalism students, kept tight a er school, and wanted to stay that way when Donegan moved to Chicago. Barnett volunteered at Elmwood Cemetery cleaning headstones and told the others about all the great stories out there. Cemetery Row became a way for them to connect and to hone their haunted proclivities.
Pope’s dad would tease her about “Rosie the ghost,” who was said to roam an old family cemetery on her grandparents’ farm. Barnett grew up on Unsolved Mysteries and going to cemeteries with her mother and grandmother. A “Jane Doe” headstone mysti ed a younger Donegan when seen in a graveyard in plain view of her Olive Branch Middle School. at ominous bell really does toll to open each episode of Cemetery Row. e hosts introduce themselves, banter, connect, tell a few
inside jokes, and they cuss … like a lot. e meat of the show, though, is true stories of the dead.
“Just like most people from history, she has parts of her life where she’s a total relatable badass, and then there’s parts where she kind of sucks a little bit,” Donagen says of occultist, ceremonial magician, and novelist Dion Fortune in an October episode called “Occultists, Psychics, and Cryptids.”
“She was a rich, white lady in early 20th-century England. So, what are you gonna do?”
at episode also featured the stories of Simon Warner, a psychic and crime doctor, known as e Seer of Shelbyville (Tennessee), and some spooky tales from Idaho (a bit outside of the cemetery, strictly speaking, but right next door).
e hosts laugh, bomb each other
with bon mots, and keep things casual. But they ex those journalism degrees in well-researched stories, written with a straight-ahead newspaper eloquence. Not every episode has a theme but some have featured athletes, LGBTQ folks, Black excellence, and more. One featured people named Dick.
Dial up Cemetery Row wherever you nd podcasts. Pope, Doengan, and Barnett will have you skipping through the headstones in no time. — Toby Sells
Night Classy
FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE:
Astronomica
Join a group of nerds as they crew the de nitely-notpiloted-by-arogue-AI ship e Admiral Grace in a science- ction OSR actual play podcast using the Stars Without Number RPG system.
Black Is America
Have you ever been curious about the deep intricacies of society that our history books never dreamed of covering? You know, like the 1950s quiz show scandal that unearthed rigging and resulted in congressional hearings? Or have you or a loved one been approached by a charming Nigerian prince who only needs your entire life savings to help him out? If you’re looking to dive more into his origin story (and the many ways he presents himself), or just looking to satiate your hunger for obscure knowledge, class is in session on the Night Classy podcast.
Hayley Madden and Katja Barnhart are two educators by day, taking their aptitude for knowledge from the classroom to the mic. Both women met through Teach For America (TFA) and bonded over e O ce — facilitated by the “TFA experience,” which Madden explains is like an “extension of college.”
Madden says the podcast was originally Barnhart’s idea, which she says stemmed from her “obsession” with podcasts, and a er moving to a new place, this seemed like the perfect new hobby to take up. Barnhart remembers thinking, “ is is it; this is going to be good.”
Dominic Lawson highlights littleknown African-American gures and stories.
Champions of the Lost Causes
Marvin Stockwell talks to folks across the country about their success and setbacks.
Got Points Podcast
Ashling Woolley and Ti ani Denham teach listeners how to build up travel points quickly, how to keep a high bank of points, and how to use these points to maximize every bene t.
Grits and Grinds: Memphis Grizzlies
Keith Parish covers the Grizzlies year-round with in-depth analysis.
e podcast’s future was further solidi ed when Barnhart met her longtime boyfriend Alec Ogg, who’s a podcast producer by trade and o ered to produce the podcast.
As a child, Madden says she liked to experiment with di erent
on page 14
Like You: Mindfulness for Kids
Noah Glenn uses breathing, a rmations, music, and imagination to support socialemotional health and mental wellness for kids.
Memphis Flyer Video Podcast
Oh, hello, that’s us! Each week, Chris McCoy and a co-host take you through the paper and give you insight into the madness that goes on at the Memphis Flyer
e Permanent Record
Just City’s podcast features conversations about the criminal justice system and how individuals can work to make it smaller, fairer, and better for everyone.
PHOTO: ALEC OGG
Katja Barnhart and Hayley Madden host Night Classy
PHOTO: AMY SCHAFTLEIN
Amy Scha lein and Jenny Davis of Sonosphere continued
things such as making mud pies and catching frogs. “Maybe not researching like I do now as an adult, but just getting into things is something I’ve always been into,” she adds.
Barnhart says she’s always been obsessed with history, always finding herself engrossed in historical fiction. She then found herself obtaining a history degree, but ended up teaching math.
“[I] didn’t really have an outlet to read about the kind of things I wanted to aside from my spare time, so the podcast has been a good way to scratch that itch,” Barnhart says.
During each episode, the hosts pick two stories that they’ve each researched with detailed notes about topics that can be defined as “oddities and curiosities you’ve never learned in school.” As they approach their 250th episode on their main feed, the ladies have covered brain eating amoebas, the lore of America’s Next Top Model, and the Ant Hill Kids Cult to name a few.
“It had to be something we wanted to research,” Madden says. “If it’s not fun on the front end, then it’s not going to be fun for us to actually do, execute, and listen to later.”
Barnhart also adds that they didn’t want to limit themselves to true crime,
paranormal, and reality TV. While they’re interested in all of these things, diversifying their content keeps the experience fresh.
“I feel like if you have to read about it every single week, you’re going to hate it,” Barnhart explains. “We wanted options.”
Sonosphere is more than just a podcast, and had been even before it became a radio show on WYXR (every Monday at 4 p.m.). More than most podcasts, perhaps, it was founded with a mission: fostering more appreciation of unconventional music in Memphis.
As co-founder Amy Schaftlein says, the goal of Sonosphere was “highlighting the sort of experimental bands that don’t really fit into a genre, but have always brought intriguing and interesting sounds. Not everybody could tell if they liked or not. You know, like when you try a new food, you’re kind of like, ‘I don’t know if I like that.’ But you might start to like it a lot more as you try it in different ways.”
Realizing this would take more than a mere podcast, Schaftlein started the nonprofit Sonosphere
Inc. with then-fellow president/CEO Christopher Williams in 2017, intent on programming live performances and lectures, music festivals, and audio documentaries. Thus, right from the beginning, Sonosphere the podcast had a parallel production series known as Sound Observations. “A lot of the Sound Observations series that we brought to Memphis back in 2017, ’18, and ’19 highlighted experimental artists like Wu Fei, who plays a very ancient Chinese instrument.”
At the time, Schaftlein says, Crosstown Arts had not yet leaned into the kind of adventurous programming that they’re now known for. But as Crosstown Arts evolved, with Memphis Symphony Orchestra flutist and Blueshift Ensemble member Jenny Davis taking on music programming for a time, there was less of a need for the Sound Observations series, and Sonosphere the podcast came to the fore. When Williams moved away, Schaftlein, after hosting solo for a while, thought that Davis would be the perfect partner.
“Jenny worked with Chris and I on our Sound Observations when she was at Crosstown Arts,” says Schaftlein. “And she also created the Continuum Fest [a local celebration of New Music and avant garde classical compositions], which she invited Sonosphere to
‘sponsor’ — which really meant we covered it for them — and we came up with some content for the fest. We’ve always worked with Jenny through Crosstown Arts, and so she’s been a part of the podcast, tangentially, for a while. And so it just seemed like a really good fit.”
This was also a good way for Davis to keep her hand in experimental music as she moved on to become the executive director of the Memphis Youth Symphony Program (MYSP). A recent episode of the podcast, for example, focused solely on last year’s Continuum Fest, staged at the Beethoven Club.
Meanwhile, the podcast evolved into a radio show when WYXR began broadcasting in October 2020. And while that slowed the podcast production a bit, it’s really all of a piece. Indeed, as Schaftlein says, “I actually worked for WEVL when I was in college and I had a show on the station. That’s part of what prompted Sonosphere. I really wanted a radio show on WEVL, and they took a while to get back to me, and so I just kind of started it. I was like, ‘We can do this from home!’ You know, podcasting was a thing. It wasn’t as big as now, but it was still a thing then. So we just went ahead and did it ourselves.”
Alex Greene
steppin’ out
We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews
Dance!
By Sarai Bennett
Are you looking for a celebratory way to kick o Black History Month? Well, here’s one way you can start the month o right. Collage Dance’s ballet performances of eir Eyes Were Watching God and Rise were originated with one thing in mind: to honor Black culture and to spotlight pivotal moments the Black community endured in the past.
“I wanted to create works, or ballets, about our community. Because in this art form, classical ballet, there really are hardly any stories about us,” says Kevin omas, artistic director at Collage Dance, co-choreographer with Amy Hall Garner of eir Eyes Were Watching God, and choreographer of Rise.
Based on Zora Neale Hurston’s 1937 novel of the same name, eir Eyes Were Watching God follows the timeless story of Janie Crawford’s life and her journey of self-discovery that many fans love, incorporating it into ballet. omas says, “ is is the rst time a story by Zora Neale Hurston has been turned into an actual ballet and a ballet about our history.”
Rise, on the other hand, is Collage Dance’s decade-old ballet that portrays the era surrounding Martin Luther King Jr.’s nal speech before his assassination, evoking what Black people have overcome and the uncertainty about what lies ahead for them. If you have seen Rise before, expect a few changes as dancers will now be wearing period-inspired costumes instead of the classic abstract attire that they have previously worn. “ is was inspired by Abeo Brown, who’s our wardrobe designer, and she came up with this look. She was actually inspired by a picture of the balcony scene of Martin Luther King. ere’s a little girl on that balcony and that’s where the inspiration came from. Abeo was honoring that little girl there,” says omas. King’s nal speech will be presented live during the performance and voiced by the award-winning voice actor known for portraying Pua in e Lion Guard, Gerald C. Rivers.
e production, which also features the dance Trilogy, runs from January 31st through February 2nd, and tickets are on sale now. For more information regarding all three ballet performances and where to purchase tickets, visit collagedance.org/rise/.
THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD AND RISE, CANNON CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 11 A.M. (STUDENT MATINEE) | SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2:30 P.M. | SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2:30 P.M., $22-$62.
VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES January 30th - February 5th
Wonders in the Night presented by Company d dancers
Wiener eater - Hutchison School, 1740 Ridgeway Rd., ursdayFriday, January 30-31, 7 p.m., $20 Wonders in the Night is an enchanting story ballet by Company d celebrating imagination, adventure, and the wonders of nature. is one-of-a-kind production features dancers with Down syndrome, performing original works created by professional dance and theater artists from Memphis. All choreography is to the compositions of Howard Blake.
Wonders in the Night also celebrates the visual arts. Local visual artists from Artists’ Link will showcase original works inspired by Howard Blake’s music. Artwork will be available for direct sale to attendees, bene ting Company d. Get tickets at tinyurl.com/yfv86htj. “\
omas Dambo’s “Trolls: Save the Humans”
Memphis Botanic Garden, 750 Cherry Road, Saturday, February 1-May 21, $12/adults, $10/seniors (62+), $7/children (2-12), free/ children under 2
Have you heard the BIG news? Trolls are coming to the Memphis Botanic Garden to help save the humans. At the great “Trolliefolkyfest” in a secret place, six young trolls made a pact to band together and help save the humans by rediscovering nature and teaching us how to live in harmony with the Earth. ey recognized the hope within each of us to take action and make positive changes toward a greater future.
roughout the trolls’ stay, the garden will have themed programming like Troll Tram Tours, Troll Play Days, a Troll Fest, and more. Keep up at membg.org/trolls.
Transit Equity Day: What Would Rosa Parks Do?
Ed Rice Community Center, 2935 N. Watkins St., Saturday, February 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Join Better Transit for a Better Memphis, the Sierra Club, and Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope for a discussion on transit equity. Refreshments will be served.
Blue Angel Ball: Bene ting Rainbow Rumble Season 5
Hi Tone, 413 N. Cleveland, Sunday, February 2, 7 p.m., $10
Celebrate Moth Moth Moth’s birthday in style with an unforgettable evening of drag, a variety of acts, and all things periwinkle and heavenly. Performing are Mothy, Imagene Azengraber, Papa Chubb, Fantasia Bordeaux, Crystal Jo Casino, Fauxbia, Sairen Strange, India Taco, and more.
PHOTO: TRE’BOR R. JONES | COURTESY OF COLLAGE DANCE Collage Dance celebrates Black History Month.
MUSIC By Alex Greene
Delta Stardust
e Memphis/North Mississippi band’s debut is pure “roots psychedelia.”
The blues have always hung out at the crossroads of the mundane and the supernatural — as when Robert Johnson exhorted anyone listening to “bury my body down by the highway side, so my old evil spirit can get a Greyhound bus and ride.” But in spite of the blues walking side by side with the devil and buying mojo hands for so long, the genre was never quite associated with shamanic states of consciousness until the ’60s, when tripping hippies folded the blues into both the folk and the heavy rock they favored. Yet when that sonic mash up coalesced into psychedelic rock, the music lost all its grounding in a particular place. It was largely part of the everywhere/nowhere world of pop music, never spawning a sitespeci c tag analogous to “Delta blues,” but rather pro ering a universal message of peace, love, and understanding.
Now, with the advent of a new Memphis/North Mississippi band, Delta Stardust, that may well be changing. As the band’s chief songwriter Michael Graber, aka Spaceman, puts it, “We wanted to go for that transcendence, but we also wanted to be from somewhere. It’s that whole yinyang, push-pull thing.”
“Then I started thinking: What is a Memphis tattoo, but a healed gunshot wound?”
work for Delta Stardust. But the new band also explores novel audio avors.
some overdubs.”
Recording the basic tracks live was made possible in part by the caliber of musicianship that the core membership of Delta Stardust represents, including Andy Ratli (a “key collaborator” who goes back to the Prof. Elixir days), Carlos Gonzales, Jesse Dakota Williams, and Scott Carter, as well as many virtuosic cameos by Grayson Smith, Mark Jordan, Victor Sawyer, Jeremy Shrader, Tom Link, Robert Allen Parker, Julia Graber, Eric Lewis, and Kitty Dearing.
Beyond being an abstract statement of the band’s mission, those words also capture the sound they’ve come up with, which can be heard on their debut album, Snakes Made of Light, released on January 24th. At the foundation of most tracks is the jangling, earthy, ramshackle string band sound to which Graber and his new/old bandmates have devoted themselves since at least the mid-’90s heyday of Prof. Elixir’s Southern Troubadours, through the venerable Blu City Backsliders, and on into more recent projects under the name Graber Gryass. All these have sported, to varying degrees, Graber’s songwriting, which o en blends the archaic language of the Carter Family with Graber’s more Whitman-esque, visionary poetry. is holds true for his
“We gave ourselves permission to bring in all kinds of di erent textures,” says Graber of the new sonic stew. “You know, the synthesizers, the Mellotrons. We recorded at the home studio of John Kilgore, who was the co-producer and engineer. He’s the engineer at Zebra Ranch studio [established near Coldwater, Mississippi, by the late Jim Dickinson 30 years ago]. But John also makes his own guitar pedals and has about 400. And we had tons of Moogs and di erent compressors. He’s like a Brian Eno in Senatobia. ere, in his home studio, John said, ‘If you can dream it, I can nd the sound equivalent.’ So we were able to add that alchemical — what we call ‘stardust’ — texture that way.”
us the yin-yang qualities were baked into the band’s sound simply by virtue of where they cut the music. Even as they red up old Moog synthesizers, they never forgot that they were in Senatobia, Mississippi. “ at’s why we call the genre ‘roots psychedelia,’” Graber explains. “What would happen if, just to take any example, if e Chemical Brothers or e Flaming Lips were actually from the Mississippi Delta? And they had all that burden of in uence, but they still wanted
to hit escape velocity, too, so to speak, right? If they didn’t want to just rewrite Beatles chord structures, but wanted to talk to their ancestors, in a sense, yet also reach for new heights?”
It should be noted that this cornucopia of sounds is deployed with some restraint, compared to your typical synthesizer band, because the string band is always holding down the fort. And some of the sounds are nonelectronic, yet still unfamiliar in the jug band context. Like the chortling “Hoooo!” that opens “Owl in My Backyard,” a bit of eld recording that adds a visceral dimension to a song about a bird that “kisses creation on the forehead each night.” A few tracks later, “Two Questions” opens with frogs and crickets before the swooping, lush chords of Eric Lewis’ pedal steel sweep you away. Even that opening pastoral evolves before reaching “escape velocity,” as Graber notes. “ en you can hear e Band in uences on the chorus, with the accordion and dobro, and then it gets into a weird sound somewhere between Pere Ubu and Black Sabbath, as kind of an inner dialogue, right? But then weaving it all together. Just trying to hit that range of emotions was a joy, and the band was willing to do it as well. You know, we cut most of the stu live, and then we did
e most “topical” track is arguably “Memphis Tattoo,” which brings some uniquely urban concerns into the album’s lyrical universe. “I think anyone in Memphis can relate to the story behind that song,” says Graber. “I was running on the Greenline and I got shot at. e bullet just buzzed right past me into the bushes, and my dog took o . ere was smoke everywhere. I called 911, and I posted on social media about it. And then everyone started telling me about how they have these gunshot wounds. You know, people have them as almost a badge of joy.
And people start piling on to that post and even posting pictures and other things about their gunshot wounds that have healed. So then I started thinking: What is a Memphis tattoo, but a healed gunshot wound?”
And therein lies yet another opposition held in tension, where the folk harmonies and strums of the music, and psychedelia’s promise of transcendence, undergird an all-too-real, yet somehow hopeful take on the gritty world of today. “ e bittersweetness,” says Graber, “is that only the survivors can sing it. But it’s just life here, you know?”
Delta Stardust will celebrate the release of their debut album at the New Memphis Psychedelic Festival, Friday, February 7th, at B-Side Bar, 7 p.m. Other bands at the festival will include Twin Face Kline, Arc of Quasar, and e Narrows.
PHOTO: ANDREW GERACI
Delta Stardust opening for Acid Mother’s Temple; (inset) album art by Rowan Gratz
AFTER DARK: Live Music Schedule January 30 - February 5
Ashton Riker & The Memphis Royals
ursday, Jan. 30, 6 p.m.
B.B. KING’S BLUES CLUB
Baunie & Soul
Sunday, Feb. 2, 6:30 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE
Blind Mississippi Morris
ursday, Jan. 30, 7 p.m.
BLUES CITY CAFE
Brimstone Jones
Friday, Jan. 31, 8 p.m. |
Saturday, Feb. 1, 8 p.m.
BLUES CITY CAFE
Flic’s Pics Band
Led by the legendary Leroy
“Flic” Hodges of Hi Rhythm.
Saturday, Feb. 1, 4 p.m. |
Sunday, Feb. 2, 2 p.m.
B.B. KING’S BLUES CLUB
FreeWorld
Friday, Jan. 31, 7 p.m. |
Saturday, Feb. 1, 7 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE
FreeWorld
Sunday, Feb. 2, 8 p.m.
BLUES CITY CAFE
Rockin’ 88’s
Monday, Feb. 3, 11:30 p.m.
BLUES CITY CAFE
Soul Street
Wednesday, Feb. 5, 6:30 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE
The B.B. King’s Blues Club Allstar Band
Friday, Jan. 31, 8 p.m.
B.B. KING’S BLUES CLUB
Vince Johnson
ursday, Jan. 30, 7 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE
Anthony Q & Friends: Birthday Bash
An unforgettable night of soul, R&B, and celebration. $50$213. Saturday, Feb. 1, 7 p.m. ORPHEUM THEATRE
Evensong
A traditional Anglican choral liturgy in Calvary’s beautiful nave at twilight. Free. Sunday, Feb. 2, 5 p.m.
CALVARY EPISCOPAL CHURCH
Mary J. Blige: The For My Fans Tour
With NE-YO, Mario. Sunday, Feb. 2, 6 p.m.
FEDEXFORUM
Ten Years of Songs and Stories
Featuring a 60-minute video highlighting 10 years of South Main Sounds, food and drink, and a jam session. Friday, Jan. 31, 9 p.m.
SOUTH MAIN SOUNDS
The Central BBQ Sessions
Great food and smokin’ tunes with Ethan Smith. Saturday, Feb. 1, 6-8:30 p.m.
CENTRAL BBQ
Van Duren with special guest Sophie Chertow e Memphis legend and the rising star return to South Main Sounds. Saturday, Feb. 1, 7-9 p.m.
SOUTH MAIN SOUNDS
John Williams & the A440 Band
$10. ursday, Jan. 30, 8 p.m.
NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM
Landslide (Fleetwood Mac Tribute)
$10. Saturday, Feb. 1, 8 p.m.
NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM
Play Some Skynyrd (Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute)
$10. Friday, Jan. 31, 8 p.m.
NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM
The Deb Jam Band
Tuesday, Feb. 4, 6 p.m.
NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM
The Mixers
Sunday, Feb. 2, 4 p.m.
NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM
Van Duren e singer-songwriter, a pioneer of indie pop in Memphis, performs solo. ursday, Jan. 30, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
MORTIMER’S
Art Edmaiston
Edmaiston creates forwardlooking music with bold improvisations teeming with energetic melodies, always in uenced by spiritual music and the blues. $15. Friday, Jan. 31, 7:30 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
Carlos Ecos Band
Saturday, Feb. 1, 5 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Devil Train
Bluegrass, roots, country, Delta, and ski e. ursday, Jan. 30, 9 p.m.
B-SIDE
Emo vs. Anime
DJs playing emo, pop punk, nu metal, metalcore, and anime tracks. Cosplay encouraged. 21+. $20.
Saturday, Feb. 1, 9 p.m.
HI TONE
PHOTO: COURTESY CROSSTOWN ARTS
Art Edmaiston
Formerly Known As Saturday, Feb. 1, 9 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Jazz Saturdays
Hear how the Memphis Jazz Workshop is creating the next generation of jazz enthusiasts and highly trained musicians. $15/general admission.
Saturday, Feb. 1, noon-2 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Joe Restivo 4 Guitarist Restivo leads one of the city’s nest jazz quartets. Sunday, Feb. 2, noon
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Louder Than Bombs (Tribute to The Smiths/ Morrissey)
Saturday, Feb. 1, 8 p.m.
BAR DKDC
Michigander Kalamazoo’s Jason Singer brings his band to Memphis. $29.80/general admission.
Saturday, Feb. 1, 8-10 p.m. 1884 LOUNGE AT MINGLEWOOD
HALL
Mudflap King
Friday, Jan. 31, 6 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Runi Salem
With Anna Rose Baker, Zoe Dominguez [Big RoomUpstairs]. Friday, Jan. 31, 8 p.m.
HI TONE
Shara’s Songwriter Showcase
Sunday, Feb. 2, 6:30 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Souled Out Friday, Jan. 31, 9:30 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Street Lamp
With Pet Mosquito, e Narrows, Macrophonics [Small Room-Downstairs]. 21+. ursday, Jan. 30, 8 p.m.
HI TONE
The Steve Selvidge Sound Express Friday, Jan. 31, 9 p.m.
B-SIDE
Vinyl Happy Hour
With guest DJs every week. Friday, Jan. 31, 3-5 p.m.
MEMPHIS LISTENING LAB
Wayside
With Dial Drive, Half Slice, e Storyline [Small RoomDownstairs]. Friday, Jan. 31, 8 p.m.
HI TONE
Wyly Bigger & the Coyotes
ursday, Jan. 30, 7 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Alma Russ With Alexis Jade, Wayne Alexander & Friends.
ursday, Jan. 30, 8-10 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY
Arc of Quasar
With Rose Garden, Honey Grove. Wednesday, Feb. 5, 8-10 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY
Virtual Black History Month Show
Featuring the lm Soul of America. Visit staxmusicacademy.org throughout February. Free. Saturday, Feb. 1-Feb. 28.
VIRTUAL & ONLINE
Ted Horrell & The Monday Night Card With e Whippersnappers. Saturday, Feb. 1, 3-6 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY
Tennessee Songwriters Week 2025: Qualifying Round
Tennessee Songwriters Week 2025 is almost here! ink you’ve got what it takes to shine on the stage? Sign up for the qualifying round at the Stax Museum on January 30th and show o what you’ve got!
ursday, Jan. 30, 6-9 p.m.
STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC
The Delta Project Friday, Jan. 31, 7-10 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY
Creative Arts Ensemble: Music Conversations with Iris Collective A multidisciplinary experience that provides adults with special needs the opportunity to be understood and heard, execute selfexpression, build con dence, and promote self-advocacy.
Friday, Jan. 31, 6-8 p.m.
GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Peanut Butter & Jam: Andrew Best is program introduces children ages eight and under to a variety of genres including music, dance, and multicultural arts in an informal concert setting.
Saturday, Feb. 1, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Yellowjackets A perfectly combustible, electric-acoustic out t that melds jazz, funk, and R&B. $30/general admission.
Saturday, Feb. 1, 8-9:30 p.m.
GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
PHOTO: ELI OSTROW
Sophie Chertow
CALENDAR of EVENTS: Jan. 30 - Feb. 5
ART AND SPECIAL EXHIBITS
2024 Accessions to the Permanent Collection is series honors the new additions to the Metal Museum’s permanent collection throughout each calendar year. Tues.-Sun., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. rough Nov. 2.
METAL MUSEUM
“A Memphis of Hope” Featuring messages of what is “right” about where we live, through the eyes of its artists. is art exhibition is a powerful testimony of this city’s unity. Monday, Feb. 3-Feb. 28.
WKNO
“Back for Seconds”
Featuring work by Roger Allan Cleaves, Melissa Dunn, Stephanie Howard, and Clare Torina. rough Feb. 1.
SHEET CAKE
Fall 2024 BFA
Exhibition e Fall 2024 BFA Exhibition features work by Ciridany Genchi Cortez and Piper Grokulsky, both graduating seniors in Christian Brothers Universty’s department of visual arts. Free. rough Feb. 14.
BEVERLY + SAM ROSS GALLERY
Jay Etkin Group Show e rst show of 2025, with some Memphis favorites such as Roy Tamboli, Juan Rojo, Annabelle Meechum, and Carol Buchman. rough Feb. 15.
JAY ETKIN GALLERY
Jennifer Watson: “Small Spaces”
e artist incorporates three-dimensional enameled copper sculpture into highly designed, jewel-like paintings that mix overlapping and colliding geometries with animal and plant imagery. rough April 13.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Jodi Hays: “Befores and Afters” Hays’ paintings can be found in many public and corporate collections including the J Crew Group, Morgan Stanley, Fidelity, and the Birmingham Museum of Art. rough
Feb. 8.
DAVID LUSK GALLERY
Johnathan Payne: “Regenesis”
e artist works at the abstract intersection of drawing, collage, embroidery, beadwork, and painting. Friday, Jan. 31-March 22.
CLOUGH-HANSON GALLERY, RHODES COLLEGE
Justin Bowles: “Green Fountain”
An ecstatic rendering of a fantastical garden. Bowles’ garden depicts a pool surrounded by animals and plants and crystal rock formations depicted in three intricate collage works. rough Feb. 16.
TOPS GALLERY: MADISON AVENUE PARK
Kenneth Lawrence
Beaudoin: “In the Hands of a Poet”
John McIntire fondly recalls Beaudoin’s creative process behind these “Eye Poems”: “He would just sit in the middle of piles of magazines and books, cutting, gluing, and smoking.” rough Feb. 22.
TOPS GALLERY
“Loose Ends:” New Work by Brittney Boyd Bullock Bullock examines the intricate narratives of Black labor, migration, and cultural identity through an interdisciplinary approach that merges textile-based art and collage. rough Feb. 1.
SHEET CAKE
“Pompeii: The Exhibition”
In a media-rich, objectbased immersive experience, discover the bustling commercial port and strategic military and trading center that was Pompeii before Mount Vesuvius erupted. rough April 13.
GRACELAND EXHIBITION CENTER
Rivertown Artists 2025 Winter Expo Exhibition e group o ers a variety of paintings, ceramic creations, photographic showpieces, and collages to satisfy everyone’s artistic tastes. rough Jan. 31.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Send the date, time, place, cost, info, phone number, a brief description, and photos — two weeks in advance — to calendar@memphisflyer.com.
DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS, ONGOING WEEKLY EVENTS WILL APPEAR IN THE FLYER’S ONLINE CALENDAR ONLY. FOR COMPREHENSIVE EVENT LISTINGS, SCAN THE QR CODE OR VISIT EVENTS.MEMPHISFLYER.COM/CAL.
“Trolls:
, by Johnathan Payne, combines embroidery, beadwork, and painting.
Sheryl Hibbs: “Two Sides of the Same Coin”
An artist whose love of oils manifests itself in both representational and abstract artworks. Weekdays, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. rough Feb. 28.
CHURCH HEALTH
Southern Heritage Classic Exhibit
Celebrating 35 years of an HBCU Memphis tradition, the exhibition tells the story of Fred Jones Jr., the founder of the Southern Heritage Classic. rough Feb. 28.
NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM
“Spirit of ’74, Fire and Water”
An exhibit uniting two St. Mary’s Class of ’74 alums, Mary Hills Baker Powell and Katie Dann. Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-2 p.m. rough April 3.
BUCKMAN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
“Starry, Starry Winter Garden”
For the museum’s inaugural Winter Art Garden, artist Greely Myatt uses found objects, including scrap metal, neon, and discarded signage, to create an illuminated starscape on the museum’s plaza. rough Jan. 31.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Susan Elswick’s “Scenic Narratives: The Art of Landscape” Dr. Susan Elswick’s watercolor and acrylic paintings of landscapes she’s known, from salt marshes in South Carolina to the rolling hills of East Tennessee. rough Jan. 30.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Thomas Dambo’s “Trolls: Save the Humans” International Paper presents this larger-than-life fairytale, in which art and nature intertwine. Saturday, Feb. 1-May 21.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Thomas Jackson: “Chaotic Equilibrium” Jackson harnesses the wind to create ethereal works that blur the boundaries between landscape photography, sculpture, and kinetic art. rough April 28.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
ART HAPPENINGS
Project Orientation Day at Off the Walls Arts
Learn about participating in the gallery’s upcoming multimedia installation and performing arts space, inspired by the mysteries of the cosmos. Saturday, Feb. 1, 11 a.m.-noon.
OFF THE WALLS ARTS
continued on page 20
PHOTO: COURTESY ATLANTA BOTANICAL GARDEN
Save the Humans” presents a larger-than-life fairy tale in which art and nature intertwine.
PHOTO: COURTESY WKNO by Rose Marr is part of WKNO’s exhibit showing the hopeful side of Memphis.
PHOTO: COURTESY RHODES COLLEGE
continued from page 19
BOOK EVENTS
Dixon Book Club
Participants will discuss It Ends with Us, by Colleen Hoover. Tuesday, Feb. 4, 6 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
John Daniel: Ancestral Mindset: Adopting an Evolutionary Framework to Lead, Influence, and Collaborate
Thought leader and human relations expert Daniel offers deep insight into what drives our actions and how we can use that information to better lead, influence, and collaborate. Saturday, Feb. 1, 2 p.m.
NOVEL
Payton Burk and Kathleen Weatherford: If You Take a Groundhog Home as a Pet
The second book from Novel’s “mom and son” co-author series about a very determined little boy hoping to fulfill his dream of finally having a pet. The series was started to inspire the frustrated, ADHD (son and co-author) Payton to want to learn. Thursday, Jan. 30, 3:30 p.m.
NOVEL
William Boyle: Saint Of The Narrows Street
The author speaks with David Swider about the latest of his eight works of fiction set in the southern Brooklyn neighborhood where he was born and raised. Wednesday, Feb. 5, 6 p.m.
NOVEL
CLASS / WORKSHOP
Beginners Watercolor Painting Course and Critique
Award-winning artist Fred Rawlinson teaches technique, brushstrokes, color, and layering, with gentle critiques of student work. Supplies not provided. $350/six-week course. Monday, Feb. 3, 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. | Tuesday, Feb. 4, 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Homeschool Days
Hands-on learning that supplements your homeschool curriculum for ages 6+. Learn about sustainability, deforestation, and the importance of the rainforest through activities and lessons inspired by Thomas Dambo’s “Trolls: Save the Humans” exhibition. Monday, Feb. 3, 10 a.m.-noon.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Studio Courses: Printmaking with Maritza Dávila
An introduction to linocut printmaking. Participants explore the steps of relief printmaking from design to carving, to printing.
CALENDAR:
JANUARY 30 - FEBRUARY 5
Temple of Souls Art & Vintage Shoppe
Jana Wilson, the artist behind Vintagia Memphis, presents a carefully curated selection of art and gifts by local artists. Friday, Jan. 31, noon-5 p.m. | Saturday, Feb. 1, noon-5 p.m. | Sunday, Feb. 2, noon-5 p.m.
VINTAGIA MEMPHIS
FAMILY
Caterpillar Club Parents (or other guardians) accompany their toddler or preschooler (ages 2-5) as they share stories, play games, create crafts, and explore the natural world. Tuesday, Feb. 4, 10-11 a.m. | Wednesday, Feb. 5, 10-11 a.m.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Find the Groundhogs
In celebration of Groundhog Day, the playful groundhogs, Grit & Grind, are playing hide & seek in the garden. Stop by and try to find them! Sunday, Feb. 2
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Magic Carpet Presents Blue Bird Bash with Alison Cook Beatty Dance
Bring the kids for a morning of fun! $5. Saturday, Feb. 1, 10-10:45 a.m.
BUCKMAN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Participants use tools to carve an original design into soft linoleum blocks then learn printing methods to create their own original dynamic water-soluble relief print. Ages 65+. Tuesday, Feb. 4, 1-3 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Super Saturday – Print like Elizabeth Catlett
A workshop inspired by Elizabeth Catlett, a celebrated printmaker whose work honored the Black experience. In recognition of Black History Month, participants will explore Catlett’s iconic print I Am the Black Woman as inspiration for their own artwork.
Using Styrofoam, ink, and paper, you’ll learn simple printmaking techniques to create bold, expressive prints that reflect themes of identity, empowerment, and cultural pride — just as Catlett did through her groundbreaking art.
Saturday, February 1, 10 a.m.-noon.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
COMEDY
Open Mic Comedy Night
A hilarious Midtown tradition! Tuesday, Feb. 4, 8 p.m. HI TONE
COMMUNITY
Invasive Species Removal
Join an invasive plant specialist in a volunteer project at Overton Park.
Saturday, Feb. 1, 9-11 a.m.
EAST PARKWAY PAVILION, OVERTON PARK
Tree Planting Event
Join Memphis City Beautiful, Memphis Parks, and Wolf River Conservancy to plant trees at John F. Kennedy Park, beautifying the entrance and screening the maintenance facilities while adding canopy and habitat.
Alison Cook Beatty Dance is a New York City-based company, celebrated for exploring the universal human condition with poignant and expressive choreography, that enmeshes classically-based modern technique with elements of contemporary movement.
$35. Friday, Jan. 31, 7-8:30 p.m.
BUCKMAN PERFORMING ARTS
CENTER
Company “d” Dancers
Present: Wonders in the Night
An enchanting story-ballet celebrating imagination and the wonders of nature. This one-of-a-kind production features dancers with Down syndrome. An unforgettable evening of dances, storytelling and adventure.
$20/general admission.
Thursday, Jan. 30, 7-8:30 p.m.
WIENER THEATER, HUTCHISON
SCHOOL
Their Eyes Were Watching God and Rise Collage Dance presents Their Eyes Were Watching God, Rise, and Trilogy, with live music from the Memphis
COURTESY BUCKMAN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
New York’s Alison Cook Beatty Dance company specializes in poignant and expressive choreography.
Symphony Orchestra. Noted by Pointe Magazine as “one of the most diverse creative production teams,” Their Eyes Were Watching God features co-choreography by Amy Hall Garner and Kevin Thomas, three dozen period-inspired costumes, and an original score from award-winning composer Quinn Mason. Kevin Thomas’ hallmark ballet Rise, set to a dramatic musical arrangement of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s final speech, features new costumes and surprise guests. Friday, Jan. 31, 11 a.m. (student matinee) | Saturday, Feb. 1, 2:30 p.m. | Sunday, Feb. 2, 2:30 p.m. CANNON CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
EXPO/SALES
Home Show of the MidSouth Home decor, landscaping, pools, patios, furniture, lighting, bath, flooring, windows, paint, siding, awnings, plumbing, general contractors, architects, electrical services, pest control, and more. Friday, Jan. 31-Feb. 2. AGRICENTER INTERNATIONAL
Southaven Exotic Pet Expo
Expect to see parrots, tarantulas, geckos, pythons, boas, feeder insects, bird cages, bird toys, sugar gliders, hedgehogs, and other creatures. Saturday, Feb. 1, 9 a.m. | Sunday, Feb. 2, 10 a.m. LANDERS CENTER
Project Pop-Up
Each month, participants explore a new part of the Dixon with an inspiring project for all ages. Supplies are provided. All ages. Saturday, Feb. 1, 1-3 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
FILM
Bluff City Chinese
Two storytellers share the untold history of Chinese American immigrants in Memphis. Sarah Dehena, Outreach Instructor and Program Coordinator for Indie Memphis, leads a Q & A. Thursday, Jan. 30, 5:307:30 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Space: The New Frontier 2D
From self-assembling habitats, commercial space stations, and rockets without fuel to the Lunar Gateway to deep space. Through May 23.
MEMPHIS MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY
The Audre Lorde Film Series presents: Paris is Burning
Directed by Jennie Livingston, this 1990 film vividly captures the artistry, resilience, and community within New York City’s Black and Latinx LGBTQ+ ballroom culture of the late 1980s. The film also sheds light on broader societal issues surrounding identity, systemic oppression, and the fight for visibility and belonging. The post-screening discussion will be led by Dr. Seth E. Davis, Director of the Audre Lorde Film Club at Lemoyne-Owen College. Saturday, Feb. 2, 4-6 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
PHOTO: COURTESY MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN Grit & Grind play hide-and-seek in the garden on Groundhog Day.
PHOTO:
HEALTH & FITNESS
Taijiquan with Milan Vigil
This Chinese martial art promotes relaxation, improves balance, and provides no-impact aerobic benefits. Ages 16 and older. Saturday, Feb. 1, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Wednesday Walks
A casual stroll around the Old Forest paved road. No agenda, just a chance to meet new people and get a walk in. The route will be the 1.4 loop around the forest and is on the accessible pavement. Leashed dogs are welcome. Wednesday, Feb. 5, 4:15-5 p.m.
RAINBOW LAKE PLAYGROUND, OVERTON PARK
Yoga
Strengthen your yoga practice and enjoy the health benefits of light exercise with yoga instructor Laura Gray McCann. Thursday, Jan. 30, 6-6:45 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
LECTURE
Munch and Learn: Where the Dust Settles
Enjoy lunch with Kate Roberts, Associate Professor, Ceramics, University of Memphis. Wednesday, Feb. 5, noon-1 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Science Café
Join Overton Park Conservancy at the Golf Clubhouse for a happy hour with guest speakers who will share unique perspectives from their corners of the scientific world. This week, Daniel Grose will speak about native plant ecology and horticulture. Tuesday, Feb. 4, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
ABE GOODMAN GOLF CLUBHOUSE, OVERTON PARK
PERFORMING ARTS
DeJenne’ Designs presents the Winter Browns Fashion Expo
The featured artists will include: Stacey Merino, Arletta Nightingale, Bird Williams, Maurice Moore and Style Reunion. Saturday, Feb. 1, 6-9 p.m.
RENASANT CONVENTION CENTER
Hunks: The Show
The ultimate girls’ night out that you and your friends won’t want to miss. Tuesday, Feb. 4, 8 p.m.
GROWLERS
Professor Wow’s Outer Space Adventures
Professor Wow returns with a brand new adventure that’s sure to be a blast! Meet a hilarious alien puppet with big dreams of becoming a stand-up comedian on Earth, and hear the inspiring story of Neil Armstrong and the crew of the Apollo 11 mission. This show is a must-see for all young space explorers who want to learn the basics of astronomy. Learn all this and more about space in this show packed with audience participation. Saturday, Feb. 1, 2 p.m.
BARTLETT PERFORMING ARTS AND CONFERENCE CENTER
Slayful Sundays
An evening filled with delicious drinks, amazing music, tasty food, and your favorite performers. Sunday, Feb. 2, 6 p.m.
DRU’S PLACE
Through the Looking Screen
Annabel is 27 and her life is a continuous status update. She has used every social medium available to carefully cultivate her profile in order to attract the attention of her dishy colleague, Sebastian, in this affectionate but unflinching one-woman, one-act operetta about a desperate young woman losing touch with the world beyond her PC and smartphone. Friday, Jan. 31, 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, Feb. 1, 7:30 p.m. | Sunday, Feb. 2, 2:30 p.m.
GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY THEATRE
SPORTS
First Saturday Paddle: The “Lost Swamp” Section of the Wolf River Join river guides and paddle one of the most
CALENDAR: JANUARY 30 - FEBRUARY 5
inspirational sections of the Wolf River, “The Lost Swamp.” This section of the river is approximately six miles in length and a beautiful, Class 1 meandering water trail. It is still very wild and natural. Paddle through a pair of swamps filled with mature bald cypress trees and their associated cypress knees. Saturday, Feb. 1, 9 a.m.
GHOST RIVER STATE NATURAL AREA
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Houston Rockets
Thursday, Jan. 30, 7 p.m.
FEDEXFORUM
Memphis Grizzlies vs. San Antonio
Spurs
Monday, Feb. 3, 7 p.m.
FEDEXFORUM
Memphis Hustle vs. Iowa Wolves
The G-League Affiliate of the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies represents the next generation of NBA stars. Monday, Feb. 3, 7 p.m. | Wednesday, Feb. 5, 7 p.m.
LANDERS CENTER
Memphis Hustle vs. Raptors 905
Friday, Jan. 31, 7 p.m.
LANDERS CENTER
Morrighan’s Bluff, Amtgard of Memphis
A medieval/fantasy live action roleplay game. Join the adventure. Saturday, Feb. 1, noon.
Gangland weapons, quaintly 26 Prepare to divulge a secret, maybe
Monster Truck Wars
See giant monster trucks as they compete with earth shaking, ground pounding, high flying excitement. Pit parties start 90 minutes before showtime. Children 2 years old and younger are free, must sit on parents lap. Caution: Event is loud. Hearing protection is recommended. Saturday, Feb. 1, noon1:30 p.m. | Saturday, Feb. 1, 6-7:30 p.m.
AGRICENTER INTERNATIONAL
THEATER
Black Odyssey
A vibrant re-imagining of the Odysseus saga is set in modern-day Harlem, telling the epic tale of Ulysses Lincoln, a soldier facing the most daunting of voyages to reunite with his family. Thursday, Jan. 30, 7:30 p.m. | Friday, Jan. 31, 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, Feb. 1, 7:30 p.m. | Sunday, Feb. 2, 2 p.m.
HATTILOO THEATRE
Inherit the Wind
An explosive legal drama inspired by a moment in Tennessee history when two great legal giants of the century battled over a state law banning the teaching of evolution. This controversial and significant play shows two persuasive attorneys arguing to determine the balance of church and state. One of the most moving plays of this generation. Contains religious themes and some mildly offensive language. Directed by Jeff Posson. Thursday, Jan. 30, 7:30-9:30 p.m. | Friday, Jan. 31, 7:30-9:30 p.m. | Saturday, Feb. 1,
Crossword
Clink
Bona fides from fellow cool people
Luxury car of the early 20th century
Ones going through the motions?
___ Miguel, largest of the Azores
Post on a wall, say
Slacks
Prefix with car or conscious
“Holy moly!”
Poor reception?
Fanfare
Cold carnival treat
Title for Eva Perón
Little something to help later on
Mate’s response
Chocolaty Post cereal
Ball of yarn, maybe
Attend without a partner
2006 film “___ and the Bee” 3 Is rewarded for service
“___ party!”
Big insurance acronym
Scottish boys
Entry points
Comic book sound effect
Genre for Fall Out Boy
1957 Jimmy Dorsey hit
“Well, that was weird”
Athletes at
7:30-9:30 p.m. | Sunday, Feb. 2, 2-4 p.m.
NEXT STAGE
Parade
In 1913 Georgia, Leo Frank, a Jewish man from Brooklyn, is caught in a grueling trial after the tragic murder of his factory worker, Mary Phagan. Faced with prejudice and false accusations, Leo fights to clear his name. $25/ single tickets. Friday, Jan. 31, 8 p.m. | Saturday, Feb. 1, 8 p.m. | Sunday, Feb. 2, 2 p.m. PLAYHOUSE ON THE SQUARE
Skeleton Crew
As the Great Recession looms over a Detroit auto stamping plant, workers Shanita, Faye, and Dez confront tough choices. Shanita considers her future with an unborn child, Faye weighs housing options, and Dez pursues his dreams. Meanwhile, manager Reggie balances loyalty to his team with bureaucratic challenges. Friday, Jan. 31, 8 p.m. | Saturday, Feb. 1, 8 p.m. | Sunday, Feb. 2, 2 p.m.
CIRCUIT PLAYHOUSE
The Grace of Grace: Shining a Light Through Shakespeare’s Broken Villains Dan McCleary, who has performed for over 35 years, explores Shakespeare’s men of deformity, abuse, honor, and prejudice. Join McCleary for a free discussion after the show on Sunday, Feb. 2. This enhanced literary salon will feature full production values on stage. Saturday, Feb. 1, 7:30 p.m. | Sunday, Feb. 2, 3 p.m.
TENNESSEE SHAKESPEARE COMPANY
Edited by Will Shortz No. 0405
PUZZLE BY RYAN MCCARTY
We Saw You.
with MICHAEL DONAHUE
Aer they got wet outside, guests wet their whistles inside at Science of Beer. e annual event was held January 17th at Pink Palace Museum and Mansion. About 550 turned out on a rainy evening for beer from local breweries and cuisine from local food purveyors.
What’s di erent about this beer tasting is that guests also learn about what they’re drinking. As Pink Palace special events coordinator John Wesley Mullikin said in a Memphis Flyer interview in 2024, “I’ve got the education component, where people are actually learning things. I try to get everybody to talk about what’s di erent about your beer. What makes your beer special.”
Science of Beer is “not just come and drink beer and eat food,” he says. e museum also needs to raise money. e pro ts they raise support its STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, math) educational fund, which “provides low-cost experiences for underserved students in this area.” is year’s event was “a huge success,” Mullikin says.
Note: e museum’s “Science of Wine” fundraiser will be April 25th.
PHOTOS: MICHAEL DONAHUE above: Chance ornton and Michael Hyde circle: Kat Bolheimer and Joe Dowling below: (le to right) Alexander and Whitney Quesenberry and Charles omas; Clair Mulvihill and Jackson Fain; Derek Hardaway and Shequita Boothe bottom row: (le to right) Emily Barker, Chase Smith, and Kevin Schnadelbach; Dylan omas and Samantha Bonnema
above: Keith Ho meister, Catherine Prabish, Lauren Boughter, and Sam Lippe circle: Schuyler O’Brien
below: (le to right) Andrew Geraci and Je Pruett; Brad and Morgan Pippin; Roderick McGhee and Hester Banks
right row: (top and below) Andrew Foster and Nichalous Cox; Christina Pisano and Justin Lay bottom le : Zachary Klinke and Will Foner
ARTS By Abigail Morici
A Winter Bloom
Justin Bowles’ window gallery installation brings joy and whimsy to Downtown.
In a gray Memphis winter, Justin Bowles’ vibrant garden blooms in Tops’ window gallery at Madison Avenue Park. e garden, populated with hot pink plastic yard amingos and bouquets of arti cial dollar-store owers and springing forth with small blue toy horses, is Bowles’ latest public art installation, this one being titled “Green Fountain.” Its purpose, the artist says, is to bring joy.
encounters the exhibit is not seeking it out but might have just happened upon it. “Anyone can see [this space] 24/7,” Bowles says. “It’s really living a life of its own without me.”
Even so, that sense of nostalgia carries on, without biographical information, as each piece in the curated garden means something to the artist or to someone, known or unknown. ose dollar-store owers, Bowles says, remind her of “the things people have in their homes to make it beautiful, like a form of self-expression.”
In curating her exhibit, Bowles created three paper collages: Baby Chi, My Backyard, and Wolf Garden Baby Chi, in particular, is a depiction of her chihuahua she had for many years, a “representation of unconditional love,” she says, but in general these three collages represent her “love of nature, of gardening, of animals. … To me, those are universal things that anyone can access and anyone can experience joy from.”
e collages bring forth a world of whimsy, a secret garden for the viewer to step into, with its simple drawings and childlike aesthetic. “I don’t ever put people in my artwork because I want the viewer to be experiencing, instead of the viewer looking at another person in the artwork,” Bowles says.
A green beaded basket also sits in the garden, something she thri ed. “Somebody made this by hand, who knows how long it took them to make that,” she says. “I had to buy it. It’s a beautiful piece of art. It’s just a never-ending fascination for me as far as all the things that we collect and treasure.”
With that in mind, Bowles’ environment is full of sculptural elements saturated in nostalgia. For instance, those tiny blue horses are toy horses she played with as a child. “I was so excited to nd them at my mom’s house,” she says. “I was like, ‘If I paint these and put them in my installation, then I’m still enjoying them and they’re still having a life in this environment.’”
In another bid for nostalgia, Bowles also made large fabric strawberries that sit on the oor. “I was inspired by my grandmother and her sister who got in this cra y phrase, I think, in the ’80s, where they were making all these little fabric fruits,” she says. “So it’s like a part of my grandmother is there, too.”
But Bowles doesn’t expect the average viewer to know these small details of her life. A er all, that’s the nature of public art, where more o en than not, a viewer who
Her hope, ultimately, is that at least one of these recognizable elements, if not all, captures a glimpse of nostalgia or joy. Having created murals throughout the city and recently having sculpted a piece for the University of Memphis as a New Public Artist Fellow for the UrbanArt Commission, Bowles sees public art as a unique opportunity to do so.
“You do get to interact with people that you wouldn’t normally if you have a gallery or museum show,” she says.
At this, she recalls serving anksgiving dinner at a shelter this year when a friend told one of the guests about her installation which had opened a few weeks prior. “She showed him a picture of it,” Bowles says. “And he said, ‘I’ve spent the night right in front of that glass.’ And he proceeded to tell me how inspiring and encouraging it was to him and all the things that he thought about while sleeping there. at was just such a blessing to me to know that somebody who I don’t know, who maybe I never would have met, and didn’t know who I was, had a positive, upli ing experience with the art that had nothing to do with me.”
Bowles goes on to say: “It was a lot of hard work making this. If I’m going to put this much hard work into it, I really want the viewer to have that experience.”
“Green Fountain” is on view through February 16th at Tops at Madison Avenue Park.
PHOTO: COURTESY JUSTIN BOWLES
Justin Bowles’ Baby Chi is one of three collages in her display.
FOOD By Michael Donahue
Tyler Jividen Has What It Takes to Bake
Look for the traditional and the eclectic at Dvour Desserts.
Tyler Jividen wasn’t big on cakes, cookies, and doughnuts as a child. “Growing up, I really wasn’t a huge sweets eater,” he says.
But now, as head baker at Dvour Desserts at 523 South Main Street, Jividen creates — and samples — about three new cheesecake avors a week. Doing the math, he’s made more than 150 di erent cheesecake avors in the past year.
Jividen, 33, grew up in Brighton, Tennessee, as one of two children of parents who cooked. He was an “open-minded eater,” who “kind of wanted to try everything,” he says.
When he was 12 years old watching the Food Network, Jividen got “super obsessed” with preparing food. “Just the basic alchemy of it. e building and layering of avors. Being in tune with nature. e more I got into cooking, the more into nature I got.”
He always liked being outside. His parents always had a garden. “Mushroom foraging is something I do now as a hobby,” he says. “Instead of just roaming the woods, I now have a little more purpose for it.”
As a student at the old L’Ecole Culinaire, where he graduated in 2013, Jividen wasn’t interested in baking at rst. Baking “involves too much science and precision. You have to be precise with everything, which ended up being what I liked about it.”
He “noticed something was there” when he worked with dough. Jividen met chef Derek Buchanan, an instructor at the school and “a phenomenon at making bread.”
Jividen stayed a er class and watched Buchanan demonstrate all the steps it took to bake bread, including shaping and fermenting the dough. “I was hooked from there. When we were making dough and starting shaping it, there was something about having my hands in dough, shaping it, pressing it into certain shapes. ere was something I really enjoyed about it. And I wanted to keep doing it.”
When he was 20, Jividen got his rst restaurant job as a busboy at Texas de Brazil. “I got to wear the regular pants. It was just the gauchos that got to wear the big pants.”
But even as a bus boy, Jividen learned something about cooking. “ ere was the meat aspect over the re that I really liked‚ something really primal.”
He worked in the prep station at Hog & Hominy before manning the pizza oven. Jividen was more interested in baking, but, he says, “ ere’s not really much opportunity here in Memphis. When you’re look-
ing for a job as a high level bread baker, you don’t really have much of an option.”
Jividen moved to France for about eight months a er getting an internship at Le Calabash in Yzeures-sur-Creuse, France. Working with Michelin star chef Sidney Bond, Jividen learned to “care for product and ingredients and keeping things seasonal, keeping things as local as possible.”
Care for products involved treating the refrigerator as a “cold garden,” he says. Carrots were carefully wrapped in paper towels that had been dipped in water. Fish had to be stored in the same direction. Flat sh that swam on the oor of the ocean had to be stored “on its belly.”
Jividen then moved to Dubai, where he worked with another Michelin star chef, Greg Malouf, at the Dubai International Financial Centre.
He didn’t get to do a lot of baking for the year and a half he was abroad, but Jividen did a lot of observing. “I went to every baker I could when I was in France.”
Jividen learned how bakers made “di erent types of croissants. e way they handle the dough. Types of butter they use. e butter they use there is just incredibly rich. Way more rich than the butters here.”
While in Dubai, Jividen got married. He and his wife Joyce, who is from the Philippines, moved to Seattle, where he worked as head baker at Canlis restaurant. “ e West Coast has more access to local grain and di erent types of them. Whole grain is what I like most. It has more avor. It’s more technical to work with.”
He also worked as a head baker at Bakery Nouveau. “ at’s where I started
learning about croissants, Danishes, and more warm brioches and pu pastries.”
A er they had a child, Jividen returned with his wife and son to Memphis, where he worked at Catherine & Mary’s, P. O. Press, Erling Jensen: e Restaurant, and the cafeteria at Rhodes College.
He also was pastry chef at Comeback Co ee, where he used brioche dough instead of croissant dough.
Jividen learned about the job at Dvour Desserts from Tony Nguyễn, who was head bartender and a server at Texas de Brazil when he was there.
Dvour owner Travis Brady described what they were doing as far as making cheesecakes and cookies at the time. But, Jividen says, “I had the freedom to create new stu and take it in a di erent direction. Assuming it didn’t suck.”
He makes little cheesecakes in silicon bowls and freezes them.
He also sells slices, including his turtle cheesecake. For example, he made a caramel cheesecake with an Oreo pecan crust topped with “Heath pieces, toasted pecans, and chocolate chips. I like to echo avors a lot instead of doing a bunch of di erent avors.”
Jividen also makes his popular Italian “bombolonis” — fried brioche stu ed with jams, jellies, or namelaka. “I like to add namelaka. e texture is lighter than a ganache but denser and richer than a mousse.”
He makes bombolonis every Saturday “from 9 until we sell out.”
ey also make savory brioche with white cheddar cheese and sausage, and a sweet brioche with pecans, brown sugar, and cream cheese on Saturdays.
He usually makes “one or two or three” new cheesecake avors every week. “ e cheesecake book is lling up pretty quick.” And, he adds, “We keep ve staples. Two avors rotating seasonally and two rotating weekly or biweekly.”
Jividen’s key lime cheesecake is his most popular avor at Dvour. “Somewhere between a key lime crust pie and a cheesecake. Rich, smooth, and creamy like key lime pie, but a lot denser. Rich and decadent like a cheesecake.”
For the Teladoc Health gala on January 31st at Clark Tower, Jividen is making a chanterelle cheesecake.
Dvour cheesecake staples include key lime, strawberry, cookies and cream, and one made from ube, a purple sweet potato from the Philippines.
He did a cranberry and gingerbread spice cheesecake with an Oreo crust for anksgiving. And, for the holidays, he made a bourbon praline pecan cheesecake.
Cheesecake avors dance in Jividen’s head like sugarplums. “Making a peanut butter and jelly cheesecake has been on my mind for a long time. But every time I get ready to do it, muscadine season is over.”
Jividen also wants to make a cheesecake using caviar and espuma, which is “a foam you make in a canister. Not as thick as whipped cream, but like a champagne foam almost, in a way.”
Biting into this cheesecake will be “like biting into air.”
PHOTO: MICHAEL DONAHUE
Tyler Jividen, with his son Nate, presents some of his eclectic desserts.
THE AMERICAN ELO
NEWS OF THE WEIRD
By the editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication
Reunited
February 1-May 21
Produced by Presented by
A Florida family got just what they wanted for Christmas when they answered a 2:30 a.m. doorbell ring on Christmas Eve to find their missing dog. Brooke Comer, a Green Cove Springs resident whose 4-year-old German shepherd Athena went missing on Dec. 15, spent the ensuing nine days receiving tips from neighbors and people in nearby towns about Athena sightings, but the frustrated family would always arrive too late, NEWS10 ABC reported. After several heartbreaking near-misses and with Christmas just one day away, Comer received an early morning notification from her Ring doorbell. “I was kind of like in a daze, and the dog was barking, and as soon as I heard that ring, I looked at my phone and you could see in the video it was Athena and she was jumping at the door, ringing the doorbell,” Comer said. Athena seemed no worse for the wear after her journey, but will receive a full exam (and a microchip) soon.
Lost at Sea
A shark caught in the net of a fisherman is nothing new, but when it’s the first Lego shark find since a cargo ship lost its load of nearly 5 million pieces at sea 27 years ago, the news makes waves. The BBC reported on Dec. 28 that hundreds of pieces from the Tokyo Express cargo ship have been recovered this year; the ship was hit by an unexpected wave on Feb. 13, 1997 and lost 62 shipping containers some 20 miles off Land’s End, England. Since then, the BBC reports that the pieces have been washing ashore in southwest England, the Channel Islands, Wales, Ireland, and even the Netherlands and Norway, but the shark find in August by fisherman Richard West, 35, of Plymouth, England, was the first of the 22,200 dark gray and 29,600 light gray Lego sharks lost in the incident. “The sharks sink, which explains why so few have been found,” said Tracey Williams of the Lego Lost at Sea project. “There are probably some 50,000-plus still lying on the seabed, some making their way ashore, others heading into deeper waters.”
It’s a Mystery
In Beeston, Nottinghamshire, Eng-
land, locals are perplexed about a monthly offering at the corner of Abbey Road and Wensor Avenue, United Press International reported on Jan. 6. Starting over a year ago, on the second day of each month, a plate heaped high with peeled bananas has appeared at the intersection. Resident Clare Short said she put up a sign reading, “Please, respectfully, no more bananas! The uncollected plates and rotting bananas leave such a mess.” But on Jan. 2, a new plate appeared. “I think it’s a special thing for someone, and I wish them well,” Short said, adding that she has taken down her sign. “But if they could come back and clean up the mess a few days later that would be lovely.”
Heroes
On Jan. 5 in rural Norton, Kansas, temps following the big snowstorm weren’t even reaching 20 degrees, and the wind chill was 5 below zero, KAKE-TV reported. That didn’t stop two linemen who were trying to restore power to area residents from going above (literally) and beyond: On top of a utility pole, a bobcat and her kitten were frozen to the line and the pole. Dominic Urban and Eric Hartwell worked for about two hours to free the frigid felines. “I couldn’t knock them off,” Urban said. “[The mother] was frozen down to the top of the pole. … I beat the ice loose then lowered her to the ground. I had to do the same with the kitten.” He said the mom and kitten ran off immediately after reaching the ground.
News You Can Use?
If you own a Toto Washlet bidet toilet, listen up: Don’t wipe the seat with toilet tissue. United Press International reported on Jan. 3 that owners have been complaining about the seats getting scratch marks and becoming discolored. A Toto spokesperson said the tissue can cause tiny scratches that expand and trap dirt. Instead, customers are urged to use a soft cloth and diluted detergent. The company also said there are “no plans to change the material at this time.”
Experience the Electric Light Orchestra with EVIL WOMAN – THE AMERICAN ELO. This multimedia concert, mesmerizes audiences with its 12 musicians. The attention to detail on harmonies & string arrangements is amazing! Violins, Violas, & Cellos jam with Classic Rock. Enjoy songs like: Mr. Blue Sky – Telephone Line – Sweet Talkin Woman – Livin’ Thing – Don’t Bring Me Down. Evil Woman – only at BPACC!
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In medieval Europe, beekeepers made formal reports to their hives of significant events in the human world, like births, deaths, marriages, and departures. They believed the bees needed to be continually informed so as to ensure robust honey production. The practice was called “telling the bees.” Let’s make this an inspiring story for you in the coming weeks, Aries. I invite you to keep your community fully apprised of what’s happening in your life. Proceed on the assumption that sharing your plans and changes with others will generate harmony and support. Like the beekeepers, you may discover that keeping your community in the loop will strengthen your bonds and sweeten your endeavors.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): A regular guy named Jesse Ronnebaum bought an old painting at a yard sale for 50 cents. For the next 10 years, it hung on the wall in his living room. Then he noticed a dim inscription on the painting that suggested maybe it was more valuable than he realized. Consulting an art dealer, he discovered it was an unusual composition that featured the work of seven prominent artists — and was worth a lot of money. Ronnebaum said, “Years of struggling, barely making bills, and the whole time there’s $50,000 hanging over my head, literally.” I am predicting metaphorically comparable events unfolding in your life during the coming months, Taurus. Hidden value will no longer be hidden. You will potentize neglected sources of wealth and finally recognize subtle treasures.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In Namibia’s arid grasslands, fairy circles periodically emerge. They are highly regular rings of bare land encompassed by vegetation. What causes them? Supernatural entities, as believed by the local people? Sand termites or hydrogen-loving microbes, according to a few scientists? As yet, no definitive explanation has emerged. I love that! I cherish mysteries that thwart attempts at rational explanation. In accordance with astrological omens, Gemini, I invite you to specialize in tantalizing and unsolvable enigmas in the coming weeks. Your soul needs rich doses of provocative riddles, mysterious truths, and fun puzzles. Exult in the liberating declaration, “I don’t know!”
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Wherever you wander, be alert for signals that remind you of who you used to be. This will stimulate your creative speculation about who you want to evolve into during the next few years. As you ruminate about your history, you will get inspirations about who you want to become. The past will speak vividly, in ways that hint at your best possible future. So welcome clues from people who are no longer alive. Be receptive to old allies and
By Rob Brezsny
influences that are no longer a central part of your world.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “Crown shyness” is a phenomenon seen among some trees like lodgepole pines. In forests, they grow big and strong and tall, yet avoid touching each other at their tops. This creates canopies full of pronounced gaps. What causes this curious phenomenon? First, if branches don’t brush up against each other, harmful insects find it harder to spread from tree to tree. Second, when winds blow, branches are less likely to collide with each other and cause damage. There’s a third benefit: More sunlight penetrates to the forest floor, nourishing animals and other plants. I propose that you adopt crown shyness as a metaphor for your use, Leo. Express your beauty to the max — be bold and vivid and radiant — but also provide plenty of space for your allies to shine. Be your authentically amazing self, but create boundaries that allow others to be their amazing selves.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Some astrologers assert that you Virgos suffer from an ambition deficit. They authoritatively assert that a fiery aspiration to achieve greatness never burns hot within you. But in the coming months, I will work to show you a different perspective. Let’s start now: Many of you Virgos are highly skilled at being self-sufficient. But sometimes this natural strength warps into a hesitancy to ask for help and support. And that can diminish your ability to fulfill your ambitions. My goal will be to celebrate and nurture your self-sufficiency even as I coach you to be dynamic about gathering all the assistance you can.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Life is not fair. In the coming days, you will be odd proof of this fact. That’s because you are likely to be the beneficiary of uncommon luck. The only kind of karma that will be operating in your vicinity will be good karma. X-factors and wild cards will be more available to you than usual. Your timing will be impeccable, and your intuition will be extra incisive. You may even be tempted to theorize that life is conspiring to bring you an extra supply of meaningful experiences. Here’s the clincher: If anyone in your sphere is prone to feeling envy because you’re flourishing, your charm will defuse it.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Here are three questions to ruminate on: 1. What resources are you afraid you will run out of or squander? 2. What if your fear of running out or squandering these resources obstructs your ability to understand what you need to know and do so that you won’t run out or squander them? 3. How can you dissolve the fear and feel confident that the necessary resources will keep steadily flowing
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
As I envision your life in the coming weeks, I am moved to compare you to certain birds. First, there will be similarities between you and the many species that can literally perceive Earth’s magnetic fields, seeing them as patterns of shadow and light overlaid on their regular vision. You, too, will have an uncanny multi-dimensional awareness that helps guide your travels. Secondly, Aquarius, you will be like the migrating songbirds that recalibrate their internal compass every day when the sun sets. In other words, you will make steady efforts to ensure that your magical ways of knowing are grounded in earthy rhythms.
in, and you will use them well?
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Most stars have at least one companion star, sometimes two. Our sun, which is all alone, is in the minority. Astronomers have found evidence that our home star once had a companion but lost it. Is there any chance of this situation changing in the future? Might our sun eventually link up with a new compatriot? It’s not likely. But in contrast to our sun’s fate, I suspect that 2025 will offer you a significant diminishment in your personal loneliness quotient. If you crave more camaraderie and togetherness, the coming months will be a favorable time to seek them out. Your meditation question: What’s the opposite of loneliness?
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In the coming weeks, your authenticity will be your greatest strength. The more genuine and honest you are, the more life will reward you. Be alert for situations that may seem to demand camouflage when in fact they will ultimately reward your complete transparency. You will be most powerful and attractive as you allow yourself to be fully seen. You can even use your vulnerability to your advantage. Be openly, clearly, unabashedly yourself.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In some Polynesian cultures, there is a belief that one’s mistakes, including excessive anger, can cause physical sickness. Hawaiians traditionally have employed a ritual remedy for such ills called ho‘ponopono. It includes acts of atonement, forgiveness, and correction. It may even involve a prayer conference where all the people involved talk about their mutual problems with respect and compassion, seeking solutions and restitution. The coming weeks will be a fantastically favorable time for you to carry out your own version of ho‘ponopono, Pisces.
FILM By Chris McCoy
The Edge of Forever
ven if you don’t know what brutalism is, you’ve seen it in action. “Brutalism” is a term given to an architectural style which arose a er World War II. Prewar movements such as Art Nouveau and Art Deco had lots of showy bits. Look at the ornate staircase railings in turn-of-the20th century houses or the intricate glasswork of Ti any. Art Deco’s architectural masterpiece was the Chrysler Building in New York City, a soaring spire of glass and steel whose crown mimics the rays of the rising sun.
Brutalism shed all of that. For architects like Mies van der Rohe, the beauty of a building lies not in the sculptural ornaments you can make from steel, but from the inherent qualities of the steel itself. e name is derived from a French term for raw concrete. Brutalist buildings o en have long expanses of featureless concrete walls. It was somewhat of a utopian project; good architecture could help people live better, cleaner lives. By the late ’60s and ’70s, brutalism came into favor with large institutions like government buildings and college campuses. In Memphis, the Southern College of Optometry’s central tower on Madison Avenue is a prime example of brutalism done well.
But the style has not always aged so gracefully. Many brutalist concrete exteriors got grungy as the years passed. Street artists love to use the blank walls of government buildings as a canvas for gra ti. When the BBC conducted a survey in 2008 to determine the 12 most hated buildings in the UK, eight of them were brutalist. But the style still has many champions, especially in the former Soviet bloc, where brutalism produced many unique works.
When we rst meet László Tóth (Adrien Brody) in e Brutalist, he is on a boat to America. When a cry arises from above, he and the other passengers race up the deck to catch their rst glimpse of the Statue of Liberty. Director Brady Corbet and
cinematographer Lol Crawley make the visuals match both the ecstasy and disorientation of the moment by following László up the ladder with a handheld camera. When he nally sees Lady Liberty, the camera swoops and rolls, eventually ending upside down, with the torch seemingly hanging from the top of the screen.
Corbet and Crawley shot e Brutalist in VistaVision, a format devised by Paramount Pictures in the 1950s which uses a 35mm negative to produce an image wider than oldfashioned TVs, but not as wide as 70mm widescreen or the 16:9 ratio of most atscreen TVs. e director said he wanted to shoot this story in a format which matched the time period, and he makes a stirring case for the now-obsolete format. e Brutalist o ers striking compositions, which, true to form, highlight the beauty of everyday objects. When László, the impoverished immigrant, takes a job building a loading dock crane, we see it as he sees it — a steel colossus standing against the bright blue rmament.
László makes his way from New York City to Philadelphia, where he is taken in by his cousin Attilla
(Alessandro Nivola), who gives him great news. László was separated from his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones) and orphaned niece Zsó a (Ra ey Cassidy) when he was snatched from Budapest by the Nazis and thrown into the Dachau concentration camp. He had given them up for dead, but they are still alive. László longs to bring Erzsébet to America, but she is trapped in Hungary by the Soviet occupation. Plus, László is living in the store room of Attilla’s furniture showroom, so he must improve his station before he can expand his family.
en, opportunity comes from an unexpected quarter. Attilla and László are contacted by Harry Lee Van Buren (Joe Alwyn), who wants them to renovate the library in his father’s mansion as a birthday surprise. During the job interview, László reveals the depth of his vision. He studied at the Bauhaus, an early modernist art and design school in Germany which was declared not Germanic enough when the Nazis took power in 1933. In Europe, he had his own architecture rm and built many buildings, to great renown, before the fascists destroyed the tolerant, liberal society which
allowed him to ourish. e old library is a dusty mess with a cracked Ti any glass skylight. When László gets done with it, it’s a clean, modernist space with built-in shelving of light wood with massive doors to protect the rare books from sunlight. In the center is a reading chair with a built-in book holder. When the homeowner Harrison (Guy Pearce) returns unexpectedly, he’s furious, partly because he says they have destroyed his room without permission, and partly because he saw a Black man, Gordon (Isaach de Bankolé), on his property. At rst, Henry refuses to pay for the work, and Attilla blames László’s radical designs. But when a Look magazine journalist pro ling Harrison sees the library and gushes about it in print, the wealthy magnate seeks out László to apologize and commissions a great building, which will be László’s American masterpiece. e long road to completing the building, which involves navigating both the conservatism of conventional architecture and the anti-Semitism of the Pennsylvania WASP elite, will consume László’s being.
e Brutalist is a stubbornly oldfashioned lm. At 215 minutes, it comes with an intermission, which would have made bloated recent fare like Avengers: Endgame more tolerable. (Lawrence of Arabia, by comparison, is 216 minutes and also had an intermission.) Brody is brilliant as the enigmatic Hungarian, so passionate about his art but chilly even towards his own wife. And why doesn’t Guy Pearce get more work? He’s every bit Brody’s equal as the rich industrialist who uses his talented friend for clout. If e Brutalist stopped a er the intermission, it would be a near-perfect lm, an immigrant story in the vein of e Godfather Part II. Unfortunately, Corbet can’t quite stick the landing, and it falls apart at the end. But that’s okay. Endings are hard. Architecture is forever.
e Brutalist
Now playing
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Adrien Brody stars as a refugee architect coming to America in e Brutalist
Adrien Brody is László Tóth, a refugee architect, in Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist
Our critic picks the best films in theaters.
Presence
Extreme super-genius director Steven Soderbergh presents this supernatural thriller starring Lucy Liu as Rebecca, an executive who is moving up in the world. She and her husband (Chris Sullivan) and their two kids move into a sprawling suburban McMansion. But there’s someone already living there, a ghostly presence with an agenda of their own. Think Poltergeist from the ghost’s point of view.
Companion
The world’s stressful, so a group of friends plans a weekend getaway to a cabin in the woods. It’s a classic
setup for either horror or porn. But this film by new director Drew Hancock is neither. The cabin in the woods is owned by a billionaire, and when he dies unexpectedly, it is revealed that one of the friends is actually a sentient “companion” robot. Hijinks ensue.
Dog Man
Look! By the food bowl! It’s a dog! It’s a man! It’s Dog Man! The Captain Underpants series spinoff gets its own animated feature from DreamWorks. Director Peter Hastings voices — or rather, barks — our hero, an unholy combination of a cop and his dog. It’s like RoboCop , only with a dog instead of a robot, and it’s funny. You know, for kids.
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STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA ( IN THE FAMILY COURT ( 13th JUDICAL CIRCUIT
COUNTY OF PICKENS ( ( Case #: 2024-DR-39-439
ALEXANDRIA RAYE ROLLINS AND ( ZACHARY HOLLAND ROLLINS, ( Plaintiff, ( ( SUMMONS
( (
APRIL MICHELLE BURTON AND ( JEFFREY NICHOLS (DECEASED), ( ( Defendant. (
TO THE DEFENDANT, NAMED HEREIN:
You are hereby summoned and required to answer the Complaint in this action a copy of which is herewith served upon you and which is filed in the office of the Clerk of this Court this same date and to serve a copy of your Answer to the Complaint upon the subscriber at 107 East Main Street, Pickens, South Carolina, within thirty (30) days after the service hereof, exclusive of the day of such service. If you fail to answer the Complaint within that time, the Plaintiff will be awarded default judgment against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint.
s/Steven L. Alexander
STEVEN L. ALEXANDER
ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF
Date: 6/18/2024
POST OFFICE BOX 618 PICKENS, SOUTH CAROLINA 29671 (864)898-3208
THE LAST WORD By
William Smythe
An Ode to Ice Cream Sandwiches
Little things help push us through hard times.
With a fork and a knife, Hunny Blunt cuts into the summertime dish with glee. “ ere’s nothing better,” she declares, “than a rich and avorful ice cream sandwich from the Lamplighter Lounge.” It’s the Monday night drag show, a new staple of the Midtown scene. Hunny, the grand duchess of the ball, carefully consumes her post-dance treat and seems positively glowing in her cocktail dress and oversized ’do. “I think I’m just about ready to face the world again,” she quips, strutting back to the stage for round two of a performance.
For many folks, these drag nights are their own “Neapolitan ice cream sandwich,” a way to unwind from the traumas of a rough workweek. ere are many more nights like these at Lamplighter too: karaoke on ursdays and comedy on Wednesdays, sometimes a burlesque show during a ursday karaoke. On weekends, there’s always a band playing: Rosey if you feel swamp-witch rage; Data Drums for those into the introspective and atmospheric. You name it, they’ll drop it on your plate on any given day.
Personally, though, I’m having trouble trying to think up my own “ice cream sandwich.” ere are so many things that I feel help me stave o those moments of depression, to pluck out those seeds of doubt. But nothing is really sticking. So I reached out to some locals and friends to ask what they would call their own “ice cream sandwich.”
A dear friend of mine who works for MIFA, Sumi Montgomery, said hers would be “either hiking in nature, or getting a new tattoo. I’m even planning my next tattoo for a er the holidays.” Unlike her, I have only gotten one tattoo: a literary symbol on my ankle. It made me pass out (who knew the ankle was the worst spot to get a rst tattoo?), but I did feel a rush of adrenaline and dopamine a er. “ at’s the thing though,” she clari es. “A er all that pain, you’re le with something beautiful. I see them as marks of transition.”
I can agree with her rst option. She and I have hiked along the Wolf River Greenway and around her area of Harbor Town before, and a erwards I felt not only reinvigorated, but also relaxed. Nature can be a great way to reconnect and recenter ourselves. But, still, I felt like I needed something more. Maybe there is something I’m missing that could be my “ice cream sandwich.” So I reached out to local socialite and librarian Ralley Taura.
She told me that when she feels like the world is crashing down on her, she cleans her house. “Organizing a spot in my house that has stressed me out relaxes me,” she elaborates. “And I listen to an audiobook while I clean. ere’s nothing like compete inundation with something like that to make every worry melt away.” I sometimes nd myself feeling much better a er a good house cleaning. But still, it doesn’t quite t me, I feel. So I continue searching.
A colleague of mine, Erica Qualy, runs a local vintage shop, Tako’s Treasures. She has been doing so for almost a decade, cra ing an ecologically and environmentally friendly brand. Her “ice cream sandwich” is, in fact, “thri ing. It has always been a form of therapy for me. I’m a big believer in gratitude and turning that into an activity.”
But sometimes that’s not enough. So she gave me another, more philosophical answer as well: “I remind myself to trust the universe. Looking back on the times where I felt my life was falling apart, it turns out things were actually falling into place.” What wise words to remember.
Finally, I reached out to local political gure Noah Nordstrom for his take on what he hopes folks can cling onto in this rising political tide. His response? “I lean into my family and community when it feels like everything is coming down. Hosting events or fundraisers brings me a sense of peace and stability.”
And I couldn’t agree more. Community events are the lifeblood of a society. Noah himself proves to be a passionate community leader, especially a er giving his all in the recent Representative election. He continues that good ght, as you can see in the infamous Memphis-Shelby County Schools board video. Passion like his is what I hope to channel these next few years.
Everyone needs a way to unwind, especially during the coming four years. It is now more important than ever to seek out our community and immerse ourselves in culture. Go to shows and support your local musicians and artists. ere is nothing better than these little moments, in spite of what may happen. I hope to nd my own ice cream sandwich soon to combat the dread. My fork and knife stand at the ready.
William Smythe is a local writer and poet. He writes for Focus Mid-South, an LGBT+ magazine.
PHOTO: ANJELAGR | DREAMSTIME.COM
Your personal ice cream sandwich can help you cope.
