Memphis Flyer 3/9/2023

ONE AND FUN

KENDRIC DAVIS IS MAKING HIS LONE SEASON AS A MEMPHIS TIGER UNFORGETTABLE.

NEXT LEVEL BENEFITS ARE HERE

SHARA CLARK

Editor

SAMUEL X. CICCI

Managing Editor

JACKSON BAKER, BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN

Senior Editors

TOBY SELLS

Associate Editor

KAILYNN JOHNSON

News Reporter

CHRIS MCCOY

Film and TV Editor

ALEX GREENE

Music Editor

MICHAEL DONAHUE, JON W. SPARKS

Staff Writers

ABIGAIL MORICI

Arts and Culture Editor

GENE GARD, EMILY GUENTHER, ASHLEY INSONG, COCO JUNE, FRANK MURTAUGH

Contributing Columnists

SHARON BROWN, AIMEE STIEGEMEYER

Grizzlies Reporters

ANDREA FENISE

Fashion Editor

KENNETH NEILL

Founding Publisher

CARRIE BEASLEY

Senior Art Director

CHRISTOPHER MYERS

Advertising Art Director

NEIL WILLIAMS

Graphic Designer

JERRY D. SWIFT

Advertising Director Emeritus

KELLI DEWITT, CHIP GOOGE

Senior Account Executives

MICHELLE MUSOLF

Account Executive

CHET HASTINGS

Warehouse and Delivery Manager

JANICE GRISSOM ELLISON, KAREN MILAM, DON MYNATT, TAMMY NASH, RANDY ROTZ, LEWIS TAYLOR, WILLIAM WIDEMAN

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OUR 1776TH ISSUE 03.09.23

Editor’s note: Flyer writers will occasionally share this space.

ey came with the rst wave of warmish weather that washed over Memphis this year. It started with the briefest rustling of the blinds near my apartment window, occasionally supplemented by the so uttering of wings in the dead of night. But then, slowly, spots of red and orange hues began to appear everywhere, taking over my living space and making themselves at home.

e ladybugs had returned. And they didn’t even o er to pay rent!

Although, according to Google, these aren’t your run-of-the-mill ladybugs. is other species that has set up shop with me over here on Mud Island is likely a family of Asian lady beetles, a more invasive variety that simply can’t stop helping itself to prime suntanning spots on my windows and buzzing around some of my lamps. I don’t really mind bugs, but these ones kind of unnerve me, with their little tails (ladybugs shouldn’t have tails!) and their occasional propensity for extra wing utters as I lie in the dark trying to sleep. at’s not okay, bugs.

Maybe the rest of you Mid-Southerners are used to this. But not me; where I grew up, in Santa Fe, we got used to centipedes, millipedes, prowling tarantulas, and even the occasional bat hanging from the veranda. So my battle for the last week has revolved around a single-minded goal: to get rid of these scarlet squatters and restore peace to my abode. Okay, sure, they’re pretty harmless, and I could wait for my pest control work order to kick in, but by golly, I can occasionally be obstinate and have to draw the line somewhere when it comes to interlopers.

At rst, it was simple enough to coax the bugs onto a sheet of paper or a book cover and deposit them back outside to enjoy the nice weather we’ve been having. But mine was a persistent foe. As I clacked away on my keyboard, helping to edit some of the great columns you’ll read by the talented writers here in the Flyer, my ears would pick up an occasional rustle or another utter. A quick peek at the window revealed one … no, two, wait, four more ladybugs hanging around? And is that another one hanging out by my bookshelf? How vexing.

e ladybugs occupied my obsession for a week, an unwanted distraction next to real responsibilities that actually matter, like turning this column in on time and getting the issue o to the printer. But this is a problem that I chose to focus on. And as my internal clock ticked past 30 years of age last year and the feeling of old age began to settle, the idea that I needed to more carefully select my battles has never seemed more appealing.

e outrage machine both online and o never even sputters these days, throwing up weird controversies that demand an emotional outpouring of fury and rage. Gas stoves? M&M’s mascots? More stu about England’s royal family?

To be blunt, on certain days it feels like I can’t care anymore. Maybe a decade ago I would don my armor as a soldier of the Twitter wars, but engaging with a too-online rando who might clearly be a troll now is just, well, a waste of time.

Some days, my brain hurts trying to wrap itself around nonstop vitriol surrounding mundane problems. Not when there are real issues that demand our attention. Not when our governor is trying to police gender or paint scarlet letters on drag performers. Not when innocent people are beat to death in the street.

NEWS & OPINION

THE FLY-BY - 4

VIEWPOINT - 8

FINANCE - 9

POLITICS - 10

COVER STORY

“ONE AND FUN”

BY FRANK MURTAUGH - 12

WE RECOMMEND - 16

MUSIC - 17

AFTER DARK - 18

CALENDAR - 19

NY TIMES CROSSWORD - 20

FOOD - 24

METAPHYSICAL CONNECTION - 25

NEWS OF THE WEIRD - 26

ASTROLOGY - 27

FILM - 28

CLASSIFIEDS - 30

LAST WORD - 31

Direct your outrage towards real issues that merit it, and have some le over brainspace for the little things important to you. Maybe one of my friends thinks a speci c local beer is the best in town (it’s not). No problem, he enjoys it, it’s not hurting me, I’ll save my incredulity for something else. And maybe I’ve wasted time dealing with a bug problem that requires a professional hand. at’s okay; working more actively to tune out all the excess noise means that the smaller issues that pop up week a er week won’t become the proverbial straws that break the camel’s back, and I remain motivated for the real challenges that still lie ahead.

But the battles continue. If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got another bug to squash.

Samuel X. Cicci scicci@memphis yer.com

PHOTO: PIXABAY Stay out of my apartment, ladybug.

THE fly-by

MEM ernet

Memphis on the internet.

DRAGGING LEE

Questions, Answers + Attitude

Edited by Toby Sells

WEEK THAT WAS

By Flyer staff

Executions, Trans Health, & Fort Pillow

GOP wants ring squads, hanging; banning minor care; and a park reviewed.

EXECUTIONS

e internet got busy dragging Tennessee Governor Bill Lee (again) last week. It all came a er a high school yearbook photo emerged showing Lee in drag and a er Lee quickly signed into law a bill to outlaw drag in many places here.

Death row inmates prefer a ring squad as a means of execution, according to one Tennessee lawmaker, and his bill “just simply gives them that option.”

Tennessee GOP lawmakers are looking for alternative methods to kill inmates in the state should o cials here not be able to adhere to lethal injection protocols. Last Tuesday, Rep. Dennis Powers (R-Jacksboro) advanced a bill to include ring squads to the state’s methods. Rep. Paul Sherrell (R-Sparta) wanted to add “hanging by a tree” to the bill, but the motion was not formalized by other lawmakers.

e Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators said they wanted Sherrell to be punished for the comment.

“ e Republican Caucus should be ashamed and outraged,” said Black Caucus Chairman Sam McKenzie (DKnoxville). “ e silence of his members is deafening.”

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee halted all executions here in May a er o cials discovered lethal-injection chemicals had not been screened for toxins before the scheduled execution of Oscar Franklin Smith, one hour before his scheduled execution.

ACLU of Tennessee executive director Kathy Sinback said the toxins can “create the sensation of drowning or burning alive.” Screening for the toxins is mandatory under Tennessee’s execution protocols.

TRANS HEALTHCARE

said, “ ese bills are aggressive attacks on best-practice medical care and free speech,” and Lee’s decision to sign them “amounts to state-sponsored violence.”

FORT PILLOW

Members of Congress want Fort Pillow State Historic Park to become a National Park Service site.

A bill led last week by Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Memphis) would study the proposal. Cohen co-sponsored similar legislation, called the Fort Pillow National Battle eld Park Study Act, in 2021. It would direct the U.S. Department of the Interior to determine if the park’s Civil War history quali es it as a national park.

THEFT-FREE ROYALTY

A bill banning gender-a rming healthcare for minors here was signed into law last week by Governor Bill Lee, and groups on all sides of the issue were speaking out. e law prohibits healthcare professionals or establishments from performing any medical procedure for a minor meant to enable them to “identify with, or live as, a purported identity inconsistent” with their gender at the time of birth. It also allows civil litigation against doctors performing such procedures.

e conservative Heritage Action for America group said that “the last things girls and boys struggling with gender confusion need are dangerous cross-sex hormones and experimental, life-altering operations.”

Molly Rose Quinn, executive director of OUTMemphis,

“Fort Pillow has long been ignominious as the site of a Confederate slaughter of surrendered Union forces, many of them African Americans in uniform, and it deserves the recognition that National Park Service status bestows,” Cohen said in a statement.

e park and battle eld site is 40 miles north of Memphis in Henning, Tennessee. In 1864, it was surrounded and recaptured by Confederate soldiers under the command of Nathan Bedford Forrest who ordered Union troops to be killed even a er they had surrendered.

e 2021 bill says the state of Tennessee “allows the wrongful modi cation of the historical record by claiming it was a battle without a massacre of hundreds of surrendering Union troops and innocent civilians.”

Visit the News Blog at memphis yer.com for fuller versions of these stories and more local news.

“Drag is not a crime … But Bill Lee’s legs in that dress are.”

POSTED TO TWITTER BY @PLEIGHTX

POSTED TO INSTAGRAM BY @MUSICSHITTY POSTED

POSTED TO FACEBOOK BY ALLAN CREASY

PHOTO: STATE OF TENNESSEE

Fort Pillow, pictured here with Civil War reenactors, could be a national park. “Fort Pillow has long been ignominious as the site of a Confederate slaughter of surrendered Union forces, many of them African Americans in uniform,” said Rep. Steve Cohen.

By Kailynn Johnson

Drag Reactions

Drag law opponents say the ght is not over yet.

Opponents of Tennessee’s new law to ban drag in some places say the art form is not sexual, has been “fetishized by fascist leaders,” and is unconstitutional.

Governor Bill Lee made into law last week a bill that prohibits drag performances in public spaces here. is law will go into e ect on July 1, 2023.

According to the Tennessee General Assembly, the law de nes “adult cabaret performances” as “a performance in a location other than an adult cabaret that features topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to a prurient interest, or similar entertainers, regardless of whether or not performed for consideration.”

e law also describes an “entertainer” as someone who provides “entertainment within an adult-oriented establishment, regardless of whether a fee is charged or accepted for entertainment and regardless of whether entertainment is provided as an employee, escort, or an independent contractor.”

Lee signaled early last week that he planned on signing the bill into law, saying that it is targeted toward protecting children who are “potentially exposed to sexualized entertainment, to obscenity,” and “we need to make sure that they’re not.”

Opponents argue that drag is not about anything sexual. Drag performer Kelly McDaniel, also known as Keleigh Klarke, told the Flyer in 2022 that for him drag is not about anything of a sexual nature.

“Drag for me is all about my expression of that character that I play. It is an expression of my feminine side, but there’s nothing of a sexual nature attached to it.”

Many activists, performers, and organizations have been vocal about why they oppose this law.

In a statement, the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee (ACLUTN) said that the law prohibits performances that are “harmful to minors,” and explained the legal de nition of this phrase in Tennessee.

“While some lawmakers have expressed their intent to ban all drag shows in Tennessee, the legal de nition for ‘harmful to minors’ in Tennessee is very narrow and only covers extreme sexual or violent content with no artistic value,” the organization said in a

statement. “Drag performances do not inherently fall into this category and are protected by the First Amendment.” e ACLU-TN also said that they plan to challenge the law if it “punishes a drag performer or shuts down a family-friendly event.”

Local activist and drag performer Moth Moth Moth has been vocal about their opposition of the bill for months. e performer posted on their Instagram page that they were waiting for Lee at the unveiling of the new Georgette and Cato Johnson YMCA in Whitehaven.

“In the room waiting for the fascist governor [Lee] to speak here in Memphis,” reads the post. “Bill wants your daughters barefoot and pregnant. Your sons to be soldiers. For gay people to simply not exist.”

Moth Moth Moth explained that they were removed from the room a er saying, “Bill Lee is a fascist,” and “Drag is not a crime.”

“As drag artists, queers, trans people, and the greater LGBTQIA community, our reputations and livelihoods have been attacked again and again,” reads the post. “Our cultural contribution [has been] belittled and fetishized by fascist leaders who are only invested in lobbyists and special interests. I will not stand by as my community and art form are used for political war games precipitated on pure lies and false narratives and far right propaganda.”

PHOTO: VICKIE QUICK Drag performer Moth Moth Moth

BIG FISH

Big Fish tells the story of traveling salesman Edward Bloom. His larger-than-life anecdotes thrill everyone, leading his son Will to embark on an adventure to fi nd the truth behind his father’s epic tales. Overfl owing with heart and humor, Big Fish is an extraordinary Broadway musical. Based on Tim Burton’s movie, enjoy BPACC’s Youth theatre show for an experience that’s richer, funnier, and bigger than life itself. Fun for the whole family!

VIEWPOINT By Ashley Insong

Provide Safe Spaces

That’s so gay” is commonly and blatantly used among adolescents in schools. I can’t count how many times I’ve walked through a school hallway and heard this. What’s saddening is that it turns the word “gay” into one that describes someone society should be ashamed of — someone who isn’t “normal.” When name-calling is happening to our queer-identifying youth, who’s standing up for them? The fact that our children are still using the word “gay” as a derogatory term shows that our schools, teachers, parents, and community members aren’t doing enough to provide safe spaces that support our LGBTQ students.

Anu Iyer (she/they), youth volunteer coordinator at OUTMemphis, a nonprofit that serves the LGBTQ community through empowering, connecting, educating, and advocating, speaks on the issue: “There’s a big sense of isolation among LGBTQ+ youth.” Iyer has supervised OUTMemphis’ PRYSM youth groups for years. These are social groups coordinated for queer-identifying youth and allies between the ages of 13 to 17 and 18 to 24. As an intern, and later a staff member at OUTMemphis, Iyer has witnessed firsthand the effects that this sense of isolation can have on both LGBTQ students and their parents.

Iyer explains that due to the lack of safe and affirming spaces, parents of queeridentifying youth have been moving their children out of public schooling and into alternatives such as private schools or online schools. “There are some parents who are concerned about their kids and want to support them” she says. “They want to know how to take action against unconstitutional things that are happening. When kids don’t have a strong support system, it’s a slippery slope to anxiety, depression, and poor coping skills. Not feeling like there’s a sense of hope is probably the most dangerous feeling.”

This “sense of hope” not only depends on students, their attitudes, and responses to queer-identifying students, but it also depends on our schools’ teachers and staff members. A middle-school student in Memphis who identifies as nonbinary expresses that after months of being bullied for their gender expression, along with being name-called for being queer, their teacher did not stand up for them. “I feel frustrated and just nervous,” they explain. “I always feel like I’m on edge.”

Not only is it important to educate youth on how to give mutual respect to queer-identifying students, but it’s also important for teachers and staff to do the

same. Part of the problem is that some adults may hold conflicting beliefs that cause them to ignore the topic or disregard what’s really happening. Some adults may find pronouns awkward or controversial, or may not understand that they are, indeed, a part of a person’s identity. Some may witness LGBTQ-related namecalling and bullying but not know how to handle it. Some may not understand why, for example, a nonbinary or trans student may feel unsafe in a boys’ locker room yet unaccepted in a girls’ locker room. The truth is that, quite often, our LGBTQ youth don’t feel safe.

How much do schools feel it’s their responsibility to hold space for topics that involve LGBTQ youth? The answer is that schools are responsible. Some students are queer-identifying. They are “gay,” LGBTQ, and everything else outside of the constructs society has created for us. Iyer says, “It’s important for people to pipe up when they see something happening to a kid. Teachers should be safe zone trained so they can be good mentors, good people for students to talk to if they’re going through something, and spaces where students can feel like their privacy and confidentiality will be respected.”

Safe zone training is recommended for anyone who wants to learn how to create safe spaces for the LGBTQ community and is something anyone can participate in. According to the Safe Zone Project, a free online resource for educators, “safe zone trainings are opportunities to learn about LGBTQ+ identities, gender, and sexuality, and examine prejudice, assumptions, and privilege.” There is no correct curriculum or course for safe zone training, but luckily, OUTMemphis provides such training as LGBTQ+ 101, Transgender 101, Creating a Trans-Inclusive Workplace, and Working with LGBTQ+ Youth and Creating a Safe School Environment.

At the school level, the goal is to work toward progression instead of regression. It starts with teachers and staff taking opportunities to stand up for LGBTQ youth and educate other students. Schools should provide resources for queeridentifying students — resources that they can relate to and find comfort in. As Iyer says, “If I had to say one more thing it would be a call-to-action for teachers, counselors, people who are working at the student level in schools to reach out to us and be the people in school who spread the resources.

“Come to us. Pick up some flyers, business cards, brochures. … We can give you all the literature. You don’t have to spend a dime, just help us spread the word.”

LGBTQ youth deserve safe spaces and the proper resources to feel comfortable in our schools.

Tackle Financial Infidelity

Acts of nancial in delity are not uncommon. How do you address them?

You may have heard of Ryan Reynolds’ nancial in delity in his marriage to Blake Lively. Reynolds confessed on Jimmy Kimmel Live that he spent $2.75 million to purchase a Welsh soccer team without rst discussing it with his wife.

Unfortunately, acts of nancial indelity such as this are not uncommon. According to a survey by U.S. News & World Report, approximately 30 percent of Americans have dealt with nancial in delity. e most common examples include the following:

• 4 percent – Keeping purchases secret

• 7 percent – Hiding debts or accounts

• 6 percent – Lying about income

• 4 percent – Draining money from savings

• 9 percent – Lending without consent

How can you and your spouse recover from nancial in delity? Consider taking the following actions.

and prioritize saving in an emergency fund while living a lifestyle that’s well within the couple’s nancial means.

It’s important to share your own money values and gain an understanding of your spouse’s if you’re going to move forward as a team. Try to nd common ground and agree on a nancial strategy that meets both your needs. A good wealth manager can help facilitate a productive conversation and help you move forward with con dence.

Set common nancial goals. Without shared nancial goals, it can be di cult for two people with di erentnancial priorities to reconcile their saving and spending habits. Work together to establish nancial goals that you both feel good about. Maybe you share the dream of retiring to a warm climate or hope to someday travel the world together. Remaining focused on shared nancial goals can help both partners resist the urge to hide their nancial transgressions.

Establish a budget.

It’s not anyone’s favorite task, but establishing a budget (and sticking to it!) can go a long way toward getting on the same nancial page. Take a hard look at your savings, spending, and priorities and establish a reasonable budget that you’re both comfortable living with.

Discuss your feelings and the impact the in delity had on your relationship. One of the rst steps to recover is by talking about it. If you were the victim of in delity, how did that make you feel? What can your spouse do to help you regain trust in him/her?

If you were the one who committed nancial in delity, what are the reasons behind it? Do you feel that your partner is overly controlling with the nances? Maybe you desire to keep up with the Joneses? Whatever the reason for your indiscretion, work with your spouse to address the underlying cause and move forward together in a positive manner.

Discuss your money values.

Financial in delity o en occurs among couples who have di erent values when it comes to saving, spending, and investing. Perhaps one partner values image and is willing to go into debt to purchase a fancy car, big house, and nice clothing. In contrast, the other partner may value security

Give each other an “allowance.” is can be a way to allow room for each other’s di erent spending habits. Consider establishing separate checking accounts in each spouse’s name. en, decide together on a monthly amount or “allowance” that will be deposited every month into each account. Give each other the freedom to spend that money as you wish. Providing each other the opportunity to spend on small purchases without judgment can help you both stick to a budget while also maintaining a sense of nancial freedom.

Gene Gard, CFA, CFP, CFT-I, is a Managing Director with Creative Planning, formerly Telarray. Creative Planning is one of the nation’s largest Registered Investment Advisory rms providing comprehensive wealth management services to ensure all elements of a client’s nancial life are working together, including investments, taxes, estate planning, and risk management. Visit CreativePlanning.com for more information or to request a free, no-obligation consultation.

PHOTO: AFIF RAMDHASUMA | UNSPLASH Financial in delity is not uncommon.

CALLING ALL MARGARITA MAKERS!

POLITICS By Jackson Baker

Going the Distance

As noted in this space last week, the current Memphis city election year is seemingly destined to become the most long-distance such event in the city’s history, with several mayoral candidates already declared and notably running months in advance of any actual voting.

To stress the point: No ballots will be cast until September 15th, when early voting begins for the election, which concludes for most purposes on October 5th. Should there be district council races in which there is no majority winner, runo s will be held for those districts on November 16th.

Fazlullah, who advised attendees that Harvey had “the gi of gab.”

at’s one way of putting it. Another was voiced years ago by then County Commissioner Chris omas, who commented a er one of colleague Harvey’s extended monologues, “I could have gone out and gotten a haircut during all of that.”

This years Memphis Margarita Festival is hosted at Overton Square on Saturday, June 3rd and presented by Memphis Flyer and Don Julio Tequila!

Contestants for mayor and for city council positions will not even be able to pick up their qualifying petitions from the Election Commission until May 22nd, almost three months from now. And district lines for the 13 council positions are still under review.

All these facts indicate just how far o in time the election really is; though in key races, for city council as well as for mayor, there is a distinct urry of activity as would-be candidates try to get their campaigns (and their fundraising needs) established and in order.

• Apropos long-distance campaigning, Monday night of this week saw a di erent application of the term. Memphis mayoral candidate James Harvey, speaking not in Memphis but before an audience in Germantown, held forth for an hour and a half. at’s the length of speaking time that occurs usually only for events like a presidential State of the Union address or an arena speech by Donald Trump to one of his devoted, cult-like audiences.

Harvey, a longtime FedEx administrator who now is proprietor of his own sta ng service, is a former member of the Shelby County Commission and served a term as that body’s chairman. An African American, he was a Democrat in those days, but his party a liation has become somewhat ambiguous. He has involved himself in several Republican races as a sponsor of other people’s events, but on Monday night he downplayed the issue of partisanship (appropriately enough for the Memphis city election, which is formally nonpartisan).

Monday night’s event, at the Perkins Restaurant & Bakery in Germantown, was sponsored by the Shelby County Republican Party’s outreach committee, and chaired by the indefatigable Naser

James Harvey does indeed love to talk, and, though several members of his audience Monday night had to leave before he nished, the body as a whole seemed to resonate with his remarks, which focused on public safety and crime and the value of strong authority. He fulminated against tinted car windows and the antisocial actions of wayward young people, whom he characterized by the terms “Li’l Billy and Li’l Pookie.” He also at one point singled out “Jay [sic] Morant,” the Grizzlies superstar who has recently been involved in a series of questionable incidents.

As a candidate, Harvey is something of an anomaly and would be well advised to limit his speaking time but, in the best of circumstances, could nd appreciative audiences like the one Monday night.

• Businessman J.W. Gibson, who is able to self-fund if need be, formally announced his candidacy for Mayor at an event Monday at the Stax Museum, calling for a “di erent tune” in city government.

PHOTO: JACKSON BAKER James Harvey in Germantown

Mayoral candidate James Harvey dilates before a conservative audience.

ONE AND FUN

KENDRIC

The University of Memphis basketball program has had its share of “one-anddone” sensations since the turn of the century. In his lone year as a Tiger (2001-02), Dajuan Wagner led Memphis to its rst NIT title. In 2008, Derrick Rose famously (some would say infamously) took the Tigers to the cusp of a national championship. A year later, lling Rose’s void nicely, Tyreke Evans was the star of another 30-win team. In 2020, playing in the vapor trail of

the James Wiseman controversy, Precious Achiuwa became the rst Tiger to be named American Athletic Conference Player of the Year. And just last season, Jalen Duren was the centerpiece for a Tiger team that returned to the NCAA tournament a er eight long years. But Kendric Davis is a di erent breed of the one-and-done species. His most obvious distinction from the ve players mentioned above: Davis is not a freshman, but a h-year senior. Memphis is the third college program he’s represented. He turns 24 in May (Davis is three months older than the Grizzlies’ Ja Morant) and is a father. When Davis all but surely wins this year’s AAC Player

of the Year trophy, it will be his second, having earned the award in his nal of three seasons at SMU last year. Having led the AAC in both scoring (21.5 points per game) and assists (5.6), Davis will leave a permanent imprint on Memphis basketball history, and in a span of time that feels as brief as the point guard’s head-bob crossover.

“It’s been fun,” says Davis. “I wish I had more than a year.”

Why is Davis a Memphis Tiger for this one — perhaps historic — year? You might call it the value of a Penny.

When Davis entered the transfer portal a er the 2021-22 season, he elded calls from the likes of Kentucky and Kansas, blueblooded institutions where most college players would o er a kidney to play one season. But as his phone was blowing up with calls and texts, three numbers caught Davis’ eye: 901. “I didn’t know the number,” re ects Davis, “but I knew 901 was Memphis, and I knew Memphis was

DAVIS IS MAKING HIS LONE SEASON AS A MEMPHIS TIGER UNFORGETTABLE.

By Frank Murtaugh

PHOTO: LARRY KUZNIEWSKI

Kendric Davis broke the AAC’s career scoring record while leading the league in both points and assists.

Penny Hardaway.”

Davis rst got to know Hardaway as an opponent, more familiar with the former NBA star’s line of Nike shoes (and One Cent brand) than the rising coach of a conference rival. And when Davis struggled against the Tigers during the 2020-21 season (he shot a combined 5-for-27 in two games against Memphis), he actually approached Hardaway a er one of the games to nd out the coach’s secret for shackling his performance. Before granting a photo request from Davis, Hardaway advised him to look more for his own shot within the ow of an o ensive possession. At that time a pass- rst point guard, Davis became predictable when double-teamed or cornered with the basketball. e advice came back to bite Hardaway a year later, when SMU beat the Tigers twice and Davis averaged

23.5 points in the Mustang victories. Look for his own shot, he did. And when the opportunity surfaced for Davis to play for Hardaway instead of against him, he pounced.

“Memphis has exceeded my expectations,” says Davis. “ e city. e love. Great teammates. Coach Penny has been unbelievable to me, helping me grow on and o the oor, building a bond that’s probably going to last my whole life. Putting on that Tiger jersey is an honor.”

Davis’ father John went missing in the fall of 2021, shortly a er an October visit with his son in Dallas. (A truck driver, John’s rig was discovered in November, but with no sign of its owner.) Davis acknowledges Hardaway lling a void in his life, one he didn’t anticipate or ask for, but one the Memphis coach

has occupied beyond a basketball relationship.

“We clicked from the rst phone call,” says Davis. “I was ecstatic. My parents, their friends, they used to wear his Orlando Magic jersey. He was before my time. I looked him up, and he was like a 6’7” Kyrie Irving. If he didn’t get hurt, he might have gone down as a top- ve point guard. His game could exist in this era. And he’s taken my game to another level.”

Davis is a father himself, now. (Kendric Jr. will turn 2 this fall.) So there’s a multigenerational compo-

nent to leaning on Hardaway as a role model, a standard for success beyond the hardwood. “I’ve struggled a long time,” he says, “ nding that father gure you need. I have a son, and I need someone to teach me how to be a daddy. Penny’s someone you can look up to; I want to be like that someday. We can relate. Similar backgrounds. What he wanted in life, I want in life. His attitude, his passion for the game. Lots of people want things from you, and it can be challenging, balancing it all. I’ve learned more from him than anybody else. I wish I had two or three years [to play for him].”

Are the current Tigers built for March basketball, all the madness of win-or-go-home conditions? Davis nods emphatically when posed the continued on page 15

PHOTO: LARRY KUZNIEWSKI Coach Penny Hardaway became a father gure to Davis while plotting a course for a second straight NCAA tournament.

PHOTO: LARRY KUZNIEWSKI DeAndre Williams has averaged 17.0 points and 7.6 rebounds on his way to all-conference honors.

continued from page 13

question: “You look at teams that are successful in March: veterans, great guard play, and you’ve got a great fourman. Oral Roberts went to the Sweet 16 with that [in 2021], and we’ve got way more talent. We took Alabama [to the wire] at their house and lost by three points. That tells you how good we are. I guarantee you, in March Madness, teams won’t want to play Memphis.” Davis points to a certain partner in crime in establishing expectations for the Tigers in the weeks ahead. That great “four-man” — or power forward — is DeAndre Williams, the 26-yearold fifth-year senior who may well join Davis on the AAC’s all-conference first team. Having struggled with a propensity for foul trouble his first two seasons as a Tiger, Williams has found a balance between defending aggressively and sloppily, with the result of one of the best seasons by a Memphis forward in the last decade. Averaging 17.0 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, Williams reeled off 26 consecutive games with at least 10 points. On February 12th against Temple, he scored 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds on his way to earning AAC Player of the Week honors. If that DeAndre Williams shows up, Memphis is a stiff test.

“I’m locked in,” says Williams, “on

whatever it takes for us to win. Getting to the [NCAA] tournament is tough. We gotta put our hard hats on and just grind out wins. I wouldn’t think my last year would be my best year, but that’s how it’s gone. I’m happy. It’s a testament to my teammates and coaches, helping me succeed. I’m loving the ride, every moment. I want to leave my mark, on the team and the city.” On February 19th, Williams scored his 1000th point in a Memphis uniform, the first Tiger to reach that milestone in more than four years. So consider one significant mark already left.

There’s been an urgency this winter we don’t always see with the Tiger program. The roster is built almost entirely around seniors, six of them fifth-year players clinging to an extra year of eligibility granted in the aftermath of a Covid-restricted 2020-21 season. Davis has never played in the NCAA tournament. He has a fire in his belly, having been snubbed last season at SMU despite the Mustangs winning 24 games and finishing second in the AAC (ahead of Memphis, and the Tigers made the field). Keonte Kennedy (currently sidelined with a broken hand) and Elijah McCadden haven’t played in an NCAA tournament, each of them critical role players who transferred to Memphis to be part of one last attempt at the effervescent “madness” that can

HealthCare is Better Together.

make a good season unforgettable.

Says Davis, “I remind my teammates all the time: We don’t have any redos. Whatever you’ve got, give it all. If there’s something you have left, it’s not gonna help this summer. Give it all. If it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. We’re in desperation mode now. Coach tells us we have family depending on this. Our lives are depending on this. I’ve got my son. I feel like I shine the brightest in the biggest games, and March Madness is all big games. I’m due. I feel like the nation needs that. I owe the [selection] committee one.”

At this point, the 2022-23 Tigers may enter the history books as the best Memphis team to go an entire season without being ranked among the nation’s top 25. And it doesn’t match the

eye test. Just last Sunday at FedExForum, the country’s top-ranked team — the Houston Cougars — needed a buzzer-beating shot by Jamal Shead to win its 11th straight game. With a 23-8 record and second-place finish in the AAC, the Tigers will play in the NCAA tournament. First comes the AAC tournament in Fort Worth this week.

If the Tigers are to win the event for the first time, they’ll likely have to beat a pair of teams (Tulane and Houston) that have already beaten them twice this season. Would Davis like to play the Cougars a third time? “Bad,” he says. “It’s on my mind.”

When asked about a factor that will determine the Tigers’ fate in the coming weeks, Davis goes back to his reason for wearing blue and gray to finish his college career. “Just listen to Coach Penny’s game plan. He spends hours and hours, studying habits of players, what teams like to do, what they don’t like to do, what you can expect out of time-outs. When we follow his game plan, we usually win.

“And also, taking it game by game. We can’t control what the committee thinks. If we keep stacking wins, that’s all that matters. We had one of the best nonconference schedules in the country. It’s prepared us. It’s built us. We’re ready for March. Coach always tells me, ‘It’s your time now.’”

Detecting

At Saint Francis Healthcare, we believe health and care are inseparable. If you are between the ages of 45 and 75, please don’t delay a recommended colorectal screening. The team at Saint Francis is here to help you stay on top of your health.

colon cancer early can be lifesaving.

“I guarantee you, in March Madness, teams won’t want to play Memphis.”

— Kendric Davis

steppin’ out Get Knighted

We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews

By Abigail Morici

Where, oh where, is your knight in shining armor? Are they riding on a white horse, ready to slay a dragon? Climbing up your long rope of hair hanging from your tower window? Sitting at a round table to plan out a quest to nd the Holy Grail? Or are they in Memphis? Knights are, a er all, running amok around here, thanks to the Memphis Armored Fight Club.

Rusty Wagner is one such knight, having joined the club in 2018 a er seeing a duel at a Renaissance fair in Millington. “Like most little boys, I wanted to be a knight,” he says. “I’m an older guy now, but I get a lot of enjoyment out of it. It’s all kinds of fun.” e group ghts in the style of 14th- and 15th-century European combat with real steel weapons and real-deal armor. For Wagner, his armor weighs 65 pounds and is based on the 14th-century English man-of-war suit. “It’s plain-Jane,” he says, but even “plain-Jane” armor can cost a pretty penny — about $1,800. A er all, it’s custom-made and shipped all the way from Ukraine.

And, sure, there’s a bit of danger using all that heavy material and sharp metal, but that’s what the armor is for. “ e rst time you strap on your armor, you’re scared but also excited,” Wagner says. “ e rst time you get hit and don’t die, it’s thrilling. It’s like that wasn’t all that bad.”

e group duels with swords and shields, long swords and bucklers, and pole arms. e rules are you can hit but you can’t stab — stabbing, well, that’s a bad, potentially lethal, idea and doesn’t quite t in with the “friendly competition” of their tournaments. Still, there’s catharsis in the ghting. “You get frustration out,” Wagner says. “We call it nerd rage.”

If you don’t believe him, for $5, you can try it yourself between matches at the club’s next tournament at the Black Lodge this Saturday. Of course, you’ll strap on some so armor, not the stu that weighs 65 pounds, and, for 90 seconds in the ring, you can ght your friends, family members, lovers, or even members of the club if you so dare. All ages can participate. “You don’t think 90 seconds is long till you’re in the ring,” Wagner says. “Even if you’re in a so kit, it’ll take the gas out of you.”

In between duels, the Lodge will also screen Excalibur and will o er a special menu of roasted chicken or rabbit with roasted potatoes and seasonal veggies, along with mead as a drink special.

And if you fall in love with armored ghting the way Wagner has, the club is always looking for new members. “It’s exciting to see the ghting itself, and it’s even more exciting when you do it yourself,” he says. Keep up with the group on Facebook or Instagram (@memphisarmored ghtclub).

Ain’t Too Proud: e Life and Times of e Temptations

Orpheum eatre, performances through March 12, $29-$125

If you’ve got sunshine on a cloudy day, or when it’s cold outside you’ve got the month of May, have you considered bringing that special someone that makes you feel that way to Ain’t Too Proud? e answer should be yes. If it isn’t, ask yourself if you really deserve that sunshine or the month of May. So go on, and get tickets to the smash-hit Broadway musical that follows e Temptations’ extraordinary journey from the streets of Detroit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — all set to the beat of the legendary quintet’s treasured hits, including “My Girl,” “Just My Imagination,” “Get Ready,” “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” and so many more.

MAR10

Crosstown Concourse, Friday, March 10, 6 p.m., free March 10th is all about-a me, Mario. ’Cause Mar10 looks like Mario. Clever, we know. Blame the internet, and blame Crosstown for bringing the holiday to Memphis.

Crosstown Concourse will celebrate MAR10 with a performance from Memphis’ own video game-themed band PXLS, oldschool arcade games, video gamethemed mini golf, a portrait booth (perfect if you’re dressing up in video game-inspired attire!), video game-themed temporary tattoos, and more.

Wahoo! ( at’s a Mario thing, right?)

Silky Sullivan St. Patrick’s Parade

Beale Street, Saturday, March 11, 2 p.m., free

Sure, at the end of the rainbow lies a pot of gold. But who cares about going to the end of a rainbow when you can just go to the end of Beale?

It’s a lot fewer steps. As for the pot of gold, though, it can’t compare to the golden anniversary of Silky’s annual St. Patrick’s Parade.

e family-friendly parade, which has grown from a backyard barbecue to the Mid-South’s largest celebration of the patron saint of Ireland, will be just as eclectic as always with bands, cars, dancers, oats, and more. Participating organizations include the Shelby County Sheri ’s Department, the Memphis Fire Department, the Shriners, the Memphis Redbirds, the Blu City Ma a, the Sassy Seniors, and the Christian Brothers High School marching band.

MEMPHIS ARMORED FIGHT CLUB, BLACK LODGE, SATURDAY, MARCH 11, 6:30-9:30 P.M., $5/COVER.

PHOTO: MEMPHIS ARMORED FIGHT CLUB | FACEBOOK

Let out your nerd rage.

MUSIC By Alex Greene

A Jazz Cat’s Jazz Cat

Peter Bernstein weaves blues into classic jazz guitar at e Green Room.

Peter Bernstein is a jazz cat’s jazz cat, straight out of the New York scene. As such, he’s a perfect exemplar of what Crosstown Arts has dubbed “jazz month” — that is, a March calendar bursting with shows that reveal the many facets of what’s called jazz today.

ere’s quite a stylistic spread under that umbrella, but Bernstein, who’ll appear with the Ted Ludwig Trio at e Green Room on Tuesday, March 14th, is that rare player who has full command of standards and bop, yet revels in stretching out beyond anything safe or “traditional.”

As a leader, Bernstein has released nine albums, and as a sideman the guitarist has backed the likes of Sonny Rollins, Bobby Hutcherson, Lou Donaldson, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Fathead Newman, Joshua Redman, Diana Krall, Lee Konitz, Jimmy Cobb, and many more.

Memphians will especially appreciate Bernstein’s work with George Coleman, the saxophonist who parlayed his music education at Manassas High School into a career that established him as a legend of 20th- (and now 21st-) century music.

Bernstein re ects on his time with Coleman as he prepares for his Memphis appearance with the Ted Ludwig Trio. “For the Green Room show, I feel like it’s really Ted Ludwig’s gig and I’m the guest,” says Bernstein, “so I told him we’d play whatever he wants to play and we can go from there. It’s all about nding a way to have some fun, whatever the format is. We’re going to do one of my tunes, ‘Dragon y,’ and we have some standards and di erent things. It’s nice to play gigs where you don’t know what you’re going to play. I did a gig with George Coleman and we did three nights, and not only did we not repeat any tunes, he would just say a bunch of tunes before the set and then maybe play one of them. He would just call the tunes on the bandstand, and sometimes not even the keys. Just start playing

the tune, and you have to gure out what key it is, and hopefully we knew the song. So I’m kind of in that space right now, and not preparing too much. It’s fun to just play what you want in the moment, and hope that everyone comes along with you.”

Indeed, seeing Bernstein at New York’s Village Vanguard last fall with his own quartet (featuring Sullivan Fortner, Doug Weiss, and legendary

through Ornette Coleman. And all the guitar players I really love can play the blues, from Grant Green, to Wes Montgomery, to George Benson, to Jim Hall, or Kenny Burrell. I like guys that are not coming from that place, also. But when I play gigs, that’s a form that’s a given. It’s a place we can start from. Everybody is down with playing the blues and playing the blues di erent ways. We’re not going to sound like Mississippi John Hurt, but we’re playing blues. I try to play the blues in everything, even when there’s a million chord changes. ‘Oh my god, there’s so many chord changes, what do I do?!’ Well, just play the blues. You play the blues because there are so many chord changes.”

drummer Al Foster) was a study in spontaneity, as the loose-limbed ensemble would chat between numbers before settling on the next tune. At one point, they hit upon a lesserknown Ray Charles tune, “ e Danger Zone,” a soulful blues with some minor chord tweaks that lend it an especially melancholy mood. It was a loose, relatable number that brought a bit of earthy Beale Street avor to the Manhattan club, and it revealed just how important the blues are to Bernstein’s playing.

“I don’t know if anyone from Memphis would consider me an authentic blues player,” he confesses, “but to me, it’s a part of all the jazz I’ve ever loved, from early Ellington and Louis Armstrong all the way up

As for playing with Ludwig, another guitarist, Bernstein relishes the opportunity to not be the only guitarist onstage. “I play with a lot of guitar players and I always enjoy the challenge to not just have it sound like one 12-string guitar. To distinguish yourself tonally and personality-wise, so people can see and hear a conversation. We guitar players hang out anyway, so if we can do it on a gig and make it work for people to listen to, then it’s always a lot of fun.”

Catch Peter Bernstein with the Ted Ludwig Trio at e Green Room at Crosstown Arts, Tuesday, March 14th, 7:30 p.m., $20-$25.

“For the Green Room show, I feel like it’s really Ted Ludwig’s gig and I’m the guest.”

PHOTO: JIMMY KATZ Peter Bernstein

AFTER DARK: Live Music Schedule March 9 - 15

Acme Party Band

Sunday, March 12, 2-6:30 p.m.

HARD ROCK CAFE

After Hours Sundays

NYCELYFE and friends will be hitting you with your favorite music all night long! 21+.

Sunday, March 12, 9 p.m.

JERRY LEE LEWIS’ CAFE & HONKY

TONK

Andrea Vasquez

Friday, March 10, 8 p.m.

TIN ROOF

Bob Boccia

Saturday, March 11, 4 p.m.

TIN ROOF

Buddy Guy: Damn Right Farewell

At age 86, Buddy Guy is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and a major in uence on rock titans like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. $55-$120.

Tuesday, March 14, 7:30 p.m.

THE ORPHEUM

Eric Hughes Band

ursday, March 9, 7-11 p.m.

RUM BOOGIE CAFE

Floyd Nation:

Experience Pink Floyd Floyd Nation is a U.S.-based Pink Floyd Tribute Band that performs all of your favorite hits from the vast collection of Pink Floyd albums. Saturday, March 11, 8 p.m.

CANNON CENTER FOR THE PER-

FORMING ARTS

Jarred Kingrey

Friday, March 10, 10 p.m.;

Saturday, March 11, 6:30 p.m.

TIN ROOF

Julia’s Blues Band

Saturday, March 11, 6-9 p.m.

HARD ROCK CAFE

New Edition: The Legacy Tour With Keith Sweat, Guy, And Special Guest Tank

Grammy-nominated, multiplatinum-selling R&B supergroup New Edition comes to Memphis with a must-see lineup that includes a New Jack Swing reunion with Keith Sweat and the original members of Guy and Tank. Sunday, March 12, 7 p.m.

FEDEXFORUM

Richard Wilson

Soulful blues and jazz. Friday, March 10, 12:30-3:30 p.m.;

Sunday, March 12, noon-3 p.m.

RUM BOOGIE CAFE

Rodell McCord

Sunday, March 12, 7 p.m.;

Wednesday, March 15, 8 p.m.

TIN ROOF

Scratch and Snare

Every ursday night come to Tin Roof for Scratch and Snare with DJ Stringbean and Matt the Drummer. ursday, March 9, 10 p.m.

TIN ROOF

Tanner Sovereign

Friday, March 10, 5:30 p.m.

TIN ROOF

Trevor Berryhill

Saturday, March 11, noon.

TIN ROOF

Wesley Walker

Saturday, March 11, 10 p.m.

TIN ROOF

Keepin It Memphis

An event that promotes Memphis culture and highlights the works of the Memphis underground arts scene. $15.

Wednesday, March 15, 7 p.m.

MEMPHIS MUSIC ROOM

Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute

Saturday, March 11, 8 p.m.

NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM

Memphis Funk n Horns

Friday, March 10, 8 p.m.

NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM

MusicBoXx Rocks Bike

Night

With special guest Bob Boccia.

Wednesday, March 15, 7 p.m.

HADLEY’S PUB

The Mixers

Fantastic and talented musicians playing the songs you love from the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s. $5. Sunday, March 12, 4-7 p.m.

NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM

Aubrey McCrady

Saturday, March 11, 11 p.m.

B-SIDE

Bluff City Bandits

Saturday, March 11, 6 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Carver Commodore & Brother Moses, Daykisser

$12-$15. ursday, March 9, 7 p.m.

GROWLERS

Cathedral Ceilings (NJ), Subteens, Jeremy Scott

Saturday, March 11, 9 p.m.

BAR DKDC

Cro-Mags with Ringworm, No/Mas, Brat, Seize & Desist $20-$25. Monday, March 13, 6:30 p.m.

GROWLERS

Dana (NOLA), CDSM (Atlanta)

Sunday, March 12, 8 p.m.

B-SIDE

Dan Montgomery

Saturday, March 11, 7 p.m.

B-SIDE

Deep Roots

Sunday, March 12, 8 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Deepstaria Enigmatica

Deepstaria Enigmatica is a quintet of improvisers from Memphis, Tennessee, dedicated to creating otherworldly soundscapes. $15-$20. Saturday, March 11, 7:30-9 p.m.

THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS

Devil Train

ursday, March 9, 9:30 p.m.

B-SIDE

Divisive with Vermin Fate, Breaking/Entering, East of Eden $10. Friday, March 10, 6:30 p.m.

GROWLERS

Fashionable, Evil Engines, Fearless Dave and the Tsunamis, Wagoneer $10. Friday, March 10, 8 p.m.

LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE

Formerly Known As

Friday, March 10, 10 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Fundamental, Wagoneer, Stay Fashionable $10. Wednesday, March 15, 9 p.m.

HI TONE

Glorious Abhor, Camacho, Boy Howdy

$10. Saturday, March 11, 10 p.m.

HI TONE

JD Westmorland Band

Monday, March 13, 10 p.m.

B-SIDE

Jeff Hulett

Friday, March 10, 8 p.m.

BAR DKDC

Joe Restivo 4

Saturday, March 11, 11 a.m.;

Sunday, March 12, 11 a.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Karaoke of Love: with Good Ole’ Tevin Sing, drink and dance with karaoke master Good Ole’ Tevin. ursday, March 9, 7-11:30 p.m.

MEMPHIS CURRENT

Ladybird, Oakwalker

$10. Monday, March 13, 9 p.m.

HI TONE

Lance & Madison

Saturday, March 11, 2 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Lucky 7 Brass Band

Friday, March 10, 6 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Marc Broussard with Seth Walker

ursday, March 9, 7 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Marcella and Her Lovers

Friday, March 10, 10 p.m.

BAR DKDC

Memphis Knights Big Band

Monday, March 13, 6 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Memphis miniFEST

An evening of music, art, and community in a festival-style atmosphere! Support local and touring acts, visual artists, and more. Saturday, March 11, 5:45-11:45 p.m.; Saturday, March 11, 7 p.m.

HI TONE

Memphis Music & Art Expo 2023

A great evening of hot, smooth jazz and great international wines. Starring Alex Bugnon and Althea Rene. $30-$60. Saturday, March 11, 8-10:30 p.m.

SCHEIDT FAMILY PERFORMING ARTS

CENTER

Modern Masters Jazz Series: Peter Bernstein

Jazz guitarist Peter Bernstein has been a part of the jazz scene in New York and abroad since 1989. $20-$25. Tuesday, March 14, 7:30-10 p.m.

THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS

Moe.

Saturday, March 11, 8 p.m.

MINGLEWOOD HALL

MTM Studios Vocal Showcase

Sunday, March 12, 3:30 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Nicole Boggs and the Reel ft. Nick Black, Rachel Maxann

$10. ursday, March 9, 9 p.m.

HI TONE

Night Park b2b Strooly

$5. Friday, March 10, 9 p.m.

YOUNG AVENUE DELI

River City Tanlines, Johnny Germ & the Membrains, Lady, Opossums

Saturday, March 11, 8 p.m.

LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE

Royal Blues Band Jam

Tuesday, March 14, 6 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Seeing Red

Saturday, March 11, 10 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Shamarr Allen

Saturday, March 11, 8-10 p.m.

RAILGARTEN

Softcult with Soft Blue Shimmer

$12-$15. Tuesday, March 14, 7 p.m.

GROWLERS

St. Owsley: Jerry Garcia/Grateful Dead

Tribute

$10. Saturday, March 11, 8 p.m.

GROWLERS

Teenage Halloween, Blvck Hippie, Spacer

Saturday, March 11, 9 p.m.

YOUNG AVENUE DELI

Vision Video with Then Comes Silence

$10. Sunday, March 12, 8 p.m.

GROWLERS

Wednesday Night Titans

Friday, March 10, 8-10 p.m.

RAILGARTEN

Writers in the Round Weekly “In the Round” style singer-songwriter night. Tuesday, March 14, 9-11 p.m.

LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE

Amber Rae Dunn Album Release Party

Celebrate the release of Amber Rae Dunn’s newest album I Guess at’s Life e phenomenally talented local singer-songwriter Tony Manard opens. Sunday, March 12, 3-5 p.m.

HERNANDO’S HIDEAWAY

Engelbert Humperdinck

A major gure in music for nearly three decades, Engelbert Humperdinck has won the hearts of listeners throughout the world. Saturday, March 11, 9 p.m.

GOLD STRIKE CASINO

Rowdy & The Strays with The Eastwoods

$10. Friday, March 10, 7 p.m.

HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY

The Deltaz

$10. ursday, March 9, 7 p.m.

HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY

BigMixx at The Haystack

Saturday, March 11, 8 p.m.

THE HAYSTACK CAFE

Bravo Amici

With two sopranos and three tenors, Bravo Amici performs concerts that blend pop, opera, and musical theater in a unique way. $35. Friday, March 10, 7:30 p.m.

BARTLETT PERFORMING ARTS AND CONFERENCE CENTER

Sounds of My Life:

Marie-Stephane Bernard

Witness the worlds of Paris, Italian opera houses, and Memphis collide in the lyrical language of Memphis’ own Marie-Stéphane Bernard. $35. Saturday, March 11, 8-10 p.m.

GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

PHOTO: PAUL NATKIN Buddy Guy

CALENDAR of EVENTS: March 9 - 15

ART AND SPECIAL EXHIBITS

“AI Artificial Intelligence: Your Mind & The Machine”

Learn how AI touches lives — now and in the future. Dozens of interactives, illusions, and videos make this the perfect STEAM exhibit to introduce children and adults to the world of artificial intelligence.

Through May 6.

MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY

“All Power to All People”

Hank Willis Thomas’ eightfoot-tall Afro pick with a power fist cast in aluminum.

Through May 7.

FOURTH BLUFF PARK

“American Made: Paintings and Sculpture from the DeMell Jacobsen Collection”

Exhibition of more than 100 works from the DeMell Jacobsen Collection, spanning 250 years of American art history.

Through April 16.

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

“Atmospheric Conditions”

Complete, imperfect, and narrative, Bill Killebrew’s narrative scenic paintings elevate something as commonplace as daylight, making it the unifying component in a painting.

Through April 1.

DAVID LUSK GALLERY

“Between Two Worlds”

Original works by John Torina. Through March 30.

GALLERY 1091

“Black Alchemy: Backwards/Forwards

Revisited”

A solo exhibition by photographer Aaron Turner that explores the depths of music through visual art. Through March 18.

TONE

“Evocative Moments”

Exhibition of work by Marc Wheetley. Through March 31.

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

“Extending the Potential: The Art and Techniques of Bill Helwig”

A tribute to both Helwig’s art and passion for experimentation, this exhibit explores the breadth and mastery of Helwig’s techniques while detailing the processes behind the art.

Through May 21.

METAL MUSEUM

“Gentle Awakenings, The Art of Keith Burns”

Exhibition of woodwork by Keith Burns. Through April 22.

MORTON MUSEUM OF COLLIERVILLE

“Going with the Grain”

A collection of crayon drawings on wood by Rose Marr.

Thursday, March 9-April 6.

HATTILOO THEATRE

“Harmonia Rosales: Master Narrative”

Paintings by Harmonia Rosales who challenges the concept of the master narrative.

Friday, March 10-June 25.

MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART

“Jeanne Seagle: Of This Place”

Jeanne Seagle’s perceptive drawings portray the landscapes surrounding Memphis with a remarkable precision.

Through April 9.

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

Memphis Germantown

Art League Spring

Juried Exhibition

Exhibition of work by STAR ARTISTS, members of the Memphis Germantown Art League who have achieved distinction for their fine art execution on regional and national levels. Through March 31.

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

“Mending in a State of Abundance”

Exhibition of work by Katrina Perdue exploring the emotional and physical labor of repair, offering an alternative response to the modern realities of material excess.

Through March 26.

CROSSTOWN ARTS AT THE CON

COURSE

New Works by Brin & Dale Baucum

Well-known potters Brin and Dale Baucum explore new mediums and new creative paths, she in photography and he in watercolor. Through April 30.

CHURCH HEALTH

“Old Gods, New Tricks: A Local Collective”

A colorful and eclectic show, featuring work by Will Ferguson, James Ball, Jeshua Schuster, Leanna Carey, Alexandra Eastburn, Erica Qualy, and Michael McCown. Through March 24.

ANF ARCHITECTS

“Space Within: Select Pieces from the Permanent Collection” Pieces from the museum’s permanent collection that play with negative space and the versatility of metal. Through April 14.

METAL MUSEUM

“Tarred Healing”

A photographic exhibition by award-winning Black photographer Cornell Watson.

Through March 20.

NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM

“Tend To”

A flora-filled group exhibition featuring works from Joel Parson, Sarah Elizabeth Cornejo, and Verushka Dior, exploring themes of healing, growth, and self identity.

Through May 7.

URBAN ART COMMISSION

“The Ecstasy of Influence: Mid-South Artists Centering the Margins”

Featuring Ahmad George, Maritza Davila, Tommy Kha, Richard Lou, and D’Angelo Lovell Williams. Through March 10.

CLOUGH-HANSON GALLERY

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, VISIT EVENTS.MEMPHISFLYER.COM/CAL

who speak to Latinx identity, intersectionality, and transcendence. Through April 16

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

ART HAPPENINGS

A Conversation with Harmonia Rosales

Join the Brooks for a conversation with Patricia Daigle, associate curator of modern and contemporary art, and featured artist Harmonia Rosales. Friday, March 10, 6 p.m.

MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART FORMS MEET

FUNCTIONS: The Trash to Treasure Live Painting Studio Art Show

The community is invited to watch as artists paint on trash receptacles and open their studio spaces. Friday, March 10, 6-8:30 p.m.

ORANGE MOUND GALLERY

Marketplace in Motion

Arrow Creative is partnering with local makers and small businesses for guests to peruse an incredible variety of handmade gifts. Free. Saturday, March 11, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

ARROW CREATIVE

Marketplace in Motion:

Ladies’ Night

“The Making of Elvis Movie Exhibition”

Exhibition looking at the beginning of the creative process for Baz Luhrmann’s film and following it through its journey to the big screen, taking the story from paper to film. Through Sept. 4.

GRACELAND EXHIBITION CENTER

“Those Who Hold

Dominion Here”

Exhibition of work by Sarah Elizabeth Cornejo takes inspiration from serpents in Incan mythology and Southern snakes. Through March 26.

CROSSTOWN ARTS AT THE CONCOURSE

“Tommy Kha: Eye is Another”

A site-specific, photographybased installation by artist Tommy Kha exploring themes of identity, (in)visibility, and sense of place. Through May 7.

MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART

“Two Minutes to Midnight and the Architecture of Armageddon”

Through two photographic essays, photographers Jeanine Michna-Bales and Adam Reynolds offer a look at the architecture of Armageddon, both the offensive and defensive implications of nuclear war. Through March 25.

MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY

“Who Is that Artist?”

Visitors can explore interactive components created by Johana Moscoso, Karla Sanchez, and Danielle Sierra,

Arrow Creative is partnering with local makers and small businesses to offer an exciting night out with the girls. Bring your gal pals to peruse an incredible variety of handmade gifts. $5. Friday, March 10, 5-7:30 p.m.

ARROW CREATIVE

Mid-South Cartoonists Association Drink-NDraw

Grab a drink and a bite to eat, and draw with your fellow MSCA peeps. Wednesday, March 15, 6-8 p.m.

901 COMICS EAST

Munch and Learn

The lecture series features presentations by local artists, scholars, and Dixon staff sharing their knowledge on a variety of topics. Wednesday, March 15, noon-1 p.m.

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

BOOK EVENTS

A Novel Book Club: The Alice Network

A Novel Book Club invites you to a meeting to discuss The Alice Network by Kate Quinn. All are welcome, whether you’ve ever attended a meeting or not. No registration required. Wednesday, March 15, 7 p.m.

NOVEL

continued on page 20

Silky O’Sullivan’s celebrates St. Patrick’s Day on March 11th with its 50th annual parade down Beale with marching bands, steppers, twirlers, floats, and all sort of sights!

Ori by Harmonia Rosales is just one of her 20 paintings in the Brooks’ latest exhibition opening this weekend.

continued

page

Book Signing by Kathryn Gardner

Author Kathryn Gardner will be selling and signing her latest book, Alex and Amirah: From Darkness into Light. Thursday, March 9, 10 a.m.

WOMAN’S EXCHANGE OF MEMPHIS

CLASS / WORKSHOP

Acrylic Painting with Gay Rhodes

Join Instructor Gay Rhodes for this foursession painting series where students will gain new skills from the instructor’s 20-plus years of teaching experience. Wednesday, March 15, 9:30 a.m.

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

Ceramic Silly Pots

Rebecca Ziemer will teach you the basics of pinch pot construction and how to add eyes, teeth, horns, hair, legs, or whatever else you want. Sunday, March 12, 1-3 p.m.

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

Memphis 101

Memphis 101 is a high-energy course offering an up-close view into Memphis, its people, music, culture, politics, and more. Free. Tuesday, March 14, 5:30 p.m.

UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

CALENDAR: MARCH 9 - 15

Pruning Essentials with Robin Howell

Learn the essentials of pruning. Saturday, March 11, 9 a.m.-noon.

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

Succulents in Watercolor

Learn to draw and paint realistic succulents using various watercolor techniques with instructor Jennalyn Speer. Friday, March 10, noon-4 p.m.

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

The Tingey Painting with Parkinson’s Program (TINCAN™)

An art therapy program that supports people living with Parkinson’s. Wednesday, March 15, 10 a.m.-noon.

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

COMEDY A Comedy Show

Thursday, March 9, 7 p.m.

MEMPHIS CURRENT

Bill Bellamy

A staple on MTV, Bellamy comes to Memphis. $27-$50. Friday, March 10-March 12.

CHUCKLES COMEDY HOUSE

Release

Crossword

Bluff City Liars

Bluff City Liars return to Black Lodge this “Mario Day” on March 10th for comedy befitting of a princess — even if she is in another castle.

Friday, March 10, 7 p.m.

BLACK LODGE

Cast Together Improv Show

Cast Together is an improv show where stand up comedians get a chance to step out of their comfort zone and play some games created by Afrotense to entertain audiences! Friday, March 10, 8 p.m.

HI TONE

Comedy Open Mic

This is where new comedians come to learn the ropes, good comedians come to try out new material that’s not quite there yet, and where bad comedians come to do what they do. Free.

Wednesday, March 15, 8:30 p.m.

LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE

Femfoolery Saturday Night Laughs

With Khristal Majors, CJ Walton, and Rhonda Sweat. $20. Saturday, March 11, 8 p.m.

THE COMEDY JUNT

Grind City Comedy

Wednesday, March 15, 7 p.m. B-SIDE

Thursday, January 16, 2020

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High Jinks

Stand-up comedy featuring: Keeley Allison, John Miller, Charlie Reifenberger, Ross Turner, Sanjay Manaktala, and more! Friday, March 10, 7:30-9:30 p.m.

HIGH COTTON BREWING CO.

Laughs at Lafayette’s

Comma Comedians invade Lafayette’s Music Room with a comedy and variety show built to make you laugh, chortle, sigh, and guffaw. Wednesday, March 15, 7 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Next Top Comic

Wednesday, March 15, 8-10 p.m.

B-SIDE

Open Mic Comedy

Hosted by John Miller. Every week veterans and newbies alike try their hand at entertaining a live audience with jokes. $10. Tuesday, March 14, 8 p.m.

HI TONE

COMMUNITY

37th Annual “Bowlin’ on the River” Bowl-A-Thon benefiting Junior Achievement of Memphis and the Mid-South

JA’s biggest fundraiser of the year, involving dozens of local organizations and hundreds of bowlers. Saturday, March 11, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

BILLY HARDWICK’S ALL-STAR LANES

Black Developers Housing Summit

The Black Developers Housing Summit will help address community impediments for housing, while presenting solutions that create income producing jobs and self-sufficient, self-sustainable communities. Thursday, March 9-March 11.

HILTON MEMPHIS

Hickory Hill Community Connect

See a need, fill a need! Free legal services, health screenings, and job resources for the Hickory Hill Community! Thursday, March 9, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

HICKORY HILL COMMUNITY CENTER

FAMILY

Community Art Academy

Kids age 9-12 will learn to create original works of art, with the help of University of Memphis art education majors. All supplies and a Community Art Academy T-shirt are included! Wednesday, March 15, 4:30-5:30 p.m.

BENJAMIN L. HOOKS CENTRAL LIBRARY

Disney on Ice: Into the Magic Celebrate the magic of courage, love, and adventure while you discover why no dream is too big when your favorite Disney stories come to life through world-class ice skating.

Thursday, March 9-March 12.

LANDERS CENTER

Family Day at the Stax Museum

The Stax will offer special programming for young people including live music, arts and crafts, activities, and more for young people of all ages — plus free admission. Saturday, March 11, 1-4 p.m.

STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC

Flowertots: Story Time at the Garden

Join MBG for a story, followed by a motion activity or show-and-tell for pre-K and kindergarten-aged children (with an adult).

Thursday, March 9, 10 a.m.

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

Kids in the Garden (ages 7-10)

This fun, hands-on gardening workshop teaches kids the basics about horticulture and the flora around them. Free. Saturday, March 11, 10:30 a.m.-noon.

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year).

MLM Medical Labs

Volunteers to donate blood for a research study.

MLM Medical Labs is currently seeking Volunteers to donate blood for a research study.

MLM Medical Labs is currently seeking Volunteers to donate blood for a research study.

If you are between the ages of 18 and 80, weigh more than 110lbs, and are currently taking a blood thinner such as Aspirin, Brilinta, Eliquis, Lovenox, Plavix or Xarelto, or have been diagnosed with Kidney Disease, you may be eligible to participate.

If you are between the ages of 18 and 80, weigh more than 110lbs, and are currently taking a blood thinner such as Aspirin, Brilinta, Eliquis, Lovenox, Plavix or Xarelto, or have been diagnosed with Kidney Disease, you may be eligible to participate.

This is a blood collection study only. No drug treatment will be provided. Participants will be paid for blood donation.

This is a blood collection study only. No drug treatment will be provided.

If you are between the ages of 18 and 80, weigh more than 110lbs, and are currently taking a blood thinner such as Brilinta, Eliquis, Lovenox, Plavix, and Aspirin, Xarelto, or Coumadin, you may be eligible to participate.

For more information, call: 901-866-1705

Participants will be paid for blood donation.

This is a blood collection study only. No drug treatment will be provided.

For more information, call: 901-866-1705

Participants will be paid for blood donation.

For more information, call: 901-866-1705

CALENDAR: MARCH 9 - 15

continued from page 20

Love Yourself Teen Empowerment Paint Party

An event for teen girls that teaches self love and self worth. For ages 13-18. $25.

Sunday, March 12, 2 p.m.

THE COMEDY JUNT

Nature in the Museum

Celebrate the Brooks’ Rotunda Project by artist Tommy Kha, as well as the coming of spring. Students will explore how nature inspires and influences artists, and then create a nature-inspired piece.

Thursday, March 9, 10 a.m.

MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART

“Rube Goldberg The World of Hilarious Inventions”

Inspired by Goldberg’s original illustrations, the exhibit contains a collection of new 3D, life-size machines and hands-on, interactive components. Through May 7.

CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF MEMPHIS

FESTIVAL

Soulful Food Truck Festival

Thirty-nine food trucks, 15 food vendors, live music, three DJs, and a kids zone! $12-$22. Sunday, March 12, noon-6 p.m.

TIGER LANE

FILM

Dinner & A Movie: NOPE

Enjoy a three-course meal tailored to Jordan Peele’s NOPE. Thursday, March 9, 6 p.m.

BLACK LODGE

MicroCinema: A String of Pearls - The Films of Camille Billops and James Hatch

Newly restored, these three shorts — “Take Your Bags,” “Older Women and Love,” and “Suzanne, Suzanne” — highlight the longtime creative partnership of artists, writers, and filmmakers Camille Billops and James Hatch. Pay what you can. Wednesday, March 15, 7 p.m.

CROSSTOWN THEATER

Nature Enchanted: A Screening of Ferngully: The Last Rainforest

A screening of a seminal ’90s classic: the animated children’s comedy adventure Fengully from 1992, with voices by Robin Williams, Tim Curry, Christian Slater, and Cheech & Chong. Sunday, March 12, 3 p.m.

BLACK LODGE

Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon 50th Anniversary Laser Show

Celebrate Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon 50th anniversary with a laser show.

$13. Friday, March 10, 6:309:45 p.m.

MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY

Rocky Horror Picture Show: feat. Absent Friends!

See the spectacle of Memphis Rocky Horror and watch “Absent Friends” bring you a reason to love this cult classic.

$10. Friday, March 10, 11:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m.

THE EVERGREEN THEATRE

The Art of the Con: A Screening of Jackie Brown

A screening of one of legendary cult director Quentin Tarantino’s greatest films.

18+. Free. Sunday, March 12, 6:30 p.m.

BLACK LODGE

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie

In Luis Bunuel’s deliciously satiric masterpiece, an uppermiddle-class sextet sits down to a dinner that is continually delayed, their attempts to eat thwarted by vaudevillian events, both actual and imagined. $5. Thursday, March 9,

7-9 p.m.

CROSSTOWN THEATER

FOOD AND DRINK

Memphis Black Restaurant Week

Twenty-eight participating restaurants are busily preparing to showcase their culinary creations. Through March 11.

MEMPHIS

The Trap & Blues Brunch and Day Party

- Hosted by Tristate Black Pride

Tristate Black Pride presents its first signature fundraising event, complete with brunch, trap music and blues, and a day party with dope people. $50. Saturday, March 11, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

PREMIERE PALACE BALLROOM

HEALTH AND FITNESS

Body Balance

A new generation yoga class that will improve your mind, your body, and your life. Saturday, March 11, 11 a.m.-noon.

OVERTON PARK SHELL

Body Combat

A high-energy martial arts-inspired workout that is totally non-contact. Saturday, March 11, 10-10:45 a.m.

OVERTON PARK SHELL

Taijiquan with Milan

Vigil

Led by Milan Vigil, this Chinese martial art promotes relaxation, improves balance, and provides no-impact aerobic benefits. Ages 16 and older. Saturday, March 11, 10:30-11:30 a.m.

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

Tuesday Ruck

Regular weekly three-mile ruck that focuses on additional weight and occasional PT. Tuesday, March 14, 6:307:30 p.m.

SHELBY FARMS

Twilight Yoga and Pilates

Join the Shell each Monday for a rotating yoga and Pilates workout. Monday, March 13, 5:30-6:30 p.m.

OVERTON PARK SHELL

Zumba

A fusion of Latin and International music and dance themes that create a dynamic, exciting workout. Saturday, March 11, 9-10 a.m.; Tuesday, March 14, 5:30-6:30 p.m. OVERTON PARK SHELL

LECTURE

Professional Conference on Aging The Sweet Years of Aging

Dynamic and innovative speakers, vendor expo, and networking with fellow professionals and organizations providing care, products, or services to seniors. Thursday, March 9, 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

PERFORMING ARTS

901 Poetry Open Mic Monday, March 13, 7:30 p.m. HI TONE

Dazzle Saturdays with Keleigh Klarke

Featuring Angel Fartz, Infiniti Bonet, Alanna Stephens, Honey Moon, and Trinity Devine! Saturday, March 11, 10 p.m.

DRU’S PLACE

Kink Night with Feak Nasty and Pat McCooter

Your Kink Mistresses Freak Nasty and Pat McCooter invite you into the Dru’s Bar “Red Room” for a safe, consenting, and educational, experience in the world of kink. Demonstrations and performances!! Friday, March 10, 9 p.m.

DRU’S PLACE

Supreme Queen Thursdays with India

Taco

This month features the talents of Mariah DaGoat Kelly, Ja’liya Jole Tymes, Storm, and Tara Shay Montgomery!

Thursday, March 9, 10 p.m.

DRU’S PLACE

SPECIAL EVENTS

50th Annual Silky Sullivan St. Patrick’s Parade

Fun for the whole family!

Saturday, March 11, 2 p.m.

BEALE STREET

Board Game Pentathlon

Black Lodge hosts its firstever board game tournament! Test your skills and compete to win the cash pot. Games being played this time include Twister. Jenga, Uno, Scrabble, and Taco vs. Burrito. $5. Saturday, March 11, noon-6 p.m.

BLACK LODGE

CALENDAR: MARCH 9 - 15

GIVEAWAY GIVEAWAY

SATURDAYS

JANUARY 1 – APRIL 1 7PM – 10PM

Boogie Nights!: A ’70s Disco Funk Dance Party

Flashback to the late ’70s for an all-night disco funk dance party! Throw on your best polyester suit, dance dress, big hair, bellbottoms, or any ’70s digs and get lost in time. 18+. $10, $5/if you got a costume. Saturday, March 11, 9:30 p.m.

BLACK LODGE

Dystopia Productions: Pandemonium Dark Rave

A dark rave featuring DJs Evonech and Selector Jack on the decks! 18+. $12. Friday, March 10, 10 p.m.-3 a.m.

BLACK LODGE Imposter!

Join MoSH for the second installment of Imposter!, the museum-wide game where crew members must complete technology activities and scavenger hunts to build a spaceship. $12-$18. Saturday, March 11, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY

MAR10 Day at Crosstown Concourse

Celebrate MAR10 Day with a performance from Memphis’ video game-themed band PXLS, old school arcade games, video game-themed mini golf, a photo booth, video game-themed temporary tattoos, and more.

Friday, March 10, 6 p.m.

CROSSTOWN CONCOURSE

SPORTS

Memphis Armored Fight Club

Hear ye, hear ye, come one, come all to the second Memphis Armored Fight Club exhibition at Lodge! Saturday, March 11, 6:30-9:30 p.m.

BLACK LODGE

NBA Memphis Grizzlies vs. Dallas Mavericks

Cheer on the Grizzlies! Saturday, March 11, 7 p.m.

FEDEXFORUM

NBA Memphis Grizzlies vs. Golden State Warriors

Cheer on the Grizzlies!

Thursday, March 9, 9 p.m.

FEDEXFORUM

THEATER

Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations

Ain’t Too Proud is the electrifying new musical that follows The Temptations’ extraordinary journey from the streets of Detroit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. This thrilling story of brotherhood, family, loyalty and betrayal is set to the beat of the group’s treasured hits, including “My Girl,” “Just My Imagination,” “Get Ready,” “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” and so many more. Through March 12.

ORPHEUM THEATRE Into the Woods

James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim take everyone’s favorite storybook characters and bring them together for a timeless, yet relevant piece … and a rare modern classic. Through March 12.

KUDZU PLAYHOUSE

Jesus: The Third Day (The Stage Play)

This gripping stage play pictures various miracles of Jesus, his passionate crucifixion, descent into hell, and epic battle for the keys to heaven. $20-$35. Friday, March 10, 7 p.m.; Saturday, March 11, 6 p.m.

THE EVERGREEN THEATRE

Lonely Plant

Lonely Planet is a twocharacter play that tells the story of Jody and Carl, two gay men who live in an unnamed American city. The play was written during the midst of the AIDS epidemic, which is the central focus of the story, but never mentions the disease. What this show ultimately conveys is the message that one should pay

attention to the world around them and realize its problems rather than shun it. The play heavily references the Eugène Ionesco comedy The Chairs $20. Friday, March 10-March 19.

THEATREWORKS

Monty Python’s Spamalot

Lovingly ripped off from the classic film comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Spamalot retells the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, and features a bevy of beautiful show girls, not to mention cows, killer rabbits, and French people. Did we mention the bevy of beautiful showgirls?

$16-$26. Through March 19.

GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY

THEATRE

The Play That Goes Wrong

A play within a play with actors missing cues, breaking character and the fourth wall. Where could disaster befall?

The world literally falls in on itself as the climax of all the chaos ends to uproarious applause. Through March 26.

THEATRE MEMPHIS

TOURS

Spring Tram Tours

Join docents for a tram tour of the beautiful garden grounds. The tram will leave the tram stop approximately every 20 minutes. Wednesday, March 15, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

Twilight Tour

Listen to guides spill ghostly secrets and divulge first-hand accounts of paranormal activity frequently experienced throughout the former home of two prestigious families in Memphis history. Wednesday, March 15, 7-9 p.m.

WOODRUFF-FONTAINE HOUSE

MUSEUM

Over 700 winners will win their share of $500,000 in Free SlotPlay® and Prizes, including a 2023 Ford F-150 King Ranch!

Earn 2x entries every Wednesday and Saturday.

GRAND PRIZE DRAWINGS

JANUARY 28 | FEBRUARY 25 | APRIL 1

27 winners per drawing day! Be the last winner standing each Saturday to win BIG!

50 slot points = 1 drawing entry.

PHOTO: EMILIO MADRID

Ain’t Too Proud, the story of The Temptations, takes the stage at the Orpheum.

Mo’ Beignets, Please

Mo’Bay Beignet Co. will open the rst week of April in the former Midtown location of Muddy’s Bake Shop.

at means beignets — with your choice of butter cream, cinnamon, and other syrups — and co ee, espresso, and tea, says eresa Monteleone, who, with her husband John, is the owner of the restaurant at 585 South Cooper.

eresa was having a hard time nding a job a er they moved to Memphis. “My husband John and I are originally from Mobile, Alabama,” she says.

She always worked in healthcare. John, who works for Results Physiotherapy, was an avionics mechanic and electrician in the Coast Guard for 23 years before becoming a ight medic for people injured on oil rigs.

ey moved to Memphis a er their daughter and her husband moved here in 2021. “We’ve always wanted to own our own business. At one point in time I wanted to open up my own womenonly gym.”

And, she adds, “We thought maybe we’d open our own clinic here for mental health.”

Her son-in-law then suggested they look into Mo’Bay. “ e Lord just kind of dropped this in our lap. Someone we knew, the actual owner of the franchise, created this in the middle of the pandemic. She was looking for franchisees.”

John will continue to work for Results Physiotherapy and work part time at Mo’Bay.

Working in a food-related job isn’t farfetched, eresa says. “My daughter and I are bakers. I grew up in South Alabama, so I grew up cooking things like chicken and dumplings, collard greens, fried chicken, beans, and cornbread.”

eresa is still in the kitchen when she’s at home. “I have to cook every day. We’ve got ve kids. e youngest is 16. He’s the only one le at home.”

She liked the idea of a beignet/coffee shop. “I’m a co ee and tea person. When that came up, I thought it would be perfect.”

ey own the eighth Mo’Bay franchise. “We do have the secret recipe and what have you for the beignets. We do make those homemade.”

ey’ll get their co ee from Carpe Diem Co ee Roasting Co. in Mobile.

e color scheme — inside and out — for the business will be black and white “with woods and metals incorporated.”

It will be decorated with graphics, including the USS Alabama battleship

in Mobile.

eresa had “carte blanche” to pick Memphis-related items, but she had de nite ideas. She didn’t want just images of Elvis and other well-known Memphis icons. “I wanted something close to that line, but I wanted a female, number one.”

She chose the late blues guitarist, Memphis Minnie. “She was female. She wrote her own music. She was a vocalist. She played her own instrument.”

eresa learned about Memphis Minnie online. “I was just Googling. I just started researching and I stumbled across a few females, but there was just something about her that stood out to me. I said, ‘ is is what I want.’”

A large Memphis Minnie vinyl graphic mural is currently being made for the dining room. “She’s going to look really good in there.”

Growing their new business is not out of the question. “It’s not beyond us to open up other locations in Tennessee, or even branch out and maybe open up something of our own that is fully ours.” eresa loves Memphis, but, she says, “ is is the rst state that we’ve ever lived in that is landlocked. We’ve always lived on the coast.”

Her husband is a surfer. “It’s a little difcult not to be close to the beach.” But, she says, “We like Memphis. De nitely. Being military, we’re used to moving places.”

She likes the diversity in Memphis. “Memphis has got great food, great people, and we’re looking forward to serving them.”

And, adds John, “More than just having a little cafe, our goal is to bring a light to Memphis. To fellowship with the community. To love on them and just be a part of Memphis. And to make it a better place.”

Mo’Bay Beignet Co. brings the Alabama-based franchise to Cooper-Young this summer.

FOOD By Michael Donahue

PHOTO: MICHAEL DONAHUE e Mo’Bay Beignet Co. team

Entertainment by Donna Wolf, Violinist Pet caricatures by Greg Cravens

Wines from Sponsored by

of

By Emily Guenther

March into Spring

Getting in tune with nature through the seasons.

TWO MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT AND THE ARCHITECTURE OF ARMAGEDDON

FEBRUARY 28 - MAY 25

March is here, and that means spring is o cially around the corner. Between the vernal equinox and daylight saving time, March truly feels like the beginning of spring. e weather is turning warmer, making it a good time to get outdoors and shake o the dust of winter. e month of March is named a er the Roman god Mars — a preeminent god of war and agriculture. In the ancient Roman calendar, March was the time of year to resume military campaigns that had been interrupted by winter. is is a time many of us feel the urge to move and be active, to really tackle those new year’s resolutions or promises we made to ourselves this winter.

e energy of March is one of growth and of physical action. We have the opportunity to make every day a fresh start. But tuning into the natural rhythms of the Earth and working with the natural ow of energy can make things in our lives easier, while also bringing us into balance with nature.

Early in the month, the March full moon will put on a show, especially while it hangs low in the sky. e March full moon is known as the Worm Moon. It has o en been assumed that this name referred to the earthworms that appear as the soil warms. is invites robins and other birds to feed, which is a true sign of spring. However, further research has revealed another explanation. In the 1760s, Captain Jonathan Carver visited the Naudowessie (Dakota) and other Native American tribes and wrote that the name Worm Moon refers to a di erent sort of “worm” — beetle larvae — which begin to emerge from the thawing bark of trees and other winter hideouts at this time.

ere are many names for the full moons each month, and one of the other names for the March full moon is the Crow or Crow Comes Back Moon (Northern Ojibwe). With the insects emerging from their winter habitats and smaller animals moving about again, the crows have de nitely come back for

the action happening in March, if they ever le .

You may have heard the weather proverb, “If March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb,” which means that if the month starts o stormy, it will end with mild weather. ere is, however, a di erent interpretation: e constellation Leo, the lion, rises in the east at the beginning of March and thus the month “comes in like a lion,” while Aries, the ram, sets in the west at the end of the month, and hence, the month “will go out like a lamb,” or perhaps ram.

March is split between the zodiac signs of Pisces and Aries. Pisces is the last zodiac sign in Western astrology and Aries is the rst. is re ects the energies of March, with the beginning of the month being the last weeks of winter, while the last part of the month is o cially spring. Pisceans are known to be sensitive, creative, and compassionate. All traits that correspond to the energies of winter. Winter is the season that traditionally sends us indoors, where we may think of or plan for the future, catch up on things that we’ve been putting o , and pursue our creative outlets. Aries takes control of March on the spring equinox and changes the energies from isolating and self-focused to being motivated to make changes and working hard. Aries is all about movement, being con dent, and taking charge of our lives.

No matter what your zodiac sign, March is a time to really put our boots on the ground and make the changes we’ve been wanting to see. Use the watery energies of Pisces season to rebuild connections that we may have dropped during the winter. Channel the ery direction of Aries to help you get those household projects you put o all winter done. 2023 can be a great year for us all, if we are willing to form connections, work together, and stay motivated.

Emily Guenther is a co-owner of e Broom Closet metaphysical shop. She is a Memphis native, professional tarot reader, ordained Pagan clergy, and dog mom.

FRIDAYS FROM 3/31 THRU 4/21

Dalí Quartet

Friday, March 17, 2023 | 7:30pm

Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center

Nelson Rodríguez, percussionist

An energetic concert fusing classical and Latin music featuring Cuban-born Memphis percussionist Nelson Rodriguez

PHOTO: DAIGA ELLABY | UNSPLASH

2022–23 Iris Collective Concert Season

MEMPHIS MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY

A Program of Exhibits USA, a national division of Mid-America Arts Alliance and The National Endowment for the Arts

Photo Credit: Jeanine Michna-Bales, Capacity 105 , 2013

By the editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication

New World Order

Sure, your fancy SUV may have ventilated seats and Wi-Fi, but does it have electrified door handles? The Guardian reported on Jan. 25 that a new vehicle has hit the market targeted at the particularly fearful driver — the Rezvani Vengeance. Costing up to $499,000, the Vengeance has bulletproof glass, strobe lights, wing mirrors that emit pepper spray, and no back windshield — instead, the driver can monitor a live video stream of what’s going on behind the car. Sure to win you a popularity contest in the pickup lane at your kid’s school, the Vengeance also has a loudspeaker so you can call to little Timmy without leaving the safety of your seat. Extras include bulletproof vests, helmets, and gas masks. The Irvine, California, company teases potential buyers on the website: “Vengeance is yours.” Wow.

[Guardian, 1/25/2023]

Clothing Optional

Brittney Marie Reynolds, 35, entered St. Mary’s Cathedral in chilly Fargo, North Dakota, on Jan. 24 and was seen on security camera footage knocking over a potted plant, then approaching a large statue of Jesus on the wall, according to KMOV-TV. She ripped the statue from the wall and threw it to the floor, then headed back out — all while topless and shoeless, in temps under 20 degrees. Rev. Riley Durkin called police, who caught up with Reynolds as she bolted across the street. Officers noted that she wasn’t able to answer questions and appeared to be under the influence of a substance.

[KMOV, 1/25/2023]

Meanwhile, in willful disobedience of every mother’s “wear clean underwear” edict, Timothy O’Rourke of Danville, New Hampshire, crashed his car on Jan. 25 and ran from the scene, wearing nary a stitch of clothing. WHDH-TV reported that officers found O’Rourke “running behind Main Street homes wearing no clothes and coated in his own blood.” He was charged with DWI and resisting arrest, and presumably given some jail garb to wear.

[WHDH, 1/25/2023]

Awesome! Vanyar, one of the equine competitors in the Tokay Stakes race on Jan. 22 in Nagoya, Japan, crossed the finish line first. However, Oddity Central reported, Vanyar was missing one thing, which led to his being disqualified: a rider. Vanyar’s jockey fell off as soon as they left the gate, and the second-place horse’s jockey couldn’t catch up to the riderless horse (although they were the technical winners). After crossing the finish line, Vanyar coolly slowed down and sauntered off toward the exit. [Oddity Central, 1/24/2023]

Special Delivery

During a basketball match between Duquesne University and Loyola Chicago in Pittsburgh on Jan. 25, officials briefly stopped play at the 16:10 mark of the second half, TribLive reported. At that moment, a man in a yellow hoodie walked onto the court and approached Loyola player Philip Alston, but apparently without malice: He had

a McDonald’s bag in his hands, and a video recording caught him yelling, “DoorDash?” Commentators, officials, and players seemed stumped about who ordered the food, but someone finally claimed the delivery. A Duquesne official said he believed the event was staged, and sure enough, a closeup of the delivery guy reveals a microphone clipped to his T-shirt. [TribLive, 1/25/2023]

Inexplicable

During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, when students in Harvey (Illinois) School District 152 were learning remotely, the district provided meals that families could pick up. According to WGN-TV, food service worker Vera Liddell, 66, allegedly helped herself to some of that food — to be specific, 11,000 cases of chicken wings. Liddell worked for the district for more than a decade. A business manager uncovered the plot during a routine audit, finding “individual invoices signed by Liddell for massive quantities of chicken wings, an item that was never served to students because they contain bones,” prosecutors said. Liddell would place the orders, then pick up the food in a district van. They didn’t reveal what Liddell did with the $1.5 million worth of wings. She was charged with theft. [WGN, 1/31/2023]

An unnamed 27-year-old man was arrested on Jan. 27 in Seattle after a homeowner returned to her house to find him in her bathroom, filling the tub with water. KOMO-TV reported that when police arrived, they discovered a smashed window and the burglar inside, “clothed but very wet, and the bathtub was full of water,” reports said. The intruder would not provide a motive for his strange break-in and was charged with residential burglary. [KOMO, 1/28/2023]

© 2023 Andrews McMeel Syndication. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY By Rob

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Repressed feelings and dormant passions are rising to the surface. I bet they will soon be rattling your brain and illuminating your heart, unleashing a soothing turbulence of uncanny glee. Will you get crazy and wise enough to coax the Great Mystery into blessing you with an inspirational revelation or two? I believe you will. I hope you will! The more skillful you are at generating rowdy breakthroughs, the less likely you are to experience a breakdown. Be as unruly as you need to be to liberate the very best healings.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You finally have all you need to finish an incomplete mission or resolve a mess of unsettled karma. The courage and determination you couldn’t quite summon before are now fully available as you invoke a climax that will prepare the way for your aweinspiring rebirth. Gaze into the future, dear Taurus, and scan for radiant beacons that will be your guides in the coming months. You have more help than you know, and now is the time to identify it and move toward it.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Our sun is an average star in a galaxy of 100 billion stars. In comparison to some of its flamboyant compatriots, it’s mediocre. Over 860 light years away is a blue-white supergiant star called Rigel, which is twice as hot as our sun and 40,000 times brighter. The red supergiant Antares, over 600 light years away, has 12 times more mass. Yet if those two show-offs had human attitudes, they might be jealous of our star, which is the source of energy for a planet teeming with 8.7 million forms of life. I propose we make the sun your role model for now, Gemini. It’s an excellent time to glory in your unique strengths and to exuberantly avoid comparing yourself to anyone else.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): The philosophical principle known as Occam’s razor asserts that when trying to understand a problem or enigma, we should favor the simplest explanation with the fewest assumptions. While that’s often a useful approach, I don’t recommend it in the coming weeks. For you, nuances and subtleties will abound in every situation. Mere simplicity is unlikely to lead to a valid understanding. You will be wise to relish the complications and thrive on the paradoxes. Try to see at least three sides of every story. Further tips: 1. Mysteries may be truer than mere facts. 2. If you’re willing to honor your confusion, the full, rich story will eventually emerge.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “There are no unsacred places,” wrote Leo poet Wendell Berry. “There are only sacred places and desecrated places.” Poet Allen Ginsberg agreed. “Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy!”

Brezsny

he wrote. “Holy the solitudes of skyscrapers and pavements! Holy the cafeteria! Holy the mysterious rivers of tears under the streets! Holy the sea, holy the desert, holy the railroad.” With Berry’s and Ginsberg’s prompts as your inspiration, and in accordance with current astrological imperatives, I invite you to invigorate your relationship with sacredness. If nothing is sacred for you, do what it takes to find and commune with sacred things, places, animals, humans, and phenomena. If you are already a lover of sacred wonders, give them extra love and care. To expand your thinking and tenderize your mood, give your adoration to these related themes: consecration, sublimity, veneration, devotion, reverence, awe, and splendor.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): My favorite Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, wrote the following: “In us, there is a river of feelings, in which every drop of water is a different feeling, and each feeling relies on all the others for its existence. To observe it, we just sit on the bank of the river and identify each feeling as it surfaces, flows by, and disappears.” I bring this meditation to your attention, Virgo, because I hope you will do it daily during the next two weeks. Now is an excellent time to cultivate an intense awareness of your feelings — to exult in their rich meanings, to value their spiritual power, to feel gratitude for educating and entertaining you.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): How might your life come into clearer focus when you uncover secrets that inspire your initiative and ingenuity? What happens when resources that had been inaccessible become available for your enjoyment and use? How will you respond if neglected truths spring into view and point the way toward improvements in your job situation? I suspect you will soon be able to tell me stories about all this good stuff. PS: Don’t waste time feeling doubtful about whether the magic is real. Just welcome it and make it work for you!

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): It’s not the best time to tattoo a lover’s likeness on your abdomen. Maybe in May, but not now. On the other hand, the coming weeks will be an excellent time to see if your paramour might be willing to tattoo your name on their thigh. Similarly, this is a favorable period to investigate which of your allies would wake up at 5 a.m. to drive you to the airport, which of your acquaintances and friends would stop others from spreading malicious gossip about you, and which authorities would reward you if you spoke up with constructive critiques.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Redwoods are the tallest trees in the world. They may grow as high as 350 feet. Their roots are shallow, though, reaching

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):

A financial advisor once told me I could adopt one of three approaches to running my business: 1. Ignore change; 2. always struggle with change, half-immobilized by mixed feelings about whether to change or stay pat; 3. learn to love and thrive on change. The advisor said that if I chose either of the first two options, I would always be forced to change by circumstances beyond my control. The third approach is ultimately the only one that works. Now is an excellent time for you Pisceans to commit yourself fully to number three — for both your business and your life.

down just six to 12 feet before spreading out 60 to 100 feet horizontally. And yet the trees are sturdy, rarely susceptible to being toppled by high winds and floods. What’s their secret? Their root systems are interwoven with those of other nearby redwoods. Together, they form networks of allies, supporting each other and literally sharing nutrients. I endorse this model for you to emulate in your efforts to create additional stability and security in your life, Sagittarius.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): What’s the best way to be fulfilled? Hard work and discipline? Are we most likely to flourish if we indulge only moderately in life’s sweet pleasures and mostly focus on the difficult tasks that build our skills and clout? Or is it more accurate to say that 90 percent of success is just showing up: being patient and persistent as we carry out the small day-to-day sacrifices and devotions that incrementally make us indispensable? Mythologist Joseph Campbell described a third variation: to “follow our bliss.” We find out what activities give us the greatest joy and install those activities at the center of our lives. As a Capricorn, you are naturally skilled at the first two approaches. In the coming months, I encourage you to increase your proficiency at the third.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Mackerels are unusual fish in that they must keep swimming nonstop. If they don’t, they die. Do they ever sleep? Scientists haven’t found any evidence that they do. I bring them up now because many of you Aquarians have resemblances to mackerels — and I think it’s especially crucial that you not act like them in the coming weeks. I promise you that nothing bad will happen if you slow way down and indulge in prolonged periods of relaxing stillness. Just the opposite in fact: Your mental and physical health will thrive as you give your internal batteries time and space to recharge.

FILM By Chris McCoy

Heavy Hitters

Boxing has always been good fodder for lmmakers. e sport plays to the strengths of the form, o ering compelling characters, clear con ict, and visceral violence. None did it better than Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull and Rocky, the 1976 Best Picture winner directed by John G. Avildsen, but forever associated with its writer and star, Sylvester Stallone. ey are both working-class stories about driven men overcoming long odds, but they have very di erent takes on what being a sports hero really means. For Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull, the championship is an empty prize. For Rocky, the search for glory becomes less important than personal integrity.

In 2015, Ryan Coogler rebooted the Rocky story with Michael B. Jordan starring as Adonis “Donnie” Creed, the son of Stallone’s frenemy, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). e Black Panther helmer is one of the greatest genre directors of our age, and his skills t perfectly with the needs of the boxing picture. For Creed III, Jordan followed in the footsteps of Stallone by directing the lm he’s starring in. And whaddaya know, the guy’s got chops!

e lm begins in ashback, where a 15-year-old Donnie (played by addeus J. Mixson) sneaks out of his mom’s house to go to a Golden Globes boxing match with his buddy Damian “Dame” Anderson (Spence Moore II). Dame wins big, but while they’re on their way home, Donnie gets into an altercation in front of a package store. Dame pulls a gun to get his friend out of trouble, but he’s the one who gets busted when the cops show up.

Fi een years later, Donnie is ghting to unify the heavyweight championship. He retires a champ and is settling in with his wife Bianca (Tessa ompson) and daughter Amara (Mila Davis-Kent), when he gets a visit from an old friend. Dame,

now played by Jonathan Majors, is out of prison and wants to get back into the ght game. A er all this time, he thinks he’s still got “a little gas le in the tank.” Donnie feels more than a little guilty that it was Dame who paid the price when he started the ght all those years ago, so he o ers to help train him at his appropriately Greek-branded Delphi Gym.

Dame’s got a lot of aggression to work out, but he’s a ferocious ghter. Donnie, who is trying his hand as a manager, is trying to arrange a title bout for his protégé, Felix Chavez (José Benavidez Jr., an actual professional boxer.). When his would-be opponent is mysteriously assaulted at a party, Donnie recommends Chavez ght Dame instead. A er all, it was great publicity when Apollo Creed gave Rocky a title ght. “Everybody loves an underdog.” But Donnie’s plan back res, and you better believe that the two former friends are headed for a nal showdown in the ring.

During his press junket for Creed, Jordan has talked a lot about how his anime obsession shaped the way he approached his rst outing as director. You can see it in his bold compositions, particularly in the ght scenes. e rst match plays out in sweeping Steadicam close-ups that are more Scorsese than Watanabe. But during the nal showdown in Dodger Stadium, the fans melt away, and the two titans slug it out like gundams. Cinematographer Kramer Morgenthau shoots the ghts in a high frame rate, allowing Jordan and

Michael B. Jordan takes to the ring once again as Adonis Creed to face o with Jonathan Majors, playing his wronged friend from the past.

editor Tyler Nelson to speed up and slow down the action as needed.

Jordan’s performance is fearless. e key to the Rocky stories has always been just the right combination of strength and vulnerability. Jordan is not afraid to cry in an extended double close-up with

Tessa ompson or wear a frog onesie to a tea party with his hearing-impaired daughter. Majors is a perfect foil to Jordan, delivering a nuanced performance that, like Jordan in Black Panther, is not, strictly speaking, villainous. Creed III can go toeto-toe with the heaviest hitters of boxing cinema.

Creed III Now playing Multiple locations

Michael B. Jordan makes an impressive directorial debut with Creed III

Our critic picks the best films in theaters.

Scream VI

Good news, fans of accurate naming systems — they’re numbering Scream movies again! After the 2022 Scream, which had no number (perhaps to confuse you into believing you’re buying a ticket for Wes Craven’s 1996 Scream) but was actually the fifth Scream, the Roman numerals are back! Ghostface is back, he’s got a gun, and you’re trapped on the subway with him.

65

Yay, more numbers! Adam Driver is an astronaut who crashes on a distant planet, only to find that it’s not really a distant planet, it’s Earth, 65 million years in the past. Think the Planet of the Apes scenario, only with dinosaurs who don’t take kindly

to strangers. Legend Sam Raimi produces, and A Quiet Place’s Scott Beck and Bryan Woods wrote and directed.

Champions

Woody Harrelson is Marcus, an NBA Gleague coach with an anger problem. After a legal entanglement, he is ordered to community service coaching players with intellectual disabilities. It’s tough at first, but by golly, he’s gonna take this band of misfits all the way to the Special Olympics!

Cocaine Bear

Don’t hibernate on the year’s biggest sleeper hit. She’s black, she’s bad, she’s a bear, and she’s on hard drugs. Spoiler alert: She eats O’Shea Jackson Jr. But is this East Tennessee mom serving as a good role model for her cubs?

SHELBY COUNTY ATOD SUMMIT

Alcohol kills on average 95,000 Americans every year. Tobacco related deaths average 480,000 per year.

Once again, meth is back on the scene in full force and taking over US cities. Even recreational drug use is more dangerous than ever. Hear from local experts about current data and find out what we can do to help prevent unnecessary ATOD related deaths.

Students, Teachers, Therapists, School Counselors, Social Workers, Psychologists, Peer Specialists, Addiction & Mental Health Professionals, Treatment Centers, Churches, Outreach Ministries, Physicians, Nurses, Pharmacists, Law Enforcement, Judges, Media Representatives, Individuals In Recovery & Families

I Saw You Personals

You’ve Got Mail

I was standing in line at the Union@McNeil UPS in a blue suit jacket. You walked in holding a parcel and looking ... really cool. Did we have a moment? Reach out if you think so.

Have you spotted a hottie around town?

NOW

901-575-9400

classifieds@memphisflyer.com

EMPLOYMENT

FORENSIC CONSULTANT

sought by Sedgwick Claims Management Services, Inc. in Memphis,TN to Survey losses & loss scenes at resdntl & commrcl bldngs. Telecommuting permitted. Dmstc trvl reqd 50% for site eval and CAT clms. Apply at jobpostingtoday.com

Ref# 66930.

R & D GROUP MANAGER needed at Buckman Laboratories International, Inc. in Memphis, TN. Must have PhD in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Microbiology or related & 7 years’ research exp in the pulp and paper industry (or Master’s degree &10 years’ exp), including: Development & application of chemical technology with pulp & packaging paper manufacturing; Managing innovation portfolio including IP opportunities; Planning & executing product / technology development from

lab scale to commercialization; Developing test methods and design equipment; Providing support of field trials, marketing materials development; Defining problems, collecting data, conducting data analysis, establishing facts, and drawing conclusions. Email CVs to recruiting@buckman.com.

EOE - M/F/D/V.

BUY, SELL, TRADE

WANTED: OLD WINDUP Victrolas & old 45 & 78 records. Call Paul 901-734-6111.

FOSTER OR FOREVER HOME

Nelly is looking for a foster and a forever home. She is 1.5 years old, spayed, heartworm negative, fully vetted, good with dogs and kids, leash/crate/house trained, she loves hiking and laying out in the sun. She would be great for an active person or family. Contact Cynthia Meiring for more information at Inkydoo3@aol.com or (901)603-0422.

WELLS

THE BIG AMERICANS

A Louisiana Fairy Tale

Re ections on a magical Mardi Gras excursion.

Occasionally in life, if we are fortunate, we may forge the kind of friendship in which both parties are completely comfortable with one another. I personally have found such a friendship in Rhett Ortego, a New Orleans native. Our particular, and perhaps peculiar, bond can be summed up in a tableau: Rhett sitting in my bathroom reading aloud a history of Mardi Gras to me while I am in the shower. ( is may be a good time to mention that I am a heterosexual cis gender woman and Rhett is a homosexual cis gender man, and therefore, there is no danger of sexual tension in this anecdote. Much to the dismay of Rhett’s grandmother, who pulled him aside during my visit to his family home and asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to be anything more to Coco?” But I’m getting ahead of myself.) is is how I ended up on my rst-ever trip to New Orleans during Mardi Gras with my own personal tour guide.

On Sunday, February 19, 2023, Rhett and I are strolling through the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, and I am falling in love with the brightly painted houses and maze-like streets. It is a lovely day, the sun is shining, and everything is bright. I knew Mardi Gras was a big deal, but I was not quite prepared for the festive atmosphere that permeates the city. Beads hang o balconies and porches; lawns are decorated in purple, green, and gold; and businesses all over the city display repurposed Christmas trees — now Mardi Gras trees — in shop windows. People everywhere are wearing the most outrageous and fantastic clothes. I see a man dressed all in white, wearing giant white angel wings riding a bike down Napoleon Avenue, under a canopy of toilet-paper-rolled trees. A man who looks like he could be a Hell’s Angel sports a gold tiara.

As we drive and walk through the city, Rhett nonchalantly peppers our conversation with statements such as, “ at house was owned by a silent movie actress, and now it’s a library,” or “ e Heebe family lived there.” He tells me the history of many buildings, o en including the date they were built or what their original purpose was. As we enter Jackson Square, I notice that I am the fastest walking person in the crowd. I point it out and Rhett simply says, “ e Big Easy.” Everyone is unhurried, including the albino horse wearing a unicorn headband pulling a carriage down the streets of the Vieux Carre. We eat lunch on a balcony (which di ers from a gallery, I learn, in that it isn’t supported by columns or poles in any way). is particular balcony slants toward the street at such an angle that it feels as though we could spill over onto the sidewalk at any moment.

What strikes me in many places are not the sights of the city, but the sounds. I take several videos just to capture the aural experience. Being from Memphis, I especially appreciate another city that is permeated with music. I hear violins, homemade drums, and saxophones, and they are all layered between the voices of thousands of people having a good time. On Lundi Gras, the Monday directly before Fat Tuesday, we go to one of the many parades. e walk to the route takes us along St. Charles Avenue, past houses whose architecture dates back to the 1800s. e parade o ers up a completely di erent, more cacophonic, variety of sounds. Multiple marching bands, oats, and horses le through a throng of shouting people, and the distinctive sound of a wad of plastic beads being caught ashes periodically through the din.

On Fat Tuesday itself, Rhett and I get to experience our own grown-up platonic version of prom at the Rex Ball. A er the event, I nally slow down to match the pace of the locals, mincing along in my four-inch heels and oor-length vintage red dress. When we get back to Rhett’s parents’ house, we rewatch the ball (apparently an Ortego family tradition) with his dad, a hilarious experience made more palatable by the bottle of whiskey he breaks out for the occasion. A tting end to our Louisiana fairy tale.

Coco June is a Memphian, mother, and the Flyer’s theater columnist.

PHOTO: (TOP) RHETT ORTEGO; (BELOW) COCO JUNE e author reminisces about her Mardi Gras escapades, from taking in the sounds and sights of the French Quarter to attending the Rex Ball in a vintage red dress.

FRECKLES

He’s lost, cold and afraid. He’s a mixed Winnie male, one year old, 15 pounds, very short and long with long ears and a big brown spot on the side that looks like a heart. Freckles had a green collar. Please call 731-608-9075 if you have found or seen Freckles!