Memphis Flyer 07.18.19 by Contemporary Media

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July 18-24, 2019

CARRIE O’GUIN Advertising Operations Manager/ Distribution Manager JERRY D. SWIFT Advertising Director Emeritus KELLI DEWITT, CHIP GOOGE Senior Account Executives ROXY MATTHEWS Account Executive DESHAUNE MCGHEE Classified Advertising Manager BRENDA FORD Classified Sales Administrator classifieds@memphisflyer.com ROBBIE FRENCH Warehouse and Delivery Manager JANICE GRISSOM ELLISON, KAREN MILAM, DON MYNATT, TAMMY NASH, RANDY ROTZ, LEWIS TAYLOR, WILLIAM WIDEMAN Distribution THE MEMPHIS FLYER is published weekly by Contemporary Media, Inc., 65 Union Avenue, Memphis, TN 38103 Phone: (901) 521-9000 Fax: (901) 521-0129 www.memphisflyer.com CONTEMPORARY MEDIA, INC. ANNA TRAVERSE Chief Executive Officer ASHLEY HAEGER Controller JEFFREY GOLDBERG Chief Revenue Officer BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN Editorial Director KRISTIN PAWLOWSKI Digital Services Director JULIE RAY Distribution Manager MOLLY WILLMOTT Special Events Director JOSEPH CAREY IT Director LYNN SPARAGOWSKI Billing Coordinator BRITT ERVIN Email Marketing Manager KALENA MATTHEWS Receptionist

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CONTENTS

BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN Editor JACKSON BAKER, MICHAEL FINGER Senior Editors TOBY SELLS, SHARA CLARK Associate Editors CHRIS MCCOY Film and TV Editor ALEX GREENE Music Editor MICHAEL DONAHUE MAYA SMITH, JON SPARKS Staff Writers JESSE DAVIS Copy Editor, Calendar Editor KENNETH NEILL Founding Publisher

OUR 1586TH ISSUE 07.18.19 In May — with help from legally questionable arm-twisting by disgraced and soonto-be-deposed House Speaker (and general all-around sleazebag) Glen Casada — the Tennessee General Assembly passed an education voucher bill. It was not an easy birth. In fact, the House vote was deadlocked until Casada went into a back room and promised a Knoxville legislator his district would not be affected by the bill. That legislator then conveniently changed his vote. And that’s how, after much wrangling and behind-the-scenes deal-making, a law was passed that allows 5,000 low-income families in Nashville and Memphis to apply for $7,300 vouchers to use toward purchasing tuition at private schools. “Low-income” is defined as making no more than $65,000 a year for a family of four. Does anyone else find it odd that the state’s GOP-controlled legislature thought so little of this bill that they limited its jurisdiction to Memphis and Nashville? I sure do. I mean, if it’s such a great idea, why wouldn’t these lawmakers want the voucher bill to apply to their own districts? The answer is, because they know vouchers would divert funds from their public school systems and tick off their constituents, who would rightly see it as giving public money to private for-profit and religious schools. But when it comes to those of us living in the state’s largest two cities, the rubes who dominate the legislature are all too eager to bend us to their will, whether it’s outlawing living-wage legislation and minority hiring regulations — or, you know, taking down Confederate statues (which really pissed them off). Most likely, they thought, “Hey, let’s shove this bulls**t voucher thing down Memphis’ and Nashville’s throats and see what happens. That ought to irritate them liberals and uppity black folks.” And, of course, the voucher law has the sweet added benefit of padding the revenues of private schools — and pleasing their lobbyists. This is a boondoggle. Giving people public taxpayer funds to pay for private schools is nothing more than an incentive Glen to get them to pull their children out of public schools — at Casada a time when weakening public education is the last thing we need to be doing. And it gets worse. Private schools are under no obligation to accept any voucher student they don’t want. They can be selective. My guess is they’ll be more than happy to welcome $7,300 of our hard-earned money from, say, the family of a star running back and not so eager to welcome a troubled minority kid or a child with family problems or, horrors, a Muslim kid. This bill is being backed hard by Governor Bill Lee, who’s now pushing to implement the voucher program for the 2020 school year, rather than waiting until 2021, when the law is supposed to take effect. Chalkbeat.org, a nonprofit news organization that covers education, has reported extensively on Tennessee’s voucher bill. I highly recommend reading their coverage (and supporting their work). In a recent article, Representative Mike Stewart of Nashville was quoted as saying, “In places like Arizona, vouchers have been a rolling disaster marked by outright fraud and theft. We can expect the same thing to happen in Tennessee. … The whole point is to take millions of dollars away from public schools as soon as possible and then to dole them out to Governor Lee’s cronies, who have been pressing for vouchers since he got in office.” If Lee’s proposed expedited schedule goes into effect, families in Memphis and Nashville would start getting the “education savings accounts” next summer. All this will engender lawsuits, of course. Attorneys for the affected school districts are expected to challenge the bill, primarily on the grounds that it unfairly singles out the Nashville and Memphis school systems. Immigrant rights groups are considering legal action because the law denies vouchers to children whose parents entered the country illegally, even if the children are citizens. The state is also required by the voucher N E WS & O P I N I O N bill to “vet” private schools. What will that THE FLY-BY - 4 look like? Will the vetting involve looking NY TIMES CROSSWORD - 5 into religious schools’ curriculums? Will our POLITICS - 7 tax dollars go to support church-affiliated VIEWPOINT - 9 schools? Of course they will. Separation of COVER STORY “BLUFF CITY LAW” BY CHRIS MCCOY - 10 church and state is so … old school. WE RECOMMEND - 14 And here’s my favorite part: If the MUSIC - 16 state can’t find enough impoverished AFTER DARK - 18 families to fill the 5,000 designated spots, STAYCATION GUIDE - 20 higher-income families can apply, even CALENDAR - 23 ARTS - 30 if their kids were already set to go to CANNABEAT - 31 private school. FEATURE - 32 Bottom line: The Republicans are runBREWS - 33 ning an experiment with the Memphis and FILM - 34 Nashville school districts and using our C L AS S I F I E D S - 3 6 money to do it. Our kids are the lab rats. LAST WORD - 39 Bruce VanWyngarden brucev@memphisflyer.com

THE

fly-by

MEMernet A round-up of Memphis on the World Wide Web.

July 18-24, 2019

VI RTUAL DAD Will Loden wants to be your dad. If you never learned how to wash a car, throw a football, open a jar, or take a nap, Loden’s character “Virtual Dad” is ready to step in.

About a year ago, Virtual Dad debuted with a how-to YouTube video, “How To Take Out the Trash.” “This is a full trash can,” Virtual Dad says, motioning to a mound topped with milk jugs and beer bottles. “You’ll notice it’s full ’cause there’s stuff over’n the top of it.” Dad uses classic-dad nicknames, like hoss, rascal, and kiddo, but he’s not the most responsible, saying once, “I didn’t know I had you this weekend.” Dad’s instructions are correct, but comedy is the real lesson on display. Directions about washing a car from the top down, for example, lead to a hilariously unexpected diatribe about Reaganomics. Classic dad move. Production value on the series is high, and Loden doesn’t do it alone. Virtual Dad was created by Loden, Derek Beck, and Jono Foley. Music is by Trevor Smith, and graphics are by Corey Ellis. Find Virtual Dad on Facebook (@virtualdad) and on YouTube at Virtual Dad.

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Questions, Answers + Attitude Edited by Toby Sells

W E E K T H AT W A S By Flyer staff

Veto, SkyCops, & Barry Harris’ first veto, Cooper-Young debates cameras, & the storm. HAR R I S, R U D D C LAS H O N FUNDING Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris vetoed a vote by the Shelby County Board of Commissioners for $1 million for swimming pool renovations at the University of Memphis last week. It was Harris’ first veto as county mayor. Harris said he would not support the project until the university devises a plan to increase the employees’ pay to a living wage. Harris said that more than 330 employees at the U of M are making $11.11 per hour, “far below a living wage for individuals with chilClockwise from top left: Harris, Rudd, SkyCop camera, protestors, & dren” and “far below the Tropical Storm Barry on Monday morning $15 per hour that Shelby County government has repeatedly recommended for public institutions.” EYE S O N M P D Rudd sent a letter to faculty this week saying that his The team appointed to monitor the Memphis Police Departcommitment to providing all employees with a living wage ment’s (MPD) compliance to a federal judge’s ruling on police “remains firm.” surveillance heard from the community last week at one of He said over the past four years the university has impleseveral public forums planned on the issue. mented three “historic increases in our minimum wage from A federal judge appointed former U.S. Attorney Ed Stanton $9.20 to $10.10, $10.60 two years ago, and $11.11 this fiscal to lead an independent group tasked with monitoring MPD’s year.” When the new minimum wage of $11.11 goes into place progress and adherence to the court’s orders. this year, Rudd said, with benefits factored in, wages equal about In an effort to “encourage transparent dialogue,” the team has $16.80 an hour. planned a series of community meetings to share updates on the Rudd said he believes the university will be able to pay a livgroup’s work and allow the community to give feedback on the able wage to all employees in two years, but in a “manner that is city’s efforts to comply with the 1978 consent decree. financially responsible and sustainable.” (THAN K F U LLY) BAS H F U L BAR RY S KY EYES O N C -Y Tropical Storm Barry sauntered into Memphis Monday after The Cooper-Young Business Association (CYBA) said the making a softer landfall at New Orleans than was predicted. board bought seven SkyCop cameras last week, and some The storm was capable of bringing heavy rains and possibly neighbors were concerned that the board did not consult tornadoes to the Memphis area, causing structural damage and anyone else in the neighborhood. power outages. Barry brought only a light but steady rainfall here. Robberies, beatings, and a kidnapping have occurred in Barry’s threat, though, was enough to worry mayors of the neighborhood over the last few months. The CYBA said already-waterlogged cities up and down the Mississippi River. those are all reasons they want to install the cameras along “I’ve never seen water inundate my city like this,” said Vidathe bustling business district. lia, Louisiana, Mayor Buz Craft. Some neighbors worry the cameras will push crime “The Mississippi River Delta tends to have its own economic deeper into the residential parts of Cooper-Young and that challenges without the ongoing disasters,” said Greenville, Misthe cameras’ blinking blue lights will signal to visitors that it sissippi, Mayor Errick Simmons. is a high-crime area. Visit the News Blog at memphisflyer.com for fuller versions A vote on the issue was scheduled at City Hall on Tuesday. of these stories and more local news.

For Release Monday, June 18, 2018

The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Crossword

Wolfish look 5 Lead-in to “di” or “da” in a Beatles song 9 Fowl raised for food 14 Commedia dell’___ 15 Gas, oil or coal 16 Port St. ___, Fla. 17 End of a drinking hose 19 Rand McNally volume 20 Diving gear 21 Get going, as an old motorcycle or a new company 23 Spheres, in poetry 25 Angsty music genre 26 Rapper with the 1996 doubleplatinum album “Hard Core” 1

37 Calf catcher

38 Language that becomes the name of where it’s spoken if you add an “s” 39 ___ Gay, 1945 bomber

E R A T

A B B A

E T C H

B E A U

B E R M

S A G E S

E C O L I

N O T A X

N P A S I P Y A L B N C E C H I L T O N V O G E E N O R A M O D I O R M R N S A T G T E T E R O

64 Another term for 17-Across

66 Prefix with -hydrozoline

67 Make, as an income

68 “Casablanca” role

43 Gofer’s assignment

69 More foxy

45 U-Haul alternative

71 Dispatched, as a dragon

70 Drain decloggers

46 Part of NATO 49 Outdo

3 Doesn’t mind

53 Dame Myra of piano fame

55 SpaceX founder Musk 58 How lemmings migrate

60 Held in contempt

L M S O U M

H O T F O O T I T

A C R I D

S H A R I

2 Galley equipment

52 Took the cake

N O M S G

4 Sheik’s land, in poetry 5 “Just hang on!”

6 Martial arts school

7 Music genre with confessional lyrics

A D P R R I N U E O A S T S M I L E D U L S W I M U L E A P P O M E N T P E E W E E H O S T T O W N E R I R O O D X E N A S K S

16 19

PUZZLE BY JEFF STILLMAN

26 Hoedown partner

27 Victorian ___

39 45

25 31

No. 0522

40 Former co-host of “The View”

51 56

65 68 71

1999 Brad Pitt movie hinted at by the beginnings of 17-, 21-, 39and 52-Across Planet demoted to “dwarf planet” in 2006 Woman of the Haus Fishes that may shock you Good ___ (repaired perfectly) Appear (to be) Go bananas 12

50 Flavorers of some pies and ice cream 54 Jason of “I Love You, Man” 56 Auction grouping 57 Caesar’s world? 59 Real estate unit 60 Dried up 61 Heart’s-___ (pansy) 62 Tournament director’s responsibility 65 Laser output

44 45

46 47 49

68 69

14 17

Research Champions Change Lives

21 23

24 30

46 49

Donating Plasma Has Never 1 Parts of science Been More Lucrative! courses DOWN

“Spamalot” creator Idle 52 3 Caesar’s rebuke to Brutus 57 4 Nike competitor 5 Birds ___ 61 feather 6 Gains muscle, with “up” ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE 7 Blue jeans pioneer Strauss A K I T A S C H A S T E ™ V E R O N A H O E D O W N 8 Trump portrayer Baldwin A R O U N D L O W L I F E S 9 Blood fluid L O N G S F O R M O T E L OWeUareCseeking H F R and O cell S donors T Sto support I Z Eimportant blood 10 Not just playing medical research focused on fighting life-threatening for fun N A H B E A K E R S E E R diseases. You can change lives – for patients, families, C E and M Efriends N T– by S joining H O their E Sfight today. 11 The N.C.A.A.’s Bruins F Be A La SResearch E B O T Champion. T O M R E T R A C T I O N S 12 Word repeated before “pants G O T M E N C K E N E A U on fire” A C E S R A K E D A M I N others. S E AYouL give E to help L O Y WeCgiveL back O Dto you. S 13 Word repeated Qualified donors are compensated for their time. while tapping a C A P I T A L N M O O N I E microphone Call 901.252.3434 A N O email M Aresearchchampions@keybiologics.com L Y O R O I D E N O Tvisit E www.keybiologics.com/researchchampions L L D E F C O N 18 Magazine of show business 51

41 Zodiac constellation 29 Hi, on Hispaniola 31 Start of a 42 Lab warning? 9 Part of 17-Across decision-making … and what the 44 Bakery loaves process circles from A to G depict 33 What landlubbers 46 Responsibility for don’t like to be a social media 10 Give ___ of manager 34 Thing located approval in the night sky 47 14-line verse 11 Compound in by extending a with only two synthetic rubber line from circle F rhyme sounds past circle G 12 Wiped clean 36 Numbskull 48 Antagonism 13 “Come on already!” Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,000 past 18 Assembled puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). 22 Approximately Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay. 24 Lease signatories 8 Twilled fabric

T A S T Y

Edited by Will Shortz

Handyman’s inits. What sirens do Enero begins it Certain red dye Having a high metallic sound Like some magazine perfume ads Ill-tempered Borden milk’s cow 6-3 or 7-6, e.g. Cy Young Award winner Hershiser Faux ___ Tribal leaders Like non-Rx drugs Female friend of François Party vessel with a ladle “There ___ to be a law!” Loud, as a crowd 46

DOWN

1 What this is for 1-Down

51 Gut-punch reaction

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE J O B S

63 Authoritative command

We Appreciate All Of Your Time Spent 64 65 Helping Our Researchers Fight Cancer. 67

63 66

PUZZLE BY ANDREA CARLA MICHAELS

22 24

26 27 28 29 30 32 33 34

Code breaker Fellow who might be senior class president, for short Rope in a Wild West show Run up, as expenses Peter of “The Maltese Falcon” Uses a rotary phone Bed-andbreakfasts Licorice flavoring Derive by logic Alternatives to Ubers

Mets’ former ballpark

Poet whose work inspired “Cats”

Distribute, as resources

Carpe ___ (seize the day: Lat.)

Banned pollutant, in brief

Cards that may be “wild” in poker

50 51

Lose on purpose Fish tank gunk

53 m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

35 Hopped up

No.

54 55 56

NEWS & OPINION

Crossword ACROSS

ACROSS 1 Sonata finale 5 Fateful day 9 Noted tower setting 14 Villain’s hangout 15 City on the Seward Peninsula 16 Habituate 17 Constellation next to Draco 19 Subtly suggested 20 1962 Paul Anka hit 21 Widely adored woman 23 Part of a gig 24 Garr of “Tootsie” 25 Original of an old photo, informally 26 “You don’t say!” 28 2008 Benicio Del Toro title role 30 Diminutive swimsuit 32 Indo-___ languages

Edited by Will Shortz

59 60

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System ‘Survivor’

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CITY REPORTER By Maya Smith

Manuel Duran and some of his attorneys is Manuel’s case,” Joyner said. “He was there for over a year and had the support of his family and the community. What he had going for him is solidarity. Sitting in jail for over a year while your immigration case is ongoing is simply not possible for some people who are so extremely traumatized and isolated.” Last week, MIA, officially launching its Asylum Initiative, went public with its effort to assist asylum seekers like Duran, but who’ve just recently arrived

to the country and are being held in detention centers in the Southeast. The initial focus of the initiative is the Tallahatchie Correctional Center in Tutwiler, Mississippi, which houses about 1,500 male asylum seekers. Joyner said the team has been traveling there three times a week since January to provide legal guidance by preparing detainees for the next step in the asylum process. That step is called a credible fear interview. Joyner said that interview is “a crucial part” of the process and is used to determine if an asylum seeker’s case should go before a judge. The Tallahatchie detention center, located less than two hours from Memphis, opened about a year ago as the first asylum staging center in the country, Joyner said. Asylum seekers there were transported from a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol facility at the border, put on a plane to Memphis, and then bused to Tallahatchie County where they will stay between three weeks and two months before being sent to another private facility in Louisiana. “As these facilities open close to us in these isolated, rural locations, it’s important that we make sure these asylum seekers have information about the process and their rights so they can have some kind of chance at making their claim,” Joyner said.

July 18-24, 2019

Manuel Duran, the Memphis journalist who was arrested last spring while covering an immigration protest and detained for 15 months, was released on bond last week. Duran, held in various detention centers, was most recently in the Etowah County Detention Center in Gadsden, Alabama. After the Board of Immigration Appeals ordered that his case be reopened earlier this month, Duran was able to petition the court for a bond. Reopening the case means Duran will now have the opportunity to go before a federal immigration judge to have his asylum claim heard. Gracie Willis, an attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), one of the groups providing Duran with legal assistance, said though Duran’s release is cause for celebration, “We are reminded that his struggle over the last 15 months is an indictment of an immigration system clearly designed to force immigrants seeking relief under the law to give up on their meritorious cases.” Sally Joyner, interim executive director of MidSouth Immigration Advocates (MIA), said Duran is a “survivor of the system,” as over the past few years, it’s become “extraordinarily difficult” to be released from detention centers. “It’s not impossible, and I think a great example

F E AT U R I N G

July 25 | 5-7 PM

RSVP > akerr@focalpointcrosstown.com 6

EYEWEAR BY

SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER

Immigration groups say many give up on asylum claims; Manuel Duran did not.

POLITICS By Jackson Baker

This is the deadline week for candidates in the 2020 Memphis city election, and by Thursday, July 18th, some of the mysteries that have lingered for weeks will have been resolved. We will know which (if any) of the four races that Justin J. Ford has pulled petitions for — mayor; City Court clerk; city council District 6; or city council, Super District 8, Position 1 — that he intends to run in. Ford’s case is interesting. His political career so far has included two successes, each netting him a term in the Shelby County Commission. His first win was in 2010, for one of the three positions available in what was then a multiseat District 3. Then, in 2014, after single-district reapportionment, he was able to win again in the newly created District 9, which covered a smaller slice of the previous District 3. In both cases, the South Memphis district served by Ford was one in which the extended Ford family has always possessed political power. His father, Joe Ford, represented the District 3 seat before him. Justin Ford also has three losses on his record — for City Court clerk in 2015, for the 9th District Congressional seat in 2016, and for the District 29 state Senate seat in 2018. He also was charged with domestic assault of a girlfriend in 2017 and offered an Alford plea, which combines an admission of guilt with a technical dismissal. Ford also has been assessed with some $20,000 in civil penalties for violating rules relating to his business, the Justin Ford Funeral Home. So, suffice to say much is at stake for Ford in this year’s city election — arguably, his last chance at a viable long-term political career — and his choice of which race to run in is crucial. A District 6 race would pit him

against a field including Edmund Ford Sr., who is not only his uncle but the odds-on favorite to regain a seat he once held. Running for the District 8, Position 1 seat would pit him, along with a large field of others, some with name recognition, against a shortterm incumbent, Gerry Curry. As for the mayor’s race: The reality is that he would have a hard time being taken seriously in that massive field, in which other challengers loom larger and the incumbent, Jim Strickland, has a million dollars in cash reserves and huge odds in his favor. The race for City Court clerk also has a large field, with former Councilmen Myron Lowery and Joe Brown being the biggest names. There’s not a slam dunk among those options. Whichever race Justin Ford may have chosen by the time you read this will require maximum effort on Ford’s part, plus significant resources and luck, big-time, if he wishes to avoid the permanent obscurity possessed by, say, one Roderick Ford, who is unrelated to the political Fords but runs in every election in the forlorn hope that voters will mistake him for somebody else. • Another would-be candidate who began the week with decisions to make is Mauricio Calvo, who has been a candidate for serious public (above) distinction for years as Justin executive director of J. Ford; Latino Memphis and as a (below) member of the board of Mauricio directors of the Greater Calvo Memphis Area Chamber of Commerce. Calvo, Mexican-born but a naturalized U.S. citizen, has been pondering a race for the City Council in Super District 9 and drew petitions for Positions 1, 2, and 3. Each of those choices presented difficulties. In Position 1, he could conceivably be up against six opponents, two of whom — Erika Sugarmon and Chase Carlisle — are regarded as the main continued on page 8

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m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

City council candidates Justin Ford and Mauricio Calvo face decisions.

NEWS & OPINION

Multiple Choices

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POLITICS

August 28,2019 2018 July 23,

continued from page 7

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competitors and had already filed for the position. In Position 2, the field would appear to be a mite smaller, but one of the two candidates already filed is the incumbent, Ford Canale. And in Position 3, Calvo would face a field containing highly touted Jeff Warren, the leading fund-raiser among council candidates, and Cody Fletcher, another candidate with a serious head start. In addition to the problem of choosing the optimal ballot position of the three — all of which relate to the same sprawling geographical area comprising the eastern half of the city — Calvo faces another self-created challenge, the fact that he has, for better or for worse, outed himself as gay. Calvo did so in a June 19th post on his Facebook page. As he explained, “I wanted people to know who I am. … I wanted supporters and voters to know who I am. My mom is 84, and I wanted her to know who I am. In my everyday life, I have the privilege of working and interacting with many inspiring people within and outside of the Memphis community. I wanted them to know who I am. Speaking my truth took a weight that I have carried for decades off of my shoulders.” Family reasons were important in Calvo’s decision to come out. His wife, Yancy Villa-Calvo, an artist 12:39:13 PM who collaborates with him on “High Ground News,” a social-activist newsletter, had known for years and remains supportive. “And, of course, there are my loving children: Santiago, Anna, and Carolina,” Calvo added. “After speaking with them earlier this year, I believed it would be inconsistent, unhealthy,

and dangerous to encourage them to embrace themselves and others while keeping their father’s truth a secret.” The response to Calvo in comments from others on his Facebook page have been resoundingly supportive, and they reflect a generous swath of the Super-District population. It remains to be seen what the impact of his decision has on his candidacy or on his widely acclaimed place in the city’s life, but in the meantime, he would seem to have evinced an indisputable personal bravery that can only be regarded as a triumph in its own right.

Whichever race Justin Ford may have chosen by the time you read this will require maximum effort on Ford’s part, plus significant resources and luck, if he wishes to avoid permanent obscurity. • The probable pairing for next year’s U.S. Senate race became apparent this week with the endorsement of Republican Bill Hagerty, current Ambassador to Japan and former Tennessee Economic Development Commissioner, by President Donald Trump for the seat being vacated by Lamar Alexander. Meanwhile, Nashville lawyer and Iraq war vet James Mackler, a Democrat, has been endorsed by former Governor Phil Bredesen, for whom Mackler dropped out of last year’s Senate race, won ultimately by then-Congressman Marsha Blackburn of the GOP.

July 18-24, 2019

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THE BEST

Millington’s Making It

ENTERTAINMENT

No longer a suburban stepchild, the North Shelby city is getting noticed.

We’ve got a lot more on our brag list, including a thriving new city-run public school system. As Gulotta pointed out, we sold 28 acres to Roadmasters for developing a truck-driving school to produce some of the estimated 50,000 commercial drivers needed in the country. And we have unparalleled access to major state and federal roadways. Did we lose some momentum when the old Naval Air Station closed down a couple of decades back? We did, but the surviving installation, known as Naval Support Activity Mid-South, remains our largest employer, and its retiring personnel are a prime source of new, skilled workforce for this region. There are also the airport facilities, which the Navy deeded over to the city, including an 8,000-foot-long runway, the third longest in Tennessee. What is now called Millington-Memphis Airport is an ever-developing facility with an economic impact of $14 million a year. We’ve got a lot more on our brag list, including a thriving new city-run public school system and such intangibles as the weekly dances held on Saturday nights at Millington’s Strand Theater, featuring professional players and a musical prodigy or two.We’re grateful to ChamberofCommerce.org for telling the world about us. Come take a look for yourself. We’re only 20 minutes from Downtown Memphis. Terry Roland, a Millington businessman and former Shelby County commissioner, is executive vice-president of the Millington Chamber of Commerce.

SEETHER JULY 27

ELVIS, ELVIS, ELVIS: A TRIBUTE TO THE KING AUGUST 16

GARY OWEN AUGUST 30

AUSTRALIAN PINK FLOYD AUGUST 31

JOE NICHOLS & DIAMOND RIO SEPTEMBER 13

CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVISITED SEPTEMBER 20 m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

trial Development Board (IDB), and the Millington Board of Aldermen for their sterling advance preparation and work on these projects. Next up was Charles Gulotta of the IDB, a man I call my mentor. He talked at length about our latest pride and joy, the new 53-megawatt solar farm built on city-owned turf in tandem with Silicon Ranch Inc. and TVA. Opened in April, the farm is three-and-a-half times the size of any other such facility in Tennessee and can generate enough power for 7,500 homes. One of our assets is an abundance of land, enough to have created space for a new, 135,000-square-foot retail development called The Shops of Millington and the impressive new $25 million thoroughfare, Veterans Parkway, where the Chamber office is.

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NEWS & OPINION

Franklin, Millington, Germantown, Brentwood, Collierville. What do these five Tennessee cities have in common? And how does Millington, with its unpretentious middle-class roots, come to be in that exalted company of posh bedroom suburbs? The list of Tennessee’s “best cities to live in” is hot off the press, and it comes from ChamberofCommerce.org, a national support organization for America’s numerous Chamber entities. Here was their methodology: “We ranked a total of 2,509 qualified cities (those with populations above 25,000 and enough data for analysis) by five factors: employment (number of establishments, median earnings); housing (owner-occupied housing with a mortgage, monthly housing costs); quality of life (work commute, poverty levels); education (percentage with a bachelor’s degree or higher); and health (obesity ratios).” Franklin, described as “an affluent, fastgrowing city of nearly 81,000 in Williamson County,” gets the award as “the best Tennessee city to live in.” And next comes Millington, “a small city in the southwest corner of the state that is best known as home to the Naval Support Activity MidSouth naval base, which provides over 7,000 jobs to residents in the area and is one of the largest employers in Tennessee.” Trailing behind are Germantown, Brentwood, and Collierville, in that order, and beneath them are the also-rans, with Memphis finishing 24th and the other major regional municipality, Jackson, coming in at 34. Now you might understand why, in the aftermath of my lost race for Shelby County mayor last year, I described my coming to be the executive vice-president of the Millington Chamber of Commerce as “probably the best thing that ever happened to me in my life.” Here’s a checklist that resulted from me asking a few fellow Millingtonians to do some modest bragging about our city at a Chamber luncheon earlier this year. Mayor Terry Jones started things off by talking about a few of the city improvement projects under way: a wastewater treatment plant here, new traffic lights there, road construction on major thoroughfares, street improvements, work started on a soon-to-be five-lane bridge, a new fire station, Waffle House, Arby’s, and numerous other franchises coming in, grading projects, and a new recreational center, including an amphitheater, planned for the southern approaches to the city. Quite properly, Mayor Jones credited our city manager, Ed Haley, our Indus-

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C OVE R STO RY BY C H R I S M C C OY

Bluff City Law

n 1991, John Grisham published his second novel, The Firm. The lawyer-turnedauthor’s tautly written legal thriller about a naive young man’s experience with a corrupt Memphis law firm became an instant bestseller. Two years later, Sydney Pollack directed the film adaptation starring Tom Cruise. The film grossed $270 million ($483 million in 2019 10 money) and indelibly associated Memphis with the legal thriller genre.

JAKE GILES NETTER/NBC

July 18-24, 2019

HOW MEMPHIS LANDED ITS BIGGEST TV SERIES YET.

More importantly, from the city’s point of view, the success of The Firm also attracted a number of other bigbudget film productions to the Bluff City, such as The Rainmaker, The People vs. Larry Flynt, 21 Grams, and, by the middle of the ’00s, Academy Awardwinners like Walk the Line and Craig Brewer’s homegrown Hustle & Flow. But then, shortly before the financial crisis of 2008, the stream of Hollywood productions coming to Memphis dried up. Inspired by the success of Toronto,

Canada, in attracting productions like The X-Files, states such as Louisiana and Georgia began offering incentives in the form of tax credits and other perks to entice Hollywood to locate productions there. It worked. New Orleans and Shreveport became unlikely film hubs, and billions of dollars of film and television money — including bigbudget films from Marvel Studios — flowed into Atlanta. In 2011, Brewer fought hard to get

Going straight — Caitlin McGee (left) and Jimmy Smits play father-daughter attorney duo at the Strait Law Firm. Paramount Studios to allow him to film the remake of Footloose in Shelby County, but to no avail. The production landed in Georgia, and as a result, many of Memphis’ tight-knit group of film workers left for greener pastures. Local micro-budget indie filmmakers soldiered on, as we always do, but besides that, the 2010s were bleak years

A Routine Request On January 10th, Memphis and Shelby County Film and Television Commissioner Linn Sitler got a call from NBC Universal. It was a request for photographs of several Memphis locations, the kind of thing her office fields all the time. A little over a week later, she got a call from Bob Raines, executive director of the Tennessee Entertainment Commission, informing her the state was in negotiations with NBC over a show called Bluff City Law. “I thought, ‘You’re kidding me! They haven’t even come here to scout. They just asked for one package of pictures,’” Sitler recalls. Raines was not kidding. His contacts at NBC Universal were testing the waters in Tennessee.“I had developed an initial relationship with them over a production called Real Country that was done here in the state.” NBC executives were very enthused about their new concept, and Raines knew he had to move quickly to make sure it didn’t morph into “Atlanta Law.” When producers pitch a new show to a network and the network is interested, they will order a pilot — a proof-ofconcept episode that introduces the characters and situations the proposed series would deal with. Most shows never get past this point. But if Raines and Sitler couldn’t convince NBC to film the pilot in Memphis, there was no chance the eventual series would be filmed here. “The state moved very quickly — with record speed — and agreed to incentivize the pilot,” says Sitler. “On February 4th, the Memphis production office opened.” A Powerful Message Bluff City Law was conceived by Dean Georgaris and Michael Aguilar, both veteran writer-producers of film and television. David Janollari, who has earned five Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe Award for his work on Six Feet Under, American Family, and, in 2005, a mini-series about Elvis Presley, is the executive producer of the new series. “The inspiration for [Bluff City Law] is kind of two-fold,” says Janollari. “We were looking to do a great law franchise show that kind of harkens back to some of the great classic legal movies: The Verdict, A Few Good Men, Erin Brockovich. The list goes on. How do we capture that, stand up and cheer the heroes who will triumph over injustice on a week-toweek basis? Also on our minds were

inspirations like L.A. Law and The West Wing that dealt with issues and with real, contemporary life in a very honest and provocative and hopefully thoughtful way.” The courtroom is where many of the conflicts and issues of American society come to a head, making legal thrillers perpetually popular. But legal maneuvering can be dry, so the team knew that this show about “a David versus Goliath kind of law firm that takes on big injustices and fights the noble fight” needed a familial core. The lead character is named Elijah Strait, whom the executive producer describes as “this kind of Atticus Finch character, a renowned, successful, and popular lawyer in Memphis. We wanted to know what his family life was all about.” Elijah, the writers decided, has a daughter named Sydney who had followed in his footsteps and entered the legal profession. But when she went to work for the family firm, she and Elijah clashed, and so she left for a bigger, more corporate firm. In the pilot episode, the sudden death of Sydney’s mother motivates her to return to the Strait Law Firm. “We wanted to put a contemporary American family dynamic on the air in a different way than we’ve seen in a while,” Janollari says. “This father and daughter are cut from the same cloth, and in that respect it’s both a good and a bad partnership because they are so similar and know each other’s tricks and foibles and flaws.” No matter how good the concept, casting can make or break a show. For the crucial character of Sydney, with whom the audience would be asked to identify, the producers held extensive auditions before finding Caitlin McGee. “Caitlin walked in and just mesmerized us,” Janollari says. “She kind of transformed into the character right in front of our eyes. It was a magical moment. … This is really her first big series leading role, and she’s fantastic. She’s a breakout. People are going to discover her and fall in love with her. She’s both powerful and incredibly vulnerable at the same time.” The team knew who they wanted for Elijah. Jimmy Smits first attracted attention as one of the breakout stars of the NBC series L.A. Law. He’s got more than 20 big screen credits, including appearances in two Star Wars movies as Princess Leia’s adoptive father, Bail Organa. His TV career includes stints on NYPD Blue, Dexter, Sons of Anarchy, and, most importantly, three years on The West Wing. “The West Wing was a kind of touchstone for us as we were developing the show, in terms of it really feeling like it was of the moment and addressing issues that were on people’s minds on a day-to-day basis,” Janollari says. “We live in a world which

is even more complicated and more messy, from a standpoint of ‘What is truth?’ and ‘What is right?’ If we can pound the drum a little without being preachy, with the message that you can fight the good fight and you can change the world by sticking to your guns and standing up for the truth, we think that’s a powerful message to land in the world at the moment.” The Clocks Are Ticking As the Bluff City Law production offices ramped up in Memphis, Sitler and Raines faced a series of obstacles and a looming deadline. States such as Georgia, which have income taxes, offer productions transferrable tax credits that they can auction off to local companies for a profit. Tennessee doesn’t have a state income tax. “Our system is not a tax-credit system. It’s a grant system,” says Raines.

“I think in the end, they really wanted the authenticity, and then they saw how hard we worked together to bring some resources to the table,” Bob Raines says. On paper, the Tennessee incentive structure promises a 30-percent refund of salaries paid to Tennesseans and a 25-percent refund of other spending, such as construction, catering, and transportation. Given the budget NBC was proposing, that translated to a $15- to $20-million incentive grant. It’s a hard sell to budget-conscious legislators, but Raines says these incentives can pay off in a big way. “The state of Tennessee has invested about $69 million in reimbursements over a 10-year period,” he says. “We’ve gotten back $78 million in sales tax revenues. The program has generated $480 million in income to Tennesseans working in the production industry that we would not have seen without the incentives. It produced $655 million in economic output. … So when people ask, ‘Why are we giving money to productions?’ We’re impacting small businesses. We’re creating high-quality jobs.”

Sitler cites a recent incident when she was able to access a Shelby County jobs training grant to help a young woman train and join the union for the wardrobe department of a Memphisbased production. The woman has worked steadily since and landed a job on the Bluff City Law pilot. “It can lift people literally out of poverty once they learn the job skills,” she says. In early 2019, Raines and Sitler were trying to explain all this to a brand-new governor and a legislature that had just experienced a 30-percent turnover. Between the legislative session schedule and the deadline for NBC to order the pilot to series, multiple clocks were ticking. “We’re trying to educate them on what the entertainment incentive system is and what we did for the state, utilizing all the data that we have,” says Raines. “They’re just trying to get up to speed on the basic practicality of the system — not only just on film and television, but the entire system.” By late February, Sitler was shuttling back and forth between meetings in Memphis and Nashville. She found an early ally in the Black Caucus, led by Representative G.A. Hardaway and State Senator Raumesh Akbari, who voted to make an $18-million incentive grant appropriation their top priority. “I give credit for this to my board chairman Gail Carson, who knows all of the members of the Black Caucus and they all trust her greatly,” Sitler says. But a setback loomed. “The new budget came out March 4th, and there was nothing — zero new funds for the state film incentive fund. Nothing at all,” she says. On March 11th, filming started on the Bluff City Law pilot. Hanging in the Balance “We had a really wonderful experience shooting this pilot in Memphis,” says Janollari. “Our cast is terrific, the script by Dean Georgaris is just terrific and smart and funny and kind of epically emotional. Working in Memphis was a truly charmed experience. The city opened up its doors to us, treated us great, and embraced us.” But even as they filmed, the precariousness of the situation was not lost on the locals hired for the production. “A couple of the crew people from Bluff City Law started a letter-writing campaign, and I think that really, really helped,” says Sitler. “What I was told was that it made the administration and some of the legislators suddenly take notice that this was something that Memphis really wanted. … It was gratifying to hear reports from the state that the meetings would start with, ‘How many letters did you get today? How many emails did continued on page 12

COVER STORY m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

for film production in Memphis. The 2017 CMT series Sun Records, which focused on the birth of rockand-roll, was the first sign things might be thawing. Last year, the Hallmark Channel came calling with Christmas at Graceland and Wedding at Graceland. As 2019 dawned, something new was in the air. And it was big.

JAKE GILES NETTER/NBC

Jimmy Smits

continued from page 11 you get today?’” But even as shooting ground on, it became clear that the initial $18-million request was not going to be fulfilled and that any incentive money would come from either supplemental Memphis and Shelby County budget requests or county and city sources. On April 15th, two-and-a-half weeks after filming wrapped, Governor Bill Lee announced that the supplemental budget would include $4 million in new money for the state film fund.

July 18-24, 2019

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The Big Deal Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, NBC was mulling over the results of the pilot shoot. Georgaris’ script deftly juggles the relationship between Elijah and Sydney as the father and daughter try to reconcile while taking on an agribusiness giant whose product causes cancer. Memphis locations include the courthouse, where McGee screams an authentic scream in the bathroom, and the Four Way Grill in Soulsville, where a tense lunch meeting takes place between opposing counsels. NBC execs were so impressed with the pilot that they ordered Bluff City Law to series on May 6th. The question was, would they film here, or, like the shortlived series Memphis Beat, do the bulk of their filming elsewhere, venturing to the Bluff City only for the occasional exterior shot? The scramble continued. The state finally agreed to kick in $2.5 million, and Mayor Jim Strickland’s office searched the coffers for more funding. “A network TV show is a big deal, and we all understood that from from the get-go,” says Reid Dulberger, president and CEO of the Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE). “This was a team effort, and to my mind, the team included NBC. In all my discussions with them, they clearly wanted to film the series here. We have not always seen that in the past. … Generally speaking, the economics of the film and TV industry tend to be very responsive to local subsidy and

local financial support. But even when it became abundantly clear that there wasn’t going to be a huge amount of money available at state level or local level for this production, the NBC people continued to work with us.” In the end, EDGE contributed $1.4 million in county and city incentives. An additional $350,000 came from the marketing budget of Memphis Tourism. “It was a tremendous opportunity for us, one we couldn’t pass up,” says Memphis Tourism president and CEO Kevin Kane. “We’ve had cable shows, but I don’t think we’ve ever had a show on NBC, CBS, or ABC during primetime. After The Voice on Monday night, 9 p.m. Central, is about as good as it gets for viewership potential.” The experience of 124 episodes of the show Nashville, which ran on ABC and CMT from 2012 to 2018, supports Kane’s decision. “That’s what made the tourism boom here so quickly,” says Raines, who lives in Nashville. “The numbers we saw were 18 percent of the people who saw the show in Middle America, they were getting up off their couch and coming to the city to experience it.” After an initial ask of $18 million, NBC finally said yes to a $4.25-million package. “I think in the end, they really wanted that authenticity, and then they saw how hard we worked together to try and bring some resources to the table,” says Raines. Production of the first season begins on July 20th and will last for about six months. David Janollari says he is eager to return to Memphis. “We’re going to strive in the series to include Memphis in each episode, even more than we did in the pilot — really feature the beauty and the history of Memphis and get out on the street more, into real authentic locations.” The pilot is scheduled to air on NBC on September 23rd. “We’re looking forward to embracing Memphis and reflecting it accurately and beautifully on screen, capturing everything but the aroma of the barbecue,” says Janollari. “But we will be featuring a lot of barbecue.”

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We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews

Zinesters

Erica Qualy, organizer of Memphis Zine Fest V

By Julia Baker

CROSSTOWN ARTS

Erica Qualy, an artist who dabbles in various forms of visual and performing arts, has been making zines since she was in high school. “My friend and I were at the library, and we saw a book [Zine Scene: The Do It Yourself Guide to Zines by Francesca Lia Block and Hillary Carlip] about how to make zines,” she says. “A lot of the bands I admired growing up made zines. So, it just hit us. We thought, ‘Wow, this is so awesome.’” The pair went home and created their first zine, complete with word finds, advice columns, and other quirky content fillers. Fast forward to 2019, and now Qualy is organizing Memphis Zine Fest V at Crosstown Concourse and working on the fourth issue of her zine — Facts, Advice, & Things to think about! — filled with poetry one-liners. “When I first moved here from Minneapolis to go to Memphis College of Art, I realized there wasn’t really a zine scene here, or, if there was one, I didn’t know where it was,” she says. “So, I wanted to help provide a space where zinesters could come out and share their wares. Mary Jo Karimnia, a fellow Memphis artist, listened to my ideas for this event, and she helped me bring the event to life via Story Booth and Crosstown Arts.” This year’s Zine Fest will feature the works of several zine makers, including various established zine makers and new makers who attended last week’s Youth Zine-Making Workshop. MEMPHIS ZINE FEST V, CROSSTOWN CONCOURSE - CENTRAL ATRIUM, FRIDAY, JULY 19TH, 5-8 P.M., FREE.

July 18-24, 2019

Elizabeth Alley’s “Place Shapes” finds a place at the Dixon. Arts, p. 30

THURSDAY July 18

FRIDAY July 19

Memphis Flyer’s Mobile “Brews”room Ghost River Brewing, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Talk with Flyer staffers. George Abbott, Memphis River Parks Partnership’s director of external affairs, will conduct a presentation on park plans, followed by a brief Q&A.

Keeping Up with the Collections Metal Museum, 2-2:30 p.m. As part of an ongoing informative series, learn more about the museum’s newly acquired pieces and their makers. Also join a gallery talk and discussion about the permanent collection.

Naughty Pictionary Loflin Yard, 7 W. Carolina, 8 p.m. Channel your inner artist at this game-night event hosted by Drunk Competition. Battle it out in three rounds: easy, medium, and hard AF. It’s free to join but will fill up fast. Reserve your “dirty doodler” ticket via the Facebook event page.

Crafts for Care Church Health, 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 142, 4-8 p.m. This two-day indoor market and craft fair (also 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday) features wares from local artists and vendors. Funds raised through donations and vendor fees benefit Church Health.

Eyan (left) and Ivon Wuchina film a new Jim Varney documentary. Feature, p. 32 SATURDAY July 20 Saddle Creek Beer Garden The Shops of Saddle Creek, Poplar at West Famington, Germantown, 4-9 p.m. Beer garden event features local brews, food, and fun. Live music from Tyler Kileli Berretta. Booksigning by Beatriz Williams Novel, 387 Perkins Ext., 6 p.m. Part of the Lit & Libations series. New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Wives, Beatriz Williams, discusses and signs her new novel, a World War II epic, The Golden Hour.

Bluff City 200 Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. The Memphis & Shelby County Room is tranformed into a museum exhibit for a day. To celebrate the bicentennial, learn about the city’s past as you explore display cases full of artifacts and items significant to Memphis history. Taste of Memphis Vegan Food & Drink Festival Cook’s Lake, 4249 N. Watkins, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., $15 Event aims to promote healthy living and highlights Mid-South vegan chefs, restaurants, cuisine, and drink.

Kameron Whalum

By Julia Baker

“I play what I like to call ‘feeling’ music,” says Kameron Whalum, a successful trombonist from Memphis. “Basically, it’s a mixture of soul, hip-hop, jazz, gospel, and funk.” Whalum, who’s due to go back on tour with Bruno Mars and the Hooligans in September, has been keeping busy during his time off, sitting in on his uncle’s Kafé Kirk series with brother Kortland, writing and recording solo music, and conducting artist talks at the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. “I credit being a student at Stax Music Academy for my love of the soul music that has come out of there,” he says. “That’s why I keep coming back to work with them because I remember what it did for me, and it helped me take a little more pride in that kind of music.” This month, Whalum leads and covers various discussion topics at the museum’s Funky Fridays series. During this Friday’s session, entitled “Take This for A Sample: Memphis Music = It’s A Vibe,” he and producer C Major will discuss the history of sampling music and how the technique is used in hip-hop music. The pair will go over sampling basics and make a beat together for the audience. “Somebody referred to it as a TED Talk,” he jokes. Last week, dancers from L.Y.E. Academy joined him in a seminar about Stax’s impact on dance, and next week, he will get together with special guests, including Boo Mitchell and James Alexander, to discuss the difference between music then and now. FUNKY FRIDAYS WITH KAMERON WHALUM, STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC, FRIDAY, JULY 19TH, 11 A.M.-1 P.M., FREE WITH MUSEUM ADMISSION.

NOW ARRIVING AT YOUR

7.19

MEMPHIS ZINE FEST V FREE TIME: 5:00pm - 8:00pm PLACE: Central Atrium

7.20

Hot Dogs & Cold Brews Crosstown Brewing Company, 3-6 p.m. Ah, summertime — perfect for sipping cold crafts beers. And for adopting sweet, cuddly dogs. To get pre-approved for adoption at this Real Good Dog Rescue event, visit realgooddogrescue.com. WEVL 89.9 Blues on the Bluff Metal Museum, 6-11 p.m., $12-$25 Enjoy live music on the Mississippi River at this fund-raising event. Performances by Lightin’ Malcolm, Ghost Town Blues Band, and the MD’s. Beer, wine, food, and frozen treats available for purchase.

OUTBid 2019 The Cadre Building, 149 Monroe, 6:30-10 p.m., $30-$750 (up to eight seats) Fund-raiser celebrating OUTMemphis’ 30th anniversary features dinner, drinks, dancing, and the announcement of 14 individuals recognized for contributions to LGBTQ causes. The Mesmerist Woodruff-Fontaine House Museum, 680 Adams, 7:30-9 p.m., $45 Jeffrey Day presents a 19thcentury-inspired magic show in the Woodruff-Fontaine ballroom.

Time Warp Drive-In: Return of the Worst Movies Ever! Malco Summer Drive-In, gates open at 7 p.m., movies start at dusk, $10 Showing Howard the Duck, Mac & Me, Showgirls: Uncut, and Samurai Cop, with retro intermission entertainment. Rec Room Rumble Rec Room, 3000 Broad, 9 p.m.-midnight Free event hosted by Memphis Armored Fight Club features a night of real Medieval-style sword fighting with competitors wearing real steel armor.

CROSSTOWN YARD SALE TIME: 9:00am - 2:00pm PLACE: Plaza

7.20

CHORO DAS 3

$20 TIME: 7:30pm - 9:30pm PLACE: The Green Room at Crosstown Arts CROSSTOWNCONCOURSE.COM/EVENTS

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

Puberty, Reaganomics, and the malevolent Mind Flayer loom large in the third season of Stranger Things. Film, p. 34

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KEVIN EVANS

‘Feeling’ Music

MUSIC By Jesse Davis

Playing Possum

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possums are mediumsized omnivorous North American marsupials, too often maligned because, well, they’re ugly. Frequently seen scurrying across the road or under front porches, the small mammals are best known for “playing possum,” or feigning death when threatened. Opossums is also the moniker of a three-piece band of Memphis-based musicians who specialize in catchy rock-and-roll songs, and they’re set to release their first fulllength album later this month. Opossums’ self-titled debut is being released by Black and Wyatt Records on glorious vinyl (and digital streaming and download), with a release show at B-Side on Friday, July 26th. Dennis Black and Robert Wyatt, pediatricians who met at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital and bonded over a mutual love of music, head the label, which specializes in plumbing the depths of the Memphis underground scene. With their pop sensibilities and no-frills aesthetic, Opossums’ collection of 12 lo-fi songs is a fitting project for Black and Wyatt. Patrick Jordan sings with a nasal, proto-punk vocal timbre. His guitars are heard in snatches over the steady chug of bass and drums. “Patrick writes all the songs,” says Jesse Mansfield, Opossums’ bassist and audio engineer. “Me and Liv [Hernandez] get it together with the arrangements pretty quickly. We usually don’t spend a whole lot of time on anything. If we do, then we’re thinking about it too hard.” Mansfield says that keep-it-simple ethos is integral to the band dynamic. “I cover all the recording, mixing, and mastering of everything,” Mansfield says. “I don’t mix anything too extensively.” The bare-bones production echoes the origins of Opossums’ songs. Jordan’s songwriting lends itself to a sense of immediacy, which Mansfield and drummer Hernandez bring to life. It helps that Mansfield and Hernandez have known each other for years. “Me and Liv are from Mississippi,” Mansfield says. “I used to come to Hi

Tone shows a lot during college,” Mansfield explains. “I had in my brain that I wanted to move up here just because I liked the Hi Tone and Stax and Goner and Shangri-La.” So when Jordan moved to Memphis from Asheville, North Carolina, with a guitar, some dark sunglasses, and a tape of song demos, he found a ready-made rhythm section in Mansfield and Hernandez. It didn’t hurt, either, that, like Black and Wyatt, the trio quickly bonded over a shared love of music. “We’re all a bunch of big record nerds,” Mansfield says. “We’re also really into British invasion ’60s garage two-and-a-half-minute singles that’ll blow your ears off, as well as all the various British punk. Big into the idea of pop songs no matter what the genre is because you can fit the pop format into any kind of genre if you keep it simple.” Fittingly, the songs on Opossums are punkish rock numbers that get to the point. “Sharp Cheddar,” the longest track on the album, clocks in at only 4 minutes and 13 seconds. The band’s DIY aesthetic is on full display in the music video for “Left in the Ground,” the lead Opossums single for the album. In the video, Jordan sings, “I don’t really care about it, left in the ground,” as he picks a maroon Danelectro guitar. Mansfield rides an eighth-note groove on bass, and Hernandez keeps the beat in the pocket. The video marries pop simplicity with a dangerous edge: shot in a room with a coffin leaning in the corner and in a small field that the informed viewer might rightly recognize as the Bettis Family Cemetery — or the infamous Cash Saver cemetery. But why the coffin? Why the cemetery? “I’m not totally sure,” Mansfield says. “The song’s called ‘Left in the Ground.’ I don’t know if it’s about being dead or dying or killing people. I hope it’s not about killing people, but I would assume it has something to do with that,” Mansfield continues before summing up: “Pop doesn’t have to be friendly.” Opossums album release, with Rosey, at B-Side, Friday, July 26th. 9 p.m.

MIKE MCCARTHY; HALEY MITCHELL

Memphis rock outfit Opossums releases full-length debut.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

1000 LIGHTS FRIDAY, JULY 19TH BLACK LODGE

LOUISE PAGE SATURDAY, JULY 20TH 1884 LOUNGE

SNOWGLOBE SATURDAY, JULY 20TH RAILGARTEN

After Dark: Live Music Schedule July 18 - 24 Alfred’s 197 BEALE 525-3711

Gary Hardy & Memphis 2 Thursdays-Saturdays, 6-9 p.m.; Karaoke Thursdays, TuesdaysWednesdays, 9 p.m.-1 a.m. and Sundays-Mondays, 10 p.m.-2 a.m.; Mandi Thomas Fridays, Saturdays, 6-9 p.m.; The 901 Heavy Hitters Fridays, Saturdays, 10 p.m.-2 a.m.; Flyin’ Ryan Fridays, Saturdays, 2:30 a.m.; Memphis Jazz Orchestra Sundays, 6-9 p.m.

B.B. King’s Blues Club 143 BEALE 524-KING

The King Beez Thursdays, 5 p.m.; B.B. King’s All Stars Tuesdays, Thursdays, 8 p.m. and Fridays, Saturdays, 9 p.m.; Lisa G and Flic’s Pic’s Band Saturdays, Sundays, 12:30 p.m.

Blue Note Bar & Grill 341-345 BEALE 577-1089

Queen Ann and the Memphis Blues Masters Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.-midnight.

Blues City Cafe 138 BEALE 526-3637

Rum Boogie Cafe

Dirty Crow Inn

182 BEALE 528-0150

855 KENTUCKY

The Amazing Rhythmatics Tuesdays, Thursdays-Sundays, 7 p.m.-1 a.m.

Itta Bena 145 BEALE 578-3031

Nat “King” Kerr Fridays, Saturdays, 9-10 p.m.

King Jerry Lawler’s Hall of Fame Bar & Grille 159 BEALE

Lunch on Beale with Chris Gales Wednesdays-Sundays, 12-4 p.m.; Eric Hughes solo/ acoustic Thursdays, 5-8 p.m.; Karaoke Mondays-Thursdays, Sundays, 8 p.m.; Live Bands Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.

King’s Palace Cafe 162 BEALE 521-1851

David Bowen Thursdays, 5:309:30 p.m., Fridays, Saturdays, 6:30-10:30 p.m., and Sundays, 5:30-9:30 p.m.; Eric Hughes Band Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.midnight.

King’s Palace Cafe Patio 162 BEALE 521-1851

Sonny Mack MondaysFridays, 2-6 p.m.; Cowboy Neil Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, 7 p.m.-midnight and Saturdays, Sundays, 2-6 p.m.; Fuzzy Wednesdays, Fridays, 7 p.m.-midnight; Baunie and Soul Sundays, 7 p.m.-midnight.

King’s Palace Cafe Tap Room 168 BEALE 576-2220

Eric Hughes Band Wednesdays, Thursdays, 7-11 p.m.; Memphis Blues Masters Sundays, 7-11 p.m.; Vince Johnson and the Plantation Allstars Mondays, Tuesdays, 7-11 p.m.

Rum Boogie Cafe Blues Hall

Low Down Blues with Big Rick Thursdays, 7 p.m.; Vintage Friday, July 19, 9 p.m.; Chris Johnson Saturday, July 20, 4-7 p.m.; Jack Rowell and Triplethret Saturday, July 20, 9 p.m.; The Accessories Sundays; Bike Night with Bobbie Stacks and Friends Wednesdays, 7 p.m.

182 BEALE 528-0150

Memphis Blues Masters Mondays, Thursdays, 8 p.m.midnight; Don Valentine Fridays, 9 p.m.-1 a.m.; Vince Johnson and the Plantation Allstars Wednesdays, 8 p.m.midnight and Saturdays, 4:308:30 p.m.; Peterson Brothers Saturday, July 20, 9 p.m.-1 a.m.; Cowboy Neil Band Sundays, 8 p.m.-midnight; Delta Project Tuesdays, 8 p.m.-midnight.

Silky O’Sullivan’s

Paulette’s RIVER INN, 50 HARBOR TOWN SQUARE 260-3300

Live Pianist Thursdays, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays, 5:30-9 p.m., Sundays, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., and Mondays-Wednesdays, 5:30-8 p.m.

The Peabody 149 UNION 529-4000

Rooftop Party with City Mix Thursday, July 18, 6-10 p.m.

The Vault

183 BEALE 522-9596

Dueling Pianos Thursdays, Wednesdays, 9 p.m.-1 a.m., Fridays, Saturdays, 9 p.m.-3 a.m., and Sundays, Tuesdays, 8 p.m.midnight.

Tin Roof

124 GE PATTERSON

Turnstyles Friday, July 19, 8 p.m.; House Blend Band Saturday, July 20, 8 p.m.

Medical Center Sunrise

315 BEALE

Tacos and Tunes Tuesdays, 7-10 p.m.

670 JEFFERSON

Andrew Cabigao Sunday, July 21, 10 a.m.

South Main South Main Sounds

Belle Tavern

Big Don Valentine’s Three Piece Chicken and a Biscuit Blues Band Thursdays, Tuesdays, 8 p.m.-midnight.

117 BARBORO ALLEY 249-6580

The Pistol & the Queen Sunday, July 21, 6:30-8 p.m.

550 S. MAIN 494-6543

Graham Winchester, Seth Moody, Monte Russell, Danny Umfress, Norman Adcox Friday, July 19, 7-9 p.m.; Nashville Songwriter’s Assn. Intnl. (NSAI) Memphis Chapter Meeting Ev-

ery third Tuesday, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Canvas 1737 MADISON 443-5232

Spindini 383 S. MAIN 578-2767

Candace Mache Jazz Trio Fridays, Saturdays, 7-10 p.m.

Karaoke Thursdays, 9:30 p.m.; Kyle Pruzina Live Mondays, 10 p.m.-midnight.

Celtic Crossing 903 S. COOPER 274-5151

1884 Lounge 1555 MADISON 609-1744

Louise Page Album Release with Crystal Shrine, Mooney Saturday, July 20, 8:30 p.m.

B-Side 1555 MADISON 347-6813

Boom Boom Pachyderm Thursday, July 18, 10 p.m.; 40 Watt Moon Friday, July 19, 10 p.m.; Freeloader, Jeremy and the Drip Edges Saturday, July 20, 10 p.m.; Devil Train Mondays; David Cousar Tuesdays, 9 p.m.; Outer Ring with Kyle Shutt Wednesdays, 8:30 p.m.

Bar DKDC 964 S. COOPER 272-0830

All the Colors of the Dark Saturday, July 20, 10 p.m.; Mary Gagz and Her Gaggle of Drags Mondays, 8:30-11 p.m.; Lahna Deering Tuesdays, 9 p.m.; Mike Doughty Wednesdays, 8:30 p.m.

Black Lodge 405 N. CLEVELAND

1000 Lights, Los Psychosis Friday, July 19, 8 p.m.

Boscos 2120 MADISON 432-2222

Sunday Brunch with Joyce Cobb Sundays, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Jeremy Stanfill and Joshua Cosby Sundays, 6-9 p.m.; Candy Company Mondays.

The Cove 2559 BROAD 730-0719

Ed Finney & Neptune’s Army with Deb Swiney Thursdays, 8 p.m.; Wayde Peck Fridays, 6 p.m.; Short in the Sleeve Friday, July 19, 9 p.m.; Jazz Jam with Frog Squad Sundays, 6 p.m.; Freeman Shane Weems and Ron Shuman Monday, July 22, 6:30-8:30 p.m.; Richard Wilson Tuesdays, 6-8 p.m.; Ben Minden-Birkenmaier Wednesdays, 6 p.m.; Karaoke Wednesdays, 8 p.m.

The Green Room at Crosstown Arts 1350 CONCOURSE, SUITE 280 507-8030

For Now, The Gary Topper Group Friday, July 19, 7:30-9:30 p.m.; Choros das 3 Saturday, July 20, 7:30-9:30 p.m.

Growlers 1911 POPLAR 244-7904

Wagoneer, Magnus Dopus Thursday, July 18, 8 p.m.; Avon Dale, PIXLS Friday, July 19, 8 p.m.; Joshua Ketchmark, Michaela Putnam Lyles Saturday, July 20, 5 p.m.; C.W. Stoneking Saturday, July 20, 7-10 p.m.; Chris Travis Sunday, July 21, 8 p.m.; Picturesque, Sunsleep, Honore, Tiny Towns Tuesday, July 23, 8 p.m.; Crockett Hall Tuesdays with

July 18-24, 2019

Sean Apple Thursdays, 4-7:30 p.m.; Blind Mississippi Morris Fridays, Saturdays, 5-9 p.m.; Earl “The Pearl” Banks Tuesdays, 7 p.m. and Saturdays, 12:30-4:30 p.m.; Brandon Cunning Band Sundays, 5-9 p.m.; FreeWorld Sundays, 9:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m.; Brad Birkedahl Band Wednesdays, 7 p.m.

Handy Bar 200 BEALE 527-2687

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JIM GAFFIGAN SATURDAY, AUGUST 17

Four-time Grammy nominated comedian brings the Secrets and Pies Tour to FedExForum. Tickets available!

After Dark: Live Music Schedule July 18 - 24

Armed for Apocalypse, The Stone Eye, Onus Thursday, July 18, 8 p.m.; Josh Newcome Friday, July 19, 10 p.m.; Stars Never Sleep, The City Fathers, The Zach Bair Band Friday, July 19, 10 p.m.; Native Blood Album Release with Wine Witch, Namazu Saturday, July 20, 9 p.m.; Javi and the River City Boppers Saturday, July 20, 10 p.m.; Hex Machine, The Wayward, Big Grump Sunday, July 21, 10 p.m.; Aaron Lessard, Stephanie Adlington Tuesday, July 23, 9 p.m.; Davila 666, The Sheiks Tuesday, July 23, 10 p.m.; Peelander-Yellow, Muskie Aruvavo Lee, Johnk Wray Wednesday, July 24, 10 p.m.; Spotlights, Vampyre, Pressed Wednesday, July 24, 10 p.m.

Lafayette’s Music Room 2119 MADISON 207-5097

Rice Drewry Thursday, July 18, 6 p.m.; David Kurtz Thursday, July 18, 8:30 p.m.; Shelby Lee Lowe Friday, July 19, 6:30 p.m.; Almost Famous Friday, July 19, 10 p.m.; Alexis Grace Saturday, July 20, 2 p.m.; Amber McCain Band Saturday, July 20, 6:30 p.m.; The Dantones Saturday, July 20, 10 p.m.; Joe Restivo 4 Sundays,

Wild Bill’s

Mortimer’s

1580 VOLLINTINE 207-3975

590 N. PERKINS 761-9321

The Wild Bill’s Band with Tony Chapman, Charles Cason, and Miss Joyce Henderson Fridays, Saturdays, 11 p.m.-3 a.m.; Memphis Blues Society Juke Jam Sundays, 4 p.m.

Black Joe Lewis Thursday, July 18, 7:30-9 p.m.; New Breed Brass Band Friday, July 19, 7:30-9 p.m.; The Slackers Saturday, July 20, 7:30-9 p.m.; Devon Gilfillian Sunday, July 21, 7:30-9 p.m.

Minglewood Hall 1555 MADISON 312-6058

Kevo Muney Friday, July 19, 9 p.m.

P&H Cafe 1532 MADISON 726-0906

Rockstar Karaoke Fridays; Open Mic Music Mondays, 9 p.m.midnight.

Railgarten 2160 CENTRAL

926: Stax Alumni Band Friday, July 19, 8 p.m.; For the Love of Luke: A Benefit for Memphis Musician Luke White Saturday, July 20, 3 p.m.-midnight; Devan Sundays, 3 p.m.

Poplar/I-240 Neil’s Music Room 5727 QUINCE 682-2300

Levitt Shell OVERTON PARK 272-2722

Van Duren Solo Thursdays, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

University of Memphis The Bluff 535 S. HIGHLAND 454-7771

DJ Ben Murray Thursdays, 10 p.m.; Pearl Saturday, July 20, 8 p.m.; Bluegrass Brunch with the River Bluff Clan Sundays, 11 a.m.

East Memphis East of Wangs 6069 PARK 763-0676

Eddie Harrison Tuesdays, 6:30-9 p.m.; Lee Gardner Wednesdays, 6:30-9 p.m.

Folk’s Folly Prime Steak House 551 S. MENDENHALL 762-8200

Larry Cunningham ThursdaysSaturdays; Aislynn Rappe Sundays; Keith Kimbrough Mondays-Wednesdays.

Eddie Smith Fridays, 8 p.m.; Debbie Jamison & Friends Tuesdays, 6-10 p.m.; Elmo and the Shades Wednesdays, 8 p.m.midnight.

Owen Brennan’s THE REGALIA, 6150 POPLAR 761-0990

Lannie McMillan Jazz Trio Sundays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Whitehaven/ Airport Graceland Soundstage 3717 ELVIS PRESLEY

Kirk Franklin Saturday, July 20, 7-11 p.m.

Marlowe’s Ribs & Restaurant 4381 ELVIS PRESLEY 332-4159

Trio Plus Third Friday of every month.

Rock-n-Roll Cafe 3855 ELVIS PRESLEY 398-6528

Elvis Gospel Music Show Fridays, 1-2:30 p.m.

Bartlett Hadley’s Pub 2779 WHITTEN 266-5006

Rockstar Karaoke with Charlie Belt Thursdays, 8 p.m.; Twin Soul July 19-20, 9 p.m.; Triple Annie Sunday, July 21, 5:30 p.m.; Thump Daddy Sunday, July 21, 5:30 p.m.

North Mississippi/ Tunica BankPlus Amphitheater at Snowden Grove 6285 SNOWDEN, SOUTHAVEN, MS (662) 892-2660

Chris Young with Chris Janson, Riley Green Thursday, July 18.

Hollywood Casino 1150 CASINO STRIP RESORT, TUNICA, MS 662-357-7700

South Memphis FireHouse Community Arts Center 985 S. BELLEVUE 948-9522

Voices Open Mic Show Third Friday of every month, 7 p.m.

Stax Museum of American Soul Music 926 E. MCLEMORE 946-2535

Kickin’ It With Kameron: Take This for a Sample Friday, July 19, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; African Jazz Ensemble Tuesday, July 23, 2-4 p.m.

Arlington/Eads/ Oakland/Lakeland Rizzi’s/Paradiso Pub 6230 GREENLEE 592-0344

Live Music Thursdays, Wednesdays, 7-10 p.m.; Karaoke and Dance Music with DJ Funn Fridays, 9 p.m.; Freeman Shane Weems and Ron Shuman Wednesday, July 24, 7-10 p.m.

Nate Jackson & Band July 19-20, 9 p.m.-1 a.m.

Horseshoe Casino Tunica 1021 CASINO CENTER, TUNICA, MS 800-357-5600

Daughtry Friday, July 19, 8 p.m.

Raleigh Stage Stop 2951 CELA 382-1576

Open Mic Night and Steak Night Thursdays, 6 p.m.midnight; Blues Jam hosted by Brad Webb Thursdays, 7-11 p.m.

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

Hi-Tone 412-414 N. CLEVELAND 278-TONE

11 a.m.; Swingtime Explosion Sunday, July 21, 4 p.m.; Visible Music College with Jacob Davis, Belvedere, and Maeraki Monday, July 22, 7 p.m.; Cruisin’ Heavy Acoustic Tuesday, July 23, 7 p.m.; Breeze Cayolle & New Orleans Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m.; MoBoogie Band Wednesday, July 24, 8 p.m.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

the Midtown Rhythm Section Tuesdays, 9 p.m.; Our Scene United Wednesday, July 24, 5:30 p.m.

CALVIN L. LEAKE | DREAMSTIME.COM

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

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located 20 miles from Memphis. Bonne Terre has 15 cozy quest rooms most with a fireplace and a living room, swimming pool and fishing in the lake. Breakfast is served in the Garden Room Cafe the following morning for Inn Guests. 4715 Church Road West; Nesbit, Mississippi 38651 Phone: (662) 781-5100 www.bonneterreinn.com @bonneterrems

STAYCATION GUIDE It’s summertime, and the living is easy. Everyone loves to plan a getaway — maybe a vacation at the beach or in the mountains, or maybe a long-awaited trip to Europe. But vacations pass quickly, and soon, here you are, back in Memphis, Tennessee. But happily for us, that doesn’t mean our vacation has to end. These fine Flyer advertisers have got some great ideas to spice up your summer without ever having to leave the Mid-South. Relax at a local resort or hotel, ride a bike, enjoy a casino outing, take in a museum. The options are endless, and so is your vacation, if you do it right. Bonne Terre Country Inn Now is the perfect time to find your “Good Earth” at Bonne Terre. Book a stay at the bed and breakfast to relax, remember, and renew. The pool is open, and the fish are biting in the lake! Celebrate with us seven days a week. Breakfast served for inn guests. Beautiful Mississippi event resort, hosting beautiful weddings, private meeting retreats, and family reunions. Located just outside Memphis on the quiet country roads of Nesbit, Mississippi. 4715 Church Rd., Nesbit, MS (662) 781-5100 bonneterreinn.com

July 18-24, 2019

Peddler Bike Shop Peddler is your one-stop shop for all your biking needs. If you aren’t leaving town this summer, plan your staycation with Peddler. Join us for our group rides on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays as we tour Downtown and Midtown. Call or stop by any of our three locations: Downtown, Midtown, and Germantown. Downtown: 517 S. Main • 522-9757 Midtown: 3548 Walker Ave. • 327-4833 Germantown: 2095 Exeter Rd. • 757-8485 peddlerbikeshop.com

Pick Your

Party!

For every celebration, there is a Special for you!

PART-TIM DRIVERSE N E E DE D

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Memphis’ #1 Party Bike, River City Pedalers Inc. Has the safest bikes in the industry. Check out our website for details.

Pink Palace Family of Museums The Pink Palace Family of Museums opens the door to a world of exploration, discovery, and fun for all. Marvel at ancient history at our exhibits, experience science and technology at the CTI Giant Screen Theater, visit outer space at the AutoZone Dome Sharpe Planetarium, explore nature at the Lichterman Nature Center, or tour one of our historic homes. There’s so much to explore right here in Memphis at the Pink Palace Family of Museums. 3050 Central Ave. 636-2362 memphismuseums.org The Guesthouse at Graceland Get an authentic taste of Memphis while staying at The Guest House at Graceland. Packages include historic sites and landmarks. Mix Elvis’ world of glamour with a healthy dose of Southern hospitality, and you get an experience unlike any other at continued on page 22

READY, SET,

EVENTS THAT EXCEL ARE HELD HERE

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Call 901.473.6084 today and let The Guest House at Graceland take care of your business! Event ﬁnal guarantee must be at least 25 people; offer is subject to availability; event must book and take place prior to December 27, 2019 and cannot be combined with any other group or event offer from The Guest House.

www.peddlerbikeshopcom

901.443.3000 | GuestHouseGraceland.com | Memphis, TN

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Shop Local / Ride Local on your Staycation.

S TAY C AT I O N G U I D E continued from page 20 The Guest House. 3600 Elvis Presley Blvd. (800) 238-2000 guesthousegraceland.com Memphis Medical District Week Events are happening throughout the week of July 22nd in the Memphis Medical District. On Thursday, July 25th, from 5 to 7 p.m., you’re invited to a Medical District Happy Hour at High Cotton Brewing Co. Then on Friday, July 26th, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., stop by the Health Sciences Park at the corner of Madison and S. Dunlap for a performance by J. Buck Band, food trucks, MemPops, ping pong, games, and more. Go to mdcollaborative.org for a complete list. National Civil Rights Museum Highlighting how everyday people did extraordinary things that changed our nation, the National Civil Rights Museum is a great excursion for vacations, youth groups, summer camps, or family reunions to learn the story of the American Civil Rights Movement. Visit this immersive experience and be transformed. 450 Mulberry St. 521-9699 civilrightsmuseum.org Peabody Hotel Rooftop Party season is in full swing at the Peabody Hotel. This Thursday, July 18th, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., City Mix, one of Memphis’ newest party bands will be playing all your favorite party songs along with hip-hop and rap. Tickets are $10-$15 at the door. Ladies and hotel guests free until 7 p.m. 118 S. 2nd St. 529-4000 peabodymemphis.com Regina’s Regina’s is your go-to place for a fun time. Saturday, July 20th, Regina’s is hosting a murder mystery dinner with no cover charge! If you’re looking for more fun, come to the ’80s vs. ’90s Party on Saturday, July 27th. If you bring in the ad from this week’s Memphis Flyer, you can get in for free! 60 N. Main St. 730-0384 reginascajunkitchen.com

SHOWING THROUGH JANUARY 6, 2020

July 18-24, 2019

Featuring “Lil’ Dan” children’s book interactive ADMISSION With museum admission, additional $5 Exhibit Only, $10

450 MULBERRY ST. • MEMPHIS, TN 38103 22

CIVILRIGHTSMUSEUM.ORG

River City Limousine Memphis River City Limousine is owned and operated by River City Pedalers, Inc., which has been in the Memphis tourist and entertainment industry for more than four years. Active members of the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau, Germantown Area Chamber of Commerce, and TripAdvisor Business Advantage Members, River City Pedalers, Inc. is no stranger to Downtown Memphis or the Mid-South metropolitan region. With growth upon the horizon, the push to offer a luxurious limousine service led to the development of Memphis’ newest limousine service and party bus, River City Limousine Memphis! 825-7519 rivercitylimomemphis.com River City Pedalers, Inc. River City Pedalers’ attraction-touring party bike is a motorized, pedal-powered vehicle with seating for 16 passengers. Appealing to travel enthusiasts, professional corporations, students, adventurers, or anyone looking to just have a good time, the party bike is nonstop fun for all. The party bike tour is ideal for imaginative participants from all walks of life and is booked for everything from parties to group tours. 825-7519 rivercitypedalers.com Southland Casino Racing Voted Best Casino and located only seven minutes from Downtown Memphis. The most slots on the biggest casino floor in the Mid-South. All your favorite live table games. World-class steakhouse and all-you-can-eat casual buffet. Free live entertainment. Live racing and off-track betting. Special promotions and offers for Lucky North Club members. Must be 21+ to enter. 1550 N. Ingram Blvd., West Memphis, AR southlandcasino.com

CALENDAR of EVENTS:

Send the date, time, place, cost, info, phone number, a brief description, and photos — two weeks in advance — to calendar@memphisflyer.com or P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101.

JULY 18 - 26

DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS, ONGOING WEEKLY EVENTS WILL APPEAR IN THE FLYER’S ONLINE CALENDAR ONLY.

ArtsMemphis

“Unfolding: The Next Chapter in Memphis,” exhibition of visual art by local Memphis artists, curated by Kenneth Wayne Alexander. (578-2787), www.artsmemphis. org. Free. Ongoing, 5:30-7:30 p.m. 575 S. MENDENHALL (578-2787).

ANF Architects

AT THE PINK PALACE

FAB FRIDAYS AT THE PINK PALACE

“Street Art,” exhibition of new work by Kelly Fischer. MondaysFridays. Through Aug. 13.

“Chinese Symbols in Art,” ancient Chinese pottery and bronze. www. belzmuseum.org. Ongoing. 119 S. MAIN, IN THE PEMBROKE SQUARE BUILDING (523-ARTS).

Hamilton (yes, that Hamilton) at The Orpheum, showing at various times, TuesdaySunday, through July 28th TH EAT E R

Kudzu Playhouse

Mamma Mia!, the storytelling magic of ABBA’s timeless songs propels this enchanting tale of love, laughter, and friendship. A mother. A daughter. Three possible dads. And an unforgettable trip down the aisle. $12-$17. Through July 21. P.O. BOX 47 ((888) 429-7871).

The Orpheum

Hamilton, smash-hit musical about the life of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, with music, lyrics, and book by Lin-Manuel Miranda. orpheum-memphis.com. Sundays, 1 & 6:30 p.m., Saturdays, 2 & 8 p.m., and Tuesdays-Fridays, 7:30 p.m. Through July 28. 203 S. MAIN (525-3000).

Theatre Memphis

Little Women, a period romance about four sisters living with their mother in New England as their father is away serving in the Civil War. The family has recently lost its fortune and struggles to support itself as the girls grow and face their own personal moral challenges, guided by their religious faith. theatrememphis.org. Sun., 2 p.m., and Wed.-Sat., 7 p.m. Through July 21. 630 PERKINS EXT. (682-8323).

TheatreWorks

The Miraculous and the Mundane, his entire life, Percy Nelson has fought to provide safety and security for his family only to feel as if it is all slipping away when he is diagnosed with a debilitating disease. ThursdaysSundays. Through July 28. 2085 MONROE (274-7139).

Universal Parenting Place

PlayBack Memphis, bringing stories to life in a safe space to unlock healing, transformation, and joy. Families welcome. (207-3694), Free. Third Thursday of every month, 4:30-6 p.m. LEMOYNE-OWEN COLLEGE, 990 COLLEGE PARK.

man. Fri., July 19, 2-2:30 p.m. METAL MUSEUM, 374 METAL MUSEUM DR. (774-6380).

Memphis Magazine Fiction Contest

Winning authors will be honored with a $200 gift certificate to Novel. For more information, contest rules, and submission, visit website. Through Aug. 31. WWW.MEMPHISMAGAZINE.COM.

OTH E R A R T HA P P E N I N G S

Art Apologetic

The arts movement is a collective of performance and visual artists. It’s a collaborative effort and a fiveday, pop-up exhibition featuring local and traveling artisans and performing artists. Free-$10. July 23-27, 5:30-10 p.m. 430 GALLERY, 430 N. CLEVELAND (5078030), CROSSTOWNARTS.ORG.

A.R.T.S.posure Experience

Third annual arts event by The A.R.T.S. Initiative, Inc. with live performances, art gallery, fashion show, food, and drinks. Featuring Charlee Pearl, Angela Blair, Andrew Travis, Amy Beth, Tre Lesean, D-Mo, Isaiah Woods, and others. $12. Sat., July 20, 6-8 p.m. 430 GALLERY, 430 N. CLEVELAND (5078030), ITSANARTTHING.ORG.

Casting Demonstration

Saturdays, Sundays, 1:30 p.m. METAL MUSEUM, 374 METAL MUSEUM DR. (774-6380), WWW.METALMUSEUM.ORG.

Crosstown Arts Resident Artist Talk

Summer session resident artists Dehanza Rogers, Tom Cho, and Marcus Tate will present artist talks. Tues., July 23, 6-8 p.m. CROSSTOWN CONCOURSE, 1350 CONCOURSE AVE., CROSSTOWNARTS.ORG.

Keeping Up with the Collections

Informative presentation about the museum’s newly acquired pieces and their makers in this ongoing series. The Collections Manager will lead a special gallery talk and discussion about artwork in the permanent collection. Artists new to the collection include Bill Price, Joan Parcher, and Andy Cooper-

The Mesmerist

The 19th century was filled with magic and magicians. The Golden Age of Magic was forming during this time, when change was happening throughout the world. Jeffrey Day the mesmerist performs magic of the era including effects that have rarely been seen by audiences or current-day magicians. $45. Sat., July 20, 7:30-9 p.m. WOODRUFF-FONTAINE HOUSE, 680 ADAMS (526-1469).

“Metal is Magic”

Multi-day event celebrating the birthday of the magical J.K. Rowling. This series includes a family day and summer camp for all ages. Tues., July 23, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., and Wed., July 24, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. METAL MUSEUM, 374 METAL MUSEUM DR. (774-6380), WWW.METALMUSEUM. ORG/METAL-IS-MAGIC.

ONGOI NG ART

Blues Hall of Fame Museum “The Blues According to Arhoolie,” exhibition honoring Arhoolie Records, an independent record label famed for publishing and promoting obscure folk and blues artists. www.blues.org. Through Sept. 1. 421 S. MAIN (527-2583).

Clough-Hanson Gallery

Senior Thesis Exhibition, exhibition of work by Rhodes studio art majors Olivia Rowe, Charlotte Sechrist, Qian Xu, Sara Lynn Abbott, and Melissa Kiker. www.rhodes. edu/events. Ongoing. RHODES COLLEGE, 2000 N. PARKWAY (843-3000).

Crosstown Arts at The Concourse

“Stitched: Celebrating the Art of Quilting,” three-month festival celebrating quilting and visual arts, with events, workshops, and two exhibition of not-your-grandma’s quilts. www.crosstownarts.org. Through July 26. “Blue: A Regional Quilt Challenge,” a curated exhibition of three-layered, stitched 24”x 24” works by local and regional artists. www.crosstownarts.org. Through July 28. “Masterworks: Abstract & Geometric,” traveling exhibition of art quilts by 29 internationally known artists www.crosstownarts.org. Through July 28.

Art Museum at the University of Memphis (AMUM)

1350 CONCOURSE AVE., SUITE 280 (507-8030).

142 COMMUNICATION & FINE ARTS BUILDING (678-2224).

1350 CONCOURSE AVE.

Art Village Gallery

“Short Stories,” exhibition of new work by Jack Spencer. davidluskgallery.com. Through July 31.

“Africa: Art of a Continent,” permanent exhibition of African art from the Martha and Robert Fogelman collection. Ongoing.

“Visions of Illusion,” exhibition of new work by Zeinu Mudeser. www.artvillagegallery.com. Through July 31. “Out of Africa: Inhabitants of the Earth,” exhibition of work by Nigerian artist Uchay Joel Chima. www. artvillagegallery.com. Ongoing. 410 S. MAIN (521-0782).

FRIDAY, JULY 19

LASER LIGHT SHOWS AT THE AUTOZONE DOME PLANETARIUM

LASER TRIBUTE Michael Jackson, Elvis, Hendrix, & More 7 PM

LASER SPIRIT Madonna, Beatles, U2, Kansas & More 8 PM

PINK FLOYD

THE WALL - 9 PM

MARQUEE MOVIE ON THE CTI GIANT SCREEN

Crosstown Concourse

“R&D,” a collection of artwork from the fall 2018 University of Memphis sculpture students. Ongoing.

David Lusk Gallery

97 TILLMAN (767-3800).

continued on page 24

2001 8 PM

A SPACE ODYSSEY

Museum closes at 5pm. reopens at 6pm.

P!NK PALACE

WWW.MEMPHISMUSEUMS.ORG

3050 CENTRAL AVE / MEMPHIS, TN 38111

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

Belz Museum of Asian and Judaic Art

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

1500 UNION (278-6868).

0 0 0 , 0 $14

C A L E N D A R : J U LY 1 8 - 2 4 continued from page 23 Dixon Gallery & Gardens

“Place Shapes,” exhibition of new work by Elizabeth Alley. dixon.org. Through October 6. 4339 PARK (761-5250).

Eclectic Eye

“Still Life,” exhibition of new works by Melissa Bridgman and Debi Vincent. www. eclectic-eye.com. Through July 24. 242 S. COOPER (276-3937).

See Lucky North® Club for details. Ford Mustang is a registered trademark of Ford Motor Company and is not a sponsor of this promotion. Photos are for illustrative purposes only. Must be 21+. Play responsibly; for help quitting call 800-522-4700.

Edge Gallery

Folk Artists, exhibition of work by Debra Edge, John Sadowski, Nancy White, Bill Brookshire, and other folk artists. Ongoing.

3 FORD MUSTANGS UP FOR GRABS. This Sunday, July 21 at 8:00pm.

509 S. MAIN (647-9242).

FireHouse Community Arts Center

ROAD RAGE SATURDAYS

Mosal Morszart, exhibition of works by Black Arts Alliance artist. www.memphisblackartsalliance.org. Ongoing.

10am–10pm Earn 200 points and play Road Rage at

any promotion kiosk to win Free Play or bonus entries.

Play up to 5 times.

985 S. BELLEVUE (948-9522).

HOT SEAT SUNDAYS 1pm–7pm

Graceland

5 guests who are actively playing on their Lucky North® Club Players Card will be chosen every 30 minutes to receive $100 Free Play and 20 bonus entries.

“Hillbilly Rock,” exhibition featuring items from The Marty Stuart Collection. www.graceland.com. Ongoing.

5X MONDAYS • 10X TUESDAYS • 5X WEDNESDAYS

3717 ELVIS PRESLEY (332-3322).

Receive one entry for every 50 points earned every day.

Jay Etkin Gallery

David Hall, exhibition of watercolor works on paper. www.jayetkingallery.com. Ongoing.

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942 COOPER (550-0064).

L Ross Gallery

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July 18-24, 2019

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“HELLO, my name is…Artist,” exhibition featuring local artists Jimpsie Ayres, Alisa Free, Robert LaWarre III, Matthew Lee, Susan Maakestad, Mark Nowell, C.A. Traen, and Claudia Tullos-Leonard. (767-2200), lrossgallery. com. Sat., 11 a.m.-3 p.m., and Tues.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Through July 20. 5040 SANDERLIN (767-2200).

Marshall Arts Gallery

“Love of Art” and “Memphis,” exhibition of work by Nikki Gardner and Debra Edge by appointment only. Ongoing. 639 MARSHALL (679-6837).

Memphis Botanic Garden

“Chasing the Light,” exhibition of new work by Diana Shearon. Through Aug. 31. “Spirit of the South”, exhibition of works from the members of the Bartlett Art Association. Through July 30. Twilight Thursdays, extended hours staying open til sunset. Each week will have a different highlight from plants to pets. www.memphisbotanicgarden.com. Thursdays. “Bicentennial Blues Bed,” new, year-long planting celebrating the Bluff City’s bicentennial, located just outside of the Four Seasons Garden. www.memphisbotanicgarden.com. Ongoing. 750 CHERRY (636-4100).

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

“Arts of Global Africa,” exhibition of historic and contemporary works in a range of different media presenting an expansive vision of Africa’s artistry. www. brooksmuseum.org. Through June 21, 2021. “Bouguereau & America,” exhibition of work by the French academic painter WilliamAdolphe Bouguereau. His modern and highly polished interpretations of classical subjects as well as his intimate and idealized portrayals of peasant life, were avidly sought by American collectors. brooksmuseum.org. Through Sept. 22. “Native Son,” exhibition of sculpture and sound installation by multimedia artist Terry Adkins. www.brooksmuseum.org. Through Sept. 3. “Painted Words: Poets and Painters in Print, 1869 – 1967,” exhibition curated by Donal Harris showcasing three volumes that combine literary and visual art through printmaking. The exhibited works range from Paris in the 1860s to New York in the 1960s, and combine poetry and graphic work. www. brooksmuseum.org. Through Aug. 11. Rotunda Projects: Federico Uribe, exhibition of magical creatures and playful installations from everyday objects. www.brooksmuseum.org. Through Oct. 11. “About Face,” exhibition located in the Education Gallery highlighting the different ways artists interpret the connection between emotion and expression. www.brooksmuseum.org. Ongoing. “Drawing Memory: Essence of Memphis,” exhibition of works inspired by nsibidi, a sacred means of communication among male secret societies in southeastern Nigeria by Victor Ekpuk. www.brooksmuseum.org. Ongoing. 1934 POPLAR (544-6209).

Metal Museum

“40 Under 40: The Next Generation of American Metal Artists,” to continue the celebration of the museum’s 40th anniversary, this exhibition explores the next generation of influential American metal artists. (774-6380), www.metalmuseum.org/40-under-40. Tuesdays-Sundays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Through Sept. 15. 374 METAL MUSEUM DR. (774-6380).

Overton Park Gallery

Dorothy Northern and Jennifer Sargent, exhibition of works. Ongoing. 1581 OVERTON PARK (229-2967).

Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum

“Images of Africa Before & After the Middle Passage,” exhibition of photography by Jeff and Shaakira Edison. (527-3427), slavehavenmemphis.com. Ongoing. 826 NORTH SECOND STREET (527-3427).

St. George’s Episcopal Church

“Western Expressions,” exhibition of work by Kevin Bennett. Through July 28. Artists’ Link Exhibition, artists such as Mike Moffitt and Becky Ross will showcase their talents. (7547282), 24th of every month, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. 2425 SOUTH GERMANTOWN (754-7282).

Sue Layman Designs

Sue Layman Designs Ongoing Art, exhibition of oil-oncanvas paintings featuring brilliant colors and daring geometric shapes. (409-7870), suelaymandesigns.com. Ongoing. 125 G.E. PATTERSON (409-7870).

Talbot Heirs

Debra Edge Art, ongoing. 99 S. SECOND (527-9772).

Village Frame & Art

“20th Century Memphis Photographs,” exhibition of work by Charlie Ivey and Virginia Schoenster, Wednesdays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. 540 S. MENDENHALL (767-8882).

WKNO Studio

“Works by Judy Weintraub,” exhibition of work by Weintraub, who specializes in colorful works of acrylic on canvas. (458-2521), wkno. org. Free. Mondays-Fridays, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Through July 30. 7151 CHERRY FARMS (458-2521).

Woman’s Exchange Art Gallery

Woman’s Exchange of Memphis Gallery Show, ninth annual exhibition of works by more than 90 local artists, supporting the Woman’s Exchange mission, “Helping others help themselves.” (327-5681), Saturdays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., and MondaysFridays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Through Aug. 23. 88 RACINE (327-5681).

DAN C E

Bring It! Live: The Dance Battle Tour

Featuring the legendary Coach Dianna Williams and her team of Dancing Dolls. $32.75. Sat., July 20, 8 p.m. CANNON CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, MEMPHIS COOK CONVENTION CENTER, 255 N. MAIN (TICKETS, 525-1515).

Brooks Milongas

Members of the Argentine Tango Society give lessons and tango demonstrations in the rotunda. Included with museum admission. Third Wednesday, Thursday of every month, 6:30 p.m. MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART, 1934 POPLAR (544-6209).

Velvetina’s Blue Moon Revue

A dazzling dinner show featuring live, local music and the best in glamorous, classic burlesque. $30. Every other Thursday-Saturday, 7-9 p.m. Through Aug. 31. MOLLIE FONTAINE LOUNGE, 679 ADAMS (917-705-0945), BLUEMOONREVUEMEMPHIS.COM.

C A L E N D A R : J U LY 1 8 - 2 4 C O M E DY

TO U R S

The Bluff

Bicentennial History Hikes

Memphis Next Top Comic Night, reigning champion Abanyeh Cunningham returns for a three-peat performance, with a competition to see if any funny folks can steal the crown. Wed., July 24, 7:309:30 p.m.

Meet at the guest services desk in the Visitor Center. Tuesdays, 2 p.m. LICHTERMAN NATURE CENTER, 5992 QUINCE (767-7322), WWW.MEMPHISMUSEUMS.ORG.

City Tasting Tours

535 S. HIGHLAND (454-7771).

Savor tastings at five eateries, interact with chefs and managers, and sample local flavors while strolling down Main Street and enjoying new art installations and historic landmarks. Wednesdays-Saturdays, 1:30 p.m.

Cannon Center for the Performing Arts

Lil Duval, comedian Roland Powell puts his home turf on his back as he touches every nook and cranny available with his special brand of humor. $37-$80. Fri., July 19, 7 p.m.

WWW.CITYTASTINGTOURS.COM.

Cutting Garden Tours

Comma Comedians Present: 1,2,3 Comedy, every other Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. 95 S. MAIN (473-9573).

P&H Cafe

You Look Like, a monthly showcase of spite, battle of bitchery, and competition of “Oh, hell no.” Watch the quickest wits from all over the country talk mad shit. (2833814), $8. Third Saturday of every month, 9-11 p.m. 1532 MADISON (726-0906).

Booksigning by Beatriz Williams

Author discusses and signs her new novel, The Golden Hour, as part of the Lit & Libations series. Fri., July 19, 6 p.m. NOVEL, 387 PERKINS EXT. (9225526), NOVELMEMPHIS.COM.

Booksigning by Heidi Ganahl

Author discusses and signs her book, The SheFactor. Thurs., July 18, 6 p.m. NOVEL, 387 PERKINS EXT. (9225526), NOVELMEMPHIS.COM.

Owl Prowl at the Memphis Zoo, Saturday, July 20th, 7-10 p.m.

Booksigning by Mark Greaney and Lt. Col. Ripley Rawlings IV

Authors discuss and sign their new novel, Red Metal. Sat., July 20, 6 p.m. NOVEL, 387 PERKINS EXT. (9225526), NOVELMEMPHIS.COM.

Booksigning by Nina G.

Author discusses and signs her new memoir, Stutterer Interrupted: The Comedian Who Almost Didn’t Happen. Thurs., July 18, 6-8 p.m. BENJAMIN L. HOOKS CENTRAL LIBRARY, 3030 POPLAR (415-2702), NINAGCOMEDIAN.COM.

L E CT U R E / S P E A K E R

Kickin’ It With Kameron: Take This for a Sample Kameron Whalum explores the authenticity of a homegrown style of music, including how it was created, how often songs have been

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duplicated, and how current artists imitate what happened at Stax years ago. Free. Fri., July 19, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC, 926 E. MCLEMORE (2616338), STAXMUSEUM.COM.

Sierra Club Meeting

Presentation this month is about “progress” made since Tennessee came into existence around 1800. The change in local forests as a result of logging and disease as well as the loss of woodland to farming will be mentioned as well as the effect on lake and river habitats. Thurs., July 18, 5:55-7:30 p.m. BENJAMIN L. HOOKS CENTRAL LIBRARY, 3030 POPLAR (415-2700).

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS, 4339 PARK (761-5250), WWW. DIXON.ORG.

Yellow Fever Rock & Roll Ghost Tour

See what used to be, Memphis-style, with Mike McCarthy. Call to schedule a personal tour. Ongoing. (486-6325), WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/ YELLOWROCKGHOST.

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m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

B O O KS I G N I N G S

Local

Garden docents will focus on the cutting garden each week on Saturday morning. Meet in the Catmur Foyer to see the large urn design and start tour. Saturdays, 10 a.m.-noon.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

MEMPHIS COOK CONVENTION CENTER, 255 N. MAIN (TICKETS, 525-1515).

C A L E N D A R : J U LY 1 8 - 2 4 continued from page 25 E X POS/SALES

Horn Lake Merchant Market

Benefiting the Horn Lake Parks and Recreation department. $0. Sat., July 20, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. HORN LAKE HIGH SCHOOL, 3360 CHURCH (483-3926), SOUTHERNREVOLUTIONPROMOTIONS. WEBS.COM/.

F EST IVALS

Memphis Zine Fest V

DIY magazine festival and annual celebration of zines and zinesters in the community. With music by Crystal Shrine. Fri., July 19, 5-8 p.m. CROSSTOWN CONCOURSE, 1350 CONCOURSE AVE.

Basketball Tournament

July 18-24, 2019

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS, 4339 PARK (761-5250), WWW.DIXON.ORG.

Get Lit Book Club

Discuss monthly selections over a beer. Join the group on Facebook to learn more. Free. Third Thursday of every month, 7-8:30 p.m.

Sat., July 20, 7:30 p.m.

GHOST RIVER BREWING, 827 S. MAIN (278-0087).

AUTOZONE PARK, THIRD AND UNION (721-6000), WWW.MEMPHIS901FC.COM.

Memphis Agricultural Club

Memphis Redbirds vs. New Orleans Baby Cakes AUTOZONE PARK, THIRD AND UNION (721-6000).

Attitude Fights MMA XVIII

Sunset Yoga

Join Peggy Reisser for an hour-long Vinyasa flow class. All levels welcome. If you have blocks, straps, or blankets, please bring them. Free for members, $5 nonmembers. Third Thursday of every month, 6:30 p.m. THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS, 4339 PARK (761-5250), WWW.DIXON.ORG.

Interactive discussion on great reads. For more information, email lschmidt@dixon.org. Free with admission. Third Thursday of every month, 6-7:30 p.m.

Memphis 901 FC vs. New York Red Bulls II

July 23-24, 6:35 p.m.

FEDEXFORUM, 191 BEALE STREET.

The Dixon Book Club

CROSSTOWN CONCOURSE, 1350 CONCOURSE, CHURCHHEALTH.ORG.

S PO RTS / F IT N ES S

The main event of the evening features the pro middleweight rematch between Khalil “The Bear” Al Afriki vs. Jordan “The Lion” Fowler. Sat., July 20, 4 p.m.-midnight.

M E ETI N G S

Celebrate the mission of Church Health at a Basketball Tournament in the Crosstown High Gymnasium, The Icebox. This pay-what-you-can competition features teams from Crosstown Concourse businesses, residents and friends, and all proceeds go to Church Health. Tues., July 23, 4:30 p.m.

The Mesmerist Jeffrey Day at WoodruffFontaine House, Saturday, July 20th, 7:30-9 p.m. Tennis Memphis Summer Camp at Frayser Six weeks of tennis instruction based on the GreatBase Tennis Curriculum at six locations across Memphis. Campers should bring a water bottle, snack, sunscreen, hat or visor, sunglasses, and a cold towel.

Camp is weather dependent. $60 per week, or $200 for a summer pass. Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-noon Through July 19. FRAYSER TENNIS CENTER, 2907 N. WATKINS (357-5417).

Walk ‘n’ Talk

Sip on a cup of tea or coffee from Fourth Cup while you listen to Memphians’ stories and share ideas with others. Wednesdays, 6:45-7:30 a.m. RIVER GARDEN, 51 RIVERSIDE DRIVE (312-9190), WWW.MEMPHISRIVERPARKS.ORG.

Meet in the C Wing of the Expo Building. Lunch provided for $10. Fourth Monday of every month, noon. AGRICENTER SHOWPLACE ARENA, 7777 WALNUT GROVE (757-7777), WWW.AGRICENTER.ORG.

Memphis Flyer’s Mobile “Brews”room

You have stories, and we want to hear them. The second of the Flyer’s “brews”room events will feature George Abbott, Director of External Affairs, from the Memphis River Parks Partnership who will present on park plans with a brief Q&A afterward. Thurs., July 18, 5:30-7:30 p.m. GHOST RIVER BREWING, 827 S. MAIN (278-0087).

Morning Buzz

Be part of the Memphis creative community and AIGA Memphis. Third Thursday of every month, 7:30 a.m. CAFE ECLECTIC, 603 N. MCLEAN (725-1718), WWW.AIGA.MEMPHIS.ORG.

Smile. Love. Serve.

Event to help celebrate Cleft Awareness month and bring families together to help be a voice and educate others. Sat., July 20, 9 a.m.-noon. MENAGERIE FARM, 3135 SHEA.

KIDS

Caterpillar Club Camp: Garden Goodies

Ages 4 and 5. Dig into this camp to uncover the treasures the garden holds. $125 members/$150 non-members. Through July 19, 9 a.m.-noon. MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN, 750 CHERRY (636-4100).

Funky Fridays

Fridays in June and July have interactive activities and workshops celebrating Memphis’ “BiSOULtennial” year. Free with museum admission. Fri., July 19, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC, 926 E. MCLEMORE (9427685), STAXMUSEUM.COM/EVENT.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

C A L E N D A R : J U LY 1 8 - 2 4 continued from page 26

Back to the Moon: For Good

Planetarium show that lets the audience relive the thrills of lunar exploration. Various times, see website for details. Ongoing.

Magical Summer Book Club

A magical adventure for young wizards and magic fans every Monday through June and July, with snippets of the story, on-theme clay and ceramics projects, and fun. Ages 7+. $199 for the series, $29 a day. Mondays, 1-3:30 p.m. Through July 29.

AUTOZONE DOME PLANETARIUM, MEMPHIS PINK PALACE MUSEUM, 3050 CENTRAL (636-2362), WWW.MEMPHISMUSEUMS.ORG.

Barber Motorsports Museum Presents: A Century of the American Motorcycle

PITTER POTTER STUDIO, 845 GERMANTOWN PKWY (443-7718).

Exhibition, curated by the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, exploring a century of the American motorcycle. Mondays-Sundays, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Through Nov. 23.

Parents Night Out

While parents enjoy a night out, let us entertain the kids. Children ages 5-12 are invited for a night of fun, food, and entertainment. $25. Fri., July 19, 6-9 p.m.

GRACELAND EXHIBITION CENTER, 3717 ELVIS PRESLEY BLVD. (3323322), WWW.GRACELAND.COM.

IDLEWILD PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, 1750 UNION (725-7941), WWW. EARLYENRICHMENT.ORG/SUMMERPROGRAMS.

S.T.A.X: See. Touch. Ask. eXplore.

On Tuesday afternoons, kids can enjoy a summer music series and See, Touch, Ask, and eXplore the history of Stax Records with hands-on activities and objects from the archive on display. free. Tuesdays, 1-4 p.m. Through July 30. STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC, 926 E. MCLEMORE (9427685), STAXMUSEUM.COM/EVENT/.

Bluff City 200

Summer Camp

Each week-long session includes rental gear, four hours of games, instruction, and climbing each day. A healthy snack and drink is provided each day. Participant ages range from 5-14. $189. Mondays-Fridays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Through Aug. 30. HIGH POINT CLIMBING AND FITNESS, 21 N. HUMPHREY’S (203-6122), WWW.HIGHPOINTCLIMBING.COM.

FU N D -RAISE RS

WEVL Blues on the Bluff

Annual fund-raiser party for WEVL Memphis 89.9 FM, with brews from Memphis Made, food from Fuel food truck and MEMPopS, and music by Lightnin’ Malcolm, Ghost Town Blues Band, and The MDs. $25. Sat., July 20, 6 p.m. METAL MUSEUM, 374 METAL MUSEUM DR. (774-6380), WEVL.ORG.

IMPROVING LIVES THROUGH PERSONALIZED CARE • • • •

Australia’s Thunder From Down Under

This all-male revue is straight out of the Outback. The show is a 90-minute, interactive performance with choreographed dance and flashing lights. Sat., July 20, 9 p.m. GOLD STRIKE CASINO, 1010 CASINO CENTER IN TUNICA, MS (1-888245-7829).

BENJAMIN L. HOOKS CENTRAL LIBRARY, 3030 POPLAR (415-2700).

Fab Fridays Laser Light Show

State-of-the-art laser light tribute shows, featuring Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and more. Fridays, 7, 8 & 9 p.m. AUTOZONE DOME PLANETARIUM, MEMPHIS PINK PALACE MUSEUM,

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Crosstown Arthouse Presents: Boyz in the Hood at Crosstown Theater, Thursday, July 18th, 7:30 p.m.

The library is turning the Memphis & Shelby County Room into a museum exhibit for a day, complete with display cases full of hundreds of items significant to Memphis history. Sat., July 20, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

C A L E N D A R : J U LY 1 8 - 2 4 3050 CENTRAL (636-2362), WWW.MEMPHISMUSEUMS.ORG.

AVENUE (276-3816), IS.GD/PALLADIOPUPUP.

and more. Thursdays, 4-7:30 p.m. Through Aug. 29.

Friday Night Lights

Sauna Dance Party

C.O. FRANKLIN PARK, GERMANTOWN (483-0505).

Greatest of All Time: Muhammad Ali

Exhibition celebrating Muhammad Ali’s rise from humble beginnings to becoming the three-time heavyweight champion of the world. Mondays-Sundays, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Through Sept. 15. GRACELAND EXHIBITION CENTER, 3717 ELVIS PRESLEY BLVD. (3323322), WWW.GRACELAND.COM.

Hot Dogs and Cold Brews

Real Good Dog Rescue presents an afternoon adoption event with dogs and brews. To apply for advance adoption approval, visit realgooddogrescue.com. Sat., July 20, 3-6 p.m. CROSSTOWN BREWING CO., 1264 CONCOURSE.

Making Memphis: 200 Years of Community

Bicentennial celebration, the exhibit illustrates how the threads of Memphis history form a larger story or web of history. Through Oct. 20.

MEMPHIS PINK PALACE MUSEUM, 3050 CENTRAL (636-2362), WWW. MEMPHISMUSEUMS.ORG.

Memphis Masters of the Pros 150 Intense late-model stock car race. Sun., July 21, 11:30 a.m. MEMPHIS INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, 5500 VICTORY LANE.

National Geographic Presents: Earth Explorers

Hands-on, family-friendly exhibition that allows visitors to learn and use methods employed by Nat Geo explorers in the field. Mondays-Sundays, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Through Sept. 9. GRACELAND EXHIBITION CENTER, 3717 ELVIS PRESLEY BLVD. (3323322), GRACELAND.COM.

Owl Prowl

After-dark adventure and night hike. Guests can discover how nocturnal animals use their senses to survive in the dark of night, meet some of the creatures up close, and get hands-on experience with animal ambassadors. $20. Sat., July 20, 7-10 p.m. MEMPHIS ZOO, 2000 PRENTISS PLACE IN OVERTON PARK (3336500).

PUP-Up Rescue Benefit

Pop-up to benefit Collierville Animal Shelter, the Humane Society of Memphis, Real Good Dog Rescue, and Wilson Animal Rescue. Rescued pups will be on site for loving on. Free. Sat., July 20, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. PALLADIO GARDEN, 2231 CENTRAL

MUD ISLAND RIVER PARK, 125 N. FRONT (576-7241).

Sun, Earth, Universe

A new interactive museum exhibit about Earth and space. Ongoing. MEMPHIS PINK PALACE MUSEUM, 3050 CENTRAL (636-2362).

Velvetina’s Blue Moon Revue

Live music, burlesque performances, and dinner from the Lounge. $30. WednesdaysSaturdays, 7-9 p.m. Through Sept. 28. MOLLIE FONTAINE LOUNGE, 679 ADAMS ((917) 705-0945), WWW. BLUEMOONREVUEMEMPHIS.COM.

Volunteer Appreciation Night and Open House

Fun-filled evening celebrating volunteers, with activities, refreshments, a tour of the historic building, and prizes. Reserve a spot with Andrea, 888-4383. Free. Mon., July 22, 6-8 p.m. MEMPHIS CHILD ADVOCACY CENTER (CAC), 1085 POPLAR (8884383), WWW.MEMPHISCAC.ORG.

World Golf Championships FedEx St. Jude Invitational

One of the most elite global competitions of the year, with some of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking teeing it up in the series of four annual events. $25-$200. July 24-28, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. TPC AT SOUTHWIND, 3325 CLUB AT SOUTHWIND (748-0534), WWW. WGCFEDEX.COM.

FOOD & DR I N K EVE N TS

Bumble Happy Hour with Paris Chanel

Local Memphis fashion, travel, and lifestyle blogger Paris Chanel hosts the ultimate Bumble happy hour. Bumble is a social networking app with three ways to connect (Date, BFF, and Bizz). Free. Fri., July 19, 6-8 p.m. RAILGARTEN, 2160 CENTRAL (504-4342).

Flight Tour: A Taste of Memphis

Up to 16 people per bike enjoy a flight of local spirits and brew during this two-hour pub-crawl with Sprock n’ Roll’s bike bar to Old Dominick Distillery and Ghost River Brewing Tap Room. BYOB, but no glass tour. $315-$400. Thursdays, 4-7 p.m., Fridays, Saturdays, 12-8 p.m., and Sundays, 12-5 p.m.

Sunday Supper Series

Includes new cocktails, new bar menu, and a family-style, dinner. Raw bar and a list of cocktails, beer, and wine priced $10 or under will also be available. Call or visit website for reservations. $40. Sundays, 3-9 p.m. GRAY CANARY, 301 FRONT, WWW.THEGRAYCANARY.COM.

FI LM

Apollo 11: First Steps Edition

Film celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Check CTI Theater schedule for show times and ticket prices. Ongoing. CTI 3D GIANT THEATER, IN THE MEMPHIS PINK PALACE MUSEUM, 3050 CENTRAL (636-2362), WWW.MEMPHISMUSEUMS.ORG.

Crosstown Arthouse Presents: Boyz in the Hood

The late, great John Singleton’s debut is the story of a boy, Tre, being sent to stay with his father in South Central Los Angles. Tre’s father Furious Styles, a Vietnam War veteran, helps teach him right from wrong in an environment where gang life sometimes trumps solid ethical values. $5. Thurs., July 18, 7:30 p.m.

WHEN Monday, August 5, 2019 Check-In: 6:00 PM Start Time: 6:30 PM WHERE Embassy Suites Memphis 1022 S. Shady Grove Road Memphis, TN 38120 WHO Keri Holyoak, PA-C Dermatology & an actual patient living with atopic dermatitis

Call 833-504-9978 today to register for the FREE educational event! Complimentary parking and light fare provided. Family, caregivers, and those interested in learning about moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis are welcome. © 2018 Sanoﬁ US and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. All rights reserved. US-ATO-1071 Last Update: 06/2018

CROSSTOWN THEATER, 1350 CONCOURSE AVENUE.

I Read That Movie at the Library: Casino Royale

Monthly page-to-screen book club screening, featuring the 2006 adaptation of Ian Fleming’s 1953 novel, his first starring the British licensedto-kill master spy. Free. Sat., July 20, 2-5 p.m. BENJAMIN L. HOOKS CENTRAL LIBRARY, 3030 POPLAR (415-2726), BIT.LY/2KKHULW.

The Raft

In 1973, five men and six women drifted across the Atlantic on a raft as part of a scientific experiment studying the sociology of violence, aggression and sexual attraction in human behavior. Wed., July 24, 7 p.m. MALCO STUDIO ON THE SQUARE, 2105 COURT (725-7151).

Series

Summer Art Documentary

DOWNTOWN MEMPHIS, VARIOUS LOCATIONS (500-7101), WWW. SPROCKNROLLMEMPHIS.COM.

Series of movie screenings, documentaries, art films, and more. The line up includes Fela Kuti, Maya Angelou, Jean-Michael Basquiat, Miles Davis, Nina Simone, and more. Beverage and popcorn provided. $10. Saturdays, 3-5 p.m. Through Aug. 17.

Germantown Farmers Market

ART VILLAGE GALLERY, 410 S. MAIN (521-0782), ARTVILLAGEGALLERY.COM.

With produce vendors, along with soaps, eggs, honey, fresh-cut flowers, dog treats,

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GYNECOLOGY ABORTION

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CHO CES

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VARIOUS LOCATIONS, SEE WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION, MEMPHISTN.GOV.

A living tribute to gay disco is popping up under the Hernando de Soto bridge on the Mississippi River. Sauna is a pop-up queer party. Sat., July 20, 10 p.m.-3 a.m.

A LIVE COMMUNITY EVENT

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Mayor Strickland is partnering with Memphis Gun Down to provide a safe, fun, and family-friendly environment. Fridays, with food, a DJ, bounce houses, and more. Fridays, 7 p.m.-midnight Through Aug. 2.

ECZEMA EXPOSED

Multiple Myeloma, Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia Researchers are developing therapies that could program a person’s own white blood cells to target and destroy these types of cancer. If you have been diagnosed with one of these types of cancer, your blood cells may be useful to help with the development of new ways of treating the disease in the future. The researchers would use your blood cells only for research and they would not be used to create a therapy for you. Financial compensation is provided.

July 18-24, 2019

Call 901.252.3434 email researchampions@keybiologics.com or visit www.keybiologics.com/researchchampions.com to learn more.

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A R T S B y J o n W. S p a r k s

Painting Places

Elizabeth Alley’s travels find expression at the Dixon.

s a child, Elizabeth Alley assumed every household had ebony pencils and kneaded erasers laying around. They were everyday objects at home where her father, Rick Alley, was an artist who worked for The Commercial Appeal for more than 30 years. He made sure there was a stack of newsprint around for his kids to draw on, a fitting medium since Rick’s father, Cal Alley, and his grandfather, J. P. Alley, were editorial cartoonists for The Commercial Appeal, J. P. having won a Pulitzer Prize for his work in 1923. So for Elizabeth to find her passion as a fourth-generation artist is hardly a surprise, but she has assuredly followed her own path, one that has led her to the Dixon Gallery and Gardens where she has an exhibition opening this month. Her exhibition of recent oil paintings, “Place Shapes,” runs from July 14th to October 6th in the Mallory/ Wurtzburger Galleries. Alley graduated from the University of Memphis in 1998 and soon after began exhibiting. And she found that she had to assign herself projects, such as a series of paintings. “After I got out of school,” she says, “I missed the regularity of it, and I kind of needed that structure. I really am best when I work in a series.” In school, she did what art students do, which is to carry a sketchbook with her everywhere. After graduation, she still kept it with her, but, she admits, “I was lazy about sketching at the time, meaning I didn’t have a direction or a purpose for it.” That would change. Around 2009, Alley discovered the group Urban Sketchers, which is devoted to art done by direct observation on location, not from photos or memory. “It was a group of people doing the same things that I was doing, only doing it a little bit better,” she says. She was motivated to start a Memphis regional chapter of the organization and has been involved in the local and the parent group since. About the time Alley got interested in Urban Sketchers, she started teaching at Flicker Street Studio where she continues to instruct in sketchbook drawing and beginning oil painting. It is this devotion to sketching that has shaped Alley’s direction and work. She’s traveled quite a bit and has carefully recorded her experiences in

far-flung places. “My connection to these places is that I’ve been there and seen them, but also that I’ve sketched them,” she says. “When you sketch anything — a place, a person — you develop this connection with it. So all of these places live in my heart now.” How, then, did her sketchbook work in her travels turn into oil paintings in the Dixon exhibition? The works in this show all emerged from trips she made to Iceland, Newfoundland, and Portugal, where she particularly noted how the built environment blends with nature. You’ll see walls and roads but also desire paths, which, Alley says, “are where people walk in a natural environment so much that it creates a path.” She doesn’t see the world as “us versus nature,” but rather how societies can coexist with nature.

Pinhao Road, oil on paper

She decided to get back into oil painting, which she’d set aside for two or three years in favor of ink and watercolors, and she realized she wanted to turn the time she spent traveling into oil paintings. “In the past year,” Alley says, “I have been working on these in oils just to see what else I could do with it other than what I had already done.” Alley has been working with the Dixon for some time now. She’s had other works on display there, and she was bringing her Urban Sketchers to the gallery, so she got to know the staff and has been doing some teaching there. The “Place Shapes” exhibition is the happy result of the ongoing association between artist and gallery. An opening reception for “Place Shapes” will be held on July 18th from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Dixon.

C A N N A B E AT B y To b y S e l l s

Legalize It? Feds debate prohibition while Arkansas could go full legal.

n a B e at

Fully Legal in Arkansas? Last week, a group announced plans for two 2020 ballot initiatives in Arkansas to allow recreational use of cannabis and to expunge the records of those with cannabis-related convictions. The Drug Policy Education Group’s (DPEG) Arkansas Adult Use Cannabis Amendment would allow possession of the drug by those 21 and older for personal use. Adults there could possess up to four ounces of cannabis flower, two ounces of cannabis concentrate, and edible products containing cannabis with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content of 200 mg or less. They could also grow up to six cannabis seedlings and six cannabis flowering plants for personal use. The group’s second proposal is called the Arkansas Marijuana Expungement Amendment. It would petition courts to release or reduce sentences and expunge the records of those convicted of cannabis offenses in the state. NORML board member Rick Steves celebrated the “historic” House hearing.

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“It would say that if you have a non-violent offense and you had gone seven years without an offense in the federal system, you could get your record expunged,” Cohen said during the hearing.

7.18 City Mix

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Can

emphis Congressman Steve Cohen, a longtime proponent for cannabis-law reform, pushed his record-expungement legislation during a “historic” federal hearing last week on marijuana laws. The hearing, before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, was called “Marijuana Laws in America: Racial Justice and the Need for Reform.” The National Organization for the Reformation of Marijuana Laws (NORML) said the talks were historic, even though they didn’t yield any firm conclusions on current drug laws or next steps to reform them. “For the first time in a generation, there will be a candid conversation in the House Judiciary Committee that acknowledges the failures of marijuana prohibition in the United States, how this policy has adversely impacted tens of millions of Americans, and how it must be reformed at the federal level,” NORML political director Justin Strekal said in a statement. Two main pieces of cannabis legislation sit before Congress. One would relax federal drug laws on cannabis in states that have legalized it in some way. Another would go further, seeking to give help to those communities disproportionately affected by current drug enforcement laws. Cohen (D-Memphis) touted his Fresh Start Act, which, he said, he’s been pushing since his first year in Congress.

Thursday Nights • April—August 6pm-10pm $10-15 • LADIES FREE ‘TIL 7pm

F E AT U R E B y M i c h a e l D o n a h u e

Hey, Vern!

Memphis twins produce Jim Varney documentary.

Mobile B r e w s Newsroom July 18-24, 2019

Thursday July 18th

5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

Ghost River Brewery

We know you read the Flyer. We want to hear from you! 32

emember Jim Varney, who played Ernest — the pop-eyed, rubbery-faced guy with the big smile? His adventures in movies, including Ernest Goes to Camp, Ernest Saves Christmas, and Ernest Scared Stupid, made people laugh. Twin filmmakers/lifelong Varney fans — and Memphians — Eyan and Ivon Wuchina, 29, made a short documentary, Ernest Day, about the actor and his alter ego. It’s named after the annual event in Montgomery Bell State Park in Burns, Tennessee. “Ernest was an empire,” Ivon says, adding: “He’s out there with the Three Stooges. His skill, his determination, his energy.” “He was a likeable guy,” Eyan says. “Anything he did, no matter how he messed it up, it was always out of the goodness of his heart.” Eyan brought his Ernest doll, which talks when a string on its back is pulled, to Ernest Day. “I had so much respect for Jim Varney, I had to strap the doll to my body. Wore it,” he says. “It was in like a Christ-like pose on my chest.” The twins’ fascination with Ernest began when they were children living in rural Williamson County in Tennessee. Their grandmother loved the Ernest TV commercials. “Commercials were always Ernest talking to his neighbor, Vern, who you’d never see,” Ivon says. Varney, born in Lexington, Kentucky, was a classically trained actor who began working with John Cherry, who owned an ad agency in Nashville, Eyan says. Cherry developed Varney’s Ernest character, Ivon says. “He based Ernest off of a guy whose name was Ernest, who worked with his father. “Ernest is somebody we all know,” he says. “Somebody who thinks they know everything but actually knows nothing.” For the TV commercials, Varney adopted the “traditional Ernest look” — the denim vest, khaki hat, and jeans, Eyan says. In real life — except for his sense of humor and friendliness — Varney wasn’t Ernest, Ivon says. He “always

dressed really fresh. He had his ears pierced. He wore jewelry — like rings, gold chains, stuff like that.” Ernest Goes to Camp, released in 1987, was the first Ernest feature film Cherry directed for theatrical release. Varney went on to make eight more Ernest movies. During his career, Varney got away from the Ernest character. He played Jed Clampett in The Beverly Hillbillies, the villain Lothar Zogg in 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain, and Uncle Hazel in Daddy and Them with Billy Bob Thornton. Varney was the voice of Slinky Dog in his last movie, Toy Story 2. In 2000, he died from lung cancer at the age of 50. Ivon and Eyan, who began watching Ernest movies on TV when they were toddlers, says Varney influenced them to become filmmakers. “Growing up in Tennessee, people talk about, ‘Hey, the Ernest movies were filmed here,’” Eyan says. “So, growing up as people obsessed with movies and wanting to do films ourselves, it gave us the energy and gumption.”

Eyan and Ivon Wuchina

They took footage at Ernest Day in 2017 with the idea to document the event for a future movie. They interviewed everybody from Cherry to a guy named Victor, “who had a tattoo of Ernest on his calf,” Eyan says. “I was dressed as Ernest both years,” Ivon says. The idea behind the Varney documentary was “to remind people how big he was,” Ivon adds. The biggest compliment about the documentary showed up on Twitter. “Judd Apatow, the director, retweeted [the YouTube link to] our Ernest movie,” says Ivon.“The biggest comedy director of our time, basically, retweets an Ernest movie. He loves Ernest, too.”

BREWS By Richard Murff

Big Irish Red

Head to High Cotton Brewing for a taste of the Auld Sod.

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its reddish color. If you want a great local example of the style, hoof yourself down to the High Cotton Brewery for a pint or growler of their version of the red ale (called simply High Cotton Red Ale), currently on tap. The High Cotton expression is a red ale that’s easy to drink, slightly malty and toasty. It is hopped, just a touch, but that’s not why you’re there. It’s a good summer brew that lets you quaff down a pint of the Irish luck without having to wrestle with a heavy, foamy stout that will fill you up like a keg. It’s got a low ABV and a clean enough finish to make it “sessionable,” which is silly beer-speak for “you can drink a bucket of the stuff without getting three sheets to the wind.” It has a little spice to make it interesting but is also a beer that will pair with just about anything you’re inclined to pair with a beer, whether it’s a good old American cheeseburger or something more on theme, like fish and chips. Beware of imitations, though. Because red ales are so mild and easydrinking, Coors has gotten away with its George Killian Irish Red for years, but it’s actually a lager. There is nothing inherently wrong or deceitful about this, but I thought you should know. The name, incidentally, is used only in the North American market. In sum, Irish ale is called red ale in America, and High Cotton has a fine example of the style in its Edge District taproom. You’ll note that I haven’t once mentioned green beer, which is usually Natural Light with food coloring. That’s not Irish; that’s not even Irish-American. That’s just waves of all-American mutts pretending to make a cultural salute so they can get blotto and make some attempt to get the ladies to dress like sexy leprechauns one day a year. Which, if you stop and think about it, is fairly deranged behavior.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

uropean heat waves are not impressive, at least not for humans born and bred in the American South. My brother just got back from the south of France and pronounced it “about like here.” Still, all things are relative, and in Ireland the mercury is up politically as well. They find themselves the linchpin of a “will they or won’t they?” Brexit deal. It’s all heady stuff but almost certainly not what the good people at High Cotton Brewing were thinking when they brewed up their Red Ale. It is a style of beer that has its origins in Ireland. And in a very Irish twist, no one seems to have written down the recipe. It’s one of those varieties that just evolved over time — in a hundred different ways. Smithwick’s, which is available in Memphis, might be sold as a red ale here but not back home. In fact, in Dublin, if you order a red ale, chances are you’ll get a blank look. In the old country, it’s just known as Irish ale. This is either because it is so commonplace they didn’t feel the need to specify, or its initials — IRA — are the same shorthand they use for the Irish Republican Army. Be warned that if you stroll into a pub in Belfast and order a round of that, you are likely to get arrested. And there is no point starting an international incident before you’ve got a decent buzz going. The Irish red ale isn’t particularly bitter. Hops aren’t native to the Emerald Isle, and so the use of hops in brewing is a relatively new thing. The Irish consider hoppy ales — like IPAs — a little too British. Of course, just because ingredients are local doesn’t make them good. (I don’t know if you can actually make beer out of peat, but I’m sure it’s been tried.) At any rate, these red ales feature kilned malts and a roasted barley that’s responsible for

TV REVIEW By Chris McCoy

The Past, Present The secret successes of Stranger Things, in its third season.

hen it comes to film and TV, my viewing experience is different from yours. The average American sees four films in the theater every year. In 2019, I’m on pace to see well over a hundred films in theaters and probably at least an additional hundred films at home. I’m also a filmmaker, which makes me a functionalist. When I watch something, I think in terms of what works and what doesn’t. Does a scene do what the filmmaker intended it to do? Does it transmit the information and convey the emotional impact needed at this moment in the piece? “Does it work?” is a subtly different question than “Is it good?” A film or show can “work,” but the piece itself can be bad. Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper is one of the most loathsome films of the decade, but it works because it effectively uses all the little tricks of film grammar to make you sympathize with a guy we first meet slaughtering Iraqi women and children. I recognize the craftsmanship, but you couldn’t pay me to watch it again — and I got paid to watch it the first time.

It’s easy for me to crawl up my own … crawlspace and just tell everybody to pack it in and go watch Shoplifters because the modest little Japanese film about a dysfunctional family of petty criminals rocked my world. But as a reviewer who writes for a general audience, I feel like it’s my duty to be aware of and reveal my biases, so even if you don’t agree with me, you can say, “Well, he wasn’t into Fast & Furious 27: Bald Men Punching Each Other, but it sounds like something I’d like.” All this is to say, I am an absolute sucker for Stranger Things. Yeah, there it is. I admit it. Matt and Ross Duffer have my number. I am powerless against their Spielbergian riffing. I understand at some level that Stranger Things, whose third season premiered on Netflix on Independence Day, is basically just Happy Days if it was set 30 years later and directed by John Carpenter. I understand that I would use “cheap ’80s pastiche” as a withering criticism for most other shows. I think the level of nostalgia the show trades in is probably unhealthy. And yet, here I am, ravenously chomping down on it and then sopping up the sauce with a biscuit.

(l to r) Sadie Sink, Noah Schnapp, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, and Caleb McLaughlin In my defense, Stranger Things still works. The ensemble cast of teenagers, led by English actress Millie Bobby Brown as the psychic superweapon known as Eleven, is one of the finest on any screen right now. And at least there is an acknowledgment of the passing of time. The first season’s core group — The Party, as they refer to themselves in D&D terms — of Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Will (Noah Schnapp), and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), with the second season addition of Max (Sadie Sink), begin season three united, then, as any group of kids do, start to slowly come apart. Dustin’s pet project Cerebro, named for Professor X’s telepathic enhancer, is really just a souped-up shortwave antenna he wants to use to contact his girlfriend from Utah he met while away at summer camp. Sure, like he’s got a girlfriend in Utah, right?

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TV REVIEW By Chris McCoy The onset of puberty is hitting The Party pretty hard. Will and El have discovered puppy love, until her guardian Hopper (David Harbour) intervenes, and Max teaches El when it’s time to “dump his ass.” This group discord comes at an inopportune time, as mysterious forces are once again messing with the portal to the Upside Down, and the spectral Mind Flayer is back, this time with a side order of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The Reagan ’80s had a lot of good movies, but there was a lot not to like. Stranger Things season three points more clearly toward the bad parts, beginning with the soundtrack. The first two seasons were awash with the rediscovery of vintage synth sounds, while the new crop of songs draws from the pop sludge that dominated

the airwaves in 1985. The corporate colonization of the economy is represented by the new mall, which is shiny on the surface but evil on the inside. Joyce (Winona Ryder, effortlessly incredible) feels her job in Downtown slipping away and distracts herself with yet another paranormal investigation. Economic insecurity manifesting as creeping paranoia was a subtext in the ’80s horror and sci-fi films the show references, and that remains as relevant as ever. Maybe William Faulkner understood the real secret of Stranger Things’ success when he said, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” Stranger Things Now streaming Netflix

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