Memphis returns to the gridiron — with some familiar faces — as AAC favorites.
PHOTO: WES HALE
On Cutting Records and Hair
Amber Rae Dunn is giving it her all. p15
PHOTO: MICHAEL DONAHUE
Mariachi Music and Mexican Meals
Chukis restaurants are humming along. p24
PHOTO: MICHAEL DONAHUE
CALENDAR - 18
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MEM ernet THE fly-by
{WEEK THAT WAS
By Flyer staff
Memphis on the internet.
ELVIS TRUMP?
A February Truth Social post by former president and convicted felon Donald Trump resurfaced last week. We’re not sure exactly why, but we thought you ought to see it. Trump claimed people have said he looks like Elvis Presley for years, posted a photo of himself and Presley side by side, and asked his followers what they thought.
LIVE CAM
POSTED ON EARTHCAM BY SIMMONS BANK LIBERTY STADIUM Google “Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium renovation live cam” and watch huge machines demolish portions of the stadium brick by brick. It’s fascinating.
DELI OR YOUNG AVE?
POSTED TO FACEBOOK BY YOUNG AVENUE DELI
Over the weekend, Memphis Reddit users debated the only real question: Do you call the Young Avenue Deli “ e Deli” or “Young Ave.”? Results were mixed with younger folks mostly opting for “Young Ave.” Older respondents and Cooper-Youngers largely preferred “ e Deli.”
Questions, Answers + Attitude
Edited by Toby Sells
HIV, Tax Surge, & Black Lodge
Cases spike across the county, property tax hike warned, and the venue closes its doors.
HIV, SYPHILIS SPIKE
Cases of HIV and syphilis in the Memphis region increased by 100 percent over the past ve years, according to the Shelby County Department of Health, which has, thus far, not released total case numbers. Among young people aged 15 to 19, diagnosed cases increased 150 percent.
Democratic lawmakers demanded an explanation from Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Ralph Alvarado last week about a series of state policy changes that they believe are exacerbating the crisis, rather than addressing it. Among the changes: a new parental rights law requiring parental consent for teens seeking healthcare services.
PROPERTY TAX SURGE
Melvin Burgess, Shelby County’s assessor of property, issued a warning last Monday of “an anticipated substantial increase in property taxes” ahead of next year’s scheduled countywide reappraisal.
Home values here haven’t been appraised since 2021. Burgess said recent property sales data and escalating property values since then suggest “a signi cant increase” in tax assessments for homeowners.
JUNK NEEDED FOR TIME TRAVEL
Sounds like Baron Von Opperbean is traveling through time in his new adventure and he needs your junk to get there … or then.
Baron Von Opperbean and the River of Time is a massive undertaking at Mud Island, set to transform the old Mississippi River Museum into a new immersive experience, and that project needs junk. Its creators are asking for unused materials you may have around the house — e-junk, architectural elements, furniture, tools, construction materials — to help create the new exhibit. Visit their website at bvoexp.com for more information.
BLACK LODGE TO CLOSE
Black Lodge owners announced they will close the venue, citing “exorbitant rent” and “crippling debt” as reasons for the move.
“We’ve fought hard, but the reality of a struggling economy means that nights out have become a luxury that many can no longer a ord,” reads a Facebook post.
TRANSPORTATION FOR BLUEOVAL CITY
e University of Memphis was chosen to explore transportation challenges for Stanton, Tennessee, as the city prepares to become the destination for Ford’s BlueOval City.
An announcement from Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) said the university, along with civil engineering professor Sabya Mishra, will receive $75,000 to “study the transportation challenges facing Ford’s future BlueOval City employees.”
Researchers plan on developing a “multi-modal transit system for BlueOval City.” at system will likely be a mix of regular-sized buses and smaller ones. ey will use ondemand transit to ensure on-time performance.
MATA CHANGES
Bacarra Mauldin, interim CEO of the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA), described a transformation of the agency last week so great that she called it “business unusual.”
“I say that as a play on ‘business as usual’ because so many transit agencies across the country are going through the same thing — at various levels and proportions,” Mauldin said.
Ridership has plummeted as a result of Covid-19, playing a major factor in the state of transit, she said. Agencies are also in the a ermath of Covid-19 relief funds running out. Some of this has led to the agency’s $60 million budget de cit. Tennessee Lookout contributed to this report.
Visit the News Blog at memphis yer.com for fuller versions of these stories and more local news.
PHOTO: DILLON KYDD | UNSPLASH
POSTED TO TRUTH SOCIAL BY DONALD TRUMP
PHOTO: DEON BLACK | UNSPLASH
CARRY NARCAN
{CITY REPORTER
By Flyer staff
‘Brazen Scheme’
Graceland fraudster allegedly faked documents, forged famous signatures, and tried to pin it on a Nigerian thief.
Suspicious minds at the U.S. Attorney’s O ce found a Missouri woman was a devil in disguise for a fraud scheme against Elvis Presley’s family that may now have her singing “Jailhouse Rock.”
Lisa Jeanine Findley (also known as Lisa Holden, Lisa Howell, Gregory Naussany, Kurt Naussany, Lisa Jeanine Sullins, and Carolyn Williams), 53, was arrested last week for an attempt to steal the Presley family’s ownership in Graceland. e woman appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri last Friday.
“As alleged in the complaint, the defendant orchestrated a scheme to conduct a fraudulent sale of Graceland, falsely claiming that Elvis Presley’s daughter had pledged the historic landmark as collateral for a loan that she failed to repay before her death,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “As part of the brazen scheme, we allege that the defendant created numerous false documents and sought to extort a settlement from the Presley family. Now she is facing federal charges. e Criminal Division and its partners are committed to holding fraudsters to account.”
According to court documents, Findley allegedly posed as three di erent individuals a liated with a ctitious private lender named Naussany Investments & Private Lending LLC. Findley allegedly claimed falsely that Lisa Marie Presley had borrowed $3.8 million in 2018 from Naussany Investments, pledged Graceland as collateral for the loan, and failed to repay the debt.
To settle the purported claim, Findley allegedly sought $2.8 million from Elvis Presley’s family. She allegedly fabricated loan documents on which Findley forged the signatures of Elvis Presley’s daughter and a Florida state notary public.
allegedly submitted false court lings.
A er the scheme attracted global media attention, Findley allegedly wrote to representatives of Presley’s family, the Tennessee state court, and the media to claim falsely that the person responsible for the scheme was an identity thief located in Nigeria.
“As a Memphian, I know that Graceland is a national treasure,” said Kevin G. Ritz, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Tennessee. “ is defendant allegedly used a brazen scheme to try to defraud the Presley family of their interest in this singularly important landmark.
“Of course, all homeowners deserve to have their property protected from fraud, and the Department of Justice will vigorously prosecute anyone who commits nancial crimes or identity the .”
Findley is charged with mail fraud and aggravated identity the . If convicted, she faces a mandatory minimum of two years in prison for aggravated identity the and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for mail fraud.
memphisprevention.org
She then allegedly led a false creditor’s claim with the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles, and a fake deed of trust with the Shelby County Register’s O ce in Memphis. Findley also allegedly published a fraudulent foreclosure notice in e Commercial Appeal, announcing that Naussany Investments planned to auction Graceland to the highest bidder on May 23rd.
Finally, when Naussany Investments was sued by Presley’s family in Tennessee state court as part of an e ort to stop the sale of Graceland, Findley
“Fame and money are magnets for criminals who look to capitalize on another person’s celebrity status,” said inspector in charge Eric Shen of U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Criminal Investigations Group. “In this case, Ms. Findley allegedly took advantage of the very public and tragic occurrences in the Presley family as an opportunity to prey on the name and nancial status of the heirs to the Graceland estate, attempting to steal what rightfully belongs to the Presley family for her personal gain.
“Postal inspectors and their law enforcement partners put an end to her alleged scheme, protecting the Presley family from continued harm and stress. is is an example of our relentless investigative work and commitment to bringing criminals to justice for their illegal activity.”
SHARA CLARK e scheme sought to force the sale of the Memphis landmark.
POLITICS By Jackson Baker
Snapshots of a Feeling
Democrats’ hopes are palpable as their 2024 convention gets
CHICAGO — All the president’s men, women, courtiers, and supporters and well-wishers of all stripes were surely attuned to his appearance Monday night at Chicago’s United Center. It was not Joe Biden’s farewell to public life — he would continue to campaign for the Democratic ticket, he promised — but it was his sayonara song as head of that ticket. For all the pre-planned choruses of “We Love Joe!” and “ ank You, Joe!” emanating from the massive arena crowd, it was impossible not to see the man’s deep regret as he spoke, dry-throated, in anapestically rising cadences, of his achievements and un nished ventures as president: the post-pandemic recovery act, the lessoning of Big Pharma, the infrastructure initiatives, the re-establishment of NATO solidarity, and all the rest.
origins in New York.
ere was Hillary Clinton, the defeated Democratic candidate from 2016, able now to voice rebukes of her conqueror (“We have him on the run now”) via hopes for the new avatar Harris (“Something is happening in America. You can feel it!”).
• at there was a palpable feeling of hope and exhilaration as this convention began was undeniable. It was obvious, too, in the daily morning breakfasts of the Tennessee delegation at Chicago’s quite posh Hyatt Regency.
On Tuesday morning, another of the Democratic Party’s new stars, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (aka “True Gretch,” a er the title of her just-published memoir), came into the delegation’s meeting room to deliver an energetic pep talk. She was followed somewhat later by an energetic exhortation from New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, who, a er being introduced by Memphis Congressman Steve Cohen, stood atop a chair and, sans mic, declaimed his largish hopes for 2024.
“Bittersweet” doesn’t begin to do it. Nevertheless, the torch was passed, the guard was changed, and Biden’s successor as standard-bearer, Kamala Harris, would make an appearance on stage to hug and embrace and celebrate her predecessor, along with members of Biden’s personal and o cial families. e evening, rst of a week’s worth to come in the 2024 Democratic National Convention, was replete with snapshots from the party scrapbook, new faces and old ones alike.
ere was Alexandria OcasioCortez — “AOC” in the vernacular — wildly applauded for the progressive congresswoman’s spicy personality and her recollections of working-class
e two national party gures bracketed remarks from a Tennessee hopeful, Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, who hopes to win what is certainly a long-odds contest with the ultra right-wing Republican incumbent U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn. Who knows? For the moment, all things seem possible for the Democrats, and their mood of optimism seems certain to crest at week’s end when Kam-ala (broad “a” in the accented rst syllable) takes the stage for her o cial acceptance address.
Stayed tuned for next week’s cover story on the Democratic National Convention.
POWERED BY LAUNCH TENNESSEE
PHOTOS: JACKSON BAKER (above) Joe and Kamala; (bottom right) True Gretch with Tennessee delegation
underway.
By
Bruce VanWyngarden
Commie!
Look, comrades, I grew up at a time in this country when the thing we kids were taught to fear more than anything else in our little Midwestern lives was COMMUNISM!
Communist Russia — the USSR — was the big, scary enemy, a country led by authoritarian leaders like Nikita Khrushchev and Leonid Brezhnev, who were attempting to take over the world and destroy democracy and the American way of life. ey were the commies, the pinkos, the red menace — a nucleararmed adversary who was also our rival in space, with their cursed Sputnik satellites. e Russians were so bold they even propped up Fidel Castro in a communist state 90 miles away from Miami. Russia, we were told by our teachers and parents, was determined to force everyone in the world to live in a commune and toil under communism, a fate presumably worse than death.
In our schools, we had two kinds of drills: re drills, in which at the sound of a long bell, every student high-tailed it “single le” down the stairs and out the doors onto the schoolyard lawn, goose-assing and laughing all the way. (If you were lucky, you attended a school that had one of those cool reescape slides out a third-story window, which livened up the process.) But the real serious stu took place during the air-raid drills, where, at the sound of a keening siren, we had to “duck and cover” under our desks, which, as everyone knows, will protect you against nuclear holocaust. Mainly, of course, it just scared the crap out of us and traumatized a couple generations.
is went on through the 1980s, at which point, President Reagan had turned standing up to Russia into performance art (“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”). It turned out to be a surprisingly e ective gambit, or at the worst, Reagan’s timing was spoton. e Soviet Union’s economy was collapsing during the 1980s, leading to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, and lending a measure of stature to Reagan’s latter years in o ce. If there was one bene t of this strange, decades-long international game of Russian roulette, it was the fact that we were actually taught what communism is. We learned most of Karl Marx’s greatest one-liners, including the scariest one: “From each according to his abilities, to each according to
his needs,” which we Americans were taught to see as the mantra of a system that destroyed ambition and the drive to succeed that American capitalism was built upon. I think that’s simplistic, but it’s also mostly true. Living on the dole is living on the dole. All communism does is narrow economic opportunity to oligarchs. Everyone else? Pass the beans and borscht and keep your head down, comrade. e fact is that communism has proven to be a horrible system of government, one that concentrates power under an authoritarian rule, censors books and newspapers, o ers only rudimentary education for the poor, discriminates on the basis of gender and race, and controls healthcare. In communist countries, posters of the authoritarian Dear Leader are plastered on every open space. Flags with his image are own in every public square. at’s why it seems so absurd to me to hear MAGA types — and Donald Trump himself — call Kamala Harris and Democrats “communists.” It sounds like you’re being tough when you call someone a communist, but they literally appear to have no idea what a communist is. ink of the two major American political parties: When it comes to a cult of personality, one that features posters of Dear Leader, ags, religious iconography, clothes, and even tattoos, which party comes to mind? Which party has come out in support of banning books? Which party openly demonizes LGBTQ Americans and people of color? Which party wants to centralize power and give it to an authoritarian who will “be a dictator on day one”? Which party wants to control the healthcare decisions of the country’s females? Which party literally rejected democracy in 2020?
If your answer to those questions is anything other than the Republican Party, you’ve gone down into a scary rabbit hole, a place where the light of the obvious won’t penetrate. It’s like you’re in a permanent duck-and-cover drill.
PHOTO: KONSTANTIN GUSHCHA | DREAMSTIME Mikhail Gorbachev in 1992
Successful Savers
How to maximize your retirement saving strategy.
Arecent report indicated that a mere 46 percent of American households have savings in a retirement account. Of those who have saved, 6 percent reported having more than $100,000 in retirement savings, and only 9 percent have more than $500,000, indicating a signi cant retirement savings gap between the amount they say they need for retirement and the actual amount saved for many Americans.
e good news is that successful retirement savers can teach us a lot about how to set aside money for the future. e following habits of successful savers can help you bridge the retirement savings gap.
1. ey start saving early in life. Successful retirement savers understand the importance of saving early and consistently throughout life. is practice allows them to maximize the bene ts of compound interest over time because as investment gains accumulate, they increase an account’s balance and begin earning their own interest. Over the years, this cycle can lead to signi cant earnings.
to even notice the di erence in your net income.
3. ey prioritize saving for the future.
Saving for the future requires focus and dedication. Successful savers often prioritize saving over paying for nonessential expenses. A great way to prioritize saving is by incorporating it as a line item on your budget. Just as you need to pay the electric bill each month, so should you save for the future.
4. ey remain focused on the long term.
Successful retirement savers understand the importance of taking a long-term approach, both with their investment allocation and their savings behavior. For example, they tend to establish a long-term investment allocation and stick with it rather than trying to time the market.
In addition, successful savers typically avoid behaviors that could derail their savings goals, such as taking 401(k) loans or withdrawals before retirement.
2. ey gradually increase the amount they save.
Successful retirement savers understand that gradually increasing the amount they save over time can have a signi cant impact on their assets, with a minimal impact on their current lifestyle. ese savers o en make an e ort to increase the amount they contribute to their retirement accounts by 1 percent to 2 percent each year. Over time, small, regular increases such as these can have a big impact on your retirement savings, and you’re unlikely
5. ey save in multiple accounts. Successful savers o en save in multiple accounts. For example, you may wish to start by saving enough in an emergency fund to cover three to six months of unexpected expenses. At the same time, be sure to contribute to your workplace retirement account. If you have additional funds available, make regular contributions to an IRA and a health savings account (HSA). Regularly contributing to multiple accounts can help maximize your savings over time.
Gene Gard, CFA, CFP, CFT-I, is a Partner and Private Wealth Manager with Creative Planning. Creative Planning is one of the nation’s largest Registered Investment Advisory rms providing comprehensive wealth management services to ensure all elements of a client’s nancial life are working together, including investments, taxes, estate planning, and risk management. For more information or to request a free, no-obligation consultation, visit CreativePlanning.com.
Time for adventure
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Refinancing your motorcycle, boat, or RV loan could give you more cash in your pocket. Plus, no payments for up to 90 days. Apply in branch, over the phone, or online.
PHOTO: ANNIE SPRATT | UNSPLASH Be a successful saver.
Football ‘24 Tiger
COVER STORY
By Frank Murtaugh
There’s no such thing as a perfect football game. Or is there?
In their 36-26 victory over Iowa State in the 2023 AutoZone Liberty Bowl, the Memphis Tigers put three zeroes on the stat sheet that have never been seen together in these parts, and may never be seen again. Memphis committed zero turnovers and zero penalties and (sit down for this one) allowed the Cyclones zero rushing yards. In baseball terms, it was a form of no runs, no hits, no errors … perfection.
“All season, you want to play a complete game,” says Ryan Silver eld, entering his h season as head coach of the Tigers and ninth with the program. “It’s getting harder and harder. We had games where the defense carried us, then the o ense or special teams. We nally saw a cumulation of a lot of things going well, and at the right time. Beating Ole Miss [in 2019] was great, College Gameday, the Cotton Bowl, beating
Mississippi State [in 2021]. But I had more people tell me that winning the AutoZone Liberty Bowl meant the most to them, 60-year-old fans or teenagers. It capped o the season, and it was a relatively clean beating. It set up a great deal of momentum going forward, sort of a snowball e ect of positivity.”
Perfection may not be a fair standard for the 2024 Memphis Tigers, but let’s say the bar is high for this team. For the rst time since joining the American Athletic Conference in 2013, Memphis has been picked to win the league championship in the preseason media poll. Last season, Memphis nished sixth in the country in scoring, averaging 39.4 points per game. And the Tigers have the luxury of the most experienced quarterback in the country returning to lead their o ense. Senior Seth Henigan is the only FBS quarterback returning for a fourth year as a starter at the same program. e MVP of that Liberty Bowl victory, Henigan has already broken the Memphis record for career passing yards (10,764) and needs just 12 touchdown passes to
Memphis has been picked to win the league championship in the preseason media poll.
top Brady White’s record of 90. Most signi cantly, with six wins, Henigan would move past White’s 28 for the most victories by a Tiger signal-caller.
“Seth started [his college career] as a 17-year-old,” notes Silver eld. “It was like starting a rookie in the NFL. Two years later, he wins 10 games. We all get better. Seth learned how to win games last year. Now he can carry the team, be a leader. It’s his team. Push the standards for everybody on
a day-to-day basis. Not just throwing the ball nicely and putting up good stats. When adversity hits, be the one saying, ‘No, this is the way we do things.’ He embraces it fully.”
“Watch lists” — those compendiums of candidates for myriad college football individual awards — tend to be more hype than substance, but a single player being on ve lists grabs your attention. Henigan is included among contenders for the Maxwell Award (most outstanding player), the Walter Camp Player of the Year, the Davey O’Brien Award (best quarterback), the Manning Award, and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. If he tops his 2023 season (3,883 yards and 32 touchdown passes), Henigan could well be a nalist for one of these trophies.
Considering his lengthy track record, how does Henigan improve this fall? “He’s got to play the next play of his life perfectly,” says o ensive coordinator Tim Cramsey. “Every single day, however many reps he has. at’s hard to do for an entire game. But not for the next play.”
Henigan will have his share of targets, starting with senior wide receiver Roc Taylor, a second-team all-
MEMPHIS RETURNS TO THE GRIDIRON — WITH SOME FAMILIAR FACES — AS AAC FAVORITES.
“When the dust settles, a lot of guys are finding that this is the best opportunity: the culture and what we’re trying to do.”
(above) Ryan Silver eld has won more bowl games (three) than any other coach in Memphis history.
conference pick (like Henigan) in 2023 who caught 69 passes for 1,083 yards to lead Memphis in both categories. Also back are Demeer Blankumsee (901 yards), Koby Drake (352), and tight end Anthony Landphere (260).
“Since I’ve been here, it’s been a grind,” says Taylor, starting his fourth season alongside Henigan. “Building friendships. e loyalty [the program] has given me, I’m giving back. I want to leave my own legacy here. I watch a lot of lm on myself, and there are little things I can work on to get better. Knowing reads, when to run a route at a certain speed, and having a connection with Seth.”
e Tigers’ running game will
look di erent this season with Blake Watson (1,152 yards last season) having exhausted his eligibility.
But returning are Sutton Smith and Brandon omas, both to be pushed by South Carolina transfer Mario Anderson (707 yards for the Gamecocks in 2023). “We have high expectations,” says Silver eld. “Sutton Smith is a dynamic football player.
I’m pleased with our depth.” omas rushed for 191 yards in a 2021 win at Arkansas State. e idea that he might be the Tigers’ third option on the ground speaks to that depth.
The Tiger defense will be led by junior linebacker Chandler
Martin. A preseason All-America candidate, Martin led the Tigers with 95 tackles last season including an eye-popping 17 behind the line of scrimmage. “Sometimes it’s that kid from the FCS level [East Tennessee State] who gets here, does a good job, and takes the bull by the horns,” says Silver eld. “He’s a leader for our team and was appreciative of the opportunity we gave him; he could have gone to larger schools. He does it the right way all the time, a complete student-athlete.”
Like Taylor, Martin heard from other programs over the o season. But
continued on page 12
Aug. 31 — NORTH ALABAMA
Sept. 7 — TROY
Sept. 14 — at Florida State
Sept. 21 — at Navy
Sept. 28 — MIDDLE TENNESSEE
Oct. 11 (Fri.) — at USF
Oct. 19 — NORTH TEXAS
Oct. 26 — CHARLOTTE
Nov. 2 — at UTSA
Nov. 8 (Fri.) — RICE
Nov. 16 — UAB
Nov. 28 (Thurs.) — at Tulane
PHOTOS: WES HALE
he’s back in blue and gray, and there wasn’t much deliberation. “It’s about loyalty,” he says. “ ey believed in me here, gave me the chance to be the best version of myself. I’m happy to be back, and be a leader for this team.”
Defensive coordinator Jordon Hankins is relying on Martin being the linebacker we all saw a year ago, but with the added duty of role model for the rest of the Tiger defense.
“You don’t have the success he had individually,” notes Hankins, “without understanding you can’t do it without the people around you. He bought into that leadership role. People in the locker room want to be around him. He keeps everybody level-headed. We’re as good as our last play. at’s how he is, every day.”
Alongside Martin will be the most signi cant transfer arrival of 2024: junior Elijah Herring from Tennessee. Herring led the Volunteers last season with 80 tackles but wasn’t guaranteed a starting spot this fall, so he moved west. Among the veterans returning to the Tiger defense are linemen CorMontae Hamilton and Keveion’ta Spears and senior safety Greg Rubin, a three-year starter who played locally at White Station High School.
“We just have to make sure we stay locked in,” emphasizes Martin. “On the same trajectory, with the same standards. Coach Silver eld does a great job, showing us how we do things. Personally, I want to be the quarterback on defense. Last year, I was just trying to gure it out, t in. My goal is always no missed assignments. Making sure I do my job within the framework. Once I get the assignment down, how can I make secondary plays? Little details.”
Why are stars like Henigan, Taylor, and Martin back for another season in blue and gray when the transfer portal — and likely more NIL (name/image/ likeness) riches — beckon at every corner? “ ey’re great young men,” stresses Silver eld. “I think loyalty is one of those things that’s getting lost in society, and especially in sports. When I sat down with Roc, I told him about all the positives we have here, and also the negatives. What’s the best choice for him? When the dust settles, a lot of guys are nding that this is the best opportunity: the culture and what we’re trying to do. If we have a lot of good things going, don’t go to the unknown. We have good relationships. ey appreciate the truth. And they can maximize everything they want in their college football experience right here.”
The Memphis football program has rarely made national headlines during the summer, but
it did in June, when Antwann Hill Jr., the third-ranked quarterback in the 2025 recruiting class, announced his intention to play for the Tigers. If he signs in February, Hill will become the highest-ranked signee in the program’s history. It’s one more e ect of that “positivity snowball” Silver eld mentions, a snowball made
dramatically larger last fall when FedEx founder Fred Smith announced a $50 million donation toward renovations at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. ( e university is matching the gure on top of $120 million in funds from the state of Tennessee.)
“We are so grateful to the Smith family,” says Silver eld. “I consider them friends. It truly is a gamechanger. We were too far behind with NIL. I worried about our ability to compete, no matter how good our sta was. It’s getting harder and harder to build a roster without NIL. It’s allowed us to compete. Do we want to be relevant or not?”
Renovations to the Tigers’ home stadium — a facility that opened in 1965 — will be done with eyes on relevance in the next round of FBS realignment. What was once a “Power 5” is now four mega-conferences: the SEC (16 programs), the Big 10 (18), the Big 12 (16), and perhaps the most likely landing spot for Memphis, the ACC (14). For now, though, Silver eld’s message is clear and direct: Win the American Athletic Conference championship. Earn that trophy and the bonus may be a berth in the newly expanded 12-team playo for the national championship.
(top) Linebacker Chandler Martin aims to be the Tigers’ “quarterback on defense”; (above) with six wins, Seth Henigan would break the record for career victories (28) by a Memphis quarterback.
“Winning helps a lot of things,” says Silver eld, “but it’s not what will decide conference realignment. SMU wanted to move to a larger conference, so SMU put a ton of money into football. Tulane wanted to get better at football, so they put a ton of money into football. Our goals always start with winning the conference. Realignment? We know it’s not done. No one ever woke up thinking Rutgers and UCLA would be playing a Wednesday night volleyball match. I can control what I can control, and I stay up to date. But head football coaches can’t decide that.”
Having “won” the preseason media poll, the Tigers can’t exactly play the no-respect card, a rarity in these parts.
But Martin speaks for his teammates in accepting the role as AAC favorites. “It puts a chip on [our opponents’] shoulder,” he says. “Everybody’s going to give us their best shot. It just makes us have to lock in even more, pay more attention to details. You gotta take it week by week.”
Even teams outside those four “power leagues” can aspire to win a national title now, the postseason dance card having expanded from four teams to a dozen. “I use the heck out of that in recruiting,” emphasizes Silver eld. “It makes Memphis that much more special. ere are teams in the SEC that have no chance at making the playo . We do. We need to focus on having our best season, look up in December, and see where the chips fall.”
steppin’ out
We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews
Plot Twist
By Abigail Morici
Established in 1956, the Southwest Twin Drive-In was Memphis’ second-ever drive-in. It closed in 2001, and a er a brief stint as a ea market, the property sat unused and vacant until 2022 when the city of Memphis and Shelby County each committed $1 million to reactivate and revitalize the site.
“It all started with a big push from community members for the city to do something with the site,” says Ashley Cash, director of Housing and Community Development for the city. “It’s been blighted for decades, so there’s been a lot of discussion around what should happen there.”
e plan, so far, is to establish a library and police precinct on the site, but with 20 or so acres of property and two screens, its uses could extend far beyond just those two facilities.
“It’s a community anchor,” Cash says. “And so our whole strategy around anchors is to come in, invest in the anchor, to encourage the private market to either reinvest or invest around it and really support and stabilize neighborhood.”
Still during the planning phase, with construction not set to start until the beginning of next year, Cash says, “we also wanted to make sure that [the site] remained a vibrant community space, and community members could see themselves there. ey can still have opportunities to provide input and they can ask someone for additional information.”
at means programming that engages neighbors before everything is even rebuilt. Last quarter, Southwest Twin focused on cleanups, rehabbing and reinvesting in the site. In the coming weeks, it’ll be host to a series of community days with a focus on “setting roots” — pun intended, as the days are gardening-centric, with workshops provided by Everbloom Farmacy.
In addition to activities, games, and giveaways, attendees will be able to pot seedling starters at each community day. Saturday, August 10th, kicked o the programming season with 1,368 seeds sowed; Southwest Twin partners have a goal to hit 3,000.
At the next community day on August 24th — titled Grow Basics for Gardening at Home — attendees can listen to an overview of basic garden considerations and watch a demo of grow methods. Plus, Memphis City Beautiful will hold a free mulch and compost giveaway, where folks can ll their own bucket or container to bring home and garden or compost themselves. ere will also be chess, basketball, arts and cra s, trivia and games, and music and movement led by musician Ekpe Abioto and instructors Ayanna Campbell and Kaila Matthews throughout the morning. Youth of Westwood, which gives food to the Westwood community twice a week, will provide food.
Upcoming community days include Planting Your Fall Garden on September 7th, Managing Your Garden & Your Health on September 21st, Harvesting & Eating From Your Garden on October 5th, and the Community Harvest Celebration & Festival on October 19th. More information on these events can be found at southwesttwin.com.
VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES August 22nd - 28th
Coconut Cake
Hattiloo eatre, 37 South Cooper, performances through September 8, $30+
Black Lodge’s End of the World Party
Alley Dayz
Black Lodge, 405 North Cleveland, Saturday, August 24, 8 p.m.-3 a.m., free, 18+
Downtown, Maggie H. Isabel St. (between Madison & Monroe Ave.), Wednesday, August 28, 5:30-7:30 p.m., free
When Eddie Lee’s wife joins him in retirement, the truth about his “ladies’ man” ways resurfaces. To avoid her, Eddie retreats to the sanctuary of McDonald’s, where co ee re lls are free and the rest of his retired friends, with marital problems of their own, wait faithfully for him. When a mystery woman moves in the abandoned house down the street, with her Creole wiles, melt-in-your-mouth coconut cake, and medicine cabinet secrets, Eddie is not the only one who pays her a visit — a visit that threatens to change all their lives forever.
Performances of Hattiloo’s Coconut Cake are ursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.
Join Lodge for the end of the world. Well, Lodge’s world, seeing that it’s closing and all (we’re not crying; you are). It’s going to be one massive, over-the-top, no brakes, full-speed, anything-goes night of out-of-control party mayhem. Party like there’s no tomorrow … because there isn’t.
Music performers to be announced, and all sorts of surprises await you, like specialty drinks made just for the occasion, a photo booth area to commemorate the night, and Lodge memorabilia and merchandise for sale.
Join the Downtown Memphis Commission for Alley Dayz. is event brings music, vendors, and community spirit to the heart of Downtown Memphis by activating alleys and unique spaces in di erent neighborhoods. As Alley Dayz takes over the block, a DJ will be spinning tunes throughout the evening to keep the energy high. Discover unique products and cra s from local vendors, perfect for a bit of shopping while you enjoy the festivities. Enjoy special experiences and dining deals at nearby restaurants. Learn about the history of the block from local historians, adding an educational twist to your evening.
PHOTO: COURTESY DCA Southwest Twin’s rst community day of the season
MUSIC By Michael Donahue
On Cutting Records and Hair
Amber Rae Dunn is giving it her all.
If you heard Amber Rae Dunn sing for the rst time at the recent “A Tribute to the King,” you might want to know more about her.
e captivating singer lled the stage of Lafayette’s Music Room with her voice and personality at the event held August 11th, featuring headliner Ronnie McDowell as well as e Royal Blues Band with Wyly Bigger on keyboards.
“I am from Schererville, Arkansas,” Dunn says. “I grew up with six siblings and my dad was just a barber and my mom was a stay-at-home mom who took care of all of us. ere was not a lot to do, but we had a three-acre garden. Just about every memory of my life, I have it in the garden. My favorite animal is a turtle, and I loved that I got to collect worms o tomato plants to feed to my turtle.”
Dunn also sang. “All the time. Everywhere around the house. I was de nitely the loudest kid my parents have.”
If she wasn’t singing “ is Little Light of Mine” in church, Dunn was listening to her mother’s Al Green, Michael Jackson, and Prince albums and her dad’s ’90s country music. “So, I’m sure I was singing those songs as well.”
“Vocally, there’s a lot of soul and blues to my voice. But there’s also a lot of country.”
Like she still does, Dunn worked at her dad’s barbershop, Larry’s Hair Design, in West Memphis, Arkansas. She learned how to cut and style hair when she was in high school. “Other kids go to soccer practice or others take acting. I enrolled in hair school.”
She began singing on stage while attending Memphis College of Art for a degree in sculpture. Yubu Kazungu, a fellow student, invited her to join him at an open mic. She asked Kazungu, who heads Yubu and the Africans, why he thought she could sing. She says he told her, “I can hear you humming in the sculpture room working on a pot. You hum on key, and I feel like you can sing on key.”
Dunn joined Kazungu’s band and appeared with the group at open mics around town.
Kazungu “had been pestering” her to write a song, so Dunn came up with “Arkansas Line.” A er some persuading
from Kazungu one night at a soul food restaurant, Dunn sang the song in front of an audience while keeping the beat by snapping her ngers.
People at the show told her she was really good, but that she needed to go to Nashville because “that’s not really the type of music we have in Memphis.”
So Dunn got a job at Wayne’s Unisex, a Nashville barbershop. She went to clubs at night to “work tips for the band.” She did whatever she could, whether it was “do handstands” or “pinch cheeks,” to get customers to put money in the tip jars. “ en, nally, at the end of the night when everyone was good and drunk and half the people were gone, they would let me get up and sing two or three songs at 3 in the morning.”
Dunn was realistic about living in Nashville. “My plan was ve years. If nothing happened, I was like, ‘Okay, I guess this isn’t the path I’m supposed to get on.’”
But nine months a er she got to Nashville, one of her brothers was killed in a motorcycle accident, so she returned home to comfort her parents. “I’m a sucker for family.”
Starting at an open mic at Earnestine & Hazel’s, Dunn thought, “I need to meet people. If you build it, they’ll come.”
Mark Parsell stopped in one night and invited Dunn to check out his venue, South Main Sounds. Singing at one of Parsell’s Friday night shows, Dunn met Andrew Cabigao, who helped her get a job as social media
representative at Mark Goodman’s MGP e Studio. While there, Dunn recorded her rst album, Arkansas Line. Attending a songwriters workshop at Visible Music College, Dunn met Billy Smiley, founding member of White Heart, a Dove Award-nominated Christian rock group. He invited her to come to Nashville and maybe do an album at his studio, Sound
Kitchen Studios.
She was two songs into the album when Covid hit. She released a couple of singles, but the album, I Guess at’s Life, wasn’t released until March 2023.
One of those songs, her popular “Barbershop,” is “just kind of talking about my dad’s barbershop and the type of customers we have. It’s just nostalgic.”
She also began going to workshops in and outside of Memphis in addition to bartending on Friday nights at South Main Sounds and performing with her band, Amber Rae Dunn and the Mulberries.
Dunn is thinking about a new album, but it might go in another direction. “Vocally, there’s a lot of soul and blues to my voice. But there’s also a lot of country. So, I don’t know. I feel like there’s a way to navigate the two.”
She’d like to mix “a Memphis sound” with her “traditional country sound.”
When she’s not cutting records or cutting hair, Dunn, who is married to Justin Craven, is performing with her band around town. She’s also a guest host with Leon Gri n on Memphis Sounds on WYPL.
Not forgetting her visual art chops, Dunn, who recently got into mosaics, currently is working on a mural at the Super 8 motel in West Memphis.
But Dunn is primarily sticking with songwriting, which she decided at 25 was going to be her journey. She told herself, “I don’t know what the outcome is, but I’m going to give it my all.”
PHOTOS: MICHAEL DONAHUE
(top) Amber Rae Dunn with e Royal Blues Band at “A Tribute to the King”; (above) Dunn with Leon Gri n
AFTER DARK: Live Music Schedule August 22 - 28
Laser Live: Cloudland Canyon
Cody Clark
Saturday, Aug. 24, 7 p.m.
TIN ROOF
Earl “The Pearl” Banks
Friday, Aug. 23, 8 p.m. | Saturday, Aug. 24, 8 p.m.
BLUES CITY CAFE
Eric Hughes
ursday, Aug. 22, 7 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE
Flic’s Pics Band
Led by the legendary Leroy “Flic” Hodges of Hi Rhythm.
Saturday, Aug. 24, 4 p.m. |
Sunday, Aug. 25, 4 p.m.
B.B. KING’S BLUES CLUB
FreeWorld
Sunday, Aug. 25, 8 p.m.
BLUES CITY CAFE
Soul St. Mojo
Wednesday, Aug. 28, 7 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE
The B.B. King’s Blues Club Allstar Band
Friday, Aug. 23, 8 p.m. | Saturday, Aug. 24, 8 p.m. | Monday, Aug. 26, 8 p.m.
B.B. KING’S BLUES CLUB
The Rockin’ 88s
Monday, Aug. 26, 7 p.m.
BLUES CITY CAFE
Vince Johnson Monday, Aug. 26, 7 p.m. |
Tuesday, Aug. 27, 7 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE
Applejac
A resident DJ at the Sound Table in Atlanta. Friday, Aug. 23, 9 p.m.
EIGHT & SAND
Live at the Tracks:
Deanna and Silas
ursday, Aug. 22, 6:30 p.m.
EIGHT & SAND
Soulin on the River ft.
Deonna Sirod
With the mighty Mississippi River as the backdrop, Soulin’ on the River concert series is a sampling of the new sound of Memphis soul. Free. Friday, Aug. 23, 7 p.m.
FOURTH BLUFF PARK
Wendell Wells e singer/songwriter, cartoonist, and congressional candidate hosts a meet-andgreet. Sunday, Aug. 25, 9 p.m.
WESTY’S
Benefit for Steve Cobb
With Steve Cobb, the ShotGunBillys, e Royal Blues Band, Area 51, Almost Famous, and Formerly Known
As. Free. Sunday, Aug. 25, 2-8 p.m.
NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM
Elmo and the Shades
With the great Eddie Harrison on vocals and keys. Free. Wednesday, Aug. 28, 7 p.m.
NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM
A Memphis-based project led by Kip Uhlhorn, with planetarium light show. Saturday, Aug. 24, 6 p.m.
MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY
Memphis Funk N Horns
Friday, Aug. 23, 8 p.m.
NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM
Sam Hunt
Live at the Garden presents country music superstar Sam Hunt. Friday, Aug. 23, 8 p.m.
RADIANS AMPHITHEATER AT MEM-
PHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
The Deb Jam Band
Featuring Debbie Jamison. Free. Tuesday, Aug. 27, 6 p.m.
NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM
The Settlers
Sunday, Aug. 25, 3 p.m.
HUEY’S POPLAR
The Velvet Dogs (Widespread Panic Tribute)
Saturday, Aug. 24, 6 p.m.
NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM
Van Duren e singer-songwriter, a pioneer of indie pop in Memphis, performs solo. ursday, Aug. 22, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
MORTIMER’S
After The Rain With e Contradictions, Speaker Girl. ursday, Aug. 22, 7:30 p.m.
GROWLERS
Amy LaVere
Saturday, Aug. 24, 5 p.m.
BAR DKDC
A.N.Z.U.
With Tryptamine, Cel Shade, Ihcilon. Saturday, Aug. 24, 7 p.m.
LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE
Big Fat Cow
With Chris Hamlett, Alexis Jade [Small Room-Downstairs]. Sunday, Aug. 25, 8 p.m. HI TONE
Black Tusk
With Somnuri, Horseburner, Namazu. Sunday, Aug. 25, 7:30 p.m.
GROWLERS
Blue Cactus
With Alice Hasen [Small Room-Downstairs]. ursday, Aug. 22, 8 p.m.
HI TONE
Buddy Albert Nemenz
Tuesday, Aug. 27, 6 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Charles Esten
Charles Esten played the role of country singer Deacon Claybourne on the drama Nashville from 2012 to 2018, which subsequently kickstarted his own musical career.
$45.40. Friday, Aug. 23, 8-10
p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Dame Mufasa Listening
Event
Friday, Aug. 23, 6 p.m.
MEMPHIS LISTENING LAB
David Collins Acoustic
Septet
Tuesday, Aug. 27, 10 p.m.
B-SIDE
Devil Train
Bluegrass, roots, country, Delta, and ski e. ursday, Aug. 22, 10 p.m.
B-SIDE
Eerie Avenue Detective
Agency
With Pam de Muerto, Mystic Light Casino [Small RoomDownstairs]. Monday, Aug. 26, 8 p.m.
HI TONE
Emo Kids: A Live Band Tribute To Emo
$22.85. ursday, Aug. 22, 8-10 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Formerly Known As Friday, Aug. 23, 10 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Foster Falls
With Cheap City, Horsebread. Friday, Aug. 23, 7 p.m.
LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE
Futurebirds
$29.95. Saturday, Aug. 24, 8-10 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Generation X ursday, Aug. 22, 7 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
IV & the Strange Band
Sierra Ferrell a er-party, also with Holy Locust. Saturday, Aug. 24, 10 p.m.
GROWLERS
Joe Restivo 4
Guitarist Joe Restivo leads one of the city’s nest jazz quartets. Sunday, Aug. 25, 11
a.m.-2 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Joybomb Record Release Show
Friday, Aug. 23, 9 p.m.
B-SIDE
Lahna Deering Band
e longtime Memphis resident singer-songwriter returns from New York City for one weekend. With the Lorette Velvette band, Friday, Aug. 23, 7:30 p.m. | With Infanta Silhouette (Linda Heck), Saturday, Aug. 24, 7:30 p.m.
BAR DKDC
Landslide (Fleetwood Mac Tribute)
Saturday, Aug. 24, 5 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Lo-Fi in Hi-Fi with Shangri-La Records
A listening party featuring La Chat’s 2001 solo debut, Murder She Spoke. ursday, Aug. 22, 6 p.m.
MEMPHIS LISTENING LAB
Lucky 7 Brass Band Saturday, Aug. 24, 8 p.m.
RAILGARTEN
Memphis Reggae Nights With Good Vibes Culture, Chinese Connection Dub Embassy, DJ Flame. Sunday, Aug. 25, 7:30 p.m.
B-SIDE
Memphis Unplugged Your favorite classic tunes played acoustically, providing a cool, laid-back, and serene atmosphere. Sunday, Aug. 25, 7 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Mempho Presents: Lalah Hathaway e daughter of American soul singer and musician Donny Hathaway, on her Vantablack Tour. $50.65. Tuesday, Aug. 27, 7:30-9:30 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Noisy Cats Are We (R.E.M. Tribute)
A band specializing in R.E.M.’s early works. Saturday, Aug. 24, 8:30 p.m.
MURPHY’S
Play Some Skynyrd (Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute)
Friday, Aug. 23, 6 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Rayy Stackz
A back-to-college nightlife reboot with special guest appearances from DJ Zirk and the cast of Legends of Hip Hop Memphis. Friday, Aug. 23, 8 p.m.
GROWLERS
Ritual
In collaboration with All Colors of the Dark and e Crypt Memphis, Hi Tone presents the music and pageantry of the band Ghost.[Big RoomUpstairs]. Saturday, Aug. 24, 9 p.m.
HI TONE
Cinderella’s Tom Keifer
$30. Saturday, Aug. 24, 7:30 p.m.
GRACELAND SOUNDSTAGE
Dave Hause
With Mike Hewlett. ursday, Aug. 22, 7 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY
Five O’Clock Shadow
Sunday, Aug. 25, 6 p.m.
HUEY’S SOUTHWIND
Mark Sinnis
With Patrick McGee, Oakwalker. Friday, Aug. 23, 8 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY
Night Ranger
$45. Friday, Aug. 23, 7:30 p.m. GRACELAND SOUNDSTAGE
Shake the Monday Blues with Yella P
$10. Monday, Aug. 26, 6-8 p.m.
SMOOTH LIVING RESTAURANT
Shell Yeah! Benefit Series: Sierra Ferrell e singer/songwriter was named Emerging Act of the Year at the Americana Honors & Awards. With Nick Shoulders. $45. Saturday, Aug. 24, 6:30 p.m.
OVERTON PARK SHELL
SooperFlat
Saturday, Aug. 24, 8:30 p.m.
THE COVE
Swattin’ Skeeters
Collective With Neon Glittery, Robert Traxler, Dinasouria [Small Room-Downstairs]. Friday, Aug. 23, 8 p.m.
HI TONE
Swingtime Explosion Big Band
Monday, Aug. 26, 6 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Tatsuya Nakatani with Chad Fowler & Friends Goner presents the avantgarde percussionist with local free music powerhouse Chad Fowler and others. Wednesday, Aug. 28, 8 p.m.
BAR DKDC
The Java Trio
Sunday, Aug. 25, 3 p.m.
HUEY’S MIDTOWN
The Lost Bayou Ramblers
Friday, Aug. 23, 8 p.m.
RAILGARTEN
The PRVLG e duo has cra ed a sound that is radically authentic, vintage but modern. Saturday, Aug. 24, 7:30 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
Twin Soul
Saturday, Aug. 24, 9 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Vinyl Happy Hour
With guest DJs every Friday. Friday, Aug. 23, 3-5 p.m.
MEMPHIS LISTENING LAB
Women in Memphis Music: Dottie, Delta Ondine, DJ Bloody Elle
One night, three acts. Soul, rock, blues, and R&B. $10. Wednesday, Aug. 28, 7-10 p.m.
B-SIDE
Swing Soirée with Will Sexton
Free. ursday, Aug. 22, 4 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY
The Concert: A Tribute to ABBA
$35. ursday, Aug. 22, 7:30 p.m.
GRACELAND SOUNDSTAGE
The Pretty Boys
Sunday, Aug. 25, 6 p.m.
HUEY’S SOUTHAVEN
Baaba Maal
Maal plays a unique blend of traditional African rhythms and modern Western musical styles. Saturday, Aug. 24, 10 p.m.
LANDERS CENTER
Dikki Du & The Zydeco Krewe
Sunday, Aug. 25, 6 p.m.
HUEY’S OLIVE BRANCH
Duane Cleveland Band
Sunday, Aug. 25, 8 p.m.
HUEY’S CORDOVA
El Ced & Groove Nation
Sunday, Aug. 25, 6 p.m.
HUEY’S GERMANTOWN
Happy Hour in the Grove
With Josh relkeld and Friends. Friday, Aug. 23, 5-8 p.m.
THE GROVE AT GPAC
Memphis Blues Society Weekly Jam
Hosted by Jackie Flora & Friends. ursday, Aug. 22, 7:30 p.m.
ROCKHOUSE LIVE
Royal Blues Band
Sunday, Aug. 25, 6 p.m.
HUEY’S COLLIERVILLE
Sunken Lands
Songwriting Circle e Sunken Lands Songwriting Circle event will feature Rosanne Cash, the daughter of music legend Johnny Cash, along with Brandy Clark, John Hiatt, and John Leventhal.
Saturday, Aug. 24, 5:30-8 p.m.
FOWLER CENTER, JONESBORO
The Chaulkies
Sunday, Aug. 25, 6 p.m.
HUEY’S MILLINGTON
PHOTO: LAHNA DEERING Lahna Deering
MON TUES – THUR FRI & SAT SUN CLOSED 5 PM – 12 AM 5 PM – 1AM 5 PM – 12 AM
CROSSTOWNARTS .ORG | 1350 CONCOURSE AVE
August 30 thru September 1 presents
August 31
4:00pm-5:30pm Showboats 6:00pm-8:00pm Lucky 7 8:30pm-10:00pm Dead Soldiers After Party DJ Qemist
September 1
7:00pm-8:30pm John Nemeth After Party DJ Witnesse August 30 9:00pm-10:30pm Terrance Simien Zydeco Experience and the Sponsored by:
2:00pm-4:00pm The Wilkins Sisters 4:30pm-6:00pm Talibah Safiya 6:30pm-8:00pm Marcella Simien
CALENDAR of EVENTS: August 22 - 28
ART AND SPECIAL EXHIBITS
2023 Wilson Fellowship Artists
e Dixon’s partnership with the town of Wilson, Arkansas, awarded residencies to artists Danny Broadway, Claire Hardy, ad Lee, and John Ruskey. rough Sept. 29.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Anna Parker: “The Beauty of Pointillism” Each painting resonates with the meticulous arrangement of dots, circles, and strokes. rough Aug. 29.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Artists’ Link Summer Show
Artists’ Link members o er visitors a variety of creative subjects and artistic media to enjoy. rough Aug. 28.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
“Bracelets, Bangles, and Cuffs: 1948-2024”
A remarkable collection of contemporary bracelets. rough Nov. 17.
METAL MUSEUM
“Branching Out”
Discover intricate connections between students, teachers, and casting communities, which branch out much like a family tree. rough Sept. 8.
METAL MUSEUM
“Building Inspector”
A group exhibition showcasing the work of six local artists: Leanna Carey, Nicholas Lowery, Franklin Doggrell, Maddie McGhee, Noah Miller, and Miles Bryant. is exhibition delves into the multifaceted concept of buildings, inviting viewers to explore a diverse range of artistic interpretations. Weekdays only. rough Sept. 17.
ANF ARCHITECTS
Corkey Sinks’ “ABZ2”: Artists’ Books, Prints, and Zines
A sequel to a 2018 exhibition curated by Corkey Sinks featuring works from the curator’s personal collection, spotlighting contemporary approaches to print media with an emphasis on self-publishing. rough Oct. 4.
BEVERLY + SAM ROSS GALLERY
“Health in Enamel” emes of health, healing, and spirituality crystallize with a survey of current enamel holdings in the Metal Museum’s permanent collection. rough Sept. 29.
METAL MUSEUM
“Mission: Astronaut”
Get a taste of life as an astronaut, using skills like engineering, physics, teamwork, and fun. rough Sept. 2.
MEMPHIS MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY
Send the date, time, place, cost, info, phone number, a brief description, and photos — two weeks in advance — to calendar@memphisflyer.com.
DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS, ONGOING WEEKLY EVENTS WILL APPEAR IN THE FLYER’S ONLINE CALENDAR ONLY. FOR COMPREHENSIVE EVENT LISTINGS, SCAN THE QR CODE OR VISIT EVENTS.MEMPHISFLYER.COM/CAL.
“On Paper!”
An interactive exhibition celebrating the versatility and beauty of paper as a material initiating creativity and innovation. rough Sept. 29.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
“Rest, Play, Repeat”
Ariel Dannielle (Atlanta, GA) and Alexis Pye (Houston, TX) portray Black lives and experiences that move beyond the burdens of history and struggle, celebrating moments of pleasure and joy. rough Sept. 21.
SHEET CAKE
“Southern/Modern: 1913 - 1955”
“Southern/Modern” seeks to encourage new admiration for the region’s rich cultural heritage through paintings, drawings, and prints. Free. rough Sept. 29.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Summer Art Garden:
“Creatures of Paradise”
Memphis-based duo Banana Plastik present an environment lled with vibrant and whimsical beings. rough Oct. 26.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
“United Streets of America”
Vibrant paintings by local artist Carol Co ey Clark. rough Aug. 24.
MORTON MUSEUM OF COLLIERVILLE HISTORY
PHOTO: COURTESY DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Coulter Fussell will give a Munch and Learn talk at the Dixon.
Works by Heather Jones
Native to Memphis, Jones creates delight-driven works using bold colors, lines, and unassuming imagery.
Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. rough Aug. 29.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Works by John Roberts
Shaped by his family history, John Roberts paints to express the extraordinary within everyday environments. rough Aug. 22.
DAVID LUSK GALLERY
Zoe Nadel
Retrospective: “An Open Book”
Exhibit by local artist Zoe Nadel, a retrospective of small gurative collage works. Open Monday- ursday, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. rough Aug. 25.
ST. GEORGE’S ART GALLERY AT ST.
GEORGE’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
ART HAPPENINGS
Carpenter Art Garden
“Just Be” Showcase and Art Sale
Enjoy an a ernoon celebrating the artwork that was created in this summer program with an artwork showcase and art sale.
Closing reception for Maritza Davila-Irizarry’s installation, “Travesia / Voyage,” and a print sale. Purchases from the installation and sale will assist Maritza in rebuilding her studio, which was destroyed by re this spring. e works in “Travesía / Voyage” beautifully illustrate the thread that runs through all of Maritza’s work: ancestry and the collection of inseparable qualities that, through blood and culture and beyond our ability to control, help make us who we are. Saturday, Aug. 24, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
ARTSMEMPHIS
Gallery Evenings at The Memphian
Discover captivating art by local creators this season at e Memphian. Sunday, Aug. 25, 4-7 p.m.
THE MEMPHIAN, A TRIBUTE PORTFOLIO HOTEL
Munch and Learn: The Textile Works of Coulter Fussell
Hailing from multi-generations of seamstresses and quilters, Fussell is an experimental quilter who makes hand-sewn sculpted quilt-works sewn entirely from donated clothes and textiles given to her by people in her rural Mississippi town. Wednesday, Aug. 28, noon-1 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Mark Cameron: Bad River
Searching for answers about his brother, Arliss Cutter embarks on an icy trail of murder and madness through the darkest heart of the Alaskan wilderness. Monday, Aug. 26, 6 p.m. NOVEL
CLASS / WORKSHOP
Cake Decorating 101 Book on Classpop! for this hands-on cake decorating class with Chef Jada. $55. ursday, Aug. 22, 8-10 a.m.
URBAN CONSEQUENCE BREWING COMPANY
Día de los Muertos Teacher Workshop
A free teachers’ workshop organized in partnership with Cazateatro around the work of José Guadalupe Posada, best known for his calaveras. Also, learn a printmaking activity for your classroom. Saturday, Aug. 24, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Digital Photography “101” Workshop
Learn photography from a professional photographer in this hands-on workshop. Free. Saturday, Aug. 24, 8:30 a.m.-noon.
Opening Reception: “Building Inspector”
A group exhibition showcasing the work of six local artists: Leanna Carey, Nicholas Lowery, Franklin Doggrell, Maddie McGhee, Noah Miller, and Miles Bryant. Friday, Aug. 23, 5-7 p.m.
ANF ARCHITECTS
Opening Reception for “ABZ2”: Artists’ Books, Prints, and Zines
Opening reception for Corkey Sinks’ exhibit spotlighting contemporary approaches to print media with an emphasis on self-publishing. Friday, Aug. 23, 5-8 p.m.
BEVERLY + SAM ROSS GALLERY
BOOK EVENTS
August Book Club: A Confederacy of Dunces
Meet at the museum with fellow friends to discuss A Confederacy of Dunces, a satirical novel by American author John Kennedy Toole that takes its title from a poem by Jonathan Swi . Wednesday, Aug. 28, 1 p.m.
MORTON MUSEUM OF COLLIERVILLE HISTORY
Kathryn Cohen Austin: My Mother’s Other Daughter
A memoir of two siblings increasingly at odds in how to manage their mother’s health, leading to one being disinherited. ursday, Aug. 22, 6 p.m.
NOVEL
COLLIERVILLE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Fake It Til You Make It
Music Export Memphis’ Export 101 workshop goes in depth on the steps you can take to up your professionalism and be #exportready as an independent artist. Free. Tuesday, Aug. 27, 6-7:30 p.m.
MEMPHIS LISTENING LAB
Figure Drawing (Long Pose)
Learn about gure drawing at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. $10/member, $15/ general admission. Sunday, Aug. 25, 2-4 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Figure Drawing (Nude Model)
Learn about gure drawing at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. $10/member, $15/ general admission. ursday, Aug. 22, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Lightroom Classic Processing Made Easy
Learn how to edit your images like a pro. Free. Saturday, Aug. 24, 1-4:30 p.m.
COLLIERVILLE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Lunchtime Meditations
Looking for something relaxing to do to clear your mind and improve your overall health?
Head to the Dixon for their free meditation sessions every Friday. Friday, Aug. 23, noon12:45 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Queer & Allied Theatre Troupe
An LGBTQ+Allied theater group for young people ages 14-21. Thursday, Aug. 22, 5 p.m.
PLAYHOUSE ON THE SQUARE
Shakespeare Scene Study Class
A five-week session investigating the works of Shakespeare with a monologue and scene study class that will explore verse, character, voice, group exercises, and classical acting techniques. $100. Tuesday, Aug. 27, 6 p.m.
TENNESSEE SHAKESPEARE COMPANY
Silk Painting with Phyllis Boger
Inspired by Ken Burns’ PBS documentary on Leonardo da Vinci, WKNO and Creative Aging invite learners 65+ to join teaching artist Phyllis Boger for part two of her silk painting Studio Course. Tuesday, Aug. 27, 1-3 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Teen Workshop: Marbled Paper
Bookmaking
Learn the techniques of water marbling and bookmaking and take home a one-of-a-kind sketchbook. Ages 14-18. Saturday, Aug. 24, 1-4 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Terrarium Workshop with Sheryl
Bring your own container. All other materials are provided including soil, three plants, live and preserved moss, decorative stone, decorative accents, and more. $55. Sunday, Aug. 25, 1 p.m.
URBAN EARTH GARDENS, NURSERY & MARKET
Ukulele Classes
Howard Vance leads this eight-week series for beginner and intermediate players. All students will receive a music book with fun tunes to play and sing. Saturday, Aug. 24, 11 a.m.-noon.
BENJAMIN L. HOOKS CENTRAL LIBRARY MEMPHIS
PUBLIC LIBRARY
COMEDY
Comedy Open Mic
Hosted by John Miller. $10. Tuesday, Aug. 27, 8 p.m.
HI TONE
Saturday Night Showcase
This underground comedy show, hosted by Tylon Monger, boasts a diverse and interesting lineup each week that cracks smiles, shakes heads, and causes uproarious laughter. $15. Saturday, Aug. 24, 7 p.m.
MEMPHIS CLOVER CLUB
The Big BrewHaha comedy at Hampline
Handpicked local Memphis comedians strut their stuff and entertain the Hampline audience for free. Fabulous door prizes for the first time ever! Friday, Aug. 23, 7:30-9 p.m.
HAMPLINE BREWING
COMMUNITY
August WomenTalk
Celebrate Women’s Suffrage Day with two outstanding local political leaders: Rep. Karen Camper and City Councilwoman Jerri Green, who will speak about the privilege and responsibility of the vote. Hosted by the board of the Memphis Area Women’s Council. Free. Tuesday, Aug. 27, 6-7:30 p.m.
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
BBA Memphis 50th Celebration - The Soul of Connection Networking Mixer
Meet and connect with fellow entrepreneurs and Black Business Association leadership during a networking mixer. $25. Friday, Aug. 23, 5:30 p.m.
STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC
Conversation Around Capital, Crime Prevention & Local Businesses
An in-depth conversation around capital, crime prevention, and strengthening the local business community. Wednesday, Aug. 28, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
BANK OF AMERICA MEMPHIS
GatHER Women’s Conference
Encouraging, connecting, and mobilizing Christian women. Friday, Aug. 23-Aug. 24.
LANDERS CENTER
Memphis Rose Society Meeting
The society’s 78th birthday. Includes a hands-on
demonstration of deadheading/pruning roses by MBG horticulturist Joey Mayes. Sunday, Aug. 25, 2 p.m.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals 48th Annual Conference
Reconnect with friends and colleagues, renew your commitment to personal and professional development and OBAP’s mission, and be surrounded by a supportive community. Wednesday, Aug. 21-Aug. 23.
RENASANT CONVENTION CENTER
Woofstock 2024: Streetdog Foundation’s 15th Anniversary Streetdog Foundation is turning 15, and they’re throwing the ultimate Woof-stock festival to celebrate. Get ready to groove at this pawsome event. Includes live music, Amurica photo booth, Streetdog merchandise, and a silent auction. $30/21 + wristband. Saturday, Aug. 24, noon-4 p.m.
LOFLIN YARD
DANCE
Line Dancing with Q
Line dancing lessons. 21+. Tuesday, Aug. 27, 6 p.m.
DRU’S PLACE
EXPO/SALES
Society for Human Resource Management 2024 Tennessee Conference & Expo
Reconnect with HR professionals from the Tennessee and Mid-South region and hear speakers from all areas of HR. Sunday, Aug. 25-Aug. 28.
RENASANT CONVENTION CENTER
FAMILY
Family Yoga at the Garden
A fun way for parents to bond with their kids. Bring a mat and water. Free with MBG admission. Monday, Aug. 26, 10-11 a.m.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Kaleidoscope Club (ages 5-9)
Each week, participants will enjoy an art or horticulture project that sparks creativity and critical thinking. Wednesday, Aug. 28, 4 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Mini Masters (ages 2-4)
Introduce your little ones to the arts and nature with crafts, movement, and more. $8. Tuesday, Aug. 27, 10:30-11:15 a.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Mudpie Mondays
Children can craft their own mud pie using natural materials. This event is canceled if it is raining. Monday, Aug. 26, 10 a.m.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Story Time
Enjoy stories, songs, art activities, and creative play that connect with Collierville history. Friday, Aug. 23, 10:30 a.m.
MORTON MUSEUM OF COLLIERVILLE HISTORY
Story Time at Novel
Recommended for children up to 5 years, Story Time at Novel includes songs and stories, featuring brand-new books in addition to wellloved favorites. Saturday, Aug. 24, 10:30 a.m. | Wednesday, Aug. 28, 10:30 a.m.
NOVEL
Super Saturday: Sustainable Animal
Sculptures
Create an animal sculpture using everyday, sustainably sourced materials. Saturday, Aug. 24, 10 a.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Edited by Will Shortz No. 0311
ACROSS
ACROSS
26 Intent
26 Intent
1 Things cotton pickers pick
1 Things cotton pickers pick
1 Cause of an infant’s crying
6 Back talk
5 U.S. city named after a Greek island
10 The first “N” of CNN
U.S. city named after a Greek island
11 Kitten sound 14 Over
Kitten sound
14 Chicago air hub
15 Voice below soprano
15 2011 biopic about an F.B.I. director
16 William Tell’s canton
Over 15 2011 biopic about an F.B.I. director 16 William Tell’s canton
16 Lena of Hollywood 17 Zombies
19 Eat fancily
17 Phenomenon characterized by electronic dance music
17 Phenomenon characterized by electronic dance music
19 Uncle ___ (commercial figure)
20 Like bread and newlyweds, maybe
19 Uncle ___ (commercial figure)
20 Puma competitor
21 Pudding ingredient from the cassava root
20 Puma competitor
23 “Dallas” matriarch
21 Noted ChineseAmerican fashion designer
21 Noted ChineseAmerican fashion designer
25 Had a role in a movie or play
23 Miscellaneous part?
23 Miscellaneous part?
26 Like a concert album
25 Mischievous boy of myth
25 Mischievous boy of myth
31 Fragrance
27 Source of rules for keeping kosher
27 Source of rules for keeping kosher
32 One-named Grammy winner for “Soldier of Love”
32 “___ be great …”
32 “___ be great …”
33 Hip-hop’s ___ Wayne
33 Red or white container
33 Red or white container
36 ChapStick product
34 What a whole lot of kisses might result in
34 What a whole lot of kisses might result in
40 Recipient of a Medal of Honor or Purple Heart
35 Stuff in a roll at a Japanese restaurant
42 Spike who won a 2018 Oscar
35 Stuff in a roll at a Japanese restaurant
43 Where Santa lands
36 Snap
36 Snap
45 Bard of ___ (Shakespeare)
39 Song that a hip-hop rivalry might inspire
39 Song that a hip-hop rivalry might inspire
40 Absolute nobody
46 Like a stolen object, when it’s not where it’s supposed to be
40 Absolute nobody
41 W.W.E. legend John
41 W.W.E. legend John
50 Perfect grade
42 Aquarium accessory
42 Aquarium accessory
53 Wear away, as soil
44 Baltimore Ravens’ grp.
44 Baltimore Ravens’ grp.
54 In a crass way
56 Freestyle skiing jumps
49 Poke holes in, so to speak
49 Poke holes in, so to speak
50 Big name in camping gear
61 Purchase before popping the question
50 Big name in camping gear
62 Supposedly unknown but actually wellknown fact
51 Condition whose first two letters are oddly appropriate
51 Condition whose first two letters are oddly appropriate
53 Something to do at home?
64 Beat narrowly, with “out”
53 Something to do at home?
65 What clocks keep
54 Island WSW of Kauai
54 Island WSW of Kauai
55 Phone
55 Phone
66 Who lives at the North Pole, in reality
56 Place where farm animals rootle
56 Place where farm animals rootle
67 No. 1 ___ (tournament favorite)
57 Baby
57 Baby
68 Variety of poker
58 Seasoning in stuffing DOWN
58 Seasoning in stuffing DOWN
69 Establish, as a university chair
DOWN
1 Indianapolis footballer
1 Do a certain hybrid winter sport
1 Do a certain hybrid winter sport
2 Slimming down
2 Separator of Indiana and Pennsylvania
2 Slimming down
3 Kind of eggs
3 Volcano’s spew
3 Kind of eggs
4 1912 Olympics locale
4 Colored part of the eye
4 1912 Olympics locale
5 “Hmm, sounds like a good idea”
5 “Hmm, sounds like a good idea”
5 Tallest player on a basketball team, typically 6 Equestrian’s seat
6 Letterhead abbr.
6 Letterhead abbr.
7 Ginger ___ (soft drink)
Toilet paper unit
Falco of “The Sopranos”
7 Product from Panasonic
7 Product from Panasonic
8 Measure after the governor’s signature 9 Soft drink 10 “Not gonna happen!”
8 It’s not a good fit
8 It’s not a good fit
11 Poet T. S. ___
9 Nicholas ___, author of the 2010 best seller “The Shallows”
10 The “A” of 52-Down
Facial reaction to pain 13 Golfer Sam with a record
1997 action thriller starring Nicolas Cage
Junípero ___, father of California history
Become too scared, with “out”
Lazy
9 Nicholas ___, author of the 2010 best seller “The Shallows” 10 The “A” of 52-Down 11 President until 2011
It has a large
It has a large horn
P.G.A. Tour wins
11 President until 2011
Neuter, as a male horse
12 Up to this point, old-style
One finishing a road
13 Oscar’s first Best Picture (1927-28)
Driver’s licenses and passports, for short
“Whew! That was fortunate for me”
12 Up to this point, old-style 13 Oscar’s first Best Picture (1927-28) 18 Food bank item 22 Origin of the word “flannel”
“Whew! That was fortunate for me”
Pull (in)
Pull (in)
Office letters that bring happiness? 48 What might follow
Edited by Will Shortz
continued from page 19
FILM
Rear Window 70th
Anniversary Screening
Hitchcock’s masterpiece about a photographer in a wheelchair who spies on his neighbors from his apartment window. Sunday, Aug. 25, 1 p.m. | Wednesday, Aug. 28, 7 p.m.
MALCO PARADISO CINEMA GRILL & IMAX
Return to Reason: The Short Films of Man Ray Four films Man Ray directed between 1923 and 1929 that represent a high watermark of early European avant-garde cinema. $5. Thursday, Aug. 22, 7 p.m.
CROSSTOWN THEATER
Space: The New Frontier 2D
From self-assembling habitats, commercial space stations, and rockets without fuel to the Lunar Gateway to deep space. Through May 23, 2025.
MEMPHIS MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY
FOOD AND DRINK
Canoes + Cocktails
A guided sunset paddle on the lake followed by specialty cocktails provided by Old Dominick, snacks from Cheffie’s, yard games, and music. 21+. Friday, Aug. 23, 7 p.m.
SHELBY FARMS PARK
Cooper-Young Community Farmers Market
A weekly outdoor market featuring local farmers (no resellers), artisans, and live music. Saturday, Aug. 24, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
Memphis Farmers Market
A weekly outdoor market featuring local farmers and artisans, live music, and fun activities. Saturday, Aug. 24, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.
MEMPHIS FARMERS MARKET
Summer Wine Brunch at Char Memphis
A selection of wines and cocktails paired with a fourcourse menu created by chef Anthony Hatten. Wine representative Sarah Wages, with Athens Distributing, will be on hand to present the drink pairings and tasting notes. Saturday, Aug. 24, noon-2 p.m.
CHAR RESTAURANT
HEALTH AND FITNESS
Free Sana Yoga
Find your glow and fuel your soul with free yoga. This alllevels flow class will surely leave you feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. Free. Tuesday, Aug. 27, 11-11:45 a.m. COMEBACK COFFEE
Get Outside! FitnessAdult Yoga
This Vinyasa style yoga class is dedicated to creating a balanced mind, body, and spirit. Saturday, Aug. 24, 9 a.m.
SHELBY FARMS PARK
Get Outside! FitnessFlow Yoga
A fun, dynamic, and creative vinyasa flow class suitable for yogis of all ages. Thursday, Aug. 22, 6 p.m.
SHELBY FARMS PARK
Get Outside! FitnessMat Pilates
A low-impact yet challenging workout that enhances your mind-body connection. Thursday, Aug. 22, 10 a.m. | Tuesday, Aug. 27, 6 p.m.
SHELBY FARMS PARK
Get Outside! FitnessMental Fitness
This class offers a welldeserved break where you will clear your mind through calming breathing and guided meditation. Saturday, Aug. 24, 10:30 a.m.
SHELBY FARMS PARK
Slow Your Roll | Saturday Morning Meditation
A serene start to your Saturday with some morning mindfulness, led by the experienced mindfulness educator Greg Graber. Free. Saturday, Aug. 24, 8-8:30 a.m.
CHICKASAW GARDENS PARK
Tai Chi
Instructor Marjean teaches gentle moves that will strengthen and calm body, mind, and soul. Thursday, Aug. 22, 7 a.m.
OVERTON PARK
Taijiquan with Milan
Vigil
Led by Milan Vigil, this Chinese martial art promotes relaxation, improves balance, and provides no-impact aerobic benefits. Ages 16 and older. Free. Saturday, Aug. 24, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Yoga
Strengthen your yoga practice and enjoy the health benefits of light exercise with yoga instructor Laura Gray McCann. Free. Thursday, Aug. 22, 6-6:45 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Yoga on the River Candace guides your yoga journey along the mighty Mississippi. Free. Tuesday, Aug. 27, 6-7 p.m.
RIVER GARDEN
LECTURE
Backyard Homestead: Simple Tips to Use
What You’re Already Growing
Learn fun, simple ways to make the most of your garden with recipes, crafts, decoration tips, and more from expert staff. Free. Saturday, Aug. 24, 10 a.m.
URBAN EARTH GARDENS, NURSERY & MARKET
CALENDAR: AUGUST 22 - 28
PHOTO:
COURTESY ST. GEORGE’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
Zoe Nadel presents a retrospective of small figurative collage works in “An Open Book.”
The Value of Wetland Conservation to Waterfowl
Mike Brasher, senior waterfowl scientist at Ducks Unlimited (DU), will discuss the importance of conserving wetlands to ensure both healthy waterfowl populations and a healthy planet. Brasher collaborates with DU staff and partners to strengthen the scientific foundation of DU’s conservation activities. Wednesday, Aug. 28, 6:30 p.m.
WOLF RIVER CONSERVANCY
PERFORMING ARTS
Cast Together
Afrotense presents a night of improv and trivia, with a $150 grand prize [Big RoomUpstairs]. $10. Friday, Aug. 23, 9 p.m.
HI TONE
“Starlight Cabaret”
Featuring Emcee Brenda Newport, Shanice Kelly, Aubrey “Boom Boom” Ombre, Will Ryder, “Miss Mid-South Pride” Wednesday Moss, and “National Snow Queen Superior” Trabecca Collions. Saturday, Aug. 24, 9 p.m.
DRU’S PLACE
SPECIAL EVENTS
Grind City Brewing Tournament Series
A series of easy to learn and play games, like Jenga, Uno, or Battleship. Games are free to play. First through third place winners will take home house cash for Grind City. Sunday, Aug. 25, 1:30-5 p.m.
GRIND CITY BREWING CO.
Morrighan’s Bluff, Amtgard of Memphis
Meet Saturdays for medieval/ fantasy live-action roleplay game. Saturday, Aug. 24, noon.
W. J. FREEMAN PARK
Plants, Pies and Pinot
Get your hands dirty with fun plant-related activities. You will receive a plant to take home, but feel free to bring plants from home that need a little extra love. No green thumb required — all skill levels welcome. $35. Saturday, Aug. 24, 3:30-5 p.m.
SANA YOGA DOWNTOWN
Splashin’ for a Cause
Spend a special evening at the Monogram Foods Loves Kids Foundation Splash Park and Event Center. Interact with and marvel at amazing dusky gopher frogs. $35. Saturday, Aug. 24, 6-8:30 p.m.
MEMPHIS ZOO
The Book Mixer
Get ready for a lit night at The Book Mixer. $10/general admission. Sunday, Aug. 25, 5-8 p.m.
THE COVE, BROAD AVENUE
Swing 4 The Way Golf Tournament
Four-person scramble benefiting The Way, a service of recovery. Saturday, Aug. 24, 8 a.m.-noon.
ABE GOODMAN GOLF CLUBHOUSE
THEATER
Coconut Cake
For some, there’s nothing better than retirement, but when Eddie Lee’s wife, Iris, joins him in retirement, the truth about his “ladies’ man” ways resurfaces. Through Sept. 8.
HATTILOO THEATRE Grease
Danny and the new good girl to Rydell High, Sandy, try to reignite their summer romance among the interest and turmoil of the rest of the high school gang. ThursdaysSaturdays, 7:30-9 p.m.; Sundays, 2-4 p.m. Through Sept. 8.
LOHREY THEATRE
No, En Mi Casa NO Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre
Group presenta la obra teatral, No, en mi casa no. $20/ general admission. Friday, Aug. 23, 8-10 p.m. | Saturday, Aug. 24, 8-10 p.m. | Sunday, Aug. 25, 3-5 p.m. THEATREWORKS @ THE SQUARE
Ride the Cyclone: the Musical
Traveling Vietnam
Memorial Wall
This 3:5 traveling replica honors the three million Americans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces in the Vietnam War, and it bears the names of the 58,281 men and women who died in the Vietnam War. Free. Friday, Aug. 23 | Sunday, Aug. 25. FORMER ECONO LODGE, LAKELAND
SPORTS
17th Annual Forrest Spence 5k
Includes a 5k, a one-mile fun run, a 100-yard dash, bounce houses, food, and games. Saturday, Aug. 24, 8-11:30 a.m.
SHELBY FARMS PARK
901 Parkinson’s Fighters Golf Tournament
A tournament that raises funds to increase awareness and opportunities for the Parkinson’s community. Friday, Aug. 23, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
ABE GOODMAN GOLF CLUBHOUSE
Memphis Redbirds vs. Charlotte Knights $13-$86. Thursday, Aug. 22, 6:30 p.m. | Friday, Aug. 23, 7 p.m. | Saturday, Aug. 24, 6:30 p.m. | Sunday, Aug. 25, 1 p.m.
AUTOZONE PARK
Open Water Swim Clinics
Get tips, advice, and training from professional swim and triathlon coaches. Sunday, Aug. 25, 6:30 a.m.
SHELBY FARMS PARK
The regional premiere of this wildly popular musical so new, inventive, exciting, and morbidly delightful … full of laughter and tears. Certain to entertain and remind you that life is just a ride. $10/sensory-friendly performance, $26/adults, $16/student/teacher, $21/ seniors 60+. Friday, Aug. 23, 7:30-10 p.m. | Saturday, Aug. 24, 7:30-10 p.m. | Sunday, Aug. 25, 2:30-5 p.m. GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY THEATRE
Waitress
Encouraged by her unique group of fellow waitresses and devoted customers, Jenna discovers the one thing she’s been lacking — courage. ThursdaysSaturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Through Sept. 15. PLAYHOUSE ON THE SQUARE
TOURS
Haunted Pub Crawl
Visit three local bars for ghost stories, dark history, and tales of the paranormal. Friday, Aug. 23, 7:3010 p.m.
THE BROOM CLOSET
The Original Memphis Brew Bus
The Memphis Brew Bus is a Saturday afternoon trip into the amazing Memphis craft brewing scene. Visit three local breweries for tours, talks with the brewers, and of course beer. $59. Saturday, Aug. 24, 2-5:30 p.m.
THE BROOM CLOSET
Friday, September 20th, 6-9pm
FedEx Event Center at Shelby Farms Park
BLUE NOTE DISTILLERY | OLD DOMINICK DISTILLERY| BULLEIT | CROWN ROYAL GEORGE DICKEL | JOHNNIE WALKER | FOUR ROSES | RABBI T HOLE | THE SETUP NELSON’S GREENBRIER DISTILLERY | MIDDLE WEST SPIRITS | BUSTER’S BUTCHER THE GENRE | HEIRLOOM CATERING | BELLTOWER COFFEE | and more!
We Saw You.
with
MICHAEL DONAHUE
More than 2,000 people attended the sixth annual Memphis Chicken & Beer Festival, which was held August 10th at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.
“We say ‘a beer fest with a chicken twist,’” says Caroline Hall, regional events director for iHeartRadio, which puts on the festival. “Our goal is a tailgate for adults. Having a big play area for adults.”
e play area included in atable basketball, cornhole, and other games, as well as, for the rst time, a mechanical bull.
e event included 16 food vendors. e beer, which included brew from Meddlesome Brewing Company, Memphis Made Brewing Co., and Beale Street Brewing Co., was from Ajax Distributing Company Inc.
e next big iHeartRadio event will be the annual Wine on the River, which will be held October 5th at Tom Lee Park.
above: (le to right) Big Sue and Caroline Hall; Lernard Chambers; Aniseya and Michael Butler Jr. below: (le to right) Marcus, Big Bang, and Phyouture; Reid Halford, Seth Cartwright, and Eli Christenbury bottom row: (le to right) Stewart Kerby and Zachary Mashburn; Courtney Archer and Brandon Williams
PHOTOS: MICHAEL DONAHUE
We Saw You.
with MICHAEL DONAHUE
Guests could raise a glass and shout “Skol” to toast the Skol-astic Book Fair, which was held August 10th at Soul & Spirits Brewery.
People put their noses in beer and in books at the event, which featured “Lyric,” a brew made for the occasion. Ryan Allen, who owns the brewery with his wife, Blair Perry, describes it as “a farmhouse ale with Earl Grey tea.”
“We just do it for the book fair every year,” he says. “So, it’s really only available that day. is year I doubled the amount I made last year, and it still sold out in the same amount of time.
“We call it ‘Lyric’ because lyrics are the words of a song. It’s a way to tie in the theme of the book fair and being a wordsmith.”
Describing their event, Ryan says, “We invited all the bookstores in town. And this year, I think a little more uniquely, we invited individual authors that could come in and sit and speak with people and sell their books.”
ey want people to “connect directly with the authors.”
above: (le to right) Jim and Taryn Spake; Lisa Kroger; Blair Perry and Ryan Allen below: (le to right) Brandon Lea and Dominique Bonten; Austin Sanchez and Marisol Palomo; Melissa Justice, DJ Reitzel, and Rian Taylor bottom row: (le to right) Blake Helis and Cheryl Mesler; Michael and Diana Townsend
PHOTOS: MICHAEL DONAHUE
FOOD By Michael Donahue
Mariachi Music and Mexican Meals
Chukis restaurants are humming along.
Rafael Valenzuela doesn’t wear a chef’s hat when he cooks at Chukis Tacos No. 2 in Memphis and Chukis Deli Mexicana in Olive Branch, Mississippi.
Rogelio Barreto, aka Chuki, does most of the cooking at the restaurants, which are owned by Valenzuela and his brother, Abraham Valenzuela. “[Barreto]’s the main cook,” Rafael says. “He’s our foundation. He teaches everybody.”
And Rafael doesn’t wear a sombrero when he plays the vihuela (rhythm guitar) in his family’s mariachi band, Mariachi Guadalajara. “[Sombreros] are heavy. ey’re hot. ey’re usually just used when there’s a big presentation or something more elegant.”
And, he adds, “To tell you the truth, I’ve only worn it once in my whole life.”
It was music rst for Rafael, Abraham, and their brother Pedro when they were growing up in Guadalajara, Mexico. “We were raised as musicians. Music was our rst job. Actually, that’s the only work I’ve known before doing the restaurant.”
Guitar wasn’t Rafael’s rst instrument. “I went through violin rst in elementary. en trumpet for a few years a er that. en, again, violin.”
When he was around 13, Rafael began playing violin in the family mariachi band, which also includes his dad, at “serenades and parties.”
Rafael began playing the vihuela in the band a er the family moved to Memphis in 1994. Pedro plays the guitarron (the Mexican bass guitar), which, like the vihuela, is shaped di erently from other guitars. “ e back part is like a turtle conch,” he says.
Both guitars are the “foundation of the rhythm for mariachis,” which also can include a regular guitar, violins, trumpets, and a harp. “ e vihuela and the guitarron are always paired together.”
When he’s performing, Rafael wears a “mariachi suit. Black, most of the time.” e custom-made suits also come in brown and gray.
Abraham was the rst to move to Memphis. ey eventually reunited the family in the mariachi band.
In 1997, Rafael, Abraham, and Pedro opened a grocery store, Supermercado Guadalajara, at Winchester Road and Mendenhall Road. About a year and a half later, they moved to a bigger location, where they also opened a restaurant. It was the rst time they ever thought about opening a restaurant, Rafael says. ey said, “Let’s go for it.” ey hired cooks, but Rafael’s mother also pitched in. “Some of the cooks knew what to do. My mom said, ‘Hey, let’s
do this this way.’ We just kind of got it together and it worked out.” en Barreto showed up. “He came in asking for work.”
He began working in the kitchen. “He always had a touch. Now, he did learn a lot from his mom.” ey eventually sold the grocery store/restaurant. Abraham opened another restaurant, Rancho Grande, in
before expanding to an Olive Branch location. He later sold the Southaven location.
Ten years or so later, Abraham learned the old Steak Escape space at 7425 Goodman Road next to Kroger was for lease in Olive Branch. “We jumped into it.” Calling it “Chukis” began as a joke, Rafael says. “We were going to call it ‘Chukis’ and we just laughed. Probably a
PHOTOS: MICHAEL DONAHUE
(top) Abraham Valenzuela, Rogelio “Chuki” Barreto, Rafael Valenzuela; (middle) tacos birria; (bottom) salsa bar at Chukis Tacos No. 2
good two weeks we went through names. All sorts of names. And we didn’t like anything but ‘Chukis.’ It sounded good.”
Barreto is now a partner in the restaurant, Rafael says. ey also used “Chukis” in the name of their Poplar location, which they opened a year later at 3445 Poplar Avenue Suite Number 1.
e cuisine at both restaurants isn’t from any particular region, Rafael says. “ e way a lot of people have described it is ‘a sit-in taco truck.’ To me, it’s like home-cooking. e avor. e way it’s cooked is maybe street food or something like that. It’s really served the way we eat it at home. Same avor.”
e birria items are their most popular o erings, Rafael says. Birria is a soup made with brisket garnished with onions and cilantro. It’s served with tacos, nachos, or burritos. People dunk the items in the birria the same way they do with roast beef and au jus sandwiches.
e Torta Cubana is another popular item. e sandwich, which is like a Cuban sandwich, includes breaded chicken, steak, pastor, or hot dogs. Pastor is “marinated pork with a little bit of pineapple, red marinade, and achiote.”
e same menu is available at both Chukis locations, but breakfast is only served at the Olive Branch restaurant on Wednesdays through Sundays.
Chilaquiles are one of their breakfast staples, Rafael says. “It’s chips that are simmered in red or green sauce and then cooked. Once it’s cooked we put an over-easy egg on top. On top of the egg, sour cream and queso fresco. at’s like a Mexican fresh crumble cheese.”
Rafael and his family have performed with their mariachi band on Cinco de Mayo at the Olive Branch restaurant. ey also play between 6 and 9 p.m. every other ursday night at Rancho Grande. e band has played for many years at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art’s Día de los Muertos Festival & Parade.
Abraham is slated to open another restaurant, which he will call Azaderos, in about six weeks on Forest Hill Irene Road.
ey want to eventually open another Chukis location, but Rafael says, “We haven’t jumped into it yet. I guess once we nd a spot it’ll be the same way that it’s happened with these: ‘Okay. Boom. Let’s go for it.’”
Southaven
Emily Guenther
Wheel of Life
Just as the seasons change, so do the cycles of our lives.
Learning the Wheel of the Year and the cycle of the year is one of the core teachings in many Wiccan and witchcra traditions. As a person learns and practices their path, they may nd themselves becoming more and more attuned to nature. ey may notice they behave di erently during certain seasons or are more affected by things at other times of the year.
Over the years, I have learned to honor and accept the cycles I see in my life and my path. We are each the universe in microcosm, which means we each have cycles in our lives that are unique to us too. If we take a step back and look at our lives from a bigger perspective, we may notice there are cycles or patterns that our lives follow. ese patterns may be dictated by work or school. ey may be more in uenced by family and traditions, or they may be all your own. Most people’s cycles are some combination of all of these.
that is part of the beauty of life.
ere are going to be times when your spiritual practice is the rst thing you do when you get out of bed. ere may be times when you don’t even think to pray all week. I get it; I’ve been in both places on my path.
Try not to beat yourself up about missing your spiritual routine if it happens. Our spiritual lives o en work in cycles just like our mundane ones. ere are times when my guides are very active and close, and it gets very noisy in my head. en there will be times when it’s completely quiet and I wonder if I’m alone in the universe. I’m not; I don’t really believe that, but at those times it does feel like all of my spirit team is o doing other things.
Our spiritual lives o en work in cycles just like our mundane ones.
I own a metaphysical store and a ghost tour company. My patterns and cycles o en re ect the busy seasons of my businesses, with most of my downtime happening in January and February. e last quarter is our busiest time and there is no rest for the Wiccan until the new year. We have more than just physical, busy cycles. Our mundane work and school life have their own ow. But our spiritual practice and our emotional lives also have their own patterns. Sometimes all these cycles align, but usually they do not. Which means we are o en living in different cycles all at the same time. Perhaps
Sometimes when it’s very quiet, I reach out to see what is happening on the astral plane. Lately when I do this, I get the impression that everyone is busy, doing other things just slightly out of my reach. It can be annoying, but I understand. e gods, ancestors, and guides all have many things to do and many people to see, not just me. Your guides might feel like you are where you need to be and therefore do not need their constant attention now. Something might have happened to one of their other devotees that they need to attend to. Our guides are mighty beings with incomparable skills, but they cannot be everywhere at once.
ings happen in our lives that cause us to focus more on the physical world and less on the spiritual.
It’s okay. Life happens. If you are working on a big project or have a lot going on, it’s natural to put o what you feel like doesn’t have to get done. Yet I know many of us will feel guilty for skipping out on visiting our altars or doing our regular meditation practice.
Every spiritual teacher, including myself, will tell you that the best way to grow your relationship with your gods and guides is to create a regular practice. Spirituality is something we learn by doing, just like tarot and divination or any other skill we want to acquire. But when we fall o our routine wagon, we have to learn to accept it and get back on, without guilt and without fear.
Emily Guenther is a co-owner of e Broom Closet metaphysical shop. She is a Memphis native, professional tarot reader, ordained Pagan clergy, and dog mom.
PHOTO:
NEWS OF THE WEIRD
By the editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication
Least Competent Criminals
Thanks to tracking devices in two Lamborghinis, a couple of car thieves were found in Wyoming, KDVR-TV reported on June 12. The two supercars were stolen in Salt Lake City and headed east on I-80, where Wyoming State Patrol officers tracked them near Rawlins. When troopers caught up to them, one of the vehicles was going over 100 mph; both drivers were taken into custody. [KDVR, 6/12/2024]
That Rule Doesn’t Apply to Me
At Brights Zoo in Limestone, Tennessee, squeezable fruit snack pouches are prohibited inside the zoo, NBC News reported. Nonetheless, on June 8, Lief, a 7-year-old sitatunga antelope, choked to death on the plastic cap from a snack pouch. Lief “still had a lot of life to live,” the zoo said in a statement. In fact, sitatunga antelopes live about 22 years in captivity, according to the Smithsonian National Zoo. “Some ask why we don’t allow squeezable pouches in the zoo,” zookeepers posted on Facebook. “The reason is simple — the packaging is dangerous to our animals.” [NBC News, 6/12/2024]
The Aristocrats
old woman in New Palestine, Indiana, is facing charges of criminal trespass, criminal mischief, and public nudity after she was caught not once, but twice, defecating in broad daylight against the side of a neighbor’s home, Fox59-TV reported. According to court documents, the homeowner was mowing his lawn on May 29 when he discovered a pile of human feces next to his air conditioning unit. His surveillance cameras had first caught the culprit on May 2, but after the second incident, he contacted police. The woman can clearly be seen in the video lowering her trousers and squatting to empty her bowels. She initially denied the act but admitted it once confronted with the evidence; she said she had nothing against the homeowner and simply had to go. She has stepped down from her position on the HOA board. [Fox59, 6/26/2024]
According to the Surfrider Foundation, a water quality nonprofit that tests beaches around the country, Mecox Bay in Southampton, New York, has some of the worst fecal matter levels in the United States. The New York Post reported that the beach, surrounded by multimillion-dollar homes, has dangerous levels of enterococcus, an intestinal pathogen. Residents say that the bay there collects a lot of the runoff from businesses, farms, and homes in the area. Along with old septic systems and cesspools, a heavy rain can mean a lot of human waste filtering into the popular beach. Scott Horowitz, president of the Southampton Town Trustees, said they would fight to keep Mecox Beach safe. “It’s sad to see that you have areas that are absolutely magnificent and at times they’re regarded as public health hazards,” he said. [NY Post, 6/12/2024]
It’s a Dirty Job
Perhaps the stresses of HOA board membership just weigh heavily on some people. An unnamed 74-year-
The Continuing Crisis Edward Kang, 20, is facing a long stretch without gaming after he allegedly assaulted a fellow online gamer on June 22, ABC News reported. Kang, who lives in New Jersey, flew from Newark to Jacksonville, Florida, on June 21, where he checked in to a hotel and purchased a hammer and flashlight at a hardware store. Late on June 22, he arrived at the victim’s home in Fernandina Beach, entering the home through an unlocked door, “apparently to confront the victim,” said Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper. When the victim got up from gaming to use the restroom, Kang allegedly attacked him with the hammer. The victim’s stepfather heard the altercation and helped to wrestle Kang to the ground; officers said the victim sustained severe head wounds and they found “a significant amount of blood.” Kang told deputies that the victim is a “bad person online.” He was charged with attempted seconddegree murder and armed burglary. [ABC News, 6/24/2024]
Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Some centenarians testify they have lived more than a century because they smoked many cigarettes, drank a lot of booze, and ate a steady diet of junk food. Should the rest of us adapt their habits? Of course not. The likelihood of remaining healthy while following such an unsound regimen is infinitesimal. Just because a few lucky people miraculously thrived like that is not a sound argument for imitating them. I bring this to your attention, Aries, because the coming weeks will be an excellent time to upgrade your commitment to healthy habits. If you’ve been waiting for the right time to love your body better, this is it.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus stage magician Doug Henning had lavish ambitions. They served him well as he became a star performer in theater and on TV. “If I produce a 450-pound Bengal tiger,” he said, “it’s going to create a lot more wonder than if I produce a rabbit.” That’s the spirit I invite you to embrace in the coming weeks, Taurus. The cosmos is authorizing you to expand your understanding of what you can accomplish — and then accomplish it. Dream bigger dreams than you have previously dared.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The color of planet Earth is predominantly blue with green, brown, and white mixed in. And for people all over the world, blue is more often their favorite color than any other. Why? In part because blue typically evokes peace, tranquility, security, and stability. It’s often used in therapeutic environments, since it makes us feel more at ease about expressing our feelings. I bring these thoughts to your attention, Gemini, because you are entering a blue phase of your cycle. It will be a favorable time to harvest the benefits of relaxing and slowing down. You are more likely to feel at home with yourself and accept yourself just as you are.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Harvard Business School professor Gerald Zaltman, born under the sign of Cancer, says that 95 percent of our buying choices originate in our subconscious minds. Behavioral psychologist Susan Weinschenk believes 90 percent of all our decisionmaking is unconscious. But I propose that in the coming weeks, you increase the amount of conscious awareness you bring to sorting out your options. Cosmic energies will conspire in your favor if you do. You will receive unexpected boosts and generate creative enhancements if you resolve to rouse more lucid analysis and careful thoughtfulness.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Now and then, zoologists decide that their classifications of species need to be revised and refined. For example, three subspecies of soft-furred, teardrop-shaped hedgehogs
in Southeast Asia were recently elevated to distinct species of their own. They are no longer considered to be subspecies of Hylomys suillus, but are now named H. dorsalis, H. maxi, and H. peguensis I bring this to your attention, Virgo, because I suspect that you, too, are ready for an upgrade to a new category all your own. It’s time for you to claim greater sovereignty. You will be wise to define how distinctive and unique you are, to distinguish yourself from influences that are superficially like you.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): When megafamous artist Pablo Picasso was asked how he felt about NASA landing people on the moon in 1969, he said, “It means nothing to me. I have no opinion about it, and I don’t care.” I invite you to use his statement as one of your power mottoes in the coming weeks. Now is an excellent time to identify the experiences, influences, events, and people about which you have absolutely zero interest. Once you do that, I predict you will have a rush of clear revelations about the most interesting experiences, influences, events, and people you want in your future.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu made an observation that could serve as your watchword in the coming months. “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,” he wrote, “while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” In my astrological opinion, Scorpio, you are now primed to embody and express these states with unique intensity. If you embrace the inspiring challenge of loving deeply and being loved deeply, you will reach new heights of strength and courage.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Many musical instruments must be constantly adjusted to ensure they stay in tune. This usually means that the note A above middle C vibrates at 440 cycles per second — with all other notes tuned in relation to it. Having sung in bands for years, I have seen how guitarists, bass players, violinists, and even drummers have to continually attend to their tuning during performances. Imagine the diligent finesse it takes to keep an entire orchestra of many instruments in tune with each other. I suspect that one of your jobs in the coming weeks, Sagittarius, will have similarities to this kind of management and coordination.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Dancing is always good for you, but it will be extra healthy and energizing in the next four weeks. I hope you will be inspired to dance as often as possible, even if you just do it alone in your kitchen or bedroom while listening to music that moves you. Do you need rational explanations for why this is a good idea? Okay, here are the hard facts: Dancing reduces stress, raises serotonin
LEO (July 23Aug. 22): A wealthy hedge fund manager named Raj Rajaratnam paid Leo singer Kenny Rogers $4 million to perform at his epic birthday party. But the night turned nightmarish for Rogers when Rajaratnam insisted that he sing his hit song “The Gambler” over and over again. Finally, after 12 repetitions, Rogers refused to do more. I wonder if you, too, might soon have to deal with a situation that’s too much of a good thing. My advice: Make sure all agreements between you and others are clear and firm. Get a guarantee that you will receive exactly what you want, and don’t do more than you have promised.
levels, enhances well-being, and is excellent physical exercise. Here’s another motivational reason: Dancing literally makes you smarter. Scientific research clearly says so (https://tinyurl.com/SmartDancing). Furthermore: In the near future, you will be in a playful, sexy, exuberant phase of your astrological cycle.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “Quo signo nata es?” is the Latin expression for “What’s your sign?” Did anyone in ancient Rome ever say that? Probably not, since it’s a modern idiom. However, astrology was very popular in that society and era. According to scholar Rhianna Padman in her essay “Astrology in Ancient Rome,” Romans “believed that the specific positions of celestial bodies at the moment of a person’s birth could greatly impact their life and character.” Back then, Thrasyllus of Mendes was a prominent astrologer who became a key advisor to Emperor Tiberius. Anyway, Aquarius, I bring “Quo signo nata es?” to your attention so as to inspire the following assignment: Update all your old favorite things. Put new spins on symbols and ideas that have served you for a long time. Take the best parts of your traditions and transplant them into the future.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The coming weeks will be an excellent time to declare amnesty about all matters affecting your close alliances. Dissolve grudges, please. Tussle less, play more. Relax your demands and expectations — and nicely ask your companions to relax their demands and expectations. If possible, forgive others and yourself for everything; failing that, forgive as much of everything as feels right. You might even convene a ritual in which you and your intimate collaborators chant the following affirmation: “We are gleefully free to reimagine and reinvent the ways we fit together!”
STAY IN THE LOOP
FILM By Chris McCoy
Space Truckin’
Alien: Romulus delivers working-class space horror.
One of the things I’ve always loved about Ridley Scott’s seminal sci- horror lm Alien is that its protagonists are working-class. e crew of the USCSS Nostromo aren’t noble explorers, like in Star Trek, or space wizards and chosen ones, like in Star Wars. ey’re not even soldiers, like the crew of the Sulaco in James Cameron’s sequel, Aliens. No, the Nostromo is a cargo tug hauling industrial equipment to a mining colony, and Captain Dallas and Warrant O cer Ripley are basically space truckers. eir dinner conversation is about their contracts, they bicker about working conditions, and no one has any training in what to do if you encounter alien life. at makes their struggle against an invading alien xenomorph all the more desperate, and Ripley’s eventual escape more dramatic.
It also clari es who the real bad guys are in this scenario. e Weyland-Yutani Corporation time and again chooses a chance to capture and experiment on the extremely dangerous alien xenomorphs over the lives and well-being of their own employees and crew. In Prometheus (2012), it is revealed that the megacorp’s founder Peter Weyland’s search for the secrets of an ancient alien race was actually responsible for unleashing the xenomorphs in the rst place.
It takes Captain Dallas’ space truckers a while to gure out that they’re just bait in a Weyland-Yutani bug hunt. In Alien: Romulus, it’s clear from the beginning that the corporation has no one’s best interests at heart, except maybe their shareholders. e lm opens with a W-Y probe collecting artifacts from the debris eld formerly known as the Nostromo. en we shi to the surface of a colony planet in orbit around Jackson’s Star, a place so covered in toxic clouds that there is basically no sunlight. Rain (Cailee Spaeny) is an indentured worker, performing dangerous tasks in the planet’s mines. She’s an orphan, but her father le her with Andy (David Jonsson), a Weyland-Yutani brand “synthetic person” who he rescued from the scrap heap and reprogrammed to protect Rain at all costs. She and her adoptive brother are applying for visas to leave the planet, as they have both worked their allotted time to release them from their indenture. But those cra y W-Y execs have updated the terms of service
Should Rain (Cailee Spaeny), who grew up in the mines, be that handy with a pulse ri e?
without their knowledge, doubling their terms in the mines because of a labor shortage brought about by her fellow miners’ high mortality rate.
Denied a “legitimate” way o -world, Rain and Andy are forced to try their other option: escape. Rain is reluctant because it means trusting her ex Tyler (Archie Renaux) and his friends Bjorn (Spike Fearn), Navarro (Aileen Wu), and Kay (Isabela Merced) to y a spaceship.
e Corbelan IV is a barely functional bucket of bolts that may or may not get the crew to their destination, Yvaga, a colony where there are actual sunsets. But before they try the nine-year interstellar ight, they need cryosleep chambers. A er all, no need to remain conscious for a decade-long commute if you don’t have to.
Yet since the Weyland-Yutani Corp. maintains a monopoly on cryosleep chambers, like what the courts recently ruled Google has in internet search, they can’t just buy them on the open market. (Also, they have no money.) But Tyler and company have a solution. ey’ve discovered a derelict ship in orbit around the colony, and it seems to have just enough working cryosleep chambers to get this ragtag crew to freedom. Except
for Andy, the android, whose access codes are vital to the heist, but who will have to be scrapped to avoid di cult questions at their destination.
Once Rain decides to roll the dice, the Corbelan IV rendezvous with the target ship, only to nd that it is actually a state-of-the-art research space station.
ey can’t tell why such a valuable asset has been abandoned, but the corp’s accountants have them pulling stu like this all the time, so it’s not a pressing question — until the party is kneedeep in water in an abandoned cryolab surrounded by hungry aliens. Yes, the reason the Romulus space station was abandoned was because that’s where they brought the xenomorphs for study. Now it’s face-hugger central, and they’re on the menu.
Director Federico Álvarez, who is probably the most famous person from Montevideo, Uruguay, previously helmed the home invasion horror lm Don’t Breathe. is excursion into the Alien universe has a similar tense vibe. Our heroes aren’t on a mission from their employer, they’re freebooters, and if they could call for help, it wouldn’t do any good. ey are isolated, and must rely on their own ingenuity to escape the
ravenous xenomorphs. Álvarez’s biggest advantage with Alien: Romulus is that he has a very tight script, which he cowrote with frequent collaborator Rodo Sayagues. In past installments of the series, the plot is enabled by some truly stupid behavior on the part of the astronauts, like breaking quarantine to bring unknown alien organisms onto the ship or looking directly into a glowing space egg as it hatches. (I prefer my alien encounters at a safe distance, thank you very much.)
At least the crew of the Corbelan IV has the excuse of being amateurs. In fact, as the going gets more dangerous and the xenomorphs more numerous, they come o as a little too competent. Should Rain, who grew up working in the mines, be that handy with a pulse ri e?
But that’s a minor quibble. Alien: Romulus isn’t the product of a visionary mind like Alien, nor a thrilling le turn like Aliens or Prometheus. But it is a tightly executed genre exercise with some memorable images and no shortage of visceral thrills. It’s a working-class lm that gets the job done.
Alien: Romulus
Now playing
Multiple locations
Our critic picks the best films in theaters.
Sing Sing
Colman Domingo stars as John “Divine G” Whitfield, an inmate at New York’s infamous Sing Sing prison who starts a theater program for his fellow incarcerated people. The program has an unexpected effect, giving prisoners a new outlook on life and inspiring them to mount their own original production, Breakin’ the Mummy’s Code. Writer/director Greg Kwedar’s film is based on a true story and stars several people who were actually members of Sing Sing’s theater troupe.
Blink Twice
Zoe Kravitz makes her directorial debut with this psychological thriller. Naomi Ackie stars as Frida, a waitress in a high-
end cocktail bar who hooks up with a billionaire tech mogul (Channing Tatum). But when he invites her and her bestie (Adria Arjona) to a weeklong party at his private island, things start to get weird. Christian Slater, Haley Joel Osment, Alia Shawkat, Geena Davis, and the great Kyle MacLachlan round out the packed cast.
The Crow
After 16 years of development hell, director Rupert Sanders’ adaptation of the seminal ’90s gothic comic book finally hits the big screen. Bill Skarsgård stars as Eric, a rocker who dies defending his fiancee Shelly (FKA Twigs) from attackers sent by Vincent (Danny Huston). Then, he is resurrected by the god Kronos (Sami Bouajila), who sets him on a mission of revenge and justice.
THE LAST WORD By
Andrew Moss
Healthcare at a Crossroads
is November’s election will decide the direction we take.
As the November election approaches, the nation again nears a crossroads on healthcare, with candidates diverging on a basic question of equity: Who is to bear the risks and costs of care?
For Donald Trump, his congressional allies, and conservative policy analysts, the answer is clear: cut government spending and shi the risks and costs back onto individuals, employers, and states. For Kamala Harris, the priorities move in a strikingly di erent direction: expand access to healthcare, strengthening the federal government’s role in guaranteeing healthcare for all Americans, no matter what their socioeconomic status may be.
e di erences show up most pointedly in the candidates’ positions on the A ordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicaid. Fourteen years a er Congress passed the ACA, providing subsidies that enabled millions of Americans to obtain health insurance, the percentage of uninsured Americans has declined to a historic low of less than eight percent. Vice President Harris has advocated for, and defended, the ACA, and is expected to support the extension of enhanced subsidies, introduced during the pandemic, beyond their expiration date of 2025. ese subsidies have made it possible for many people to obtain marketplace coverage.
The percentage of uninsured Americans has declined to a historic low.
Donald Trump tried and failed to repeal the ACA in 2017, and since then he has vowed he “would make it much better than it is right now,” though without providing speci cs. One likely course of action, however, would be to target the ACA’s protection of individuals against insurance denial because of preexisting health conditions. As president, Trump authorized the expansion of short-term insurance plans as an alternative to the more comprehensive ACA marketplace plans. ese short-term plans allowed insurers to bar people from coverage because of preexisting conditions, and to set rates based on their medical histories.
More recently, the Republican Study Committee, a group comprising four- hs of Republican congressional members and their leadership, released a budget proposal calling — among many other things — for an end to the federal government’s regulation regarding preexisting conditions, and allowing states to decide whether or not to keep the rule.
Medicaid also represents a major di erence between the candidates. A joint federal-state program established in 1965 along with Medicare, Medicaid now provides health insurance for almost 75 million low-income Americans. When Congress passed the A ordable Care Act in 2014, it included a provision to expand Medicaid coverage to all Americans earning up to 138 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. Forty-one states, including the District of Columbia, adopted the expanded coverage, along with federal matching grants to go with it, and 10 states (primarily Republican-controlled states) rejected it, keeping insurance out of reach for many low-income residents.
As president, Donald Trump approved waivers allowing states to set work requirements in order for people to receive Medicaid, and waiver programs have proved costly and ine ective. e Biden-Harris administration withdrew those waivers, claiming that work requirements do nothing to advance the purpose of Medicaid, which has been to expand access to healthcare.
What should voters make of these di erences? One way to begin answering the question is to listen to people closest to the issues. An internist working at a San Francisco public hospital writes of treating an indigent man who requested hospice care rather than undergoing an amputation for a bone infection in his arm, an infection that didn’t respond to antibiotics. e man explained that with an amputated arm, he’d be much more vulnerable to assault on the streets, and thus he opted for hospice — unless he was able to get housing — a goal far out of reach in a city with a critical shortage of available housing.
e man eventually died of sepsis (the physician refers to the cause as “end-stage poverty”), and the internist explains, “ … that illness in our patients isn’t just a biological phenomenon. It’s the manifestation of social inequality in people’s bodies.”
e U.S. spends more money per capita on healthcare than any comparable nation in wealth and size, and yet life expectancy in the nation is lower than that of any peer nation. ere are many reasons for this, one certainly having to do with the U.S. being the only advanced nation without universal healthcare for its citizens. Poverty and racism factor signi cantly as well, with persistent indicators like major racial gaps in maternal and infant mortality. A recent California study found that babies born to the poorest Black mothers have almost twice the mortality rate of the poorest white mothers, and even babies born to the wealthiest Black mothers have a higher mortality rate than the poorest white mothers.
e U.S. has been slowly moving in the direction of other advanced nations, gradually increasing the federal role in guaranteeing healthcare for all. is November’s election will be a referendum of sorts, indicating a continuation of the present direction or a signi cant reversal of policy. At stake is a choice between leaving individuals more or less to their own devices in a highly unequal society, or recognizing that healthcare — and the eradication of inequity — is a collective responsibility.
Andrew Moss, syndicated by PeaceVoice, writes on labor, nonviolence, and culture from Los Angeles. He is an emeritus professor (nonviolence studies, English) from the California State University.
PHOTO: HUSH NAIDOO JADE PHOTOGRAPHY | UNSPLASH Kamala Harris plans to expand access to healthcare.
