Much of the spectacle of the event has no effect on my daily life, and this year I didn't know most of the songs or artists that had been nominated. My fault, I guess; even though I'm a music writer, I tend to live in a bubble that consists of local artists, vintage records, and whatever I happen to hear on WEVL, WDIA, and NPR.

Several folks I know and respect were heavily involved in this year's Grammys, however — Robert Gordon was nominated for the documentary Johnny Cash's America, and Scott Bomar had a vested interest in the category of Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance, since he produced Anthony Hamilton's "Soul Men." And, of course, MGMT were up for nominations in a couple categories.

And so I braved Michael Jackson's kids and Taylor Swift's horribly flat "duet" with Stevie Nicks — but for what?

Ex-pat Booker T. Jones took home a Grammy for Potato Hole, but other than that, not one Memphian — not even Justin Timberlake — won a single award. Even the blues categories were dominated by Chicagoans, Brits, and Left Coasters.

The biggest mention Memphis got all night was in the "people who died" montage, which included Willie Mitchell, Hank Crawford, and Jim Dickinson. Depressing stuff.

My spirits lifted when up-and-coming Canadian rapper Drake (pictured above) came onstage at the end of the night, flanked by Eninem and Lil Wayne. Drake, a breakout star on Degrassi: The Next Generation, is the son of onetime Jerry Lee Lewis drummer Dennis Graham and nephew of Memphis' greatest rhythm section, Teenie, Charles, and Leroy Hodges. As tenuous as that connection is, right now, he's the only hope we've got.

Virtually every year has some kind of Memphis flavor. This year the connection comes from nominees MGMT, Robert Gordon, Justin Timberlake, Booker T. Jones, and Mavis Staples.

Harlan T. Bobo is currently finishing up his third full-length for Goner Records at Doug Easley's new studio. Huey Lewis and the News have been recording a brand new album with John Hampton, Jim Gaines and Curry Weber at Ardent, rumored to be a Stax tribute. The San Diego-based Wavves — which includes Memphians and Barbaras/Jay Reatard alums Billy Hayes and Stephen Pope — are cutting in Oxford. "Soul Music," an Anthony Hamilton track recorded and produced by Scott Bomar of Electraphonic Recording has received a Grammy nomination in the Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance Category.

The made-in-Memphis Holiday Inn chain has been revamped, and the $1 billion in updates include a new logo, tinted lighting and a system-wide scent, according to this piece from the Houston Chronicle (scroll past the story about Krystal's loyalist — and former Memphian — Angela Sims-Quinty for the details). The Holiday Inn update also includes INNTunes, a pre-programmed system that pipes music into all 3,000 hotels worldwide.

Reading about INNTunes reminded me of the legacy of Holiday Inn Records, a vinyl label started by hotelier (and Holiday Inn founder) Kemmons Wilson, music producer Sam Phillips, and Holiday Inn sales manager D. Wayne Foster in 1961. Sure, INNTunes won't be releasing records by the likes of Charlie Feathers, Ironing Board Sam, and the Climates, but it's an intriguing idea nonetheless.

I caught up with Eric Nicolas, Director, Global Brand Management, Holiday Inn Brands, to ask him about the INNTunes program:

Flyer: What is the criteria for picking songs?

Nicolas: The music program at Holiday Inn was designed and developed by a company called Rock River. The sound strategy is to create a "Holiday Inn sound" that enhances the on-property experience and strengthens the emotional connection with the brand by leveraging external resources who bring deep knowledge of and experience with music and the proven ability to balance the three key brand factors in the effective selection of on-brand music: Brand Personality Traits, Target Demographic and Target Need State.

On a rain drenched Saturday, a large group of friends and family gathered at Memorial Park Funeral Home to say goodbye to 29-year-old Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr., best known by his infamous punk rock stage name, Jay Reatard.

"My son was a legend in his own time," said Lindsey's mother, Devonna May, standing below one of Lindsey's trademark Flying V guitars, which had been hung high on the back wall like a rock-and-roll crucifix. Her comments capped an evening of heartfelt testimony about the too-brief life and astonishing creative output of one of Memphis' most unique and prolific musicians.

For those who could not attend, here's a transcript of the eulogy delivered by Lindsey's friend and fellow musician, Goner Records founder Eric Friedl. I've also included a funny story shared by band mate Stephen Pope about the day Lindsey finalized his recording deal with New York indie Matador Records.

The memorial service for Jay "Reatard" Lindsey has been set for 5 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday, January 16th, at Memorial Park Funeral Home at 5668 Poplar Avenue.

Lindsey's friends at Goner Records are soliciting photos of Lindsey to show at the funeral. Photos can be sent to jayreatardphotos@gmail.com.

Some friends and fans are posting memories of Lindsey on the Goner site here.

This short documentary film, directed by Alex Hammond and Ian Markiewicz in the run-up to the fall release of Jay Reatard's last album, Watch Me Fall, gives voice to an artist too-often caricatured. There's much here that's now painful to see and hear, but it lets Jay Lindsey tell his own story:

Waiting For Something - a short documentary about Jay Reatard

Jay Reatard | MySpace Music Videos

The latest word on the event is that soul legend Solomon Burke, among the final artists to work with Mitchell, may perform.

Andria Lisle pays tribute to Mitchell here.