POETRY BY EBONY WASHINGTON. The “spoken-word poet” featured on BET’s Lyric Cafe and in Essence magazine will perform during an “evening of soul and poetry.” Precious Cargo, 381 N. Main. 8 p.m. GRACE-ST. LUKE’S DUNDAY MORNING SPEAKER SERIES. The series will include speakers adddressing politi8cs and religion. At the church’s McClure Hall, 1720 Peabody Ave. […]
Posted inMusic, Record Reviews
Short Cuts
Ego War Audio Bullys (Astralwerks) Fire Electric Six (XL Recordings) A little less than a decade ago — if you believed the hype — all the myriad subgenres spun off from disco and techno and united under the rubric “electronica” were poised to take over the pop-music world, tossing guitar-based songcraft forever into the dustbin […]
Posted inNews, News Feature
FROM MY SEAT
THE AX FALLS
The Redbirds fired, er, “reassigned” manager Tom Spencer last week, 63 games into a dreadful season, the worst since the franchise moved to Memphis before the 1998 campaign. Was this a ritual slaying, the typical “team-stinks-so-fire-the-manager”? Or were there enough shortcomings in Spencer’s managerial style for him to shoulder blame for a 22-41 record (six more losses than any other team in the Pacific Coast League)? The answer is probably “yes” to both questions.
Posted inNews, News Feature
MAD AS HELL
SLOW BURN
Only one problem, you Hillary-haters: If the public shared your revulsion, how might you explain the zooming ratings that attended the former first ladyÕs appearances on the Barabara Walters, Katie Couric, and Larry King shows? How would you rationalize the respectful Time and People cover articles? Why the reports of so many ordinary people lining up in their pajamas outside bookstores overnight just for a chance at the first copies? Why do both Bill and Hillary Clinton get rock-star treatment when they show up for speaking engagements?
Posted inCover Feature, News
The Memphis Music Legacy — Burden or Blessing?
Under the leadership of former president Jerry Schilling, the Memphis & Shelby County Music Commission, an organization at least theoretically responsible for guiding the local music industry, once issued a mission statement dedicated to promoting a music industry that “builds on Memphis’ rich cultural heritage and puts its mark on the 21st century just as […]
Posted inFilm Features, Film/TV
Spinning Wheels
Paul Walker, apparently not getting any better script offers after 2001’s race odyssey The Fast and the Furious, returns in this rehash, er sequel of the movie that made Vin Diesel into a star and into a wiser businessman than, say, Walker. He’s back as Brian O’Conner, this time in Miami, having forsaken his police […]
Posted inMusic, Record Reviews
Short Cuts
Decoration Day The Drive-By Truckers (New West) Decoration Day isn’t likely to receive the same kind of press attention as the Drive-By Truckers’ last album, Southern Rock Opera –it doesn’t have as obvious or novel a hook — but it’s a truer, deeper, better record. And it’s also a concept record of sorts, named for […]
Posted inMusic, Music Features
sound advice
Beatles fans, rejoice! Detroit’s The High Strung are on their way back to Memphis’ Young Avenue Deli for a show on Tuesday, June 17th. While these guys are far from a tribute band, they wear their love of the Fab Four like a badge of honor, stealing all the Beatles’ best tricks and blending them […]
Posted inPolitics, Politics Beat Blog
BREDESEN: ‘LONG-LASTING CHALLENGES’
No light yet at the end of the tunnel. That was the message of Governor Phil Bredesen to the lawyers and judges attending Wednesday’s luncheon of the Tennessee Judicial Conference at The Peabody. Noting that he had just guided state government through unprecedented budget cuts and austerity during the legislative session concluded at the end of last month, Bredesen left little doubt there was more to come.
Posted inMusic, Record Reviews
Short Cuts
Hail to the Thief Radiohead (EMI) It’s not news to anyone that the world is a mess; the question is: what to do about it? Rock-and-roll’s answer for the last decade has been “nothing.” The classic slacker ethos held that the current institutions are irreparable and the best option is to refuse to participate in […]
Posted inCover Feature, News
Massive Media
“Awful Things Will Happen” On June 2nd, the five appointees who make up the board of the FCC will decide the future direction of American media. The implications are enormous. by Neal Hickey The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) whacked a hornet’s nest with a stick on September 23, 2002, when it announced that it would […]
Posted inMusic, Record Reviews
Short Cuts
Electric Version The New Pornographers (Matador) In this era of musical overproduction and a thousand blooming indie scenes, catchy pop-rock records just aren’t that hard to come by anymore. But somehow the New Pornographers, a seven-member indie-rock “supergroup” (composed of people from bands –Zumpano, Destroyer –the Pornographers have since surpassed on the recognizability scale, with […]