For eight years now, one of the highlights of the fall music season has been the annual fundraiser concert hosted by Music Export Memphis (MEM), previously known as the Tambourine Bash, now dubbed the CoLab as of this year. That’s an even more appropriate title for a concert series that mixes and matches bands and performers of all stripes to see what mash-ups they can concoct. It’s the ultimate collaboration, and a clear indicator of the camaraderie that Memphis musicians share.
This year’s CoLab, taking place at the Overton Park Shell on October 16th, at 7 p.m., will be different in name only, says MEM’s executive director and founder, Elizabeth Cawein. “Literally nothing has changed about this event except for the name,” she says. “We had gotten a lot of feedback through a strategic planning process that we did last year, and people still didn’t really understand what the event was, based on the title. We could tell in the ticket sales, which had been pretty flat for a few years. And we were like, ‘You know, everyone who comes to this thing is so special. It is one of the most memorable nights of Memphis music I’ve ever experienced. Why aren’t more people coming?’ So we said,’We’ve got to do a better job of really capturing what this is.’ So yes, there is a rebrand, but that is it. It is the same event that folks know and love.”
Without a doubt, the name is on point, as the collaborations curated by Cawein are remarkable. Explaining the process three years ago, Cawein said, “I’ve put together all of the collaborative groups and it’s something that I definitely enjoy doing. … Then we give them a few instructions like, ‘Here are some things you might consider. You could work up new arrangements of each other’s music, you could cover Memphis classics, or you could write a new song together.’”
While last year’s concert was notable for featuring collaborations between artists who’d previously been featured in years past, this year returns to MEM’s rule of presenting fresh bands every year. And without further ado, these will be the CoLab’s featured artists:
Keer + Dee GOAT + Demi Lowrell (this year’s Ambassador Access cohort)
Joybomb + Frank McLallen + Gia Welch
Dead Soldiers + Lukah + Nubia Yasin
Rodd Bland + Iris Collective + Keia Johnson
Savannah Brister + Mac Mercury (formerly known as Cameron Bethany) + Aidan Osias
Cawein is especially excited by the three-way mash-up of MEM’s 2026 Ambassador Access artists, who have already put in considerable time working together. “They are a really diverse mix, as the Ambassador Access cohort often is,” she says. “But more so than usual this year. Keer is kind of indie rock, Dee GOAT is a hip hop artist, and Demi Lowrell is really straight-ahead pop, kind of like pop R&B. And the Ambassador Access set is always one that I really look forward to because, by the virtue of the fact that they’re in this program together, they’ve known each other the longest of any of the collaborative groups. They’ve been working together, making music together. They just finished their tour through Arkansas, Kentucky, and Tennessee, and I think North Mississippi, too. So they have had a really long runway to develop a cohesive sound for the group.”
Explaining the program further, Cawein adds, “Ambassador Access is it’s a year-long cohort. It’s designed to over-invest in artists of color to help them build sustainable touring careers, and so there’s a curriculum, covering professional development topics and skills. And that starts in the first quarter. Then in July, we take them on the road on a tour, and we’re paying for transportation and lodging and all of that, giving them a per diem for food. So we’re just de-risking the whole experience, to get them on the road so that they can experience that and and have it under their belt and start building some relationships in other cities. And what ends up happening, because there’s three of them, is that as they’re going through different cities, inevitably they’re backing each other up on different sets. They’re learning each other’s stuff so that they can play together, and there’s a lot of collaboration that happens as part of that, even as they’re presenting their own unique music.”
Another aspect of the annual concert will remain unchanged as well: the collective jam featuring all of the evening’s artists onstage at once. As Cawein enthuses, “The super jam finale remains intact! Boo Mitchell is back as our producer of that segment. It will be fabulous! Do not leave early, people of the CoLab. It’ll be three surprise songs as usual, Memphis classics, and yeah, Boo is back!”
Early-bird ticket prices for the CoLab, taking place at the Overton Park Shell on October 16th, at 7 p.m., are available today only, with prices going up on Saturday, August 15th. Tickets are available here.
