After procrastinating repeatedly, I finally made it out (thanks to Mark & Katie) to the beautifully-renovated Levitt Shell on Sunday night for a terrific performance from Samarabalouf (pronounced sah-MAH-rah-bah-LOOF), a Gypsy swing trio from France who energized the crowd in attendance. Seeing this show made me enthusiastic about the future of the arts in Memphis. This isn’t the old Overton Park Shell — it is transformed, ultimately, into something much more grand and beautiful than I could have imagined. More info and a video after the jump.
I just haven’t had the time this week to properly mention and promote this wonderful show. You need, and I do mean need to be at the Levitt Shell @ Overton Park tonight for COMO NOW. This press release is culled directly from a press release, but the music speaks quite for itself. Enjoy & I hope to see you tonight.
COMO NOW: The Voices of Panola Co., MS, the latest release from Daptone Records (and first that moves away from the Brooklyn funk and soul) continues to get rave reviews from critics all over. Says Grant Alden from No Depression:
“It is a relief once again to fall in love with an album — an entire album — to become enraptured by the music of artists who are unknown to me. To discover something of such great and glorious sounds that it is worth moving from the truck to the house stereo and back, to find music so rewarding to listen to that I have not opened the mail for a week, because this is enough. This is plenty…this is — by far — the best album I’ve heard this year.”
You can check the mini-documentary Daptone made about the album here, or, if you’re lucky enough to be in the Memphis area, the entire group of singers will be performing a very special show at the Levitt Shell next Friday, September 26 at 7pm.
You can also watch a special performance by the Como Mamas, one of the groups included on the compilation, on YouTube’s music homepage, or below.
I am always amazed when I read stories like this one from Idolator where a celebrity comes out and admits something so inherently, ridiculously obvious that its almost a non-story. Was I shocked when George Michael admitted to being gay? Okay, that one blew my mind. Neil Patrick Harris? I *really* wasn’t expecting that one.
Clay Aiken, though?
The cover story from people might as well have had a picture of Chris Rock holding a baby and said “YES, I’M BLACK.”
Memphis, get ready to get up for the get down at the Hi-Tone on Saturday night with Buck Wilders, The Hook Up, Chase One (Memphix) and Redeye Jedi (Memphix). When these shindigs happen, the parking lot is always full, the place is always packed, the music is always funky, and the vibe is always good. See You There!
SPREAD THE WORD. PLEASE REPOST THIS MESSAGE EVERYWHERE.
This is really disheartening news. If you’re reading this, you must stand up and speak up if you want internet radio to survive. Dozens of webcasters, from WOXY to Soma.FM and on and on will collapse under the weight of the Copyright Royalty Board’s royalty rate hikes.
Your silence now will lead to even more silence when net radio disappears into extinction. Please read the following and take action.
IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED FOR THURSDAY, JULY 12TH
Greetings,
Time and options are running out for Internet Radio. Late this afternoon, the court DENIED the emergency stay sought on behalf of webcasters, millions of listeners and the artists and music they support.
UNLESS CONGRESS ACTS BY JULY 15th, the new ruinous royalty rates will be going into effect on Sunday, threatening the future of all internet radio.
We are appealing to the millions of Internet radio listeners out there, the webcasters they support and the artists and labels we treasure to rise up and make your voices heard again before this vibrant medium is silenced. Even if you have already called, we need you to call again.
The situation is grave, but that makes the message all the simpler and more serious.
PLEASE CALL YOUR SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES RIGHT AWAY and urge them to support the Internet Equality Act. Go to http://www.capwiz.com/saveinternetradio/alert_9738601.html to find the phone numbers of your Senators and Representative.
If they’ve already co-sponsored, thank them and tell them to fight to bring the bill to the floor for an immediate vote. If the line is busy, please call back. Call until you know your voice has been heard.
Your voices are what have gotten us this far - Congress has listened. Now, they are our only hope.
We are outmatched by lobbying power and money but we are NOT outmatched by facts and passion and the power of our voices.
Again, please go to http://www.capwiz.com/saveinternetradio/alert_9738601.html to find the necessary phone numbers and make the call today.
Oxford, Miss. (TLV) -While the proposed ordinance to ban smoking has been getting all the attention lately in Oxford, another proposed amendment to a city ordinance is outraging local artists, musicians, and concert promoters alike. On October 17, 2006 the Oxford City Government will most likely vote on a proposed amendment to levee steep fines for poster artists in Oxford.
City officials are restructuring the flyer ordinance, which prohibits the posting of flyers, signs, posters, handbills, stickers, or other forms of advertisements on publically owned property. Flyers can currently be taken down by law enforcement or city officials and the owner of the sign must pay $50 if they want it back. Under the existing ordinance, police officers must catch a person posting a flyer on city property in order to prosecute them.
The proposed change in the ordinance will allow police officers to track down the artist, musician, or bar owner (or possibly all three) and prosecute them based solely on the information on the flyer. The proposed new fine for violating the new flyer amendment will be $1,000.00 for each violation. With the proposed fine for smoking in a bar being only $50.00, jail time is not out of the question for local artists and musicians struggling to make a living in Oxford.
“First of all, how will they know someone else didn’t take my flyer and stick it up just to get me in trouble?” said local musician Joe Nettles, lead singer and guitarist of Goodmorning Powerheart. “I take pride in my flyers. They are works of art.”
The exact wording of the proposed amendment of the ordinance is unknown to the public as the City of Oxford has posted no information on its website, nor has it posted the minutes from any Board of Alderman meeting since May of 2006 (unlike the smoking amendment, which can be downloaded on www.oxfordms.net). In fact, it is only because of the controversial smoking ammendment and the shear number of locals who attended the last City Council meeting that any information regarding the proposed flyer amendment has come to light.
According to locals who attended the October 3, 2006 City Council meeting, Mike Martin, assistant chief in the Oxford Police Department, spoke on behalf of the proposed flyer amendment and was quoted as saying band flyers were “litter” and “make Oxford look bad.”
“That’s ridiculous!” exclaimed Joe Nettles. “Apparently, we need to litter this town with cigarette butts to show them what real litter is. We’ve got more and more rich people coming in here to die and the people who live and work here can’t afford it anymore. Oxford is turning into a fascist state. They call this the ‘cultural Mecca of Mississippi?’ What a bunch of sh*t!”
According to local musicians, there has been a “flyer war” going on the streets of Oxford for several years.
“There already isn’t enough space for everyone who has a flyer to post a flyer on the three bulletin boards on the Square,” said Gentry Webb, artist and guitarist of The Cooters. “Many cities across the country provide fairly large kiosks for their citizens to post flyers. If they are going to tinker with the law they need to provide alternatives instead of criminalizing an artform and free speech.”
The third and final reading of the proposed amendment will occur on October 17, 2006 at 6 PM and the City of Oxford’s Board of Aldermen can then vote to approve or deny it.
I am always amazed when I read stories like this one from Idolator where a celebrity comes out and admits something so inherently, ridiculously obvious that its almost a non-story. Was I shocked when George Michael admitted to being gay? Okay, that one blew my mind. Neil Patrick Harris? I *really* wasn’t expecting that one.
