The Angel Sluts Halloween Bash, The Meat Puppets

Just a quick reminder……..

The Angel Sluts annual Halloween show is happening tonight (October 29th) at Murphy’s (1589 Madison Ave.).  Things kick off at 9:45pm with Swamp Donkey.  While Swamp Donkey is still a relatively new band on the Memphis music scene, if you’ve been out and about at Memphis shows you’ve probably seen their members out over the years.  Check out this video of the ladies performing at Kudzu’s.

At 10:30 The Glory Holes will be performing.  These guys are a gay punk rock band that has been taking the local scene by storm since earlier this year.  Check out some of their music at http://www.queercontrol.com/thegloryholes.cfm.

Tanks should be taking the stage at 11:15pm.  Check out their music video for “Solar Sailor.”

Memphis art punk outfit Modern Convenience will be playing at midnight.  With an impending move to Austin in the future for this band, this may be one of your final chances to catch them locally.

At 12:45am, Anniston, Alabama surf rockers Kill, Baby…Kill! will be performing.

The Angel Sluts will be playing at 1:30am (expect this show to go real late, and be real crazy).  The Angel Sluts have a new song up from their upcoming 7″ “Love Sweet Love” on their bandcamp page or check out their new ReverbNation page.

Doors are opening at 9:00pm, and the cover is only $5! 21 and up!

Meat Puppets

Tonight at the Hi-tone (1913 Poplar Ave.) Phoenix, Arizona’s Meat Puppets will be playing.  These guys completely destroyed it back in New Year’s Day at the Hi-tone, and I’m happy that they are back again.  Dex Romweber Duo will be opening.  Doors open at 9:00, and tickets are $12. 18 and up.

Hope to see you all out tonight….

True Widow, Tony Lamoureaux’s Birthday, and The Angel Sluts Halloween Bash

Happy Thursday! Looking for some trouble to get into tonight?

Dallas, Texas’ True Widow is playing the Hi-tone (1913 Poplar Ave.) tonight, October 27th.  The band describes their sound as “stonegaze” and really that is an apropos description.  Elements of shoegaze, slowcore and stoner rock are prevelant in their work.  Imagine some sort of weird hybrid between My Bloody Valentine, Low, and Queens of the Stone Age and you have True Widow.

Locals Powers That Be and Tiger High will be opening this show.  Take a listen to this song from Tiger High.

This show is $7 and 18 and up.

Tomorrow night Tony Lamoureux of TNT Burlesque’s alter ego Jason Winstead will be celebrating his birthday at Murphy’s (1589 Madison Ave.).  If you’re one of those folks who needs a weekly dose of Richard James and the Special Riders, then this is where you should be Friday night!  Also performing will be the Burning Sands.  If you’ve been to any of the shows where RJ and the Special Riders and Burning Sands have played before, then you know it might be a good idea to clear your schedule for Saturday morning.  This show is $5 and 21 and up.

  If you’d like to see The Angel Sluts in their most natural element, then head to Murphy’s Saturday night for their annual Halloween show.  In addition to the Sluts, Anniston, Alabama surf rockers Kill, Baby… Kill!, and locals Modern Convenience, Tanks, The Glory Holes, and Swamp Donkey will all be playing.  This show will start at 9:00 (after all there are six bands playing), and is $5, 21 and up.

Hope to see you all out this weekend.

River Arts Fest Saturday recap

Did you head out to any of the River Arts Fest this weekend?  Saturday Makeshift Music set up the main stage in front of the National Civil Rights Museum.  I got there too late to catch The Perfect Vessels, The Near Reaches, and The Nobility, but was there right in time for Richard James and the Special Riders.

Richard James and the Special Riders

 

Normally, RJ and the Special Riders shine when they are playing to drunks at 1:00am in small dive bars.  Despite the band members themselves speaking of the awkwardness of the time of day they were playing, they sounded awesome and translated well to the open air and early afternoon.

Wuvbirds

Wuvbirds is a newish band featuring ex members of Two Way Radio and The Ultracats.  I actually missed them during their performance at this year’s Rock for Love, so it was good to finally hear them.  Their sound is sort of a merger between the indie pop sensibilities of Two Way Radio and a 60’s girl band/bubble gum sound.  Recently, they released their debut 7″ “Fall Up the Stairs”/”Put A Lid On It,” which I can’t wait to check out!

   

Limes

Jack O. and The Tearjerkers

During last week’s coverage of Tennessee Tease Burlesque, you might remember meeting the troupe’s singer Tony Lamoureaux.  This Friday, October 28th, Tony’s alter ego will celebrating his birthday at Murphy’s (1589 Madison) with Richard James and the Special Riders and The Burning Sands!

There’s a lot of great shows coming up this week including True Widow and Tiger High at the Hi-tone on Thursday October 27th, and the Angel Sluts annual Halloween show at Murphy’s on Friday October 29th! Also some band called the Meat Puppets are rolling into town this weekend.  Check here for more info on what’s going down this week!

River Arts Fest, TNT Burlesque, Pezz, and Royal’T

The River Arts Fest should be beginning right about now with The Perfect Vessels.  Also performing will be The Near Reaches, The Nobility, Richard James and the Special Riders, Wuvbirds, Limes, and Jack O. & The Tennessee Tearjerkers.  This all happening in the South Main Arts district.  For more info visit the official River Arts Fest website at http://www.riverartsfestmemphis.org/.

Tonight at Newby’s (539 S. Highland) , Tennessee Tease Burlesque will be presenting their Edgar Allen Poe themed Halloween show “Once Upon A Midnight Eerie.” VIP tickets are $15 and guarantee you a place to sit and table service. Standard tickets are $10.  If you would like to purchase tickets in advance go to http://tnthalloween.eventbrite.com/.  This show starts at 9:00 with White Matthew opening.

Tonight at the Buccaneer(1368 Monroe), Memphis based label Fat Sandwich and the St. Louis based I Hate Punk Rock Records are doing a showcase of sorts with Pezz and St. Louis’ The Haddonfields and Sink the Bismark.  This show should kick off at 10:00pm, is $5, and 21 and up.

Speaking of Fat Sandwich..Royal’T will be celebrating the release of his new record 4 All Seasonz at the Hi-tone (1913 Poplar Ave.) tonight.  Preauxx and A Quest will also be performing.  This show is $5 and 18 and up.  Doors open at 9:00.

TNT Burlesque: Fatty McLure

Tonight! October 20th at Newby’s the folks at Tennessee Tease Burlesque will be having the dress rehearsal for their Edgar Allen Poe themed Halloween show.  Doors open at 7:30, and the show starts at 8:00.  Cover for the dress rehearsal is only $5!  The show is happening this Saturday, October 22 at 9:00pm.

VIP tickets for the show are $15, and they guarantee you a place to sit and table service.  Standard tickets are $10.  You can purchase tickets at http://tnthalloween.eventbrite.com/.  White Matthew opens the show.  And now meet TNT’s founder Fatty McLure.

Fatty McLure

Fatty McLure was classically trained in ballet, but due to the physical and personal restrictions of that art form abandoned it for burlesque.  In pursuit of a more socially respectable life, Fatty briefly stopped dancing in favor of law school, but dropped out partially from boredom, partially due to her love of burlesque, but mostly for the superior “Where Are They Now?” story at her next high school reunion.  In addition to running Tennessee Tease Burlesque, she also runs the Fatty McLure School of Burlesque to help introduce those less brazen than her to burlesque’s charms, and also to help her students feel damn sexy sometimes.

For Fatty, burlesque helps her merge the rigidness of ballet with more freeform art and personal expression…or maybe it’s just fused with more eyelash glue.  Her style of burlesque is a little different than others–more theatrical, more artsy fartsy, and sometimes just more ridiculous.  Saturday night, expect a fan dance on pointe shoes wearing only moss, a “behind the music” of “The Purloined Letter”, as well as a very traditional rendition of “The Tell-Tale Heart” to THE MOST RIDICULOUS 80’s SONG EVER.  Fatty also enjoys dining out, Sundays in bed, and chicken and waffles.     

Interested in the Fatty McLure School of Burlesque?  Click on the link for the official website, where you can view a list of classes with prices, and a calender of events.

TNT Burlesque: Meet Lady Anna Tramp

Saturday October 22 at Newby’s, the folks from Tennessee Tease Burlesque will be presenting their Edgar Allen Poe themed Halloween show “Once Upon A Midnight Eerie.”

VIP tickets are $15 and guarantee you a place to sit and table service.  Standard tickets are $10.  If you are interested in attending visit http://tnthalloween.eventbrite.com/.  White Matthew opens.  Tomorrow night, they will be having their dress rehearsal, also at Newby’s.  If the $10 or $15 cover for Saturday seems too steep for you, the dress rehearsal is only $5, and starts at 8:00pm (doors open at 7:30).  Now continuing with our intros, meet another one of TNT’s newest dancers, Lady Anna Tramp.

Lady Anna Tramp

If you happened to catch TNT back in July when they took on the cult movies, then you probably should be aware that there has been a bit of a line up change since their last outing.  Lady Anna Tramp is another of the new additions to the troupe, and it’s sad that she wasn’t part of this show, because she could easily be a cult movie vixen.  Her appearance in “Once Upon A Midnight Eerie” will be her first burlesque performance.  While little is known of where she came from, her personality is, at best, roguish.  Rather than working towards cute and bubbly, Lady Anna is a darker, meaner character.  For “Once Upon A Midnight Eerie” she will be breaking out a vampire routine that will showcase her questionable, but daring, character.

TNT Burlesque: Meet Cherry Cheesecake

If you’ve been reading Memphis Rock City the past couple of days, then you probably already know the sales pitch.  Saturday October 22 at Newby’s, the ladies and gentlemen of Tennessee Tease Burlesque will be presenting their Edgar Allen Poe themed Halloween show “Once Upon A Midnight Eerie.”  VIP tickets which guarantee you a place to sit and table service are $15, while standard tickets are $10, and can be purchased here.  The show starts at 9pm, and White Matthew will be opening.  If $10 and $15 are a bit out of your price range, they will also be doing a dress rehearsal at Newby’s on Thursday October 20th at 8:00pm for only $5.  Today, we will be introducing you to one of the new additions to the group: Cherry Cheesecake.

Cherry Cheesecake

It couldn’t be more appropriate that Cherry Cheesecake, one of  Tennessee Tease Burlesque’s newest dancers, will be making her debut for the Halloween show.  Cherry was actually born on Halloween in Nowhere, Kansas.  The epitome of Midwest sweetness and naiveté, Cherry spent her formative years as a quiet church girl, praying and reciting her catechisms.  While she may represent all things good and nice, she still has a wild streak to her (as any child born on Halloween should).

Cherry’s religious parents were quite protective of their young daughter and raised her on the films and music of past popular culture, fearing that the things that passed as entertainment in the present day would only turn their young daughter over to Satan.  Their plan backfired when Cherry learned of Elvis Presley’s divorce from Priscilla and hopped a Greyhound bus to Memphis, so that she could comfort him.  The problem was, she did not learn of Elvis’ divorce until 2010.  Cherry was stranded in Memphis with no money and nowhere to go, until she was taken under the wing of TNT Burlesque.

TNT Burlesque: Meet Tony Lamoureaux

The Tennessee Tease Burlesque is gearing up for their Edgar Allen Poe themed Halloween show “Once Upon a Midnight Eerie” on Saturday October 22 at Newby’s (539 S. Highland).

VIP tickets for this show are $15 (which guarantee you a place to sit and table service) while standard tickets are just $10.  Go to  http://tnthalloween.eventbrite.com/ to order tickets in advance.  On Thursday October 20th, they will be having a dress rehearsal for this event at 8:00pm for only $5!  As we continue our introduction of TNT Burlesque, today we will feature one of the gentlemen of the group, singer Tony Lamoureaux….

Tony Lamoureaux

Raised on a steady diet of country and blues as a farm boy in Middle Tennessee, Tony Lamoureaux met Chloë du Bois during her secretive years and somehow emerged as if he were a member of the Southern Rat Pack.  In a different time, Lamoureaux would be making seedy backdoor deals in Las Vegas casinos, but due to his expensive gin addiction and several restraining orders from Tony Bennett and Wayne Newton, Lamoureaux has settled in Memphis and made his home with the Tennessee Tease Burlesque.

It was Chloë du Bois who guided Tony to the Tennessee Tease, based off of some agreement that the two of them made in their lost years, but that neither will fully discuss.  Lamoureaux has a bad reputation of being a good manwhore, or maybe it’s a good reputation of being a bad manwhore.  Though known for his philandering, Lamoureaux is not the type to kiss and tell.  While on stage he is known to publicly tease and flirt with the ladies, he is quite tight lipped about what goes on once the curtain drops.  Lamoureaux loves three things: gin, women, and gin.

TNT Burlesque: Meet Chloë du Bois

Saturday, October 22, the gals and guys of the Tennessee Tease Burlesque will be presenting their Edgar Allen Poe themed Halloween show “Once Upon A Midnight Eerie” at Newby’s (539 S. Highland).

 

The show starts at 9pm.  If you are interested in attending buy your tickets now at http://tnthalloween.eventbrite.com/.  VIP tickets are $15 and guarantee you a place to sit and table service.  Standard tickets are $10.  White Matthew will be opening the show.  If your Saturday night next weekend is already tied up, TNT are also  doing a dress rehearsal that is open to the public on Thursday October 20th.  Doors open at 7:30, and the cover is $5.  In the days leading up to the show, we’ll be running a post a day introducing you to the members of Tennessee Tease.  Yesterday, you met dancer Janet S. Planet.  Today, meet the female chanteuse of TNT, Chloë du Bois.

Chloë du Bois

During the 1960’s, Chloë du Bois’ mother, Lillian, was a well known chanteuse in the French yé-yé movement.  Her father Lucien, was a songwriter and her mother’s producer.  Once the money had vanished from Lucien and Lillian’s once glamorous life, they moved to the States in search of the American Dream….making their child a star. Though her parents pushed mainly French musical influences, Chloë was drawn to American music, especially old jazz. She made friends with the street musicians of New York City, much to the chagrin of her parents. She would sneak out at night to sing on street corners for dollars and fruit…and most of all, for fun. Chloë, though a young girl, had an old soul and knew that jazz was where she belonged. At only 8 years old, knowing her parents would never understand, she jumped a train to New Orleans with nothing but an Etta James album, her Mr. Microphone, and an amazing set of heels. The years that passed between now and then are a bit of a mystery. All Ms. du Bois cares for you to know is she loves men, wine and jazz, and those three things have led her back to her roots, the
epitome of all things french and beautiful….Burlesque.

TNT Burlesque: Meet Janet S. Planet

The lovely ladies (and men) of the Tennessee Tease Burlesque have an Edgar Allen Poe themed Halloween show called “Once Upon A Midnight Eerie” in store for you.  Thursday October 20th, they will have their dress rehearsal which starts at 8:00 (doors open at 7:30) at Newby’s (539 S. Highland).  The dress rehearsal is only $5.  Of course, what you would really like to see is the actual event, also at Newby’s, on Saturday October 22.  This event begins at 9:00pm.  VIP tickets (which guarantee you a place to sit and table service) are $15, while standard tickets are $10.  White Matthew will be opening the show with music.  Click here to buy your tickets now!  In the days leading up to “Once Upon A Midnight Eerie” I will be introducing you to the gals and guys of Tennessee Tease.  Today, we will begin with dancer Janet S. Planet.

Janet S. Planet

Janet wasn’t born, she was made. Forged in the fires of Mt. Doom by the Dark Lord, she was originally meant to serve as a footstool. Eventually, she got tired of that and wandered off. After chasing numerous squirrels and coloring several pretty pictures, Janet ended up on Beale Street, selling barbequed Meatloaf to tourists. One wayward tourist offered her a corset as payment one evening. Janet strapped on said corset and made her way to the Evergreen Theatre, where she promptly wandered onstage during a screening of Rocky Horror Picture Show. She has assumed residence in the theatre ever since. Shortly thereafter, after noticing how much she enjoyed taking off her clothes in front of strangers, Janet auditioned for Tennessee Tease Burlesque.  She was terrible, but her large boobs made up for it.  And that’s just fine…

In her spare time, Janet enjoys discussing the finer points of Kant, modern film theory, unicorns, and puppies.