The Weekend! (August 10-12)

Tonight (8/10), there are two noteworthy events happening:

First:

  A couple of weeks ago Ron Snyder of Peppermint Sun contacted me about a different show they were playing at The Poplar Lounge (2586 Poplar Ave.).  After listening to their record Oblivianation, I was quite blown away by them.  As I said a couple of weeks ago, their sound reminded me of Paul Westerburg’s later work (which from me is a complement).  Peppermint Sun will be playing again tonight, and they will be joined by another band I like Gasoline Grace!  By the way, Gasoline Grace also has an album out called Hearts of Fire which I also highly recommend.  Things should kick off tonight at 10:00pm with a $5 cover.  The Poplar Lounge is a 21 and up venue.

El Karaoke Grande Pulls Double Duty This Weekend

Apparently El Karaoke Grande has lost his mind.  He is gracing us with not one, but two karaoke parties this weekend.  The first takes place tonight (8/10) at Murphy’s (1589 Madison Ave.).  As a celebration of the end of the Olympics, tonight’s theme is the Olympiad of Bad Music.  Come out….get tanked…and sing some of the worst songs to ever grace the pop charts.  Then tomorrow (8/11) at Le Chardonnay (2094 Madison Ave.)  this will be happening…

That’s right….Karaoke is For Lovers makes it dramatic return.  Sing your favorite love songs, drink copious amounts of beer…and for God’s sakes…tip El Karaoke Grande.  Both events are free, and both Murphy’s and Le Chardonnay are 21 and up venues.

So in addition to El Karaoke Grande on Saturday night, it seems that pretty much every local band is playing.  We’ll begin with these guys….

After spending the summer on the road, not playing any Memphis shows, it is with great pleasure that I can say…Tiger High is back in action locally Saturday night!  They will taking the stage at The Poplar Lounge (2586 Poplar Ave.) and they will be joined by Sheiks, and Nashville, Tennessee’s Ranch Ghost.

Cover is $5, things will kick off at 10:00pm, and The Poplar Lounge is a 21 and up venue.

Capgun, Special Victims Unit, Our Own Cadence, 3, 2, 1, Blast Off!, and Chump Change

Tomorrow night at The Daily Planet (3439 Park Avenue), pop punk will be taking over.  Locals Capgun, Our Own Cadence, and 3, 2, 1, Blast Off! will be joined by Union City ,Tennessee’s Chump Change.  With five bands, expect to things to actually kick off at the 9:00pm starts time.  Cover is only $3 and The Daily Planet is an 18 and up venue.

Dead Soldiers, The Near Reaches

We all know shows at The Cove (2559 Broad Ave.) can be a blast!  Saturday night head there to catch Dead Soldiers and The Near Reaches!  Word on the streets is The Near Reaches will have their new 7″ available for sale, so don’t blow all of your money on booze so you can get a copy!  Things will kick off at 9:30pm, and cover is $5.  The Cove is a 21 and up venue.

Adios Gringos, Powers That Be

Honestly, I’m not sure what we’re calling them these days.  Are they just Gringos?  Are they still Adios Gringos?  Does it really matter?  The only reason keeping it straight is so difficult is because these guys have been absolutely owning Memphis music since the mid 90s.  They’ll be playing the Hi-tone (1913 Poplar Ave.) Saturday night with Powers That Be and Ritual Decay.  This show has a $5 cover and will kick off at 9:00pm.  The Hi-tone is an 18 and up venue.

Cities Aviv, Ex-Cult

Cities Aviv has been out on the road a lot recently spreading his hip/hop gospel to the masses.  Saturday night, he will be playing locally at The Beauty Shop (966 S. Cooper St.).  He’ll be joined by the trashy garage punk stylings of Ex-Cult.  Things should kick off in the 10:00 hour with a $5 cover.  The Beauty Shop is a 21 and up venue.

So at this point, I am absolutely pooped from listing all of this weekend’s shows.  Perhaps I should also mention that Relient K is playing at The New Daisy Theater (330 Beale St.)?  I dunno, I have a feeling that if you were a Relient K fan, you wouldn’t need me to tell you about this show anyways.  If you really need the full deets on that show, then look it up on the New Daisy’s website!

Coming soon, I will have some pics up of Tanks and Daikaiju from Tuesday night’s show at Murphy’s.  I promise not to be such a slack ass, like I was for most of this summer, and I’ll also have the record reviews promised in previous posts.   

Also…It’s almost time for Rock for Love 6 and the online auction is already up and running with tons of awesome goodies you can bid on.  I highly suggest checking it out!

Want me to list your show on this site?  Contact me at memphisrockcity@gmail.com!

The Rocketboys, Sheiks, Tanks & Galaxicon Record Release, Smart Cops, Cheap Time

Another great week for shows…Here is just some of the fun you can get into this week!

Monday, July 2

The Rocketboys, From Indian Lakes

Brandon Kinder of The Rocketboys is no stranger to the Memphis music scene.  Back in the early ’00s, he played guitar with local band Dora.  After Dora disbanded, he made the move to Abilene, Texas where he formed Homer Hiccolm & The Rocketboys.  After a relocation to Austin and a shortening of their name, The Rocketboys are still going strong.  Fans of indie pop and ambient music will not want to miss this show.  They will be joined by From Indian Lakes.  This show will be happening at the Hi-tone (1913 Poplar Ave.).  Doors are at 8:00pm, cover is $7 and the Hi-tone is an 18 and up venue.

 Tuesday July 3

The Hi-tone Cafe (1913 Poplar Ave.)
Amy Lavere, Dead Soldiers
8:00pm, 18 and up, $7

Two Sheiks Shows This Week!

In the past, I have always encouraged you to check out Sheiks whenever they play.  This week, you have two opportunities to see them.  Thursday, July 5 they will be playing The Buccaneer (1368 Monroe Ave.) with Richard James & The Special Riders (another band I am known to just gush about).  My guess is that there will be a $5 cover on that show.  Things will kick off in the 10:00 hour and The Bucc is a 21 and up venue.  Friday, July 6th, they will be playing again at the Hi-tone (1913 Poplar Ave.) for Madison Farmer’s birthday.  All bands playing that show will be covering other bands.  Sheiks will be doing a T-Rex set, and word on the street is that The Limes will be covering Led Zeppelin and Toxie will be doing Suburban Lawns.  This show will be free.  Hear their original music on Thursday and then see them cover T-Rex on Friday.  Also be on the lookout for an upcoming release from them.

     Tanks and Galaxicon will be having a joint record release show Saturday night at the Hi-tone.  Both bands will be playing their new records in their entirety.  The cover is $5 and you will also be able to purchase copies of Tanks’ Loud Cloud and Galaxicon’s Old Gods. 

  Sunday July 8, head to The Buccaneer for Italian band Smart Cops, Cheap Time, and Ex-Cult.  Not sure about the cover (probably in the neighborhood of $5).

 Want your show listed on this site?  Contact me at memphisrockcity@gmail.com.

Plants and Animals, Shangri-La Record Swap, Rock and Romp and More!

Tonight (4/14) is the night that Montreal’s Plants and Animals rolls through the Hi-tone (1913 Poplar Ave.)!  Check out the post I did on them last Thursday here or see what Better Than Jail had  to say here! They will be joined Bristol/Paris based band This Is The Kit.  Both bands are a long way from home, so come out tonight and show some Southern hospitality!  Hold some money back and purchase a copy of Plants and Animals’ newest record The End of That (I assure you, you won’t be disappointed).  Doors open at 9:00pm and the cover for this show is $10.  The Hi-tone is an 18 and up venue.

Shangri-La Record Swap

At noon head to Shangri-la Records (1916 Madison Ave.) for their Spring Record Swap and Clearance Sale.  Buy some records and hear some great music from Naan Violence (an awesome newish Memphis band that features a citar!), Moving Finger (JB Horrell and Patrick Glass from Noise Choir’s newest project, also featuring Laurel Ferdon), and Sheiks (a relatively new psychedelic Memphis band that absolutely blew me away on St. Patrick’s Day at The Beauty Shop).  The record swap kicks off at noon and will be going until 5:00pm.  There is no cover for this event.  All ages!

Rock-N-Romp

If you are bummed you don’t get to see band’s play anymore since you’ve had kids, their might just be a solution for your problems today.  Grab the young ones and head to Mud Island (125 N. Front St.) for Rock-N-Romp!  Adults are asked to donate $5 for this event, kids get in free, and adults must be accompanied by a child!  Check out music from Mark Stuart, Jerusalem and the Starbaskets, and Lady Trinity!  Central BBQ and snack from Whole Food will be provided (as well as beer for the adults!)  This kicks off at 2:00pm and lasts until 5:00pm.

Other considerations:

Murphy’s (1589 Madison Ave.)
El Karaoke Grande’s Karaoke Madness
9:00pm, 21 and up, No Cover (but brink money to tip your KJ)

The Buccaneer Lounge (1368 Monroe Ave.)
The Candy Company
9:00pm, 21 and up, $5?

Sunday, April 15

The Lamplighter Lounge (1702 Madison Ave.)
Wintercreeper (new incarnation of The Young Greys), Waverly, Nouteka
10:00pm, 21 and up, Donate to the bands!

If you would like me to list your show on this site, please contact me at memphisrockcity@gmail.com!

Photos of Richard James, Everything Is Terrible, This Week’s Shows

Sorry for the scarce posts this week.  A lot has been going on in my non-blogger life that’s kept me away from the computer.

Saturday night, Richard James & The Special Riders celebrated the release of their new 7″ in style with a record release show at The Cove (2559 Broad Ave.).  Unfortunately I got there too late to catch Fresh Flesh or Gasoline Grace (though Angela Horton was kind of enough to give me a copy of their CD Hearts On Fire which I will write about on this site soon).  For this show, The Special Riders included Richard’s wife Anne Schorr on bass (who has lately been sitting out of Special Riders shows to focus on her solo career), Patrick Glass on guitar, Jake Vest on guitar, and Greg Faison and Ross Johnson on drums!

Last night at the Hi-tone (1913 Poplar Ave.), the folks from Everything Is Terrible came through for their current tour of found footage/video art titled Doggie Woggiez Poochie Woochiez: All Dogs Go On Tour.  In addition to showing their current dog themed DVD, they also played some of their more well known video hits (like Duane) and also featured a full show involving dog costumes!

The Bombay Alleys

Tonight (4/12) The Bombay Alleys will be playing The Buccaneer Lounge (1368 Monroe Ave.).  This is being dubbed as an open rehearsal.  Not sure if anyone else will be joining them or if there is a cover (keep a fiver in your pocket just in case).  If you like 1990’s style slacker rock, head up to the Bucc around 9:00pm.  The Buccaneer is a 21 and up venue.

Also tonight: Zach Ives of Sharp Balloons will be djing at The Lamplighter (1702 Madison).  This is part of the Achtung residency that will be happening every Thursday this month at The Lamplighter. This will kick off at 9:30 and is 21 and up.

Other events for Thursday 4/12

The Hi-tone Cafe (1913 Poplar Ave.)
Hackensaw Boys
9:00pm, 18 and up, $12

Friday, April 13

The Hi-tone Cafe (1913 Poplar Ave.)
These Wolves Are Robots, Heavy Eyes
9:00pm, 18 and up, No Cover

The Buccaneer Lounge (1368 Monroe Ave.)
William Stull, Dead Soldiers
10:00pm, 21 and up, $5

Shangri-La Records (1916 Madison Ave.) will be having a record swap this Saturday April 14th at noon! Naan Violence, Moving Finger, and Sheiks (who blew me away at The Beauty Shop on St. Patrick’s Day) will all be performing.  Buy some records and listen to some great music outside! The weather is supposed to be amazing Saturday!

 

Saturday April 14th, Montreal’s Plants and Animals will be playing the Hi-tone Cafe (1913 Poplar Ave.).  Opening for them will be This Is The Kit (who are from Bristol and Paris).  Cover will be $10 and doors open at 9:00pm.  Let’s pack the Hi-tone out and show these guys some Southern hospitality.

Back in February, Plants and Animals released their third full length LP, The End of That, on Secret City Records.  Despite the fact that they are Canadian, don’t expect for their sound to be reminiscent of many of the other indie rock bands that came from our neighbors in the North during the previous decade.  I suspect that these guys are only referred to as an indie rock band due to lack of a better term to describe them.  The songs from The End of That would seem less out of place on classic rock radio stations than on most college radio programs.  (They’ve been compared to The Arcade Fire and Grizzly Bear, but I don’t hear it at all).  These guys have their credentials in check: nominated for two Juno Awards in 2009, shortlisted for the 2008 Polaris Music Prize, and tours with Frightened Rabbit, Gnarls Barkley, Broken Bells, and Wolf Parade, and an opening spot for The National in Central Park. Hearing The End of That, what I find most surprising is that these guys are only a three piece.  They have a very full sound, and I’m quite interested to see how this will translate in the live setting.  Favorite tracks from the album: “Control Me,” “Song For Love,” and “Runaways.”  Not as poppy as bands like Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros or The Polyphonic Spree, not as pretentious as The Decemberists.  This porridge is just right.

Also Saturday night….

Our favorite curmudgeony KJ El Karaoke Grande returns to Murphy’s (1589 Madison Ave.).  The theme for the evening…Couple’s Skate Only.  Sing your favorite cheesy love song or go completely off theme.  This event is free and 21 and up (but bring money to tip El Karaoke Grande with!)  This will kick off at 9:00pm.

Sunday April 15th at The Lamplighter….Wintercreeper will be playing their first show.  Wintercreeper is a new incarnation of The Young Greys and features Alice Buchanan of The Magic Kids. They will be joined by Atlanta’s Waverly and Nouteka, a relatively new Memphis band who are about to kick off a bike tour of Arkansas! This show is free, but bring some money to tip the out of town band.  Things should kick off around 10:00pm and the Lamplighter is a 21 and up venue.

If you would like me to list your show on this site, contact me at memphisrockcity@gmail.com.

St. Patrick’s Day Options!

St. Patrick’s Day is tomorrow.  If you’ve checked the weather forecast, you know that it is supposed to be storming all day, but if you’ve been checking the weather forecasts all week, then you know that the weather predictions have been rapidly changing, so hopefully it will change again by the time tomorrow comes around.  Looking for some tomfoolery to get into?

Murphy’s (1589 Madison Ave.)

I’ve spent many a drunken St. Patrick’s Day at this bar.  The only bands who I’ve heard confirmed for this show are Memphis Killharmonic and The Turn It Offs, but with festivities kicking off early in the day, this show will be ideal for catching a huge cross section of Memphis’ music scene.  Typically their line-ups feature some of the more low key singer-songwriters and bluegrass acts that the bar’s day regulars enjoy, with a noticeable shift towards punk rock once the sun sets.  When I passed by Murphy’s this morning, I noticed two huge beer trucks in the parking lot, and the porto-potties had been set up for the outdoor stage.  This one will go on all night….oh….and did I mention that there is no cover?  Also, I highly recommend getting a burger from the grill outside.

Update: I know Gasoline Grace will also be playing this show.  I just wanted to give them a special shout out since I missed reporting on their CD release show back in September!  They are an awesome band and you will not want to miss them!  They’ll be going on around 4:00pm.

The Brass Door (152 Madison Ave.)

Despite the fact that this relatively new bar downtown has been booking some awesome shows, I still haven’t made it out there to check it out yet.  Maybe that will change on St. Patrick’s Day, since they have quite the solid line-up as well.  Myla Smith, Big Betsy, The Candy Company, Susan Marshall, Wampus Cats, Good Luck Dark Star, Jeremy Stanfill, Deering & Down, and Planet Reel will all be playing.  There’s also a costume contest to win a Guinness Harp and drink specials.  This show kicks off at noon and has a $10 cover.

The Hi-tone Cafe (1913 Poplar Ave.)

In the mood for some soul, funk, and r&b music?  Then head to the Hi-tone where Buck Wilders and the Hook-up will be djing!  This kicks off at 9:00pm and is free.  Looking for drink specials?  How does a beer bust sound?  (We all know that Hi-tone beer busts are blast.  Many of us are still feeling hangovers from the summer of 2005).

The Beauty Shop (966 S. Cooper St.)

The last time Shieks, Richard James & The Special Riders, and The Warble played a show a together was at The Burgundy Ballroom.  This will be a wild way to spend St. Patrick’s Day in a classy place.  Not sure if there is a cover or not for this show, but keep $5 in your pocket just in case.  This one will kick off at 10:30.

Tonight: March 16

The Hi-tone Cafe (1913 Poplar Ave.)
Goatwhore, Process of Suffocation, Epoch of Unlight
9:00pm, 18 and up, $12

Murphy’s (1589 Madison Ave.)
El Karaoke Grande’s Karaoke Madness
10:00pm, 21 and up, No Cover

Sunday: March 18

The Buccaneer Lounge (1368 Monroe Ave.)
The Turn It Offs, Clay Cantrell, Fresh Flesh, Ilya Twins
10:00pm, 21 and up, $5

The Lamplighter Lounge (1702 Madison Ave.)
Lakesigns, Clapperclaw
10:00pm, 21 and up, $5

Want me to list your show on this page.  Contact me at memphisrockcity@gmail.com.