Memphis’ high-school football (and band) season got underway in earnest this weekend, with Saturday’s Whitehaven Classic offering a marathon three high-school games at Whitehaven Stadium. The first game, between Westwood and Mitchell, was delayed somewhat due to the heat, but as the day progressed and temperatures cooled, the crowds increased. Both Westwood and Mitchell have truly tiny bands this year compared to what I recall from the 1980’s and 1990’s. I suppose their enrollments are down as people have relocated to Hickory Hill, Cordova, Southaven and Olive Branch.
music
The Acoustic Stage at the Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival, Clarksdale, 2011
The Acoustic Stage was at the Sunflower River on Yazoo Avenue, next door to the Quapaw Canoe Company. This stage featured such artists as Kenny Brown, Lucious Spiller and Robert Belfour, August 13, 2011, Clarksdale, MS
Sunflower River Blues Festival 2011, Clarksdale
From Friars Point, I drove into Clarksdale for the 24th Annual Sunflower River Blues Festival. After grabbing a cappuccino at Miss Dell’s General Store, I walked down Delta Avenue, checking out festival events in progress.
Drumma Boy’s Listening Party at R. Sole Memphis
Drumma Boy had the listening party for his new mixtape at a hip-hop clothing and shoe boutique called R. Sole in the Laurelwood Shopping Center, and that was really great because I wouldn’t have known about that shop otherwise. A lot of Memphis rap artists, producers and promoters were in the house, including DJ Bay and myself from Select-o-Hits, First Degree, G.K. and Li’l Pat.
2 Thick Records Orange Mound Block Party @ The Bear Cave 2011
Yesterday, DJ Zirk held his first annual 2 Thick Records Orange Mound Block Party, moved indoors to the Bear Cave on East Parkway, presumably because of the excessive heat warnings. Unlike last week’s rambunctious Orange Mound Block Party, this was a smaller and quieter event, with Memphis rap veterans like Tom Skeemask and DJ Care Bear making an appearance. Unfortunately, the air conditioning was malfunctioning, and the extremely crowded room was hotter than a sauna, but we enjoyed some great Memphis rap and R & B from newcomers and veterans alike.
Album Review: Colt Ford’s “Chicken and Biscuits” @coltford
The marriage of rap and country is not as contrived as one might first imagine. For one thing, if hip-hop was born in New York, that doesn’t change the fact that many of its originators were the children of African-Americans who had recently migrated from the South. Furthermore, there is a fairly long tradition of “talking records” in country, a tradition that might have been influenced by “talking blues” from Black rural communities. So what Colt Ford is doing with his sophomore album Chicken and Biscuits is not a divorce from the grand tradition of country music, but a contribution to it. Songs like “Cricket on a Line”, “Nothing in Particular” and “We Like to Hunt” celebrate the classic pastimes of the traditional South, but from a younger perspective. The title track portrays the ideal woman, comparing her to the goodness of a plate of chicken and biscuits. “Ride On, Ride Out” is a collaboration with DMC of Run-DMC, and “Hip-Hop in a Honky Tonk” deals with some of the ambiguities of country’s attitude toward rap. “Convoy” is a remake of the classic 70’s trucker anthem, which was itself a sort of rap. Ultimately, while Chicken and Biscuits may not be every country fan’s cup of tea, it is great fun, and masterfully conceived.
Touch of Soul Performing at Memphis Music Monday, Hard Rock Cafe, 2011
Touch of Soul performing at the Memphis Music Monday, Hard Rock Cafe, Beale Street, August 1, 2011.
Walking Home from the Orange Mound Block Party after the Fights, 2011
People walking home after the fights and shooting, Orange Mound Block Party, July 30, 2011. I will never understand why people would come to a recreational event in a mood to pick a fight with someone, or why anyone could think that it was ever justifiable to shoot a gun into a crowd of people. But the end result is that the city will prevent events like this from taking place, so all of us will be the losers because 6 or 7 people would rather fight and shoot than have a good time.
Police Clear the Park after Shooting at the Orange Mound Block Party, 2011
In the aftermath of the fights and shooting, the police cleared the park, and people began slowing walking back home, Orange Mound Block Party, July 30, 2011