Can you actually believe that the city of St. Petersburg voted to tear down the entire pier and this structure? I couldn’t believe it either! See it while you can!
New Millennium Fashions in St. Petersburg FL
Don’t let the name fool you. New Millennium Fashions in St. Petersburg is also a full-line record store.
Baha Burger at Riverchase in Birmingham
Checking out Baha Burger in Birmingham on my way to Florida.
The Traffic Jam Band at Dan McGuiness Pub in Southaven
The Traffic Jam Band on stage at Dan McGuinness Irish Pub in Southaven.
A Requiem for Cleaborn Homes
The Cleaborn Homes public housing development was built in Memphis in 1955. The Memphis Housing Authority began demolishing it in April this year. The powers that be are telling us that this is improvement, that those forced to leave will be better off, and that the new beautiful development for higher-income people that will be built will be better for Memphis.
But is there any real gain in tearing down people’s neighborhoods and communities? What good actually results? We are told the buildings are old, in which case they could have been rehabilitated or completely replaced, but with the original residents given first priority to be allowed back in when the new construction is completed. We are told the area is overcrowded, but the reconstruction could have been designed to lower density. We are told that the area has become a crime problem, without any regard for the impoverished living conditions that fuel crime. In fact, the mass displacement of these folks may trigger more crime, as their cost for housing, even with vouchers, will be far more significant.
In short, while redevelopment advocates have perhaps shown why the old buildings need to be torn down and replaced, they haven’t shown why the original residents must be uprooted and moved to other areas of the city. The reasons for THAT they’d rather not touch with a ten-foot pole.Â
And so the memories of more than 50 years come crashing down at the behest of a heedless monster machine called greed and progress, banished to live only in the mind, faded photos and a couple of t-shirts. All “progress” isn’t forward.
The overwhelming supremacy of South Park Mexican has at times threatened to eclipse the other talent on the Dope House label out of Houston, but with Dope City, the other talented artists on the roster get an opportunity to be heard, and fans of SPM will be pleased with new tracks from their favorite artist as well. Producers such as Nathan Happy Perez, Jaime Pain Ortiz and Shadow provide the funk-laden foundations for rhymes by SPM, Juan Gotti, Lil Rob, Low G, Lucky Luciano, Grimm and Rasheed, and soulful vocals by Carolyn Rodriguez. Dope City runs the gamut from R & B anthems like “Gangsta Girl” to tributes to the homeboys in prison like “For My People”, to the pleading for a better life in “Help Me Find A Way.” The album is consistently high-quality throughout, and it’s not just the SPM tracks that stand out.Â
Album Review: Mississippi Fred McDowell “Come And Found You Gone”
Mississippi Fred McDowell, of course, is a legend. He was one of the first country bluesmen to be rediscovered and recorded by scholars, and toward the end of his life toured across the country and overseas. Although he would claim “I don’t play no rock-and-roll music”, songs he performed like “Get Right Church” were covered by the Rolling Stones, and he guest appeared on an album with Don Nix. So for the fan of Mississippi traditional blues, the first commercial issue of these field recordings made by the eminent blues scholar Bill Ferris is a welcome discovery. McDowell’s home community of Como is stuck just where the hill country meets the Delta, and likewise, McDowell’s blues style seems to cross-breed the hill country and Delta styles. There are familiar standards here, of course, like “John Henry” and “Little Red Rooster”, but also unusual original compositions like “Dream I Went to the U.N.” where the lyrics say he went to “set the nation right.” There are also gospel tunes, including “Get Right Church”, “I Got Religion”, “You Gonna Meet King Jesus” and McDowell’s take on “Where Could I Go?” a tune that springs from the white country gospel tradition. On various tunes, McDowell is joined by his wife Annie Mae, and his friend Napoleon Strickland on harmonica. On the final track is an excerpt of an interview with Bill Ferris regarding these recordings. Extensive liner notes and photos increase the value of this lovingly-conceived issue of recordings that resurrect a voice from the grave. To listen to “Come and Found You Gone” is almost like spending an afternoon with Mississippi Fred McDowell on his front porch.