The second Pop-Up Arts Festival of the year was held Sunday 4/29/12 at Melrose Stadium in Orange Mound. The event was sponsored by ArtsMemphis and featured live music, dance, African drumming, painting, metalworking, jazz, neo-soul and hip-hop, along with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Of course, there was also delicious food and lots of fun.
The Bo-Keys are a living repository of Memphis soul. Unlike many other bands that attempt to recreate the classic sounds of soul, the Bo-Keys involve Memphis soul legends like Howard Grimes, Nokie Taylor and Archie Mitchell, and back soul greats like Percy Wiggins and William Bell. They were the final act at the Stax to the Max Soulsville festival in South Memphis on Saturday, 4/28/12. Learn more about the Bo-Keys here: http://www.thebokeys.com/. Like them on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/thebokeys. Follow their Electrophonic label on Twitter @electrophonic. Learn more about the genius behind the Bo-Keys at http://www.scottbomar.com.
Gary Goins takes the stage late in the afternoon at the Stax to the Max Soulsville Street Festival in South Memphis, 4/28/12
Austin’s Mingo Fishtrap (@Mingo_Fishtrap) is a funky, soulful, horn-and-B3 organ driven ensemble, with heavy Stax and Memphis overtones. It was only logical that they would appear at the Stax to the Max Souslville Street Festival, and they amazed the crowd with their feel-good version of alternative soul. Find out more about Mingo Fishtrap at http://www.mingofishtrap.com/. Like them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/mingofishtrap. If you still go on Myspace, find them here: http://www.myspace.com/mingofishtrap.
Stax to the Max Soulsville Street Festival, South Memphis, 4/28/12
Memphis Jones (@theMemphisJones) performs Memphis standards for the crowd at Soulsville for the Stax to the Max street party in South Memphis, 4/28/12
At the Stax to the Max Soulsville Street Festival, Memphis TN, 4/28/12
Double Decker Arts Festival, Oxford MS, Friday, 4/27/12
On Friday, 4/27/12, I drove down to Oxford to pay a visit to the new End of All Music record store, and as it was the kickoff evening for the Double Decker Arts Festival, I parked near the square and hung around for awhile. The upstairs balconies that give the festival its name were full of people, as it was a lovely evening outside. Walking into Square Books, I found an interesting book by Elijah Wald about the history of the African-American verbal ritual the Dozens, and then I grabbed a dinner at Soulshine Pizza Factory before heading back to Memphis for my jazz gig at the Westin Hotel.
STAX TO THE MAX: A SOULSVILLE STREET FESTIVAL! 04/28/2012 12:00pm STAX TO THE MAX IS BACK! A SOULSVILLE STREET FESTIVAL TO CELEBRATE 11 YEARS OF THE …
