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JERRY D. SWIFT Advertising Director Emeritus KELLI DEWITT, CHIP GOOGE, HAILEY THOMAS Senior Account Executives MICHELLE MUSOLF Account Executive ROBBIE FRENCH Warehouse and Delivery Manager JANICE GRISSOM ELLISON, KAREN MILAM, DON MYNATT, TAMMY NASH, RANDY ROTZ, LEWIS TAYLOR, WILLIAM WIDEMAN Distribution THE MEMPHIS FLYER is published weekly by Contemporary Media, Inc., P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101 Phone: (901) 521-9000 Fax: (901) 521-0129 memphisflyer.com CONTEMPORARY MEDIA, INC. ANNA TRAVERSE FOGLE Chief Executive Officer LYNN SPARAGOWSKI Controller/Circulation Manager JEFFREY GOLDBERG Chief Revenue Officer MARGIE NEAL Chief Operating Officer KRISTIN PAWLOWSKI Digital Services Director MARIAH MCCABE Circulation and Accounting Assistant KALENA MATTHEWS Marketing Coordinator

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CONTENTS

JESSE DAVIS Editor SHARA CLARK Managing Editor JACKSON BAKER, BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN Senior Editors TOBY SELLS Associate Editor CHRIS MCCOY Film and TV Editor ALEX GREENE Music Editor SAMUEL X. CICCI, MICHAEL DONAHUE, JON W. SPARKS Staff Writers ABIGAIL MORICI Copy Editor, Calendar Editor LORNA FIELD, RANDY HASPEL, RICHARD MURFF, FRANK MURTAUGH, MEGHAN STUTHARD Contributing Columnists AIMEE STIEGEMEYER, SHARON BROWN Grizzlies Reporters ANDREA FENISE Fashion Editor KENNETH NEILL Founding Publisher

In October of 2019, I found a bedraggled kitten covered in mud and hiding under a large piece of machinery next to the train tracks across the street from my house. It had stormed the night before — lashing rain, booming thunder, and a tornado touched down in Parkway Village — and the kitten had been lost in the tempest. I waited a little while to see if the kitten’s piteous cries would lead his mother to him, but no go. So I stole a can of tuna from my housemate and coaxed the mud-covered feline into a towel-lined cardboard box. I called Memphis Animal Services, but it was after hours, so I left a message and took the sad little stray to my girlfriend’s apartment. Though I told Syd, “Don’t get attached. We’re not keeping him,” by the time I got a call back from MAS, I had taken the cat to the vet for a checkup, vaccinations, and to find out if I needed to bottle-feed him. Before long, the little kitten known on his vet intake papers as “stray domestic shorthair” was called Ampersand, and he was here to stay. Yeah, they know exactly what they’re doing at MAS. They played me like a fiddle, and to be honest, I’m glad they did. That was two and a half years ago. These days my girlfriend is my fiancée, we live in a different house farther away from train tracks, and Ampersand is definitely eating solid food. As I write these words, the gray gremlin is recovering from a rough couple of weeks. Not long ago, Amp came down with what’s called feline idiopathic cystitis. The “idiopathic” is there because, as I understand it, the condition is more or less “an inflamed bladder, and we don’t know why.” It’s the diagnosis the vets give after they rule out stones or an infection or any of the other usual suspects for, uh, let’s say, “litter box difficulties.” Though he had been improving since he was first diagnosed, about a week before then, last Friday, AmperPHOTO: JESSE DAVIS sand was not acting like himself. He growled at me. He was wobbly on his feet. After a brief visit to his usual vet, where Amp was referred to the local emergency clinic for animals, I found myself standing at the counter of said clinic and signing a consent form so they could rush him back to be seen by a doctor. I transferred an exorbitant sum of money to the vet, and they told me Amp had developed a urinary blockage. Well, I would growl at people too if my bladder was swelling without any hope of relief. So Amp spent the weekend at the emergency clinic. They removed the blockage and hooked him up to a catheter to drain his bladder and IVs to feed him fluids. It seemed to do the trick. Since he’s been back home, my feline shadow has been acting much more like himself, but it’s clear he’s still got some healing to do. This might seem like an awful lot of trouble to go to for a creature I found in the mud under some construction equipment, and honestly, I can’t disagree. But after three trips to the vet, a weekend stay at the animal ER, the medication I have to give him every six hours, the different medication I have to give him every 12 hours, and that time he peed on me, I can say one thing with certainty: It’s worth it, and in the end it’s a bargain. Over the course of the past week and a half, I’ve spent hours at various veterinary offices, and I saw absolutely irrational kindness on display. You want to see unconditional love? Go spend an hour in the lobby of the emergency animal clinic on a Sunday night. That’s not how any sane person would want to spend an evening, but I didn’t see a soul who wasn’t ready to do whatever they had to to help the creatures in their care. These days, the world is often confusing and frightening, and the love on display was a comfort. Maybe it seems silly beyond belief, infantile even, to write about my darn cat. I should be writing about Ukraine or any number of other, more serious topics. But I suspect I’ll get the chance in weeks to come. Today I’m N E WS & O P I N I O N thankful for the things that force us to show THE FLY-BY - 4 compassion, even when — especially when NY TIMES CROSSWORD - 6 POLITICS - 7 — it doesn’t make much sense. AT LARGE - 8 The best pets are brought into our lives FINANCE - 9 when we need them, which is, in my experiCOVER STORY ence, exactly when another responsibility is “REDEMPTION IN VINYL” the last thing we would choose for ourselves. BY ALEX GREENE - 10 Sometimes we need a shove in the right diWE RECOMMEND - 14 CALENDAR - 15 rection, and, even after a hectic (and, frankly, BOOKS - 17 gross) week, I’m glad that an autumn storm FOOD - 18 brought Amp to my doorstep. FILM - 20 Jesse Davis C LAS S I F I E D S - 22 jesse@memphisflyer.com LAST WORD - 23

THE

fly-by

MEMernet

ENVIRONMENT B y To b y S e l l s

Earth and Sky

P R OS AN D C O N S

Protect Our Aquifer teams up with NASA to study (and protect) the aquifer from above.

A YouTube video from a channel called Moving to Memphis Tennessee outlines some pros and cons of, you guessed it, moving to Memphis. The weight of the mismatches would be hilarious if they weren’t so sad. Pro: Basketball. Con: Poverty. Pro: Memphis in May. Con: No public transportation. Other videos include: “What’s in Atoka?” and “Should You Move to Bartlett?” D E F I N E AF “What does Memphis AF mean to you?” asked one Memphis subredditor. Responses included “drinking in church,” “terrible roads and bad drivers,” “drive-out tags,” “bootleg DVDs,” and “disappointment.” Fe b r u a r y 2 4 - M a r c h 2 , 2 0 2 2

Edited by Toby Sells

Memphis on the internet.

POSTED TO YOUTUBE BY MOVING TO MEMPHIS TENNESSEE

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Questions, Answers + Attitude

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POSTED TO YOUTUBE BY THE MEMPHIS FLYER

Last week, the Flyer launched a new, occasional series called “Getting Back Out There.” In it, we’ll explore life in the (hopefully for real this time) waning days of Covid-19. We’ll get back to bars, restaurants, and more in the great indoors. Last week, we toured the new concourse at Memphis International Airport and the expansion at Southland Casino Racing.

Satellites from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration PHOTO: NASA (NASA) will soon point their cameras at West Tennessee to better understand and protect the area’s drinking water. Protect Our Aquifer (POA) teamed up with NASA for a research project starting this month to monitor the recharge zones of the Memphis Sand Aquifer. The project is part of NASA’s DEVELOP program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to address environmental and public policy issues through Earth observations around the world. NASA will employ its Global Precipitation Measurement satellite, another tool from the International Space Station, and more to study the recharge zone, which spans 12 West Tennessee counNASA’s Global Precipitation Measurement satellite will soon begin to image parts ties. The study hopes to find “hot of 12 West Tennessee counties. spots,” where more water enters the recharge zone, and, then, to protect those hot spots. research projects to take a lot of this information and available These areas are important to a water system that supports tools and apply it to a community need. more than 1 million people and industries, companies, and farms. These zones are where rainfall directly replenishes the aquifer. What do you hope to learn? “We have a valuable collection of remote sensing acquisiWe are hoping that we can get a sense of these new technolotions, and we are excited to use this data over the Memphis gies that can be applied to understand the aquifer system, not Sand Aquifer to guide stakeholders,” said project adviser Kerry only for this study but future studies. This is the first time these Cawse-Nicholson of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. satellite tools have been used for a study like this here. The study will last five months, and findings are due this We are hoping to get a sense of where our recharge zone hot summer. spots are. Where the sands come to the surface, that’s where We caught up with POA executive director Sarah Houston our water supply is being sustainably replenished. to talk about the project. How do they hope to use the inforWe don’t want to pave over the recharge zone. So, we’re hoping mation and how could it inform development in the region, to find specific areas that are our hot spots where more rainfall is especially around Ford Motor Co.’s Blue Oval City to be built directly re-entering the system compared to others. Those areas, close to these recharge zones? we know, are very important for our water sustainability portfolio. Memphis Flyer: How did this collaboration with NASA come about? Sarah Houston: It was actually through a Rhodes College graduate Erica Carcelen [project manager for the NASA DEVELOP program]. She had heard of Protect Our Aquifer and our work and is now working at NASA full-time. She reached out to us to apply for a program that pairs new hires with NASA with seasoned scientists to do really applied science

How do you hope to use the information? This is going to be helpful, not only as Ford actually develops their property, but it will also be informative for the broader region as we start to see more development, like suburbs coming up. If there are areas that are really important to recharge, could those be conserved? So, how do we still grow the region sustainably and use best management practices as we’re building out these communities?

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Crossword ACROSS 1 Rhimes who created “Grey’s Anatomy” 7 Dieter’s time of indulgence 15 Reach the limit 16 2016 film whose climax is on the planet Scarif 17 They might be made to reconcile 18 2006 Emmy winner for “The West Wing” 19 Give extra medication 20 Got cracking 21 Problems with a collection 22 Org. that might take the government to court 24 Symbol of militarism

25 Women’s soccer star Krieger

E C H O B O O M E R S

S T A T E M O T T O S

S A D A A T U P T S T H E I O N R T M C E P E O B A G N I R A Q D E D U S D E E E X T S L I G H T L A T I N O A V E N G E B A D A S S

55 Isn’t discrete

26 Means of drawing 56 Nissan crossover up solutions named for an Italian city 29 Lead actress in 2017’s “The Big 57 “The Son of Man” Sick” artist 33 Fair 58 Illuminating comment 37 Wraps up 38 Composer Arcangelo who inspired a set of Rachmaninoff variations 39 Not quite blow 40 Small falcons

43 Nursery cry 44 Take the edge off? 47 Like discussions of metaphysics 49 Theme in some time travel fiction 50 Green refreshers

P F I Z E R

R I D E S H O T G J U A N B B U E N R O

A S E A S Y A S A B C

60 Volleyball team, e.g.

1 Gets a twinkle in one’s eyes?

41 Collaborative principle in improv comedy

G E A C B I G G A S M N S O L D W A R C T S R E A F B U L R O N A S T

59 Try out, as a game

T H A T I S T O S A Y

S T A E D E

7 Come home after a night of heavy drinking, say 8 Go into seclusion 9 Jennifer who wrote the Pulitzer-winning “A Visit From the Goon Squad”

25 30

No. 1013 9

24 27

40 41 45

47 51

43 48 53

49 54

PUZZLE BY KEVIN G. DER

14 First Nobel laureate from Ireland

32 Cartoonist’s indicator of nodding

23 Big Four workers, for short

34 Exploded

27 Ancestor of Methuselah 28 One might result from negligence 30 World’s mostfollowed Twitter user, as of 2018

35 In the blink of an eye 36 Served 38 Let go of

46 Lowercase letter resembling a “w” 48 Members of an Arizona tribe 49 Global currency market with a portmanteau name

40 Diet in the Mideast

51 Came to roost

42 Virtuosi

52 Good Tinder outcome

44 Fail to tread lightly

10 Title for Princess Anne beginning in 1982

31 Trailblazing athlete of the 1970s

11 Leaves work?

Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay.

12 Sadness 13 Actress MacDowell

45 #2, to #1

54 Dweller in Apt. 1-A, say

EXHIBITION

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CROS STOWN ARTS

End of the Line? Checkout-free stores are headed to Tennessee.

3 Leaning column?

6 Flummoxed

5 Hardly smashes

2 Hit movie with the tagline “A family comedy without the family” 4 Texting while driving, and others

DOWN

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE N O W L E T M E S E E

53 Pill bug, for one

Edited by Will Shortz

FUTURIST B y To b y S e l l s

MEMPHIS QUARANTINE

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Covid-19 changed checkout lines, and technology may change them again soon. Thanks to Covid, lines got longer as many workers were sick or left to find other jobs. They were fraught with anxiety, too, as exposure to others worried those hoping to avoid the virus. However, lines could be on the way out. Checkout-free stores would allow customers to walk in, get what they want, and walk out, without ever scanning an item or making small talk with a cashier. Companies have tested technology to make these stores a reality for years. Amazon worked on the idea beginning in 2015 before launching its first Amazon Go store to employees in 2016 and to the general public in 2018. However, there are only 42 locations spread across Seattle, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and London. But checkout-free stores are expected to open in Tennessee later this year. Mapco, the convenience store chain, announced earlier this week it has teamed up with Grabango, a checkout-free tech company based in Berkeley, California. Together, they plan to open two checkout-free Mapco locations in Nashville by this fall. Tennessee is the starting point for Mapco’s checkout-free launch in the Southeast. Though detailed rollout plans for the launch were not shared, Mapco will use the Grabango tech to “add checkoutfree operation to its locations” and notes that it has 330 locations across the Southeast. According to a video from the company, shoppers would enter a store,

PHOTO: GRABANGO

Tennessee is the starting point for Mapco’s checkout-free launch. pick up the items they want, open the Mapco app on their phone, scan their phone on a digital reader in the store, and walk out the door. Memphis is no stranger to shopping innovation. The modern grocery store was born here in 1916, when Clarence Saunders revealed self-service shopping in his Piggly Wiggly stores. Mike Rivalto challenged the traditional walk-in convenience store model when he opened the first proof-of-concept SmartMart location on Park in 2003. To shop at SmartMart, customers never leave their cars. Instead, they use a touch screen to order up to 2,800 products. Those are delivered to the customer’s car window on a series of belts. The SmartMart location has stood alone for years and gained ground as a bit of a local curiosity. However, Ashlee Rivalto Hendry, SmartMart’s chief operating officer, said business interest has always been high. Requests to open stores like the one here have come from all over the world. But mass-producing the stores has not been feasible, until now. “It’s our time,” said Rivalto Hendry. A second SmartMart has been built, and the company is working to secure a location. After it’s established, SmartMart will begin manufacturing the stores and start a franchise model that could, finally, see SmartMart locations bloom all over the globe.

POLITICS By Jackson Baker

Eenie, Meenie … Who?

@SouthPointGrocery

NEWS & OPINION

Van Turner, the as well as in politics — who are asked to two-term holder underwrite the electoral efforts of others of the District and whose support, in races as close as 12 seat on the the one in District 12 is said to be, can Shelby County be all-important. Commission, a Turner decided that he couldn’t former commission renounce the support he’d already chair, and one of offered Boyce, nor could he see himself the body’s most turning Sugarmon away. influential members, is term-limited He determined that both candidates and thus ineligible to run for re-election. were equally deserving and is at present Turner, who is also president of the underwriting both their campaigns, Memphis chapter of the NAACP, has verbally and financially. Moreover, he declared himself to be a likely candidate has kind words as well for the other for mayor of Memphis in 2023 and, two candidates in the race — David in the judgment of many observers, Walker, a former high school classmate is a probable front-runner in the race of his, and James Bacchus, a retired to succeed Mayor Jim principal who served at both Strickland, who is himself Whitehaven High School term-limited. and Hamilton High School. Meanwhile, four A fifth possible candidate, candidates have successfully who ended up not filing, filed for election to the was Ronald Pope, with District 12 (southeast whom Turner also had good Memphis) commission relations. seat, and all of them, at one “It’s difficult when my point or another, had asked friends end up running PHOTO: COURTESY ERIKA SUGARMON Turner for his support — against each other,” says Erika Sugarmon and why shouldn’t they want Turner, and his dilemma the backing of the current, is, after all, similar to the much-respected seatone we all have when we holder? look at a candidate list and At least two of them have a hard time deciding have been publicly rumored which way to go with it. to have gained Turner’s The fact is, the election support — a fact clearly roster of 2022 offers several demanding of some such conundrums — races clarification. Which of the in which more than one PHOTO: FACEBOOK two — the Rev. Reginald candidate has impressive Reginald Boyce Boyce, the well-regarded enough credentials to pastor of Riverside warrant a vote. Missionary Baptist Church, or Erika (And, yes, of course, there may be Sugarmon, a teacher and votingone or two races in which nobody seems rights activist — actually has Turner’s to measure up.) endorsement? In any case, somebody has to win, The fact is, they both do. Early on, and everybody can’t. Boyce asked for, and got, a pledge of There are ways of mitigating the support from Turner, who offered him perplexities of choice, and one of them both verbal and financial backing. — ranked-choice voting — allows Then Sugarmon, member of a family for ranking one’s preferences so as to renowned for its role in local civil rights acknowledge the ambiguities of choosing history, filed closer to the deadline between alternatives and, collectively, and reminded Turner of a tentative to help resolve them. Our betters in the commitment he had made to her some Tennessee General Assembly have just months earlier. banned that process, though, taking away It was a predicament familiar to a tool that we voters of Shelby County many of those Shelby County citizens had twice approved at the ballot box — in business and civil life in general, without much head-scratching at all.

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

At election time, the act of choosing isn’t always so simple.

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You’re Not Bob Take a fresh look at how you use social media.

ow, 77 likes! That’s a good Facebook post, right? Seventy-seven people took a moment to click a response to something you put online. They liked it or loved it or laughed or made a sad face. Some of them even made a comment. It’s very satisfying when that happens, isn’t it? When you make a connection to so many people. And how about those 62 kind souls who wished you a happy birthday a couple weeks ago? That’s also a good thing, right? Knowing that so many people care about you? It’s certainly better than what happened to my friend “Bob,” who only got six comments on his birthday. What a loser. But at least a couple of them were very enthusiastic: “Hope you have a great birthday, Bob!!” “Happiest of birthdays, Bob! Hope all is well!” The only problem is that Bob died in 2019, so I’m guessing he didn’t see those six birthday wishes. And I’m guessing those folks who wished him a happy birthday were not particularly close to Bob. Or — not to be too cynical here — maybe, while slurping their morning coffee, they got the daily notice from Facebook alerting them to which friends were having birthdays that day. They saw Bob’s name on the list and thought, “Oh, hey, I should wish that guy a happy one. What can it hurt?” There. Done. Back to Wordle. That cynicism will get you nowhere, pal. Sure, we all get a lot of obligatory “Happy Birthday” messages. It’s part of the deal we make with social media when we give them every morsel of information about our lives. But it’s a bit much to expect that every single one of your 1,147 “friends” will be able to keep up with whether or not you’re actually breathing. Besides, it’s not all just perfunctory cliches. Some people give you an exclamation point! Or two!! Or maybe they post an actual sentiment or mention a moment you’ve shared in years gone by. Listen, my friend, it’s your birthday, and 62 people noticed. You should enjoy the day, okay? Don’t think about it too much. Or maybe think about it in a whole new way. Think about all those social media clicks on your birthday as an entry point into a

meditation or even a celebration of who you are. Maybe click on that list of people who reacted and take the time to check out their profiles, take a minute to think about how you know each other. Maybe try to bring up a memory of them, a moment you once shared. There’s your high school buddy from the track team who drifted into drugs and now runs a homeless shelter; there’s that woman you worked with in Detroit so long ago, the one you kinda had a crush on; there’s the nice lady who used to babysit your children and still remembers their birthdays 30 years later; there’s that guy who is friends with 75 of your friends and friended you and you said yes even though you’ve never met; there’s the neighbor down the street who walks her cat; your boyfriend from 1989; the guy who was in your band, etc.

PHOTO: LIBUX77 | DREAMSTIME.COM

Most of them don’t know each other. The only thing they have in common is you. You are the hub. They are the spokes on the wheel of your life. You connected with them at some point during your days on this planet. Whether you worked together for years or just met once, you shared a back road. Maybe you could imagine those 62 people gathered together in a room somewhere, watching you blow out the candles on your cake, cheering as the flames lean away from your sharp exhalation and the smoke rises and the little candle wicks fade and darken and smolder. As you lift your eyes from the imagined cake to the imagined throng of friends and family from all the days of your life, let yourself feel grateful that lots of people care about you — and that you’re not Bob.

FINANCE By Gene Gard

Snow much fun!

Fair Trade? Would a law restricting stock trading by members of Congress unduly burden them?

The answer, in our opinion, is “not much burden at all.” There are four things necessary for an individual to successfully invest in individual stocks for the long run, which members probably don’t have. Our definition of success is beating the long-term returns of a well-constructed, diversified portfolio of equity funds for years into decades — no fair claiming you’re a stock market wizard for doubling up $500 in GameStop last year. You have to consider long-term returns of your portfolio as a whole, including any cash on the sidelines, and compare that to a reasonable benchmark across time. To really be successful buying individual stocks, you need these four elements: A good plan. What kind of investor are you? Do you buy undervalued companies unrecognized by the market? Do you use momentum? Do you look for fast earnings growth? Picking companies that have products you like is not enough. Even picking successful companies is not enough. Price matters, so even the greatest company in the world with the

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best prospects might be a poor investment (cough cough, Tesla at current valuations!). Plenty of time. Researching individual stocks thoroughly takes a lot of time. Wellregarded funds have large teams of analysts to put together a portfolio of sometimes just a handful of stocks. You can’t glance over a Reddit post and call it due diligence. To confidently put your money to work for the long run, you need to know what’s happening under the hood. Let’s hope most members of Congress are busy solving our problems rather than thoroughly researching investment opportunities. Good timing. Even if you correctly select companies that will outperform in the long run, there can be agonizing periods of underperformance that can take away from your ability to compound your investments over time. The fewer stocks you own, the more impact a long-term laggard will have. Good luck. Even if you’ve done everything right, you still need a little luck in avoiding big negative surprises. An unexpected event like an accounting scandal can hurt a lot, especially if you only hold a few different positions. By definition the worst kinds of surprises are, well, very surprising. It’s hard to imagine any member of Congress — or any average person with a day job, family obligations, and a life — to really excel at being a stock picker in the long term. In fact, we suspect the average return of an average ethical member will improve if their portfolios move into blind trusts managed by competent professionals. We acknowledge it can be fun (or even necessary, as an insider) to take positions in individual stocks, but we always suggest that it should be as small a portion of the portfolio as possible, with the rest invested in well-constructed, well-diversified mutual funds and exchange traded funds (ETFs). Unless you have some (wink, wink) “special” knowledge gleaned from your job as a senator or representative, true longterm success in individual stocks will likely remain elusive. Gene Gard is Chief Investment Officer at Telarray, a Memphis-based wealth management firm that helps families navigate investment, tax, estate, and retirement decisions. Ask him your question at ggard@telarrayadvisors.com or sign up for the next free online seminar on the Events tab at telarrayadvisors.com.

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NEWS & OPINION

bill to restrict stock trading by members of Congress was introduced in the Senate in January. Unlike previous attempts, this one actually appears to have a good chance of becoming law. The bill wasn’t introduced in a vacuum. It comes after transactions by numerous members and their spouses have been called into question (sometimes humorously, as in the case of Nancy Pelosi’s husband and his emerging reputation as one of the better investors of all time). It does seem right to restrict congressional trading, but how much of a burden is this restriction to an average member of Congress?

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COVE R STORY BY A LE X G REENE

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BIB

Fe b r u a r y 2 4 - M a r c h 2 , 2 0 2 2

n under-recognized aspect of the punk and garage scene in Memphis is the musicians’ love of strange, old records. After all, one of the best models for kicking back against corporate rock hegemony is hearing how artists made music when rock and other genres were considered the radical fringe. Such was the context back in the ’90s, when the heathen underground played venues like the Antenna and Barristers. By day, many of those club denizens were fanning out to the city’s thrift stores, combing through vinyl. The Royal Pendletons were mainstays of the local scene then, often making the trip north from their home base in New Orleans to play with such local pioneers as Impala or the Oblivians. It’s no accident that all of the players in those bands — notably Michael Hurtt and Matt Uhlman of the Royal Pendletons, Scott Bomar of Impala, and Greg Cartwright and Eric Friedl of the Oblivians — are respected DJs and curators of rare vinyl to this day. The gigs of the ’90s often gave way to allnight record parties. Incredibly, seeds were planted then for a phoenix-like revival of 10 the most galvanizing gospel music ever recorded in Memphis, nearly 30 years later.

A Friend You Haven’t Met Yet Michael Hurtt recalls those days vividly. “It was during our real reign of Memphis popularity, if you will, that I found the first single,” he says. “Matt Uhlman and I were coming to Memphis even before the Pendletons. … We were always looking for records. That was a big part of the attraction. There were countless fascinating labels in Memphis that I was discovering, every time I came to town. “As I did that, I’d find a couple things on a small label and think, ‘Wow, this is really interesting.’ Then you find more and start wondering, ‘What’s the story behind it?’ They become these living, breathing entities in your mind. It’s almost like a friend who you haven’t met yet. They’re certainly not just objects. Records aren’t inanimate. There’s a whole story there in the grooves. That’s what happened with D-Vine Spirituals.” For a music devotee fascinated with the history and many expressions of the groove, gospel was a natural interest. “To me, it was just another genre that I loved and had to

Hurtt says. Hearing the impassioned singing, the raw beats, and silky harmonies, he felt he’d stumbled on a vein of gold running through the thrift and record shops of the city. “I kept finding more of the records. And I thought, ‘Jesus, this label’s amazing!’”

know about. Since I was always fascinated by Memphis music and so taken by the city and its culture, I was always buying gospel records alongside every other country and garage and rock-and-roll record. So when I first saw that D-Vine Spirituals hand-drawn logo, I thought, ‘What is this?’ It’s got so much mystique to it.” Of course, beyond the look and feel of the old records, there was the music itself. “The whole catalog is so good and so interesting,”

The Punk Meets the Godfather Sometime around 2007, after accumulating many of the D-Vine Spirituals releases over a decade, Hurtt, by then living in Detroit, resolved to dig deeper. “At one point, I noticed the name, ‘Produced by Juan D. Shipp.’ And I remember thinking, ‘This is not a very common name. If this guy is still around, I bet I can find him.’” Pastor Juan D. Shipp recalls their first encounter well. “When Mike first called, I was a little skeptical. Who is this guy calling me?” he says. Still, he agreed to meet for coffee, and the two quickly warmed to each other. “We talked for a while, and he told me he came across a D-Vine record and he loved the sound. The sound was what caught Mike’s attention.” Shipp, who had founded and run D-Vine Spirituals from 1972 to

N UC E WATSO PH OTO: BR

TT W HI TE PH OTO: MA

e vocals whose intimat Elizabeth King, map irituals on the put D-Vine Sp

1987, still prided himself on the quality of the records he’d made decades earlier. Hurtt, for his part, wasted no time. “We met at CK’s Coffee Shop,” he recalls, “and I sat down with him and a tape recorder. I wanted to get the story. That’s what I always do. From my own madness. Firstly, you do this because you just have to know. And then, of course, if you’re a writer and you want other people to know about this, you’re already thinking, ‘How can I put this in a book? Or in liner notes? A magazine article?’ The important thing is to get the story, before you even have a plan. “So then, Juan started telling me the story,” Hurtt continues, “and he told me from the beginning, within the first minute, about Clyde Leoppard.” With that, another piece of the puzzle clicked into place. If the key to the records’ magic was their sound, that sound’s origins could be traced back to a studio Leoppard started in the ’60s, where all the D-Vine Spirituals tracks were cut. “I already knew who Clyde Leoppard was,” reflects Hurtt. “Because I was already a Sun Records fanatic, and Clyde’s band, the Snearly Ranch Boys, backed up a lot of Sun artists: Hayden Thompson, Jack Earls, Barbara Pittman, Warren Smith, you name it. So that really struck me. Because, number one, here’s a guy I’ve always been interested in; number two, he’s a hillbilly musician. Which made total sense to me, that Black gospel and country music would have

this alignment. Even if it’s just that it’s the guy’s studio. The fact is, Clyde had always wanted to record Black gospel groups, and that was part of how it all started. He loved that music. So that deepened the story. It was a watershed moment because it also showed me how Memphis the story was. In a sense, I feel like Clyde and Pastor Shipp, their journey together, their partnership, is Memphis. That is the real and true spirit of Memphis, Tennessee. An older white hillbilly musician working with a younger Black preacher to make this incredible, uniting music.” Pure Black Vinyl Ultimately, the true beginning of D-Vine Spirituals was prompted by Shipp’s quest for a solid sound, and Leoppard’s Tempo Recording Studio fit the bill. Not surprisingly, it all started with a conversation among DJs. In the mid ’60s, a few years after he’d started preaching, Juan Shipp also became a gospel disc jockey at radio station KWAM. The Black jockeys in town were a close-knit bunch. “I was talking with Eugene Walton, who was also with KWAM, and [Theo] ‘Bless My Bones’ Wade and Ford Nelson, who were with WDIA. We all worked together as a unit, even though we were at different stations. And I told them, ‘The sound that most groups are getting here in Memphis isn’t that good. It’s just a shame. Somebody needs to do something!’ And

Wade said, ‘Well, Juan, you need to find a studio that will give them a good sound.’” And thus Shipp began his quest for better recordings. “At that time, Style Wooten’s Designer label had a monopoly on the gospel groups here in Memphis,” he remembers. “All the records that came out of Style’s studio sounded like the guy was singing down in a well or something. I didn’t like that. So I finally found a studio, and that was Clyde Leoppard. Clyde had made an echo chamber over the top of his stairway, and oh, that had a good sound! I also heard how [acoustically] dead the studio was, and I loved that.” Beyond the spaces for recording, Leoppard also knew the ins and outs of making records. “I had noticed that the local labels had brownish-looking vinyl, while the records from Motown and Stax were dark black. I found out that Style was using reprocessed stuff, getting it as cheap as he could. So I asked Clyde, ‘Where do you get your records pressed?’ He worked with a place called Precision, and they used pure vinyl. I said, ‘That’s what I want.’ Because I’m Black. I can’t come out with no cheap stuff. Other folks can do that and get away with it. I said, ‘I’ve got to have pure black.’ So when I did my first records with Elizabeth King & the Gospel Souls, I sent it through Precision. And the sound was fantastic.” Not only was the pressing pristine, the care taken to capture the label’s first group

on tape paid off with a haunting recording. Singer Elizabeth King’s talent is a force of nature, and she’d already recorded tracks for Designer before connecting with Shipp. But during that first session in 1971, the D-Vine Spirituals producer took full advantage of the intimate vocals made possible in the hushed walls of Tempo to craft something unique. Abandoning the shouted delivery of so much gospel, he exhorted King to sing as if she was “making love to the Lord.” Her gripping performance still sounds immediate and fresh today. Not surprisingly, the record sold well and helped put D-Vine Spirituals on the map. From there, the label only grew in popularity, pulling in talent from far beyond the Mid-South and garnering widespread airplay, though Shipp says that it never really made a profit. “It’s hard to make money, especially in gospel,” he says. “I got the joy out of just doing something good for the groups. That was my reward. I’d say my legacy was that I always would try to get the best out of an individual. The Lord blessed me to be able to see it there, and it was my job to get it out. Sometimes I’d even make a group cry because I’d push them so hard. Sometimes you had to use the spiritual aspect to get it out. Let them realize who they are and who they’re singing for. They’re not singing for people, they’re singing for continued on page 12

COVER STORY m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

with D-Vine Michael Hurtt Shipp der Pastor Juan Spirituals foun

continued from page 11 God. If you’re singing for him, then you’ll give him your best. And if you do that, people are going to like it. Because what comes from the heart, reaches the heart.”

Fe b r u a r y 2 4 - M a r c h 2 , 2 0 2 2

“Let’s Go Get Those Tapes” Hearing such details for the first time over coffee, some 15 years ago, Hurtt was in awe and more determined than ever to take things further. As Shipp points out, “Not only is Mike a collector, he’s a fantastic writer. He wrote a book [Mind Over Matter: The Myths and Mysteries of Detroit’s Fortune Records, written with Billy Miller], and that book is this thick! He ought to be ashamed of himself.” The Pastor lets out an appreciative chuckle: In the case of D-Vine Spirituals, Hurtt’s dogged pursuit of the story led to much more than a book. Hurtt describes how things quickly accelerated. “At one point, I asked him where the label’s master tapes were, and he said, ‘Oh yeah, they’re safe in Clyde’s studio.’ I knew Clyde had passed away, but his family had them. It was only a few months later that I came back to Memphis and said, ‘Let’s go get those tapes.’ Juan called Clyde’s niece and she said, ‘Yeah, come on out.’” In retrospect, it seems providential that the two acted when they did. “All the

tapes were in this shed, the old studio [that Leoppard had built after Tempo], which was going back to nature. The roof was caving in and there was all this water damage. They said, ‘You guys got here just in time. Our house is about to be foreclosed on.’ If we had waited two more weeks, all the tapes would have been in a landfill.” Yet after that heroic act, things ground to a halt while circumstances intervened in the players’ lives. One daunting factor was the sheer quantity of material produced by Shipp’s label. “My Subaru wagon was filled up with tapes,” says Hurtt. “It was massive. Then Scott Bomar was generous enough to say, ‘I’ve got this room in my studio I’m not even using. You can put everything in there.’” And there they sat — for years. Enter Bruce Watson of Fat Possum and Big Legal Mess Records. Having learned of the tapes from Bomar and spoken with Hurtt, he was beginning to imagine the possibilities. “That gospel stuff from the ’60s and ’70s is just so amazing,” Watson says, “and I just don’t hear that in modern gospel music. I wanted to create a Memphisbased label that concentrated on recording gospel, and try and make it sound like it was recorded back then. And also reissue stuff. So I contacted Pastor Shipp at the beginning of 2019 and said, ‘Look, I would love to buy the rights to the D-Vine Spirituals catalog

and kick-start this new label.’” Retrieving the tapes from Bomar, he began going over the material, preparing for his new venture, Bible & Tire Recording Co. “We transferred 150 master tapes, and they were all in pretty good shape still. I didn’t need to bake any of them,” says Watson, referring to the heating method used to restore old tape stock. “Bruce and I met, and he seemed like a very nice guy,” says Shipp. “That was in 2019. It was 2007 when I first talked to Mike! And then it took six or eight months for us to transfer the stuff to the computer. We worked on it for a long time before we did anything,” he muses. A Parallel Universe Gradually, the material has been seeing the light of day on various Bible & Tire releases, including a compilation of Elizabeth King’s tracks as well as selections from a subsidiary of D-Vine Spirituals, JCR Records. The label has also brought King and Elder Jack Ward, two of D-Vine’s greatest talents from the very beginning, back into Watson’s studio for contemporary albums of their own. And finally, this year has seen the release of Sacred Soul: The D-Vine Spirituals Records Story, Volumes 1 & 2, with four more volumes in the works. The Bible & Tire compilations include

extensive liner notes by Hurtt, but they barely convey the shock and wonder he feels at seeing this saga come to fruition. “What’s amazing about this stuff,” he notes, “is that the ’70s was really a golden era for gospel music, but not in the sense that it sounded like ’70s music. It always had one foot in the quartets. That quartet sound is what I’m attracted to, at least. And their whole approach was not to dismiss modernism, but to still embrace tradition. A certain kind of harmony and approach was beautifully preserved, but not mired in the past.” He points to certain progressive elements in the production, from wah-wah guitar to the raw, stomping funk of some tracks. “Not every city has that underground gospel scene that we’re lucky enough to have in Memphis,” Hurtt says. “If you didn’t have your ear to the ground, you wouldn’t even know it exists. There’s this whole parallel universe, and it’s pretty much the coolest thing that is going on. But nobody knows about it. It’s not like this music’s not moving ahead, but its roots are deep. And that was what Pastor Shipp always told me he was trying to achieve with D-Vine. Keeping the roots of it — the harmony and quartet sound — while adding some modern touches. That’s the magic of D-Vine Spirituals. It’s of two times, essentially. And therefore out of time.”

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COVER STORY m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

J U S T C H O O S E Y O U R F AV O R I T E A N D E N T E R T H E C O D E W H E N Y O U O R D E R .

steppin’ out (& stayin’ in)

We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews

For All March 3rd - 8:00pm Marcella Simien & Her Lovers and Lucky 7 Brass Band

March 4th - 8:00pm “The New Orleans Suspects”

By Abigail Morici

In honor of Black History Month, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and ALSAC, the hospital’s fundraising and awareness organization, have partnered with the National Civil Rights Museum in an exhibit reflecting on St. Jude’s legacy of defying racial inequities within healthcare. “St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital was founded as a beacon of inclusion and equality, and I couldn’t think of a better place to share that history than the National Civil Rights Museum,” says Richard C. Shadyac Jr., president and CEO of ALSAC. “We encourage everyone to visit this amazing museum to learn more about the connected civil rights stories of Memphis, ALSAC, and St. Jude.” The interactive poster installation traces St. Jude’s history starting with its 1962 founding as the first fully integrated children’s hospital in the South at the height of segregation. With QR PHOTO: COURTESY ST. JUDE/NCRM codes that direct visitors to video footage and webpages, guests can read about and hear the Dr. Rudolph Jackson stories of three people: Paul Williams, the African-American architect who designed the origiis featured in the nal star-shaped hospital building; patient Courtney, whose life St. Jude’s care helped save; and Pioneer portion of the Dr. Rudolph Jackson, one of the first Black doctors at the institution. exhibit. “When I first came here in ’68, I came here as part of the sickle cell program,” Jackson says in one of the exhibit’s videos. “The entire country and the world were going through the same kinds of things that we were seeing in Memphis. There was the school strike going on, the garbage strike, marches. … I wanted to do something for particularly African Americans who could not afford healthcare. The kind of healthcare people get here at St. Jude, you can’t purchase. It’s so great to find so many people who have the same ideas and work three times as hard.” Jackson has passed away since the filming of this video. The exhibit is on display through March 8th in the guest lounge on the second floor of the museum. “ALSAC & ST. JUDE CHILDREN’S RESEARCH HOSPITAL’S COMMITMENT TO EQUITY AND INCLUSION FOR ALL CHILDREN,” NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM, 450 MULBERRY, ON DISPLAY THROUGH MARCH 8TH.

March 5 - 8:00pm Fe b r u a r y 2 4 - M a r c h 2 , 2 0 2 2

Shamarr Allen

March 6th - 5:00pm Terrance Simien and The Zydeco Experience

railgarten.com

2 1 6 6 C e n t r a l Av e . Memphis TN 38104

VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES February 24th - March 2nd Crosstown Arthouse Film Series presents Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America Crosstown Theater, 1350 Concourse, Thursday, Feb. 24, 7:30 p.m., $5 In advance of the Memphis release of Sony Pictures Classics’ Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America, the focus of the documentary Jeffery Robinson and the directors (Emily and Sarah Kunstler) will be hosting an exclusive showing and Q&A at Crosstown. Interweaving lecture, personal anecdotes, interviews, and shocking revelations, in Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America, criminal defense/civil rights lawyer Jeffery Robinson draws a stark timeline of anti-Black racism in the United States, from slavery to the modern myth of a post-racial America.

Closing Reception for “Solid Gold Soul” Stax Museum of American Soul Music, 926 E. McLemore, Friday, Feb. 25, 5-7 p.m., free Say farewell to “Solid Gold Soul,” an exhibition that opened in August 2021 and features deep cuts from the museum’s archives, including neverbefore-seen artifacts, photographs, and film footage of Isaac Hayes, Otis Redding, the Bar-Kays, and more. See everything one last time (or for the first time!) before it all goes back into storage, chat with museum staff, have a snack, and see a sneak preview of the next temporary exhibition.

The Band Camino The Halloran Centre, 225 S. Main, Friday, Feb. 25, 8 p.m., $35-$45 After more than five years as a band, The Band Camino have never felt more confident in their music. Now, they have a self-titled album to prove it. Tickets to this concert can be purchased by calling 901-525-3000 or visiting orpheum-memphis.com. Spillit Slam: Industry Night! Black Lodge, 405 N. Cleveland, Monday, Feb. 28, 7-10 p.m. Restaurant workers have their chance to Spillit! Names are dropped into a hat, and 10 volunteers are selected to tell a true, unscripted story in five minutes. Three judges score the stories on a scale of 1-10 based on content and presentation. Free to restaurant workers.

CALENDAR of EVENTS: February 24 - March 2

Send the date, time, place, cost, info, phone number, a brief description, and photos — two weeks in advance — to calendar@memphisflyer.com. DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS, ONGOING WEEKLY EVENTS WILL APPEAR IN THE FLYER’S ONLINE CALENDAR ONLY. FOR COMPREHENSIVE EVENTS LISTING, VISIT EVENTS. MEMPHISFLYER.COM/CAL.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27 | 7 pm ART AN D S P EC IA L E X H I B I TS

“Chords of Abstraction”

An exhibition by artist George Frederick Nash. Through March 4. EAST ARKANSAS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

“Color Personified!”

Display of art by Wanda Winsett. Through March 1. FRATELLI’S

“Dream House”

Exhibition of paintings by Will Ferguson and Jimmy Ball. Through March 6. MEDICINE FACTORY

“Ecce Homo”

Exhibition of work by Rahn Marion that reimagines ancient stories and mythologies through the Black male figure. Through March 19. TONE

“I Remember Mayfair”

“Janelle Lynch: Another Way of Looking at Love”

An exhibition of large-format color photographs that invites viewers to contemplate the interconnectedness of all life forms. Through March 3. MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

Master Metalsmith: Kim Cridler | Held An annual exhibition celebrating the most influential contemporary metal artists. Through March 6. METAL MUSEUM

“Moment After”

A solo exhibition by Birmingham-based Alex McClurg. Through Feb. 28. FLICKER STREET STUDIO

“POTPOURRI: A Combination of Incongruous Things”

Exhibition of work by Joe Umphress. Tuesday, March 1-April 30. MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

“Remembering”

Exhibition of paintings by Louisiana artist Michael Crespo. Through March 12. DAVID LUSK GALLERY

“Savages and Princesses: The Persistence of Native American Stereotypes”

Exhibition that brings together 12 contemporary Native-American visual artists who explore how to represent Native Americans authentically. Through March 16. MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY

“The 12 Months of Memphis”

Original oil paintings depicting one favorite Memphis landmark per month by local artist Jane M. Croy. Through March 2. PLAYHOUSE ON THE SQUARE

“Vanitas”

Exhibition of recent paintings by Juan Rojo. Through March 1. JAY ETKIN GALLERY

ART HAPPE N I NGS

Artist’s Reception - Janelle Lynch

Reception for “Another Way of Looking at Love.” Wednesday, March 2, 4-6 p.m. MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

Closing Reception for “Solid Gold Soul”

Kim Cridler’s Metal Museum exhibition includes works on paper, large sculptures, vessels, and jewelry, inspired by the beauty of nature. Open Mic Comedy

Say farewell to “Solid Gold Soul,” an exhibition that features deep cuts from the museum’s archives. Friday, Feb. 25, 5-7 p.m.

HI TONE

STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC

A drinking-based comedy show with a fun lineup of local and Chicago comedians. $10/general admission. Sunday, Feb. 27, 8 p.m.

“Dream House” Opening Reception

Opening reception for exhibition of paintings by Will Ferguson and Jimmy Ball. Friday, Feb. 25, 6-10 p.m. MEDICINE FACTORY

Waves of Change: Fused Glass Works by Christie Stratton Moody Gallery Reception

Meet the artist and see her beautiful work, which sold out last time she was here. Friday, Feb. 25, 5-7 p.m. BUCKMAN ARTS CENTER AT ST. MARY’S SCHOOL

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2 • 7 PM

Pokeweed Comedy Presents: Power Hour

LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE

COM M U N ITY

Making Memphis Smile

Concorde is partnering with SEEDCO and through sponsorship with Heartland Dental to deliver free pediatric dental cleanings to children in Memphis for National Children’s Dental Health month. Free. Thursday, Feb. 24, 9 a.m.5:30 p.m.

MARC BROUSSARD

THUR, MARCH 3 • 7 PM

CONCORDE CAREER COLLEGES

B O O K E V E N TS

A Night of Poetry

Celebrating the launch of Come Clean by Joshua Nguyen in discussion with Jasmine Marie and Nadia Alexis. Saturday, Feb. 26, 6 p.m. NOVEL

C O M E DY

All Eyes on Me(mphis)

Witness local comic, Mason Victor King, as he records his second live comedy album. A night of good beers, great times, and plenty of laughs. Thursday, Feb. 24, 7:30-9 p.m. MEDDLESOME BREWING COMPANY

George Willborn

George Vernon Willborn II is a Chicago native who got his big break as the house MC at All Jokes Aside in 1992, which was Chicago’s first primarily AfricanAmerican comedy club. $20-$35. Friday, Feb. 25, 7:30 p.m., 10 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 26, 7:30 p.m., 10 p.m.; Sunday, Feb. 27, 8 p.m. CHUCKLES COMEDY CLUB

FI LM

Crosstown Arthouse Film Series presents Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America

Criminal defense/civil rights lawyer Jeffery Robinson draws a stark timeline of anti-Black racism in the United States, from slavery to the modern myth of a post-racial America. Thursday, Feb. 24, 7:30 p.m. CROSSTOWN THEATER

Fire in Anniston Virtual Screening & Panel

A documentary film telling the story of the 1961 Freedom Rides and bus burning that took place in Anniston, AL. A panel discussion with filmmakers and museum educator Ryan Jones will follow the film. Thursday, Feb. 24, 6 p.m. CIVILRIGHTSMUSEUM.ORG

continued on page 16

tabbenoit ALASTAIR GREENE WITH SPECIAL GUEST

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9 • 7 PM

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

WKNO.ORG

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Virtual exhibition of work by Mary “Mayfair” Matthews. Through Feb. 28.

C A L E N DA R: F E B R UA RY 2 4 - M A R C H 2 continued from page 15

FOOD AN D DR I N K

Martial Arts Mayhem Double Feature: Big Trouble in Little China & Kung Fu Hustle

Homebrew Extravaganza

Start the night with John Carpenter’s ode to martial arts fantasy films. Then let the punches fly with Stephen Chow’s fight frenzy. Food, snacks, candies, and drinks available. Free. Thursday, Feb. 24, 7 p.m. BLACK LODGE

Morris and Mollye Fogelman International Jewish Film Festival

The 10 featured films include a wide variety of award-winning national and international Jewish-themed films that represent a variety of genres. $10-$130. Through Feb. 24. MEMPHIS JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER

Movie & Mixer: Star Wars Episode 4: New Hope Dress as your favorite Star Wars character for socializing and drinks before an in-theater preshow and Giant Screen feature presentation of Stars Wars Episode 4: A New Hope. $23. Saturday, Feb. 26, 5:30-9:30 p.m. MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY

Celebrate this year’s homebrew winners and enjoy some great beers. Saturday, Feb. 26, 6-9 p.m. HIGH COTTON BREWING CO.

Fe b r u a r y 2 4 - M a r c h 2 , 2 0 2 2

S P EC IA L EVE NTS

Dystopia Nights: OldSchool Goth

P E R F O R M I N G A R TS

Art: The Play

S PO R TS

Memphis Grizzlies vs. San Antonio Spurs Monday, Feb. 28, 7 p.m. FEDEXFORUM

Memphis Tigers vs. Temple

Thursday, Feb. 24, 6 p.m. FEDEXFORUM

Start the evening with a screening of Edward Scissorhands, followed by an all-night dance party. DJs St. Faust and Tempest will bring you classic goth club hits. $10. Friday, Feb. 25, 8 p.m.-3 a.m.

Memphis Tigers vs. Wichita State

THEATREWORKS

BLACK LODGE

Bright Star

Free Tarot Share

Lichterman Nature Center Talk & Walk Series

One of Marie’s best friends, Serge, bought a very expensive white painting with white lines. Is it art? $20/adult. $15/senior, student, military. Friday, Feb. 25-27, 2-4 p.m.

Tells a sweeping tale of love and redemption set against the rich backdrop of the American South in the 1920s and ’40s. Friday, Feb. 25-March 13.

Tarot share is a fun evening of hanging out with other tarot readers, reading, and learning from each other. Wednesday, March 2, 7-9 p.m.

GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY THEATRE

dance styles seen on ABC’s hit show. Tuesday, March 1, 8 p.m.

of a live audience. Free. Monday, Feb. 28, 7-10 p.m.

ORPHEUM THEATRE

BLACK LODGE

THE BROOM CLOSET

Chloe Arnold’s Syncopated Ladies: Live

Jason Bishop

Winter Mix

Mardi Gras Masquerade

An all-female tap show, weaving inspiring stories with intricate footwork. $25-$55. Saturday, Feb. 26, 7:30 p.m.

This juggernaut of illusionist genius has traveled the globe with his magical artistry. $37.50. Friday, Feb. 25, 7:309 p.m.

ORPHEUM THEATRE

THE HALLORAN CENTRE

Dancing with the Stars – Live Tour 2022

Spillit Slam: Industry Night!

Features fan-favorite professional dancers thrilling audiences with all of the breathtaking

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Be captivated by some of Jason Bishop’s famous illusions at the Halloran Centre this weekend.

Dine In & Drive Thru 3571 Lamar Ave. 2520 Mt. Moriah Drive Thru / Carry Out 1217 S. Bellevue 4349 Elvis Presley 811 S. Highland 2484 Jackson Ave. 1370 Poplar Ave. • 890 Thomas NO PHOTOCOPIES ACCEPTED!

Restaurant workers have their chance to Spillit! Spillit is true, unscripted stories told in front

Ballet Memphis’ first performance of 2022 includes Trey McIntyre’s new work set to the music of Patsy Cline, company artist Brandon Ramey’s new piece, and George Balanchine’s classic Concerto Barocco. $55. Saturday, Feb. 26-Feb. 27 PLAYHOUSE ON THE SQUARE

A night of Cajun food, cocktails, masquerade attire (optional), and DJ Shorty Mac. $50. Tuesday, March 1, 6:30-9 p.m. MEMPHIS RIVERBOATS

Sunday, Feb. 27, 2 p.m. FEDEXFORUM

TO U R S

Discover the signs of spring. $10. Saturday, Feb. 26, 9-10:30 a.m. LICHTERMAN NATURE CENTER

Tours at Two

Meet in the Catmur Foyer for a tour of a current exhibition with a Dixon docent or staff member. Sunday, Feb. 27, 2-3 p.m. THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

Mardi Gras Masquerade

Wiseacre OG Tour Broad Ave

MEDDLESOME BREWING COMPANY

WISEACRE BREWERY

A masquerade-themed Mardi Gras party equipped with karaoke, gumbo cook-off competition, and the return of Purple Nurple. Tuesday, March 1, 5 p.m.

Includes four tasters of Wiseacre beer, a tour of the original brewhouse, and a souvenir taster glass. $17. Saturday, Feb. 26, noon-1 p.m.

“MIFA goes into places that I can’t go. MIFA helps people that I may never reach.”

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You Don’t Miss Your Water city’s driving forces, figure prominently in the story. In “Seven Generations Algorithm” by Andrea Hairston, though the future may be bleak, with the gulf between the haves and have-nots as apparent as it is today, song and story still offer a saving grace. “Refugees, squatters, and former desperadoes were pitching tents in dead big-box stores, hoping for miracles: jobs, food, electricity, a plan, a vision — maybe just cheap cell service,” Hairston writes. Meanwhile, the author and playwright continues, “Folks who could were locked up tight down in the valley behind a flood wall and megawatt gates. Electric Paradise was on the other side of the Mall — a waste of power and good river valley soil.” Speaking over the phone, Memphian Jamey Hatley tells me about her story, “Spirits Don’t Cross Over ’Til They Do,” which follows a veteran of the Vietnam War, Rabbit, as he tries to find a place for himself. Rabbit has seen too much death, too little reason for hope. He was in Memphis when Otis Redding died, when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. “How do survivors return?” Hatley asks. “There used to be rights of passage if you were a warrior. You would go through this process to be reacclimated into the community. Even now we’re having all these talks about how our veterans are not being taken care of, how the waiting lists for mental healthcare are incredibly long. … How do you try to make yourself whole?” Featuring authors from familiar environs such as Memphis and New Orleans, but as far away as Northern Ireland and Copenhagen, and casting a net into the world of myth and memory, of foresight and prophecy for inspiration, Trouble the Waters is as beautiful and frightening and changing as the sea itself. Poetry, magic, and Afrofuturism inform the stories within, bidding the reader to drift away, borne aloft on a sea of story, to awake on a strange and wondrous shore.

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he Bluff City’s fans of speculative fiction have a new reason to rejoice in the recently released Trouble the Waters: Tales From the Deep Blue (Third Man Books) edited by Pan Morigan and Memphians Sheree Renée Thomas and Troy L. Wiggins. The anthology is mesmerizing, a collection sparkling with a myriad of voices, some plumbing the depths of the mystic while others cast their gaze on the far-off future. Thomas and Wiggins are no strangers to sci-fi and speculative fiction. Both writers contributed to last year’s Black Panther: Tales of Wakanda prose anthology, and Thomas is the editor of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science-Fiction. In this newest work, water is the unifying motif. Like water itself — freezing, fogging, fluidly expanding to fill any space — the stories within take many shapes. “The Water Creatures in my own story,” writes Thomas in the collection’s introduction, “remind us that while the earth is round, her waters are vast and deep. We may never know all the strange, wondrous lifeforms teeming below.” In Thomas’ “Love Hangover,” the protagonist, Frankie, fawns over a sirenlike singer. “Like Delilah Divine’s voice, the music was sweet water finding its own way home,” Thomas writes. “The challenge was finding a way to listen and not get drenched. With Delilah you drowned.” In the short story, as in much of Thomas’ work, music is tied to the life force; drum beats are like heartbeats. The story culminates with the 1979 fire at the Infinity disco, as the author deftly balances the forces of water and fire. Memphian Danian Darrell Jerry’s “A City Called Heaven” conjures images of epidemic in Memphis. It begins with Sibyl walking west along Beale Street, trodding familiar ground. Beneath the specter of disease, a desire for life takes root, but the question is how to hold on to that life. Music and religion, two of the

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onique Williams can She closed the bakery in 2016 create a restaurant faster because she needed a break and her than she can whip up a daughter was about to go college. But, batch of biscuits. she thought, “It’s not the end. It’s just Or it seems that way. moving to the next level.” Williams is co-owner of Biscuits & Jams Two years later, she opened Laura’s in Bartlett and co-owner of Trap Fusion in Kitchen in Bartlett, where she did “all Whitehaven and Cordova. Many people kinds of Southern stuff.” Tired of leasing remember when Williams owned Pat-Aspace, Williams closed the restaurant after Cake’s Bake Shop in Cordova. a year and, with a business partner, opened You can thank her grandmother, the Laura’s Kitchen food truck, mostly used for late Laura Stepter. “She was a pastry chef,” catering jobs. “Macaroni and cheese, fried Williams says. “She worked for Memphis chicken, all that good stuff you’d get on City Schools for almost 30 years. She did Sundays if you go to a Southern grandma’s their pastries, made homemade breads, house. At least the grandma I grew up with. pies, turnovers, cakes, cookies, biscuits.” The young grandmas, I’m not sure of.” Growing up in Midtown, Williams was With more partners, she opened Trap in the kitchen with Stepter “helping her Fusion, where the emphasis is on healthy stir or licking the whisk food. “Seafood. We do after she made a cake. some vegan, Caribbean, … She let me help, but Cajun.” she let me go in like I “Trap” stands was in a lab and just for “Take Risks and experiment. I would Prosper,” she says. make things and bring Williams opened them out and she’d Biscuits & Jams in 2021 taste it.” because she wanted a An alumna of place in Bartlett that Central High School, specializes in brunch. Williams graduated “There are so many from Christian Brothers in Downtown and University and then Midtown. We don’t Central Michigan have a lot of these University, where she boutique-style spaces PHOTO: COURTESY MONIQUE WILLIAMS got a master’s in health that give you the cutesy Monique Williams services administration. feel with good food.” She worked 24 years Her February in clinical research but always baked for menu includes gumbo, crawfish étouffée, friends. She taught herself how to cook and shrimp po’ boys. Popular regular different cuisines. “I always wanted to have items include shrimp and crawfish Creole my own business. I knew it would involve Benedict and bananas Foster French toast. food, entertainment, people.” The “jams” in the title refer to the jams, She remembers her grandmother and jellies, and preserves Williams makes and mother cooking for visiting relatives. serves. But it has another meaning. “I love “That feeling of eating together, getting good music. We’re in Memphis, kind of together with food, just seemed to make playing on that. We have live music and people happy.” play music in-house.” Her first side business was making Of course, new restaurants are on party decorations. “I’d do the gift bags, Williams’ horizon. One will be a small decorate the ‘jump the brooms’ for African- baker’s commercial kitchen/dinner spot. American weddings, make a wishing well Another will be “a small-plate venue,” she for the gifts.” says. “And great drinks.” Biscuits & Jams is at 5806 Stage in Bartlett, In 2012, Williams opened Pat-A-Cake’s (901) 672-7905. Bake Shop, serving cupcakes, pies, and Trap Fusion is at 4637 Boeingshire in cinnamon rolls. Like all her restaurants, Whitehaven, (901) 207-5565; and 670 N. Williams had “more of a neighborhood Germantown Pkwy. in Cordova, feel, where people sit and enjoy. The goal is (901) 672-7061. to have regulars.”

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FILM By Chris McCoy

Growing Up in the Troubles Kenneth Branagh remembers his Irish childhood in Belfast.

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elfast begins in August 1969 with a boy’seye view of the beginning of the Troubles. For almost 30 years, the largely Protestant Unionists, who wanted Northern Ireland to remain a part of the United Kingdom, fought the largely Catholic Irish Nationalists, who wanted to unite with the Republic of Ireland, which had broken away from the UK in 1921. Director Kenneth Branagh, who wrote the script based on his own memories of growing up in the impoverished Irish city, immediately puts the audience in the point of view of Buddy (Jude Hill), a 9-year-old kid obsessed with movies, whom we meet running around the city streets with a wooden sword and trash can lid shield. But his fantasies of heroic conflict run headlong into a real riot. The specifics of the Troubles are complex, with decades shifting allegiances between paramilitary groups and the various governments with interests in the outcome. But for Buddy and his family, it’s simple enough. Both Catholics and Protestants live in the brown row houses of their street in Belfast, and the Ulster Protestants, of whom Buddy’s family are ostensible members, want the Catholics gone. The fighting escalates when British troops arrive. Branagh depicts the running

street battle at kid level, highlighting the little details that jump out at the easily distracted Buddy, like the sewer grates the rioters pick up to throw through windows and close-ups of tank treads glimpsed from shuttered windows. Buddy and his older brother Will (Lewis McAskie) are mostly alone with their Ma (Caitriona Balfe) while their Pa (Jamie Dornan) works in London. The unemployment rate in Belfast, a television news announcer tells us, is the highest in Europe, and it is gradually revealed that the family’s finances are under even more pressure because Pa didn’t pay his taxes and now Her Majesty’s Government has come to collect. “Why do you cry when the mail comes?” Buddy asks his Ma. The semi-long-distance relationship is taking its toll on Ma and Pa, but Buddy gets plenty of love from his kindly but cantankerous grandparents, played by Judi Dench and Ciarán Hinds. Buddy is largely clueless to all the conflicts and struggles, instead focusing mostly on his dreams of becoming a football star and acing his schoolwork so he can sit close to Catherine (Olive Tennant), the blonde teacher’s pet he’s crushing on. He gets used to walking

In the midst of a civil war, 9-year-old Buddy (Jude Hill) and his family retreat into the escapism of movies and TV shows. through the barricades manned by militiamen bearing guns and clipboards, trying to enforce religious segregation. But the Troubles come for everyone in the end. Pa, caught up in his own troubles, thinks religion is silly and has no stomach for street violence. But small-time gangster turned local Ulster militia leader Billy (Colin Morgan) won’t take no for an answer and turns up the pressure on the family to choose sides. With Grandpa ailing, Pa contemplates the unthinkable: leaving Belfast for the greener pastures of London, where the Troubles can’t reach them. Branagh’s long and fruitful career as a director has gone from the supernatural thriller Dead Again to Shakespeare adaptations to the first Thor movie. Even now, as Belfast is poised to make a splash in one of the most competitive Oscar seasons in recent memory, his adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile is also in theaters. The performances, as you would expect from someone who now has a theater troupe named after him, are all solid.

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FILM By Chris McCoy Hill, who was actually 10 when Belfast was filmed, shows exceptional range, from the wide-eyed wonder he displays while watching a stage performance of A Christmas Carol to the screaming fit he throws when he hears they might have to leave Belfast. The black-and-white photography owes a lot to another auteurist autobiography, Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma. But when Buddy and the family go to the theater, the film bursts into color. Branagh chooses Buddy’s films and TV shows judiciously to reinforce his themes. When the sectarian hatred outside

reaches a fever pitch, Buddy retreats to the egalitarian utopia of Star Trek. When his father must make a choice to fight or flee, they watch High Noon. But the film clips also telegraph Belfast’s swerve into maudlin nostalgia, as when the director outs himself as a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang superfan. Belfast is conventionally constructed and terminally nostalgic, but the cast and crew’s heart is in it, and sometimes, that’s enough. Belfast Now playing at Forest Hill Cinema Grill and available to stream online

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EMPLOYMENT ENGINEER II - QA IGROUP ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is currently looking for an Engineer II - QA iGroup in Memphis, TN. Responsible to plan, execute, and/or oversee the day-to-day quality assurance and testing activities that ensure that ALSAC web/interactive products meet the quality expected. Requires a Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Quality Assurance/Control, or a related field and three (3) years of quality assurance and testing experience OR a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Quality Assurance/Control, or a related field followed by five (5) years of quality assurance and testing experience. To review the full job description and apply, please visit the company website at www.stjude.org/jobs/alsac.html.

OPERATIONS MANAGER needed at ResiAmerica,Inc. in Memphis, TN. Must have Bachelor’sin Business or related & 2 yrs exp in real estate business processes & operations, including: Property management- leasing, maintenance, evictions, collections; Construction & renovation- budgeting, scheduling, hiring subcontractors, material selection & purchase; Accounting- accounts payable/receivable; Acquisitionproperty value analysis, title check, foreclosure auctions; Utilizing QuickBooks online, RealFlips, & Appfolio. Send resumes to jobposting@ resiamerica.com. EOE PROCESS CHEMICAL ENGINEER Process Chemical Engineer in Memphis, TN: Safely perform engineering tasks & activities necessary to produce quality biodiesel product. Schedule: 3 consecutive 12-hr days on & 3 consecutive days off. Works from 6A-6P or 6P-6A, (on a bi-wkly. basis works 84 hrs.). Reqs. Bachelor’s + 2 yrs. exp. Send resume to Bioenergy Development Group, 2227 Deadrick Dr, Memphis TN 38114. Attn: Kenneth Williams.

SR. ADVISOR - ANALYTICS IMPLEMENTATION ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is currently looking for a Sr. Advisor - Analytics Implementation in Memphis, TN.Lead the implementation and maintenance of Digital analytics tools (Google Analytics & Adobe Analytics) for ALSAC’s new/existing applications. Identify methods to improve the digital analytics and media pixels front-end implementation. Requires a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Management Information Systems, Business Analytics or a related ﬁeld and 5 years of software development experience.To review the full job description and apply, please visit the company website at www.stjude.org/jobs/alsac.html.

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THE LAST WORD By Kristen Smith

The Resiliency of Black Joy Joy is not diminished when shared, so this Black History Month and throughout the year, let’s lift up stories of Black success and celebration.

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Jaren Jackson Jr.

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How resilient is a joy that knows no boundaries? A joy that is as free as any other. A joy no longer bound by a damning history.

THE LAST WORD

In the center of a circle of his Grizzlies’ teammates, Jaren Jackson Jr. is serving as the hype man before the game. He and his teammates are rhythmically dancing and moving and jumping and vibing and laughing. It’s both a celebration and a call-and-response. It’s a pregame ritual that exudes youthful, hopeful, unbridled joy. That joy is a resilient joy — a joy that defies circumstances. A joy that’s bigger than life. A joy sometimes hidden in the shadows. Ridiculed by the world. Scarred by history. Mocked by society. Forged in ships. Built on fields. Sung on stages. Danced in churches. Marched in the White House. And buzzing in FedExForum. This joy is Black joy— and it is a resilient joy. Brevin Knight turns to Pete Pranica at the end of the broadcast, the Grizzlies having just won their sixth straight game, and says something like this, “Partner, it’s fun to watch these guys compete every night. They’re having fun. They like each other and are fun to be around. Winning is fun.” Pranica agrees, as do most of the other sports commentators in Memphis, that this Grizzlies team is special and uniquely fun to watch. And they are. I have not been this invested in the Grizzlies since Z-Bo declared we were a “blue collar town” and he a “blue collar player.” Now, these Next Gen Grizzlies have infused this city once again with Grizz Mania, an elated state of enthusiasm, pride, and community. For me it’s bigger than basketball; it is the feeling I get when I see these players win, support, and laugh with each other. It’s big. It’s vibrant. It’s alive. It’s joy. Joy is contagious. And joy, like one’s humanity, can be trampled and beat down and walked over, but it can never truly be lost. It’s resilient at its core. And Black joy, because of its history, is a miracle. But for the miracle to fully be embraced, we have to embrace the history that tried to bulldoze and bury that joy. A history that many are protesting the existence of in school curriculums and classrooms. Black History Month gives us the opportunity to celebrate the lives of our approved curriculum heroes. Yet while we celebrate, history continues to present itself as current events. Injustices continue to be carried out. Systems continue to oppress. Opportunities cease to present themselves. Lives continue to abruptly end. Some parents do not want their kids to know the painful foundation upon which this country was built. Maya Angelou once said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” We have to truly know to truly do better. Let’s not continue to stymie our growth as a nation by not owning up to our past. It’s not a pretty past. It’s not. But the story does not have to end there. We are writing a chapter in American History 201 right now. What will this chapter say? Or will it have to be taken out of the textbooks as well? Or will it speak of miraculous healing, atonement, love, and joy? How resilient is a joy that knows no boundaries? A joy that is as free as any other. A joy no longer bound by a damning history. A joy celebrated. A joy redeemed from the dark. A joy given breath. A joy given wings. A joy taking flight. A Ja taking flight. This Grizzlies team represents the future. Winning is fun. It’s more fun for everyone, with everyone. The joy is contagious. And the glimpses we see courtside at a Grizzlies game are nothing compared to what could be if more young Black men and women had opportunities to showcase their talent and tenacity, creativity and courage, hustle and humility. Grit and grind. The FedExForum pales in comparison to the world’s arena. Let’s build a bigger arena. On display — the resiliency of Black joy. Kristen Smith is a Memphis-based writer and storyteller passionate about the transformative power of words for healing and joy.

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