Memphis Flyer 4/29/2021

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OUR 1679TH ISSUE 04.29.21

FREE AS LIVE MUSIC RETURNS, HERE’S THE WORD FROM THE VENUES, THE PLAYERS … AND PUBLIC POLICY MAKERS.

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JERRY D. SWIFT Advertising Director Emeritus KELLI DEWITT, CHIP GOOGE 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 ASHLEY HAEGER Controller JEFFREY GOLDBERG Chief Revenue Officer BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN Editorial Director MARGIE NEAL Production Operations Director KRISTIN PAWLOWSKI Digital Services Director LYNN SPARAGOWSKI Circulation and Accounting Manager KALENA MATTHEWS Marketing Coordinator

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Celebrate Those Serving Others

CONTENTS

BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN Editor SHARA CLARK Managing Editor JACKSON BAKER Senior Editor TOBY SELLS Associate Editor CHRIS MCCOY Film and TV Editor ALEX GREENE Music Editor SAMUEL X. CICCI, MICHAEL DONAHUE, JON W. SPARKS Staff Writers JESSE DAVIS Copy Editor, Staff Writer JULIE RAY 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

OUR 1679TH ISSUE 04.29.21 The week just past brought with it a plethora of news — good, bad, and ugly.

First, some good news in the braggin’ rights department: It was announced that Memphis International Airport (MEM) is back atop the rankings as the world’s busiest cargo airport for the first time since 2009. More than 4.6 million metric tons of cargo came through MEM in 2020, enough to put MEM back on top of the ranking by Airports Council International (ACI), edging out Hong Kong International Airport.

In other good economic news, Amazon announced it was increasCOLICARANICA | DREAMSTIME.COM ing its presence in the Mid-South with two new facilities: a delivery station in North Memphis and a fulfillment center in Byhalia, Mississippi. The company said it expects to employ hundreds at each facility and will pay a starting wage of $15 per hour plus benefits.

In not so good news, another proposed facility in the Mid-South was denied a permit by the Horn Lake, Mississippi, city government. Last Tuesday, that city’s board of aldermen voted 5-1 to uphold the planning commission’s decision to deny approval of the site plan for a mosque proposed by Ray Elk. The Commercial Appeal reported that the aldermen opposing the building cited “insufficient water mains for fire sprinklers, the fear that the building would break the noise ordinance, and that it would be a traffic hazard as reasons for opposing the application.”

But Alderman John Jones said the quiet part out loud: “If you let them build it, they will come. I think we need to stop it before it gets here.”

The proposed mosque would be 10,000 square feet and have 44 parking spaces and would occupy three acres of an 80-acre plot owned by Elk, who told the CA that there would be no loudspeakers outside the building to issue calls to prayer. Elk added the obvious, that a mosque would add considerably less traffic to the area than if he developed a 400-home subdivision on the site.

But my favorite part of the CA reporting was discovering that Horn Lake has an alderman named Donnie “Chigger” White, who said: “That’s strange, 79 acres to put a three-acre church on. … We must have something on the horizon that you’re not wanting us to know about.” And there, ladies and gentlemen, is your ugly.

Typically, this would be when we Tennesseans would scoff at Mississippi for its backward-ass ways. But let me remind you that Tennessee has its own ugly history with opposing mosques and that the General Assembly just last week appointed an anti-Muslim activist and 901-Truther to the state’s official textbook selection committee. And given the many repressive and revolting laws being passed in Nashville this session, we have no business making fun of the Magnolia State any longer. We’ve got plenty of our own ugly.

And that, unfortunately, would include the latest local COVID-19 news — which is that our infection rate is rising and our vaccination rate is at a low ebb. We can’t even give away vaccine using food coupons. FEMA set up a massive facility in Midtown a few weeks ago, no appointments necessary. Just drive up and get jabbed. They are mostly sitting on their thumbs these days and are now talking about dismantling the place and moving out of town.

A recent poll showed that about 54 percent of Tennesseans say they are willing to get vaccinated. By my math, that means 46 percent of Tennesseans don’t want to get protected against a disease that has killed 570,000 Americans and counting. The breakdown by party shows exactly how politicized this issue has become: Six percent of men who identify as Democrats say they won’t get a shot, versus 46 percent of Republican men who said they wouldn’t get it. The only possible good news N E WS & O P I N I O N here is that swinging the state blue may get THE FLY-BY - 4 easier. (Did I say the quiet part out loud?)

NY TIMES CROSSWORD - 6 I know this is bad — or maybe even ugly POLITICS - 8 — but by this point, I’ve pretty much had it COVER STORY with the viral ignorance so many seem to “MUSIC IS BACK!” be infected with. The vaccine is free, easily

BY ALEX GREENE - 10 WE RECOMMEND - 14 available, and convenient. Anyone who CALENDAR - 16 elects to turn it down for political reasons at SPIRITS - 19 this point has bought a ticket for whatever FILM - 20 ride shows up at their door. Happy trails, C LAS S I F I E D S - 21 dumbass. Enjoy your quarantine, or worse.

LAST WORD - 23 Bruce VanWyngarden brucev@memphisflyer.com

Special thanks to Memphis City Council and the Shelby County Commission!

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THE

fly-by

MEMernet A roundup of Memphis on the World Wide Web. N I C K E L BAG S Willie Melvin Atkins got a shock last week with his order of pancakes from a restaurant in North Memphis.

Atkins said “folks done gave me five nickel bags of syrup.” As of press time, the post had been shared more than 3,000 times and had 363 comments.

POSTED TO FACEBOOK BY WILLIE MELVIN ATKINS

CAT MAN E “Rescued a cat from Memphis.

Needs a home. He answers to Mane and eats his wings fried hard. #lemonpepper.”

April 29-May 5, 2021

POSTED TO REDDIT BY U/JUGGLINGLOBSTER

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“F E E LI N G P R O U D” Mark Lambert said he was “feeling proud” as he shared some aerial photos and video of some of the city’s newest crosswalk art. One crosswalk across Cooper and Monroe now reads “Black Lives Matter.” The other is a tribute to the LGBTQ Pride flag.

POSTED TO FACEBOOK BY MARK LAMBERT

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Questions, Answers + Attitude Edited by Toby Sells

W E E K T H AT W A S

By Flyer staff

Airport, Guns, & Booze To-Go Memphis International back on top, gun crime up over last year, and takeaway drinks could stay.

AMA Z O N FAC I LITI ES Amazon is upping its presence in the Mid-South with two new facilities: a delivery station in North Memphis and a fulfillment center in Byhalia, Mississippi.

A delivery station on Hawkins Mill Road, expected to launch next year, is part of Amazon’s last-mile delivery efforts to speed up deliveries for customers in the region. The Byhalia fulfillment center, expected to open later this year, will use new technologies to pick, pack, and ship larger customer items such as mattresses, kayaks, grills, and exercise equipment. The company expects to employ hundreds at each facility and will pay a starting wage of $15 per hour plus benefits.

JON SPARKS; (ABOVE RIGHT) YOUNG AVENUE DELI/FACEBOOK

Left: Memphis International Airport tops the rankings for world’s busiest cargo airport; inset: booze to-go could remain legal through 2023.

B O OZ E TO - G O Booze to-go could stay legal in Tennessee through 2023 pending Senate action on a bill that passed the House last week.

The fiscal note for the legislation projects to-go beverages could yield more than $4.6 million in state and local taxes in the next year. That projection lowers revenue from these sales to just under $3 million for 2022 and to $1.9 million in 2023.

G U N CR I M E R ISES Crimes involving guns were 30 percent higher in the first three months of 2021 compared to the first three months of 2020, according to the latest data from the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission.

From January to March of this year, there were 1,576 reported incidents involving guns, according to data collected by the Memphis Police Department (MPD) and the University of Memphis Public Safety Institute. Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) data show 3,546 gun-crime incidents in Memphis for the first quarter. This is up nearly 53 percent from first quarter 2020.

Police responded to 4,405 reports of shots fired from January to March this year. This is up from 3,891 reports in first quarter 2020. Police responded to 530 reports of someone hit by gunfire, up from 429 in the same time last year.

AI R PO RT B US I EST FO R CAR G O Memphis International Airport (MEM) is back atop the rankings as the world’s busiest cargo airport.

More than 4.6 million metric tons of cargo came through the airport last year, up 6.7 percent over 2019. It was enough to put MEM back on top of the ranking by Airports Council International (ACI), edging out Hong Kong International Airport, which earned the top slot in 2019. The last time MEM ranked first on the list was 2009.

The FedEx Express World Hub at MEM is responsible for about 99 percent of the overall cargo handled at MEM. The hub sees about 450 combined arrivals and departures per day.

Global passenger traffic at the world’s airports decreased by 64.6 percent in 2020, according to ACI, as travel was reduced due to COVID-19 concerns. However, air cargo volumes decreased by only 8.9 percent.

Air cargo volumes in ACI’s top 10 airports grew by 3 percent in 2020. The agency says the gain can be attributed to the increase in demand for online consumer goods, pharmaceutical products, and personal protective equipment.

Visit the News Blog at memphisflyer.com for fuller versions of these stories and more local news.

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State lawmakers targeted transgender children and women seeking abortions, sending a couple of bills to Tennessee Governor Bill Lee last week that will make life harder for both in Tennessee.

The GOP transgender bathroom rule could come with this statement: No trans people were contacted in the making of this bill. Instead of allowing transgender students to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity, a new rule could force them into separate facilities and face lawsuits if they’re caught in a school facility labeled for a gender other than what is listed on their birth certificates.

When asked if he contacted any transgender people or their families in the making of the bill, Sen. Mike Bell (RRiceville) replied “no, I did not.”

“It protects the well-being of children and removes the burden of stress of accommodations from teachers, schools, parents, and students, providing a clear path forward for the schools in Tennessee,” Bell said.

Sen. Heidi Campbell (D-Nashville) said the bill is political.

“We all know that a conservative group is running this package of antitrans bills across the country and because they’ve polled this issue and it tests well and it keeps people energized and it feeds media ratings,” Campbell said. “It’s identity politics and we all know how that works, but there are human beings on the other side of these votes who will have to live with the fallout.”

Senators also passed a bill last week

TENNESSEE STATE CAPITOL/FACEBOOK

Tennessee lawmakers advance new bills targeting abortion, trans youths. that would force women who have surgical abortions to decide if the fetal remains should be buried or cremated.

The bill will require clinics that offer surgical abortion to ask patients to decide whether fetal remains should be buried or cremated. The patient does not have to choose but must sign a waiver if they don’t. The decision would then be left to the clinic.

No state funding will be given for the costs of the burial or cremation. The bill’s House sponsor Tim Rudd (R-Murfreesboro) said the service can range in cost from $150 to $350. The Senate sponsor Sen. Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma) put the costs from $100-$150.

Republicans said the move does not restrict access to abortion and is a way to give dignity to the remains of an “unborn child.”

“Pets and farm animals are treated with more dignity [in state law] but there’s nothing about the dignity of an unborn child,” said Rudd.

Opponents of the legislation said its main goal is to shame pregnant women who seek abortions. Another, they said, is to attack Planned Parenthood.

“I question why we are singling out one group of people for this type of treatment, if our stated concern is our actual stated concern,” said Sen. Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville).

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Monday was a day of deferred judgment in two legislative tribunals.

The state Senate in Nashville deadlocked 14 to 14 on SB 915/HB 1072, which had passed the House hours earlier. The bill would grant the state an automatic stay, pending completion of the appeals process, of any judicial injunction against its constitutional authority, and prohibit the use of local-government funds for litigations against the state. Frustrated by the lack of immediate passage, sponsor Brian Kelsey asked that the bill be rolled (postponed) for reconsideration on Wednesday.

A companion bill of sorts, SB 868/HB 1130, was slated for consideration in House and Senate finance committees. It would counter litigation against the state differently, creating a three-member state Chancery Court, elected statewide, that would serve as the trial court for any suits contesting the constitutionality of state authority. Senator Mike Bell, the chief sponsor, has made it obvious that he intended for the court to serve the partisan purpose of reflecting the state’s Republican majority.

• On Monday, meanwhile, the Shelby County Commission deferred action on a proposal from county Assessor Melvin Burgess to conduct property reappraisals in two-year intervals instead of in fouryear intervals, as is done currently.

Other resolutions had an easier time.

One of them, which passed unanimously, was to establish a Black Caucus “for purposes of addressing the concerns of Black communities located in Shelby County.”

Others honored retiring Memphis Police Director Mike Rallings, Shelby County Schools Superintendent Joris Ray, and University of Memphis basketball Coach Penny Hardaway.

Also honored was the late Roscoe Dixon, the longtime Shelby County legislator who served in the state House and the state Senate and did time after being indicted in the FBI’s Tennessee Waltz bribery sting of 2005. Upon his release from prison, Dixon became a devoted board member of the local NAACP, was a principal of the Memphis Health Center and CAAP, a rehab center. Commissioner

Turner, author of the resolution honoring Dixon, announced that the NAACP would hold an annual “Roscoe Dixon Voter Registration Drive” in his honor.

On Saturday night, Dixon was remembered at a memorial service at the Serenity Center. Among those contributing memories were members of the General Assembly, past and present, including state Rep. Joe Towns, who presided over the testimonials, and other veterans of public service from both parties, including former Shelby County mayors A C Wharton, Jim Rout, and Mark Luttrell.

[Gov. Bill] Lee is undeviatingly partyline: pro-voucher, pro-gun, anti“socialism.”

• I have covered four previous Tennessee governors in this space: Ned Ray McWherter, Don Sundquist, Phil Bredesen, and Bill Haslam, two Democrats and two Republicans. All of them had some penchant for surprise and — what to call it? — idiosyncratic thoughtfulness. The current governor, Republican Bill Lee, seems otherwise. His case is one of almost syllogistic predictability: Know his party, know his position.

Lee is undeviatingly party-line: pro-voucher, pro-gun, anti-“socialism,” LGBTQ-aversive. His bland affability allowed him to end-run a ruthless competition between Diane Black and Randy Boyd in the 2018 GOP primary; his majorityparty label gave him an automatic win over Democrat Craig Fitzhugh. That he would be the chief executive who gave us the NRA’s dream of permitless firearms-carry almost went without saying. The irony of his position, amid an ever-increasing storm of gun massacres, escapes him.

In Memphis on Friday, April 23rd, he averred that the “constitutional-carry” bill he signed into law would somehow both extend the God-given freedom of Tennesseans and protect them against carnage. Lee will be heavily favored to win a second term next year. Each of his aforementioned predecessors demonstrated a capacity for change. Elements of Lee’s personal history indicate a certain inner strength. So let us hope.

So, as we enter this new year, resolve to support the free, independent local paper that’s always here for you. Even a little helps a lot.

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Music COVER STORY BY ALEX GREENE

is Back!

AS LIVE MUSIC RETURNS, HERE’S THE WORD FROM THE VENUES, THE PLAYERS … AND PUBLIC POLICY MAKERS.

April 29-May 5, 2021

A

PHOTO BY RORY DOYLE

Clarksdale, Mississippi Juke Joint Festival

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s the spring weather and more widespread vaccinations converge, there’s something more than tulips blossoming in town these days: Live music is, well, alive once more.

Memphis is singing and tapping its toes more than it has for over a year — and for many, the relief is palpable. That includes not only music fans, of course, but the artists, club owners, and employees who have suffered more than a few existential crises during the pandemic.

With new health directives changing the landscape of what’s possible, and more spaces privately making decisions to host music, here’s a look at where the area’s state of the musical arts stands today, starting with the science and policy that establishes what can and can’t be done, and moving on to see how that plays out on the ground and onstage.

As always, the default response continues to be fairly simple: Wear a mask!

PHOTO COURTESY OF VICTOR SAWYER

Victor Sawyer

PHOTO BY ERICA OWEN

THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT Bruce Randolph, health officer for the Shelby County Health Department, concedes that the situation for music lovers has been confusing, given the ever-evolving approach the county has needed to adopt.

“It has changed,” he notes. “Part of it is, what is the logic behind those directives? First of all, the virus is transmitted through respiratory droplets and aerosols, so when a person who’s not wearing a mask is talking loudly, yelling, singing, or breathing hard, they can project the respiratory droplets and the virus even farther than six feet.

One study has shown that it can travel as much as 20 feet. And certainly up to 15 or 18. So even though the CDC has recommended six feet of separation for social distancing, without a mask, six feet isn’t really far enough. And we know that in a lot of venues the audience is very close to the performers, many of them are not well-ventilated, they’re crowded.

If you have that coupled with people not wearing masks, the risk of transmission was very high. So that’s why we had to implement the restrictions of wearing a mask, separation by six feet, or, if you’re performing, by at least 18 feet from the audience, just to provide that protection.”

With that as the foundational principle, music clubs serving food were able to open again after only a few months of lockdown. Shelby County unveiled looser restrictions on October 7th of last year, allowing bars and restaurants to stay open until midnight instead of 10 p.m. and raising the allowed table capacity from six to eight people.

Restrictions were eased even more this month, with Health Directive 20.

“Now as more people are becoming

vaccinated, we can at least begin to loosen up some things,” says Randolph.

“So with the most recent Health Directive, we’re allowing some dancing indoors, but people still should be separated, unless the people you’re dancing with and around are people that you know, and you are familiar with their vaccination status, etc.”

As the number of COVID-19 cases has decreased, other guidelines have been modified as well. Music venue patrons are no longer required to sign in for contact tracing, and, much to the delight of punks and metalheads everywhere, music can once again be loud. “When we first allowed indoor dining,” Randolph explains, “where people could sit at tables and eat, we noticed that, if the music is played loud, people talk louder in order to be heard. With that increase in volume, you’re potentially projecting the virus farther. So that’s why we said, ‘We’ll allow music, but it should be kept at a decibel level where people could carry on normal conversation.’ But then we asked, did we really need that anymore?”

So now we can begin to imagine a more normal musical experience once again, albeit with a mask. And Randolph is eager to see that happen.

“My desire is for us to get back as soon as we can to having live music. I think a lot of Memphians do not appreciate that, before COVID, you could go to almost any restaurant in Midtown or Downtown, and there’d be live music.

I’ve lived in other cities, and that is not the case. So we’ve got this jewel here that we take for granted. I would love the day when we can return to that, and the truth of the matter is, it’s in our hands if we do the right thing. And anybody who wants a vaccine can get it now. Get that shot, so we can get back to enjoying ourselves!”

THE VENUES Given the importance of live music to local culture, it’s not surprising that some venues have been hosting it for months now. Lafayette’s Music Room, for example, was one of the first to feature bands again, beginning in the second half of last year.

With the size of their room and staff, they were well-suited to it, and soon settled into new work habits to keep the music flowing.

Brent Harding, who books bands for the club, explains that it required new working routines, in addition to requiring masks and making space between tables. “Everything is sanitized after each table becomes free again,” he says. “For the bigger acts, we’ll do an early show and a late show. We can roll the house, clean the place, sanitize everything, and then do another show. That’s really the only way it can work with some of these bands.”

“I definitely have a renewed appreciation and respect for music.”

- John Paul Keith More than any other factor, Lafayette’s has a key advantage: space. Even with more spacing between tables, “I believe we can do about 150 people at a time,” Harding estimates. B.B. King’s Blues Club, which Harding also books, has a similar advantage.

But just across Beale Street, the Blues City Cafe has not fared as well. “We have a small room,” says Jason Ralph, booker for Blues City, “and until I can fill it up with people, it’s hard to justify entertainment in the band

box. We just need some rules to relax.”

Bar DKDC is in a similar boat. While the tiny club has mainly carried on through the pandemic as an extra seating area for its adjacent sister establishment, the Beauty Shop restaurant, owner Karen Carrier says the much-loved venue will open again in a big way once space is not an issue. “Once they drop the distancing mandate, we’re going to let it rip!” she says, with a hint of big events to come.

Other clubs, however, might have the space, but are baffled by what they feel is ineffective guidance from the county. One club owner describes the frustration of not having a clearinghouse of the ever-changing regulatory guidelines. “I have to look at the Shelby County Health Department page religiously. Nobody’s coming around and telling you what to do and what not to do.

You’re supposed to go to the website, but it changes all the time. We have to hear about it through Facebook, and network about it, and talk to other places to see what they’re doing.

“For a long time, you were not supposed to have music louder than people talking at a table. But what does that mean? We were told four months ago that we could have tables pushed up to the bar; you just couldn’t sit at the bar. Well, the health department came in and said, ‘You need to move these two feet from the bar.’ We said, ‘But it says on the website we can do it.’ They just said, ‘No, move ’em back two feet.’ Okay.”

Some have dealt with the reduced attendance capacity by playing up other strengths. Brian “Skinny” McCabe, owner of the Hi Tone Cafe, says, “Before COVID, we had live music every day, and then great food, too. But now we’re focused more on food. We’re now a restaurant that happens to have acoustic shows on the weekends. And continued on page 12

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

Marcella + Her Lovers perform at Railgarten’s outdoor stage.

11

April 29-May 5, 2021

continued from page 11 open-mic comedy on Tuesdays.”

One silver lining in all the restrictions has been a greater reliance on local bands, while national touring acts continue to wait it out.

Jack Phillips of Railgarten says, “We’ve got a lot of Memphis-based bands booked, and some regional bands, as well. We really want to invest in Memphis right now. We want to focus on local musicians because they’re struggling. Also, bigger acts are not traveling that much, so it’s mutually beneficial. I think it’s a great time for everyone to realize what a treasure we have.”

Another advantage Railgarten has is its outdoor stage, and the exponential decrease of risk that comes with an outdoor setting.

Now that spring has sprung, that may be driving the area’s resurgence in live music more than any other factor. In just the past month, porch parties have become more common, from impromptu soirees like that recently hosted by Will Sexton and Amy LaVere for a Dead Soldiers show or full-on, coordinated celebrations of the concept such as the Cooper-Young Community Association’s Porchfest on April 17th, with dozens of performers.

Upcoming shows at other outdoor venues also herald a proliferation of live music, including the return of the River Series at Harbor Town, the spring music series at The Grove in Germantown, music concerts at the Memphis Botanic Garden, and six ticketed events planned for the Levitt Shell in Overton Park between May and July.

As Natalie Wilson of the Levitt Shell explains, that’s only the beginning, as they make plans to offer their free concert series this fall. “With the impact of COVID-19,” she says, “we can’t do our normal four nights a week, but we are coming back Friday and Saturday evenings in September, through the third weekend of October. We’re going to focus on supporting our local musicians this fall. And we pay our musicians at the market rate because we believe in not just presenting music, but also empowering music. And that includes supporting our musicians and their

livelihoods. It’s been our mission since the Shell was built in the 1930s.”

Other music festivals can be expected in the fall, from the outdoor stages of Mempho Music Fest, which returns in October, to the mixed outdoor- and indoor-venue approach of Gonerfest, planned for September 23-26. A foreshadowing of how those might fare just took place in Clarksdale, Mississippi, where the Juke Joint Festival, held only virtually last year, went on as a live experience once again in mid-April.

As Roger Stolle, president of the Clarksdale/Coahoma County Tourism Commission, explains, their festival did everything right, and may serve as a model for those to come. “We put a ridiculous amount of time and money into it, trying to make it safe,” he notes. “We bought touchless hand-sanitizer units, gallons of hand sanitizer, thousands of paper masks, stanchion barriers to keep people back from musicians, clear plexi virus shields for the smaller venues, thermometers.

A whole lot of stuff. And a lot of extra security, not because we were going to be arresting people, but just to help control the situation, in case there were problems with compliance.”

And yet, much to his delight, audience respect for the “suggested guidelines” of the festival, such as wearing masks and practicing social distancing, was greater than expected, as crowds saw music on 13 outdoor and 19 indoor stages. “Compliance was really great, except perhaps on Saturday night in the bars. The beauty of it is, people know what they’re supposed to be doing.

Until alcohol gets involved, people are pretty good about it. But once they get drinking, and they’re excited and haven’t seen music in a year, that’s where some of it breaks down a bit. We just tried to give people plenty of space, and people took advantage of that pretty well.”

They also took advantage of a more proactive approach taken by the Juke Joint Festival: free vaccinations. Though use of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine had been suspended by the time of the festival,

PHOTO BY JARVIS HUGHES

John Paul Keith

they did offer Moderna shots and cards facilitating a second shot wherever festivalgoers might go home to.

THE PLAYERS Vaccinations have been the biggest gamechanger for musicians themselves, without whom there can be no shows, no matter what restrictions are lifted. John Paul Keith, who became a fixture in the Memphis live-streamed music world last year, credits vaccines with his return to playing live shows, starting with a show he played with Amy LaVere at the Bartlett Performing Arts Center (BPAC) this month.

“The main reason that I felt better playing live,” he says, “was that the [case] numbers were going down, and the vaccine became available. Once I got the first round, I felt there was an acceptable level of risk in performance. And it didn’t hurt that BPAC did a half-capacity show, with masks.”

Even as clubs began opening last fall, many musicians had mixed feelings about it.

Victor Sawyer, trombonist with the Lucky 7 Brass Band and teacher with the Stax Music Academy, recalls, “when we played a show last November, I honestly felt pretty guilty.

Just by performing, we were ultimately drawing people together.” But that’s less of a concern now, and he’s rapidly taking on more gigs for the rest of this year, largely due to what he sees as the effective local response to the pandemic.

R A D I A N S A M P H I T H E AT E R | O C TO B E R 1 - 3 , 2 0 2 1

L I N E U P D RO P S O N A P R I L 2 8 TUNE IN TO WYXR 91.7 FM AT NOON CT FOR OUR LIVE ANNOUNCEMENT SHOW

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M E M P H O F E ST.COM

“The city and Shelby County have been doing a great job,” he says. “I hate how our mayors are just getting pooped on. When you look at Tennessee and other mid-sized cities around the nation, Shelby County has had one of the lowest infection rates out of a lot of cities, and they should get credit for that. They’re doing a great job. Also, we’re all vaccinated now. Starting in May, we’re booked pretty much through October.

When everything goes away, you feel like it will never come back, but once we said ‘We’re ready to rock,’ the booking requests came in like clockwork. It was a really emotional moment to see that we weren’t forgotten.”

For Keith, the emotions cut both ways, from elation to anxiety. Before the BPAC show, he says, “I was nervous for the first time I can remember. But it was really wonderful. I was grateful they had a stage large enough to have the big band be spread out. And on a stage, you’re separated from the audience.”

The stage at B-Side was one reason he settled on that venue for his first regular live residency since the pandemic started.

“I’m much more comfortable if the place has a stage. Otherwise, you can’t get away from people. Once they get a few drinks in ’em, forget it. We know that singing spreads droplets, and that’s why the audience is supposed to be 18 feet from the stage. And the other night, I actually saw a couple droplets arcing through the stage lighting, out past the microphone as I sang. And I thought, ‘There go some droplets!’ It wasn’t even a lot of them! But you’ve still got to be safe. It’s not over.”

And yet, Keith is ultimately relishing the return to live performance, noting that when live performances stopped, “we musicians lost something very precious to us all. I don’t think we’ve processed it yet. Now, I definitely have a renewed appreciation and respect for music. It’s powerful, and it’s a human necessity. It’s like language. It’s something we need for our society to understand itself.

And I care about it more now, because I know what it’s like not to have it.”

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

Morning balloon ascension, Tethered Balloon Rides

13

Go Local this Mother’s Day!

Memphis Is More will make Mom happy.

FREE DELIVERY!

steppin’ out (& stayin’ in)

We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews Mini-Kit $48. Item choices:

• Dinstuhl’s Famous Cashew Crunch • Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies • Cosgrove & Lewis Handmade Soap • Hollywood Feed Southern Cajun Dog Biscuits

Spring Kit $81. Item choices:

April 29-May 5, 2021

By Julie Ray

Lisa was always called “Smiley Girl” because she always looked like she had a smile on her face. She was a stray dog with a big smile, crooked tail, and a ready hug for anyone she met.

One day, Lisa didn’t have the energy to eat, drink, or move. I took her to the vet where she was hydrated and monitored. She would need exploritory surgery to find the cause of her illness. In the middle of surgery, the doctor called. She had cancer, so far progressed that it was futile to try any kind of treatment. She went over the rainbow bridge that day, taking her smile with her.

“Sadly, cancer affects one in every three dogs,” says Ginger Morgan, executive director of PuppyUp FounPHOTO COURTESY OF GINGER MORGAN, PUPPYUP FOUNDATION dation. “Of those, over half will unfortunately die of Hudson and Murphy walked 4,000 miles in the original 2008 Austin cancer. Even though COVID-19 has hit all nonprofits to Boston PuppyUp Walk to bring awareness to canine cancer. hard, we must continue to educate people about cancers in our companion animals, how similar they are to cancers in people, and how the research we fund benefits both. This local walk helps bring awareness to our dog community and raises money to fund comparative oncology research.”

Join the festivities, including a dog game with Positive Dog Trainers of the Mid-South, music by Nora and Billy, vendors, and Mempops with Mempups for your dogs to enjoy. Celebrate the joy animals bring to our lives — a bond that is not broken by illness or death — while raising funds for awareness, education, and research for canine and human cancers.

• MBABAZI House of Style • Handmade Apron • Cotton Tote • Face Mask with filter pocket

PUPPYUP MEMPHIS, SHELBY FARMS PARK VISITORS CENTER AT JONES POND PAVILION, 6903 GREAT VIEW, SUNDAY, MAY 2, NOON-4 P.M., FREE-$35.

• Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies

VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES April 29th - May 5th

• Dinstuhl’s Famous Cashew Crunch

The Hidden Orpheum: A Virtual Fundraiser Online from the Orpheum, orpheum-memphis.com, Thursday, Apr. 29, 7 p.m., $40, $250/VIP Take a tour behind the glitter and into spaces forever closed to the public. Orpheum staff members will share stories and insights. The VIP ticket includes food and wine delivered to your home.

• Thistle & Bee Wildflower Honey

14

Ruffin’ It

• Cosgrove & Lewis Handmade Soap • Hollywood Feed Southern Cajun Dog Biscuits • Brother Juniper’s Habanero Garlic Hot Sauce All Spring Kits include a 901Rock by Artist and Poet Cornell Mahan & one blank rock to decorate yourself

Visit MemphisIsMore.com

Check out our Vintage Memphis In May Posters

The Spring Show Shops of Saddle Creek, 7509 Poplar, starts Friday, Apr. 30, 10 a.m.-8 p.m., and continues through May 8, free A Mother’s Day, graduation, and baby and bridal gift event featuring work by the Mid-South’s leading artists.

May Day Celebration Theatre Memphis, 630 Perkins Ext., Saturday, May 1, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., free Featuring more than 20 artist and artisan booths, food trucks, and performances with a wide variety of offerings along with roving entertainment. A cash bar will be available.

Cafe du Memphis Malco Summer Drive-In, 5310 Summer, Saturday, May 1, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., $10-$20 Enjoy beignets, shrimp and grits, and cafe au lait during a drive-through or dine-in, in-your-car event benefiting the Dorothy Day House and the Memphis Rotary Foundation.

Spring Forward Together Performance and Fundraiser Levitt Shell, Overton Park, Saturday, May 1, 7:30 p.m., free with registration Free, one-hour performance and fundraiser benefiting New Ballet Ensemble & School. All guests must register for this event to ensure compliance with capacity limits.

Virtual Metals Transitions Conference Metal Museum, 374 Metal Museum Drive, starts Wednesday, May 5, and continues through May 8, $150 Attendees will experience studio visits, demonstrations, artist talks, and workshops that explore the 2021 conference theme: transitions.

Spoil the special woman in your life this Mother’s Day with dinner at Jack Binion’s Steak.

Book now through Open Table or call restaurant reservations at 1-855-888-3463

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

SUNDAY, MAY 9

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

MOTHER’S DAY

Must be 21 or older to gamble or attend events. Subject to change or cancellation.

Management reserves all rights. Know When To Stop Before You Start.® Gambling Problem?

Call 1-800-522-4700. ©2021, Caesars License Company, LLC.

15

CALENDAR of EVENTS:

April 29 - May 5

“Play. Jazz. Color. Joy.”

by Amy Hutcheson at L Ross Gallery, on view through May 22nd

Theatre Memphis

T H EAT E R

Bartlett Performing Arts and Conference Center

Disney’s The Little Mermaid, based on the Hans Christian Anderson story and the animated film, a love story for all ages performed

by BPACC’s Youth Theatre. $15.

Thurs., April 29, 7:30 p.m., Fri., April 30, 7:30 p.m., Sat., May 1, 7:30 p.m., and Sun., May 2, 2 p.m.

3663 APPLING (385-6440).

Hattiloo Theatre

Neat, the story of an urban African-American girl bursting into adulthood, experiencing first love, and embracing both Black pride and feminism. $150 for four seats. Saturdays, Sundays, 2 p.m., and Fridays, 7:30 p.m. Through May 9.

37 S. COOPER (502-3486).

The Orpheum

Orpheum Virtual Engagement, join Orpheum staff, artists, and students for activities, interviews, and more on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Visit website for more information. Ongoing.

203 S. MAIN (525-3000).

Online on Stage, a Theatre Memphis Facebook group that serves as a clearinghouse for performers wanting to share their talents. Featuring storytime, readings, or performance art. Ongoing.

Thursdays on the Plaza, enjoy the atmosphere of the Menke Sculpture Garden during a variety of events from blues to trivia. Cash bar with wine and craft beer, as well as a nosh or two. Free-$5. Thursdays, 6:30 p.m. Through July 15.

The Hidden Orpheum: A Virtual Fundraiser

Take a tour behind the glitter and into spaces usually closed to the public. Orpheum staff members will share stories and insights.

VIP ticket includes food and wine delivered to your home. $40, $250/VIP. Thurs., April 29, 7 p.m.

630 PERKINS EXT. (682-8323).

OTH E R A R T HA P P E N I N G S

PLAYHOUSE ON THE SQUARE, 66 S. COOPER (726-4656), PLAYHOUSEONTHESQUARE.ORG.

The Art of Elegance: Marshall Watson

Acclaimed interior designer will illustrate his work in this online presentation. Free with registration. Thurs., April 29, 5:30 p.m.

MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART, 1934 POPLAR (544-6209), DECORATIVEARTSTRUST.COM.

GET ONE 2 PC DARK DINNER

April 29-May 5, 2021

WITH THIS COUPON. EXPIRES 9/30/21.

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!

Cherokee Arms ■ Studio/Efficiency Apartments ■ 1508 Madison Ave.

MAY 16

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MEMPHISHUMANE.ORG.

Virtual Metals Transitions Conference

Live Virtual Artist Talk: “Dream Machines”

METAL MUSEUM, 374 METAL MUSEUM DR. (774-6380), METALMUSEUM.ORG.

DAVID LUSK GALLERY, 97 TILLMAN (767-3800), DAVIDLUSKGALLERY.COM

L Ross Gallery

“Play. Jazz. Color. Joy.,” exhibition of work by Amy Hutcheson. April 21-May 22.

OPERA

30 Days of Opera

Participate in the virtual version of this annual festival featuring virtual events, drive-thru arias, and more. Free. Through April 30.

OPERA MEMPHIS, 6745 WOLF RIVER (257-3100), OPERAMEMPHIS.ORG.

5040 SANDERLIN, SUITE 103.

■ Hardwood Floors ■ High Ceilings ■ Internet Included ■ Modern Kitchens ■ Stainless Steel Appliances ■ Wood Blinds ■ Built-Ins ■ Ceiling Fan

W/ PURCHASE OF ONE 2PC DARK DINNER & 2 MED DRINKS.

Is your pet your muse? Share your artistic animal renderings with the Humane Society and save lives. Enter your art and encourage your friends and family to vote. Free to enter, $1 per vote. Through May 3.

THE ORPHEUM, 203 S. MAIN (5253000), ORPHEUM-MEMPHIS.COM.

MIDTOWN CHARM!

FREE

Pet Picasso Art Contest

Attendees will experience studio visits, demonstrations, artist talks, and workshops that explore the 2021 conference theme: Transitions. $150. Wed.Sat., May 5-8.

Exhibition of carved wooden shapes existing somewhere between painting and sculpture

by Robert Rector. Wed., May 5, 12:30 p.m.

43rd Original Art Auction

More than 100 local and regional artists have donated their one-of-a-kind masterpieces to be bid on from the art novice to the seasoned collector. Through April 30.

Send the date, time, place, cost, info, phone number, a brief description, and photos — two weeks in advance — to calendar@memphisflyer.com or P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101.

DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS, ONGOING WEEKLY EVENTS WILL APPEAR IN THE FLYER’S ONLINE CALENDAR ONLY.

Email djones@mrgmemphis.com for info. Discounts for students & Medical District employees!

MAY

DO GOOD. BETTER.

901.726.5725 momentumnonprofit.org

We help Mid-South nonprofits succeed.

JUN

11

C A L E N D A R : A P R I L 2 9 - M AY 5 Spring Forward Together Performance and Fundraiser

“The Monarch Butterfly: A Story of Growth Through Metamorphosis and Migration”

Free, one-hour performance benefiting New Ballet Ensemble & School. All guests must register for this event to ensure compliance with capacity limits. Free with registration. Sat., May 1, 7:30 p.m.

LEVITT SHELL, OVERTON PARK (272-2722), NEWBALLETT.ORG.

C O M E DY

Chuckles Comedy Club

Vivica Fox Presents: Funny by Nature, $20-$50. Fri.-Sun., Apr. 30-May 2, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.

1700 DEXTER.

The Comedy Junt

Brad Sativa, $20-$30. Fri.-Sat., Apr. 30-May1. 8 p.m.

4330 AMERICAN WAY (249-4052).

Landers Center

“In Real Life Comedy Tour,” featuring Mike Epps, with Michael Blackson, DC Young Fly, Karlous Miller, and Kountry Wayne. $60-$125. Sat., May 1, 7 p.m.

4560 VENTURE, SOUTHAVEN, MS (662-280-9120).

Enjoy this enlightening talk presented by Backyard Wildlife Center Curator Mary Schmidt at the Pink Palace Mansion Theater. Free with admission. Sat., May 1, 2 p.m.

MEMPHIS PINK PALACE MUSEUM, 3050 CENTRAL (636-2362).

Real Talk with the Rabbis

Free. First Tuesday of every month, noon. Through July 6.

MEMPHIS JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER, 6560 POPLAR (761-0810), JCCMEMPHIS.ORG.

F ES TI VA LS

May Day Celebration

Featuring artist and artisan booths, food trucks, and performances. A cash/credit beverage bar will also be open. Free. Sat., May 1, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

THEATRE MEMPHIS, 630 PERKINS EXT. (682-8323).

S P O R TS / F I TN ES S

901 Wrestling

$15. Sat., May 1, 7-10 p.m.

REC ROOM, 3000 BROAD (209-1137).

Memphis Grizzlies vs.

New York Knicks Mon., May 3, 8 p.m.

FEDEXFORUM, 191 BEALE.

Memphis Grizzlies vs.

Orlando Magic Fri., April 30, 7 p.m.

FEDEXFORUM, 191 BEALE.

PuppyUp Memphis

A two-mile walk to promote awareness of canine cancer and fundraise for cancer research to benefit both pets and people. $35. Sun., May 2, 12-4 p.m.

SHELBY FARMS PARK, 6903 GREAT VIEW DRIVE NORTH (767-7275), PUPPYUPWALK.ORG.

S P E C IA L E V E N TS

THE

Broom Closet Metaphysical Shop

901.497.9486 • 552 S. Main St.

Gemstones, Gifts,Tarot Cards, Jewelry, Incense, Books, Tarot Readings, and More.

Feral Fridays

Bring in a feral cat. Drop off is 7:30-8:30 a.m. Pick-up is 4:305 p.m. the same afternoon.

These days are walk-in only, no appointments will be accepted. $10. Fri., April 30.

SPAY MEMPHIS, 854 GOODMAN (324-3202).

Great Strides Under the Stars

Family-friendly drive-in movie and celebration of getting closer to a cure for cystic fibrosis. Register online. Free.

Sat., May 1, 7 p.m.

TIGER LANE, 335 SOUTH HOLLYWOOD, CFF.ORG.

MASK UP TO BE SAFE.

COMMUTE BY CARPOOL OR VANPOOL FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT WWW.SHELBYTNHEALTH.COM

Memphis Ghost Tours Memphis Ghost Walk and Haunted Memphis Bus Tour

historicalhauntsmemphis.com

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

LECTU R E / S P EA K E R

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

DAN C E

17

SEALS & CROFTS 2 MAY 8 / 7:30P.M.

Experience the music of rock duo Seals & Crofts with Brady Seals & Lua Crofts. You’ll love classic songs like DIAMOND GIRL, GET CLOSER, HUMMINGBIRD, and SUMMER BREEZE.

ENJOY A SOCIALLY DISTANCED LIVE PERFORMANCE

• As approved by Shelby County Health, well-being of all is our priority.

• Temp check on entrance.

• Staff & patrons must wear masks.

• BPACC electrostatically cleaned before every show.

• Limited capacity with socially distanced seating.

TICKETS @ BPACC.ORG

April 29-May 5, 2021

Box Office 901.385.5588 / Hours 10A.M to 2P.M.

18

Pamper Mom

Sweepstakes

Presented by Gould's

ENTER TO WIN A $150 GOULD'S GIFT

SUBMISSIONS

May 1-7

memphisflyer.com/pamper-mom

For help, call the Tennessee REDLINE 1-800-889-9789

S P I R ITS By Richard Murff

Sloshed in Kentucky Tasting the O.H. Ingram River Aged Whiskey.

about two or three in a rickhouse.

But innovations, however clever, are only as good as their results.

I opened a bottle of O.H. Ingram River Aged. Jamming a nose into the tasting glass with that dark-gold pour, you get some honey. At 96 proof, there was some ethanol as well. It’s nothing a few drops of water and a swirl won’t fix. After that, the heat dissipates, leaving an almost creamy sensation. The honey is still there — but not sweet, because you get some nutmeg spice as well. It’s not terribly malty, but if you have any inclination toward wheated bourbons, you’ll love this. It’s rich and very smooth and has got a nice, long finish.

Ingram is one of those whiskeys that goes well with a little water or a cube of ice, but I wouldn’t be offended with something more — soda or branch water. The spice would lend itself to an excellent Old Fashioned if you don’t like them too sweet.

If you’ve never heard of it, that’s because it only hit the shelves in west Tennessee in March, but you can find it around town fairly readily. It’s nothing we’d call a value brand; it will set you back around $75 dollars. Still, as cheap as I am, at no point was I wondering why I’d spent the money. That’s saying something.

Hank wouldn’t tell me exactly how old it was — and it’s not on the bottle — but I suppose that’s the point. The rules of terra firma don’t really apply here. It tastes like it’s spent all the time it jolly well needs in the barrel, and beyond that, you really shouldn’t care too much.

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

PHOTO BY RICHARD MURFF

Rollin’ on the river — O.H. Ingram River Aged Whiskey

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

W

hiskey barrels, when full, are very hard to move. The shape of the things makes you think you can roll them, and you can. But stopping a barrel once it gets moving can be tricky. Overall, it’s a cumbersome business and few distilleries take the trouble to do it — although they won’t admit it. Which is a shame, because rolling a barrel while the white lightning slowly ages inside does a whiskey a world of good.

What separates moonshine from a good whiskey is largely contact between the unfinished spirit and — in the case of bourbon — those charred white oak staves of the whiskey barrel. You probably already knew that, but it does raise the question: What about the spirits in the center of the barrel? The stuff that doesn’t come in contact with the wood? Part of the answer is heat cycling — either naturally with the passing of the seasons or via forced climate control — the liquid expands and contracts creating a (very) slow movement of liquid in the barrel. But it doesn’t move that much. Rolling is better, but tedious.

Enter Hank Ingram, founder of Brown Water Spirits in Ballard County, Kentucky, and the mind behind the O.H. Ingram River Aged Series of whiskeys. Hank is a connoisseur of the brown water but lacks an old whiskey family pedigree. His people were barge people, and that’s what led to one of the more clever — albeit brilliantly simple — innovations in whiskey-making that I’ve read about in a long time.

When we spoke, Hank was on the road to one of the company’s floating rickhouses on the nearby Mississippi River. Hank explained the process to me with the language of an involved and excited engineer, but the bottom line is this: He lets the natural movement of the river do the sloshing for him. (In Hank’s defense, “sloshing” was my word. His had more syllables.)

The effect of all this is a whiskey being aged in the humid climate of the Mississippi, with river legs wobbling beneath it.

Hank admits it’s experimental, but that’s the adventure. What appears to be happening is something of dog years in whiskey aging, where one year of the slow but constant movement of spirits in the barrel is equal to

19

TV By Chris McCoy

Squatched!

A journalist investigates a tangled tale of murder and Bigfoot in California weed country.

L

April 29-May 5, 2021

ate in the new Hulu documentary miniseries Sasquatch, anthropologist Jeffrey Meldrum puts the cryptid in the context of “wild man in the woods” legends that go back to Gilgamesh. As long as we can remember, there have been humanoid manifestations of our fears of the unknown, and the unknowable hostility of nature, haunting the edges of our vision.

Sasquatch begins with freelance journalist David Holthouse trying to track down the truth behind a cryptic memory. Holthouse, who recently produced a docuseries on the Night Stalker murders for Netflix, began his career as a music writer, and was one of the first people to cover Burning Man. In October 1993, Holthouse was a wasted youth working on an illegal cannabis farm in Northern California’s Emerald Triangle. One night, as the crew was packing it in, he overheard another worker telling his boss that he had seen three bodies in a pot field that had been torn apart by a Bigfoot. The guy was so agitated that Holthouse thought he was absolutely sincere in describing what he believed he had seen. Decades later, after a career of infiltrating white supremacist cells and investigating

Mafia murders, Holthouse decides to return to Humboldt County to see if there was any truth to his weird memory.

As it turns out, Humboldt County is prime Sasquatch territory. It’s in the midst of thousands of square miles of forest primeval — which is one of the reasons why the pot farmers chose it in the first place.

The clearest footage of an alleged Bigfoot, the infamous Patterson-Gimlin film, was captured there in 1967.

Holthouse interviews Bob Gimlin, who assures him that Bigfoot is real, but a peaceful creature. Then he interviews a guy who claims to have hoaxed Gimlin by dressing up in a homemade Bigfoot costume. He even produces what he claims was the actual costume for the camera.

To me, that feels like the biggest scoop in Sasquatch.

Here are the images that seared the Sasquatch into the popular consciousness, and Holthouse and director Joshua Rofé just casually reveal it as a hoax less than halfway through their three-hour series.

But Sasquatch has a much bigger story to tell, and Bigfoot is just a part of it. Humboldt County in the early 1990s was the focus of the Reaganite War on Drugs, and let’s just say there were a lot more likely ways to get killed than

by Bigfoot. The Hell’s Angels, for example, controlled the choicest plot of land in what a

David Holthouse (above) chases loose threads and dead ends in Sasquatch; (below) Bigfoot or big fake? It’s not Harry and the Hendersons. veteran grower named Ghostdance calls the best climate for growing cannabis in the world. The rural area made famous by back-to-the-land hippies fleeing the harsh vibes of the Bay Area had, by then, descended into an insular, paranoid, and heavily armed community where growers and the California Highway Patrol played high-stakes cat-and-mouse games. Into this volatile mix came Mexican migrant workers, drawn north by the promise of good pay in the pot fields.

Rofé puts Holthouse, the investigator, in the center of his story, which normally annoys me. In this case, though, I have to grudgingly admit that it works.

Holthouse has a particular kind of anti-charisma. He says that, for some reason, the criminals and “monsters” he has written about in his career have opened up to him, because they think he’s as crooked as they are. The process of investigating the mystery, in which Holthouse has numerous late-night phone calls and clandestine meetings in the parking lot of a Humboldt sports bar, takes up the bulk of the three episodes. That’s

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Holthouse remember what he thinks he remembers? At one point, the investigation hinges on whether the long-lost cryptid murder witness said “a Bigfoot” or just “Bigfoot.”

Sasquatch definitely suffers from the dreaded Streaming Docuseries Bloat Syndrome (SDBS), but the two-pronged dive into weirdo cryptid obsessives and the California criminal underworld is creepier than your usual true crime eyebrow-raiser. If nothing else, it proves that the nuts and bolts of journalism can make for compelling TV. Sasquatch is streaming on Hulu.

SHELBY COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING

AMENDMENT TO THE CONSOLIDATED PLAN AND ANNUAL PLAN (AP2)

Shelby County Department of Housing (SCDH) is amending the Program Year 2020 (PY20) Annual Plan in order to accommodate jurisdiction input. Through stakeholder engagement we determined a need to alter planned projects, and as such SCDH proposes amending the PY 2020 Annual Action Plan. This change will include the cancellation of one activity within its goal to Improve and Construct Public Facilities and expand another activity that addresses the same goal. Each year, Shelby County assists local municipalities to provide safe, aesthetically pleasing, and functional communities for their residents. Specifically, this amendment shifts project funding amounts within its Community Development and Infrastructure activity. Our proposed substantial amendment will expand the Collierville Allison Heights Sidewalks project, improving walkability, access, and pedestrian safety. This increase in scope is accommodated by the cancelation of Millington’s South Gym Air Conditioning project.

The substantial amendment to the PY 2020 Annual Action Plan will be available for public review from May 1, 2021 through May 31, 2021 online via the Memphis and Shelby County’s Division of Planning and Development Department of Housing at the following link: https://www. develop901.com/housing/planningReporting. This information will also be distributed via email through the City of Memphis main library listserv. In order to solicit public comments on the Amendment to the Consolidated Plan, SCDH will hold a virtual public hearing; Thursday, May 27, 2021 at 5:30pm. To join the virtual hearing go to this web address https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/866826797 or dial (872) 240-3412 and enter access code: 866-826-797. If you plan to attend the public hearing and have special needs, please contact the Department of Housing at dana.sjostrom@shelbycountytn.gov by Monday, May 24, 2021 and we will work to accommodate you. Written comments should be addressed to Dana Sjostrom (dana.sjostrom@shelbycountytn.gov), Shelby County Department of Housing, 1075 Mullins Station Road, Memphis, TN 38134.

SCDH will respond to written comments within five working days of their receipt. For questions concerning the Amendment to the Consolidated Plan, please contact Dana Sjostrom via email at dana.sjostrom@shelbycountytn. gov or telephone at 901-222-7601.

The Shelby County Department of Housing does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age or disability in employment or provision of services. Equal opportunity/equal access provider.

Lee Harris Shelby County Mayor

Attest: Scott Walkup, Administrator Department of Housing

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

probably inevitable, because Holthouse has very little to go on. He doesn’t even have a body, nor did he ever see a body.

None of the distressingly large number of murders he can confirm happened in the Emerald Triangle match the facts of his memory. Holthouse is mostly chasing dead ends — right up until he suddenly isn’t.

Sasquatch is rife with unreliable narrators, but your level of trust in Holthouse will probably define your level of enjoyment here. Are you gonna believe the guy named Razor, who grew up tending bud for the Hell’s Angels? Does

N O T I C E ]

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TV By Chris McCoy

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THE LAST WORD By Steve Mulroy

Stacking the Deck

THE LAST WORD

When courts tell you you’ve violated the Constitution, one response would be to try to do better. Another approach would be to peevishly change the litigation rules of the game, and the refs, so you can do what you want without meaningful judicial scrutiny. This year, the Tennessee General Assembly looks to be taking the latter approach.

A pair of bills about to pass in Nashville would take power away from current judges to insulate the state from judicial review. Key votes, on the floor and in committee, are set for this week. Anyone who cares about a nonpartisan, independent safeguard of our constitutional rights ought to sound the alarm.

Rigging the Game: One pending bill, sponsored by Senator Brian Kelsey, would say that any time a trial judge orders preliminary injunctive relief against the state in a constitutional lawsuit, the state can automatically get a “stay” of the trial court order, pending the final outcome of the whole appellate process. Normally, such “interlocutory appeals” and “stays pending appeal” are left to the trial and appellate judges’ discretion on a caseby-case basis. When matters are time-sensitive, a stay pending appeal can mean that people’s constitutional rights can irrevocably be violated while the appellate wheels slowly grind on. Had this rule been in effect last summer, the order expanding mail voting access for the August election would have been neutralized.

This bill would also permanently bar any local government from ever challenging the constitutionality of a state statute. This provision was inspired by last year’s successful lawsuit by Shelby County and Nashville against the school voucher law (which targeted Shelby and Davidson Counties only).

This provision is also very troubling. Sometimes, only a local government entity will have the legal standing to challenge certain types of unconstitutional decisions. Other times, private persons who would have standing lack the resources or expertise to challenge unconstitutional laws. Here, local governments play a vital role.

Judicial Gerrymandering: But perhaps the most troubling bill is one that would create an entirely new court ALAN CROSTHWAITE | DREAMSTIME.COM — a three-judge “Super Chancery” trial court with exclusive jurisdiction over any constitutional challenge to any It’s not balanced justice with a finger on state legislative, executive, or administrative action. Crucially, the “Super Chancellors” would be elected statewide the scales.

— the only judges so selected in Tennessee.

The bill’s sponsor has admitted on the record this is a nakedly partisan bill, designed to ensure that only Republican judges can ever consider constitutional cases. He laments that under current law, these cases start out in Nashville, which is “the most liberal district in the state,” with overwhelmingly Democratic voters. Statewide elections, he notes, would ensure that the prevailing (Republican) ideology would dictate who could evaluate constitutional claims.

This bill is as unnecessary as a practical matter as it is outrageous in its motivation. Cases starting out at the trial level in Nashville get reviewed on appeal by appellate and State Supreme Court judges who come from all over the state, are selected by the governor and state legislature, and are overwhelmingly Republican. Indeed, that happened in the mail voting case: The Tennessee Supreme Court upheld some of the relief granted by the trial judge, but still substantially watered down her ruling in response to arguments from the state. If you want to ensure Republican judges get to weigh in on constitutional issues in deepred Tennessee, you don’t need to spend over $1 million a year (the bill’s minimum fiscal note) to create an entire new level of judicial bureaucracy to handle what amounts to only a small fraction of the overall statewide caseload.

Worse, forcing these Super Chancellors to run statewide means that only very wealthy judicial candidates or those financed by deep-pocketed special interests can afford to run the kind of exorbitant statewide campaign that would give them any shot at winning. If you were worried that the Koch Brothers didn’t have enough of a say over our constitutional rights in the Volunteer State, fear not: Help is on the way!

Fortunately, there is still time (though not much) to stop these travesties. Contact your state legislators and tell them to reject these attempts to stack the deck.

Steve Mulroy is the Bredesen Professor of Law at the University of Memphis and a former Shelby County commissioner. He was lead plaintiffs’ counsel in last year’s lawsuit to expand mail voting access during the pandemic.

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

The Tennessee legislature is trying to rig the game (and the refs) for constitutional lawsuits.

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