JANICE GRISSOM ELLISON, KAREN MILAM, DON MYNATT, TAMMY NASH, RANDY ROTZ, LEWIS TAYLOR, WILLIAM WIDEMAN Distribution
KENNETH NEILL Founding Publisher
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 O cer
LYNN SPARAGOWSKI
Controller/Circulation Manager
JEFFREY GOLDBERG Chief Revenue Officer
MARGIE NEAL Chief Operating Officer
KRISTIN PAWLOWSKI Digital Services Director
Go Outside, Nerd!
Our guide to spending the summer outside.
PHOTO: BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN
Hearth Magic e home-centered practice helps us nd magic in the everyday. p25
PHOTO: ANDREA DAVIS | UNSPLASH
Back to the Multiverse
Season 8 of Rick and Morty delivers laughs, but struggles to keep it fresh. p28
& OPINION THE FLY-BY - 4 POLITICS - 8 AT LARGE - 9 COVER STORY “GO OUTSIDE, NERD!” BY FLYER STAFF - 10
- 16
- 17
CALENDAR - 19 NY TIMES CROSSWORD - 21 WE SAW YOU - 22
FOOD - 24 METAPHYSICAL CONNECTION - 25
OF THE WEIRD - 26
- 27
- 28
PLAYING - 29
- 30
WORD - 31
THE fly-by
MEM ernet
Memphis on the internet.
CLAYBORN ARSON
“We are heartbroken to con rm what we now know: e re at Clayborn Temple was not an accident,” Historic Clayborn Temple said on Facebook last week. “It was arson.”
e Memphis Fire Department issued the photo below as a person of interest in the investigation. Anyone with information was asked to called Crime Stoppers at 528-CASH (528-2274) or the State Arson Hotline at 1-800-762-3017 and could be eligible for an $11,000 cash reward.
MEMPHIS RAP
Redditor u/Philbofa shared a hilarious meme from @LuzNocedaReal in the Memphis Rap subreddit last week. West Coast rap during the ’90s: “We need to be better than the East Coast guys!” East Coast rap during the ’90s: “We need to be better than the West Coast guys!”
Memphis:
Questions, Answers + Attitude
Edited by Toby Sells
{WEEK THAT WAS
By Flyer staff
DOJ on MPD, Homicide, & xAI
Trump closes police reviews, tracking murder rates, and Young Folks Rally against Colossus.
DOJ CLOSES MPD REVIEW
e U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) closed its investigation of the Memphis Police Department (MPD) last week.
In December, the DOJ found that the MPD uses excessive force; conducts unlawful stops, searches, and arrests; unlawfully discriminates against Black people when enforcing the law; and unlawfully discriminates in their response to people with behavioral health disabilities.
e DOJ was then controlled by former President Joe Biden, and the announcement came a er the election of President Donald Trump. Speculation at the time gured Trump would likely drop the investigation.
e DOJ said last Wednesday it will also retract “the Biden administration’s ndings of constitutional violations on the part of” the MPD and other police departments across the country.
“ e department is con dent that the vast majority of police o cers across the nation will continue to vigorously enforce the law and protect the public in full compliance with the Constitution and all applicable federal laws,” reads a DOJ statement.
Ben Crump, attorney for the family of Tyre Nichols, said the move is “attempting to erase truth and contradicting the very principles for which justice stands.”
“ is decision is a slap in the face to the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Tyre Nichols, and to every community that has endured the trauma of police violence and the false promises of accountability,” Crump said in a statement.
Meanwhile, national and statewide groups demanded transparency in local processes of police reforms.
“As the federal government pulls back on police oversight, local communities are stepping up and calling for transparency and real reform,” organizations said.
HOMICIDE CAPITAL?
Is Memphis the “homicide capital of America,” just as FBI Director Kash Patel said on Fox News two weeks ago? Maybe.
Law enforcement agencies collect and report crime numbers di erently. But compared to St. Louis, which had the highest homicide rate in 2024, Memphis was slightly higher per capita this year. But the Memphis murder rate is below St. Louis so far.
YOUNG FOLKS RALLY
Young people were set to rally over the weekend against
e
Elon Musk’s xAI project in the name of environmental justice.
Two groups — Young Minds United and Tigers vs. Musk — were hosting a Young Folks Rally at the Kukutana Museum Ballroom located at 1036 Firestone Avenue last Saturday.
“While many city leaders, including Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, believe that xAI is ‘not a threat’ and ‘monetarily good for Memphis,’ as citizens and the people who have to live with the consequences of these short-term decisions, we beg to di er,” Young Minds United said in a statement.
TEQUILA BOOM
A Memphis-based tequila brand is the fastest-growing in the country, its parent company announced last week.
Morningside Brands Inc. said sales of its Alma del Jaguar Tequila grew by almost 429 percent year over year. It is now sold in 23 states, up from nine in 2023. e tequila brand is now in 4,500 retail stores, expanding at a rate of over 200 new accounts per month.
Visit the News Blog at memphis yer.com for fuller versions of these stories and more local news.
PHOTO: MORNINGSIDE BRANDS INC.
Memphis-based tequila brand, Alma del Jaguar, is made by the Vivanco tequila family.
Safety Net Threatened {
NATION WATCH
By Toby Sells
Trump cuts to federal aid programs would impact thousands of Shelby County families, pull millions from local economy.
Shelby County is more reliant on federal safety net programs — and more sensitive to cuts — than any other county in Tennessee, according to a new study by the Sycamore Institute.
In 2024, Shelby County residents received nearly $2 billion in funds from federal safety programs, Medicaid, TANF, WIC, and SNAP, according to the Sycamore Institute study.
President Donald Trump has promised deep cuts to these programs, meant to support low-income people and families. The federal budget bill enacting these cuts is now progressing through Congress.
In Memphis, the cuts could have an outsized effect on Black children, the largest collective group living here below the poverty line. The 2024 Poverty Fact Sheet from the University of Memphis says 27 percent of the city’s Black population lives below the federal poverty level. It says 36 percent of its impoverished population is under age 18.
The biggest of these safety net cuts is promised for Medicaid, a healthcare block grant to help states pay for
healthcare benefits for low-income populations. It’s called TennCare in Tennessee.
The cuts could mean thousands of citizens of Memphis and Shelby County would lose their access to healthcare.
The Sycamore Institute, a Nashvillebased policy think tank for Tennessee, said 26.6 percent of Shelby County’s population is enrolled in TennCare.
As of March, that was 241,804 people, the highest number of enrollees of any Tennessee county. Shelby County also has the largest population of any Tennessee county, outpacing secondranked Davidson County by about 200,000 people.
Cuts to TennCare could also mean hundreds of millions of dollars might leave the Shelby County economy. Last year, TennCare paid healthcare providers $1.4 billion for claims for these Shelby County enrollees. It paid hospitals $175 million for uncompensated care for these patients and those without health insurance.
Cuts to TennCare could strain the budgets of Memphis and Shelby County
hospitals and healthcare providers, forcing them to make tough choices.
Tennessee’s refusal to expand the state’s Medicaid budget has also brought the closure of several rural hospitals in the state. That decision was a political, Obama-era decision by the state GOP to oppose the Affordable Care Act. That decision leaves $1.4 billion on TennCare’s table each year even through the Trump presidency.
Federal aid here totaled nearly $2 billion last year.
The Tennessee Justice Center says more than 300,000 Tennesseans are uninsured, with no access to healthcare. Medicaid expansion would cover this population, support 15,000 new jobs, lower uncompensated care costs for hospitals, and offer better long-term health outcomes.
Sycamore Institute’s report showed Shelby County also has the largest statewide enrollment in other federal
safety net programs including SNAP, TANF, and WIC.
Here’s a look at each of those:
SNAP – Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: This program provides food benefits for low-income families.
• March 2025 enrollment: 149,551 (16.4 percent of Shelby County population)
• 2024 federal expenditures: $370 million
TANF – Temporary Assistance for Needy Families: This program provides temporary cash assistance and other benefits for low-income families.
• 2024 enrollment: 66,017 (7.3 percent of Shelby County population)
• 2024 federal expenditure: $9.9 million
WIC – Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children: This program provides food benefits and other nutrition support for low-income mothers and young children.
• 2024 enrollment: 26,266 (2.9 percent of Shelby County population)
• 2024 federal expenditure: $22.5 million
POLITICS By Jackson Baker
Under the Weather
Preparations continue for next year’s election.
It won’t even be possible to pick up a petition from the Election Commission until December, but by now, most of the long-rumored hopefuls for Shelby County mayor in 2026 have taken some concrete steps indicating their candidacy — by appointment of a campaign treasurer, organization of fundraisers/meet-and-greets, or via social media, campaign signs, or ads in play.
ose considered active or about to be, all Democrats at this point, include Memphis City Councilman JB Smiley, Shelby County Commissioner Mickell Lowery, County CAO Harold Collins, County Assessor Melvin Burgess, and businessman/ philanthropist J.W. Gibson.
Still keeping her powder dry but regarded as certain to be a candidate is Criminal Court Clerk Heidi Kuhn, also a Democrat.
for county mayor. But Morgan nished well behind Democratic incumbent Lee Harris, and the Republicans’ perceived weakness was further demonstrated by the party’s failure to nominate a candidate of its own for sheri that year.
At this writing, the county Republican Party’s plans for partisan primary races in 2026 remain incomplete, though it should be noted that the party’s executive committee recently voted to hold primaries in local school board races — a step prompted by the General Assembly’s vote this year to put school board races on the same fouryear grid as county commission races.
And there remains the prospect of a contested gubernatorial primary on the Republican side. District 6 U.S. Representative John Rose is independently wealthy and already running hard, though a race for governor by GOP U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn, long assumed to be a fact, has recently come into some doubt with the revelation that she is apparently soliciting funds for a reelection bid for the Senate, which would not take place until 2030.
No mainstream Republican has been heard from so far, but the Reverend Gerald Kiner, not well-known heretofore in party a airs (or elsewhere, for that matter), has indicated he will likely run for the o ce. Kiner, who heads the nonpro t Daughters of Zion, has taken no formal steps as of yet.
Shelby County’s Republicans enjoyed a brief period of political dominance in the county from 1992, when they ushered in the era of partisan primaries for county ofce, to 2018, when a Democratic sweep of county o ces — the so-called “blue wave” — indicated that demographic changes had put Democrats back in the saddle.
e GOP took what was probably its best shot at a local political comeback in 2022 when it nominated former councilman, now party chair, Worth Morgan
And, as was demonstrated in the case of former state Senator Brian Kelsey of Germantown — convicted of campaign nance violations and later pardoned by President Trump — funds raised for state races and federal races are not mutually transferable and must be kept separate.
• First-term Councilwoman Jerri Green is receiving kudos from various sources for her diligent — and apparently fruitful — e orts to nd funding sources in the 2026 city budget to pay for raises for the police and for city employees at large.
e council approved the raises last week as a climax to talks sparked by the Memphis Police Department’s sense of being overlooked in Mayor Paul Young’s proposed preliminary budget.
PHOTO: JACKSON BAKER
Defying the elements on a rain-plagued weekend were Shelby County Democrats keeping faith with the party’s annual Bratfest. Hunkered under a carport on Sunday were (l to r) host Jon Carroll, Barbara Etheridge, Bob Hatton, Steve Stephens, and Je Etheridge.
The Poop Rule
Decluttering with a di erence.
Sometimes I just get so tired of social media — tired of trying to have a reasonable discussion with someone who quotes Tulsi Gabbard unironically, tired of having to change “relevant comments” to “all comments” on every Facebook post, tired of seeing AIcreated articles and pictures designed to get me to scroll endlessly (“21 Boomer Skills You Don’t Need Anymore”), tired of endless, intrusive “reels” designed to tweak my apparent algorithmic interests — guitar, chess, French, yshing, etc. On it goes and on it goes. It doesn’t help that my job, such as it is, requires me to be on my computer for several hours a day. When I’m not editing Flyer website posts or cybersnarking with my co-workers on our Slack channel, I sometimes nd myself just stupidly reading stupid stu on the never-ending internet. (For this reason, I keep my Gibson on a stand by my desk and when I catch myself getting glassy-eyed, I grab it and continue my months-long obsession with learning how to nger-pick Lindsey Buckingham’s “Never Going Back Again,” which is the world’s most di cult guitar song. When my ngers get tired, I play Bob Dylan songs, which are easy. Boomer skills!) But I digress …
Anyway, it was during one of those mindless internet scrolling sessions that I came across a Washington Post article about “the poop rule,” a trendy new method that supposedly helps people who are “paralyzed by indecision” to declutter their lives. Here’s how it works, according to Amanda Johnson, a content creator who focuses on cleaning and organizing: “ e poop rule is simple,” she says. “While decluttering, ask yourself, ‘If something was covered in poop, would I still keep it?’ It’s a fun, no-nonsense way to decide what really adds value to your life.”
Well, rst I’m immediately put o by the “content creator” appellation. What is that, exactly, and why has Facebook recently determined that I too am a “content creator” and labeled me as such without my permission? Is a content creator just someone who creates stu to read or look at online? Or does it maybe mean that it’s someone who helps people become more content? Never mind, I know the answer, but that’s how my brain works sometimes. I prefer to think of myself as a discontent creator.
Secondly, “no nonsense”? C’mon,
the “poop rule” is the biggest pile of nonsensical, er, crap, I’ve seen in a long time. Amanda says if you can’t decide whether to hang on to that old chest of drawers in the attic, imagine it covered in, well, shit. If you would be willing to clean o the dresser, then it’s worth keeping. Are these people in kindergarten?
Sorry, but I’m imagining that “poop rule” story covered in poop and I don’t think I would bother to clean it o . What silliness. I’m beginning to suspect that entire article, including Amanda herself, was AI-generated. But maybe it’s an age thing. I’ve found that in my dotage I have less and less hesitancy about just tossing things out, or better said, taking the stu to Goodwill and making it someone else’s problem — or treasure, as the case may be.
We’re in the process of moving from a house we’ve inhabited for 18 years, and let me tell you, going through closets and drawers and all those boxes in the attic is a cathartic experience. You discover so much pointless stu — mementos that once seemed worth keeping and that have spent, say, the last 15 years in a dust-covered box on the back of a closet shelf. You realize that not only did you not miss that stu , you had totally forgotten it existed. Maybe instead of a poop rule, we should instigate a “dust rule.” If it’s covered in dust, get rid of it. From dust to dust, etc. I should probably create some content about that.
e bottom line is that the longer I hang around this planet, the more I realize that the only things that are truly irreplaceable are your friends and family and your furry creatures. Everything else is just stu . And that’s the straight poop.
ANDY | ADOBE STOCK Poo poo to the Poop Rule
PHOTO:
Hike the Woodland Trail in Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park.
Take a Hike
Put down the phone. Go outside. Touch grass. Produce some Vitamin C. Go for a long walk in the woods. “Forest bathing,” as the Japanese call it, will lower your stress levels. Plus, it can be 10 degrees F cooler under the tree canopy, compared to life inside the urban concrete heat island. Hiking is a formula for a convenient psychic reset.
One great thing about the Memphis metro is our easy access to interesting natural spaces. ere are a number of quality hiking trails in Shelby County’s environs. ere’s Big River Crossing, beginning in Martyrs Park and ending across the river in Arkansas farmland. True, there’s not a lot of trees on the railroad bridge, but the Mississippi River is as big and natural as it gets.
In the East, the Tour de Wolf Trailhead in Shelby Farms is a 5.9-mile loop that takes you through a variety of landscapes. On a sunny, late-spring day, it is usually buzzing with activity — both human and insect. If you’re going to go for a hike around here, good insect repellent is just as important as a solid pair of boots, and it’s just as important to avoid ticks as it is to keep the mosquitos away. Look for a repellent containing Deet, or a lotion with picaridin, to keep both at bay.
Go Outside, Nerd!
Our guide to spending the summer outside.
COVER STORY By Flyer staff
Guess what! We went outside! I know, I know, it’s crazy to think that the shut-in Flyer writers went outside and felt the sun shine on our beautiful faces — and my, oh my, are we a beautiful bunch. It’s why we’re in print journalism — see, it’s not just because we have great assignments like “write about a summer outdoor experience,” which we did have and we did do and that’s why we went outside. And, oh yeah, we’re still outside, and we will be, even a er the streetlights come on. We’ve found that there are so many things to do out here —especially during the summer! Keep reading to see what we have on our agenda.
If you really want to get away from it all, try the Woodland Trail in MeemanShelby Forest State Park. e trail winds through some of the densest forests on the blu s above the Mississippi. Expect some climbing — this trail covers more vertical distance than most tracks in the Delta, as it dips down into creek beds and washes heading for the river. Some days, you can walk for an hour without seeing another human being, and forget about the stresses of the city just a few miles away. — Chris McCoy
The Shelby Farms Outback
Sometimes your dogs need to get back to their essential dogginess — sans leashes, fences, streets, cars, and other human encumbrances. ey need to be able to run through vast green elds and over rolling hills, splash through puddles, wade in a lake, and writhe madly in the grass. Such canine joy is truly a blessing to see. Fortunately for us — and our dogs — there is the Shelby Farms Outback O -Leash Dog Park. e Outback was named one of the Top 10 dog parks in the country in USA Today’s “10 Best Readers’ Poll.” To be more precise, it was ranked number four. Here’s what they had to say: “ e Outback o ers over 100 acres of open space for your pup. Along with miles of hiking and biking trails, there are a number of lakes if your dog fancies a dip. e idyllic park o ers plenty of shade and seating, but only a portion of the dog park is fenced, so you’ll want to keep an eye on your dog.”
PHOTO: LAURA JEAN HOCKING
Unleash the dogs at the Outback at Shelby Farms Park, so they, too, can enjoy the dog days of summer.
To that latter point, there are a few things to know: Your dogs should be responsive to your verbal commands. (I use a sonic whistle.) If your dogs don’t come when you call, they’re not ready for an o -leash park. Oh, and take a doggy bag to pick up any solid pet waste.
Access to the Outback is via Gates 11, 12, and 13, on Trinity Road and Raleigh Lagrange Road on the northeastern side of the park. Give it a try. Your dogs will thank you. In fact, my hounds begin excitedly whining as soon we pull onto Sam Cooper Boulevard, leaving Midtown. ey know where we’re headed and they highly approve.
— Bruce VanWyngarden
Whet Thursdays
I’ve been described as so cheap I squeak — thanks, Mom — so when there’s an opportunity for a free art experience, I can’t resist. For the summer, the Metal Museum brings its Whet ursday, with live entertainment, hands-on activities, and metalsmithing demonstrations on the museum’s grounds on the last ursday of each month — for free. And to catch a break from the heat, the museum o ers free admission to its exhibits for the occasion. ( ank goodness!)
Every Whet ursday has a di erent theme, entertainment, hands-on activity, and food truck, so you’ll never repeat an experience — and there’s always that gorgeous view of the sunset over the Mississippi River. May 29th kicks o
this year’s Whet ursdays with Overton Park on the Blu , where guests will be able to meet with Overton Park Partners, make wire rings and pressed ower suncatchers, and listen to Marcella Simien from 5 to 8 p.m.
Other Whet ursdays include Ballroom on the Blu (June 26th), which will feature ballroom dancing lessons from Cat’s Ballroom; Karaoke on the Blu (July 31st), where guests can compete for prizes for the best karaoke performances; Beats on the Blu (August 28th), complete with a DJ battle; and 901 on the Blu (September 25th), which will have performances by Corey Lou & Da Village honoring Memphis’ musical roots.
For more information, visit metalmuseum.org. — Abigail Morici
Retro Games, Plus
You know the old saw that the problem with golf is that it’s a good way to spoil a walk — meaning that the built-in ts and starts and prolonged delays of the game militate against its potential cardiovascular bene ts.
e game has certain o -setting bene ts, of course —some of them social, in the sense that the game is normally engaged in not by individuals
playing solo but in packs, with a simultaneous focus on competition and group harmony.
e mechanics of the game, too, range all the way from the sheer power normally required o the driving tee to the controlled nesse of the putt.
Purists may sni at the idea, but many of the delights of the game — minus the walk, which in the relentless heat and humidity of the typical Memphis summer become a real challenge — can be had from the amusement-park atmosphere of a place like the sprawling Putt-Putt Golf & Games complex on Macon Road.
It’s retro, plus.
ere’s the driving range, where, on a good day, you can nd a lineup of serious strivers, all whaling away buckets of balls, enjoying the sense of power that comes from belting a good one and meanwhile honing their swing.
Nearby, on the other side of an arcade building, with its generous supply of bells and whistles and electronic games, are three miniature golf courses, ranging in
di culty from easy to hard. Presided over by obstacles in the form of elephants and gira es and suchlike, players of any age can get a sense of what it’s like to wield a putter. And there’s more at the complex — batting ranges for both so ball and hardball. Bumper cars, bumper boats, and what is advertised as Memphis’ largest game of … laser tag. (What’s that, you say? As with jazz, if you have to ask …)
And no, or very limited, walking. Whew. — Jackson Baker
Memphis River Parks
Take me to the river. at’s where I want to be this summer, what with the lineup of events the Memphis River Parks Partnership (MRPP) has planned. For one thing, I can get t with weekly free Hustle & Flow tness classes, from step to HIIT to Pilates to salsa dancing while taking in a gorgeous view at the beautiful Tom Lee Park. e kids that I don’t have (but maybe you do) can also get moving at their own Hustle & Flow classes, led by Kidonetics instructors. ey’ll be exploring sports in a noncompetitive environment at River Garden Park. Sounds like a better version of P.E. (i.e., no mile run).
Speaking of kids, monthly on Saturdays, they can join the University of Memphis’ CAESAR for SciPlay to release their inner scientist at Tom Lee Park. On June 21st, that means a
continued on page 12
PHOTO: BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN
continued from page 11
lesson on streams to celebrate National Rivers Month, and on July 12th, that means a fun water conservation game to celebrate Smart Irrigation Month.
And kids aren’t the only ones who get to be scientists, thanks to MRPP — and the Memphis Astronomical Society (MAS). Once a month, the whole family has a chance to be an astronomer and take in the magic of the night sky on top of Beale Street Landing, in a celestial exploration led by the folks of MAS. e next Stargazing event is May 31st, weather permitting.
at’s not all: is summer also means the return of Tom Lee Park’s monthly Sunset Skate, this year with themed skate nights. Sunset Skate kicks o on May 29th at 6 to 9 p.m. with a SuperMANE theme, where skaters are asked to dress to save the day. ( ere will be bounce houses for a chance to y!)
For each Sunset Skate, Cordova Skating Center provides free 30-minute skate rentals on a rst come, rst served basis, while Step and Skate will o er skate dance lessons from 6 to 7 p.m. Plus, the Voice of MCSC will be spinning high-energy DJ sets.
Other themed nights to look forward to include Summer Bash (June 26th), Back 2 School (July 31st), and Yeah GLOW (August 28th). For information
on these events and more, check out MRPP’s Facebook page. — AM
Overton Park Shell: Free Music Just Got Greener
Nothing says summer like breaking out the camping chairs and picnic blankets and heading over to the Overton Park Shell for some music under the stars. Memphians are lucky to have a nearly 90-year-old bandshell to host such wonders, and even luckier to have Orion Financial’s Free Concert Series there. Moreover, local musicians bene t from the series’ commitment to fostering Memphis talent.
Notable locals have already helped kick the whole thing o , from the Arc of Quasar’s psychedelic sounds to the many diverse groups featured in Dreamfest, now in its 14th year and dubbed the “Healing Edition” this time around. e smorgasbord of sounds will continue through June, spanning genres like classic country, New Orleans street music, indie rock, new-grass, hip-hop, pop, R&B, and soul. And some notable nationwide artists will be the New Breed Brass Band featuring Trombone Shorty on May 31st, the BoDeans on June 14th, Alejandro Escovedo on June 20th, and, wrapping the summer season up on June 28th, the Stax Music Academy.
Best of all, the experience will be
greener than ever this year. As the Overton Park Shell’s Shelby Smith explains, “ e Overton Park Shell is now the rst Project Green Fork [PGF]-certi ed venue in Memphis. We will work closely with them to ensure sustainability e orts are robust during concert season as it pertains to minimizing food waste, recycling protocols, the use of biodegradable/ compostable materials, and more. All food truck vendors plus our venue itself are required to meet a number of criteria that ful ll PGF’s ‘Green Steps.’”
— Alex Greene
The Grove at GPAC
e Grove at Germantown Performing Arts Center (GPAC) is a gem. Or, as Germantown resident Jill Crocker said to me when I was there the other night, “ is is the best thing that ever happened to Germantown.”
And Germantown Mayor Mike Palazzolo told me, “Welcome to our little slice of Midtown.” is is the outdoor area with a stage, trees, grass, and the setting for a pleasant but not raucously crowded
continued on page 14
SUMMER SOIRÉES
SIPS, TUNES, & VIBES
PHOTO: MICHAEL DONAHUE Get in the groove of summertime at e Grove at GPAC.
FLASHYOUR FLYER!
continued from page 12
concert experience. I do like raucously crowded events, too, but I wouldn’t have traded this spot the other night.
I was at e Grove to see the Tennessee Screamers, which includes my nephew, Frank McLallen. It was a beautiful night. You can bring in food and drink, chairs, and blankets. We got one of the tables down front. I brought a complete blackened chicken dinner with beans, potato salad, and sweet tea, of course.
ey also o ered food trucks. So, for dessert, I sprung for three strawberries and cream yogurts for my table from the TCBY truck.
I asked GPAC marketing coordinator Ellen Lemm about e Grove. “We seat approximately 900 guests in e Grove per show o ering table tickets — $17 including fees, up to six seats per table, limited availability — as well as general admission tickets — $9 including fees. Tickets for children under 18 are free, but they do need a ticket for entry.
“We o er a full-service bar on the First Horizon Plaza with a menu curated by our food and beverage mixologist Brad Pitts.”
ey primarily host public events at e Grove from May through October. “Our spring concerts in e Grove
series will typically run every ursday from May until June, while our fall series will begin late September and go until the end of October.”
Happy Friday is another feature at e Grove, Lemm says. It’s “a free event we host in e Grove every Friday from mid-May until the end of August where we open up the bar, bring in food trucks, and host a variety of local musicians.”
And, she says, “We started a new series last October called Appetite for the Arts, which is also free to the public, where we host food trucks at lunchtime, invite local artists to display and sell their creations, and show artsrelated lms on the video wall on the Highland Capital stage.
“All in all, I would guesstimate that we host around 50 events outside on the lawn during Grove season.”
— Michael Donahue
The Secret Beach
Okay, okay, the Secret Beach hasn’t been secret for a long time now. ere’s even a whole website to tell you how to get there.
A trip to the Secret Beach is a super-fun Memphis summer adventure, mainly because it really does feel like an adventure.
All the info you’re gonna need to get there is at wolfriverbeach.com. But once you park your car, the adventure
begins. ere’s no bright neon sign pointing the way. So, at a certain point you gotta just go with it and head into the woods. Mysterious markers on trees point to … somewhere. But is it the right way? See? Adventure time.
A er a few wrongs turns (and, man, was my kids’ beach bag getting heavy), we found it. Down a steep bank (with no handrail or anything!), the large, sandy beach spread out before us like an oasis at a bend of the Wolf River. e kids immediately hit the water, wading in at rst and then nding deeper pools once they got used to the
PHOTO: TOBY
We can debate if the Secret Beach is a secret, but we won’t debate if it’s fun.
gentle ow of the river. Oh, and there was a tire swing. Super. Summer. Fun. Time.
Okay, fun is over. It’s grown-up time. Should you swim in this water? A water quality test from the state this year found chlordane, PCBs, mercury, and more in the water and advised against eating sh caught there. However, I experienced no ill e ects from swimming there. Also, Memphians have been dipping there for years without warnings from any government agency. Still, though, swim at your own risk. — Toby Sells
steppin’ out
We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews
Cat Walk
By Abigail Morici
In Minneapolis, hundreds gather every year for the Wedge Cat Tour, a walking tour where crowds view neighborhood cats as they sit in their windows or on their front porches. It’s been an exercise in community, bringing people out for a day of cat watching, strangers taking joy in cat moms and dads propping up their pets like Simba in e Lion King. Walkers even make signs: “Show Us Your Cats.” It’s a bit ridiculous, but it’s a simple fun event that’s gone viral enough to spread to Memphis. Indeed, inspired by the Minnesotans, this year, the Cooper-Young Community Association (CYCA) will put on their very rst Cooper-Young Cat Walk.
Amanda Yarbro-Dill, executive director of the CYCA, says the Cooper-Young Cat Walk has been about a year in the making. A few months ago, she put out a neighborhoodwide request for people who would be interested in showing o their cats. “Something like 30 people responded to it, which for me is pretty good engagement,” she says. “In the last week, I’ve had to look at all of all of those houses, see where they are, and then kind of plan a route to hit up as many as possible in the space of about an hour-long walk.”
Yarbro-Dill will be leading the tour. “Some people will bring their cats out if their cats have that kind of temperament,” she says. “Everybody submitted facts about their cat.”
Some cats have been described as “attention whores [who] would love it if people came to see them,” and then there’s Pom Pom who “loves all the ladies.”
“I’m hoping along the route we happen to come across some random cats, and that would be just the extra cherry on top of the Sunday of the Cat Walk,” Yarbro-Dill adds.
Overall, she says, “It’s supposed to be a light-hearted day, free, and a way for people to come out with their friends. And I don’t know, if two people end up meeting at this Cat Walk and go on to build a friendship, I feel like my work here is done. …
“ ere’s always something going on in Cooper-Young. e CYCA always has something going on, and people can just follow us on social media [@cooperyoungassociation] to see what that is.”
COOPER-YOUNG CAT WALK, COOPER-YOUNG GAZEBO, 959
VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES May 29th - June 4th
Memphis Italian Festival Marquette Park, 4946 Alrose Avenue, ursday, May 29, 4-11 p.m.; FridaySaturday, May 30-31, 11 a.m.-11 p.m., $15/ ursday and Friday, $20/Saturday, free/kids 10 and under Everyone is Italian at the Memphis Italian Festival. Festival-goers can expect bocce, grape stomping, wine races, face painting, and cooking demonstrations from local chefs. There will also be food and drink vendors along with arts and crafts vendors, plus games, rides, and live music.
What’s for Brek-Fest Memphis Showcase
Lamplighter Lounge, 1702 Madison Avenue, Friday, May 30, 6 p.m.; Saturday, May 31, 5 p.m., $25/ nightly, $50/weekend pass, $75/VIP What’s for Breakfast Records presents its second annual
COOPER STREET, SUNDAY, JUNE 1, 2 P.M., FREE.
Memphis showcase with two days of 20-plus bands, with sub-flavors of punk, rock, garage, hardcore, synth punk, and general DIY sleaze all on deck.
Get your tickets at linktr.ee/ w records.
Memphis Dragon Boat Festival
Shelby Farms Park, Saturday, May 31, 8 a.m.-3 p.m., free
e Memphis Dragon Boat Festival is a fun, electric event to race across Hyde Lake in Shelby Farm in a thousands-years-old Chinese dragon boat format to raise fund for Memphis Chinese Community Center. You also can relax with culture performances, food, art, a kids zone, and gi shopping.
The performance showcase, taking place from noon to 1 p.m., will have a rock band, kung fu demonstration, Indian dance,
tinikling, Tibetan dance, street dance, ethnic fusion dance, and a ukulele solo.
Memphis Margarita Festival
Overton Square, 2101 Madison Avenue, Saturday, May 31, 3-6 p.m., $85.19/early entry, $59.78/general admission
Sample from the city’s best margarita-makers, vote on your favorite, and crown an audience winner at the end of this best ’rita fest.
Your ticket gets you entry to the event and 12 margarita samples from your favorite restaurants, with awesome entertainment. Food will be available for purchase, and there will also be a cash bar with fullsized drinks available.
is festival is guaranteed to be awesome squared, rimmed with salt, and served up cool. is is a 21+ event.
SOUTH
PHOTO: LUDEMEULA FERNANDES | UNSPLASH Cooper-Young shows us their cats.
MUSIC By Michael Donahue
‘Rock
A
On Forever’
Kiss Before Dying is metal to the core.
A
Kiss Before Dying departs on its “full East Coast tour” June 1st, but the members of the metalcore band won’t be wearing dog collars with spikes and strictly black clothing.
at was the 1980s stereotype. ey don’t adhere to today’s look, either, says lead singer Alex Harris, 24. “ ere’s de nitely a modern hardcore style, but we don’t make a point to conform to it,” he says. “We do our own thing.”
e modern hardcore style is “a lot of baggy clothes and lots of camo. Like baggy camo pants are really in. Stu like that.”
Harris wears T-shirts, jeans, and a band T-shirt along with running shoes on stage. “I like to bust out my Ja Ones. Ja Morant,” he says. “When I rst started out, I wore a Grizzlies jersey at every show and they started calling us ‘basketball metalcore.’”
“Where will we seek our cleansing? All our gods are dead and every place of respite is corporate.”
As for their music, Harris says, “We’re sort of metalcore, which is essentially hardcore heavily in uenced by metal.”
e band, which also includes drummer Ben Oliver, 20; lead guitarist Josh Smith, 26; rhythm guitarist Brodie Climer, 19; and bass player Rhyan Tindall, 24, recently released a two-song promo featuring their songs “Rage of Caliban” and “ e Most Heartfelt of All Fallacies.”
“Rage of Caliban” is “about getting an imposter syndrome about being a good person,” Harris says. “Like fear of having evil inside of you and you want to purge it.”
Describing “ e Most Heartfelt of All Fallacies,” he says, “ at’s the one a little bit more of a traditional heartbreak song. A lot of it is struggles with neurosis and feelings of abandonment.”
Harris grew up around music. “My dad was a local musician. My entire childhood he played in a band, Taco & Da Mofos.”
His dad, Shannon Harris, was the drummer in the band, which Alex describes as “reggae, rap, rock fusion.”
“Taco was the rst person to ever try to teach me guitar when I was really young. My dad was always trying to take me to shows, but they never ever really played all-ages venues being the type of band they were.”
A Kiss Before Dying used to go by Lachance, Harris says. “It’s a dual reference. It’s the last name of the main character in Stand By Me. And it’s also a character from a video game called Oblivion.”
Alex’s rst band was Ten Crowns, which he describes as “a bad one.”
Alex played guitar in Ten Crowns, but he wanted to do vocals instead.
“So I started Lachance. At the time it was just a side project. I didn’t expect to do anything with it. All the music was themed around the video game Oblivion. ere’s a faction in that game, the dark brotherhood, a group of assassins. e lyrics were more about the gruesome killing and death. And when it became a more serious project, I stopped using those type of lyrics and started using more emotional lyrics.”
ey released their rst record, If Bleeding Out’s in Style, as Lachance. “It was a four-song EP. We had abandoned the whole video game theme. It was an emo record, really. Screamo and emo, violence.”
e EP was “distributed by a small DIY record label, Jean Scene, in Pittsburgh. At that time, it was funny: We had a pretty big following in emo and screamo up North, but we didn’t have as much of a following down here.”
During the tour, Harris’ drummer,
bass player, and guitarist le . Alex had to nd all-new band members. “I pretty much had to rebuild it from the ground up. We decided to back away from screamo and go more into metalcore.”
And, he says, “With a lineup change and a slight shi in genre, we decided to change the name.”
e name, A Kiss Before Dying, had nothing to do with the 1956 movie of the same name starring Robert Wagner and Joanne Woodward. “It’s from the same video game Lachance is from. A quest in Oblivion.”
But, he says, “We actually used a clip from the ’50s movie in one of our tours. We played it at the beginning of the set. e woman screaming as she falls o the building. All the dialogue leading up to that scene. We’d play that right before we started our set.”
Alex met Oliver at Haven House, a “DIY venue,” Harris says.
“I was in a cover band with a couple of friends,” Oliver says. Epistaxis was the name of the band. “It’s another word for ‘nosebleed.’”
Oliver, who is from Marion, Arkansas, grew up “listening to punk and stu like that.”
Climer was attracted to guitar at a young age. “My dad always played guitar in his room. It was always full of guitar gear. I was like, ‘I want to do
that.’ I started playing guitar in h grade.”
Climer was a “huge fan of Metallica and Megadeth” when began playing guitar when he was 15 or 16. “I was really attracted by all the ri s, I would say.”
“My rst band was Anaphylactic Shock. We played shows for maybe a year or two.”
Tindall, another native Memphian, says, “I pretty much grew up being surrounded by music. My mother was a choir vocalist. My dad was in a plethora of bands when he was my age. Rad Tindall. His most locally popular band was a band called South Second. And he was in another band, Pavillion Nine.”
Smith originally wanted to be a vocalist or a drummer. But a er moving to a small town in Arkansas and hearing the bass player in a high school jazz band, he was hooked on bass. “I had my eyes glued to him the whole time.”
And Smith says, “My older brother got me into old punk and hardcore. And got me to learn bass guitar so we could play together. I started middle school band shortly a er this on the trombone.”
But, he says, “Guitar is my go-to because I feel like I can be the most expressive and really dig into new tones.”
In 2024, A Kiss Before Dying released its rst full length album, e Death of All I Once Held Dear. “Half of the lyrics on that album are abstract expressions of grief and the loss of the innocence of youth. But a lot is more about directing that anger and pointing blame, almost.”
e opening line of “A Kiss Before Dying” is “Where will we seek our cleansing when all our gods are dead and every place of respite is corporate.” ey get together every week and practice.
“We’re all adults with busy schedules,” Harris says. “Every now and then stu gets in the way.”
But their slogan is, “Rock on forever.”
“It’s just something we’ve been saying to each other for a long time,” Harris says. “It’s kind of a joke.” en he adds, “It’s not a joke. We live by it.”
PHOTO: NOAH GUFFIN
A Kiss Before Dying
AFTER DARK: Live Music Schedule May 29 - June 4
Blind Mississippi Morris
Friday, May 30, 8 p.m. | Saturday, May 31, 8 p.m.
BLUES CITY CAFE
Earl “The Pearl” Banks
Tuesday, June 3, 7 p.m.
BLUES CITY CAFE
FreeWorld
Friday, May 30, 7-11 p.m. |
Saturday, May 31, 7-11 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE
Ghost Town Blues Band
ursday, May 29, 7 p.m.
BLUES CITY CAFE
Memphis Soul Factory
ursday, May 29, 4 p.m. |
Sunday, June 1, 8 p.m.
B.B. KING’S BLUES CLUB
Soul Street
Wednesday, June 4, 7-11 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE
Beatles vs. Stones - A Musical Showdown
Featuring internationally renowned tribute bands, Abbey Road and Satisfaction - e International Rolling Stones Show.
Saturday, May 31, 7:30 p.m.
ORPHEUM THEATRE
Live Music on the Porch ft. Gia Welch and JD Westmoreland
Free. Saturday, May 31, noon2 p.m.
SOUTH POINT GROCERY
Michael Martin Murphey Murphey will celebrate the 50th anniversary of his classic million-selling pop-country song, “Wild re.” Sunday, June 1, 6 p.m.
THE HALLORAN CENTRE
Rooftop Party ft. Thumpdaddy
Also with DJ Sledro. ursday, May 29, 6 p.m.
THE PEABODY HOTEL
The Pretty Boys
Sunday, June 1, 3-6 p.m.
HUEY’S DOWNTOWN
Trolley Night With Erin McLendon and Laila Dinisco
Friday, May 30, 5-8 p.m.
SOUTH MAIN SOUNDS
Basketcase
Friday, May 30, 10 p.m.
ROOSTER’S BLUES HOUSE
Cody Clark
Saturday, May 31, 9:30 p.m.
ROOSTER’S BLUES HOUSE
Cowboy Mouth ursday, May 29, 8 p.m.
ROOSTER’S BLUES HOUSE
Even Odds
Sunday, June 1, 3-6 p.m.
HUEY’S POPLAR
Sunny Sweeney with Cam Pierce
Wednesday, June 4, 7 p.m.
ROOSTER’S BLUES HOUSE
Thomas Halfacre Benefit
Almost Famous, Black 59, Play Rough, e Pinch, and others help raise money for a champion of Memphis music.
$10. Sunday, June 1, 5-10 p.m.
ROOSTER’S BLUES HOUSE
Zazerac Soul Jazz Trio
Saturday, May 31, 8:30 p.m.
BOG & BARLEY
Akeem Ali
$27.60. Wednesday, June 4, 8 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
An Evening of Jazz with Adam Larson
An enchanting evening where art and jazz converge. $5.
ursday, May 29, 6-8 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Breeze Cayolle’s Bayou
Revue
Sunday, June 1, 3-6 p.m.
HUEY’S MIDTOWN
Cashmer Kashjimer
Sunday, June 1, 8 p.m.
LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE
Chaparelle (Orion Free Concert Series)
Singer-songwriters Zella Day and Jesse Woods come together as Chaparelle. ursday, May 29, 7:30 p.m.
OVERTON PARK SHELL
Degenerate Breakfast
With Honeydew, e Contradictions. Friday, May 30, 8 p.m. HI TONE
Echoes in the Room –
Episode 2
David Less and Robert Gordon present unheard performances from the Beale Street Music Festival from 1979 to ’83.
ursday, May 29, 7 p.m.
MEMPHIS LISTENING LAB
Funkytown Dance Party with South Memphis Jeff Funk-infused dance party.
$15/advance, $20/at the door. Friday, May 30, 7:30 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
Golden Mic: Young Artists in Concert e private vocal students of Cyrena Wages, Erika Cobb, and Megan McNeely perform alongside some of the city’s best musicians. Saturday, May 31, 1:30 p.m. | Saturday, May 31, 7 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
Gothique: Funeral for the Ages
DJ Midnight is moving abroad. See her o on the dance oor for Gothique’s nal night. With special guest DJs La Femme Radical and Kid Mestizo. 21+.
$10. Saturday, May 31, 10 p.m.
GROWLERS
Harvest Collective –
Listening Event e group will present their latest work, All Who Are Weary ursday, May 29, noon.
MEMPHIS LISTENING LAB
Jazz Jam with the Cove Quartet
Sunday, June 1, 6-9 p.m.
THE COVE
Laughing Matter With B.o.r.n., Interna, Skingraph. Friday, May 30, 8 p.m.
HI TONE
Level Three Wednesday, June 4, 10 p.m.
LOUIS CONNELLY’S BAR
Louis Michot: Seauxleaux
e two-time Grammy award winner is celebrating the release of his debut solo album. $15/advance, $20/at the door. Sunday, June 1, 7:30 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
New Breed Brass Band ft. Trombone Shorty (Orion Free Concert Series)
A brand of second line music in conversation with everything from Caribbean music to No Limit Records to modern R&B. Saturday, May 31, 7:30 p.m.
OVERTON PARK SHELL
Parker Millsap (Orion Free Concert Series)
Captivating live performances, soulful sound, and characterdriven narratives. Friday, May 30, 7:30 p.m.
OVERTON PARK SHELL
Pyrrhic Vic With Dinosauria, Radar Blips. Sunday, June 1, 8 p.m.
HI TONE
1225 Madison Ave., Midtown Medical District 901-722-3250 eyecentermemphis.com See and try the latest
Clarity Ad_MphsFlyer_Horiz.indd 1
PHOTO: BANKPLUS AMPHITHEATER
Dwight Yoakam
Dale Watson & his Lonestars
ursday, May 29, 7-11 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY
Dwight Yoakam: The Cosmic Roundup & Rodeo Tour
With e Mavericks and 49 Winchester. Friday, May 30, 7 p.m.
BANKPLUS AMPHITHEATER
Hunter Peebles and Mallory Eagle
With Kitty Dearing. Friday, May 30, 8-10 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY
Live in Studio A
Summer Series with 926 Stax Music Academy Alumni Band
Sexfaces
With Squib Kick. Tuesday, June 3, 8 p.m.
HI TONE
Starlito & Don TripStepbrothers 4 Life Tour
$91.90. Friday, May 30, 8 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Steve Selvidge Band Friday, May 30, 8 p.m.
B-SIDE
The Greeting Committee
$29.95. ursday, May 29, 8 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Toni Romiti: Romiti In Your City Tour With Kara Marni. ursday, May 29, 7 p.m.
HI TONE
Wendell Wells Saturday, May 31, 6-9 p.m.
CELTIC CROSSING
What’s for Brek-Fest
Memphis Showcase
Local music showcase with several sub- avors of punk, rock, garage, hardcore, synth punk, and general DIY sleaze on deck. Two days, 20+ bands
$25/standard day pass, $50/ weekend pass, $75/VIP pass. Friday, May 30-31.
LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE
Young Nudy - Come to My World Tour
$45.40. Tuesday, June 3, 8 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Every Tuesday this month, hear singers and musicians who’ve graduated from the worldrenowned Stax Music Academy. Free. Tuesday, June 3, 2-4 p.m.
STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC
Royal Blues Band
Sunday, June 1, 6-9 p.m.
HUEY’S SOUTHWIND
The Double D’s Sunday, June 1, 6-9 p.m.
HUEY’S SOUTHAVEN
Concerts in The Grove with Germantown
Symphony Orchestra
Kids under 18 are free. $9/ general admission. ursday, May 29, 6:30-8 p.m.
THE GROVE AT GERMANTOWN
PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Happy Friday at the Grove
Josh relkeld hosts worldfamous Charles Streeter and friends. Friday, May 30, 5-8 p.m.
THE GROVE AT GPAC
Sanctifica Wind
Ensemble Concert
Season-ending concert, conducted by Andrew Proctor and dedicated to the memory of founder and former director Billie Moore. Free. Sunday, June 1, 2-3:30 p.m.
ST. GEORGE’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
SATURDAY JUNE 7
CROSSTOWN CONCOURSE 10a-5p
Shop over 100 local artists and makers - from handmade goods to one-of-a-kind art - discover something special!
Crafts & Drafts Beer Gardens - enjoy local brews and bites while you browse!
Live music, food, and community vibes all day long! Explore the vibrant spirit of Crosstown Concourse.
CALENDAR of EVENTS: May 29 - June 4
ART AND SPECIAL EXHIBITS
“2024 Accessions to the Permanent Collection”
is Accessions series honors the new additions to the museum’s permanent collection throughout each calendar year. rough Nov. 2.
METAL MUSEUM
Alaina NJ: “Bird Sanctuary”
Notes NJ, “ is series aims to bring together vivid gardens and happy birds, in layers of bold color and texture. Each piece intends to capture a moment where nature feels abundant and intimate.” Monday, June 2-June 30.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Artists’ Link Exhibition: Spring 2025
Featuring works in oil, acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, woodcut, ber, weaving, ceramic materials, stained glass, and metals. rough May 30.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
ARTSmemphis:
“GRANTEDTime Exhibition”
An exhibit curated by Brittney Boyd Bullock, a visual artist working ber, mixed media, and abstraction. rough Aug. 5.
ARTSMEMPHIS
“Art Speaks: Visual Poetry Exhibition & Art
Inspired by Words” is dynamic showcase explores the powerful intersection of language and visual expression, bringing together artists who draw inspiration from literature, poetry, music, and spoken word. rough May 31.
MEMPHIS ART SALON AT MINGLEWOOD HALL
Bartlett Art Association Exhibition: “Summer Arts Fest”
Works by members of this nonpro t organization chartered in 1988 to encourage, educate, improve, exhibit, and support ne art. Sunday, June 1-June 29.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Becky Ross McRae: “All About Color”
McRae’s high-resolution photos are printed on metallic paper, mounted on aluminum, and covered with a thick layer of acrylic, giving them a threedimensional e ect. Monday, June 2-June 29.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
“Bleeding Together – A Correspondence”
A collaboration between Andres Arauz, who specializes in photo collage, design, and photography, and Abby Meyers, a visual artist, poet, and award-winning lmmaker. Friday, May 30-Sept. 14.
CROSSTOWN ARTS AT THE CONCOURSE
“Building a Bright Future: Black Communities and Rosenwald Schools in Tennessee”
e Tennessee State Museum brings the award-winning temporary exhibit into every part of Tennessee. Davies Manor is thrilled to host this exhibit the farthest west it has ever been. ursday, May 29-July 31.
DAVIES MANOR HISTORIC SITE
“Colleen Couch and Dolph Smith: Walk in the Light”
“Walk in the Light” traces the arc of Smith’s work, presents new pieces by Couch inspired by Smith, and highlights recent collaborations between the two. rough June 29.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
“[Fe]ATURED AR[Ti]STS”
Works created and curated by sta members of the Metal Museum. Just as elements are the building blocks of artists’ materials, the museum is built on creativity, collaboration, and tradition. Friday, May 30-Sept. 14.
CROSSTOWN ARTS AT THE CONCOURSE
“Fur and Feathers, The Art of Gari Parisi” Gary Parisi works in a variety of mediums such as graphite, watercolor, acrylics, ballpoint pen, and oils. His primary focus is creating animal portraiture, achieved with extraordinary detail. Free. rough May 29.
WKNO DIGITAL MEDIA CENTER
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 EVENT LISTINGS, SCAN THE QR CODE OR VISIT EVENTS.MEMPHISFLYER.COM/CAL.
“Three Man Show”
Joe Umphress, Marc Wheetley, and E.D. Bynum Jr. provide a very special expanded exhibit of their works in this threeman show. rough June 1.
ST. GEORGE’S ART GALLERY AT ST. GEORGE’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
ART HAPPENINGS
“Home is a Dream I Keep Having” Opening Reception
A joint exhibition by Sara Moseley and Noah omas Miller. Friday, May 30, 6-9 p.m.
URBAN ART COMMISSION
Opening Reception: “Bleeding Together,” “[Fe]atured Ar[Ti]sts,” and “Zen on the Installment Plan”
Featuring works by artist duo A Correspondence, the Metal Museum, and Tad Lauritzen Wright. Music by DJ Ty Boyland, special menu created by Bao Toan, and food by Ben Keith. Friday, May 30, 6-8 p.m.
CROSSTOWN ARTS AT THE CONCOURSE
Jin Powell and John Powell: “Fusion”
A dynamic joint exhibition featuring the work of artists Jin Powell and John Powell, whose 20 new mixed-media pieces blend wood and metal
PHOTO: COURTESY ?????
Grandmother’s Iris, by Leigh Sandlin, exempli es the in uence of nature and landscapes on her work.
in compelling and unexpected ways. rough June 6.
ANF ARCHITECTS
“Landshaping: The Origins of the Black Belt Prairie” Learn about the geologic event known as the Mississippi Embayment and its e ect on this region. Fossils and farm tools will be displayed alongside photographs by Houston Co eld. rough Oct. 12.
PINK PALACE MUSEUM & MANSION
“Leigh Sandlin Solo Exhibition”
e works include vibrant abstract paintings in cold wax, linoleum, and mono prints, as well as encaustic collages. Sunday, June 1-June 26. GALLERY 1091
Leslie Holt: “The Sound of Your Own Wheels”
Abstract impressionism blends with intriguing text and wordplay in this artist’s work. rough June 21.
DAVID LUSK GALLERY
“Light as Air”
Explore the beauty in tension: a balance of forms, the contrast between heavy and light, and the signi cance of negative space. rough Sept. 7.
METAL MUSEUM
“Overcoming Hateful Things”
e exhibition contains over 150 items from the late 19th century to the present, including items from popular culture and images of violence against
African-American activists. Saturday, May 31-Oct. 19.
PINK PALACE MUSEUM & MANSION
Solo Exhibition by Leigh Sandlin is collection of works by Leigh Sandlin is in uenced by nature, landscapes, and gardens. Free. Monday, June 2, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | Tuesday, June 3, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | Wednesday, June 4, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
WKNO DIGITAL MEDIA CENTER
“Speaking Truth to Power: The Life of Bayard Rustin Exhibition”
“Speaking Truth to Power” explores Bayard Rustin’s innovative use of the “medium” to communicate powerful messages of nonviolence, activism, and authenticity. rough Dec. 31.
NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM
“Summer Art Garden: A Flash of Sun”
Immerse yourself in the radiant spirit of summer with these geometric sculptures that cast vibrant hues in the shi ing sunlight. rough Oct. 20.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Tad Lauritzen Wright: “Zen on the Installment Plan”
Contemplating humanity, nature, and repeated histories through photo abstractions and sculptural works constructed from salvaged wood. Friday, May 30-Sept. 14.
CROSSTOWN ARTS AT THE CONCOURSE
Opening Reception: “Building a Bright Future: Black Communities and Rosenwald Schools in Tennessee” e Tennessee State Museum brings the award-winning temporary exhibit into every part of Tennessee. Davies Manor is thrilled to host this exhibit the farthest west it has ever been. Sunday, June 1, 1-4 p.m.
DAVIES MANOR HISTORIC SITE
Opening Reception for Bartlett Art Association Exhibition: “Summer Arts Fest”
Works by members of this nonpro t organization chartered in 1988 to encourage, educate, improve, exhibit, and support ne art. Sunday, June 1, 2-4 p.m.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Opening Reception: “Leigh Sandlin Solo Exhibition”
e works include vibrant abstract paintings in cold wax, linoleum, and mono prints, as well as encaustic collages. Sunday, June 1, 2-4 p.m.
GALLERY 1091
“Swamp: A Meditation on Self and Silt”: Opening Reception As Wolf River Conservancy’s (WRC) celebration of Memphis wetlands, this event will feature WRC’s executive director Erik Houston, artist Hank Smith, and music by Too Small. Friday, May 30, 5:30-8 p.m.
THE UGLY ART COMPANY
continued on page 20
PHOTO: COURTESY WKNO Harmony, by Leigh Sandlin, is on view at WKNO’s Gallery 1091.
continued from page 19
Whet Thursday:
Overton Park on the Bluff
Sip on cra cocktails and enjoy delicious bites from local food trucks while mingling with fellow art enthusiasts and patrons of the Metal Museum. Whet ursday is a free a er-hours event. ursday, May 29, 5-8 p.m.
METAL MUSEUM
BOOK EVENTS
Michael Farris Smith: Lay Your Armor Down “A prophetic, propulsive tale of one mysterious, messianic child with untold powers who draws three desperate souls into acts of mercy and mayhem.” — Scott Blackburn. ursday, May 29, 6 p.m.
NOVEL
Robert Busby: Bodock: Stories
Hailed by Maurice Carlos Ru n as “leaving no feeling untouched,” Busby’s debut balances grit with heart, violence with depth, and tragedy with humor. Tuesday, June 3, 6 p.m.
NOVEL
Summer Stock-up Book Fair for Grownups
Featuring curated displays and expert booksellers to make individualized recommendations for your summer reading list. Discounts on everything in the store. Food and drinks available. Sunday, June 1, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
NOVEL
CLASS / WORKSHOP
Figure Drawing Fundamentals with Hayes Paschal
Join local artist and designer Hayes Paschal, a graduate of the University of Memphis with a BFA in digital illustration, for an engaging gure drawing class. $20/general admission. ursday, May 29, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
See Bruna D’Alessandro’s Pine Oak Branch in the Metal Musem’s “Light as Air” exhibit.
Like Really Creative Collage Workshop
A visual poetry collage workshop. Led by “Art Speaks” featured artist, Zack Orsborn. Limited seats available. $10. ursday, May 29, 6-8 p.m.
MEMPHIS ART SALON AT MINGLEWOOD HALL
Make Your Own: Wire Rings
Make Your Own is a monthly, two-hour lesson introducing a fun, simple metalworking technique using minimal tools — great for all ages! Saturday, May 31, 2:30-4:30 p.m.
METAL MUSEUM
Museum Muses: Peacock Portraits
A hands-on workshop on how to paint a striking peacock design on paper, inspired by the traditional Indian folk art style of Madhubani. ursday, May 29, noon-1:30 p.m.
MORTON MUSEUM OF COLLIERVILLE HISTORY
COMEDY
Comedy Night with Ben Pierce
Freewheeling hilarity on the open mic. ursday, May 29, 7 p.m.
BAR DKDC
Open Mic Comedy Night
A hilarious Midtown tradition. Tuesday, June 3, 8 p.m. HI TONE
COMMUNITY
Erase & Elevate
Expungement Clinic
Clear eligible records, meet employers, and access resources. Open to the public! Saturday, May 31, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
MT VERNON WESTWOOD
Spring Stewardship Event
Help continue work on the Wolf River Greenway, removing invasive species and clearing e Greenway of debris from the heavy ooding this spring. ursday, May 29, 10 a.m.-noon.
WOLF RIVER GREENWAY EAST
CALENDAR: MAY 29 - JUNE 4
Explore the history and ongoing legacies of the Jim Crow system in “Overcoming Hateful ings,” on display at the Pink Palace Museum & Mansion.
DANCE
Collage Dance’s 15th Annual Student
Concert is highly anticipated culminating performance features more than 300 students from the Collage Dance Conservatory. Sunday, June 1, 3 p.m.
CANNON CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
EXPO/SALES
Mid-South Hydrangea Society Plant Sale Purchase and learn more about hydrangeas. Saturday, May 31, 8:30-9:30 a.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Story Time at Novel
Recommended for children up to 5 years, Story Time at Novel includes songs and stories, featuring brand-new books in addition to wellloved favorites. Saturday, May 31, 10:30 a.m. | Wednesday, June 4, 10:30 a.m.
NOVEL
Super SaturdayMedieval Golden Portraits
Inspired by the Late Medieval Kress Collection, this is a unique opportunity to create a portrait of a loved one in uenced by enchanting medieval artistry. Free. Saturday, May 31, 10 a.m.-noon.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Teen Workshop: Alternative Fashion
A fashion workshop for 14to 18-year-olds. Learn how to design your own patches to decorate your clothing and accessories. Turn ordinary pieces into statement items that re ect your personality.
$15. Friday, May 30, 5-7 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Youth Workshop: Plein
Air Pointillism Painting
FILM
Barbie
Overton Square Movie Night in the Chimes Square courtyard on Trimble Place. Blankets and folding chairs welcome. Free. ursday, May 29, 7 p.m.
OVERTON SQUARE
Cemetery Cinema: The Sixth Sense
Enjoy the beauty of the cemetery with a fun, unique lm series. $15/general admission. Friday, May 30, 8:30-10:30 p.m.
ELMWOOD CEMETERY
Hook
When his young children are abducted by his old nemesis, Captain Hook, middle-aged lawyer Peter Banning returns to his magical origins as Peter Pan. ursday, May 29, 4:30 p.m. | Friday, May 30, 4:30 p.m. | Saturday, May 31, 4:30 p.m. | Sunday, June 1, 4:30 p.m. | Monday, June 2, 4:30 p.m. | Tuesday, June 3, 4:30 p.m. | Wednesday, June 4, 4:30 p.m.
MEMPHIS MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY
They Live
The Memphis Potters’ Guild Spring Show and Sale
Visit this pottery show to shop for unique and artisanal creations that re ect the talent and cra smanship of the local pottery scene. Friday, May 30, 5-8 p.m. | Saturday, May 31, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. | Sunday, June 1, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
ST. ANNE CATHOLIC CHURCH
FAMILY
Get Outside! Fitness: KidoKinetics rough age-appropriate games and activities, young children build con dence, coordination, and a love for active play with a variety of sports in an encouraging, noncompetitive environment. ursday, May 29, 5 p.m.
SHELBY FARMS PARK
Get Outside! Fitness: Kids Yoga
Kids yoga is designed to be fun and engaging, teaching basic yoga poses with playful names that build strength, exibility, balance, and mindfulness. Parents are welcome to join, too. Wednesday, June 4, 5-6 p.m.
SHELBY FARMS PARK
Pre-School Story Time
Enjoy stories, songs, art activities, and creative play that connect with Collierville history. Friday, May 30, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
MORTON MUSEUM OF COLLIERVILLE HISTORY
Create a painting made up of hundreds of dots. Explore the beauty of the gardens while painting outside. Capture the spring owers around you, focusing on color, and mark-making. Ages 10 to 13. $15. Saturday, May 31, 1:30-3:30 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
FESTIVAL
Comic Con 2025
Don’t miss this day-long celebration for fans of comics, movies, anime, manga, video games, and pop culture in general. Saturday, May 31, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
BENJAMIN L. HOOKS CENTRAL LIBRARY - MEMPHIS PUBLIC LIBRARY
HOPPED
A Saturday full of limitedrelease hoppy beers, merch, bands, food trucks, and more. Free. Saturday, May 31, 1-10 p.m.
MEMPHIS MADE BREWING CO
Memphis Dragon Boat Festival
Featuring boat racing, dance performances, live music, and lots of food. This event is hosted by the Memphis Chinese Community Center. Saturday, May 31, 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
SHELBY FARMS PARK
Memphis Margarita Festival 2025 Calling all margarita lovers! Sample from the city’s best margarita-makers, vote on your favorite, and crown an audience winner at the end of this best ’rita fest. 21+.
Saturday, May 31, 3-6 p.m.
OVERTON SQUARE
In this 1988 lm, Nada (Roddy Piper), a wanderer without meaning in his life, discovers a pair of sunglasses capable of showing the world the way it truly is. $5. ursday, May 29, 7 p.m.
CROSSTOWN THEATER
FOOD AND DRINK Canoes + Cocktails
A guided sunset paddle on the lake followed by specialty cocktails provided by Old Dominick, snacks from Che e’s, yard games, and music. A “cocktails only” ticket omits the paddling part. $35-$80. Friday, May 30, 6 p.m.
SHELBY FARMS PARK
Food Truck Fridays at Dixon Gallery & Gardens
Grab a bite from a local food truck and enjoy lunch in the beautiful Dixon gardens. Friday, May 30, 11:30 a.m.1:30 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
The Juice Joint Grand Opening
Founded by Memphis native Darious Robertson, e Juice Joint is a Black-owned business bringing fresh, healthy foods to Suite 147 of the Concourse. Saturday, May 31.
CROSSTOWN CONCOURSE
HEALTH AND FITNESS
Get Outside! Fitness: Mat Pilates
A full-body, low-impact workout that emphasizes dynamic core work to enhance strength, balance, and exibility. e session is designed inclusively for everybody. Friday, May 30, 4:30 p.m. | Saturday, May 31, 8 a.m.
SHELBY FARMS PARK
PHOTO: COURTESY PINK PALACE MUSEUM AND MANSION
PHOTO: KICK ART, COURTESY OF THE ARTIST
Lunchtime Meditations
Visit the Dixon for free meditation sessions every Friday. Friday, May 30, noon-12:30 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Taijiquan with Milan Vigil
This Chinese martial art promotes relaxation, improves balance, and provides no-impact aerobic benefits. Ages 16 and older. Free. Saturday, May 31, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Walk the Wolf River Greenway
The East Section of the Wolf River Greenway offers an intimate natural experience winding near the flowing Wolf River. Saturday, May 31, 10-11 a.m.
WOLF RIVER GREENWAY EAST
Wednesday Walks
Take a casual stroll around the Old Forest paved road. Wednesday, June 4, 4-5 p.m.
OVERTON PARK
Yoga
Strengthen your yoga practice and enjoy the health benefits of light exercise with yoga instructor Laura Gray McCann. All levels welcome. Free. Thursday, May 29, 6 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
LECTURE
Attracting Hummingbirds to Your Yard with Horticulturist Jill Maybry
Join seasonal displays and tropical plants curator Jill Maybry for a guided tour of hummingbirdattracting container plantings. $25. Thursday, May 29, 5:30-7 p.m.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Making Vinyl Memphis 2025
This flagship event promises to be an essential gathering for leaders, innovators, and enthusiasts in the vinyl record industry. Monday, June 2-June 4.
RENASANT CONVENTION CENTER
Mid-South Hydrangea Society Lecture: Hydrangea Heroes
In this program, Natalie Carmolli of Spring Meadow Nursery will cover hydrangea care and share how advances in hydrangea breeding make new hydrangea hybrids faster and stronger. Free. Saturday, May 31, 10-11 a.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Munch and Learn: Beautiful and Smart — Hardworking Shrubs that Shine Natalie Carmolli has a bachelor’s degree in the theatrical arts, has earned a certificate of mastery in tree and shrub identification from Longwood Gardens, and is an avid gardener. Wednesday, June 4, noon-1 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
PERFORMING ARTS
Open Poetry Mic
Hear wordsmiths at their most creative. Monday, June 2, 7 p.m.
HI TONE
Rainbow Rumble: Biblically Accurate
A monthly drag and performer competition is hosted by Moth Moth Moth. Each show will have its own theme, and one of the Season 4 winners will return to co-host for the night. Saturday, May 31, 9 p.m.
HI TONE
Wicked Wasteland: A Post-Apocalyptic Cabaret
An explosive night of aerialists, fire artists, burlesque, drag, and post-doomsday decadence. This isn’t your average end of the world — it’s glitter, grit, and jaw-dropping performances. 21+. Saturday, May 31, 10 p.m.
DRU’S BAR
SPECIAL EVENTS
“Connecting Never Competing” Car & Bike Show
One of the biggest shows in the Mid-South. Children 12 and under free. Big giveaways and 30 trophy classes. $25/general admission, $50/ vehicle registration (includes driver). Saturday, May 31, noon-8 p.m.
LANDERS CENTER
Drunken Dictionary - Adult Spelling Bee
Spelling gets slurred at Drunken Dictionary — a tipsy adult spelling bee where the beer flows and the words get wobbly! Saturday, May 31, 3 p.m.
CROSSTOWN BREWING COMPANY
Mahjong: Lessons and Open Play
Join Cassie Lazzo, The Mahjologist, for a lesson on how to play American mahjong, or have fun in open play. $60/lessons, $40/open play per table. Sunday, June 1, noon-2 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
SPORTS
901 Wrestling LIVE
Experience the 901 for yourself! Main event: 1819 Title Match Brayden Toon vs. Walker XIII. $15/general admission, $25/ringside, $35/901 fan zone, $250/VIP luxury box for up to 10.
Sunday, June 1, 5-7 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
ACROSS
1 #1 Taylor Swift song about defying one’s critics
11 Make out
15 Where a hand might be raised
16 Mother of Hermes
17 Bakery item with a Mediterranean flair
18 Smacker
19 ___ Kukoc, 6’11” N.B.A. star of 1993-2006
20 Usually illegal maneuvers
21 Place for an anchor
22 Wonkish sort
24 Tough, demanding type
27 Suck up
30 Longtime cartoon business
31 ___ pal
Birmingham Stallions vs. Memphis Showboats
Showboats 1985 Throwback! Sunday, June 1, 2-5 p.m.
SIMMONS BANK LIBERTY STADIUM
Grand Opening Buffa-Throw Disc Golf Tournament
The grand opening of the Uplands Disc Golf Course. Saturday, May 31.
SHELBY FARMS PARK
Hometown Half Marathon/10K/5KMemphis, TN
A run local-themed event that is perfect for the whole family. $18.83/general admission. Sunday, June 1, 7-10 a.m.
SHELBY FARMS PARK
Memphis Redbirds vs. Indianapolis Indians
Tuesday, June 3, 7 p.m. | Wednesday, June 4, 7 p.m.
AUTOZONE PARK
THEATER
A Particle of Dread (Oedipus Variations)
As a young man, Oedipus is told by a seer that he will grow up to kill his own father and marry his mother. He flees from home to avoid this fate, but there is no escape from this dreadful prophecy. $25/adult tickets, $20/senior and
Crossword
32 Beverage brand with a wave in its logo
34 Knight in a popular film franchise
35 “Where America shops for value,” per an old slogan
36 Eight-time Norris Trophy winner
37 Scene of biblical destruction
38 Ancient dweller beyond Hadrian’s Wall
39 Where you might be given the third degree
41 Peak service?
42 “What a ___”
43 Cranky due to lack of food
44 Holds for a while
46 Make, as one’s way
47 See 45-Down
48 Pacific island capital
50 It may precede “copy”
54 Goggle
55 Bushes are found on both sides of it
57 Biblical brother
58 About to start the workday, say
59 Flammable structure
60 “If nothing else …” DOWN
1 Help out, in a gym
2 Prefix with -gram
3 Related
4 Comedian who starred in 2014’s “About Last Night”
5 Lead-in to long 6 Shout of pain
7 Like goods weighed on scales
8 Not question 9 Classic bit of study material
10 Put change into 11 One reporting a fight
12 Pet with short legs and a long body, slangily
13 Chooses at the request of Monty Hall, say
Not shut up
Rap mogul of the highest degree?
Ages and ages
Funny Schumer
By a narrow margin
student tickets. Friday, May 30, 8-10 p.m. | Saturday, May 31, 8-10 p.m. | Sunday, June 1, 2-4 p.m.
THEATREWORKS @ THE SQUARE
Chicken & Biscuits
Can Baneatta and Beverly, two sisters at odds, set aside their differences to honor their father’s memory? It’s a challenging task when Beverly arrives at the chapel flaunting her blessings. Thursday, May 29, 8 p.m. | Friday, May 30, 8 p.m. | Saturday, May 31, 8 p.m. | Sunday, June 1, 2 p.m.
CIRCUIT PLAYHOUSE
The Boy Who Kissed the Sky Inspired by the early life and influences of musical icon Jimi Hendrix. A young Black boy conjures his creativity as a budding guitarist. Told with vibrant music and daring imagination. Friday, May 30, 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, May 31, 2 p.m. | Saturday, May 31, 7:30 p.m. | Sunday, June 1, 2 p.m.
HATTILOO THEATRE
TOURS
Woe Is Me: A History Tour of Tragic Tales
Join Elmwood staffer Amanda Zorn for this 90-minute walk through history and melancholy. Bring your tissues for this one. $20/ general admission. Saturday, May 31, 10:30 a.m.-noon.
ELMWOOD CEMETERY
Edited by Will Shortz No.
Scrubber sold in a yellow box
First hip-hop single to top the Billboard Hot 100 (1990) 29 Ottawa landmark completed just
Get a good look at
Cover in
We Saw You.
with MICHAEL DONAHUE
SmokeSlam vs. Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. I heard from both sides because I visited both sides. One team member expressed his loyalty to Memphis in May. at’s why his team preferred to be with the other teams at Tiger Lane. en there are those who just want the experience of a barbecue on the river. Hence, SmokeSlam, which was held in Tom Lee Park. Finally, one person suggested holding one of the contests in spring and the other in summer instead of both at the same time.
Regardless, for the second consecutive year in a row, both contests were held the same days on the same weekends. is year’s events were held May 15th through 17th. e commonality? People barbecued. But not everybody strictly cooked pork. Austin Martin took an aluminum pan out of the cooker at “Pardon My Meat” on Tiger Lane. It contained a barbecued rattlesnake. It’s from his farm, he says. Martin says it tasted like chicken.
above: Jombi: Bry Hart, Sam Wallace, Caleb Crouch, and Auden Brummer circle: Shou Trammell below: (le to right) Front row: Cedar Dean, Garrett Sapp, and Austin Williams, Back row: Kevin Shandelbach, Chase Smith, Justin Taylor, Luke Gobel, and Micah Breckenridge; Dorian Smith and Lavender Zachery; Gina Neely bottom row: (le to right) Trey McDonald, Warren Milnor, and Patrick McKay; Denisse Galvan and Jacob Rodriguez; Alex Williams and Jacqui Stevens
PHOTOS: MICHAEL DONAHUE
above: Front row: Lucy Cannon, Lillian Hedgepeth, Louisa Adams, and Mary Reid Hedgepeth, Back row: Will Adams, Keith and Lindsey Tonkin below: (le to right) Leah Provo, Jay Somerville, Miz Stefani; Carl Person, and Kim Rodriguez; Ori Na aly; Jermaine Johnson and Dr. Roderick Richmond right row: (top and below) Judson Fair, Banks Benitone, Calvin Wilbanks, and Alex Co man; Blaine Langley, Clark Schifani, Colin Ross, Justin Newport, Tim Dunavant, Ben Prudhomme, Johnny Shea, and Mike McCa rey bottom le : Michael Bomarito and Sammy Bomarito
FOOD By Michael Donahue
Wheeling and Dealing in Coffee
Byway
Co ee Company is for people on the go.
Avery Amstutz hit the byways for years before starting Byway Co ee Company.
Born in Memphis, she also lived in Hawaii, Pennsylvania, and Indiana. She studied abroad in Lithuania. As a wedding photographer, she’s shot in Germany, Alaska, Mexico, and the Bahamas.
She says she loves to “take the road less traveled,” instead of “jumping on the highway.”
And that was the inspiration for Byway Co ee. It’s “a lot about community and just loving local and hitting the byways for [the] weekend, visiting di erent parts of town.”
en there are the people. “ at’s a big part of what drives me.” She loves to “connect with other people.”
In addition to her wedding photography business, Amstutz owns Slate Studio, a photography studio at 60 West Virginia Avenue. And she’s the owner of Highball 901, a mobile cocktail trailer. ey serve “unique cocktails,” as well as beer and wine.
Amstutz got into co ee in 2022, the year a er she bought her cocktail trailer. She bought an Airstream trailer, which she found on Facebook Marketplace, and she instantly knew it wasn’t going to be another cocktail trailer. “I had a feeling it needed to be co ee. I knew that Memphis loved co ee, and a mobile co ee trailer worked well in the city.”
With help from “close friends in the co ee industry,” including Comeback Co ee and JoJo’s Espresso, Amstutz began Byway Co ee Company. She held the grand opening in July 2024. Her uncle, West Huddleston, who rst put a Nikon camera in her hand, is her silent partner.
Ironically, Amstutz doesn’t drink a lot of co ee. “Now that I have so much access to it, I drink it way less than I used to. I could have it every day if I want to.”
But she did drink a lot of it when she was in college. “I would do Starbucks. I do love co ee, but I really love meeting somebody over co ee. I o en don’t nish my cup. … I like the feeling of a cup of co ee, but I really love the people that sit around a cup of co ee.”
ey don’t roast their own beans at Byway Co ee, but they have their own blend, which is roasted every week at Comeback Co ee. “I wanted to have our own blend, Byway Blend. It sounded cool.” e co ee is packaged in their brand colors: purple and orange.
Amstutz features a “monthly signature menu” of new beverages, which
include matchas and chais. e current menu, which will “go away” May 31st, includes six or seven co ee drinks. e new menu will begin June 1st.
So customers can still get the two most popular May co ees: Banana Bread Latte and Blueberry Cobbler Latte.
“On the June menu we will have a White Peach Latte. And we will have, for the rst time, a dairy-free coconut cold foam. Cold foams are our biggest sellers. It’s like a avored whipped cream. We’re going to have a Coconut Cream Cold Brew, and then the other foam we’re going to have is a Hershey’s Chocolate Cold Foam for summer.”
e cold foams are “just really creamy, and we make them very avorful, and they’re very colorful.”
eir Ube Cold Foam Latte, which is o ered all the time, is their most popular co ee drink, Amstutz says. Ubes are purple yams from the Philippines. She got the idea for the co ee drink while living in Hawaii, where ubes are popular. “I wanted to bring that here. It’s not very popular or well-known here or in the States.”
She mixes the ubes, which are very sweet and taste similar to vanilla and marshmallow; her Byway Blend espresso; and whatever milk option the
customer chooses. “We use whole milk, oat milk, and almond milk.”
e trailer also includes their twopound bag of freshly roasted beans as well as other local products, including Comeback Co ee co ee sodas. ey also sell pastries, which are locally baked at Lucy J’s Bakery in Crosstown Concourse. Selecting avors is a group e ort among the Byway team, which is a big part of her business. “My team is my favorite part about what I do. I wanted to create an environment for other people to come to the trailer, but I didn’t expect the kind of ful llment and happiness I found in actually managing a team.”
Also, she says, “We’re all great friends
and everybody hangs out a er work.”
Amstutz knew who she wanted inside the Byway trailer. “I picked sta who I knew would cultivate a relationship with our customers. I was very speci c about the type of person I want working for Byway. Are they friendly? Are they warm? And, also, are they very fast?”
Her team is “very approachable to the average person.”
And her business keeps growing. “We just launched our shipping program, where you can order a two-pound bag of freshly roasted Byway co ee blend and get it shipped to your house.”
Byway Co ee’s weekly schedule is posted every Sunday on Instagram and Facebook (@bywayco ee.co). And at 5 p.m. each day, they post where they’re going to be the next day. “We partner mainly with locations like High Point Grocery and Novel book store.”
e trailer is usually at Sea Isle Park once or twice a week and at Overton Park on Sundays.
Amstutz says her second Byway Coffee trailer is slated to open in November. She then plans to open more locations. “I’m doubling down on this one. It’s been so ful lling and rewarding and fun. And always interesting. I’m really loving it.”
PHOTOS: MICHAEL DONAHUE Byway Co ee Company’s Nayara Nieto, Penelope Rosenberg, Sam Cohen, Avery Amstutz, Nealy Wilbanks, and Aaron Zhao; an iced latte topped with the ever-popular cold foam
By Emily Guenther
Hearth Magic
e home-centered practice helps us nd magic in the everyday.
Hearth magic, or hearth witchery — also sometimes called cottage witchcra — is a form of domestic magic that focuses on infusing magic into everyday tasks and creating a sacred, relaxing, and safe haven within the home.
A hearth magic practitioner is a home-centered witch who focuses their energies on creating sacred space and weaving the magical into the mundane.
ey do not usually feel the need to equip themselves with fancy tools or do elaborate rituals, and like to get creative with what they have in their own kitchen or garden. ey may also be cra y and enjoy making things for their home or practice. I believe there is a bit of hearth witch in all of us, and our ancestors probably practiced quite a bit.
is something that I have been taught for years. If we can nd the magical in the mundane, it can bring us joy and connection to the universe. And this is the heart of hearth magic.
If you would like to embrace more hearth magic in your life, there are a lot of ways you can do so. We know words are important to our manifestation process. If you really dislike having to clean your home or do household chores, you can try changing the language you use to talk about your cleaning. Instead of saying chores — a word that comes with emotion attached to it — try saying household rituals instead. In our housekeeping rituals, we keep in mind our goal — to create a sanctuary, a sacred space, a dwelling for the Divine — which nourishes us and our loved ones. ese housekeeping rituals become an act of service — to our deities as well as to our spiritual well-being. Many people will advise that a daily spiritual practice is necessary for spiritual people. Start the day with a land-honoring grounding practice. You may wish to acknowledge the four elements, or create a daily ritual that grounds you into the place you live, its history, and its people. I like to work with my land spirits and try to include them in many of my rituals and thanksgiving.
Hearth magic could easily be considered a part of other spiritual traditions. It o en gets included in green witchery because it can involve gardening, using herbs, and cooking. Here in the South, we have a strong history of conjure and hoodoo. Conjure and hoodoo are words that are o en used interchangeably, but some people will de ne them di erently. Regardless of how we de ne them, they are types of folk magic.
Folk magic is a system of traditional magical practices and beliefs that are passed down through generations within a community, o en rooted in local customs and traditions, and practiced by everyday people rather than formally trained practitioners.
For many of us, our desire is to weave the magical into the mundane. I know it
Another way to bring more hearth magic into your life and home is to sanctify the hearth of your home and spend time there to replenish its energy. e hearth of your home is the sacred power spot or energy center of the home. It is di erent for each of us, but it is the place that you feel most relaxed, nourished, and grounded. O en, if you have people over to visit, they naturally gravitate to this area. Once you have located this area, sanctify it by cleansing and blessing it, creating an altar there, decorating it in a way that honors its spiritual essence, and then tend it with love. Spend more time there, doing things that nourish your soul or make you feel good. Finally, one of my favorite bits of advice for a hearth magic practice: Talk to your home. Listen to the building itself and honor it like a living being. Every home has its unique energy and will encourage its stewards to live a certain way. If you work in harmony with your house, it will take care of you. Take time to get to know it and what its needs are. You will be impressed with how your home returns your love.
CROSSTOWN ARTS
June 19 - 21, 2025
PHOTO: ANDREA DAVIS | UNSPLASH
If you work in harmony with your house, it will take care of you.
NEWS OF THE WEIRD
By the editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication
They Did What?
One of the latest advancements in the field of nanomedicine was announced near the end of March in the journal Nano Letters, and it came with a bit of a hardcore theme. Vice reported on April 28 that researchers in China had dehydrated and cooled tardigrades, the famously resilient micro-animals known colloquially as water bears, and used an electron beam and a coating of a compound called anisole to tattoo microscopic patterns on their bodies. According to the abstract, the experiment “has potential applications in cryopreservation, biomedicine, and astrobiology.” Forty percent of the creatures survived the process, and the researchers hope to improve the survival rate in future tests.
Awwwww!
Pat DeReamer of Louisville, Kentucky, and Mary Wheaton go waaaaay back — all the way to 1944 in Indianapolis, when Wheaton gave DeReamer a birthday card for her 14th birthday on April 1. When Wheaton’s birthday came around a month later, DeReamer added her own message to the same card and gave it back to Wheaton. For the last 81 years, they’ve been sending the card back and forth, WLKY-TV reported. “We never said, ‘We’re going to do this,’” DeReamer said. “It just happened.” Now in their 90s, the old friends don’t get together as much, but they remain “really good friends.”
The Passing Parade
• Delhi, India’s “Potty Badmash,” a 27-year-old pickpocket named Deepak, was finally arrested on March 24, The Times of India reported. Deepak is famous for committing thefts and kniferelated crimes, then soiling his pants, creating a stench so terrible that it kept officers away from him. This time, however, they armed themselves with gloves and masks. “Team gave him chase and pinned him down,” said an officer. “As expected, Deepak deployed his famous ‘filth plan’ but the officers … thwarted his last-ditch effort and took him in custody.” When they searched him, they found a knife, which Deepak described as his “lucky charm.” During questioning he admitted to multiple mobile phone thefts and other crimes.
• A 56-year-old Warsaw, Poland, cleaner is facing up to 20 years be-
hind bars after she was caught putting cleaning fluid in a co-worker’s drinks, Oddity Central reported on March 28. The 51-year-old victim visited the doctor with stomach pains and was told her internal injuries were consistent with poisoning. She couldn’t think of anything that might be causing her discomfort, but then remembered that her morning cup of tea had tasted odd in recent weeks. She installed a hidden camera and saw that her co-worker was spraying corrosive substances in her tea and on her soda bottle. The perpetrator had been talking with another woman while poisoning the drinks; both of them said they just didn’t like the victim. The accomplice could get three years in prison.
That’s Some Reach
Earth-shaking is one thing, but spaceshaking? A new study published April 3 in the journal AGU Advances concluded that the January 2022 eruption of the underwater volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai, which registered as one of the most powerful in modern history and blasted ash and gas 31 miles into the atmosphere, actually produced secondary gravity waves that reached the edge of space — you know, where the satellites we rely on for GPS technology, communication, and tracking the weather are in orbit. MSN reported that the findings are “prompting scientists to reassess the potential impacts of volcanic activity on our technological infrastructure.”
Nightmare Travel
A recent Southwest Airlines flight was met by law enforcement after landing in Chicago, where police removed a passenger who had stripped naked and defecated on her seat, NBC Chicago reported on April 25. The plane was taken out of service to be cleaned. Southwest, just the latest airline to be put in the unenviable position of apologizing for the bizarre behavior of an unruly passenger, issued a statement: “Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of our customers and employees, and we appreciate the professionalism of our flight crew.”
ARIES (March 21-April 19): The strongest, most enduring parts of China’s Great Wall were the 5,500 miles built during the Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644. One secret to their success was sticky rice, an essential ingredient in the mortar. The resulting structures have been remarkably water resistant. They hold their shape well, resist weed growth, and get stronger as time passes. I hope you will find metaphorical equivalents to sticky rice as you work on your foundations in the coming months, Aries. Proceed as if you are constructing basic supports that will last you for years.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The world’s most expensive spice is saffron. To gather one gram of it, workers must harvest 150 flowers by hand. Doesn’t that process resemble what you have been doing? I am awed by the stamina and delicacy you have been summoning to generate your small but potent treasure. What you’re producing may not be loud and showy, but its value will be concentrated and robust. Trust that those who appreciate quality will recognize the painstaking effort behind your creation. Like saffron’s distinctive essence that transforms ordinary dishes into extraordinary ones, your patient dedication is creating what can’t be rushed or replicated.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): You are now highly attuned to subtle energies, subliminal signals, and hidden agendas. No one in your sphere is even half as sensitive as you are to the intriguing mysteries that are unfolding beneath the visible surface. This may be a bit unsettling, but it’s a key asset. Your ability to sense what others are missing gives you a unique advantage. So trust your intuitive navigation system, Cancerian, even if the way forward isn’t obvious. Your ability to sense underlying currents will enable you to avoid obstacles and discern opportunities that even your allies might overlook.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Underground fungal networks are essential for the health of ecosystems. They connect plant roots and facilitate transfers of nutrients, water, and communication signals between various species. They enhance the fertility of the soil, helping plants thrive. In accordance with astrological indicators, I invite you to celebrate your equivalent of the underground fungal network. What is the web of relationships that enables you to thrive? Not just the obvious bonds, but the subtle ones, too: the barista who has memorized your order, the neighbor who waters your plants when you’re away, the online ally who responds to your posts. Now is an excellent time to map and nurture these vital interconnections.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie warns about “the danger of a single story.” She tells us
By Rob Brezsny
that authentic identity requires us to reject oversimplified narratives. As a Nigerian woman living in the U.S., she found that both Western and African audiences sought to reduce her to convenient categories. She has not only resisted that pressure, but also outwitted and outflanked it. Her diversity is intriguing. She mixes an appreciation for pop culture with serious cultural criticism. She addresses both academic and mainstream audiences. I offer her up as your role model, Virgo. In the coming weeks, may she inspire you to energetically express all your uncategorizable selves.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Where have you not yet traveled but would like to? What frontiers would your imagination love for you to visit, but you have refrained? Now is the time to consider dropping inhibitions, outmoded habits, and irrelevant rules that have prevented you from wandering farther and wider. You have full permission from life, karma, and your future self to take smart risks that will lead you out of your comfort zone. What exotic sanctuary do you wish you had the courage to explore? What adventurous pilgrimage might activate aspects of your potential that are still halfdormant?
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Astrologers say that Scorpio is ruled by three creatures that correspond to three ascending levels of spiritual maturity. The regular Scorpio person is ruled by the scorpion. Scorpios who are well underway with their spiritual work are ruled by the eagle. The Scorpio who has consistently succeeded at the hard and rewarding work of metaphorical death and resurrection is ruled by the phoenix — the mythical bird that is reborn from the ashes of its own immolation. With this as our context, I am letting you know that no matter how evolved you are, the coming weeks will bring you rich opportunities to come more into your own as a brilliant phoenix.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Seas off the coast of Singapore are heavily polluted. Some of the coral reefs there are showing resilience, though. They have developed symbiotic relationships with certain algae and bacteria that were formerly hostile. Their robustness lies in their adaptability and their power to forge unlikely alliances. That’s a good teaching for you right now. The strength you need isn’t about maintaining fixed positions or rigid boundaries, but about being flexible. So I hope you will be alert and ready to connect with unfamiliar resources and unexpected help. A willingness to adjust and compromise will be a superpower.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Sometimes, disruptions are helpful prods that nudge us to pay closer attention. An
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini author Jean-Paul Sartre was offered the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1964. But he rejected it. Why? He said that if he accepted it, he would be turned into an institution and authority figure, which would hinder his ability to critique politics and society. He was deeply committed to the belief that a writer has an obligation to be independent and accountable only to their conscience and audience, not to external accolades or validations. I think you are in a Sartre-like phase right now, dear Gemini. You have a sacred duty to be faithful to your highest calling, your deepest values, and your authentic identity. Every other consideration should be secondary.
apparent malfunction might be trying to tell us some truth that our existing frameworks can’t accommodate. I suspect this phenomenon might be occurring in your world. An area of your life that seems to be misfiring may in fact be highlighting a blind spot in your comprehension. Rather than fretting and purging the glitches, I will ask you to first consider what helpful information is being exposed. Suspend your judgment long enough to learn from apparent errors.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): This isn’t the first time I’ve said that your ideas are ahead of their time. Now I’m telling you again, and adding that your intuitions, feelings, and approaches are ahead of their time, too. As usual, your precociousness carries both potential benefits and problems. If people are flexible and smart enough to be open to your innovations, you will be rewarded. If others are rigid and oblivious, you may have to struggle to get the right things done. Here’s my advice: Focus on the joy of carrying out your innovations rather than getting caught up in fighting resistance.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Sunlight can’t penetrate deeper than 3,280 feet into the ocean’s depths. Even at 650 feet down, a murky twilight zone prevails. But nearly 75 percent of deep-sea creatures can create their own light, thanks to a biochemical phenomenon called bioluminescence. Jellyfish, starfish, and crustaceans are a few animals that glow. I propose we make them your symbols of power in the coming weeks, Pisces. I hope they incite you to be your own source of illumination as you summon all the resilience you need. If shadowy challenges arise, resolve to emit your steady brilliance. Inspire yourself and others with your subtle yet potent clarity.
TV By Chris McCoy
Back to the Multiverse
Season 8 of Rick and Morty delivers laughs but struggles to keep it fresh.
In Episode 3 of Season 8 of Rick and Morty, one of the main characters’ innumerable clones and/or alternate reality versions accuses another of “falling victim to the ‘Auteur Myth’. Art is all about collaboration.”
It’s the kind of self-referential humor both the show’s fans and detractors have come to expect from the sci- comedy property. Rick and Morty rst premiered on Adult Swim in the long-lost world of 2013. It quickly became a huge hit — a pretty surprising feat for such a strange and idiosyncratic show, which started as a short animated parody of Back to the Future by writer Justin Roiland. A lot has changed since then, both in the real world and on-screen. For the rst three seasons, Roiland and Community creator Dan Harmon ran the show. A er that, both creators stepped back and le the heavy li ing to other folks, like Scott Marder, now in his third season at the helm. Roiland stayed on to do the voices of both Rick Sanchez, the Doc Brown gure who invented portal travel between parallel universes, and Morty Smith, his ever-impressionable grandson who gets dragged along on wacky sci- adventures. But in 2023, Roiland le the show amid a domestic violence scandal, and word leaked out that Rick’s amboyant alcoholism was the result of Roiland’s method acting. Roiland was replaced with two voice actors, and the crew, who had been working around Roiland for the years when the show brought both Emmy nominations and internet discourse home to Adult Swim, soldiered on.
But can Rick and Morty work when the real Rick isn’t drunk? Season 8’s episodes show that it absolutely can deliver the kind of clever humor that it pioneered. But has the edge worn o ? Yes, of course it has. e show, which has a deal that stretches for four more seasons a er this one, is entering that Simpsons/South Park space of long-running shows that have to grow into, and transcend, their premise. And that, needless to say, is really hard. One problem is what you might call “lore creep.” e rst season of Rick and Morty was mostly one-shot sci- premises twisted in on themselves. e classic “Lawnmower Dog” saw Rick elevating the family pooch’s brain to super-intelligence status and inadvertently triggering a worldwide canine revolution. But we never saw ol’ Snowball again. Yet over the seasons, we started to come back to more and more of Rick’s tragic backstory. e Citadel of Ricks, a giant space station where millions of alternate versions of Rick and Morty work together toward something like multiversal domination,
e show’s ridiculous anksgiving meta-mythology returns.
began to dominate the show’s running time. e show’s writers, ever self-aware, even started to comment on fan demands to do more stu like in Season 1 (“What does that even mean?” Rick complained.)
A er the Citadel was taken over by Evil Morty, he conspired to collapse much of the multiverse to ful ll his narcissistic need to be unique — and free the show from the weight of ve seasons of increasingly convoluted backstory.
e wreckage of the Citadel serves as a setting for Episode 3, “ e Rick, the Mort, and the Ugly.” While recovering space scrap le over from the nal battle, Rick and Morty stumble across an asteroid where Rick is farming weird glowing crops. Our heroes quickly vacate the premises, but the story follows simple Farmer Rick through his day. When Farmer Rick goes for supplies, it is to a town lled with di erent versions of Morty, who, we eventually nd out, are not alternate universe versions, but clones.
A spaceship full of raiders (who are Ricks) arrive and kidnap Mortys for twisted genetic experiments, and Farmer Rick, who is an alternate universe Rick, must battle a Rick clone in the mold of an evil Southern plantation owner. e episode abounds with the kind of conceptual twists and turns that have made the show’s reputation, like a craps game with robot dice who ght each other, and the fact that the clones are grossed out by nonclones. “Someone made you — with sex!” sneers Boss Hogg Rick. e episode is an
attempt to have it both ways: a clean slate for new adventures, and the multiverse shenanigans that have introduced literally hundreds of character variations over the years.
e season premiere, “ e Summer of All Fears,” also nds ways to iterate on the core characters. Summer (voiced by Spencer Grammer) and Morty (Harry Belden) begin the season trapped in a Matrix-style simulation by Rick (Ian Cardoni) because he was angry that one of his grandchildren stole his phone charger. Rick then dri s o to sleep, leaving his grandkids to subjectively age two decades in the simulation overnight. Summer, now mentally in her early 40s, managed to become a phonecharging tech mogul, while Morty went to prison and then joined the Army to go to war against a phone-charger-related Al-Qaeda clone. Back in the real world, the pair no longer relate to their former lives. Summer tries to break her mother Beth (Sarah Chalke) out of her midlife rut,
while Morty builds a killdozer and goes on a PTSD-fueled rampage through a nuclear power plant. Episode 4, “ e Last Temptation of Jerry,” is a self-conscious ri on the show’s ridiculous anksgiving metamythology that combines Ridley Scott’s Prometheus with the Easter Bunny and the Tim Allen vehicle e Santa Clause Summer delivers the moral of the story: “You just wanted to celebrate a holiday with your family. Now you know never to do that again.”
Rick and Morty isn’t as fresh as it used to be, and the multiverse conceit it pioneered has spread to Marvel movies and Everything Everywhere All at Once. But it’s still able to deliver laughs and the WTF? What used to be edgy is now comfortingly familiar, and that’s not entirely a bad thing.
New episodes of Rick and Morty premiere Sunday nights at 10 p.m. CDT on Cartoon Network, then stream on Max.
Our critic picks the best films in theaters.
Lilo & Stitch (2025)
Disney’s campaign of live-action remakes of its tremendous back catalog of animated classics continues with Lilo & Stitch. And whaddaya know, it’s a hit! When Experiment 626, an advanced genetic experiment of alien origin, is exiled to Earth, the little blue creature lands in Hawaii and befriends local orphan Lilo Pelekai (Maia Kealoha). The pair’s shared mischievous spirits cause chaos for the neighborhood, while the alien mad scientist (Zach Galifianakis) tries to recover his creation.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Tom Cruise is back as agent Ethan Hunt
of the Impossible Mission Force. The mission, which he naturally chooses to accept, or we wouldn’t have a movie, is to prevent an advanced artificial intelligence known as The Entity from taking over the world. Cruise does all of his own stunts, which include wing walking and deep sea diving, in this $400 million mega-production.
Final Destination: Bloodlines
The film series that traumatized the millennial generation returns with more random deaths. But are they really so random? Kaitlyn Santa Juana stars as Stephani Reyes, a college student who is haunted by dreams of a catastrophe she didn’t witness. Does Death have it out for her family? Probably. But the truth is, Death has it out for everybody.
THE LAST WORD By
Jesse Davis
Robin Hood in Reverse
Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” signals an ugly future for the nation’s vulnerable.
President Donald Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” passed the House of Representatives on ursday, May 22nd, ensuring that this farcical moment in United States history will be remembered as one of the cruelest and most moronic. Future textbooks will need to have footnotes explaining that, yes, this actually happened; yes, they actually called the bill the One Big Beautiful Bill Act; and, yes, it was a budget reconciliation bill introduced by the country’s apparent “ scally conservative party” that experts estimated would add the paltry sum of $3.8 trillion to the national debt.
e bill seems to derive its name from the big, beautiful, and extremely expensive (for everyday Americans) tax cuts for the incredibly rich. How, though, to pay for such a scheme?
Rob the poor and give to the rich, of course! e age-old strategy, the timeless truth, that the strong take from the weak and keep for themselves. With America’s clever tax structure, all those savings will begin trickling down any time now. Better ready your umbrellas, readers, because there is no way all those big beautiful dollars will be used to pay lobbyists, invest in deregulation and privatization, or fund vanity joy rides to the stratosphere.
Since wealthy titans of industry will be creating so many jobs and ooding the economy with their trickled-down riches, there will be little need for social safety net programs. So they’re on the chopping block to help fund this big, beautiful wealth transfer. e bill would reduce spending on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to the tune of about $267 billion over 10 years. It would also strengthen work requirements for Medicaid and SNAP recipients, including doing away with current exemptions for parents with children under 18. ose exemptions would now only apply to parents with dependents under the age of 7 years old. Because what the nation needs is a bunch of unsupervised 8-year-old latchkey kids.
Some of the cost of SNAP bene ts would be foisted o on the states, which will surely go over well in states like Tennessee, which depend on federal aid to keep the gears turning. In 2028, states would begin to shoulder 5 percent of bene t costs (up from zero) and 75 percent of the program’s administrative costs (an increase of 25 percent, up from half the admin costs).
It’s nonsensical. It’s absurd. And it’s getting more and more di cult to imagine that everyone wants to solve the complicated problems our country faces, but can’t agree on the means to do so. It almost seems as though the Peoplein-Charge want a poorly educated populace, with everyone working two or three part-time jobs without bene ts and renting everything their parents used to own.
ere’s more to the bill than kicking the poor while they’re down, of course. It also sets out to kneecap some of former President Joe Biden’s environmental protections, allow increased leasing of public lands for mining and drilling, increase taxes on university endowments, and — at long last! — shu e a measly additional $150 billion over to the Defense Department, to give America’s grossly underfunded military a much-needed shot in the arm.
is bill is so cartoonishly avaricious as to make e Simpsons’ Mr. Burns blush — and he’s an actual cartoon! A cartoon character who once tried to sell Spring eld sunlight, who has a closet full of evening wear made from the pelts of endangered animals. He’s a cartoon character who, quite famously, once actually tried to take candy from a baby! is cannot continue. Every American — including those one-issue voters whose ballots were cast based solely on anti-abortion sentiment or fear for their right to bear arms — should be disgusted by the absolute lack of morality evidenced by the budget this bill proposes.
It’s this simple: If our nation is strong, it can a ord to protect its most vulnerable. If it’s great, it doesn’t need to deny food assistance to children or medical care to the poor. So do we have the strength to help those in need? Do we have the strength to be truly great?
Jesse Davis is a former Flyer sta er; he writes a monthly Books feature for Memphis Magazine. His opinions, such as they are, have never taken candy from a baby.
PHOTO: CALEB PEREZ | UNSPLASH e bill robs the poor and gives to the rich.
This Saturday, May 31st, 2025
3-6pm at Overton Square
Sample from the city’s best margarita-makers, vote on your favorite, and we’ll crown an audience winner at the end of this best ‘rita fest!
