steppin’ out We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews

Big Sam’s Funky Nation

Fingerpickin’ Good By

Abigail Morici

“Once the Europeans came to America in the late 1400s — Columbus, colonial invasion, all that stu — they brought three things with them: guns, foreign inuence, and guitars,” says Harvey Newquist, the founder of the National Guitar Museum. “Ever since then, the guitar has been a part of the American nation. … You can track American history through the way people have used guitars, not only for music but also as symbols of what they’re doing.” june 17th

Funk You

Indeed, within the National Guitar Museum’s traveling exhibition “America at e Crossroads: e GUITAR and a Changing Nation” each of the 40 or so guitars represents a snapshot in U.S. history — “whether it’s an emblem or a symbol of the blues and emancipation of enslaved people going out and playing the blues circuit, onto country and Western music that became popular in the late 1800s, onto Hawaiian music which actually changed America in the early 1900s, on up into protest music and folk music,” Newquist says.

e exhibition, now on display at the Museum of Science & History, even has a bit of a Memphis touch, with one of B.B. King’s Lucilles and one of Elvis’ stage guitars on display. It also coincides with the museum’s “Grind City Picks: e Music at Made Memphis” exhibit, which centers around the guitar’s role in Memphis music history. “It’s a celebration of music and Memphis, but it’s not trying to be comprehensive,” says Raka Nandi, director of exhibits and collections. “We have 15 guitars and each one of them has an amazing story.” june june

From Albert King’s Flying V to e Bar-Kays’ James Alexander’s very rst guitar to the guitars of Eric Gales and Sid Selvidge, the exhibit borrows guitars from “the people that you expect to hear about” and guitars from people who are newer to the scene like MonoNeon, Julien Baker, the Lipstick Stains, and Amy LaVere, who has lent her banjo. “ ese guitarists have really been at the forefront of the evolution of music in Memphis,” Nandi adds.

To accompany “Grind City Picks,” the museum also created a downloadable Spotify playlist for those who visit the exhibit. Additionally, MoSH will host “ e Way ey Play” every second Saturday of the month for the duration of the exhibit. e event will spotlight special guest musicians, who will demonstrate and talk about their quirks, techniques, and styles. “You’ll get an insider view on how an artist sort of thinks about that, and how they manipulate the instrument and how they’re creative with it,” says Nandi. e museum, she adds, will also host a monthly Laser Live, where Memphis musicians will perform live to a full laser light show in MoSH’s planetarium.

For more information on either exhibits and their programming, visit moshmemphis.com.

Dirty STreets

“Songs from the Vine” e cyanotypes will be on display until July 31st.

First Presbyterian Church, Friday, June 16, 5-6:30 p.m.

Composer-performer Matthew Petty presents an evening of art and music. e show will feature a series of graphic scores made from cyanotypes, a photography technique used to capture the images of plants in the form of light. ose same plants will be featured in a live performance using a device that transfers the energetic responses of plants into sound and music.

Groovy Garden Party

Memphis Botanic Garden, Friday, June 16, 6:30-9:30 p.m., $35-$45

Celebrate MBG’s 70th anniversary with a ’70s-themed party, complete with cocktails, music, and activities. Guests are encouraged to dress to impress in their best ’70s threads. is event is for adults 21+ only. Each ticket includes admission to the event, three alcoholic beverages, and small bites.

Live Rich Die Poor, A Zora Neale Hurston One Woman Play eatreSouth, Friday-Sunday, June 16-18, $35

In 1973, famed writer Alice Walker discovered Zora Neale Hurston’s unmarked grave in a quest to honor Hurston and proclaim the late writer’s genius. But what if during Alice’s search for the unmarked grave and her desire to breath life into Hurston’s work, she accidentally awakens Hurston only to learn that Hurston, in the haziness of death and all of the places her spirit has been, no longer remembers the proli c, rich life she led and thus cannot understand her impact? is is the premise of Live Rich Die Poor. So strap in and put yourself in Hurston’s shoes as she confronts her life choices and discovers the reach of her impact.

Performances are Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m., this weekend and next.

Dragon Boat Festival

Shelby Farms Park, Saturday, June 17, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., free e 2023 Dragon Boat Festival will be held on Hyde Lake behind the lawn and stage. ere will be food, music, and cultural performances.

Since its origins in China more than 2,000 years ago, the Dragon Boat Festival has become a unique cultural event featuring adrenalinepumping action. Fans rave about the excitement, friendly competition, and community spirit surrounding this ultimate team sport.

MUSIC By Alex Greene