Memphis Flyer - 9.14.23

Steve Selvidge

SHARA CLARK

Editor

SAMUEL X. CICCI

Managing Editor

JACKSON BAKER, BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN

Senior Editors TOBY SELLS

Associate Editor

KAILYNN JOHNSON

News Reporter

CHRIS MCCOY

Film and TV Editor

ALEX GREENE

Music Editor MICHAEL DONAHUE, JON W. SPARKS

Staff Writers

ABIGAIL MORICI

Arts and Culture Editor

GENE GARD, EMILY GUENTHER, COCO JUNE, FRANK MURTAUGH

Contributing Columnists

SHARON BROWN, AIMEE STIEGEMEYER

Grizzlies Reporters ANDREA FENISE

Fashion Editor

KENNETH NEILL

Founding Publisher

CARRIE BEASLEY

Senior Art Director

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Advertising Art Director

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Graphic Designer

JERRY D. SWIFT

Advertising Director Emeritus

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CHET HASTINGS

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OUR 1803RD ISSUE 09.14.23

I was 18 years old, settling into my rst semester of college and working the opening shi at my job at a local dry cleaners. Mornings there were especially busy as folks lined up to hurriedly drop o bags of laundry on their way into work. I sorted through the heaps piece by piece, wrote up itemized tickets, and tediously pinned numbered paper tags onto each garment before throwing them into their respective bins — dry-clean only, lights, darks. We had a vintage tube TV — probably a 13-inch, with a bunny-ear antenna atop to facilitate less fuzzy reception, its exterior covered in denim fabric. It sat at the end of the long counter where customers le their dirty business suits and buttonups in piles. Since, like this day in particular, most morning shi s were worked solo, I kept the little TV tuned in to some morning show or another for background noise. Sometimes there’d be celebrity interviews or a topic that caught my interest. But mostly I slogged through, paying little attention as I poured stain remover on soiled collars and mindlessly managed the stacks. At 18, I didn’t know or care much about current events too far beyond my limited view. Until that morning when something way out of the norm happened. Something that connected me to the nation at large in a way I’d never felt before. Something that shook me to my core.

On that edition of NBC’s Today Show (currently viewable on YouTube), Matt Lauer’s interview with Hughes author Richard Hack was abruptly interrupted with breaking news about the World Trade Center. A er a brief commercial break, Lauer and Katie Couric returned, cutting to live footage of smoke rising from one of the Twin Towers. “Apparently a plane has just crashed into the World Trade Center here in New York City,” Couric said. “It happened just a few moments ago … We have very little information available at this point in time, but on the phone we do have Jennifer Oberstein, who apparently witnessed this event …”

NBC’s rst eyewitness spoke over the line. “It’s quite terrifying. I’m in shock right now,” Oberstein said. “I came out of the subway at Bowling Green, I was heading to work … I heard a boom, walked out and there was a big ball of re. I’m now looking north at the World Trade Center, and it is the le tower looking north. I’m in Battery Park right now and you can hear the re engines and the emergency crews behind me … pieces of the building are ying down … it’s horrifying … I see a major re …”

I watched anxiously (as did most of America) as more information came in throughout the live broadcast — and another plane strike, a hit at the Pentagon — not knowing what this meant or what it could mean for the future. A few customers paused, momentarily glued to the TV with me, as the events unfolded. Do we go about our day as usual? Should we get home to our families?

Nearly 3,000 people died that day in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. “Terrorism,” a word my young mind hadn’t been familiar with, would become part of everyday conversations. Would there be more attacks to come?

A 2021 Pew Research Center retrospective piece said, “A review of U.S. public opinion in the two decades since 9/11 reveals how a badly shaken nation came together, brie y, in a spirit of sadness and patriotism; how the public initially rallied behind the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, though support waned over time; and how Americans viewed the threat of terrorism at home and the steps the government took to combat it.”

NEWS & OPINION

THE FLY-BY - 4

POLITICS - 6

FINANCE - 7

AT LARGE - 8

COVER STORY

“WE WILL ROCK YOU”

BY ALEX GREENE - 10

WE RECOMMEND - 13

AFTER DARK - 14

CALENDAR - 16

I recently wrote in this space how the early days of the Covid pandemic spurred a unity I hadn’t felt before or since. But that’s not entirely true. While I was too young to fully grasp the e ects of 9/11, I do recall the camaraderie in its wake — the American pride, the ags waving from the back of pickup trucks and in front lawns “in a spirit of sadness and patriotism.” But I also remember the fear it caused, the cultural division, how suddenly so many were suspicious of people who didn’t look like them. Tragedy can bring us together as much as it can rip us apart.

NY TIMES CROSSWORD - 16

ASTROLOGY - 17

THEATER - 18

FOOD - 19

FILM - 20

CLASSIFIEDS - 22

LAST WORD - 23

As we re ect on that day, where we were, and how we felt, let’s hope the next inevitable tragedy fosters more of the former.

Shara Clark shara@memphis yer.com

PHOTO: MICHAEL DRAGER | DREAMSTIME.COM

2023

THE fly-by

MEM ernet

Memphis on the internet.

MEET ME IN MEMPHIS?

Questions, Answers + Attitude

Edited by Toby Sells

{CITY REPORTER

By Kailynn Johnson

A Better Ride

Bus riders share “hard truths” with MATA on service changes and security.

Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) users are hopeful for change a er voicing their concerns with the agency.

Jimmy Bu ett got real about Memphis way back in a 2009 Talks at Google event. An employee asked if he’d ever play the city again. Bu ett rst couched his answer saying that he was scaling back his tours. en, true to form, he went candid.

“ at place in Memphis is a little funky, to tell you the truth,” Bu ett said. “ at Mud Island place to play … But there’s a good chance I could be in a bar there any given time. I still do that.”

CLASSIC CLASSIC

Citizens for Better Service (CBS) and Memphis Bus Riders Union (MBRU) hosted a meeting at the Afrikan Heritage and Culture Village of Memphis, where they were given the opportunity to “air their grievances about MATA” in a community forum in late August.

Gary Rosenfeld, CEO of MATA, and U.S. Representative Steve Cohen (D-Memphis) were in attendance.

“Our riders are important to us and we make them our highest priority,” said MATA’s deputy CEO, Bacarra Mauldin. “We will take all complaints seriously and have hired sta to reactively and proactively address customer concerns or rider concerns.”

Mauldin said it is necessary and helpful to hear the “hard truths” of their riders, both good and bad.

e Tennessee State University marching band honored the school’s Memphis-born president, Glenda Glover, during the halftime performance at the Southern Heritage Classic last weekend. Somehow the band also “threw in a little something about the Alabama riverboat incident.”

DRAW JA

Users compiled a list of problems faced by the ridership that included “breakdown in communication about changes in service and policies, segregated conditions, and non-welcoming atmosphere at bus terminals.” ey also cited “overzealous and overbearing security guards at the bus terminals with bad attitudes toward bus riders, and no communication about delayed and ‘no-show’ buses,” with times varying up to three hours.

Mauldin said the “non-welcoming” atmosphere at bus terminals should not be happening and that MATA has hired a customer experience o cer to combat and correct these situations. In terms of delayed and “no-show” buses, Mauldin admitted MATA does have service issues and asked for patience as they “navigate the di cult road ahead.”

the objective of the meeting was to let MATA hear from the riders themselves. Mosley said he and other organizers wanted MATA to “feel the pain” of the ridership.

CBS and the MBRU also compiled a document that re ected the “reality of public transportation in Memphis.” rough their research, they found that the great majority of bus riders were Black (90 percent), more than half of riders were women, and “the average household income for a ‘supermajority’ of bus riders is less than $20,000.”

“ ese are people that ride the buses and depend on the buses every day,” said Mosley. He said riders depend on MATA for transportation to their jobs, as well as doctor appointments and other health visits.“We’re talking about livelihood here,” Mosley added.

ere are plans to follow up with more community meetings. “We want MATA to be held accountable for the problems facing the ridership,” Mosley said. “It’s a tough challenge, but it’s a challenge that can be made because it’s a challenge that MATA has been facing over the years. We feel that over the past ve to six years it’s gotten worse.”

Learn how to draw a cartoon-ized Ja Morant over on the YouTube channel Cartooning Club How to Draw, which has 4.2 million subscribers.

“MATA, like many other transit organizations across the country, is working hard to balance limited resources against service needs,” said Mauldin. “A three-hour wait time is never acceptable and we apologize for the inconvenience that it caused.”

Johnnie Mosley, founding chairman of CBS, said that these concerns are truly re ective of the ridership. He said

Mosley said this will not be the only meeting that they plan to have, and even outlined the responsibilities of organizations like CBS and the MBRU. According to a document shared by Mosley, they have asked followers to write or call elected officials for funding emphasizing public transportation and to continue communicating concerns of bus riders to MATA and other elected officials.

POSTED TO YOUTUBE BY TALKS AT GOOGLE

POSTED TO YOUTUBE BY CARTOONING CLUB HOW TO DRAW

PHOTO: JUSTIN FOX BURKS

Riders complained of extended delays and of “overzealous and overbearing security guards at the bus terminals with bad attitudes toward bus riders.”

“These are people that ride the buses and depend on the buses every day.”

POSTED TO X BY SOUTHERN HERITAGE CLASSIC

Get Tipsy { CANNABEAT

ATennessee company with ties to Memphis launched a new cannabis product this summer to help consumers “make better bad decisions.”

TipsyTabs appeared in stores throughout Memphis around August. Locals may have noticed colorful signs in liquor or cannabis shops inviting them to “bite into the party” for an experience that “feels like a cocktail in a tablet.”

e sweet, colorful little tablets (about the size of dime) pack 25 milligrams of hemp-derived THC apiece. For this, the company suggests consumers start by taking half a tablet and add another half every half hour until they reach their desired euphoric e ect.

TipsyTabs were created as a sublingual edible, meaning they are meant to dissolve under the tongue. is method helps with the fast onset of e ects (within 10 minutes, the company says). But the packaging is quick to note you can take a Tab however you prefer. “Bite me,” it reads. “Chew me. Suck me.”

By Toby Sells

With TipsyTabs, the company hopes to tap into a growing (but slow) movement away from alcohol consumption and the rise of “California sober,” indulging in cannabis but not in booze.

e product comes from Volunteer Botanicals, based in Christiana, Tennessee, just outside Murfreesboro. But company co-founder Jason Pickle and Matt Hale, vice president of retail sales for the company, are both originally from Germantown. Volunteer Botanicals started about six years ago, Hale said, specializing in converting hemp oils into a pharmaceutical-grade powder.

Hale told us more about TipsyTabs in a recent interview. — Toby Sells

Memphis Flyer: Tell me about TipsyTabs. Matt Hale: e way we look at this thing is [most] of the cannabis products on the market are, “How high can we get you? How blasted can we get you?” In the grand scheme of things, that’s a small portion of the country or

that industry.

You’ve got all these functional, working parents — yoga moms and people like that — who don’t want to get blasted. ey’re scared of a lot of these products. So, what we saw the opportunity to do was, “Let’s do this on a metered format.”

If you think about a gummy, a gummy lled with sugar, it melts. It’s inconsistent. I hear it all the time: “I don’t really want to eat a gummy because one time I eat it and I don’t feel anything and then the next time I eat it and I’m blasted.” With what we do, with every one of these, you feel the same thing every time and that’s what this industry is missing.

So, just like a cocktail, [consumers can] gure out their sweet spot. It’s not

Bite, suck, or chew your way to a TipsyTabs cannabuzz.

guessing every time. It’s like, “I’m going to my kid’s T-ball game. So, I’m going to pop half of one of these and I’m just going to relax.” Or, if you want to go out and party, eat two or three of them and — just like a cocktail — the more you drink, the more you feel.

How long have TipsyTabs been on the market?

We launched the product a little over a month ago. It’s blowing up! It’s just a great product.

Where can you get TipsyTabs?

We are in about 15 stores in Memphis and growing every day. We’re in discussions with a big distributor out of Nashville. We’re in the Carolinas. We’re in Texas. We’re in Georgia. And it’s just gong to keep growing.

Anything you want to add?

A lot of people are intimidated by [cannabis products]. TipsyTabs gives them a chance to dip their feet in the water and actually try something without taking it too far.”

PHOTO: TIPSYTABS

New TipsyTabs are like cocktails “in a tablet.”

POLITICS By Jackson Baker

It’s On!

Final TV forums test the mayoral eld as early voting starts.

Some months a er the rst major organized debates made it obvious which of the 17 declared mayoral candidates should be taken seriously, the six people who best answer that description were dueling again last Monday night at the studios of ABC24.

ose were Sheri Floyd Bonner, former NAACP president Van Turner, businessman J.W. Gibson, state House Democratic Leader Karen Camper, school board member Michelle McKissack, and Downtown Memphis Commission CEO Paul Young. e same lineup, more or less, was due to be involved in two more high-pro le TV forums later in the week, at channels WREG-TV and WMC-TV. Missing in those engagements will be former Mayor Willie Herenton, who leads such polls as have been conducted but has stayed clear of all forums so far, including the one last Monday night.

Some of the brickbats previously thrown by one candidate against another were thrown again and doubtless will be again later in the week.

Bonner took barbs from opponents Turner, McKissack, and Young on issues ranging from excessive jail deaths to his reasons for wanting to leave his current job for that of mayor. McKissack was questioned about why the board of MSCS had not yet been able to put its recently tarnished past behind it. Gibson and Young got into a backand-forth about whether the Downtown chief had been feckless about following through on projects the city was “on the hook” for.

And even the absent Herenton was taken to task, by moderator Richard Ransom, for the former mayor’s refusal to make himself publicly accountable, and by McKissack for a ecting an air of oldfashioned paternalism.

• Meanwhile, the early voting schedule starts this Friday, September 15th, and will continue through Saturday, September 30th. Venues are listed below.

Times of accessibility are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. One exception: the Downtown Election Commission HQ will be accessible from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Abundant Grace Fellowship Church, 1574 E. Shelby Dr., Memphis 38116

Anointed Temple of Praise, 3939 Riverdale Rd., Memphis 38115

Briarwood Community Church, 1900 N. Germantown Pkwy., Cordova 38016

Dave Wells Community Center, 915 Chelsea Ave., Memphis 38107

Glenview Community Center, 1141 S. Barksdale St., Memphis 38114

Greater Lewis Street Baptist Church, 152 E. Parkway N., Memphis 38104

Greater Middle Baptist Church, 4982 Knight Arnold Rd., Memphis 38118

Leawood Baptist Church, 3638 Macon Rd., Memphis 38122

Mississippi Blvd. Church - Family Life Center, 70 N. Bellevue Blvd., Memphis 38104

Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 60 S. Parkway E., Memphis 38106

Pursuit of God Church, 3759 N. Watkins, Memphis 38127

Raleigh United Methodist Church, 3295 Powers Rd., Memphis 38128

Riverside Missionary Baptist Church, 3560 S. ird St., Memphis 38109

Second Baptist Church, 4680 Walnut Grove Rd., Memphis 38117

Shelby County Election Commission, James Meredith Bldg., 157 Poplar, Memphis 38103

Solomon Temple MB Church, 1460 Winchester Rd., Memphis 38116

TN Shakespeare Company, 7950 Trinity Rd., Cordova 38018

White Station Church of Christ, 1106 Colonial Rd., Memphis 38117

• Mayoral and council races will be reviewed in a special section of next week’s Flyer, in partnership with MLK50, and will largely focus on the issue of public safety.

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Overcoming Roth Limits

Five strategies to help optimize savings despite investment limits.

Roth IRAs can be a powerful tool to accumulate post-tax retirement savings, achieve tax-deferred investment growth, and receive tax-exempt withdrawals in retirement. However, contribution limits can make it difficult to maximize savings and access a tax-exempt source of retirement income.

In 2023, individuals can contribute up to $6,500 per year to a Roth IRA ($7,500 for those age 50 and older). The maximum contribution is reduced for individuals whose modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) is more than $138,000 ($218,000 married filing jointly), and no Roth IRA contributions are allowed for individuals with a MAGI of $153,000 or more ($228,000 married filing jointly).

Similarly, Roth contributions to an employer-sponsored retirement plan are limited to $22,500 in 2023, with an additional $7,500 permitted as a catch-up contribution for those age 50 and older.

If you find your options restricted by Roth contribution limits, there are still several strategies that can help you optimize your retirement savings.

1. Consider a backdoor Roth IRA. If your income exceeds the limit for direct Roth IRA contributions, a “backdoor” Roth IRA strategy can be an effective option. This involves establishing a traditional IRA alongside your Roth IRA. You can make the same $6,500 ($7,500 for those age 50 and older) contribution to your traditional IRA on an after-tax basis. This means you don’t take a tax deduction in the current year for contributing to the IRA account. You then convert the funds from the traditional IRA to the Roth IRA.

Because there are no income limits for traditional IRA contributions on an after-tax basis, this allows high-income earners to contribute to a Roth IRA. Because the traditional IRA contributions were made with after-tax funds, this strategy is allowed by the IRS.

2. Consider a “mega” backdoor Roth. This strategy takes the backdoor Roth IRA to a new level, allowing individuals whose income exceeds IRS limits to supercharge their after-tax retirement savings. The strategy involves two steps: Make after-tax contributions to your employer-sponsored retirement plan, such as a 401k. And complete an in-plan conversion of the after-tax assets to a Roth IRA or Roth 401k.

In 2023, the IRS allows individuals to contribute up to $43,500 in after-tax assets to an employer-sponsored retirement ac-

count, assuming you’re not eligible for an employer matching contribution (if you receive an employer match, you’ll need to deduct any employer contributions from $43,500 to determine your maximum contribution amount). You can then convert those assets directly into a Roth IRA or 401k to help optimize your after-tax retirement savings.

3. Establish a spousal Roth IRA. If you’re married and your spouse doesn’t make earned income, you may want to consider opening a spousal Roth IRA. This strategy allows you to contribute to a Roth on behalf of your spouse, essentially doubling your combined savings potential. Be sure you meet the income requirements and adhere to contribution limits for both your account and your spouse’s.

4. Take advantage of your Roth 401k. While not a direct solution for overcoming Roth IRA contribution limits, contributing to a Roth 401k can be a viable alternative for high-income earners to accumulate after-tax retirement savings. Unlike a Roth IRA, Roth 401ks don’t impose income limitations. If your employer offers a Roth 401k option, it may make sense to max out your contributions to take advantage of tax-deferred growth and tax-exempt withdrawals in retirement.

5. Fund a Roth IRA for your child with unused 529 plan assets. The Secure Act 2.0, passed in 2022, included a provision allowing unused 529 plan dollars to be converted to Roth IRAs for a beneficiary without incurring any taxes. The 529 account must have been open for 15 years, and the lifetime amount that can be converted from the plan to a beneficiary’s Roth IRA is $35,000. The amount converted per year is subject to the same eligibility rules as making outright Roth contributions.

It’s important to note these strategies present various financial complexities that, if not properly planned for, can lead to additional tax liabilities. Be sure to work with a qualified wealth advisor to execute them and protect your retirement savings.

Gene Gard, CFA, CFP, CFT-I, is a Partner and Private Wealth Manager with Creative Planning. Creative Planning is one of the nation’s largest Registered Investment Advisory firms providing comprehensive wealth management services to ensure all elements of a client’s financial life are working together, including investments, taxes, estate planning, and risk management. For more information or to request a free, no-obligation consultation, visit CreativePlanning.com.

couldn’t have done it without you.

In 1998, we started Independent Bank with a simple goal—to serve our customers heroically. We always knew at the end of the day, this business was not about us, it was all about you.

As we celebrate 25 years of serving heroically, we are proud to be the largest Memphis-headquartered community bank. You have been our priority as we grew, your goals have been our goals, and you are the reason for our success.

So, here’s to you! Thank you for giving us the opportunity to be part of your business and personal dreams. Thank you for trusting us with your financial needs, and giving us the opportunity to grow alongside you.

We truly couldn’t have done it without you!

Your friends at i-bank i-bankonline.com

Rollin’ into Riches

GIVEAWAY

AT LARGE By Bruce VanWyngarden

A September Morning

Memories of a day that will live in infamy.

As the early sun climbed into a cloudless sky, the city went about its business as usual. At the Starbucks on Union, a line of commuters waited for their tall cappuccinos. Joggers were jogging, cyclists were biking. Birds were singing high in the grand oaks of Midtown. Memphis was beginning a September Tuesday, and a beautiful one it was.

accident, maybe a private plane? No one knew. Soon, I’d switched to a more newsoriented station, and by the time I got to the Flyer o ce 15 minutes later, everyone on sta had gathered around a television.

“So,” said one Flyer reporter, a er an hour or so, “I guess we’re not gonna go with that ‘Nightlife in Memphis’ cover story for tomorrow.”

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And then we started hearing the news, the horrible, unbelievable news that trans xed the country and forever altered the course of American history. It began with a kaleidoscope of images and speculative reporting. A plane had crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers. Was it a terrible accident or terrorism? Nobody knew. Stay tuned. We’ll have more as the story develops. en, 18 minutes later, a second plane struck the other WTC tower and the intentional nature of the attacks became apparent.

We’d barely begun to let the enormity of these events sink in, when we learned that yet another airliner had crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

en, we watched in stunned disbelief as the tallest buildings in New York City collapsed upon themselves, one a er another, killing thousands in a slow-motion horror movie.

By the time we’d learned of a fourth plane crashing in the middle of Pennsylvania, it seemed the chaos and carnage might not end soon. Were there more attacks coming? What the hell was happening?

With each new revelation of death and destruction came a queasy fear, a growing sense of awareness that the United States was no longer a safe haven, isolated from the bloody but distant terrorism that plagued the rest of the world. We too were vulnerable — at the mercy of an evil that seemed too deep to comprehend, too much to take in on that sunny September morning.

We called friends and family, no matter where they were, seeking assurance that they were okay, seeking a rmation that they too had seen the news, had shared — were sharing — the nightmare on everyone’s television.

e events of September 11, 2001, became a Pearl Harbor moment for all of us old enough to experience and remember the day. Anyone who lived through it can tell you where they were when they got the news. I rst heard about it in my car, on Drake & Zeke’s morning radio show. ey were at rst discussing the incident as though it might have been an

It really wasn’t meant to be funny, but it somehow broke the spell, reminding us that we had a job to do, and that that job had changed. We cobbled together a reaction story and somehow got the paper to the printer a day late. And “9/11” became a number that would be forever etched in our brains.

Now, it’s 22 years later. Most college students weren’t even born in 2001. ey studied 9/11 in high school history classes, just as my generation studied World War II. I don’t remember ever getting emotional while reading about Pearl Harbor in my history books, and that’s because I didn’t live it. I didn’t feel it. It was no more real to me than the battle of Gettysburg.

My father’s generation lived it and felt it. My dad, a Navy man, drove around Hiroshima in a jeep not long a er the atom bomb fell, a thing that seems insane and impossible, looking back on it. But I know it happened because I saw the square, brown-tinted photos of the city, his jeep, and his ship docked in Hiroshima harbor in a weathered scrapbook he kept in a drawer.

at generation is mostly gone now, along with their emotions and memories of Pearl Harbor and World War II. Most of you reading this carry the emotions and memories of living through 9/11, another day that will live in infamy. Don’t keep them stuck away in a drawer. Share. History does have a tendency to repeat itself.

PHOTO: KENTANNENBAUM | DREAMSTIME.COM Nearly 3000 people were killed in the 9/11 attacks.

By Alex Greene

We WiLl RoCk YoU

Memphis bands keep bringing the ri s, despite national trends.

There’s an epic tale unfolding in the Memphis music world these days. You might call it “ e History of the Decline and Fall of the Rock Empire,” though it’s still not clear how much of a fall has been su ered. e local rock scene is a creative hotbed, as we’ll see, but that’s in the wider context of “rock music,” whatever that is, su ering an overall drop in popularity.

Six years ago, Salon noted that a Rubicon had been crossed in the music industry. “For the rst time in Nielsen Music history, R&B/hip-hop has become the most consumed music genre in the United States,” wrote Taylor Link. “It’s a watershed moment for the Black-dominated genre. Former longtime volume leader rock … dropped to second with 23 percent of the total volume.” And only last year, Louder magazine decried, “ ere’s not one new rock/metal album among this year’s 200 best-selling albums in America.”

Such a sea change would have been unimaginable in the last century. Rock, aka “rawk,” the stepchild of rock-and-roll, arguably born with the opening power chords of e Kinks’ “You Really Got Me” in 1964, marked a whole new approach to the electric guitar, trading on its capacity for noise. If British musos were inspired by American innovators like Bo Diddley

and local hero Paul Burlison, a whole new sound was forged once Kink Dave Davies leaned into the metallic sound of his distorted guitar chords — loudly. Suddenly that lurching cousin of the blues, the rock ri , was selling records. Now, nearly 60 years on? Not so much.

Museum Relics

at’s put in perspective with a visit to the Memphis Museum of Science & History (MoSH), where two current exhibits shed perspective on rock by looking at its chief tool and icon: the guitar. Both “America at the Crossroads: e Guitar and a

Changing Nation,” curated by the National Guitar Museum, and MoSH’s own “Grind City Picks: e Music at Made Memphis” trace the instrument’s evolving design and cultural importance with more than 40 examples of the luthier’s cra on display. As Harvey Newquist of the National Guitar Museum notes, rock, hard rock, and metal were more than just a sound. ey expressed the whole ethos of the counterculture.

“It was the rst generation that had gui-

tar sounds of its own,” he says. “And they were distorted guitar sounds. Post-British Invasion, the rst insanely heavy guitar sounds in America came from people like Jimi Hendrix, who inspired later bands like Aerosmith and Van Halen. e rise of that sound was very much a re ection of American youth culture, more so than country-western and the blues and everything else because it was so very integrated with teen angst, as it were.”

Angst and good times, that is. “I want to rock and roll all night — and party every day!” as KISS sang. e rock ri captured the zeitgeist in all its contradictions. “Hard rock and metal, and the sound of a distorted overdriven guitar, was a sound that had never been heard before,” says Newquist. “Here was a generation that didn’t want saxophones and pianos and horns. ey wanted something raw and powerful to represent them, and hard rock and metal t the bill perfectly.”

In the exhibit, changes in the guitar’s sound are tracked visually, as the instruments come to embody either futuristic utopianism or pre-modern warfare. “ e iconic, heavy rock guitarist was playing Les Paul,” Newquist explains. “But B.C. Rich created extraordinarily angular guitars that were embraced by bands like Slayer and Lita Ford because

PHOTO: JAMIE HARMON

Songwriter/guitarist Alicja Trout has long been a mainstay of Memphis’ rock scene.

PHOTO: ALEX GREENE Julien Baker’s guitar at MoSH

they were so aggressive looking. ey’re all points and angles, which gives them kind of a lethal look.”

It was all happening in Memphis, as well. At the end of the nationally touring exhibit comes MoSH’s Memphis addition, “Grind City Picks,” where you can see, mixed in with blues, soul, funk, jazz, and rockabilly axes, signs of heavy rock taking up permanent residence on the Blu .

Hear Rock City

One of those signs in “Grind City Picks” is Steve Selvidge’s Fender Stratocaster. at single artifact captures an entire genealogy of heavy guitar rock in Memphis, in part because Selvidge is “following in his father Sid Selvidge’s footsteps,” as the signage says. But it goes deeper than that. e Selvidges were especially close with fellow Mudboy & the Neutrons member Lee Baker, a local pioneer of heavy guitar. “Baker would be over at the house a lot, or we’d be over at Baker’s house,” Selvidge noted of his childhood in a 2021 interview. “He had a guitar … and I was just fascinated with the guitar, any guitar.”

Indeed, Baker was an innovator in the realm of loud, distorted ri s. e in uence of the 1969 debut by his pre-Mudboy band, Moloch, was obvious three years later when Je Beck, cutting an album in Memphis, covered their version of “Going Down.” e song’s slow, sinking rock ri was the perfect transformation of the blues into a wholly new genre, and Beck kept it in his set for decades to come.

Today, Selvidge the younger, arguably the city’s biggest Moloch fan, has repeatedly distinguished himself in the rock ri department, sporadically in the ’90s funk/ alt-rock band Big Ass Truck and today with e Hold Steady, a Brooklyn-based group combining a pile-driving rock sound with Craig Finn’s trenchant, literate lyrics, with whom Selvidge has played with since 2010.

But that’s just the tip of the hard rock iceberg in this town, where, despite national trends, the rawk sound marches on. Memphis has had its hand in that game for decades. Having played with classic rock-leaning Target in the ’70s, singer Jimi Jamison then led the band Cobra, which in turn led to his joining the mega-group Survivor combo in 1984 (a er they’d already hit it big with “Eye of the Tiger”). Jamison helped keep them in the charts with hits like “I Can’t Hold Back” and “High on You.” Like the bigger hard rock bands in the charts, Survivor was a prime example of “Album Oriented Rock” (AOR), which mixed heavy guitar ri s with catchy choruses and sparkling production values. Meanwhile, a Memphian who’d previously dabbled in country rock, Jimmy Davis, adapted to the times and dove into AOR himself, fronting Jimmy Davis & Junction. eir debut, Kick the Wall, was produced by Jack Holder, who’d helped pen songs for Southern rock out t 38 Special, and the title song became a minor hit.

ose artists in turn inspired many younger groups in their wake. Take Tora Tora, sometimes considered a “hair metal” band. Singer Anthony Corder recalls those times in the late ’80s when he and three other high schoolers were just learning their cra . “We were into older bands like Target, one of Jimi Jamison’s bands, who were on A&M [Records],” he says. “We won some local competition and the prize was a day at Ardent. And when we went in, the engineer happened to be Paul Ebersol.” As it happened, Ebersol was to become a key gure in the heavy rock coming out of Memphis, ultimately producing local angst-metal hitmakers Saliva in the early 2000s. “Paul just saw something in us that we didn’t even see,” says Corder.

Championed by Ebersol, Ardent took the band under its wing, and it was a particularly charmed era to be playing hair metal. “As we were coming up, the scene was exploding,” Corder notes. Before long, with Corder still in high school, Tora Tora was signed to A&M as well, and their

and opening doors for every original punk/alternative band in this town,” wrote J.D. Reager in the Memphis Flyer a er the band’s guitarist, Bob Holmes, died in 2019.

Reager quotes Memphis native David Catching, who, a er playing with the Modi ers for 10 years, went on to be a producer and guitarist for the Eagles of Death Metal and Queens of the Stone Age: “I’ll never forget meeting Bob at the Well,” says Catching. “He and Alex Chilton were my rst guitar heroes I could actually talk to.”

While the Modi ers never dented the charts, to some extent they pre gured Nirvana’s breakthrough smash Nevermind in 1991, which spelled the end of hair metal’s dominance. e so-called grunge movement pro ered “seventies-in uenced, slowed-down punk music,” as producer Jack Endino told Rolling Stone in 1992. Like the heavier bands at the Antenna, grunge bands rejected the more pop elements of glam metal but kept the ri s, and their audiences followed suit. Ironically, by 1995 the Antenna Club had closed its doors. But a new hybrid hard rock was just getting started.

One unique Memphis group from that era was Son of Slam, whose album Trailer Parks, Politics & God was released in 1994. According to LastFm.com, they “spit in the face of pretty boy glam bands” and “found legions of loyal fans in cities throughout the South and the Midwest.” Fronted by the amboyantly unhinged Chris Scott, the group also featured guitar virtuoso Eric Lewis and the rhythm section of Terrence “T-Money” Bishop (bass) and John “Bubba” Bonds (drums). All four, especially the latter two holding down the rhythm, continue to impact the scene today.

Only slightly later, other artists fond of killer ri s were getting their start. Local bluesy punks the Oblivians inspired young James Lee Lindsey Jr. to begin a career of his own that, like the Modi ers before him, would sometimes straddle the line between punk and metal.

debut album reached #47 on the charts. By the dawn of the ’90s, other Memphis groups, like Roxy Blue, Every Mother’s Nightmare, and Mother Station (featuring guitarist Gwin Spencer and singer/songwriter Susan Marshall), were also thriving, albeit not with the same success as Tora Tora. But even as Memphis metal was going big time, the seeds of its demise had already been sown.

Metal Meets Punk

Even before Tora Tora’s ascent, an alternative approach to hard rocking sounds had been gestating in the legendary Antenna Club, originally known as e Well. While some punk was morphing into what’s now called hardcore, played at a frenetic pace and with little melodic content, others, like the Modi ers, played metal-inspired music that retained a punk attitude. “ e Modi ers poured their sweat and souls into every performance, breaking ground

Taking the name Jay Reatard, Lindsey began rmly in the punk camp, yet as the century turned, he partnered with Memphis songwriter/guitarist Alicja Trout to form the Lost Sounds, slowing the tempo slightly and adding synths to their guitar crunch. Beginning in the early 2000s, long a er hair metal’s star had fallen, the Lost Sounds and other Goner-a liated bands kept the torch of hard rock ri s burning. Hard rock was already giving way to hiphop and electronic music on the charts, but it still percolated in Memphis with a erce, rebellious energy.

“We were trying to challenge ourselves,” Trout says today of the Lost Sounds’ debut, Black-Wave. “It was not quite prog rock because there weren’t any jam-out moments there. We called it Black-Wave because we were trying to mix black metal and new wave.”

e Lost Sounds challenged listeners’

continued on page 12

PHOTO: DAN BALL Lost Sounds ca. early 2000s

PHOTO: COURTESY ANTHONY CORDER Tora Tora ca. 1988-’90

continued from page 11

preconceptions as well, not least because a woman playing heavy guitar riffs was not a common sight. “When I started playing, it was novel to have a woman playing guitar and playing heavy,” Trout says. “Now, it’s no longer a novelty to be a female playing guitar in a band, although I feel like rock is still mainly dude territory.”

Trout ultimately parted ways with Lindsey, who carried on as Jay Reatard, eventually releasing the popular punk/ metal hybrid albums Blood Visions and Watch Me Fall in 2009. Tragically, the next year a likely overdose took his life, a loss that the city still mourns. But Trout had already struck out on her own years before, recruiting Bishop and Bonds to found the River City Tanlines in 2004.

“I think the River City Tanlines is the most rock-and-roll band of any band I’ve ever been in,” Trout says today. “The Lost Sounds were just getting further and further from conventional songwriting, getting into time changes and epic outros and noise intros and all these layered keyboards. It really came down to me thinking, ‘Man, I just want to do something simple and fun.’ Going back to basic songwriting with a good verse or chorus riff. And then Terrence and Bubba put their rock experience twist on it.”

The Son of Slam rhythm section was perfect for Trout, for whom the “punk”

label never was quite appropriate. “Whenever I’m put in with punk,” she notes, “the only thing I can think of is the Ramones, Blondie, and maybe The Velvet Underground — the New York definition of that word. Other than that, I only like smatterings of punk. It’s not me at all.”

We Will, We Will Rock Us

Despite all labels and market trends, artists like Selvidge and Trout epitomize hard rock’s staying power. The River City Tanlines still play today, as does Trout’s other group, Sweet Knives. That band’s 2022 album Spritzerita is a masterful punk/hard rock hybrid not unlike the Lost Sounds and, as Trout explains, that’s no accident.

“I formed Sweet Knives to play all the Lost Sounds songs that had been put to sleep,” she says. “But it wasn’t long until [original Lost Sounds drummer] Rich Crook and I

started writing songs together.” Now they continue with an evolving lineup.

Other bands that began in the ’90s have enjoyed similar longevity. The 30-year-old band Pezz, who, according to the Flyer’s Chris McCoy, has always had “a melodic streak that endeared them to pop-punk fans,” continues to play today and is featured in the MoSH exhibit. And the Subteens, who also feature Bonds on drums, have soldiered on for nearly as long, releasing what is perhaps their greatest work, Vol. 4: Dashed Hopes & Good Intentions, only last year. It’s full of “propulsive anthems, driving riffs, and soaring solos that offer portraits of an underground community teetering between hope, exultation, rage, and despair,” as noted in the Flyer

Still more groups straddling punk and hard rock have sprouted up in the past decade and a half, including the Dirty Streets, whose rocking guitar sound harks back to the Faces or The Rolling Stones; HEELS, who combined Clash-like politics with up-tempo riffs in last year’s masterpiece, Pop Songs for a Dying Planet; Opossums, who skew towards pop punk melodicism in their latest, Bite; and the duo Turnstyles, who’ve perfected the rock sound in its most minimalist expression: a guitarist and a drummer, both of whom sing.

Simultaneously, some masterful guitarists are keeping the classic rock spirit alive here. The originals on Robert Allen Parker’s recent double album, The

River’s Invitation, mine a classic mash-up of Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, and the Allman Brothers. Mama Honey, a trio led by guitarist Tamar Love, relies on her Hendrix-inspired, unabashedly rock-andfunk-fueled riffs.

And no group tours more regularly than Joecephus and the George Jonestown Massacre, the brainchild of guitarist Joey Killingsworth, who’s specialized in masterminding charity albums that draw on cameos from the metal, rock, and punk worlds (such as J.D. Pinkus from the Butthole Surfers), often in tributes to classic ’70s rockers like Black Oak Arkansas and Nazareth (with an MC5 tribute to be released later this year). Killingsworth is also the axe man behind A Thousand Lights, who started as a Stooges cover band but soon morphed into an original goth rock band in their own right.

Perhaps the clearest sign that hard rock is rooted here for good is the revival Tora Tora has enjoyed in recent years, having released an album of all new material, Bastards of Beale, in 2019 — still with the original four members that met in high school. “There’s still an audience here that I’m playing to, and they’re like super fans,” says Corder. “They’re super passionate. We jumped on the Monsters of Rock Cruise for the first time back in 2017, and man it was the most awesome experience. We’ve rediscovered our heavy metal tribe.”

steppin’ out

We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews

World Afro Day

By Kailynn Johnson

When the CROWN Act, prohibiting companies from discrimination based on an employee’s hairstyle, was passed in Tennessee back in 2022, it marked a victory for Black women in the workplace. Black women nally felt seen in their battle with corporate America. Many had long struggled with perfecting a hairstyle that seemed “appropriate” for the workplace without sacri cing their sense of identity, and the passage of this law called for celebration.

A er all, only a few years prior in 2017, a United States federal court ruled that companies could discriminate against potential employees for having dreadlocks, inciting London-based Michelle De Leon to found World Afro Day that year.

Memphis native Phiandrea Pruitt originally discovered the holiday through a casual scroll session on X (formerly known as Twitter). When she found out there was a holiday that celebrated Black women, and “Afro hair” as De Leon refers to it, she realized she wanted to bring the holiday to the South.

Last year’s World Afro Day at Delta State University

september 15th steve

Pruitt began by hosting an annual event at her undergraduate institution, Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi; however, a er graduating, she knew that she wanted to bring the event to her hometown. is year, Pruitt is hosting a World Afro Day Art Exhibition at Orijennal Art on September 15th. e event is $22, and tickets can be purchased through Orijennal Art’s website at orijennalart.com.

Jennifer Elaine, owner of Orijennal Art, explains that this exhibition served as a perfect opportunity for collaboration since her own art showcases natural hair and empowers Black women to love themselves. Her work, she says, is meant to “display Black women in a positive light.” “Embracing all of their kinks and curls,” she adds. e event will serve as the ultimate “natural hair kickback” with the intention of celebrating and hosting meaningful discussions about natural hair. Elaine explains the artwork on display will “illustrate the beauty of our natural Afro kinks and curls on canvas by several talented Black artists.”

Attendees will also be able to enjoy wine and catered cuisine, and are even invited to paint their own “Afro art.” As a special treat, DJ Crystal Mercedes will be on the “ones and twos.” is event also marks a special moment for one of Memphis’ natural hair pioneers, Takeisha Berry Brooks, founder and owner of A Natural A air beauty salon, with locations in Cordova and Memphis. Brooks, who also founded De•Fine Natural Hair, a Black-owned hair care brand, alongside her husband, will be the guest speaker for the event.

“ is is empowerment for me because I remember when the movement started, and it was just a trickle of people. Now it’s everywhere,” Brooks says.

VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES September 14th - 20th

Collierville Balloon Festival

Maynard Way, Saturday-Sunday, September 16-17, 3-10 p.m., $8/ children (4-12), $15/adults

e Collierville Balloon Festival returns again in 2023 on Maynard Way (behind Walmart). e festival brings together more than 20 stunning hot air balloons, live entertainment, food, arts and cra s vendors, and more to provide a great time for the whole family. Proceeds from the event will support education programs in the local community.

At or around sunrise, you can begin Saturday and Sunday mornings with a free breathtaking dawn ascension of participating balloons.

A er 6 p.m., weather-permitting, you can take a tethered balloon ride for $20 per person.

On both evenings, you can see the balloon glow, featuring the festival’s balloons lighting the evening sky.

Cooper-Young Festival

Cooper-Young Historic District, Saturday, September 16, 9 a.m.7 p.m.

Cooper-Young Festival is Memphis’ most unique outdoor celebration. Turning 35 this year, this event has grown to be one of the most anticipated and well-attended events and one of the last free festivals of its kind. Over 130,000 guests will enjoy an appealing mix of art, music, and crafts, presented by over 400 artisans from around the country.

Only original Memphis grown music is heard on the fest’s stages starting at 11 a.m. on the Main Stage and 12:30 p.m. on the Memphis Grizzlies Stage. This year’s lineup has Doug MacLeod headlining at 5:15-6:30 p.m.

Medical District Wellness Festival

Morris Park, Saturday, September 16, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., free Join the Medical District for a day of heath-focused activities, community outreach, and live entertainment.

Memphis Medical District Collaborative is hosting local businesses, healthcare professionals, neighborhood resource partners, and 901 residents for health screenings and consultations, live entertainment by Courtney Little and the RunwayDJ, local food vendors, Zumba with David Quarles IV at 11:45 a.m., yoga at 1 p.m. with Sana Yoga Downtown, a growing station with Black Seeds Urban Farms, “Ask the Docs” station with Church Health, a Vitalant blood drive, and a kids zone with face-painting, bouncy house, games, and more.

Free parking is available at the Le Bonheur garage on Manassas or St. Mary’s Episcopal Church on Poplar.

september 22nd

september 23rd

WORLD AFRO DAY ART EXHIBITION, ORIJENNAL ART, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 6-9 P.M., $22.

PHOTO: CAMPBELL SAIA

AFTER DARK: Live Music Schedule

September 14 - 20

and Colour

Tennessee Screamers

Saturday, Sept. 16, 4:30 p.m.

BAR DKDC

The Dough Rolers

Charlotte Taylor

Tuesday, Sept. 19, 6-8:30 p.m.

CENTRAL BBQ

Duane Cleveland Band

Sunday, Sept. 17, 3-9 p.m.

HUEY’S DOWNTOWN

Madeline Collins Duo

ursday, Sept. 14, 6:30 p.m.

CENTRAL STATION HOTEL

T Jerrod and Friends

Saturday, Sept. 16, 6-8:30 p.m.

CENTRAL BBQ

Tyke T and Friends

$25. Sunday, Sept. 17, 7 p.m.

THE ORPHEUM

Wendell Wells

Songwriter

Sunday, Sept. 17, 6 p.m.

BAR HUSTLE, ARRIVE HOTEL

Mempho Presents: Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit

Saturday, Sept. 16, 5:30-10 p.m.

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

The Fabulous DooVays

Sunday, Sept. 17, 3-6 p.m.

HUEY’S POPLAR

The Way They Play -

Gerald Harris

$13-$18. Saturday, Sept. 16, 2-3 p.m.

MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY

Al Kapone (Orion Free Concert Series)

Saturday, Sept. 16, 7 p.m.

OVERTON PARK SHELL

Area 51

Friday, Sept. 15, 6 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Brandee Younger

Friday, Sept. 15, 7:30-9 p.m.

THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS

Cooper York Fest Music by Je Hulett, Johnny & the Seagulls, and Solar Powered Love. Saturday, Sept. 16, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

MEMPHIS MADE BREWING COMPANY

Dirty Streets (Orion Free Concert Series)

Friday, Sept. 15, 7 p.m.

OVERTON PARK SHELL

Five O’Clock Shadow

Sunday, Sept. 17, 3-6 p.m.

HUEY’S MIDTOWN

Frank Foster

$25-$30. Saturday, Sept. 16, 8 p.m.

MINGLEWOOD HALL

Hermon Mehari & Peter Schlamb Quartet

$15-$20. Wednesday, Sept. 20, 7:30-9 p.m.

THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS

Hope Clayburn’s Soul

Scrimmage

Free. Friday, Sept. 15, 7-9 p.m.

OVERTON SQUARE

John Fullbright

$25. Tuesday, Sept. 19, 7:30 p.m.

THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS

Marcella and Her Lovers

Saturday, Sept. 16, 8-10 p.m.

RAILGARTEN

Memphis Side Show

Friday, Sept. 15, 8-11 p.m.

THE COVE

Mystic Light Casino, Pop

Ritual, Trash Goblin

Friday, Sept. 15, 9 p.m.

B-SIDE

Rice Drewry Collective

Saturday, Sept. 16, 6 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Shorty & the Grooves, The Hypocrites, Mothcat, Alexis Jade

Saturday, Sept. 16, 8 p.m.

MEMPHIS CURRENT

Souled Out

Friday, Sept. 15, 10 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Strictly Jazz: The Music of Wayne Shorter

$20, $25. Saturday, Sept. 16, 7:30-9 p.m.

THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS

Sunday, Sept. 17, 7 p.m.

B-SIDE

The Infamous Stringdusters

Special guest Cris Jacobs.

Wednesday, Sept. 20, 7:30 p.m.

MINGLEWOOD HALL

The Living Dead Show with Divisive & Smoke Signals

$25. Saturday, Sept. 16, 9 p.m.-1 a.m.

WICKED WAYS HAUNTED HOUSE

The Midnight $30-$35. Monday, Sept. 18, 8 p.m.

MINGLEWOOD HALL

Wyly Bigger & the Coyotes

Friday, Sept. 15, 8:30-10:30 p.m. BLUE MONKEY

City and Colour

$41. Friday, Sept. 15, 8 p.m.

GRACELAND SOUNDSTAGE

Colt Ford and The Lacs

Friday, Sept. 15, 8 p.m.

HORSESHOE CASINO TUNICA

Trace Adkins

$75-$125. Saturday, Sept. 16, 7:30-9:30 p.m.

HEINDL CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

Wyly Bigger & Benton Parker

Wednesday, Sept. 20, 7-10 p.m.

GUEST HOUSE AT GRACELAND

Brian “Breeze” Cayolle

$7. Thursday, Sept. 14, 6:308 p.m.

GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Richard Wilson

Friday, Sept. 15, 12:30 p.m.

JACKIE MAE’S PLACE

ShakerMaker

Sunday, Sept. 17, 6-9 p.m.

HUEY’S COLLIERVILLE

PHOTO (LEFT): COURTESY ALL EYES MEDIA City

PHOTO (RIGHT): MCKENDREE WALKER/COURTESY OVERTON PARK SHELL Al Kapone

CALENDAR of EVENTS: September 14 - 20

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, VISIT EVENTS. MEMPHISFLYER.COM/CAL.

ART AND SPECIAL EXHIBITS

“On Being Human”

David Mah has a new body of work that connects viewers with passion and compassion, empathy and experience. On view by appointment. Through Sept. 17.

MEDICINE FACTORY

FESTIVAL

Collierville Balloon Festival

Bringing together more than 20 stunning hot air balloons, live entertainment, food, arts and crafts vendors, and more. Saturday, Sept. 16-Sept. 17.

MAYNARD WAY

Cooper-Young Festival

CY Fest returns for its 35th anniversary. Saturday, Sept. 16, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

COOPER-YOUNG HISTORIC DISTRICT

Memphis Brewfest

The biggest beer festival in the Mid-South.

Saturday, Sept. 16, 3 p.m.

MEMPHIS SPORTS & EVENTS CENTER

Memphis Dance Festival

The largest free celebration of dance in the region on National Dance Day 2023. Saturday, Sept. 16, noon-4 p.m.

COLLAGE DANCE COLLECTIVE

Shop Black Memphis

FILM

Hispanic Film Festival

All movies will be shown in Spanish with subtitles. Admission is free. Tuesday, Sept. 19-Oct. 3.

UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

Lake & Lodge Movies by Moonlight:

The Princess Bride

Medieval and pirate costumes encouraged. $15.

Saturday, Sept. 16, 7-10 p.m.

LICHTERMAN NATURE CENTER

Overton Square Movie Nights

This week’s movie is Remember the Titans. Free.

Thursday, Sept. 14, 7 p.m.

OVERTON SQUARE

The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation

Celebrate local Black-owned businesses. Free.

620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018

Saturday, Sept. 16, noon-7 p.m.

For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550

SHOP BLACK FEST

For Release Thursday, February 14, 2019

Crossword

S**TFEST: Best of the Worst: Miami Connection

Prepare for one of the greatest “bad” movies of

Edited by Will Shortz No. 0110

the 1980s. A rock-and-roll disasterpiece. Free.

Friday, Sept. 15, 7:30 p.m.

BLACK LODGE

FOOD AND DRINK

At My Sister’s Table

An extraordinary brunch experience dedicated to empowering Black women’s sexual well-being. Sunday, Sept. 17, 1:30 p.m.

ORIJENNAL ART

Guy Fieri Bottle Signing

Have your Santo Tequila bottle signed by the Emmy-winning celebrity chef, Guy Fieri. Friday, Sept. 15, 4-5 p.m.

BUSTER’S LIQUORS & WINES

The Permission Parties

To celebrate the release of his newest album Permission, Alex Wong presents a multisensory listening and tasting dinner series. Tuesday, Sept. 19, 7-10 p.m.; Wednesday, Sept. 20, 7-10 p.m.

IMAGINE VEGAN CAFE

PERFORMING ARTS

Style!

A Taylor Swift-themed show, hosted by Aubrey Ombre. Friday, Sept. 15, 8 p.m.

DRU’S PLACE

The Huber Marionettes

Internationally-recognized marionette artist Phillip Huber brings his puppets to life at Buckman. $35. Sunday, Sept. 17, 7-8:30 p.m.

BUCKMAN ARTS CENTER AT ST. MARY’S SCHOOL

The Rural Journey Drag Show

Hosted by Stevie Von D and Dione Monroe. 21+. $10. Thursday, Sept. 14, 9 p.m.

ATOMIC ROSE

The Starlight Cabaret with Aubrey “Boom Boom” Ombre

Featuring: Taye Cassadine, Mercedez Ellis L’Oreal, Will Ryder, Crystal Jo Casino, and Shanice R. Cassadine. Saturday, Sept. 16, 10 p.m.

DRU’S PLACE

SPORTS

901 Wrestling Saturday Morning

Scheduled to appear: 901 Wrestling champion Hunter Havoc, 1819 champion Kevin Bless, Andy Mack, Don Montana, and more. Saturday, Sept. 16, 11 a.m.

BLACK LODGE

Memphis 901 FC vs. Hartford Athletic Saturday, Sept. 16, 7 p.m.

AUTOZONE PARK

Memphis Redbirds vs. Charlotte Knights

Tuesday, Sept. 19, 6:45 p.m.; Wednesday, Sept. 20, 12:05 p.m.

AUTOZONE PARK

THEATER

A Raisin in the Sun

Set on Chicago’s South Side, Lorraine Hansberry’s celebrated play concerns the divergent dreams and conflicts in three generations of the Younger family. Through Sept. 24.

HATTILOO THEATRE

Fat Ham

GIFTSSWIFT MINISKIMILLI WILDTHINGINKIN ILLSIRISLISPS

IDSIRTTWIN INTCRINGING

RIFFSBLINGKIR

ISISBRINKZITI

GINSLINGMIDST STIFLINGWIG

RINGSIXFBI

SPRIGINITSIRS IRISHTIGHTKNIT

TINCTCHIMING SIKHSSNIPS

Fat Ham is a deliciously funny retelling of Shakespeare’s Hamlet set in the American South. Friday, Sept. 15-Oct. 8.

PLAYHOUSE ON THE SQUARE

Sister Act

When a disco nightclub singer witnesses a crime, she becomes fearful of being discovered by the criminals. Her confession to police lands her in a convent that seems to be the perfect hiding shelter. Through Sept. 20.

THEATRE MEMPHIS

The Prom

A group of Broadway stars, lamenting their days of fame, comes to the rescue when a student is refused the opportunity to bring her girlfriend to the prom in the town of Edgewater, Indiana. Through Sept. 17.

PLAYHOUSE ON THE SQUARE

PUZZLE BY JEFF SLUTZKY AND DEREK BOWMAN

PHOTO: COURTESY COOPER-YOUNG FESTIVAL Cooper-Young Festival returns this weekend for its 35th anniversary.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries photographer Wynn Bullock had a simple, effective way of dealing with his problems and suffering. He said, “Whenever I have found myself stuck in the ways I relate to things, I return to nature. It is my principal teacher, and I try to open my whole being to what it has to say.” I highly recommend you experiment with his approach in the coming weeks. You are primed to develop a more intimate bond with the flora and fauna in your locale. Mysterious shifts now unfolding in your deep psyche are making it likely you can discover new sources of soulful nourishment in natural places — even those you’re familiar with. Now is the best time ever to hug trees, spy omens in the clouds, converse with ravens, dance in the mud, and make love in the grass.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Creativity expert Roger von Oech says businesspeople tend to be less successful as they mature because they become fixated on solving problems rather than recognizing opportunities. Of course, it’s possible to do both — untangle problems and be alert for opportunities — and I’d love you to do that in the coming weeks. Whether or not you’re a businessperson, don’t let your skill at decoding riddles distract you from tuning into the new possibilities that will come floating into view.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini author Fernando Pessoa wrote books and articles under 75 aliases. He was an essayist, literary critic, translator, publisher, philosopher, and one of the great poets of the Portuguese language. A consummate chameleon, he constantly contradicted himself and changed his mind. Whenever I read him, I’m highly entertained but sometimes unsure of what the hell he means. He once wrote, “I am no one. I don’t know how to feel, how to think, how to love. I am a character in an unwritten novel.” And yet Pessoa expressed himself with great verve and had a wide array of interests. I propose you look to him as an inspirational role model in the coming weeks, Gemini. Be as intriguingly paradoxical as you dare. Have fun being unfathomable. Celebrate your kaleidoscopic nature.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): “Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.” Cancerian author Henry David Thoreau said that. I don’t necessarily agree. Many of us might prefer love to truth. Plus, there’s the inconvenient fact that if we don’t have enough money to meet our basic needs, it’s hard to make truth a priority. The good news is that I don’t believe you will have to make a tough choice between love and truth anytime soon. You can have them both! There may also be more money available than usual. And if so, you won’t have to forgo love and truth to get it.

Rob Brezsny

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Before she got married, Leo musician Tori Amos told the men she dated, “You have to accept that I like ice cream. I know it shows up on my hips, but if you can’t accept that, then leave. Go away. It is non-negotiable.” I endorse her approach for your use in the coming weeks. It’s always crucial to avoid apologizing for who you really are, but it’s especially critical in the coming weeks. And the good news is that you now have the power to become even more resolute in this commitment. You can dramatically bolster your capacity to love and celebrate your authentic self exactly as you are.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): My hitchhiking adventures are finished. They were fun while I was young, but I don’t foresee myself ever again trying to snag a free ride from a stranger in a passing car. Here’s a key lesson I learned from hitchhiking: Position myself in a place that’s near a good spot for a car to stop. Make it easy for a potential benefactor to offer me a ride. Let’s apply this principle to your life, Libra. I advise you to eliminate any obstacles that could interfere with you getting what you want. Make it easy for potential benefactors to be generous and kind. Help them see precisely what it is you need.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In your history of togetherness, how lucky and skillful have you been in synergizing love and friendship? Have the people you adored also been good buddies? Have you enjoyed excellent sex with people you like and respect? According to my analysis of the astrological omens, these will be crucial themes in the coming months. I hope you will rise to new heights and penetrate to new depths of affectionate lust, spicy companionship, and playful sensuality. The coming weeks will be a good time to get this extravaganza underway.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Is it ever morally permissible to be greedily needy? Are there ever times when we deserve total freedom to feel and express our voracious longings? I say yes. I believe we should all enjoy periodic phases of indulgence — chapters of our lives when we have the right, even the sacred duty, to tune into the full range of our quest for fulfillment. In my astrological estimation, Sagittarius, you are beginning such a time now. Please enjoy it to the max! Here’s a tip: For best results, never impose your primal urges on anyone; never manipulate allies into giving you what you yearn for. Instead, let your longings be beautiful, radiant, magnetic beacons that attract potential collaborators.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Here’s a Malagasy proverb: “Our love is like the misty rain that falls softly but floods the

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22): The Virgo writer Caskie Stinnett lived on Hamloaf, a small island off the coast of Maine. He exulted in the fact that it looked “the same as it did a thousand years ago.” Many of the stories he published in newspapers featured this cherished home ground. But he also wandered all over the world and wrote about those experiences. “I travel a lot,” he said. “I hate having my life disrupted by routine.” You Virgos will make me happy in the coming weeks if you cultivate a similar duality: deepening and refining your love for your home and locale, even as you refuse to let your life be disrupted by routine.

river.” Do you want that kind of love, Capricorn? Or do you imagine that a more boisterous version would be more interesting — like a tempestuous downpour that turns the river into a torrential surge? Personally, I encourage you to opt for the misty rain model. In the long run, you will be glad for its gentle, manageable overflow.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): According to the Bible’s book of Matthew, Jesus thought it was difficult for wealthy people to get into heaven. If they wanted to improve their chances, he said they should sell their possessions and give to the poor. So Jesus might not agree with my current oracle for you. I’m here to tell you that every now and then, cultivating spiritual riches dovetails well with pursuing material riches. And now is such a time for you, Aquarius. Can you generate money by seeking enlightenment or doing God’s work? Might your increased wealth enable you to better serve people in need? Should you plan a pilgrimage to a sacred sanctuary that will inspire you to raise your income? Consider all the above, and dream up other possibilities, too.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Piscean author Art Kleiner teaches the art of writing to non-writers. He says this:

1. Tell your listeners the image you want them to see first. 2. Give them one paragraph that encapsulates your most important points. 3. Ask yourself, “What tune do you want your audience to be humming when they leave?” 4. Provide a paragraph that sums up all the audience needs to know but is not interesting enough to put at the beginning. I am offering you Kleiner’s ideas, Pisces, to feed your power to tell interesting stories. Now is an excellent time to take inventory of how you communicate and make any enhancements that will boost your impact and influence. Why not aspire to be as entertaining as possible?

THEATER By Coco June

The Prom

e cast saves this play that thematically may have missed the mark.

At the end of the soliloquy in act 2 scene 2 of Hamlet, the audience is o ered the line, “ e play’s the thing,” a phrase with layered meaning according to most Shakespeare devotees. In examining Playhouse on the Square’s production of the musical e Prom, I need to make a clear distinction between the play, which I mostly didn’t care for, and the performance, which I mostly enjoyed.

e Prom takes place for the most part in the small town of Edgewater, Indiana, where high school student Emma Nolan is banned from bringing her girlfriend to prom. e musical opens on four Broadway stars lamenting their bad press — they are (correctly) lambasted for being narcissists — and deciding their only possible recourse to regain some good PR is to nd a cause to champion and become activists. ey stumble upon Nolan’s story online, hitch a ride on a touring Godspell cast bus, and make their way to Edgewater. In their misguided attempt to leech onto Nolan’s hardship, the four actors end up nding their long-latent humanity.

I can’t say I entirely disliked the show, as there were some moments, such as the PTA scene in act 1 and the song “Barry Is Going to Prom” in act 2, that were scripted and executed incredibly well. My number one complaint with this musical is that, thematically, I feel it missed the mark. e con ict of e Prom centers around intolerance, which is such a deep, pervasive problem in our society that overcoming it with a song or simple conversation, as happens in e Prom, seems like a slap in the face. e stakes are too low.

If the world portrayed in the musical was meant to be a rich idealistic universe in which singing to a group of teenagers actually could change minds and reverse years of indoctrinated hate, then maybe I wouldn’t have been so irked. But it’s obviously meant to take place in our real, actual world. It’s as if the playwrights are saying, “If only you would do this simple thing, the world will be changed! Hooray!” It came o as preachy, which is ironic given that the script pulls no punches in criticizing small-town religious culture. I’m not suggesting that the play’s central theme of ghting against intolerance is distasteful; if anything, I’m disappointed to see intolerance portrayed as something so easily overcome. Watching a play that celebrates the LGBTQ community so

unabashedly was a joy — until the play suggested, more than once, that people can and will change their minds if we can just sing a song heartfelt enough.

While I had qualms with the source material, the cast made the show worth watching. Annie Freres in particular was a monumental presence on the stage as Dee Dee Allen, the biggest diva of the Broadway stars in e Prom. Her powerhouse vocals could bring the house down in any musical, and she certainly knows how to wield them. Whitney Branan’s lithe, sensu-

al materialization of Angie Dickinson was also a standout of the production.

Most of e Prom’s appeal lies in the over-the-top classic big Broadway musical numbers — “Barry is Going to Prom” being my favorite — but there were a few intimate moments that brought the show back down to Earth. Arielle Mitchell’s rendition of “Alyssa Greene” came across as raw and utterly genuine, saving that character from being mishandled by the playwrights as simply a caricature of a typical popular high schooler. Jonathan Christian as Barry Glickman and Katy Cotten as Emma Nolan also achieved a real intimacy not o en seen onstage, as it was one not of romantic overtones, but of found family and friendship transcending age and circumstance. eir makeover scene together was the moment in the production that seemed the most real to me, Christian and Cotten having succeeded in creating a personal bond between their characters.

ough e Prom su ered from a starry-eyed vision of the redemptive power of a musical number, Playhouse’s production of it overcame the hurdles of the script itself. ere’s something hopeful in the realization that — to paraphrase Shakespeare for a second time in this column — if all the world’s a stage, the players can sometimes rise above a lackluster script. e Prom runs at Playhouse on the Square through September 17th.

PHOTO: SEAN MOORE Playhouse’s production of e Prom overcomes a lackluster script.

PHOTO: AXEL DUPEUX

The Extra Mile

Keith

Keith Clinton puts the “experience” in “dining experience” at Chez Philippe.

In addition to what they nd on their plates, diners also are surprised by the extras Clinton provides.

Clinton, 35, immediately put his footprint down earlier this year when he became chef de cuisine at the elegant restaurant at e Peabody. “I move so fast,” he says. “And I change the menu constantly. We’re so hyperfocused on seasoning and sourcing of ingredients. We must move. And I am constantly pushing and constantly recreating and developing. And they give me the space to do that.”

Also, he adds, “I’m just fascinated with food. Fascinated with nature. e process of it all.”

Clinton, who was chef de cuisine for ve years at Erling Jensen: e Restaurant, was a private chef when he heard about e Peabody opening. “I was looking to have a little more fun. I missed service. I missed going fast.”

Clinton is now having fun. He searches for unusual ingredients, as well as the best familiar ingredients, for his cuisine. He and his kitchen sta are constantly making trips to Jones Orchard in Millington, Tennessee. “I really like taking my guys out there. And just spending an a ernoon before service picking produce we’re going to use that weekend.”

Like the strawberries they bought last spring. “We would pick the green ones. Just a little ripe. A little not ready. And ferment them for a dish on the menu.”

He made a green strawberry sorbet with the fermented strawberries. ey topped that o with some buttermilk ice. “So, it’s like a buttermilk granita.”

Clinton also regularly visits Viet Hoa Market — “an amazing resource on Cleveland” — to nd unusual ingredients.

But he also educates diners. “I’ll take all the ingredients in raw format — ramps and raw mushrooms — out to the table and say, ‘ is is what’s in this dish.’”

He pinpoints certain times during his seven-course menu to go into the

dining room. He’ll show up with shoyu, a liquid made from cherry blossoms, for his tuna sh, grapefruit, and avocado dish. He’ll “pour the shoyu over the dish at the table and talk to guests. Explain it to them.”

Clinton also researches guests who’ve made reservations. “Gathering as much information about them so we can tailor the experience.”

He’ll look them up on LinkedIn and Whitepages. “I know I have two hours to gure out something about this person with the information I received. And I translate that into an experience that is customized to that person. Which is a challenge to me.”

For instance, Clinton discovered a particular couple once celebrated a wedding anniversary at Earnestine & Hazel’s.

He assumed they had Soul Burgers, so he created mini smash burgers, which he surprised them with halfway through their meal. “Nobody else got a Soul Burger that night but them.”

His menus are “more seasonal than just the four main seasons. Especially when things are only around a couple of weeks or only once a month.”

His seven-course menu includes a snack course that can be eaten by hand. ese include items like a g and almond butter tart and a mushroom and tru e tuile. “I put in a hot towel service. When they’re done eating with their hands, I present them with a hot towel that’s steamed in essential oils.”

Diners even get “playful mignardise,” little snacks, maybe like a Windsor cookie, they can “eat in the car on the ride home or the next morning.”

He wants his diners to know, “We’re still thinking of you. And hope you’re still thinking of us.”

Clinton knows when to visit a table. “Some people seem open to it, some are more reserved. I play it by ear.”

He will “catch the vibe.” at’s when he might think, “I’ve been out there too much. I’ve been to their table ve times. Let them eat.”

But, Clinton says, “Building that relationship with the guests, going the extra mile, is necessary.”

Chez Philippe is at e Peabody at 149 Union Avenue.

PHOTO: MICHAEL DONAHUE Keith Clinton

Clinton serves up more than just food at Chez Philippe.

Black Film Rising

e WLOK Black Film Festival brings big-screen classics, both old and new.

With its daily programming of music and information, WLOK has long been committed to community outreach. Since the mid-1970s, it has also o ered the popular free Stone Soul Picnic around Labor Day.

e station expanded its cultural outreach with the WLOK Black Film Festival, which brings together both the local art community and Hollywood lms.

is year will be the seventh cinema festival, presenting four features plus a collection of short lms by new lmmakers. e festival runs from September 13th through September 19th at venues around town.

Opening night, Wednesday, September 13th, is “New Filmmakers Production” with several short films being screened at the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. The winning filmmaker will be awarded a $1,000 prize.

from local restaurants.

On Friday, September 15th, the 2022 biopic Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody will be screened. It stars Naomi Ackie and was directed by Kasi Lemmons. at will be shown at Crosstown eater, which is particularly good for this lm: “We found that Crosstown has a great sound system, great acoustics, so we tried to get a place that had strong musical quality,” said Art Gilliam, president and CEO of WLOK.

Each year, the WLOK Black Film Festival honors a cinema luminary who has recently passed away. Saturday, September 16th will serve as a tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman, who plays Jackie Robinson in the 2013 lm 42, directed by Brian Helgeland. e screening will be at Malco’s Studio on the Square, and a former player with the Negro League is expected to introduce the lm.

e nal day of the festival, Sunday, September 17th, will be at the National Civil Rights Museum with the 2022 lm Till directed by Chinonye Chukwu. e screening will be introduced by a recorded interview with Myrlie Evers-Williams and Danielle Deadwyler, who plays Mamie Till in the lm. ere will be a panel discussion a er the lm.

local creatives.

One of the board members of the Gilliam Foundation Inc. is Levi Frazier, a longtime playwright and educator. Frazier, Gilliam says, believes that “the opportunity for lms in Memphis is tremendous.” With incentives being o ered to local lmmakers, Gilliam says that part of the evolution of WLOK’s new lmmakers program has been to encourage talent.

of WLOK, but the station goes well beyond playing gospel tunes.

On Thursday, September 14th, is 2022’s The Woman King at the Museum of Science & History (MoSH). Starring Viola Davis and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, the project dominated the 2022 Black Reel Awards and the film categories of the 2022 NAACP Image Awards. The presentation includes a red carpet and a buffet dinner with food

e festival reinforces Gilliam’s vision for the station that he owns and operates. “ e future is determined by ourselves in terms of what we do and how we do it,” he says. “ at’s not just for us, but for any station — you have to have your identity. e bene t we have is that we understand who we are. And then we can do other things — it doesn’t have to be just radio.”

e lm festival is meant to put a spotlight on a developing area for

Encouraging lmmakers is nothing new for WLOK. In 2002, the 25th anniversary of Gilliam’s acquisition of the station, he called on Joann Self Selvidge of True Story Pictures to create a documentary about the enterprise. e project, Selvidge says, set her on the path to lmmaking. “It kind of became a classic in the sense that they still played it from time to time on WKNO. When I look at it and realize the nuances that she was able to bring into that, it shows how very observant she is. So, we recognize the potential for the lm industry in Memphis.”

It’s re ective of the programming

“We consider ourselves a community station,” Gilliam says. “We play gospel music, but there’s a di erence. Some people think of us as a Christian station, and of course the majority of our listeners are Christian churchgoers. But as a community station that has a gospel music format, we delve into areas that the Christian stations aren’t necessarily going to. In our talk programs, we deal with legal issues, with health issues, with controversial and political issues. Most Christian stations don’t deal with these issues, or if they do, it’s strictly from one point of view. We deal with all points of view.”

WLOK Black Film Festival runs September 13th through 17th. For more info, visit wlok.com.

FILM By Jon W. Sparks

“We understand who we are. And then we can do other things — it doesn’t have to be just radio.”

Viola Davis stars in e Woman King as General Nanisca, leader of the all-female Agojie warriors.

Our critic picks the best films in theaters.

A Haunting in Venice

Kenneth Branagh is back on his Agatha Christie trip and living his best life. This time, Tina Fey co-stars as Ariadne Oliver, a crime writer who asks Branagh’s Detective Poirot to solve a murder in the spooky world of 19th century spiritualists. Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Dornan, and Belfast’s Jude Hill round out the packed ensemble cast of people who might be murderers and/or murdered.

Satanic Hispanics

When police find a house full of dead people, they take the only survivor into custody for questioning. Instead of spilling the beans, he spins tales of

demonic possession and eldritch horrors. Is he telling the truth? This horror anthology unites five Latin-American directors who each tell stories of the supernatural and urban legends from Central and South America.

Camp Hideout

Noah (Ethan Drew) isn’t your normal happy church camp camper. He’s stolen something from crime boss Falco (Christopher Lloyd) and is hiding in the woods until the heat wears off. But he bit off more than he can chew with this cast of eccentric (if squeaky clean) characters. But when Falco comes looking for him, he has to protect his new friends from his old life.

Visit malco.com for local showtimes.

FY 2023 CONSOLIDATED ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT

Shelby County Department of Housing (SCDH) is preparing its Consolidated Annual Performance Report (CAPER) for the program year that began July 1, 2022 and ended June 30, 2023. The CAPER is required by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) to describe CDBG and HOME activities undertaken by SCDH to address housing and community development needs, especially in low- and moderate-income areas of Shelby County, outside the City of Memphis. SCDH expended approximately $1,403,283 in Community Development Block Grant funds, $1,079,987.92 in Community Development Block Grant – COVID Relief funds, $233,862.41 in HOME funds, and $2,250 in HOME-ARP funds for the following activities: low-to-moderate income housing rehabilitation and minor home repair; infrastructure/community development improvements to benefit low-to-moderate income communities within the Urban County; public service activities to benefit Urban County seniors; public service and public facilities activities to address COVID-impact; supportive services to address needs of qualifying populations at risk of homelessness; administrative expenses; and program delivery costs.

The CAPER will be available for public review and comment from Friday, September 8, 2023 through Thursday, September 28, 2023 on the Department of Housing website https://www.develop901.com/housing/planningReporting. The proposed CAPER will also be distributed via email to the City of Memphis main library listserv. To solicit comments on the CAPER, Shelby County Department of Housing will host two public hearings on Monday, September 25, 2023 at 12:30pm and 5:30pm with both in person and virtual attendance options.

In Person Attendance Option: Shelby County Code Enforcement, Training Room, 6465 Mullins Station Road Memphis, TN 38134. Attendees should enter the Code Enforcement Building through the Training Room entrance; upon walking up to the building, attendees will need to follow the signage that leads to the Training Room.

Virtual Attendance Option: A virtual option to join is also provided, and participants can join the meeting with a computer, tablet, or smartphone at https://www.gotomeet.me/DanaSjostrom or dialing in from a phone +1 (224) 501-3412, Access Code 169-900-933 at the above noted meeting time.

Written comments or suggestions regarding the CAPER will be accepted through 6:30 p.m. on September 25, 2023. Written comments should be sent to Dana Sjostrom (dana.sjostrom@shelbycountytn.gov) at Shelby County Department of Housing, 1075 Mullins Station Road, Memphis, TN 38134. SCDH will respond to all written comments within 10 working days of receipt and comments will be included as applicable in the final CAPER submission to HUD. For questions concerning the public hearing or the CAPER, please contact the Department of Housing at 901-222-7600.

Those with special needs that plan to attend the public hearing are encouraged to contact SCDH at (901) 222-7600 by 4:30 pm on Thursday, September 21, 2023 and we will work to accommodate you. Para mas información en Español, por favor llame Dana Sjostrom al 901-222-7601.

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

Lee Harris Shelby County Mayor

SHOP & SHIP Gift Cards & Gourmet Popcorn from www.malco.com or in the Malco app

or Malco

Attest: Scott Walkup

, Administrator Department of Housing

NOW PLAYING By Chris McCoy

By Andrew Moss

One Day for Labor Day Is Not Enough

We can’t ignore the ongoing struggle for workers’ rights and labor justice.

e state of labor this year is so fraught, so weighted with issues and problems, that a single day of homage and re ection doesn’t seem enough. It’s as if a year or more is needed to engage the issues, challenges, and possibilities facing American workers today. Consider the following:

Some 37.9 million Americans, about 11.6 percent of the population, live in poverty. But as sociologist Matthew Desmond has noted, about one in three Americans lives in a household with an income of $55,000 per year or less, an income barely enough to cover the rising costs of rent, healthcare, and food. Some 10.2 percent of American households (13.5 million households) have been food insecure, lacking access at one time or another to an adequately nutritious diet.

At the same time, organizations that best represent the material interests of working people — labor unions — are at an all-time low in membership (10.1 percent), down from 20.1 percent of working adults in 1983, when comparable data was rst available. As studies have shown, unionized workers tend to make wages higher than those of non-union workers, and they tend to be less vulnerable to such corporate labor strategies as outsourcing.

But outdated labor laws and weak enforcement continue to hamper the e orts of thousands of workers seeking to organize unions and achieve fair collective bargaining agreements. Despite some important successes (e.g. the wage raises and safety provisions recently won by UPS workers), major employers like Starbucks and Amazon stonewall negotiations, and union busting remains a lucrative enterprise: a highly e ective instrument deployed by many companies.

To complicate matters, AI has entered the workplace, threatening jobs in call centers and other places of employment — and remaining a contentious issue in ongoing strikes by screenwriters and actors.

Recent polling indicates that public support for unions (71 percent) is the highest it’s been since 1965. But it’s one thing to indicate approval on an opinion poll; it’s another to express that support in concrete ways.

One way, of course, is to continue educating oneself about labor issues and the way they’re played out in public discourse. With the 2024 election 14 months away, for example, one can scrutinize the words and actions of candidates who profess to care about working families.

Consider, for example, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott’s declaration, at the recent Republican presidential debate, that “the only way we change education in this nation, is to break the backs of the teachers unions.” What does it mean to represent unions in this way — to erase any consideration of teachers as both parents and as members of a community?

And what kinds of legislation, what kinds of policies, best represent the interests of workers — like those at Starbucks and Amazon — who seek to organize and achieve fair contracts? Consider the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which, among other things, would make it illegal for employers to force workers to attend anti-union, captive audience meetings. e PRO Act was passed by Congress in 2021, but it has since languished in the Senate. What will it take for basic legislation like this to become law?

Behind these questions lies the fundamental issue of accountability. How to hold candidates and public o cials accountable for stances and actions that help or hinder workers? How to hold ourselves accountable as citizens, willing to take the extra steps to look beyond campaign rhetoric as educated and discerning voters? And how to look around our own neighborhoods — informing ourselves of local labor issues, respecting (even joining) picket lines, and supporting workers’ rights to organize whenever possible?

e need for accountability applies to unions and union members as well. In my home city of Los Angeles, where screenwriters and actors continue their strikes, 32,000 lowwage hotel workers have also been on strike for two months. In a city where exorbitant rents have made it impossible for housekeepers or hotel bartenders to live where they work, the union is demanding not only better wages, but, among other things, a 7 percent surcharge on rooms to help fund a ordable housing for workers.

Strongly contested by the hotel owners, this latter demand nevertheless shows a unique kind of accountability: not only a union’s investment in fair wages, working conditions, and bene ts for workers, but also an investment in the housing stock and well-being of entire communities.

is Labor Day was marked by requisite speeches, marches, and other forms of observance. And it should. But may it also mark a deepening, an intensifying, of the ongoing struggle for workers’ rights and labor justice.

Andrew Moss, syndicated by PeaceVoice, writes on labor and immigration from Los Angeles. He is an emeritus professor (nonviolence studies, English) from the California State University.

PHOTO: REDWOOD8 | DREAMSTIME