JANICE GRISSOM ELLISON, KAREN MILAM, DON MYNATT, TAMMY NASH, RANDY ROTZ, LEWIS TAYLOR, WILLIAM WIDEMAN Distribution
KENNETH NEILL Founding Publisher
THE MEMPHIS FLYER is published weekly by Contemporary Media, Inc., P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101 Phone: (901) 521-9000 Fax: (901) 521-0129 memphisflyer.com
CONTEMPORARY MEDIA, INC.
ANNA TRAVERSE FOGLE
Chief Executive Officer
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Chief Operating Officer
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Digital Services Director
Desperately Seeking GLO!
The road to the GloRilla & Friends First Annual GLO Bash.
PHOTO: SKRILL DAVIS
Creative Invitations
ARTSmemphis reaches a milestone, furthering the arts among youth and beyond.
PHOTO: COURTESY ARTSMEMPHIS
Cancer and The Chariot
The astrological sign and the tarot card mirror one another. p25
PHOTO: PAMELA COLMAN SMITH | PUBLIC
DOMAIN | WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
THE fly-by
MEM ernet
Memphis on the internet.
MEMPHIS CHECKING
TikTok user santinay._ hilariously broke down Memphis checking recently.
“I don’t know if they teach them how to talk about people in school,” she begins, “but the comebacks are too lethal and they come too fast. You don’t even get to think about what it is you’re going to say before they’re already like 10 to 15 jokes in.”
SZA V. GROK
Singer-songwriter
SZA slammed Elon Musk’s Memphisbased arti cial intelligence in an Instagram post to her 23 million followers last week.
{WEEK THAT WAS
By Flyer staff
Questions, Answers + Attitude
Edited by Toby Sells
Schools, xAI, & Fed
Funding
Leaders talk state takeover, appeal led on permits, and funding some big projects.
SCHOOL CONTROL
e two Republican lawmakers who introduced bills this spring to change who controls Memphis-Shelby County Schools say the push for a state takeover isn’t nished.
We couldn’t nd the original post but Rolling Stone and Billboard reported SZA said, “Please Google the beautiful Black cities like Memphis that are su ering because of Twitter’s new AI system.”
Many of her posts show her enjoying nature. To be fair, though, at least one shows the artist boarding a super-polluting private jet.
NZ TO BEALE
See Memphis through the eyes of a New Zealand family in this wholesome, upli ing YouTube video: “New Zealand Family see Memphis for the rst time!”
Representative Mark White and Senator Brent Taylor told WKNO/ Channel 10’s “Behind the Headlines” recently that their legislation to establish a state-appointed “board of managers” overseeing the district will be fast-tracked to pass this spring.
ey’re now waiting for results from the $6 million independent audit of the district to best inform how they’ll combine their bills come January.
APPEAL FILED ON x AI
e Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) led an appeal of xAI’s air permits last week with the Memphis and Shelby County Air Pollution Control Board on behalf of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and Young, Gi ed & Green. e appeal also challenges xAI’s gas turbine operations.
Earlier this month, xAI was granted a permit by the Shelby County Health Department (SCHD) to run 15 gas turbines at its data center in South Memphis.
“SCHD decisions around unpermitted turbines create a dangerous precedent that opens the door for xAI or other companies to disregard federal and local law and operate large polluting turbines without any permits or penalties,” SELC said in a statement.
SELC’s appeal claims SCHD’s decision violates the Clean Air Act and ignores “hundreds of comments opposing the dra permit.”
In a rare public statement, xAI said the company is “disheartened” but “not surprised” by the appeal.
“SELC’s baseless, politically driven appeal is riddled with factual inaccuracies, legal ction, and, most importantly, undermines the diligent and important work done by the county leaders in properly issuing the construction permit,” the statement said.
PROJECTS EARMARKED FOR FED FUNDS
Clayborn Temple, Mason Temple, the Sterick Building, and
Memphis International Airport (MEM) could each receive more than $1 million in federal funding this year, U.S. Representative Steve Cohen (D-Memphis) announced last week.
Cohen said more than $18.8 million have been appropriated for several Memphis-area projects recently, though the money would need congressional approval before it ows.
A congressional committee earmarked $3.1 million for the project to rebuild Clayborn Temple. Mason Temple could get $1.2 million for restoration and tech upgrades. e feds could contribute $1.2 million to the project to bring back the closed, blighted Sterick Building Downtown. MEM’s $700 million modernization and seismic project could get a $4.2 million boost from Congress, should the earmarks remain.
Other projects earmarked for federal funding could build new apartments for low-income seniors, a new plaza on Monroe Downtown, upgrade the University of Memphis Park Campus, renovate housing for homeless veterans, renovate parts of Southwest Tennessee Community College, upgrade Memphis Police Department equipment, improve data collection for the Shelby County District Attorney’s Victims/Witness Unit, fund a city of Memphis youth violence prevention initiative, and help build a new Shelby County Emergency Operations Center.
Chalkbeat TN contributed to this report. Visit the News Blog at memphis yer.com for fuller versions of these stories and more local news.
PHOTO: (INSET) BRENT TAYLOR | FACEBOOK; SOUTHERN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW CENTER
Senator Brent Taylor introduced a bill this spring to change who controls MemphisShelby County Schools; the SELC led an appeal of xAI’s air permits.
FRIDAY OCT 10
FedEx Event Center at Shelby Farms
Join us for a fantastic evening of great tastes and great fun, bringing together bourbon and whiskey distillers from around the region PLUS great bites from some of your favorite local restaurants! VIP Admission starts at 5pm, GA at 6pm.
TICKETS AND MORE INFO GA
‘Ending’
Childhood Hunger {
STATE WATCH
By Toby Sells
GOP criticized for task force to feed kids while cutting summer food program for 700,000 kids.
AGOP-created task force to “end” childhood hunger in Tennessee started work last week, while state Democrats criticized GOP cuts to food assistance programs.
e “End Childhood Hunger Act” was passed unanimously by the Tennessee General Assembly earlier this year. It created a task force to broadly review “the challenges of a ordability and accessibility of high-quality nutrition in this state.”
More narrowly, the group would review programs like the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and the Summer Food Service Program. e task force would look to build partnerships with government agencies and nonpro ts for solutions to “the state’s childhood hunger challenges.” It would also look at challenges with electronic bene t transfer (EBT) cards, like the and fraud.
State Representative Mary Littleton (R-Dickson) co-sponsored the legislation to create the task force. She said during the meeting last Tuesday that the goal is to “ gure out how a child is going hungry and stop it.”
e task force met for the rst time last Tuesday. During the meeting, Tennessee Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Clarence Carter, a veteran of managing state and federal assistance programs, spoke candidly.
“I have had some concern once the task force was authorized that the name of the task force may suggest that there are children who are currently going hungry in Tennessee,” Carter said to kick o the meeting. “I would say we do all that we can across a number of di erent state agencies to ensure that’s not the case.”
State government program leaders then outlined the many ways Tennessee is helping to feed hungry children, including the state and federal programs mentioned above.
Commissioner Carter said food production “is not the issue” and that America produces enough to “actually feed the world.” Even Tennessee “produces enough healthy and nutritious food.” Carter said getting that food to the right people — distribution — was the main issue.
While Carter wondered at the beginning of the meeting whether or not there were hungry children in Tennessee, the data says there’s no doubt.
Feeding America, the national nonpro t, said the child food insecurity rate in Shelby County was nearly 28 percent in 2023, according to its latest data. e group said it would cost an additional $106 million to feed those 65,140 foodinsecure children here.
Nearly 40 percent of Tennesseans with children reported not having enough money for food last year, according to a survey by East Tennessee State University (ETSU).
“Tennesseans with children report more o en that the food they purchased did not last in the last 12 months,” ETSU said. “When asked speci cally about food lasting, 31 percent of those with children reported that it was o en true that the food they bought did not
last long enough compared to 13 percent of those without children.”
State Democrats criticized Republican lawmakers saying they “have only made hunger worse,” according to Senator Charlane Oliver (D-Nashville). For this, they point to Governor Bill Lee’s recent decision to reject federal funding for a food assistance program that would have fed 700,000 Tennessee children this summer. Lee said the $3 million to administer the program was too costly. Instead, Lee implemented a state-run summer food assistance plan to feed kids in 15 counties. Shelby was not one of them.
“We wouldn’t need a task force if Republicans stopped making policies that deepen the crisis,” Oliver said in a statement. “I welcome any serious e ort to feed hungry children. But let’s be real: No task force can undo the harm being done in real time.”
Further, Democrats said federal legislation passed earlier this year in President Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill will further cut food assistance programs.
Nancy Keil, the president and CEO of Middle Tennessee’s Second Harvest Food Bank, called Trump’s law the “largest rollback of hunger relief in U.S. history.” She said the bill will eliminate 300 million meals for Tennesseans over the next decade.
“Even more, SNAP brought $1.9 billion in federal food dollars into Tennessee last year, supporting more than 6,600 local grocery stores and farmers markets,” Keil said.
PHOTO: MID-SOUTH FOOD BANK
Governor Bill Lee cut summer meals for 700,000 kids.
POLITICS By Jackson Baker
Showing the Money
Councilman Smiley leads mayoral eld in rst test of resources.
e declared candidates for Shelby County mayor in 2026 have hit their rst milestone, the fundraising proceeds for the second quarter of the year and the rst opportunity to measure their progress vis-a-vis each other, now that the eld seems to be set.
Leading the eld by leaps and bounds at this point is Memphis City Councilman JB Smiley Jr., who is showing the same start-up energy that he did in his 2022 Democratic primary race for governor, when he got out ahead of the other contenders only to slow down in the stretch, having overspent himself early.
As of the end-of-quarter ling report, Smiley had raised $312,688.33, with itemized contributions of $310,722.98. He had spent $141, 517.15 and had cash on hand of $171,171.18.
Next best is Shelby County Commissioner Mickell Lowery, who had raised $214,077, including a $25,000 loan to himself and itemized contributions of $189,077. He had spent $59,962.46 and had cash on hand in the amount of $154,114.54.
County Assessor Melvin Burgess had raised $90,808 (including a $25,000 loan to himself), with itemized contributions of $65,808. He spent only $3,589.77 this quarter and had cash on hand of $96,499.48 — a sum which includes $9,282.25 le over from the previous quarter.
himself, had his campaign announcement, a fundraiser/meet and greet at the Memphian Hotel Monday night.
• President Trump is on a rampage to demand that professional sports teams that formerly had monikers relating to Native Americans rid themselves of the new names and go back to the old ones. He cites speci cally the NFL’s Washington Commanders (formerly the Redskins) and MLB’s Cleveland Guardians (formerly the Indians).
In making the name change, the owners of those teams bowed to a prevailing volume of opinion that the former names had racist connotations.
County CAO Harold Collins’ report shows that he had raised $72,265, with itemized contributions of $70,420. He had spent $14,285.75 and had cash on hand of $57,975.25.
Businessman/philanthropist J.W. Gibson reported $35,580 raised, the same amount as his itemized contributions. He had spent $8,606.15 and had $28,731.59 cash on hand. e independently wealthy Gibson, it should be noted, is expected to spend freely of his own money as needed to stay competitive.
e latest entry in the eld, Criminal Court Clerk Heidi Kuhn, reports no money raised as of yet but cash on hand of $43,502.
• Javier Bailey, who is CAO for Assessor Burgess and now seeks the job of assessor
Trump didn’t mention the erstwhile minor-league Memphis Chicks, the local baseball franchise that for decades operated here under a nickname relating to the Chickasaw tribe that once occupied our environs before being usurped by white settlers.
Technically the current Triple-A Memphis Redbirds are a di erent franchise that came into being a er intervening years during which Memphis didn’t have a pro baseball team. In any case, there has been no discernible grassroots movement here to revive the old name, which, in its shorthand version, arguably had sexist connotations along with ethnic ones.
PHOTO: JB SMILEY JR. I FACEBOOK
JB Smiley Jr.
HIV Prevention Efforts in Tennessee Threatened
DOGE-driven restructuring hits Memphis hard a er loss of $4M grant.
Healthcare providers across Tennessee are scrambling to nd new funding for HIV prevention following the loss of a critical federal grant.
Tennessee lost the funding earlier this spring amid deep spending cuts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
United Way of Greater Nashville, the organization that directs federal HIV funding to nonpro ts and healthcare agencies across the state, told the Institute for Public Service Reporting its CDC agreement “expired” on the last day of May. at funding, totaling $4 million, represents roughly half of all federal dollars spent in Tennessee for HIV prevention and treatment.
e cuts are expected to hit especially hard in Memphis, where HIV infection rates are among the highest in the country.
“ is moment calls for creativity in how we fund HIV prevention and care at the local level especially in states that do not have a political appetite for action,” said Adrian Shanker, a senior o cial for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) during the Biden administration.
e Ryan White program, the federal program that covers HIV treatment and treatment-related needs for people who couldn’t otherwise a ord them, appears to be le intact.
But the cuts are expected to decrease the accessibility of birth control supplies and trigger layo s of social workers and employees who help people navigate access to PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, a key drug for at-risk individuals that greatly reduces the odds of contracting HIV.
e loss of the federal funding comes as Memphis health o cials face rising rates of new infections of HIV and syphilis and an uncertain future of disease surveillance at state and national levels.
Data shows a steady climb since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 when the Shelby County Health Department logged 238 new HIV infections. In 2023, the latest year data is available from both the county and state health departments, that number jumped to 353. is total does not include individuals who may have unknowingly contracted the virus.
Ron Bobal, founder of the Memphis nonpro t A Betor Way, which faces a loss of $125,000 a year in funding, said the cuts in prevention funding have implications beyond the spread of HIV.
Bobal’s nonpro t specializes in harm reduction, providing clean needles and rapid HIV testing for intravenous drug users who may otherwise reuse needles and spread infections.
Add to that, Bobal said, the funding cuts o en translate to a loss of jobs and an overall weakening of an already underfunded infrastructure of community-based organizations.
“ is is scary to me, you know? It just means that categories of people who were already underserved are going to be in a worse situation than they were before,” Bobal said. “You take all the CBOs [community-based organizations] out of Memphis, … I don’t know what’s le .”
Great uncertainty
contain and eliminate HIV is hired back, the disruption, as Shanker said, is a signi cant setback.
Setbacks hit hard in Memphis
For cities like Memphis, a national leader in new infection rates, setbacks at the federal level hit especially hard.
Tennessee healthcare providers had a verbal commitment from the CDC under the Biden administration to continue the HIV prevention funding for another year, but discussions abruptly stopped a er President Donald Trump took o ce in January, according to people familiar with the matter who asked to remain anonymous to discuss sensitive information. e CDC later initiated procedures to close out and discontinue the grant, these people said.
As funding sources for sexual and reproductive health continue to dry up, upheaval at the federal level adds another layer of complication for HIV surveillance, prevention, and treatment.
Since President Trump took o ce in January, HHS has discontinued research into a promising vaccine for HIV, just months before trials were to start. e federal entity, which houses the CDC, also is hurriedly rehiring hundreds of workers red earlier this spring under the direction of the Department of Government E ciency, or DOGE, which was overseen for a time by billionaire Elon Musk.
e disruptions are “not insigni cant,” Shanker said.
“ ere was a light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak,” he said. “ ese are setbacks that will require massive investments from nongovernmental sources, just to stay close to being on track to where we were before. And that’s really, really challenging.”
e challenges will trickle down.
In Shelby County, when a person
receives a positive result on an HIV test, regardless of where they are tested, they are told to contact anyone they have had intercourse with within the past year. Positive test results are also reported to the health department, where sta contact tracers work to contact any at-risk individuals associated with the positive test.
e positive test result then goes on a journey. If a person is tested at a community organization or a healthcare o ce, results are reported to the county health department. From there, the numbers are sent to the state health department, where the data is compiled.
O en preliminary data — data that is still being analyzed and veri ed — is the closest the public can get to the most recent information about how HIV is spreading. e latest data available from both the state and county stops in 2023.
Information gathered locally about new HIV infections is collected by the CDC’s National HIV Surveillance System. However, that system was disrupted this spring when numbers of employees were red as part of a DOGE-driven restructuring. In all, some 10,000 HHS employees were laid o in March. A federal judge in Rhode Island ruled earlier this month that the layo s were likely unlawful; it’s unclear how that decision may a ect the surveillance program.
e court ruling aside, the federal government already is rehiring hundreds of previously red workers, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee on June 24.
Even if every red CDC employee that coordinated federal e orts to
HIV infection rates prompted Shelby County Health Director Michelle Taylor to sound the alarm over the past year. In February, she met with local hospital leaders and urged the implementation of “opt out” testing for HIV for patients treated in emergency rooms, meaning patients would be universally screened for HIV unless they declined the test.
Regional One Health, a public hospital that treats historically vulnerable communities, has agged HIV infections as a priority for years. All patients who are admitted to the hospital are screened for HIV, Angie Golding, the communications director, told e Institute.
Meanwhile, other healthcare providers are bracing for the cuts.
CHOICES Memphis Center for Reproductive Health, an organization that once provided abortions and still provides midwifery services, has endured both Title X cuts and CDC cuts.
CHOICES CEO Jennifer Pepper said her organization’s ability to provide subsidized sexual and reproductive healthcare is in jeopardy. Clinics that provide similar services are also feeling the squeeze.
For Pepper, the stripped funding is a familiar scenario. She observed multiple e orts, many successful, to cleave funding sources from organizations that provided abortions in the years before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade
Now, she’s watching colleagues that provide sexual and reproductive health services go through their rst rounds of targeted defunding.
“I feel like those who have provided abortion care are, unfortunately, particularly prepared for this moment. But this is a new experience, in some ways, for HIV treatment providers and community-based healthcare providers,” Pepper said.
“Unfortunately, other providers are now experiencing the same thing.”
PHOTO: MICAELA WATTS HIV rapid test supplies
CALENDAR
MUSIC
FRIDAY JULY 25
ROLAND BARBER QUARTET
feat JOEL FRAHM
7:30 PM THE GREEN ROOM
MUSIC
SUNDAY JULY 27
KAFÉ KIRK
TEXAS JAZZ JAM with KIRK WHALUM , BOBBY LYLE , and TOM BRAXTON
6:00 PM
CROSSTOWN THEATER
VIEWPOINT By
Jazzy Miller Wilson
Creative Invitations
ARTSmemphis reaches a milestone, furthering the arts among youth and beyond.
emphis, I have witnessed art in many places (as you have). I have seen it in classrooms, street corners, and in caves as it echoed stories from its centuries-past creators.
I have witnessed its power as a medium to do many things. I have seen it communicate ideas and opinions, calm children receiving cancer treatment, expressed in prisons through collaborative theater, and used as therapy in orphanages and disaster relief camps around the world.
I have used it to teach children mathematics and reading, both in the Maasai Mara and Memphis. I have seen it capture the hearts of incarcerated children, struck by the power of what they can do with a paintbrush and the encouragement of a string quartet. It has been my therapy, my pen, the sta in my hand. It has been so for many others, too.
COURTESY ARTSMEMPHIS Jazzy Miller Wilson
As an artist, a former executive director of an arts organization, and director of theater, the most powerful yet humble thing I have seen art become is an invitation. is is something that children understand as they imitate life through play, as they daydream of stories and display them on your newly painted walls. ey understand — before knowing what an invitation is — that they are welcome to follow their creative impulses. Art can be an invitation to learn, think, smile, and inspire. I think that as we become older, perhaps, we disconnect from its calling in our respective lives
… until we are yet again invited.
ARTSmemphis has reached $100 million in grants distributed. e gi of $100 million to the arts in our city means over 100 million sightings of art. It means over 100 million expressions, heart captures, powerful moments, laughs and teardrops, therapy sessions, and teaching opportunities. It means well over 100 million invitations.
For 18 years of my life, ARTSmemphis has extended many of these invitations to me in my career. If you are not an artist by trade nor an executive director facing the present-day challenges, then maybe you cannot imagine the obstacles that may exist anywhere from purchasing materials in the nal stretches of your masterpiece to walking on the front lines of warfare alongside those who cannot escape it. However, when you nd the invitation, the support, and a friend in ARTSmemphis, you can focus much e ort in your stated mission that inherently brings creative opportunities to every neighborhood, corner, and far reach of our city, li ing it beyond where it would be.
I think that as we become older, perhaps, we disconnect from [art’s] calling in our respective lives … until we are yet again invited.
I could not be happier to receive the invitation of board membership to such an incredible organization. I could not be more excited to play a role in extending invitations alongside the ARTSmemphis team as an artist, Memphian, and lover of this city.
Memphis, you are invited. We extend an invitation to you to create, to celebrate, to join ARTrageous. I do hope to see you there.
Jazzy Miller Wilson is a new board member of ARTSmemphis, the MidSouth’s primary arts funder. Wilson is an informed theater artist, lecturer, and emerging lmmaker who currently resides in Memphis. She previously served as the director of the Crosstown eater, as well as the executive director of Carpenter Art Garden. She enjoys spending time serving on boards, running, swimming, volunteering, and traveling.
PHOTO:
Memory-Makers
A longtime live theater favorite, the Orpheum stands the test of time.
The Orpheum eatre was not always what many Memphians and tourists know it to be today. In 1907, when performing arts was at a peak, the most upscale theater in New York, the Grand Opera House, became a part of the Orpheum Circuit — a chain of several theaters that introduced vaudeville performances and movies. Once the two merged, it o cially became the Orpheum, booming for many years, until it was destroyed by a re in 1923.
Five years later, construction quickly began on a building that would be declared as the “New Orpheum” in the heart of Downtown Memphis. It attracted some of the most talented performers in music, such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and many more. As the years progressed and technology advanced, motion pictures became increasingly popular and vaudeville performances started to fade out. And in 1940, the Orpheum was sold and turned into a Malco eatre. By the ’70s, single-screen movie theaters were not as successful anymore and this prompted Malco to sell the Orpheum. e theater was on the verge of being destroyed — once again.
Memphis community. Not only through the performing arts but also by o ering community-building programs for young people with the support of the Halloran Centre, the Orpheum has proven to make a positive impact on the lives of the younger generation here. “We program and preserve the Halloran Centre for Performing Arts & Education next door, which is really the home of our education and engagement programs. We have summer camps, the Mending Hearts Camp which was actually founded by our president [Brett Batterson],” Bennett notes. “He lost his dad as a child and saw how big an impact the arts could have on his grieving process. e Mending Hearts Camp is speci cally a performing arts camp for young people who have experienced the death of one or both parents.”
e Orpheum announced its 25th season of shows earlier this year. “We kick o with A Beautiful Noise, followed by e Notebook based on the movie. en we have & Juliet, which is a musical based on the songs of Max Martin who [produced] songs for Katy Perry and Backstreet Boys,” says Bennett. “And then we have e Outsiders, which won the Tony in 2024 for best musical. We end with a return of Beauty and the Beast. We have a really exciting season coming up.”
But this wasn’t the end of an era for the Orpheum.
“ e Memphis Development Foundation at that time was able to save the theater and restore it back to the Orpheum,” says Kristin Bennett, the theater’s public relations director. A group of citizens that formed this foundation purchased the building and made crucial repairs. Soon a er, Broadway shows and live performances made a return and the grand reopening of the Orpheum took place in 1984. e rest, as they say, is history.
If it weren’t for the individuals who helped form the Memphis Development Foundation, the Orpheum would not be approaching 100 years of serving the
To view the full list of upcoming shows or reserve tickets once they go on sale, visit orpheum-memphis. com.
e Orpheum has maintained the title of Best Live eater in the Flyer’s Best of Memphis poll since 2008, and with its impressive lineup of shows and community engagement, it’s no surprise.
“Every year we’re so honored and grateful to be recognized in that way. It really demonstrates the value that Memphis puts on live entertainment. If it wasn’t for [the people in Memphis], there would be no point. ey’re the reason we do what we do.
“We’re in the memory-making business. We could be the site of someone’s rst date or a young person coming to a eld trip with their rst exposure to the arts,” Bennett says. “Of course we’re providing entertainment, but we’re also providing something much more lasting. It’s that memory, whether shared or not, that you kind of hold on [to] for longer.”
PHOTO: COURTESY ORPHEUM THEATRE
COVER STORY By Alex Greene, Kailynn Johnson, and Chris McCoy
GLO! DESPERATELY SEEKING
So many things these days are giving us whiplash — that “Wait, what just happened?” feeling of business as usual being turned on its head. Such was the feeling, in a positive direction, when the world witnessed the swi , steady ascension of GloRilla in 2022 to ’23. Her rst hit single, “F.N.F. (Let’s Go),” brought that “OMG” feeling as we realized a new supernova had blossomed in the Milky Way of rap. Her cocky, tell-itlike-it-is, Memphian delivery felt like a wake-up call. And the Mid-South found a new hero, as did the new Memphis sound, that uniquely spacious orchestral bounce of the city’s beat that has perennially dominated the global hip-hop charts. Since that shot across the bow, GloRilla’s dropped one hit single a er another on Yo Gotti’s Collective Music Group (CMG) label, not to mention 2024’s full-length Glorious, which locked in her triumphs of the previous year. Now, on a tour named for that gold album, she’s reaping the rewards, including her triumphant headliner homecoming at FedExForum this Friday, July 25th, the GloRilla & Friends First Annual GLO Bash.
BOOM! And then there was Glo, or so goes the myth. But, having begun rapping at least 10 years ago at the age of 16, GloRilla was on locals’ radar well before “F.N.F.” was even a gleam in her eye. To better understand this phenomenon of the woman born Gloria Hallelujah Woods, the Flyer sta has combed the city and crossed the nation to chase that “OMG” feeling, to better grasp the magic of her persona, the secret ingredients of her ow, and the magnetic draw of her shows. Read on, then, as we follow the road, step by step, station by station, to that golden FedExForum which, come Friday, may very well begin radiate a whole new glow.
What Makes Glo Great?
“ e rst time I heard about GloRilla was when she was doing local shows in and around Orange Mound,” says IMAKEMADBEATS, founder of the hip-hop collective Unapologetic. “It was her and Slimeroni and the rest of the gang. You heard that there was a mob of young girls rapping and rapping hard. You felt a movement coming for sure.”
GloRilla’s debut mixtape, 2019’s Most Likely Up Next, is a document of the time the teenage rapper was taking the Mound by storm. She burst out of the underground in 2022 with the Hitkidd-produced “F.N.F.” On the surface, the video follows the familiar formula of hot girls, hot cars, and excess. Only this video is shot on a smartphone, the “hot cars” are Nissans, and the women are not objects — they’re in charge. “Twerking on the cars at the red light, it de nitely felt like a heightened viral moment of
The road to the GloRilla & Friends First Annual GLO Bash.
‘Wow! Look at this!’” says Jared Boyd, program manager for WYXR. “This is very uniquely Memphis in a way that I hadn’t seen in a long time.”
There are thousands of no-budget hip-hop videos on YouTube, but “F.N.F.” has racked up more than 93 million views since it dropped in April 2022. It was the first inkling of GloRilla’s populist instincts, and what would become her fierce control of her own image. “She is a glowing representative — I guess pun intended — of what happens when you are extremely aware of who you are, and then unapologetic about being that,” says IMAKEMADBEATS.
After “F.N.F” blew up and she scored a collaboration with her cousin Cardi B for the Anyway, Life’s Great EP, it could have been the end for Glo. “It’s not uncommon in hip-hop for someone to have a really, really huge debut, and for them to get signed and their single to get picked up by a larger organization, and maybe they don’t necessarily get the support to capitalize off of that. It’s not always the artist’s fault,” says Boyd. “[But] almost as soon as it came out of my mouth that I wasn’t sure that Glo would have a follow-up, she had ‘Yeah Glo!’ come out, and I was blown away! It was that moment I realized this is the next big woman rapper.”
For me, that moment came when I heard her 2023 single with Hitkidd, “Internet Trolls.” It’s a two-minute, 21-second treatise on staying sane in the social media age. I could write a 1,500-word essay on 21st-century information warfare, but it wouldn’t get the point across like, “Watch out for them internet trolls/They be tryna satisfy them internet goals.”
“That’s the thing about Glo, I think, that makes her attractive to listeners and fans,” says IMAKEMADBEATS. “It’s how real she keeps it about her experience and her life in a way that’s immediately digestible. It’s a simplified, direct delivery of an experience that resonates with people because it’s like, ‘Yeah, that’s exactly how I feel!’”
In the image-obsessed world of post-TikTok hip-hop, GloRilla’s secret sauce is that she is a truly great rapper. “That’s one thing that’s not spoken about her a lot,” says Boyd. “She is a skilled rapper, and I would hope that anybody who thinks the opposite would shut the hell up. I grew up rapping, I’ve studied it, and I’ve written about it. She is no slouch. She can put words together in a very tight way, and she is intentional about making sure that the South and Memphis are represented in her dialect. … She has almost single-handedly manufactured this infatuation globally with the way Memphians say things. Like, my cousins in Detroit will call me and say, ‘Hey, can you pronounce this for me? I just want to hear how you would say it.’ And I’m like, ‘Get off the phone, mane!’”
It’s not just GloRilla’s dialect that invokes the 901. Most of her catalog has the sparse, spooky, synth-riff heavy sound pioneered by the DIY hip-hop of the 1990s. “It’s thoroughly and traditionally Memphis rap to the fullest,” says IMAKEMADBEATS. “You know, a lot of times with female rappers or singers, you don’t see young men riding around playing their music, right? I don’t think I ever pulled up to a car and some guy was playing Nicki Minaj. But Glo is different because of how Memphis she is. That’s something that spans across gender.”
had quickly shaped up to be the song of the season. The sample of Soulja Boy’s “Pretty Boy Swag” juxtaposed with Glo’s cadence and the promise of “Real Hot Girl Sh*t” created a bop that’d make its way to my end-of-the-year replay playlist.
It became that year’s backing track for epic summer photo dumps and story posts — but it also showed me that Glo was always on time. In 2022, she dropped the seminal single “F.N.F.” And as my friends and I hit the town that season, hearing “Hitkidd, what it do mane?” was the precursor to memories we still relish. Add in the release that year of “Tomorrow” and “Tomorrow 2” — with verses as prophetic as “Can get my feelings hurt today/I won’t give a fuck tomorrow” — her songs became anthems filled with empowering mantras, marked by her signature gangsta prowess.
Back to 2024, the release of “Wanna Be” ensured that the event of the summer was going to be everything my friends and I had hoped for. The three of us snagged tickets for the Houston show on Megan Thee Stallion’s Hot Girl Summer Tour, and while the sweltering heat could’ve taken even the fiercest hotties out, we sat ready in floor seats for the epic core memories to come.
Seeing Glo in person is special. I’d even say it’s a rite of passage for any pop-culture connoisseur. She transcends the moniker of a “rap artist” — her interviews and snappy quips give life to the charm that reverberates in her flow.
Take one of her most recent viral videos of her in her bonnet in the studio chanting, “Wobbilly wiggily, huah!” into the microphone. She has the relatability and candidness that even the most sought-after publicist can’t manufacture for artists. And she can’t help but make you smile during a late-night scroll on TikTok.
Whether it’s her authentic reaction to meeting Beyoncé or breaking the fourth wall and interacting with fans on Facebook, she so naturally reminds us that she’s human — a girl from Memphis, to be exact. Days before she’s set to perform at her inaugural Glo Bash, she takes to Facebook — a more intimate social platform — asking her fans if she should tease us with a snippet before the show. Her chronically online presence is refreshing. Glo could easily just grace us with the occasional surprise drop, as many of her colleagues do, but something about asking her friends and followers for advice on the web shows a more open and intimate side that we don’t often see of superstars. It was, perhaps, inevitable that the world would be captivated by her Southern charm — amplified by the Memphis accent (see “Accent” by Megan Thee Stallion and GloRilla). She’s aware that she’s loved far and wide, and every appearance, interaction, and interview seem to be a love letter to her fans — a mark of her ingenuity and a promise of her sincerity.
Unlike many of her peers, GloRilla is an electric live performer. Memphis got to see that firsthand when she headlined the Beale Street Music Festival in 2023. Flanked by her squad of dancers and a giant purple gorilla, Glo electrified tens of thousands of Memphians who crowded into Tom Lee Park. Earlier this year, she repeated the feat on one of the biggest stages in the world at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. “She’s always had a certain aggression and energy,” says IMAKEMADBEATS. “If you go back and watch videos of the early days, she’s always been like that. Being famous didn’t make her like that. That made her famous.”
Boyd agrees that we’re looking at a generational talent. “I think the sky’s the limit for GloRilla.” — Chris McCoy
Rite of Passage
It was the summer of 2024, and “Wanna Be” by GloRilla and Megan Thee Stallion
Her approachability makes seeing her in concert that much more exciting. It’s like seeing a friend work hard and enjoy the fruits of their labor, rather than just another celebrity. And that feeling, for me, is furthered by a shared identity. Not only is Glo a fellow Leo, but she’s a Black woman, which makes rooting for her even more sentimental.
The music industry has always been an inequitable place for women, and being a Black female artist in the hip-hop space is even more complicated. Society is often stricter when evaluating the success of women artists based on likability and how they measure up to male artists on the charts.
Seeing Glo come alive to the lyrics of “Yeah Glo!” with other Black girls yelling at the top of our lungs was exhilarating. We were cheering her on, celebrating her success as an artist who’d fulfilled a dream she was destined to claim. — Kailynn Johnson
Queen of Memphis
While GloRilla has been omnipresent on the charts, and a regular on our favorite
continued on page 14
Her approachability makes seeing her in concert that much more exciting. It’s like seeing a friend work hard and enjoy the fruits of their labor.
“To my ladies out there: Just get through it. Pray, stand on what you believe in, keep pushing — and never give up.” – GloRilla
continued from page 13
playlists, there have not been many Glo sightings in her hometown of late. Her past three years having been one of the most proli c stretches of hitmaking that any artist could boast, this is a woman on the move, busy making waves. Yet before diving back into the studio, she can’t resist taking a minute to speak with the Flyer about this most triumphant of homecomings for Glo Bash.
“I’m not in Memphis that much,” she admits right o the bat. “I record a lot in Atlanta and L.A.” And yet it’s clear from her music that Glo carries her hometown in her heart wherever she goes. It’s all spelled out in one of the standout tracks on Glorious, “Queen of Memphis,” featuring Fridayy, where she absolutely owns her roots: “I’m from where you cross that line you can’t go back/Money ain’t change shit, I’m the same bitch from Fraysеr/Right up out the trenches, I’m the same bitch who made it/Callin’ me you twin, but you the same bitch who hated.”
But even as she owns her roots, she also owns her fame: “Lately I been winning, took some Ls but it ain’t faze me/Ran up them millions and the glow-up lookin’ crazy/Sellin’ out arenas, every city do it daily/KD, I’m just sayin’ how they traded/ Hate me ’cause I’m on top like some gravy/Track meet, I been runnin’ up that paper/Big Glo, Queen of Memphis, no debatin’.”
Her success has meant an escape from those roots, even if her brand includes being Memphis AF. “ e energy of Memphis lives in her,” wrote Brooklyn White in Essence magazine in 2022. Glo herself told White, “I still got the crunk sound. I got the sound Memphis got. When you hear me rap, you hear Memphis.” Yet her hometown is also something to transcend. As White wrote, “Once the ‘F.N.F.’ video was released, the world wanted a piece of Big Glo. ‘ e next day everybody was calling and talking about, “Come to Miami. Come here.” All the labels were calling me,’ she says, her cadence speeding up. e success of the song changed her life. ‘I don’t never be [in] Memphis no more. And I ain’t broke no more.’”
Yet look no further than her latest single and music video to see a very Memphis Glo in full ower. If the upcoming Glo Bash is one way of reaping the rewards of what she’s built, so too is using her freedom to push her art, and the genre of hiphop, beyond its status quo boundaries. And that’s what she does with “Rain Down
on Me,” an intriguing mix of the rapper’s storytelling genius and contemporary gospel, featuring none other than Kirk Franklin and Maverick City Music. In this version of Glo, haters are just “blessings-blockers,” and faith o ers a way to make it in the world: “I know I’m a sinner, Lord, and I know I might sin again,” she intones. “So thank You for not givin’ up and still givin’ me the strength to win/ Protect me from the evil that I can’t see with my eyes/And if it’s any blessingblockers ’round me, help me cut them ties/In Jesus’ name …”
e church, it turns out, has always been tremendously important to GloRilla. “I was in church most of my life,” she tells the Flyer. “My mama, she’s a Christian, and my dad’s a Christian. So I grew up in church, and it’s played a big part in all my life.” When asked what church in particular she attended, she says, “Oh, I grew up going to a few churches. I don’t want to single any out, but one of them was Promise Land [Church of God in Christ] in Orange Mound.”
e song, she says, re ects all of her church experiences, “everything as a whole, like my whole life, being in church, and even to now.” And, she notes, “When I’m in Memphis, I’ve stopped there a couple times, but not as o en as I should. I’m trying to make it a habit. I was just talking about this the other day …”
She’s also stayed connected to Memphis in other ways, rst donating $20,000 to her early alma mater, Westside Middle School, then gi ing another $25,000 to Melrose High School, which she attended in her late teens. Glo has also expressed her social engagement on the national stage, formally endorsing Kamala Harris for president last year and meeting with President Biden.
Now, she’s on the threshold of her triumphant, star-studded homecoming, which will, she says, “have a lot of superstar guest artists popping out. A lot of people Memphis ain’t seen yet. So I think they’re gonna love it, including my performance. I’m in rehearsals now for it, and it’s gonna be something big for Memphis.” Moreover, as Glo Bash approaches, she’s acutely aware of her position as a role model and inspiration to millions of young women, o ering this nal message to her sisters far and wide:
“To my ladies out there, especially my Memphis people: It’s hard, where we come from. And all across the world where it’s hard, just get through it. Pray, stand on what you believe in, and keep pushing — and never give up.” — Alex Greene
PHOTO (TOP LEFT): INTERSCOPE GloRilla in the “TGIF” video; PHOTO (BOTTOM LEFT): COURTESY INTERSCOPE GloRilla hits the gym with Moneybagg Yo in the “All Dere” video; PHOTO (RIGHT): YASA KAUMBA Glo donates to Westside Middle School.
steppin’ out
We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews
Wagging in Memphis
By Abigail Morici
Beale Street has been host to many a parade — from Pride to St. Patrick’s Day — but this Saturday, it’ll be host to a parade like no other. Picture it: dogs in costume strutting their stu down the iconic street in a fashion show.
Liz Wright, owner of e Friends of Dog online store and the event organizer, is calling it Wagging in Memphis (like “walking in Memphis” — get it?). “It’s a fun day for pet owners and dog lovers to come out experience dogs dressed up in clothing,” she says. “ e reason behind the clothing is because it’s an opportunity to bond with your pet.”
And, hey, what’s cuter than a dog in a dress or a themed bandana? Heck, Wright even says pawrents can coordinate with their pets. “We de nitely love when we see pet owners dress up like their dogs.”
e parade will be only a ve-minute walk from Robert R. Church Park to Handy Park. “We’re considering the fact that it is hot outside,” Wright says. “Once they get to Handy Park, there’s tons of areas with grass for [dogs] to play in. We have a dog cooling zone.”
Any highly-socialized, leashed dog is welcome to participate, dressed or naked. Wright’s pups or and Saint, for their part, will be dressed to impress in matching T-shirts with Wright. She calls them the mascots of her e-commerce store that she started during the Covid lockdown while living in L.A. “I love fashion, but not really having anywhere to go, I thought it’d be fun to be able to stay close to fashion but dress up my dog instead.”
She’s now based in Nashville, but she’s a born and raised Memphian, happy to return home to host this event, where her store will be just one of the vendors at the parade’s a er-party. “ ere’ll be a lot of dog-related vendors at the a er-party, which is a good time — a DJ, live music, a lot of free giveaways,” she says. “ ere’ll actually be a fashion a dog fashion contest with a lot of silly giveaways, and then we’ll have some areas for the dogs to play with and chase bacon- avored bubbles. Just have an all out good day.”
e day will also be raising money for rescue group Streetdog Foundation.
To register your dog to walk in the parade, go to tinyurl.com/msf5huzu.
WAGGING IN MEMPHIS DOG FASHION PARADE + AFTER-PARTY, BEALE STREET, SATURDAY, JULY 26, 4-7
VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES July 24th - 30th
e Wiz e Orpheum eatre, 203 South Main, through July 27, $29-$130
e Wiz returns “home” to stages across America in an all-new tour, the rst one in 40 years.
is groundbreaking twist on e Wizard of Oz changed the face of Broadway — from its iconic score packed with soul, gospel, rock, and nger-snapping ’70s funk to its stirring tale of Dorothy’s journey to nd her place in a contemporary world. A dynamite infusion of ballet, jazz, and modern pop brings a whole new groove to easing on down the road.
Get tickets at orpheum-memphis.com.
Edge District Art Crawl
Edge District, Saturday, July 26th, 4-8 p.m.
Stroll through galleries, discover your fave local artists, and enjoy exhibits. Soak up exclusive deals from neighborhood bars and restaurants.
Participating galleries include Marshall Arts, Sheet Cake, and Ugly Art Co. Ugly Art will be featuring Blake Conner and Isaiah Kennedy’s popup titled “dirt://PIGMENT,” while Sheet Cake will be closing its “Summer Break” show.
Johnny Dowd Art Show and Music
Matinee
Mollie Fontaine Lounge, 679 Adams, Sunday, July 27, 4 p.m.
e tortured troubadour, fresh o his tour with the Mekons, performs with Amy LaVere, Will Sexton, and special guests.
Lindsey Stewart with Tara M. Stringfellow: e Conjuring of America
Novel, 387 Perkins Ext., Tuesday, July 29, 6 p.m.
Join Novel as it welcomes Lindsey Stewart in conversation with Tara M. Stringfellow to celebrate the release of Stewart’s new book e Conjuring of America: Mojos, Mermaids, Medicine, and 400 Years of Black Women’s Magic e Conjuring of America is a crucial telling of American history centering the Black women whose magic gave rise to the rich tapestry of American culture we see today. ese women continued their practices and worship to conjure up modern-day staples from Vicks VapoRub and Aunt Jemima’s pancake mix, to the magic of Disney’s e Little Mermaid (2023) and the all-American blue jean.
P.M., FREE.
PHOTO: COURTESY LIZ WRIGHT
Liz Wright with Saint
Ashton Riker & The Memphis Royals
ursday, July 24, 8 p.m.
B.B. KING’S BLUES CLUB
Baunie and Soul
Tuesday, July 29, 7-11 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE BLUES HALL
Blues Trio
Saturday, July 26, noon
| Sunday, July 27, noon |
Wednesday, July 30, 4 p.m.
B.B. KING’S BLUES CLUB
Earl “The Pearl” Banks
Tuesday, July 29, 7 p.m.
BLUES CITY CAFE
Eric Hughes
ursday, July 24, 7-11 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE
Flic’s Pics Band
Led by the legendary Leroy
“Flic” Hodges of Hi Rhythm.
Saturday, July 26, 4 p.m. |
Sunday, July 27, 2 p.m.
B.B. KING’S BLUES CLUB
FreeWorld
Friday, July 25, 7-11 p.m. |
Saturday, July 26, 7-11 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE
FreeWorld
Sunday, July 27, 8 p.m.
BLUES CITY CAFE
Memphis Soul Factory
ursday, July 24, 4 p.m. |
Sunday, July 27, 8 p.m.
B.B. KING’S BLUES CLUB
Soul Street
Wednesday, July 30, 7-11 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE
Sunday Evenings with Baunie and Soul
Raised in Memphis, they bring soulful rhythms of music to life, across a wide range of genres: soul, blues, R&B, and party music. Sunday, July 27, 7-11 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE
The B.B. King’s Blues Club Allstar Band
Friday, July 25, 8 p.m. |
Saturday, July 26, 8 p.m. |
Monday, July 28, 8 p.m.
B.B. KING’S BLUES CLUB
Vince Johnson
Monday, July 28, 6:30 p.m. |
Tuesday, July 29, 6:30 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE
Creed: Summer of ’99
Tour
Florida’s post-grunge, Christian metal hitmakers saw a resurgence in popularity on TikTok last year. With special guests 3 Doors Down and Mammoth WVH. Sunday, July 27, 7 p.m.
FEDEXFORUM
GloRilla & Friends First Annual GLO BASH
Glo Bash marks a de ning, full-circle moment in the city that raised her, as she continues her unstoppable rise that included being given the Key to the City of Memphis.
Friday, July 25, 8-11 p.m.
FEDEXFORUM
AFTER DARK: Live Music Schedule July 24 - 30
Johnny Dowd Art Show and Music Matinee
e tortured troubadour, fresh o his tour with the Mekons, performs with Amy LaVere, Will Sexton, and special guests. Sunday, July 27, 4 p.m.
MOLLIE FONTAINE LOUNGE
Peabody Rooftop Party ft. the M-80s Also featuring DJ Sledro. ursday, July 24, 6 p.m.
THE PEABODY HOTEL
Richard Wilson
Smooth soulful and original jazz and blues from Richard Wilson. ursday, July 24, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
BUTTERIFIC BAKERY & CAFE
Rooftop Rhythm
Presented by Olive
Social
Enjoy a live DJ set blending classics and feel-good favorites designed to keep you dancing all night. $30/ e Socialite.
Saturday, July 26, 6-9 p.m.
ALOFT HOTEL
Soulin’ on the River ft.
Talibah Safiyah
Part of the Shell on Wheels is River Summer Concert Series. With Cherisse Scott, Will Graves & Soul. Friday, July 25, 6 p.m.
FOURTH BLUFF PARK
Tuesday Tunes
Live music, drink specials, and delicious food. Tuesday, July 29, 4-7 p.m.
RENASANT CONVENTION CENTER
sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations in Memphis. $41.70/general admission. Friday, July 25, 6:30-7:45 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Chinese Connection Dub
Embassy Sunday, July 27, 8 p.m.
BAR DKDC
Deborah Swiney Duo ursday, July 24, 6-9 p.m.
THE COVE
Elmo & the Shades
Wednesday, July 30, 7 p.m.
NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM
John Williams & the A440 Band
$10. ursday, July 24, 8 p.m.
NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM
Play Some Skynyrd (Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute)
Friday, July 25, 8 p.m.
NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM
The Deb Jam Band
Tuesday, July 29, 6 p.m.
NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM
The New Pacemakers
Sunday, July 27, 4 p.m.
NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM
The Settlers
Sunday, July 27, 3 p.m.
HUEY’S POPLAR
Van Duren
e singer-songwriter, a pioneer of indie pop in Memphis, performs solo. ursday, July 24, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
MORTIMER’S
Beneath Trees
With Spoonful, Shorty & the Grooves. Saturday, July 26, 8 p.m.
LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE
Candlelight: Tribute to Lauryn Hill
Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-
Devil Train Bluegrass, roots, country, Delta, and ski e. ursday, July 24, 9 p.m.
B-SIDE
Ethan Baker & the Parallax
Tuesday, July 29, 10 p.m.
B-SIDE
Gentleman Deluxe Wednesday, July 30, 8 p.m.
HI TONE
Hopeless Otis: Taking All the Steps Tour
With Stay Fashionable, Chris Hamlett. Tuesday, July 29, 9:30 p.m.
LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE
Jazz Jam with the Cove Quartet
Jazz musicians are welcome to sit in. Sunday, July 27, 6-9 p.m.
THE COVE
Joe Restivo 4
Guitarist Restivo leads one of the city’s nest jazz quartets. Sunday, July 27, noon.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Kafé Kirk: Texas Jazz
Jam
Kirk Whalum leads this ongoing jazz series featuring musical and spiritual collaborations with special guest artists. is concert will feature legendary musicians
Tom Braxton and Bobby Lyle.
$59/advance, $70/at the door.
Sunday, July 27, 6 p.m.
CROSSTOWN THEATER
Kaleidoscope Crux, Nonconnah, Smokies
Mind-bending sonic mayhem with Kaleidoscope Crux (heavy fuzzed-out psych grunge), Smokies (altrock/power grunge), and Nonconnah (noisegaze, ambient, drone). $10. Saturday, July 26, 8 p.m.
LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE
Laser Live: Walt Phelan Band
Laser Live features live bands with laser light show. A DJ from WYXR will start the event with a pre-show set beginning at 6 p.m., with the main show beginning at 7 p.m. Drinks by Crosstown Brewery.
Saturday, July 26, 7 p.m.
AUTOZONE DOME PLANETARIUM
Level Three
Wednesday, July 30, 10 p.m.
LOUIS CONNELLY’S BAR Magik Hours With Deer elds, Wiltshire [Small Room-Downstairs]. Sunday, July 27, 8 p.m.
HI TONE
Mark Allen
Tuesday, July 29, 4 p.m.
CROSSTOWN BREWING COMPANY
MC Chris
ursday, July 24, 8 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Memphis Flamenco Trio Roy Brewer presents a night of solo amenco guitar works and arrangements for amenco ensemble, joined by autist Sam Jesuyemi and cellist Jonathan Kirkscey. With opener Davy Ray Bennett. $20/advance, $25/at the door. Saturday, July 26, 7:30 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
Memphis Reggae Nights Featuring Tia Henderson. Sunday, July 27, 7:30 p.m. B-SIDE
Super Brick
Memphis alternative rock band returns, celebrating their upcoming EP, Less is More, joined by Shorty & the Grooves and Fish-Head & the Bones. Saturday, July 26, 7 p.m.
HI TONE
The Java Trio Sunday, July 27, 3 p.m.
HUEY’S MIDTOWN
The Narrows Friday, July 25, 8 p.m.
BAR DKDC
The Point
ursday, July 24, 8 p.m.
BAR DKDC
This Will Destroy You
All ages. Sunday, July 27, 8 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Toby Vest & the Dream Machine
With Chris Milam. Friday, July 25, 9 p.m.
B-SIDE
In This Moment
Noxis With Hate Doctrine, Crawdrawdiuqs [Small RoomDownstairs]. Friday, July 25, 8 p.m. HI TONE
Owen Gooch Friday, July 25, 5 p.m. BAR DKDC
Roland Barber Quintet ft. Joel Frahm
In addition to saxophone titan Frahm, the trombone maestro’s band includes some of Nashville’s best: Alex Murphy (piano), Christian Burgs (drums), and Jack Aylor (bass). $20/advance, $25/at the door. Friday, July 25, 7:30 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
Salon After Dark: Summer Music Showcase Series ft.
Melinda, Mothcat, & Runi Salem
Featuring original performances by local acts spanning across genres, from hard-hitting alternative rock to dreamy indie pop. $10/ general admission. Friday, July 25, 8 p.m.
MEMPHIS ART SALON AT MINGLEWOOD HALL
Sanguisugabogg
All ages. Tuesday, July 29, 6:30 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Snacks
With Optic Sink, Opossums. Saturday, July 26, 9 p.m. B-SIDE
Sunny Side New Orleans Jazz Band
Blending rich three-part harmonies, a tight rhythm section, and an electrifying vocalist/dancer, Sunny Side delivers an authentic and energetic New Orleans-style jazz experience. $20/advance, $25/at the door. Tuesday, July 29, 7:30 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
Since 2005, “mother” gure and frontwoman Maria Brink — joined by co-founder and lead guitarist Chris Howorth — have built a diehard fan base. $63.85/standing general admission. Wednesday, July 30, 6:30 p.m.
GRACELAND SOUNDSTAGE
Joe Stamm Band
Joe Stamm has a way of making seemingly minor moments feel as expansive and full as the Illinois River that runs through his central Illinois homeland. All ages. $17/advance, $20/day of show.
ursday, July 24, 8 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY
The Pretty Boys Sunday, July 27, 6 p.m.
HUEY’S SOUTHAVEN
Victoria Pride’s VIP Music Experience Pride is an Oxford-native country singer, in uenced by gospel, blues, and soul. $41.35. Friday, July 25, 6-10 p.m.
BATESVILLE CIVIC CENTER
Duane Cleveland Band Sunday, July 27, 6 p.m.
HUEY’S OLIVE BRANCH
Happy Friday at the Grove
Josh relkeld hosts New Orleans band Sweet Magnolia. Friday, July 25, 5 p.m.
GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Wendell Wells & The Big Americans
Honky tonk, cow jazz, and barnyard blues songs about religion and politics, freedom and oppression, and love and money.
ursday, July 24, 6-9 p.m.
MI PUEBLO MARION
Wendell Wells & The Big Americans
Saturday, July 26, 6-9 p.m.
EL MEZCAL MEXICAN RESTAURANT
PHOTO: COURTESY ROY BREWER Flamenco Trio
CALENDAR of EVENTS: July 24 - 30
ART AND SPECIAL EXHIBITS
“100 Years in the Making: Collierville’s 1970 Centennial Celebration” rough photographs, artifacts, and stories, this exhibition highlights the grand festivities that marked 100 years of Collierville’s history. rough Sept. 6.
MORTON MUSEUM OF COLLIERVILLE HISTORY
“2024 Accessions to the Permanent Collection” is series honors the new additions to the museum’s permanent collection each calendar year. rough Nov. 2.
METAL MUSEUM
ARTSmemphis:
“GRANTEDTime Exhibition”
An exhibit curated by Brittney Boyd Bullock, a visual artist working ber, mixed media, and abstraction. rough Aug. 5.
ARTSMEMPHIS
“B.B. King in Memphis”
In 1982, B.B. King performed at the Mud Island Amphitheater. Photographer Alan Copeland documented the moment in these stunning black and white photographs. rough Oct. 19.
STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC
“Bleeding Together – A Correspondence”
A collaboration between Andres Arauz, who specializes in photo collage, design, and photography, and Abby Meyers, a visual artist, poet, and award-winning lmmaker. rough Sept. 14.
CROSSTOWN ARTS AT THE CONCOURSE
“Building a Bright Future: Black Communities and Rosenwald Schools in Tennessee” e Tennessee State Museum brings the award winning temporary exhibit into every part of Tennessee. Davies Manor is thrilled to host this exhibit the farthest west it has ever been. rough July 31.
DAVIES MANOR HISTORIC SITE
Carroll Todd: “New Sculpture”
Todd is celebrated for whimsical bronze sculptures that are formally sophisticated but never solemn. His practice explores form and movement with an e ortlessness and grace. rough July 26.
DAVID LUSK GALLERY
“CREATE | CREA”
A dynamic space designed to spark creativity, curiosity, and hands-on exploration. is vibrant environment invites guests of all ages to dive into the creative process. rough Sept. 21.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
“Ernest Withers: I AM A MAN”
Ernest Withers’ famous photographs of the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike illustrate the dignity of workers’ activism, which still feels inspirational decades later.
rough Oct. 12.
PINK PALACE MUSEUM & MANSION
“[Fe]ATURED
AR[Ti]STS”
Works created and curated by sta members of the Metal Museum. Just as elements are the building blocks of artists’ materials, the museum is built on creativity, collaboration, and tradition. rough Sept. 14.
CROSSTOWN ARTS AT THE CONCOURSE
“Forward to the Moon”
A planetarium show about the Artemis program, NASA’s project to return to the moon, from landing humans on the surface, to building a space station in lunar orbit, to establishing a human lunar base. rough Aug. 31.
PINK PALACE MUSEUM & MANSION
“Horizon Lines:
Anthony Lee, Matthew Lee, and Sowgand Sheikholeslami”
Working independently west of Memphis in Arkansas, along the corridor of US Highway 61, these artists have each created bodies of work showcasing the unique characteristics of the region.
rough Sept. 21.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Incognito Art Auction and Party
Explore a one-of-a-kind collection where mystery meets creativity; the artist behind each piece remains a secret until a er the auction closes. rough Aug. 1.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
“Landshaping: The Origins of the Black Belt Prairie”
Learn about the geologic event known as the Mississippi Embayment and its e ect on this region. Fossils and farm tools will be displayed alongside photographs by Houston Co eld. rough Oct. 12.
PINK PALACE MUSEUM & MANSION
“Light as Air”
Explore the beauty in tension: a balance of forms, the contrast between heavy and light, and the signi cance of negative space. rough Sept. 7.
METAL MUSEUM
“Overcoming Hateful Things”
e exhibition contains over 150 items from the late 19th century to the present, including items from popular culture and images of violence against African-American activists. rough Oct. 19.
PINK PALACE MUSEUM & MANSION
PHOTO: COURTESY OFF THE WALLS ARTS
Send the date, time, place, cost, info, phone number, a brief description, and photos — two weeks in advance — to calendar@memphisflyer.com.
DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS, ONGOING WEEKLY EVENTS WILL APPEAR IN THE FLYER’S ONLINE CALENDAR ONLY. FOR COMPREHENSIVE EVENT LISTINGS, SCAN THE QR CODE OR VISIT EVENTS.MEMPHISFLYER.COM/CAL.
In his exhibition “antilectual photography,” Venezuelan-born and Memphis-based artist Armando Salas displays 20 years of analog experimentation.
Roseanne Wilson Exhibit
“I love to work in vibrant colors, capturing nature at its best,” says Wilson. “I have also begun working in a di erent medium, creating 3-D shadow box art.” rough July 31.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Sean Nash: “Cosmic Produce”
Nash’s sculptural paintings from this series are hybrids that take their shaped forms from marine organisms, painted in vivid splashy and dappled colors, orders of magnitude larger than reality. rough Sept. 14.
TOPS AT MADISON AVENUE PARK
“Speaking Truth to Power: The Life of Bayard Rustin Exhibition”
“Speaking Truth to Power” explores Bayard Rustin’s innovative use of the “medium” to communicate powerful messages of nonviolence, activism, and authenticity. $20/adult, $18/ senior, college student, $17/ children 5-17. rough Dec. 31.
NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM
“Summer Art Garden: A Flash of Sun”
Immerse yourself in the radiant spirit of summer with these geometric sculptures that cast vibrant hues in the shi ing sunlight. rough Oct. 20.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
“Summer Break”
A new group exhibition featuring work from Justin Tyler Bryant, Sai Clayton, Coulter Fussell, Carl E. Moore, and Melissa Wilkinson. rough July 26.
SHEET CAKE
“Susan Watkins and Women Artists of the Progressive Era”
Centered on the career of Susan Watkins (1875–1913), the exhibition explores the environment in which Watkins and other female artists of the time forged their professional identities. rough Sept. 28.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Tad Lauritzen Wright: “Zen on the Installment Plan”
Contemplating humanity, nature, and repeated histories
life. His images speak to his keen artistic eye and humanity. Tuesdays-Saturdays. rough Aug. 31.
JAY ETKIN GALLERY
ART HAPPENINGS
“antilectual photography”Armando Salas Opening Reception Venezuelan-born & Memphisbased artist Armando Salas displays 20 years of analog experimentation, cra ing dynamic compositions that pay homage to art history. Friday, July 25, 6-8:30 p.m.
OFF THE WALLS ARTS
“B.B. King in Memphis”: Exhibit Opening Reception
Celebrate the opening of the “B.B. King in Memphis” exhibit with a guided tour, rare audio, and never-before-seen photos. Free. ursday, July 24, 6-7:30 p.m.
STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC
Birdcap vs. Skinny: Wrestling Art Show
New works from the incomparable Birdcap and the incompetent Skinny. Friday, July 25, 6-11 p.m. HI TONE
Edge District Art Crawl Stroll through galleries, discover your fave local artists, and enjoy live exhibits. Soak up exclusive deals from neighborhood bars and restaurants. Saturday, July 26, 4-8 p.m.
EDGE TRIANGLE
through photo abstractions and sculptural works constructed from salvaged wood. rough Sept. 14.
CROSSTOWN ARTS AT THE CONCOURSE
“Tennessee Craft
Southwest’s Fine Craft Showcase”
Featuring work a wide range of media, including weaving, wood turning, clay, glass work, jewelry, quilting, painting, sculptures, and much more. rough July 25.
GALLERY 1091
Tributaries: Leah Gerrard’s “Longline” Seattle-based fabrication artist Leah Gerrard, the museum’s newest Tributaries artist, shapes ethereal steel forms, blending basketry, jewelry, and large-scale pieces. Free. rough Sept. 14.
METAL MUSEUM
“Tyré Nichols: A Photographic Legacy”
A rare and intimate view of Nichols’ passion for capturing nature, urban landscapes, and quiet moments of everyday
“Emotions Without People” Opening Photographer Alex Smythe and musician Je Hulett will join forces in this collaborative art project where both artists interpret each other’s work through songs and photographs. Sunday, July 27, 3-5 p.m.
LOISE ESTES RULEMAN GALLERY AT CHURCH HEALTH
“Summer Break” Closing Reception
Celebrate the close of this exhibition featuring work from Justin Tyler Bryant, Sai Clayton, Coulter Fussell, Carl E. Moore, and Melissa Wilkinson. Saturday, July 26, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. SHEET CAKE
BOOK EVENTS
Lindsey Stewart: The Conjuring of America: Mojos, Mermaids, Medicine, and 400 Years of Black Women’s Magic
e author speaks with Tara Stringfellow about her new work, a crucial telling of American history centering the Black women whose
continued on page 20
continued from page 19
magic gave rise to the rich tapestry of American culture. Tuesday, July 29, 6 p.m.
NOVEL
Phyllis R. Dixon: Something in the Water Latricea Adams speaks with the author about her new novel, where buried secrets, environmental disaster, and a legacy of corruption come to light in small town Texas. Wednesday, July 30, 6 p.m. NOVEL
CLASS / WORKSHOP
Art & Aperitifs: Navigating Knowledge with Patty Daigle and Nelson Gutierrez
Experience an evening of exploration with curator Patty Daigle and artist Nelson Gutierrez. Engage with art and ideas, plus enjoy specialty drinks! Free. Sunday, July 27, 2-4 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Fiber Arts Open Studio (ages 16+)
Bring your fabric, yarn, and tools to work on your pieces and gain inspiration and encouragement from other fiber artists and crafters. Thursday, July 24, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Figure Drawing (Long Pose)
A figure drawing session with a two-hour long pose. Artists of all levels can practice and increase their skills drawing the human form at Memphis’ art museum. $12.
Sunday, July 27, 2-4 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
From Homegoing to History: Preserving Family History Through Funeral Programs
The history department is thrilled to unveil a new genealogy resource: The Funeral Program Collection. Saturday, July 26, 1 p.m.
BENJAMIN L. HOOKS CENTRAL LIBRARY
Genealogy Class: African American Research, Beyond the Basics
A how-to on tracing your ancestry. Wednesday, July 30, 10:30 a.m.-noon.
ORANGE MOUND COMMUNITY CENTER
Lunchtime Meditations
Visit the Dixon for free meditation sessions every Friday. Friday, July 25, noon12:30 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Super SaturdayTextures
Using materials like bubble wrap, yarn, cardboard, and stamps, create a vibrant abstract piece full of tactile surprises. Experiment with quirky materials and channel your inner artist. All ages. Free. Saturday, July 26, 10 a.m.-noon.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
CALENDAR: JULY 24 - 30
Macramé Summer Camp
Teens aged 15-18 can dive into the world of knots and patterns as they learn the art of macramé and create beautiful, unique projects that they can take home and show off to their friends.
Monday, July 28-Aug. 1.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Splashin’ for a Cause
Spend a special evening at the Monogram Foods Love Kids Foundation Splash Park and Event Center, where you can interact with dusky gopher frogs and meet the zoo’s research team. Saturday, July 26, 6-8:30 p.m. MEMPHIS ZOO
Story Time at Novel
Teen & Adult Workshop: Folklore in West Tennessee
An enlightening lecture delving into the rich folklore of West Tennessee, where captivating stories echo through the hills and rivers, narrating the history and traditions of its people. Free. Thursday, July 24, 1:30-3 p.m.
MORTON MUSEUM OF COLLIERVILLE HISTORY
COMEDY
Charlie Mac Stand-Up
Live at the Hi-Tone
See Charlie Mac, as seen on Kill Tony, perform his iconic standup set live at the Hi-Tone.
$18.50/advanced, $23.50/day of show. Friday, July 25, 7 p.m.
HI TONE
Comedy Night with Ben Pierce
Freewheeling hilarity on the open mic. Thursday, July 24, 7 p.m.
BAR DKDC
Jacob Chalk (Laughing Skull)
Atlanta-based comedian
Jacob Chalk, with observations about life, neurodiversity, and how parents say the darndest things, headlines a fun lineup. See stand-up the way it was meant to be seen. $10/online tickets. Saturday, July 26, 8-9:30 p.m.
FLYWAY BREWING COMPANY
Josh Johnson: The Flowers Tour
Johnson was just named the newest correspondent on Comedy Central’s program
The Daily Show, where he was previously a writer for the past six years. $46.40/ general admission. Friday, July 25, 7-11 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Memphis Got Jokes!
Memphis Got Jokes! is a high-energy comedy showcase bringing laughter and culture to the heart of Memphis. Presented by Paschal Hildreth Entertainment. $22. Friday, July 25, 7-10 p.m.
UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS MI -
CHAEL D. ROSE THEATER
Open Mic Comedy Night
A hilarious Midtown tradition! Tuesday, July 29, 8 p.m.
HI TONE
COMMUNITY
Backpack Giveaway
A day of impact, music, and community as The DREAMS Foundation gets Memphis students ready for day one with free backpacks, school supplies, and family fun. Saturday, July 26, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
TIGER LANE
Community Field Day
An event to bring together generations for fun outside activities. There will be food, fun, and sun. All ages. Saturday, July 26, 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
MEMPHIS PUBLIC LIBRARIES
ORANGE MOUND BRANCH
Left Right Center
An easy-to-learn, fast-paced dice game. Grab a drink, roll the dice, and let the good times roll. Sunday, July 27, 2 p.m.
DRU’S BAR
New Memphis Summer Experience Finale
This free series of events spanning June and July crafts unique experiences that are perfect for current college students, recent grads, and interns. Free. Thursday, July 24, 5:30 p.m.
ROOSTER’S BLUES HOUSE
Stuff the Bus Memphis
Did you know the average family spent $890 on back-toschool needs last year — but many in our Memphis community can’t afford that? Saturday, July 26, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
WALMART COLLIERVILLE
Write Club
Just show up with your stationery and someone in mind that you’d like to write a letter to. Saturday, July 26, 2 p.m.
NOVEL
DANCE
Country Swing Dance Lessons
It’s never too late to start and a partner is not required to
join the class. Friday, July 25, 7:30 p.m.
WHISKEY JILL’S
Dance Lessons
Swing lessons with Matt and Lara, 7:30 p.m., and line dance lessons with Dancing with Boss Lady, 8:30 p.m. Thursday, July 24, 7:30 p.m.
WHISKEY JILL’S
Get Outside Fitness:
Line Dancing
Learn a variety of dance routines while enjoying the outdoors. This class is beginner-friendly, focusing on basic steps and choreography for popular songs, and can improve coordination and balance. Monday, July 28, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
SHELBY FARMS PARK
Line Dancing with “Q”
Whether you’re a seasoned dancer or just learning the steps, “Q” will guide you through the moves and make it a night to remember. Tuesday, July 29, 6 p.m.
DRU’S BAR
EXPO/SALES
Iris Rhizome Sale
Featuring over 90 different varieties of irises. Saturday, July 26, 8 a.m.
EMMANUEL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Christian Women’s Expo
Celebrating sisterhood through faith, fun, and fellowship. Saturday, July 26-July 27.
AGRICENTER INTERNATIONAL
Primark Grand Opening
The fashion retailer celebrates its first Tennessee opening. Thursday, July 24, 11 a.m.
WOLFCHASE GALLERIA
Repticon Memphis
Featuring vendors offering reptile pets, supplies, feeders, cages, and merchandise as well as live animal seminars and frequent free raffles for prizes. Saturday, July 26, 9 a.m. | Sunday, July 27, 10 a.m.
LANDERS CENTER
SneakFest
A fun, all-ages event for sneakerheads and fashion lovers. Bring your kicks to buy, sell, trade, and shop among the many vendors.
Saturday, July 26, 1-6 p.m.
AGRICENTER INTERNATIONAL
FAMILY
15th Annual Education Dinner
This dinner will encourage, support, and motivate students to pursue a post secondary education, obtain a trade, and most of all be productive in life. Free. Friday, July 25, 7-9 p.m.
GREATER FAITH TABERNACLE
Camp Cozy Bear
An overnight camp that offers stuffies the opportunity to experience the great outdoors inside. $10. Friday, July 25, 2:30 p.m. NOVEL
From Front Yard To $350 Million: Alex’s Lemonade Stand
Comes To Memphis
An Army of Normal Folks hosts this epic fundraiser and podcast with co-executive director and Alex’s mom Liz Scott, at Firebirds in Collierville. Free. Wednesday, July 30, 9:15 a.m.-2 p.m.
FIREBIRDS WOOD FIRED GRILL
Get Outside Fitness: KidoKinetics
Through age-appropriate games and activities, young children build confidence, coordination, and a love for active play through a variety of sports in an encouraging, non-competitive environment. Thursday, July 24, 5 p.m.
SHELBY FARMS PARK
Get Outside Fitness:
Kids Yoga
Kids yoga is designed to be fun and engaging, teaching basic yoga poses with playful names that build strength, flexibility, balance, and mindfulness. Parents are welcome to join, too. Wednesday, July 30, 5-6 p.m.
SHELBY FARMS PARK
Recommended for children up to 5 years, Story Time at Novel includes songs and stories, featuring brand-new books in addition to wellloved favorites. Saturday, July 26, 10:30 a.m. | Wednesday, July 30, 10:30 a.m. NOVEL
FILM
A Minecraft Movie
The first-ever live-action adaptation of the best-selling video game of all time. Thursday, July 24, 3 p.m. | Friday, July 25, 3 p.m. | Saturday, July 26, 3 p.m. | Sunday, July 27, 3 p.m. | Monday, July 28, 3 p.m. | Tuesday, July 29, 3 p.m. | Wednesday, July 30, 3 p.m.
PINK PALACE MUSEUM & MANSION
“Black Holes”
This planetarium show gives an overview of what black holes are, how they form, and what would happen if you fell inside one. Thursday, July 24, 2 p.m. | Friday, July 25, 2 p.m. | Saturday, July 26, 2 p.m. | Sunday, July 27, 2 p.m. | Monday, July 28, 2 p.m. | Tuesday, July 29, 2 p.m. | Wednesday, July 30, 2 p.m.
PINK PALACE MUSEUM & MANSION
Family Movie
Afternoon
Enjoy a family-friendly film on the big screen with popcorn, comfy seating, and good company. Perfect for winding down, laughing together, and making memories. Free. Wednesday, July 30, 3 p.m.
RALEIGH LIBRARY
I Read That Movie @ the Library: Babe
This “page-to-screen” book club features a book selection and movie that can be enjoyed by the whole family: Babe, the Gallant Pig by Dick King-Smith. Saturday, July 26, 2-5 p.m.
BENJAMIN L. HOOKS CENTRAL LIBRARY
“Memphis Skies: What’s That in Our Night Sky?”
Hop through constellations, learn cool star names, and groove to planetarium space music in this full dome audiovisual experience. Through Aug. 31.
PINK PALACE MUSEUM & MANSION
PHOTO: COURTESY MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
At Macramé Summer Camp, teens can dive into the world of knots and patterns as they create beautiful, unique projects.
Slowdown Cinema Club: Drive Ryan Gosling stars as Driver, who’s drawn into a dangerous web of criminals led by ruthless gangsters (Albert Brooks, Ron Perlman), and must risk everything to protect his neighbor and her son. Friday, July 25, 7:30 p.m.
PINK PALACE MUSEUM & MANSION
T. Rex: Greatest of All Tyrants
The most dazzling and accurate giant screen documentary ever made on this legendary predator — and its carnivorous Cretaceous cousins. Thursday, July 24, 11 a.m. | Thursday, July 24, 2 p.m. | Friday, July 25, 11 a.m. | Friday, July 25, 2 p.m. | Saturday, July 26, 11 a.m. | Saturday, July 26, 2 p.m. | Sunday, July 27, 11 a.m. | Sunday, July 27, 2 p.m. | Monday, July 28, 11 a.m. | Monday, July 28, 2 p.m. | Tuesday, July 29, 11 a.m. | Tuesday, July 29, 2 p.m. | Wednesday, July 30, 11 a.m. | Wednesday, July 30, 2 p.m.
PINK PALACE MUSEUM & MANSION
FOOD AND DRINK
Canoes + Cocktails
A guided sunset paddle on the lake followed by specialty cocktails provided by Old Dominick, snacks from Cheffie’s, yard games, and music. A “cocktails only” ticket omits the paddling part.
$35-$80. Friday, July 25, 6 p.m.
SHELBY FARMS PARK
Cooper-Young Community Farmers Market
A weekly outdoor market featuring local farmers (no resellers), artisans, and live music.
Saturday, July 26, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
Dinner and Music Cruise
Come enjoy a two-hour cruise on Ol’ Man River featuring live entertainment (blues and jazz) and a meal. $50/general admission. Thursday, July 24, 7-9:30 p.m. | Friday, July 25, 7-9:30 p.m. | Saturday, July 26, 7-9:30 p.m. | Sunday, July 27, 7-9:30 p.m.
MEMPHIS RIVERBOATS
Food Truck Thursday
Lunch, music, and lawn games every week. Thursday, July 24, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
COURT SQUARE
Happy Hour at the Brooks: Femme Artist Mixer
Raise a glass to femme creativity, conversation, and the power of showing up for each other.
Free. Thursday, July 24, 6-8 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Memphis Farmers Market
A weekly outdoor market featuring local farmers and artisans, live music, and fun activities. Saturday, July 26, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.
MEMPHIS FARMERS MARKET
“Papa Bear Trivia” with Shawn Bring your brainpower and your crew for a night of free trivia, testing your knowledge across a variety of topics and competing for bragging rights. Thursday, July 24, 7 p.m.
DRU’S BAR
HEALTH AND FITNESS
Get Outside Fitness: Body Combat
A YMCA-led mix of martial arts moves that will get you fit, fast and strong – and leave you feeling fierce and empowered. Class is entirely noncontact; no martial arts experience required.
Wednesday, July 30, 9 a.m.
SHELBY FARMS PARK
Get Outside! Fitness: Mat Pilates
A full-body, low-impact workout that emphasizes dynamic core work to enhance strength, balance, and flexibility. The session is designed inclusively for everybody. Friday, July 25, 4:30 p.m. | Saturday, July 26, 8 a.m.
SHELBY FARMS PARK
Get Outside Fitness: Mental Fitness
Learn to relax your mind and prepare it to enter a meditative state by balancing the right and left hemispheres of the brain. Please bring a yoga mat and water. Saturday, July 26, 10:30 a.m.
SHELBY FARMS PARK
CALENDAR: JULY 24 - 30
Taijiquan with Milan Vigil
This Chinese martial art promotes relaxation, improves balance, and provides no-impact aerobic benefits. Ages 16 and older. Free. Saturday, July 26, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Wednesday Walks
Take a casual stroll around the Old Forest paved road! Wednesday, July 30, 4-5 p.m.
OVERTON PARK
Yoga
Strengthen your yoga practice and enjoy the health benefits of light exercise with yoga instructor Laura Gray McCann. All levels welcome. Free. Thursday, July 24, 6 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
LECTURE
Munch and Learn: Tap Back In: Reclaiming Joy One Step at a Time Pierce is an award-winning dancer and educator with over 15 years of training in ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, and modern dance. Wednesday, July 30, noon-1 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
PERFORMING ARTS
QCG Big Top Tease: Cosplay Carnival
A cosplay-themed variety show like no other. Expect jaw-dropping performances, dazzling
costumes, and a cosplay costume contest with prizes for the most creative looks. Saturday, July 26, 10 p.m.
DRU’S BAR
THEATER
Hadestown: Teen Edition
See these talented teens take on this hard-hitting production. Directed by Christina Denise Hernandez, with stage manager Annie McLean, music director Adam Jeffrey, and choreographer Abbie Martin. Friday, July 25, 7 p.m. | Saturday, July 26, 2 p.m. | Saturday, July 26, 7 p.m. | Sunday, July 27, 2 p.m.
THE SALVATION ARMY KROC CENTER
Jubilee
With spirituals and hymns of the Fisk Jubilee Singers like “Wade in the Water,” “Ain’t That Good News,” and “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen,” this a cappella performance will thrill audiences. $35. Friday, July 25, 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, July 26, 7:30 p.m.
HATTILOO THEATRE
The Genius of Being Stupid Keenan Scott II returns with his newest workin-progress, an autobiographical solo show offering a personal exploration of his experiences as a special ed student. $20. Friday, July 25, 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, July 26, 2 p.m. | Saturday, July 26, 7:30 p.m. | Sunday, July 27, 2 p.m.
HATTILOO THEATRE
Crossword
1 Poseidon’s domain
4 Mortar accompanier
10 Swirl of smoke
14 Well-suited
15 Noah’s landing place
16 Tennis’s Kournikova
17 ___ for tat
18 Lone Star State baseball player
20 State whose license plates say “Famous Potatoes”
22 “That was a close one!”
23 “It’s a mouse!”
24 Not national, as an airline
27 Fad
29 Gave off, as radiation
30 “Secret” person who writes a love note
32 What Marcie calls Peppermint Patty in “Peanuts”
33 Take unfair advantage of
35 What you might drape a dress or shirt on in a closet
40 Got ready to be operated on 41 Loud noise
43 Foreign ___ (international matters)
46 Fidgety
49 Hands out cards
50 Young gallant in “Romeo and Juliet”
51 Noah’s craft
52 Drifter
55 Lumberjacks
56 Sandwich chain whose name is French for “ready to eat”
60 Time in history
61 Actress Hatcher of “Desperate Housewives”
62 Sailor’s affirmative
63 Singer ___ King Cole
64 River of the underworld
65 See 59-Down
66 “What’s the ___?” (pessimist’s cry) DOWN
1 Works like “Animal Farm” and “Gulliver’s Travels”
2 Rapid spread of a disease
3 “Way to go, sister!”
4 Tushie
5 Bard’s “before”
6 “Wailing” instrument
7 Fish by dragging a net
8 Place for mascara
9 Raison d’___ 10 Pallid
11 Out of neutral, as a car
12 “Gesundheit!” elicitor
13 “Sex and the City” star Sarah Jessica ___
19 “You’ve got to be kidding me!”
Top 10 song
Lower in position
Ones selling commercial time, informally
Boxing venue
The Wiz
The Tony Award-winning musical that took the world by storm is back with an all-new tour, its first in 40 years. See this groundbreaking twist on The Wizard of Oz that changed the face of Broadway. $29-$130. Thursday, July 24, 7:30-10 p.m. | Friday, July 25, 7:30-10 p.m. | Saturday, July 26, 2-4:30 p.m. | Saturday, July 26, 7:30-10 p.m. | Sunday, July 27, 1-3:30 p.m. | Sunday, July 27, 6:30-9 p.m.
ORPHEUM THEATRE
Tragedy Sound
Winner of the 2024-2025 NewWorks@ TheWorks Playwriting Competition. Thursday, July 24, 8 p.m. | Friday, July 25, 8 p.m. | Saturday, July 26, 8 p.m. | Sunday, July 27, 2 p.m.
THEATREWORKS
TOURS
Blues Tuesdays Backstage Experience Tour
Go behind the scenes of the historical site that’s not only played host to hundreds of legendary blues acts, but launched the infamous Memphis Country Blues Festival of the late 1960s. $16. Tuesday, July 29, 11 a.m. | Tuesday, July 29, 2 p.m. | Tuesday, July 29, 4 p.m.
OVERTON PARK SHELL
Cling (to)
___ than a doornail
Egyptian cobra
October’s birthstone
Country singer Yearwood
Where to find “Cut” and “Paste”
Someone who was literally born yesterday
Makes a screenplay out of
Search (out)
Flimflam
Frightens 48 Men’s formal attire, informally 50 “A blessing that is of
PUZZLE BY PETER GORDON
We Saw You.
with MICHAEL DONAHUE
If you wanted to quench your thirst with a “Frutos del Bosque” or, in English, “Forest Fruits,” Tekila Mexican Cuisine could take care of you.
e restaurant was one of the restaurants that took part in this year’s Memphis Summer Cocktail Festival, which was held July 11th at e Kent.
“It’s kind of like a jam, but it’s pretty much strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, all blended,” says Ricardo Rivera, nancial controller of the restaurant, which has four locations. “And then it was passion fruit puree, lime juice, and lemon lime soda.”
Production manager Molly Willmott described the event as “a cocktail festival celebrating Greater Memphis and Mid-South tastes.”
More than 25 spirits brands were represented, she says.
About 800 people attended the festival, which was co-hosted by the Memphis Flyer and Leadership Memphis/Volunteer Memphis.
PHOTOS: MICHAEL DONAHUE above: Ethan Evers, Annabeth Walters, Jennifer Evers, and Jason Evers circle: Chuck Weinstein below: (le to right) Dylan Lewis and Austin Sims; Megan Key, India Neely; Tierra Bradshaw, and Aaron Morgan bottom row: (le to right) Kenneth Keierleber, Deanna Keierleber, and Jacob Johnson; Gwendolyn Lackland and Faye Gilland
Valentina
below: (le to right) Courtney Allen and Aramis Gentry; Kendrick Jones and Latasha Hurd; Robert Valentino Myers and Neil Brown; Je and India Neely
right row: (top and below) Melvin Flores, Simone Brasher, and Cynthia Yearwood; Erica Kelsey Chambers, Lernard Chambers, and Jennifer Kelsey Walker
bottom le : Renee Jones, Shameless Johnson, Emily Smith
above:
Fonseca, Ricardo Rivera, Jaime Hernandez, and Erik Prieto circle: Cal Charlet
f you’ve never been to Bonne Terre, make a point of checking it out at the new, free Live at the Lake concert series, which is being held ursdays from 6 to 9 p.m.
And see what you’ve been missing. e resort on 23 acres at 4715 Church Road in Nesbit, Mississippi, includes a large and small inn, two event spaces, a chapel that can house 225 people, and a casual/ ne dining restaurant, Magnolia Bend Grille, which is housed on the property.
Bonne Terre, which translates to “Good Earth,” launched Live at the Lake on July 10th with the Bubba Feathers Band. Kevin & Bethany Paige will perform July 24th.
You can purchase food, including gourmet hamburgers, or bring your own eats. Beer, wine, and mixed drinks are available. You can also bring blankets and lawn chairs or reserve a special table and just relax under the pecan trees, listen to live music, and enjoy nature. And if you get there early, you can eat a sit-down three-course dinner at Magnolia Bend Grille.
Bonne Terre is “tucked away over by itself, which is a great thing,” says owner Sta ord Houston. “ e horrible thing about it is nobody knows about it.”
Houston says he began the summer concert series “to give back to the community. And to let people know Bonne Terre is there.”
Bonne Terre was “o -the-charts nice” when it opened about 25 years ago, Houston says. “Over the years di erent owners let it go down. I bought it three years ago. I’ve been remodeling it nonstop for three years. We’ve got it close to where we want it now.”
Houston’s daughter, Emmy Houston, who is Bonne Terre’s manager, “runs all the day-to-day operations of booking the rooms.” Sta ord’s wife, Christy Houston, handles the weddings.
Sta ord thought a live music series would be great for people like himself who don’t want to wait until 9 p.m. or so to listen to live music in a bar. “Nine at night I’m heading home. I want to listen to music but not at 10:30 at night.”
He took matters into his own hands and created Live at the Lake. He said, “Dadgummit. I’m going to do it myself.”
If you don’t want to bring your own blanket or chairs, you can buy a table. “We’re o ering gold-, silver-, and bronze-sponsored tables. A bronze table is $100. You’re basically sitting by the band. It seats eight people. A silver table is $300 and you get all the food you want for eight people for the duration of
If you don’t want to bring your own food, Sta ord says, “You come with an empty stomach and eat ours, ’cause it’s going to be good.”
Kids are welcome. In addition to the cotton candy, Live at the Lake also will include frozen packaged ice treats. “We’re trying to make it where it’s a safe, fun, family outing where kids can run around. Just keep them away from the lake.”
For those early arrivals, chef Michael Patrick of the old Rizzo’s Diner in Memphis fame is featuring his special ursday night menu at Magnolia Bend Grille. Patrick leases the building, which houses the restaurant, from Sta ord. ey wanted a top-notch chef, so they contacted Patrick, says Sta ord, who describes Patrick as “the real deal.”
the show. A gold table is $500 and you get to eat or drink whatever you want — alcohol included — for the duration of the show.”
e band performed “on the ground” for the rst concert, says Sta ord, who books all the shows. “And people were like, ‘ ey need to be elevated.’”
So Sta ord, who just happens to own a steel company, Houston Iron Works in Memphis, says, “I just built a stage.”
e 16-foot-wide by 12-foot-deep stage is made of steel and wood and sits on a slope with Bonne Terre’s lake in the background.
Sta ord grew up in Nesbit, which was the home of the late Jerry Lee Lewis. “I did the wrought iron on his house. And took a laser cutter and cut out mu-
sic notes and welded them on the side of his iron handrails in his house.”
Live at the Lake concerts are held on ursdays because Bonne Terre is booked for weddings and events on weekends, Sta ord says.
Bonne Terre chef John Woods is in charge of the Live at the Lake cuisine. “We’re trying to o er really good food at a cheap price,” he says, and that includes chicken tenders, a meat and cheese tray, and cotton candy.
Woods came up with blackberry cobbler and ice cream for the rst concert. “We sold out in 10 minutes.”
So for the second show he made more blackberry cobbler as well as blackberry bread pudding with bourbon sauce.
Patrick also handles all the wedding rehearsal dinners, Sta ord says. e menu changes, but the recent ursday night three-course Magnolia Bend Grille “Date Night Dinner” for two menu featured chicken-elk-sausagevegetable soup or Magnolia house salad with oven-roasted tomatoes, shredded cheese, and pickled peppers with a choice of ranch or blue cheese.
Second course was petite let mignon, split lobster tail, sweet chili sauce, garlic mashed potatoes, and green beans or pan-seared salmon with pistachio sauce, raspberry sriracha, and sautéed spinach.
ird course — dessert — was fresh sorbet with mixed berries and strawberries sauce and whipped cream, or blueberry white chocolate bread pudding with brown sugar, honey cream sauce, and whipped cream. e cost: $90 for two.
Magnolia Bend Grille is only two minutes away from the stage, but you can simply enjoy the music from the restaurant, Sta ord says. Just settle in one of the rocking chairs on the porch. “Sit out there and listen to the concert 100 yards away.”
Bonne Terre is “25 minutes from anywhere in Memphis,” Sta ord says. It’s “seven minutes west of Landers Center.”
Upcoming Live at the Lake concerts include Whoa Nelly on July 31st, Memphis Funk on August 14th, Captain Boogie on August 21st, and Fi h Kind Acoustics on August 28th.
No concert will be held on August 7th. “We have a wedding that night.”
PHOTO: COURTESY EMMY HOUSTON
Benne Terre owners Sta ord and Christy Houston started the free Live at the Lake concert series, with food available for purchase.
By Emily Guenther
Cancer and The Chariot
astrological sign and the tarot card mirror one another.
very zodiac sign is connected to a tarot card, but for Cancer, the sign of summer, that link is especially profound. Ruled by e Chariot, Cancer’s symbolism is rich with meaning, blending the emotional depth of the crab with the steady momentum of the charioteer.
As a cardinal sign, Cancer is associated with moving forward and embodies the energy of fresh beginnings — much like e Chariot, a card that represents determination, direction, and the will to move forward. Yet, in most tarot decks, the charioteer appears still, contemplative, and rmly grounded as he observes the sphinxes (or horses) ahead. is moment of pause mirrors the Cancerian nature — measured, observant, and deeply intentional before taking the next step.
Cancer is o en seen as the sign of motherhood and emotional guardianship. It is tenacious, nurturing, and ercely protective. Cancers navigate life through intuition rather than impulse, rising above con ict by trusting their inner compass. Represented by the crab, they protect their so emotional core with a tough outer shell — and this echoes beautifully in the armored charioteer, who meets the world fully cloaked, prepared, and guarded.
e Chariot is also anked by two opposing guides — o en black and white sphinxes or horses.
e Chariot card o en features crescent moons on the charioteer’s shoulders, a clear nod to this celestial in uence. Even the owing water behind the chariot reects Cancer’s elemental nature as a water sign, and the moon’s powerful pull on the tides mirrors Cancer’s emotional currents.
e relationship between Cancer and e Chariot is more than symbolic — it’s archetypal. It speaks to the journey of moving forward while honoring emotional truth. e path isn’t about rushing headlong into battle, but about aligning intention with instinct and shielding the heart while never losing sight of the destination.
e Chariot speaks to the triumph that comes from balance, focus, and will. It reminds us that true victory isn’t about brute force — it’s about mastering our inner terrain just as much as our outer challenges. When we move forward with clarity, discipline, and intention, even the most daunting obstacles become stepping stones on the path to purpose. ough the charioteer appears still, his control is absolute. It’s this inner steadiness that allows him to navigate life’s unpredictable twists with grace. His message is clear: Stay centered, stay bold, and trust the course you’ve chosen, even when the road veers o the map.
e dualities represent the delicate balance between action and restraint, toughness and tenderness. Black evokes the charioteer’s shell, shielding him from external chaos; white re ects the inner emotional truths quietly steering his journey. is duality speaks directly to Cancer’s ability to balance their protective instincts with deep emotional intelligence.
e charioteer’s journey mirrors the Cancerian path, where emotional intelligence holds the reins that steer through the labyrinth of ambitions, keeping oneself from scattering all energy. With the protective shell of e Chariot, a Cancer may embrace their profound strength, turning vulnerability into resilience and lunar intuition into a cosmic driving force on e Chariot of their lives.
e lunar connection here is equally powerful. Ruled by the moon, Cancer is highly sensitive to cycles, rhythms, and intuitive knowing. Not surprisingly,
In the charioteer’s quest for his goal, he may display some behavior that he has never seen within himself before; competition and a desire to succeed have perhaps brought out a more aggressive part of his personality. Aggression is a natural part of human nature, and e Chariot reminds you that it can also be used to help you take charge of your situation but also must be reined in so it doesn’t hinder your way forward.
If you’ve been hesitating to pursue a goal or second-guessing your next move, e Chariot urges you to take the reins with a structured plan and a determined heart. is is a card of empowered movement — not reckless action, but a sacred commitment to align thought, emotion, and willpower. When you lead with condence and integrity, you step into a version of yourself that is truly unstoppable. Emily Guenther is a co-owner of e Broom Closet metaphysical shop. She is a Memphis native, professional tarot reader, ordained Pagan clergy, and dog mom.
Laurie Stark Laurie Stark
Wait, What?
A 42-year-old man contacted Beverly Hills, Texas, Police Chief Kory Martin on June 13 about a package he had received from his ex-girlfriend, KWKT-TV reported. Inside was a copy of a marriage certificate, indicating that the man was married. But he told Martin that while he had been in a relationship with the woman, Kristin Marie Spearman, 36, of Waco, and even obtained a marriage license, they broke up before the wedding. After investigating, Martin determined that Spearman had convinced a pastor to certify the marriage without the groom present and then filed the certificate at the county clerk’s office. Martin said he researched the law and found only one scenario that allows for an absentee spouse-to-be: “active military overseas, unable to make it.” And even then, “You still had to have a proxy to stand in … so [in this case] the groom should have been there.” Spearman was arrested for third-degree felony stalking and taken to jail. [KWKT, 6/16/2025]
News You Can Use
The Blue Ash (Ohio) Police Department is recommending that drivers in the area “keep the windows up for the next several weeks” after a cicada caused a crash on June 12. KKTV reported that no one was hurt when a driver veered into a pole after a cicada flew into their car; the car ended up on its side, and the cicada made a clean getaway. “These pesky cicadas don’t respect personal space,” police said. “A cicada attack can be dangerous.” [KKTV, 6/16/2025]
It’s Good to Have a Hobby
Samuel Lee Thomas, 72, of St. Petersburg, Florida, is a prolific 911 caller, The Smoking Gun reported on June 16. Just in the first five months of 2025, Thomas called emergency services 3,400 times, bringing his five-year total to 16,000 calls. His latest call involved what he said was someone “shooting an AR-15 rifle in the roadway,” but when police arrived, they found a family having a barbecue and kids at play. Anqunette Peterson, 34, who lives in the targeted home, has been the victim of Thomas’ calls 647 times and said Thomas
“frequently stops in front of their residence to yell obscenities at her and her family,” police said. Thomas was arrested for stalking and false report of a crime. He pleaded not guilty and was released on $1,500 bond. [The Smoking Gun, 6/16/2025]
Compelling Explanation
Jose Manuel Perez, 24, was charged with aggravated battery on June 14 in Salt Lake City after he attacked the person he was having lunch with, Fox13-TV reported. As the assault played out, the victim tried to escape numerous times, but Perez put them in a choke hold and produced a “wooden stake with a nail in it,” telling them that they were a werewolf and “he was going to pierce their heart.” Eventually, Perez ran off with the victim’s backpack, which was recovered when cops caught up with him. Police said Perez also had rocks in his pockets, which he carried out of fear the victim would attack him. He was held without bail. [Fox13, 6/15/2025]
Awesome!
When Gwyneth Griffiths of Swansea, Wales, turned 102 years old recently, she had just one wish for her birthday party: a stripper. Wales Online reported on June 16 that the Hawthorn Court Care Home where Griffiths lives was happy to oblige with a “butler in the buff.” Griffiths, who has dementia, has become feisty and fun in her advanced years, spewing swear words when, her son Peter said, “She wouldn’t say boo to a goose” as he was growing up. About the stripper, Griffiths told her son, “I hope I get a cheeky pinch of his bum!” The centenarian also has a weekly wedding to her imaginary friend “Dr. John,” for which she gets her hair done and dons a tiara. When Peter told her she’d be turning 102 soon, she argued: “No I am not. Look at my t--s, not a wrinkle!” Party on, Gwyneth! [Wales Online, 6/16/2025] Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In Hindu cosmology, the Sanskrit term “Lila” refers to divine play. It’s the idea that all of creation is a sacred and artful amusement that’s performed by the gods with joy, sorrow, artfulness, and flair. I hereby proclaim Lila to be your theme of power, Aries. You have been so deep lately, so honest, so drenched in feeling. Now, life is giving you a big wink and saying, “It’s playtime!” You can start this fresh phase by making a list of all the experiences that bring you fun, recreation, and entertainment. I hope you emphasize these pursuits in the coming weeks.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In the high desert of Chile, astronomers work at observatories on mountaintops where the air is dry, and the sky is clear. There, away from light pollution, the universe reveals itself with astonishing intimacy. But even the most powerful telescopes can’t function during the day. I suspect you will be like those observatories in the coming weeks, Taurus: capable of seeing vast truths, but only if you pause, quiet the ambient noise, and look during the dark. This approach should embolden you to use your intelligence in new ways. Stillness and silence will be conducive to your deep explorations. Night will be your ally.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Are you courageous enough to let go of sparkly clean but unfruitful fantasies so as to clear space for reality’s disorderly richness? Are you wild enough to relinquish naïve fears and hopes so you can see the raw truths blooming right in front of you? Are you cagey enough to discard the part of your innocence that’s rooted in delusion even as you bolster the part of your innocence that’s fueled by your love of life? Here’s my response to those questions, Gemini: Maybe you weren’t mature or bold or crafty enough to accomplish these heroic feats before, but you are now.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Coral polyps are tiny, soft-bodied creatures. Over centuries, they assemble massive reef systems, turning their fragile exoskeletons into monumental architecture. These creatures can be a symbolic reminder that your sensitivity is not a weakness; it’s your building material. Keep that in mind during the coming weeks, when tender care and your nurturing ability can be primal sources of power. I invite you to start creating an enduring sanctuary. Generate a quiet miracle. Construct an elegant masterpiece. For best results, allow your emotional intelligence to guide you. You have the precise blend of aptitudes necessary to coax beauty to grow from vulnerability.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Sci-fi author Octavia Butler wrote, “All that you touch, you change. All that you change changes
By Rob Brezsny
you.” The coming weeks will be prime time for you to honor and celebrate that prayer, Virgo. You won’t be a passive dreamer, gentle traveler, or contemplative wanderer. Rather, I predict you will be a tidal force of metamorphosis. Parts of your world are pliable and ready for reshaping, and you will undertake that reshaping. But it’s important to know that the shift will go both ways. As you sculpt, you will be sculpted. As you bless, you will be blessed. Don’t be shy about riding along on this feedback loop. Do it with reverence and glee. Let the art you make remake you. Let the magic you give become the magic you are.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In certain Hindu traditions, the deity Ardhanarishvara is depicted as half-male, half-female — a divine fusion of opposites. They are not torn, but whole in their duality. I invite you to be inspired by their symbolism in the coming weeks, Libra. For you, balance will not be about making compromises or pushing to find middle ground. It will be about embracing the full range of possibilities. Energies that some people may imagine are contradictory may in fact be complementary and mutual. Benevolence will coordinate well with fierceness and vice versa. Your craving for beauty will not just coexist with but synergize an affinity for messy fertility. This is a time for sacred synthesis. Don’t dilute. Integrate.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The medieval mystic Meister Eckhart wrote, “God is not found in the soul by adding anything, but by a process of subtraction.” Subtracting what? He wasn’t referring to losing something valuable but rather to letting go of obstacles that obscure our direct experience of the divine. I invite you to make abundant use of this principle, Scorpio. Slough off layers of illusion, outmoded fantasies, and self-images soaked in others’ longings. As you let go, do so not in bitterness but in a joyous quest for freedom.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I’m hoping that the Season of a Thousand Feelings hasn’t confused you. I’m praying that you have maintained a measure of composure and aplomb while navigating through the richest emotional flow you’ve experienced in many moons. It’s true that in some ways this barrage has been draining. But I’m certain you will ultimately regard it as being highly educational and entertaining. You will look back at this bustling interlude as a gift that will take a while to harvest completely.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Greek myth tells us that Persephone didn’t just return from the underworld each spring; she ruled there half the year. Yes, she was taken there against her will, but she adapted, transformed, and ultimately wielded great power in the depths. In the
LEO (July 23Aug. 22): I predict that your imminent future will be a ticklish and tricky but ultimately uplifting masterpiece. It will feature guest appearances by members of your private hall of fame, including one future luminary you have not yet fully appreciated. This epic series of adventures may begin when you are nudged to transform your bond with a key resource. Soon, you will be encouraged to explore frontier territory that offers unexpected help. Next, you will demonstrate your understanding that freedom is never permanent but must constantly be reinvented.
coming weeks, Capricorn, you will have the chance to navigate realms that other souls may not be brave enough to enter: taboos, unusual yearnings, ancestral memories. My advice is to go gently but with intense resolve. Don’t act like a tourist. Be a sovereign explorer, even a maestro of mystery. Claim your throne in the underworld. Use it to create healing maps for others. When your work is done and the right moment comes, you will rise again into the light.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In my astrological opinion, you are ready to graduate from the University of Senseless Suffering. It’s time to get your diploma and treat yourself to a vacation. I’m not saying you will never again experience pain, of course. Rather, I’m telling you the good news that your dilemmas in the coming months will be more fully useful and redemptive. They will feel more like satisfying work than unpleasant ordeals. Congrats on the upgrade, Aquarius! You are forever finished with at least one of your arduous lessons.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus said you can’t step in the same river twice. Like ev erything else in nature, the river is in con stant flux. It may appear to be the same, but the water is always flowing. What Heraclitus didn’t say is that you are never the same, either. Eternal change is your destiny. I invite you to ruminate eagerly on this truth, Pisces. Hopefully, it will help you let go of any hyper-perfectionist urges you might have. It will inspire you to see that the plan you made a while ago may need revision — not because you were wrong, but because you have grown. So yes: It’s time to reassess and recalculate. The goal isn’t to stick to the blueprint but to build something that breathes with your becoming. Let the ever-new version of you draw a fresh map. It will be wiser than the last.
MANE.
FILM By Chris McCoy
The Longest March
Ari Aster grapples with pandemic fallout in the tense Eddington
March 2020 seemed to last a year. at was the month the Covid-19 pandemic exploded across America. Events were canceled, in-person gatherings were either discouraged or outright banned, and “social distancing” entered the lexicon. ose who could work from home did, and those who couldn’t were given what sparse personal protection equipment was available. With the normal rhythms of life disrupted, time seemed to stretch on and on in an undi erentiated blur.
ere hasn’t been a lot of art made about the pandemic era, besides Bo Burnham’s acclaimed Inside, but in retrospect, maybe that shouldn’t have been a surprise. For one thing, the last major pandemic, the 1918 in uenza outbreak which killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide, didn’t inspire much art besides the silent vampire lm Nosferatu. Five years removed from Covid, maybe it’s easier to see why that’s the case. at period was so awful, people just don’t want to think about it.
It’s not for lack of material. Faced with months of enforced inactivity, every artist on the planet either started something new or dusted o that old, un nished project they had shelved years ago. e latter is what seems to have happened to Ari Aster’s Eddington e Hereditary and Midsommar director’s latest began life as a neo-Western which he revamped during lockdown.
The brilliant parts of Eddington happen in the first two-thirds of the film.
e lm begins in May 2020 — which, mentally was still March — in the small town of Eddington, New Mexico. As the great novelist and writing teacher John Gardner once observed, there are only two basic beginnings to stories: A person goes on a journey, or a stranger comes to town. In this case, the stranger coming to Eddington is Covid and it arrives as a barefoot homeless person (Cli on Collins Jr.) ranting and raving about some imagined injustice between rasping coughs. We meet the town’s sheri , Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix), when he is confronted by a Pueblo reservation police o cer named Butter y Jimenez
(William Belleau) because he is not wearing a mask.
During the early days of the pandemic, no one knew exactly how the virus was spread. Conventional epidemiology suggested that respiratory viruses like u and the coronaviruses which cause the common cold went from person to person via droplets of saliva which settled out of the air within six or seven feet. us, the mania for hand washing and social distancing, and the early belief that masks were strictly necessary as long as you kept your distance. Now, a er years of extremely focused research, it’s clear that the virus spreads almost exclusively via aerosolized mists which can hang in stagnant air for hours. is means that masks were the only way to stop the virus. If you want to prevent more airborne viral pandemics from happening, the best way to do it is to put a HEPA lterquipped air puri er in every home and indoor public space.
But in May 2020, this was not yet known, and there was no vaccine to prime the immune systems against the novel virus. While that month saw bodies piling up in makeshi morgues in New York City, things looked pretty normal in Eddington. To Cross, the demands put on his community by Mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal) look like an insane power grab. But to the mayor, they look like common-sense precautions against a looming threat which would ultimately claim more than 1.5 million American lives.
Turns out, Mayor Garcia and Sheri Cross have a long-standing beef. Garcia once brie y dated Louise (Emma Stone)
who later married Cross. But the Crosses’ marriage is not a happy one. Her mental health is not good during the best of times, and with the stresses of the pandemic at their max, she’s all but bedridden. Her mother Dawn (Deirdre O’Connell) is living with the couple a er Louise’s father died (possibly of Covid) and, like so many others, she has fallen down an internet rabbit hole of conspiracy theories. Dawn’s morning reading material includes rants about “Jesuit educated governor Gavin Newsom” and “ e Crimes of the Federal Reserve: Why the Sinking of the Titanic Was No Accident.”
Dawn introduces Louise to her favorite YouTube personality, Vernon Je erson Peak (Austin Butler), whose paranoid sermons have graduated to full-blown Mansonoid cult leader. Meanwhile, when the new town vagrant tries to barge into a masked and distanced city council meeting Garcia hosts in the town’s only bar, Sheri Cross loses his temper. Why are they allowed to gather when businesses are failing? It’s because they’re discussing important town business, namely the potential for new investment by a company known as SolidGoldMagikarp in a giant data center on the outskirts of town.
Later, Cross is called to the grocery store, where a fellow anti-masker is pitching a t a er being denied entry. e confrontation escalates until Cross reaches a breaking point. is mayor has got to go, and Cross is just the person to put him out of a job. He announces his candidacy in the most 2020 way possible: a vertical video lmed while he’s at the wheel of his truck.
e brilliant parts of Eddington happen in the rst two-thirds of the lm. ere’s a little bit of Robert Altman’s Nashville in the way Aster introduces a sprawling cast and quickly gives them motivations and aws which set them on collision courses with both reality and each other. And like Nashville, this is partly a dark comedy. Mayor Garcia’s campaign commercial is perfectly tonedeaf. When the police killing of George Floyd sparks the Black Lives Matter protests, Cross and his two deputies are caught completely o -balance, and their botched reactions to the small group of earnest young people who take to what pass for Eddington’s streets only serves to escalate the situation. One recurring gag is the way that people discover extreme public statements are encouraged and ampli ed by social media. Cross has to keep escalating his rhetoric to keep attention on his campaign. Eventually, the chorus of people talking past each other leads to murder.
And that’s roughly when the wheels come o Eddington. As the violence escalates, the narrative spirals into nonsense. Aster has made two-thirds of a good movie. He deserves credit for skillfully capturing the mental chaos of the Longest March, but it’s too long, and he can’t quite tie the threads together for a satisfying ending — kinda like the pandemic itself.
Eddington
Now playing Multiple locations
Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal in Eddington
Our critic picks the best films in theaters.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
On the heels of the success of Superman, Marvel’s first family of super-heroics gets a third reboot after two dismal failures by 20th Century Studios. Pedro Pascal stars as Reed Richards, a retro-futuristic super scientist who takes his family to space, where they encounter a cosmic ray storm that transforms them into weird superheroes. Richards becomes Mister Fantastic, a super stretchy guy. His wife Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) becomes the Invisible Woman. Her brother Johnny (Joseph Quinn) becomes the Human Torch. And pilot Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) becomes The Thing. Together, they must defend the Earth from Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner).
Oh, Hi!
In this Sundance hit from director Sophie Brooks, Iris (Molly Gordon) and Isaac (Logan Lerman) get away for a romantic weekend, but things go awry when he confesses he doesn’t want a relationship, while handcuffed to the bed. Weird sex, entanglements, and witchcraft ensue.
Superman
James Gunn’s take on the Man of Steel is a huge hit, and a good movie to boot! David Corenswet stars as Kal-El, the last son of the planet Krypton who is exiled to Earth and gains superhuman powers from our yellow sun, which he uses in the cause of truth, justice, and a good version of the American way. Rachel Brosnahan co-stars as ace reporter Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult menaces the world as Lex Luthor.
EMPLOYMENT
ST. JUDE CHILDREN’S RESEARCH HOSPITAL (MEMPHIS, TN) SEEKS THE FOLLOWING POSITIONS: Global Program Coordinator (JobID SJ013GAB): Design, implement, oversee projects/initiatives for Dept. Global Pediatric Medicine & St. Jude Global. Bach or equiv in Bus., Mgmnt, or rel. plus 3 yrs exp. in Operations, Proj. Mgmt., or rel. Telecommuting from the Memphis, TN area permissible 20% of the time. Send resume w/job# to Grace Anne Boyd, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Pl, MS 507, Memphis, TN 38105 or email Recruiting@stjude.org. Bioinformatics Analyst (JobID SJ008NBG): modify and operate data analysis pipelines to generate and provide analysis results. Bach in Bioinformatics, Cheminformatics, Stats., Comp. Sci., or rel. & 2 yr exp. in comp. bio., bioinformatics, genomic data analysis, or rel. Telecommuting Permissible, must live in commuting distance. Send resume w/job# to Natalia Bien-
Gordy, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Pl, MS 507, Memphis, TN 38105 or email Recruiting@stjude.org. Program Manager (JobID SJ007NBG): Guide, design and implement activities for St. Jude Global’s Asia Pacific Region Prog. Bach or equiv in Pub. Health, or rlt plus 4 yrs exp. in Glob. Health, Prog. Mgmt. & Deliv., or rel. Telecommuting Permissible, must live within commuting distance. Flexibility to travel (estimated up to 20%) for on-site facilitation. Send resume w/ job# to Natalia Bien-Gordy, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Pl, MS 507, Memphis, TN 38105 or email Recruiting@ stjude.org. St. Jude is an EEO/AA/ Vet/Disability Employer.St. Jude is an EEO/AA/Vet/Disability Employer.
MUSICIAN’S EXCHANGE
HOUSING FOR RENT
BUY, SELL, TRADE
THE LAST WORD By Jesse Davis
Trump’s War on American Kids
Cuts to SNAP and the O ce to Monitor and Combat Tra cking in Persons make priorities clear.
President Donald Trump has been having a rough week, at least so far as PR goes. He can’t seem to quiet down the hubbub over deceased convicted sex o ender Je rey Epstein. en e Wall Street Journal published an alleged birthday letter from Trump to the disgraced billionaire nancier, sparking a urry of furious and intermittently capitalized posts from the president to Truth Social, in which he cried “hoax,” threatened to sue the Journal, and called out owner Rupert Murdoch by name. Schadenfreude has never been my favorite feeling, but, truly, you love to see it.
On the heels of that ever-growing snowball of a story, the president’s reconciliation package has spurred a slew of posts, articles, TikTok videos, and o cial reports about the detrimental e ects cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will have on American families. According to research from the Urban Institute, a nonpartisan instrument for policy research, the cuts to the SNAP program will a ect 22.3 million American families, with families losing around $146 a month on average.
Protecting children doesn’t look like a heavily armed task force; it looks like universal pre-K, Sesame Street, and, yes, SNAP bene ts.
Finally, last week, on July 17, 2025, Mother Jones reported that the Trump administration’s State Department “decimated its o ce combating human tra cking.”
“For 25 years, the [O ce to Monitor and Combat Tra cking in Persons] has worked to combat human sex and labor tra cking around the world,” Pema Levy writes for the magazine’s website.
Looking at these recent news items together, one can almost triangulate a general attitude toward children and other vulnerable groups. It’s almost as if the current administration — and anyone aiding them — hates kids.
Here’s the simple fact of the matter: Evil is banal. It’s not a coven of cloaked politicians and celebrities, their leader dramatically raising a silver knife above a bound and helpless child, ready to be sacri ced to dark gods or moon-dwelling lizard people. Evil is tax cuts for people who don’t need them, paid for by taking money from vulnerable groups. It means assessments that cost more to perform than the amount of fraud they prevent. It’s the “bootstraps” mentality, the idea that compassion and community are weaknesses, but unchecked competition is somehow socially bene cial.
Similarly, real heroes rarely wear capes or a big, goofy, primary-colored symbol across their chests. ey’re social workers and teachers and nurses and government employees in bland o ces doing boring work because they know that, even if they don’t see the results or receive thanks, their dull and dreary o ce job means industrial chemicals won’t leach into soil next to a preschool. Protecting children doesn’t look like a heavily armed task force; it looks like universal pre-K, Sesame Street, and, yes, SNAP bene ts. It’s a di erent kind of heroism, with no trumpets, no string section.
If you want to protect your children — or aging parents or friends and family with disabilities — you have to ensure that they’re all protected. Some Americans apparently thought that rights and protections being stripped from other groups meant they would be safer, that they would be the recipients of whatever remained, but the reverse is true. ose Americans cheered while the precedent for their own disenfranchisement was set.
To my eyes, Trump’s recent PR woes are hardly news. e sel shness and cruelty have always been there, and they’re by no means exclusive to the president. e ongoing controversy around the alleged Epstein les seem to be a bridge too far for some among his MAGA acolytes, though, and when it comes to optics, the timing of the downsizing of the State Department’s human tra cking o ce couldn’t have come at a worse time. It does paint a gruesome picture though.
Drag queens, DEI, trans athletes, immigrants — there’s always some nebulous threat waiting to swoop down and carry o American children, and only Trump and his GOP cronies can protect them.
If that’s true, though, and if they really care about our kids’ safety, why are they working so hard to make sure American children are hungry?
Jesse Davis is a former Flyer sta er; he writes a monthly Books feature for Memphis Magazine. His opinions, such as they are, include a belief that the phrase “hungry kids” shouldn’t even exist in the year 2025, for Pete’s sake.
PHOTO: (LEFT) NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE | UNSPLASH; (RIGHT) GEMMA C | UNSPLASH
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