LIVE FROM MEMPHIS

STAR WARS:  IN CONCERT COMING TO FEDEXFORUM MAY 18

-Tickets go on-sale March 13 at 10 a.m.-

Star Wars: In Concert, the unique multi-media event featuring music from all six of John Williams’ epic Star Wars scores, will make its way to Memphis for a performance at FedExForum on May 18.

WEVL FM 89.9 Spring Concert

WHEN: Saturday, March 6

TIME: The New Mary Jane 10:00
Mouserocket 11:00
Jack-O & Tennessee Tearjerkers 12:15

WHERE: Hi-Tone Cafe, 1913 Poplar

ADMISSION: $10 at door or advance tickets here

"Headlining will be Jack O & the Tearjerkers, Jack 'Oblivian' Yarber's vehicle for all manner of garage-/roots-connected styles, weaving Stones-y classic rock, punk-fueled garage rock, Dylan-esque folk-rock, and R&B and early rock-and-roll influences all into a clearly personal style. Mouserocket, where Alicja Trout (the hard-rockin' River City Tanlines) and Robby Grant (the bedroom-pop Vending Machine) find fruitful middle ground, and The New Mary Jane, where a couple of local-scene legends - Grifters cohorts Dave Shouse and Scott Taylor - have reunited. All that for only $10, with all admission proceeds going to support WEVL."
--Chris Herrington, Memphis Flyer

2010 Beale Street Music Festival

April 30 - May 2, 2010 at Tom Lee Park in Downtown Memphis

To the world, Memphis means great music. Music lovers from around the globe gather at the Beale Street Music Festival to celebrate this vital heritage, this deep river of sound. Three magical days. Four big stages. Thirty-three acres overlooking the Mighty Mississippi, right on the heels of historic Beale Street. More than sixty top artists. One outrageous party.

Blues, rock, gospel, R&B, alternative, and soul a spine-tingling musical variety guaranteed to shake your soul. With a growing fan base and worldwide media coverage, this stellar event sells out annually.

The festival will be held from April 30 to May 2 at Tom Lee Park. Tickets are on sale at all Ticketmaster outlets, online at ticketmaster.com and by phone at (800) 745-3000. Three-day passes cost $65 and will be available through April 28; single-day tickets are $29.50 in advance.

FRIDAY, APRIL 30

Gates open at 5 p.m.

Cellular South Stage

Neon Trees

Mute Math

30 Seconds to Mars

Limp Bizkit

Sam’s Town Stage

Blues Traveler

Jeff Beck

Widespread Panic

Budweiser Stage

Al Kapone

B-52s

Goo Goo Dolls

Blues Tent

Joanne Shaw Taylor

Jimmy Thackery &The Drivers

Kenny Neal & Band

Coco Montoya

SATURDAY, MAY 1

Gates open at 1 p.m.

Cellular South Stage

Joan Red

Constellations

Yo Gotti

Puddle of Mud

Seether

Alice in Chains

Sam’s Town Stage

Dragon Balti

Colbie Caillat

Jerry Lee Lewis

Hall & Oates

Michael McDonald

Budweiser Stage

Elmwood

North Mississippi Allstars

Drive By Truckers

Gov’t Mule

Flaming Lips

Blues Tent

Alvin Youngblood Hart

Blind Mississippi Morris

Ruthie Foster

Bobby “Blue” Bland

Savoy Brown

Walter Trout

SUNDAY, MAY 2

Gates open at 1 p.m.

Cellular South Stage

Sore Eyes

Boys Like Girls

Five Finger Death Punch

Chevelle

3 Doors Down

Sam’s Town Stage

Rock Sugar

Bret Michaels

Booker T. & the MGs

Earth, Wind & Fire

Budweiser Stage

Truth & Salvage

John Hiatt

Band of Horses

Alison Krauss & Union Station (featuring Jerry Douglas)

Blues Tent

Robert Wolfman Belfour

Hubert Sumlin

Sonny Landreth

Janiva Magness

Leon Russell

Critics have praised Jennifer Koh as a “high-octane” violinist whose playing “sends the pulse racing.” Her “sizzling articulation” and “rich arsenal of tone” have elicited comparisons to Yehudi Menuhin and Stephane Grappelli, a tribute both to the range of her playing and her adventurous choice of material.

On March 20th, Koh will join the IRIS Orchestra in Leonard Bernstein’s Serenade after Plato’s Symposium, on a program that also includes Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9, “From the New World,” and Ravel’s Valses nobles et sentimentales. The concert will take place at the Germantown Performing Arts Centre, 1801 Exeter Rd., Germantown, Tenn.  38138.  Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Michael Stern describes the program as “three very different composers’ use of the popular, vernacular music of their day to create the music of the future. It’s a perfect program to feature one of the brightest stars of our musical future, Jennifer Koh.”

Memphis Bluesalicious is just 1 month away-register now!
Get ready for Memphis to ROCK the Blues world!

Pre-Registration is only open through this Sunday, February 21 for the low price of $45 for a full pass! For that price, you can catch 3 nights of live Delta blues, dance on world-famous Beale Street, and experience authentic juke joint-style venues. Where else can you get a deal like that?

In this email:
1) Event information
2) Notes & quotes
3) Reminders

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Get ready to rock out in the Home of the Blues, birthplace of Rock & Roll!
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Memphis is getting ready to rock the Blues world with Bluesalicious 3. We're back again, strictly for a good time! For three years in a row, Bluesalicious brings together some of the best live music in Memphis for your listening pleasure. No classes, and no class to speak of--just down-home Delta Blues (and lip-smackin' Southern style food to go with it).

There will also be half a dozen of our favorite DJs and 150 dancers from all over partying at a variety of our favorite places. Be warned, though, you won't see too much daylight here--we don't get going til noon most mornings, and we get down on the dance floors til the wee small hours of the morning.

Watch www.Bluesalicious.com for updates:
DJs--Returning this year are 3-time veterans Matt Kelsey (LA) and Sergio Loreto (So FL), with Jeff Miller (VA) & J Wardell (So FL) for round two, plus divas Brenda Starr (Seattle) & Kristy Miliken (NC).
Bands--Miss Nickki kicks off Friday night, with The Daddy Mack band bringing it on home for Saturday Night's Blow-out event!
Schedule--What's going on March 19-21, 2010... and before, if you can come down early for the $5 live Blues jam Thursday night.
Venues--Where we'll be shakin' our tailfeathers that weekend, plus where to eat & a Sunday side trip to Al Green's church.
New this year, please check out our veggie & vegan friendly dining at these sites:
Project Green Fork
Urban Spoon
Vegan Crunk blog

The Memphis Area Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts is hosting an event on Wednesday, Feb 24 from 5-7pm in the 4th Floor Reading Room at the new University of Memphis Law School (1 North Front Street).  This is a perfect opportunity to find out how this great group of volunteer lawyers can assist you with your legal questions.

MAVLA exists to help artists and musicians set up a legal framework in which to do business.  Our goal is to help them take the next step to becoming professionals.

• Should you be doing business as a corporation or LLC?
• Why is it important to have a written band agreement?
• How do Trademarks and Copyrights work?

MAVLA is having  this reception to introduce themselves to artists and musicians in the community.

When: Wednesday Feb. 24 from 5-7pm
Where: 4th Floor Reading Room, U of M Law School (1 North Front Street)

The Folk Alliance’s 22nd annual conference will take place February 17-21, 2010 and will be held at the Memphis Downtown Marriott and city’s Convention Center.

Folk Alliance International is pleased to announce Rounder Records founders Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin, and Marian Leighton-Levy as the featured Keynote speakers for the 2010 International Folk Alliance Conference on February 18th  in Memphis.

The 22nd annual Folk Alliance conference will also feature over 100 panel discussions and over 200 official showcase artists from around the world. 

Folk Alliance International will present Roots Music Spectacular on Friday, February 19th and Songwriters in the Round on Saturday, February 20th  at the Center for Southern Folklore.

These shows will provide the Mid-South community a rare opportunity to experience the spirit of the music of the Folk Alliance conference first-hand.

On Friday, 2/19 , Roots Music Spectacular will begin at 7:30pm and feature Stonehoney, Martyn Joseph, Act of Congress and Hudost.

Songwriters in the Round, beginning at 7:30pm on Saturday, 2/20, will feature David Olney, Will Kimbrough, Tommy Wommack and Phil Lee.  A second performance at 9:30pm the same evening will feature artists Sid Selvidge, Chuck Mead, Anais Mitchell, and Amy Speace.

2010 International Folk Alliance Conference Performing Artists

3 Penny Acre (Fayetteville, AR)
8 Ball Aitken (Brisbane, Australia)
Act of Congress (Birmingham, AL)
Mike Agranoff (Boonton Township, NJ)
The Marc Atkinson Trio (Victoria, BC, Canada)
Albert and Gage (Austin, TX)
Diana Anaid (Sydney, Australia)
Nancy Apple (Memphis, TN)
Grace Askew (Memphis, TN)
Danny Barnes (Port Townsend, WA)
Al Berard Cajun Combo (Cecilia, LA)
BettySoo (Austin, TX)
Blue Folk Trio (Stockholm, Sweden)
Jim Boggia (Philadelphia, PA)
Ray Bonneville (Austin, TX)
The Border Blasters (Fort Davis, TX)
The Bowmans (Brooklyn, NY)
Cory Branan (Austin, TX/Memphis, TN)
Matt Brown (West Chester, PA)
Pieta Brown (Iowa City, IA)
Buffalofitz (Oklahoma City, OK)
Brett Campbell Children's Musician (Brisbane, Queensland, Australia)
Annie and Rod Capps (Chelsea, MI)
Caracol (Montreal, QC, Canada)
The Chapmans (Ozark, MO)
Colette Cheverie (East Point, PE, Canada)
Chris McKhool’s FiddleFire! (Toronto, ON, Canada)
Kim Churchill (Byron Bay, NSW, Australia)
K.C. Clifford (Oklahoma City, OK)
Rose Cousins (Halifax, NS, Canada)
Ronny Cox (Los Angeles, CA)
Billy Crockett (Wimberley, TX)
Amelia Curran (Halifax, NS, Canada)
DADDY (Will Kimbrough & Tommy Womack) (Nashville, TN)
The Dardanelles (St. John's, NL, Canada)
Jimmy Davis (Memphis, TN)
Mike Dekle (Athens, GA)
Albert Del Rio (Brooklyn, NY)
Della Mae (Boston, MA)
Dirtfoot (Shreveport, LA)
Sam Doores (New Orleans, LA)
Wyatt Easterling (Nashville, TN)
Eden & John's East River String Band (New York, NY)
Jonathan Edwards (Harpswell, ME)
Ellis (Minneapolis, MN)
Eleanor Ellis (Takoma Park, MD)
Matt Epp (Winnipeg, MB, Canada)
Eric Brace & Peter Cooper (Nashville, TN)
Miché Fambro (Geneseo, NY)
Archie Fisher (Galashiels, Scotland, UK)
Dom Flemons (New York, NY)
John Fullbright (Okemah, OK)
Tony Furtado (Portland, OR)
Giant Bear (Memphis, TN)
Susan Gibson (Wimberley, TX)
Seth Glier (Shelburne, MA)
The Good Lovelies (Toronto, ON, Canada)
John Gorka (Marine, MN)
Tim Grimm (Columbus, IN)
The Gypsy Hombres (Nashville, TN)
James Hand (West, TX)
Lynne Hanson (Ottawa, ON, Canada)
Matt Harlan (Houston, TX)
Rachel Harrington (Eugene, OR)
Hilary Hawke Band (Brooklyn, NY)
Caleb Hawley (New York, NY)
Bill Hearne (Santa Fe, NM)
Michael Hearne (Taos, NM)
Anne Heaton (Somerville, MA)
Henhouse Prowlers (Chicago, IL)
Tish Hinojosa (Austin, TX / Hamburg, Germany)
Delmer Holland & Buddy Ingram (Lebanon, TN)
Floramay Holliday (Dallas, TX)
Ray Wylie Hubbard (Wimberley, TX)
Greg Humphreys (Durham, NC)
Meg Hutchinson (Somerville, MA)
Bill Jackson & The Acoustic Orchestra (Melbourne, Australia)
David Jacobs-Strain (Eugene, OR)
Jansberg Band (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Jeni & Billy (Nashville, TN/Jewell Ridge, VA/Baltimore, MD)
Johnsmith (Trempealeau, WI)
Jude Johnstone (Cambria, CA)
Brian Ashley Jones (Nashville, TN)
Martyn Joseph (Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom)
Joy Kills Sorrow (Boston, MA)
Jump Back Jake (Memphis, TN)
James Keelaghan (Winnipeg, MB, Canada)
Will Kimbrough (Nashville, TN)
Shelley King (Austin, TX)
Bill Kirchen (Washington, DC)
Henning Kvitnes (Norway)
Jimmy LaFave (Austin, TX)
Patty Larkin (Boston, MA)
The Lee Boys (Miami, FL)
Phil Lee (Nashville, TN)
Lila (Memphis, TN)
John Lilly (Charleston, WV)
Travis Linville (Norman, OK)
Little Joe McLerran (Tulsa, OK)
The Little Stevies (Melbourne, Australia)
Bob Livingston (Austin, TX)
David Llewellyn (Nashville, TN/United Kingdom)
Rebecca & Raina (Atlanta, GA & Austin, TX)
Unni Løvlid (Oslo, Norway)
Luluc (Melbourne, Australia)
Kate MacLeod and Kat Eggleston (Salt Lake City, UT/Vashon, WA)
Madison Violet (Toronto, ON, Canada)
Carolyn Martin (Nashville, TN)
Laura McGhee (Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom)
Paul McKenna Band (Glasgow, Scotland, UK)
Andrew McKnight & Beyond Borders (Lincoln, VA)
Murray McLauchlan (Toronto, ON, Canada)
Shannon McNally (Oxford, MS)
Brian McNeill (Glasgow, Scotland, UK)
Chuck Mead (Nashville, TN)
Mila (Mamaroneck, NY/Ukraine)
The Miles to Go Trio (Fremantle, Western Australia)
Anaïs Mitchell (Montpelier, VT)
Dan Montgomery (Memphis, TN)
Jonell Mosser (Nashville, TN)
Ms. Bobbie's 'Little Folks' Project (Bloomington, IN)
Larry Murante (Seattle, WA)
The Nadas (Des Moines, IA)
Gary Nicholson (Nashville, TN)
Stephanie Nilles (New York, NY)
The Northwoods (St. Louis, MO)
Nudie and the Turks (Charlottetown, PE, Canada)
Morgan O'Kane (Charlottesville, VA/New York City, NY)
Danny O'Keefe (Vashon, WA)
Old Man Luedecke (Chester, NS, Canada)
Old Sledge (Greenville, WV)
David Olney with Sergio Webb (Nashville, TN)
The Once (St. John's, NL, Canada)
The Parkington Sisters (Wellfleet, MA)
Grace Pettis (Mentone, AL)
Jim Photoglo (Nashville, TN)
Po' Girl (Vancouver, BC, Canada)
Jamaica Rafael (Lilac, CA)
Joel Rafael (Valley Center, CA)
Suzi Ragsdale (Nashville, TN)
Missy Raines & the New Hip (Nashville, TN)
Willis Alan Ramsey (Loveland, CO)
John Rankin (New Orleans, LA)
Jessica Rhaye (Saint John, NB, Canada)
Rhythm Angels (Nashville, TN/Boulder, CO)
Alejandra Ribera (Toronto, ON, Canada)
The Riders (San Diego, CA)
Jason Ringenberg / Farmer Jason (Nashville, TN)
Samantha Robichaud (Riverview, NB, Canada)
Rockin' Acoustic Circus (Tulsa, OK)
Roesy (Birr, Ireland)
Kristi Rose & Fats Kaplin (Nashville, TN)
Eugene Ruffolo (New York, NY)
Dudley Saunders (Los Angeles, CA)
Danny Schmidt (Austin, TX)
Thom Schuyler with J. Fred Knobloch (Nashville, TN)
William (Chico) Schwall (Eugene, OR)
Eddie Schwartz (Nashville, TN)
Shanneyganock (St. John's, NL, Canada)
Richard Shewmaker (Columbia, MO)
Amanda Shires and Her Roaring Fiddle (Lubbock/Mineral Wells, TX)
Michelle Shocked (Los Angeles, CA)
Shtreiml & Ismail Fencioglu (Montreal, QC, Canada)
Elena Skye (Hoboken, NJ)
Beverly Smith and Carl Jones (Bogart, GA)
Michael Smith (Chicago, IL)
Dylan Sneed (Hartsville, SC)
SONiA of Disappear Fear (Baltimore, MD)
Sons of the Never Wrong (Chicago, IL)
Amy Speace (Nashville, TN)
John Spillane (Cork, Ireland)
Devon Sproule & Paul Curreri (Charlottesville, VA)
James Lee Stanley (Los Angeles, CA)
The Steel Wheels (Harrisonburg, VA)
Stonehoney (Austin, TX)
Storyhill (Bozeman, MT)
Dennis Stroughmatt & Creole Spirit (Albion, IL)
Nora Jane Struthers (Nashville, TN)
Bob and Diane Suckiel (Kansas City, MO)
Sultans of String (Toronto, ON, Canada)
Sweetback Sisters, The (Brooklyn, NY)
Switchback (Chicago, IL/Lansing, IA)
Keith Sykes (Memphis, TN)
James Talley (Nashville, TN)
Tangleweed (Chicago, IL)
Owen Temple (Austin, TX)
Gordie Tentrees (Whitehorse, YK, Canada)
Jenny M. Thomas (Melbourne, Australia)
Richard Thorne (New York City, NY)
Tripping Lily (West Yarmouth, MA)
The Trishas (Austin, TX)
Trout Fishing in America (Prairie Grove, AR)
The Twisters (Whitehorse,YK/Vancouver, BC, Canada)
Uncle Monk "Tommy & Claudia" (Phoenicia, NY)
Nibs Van Der Spuy (Durban, South Africa)
Suzie Vinnick (Toronto, ON)
Cedric Watson & Bijou Creole (Lafayette, LA)
The Waymores (Nashville, TN)
Randy Weeks (Austin, TX)
Sam Weiser (Gold Coast, CT)
Kevin Welch (Wimberley, TX)
Andy White (Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom)
Kenny White (New York, NY)
Doug & Telisha Williams (Martinsville, VA)
Jack Williams (West Fork, AR)
Tommy Womack (Nashville, TN)
Brad Yoder (Pittsburgh, PA)
Joel Zoss (Conway, MA/Loxahatchee, FL)

For questions regarding the Folk Alliance 2010 conference, keynote speakers Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin, and Marian Leighton-Levy or general media inquiries, please contact Alexandra Felgar at 901-522-1170 or by email at

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From String Quartet to Symphony: The Virtuosos of IRIS Orchestra Shine

MEMPHIS, TENN. (Feb. 13, 2010)…When putting together programs for the concerts of the IRIS Orchestra, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Michael Stern delights in making connections among works that span centuries and continents. The program of the concert on February 27, 2010 at 8:00 PM at the Germantown Performing Arts Centre (GPAC), 1801 Exeter Rd., Germantown, Tenn., 38138, will include Giuseppe Verdi’s String Quartet; John Corigliano’s Symphony No. 2 for String Orchestra; and Ludwig van Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 11 Op. 95. Stern explains the underlying connection: all three symphonic works each had an initial incarnation as a string quartet. “In each case,” says Stern, “either the composer himself or a later conductor saw the larger symphonic potential of these chamber works. So in the new pieces, we get to explore the ideas of the string quartet on the larger canvas of the string orchestra.”

Stern, who regularly conducts orchestras around the globe, feels IRIS is the ideal orchestra to present this ambitious program. “IRIS draws some of the finest string players from around the country, many with both extensive orchestral and chamber music experience,” he says. “Our string players bring both virtuosity and interpretive insight to IRIS, making them a perfect match for the demands of a string program of this range, complexity, and difficulty.”

MusiCares, in conjunction with American Mobile Dental, will be providing dental screenings, teeth cleaning, and complete x-rays to uninsured music professionals at the 2010 Folk Alliance Conference, from Thursday 2/18 through Saturday 2/20.

These treatments will be provided free of charge to pre-screened, pre-approved applicants.  Those wishing to take advantage of this service must be able to document their work in the music industry for at least five years or have credited contribution to six commercially released recordings or videos (singles).

Please call MusiCares at 1.877.626.2748 (toll free) or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to schedule an appointment!

Memphis Gospel Alliance Corner
by Michael Steven Moore

Honor Thy Music

February is black history month, and is a good opportunity to honor our rich gospel music heritage here in Memphis.  
Reverend Doctor William Herbert Brewster, Sr. (July 2, 1897 in Somerville, Tennessee - October 14, 1987 in Memphis, Tennessee) was an influential African American Baptist minister, composer, dramatist, singer, poet and community leader.

He was a 1922 graduate of Roger Williams College in Nashville, Tennessee, and moved to Memphis in the 1920s. He served as the pastor of the East Trigg Avenue Baptist Church from 1930 until his death in 1987. His lasting fame, however, is through his musical compositions. Among his more than 200 published songs are the gospel standards "Surely, God Is Able" (a 1950 hit of The Clara Ward Singers,) and "Move On Up A Little Higher" (Mahalia Jackson's first hit in 1948,) a recording so popular that stores could not stock enough copies of it to meet demand, selling an astonishing eight million copies. (The song was later honored with the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1998.) These songs hold the distinction of being the first million-selling gospel records.

Apart from his vast legacy in the genre of black gospel music, Brewster also had a formative influence on a young Elvis Presley. Elvis, who occasionally attended services at East Trigg Avenue Baptist Churchhas given it the place in Rock-and-Roll history books as Elvis Presley's favorite house of worship, he was also known for listening to Brewster's sermons which were broadcast on Sunday nights on the "Camp Meeting of the Air" over Memphis radio station WHBQ.

In February 2007, the Memphis City Schools named a new school in the Binghampton community in Brewster's honor as the Dr. William Herbert Brewster Elementary School.