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I'm not too current on Atlanta, but upon closer inspection I would expect to be suprised if not just because of the sheer size of their metro. Nashville & Louisville trumping Memphis independent music with something legit & street credible is laughable, no way.
Are you kidding? Nashville is an incredibly hot spot lately. In addition to the artists coming out of there and well established "industry side" there you're also seeing major players like Jack White and The Black Keys relocating there. Not to mention pretty much every hot artist comes through there on tour, which certainly can't be said of Memphis. Just going to random local shows there, I've just seen so many more people who were so much more enthusiastic than here. I imagine that's at least somewhat owed to the huge number of college students in the area.
Louisville I know less about, but I know they have big guys like My Morning Jacket and Will Oldham and of course Slint back in the day. And they have Forecastle Festival which is a decent size event.
Last edited by Snake Plissken; 10-17-2011 at 10:40 PM..
Are you kidding? Nashville is an incredibly hot spot lately. In addition to the artists coming out of there and well established "industry side" there you're also seeing major players like Jack White and The Black Keys relocating there. Not to mention pretty much every hot artist comes through there on tour, which certainly can't be said of Memphis. Just going to random local shows there, I've just seen so many more people who were so much more enthusiastic than here. I imagine that's at least somewhat owed to the huge number of college students in the area.
Louisville I know less about, but I know they have big guys like My Morning Jacket and Will Oldham and of course Slint back in the day. And they have Forecastle Festival which is a decent size event.
I wouldn't want to pretentiously take anything away from Nashville or Louisville as they definitely do have some things going on, but I'd still have to stand by my statement. Those were the exact names I would expect to see mentioned from those cities, but let's remember that Jack White's connection with TN starts a long time ago with Memphis. The White Stripes recorded, I believe, their first 3 albums at Easley McCain Recording here while still based in Detroit. Also, despite living in Nashville for a few years Jack White has still worked at Ardent Studios in Memphis on projects like Loretta Lynn & the Raconteurs (not sure about Dead Weather). Also, White has been a part time resident of Memphis.
The Black Keys from Akron, OH spent the prime of their career on Fat Possum Records (Dinosaur Jr., Jay Reatard, R.L. Burnside, Dax Riggs, etc.) located in the Memphis region about 45 minutes south of the city in Oxford, MS (obviously you know this).
I would say White & the Keys have done what a lot of successful musicians do. They've picked a record market to live in during a free-agent phase of their career for convenience of being close to agents, lawyers, publishing, etc. Even if it were Memphis, I couldn't really say that did anything for the local music scene. The Keys & White aren't playing dive bars every month or anything like that.
Memphis on the other hand has a long rich history of independent music and not just through the 50s, 60s & 70s. Previously mentioned Easley McCain Recording which has operated in Memphis since the late 70s has brought the likes of Sonic Youth (Thurston Moore is from West Tenn.), Pavement, White Stripes, Guided By Voices, Cat Power, Jeff Buckley (was living in Memphis & tragically drowned), Modest Mouse, Kim Deal & the Amps (of Pixies & the Breeders fame) and Paul Westerberg & the Replacements.
If it's home grown talent we're talking about, Memphis IN RECENT YEARS has offered up superstars like Justin Timberlake & Andrew VanWyngarden of MGMT (a newcomer to star-status who in a recent interview told the Memphis Flyer how it felt to stand in front of 40,000 Malaysians that don't speak English and listen to them sing & scream his songs back to him word for word). American indie-rock finds it's roots in late 1970s Memphis with the legendary band Big Star who is highly regarded by REM as inspiration among many, many other notable bands (they're hit song "In The Street" was recreated as the the intro music to That 70's Show). The 1980's saw hit-making continue with locals such as Jimi Jamison fronting Survivor. We all know our parents went at it like drunk monkeys when "I can't hold back" came on the radio. The 80's also produced perhaps the fastest guitar player of all time, the mighty, the immortal Shawn Lane. Shawn Lane, inventor of the "double-hammeron" technique, was BucketHead's biggest influence & close personal friend, but sadly we lost him in 2004 to mounting health problems. I recently saw BucketHead perform in Memphis and during a slight intermission he turned around with a posterboard with "Long live Shawn Lane: The greatest of all time"... damn near brought a tear to my eye The majority of Shawn Lane's work can be found under the moniker of Jonas Hellsborg, the inhuman Scandanavian jazz/fusion bass player who collaborated with Lane on many different projects. Also, Shawn Lane had 2 or 3 major label solo records under his namesake. The 1990s get a little more interesting for me... Eightball & MJG are pioneers of southern style rap and have sold over 25 million records globally. Also, Eightball is regarded as one of the most talented MCs in history, highly respected amongst his peers the world over. Not to mention, Three Six Mafia , Playa Fly, Kingpin Skinny Pimp & others moved MILLIONS of records without ever having one sign on the dotted line for a major record label. That tradition continues today with major producers like Drumma Boy, Montana Trax and rappers like Yo Gotti. Punk & garage rock acts during the 90s included The Oblivians & The Grifters. Grind, hardcore & crust-punk were never the same after the legendary His Hero Is Gone released their 3 album spread, then relocating to Portland, Ore. as Tragedy and releasing 3 more incredible records and are still mentioned frequently in major mags like Decibel. Other Memphis notable's around this genre would include Raid, Copout & Severed Heads Of State.
The new century continues the tradition with the likes of Lucero, an indie-rock/ alt-country band with a large, hard-won cult following as loyal as they come, built from touring. They are now signed with a major, but remain true to non-commercialism. Jay Reatard, the recently deceased punk rock kingpin who was releasing material through a lucrative deal with Matador Records was rapidly ascending. He also was originally signed by local independent label Goner Records which holds an annual fest in Memphis attracting thousands from the U.S. & Europe and operates stores in Memphis & Paris, France. Watch for Jay Lindsey's back catalouge to be reissued which will include releases from The Reatards, The Lost Sounds, Final Solutions, Terror Visions and others. Jay recorded some 50 seperate records before his untimely death at the age of 29. Other area Matador Records signees have included comedian Andrew Earles & the Magic Kids (who recently had a record burning up the college charts). Luther Dickinson, world-renowned guitar player & son of legendary producer Jim Dickinson, who has been playing guitar for the Black Crowes has seen measurable success with his band the North Mississippi All-Stars. Other recent local successes include Grammy Award winning jazz-saxophonist Kirk Whalum III, major record deals in previous years for Garrison Star & Ingram Hill... the list goes on & on. I don't want to talk about ****-rockers Saliva putting out 3 or 4 consecutive multi-platnium albums either and to hell with Saving Abel. Independent music in Memphis is birth right, a way of life.
Also, you'd be correct that Memphis has seen weak concert promotion in the past decade, but that is starting to turn itself around with new promotion & great middle to larger-scale venues. Right now is a very exciting time for Memphis in general.
Last edited by Johnny Ryall; 10-18-2011 at 11:12 AM..
I think you're misunderstanding me. It seems like you're just throwing out every musician that has an association with Memphis. I'm talking about currently relevant artists who are not only from Memphis but emerged from the "scene" here--not born/raised in Memphis but formed a band and got famous somewhere else--and are getting press in popular publications like Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, AP, Spin, etc. in 2011, other than in an obituary. As I said before, Memphis undoubtedly has a strong history, and a lot of artists do record here (Memphis--not Oxford. Oxford is not Memphis, and it's only 45 minutes away if you're going 100mph the whole way). That's not what I'm talking about.
- Thurston Moore is not from Tennessee at all. He's from CT, and Sonic Youth are unquestionably an NYC band. None of the other names you threw out in that paragraph are from Memphis, either (90s indie is actually my specialty, I guess you would say).
- Timberlake hasn't been relevant in music for a number of years, but, again, he didn't get famous in the Memphis scene. MGMT, also formed in and grew out of CT.
- I'm not going to comment on the "90s" section because that's irrelevant to the scene today. It's been several years since those hip-hop artists had any attention.
- Jay Reatard, yeah he would have been a good name to throw out, except he's dead. Goner Records is pretty much the only thing we have going that's relevant, IMO, but still very few of their artists have managed to get national attention (King Khan and BBQ Show I guess, but they're not from Memphis). I have no idea who the Magic Kids are but less than 50,000 listeners on last.fm isn't exactly "burning up" anything.
- Saliva? Saving Abel? Come on. We're talking about good taste, here.
On a side note, I think you're underestimating the significance of Jack White's presence in the Nashville scene. He started a record label there whose store/venue hosts all kinds of events promoting not just his music but other artists' as well. He's really become kind of iconic there. Hard to go to a major concert there that he doesn't make some kind of guest appearance at.
I give Memphis credit, though, for at least having somewhat of a scene (my hometown, St. Louis, has NO scene). There's some local talent here, it just hasn't really gotten out off the ground yet. I had a band when I was in college in Chicago and had a lot of fun playing small shows once in a while. I'd like to get something started here just for fun eventually.
Last edited by Snake Plissken; 10-18-2011 at 12:26 PM..
It seems like you're just throwing out every musician that has an association with Memphis. I'm talking about currently relevant artists who are not only from Memphis but emerged from the "scene" here--not born/raised in Memphis but formed a band and got famous somewhere else--and are getting press in popular publications like Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, AP, Spin, etc. this year, other than in an obituary. As I said before, Memphis undoubtedly has a strong history, and a lot of artists do record here. That's not what I'm talking about.
You should stay far away from Rolling Stone. That has to be the worst music mag on the shelves. Just awful. I stated some history dating back to the late 70s, but you completely ignored my last 2 paragraphs which date from the late 90s to now, loaded with local success stories, commercial & underground. You can selectively disregard & degrade, but that doesn't change things one bit. You keep talking in circles about Jack White & the Black Keys buying homes in Nashville, but haven't mentioned one band that found their success in Nashville.
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- Thurston Moore is not from Tennessee at all. He's from CT, and Sonic Youth are unquestionably an NYC band. None of the other names you threw out in that paragraph are from Memphis, either (90s indie is actually my specialty, I guess you would say).
Thurston Moore is originally from the McKenzie, TN area. Still has family and friends there. He spent some time in Florida too, before relocating to the northeast. Did you ever wonder why he said "I want to give a shout out to all my McKenzie people" when they performed at Memphis In May? That's why.
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- Timberlake hasn't been relevant in music for a number of years, but, again, he didn't get famous in the Memphis scene.
JT is pretty relevant with pop music considering he's only released 2 solo albums. The first going triple platnium and the second going 7 times platnium. After doing acting, comedy and business he is now back in the studio. Also, his investment into Stax Records & Music Academy is growing a legion of inner-city youth who are fast becoming some of the sickest musicians around! Stay tuned for some incredible R&B, funk, gospel & hip hop from the ole' M-town. Not to mention, Select-O-HitsRecords & Distribution (one of the most successful indie labels ever til this day) will continue cranking out these styles of music.
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MGMT, also formed in and grew out of CT.
VanWyngarden is a White Station graduate who was active in music before leaving for art college in small town CT where he met the other original member of MGMT. He once sold out the New Daisy Theatre in his band Glitter Penis. He is Memphian thru & thru and a lot of his inspiration is from (drum roll) Memphis soul music.
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- Big Star, sure, if you think old bands who reunite 30 years later to make half-baked albums count as relevant.
No need to slam Big Star. A lot of great bands reunite for lack luster albums, but their early & legendary contribution cannot be denied. Again you're recklessly disregarding and writing your own history.
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Shawn Lane--dead, and only guitar nerds who equated good music to shredding cared about his music in the first place.
His neo-classical shredding was legendary, but he was no "one trick pony". Some of his fusion was pure beauty and he experimented a lot. He was not fashioned for consumption by loser hipster kids. He was a musician's musician of the highest order. Someone who pushed the envelope for the human race and a sweet, caring human being.
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- Most of those hip-hop artists you've mentioned have some mass appeal but are typically considered terrible by respectable critics, I suppose the exception being 8Ball & MGJ. Three 6 and their affiliates have declined a lot in popularity in recent years, anyways. Not familiar with those punk and garage acts, but if you say they're from the 90s that isn't really current.
Critics? They always get it wrong. This "Brown Punk" that arose from Memphis and still thrives in the underground is pretty crafty. Some of it is a flash in the pan, but like with everything it has its' moments. Three Six are still huge, but their classic "Horror Movie Rap" fell off sometime ago.
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- Jay Reatard, yeah he would have been a good name to throw out, except he's dead. Goner Records is pretty much the only thing we have going that's relevant, IMO, but still very few of their artists have managed to get national attention.
He still is a great name to throw out and very current if not far ahead of his time. He's been gone for what, 18 months or so? His contribution is certainly still active, much less erased. He also set some other things in motion like the Magic Kids & Evil Army (Memphis classic-style thrash metal that was about to be signed by Phil Anselmo's Universal-backed Housecore Records before hitting bumps in the road with addiction problems. Reatard produced their self-titled debut record which sent shockwaves through the underground in North & South America and Europe. It was originally released by Knoxville based punk label Get Revenge Records, but has since been reissued by ultra-eclectic Hells Headbangers Records.
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- Saliva? Come on. A nu-metal/post-grunge outfit who had some big hit in collaboration with Motley Crue or something? We're talking about good taste, here.
I suppose you didn't understand my statement. Saliva & Saving Abel blow hard. It was a joke, lighten up a little.
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On a side note, I think you're underestimating the significance of Jack White's presence in the Nashville scene. He started a record label there whose store/venue hosts all kinds of events promoting not just his music but other artists' as well. He's really become kind of iconic there. Hard to go to a major concert there that he doesn't make some kind of guest appearance at.
Right, Third Man Records. I'm sure he has some positive impact, but he's not going to lift the music scene in Nashville to some new high. Jack White and the Black Keysbest days are well behind them. They're almost in pre-retirement mode and don't have much to do with Nashville's local music scene except White owning a record store.
Last edited by Johnny Ryall; 10-18-2011 at 01:16 PM..
You should stay far away from Rolling Stone. That has to be the worst music mag on the shelves. Just awful. I stated some history dating back to the late 70s, but you completely ignored my last 2 paragraphs which date from the late 90s to now, loaded with local success stories, commercial & underground. You can selectively disregard & degrade, but that doesn't change things one bit. You keep talking in circles about Jack White & the Black Keys buying homes in Nashville, but haven't mentioned one band that found their success in Nashville.
Yeah, I don't take RS seriously as critics, but it's hard to deny that if you are band and featured there, that is a big deal. I'm not selectively diregarding anything. It's nice that you can write a history book about anything related to Memphis music. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm not talking about Nashville. I'm talking about Memphis. Not in the 70s and 90s. I'm talking about right now, in 2011, what is coming out of Memphis that is getting national attention? You have yet to name one band.
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Thurston Moore is originally from the McKenzie, TN area. Still has family and friends there. He spent some time in Florida too, before relocating to the northeast. Did you ever wonder why he said "I want to give a shout out to all my McKenzie people" when they performed at Memphis In May? That's why.
I have no idea when they performed at Memphis in May. In any case that's all still irrelevant.
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JT is pretty relevant with pop music considering he's only released 2 solo albums. The first going triple platnium and the second going 7 times platnium. After doing acting, comedy and business he is now back in the studio. Also, his investment into Stax Records & Music Academy is growing a legion of inner-city youth who are fast becoming some of the sickest musicians around! Stay tuned for some incredible R&B, funk, gospel & hip hop from the ole' M-town. Not to mention, Select-O-HitsRecords & Distribution (one of the most successful indie labels ever til this day) will continue cranking out these styles of music).
Yeah, but his last album came out 5 years ago! I haven't heard anything about him going back to the studio, and afaik he is in several movies currently in production. I don't know anything about the other stuff but I'll stay tuned for that "incredible" stuff and when it happens it might become relevant to my point.
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VanWyngarden is a White Station graduate who was active in music before leaving for art college in small town CT where he met the other original member of MGMT. He once sold out the New Daisy Theatre in his band Glitter Penis. He is Memphian thru & thru and a lot of his inspiration is from (drum roll) Memphis soul music.
Again, it's clear that Memphis has an influence on music. That's not what I'm talking about. That guy is from Memphis, MGMT are not. His band may have "once" sold out the New Daisy, but doesn't seem like that's a current trend.
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No need to slam Big Star. A lot of great bands reunite for lack luster albums, but their early & legendary contribution cannot be denied. Again you're recklessly disregarding and writing your own history.
I'm not rewriting history, but I am disregarding it, because I have repeatedly said that history is irrelevant to the point I'm making.
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His neo-classical shredding was legendary, but he was no "one trick pony". Some of his fusion was pure beauty and he experimented a lot. He was not fashioned for consumption by loser hipster kids. He was a musician's musician of the highest order. Someone who pushed the envelope for the human race and a sweet, caring human being.
Great, different opinions. Still all in the past tense and therefore irrelevant.
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He still is a great name to throw out and very current if not far ahead of his time. He's been gone for what, 18 months or so? His contribution is certainly still active, much less erased. He also set some other things in motion like the Magic Kids & Evil Army (Memphis classic-style thrash metal that was about to be signed by Phil Anselmo's Universal-backed Housecore Records before hitting bumps in the road with addiction problems. Reatard produced their self-titled debut record which sent shockwaves through the underground in North & South America and Europe.
Yeah I don't really have anything to say here because I didn't exactly disagree with you on that point.
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I suppose you didn't understand my statement. Saliva & Saving Abel blow hard. It was a joke, lighten up a little.
Thank god.
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Right, Third Man Records. I'm sure he has some positive impact, but he's not going to lift the music scene in Nashville to some new high. Jack White and the Black Keysbest days are well behind them. They're almost in pre-retirement mode.
Yeah I don't really feel like arguing about that. I agree with you to a certain extent, but as I made clear, that is a sidebar to the main point.
tl;dr - nearly everything you're talking about is irrelevant to my point. Just skip everything but the first part. I do not want to know how Memphis' musical history has made an impact on music today. I do not want a list of every artist who has ever stepped foot in Memphis. I want to know what artists from Memphis have put out original music (studio album, EP, single, whatever) in 2011 that has gotten significant attention from prominent publications outside the region (and please, without fishing around on Google).
Last edited by Snake Plissken; 10-18-2011 at 02:01 PM..
Alright, I guess my current stuff listed got mixed in with too much historical references. Some current music would be...
Rock: LUCERO (had a friend see these guys sellout a 5,000 seat theatre in Los Angeles a couple years ago, they recently had a giant show in New York's Central Park & I saw them last year at the Levitt Shell in Overton Park in front of about 4,000), MAGIC KIDS (recently signed to Matador Records, appeared on Billboard College charts), JOHN PAUL KEITH & 1-4-5s (saw these guy's new album reviewed on AllMusic.com's front page recently), HARLAN T. BOBO (one of Goner Records top performing artists)
Rap: YO GOTTI (multi-platnium gangsta rap) , DRUMMA BOY (producing Nashville's YOUNG BUCK's next album, now signed with Universal Music Group as a bonnified hitmaker/super-producer), DON TRIP (just signed to Interscope Records) MONTANA TRAX (signed with SONY-BMG or Universal MUsic Group?), DEVIUS (Eightball protege' on 8 Ways Ent. Records)
Metal: EPOCH OF UNLIGHT (recently completed a 3 album deal for The End Records), EVIL ARMY (hiatus), NIGHTS LIKE THESE (recently disbanded after 2 albums for Victory Records, had videos on major tv music networks)
Jazz: KIRK WHALUM (Grammy Award winning saxophonist)
I'm sure there's plenty I left out, but that's what immediately comes to mind.
Whatever happened to the Stax and Sun labels? I read on The Daily that Timberlake tried to buy both labels and relaunch them, but the deal fell through.
Alright, I guess my current stuff listed got mixed in with too much historical references. Some current music would be...
Rock: LUCERO (had a friend see these guys sellout a 5,000 seat theatre in Los Angeles a couple years ago, they recently had a giant show in New York's Central Park & I saw them last year at the Levitt Shell in Overton Park in front of about 4,000), MAGIC KIDS (recently signed to Matador Records, appeared on Billboard College charts), JOHN PAUL KEITH & 1-4-5s (saw these guy's new album reviewed on AllMusic.com's front page recently), HARLAN T. BOBO (one of Goner Records top performing artists)
Rap: YO GOTTI (multi-platnium gangsta rap) , DRUMMA BOY (producing Nashville's YOUNG BUCK's next album, now signed with Universal Music Group as a bonnified hitmaker/super-producer), DON TRIP (just signed to Interscope Records) MONTANA TRAX (signed with SONY-BMG or Universal MUsic Group?), DEVIUS (Eightball protege' on 8 Ways Ent. Records)
Metal: EPOCH OF UNLIGHT (recently completed a 3 album deal for The End Records), EVIL ARMY (hiatus), NIGHTS LIKE THESE (recently disbanded after 2 albums for Victory Records, had videos on major tv music networks)
Jazz: KIRK WHALUM (Grammy Award winning saxophonist)
I'm sure there's plenty I left out, but that's what immediately comes to mind.
Whatever happened to the Stax and Sun labels? I read on The Daily that Timberlake tried to buy both labels and relaunch them, but the deal fell through.
Last I heard, JT invested in the relaunched Stax Records & Stax Music Academy. I'm pretty sure that went forward in one form or another, but I wasn't aware that any deals included Sun Records. Maybe that was part of the deal that fell through (?).
Thurston Moore is not from Tennessee at all. He's from CT, and Sonic Youth are unquestionably an NYC band.
If you're interested, I thought I'd mention that after looking this up some years ago trying to verify it, I remember seeing disputed bits about where Thurston Moore was born and grew up, etc. As far as I can see now, it seems his birthplace was Coral Gables, Florida (Miami) and he was raised in Bethel, Connecticut (NYC metro). Although, one article I just pulled up that is an actual interview with him says he claims roots in McKenzie, Tennessee. So, to what extent I couldn't be for sure, but I've known some Sonic Youth die-hards over the years that say he spent a significant amount of his youth in the McKenzie/Huntingdon area. After I get an official long-form copy of Obama's birth cetificate in the mail, I'm going to start a birther movement for Thurston. Bummed he and Kim Gordon are divorcing, could be the end of Sonic Youth
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The majority of Shawn Lane's work can be found under the moniker of Jonas Hellsborg, the inhuman Scandanavian jazz/fusion bass player who collaborated with Lane on many different projects. Also, Shawn Lane had 2 or 3 major label solo records under his namesake. The 1990s get a little more interesting for me... Eightball & MJG are pioneers of southern style rap and have sold over 25 million records globally. Also, Eightball is regarded as one of the most talented MCs in history, highly respected amongst his peers the world over. Not to mention, Three Six Mafia , Playa Fly, Kingpin Skinny Pimp & others moved MILLIONS of records without ever having one sign on the dotted line for a major record label. That tradition continues today with major producers like Drumma Boy, Montana Trax and rappers like Yo Gotti. Punk & garage rock acts during the 90s included The Oblivians & The Grifters. Grind, hardcore & crust-punk were never the same after the legendary His Hero Is Gone released their 3 album spread, then relocating to Portland, Ore. as Tragedy and releasing 3 more incredible records and are still mentioned frequently in major mags like Decibel. Other Memphis notable's around this genre would include Raid, Copout & Severed Heads Of State.
and to hell with Saving Abel. Independent music in Memphis is birth right, a way of life.
