The Colourful Mr. Eggleston

Watch it before the BBC pulls it.

Nothing Can Hurt Me

Available on iTunes starting TODAY.

Sharing The Love

My recent acquisition of a Record Store Day copy of the Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me soundtrack came with a Dropcard code. Feel The Power of Big Star's pop I say. Feel it!

A Pilgrimage

I had the day off and decided to go find Chris Bell's grave site. Oddly moving, I must say.

TONIGHT!

The finished cut of Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me sees its Memphis premiere this evening at the 15th annual Indie Memphis Film Festival. Lurker, the missus and I will be in attendance, and I'm just the least little bit excited about it. So far, all reviews have been positive.

Full report to follow!

Catchy Friday Where Have You Been?

Memphis garage rock, yeh! (If I've never heard of them, then they're new to me)

Mutt

Cory Branan has a new one out called Mutt on Bloodshot Records. That's almost a major label debut, no? Stream on Spinner here, get a free MP3 of first single Bad Man here, and that might be the second best album cover ever.

Bastards Assemble! (Memphis Chapter)

With Matt in town for the weekend, it's looking like The Memphis Bastards will be stepping out for a cold beverage this evening. Not sure what we'll be doing (besides the customary Poobah effigy burning), but we'll hopefully have some photos to prove it.

(By the way, that's Matt's hand on top of the pile.)

Who's Yer Buddy?

Foul Thy Pajamas, you bastards.

Jay? Lurker?

Heard things were wet in your neck of the woods. Hope all is well.

Memphis keeps old fashioned swordplay alive

Apparently the traditional method of settling disputes with swords isn't over in Memphis schools. I'm just glad that this article contains the phrase "40 oz. bottle of malt liquor". There but for the grace of God....

** Please note that the above image likely does not accurately represent the sword wielder in question. It is meant for illustrative purposes only.

Shit. Jay Reatard dead at 29.

Very sorry to hear this news. Memphis can't afford to lose any more musicians.

Jody Stephens On Sound Opinions

From Sound Opinions:

During this episode Jim and Greg celebrate the legacy of Big Star with a Classic Album Dissection of their first two records, #1 Record and Radio City. Both albums have recently been re-released as a double album, and a new Big Star box set is due out next week. As Jim and Greg discuss, the band changed the history of American music without selling very many records. With a sound that combined Memphis Soul with British Invasion rock, they laid the groundwork for “Power Pop” and influenced bands including R.E.M., Wilco and The Replacements. The original Big Star lineup included former Box Tops singer Alex Chilton, Chris Bell, Andy Hummel and Jim and Greg’s guest this week, drummer Jody Stephens.

Give it a listen here.

The Big Star Story, Behind The Scenes

Check it out! This documentary about a criminally overlooked Memphis band appears to be actually happening.

Big Star Box Set Coming

Fap fap fappity fap ...

Billboard has the scoop.

Four discs worth of unreleased demos, alternate takes, rarities, and live cuts are on tap for cult-rock act Big Star this fall when Rhino releases "Keep An Eye On The Sky" on September 15. The 98 tracks cull from 1968 – 1975, and include pre-Big Star bands Rock City and Icewater, solo work from Alex Chilton and Chris Bell, and unreleased material from the "#1 Record," "Radio City" and "Third/Sister Lover" sessions.

Read the rest here.

The Shell Is Back, Baby!

Thanks to The Mortimer Levitt Foundation, the Overton Park Shell is alive and well. (The place has been a dump for as a long as I can remember, and it was almost destroyed in 1972 to make way for a parking garage. This is a HUGE deal, ladies.) Amy LeVere kicks things off on September 4th, and they plan on 50 performances a year, all free.

From the Levitt Shell site:

The Levitt Shell is located in the beautiful and expansive Overton Park in Midtown Memphis, Tennessee.

The park, an oasis of green in the middle of the city where art and culture come together has united Memphians for generations. The park itself is also home to miles of trails and a golf course, and is a natural setting for the creative spirit and young at heart since it is also home to the Brooks Museum of Art, the Memphis College of Art, and the Memphis Zoo.

Recognized as the site of Elvis Presley's first professional rock-n-roll show, The Levitt Shell has been an outdoor performing arts pavilion since the 1930s and is now ready for a new curtain call.

Rock!