Paul Ryburn’s Journal

The Grizzlies are offering a new way to introduce your kids to the basketball games without busting your budget. For Sunday games this year, any adult who purchases a Terrace I, II, III, or IV ticket will receive a free ticket that can be used by a child age 12 and under. The special will be on for next Sunday’s game against the New York Knicks, the March 10 game against the Orlando Magic, and the April 7 game against the Dallas Mavericks.

The Flyer’s Hungry Memphis blog has been on fire this week, full of good news about Downtown restaurants. Their latest is a report on Little Italy opening a location Downtown at 106 G.E. Patterson.

I was in Bardog Tavern yesterday and I saw something kind of interesting. The guy sitting to my right ordered the Amazing Island Club (grilled chicken cutlet, ham, fried egg, bacon, provolone, white American, avocado, onion, lettuce, tomato, spicy mayo), normally a double-decker sandwich, without bread and ate it out of a bowl with a fork and knife. For his side he substituted grilled asparagus for fries. I never knew there was a healthy way to eat the Amazing Island Club, but it looked good. I may have to give that a try sometime.

Penny Hardaway’s Memphis Tigers beat Yale 109-102 in two overtimes last night at FedExForum. What a fun team this is turning out to be.

Random thing I learned on Facebook this weekend: There’s a new Beastie Boys book out by band members Mike “Mike D” Diamond and Adam “Kid Adrock” Horovitz. I may have to get that one next after I finish the current book I am reading. It’s available in ebook format, which is nice because I like to keep all my books on my iPad.

Memphis clothiers Lansky Bros. and Oak Hall are teaming up to offer Lucky Socks for the holidays. These socks are vibrant and colorful, designed by patients at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. You can get them 3 for $32 (men’s or women’s) at any Lansky at the Peabody or Oak Hall location. They come in a collectible gift box and a portion of the sales are donated to St. Jude.

The exhibit Crafting a Legacy, celebrating 40 years of collecting and exhibiting at the Metal Museum, will open February 3.

It’s Bring Your Dog to Bingo Day today at Cerrito Bingo at Loflin Yard at 5. All players with a dog will get an extra card. When y’all going to have Bring Your Troll to Bingo Day?

Folk/rock artist Brian Sabel will provide the tunes at Sunrise Memphis brunch this morning 10 to 1.

I watched a bit of WWE NXT Takeover last night, particularly the Tomasso Ciampa vs. Velveteen Dream match for the NXT championship and also the WarGames match. Great stuff. If you’re a WWE Network subscriber and you don’t watch NXT, you are missing out. Tonight, of course, is Survivor Series, with 5-on-5 Raw vs. Smackdown men’s, women’s, and tag team matches. Also on the card are Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Bryan and Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair.

That’s if for this post. I wanted to go over a couple of easily-missed stories in the national news, but I’ll save those until tomorrow because I have the time-sensitive item about Sunrise brunch. Heading out to D-RANKS with B-RAD at Pontotoc Lounge for Sunday Birthday Fun Day at 11, then this evening I will be at Blind Bear. Back tomorrow with more news.

The Downtown Christmas tree lighting party happens this afternoon at 4. A giant tree has been erected at the corner of Main and Peabody Place, and today it’ll be time to light that sucker up! Santa appearance, hot chocolate, S’mores, fun for the entire family. Or you could leave the damn kids at home and pop into the Silly Goose next door to try one of their seasonal cocktails. Whatever you want to do.

While we’re on the subject of the Main and Peabody Place area, a couple of months ago I teased in a post that a high-end barbershop and men’s grooming parlor was on its way to the area. The cat is now out of the bag – Downtown is getting a Baron’s Man Cave location. Haircuts, beard and mustache trims, facials, shaves, and treatments for men’s hands and feet.

Their Presidential men’s pedicure is sixty bucks… yeah I don’t think I’ll be throwing my toenail clippers anytime soon. Besides, I kinda like the feeling of getting out the vacuum hose and sucking up the nails after I get done cutting them.

Not a Downtown event but worth a drive tonight: There’s a gala in support of Caritas Village out in Binghampton at 2509 Harvard. Caritas Village is a wonderful organization that uses food, art, and hospitality to break down walls between cultures and ensure a place at the table for everyone. There will be art by artist in residents Jared Bullock and a meal by Chef Mac Edwards.

If you’re passionate about the development of our beloved Downtown, there may be a job waiting for you at the Downtown Memphis Commission. The DMC is looking to hire a Commercial Strategist. From reading the description, I can tell that this would surely be a job that is never boring.

The Memphis Tigers are now one game away from winning the AAC West. The Tigers toppled SMU last night 28-18 in Dallas. The Tigers host Houston at the Liberty Bowl next Friday and a win would give Memphis the West. As of Saturday morning ESPN’s power index gives Memphis a 59.4% chance to win that game. Betcha everyone down in Orlando will be rooting for the Cougars next Friday, because Memphis is NOT the team UCF wants to see in the American championship game.

What could this mean for Memphis bowl-wise? The AAC does not have well-carved out slots in bowls. (Meaning, first place goes here, second place goes here, etc.) The AAC has 7 partnerships with bowls and teams are selected to deliver the best matchups in markets where people will want to see them. None of the other AAC leaders (UCF, USF, Houston, SMU) are within a convenient driving distance of Birmingham, making the Tigers an ideal fit for the Birmingham Bowl, where they’d play an SEC opponent. Tennessee maybe? That’d draw fans from all over the area. It’d also keep the Vols’ orange-wearin’, possum-eatin’ hick fans out of the Liberty Bowl and Memphis.

Crosstown Brewing Co. will host a silent disco the Saturday after Thanksgiving from 9 PM to 12:30 AM. DJ Tree and DJ Taz will be spinning the tunes. The last time they had one of these it sold out, so get your tickets early.

Here’s another event not happening Downtown today but which would be super, super cool: A conversation with the legendary Bar-Kays at Crosstown Arts.

Thai restaurant The Nine is now open in the former Bangkok Alley space on Union, and Hungry Memphis stopped in for a look.

Hungry Memphis also reports that the new chef is tweaking the menu items at Evelyn and Olive, tuning up the spices a bit, making the food more authentic. Coconut seared salmon, Caribbean fried chicken, and soups made with chicken feet and goat’s head are also in the works.

Asian-American restaurant Wok’n in Memphis is settling into its new digs at the 409 S. Main food hall. Yesterday they posted a photo of their Peking duck with scallion pancakes, the duck from fellow 409 business City Block Salumeria.

Out at Memphis Made Brewing Co., the annual Memphis Bigfoot Festival happens today.

I learned a Lyft/Uber tip this week that is especially useful for those who live on places like the Main Street Mall where cars cannot pull right up to your front door. Previously, I had been ordering Lyfts from the lobby of my building, 10 S. Main, which is in between Madison and Monroe. Problem was, sometimes Lyft would route the drivers to pick me up at Main and Madison; sometimes Main and Monroe; sometimes it would try to route them down alleys (including ones that don’t exist) to try and get them to my front door. Now I just put in 1 S. Main, which is at the corner of Madison, as my pickup location. Since then Lyft has routed them all correctly to Main and Madison and there haven’t been any more problems. If your Lyft drivers have trouble getting routed correctly, change your pickup spot to a nearby convenient location for better results.

Time to head out to Bardog for Saturday brunch at Bloom’s bar. Arkansas-Mississippi State will be on ESPN but I don’t know if I can bear the torture of watching any more Arkansas football this year. Really, if someone requests the Ohio State game be put on, I’m not going to argue.

I may take tomorrow off because I won’t have a lot of time, but I will be back soon with more news.

 

A huge game for the Memphis Tigers football team will be nationally televised tonight. The Tigers travel to SMU for a game on ESPN2 tonight at 6. As unlikely as it seems, the Tigers could repeat as AAC West champions with wins over SMU and Houston.

From the CA: Why does Memphis play so many Friday night games? And how does this affect high school football in the area? (On a side note: This is a good article but I HATE that the CA’s Tigers podcast starts to auto-play when I pull up the page. I went there to read an article, not listen to a podcast.)

On a sad note for Tigers athletics, basketball player Karim Sameh Azab has passed away from leukemia.

Tonight Postmodern Jukebox turns back time to a point we all imagine as being in black and white – a simpler time – as they bring their Back in Black and White tour to the Orpheum.

Cordelia’s Market will show The Goonies on the North Porch this evening. Chili and grilled cheese are on the menu. Food will be served beginning at 6, and the movie will start at 6:30.

First 5000 fans at FedExxForum tonight get a Marc Gasol cooking apron. It’s part of Zero Hunger, Zero Waste night sponsored by Kroger. The Grizz tip off against Sacramento at 7.

That’s it for now. Posts may be kind of brief as I get out to celebrate my birthday weekend. Plan today is lunch at Mary’s bar at the Blind Bear, over to the Silly Goose for happy hour, then probably back to the Blind Bear to watch the Tigers vs. SMU.

It is believed that Gordon Ramsay was in town yesterday to save a Memphis restaurant. The host of 24 Hours to Hell and Back tends to seek out restaurants that were once popular, profitable hotspots, but which have now seen better days. He then rescues the restaurant in 24 hours. There were lots of people on Facebook and Twitter speculating yesterday as to what restaurant he is here to rescue. I won’t speculate here other than to say the most credible guess I heard is not a Downtown restaurant.

Liars in The Edge District? Say it ain’t so! The Bluff City Liars bring The Kevin McDonald Thing! to Stop 345, at the corner of Madison and Danny Thomas, the night of Sunday, November 18. Kids in the Hall‘s McDonald will perform a standup comedy routine, then there will be sketch comedy performed by Memphians (McDonald is in town to conduct a seminar on the topic), and then the evening will wrap up with a bit of improv by the Bluff City Liars.

Professional golfer, golf analyst, talk show host and comedian David Feherty comes to the Orpheum tonight. Reviewers have described Feherty’s one-man show as “uncensored and unhinged,” “stupendous,” and “two hours of zaniness and madcap storytelling.”

Explore Bike Share is throwing a party/fundraiser at their historic warehouse quarters, 61 Keel Avenue, tonight. There will be food, drink, music from the Soul Shockers, a silent auction, and you’ll get to mingle with the people who keep the bikes on the streets and expand mobility for Memphians.

Tako’s Treasures has opened at the Peabody Place office building in the former Life Is Good space. They have vintage clothing and accessories with a focus on recycling.

Popular Downtown restaurant McEwen’s on Monroe has purchased additional space and will be expanding soon.

Several Mud Island employees were let go as Memphis River Parks Partnership plans to integrate the park with the rest of the riverfront.

Still having computer problems. I bought a 16 GB USB drive at Walgreens for $17.99 so I can load a 4.4 GB Windows 10 Recovery disk image into it and use it to reset my full-sized laptop. Except, that didn’t work, because the 16 GB drive errors out “drive full” just past the 4 GB mark. I’ve tried every trick in the book, but despite the drive’s Properties showing 14.5 GB free, it won’t fill up beyond 4 GB.

So I went on Amazon and found a 64 GB USB drive for $13. Four times the storage (and 16 times more, if this new drive lives up to what is advertised) for a smaller price. When I am going to learn not to go anywhere but Amazon for electronics?

That’s it for now. Going to finish up a few chores at home and then get out and about. Back tomorrow with more news.

*** $2 Fireball at Bardog when it’s snowing ***

Up to an inch of snow is expected to accumulate in Memphis this afternoon through tonight. Be careful on the roadways. Especially be careful if you’re out around midnight, when freezing rain may be mixed in with the snow. If we get an inch, this will tie the record for the earliest 1″ snow accumulation here in Memphis.

I thought the Memphis Tigers did well against #22 LSU last night, despite losing 85-76. The talent level appeared to be close to that of LSU, which had one of the deepest recruiting classes in the country. Yes, Memphis blew some easy shots and some defensive spots, but that’ll happen when a first-year coach in his second game is trying to figure out how to have 3 point guards on the floor at the same time. Can you imagine if Tubby (and Tubby’s recruits) had played this game? It would have been 62-32 LSU at halftime. LSU would have played their second string/walk-ons the entire second half and won 104-66.

Today is Prince Charles’ 70th birthday. I have read recently that when the Queen turns 95 in about two and a half years, she will give up her monarchical duties and name Charles to be Prince Regent.

World-renowned blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa plays the Orpheum tonight. The theater is touting this as “the guitar event of the year” and Bonamassa is said to be the foremost blues-rock guitarist of this generation. He’s had 20 albums go to #1 on Billboard’s blues charts, and his new album Redemption was released in September.

In other Orpheum news, the theater has announced this year’s holiday movie. It will be on Wednesday, December 19 and the movie will be Elf. Starting on November 26, there will be three ways to get tickets to see this movie:

• Bring a Mid-South Food Bank donation (3 non-perishable items per ticket suggested) to the Orpheum box office between 9 AM and 5 PM Monday-Friday, or the night of the movie
• Bring your donation to the Orpheum or Halloran Centre the night of any performance
• Purchase a $5 cash-only ticket 9 AM-5 PM at the box office or on the night of the performance

Lots of Elf-themed holiday activities popping up around Downtown. Which is fine, as long as it’s not Elf on a Shelf. I hate that stupid thing.

If you want to be part of the St. Jude Marathon on December 1st but you’re not a runner, the race needs volunteers. There are many different assignments from which to choose.

Poker players, this Saturday you can Deal Cancer Out at Central BBQ Downtown. This Texas Hold’em tournament, sponsored by the River Rat Rounders and Call-to-Duty.org, gives you the chance to win some fabulous prizes while helping to stomp out men’s prostate cancer. Your $45 buy-in includes a Central BBQ buffet. Teresa from River Rat Rounders will be directing the game. Top 5 places pay out, with first place getting a 3-day trip to Las Vegas, with airfare and hotel included. Second to fifth will win $400 to $100 in gift cards and prizes from local shops and restaurants.

For my fellow regulars of the original Sleep Out Louie’s who remember the late Bobby Durango: A new album by his band, Rock City Angels, on which Bobby performed, has been released. Southern Vision features demos recorded between 1989 and 1992 which were intended to become the Angels’ second Geffen album.

I remember reading years ago on The Motley Fool website the secret to McDonald’s success: Don’t think of it as a fast-food burger restaurant. Think of it as a real estate company with some burgers out front. Well, ESPN reports that NBA franchises are getting into the real-estate game. Owning some of the best real estate in town allows franchises to supplement their basketball-related income. Also, unlike basketball-related income, rent money earned as a landlord does not have to be shared with the other 29 franchises.

The Daily Memphian has reactions to the Union Row development set to rise on Union between Fourth and Danny Thomas. The article also has a gallery of plans for Union Row.

Blind Bear has $5 fried pickles all day today in celebration of National Pickle Day.

In the news: Company offers nonsmokers up to 6 extra days off a year to compensate for the time they don’t spend outside on smoke breaks. Sounds good to me. More companies need to do this.

Memphis wrestling luminary Randy Hales has a new podcast.

My podcast, Memphis Memories debuts this Thursday on pod avenue. For the first time ever doing a podcast, Eddie Marlin will be my guest.
Watch this match of Eddie in action in the early seventies… https://t.co/9c0NQRJi0r

— Randy Hales (@Rbhales) November 13, 2018

I’m sure you have heard by now that PBR and other Pabst beers could go out of existence after 2020 if Pabst loses a lawsuit to Miller-Coors. People are asking, “Which cheap domestic beer tastes most like PBR if I have to switch?” I have done extensive research on the matter, and the beer that tastes most like PBR is Harp. I guess if Pabst loses the lawsuit, I will be spending more time in Irish pubs beginning in 2021.

Taking the day off from going out today. Still dealing with leg problems, I don’t need to be slipping and falling all over the Main Street Mall. I’ll be back out tomorrow, and I’ll be back on the blog with more news.

Well, I missed a major news story yesterday while I was busy having computer problems. Union Avenue, often considered the gateway into Downtown, may see some major new development in the years to come. The proposed Union Row, covering most of the area between Union and Beale, Fourth and Danny Thomas, would be a $950 million mixed-use project with over 2000 apartments, 380 hotel rooms, over 2500 parking spaces, and office and retail space.

The huge yellow Sterick Building at B.B. King and Madison is once again about to be on the market for sale and development. Previously this building was thought of as just too much of a behemoth for any developer to tackle, but with the success of Crosstown Concourse, Memphis is now ready to undertake a project of the Sterick’s size.

COGIC has voted to return its annual convention to Memphis in 2021. Held in early November, the COGIC convention was Memphis’ largest until 2010, when the “Saints” voted to move to St. Louis in the hopes of better deals on lodging. The construction of additional hotel rooms and Cook Convention Center renovations convinced the congregation to return to Memphis.

Elvis Costello and the Imposters come to the Orpheum next Monday, November 19, one of 20 stops on the “Look Now and Then” tour.

Costello isn’t the only big name coming to the Orpheum. “Weird Al” Yankovic brings his Strings Attached tour to the theater on June 20, 2019. This will be a high-energy rock and comedy tour with props, a video wall, background singers, and a full symphony orchestra.

One more Orpheum announcement: The Price is Right Live comes to the theater March 1. Come on down! Play the classic games you see on the show every day, including spinning the Big Wheel for a chance to compete in the Showcase. You could win A NEW CAR!

Teachers: Put in your requests now for World Cargo Crates. These crates, provided by Memphis in May, are sent one a month from January through May, and are described as a “children’s museum in a box.” Normally Memphis in May honors a different country every year, but this year the crates will educate children about Memphis in May’s 2019 honored city… which is none other than Memphis itself.

The Daily Memphian has a great article on why my friend Rocky Goodwin, concierge at Hotel Napoleon, was recently recognized as one of the best in Memphis’ hospitality industry. “I get paid to do what I would do for anybody,” Rocky commented on his efforts to make each guest feel a personal touch.

The injury bug has hit the Grizzlies again. Dillon Brooks will miss 6-8 weeks with a sprained knee following last Saturday night’s game with Philadelphia.

Volunteer Odyssey will host a Pop-Up Volunteer Party Friday, November 30 at its office at 60 S. Main. Stop by in your lunch hour and participate in one of three volunteer projects that will take you as little as 60 seconds. There will also be fortune-tellers who can look in their crystal ball and tell you where you will volunteer next. The event is free but they ask that you RSVP.

Primas Bakery and Boutique has announced its December tea party. It will happen on Sunday, December 9 and the theme will be “Elf.” Your ticket, which admits two, includes a platter of Elf-themed pastries, along with a selection of coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. Holiday attire is encouraged.

Despite being 3-3 in conference play, the Memphis Tigers football team still has a shot at the AAC West title. Evan Barnes of the CA lays out how it could happen.

Pontotoc Lounge had so much success with its Downtown Dining Week menu that they are going to keep it going for another week. Here’s the menu.

Check out the second chapter of the book columnist Geoff Calkins is writing about Penny Hardaway. Read about the parallels between the chance the school took on Hardaway as a student in 1990 and the chance they took on him as a head coach 28 years later.

The Daily Memphian has a good article on how ALSAC, the fundraising arm of St. Jude, is adjusting to the challenges of the digital age.

The Dirty Crow Inn has announced that it will be showing The Match between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson the day after Thanksgiving. This is an 18-hole, $9 million winner-take-all, heads-up match between the two golfers available only on pay-per-view.

Cordelia’s Market is the latest Downtown spot to announce they will cook for you for Thanksgiving. Items and prices are on their website (scroll down on the main page) and prices are pretty reasonable compared to other places cooking Thanksgiving dinners. They’ll have full dinners for 6-8 for $99, many sides for $12 and they have desserts too.

Breakfast with Santa and Mrs. Claus comes to Trolley Stop Market Saturday, December 1. Ticket price includes breakfast for kids 10 and under, as well as crafts, cookie decorating, and a holiday movie. Parents are invited to take their own photos. There will be breakfast and lunch specials.

You know, spending more time at home for my health has re-introduced me to classic TV. The following exchange was on Archie Bunker’s Place last night.

Archie’s niece Billie: “Philosophy is what moves the world.”

Archie: “No, no, no, laxatives is what moves the world.”

So, like I say, I’ve been staying at home more than lately than usual… but this weekend is my birthday weekend. I don’t want a party, I don’t want presents, I don’t want shots – in fact, I won’t be drinking much at all. All I want is to see as many of my friends as possible. Friday afternoon, November 16, I’ll be at the Silly Goose for happy hour. Saturday, November 17, I’ll be at brunch at Bardog from 11 AM until about the time the 11:00 college football games end. Then November 18 will be Sunday Birthday Fun Day and I will be leading off at Pontotoc Lounge for D-RANKS with B-RAD. Plans mid- to late Sunday afternoon to be determined and I will end up at Blind Bear that evening. Come join me!

I hope this super-long news post made up for the lack of news here yesterday. I typed this on my tiny 9-year-old netbook which wasn’t much fun. About to walk over to Walgreens and buy a USB drive. I found a Windows 10 recovery image that I will copy onto the USB to see if I can revive my full-size laptop. Back tomorrow with more news.

Argh. I hate Windows.

May be a day or two before I get this all straightened out and make a news post.

I learned something last night that those of you who use rabbit ears on your TV may find useful. Earlier this year I discovered ION TV on Channel 50.1 and was very excited, because they have marathons of Criminal Minds, one of my favorite shows. However, recently when I tried to tune into 50.1, I got No Signal, despite not having moved my rabbit ears since I could receive the channel.

A little bit of Google work revealed that the FCC is re-assigning ION to channel 33 in Memphis. If you pull up channel 33 on your remote, it will wait a few seconds then say No Signal… but then after another second or two, it will forward you to 50.1 which works just fine. Just thought I’d pass that on for other fans of Criminal Minds (or any of the other shows ION shows in binges).

Does anyone else Downtown have trouble receiving WMC channel 5 (and 5.2 and 5.3) with rabbit ears? Better question… did anyone have trouble receiving those channels and then figure out how to receive them? Shoot me a line at paul@paulryburn.com if you have advice. I have the antenna aimed 60 degrees east of magnetic north, which is supposed to be the direction of the transmitter from the 38103 zip code.

Despite being out in Cordova, Meddlesome Brewing Co. may be my favorite local craft brewery, based on the names they give their beers. Recently they gave their chai tea brown ale with clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon a great name: Yoga Pants. I feel as though I see eye-to-eye with the brewers at Meddlesome.

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy has been announced for the New Daisy Theater Sunday, December 9 for a Wild & Savage Holiday Party. Doors at 7, show at 8. Tickets are $36-49.

I know we have some Downtowners who are big fans of Dodson Farms jams and jellies and miss them from November-March when the Memphis Farmers Market is out of season. Well, head out to Tsunami this coming Saturday to stock up… there will be a Thanksgiving farmers market there from 9 AM to 1 PM.

Miss Polly’s Soul City Cafe on Beale Street will be open 10:30 AM to 6 PM on Thanksgiving Day.

Memphis isn’t the only city to re-imagine long-neglected alleys. Check out what Chattanooga is doing.

MemphisWeather.net is now getting in on the speculation that we might get a few flakes of snow Monday night. Check out the latest blog post. Remember, folks… $2 Fireball at Bardog when it’s snowing outside! I won’t be partaking with you anymore, but for those of you who shoot Fireball, keep an eye on the window and watch for the white stuff.

There was some debate on Twitter last night on whether Wrestling Night at the Grizzlies has worn out its welcome. I love wrestling but I do think having several Wrestling Nights during the season rather than just one is overkill, especially since the Redbirds also do a Wrestling Night now.

Anyone who lives/works/plays near me (Main and Madison) have a Windows 10 Recovery DVD or USB I can borrow for a while? The laptop I inherited from my mom is acting up again and I’m typing this on my 9-year-old, 10-inch screen netbook. Apparently you’re supposed to make a recovery drive as soon as you fire up your computer for a first time, but because I was not the original owner of this computer and I’m traditionally a Mac guy, I didn’t know.

A late election result but a very, very important one: Dana Rohrabacher has been ousted from his long-held House seat by Democrat Harley Rouda. Rohrabacher, who represented parts of Orange County, California, was considered Russia’s staunchest ally in the House of Representatives to the point of being considered a puppet for Vladimir Putin. Good riddance and happy retirement, Dana. Perhaps he’ll get to spend more time with his grandchildren… or more likely, he’ll fall into a $1.6 million a year gig as a lobbyist. Because, isn’t that how it works?

That’s it for now. Deepest apologies for missing Friendsgiving with some wonderful friends last night. I really did want to be there. Heading out to the Blind Bear in a bit. Back tomorrow with more news.

If you’re looking for great live local music to benefit a worthy cause, look no farther than Rum Boogie Cafe and Blues Hall on Beale Street this afternoon and evening. Nearly 30 bands will come together this afternoon and evening to perform in a benefit for legendary saxophonist Dr. Herman Green. Dr. Green has had some health challenges lately and his many friends in the music community are here to help him out. His own band FreeWorld closes out Rum Boogie from 9:40 to 1:00, including a set featuring Dr. Green himself from 11:15 to 1:00.

Another ’90s band is coming to Memphis on a comeback tour. The Backstreet Boys, on their biggest tour in 18 years, will come to FedExForum on August 27, 2019. They will release a new album, DNA, in February.

Ready for some Christmas music? I was in Bardog Tavern for lunch yesterday, and while I was there, for the first time ever, they installed a Christmas CD in their jukebox. It is CD number 74 and it has 19 tracks for your holiday listening pleasure.

Progress is being made on the new Grind City Brewing Co. in Uptown near the Wolf River Harbor. They filed a permit for $11.3 million in construction this week. This is excellent news. Hopefully Grind City will become an attraction that will draw people to Uptown, much in the way that Ghost River has drawn people to Downtown’s far south end.

In other local beer news, Symphonic 2018 happens at Wiseacre Brewing Co. next Saturday, November 17. This is a celebration of fermentation as Wiseacre releases the 2018 version of its Symphonic beer. The celebration is free to the public and will happen from 1 to 10 PM, with a concert by the Memphis Symphony Orchestra from 2 to 4 in the afternoon. Fermented foods from local food trucks will be available for purchase, and other specialty vendors will be on site as well.

PRIMAS Bakery and Boutique on South Main has a couple of events coming up this weekend. Today from 11 AM to 3 PM they will have a Sip and Shop featuring the art of Karyn Klinger. Every Saturday Sip and Shop features a different local creative entrepreneur.

On Sunday at 1:30, PRIMAS hosts the next in its tea party series, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Each ticket ($25, good for two people) includes a platter for two filled with Charlie Brown-themed treats, along with a selection of coffee, tea, and cider.

Keep an eye on the weather… some TV forecasts are calling for a dusting of snow or possibly a brief wintry mix Monday night around 10:30. Notably, though, the forecast I trust the most, MemphisWeather.net, is not yet calling for snow. Tuesday’s high is predicted to be 40 so anything that falls won’t stick around long.

This is not Downtown news, but nevertheless is great for the city of Memphis: The three-mile stretch of Summer between Highland and White Station is rebranding as the city’s first international district. On that stretch of street you will find business owners who hail from over 30 countries. You will also find The Gold Club. As the High Ground News article points out, take a stroll down Summer and you can find food from Colombia, Jerusalem, Japan, and many more cultures.

Local 24 News anchor Katina Rankin has written a book called Kendall’s Kitchen, a combination activity book and cookbook for children, teaching kids about eating healthy choices. Yesterday on Local Memphis Live, she and my friend Chef Steph Cook (RAWK’n Grub) talked about the book and did a cooking demo. Traditionally, people have used corn flakes to coat their chicken tenders, but that’s kind of boring; Steph demo’s how to make tutti-fruity Pebbles chicken tenders.

Over at We Are Memphis, New Wing Order chef Jesse McDonald shared his story of the inspiration to start a food truck based on the award-winning wing team. If you want to try New Wing Order’s wings, they’ll be at Wiseacre from 1 to 9 today.

Jerry Lee Lewis will play a concert at his club on Beale Street on New Year’s Eve. Tickets will be $150-300.

The Memphis Tigers host Tulsa at the Liberty Bowl at 11 today. A win would make the Tigers bowl-eligible. To put things into perspective, even Arkansas beat Tulsa. ESPN’s FPI gives the Tigers an 86.2% probability of winning today.

From Uproxx: How Dave Grohl’s pulled pork obsession led to him becoming a BBQ pitmaster. The Foo Fighters leader competed on a team at BBQ Fest ’18 here in Memphis.

This sounds good:

You could use a Hot Damn on this freezing 🥶 cold, #Memphis morning! #Repost @hi_geneva ☕️
・・・
HOT DAMN! That’s the name of this Cocoa Puff-topped breakfast cocktail that combines coffee, rum cream & chili liqueur. Who else could use one of these this morning? 🙋🏻☕️ pic.twitter.com/oTLsL69A84

— Sunrise Memphis (@sunrise_memphis) November 10, 2018

Speakers at the noon rally on the Civic Center Plaza to protect the Muller investigation include Rep. Steve Cohen, Tami Sawyer, and Steve Mulroy.

Flight restaurant at Main and Monroe has an opportunity for an executive chef/sous chef.

That’s it for today. Back tomorrow with more news.