Tonight I will probably head down to Beale Street. On Fridays you can buy a $10 wristband that gets you into all the clubs. A lot of Memphians avoid Beale, but I really enjoy it. There are a lot of tourists there who are in a happy mood because they’re on vacation, and it’s fun to talk to them and give them an insider’s perspective on Memphis.
My friends in Turbo 350 are playing the Tap Room tonight, so I’ll probably end up there. They play a lot of Johnny Cash, Elvis, Eddie Cochran, pre-1960 rock and rockabilly. Probably your best bet for seeing some authentic Memphis-style music on the street tonight.
Tomorrow there’s a party on the roof of my apartment building, No. 10 Main, that is being thrown by 7 of the residents – DJ, dancing, drinks. At some point I’ll probably try to round up some people to walk down to Swig. Swig is a martini bar with about 40 different signature martinis and a great food menu (get the stuffed olives – excellent). One of my favorite DJs, Mr. White, will be starting a new Saturday night residency there, and his mixture of house and nu:jazz should provide a nice setting to sip a martini and chat with friends.
When I go out I don’t get the classic martinis with gin and vermouth – I’ve tried them and they taste like radiator fluid. I drink the flavored martinis instead. At Swig my favorite is the Junior Mint, a chocolate mint martini. Instead of olives, they garnish it with actual Junior Mints, the candy you buy at the movies.
Of course, all of the plans listed above are subject to change if I find something more interesting to do.