The Memphis Music & Heritage Festival is going on this weekend at the two blocks surrounding the Center for Southern Folklore, at Main near Peabody Place. Here are some pics from yesterday:
The Nestle Quik bunny was at the festival.
Sharon Fernandes of Stonehouse 27 did an Indian cooking demo.
Jamming to the tunes of Mr. White on the Gayoso Stage
Everybody was kung fu fighting…
There’s a Southern buffet inside the Folklore Hall this year. Buffet? The Nuh-Uh Girl is going to be so sorry she went out of town this weekend.
John Bragg of Circa demonstrating how to make crawfish beignets.
The Majestic Grille’s patio was a popular place to be.
If you like big cock, you should check out this art vendor. They’ve expanded their vendor section and booths lined Peabody Place.
The people in this booth were inviting the public in to sing Christian karaoke. Two things I don’t do are 1) sing karaoke and 2) go to church, so I steered clear.
Chef Michael Patrick of Mesquite Chop House displays the grouper he cooked for his demo.
An evening act I really enjoyed (right before the rain hit) was Jack Oblivian and the Tearjerkers. First time I’ve heard them in years.
Our master of ceremonies. Seemed weird not having IQ there.
The festival continues today, from 11 to 11. Here’s the schedule. Below I’ve listed my tentative schedule, and recommendations for those not familiar with the festival or the area.
First of all, if you’ve read this blog before, you know how much fun the locals have at Sunday brunch at the Majestic Grille. Why not give it a try, as long as you’re down here for the festival? Here’s their brunch menu. They serve from 11 to 3. They also have some festival specials this weekend – a coconut shrimp basket, a brisket sandwich, an Italian sausage sandwich, and chicken quesadillas. Plus, $4 margaritas and mojitos. You might even get to meet John D, namesake of “John D’s breakfast.”
Mr. White rocks out the Gayoso stage again at 1:30. Wonder if the dancing bum will be back.
At 2:30 there’s the matter of a football game… the best place to watch it is right around the corner… the Flying Saucer. Seven TVs (assuming they pull down the big screens) and they’ve told me they’re going to do better about putting the sound on for games this year. 70 beers on tap, another 125 in bottles, one premium beer on Fire Sale for $2.75, pool, darts, hot waitresses in miniskirts. Go Tigers! Ole Miss is one of my three most hated teams of all time (Tennessee and Texas are the other two).
Some evening band recommendations at the festival:
- 4:45 – Dani, rock, Folklore Hall Stage
- 6:30 – Bluff City Backsliders, jug band, Gayoso Stage
- 7:15 – Super Chikan, blues, Folklore Store Stage
- 7:30 – FreeWorld, jam band, Gayoso Stage
- 8:00 – Blind Mississippi Morris, blues, Verizon Stage
- 8:15 – Papa Top’s West Coast Turnaround, ArtsMemphis Stage
- 9:00 – Jason D. Williams, Verizon Wireless Stage (this one is an absolute must see)
If you want to stay out late past the festival, I have two late-night band recommendations:
- Jeffrey and the Pacemakers (’60s British Invasion rock) will play Huey’s tonight. They take the stage at 8:30 and play until midnight. I’m going to try to catch their second set after Jason D. leaves the stage.
- If you miss their 7:30 performance at the festival, FreeWorld performs every Sunday night at Blues City, 10:30 until close.
And if you want to make it an ultra late night, the Silly Goose stays open until 3. They have $1 MGD during the festival.
Hope to see you down there… this is becoming one of the best festivals of the year and is growing larger and larger. I love it!