Month: May 2022

Downtown art lovers, I discovered a new gallery on my morning caffeine run just now: Sam Angel Original Arts. It’s at 8 S. Main, between the Fat Tuesday that is said to open this summer and the front entrance to the Number 10 Main apartment building. There’s a website that at this point is just a “Coming Soon” page, but there’s a slideshow of the artist’s work in the background.

Health Department Director Dr. Michelle Taylor reported to the County Commission yesterday that COVID-19 cases in the county are again on the rise, but the risk factor for the community is still considered low because we’re not seeing an increase in hospitalizations. She gave an interesting statistic: If you’re over 65 and unvaccinated against the virus, you run about the same risk of death as a person who has been using heroin for 1.5 years.

The Grizzlies gave up the lead in the last minute of the game vs. Golden State last night, sending the Warriors to the free-throw line so many times that they picked up a 101-98 win. The Grizzlies are now down 3-1 in the series, which returns to Memphis Wednesday. One more loss and they’re out.

Funny: The New York Times, owner of the Wordle word-guessing game, had to apologize when the Wordle of the day turned out to be “fetus.” They quickly replaced it with a new word.

Lifehacker listed the five most freelancer-friendly cities in the U.S., and Memphis came in at number 4.

Former Memphis Tigers guard Tyler Harris is transferring to South Florida.

There will be a rally and march for Roe Saturday 11:15 AM-1:00 PM at Ida B. Wells Park, 379 Beale. This is one of many rallies around the country to protect abortion rights granted to women in the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision. There will be an after-party at Loflin Yard at 1.

Friday, May 20 will be Bike to Work Day 2022, and there will be a party in Health Sciences Park to celebrate. 100 free MemPops, a performance by DJ Daniel Mathis, and food trucks Pok Cha’s Egg Rolls and Taste of D’s will be on site.

The Red Clay Strays will perform a special acoustic set and will do a CD and poster signing at River City Records Thursday, May 19 at 2 PM.

The Memphis Flyer has a look at the Evaluating Essentials exhibit at the Metal Museum.

Taco Bell’s Mexican Pizza is getting its own musical with Doja Cat and Dolly Parton.

Brass Door will host Five Fridays of Jazz – well, actually four Fridays, because the first one has already happened. Tickets are $25 and include signature cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Cocktail attire is requested.

• May 13: Joyce Cobb Quartet
• May 20: Le Tumulte Noir
• May 27: Joe Restivo Quartet
• June 3: Christopher Donovan

Today is National Shrimp Day. My recommendation would be to celebrate with a Charleston cheddar grit bowl with blackened shrimp, chicken, and Andouille sausage from Sugar Grits.

Local weatherman Joey Sulipeck is in hot water for a controversial tweet he made about Golden State forward/center Draymond Green.

A missing 15-year-old boy was last seen in the 800 block of Adams in the Medical District.

That’s it. Back tomorrow with more news. Everybody stay cool as today is the onset of the heat wave.

Very, very cool story in the Daily Memphian this morning. If you’ve walked or driven along Madison in the Downtown core lately, you’ve noticed a large (several stories high) new mural on the west side of the Exchange Building. It was created by artist Michael “Birdcap” Roy and it is more than just a mural – it’s an NFT (non-fungible token) that was purchased by Sardor Umarov, the building’s owner.

The gravel lot next to the Exchange has been tied up in court proceedings for years – remember the building that caved in and forced part of Madison to be fenced off for over a year? Umarov received a $100,000 grant to beautify the lot, which funded the creation of the mural. Here’s the super-cool part: If you have a cryptocurrency wallet, you can use an RFID on the mural to make a donation to St. Jude.

When I look at this week’s forecast, I’m happier than ever with my decision to not do BBQ Fest this year. Record or near-record highs in the low or mid-90s are expected Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. If you’re on a team this year, make sure you drink lots and lots of water while in Liberty Park. When temperatures are above 90 for BBQ Fest, it is easy to get dehydrated and sick. Fox 13 has a look at what BBQ teams are doing to prepare for the heat.

I got woken up three times last night by people doing stupid car tricks – donuts, drifting, etc. – at Second and Monroe and later at what sounded like Second and Union. One of these days they’re going to crash into a building.

The Grizzlies badly need a win tonight over the Golden State Warriors tonight in San Francisco. If they don’t get it, their backs will be against the wall and they’ll have to win 3 in a row beginning Wednesday. The game doesn’t start until 9:00, so lots of Grizzlies fans will be falling asleep at their desks tomorrow at work. The game will be nationally broadcast on TNT.

Ja Morant is listed as doubtful for tonight’s game, following an injury in Game 3 when Warriors guard Jordan Poole pulled on his knee. If Ja is ruled out, Tyus Jones will start at point guard.

Lots of NBA front offices will still have reason to watch tonight’s game even if Ja Morant doesn’t play. Although Tyus Jones is the backup point guard for the Grizz, a lot of teams would consider him talented enough to be a starting point guard, and his contract expires at the end of the season. He earns $8,376,286 this season (per ESPN) but there are teams that might be willing to pay Tyus $15M or more to start for them next season. Will the Grizzlies be willing to pay that kind of money for a backup point guard, the same year they can offer a max contract extension to Ja Morant (or a supermax extension, if he makes an All-NBA team this year and next) and also an extension to Brandon Clarke?

Still, though, these are high-class problems to have. A few hundred miles south on the Mississippi River, the New Orleans Pelicans have to decide whether to offer Zion Williamson a max extension. His ceiling is unlimited, but he’s injury-prone and overweight (listed at 284 but looks over 300). $30 million a year is a disaster for a player who spends most of the year on the bench, and a bargain for a future league MVP. The Pels have no idea which they’ll be getting.

Charles Barkley recently joined Jessica Benson and Meghan Triplett on Rise & Grind to talk Grizzlies vs. Warriors. Watch here

StyleBlueprint has a chat with the owners of Grind City Grocer in the Washburn building. About 95% of their products are from local or regional vendors.

Uh oh… I see a problem here…

• The first public night of BBQ Fest is Wednesday
• Many teams have TVs in their booths for NBA playoff watching
• Tip-off time for Grizzlies vs. Warriors Game 5 is Wednesday at 8:30
• The park closes to the public at 10:00 PM Wednesday
• Non-overtime NBA games tend to run about 2 ½ hours

It sure would be nice if Memphis in May extended park closing that night to the end of the game.

Got things to do. Back tomorrow with more news.

Center Steven Adams will be back for the Grizzlies as they play Game 3 vs. the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco this evening. The game will be on ABC at 7:30.

The DM has a look at Nick Barbian, soon to open Big River Market, an upscale convenience store in South Main.

Bad news: The rolling 7-day average for new COVID-19 cases in Shelby County is above 100 for the first time since February 21.

The South Main Association has announced its monthly South Main Social for May. It will happen this Tuesday, May 10 from 6 to 8 PM at Urevbu Gallery at the corner of Main and Huling. There will be charcuterie by Feast & Graze, cookies by Butteriffic Bakery, and complimentary wine and beer. Free for SMA members, $20 for non-members.

Daaaaang… some Miami hotels are charging $100,000 a night for suites as Formula One’s Miami Grand Prix comes to the city this weekend. (credit: Morning Brew)

Downtown’s Crowne Plaza Hotel seeks a bartender.

Today is Brunch for Lunch Day. It’s load-in day for many of the teams at BBQ Fest. And it’s the Kentucky Derby. Post time is 5:57 but NBC’s coverage begins at 1:30.

The University of Memphis’ spring commencement is at FedExForum today. Congratulations to all who are graduating.

The Grizzlies’ official watch party for Game 3 starts at 7:00 tonight at Fourth Bluff Park.

It’s Siete de Mayo at the Blind Bear. Taco & tequila specials, Red Feather on the patio 3-6 PM, FreeWorld 8 PM-midnight.

The first fireworks show of the year happens tonight following the Redbirds’ game vs. the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. First pitch is 6:35.

Go Grizzlies! Back tomorrow with more news.

Unfortunately my prediction came true. The NBA suspended Dillon Brooks for one game for his swipe at the Golden State Warriors’ Gary Payton II, causing Payton to fall and break his elbow.

Payton was the Warrior best equipped to guard Ja Morant. Now he’s out for the rest of the series. Either they’ll have to put Steph Curry on Ja, exhausting their best player, or they’ll put Jordan Poole or Klay Thompson on him. Those players are not fast enough to stop Ja. I do not think Dillon’s swipe was in any way intentional, but nevertheless, it tipped the scales in the Grizzlies’ favor. The NBA had to send a message that it would not tolerate that kind of reckless play.

In other NBA news, the Warriors’ Draymond Green has been fined $25,000 for flipping off Memphis fans Tuesday night.

Good news for the crawfish boil at the Memphis Farmers Market tomorrow: I’ve learned that the cook will be none other than Glaze Hardage, who did the boils at Max’s Sports Bar this year. Glaze’s crawfish are the best in town, with the perfect amount of spice. If you buy some hot boiled crawfish at the Market tomorrow, you are in for a treat!

It’s slipped my mind all week that the Redbirds are back in town, and I’ve been forgetting to include them in my blog. Sorry about that! There is plenty going on tonight. The first pitch vs. the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp is at 7:05 tonight. There’s a specialty ticket, starting at $21, that includes all-you-can-eat soft tacos. The Redbirds will wear their Dry Rub jerseys in honor of BBQ Fest, and fans will have the chance to win prizes including a Weber grill and a 19-piece BBQ set.

Every Friday and Saturday, the Redbirds will offer The Matchup Menu, an entree and drink related to their opponent’s home town. This week they’ll have the JAX Jumbo Dish, jumbo fried shrimp with French fries and cocktail sauce. The drink will be Baseball and the Beach, a rum-runner cocktail with banana liqueur and other fruit juices.

Catherine & Mary’s monthly wine dinner for May has been canceled because the date would conflict with a Grizzlies playoff game. They’ll pick back up with the dinner series on June 8.

Handy Park on Beale Street will be the site of an appearance by His Majesty Otumfo Nana Osei Tutu II, Asantehene King of Asante, one of the kingdoms of Memphis in May’s 2022 honored country, Ghana, at 1 PM Saturday.

The South Main Association is holding a neighborhood cleanup Saturday at 10 AM. Meet up at Slider Inn if interested in helping. Gloves and tools will be provided.

If you want to keep up with happenings at Inkwell, The Edge’s new cocktail bar, you can follow its Facebook page.

Primary Eye Care of South Main at 21 Mina seeks an optician.

It’s National Beverage Day. May I recommend the PBR?

Action News 5 reports that we could have near-record temperatures for BBQ Fest week next week.

At the Halloran Centre tonight: Robert Moody presents The Orchestra Unplugged: Considering Matthew Shepard. Shepard was the gay man beaten to death on a ranch in Laramie, Wyoming in 1998.

A Memphis music tour of Elmwood Cemetery happens tonight at 5:30.

Taste of D’s is the food truck today 11 AM-1 PM in Health Sciences Park. They serve fish & chips and other comfort foods.

The Super 5 Acoustic Trio play The Vault tonight at 8.

That’s the news for today. Back tomorrow.

Yo Gotti’s annual Birthday Bash will return to FedExForum on July 15. Tickets go on sale to the public at 10 AM tomorrow with a presale today. Lineup has yet to be announced, but in the past these bashes have been loaded with stars.

Flying Fish is discounting all margaritas by 50% today to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

Severe weather chance today!

No changes to the severe weather outlook, at least for the Memphis area, from what we posted earlier.
Time to 👀: 3pm-6pm.
Main threats: ⚡💨#memstorm https://t.co/DPMECspkdL

— MemphisWeather.net (@memphisweather1) May 5, 2022

I have a feeling the NBA will hand Dillon Brooks a one-game suspension today. For the Grizzlies’ sake I hope I am wrong.

The Orion 5K happens out in The Edge Saturday morning.

Also on Saturday, there will be a Cigar, Whiskey, & BBQ Festival Downtown. Hmmm… the website says it will be in Court Square, but their permit indicates it will be on the Civic Center Plaza about 2 blocks to the north.

There will be a bottomless mimosa festival in Court Square on Sunday, May 22 with tickets starting at $45.

The Silly Goose’s air conditioner has been installed and it is nice and cold in there now. Good thing too because the weather is supposed to get hot next week with highs in the 90s.

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Back tomorrow with more news.

Grizzlies 106, Warriors 101: Ja Morant scored 47 last night as the Grizzlies tied up the series 1-1. On Saturday, Game 3 comes to the Bay Area with a 7:30 PM tip-off on ABC. There will, of course, be a watch party for the away game in Fourth Bluff Park.

The Grizzlies will be back in Memphis for Game 5, and tickets go on sale to the public Thursday at noon (10 AM for MVP season ticket holders).

Jaren Jackson Jr. is up for this season’s NBA Community Cares Award. He won the monthly version of that award in December.

The Downtown Neighborhood Association’s weekly Thursday night movie in Court Square has been canceled this week due to rain and storms in the forecast.

STIX Express is offering the following specials tomorrow for Cinco de Mayo:

• $5 STIX Ritas
• $3 sushi tacos
• $9.01 sushi burritos
• $9.01 tuna nachos
• $9.01 Bluff City Nachos

Don’t forget that the Memphis Farmers Market is having a crawfish boil this Saturday!

Legendary Memphis radio personality Bobby O’Jay has died.

Jonathan Brush, charged with the second-degree murder of Lafayette’s chef Jody Moyt, went to court yesterday to attempt to get his bond reduced. The judge, noting that Moyt appeared to never have made it out of his vehicle in the road rage incident, instead raised Brush’s bond to $5 million and wondered why the charge had not been first-degree murder.

Wet Willie’s will celebrate Cinco de Mayo tomorrow with the following specials:

• Frozen margarita flights: Classic margarita, strawberry, sour apple, and mango
• 2 crunchy beef tacos for $4

That’s it for today. Back tomorrow.

So you thought there wasn’t going to be a kick-ass music festival in Downtown Memphis during the month of May this year?

Well, there is!

The International Blues Challenge is coming to 20 clubs in and around Beale Street Friday, May 6-Monday, May 9. IBC is for solo artists, duos, and bands who have incredible talent playing the blues… but they just haven’t been heard by the right people in order to get gigs around the world… they just haven’t been heard by the right people to score a record contract.

The right people will be at IBC, looking to discover new talent.

You can be there too.

The quarterfinals start at 6:30 on Friday and 5:00 on Saturday. The way it works is, you purchase a wristband that gets you into all the participating clubs, giving you access to a buffet of some of the best blues in the world. The semifinals begin at 7:30 on Sunday and again, there is wristband admission (I think the price of a wristband goes up a little for the semis). The finals are Monday, May 9 at noon at the Orpheum. View the complete schedule

FedExForum is participating in Live Nation’s National Concert Week. From tomorrow (starting at 9 AM) until May 10, you can get $25 tickets to 3 upcoming concerts:

• The Who, Friday, May 13
• Maverick City Music, Friday, July 1
• Backstreet Boys, Friday, September 9

Soul & Spirits brewery on N. Main has new hours:

• Tuesday-Friday 4-10 PM
• Saturday 12-10 PM
• Closed Sunday and Monday
• Last call 9:30 PM

The Museum of Science and History presents A Taste of Ghana Saturday 6:00-8:30 PM. There will be Ghanian food, dance, and storytelling, and goods from local Ghanian craftsmen available for purchase. Ghana is the honored country for Memphis in May for 2022.

The Birds Aren’t Real guy appeared on 60 Minutes recently. He told them his movement is a parody of the Internet age’s conspiracy culture.

STIX Express Downtown has announced its $20 special for May:

• A ginger salad with ginger dressing
• A Downtown roll
• Teriyaki chicken hibachi

Happy hours in The Edge are back every Wednesday in May. They’ll kick it off at Stop 345 tomorrow from 5-7 PM, with

• Free food from the Fuel food truck (is the Nuh-Uh Girl still in town?)
• Free drinks from Strangeways Cordials
• Free wine from Rootstock Wine
• Free 30-minute throwing sessions at Craft Axe Throwing in The Edge
• Music by DJ Capital A on Stop 345’s new rooftop deck

Insomnia Cookies on Beale is offering a free 6-pack of Classic Cookies with any $5 purchase to teachers, school staff, and nurses this week. Promotion ends at close of business Friday. Must show proof of employment such as a pay stub or ID badge.

Cordelia’s Market reports that their “best kept secret” is back in the grab & go: Mesquite-grilled chicken salad with sun-dried tomatoes, celery, onion sweet relish, mayonnaise, spicy mustard, and their secret marinade.

The Flying Saucer celebrates its 25th anniversary all day Saturday. The Downtown Memphis location opened in May 1997.

Today is Election Day for primaries in Shelby County.

Registration is open for St. Jude Marathon Weekend for 2022. The marathon will happen on December 3.

Jerk, Jokes, and Karaoke comes to Curry & Jerk’s lounge tomorrow night at 7.

Big (and not good) national news: A draft opinion leaked to POLITICO suggests that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that guarantees women the right to an abortion.

GO GRIZZLIES! Game 2 vs. Golden State, 8:30 PM, TNT. Back tomorrow with more news.

The Grizzlies lost Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals to the Golden State Warriors, but it sure was nice to see Draymond Green get ejected. While contesting under the basket, Green hit Brandon Clarke in the face and then pulled him to the ground by his jersey. Green claimed he was trying to prop Clarke up, but the refs weren’t buying it. They called a Flagrant 2 foul, which comes with an automatic ejection.

I’d also like to say how proud I am of Jaren Jackson Jr.! 33 points in 30:49 while picking up only 3 fouls. If this version of Jaren shows up every game, Memphis has a chance to get to the NBA Finals.

Next up: Game 2 at FedExForum tomorrow night, 8:30 tip-off, nationally televised on TNT.

FiveThirtyEight now gives the Grizzlies just a 29% chance of making it past the Warriors to the Western Conference Finals.

The Daily Memphian reports on the Center for Southern Folklore’s struggle to be seen now that it no longer has a storefront on Main. You get to the Center now by entering Pembroke Square through the doors that lead to the Belz Museum (next to the Blind Bear) and going all the way to the back.

I’m starting to get requests for BBQ booth guest wristbands, so it’s time for me to make an announcement: I have left the Moody Ques shoulder team. I want to stress that I left on completely amicable terms. It was not due to conflict with another team member or a disagreement over the way the team operates. Nor did the reason I left have anything to do with the cost of team dues, or the fact that BBQ Fest is at Tiger Lane this year.

Rather, it was just my habit of letting intuition guide me. When January rolled around and it was time to make a decision, I just got this feeling that there’s an experience out there I’m meant to have, but which I might miss out on if I do the BBQ team. I can’t wait to find out what that experience is.

I wish the Moody Ques success this year and still consider them the best shoulder team. Nothing would make me happier than to get a text a week from this Saturday and think to myself, “BLAST IT ALL! I would’ve been a world champion if I’d stayed on the team one more year.”

Interesting tech news: Microsoft will add a free built-in VPN to its Edge browser. That’ll enhance data security.

Lil Wayne canceled his Music Fest performance last night. Oh man… a friend of mine bought a ticket just to see him.

One of the Grizz Girls got proposed to by her boyfriend at yesterday’s game.

That’s the news for today. Having a very productive morning around the house, so later I’ll get out for a few PBR rewards. Back tomorrow.