Author: paulryburn

At Memphis in May Sunset Symphony you can bring in coolers full of food and alcohol. After a 6-year hiatus I went this year, meeting one of my BBQ teammates and her group of friends. Of course, I had to make a stop at Jack’s Food Store to pick up supplies.

 

This is a sad story.

As you see, I took a 12-pack of PBR.

I consumed nine of the cans of PBR.

I gave one away.

One made it safely home in the cooler.

And then there was the twelfth one.

“The Unknown Soldier.”

I walked down to the south entrance of Tom Lee Park about 6 yesterday, running into my BBQ teammate who organized the group as I walked down Georgia Avenue. We turned onto Riverside and stopped at the south entrance to wait for the others. At the entrance my eyes welled up with tears. I tried to hide it from my teammate but couldn’t. “Paul, what’s wrong?” she asked.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m just thinking of two weeks ago this day, and all the wonderful memories of helping my teammates load in for BBQ Fest.”

“Paul,” she said, putting her hand on my arm, “everyone knows you were a stallion at load-in. But you have to move on. You have to live for today.” She was right. I wiped my eyes and we went in the park.

We spent the next 20 minutes meeting up with people. Meetups at Sunset Symphony are so funny. “I’m in front of the funnel cake stand.” “I’m 100 yards north of the obelisk.” Except, not north, but south. I took a photo of a green house and posted, “I’m directly west of this house, 3/4 block south of the Huling entrance, 10 feet west of the speaker in the very middle.”

Anyway, we finally all met up. My BBQ teammate hangs out with the international crowd, a large, super-cool group of people that I’ve always wanted to hang out with more but just haven’t because there isn’t that much overlap with my Downtown group. The Moody Ques were represented at Sunset Symphony:

The air show was going on for a while and then the symphony started. “Did I just feel a sprinkle?” someone asked. I pulled up the radar on my iPhone. An isolated storm cell was moving into Downtown. We packed up our stuff in a hurry and ran to the “small house” near the stage and got under its overhang.

And here’s where the tragedy occurred.

Right as we were packing up, I finished the PBR I was drinking. Not being one to litter, I crushed the can and threw it back in the cooler to dispose of later. Then I reached in the cooler for another PBR, and right as I did, the downpour hit.

And I dropped the PBR I took out of the cooler.

I couldn’t stop running for cover. I didn’t want to get more soaked, I didn’t want to hold my friends up, and I wanted a spot under the overhang.

So I left a good man behind.

“The Unknown Soldier.”

I don’t know what happened to that unopened PBR can, but I hope someone found it and gave it the send-off it deserved.

Anyway, the group decided to re-convene at the Tennessee Brewery (damn these people make excellent decisions). After a couple of Abita Strawberries, my BBQ teammate dropped me off at my apartment then headed home to East Memphis. I put my stuff up, changed out of my wet clothes, and went back out, to the Blind Bear. “Katie Mac sent me” was the password to get in for free. Monday is her actual birthday but I went ahead and bought Katie Mac a shot.

Couple of beers there, quick stop by the Saucer to say hello to folks and then I called it a night. Excellent day despite the rain. Would you believe I bought 3 disposable rain ponchos week before last, but have been caught in the rain twice without them? Memphis in May 2, Paul 0.

Before I wrap up this post, we can’t forget what month this is. As I walked out the door a few minutes before 11 yesterday, I heard, “Paul! Come take a picture of us!” from the patio of Cafe Keough.

It’s hard to tell because of all the hair but Jill had a tube top on!!!!! First photo of Tube Top Month. Jill came by Bardog later with her hair pulled up. She didn’t know that my offer of a free Fireball or moonshine to the first tube-topster who asks was still out there. It was hers for the taking but she didn’t claim it. Offer is still on.

All right, I don’t want the last PBR that made it home with me to feel neglected. I’m going to pop it open and drink it and then head to Bloom’s bar at Bardog at 11. One recommendation for live music tonight: One of the true legends of Memphis music, Dr. Herman Green, turns 84 today and he will be performing with FreeWorld at Blues City Cafe’s Band Box at 9:30. This is the only place to be if you want to catch some live music tonight.

All right. Done. Time to take a shower and get this day going. I expect this to be a very late night. Pray for me that I don’t end up at Purple Haze.

 

I just LUV those tube tops!!!!!

Work got out early yesterday, so I met my BBQ teammate Kao from Mexico for a few beers at the Saucer. After a while we migrated over to the Silly Goose. Daniel is getting a lot of new products in this week for the Goose’s new menu of hand-crafted cocktails. “Hey Paul, I want to show you something,” Daniel said.

He brought over a bottle of bitters. However, these were not just any bitters. They were “Memphis Barbeque Bitters.” Daniel opened the bottle. “Smell it,” he said. It smelled delicious. I would most certainly take a break from my customary PBR to have a drink made with those. Daniel also let me try his homemade Bloody Mary mix, and it is good. If you like BBQ I think you will like that mix.

I posted to Facebook about the bitters, and received a tip… At Muse at Main and Gayoso, you can get a Khakiman No. 901 candle that smells like BBQ.

The Metal Museum is doing a thing called Whet Tuesday on Tuesday, June 3. They say that it is part of a series of events to enjoy the museum’s grounds after hours. You can whet your appetite with a specialty drink from the cash bar or Caribbean food from Paul’s Cariflavor food truck while enjoying the sunset over the river. There will be live music by the string duet Scroll, foundry classes, and the museum’s new exhibition Protective Ornament. Hours were listed as 5-7 PM in the press release, but that can’t be right because the sun is nowhere near setting at 7 PM.

There will be an “Art Lounge on the Dock” at the future home of South Main ArtSpace Lofts (United Warehouse Building) from 6 to 9 PM next Friday, May 30, as part of South Main Trolley Night. There will be a live music, drama and comedy revue featuring Naomi Moody, Lost on Stage Comedy Troupe and others. Free and open to the public, free refreshments. Free food? Wonder if the… oh, wait, she’s in California now. The future loft building is at 138 St. Paul, one block south of G.E. Patterson.

Plans for today: As usual I will start off at Panda’s bar at Bardog at 11. I hope Panda got the memo that it’s Tube Top Month. After that I’ve got to stop by Jack’s Food Store to get PBR for tonight and then take a “halftime” break. I’m meeting up with some people for Sunset Symphony around 6ish. The meeting place is the south entrance of the park, so I have a mile and a half walk. I don’t mind though – it makes sense, because most of the people I’m meeting up with are coming from East Memphis and the parking situation is better down there than it is in the Downtown core. The group I’m meeting up with is not my usual Downtown group (although a few of them may come too), so I need to be on my best behavior and not turn into “BBQ Fest Paul.” (Although, I will bring a pen in case anyone from the group figures out I’m “Mr. Load-in” and wants an autograph.) Going to try to stay up late and watch the meteor shower if it isn’t too cloudy.

The free Fireball or moonshine shot for the first female 21 or over who comes up to me in a tube top and asks for it is still up for grabs. I’ve pretty much told you where I will be at 11 today, so someone come claim it. (Bartenders ARE eligible to claim the shot, by the way.)

TUBE TOP MONTH

May 23-July 6, 2014

“Where there are not straps, there is hope”

Welcome to the greatest time of the year in this blog, Tube Top Month. This is a celebration of the greatest women’s clothing item ever created, the tube top. All month long (and it’s more than a standard month, which I will get to in a minute) each post will either have one or more pictures of tube tops, or will have tube tops mentioned in some way, no matter how irrelevant tube tops are to the rest of the post’s content.

Originally, Tube Top Month was the month of June. However, it has been expanded to include Memorial Day weekend and Independence Day, or Independence Day weekend when it falls on a weekend. This year Tube Top Month will be 45 days long.

Due to the cold weather, I am off to a slow start for Tube Top Month this year. I usually come out of BBQ Fest with a ton of photos to post, but this year I have almost none. I plan to turn that around this weekend, though. I plan on going to Sunset Symphony tomorrow, which tends to be tube top heaven. I will have the Tube Top Cam with me, so if you want your pic in the blog come find me. I’ll be the guy who hasn’t had a haircut in almost six months (although I plan to take care of that Tuesday) and my royal blue Moody Ques shirt with Van Halen 1984 cover on the back.

Then again, why wait until tomorrow? Why not wear a tube top tonight? In celebration of this being the 10th annual Tube Top Month, I will buy a Fireball or moonshine shot for the first female in a tube top who comes up to me and asks for one. You know the usual places I hang out, so come find me. (Shot recipient must be 21 or over)

(With my luck, I’ll end up having to pay that off at the Flying Saucer, where Fireball is the “Kirk Special” for $7)

Together we can all make this the best Tube Top Month ever!!!

Wait, so this “Memphis’ Most” poll the CA does lets you vote ONCE AN HOUR??? That is about the stupidest idea I have ever heard in my life. I mean, I could sit there and vote for myself for Best Blogger every hour, but would it mean anything if I won? What a waste of time and it shows you what happens when marketing departments have bad ideas. Apologies to my many friends Downtown who own restaurants, but I will NOT be voting for you in this farce of a survey. I’ll save my voting for the real deal, the Memphis Flyer’s Best of Memphis poll, where you can vote once, period.

Those of you attending Sunset Symphony Saturday may want to stay up past the fireworks. There will be a meteor shower that night. Best viewing is said to be about 2 AM Eastern, which would be 1 AM Central.

The Hungry Memphis blog has a post about Cafe Pontotoc, a new restaurant that will open in the 314 S. Main space where Carrot failed last year. It will be a “neighborhood hangout,” according to the article, with small plates, a great wine list, and beer from local brewers.

BRIDGES is hiring for a full-time AmeriCorps member and for internships.

Blues City Cafe invites all veterans to receive a complimentary meal on Veterans Day. Details here. The restaurant does this annually and it is a fine gesture to the men and women who have served.

Also, veterans are invited to enjoy Memphis in May Sunset Symphony for free. Come to the north (Beale Street) gate and show valid military ID.

Since many of my readers are animal lovers, I’d like to pass on a link to Bluff City Bark, the Mid-South’s new digital pet magazine.

Some advice on getting into BBQ team booths as a guest during the third week of May: It helps if you don’t act like a complete douchebag from the fourth week of May until the second week of May the next year. I swear. Some people. You just can’t fix stupid.

Huge announcement coming at 5 today, so check back.

If you didn’t get a chance to pick up a Memphis Flyer yesterday and read the cover story on South Main, you can read it here. Absolutely fantastic article. The best news? Bud Chittom is planning not only two new restaurants in the building behind Earnestine & Hazel’s on G.E. Patterson, but a youth hostel in the building behind that. A hostel is badly needed Downtown. Hopefully it will attract an international crowd, like maybe some ROMANIAN girls!!!!!!!! ♥♥♥♥♥

The Molly Ringwalds with special guest Katy Tiz headline the Peabody rooftop party tonight. Doors open at 6. $10 admission, but ladies and hotel guests can get in free before 7. Admission includes a buffet of red beans, smoked sausage, rice, and catfish dip. If you’re in VIP there’s a second buffet of shrimp remoulade shooters, fried oyster mini po’boys, and chicken & sausage jambalaya.

My “DAWG” John D will kill me if I don’t mention this: Morrissey plays the Orpheum Tuesday night.

Pink Pig Apparel is having a pop-up shop for Sunset Symphony. Clothing featuring the brand, formerly available at Shelton Clothiers, will be sold at the corner of Mina and Tennessee, near the Butler Park entrance, from 2:30 to 6 PM Saturday. Performance T’s, vintage T’s, and caps will be for sale.

Scammers are targeting parkers Downtown. This is not a new thing. Ask any attendant who tries to charge you for company ID if you aren’t sure.

That’ll wrap it up for this Thursday. Tube Top Month is a day away! Time to get excited!

In case you haven’t heard the latest Grizzlies news, it’s pretty shocking. The front office has given head coach Dave Joerger permission to interview with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Even if he doesn’t get that job, he could be done in Memphis. Wow. Team management is falling apart. Time to give George Karl a call.

Be sure to pick up a copy of the Memphis Flyer today. Cover story is “$outh Main.”

Pearl Jam is coming to the FedExForum October 14.

Think you know your city? Kevin Cerrito hosts Memphis trivia tonight at Tamp & Tap at 7 and tomorrow at the Green Beetle at 8. Topics include Memphis Restaurants, Geography, Sports, Current Events, History, Music, etc. Keeping with the theme, there will be $3.50 Memphis Made Brewing Co. pints on special at Tamp & Tap tonight.

The Redbirds will celebrate the life of Silky Sullivan with an Irish Night on Friday. The first 3000 fans will get a green batting helmet courtesy of Silky O’Sullivan’s. As is the case every Friday game night, there will be a block party in the plaza from 5-7 with $2 16 oz. Coors Light and live music. Game time is 7:05 PM. (If you need help deciding what to wear, let me point out that Tube Top Month begins two hours and five minutes prior to game time.)

Another big night coming up for the ‘Birds will be the Thursday, May 29, when they will be on TV for CBS Sports Network’s Minor League Game of the Week. Game time is 7:05 vs. the Iowa Cubs. There will be specials of $3 Bud and Bud Light drafts, $2 popcorn, and $1 hot dogs. Fans can also receive a $5.29 discount off of Field Box tickets to this game, courtesy of TNStars® College Savings 529 Program.

Want to get your kids involved in theater? The Orpheum has summer camps for students who have just completed the 2nd-4th, 5th-9th, and 10th-12th grades. Details here.

Interesting impromptu BBQ team post-mortem session at the Saucer last night among a few of the members. There are many members of this team who aren’t on the board of directors but who have ideas that are worth listening to. We need to have fewer board meetings and more full team meetings.

All right. Time to hit Publish and walk outside and look at the three goslings out by the pond. I guess that’s one advantage of working in suburbia. I’ll be back Downtown and out and about at 5:30.

BBQ Fest is over and a new week has begun. Let me jump right to the most important event happening Downtown this week.

…TUBE TOP MONTH BEGINS AT 5 PM FRIDAY!!!!!

No, just kidding. The most important event happens Saturday at Tom Lee Park, the final event of Memphis in May, Sunset Symphony. For those who have never been, it is considerably more laid-back than Music Fest and BBQ Fest. You can bring your own blankets and coolers and picnic baskets and spread out on the grass and listen to music. Yes, you can bring your own food and alcohol, although they ask you to be careful about beverages in glass containers. It’s a very good idea to read the FAQ and get a full understanding of what can and cannot be brought in.

Entertainment will be provided by Navy Band Mid-South, the Stax Music Academy, and an air show to kick things off, with the music starting about 3. Then, as the sun starts to set, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra will perform, leading up to a fireworks finale.

This event is considerably more family-friendly than the other two Memphis in May main events. However, it’s also a great place to go with a group of friends (and remember, you can bring alcohol). It’s also a great place for tube top watching. If you don’t feel like bringing a picnic basket or cooler, they will have vendors selling food on-site.

You’re invited to stop in The Warehouse, the green building at Front and G.E. Patterson, this evening between 6 and 9 to say thank you to our police officers. Refreshments will be served and you’ll be able to have conversations with the men and women who keep us safe.

This coming Sunday, Twilight Sky Terrace atop the Madison Hotel will host Nashville artist Chris Carpenter in an unplugged session from 6 to 8 PM. His influences include The Beatles, The Eagles and Sting to John Mayer, Jason Mraz and Bruno Mars.

There’s a Groupon for The Woodruff-Fontaine House Museum in Victorian Village, with admission for two, four, or six. $11 gets you two admissions, a $20 value, so it’s 45% off.

Sunday night/Monday morning when I couldn’t sleep, part of the reason why was that it sounded like there was a huge party going on somewhere near my apartment. There was so much yelling and screaming that it sounded more like Music Fest Saturday. Then I heard six to eight gunshots and a few minutes later, a police car siren. Here’s what happened. A local DJ booked an event at the Deluxe Arcade Building at Second and Madison and allegedly oversold it. He’s charged with inciting a riot. By the way, that is normally a totally safe venue and gunshots are almost unheard of Downtown.

My cold has mostly gone away and I am back in the game. After a long day of catching up for work email I will be out for some beverages and maybe a little poker tonight. That’ll do it for now.

(I’m still under the weather, so please excuse any typos in this post)

Saturday morning I got up, did the Friday recap on the blog, and got on Facebook. I was my usual jubilant self, shouting out to our pitmaster David Scott Walker and his team about the great food I’ve been eating all week and how I looked forward to the awards ceremony. Then I posted “we’re going to need your help bringing a trophy back” on the wall of a teammate I was worried might not make it down there. Then I went to Bardog, unfortunately forgetting to check my email one more time before leaving.

Team president Moody was already at Bardog. “That’s weird,” I thought. “After the cooks, isn’t the team president the most important team member to have at judging?” And then I thought, “Why are several of my other teammates here as well?”

“Did you get my email?” Moody asked. “We couldn’t get the cooker up to temperature last night. We didn’t know that the cooker we had was only designed for warm weather. It’s never been in the 50s for long periods of time at any BBQ Fest we’ve done. So we just didn’t know. We couldn’t serve the judges undercooked pork, so we had to serve them nothing.” That was disappointing to hear. We’ll be getting a new smoker. The good news was, the cooks had got the temperature up by 11 or so, so there would be food for the team to eat.

Seeing no rush to get down there, I ordered some PBRs at Bardog and caught up with bartender Panda, who had been in our booth for a while Friday night. Then about 12:15 I got a call. “Hey Paul, do you know there are only two people down here?” she said. “Just John D and me.” Well, that’s not good. You don’t want that few teammates there, to avoid situations where moochers try to come in and steal bottles of liquor or T-shirts. I tabbed out and hurried down there.

By the time I got there a few more people had showed up and were working to get the food situation going. Our board member Frank was manning the grill, along with two guys who weren’t even on the team (but I hope they are next year) but just wanted to help out. Also, the team member who called me to come down to the park was busy making burgers. I’m not going to call them out by name here (although I may later on Facebook) but they know who they are and their hard work was definitely noted and appreciated.

I do want to thank Bones and Dennis who came over from Squeal Street to take a look at the grill. They noticed there was a lot of ash in the bottom and showed us how to get it out. They said it was a possible cause of our temperature issues. Squeal Street offered their help all throughout the festival if we needed it. Maybe we should have taken them up on it earlier than Saturday.

Food came out, and the mood in the tent lightened. We cooked everything in the refrigerator. I got a plate of pork shoulder and a burger and caught up with our inspirational leader/father figure on a few things that happened in the tent Thursday and Friday night. The weather in the park was much cooler than I expected – WeatherBug showed a high of 69, so I walked down there only in a T-shirt and shorts. However, the temps most of the days were in the 50s, dropping to the low 50s by the time the sun went down. I was cold but determined to have a good time. At least the booth had a second story to cover us if rain came through. I drank and dance right until we were kicked out of the park at 10.

By 10 it was lightly raining. I had no choice but to walk north and deal with the rain. Squeal Street’s booth, which had not yet been shut down was on the way out and I stopped for some bites of lasagna with Bones and Leigh, the last two members of that team left standing. One last great BBQ Fest memory. Then it was time for the cold walk home.

You can see the pics here.

Saturday night I had to walk home from the south end of the park, which is about a mile. The high had been predicted to be 69, which sounded like T-shirt and shorts weather to me, so I didn’t take a jacket. However, the temps barely made it to 60 all day, and as I walked out it was 54 and raining. By the time I got to the top of the hill I was soaked. “I hope I don’t get sick,” I thought.

Yesterday I seemed fine for most of the day, but about 7:00 I brought home Chinese food and couldn’t eat but a few bites of it. I felt funny and went on to bed. I woke back up a few minutes after 11 PM with chills, runny nose, coughing, fever in the 100-101 range – all the symptoms of a common cold. By 6:30 I had not been able to get back to sleep. So I emailed my co-workers, took some NyQuil, and finally got to sleep.

Some of you have sent me pics of construction and of the Best Booth trophy presentation. I will try to get those up this week. I will do a Saturday recap too. Saturday took some unexpected turns. Right now though I just want to get back to bed. Needless to say I will NOT be going out anywhere tonight.

… but too tired to do a post this morning. Sorry but the Saturday recap will have to wait.

I’ll be at Bardog if anyone needs me.