Paul Ryburn's Journal

Can we fast-forward to the second Wednesday in November PLEASE?

In 1968, a minor political party nominated a pig named Pigasus for president. It was a joke at the time, but if Pigasus ran today, I think he would get a lot of votes. That debate last night was horrible. I am SICK of both candidates.

You know what makes me really sick? On school buses across the US today, 8th-grade girls will have their vaginas grabbed at because Donald Trump gave 8th-grade boys the idea.

If you’re a fan of psychology, here are a couple of links that are worth checking out. First up is Donald Trump’s apology and patterns of abusers. Perhaps Trump’s candidacy and the ton of media attention he receives will teach all of us how to better spot psychopaths in our personal lives.

Here’s another one, written after the first debate: Ten emotional abuse tactics Trump used in that debate. Lying, denying things that were previously said or done, projection, exaggeration, yelling and shouting over, just to name a few… again, useful to keep in mind as you go about your everyday interactions.

The Commercial Appeal endorsed Hillary Clinton yesterday, calling Trump “ill-prepared and ill-suited” for the job of president.

I was told that Saturday night, there was a frat-boy type prowling around Blind Bear, thinking he was all Mr. Studly McMuffin. He saw an attractive woman he wanted to meet. His opening line? It was not a line at all. He walked up to her, took a condom out of his pocket, and handed it to her. “Well, I guess we now know what was taught at Trump University,” I commented when I heard about it the next day.

Okay, on to the news… Downtown Dining Week has been announced for November 7-13. During this week, Downtown restaurants offer special dinner menus for $20.16 and some offer lunch menus for $10.16. In many cases, these are incredible values. Here’s a list of participating restaurants for 2016.

A couple of pro tips about Downtown Dining Week. First of all, reservations will fill up fast at the most popular places. If you know you want to have dinner at, say, Felicia Suzanne’s or Chez Philippe or McEwen’s that week, I would suggest going ahead and calling and making reservations now. Don’t even wait for the menus to be published; the most popular dates and times will be filled already. If the restaurant ends up publishing a menu you don’t like, just call them back and cancel.

Secondly, when you go in for dinner, please remember that it is the busiest week of the year for the people serving you. Allow a little extra time for your food to come out, be nice to them, and when you leave a tip keep in mind that you may be eating a meal that would normally be valued at more like $30 or $35 than $20.16.

The Downtown Neighborhood Association’s October meeting on Tuesday the 25th is going to be a good one. The speaker will be Congressman Steve Cohen. He will give DNA members an update about what is happening around the Ninth District. The meeting will be at the Arcade at Main and G.E. Patterson with social at 6:00 and presentation at 6:30.

Steve, if you’re reading this (and I know you do check in from time to time), THANK YOU for being a role model of how a politician should conduct himself or herself. There are plenty of people in elected office or running for office that could stand to learn from your example.

West Memphis will build a 5-mile long river walkway that will meet up with Big River Crossing, the new pedestrian walkway over the Mississippi scheduled to open on the 22nd.

High Ground News reports that South City development should get underway by year’s end. The last 20 percent of Foote Homes residents are being relocated, and the plan is to demolish Memphis’ last housing project in December.

The sixth edition of Drafts and Laughs has been set for the Memphis Made taproom on Thursday, October 20. Entry is $20 and the show is put on by Comma Comedians.

If you have Nestle Drumsticks ice cream cones in your freezer, you should probably throw them out. Drumsticks have been recalled because of listeria concerns.

That’s it for now. I’ll be out for happy hour at Melissa Monday at Bardog after work.

Very cool news for Downtown grocery shoppers: Superlo on the Go is coming to 552 S. Main later this year. The concept is that you order your groceries online, then the next day you drive to the market, call the number as you pull up outside, and they bring your groceries to the car.

We’re going back to the days of grocery clerks. Superlo on the Go is the anti-Piggly Wiggly.

Lindsey Stirling performs tonight at 8 (Edit: at the Orpheum! Forgot the location!). She is a classically trained violinist who has managed to blend Celtic folk and modern classical music with electronic dance music. In 2014 she won a Billboard award for “Top Electronic/Dance Album,” and the album appeared on both the electronic and the classical charts. Sounds like this is going to be an extremely creative, think-outside-the-box show.

WEVL 40 Fest happens at Loflin Yard from 3 to 10 today.

A new audiotape of Donald Trump having a jocular conversation has surfaced. On the set of Days of Our Lives where Trump was doing a cameo, he told a man that his celebrity status allowed him to get away with a lot. He said he “just starts kissing” women and “I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything.” Later he admitted a failed seduction attempt. “I did try and fuck her. She was married.” Republican women reading this blog: HOW IN THE WORLD CAN YOU VOTE FOR THIS MAN??? This is the person you believe has the temperament to be the leader of the free world, with the nuclear codes? You don’t think Putin would send women over to seduce him? (Not that Putin hasn’t pretty much seduced Trump on his own already.)

Predictions
“A genius at pussy grabs”-Rudy
“A dutiful man, taking woman to shop”-Falwell
“He didn’t say that”-Pence https://t.co/2dgAGoYFMG

— Andrew Kirell (@AndrewKirell) October 7, 2016

Good news about a local company: Memphis MMA group V3 is being acquired by Alliance MMA. Alliance was formed in 2015 to create a feeder system for the larger promotions like UFC and Bellator.

Now here’s a fine life hack: Create fake contacts to prevent your phone from autocorrecting “fucking” to “ducking.” Pretty ducking clever. Oops!

Race for the Cure happens in Memphis later this month. Thousands will depart from AutoZone Park at 9 AM on Saturday, October 29 in an effort to raise $1 million toward breast cancer awareness.

Farmers Market is first up for me today, Blind Bear to kick off the Texas A&M game, and I’ll play it by ear for Arkansas-Alabama. Happy Saturday!

I asked @memphisweather1 (MemphisWeather.net) if he had any good sites or Twitter handles to follow to keep up with the latest on Hurricane Matthew. He said not specifically, but subscribing to his national-weather Twitter list is a good way to keep up with Matthew coverage on that medium.

I have several friends who have moved from Memphis to Charleston in the last several years. I hope you all are safe and dry!

RT @wjxt4: Animals also taking cover. St. Augustine Stork inside a bathroom. #HurricaneMatthew pic.twitter.com/q6owoWYMO6

— Jesse Ferrell (@Accu_Jesse) October 7, 2016

Legendary BBQ restaurant Cozy Corner is set to reopen in its original location on N. Parkway tomorrow.

There will be two free concerts tomorrow, Saturday, October 8, at Bass Pro at the Pyramid as part of their Flocktoberfest waterfowl hunting event. At 6 PM Jason Pritchett takes the stage. He’s a rising country star who was on America’s Got Talent. Sugar Ray follows him on stage at 8.

More good news about the Sinners for Saints Ball happening at Stop 345 on Saturday, October 29. With all-you-can-drink beer, wine, mixed drinks, punches, and craft Jello shots on the menu, sooner or later there are going to be trips to the restroom. At peak time the lines got long last year – I stood in line for about 15 minutes a little after 1:00 at the last Sinners for Saints party. They have recognized that this was an issue and this morning DJ Lil’ Eggroll posted that they are ordering additional porta-potties.

Free cookies!

National cookie day come to Tuscany Italian eatery 116 S. Front St. ask for a smile you will get a free smile cookie. #TuscanyEatery pic.twitter.com/9ddKCxtpWY

— TuscanyItalianEatery (@tuscanyeatery) October 7, 2016

The Brass Door will show the U.S. Men’s National Team vs. Cuba (soccer) today at 3 PM.

Great news: Police in Mumbai have arrested dozens of people at a Mumbai call center. These pieces of shit called people in the US, claiming they were from the IRS and that back taxes were owed. They demanded immediate payment (which the IRS never does), sometimes asking the people they scammed to buy gift cards and then hand over the card numbers. The scammers then used the cards to make purchases. The scam netted $150,000 a day, 30% of which was sent to collaborators in the US. PRO TIP: If an IRS agent asks you to go buy a Target gift card, they’re not an IRS agent.

The oldest message in a bottle ever found was recently pulled from the Baltic Sea. It was placed in a beer bottle and thrown in the sea in 1913.

I don’t know if I have any vegetarians who read this blog daily, but if I do, South of Beale has a special today you might want to know about:

veggie stir fry special today! we’ve got swiss chard, zucchini, red peppers, green onions, garlic, quinoa, and sesame-soy vinaigrette! pic.twitter.com/3dSpaKGnuI

— South of Beale (@southofbeale) October 7, 2016

Conversation I have a feeling I will have at the Blind Bear tomorrow afternoon:

“Hey Paul, is there a Halloween party going on today?”

“I don’t think so, we’re still 23 days away. It’d be awful early.”

“Well, then why does that guy over there have that ridiculous costume on? What’s he trying to be, the legendary Great Pumpkin that Snoopy used to tell Woodstock about?”

(Looks over) “Oh, that’s just Mac. He’s a Vols fan. That’s just how they dress. He’s here to watch the Tennessee game.”

By the way, one of my favorite Texas A&M fans/alumni will be in town for one evening only tonight, and I want to make sure to let him know that I will be cheering for his Aggies Saturday afternoon! It is high time a team hung an “L” on the overrated Vols and exposed Butch Jones for the fraud he is.

For those who haven’t heard, the LSU-Florida game has been canceled due to Hurricane Matthew and will not be made up at a later date. That could create a situation where the Gators go 6-1 in conference (the loss coming from Arkansas most likely) and Tennessee goes 6-2, and the Gators win the SEC East. That would cause a lot of unhappiness in Vol land and even I would have to admit they’d have a legit reason for being upset.

That’s it for this second post of the day. Plans still tentative for this evening, but I know this much… there will be a PBR in my hand.

You gotta know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em, know when to walk away, know when to run… and if you want to hear Kenny Rogers perform his hits one last time live, you better run to the Orpheum tonight at 8 for his Gambler’s Last Deal tour. Linda Davis will be his special guest and tickets start at $52.

If you just can’t wait for turkey and dressing, you don’t have to… Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving a month and a half earlier than we do, and Kooky Canuck will observe Canadian Thanksgiving on Monday, October 10. Traditional dinners (for both lunch and dinner) will be available, and there will be bar specials for Canadian spirits.

Looking for a job? River Inn of Harbor Town is hiring for all positions at all three of its businesses: Paulette’s, Terrace at the River Inn, and Tug’s Casual Grill. Apply at the front desk and be sure to note which business you are interested in on your application. No phone calls.

“A stage show unlike anything around” is said to be coming to The Dirty Crow Inn Saturday night, as Low Society Live! plays from 9 to midnight. The duo of Mandy Lemons and Sturgis Nikidis bring a sound that is compared to 1920s Chicago jazz and blues, but fast-forwarded to today with high energy.

Memphis Made Brewing Co. will do a tap takeover at the growler station at Miss Cordelia’s and Cordelia’s table Wednesday, October 12 from 5 to 8 PM. Cordelia’s Chef Aaron will be cooking pork belly sliders. The Hot Mess food truck will be there, and The Creamery Memphis will have homemade gelato.

Hey look, Memphis made a list: A handful of cities are driving 2016’s rise in murders. Yay us.

You can say you’re in a relationship with any of your Facebook friends without their permission. When you claim such a thing, it goes to the other person’s Timeline Review, and if they approve, the relationship announcement is blasted to everyone on the other person’s friends’ News Feeds at that time. However, it gets blasted out to YOUR friends’ News Feeds immediately, before they even have a chance to approve. Have fun with that information!

Supporters of Hillary Clinton are throwing a Hilla-Rally at Loflin Yard Saturday, October 15 from noon to 2. Speakers, volunteer sign-ups, kids’ activities, information booths, food and beer.

That’s it for now, possibly another post later today.

Like live blues? You need to get down to Beale Street tonight for a FREE Road to the Biscuit blues festival. In conjunction with the King Biscuit Blues Festival happening in Helena, Arkansas this weekend, musicians and bands will perform in 14 clubs on Beale Street.

Teach the Little Brats How to Cook is the theme at this Saturday’s Memphis Farmers Market. Okay, so “Kids in the Kitchen” is the actual theme, but I am not a fan of children so I decided to improvise. Get kids familiar early on with tasks like chopping, stirring, and cruising the drive-thru at Burger King that lead to delicious autumn meals. Here’s a link to a website with kid-friendly recipes. It’s unfortunate that due to state law, I can’t introduce kids to my favorite part of shopping for fresh produce at the Market, which is walking across the street to Earnestine & Hazel’s afterward and putting away some PBR. Live music by Steve Schad 8:30-10 and Adam Levin 11-12:30. Adoptions by Real Good Dog Rescue from 9 to noon. The Market happens at the corner of Front and G.E. Patterson under the pavilion every Saturday from 7 AM to 1 PM.

Did you know that there are only 7 Markets left this season? Saturday, November 19 is the last one, so make plans to get down and see your favorite farmers and vendors one last time while you still can. November 19 is the day after my birthday, and I already have plans to have an AWESOME birthday weekend at the Market and nearby bars!

After that, the Farmers Market season will resume Saturday, April 1, 2017. However, there will be a special holiday market on December 10. “Hoe! Hoe! Hoe!” read the Market e-newsletter this week, and it took me a minute to realize I should have been interpreting that as a farm implement rather than reminiscing about some of the yoga pants I have seen at the Market this year. With everything from gifts to treats to dinners, the Market will be a great place to get your stocking stuffed.

The Creative Works Conference happens today through Saturday at the Halloran Centre. Creatives around the country will share what drives compelling work. Here’s the lineup.

In conjunction with the conference is the Creative Works Market from 10 to 6 today through Saturday at the Halloran Centre. You’ll be able to shop the wares of over 30 local designers, artists, and makers. You might be able to find some unique gifts and get your Christmas shopping done super early!

What University of Tennessee fans have been doing so far this fall:

don’t tell me what to do pic.twitter.com/ErAtCgQLrK

— LastGrimeyOnTheLeft (@loljocks_grimey) October 6, 2016

The Memphis in May Colombia Curriculum guide has arrived, for school teachers who wish to teach their classes about the 2017 Memphis in May honored country. Go to MiM’s education page to get a copy of the guide.

If you drink Coors Light, drink it out of the proper mug.

Damn I am in a snarky mood today.

If it’s your first time here today, keep scrolling to see what a beer/popsicle pairing looks like. Outta here for now, still plan on being at the Silly Goose for happy hour.

I thought about going to the beer/MEMpopS pairing at the High Cotton taproom last night, but being a creature of habit I was too lazy to walk any farther than the Silly Goose. A little after 7 a photo of the pairing came across my Facebook timeline, and it made me wish I had gone!

Photo credit Zack Howland; used with permission

I didn’t realize the popsicles would be IN the beer! So you get popsicle-flavored beer, and beer-flavored popsicles. That is really neat! These were the pairings:

1. Scottish Ale and Reverb coffee frozen pop
2. Hefeweizen and raspberry frozen pop
3. IPA and lime frozen pop
4. ESB and apple frozen pop

I wonder if this will become one of those events that gets repeated a few times a year. I hope so! In the meantime, the brewery’s Oktoberfest is coming up this Saturday. Free-flowing taps, some limited-release beers, traditional Bavarian fare, live music from Hiway Hi-Fi and others. Tickets $40, designated drivers $10, kids under 10 free.

That little taproom has really turned into a community gathering space and has put on some one-of-a-kind events. I wish I could spend more time out in The Edge, but…….

Never mind.

If you like beer and you like a clean, healthy environment, you should consider coming to the Clean Memphis and Project Green Fork 3rd annual fall fundraiser at the Memphis Made taproom on Wednesday, November 16 from 5:30 to 8:30. Great Memphis Made beer, food, a silent auction, and something they called a “while pull” in their Facebook event listing which I’m pretty sure is a typo and I don’t know what the correction is. $50 a ticket.

Local Memphis recently had coverage of the Flying Saucer’s presidential campaign glasses, featuring “Slick Hilly” Clinton and “Small Hands, Big Plans” Trump. The glasses have predicted the winner the past two elections, which is pretty scary considering the Trump glasses are leading by a pretty substantial margin. Saucer manager Owen was interviewed for the story.

I had one of these when I was a kid!

Family game console from JC Penney, 1976 pic.twitter.com/vQYy5pcqQh

— History In Pictures (@HistoryInPix) October 5, 2016

Coach Fiz has told Zach Randolph that he will be coming of the Memphis Grizzlies bench this season. JaMychal Green will start at power forward in his place. As much as I like Z-bo this is the appropriate move to start grooming the next generation of Grizzlies. Randolph will be going after the Sixth Man of the Year Award for 2016-17, awarded to the most valuable player who comes off the bench. The Grizzlies host the Atlanta Hawks at FedExForum tonight at 7 in a pre-season game.

Good meme I saw on Facebook: “Not knowing the truth doesn’t make you ignorant… not wanting to know the truth makes you ignorant.” Yep. Even worse is knowing the truth and purposely avoiding it because it’s inconvenient for you.

The Memphis Tigers play Temple at the Liberty Bowl at 7:00 tonight. If you’re going to the game, they are asking that you wear white to show support for your Tigers. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN, so it’s a chance to make Memphis look really good. Don’t forget, the eyes of the Big 12 may be on us.

Photo from the Blind Bear last night:

I took a photo of these two and posted it to Facebook and tagged them, but a couple of minutes later Stacey (on the right) ran over to me and said, “PAUL! That’s a horrible photo of me takeitdowntakeitdowntakeitdown deleteitdeleteitdeleteit.” They posted for another photo and she approved it. Geez. Women.

That’ll wrap it up with this morning’s post. I may be back later today. I will be doing my usual happy hour at the Silly Goose, probably with a more full crowd than usual due to people pre-gaming for the Grizzlies.

The Sinners for Saints Ball which is happening Saturday, October 29 at Stop 345 has posted a massive update as to what you can expect:

We hope you’ve got your costume picked out because we’ve got $1000s worth of prizes to give away. Not only do we have a costume contest featuring a panel of judges including some of your favorite on air personalities, DJ Lil’ Egg Roll will be hosting a late night costume karaoke contest in The Indoor Trailer Park and Voodoo Lounge. You will not find bigger prizes in town. We have gift packages from The Madison Hotel & Eighty3, The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Rizzo’s Diner, Tamp & Tap (both locations), The Blind Bear, Silly Goose, Max’s Sports Bar, SOB, Lafayette’s, Bangkok Alley, Green Beetle, Alchemy, Café Keough, Elite Men’s Health, La Hacienda, Crossfit Hit & Run, Oak Hall, The Baer’s Den, Rabata, Jerry Lee Lewis’s, Boneheads, Hi-Tone, Tony’s Trophy Room, Nail Bar, SVR Nails, Fontaine Botanic Skin Care, and MORE. Not only that, to honor this year’s fallen rock gods, I will personally give out $200 CASH for the best David Bowie or Prince costume. More details to come, but don’t wait to buy tickets they’re selling fast and last year SOLD OUT. See you in a couple weeks…

Not sure “I” is in the quote above, but to make it clear, it isn’t me. Although I consider the best Halloween party Downtown and I will be going, I am not one of the organizers.

Guess I need to buy my ticket soon… as they said, this party did sell out prior to start time.

Big River Crossing, the pedestrian path across the Harahan Bridge to Arkansas, opens Saturday, October 22. Opening will be at 1 PM, with food and live entertainment from 4 to 7, and fireworks at 7. With that being the first day of RiverArtsFest, the south side of Downtown is going to be hopping. Venues like Loflin Yard, The Dirty Crow Inn, and (if open by then) the Ghost River taproom might want to plan some fun stuff to capitalize on the large number of people who will come to the area.

It makes me a bit sad that we’re far enough into the fall that fireworks can be shot at 7 PM. A month and a day from now, we will be back on Standard Time and it will be getting dark at 5.

The Commercial Appeal’s 9:01 column has a recap of “How to Leave Your Car at Home” last night at High Cotton.

If you like to bring your dog out with you, Felicia Suzanne’s tweeted yesterday that their patio is pet-friendly.

It’s supposed to hit 90 today or tomorrow. When I taught Concepts of Numbers in the 1990s, I used weather to teach probability. I remember saying that there was an 0.7% (at the time) of a high reaching 90 in Memphis in October. What do you think the probability is in 2016? 50%? Seems like it’s hard to have an October without one day in the 90s anymore. But global warming isn’t a real thing, it’s just a myth of the “liberal media,” people claim.

Relevant story for Tennesseans: After defeating Al Gore Sr. for his Senate seat in 1970, Sen. Bill Brock faced reelection in 1976. However, it was revealed that he used tax loopholes to end up paying only about 5% in taxes in 1975. It may have been a savvy business move, but workers who made so much less than Brock were angered that he paid less taxes than they did, and they voted him out of office, electing Democrat Jim Sasser. Quite similar to the tax revelation about the Trumpster over the weekend.

Well, I wasn’t “mayor” of Rizzo’s for long. Katie (not Mac) stole it from me on Swarm last night. Congratulations to her! I am proud I got to hold that mayorship, even if only for a few days.

Heading out to run errands… I will be out at the Silly Goose for happy hour after work.

Y’all, I just had the worst nightmare ever. I dreamed that Donald Trump’s estate was undergoing renovations, so he decided he was going to be my roommate and moved in. I told him over and over again that I didn’t want a roommate and I would like him to leave, but he behaved just like real-life Trump, piling lie on top of lie and denying things he had said previously. “It’s only going to be until April,” he said. “Look, I’m already moved in, let’s just make the best of it. It’ll be terrific.” After I woke up from that dream I was afraid to go back to sleep, even though it was only 4 in the morning and I had plenty of time.

NASCAR fans: Saturday morning from 9 to 10 you will be able to meet Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Bass Pro at the Pyramid. He will make the appearance as part of Flocktoberfest, a ten day long waterfowl hunting event that will happen October 7 to 16.

With Leslie Gower having announced a move to Chattanooga at the end of this year, the Downtown Memphis Commission is seeking a new Director of Marketing and Communications.

Star & Micey will be back at Loflin Yard this Friday for a show from 9 to midnight. They recently provided live music at the yard for the Memphis Farmers Market’s fall party, Farm Fest.

This is good news for the environment. A beer company has developed six-pack rings that feed marine life rather than kill it.

The Side Street Steppers have been announced as the live music for Tacos & Tunes on Felicia Suzanne’s patio Thursday night. $2 tacos, $5 drinks.

High Cotton will host a welcome Meritan to the neighborhood party on Friday, November 11 from 6 to 9 PM. They will welcome their new neighbors down the way at 345 Adams, and renderings of the building will be shown. $10 admission gets you a pint glass and a token for a pint of one of High Cotton’s beers.

My friends in South Side Supper Club (that’s a band, not a supper club) posted some upcoming dates. In the near future is tomorrow night, Thursday, October 6, they will be at Earnestine & Hazel’s. Then on Saturday, October 15, they will play the Memphis Farmers Market. Tomorrow’s show may be a bit late for me to get all the way south, but I will DEFINITELY see you at the Market on the 15th!

Small amounts of marijuana have been decriminalized in Memphis. By a 7 to 6 City Council vote, possession of a half ounce or less of weed is now subject to a misdemeanor ticket and a $50 fine.

That’s the news this nightmarish Wednesday morning. May be another post later today.

The only vice-presidential candidate debate of the 2016 election season happens tonight. Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican Mike Pence will square off tonight at 8:00. The debate will be carried on most major networks and streamed on the New York Times website. Elaine Quijano of CBS News will moderate. This most likely won’t be the trainwreck that the first Clinton-Trump event became, but you never know…

If you weren’t at last night’s Grizzlies preseason game, you need to read this recap. In the third quarter, out of the blue, head coach David Fizdale handed Mike Conley the clipboard and told him to start coaching! Fizdale, recognizing that Conley has one of the highest basketball IQs in the league, wants the Grizzlies’ starting PG to be vocal with his teammates this season. In other news, rookie Wade Baldwin looked like a star last night, despite a few too many turnovers. If he has learned one thing in training camp, it’s “When you can get the ball to Z-bo, get the ball to Z-bo.” Not a bad thing to learn.

I posted this once before, but apparently this is a big deal, and some of my friends are really behind this event: Jennifer Westwood and the Handsome Devils play The Dirty Crow Inn tomorrow night, Wednesday, October 5, from 8 to 11 PM. I’m just going to paste the description below, borrowed from Facebook:

Jennifer Westwood cut her teeth on Detroit Gospel before hitting the gritty Detroit bars that set her career in motion. She has been a Detroit Music Award winner and nominee in several categories, and has contributed music to multiple Emmy Award winning commercials and documentaries, as well as film.

She first found confidence to consider music as a career by the encouragement of a church acquaintance, a professor of music who had previously served as ensemble choir director for the late Bishop C.L. Franklin, father of Aretha. Performing in church lead to her first work in the outside world, singing backup locally for Motown artist Carl Carlton (Bad Mama Jama). Studio work for various local artists followed, first in R & B and soul genres, followed by roots and blues. Those experiences gave her insight on the direction she wanted to embark on for her own music before leaping out on her own. It also opened doors for commercial work due to her vocal flexibility and enthusiasm.

The same enthusiasm has driven each performance — whether it has been 7 ppl, on up to 70,000. Sharing the bill with rock icon Patti Smith at the world’s largest Masonic Temple have marked a highlight of her performance career.
Jennifer has fully embraced the character and spirit of Detroit; and considers her greatest accomplishment to be creating a career in music during some of the most troubling economic times for her hometown.

There are no musical limitations with Jennifer Westwood and the Handsome Devils. The skill set and accomplishments that each member has earned helps them create a format where no style is out of bounds. Somehow, it all sounds familiar, but unique all the same. Truly a melting pot of musical ability and knowledge, the band makes a statement with each note and the sky is the limit.

Want to help be part of the solution to make Memphis Animal Services better? Plan on attending this meeting organized by TargetZero next Monday at the Central Library. It’s open to everyone interested in reducing shelter intake and increasing the number of animals saved in Memphis.

Spam email subjects get ever funnier and more creative… a pharmaceutical company informed me that I can “knock on her wet cave door ten times a night” with their bogus sexual enhancement supplement. I would like to meet the morons who fall for this marketing.

Site a co-worker showed me today: DownDetector, which lets you monitor network traffic over time for many big Internet providers and public businesses. They monitor traffic from companies like AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, Comcast, Time Warner, Vonage, Google, Cox… and also Pokemon Go. Too funny.

Keep an eye on the track for Hurricane Matthew if you have friends on the East Coast. Looks like Wilmington and Greenville, North Carolina and Norfolk, Virginia could take direct hits if the storm remains on its current track.

It’s National Taco Day, so I will say it one more time… if you have not been to Maciel’s Tortas and Tacos yet, you are missing out! Authentic Mexican food at a very good price point, and the owner and staff just couldn’t be nicer. If the unassuming storefront on Main between Monroe and Union has kept you from checking this place out, take my word for it – Maciel’s is the real deal!

I wish the tandoori truck that comes to Memphis Farmers Market would pull up in my company’s lot in Horn Lake right about now… for some reason I have a hankering for lamb kabobs over rice. Alas, but it is not to be… I am probably looking at a crappy microwave dinner from Kroger for my lunchtime nutrition. The kabobs will have to wait until Saturday. That’s all for now. I will be out at happy hour at (most likely) Blind Bear after work.

The Experience Hendrix Tour will be coming to the Orpheum Thursday, March 17, 2017. A diverse array of talented musicians will come together to celebrate the music of Jimi Hendrix. Expect renditions of Hendrix favorites including “Purple Hzae” and “Little Wing.” Tickets go on sale Friday, October 7. Visit the tour website to learn more.

Scandals and Scoundrels, a notorious tour of Elmwood Cemetery, will happen Saturday from 2 to 3:30 PM. Among the cemetery’s 75,000 residents are madams, corrupt politicians, all kinds of sinners… and not all the stories have happy endings. Learn about some of the people who brought notoriety to the Bluff City. Tickets are $15 and this is an all-walking tour. They are requesting that the tour be grown-ups only.

Saturday after the Razorbacks game in Little Rock, head coach Bret Bielema and his wife Jen flew home with offensive lineman Frank Ragnow. Ragnow’s father died shortly after the game. Bielema is a class act through and through. “I tell [parents] all the time that I will look after your son, and I mean it.” Well done, Coach B, Hog Nation is proud of you. The Razorbacks host #1 Alabama Saturday at 6 PM, with a nationally televised game on ESPN. You know Max’s Sports Bar will be packed for that one!

This isn’t Downtown news, but it’s about someone many Downtowners know so I’m including it in the blog today. The Broad Avenue Arts District made an excellent hire for the new executive director, talented artist Katie McWeeney Powell. When Katie bartended in the early days of Brass Door, I spent quite a bit of time talking to her about her art. Congratulations, Katie.

J.R. Willett’s Banjos & Bonfires returns to Felicia Suzanne’s on Thursday, November 3. There will be beer, bourbon and bites, with the beer coming from Wiseacre and the bourbon from Willett Distillery. $50 to attend.

The Daily News has an article on Artspace Lofts for which construction is now under way. The lofts will provide affordable living space for working artists, with prices ranging from $550 to $850 a month, well below the South Main market average rent.

I know I have a few readers up in Chicago, and this one’s for you: Wiseacre beer, brewed right here in Memphis, is coming to the Windy City. To celebrate, there will be a West Loop pub crawl next Monday, October 10. Tickets are $20.

Catherine and Mary’s has announced a happy hour of 4-6 PM on weekdays with drink specials and snacks. In addition, when it is a Memphis Grizzlies or Memphis Tigers game day, Wiseacre beers will be on special for $4 during happy hour.

Beer coaster etiquette

In Sunday’s post, I took a step back in time to the era of our grandmothers, when nothing was more important than good manners. For those who own PBR koozies, I demonstrated correct and incorrect use. Today I am back to address a similar issue of etiquette.

Yesterday at Bardog, Melissa brought me my mug of PBR and placed this coaster in front of me. Is it appropriate to put a delicious PBR on a coaster advertising such a terrible beer?

The answer is YES. It is appropriate.

By covering up the Coors Light logo with a considerably better beer – the best beer of all, in fact – you make the place classier. Bartenders and bar owners will appreciate you projecting their establishment in such a positive light. Putting a PBR on a Coors Light coaster (or Bud Light, Miller Lite, Michelob, etc.) is good manners.

That’s it for now, time to head in to work. Possibly another post at lunchtime.