Paul Ryburn's Journal

We lost two Memphis legends over the weekend. Blues, soul and R&B singer Bobby “Blue” Bland passed away at the age of 83. Bland was a member of the Blues Hall of Fame (inducted 1981) and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (inducted 1992).

This morning, one of the biggest names in Memphis wrestling, Jackie Fargo, died at the age of 85. Fargo held many tag team titles in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. He was the originator of the “Fargo Strut,” and he served as a mentor to younger wrestlers including Jerry Lawler, Steve Keirn, and Stan Lane.

The Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission recently sent a letter to bars telling them to stop serving infused drinks. This would include sangria and other beverages infused with fruit, bacon-infused martinis, and vodka infused with candy. The law has been on the books since 2006 but up until now has not been enforced. Pretty stupid law if you ask me.

Speaking of the ABC, I know for a fact they’ve been sending people to Memphis bars recently who are underage or have expired IDs. Be extra careful if you’re a server or bartender.

If you’re a server looking for a job, Trolley Stop Market is hiring. They’re looking for people who are happy, energetic, and punctual. If interested apply in person after 2 PM any day this week. The market is on Madison in the Edge neighborhood. Their food is great and from what I hear, the place stays pretty busy, so it would likely be a good place to work.

My friend Air Traffic Mike, pictured here celebrating Tube Top Month, gave me a good tip that I thought I’d pass along. He went to George Paul’s Last Call, which is the back bar of Blues City Cafe on Second Street. It shares a menu with Blues City. Air Traffic Mike ordered a grilled cheese off the kids’ menu and dipped it in chili. Mmmm that sounds good.

Beer news: The Cash Saver on Madison is having a beer and hot sauce tasting from 4:30 to 6:30 PM this afternoon. Customers will get to try free samples of Brooklyn Brewery beers as well as Crazy Good Hot Sauce. Of course, the beer tasting is 21 and up, so bring your ID. Free hot sauce? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.

Photos from the Memphis to Moore event have been posted. I managed to avoid the camera, which is the way I like it.

The Majestic Grille is closing at 2 today for a private event and will not be open for dinner.

That’ll wrap it up for now. Plan for tonight: Drink $3 draft beers, probably while being stared at.

In my Saturday post, I forgot to blog about the excellent late-night snack I had Friday. More and more City Market is becoming my go-to place for food – according to Foursquare I’ve been there 21 of the past 60 days. Last week they added a new summer item which is excellent. The curry chicken boti roll with yogurt Raita is available in their grab & go cooler. Really, really tasty. A little spicy but not too much, and that yogurt for dipping is out of this world.

Save the date for next Sunday: On June 30 Kooky Canuck will have its annual Canada Day celebration. They’ll have $3 Canadian bottled beer and $4 Forty Creek whisky, along with a Canadian food menu. This is one of the best days of the year at Kooky. There will be lots of people in Canadian colors and jerseys and the event will be hosted by honorary Canadian consul to Memphis B. Lee Mallory. If you want to participate in the poutine-eating contest, sign up here.

A friend of mine who lives near the Riverside/Georgia intersection asked me to post a link to this website. Apparently a number of residents in that area oppose the variance that is being requested to re-zone 666 Riverside Drive, fearing it will detract from the beauty of the area and decrease property values. They believe that a storage facility and a drive-thru window will harm the character of the neighborhood. I have no dog in this fight and don’t live in the area, just posting the link at the request of a friend.

It’s time for the random pro wrestling video of the week. This week it’s Famous Pipe Bombs. It’s about 13 minutes and includes:

• Joey Styles goes off on “sports entertainment” and the WWE style of announcing on WWE Monday Night Raw
• “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner, on an episode of WCW Monday Nitro, bashes Ric Flair. Then he tells people to change the channel and watch Stone Cold on WWE, and finishes by saying WCW sucks.
• Paul Heyman blasts Vince McMahon about running all the local promoters out of business
• Kevin Nash calls Scott Hall a drunk on WCW Monday Nitro
• C.M. Punk calls Jeff Hardy a drug addict and tells Hardy he’s going to lose to Punk. Hardy goes on to lose to Punk, and a couple of years later, gets arrested on felony drug charges and does jail time.
• A couple of clips of The Rock

In other pro wrestling news… former WWF champion The Iron Sheik is putting together an Indiegogo campaign. He wants to crowd-fund $100,000 to create a documentary about the career of the Iranian legend. Donate here or else you are the jabroni like the Virgil and the Tito Santana.

Last night a bunch of us gathered at Blind Bear for our friend Misty’s birthday. Here are a few pics.

(Edit: Dammit WordPress, you broke image upload with the latest release! I can still FTP them to my site and insert from URL, but what a pain.)

Misty and the Nuh-Uh Girl

Okay, people, take notes. This is how it’s done. TUBE TOP DRESSES.

South Side Supper Club. It was my first time hearing this band perform and they are a natural fit for a speakeasy environment.

The Nuh-Uh Girl wishes Misty would hurry up and finish blowing out the candles so she can have some cupcakes to eat.

After multiple PBRs and shots of Fireball, by midnight I was DONE. I wished Misty a happy birthday, thanked host Chad for a wonderful party, and made my way home. Thank goodness I know when it’s time to hit the off switch. I don’t try really hard to stay out and end up puking on myself while sitting on a bar stool or getting thrown out of multiple bars in one night. Most of all, thank goodness I don’t get behind the wheel after 12-13 hours of drinking and endanger the lives of others. For those who do engage in such behavior, here’s a list of AA meetings today in Memphis.

And now it’s Sunday Fun Day. I don’t know if this Sunday will be like the last one, but if it works out that way, this is what Pete will be thinking:

That’ll do it for now. Happy Sunday Fun Day!

Before I get started with today’s news, I want to share a story. Last night I was hanging out at the Flying Saucer (shocking, I know), standing in my usual spot. There was a couple in the first two seats at the bar, and after a while they came over and introduced themselves. “Are you the blogger?” they asked. “We relocated to Memphis from San Diego. We decided to move Downtown because of your blog, and a lot of the things we do down here are things you recommend on your blog.”

That absolutely made my day. Getting feedback like that means so much more to me than winning Best Blog poll awards. From time to time I get asked if I get paid to write this blog. I do not. I write this blog because I have lived Downtown since February 2002 and love it down here. Great shopping, great dining, great entertainment… but more importantly, it’s the people I have met over the past 11 years that make Downtown a home to me. In this blog I try to share why I like Downtown so much through my own personal experiences. When, through doing that, I convince cool people to come down here to live or to have fun, it makes me very happy.

Oh, and one more thing… there’s excellent tube top watching Downtown. Don’t want to leave that out.

One piece of advice for newcomers to Downtown and to Memphis: Go to a Memphis Redbirds game. AutoZone Park is consistently named as one of the best, if not the best, ballparks in the minor leagues, and some of the park’s facilities (for example the huge video board) make major-league teams jealous. An 8-game homestand opens tonight with a game against the Iowa Cubs at 6:05. There will be fireworks after the game. Gates open at 4:50 and Christian rock band Satellites & Sirens performs on the plaza at 5. Fact about AutoZone Park: It is the only ballpark in the minor leagues where the hot dog is not the top-selling food item; here, BBQ nachos outsell hot dogs.

What’s happened to the Memphis Farmers Market calendar? They used to have detailed announcements of live music, featured produce, and other entertainment for each Saturday. Now it’s just generic “Market Day” listings.

Double J Smokehouse and Saloon is having more fun stuff on their patio tonight. The Eddie Smith Band will play in the parking lot from 8 to 12, and cornhole boards will be out.

If you want to work in the arts, Opera Memphis is looking for a marketing coordinator.

Plans for today: I’ll start off at Panda’s bar at Bardog as usual at 11 AM. Tonight should be fun. A friend is having a birthday party at the Blind Bear, and looking at the Facebook list of who’s attending, it’s more or less the people who used to play trivia as the Rapscallions plus the people who play poker at the Downtown bars. I’m one of several people who bridges both of those crowds, so it should be a fun night indeed.

Lots of good stuff today. Let’s get to it.

There will be a puppy pool party this Saturday from 11 AM to 2 PM at The Barking lot, at the corner of Main and Jefferson. It’s a benefit for Mid-South Spay & Neuter Services, and official vendor Memphis Dawgs will accept “Tips for Snips” donations. In addition to the pools, there will be lickable ice sculptures for the doggies as well.

The Orpheum will show classic movie Casablanca tonight at 7 on the big screen. Come early for a talk about the movie by film historian Vincent Astor. Astor’s book about Memphis movie theatres will be out this fall.

The Grizzlies are holding an Open House at the FedExForum tomorrow from 10 to 2. Test-drive seats if you’re thinking about buying season tickets. First 200 through the door get a “Believe Memphis” headband. If you purchase season tickets tomorrow, you’ll get a tour of the Grizzlies locker room. There will be free parking in the Toyota Parking Garage.

Local craft brewery High Cotton Brewing has a website that is worth checking out if you’re a beer lover. Learn about the types of beer they brew and where you can find it. I love good beer almost as much as I love tube tops.

Next Friday, Elmwood Cemetery is hosting a What a Way to Go tour. You’ll hear about Memphians famous not only for the lives they led, but for how they passed away. Tour cost is $20.

From Mashable: This watch will tell you when it’s time to stop drinking.

That’s the news for now. Happy weekend everyone.

Three great Memphis restaurants have gotten even better this week. Chef Jason Doty of Bluff City Bakery announced he’s now baking for Bardog Tavern, Aldo’s Pizza Pies, and Slider Inn. Follow the Chef on Twitter at @CraveMemphis.

The Memphis Flyer published its list of 10 free things to do this summer yesterday, and a writer uncovered a hidden gem of Downtown that even I didn’t know about. There’s a workshop at 645 Marshall, Saint Blues Guitar Workshop, where you can watch guitars being built. These guitars are used by notables such as Eric Gales and MGMT.

There will be a house party at the James Lee House, 690 Adams, on Monday, July 1 from 4 to 6 PM. The party is to celebrate the renovation of the property into the James Lee House bed and breakfast. Mayor Wharton, councilman Lee Harris, and the house’s new owners will be there. You can park for free one block north at Poplar and Orleans, and there will be entertainment and refreshments. Free food? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.

The MBJ has a good article on the new Belle Diner in the old Rio Loco space on Union. They’re currently serving Southern lunch dishes from scratch at under $10. They plan to expand to dinner later this month, and possibly Saturday and Sunday brunch. As much as they can, they shop locally for ingredients.

Tonight’s movie in the Orpheum Summer Movie Series is The Philadelphia Story, a 1940 movie starring Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and James Stewart. Start time is 7 PM.

The weekly Peabody rooftop party tonight will have The Millionaires with special guest Capitol Cities as entertainment. They’re going with a Mexican theme this week, with a fajita bar on the buffet and chicken and cheese enchiladas, a taco bar, chips and queso fresco on the buffet in VIP. The drink special is Cruzan passion fruit rum ($4) and the Budweiser sampling in VIP will be Woodchuck cider.

Also tonight, the Rebel on Beale concert series starts its season with Emerson Drive.

This is not a Downtown job, but I’ll mention it because I’ve heard it is a great place to work. Running Pony, a video production and post-production company, is hiring a writer/director/producer for commercials and corporate videos. They’re a fun place with annual opportunities to volunteer, annual fun days, opportunities to travel, and free snacks. Free snacks? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will apply.

Thanks to MemphisWeather.net I now know what an outflow boundary is.

I’ll probably lead off at Silly Goose again tonight after work. Last night Jessica had a tube top on as she bartended and that’s definitely the type of attire I want to encourage. I’ll be out about 5:30. Later in the evening I’ll hit the other usual bars.

All right folks, we have ourselves a slow news day here. I’ll post what I’ve got but this won’t be long.

If you live in Memphis and fly at all, you should consider signing up for Southwest Airlines’ Rapid Rewards program. Southwest is considering a big move into the Memphis market, and one of the ways they gauge interest is by how many people in zip codes around the airport sign up for Rapid Rewards. Let’s let Southwest know they are wanted here, and maybe we’ll finally get reasonably-priced flights out of Memphis International. If you post about Rapid Rewards on social media, use the #MEMLUV hashtag which is another way for Southwest to track.

The Corked Carrot, the cupcake and wine bar at 314 S. Main, has announced WineAfterWork Wednesday. They will have half-price Conundrum wines from 5 to 7 PM, with radio’s Steve Conley as your host.

Don’t forget that TUG’s on Mud Island is donating 10% of recepits to the Hospitality HUB today. Grab you a good meal and help an organization that gives a hand up to those in need.

The Brass Door has $5 well martinis all day in celebration of National Martini Day.

That’s all I’ve got. I’ll probably change things up today after work and lead off at the Silly Goose in hopes of seeing some tube tops on the patio. Over and out, and maybe I’ll do a second post if the rest of the day proves more newsy.

There’s a new Monday night poker game at The Mad Earl, the new sports/dive bar next to the Brass Door. I didn’t find out about it until very last minute yesterday, so I was unable to attend. However, my friend Dennis did, and these are the details he gave me.

• Free to play
• Two games at 6:30 and 8:30
• $40 Harrah’s credit to the winner of each game plus other prizes. There was a pic of the 8:30 winner holding an Amazon gift card on the bar’s Facebook page.
• Dennis got a $10 bar tab for coming in second at the 6:30 game
• Three people from the River Rat Rounders run the game: One to keep time, one to run the first table, one to run a second table if needed. The River Rat Rounders are the same people who run the game at Jack Magoo’s.
• 15-minute blind structure
• Latecomers allowed in the first hour of the game only
• Two decks are used to keep things moving fast
• Players earn points in a 12-week league; league grand prize is a buy-in for a poker tournament in Tunica

(Mad Earl: If I have any of this incorrect let me know)

Sounds good. If they can get games done in two hours, that will be very well-received among a lot of the Downtown poker players. A lot of the existing bar games let latecomers in for nearly two hours and it makes the games take too damn long. I don’t know if I’ll play at Mad Earl much since Monday is Pint Nite at the Saucer, but I may show up there occasionally.

I commented on Facebook last night that if I ran a poker night, I’d give 5000 in extra starting chips to females in tube tops.

Next door at the Brass Door, they will be showing the USA vs. Honduras soccer match tonight at 8. Thursday they will have jazz saxophonist Carl Wolfe and The Little Big Band, and they will have jazz alternating Thursdays after that.

Food truck alert: The Memphis Business Journal reports that a mobile juice bar will soon be on the streets of Memphis. It will sell smoothies and juices.

Muck Sticky is having a pajama party at the New Daisy this Saturday starting at 7. He is celebrating his 4000th consecutive day in pajama pants (not the same pair the entire 4000 days though). He will play an extra long set, and Taco and the Mofos and the Flaming Death Fearies will also perform.

Also on Saturday, Shelton Clothiers will celebrate its 8th birthday with a fundraiser. A $5 donation to Mended Little Hearts of Memphis gets you BBQ, beer/wine, and live music. Mended Little Hearts is a nonprofit that helps families of children with congenital heart disease.

Revised total is in for the Memphis to Moore fundraiser: $34,000 raised for the Moore, Oklahoma Public Schools in cash and in-kind donations. That’s not bad for a fundraiser put together in only 17 days. It’s still not too late to donate, and you can do it here.

The Majestic Grille will be closed 4 to 6 this afternoon for a memorial service. The restaurant will re-open for normal business at 6:30.

Plans for tonight: I’ll most likely play the Blind Bear’s 8 PM poker game tonight, with a few pre-poker beers at Flying Saucer beforehand. Just a typical Tuesday.

On Sunday, June 23, the Green Beetle will host a fundraiser for Friends for Life from 3 to 7 PM. The party will be called the Red Party. A $10 donation gets you a well drink, a red velvet cupcake, and a chance to win a door prize. The Chris Hill Band will provide the live music, and the Amurica photo booth will be there. Friends for Life supports Memphians suffering from AIDS and their caregivers. Suggested attire for the event is anything red (FFL’s suggestion) and in particular red tube tops (my suggestion).

The Redbirds got into a brawl over the weekend at Albuquerque, with multiple players on both sides ejected.

The state has pulled money meant for a bike and pedestrian trail on the riverfront, due to a lack of progress being made on the project. That’s a shame.

South of Beale will be closed until Wednesday for kitchen repairs.

Job hunters with a background in music: The Memphis Symphony Orchestra is seeking an orchestra personnel manager.

Jerry “The King” Lawler has announced his museum is moving to Tunica.

We had a celebrity Downtown yesterday. South Jersey celeb Splitty the Maul, pictured at center below, is vacationing in Memphis. Splitty is a frequent guest on Air Traffic Mike’s blog. Splitty visited the Majestic Grille, the Silly Goose, and the Flying Saucer.

We played several games of pool at the Saucer, and our friend Pete continued his tradition of losing to me multiple times. It’s the first time we’ve done pool at the Saucer in several months, and it was a lot of fun. Later in the day I played poker at the Blind Bear, where the final two were kitchen manager Michael Bean and the Nuh-Uh Girl. Bean won, but since he is an employee he’s not eligible for the prize and the Nuh-Uh Girl won it. I’m sure she’s thinking about all the food she plans to buy with that gift card.

I’ll be back at the Saucer about 5:45 for Pint Nite, most drafts on the tap wall $3. Stops after that TBD.

Last night was the Memphis to Moore fundraiser put on by Moore, Oklahoma native Angela Copeland, Red Rover, and the Westin Hotel. The party was in the Westin Ballroom on the second floor. First time I’ve ever been in the ballroom and it was a fun, fun time. There was music and dancing, and I got to hang out with my friends and see some friends I hadn’t seen in years. Several of the ladies in attendance took my tube top/tube top dress suggestion for attire.

There was also a silent auction, with my BBQ teammate AnnMarie overseeing the room. I bid on a Blind Bear gift card (talk about an item I know I can use!) and a Grizzlies backpack, but got outbid for both.

Food from Bleu was served at several stations. One station had turkey, pork tenderloin, and trimmings. Another station was a build-your-own pasta bar, similar to the one Shorty used to have at the Silly Goose. There was also a dessert station. The Nuh-Uh Girl was all over the pasta bar and I got a few pics.

Toward the end of the party there was a check presentation. It was estimated that Memphis to Moore had raised $25,000 to help rebuild the Moore, Oklahoma public schools that were damaged/destroyed by tornadoes. Congratulations to Angie and all involved on a job well done. If you missed the party but still want to donate, you can do so on the Memphis to Moore website.

There will be a parking lot party tomorrow afternoon, Saturday, June 15, in the parking lot next to Double J Smokehouse and Saloon. The party will benefit the Streetdog Foundation. Live music and a cornhole tournament. Roser from the Chris Vernon Show on 92.9 ESPN will be the emcee. This is one of those “tube topportunities” that I talk about from time to time.

The Downtown Memphis Dishcrawl scheduled for June 26 sold out in only 10 days. Due to demand, a second Downtown Dishcrawl has been planned for July 10. Dishcrawlers get to experience food from four unique Downtown dining spots. The planners won’t reveal the restaurants in advance, but the wording of the announcement suggests that all four restaurants are in the Downtown core. Paticipants will get an email 48 hours in advance notifying them of the meeting spot. Follow @dishcrawlmem for hints about the restaurants and news on future Dishcrawls.

The Grizzlies are hiring for their street team. This team promotes the Grizzlies at events and festivals around town, handing out Grizzlies swag and often working with Grizz the mascot and the Grizz Girls dance team. If you’re looking for an entry-level marketing gig, this would be a lot of fun. Must be able to work evenings and weekends. This is part-time gig.

The Samsung/Apple story I reported in my lunchtime post is false. Thanks to Otto for sending me the Snopes.com link debunking this.

A Code Orange Ozone Alert has been issued for Saturday. That means trolley and MATA bus rides will be 25 cents.

From Gizmodo: How to make layered drinks

Heading out for a couple of pre-party beers, then on to Memphis to Moore. Hope to see you this evening!