Paul Ryburn's Journal

Lots to do tonight. Let’s take a look at what’s going on…

The Main/Peabody Place block party is tonight, with live music by 2 bands and specials by many of the stores and restaurants within that block. Complete list of specials can be found here. Block party is from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. Ladies, it’s going to be an extremely hot day, so a tube top would be an excellent choice of attire to keep cool.

What to do after the block party ends? Well, there are two rooftop parties going on. Rusty Lemon with the Carolina Liars play the Peabody rooftop. Cover is $10 tonight, ladies free until 8 PM.

Over at the Madison, the Dempseys will play. $7 cover, cash bar, tapas menu.

An alternative to the rooftop parties is the first night of KIX 106 Country on Beale, with Bucky Covington and Randy Houser tonight.

What to do post-rooftop? Well, it will be a big night at the Red Rooster, because it’s their “You Got the Look” contest finale tonight where they will choose their “Chicklette of the Year.” Contest winner will receive a $1500 prize trunk including gifts from Wink Boutique, Sephora, Platinum Jewelers, Lansky126, Tan-n-Go, Nail Bar, Miller Lite, and more. Gabby Johnson will be on stage. $2.50 UV Vodka drinks, $2 longnecks. Ladies get in free all night. I’ll say it one more time – because of the weekly contests, the Rooster tends to have the best male/female ratios of any of the Thursday night parties.

Another option is the Flying Saucer, where White Noise takes the stage at 9:30, $3 cover, 70 beers on draft, 125 in bottles, pool, darts, waitresses in short skirts.

And, of course, there are other local bars in the area which are fun places to hang out after the rooftop parties… Silly Goose, Automatic Slim’s, Voodoo Room in the downstairs of Orleans on Front, and Bardog Tavern are all excellent choices.

More news to report later… not sure if I’ll have time to do a post after work, but if not, I’ll get it online tomorrow.

Time to roll out another new site:

The Gladiator Sandal Boutique sells women’s gladiator sandals in all shapes, sizes, and colors… everything from flat gladiator sandals to knee-high platform gladiator sandals.  Plenty of different brands to choose from.  You know the drill by now… done in association with Amazon.com, in an effort to organize their merchandise in this niche into a more attractive and user-friendly storefront. Amazon handles the payment and shipping, so you’re protected by their world-class secure checkout and return policies. I never see your name or credit card number; I only see a report that items were ordered and how much commission I earned.

This is the latest in my series of niche Amazon websites that all started with the Tube Top Boutique.  I have two more in development, so look for more stores soon.

I got a Facebook message from one of the Saucer managers this morning entitled “Saucer Glom” saying “The Saucer will glom on to those specials this weekend,” he said, referring to Tube Top Night Saturday at Voodoo Room.  “On Friday, anybody in togas will get free cover, and Saturday, tube tops free cover.”  I like it.  Downtown Memphis is going to be a beautiful place Saturday night.

There’s now a Tube Top Night event on Facebook that you can RSVP to.

Speaking of Facebook, does anyone know a good way to check event guest lists on an iPhone?  The mobile version of Facebook doesn’t show guest lists at all, and the full version shows the guest lists, but because they’re in a window on top of a window there’s no way to scroll.

The Music Resource Center is having their first birthday party Friday, June 26, from 6 to 9 PM.  They’re at 431 S. Main so this is a Trolley Tour event.  Free food (wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up – if I remember correctly they had quite a spread last year for their grand opening), free drinks, and live music by Good Luck Dark Star, Sore Eyes, Queens of Zion, Black Rock Revival, Battle Victorious, and Teflon Don with Young Kriss.

I’ll try to get a post up at lunchtime covering the Thursday night parties going on tonight.

Circa will be open for Father’s Day dinner this Sunday, June 21, beginning at 5 PM, and they’ll have some “manly” specials for dads: grilled porterhouse, jumbo king crab legs, and crabmeat stuffed beef tenderloin. Also, there will be no corkage fee on Father’s Day if you want to bring a bottle from home, or you can pick from Circa’s extensive wine selection. You can make a reservation here.

Circa will also have pre-theater nights for the performances of Wicked at the Orpheum. There will be a prix fixe menu with soup or salad, entree, and dessert for $40. For the Friday and Saturday evening shows, there will be reverse happy hour after the shows beginning at 10 PM – $2.50 beers, $4 wells, $5 wines and specialty cocktails.

The Young Guns, the band that absolutely ROCKED the Southern Hot Wing Festival in April, is opening for Blues Traveler at the Snowden Grove Ampitheater on June 26. More info and tickets available here. All ages, $10.

Here’s link to the MIFA No-Go Gala Cookbook. MIFA is having a gala event to raise funds, but it’s different from most events in that they’re asking people to not show up. Instead, stay home, cook a recipe from the cookbook, and send a donation. From the cookbook’s home page you can submit a secure online donation, or get a number to call to donate over the phone. You can also submit recipes for the cookbook.

I’d like to point out that tube tops are highly appropriate attire for gala events, especially ones that you don’t attend.

In the CA this morning: The UrbanArt Commission is seeking proposals to light a new bridge that will connect Confederate Park to the new law school across the street on Court. Read the article here. Proposals are due June 26.

Plans for tonight:  Probably a Happy Hour beer at the Saucer, then I’ll head to the Red Rooster for “WTF Wednesday.” 25 cent PBR and Miller Lite draft, and Bar Olympics games.

 Otto was so drunk that bobcats came jumping out of his head!

Here are some more pics:

 

Afterward, I met up with Nick, the Nuh-Uh Girl, and the Nuh-Uh Girl’s sister the Nuh-Uh Sister at Bardog.  Here’s a pic of what happened there:

Blogging from my iPhone at the Saucer as I take a break from Kooky Canuck’s 4th birthday party.

Tonight I had an idea: If you go to Kooky Canuck and Meghan waits on you, or if you go to the Saucer and Brittney waits on you, tip them 0 and write “Tip donated to www.Buy-Paul-a-Beer.net” on the receipt.

I’ll give Meghan credit for wearing a tube top tonight but she still sucks. Let’s show her what Downtown Memphis really thinks of her. Same for Brittney.

NOTE: Please only do this when they’re the only ones serving you, not when they’re pooling tips with other servers/bartenders.

The businesses in the block of Main and Peabody Place will hold the third in their series of spring block parties this Thursday, June 18 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. Free admission, and Groundspeak and Hope Clayburn and Soul Scrimmage will provide the live music. Specials include

• Majestic Grille: $4 mojitos on the patio; for dine-in, buy one appetizer, get another half-price.
• Circa: $5 appetizers, $5 featured wines by the glass, $20 bottles.
• Center for Southern Folklore: $4 peach cobbler and ice cream, $16 64 oz. Ghost River growlers.
• Shelton Clothiers will have their 4th anniversary celebration, with 20% off the entire store, excluding sale items.
• Bluefin: $12 Krono grilled beef, chicken, or shrimp with teriyaki sauce $12; $5 Bluefin Cosmo, $2 domestic beer.
• Silly Goose: $3 wells
• Chiropractic Memphis: Free chair massages
• Belz Museum of Asian and Judaic Art: $2 off admission, and 15% off any one item in the museum store
• Art Under a Hot Tin Roof is now open and will stay open late for the block party.
• RiverTown Art Gallery: Specials on Memphis prints
• The Orpheum will be there selling tickets to WICKED.

It’s going to be a hot Thursday night, so ladies, a tube top would be an excellent choice of attire to keep cool.

As for tonight, it’s going to be a very kooky evening.

Don’t forget that this Saturday, June 20, will be Tube Top Night in the Voodoo Room, in the downstairs of Orleans on Front (94 S. Front, across from the Butcher Shop). Ladies, if you wear a tube top you will get FREE Bud Light draft all night.

If you’re not into beer, they also have 51 bartender shots (which are cheap, but unfortunately not free).

Once again, only LADIES in tube tops get the free beer. Guys, don’t even try it. Last year I had to delete a few pics from TubeTopalooza to avoid ruining someone’s reputation and career. This year I’m not going to be so generous. And believe me, I will have the camera and extra batteries with me, because I hope to take many tube top pics.

There will also be a “best tube top” competition, judged by me. Winner will get a $50 gift certificate to Orleans/Voodoo.

Come hungry… Voodoo has some awesome food. I can personally vouch for the Voodoo Burger, the Mardi Gras pizza, and the fried green tomatoes. I haven’t tried the Rotel Cheeseburger pizza yet but have heard it’s great.

I have another party to go to early in the evening Saturday, so I won’t be there until about 10, but it should be a fun time for the rest of the night.

I saw this story on CNN’s website at lunchtime and it was too funny not to pass along:  Three chihuahuas cornered a full-grown cougar in a garage in Los Angeles.  Barking loudly, the tiny chihuahuas kept the 100+ pound cougar cornered for 45 minutes until animal control officials arrived.

So I guess there is good reason for them making such a racket all the time.

There are conflicting reports of what happened to the cougar once it had been trapped.  One report said it was released into the wild; a second report said it had to be euthanized; and a third report said that once released, it put on makeup and a tube top and got a seat at the bar at Spindini.

The Orpheum will show the classic movie Animal House this Friday at 7:15 PM.  Before the movie begins, there will be a Best Toga contest, judged based on audience reaction.  Winner will receive two tickets to the sold-out Eddie Vedder concert Saturday at the Orpheum.

If you’re a member of Mpact Memphis, you receive a dollar off admission to the movie.

If you bring your ticket stub to the Red Rooster after the movie Friday, you receive free cover and a special for a pizza and a pitcher for $12.

The Best Toga contest should be fun… don’t forget, however, that I’m judging a Best Tube Top contest Saturday night.  Details on that to come.