Not Black Maxed Out Yet!

I made it out to see Black Max at Otherlands for their show February 27th. I would have gone anyway, but the short (and I mean short!) film they did to promote the show sent me over the edge…I just had to be there.

And per the usual, they did deliver. Frontman (and sinister-looking top-hat wearer) Keenan Sloan takes this making music business very seriously and puts a percentage far greater than 100 into this Black Max thing, and his drive very obviously rubs off on his bandmates who give equally to the cause. The chemistry of this group is potent.

Yes, I’m gushing a bit here.

And IF indeed you have not seen Black Max, you may also not be aware of the powerhouse vocalist that is Annie Freres. Just do yourself a favor and be at their next show, okay? In the meantime, meander over to http://www.blackmaxband.com and acquaint yourself.

Playing with them that night was Tiffany Harmon (no stranger to this blog, is she?) whose song “The Curse” is the only song I know of to include toy piano and kazoo…and Nashville pop-rockers The Usual. Yes, a rock band at Otherlands. Not just that, a rock band at Otherlands who dared to cover both The Beatles AND Sir Mix-A-Lot. Let the head-scratching commence.

Hey, speaking of Tiffany…you might be interested to know that she’s recruited the guys in Other Stories to back her from time to time. For now, they’re booking as “Tiffany Harmon & Other Stories” so keep your eyes peeled for that as well.

When Bloggers Get Busy…

Friday the 13th…an unlucky day for some, a big movie night for others…but for me, I had a blast. I hit not one, not two, but three gigs this night! It’s certainly a record for me.

I started my evening at Central Barbecue on Summer Ave. It used to be a Red Lobster, and is a big building. Apart from their excellent barbecue nachos, I went there to see the legendary Van Duren play. Van’s been a part of the musical landscape here in Memphis since the Seventies, when he ran around with the guys in Big Star and released his own seminal album, Are You Serious? (which, last year, was re-released here in the States). The man has a great voice for pop, and can handle the songs of geniuses like Nick Lowe and Neil Finn just as readily as he performs his own well-crafted compositions. He plays Central every Friday night, at least for now, and is working on a new record as we speak!

I got back into Midtown just in time to catch the outstanding Two Way Radio at Ardent Studios as part of a webcast series. The octet (how many times do you get to use THAT descriptive?) played music from their upcoming second album as well as a couple from Residential Llama – most notably the insanely funny and biting “Carrie Rodgers”.

Off I ran, after the Ardent session…on to Cooper-Young for a show at the Young Avenue Deli. My friends in Black Max were doing a radio show with the assistance of Freakengine, a local comedy troupe. Also performing were Star & Micey (signed to Ardent’s new label venture) and the Yazoo Shakes. Black Max, as always, put on a really fun and engaging show and know how to involve the audience – a spontaneous waltzing contest? If that’s not entertainment, I don’t know what is! I didn’t manage to stay for their entire set as, by this time, I was pooped!

It was a fantastic night, though.

Summing Up the Recent…

Busy times, friends, busy times.

Along with performing my own shows – for the record, you absolutely must catch Black Max live – I’ve been a veritable man about town post-holiday.

Last Friday night I attended the relaunch party for LiveFromMemphis.com, which has become almost an institution round town in its spreading of the gospel of this crazy, disjointed musical landscape. I met a couple of really cool folks – finally met Nancy Apple! – and enjoyed what I saw of the newest incarnation of the site. What I do with this humble blog is nothing compared to the phenomenal work of Christopher Reyes and crew, so please acquaint yourself with their work today.

Oh, and I got to have a look at some of the cover art for the upcoming Original Cyndi cd…it’s gonna make you wanna dig that Commodore 64 back out and party like it’s 1983.

Two amazing acts that I’ve caught during open mic night at Republic Coffee that you really must check out – the intimately mellow Other Stories (their MySpace) and Michelle Bush (and here’s her MySpace). Video of the latter forthcoming…and in a somewhat-related bit of news, Davy Ray Bennett (the man with the hat and the song about the Fireball) is playing the P&H tomorrow night, so get your happy ass off the couch and support the man.