Last night I put a dream to rest. Continue reading Spilled
Category Archives: Amurica
100 posts
I’m dedicating my 100th post to the Memphis Punk Festival. I just showed up for the opening show at Murphy’s. The crowd is high energy and ready to go. I’m here early because at 7pm I need to go visit Amurica for the Spillit slam. The theme is music, so I feel like it’s a respectable detour from the festival. Not to mention I can’t wait to tell a story. After that, all music all the time. Or something.
I’m terrified. Of the stage, not the story. I don’t have all my details hammered down but I’ve gone over the idea for almost a month. I just need to go up there and not stumble on my words. I even wore sexy underwear for luck.
The band just started up and everyone came alive. It’s superb metal. I think Spit is playing. I wanted to stay for the Cheerbleeders especially but it doesn’t look like I’ll get the chance. There’s something about scream-singing that comforts me. I want to believe I could find that thick mix of honey and gravel deep down in my own chest but I would probably giggle when I try.
And now I have a crush on the bass player. He looks like a handsome version of my 9th grade boyfriend.
Heads nodding
In approval
Bodies jitter
To the beat
Noise wavesCrashing against
Faces and walls
Excitement mixed
with body odor
and heat.
Drunk Drawers
When I first heard Drink N’ Draw I thought, “What a spectacular idea! Why didn’t someone think of this sooner!” Short answer – they did. Combining visual art and alcohol is a whole “thing” that has endless variations. And why not? Everyone derived entertainment from pencils and paper as a kid. So let’s drink ourselves back to 3rd grade and do some colorin’. Brilliant! Continue reading Drunk Drawers
An Unspecified Number of Things To Do In March
Hail to all the ice storm survivors. As a city, we get the Oscar for most-improved performance in the event of frozen water. Compared to ’94, I’m proud of Memphis and our little-salt-truck-that-could. And after that freeze, everything from here on out is practically spring. In that spirit, it’s time to knock the dust off and get out into the brisk air. A good time to scout for new hangouts, there’s no reason to break the budget before spring official kicks off. Here are my favorite places to find free-ish things happening in Memphis. Continue reading An Unspecified Number of Things To Do In March
I’ve Got Daddy Issues
I’m one of three daughters, of course I have daddy issues. It’s part of the birthright bestowed upon repressed offspring of upper middle class baby boomers. That’s just one of over 65 issues I can assign a target to. So naturally a one-man show called Daddy Issues piqued my interest. The impressive figure cut by Peter Aguero in the trailer sold me the ticket. Celebrated host of The Moth, this man is an expert storyteller with years of experience honing the craft. After going up for several Slams last season, I jumped at the chance to participate in his storytelling workshop this week. I am inspired by the phenomenon Leah Keys has created here in Memphis with Spillit. I can’t wait to hear a soliloquy based on the same concept. Continue reading I’ve Got Daddy Issues
PopUpArt.us
Last Monday I went to see a pop-up art show. I’ve heard of pop up events in larger cities. Pop up restaurants, pop up fashion shows, pop up parties, etc. A trend best exemplified by the Old Brewery experiment earlier this spring and sporadically witnessed at various Midtown venues. Memphis culture tends to run a little behind the curve, so when I heard the first pop-up Trans-American Art Tour decided to make a stop here I had to go check it out. Continue reading PopUpArt.us
Shameless Pimpin’
Today felt like August. Maybe it’s because the hot, oppressive humidity came out in full force this afternoon. It could also be the electric buzz of energy permeating downtown after the annual tribute to Elvis. I’m pretty sure it’s the heat lighting flashing in the northern sky tonight. Either way, I’m ready for September. *sigh* As Mr. Frost says, there are certainly miles to go before I sleep. Continue reading Shameless Pimpin’
August Already?
In the month of July I sort of dropped the ball on events and happenings around Memphis. Let’s face it, the month was jam-packed full of fun things to do. If you were waiting for me to tell you about them… well then this blog must be way more popular than I thought.
Anyway, I had a great time enjoying myself and writing up some of the highlights. I’m going to give you some of the events for August so you can mark your calendars and plan ahead, before The Christmas in September hits. Also at the end of this post I will announce something completely new and innovative…
Spillit Slam: Education
This past Friday there was another Spillit event held at the Amurica studio in Crosstown. I was so inspired by the one before, I set aside time to make sure I came back. I was trepidatious about this adventure but not for the usual socially-anxious reasons. I set out that night intending to tell a story. What made it so terribly hard to approach is that I had NO clue what story to tell. The theme was education. Pretty broad, pretty ubiquitous. I even got a pep talk from Jamie Harmon prior to the show about just how broad and ubiquitous the topic can be.
Basically, I should tell a story about something I’ve learned. It’s extremely fortunate I received that pep talk. Not only did it shatter the flimsy construction of a story I tried to piece together that day (a stilted retelling of how I became a pariah at Bryn Mawr) but it also made me look at myself and admit the biggest lesson I have learned recently. I decided in that moment to attempt a summation of how I learned to find success. Continue reading Spillit Slam: Education