Brains. That’s what they want. Specifically, your brains. Every year the undead hoard descends on Beale Street to wreak havoc all over the south end of Downtown. It’s the Memphis Zombie Massacre, and it’s all in good fun. Well, good and bloody fun, anyway.
WIkipedia says the first zombie walk happened in 2003 in Toronto, Ontario. The virus immediately spread, and soon zombies were roaming cities all over the world. The first Memphis Zombie Massacre happened in 2007, and the undead hoard has grown every year. In 2009, more than 400 of the groaning, shambling reanimated dead terrorized tourists and residents alike before reforming on Beale for a spontaneous dance party. The costumes ranged from the makeshift to the elaborate, and first-time zombies could get their makeup done by pros in Handy Park. Victims and zombie hunters lined the route, fleeing, being eaten, and fending off zombies with squirt guns. There was even a Zombies Anonymous booth where the terrifying revenants could seek help to kick the brain habit. And then, as soon as it had begun, it was over.
Paul Taylor’s musical career began as the “T” in DDT, the seminal Memphis thrashers who were playing the legendary Antenna club when they were barely in high school. The two “D”s, Cody and Luther Dickinson, went on to become the North Mississippi Allstars, and Taylor has become ubiquitous on the Memphis music scene. The talented multi-instrumentalist has played in dozens of bands, including Antenna Shoes, The Bloodthirsty Lovers, Big Ass Truck, The Gamble Brothers, Interrobang, and The Pirates. He produced and played nearly every instrument on his 2006 solo debut Open/Closed. Lately, he has been touring the world playing drums with girlfriend Amy LaVere. And with $5 Cover, he adds acting to his resume. One of Memphis’ great homegrown musical geniuses, Taylor shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.
It’s one of Memphis’ best-kept secrets. Tucked away on one of the most beautiful bluffs on the Mississippi, the National Ornamental Metal Museum is the only one of its kind in America. The museum features not only permanent and temporary exhibitions of the finest examples of the metalworkers’ art, it also has a working foundry with artists in residence year-round. On Repair Days weekend, the public bring in their broken and bent tools, jewelry, utensils, and every other conceivable metal object to get fixed up by some of the foremost metalsmiths in the world. It’s also a big day for students who come from all over the country to learn, network and create. Even though it may be absent from many of the guide books, the National Ornamental Metal Museum is a unique Memphis treasure.
Credits:
special thanks to:
Carissa Hussong
Mary Catherine Floyd
Leila Hamdan
Jeannie Tomlinson Saltmarsh
Jim Masterson
Jacob brown
Stan Lawler
Bob Rodgers
Gary Griffin
Mike Talbot
Charlie McKinney
Marian McKinney
Yvonne Bobo
Steven Cuzzilla
Hayden Wilson
Glen Fodale
Stephanie Ellis
Tad Pierson will take you off the beaten path in style. His American Dream Safari tour company takes tourists and locals alike to the disappearing landmarks of Memphis rock and soul in his 1955 Cadillac. His knowledge of the city’s lore is legendary, going beyond Sun Records and Graceland to take his charges to places such as the Chadic dealership where Johnny Cash’s band once worked and Willie Mitchell’s studio where Al Green cut his landmark songs of the 1970s. The tours transform the city’s history from a dull recitation of half-remembered hits to a living, breathing legacy of a culture that transformed the world. As for Peirson, the man himself is as eccentric as his automotive choices, living in a warehouse filled with restored vintage antique Airstream trailers. But that’s Memphis for you: We take all kinds here.
Beginning in the 1990s as the bassist for surf-rockers Impala, Scott Bomar has been at the forefront of Memphis music for more than a decade. The versatile musician, engineer, and producer has done extensive movie soundtrack work, bringing slinky soul-inspired sounds to such films as Craig Brewer’s 2005 breakout hit Hustle and Flow, the blues infused followup Black Snake Moan, Giancarlo Espositio’s directorial debut Gospel Hill, and the upcoming John Michael McCarthy exploitation epic Cigarette Girl. Bomar’s band the Bo-Keys doesn’t just ape the classic Memphis sounds of the 60s and 70s, members such as “Theme from Shaft” guitarist Charles “Skip” Pitts and Bar-Kays founder Ben Cauley are carrying on in the vein they started.
Bomar says he drew inspiration and advice from legendary producer Willie Mitchell when opening his own Eletraphonic Recording studio in Memphis’ burgeoning South Main Arts district. During the studio’s short existence, Bomar has recorded artists ranging from rap legend Al Kapone to punk sensation Jay Reatard, using a mix of digital and analog equipment to bring the Memphis sound into the twenty-first century.
