In our final installment of Flipside, we give you a little taste of what it’s like to go behind the scenes with the Live From Memphis crew. We produce cool stuff and have fun doing it.
Located in Midtown, John and Beverly Lowe’s Xanadu Music and Books always has a hand-picked selection of rarities for sale. But Lowe’s other product is what sets the store apart from others in its niche. The Lowebow is a mutant, handmade musical instrument based on the classic cigar box guitar. Designed originally for one-man bands and named after the one-stringed “diddly bow” popular with the original Delta Blues players, the Lowebow allows musicians to play both bass and slide guitar parts at the same time. Since perfecting the design in 2000, Lowe has put the unique instruments into the hands of musicians such as the North Mississippi Allstars, as well as selling them at his own concerts.
The Church Health Center in Memphis provides health care for the working poor who fall between the cracks in our health care system. One of Memphis’ great success stories, their model of care has been emulated throughout the country. Many struggling Memphis musicians have sought care at the center, and three years ago, a group of them, led by Marvin Stockwell, the center’s public relations specialist who also happens to be in the punk band Pezz, and the bands of the Makeshift music label, decided to give back to the institution by putting on a benefit concert.
Rock for Love brings together some of the best bands in Memphis for a two-day, multi-venue concert to promote and raise funds for the Church Health Center. The first two were smashing successes, and this year’s edition, which comes at a time when the nation’s attention is focused on the problems the poor have in obtaining quality health care, will take place on August 21 and 22 at the Hi Tone and Shangri-La records.
