Every city of any size has a coffee shop with an open mic night where local talent can cut their teeth in front of an audience. Memphis’ version is the tiny Java Cabana, where kids from the scene get caffinated and experience a little bit of what their peers have to offer. The hideaway hangout for poets has become minorly famous in its own way, appearing in not only $5 Cover, but also Morgan Jon Fox’s breakout OMG/HaHaHa (Q&A with writer/director). The open-minded crowd and nurturing atmosphere makes open mic night one of the most interesting evenings in Memphis. From a knock-down, throw-out chess game to music you won’t find anywhere else in the city, there’s always something on offer at Java Cabana.
CREDITS
special thanks to
Mary A. Burns
Mallory Stafford
Michael T. Moore Jr.
Michael Downing
Kendall Dowell
the Warble
Alyssa Moore
Valerie Hopkins
Laurel T. Carrito
James C. Danie II
Jookin is “the Memphis flavor, the Memphis style.” It’s a type of hip hop dance that came from out of the clubs and off of the streets of Memphis. What started in the 80s with people bouncing around a crowded club has been honed by countless boombox-powered street battles into a flurry of footwork and slinky body moves. The grace and precision on display at the U-Dig Dance Academy’s studio is even more astounding when you realize that jookin is for the most part an improvisational dance.
But the U-Dig Dance Academy is about more than just promoting and expanding a uniquely Memphis dance form, it’s about enriching the lives of the kids through engaging after-school programs, shows, and community outreach. Many of the young dancers have few other opportunities to experience the performing arts first hand. There is also a documentary in the works about jookin’s past and present. As U-Dig’s mottos says, “This is more than dance.”
CREDITS
special thanks to
Tarrik Moore
Angel Fair
Joshua Weasby
Dara Chan
Marquez Alexander
Sherrie Alexander
Terrance Smith
Trent Dennis
Ladia Y. Yates
Marico Flake
Brandon Franklin
Antiochus McNeil
Brandon Young
Daniel Price
original music by
Alan Hayes
Young artists who have no problem writing a catchy hook or nailing a guitar solo are often intimidated by the task of marketing themselves to the already overstimulated masses. For eight years, Street Savvy Unlimited has been solving that problem for its Memphis clients such as Free Sol and The Movement. Street Savvy doesn’t concentrate on one area, but uses every available outlet, including print, internet and street team promotion, to get the word out about the great Bluff City talent on its roster.
In this video, promoters KG and Wheat pitch to new acts and put on Memphis hard rockers Sore Eyes first CD release party at the New Daisy Theater on Beale Street.
Artists need communities. They need someone to compete with, someone to support them, someone to critique their work, someone to respond to, and someone to get a beer and commiserate with. The Rozelle Artists Guild had its roots with a group of Memphis College of Art students who would get together to keep each other company while working on projects for school, but it has evolved into something bigger. Their collaborative philosophy extends beyond their own group, as they have worked on projects with Live from Memphis, among others. Named for its first home in a formerly abandoned warehouse at 822 Rozelle Street, the Guild is currently searching for a new space that will encourage artists of all stripes to discover the joys of collaborative creation.
CREDITS
special thanks to
Shea Colburn
Lauren Rae Holtermann
Taylor Martin
Booth Sartain
Michael Roy
Siphme Al Sylve
Derrik Dent
Jonathan Dodge
Cliff Harrington
William Justice
Andy Breig
Sally Caraway
Mark Waguespack
music by Christopher Reyes
The swish of skates, the zooming bodies, the violent collisions: the sport of roller derby has veered in and out of American culture for more than 80 years. After drawing tens of thousands to Madison Square Garden and television audiences in the millions in the 1970s, the sport dwindled to near-invisibility during the 1990s. But in 2000, a new incarnation of the sport arose out of Austin, Texas. The new roller derby was not the creation of a cynical sports promoter; it was a grassroots phenomenon, self-organized by the same women who would put their bodies on the line in pursuit of victory. They embraced the sport’s campy image, violent tendencies, and raucous soundtrack to create something new and undeniably exciting.
The Memphis Roller Derby started in early 2006. The first year, four teams competed for local bragging rights as the new generation of women honed their skating skills. Soon after, the travel team, the Memphis Hustlin’ Rollers, started racking up an impressive series of victories over newly formed regional rivals, culminating in two straight Tennessee state championships, an undefeated 2008 season, and earning MRD’s accreditation with the Woman’s Flat Track Derby Association.
But beyond the flashing skates, fishnet hose, and and war paint, roller derby is a real sport played by real women who display real athleticism. In their everyday lives, these derby girls are students, mothers, professionals, and citizens. But on the weekends, they lace up their skates, empowered and united by their common need for speed.
CREDITS
special thanks to
Aundrea Lowery
Joy Rathheim
Vicki Lassiter
Gypsee McManus
Christine McManus
Kristen B. Johnson
Robin Richards
Lauren Goller
Melissa Hurt
Rubi Renfro
Erica Page
Erin Coughlin
L Smithson
Brooke Gettys
Lauren Ruth
Samantha Noah
Tiffany Newman
Adrienne Klein
Cindy Dyer
Jane “Beth” Hendrickson
Jennifer Stone
Jill Blasingaml
Kelly Schrank
Katy E. Berry
Colleen Couch-Smith
Heather Ashcraft
Alexanna Scott
Anna Carothers
James McLendon
Joe Spake
charles E. Campbell
Jeremy Kitchen
Scott Toberman
Judy Watkins
Greg Watkins
Thomas Watkins
Brian Watkins
Kelli Halsell
Crate Morat
Bill Webb
Joseph W. Morris
Travis Chaney
Mackenzie Stonis
C. Scott McCoy
Al Kapone
Liberty Bowl Stadium and Fairgrounds
music
“Animal Life”
performed by Alicja Trout
