About the Event:

Rhodes College celebrates 100 Years in Memphis i with a lively concert featuring the Rhodes Faculty Players and the Rhodes Jazz Band with special guest artist Muneer Nasser.

About the Artist:

Trumpeter, composer, jazz historian, and author Muneer Nasser developed a lifelong passion for jazz. His father, jazz bassist, Jamil Nasser and the rich musical landscape of New York City provided a great classroom for his jazz education. “Hearing Dizzy Gillespie at the Village Gate (1976) was a mind-blowing experience, which ignited my pursuit of jazz trumpet,” said Nasser. His major publication, Upright Bass: The Musical Life & Legacy of Jamil Nasser documents 50 years of that history.

Nasser attended The International Art of Jazz Workshop (1979). Trumpeter Dave Burns (Gillespie Big Band Alum) had reservations about his youthful age, but Nasser’s talent overshadowed this concern, "Mr. Burns' acceptance fortified my confidence, and I began studying with him." Additional instruction from George Coleman, Jimmy Owens, Oliver Beener, and Webster Young was tested at jam sessions conducted by Eddie Henderson, Ted Curson, Tommy Turrentine, and Gil Coggins. "If you couldn't play, they would bench you with quickness and give you a homework assignment." Nasser said. Challenging jam sessions at The Village Gate, Sonny’s Place, Smalls, and The Jazz Center of New York provided a forum to apply those basics. Along with his brother Zaid, Nasser played a soulful rendition of “Straight No Chaser” with Lou Donaldson at the Jazz Center in 1984. Lou said, “Y’all on the right track.”

Nasser enrolled in Howard University which placed him in a thriving DC jazz scene. Muneer performed at Blues Alley, Kennedy Center, and Lincoln Theater with Buck Hill, Larry Willis, Keter Betts, and Butch Warren. Nasser earned his degree and decided to take his trumpet outside of the United States. Performing in Europe and North Africa expanded his audience. Touring with Jazz Jamaica in the United Kingdom allowed him to share the bandstand with Courtney Pine and Gary Crosby. “I had a chance to perform with the great drummer Clifford Jarvis, and he shared musical and trumpet gems from Kenny Dorham and Freddie Hubbard."

Upright Bass: The Musical Life & Legacy of Jamil Nasser introduced with Ron Carter’s heartfelt foreword sets the stage for an epic story filled with adventure. Publisher’s Weekly said, "The book covers rare historical events and contemporary issues in jazz.” Muneer launched a book release at St. Peter’s Church in New York City wherein he conducted a panel discussion on Memphis jazz with Harold Mabern. Moreover, Dick Griffin, and Rufus Reid. Jimmy Owens, Lonnie Plaxico, Zaid Nasser, and Winard Harper blew the house down.

Muneer has written and recorded a catalogue of reggae, jazz, rock, EDM, Rap, and R & B compositions. He won the best soundtrack award for the film “Aftershock” at the DC 48-hour Film Festival. Nasser’s post pandemic efforts include teaching master classes and giving lectures in Kassel Germany, Frankfurt Book Fair, JJA Academy London, Berklee College of Music, Howard University, Jazz Education Network Conference, and The Frank Islam Symposium at Montgomery College.

Nasser is developing an exciting Memphis jazz documentary and a new album “Blue House Sessions” a follow up to Nasser’s debut album as a band leader “A Soldier’s Story” which Jazzwise magazine calls, “A hard swinging recording immersed in bebop, Latin, and modal jazz traditions,” features Elijah Easton-tenor saxophone, Allyn Johnson-piano, James King-bass, John Lamkin III-drums.

Artist Socials:

Instagram | Facebook | Youtube

Know Before You Go:

Food Trucks: Ques Sweet Heat | Pok Cha

Picnic baskets, coolers, beverages, blankets, and lawn chairs are always welcome. We also offer food and beverage for sale in the Autozone Food and Beverage Concourse. Dogs on a leash are welcome in designated areas. Overton Park Shell is a nonsmoking facility.

Click here to learn more about the visitor experience.

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About the Event:

TN Shakespeare Co. presents: 9th Annual Free Autumn Shout-Out Shakespeare

Much Ado About Nothing
Comedy by William Shakespeare

Directed by Stephanie Shine

The victorious soldiers returning to Messina only thought they were laying down their arms. Head-strong Benedick and his men come heart-to-heart with the witty Beatrice and her women in the Italian countryside for a sun-dappled battle of romance. Who knew love could be this funny?

Ideal for the outdoors, families, and picnics, Shakespeare’s romantic comedy plays gleefully in 90 minutes without intermission.

Event Socials:

Instagram | Facebook | Youtube

Know Before You Go:

Food Trucks: TBA

Picnic baskets, coolers, beverages, blankets, and lawn chairs are always welcome. We also offer food and beverage for sale in the Autozone Food and Beverage Concourse. Dogs on a leash are welcome in designated areas. Overton Park Shell is a nonsmoking facility.

Click here to learn more about the visitor experience.

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Deck Parties Available

About the Artists:

Born to the land of Woodstock, TN, Corey Martin, known affectionately as Corey Lou, came into this world as a born-to-be performer. Gifted with a heart for soul and the ear of a true musician, Lou began his journey as an artist from the young age of five singing the deep gospel sound of the Memphis choirs, to the rugged soul riffs so well trained at the infamous Stax Music Academy, to the polished classical content worthy of Carnegie Hall's stages. It’s safe to say that Lou does it all. A self-proclaimed “lover-boy”, the words of Lou’s work reflect a man in contemplation over life lessons, laments, and most deeply, love. Out of his desire to make meaning of these things, Lou takes each verse and chord as the chance to communicate a message of power with the world. His greatest hope is that in doing so, he can set a standard of success and true expression beyond the mainstream.

As a child, Lou's mother would always quote the saying,"it takes a village to raise a child" and that saying never left his heart propelling him to create his own village. In the year of 2020, Mr. Lou created his backing band officially naming it "Corey Lou & Da Village." He also established DaVillage Entertainment in 2022. To Mr. Lou, his music is his child to help change the culture of the world and spaces around him, while also creating a standard of success and true expression beyond the mainstream.
Corey Lou’s glorious timbres ricochet through your mind in a prominent manner that has his allure drawing you towards the compelling quintessence of his artistry and persona. The energy that he showcases through the seemingly smooth vibes takes you into a whirlwind of resonance that continues to intensify as his records progress.
Incorporating his gospel choir roots that scream out Memphis, there’s the originality that comes from this inimitable lane he has carved out for himself. Corey Lou & Da Village make it so you get everything you need through their intricately crafted soundscapes that are dedicated to making you feel the emotion within. With a hope that his music reaches whomever is meant to hear the message, Corey Lou creates music with the intention for it to be a vehicle of "generational peace, good energy, and fellowship for the world."

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Savannah Brister, a Memphis-based singer-songwriter, captivates audiences with her compelling voice and heartfelt songwriting. Her performances are infused with an undeniable emotional depth, resonating with listeners and creating an inviting, intimate atmosphere. Savannah's quirky charm further endears her to fans, making each show a memorable experience.  In early 2019, Savannah gained national recognition when she appeared on NBC's The Voice and earned a spot on John Legend's team. Her talent has also been celebrated through numerous accolades, including an HMMA award for her song "Dear World" and multiple awards for her song "Feelings,” which will be on her upcoming album “Soft.” Don’t miss the chance to witness Savannah Brister’s heartfelt artistry live—she’s sure to leave you inspired and wanting more.

Artists Socials:

Corey Lou & Da Village: Instagram | Youtube

Savannah Brister: Instagram | Facebook | Youtube

Know Before You Go:

Food Trucks: TBA

Picnic baskets, coolers, beverages, blankets, and lawn chairs are always welcome. We also offer food and beverage for sale in the Autozone Food and Beverage Concourse. Dogs on a leash are welcome in designated areas. Overton Park Shell is a nonsmoking facility.

Click here to learn more about the visitor experience.

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Deck Parties Available

MCBF Set Times:

6:00: SENSATIONAL BARNES BROTHERS
7:00: NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS

About North Mississippi Allstars:

NMA started by brother Luther and Cody Dickinson in 1996 as a loose collective of musicians from their North Mississippi home inspired by their father Jim Dickinson as well as neighbors and musical elders of their community; RL Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, Otha Turner and Fred McDowell.

Luther’s first national tour was the RL Burnside Ass Pocket of Whiskey tour in 1997, selling out shows in the US and Canada. “Kenny Brown hired me to tour with RL and Cedric and showed me the ropes. That experience blew my mind. Cody and I have been on the road ever since.”

NMA began touring in 1998 and over the years the touring lineup has included, Cedric, Duwayne and Garry Burnside, Chris Chew, Berry Oakley Jr, Oteil Burbruidgem and currently Joey Williams of the Blind Boys of Alabama and Ray Ray Hollowman, guitar player for Eminem and Nee-O.

Since their debut album in 2000 and hitting the never ending road, they have shared the stage with countless legends; Phil Lesh, Mavis Staples, Robert Plant, John Hiatt, the Allman Brothers, The Black Crowes, Buddy Guy, Snoop Dogg, and Jon Spencer to name a few, while earning multiple grammy nominations for their experimental albums of they like to call Modern Mississippi Music.

NMA Socials:

Instagram | Facebook | Youtube

About The Sensational Barnes Brothers:

The Sensational Barnes Brothers are a melting pot of the old and the new. As Pop Matters states, “The brothers run through a spectrum of moods and modes in their gospel soul, often bridging the gap between, say, the Soul Stirrers and Stax, all the while keeping a local flavor.” The brothers are able to dive deep into their roots, creating a sound that reflects the music of their history, all the while drawing in a modern-day audience.

The Sensational Barnes Brothers are featured on vocalists Don Bryant’s Grammy nominated album Don't Give Up on Love, lead singer of The Black Keys, Dan Auerbach, on his newest solo album, and you can expect to hear them on the soon to be released album from Latin Grammy nominated Making Movies.

The Sensational Barnes Brothers recorded their first album under the Bible and Tire Recording Co./Fat Possum. Inspired by their shared past, fueled by harmonies that resonate with both their blood and their kindred souls, The Sensational Barnes Brothers see themselves singing, playing, and dancing for a long time coming.

SBB Socials:

Instagram | Facebook | Youtube

Know Before You Go:

Food Trucks: Smoke & Ice | Smoke & Toast | Pok Cha | Carmelitas |

Picnic baskets, coolers, beverages, blankets, and lawn chairs are always welcome. We also offer food and beverage for sale in the Autozone Food and Beverage Concourse. Dogs on a leash are welcome in designated areas. Overton Park Shell is a nonsmoking facility.

Click here to learn more about the visitor experience.

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About the Artist:

After thirty-five years of being at the forefront of the ever-evolving musical landscape of New Orleans, Grammy Award winner Jon Cleary decided to bring that sound back home, both figuratively and literally. He assembled his Absolute Monster Gentlemen (his acclaimed all-star big band) in his home studio in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans, drew up a setlist of some of his most beloved songs– and some new favorites– and rolled tape.

“We set out to capture that sound in the old-fashioned way: everybody in the room, playing together,” Cleary explains.

The result is The Bywater Sessions, a musical tour-de-force that showcases the grit, funk and joy that’s packed concert halls from New Orleans to Tokyo and beyond. Co-produced by Cleary and John Porter (Roxy Music, The Smiths, Taj Mahal), it’s a stunning collection of performances that affirms Cleary’s place in the New Orleans musical vanguard.

“There’s a lot to be said for the ‘lean and mean’ sound of a piano trio, stripped down to basics, simple and direct,” Cleary says. “But recently, I’ve been experimenting with different combinations; adding horns, guitar, percussion and even another keyboard player. This expanded line-up has allowed the arrangements to blossom in new directions.”

As for the musicians, it’s the best of the best. Long time Monster Gentlemen Cornell Williams and A.J. Hall anchor the band on bass and drums, respectively. They are joined by Nigel Hall (Lettuce) on Hammond organ, Pedro Segundo (Ronnie Scott’s All Stars) on percussion, Xavier Lynn (MonoNeon, Ledisi) on guitar, and an all-star horn section of Aaron Narcisse (Delfeayo Marsalis & the Uptown Jazz Orchestra), Charlie Halloran (Squirrel Nut Zippers, Preservation Hall All Stars) and Jason Mingledorff (Galactic).

“Sophisticated, nasty, good-time, low-down funk is the folk music of New Orleans,” Cleary says. “Everyone playing on this recording is a New Orleanian by birth or by choice, having learned their craft at the feet of the masters who in turn were taught by the old lions in their day - it's a tradition stretching back over two hundred years. The roots go deep, but each generation, growing up with street parades and second-lines, absorbs the old and introduces the new, gently coaxing the essential essence into and out of each succeeding decade.”

It’s an apt description of Cleary’s career thus far. Born in London and on a plane to New Orleans before he turned twenty years old, he grew up absorbed by the sounds and rhythms of the Crescent City. His mastery of the city’s music landed him gigs playing as a session musician in the bands of local legends Earl King, Johnny Adams, Walter ‘Wolfman’ Washington, Snooks Eaglin, Ernie K-Doe, Jessie Hill– and as a guitarist for Dr. John. He later toured extensively with icons like Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal. His solo career began in earnest in 1989 and includes beloved records like their self-titled band debut and his 2015 Grammy winner, Go-Go Juice. 

In fact, his first job in New Orleans was as a painter at beloved local club the Maple Leaf Bar, and it wasn’t long until he was playing piano in that very room. To this day, he and his band continue to pack that room to crowds that gather from around the world, playing their unique and ever-evolving take on New Orleans funk and R&B.

“These grooves are not museum pieces, they are alive, breathing and fresh - and that’s why joints like Tipitina’s, The Maple Leaf Bar and Chickie Wah Wah are always packed when the locals, young and old, come out to hear the Gentlemen do they thang,” Cleary proudly adds.

On The Bywater Sessions, the band that Rolling Stone’s David Fricke called “as broad, deep and rolling as the Mississippi river” is finally captured as intended– live, in the room and as funky as ever. And with that comes an invitation from Cleary himself:

“Close your eyes, imagine you’re in the room with us, me and the band, Mike Dorsey the engineer, John Porter the producer and Reed the manager. Turn it up and enjoy the experience. I hope you have as much fun listening as we did playing.”

Artist Socials:

Instagram | Facebook | Youtube

Know Before You Go:

Food Trucks: Midtown Deli | Pok Cha | Carmelitas

Picnic baskets, coolers, beverages, blankets, and lawn chairs are always welcome. We also offer food and beverage for sale in the Autozone Food and Beverage Concourse. Dogs on a leash are welcome in designated areas. Overton Park Shell is a nonsmoking facility.

Click here to learn more about the visitor experience.

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Deck Parties Available

About the Artist:

The New Respects are a high-energy throwback rock and soul quartet comprising siblings Alexandria, Alexis, and Darius Fitzgerald, and their cousin Jasmine Mullen. The children of a Nashville preacher, twins Alexandria (guitar) and Alexis (bass) and their brother Darius (drums) grew up on gospel music, and while Mullen (vocals) heard a wider range of influences in the house, her parents were both songwriters in the Christian music industry, with her mom, Nicole C. Mullen, having established herself as a prominent recording artist in the early 2000s. Forming in high school as the John Hancock Band, the quartet was initially based around more of an indie folk sound. As they became more established, the influences of early rock, R&B, blues, and soul began to inform their sound, and their music became more dynamic. By 2016, they'd signed with Capitol CMG and changed their name to the New Respects. Following a pair of singles later that year, they made their debut in early 2017 with the Here Comes Trouble EP. The non-album single "Freedom" appeared in May 2018.

Artist Socials:

Instagram | Facebook | Youtube

Know Before You Go:

Food Trucks: Green Beetle | Flip Side Asia | Good Groceries

Picnic baskets, coolers, beverages, blankets, and lawn chairs are always welcome. We also offer food and beverage for sale in the Autozone Food and Beverage Concourse. Dogs on a leash are welcome in designated areas. Overton Park Shell is a nonsmoking facility.

Click here to learn more about the visitor experience.

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GONERFEST 22 SUNDAY SET TIMES:

5:30: Twisted Teens

6:30: Silver Synthetic (country psych from New Orleans, LA)

7:30: Dummy (synth/guitar pop from Los Angeles, CA)

8:30: Snooper (aerobic punk from Nashville, TN)

About Gonerfest 22:

Gonerfest is a festival in Memphis organized by Goner Records. The festival is known for its intimate setting and cutting edge mix of bands. Bands who have played Gonerfest include Shannon & The Clams, Mudhoney, Guitar Wolf, Ty Segall, Cosmic Psychos, Osees, Oblivians, Robyn Hitchcock, Derv Gordon, Bill Orcutt & Chris Corsano, King Brothers, The Oh Sees, The King Khan & BBQ Show, Negative Approach, Compulsive Gamblers, Reatards, Amyl & The Sniffers, Eddy Current Suppression Ring, AWFM, Snooper, Black Lips, New Bomb Turks, Gories, Mummies, Fred & Toody Cole, Carbonas, Leather Uppers, Head, The Gizmos, X_X, Wreckless Eric, The Hipshakes, Human Eye, Sonny Vincent, Sick Thoughts, Icky Boyfriends, and tons and tons more. 20 festivals at 30 + bands per festival = 600 plus bands!

Know Before You Go:

Food Trucks: Good Groceries | flipside asia | bbq x

Picnic baskets, coolers, beverages, blankets, and lawn chairs are always welcome. We also offer food and beverage for sale in the Autozone Food and Beverage Concourse. Dogs on a leash are welcome in designated areas. Overton Park Shell is a nonsmoking facility.

Click here to learn more about the visitor experience.

Sponsored By:

Deck Parties Available

About the Artist:

Daisha McBride, also known as "The Rap Girl", is a hip hop and R&B artist, songwriter, and pioneer in Nashville's hip-hop scene. Originally from Knoxville, Tennessee, McBride studied the music business at Middle Tennessee State University. She first gained online attention by layering rhymes over radio hits and posting them from her dorm room.

Artist Socials:

Instagram | Facebook | Youtube

Know Before You Go:

Food Trucks: Smoke & Ice | Midtown Deli | Crossover Eats

Picnic baskets, coolers, beverages, blankets, and lawn chairs are always welcome. We also offer food and beverage for sale in the Autozone Food and Beverage Concourse. Dogs on a leash are welcome in designated areas. Overton Park Shell is a nonsmoking facility.

Click here to learn more about the visitor experience.

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Deck Parties Available

About the Artist:

Arkansauce calls forth melodies of the Ozark Mountains' rolling hills and raging rivers with their distinct blend of newgrass. This progressive string quartet features Tom Andersen on bass, guitarist Zac Archuleta, Ethan Bush on mandolin, and Adams Collins on banjo. Their music features improvisational string leads matched with complex melodies, intriguing rhythms, and deep thumping bass grooves. Each member sings lead and harmony parts as well as contributes to the lyrics, which offer authentic, intelligent songwriting with hard-hitting hooks. 

Artist Socials:

Instagram | Facebook | Youtube

Know Before You Go:

Food Trucks: Soi Number 9 | Trap Fusion | Stick Em

Picnic baskets, coolers, beverages, blankets, and lawn chairs are always welcome. We also offer food and beverage for sale in the Autozone Food and Beverage Concourse. Dogs on a leash are welcome in designated areas. Overton Park Shell is a nonsmoking facility.

Click here to learn more about the visitor experience.

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About the Event:

Princeton James Productions is proud to be a featured partner in the iconic Overton Shell Free Concert Series, bringing an unforgettable night of creativity, culture, and community to the historic Memphis stage. This dynamic celebration will feature a powerful blend of live music, theater, film, poetry, and performances from our Kooler Kids and Kooler Grands, showcasing talent that spans generations.

More than a show, this experience is designed to entertain, engage, inspire, and educate. A soulful reflection of the love, unity, and brilliance within our communities. Join us as we celebrate storytelling in all its forms and stand together in joy, purpose, and power.

Artist Socials:

Instagram | Facebook

Know Before You Go:

Food Trucks: Flip Side Asia | Midtown Deli | Carmelitas

Picnic baskets, coolers, beverages, blankets, and lawn chairs are always welcome. We also offer food and beverage for sale in the Autozone Food and Beverage Concourse. Dogs on a leash are welcome in designated areas. Overton Park Shell is a nonsmoking facility.

Click here to learn more about the visitor experience.

Sponsored By:

Deck Parties Available

About the Artist:

A.D. was born and raised in Memphis, TN. She has been mixing music for nearly 20 years, and DJing professionally for 15 years. House Music/Dance Music is her favorite genre to play when she is having fun. She is excellent at putting her own "spin" on a mix which gives her a unique flair that makes her stand out from the rest.

Artist Socials:

Instagram | Facebook |

Know Before You Go:

Food Trucks: Crossover Eats | Stick Em | Smoke & Toast

Picnic baskets, coolers, beverages, blankets, and lawn chairs are always welcome. We also offer food and beverage for sale in the Autozone Food and Beverage Concourse. Dogs on a leash are welcome in designated areas. Overton Park Shell is a nonsmoking facility.

Click here to learn more about the visitor experience.

Sponsored By:

Deck Parties Available

About the Artist:

Back with a vengeance, Lukah has teamed up with legendary New York producer and DJ Statik Selektah for a cross-continental LP that explicates and contorts the black American dialect through rich lyrics traded with a formidable lineup of guest MCs, including Grammy winner Killer Mike, Memphis legend 8-Ball, frequent homies and collaborators Stooky Bros and Sonny (Everyday Saints).

 Lukah has established a name for himself among hip-hop purists for complicated and encyclopedic rhymes that remain heartfelt and true to his life experience. Across his discography, every new song adds another piece to the puzzle. His last project, Temple Needs Water, Village Needs Peace, drew heavily on jazz and neo-soul, with contributions from Billy Woods, Shabakah Hutchins, and Adrian Utley. On A Lost Language Found, he relates the experience of his great grandparents and their work in the political underground of the Southern 70s to the persistent issues faced by underprivileged communities in Memphis, interlacing monologues from a vibrant cast of local characters. The effect is like a documentary film.

This project features verses from a national cast of top tier MCs: Killer Mike, Bun B, 8Ball, J Worthy, and more.  The album campaign will see Lukah interviewing many prominent Memphis figures about their respective “languages” (in this context meaning their craft or art form) on video, notably Bart Jones, Bertram Williams, and Boo Mitchell. The album will be digitally distributed by Perfect Timing, with PR from Dark Matter and international vinyl distributed by RRC.

Artist Socials:

Instagram | Facebook | Youtube

Know Before You Go:

Food Trucks: Smoke & Ice | Trap Fusion | Smoke & Toast | Hot & Heavy

Picnic baskets, coolers, beverages, blankets, and lawn chairs are always welcome. We also offer food and beverage for sale in the Autozone Food and Beverage Concourse. Dogs on a leash are welcome in designated areas. Overton Park Shell is a nonsmoking facility.

Click here to learn more about the visitor experience.

Sponsored By:

Deck Parties Available

About the Artist:

When their instrumental prowess earned them a vast following on social media, childhood friends turned all-star act Shadowgrass found sudden success. But as a young band, the expectations that went along with a large audience proved daunting. “We felt a lot of pressure to make something uniquely us, because we had such a big following, and we felt that they deserved more than what we had given them as of yet.” explains the band. The group dug deep into their own musicality, and tried to block out the noise for their sophomore release All That Will (release date: Oct 4, 2024). “It turned out that dropping those self-imposed expectations and just writing/making music for our own enjoyment was the key to finding our collective voice and making a record we are all proud of.”

Shadowgrass began in 2014 when Clay Russell (Banjo), Luke Morris (Mandolin), Kyser George (Guitar) were jamming at the Grayson County Fiddler’s Convention in Elk Creek, VA. Sometime before their first real show, the name Shadowgrass was suggested simply because they thought it sounded “cool”. Kyser, Clay, and Luke were 9, 13, and 14 years old at the time. Now in their early twenties, their influences and listening habits have changed drastically, but the group has always grown in the same direction musically. They have welcomed fiddle player Madison Morris, who also lends vocals and songwriting prowess, and bass player Evan Campfield. Luke and Madison trade off lead vocals, and harmonies seamlessly with one another. Their commitment to and keen interest in songwriting brings additional dimensions to the band, allowing the group to appeal to listeners outside of the expected jam-band community.

As a very young band that has already been playing together for a decade, Shadowgrass has a unique bond. “We’ve grown up together and have watched each other evolve into the people we are today”, they say. “It sounds cliche but we definitely act more like siblings than bandmates”. On All That Will, the group explores themes of anxiety and uncertainty, and questioning the people they want to become. Luckily, they’ve had each other to share these experiences with, and it seems that their companionship has only pushed their artistic and musical abilities to new heights.

Artist Socials:

Instagram | Facebook | Youtube

Know Before You Go:

Food Trucks: Green Beetle | Halinkas | Flipside Asia

Picnic baskets, coolers, beverages, blankets, and lawn chairs are always welcome. We also offer food and beverage for sale in the Autozone Food and Beverage Concourse. Dogs on a leash are welcome in designated areas. Overton Park Shell is a nonsmoking facility.

Click here to learn more about the visitor experience.

Sponsored By:

Deck Parties Available

MPPF Set Times:

5:00: YOUR ACADEMY
5:45: THE SONNY WILSONS
7:00: THE CONNELLS

About The Connells:

The Connells, one of North Carolina’s most successful indie rock bands, released “Steadman’s Wake" in 2021, their first full-length album since 2001. Beyond the fact that “Steadman’s Wake” is the group’s first new release in over 20 years, it is the first Connells’ album to feature their two newest members, guitarist Mike Ayers and drummer Rob Ladd (who have been in the lineup since 2002 and 2012, respectively), and the band’s first record made up of songs contributed solely by Mike Connell,  who happens to take on a more prominent role as vocalist.

Even though it’s been 20 years since their last recording, The Connells never quit playing live, and Mike Connell never quit writing songs. Eventually enough material came together to suggest it was finally time to make another record. “Steadman’s Wake” features eight new songs that have never been released, while three of the album’s songs previously appeared in different versions on 2001’s “Old-School Dropouts” – a collection of demos recorded at the group’s practice space.

“Steadman’s Wake” was originally to have been released in 2020 but was held up due to the pandemic, a hard delay for a band that had waited so long for this followup. It joins the catalog as The Connells’ ninth full-length album in a career going back to 1984. That was when the band first formed in Chapel Hill at the University of North Carolina, debuting a year later with “Darker Days.” Their 1987 Mitch Easter-produced album “Boylan Heights” established The Connells as college-radio favorites, and they went on to work with producers including Gary Smith, Hugh Jones and Lou Giordano on subsequent albums.

Three Connells albums made the Billboard 200 charts in America, but their biggest commercial success came overseas. “’74- ’75,” a pensive and moody ballad from 1993’s Giordano-produced LP “Ring,” reached the top-10 in 11 different European countries in the mid-1990s (including No. 1 in Sweden and Norway). The song’s evocative time-traveling video, juxtaposing then-and-now photos of alumni from The Connells’ hometown Broughton High School, also earned a cult following with fans making their own video versions.

“We’ve been trying to figure out if there’s some kinda theme to this new record,” says MacMillan. “If anything, I’d say it’s 20 years older. The minor-key-heavy chord progressions and the way Mike puts songs together, still give it dark undertones. But the lyrics seem a little more upbeat than before, even if it still has that longing aspect. It feels a little more grown-up than we’ve done in the past - more upbeat and not quite as cynical. Every record we’ve ever made, we’ve thought it was the last one. Maybe this really will be it. Then again, as long as we’re still playing, chances are that Mike will still be writing songs. We’ll see.”

The Connells Socials:

Instagram | Facebook | Youtube

About The Sonny Wilsons:

The Sonny Wilsons is the power pop project of Adam Yancey (Solo artist, Afterglow, The Chain Hopsons, The Becky’s) and Allen Couch (East Link).

Adam Yancey, who gigged his way through flight school is, and this is a direct quote, “The only idiot in the world that got into the music business for the money. And the only idiot, in the history of idiots, which is a long list, who had to fall back on a music career to become an airline pilot!”

Multi-instrumentalist Allen Couch's love of music began when he stumbled upon, and subsequently appropriated, his parent's 8-track copy of Abbey Road. Yep, he's that old…. Thus began a lifelong appreciation for a well structured pop harmony.

They are joined by singer-songwriter-guitarist Danny McGreger (Lately David), singer-guitarist Chris Swenson (The Devil Brothers, David Brookings Band, Victor & The Spoils, Megawhat, Black Oak Arkansas) and bassist Johnny Norris (Crash Into June, Your Academy). The Sonny Wilsons’ first album, recorded at Ardent and High/Low studios with Jon Auer (Posies, Big Star) producing, will be released late summer of 2025.

The Sonny Wilsons Socials:

Instagram | Facebook

About Your Academy:

When semi-legendary Memphis power pop band crash into june acrimoniously split in 2005, founding member and bass player Johnny Norris clinged to hope that the band would one day regroup to make one more great album to complement its critically acclaimed releases from blind to blue (1999) and Another Vivid Scene (2002). While reunion shows in 2013 and 2016 sparked hope, a group commitment to record again never materialized. And, when Norris’s efforts to reform the band in August 2019 to celebrate his birthday were rebuffed by the latest incarnation of the group, it appeared that all hope of another CIJ- related recording was extinguished.

Enter guitarist Chris Gafford and drummer Dan Shumake, both of whom appeared on CIJ’s debut release, from blind to blue. Since leaving crash into june, Gafford and Shumake remained active in the Memphis music scene and had joined Stephen Burns’ most recent reincarnation of The Scruffs. When approached, the two eagerly signed on to join Norris for an August 2019 performance of crash into june songs and other power pop classics. But, the question remained: who would sing?

Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Brandon McGovern cut his teeth on the soul and blues sound of his city. With a love for The Beatles and 60's garage bands, he spent his early years playing in various bands, including Madison Treehouse, which played many shows with crash into june throughout the 90’s on Memphis’s famed Highland Strip.

Enter Adam Hill. Hill is affectionately known in power pop circles as “The Big Star Archivist” having assisted Ardent Studios founder, the late John Fry, with locating, transferring and mixing long lost Big Star and Chris Bell tracks for inclusion on box sets released in the early 2000’s. Adam also plays guitar in The Scruffs and is an accomplished recording engineer having worked with Jack White, Cat Power, Klaus Voorman, Low Cut Connie, and, of course, Big Star. Adam signed on to play lead guitar in and record Your Academy.

Under Hill’s tutelage, Your Academy has recorded what truly is the resurrection of Memphis power pop.

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About the Artist:

KUDZU KINGS (kud-zoo kingz) (Reges pueraria sollemnitas) have been on a musical crusade since 1994, playing at festivals and music venues in the Southeast and beyond with their diverse catalogue of original music and decidedly waggish banter. These good-time botanical royalists gained early popularity playing the jamband circuit. However, the majority of their songs are in a more traditional vein: true stories about life in the South, in a style they describe as “funktry (see excerpt in the book “Jambands: the Complete Guide to the Players, Music, & Scene” by Dean Budnick ). Over the years, Kudzu Kings have shared the stage with the likes of Widespread Panic, Black Crowes, Chris Stapleton, Larkin Poe, Aquarium Rescue Unit, Weir/Wasserman, Oteil & Friends, Leftover Salmon, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and Junior Brown, just to name a few. In 2020, the band was honored with an exhibit and living e-archive in the University of Mississippi Blues Archive. 

Although the band has had personnel changes over the past thirty years, the original lineup has been reunited and play together for the last decade: Tate Moore (vocals, acoustic guitar), Robert Chaffe (keyboards), “Kudzu” Dave Woolworth (vocals, bass), Max Williams (vocals, lead guitar), Chuck Sigler (drums), and George McConnell (vocals, rhythm, and lead guitars; also, formerly of Beanland and Widespread Panic). 

With two live releases in 2023 and 2020 that include previously undistributed material, the band continues to write and play new songs live and collaborate with other projects. The band has sold over 10,000 units each of their first two albums (1996’s Kudzu Kings and 1999’s Y2Kow), and fans continue to post and trade live shows online. Kudzu Kings’ music has a broad and empyrean appeal to the young and adventurous at heart across the entire Southern Zodiac; where this band goes, good times follow. 

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About the Artist:

After crisscrossing the nation for the last half-decade looking for a home, Pokey LaFarge found himself in Mid-Coast Maine. Upon arriving, the Illinois-born singer/songwriter/actor pursued a major life change, working 12-hour days on a local farm—a turn of events that catalyzed an extraordinary burst of creativity and redefined his sense of purpose as an artist. On his new album Rhumba Country, LaFarge reveals his newly heightened devotion to making music that channels pure joy. “There was a time when I glorified sadness because I lost sight of who I was, but now I understand that creating and expressing joy is my gift, and gifts are meant to be shared,” he says. Reclaiming his voice, LaFarge has recorded his boldest album yet.

Rhumba Country was initially shaped from material that emerged while LaFarge was deep in work on the farm. “I’d be pushing a plow or scattering seeds, and the songs would just come to me,” he recalls. “It was tremendously inspirational and made me realize that apart from singing, farming is perhaps the oldest human art form.” But as he moved forward with his songwriting, something felt undeniably amiss. LaFarge then spoke with fellow Midwestern transplant Elliot Bergman (Wild Belle), who suggested he return to city life in Los Angeles for a season so that the two musicians could work together—a collaboration that soon brought the rhumba to LaFarge’s country. As he immersed himself in the album’s creation, LaFarge began dreaming up a kaleidoscopic sound informed by his love of music from far-ranging eras and corners of the globe, including mambo, tropicália, rocksteady, and mid-century American rock-and-roll. Co-produced along with Chris Seefried and Bergman and recorded in L.A., the resulting Rhumba Country is an invitation to come together to celebrate life and love. “The songs that naturally come to me are upbeat and make you wanna dance or at least bop your head—they’re all very colorful,” says LaFarge. “I used to think of my music in dark blue, but now I see it in technicolor.”

LaFarge’s boundless curiosity for music from other cultures played a vital part in shaping the album’s instantly captivating sound. “Listening to a lot of music from around the world helped simplify my approach,” he notes, naming Brazilian singer/composer Jorge Ben among his key inspirations on Rhumba Country. “When you scale back the chord progressions and get a good rhythm going, the musicians have more freedom to play anything or nothing at all. There’s so much space everywhere, and as a singer, it allows me to be that lead instrument and weave in and out however I want.” At the same time, LaFarge brought a more intense and focused rigor to his songwriting process. “I need to trust in what feels good to me, but I also have to ask myself, ‘Is the message coming through? Am I stimulating thought in a way that might shift someone’s perspective? Am I being honest in telling my story, and am I doing it in love?’” he says.

Reflecting on the origins of Rhumba Country, LaFarge points to one of the most crucial revelations he experienced while farming: a newfound understanding of the uniquely human potential to be “conduits of continuous creation.” To that end, his effort to provide listeners with “medicine for the soul” has led LaFarge toward a deeper level of dedication when it comes to nurturing his own spirit. “You have to live the life you’re singing in your songs—no matter what you’re going through,” he says. “Everything will come out in your music whether you want it to or not. I’ve realized that the more I can pursue goodness and live in peace, the more I can make the music I was put here to make.” And by living with intention and fully connecting with his truest purpose, LaFarge might finally be ready to lay his head in a place he calls home.

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About the Bobby Rush:

During his renowned stage show Bobby Rush frequently jumps high into the air, arms spread and legs tucked, only to land gracefully and return without a hitch to his dazzling routine. It’s a move you might expect at a contemporary R&B show, but it’s downright shocking when you realize that Rush is in his late 80s.

“I never thought I would be here this long,” says Rush. “I was 83 years old before I won a Grammy, but it’s better late than never. I laugh about it, but I’m so blessed and I surely never thought I’d be making a living doing what I’m doing. I’m not just an old guy on my way out.”

Hardly. Rush’s busy schedule includes headlining European festivals with his band and solo programs at venues including Jazz at Lincoln Center, and he just recorded an album of brand new material, All My Love For You, coming out via his own label Deep Rush Records in collaboration with Nashville-based Thirty Tigers. Over the last several years he’s won a second Grammy, re-recorded his 1971 hit Chicken Heads together with his old friend Buddy Guy and young blues star Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, and written a critically acclaimed autobiography, I Ain’t Studdin’ You: My American Blues Story.

That story began in rural Homer/Haynesville, Louisiana, where Rush—born Emmett Ellis, Jr.—grew up on his family’s farm picking cotton, tending to mules and chickens, and living in a home without electricity nor indoor plumbing. He built his first guitar on the side of the family’s house out of broom wire, nails, bottles and bricks.

The blues, Rush recalls, provided “an escape from the cotton fields. You’d go out on Saturday night to the juke joints, but then on Monday morning you’d go back into the cotton fields to work for your bossman.”

He left behind farm work to perform on the road with the Rabbit Foot Minstrels, and as “Bobby Rush”—a name he took on out of respect to his father, a minister—he toured the jukes and clubs of Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi before settling in Chicago in the 1950s. Through singles on labels including Chess, ABC and Philadelphia International and relentless touring Rush established an unparalleled reputation as an entertainer, which later led to him being crowned by Rolling Stone magazine as King of the Chitlin’ Circuit, the network of African American clubs that arose during the segregation era.

Based in Jackson, Mississippi since the early ‘80s, Rush began “crossing over” to new audiences several decades ago, featured in the Martin Scorsese-produced documentary The Road to Memphis, appearing alongside Terrence Howard, Snoop Dogg and Mavis Staples in the documentary Take Me to the River, and performing on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon along with Dan Aykroyd. And the eternally youthful Rush was even able to play himself in the 1970s in Netflix's 2019 hit biopic Dolemite is My Name in a scene with Eddie Murphy. And the recognition keeps coming. In addition to his two Grammy wins (and six nominations), he’s in the Blues Hall of Fame, has won 16 Blues Music Awards (among 56 nominations), and there’s currently a musical in development called Slippin’ Through The Cracks with sights on Broadway, recently co-written by Rush and playwright Stephen Lloyd Helper, who co-wrote the 7x Tony-nominated musical Smokey Joe’s Café  celebrating the songs of Lieber and Stoller.

Rush, meanwhile, still remains steadfastly committed to the African American audiences who sustained him for decades, and on his new album he looks back from his current vantage point as a seasoned artist celebrated by an ever-growing fan base. 

“I put together all these songs when I was down with the COVID, thinking about where I was going to go from here. You’ll find everything about me inside these songs—folk funk, traditional blues, ballads, love, a comedy and a shit-talking. I don’t know if it hurts me, but my head just won’t let me be still.”

“The first song is, ‘I’m free, look at me. I’ve got the shackles off my feet and the chains off my mind.’ As a blues singer, as a Black man, there were a lot of places I could not go, a lot of things I could not do. But now I’m a free man, I can do some things I never did before and talk about some things I couldn’t talk about.”

In the romping autobiographical ‘I’m the One’ Rush celebrates his long history, including learned from B.B. King and Muddy Waters after arriving in Chicago in 1952. But he was always one to carve is own path, and relays here the challenges in his ultimately successful efforts to “bring the funk into the blues.”

“Back in the day it was hard for me to convince people about recording ‘Chicken Heads’ with that kind of beat—there was none of my peers cutting that kind of record. It was too funky.”

Most of the album finds Rush with new takes on the foibles of romance, addressing the sort of morality tales that he often acts out on stage with the help of his voluptuous dancers. Many of his songs over the years, such as “What’s Good For the Goose (Is Good For the Gander Too),” have drawn from the well of African American folklore, as does the first single off his new album, which revisits a classic that was recently covered by a young star of Southern Soul.

“King George had a record out called “Keep On Rollin,” and that really comes from a record I did 28 years ago called “One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show,” which was about  woman who said she was going to leave me. So I now have a single, “One Monkey Can Stop a Show”—I’m going to treat her better so she sticks around.”

Rush advocates body positivity in celebrating his “TV Mama” ‘with the big wide screen,’ and in “I’ll Do Anything For You” proclaims that he’ll serve as his lover’s chauffer and masseuse, sleep out in the rain, and even rescue her from the jungle.

 “I joke and talk about sex in a way that people can understand. I’m all for lifting it up, because if it wasn’t for sex, none of us would be here. That’s what the world is built around, making love and making money. I’m in the position now that I can tell the story better than most people, and plus I’ve got nothing to lose now.”

Rush has become one of the most prominent advocates for the blues tradition, and says “it’s the root of all music, it’s the mother of all music. If you don’t like the blues, you probably don’t like your mama.”

And he has no plans to slow down.

“I’m still in decent health and my mind is pretty keen, and the most blessed thing is that I still have people around me who love what I do. And even if you don’t like me, you’re still going to say, “I don’t like Bobby Rush, but, damn, he’s good.’

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About Rodd Bland and the Members Only Band:

Let there be no mistake: Rodd Bland was born into the blues. That’s what happens when you’re the son of immortal singer Bobby “Blue” Bland. How could Rodd not have followed in his father’s outsized footsteps? But Rodd doesn’t sing the blues. Instead, he positions himself behind a drum kit, supplying rock-solid grooves for so many different bands in his hometown of Memphis, including Brimstone Jones, Will Tucker, and the Blues Players Club, that it’s a challenge just to keep track of them all. Riding his father’s massive coattails simply wasn’t an option; he’s too busy making his own musical statements and building his thriving career. 

That said, Rodd isn’t about to sidestep paying loving tribute to the man most responsible for his success—and it’s a surefire bet that he wouldn’t want to. His new six-song tribute EP Live on Beale Street: Tribute to Bobby “Blue” Bland on Nola Blue makes that abundantly clear. Its contents were laid down live in 2019 at one of Rodd’s primary venues on Beale, B.B. King’s Blues Club, utilizing a very special group of musicians that Rodd leads, the Members Only Band. The aggregation was named after Bobby’s 1985 hit, the criteria for hiring each band member devastatingly obvious. 

“My full criteria for the musicians is that in some way, shape, or fashion, you had to have played with my dad,” explains Rodd. He called on Hammond B-3 specialist Chris Stephenson, guitarist Harold Smith, and bassist Jackie Clark to join him in the rhythm section at the very special concert. The tight three-piece horn section consisted of trumpeters Marc Franklin and Scott Thompson and tenor saxist Kirk Smothers. 

If you’re expecting a non-stop program of Bobby’s greatest hits, you’d be dead wrong. Rodd went deep catalog for the occasion, inviting three talented singers to wrap their melismatic pipes around a program of lesser-known gems from Bland’s massive songbook. Organist Stephenson exquisitely handles the vocals on the swaggering opener “Up And Down World,” from Bobby’s 1973 set His California Album, and an insistent “Sittin’ On A Poor Man’s Throne,” one of the highlights of Bobby’s ’77 set Reflections in Blue. 

Ashton Riker steps up to the microphone for a steamy redo of the chestnut “St. James Infirmary,” a 1961 staple of Bland’s Duke Records catalog. Jerome Chism digs into the sleek “I Wouldn’t Treat A Dog (The Way You Treat Me)” (one of the hits on Bobby’s ’74 album Dreamer), the luxuriant blues “Soon As The Weather Breaks” from Bland’s 1979 set I Feel Good, I Feel Fine, and the funk-driven Malaco-era anthem “Get Your Money Where You Spend Your Time.” 

“I always, always listened to a lot of the Duke and the ABC recordings. I gravitate towards all things Duke and ABC,” Rodd says. “I guess because of the stripped-down simplicity, nothing really compares to that stuff. As my dad would say, ‘I was hollerin’ back then, son! I was real young. I could holler all night!’” 

Rodd assembled the first edition of the Members Only Band in early 2017 at the behest of Gina Hughes of the Galaxie Agency. “She said, ‘Hey, IBCs are coming up. I’d really like it if you would be my showcase and do a tribute to your dad,’” says Rodd. “So we do a six-song set, and it felt really cool. It was great. I got some of the guys that had played with my dad in his touring band.” 

A follow-up tribute concert at B.B. King’s club later that year during Blues Music Awards week coincided with a statue of King being erected near Beale Street. “Rather than just do a statue unveiling, I was like, ‘We need to do something,’” he says. “So we made a full night at the B.B. King Club—Rodd Bland and the Members Only Band, presented by the Galaxie Agency. And we had various guest vocalists, such as the late Michael Ledbetter, and Monster Mike Welch. Janiva Magness was there, and Sugaray Rayford. So again, it was a great time.” Rodd kept the annual Members Only Band tradition going strong at B.B.’s club in 2018 and again the next year, when the performances on his debut EP were recorded.

Bobby didn’t force his son into the blues business. “He didn’t push drums or push music on me,” says Rodd. “I just naturally gravitated towards it.” And he began at an incredibly young age. “I started doing shows with him when I was five,” he says. Rodd had been at it even before he had an actual kit to practice on and had to improvise with whatever he could find lying around his folks’ residence. 

“I started—as he called it, ‘destroying pots and pans’—when I was two-and-a-half years old,” he says. “I used to pull all that stuff out, and I was having a field day. I would set it up as a drum set, and I would disturb my dad, obviously, from his nap that he needed at the time. And then there were times I would take the dining room furniture, the chairs—I would set a chair up for me as my throne, And then I would take a couple other chairs, and in my imagination, that was a couple of toms. The wooden arms were like the ride or crash. 

“I had a hell of an imagination back then,” he continues. “It drove him nuts. My dad was very attentive when he wasn’t on the road. Even when he was on the road, he was not inaccessible to do it for me. That’s like always been the big stigma for being an entertainer’s kid. But I used to get a speech, as he called it: ‘Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey—come on, man! Hey, hey, I’ve got to replace that, you know?’” Rodd also had a crucial ally within the extended family. “My grandmother—Granny, I called her—his mother, always said, ‘Leave him alone! One day, you’re gonna need him!’” Clearly, Granny possessed visionary powers. 

As he got older, the Memphis native assumed his rightful place in his father’s mighty orchestra. “It depends on the way you use the word ‘officially joined.’ I was in automatically,” he explains. “I would do shows with my dad, not as a novelty thing, but whenever I wasn’t in school, I had my drums on the road. I had my uniform.” Rodd was initially cast as half of a twodrummer onstage setup that moved and breathed as one. Great drummers were always integral to Bobby’s roaring orchestra, and the young timekeeper soaked up the rhythmic innovations of three of the best to ever pilot Bland’s orchestra: Jab’o Starks, Harold “Peanie” Portier, and Tony Coleman.

“The three wise men, as I call them,” says Rodd. Although they never got to actually play together, the influence of Jab’o, whose locomotive beat fueled Bobby’s ‘61 smash “Turn On Your Love Light,” was deep and profound. “I love him, love him, love him, love him,” says Rodd, who received some invaluable advice from Starks not long before he passed away in 2018. “He said, ‘Son, as long as when Bobby calls it and you play it and you make sure he’s got what he needs underneath him, you ain’t got to worry about what I did, how I did it,’” he told Rodd. “That was my pat on the head, like, ‘It’s okay.’ And I know it’s out of love.” 

Portier’s influence on Rodd was more hands-on. “Peanie was the guy that really put his hands on me as a kid, showing me how to play, training me up,” he says. “At three or four years old, I don’t know what double stroke roll is. But he always would see me with sticks, and he sat me down near the front of the bus, and he held his sticks and looked at me, and I tried to hold my sticks like him. 

“That brings us to my illustrious big brother, or the only thing I’ll ever have that resembles a brother, Tony T.C. Coleman,” says Rodd. “The guys that I credit the most, responsible for what I do and how I do it when it comes to playing drums, especially blues and Bobby Bland-style blues and B.B. King-style blues, are Jab’o, Peanie, Tony Coleman, and if we have B.B. King-style blues, obviously the late Calep Emphrey, Jr. and Tony Coleman.” 

The time eventually came when Bobby’s regular drummer George Weaver was nowhere to be found and Rodd had to do the job all by his lonesome. “I really stepped up, I like to say, in ‘95, ‘96. There was one night where George didn’t make the bus. We were going to Kansas City. We were playing, I think it was called the Starlight Festival. The Count Basie Orchestra was there. My mom was like, ‘What are you gonna do? George is not here! Joe, what y’all gonna do?’” 

Band director Joe Hardin had a quick response. “He said, ‘We ain’t gonna do nothing. We’ve got a drummer!’  “My mom said, ‘Who?’  “And both him and my dad pointed at me. And that was the first time I flew the plane by myself, and drove the band.” 

His father’s onstage magnetism left quite an impression on young Rodd. “There’s been endless amounts of lessons to be learned from just being onstage with him,” he says. “He made his living, as he always said, singing to women about women, and for women. And he said, ‘Fellows, if you listen, I might be able to teach you a thing or two.’ So that’s how that went.” Rodd contributed drums and percussion to his father’s 1998 Malaco Records release “Live” on Beale Street, a sweet document of Bland’s majestic band during its later years that was recorded at the New Daisy Theater (there was a DVD version too). 

As if having “Blue” for a dad wasn’t enough of an inexorable blues connection, Rodd’s godfather was a reasonably well-known entity among the genre’s fans too: B.B. King. “Or in his words, my other dad,” says Rodd. “I always referred to him as Uncle, and he shut that down one day: ‘Hey, Unc!’ 

“‘Unc? Uncle? Come over here and say hi to your other father! You’re like my son— you’ve got two dads!’” Rodd even subbed for Coleman in 2010 in King’s orchestra. When his “other father” passed away in May of 2015, Rodd was chosen to hand-carry his hallowed guitar Lucille in the jam-packed funeral procession along Beale Street. Bobby had passed away two years earlier. 

Rodd kept right on playing after losing his two dads, expanding his stylistic scope to keep a rock-steady beat within a variety of contrasting musical formats. He’s played on albums by Roxanne Lemmon (an eponymous CD in 2009), Ian Siegal and the Youngest Sons’ The Skinny (2011), Will Tucker’s Worth the Gamble (2015), The Reverend Shawn Amos Breaks it Down in 2018 (Rodd also toured globally as a member of Amos’ band), and Nola Blue’s 2018 release Going Back Home by Benny Turner and Cash McCall, where he played behind the veteran bluesmen on their ribald revival of “The Dirty Dozens.” 

Bland also took part in the filming of Take Me to the River, the genre-bending 2014 documentary that brought together several generations of Southern soul, blues, and rap performers in a successful attempt to locate common musical ground. Rodd displayed his versatility in the acclaimed film by not only backing his dad in live performance, but rapper Yo Gotti as well. 

As the pandemic finally winds down and Beale Street—Rodd’s principal stomping grounds—comes alive once more with its neon-spattered marquees intact and tourists returning in droves to stroll its historic sidewalks, Live on Beale Street: Tribute to Bobby “Blue” Bland vividly testifies about the past, the present, and the future too. “This EP is really an appetizer. This is the opening match or opening card. This is the opening act,” he says. 

“A lot of those are songs that I had played maybe once or twice,” he says of this CD’s delightful contents. “There are some songs that I didn’t like what I did then, and I wanted another fresh approach by playing them again. There’s no replacing him or his voice. That’s just stupid to even think that. And I’m not trying to reimagine the songs. But I’m not going to make a hip-hop version of “I’ll Take Care Of You.”  I’m not going to play a Drop-D tuning rock version of ‘Yolanda.’ I’m going to approach things as genuine as possible, but with my way of doing it and bring back ways that we used to do things.” Blue would be mighty proud.

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About the Artist:

Mak Ro is a duo of Filipino-American cousins based in Memphis, TN: Eric Makapugay (Multi-Instrumentalist/Producer/Songwriter) and Kristoffer Ruaro (Singer/Producer/Songwriter). 

The duo sparked from a seemingly inconsequential guitar riff Eric improvised during a jam session, resulting in the first song they ever wrote together, “Elevator.” From that point on, collaboration has effortlessly flowed between the two, having a familial chemistry that can only be described as natural. Guided by their instincts, they have fearlessly forged their distinctive identity, demonstrating that their music is destined to exist. Their shared interest in R&B music bridges the gap between their individual tastes in pop and rock, creating a unique fusion of different genres. 

Eric builds a sonic world in which Kristoffer carves out meaningful stories. As Filipino-Americans and for Kristoffer, a queer artist, Mak Ro conveys their perspectives through their storytelling, making their mark not only in their hometown of Memphis, TN, but also on a broader international stage. 

Since breaking onto the scene in 2019, they've independently released 15 singles and a 4-track EP, all self-produced, recorded, and written. Most recently, Mak Ro released their highly anticipated debut album, Love in the Dark, in the fall of 2024. 

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About the Artist:

Song by timeless song Eggy reaches out a hand, inviting you along as a great story unfolds. Eggy’s music traces the full spectrum of emotions, evoked by a life well-lived alongside friends well-loved.

Eggy formed from a high school dream into a full-fledged reality. Aligning together in 2016, the lineup of Alex Bailey (drums, vocals), Jake Brownstein (guitar, vocals), Mike Goodman (bass, vocals) and Dani Battat (keys, vocals) has captured the ears of listeners across the USA and beyond.

Following the release of their 2019 debut record, Watercolor Days, the band has toured constantly, performing in over 40 states. Amidst their travels in 2021, Eggy stopped in Nashville to record two singles, released as Nashville Tapes the following year. Highlights from the band’s many eclectic shows have been handpicked by the band for consumption, including the most recent “Eggy Selects: Spring Tour 2023, Vol. 1).

Eggy’s upcoming record, “Waiting Game,” is set to arrive on September 6, 2024. Three singles (“A Moment’s Notice”, “Laurel” and “Gentle Clown”) have been released thus far. Co-produced by White Denim’s James Petralli, “Waiting Game” showcases the band’s artistry through a concentrated and refined studio approach as a compliment to their exploratory live shows.

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About the Artist:

"LadyCouch was born out of Keshia Bailey and Allen Thompson’s love for one another and their love for honest, soulful music. The pair seem to come from two different worlds, musically, with Keshia hailing from the straight-ahead throwback Soul group Magnolia Sons, and Allen from the psychedelic folk of the Allen Thompson Band.

Backed by a rotating cast of players who often tour with the likes of Keith Urban, Tesky Brothers, INXS and more, LadyCouch’s Appalachian upbringings and their genuine appreciation for Soul, Rock, Funk, Country and Folk allow them to build bridges across genres to create a sound all its own. On any given evening in Nashville it’s not uncommon to see folks from Old Crow Medicine Show, Maggie Rose, Jon Latham, Little Bandit, Drivin N Cryin, and many other Nashville mainstay musicians jamming with the big band with the nonsense name.

When LadyCouch is on stage, they do everything with a purpose and drive that’s rare to see in a group that large. While their sound might be reminiscent of the huge hippie orchestras of decades past, the group is by no means a nostalgia act. Their approach to writing, melodies, harmonies and improvisation is as original and refreshing as you can get."

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Alejandro Escovedo's New Album ECHO DANCING is an Adventure in Life

No one has really ever been able to define themselves and their music like singer-songwriter Alejandro Escovedo does. His life in music of all kinds sometimes feels like a swirl through the sky, where his songs point out all the majesty and mystery of how he sees the world. The sounds he makes take him places that he might not even predict, but once there, greatness always follows. It's just the way Escovedo is. It has happened over and over for decades, almost like a fateful agreement he has with the cosmos. There is a good chance it cannot be explained, especially by him.

Maybe that's because this is a musician who feels magic, both in himself and the world around him, and is open to the experience of whatever comes his way. It is not always easy, and can have a high demand on how a person lives. But it is the way that Escovedo is always moving forward.

Truer words were never spoken than Alejandro Escovedo's love for exploration in the music he writes and plays. The son of a Mexican immigrant and a Texas native, the sounds that Escovedo first discovered and then performed morphed into all kinds of exciting styles of his life. A member of the first-wave punk rock group The Nuns in San Francisco, he moved to New York and joined the Judy Nylon band and experienced the total electricity of the late 1970s there. Moving then to Austin was a radical shift of geography and musical style when Escovedo helped form one of the country's first so-called Cowpunk adventurers. It often seems like the man has been on a pirate-like adventure through the kinds of music he is drawn to. Those sounds are usually new and often have a strong edge of the avant-garde in them. 

Deeply embedded in the burgeoning Austin scene in the 1980s, Escovedo was a prime architect in the new band True Believers, which included his brother Javier and Jon Dee Graham. In many ways the band helped build the gateway to the whole burgeoning Americana music scene which prospers to this day, but it was also the turning point for Alejandro Escovedo to take his life in his control and record solo albums. In the thirty-plus years since that decision has come a wild roller-coaster ride of groups, spinoffs, tribute albums and even original dramatic projects and experiments. In 1998, No Depression Magazine named him Artist of the Decade. For this musician, though, that was just the start of a life that twists and turns wherever Escovedo's clearly uninhibited imagination takes him.

"I said goodbye to certain phases of my life as I have grown," the musician says. "I greeted new acquaintances musically. And I was extremely surprised by the outcome. That is the thrill of being alive. I feel we have now made a beautiful collection of songs recorded in an effortless vibe of collaboration and camaraderie. I can't give Nicola and Antonio enough credit and thanks for their musicianship and wide-open approach to making this album. And I should also mention Ivano Giovedi, who incredibly engineered the recordings. He did an amazing job."

"Everyone involved has guided me to new approaches to my music, like other musicians have my whole life. I have always worked hard to discover new ways to tell the story. I've never hidden my love for Brian Eno, Roxy Music, Judy Nylon, Cluster, along with the Stooges, New York Dolls, MC5, Roky Erickson, Lightnin' Hopkins, Joe Ely, Terry Allen; you get the picture. There is always more work to be done and joy to be made. I am nowhere near finished."

Echo Dancing makes sure Alejandro Escovedo's evolving circle remains unbroken.

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Food Trucks: Mexico in Memphis | Soi Number 9 | Que’s Sweet Heat

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About the Artist:

Since he came on the scene in 2014, New Orleans native Pell has been synonymous with ambition. His first mixtape, Floating While Dreaming, garnered attention from press across the board. Since then, Pell has collaborated with artists like NGHTMRE Brasstracks, Big Gigantic to name a few. Other notable tours include accompanying acts like Kehlani, PJ Morton, Tank & The Bangas, Big Freedia, Doja Cat, and more.

In 2021 Pell released two projects concurrently. The two projects—glbl wrmng vol. 1 and Floating While Dreaming II—represented the powerful competing impulses of Pell’s artistry: the collaborative side that wants to put his peers on and showcase the talent brimming over in his hometown, and the solitary writerly side that seeks to explore his most personal feelings and experiences.

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Food Trucks: Green Beetle | Crossover Eats | Tops BBQ

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About the Artist:

With countless tunes you know from the first note, rip-roaring gigs you can count on, and a whole lot of energy you’ll take home with you, BoDeans continue to contribute to the American songbook as a tried-and-true institution. Founded and led by original frontman, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Kurt Neumann, the band’s catalog consists of generational anthems such as “Good Things,” You Don’t Get Much,” “Idaho,” and “Closer To Free,” just to name a few. However, they still reflect the soul and spirit of the modern American experience on their fourteenth full-length offering, 4 The Last Time.

“The music of BoDeans has defined much of my life,” muses Kurt. “I consider myself fortunate to be able to do what I enjoy. I wanted to creatively do something positive for the world instead of just taking from it. So, this is what I’ve chosen to do with my life. The music was always about the blue-collar dream of a better life, and it still is.”

BoDeans emerged out of Waukesha, WI in 1986 with the seminal debut, Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams, produced by T Bone Burnett. Following Outside Looking In [1987], Home [1989], and Black and White [1991], Go Slow Down [1993] yielded “Closer To Free,” which famously served as the theme song for the smash hit television series Party of Five. With a sought-after discography, their music landed hundreds of television and film placements. Meanwhile, they transformed into a proven live phenomenon by supporting the likes of U2, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Tom Petty, The Pretenders, and David Bowie in addition to gracing the bills of Farm Aid, Summerfest, and ACL. Speaking to the group’s legacy, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame permanently entrenched BoDeans in the Midwest Artists exhibit. Most recently, 2017’s Thirteen arrived to widespread acclaim from The Chicago Tribune and Glide Magazine who spotlighted the music’s “understated grace—an attribute that no doubt fuels the steadfast approach Kurt Neumann has employed of his thirty-plus years as a ‘BoDean’.” Along the way, NETFLIX’s The Ranch also utilized over 70 tunes from Kurt, and he launched his own podcast Staring At The World.

In the midst of the Global Pandemic, he wrote and recorded what would become 4 The Last Time in his Austin, TX studio.

“We have a classic guitar-driven midwestern rock pop sound,” he goes on. “I wanted to make sure there was still some music out there with guitars on it. I feel like I’m getting better at this in my fifties. So, there are a lot of those big rock songs we’ve done for years. I got that vibe down on this record.”

In the end, BoDeans make an impact through such honesty. 

“For the next year, I’m going to be showing up in towns everywhere and trying to bring people together a little more,” he leaves off. “Come to a BoDeans gig, sing along, and forget about everything else. That’s why I play nowadays. I’d like to keep pushing that message as long as I can.” 

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Food Trucks: Hot-n-Heavy Hot Dogs | Mexico in Memphis | Soi Number 9 | Good Groceries Mobile Diner

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THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER

About the Artist:

East Nash Grass is one of the hottest young bands in Bluegrass, picking up this year’s International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) award for Best New Artist and stacked with IBMA Best Instrumentalist winners: Grand Master Fiddle champion and AMA Instrumentalist of the year nominee Maddie Denton, Cory Walker (banjo), and Harry Clark (mandolin). Put them alongside charismatic frontman James Kee and bassist Jeff Partin (Rhonda Vincent, etc.) and you’ve got a powerhouse leader of the next generation in bluegrass excellence.

WSLR in Fogartyville calls them “a balance of undeniably hard-driving bluegrass alongside surprisingly introspective songwriting and earnest narration.”

They are far more than a group of impressive instrumental technicians. As a group that came together organically via set after set on Nashville’s East Side, playing tiny stages for the love of it between tours backing bigger acts, they have a hard-forged bond that’s reflected in their stage chemistry. Audiences freak out over how much fun these guys have.

As they work on the follow up to 2023’s “Last Chance To Win” — look for a release in the spring of 2025 — they now find themselves one of the most in-demand groups in Americana, fanning out well beyond the traditional bluegrass spots.

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Food Trucks: Smoke & Toast | Green Beetle | Flipside Asia

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DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER, THIS EVENT IS BEING MOVED TO GROWLERS (1911 POPLAR AVE).

EDDIE 9V WILL PERFORM AT 7:30PM, FOLLOWED BY JOHNNY MULLENAX BAND AT 9:30PM.

THIS DOUBLE-HEADER CONCERT WILL STILL BE FREE.

About the Artist:

Eddie 9V has powered up. From the day he first slung a guitar on a local stage, the Georgia-born bandleader announced himself as an artistDUE to watch. But in the last few meteoric years, Eddie’s music has crossed oceans and airwaves, transcending his cult-hero status to become a beacon for fans of real music everywhere.

“Eddie 9V is something else,” wrote the UK’s Classic Rock of 2022’s chart-topping Capricorn. “A man who genuinely inhabits golden-era American roots, playing the most instinctive blues you’ll hear all year.”

You’ll find the proof on new studio album ‘Saratoga’, releasing November 22, 2024 on the fabled Ruf label. It’s a record that will thrill both newcomers and fans who have trailed Eddie since the start, showcasing his fresh, fiery spin on Southern soul, blues, rock and funk, with his signature wit and sharp observations of modern America placing him squarely in the here-and-now. “I do think it’s a wonderful road trip album,” he nods of the eleven originals co-written with his brother, the much-respected Southern musician, Lane Kelly. “I was shooting for a more Americana-type album this time, less blues songs and solos and more focusing on the songwriting.”

The new songs of ‘Saratoga’ deserve nothing less than your full attention. Eddie’s latest album announces his new groove with the crisp, purposeful beats of the opening title track, an instant favorite that gets under your skin with its almost disco- style harmonies and joust of horns and slide guitar (“That song is about being in a lonely tiny town that feels impossible to escape”).

Halo struts from the speakers on Eddie’s falsetto howl, before the lush yearning of Cry Like A River and Love Moves So Slow (co-written by Spencer Pope) brings vintage soul into the modern age. The brittle riffs and spacey vocal of Delta mark another gearshift, flowing into Red River’s reflective-yet-kinetic groove. Wasp Weather speaks to Eddie’s love of rapid-fire streams of consciousness. “That’s my favorite lyrically ’cos I like spewing words that don’t make sense into songs. ‘I got a big mud house that I can’t keep clean, it’s useless’ – I love that line.”

The album plays out in style with the trilling alt-folk of Truckee – “We got high and did shrooms and camped on the Truckee river in California,” he explains of the inspiration – the wistful Tides and Love You All The Way Down. Eddie even slips in a brass- blasting take on Mac DeMarco’s Chamber Of Reflection, before bringing the record home with The Road To Nowhere’s shuddering, tremolo-drenched country lament, his trademark twang utterly transformed into a vintage croon.

Eddie 9V is right: this latest album takes us all over the musical and emotional map, while announcing that his recent career peaks are just the start. “Capricorn was a big jump for us,” he reflects. “But I’m already writing new songs, y’know?”

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Food Trucks: Stick ‘Em | Crossover Eats | Good Groceries Mobile Diner

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About the Artist:

As a talented entertainer and student of music, Saaneah is on a mission to reach the masses and enlighten the souls of people with lyrical eloquence and substance, creating timeless music that is positive, true, and elevates the spirit.

She released her debut promo CD, entitled “All the Above” in 2011, gaining dedicated listeners in several cities after her 2008 appearance on American Idol. Her time on Idol led to many opportunities including opening for Ledisi in 2013 after winning a local musical contest.

Saaneah has graced audiences all over the country with her unique blend of R&B, jazz, funk, hip-hop, and blues.

Hailing from the north side of Nashville Tennessee, she draws from her culture to enhance her R&B sound, influenced by artists like Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Ella Fitzgerald, Mini Riperton, Nina Simone, Chaka Khan and Donny Hathaway.

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Food Trucks: Smoke & Toast | Soi Number 9 | Trap Fusion | Kaye’s Pint & Scoops

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About the Artist:

It might’ve even been last night, but Steve Poltz just played the greatest show of his life. Guess what?  

The next show will be even greater, making that show the greatest show of his life.

Are you starting to notice a trend?

He isn’t shy about it either.

Even after most likely thousands of shows (but who’s counting?), he hits the stage with the same amount of energy and always makes sure to declare, “This is the greatest show of my life.”

It’s why he’s quietly emerged as the kind of live phenomenon celebrated passionately by a diehard fanbase worldwide and renowned as a festival favorite everywhere from Bluesfest in Byron Bay and High Sierra Music Festival in California and Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado to Cayamo Cruise (where he actually got married). It’s why his music has crept into pop culture via collaborations with everyone from Jewel and Billy Strings to Molly Tuttle, Sierra Hull, Nicki Bluhm, Oliver Wood, and even the late Mojo Nixon. It’s why after over a dozen albums, he’s still creatively firing on all cylinders and critically acclaimed by the likes of Rolling Stone, Associated Press, Billboard, and many more.

Nevertheless, the next gig will be the greatest show for him (and maybe for you too)…

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Food Trucks: Tops BBQ | Mexico in Memphis | Stick ‘Em | Hot ‘n’ Heavy Dogs

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On Made In New Orleans, New Breed Brass Band presents a brand of second line music in conversation with everything from Caribbean music to No Limit Records to modern R&B in the vein of Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak’s Silk Sonic. Guest appearances — including from local legends Kango Slim, Wild Wayne, and the late great 5th Ward Weebie, as well as Dave Matthews Band saxophonist Jeff Coffin — deepen the exuberant chaos. It’s joyful and vital and distinctly of the moment — music for and by New Orleans’ next generation.

Though the young musicians were ensconced in second line culture — band leader Jenard Andrews’ father is the great trumpeter James Andrews, and his uncle is Trombone Shorty, the New Orleans scene lynchpin — it took something of an intervention to help them find their own sound.

Says Jenard: “In New Orleans, everyone starts out as a Rebirth cover band until you find your thing. We were jamming out on some Rebirth stuff at Trombone Shorty’s studio. Shorty comes in and gives it to us straight: “This isn’t practicing, you’re just jamming on some Rebirth. You’ve gotta find your own thing.”

Trombone Shorty began coaching them up, and their sound took shape: The rhythmic versatility of the local jazz and funk scenes — as well New Orleans hip-hop from Cash Money to bounce — fused with second line culture to create something distinctly theirs. As Jenard puts it: “We wanted to get real New Orleans street on them.”

Audiences took notice. They toured North America and Europe, and opened for The Fray, Blackalicious, Dr. John, and eventually Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue.

With Made In New Orleans, New Breed Brass Band forge a new path for 21st century second lines — it’s just up to listeners to follow their lead down the parade route.

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About the Artist:

Parker Millsap quickly made a name for himself with his captivating live performances, soulful sound, and character-driven narratives. He’s had a string of successes including an appearance on CONAN, a performance with Elton John at the Apple Music Festival, an Austin City Limits taping & an Americana Music Association nomination for Album of the Year. He's shared the stage with folks like Jason Isbell, Shovels & Rope, Patty Griffin, Houndmouth, and many others.

Parker’s early releases showcased a mastery of acoustic folk rock, with their flourish for revelation and fiery dynamics. Be Here Instead, Millsap’s 2021 release produced by John Agnello, hinted at the wildness to come while exploring newer, more personal songwriting styles. Parker's newest album, Wilderness Within You, is a natural step in Parker's evolution which interweaves threads of his musical past and newer influences to gorgeous effect.

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Food Trucks: Sips & Sammies | Good Groceries Mobile Diner | Soi No.9

Picnic baskets, coolers, beverages, blankets, and lawn chairs are always welcome. We also offer food and beverage for sale in the Autozone Food and Beverage Concourse. Dogs on a leash are welcome in designated areas. Overton Park Shell is a nonsmoking facility.

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