In Conversation: Jesse Mansfield @ Caminos De Michoacan It was my extreme pleasure yesterday to spend some time with Rock N Roll Polymath and Saint, Jesse Mansfield. We had a conversation in anticipation of his first shows of his own original material with the band Party Gator taking place July 10 (End of All Music … Continue reading In Conversation: Jesse Mansfield @ Caminos De Michoacan
This is just a quick project to create a visual document of the genealogy of the musical madness in Memphis from Furry Lewis to where we are today (2026). It illustrates the direct line between Furry Lewis to the more successful and compelling bands on the Goner Records label. While no less compelling, I have … Continue reading A Genealogy of Memphis Music Madness
“The monkey wrapped his tail around the flagpole, to show his asshole, and one, two, three…” Most of the information available on the internet about Trio is a regurgitation of their Wikipedia article. Three burnouts write songs in a barn, Beatles associate Klaus Voorman sees them play, they record an album, and then there’s “Da … Continue reading In Profile: Trio and Trio (1981)
Greetings, Digital Wanderer! This is your author back from the grave to present another piece of writing that would otherwise be lost to time. Again, not 479-related, but something I wrote while at Rhodes College for a Hip Hop Theology course taught by Dr. Earle Fisher. I ended up presenting this paper at the National … Continue reading Revolutionary Spirituality and Youth Gangs
Long time no see! This is a paper I wrote while I was a Rhodes Institute for Regional Studies fellow at Rhodes College. It details the history of WLYX, the college radio station in Memphis from the 1950s-1990s. I know this is not directly 479-related, but the members of the WLYX alumni community have asked … Continue reading Radio Free Memphis: The WLYX Story
Backspace Compilation and art by Geneva Joy from BACKSPACE ZINE #2 Bands include: Prahnas, Mouton, RD Mauzy, The Gebharts, Ten High, Piss Shivers, The Phelgms, The Wirms, Neon Glittery, Elephantom, Dylan Earl, and Willi Carlisle Visual artists include: Leah CF, Wanbli Gamache, Neon Glittery, Hayes from the Hills, Kaia Hodo, Becca Jones, Helen Maringer, RD … Continue reading BACKSPACE ZINE #2
Peinture à l'huile représentant Miles Davis par la pianiste/peintre Belge, Marie Fikry, 2017 While I was doing research on Louis Jordan, I found an account from Miles Davis on the significant impact Arkansas had on his own life and music. The first chapter of Miles: An Autobiography tells that both his parents were, in fact, … Continue reading Miles Davis and Arkansas: In His Own Words
"Grandfather of Rock n Roll" Louis Jordan from http://www.20jazzfunkgreats.co.uk/ I cannot tell you whether Louis Jordan saw the future or not, but he definitely made it happen. He is “the father of Rhythm and Blues” and “the Grandfather of Rock n Roll”. Biographer Steven Koch also cites him as an early influence on the development … Continue reading Louis Jordan: Arkansas’ Forgotten Son
Backspace loading doors, image from The Idle Class. Covid-19 has gutted rock n roll and, tragically, for good reasons (STAY AT HOME). Venues have closed voluntarily or due to state mandate. There are no bands to book, no places to play, and nobody can go anywhere anyway. Some bands are doing live-streams to supplement the … Continue reading “Considering rock ‘n’ roll, life and the looming apocalypse”
Enigma, Calamity, and Venus in the Nude Tav Falco, Self Portrait via Creative Commons Tav Falco is a spiritual force. His art gives a glimpse of the true nature of the American South and is a distillation of the “dark waters of your unconscious”(Commercial Appeal, May 18, 2019). You can only taste it in sips … Continue reading Tav Falco in Fayetteville
