Don't miss out on this great event next week, presented by the Memphis Music Foundation. Call ahead - seating is limited and you must RSVP to attend!

Rhino Records has announced the release of the long awaited Big Star boxed set, entitled Keep an Eye on the Sky. From the Rhino Web site:

Big Star inspired a fevered allegiance among fans of power pop, giving rise to a cult of believers who spent decades spreading the gospel. Their enthusiasm turned this obscure Memphis pop band-one that got little airplay, sold few records, and only played a handful of times- into a remarkable rock and roll resurrection story. Big Star's trek from obscure Memphis band to standard bearers for an entire genre of music has never been fully mapped-until now. Rhino presents the definitive look at the definitive power-pop band with a four-disc boxed set divided between key cuts from Big Star's three studio albums and unreleased music. KEEP AN EYE ON THE SKY will be available September 15 from Rhino Records at all retail outlets, including www.rhino.com, for a suggested list price of $69.98 (physical), it will also be available as a digital release the same day. A Deluxe Edition release of Chris Bell's solo album I Am The Cosmos is due September 14 from Rhino Handmade.

KEEP AN EYE ON THE SKY spans 1968 to 1975 and shows the progression of Big Star through selections from such studio precursors as Rock City and Icewater; music from Big Star's acclaimed recordings (#1 Record, Radio City, and Third/Sister Lovers); and relevant solo work by group principals Alex Chilton and Chris Bell, who formed Big Star in 1971 with bassist Andy Hummel and drummer Jody Stephens. The collection also uncovers a trove of unreleased demos, unused mixes, alternate versions of songs, and a 1973 concert recorded in Memphis.

Continue reading "Big Star Boxed Set Announced" »

In the picture, L to R: Producer Jim Gaines, bassist Tony Valdez, Lance Lopez, add'l engineer Adam Hill, assistant Nick Redmond, and engineer Pete Matthews.

Texas blues guitarist Lance Lopez was in the studio recently with producer Jim Gaines (George Thorogood, Steve Miller, Huey Lewis), overdubbing guitars and mixing a new record. This project marks the first time the two have worked together, but they have had friends in common in the Texas blues scene for some time. Pete Matthews was the mix engineer, with Adam Hill recording the overdubs and Nick Redmond assisting.

Lance takes off for a European tour this week, and together with Jim will be shopping his yet-to-be-titled record to various labels in the near future. Check out Lance's tunes on his myspace, or check out some of his past projects on Amazon.com.

In the picture: Top row, L to R: Studio manager/Big Star drummer Jody Stephens, co-producer/engineer Curry Weber. Bottom row, L to R: Bassist Geoff Smith, singer Josh Cosby, and co-producer/lead guitarist Nick Redmond.

Ardent Music artists Star & Micey were back in the studio yet again, tracking the final song for their debut record, to be released in late June/early July. The song, entitled Nelson (named after a street in Midtown Memphis) will feature the legendary Jody Stephens (Big Star!) on drums.

Read more about Star & Micey at their lively blog, located at starandmicey.com.

In the Picture, L to R: Jim Aldridge (sax/harmonica), Dayna Kurtz, Sonny Burgess (guitar), Kern Kennedy (keys), Fred Douglas (bass), Bobby Crafford (drums), Randy Crafton (engineer), and Adam Hill (assistant).

New York singer/songwriter Dayna Kurtz came to Ardent with engineer Randy Crafton (Richie Havens, The Mingus Big Band) to do some work on her forthcoming record. Adam Hill assisted. With this session came something special - Kurtz's backing band for the day was none other than Sun Records artists Sonny Burgess and the Legendary Pacers.

Dayna first came into contact with drummer Bobby Crafford 3 years ago at The Ponderosa Stomp. The Legendary Pacers, who have been playing together with the same lineup since 1961, provided for Dayna the rockabilly/swamp pop boogie that she had been looking for.

For more information, check out Dayna's Web site or check out what she or The Legendary Pacers have to offer at Amazon.com.

The acclaimed 33 1/3 book series has featured Big Star's Radio City for an upcoming release. Each of the books tells the story of the making of a record, and previous releases have included everything from Dusty Springfield's Dusty in Memphis to Jeff Buckley's Grace to Radiohead's OK Computer, and everything in between.

The Radio City book is available for preorder on Amazon.com
right now, and will be officially released tomorrow, May 2. In the meantime, check out other Big Star related materials on Amazon!

This week Memphis goes international through Craig Brewer's $5 Cover on MTV Networks. There are still a few tickets left to the $5 Cover world premiere Thursday night.

A benefit for Indie Memphis, the World Premiere of $5 COVER is presented by Malco Theatres and the Memphis & Shelby County Film and Television Commission. The complete 15-episode series, which follows young musicians in Memphis as they fight for love, inspiration and money to pay the rent, will be presented in its entirety this Thursday night at Malco's Paradiso, just a few miles away from Ardent. Click here to get tickets.

Taking-over.com has reviewed Jump Back Jake's debut release, Brooklyn Hustle/Memphis Muscle, which was released on Ardent Music's newly revived secular music label late last year. From the review:

Retro bands have always been cool, but also a bit of a novelty. The current wave of metal bands with a huge 80s influence may be fun for a time, but I doubt they’ll have any lasting value. When swing came back in the 90s, its popularity barely lasted a year. But then there’s a band like Jump Back Jake that does it in just such a way that has me saying, “This is really really good. If they make the right appearances, maybe people will actually grab a hold of them as something more than another little trend.” And the reason Jump Back Jake stands out is because they offer not just a rehashing of an old sound but a complex melding of a diverse range of sounds. In just one album, I can pick out elements of blues, ska, classic rock, gospel, country, 90s alternative, jazz, punk, Southern rock, and funk. If that hasn’t sufficiently confused you, keep reading.

Read more at the blog entry, or check out JBJ's Brooklyn Hustle/Memphis Muscle on Amazon.com!

In the Picture: John Fry, circa late 1960's

Ardent Studios founder John Fry was recently interviewed by Andy Pareti of Soundcheck Magazine for an article entitled "Company You Keep: Ardent Music." From the article:

What do Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Isaac Hayes, and B.B. King have in common? Well, apart from being members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, they have all at one time made use of the legendary Ardent Studios, Memphis’ own independent success story more than five decades in the making. Founded by a teenage John Fry along with two friends (one of which, Fred Smith, went on to found FedEx), Ardent Music fast became a recording and mixing haven for the greatest names in music. Since the 1960s, pivotal artists such as R.E.M., Stevie Ray Vaughan and The Replacements were compelled to use the studio, while recent clients such as the White Stripes, Cat Power and M.I.A. have proven that the facilities’ allure has only grown with age.

Now 64, Fry looks back on the days when Ardent was pressing 45s in his parents’ garage, when a fortunate connection with Stax Records catapulted the studio’s reputation to new heights, and when a couple of local boys named Alex Chilton and Chris Bell formed a rock band called Big Star and become Ardent’s most interesting success story. Here, he shares some of the experiences – equal parts fate, luck, and savvy – that built Ardent up to become one of those unlikely underdog stories that make you smile.

For more, check out the article on Soundcheck Magazine's Web site.