Crosstown Arthouse presents HAXAN (1922) + DEEP RED (1975)
2019-10-24 14:30 - 16:30 (America/Chicago) | Crosstown Theater, 1350 Concourse Ave., Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
The Crosstown Arthouse Film Series showcases a diverse collection of independent, international, historically significant, artistic, experimental, cult, underground, and documentary features.
Films begin at 7:30 pm sharp.
Tickets are $10 (at the door only)
Double feature with HAXAN (1922) and a live score by 1000 LIGHTS, followed by a screening of DEEP RED (1975).
HAXAN (1922): Grave robbing, torture, possessed nuns, and a satanic Sabbath: Benjamin Christensen’s legendary silent film HAXAN uses a series of dramatic vignettes to explore the scientific hypothesis that the witches of the Middle Ages and early modern era suffered from the same ills as psychiatric patients diagnosed with hysteria in the film’s own time. Far from a dry dissertation on the topic, the film itself is a witches’ brew of the scary, the gross, and the darkly humorous. Christensen’s mix-and-match approach to genre anticipates gothic horror, documentary re-creation, and the essay film, making for an experience unlike anything else in the history of cinema.
Is 1000 LIGHTS a post punk band? A proto-punk band? A goth band? A band of Memphis’ heaviest hitters? All of the above? Meet A Thousand Lights. Guitarist Joey Killingsworth (Jocephus and the George Jonestown Massacre, Super Witch, Grendel Crane, Static Bombs), drummer Russ Thompson (The Margins, Static Bombs, New Intruders, Pisshorse), bassist Chris McCoy (Super Witch, Static Bombs, New Intruders, Pisshorse), and vocalist Jesse James Davis (Yesse Yavis, Model Zero) owe their partnership to the Memphis Does Bowie benefit show. Thompson, who has been a musical partner with McCoy since their days in the legendary 90s art punk band Pisshorse, sat in with McCoy and Killingsworth’s metal juggernaut Super Witch to cover the Bowie classics “Scary Monsters and Super Creeps,” “Cat People,” and “It Ain’t Easy.” Davis, dressed as Low-era Bowie, brought the house down fronting Winchester and the Ammunition. Memphis Does Bowie raised more than $20,000 for Memphis area charities. In 2017, Killingsworth, Thompson, and McCoy were playing together in the death rock project Static Bombs when the trio tapped Davis for a pair of shows: Gimmie Shelter, a benefit for homeless charities that saw Memphis musicians paying tribute to the Rolling Stones; and a slot at Memphis’ hottest Halloween party, hosted by Black Lodge Video, where the band, joined by saxophonist Seth Moody, performed The Stooges Funhouse album in its entirety. These shows were such a raging success that the group decided to make it permanent, renaming themselves A Thousand Lights, after a line from The Stooges’ “Down On The Street.” As you can tell from the choices of artists they paid tribute to, A Thousand Lights sound is slippery and diverse, incorporating elements from the earliest days of punk and post punk that bands like Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Love and Rockets synthesized into goth rock. Their debut EP “3nc EP” is available now on iTunes & Spotify.
SECOND FEATURE: DEEP RED (1975): 4K restoration! From Dario Argento, the man behind some the greatest excursions in Italian horror (SUSPIRIA, THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE, THE CAT O’ NINE TAILS), comes DEEP RED: arguably the ultimate giallo. Aided by a throbbing score from legendary proggers Goblin, this hallucinatory fever dream is punctuated by some of the most expert setpieces the genre has to offer. One lonely night, musician Marcus Daly (David Hemmings, BLOW UP), looks up from the plaza below and witnesses the brutal axe murder of a woman in her apartment. Racing to the scene, Marcus just misses the perpetrator — or does he? As he takes on the role of amateur sleuth, Marcus ensnares himself in a bizarre web of murder and mystery where nothing is what it seems.

The Lovelight Orchestra at The Green Room
2019-10-25 14:30 - 16:30 | Crosstown Arts, The Green Room, 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 280, Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Join us in The Green Room at Crosstown Arts for big band blues by The Love Light Orchestra.
Tickets: $10
Doors 7pm | Show at 7:30pm
The Love Light Orchestra celebrates the Memphis big band blues-style found on the 1950s and ’60s singles of Bobby “Blue” Bland, B.B. King and Herman ”Junior” Parker. The band of seasoned Memphis musicians derives their name from Bland’s 1961 hit “Turn On Your Love Light.” Their sound is completed with the soulful voice of bluesman John Nemeth.
In addition to dipping into the catalogs of Buddy Ace, Freddie King, and Percy Mayfield, the band demonstrates their deftness with uptown blues via the solid originals “Singing For My Supper, “Lonesome and High,” and the Ray Charles-inspired opener “See Why I Love You.” Casual fans of Memphis music might only recognize their cover of Al Green’s iconic “Love and Happiness,” but it’s reset here as a shuffle, building upon riffs that horn player, Marc Franklin, says were inspired by Charles Mingus’ “Fables of Faubus.”
The Love Light Orchestra’s overall sound, says Franklin, was inspired by Joe Scott whose work Franklin discovered after he was hired to play with Bland in the early ‘90s. “The first time I heard his work, it sounded like Ellington, but more down-home with extended harmonics that you don’t necessarily hear on blues or soul records. It’s a jazz thing, throwing extra notes into the chords—at Stax they didn’t do 6th chords.”
Grammy-winning producer/engineer Matt Ross-Spang cut the record live at the tiny DKDC bar in Memphis, and recalls “it was more or less done after we cut it. This music is really supposed to be heard live, to be in the room to feel the horns, and it turned out magically — lightning in a bottle twelve times in just a couple hours.” — Scott Baretta, former editor of Living Blues

The Music of Nancy Wilson
2019-10-26 14:00 - 16:00 | Crosstown Arts, East Atrium, 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 280, Memphis, TN, United States
The Crosstown Jazz Series is bringing back its popular tribute to The Music of Nancy Wilson!
Join us for a jazz tribute to Grammy-winning jazz songstress Nancy Wilson featuring D’Monet (vocalist), Darryl Sanford (piano), Carl Caspersen (acoustic bass), Jonathan Bass (guitar), and Mike Assad (drums).
Tickets: $15
Doors at 6:30 pm | show at 7 pm
The Crosstown Jazz Series, presented by Strictly Jazz Entertainment in collaboration with Crosstown Arts, is designed to salute classic jazz music as contemporary musicians perform the work of the legends.
Nancy Wilson (born February 20, 1937) is an American singer with more than seventy albums, and three Grammy Awards.

About D’Monet:
How an artist starts a journey can say a lot about their destination; belting out melodies from the womb is a divine beginning. Having received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Vocal Music Performance at LeMoyne Owen College, along with studying under some of opera’s greatest powerhouses such as Grace Bumbry, Vera Little, even abroad in Pisa, Italy under world-renowned Pilralba Sorga, the classically trained voice known as D’Monet cannot be defined as a Jazz, Rhythm, and Blues or a Pop singer … but she has redefined the meaning of the traditional soul artist in what she calls “Alkaline Music” (music that heals). D’Monet allows you to travel on contorted twists of loves’ successes and failures; all while exercising her massive vocal prowess to the center stage. Nurturing her vocal gifts from the tender age of four, along with developing her ear for the piano by age seven, she now is a seasoned veteran. D’Monet has shared her soul from New York to Los Angeles, but it’s only natural she makes Memphis, Tennessee the home of her “Futuristic Soul.”
As D’Monet inspires those within her artistic circle, she soaks inspiration from classic triple threat artists such as: Anita Baker, Oleta Adams, Celine Dion, Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder, and Rachelle Ferrell. D’Monet has a gift for building bridges between a song and her audience, crossing cultural and musical genres. This elegant songstress approaches each note with a sophisticated passion, which leaves the listener wanting more.
D’Monet’s recordings can only be matched by her live performances in various venues around Memphis, TN. She has been featured on numerous stages and sets and her sound has allowed her to branch out across several genres. She was honored to perform as the special guest for Black Enterprise’s Women of Power Summit in 2012. Having shared the stage with Soul Crooner Eric Roberson, and also having a brief stint as a background singer for Blackstreet’s Dave Hollister, D’Monet has become a musical mainstay, particularly in the city of Memphis. In 2011, D’Monet was featured on Markevius Faulkner‘s hit single ‘Day One’, which received major radio airplay on WHAL-FM’S 95.7 Hallelujah FM. In the wake of Day One’s success, D’Monet released her debut single, Oooh Baby (Got Your Back)!
In 2013, D’Monet uprooted herself from her hometown and moved to Des Moines, IA, where she unsuspectedly became the Assistant Minister of Music and Vocal Director at a local church, the front woman and keyboard player for two funk/soul bands R.S.V.P. and The Tighten Up band, and also made two appearances on KCWI’s “Great Day” Morning Show performing her original music. After returning to Memphis a few years later, she began releasing more original music.
On February 28, 2019, D’Monet released her new single “Dry” which is now available on all major digital outlets and streams. Her next single “Trauma” soon followed on May 31, 2019, which talks about a physical assault that left her traumatized for a long time. On September 6, 2019, D’Monet released her Chrysalis EP, which signifies the evolution of her life and her music. Stay tuned for what’s next. Her quest to continue along her musical journey is just beginning.

About Strictly Jazz Entertainment:
Strictly Jazz Entertainment is committed to cultivating a growing community in the knowledge and appreciation of jazz. We facilitate dialogue and collaboration between the devoted supporters of jazz and the brand new constituents – those new to the genre – for the furthering of the jazz community. We provide a bridge between leading artists and a community that typically does not embrace jazz by promoting concerts in various venues to generate an atmosphere that is viable for the absorption of pure jazz.

Spaceface Annual Halloween Show w/ The Upside Down Ensemble
2019-10-26 15:00 - 17:00 | Crosstown Theater, 1350 Concourse Ave., Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Join us on the Kemmons Wilson Family Stage at Crosstown Theater for a performance by psychedelic garage-rock band Spaceface.
Tickets: $10 advance | $15 door
Doors at 7 pm | Show at 8 pm

Halloween season is here, and Spaceface is ready to haunt your dreams. The local psychedelic anomaly will be performing a double set at Crosstown Theater.
Alongside the city’s favorite astral apparitions, members of The Memphis Symphony Orchestra will be performing under the guise of THE UPSIDE DOWN ENSEMBLE. Don’t miss this hair-raising combination of psych and strings.
As per usual, the night will also feature several other Memphis acts. The indie pop outfit fronted by Harlan Hutton is sure to shock souls and raise spirits, and DJ Chandler Blingg (Jess Jackson of JCKSN AVE) will be keeping the groove going all night long.
Memphis has too much talent to be contained, so in keeping with tradition, a vendor area in the North Plaza courtyard (outside the theater) will feature some of the best local painters, crafters, and visual artists.
Featuring: Amber George /Jess Tinsley/Margaret Wilder/ Jess Kirk
So, mortals, come and bear witness to the spookiest party of the year!

Robbie Fulks & Linda Gail Lewis at The Green Room
2019-10-26 16:00 - 18:00 | Crosstown Arts, The Green Room, 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 280, Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Join us in The Green Room at Crosstown Arts for a performance by roots rockers Linda Gail Lewis and Robbie Fulks.
Anyone who has been married nine times, almost died from substance abuse and, oh yeah, was a member of her wild-man older brother Jerry Lee Lewis’ band (with whom she sang duets) has some stories to tell. Linda Gail Lewis will be sharing her stories through song with vocal assistance of roots folk-rocker Robbie Fulks.
Tickets: $20
Doors 8:30 pm | Show at 9 pm
Linda Gail Lewis was born a Louisiana girl and now resides in Austin, Texas. She’s the little sister to living legend and musical genius, Jerry Lee Lewis. Raised on rock and roll-pumping piano and country, Linda Gail grew up with a passion for music. A professional musician since fifteen, she continues to tour sharing her high octane live show with music fans around the world.
Robbie Fulks is a singer, recording artist, instrumentalist, composer, and songwriter. His most recent release, 2017’s Upland Stories, earned year’s-best recognition from NPR and Rolling Stone among many others, as well as two Grammy® nominations, for folk album and American roots song (“Alabama At Night”).
In 1983, he moved to Chicago and joined Greg Cahill’s Special Consensus Bluegrass Band. He taught music at Old Town School of Folk Music from 1984 to 1996, and worked as a staff songwriter on Music Row in Nashville from 1993 to 1998. His early solo work — Country Love Songs (1996) and South Mouth (1997) — helped define the “alternative country” movement of the 1990s.
Radio: multiple appearances on WSM’s “Grand Ole Opry”; PRI’s “Whadd’ya Know”; NPR’s “Fresh Air,” “Mountain Stage,” and “World Cafe”; and the syndicated “Acoustic Cafe” and “Laura Ingraham Show.” TV: PBS’s Austin City Limits; NBC’s Today, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Later with Carson Daly, and 30 Rock. From 2004 to 2008 he hosted an hourlong performance/interview program for XM satellite radio, “Robbie’s Secret Country.” Artists who have covered his songs include Sam Bush, Kelly Hogan, Andrew Bird, Mollie O’Brien, Rosie Flores, John Cowan, and Old 97s.
Robbie’s writing on music and life have appeared in GQ, Blender, the Chicago Reader, DaCapo Press’s Best Music Writing anthologies for 2001 and 2004, Amplified: Fiction from Leading Alt-Country, Indie Rock, Blues and Folk Musicians, and A Guitar and A Pen: Stories by Country Music’s Greatest Songwriters. As an instrumentalist, he has accompanied the Irish fiddle master Liz Carroll, the distinguished jazz violinist Jenny Scheinman, and the New Orleans pianist Dr. John. As a producer his credits include Touch My Heart: A Tribute to Johnny Paycheck (Sugar Hill, 2004) and Big Thinkin’ by Dallas Wayne (Hightone, 2000). Theatrical credits include “Woody Guthrie’s American Song” and Harry Chapin’s “Cottonpatch Gospel.” He served twice as judge for the Winfield National Flatpicking Guitar competition. He tours yearlong with various configurations.

No Meat Meet-Up Vegan Potluck
2019-10-27 10:00 - 12:00 | Cafe at Crosstown Arts, 1350 Concourse Ave, Suite 280, Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Join us at the cafe at Crosstown Arts for a vegan potluck. Bring a vegan dish to share, and mingle with like-minded folks.
This event is open to everyone — vegans, vegetarians, and the veg-curious, but please bring a dish prepared without meat, dairy, and eggs. There’s no set standard for how many people your dish should serve, but a dish that serves 8-10 people is a good bet.
The cafe is located in Suite 280 of Crosstown Concourse. Come up the red spiral staircase.

Tulsa Revue: John Fullbright, Jesse Aycock, P Benjaman, J Tovar
2019-10-27 14:30 - 16:30 | Crosstown Arts, The Green Room, 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 280, Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Join us in The Green Room for a performance by The Tulsa Music Revue feat. John Fullbright, Paul Benjaman, Jacob Tovar, and special guests.
The night starts with a set by Jacob Tovar, then one by Paul Benjaman, followed by John Fullbright. The evening wraps with the three joining the backing band for an Oklahoma Jam!
Tickets: $10
Doors at 7pm | Performance at 7:30pm

About the artists:
JOHN FULLBRIGHT: Critically acclaimed and Grammy-nominated, John Fullbright is a musical triple threat – songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and singer of the highest order. His Oklahoma roots are apparent in his music, but his sound is his own. Catch a live show and be mesmerized by the artistry of this talented individual.
PAUL BENJAMAN: Groove-based tunes with more than a nod to the elusive Tulsa Sound and other forms of American music. Signature guitar licks from band leader Paul Benjaman and steel work from Hard Working Americans member, Jesse Aycock, apply a vintage hue that is both nostalgic and fresh.
JACOB TOVAR: A man from a different time, a different era. With a gentleman’s handshake, a booming voice, a contagious smile, and a quick wit, this Tulsa, OK performer effortlessly connects with all walks of life through his sincere songs of roots, folk, Americana, and old school country.
Special Guest Jesse Aycock: Jesse Aycock wrote his first song at age twelve and wrote a song that ended up on his dad’s debut CD when he was fourteen. Jesse’s songs capture an innocence and honesty that is hard to find, He writes everything from story songs and love songs to songs about every day life and the human condition. In Jesse’s music you hear the influence of early rock and folk, psychedelic country, and soul all mixed together to create his sound.

The Mystic
2019-10-29 13:00 - 14:00 | Crosstown Arts, The Green Room, 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 280, Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
On the last Tuesday of each month join Crosstown Concourse neighbors and friends for The Mystic.
The Mystic is a time set aside each month to experience the undefinable together through music, dialogue and silence. The Mystic is not affiliated with any defined belief system, but is a shared listening experience intended to deepen our understand of one another.
The Mystic is hosted by a rotated panel including Rabbi Micah Greenstein, Chris Miner, Dr. Scott Morris, Dr. Sonia Walker, and Kirk Whalum, with a variety of musical guests.

Indie Memphis Film Festival
2019-10-30 12:00 - 18:00 | Crosstown Theater, 1350 Concourse Ave., Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Indie Memphis kicks off its annual film festival at Crosstown Theater with an opening party at 5 pm.
That’s followed by a sold-out screening of Harriet, the extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman’s escape from slavery and transformation into one of America’s greatest heroes, at 6:30 pm.
Stick around for the Hometowner Narrative Shorts #1 Competition at 9:30 pm. Featuring Always Open, The Eureka Hotel, Life After Death, Now the Sun Asks to Rise, TAGGED, The Bee, and The Indignation of Michael Busby.
For the full Indie Memphis Film Festival schedule, go here.

Crosstown Creep Sweep Trunk or Treat
2019-10-31 11:00 - 13:00 | Crosstown Concourse Plaza, 1350 Concourse Ave., Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Bring your little ghouls and goblins to Crosstown Concourse this Halloween for trick-or-treating in the Central Atrium. Live music by Almost Elton John, the Snowden Middle School orchestra, and a Thriller dance flash mob.

Free and open to the public

Women in the Arts: Cocktails & Chit-Chat
2019-10-31 12:00 - 14:00 | Crosstown Arts Art Bar, 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 280, Memphis, TN, United States
Female artists of all genres and women who work in the arts sector are invited to join us for cocktails and conversation at Art Bar at Crosstown Arts. Come a little early (and bring the kids) for Creep Sweep Trunk or Treat on the Concourse plaza from 4-6 pm. Kids are allowed at the cocktail hour as well.

Crosstown Arthouse presents HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (1959)
2019-10-31 13:00 - 15:00 | Crosstown Theater, 1350 Concourse Ave., Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
The Crosstown Arthouse Film Series showcases a diverse collection of independent, international, historically significant, artistic, experimental, cult, underground, and documentary features.
Film begins at 6 pm sharp.
FREE ADMISSION (as part of Crosstown Concourse’s Trunk or Treat event)
In HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, Frederick Loren (Vincent Price) is an eccentric millionaire who rents a reportedly haunted mansion for one night under the pretense of hosting a party for his wife, Annabelle, whom he believes to be after his fortune. He explains to his guests that any among them who survives in the house for one night — during which all communication with the outside world will be cut — will receive a prize of $10,000.

Paul Taylor & The PRVLG at The Green Room
2019-11-01 14:30 - 17:00 | Crosstown Arts, The Green Room, 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 280, Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Join multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter, and producer Paul Taylor and indie-pop duo The PRVLG at The Green Room for a special performance.
Tickets: $10
Doors at 7 pm | Performance at 7:30 pm

ABOUT PAUL TAYLOR
What do seemingly disparate artists Chuck Prophet, Eric Gales, Shelby Bryant, David Shouse, Robert Ellis, John Nemeth, Ann Peebles, Dead Soldiers, Big Ass Truck, Lady Rizo, Amy LaVere, Mason Ruffner, Luther Dickinson, Kelley Mickwee, The PRVLG, Cameron Bethany, Shawn Lane, Sid Selvidge, Devil Train, Aashish Khan, and many more have in common?
Answer: They have all utilized the talents of Memphis musician Paul “Snowflake” Taylor.
One of the best kept secrets in Memphis, yet well respected by those who know of him outside of the city, multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter, and producer, Paul “Snowflake” Taylor has been writing and recording his own material as a one-man band since very early childhood and working as a professional musician since he was 14 years old.
With three solo releases under his belt — “Open Closed” (2007) & “Share It” (2009), both on Makeshift Records, and self-released The Old Forest Trail EP (2015), Paul has now embarked on a new project called New Memphis Colorways and released a new EP, Old Forest Loop, which embodies wide-ranging influences from his storied career as a Memphis musician.
ABOUT THE PRVLG
A privilege is considered a rare opportunity, which is exactly why The PRVLG fits this dynamic duo so effortlessly. Their act brings the rhythm section to the forefront of the stage unlike any other band around.
Creating a timeless sound that seamlessly mixes a vintage flare with a contemporary delivery, this set of twins certainly bring an element to music that is unheard of. Their blend of Indie pop-esque melodies with some funk, soul, jazz, and r&b make for a Memphis version of Prince.
With Christian on bass and Christopher on drums and both singing simultaneously, the pair craft a truly authentic live show which showcases monster musicianship that is truly one of a kind.

Kafé Kirk with special guest Bob James
2019-11-03 12:00 - 14:00 | Crosstown Theater, 1350 Concourse Ave., Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Join Grammy-winning saxophonist Kirk Whalum for Kafé Kirk, a monthly jazz series in Crosstown Theater featuring musical and spiritual collaborations with special guest artists. This month’s guest: Grammy-winning jazz keyboardist, arranger, and record producer Bob James.
Doors at 5 pm | performance at 6 pm
General admission tickets — $45
VIP tickets (includes a meet-and-greet and free CD) — $60
About Kirk Whalum:
Soulful, passionate, stirring … these are the words most often used to describe Kirk’s music. Forged from his Memphis gospel roots and his 1980s initiation into the thriving Houston nightclub scene, Kirk’s big, rich tenor sound is unmistakably his.The 80s were highlighted by Kirk’s stepping out of his blossoming sideman role and forming his own band. It was there that Kirk ultimately developed both his “voice” and songwriting in the crucible of the local club scene — especially at a rooftop club called Cody’s. It was also in Houston where jazz pianist Bob James “discovered” him and brought him on tour, which led to five successful albums with Columbia Records, including Cache, Kirk’s first No. 1 album. Kirk and Bob also received a Grammy nomination for their collaboration album, Joined at the Hip.
After moving to Los Angeles, Kirk became an in-demand session player for top artists like Barbara Streisand, Al Jarreau, Luther Vandross, Larry Carlton, Quincy Jones, and, most notably, Whitney Houston, amongst many others. It’s his sax heard on the mega-hit, “I Will Always Love You.” Kirk soon followed that career high point with his phenomenal hit album released on Warner Bros. Records, For You, perhaps the most successful of over 25 solo recordings to date. Others include his eclectic, and much-lauded, Gospel According to Jazz series, (Chapters 1, 2, 3 and 4). In addition to his many solo projects, Kirk was also a member of the popular soul/jazz group, BWB, which features Kirk as the “W” of the group with Rick Braun (trumpet) and Norman Brown (guitar).
About Bob James:
From his early days in Marshall, MO, Bob James’ music has captivated audiences throughout the world.
Known primarily as a jazz artist, he has influenced musical genres from Classical to Hip-Hop. His work at the groundbreaking record label CTI allowed James to hone his skills on projects for Hank Crawford, Grover Washington Jr., and Paul Simon among others.
The release of his solo album, One, launched a stellar career of recordings and performances. His gold selling album, Touchdown included his composition “Angela” which became the theme song for the sitcom, Taxi.
More recently Mr. James has become known as a pioneering member of the best-selling
contemporary jazz group Fourplay, whose members over the years have included guitarists Lee Ritenour, Larry Carlton, and the late Chuck Loeb along with Nathan East on bass and Harvey Mason on drums.
While James is recognized as one of the progenitors of smooth jazz, his music has also had a profound effect on hip hop, having been sampled often. Two of James’ songs —“Nautilus” from 1974’s One and “Take Me to the Mardi Gras” from 1975’s Two — are among the most sampled in history.
James continues to draw sold-out audiences worldwide, not only as a solo artist, but with
collaborations with artist such as David Sanborn, Marcus Miller and The Bob James Trio.
The career of Bob James is long, varied and continues to evolve at every turn.

Isabel Theselius: Baby on Board
2019-11-05 12:00 - 14:00 | TN
Works by Crosstown Arts resident artist Isabel Theselius
Isabel Theselius is a Swedish artist, currently based in the U.S., whose work takes many forms but continually investigates mortality, desire, memory, and more recently, superstition. By drawing from her own experiences, memories, and family relationships, Theselius’ work is equally poetic and empathetic, relatable and enigmatic.
In the series, Baby on Board, consisting of two- and three-dimensional artworks, Theselius uses humor and superstition as a tool to process her own fears as a parent. In small, gouache paintings, Theselius has given her son supernatural powers, traveling through various landscapes surrounded by different creatures, sometimes riding on two cats or floating on a flying carpet.
In other paintings, the text ”baby on board” is repeated over and over, referring to the signs on the back of cars to signal that other drivers should be extra cautious around their vehicle on the road. Only here, the text is sometimes barely legible, made in a psychedelic style, always with a version of the ”evil eye” lurking in the background. In a kind of twisted logic, Theselius is imagining that she can prevent her fears of her son getting into an accident from happening in real life if she processes them through her art.

Crosstown Arthouse presents STALKER (1979) with DUBICEL (2019)
2019-11-07 13:30 - 15:30 | Crosstown Theater, 1350 Concourse Ave., Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
The Crosstown Arthouse Film Series showcases a diverse collection of independent, international, historically significant, artistic, experimental, cult, underground, and documentary features.
Films begin at 7:30 pm sharp.
Tickets are $5 (at the door only)
The Crosstown Arthouse Film Series is proud to present DUBICEL, the work of animator, writer and director Yashira Jordan. Yashira was an inaugural participant in the Crosstown Arts Residency program. DUBICEL (12 minutes) is a cosmic child who lives in a galactic dome alone and wants to open the walls that imprison him to discover what is beyond and to discover the stars. Despite having the gift of materializing mysterious objects of his dreams, he cannot find the one what allows him to open the window of his dome, until one of them gives him the key to be able to reach what he needs. But this one is not an object. It is a living being. This short film was made by Ecological art recycling.
One of the most immersive and rarefied experiences in the history of cinema, Andrei Tarkovsky’s STALKER (161 minutes) embarks on a metaphysical journey through an enigmatic post-apocalyptic landscape. A hired guide — the “Stalker” of the title — leads a writer and a scientist into the heart of the Zone, the restricted site of a long-ago disaster, where the three men eventually zero in on the Room, a place rumored to fulfill one’s most deeply held desires. Adapting a science-fiction novel by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, and making what would be his final Soviet feature, Tarkovsky created a challenging and visually stunning work, his painstaking attention to material detail and sense of organic atmosphere further enriched by this vivid new digital restoration. At once a religious allegory, a reflection of contemporary political anxieties, and a meditation on film itself—among many other interpretations—Stalker envelops the viewer by opening up a multitude of possible meanings.

About Yashia Jordan:
Yashira Jordán was born in La Paz (Bolivia) in 1985. Shem made her first short film when she was 12. She studied Fine Arts in UNLP Argentina, specialized in Film 2010. She is a BERLINALE TALENT 2007 Universidad del Cine (Film University of Buenos Aires) – BAFICI and a BERLINALE TALENT 2008 from Berlin International Film Festival. Winner of “IBERMEDIA Project Scholarship” for Ecuador and Venezuela.
Selected for Producers Network- Marche du Film- Cannes in Ventana Sur, Buenos Aires two times. Director, writer, and producer of the film DURAZNO, with which she has participated in various Major and indie festivals and other film events around the world, such as the European Film Market of the Berlinale Film Festival, Rencontres du Toulouse-France, Guadalajara, Morelia, Mexico; Visions du Reel, Switzerland, Latin side of the Doc, Hot Docs, Canada, Girona cinema, Barcelona, Alianza Francesa, Buenos Aires, Argentina.BR LAB, Brazil. among others.
Co-founder of the Animation Studio CELESTE since 2011, where she became Executive Producer of animation in BELISARIO -a Full-dome series won 2019 Quirino Awards in Tenerife for Best Innovate Animation together with the Planetarium of the City of La Plata, Argentina, and the production company Cut to the Chase in Argentina. Creator of the Latin American Stop Motion Workshop (Taller Latinoamericano de Stop Motion, TLSM) with the support of Festival international du film d’animation d’Annecy and Jamie Caliri’s Dragon Frame. TLSM which in its four versions hosted more than 500 participants from all over Latin America, and experts such as Alex Juhasz (The Little Prince, The Bababook), Mark Shapiro of LAIKA, Francesca Maxwell (Art Director of Fantastic Mr. Fox, Wes Anderson), Juan Pablo Zaramella from Argentina, Veronique Ecrenaz and Folimage from France. Director and Producer of the stop-motion short film DUBICEL.
Director of DIAMANTE in development her second film, was selected to ISLAB, in la ISLA del SOL, LA PAZ Bolivia and in Volumetric Filmmaking Depthkit Though Works Arts – Art Residency in New York City 2019. During her career, she attended talks, meetings, and workshops with filmmakers like Werner Herzog, Win Wenders, Mike Leigh, Lucrecia Martel, Wim Wenders, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Lisandro Alonso, and Alex McDowell among others.

Mellotron Variations Concert Film Premiere
2019-11-08 13:30 - 15:30 | Crosstown Theater, 1350 Concourse Ave., Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Join us for the premiere of the Mellotron Variations concert film, recorded live at Crosstown Arts on April 21, 2018. Mellotron Variations is a performance of new works and collaborations for the Mellotron by Robby Grant, Jonathan Kirkscey, John Medeski, and Pat Sansone. Projections by Winston Eggleston and John Markham. Videography by Justin Thompson.

Film begins at 7:30 pm

Free

Contains some adult content

Mellotron Variations was the brainchild of Robby Grant & Jonathan Kirkscey. Given unlimited access to Memphian Winston Eggleston’s collection of expertly restored vintage Mellotrons and original tape banks, Grant and Kirkscey composed and performed a complete body of work using the exceptionally rare and finicky instrument. The 2016 concert was recorded and subsequently released on vinyl as Duets for Mellotron.

Seeking to continue their Mellotron experiments, Grant and Kirkscey put together a new set of work with the addition of keyboard giants John Medeski (Medeski Martin & Wood) and Pat Sansone (The Autumn Defense, Wilco). This 2018 concert was recorded and released as a record; Mellotron Variations and was also filmed. The Mellotron Variations concert film captures the excitement of this rare event as well as featuring behind-the-scenes footage of how the music was created. The Mellotron Variation Concert Film is presented with a newly created 5.1 surround mix. There will be a short Q&A with some of the participating musicians immediately after the screening.

Mellotron Variations concert film featuring the music and compositions of Robby Grant, Jonathan Kirkscey, John Medeski and Pat Sansone. Shot, directed and edited by Justin Elliott Thompson. Additional concert cinematography by Kevin Brooks and Edward Valibus Phillips. Produced by Robby Grant and Crosstown Arts. Surround mix by Daniel Lynn. Concert visuals and projections by Winston Eggleston and John Markham.

Greg Ward's Rogue Parade at The Green Room
2019-11-09 13:30 - 16:30 | Crosstown Arts, The Green Room, 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 280, Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Join us in The Green Room at Crosstown Arts for a special performance by Greg Ward’s Rogue Parade.
Considered one of the most versatile saxophonists of his generation, bandleader, composer, and arranger Greg Ward is proud to launch his new group, Rogue Parade. A quintet of heavyweight creative Chicago musicians, Rogue Parade features guitarists Matt Gold and Dave Miller, bassist Matt Ulery, and drummer Quin Kirchner.
Having earned wide acclaim as a sideman with artists like Prefuse 73, Lupe Fiasco, Tortoise, William Parker, Andrew D’Angelo, and Mike Reed, Greg Ward is now excited to introduce his wide-spanning audience to his new, innovative group, Rogue Parade, a unique two-guitar instrumentation that blends the sonic worlds of acoustic and electronic.
Tickets: $10
Doors 7 pm | Performance 7:30 pm
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“His results may be not ‘jazz’ in the usual sense, but they do make for a creative blending of genres and styles that results in fresh and intriguing music.” — JEROME WILSON of ALL ABOUT JAZZ
“This album welcomes everyone to hear their own impressions of the music… All the excellence of modern jazz without a hint of the grandiosity. You can make your imagination at home here.” — MICHELLE MERCER of NPR
“Ward’s breath-softened, woody tone sustains a bedrock of naturalness even as he breaks into unfettered flights, tempered on occasion by a pristine, neo-classical precision — a blend of fearlessness, merriment, pathos, and perhaps a measure or two of irony.” — DAVID WHITEIS of JAZZTIMES

Lulu's Pop-Up Sunday Brunch
2019-11-10 05:00 - 08:00 | Cafe at Crosstown Arts, 1350 Concourse Ave, Suite 280, Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Lulu’s will host a special pop-up vegan brunch at the cafe at Crosstown Arts. The menu features a tofu scramble plate, trio of biscuit sliders, and smoked shiitake stew, plus small-batch, locally roasted coffee and brunch cocktails by Art Bar.

Book Launch for Revolution in Black and White: Photographs for the Civil Rights Era
2019-11-12 12:00 - 14:00 | Crosstown Theater, 1350 Concourse Ave., Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
The Withers Collection is hosting the official book launch and signing for Revolution in Black and White: Photographs for the Civil Rights Era by Ernest Withers on Tuesday, Nov. 12 from 6-8 pm at Crosstown Theater.
Doors open at 6 pm in the theater for a booksigning. There will be slideshow at 7 pm, followed by a panel discussion at 7:30 pm with Richard Cahan, Michael Williams, and Rosalind Withers. Moderated by Emmy-nominated journalist and author, Katina Rankin, evening anchor for WATN-TV Local 24.
The event is free and open to the public. RSVP required. Printed or digital RSVP tickets MUST be presented at the venue.
Please be advised that there will be a documentary film crew recording this event.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Ernest C. Withers was one of the most prominent African-American photographers of the civil rights era. During the course of his work, he took thousands of photographs that document the civil rights movement―from the Emmett Till trial in 1955 to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968.

What set his work apart was that he went beyond the political struggles to explain the civil rights movement that changed the country. Withers was primarily a local photographer, working as a freelancer for the Memphis World and Tri-State Defender starting in 1948. His photographs of the everyday world―bridge clubs, funerals, people at work and play, and street life―create a stunning record of what it was like to live in Memphis and the Mid-South. He was also a noted baseball photographer, documenting Negro League baseball in Memphis, and a noted music photographer, taking thousands of photographs of jazz, blues, rock ’n’ roll, and R&B performers.

This book combines this work for the first time and uses first-hand accounts of people who lived in the South to explain these transformative years. The photographs, taken as bare-bones journalism, rises to the level of fine art decades later.

They are also important examples of photojournalism, documenting decades of struggle in Memphis and the Mid-South. They serve as an important missing link in the civil rights narrative.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Richard Cahan and Michael Williams are noted photo historians. They have teamed up to produce more than twelve books. Most are based on long-lost archives or photographic collections. Called “the eloquent archival sleuthing duo” by Booklist magazine’s Donna Seaman, they have written award-winning books about photography, art, and history, including two on Vivian Maier, the reclusive nanny whose discovered photographic work has become a worldwide sensation.

Listening Sessions at the Green Room: McLemore Avenue by Booker T. & The MGs (1970)
2019-11-13 13:00 - 15:00 | Crosstown Arts, The Green Room, 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 280, Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
For their penultimate album on Stax Records, Booker T. & the MGs stretched the boundaries of the Memphis Sound, tackling the Beatles’ masterpiece LP, Abbey Road. Using the newfound artistic freedom granted since Stax had split with Atlantic Records, this is the band’s most complex and adventurous recording, perfectly timed for the rise of FM radio and music that need not fit on one side of a 45.
The group also debuted a new look for Joel Brodsky’s iconic album cover, trading in their matching mohair suits and manicured coiffes for bell-bottoms, fringe jackets, and scruffy beards.
Joining series host Dr. Charles Hughes (Rhodes College) will be members of the MDs, a Memphis-based Booker T. & the MGs tribute band that performed the entire McLemore Avenue album at the Stax Museum in 2017. This October, the band rearranged another Beatles classic, Revolver, for a capacity Crosstown Arts crowd.
Free and open to the public

Crosstown Arts Resident Artist Talk
2019-11-14 12:00 - 14:00 | Crosstown Arts, East Atrium, 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 280, Memphis, TN, United States
Crosstown Arts resident artists Myung Gyn You, Sandra Jackson-Opoku, Isabel Theselius, Kelley Anderson, and Alex Greene will discuss their work in artist talks.
The Crosstown Arts residency program offers multidisciplinary residencies to visiting and Memphis-based artists and curators, working in any creative discipline including visual and performing arts, music, film, and writing in all genres.

Big Blank Sketchbook: Long Stitch Bookbinding Workshop
2019-11-14 12:00 - 15:00 | Crosstown Arts, Shared Art Making, 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 177, Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Students will fold and sew through hefty paper cover material to make an 8 ½” x 11” page sized blank book. The book is sewn in an exposed sewing style from Germany, the long stitch. The thread and sewing is visible on the outside of the spine, creating a decorative element. This sturdy structure travels well and makes an excellent sketchbook or journal. We will also prepare a second book to take home and sew for skills reinforcement. Learn basic elements of hand book binding tools, materials, and techniques, supplemented by handouts. Students leave the class with knowledge and skills to make more of these books, with no need for heavy equipment. All skill levels welcome. No experience necessary.
Cost: $35
Includes materials to prepare and finish two blank books

Tools needed by students:
Bone folder, Xacto knife, 12” ruler, pen for note taking, needle tool / pin tool / awl

About the instructor:
Rory Golden holds an MFA in Book Arts from the University of Alabama. He directed The Center for Book Arts in NYC, where he founded a residency program for artists, a letterpress poetry reading series, and other seminal CBA artistic programs. His artist books are in prominent public collections nation-wide. Rory teaches book and paper arts studio and professional development workshops and has taught and lectured as a visiting artist at over 100 non profits, college and universities, and museums. Rory was a 2018 Crosstown Arts resident artist. @rorygolden @palmapodocapress.

Crosstown Arthouse presents MY 20TH CENTURY and ANACRONTE
2019-11-14 13:30 - 15:30 | Crosstown Theater, 1350 Concourse Ave., Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
The Crosstown Arthouse Film Series showcases a diverse collection of independent, international, historically significant, artistic, experimental, cult, underground, and documentary features.
Films begin at 7:30 pm sharp.
Tickets are $5 (at the door only)
The Crosstown Arthouse Film Series is proud to present ANACRONTE, the work of animator, writer and director Yashira Jordan. Yashira was an inaugural participant in the Crosstown Arts Residency program. ANACRONTE: What on first instance appears to be a conflict between good and evil is actually a struggle within every one of us. We can choose to cope with evil and fight for our dreams or surrender to the will of others. Anacronte and the Sorcerers of Evil put humanity’s happiness to the test, leaving us as both winners and losers. Anacronte was produced by Yashira Jordan and directed by Raul Koler and Emiliano Sette.
Ildikó Enyedi’s fairytale-like, unconventional ironic film luminaire MY 20TH CENTURY was awarded the Camera d’Or at Cannes in 1989. On the eve of the 20th century, two twin girls, Lili the anarchist and Dóra, a luxurious woman of loose morals, along with Mr. Z., who loves them as an entity, all reach the Hungarian border at the same time on board the Orient Express. Their story, rushing under the spell of Edison’s inventions, is a special ‘research of happiness’, reclaiming the ‘mass murdering century’ from the restlessly changing world and the miracle of existence. Tarkovsky’s fabulous actor, Oleg Yankovsky, performs an unforgettable double with the young Polish actress Dorotha Segda.

About Yashia Jordan:
Yashira Jordán was born in La Paz (Bolivia) in 1985. Shem made her first short film when she was 12. She studied Fine Arts in UNLP Argentina, specialized in Film 2010. She is a BERLINALE TALENT 2007 Universidad del Cine (Film University of Buenos Aires) – BAFICI and a BERLINALE TALENT 2008 from Berlin International Film Festival. Winner of “IBERMEDIA Project Scholarship” for Ecuador and Venezuela.
Selected for Producers Network- Marche du Film- Cannes in Ventana Sur, Buenos Aires two times. Director, writer, and producer of the film DURAZNO, with which she has participated in various Major and indie festivals and other film events around the world, such as the European Film Market of the Berlinale Film Festival, Rencontres du Toulouse-France, Guadalajara, Morelia, Mexico; Visions du Reel, Switzerland, Latin side of the Doc, Hot Docs, Canada, Girona cinema, Barcelona, Alianza Francesa, Buenos Aires, Argentina.BR LAB, Brazil. among others.
Co-founder of the Animation Studio CELESTE since 2011, where she became Executive Producer of animation in BELISARIO -a Full-dome series won 2019 Quirino Awards in Tenerife for Best Innovate Animation together with the Planetarium of the City of La Plata, Argentina, and the production company Cut to the Chase in Argentina. Creator of the Latin American Stop Motion Workshop (Taller Latinoamericano de Stop Motion, TLSM) with the support of Festival international du film d’animation d’Annecy and Jamie Caliri’s Dragon Frame. TLSM which in its four versions hosted more than 500 participants from all over Latin America, and experts such as Alex Juhasz (The Little Prince, The Bababook), Mark Shapiro of LAIKA, Francesca Maxwell (Art Director of Fantastic Mr. Fox, Wes Anderson), Juan Pablo Zaramella from Argentina, Veronique Ecrenaz and Folimage from France. Director and Producer of the stop-motion short film DUBICEL.
Director of DIAMANTE in development her second film, was selected to ISLAB, in la ISLA del SOL, LA PAZ Bolivia and in Volumetric Filmmaking Depthkit Though Works Arts – Art Residency in New York City 2019. During her career, she attended talks, meetings, and workshops with filmmakers like Werner Herzog, Win Wenders, Mike Leigh, Lucrecia Martel, Wim Wenders, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Lisandro Alonso, and Alex McDowell among others.

Spillit Grand Slam
2019-11-15 13:00 - 16:00 | Crosstown Theater, 1350 Concourse Ave., Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Winners and runner-ups from each Spillit Slam from 2019 take the stage at Crosstown Theater to share their six minute homecoming stories and compete for the title of 2019 Spillit Grand Master Storyteller of Memphis.
Tickets: $20 at the door

Folk All Y'all: An Evening with Violet Bell
2019-11-15 13:30 - 15:30 | Crosstown Arts, The Green Room, 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 280, Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Folk All Y’all presents An Evening with Violet Bell, a North Carolina progressive folk duo, at The Green Room.
Tickets: $20
Each half of Violet Bell has dedicated their life to the pursuit of music: Lizzy Ross as a songwriter who briefly tried her hand in Nashville before returning to more receptive soil in North Carolina; Omar Ruiz-Lopez as a music educator and sideman who plays a staggering array of instruments (violin, viola, cello, guitar, mandolin, banjo). Ross thinks melodically and lyrically, while Ruiz-Lopez thinks in tones, textures and colors. Combined, their work is vibrant, full of ebbing and flowing emotion; full of passion, fear, hope, angst, frustration, humor — all the messy emotions comprising the worthwhile chaos of the human experience. Stylistically, the songs take familiar Americana textures and bend them in surprising directions. Violet Bell is what happens when two musicians at the top of their craft bring their distinctive skills and perspectives to a shared space and life.
About Folk All Y‘all: Our mission is to present world-class singer-songwriters in an intimate, attentive environment. Our guests and artists are here to connect and do not distract themselves or other guests with photography, recording, or other diversions during the show. We are entirely volunteer-run and 100% of ticket sales go directly to the artist.

Don Lifted at The Green Room featuring Blueshift Ensemble
2019-11-16 13:30 - 15:30 | Crosstown Arts, The Green Room, 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 280, Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Join us as visual, musical, and performance artist Lawrence Matthews, also known as Don Lifted, transforms the Crosstown Arts Green Room visually and sonically with a performance featuring sculptural video installations and music from his recently released albums Alero and Contour. With special guests Blueshift Ensemble.
Audiences will be immersed in music performed live and surrounded by swirling nostalgic imagery that follows the narrative of each song. This performance features a special collaboration with Memphis-based contemporary chamber music group Blueshift Ensemble. New Don Lifted merchandise will be available for purchase, as well as special-edition physical copies of the albums.
Tickets: $10
Doors 7pm | Performance 7:30pm
Production on his most recent album, Contour, began in Memphis in late 2015. In 2018, the record was finished and mastered in Hollywood by Grammy Award-winning Engineer Mike Bozzi (Flower Boy, Ctrl, Good Kid, Maad City, To Pimp A Butterfly, Damn, Blankface LP).
“Matthews is a multi-disciplinary creative with connections reaching deep into the Memphis art scene. Born in Memphis, his musical style incorporates hip-hop, alternative rock and electronic music resulting in emotionally vulnerable storytelling and eclectic production. A hot emerging artist, Matthew’s work began to garner acclaim before he had completed his Bachelor’s in Fine Art at University of Memphis, awarded the Deans and Department of Art Creative Achievement Award in 2015. In 2016, he was awarded the Arts Accelerator Grant from Arts Memphis. His performances helped inaugurate Crosstown Arts’ new space in Crosstown Concourse and have been featured events at the Brooks Museum and Memphis College of Art. Matthews is also the program director of the Collective, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing the work of Black Memphis based artists.”

"Stay Out of the Deep End" Album Release Party
2019-11-16 13:30 - 16:30 | TN
Join Memphis artist ISpeakWithAGift as he celebrates the release of his upcoming project, “Stay Out the Deep End.”
Opening performance by Jai Musiq. Hosted by Keniece the Curator. Sounds by DJ Dxrty Skrxw

MicroCinema: 2019 Festival Shorts Award Winners
2019-11-19 12:30 - 15:30 | TN
Monthly short film screening series, presented by Indie Memphis & Crosstown Arts.
This month: 2019 Festival Shorts Award Winners
An encore screening of standout short film award winners from the 2019 Indie Memphis Film Festival, curated by Senior Programmer Brighid Wheeler.
Doors at 6:30 pm | Screening at 7 pm. Admission is pay-what-you-can.

3RDSPACE Live Crowdfund Session No. 1
2019-11-20 13:00 - 15:00 | TN
3RDSPACE presents an evening of shared stories, ambitious ideas, and audience-funded micro-grants for creatives.
Encounter creative geniuses in contemporary visual, sound, literary, and performing arts. 3RDSPACE presents an evening of shared stories, ambitious ideas, and audience funded micro-grants for creatives. Designed as a unique presentation and storytelling series, creatives are chosen to share their artistic projects and practice. Each ticket sale directly fuels the crowdfund, so let’s pack the house!
Tickets available at 3RDSPACEarts.org.
