Crosstown Arts
Crosstown Arts presents soul-jazz group Organ Failure in The Green Room.
Doors at 7 pm | Show at 7:30 pm
Organ Failure is a greasy soul-jazz group out of Memphis, TN. Their sound is deeply rooted in the tradition of the Hammond Organ trios from the mid 50s-60s. This instrumental- and groove-heavy band consists of in-demand Memphis players Patrick Fusco on the organ, Logan Hanna on guitar, and Danny Banks on Drums.
Crosstown Arts presents singer-songwriter Wyly Bigger in The Green Room.
Doors at 7 pm | Show at 7:30 pm
Growing up just across the Mississippi River from Memphis, it didn’t take long for Wyly Bigger to find a love of music. At age four, he began teaching himself melodies on the piano by ear. He started taking lessons the same year and began developing his skills and sound. His first gig came at the age of nine when he started playing frequently at his local hometown diner in Arkansas. From there, he expanded his reach across the river to Memphis and down Highway 61 to Mississippi. At seventeen, he began writing his own music. Raised on the sounds of Memphis legends like Jerry Lee Lewis, B.B. King, and Elvis Presley, Wyly mixed those influences with the blues from nearby Mississippi and the country music in Arkansas to develop his own musical style. Since then, he has been writing more and more each year and recently was selected as a finalist for the Memphis Songwriters’ Association’s 2021 Songwriter of the Year.
Wyly released his debut self-titled EP in February of 2021 to a warm reception, getting radio airplay from as far away as California and landing Wyly a spot on Ditty TV’s “12 Artists You Need to Know.” Consisting of five original songs, Wyly Bigger’s EP can be found on all streaming platforms.
Now 24 years old, Wyly has taken his music to venues across the South from Memphis to New Orleans to Nashville. From dive bars and blues joints to festivals and halftime shows, he has brought his music to countless stages and has no intentions of stopping now.
Wyly will be joined by Jesse Black, Kyle McClanahan, Drake Freeman, and Terrell Gilmore for this performance.
For more information on Wyly’s music, live shows, or to purchase a CD, visit wylybigger.com.
Crosstown Arts presents the Bennett Wood Quintet with special guest Michael Shults.
Doors at 7 pm | Show at 7:30 pm
Bennett Wood is a freelance musician, composer, and clinician. He has performed alongside internationally acclaimed musicians including John Clayton, Maria Schneider, Sean Jones, Terrell Stafford, Kenny Werner, Allison Miller, Nat Adderley Jr., Andre Hayward, Bruce Saunders, Greg Osby, Doug Lawrence, Butch Miles, Ralph Bowen, Reggie Thomas, Red Young, Conrad Herwig, Serafin Aguilar, and Lukas Graham. As a bandleader, he leads groups at nationally acclaimed jazz venues including Jazz St. Louis and the Elephant Room.
He previously held academic appointments at Texas State University, Texas Lutheran University, and Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Most recently, he served as an Associate Professor of Music at Mineral Area College and the Director of the MAC Carol Moore Memorial Jazz Festival.
Wood earned a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014. He holds Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
Crosstown Arts presents singer-songwriter duo Church Brothers in The Green Room.
Doors at 7 pm | Show at 7:30 pm
Ben and Jacob Church have been making music in Memphis for nearly 20 years, but they’ve only recently embarked on a collaborative project called, cleverly, Church Brothers. With voices that blend seamlessly like only siblings can and songs that range from pop to rock to country to soul and beyond, there’s something for everyone at a Church Brothers show. They recently recorded their debut EP, featuring their first co-write, “Only Life,” to be released this fall. They’ll be joined by Jon Harrison, Daniel McKee, Zach Nixon, and Bill Mard.
Crosstown Arts presents guitarist Marc Ribot in The Green Room.
Doors at 7 pm | Show at 7:30 pm
Enigmatic guitarist Marc Ribot has released six very diverse solo guitar albums, including John Zorn’s Book of Heads, Plays the Works of Frantz Casseus, Saints, Don’t Blame Me, Exercises in Futility, and 2010’s Silent Movies (Pi Recordings). Silent Movies has been described as a “down-in-mouth-near master piece” by the Village Voice and has landed on several “Best of 2010” lists, including in the LA Times. His live solo performances are unpredictable events which may draw upon a sonic matrix of memory, free improvisation, zeitgeist, extra-terrestrial radio signals, and much more — always leaving the listener on the edge of their seats.
“In the hear-a-pin-drop setting of Cafe Oto, Ribot’s intense, heartfelt commitment invited not only the closest of listening but also allowed scrutiny of his technical approach, offering a minor spectacle, as well as a rare, transportative musical experience.” – London Jazz News, review of his 2015 OTO residency
“… he can sit down with just his guitar and simultaneously confound you with technique, beauty, and surprise.” – John Garratt and Will Layman, PopMatters Picks: The Best Music of 2010 for the album “Silent Movies.”
“In discussing the guitarist Marc Ribot, it’s more efficient to wonder what he hasn’t done than to list what he has actually accomplished. Across four decades, Ribot’s career has spanned smooth soul and gnarled blues, blaring no wave and elegant film scores, solo composer roles, and Tom Waits supporting work; that’s only a sliver of his prolificacy. … Though his solo range is only slightly less boundless than his overall discography, he favors quiet, intricate improvisations around standards that you will recognize in flashes but will rarely sound repetitive of their sources. Ribot is a master of timing, tone, and taste, with a bank of experiences so vast and varied he can navigate his way through any song or situation with panache. Consider this visit a master lesson.” —Grayson Haver Currin, indyweek.com
Crosstown Arts presents New Orleans-based Balkan band Blato Zlato in The Green Room.
Doors at 7 pm | Show at 7:30 pm
Blato Zlato is a New Orleans-based Balkan band that puts a contemporary Louisiana twist on traditional folk music from Eastern Europe. The band performs dark, improvisational arrangements with particular focus on Bulgarian folk songs, three-part vocal harmonies, and driving, odd-metered rhythms. Hailed as a band with “galactic ambitions” by The New Orleans Advocate, Blato Zlato features musicians from Europe and the United States with a collective goal to produce meaningful cultural and musical bridges between the two continents. In 2019, Blato Zlato released their anticipated sophomore album, In The Wake, following their acclaimed 2017 releases of their debut album Swamp Gold and the limited-edition EP Voyage. They have toured both within the U.S. on the East and West Coasts as well as in Europe. This is their first time performing in Memphis.