Tag: The Green Room

Crosstown Arts presents SpiralPhonics in The Green Room.

Doors at 7 pm | Show at 7:30 pm

Tickets: $10

Original compositions and improvisations woven together using the energy of the moment. The music made by this trio is ever-changing because that is the nature of the Universe. By closely listening to each other, these three musicians speak from their instruments as if from one mind.

Performing this “Music of the Spirit” is a noble endeavor because SpiralPhonics walk the edge of the unknown to create aural images that elevate the listener to a higher plane of consciousness.

Inspiration – Vibrations – Reflections – Intention

Featuring Art Edmaiston (saxophone), Logan Hanna (guitar), and Terence Clark – (drums and cymbals)

Crosstown Arts presents Atlanta-based Duet for Theremin and Lap Steel in The Green Room.

Doors at 7 pm | Show at 7:30 pm

Tickets: $10 advance | $15 day of show

Opening performance by Dinosauria

Dinosauria is the brainchild of Malcolm Wright, a Memphis area native who has been recording and performing music since he was 16 years old. Inspired by post-rock and shoegaze artists, Malcolm uses Dinosauria to craft complex soundscapes using a guitar, effects pedals, a loop machine, and some improvisation in Malcolm’s unique fashion.

DUET FOR THEREMIN AND LAP STEEL

Based in Atlanta, Duet for Theremin and Lap Steel has been recording and performing since 2006 and consists of Scott Burland on theremin and Frank Schultz on lap steel guitar.

Their music is improvised and has been described as “experimental by nature, but easy on the ears.”

Their latest offering “ ‘Oumuamua” is inspired by asteroids and comets and is available now at http://dftals.bandcamp.com. Their website is http://duetonline.net

“The name of this Atlanta duo implies a proper classical recital, a rigid formality. But Scott Burland (theremin) and Frank Schultz (lap steel) don’t do scripted, improvising not-so-much distinct sounds as evolving eddies of sound, vapors of tones that develop and transform gracefully. Hypnotic pulses and dreamy drones weave together to form a kaleidoscope of sounds and moods, ambient clouds, and swooning collages that are as much about texture as they are timbre, like a long-lost soundtrack to a deep-sea documentary.” – P. Wall, Columbia Free Times

“It occurred to me, listening to their work, that it represented a “Guide to Good Drone Music”:

– It changes;

– It isn’t pushy, but it pulls you along;

– It isn’t showy, but it shows you things;

– It surprises;

– The edges meet but don’t crowd the middle;

– It creates mental and temporal space for the listener.

Atlanta is really lucky to have this duo, and that they continue,

year-after-year, to plumb their craft.” – Jon Ciliberto

“Undulating soundscapes rise and fall, reaching slowly swelling crescendos of sensory overload, drifting in a balance of beauty and tension. Their shared instincts create an invisible structure that transcend more traditional drone music to achieve its own rhythm and tonal logic.” – Chad Radford

“Duet for Theremin and Lap Steel dream up clouds, aurora, sunspots, storm fronts. They make weather overhead. Listening to compositions like these – music these musicians made up, in studio, somewhere far away – I am struck by what a gift they have. Not just that they can make weather, summoning it from nothing, but that they can bottle it – like springwater or earth. Sending spring or summer up from Georgia, to where we shiver in the cold.’ – Sean Michaels, Said the Gramophone

Crosstown Arts presents singer-songwriter Tony Dickerson & The Essential Band with musical guests in The Green Room.

Doors at 7 pm | Show at 7:30 pm

Tickets: $15 advance | $20 day of show

Passionate music teacher, inventive songwriter, and “a being himself on stage kind of entertainer” are just a few phrases that describe one of inspirational music’s premiere musicians. Influenced by crossover inspirational artists such as Andrae Crouch, The Edwin Hawkins Singers, and Thomas Whitfield, as well as soul, funk and R&B artists Sly and the Family Stone, Curtis Mayfield, and Earth Wind & Fire, Tony B. Dickerson knows how to fuse traditional and contemporary flavors to form his own signature sound and distinct musical style.

As an accomplished songwriter, Tony released his first single in 2008, titled “I Need Him.” Since then, he’s written, recorded, and released many songs for himself and for other artists. To date, his compositions have become known throughout the United States and other parts of the world, even garnering placement on the Billboard charts. He has become a sought-out name for songwriting, as well as for forming groups, choirs, and bands, instructing them musically, vocally, and artistically, while emphasizing structure and technique. He is the visionary founder, CEO, and band leader of Tony Dickerson & The Essential Band.

Established in 2004, Tony Dickerson & The Essential Band are a group of creatives determined to make a positive impact on lives by performing songs of love, hope, inspiration, and strength. The band has performed for various occasions and in many diverse settings, along with being featured in performances and recordings with other notable singers and bands. Tony Dickerson & The Essential Band operates in two different capacities: As professional recording artists, performing and recording original songs, primarily written by Tony Dickerson (TonyToons) and as a service network, providing what’s needed musically for performances, recordings, marriage proposals, parties, banquets, weddings, receptions, and various other occasions, and events.

Crosstown Arts presents soul-jazz group Organ Failure in The Green Room.

Doors at 7 pm | Show at 7:30 pm

Tickets: $10

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

Tickets: $10

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

Tickets: $10

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.