Each week, the team at We Are Memphis Music sifts through all of Memphis’ upcoming live shows to select our favorites. Here are our recommendations for the week beginning Nov. 14.
Judas Priest
7:30 PM, Thursday, November 17th, 2022
Landers Center
$50
The iconic Judas Priest were forged in the same Birmingham steel fires that gave rise to fellow travelers in all things unholy Black Sabbath, their origin stories intertwining even as they blazed separate, crushingly-heavy trails. From the late-sixties ashes of flower power, the Priest would join with London metal pioneers Motörhead and Iron Maiden to define an era and a genre, and even after decades of shifting trends and a revolving door of band members, Rob Halford’s unearthly banshee wail still has the power to chill the blood of an entire stadium full of loyalists. These relentlessly-cold November nights are the perfect backdrop to experience for yourself why Judas Priest have outlasted so many of their early contemporaries – with a soul this dark, it’s simply impossible to douse your flame.
Tigers Jaw w/ Heart Attack Man, Glitterer
7 PM, Friday, November 18th
Growler’s
$23
Scranton, Pennsylvania’s Tigers Jaw have been bound to turbulence from the start, be it their gradual transition from emo-inflected pop-punk to openhearted indie-pop or the infamous inter-band squabbles and departures leading up to 2014’s breakthrough Charmer. But maturation has been a good fit for the band, casting them as compatriots of sorts amongst the Turnovers and Title Fights of the scene, even striking up a fruitful relationship with uber-producer Will Yip for good measure. Their acclaimed 2021 full-length, I Won’t Care How You Remember Me, brought just enough power-pop jangle to the table to keep them in contention as one of the finest American indie-pop acts of recent memory. Longtime Cleveland punk quartet Heart Attack Man and Ned Russin’s post-Titlefight outfit Glitterer are fine choices to open the festivities at Growler’s.
Son Little
8 PM, Friday, November 18th
Railgarten
$10
Philadelphia’s Son Little has gained an impressive following over the past several years with his retro blend of soul, R&B, and blues. Inspired by everyone from Kendrick Lamar and Mavis Staples to Grizzly Bear and The Roots, Little’s music is a beautiful hodgepodge of influences. While much of his work has been marked by a pervasive sense of dread and doom, Son Little’s latest album “Like Neptune” showcases a newfound optimism and freedom, two things that are in short supply these days. Whether you’re a fan of contemporary R&B or prefer a more old-school sound, Son Little has exactly what you’ve been looking for.
Alexis Jade and the Gemstones
7 PM, Friday, November 18th
Hernando’s Hideaway
$5
If you’re looking to discover a new exciting homegrown talent, then Friday night’s album release show from singer-songwriter Alexis Jade is a great place to start. After her Americana Fest debut in September, Alexis Jade has created an undeniable buzz that has only grown stronger with the announcement of “With Love, Alexis Jade.”Recorded alongside an impressive group of Memphis music veterans, the album is a beautiful fusion of country and folk music. Set to the sounds of ambient pedal steel and vibrant fiddle, Jade will showcase her new EP on the hallowed grounds of the one and only Hernando’s Hide-A-Way.
Robert Moody Presents The Orchestra Unplugged: Vivaldi The Four Seasons
7:30 PM, Friday, November 17th
The Halloran Centre
$37.50
Even people who don’t know classical music know Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, whether they know it, or not. The ubiquitous composition written in the early 1700’s uses orchestra to mimic sounds in nature, a concept that was truly far out for its time period. Friday at The Halloran Centre, Robert Moody will conduct The Memphis Symphony Orchestra in an interpretation of the piece with fresh ears. As per Moody’s Unplugged series, the conductor will break down the composition, revealing Vivaldi’s secrets and revolutionary writing style. The event is part live performance, and part music lesson, and promises to entertain even slightly curious music fans of every age.
Nicole Atkins
8:00 PM, Saturday, November 19
Railgarten
$10
We declare Nicole Atkins, the New Jersey native artist, an honorary Memphian! Case in point: Atkins appeared on Sun Studio’s PBS television show, The Sun Sessions, and has been known to have Memphis musicians with her during her live shows. Her most recent album, Memphis Ice, was recorded live at Memphis Magnetic Studio. Plus, Atkins’ style is a more modern take on the 1950’s & 1960’s mid-century rock n roll and pop music, of which some know Memphis music best. Atkins has loyal Memphis fans, and colleagues, and her performance at Railgarten should be part family reunion, part rock n roll show- and we cannot wait to see her do her thing!
You might also be interested in: Live Music Memphis Tonight & Memphis Live Music Calendar
