Each week, the team at We Are Memphis Music brings your our selections for the best upcoming live shows. Here are our picks for the week beginning April 17!
Turnstyles Record Release
10PM, Friday, April 23
BAR DKDC
Under $10
Hey, have you heard that Graham Winchester is in a lot of bands? Poor Graham, it seems like every piece of Memphis music press related to his musical doings starts out this way, and WAMM’s certainly not above the jest. But Mister Winchester’s in a lot of bands because he’s just that good and just that passionate about Memphis music, lest we forget. Turnstyles are certainly a highlight of his ever-bursting date card, full of surfy garage hooks and plenty of indie versatility. Their new junt is about ready to drop, and they’ll be celebrating in typical wild fashion at DKDC on the 21st. So many bands, so little time and so forth, but Turnstyles is certainly one of many GW projects worth your attention.
K Camp
7pm, Saturday April 22nd
Growlers
$25
K Camp’s been busy. Since 2011, there hasn’t been a year where the Atlanta rapper hasn’t dropped a new project – from mixtapes to full length studio albums. This tireless work ethic has paid off, producing hits like “Comfortable,” “Pretty Ones,” “Cut Her Off,” and “Lottery (Renegade)” which blew up on TikTok over the pandemic. This Saturday, K Camp will bring these songs and more from his robust catalog to the stage at Growlers. The intimate venue will be a really special setting to hear some of these massive tracks up close and personal. Grab your tickets for the show before they sell out – but if you happen to miss it, something tells me K Camp will be back with more new music sooner rather than later.
ÜRTH DAY (Deaf Revival/Seize And Desist/Trash Goblin/The Smokin’ Jays)
8PM, Saturday, April 22nd
The Hi-Tone (Small Room – Downstairs)
$10
Saturday is Earth Day, which pretty much has nothing to do with the show I’m about to pitch, other than to say that it’s as fine an opportunity as any to celebrate our dear, ailing planet by indulging in some killer local music. This time the Hi-Tone’s offering up a stacked Saturday night quad-header of a handful of our fair city’s most compelling local bands. We’re covering a lot of genre ground on this Earth Day evening – Deaf Revival tends towards the southern-fried sludge/stoner metal end of the spectrum, while Seize And Desist fly the flag for caffeinated punk and hardcore. Trash Goblin and The Smokin’ Jays both supply the spacier indie sonics, so yes, there will be pedals aplenty on-hand. Don’t miss out on this one! Do it for Mother Earth, and for yourself.
River Series: Compulsive Gamblers with Fake & DJ Hot Tub Eric
4PM, Saturday, April 22nd
Maria Montessori School
$10
For the past several years, a group of music industry insiders led by Goner’s Zac Ives have been hosting an annual concert series on Harbor Town that benefits the Maria Montessori School. In addition to the great cause and the beautiful views afforded by the riverside amphitheater, the River Series regularly brings some of the best local lineups together for an outdoor celebration of Memphis music. This year’s series kicks off with Compulsive Gamblers, an important band in the city’s roots punk scene that helped put Goner Records on the map and which influenced an innumerable amount of bands that followed in their wake.
Zach Person
8pm, Sunday April 23rd
Railgarten
$10
I’m going to admit something: prior to this week, I wasn’t familiar with Zach Person. I had heard his name but hadn’t listened to his music yet. So when I saw he was coming to Memphis this weekend, I decided to dig deeper into his discography. It didn’t take long to get hooked. Person’s sound is this beautiful modern take on blues and indie-rock; complete with fuzzed out, gritty vocals and monstrous, raw guitar riffs. If you’re a fan of The Black Keys, Jack White, or Gary Clark Jr. this show, and Person’s music, should be on your radar.
