WAMM Recommends: Week of January 9th

Each week, the team at WAMM chooses some of the best upcoming live shows coming to the M-town over the next seven days. This week’s slate features everything from a guitar icon to a free heavy metal fest. Enjoy!

Tommy Emmanuel 

Friday, January 13th , 8:00 PM

GPAC

$45- $75

This show is a perfect weekend starter. Tommy Emmanuel is a guitar legend. He has voracious fans, and it’s partly because he is superbly fun to watch. The guitar virtuoso whose style somewhat resembles Chet Atkins’ style of fingerpicking, will perform this Friday at GPAC. The Australian born artist has released nearly thirty albums since 1979. This is the type of show that musicians will flock to and praise, and even those who don’t know much about guitar styles and techniques won’t be able to miss the fact that Emmanuel is one of a kind, a talent to behold. 

Alicja-Pop, Opossums

9PM Friday, January 13th

Bar DKDC

Under $10

River City Tanlines, Sweet Knives, Mouserocket, and the infamous Lost Sounds…Alicja Trout’s been a keystone of the Memphis indie scene for so that long that there ought to be a street named in her honor by now. Whether it’s raw nerve garage-punk or addictively-hooky power pop, there’s no doubt that she’s a top-notch purveyor of both in this corner of the world. Her long-running solo-ish guise Alicja-Pop might be the most beguiling example of her latter mode, and with the other Memphian half of the bill, the thrillingly-caffeinated fuzz-poppers of Opossums, along for the ride, this one promises to be a magical double-harder that you have zero excuse not to mark as a ‘yes’ in your calendar.

Heavy Meddle Fest

3PM, Saturday, January 14th

Meddlesome Brewing Co.

Free

Generally speaking, I’m not a huge metal fan, preferring instead the dulcet tones of Nina Simone and Marvin Gaye. That said, nothing hits you in the gut quite like a great live metal show and in the spirit of expanding my musical tastes in this new year, I’m pretty pumped for Heavy Meddle Fest, a free daytime festival at Meddlesome Brewing Co. Featuring Epoch of Unlight, Discard, Korroded, and several other bands whose names are basically illegible, this looks to be a killer showcase of some of the best regional metal bands around.

Samantha Crain, NEHYZS

9PM Saturday, January 14th

The Hi-Tone (Small Room)

$10

The prolific Samantha Crain of Shawnee, Oklahoma possess one of those singular voices you’ll find it difficult to shake after discovering it, a spine-chilling tremor that’s as rich as it is plaintive. Good thing the songs are so consistently killer, then, offering a welcome take on classic American folk traditions from the perspective of a commanding Native artist. And heck, there’s even an element of mystery afoot this night in the Small Room, as listed opener NEHYZS boast literally no internet footprint to their name (how? In 2023?), so take a roll of the dice with this shadowy opener if you fancy, but make sure to stick around for Ms. Crain either way, since she’s the very definition of a sure bet.

 

Mahogany Chamber Music Series: “Music for the Soul” 

Sunday, January 15th, 2022

6 PM

Crosstown Arts

$10

Sunday evening chamber music anyone? For those unfamiliar chamber music is mostly defined as instrumental classical consisting of only a few musicians– a group small enough to fit in a chamber or small room. Mahogany Chamber Music Series focuses on Black and other underrepresented performers and composers. This Sunday, the series presents “Music for the Soul”, featuring pianist Eunbi Kim, The McCain Duo (piano and trombone), and The Patterson Duo (cello and guitar). Expect McCain & Patterson Duos to bounce energy off of each other, while Eunbi Kim brings solo musical theater style performance art to her piano. The three separate performances each bring emotion backed by masterful skill to each of their instruments.

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