Author Archives: Rachel Hurley

The SXSW Film Festival announced this week that they will show a special Sneak Preview of the forthcoming Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me, a feature-length documentary about the legendary cult band Big Star.

The directorial debut of Drew DeNicola, Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me will screen as an Official Selection as a work-in-progress at SXSW at the Paramount Theater on March 15th (exact time TBD) with an all-star tribute show to Big Star’s influential Third album to follow the sneak preview of the film.

Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me is a feature-length documentary about legendary Memphis band Big Star. While mainstream success eluded them, Big Star’s three albums have become critically lauded touchstones of the rock music canon. A seminal band in the history of alternative music, Big Star has been cited as an influence by artists including REM, The Replacements, Belle & Sebastian, Elliott Smith and Flaming Lips, to name just a few.

With never-before-seen footage and photos of the band, in-depth interviews, and a rousing musical tribute by the bands they inspired, Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me is a story of artistic and musical salvation.

Read More »

16 Over 48: The International Blues Challenge Sessions is a series of 2 hour recording sessions over a period of 48 hours at Ardent Studios. The hope is to be able to give musicians attending the International Blues Challenge the tools to bring out their inner recording artists on state-of-the-art gear at a fraction of the normal cost.

Here’s how it works: Over a 48 hour period, the 16 IBC acts booked need only bring instruments and voices to cut in a ready-to-go environment at Ardent. Participants will record in their newly renovated Studio C, with very little setup required. They’ll have everything you need to make a professionally produced recording, including a backline of drums, guitar and bass amps, piano and organ—all setup and ready to track through their new SSL Duality console with Spectra Sonic preamps.

Keep in mind that instruments cannot be provided, just the amplification – so don’t forget the harp! They’ll have a set of cymbals and a kick pedal, but drummers are encouraged to bring their own in order to get the best out of their time here.

Read More »

Hey Memphis! If you are not totally sick of Christmas already, then do we have the show for you! Some of the cities’ premiere singer / songwriters are getting together to play some songs at Otherlands TONIGHT and you are invited.

First up is Jeremy Scott of Reigning Sound / Burning Sands fame, then our very own TVD contributor Chris Milam will serenade you, and the night will be finished off by The Memphis Dawls featuring three of our favorite ladies: Holly Cole, Krista Wroten, and Jana Misener.

Read More »

We were really excited to welcome young up-and-comers Kids These Days to Ardent Studios this afternoon. The 7 piece band met while still in high school and have been making music together now for close to two years.

KTP, as they call themselves, blend soul, funk and hip hop to make smooth melodies that make you want to sway along to the rhythms – but they’re keeping their options open when it comes to defining the genre of music they play. Influenced by everything from jazz to indie rock like The Pixies, they are definitely ardently trying to defy definition and make their own way through the mass musical landscape.

Take a listen to our podcast to hear some laid back versions of their songs – and then go see them at Minglewood Hall tonight to hear the uptempo versions!

Read More »

The Dirty Streets stopped by Ardent Studios to give us a taste of their new album Movements before what is expected to be a sellout CD release show at The Hi-Tone tonight in Memphis.

We knew the band’s reputation proceeded them as the engineers at the studio basically clamored among themselves to get the opportunity to record the session. Adam Hill, one of our senior engineers, took the honors and also took the opportunity to record the podcast to tape because, in his own words, ‘Why wouldn’t you?’

Read More »

Check out the first official live video from instrumental band Glorie. This is the first in a three part series they’ll be releasing over the next few months.

Recorded at the Live From Memphis studio downtown, the band will be including these live recorded versions of music as an added bonus to people who purchase anything through their Bandcamp site.

Read More »

We were super excited to have our really good friends The Memphis Dawls stop by Ardent Studios today to record an episode of The Warm Up. We’ve been following these ladies’ musical careers for the last half decade and are thrilled about this new incarnation. 

You may know Holly Cole from her other project, Holly and the Heathens, Krista Wroten as the violin player in Amy Lavere‘s backing band, and Jana Misener from Giant Bear. And if you live in Memphis and don’t recognize Nahshon Benford’s horn playing, we don’t know where you’ve been the last decade since he plays on just about every Memphis album of note that has been released the last few years!

But even if you’ve never heard of any of their other projects, we urge you to take a listen to The Memphis Dawls. They’re fabulous musicians and so good looking! If you are in Memphis, you can catch them play TONIGHT at Otherlands!

Read More »

Join the Memphis Music Foundation for a special South Main Trolley Tour reception celebrating the opening of Memphis Means music Month. Enjoy complimentary food, beer, wine, and of course—Memphis music. www.memphismeansmusic.com

Memphis Means Music Month Kick-off Reception
When: September 30; 5:00-7:00pm
Location: Memphis Music Foundation, 431 South Main St.
Cost: Free Admission

Read More »

Filthybird was a band our friend Alyssa DeHayes from Team Clermont suggested that we check out. We are very proud of ourselves for taking her advice.

The band is definitely one of our favoroite finds at this year’s Hopscotch Music Festival. Even though we did not get to see them play live in Raleigh, we’ve been listening to their album Songs for Other People non-stop.

It doesn’t look like they are touring much right now, but hopefully they will be on the road again soon. For now check out this episode of 5 Questions With featuring questions from Aunt Martha, Jeff the Brotherhood, Parachute Musical and Jamie Randolph and the Darkhorse.

Read More »

Ever since Generationals came to Memphis and played our show The Warm Up, we’ve been listening to their album Actor-Caster non-stop. That’s why we were thrilled when we realized that they would be playing Hopscotch Music Festival this year. 

We were lucky enough to catch their performance for Sound Situations at Marsh Windwoods. We also pulled them aside on the streets of Raleigh for this episode of 5 Questions With… It’s one of our favorites of the series with questions from Good Luck Dark Star, River City Extension, Jeff the Brotherhood, Dignan, and Rainy Day Manual.

Read More »

In our fantasy, we are totally BFF with Jenny Owen Youngs. After all, we know her first two albums by heart and totally relate to her musical aesthetic. In this fantasy she would call us up on Friday night and ask us to come over to drink beer and listen to records before we went out for Palek Paneer and then went bowling. Yes, we’d have great big plans. 

Luckily, our real life isn’t that far from our fantasy life and today we got to invite Youngs to take a tour of Stax with us and then come to Ardent and hang our and record a few songs. She brought along drummer Elliot Jacobson, who is not only a nice guy, but drums for a bunch of our other favorite musicians, like Ingrid Michaelson, Bess Rogers, Regina Spektor, and Jim Bianco and was recently voted #1 Up And Coming Drummer by Modern Drummer Magazine. And did we mention he is super nice?

All in all – it was a pretty great day. Check out our interview and then go see Jenny and Elliot play TONIGHT at The Levitt Shell at 7:30 FOR FREE!

Read More »

We were so excited to get to meet Django Haskins and check out his band The Old Ceremony after hearing from Jody Stephens what a nice dude he is.

The two tall, cool and handsome musicians met and played together during The Fully Orchestrated Live Premiere of Big Star’s Third that was put on by Chris Stamey last December in Raleigh, NC and then again earlier this year in NYC.

Since rumors are beginning to swirl about the show happening in Memphis before the end of the year, we were obliged to check out some of the many bands that participated while we were in Raleigh for Hopscotch Music Festival – including Lost in the Trees, Megafaun, and The Love Language – but The Old Ceremony was easily our favorite – and not just because they let us drag them out of White Collar Crime on a scavenger hunt for the perfect place for us to ask them 5 ridiculous questions from The Kopecky Family, The Constellations, Colour Revolt, Brass Bed, and Jamie Randolph and the Darkhorse.

Read More »

We are still sitting on some interviews from our time in Raleigh, NC at Hopscotch Music Festival. We’ve gotten a little behind but bear with us! They are worth the wait!

This one is with our new favorite band I Was Totally Destroying It who we caught up with at our good friend Team Clermont‘s party.

Read More »

Also, check out the great Big Star bundles in the Ardent Music Store including signed copies of the Big Star with John Davis – Tribute to Alex Chilton 7″ Vinyl EP with a Big Star Neon T-shirt!

Even in the city of Elvis and Beale Street, Big Star may be Memphis’ strangest musical story. The iconic band released three great records, all of which are on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, but Big Star’s success would be measured in critical acclaim and fan loyalty, not in sales.

Featuring Alex Chilton, former lead singer for the million-selling Box Tops, singer/guitarist Chris Bell, bassist Andy Hummel and drummer Jody Stephens, Big Star released its ironically moniker debut, #1 Record, in 1972. Bell left for a solo career shortly after its release, but buoyed by the support of the national music community, including pioneering rock journalists Dave Marsh, Cameron Crowe, Bud Scoppa and Lester Bangs, Big Star, as a trio, released Radio City in 1974. Hummel left after its completion and Chilton and Stephens enlisted sidemen and Memphis producing legend Jim Dickinson to make Big Star Third/Sister Lovers, the band’s darkest album. Chilton and Stephens parted ways after its completion in early 1975.

Read More »

Today on The Warm Up we are super excited to have the band Dawes from Los Angeles. It was just serendipity that their label mates, Lucero, just happen to be at Ardent Studios recording their new album. Dawes is playing Minglewood Hall TONIGHT with M.Ward. 

Most of the time when we invite bands to come to record an episode of The Warm Up, the invite also includes a trip to the Stax Museum of American Soul with the owner of Ardent Studios, John Fry, as the band’s personal tour guide (as long as he is available, John loves taking bands to the museum and sharing the stories that are not on the placards.)

Read More »