Crosstown Concourse

Whether in the Main Atrium, the Green Room, or the Crosstown Theater, the Crosstown Concourse regularly features top-notch jazz performers from around the globe. In the past month alone, they’ve hosted jazz greats Patrice Williamson, Peter Bernstein, and the Bad Plus, alongside countless homegrown acts. Crosstown Arts’ ongoing “Modern Masters Jazz Series” is particularly notable for regularly bringing  some of the biggest names in contemporary jazz through town. To check out which shows will be coming soon, check out their calendar here.

The Cove

While a pirate-themed dive bar nestled in Binghamton might not be the most obvious place to catch jazz music, the Cove has long been one of Memphis’ most reliable places to see the genre live, particularly on Thursday and Sunday nights during their regularly-scheduled jazz nights. While the Cove isn’t your typical jazz club, the bar does have some killer cocktails and low lighting to help set the mood. 

GPAC

Both the Duncan-Williams Performance Hall and the outdoor venue The Grove at the Germantown Performing Arts Center regularly feature jazz artists from both near and far. The ongoing “Jazz in the Box” concert series is particularly notable for serious jazz fans, regularly bringing  A-list talent to the Bluff City. 

Sunset Jazz Series at Court Square

Sunset Jazz at Court Square is a free family friendly Jazz concert series hosted by Just Jazzin’. The series is held annually, every 2nd Sunday of May through October. It offers a great line-up of some of Memphis’ finest jazz artists, featuring different styles from straight ahead to swing. Grab a snack and a drink from one of the food trucks and sit down for an evening of great entertainment in the heart of Downtown.

The Overton Park Shell

Established in 1936, the Overton Park Shell remains one of the city’s premiere live music venues, particularly during the warmer months. For years now, the venue has been bringing Memphians a plethora of excellent (and free!) concerts, including jazz. They are also the sponsor of the “Shell on Wheels” series, which has a particular focus on bringing jazz music to unexpected places around the city!

You might also be interested in: Memphis Blues Bars: The Ultimate Guide to Blues in Memphis

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Wild Bill’s Juke Joint (1580 Vollintine Ave)

The sad reality is that genuine juke joints have been rapidly disappearing throughout the South over the past several decades, and Memphis is no exception. Thankfully this cozy North Memphis club is still carrying the torch and providing some of the best blues in the region into the wee hours of the morning. For the past 25+ years, Wild Bill’s has reigned as one of the city’s best neighborhood music clubs and its stature continues to grow. While the club is celebrated for its great music, friendly atmosphere, and throwback style, its smoke-filled rooms and raunchy dancing aren’t necessarily for the faint hearted. Whether you catch the house band, the Juke Joint All Stars, or a special guest performer, Wild Bill’s is the spot for real blues.

CC Blues Club (1427 Thomas St)

Known as much for their chicken as their live music and old school atmosphere, CC Blues Club is such a hidden gem that I’m guessing most native Memphians aren’t even aware of its existence. While this certainly adds to its mystique, it also means that it’s a bit more difficult to know what exactly is happening on any given night (Like a real blues club, CC’s doesn’t have a website). That said, if you’re looking to explore the more uncharted areas of Memphis and take a risk, CC’s may be the place for you.

Hernando’s Hideaway (3210 Old Hernando Rd)

While not a blues club per se, Whitehaven’s legendary Hernando’s Hideaway frequently features blues musicians and other related roots genres such as country and R&B. The club, which was once frequented by Memphis royalty like Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and BB King, retains its old-school cool and can often feel like a portal into a bygone era. In the recent past, Hernando’s has hosted some of the world’s premiere blues players and also frequently serves as the home to various Memphis Blues Society events. To see what’s coming up soon, be sure to check out their calendar.

Earnestine & Hazel’s (531 S Main St.)

America’s most haunted bar is also a great place to catch some live blues on the weekends (if you aren’t too scared, that is). This Memphis institution has been hosting live music since at least the 1950s and remains a local favorite for late night dancing, drinking, and revelry. If you happen to stumble upon E&H on a weeknight when there isn’t a band playing, don’t fret. They have one of the city’s best jukeboxes filled with local blues heroes like B.B. King, Bobby “Blue” Bland, John Lee Hooker, and many more.

The Crosstown Concourse (1350 Concourse Ave.)

The Crosstown Concourse, a converted Sears warehouse that is now a dynamic “vertical village,” offers a ton of great options for music lovers of all stripes, including blues aficionados. For live music, be sure to check out the calendars for the Green Room at Crosstown Arts and the Crosstown Theater, both of which regularly feature blues and Americana artists. You should also check out the massive collection of rare records at the Memphis Listening Lab, a unique musical library that includes hundreds of hard-to-find blues LPs, 78s, and 45s. The Lab also features live performances and listening parties from time to time.

Beale Street

Okay, perhaps we buried the lede here, but you kinda knew this one already, right? For over a century, Beale Street has served as the most important site for blues music in America (and probably the world). The genre remains the lifeblood of the famed street and there are countless clubs dedicated to bringing you the music that made it famous. While you can’t go wrong with the famous clubs like B.B. King’s and Rum Boogie, we find that some of the best acts are nestled in smaller clubs like Mr. Handy’s Blues Hall, the Beale Street Tap Room, or right in the middle of historical Handy Park.

You might also be interested in: Live Music Memphis Tonight | Memphis Live Music Calendar

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In the very heart of Cooper-Young, a battered red wooden door under a blue awning is a Narnia-like portal to an eccentric and enduring fixture of bohemian Memphis. Upon entering, all manner of strange curios and beguiling art greets you; books, a fireplace mantle, and an expectant chess board mingle cozily beneath a dangling disco mirror ball, and consistently-delicious baked goods and beverages are always close at hand. Java Cabana’s been around a long time, and has seen its share of changes, but this tiny marvel of a cafe has blessedly emerged from pandemic limbo energized by renewed purpose, not the least of which manifests in the booking of live music. 

That’s where Cheyenne Marrs comes in. A Memphis music scene familiar (and currently the guitarist for dreamy garage-rock combo S P A C E R), Marrs’ work at Java Cabana extends beyond that of typical barista duties. Enthusiastic and encouraging while brainstorming all sorts of visionary ideas for the cafe’s future, Marrs’ fantasies of board game nights and other potential community engagements all seem possible behind his boundless gumption. As of late, that’s also included booking intimate musical performances at the space, with hopes to fill some of the gap left in the local ‘small show’ scene by the closing of beloved science-fiction bookstore Two Rivers, which had been located next door. Two Rivers had gained a reputation for hosting quality, envelope-pushing events, especially those featuring experimental Memphian musicians; to see the beginnings of the same sort of small-scale hospitality brewing next door makes absolute, and highly-exciting, sense. 

In conversation, Marrs is all too happy to lay out the Cabana’s considerable history, and like so many Memphis stories of its kind, this one starts with Elvis. When Java Cabana opened in 1992, the original King-obsessed owners kept a shrine of the man himself in the back, where customers could be married by an ordained priest dressed in Elvis garb if they so chose. Marrs himself has played shows at Java Cabana “on and off over the last fifteen years”, and had been encouraged to work there several times before finally taking up the offer. Admittedly in search of a “super low stress” job, he seems to have found a compelling canvas upon which to sketch out the grandest possibilities for the cafe’s evolution. 

It almost didn’t happen like this. When previous owner Mary Burns, who had purchased the business in 1998 and was known for holding highly-respected poetry readings there, suddenly passed away from lung cancer in 2019, the future of the cafe seemed jeopardized, something compounded by the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic soon after. Thankfully, Marrs is now part of a new generation pitching in to expand Java Cabana’s legacy even further, and that includes a renewed focus on music bookings. 

When asked if he has any overriding vision of what he hopes to book at Java Cabana, Marrs simply wishes to book a “wide range of stuff”. This flexibility of genre and scope suits the off-kilter kitsch of this singular cafe quite well, and he should have no problem filling Java Cabana’s few Formica tables and comfy couches for such events and others. And full disclaimer – having performed there recently myself (and also sampling some of Marrs’ tasty prototype connections, to boot), I’m definitely less than an unbiased party when it comes to boosting the visibility of shows at this latest iteration of Java Cabana. It’s the kind of place you long to tell others about and introduce them to, its overall vibe as quirky as it is welcoming, as warm as it is intriguing. Perhaps that’s why the cafe has refused to be stamped out of existence over three decades of operation, merely donning new identities to survive while similar Memphis businesses dwindle and shutter.

This is an important history to consider when talking about Java Cabana. Businesses in Memphis, as in other great cities, tend to ebb and flow. Some acquire considerable standing with time and thus appear to confirm their permanence (though as the recent loss of the widely-adored P&H Cafe proves, nowhere so magical should be taken for granted, not in the face of anyone’s narrow idea of “progress”). Others, like the aforementioned Two Rivers Bookstore, seem to slip into the stream of yesterdays as quickly as they’d arrived, often breaking hearts as they go. But more than anything else that Java Cabana has been in the past thirty years, the cafe is a survivor, made of a considerable quality of stern stuff and as wildly-unorthodox as its decor and spirit. Who knows what forms the cafe might take in future days, in distant future decades? We can only guess at the possibilities. For now, though, the latest guise of this little Cooper-Young miracle holds tremendous promise of even brighter things to come.

You might also be interested in: Memphis Women on the Big Stage

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Those underground clubs seen in old movies with brick walls, round tables full of friends and couples sipping on something strong while dressed to the nines and watching live music—-they don’t exist much anymore. Has live music become slightly less intent on the music part and a little more focused on the live party vibe? Some may argue so, but Memphis has it’s very own speakeasy, Tailor’s Union and The Pocket, and it checks all the boxes: An entrance that looks like an old fashioned tailor shop concealing two swanky bars, a dress code, a membership program with serious perks, a lively DJ dance party vibe upstairs, killer cocktails, elevated pub fare, and of course a sultry underground live music experience tucked away downstairs.

Jordan Keplinger, General Manager of Tailor’s Union, describes the venue as a boutique lounge for a classy crowd, offering two different experiences. Upstairs, after you pass through the tailor shop “front”, you’ll enter a Miami inspired lounge with a white marble bar that serves colorful cocktails fine tuned to fit the Miami party vibe of the space. Live DJ’s get the crowd up and dancing and interacting with each other on the weekends. 

However, once you get to the end of that party, you’ll come to a check in area that eventually leads you down stairs and into what is The Pocket, and that’s where the speakeasy starts to takehold. The Pocket is a moody live music venue, Kelplinger describes it as “a secret hidden gem, no one really knows about. It was designed for [Tailor’s Union] members to have exclusive experiences without the hustle and bustle of a club scene.”

The phrase Members Only, feels synonymous with going to a speakeasy – and there are three tiers at Tailor’s Union to fit whatever level of exclusivity you would like to be privy to. Level one is $1500 annually, and offers perks like free cigars, a members only night, parking, exclusive invites, free guests and a $100 house account per month. Levels two and three include tiered versions of some of those same perks– but it’s that first level that will really keep you content with a private club feel all year long. 

According to Keplinger, it really is the intimacy that sets The Pocket’s experience apart from other music venues in town, she says, “our guests are right there with the band– the stage is not so high that the guest feels separate from the entertainment– the band can come out into the crowd and that is the most fun experience for everyone.” 

The Pocket hosts live music every Friday and Saturday night, and is debuting new and separate cocktail menus for each experience this weekend. See the lineup for July 2022 below, and be sure to text (901) 233 – 3801 for reservations. Soon reservations will move to their website, where ticket sales for performances at The Pocket will also be available for purchase.

July 15 – Keia Johnson

July 16 – Tonya Dyson

July 22 – Devin Crutcher

July 23 – Doll McCoy

July 29 – Zsa Davis

July 30 – Deonna Pruitt

You might also be interested in: Don Bryant & The Bo-Keys – Something About You – Live @ Wild Bill’s

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One thing about Memphis, we will show up for free outdoor live music rain or shine–– but when the weather is right, the Overton Park Shell’s concert series experience becomes almost utopian. Families, couples, joggers, tourists, students, and live music lovers from all over the Midsouth region and beyond flock to the venue with blankets, chairs, and even full picnics to groove to the sounds of  live music of every genre, for everyone. In the old forest that is Overton Park, you get that great outdoors vibe in the middle of the city. The neighborhoods nearby can hear the echoes of voices of backup singers, horn sections, bug spray cans, and laughter. Need I say more? Probably not, but I will anyway. 

Previously known as The Levitt Shell, you may have heard Memphians call the venue simply, The Shell, but no matter the name, the recently rebranded Overton Park Shell holds a deep piece of our community’s cultural identity. Originally built inside of Overton Park by the Works and Progress Administration in 1936 as part of the New Deal, the Overton Park Shell has been host to historic concerts and festivals including Elvis Presley’s first paid concert in July of 1954, as well as the annual Memphis Country Blues Festivals during the Civil Rights era. While other similar bandshell’s like it were built by the World Progress Administration, Memphis’ Overton Park Shell is one of the last existing of its kind. 

Through its 85 years of history, the Shell was almost demolished to make way for a parking lot and a theater, amongst other things. In 2007, the venue underwent renovation and was, in so much, saved by the Levitt Foundation’s investment. The Overton Park Shell’s Executive Director, Natalie Wilson, noted the Levitt Foundation as key to the current success of the organization. “As a result of [Levitt Foundation’s] steadfast support,” Wilson said, “The Shell has flourished to become a city-wide destination for multicultural programming as well as a committed community partner showcasing other non-profits.” 

Most recently, the venue led the community as an example for health conscious, distanced, live  music operating during the pandemic, and has once again announced a full lineup of Orion Free Concert Series for summer and fall 2022. The lineup boasts some of Memphis’ favorite local artists like Don Lifted, Sensational Barnes Brothers, and The Reigning Sound in addition to national touring acts like The New Respects and The Nude Party. In accordance with the venue’s mission to build community through music and education, finding common ground in a diverse audience, the organization recently partnered with the Deaf Connect of the Mid-South to provide Certified Deaf Interpreters to many of its performances during the upcoming series.

The venue’s paid Shell Yeah! Benefit Concert Series directly supports the venue’s free programing, and features nationally recognized headliners, and VIP ticket options. This year’s lineup includes bands like St. Paul And The Broken Bones, and Durand Jones and the Indicators. Whether you are looking to impress, or indulge– this paid series provides the stage to support the organizations’ free concert programming. The dance floor WILL be open!

You may also be interested in: Things to do in the suburbs of Memphis

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When I relocated to Memphis in the summer of 2016, one of the very first clubs I found myself checking out was The Lamplighter Lounge Memphis at 1702 Madison. At the time, the clearly little hideaway met every possible definition, colloquial or terminological, of the term ‘dive bar’. Beneath pallid lighting, through a perpetual blue haze of cigarette smoke, one could find bands awkwardly pressed into the tiniest of wood-paneled foyers, cues nearly poking out their eyes from the shabby nearby pool tables. The Lamplighter of those days and prior had its diehard adherents, but the rough-hewn charms were often missed in its cramped and disorienting spaces. As a Memphis Flyer article headlined it in 2018, ‘you either love it or hate it’, and the Lamplighter of old certainly had its share of both fans and naysayers.

But that Flyer article also noted a changing of the guard at what some Memphians simply call ‘The Lamp’. Around this time, the bar was purchased by the new owners that would give it life, a partnership between two well-known Memphis music scene fixtures, Laurel Cannito and bartender Chuck Wenzler. Even before I’d set foot in the Lamp of 2016, I’d been attending lovingly-curated DIY shows in a rambling old yellow house at the northern edge of Orange Mound, and Cannito, who was a resident at the time, was a big part of what made that much-missed space work. By the time the pandemic hit in 2020, The Lamp had made a breathtaking turnaround, from increasing space for band performances (farewell, shabby pool tables) to purchasing a vacant adjacent storefront for even more performance options. The bookings are better, the food is better, and the ambience is better, and the Lamp’s become one of my favorite live music spots in Memphis, either for performing or spectating.

“I feel like it wasn’t ‘taken over’ necessarily”, Wenzler tells me about the transition from the old Lamplighter to the new. “Its kind of like a portal that’s casting high arts from the center of the city, that perhaps took me over. Together with Laurel Cannito , I believe the space offers a menagerie of uses that evolve music, dance, art, theater and comedy. We wanted to contribute an additive cultural tool for people to take advantage of, more a co-op of ideas, rather than a commercial arts venue.”

When asked what the reborn Lamplighter offers patrons that they might not find elsewhere in Memphis, Wenzler emphasizes the importance of community and diversity in shaping the space’s offerings. “We aren’t trying to out-do or out sell in a competitive market, rather we invite diversity and safety for those who want

more from a place than drinks and a sideshow. I always encourage new artists to play and like to help people put together a performance for their original ideas. We mostly don’t host cover bands or tributes unless it’s in a completely unique or parodied way. Growth always happens inside first. As far as the physical, I’m not sure what more we could add to the space…we just got a disco ball!”

Such modest agendas aside, though, the Lamp definitely has its eye on growth in future years, regardless of the challenges COVID-19 or anything else might present. “I want to continue to be able to serve and streamline things for more people to have the best experience possible”, Wenzler stresses. “As far as challenges for the business, for the most part, its been progressively easier to entertain and get people involved. Many seeds have been planted over the years by my peer group to enlighten creativity in the community. As far as the ‘rona, the worst part of that was filling out a ton of government forms to get grants and loans. It was so intricate and frustrating, I would have never been able to keep it together without my faithful business partner. Her additions to the food selection, and the constant sustaining of aspects of the business that I have shortcomings in, have really made a recipe for managing the potential catastrophe of losing everything. Also, our property managers, Arthur and Janet, have been very accommodating and open-minded.”

Overall, Wenzler’s enthusiasm about the space is infectious, his passion for its possibilities inspiring even as he makes sure to honor its past legacies. “Lamplighter’s contributed to a good amount of people having a great time, enjoying shows, discussing conceptual ideas, and theatrical/social gobbledygook, and I hope everyone locally throughout time has time to share with us here. One thing I wish that people knew more about The Lamplighter was that Keith, who used to work with his mother, Mrs Anne (the previous owner), was quite possibly the best billiards player in the world. Also, he could sing the best cover of Seger.”

From the very definition of a ‘dive bar’ to a trend-setting space that redefines what such a term might mean, the Lamplighter’s in very good hands, and more than worth your visit.

You may also be interested in Concert Music Venues in Memphis

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The mythology and folklore of music in the Bluff City lingers through generations, conjuring visions of mournful acoustic blues plucked on the porches of sharecroppers’ shacks, the neon bustle of Beale in its prime, and the smooth soul grooves of Stax Records. But beneath such raging cultural tempests, more mysterious currents have always flowed through Memphis. It’s there in the feedback-soaked strangeness of Big Star’s ‘Third/Sister Lovers’, and in the subtle lo-fi experimentation of Goner Records’ more outré acts. Beyond blues, beyond early rock and roll, the city’s proven itself fertile ground for the more experimental end of music-making, and the arrival of Crosstown Concourse has provided a most welcome space for avant sonic rebels to call home – The Green Room, a small but already-treasured venue run by the good folks at Crosstown Arts.

As Music Department Manager, Jenny Davis is responsible for booking both the Green Room and the larger Crosstown Theater and is herself a flautist for local chamber music collective The Blueshift Ensemble. When it comes to describing the Green Room, she uses terms like “cozy”, “warm”, and “intimate’. “It’s full of good vibes for audiences and musicians alike. One thing that was important from the beginning was that the bar was right next to the space, where it could function as a listening room, but also separate. The Green Room is quiet, and you can really listen. That’s not always the case. It’s a different vibe than shows in bars.”

The Green Room is intended as a friendly platform open to booking as many diverse genres of music as possible, to encourage intersections between artists that might not have been aware of each others’ work. “That’s the ultimate goal,” Davis says, “to mix it up, to serve all audiences as well as all musicians, so that you never know what you might find at The Green Room. Our goal is that whatever you walk into, it’s going to be something really cool and a unique experience.”

The Green Room provides a PA and a full backline to its artists, aiming to make the occasion of performing there as enjoyable and stress-free as possible. A sound engineer is also provided to musicians, adding further ease to the room’s laid-back but carefully curated atmosphere, somewhere between arts school lounge and hipster DIY house show. “Bringing people together is always a good thing for a community,” says Davis, “as is discovering new things, being open to trying and hearing new things, for people to be curious. We have a room where, if you’re curious, we’ll have something for you to perhaps experience for the first time.”

But Davis does see The Green Room as part of a wider Memphis musical tradition, a necessary element in the context of the city’s cultural wellspring. “Memphis has such a rich musical history. Having things that people are familiar with, alongside those they might not be familiar with, makes people feel more comfortable and open to trying new things. Musicians tend to live in our own little world; we know everything about our specific scene and genre, but there’s all this other stuff too. It’s really great to attend a

concert that might be something you’d ordinarily not seek out. Through this job, I’ve met so many more musicians who’ve been in Memphis their whole lives, and that’s amazing. It keeps things exciting.”

In its brief lifespan, The Green Room has gained a reputation for its aura of surprise and discovery, a compelling alternative for those looking beyond cover bands and sports bars. “The environment is different than a lot of places around town,” Davis admits. “It’s in-between a bar venue and a performing arts center, really somewhere in the middle. It can go either direction. It can be more formal or more casual. That’s something unique about the Green Room. It suits such a wide variety of performances.”

Davis is quick to note how the Concourse itself plays a crucial role in all of this, through fostering a thriving community investment in trailblazing and pushing envelopes. “With the Concourse, hopefully there’s something here for everybody, an open public place where you can come, take photos, do work. The building is massive, and there’s so much going on here. It can be overwhelmingly confusing. But The Green Room is a little gem tucked back in the corner.”

Beyond The Green Room, the nearby Crosstown Theater offers a more expansive experience with its own diverse array of programming. The Theater is a lovingly-appointed black box style space with a capacity of four hundred, transformable to a standing space of seven hundred as needed. On September 27th, the Theater will play host to an innovative collaboration between The Blueshift Ensemble and acclaimed composer/curator Evan Williams, who recently relocated to Memphis to teach music composition and theory at Rhodes College. Performances will include pieces by Williams himself, as well as selections by Jennifer Jolley, Caroline Shaw, and Michael Fiday. Meanwhile, in The Green Room, treat your ears to duet works for theremin and lap steel on the evening of September 17th, with a special appearance by Memphis experimental guitar wunderkind Malcolm Wright and his project, Dinosauria.

And don’t expect COVID-19 to keep Davis and her crew from swinging open such doors for the city’s more adventurous music lovers. “It’s kind of one day at a time,” Davis says when asked about the impact of the pandemic on such a mission. “We’re requiring masks in all the spaces, and even when the mandate ends, we’ll either continue to require masks or strongly encourage them. If any artist requests that we require proof of vaccination to attend shows, we’re happy to do that.”

If you wish to keep up with all the exciting work Davis and her compatriots are up to over at the Concourse, its’ easy to do so. “We encourage people to follow us on social media”, Davis says, “so if you want to be sure you’re not missing events, follow us. I promise that everything going on in the Green Room is super great and worth checking out.”

A little gem tucked back in the corner, much like Memphis herself.

You might also be interested in Memphis Music: Famous Memphis Musicians | Memphis Singers

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In many ways, the viability of a city’s live music scene is dependent on its mid-sized venues, which can attract major traveling acts while also providing a home for local artists. With the recent demise of long-standing venues such as Minglewood Hall and the New Daisy Theater, the Hi Tone Cafe has become an even more valuable asset to the city’s live music ecosystem.

After twenty-three years and three different locations, the Hi Tone has evolved over the years, but one important aspect of the venue remains the same: its crucial role as an incubator for both emerging artists and nascent musical scenes. Yes, live music venues exist primarily to provide entertainment to customers, but they also play a vital role in the development and exposure of local unsigned artists. To their credit, the team at the Hi Tone has always excelled at this particular aspect, and it remains a haven for musicians wanting to test out their sound in front of an audience.

Although the ultimate fate of the venue has been in question several times over the past decade, the Hi Tone is back in a new two-story location at 282 N. Cleveland in the Crosstown neighborhood that promises to give the club a new lease on life. Owner Brian “Skinny” McCabe and his team have emerged from the uncertainty wrought by COVID-19 to create a space that is both reminiscent of the previous iterations of the venue, while also introducing some new elements.

The Hi Tone is now split between two distinct levels: a downstairs “small room” and lounge that is 21-and-over, and the “big room” upstairs that will house the majority of the venue’s live shows and which now comes equipped with a full kitchen (an amenity noticeably absent from their previous location).

The venue, which has long been at the epicenter of the city’s rock scene, has also become more accommodating to a wider variety of genres in recent years, particularly Memphis’ hip-hop and R&B community. A clear example of this shift is the weekly Sunday Night Jazz Brunch, which you can read more about here.

So whether you’re a Memphian looking to discover a great new band, a tourist in search of some authentic Memphis music, or an up-and-coming artist looking to hone their skills in front of a friendly audience, the Hi Tone might be just what you’ve been searching for. Just hurry before they change locations again…

You may also be interested in: Top Memphis music venues to check out! 

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We may not know when live music is coming back, but what we do know is that if we don’t act to support our venues now it will never be the same. Small, independent music venues are vulnerable businesses. Many of them operate with slim margins in the best of times, and if they don’t bring in audiences, they don’t bring in revenue – but the bills keep coming. 

Around the country, music venues are starting to close their doors permanently. If we want to come back to a post-COVID world with a rich, vibrant live music scene in our city, we have to act now. We’ve put together a quick guide for steps you can take today.

1. Head to SaveOurStages.com and write to your reps.

The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) is a group of over 2,000 independent venues in 50 states that are banding together to ask Washington for targeted legislation to help them survive. Right on their homepage you’ll find a prewritten letter and an easy form that you can fill out to have your voice heard by your legislators. It takes 2 minutes and it lets our leaders know that music matters!

2. Share your favorite live music memories on social media and use #saveourstages.

Like any movement, visibility is key – the more we can all share why independent music venues matter to our city, the more we’ll be heard. In Memphis we are luckier than most to have an incredible music scene overflowing with talent. Our independent venues are the spaces we gather and celebrate and connect, and the spaces where we enjoy and support our musicians. They are so critical to our city’s culture that we have zero doubt that you have a list of favorite Memphis music moments ready to share – so get to posting and don’t forget #saveourstages!

3. Put some dollars in for the cause.

Donate to the National Independent Venue Association to help power their important lobbying and advocacy work.

4. Stay tuned to YouTube.

NIVA and YouTube just announced a partnership that will create revenue streams for music venues and create music content from these iconic spaces for streaming audiences. The details haven’t been announced yet, but keep an eye on YouTube for opportunities to enjoy artist performances from around the country and support the future of live independent music.

You might also be interested in: Live Music Memphis Tonight | Memphis Live Music Calendar

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Here’s a list of some of the best places in town to see your favorite artists or bands play. 

If you put Memphis nightlife into any search engine, one of the first places you will see is B.B. King’s Blues Club on Beale Street. The iconic venue features live music every night of the week. The club features the B.B. King’s Blues Club All-Star Band. The band plays its own Memphis-style rhythm & blues music. The venue is also featuring Will Tucker, King Beez, and Memphis Jones. The iconic Lafayette’s Music Room also features live music every night with a soul food menu. On tap at Lafayette’s is Jason D. Williams, Ingram Hill, and Steve Forbert. Neil’s Music Room also has a full kitchen and features live blues and rock music. The Hi Tone and Rum Boogie Café’s Blues Hall Juke Joint also have nightly live music.

If you are feeling more trap jazz instead of country rock, check out the event calendar at the historic Minglewood Hall. The 13,000-square-foot venue is known for hosting major hip hop acts and is also available for private events. Upcoming featured acts include BJ the Chicago Kid, Blac Youngsta, and Wale. Minglewood Hall also books rock n roll, blues, and other music genres like Tobe Nwigwe, Lucero, and Summer Walker.

For live country music, Tin Roof Memphis is the place to go. It features live music, food and drinks. On Tuesdays, there’s Tacos & Tunes featuring live music and food and drink specials. On the calendar is Roddell McCord, the Alex Butler Band, and a free concert by up and coming artist Nick Wayne. You want Rock n Roll! Rockhouse Live Memphis is the place to be. The website says it is your place to “Eat, Drink, and Rock!” You can also get your rock on at The Bluff and at Murphy’s in Midtown.

If open-air venues are your thing, head over to The Levitt Shell. With two seasons of free live music every year – plus a handful of ticketed A-list shows through the Shell Yeah! Series – the Levitt Shell is a great place to experience national touring artists and Memphis bands on the rise, with the unbeatable backdrop of Overton Park. The venue has food trucks and allows outside food and drink during free events – translation: bring your picnic basket! During ticketed events, visit the bar for snacks and drinks.

The Cannon Center for Performing Arts is the home of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and it features live music from local artists and national tours. Upcoming events include the Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker, the Three B’s! Bach, Beethoven and Brahms, and the New Ballet’s Nut Remix. Whether you want to listen to music at a bar, an arena, or outside… if you want to listen to blues, hip hop, or country… Memphis has the venue and the genre for you.

You may also be interested in: Live Music Memphis Tonight | Memphis Live Music Calendar

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Crosstown Arts is having a huge impact on the Memphis artscape. Today, the integrated venues provide spaces for exhibition, music performances, film, and video screenings, and workshops and programs for visiting artists—and the current program for Memphis artists is set to be expanded into a full-scale, residency program. This program will host 16 visiting and Memphis-based residents for extended stays at the Concourse, with the goal of promoting creative exchange among Memphis artists and the larger art world.

The Concourse will also be the site for a new art-making facility that will provide continued public access to a communal woodshop, digital lab, print shop, and recording studio. In addition, the newly built Performing Arts Theater will soon host live performances, film screenings and a community theater program.

“Give A Damn” about Crosstown Arts

Presented by the Stax Museum of American Soul Music and hosted at Crosstown Arts through December, the “Give A Damn” exhibition includes an array of previously unviewed artifacts, including rare photos, documents, short films and music. But you don’t have to be a music fan to have a reason to drop by! Crosstown Arts invites individual artists, curators, scholars, community leaders and arts groups from across the country to participate in exhibitions, projects and programs, so you’re bound to experience something new during your visit.

Beyond simply attending Crosstown Arts exhibits and events, here are some other ways to immerse yourself in the Memphis creative scene:

• See monthly art shows featuring local and visiting artists
• Attend opening-night events, gallery talks and monthly discussion groups
• Check out a concert, art show, performance, screening, lecture or another arts-related event

Volunteering with Crosstown Arts

If you’re looking to get even more involved, why not consider volunteering with Crosstown Arts? As a volunteer, you’ll help the team enrich and extend the creative community in Memphis by assisting at galleries, leading craft activities and games, and performing numerous other valuable functions to make Crosstown Arts a continuing success.

Find out more info about our city, check out the City of Memphis’s website.

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You might also be interested in: Epicenter Memphis: Empowering Entrepreneurship in the Bluff City

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That heritage can be seen throughout Memphis to this day. Though Beale Street may get most of the attention, there are great places to hear live music all over. If you find yourself in Memphis, here are a few venues you need to check out.

B.B. King’s Restaurant & Blues Club

Beale Street’s most famous live music venue brings in some of the most sophisticated and diverse modern blues lineups in Memphis. Swing by on any given night for the chance to see the B.B. King All-Star Band tearing through a set.

FedExForum

When it’s not hosting the Memphis Grizzlies as the “Grindhouse,” the FedExForum welcomes some of the biggest names in music. Located near the west end of Beale Street, the state-of-the-art arena can accommodate 18,000 cheering and screaming music fans. Past acts who’ve stopped by have included the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Paul McCartney, Bon Jovi and Bruno Mars.

Orpheum Theatre

While it may be best known for its Broadway performances, the Orpheum on South Main Street offers its fair share of live music, with symphonies, singers and major bands all populating its calendar. The gilded ceiling, plush interior and upscale feel contribute to a live music experience like no other.

Halloran Centre

The Halloran Centre is located right next to the Orpheum and consists of both a modern theater and an education center. The Halloran Centre welcomes classical music groups and artists from all over.

The Cannon Center for the Performing Arts

You’ll find no better acoustics in all of Memphis than at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts. It’s the home of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and has hosted a number of nationally known artists from a wide array of genres, including Bonnie Raitt, Marc Cohn, Bell Biv DeVoe and Shirley Caesar.

BankPlus Amphitheater at Snowden Grove

There’s something special about watching major national touring acts while sprawling on an outdoor lawn, so it’s no wonder crowds are attracted to the BankPlus Amphitheater at Snowden Grove. Matchbox 20, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The White Stripes and Miranda Lambert are just a few of the musical acts that have taken the stage. As an alternative to the lawn, you can snag some of the 4,000 premium seats if that’s more your jam.

The Handy Park Pavilion

Located on the legendary Beale St., the Handy Park Pavilion was named for W.C. Handy—a musical titan otherwise known as the “Father of the Blues.” Needless to say, blues is a regular sound in Handy Park to this day, and the live performances at this venue are top-notch.

Blues City 

If you consider yourself to be a lover of jazz-funk fusion, look no further than Blues City for energetic live performances and the best of local acts poised to go national.

The Overton Park Shell 

They say the best things in life are free, and concerts at the Overton Park Shell are no exception! This 1930s-era band shell has been a hub of music in Memphis for decades and hosts more than 50 free shows every year.

The Hi-Tone

This bar is a hangout for fans of rock, hip-hop, indie and more. There’s no telling what kind of music you’ll hear when you drop by the Hi-Tone, but one thing’s for sure—you’ll have a great time.

No matter your tastes, one thing is for sure in Memphis: There’s a great venue nearby to help you make some of your own musical history.

You may also be interested in: Book A Show Archive – Memphis Concert Venues

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