Stax recording artist N’dambi will be signing CDs in the lobby of the Stax museum this Thursday, March 4th from 5 to 6 PM. No admission! Please visit http://www.ndambionline.com for more information.

The Memphis Music Foundation is back to hosting their monthly open house as a part of South Main’s Trolley Night, held on the the last Friday of each month when the weather warms up. They will be providing free food and music, so stop by and say hello!

Ardent Studios was proud to host the brunch held by The Levitt Foundation (curators of The Levitt Shell, right here in Midtown Memphis’ Overton Park) to announce their spring and summer lineup for 2010. The crowning jewel in the schedule will be a Big Star performance, their first at the Shell since 1974 and their first Big Star specific performance in Memphis since 1994. The show (scheduled for May 15, tickets available on March 1) will open the season and act as a fundraiser for the Foundation. From Bob Mehr’s article in the Commercial Appeal:

Old friend and regular Ardent client Devon Allman took over Studio C this January with Honeytribe, converting the studio into what he’s calling “The Mothership.” Purple christmas lights adorned the walls, storm trooper posters were placed here and there, and as you can see from the picture above, Devon and the guys had space suits. And yes, those are real NASA spacesuits.

All of this was of course to get into the spirit of the new project they were recording – an album called Space Age Blues, which is now finished and due out June 1st of this year. The album was completely tracked and mixed here, with Pete Matthews and Allman co-producing and Matthews engineering & mixing. Devon played all guitars/sang all vocals, with George Potsos on bass and Gabriel Strange on drums. Ron Holloway (sax), Tony Antonelli (percussion), Rick Steff (keys), Bobby Yang (strings), and Huey Lewis (harmonica) filled in the gaps. Yes – that Huey Lewis.

Lewis was in Studio A with The News, tracking what will amount to be their first studio album since 2001’s Plan B. He caught a snippet of what was happening in Studio C and himself asked if he could lay down some harp on the record. This is not the first time Ardent has seen this kind of creative cross-pollination, but it’s certainly one of the most significant.

Devon and the boys moved to Studio B to mix and have since finished after spending a total of 6 weeks within the walls of Ardent. Keep an eye out for the release in June, or take a look at Allman’s previous material on Amazon.com.

Devon can be kept up with at his facebook fan page or myspace page.

Above: Devon Allman with co-producer/engineer/mixer Pete Matthews. Photo by Nicole Robbins. Below: Huey Lewis blows some harp on Devon’s new record, Space Age Blues. In the Mothership.

South Carolina rockers Leslie recently finished tracking additional songs for their first full length release with producer/engineer Paul Ebersold. After driving from Charleston to Nashville to play some shows, the band made their way to Ardent and began digging in.

The band consists of Sadler Vaden on guitar and vocals, Jason Fox on bass, and Jonathan Carman on drums. They are certainly active – having played more than 250 shows last year, this is a band that knows what it’s like to put in the work being on the road. And tragically, this is also a band that has also seen hardship. Vaden’s mother died from her battle with breast cancer on his 21st birthday, after he had lost his father a few short years beforehand. It was her wish for the band to “continue making music on their own terms,” and never to give up on their dreams.

And give up they did not. In the following months Leslie made their way to Memphis and, living in a trailer park next to the Mississippi River, began work with producer Paul Ebersold on what would eventually become their first release. The Rebel Souls EP was born.

Ebersold met the band in December of 2007 when his management thought it would be a good match, and they were right. They started work in summer of 2008, taking their time in preproduction to write songs, cut demos, and be fully prepared for entering the studio when the time came. When the band and Ebersold had enough material to complete tracking on 8 new songs, they chose Ardent to cut the tracks.

They spent 6 days in Ardent’s Studio C this year, and they spent their time efficiently (Ebersold is a big proponent of being as prepared as possible upon entering the studio, so that the artist may concentrate on performance and nothing else). What resulted were the tracks that, along with two of the songs from the EP, will become their first full length release.

Sadler, Jason, Jon and Paul will return to the studio soon to mix the record. Keep an eye out for the band in your hometown, or keep up with them via their blog here.

The Rebel Souls EP is available on amazon.com.

Keep an Eye on the Sky, the Big Star Boxed set that was released in September of last year, has been continually receiving positive reviews since day one. It has been included on so many best-of 2009 lists that we decided to round up all of these mentions in one place to share. They are, in no particular order:

Magnet Magazine (#1 Best Of Collections)
MOJO Magazine (#4 Best Of Reissues)
BLURT Magazine (Writers Best Of Reissues/Archival)
UNCUT Magazine (#2 Best Of Box Sets & Compilations – see clipping below)

Other notable mentions (blogs, online magazines, etc)

Aquarium Drunkard (Year In Review)
Peter Rojas MTV Blog (Faves Of 2009)
PopMatters.com (#5 Best Of Reissues)
Chunklet (#1 Best Of Reissues)
No Depression (#5 Best Of Reissues)
WFMU Blog (#2 Best Of Reissues)
The Agit Reader (#2 Best Of Reissues)
Gibson.com (#5 Best Of Box Sets)
Commercial Appeal (#1 Best Of Records)
GoAndDoMichigan.com (#2 Best Of Box Sets)
musicradar.com (#12 Best Of Box Sets)
theRockandRollReport.com (#2 Best Of Reissues)
GloriousNoise.com (Best Of Archival)
BaltimoreMagazine.net (Best Music of 2009)

The boxed set is available right now on Amazon.com.

Readers of this blog may remember a post from June of last year giving a bit of history on The Scruffs, detailing their iterations and history from their debut record Wanna Meet the Scruffs? (recorded at Ardent in 1977) and leading up through the present day. The Scruffs latest release, entitled Conquest, was flushed out and mixed here at Ardent Studios by engineer Adam Hill. The record has been receiving some great reviews as of late:

“As Memphians obsessed with anglophile pop, they were Big Star’s heirs. Alex Chilton’s comrades, and recorded at Ardent Studios. On Conquest… the band’s new album, head Scruff Stephen Burns still brings the hooks, only filtered through a cavernous, textured sound awash in strings, horns, steel guitars, and keyboards. From the rolling anthemry of the gleaming ‘Treasure Girls’ to ‘Demon Mine’ – shades of Nikki Sudden – Conquest is modern pop with depth and heart.” Luke Torn, Uncut Magazine

“From the initial surge of ‘Conquer Me’ and the robust strains of ‘Curse of the Mau Mau’ to the drive and jangle of ‘All the Pharaohs’ and the rollicking ‘Land of Trance,’ it suggests an album for the ages…” – Lee Zimmerman, blurt-online.com

Read more Scruffs news on their Web site or check out their new record or older material on Amazon.com.

Staxtacular ’10 is the premier party hosted by Rudy Gay, Mike Conley and a supporting cast of Memphis’ coolest celebrities. Get down to the action-packed event with the slickest superstars and the sweetest soundtrack. Bid on swag donated by the NBA, local big shots and more. All proceeds go to the Stax Music Academy.

All proceeds from Staxtacular benefit the life-shaping music programs and unique performance opportunities offered by the Stax Music Academy. SMA provides students with music education and unique performance opportunities, rooted in the belief that music can shape a young person’s life. They use music as a tool to mentor young people, and instill them with a set of values and skills that will serve them throughout the rest of their lives. For more information, please visit: www.staxmusicacademy.org

Tickets are available now at http://shop.staxmuseum.com/. Hope to see you there!

Superstar, R&B aficionado, and all-around nice guy Huey Lewis came to Ardent this month to start work on a new record. And yes – he brought the News. Together they were working on a Stax tribute record – yet to be titled – and felt that Memphis and Ardent were the way to go for just such a project. Says Lewis of the record: “…we’re trying to do it right, and I think if you’re down here you’re a little bit more careful.”

Ardent engineer John Hampton shared engineering duties with Jim Gaines, with Curry Weber as assistant and Lydia Gilman as 2nd. Here’s what Hampton had to say about the experience:

“It’s hard to go wrong borrowing from “The Memphis Songbook,” as I call it, when you’re crafting a record. One thing about Memphis’ music is how the listener can wrap him/herself up in the pain of the writer, or in the joy of being rescued from that pain. Whether it’s discovering a new love or letting go of an old one, the trials and triumphs of life are the intangible places where that lyric gets born. So who better to relate to these trials and triumphs than veteran songster Huey Lewis, Hughie Louis, or even Hugh Anthony Cregg III (all the same person), who has written a truckload of hits himself!

“When Jim Gaines, who has made records from Journey to Santana, Steve Miller to Tower of Power, Stevie Ray Vaughan to George Thorogood, … asked my involvement with his upcoming Huey Lewis record, I immediately started hearing “The Heart of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” “I Want a New Drug,” “If This is It,” and even having visions of Marty McFly and Doc Brown in Back to the Future, a movie forever interlocked to Huey and vice versa in 1985, when “The Power of Love” became HLN’s first #1 single, and “Sports,” their third album, started it’s slow burn to the #1 Billboard spot. It eventually ruled there for a bit, and Huey and the News had made it to the top of the pile. Before it was over, and it still ain’t, the record had sold over 10 million copies in the US alone and spawned nine top 30 hits, 4 bound for the top ten, and some of those for the #1 spot.

“In their career, Huey Lewis and the News has sold 19 million records worldwide… and counting. Wow.

“So how do you follow an act like that? You kick back and do whatever you want, that’s how! And Huey wants to take a dip in the river of the  Memphis Songbook. But you better watch it, because that magic book has been known to launch new careers! And re-invent to established careers. Just ask The Black Crows about “Hard to Handle;” Toots and the Maytalls about one of their big ones, “Take me to the River,” or any other on his Toots in Memphis record. Or ask ZZ Top if “I Thank You” helped them along. And how many danced to Amii Stewart’s version of “Knock on Wood” … the list goes on. These timeless pieces, just like the American Songbook, refuse to be “bagged.” They fight category. And the Memphis Songbook feels like it has always been and always will be.

“Just exactly like Huey Lewis and the News. Oh! And I hear Huey is a mean harmonica player.”

That last line is in reference to Huey’s impromptu guest harmonica appearance on Devon Allman’s new record. While Huey and the News were in studio A, Allman was in studio C tracking his new record (feature story coming soon). They met at the coffee machine, and the rest is history. In the words of studio owner John Fry, “Good things happen here.”

In the picture, L to R: Ralph Arista, drummer Bill Gibson, guitarist/saxophonist Johnny Colla, engineer Jim Gaines, 2nd assistant Lydia Gilman (seated), Huey Lewis, assistant Curry Weber, and keyboardist Sean Hopper.

Mark Jordan’s article on Huey and Devon Allman in the Go Memphis section of the Commercial Appeal can be found here.

Huey Lewis and the News’ back catalogue can be found on Amazon.com.

It’s that time of year again! For the second of what we hope will be many years, the Memphis Music Foundation will hold its annual Plug In Memphis expo at Minglewood Hall on January 26, 2010. Many of us from the studio attended last year and had a great time. This is a great networking opportunity for everyone in the music industry here in town – vendors, artists, studios, and even music fans. From JD Reager’s article in the Memphis Flyer:

As the Memphis Music Foundation enters its third year of operations, the not-for-profit organization has slated perhaps its most ambitious programming schedule to date for 2010. That program kicks off Tuesday, January 26th, at Minglewood Hall with the second installment of the foundation’s annual Plug In Memphis: Indie Music Expo.

Plug In Memphis is a free event designed to help connect local musicians to the many music-industry service providers available in the area. It’s an extension of the foundation’s public workspace, the Memphis Music Resource Center. Plug In Memphis is built around three key components: an exhibit hall with 30 to 40 booths representing all types of industry-related businesses, an “Expert’s Lounge” that gives musicians a one-on-one opportunity for networking and career guidance with established industry professionals, and a showcase for emerging independent artists.

According to the foundation’s director of development and communications, Pat Mitchell Worley, last year’s Plug In Memphis event at the Botanic Garden was such a success that the staff knew immediately that they had struck gold with the idea.

“It was like a big light bulb went off for all us,” Mitchell Worley says. “We had over 400 attendees last year, but we only expected about half as many. Attendees discovered all kinds of new businesses, services, and fellow artists they didn’t know even existed before.”

The showcase component (to be held in Minglewood’s new 1884 Club) could prove to be the main attraction this year. Among the scheduled performers are former Hypnotize Minds rapper Lil’ Noid, soul/R&B singer Kris Thomas, who is rumored to be in negotiations for a major-label recording deal, and headliner 9th Wonder, a North Carolina-based hip-hop producer and artist who has worked with the likes of Nas, Jay-Z, and Destiny’s Child. (9th Wonder also will participate in the “Expert’s Lounge,” along with local rapper 8Ball and Reen Nalli, manager for India Arie.)

If one detects an urban/hip-hop slant to the event, it’s for a reason. According to Mitchell Worley, the membership of the Music Resource Center, which is the “signature program” of the Memphis Music Foundation, is 64 percent African-American, indicating a higher level of member interest in urban genres.

“It’s a reflection of the city we live in, but we’ve also made specific efforts toward engaging an urban demographic,” says resource center director Cameron Mann.

Another contributing factor is the lingering perception of a disconnect between the Music Foundation (and, in truth, the local music industry as a whole) and Memphis’ fiercely independent underground rock scene.

“It’s a continuing process of rebuilding trust,” Mitchell Worley says. “They’ve heard it all before from folks like us, so we just have to keep working and building relationships.”

Still, the Music Foundation has had more than its share of positive, attention-grabbing stories of late, including last year’s Memphis music presence at the South By Southwest music festival and the recent appointment of former Stax Records president Al Bell as the foundation’s chairman of the board. That said, it’s the personal attention and specialized consultation with the resource center staff that often is the most impactful for members.

“One of our primary goals is developing constructive personal relationships,” Mann says. “There is sort of a ‘library’ aspect to the center, which has its place and value, but I’ve seen that the most positive results are born out of a hands-on, proactive, individual approach.”

For example, the resource center staff recently helped to engineer a sponsorship deal for solo artist and noted session drummer Ryan Peel with Yamaha to promote their new “Rock Tour Custom” line of drums.

“Absolutely, the Music Foundation contributed directly to the Yamaha deal happening,” says Peel, who was recently flown to L.A. by Yamaha to demo the new drums at the unveiling press conference. “But more importantly, when I first came to them, I was basically handling the entire business side of my career by myself. They’ve helped me make connections and have been there for me to bounce ideas off of.”

Local rapper Teflon Don, one of the resource center’s most active members, agrees that the eagerness of the staff to step in and help makes the biggest difference.

“It’s a family-type atmosphere,” Don says. “Whenever I need something or have questions, they are there for me.”

After the Plug In Memphis event, the foundation will set its sights on the rest of the year’s programming, which includes developing a relationship with the Nashville Songwriter’s Association and the famed Nashville venue the Bluebird Cafe to provide a regular showcase opportunity for Memphis songwriters. Programing also includes a partnership with local video-game developer Resolute Games to help local artists create their own applications for the iPhone and Droid smart-phones and continuation of the Memphis Music Foundation’s presence at South by Southwest.

“We hope to further engage and connect the local music community,” Mitchell Worley says. “Hopefully, the things we do will reflect the things we teach.

For more information, please visit the Memphis Music Foundation’s Web site. Hope to see you there!