Afrissippi returns to the Hal & Mal’s Restaurant, Wed., Feb. 9, 8 p.m. free. There is nothing quite like Afrissippi, with the spoken word beat story teller and rock legend John Sinclair, the North Mississippi hill country blues of Kenny Kimbrough, Eric Deaton, and the traditional world music of Senegal, West African Guelel Kumba. Don’t miss it.
This coming week is a huge week for music in Jackson, so start planning now. On Thursday, Feb. 10, you can see Rufus McKay of the Red Tops at Millsaps, and Johnny Sketch at George St. Martin’s is red hot all next week with Jucifer on Thursday, the amazing Rogue Wave on Friday, and Asobi Seksu on Saturday. Other Valentine’s week highlights include must see R&B hip-hopper’s Free Sõl at George St. on Wed., Feb. 16, the HeARTS Against Aids benefit, Thacker Mountain Radio live from Hal & Mal’s, and “A Night at the Oscars” with the Symphony Orchestra.
Just in time for your pre-Lenten pleasures, you can get your first look at the Mardi Gras, on S. State St. this Thursday, Friday and Saturday night, just in time for Fat Tuesday. Edward St. Pe, Jim “Pops” Robinson will perform on Thursday, Scott Albert Johnson and Brian Coleman on Saturday. Other guests will also join in the huge multi-room festivities. Think of this as a preview before their grand opening blowout on Feb. 8.
Every Thursday this month is “Zen Arcade” DJ Night at the Hal & Mal’s Red Room. There will be a different guest DJ each week, specializing in ’80s, New Wave, Punk, Indie and hipper Dance music. If they keep teasing me like this I might have to load up a few vintage CD trunks from my personal collection.
Good Paper at George Street on Thursday is a better than your average white jam band. This Mississippi Delta quartet is a blend of feel good Blues Brothers R&B, and Phish Rock, with a pinch of funk to loosen up your dancing shoes.
One of the most anticipated Martin’s shows in some time features the return of Memphis Power Punk, Nick Diablo (aka. Nicholas Ray of ’68 Comeback) and his Viva L’American Death Ray Music this Friday. The American Death Ray is full-on Velvet Underground inspired acid punk rock and roll jams. If you’re a fan of Misprint Records, the Modern Lovers, or the Memphis garage punk-rock scene of Lost Sounds, Oblivions, and Mr. Airplane Man, you’ll go home happy, as these guys always put out. On Saturday night, Margaret of Mr. Airplane Man/Oblivions will bring her bluesy garage rock side project The Tearjerkers to Martin’s. This will be a jamming long weekend of Memphis garage rock.
The ’80s costume band The Venus Mission will make their Jackson debut at the Left Field Sports Bar at Smith-Wills Stadium on Friday. They are a casino stylized ’80s dance pop combo with three female singers doing theatrical style covers of Madonna, Belinda Carlisle, Toni Basil, GoGo’s, Bananarama and such. Think of their show style as Dr. Zarr’s Amazing Funk Monster with spandex and leg warmers.
The artists formally known as Fling Hammer will introduce their new band, TransAmphetamine, to you Saturday night in the Hal & Mal’s Red Room. The double-bill is completed with local high energy Alt. Rock brothers in arms King Elementary. TransAmphetamine bass player Matt Pleasant (of Still Stanley and Grocers of Despair) recorded King Elementary’s first full length album at his recording studio, The Laboratory. Much of the classic 90’s heavy alt.funk rock that Fling Hammer was famous for (Soundgarden, Jane’s Addiction) is being updated to a more serious modern edge. It’ll be more high energy rock with odd time signatures, a reworking of some of the old material, and not as funk-rap influenced.
It will be an evening of traditional acoustic Scottish song at Fenian’s on Saturday night, as the Baton Rouge based Smithfield Fair will perform from 8-11 p.m. free.
The third annual Bob Marley Celebration honoring Marley’s legacy of world peace and “one love” will be at the Aladdin Restaurant, 730 Lakeland Dr., near Rainbow Co-Op, on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 6, at 9 p.m. It will feature an international drum call with the Kuumba Afrikan Dance and Drum Company, a Bob Marley video, a cultural fashion show, and of course, some Roots n’ Reggae music. It will be hosted by June Obayaa Hardwick and WMPR DJ Nickel G. $5, $3 students, 362-7078.
Herman Snell
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The Mississippi Free Press produced this story through the MFP Solutions Lab, supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. This series digs into Mississippi’s systemic issues and sheds light on responses to them in other communities. Beyond just reporting on problems, these stories interrogate their causes and inspect potential solutions.
