Based off of my and others’ experiences, it seems there are only two kinds of music festivals: rainy and oppressively hot. The Beale St. Music Festival in Memphis this past weekend fell in to the former category. While the heavy stuff held off for the most part during the performances, there was still plenty beforehand to make the concerts a muddy mess. Nonetheless, the conditions did not stop people from enjoying some great music on the banks of the Mississippi.

Now I myself have only been to one other music festival; the inaugural Kanrocksas in 2011. So I inevitably made comparisons from that experience to the BSMF. That led to a slightly campy idea for this feature. But I’m rolling with it anyways. So without further ado, The Undercard presents…. The Kanrocksas Music Festival music festival awards!!

The Grace Potter and the Nocturnals “Why Isn’t This Band A Bigger Deal?” Award: Heartless Bastards

In 2011, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals blew me away with their high energy songs along with Potter’s amazing vocal ability. The Heartless Bastards presented a similar style. While their songs are for the most part a little more mellow, the lead singers’ vocals are very comparable. The Heartless Bastards’ Erika Wennerstrom has a big powerful voice. She can’t be much taller than 5 foot, so it’s kind of a shock to hear such a big sound come from such a tiny source. Seeing her perform live is a treat because you can really see her putting every inch of her body into her vocals.

The Kid Cudi “Exceeding High Expectations” Award: The Roots

Heading into Kanrocksas, Kid Cudi was one of my favorite artists. He had already put out 2 fantastic albums (the Kid Named Cudi mixtape and Man on the Moon: End of Day) and had just released Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager, which had some decent tracks on it as well. So needless to say, I was looking forward to see him. However I was still a little worried about what I may see because of past rap concerts I had seen. Thankfully, Cudi killed it and those worries were quickly put to rest.

I entered the BSMF with similar expectations for The Roots. I looked forward to a great show because they are one of the coolest bands out there right now and I’m a sucker for hip-hop made with real instruments. However, I admittedly don’t know many of their older songs and really hadn’t heard anyone talk about their live performances. But again, I was worrying about nothing. The Roots put on one hell of a show, complete with a “call and answer” drum-off and a tuba solo. They’re so fluid with their production that each song flows into the next. Along with their own songs, they managed to work in covers/ samples of a wide variety of songs including, but not limited to: Kanye’s “Mercy”, Sugar Hill Gang’s “Apache”, Curtis Mayfield’s “Move On Up”, and GnR’s “Sweet Child of Mine”.

The Black Keys “Failure To Meet Expectations” Award: The Black Keys

Back on our recap of Kanrocksas, Craig Brenner said The Black Keys were one of the low lights of the show citing their short set. I agreed with him that The Keys didn’t quite give the performance I was expecting, perhaps through no fault of their own.

 At BSMF, I was anxious for a redo with the Ohio duo. Unfortunately, despite what I thought was a better set, I was left with the same slightly unsatisfied feeling. So at this point, I don’t know what to make of The Black Keys. I kind of think they’re a small venue band with a big venue popularity. Although, their sound may be a little too big for a small venue. So maybe they’re an enclosed venue band. Either way, I’m willing to give The Black Keys another chance. I’m pretty sure they’ll get infinite chances.

The OK GO “Non-headliner That Stole The Show” Award: Big Boi

OK GO has long been known for their inventive and entertaining music videos. At Kanrocksas, I found out they put on one hell of a live show as well. And that was ascertained in just the 3 songs I saw them do. In that time, the lead singer joined the crowd to sing the outro to “This To Shall Pass” and the band called upon a crowd member to play the guitar riff to “Here It Goes Again”.

I considered Big Boi a bit of a wild card going in to the show. Would he do some Outkast stuff or stick to his solo tracks? This question was immediately answered when he opened the show with “Rosa Parks”. With the exception of maybe one song, if I was hoping to hear it, it got played. “In The A”? Yup. “Shutterbug”? You got it. “B.O.B”? You damn right. And then, just when I didn’t think it could get better, out came Killer Mike. He and Big Boi performed “Bust” and I thought that was the best it could get. Wrong. The familiar bass drum and handclaps of “The Whole World” started and the place went nuts. On the car ride home, someone asked what everyone’s favorite performance was. Big Boi was a unanimous 3 for 3.

The Royce da 5’9/ D12 “Best Cameo” Award: Killer Mike

The namesake of this award is kind of a stretch and is really just because of lack of options. But their inclusions in Eminem’s set did allow for a wider catalog of songs to be performed.

The BSMF winner is pretty obvious: the aforementioned Killer Mike. But a close second is a potentially intoxicated Sheryl Crow running out on stage during Hall and Oates and joining them (kind of) in a song. This didn’t seem planned at all, especially since Crow left and then came back out during the same song. Potentially to vomit. The bands reaction was priceless. “I guess Sheryl really liked that song.” said Daryll Oates. I’ve never been more proud of a Mizzou alum.

The Fitz and the Tantrums “Bands I Didn’t Get To See” Award: several

As I wrote in a “Now Playing” soon after Kanrocksas, after hearing more of Fitz and the Tantrums, I immediately regretted not getting to see them perform.

As for BSMF, the combination of a 6 hour drive and being responsible led my friends and I to miss some pretty big names. I would have more than happy to see Edward Shape and the Magnetic Zeros, Charles Bradley, ZZ Top, Smashing Pumpkins, Public Enemy, The Flaming Lips, Phoenix, Gary Clark Jr., and The Black Crowes. Of all of those, Clark Jr. was the one I wanted to see the most. Not only am I a huge fan, but I know he would have put on a great show.

So there you have it. All in all, The Beale St Music Festival was an enjoyable experience, despite missing several show. I’m definitely looking forward to going next year. But I also am looking forward to another trip to Kansas City for this year’s Kanrocksas.

By Kurtis Klay

Spree Wilson and The Flush joined forces to create a concept EP inspired by vivid and feel-good memories of young love and carefree summers during the “Golden Days” of Atlanta’s bass music scene.

Drawing inspiration from the sounds of legendary bass music pioneers from Kilo Ali, KP & Envy, So So Def Bass All-Stars to Raheem The Dream. This project, self-proclaimed as “audio artwork” clearly embodies the true essence of fun times and summer love growing up in the city of Atlanta.

I came across this Now Playing artist through a random encounter.

I went out for drinks with a friend and we were joined by someone else that we know. He happened to bring one of his friends along with him. Said friend is in a band and used to be a DJ on a local radio station. So we began to talk music and she told me I should listen to an artist named ZZ Ward. I looked her up on Spotify, listened to a couple songs on my way home, and liked what I heard.

Ward is a soulful singer/ songwriter who also plays guitar. As a female in her genre, it is easy to compare Ward to Adele. But she is probably more like Amy Winehouse; soulful, but a little more gritty and modern. But only if Winehouse grew up in Memphis. Ward has a slight hip hop element to her songs. The beats used in some of the tracks could probably have been used in hip hop songs. This shows in appearances from Freddie Gibbs on “Criminal” and break out star Kendrick Lamar on “Cryin’ Wolf” (my current song of the moment).

I have become a big fan of Ward over the past week or so and am excited to see her perform at Kanrocksas. I suggest you check her out yourself.

By Kurtis Klay