New Memphis Music

Memphis is home to Sun Studio, where everyone from Elvis Presley to Johnny Cash to B.B. King recorded hits, and Stax Records, the label behind legends like Otis Redding and Booker T. & the M.G.s and contemporaries like Melissa Etheridge and Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats. The blues were born in Memphis. Big Star was born in Memphis. Julien Baker was born in Memphis. Al Green, Bruno Mars and U2 have all recorded in Memphis.

Memphis welcomes musicians in droves, artists who visit the city to record in famous spaces and then leave and though legends come and go, Memphis still boasts plenty of local acts. Rockers Lucero have been stalwarts of the scene for years now, but the gates are opening for new bands and hip-hop acts on labels like Goner and Madjack Records. Paste Magazine rounded up 10 emerging bands and artists from the “Birthplace of Rock ’n’ Roll” to prove Memphis has still got it.

James & the Ultrasounds

Longtime Memphis musicman James Godwin is the brains behind James & the Ultrasounds, a four-piece surf-rock group who frequently plays local venues. Their sophomore record, None of the Above, dropped in August, and, clocking in at a short-but-sweet 28 minutes, it’s a great first taste of Memphis rock ’n’ roll. Though surf feels like their most applicable classification (None of the Above is chock full of wavy guitar and lots of backing oohs and ahhs), James & the Ultrasounds don’t confine themselves to one style. Listen closely and you might pick up on their garage, punk and blues influences.

Dirty Streets

Scan the press on soul-groove bandnDirty Streets and you’ll see numerous references to rock, soul, and dirty-blues touchstones like the Faces, Humble Pie, Otis Redding, CCR, and many more. Put on Dirty Streets’ records and you’ll hear all of those echoes, plus some others like some jazz timing and some acoustic balladry. But by and large, what you’ll hear is a raw, rowdy blend of Motown, Stax and rock - the real pure American blood-beat moving through the heart of Memphis groove!

The Pop Ritual

The Pop Ritual sound nothing like their name would imply. The Memphis trio makes brooding, resonant industrial post-punk, music so dark it would put the night sky to shame. But for big fans of glitch-glaze and electro-punk, their music might feel more like a sonic blanket than a vast stormy sky - it does have a covering quality to it. 

AWFM (A Weirdo From Memphis)

AWFM is an eclectic hip-hop artist from Memphis, part of the larger hip-hop collective and label Unapologetic, who are key players in Memphis’ burgeoning indie rap scene. You won’t find his groovy rap on Spotify—AWFM is strictly an inhabitant of SoundCloud and YouTube, which seem like the most appropriate homes for his relaxed DIY rap.

Marcella and Her Lovers

Though leading woman Marcella Rene Simien originally hails from Lafayette, Louisiana., her band with the “Lovers” is Memphis-based, and Simien has lived in Memphis since moving there for art school in 2009. Simien’s powerhouse voice lends itself to the group’s swampy soul sound. The band released groovy single “Where You Are,” a follow-up to “En Chaleur,” both from EP, Got You Found. Memphis has long been home to soulful blues bands and Marcella and Her Lovers know how to freshen those classic Memphis sounds.

Motel Mirrors

John Paul Keith and Amy LaVere are both established solo musicians who’ve played the Memphis circuit many times over, and with LaVere’s husband Will Sexton, the trio make Motel Mirrors, a jazzy take on roots and Americana. They released a record, In The Meantime, and it’s a romp through Johnny Cash-influenced country and classic Memphis soul. 

The Band CAMINO

Indie alternative group The Band CAMINO have released multiple albums. Their breezy, radio-ready rock songs seem to be peppered everywhere on Spotify’s mood playlists, giving them a boost with listeners beyond their hometown of Memphis. Their single, “Daphne Blue,” is the loudest and most arena-ready of their releases so far, but it still maintains The Band Camino’s signature pop angle.

Hash Redactor

Hash Redactor come highly recommended by so many Memphis locals that Paste Magazine had to include them. They crank out clashing, riotous punk jams. Listen to their “FISH” demo on YouTube for your listening and rioting pleasure.

Aquarian Blood

Aquarian Blood’s latest release, titled Late Nite in Paradise, is yet another example of Memphis’ unexpected, but flourishing, fringe-rock scene. It’s antsy, loud and everything you’d expect scrappy DIY punk to sound like, with a touch of electronica. The relatively young group is also tricky to track down on the inter-webs, but once you do, you’ll want to stick around for their angsty, delightfully dissonant musings.

For further information on any of these bands email tennessee@deep-south-usa.com