Fresh tunes: New music fests for Memphis

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Step aside, Memphis in May. This summer, two new local music festivals will take the stage.

The first-ever Memphis International Rockabilly Festival is planned to shake up the Edge District. During Elvis Week on August 15 and 16, pompadours and poodle skirts will yet again cross Sun Studios and Sam Phillips Recording.

The event is the brainchild of Darrin Hillis, who operates In the Wings Productions, and is a partnership with Delta Fair organizers Universal Fairs.

“I fell in love with rockabilly when I was a child,” Hillis said. “Most people would say that this is where it started.”

Over the August weekend, people can expect between 20 and 30 rockabilly music acts, a muscle car show, a rockabilly tattoo parlor on-site, appearances by burlesque group the Memphis Belles, a gospel brunch, a kids area and much more.

Hillis is aiming for 10,000 visitors to the two-block stretch of Marshall and Monroe avenues. For more details, see the event’s Facebook page.

For the past 16 years, the On Location: Memphis International Film & Music Festival has brought Memphis arts to the forefront. This year, the festival will launch a standalone music festival to coincide with the film festival.

“We’ve always had a lot of music-related films, documentaries and of course the performances,” said Dan Hodgdon, an organizer with the festival. “This is the first time we’ve done this. All the music performances, the film screenings and music-related workshops will be at the same place, so people don’t have to go back and forth for music and film.”

“It’s been called the film and music festival for many years. We’re looking to make the music aspect just as big of a draw as the film has been,” Hodgdon added.

Another big change for the festival is that it will be held over Labor Day instead of its usual late-April weekend. Hodgdon hopes that this change will bring in more diverse crowds. Usually, attendance hovers around 1,000-1,500 people.

The music festival will take place at community center Cooper Walker Place. The lineup is yet to be announced. For more details, visit the event’s website.

Fresh tunes: New music fests for Memphis

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