Live Music In Memphis This Month: January 2022

IMPORTANT

• Changes and cancellations due to covid are happening left and right, be sure to double check before you go.
• Omicron is everywhere. Get vaccinated, get boosted, don't go out if you're sick, and wear a mask if you do go out—a KN95 or N95, please—we left cloth masks in mid-2021.
• If you’re requiring a negative test or proof of vaccination for your show, let us know because we’d love to promote it. 
• This is just a sampling of shows in Memphis this month. For more, check out: I Love Memphis Music Calendar and the Memphis Flyer Music Listings.
• Submit your show to the blog's calendar HERE. 

SATURDAY, JANUARY 8

Memphis Mixer featuring Leela James, Calvin Richardson, Raheem Devaughn & Willie Clayton at the Cannon Center

7 p.m. / $50+

Singer/songwriter Leela James headlines what is easily the most soulful show on this list. James has been releasing albums since 2005 (one of which was on Stax!) and has worked with Anthony Hamilton, Pete Rock, Macy Gray, and was featured on a posthumous Ray Charles release. This R&B showcase is perfect for a date night or maybe your mom’s birthday.

MONDAY, JANUARY 17

Blvck Hippie, Rest Ashore, Bluphoria, and Anon the Mouse at Black Lodge

Doors at 8 p.m., show at 8:30 / $10

You got four very good indie bands/artists performing for 10 bucks. BLVCK HIPPIE and Anon the Mouse are both Memphis-based (we did a feature on BLVCK HIPPIE earlier last year, so check that out), Rest Ashore is from New Jersey, and Bluphoria hails from Oregon. If you haven’t been to a show at Black Lodge yet, make this one your first.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 21

GonerTV Live at The Lamplighter: Christmas in Space

8 p.m. / free (buy something though)

Up next on GonerTV is Christmas in Space featuring The Shieks! Yes, the show was postponed from its original pre-Christmas date, but roll with it. Catch them live at The Lamplighter or stream the show on the GonerTV website.

The Brook & The Bluff with Izzy Heltai at Growlers

7 p.m. / $16

The Brook & The Bluff is not a new restaurant in Overton Square, it’s two dudes from Birmingham who decided to start a band then moved to Nashville. Their indie Southern soft-rock is full of vocal harmonies and an earnest groove. In October of 2021, they were featured in Garden & Gun magazine, which is kind of suspicious, but makes sense.

Joshua Espinoza Trio in The Green Room at Crosstown Arts

Doors at 7:00 p.m., show at 7:30 / $10 advance, $15 day of show

Another great Friday night at Crosstown Arts, right? The Joshua Espinoza Trio plays jazz in a style that’s traditional yet decidedly modern, and tough to pin down. Fellow jazzmen Kris Monson and Jaron Lamar Davis join Espinoza to create his eponymous trio.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 27

Glorious Abhor, J.D. Reager & The Cold Blooded 3, and Cryptic Mags at Hi Tone

Doors at 8 p.m., show at 9 / $10

This is an interesting one! I’m pretty sure this is J.D. Reager & The Cold Blooded 3’s first show in a long time, so that’s pretty neat. Glorious Abhor will be holding it down with some honest, familiar garage rock while Cryptic Mags, a new experimental project from Memphis-based musician Maggie Trisler, will be doing whatever Maggie feels like doing. Expect heavy riffs and the right amount of strangeness.

Robert Moody Presents The Orchestra Unplugged: Hallelujah Handel! at the Halloran Centre

7:30 p.m. / $37.50
“Did Handel really lock himself in an attic for three weeks to feverishly compose the most famous oratorio in the world? Is there actually jazz in this composition?” is how this event’s description starts on the Orpheum website...if these questions are keeping you up at night—or if you just love The Messiah, this show is for you. Continuing the Orchestra: Unplugged tradition of exploring classical music's well-known works, this performance will feature selections from Handel's most famous composition.

Friday, January 28

Eric Gales with Joe Bonamassa and MonoNeon at Railgarten

9 p.m. / $30

Eric Gales, prodigious blues rock guitarist, is throwing an album release party at Railgarten, and everyone with $30 is invited! His new record, “Crown” is his 21st release. Its lead single features fellow bluesman Joe Bonamassa, who conveniently is also on this bill. Rounding it out is Memphis-based bassist and experimental musician MonoNeon, who I’ve written about previously in this column. If you want to witness some inimitable musical craftsmanship, don’t miss this one.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 29

Inner Wave at Growlers

Doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 / $16

Inner Wave is psych-rock band from LA who have built a dedicated fanbase thanks to their lush, heady instrumentation. It’s the kind of music for folks who like to get lost in sound. You can read a great profile about them at Remezcla, a publication focused on young Latin American culture

• REMINDER: This is just a sampling of shows in Memphis this month. For more, check out: I Love Memphis Music Calendar and the Memphis Flyer Music Listings.
• Submit your show to the blog's calendar HERE.