Surf’s up with Impala, Cedric’s blues and the hazards of… shopping!

A debut story collection, Memphis noir rock and the blues of Cedric Burnside!

The Thacker Mountain Radio Hour welcomes two-time Grammy-nominated blues musician Cedric Burnside (“Benton County Relic”) with Memphis garage-surf combo, Impala (“In the Late Hours”) and debut short story author Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (“Friday Black”).

This show originally aired on Nov. 8, 2018.

Hosts: Jim Dees and our house band, the Yalobushwhackers

Air times:

Thursday, May 18 at 6 pm (CT) – WUMS 92.1 FM University of Mississippi

Friday, May 19  at 6 am (CT) – WYXR 91.7 FM Memphis, TN

Saturday, May 20  at 3 pm (ET) – WUTC 88.1 FM University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

7 pm (CT) MPB — Mississippi Public Broadcasting

9 pm (CT) APR – Alabama Public Radio

Sunday, May 21 at 3 pm (ET) – WUOT | 91.9 FM, Knoxville

2 pm (MT) KNCE 93.5 | Taos, New Mexico

Featuring

Author

Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

On the occasion of publication of Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s debut novel, Chain-Gang All-Stars, we thought we’d re-visit our 2018 show with Nana Kwame’s debut short story collection…

Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah is the author of the story collection, Friday Black (Mariner Books). A piercingly raw debut story collection from a young writer with an explosive voice; a treacherously surreal, and, at times, heartbreakingly satirical look at what it’s like to be young and black in America. These stories tackle urgent instances of racism and cultural unrest, and explore the many ways we fight for humanity in an unforgiving world.

“The wildly talented Adjei-Brenyah has made these edgy tales immensely charming, via his resolute, heartful, immensely likeable narrators, capable of seeing the world as blessed and cursed at once.” — George Saunders

Music

Cedric Burnside

Cedric Burnside is a Grammy-nominated blues musician who was born and raised near Holly Springs, Mississippi. His latest CD is Benton County Relic (Single Lock Records). The album includes the gritty single “We Made It,” a matter-of-fact recitation of Burnside’s poverty-stricken childhood without running water, radio or TV (“I come from nothin’/I done been lower than low/I keep my head straight/No matter how low I go”).

Cedric is the grandson of the legendary R.L. Burnside and son of drummer Calvin Jackson. He is a four-time winner of the prestigious Blues Music Award’s Drummer of the Year (2010-2014) and is widely regarded as one of the best drummers in the world. He is also an accomplished guitarist and vocalist.

His previous CD, Descendants of Hill Country was nominated for the Grammy as the Best Blues Album of 2016. His previous CDs include, Hear Me When I Say, and Take Me As I Am.

In addition to his musical career, Burnside has acted in the films, Black Snake Moan and Big Bad Love. He plays the lead in the just-released, Texas Red.

Filmmaker turns fascination with Mississippi culture into feature films (wlbt.com)

Impala

Impala was a surf rock/garage band formed in Memphis, TN in the early 1990s. Their first LP, El Rancho Reverbo, was co-produced by the legendary Roland Janes (Jerry Lee Lewis’ guitar player) at Sam Phillips Recording Service. They also released the anthology Night Full of Sirens, on bassist Scott Bomar’s label, Electraphonic, in 2006.

After a decade plus hiatus, Impala has re-formed for a series of gigs and has released In the Late Hours (Electraphonic). The album includes ten guitar and sax-driven R&B songs, inspired by the golden era of Memphis music when rockabilly, rhythm and blues, jazz, garage and soul music collided. These songs channel potent ghosts- Packy Axton, Willie Mitchell and Ike Turner, all pioneers of Memphis’ instrumental scene – while grooving with modern drive.