US | Being Emme

Taking in Vintage Memphis with the Side Street Steppers

February 28, 2012 By Emme 2 Comments

One of the things that I love about Roamancing is all the great characters I meet on the road. Memphis was certainly no different. I’ve already introduced you to a few of the Canadians we met, but I am long overdue in introducing you to the great Memphis locals.

Christian & Vera Stanfield and Emily & Nathan Breckenridge of the Side Street Steppers, as photographed by Molly Kennedy.

Specifically, just now, I am envisioning two that were center stage every night at The Pig on Beale, during the 2012 International Blues Challenge. Him, because he was doing a splendidly personable job of MCing the venue, and her, because she was always wearing the most wonderfully charming outfits from times go by. Who were they? Foxy husband and wife, Christian and Vera Stanfield. Turns out, that not only did they look good and could carry a music competition, but they too were talented musicians themselves with their own band, the Side Street Steppers.

Have always loved vintage tunes, it’s part of the reason why The Good Lovelies have always appealed to me, and these cats have the personality to boot. Funny as all get out, total characters, and just check out the dancing! After the above video, I am feeling quite unworthy of the praise they gave Jesse Roper and I for our dancing.

Oh and even though I didn’t snap a shot of Vera’s outfits, as I left my camera behind in the evenings, she did tell me where I could find some vintage outfits of my own at Crazy Beautiful. Will be sure to visit on my next trip to Memphis, Tennessee, and then wear the outfit out to a live performance of the Side Street Steppers.

Filed Under: All the Gossip, Events, Fashion Fab, Jammin', Music Scene, The Tube, Travel, US Tagged With: 2012 International Blues Challenge, Christian Stanfield, crazy beautiful, crazy beautiful clothing, Emily Breckenridge, ibc, IBC 2012, international blues challenge, jesse roper, memphis, Nathan Breckenridge, roamancing, Side Street Steppers, Tennessee, The Pig on Beale, Vera Stanfield, vintage, vintage band, vintage music

Scenes that Make Me Smile: Dancing up at Storm at 2012 IBC Great Canadian Polar Bear Blues Showcase

February 17, 2012 By Emme 3 Comments

"No, I Said Smile!"

Moments like these two have made me decide to start a new column of ‘Scenes that Make Me Smile’, because life is too short not to.

Groovin' Up a Storm at the IBC Great Canadian Polar Bear Blues Showcase

With special thanks to all the great Canadians at the first annual IBC Great Canadian Polar Bear Blues Showcase for inspiring these moments. Here are two of them in action at the Kooky Canuck in Memphis, Tennessee.

Kisses,

Emme xoxo

Filed Under: All the Gossip, Events, Jammin', Music Scene, The Tube, Travel, US Tagged With: 2012 IBC, 2012 International Blues Challenge, dancing, dancing to the blues, great canadian polar bear blues showcase, ibc, ibc canadian polar bear blues showcase, IBC Canadian Showcase, international blues challenge, jimmy and the sleepers, kooky canuck, memphis, scenes that make me smile, smile, Tennessee

Proud to Call Myself Canadian with all the Great Canadian Talent at the 2012 IBC in Memphis

February 11, 2012 By Emme 4 Comments

Always find it funny that it takes traveling the World or, in this case, driving to Memphis, Tennessee to discover just what incredible talent we have at home. And that is exactly what happened last week on my road trip to the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee. I discovered just what incredible talent we have in Canada’s Blues Community and what great ambassadors they are to Canada. Yes, there were many talented musicians that we met from the States and elsewhere in the World, but the Canadians were everywhere ~ from Jimmy and the Sleepers at the next table in practically every joint we pulled into for lunch, to the Conor Gains Band teaching a pre-coffee (and hence poorly functioning) version of myself how to use the waffle maker at breakfast, to Ross Neilsen generally showing up whenever I felt the need for a giant bear hug or a cheek to kiss (without the bearer of the cheek thinking it weird – well maybe Ross does think it’s weird, but he certainly doesn’t make me feel weird about it, so I wouldn’t know).

I have to say an enormous thank you to the Ottawa and Montreal Blues Societies for throwing the IBC’s First Great Canadian Polar Bear Blues Showcase and the Kooky Canuck for hosting it, as this ensured that I got to see all the Canadian acts I’d been promising to watch and didn’t need to worry about competing times in the program to catch them all. And wouldn’t you believe it, one of the acts I fell in love with was just a stones throw away from where I live, on Vancouver Island, Jesse Roper with The Roper Show.

Filmed more great Blues from Canada that day, so this is just the beginning of what we’ll be sharing here and on Roamancing.

Thanks to the International Blues Challenge and Memphis, Tennessee, for showcasing all the great Blues artists, and to all the sponsors, including Canada. And congratulations to this year’s IBC winners, Canadian born Ray Bonneville in the Solo / Duet Category and The WIRED! Band in the Band Category. I was lucky enough to see Ray perform and would have to agree that he was brilliant.

Polar Bear Kisses,

Emme xoxo

Filed Under: All the Gossip, Events, Jammin', Music Scene, The Tube, Travel, US Tagged With: 2012 IBC, 2012 International Blues Challenge, blues, blues musicians, canada, canadian blues, canadian blues musicians, canadian musicians, canadian polar bear blues showcase, conor gains band, ibc, IBC Canadian Showcase, international blues challenge, jesse roper, jimmy and the sleeper, kooky canuck, memphis, montreal blues society, ottawa blues society, ray bonneville, ross neilsen, Tennessee, the roper show, the wired! band

A Great End to a Great Week!

February 5, 2012 By Emme 1 Comment

Jesse Roper playing at the IBC Canadian Showcase

As far as week’s go, this past week has been pretty damn fantastic ~ enjoying my first music pilgrimage into the history of Rock & Roll and the Blues in Memphis, discovering some bloody fantastic Blues talent at the International Blues Challenge, cheering Canadian Ross Neilsen on in the Semi-Finals of the International Blues Challenge, and coming home to discover some simply beautiful music that Chris Blake has written for Roamancing. Now to top it all off, I went to pull the name of a winner for Studio 58‘s Julius Caesar tickets and was thrilled to pull Kelly Lui’s name, who interned with Ahimsa Media this past summer. To make this especially fantastic, I went to congratulate Kelly and discovered it was her birthday! Happy Birthday Kelly!

For those that entered, but didn’t win, we are entering you for a second chance at the tickets on Roamancing’s site. For anyone unaware of the contest, that wishes they’d entered, you can still do that on Roamancing’s site until midnight. Just drop us a comment with which Shakespeare play you would most love to see as a gender bender (ie. with men and women playing opposite gender role). Here’s a little of what you can expect from the play:

Catch this gender bender of a Julius Caesar at Studio 58 in Vancouver, February 2nd – 26th, Tuesdays – Saturdays at 8 pm and Saturdays & Sundays at 3 pm. Tickets can be purchased here.