News in the Arts: Sivad inspires festive takeoff on art, culture
Memphis has long enjoyed a variety of unique cultural celebrations, from Africa in April to Memphis in May.
Now, a group of local film fans and pop-culture enthusiasts -- including director Mike McCarthy and The Commercial Appeal film critic John Beifuss -- have organized a festival dubbed "The Sivads of March."
Sivad (Watson Davis) was the vampiric host of WHBQ-TV's "Fantastic Features" in the 1960s and early '70s.
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The event will serve as a public tribute to the late Watson Davis, the Malco ad executive who, as Sivad, "the Monster of Ceremonies," was host of the "Fantastic Features" horror movie program on WHBQ-TV Channel 13 from 1962 to 1972.
The multiday, multivenue event will run March 25-28, highlighted by several film screenings, an art show, and a concert featuring garage rockers Reigning Sound.
Davis' former co-workers and family members are expected to attend, and rare film clips and Sivad "artifacts" will be on display.
As the comically ghoulish Sivad, Davis -- who died five years ago at the age of 92 -- was a simultaneously beloved and frightening figure, with a communitywide popularity that transcended racial and class lines. A 1963 appearance by Sivad at the Mid-South Fairgrounds attracted some 30,000 fans.
The Sivads of March event will include:
A "monster martini" opening ceremony and reception on March 25 at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, followed by an 8 p.m. screening of the 1958 horror masterpiece "Night of the Demon."
Screening of other films originally introduced by Sivad -- including "The Giant Claw," "A Bucket of Blood," "From Hell It Came" and "I Was a Teenage Werewolf" -- at the Brooks, March 26-28, along with a March 28 panel discussion featuring Sivad colleagues and experts. The famous "Fantastic Features" introduction will be shown before each film.
A "Sivad Art Show" at 7 p.m. March 26 at the Adam Shaw Studio, 2547 Broad Ave., featuring Sivad-inspired work by local artists. Submissions are welcome. Contact Shaw at info@abshaw.com.
"Li'l Film Fest 13" at 2 p.m. March 27 at the Brooks, featuring shorts created by local filmmakers that pay homage to Sivad and the tradition of TV horror hosts and scary movies. (Entries still are being accepted: Visit livefrommemphis.com for more information.)
A March 27 concert featuring the Reigning Sound, the acclaimed band led by former Memphian and Sivad fan Greg Cartwright, at Nocturnal, 1588 Madison Ave. The Reigning Sound's latest album, Love and Curses, is named for a Sivad catchphrase, and the CD itself is imprinted with a picture of Davis' vampiric alter ego. For more, visit guerrillamonster.com and click on the "Sivads of March" link.
-- Bob Mehr
The art of television
ArtsMemphisTV launches a fourth season of short films about area artists on Monday.
Created by Live From Memphis, the minidocumentaries can be viewed at ArtsMemphis.org or LiveFromMemphis.com. A new "webisode" will debut each Monday for the next 10 weeks.
The films showcase the work and personalities of a wide range of artists and arts community representatives. Among those who will be featured in coming weeks are painter Beth Edwards, opera singer Stephen White, Voices of the South producer Jenny Madden and comic-book illustrator Bob X.
The films were created for ArtsMemphis, a fundraising organization for the arts.
-- John Beifuss
Gospel nominees
This past week, nominees for the 41st annual Gospel Music Association's Dove Awards were announced, and Memphis and Mid-South-connected musicians were among the most honored acts.
Former Memphians and longtime local Ardent Records label act Skillet scored six nominations, for their most recent album, Awake.
The band will be up for trophies for Artist of the Year, Group of the Year, Rock Recorded Song of the Year, and Rock Album of the Year, among others.
Meanwhile, the fledgling Memphis label Dedicated Music Group also was recognized as two of its artists received nods. Local Christian rapper Delmar Lawrence, aka Mr. Del -- a former member of Three 6 Mafia -- was nominated for Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year for his third solo effort, Thrilla. And Savannah, Ga., singer Jamaal "Mali Music" Pollard was recognized for Urban Recorded Song of the Year for his song "Avaylable" from his solo debut, The 2econd Coming.
The signature event for the Gospel and Christian music industry, the Dove Awards will be April 21 at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry House and televised nationwide on the GMC network (gmclife.com), on April 25.
-- Bob Mehr
Trivia Night
Trivia buffs and TV fans are invited to participate in "Forget-Me-Not Trivia Night," a fundraising trivia contest to benefit Alzheimer's Day Services of Memphis.
The event is scheduled for March 6 at the Germantown Athletic Club, 1801 Exeter Road. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and the contest begins at 6:30.
The theme of this fifth annual trivia fundraiser is "Classic Television." Cost is $30 per person, and teams of six will participate.
Funds support Alzheimer's Day Services, which operates two centers in the Mid-South.
Prizes will be awarded, and homemade deserts will be for sale, along with pizza from Coletta's restaurant.
For more, call Claire Price at 372-4585 or visit alzheimersdayservices.org.
-- John Beifuss
Comments » 4
parkpro writes:
It's a shame that ripoff artist Mike McCarthy (a man who never met an idea he didn't steal) is jacking over the man who has kept Sivad's memory alive. Artist/filmmaker Tom Foster has produced indie shows every Halloween for years dedicated to Sivad as a pop-culture icon. Now, Mike McCarthy won't even let Tom into the show's program. But then again, Mike McCarthy is an insider now and can tap into taxpayer money, unlike Tom Foster, who has never asked for a dime from anybody.
jbeifuss writes:
Parkpro, I'm happy to report that Tom Foster always has been invited to be a part of this tribute to the memory and influence of the late, great Watson Davis, aka "Sivad." In fact, Tom is scheduled to have some of his "Fantastic Features"-inspired art in the March 26 "Love & Curses" gallery show at the Adam Shaw Studio on Broad Avenue, and I'm hoping he'll be among the participants on a Sivad panel March 28 at the Brooks Museum of Art.
There's no doubt that Tom is a true Memphis underground hero whose love for Sivad and whose annual art shows helped inspire this more wide-ranging, one-time-only, multimedia, multivenue "Sivads of March" tribute, timed to mark the fifth anniversary of Watson Davis' death. (See a post last week on my blog, TheBloodshotEye.com, for news about Tom's great new Sivad book.) My hope is that the "Sivads of March" will be an event that will be enjoyed by all types of people in the Mid-South, in much the way that Sivad himself was beloved by all classes and races in his heyday, as demonstrated by his June, 1963, appearance at the Fairgrounds, which attracted one of the largest integrated crowds ever seen in Memphis at that time.
- John Beifuss, staff, The Commercial Appeal: 529-2394
mybrewtube writes:
"Mike McCarthy is an insider now." I'm just trying to bend my mind around that.
I was with him last night while he was working on an original script, and also trying to figure out where his next job was coming from. I had no idea Mike was living high on the hog, dipping into "taxpayer money." Lord have mercy! Is he funding his underground, guerilla films with my hard earned tax dollars? Is there no decency? Is there no law?
I remember Mike telling me about wanting to do a festival about Sivad for years. He loves Sivad. I even have a framed picture of Sivad that McCarthy gave to me as a birthday gift. But ever since he started this endeavor, everyone is questioning his motives.
Let me tell you something about Mike McCarthy. He cares. He cares about Memphis people, places, and histories that most of Memphis has forgotten about or never really cared for in the first place. I have art by Tom Foster. Of course he is a Memphis treasure. But why the hell should Mike be punished for trying to get something going? Is this just more of that Memphis, bucket-full-of-crabs, hating? I think so.
You know another scandalous thing about Mike McCarthy? He signs his own name to things. Just like I do, parkpro.
Craig Brewer
(a fellow rip-off artist)
Memphismom1 writes:
We all have the same interest here. Honor, contribute, remember, bring together, share, learn, party!
So why is it in this town when a person or group succeeds all the sudden peps have to jump out and hate on it?
Why can't we just take a step back and say wow maybe if I had...but I sure am glad they did.
Next, what can I do to be of service? How can I help to make it better? Bigger? How can I be apart of?
Finally let's all party, be glad! The more we work TOGETHER the better this town gets.
Yes I know it su*ks to have something you think should have been done another way, or you think you should maybe have more of the limelight, or what ever, but you didn't and they did. For what ever reason. Learn from it. Befriend them, embrace it because for what ever reason they are getting things done and well maybe you aren't. Try learning from their steps. Maybe the next step forward will be your own.
-Leslie K. Nelson
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