Tuesday was a day in Memphis, exploring the music scene and a story about Russian Ballet on tour. A drive from Nashville to Memphis had a wonderful sign awaiting Tesla drivers at a SuperCharging station next to the Casey Jones Railroad Museum - welcoming us to explore the sites and shops while re-charging:
It was a sign of the growth and acceptance of Electric Cars in our current and near future. Also, everyone we meet comments on how it must be great to be “not using gas” as the prices rise.
Paying for a Recording: In 1953, a recording studio in Memphis offered artists the ability to come in, pay $3 and record a song - in one take. They walked away with a small record with their song. A young man, named Elvis Presley paid the $3 and this was the start of his career. The studio is now a small museum, with the recording space still used at night by groups that include U2. Here is the recording equipment that captured and help launch Elvis (and other’s) music fame:
Russian Ballet into RBT: There were several artists that were on the tour of the studio. As I heard them chat with each other in Russian, I looked up the schedule of concerts in Memphis. They were performing last night in a concert - but had changed their name from Russian Ballet Theater to RBT. It was changed to point out that the ballet company had dancers from 7 countries, including Ukraine and they wanted to distance themselves from the Russian government actions. Art and Politics always interact.
Memphis Broadway - Music Flows: While it was raining and colder last night, we made our way to Beale Street - which is the music neighborhood in Memphis. There were bars and music venues door to door for blocks. Here is a small sample of the live music at the BB King Music Hall:
Today, after a visit to National Civil Rights Museum, we head West - to Little Rock Arkansas and beyond.
Empathy Concert - Tune in on. Thursday: By the way, we invite you all to tune into our Empathy Concert, hosted by myself and Telly Leung, that I will host from the passenger seat of the Tesla on Thursday, March 10th from 4 to 5 pm EST. Click on the graphic below to reserve a space to watch this live:
Hope you are enjoying the Tesla Trip Blog. Love to hear from you - just send an email to emasie@masie.com
Have a Great Day!