Liz Brasher – Come My Way

BSC is proud to expand its mission and introduce ILTM – a new weekly video series filmed in culturally relevant spaces. I Listen to Memphis is about Memphis music today, the musicians who make it, and the places and culture that fuel it. We are here to inform, inspire, and share the best of Memphis music.

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Memphis music is a melting pot. It’s a mashup of personalities and raw talent, stewed together in an environment that encourages pure self-expression. Fat Possum Records recording artist Liz Brasher was born to call Memphis home one day. She found her way into the fold the old-fashioned way – she came to Memphis to make a record. Back home, her musical education consisted of singing in the church she grew up in – a Spanish-speaking, Southern Baptist congregation (her parents are first-generation immigrants from the Dominican Republic). Discovering rock and roll changed her life and her journey to Memphis began with everything that followed. With her blazing white Gibson SG, she evokes the sanctified power of Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Close your eyes and you may think you’re listening to Mahalia Jackson backed by Dick Dale and Pop Staples. Liz thrives here in her adopted home. Her most recent studio effort, Outcast, recorded and mixed here in Memphis, was just released this past April to critical acclaim on Fat Possum Records.

The setting for this video is tucked away amidst an old Memphis neighborhood set off of South Parkway. A neighborhood historically reserved for the upper and middle class African-American families in Memphis. But this home is a bit smaller than it’s more stately neighbors. Set back from the street and surrounded by a canopy of trees, no one would blame you if you’d never noticed it before. It’s a funky, quiet, little spot, concealing the fact that one of the greatest superstars of Memphis music once called this place home. A small, single-level home, with an open floor plan and a sunken living area. Wood paneling all around. It’s all still there, including the original, custom shelving built to accommodate hundreds of vinyl records. It just oozes cool. It’s the former home of Isaac Hayes, Stax Records staff songwriter, producer, and resident genius. If these walls could talk, imagine the stories they would tell.

Director – Christian Walker
Produced by Waheed AlQawasmi “WA Films”
Cinematographer – Jordan Danelz
Camera Operator/Editor – Jared B. Callan

Special thanks to Pigeon Roost Collaborative and Inherent Media.