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Memphis' part of Voodoo Fest downsized

In the wake of Katrina, what seemed to be the most promising musical event Memphis has seen in recent years morphed into a smaller affair at AutoZone Park.

Voodoo Fest, one of America's best and most diverse music festivals, normally takes place in New Orleans each year. Memphis was promised some of America's best and most exhilarating live acts such as the Foo Fighters, Nine Inch Nails, The Flaming Lips and Queens of the Stone Age.

Enter scheduling conflicts and we lose the Foo. Then enter an invitation-only event in New Orleans serving as a fundraiser for victims of Katrina, and the music lovers in Memphis begin to lose all hope that the birthplace of rock and roll will bring in the big names in music.

Fret not! Voodoo Fest will happen downtown with free shows on Beale Street beginning tonight and continuing throughout the weekend, featuring bands such as Dr. John, Soul Asylum and New Orleans' own Neville Brothers.

Sunday is the day that all have been waiting for - and luckily a bit of the original schedule remains intact. Rockers like Queens of the Stone Age, Secret Machines and another New Orleans band, Nine Inch Nails, are being featured at the festival.

The lineup shake-up may not sit well with some music fans, but Sunday's concert will provide local artists such as Mrs. Fletcher, Augustine and On a Dead Machine to play on the same bill as the previously mentioned arena rockers.

"Local nobodies will get exposure they might not get otherwise," said Josh Gilchrist, the guitar player in Mrs. Fletcher.

Gilchrist said that even though Memphians have seen them before, they will be exposed to a new side of the hard rock group come Sunday.

"We just added a keyboard player," Gilchrist said. "Shows that people have seen before will be completely null and void. Hopefully it will be pretty interesting."

Augustine, another local rock and roll favorite, will also be blasting through the speakers at AutoZone Park. Dirk Kitterlin, the bass player in Augustine, is also a student at The University of Memphis.

"I believe Augustine was chosen because of the diversity that they bring to the table," said Catrina Guttery, a senior entertainment management major.

Guttery worked in arts and recruitment with a record label this previous summer, and is responsible for booking Augustine as well as a new local band Negative Poles.

The schedule changes and relocations were all for the best according to Guttery.

"It is disappointing to have lost some of the bands, but it looks like a good lineup has come back around," Guttery said.

"I am most excited that the decision was made to give many local bands the opportunity too."

Mrs. Fletcher sets the stage for the local bands beginning at 10:45 a.m. on the TCB Plaza Stage.

Even though the shake-up in the schedule may have been a little disheartening at first, the festival as a whole will remain a positive and rockin' experience for attendees, as well as for the heroes and survivors of Katrina.

If your heart is aching just a little bit because one of your favorite bands isn't playing, remember that great live music is always the best medicine.

Tickets are available now for Sunday's event at all Ticketmaster locations for $35. For more lineup and schedule information log on to www.voodoomusicfest.com.


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