The Sidebar with Eric Barnes

Steve Edmondson saw the bar scene in Memphis in the 1970s like few others. Edmondson joined this week's episode of "The Sidebar," which is back after a big break.

For more than 20 years, Joey Lewis loved the Hotel Pontotoc, the former Downtown Memphis bordello that is now a hotel - and much more. Lewis bought the Hotel Pontotoc in 2022, then embarked on a three and a half year process of renovating the building.  Lewis talks about the first year of the hotel's new life as a boutique hotel, a bar (The Dame), and a music venue.

Brian Goldstone wrote a book about the millions of homeless people in the U.S., "There is No Place For us: Working and Homeless in America," which won the Pulitzer Price for nonfiction.

With a lineup that includes the band Soccer Mommy and a show at the new Satellite Music Hall, WYXR's Raised by Sound Fest announced the bands that will be playing at the radio station's annual festival.

Brady Walkinshaw joins Eric Barnes to talk about the importance of local media, the network of local alt weeklies he's creating, and how print publications can be an antidote to the problems of AI.

Tim Disney, who'll be at Novel on August 29, joins Eric Barnes on The Sidebar to talk about his dark satire of a culture of lying, misinformation and the global elite -- plus his life as the grandnephew of Walt Disney.

Pat Mitchell Worley, the president and CEO of the Soulsville Foundation, joined Eric Barnes on this week's episode of "The Sidebar." 

Rachel Knox, senior program officer for arts & culture for the Hyde Family Foundation, talks not just about the arts organizations that the foundation has supported, but the entire landscape of the arts in Memphis.  

The principal of Constellation Properties, Stuart Harris, and the executive director of HiFi Memphis, Mersadies Burch, join Eric Barnes to talk about the scope and scale of the Downtown project. 

Elizabeth Cawein, who founded Memphis Export Memphis ten years ago to promote Memphis musicians and help them in their careers, talks about the organization's birthday celebration concerts on July 25, the realities of making money as a musician, and what Memphis does right - and could do better - in being a music city. 

International exhibition "Café Society" at Dixon Gallery and Gardens centers on Belle Époque Paris and explores how Parisian cafés shaped the city's culture from 1855-1914. Julie Pierotti, the Martha R. Robinson Curator of the Dixon, was the primary organizer of the exhibition. She joins us today to discuss the exhibition, as well as with the process of coordination it requires.

Robby, who is the executive director of WYXR, joined this week's episode of The Sidebar to talk about how the station has evolved in its six years, the range of program and events WYXR supports, and the station's growth into a full-blown arts and community organization.

John Zeanah has written a book:  Today's Comprehensive Plan: An Adaptive Approach , which he describes as the book he wished he'd had when he started a project as big as Memphis 3.0 . Zeanah joined Eric Barnes on "The Sidebar" to talk about the book, his history of planning in Memphis, and more. They touched on some of the controversies around Memphis 3.0 and focused on the differences between the...

Two music festivals are coming to South Main this weekend, as the Ghost River Brewing Co.'s Made to Wander Music Festival and the South Main Songwriter Festival kick off . Organizers from both festivals - Tori Keskey with Ghost River Brewing and Mike Mielenhausen with the South Main Songwriter Festival - joined this week's episode to talk about events, the music, and - of course - the beer at Ghos...

Olivia Wall, director of marketing and communications for Memphis Botanic Garden, joined this week's episode to talk about Live at the Garden's 2026 line up, including the first show featuring the band Alabama on June 13. The full line up and ticket information is here on Live at the Garden's site .

For the 30,000 children in Shelby County who get a book every month from Books from Birth, the benefits are innumberable. But getting those same books to the 30,000 kids in Shelby County who aren't in the Books from Birth program is the work of Wynett Jones and Porter-Leath.  Jones, program director for Books from Birth, joined this week's episode of "The Sidebar." The program, which is statewide,...

New Memphis' president and CEO, Anna Mullins, joined this week's episode of "The Sidebar" to talk about the organization's mission in Memphis, how their role has evolved over time, and that the impact of COVID has changed how and why people choose where to work and live.

Restaurateur Karen Carrier joins Eric Barnes to talk about Legacy at the Table , a three-part dinner series where Carrier translates the history of Memphis College of Art into unique menus that take guests on a journey through different eras of the school. Karen also talks about her time at MCA, how she began her career and her food artistry. 

Ramona Sonin is creative director of Memphis Art & Fashion Week, which starts May 4 at the Brooks Museum of Art, including a Met Gala watch party, a high tea, aperitifs and, of course, a runway show at the museum. Sonin, who also created and runs the fashion program at the University of Memphis, joined this week's episode of "The Sidebar" to talk about the event, its origins just three years ago,...

Holly Whitfield sits in for Eric Barnes with Tennessee Ballet Theater interim director Ashley Hannah Davis. They discuss Tennessee Ballet Theater's upcoming show, 901 Stories: Down on Beale. They also discuss the local memphis dance scene, Holly's secret past as a dancer and Ashley Hannah's career in dance. 

Sylvia Martinez, President and CEO of Girls Inc. of Memphis, joins Eric Barnes to talk about the organizations evolution from its beginning as Girls Club of America. She also talks about the importance of the Girls Inc. Youth Farm in Frayser as a thriving hub for community engagement and sustainable agriculture. And they discuss the upcoming Luncheon Celebration 2026, the annual fundraising event...

Executive director of Ballet Memphis Andrew Goldberg joins host Eric Barnes to talk about upcoming performances (including Romeo & Juliet and Peter Pan), how ballet and Memphis intersect and summer camps/programming.

For many people, the Y is a gym. For others, it's a place to swim. But one of the biggest impacts the YMCA of Memphis and the Mid-South has is on the 14,000 kids they work with across the Mid-South. Brian McLaughlin, group's CEO, joined Eric Barnes to talk about that impact kids and families on this week's episode of "The Sidebar."

Marina Pacini — the former chief curator for the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art —talks about plans for the museum's plans for an exhibition marking the Memphis College of Art's history and impact.

When the historic Annesdale Mansion suffered through a fire in January , more than a few people worried whether the house would be restored. But Bill Townsend, who bought the house in 2023 and did a nearly $2 million renovation, has assured everyone that Annesdale will be restored. Host Eric Barnes is joined by Bill for this week's episode of The Sidebar. They talked not just about Annesdale, but...