Shangri-La Projects

Memphis Heat DVD Beloved by Cinematic World!

noreply@blogger.com (Shangri-La Projects) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:54:00 +0000

The Memphis Heat DVD has been receiving rave reviews throughout the world of cinema and wrestling. Order it here. It's 4 hour of amazing Memphis wrestling stories and action with a tasty Doug Easley soundtrack to boot. Don't take our word for it. Listen to what the critics are saying:

Pro Wrestling Torch: “It’s the best, most entertaining pro wrestling documentary I have ever seen.”

Wrestlezone: “Memphis Heat is a must see.”

Surrender to the Void: “An extraordinary yet entertaining documentary.”

Camel Clutch Blog: “I can’t ever recall watching a documentary and waking up the next day and wanting to watch it again until Memphis Heat.”

Houston Sports Zone: “This documentary is a must watch of any wrestling fan.”

Flick Attack: “Memphis Heat emerges a winner.”

Jim Ross: “Awesome!”

Two Sheds: “Big thumbs up!”

Cinema Suicide: “Never boring, always on point, Memphis Heat is a love letter to sports entertainment.”

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: “Memphis Heat comes flying of the top turnbuckle and pins the story of this wild little world to the mat with style.”

Finally you can catch an interview with Jerry "the King" Lawler and director Chad Schaffler with Bob Edwards on the Bob Edwards Show Thursday, December 1st on Sirius/XM or download it here!

Memphis Heat DVD Pre-Order Begins!

noreply@blogger.com (Shangri-La Projects) — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 17:40:00 +0000

It's Here! 50 years in the making, the incredible Memphis Heat: The True Story of Memphis Wrasslin' DVD with almost 4 hours of Memphis wrestling insanity is available for pre-order here (out October 1, 2011). This is the single greatest Christmas present any wrestling fan ever received!

Memphis Heat Rolls on a Sizzling Summer Schedule!

noreply@blogger.com (Shangri-La Projects) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 12:56:00 +0000

Next showings coming up for Memphis Heat fans:
Birmingham, Alabama Alabama Theater August 5
Atlanta, Georgia Plaza Theater August 5-7
Dallas, Texas Texas Theater August 12/13/14

Memphis Heat Coming to Nashville!

noreply@blogger.com (Shangri-La Projects) — Tue, 17 May 2011 16:51:00 +0000

Friends, we are about to share some Memphis Heat fireballs with the good people of Nashville! Beginning June 17 through June 20th, Memphis Heat: The True Story of Memphis Wrasslin' will be playing at the super-cool Belcourt Theater. Check out the trailer here!

Memphis Heat World Premiere March 24th!

noreply@blogger.com (Shangri-La Projects) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 01:00:00 +0000

Two years in the making, Memphis Heat: The True Story of Memphis Wrasslin' will premiere Thursday, March 24th at Memphis' Malco Paradiso Theater at 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. Get your tickets here and do not miss this great holiday known as National Sputnik Monroe Day!

If you cannot make it to the premiere, go to the Malco Studio on the Square March 25-31 and enjoy Memphis Heat there!

National Sputnik Monroe Day Announced!

noreply@blogger.com (Shangri-La Projects) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 03:26:00 +0000

Our friends at Off the Top Rope Productions sent us word that March 24, 2011, will be the 1st annual National Sputnik Monroe Day! Long overdue, Sputnik! Congratulations to all who put in the hard work to make this great day happen!

Awesome Final Memphis Heat Trailer!

noreply@blogger.com (Shangri-La Projects) — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 18:35:00 +0000

So, the film Memphis Heat: The True Story of Memphis Wrasslin' is complete. It is truly amazing (see above)! Memphis Heat will premiere on National Sputnik Monroe Day Thursday, March 24, 2011, at the Paradiso Theater in Memphis 7:00 & 9:00 p.m. Then it will run for a week at Malco Studio on the Square in Memphis. Do not miss this film, Pallie! The blogosphere is calling it "the most important film of our time." We could not agree more!

Join up with the film on Memphis Heat's facebook site to get all of the rockin' updates!

Memphis Heat Official Movie Poster!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Shangri-La Projects) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 20:09:00 +0000

Beautiful design by one of the all-time greats Ben Powers!

Strapping Fieldhands World Tour!

noreply@blogger.com (Shangri-La Projects) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 20:01:00 +0000

Extremely good news here:
Strapping Fieldhands 2010 Fall Tour Dates
September 11th Philadelphia, PA Kung Fu Necktie
September 12 Brooklyn, New York Bruar Fallss
September 17 Brooklyn, New York Secret Project Robot
September 20 Cleveland, Ohio Grog Shop
September 22 Columbus, Ohio Café Bourbon
September 24 Memphis, Tennessee GONERFEST HEADLINER
September 25 Atlanta, Georgia 529
September 26 Charlotte, NC The Milestone
September 27 Chapel Hill, NC The Nightlight
Rocktober 9 New York, New York The Cakeshop

Don’t miss this band. One of the all-time greats!

Discus reissue cd available here.

Memphis Heat: Almost to the Final Editing Goal!

noreply@blogger.com (Shangri-La Projects) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:29:00 +0000

Friends and Wrestling Fans:
Only five days left! The finish line for Memphis Heat: The True Story of Memphis Wrasslin' is within site! We are almost to our goal of raising the final dollars to finish a fabulous film on Memphis Wrestling. Please consider climbing the ladder and reaching for the bullwhip right here so we can deliver the best film possible to the wrestling fans of the world.

Meanwhile, enjoy one final Memphis Heat sneak peek with "Superstar" Bill Dundee, one of our all-time favorite Memphis wrestlers!

10 Days to Go! 36% of the Memphis Heat Funds Raised!

noreply@blogger.com (Shangri-La Projects) — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 20:54:00 +0000

We've got 10 days left and a mere $5000 to raise to finish the editing of this important American cultural documentary! Thanks to the wrasslin' fans who have been so generous so far. Tell your neighbors! Tell your relatives! Tell your enemies! Tell your postman! They must get in on this soon to be award-winning film!

Meanwhile, here's another Memphis Heat: The True Story of Memphis Wrasslin' take on wrestling from one of the old-school sages of wrestling from the ''60s-'70s--Len Rossi!

Unbelievable Unmitigated Memphis Heat!

noreply@blogger.com (Shangri-La Projects) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 01:25:00 +0000

Hotter than July here in Memphis. They say it's the hottest summer since 1980. We say, "It's not the humidity; it's the Memphis Heat!" And it is coming on strong. Enjoy another tasty morsel sneak peek preview from Memphis Heat and wrestling legend Billy Wicks right here:

And if that's enough, catch an interview with Memphis Heat executive producer Sherman Willmott and New England Championship Wrestling owner Sheldon Goldberg on The Mouthpiece Radio Show out of Boston.

Jerry Lawler Brings the Memphis Heat!

noreply@blogger.com (Shangri-La Projects) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 21:04:00 +0000

Yet another tasty cut from the awesome documentary Memphis Heat: The True Story of Memphis Wrasslin'. The always incredible King of Memphis Wrestling, Jerry Lawler!

Please check out our Kickstarter site to see how you can become a "special producer" of the film or pre-order a dvd!

The Memphis Heat Just Keeps Coming!

noreply@blogger.com (Shangri-La Projects) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 04:23:00 +0000

Barbarian Records' Jim Blake spews more Memphis Heat! Yet another dose of the soon to be released Memphis Heat: The True Story of Memphis Wrasslin'. In which Mr. Blake explains the greatness of one Jackie Fargo, a hero for many generations of Memphis wrestling fans!

More Excellent Memphis Heat Outtakes!

noreply@blogger.com (Shangri-La Projects) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 03:54:00 +0000

Memphis Heat: The True Story of Memphis Wrasslin' documentary is humming along! Almost done and the hits just keep on coming!

Don't forget to pre-order your dvd or become a special producer of this amazing film!

Meanwhile, feast your eyes on the inside scoop from a very objective, fair man, Referee Jerry Calhoun with his perspective on the Jerry "the King" Lawler vs. Andy "I'm from Hollywood" Kaufman battles. The greatest ever!

Kickstarting Memphis Heat!

noreply@blogger.com (Shangri-La Projects) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 03:16:00 +0000

Ladies & Animals, great progress has been made on one of the finest documentaries to hit this great nation. Memphis Heat: The True Story of Memphis Wrasslin' is almost finished. We have busted our budget like Tojo Yamamoto choppin' your chest with a karate chop. So, we now offer you a chance to be a "special producer," become a friend of the Memphis Heat crew, or pre-buy your dvd at Kickstarter.

We thank you in advance for your support and compliment you on your fine taste in films!

More Memphis Heat Fun: Jimmy Hart Edition!

noreply@blogger.com (Shangri-La Projects) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 02:58:00 +0000

Check out a snippet of outtakes coming from Memphis Heat: The True Story of Memphis Wrasslin'! This is sure to be on everyone's early Academy Award documentary list for the fall of 2010! Stay tuned!

I said, "Memphis Heat," not Memphis Beat!

noreply@blogger.com (Shangri-La Projects) — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 20:04:00 +0000

It's almost that time: Memphis Heat time! After a year and a half, Memphis Heat: The True Story of Memphis Wrasslin' is almost nigh.

Check out this nice little outtake from what is surely to be the film of the year at Cannes!

Are You Sirius????

noreply@blogger.com (Shangri-La Projects) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 04:08:00 +0000

Well, my auspicious radio career began in January, 1985, as Sherman the Rock 'n Roll Gorilla (see photo above of guy in new wave glasses--no, not the guy wearing the Duckie Pretty in Pink costume--the guy wearing the hillbilly overalls trying to sell pumpkins) at KSPC Pomona College in January, 1985. My ratings (competing with former Memphian Rick Dees, no less) on the West Coast were so high that I was instantly hired by WCFM Williamstown for a spell there in the mid-'80s. I took summers off to host jazz shows at the now defunct WLYX Radio Rhodes (defunct thanks to a horrible decision by arts & music-hating/former industrial carpet salesman & President of Rhodes College James Daughdrill). Word got around to Memphis Institution WEVL, who gave me a massive signing bonus and a 10 year contract in the '90s to handle "the night shift." Apparently some of my legendary air-check tapes started making the rounds on the you tubes and my good friend Justin Bieber er, Justin Gage, hired me on as a sidekick to his show on Sirius Aquarium Drunkard Radio Friday, June 11th at noon & at midnight. I invited my good friend Doug EZ Easley to sit in & talk about the good ole days with me.

Check it out and vote for your favorite moldie-oldies at Sirius/XM. Thanks to all the little people who keep mailing in those requests. It's what keeps me going down to the station. You just can't keep a good d.j. down, right, Dewey!

Memphis Music: The Glory Days of 1978!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Shangri-La Projects) — Sun, 23 May 2010 22:06:00 +0000

Here is a taste of the tail end of the glory era of Memphis music...the late '70s. Check out this Billboard magazine from January 1978...it's got it all for Memphis music fans! Quotes from Sam Phillips about Paul Ackerman; tons of hype & advertisements on power-pop should-have-beens the Scruffs and Power Play Records; a great mention about how Memphis vice-squad cops were checking out the Sex Pistols in Atlanta in advance of their Memphis show; tons of great articles on the burgeoning new wave scene, new wave bands, new wave records and imports (JEM!!!); but, most importantly, a great article on Memphis' best record chain of all time, Pop Tunes. I think the photo in the article is from inside the Summer Ave. Pop Tunes, where I bought my 1st 45 around this time, C.W. McCall's "Convoy," and where I waited in line with various Raleigh/Frayser stoners for most of my teenage concert tickets (Cheap Trick/Kansas/Foghat/Aerosmith/etc). Be sure to read the whole article about the ridiculous way customers had to purchase records at Pop Tunes. Their methodology was similar to the way Service Merchandise sold vacuum cleaners or the way hard-working homesteaders bought sugar, meal, and other staples from Mr. Olson's Mercantile in Little House on the Prairie.

It's hard to believe Pop Tunes lasted as long as it did with this method--from 1945 to 2009. It was sad to see this legendary Memphis record retailer/wholesaler whimper away so ignominiously in 2009, but at least the downtown Pop Tunes' sign is slated to end up in a museum unlike the gorgeous Summer Ave. sign, which was destroyed by morons who took over the property about 10 or so years after the damn thing was restored to its splendor for Pop Tune's 50th anniversary in 1995.

P.S. The Taliesyn Ballroom where the Sex Pistols played is now a Taco Bell & the original Shirley's Poplar Tunes, started in 1945, is soon to be a sandwich shop. Yum.

(Photo Jim Shearin, courtesy of the Commercial Appeal)

Grifters Re-onion????

noreply@blogger.com (Shangri-La Projects) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 15:00:00 +0000

Well, if I had a dollar for every time someone axed when the original Grifters were going to recreate those blissful early '90s glory days of rock 'n roll, I'd have 35 or 40 bucks right now. As most of you fans know, the band has decamped into two distinct sections: the rhythm, & the guitarists. For reasons I do not fully comprehend & all Grifters' fans gnash their teeth at, all reonion requests have been rejected.

However, hardcore Grifters fans can dance nakedly around a mulberry bush to the news that one faction will be tributing the Grifters with a set at Steve McGhee's fundraiser the weekend of July 29-31! It's just like the good ole days: Grifters save the day for the Antenna Club rent fund!

Busy Weekend for Memphis' Most Beloved Record Label!

noreply@blogger.com (Shangri-La Projects) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 16:00:00 +0000

Spring is in the air & Shangri-la Projects Bands are Too! Come on out, America, & keep this economy rolling along! You work, you ride. Easy credit here.

Any area of the country has access to Shangri-la Projects goods this week:
East Coast: Catch the Strapping Fieldhands at Fishtown Festival live (this looks like a free show) & pick up their newly reissued cd Discus. No regrets on this seminal record (remember those???)

Memphis area Shangri-la Projects fans can enjoy some tasty live music at the Westin Sole patio the next two Wednesdays (free music! beer & burgers specials!) with Good Luck Dark Star solo from cocktail hour til 9ish--in the heart of the Fedex Forum/Gibson Guitar area of Beale St.

Also, Grifters' side-project Dragoon will play a record release party at Buccanneer Saturday night!!

Sweet Home, Alabama folks can meet & greet author Ron Hall at Charlemagne Records in Birmingham, Alabama, Saturday, April 24th from 1-3 p.m signing copies of Sputnik, Masked Men, & Midgets: The Early Days of Memphis Wrestling as well as Playing for a Piece of the Door: A History of Garage & Frat Bands in Memphis, 1960-1975 & the supremely ltd. edition The Memphis Garage Rock Yearbook. Tres cool stuff! Come on out, Birmingham!

And those of you lucky enough to live in Austin, Texas, can check out our award-winning pop stars For Her And The Snow, who will be revisiting their former home base for the first time in years at Flipnotics Friday night! Check out this excellent live show!

Thanks for all your supports and keeping the economy bubbling up! Over 21 years of kissin' ass & taking names!

Strapping Fieldhands Studio Documentary!!

noreply@blogger.com (Shangri-La Projects) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 03:34:00 +0000

Here's the deal: One of the greatest bands in the world--our own Strapping Fieldhands--are featured in this cool, short video series shot in Philadelphia. Check it out here and be sure to order their new cd so you can have something to listen while enjoying the film. We are so happy they are finally getting some airtime after all these years! Enjoy.

Last Living Bluesman Fieldstone Will Roy Sanders Passes Away

noreply@blogger.com (Shangri-La Projects) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:51:00 +0000

It is with sadness that we report that Memphis bluesman Will Roy Sanders, whose life story and band the Fieldstones were chronicled in Shangri-la Projects documentary Will Roy Sanders: The Last Living Bluesman, passed away from complications of lung cancer in Memphis, Tennessee, from February 16th, 2010.

Sanders is best known for 1st recording the song “Crosscut Saw” in the early 1960s with his band the Binghampton Blues Boys. The song was later made famous by Albert King, Eric Clapton, & any other blues guitar player who ever played in a bar band.

Sanders spent the 1970s, 1980s, & early 1990s playing with one of the toughest blues bands in the world—the inimitable Fieldstones, who played every fish fry, bbq, juke joint, & wedding in Memphis for almost 25 years. In the early ‘90s Sanders and his wife took over the legendary Green’s Lounge, the last great juke joint in Memphis and ran it until it burned down in 1997, acting as the house band every Friday and Saturday night. Green’s Lounge was the place for any blues fan or musician to visit in Memphis in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s to hear raw and excellent live blues music. Blues aficionados and musicians came to Green’s Lounge from all over the world to enjoy the good times blues of Will Roy Sanders and the Fieldstones.

Sanders is survived by his wife, Dorothy, his 18 children, & his 42 grandchildren. He will be buried at the West Tennessee Veterans Cemetery at 4000 Forest Hill-Irene in Memphis, Tennessee.

Discography:
Will Roy Sanders Live at Green's Lounge “Green’s Lounge Shuffle” 7" (Shangri-la Projects)
Will Roy Sanders The Last Living Blues Man Soundtrack cd (Shangri-la Projects)
Will Roy Sanders The Last Living Blues Man Documentary VHS (Shangri-la Projects)
Will Roy Sanders The Last Living Blues Man interview book (Shangri-la Projects)
Fieldstones Memphis Blues Today (High Water)
Fieldstones Mud Island Blues (High Water)

The Coolest Book Ever on Memphis Wrestling Is Out!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Shangri-La Projects) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 02:27:00 +0000

“This book will give any wrestling fan

the Monday Night Memories…”
-Jimmy Hart, the Mouth of the South

Sputnik, Masked Men, & Midgets: The Early Days of Memphis Wrestling is out now & getting amazing reviews! You can purchase Ron Hall’s 4 year odyssey into the best of Memphis wrestling from the early 1950’s through the late 1970’s right now directly from us at our online store. We take Visa, Mastercard, Paypal, or you can mail us a check if you’d prefer. Want to order by phone? Holler at us at 901.359.3102. Ordering from outside of the U.S.? Shoot us an email and we can talk postage.
Or head down to your local retailer & pick one up:

Tennessee
Valle’s Italian Rebel 1636 Winchester Memphis
Shangri-La Records, 1916 Madison Ave., Memphis
Davis-Kidd Booksellers, 376 Perkins Ext., Memphis
Sun Studios, 706 Union Ave., Memphis
Tater Reds, 153 Beale Street, Memphis
Burke’s Books, 936 South Cooper, Memphis
Rock ‘N’ Soul Museum, 191 Beale Street, Memphis
Borders Books, 4552 Poplar, Memphis
Goner Records Cooper-Young, Memphis TN
Old Millington Winery 6748 Old Millington Rd., Millington TN
Hooked on Books, 747 W. Poplar Collierville TN
The Great Escape 5400 Charlotte Ave. West Nashville, TN
Len Rossi’s Health Food & Care Center 1605 Franklin Rd. Brentwood, TN (Get Mr. Rossi to autograph your copy when you buy it!)

Mississippi
Downtown Books, 515 Franklin Street, Corinth MS
Spice of Life Books, 1801 South Harper Rd., Corinth MS
Reed’s Books, 129 W. Main St., Tupelo MS
Lemuria Books, 4465 I-55 N # 202, Jackson MS
Square Books, 160 Courthouse Square, Oxford MS

Arkansas
That Bookstore, 316 W. Main St., Blytheville AR

Florida
Sundog Books, 89 Central Square, Seaside FL

... and of course you can always find Sputnik on Amazon.com.

Watch our commercial (just 45 seconds or so) on YouTube and get a sneak peak of what’s inside the book!

The reviews are in! Check ‘em out…

Bob Mehr in Memphis’ Commercial Appeal
Wrestling ruled: New book links Memphis grapplers, music and culture
“Sputnik, Masked Men and Midgets” is a testament to one of the enduring traditions of Memphis pop culture, but Hall simply hopes the book is as entertaining for people to go through as it was for him put together. “I want people to feel the same thing,” says Hall, “to get that same charge that I did when I would first find these pictures and clippings. Hopefully it’ll be a fun, weird, enjoyable read for everyone.”

John Branston in Memphis’ The Memphis Flyer
The King of Memphis Wrestling Books
Ron Hall’s new book Sputnik, Masked Men, and Midgets: The Early Days of Memphis Wrestling, is one of the best collections of black and white sports photos I’ve ever seen and a hell of a lot of fun.

Michael Finger in Memphis’ The Memphis Flyer Best of Memphis 2009
Best Local History Book of 2009 AND Best History Book Title of All Time. In Sputnik, Masked Men, and Midgets, Ron Hall has produced a photo album that documents the early days of Memphis wrestling, when men like Sputnik Monroe and Jackie Fargo were the rock stars of their day. Packed with wonderful images, it even includes a CD of songs performed by famous wrestlers from the 1960s. Well done, Mr. Hall.

Mike Mooneyham in The (Charleston) Post and Courier
Book Chronicles Memphis Mat Memories
Author Ron Hall and editor Sherman Willmott have done a terrific job putting together an attractive, coffee table-style volume that contains nearly 400 nostalgic black-and-white images from a bygone age in wrestling history in one of wrestling’s most enduring cities.

Mark Satrang in Pro Wrestling Examiner
‘Sputnik, Masked Men, and Midgets’ is a fun Memphis wrestling tour
Overall the book is just a fun piece of pure nostalgia for those who knew and remembered that time and place. And for other wrestling fans it is quick history lesson told through images that paint a vivid picture of a wrestling era from days gone by.

Bob Pomeroy on geminispacecraft.com
Thumbing through the wonders contained within the pages of Sputnik, one has to ask whether any greater collection of early wrestling photos, promo shots, clippings, wrestling cards, and records–actually, Sputnik comes with a CD of classics like Sputnik Monroe’s “Sputnik Hires a Band” and Jackie Fargo’s “Champ of Champs”–has ever been compiled.

Paul Ryburn on paulryburn.com
Definitely a book worth having if you’re into the rich history of Memphis wrestling.

Gary Saunders on dixiedining.com
The pictures are a treat and the accompanying bonus CD is a hoot.

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