MY band and I, Azmyl & the Truly Asia, touched down in Memphis, Tennessee, on Wednesday afternoon (Memphis time).

It was a total of 36 hours of waiting around, connecting flights, and of course, flying.

I chose a flight – we were given several route options – that included a 12-hour layover in Tokyo since, well, why not get a chance to also hang out in a layover city since it’s an option.

We travelled here to perform at the annual Beale Street Music Festival – a part of the month-long Memphis in May International Festival.

Beale Street, for those of you who don’t know, is pretty much the ground zero and birthplace of the blues, soul and rock n’ roll music.

All the greats from Fats Domino, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and even Elvis Presley earned their stripes playing the segregated venues that lined the famous street (you have to remember America was deeply segregated still in the mid-20th century).

The elephant in the room nobody mentions when they talk about popular music is that the history of modern popular music is one that is defined by race and racism.

For me and guitarist Lohan – lovers of rock n’ roll, country, R&B, blues, and music history – this trip was a trip of a lifetime and a dream come true.

I had even screened a BBC documentary about Beale Street in my classes to give my film and music students some proper context on popular music outside of present industry narratives, which has hijacked the richer and more diverse history of the music industry, warts and all.

And of course the rest in the band – drummer Ammar and bassist Krist – were equally excited when we were initially shortlisted (thanks to the local musician who recommended our name) and selected, but fact of the matter is travelling to the US, for us from the so-called “global south”, can be quite a harrowing experience, notably the visa application process.

We were lucky the festival organisers covered all our expenses and documents needed for the application process – not a given for all international music festivals, by the way – and with the help of the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry, which helped coordinate the artist selection shortlist (as per recommendation by the aforementioned musician) with the organisers.

The Memphis in May International Festival salutes one country each year and in 2023, Malaysia was the country selected.

When an opportunity like this arises, my underground musician instincts and do-it-yourself work ethic kicks into gear, so I managed to squeeze in two more cities within driving distance for us to perform in.

Our first stop after Memphis will be Louisville in neighbouring Kentucky (which we only just found out is in a different time zone, although just a five-hour-plus drive away) – a gig put together with the help of a friend there whose band Gangly Youth toured with my noise rock band The Maharajah Commission across West Malaysia and Singapore in 2012.

Our second stop will be Nashville back in Tennessee for a songwriters’ showcase, which was recommended by Malaysian singer-songwriter Amrita Soon, who had performed there before and helped me connect with a musician-cum-organiser there.

This is why I always champion community over industry because realistically speaking, the Malaysian music industry would never consider my band the “standard bearer” of their “industry”.

Anyways, aside from the reputation that the US as a country has now – which is mostly through media – it is easy to deduce that it is a dangerous place to visit.

Such is the irony of our time because most Americans – from my conversations with some who have travelled or lived in Southeast Asia – will say the same thing about us to fellow Americans who plan to visit our neck of the woods.

My family and friends were elated when they caught wind of our trip but since the only thing we know about America is through the news cycle and what makes the news – the adage “bad news is good news” comes to mind and still persists – we only know the tragic events that happen stateside.

Nevertheless, I have faith in the real people on the ground and in the 24 hours we have been here, the famed “Southern hospitality” has welcomed us.

Everyone we have encountered so far has been warm, friendly, welcoming and of course giving us heads up about safety and the dos and don’ts.

As I sign off to deal with my jetlag, I want to assure you we will do our best to bear the Malaysian flag onstage and make the country proud to the best of our ability.

Do save a prayer for our safe journey! – May 5, 2023.

* Azmyl Yunor is a touring underground recording artiste, and an academic in media and cultural studies. He has published articles on pop culture, subcultures and Malaysian cultural politics. He adheres to the three-chords-and-the-truth school of songwriting, and Woody Guthrie’s maxim “All you can write is what you see”. He is @azmyl on Twitter.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.