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Letter from the publisher As I write this letter, I am still overcome with joy that I was voted as this year’s Entrepreneur of the Year by the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce. It is quite the honor, but I cannot take full credit for the accolade; I would rather dedicate the award to the people who really make UNITE successful… For starters, this award goes to YOU, our readers! UNITE was merely an idea that I conceived a little over a year ago, but if it wasn’t for the support of the community, we would not be where we are today. This award is also dedicated to our advertisers who continue to support the publication issue after issue. Next, let’s not forget the wonderful team working behind the scenes and into the wee hours of the evening to ensure the magazine is the best quality it can be. Ben Rock has been the heart and soul of UNITE since day one and was one of the first people to learn of my “crazy idea.” Yes, many people thought I was crazy when I told them I was publishing a magazine, but luckily it all worked out. Even though Ben now lives in Seattle, he is still an integral part of the publication’s evolution. A special thanks to Blake Kniffin of B-Kreative, who is the creative force behind UNITE. Although Blake had a lot of design experience before working with us, he had never designed a magazine. I basically give Blake creative control as I don’t know the first thing about design, and he turns the publication into a fabulous work of art. Finally, I have to commend my incredible team of writers and editors, who continue to contribute thoughtful content issue after issue. They believed in me since the beginning, and I can’t thank them enough for their support. What people don’t know is that I funded the entire first issue with my Visa card hoping it would become a success. And as I sit here looking at the award presented to me by the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce, I can proudly say it has!
Joey Amato Managing Editor Ben Rock associate editor Santiago Melli-Huber creative director Blake Kniffin Publisher
Estella Pan, Jesse Walker Book Reviewer Sebastian Fortino Business editor A.J. Busé Business Correspondent Michael Burcham, PhD Business Writers Dan J. Groover, Lisa Howe Fitness Editor Mark Allyn Nimmo Food & Wine Editor Joshua Simpson, John Winnett HEALTH EDITOR Brian Hooper, MDiv, PsyD Life & Style Writer Kyle Kressin Music Editor Ron Slomowicz Political Editor Jim Schmidt Arts & entertainment editors
Matthew Jeffers content manger Ben Rock Photographers Barry Noland
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Tyler Chapman, Mark Farrar, Sam Felker, Scott Glasgow, Joseph McLean Gregory, Lisa Howe, Rana Mukherji, Gordon Publow, Chris Robinette, Jeff Rymer, Jim Schmidt, Ro Toyos Rivendell Media (908) 232-2021 Unite Magazine (615) 852-6660 joey@unitemag.com
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Joey
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u o y e v a h o t It’s so nice g n o l e e b u o y e r e h w back This isn’t the ‘Lou you thought you knew. We’ve got a lot of Pride here. Say “Hello” to awesome nightlife down in The Grove and incredible culture up in the newly remodeled Art Museum. Come see why The Advocate put us in the Top 15 “gayest” cities in America. Check out our impressive packages at explorestlouis.com/LGBT
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FEATURE DOLLY PARTON
24
LOCAL STARS JOSH ROGERS DAPHNE LARKIN LON HURST
18 19 22
BUSINESS CHAMBER CHAT RETIREMENT PLANNING THE ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET
8 10 12
MUSIC HUNTER HAYES 14 TEGAN & SARA 28 TELEVISION PRIVATE LIVES OF NASHVILLE WIVES 16 CHRIS CARMACK 46 ZEN CARE OF BODY & SPIRIT
32
DINING CHEF JOSHUA SIMPSON SUZY WONG’S DRAG’N BRUNCH
34 36
COMEDY LISA LAMPANELLI
38
FASHION NASHVILLE FASHION WEEK
40
BUSINESS
Chamber Chat by Lisa Howe photos by Barry Noland
Last month, the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce celebrated the winners of the 2014 Excellence in Business Awards presented by CURB Records. Over 250 guests filled the Capitol Ballroom at the Sheraton Nashville Downtown. Jim Robert received the Rhubarb Theater Leadership in the Arts Award. Robert is the executive director of ALIAS Chamber Ensemble and has led ALIAS to unprecedented success last year including three Best of Nashville awards, two of which were collaborations with the Nashville Opera and Nashville Ballet. ALIAS donates all of the proceeds from its concerts to local nonprofit organizations. The Mark Lee Taylor Community Service Award went to attorney Abby Rubenfeld for her pro bono work that recently resulted in three same-sex couples gaining marriage rights in Tennessee. In what was considered a close competition, Rubenfeld was recognized among other nominees, such as • Dollar General for its donation of approximately $10,000 in cash, clothing, items, and services to the Oasis Center’s Just Us Program; • Marisa Richmond for her afternoons spent lobbying for equal rights in the state legislature; • Pam Sheffer for her closure of a contract ensuring all high school and middle school teachers in Metro Public Schools will receive LGBT cultural competency training; and • Joseph Woodson for co-chairing the Nashville CARES Red Ribbon Breakfast, which raised over $27,000. Brad Pinson followed up his most successful year in banking by winning the Samuel Felker Business Leader of the Year. After a promotion from branch manager to business banking relationship manager, Pinson finished the year as the number one business banker at Fifth Third Bank. He is on the boards of the LGBT Chamber of Commerce, Nashville CARES, and Sports for All and is an excellent contact for setting up LGBT employee resource groups. Another extremely close category was the Ally Award. This year’s winner was Chris Robinette, financial planner at Mass Mutual/Capital Financial Group. Robinette has been a great ally to the LGBT Chamber. He is a Chairman-level member, Gold sponsor of 2013 Tastefully Unpredictable, and actively seeks LGBTBE’s for suppliers. Robinette attended Mass Mutual’s LGBT Cultural Competency training in order to provide appropriate financial services to the LGBT community with or without the Defense of Marriage Act.
8 | UNITE MAGAZINE
Brad Pinson of Fifth Third Bank.
Chris Robinette of Capital Financial.
The Maria Salas Entrepreneur Award was presented to Joey Amato, the publisher of UNITE Magazine. The success and readership of UNITE Magazine speaks for itself. Before UNITE was a year old, Amato launched the first national LGBT entrepreneur magazine— UNITE Business. Even with the third UNITE title in the works for Indianapolis, Amato still finds time to give back to his local community. He serves on the board of OutCentral and donates and generates resources for the LGBT community. The 2014 Corporate Diversity Award went to Nissan. In the last year, Nissan raised its score from 60 to 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index. Nissan also launched its Gay-Straight Alliance, GSAN. This business synergy team has been successful getting a variety of teams to work cross-functionally to establish Nissan’s presence in the LGBT community, provide volunteers and services for events and organizations, and educate and raise awareness inside and outside of Nissan headquarters. Nissan is one of the more innovative corporate partners of the LGBT Chamber, as it is tracking purchases made as a result of their efforts in the LGBT community, and they are already seeing a measurable return on investment. Please join us on May 12 for the next Brewing Up Business event at Studio Gaven and on May 15 for Business Builders, a new professional development program developed by the LGBT Chamber. LGBT Chamber members will share their knowledge and expertise in a variety of subjects over the next year. Visit https://nashvilleglbtchamber.org for more information about upcoming Chamber events.
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BUSINESS
The Small Business Owner's
RETIREMENT DILEMMA by Erik Lindsey You’ve poured a lifetime of sweat, time, and capital into building your business. You’ve begun thinking about retirement, and your strategy is to sell your company for a good price, settle back, and enjoy a financially secure retirement. Like many business owners, however, you’ve made the mistake of assuming this scenario is guaranteed to happen, and you haven’t bothered to make any other retirement plans.
You Need to Be Realistic What are the odds of a person showing up at the right time with cash in hand to buy the company for a fair price? For thousands of small business owners each year, no one steps
10 | UNITE MAGAZINE
forward. Perhaps the business is too specialized or is tied too closely to the owner’s unique personality and skills. Maybe possible buyers equate a retirement sale with a distress sale and make only low-ball offers. Whatever the reason, many owners find that their company has suddenly become a white elephant that nobody wants.
Select and Develop a Successor That’s why it’s so important to prime a replacement— someone who will buy your company when you are ready to retire. Maybe this is a current co-owner, but be cautious if he or she is about the same age as you and planning to retire around the same time. This could also be your son or daughter who is active in the business or a younger key employee. Business owners who successfully groom their own replacements leave nothing to chance. They realize that there’s no room for error at the point of retirement.
Here are some steps you should take: • Be cautious. Make sure your heir apparent is the right person in terms of temperament, personality, competence, and personal goals. 25
• Set up a probation period so you can terminate the relationship if you find that this person will not work out. During this period, keep everything informal and strictly verbal. Even when you progress to a formal agreement, make sure it contains a termination provision. • Offer incentives to ensure that your replacement stays until the baton is passed. An ambitious successor needs and deserves gradually increasing authority and benefits. Options include deferred compensation or the opportunity to acquire partial ownership prior to your retirement. This provides both parties with something to win by sticking to the agreement, and something to lose if it falls apart. • Create a buy-sell agreement. With the help of your attorney, lock in who does and gets what, spelling out all details and caveats, including how to establish the final valuation of the business. This formal agreement protects everybody. • Build in a funding mechanism. This is crucial. No matter how good the terms of the buy-sell agreement, it will be worthless if the money is not there when needed to carry out the plan. Under one option, the successor may be able to purchase the company from ongoing profits. Other options include setting up a sinking fund or allowing the successor to simply borrow the money. These options may work, but they leave much to chance. Instead, consider a funding vehicle that protects your family in the event of your disability or premature death, such as life and disability income insurance. • Have a Plan B. As a business owner, you know that very few things go exactly as planned. What if your business hits tough times or your successor dies, becomes disabled, or leaves because of a personality conflict? Or what if there simply is no heir apparent waiting in the wings? Sometimes, it’s simply best to dismantle the business. Whether or not you have a possible successor for your company, you should begin mapping out your retirement strategy today. Your insurance professional or your independent professional advisors can work with you to help you develop a sound business strategy. [Editor’s Note: This educational third-party article is provided as a courtesy by Erik Lindsey of New York Life Insurance Company.]
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BUSINESS
Developing AN ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET by Michael Burcham, PhD
In this ever-changing world, we are constantly forced to reinvent our businesses and ourselves. This reinvention process requires an entrepreneurial mindset. Developing an entrepreneurial mindset is all about perspective. It’s the view that no matter how long you’ve been in business, you’re starting it anew today. It’s about the process of diagnosing issues and symptoms to find root problems, framing options that may serve as possible solutions, clarifying data that you have and seeking information you need, and developing viable options and alternatives. Being entrepreneurial in our work is essentially a mindset of thinking and doing something that we have not done before to achieve a desirable goal or outcome. It is about assessing a situation, designing alternatives, and choosing a new way—or perhaps a combination of ways— that we hope will lead us to something better, however we happen to define better at that moment. Here are some key areas you can focus on to build your own entrepreneurial mindset:
1. Shape Your Life Experience Entrepreneurial thinking is about where we place the responsibility for our experiences. Although it’s not realistic to think that we have complete
12 | UNITE MAGAZINE
control of all our experiences, it’s martyrdom to think that we have none. An entrepreneur is someone deeply engaged in his or her experience of life and willing to do the daily work of transforming it. A very successful entrepreneur takes the time to analyze her life, to look closely at her vision and purpose in life. She puts her life on paper. She takes the time to construct mental images that guide her on her journey. While most people are winging it, she puts her life mission, business vision, and goals on paper. Then, she goes to work, executing her plan. When we constantly work on ourselves, we develop a greater understanding of and a greater belief in ourselves. This mindset is what allows us to become an expert in our chosen area. If we don’t understand and value ourselves, neither will anyone else, and those who understand and value themselves have a greater ability to understand and value others.
2. Think Pragmatic Idealism To adopt an entrepreneurial mindset, we must be idealists while remaining pragmatic. We must be sensitive to the world we wish to see and conscious of the world as it is. The entrepreneur’s work lies in connecting the two. When we are able to thoughtfully connect our dreams with our skills and a market opportunity, we are ready to begin our own entrepreneurial journey.
3. Think Strategically An entrepreneur is a great strategist and a master at getting others excited about helping them grow the business. They know how to make the most of every opportunity to bring in new
prospects, convert them to paying clients, and get them to buy repeatedly. That means carefully planning, strategizing, measuring results against expectations and readjusting. It means taking calculated risks and learning from the ideas that fail—and there are always ideas that fail. Most people make their decisions about their lives and careers based on emotions and assumptions. Successful entrepreneurs base their decisions on fact-based thinking.
4. Act Purposefully with Vision Vision is what we’re to do with the time that we have. Have you known anyone that is absolutely driven to succeed? No matter what the obstacle, he keeps going. In most cases, it is because he has extraordinary clarity of his vision. He took the time to clearly define what it is that he wanted to do. He stopped and thought about his life and what it was that he wanted to accomplish. He had the drive to see the task all the way to its outcome. Time is our scarcest resource. When we realize not as an intellectual construct but as an emotional conviction that our time here is finite, we act purposefully. To be a successful entrepreneur, you must protect and manage your time, because it is the most valuable asset you have. Thoughtfully plan your days, weeks, months, and years. Think about both how and with whom you spend your time—it’s likely an indicator of what you will become.
5. Understand the Ecosystem James F. Moore defined a business ecosystem as “an eco-
nomic community supported by a foundation of interacting organizations and individuals.” These ecosystems encourage companies to coevolve their capabilities. Sometimes an ecosystem can sprout up around a product (think about the cases, headphones, and chargers for mobile devices). A company can sprout whole economic worlds as was the case of the App Store, which was a new platform for Apple. Amazon also sprouted a marketplace where third-party vendors could offer their wares, creating an ecosystem. These ecosystems are the structure that surrounds and supports our businesses. They build stakeholders out from the business and into society.
6. Learn to Focus Your Energy This characteristic is what I have found to be the most important when it comes to entrepreneurial success. Once we become aware of the possibilities of success, we also realize how many other opportunities abound. It is easy to become scattered and distracted. Successful people develop the ability to focus and concentrate to maximize their resources and effort.
Summary Developing an entrepreneurial mindset is one of the best self-growth initiatives someone can undertake. Individuals who actively work to develop an entrepreneurial mindset are transformed, rarely resembling the person that they once were. They are constantly educating themselves and gaining experience that will lead them to the goals they desire. They truly understand the importance of acquiring greater skill sets, which in turn gives them greater self-worth.
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M MUSIC
GETTING TO KNOW HUNTER HAYES by Joey Amato
14 | UNITE MAGAZINE
photo courtesy of Warner Music Nashville
When Hunter Hayes performed his new single “Invisible” at the 2014 Grammy Awards in January, the dreamlike moment was one of many he has experienced since releasing his self-titled debut album in October 2011. Hayes used the setting to premiere his most personal song to date, a moving, piano-driven ballad he wrote about feeling like an outcast growing up. “I was a solid mass of nerves,” Hayes admits. “I was sick to my stomach almost the entire week before. We had a day off; I took a drive up the Pacific Coast Highway to try to get my mind off it, but it didn’t work.” Hayes was anxious because he not only would be performing for the music industry’s biggest stars and nearly 30 million people watching at home, but he would also be putting the song’s message out there to the world for the first time. “Every time I talk about it, I get very emotional.” “Invisible,” the lead-off track from Storyline, Hayes’s second studio album, sprang out of a conversation that Hayes had with the song’s co-writers, Katrina Elam and Bonnie Baker. “We were in tears half the day talking about how our obsession with music made us different and led us down a path where
there was no one else there,” he said. “While I had my parents, who totally supported me, I also had moments of feeling absolutely invisible, where no one really noticed anything about me. I think what inspired us the most was knowing that, as much as our stories have hurt us, at least we now have the perspective to look back on things and feel better. The important thing was to flip it and make it positive.” The song and segments of its accompanying music video portray the feelings many LGBT young people feel in high school where they are struggling to fit in, trying to combat bullying, and wondering why they aren’t like everyone else. “At school, I was a quiet kid,” Hayes says. “I was really shy. My safe zone was music. Writing songs was like keeping a journal. I really took it seriously when I realized how powerful a tool it was and how much I needed it. I spent a lot of time in the studio that I built at our house, so much so that I neglected going out. I skipped all the parties. I skipped the prom every year because it always fell on a date when I had a gig to play. Music was the one thing that was going really well, and I was going to give every minute to it that I possibly could.”
Though the isolation clearly took its toll, which he writes about so powerfully in “Invisible,” Hayes’s relentless focus clearly had its upside. Not only did his debut album establish Hayes as a leading talent in the country world, it also earned him a host of honors, including an American Music Award, a Country Music Association Award, two Teen Choice Awards, two American Country Awards, and a CMT Music Award for Artist of the Year. Hayes has also befriended Elton John and contributes a cover of “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” to the deluxe reissue of John’s classic 1973 album, which was released in March. On his latest album, Storyline, Hayes finds himself doing some serious soul-searching. “At 22, there’s a lot of trying to figure out love, which at the end of the day, I’ve realized I’ll never figure out, though the process of trying is fun.” Mostly, Hayes is looking forward to people hearing brand-new songs. “I’m just ready to say something new,” he says. “I’ve lived with the first record for so long, and I feel like I’ve written the next chapter and am ready to share it with the world. I’m ready to open up and tell my story.”
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a lot of work. “I’m constantly on social media outlets talking to people and promoting the show,” she says. “I’ve probably done more explaining for my actions and things that come out of my mouth than ever before.”
‘ PRIVATE LIVES OF NASHVILLE WIVES’
Both Betty Malo and her husband, Raul Malo of the Mavericks, one of the most revered men in country music, had many concerns about participating in the show. “On a personal level, Raul was nervous about how being on the show would impact my family,” she says. “Although being a business owner and philanthropist, he agreed that this would be a platform for me to grow my brand and support charitable causes on a national level.” A major proponent of the arts, Malo encourages people to support their local state museums and performing arts facilities.
by Sebastian Fortino
Both Malo and Fernandez are of Cuban descent and see Nashville as a city of diversity. “I’m incredibly proud of my Cuban roots and proud to share my heritage with anyone who will listen. Cubans are known for their zest of life, food, music, and dancing and, most importantly, their family-first values,” Fernandez mentions.
EMBRACE DIVERSITY The private lives of sisters Betty Malo and Ana Fernandez aren’t very private anymore, at least according to Malo. “I have always been a kind of behind-the-scenes girl,” she says, “so it’s strange to see myself on a magazine cover or in the newspaper. It’s taken me awhile to get over the shell shock.” Her sister, Ana Fernandez, who stars alongside her on TNT’s hit reality show Private Lives of Nashville Wives, is quick to add that filming the show was the easy part but selling the show has taken The Cast of Private Lives of Nashville Wives
16 | UNITE MAGAZINE
Even though the sisters are the only ethnic women on the show, Malo hopes that will change in the future. “I feel Nashville has become a melting pot, and I would like to see people from all walks of life participate in the show.” The sisters have infused many Cuban traditions into the series, most notably the infamous pig roast, probably one of the funniest mophoto courtesy of TNT
photo courtesy of TNT
ments of the current season. Another Cuban custom filmed is how to make cafécito (shot of Cuban espresso). “You will also definitely hear plenty of Spanish dialect, especially when I have to discipline my boys or lash out at Ana,” Malo adds. What really stands out about Fernandez and Malo is their unparalleled business acumen. Fernandez is a glass and glazing systems integrator who works very closely with the city of Nashville and is certified by the Tennessee Governor’s Office of Diversity Business Enterprises, the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, the Tennessee Department of Transportation, and the Tennessee Minority Supplier Development Council. As far as future business opportunities are concerned, Fernandez isn’t telling. “Some things are better left a secret,” she says. “A couple of things have presented themselves, but until they come through I’m going to stick with the saying, ‘loose lips sink ships.’ Just please keep your fingers crossed.” Malo is the owner and creative director of Betty Badd Couture, a fashion and jewelry accessories line for men and women. She began the company in the early 2000s and was immediately named MTV Designer of the Year at her first trade show. “I am renowned for incorporating an old-world fine arts gilding technique into my jewelry and accessories line,” she says. “My unique creations have accented the wardrobes of many celebrities and fashion photo shoots and sold in boutiques all over the world.” Furthermore, Malo would like to portray to the world that “not all women on reality shows are train wrecks.” “It is my intent to leave something my boys will inherit,” she says, “so I absolutely want to develop and grow my brand and continue to do my philanthropic work.” The sisters won’t admit who is better in front of the camera, but both are quick to mention that what you see is what you get. For more on Private Lives of Nashville Wives, visit www.tntdrama. com/series/private-lives-of-nashville-wives/.
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josh rogers Josh Rogers is the co-owner of RESULTS Fitness, a boutique-style personal-training and group-fitness studio located on Music Row. RESULTS was voted Best Local Gym/Health Club, and Rogers was voted Best Personal Trainer in the Nashville Scene’s “2013 Best of Nashville” issue. The child of an aerobics instructor, Rogers always had a love and passion for health and wellness, as it was always such a big part of his childhood. “I actually started teaching my first aerobics class in high school and was hooked from there,” he says, “which is why I decided to pursue my degree in exercise science. My goal had always been to open my own fitness studio, which became a reality two and a half years ago.” Rogers holds a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from Western Kentucky University and personal training group fitness certifications from the National Academy of Sports Medicine. He has been featured on CMT, MTV, and the Travel Channel, and he is also a regular fitness personality on both “More at Midday” on Nashville’s NBC Channel 4 and “Talk of the Town” on ABC Channel 5. In 2009, Rogers released his own workout DVD, No Excuses!, which garnered national attention, and he is a brand ambassador for Lululemon Athletica in the Hill Center. Rogers is actively involved in various charities throughout Middle Tennessee, including Nashville CARES, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee, and Achilles International of Nashville, and has an extensive modeling background, which includes print, commercials, and music videos. Rogers is quick to note that the biggest excuse people give for not getting in shape is time. “My feedback—make it a priority! Set a date everyday with your workout (trainer, class, treadmill, gym, etc.) just like you would with your significant other, and show up and love it.” Most importantly, he advises people to find something they enjoy and make it a regular part of their day. “You will find yourself more efficient, energized and an overall happier human being by making exercise a priority in your life. Not to mention, you will look and feel fierce!” In his spare time, Rogers enjoys taking classes at Shakti Power Yoga, fine dining, traveling, attending sporting events, and hanging out with friends and family.
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local star
Daphne larkin Trust in the flow. That’s how Daphne Larkin lives her life. In 2004, she cofounded Sanctuary for Yoga, Body & Spirit and changed the landscape of Nashville yoga. Larkin had always been inspired by the creative process, and through extensive work as a performing artist with a vibrant 12-year-long career in the music industry, she gained invaluable knowledge about business, promotion, and life experience. When the independent opportunity presented itself, Larkin made the leap away from Music Row and landed directly in her life’s work. “What began as a small studio in the heart of Green Hills grew into one of Nashville’s premier yoga studios,” she says. “Today, Sanctuary boasts a thriving community, a yoga clothing boutique, teacher training programs, and nearly 50 yoga classes a week, including both power and gentle yoga, yin yoga, beginner and advanced yoga, as well as prenatal and postnatal yoga.” Committed to fully immersing herself in her studies, Larkin dedicated more than a decade to traveling and studying, finding inspiration in many teachers and business models. Today, she is a leading vinyasa flow yoga teacher who travels around the country as a guest instructor and is influenced by her previous world travels assisting Shiva Rea, one of the yoga world’s most acclaimed teachers. Larkin holds the highest level of certification as a teacher and directs Sanctuary’s teacher training programs, where she has shared her knowledge with more than 100 aspiring instructors. Her latest project is Sanctuary’s newly released yoga DVD, Vinyasa Flow Yoga for Strength, Stability & Grace. “The DVD features nearly three hours of my signature flows and an original soundtrack by Nashville artist Thomas Anderson,” she says. For Larkin, compromise is never a question. She is grateful to be doing inspiring work direct from her heart, allowing her to share the practice of yoga, give back to the community, and empower others. She fully lives every moment with her partner—the love of her life, Stephanie McElvy. The couple has created a home that is their sanctuary and looks forward to many exciting adventures together. photo courtesy of Daphne Larkin
UNITE MAGAZINE | 19
N now
Nashville Pride Fest Announces Entertainment ADDS A FRIDAY NIGHT PRIDE CONCERT by Estella Pan
The 26th annual Nashville Pride Festival presented by Coors Light is proud to announce its largest entertainment lineup including NONONO, Betty Who, Lisa Loeb, Mary Lambert, JD Sampson, and local favorites Ponychase, Steff Mahan, and the Harmaleighs. This year’s celebration of equality will last two days and will include a Pride Concert on Friday, June 13, and the annual festival on Saturday, June 14, both at Public Square Park in downtown Nashville. Swedish pop group NONONO’s infectious hit single “Pumpin Blood” took the United States by storm in 2013. They are currently on tour across the US with many sold out dates. NONONO’s new album is due out later this year.
Betty Who
photos courtesy of Nashville Pride
Grammy-nominated Mary Lambert teamed up with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis in the hit “Same Love,” which has been on the U.S. single charts for over 30 weeks. Lambert recently performed on stage with Madonna and Macklemore in one of Grammy history’s most memorable moments. Australian singer Betty Who will bring her #1 chart-topping dance song “Somebody Loves You” to the stage. Betty Who became famous in 2013 after a YouTube video of a same-sex marriage proposal featuring her song went viral with more than 11.5 million hits. Lisa Loeb has been in the spotlight for two decades now with songs like “I Do” and her #1 hit “Stay (I Missed You).” She is still the only artist to ever have a number one single while not being signed to a recording contract. The self-defined gender outlaw JD Sampson will bring the feminist electro punk to the Pride crowd while hot local Nashville bands Ponychase, Steff Mahan, and The Harmaleighs round out the billing. QDP, DJ Ron, Lady B, and DJ Remedy will be spinning throughout the week as well. The Nashville Pride Festival will take place at Public Square Park on Friday and Saturday, June 13 and 14. Nashville Pride Weekend passes are $25; entrance into the Festival on Saturday, June 14, is $5 cash at the door without a weekend pass. For more info, visit www.nashvillepride.org.
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Lisa Loeb
Mary Lambert
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FROM CHORUS LINE TO KICKIN’ REAL ESTATE AGENT by A.J. Busé
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photo courtesy of Lon Hurst
Few would think someone from a career in dancing could become a talented, successful real estate agent, but once they met Lon Hurst with Nashville, Tennessee’s Village Real Estate, they would be proven wrong. “When I was growing up, I wanted to join the circus,” Hurst says with a grin, “but I ended up performing in musical theater.” The profession was not that different: the traveling, the performing, the long hours on the road, and the adoring crowds. Growing up in Michigan, Hurst was the son of a building contractor, but the thrill of the bright lights of Broadway took him to New York City as soon as he had the chance. There he worked as a dancer, actor, and singer for more than 20 years, 10 of which included traveling across Europe and performing in cities like London, Paris, and Munich and countries like Austria and Italy. However, Hurst pointed out, even though he was doing what he loved, living out of a suitcase lost its glamor, especially after performing A Chorus Line and West Side Story more than 1,000 times. Entering his 40s, Hurst had grown tired of the lifestyle he’d once dreamed about. The time had come to settle down and share what he knew with other dreamers and dancers. He went back to school and got a Masters in Dance from the University of Illinois and began teaching at nearby Illinois State. After teaching musical theater for a couple years at Penn State, he created and ran the dance and musical theater department at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. After five years of developing that program, the University of North Dakota asked him to start its dance program, and he moved to Grand Forks, only a few miles from the Canadian border. Although he enjoyed working with students and continuing to work in the musical entertainment field, Hurst began to long for a less frigid climate. While he had been moving around the country, his family had gradually been moving to Nashville. In an effort to settle down and reconnect with them, Hurst decided to also give Nashville a try. Three years later, he’s glad he made that decision. Reflecting on the building skills he learned from his dad as a child, Hurst began restoring and renovating older homes. The restoration of three of his own historical houses naturally led to a new career as a real estate agent, and he now has listings all over Middle Tennessee. Hurst has also become quite active in the community. He has served as co-chair of the Nashville Human Rights Campaign steering committee and as a board member and treasurer of OutCentral and has assisted with a recent GNAR Habitat for Humanity project. “It’s good to give back,” he says with pride. “I enjoy helping out.” Instead of spending the majority of his time on stage, Hurst now enjoys tending to his garden and swimming laps every day in the downtown YMCA pool to stay in shape. However, his musical theater days are not completely behind him. “I’d like to direct one day,” he says with both conviction and nostalgia in his voice.
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THE MANY COLORS OF by Jesse Walker A star since the 1960s, Dolly Parton has no plans of slowing down anytime soon. With her latest album, Blue Smoke, releasing on May 13, the 68-year-old country music legend still has the energy to embark on a new world tour to promote the album and reach out to her fans. Having grown up poor in East Tennessee, Dolly has deeply rooted Blue Smoke in a variety of influences from her life, and she feels that one of the most notable tracks is “Lay Your Hands on Me,” written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. “When I heard that song years and years ago when it first came out, I thought it would make such a perfect gospel song. I grew up in a Pentecostal Church where we really believed in laying your hands on people and praying for them,” Dolly says. “I really think it made a great gospel song! It’s one of my favorites on the whole album just because it’s different and we did all those bluegrass harmonies in addition to the choir.”
to recall the many things that blue smoke means to her. The song is a great reflection of where she grew up, the Great Smoky Mountains, often called the “Blue Smokies” because of the blue, smoke-like mist that rises from them. “The other ‘blue’ part of that smoke is that there was so much bluegrass influence with the instruments and the harmonies,” she says, before adding that the song is most literally about a train. “You just feel like you are going somewhere. You are getting out of a mess,” she says. Then, she adds with a laugh, “I don’t like to fly so I would rather ride a train. ‘Blue Smoke’ just seemed to fit all of those things.”
That gospel sound is just one of the “many colors” Dolly said is found on the album. She explained she makes music that her fans want to hear and that she personally enjoys, rather than catering to a commercialized radio sound. Bluegrass, gospel, mountain, country, pop, and rock aspects can all be found on the new album, creating a variety of sound that is very much on purpose.
Having already completed the Australia and New Zealand legs of her tour, Dolly will have a run of shows in the United States in May, followed by a widespread visit to Europe in June and July, including stops in Ireland, England, Wales, Germany, Norway, and Sweden. She notes the differences between American audiences and those in another country, especially how international audiences are so responsive to her show because neither she nor they know when they will get to see each other again. “I give it all I have got, and they give it all they have got,” she says, “so it really makes for a nice, fun show.”
Blue Smoke had been on Dolly’s mind as a great title for a project since her early bluegrass music, and she wrote the title track
Even while traveling, Dolly makes sure to write something every day. “Songwriting is just as natural as breathing to me,” she says.
photo courtesy of Dolly Records.
“It was a song that brought me out of the Smoky Mountains and sent me around the world.” When she is home, Dolly likes to plan two- to three-week periods when she will retreat to either her East Tennessee home or her Nashville lake house to do nothing but write. “I can come up with anywhere from 20 to 30 songs during that period of time,” she says and then quickly adds, “but they are not all good! “I do prefer to write alone because I just have such definite thoughts; it is like my little private time,” she continues, explaining that she has different instruments, including guitars, banjos, and a piano, in her home depending on what sound she is wanting for a particular song. Still, she sometimes will write with others, such as her brother, her uncle, and one of her aunts. Dolly realizes her international fans are not the only ones who have lifted her to icon-level status and embraces the way the LGBT community has come to love her. “Well, first of all, the guys want to look like me,” she jokes. “I’ve always said, it is a good thing I was born a woman or I would have definitely been a drag queen!” She thinks the community supports her because she, too, has been condemned and persecuted for who she is, what she thinks, and what she looks like. “I think people relate to me because they know that I understand what it’s like to
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fight for being myself and overcoming all sorts of things,” she says. “I don’t judge or criticize anybody. I’m not God, and I’m not a judge. I just love everybody.” She is honored and flattered not only that the drag queens like to dress like her but that the LGBT community truly understands her. “We are just people. We do what we do, love who we love, and can’t help who we are. We should proudly be that.” When it comes to what she does next, Dolly has a lot of ideas. “I just want to continue to do more and be better with the things I’ve got,” she says. “I want to write better songs. I want to record better records. I would love to do a children’s [television] show someday. I would love to have my own cosmetic company. I just always look for good things to write about, to talk about, and just try to do something to help somebody else. I have new dreams everyday, but one thing I am proud of is the Imagination Library and giving books to children.” Dolly has also received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2006 from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and is very proud and grateful for the recognition of her achievements. “It’s different than your family and friends saying it, but when that many special people think I’ve done something, I must have done pretty good,” she says. “I’m so grateful and thankful that I have had a chance to see my dreams come true unlike so many people in this world that can never say that. “I ain’t done yet!” she adds. “I hope to do this for a long time more. I don’t ever intend to retire.” Dolly will be bringing her classics like “Jolene” and “Coat of Many Colors” as well as all the new tunes from Blue Smoke to audiences in the United States and worldwide as her Blue Smoke World Tour continues. The album launches May 13. Visit www.dollyparton.com for a full list of tour dates.
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photo courtesy of Dolly Records.
LISA LAMPANELLI Fat Girl Interrupted ONE-WOMAN THEATRICAL SHOW
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TPAC.ORG/Shows • 615-782-4040 TPAC Box Office Downtown
TPAC.org is the official online source for buying tickets to TPAC events. Photo by Dan Dion.
M MUSIC
TEGAN & SARA
BRING GIRL POWER TO NASHVILLE by Jesse Walker “This award isn’t about the important people we’re sitting with—our parents, our managers, our best friends—it’s about you,” Sara Keirsten Quin said, as she and her identical twin, Tegan Rain, accepted their 2014 Juno Award for Single of the Year for their song “Closer.” The musical duo took home two other trophies from the Canadian music awards show, Group of the Year and Pop Album of the Year for Heartthrob, and are experiencing a career many musicians spend a lifetime dreaming of. Tegan and Sara began making music together at age 15. Playing guitar and writing songs, they quickly found international success as an opening act on Neil Young’s tour. Now at age
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33, the twins have grown both musically and professionally. “Our approach to our career, music, songwriting, and performance has completely changed,” Tegan says. “I think most of it was just a natural evolution—more than a decade of working and exploring and developing our business and craft. The major change has been us growing confident in our abilities. Our worst fear is growing bored with our music and band. So we constantly change it up! We weren’t that bold when we started.” Although twins, they each have a unique approach to their music. “Sara tends to pour over her ideas and songs for much longer than I do. I tend to be a bit more impatient,” Tegan says. “Before you start a band with your sibling, consider how you might resolve disputes or settle differences that are brought out in the spotlight.” Tegan and Sara explained they are really good at resolving conflicts quickly and do not let strife get in the way of their music or putting on a fantastic show. The openly gay sisters focus their career completely on the music. “Our career is about making music, performing live, and seeing the world,” Sara says. “We, of course, are ambitious and hard working and want to reach as many people as we can, but first and foremost, it’s about creating music we are
Tegan & Sara
photo by Chris Buck
proud to put out and happy to play live. We love our LGBT fans and work very hard to help change parts of the world that aren’t as supportive of the LGBT community.” Macklemore and Ryan Lewis featured Tegan and Sara at the 2013 Osheaga Music Festival in Montreal, where they helped perform the smash hit “Same Love.” “It’s a fantastic song, with an incredible message,” Tegan says. “For us, it was a really big step to see a group like them spend two years speaking out about equality and the LGBT community! It was huge and really fun to do!” Themes of love and general relationships carry throughout the duo’s music. Tegan and Sara simply write songs that relate to their entire audience regardless of who they are. “We can all find common ground when it comes to love. I think this has made our relationship with our audience super real and honest,” Sara explains. “Our fans are interested in a lot more than our music. I think they come to our shows because the community is open and accepting.” This transparency and honesty is reflected in the success of their seventh studio album, Heartthrob. The girls recently teamed up with Andy Samburg’s comedy group, The Lonely Island, to record “Everything Is Awesome,” the theme song for The LEGO Movie. However, when it comes to new music, the duo typically does not write while on the road. While a new album is not in the works, they hope to begin working on a one soon. “We love pop music, so it is likely we will make another record in that genre,” Tegan says. “But, you never know, the music just comes, and it directs us where to go!” Later this year, Tegan and Sara will hit the road with superstar Katy Perry on The Prismatic World Tour. From September 9 through October 8, they will bring their music to audiences across the United States and Canada and Tegan is looking forward to the opportunity to tour arenas. “We love Katy Perry,” she says. “She is really a lovely person who is really interested in music. We both enjoy her records very much and love her live show. It’s an honor to be asked. She seems to attract a really wide spectrum of people to her shows, and we are really excited to reach more people than we ever have before!”
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Even though they won’t be joining Katy Perry for her June 27 stop in Nashville, Tegan and Sara will be visiting one of their favorite music destinations soon. Their own Let’s Make Things Physical tour will stops at Marathon Music Works on May 12 at 8 p.m. with openers Lucious and The Courtneys. Tickets can be purchased at www.marathonmusicworks.com.
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Z zen
SOUL CARE INTEGRATING CARE OF BODY AND SPIRIT by Brian Hooper, MDiv, PsyD
Each week, I attend a business networking meeting with others from a variety of professions. At a recent meeting, I was both surprised and gratified when a man I had seen in my private practice stood up and said, “It is common today to talk about working out with a personal trainer for physical fitness goals, but it is still taboo to talk about seeing a psychotherapist. I’d like to see that change.” He then graciously affirmed my work with him in a counseling session during which he had engaged his inner “soul work.” As we reflect on our individual health and wellness, it is important to give attention to the well-being of both psyche (soul) and soma (body). Soul is the intersection of the earthly experience of body and spirit. We are well acquainted with our bodies, so understanding their importance takes little explanation. Spirit and spirituality rise above our bodily concerns and reflect the “higher order values” associated with our connection to all that is. Some call it “cosmic consciousness.” Viewed alone, spirit is all too often seen in the light of an ephemeral halo that untethers it from being grounded in our earthly experience. When that outlook governs, spirituality can take on the character of Peter Pan and refuse to grow up; it becomes all sky and ideas with little earth and gritty experience. Being soulful requires some embodied inner work for us to be fully developed and formed. Although any respected trainer will help you personalize your workout routine, some basics apply to everyone. What follows are three basics for being soulful, spiritually awake, and comfortable in your body. • Notice the thoughts that you are thinking. Are they an honest and reasonable appraisal of what you see in the world around you and within you? What is your mental ratio of gratitude to criticism of self and others? What theme is more dominant in your daily life: fear or freedom? The ancient Greeks thought that the source of light by which we see was from the eye itself. In one sense, they were correct; we tend to see more of what we expect to
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see. Reflecting on our own thoughts is deeply spiritual work because doing so helps us face important existential questions: Who am I? What are my deepest values? Where am I going? Getting under our skin, such questions become a soulful process. • Keep yin and yang in balance. We are both receptive and assertive beings. In an entrepreneurial culture and capitalist society with a motto of “bigger, better, faster,” yang (assertive) energy often gets “top billing.” The result of yang energy alone often is burnout. Yin (receptive, nurturing) wisdom knows the power of the open and creative process that happens in the depth of the psyche when the night deepens, the moon keeps her watch, and dreams come to visit. Yin calls us to be silent, to retreat, to reflect, and to rest. A balance of yang and yin can find you enjoying a day “out” with friends and a night “in” without email, television, text messages, or Facebook. • Practice breathing. For five minutes twice a day, sit in a relatively quiet and secluded place and breathe. Take full yet comfortable breaths. Inhale through the nose and out through the mouth as if you were blowing through a straw. Focus on your breath alone, treating random thoughts as birds flying overhead. With each distraction, return your attention to your breath. Why? This positively affects the neurochemistry of the brain, bringing a sense of calm. It will also begin to give you another option to the response of “fight or flight” when something angering or anxiety-provoking comes along. A more helpful response can be just a breath away. Many of us spend much time and energy nourishing and tending our bodies. This care can indeed be part of our soulful work. If, however, you sense an ache, echo, or hunger within that just does not seem to be healed, filled, or fed, then the signs are that the soul is asking for attention. Listen to it. It has your best interest at heart.
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dining
Warm Smoked Salmon Salad with Chili Lime Dressing.
Warm Smoked Salmon Salad with Chili Lime Dressing recipe courtesy of Chef Joshua Simpson
Ingredients 1–1-1/2 pounds new potatoes, halved 1 bundle asparagus tips Mushrooms, lightly sautéed in olive oil, with champagne vinegar salt and pepper Mixed salad leaves (including young beetroot leaves, spinach, arugula, kale, and watercress) 1 bunch each parsley and mint, leaves picked and roughly chopped 3 medium radishes, thinly sliced 4 cumquats thinly sliced 2 medium tomatoes cut into quarters 3–6 ounces hot smoked salmon steaks, skin removed 4 spring onions, slices diagonally
For the dressing 3 tbsp. lemon juice ½ cup, olive oil 1 tsp. wholegrain mustard 2 tsp. organic honey 2 red chillies, minced
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Boil potatoes in salted water for 10 minutes or until fork tender, adding the asparagus tips for the final 60 seconds of cooking. Drain and allow to cool. In a medium skillet, sauté the mushrooms until tender, seasoning with salt and pepper, add two or three teaspoons of champagne vinegar to deglaze the pan. Allow the mushrooms to cool. Whisk together the salad dressing ingredients, season to taste. On a large serving platter scatter new potatoes. In a large bowl, toss together the asparagus, mushrooms, salad leaves, herbs, radishes, and cumquats. Add two-thirds of the dressing, thoroughly mix through the salad, and then spread the salad over the potatoes on the platter. Break the warm smoked salmon into large chunks, and then scatter it over the top along with the spring onions. Finish by pouring remaining dressing over the top and garnish with the tomato wedges. Chef ’s notes: If smoked salmon is not available, try seasoning the salmon with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and grilling it. Baked salmon is also delicious.
Ingredients 12 sheets of filo dough, thawed and unrolled (keep under very lightly damp paper towel) 1 stick salted butter, melted and clarified 1 package Boursin goat cheese, room temperature cut into quarters 1 large onion, sliced thinly and caramelized 4 medium tomatoes cut into quarters 2 fresh basil leaves, sliced 2 sprigs of thyme, picked 4–5 leaves of oregano, chopped Salt and pepper Pre-heat your oven to 350˚. Line a sheet pan with a nonstick matt. For the tart shell: You will need a pastry brush, a sharp knife and a saucer. Place one sheet of the dough on a cutting board (keep the remaining dough under a slightly damp paper towel to keep it from drying out) using the pastry brush lightly butter the entire sheet (a little butter goes a long way). Layer six sheets of dough and repeat this process with the remaining six sheets. Using a sharp knife and a six-inch bowl or a cookie cutter cut out a circle. Making sure that the top is buttered also. You will need at least four circles of dough. Place on the cookie sheet or in a tart tin. For the filling: In the center of the dough, spread the cheese, leaving a one-inch border all the way around. Evenly distribute the onions between the four tarts. Place each quartered tomato in the center of the tart shell (making a star). Season with basil, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper. Rustic Tomato Tarts
photos courtesy of Joshua Simpson
Rustic Tomato Tarts recipe courtesy of Chef Joshua Simpson
Slightly crimp or fold the dough up so that the cheese doesn’t run off the sides while baking. Place in the 350˚ oven and bake for 12–15 minutes until the dough is slightly dark brown in spots and the bottom is browned as well. Chef ’s notes: Use a tart tin to help form the shape or wrap a string of butchers twine around the tart and tie it off to help hold everything in. Butcher’s twine will give you a more rustic look. Just be sure to remove it before serving.
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DRAG’N BRUNCH
Brunch Is a ‘Drag’ AT SUZY WONG’S Thanks to the folks at Suzy Wong’s House of Yum, Nashville has a new Sunday brunch option. Drag’n Brunch began a few weeks ago and has become an overwhelming success due to the abundance of talented performers and the unique menu created by executive chef Arnold Myint. “Drag’n Brunch is a concept that we have been developing for a few months but have not been able to, up until recently, get all of the creative energies together to make it happen,” says Micah Bennett, the restaurant’s manager. “Nashville has a really vibrant food culture, and brunch has developed into a sort of happening in Nashville. Suzy Wong’s Drag’n Brunch is a great opportunity to experience something that is unique and entertaining.” The menu at Drag’n Brunch is eclectic, featuring a variety of brunch favorites along with a few unique items with delicious flavor profiles, as you would expect from Suzy Wong’s.
Advocating for Same Sex Partners Financial and Legal Issues • Estate Protection • Personal Protection • Income Protection • Tax Protection • Investment Protection An industry leader in educating clients, peers, and adult learners in estate planning and wealth transfer, Frank C. Weightman, PH.D., CEP, is a strong advocate for the Nashville LGBT community. His office is located at 341 Cool Springs Blvd., Suite 210, Franklin, TN 37067, 615.261.4632. Securities and advisory services offered through FSC Securities Corporation, member FINRA/SIPC. Radian Partners is not affiliated with FSC or registered as a broker-dealer or investment advisor.
“We put together something that is recognizable to that of a typical brunch but still has nuances of the restaurant,” says Arnold Myint, co-owner and celebrated chef of Suzy Wong’s House of Yum. “My inspiration is that of a morning after a great night out with friends, where you want to keep the party going.” If there was any doubt that Myint couldn’t keep the party going, the two-for-one mimosas really keep the atmosphere fun and lively. Some menu standouts include Hong Kong Millionaire, which consists of BBQ-pulled pork, bacon, scrambled eggs, queso, and tomato confit served on a French fry “hash” with Sriracha and scallions. Another of Myint’s creations is Katsu Chicken & Waffles, a wonderful pairing of Panko chicken with bacon crumbles, bourbon syrup, and cinnamon butter. For those looking for something on the lighter side, try the Peanut Chicken Salad, pulled chicken served with shredded vegetables, peanut sauce, and lettuce leaves. Drag’n Brunch takes place every Sunday at Suzy Wong’s House of Yum from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Reservations are suggested. Visit www.suzywongsnashville.com for more information.
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C comedy
THE ‘QUEEN OF MEAN’ BRINGS ONE-WOMAN SHOW TO TPAC by Joey Amato
Lisa Lampanelli is comedy’s lovable “Queen of Mean.” Heralded as “more than a standup—a standout” by comedy legend Jim Carrey, Lampanelli is a cross between Don Rickles, George Carlin, and All in the Family’s Archie Bunker. Her raunchy, gut-busting performances have garnered her huge success, and she has appeared on the newest season of NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice. As a final four contestant, Lampanelli raised well over $100,000 for the Gay Men’s Health Crisis. Her fondness for the gays is clearly evident. “I am really a strong advocate for the LGBT community,” she says. “Whether it’s raising money or taking on the Westboro Baptist Church, once you become friends with somebody, you can kind of make fun of them more. Gay guys also have a better sense of humor. They don’t have a stick up their ass.” The New York Times called Lampanelli an “equal opportunity offender,” and she brings her new production, Fat Girl Interrupted, to Nashville this July. The one-woman show, which she wrote with 700 Sundays writer Alan Zweibel, is helmed by Tony Award-winning director John Rando and will be her first theatrical production. “It’s not stand up. It’s a pre-Broadway run,” Lampanelli explains. “It’s about my struggle with food and weight, and because I am telling the story in a really funny way, it’s inspiring to people who have any issues they are dealing with.” She says fans should expect “a lot of laughs per minute. Nothing is too serious of a subject not to make a joke about.” Lampanelli’s rise to the top of the comedy food chain began in 2002 when she was the only female comedian invited to skewer Chevy Chase on the NY Friars Club Roast on Comedy Central. She soon became known as the “Queen of the Roast,” going on to skewer such names as Pamela Anderson, Jeff Foxworthy, William Lisa Lampanelli
photo courtesy of TPAC
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Shatner, Flava Flav, and, most recently, David Hasselhoff. Because of her success as a roaster, in 2009 Lampanelli was asked to be Roastmaster for the highly rated Comedy Central roast of friend and fellow comic, Larry the Cable Guy. She has won over a lot of other comedians along her journey to success. Jim Carrey is one of Lampanelli’s biggest advocates. “If you want to see real racial integration, go to a Lisa Lampanelli show,” he says. “That’s where you’ll find people of every color and creed having a good laugh at themselves and each other. No one is safe from prejudice.” Lampanelli may appear mean on stage, but in reality, she is one of the nicest people you’ll meet. “I love everybody. If I make fun of one group, I better make fun of all groups,” she says, explaining her willingness to offend just about everyone in the audience. “It just started taking off. My major inspiration is Howard Stern because he speaks so openly, so candidly, and so fearlessly. And Don Rickles, for that lovability. You can make fun of people, but they understand what’s really in your heart.” Lampanelli is also quick to offer advice to other LGBT comics trying to make a name for themselves. “Run for your life, the angry straights are after you to torture you,” she jokes. “Basically, be yourself. I am so sick of people being in the closet. I’ll never know that exact pain, but be who you are. The sooner you put it out there, the better. Don’t wait until 20 years into your career. “The only hurdles are self-imposed: fear of failure, fear of success. People tell you that you have to be a certain way. Just answer to yourself. Cher is famous for saying, ‘I only answer to two people: God and myself,’ and you know how the gays feel about Cher. Cher knows that’s the truth!” The Tennessee Performing Arts Center will host Fat Girl Interrupted in TPAC’s Andrew Johnson Theater for two nights only: Friday, July 25, at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. and Saturday, July 26, at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are available at www.tpac.org, by phone at (615) 782-4040, and at the TPAC Box Office, 505 Deaderick Street in Nashville.
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NFW by Kyle Kressin The 2014 Nashville Fashion Week offered yet another fantastic showcase of local and national couture designers. Shows at Marathon Music Works and along 5th Avenue were joined by daily panel discussions with industry leaders, including Fern Mallis, the creator of New York Fashion Week. The 5th Avenue show was accompanied by a reception at Rymer Gallery and featured a fusion of art and fashion where the models walked the catwalk with canvases in hand. With cameras flashing and music blasting, models paraded the runway wearing designs by Leona, Pink Elephant, and Julia Clancey.
“My Pretty Pink Shoes�
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photos courtesy of Nashville Fashion Week
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Exhibit closEs junE 22
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Exhibit OpEn May 16–nOvEMbEr 9 STEP INSIDE This House
@countrymusichof 222 5th Ave. South • Downtown Nashville • 615.416.2001 • CountryMusicHallofFame.org The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is operated by the Country Music Foundation, Inc., a Section 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization chartered by the state of Tennessee in 1964.
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100 oaks (615) 371-1210 | skyline medical center (615) 724-0066 npspharmacy.com
LGBT BUSINESS DIRECTORY ART GALLERIES Rymer Gallery 233 5th Ave N (615) 752-6030 www.therymergallery.com
ATTRACTIONS Cheekwood Botanical Garden 1200 Forrest Park Drive (615) 356-8000 www.cheekwood.org Frist Center for the Visual Arts 919 Broadway (615) 244-3340 www.fristcenter.org Ryman Auditorium 116 5th Avenue North (615) 889-3060 www.ryman.com Schermerhorn Symphony Center 1 Symphony Place (615) 687-6400 www.nashvillesymphony.org Tennessee Performing Arts Center 505 Deaderick Street, 3rd Floor www.tpac.org War Memorial Auditorium 301 6th Avenue North www.wmarocks.com
BOOK RETAILERS Barnes & Noble 2501 West End Avenue (615) 343-2665 www.vanderbilt.bncollege.com Hope Diamond Collection, Inc. www.josephmcleangregory.com
CREATIVE SERVICES b-kreative, llc (615) 870-4545 www.b-kreativellc.com Jump Start Agency (615) 656-5277 www.jsanow.com
Be a part of the UNITE Magazine LGBT business directory. Email joey@unitemag.com for more information.
44 | UNITE MAGAZINE
EVENT SPACES
MEDICAL SERVICES
Scarritt-Bennett Center 1008 19th Avenue South (615) 340-7500 www.scarrittbennett.org
Dr. Bradley Bullock—General 1607 Westgate Circle, Suite 200 Brentwood (615) 376-8195
FINANCIAL SERVICES
Dr. Brian Hooper—Psychotherapy (615) 485-5923 www.drbrianhooper.com
Capital Financial Chris Robinette 12 Cadillac Drive, Brentwood (615) 309-6468 www.capitalfinancialgroup.net Fifth Third Bank Fifth Third Center 424 Church Street, Suite 700 (615) 687-3115 www.53.com Radian Partners 341 Cool Springs Boulevard (615) 261-4632
FLORAL DESIGNERS OSHi Flowers 150 Third Avenue South (615) 259-0444 217 A. Sixth Avenue North (615) 254-6744 www.oshiflowers.com
INSURANCE Insurance for Tennessee Tom Lejsek (615) 822-5007 InsuranceForTennessee@comcast.net New York Life Erik Lindsey 840 Crescent Centre Dr. Franklin (615) 224-9572
LEGAL SERVICES Rubenfeld Law Office, PC Abby Rubenfeld 2409 Hillsboro Road, Suite 200 (615) 386-9077 arubenfeld@rubenfeldlaw.com
Dental Bliss—Dental Services 151 Rosa Helm Way, Franklin (615) 794-8810 Dr. Allan Redash—Integrative/ Natural Medicine 953 Main Street #111 (615) 226-2244 http://drredash.com Toyos Clinic—Eye Care 600A Frazier Drive, Suite #110 Franklin (615) 764-1999 1800 State Street, Nashville (615) 327-4015 www.toyosclinic.com
NIGHTLIFE Play 1519 Church Street (615) 322-9627 www.playdancebar.com Stirrup 1529 4th Ave S (615) 782-0043 www.stirrupnashville.com Trax 1501 Ensley Blvd. (615) 742-8856 Tribe 1517 Church Street (615) 329-2912 www.tribenashville.com
NONPROFIT The Community Foundation 3833 Cleghorn Avenue, Suite 400 (615) 321-4939 www.cfmt.org Prime Timers (615) 269-3263 www.tnprimetimers.org
REAL ESTATE Exit Realty Kel Williams (615) 957-5626 Village Real Estate Lon Hurst (615) 946-3177 lhurst@villagerealestate.com
RESTAURANTS Batter’d & Fried 1008-A Woodland Street (615) 226-9283 www.batteredandfriend.com Beyond the Edge 112 South 11th Street (615) 226-3343 www.beyondtheedge.net East Side Drifters 1008-B Woodland Street (615) 262-2776 www.driftersnashville.com Watanabe 1400 McGavock Pike (615) 226-1112 www.watanabesushibar.com
RETAIL The Label 2222 12th Avenue South (615) 915-0722 www.thelabelnashville.com
SALONS/SPAS Elan Hair & Skin 3756 Hillsboro Pike (615) 269-0222 www.elannashville.com Studio BBC 1219 17th Avenue South (615) 473-6954 www.studiobbcsalon.com Studio Gaven 100 International Drive, Franklin (615) 503-9788 www.studiogaven.com
TRAVEL Cruise Planners (615) 953-9516 www.letsvamoose.com Tropicana Evansville (800) 342-5386 www.tropicanacasinos.com
1501 Ensley Blvd 12:00 PM - 3:00 AM 615.742.8856
tv television
Twenty Favorites
WITH NASHVILLE'S CHRIS CARMACK Favorite Car You’ve Owned: Volkswagen Jetta Favorite Restaurant in Nashville: Ken’s Sushi in Midtown Favorite Food: BBQ Favorite Drink on a Hot Summer Day: Cold Beer Favorite Movie of all Time: The Big Lebowski Favorite Musician/Band: Buddy Guy Favorite Place to Go on a Date in Nashville: Midtown Bars Favorite Bar in Nashville: Losers Favorite Song: “Hard to Handle” by The Black Crowes Favorite Place to Relax in Nashville: Harpeth River Favorite Road Trip Destination: Grand Canyon Favorite Hobby: Music and Playing Guitar Favorite Live Music Venue in Nashville: The Ryman Auditorium Favorite Item of Clothing You Can’t Live Without: Definitely jeans Favorite Sports Team: Baltimore Orioles or the Ravens Favorite Flavor of Ice Cream/Froyo: I can’t eat either; I’m lactose intolerant. Favorite Famous Person Living or Dead, You’d Like to Meet? Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
photo by Bob D’Amico for ABC
Favorite TV Rerun You Could Watch 50 Times? Breaking Bad Favorite Board Game: Jigsaw Puzzles Favorite City in the World: Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic
46 | UNITE MAGAZINE
Chris Carmack stars as Will Lexington on ABC’s Nashville.
THE HOTTEST PARTIES IN NASHVILLE ARE ON CHURCH STREET!
PRIDE KICK-OFF
FRI JUNE 13 /PLAYDANCEBAR @PLAYDANCEBAR
THE
EVIL
QUEEN
/TRIBENASHVILLE @TRIBENASHVILLE
JOSLYN FOX FROM RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE
PARTY
FRI MAY 30 WITH COSTUME CONTEST & PRIZES
FRI MAY 23
1517 CHURCH ST | 615.329.2912 | TRIBENASHVILLE.COM 1519 CHURCH ST | 615.322.9627 | PLAYDANCEBAR.COM
ALWAYS SUPPORTING PROGRESS. At Nissan, we are proud supporters of Tennessee Pride and those participating. Nissan.® Innovation that Excites.
TM
The Most Owned EV on the Planet. Always wear your seatbelt, and please don’t drink and drive. www.nissanusa.com
