April 2016 Murfreesboro Pulse by The Murfreesboro Pulse

APRIL 2016 | VOL. 11, ISSUE 4 | FREE

Middle Tennessee’s Source for Art, Entertainment and Culture News

JAZZ IS BACK Terell Stafford and many more to play 2016 Main Street JazzFest on May 6–7

 SCHEDULE ON PAGE 16

Shire of Emerald Academy offers escape from the mundane life Murfreesboro Community Garden uses green thumbs for the good of all

IN MUSIC

BLAZEFEST, PADDLIN’ FOR PAWS, WICK-IT THE INSTIGATOR, BORO FONDO, MURFREESBORO SYMPHONY AND MORE!

Contents

MURFREESBORO PULSE | APRIL 2016

BORO ART CRAWL APRIL 8

ANNIE SELLICK PLAYS JAZZFEST

MTSU MEN'S BASKETBALL SCORES HUGE WIN

Features

Bash at Blackman High featuring music, food and family fun to raise funds for new JROTC Building.

Terell Stafford, Annie Sellick, Roland Barber and others to play 2016 JazzFest, May 6–7.

Shire of Emerald Academy offers escape from the mundane life through weekly role play at Old Fort Park.

BLAZEFEST

JAZZFEST

HOW WE ROLE

Helping hands growing plants for everyone.

Talented artists and musicians come together to showcase their works at local businesses, April 8.

COMMUNITY GARDEN

BORO ART CRAWL

In Every Issue

Stunt Tha Boss; Rites of Spring and more!

THIS MONTH

Living

Events Special Olympics, Adventures in Agriculture, Pug Fest and much more! LOCAL CONCERTS

The Weeks, Robert Eskew, Thunderfrog and more!

Sounds MUSIC NOTES

Wick-It the Instigator; Boro Fondo; Hot Tuna; Big Smo &

Arts Exhibit; The Lion King Jr. at Center for the Arts

Reviews

GARDENING

And the cycle begins again.

MOVIES

10 Cloverfield Lane; Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice

Food

Station Grill pays homage to Murfreeesboro.

LIVING ROOM CINEMA

True Controversy BOOK

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

Comedian Hannibal Buress; MTSU Fine

Andrew Adkins; Rescued Souls

Art

LOCAL ALBUM REVIEWS

BUSINESS BUILDER

Opinion THE STOCKARD REPORT

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss: County hires former PCC employees LIVE EXCEPTIONALLY . . . WELL!

Love More.

VIEWS OF A CONSERVATIVE

Mainstream media tries to paint conservatives as violent lunatics.

How to generate more leads with less effort.

Sports SPORTS TALK

Some propose lowering rim for women’s basketball. MTSU SPORTS

Men’s basketball team scores huge tournament win; Darius Johnson, KB and others working hard to earn NFL shot.

Visit us at BoroPulse.com for more!

Publisher/ Editor in Chief: Bracken Mayo

Art Director: Sarah Mayo Copy Editor: Steve Morley

Advertising: Jeff Brown Don Clark Leslie Russell Yost

Contributors: Dylan Skye Aycock, Sarah H. Clark, Gloria Christy, John Connor Coulston, Greg Crittenden, Tanner Dedmon, Jennifer Durand, Joseph Kathmann, Zach Maxfield, Bob Paxman, Robert Ritch, Edwina Shannon, Jay Spight, Andrea Stockard, Sam Stockard, Kelda Sturgis, Norbert Thiemann, Phil Valentine

To carry the PULSE at your business, or submit letters, stories and photography: bracken@boropulse.com 10 N. Public Square, Murfreesboro, TN 37130 (615) 796-6248

Copyright © 2016, The Murfreesboro Pulse, 10 N. Public Square, Murfreesboro, TN 37130. Proudly owned, operated and published the first Thursday of each month by the Mayo family; printed by Franklin Web Printing Co. The Murfreesboro Pulse is a free publication funded by our advertisers. Views expressed in the Pulse do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. ISSN: 1940-378X

Word from the Editor WHAT ARE YOU DOING THIS SPRING, MURFREESBORO?

The area offers pugs, jazz, canoeing, 5k races, The Lion King onstage, funk bands, rock bands, blues bands, battle of the bands, cover bands, DJs, trivia nights, kite flying, fishing, climbing and more. Head to Old Fort Park each Saturday afternoon if you feel the urge to participate in mock Medieval battle (and crafting, possibly). Get those veggies planted. The time is now! The good folks at Valley Growers and Middle Tennessee Hydroponics would be pleased to help those interested in gardening discover where to start. The next rendition of the Boro Art Crawl will take place Friday, April 8. See the work of some of the area’s talented creators at various venues in the downtown Murfreesboro area. The parents and supporters of the Blackman High School JROTC program are promoting the big Blazefest concert fundraiser, coming up May 6. Get your tickets for this fun festival for the whole family at Nobody’s BBQ. Take care of yourself. Get some sun. Drink your water. Get plenty of rest. Stretch it out. Work those lungs and heart. And create something good! The Murfreesboro Entrepreneurs Association continues to meet the third Thursday of each month at Mayday Brewery. It is a support group of sorts for those who have no concept of “when do you get off work?” More and more video content is being made available online. Live sporting events, documentaries, music videos, movies, original series, homemade cellphone videos . . . there’s lots of entertainment to be had without the traditional “cable TV” service. “Why should I be paying all of this money for all of these channels, and still have to watch commercials on them? I’m canceling cable. Take that, Comcast!” the savvy consumer says. Oh wait, Comcast, my Internet service provider, just increased my rate for Internet service. I need that to watch all of the aforementioned entertaining online material. How are they still keeping everyone captive and paying?! Well, they offer a service that many just refuse to do without. Yes, each Pulse is packed with advertisements, but it is free for you to read each month! This is possible because of the support from our loyal sponsors. Pulse advertisers should be treated like royalty! Really, go see one soon, there’s quite a roster of great locally-owned businesses to choose from. Whether you’re looking for Shepherds’ Pie (O’Possum’s), art classes for kids (Starry Night Studio), vintage bicycles (Smoopy’s), chickens (Poultry Hollow Hatchery), personal fitness training (Championtone) or a fun trivia night (Brainiac), a Pulse sponsor has what you’re looking for. Go forth and make your life how you want it. Be honest, treat people with love and respect, and try your best and I say you have no reason to worry or feel badly about anything. I hope you find someone to lava. Peace, BRACKEN MAYO Publisher/Editor in Chief

BOROPULSE.COM

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Events COMPILED BY

ANDREA STOCKARD

Send event information to murfreesboropulse@yahoo.com

APRIL 7 DADDY-DAUGHTER PRINCESS BALL This daddy-daughter date night with music, dancing, pictures, chicken nuggets, horse and carriage rides, princesses and more will be at The Grove at Williamson Place (3250 Wilkinson Pk.) from 4:30–6:30 p.m. and 7–9 p.m. Thursday, April 7. Prepare to go all out and dress for the occasion! Tickets are available on eventbrite.com.

APRIL 7–9 MARTIN LUTHER KING III SPEAKS AT MTSU MTSU’s 2016 LGBT+ College Conference, slated for April 7–9 features presentations, strategy sessions and lectures with topics pertinent to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students. A film festival will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 7, in the Keathley University Center Theater; Director Yoruba Richen will present her filmThe New Black, about African-American churches’ perspectives on same-sex marriage, followed by a moderated discussion at 11 a.m. on Friday, April 8, in the Student Union Building; and an evening with singer/ songwriter Ryan Cassata will begin at 6 p.m. Friday, April 8, in the KUC Theater. Martin Luther King III, a man who took up his father’s mission of working to ensure equal rights for all Americans, will deliver the keynote presentation at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 9, in the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building. For more information, contact william.langston@mtsu.edu.

APRIL 7 EXCHANGE CLUB CELEBRITY WAITERS DINNER The Exchange Club of Murfreesboro will present its seventh annual Celebrity Waiters Dinner on Thursday, April 7, at Stones River Country Club. The event will have a a country-and-Western theme this year, and will be titled Opry in the ’Boro—Back Stage Pass. The evening begins with a reception at 6 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. and a live auction at 8 p.m. All proceeds from the evening will benefit the Exchange Club Family Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. For information, call (615) 849-5300.

APRIL 8 THE BORO ART CRAWL Experience some of Murfreesboro’s most talented artists at the Boro Art Crawl at 4 * APRIL 2016 * BOROPULSE.COM

various galleries and businesses throughout downtown Murfreesboro from 6–9 p.m. Friday, April 8. For more information, visit boroartcrawl.com.

APRIL 8–10 WEST TENNESSEE QUARTER HORSE SHOW Witness classes such as equitation, Western pleasure, horsemanship, showmanship and more at the Tennessee Miller Coliseum (304-B W. Thompson Ln.) April 8–10. Admission is free. For more information, call (865) 384-5055 or visit wtqha.com.

APRIL 9 SPECIAL OLYMPICS Support 485 students from Rutherford County and Murfreesboro City Schools’ alongside adults with intellectual disabilities as they compete in running, jumping and throwing a softball in the Special Olympics at MTSU Floyd Stadium (1327 Faulkinberry Dr.) from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Saturday, April 9. A “Torch Run” leaves Central Magnet School around 9:20 a.m.

APRIL 9 PAWS & PEARLS Join Paws & Pearls to benefit the Beesley Animal Foundation at AnnaLee Acres in Rockvale, 5–9 p.m. Saturday, April 9, for an evening of cocktails and wine, music from Larry & Gay Pinkerton and Avent Lane,

APRIL 9

Adventures in Agriculture

Adventures is Agriculture at Lane Agri-Park (315 John Rice Blvd.) from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday, April 9, has something for all ages including hands-on activities to teach families about the impact agriculture has on our everyday lives. Children can pick up a AIA passport and take the adventure of petting farm animals, riding the trolley, planting sunflowers, making butter and more while adults talk to local farmers and gardeners about agriculture. Food donations for the Rutherford county food bank are appreciated. For more information, call (615) 944-2060.

and dinner. Well-behaved leashed dogs are invited to join with dinner by Licker & Whine Pet Market and SJ’s Pet Yummies. Enjoy emcee Gerald Melton and a fashion show for humans and pets put on by Bella’s Boutique, The Boutique at StudioC, Trendy Pieces and more. The money raised at Paws & Pearls supports the various programs of the Beesley Foundation, promoting spay and neuter clinics and educational programs that stress the importance of responsible pet care in Rutherford and Cannon Counties. For more information, call (615) 217-1030 or visit beesleyanimalclinic.com.

APRIL 9

1st Annual Mid-Tennessee Pug Festival Join in the fun of celebrating pugs at General Bragg Trailhead Pavilion (1540 W. College St.) from 9–11 a.m. Saturday, April 9, with rafﬂes, a curliesttail contest, a costume contest and more family fun. Dress your pug in their best movie character costume. This event is hosted by the Murfreesboro Pug Lovers. Admission is free. For more information, visit pugfestival.com or facebook. com/pugfestival, or contact midtnpugfestival@gmail.com or (615) 956-3801.

APRIL 9 PERENNIAL PLANT SOCIETY PLANT SALE Purchase over 450 varieties of plants for gardens big and small and receive expert advice on choosing and growing the perfect plant from PPS gardeners at The Fairgrounds Nashville (500 Wedgewood Ave.) from 9 a.m. until noon. All profits from the sale support horticulture education and scholarships. For more details and a full plant list visit ppsmt.org. For more information, call (312) 259-6350.

APRIL 9 COMBO ROAD COURSE & CROSS COUNTRY The Combo Road Course & Cross Country 4K Race benefits the Rutherford County 4-H Endowment Fund beginning at Lane Agri-Park (315 John R. Rice Blvd.). The first mile is a road course and the remainder will be cross-country through Lane Agri-Park’s demonstration fields, horse arena, vineyards, orchards, etc. Registration begins at 7 a.m. with the race at 8:30 a.m. and awards following at 9:30. For more information, contact rvictor@utk.edu or (615) 898-7710.

APRIL 12 WORLD’S LARGEST SQUARE DANCE ORGANIZATION Those interested in the World’s Largest Square Dance at Uncle Dave Macon Days (July 7–9) can join this communitywide organizational meeting at Bradley Museum (415 S. Academy St.) at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 12. For more information, visit uncledavemacondays.com.

Show at 5 p.m. Saturday, April 16, in the Ned McWherter Learning Resources Center on the MTSU campus. The annual show highlights the many talents possessed by MTSU TXMD students. For more information, visit facebook.com/mtrunwayshow16.

APRIL 14 SOUTHERN WOMEN’S SHOW TRIP Enjoy a fun day trip to Nashville/Music City Center for the Southern Women’s Show with celebrity chefs, food, fashion, music and more. $30 per person includes transportation and admission. Bus loads at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, April 14, from LaneAgri Park (315 John Rice Blvd.). For more information, call (615) 898-7710.

APRIL 15 COFFEE WITH THE VETERANS Join Operation Adopt a Hero at Cultivate Coworking (107 W. Lytle St.) from 7:30–9 a.m. on the third Friday of each month for Coffee with the Veterans, an informal, social networking event designed to foster friendships between local veterans and their community. Enjoy coffee, pastries and the chance to meet and mingle with our service members and their families. For more information, call (615) 893-6565.

APRIL 15 CANNONSBURGH 3RD FRIDAY NIGHT CONCERT SERIES Bring your lawn chair or a blanket and enjoy live music and dancing at Cannonsburgh Village (312 S. Front St.) at 7 p.m. Friday, April 15. Admission is free. For more information, contact (615) 8900355 or shodges@murfreesborotn.gov

APRIL 16 10TH ANNUAL TOUR DE BORO Enjoy a beautiful day on your bike at the 10th Annual Tour De Boro, a 17, 30.9 and 64.9 mile bicycle race held by MTSU students at Barfield Crescent Park, pavilion 7 (697 Barfield Crescent Rd.) Saturday, April 16. Registration begins at 7 a.m. with the race beginning at 8:30 a.m. Participants receive breakfast, lunch, a T-shirt and goodie bag with their registration. For more information, call (615) 417-0462 or find Tour de Boro 2016 on active.com.

APRIL 16 3RD ANNUAL BE WELL BORO The Junior League of Murfreesboro presents its 3rd Annual Be Well Boro fest at Stones River Mall (1720 Old Fort Pkwy.) from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Saturday, April 16, to encourage community health awareness. Local residents are invited to visit with more than 30 health and wellness vendors during this free, family-friendly event with consultations, demonstrations, children’s activities, BMI screenings, a fashion show featuring Plato’s Closet, a clothing drive, raffle prizes, music by DJ Rod Youree of the Tennessee Titans and more. For information, call (615) 896-4486 or visit stonesrivermall.com.

APRIL 18 MURFREESBORO RESCUE MISSION FUNDRAISER

APRIL 18

Free Kona Ice Chill-Out Day

No taxation without relaxation! Relax as the island-themed Kona Ice Truck gives away free shaved ice at Reeves-Sain Pharmacy (1801 Memorial Blvd.) from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. and Smyrna Towne Center (100 Sam Ridley Pkwy. E., Smyrna) from 3–5 p.m. Monday, April 18, to help the community “chill out” on Tax Day. To learn more about Kona Ice, visit kona-ice. com or facebook.com/konaicemidtn.

APRIL 16 CANDLE WISHES FAMILY 5K

Due to concerns about the needs of homeless persons in Murfreesboro, the Rutherford County Democratic Party will hold a fundraiser for the Murfreesboro Rescue Mission at 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 18, at Cultivate Coworking (107 W. Lytle St.) with guest speaker Ed Grimes. Attendees are encouraged to make a donation to the Murfreesboro Rescue Mission Building Fund. The Rutherford County Democratic Party opens membership meetings to provide an engaging setting where Democrats can work together to accomplish tasks, learn about the County Party’s goals and work toward solving our community problems. For more information, contact rcdpinfo@gmail.com.

will be held from 5–7 p.m. Thursday, April 21, at Mayday Brewery, 521 Old Salem Rd. All Middle Tennessee entrepreneurs and professionals are welcome to attend this casual, no-obligation event, where they can meet other small-business owners and tap into one another’s experience and energy. An open roundtable discussion will encourage participation from those in attendance, asking them to articulate their vision for their business and calling for examples of some of the business challenges and solutions they are experiencing. The series will continue the third Thursday of each month.

APRIL 21 MURFREESBORO SYMPHONY CONCERT: SIBELIUS AND BEETHOVEN Enjoy the virtuosic Sibelius Violin Concerto in D Minor at First United Methodist Church (265 W. Thompson Ln.) at 7:30 p.m. The MSO rounds out the evening with Beethoven’s epic Symphony No. 3 in Eb Major, “Eroica.” For more information, call (615) 898-1862 or visit murfreesborosymphony.com.

APRIL 21

APRIL 22

THE CONNECTION, BUSINESS NETWORKING AT MAYDAY

FREE ELECTRONICS TAKE-BACK EVENT

The Connection: an Evening of Professional Networking and Business Brainstorming

Recycle items at Sims Recycling Solutions (417 New Sanford Rd., La Vergne) from

Run in the Candle Wishes Family 5K and support the foundation’s mission to share the love of Christ by celebrating the birthdays of homeless and needy children in the community. The race will be held at Gateway Island (1827 W. College St.) from 9 a.m. until noon on Saturday, April 16. The after-party cool-down includes music, food, games, face painting, door prizes and more. For more information, call (615) 275-6614 or visit candlewishesfamily5K.com.

APRIL 16 CHARITY CIRCLE PATRONS PARTY The Charity Circle Patrons Party will be hosted in the picturesque Mirabella home of Dr. Britt and Mrs. Jan Mioton on Saturday, April 16, at 7 p.m. Step into the Miotons’ courtyard garden and the greens and blues of the French countryside, and treat yourself to the farm-fresh flavors and decors of the regions at the cocktail dinner buffet. Charity Circle is a women’s organization founded in 1910 and benefits the health and welfare of families in Murfreesboro. In 2015, the organization distributed more than $305,000 to 33 local agencies. For tickets or more information, contact Joyce Taylor at joycehtaylor@yahoo.com.

APRIL 16 MTSU TEXTILES AND DESIGN RUNWAY SHOW The MTSU Textiles, Merchandising and Design program will hold its Fashion Runway BOROPULSE.COM

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8 a.m.–noon Friday, April 22. Items accepted include computers, laptops, servers, copiers, printers, scanners, fax, cellphones, hard drives and speakers. Item not accepted include CRT monitors, TVs, liquids, gases, air conditioners and fridge units. For more information, call (615) 751-5812.

APRIL 28 JOURNEYS IN COMMUNITY LIVING 2016 CELEBRATION AND SILENT AUCTION Journeys in Community Living invites you to its 2016 Annual Celebration and Silent Auction from 6–8 p.m. on Thursday, April 28 at the DoubleTree Hotel (1850 Old Fort Pkwy.), where supporters can bid on exclusive items to help benefit people with disabilities who have been served by this organization. For more information on auction items, performers and the organization, or for tickets, contact (615) 295-3046 or visit journeystn.org.

APRIL 23 40TH ANNUAL PIONEER DAYS Enjoy cloggers, old-time music, crafters, hayrides, Harriet Tubman as played by June La Green, a blacksmith demonstration, a Murfreesboro Art League exhibit, an antique auto car show, barbecue contest and more at Cannonsburgh Village (312 S. Front St.) from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Saturday, April 23. Admission is free. For more information, contact (615) 890-0355 or shodges@murfreesborotn.gov.

APRIL 23 ROCKIN’ TO THE OLDIES SOCK HOP Barfield School of Dance (2298 Barfield Rd.) invites everyone to dance the night away from 7–10 p.m. for Mindful Care Adult Day Services, a program offering daily support to adults over the age of 55 who cannot be left alone. Tickets are $20 and donations are welcome. Enjoy jitterbug dance lessons and demonstrations, complimentary light refreshments and beverages, costume contests, twist-offs and dance contest with prizes. For more information, call (615) 896-3118.

APRIL 23 15TH ANNUAL EARTH DAY CELEBRATION Enjoy refreshments, children’s activities and live entertainment at the Murfreesboro Public Square from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Saturday, April 23, with environmental and educational booths on site. This event is free to the public. For more information, call (615) 494-0407.

APRIL 29 HEROES WALK FOR CHILDREN

APRIL 23

Kids Club: Earth Day Stones River Mall celebrates Earth Day with Kids Club: Earth Day from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. Saturday, April 23, in the mall’s Center Court (1720 Old Fort Pkwy.). Children are invited to learn about recycling and composting while they plant a keepsake herb garden and create Earth Day crafts. Enjoy complimentary face painting, balloon art and more. Admission is free. For information, visit stonesrivermall.com or call (615) 995-8105. Rutherford County Relay for Life. Tickets are available at MTCS (100 MTCS Rd.), or are $10 at the door. The concert will include tributes to Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Neil Diamond, Elvis Presley and many more, plus the patriotic independent country sensation “My Name is America.” For more information, visit toddallenshow.com.

APRIL 23 MURFREESBORO LOWE’S WOMEN BUILD CLINIC These clinics, held at Lowe’s (1825 Old Fort Pkwy.) from 2–4 p.m. Saturday, April 23,

are designed just for women to learn construction skills and get hands-on experience. Admission is free. To register or for more information, contact (615) 890-5877 ext. 106 or megan@rchfh.org.

APRIL 24 FREE FOOD AND CLOTHING Free food and clothes are given away at the Oakland Park 7th Day Adventist Church (711 N. Maney Ave) the 4th Sunday of every month from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. For more information, contact ken.hreha@oaklandsparksda.org.

APRIL 23 HELP A HORSE DAY OPEN HOUSE Ferrell Hollow Farm Senior Horse Sanctuary will celebrate Help a Horse Day from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. on Saturday, April 23. Enjoy horse-drawn wagon rides, art by Dina D’Argo and Diane Deason, a silent auction, tours of the farm and more. Help the farm compete for a chance to win $25,000 in prizes from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Ferrell Hollow Farm is located at 5323 Ferrell Hollow Road, Readyville. For more information visit ferrellhollowfarm.org.

APRIL 23 TODD HERENDEEN CONCERT FOR RELAY FOR LIFE Come out to Middle Tennessee Christian School for a Todd Herendeen Concert from 7–9 p.m. Saturday, April 23, benefiting the 6 * APRIL 2016* BOROPULSE.COM

Join the Hometown Heroes Walk for Children at the Murfreesboro Civic Plaza (110 W. Vine St.) beginning at noon and heading for the Child Advocacy Center (1040 Samsonite Blvd.) at 1 p.m. Friday, April 29. (Transportation to return to the square is available). For more information, call (615) 867-9000.

APRIL 30 UGLY DUCKLING BALL The Ugly Duckling Ball, benefiting the Charity Circle, is slated for Saturday, April 30, at Stones River Country Club. The four-course black-tie dinner will feature meats, cheeses and breads the discriminating Parisian palate would appreciate. Following the dessert course, partygoers will enjoy the sounds of the Erik Blue Band. Charity Circle is a women’s organization founded in 1910 and benefits the health and welfare of families in Murfreesboro. In 2015, the organization distributed more than $305,000 to 33 local agencies. For tickets or more information, contact Joyce Taylor at joycehtaylor@ yahoo.com.

TUESDAYS IN APRIL APRIL 29–30

Dixie Line Days Railroad enthusiasts of all ages, from the advanced scale modeler to the Thomas the Tank Engine fan, will converge in Wartrace on Friday and Saturday, April 29 and 30, for the fourth annual Dixie Line Days train show. The event, sponsored by the Dixie Flyer hobby shop, brings together hundreds of fans of miniature electric trains as well as those of the huge behemoths that ply the rails through downtown Wartrace every day courtesy of CSX Transportation. All events will take place within walking distance of downtown Wartrace. For more information, call (800) 465-0448 visit dixieflyertrains. com or email jerry@dixieﬂyertrains.com.

RAD WOMEN SELF-DEFENSE TRAINING RAD Women is a 12-hour personal safety and self-defense training class offered by the Murfreesboro Police Department at no charge throughout April on Tuesdays at 521 Mercury Blvd. or on Thursdays at the Public Annex Building training room (324 S. Church St.), from 5:30–8:30 p.m. For more information, call (615) 895-3874.

SATURDAYS IN APRIL BICYCLE TOURS OF THE STONES RIVER NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD Join a ranger for a free 90-minute bicycle tour of the Stones River National Battlefield (1563 N. Thompson Ln.) at 9 a.m. each Saturday. For more information, please call (615) 893-9501 or visit nps.gov/stri.

BOROPULSE.COM

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Concerts APRIL 2016

Send show listings to Listings@BoroPulse.com View the monthly concert schedule online:

BOROPULSE.COM/CONCERTS

IF YOU GO: Autograph Rehearsal Studio 1400 W. College St. 631-2605 Bird Song Studio 213 West High St., Woodbury (615) 772-6432 Bunganut Pig 1602 W. Northfield Blvd. 893-7860 Chais Music Hall 101 Spring St., Wartrace (931) 389-7050 Coconut Bay Café 210 Stones River Mall Blvd. 494-0504 Georgia’s Sports Bar and Grill 555 S Lowry St, Smyrna (615) 267-0295 Hippie Hill 8627 Burks Hollow Rd. 796-3697 JoZoara 536 N. Thompson Ln. 962-7175

THURS, 4/7

BUNGANUT PIG

Reilly’s Writers Night

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

Percussion Ensemble

NACHO’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT

Ivan LaFever

THE BORO

All-star jam with Stuart Montez

FRI, 4/8

BUNGANUT PIG

Mixtape 80s Band

CJ’S RESTAURANT

Nikki Michelle and the Cosmic Collective

COCONUT BAY CAFE

Boro Boys

GEORGIA’S

Skipper Grace

HIPPIE HILL

Open Mic Night

MAIN STREET MUSIC

All-Star House Band

MAYDAY BREWERY

Honeyboy & Boots

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

Kristine Phillips; Michaela Barron

Level III 114 S. Maple St. (615) 900-3754

WALL STREET

Liquid Smoke #2 Public Square 217-7822

SAT, 4/9

Main St. Music 527 W. Main St. 440-2425 Mayday Brewery 521 Old Salem Hwy. 479-9722

Sunracer

ARTS CENTER OF CANNON COUNTY

Aaron Tessis (Buddy Holly tribute)

BUNGANUT PIG

Everyday People

GEORGIA’S

Atomic Trunk Monkeys

MTSU Wright Music Building 1439 Faulkinberry Dr. 898-2469

HIPPIE HILL

Nacho’s 2962 S. Rutherford Blvd. 907-2700

MAIN STREET MUSIC

Phat Boyz 4425 Woodbury Pike (615) 546-4526 Tempt 211 W. Main St. 615-225-7757 The Boro Bar & Grill 1211 Greenland Dr. 895-4800 The Green Dragon 714-F W. Main St. 801-7171 The Block 123 SE Broad St. (615) 393-9935 The Pour House 2404 Halls Hill Pk. 615-603-7978

Open Mic Night

JOZOARA

Todd London Jazz Trio Roses Unheard, The Acorn People, Safe Secrets

MAYDAY BREWERY

The Aquaducks

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

Michael Min; The Lund McVey Group with the Siegel High Jazz Band

PHAT BOYZ

Boro Boys

TEMPT

THE WEEKS

THURS. 4/28 @ TEMPT Nashville-by-way-of-Mississippi favorites The Weeks are set to play TEMPT nightclub on April 28. They’re fresh off the release of Lost Days, an album of demos from when the band first formed in high school 10 years ago. Whether they’ll dust off any of those deep cuts for their Murfreesboro return remains to be seen, but they’ll surely play tunes such as “Buttons,” “Brother in the Night” and other favorites from their catalog. The band, who played TEMPT last March just after a big ice storm, will be joined by local openers That’s My Kid and Apache Jericho. TEMPT is located at 211 W. Main St. in Murfreesboro. Ticket information can be found at facebook. com/temptmurfreesboro. — JOHN CONNOR COULSTON

PULSE

PICK

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

MTSU Flute Choir; Richara Hardaway; String Studio 1 recital

MON, 4/11

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

Stones River Chamber Players

THE BORO

Matthew Franz

TUES, 4/12

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

MTSU Singers

WED, 4/13

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SAT, 4/16

BUNGANUT PIG

First Ave. Band

COCONUT BAY CAFE

Missy Garnett and the Two Dollar Pistols

GEORGIA’S

Evil Twins

HIPPIE HILL

Open Mic Night

MAIN STREET MUSIC

Schism (Tool tribute), Trigger Digit, Eye Tooth

THE WHEEL

Happy Hour Hill Band

THURS, 4/14

Landfall

Chisha Nwobilor; Megan McKinney; Daniel Steele; Morgan Roberts

BUNGANUT PIG

PHAT BOYZ

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

TEMPT

Reilly’s Writers Night MTSU Women’s Chorale

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING ROOM 173

Zach Patton

NACHO’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT

Ivan LaFever

THE BORO

All-star jam with Ross Maynard

FRI, 4/15

BUNGANUT PIG

Zone Status

GEORGIA’S

Robert Eskew Blues Band

The Widdler, Levitation Jones

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

Thunderfrog, Ashes of the Folly, Ambrose Way

BUNGANUT PIG

TEMPT

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

Elizabeth Stroud; Gregory Walker

MAYDAY BREWERY

Luke Judkins, MTSU Guitar Ensembles

COCONUT BAY CAFE

SUN, 4/10

WED, 4/20

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

OG Maco, Twerk

THE BORO

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

DJ TruFX

Little Russell Band

HIPPIE HILL

Open Mic Night

MAIN STREET MUSIC

Farcry

MAYDAY BREWERY

Kim Kennedy

Southern Ground Kaminanda

THE BORO

Dizzy Arts

WALL STREET

Contagion

SUN, 4/17

BUNGANUT PIG

Soul Session with Mina

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

Brittany Smith; Jacob Farmer; MTSU Chamber Orchestra

MON, 4/18

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

MTSU Concert Band

TUES, 4/19

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

MTSU Wind Ensemble

BUNGANUT PIG

Robin Taylor

WALL STREET

Incredible Heat Machine, Yard Art Collective

SAT, 4/23

ARTS CENTER OF CANNON COUNTY

Forever Abbey Road

BUNGANUT PIG

Thumperkeg

GEORGIA’S

Lauryn Snapp & The Hype

HIPPIE HILL

Open Mic Night

MAIN STREET MUSIC

The New Schematics, Neal Weston and the Southern Gentlemen, Giants at the Door

MAYDAY BREWERY

Saint Luke’s Drifters

MIDDLE TENNESSEE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

Todd Herendeen

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

Brittany Howard; MTSU Symphony

TEMPT

Caskey

THE BORO

Col. Keg & Die Lagerbiers, Supermelt, Uncle Skunkle, MouthReader, Owen Ni, Kytoon

Maria Gramelspacher; Esther Park

WALL STREET

Happy Hour Hill Band

VICTORY CHRISTIAN CENTER

THE WHEEL

THURS, 4/21

BUNGANUT PIG

Reilly’s Writers Night

Comedy Night

Tim Davis Band, Root Road, Alice Summers, Brian K. Anderson

FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

SUN, 4/24

MTSU SAUNDERS FINE ARTS ROOM 101

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

NACHO’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT

MON, 4/25

Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra Jim Ferguson Jazz Combo Ivan LaFever

TEMPT

Minnesota

THE BORO

All-star jam with Stuart Montez

FRI, 4/22

AUTOGRAPH REHEARSAL STUDIO

Omega Delta Psi Battle of the Bands

BUNGANUT PIG

Marshall Creek

COCONUT BAY CAFE

DJ TruFX

GEORGIA’S

JunkBox

HIPPIE HILL

Open Mic Night

MAYDAY BREWERY

Grass2Mouth

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

Kali Poore; MTSU Chamber Winds

BUNGANUT PIG

Robert Eskew Blues Band Chelsea Kanicsar; Brass Chamber recital

AUTOGRAPH REHEARSAL STUDIO

Traitors, Thresholds, Behold the Slaughter, Abated Mass of Flesh, Abyss Walker

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

Commercial Music Ensemble

THE BORO

Digisaurus

TUES, 4/26

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

MTSU Symphonic Band

WED, 4/27

MTSU SAUNDERS FINE ARTS ROOM 101

Derrek Phillips Combo

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

MTSU Clarinet Studio; Michael Arndt, Arunesh Nadgir

Zippy’s Clutch

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING ROOM 173

Styles & Complete

THE BORO

Dirty Reggae Punx with members of Green Jelly

THE WHEEL

PHAT BOYZ TEMPT

THE BORO

MTSU Jazz Combos The Higgs

Happy Hour Hill Band

ENTERTAINMENT

DJ, BINGO, TRIVIA & KARAOKE NIGHTS  MONDAYS AHART’S PIZZA GARDEN Trivia, 6:30 p.m. BUNGANUT PIG Trivia, 7 p.m. LEVEL III Trivia, 7–9 p.m.

 TUESDAYS BOB’S BBQ Trivia, 6–8 p.m.

NOBODY’S Trivia, 7 and 9:30 p.m.

NOBODY’S Karaoke, 9:15 p.m.–12:30 a.m.

SAM’S SPORTS GRILL Trivia, 8 p.m.

MT BOTTLE Karaoke, 9 p.m.–3 a.m.

STATION GRILL Trivia, 7 p.m.

WHISKEY DIX DJ Cliffy D, 8 p.m.

 THURSDAYS

 SATURDAYS

CAMPUS PUB Trivia, 6:15 and 8:15 p.m.

CAMPUS PUB Karaoke, 10 p.m.–2:30 a.m. LA SIESTA (CHURCH ST.) Karaoke, 6 p.m. NACHOS Trivia, 7 p.m. NOBODY’S Karaoke, 9:15 p.m.–12:30 a.m. WHISKEY DIX DJ Cliffy D, 8 p.m.

COCONUT BAY CAFÉ Trivia, 7:30 p.m.

CHAIS MUSIC HALL Ballroom Dancing with a Lesson 7–10 p.m. (ﬁrst and third Thursday)

NACHOS Trivia, 7 p.m.

COCONUT BAY Karaoke, 8 p.m.

OLD CHICAGO Trivia, 9 p.m.

NOBODY’S Karaoke, 9:15 p.m.–12:30 a.m.

THE BORO Karaoke, 8:30–p.m.–12 a.m.

SPORTS SEASONS Trivia, 7 p.m.

TGI FRIDAY’S Trivia, 9 p.m.

WHISKEY DIX DJ Cliffy D, 8 p.m.

 WEDNESDAYS

 FRIDAYS

CAMPUS PUB Karaoke, 10 p.m.–2:30 a.m.

CHAIS MUSIC HALL Line Dancing with a Lesson 7–10 p.m.

MELLOW MUSHROOM Trivia, 8 p.m.

 SUNDAYS

LIQUID SMOKE DJ Night, 10 p.m.

O’POSSUMS Trivia, 8 p.m. SAM’S SPORTS GRILL Trivia, 8 p.m.



Send entertainment information to

Listings@BoroPulse.com

Congratulations to Pill Cosby: Winners of the Brainiac Trivia Winter 2015–16 League Championship

CONTINUED . . .

THURS, 4/28

FRI, 4/29

BUNGANUT PIG

GEORGIA’S

Zone Status

HIPPIE HILL

Boro Boys

MAIN STREET MUSIC

Open Mic Night

MAYDAY BREWERY

Robyn Taylor

PHAT BOYZ

The Sandwich, The New Old Fashioned

TEMPT

COCONUT BAY CAFE

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

GEORGIA’S

MTSU Flute Studio recital; Strings and friends recital; student piano recitals

NACHO’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT

Ivan LaFever

THE BORO

All-star jam with Ross Maynard

TEMPT

The Weeks, That’s My Kid, Apache Jericho

My July

Casual Exchange

BUNGANUT PIG

Reilly’s Writers Night

COCONUT BAY CAFE

HIPPIE HILL

MAYDAY BREWERY THE BORO

SAT, 4/30

BUNGANUT PIG

Stranger than Fiction

Brian Rigsby Band Open Mic Night

Big Bang dueling pianos The Loose Hinges Al Green and Hard Times Wick-It the Instigator, KDSML, Double A, DJ Skinny B

THE BORO

Ballistic Whiplash BOROPULSE.COM

* APRIL 2016 * 9

10 * APRIL 2016 * BOROPULSE.COM

Sounds

Read more about local restaurants at

BoroPulse.com/Category/Food

Polished New Pub Station Grill’s menu pays tribute to Murfreesboro with tasty items. STORY BY BRACKEN MAYO PHOTOS BY SARAH MAYO

RESTAURANT AND BAR INDUSTRY veteran Curt Minton has opened his own place, Station Grill, located in the All Things Possible shopping center at the intersection of Northfield Boulevard and Lascassas Pike. Station Grill offers its patrons an assortment of burgers and pizzas, as well as Nathan’s all-beef hot dogs, available topped with chili, peppers, grilled onions, and more, in a roomy, clean, well-lit atmosphere. It’s standard American bar and grill food, just a little on the “upscale” side. The buns are nicely toasted, the burgers are juicy, toppings like artichoke hearts, pesto aioli and caramelized onion are available for pizzas (or hot dogs, if you like) and “We try and make sure your tomatoes are red, and your lettuce isn’t white,” Minton said. Yes, this bit of common sense can actually set a restaurant apart from the competition in this town, as many places do seem to serve pieces of hard white stuff masquerading as lettuce in their salads. There are also hot wings, cheesecake bites, a Reuben sandwich, hummus and a house-made black bean vegetarian burger on the Station Grill menu. But the most eye-catching items are the creative nods to Murfreesboro culture. Try a Cannonsburger, a traditional burger with lettuce, tomato, onion and mayo, named for the area’s traditional pioneer village. Then there’s the York—named for Sgt. Alvin C. York, also the namesake of Murfreesboro’s large veterans hospital—a hot dog topped with provolone, grilled onion, bell peppers, mushrooms and spicy mustard. The Black and Blue Raider pays tribute 24 * APRIL 2016 * BOROPULSE.COM

to MTSU’s Blue Raiders with blue cheese crumbles atop a burger. And the Station Grill includes the area’s other schools as well: The Patriot pizza, with cheddar and jack cheeses, sausage, bacon, pepperoni, onion and tomato, recognizes the Oakland Patriots, while the Star and Panther pizzas celebrate the Siegel and Lascassas schools. The Win-Em-All dog is named for Riverdale’s mascot, while Blackman supporters in the mood for something spicy can order their hot wings at “Blaze” level. A large photo cutout of Uncle Dave Macon, the famed Middle Tennessee-bred banjo-playing entertainer, looks on as a customer orders the near-namesake Uncle Dave Bacon Burger, and local art from Kelly LaMure and other area artists also adorns the walls. The Station Grill fries are well-seasoned, with a nice crispiness on the outside, able to withstand the power of a mighty portion of chili and cheese on top. “We started out real ambitious,” Minton said. “We were going to make our own pizza

dough, make our own fries. . . .” But that approach soon turned into a simpler philosophy: finding products that customers liked but that were not so laborintensive. And while Minton acknowledges that opening a restaurant is somewhat “taboo on this side of town,” the residential neighborhoods in that portion of Murfreesboro and in the Lascassas area are rapidly growing, and Station Grill has already earned a loyal group of regulars. Trivia night on Wednesdays with Brainiac Trivia is a popular weekly event for the restaurant, and the establishment serves a decent variety of beer; they have PBR tallboys for $2.25 but also a nice selection of IPAs, teas, ciders and even some Samuel Smith varieties. Minton partnered with John Richards, of Murfreesboro’s Concert Productions and Concert Musical Supply, on opening Station Grill in the summer of 2015, and he said his own experience in restaurants and customer service, along with Richards’ various skills, have

allowed the business to overcome its initial kinks and still be standing strong. “He’s the jack of all trades, master of most,” Minton said of his partner, saying Richards was great with electronics—even with pizza ovens he has never before worked on. Richards has experience in construction, and has a full woodworking shop where the Station Grill bar was fashioned. Plus, Richards insured that the Station Grill has not one, but two power amps, and a powerful subwoofer capable of sending low frequencies to the far reaches of the shopping center (for night hours only, of course). Minton said fostering a community, Cheerslike atmosphere is important to him, and he encourages the bartenders to try and remember people’s names and what they do for a living. So if this sounds like your kind of place, if you’d like to try a beef hot dog topped with artichokes or if you just want to shoot a game or two of pool in the Lascassas Pike area, roll on into the Station.

THE DISH NAME: Station Grill LOCATION: 2053 Lascassas Pike PHONE: (615) 295-2583 HOURS: 11 a.m.–midnight, everyday COST: Uncle Dave Bacon Burger with

fries: $9; The York with fries: $7; 10-inch Patriot, Stones, Panther or Star pizza: $9

ONLINE: facebook.com/stationgrilltn

BOROPULSE.COM

* APRIL 2016 * 25

Art

 MORE APRIL EVENTS  painting by Kim Kennedy

ART CRAWL LOCATIONS:

Two-Tone Art Gallery 113 W Lytle St. Wall Street 121 N. Maple St.

Center for the Arts 110 W. College St. Cultivate Coworking 107 W. Lytle St. Downtown Shoppes on West Main 224 W. Main St. Dreaming in Color 504 N. Maney Ave. FunTiques 118 S. Maple St.

Boro Art Crawl is Back April 8 The Boro Art Crawl offers an opportunity to view the work of established and emerging artists from Rutherford and surrounding counties one Friday night every other month. Everything from classical landscapes to performance art can be found at venues ranging from stores on the Murfreesboro public square to Mayday Brewery to the MTSU campus. Murfreesboro’s large number of fine and crafts artists is one of its best-kept secrets. The Boro Art Crawl provides these artists with an outlet for showing and selling their work, while introducing more and more of the community to the massive amount of talent in the area. The event is growing, with the list of interested artists and venues continuing to develop, and the next crawl will take place on Friday, April 8 from 6–9 p.m. One of the featured artists this month is Lou Aguilar, who creates abstract expressionist paintings using color and form to evoke raw emotion. His work will be shown at Liquid Smoke. William Slinkard, also an abstract artist, will show his work at L&L Contractors on the Square. Kayla Connelly’s jewelry will be featured at Boro Art Crawl venue newcomer, Green Dragon Pub. “It is exciting to see interest in the Boro Art Crawl continue to grow,” said Pam Marlene, Art Crawl committee chairman. “More and more new people are discovering the crawl and sharing it with friends.” For more information, visit boroartcrawl.com or facebook.com/boroartcrawl.

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Moxie Art Supply 302 W. Vine St.

MTSU Baldwin Photo Gallery 1301 East Main St. (John Bragg Mass Comm. Building)

Oaklands Mansion 900 N. Maney Ave.

MTSU Student Photo Gallery 1301 East Main St. (McFarland Building)

Rotunda City Hall 111 W. Vine St.

MTSU Todd Art Gallery 1301 East Main St.

Hastings House B&B 223 N. Academy St.

Smoke and Mirrors 2136 Middle Tennessee Blvd.

Green Dragon Public House 714-F W. Main St.

Studio 903 903 Murfree Ave.

L&L Contractors 25 S. Public Square

Sugaree’s 122 S. Maple St.

Let’s Make Wine 208 W. Main St.

The Block 123 Southeast Broad St.

Liquid Smoke 2 N. Public Square

The Earth Experience 816 Old Salem Rd.

Murfreesboro Art League 312 S. Front St.

The Write Impression 120 S. Maple St.

Mayday Brewery 521 Old Salem Rd.

Top of the Block Salon 314 W. Lokey Ave.  painting by Salam Powell

 painting by Alicia Maynard

HANNIBAL BURESS TO PERFORM AT MTSU Comedian Hannibal Buress will take the stage at MTSU’s Murphy Center on Friday, April 15. The show, which is slated to begin at 8 p.m., is reserved for students, faculty and alumni only. Buress is known for his appearances on TV shows such as Broad City, the Eric Andre Show and 30 Rock, as well as his standup specials. Buress’ performance at Murphy Center marks the first comedy show at the venue since Nerdist podcast and Talking Dead host Chris Hardwick performed there in the fall of 2013. Students, faculty and alumni will need to pick up a free ticket in advance at the Athletic Ticket Office inside Floyd Stadium or at the box office the night of the performance. — DYLAN SKYE AYCOCK

MTSU BFA CANDIDATES TO EXHIBIT ART IN APRIL Each spring semester the Department of Art’s Todd Art Gallery hosts a pair of Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) Candidates’ exhibits. One showcases studio art while the other graphic design. Each exhibition features art majors expected to graduate in May or at the subsequent semester’s end. The studio art BFA exhibit is scheduled April 12–21. Having studied under professors Marisa Recchia, Sisavanh Houghton, Nick Satinover and Michael Baggarly this group respectively represents the study of ceramics, painting, printmaking and sculpture. An opening reception is slated for 5–7 p.m. Monday, April 11, in Todd Hall, rooms 210, 224 and 224A. The graphic design BFA exhibit, entitled Venture: A Design Expedition, will be on display April 26–May 5. As capstone to the students’ educational experience, each will present their work through the collective format of a trade show setting. Several among this group took prizes in the recent American Advertising Federation’s 2016 Nashville Student ADDY Awards. A reception opens the exhibit 5–7 p.m. Monday, April 25, in Todd Hall, rooms 210, 224, and 224A. All Todd Art Gallery exhibits are free and open to the public. For more information, contact eric.snyder@mtsu.edu.

ONSTAGE IN APRIL The Lion King Jr. Center for the Arts 110 W. College St. April 8, 9, 15, 16, 22 and 23 at 7 p.m.; April 9, 16 and 23 at 2 p.m. boroarts.org

BOROPULSE.COM

* APRIL 2016 * 27

Reviews

10 CLOVERFIELD LANE DIRECTED BY

Dan Trachtenberg Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman, John Gallagher Jr. STARRING

RATED PG-13

Despite what its cumbersome title might have you believe, 10 Cloverﬁeld Lane is neither a direct sequel to 2008’s Cloverﬁeld, nor does it share that film’s found-footage format. Related to its shared namesake more in the way Tales

BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE DIRECTED BY

Zack Snyder

STARRING

Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Henry Cavill, Jesse Eisenberg, Jason Momoa RATED PG-13

With the exception of Deadpool, there has not been a legitimately great superhero movie since The Dark Knight. I know. That’s a lot of films I just threw under the bus. Or so you think. While there have definitely been a few

From the Crypt or National Lampoon titles are related, 10 Cloverﬁeld Lane is its own sleek, stand-alone beast. The film deftly combines two similar, but separate, realms of the thriller/suspense genre: apocalyptic bunker drama with kidnappedwoman-kept-in-the-basement horror. After surviving a car crash, Michelle (Winstead) awakens in an unfamiliar room with her leg chained to the wall. Her captor/savior is the hulking, wheezing doomsday-prepper Howard, menacingly portrayed by John Goodman. Once unchained, she is given a tour of her new home (the bunker) and introduced to the third

member of their family, Emmet (Gallagher Jr.). Howard goes over the rules of the house, many of which revolve around trust and his lack thereof, but the main one is that they can never leave. There has been an attack of unknown origin that has left the air outside poisonous. The threat outside somehow pales to the ominous air of foreboding within the shelter. Howard is a lumbering goliath of barely contained rage and paranoia, and the film plays off these two opposing threats, one from outside, one from within, to great effect. The film’s biggest strength is its economy. The three-person primary cast is uniformly excellent and engaging. The script is concise, never under- or over-expository, while leaving out just enough detail to keep the audience guessing. First-time feature director Dan Trachtenberg, along with his crew and the backing of J.J. Abrams’ production company, Bad Robot, manages to make a compelling and suspenseful film by relying on technique and storytelling without resorting to overkill editing choices, sound design or camera tricks that telegraph to the audience, “Feel suspense!” Like most projects connected to Abrams, 10 Cloverﬁeld Lane has that intangible quality of 1980s Spielbergian nostalgia, right down to its pushing the PG-13 envelope. 10 Cloverﬁeld Lane is at times darker and more brutal than one would expect. It’s also better than expected, and a strong argument that spectacle is only as spectacular as the story behind it, and that less is sometimes a whole lot more. — JAY SPIGHT

bad apples in the bunch, most superhero films are fine. Some are even good! But that’s it. They’re mindless entertainment. When I go into a superhero movie, I don’t expect to walk out of there having learned something. I don’t expect the film to help me formulate an opinion. I don’t expect a superhero film to be anything more than popcorn fun. And that’s absolutely fine. I loved Guardians of the Galaxy! That was an incredibly fun film. But does that mean I hold it in the same regard as Spotlight? Or Mad Max? Or Whiplash? No. I’ve become quite cynical about corporatemandated filmmaking, and that’s exactly what every superhero film since The Dark Knight (excluding Deadpool) has been. Batman v Superman comes in at a staggering two hours and 30 minutes, but it could’ve easily come in at under two. I have no problem with long films, but if you’re going to be long you have to fill your film with worthwhile content. Batman v Superman did not do this. There was a ridiculous amount of fluff right from the beginning, as the opening shot of the entire film is another retelling of the murder of Batman’s parents. But what’s sad is this is one of the best scenes of the entire film, because it’s a very Zack Snyder-esque scene. I honestly expected Rorschach to have a monologue during this scene. The film is very convoluted as it attempts to

clumsily tell three different story lines at once. There were plenty of moments that had me rolling my eyes, but the film is still fun. Ben Affleck was fine as Batman. I could tell he tried, and there’s a reason he’s a superstar actor. Henry Cavill (as Superman) is charismatic as ever, and Amy Adams is pretty good. But the ones who stole the show were Jesse Eisenberg and Gal Gadot. Yes, Eisenberg’s motivations didn’t make much sense, but remember the part where I said mindless entertainment? Eisenberg clearly had an absolute blast here in this role. Gadot saves this film as Wonder Woman. She is amazing from start to finish delivering the female power character this world needs. DC officially has its Wolverine/Iron Man with Gadot as Wonder Woman. That was an absolutely brilliant casting decision. Her fighting sequences were easily the most enjoyable part of this film, and her entrance into the fight was particularly awesome. But this film had issues. I don’t want to spoil anything, but let me just say motivations were muddy and some plot points were resolved in absolutely terrible ways. Oh, and Laurence Fishburne’s character doesn’t exist. Ever. At the end of the day I enjoyed myself watching this film, but there were moments when I wanted things to just blow up already. — JOSEPH KATHMANN

A CLASSIC

28 * APRIL 2016 * BOROPULSE.COM

MOVIES

OUTSTANDING

AVERAGE

BELOW AVERAGE

LIVING ROOM CINEMA column by NORBERT THIEMANN

facebook.com/livingroomcinema

True Controversy Genuine controversies were caused by these interesting ﬁlms:

Cruising (1980) is directed by William Friedkin, and stars Al Pacino. Inspired by New York Times reporter Gerald Walker’s book of the same name, some non-fictional murder cases and the gay leather scene in New York City, Friedkin concocted Cruising. The timing was unfortunate, because of the emerging AIDS epidemic. With all of the misunderstandings and misinformation, many thought the movie only amplified negative stereotypes.

White Dog (1982) is directed by Samuel Fuller, and stars Kristy McNichol. The story is based on those who train dogs to attack specific races of people. Fuller highlighted the sickness of racism in many of his movies, even as early as the 1950s. Given the project of White Dog after the production had already begun, the director was disappointed that the dogs were literally white in color.

Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1987) is a short film directed by Todd Haynes. Haynes told the unauthorized story of Karen Carpenter’s ongoing battle with anorexia utilizing Barbie dolls, and using the Carpenters’ music (without permission). It proved to be very unsettling for her survivors, and can now only be found in the aether. AVOID AT ALL COSTS

DEAD

BOROPULSE.COM

* APRIL 2016 * 29

BOOKS

Graphically Speaking: The Dark Knight Returns BY JOHN CONNOR COULSTON With Batman and Superman facing off in theaters, it’s a prime time to revisit a graphic classic Critics and fans have been debating Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice since it was released on March 25, with varying results. Some say it’s a mess of a film structurally. Some say the darker tone of both heroes doesn’t make sense. And some (like me) say it’s entertaining as hell, regardless of its flaws. However, some of director Zack Snyder’s polarizing creative choices can be traced back to his main inspiration: Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns book series. TDKR (not to be confused with Christopher Nolan’s film The Dark Knight Rises) was released in 1986 to critical acclaim, all due to its mature, grim take on the Caped Crusader. The four-part series (which was collected in trade paperback form) focuses on Bruce Wayne’s struggle with an unavoidable truth: getting old. But instead

30 * APRIL 2016 * BOROPULSE.COM

of getting through his midlife crisis with a Corvette and some hair dye, he does the only thing he knows to do: dress up as a nocturnal winged mammal and beat the crap out of bad guys. You know—the usual. Getting back into action after a 10-year break is an invigorating— albeit physically daunting—escape for Bruce, but of course, when Batman comes out of the shadows, so do the crazies. Notably, the Joker and Two-Face play pivotal roles in the story, but surprisingly, villains aren’t the only ones out for Batman’s head. The climax comes when the Dark Knight goes head-to-head with Superman, who is sent in by the President (a fitting parody of Reagan) to deal with Gotham’s returning vigilante problem. The two face off in what is arguably the best portrayal of the two battling ever put into ink. Snyder takes a lot of cues from this fight for BvS, mixing Super-

man’s brute force and Batman’s intellect for a balanced fight that is as interesting to watch as it was to see on the page. But this isn’t the only point in which the film imitates the novel. Batfleck’s suit design is almost identical to Miller’s version; battles with thugs are pulled almost panel-for-panel; and the broadcast media dominates the debate on superheroes and are heavily utilized throughout each story. Snyder even pulls Alfred’s quip about Bruce not leaving any wine in the cellar for the next generation of Waynes (not that he thinks there will be any) directly from the first volume. These uses are solid examples of how to service comic fans and creators without sacrificing your own spin on a narrative concept. While this won’t come as a surprise to those familiar with Miller’s work on Sin City and Daredevil, this Batman continuity is gritty and grounded. Batman’s really just about had enough of everyone’s crap, and has to fight the urge to kill his enemies. While he still won’t kill, he’ll paralyze you if he gets the opportunity, and has added rubber bullets and fear toxins into his arsenal. Odds are, if you’re up against Batman in TDKR, you’ll go home with more than a just few bruises. This is a brutal Batman, and that’s a bit harder to swallow on film. But, on the page, Miller makes it work. His words show the mental process of a man who knows he’s always a second away from death, with illustrations that may be rough around the edges but convey the weirdness of Gotham and the brutality of this continuity. Furthermore, Miller is often praised for his page layout; such praise is applicable here, with easy-to-follow 16-panel pages that occasionally get interrupted by stunning full-page illustrations of Batman swinging into action. In these panels especially, Miller captures the power of Batman, despite our knowledge of Bruce’s declining physical health. That’s what The Dark Knight Returns, Batman v. Superman, and Batman himself are all about to the end, really: the power of one to fight for change and do what’s right. Even if it’s not pretty, it’s powerful, and that’s all we need.

ALBUMS BY DYLAN SKYE AYCOCK

ANDREW ADKINS

RESCUED SOULS

Andrew Adkins’ Glass Castles tells stories about deserted towns and coal mines, tales of giving up and holding on. The 13-track release is a mixed bag, with an abundance of Americana, a hint of blues and a few twangy country chords, all sewn together with folk-rock melodies. Not every singer-songwriter equipped with a harmonica should elicit comparisons to Neil Young or Bob Dylan, but there’s something about Adkins’ music, both lyrically and melodically, that’s somewhat akin to the latter. This is most evident on the first track, “Freeborn Heart,” on which the Nashville-based musician opens with a piercing harmonica and rambunctious guitar strumming (kind of like Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” meets The Decemberists’ “Down By the Water”). Of course, not everything on Glass Castles sounds like something else. Adkins certainly puts his own modern spin to the record, but his brightest moments are on songs rooted in a stripped-down Americana style, such as “The Song That Made the Whole World Cry,” “Consisting of Love” and “As Above as So Above,” each a fine example of the folk style he evidently explored for the album. Glass Castles comes to a spiritual close with “Jubilee (Land of the Free),” a song that showcases Adkins’ ethereal vocals and features an abundance of harmonies by a backing choir. While the album typically hits on stories of self-doubt, love lost and misfortunes, the final track is a surprisingly fitting end to an otherwise somber release. Andrew Adkins, fresh off a performance at the RedGorilla Music Fest in Austin, Texas, appears in Nashville frequently, including a Tuesday, April 12, date at The 5 Spot. Adkins will also perform on the Blue Plate Special on WDVX out of Knoxville on June 30. Check out the dates, as well as other updates, on Adkins’ website, andrewadkins.net, or on his Facebook page.

The Lund McVey Group’s self-titled release came through the Pulse office about a year ago, and I was half-expecting another jazz/fusion album upon realizing co-leader Matt Lund also fronts the band Rescued Souls. Instead, the band’s self-titled debut is a 12-track contemporary rock album—Christian rock, that is—that both packs a punch and revels in soft, acoustic-driven tracks. Other members of Rescued Souls include Shonna Lund (vocals and keyboard), Jeremy Cote (guitar), Craig Jordan (bass) and Justin Abraham (drums). The album, which consists of 12 original songs written by Matt, was recorded by Jimmy Mansfield at Murfreesboro Recording Studio and mixed and produced by Lund. Together, the five musicians transform Matt’s lyrics into songs resembling a style and sound very similar to bands like Casting Crowns and Hillsong, both of which the group credits as influences. Although Matt and Shonna both provide vocals and often harmonize throughout the album, Shonna takes the lead on the majority of tracks. In fact, one of the most memorable moments comes on the rattling opener, “Cast My Cares,” which Shonna makes her own by her resounding voice alone. In contrast, “The Reason That I Live” is a roughly seven-minute acoustic-driven track sung by Matt, with more predictable worship lyrics such as You are wisdom, you are grace, You are power, truth for all my days and You hear the prayers of my heart, and when I feel like I’m falling apart. This brings me to my only complaint. Too often the songs sink into a conventional lull, and the vocabulary doesn’t always hold up for a memorable hook. That’s not to say there aren’t times when tracks shine lyrically, but, as a whole, the instrumentation is what really drives Rescued Souls in the right direction. Whether it’s the keys, guitar, bass or drums, these musicians clearly know their craft. As noted earlier, the album occasionally packs a punch, but most of the songs lean toward softer rock with the occasional spark of electricity. Find more on Rescued Souls at ReverbNation and CDBaby.

Glass Castles

Rescued Souls

BOROPULSE.COM

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Opinion MEET THE NEW BOSS, SAME AS THE OLD BOSS WITH APOLOGIES TO THE WHO, I couldn’t keep those lyrics from popping into my head when I heard Rutherford County is hiring several people from Pathways Community Corrections to work in its new probation services department. In case you’ve been sleeping under a rock for the last six months, you might not know Rutherford County and PCC are the subject of a federal lawsuit alleging they ran an “extortion” scheme against low-income probationers, keeping them trapped in the system for years all for the sake of profit. To this point, Rutherford County has taken it on the chin in court, being forced to release several people from jail who were put there for the simple reason they couldn’t pay. Then, the county found itself between the proverbial rock and hard place when PCC told local officials it was closing shop at the end of March. Maybe the company, which is part of a much bigger fish in California, felt it was easier to get out of the probation business in

The

STOCKARD REPORT BY SAM STOCKARD sstockard44@gmail.com

hopes the court would go easy on it. Apparently, Rutherford County Mayor Ernest Burgess is taking the same view, because he thinks it can only help the county to start performing this task itself rather than put it in the hands of another private vendor. The mayor also contends Rutherford County has done nothing wrong, even though county officials sat and watched for years as people got mired in the system because they couldn’t afford the PCC fees and court fines. “I don’t think the county’s going to be on the hook for anything,” Burgess says. The attorneys for the plaintiffs probably beg to differ, and they’re likely interested in seeing if the county probation department, which will be handled as a recovery services

Oversight of local probation system shifts back to Rutherford County as Providence Community Corrections battles class action lawsuit.

division, will gouge probationers the same way PCC allegedly did. To its credit, Rutherford County is hiring only one of nine PCC employees named in the federal lawsuit, those accused of mistreating probationers and threatening to have them sent to jail if they didn’t pay fees. Burgess has also said the county needs to work with probationers and help them get out of the system. But several Rutherford County commissioners who voted against creating a new county probation department are criticizing the decision to hire employees of a company that just “severed” a contract with the county and remains a co-defendant in the lawsuit. And despite what Burgess says, the court will determine whether Rutherford County is “on the hook.” Dissenting county commissioners insisted on looking at probation services finances every month and then a review of the entire program in six months to decide whether it needs changes or needs to bid for a private vendor. Clearly, they don’t want to hear anyone singing “Won’t Get Fooled Again.”

FAVORITISM FLIES HERE

One of the basic rules of plumbing is: Everything runs downhill. Or is that engineering? Oh well, who cares? In every organization, stuff flows from the top and down through the ranks. So it was no surprise when Rutherford County Sheriff ’s Chief Deputy Randy Garrett called the sheriff ’s office one evening to ask for help with his unruly son. Since he lives inside the Murfreesboro city limit and presumably pays city taxes, he could have GARRETT called Murfreesboro Police. He says as much in his phone call and conversation with a patrol supervisor, according to a recording obtained through an open records request. Garrett tells the supervisor he needs deputies to pick up his 31-year-old son, Mitchell Garrett, who is facing criminal charges, and take him to a hospital to be evaluated and possibly admitted to a mental institution. Garrett says he’s done all he can for him and he’s just worn out with it. “I’m sorry to put you in this situation,” Garrett tells the supervisor. “I’d call the city (police), but I’d rather call the county (sheriff ’s office).” Well, of course, because if Murfreesboro 32 * APRIL 2016 * BOROPULSE.COM

Police went to the scene, all sorts of questions would be asked about alcohol consumption, drug use and everything else under the sun, and more than likely somebody would go to jail. As it turned out, according to a sheriff ’s spokeswoman, another son of Garrett took the troublesome son away. Everybody went home happy that night. But if the average Joe Six-Pack had called the sheriff ’s office with a similar complaint from a home inside the city limits, they likely would have been told to notify Murfreesboro Police. And there’s absolutely no way they would have been patched through to a supervisor. This ain’t Hawaii Five-O, and Steve McGarrett’s not waitin’ on Danno’s call. Garrett, who—incidentally—is on medical leave now, according to the county Human Resources office, was hired away from Murfreesboro Police Department in 2010 to help the inexperienced Robert Arnold grow in his new role as sheriff. After all, he had served only as a jailer and school resource officer prior to the Republican tide that rolled over election ballots that year. But considering everything that’s happened since Arnold has been sheriff, it’s hard to imagine Garrett is giving him good advice. The sheriff ’s office is under investigation by the FBI and TBI for several unauthorized, no-bid agreements and contracts, including the JailCigs deal in which a company owned by Chief Administrative Deputy Joe Russell and Arnold’s aunt and uncle sold e-cigarettes to inmates through their family and friends. Arnold also hired his cousin and made him a patrolman in spite of several questionable episodes and intervened in the case of another deputy who was pulled over on I-24 in a DUI stop. The list is so long it would take an entire issue of the Pulse to compile it all, so I won’t bore you with all the details. Suffice it to say, stay on this sheriff ’s good side: tell him what he wants to hear—whether wrong or right—don’t rat him out to the feds and you can do just about anything you please. And, if you rank high enough you can call dispatch and get a supervisor any time you need a personal favor. It all starts at the top.

GIVE ME BACK MY BULLETS

This just in: Murfreesboro Police says it has nothing new to report on the purported shooting outside Sheriff Arnold’s house a week after the Super Bowl. Can you feel the shock waves rolling through town? Arnold called half of MPD and the sher-

iff ’s office to his house in early February when he said he heard gunshots fired from the street. Investigators said they found six .22-caliber casings—the preferred weapon of all thugs. You might recall Arnold discussed the shooting with reporters and said it could be linked to Beyoncé’s anti-police video, one in which she apparently decries police shootings across the nation of several young children. She also performed during the Super Bowl halftime show and put on some sort of tribute—whether to Michael Jackson or the Black Panthers or both, only a discerning eye could tell. Anyway, regardless of Arnold’s ramblings, Murfreesboro Police couldn’t be blamed for not treating this like a triple murder. Certainly, any person who takes potshots at Arnold and his family deserves to be prosecuted. But the information on the police report is so scant and shaky it’s really hard to believe any threat took place. The bigger problem is this, though: Nobody takes this sheriff seriously anymore.

POLITICAL TALK

Pulse readers need to branch out from food and music, at least occasionally—take a look at some of the races possibly heating up this year. A handful of people could be running to replace state Rep. Rick Womick, a Rockvale Republican, in House District 34. Real estate agent and longtime political operative Tim Rudd says he’s running for the seat, along with attorney and child advocate Christy Sigler and local attorney Jimmy Turner. Former Circuit Court Clerk Laura Bohling also is considering entering the race, but as a Democrat after serving as a Republican for four years in the clerk’s office. In House District 37, Republican state Rep. Dawn White could face a challenge from Democrat Becky Goff, who picked up qualifying papers. Her husband is a major at the sheriff ’s office. First-term Republican Rep. Bryan Terry of Lascassas also could see opposition from Democrat Justin Miller, who also picked up papers. And state Sen. Jim Tracy, a Republican from Bedford County, could run up against Steve Lane, a member of Tennesseans Against Corruption, which has been working to oust Sheriff Arnold. The qualifying deadline for these seats is April 7, so several of these names could change. But if nothing else, whether you’re Republican or Democrat, it’s good to see some contests lining up for this fall. Follow The Stockard Report at BoroPulse.com/author/Sam. BOROPULSE.COM

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Opinion Live Exceptionally. . . Well! BY JENNIFER DURAND

Love

“I DON’T JUDGE OTHERS. I don’t hate. I don’t discriminate. I don’t care about money. I don’t hold grudges. I do know how to love unconditionally and that’s all I want in return. I’m a fur-ever friend.” I am inspired by the unconditionally loving spirit of the newest member of our family, Chuey, a fourlegged friend who was brought to us by our son last summer. Sure, we have been a part of his growth and development, but I’d say his impact on us has been much more significant. Attending to the simple daily rituals that this little one needs—like going outside to potty, playing, running, eating, sleeping— is a sweet reminder of how we all have uncomplicated basic needs: to love and be loved, to move, to breathe, to nourish, to rest, to not let anything build up. We humans like to complicate matters by adding emotion and reasoning to make our point. Can you imagine the shift in our days if we greeted each other like our furry friends greet us upon our arrival? Whether we’ve been gone for an hour, all day or two weeks, the greeting is the same—buoyant, lovable, accepting! They don’t talk about how long they’ve waited or ask why we haven’t called. They don’t even ask if we’ve brought them a treat. They simply express the love and excitement they feel for our presence in their life at that moment. It seems easier to love when we are being loved. Happiness and smiles are contagious. Any hardness softens, if not melts altogether, when we are shown kindness or consideration. Again, it goes back to “we all just want to be loved, accepted.” So, what about the tough times when things don’t seem to be going our way? If we disagree with another? Try taking personality out of the way. Try seeing another with a mirror in front of them facing you. What is it in you that is reacting to the challenge? Do you see something in them that is also inside of you? Most people are dealing with their own issues and often it is projected 34 * APRIL 2016 * BOROPULSE.COM

onto others (mostly unintentionally). So how can you change the situation, or change what you’re feeling? What would the furry friend do? Judge, belittle, condemn, leave? Try love. When anger wants to tempt or control you, try replacing it with love instead. Show the courageousness and trusting sense of adventure that comes from the simple willingness to be, as expressed in our animal playmates. “Dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. They are the role models for being alive.” ~ Gilda Radnor Love makes everything look brighter and feel lighter, and it moves us. We want to be better, feel better and give more when we are filled with love. So, if that’s what comes from loving unconditionally—without expecting anything in return—how could your life or relationships change with this approach? Study the behavior of a dog. Watch their courage, playfulness, adventure, trust, willingness, empathy and love. Take just one or two characteristics and apply them to your own “human” experience. How does it make you feel inside? If it’s good, then repeat it, regularly. If it’s not good, pick another quality to express. Your outlook on life and relationships may just make the all the difference in someone else’s life, too. If you think more about making someone else’s life a little brighter just by letting your light and love shine, I guarantee your life will be brighter too! “Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” ~ Anatole France Jennifer Durand is the owner and operator of The Nurture Nook Day Spa & Gift Shoppe; let her help you ﬁnd your personal “ahh . . .” factor by visiting nurturenook.com or by calling (615) 896-7110.

Mainstream Media Tries to Paint Conservatives as Violent Lunatics

y now, you’re probably familiar with the incident at the U.S. Capitol in which some nut pulled a gun on the security police and they shot him. The suspect was identified as Larry Russell Dawson from Antioch, Tenn. The mainstream media went to Facebook to find him and quickly posted a picture of the suspect. He was a white male who didn’t look to be 66 years old, the age of the suspect. It didn’t matter. He was a Trump guy, a tea-party guy. The mainstream media had their story. Trump had driven another crazy person to violence.

The problem was they had the wrong guy. It took our staff about 60 seconds to figure that out. VIEWS OF A How? Because the URL address of “the suspect” was Larry F. Dawson, not Larry R. Dawson. Plus, this guy column by was from Pikeville, Tenn., not Antioch. So our staff PHIL VALENTINE philvalentine.com went looking for the real Larry Russell Dawson. They found him—A 66-year-old left-wing black preacher who was known to protest in favor of raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour. The mainstream media then realized their error. Instead of correcting the mistake, they just deleted the first picture of the white guy and replaced it with a static shot of the Capitol. No mention of the mistake. No corrected photograph. No back story on who this nutcase really was. All of a sudden it didn’t matter what his politics were, or his race. How many times have we seen the mainstream media jump to conclusions? Remember the Colorado theater shooter? ABC first reported that he was a conservative tea-party type. Again they erroneously picked the wrong profile from Facebook and ran with it. When it turned out the real suspect was a crazy liberal they ignored it. His political views no longer mattered. I was reading a piece in The New York Times about how there were no clues that would yield information on who would become a terrorist. How about we start with the basics? The common thread of today’s terrorists is they’re Muslims. The Times piece never went there. They simply listed some warning signs to look for like depression and anger. The 9/11 hijackers weren’t depressed. Nor were the San Bernardino killers or the Boston Marathon bombers. The one thing they all were was Muslim. Now, this is not to say that all Muslims are terrorists, but to ignore the fact that we’re at war with radical Islam is dangerous. The thread that ties all this together is the agenda of the mainstream media. They see conservatives as more of a threat than radical Islam. They want so much to tie violence to the tea party or Trump or Cruz and want so desperately to disassociate violence and Islam. Hillary Clinton even chided Cruz and Trump over their response to the Brussels bombings. She said profiling Muslims in America would only radicalize them. Think about that for a second. She’s saying if you make Muslims mad they’ll kill you. Isn’t that a problem in and of itself ? If a group of people is just one unjust traffic stop away from blowing up an airport, don’t we have a problem with that group? Mainstream media is dead set on making conservatives into boogeymen. President Obama speaks far more passionately against conservatives than he does radical Islamic terrorists. In fact, he won’t even use the term, but he’ll constantly refer to conservatives as the enemy. The real enemy is political correctness. It prevents us from having frank discussions— frank discussions about real life-and-death situations.

CONSERVATIVE

“She said proﬁling Muslims in America would only radicalize them. Think about that for a second. She’s saying if you make Muslims mad they’ll kill you. Isn’t that the problem in and of itself?”

Phil Valentine is an author and nationally syndicated radio talk show host with Westwood One. For more of his commentary and articles, visit philvalentine.com. BOROPULSE.COM

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Opinion How to Generate More Leads Now With Less Effort BUSINESS BUILDER

BY ROBERT RITCH

o you know where your business’ current leads are coming from, or how many you get on a daily, weekly or by-campaign basis? If I asked you to tell me right now what your top lead-generation strategies are, what would you say? We’re going to look at how to set up a lead tracking and lead management system that works with your business. But first, I’d like you to write down what you think your top three lead generation strategies are right now. Every business needs a lead tracking and management system. It is the only way to know which marketing strategies are working and which ones aren’t. For one, the information your system gathers will allow you to make educated decisions about marketing campaigns and investments. Secondly, it organizes your sales and marketing efforts and manages contact information in a user-friendly way. It’s clear who you called, when you called, what you said and when you said you’d follow up. Thirdly, it enables you to manage your sales staff by tracking their progress on several leads at once. You’ll have access to an at-a-glance picture of their sales figures and productivity. Your lead tracking system needs to: Record the leads that arrive by phone, instore visit, and website visit Track the source of each lead over specific time periods Record pertinent customer information Be simple enough to be used by all staff members Your lead management system needs to: Track your leads through the sales plan or process Increase customer communications or contact Keep track of correspondences and followup requirements Make it easier for you and your staff to close more sales Once you have decided on a system, schedule enough time to train your staff thoroughly and be open to feedback. Keep in mind that your lead tracking and management systems need to be simple enough for everyone in your company to use. Pick a lead tracking and management system that suits your budget, and offers the features your business needs. Each business will have different requirements when it 36 * APRIL 2016 * BOROPULSE.COM

comes to lead tracking and management. A retail store will have different needs than a realtor’s office, for example. The retail store may only need to record leads based on lead-generation strategies, and keep lead information for their direct mail or newsletter databases. On the other hand, the realtor will need to make contact with leads on several occasions, and will need a system equipped to record and remind them of those correspondences. Software for lead management ranges from simple to highly sophisticated, and can be a great investment depending on the needs of your business. Some CRM (customer relationship management) tools are available online as a web-based system you can subscribe to and have access to on the road. I’ve listed the features and advantages to a number of different systems below, ranging from low-tech to high-tech. Index Cards Store basic contact information on one side, notes on the other side; these are easy to organize and sort. This is a basic system used to manage leads by those who may be less comfortable with computers. This system will be effective at tracking low volumes of leads. Rolodex The Rolodex system can include more contacts than index cards, but it is still only effective for low volumes of leads. Excel Spreadsheets An electronic system involving the use of Excel is highly customizable by date, name, source or other variables, is easily organized and analyzed, and is accessible for those with even basic computer skills. This slightly more sophisticated system will allow you to track higher volumes of leads. Database Management Programs A more sophisticated system that will interface with Excel and manage high volumes of leads and customer details—for example, Maximizer— allow for a high level of organization and offer unlimited space for notes and recordkeeping. Those programs can also manage contact information and distribution lists for newsletters and direct mail campaigns. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software CRM software is web-based, and accessible

from anywhere with Internet access, and offers the ability to attach documents (like proposals and contracts) to leads. A highly sophisticated system with advanced features—for example, SalesForce—gives the ability to write notes and log correspondence by date, tracks a high volume of relationship-based leads, and provides a detailed, feature-heavy system for lead management. These are not ideal, however, for retail businesses, or businesses that need to track a high volume of leads with minimal customer information attached. Website Analytics Web analytics programs monitor and analyze website traffic and online advertising, and track the number of people who visit your site, where they came from (search engines, online advertisement, website link etc.), how long they stayed, the pages they visited and which page they left the site from. Google Analytics is an easy-to-use example. Bringing qualified leads into your business will save you and your sales team time, and result in higher revenues. Qualified leads are simply the potential customers who are the most likely to buy your product or service. They’re not just in your store taking at look at the latest features in refrigerators, they’re in the market to purchase a refrigerator. They’re not wandering in to see what a $500 handbag looks like, they are the kind of person who can actually spend $500 on a handbag. Some of the people who will call you or visit your business will never buy from you no matter how good your sales scripts are or how much time you spend overcoming their objectives. There are a variety of reasons for this—and you’ll never eliminate all of these people—but you will need to focus on bringing in more of the people who are ready to buy. The good news is you have spent so much time and energy cultivating a comprehensive knowledge of your target market that you’re in a great position to increase the number of qualified leads you bring into your business. The crux of qualified lead generation is making decisions based on the market research you completed on your target market. You basically need to know where to reach your prospects and how to speak to them. When you are designing, executing and making choices about your lead-generation

strategies, always consider these questions: Who is my target market? How does my target market like to receive information? What motivates my target market to take action, and how can I tap into that motivation? Where can I place my marketing message so my target market will see it? What can I offer my target market to entice them to purchase from me? Once you’re set up with a testing and measuring system (your lead tracking and management systems) to evaluate the success of your lead-generation strategies, you need to start by looking for opportunities to juice up the strategies you’re currently working with. Use your new marketing message Make sure that you have put your new marketing message on all of your marketing materials, where new and existing customers can see it. Revise your standard advertisements to feature the strengthened copy. Strengthen Your Offer Create an offer that’s too good to refuse—not for your entire target market, but for your ideal customer. How can you cater to their unique needs and wants? What will be irresistible for them? Refocus Your Direct Mail Campaign If you’re sending your direct mail to entire postal code areas, stop and refocus. If your distribution area is that broad, chances are the copy on your postcard or letter is too broad as well. Brainstorm ways to narrow your distribution and only hit your target audience. Purchase consumer lists based on demographics, not just location, or limit distribution to specific housing types. Of course, make sure you rework the direct mail piece to feature your marketing message. Let Your Target Market’s Behaviors Dictate Your Distribution Plans As I discussed above, the more you can tailor your strategy to the needs and habits of your target market, the stronger your results will be. Look for opportunities in your existing direct mail, advertising, flyer drop and other strategies to get specific. Narrow the demographics of your list or place an ad in a niche publication. Brainstorm new ways to target your market’s emotional reactions. Tap Into Low-cost Advertising Advertising in places like directories and listings, Yellow Pages, classifieds sections, email newsletters and Google Adwords can be a great place to test your marketing message for minimal investment.

Look for Some Referral Business Referral business is desirable because it usually brings qualified leads into your business; someone has referred them to you based on a current need or desire. > Provide your customers with an incentive to bring business to you. Reward successful referrals with discounts or gifts. > Create a referral chain by giving each new customer three free coupons for products or services that they can give to their friends. When their friends come into your business, do the same. > Create complementary alliances with non-competitor businesses with the same target market. Cross-promotion or cross-referral strategies will benefit both businesses. Website Sign-up Add a feature on your website that encourages visitors to sign-up for newsletters or other communications. You can also set up your website so that potential customers need to fill out a simple form before they have access to “free” information. Now that you have a comprehensive lead tracking system in place, you’ll be able to track the leads that each strategy is responsible for generating. When you complete your first few campaigns with the lead tracking system and analyze the numbers, compare the results to the initial predictions you made. Were you correct in your assumptions, or were you surprised by how things shook out? Testing and measuring using a lead tracking system will save you money and time, and is incredibly useful information to have when developing marketing budgets and trying to drive sales. Once established, your lead tracking and lead management system should require minimal time investment—if you keep it up to date. The biggest pain (and drain on time) is having to go back and enter heaps of data into your database or management system because someone has let it pile up. If you fall behind on your lead tracking system, you won’t be able to effectively evaluate your campaign or strategy, or you may miss a lead because you didn’t follow up soon enough. Be diligent, and set a strong example for your staff members. BOROPULSE.COM

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Sports

SPORTS

TALK

EQUALITY AND PELVIC THRUSTS THE TRAIN DADDY IS BACK, the Madness of March is behind us, and thank the good Lord the kickoff of football gets nearer and nearer as the days go on. So, what shall we discuss in this issue? Let’s start with some quick shout-outs. First off, congrats to MTSU and the men’s basketball program. MTSU had a massive firstround victory over Michigan State

38 * APRIL 2016 * BOROPULSE.COM

and represented for their school, fans and community with class. Congrats to the Nashville Predators, who made the NHL playoffs! The Predators barely clinched what appears to be a wild-card spot. They were the seventh team from the west to qualify. They nearly squandered their chance, but they squeezed out a spot. The NHL playoffs begin April 13. Cell Block 303 is ready!

DELLE DONNE

COLUMN BY ZACH “Z-TRAIN” MAXFIELD

titanman1984yahoo.com

Not much going on in the NFL world. Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison released a video of himself pelvic-thrusting 528 pounds, a strange video, no doubt. I guess if he ever had to hump his way through a barrier of heavy objects, he’s your man! I then attempted to find out how much weight I could thrust. I don’t know the exact weight, but I can pelvicthrust a Ford Excursion seven feet forward, a mighty endeavor indeed. I spent about two hours thrusting until I got the Ford going. James Harrison’s pelvic thrust is pure power; my pelvic thrusts are precise and quick. Choo-choo! Let’s get into the main topic of this issue: women! Wonder Woman made her debut in the new Batman V Superman movie and she was badass—girl power is the topic here. So, we have a WNBA controversy dealing with lowering the hoop, currently set at 10 feet, the same as the NBA. Reigning WNBA MPV Delle Donne unveiled her support for lowering the basketball rim. As I said, the rim is set at 10 feet, exactly the same height NBA players like LeBron James and Kevin Durant must reach to slam. Some women in the league can dunk, but they are few and far between. Literally, I can count on one hand how many women have dunked in the WNBA. Donne, the Chicago Sky superstar, believes lowering the rim would help achieve equality between men’s and women’s basketball, something the WNBA desperately needs. Another WNBA superstar and Donne’s Olympic teammate Diana Taurasi is opposed to the idea, stating, “[They] might as well put us in skirts and back in the kitchen.” Donne called Taurasi’s kitchen comment “frustrating” and then said, “The biggest issue I have with what Taurasi said is how degrading that is to women athletes in general, because when you look at sports—volleyball, the nets are lower; golf, women’s tees are closer. And if you want to talk about Serena Williams, she plays less sets than the men so are you going to tell her

to put a skirt on and go back to the kitchen?” An excellent point. Donne is in good company; the dominant University of Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma introduced the idea of lowering the rim in 2012. Coach Geno has won 11 NCAA titles and a gold medal in the 2012 Olympics; he is the voice of women’s basketball since Pat Summitt retired. He believes lowering the rim in college ball and the WNBA would be beneficial to women’s basketball. Why didn’t anyone make a big deal about putting the WNBA three-point line four feet closer than that of the NBA, or complain that the basketball is smaller? Don’t get upset, feminists, but men are physically stronger than women, who have, on average, less muscle mass, both in absolute terms and relative to total body mass. These women are undeniably shorter than their male counterparts. Don’t blame me, it’s science! And don’t twist my words; I am not downplaying these women’s amazing abilities. I stand right at six feet tall, and I have no doubt any player in the WNBA would destroy me in a pickup game. I think it would be for the best to lower the rim. The WNBA is entering its 20th season as a league. These athletes often play in halfempty arenas and get lucky if their game is aired on ESPN 2. Lower the rim! Give us awesome dunks and higher shooting percentages. New subject—five members of Team USA, including Hope Solo, Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan, have filed a wage discrimination action vs. U.S. soccer. The filing cites that, despite the women generating $20 million more in revenue than the U.S. men’s team made last year, they are paid about a quarter of what the men make. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will conduct an investigation and deter-

mine if compensation is warranted. But the Unites States Soccer Federation is defending itself, saying the complaints have no merit. They state that the women signed a collective bargaining agreement, and are complaining about terms they insisted on and agreed to. They also claim that the men’s club outpaced the women in revenue nearly 2–1 over the years, despite what the women claimed in their filing. They don’t dispute that the women have been more successful on the field, but the notion that they bring in more money is a fallacy. But after their dominant success on the field I don’t blame them for being dissatisfied with their current contract. Maybe FIFA should be the target of blame, not the USSF. FIFA paid $2 million to the women’s U.S. team for their 2015 World Cup Victory; they paid the German men’s team $35 million for their World Cup victory. They also paid the U.S. men’s team $8 million and they were knocked out in the round of 16. FIFA states the men’s tournament produces 20 to 30 times more revenue than the women’s. Team USA women should be compensated for their recent success in their new contract that is due soon. Go out there, U.S. women, and win another Olympic gold medal. Then come back, smack a member of the USSF in the face with the gold and say, “Give me my damn money!” So, what have we learned? Dunking is awesome, so let’s make it possible for women to dunk in the pros, and who knows, maybe the college level as well. I just dunked a chicken nugget in some BBQ sauce right as I typed this sentence—it was awesome! Wait a minute, honey mustard dunk! I’m being serious—I am eating chicken nuggets right now. But ladies and gentleman, it’s not over yet, chicken-in-the-ranchdressing dunk. “Boom shaka laka”!

BLUE RAIDER SPORTS BY GREG CRITTENDEN

MTSU Men's Basketball Makes Tournament History MTSU shocks Michigan State, and the world, with ﬁrst-round tourney victory.

historic week for Middle Tennessee State University athletics came to an unfortunate end on Sunday, March 20. After both the men’s and women’s basketball programs played their way into the tournament, both were eliminated over the weekend. It was not, however, without the making of history. The men kicked off their NCAA Tournament bid against No. 2 seed, Michigan State. It was a game in which MT was told they didn’t stand a chance. Despite receiving only a 2 seed, odds makers in Las Vegas gave Michigan State the second best chance to win the National Championship. Multiple analysts had selected the Spartans to go, at least, to the Final Four. However, the Blue Raiders apparently hadn’t heard they were supposed to lose and they had different plans. The Blue Raiders pounced on the Spartans like a predator on prey. MT jumped out to a quick 15–2 lead, making good on their first six shot attempts. The quick lead set the tone for the Blue Raiders, as they fended off a few strong comeback efforts by Michigan State. MTSU never relinquished the lead to the mighty Spartans, and a monstrous Reggie Upshaw dunk sealed it in the final minute of the game. The Blue Raiders became just the eighth 15th seed in NCAA Tournament history to earn a tournament win. Upshaw, fresh off his C-USA Tournament MVP run, was incredible once again. Reggie logged 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field while hitting three of his six three-point tries. For head coach Kermit Davis, it was his first NCAA Tournament win in his second opportu-

nity. They would look to enter an even more elite group on Sunday, but first it was the women’s turn to play Cinderella. On Saturday, March 19, the 12th-seeded Lady Raiders took on No. 5 seed, Florida State. MT looked like they may follow in the footsteps of their male counterparts through the first 28 minutes of the game, but a late third quarter three-pointer gave FSU the momentum they needed to put MTSU away. “More than anything, I think it kind of got away from us at the end of the third quarter. We were down and we missed a 3-pointer, then they go down and hit one. That was big. They got up seven. Then we started the fourth quarter with a turnover and they hit another 3, and then they were on a roll and they began to play downhill. That was, I think, the difference in the ball game,” MT head coach Rick Insell stated. Despite playing against much larger defenders, Alex Johnson led all scorers with 22 points, and also added four rebounds and four steals. Senior Brea Edwards capped off her brief MTSU career with another double-double, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Ty Petty capped off her junior campaign in the way she has all season. Petty has featured the ability to make plays by scoring and passing all season, and her 10 points and seven assists against FSU were a testament to that. Sunday, the Blue Raiders looked to build off their shocking first-round win by becoming just the second team to advance to the Sweet Sixteen as a 15 seed. Considering that their opponent, Syracuse, was only a 10-seed, it

seemed far more probable a feat to accomplish than the one they pulled off on Friday. However, Syracuse jumped out to a quick 4–0 lead, eventually building a 12-point lead in the first half. However, MT closed that lead to just four late in the half. JaQawn Raymond and Giddy Potts opened the second half with two straight three-pointers, giving the Blue Raiders a two-point advantage, but that lead didn’t last long. The Orange went on a 21–2 run to put MTSU away. Middle shot only 25 percent from the field, as opposed to the 65 percent made by Syracuse. The Orange came away with a decisive victory, 75–50. The Blue Raiders can hold their heads high, though. True, they could have become just the second 15 seed to advance to the Sweet Sixteen (Florida Gulf Coast University is the only school to do so, in 2013), but people can always recall where they were that time a 15 seed beat the 2 seed in the tournament. On top of that, MTSU received unprecedented exposure as a result of their victory. In an interview on the Morning Zone of 104.5 The Zone, MTSU athletic director Chris Massaro stated that the Blue Raiders received 250 billion @mentions on social media between Friday and Sunday. Massaro also remarked that the application used to count those @ mentions malfunctioned after the 250 billion mark was reached, so the total was probably more than that.

Darius Johnson Working Hard for a Shot in the NFL ON MARCH 31, SEVERAL BLUE Raider football players got the opportunity to perform in front of scouts representing teams from the NFL and CFL. Just a few months ago, offensive lineman Darius Johnson was considered a lock to make the draft, but two mid-season injuries vastly limited his time on the field to impress scouts. He was able to perform at pro day, however, and was impressive. Johnson ran a 40 time on par with expectations from other offensive lineman, and his 32 bench reps would have been tied for fourthbest at the NFL Scouting Combine. So, what is it like for a prospect to find himself on the outside looking in? We had a discussion with Darius Johnson the day after the pro day to find out.

Murfreesboro Pulse: How rewarding is it to come in, after everything you’ve gone through this year, and put up those impressive numbers? JOHNSON: I mean, I know it’s rewarding, but I know this is just one step into my goal that I’m trying to accomplish. Even if I do get a chance to go to camp, camp is not even my ultimate goal. My goal is to be on a team and to play. Read the full interview at BoroPulse. com. Johnson will get the opportunity to see if his dreams come true at the NFL Draft, to be held April 28–30.

BOROPULSE.COM

* APRIL 2016 * 39