April 2018 Murfreesboro Pulse

APRIL 2018 / VOL. 13, ISSUE 4 / FREE

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

Boro Art Crawl Returns April 13 SEE MAP ON PAGE 27

Century 21 Plans Record Store Day Festivities Paddlin’ for Paws on the Duck River Raises Funds for Animal Charities

Hometown girl Chonda Pierce deals with personal grief by making others laugh, brings comedy tour to town with Karyn Williams on April 27

IN MUSIC

Fortified Opens Ninja Training Course for Local Warriors

VIOLINS OF HOPE / RANDY HILL / AXE OF GOD / UTOPIA / BORO FONDO BAZAARO / MURFREESBORO SYMPHONY

Contents

WORD FROM THE EDITOR ANOTHER LESSON FROM BOB MARLEY:

36

FEATURES

18

IN EVERY ISSUE

8 VIOLINS OF HOPE

5 Events

Nashville Symphony project features instruments, music and memories from the Holocaust.

12 RECORD STORE ROOTS

Century 21 Music and More prepares for Record Store Day 2018.

16 ROAD TO UTOPIA

THIS MONTH

Boro Adventure Fest, Thai Food Fair, Celebration Bowl and more

8 Sounds LOCAL CONCERTS

Burning Las Vegas, Big Smo, JD Shelburne; and more!

Celebrated band reunites for first U.S. tour since 1985.

18 BACK TO FUNNY

MUSIC NOTES

The Justin Reed Show; Night of Nashville; Boro Fondo Bazaaro and more

Comedienne Chonda Pierce to bring tour to World Outreach, April 27.

ALBUM REVIEWS

26 BORO ART CRAWL

20 Living

April 13 installment features hands of abuse survivors and much more.

49 FORTIFIED NINJA

Art Director: Sarah Mayo

Publisher/Editor in Chief: Bracken Mayo

Randy Hill, Axe of God

GARDENING

How will you garden this spring?

22 Art

Burns family brings ninja training course to local gym.

boropulse . com

28

Copy Editor: Steve Morley Advertising: Don Clark Leslie Russell-Yost

POETRY

National Poetry Month events planned

THEATER

Dreamcoat, Masquerade Bash at Center for the Arts, Mystery Dinner at Oaklands

28 Food

38 Opinion THE RHETORIC OF HATE

The rise of fear mongering and the New McCarthyism

RESTAURANT REVIEW

SPIRITUAL MATTERS

31 Movies

PHIL VALENTINE

Cup Pop

REVIEWS

Ready Player One; Pacific Rim: Uprising LIVING ROOM CINEMA

Glaring Omissions NEW RELEASES

Pandas, Beirut, Rampage and more READING

Ecce Deus: Essays on the Life of Jesus Christ

36 News BUSINESS BUZZ

El Hornito Bakery #2; Tre Sorelle; Diamond Doughnut; and more

Contributors: Dylan Skye Aycock, Jessica Barroll, Megan Castleberry, John Connor Coulston, Greg Crittenden, Jennifer Durand, Joseph Kathmann, Rick Malone, Zach Maxfield, M.C. Radford, Justin Reed, Edwina Shannon, Jay Spight, Andrea Stockard, Sam Stockard, Norbert Thiemann, Semaj Thomas, Phil Valentine, Kory Wells, Michelle Willard

Let faith seep into work and family life.

Senator McConnell refuses to stand for fiscal conservatism.

LIVE . . . WELL!

How happy are you?

THE STOCKARD REPORT

No beer, no atheists HIGHER THOUGHTS

For everyday living

48 Sports SPORTS TALK

Michael Bennett to release book amidst criminal charges.

MTSU SPORTS

McDevitt named new head basketball coach.

Copyright © 2018, 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 advertisers.

Views expressed in the Pulse do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. ISSN: 1940-378X

SIGN UP to receive our weekly digital newsletter at BoroPulse.com/Newsletter 10 N. Public Square, Murfreesboro, TN 37130 • 615-796-6248 To carry the PULSE at your business, or to submit letters, stories and photography: Bracken@BoroPulse.com

One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain. The Pulse encourages engagement in the arts.

Play music, create. That is a big driving force behind the publication: making the independent arts accessible to all—by organizing the month’s happenings, activities and news—and helping grow the local music, entertainment and entrepreneurial scenes.

This month we have Sugar Lime Blue, Big Smo, JD Shelburne, the MTSU Salsa Band, Marshall Creek, Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra, Burning Las Vegas, Jewel Machine and many, many others performing in Murfreesboro. Give a listen to recordings by area artists Randy Hill, performing some of his favorite tunes from Grandpa Jones, and Axe of God, laying down some instrumental prog-rock inspired by Scripture.

Century 21 and other stores all over the world prepare for the month’s upcoming Record Store Day, featuring limited vinyl releases from all sorts of artists as well as festivities at various music stores throughout the city.

Continue improving, Murfreesboro. Push your body, push your mind, learn about the world, get outside, make some time for romance, cook some vegetables, stretch, visit with your friends and family.

Let the Pulse help you with goals! This month, check out the Thai Food Fest, Boro Art Crawl, Paddlin’ for Paws, Boro Yoga Fest, a comedy performance by Chonda Pierce, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Godspell Jr., Boro Fondo, garden planting time and much more in the coming pages, and around town.

In language news, perhaps English speakers could scale back on the often-needless use of “actually” and “literally.”

Not only does the use of those words generally provide little additional insight into the speaker’s intention, but so many times, particularly the word literally, is used incorrectly.

“He literally tore my heart to shreds” . . . no, he did not (actually). “I am literally going to die.” As in, I should go ahead and get the hearse on the way?

Not everyone understands what “literally” means.

Further, am I to now assume that when one does not use “actually” or “literally” to qualify what they are saying, that they are no longer speaking the truth, and have transitioned into a metaphorical/fictional portion of their communication to me, open to interpretation other than the literal, actual words that they speak? Nonsense . . . literally. Whoops.

The Preds are gearing up for another playoff run, bringing Nashville some high expectations after last season’s appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals and this year’s stellar season that followed it.

Local poets invite everyone to write a tanka about Tennessee for the community poetry project this month. Find more details on the short-form poetry style in this issue.

Here’s my Tennessee tanka: sun rises over majestic Smoky Mountains sun sets below the mighty Mississippi glow string sounds ring through Tennessee Peace, BRACKEN MAYO Publisher/Editor in Chief

Events

BY ANDREA STOCKARD

APRIL 7 2ND ANNUAL BORO YOGA FEST Practice various styles of yoga including Vinyasa, Restorative, Hot 26 and Ashtanga, led by a variety of Murfreesboro’s best yoga instructors at Lane Agri Park Community Center (315 John Rice Blvd.) Saturday, April 7, beginning at 9 a.m. Proceeds benefit the Trini Foundation, which brings yoga to individuals struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. For more information, contact boroyogafest@gmail.com or 615796-1335 or visit boroyogafest.com.

Reservations required for persons and for well-behaved leashed canines. For more information, call 615-217-1030 or visit beesleyanimalfoundation.org.

APRIL 7 C3 GAME NIGHT Join other married couples for a night of food, fun, and fellowship with First Baptist Church of Murfreesboro’s C3 Marriage Ministry game night, held at the 3343 Memorial Clubhouse (3343 Memorial Blvd.) on Saturday, April 7, from 6–11 p.m.

Choose from dozens of free group games, card games and mystery scenarios while making new friends. Space is limited; registration required. For more information, visit fbcmurfreesboro.org or register for C3 Game Night on EventBrite.

APRIL 10 MARRIAGE AND MONEY

BEGINNING APRIL 2 MEN’S 50+ SOFTBALL New Vision Baptist Church (1750 N. Thompson Ln.) runs a softball league April through October for men who are over 50.

Open to the public. Church, non-church teams and individuals are welcome. For more information, contact dhand13@ yahoo.com or ray.moss@newvisionlife.com, or visit newvisionlife.com.

APRIL 5 CELEBRITY WAITERS DINNER The Exchange Club of Murfreesboro presents the Ninth Annual Celebrity Waiters Dinner Thursday, April 5, at Stones River Country Club (1830 NW. Broad St.) from 6–9 p.m. “Boot-Scoot and Boogie in The Boro,” is this year’s theme with several live bands and celebrities. For sponsorship, table reservations, tickets, donation of auction items or more information, call 615893-2067. Proceeds from the evening benefit The Family Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect and other projects of The Exchange Club of

Murfreesboro such as Americanism, Community Service and Youth Activities. The club meets at 6 p.m. on Tuesday evenings at Through the Grapevine (630 Broadmor Blvd., St. 190). For more information, visit nationalexchangeclub.org.

APRIL 7 SMALL GENERATOR HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTION All Rutherford County residents, as well as residents from surrounding counties, are encouraged to properly dispose of household hazardous waste during this TDEC collection Saturday, April 7, from 8 a.m.–noon. Paint and electronic waste are not accepted. For a fee and advance reservations, small businesses may properly dispose of hazardous materials immediately following the household hazardous waste collection at City of Murfreesboro Public Works Facility (4765 Florence Rd.) Saturday, April 7, at noon. Contact Clean Harbors Environmental Services for more information at tncesqg@cleanharbors.com or 615-643-3170, or visit solidwaste.rutherfordcountytn.gov.

Visit BOROPULSE.COM/EVENTS for more community events

APRIL 7 4 WAY TEST SPEECH CONTEST High school students are invited to compete for cash in the Murfreesboro Rotary Club’s 4 Way Test public speaking contest at Adams Place (1927 Memorial Blvd.) Saturday, April 7, at 9 a.m., to develop future leaders and promote ethical behavior. The principles of the 4 Way Test have been developed over the years to provide Rotarians with a strong, common purpose and direction, and it has grown into one of the most widely printed and quoted statements of business ethics in the world. There is no fee to participate; open to ninth- through twelfth-grade students in public, private and home schools.

Monetary prizes are awarded with a chance to compete in the finals. To register, contact david@thebarnabasvision.org.

Linebaugh Library (105 W. Vine St.) invites couples to a free seminar on Marriage and Money in the second floor Board Room (105 W. Vine St.) Tuesday, April 10, at noon. Take a money personality test and learn about different money personalities. Facilitators and financial counselor Chris Brown and Sandy Arons give tips on how to talk with your spouse about money, provide a monthly spouse’s financial review and give options to track spending. No registration necessary. For more information, contact 615-893-4131, ext. 119, or cghattas@rclstn.org, or visit rclstn.org.

APRIL 10 ROCK THE BLOCK Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce presents Business After Hours: Rock the Block, an informal business networking event, on Tuesday, April 10, from 5–7 p.m. outside on South Walnut Street between West Main West Vine streets. Bring plenty of business cards. Admission is $5 for CoC members and $15 for future members. No registration required. For more information, visit rutherfordchamber.org.

APRIL 7

APRIL 10 AND 17

PAWS & PEARLS

CAN POLICE DO THAT?

Paws & Pearls benefits the Beesley Animal Foundation Saturday, April 7, 6–10 p.m., hosted by Ruth & Eddy Taylor at Sitaspel Downe (7421 Cainsville Pk, Lascassas).

Murfreesboro Attorneys Scott Kimberly and Hunter Fowler bring “Can Police Do That” back for its fourth year to discusses CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 BOROPULSE.COM

* APRIL 2018 * 5

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 interaction with the police, Constitutional rights and other issues in the legal field.

The series is sponsored by the MTSU College Democrats, the MTSU College Republicans and the Young Americans for Liberty. The series is scheduled to take place April 10 and 17 starting at 7 p.m. in Room 221 of the Student Union Building at MTSU (1301 E. Main St.). For more information, visit canpolicedothat.com.

the Bounce Back Golf Scramble benefiting Homes for Our Troops on Saturday, April 14, at 1 p.m. at Champion’s Run Golf Course (14262 Mt Pleasant Rd., Rockvale). Homes for Our Troops builds homes for service members who have been severely injured in combat since Sept. 11, 2001. Each home is specially made for an injured veteran. This year, funds benefit Sergeant Brian Camacho who was wounded in Iraq and returned home paralyzed from the waist down. A subsequent accident left him paralyzed from the neck down. For more information, call 706-9683478. To register, visit active.com.

APRIL 12 RCHA APRIL SOCIAL The Rutherford Country Hospitality Association welcomes the CVB Connect Group for its April social on Thursday, April 12, from 5–7 p.m., at Buffalo Wild Wings (207 Stones River Mall Blvd.) Samuel Adams Lager serves as drink sponsor for this networking opportunity with the tourism industry of Rutherford County. For more information, call 615-785-3299.

APRIL 13 GARAGE BARRE ’80S BASH Celebrate Garage Barre’s 2nd Birthday Bash for a totally rad barre workout to Live ’80s Tribute Band, Mixtape, playing popular ’80s songs all night Friday, April 13, at The Middle Tennessee Expo Center (1660 Middle TN. Blvd.) with a workout from 7–8 p.m. followed by a dance from 8–9 p.m. Crimp your hair, grab a leotard and channel your best Jane Fonda. Enjoy a photo-booth, complimentary bottled water and free parking.

Bring your own yoga mat (some available for sale at the event). For more information, contact hello@garagebarre.com.

APRIL 13 ALZHEIMER’S CAREGIVER CONFERENCE Join the Alzheimer’s Association Mid South Chapter at the St. Clair Senior Center (335 St. Clair St.) Friday, April 13, from 8 a.m.–2 p.m., for the annual Caregiver

APRIL 10

APRIL 14

EQUALI-TEA: A HIGH TEA The second annual Equali-Tea: A High Tea (hats optional) returns Tuesday, April 10, to the MTSU Miller Education Center (503 E. Bell St.) at 4:30 p.m., with chairs Madelyn Scales Harris and Diane Turnham. Two Murfreesboro legends have stepped up to lead the Murfreesboro branch of the American Association of University Women for a social, fundraiser, and educational to raise scholarship and programming funds for the Middle Tennessee Fund for Women and Girls, a nonprofit organization in support of the mission of AAUW Murfreesboro: to level the playing field for women and girls in education and in the workforce. This year focuses on how Title IX has helped build women’s collegiate athletics contributing to scholarships for women returning to college. The Curious Kitchen serves a three-course high tea, complete with continuous table-side tea service. Reservations are required and offered at no cost. Attendees are invited to make a contribution at the event.

For more information, contact contact@equali-tea.org or visit equali-tea.org.

Conference with this year’s conference covering: Alzheimer’s, dementia, caregiver stress, behaviors, communication and providing care. Professionals are welcome.

Free for all attendees with lunch provided.

For more information, contact 800-2723900 or tcloud-mann@alz.org.

APRIL 13 ADVANCE CARE PLANNING Join Alive Hospice for another great Lunch and Learn Friday, April 13, from noon–1 p.m., at Alive Hospice Murfreesboro (1629 Williams Dr.). This month’s program covers Advance Care Planning in 7 Steps in conjunction with a personal planning tool, “The Gift Initiative Book” (free). Lunch provided

and parking free. For more information, visit alivehospice.org or contact 615-3468418 or kking@alivehospice.org.

APRIL 13–15 QUARTER HORSE SHOW Join the West Tennessee Quarter Horse Show April 13–15 for the Spring Fling Circuit at The Tennessee Miller Coliseum (304 W. Thompson Ln.). Admission is free. For more information, visit wtqha.org.

APRIL 14 BOUNCE BACK GOLF SCRAMBLE MTSU’s Leisure, Sport and Tourism Studies Program Planning class invites everyone to

APRIL 13 AND 14 OPERATION KIDSAFE EVENT This free, lifesaving child safety event is a continent-wide, custom digital fingerprinting unit similar to what the FBI and Secret Service use. The local sponsor, Chevrolet Buick GMC Murfreesboro (960 John R. Rice Blvd.), runs the system and makes it free and private for parents Friday, April 13, from 1–6 p.m. and Saturday, April 14 from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Safety tips to start a family safety action plan are also included. Parents take home the only record of the visit that is ready to hand to law enforcement in an emergency. Operation Kidsafe founder Mark Bott has been an Internationally known Child Safety Advocate for 18 years. For more information, contact 727-771-6441, 217535-4100 or operationkidsafe22@gmail.com.

6 * APRIL 2018 * BOROPULSE.COM

ADVENTURES IN AGRICULTURE Join the Rutherford County Agriculture Community at Lane Agri-Park (315 John Rice Blvd.) on Saturday, April 14, from 10 a.m.–2 p.m., to learn about local agriculture with hands-on activities. Farmers share their knowledge of animals, crops, homegrown foods and handmade products. Food donations are welcome at registration for the Rutherford County Food Bank. The first 25 teachers within Rutherford County, with a current teacher ID, to register, receive a $20 gift certificate from a local teacher’s store, along with coupons and other resources.

The event also features live animal exhibits, children’s games, a food display and a fishing rodeo. All ages can learn heritage skills such as butter making and yarn spinning. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, call 615-898-7710.

APRIL 19 THE CONNECTION Local small business owners will gather for The Connection: An Evening of Professional Networking and Business Brainstorming from 5–7 p.m. on Thursday, April 19, at the headquarters of Willow Balm and Wicked Stepsister Productions, 2230 Southgate Blvd., Suite B. All Middle Tennessee entrepreneurs and professionals are welcome to attend this casual, free, no-obligation event, where they can meet other small business owners and tap into one another’s experience and energy. 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. The series will continue the third Thursday of each month.

APRIL 19 THE ADDICTED BRAIN Bradford Health Services and the Rutherford County Prevention Coalition for Success welcome Tim Hilton to Murfreesboro

to present “The Addicted Brain – The Science of Addiction” at Murfreesboro Housing Authority (415 N. Maple St.) Thursday, April 19, from 6–8 p.m. Hilton explains in simple terms the science behind addiction through his life experience as an addict and helping other addicts recover. This event is free. Reservations are required; seating is limited. For more information, call 615-893-9414.

p.m. (check in at 9 a.m.). For more information, call 615-605-0020.

APRIL 28 LOWE’S WOMEN BUILD CLINIC Take the opportunity to learn at Lowe’s Women Build Clinic (1825 Old Fort Pkwy., Murfreesboro, and 410 Genie Ln., Smyrna), from 2–4 p.m. Topics focusing on: Caulking, Centering, Measuring and Sawing, and How to use Drills and Nail Guns.

Registration deadline is April 25. For more information, call 615-890-5877 ext. 106.

APRIL 20 WALK FOR CHILDREN The Child Advocacy Center brings awareness to Child Abuse Prevention Month with the Hometown Heroes Walk for Children on Friday, April 20. The 2-mile walk begins at the Murfreesboro Civic Plaza (111 W. Vine St.) at 11:45 a.m. and travels to the Child Advocacy Center (1040 Samsonite Blvd.), where the event concludes with a picnic lunch. Child Advocacy Center helps child abuse victims and their families heal from the trauma. For more information, call 615-867-9000.

Please pre-register at cacrutherford.org.

APRIL 20 PCA SPRING SOIREE Providence Christian Academy’s Spring Soiree is a casual, outdoor event benefiting the PCA Annual Fund featuring delicious food, fun music and a silent and live auction at Belle Meadows Farms (6241 Brown’s Mill Rd., Lascassas) Friday, April 20, from 6–9 p.m. For more information, visit providencechristian.com.

APRIL 21 UNWINED Join an evening of Fundraising, fellowship and wine tasting with light refreshments served by Carriage Lane Inn, beverages

by Murfreesboro Wine and Spirits, silent auction and wine grab at Saint Rose School Gym (1601 N. Tennessee Blvd.)

Saturday, April 21, from 6:30–9 p.m.

Adults only (21 years of age or older).

For more information, email saintrosewomensministry@gmail.com or visit saintrose.org.

APRIL 22 MT SPRINT TRIATHALON The MT Sprint Triathalon caters to beginners who want to brag that they have completed their first triathlon. Participate in a unique 300-meter pool swim, a 10-mile bike ride, and finish with a 5K through MTSU’s beautiful campus (1301 E. Main St.). Seasoned athletes are also welcome. Teams are allowed. You must be a college student with ID. Prizes awarded. Sign up at runsignup.com.

APRIL 21

APRIL 29

BORO ADVENTURE FEST Escape into the woods for a day with a community of nature lovers at The Wilderness Station (697 Veterans Pkwy.) Saturday, April 21, from noon–4 p.m. With the help of Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation Dept., all proceeds benefit Candle Wishes, a local non-profit that fulfills the birthday wishes and provides essentials for homeless and needy children (candlewishes.org). Begin with a hike through the woods. Live music

by Hogslop String Band and the Hardin Draw alongside campfires, food, hammocking, slacklining and rock climbing. Head over to the Kids Zone for face painting, animal encounters, games and a story trail. Optional campout at no additional cost (space is limited) beginning at 5:30 p.m. Admission is $10 for those over 13; free for kids 12 and under. Register at eventbrite.com. For more information, contact 615-217-3017 or lhughes@murfreesborotn.gov, or visit boroadventurefest.com.

APRIL 24 LIGHT UP LOCAL AWARDS Murfreesboro and Smyrna Independent Merchants Association presents the inaugural Light Up Local Firefly Awards, Tuesday, April 24, from 6–9 p.m., at The Grove at Williamson Place (3250 Wilkinson Pk.) with an evening of local food, music and the presentation of the Firefly Awards.

The people’s choice awards celebrate the importance of supporting independent businesses by showcasing locally owned businesses in both Murfreesboro and Smyrna.

Tickets are $35 and can be purchased on EventBrite. For more information, visit locallyownedmurfreesboro.org/nominations or locallyownedmurfreesboro on Facebook.

APRIL 26–28 SADDLEBRED HORSE SHOW Witness the Southern Saddlebred Horse Show Spring Fling April 26–28 for a perfect warm-up show to start the season at the Tennessee Miller Coliseum (304 W. Thompson Ln.), one of the finest equine facilities in the Southeast. For more information, visit southernsaddlebred.com.

APRIL 27 WINE ON THE VERANDA Join the Historic Sam Davis Home and Plantation (1399 Sam Davis Rd., Smyrna) for its annual Wine on the Veranda featuring wine and food tasting, live music, dancing, and a silent auction Friday, April 27, from 6–9 p.m. VIP hour begins at 5 p.m. for ex-

clusive access to a tour of the historic home and specialty spirits and food. For tickets or more information, visit samdavishome.org.

APRIL 28 THAI-LAO FOOD FAIR Wat Amphawan of America (4880 Barfield Crescent Rd.), hosts the Thai-Lao Food Fair on Saturday, April 28, from 11 a.m.–4 p.m. with lots of delicious dishes from Southeast Asia. For more information, visit THAI, TN on Facebook.

APRIL 28 SPRING MARKET 2018 Get ready for Mother’s Day at the Spring Market with over 90 vendors at the MidTN Expo (1660 Middle Tennessee Blvd.) from 11 a.m–4 p.m. on Saturday, April 28. Local photographers offer free digital photos (1 per family) and door prizes go to the first 40 customers. For more information, contact elizabethdeslatte@yahoo.com.

APRIL 28

13TH ANNUAL SEE SPOT RUN See Spot Run 5K Run/Walk supports the MTSU Habitat Blitz Build and Rutherford County Habitat for Humanity on Saturday, April 29, at MTSU (1301 E. Main St.). The Office of Student Organizations & Service and Sigma Pi Fraternity invite you to run with your dog (rabies tags required). Registration begins at 6:45 a.m. at Peck Hall with race beginning at 8 a.m. Race entry includes a dry-fit style shirt and awards to the top age group finishers. For more information, call 615-898-5812. Register at runsignup.com.

APRIL 29 FIDO SPRING FLING Join Beesley Animal Foundation & Rutherford PAWS for the 3rd annual Fido Spring Fling on Sunday, April 29, from 2–5 p.m., with your leashed pooch, fun games for kids, local food trucks, over 20 vendor booths and a dog costume contest. Admission is free, but a $15 donation per dog gains your pup access to the egg hunt and costume contest. Entry fee benefits Beesley Animal Foundation and Rutherford PAWS. Vendor applications accepted; space is limited. To volunteer, visit fidospringfling.com.

TUESDAYS CHESS CLUB The Murfreesboro Chess Club meets each Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at the McDonald’s at 1706 Memorial Blvd. Chess players of all levels are invited to come out and meet and play against other local chess enthusiasts.

For more information, call 615-713-9256.

CELEBRATION BOWL

WEDNESDAYS

The Down Syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee (DSAMT) invites the public to its first Celebration Bowl to celebrate and support individuals with Down Syndrome and their families and to promote understanding and acceptance. Families, schools, churches, businesses and media can enjoy bowling, a silent auction and top prizes at Lanes, Trains and Automobiles (450 Butler Dr.) Saturday, April 28, from 10 a.m.–1

Boro2Square Runners is a running group for individuals looking to get out and run and socialize with other runners. Weekly runs begin at 6 p.m. each Wednesday, starting from the Boulevard Bar and Grill, 2154 Middle Tennessee Blvd. Distances are between 3 and 5 miles, with runners of all paces welcome. For more information, visit facebook.com/boro2square.

BORO2SQUARE RUNNERS

BOROPULSE.COM

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Sounds

Read more about local music at

BoroPulse.com/Category/Music

VIOLINS OF HOPE’S APRIL EVENTS  APRIL 10 – Violins of Hope: Strings of the Holocaust, a documentary about the vintage instruments, will air on NPT-1 at 5 p.m.

APRIL 10 – A special con-

Violins of Hope Project Features Instruments, Music, Memories of the Holocaust

BY JOHN CONNOR COULSTON THE NASHVILLE SYMPHONY has commenced its months-long program entitled “Violins of Hope” that, in addition to focusing on beautiful music and instruments, aims to open cultural discussion throughout Middle Tennessee communities.

The program gets its name from a collection of violins that were played by musicians during the Holocaust.

These instruments miraculously survived that tragedy and have been restored to excellent condition.

“Each of these instruments has a remarkable story to tell about resilience of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable difficulty,” says Alan D. Valentine, Nashville Symphony president and CEO. “This singular collection will serve as a springboard for many of Nashville’s cultural organizations to explore the vital role that music, the arts and creativity play in all of our lives. We are thrilled to be working with so many enthusiastic partners on this historic initiative.”

The instruments are now on display at the Nashville Public Library through May 27 (aside from a brief gap from April 10–14). That exhibit is free and open to the public.

Additionally, the Violins of Hope project will also tie into numerous other speeches, film screenings, concerts and art installations in April and May. The Nashville Symphony and its partners have high hopes for the project and believe that it will give younger generations a better understanding of the Holocaust.

“The Jewish Federation of Nashville is honored to partner with the Nashville Symphony in bringing the Violins of Hope to Nashville,” says Mark S. Freedman, 8 * APRIL 2018 * BOROPULSE.COM

Executive Director of the Jewish Federation and Jewish Foundation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee. “For our Jewish community, this represents a profoundly important opportunity to let these sacred instruments provide a measure of redemption to the millions of Holocaust victims who perished simply because they were Jews. These violins should serve as a clarion call throughout our city that the words ‘never again’ must resonate through every one of us.”

cert entitled “The Sound of Silent Voices” will be held at Vanderbilt University Central Library starting at 7 p.m. Ton Beau String Quartet performs music based on poetry written by children of the Holocaust.

APRIL 10 – Treblinka’s Last

Witness, a documentary about the last living survivor of the Treblinka death camp in Nazioccupied Poland, will air on NPT-1 at 11 p.m.

APRIL 11 – Nova: Holocaust

Escape Tunnel, a documentary about archaeologists investigating the remains of a Nazi death camp, will air on NPT-1 at 8 p.m.

APRIL 11 – The documentary

GI Jews: Jewish Americans in World War II, will air on NPT-1 at 8 p.m.

APRIL 12–14 – Nashville

Symphony performs Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins, Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 and three works by Elgar alongside Israeli-born musician Pinchas Zukerman at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. The April 12 show will begin at 7 p.m. with subsequent concerts beginning at 8 p.m.

APRIL 18 – Blair School of

Music faculty and Nashville Symphony musicians will perform music by composers who were affected profoundly by the Holocaust. Several of

the Violins of Hope will be used during that event, which begins at 8 p.m. in the Steve and Judy Turner Recital Hall at Blair School of Music.

APRIL 22 – Living On: Ten-

nesseans Remembering the Holocaust is an NPT original documentary about Tennessee Holocaust Commission’s mission to interview all the Holocaust survivors currently in Tennessee. There will be a screening of the film at 2:30 p.m. at the Main Public Library Auditorium in Nashville.

APRIL 22 – Violinist Sylvia

Samis, who is the daughter of Holocaust survivors, will perform music written in concentration camps and ghettos. The concert will be held at the Blair School of Music at 8 p.m.

APRIL 25 – Part one of a

lecture series entitled Voices of Hope: The Power of Music will be held at the Christ Church Cathedral in Nashville at 7 p.m. Joy H. Calico, a Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Musicology, will discuss how music plays a role in war and genocide.

APRIL 28 – Brand New Hope, a cultural program centered around equality, will be held at Vanderbilt University’s Langford Auditorium at 7:30 p.m.

APRIL 29 – Steven Spiel-

berg’s film Schindler’s List will be screened at Blair School of Music at 3 p.m.

APRIL 29 – The Fisk Jubilee

Singers will perform negro spirituals at 3 p.m. at the Main Public Library Auditorium in Nashville.

Visit violinsofhopensh.com for more information.

LEWIS

WILSON

GIBSON

MUSIC NOTES

THE BELLAMY BROTHERS, CALECHE RYDER, GEOFFREY LEWIS ON THE JUSTIN REED SHOW DON’T BE FOOLED—APRIL IS HERE and it is backed with new guests and some repeat favorites! The Justin Reed Show is the place to be on Thursday mornings from 6 to 10 a.m.!

APRIL 5 At 8 a.m. the show welcomes Nashville-based recording artist Geoffrey Lewis to the studio to play live! Originally from Pennsylvania, Lewis has found success all over the globe. He worked in South Korea for a time and had two of his songs featured in Kia commercials—“Gravity” and “You Drive Me Wild.” He will drop by to play the new single “Little Spaces.”

At 9 a.m., acclaimed musician and songwriter Rod Picott will drop by to debut his new book and album combo, Out Past the Wires. This 22-song collection ranges from whispery ballads to guitar-driven rockers and hits everywhere between. He will also share some of the poetry from the book. More information can be found at rodpicott.com.

APRIL 12 During the 8 o’clock hour the show welcomes fiddler Lacie Carpenter.

Born and raised in Texas, Lacie grew up singing and playing all types of music and instruments. She quickly found out the fiddle and violin came to be her favorites.

Now residing in Nashville, Carpenter both plays and teaches the fiddle. Having appeared with Mark O’Connor, Jimmy Fortune, Mark Wood, Jonna Fitzgerald and more, Carpenter is constantly on the go; she is the winner of 12 East Texas Music Awards. Find more information on Carpenter at laciecarpentermusic.com.

At 9 a.m. the show welcomes back Howard and David, the Bellamy Brothers.

It has been two years since our last visit and they will discuss their new book, Let Your Love Flow: The Life and Times of the Bellamy Brothers, out April 17. In addition

to the new book, they are touring all-over the world celebrating 40 years of “Let Your Love Flow.” Find more information at bellamybrothers.com.

APRIL 19 L.A.-based artist Caleche Ryder will visit at 7:30 a.m. Caleche, the “West Coast Cowgirl,” grew up riding horses and memorizing country songs in rural San Diego. Obtaining a degree from the University of Nevada and riding her horse, Harley, she competed for the title of Miss Nevada. Her first project features her West Coast influences, while the upcoming second album focuses on her home away from home, Nashville. Find more information on Caleche Ryder at calecherydermusic.com.

LEE GIBSON HOSTS “A NIGHT OF NASHVILLE” AT THE BORO

The Lee Gibson Band joins The Good Cain and Tori Wilson at The Boro on Friday, April 6, in what the performers dub “A Night of Nashville.”

Lee Gibson said he has a vision to incorporate some of the best vocalists, songwriters and instrumentalists in Middle Tennessee into a performance collective that can provide shows for all levels of events, from small acoustic house concerts up to an 8-piece musical machine churning out nonstop music during its show, spanning country, Americana, rock, bluegrass, blues, contemporary Christian and more.

“That’s what A Night of Nashville really is,” Gibson said. “A ride through many genres of music which have been influenced by our incredible city.”

The Good Cain, which is Joel Goode (of the Hellbillies) and Jesse Cain (of Boo Boo Bunny), will join Tori Wilson and the Lee Gibson Band at the April 6 Night of Nashville.

Some of the musicians who will be onstage that night have performed shows with artists ranging from George Jones, Randy Houser, Cole Swindell and Dustin Lynch, to name a few, and at notable venues ranging from Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge to Madison Square Garden.

The Boro is located at 1211 Greenland Dr.; the April 6 show begins at 9:30 p.m. and the cover is $5.

APRIL 26 During the 8 o’clock hour the show welcomes Heidi Rayeback. Raye, signed to Harlan Howard Records in Nashville, has just finished a tour of Australia and enjoys playing music for fans everywhere. This Canada native now makes her home in Nashville; see heidiraye.com for more information and to get her latest single, “Junkyard.”

On a personal note, I want to thank every listener for the two nominations in the Nashville Universe Awards, for Promoter and Radio Personality of the Year! I truly could not do what I do without fans like you. If you’d like to vote, you can do so at nashvilleuniverse.com. See you each Thursday from 6–10 a.m. on 88.3 FM WMTS, or listen at thejustinreedshow.com.

Peace, Love and Ernest Tubb, — JUSTIN REED

STEBER AND ROREX RECORD TO WAX AT CENTER FOR POPULAR MUSIC Bill Steber, local musician and photographer, visited MTSU’s Center for Popular Music on Feb. 21 to cut a track, but not in the manner one would typically imagine.

Steber, who appeared on the cover of the November 2017 Pulse, recorded a song straight to wax cylinder. As shown in a post on Steber’s Facebook page, he and his Jake Leg Stompers bandmate Sam Rorex recorded a version of the Jimmie Rodgers classic “In the Jailhouse Now” with the help of Martin Fisher, the Curator of Recorded Media Collections at the Center for Popular Music.

The session was a resounding success, as the playback sounds like something straight out of the early 20th century.

BOROPULSE.COM

* APRIL 2018 * 9

CONCERTS

 IF YOU GO PULSE

FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

MTSU Wind Ensemble

HANK’S

Jordan Carter

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

“Dancing Isadora Duncan: Choreographies to Chopin and Scriabin,” Arun Nadgir, Meg Brooker

PUCKETT’S GROCERY

Small Town Fair

FRI, 4/6 CARPE CAFE

Jessica Yellowitz

COCONUT BAY CAFE

Crossroads Band

HANK’S

Delyn Christian, Jack Finley Band

MAYDAY BREWERY

Roland Justice

MILANO II

Jack Popek

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

Flute Festival

NOBODY’S

Karaoke Dance Party

PUCKETT’S GROCERY

Andrew Tufano

THE BORO

Lee Gibson Band, The Good Cain, Tori Wilson

SAT, 4/7 HANK’S

Blake Esse, Shane Douglas

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

MTSU Jazz Ensemble I

WED, 4/11 MTSU SAUNDERS FINE ARTS ROOM 101

Jazz Guitarist Howard Alden with Danny Coots, Jim Ferguson, Chip Henderson

THURS, 4/12 HANK’S

Kevin Wolf

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

Percussion Ensemble

PUCKETT’S GROCERY

JD Shelburne

THE BORO

Radical Arts Open Mic Comedy Night

FRI, 4/13 CARPE CAFE

Billy Knight

COCONUT BAY CAFE

Jack Finley Band

HANK’S

Bailey Rose, Lefty Ferguson Duo

MAYDAY BREWERY

Karaoke at Mayday

MILANO II

Jack Popek

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

Matt Lund

NOBODY’S

Marshall Creek

PUCKETT’S GROCERY

Radio Farm

MAYDAY BREWERY

THE BORO

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

SAT, 4/14

Sugar Lime Blue

MTSU String Studio

PUCKETT’S GROCERY

Pickin Crows

THE BORO

M-Prov

SUN, 4/8 HANK’S

Justin Dukes

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

David Viscoli; Camille Winton; Greg Reish

MON, 4/9 MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

MTSU choral workshop with the Siegel High Chamber Choir

Boro Fondo Bazaaro

COCONUT BAY CAFE

Mike DizIll

HANK’S

The Godsey's, Ivan Fleming

MAYDAY BREWERY

BOOM

MAIN STREET MUSIC

Burning Las Vegas

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

Phillip Kigaita; Jacob Brickey; Fernando Raphael Llana; MTSU Chamber Orchestra

PUCKETT’S GROCERY

Joey Winslett Band

THE BORO

Knuckle Dragger, Sheep Shifter, Thetan, Toxic Culture, Unorthodox

TUES, 4/10

SUN, 4/15

HANK’S

HANK’S

Don Mealer

PICK

Sarah Martin

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Carmen’s Taqueria 206 W. Northfield Blvd.

615-848-9003

LACEY CAROLINE

THURSDAY, 4/19 @ PUCKETT'S GROCERY

Growing up in New Jersey, Lacey Caroline began penning songs at age 14. After honing her craft, joining a band and earning the opportunity to open for Bon Jovi and play stages as big as Metlife Stadium the musician relocated to Nashville to pursue her recording and songwriting career. She now performs in venues such as the legendary Bluebird Cafe, and says she enjoys blending driving rock guitars with the songwriting and storytelling traditions of country music. Lacey Caroline brings her rocking country/pop tunes, “full of grit, heart, and electric guitar,” to Puckett’s on the Murfreesboro Public Square on April 19. Find more at laceycaroline.com.

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

Taylor Meyers; Sarah Welty; MTSU Brass Chamber

MON, 4/16 MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

MTSU Concert Band

TUES, 4/17 HANK’S

Dale Drinkard Jr.

MUSIC BUILDING

Holly Smith; MTSU Chinese Ensemble

NOBODY’S

Zone Status

THE BORO

Antler Hopkins, Fisher’s Kitchen, Swear Words

SAT, 4/21 CENTURY 21

O Summer, Emma Dilemma, Thunder Frog, Vista Blue, Mike Brown

WED, 4/18

COCONUT BAY CAFE

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

HANK’S

Logan Barrett; MTSU Guitar Ensemble

THURS, 4/19 FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra presents “The Lights of Broadway”

HANK’S

Spencer Maige

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

MTSU Women’s Chorale

PUCKETT’S GROCERY

Lacey Caroline

FRI, 4/20 CARPE CAFE

Kelly Frost

COCONUT BAY CAFE

My July Band

HANK’S

Joe Hooper, Kristen Foreman, Lefty Ferguson Duo

MAIN STREET MUSIC

Big Smo album release, Allman Brothers tribute

MAYDAY BREWERY

Troy Breslow

MILANO II

Jack Popek

MTSU WRIGHT

Staticpop

Colleen Lloy, Wes Loper

WED, 4/25 MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING ROOM 173

Jazz Arrangers Concert

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

MTSU Salsa Band

THURS, 4/26 HANK’S

Bailey Rose

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

MTSU Flute Studio; Strings and Friends

THE BORO

Radical Arts Comedy

MAYDAY BREWERY

FRI, 4/27

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

COCONUT BAY CAFE

The Farm Dogs

High School Honors Clarinet Choir; MTSU Symphony Orchestra

THE BORO

Plow’d, Nashville Non Prophets

SUN, 4/22

CARPE CAFE

Simon Hill

Zone Status

LACEY CAROLINE BY SAM FRAWLEY

THURS, 4/5

Arts Center of Cannon County 1424 John Bragg Hwy., Woodbury, 615-563-2787 Autograph Rehearsal Studio 1400 W. College St. 615-686-6121

Century 21 125 Lasseter Dr. 615-890-9168 Coconut Bay Café 210 Stones River Mall Blvd.

615-494-0504 First United Methodist Church 265 W. Thompson Ln. 615-893-1322 Georgia’s Sports Bar 555 S. Lowry St., Smyrna 615-267-0295 Green Dragon 714 W. Main St. 615-801-7171 Hank’s 2341 Memorial Blvd.

615-410-7747 Lone Wolf Saloon 1208 S. Lowry St., Smyrna 629-255-8296 Main Street Music 527 W. Main St. 615-440-2425 Mayday Brewery 521 Old Salem Hwy. 615-479-9722 Milano II 114 E. College St. 615-624-7390 MTSU Wright Music Building 1439 Faulkinberry Dr. 615-898-2469

HANK’S

Nacho’s 2962 S. Rutherford Blvd.

615-907-2700

MAIN STREET MUSIC

Nobody’s Grille & BBQ 2227 Old Fort Pkwy.

615-962-8019

Pontiac Alley, Jack Finley Band Rubiks Groove

MILANO II

Jack Popek

Peter D’s 2357 Medical Center Pkwy.

615-603-7111

HANK’S

NOBODY’S

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

PUCKETT’S GROCERY

Phat Boyz Bar & Grill 4425 Woodbury Pk. 615-546-4526

THE BORO

Puckett’s Grocery and Restaurant 114 N. Church St. 629-201-6916

Troy Breslow MTSU Singers; Nathan Paul; MTSU Flute Choir

THE BORO

Yard Art Collective, Jewel Machine, Get Tuff

MON, 4/23 MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

MTSU Commercial Music Ensemble

TUES, 4/24 HANK’S

Delyn Christian

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

MTSU Symphonic Band

Gravel Road Gypsies Anthony Michael and Marcus Whybrew

The Tiny Trio

SAT, 4/28 COCONUT BAY CAFE

The Boro Bar & Grill 1211 Greenland Dr. 615-895-4800

HANK’S

The Crossroads at Trenzilore 6097 Lebanon Pk.

Karaoke with Hitman Walker

Joe Hooper, J.D. Myers

PUCKETT’S GROCERY

Jesse Kramer

THE BORO

Boro Fondo

SUN, 4/29 HANK’S

George Dunne

Wall Street 121 N. Maple St. 615-867-9090 Wilderness Station at Barfield Crescent Park 401 Volunteer Rd. 615-217-3017

Hillfolk Entertainment Presents

Ashley Chapman in Dessert First Get the Led Out

Saturday, April 14 • 9 p.m.–1 a.m. @ Southern Star, Beachgrove, TN 37018

Sounds

Read more about local music at

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Four decades later, Century 21 Music and More returns to its

Record Store Roots STORY AND PHOTOS BY DYLAN SKYE AYCOCK

C21 staff, from left: Mike Brown, Sunshine Pinnell, Laura Bielaczyc and Alex Cunningham

A

s the Pulse continues its series on local record shops, we swing

by Century 21 Music & More to learn about the store’s 43-year history and its plan for Record Store Day, coming up on Saturday, April 21.

Located on the campus side of town, Century 21 is a hidden gem tucked away on Lasseter Drive, just within sight of local

12 * APRIL 2018 * BOROPULSE.COM

mainstays Slick Pig and Gentleman Jim’s. If you’re turning on to Lasseter from Mercury Boulevard, the store’s new black-and-red side mural just might catch your eye.

Lifelong music fan Jerry Jones, a native of Cannon County, opened the record store (then called Century 21 Records and Tapes) during the mid-’70s. When Jones died in 2016, his three children—Laura Bielaczyc,

Kelly Jones and Steven Jones—inherited ownership of the business.

“It’s kind of debated as to when it started, so we’ve just settled on 1975,” Bielaczyc says.

But as media evolved into more compact formats, the elder Jones made sure Century 21 kept up with the changes. During the late-’80s, Jones boxed up his records to make room for CDs, and over time the store

slowly evolved into more of a smoke shop.

“When our dad passed away, we began unpacking all the old records he boxed up and started putting them back out in the store,” Bielaczyc says. “We’ve really spent the past two years sprucing up the place.”

From rediscovering old records to alphabetizing the collection, Bielaczyc says the past two years have been a rewarding experience. She had never owned a business prior to taking over co-ownership of Century 21 but says she and her siblings want to carry out their father’s legacy.

“It’s been a work in progress,” she says.

“We’ve had to learn how to do everything, from staying on top of what people want to learning the best way to arrange items in the store.”

With records back in the storefront, Century 21 joins other local shops in celebrating Record Store Day, an annual musical holiday in April when stores worldwide receive special releases by hundreds of artists. While record store owners request items weeks ahead of RSD, no one knows what they will

receive until closer to the event itself.

“Last year, people were wrapped around the building before the store opened,” Bielaczyc says. “We’ve grown our following on Facebook this year, so we expect it to be an even larger crowd.”

Along with special vinyl sales, Century 21 will host in-store performances, live art demos outside (weather permitting) and special discounts on non-RSD releases. Oh Summer, Thunderfrog, Emma Dilemma, Mike Brown (Century 21’s own) and Vista Blue are all tapped to perform.

While record collectors will have to wait until Record Store Day to see what arrives at Century 21 and other local participating shops, Bielaczyc says the staff at Century 21 is always standing by to help customers discover new and old vinyl.

“Every single person who works here is an amazing employee, and we’re so thankful to have everybody here,” she says. “It wouldn’t be the same without them.”

Century 21 is located at 125 Lasseter Dr., Murfreesboro. For more information, visit century21musicandmore.com or facebook.com/century21musicandmore or call 615-890-9168.

Guide to Record Store Day 2018:  What is Record Store Day? Record Store Day is the holiest of retail holidays for record collectors worldwide.

On Saturday, April 21, customers will line up in front of their favorite independent record shop (usually hours before the store opens) to score special releases and limited pressings.  How many special releases are there?

More than just a handful, that’s for sure.

Run the Jewels (2018 RSD ambassadors), Wilco, U2, Courtney Barnett, Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead; Pink Floyd, The National, Brian Eno and Kevin Shields

(My Bloody Valentine); Sufjan Stevens, The Cure and Arcade Fire just scratch the surface of 2018 RSD releases.

For the full list and more information, visit recordstoreday.com/specialreleases.  Can releases only be found at independent record stores on RSD? Yes and no. Record Store Day organizers break releases down into the following three categories: RSD Exclusive Releases – Exclusively available on Record Store Day at participating stores and not available anywhere else in the same format.

RSD Limited Run/Regional Focus Releases – Exclusively available on Record Store Day at participating stores with quantities of these titles being extremely limited (Less than 1,000 available and, in some cases, way under 1,000).

RSD First Release – Titles that you can find on Record Store Day at participating stores, though they will later become available at other retailers (generally within four to six weeks).  Anything else I should know?

If you’re looking to score a specific RSD release, you will want to arrive early. The casual shopper will discover cool finds throughout the day, but the really good stuff generally goes fast.

BUT DON’T JUST STOP after visiting one store. Record shops throughout Murfreesboro and Nashville will have in-store performances, giveaways and discounts going on all day.

MURFREESBORO Century 21, Waxface Records and Media Rerun NASHVILLE Grimey’s, Third Man Records, Fond Objects, The Great Escape, McKay’s and many others . . .

Sounds

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BORO FONDO RETURNS FOR 6TH YEAR, SETS ARTS FAIR AND FLEA MARKET FUNDRAISER

MURFREESBORO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PRESENTS “THE LIGHTS OF BROADWAY” ON APRIL 19 Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra will bring a taste of New York City to town later this month, when they present a Broadway-themed performance. The show, entitled “The Lights of Broadway,” will find the seasoned orchestra tackling various selections from Broadway musicals. The night’s selections will be conducted by Elias Salazar, the Director of Trevecca Symphony Orchestra. There will also be a special performance by the Murfreesboro Symphony Chorus, directed by Charlene Parkinson.

The event will be held at First United Methodist Church, located at 265 W Thompson Lane, on Thursday, April 19. Tickets are available to purchase at murfreesborosymphony.com.

 ENTERTAINMENT

DJ, BINGO, TRIVIA & KARAOKE NIGHTS AHART’S PIZZA GARDEN Trivia, 6:30 p.m.

HANK’S Open Mic, 6–10 p.m.

LEVEL III Trivia, 7 p.m.

TUESDAYS COCONUT BAY Live Trivia, 7:30 p.m.

LONE WOLF SALOON Open Mic Night, 7–11 p.m.

NACHO’S Trivia, 7 p.m.

NOBODY'S Bingo, 7 p.m.

OLD CHICAGO Trivia, 9 p.m.

TGI FRIDAY’S Trivia, 9 p.m.

WEDNESDAYS CAMPUS PUB Karaoke, 10 p.m.–2:30 a.m.

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HANK’S Karaoke, 7–10 p.m.

NOBODY’S Trivia, 7 and 9:30 p.m.

PHAT BOYS Karaoke, 7–11 p.m.

SAM’S SPORTS GRILL Trivia, 8 p.m.

STATION GRILL Trivia, 7 p.m.

THURSDAYS BOB’S BBQ Trivia, 7 p.m.

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

GEORGIA’S SPORTS BAR Karaoke, 7 p.m.

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

PHAT BOYS Karaoke, 8 p.m.–1 a.m.

WHISKEY DIX DJ Cliffy D, 8 p.m.

FRIDAYS GEORGIA’S SPORTS BAR Karaoke, 9 p.m.

MT BOTTLE Karaoke, 9 p.m.–3 a.m.

PHAT BOYS Karaoke, 8 p.m.–1 a.m.

SATURDAYS CAMPUS PUB Karaoke, 10 p.m.–2:30 a.m.

NACHOS Trivia, 7 p.m.

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

SUNDAYS JACK BROWN’S Waxface Vinyl and Music Trivia Night 8 p.m.

SAM’S SPORTS GRILL Trivia, 8 p.m.  Send karaoke, trivia, open mic and events to listings@boropulse.com

The CG Freck Foundation (CGFF) in coordination with Wartrace’s Float–A–Boat will host the annual Paddlin’ for Paws and Duck River Poker Float event on Saturday, April 14. All proceeds raised will go towards the rescuing, feeding, housing and care of homeless animals while educating and supporting local no-kill shelters.

The CG Freck Foundation works closely with Bedford County Animal Control and many of the animal shelters in Rutherford County like Operation Education Animal Rescue, Barfield Animal Hospital and the Humane Society. Most recently they helped fund a surgical addition to the Bedford County Animal Control to spay and neuter local cats and dogs.

This year’s fundraiser will mark the five-year anniversary of the CG Freck Foundation—created April 14, 2013—as well as the six-year death anniversary of CG, one of the two DONEGAN namesakes for the foundation. Both CG and Freckles, the other namesake, were a mix of Jack Russell/ Terrier who were rescued at only six weeks of age and who provided love and many wonderful memories to their owner, Gena Trice. Out of their love for CG and Freckles, the foundation was born.

According to the CGFF’s website, Trice is “giving back to honor them BENNETT . . . Today, everyone involved with the CG Freck Foundation gives much of their lives to help save animals. This story resonates with everyone on a different level. It is a reminder with each rescue, our animals give us so much love and joy, this is the least we can do to honor them.”

Paddlin’ for Paws will be hosted by Float-A-Boat, located at 205 Blackman Blvd. in Wartrace. Registration CATALDO deadline is Monday, April 9. Advance tickets for the full event are $42, tickets for the Annual Poker Float are $30 and tickets for just the concert are $12. The full admission price will allow participants to eat barbecue, listen to live music, participate in an auction and, of course, play in the five-card floating poker run.

Musicians performing this year are country artists Zach Donegan, Taylor Bennett and Asher Cataldo. Some of the items being auctioned are brewery memorabilia, racecar memorabilia, vacations, fly fishing lessons. The float will run from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. with the auction beginning at 3 p.m. The concert will run from 1–6 p.m.

“One hundred percent of all the money donated goes towards the animals; all money for the food, auction, and other vendors goes to the animals. Nothing is taken out for any fees for the boats or to run the operations for this,” emphasizes Kim Council, who co-owns Float–A–Boat with Trice.

For more information on the upcoming event or to donate to CG Freck Foundation, visit cgfreck.com or call 931-619-6959.

— JESSICA BARROLL

MUSIC NOTES

Boro Fondo, the beloved local cycling and music festival, is slated for April 27–29, with a schedule to be released soon. The Boro Fondo Bazaaro, also known as the “Fondo Fun-o-rama Fun-draising Weekend,” will take place April 13–14 at the Boro Bar and Grill (located at 1211 Greenland Dr.) and will feature artists, antiquers, crafters and, of course, musicians.

Fridays performers include SOS 1995, Perry from Ashes of Folly, Thunderfrog and These Heathens (formerly known as Uncle Skunkle and the Scarecrow Family Band). Saturday performers include Sheep Shifter, The Strumms, Unorthodox and Knuckle Dragger.

More information can be found at the Boro Fondo Festival Facebook page.

MONDAYS

PADDLIN’ FOR PAWS: ANNUAL POKER RUN AND CONCERT BENEFITS AREA ANIMAL RESCUES

ALBUMS

BY JOHN CONNOR COULSTON

RANDY HILL

AXE OF GOD

Glade City Rounders bassist Randy Hill recently made his solo debut with I’m My Own Grandpa, a tribute to legendary country singer Grandpa Jones.

Grandpa Jones, born Louis Marshall Jones, was a mainstay in the country scene in the mid-1900s with numerous lighthearted albums and regular appearances at the Grand Ole Opry. He went on to become a cast member on the cultural staple Hee Haw, where he would regularly perform and participate in skits.

Hill has so much affection for Jones’ body of work that he dedicated an entire record to him and his most memorable covers. The album’s packaging, which in itself is a throwback to the cover art of a Jones best-of compilation, features a note from Hill calling Jones his “hero” and that I’m My Own Grandpa should be seen “as a tribute to his memory.” That love is clearly present through the project as Hill channels Jones’ spirit on each of the banjo-filled cuts. The album, released via Green Fly Productions, features mostly playful tunes, with Hill tackling vocals and instrumentation.

Highlights include the quirky, family-tree-focused title track, the furiously picked “Mountain Dew” and an ode to the banjo that is “Let Me Hear the Banjo.” There is a slight detour to less upbeat territory for the the breakup ballad “My Heart is Like a Train,” but its melancholy nature does not slow down the record’s momentum.

With 16 tracks totaling about 34 minutes, the album zips by and is easy to digest. However, the singular focus of the record brings a disadvantage for some listeners. While the songs are all enjoyable to hear in passing, some can seem to run together when giving the record a hard listen. This is especially apparent in the last section of I’m My Own Grandpa, a string of songs that are far too similar to one another.

That’s but a tiny gripe about this heartfelt tribute to a country legend, which certainly succeeds in honoring its subject. Even if you are not familiar with Grandpa Jones, the songs are executed so well that you might find your new favorite versions of some old standards.

Local guitar virtuoso Matt Lund has recently issued a re-release of his 2014 project Axe of God, with improved sound quality. For those unfamiliar with Lund’s talents, he is an MTSU adjunct professor who releases projects with jazz fusion project The Lund McVey Group, Christian rock group Rescued Souls and the classic cover act The Time Raiders.

Axe of God, a venture set apart from Lund’s other groups in genre and focus, features Matt Heller and Craig Jordan contributing drums and bass, and performs Christian progressive rock and metal.

For the Axe of God record, Lund cut 11 instrumental tracks, all inspired by Bible verses. For example, Isaiah 60:20 (“Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end”) inspired “Everlasting Light.” Lund takes verses such as these and paints a narrative around them, using his guitar as the paintbrush.

Lund’s composition skills and sensibilities are a force to be reckoned with, with soaring melodies and ripping solos weaving in and out of the tracks.

“Covenant” kicks things off with an epically intricate guitar solo that I imagine even Jimi Hendrix would have loved to play. From there, “Everlasting Light” provides a bright and triumphant main riff fit for its inspiration. The theatrical builds and breaks on arguably the hardest rocker on Axe of God, “The Vision,” could stand toe-to-toe with some of popular metal’s finest.

Lund caps things off with “Cornerstone,” a slowand-steady-rocker that transitions into an EddieVan-Halen-esque outro.

While instrumental prog-rock/metal is not a genre for everyone, those who do enjoy it will want to dig into the top-notch compositions present here. Those seeking a blend of worshipful inspiration and rock might also appreciate the unique approach to the subject matter.

I’m My Own Grandpa

Axe of God

A CLASSIC OUTSTANDING

AVERAGE BELOW AVERAGE

AVOID AT ALL COSTS DEAD

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UTOPIA PHOTO BY DANNY OCONNOR

Sounds

Road to Utopia Celebrated Band Reunites for First U.S. Tour Since 1985

BY STEVE MORLEY SEEKERS OF FORWARD-THINKING pop and rock active between the mid-’70s and mid-’80s were likely to be found on the roads to Utopia, bound for local record shops and concert venues in order to experience one of the era’s most indefinable bands. The story of Utopia, though, must be prefaced with the story, however abridged, of multihued artist/songwriter/producer Todd Rundgren. Debuting on vinyl in 1974 as a six-member band, half of those on keyboards, Utopia was the ever-restless Rundgren’s experiment with forming a collaborative musical unit after briefly reaching the pinnacle of pop success with music he recorded mostly alone, using early multi-track equipment.

The traditional pop-song formulae that informed enduring radio favorites “I Saw the Light” and “Hello It’s Me,” both Top 16 * APRIL 2018 * BOROPULSE.COM

40 hits in 1972, quickly became old hat to Rundgren, who in short order alienated much of his growing fan base with a hard left turn toward notably more adventuresome music-making. This creatively fertile period would soon see the birth of Utopia, whose first album contained four chunks of thought-provoking progressive rock, one of them exceeding a half-hour in length and sporting a complex musical structure indicative of Rundgren’s own bent toward higher forms of expression and his disregard for commercial expectations.

Utopia’s shifting membership had settled into a stable four-piece lineup by 1977’s Ra, followed by seven more albums that encompass a breadth of musical and lyrical perspectives. In 1985, the band did its final 20th-century tour of the States and released

the album P.O.V., largely informed by thenemerging digital synth, drum machine and sequencing technology championed in particular by Utopia drummer, songwriter and co-producer John “Willie” Wilcox. Wilcox, in a recent interview for the Pulse, recalls initially getting “in trouble with Utopia” over his interest in then-popular dance music by the likes of Prince and Madonna.

“My ear perked up to wanting to use drum machines,” says Wilcox, an admitted fan of catchy pop. Now a writer and producer of contemporary dance music, Wilcox holds down a day gig creating gaming music as the senior audio director at Las Vegas-based Scientific Games. Later this month, he’ll join old friends and bandmates Rundgren and bassist/vocalist Kasim Sulton (and an as-yet-unnamed substitute keyboardist) as Utopia embarks on its first full-scale American jaunt since 1985, with enticing possibilities for Tennessee fans willing to hit the road to Utopia in Atlanta (April 28) or Cincinnati (May 10).

Wilcox explained that he would soon be making final adjustments to a new custom drum kit provided by Ludwig Drums upon his arrival at a rehearsal facility “in of all places, Woodstock, New York, where it all began,” says Wilcox. Woodstock is within spitting distance of Bearsville, home of Bearsville Records, the label that carried Rundgren and Utopia from the beginning of their respective careers until 1982. During those years and beyond, Utopia produced albums heavy not only on musicality but also on innovation, becoming known for the use of cutting-edge technology in both audio and video.

So, how will the band’s now-decades-long geek-out with technology manifest itself on tour in the tech-saturated 21st century?

The answer is surprising, yet not all that surprising for a band that never marched in

step with trends: they don’t plan to use any modern digital technology to speak of.

“For this tour I’m really going back to my personal roots, which was starting with Ludwig drums when I first started playing,” Wilcox says. “And with the fact that this prog-rock and this Utopia band came from a time period when there was 24-track analog recording and analog synthesizers, I thought it would be appropriate to pay homage to this particular body of music with the analog, traditional perspective. So there won’t be any electronics on this tour,” Wilcox reveals.

“I think the analog perspective of this music, and doing it for real is a lot more enticing than, you know, recreating all this stuff with new digital stuff that kind of sounds like the old stuff but it doesn’t. I think part of the beauty and the enjoyment of that music was the analog-ness of it,” he muses. “Because today, everything is not that.”

Describing the evolution of Utopia’s sound, Wilcox noted that by the early ’80s Utopia was “more of a power-pop four-piece band that was doing traditional songwriting as opposed to the very early music that was really kind of born out of jazz fusion. But that music was very player-oriented . . . and then later the songs became songs and that stuff kind of faded away,” he says. The band’s decade-long career, he says, allowed its sound “to meld into this patina of individuality that only comes from playing together all the time.

“You see it in the Stones, you see it with Aerosmith, you see it with The Beatles . . . groups that spend a lot of time together, and the chemistry of the people making that music,” Wilcox says. None of the bands Wilcox mentions were in fact as fully collaborative as Utopia, who from 1977 onward made music featuring songwriting, lead vocals and production input from all four members.

The deep, diverse body of work that resulted was tough to narrow down to an evening’s worth of material, says Wilcox, who adds that he is “enjoying the versatility and the difference of all those things throughout the years and doing them all at one time, you know. There’s so many different styles, so I get the chance, along with the fans, to time travel. I guess that’ll be fun.”

Wilcox is giving fans an inside look at the tour and its preparation via his Instagram page @willieontheroad2utopia; tickets for regional shows can be sought online via Ticketmaster and other outlets.

Living cess of being in front of people, but having grown up as a preacher’s kid, I didn’t know how to dance [laughs]. I was terrible at my job at Opryland, so in order to save it, they gave me the part of impersonating Minnie Pearl. I wound up doing that for about six or seven years and even got to meet her. She was a great mentor to a lot of young people in Nashville. But I was more interested in making an audience laugh rather than singing.

GETTING BACK TO FUNNY

From there, did you know you wanted to be a comedian or did it just happen?

I had been through some things when I was younger and lost both of my sisters to great tragedies. I wanted to tell my story, but I knew nobody would dive into a sad story right off the bat, it would take some easing into. So I would start with some funny stories and then tell what God brought me through as a young person. I would even do a little Minnie Pearl at the beginning of my sets . . .

In fact, I was my own opening act for years.

Honestly, it was just one door after the next until one day someone said, “You’re a great comic!” and I thought, “Are we allowed to do that in the church now?” But even after 25 years, I’m still stepping in the dark as I go.

Chonda Pierce talks about tragedy and comedy ahead of April 27 show at World Outreach Church

BY DYLAN SKYE AYCOCK

C

omedienne Chonda Pierce is known worldwide as “The Queen of Clean,” but when she wasn’t on the road making congregations laugh with her Southern charm and wit, she was raising a family in Murfreesboro with author David Pierce, her late husband of 31 years.

Pierce now lives in Ashland City, a small town about 25 miles northwest of Nashville where she spent most of her teen years.

She went on to study theatre arts at Austin Peay State University, which led to a job impersonating country star Minnie Pearl at Nashville’s Opryland USA. From there, Pierce’s professional career in comedy and performance arts took off.

Through personal stories, some funny and others heartbreaking, Pierce faces her own tragedies in a way that she hopes will help others. In October 2015, Pierce took her humor to the big screen with Chonda Pierce: Laughing in the Dark, a film documenting her struggle to overcome depression.

A couple years later, she released Chonda Pierce: Enough, a documentary centered on overcoming obstacles, such as her husband’s 18 * APRIL 2018 * BOROPULSE.COM

death, through comedy and faith.

Pierce’s “Getting Back to Funny” tour, which includes a stop at Murfreesboro’s World Outreach Church, promises to deliver a night of laughter and music with an uplifting and encouraging message. Singer-songwriter Karyn Williams will join Pierce on tour, with stops in in Louisville, Kentucky; Pensacola, Florida; and Tallahassee, Florida, among other cities, before concluding in Savannah, Georgia, on May 16.

Following her spring tour, Pierce plans to finish writing a book due out this fall as well as pursue other projects including more film credits with the Hallmark Channel.

We caught up with Pierce ahead of the show to talk about her comedy roots and coming back to perform for her long-time church family.

PULSE: How did you get your start in comedy?

PIERCE: I fell in love with the whole pro-

You work in a lot of humor that’s relatable to people in the South. What kind of reactions do you get when traveling up North or out West?

You know, what’s really great is that when I get on the bus to go to a place like upstate New York, I think, “Oh, they’re not going to get me.” But every time we go, I never know if they are laughing at me or with me, but either way they’re laughing. I find that the audience in Los Angeles is just as intrigued as the audience in Louisiana.

I’m also just a fan of anyone who uses this craft in a way that brings delight to an audience but doesn’t have to do so with shock treatment. Comedy, like all art, is subjective. What one person thinks is funny, the next person is going to think is corny. And as a born-again Christian, my faith is going to come into play no matter what I do for a living. In other words, I hope my mouth is going to be a little more cleaner or cautious.

But even I have my own Christian dirty words I throw in every now and then.

You mentioned that your show in Murfreesboro is pretty special since World

Outreach is the church you attended while living here, is that right?

It is, and I’m so excited. I raised my children in that church . . . I’d even say Pastor Allen provided me with my early material [laughs]. Whenever I play close to home, I always get nervous because half of my material is sitting right in front of me.

The most dynamic part of being in Murfreesboro again is that I haven’t been back since my husband passed away. When you’re a comic, it’s a very difficult thing when you’re going through trauma. On the inside I’m grieving, but on the outside I’m making people laugh. It takes a good God to be able to play that off.

How do you go about collecting material to use for shows?

You could go to the mall to watch people and get an hour’s worth of material right there. But right now, online dating has turned into some pretty funny stuff. But a stand-up comedian who is observant will also give you a teaching lesson of what’s going on around you.

Years ago, I used to tell a joke about people with their beepers and how I felt insecure because I didn’t have one and would instead use my garage door opener everywhere I’d go. That used to be funny, but it’s so outdated. But you can go back and watch what was culturally popular at a certain point in our lives. I love that about comedy.

In Enough, you mentioned that when you’re not onstage, no one’s shining a spotlight or handing you a microphone. Is it difficult to separate the two, a career in comedy and reality?

There’s not a lot of things I’m proud of in my life, but one of the things I am proud of is having navigated that part very well. I think tragedy has helped put that in perspective. I have to focus on real life and not just what’s on the stage. You can’t get too comfortable with the limelight. I love that part of my job, too, but I also have to keep my personal life healthy.

World Outreach Church is located at 921 New Salem Rd. Doors will open at 6:15 p.m. with showtime at 7 p.m. in the Three Crosses Sanctuary on Friday, April 27.

Tickets are available at wochurch.org or at the church on weekends. For a complete list of “Getting Back to Funny” dates, and more info on Pierce, visit chonda.org or find her on Facebook and Twitter.

Living Farmers Market Education Series

BY EDWINA SHANNON

How Will You Garden This Year?

SPRING IS HERE and so is the urge to reconnect with Mother Nature by playing in the dirt. Spring vegetables can still go in.

Delay the planting of summer vegetables until April 15 or after. That day, in addition to being the day that taxes are due, is also the day of the last expected frost in this area.

I had put some cool weather vegetables in during the fall. As a garden experiment, I covered some with a light layer of straw. I surrounded another group with straw bales and covered them with an old windowpane.

They both survived, although it was questionable at times if the ones out in the garden covered with straw would. Production through the winter was lean, but in February and March the protected plants grew quickly and had a lot of edible greenery.

The straw-covered ones were straggly, with little greenery. They were just struggling to survive. They are both bolting now. I would do the straw and window protection, also known as a cold frame, again.

If you are putting a garden in for the first time or improving an existing one, try for deep, loamy soil. Say what? After all, we are in Middle Tennessee with clay soils and plates of rock just under the surface. If it is only clay soil that is your problem, just amend it by adding humus and sand. I have used peat moss, perlite and vermiculite. The goal is to get soil that is medium textured, contains organic matter and is well drained.

Of course, you can construct raised beds.

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Do not use creosote on the wood. Sadly, we learned this the hard way. The creosote on the arbor leached into the grapes’ roots and killed them all.

Consider the soil test. That will tell you what nutrients are missing or low and how much of a fertilizer is needed. Poor fertility and low pH are reasons for too little produce.

Does your soil need lime, nutrition, texture?

The garden needs a minimum of six hours of sunlight each day. If you have a slight slope facing south, super. Use it.

These spaces warm up sooner and the slope is ideal for drainage. Rows would run across the slope, not up and down, a configuration that prompts erosion. Keep your water source in mind. Gardens that are closer to the home are easier to maintain and can be watered within a hose length of the faucet.

Think of soil as the living space of the living roots of your vegetable producers. As their keeper, the gardener is responsible for keeping their needs met. You get to reap the benefits of your efforts.

Will you be rotating plants or practicing square-foot gardening? Have you considered container gardening? Those with limited space have been productive by using this technique. How about lasagna gardening? Have you tried companion planting? The Rutherford County Farmers Market has educational programs every Tuesday and Friday when the Market is open. Opening day at the Lane Agri-Park

this year is May 11. Many of those classes can be found on their YouTube channel and offer guidance on many topics.

High-quality, healthy transplants can be produced only from high-quality seed that is disease-free. If you are buying seed, select the variety that serves your interest. Look at the details, such as the space needed, the size of the fruit produced, the days to maturation. Is it a variety that freezes well? What other details are you needing?

Seed packets should state the year the seed is intended for use. Some seeds stored in a cool place will germinate and produce for several years after the year stamped, but expect poorer results with each passing year. As a reminder, only use seed saved from non-hybrid plants. Plants from hybrids do not grow the same and very often are sterile, never producing fruit. Know your seed source.

You do want to use a disease-free growing medium and clean pots. Growing medium should consist of one-third sand, one-third peat and one-third rich, loamy soil. The scientists and ag experts will tell you to sterilize the soil to ensure that it is free of contaminants and diseases. To do that, bake the soil mixture in a low oven (about 180 degrees) for 30 minutes in a shallow pan.

Kill contaminants on the reused pots with a solution is 9 parts water to one part bleach.

Rinse at least three times, as bleach residue can kill seedlings. Bleach is toxic, so protect yourself, too. Do not breathe the fumes, and wear gloves while using it. An easy pot solution is to make individual seedling pots from newspapers. They decompose into the soil as the plant grows.

Vine crops need to be seeded directly into the pot that will be planted into the soil. They do not transplant well. Use newspaper or fibrous pots for those seeds. Many seedlings can be transplanted into larger pots that they can stay in for the complete growing season.

If you decide to buy your seedlings, here is the opportunity to ask your local nursery about their practices and the practices of their suppliers and the products that they carry.

Then, of course, you would have to trust your nurseryman. Go with reputable people.

Before you use or select a plant grown with any fertilizer, chemical, or pesticide, do your research. What do you know about that product? If you are buying it for use, first, read the label. What is its purpose? What do the supporters and detractors say about it?

Second, read the directions. More is not better. More can be a killer or a poison. Be responsible for its usage and storage. Thirdly, do you need it or is it routine application?

Remember, you are what you eat. Select wisely.

UPCOMING EVENTS APRIL 14 Adventures in Agriculture Festival This year’s Adventure in Agriculture will be held on April 14 from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. at the Lane Agri-Park on John Rice Boulevard in Murfreesboro. It is a free, family-friendly event with hands-on activities, livestock, trolley rides, horse events and many opportunities through fun learning for adults and children.

APRIL 21 Plant and Seed Swap The Master Gardeners of Rutherford County are organizing the free community plant and seed swap on Saturday, April 21, from 10 a.m.–noon. This event is open to the public and will be held at the Lane Agri-Park Community Center, 315 John Rice Blvd. in Murfreesboro. The rules for participation are simple: for each one you bring, you take one. Everything must have a name and instructions. You can bring your houseplants or outdoor plants, but avoid invasives (those that take over your yard).

MAY 11 Farmers’ Market Opening Day Located at Lane Agri-Park Community Center, 315 John Rice Blvd.

The market is indoors and open from 7 a.m.–noon on Tuesdays and Fridays.

It is a producer-only market.

BOROPULSE.COM

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Art

 THEATER

OAKLANDS HOSTS ’80s THEMED MURDER MYSTERY DINNER ON APRIL 6

CENTER FOR THE ARTS HOSTS ANNUAL BASH, APRIL 14 ON APRIL 14, 2018, The Center for the Arts hosts its annual Bash fundraiser. Guests can enjoy a fun and glamorous night out with a blend of elegance and mystery. This year’s Bash is co-chaired by Chase and Fran Salas.

The eighth annual Bash’s theme is “Masquerade,” providing an ideal opportunity to dress to the nines, enjoy fine food and spirits, dance to some great music—all for a great cause.

Dinner is catered by Peter D’s. DJ Stephen Belk will be spinning classic and contemporary dance music at the after-party on the theater stage.

Tickets to the Bash are $100 each or $175 per couple; after-party-only tickets are $25 each. For tickets or more information, visit boroarts.org.

POISON RATENSTEIN IS IN TOWN FOR A KILLER CONCERT, but his fans may be looking for a refund after his twisted tour turns tragic with a murder at the mansion and a mystery to solve. This radical show could be super-lame if no one can solve who was buggin’ so we can all cool out and get the show started! Help the crowd and the detective figure out who ruined this totally tubular night, so everyone can, like, take a chill pill.

Oaklands Mansion will host a murder mystery dinner on Saturday, April 6, from 6–10 p.m. The evening will include dinner, drinks and a chance to use your sleuthing skills.

The evening will begin at 6 p.m. with wine.

Actors from Snyder Entertainment will then lead the show as survivors gather clues to identify the murderer. Dinner will be served

by Peter D’s, drinks will be poured by Julie’s Bar Tending and it is all included in the $75 ticket price. Funds raised support Oaklands’ mission rooted in education and preservation.

Organizers encourage attendees to dress with the times in their most righteous ’80s concert gear—jean jackets, spandex leggings, big hair, bangles, leg warmers and ripped jeans will be all the rage at this rocking night of mystery.

Tickets are $75 and seating is limited. Reserve your place by calling 615-8930022, emailing info@oaklandsmansion.org or visiting oaklandsmansion.org. Oaklands Mansion is located at 901 N. Maney Ave., Murfreesboro.

 POETRY

Celebration Events Planned for National Poetry Month Every Weekend in April BY KORY WELLS POEMS COME IN MANY FORMS. Two of the most familiar to English language readers are probably the Shakespearean sonnet, which requires a certain rhythm and rhyme scheme, and the open form “free verse,” which has no set rhythm or rhyme and is most popular with poets writing today.

As we observe National Poetry Month in Murfreesboro this April, local residents will have the opportunity to become more familiar with a form called the tanka. A Japanese form similar to haiku, a tanka is a short fiveline poem which doesn’t have many rules— the most important are that you don’t use conventional capitalization or punctuation, or specify a title. One reason I love this form is that it can be simple to read and write for 22 * APRIL 2018 * BOROPULSE.COM

people of all ages and experience levels—yet, like the best poems of any form, it can also contain nuanced ideas and images.

NPM will celebrate local voices and favorite poems with a poetry event every weekend this month. All events are free and open to the public.

SATURDAY, APRIL 7, I’ll be at the Murfreesboro Barnes & Noble from 1–3 p.m., helping anyone who’s interested write their own “Tennessee tanka” using their experiences and images of life in Tennessee.

Participants will be encouraged to post their tanka in the B&N cafe for others to enjoy. I’ll also be sharing some of my favorite poetry by local published poets.

FRIDAY, APRIL 13, at the Boro Art

Crawl, members of the Poetry in the Boro community will offer short poetry readings and spoken word at 6:30, 7, 7:30, 8 and 8:30 p.m. at Let’s Make Wine. Throughout the evening, volunteers will also help participants write their own tanka.

SUNDAY, APRIL 22, an open mic called People, Pastries and Poetry will be held at Linebaugh Library from 2–4 p.m.

Writers can share their work and also bring books to sell.

SATURDAY, APRIL 28, the Discovery Center will open the We Are Tennessee exhibit, an exploration of our state’s cultural diversity through art and writing by Tennesseans of all ages. Murfreesboro’s painter and photographer laureates and myself will be leading special activities for kids on this free day at the museum, sponsored in part by a grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission.

For more information about these activities, check the sponsoring organization’s website.

Poetry in the Boro on Facebook will also be sharing complete details as they become

available. Come out to one or all of these events to both appreciate our community voices and to add your own to our city’s increasingly creative vibe.

TANKAS BY LOCAL POETS: lifting flat creek rocks searching out crawdads and newts best friend explorers barefoot summer memories before the schooldays return — MONICA ASHBAUGH Murfreesboro adopted hometown lured me back to bluegrass from Motown Heart of Tennessee — CINDY PHIFFER Kory Wells is principal founder of Poetry in the Boro and the inaugural Poet Laureate of Murfreesboro. Contact her at korywells@gmail.com.

 THEATER

MTSU PRESENTS JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, APRIL 5–8 MTSU THEATER, MUSIC, DANCE and multimedia students are stitching their many talents into a “coat of many colors” to personalize MTSU Theatre’s production of the Webber and Rice musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

The full-scale, family-friendly Broadway musical, a retelling of the biblical story of Joseph, will incorporate innovative video technology with the live onstage action to bring the characters even closer to the Tucker Theatre audience.

Mike Forbes, assistant director of technical systems for the Department of Media Arts in the media college, says the Dreamcoat video elements are “based on the way Broadway shows are produced” and will feature 75 video-panel installations.

“This is one of the largest collaborations between departments that’s ever been done at MTSU.” Forbes adds.

Dreamcoat is the Department of Theatre and Dance’s large musical production for the 2017–18 season, following in the record-setting steps of 2013’s Les Misérables and 2016’s West Side Story.

The story follows young Joseph to Egypt, where he is taken after his envious brothers sell him into slavery. Dreamcoat uses primarily upbeat musical numbers of all genres to share the timeless tale. Freshman vocal powerhouse Caleb Mitchell portrays Joseph, and sophomore Victoria Peterson is The Narrator. Both are theatre majors.

Curtain times are 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, April 5–7, and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 8. Advance tickets, available at mtsuarts.com, are $15 general admission and $10 for seniors and K–12 students. MTSU students will be admitted free with a current ID. — MEGAN CASTLEBERRY

CENTER FOR THE ARTS PRESENTS GODSPELL JR. CENTER FOR THE ARTS presents Godspell Jr. through April 8. In the musical, a group of people help Jesus Christ tell different parables by using a wide variety of games, storytelling techniques and a hefty dose of comic timing. The “junior” version, designed for younger performers, lasts one hour and is appropriate for all ages.

The production is presented as story theater, the dramatic presentation of one or more stories told by a group of actors who play multiple roles and provide narration. It is characterized by the use of simple scenery, props and costume pieces that can be used in different ways in more than one story. The 1971 hit Godspell was the first musical written by Grammy and Academy Award-winning composer Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin) and John-Michael Tebelak.

When asked what was most challenging about bringing this show to life, Godspell Jr. director Denise Parton explained, “Story theater is very difficult to do. Take that element and add youth who have varying knowledge of the Bible or the character of Jesus. Then try to communicate to an audience what His secret message was, and you have a challenge!”

Parton, who is also CFTA’s Director of Education shares, “The old way of doing Godspell was more hippie and clowns. I take a dystopian view of a world that needs hope. The song ‘Beautiful City’ says it best. Out of the ruins and rubble, out of the smoke, out of our night of struggle, we can see a ray of hope. The rest of the song says, We can build a beautiful city, yes we can,” Parton said.

Performances of Godspell Jr. include 7:30 p.m. shows on Friday, April 6, and Saturday, April 7, and a 2 p.m. show Sunday, April 8. Center for the Arts is located at 110 W. College St., Murfreesboro. For tickets or more information, visit boroarts.org.

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Art

 EXHIBIT

BORO ART CRAWL CELEBRATES LOCAL ARTISTS, APRIL 13, INSTALLMENT FEATURES HANDS OF ABUSE SURVIVORS

Clockwise from above: “Clean Elegant” by John Dixon , “Our Hands” by Scott Walker, “What’s The Buzz” by Beth Moore, “Earth Shock III” by Eric Sewell, “Butterfly” by Joy McCrary

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THE BORO ART CRAWL, the collaborative community event featuring work from various Middle Tennessee artists and occuring once every other month, returns to businesses on and around the Murfreesboro Public Square on Friday evening, April 13.

Artists will display and sell their work in in the shops of various local merchants, and Art Crawl organizers invite everyone to explore the downtown Murfreesboro area that evening to view the art and support the independent business community.

At the April Art Crawl, L&L Contractors will display a special art project by Murfreesboro photographer Scott Walker focusing on survivors of domestic violence. Walker’s photographs in this series feature not his subjects’ faces, but their hands.

“Hands are so important. You see, they can teach us love and compassion or total fear,” one of his subjects said. “Please love yourself by no longer allowing abuse in your life or others’ lives,” she said to encourage others going through abuse.

Others involved in that art project retold their horror stories of having endured punches, kicks, rape, shoves, threats and almost unimaginable verbal abuse, and of the escape and healing processes that followed.

“If you get hit once, get out,” another survivor advised.

While the images in that photo series convey a very somber tone, other artwork included in the Art Crawl spans a variety of different styles and media.

Other participating venues include Sugaree’s, Simply Pure Sweets, Moxie, ReVintaged Lemon and more, with most spaces promoting art viewing from 6–9 p.m.

At the building at 105 N. Maple St., above The String Shop and Star Jewelers, MTSU graduate John Dixon will present his first art display and reception. Dixon’s recent body of work includes detailed, realistic animals in black and white, intricate mandalas and psychedelic, swirling, colorful pieces.

For more on the Boro Art Crawl, visit boroartcrawl.com.

Food

Read more about local restaurants at

THE DISH

BoroPulse.com/Category/Food

NAME: Cup Pop LOCATION:

2832 Middle Tennessee Blvd.

PHONE: 615-546-4157 HOURS: Monday–Saturday,

11 a.m.–8 p.m.

PRICES: Spicy Bulgogi, Chicken Katsu or Seafood Cup Pop: $7.95; Bulgogi Cup Pop: $8.95; Combination Cup Pop: $9.95; Edamame: $2.95 ONLINE:

facebook.com/cuppop.korea

KOREA IN A CUP A

nother slightly hidden gem of the eclectic Murfreesboro dining scene, Cup Pop, sits in a shopping center alongside University Package Wine and Liquor and empty units formerly housing a hookah lounge and a textbook store, just across from MTSU. This is just far enough from Middle Tennessee Boulevard, and sufficiently blocked from view by the Smoothie King, that those hurrying to and from the MTSU campus may not notice the small Korean eatery, even after passing by the area time after time.

But word has begun to spread around town that Cup Pop is well worth trying out.

Diners who have discovered this fabulous little cafe have overwhelmingly positive things to say about Cup Pop and its take on Korean barbecue, or bulgogi.

“This is legit Korean food. Good stuff. Like Momma used to make (mine is Korean),” Roy Denney posted after trying out Cup Pop. Many others have made Cup Pop part of their local dining rotation and have been recommending it to friends.

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Cup Pop gives Murfreesboro a place to go for Bulgogi STORY AND PHOTOS BY BRACKEN MAYO

“I’m done with my quest to find good Chinese food, I’m just going to eat Cup Pop Korean when I feel like Asian food,” CaMillia Banks commented. “The menu is simple and the restaurant is clean. The owner is the sweetest lady ever!”

Cup Pop’s signature dish, Bulgogi, is Korean-style marinated beef.

The beef has a complex combination of flavors, and a little sweetness accompanies the spices.

I ask Suk, who has made many friends while helping the people of Murfreesboro discover Korean barbecue, what I am tasting in the juicy beef alongside the soy and sesame flavors: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger . . . ?

“A little of everything,” she says, smiling.

The spicy bulgogi, aside from packing more heat, is a different product altogether; this is the restaurant’s take on pork barbecue.

“I love the spicy bulgogi,” Eva Hunter commented, calling Cup Pop her new favorite restaurant.

I imagine Korea has its different camps of barbecue enthusiasts, the pork people and the

beef eaters, just as Texas-style or Memphisstyle barbecue eaters will each insist that beef, or pork, is “true” American barbecue.

Cup Pop additionally offers a breaded chicken dish and a seafood Cup Pop. If you can’t make up your mind and have to choose between these delicious items, the combo has small portions of three different Cup Pop dishes: the bulgogi, spicy bulgogi and seafood.

The three meat selections sit atop a portion of fried rice, and a small side of cool noodles with a zesty sauce accompanies the dish, as do two of the pan-fried dumplings, or gyoza.

Cup Pop offers a sushi roll, which contains crab and avocado, deep fried and topped with the same seafood mixture that is featured in the seafood Cup Pop dish, and roe.

These come in compostable paper bowls, a plus for those who do not like leftover styrofoam.

The Cup Pop menu does not contain a huge number of selections, but another interesting item is the fried rice omelette, stir-fried rice with vegetables wrapped in egg.

A freezer next to the register contains frozen treats—even some uncommon ones like sweet corn ice cream sandwiches—and the drink choices include melon- or bananaflavored carbonated drinks.

Another local diner, Glyn Crossno, calls Cup Pop a “nice hole in the wall” and recommends the kimchi, if it is available.

Other comments commonly contain the words “delicious” and “yummy,” and Cup Pop patrons also frequently say how nice the lady behind the register seems.

This is Suk, who says she has lived in Murfreesboro for 25 years but just opened Cup Pop in 2017. Suk tries to keep the restaurant very clean, wiping down tables as soon as possible after patrons exit.

The Cup Pop portions compare very favorably to many of the Thai and other Asian restaurants in town, but some others who have an appetite that only a buffet can satisfy say they would like to get a bit more for the price. Still, that is one of the few complaints about this small restaurant offering very flavorful dishes.

“It’s absolutely fantastic,” Christopher Davis said of Cup Pop. “This place is one of the best in Murfreesboro, hands-down, and I’ll be doing my part to help them stand out in this boring-corporate-chain-restaurantdominated town.”

Movies

REVIEWS

the virtual world. Wade Watts (Sheridan), his pal Aech (Lena Waithe), and his crush Art3mis (Cooke) are but a few of the remaining civilians trying to find Halliday’s easter eggs, clues hidden within the dead genius’s archives. While many have moved on from trying to find this “golden ticket” of sorts, the blatantly evil Innovative Online Industries, or IOI, run by the go-to bad guy du jour Ben

Mendelsohn (thankfully still relishing his villainous typecasting), uses thousands upon thousands of goons to try to crack the game before Wade and his clan of egg hunters can.

This simple adventure plot of good kids vs. bad guys is told amidst a constant confetti of pop-culture reference points, the conceit being that Halliday peppered these references throughout his game. Like the book, the movie reaches saturation point both in the script and on the screen, but, also like the book, it seldom loses the forest for the trees. While the relentless allusions take up bandwidth that could otherwise be used for character rendering, the adventure that Wade and his avatar Parzival go on is still fun, if predictable. Spielberg is an elder statesman of adventure films, after all, and though he regrettably omitted overt references to his own past projects that heavily influenced this pop-culture Frankenstein’s monster, their inclusion couldn’t have elevated Ready Player One to the classic status that Spielberg’s body of work can claim.

— JAY SPIGHT

one job, and you couldn’t do it.

So, what do we get instead? A lot of boring world-building. The lore of this film is not very interesting, sadly. Early on there’s a few good moments, particularly around the introduction of Amara, played admirably by relative newcomer Cailee Spaeny. She’s a pretty awesome female protagonist that reminded me a lot of the badass Izabella from Transformers: The Last Knight. Unlike in Transformers, where the young protagonist is uncomfortably objectified by some of the men of the film, Amara is just . . . there. Never once did someone remind her that she was a woman. Never once did someone hit on her in a really uncomfortable way. She was just the

protagonist alongside Jake Pentecost (John Boyega). I really appreciated that, so kudos to director Steven S. DeKnight and company for writing Amara the way they did. Sadly, though, they couldn’t break free of this trend completely, as one of the other three women in the film, Jules Reyes (Adria Arjona) is only there to be ogled by the male leads.

I did also love John Boyega’s performance; he tries as hard as he can to carry this film. Hopefully he decides to pursue the action star route outside of Star Wars. The rest of the cast is pretty forgettable.

When we did finally get to the giant monsters vs. giant robots action sequence, I had a ball of a time. It’s fun seeing a big-budget action film with giant robots fighting giant monsters in a huge city (Tokyo, in this case).

At one point one of the robots uses some gravity weapon to bring down skyscrapers on a Kaiju, and I couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear. In order to get to that awesome final sequence, you have to sit through what basically amounts to 90 minutes of dull dialogue and lazy lore. Is it worth it? I say no. Wait until the final action sequence hits YouTube in a few months, and just watch it there. Otherwise, don’t bother with this garbage.

— JOSEPH KATHMANN

READY PLAYER ONE DIRECTOR Steven Spielberg STARRING Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn RATED PG-13

Ready Player One is Steven Spielberg’s 32nd feature film. Based on the novel of the same name by Ernest Cline (who co-wrote the screenplay), the story is an attempt to mine meaning from nostalgia, and to shape that nostalgia into the very thing that it so lovingly looks back upon. The subject of that nostalgia, which was shaped in no small part by the adventure films from the first half of Mr. Spielberg’s career, is pop-culture of the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. All of it.

Set in 2045, Ready Player One posits a futuristic poorscape where trailers are

stacked twenty high, Pizza Hut delivers by drone and Columbus, Ohio, is the fastest growing city in the U.S. People pass their time in an infinite virtual reality playground called the OASIS, invented by an awkward mega-geek from the 20th century named James Halliday. At his death, Halliday started a game for all to play within the OASIS, the winner of which gains sole ownership of

PACIFIC RIM: UPRISING DIRECTOR Steven S. DeKnight STARRING John Boyega, Jing Tian, Cailee Spaeny, Scott Eastwood, Rinko Kikuchi RATED PG-13

I have a really good idea for a Pacific Rim sequel. Bear with me for a second because, for some reason, this is really hard for Universal/ Legendary to wrap their minds around: in a universe dominated by giant robots fighting giant monsters . . . you ready? Why don’t we make a film with a bunch of giant robots fighting a bunch of giant monsters? Whoa!

Wait—you want to first make a Pacific Rim installment featuring a bunch of boring lore and bad character development, and exactly one giant action sequence? Are you sure that’s what you want to do?

That’s exactly what we have here, and it makes absolutely no sense to me. That’s inexcusable and it’s tough to look past this horrific miscalculation. Even if you do, there’s

not much to keep anyone engrossed in the sequel to 2013’s Pacific Rim. I enjoyed the first film, though I think it’s a tad overrated. But at least in the original Pacific Rim we had a significant amount of giant action sequences featuring robots and monsters, which were, amazingly, the best part of that movie.

What’s funny is that the marketing team behind the film understood the draw of Pacific Rim better than the studios did. After all, they marketed the crap out of the one giant action sequence we did get. Yes, there are a few other sequences of robots fighting other robots, but we, the audience, are here for robots fighting monsters. That’s it! You had

A CLASSIC

OUTSTANDING

AVERAGE

BELOW AVERAGE

AVOID AT ALL COSTS

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DEAD

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LIVING ROOM CINEMA column by NORBERT THIEMANN

facebook.com/livingroomcinema

Glaring Omissions

Looking back over the multitudes of movies recommended in this column, I discovered these glaring omissions in American masterpiece cinema:

 The Godfather (1972) is directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Without the vision and perseverance of Coppola, The Godfather would have been a much lesser film. It’s a movie about a close family and their business associates, who all happen to be mobsters. It has forever set the bar for the mobster genre.  Sling Blade (1996) is directed by Billy Bob Thornton, who also stars in the film. Karl is a simple man who is released from his long stay at an asylum. Without clear expectations for the future, he travels back to the same small town where he grew up as a child. Sling Blade boasts amazing character work and is a dramatic feast.

 The Godfather: Part II (1974) is directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Part II is one of the best sequels in cinema history, and this time without a book adaptation for guidance. Coppola and original author Mario Muzio crafted a riveting backstory and the amazing events that follow Part I. The reward is a perfect double feature for your living room enjoyment.  12 Angry Men (1957) is directed by Sidney Lumet. Almost exclusively set in a jury deliberation room, Lumet’s cinema creation is one of the finest ensemble pieces of all time. A sole juror must convince his stubborn colleagues to reevaluate the evidence in a criminal case.

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OPENING IN APRIL PLAYING THIS MONTH

APRIL 6  Pandas Chappaquiddick

 The Miracle Season Lean on Pete You Were Never Really Here

APRIL 11  Beirut

APRIL 13  Rampage Borg vs. McEnroe Marrowbone

 RECOMMENDED READING “This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America. Within the U.S., you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.” — books.google.com

ECCE DEUS: ESSAYS ON THE LIFE AND DOCTRINE OF JESUS CHRIST

BY JOSEPH PARKER (1867)

Chapter 3: The Written Word (Continued)

W

e have said that though this is the dispensation of the Spirit, it is yet distinctively the Christian dispensation. The circumstance may throw a sidelight upon one dark saying in the Christian writings, which relates to the unpardonable sin, the sin against the Holy Ghost. Christ taught that a word spoken against the Son of man would be forgiven, but that a word spoken against the Holy Ghost would not be forgiven; by which he probably meant that in his visible form there was so much that contravened the expectations of the people, that they might, under the mistaken guidance of their carnal feelings, speak against one who had claimed kingly position under a servant's form: but that in the course of events he would appeal not to the eye, but to the consciousness of men; and that when he came by this higher ministry, refusal of his appeal would place man in an unpardonable state. The vital principle would seem to be, that when man denies his own consciousness, or shuts himself up from such influences as would purify and quicken his consciousness, he cuts himself off from God, and becomes a “son of perdition.” Speaking against the Holy Ghost is speaking against the higher and final revelation of the Son of man; in this view Christ's position in the Godhead is unimpaired; but if the sin against him were less than a sin against the Holy Ghost, he could no longer retain divine equality. According to the Christian writings, we know nothing of the Holy Ghost except in connection with Jesus Christ; to speak, therefore, against the Holy Ghost is to speak against Jesus Christ himself, not as he appeared when he took upon him the form 34 * APRIL 2018 * BOROPULSE.COM

of a servant, but as he was originally, in the form of God. As we have already said, truth is larger than fact, so the spiritual is larger than the material, the Holy Spirit greater than any personal manifestation possibly could be. The incarnate Christ was local, the Holy Spirit is universal; the fleshly Christ was a Jew, the Spirit-revealed Christ is the brother of every man; the embodied Truth walked within certain geographical limits, but the spiritual Truth is unlimited in range, and inexhaustible in power. The Apostle says that “henceforth we know not Christ after the flesh;” now he is represented by the Holy Ghost, still head over all, though unseen by men.

With this as a start-point, why may not the men of today know Christ more thoroughly than did the original disciples and apostles?

They know everything else better; why make an exception of the great Life which is giving such revelations of itself as cover all the enlarging breadths of civilization, and fill plenteously, even to overflow, the expanding capacities of manhood? The foremost mean in the original apostolate declared of himself that he had “not yet attained,” and exhorted others to “grow in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” There is no claim of finality in the apostolic epistles. Everywhere the path of progress is not merely pointed out, but the most exciting inducements to persevere are employed in the apostolic appeals. The riches of Christ are declared to be “unsearchable,” and the peace of God is said to “pass understanding.” All the terms descriptive of Christ, and of the courses of study which may be entered upon concerning him, suggest the impossibility of exhaustion, and by implication suggest the greatness and richness of human nature. [To remain stationary] in Christian study is a sin against the subject, and an injustice to the student. Not that fundamental and spiritual truths can be changed. Newton did not deny that two and two are four when

he promulgated the doctrine of gravitation; nor did Coulomb deny the diurnal rotation of the earth when he improved the mariner's compass. We go back to the Book for the primary facts and out-shadowings of truth; throwing aside all that was local and temporary, we discover the abiding root of which came the leaves and for fruit which are for the healing and sustenance of the nations.

This term “root” assigns to the Christian writings their true position and value.

There is all the difference between the Christianity of the apostolic day, and the developed Christian idea of the present time, that there is between an acorn and an oak. The essential nature is unchanged, but the least of seeds has become the greatest of trees. The Father is glorified when the children “bear much fruit,” and much fruit simply means much Christ. When Christ said that he had “finished his work,” he spoke as an agriculturist might do when he had sown his entire field with seed, not as the reaper would do when he garnered his sheaves. The seed was small, the harvest is universal; the words were few and often broken, but they have roused the heart, and shaped the course of the world. The tree is gigantic in stature, but it draws all its vitality out of the one root which Christ planted.

It is certain that different men sustain different relations to the first principles of arithmetic, geometry, or any science. The skilled arithmetician does not require continually to refer to tabulated data; he could carry on his calculations successfully, if all written data were destroyed. They are now in him; they are part of his intellectual nature, so that he employs them with the ease which comes of perfect familiarity. All men, however, are not advanced arithmeticians; they must have something to work at, something on which the eye can rest; for they feel safe in their processes only so far as an appeal is made to the eye. Numbers, however are dogmatic; they make no accommodations; they ignore all varieties of temperament, faculty, and circumstances, and by so much they differ from the spiritual truths which are the subject of the Christian writings. Still the analogical point is vivid enough for our purpose; some students are yet at the very beginning, wondering at the birth, or startled by the works of Christ.; others have got beyond the

“The wisest teachers are the most reticent men.

They reserve all the deeper interpretations, knowing, from a wide observation of human nature, that many who have eyes see not, and many who have hearts do not understand.”

narrow factual boundary, and are reveling in all spiritual luxuriance. It would be as impertinent in the arithmetician who has not yet mastered the first four rules of his art, to rail against the learned algebraist, as for the [novices] in Christian literature to reproach men who have the word of Christ dwelling in them richly, having forgotten or left behind the elementary facts of the Gospel.

Any survey of that portion of human society compromised within the limits of modern civilization, which ignored the practical power of the written Word, would not only be parietal, but unjust—openly and scandalously wicked, indeed. By influencing society at the vital center, it touches the roomiest angles of the social idea. Its effect upon young life, upon all the multitudinous aspects of human sorrow, upon the development and consolidation of generous sentiment, is written in living characters upon daily life.

Even where its dogmatic form is denied, its spiritual results are evident; and some who find a thousand difficulties in its letter, are penetrated and ennobled by its principles. If a question of comparison between this book and any other were started, Christ’s own standard of judgement would best meet the case; looking forward to the false prophets who should seek to undo his work, he said, “By their fruits ye shall know them.” Modern civilization should be the field of research on both sides. Which book has most persistently branded, defied, and threatened every form of tyranny? Which book has spoken with the truest pathos to the wounded and sorrowing heart? Which book has done most for the poor man? These inquiries may be put in no declamatory spirit, but simply with a view to the discovery of facts. The test is fair. it is marked by a high sense of honesty on the part of Jesus Christ. He adopts no method of overriding human judgement, but, on the contrary, elevates the discriminative faculty of man, and in a manner throws the responsibility of the conclusion upon men's own common sense. This is not the plan of necromancers, soothsayers, and self-elected prophets: Christ appeals to his own works and the works of others, asking the verdict of the world upon their respective claims to truth and veneration. There is no cunning legerdemain, no rebuke of human severity in the examination, no indulgence bespoken on behalf of the worker: the words and works are before you—judge them, said Christ; and “believe me for the very works’ sake.”

The important concession that different men may sustain different relations to the Christian writings may provoke an inquiry, bearing upon some aspects of church life today: What of the consistency of those who, being far advanced, having come into a great liberty of faith, are still teachers in those

churches that are yet only in the rudiments, and whose published dogmas give no hope of expansion? The answer to this inquiry cannot be difficult. To the end of the world churches, as promiscuous aggregates, must be in the rudiments only, and the teachers of such churches must accommodate themselves to the elementary faith of their hearers. Often the teachers will come to know what Christ meant when he said, “I have many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.”

The wisest teachers are the most reticent men. They reserve all the deeper interpretations, knowing, from a wide observation of human nature, that many who have eyes see not, and many who have hearts do not understand. Wise teachers will speak in on a set of terms to the great multitude, and in another to the foremost men, when they can go aside and commune secretly. They will often have to hide their meaning under a parable, and give explanations in an undertone. This is what Christ did. He had special interviews with his disciples, in which he spoke of the deeper things of his kingdom; and when one of his followers gave utterance to a testimony respecting his Messiahship, more full and emphatic than had yet been rendered, he pronounced it an immediate

disclosure from heaven. Again and again, too, he enjoined silence upon his disciples as to the higher questions which had passed between them, as if revelation was to be regulated by time, and tomorrow’s work was not to be dragged into today’s service. These graduated revelations are compatible with the mystery of his own manifestation before men, and the method by which he educated the disciples. his representatives are right as they follow their Master's course. No man is bound to open all his heart to unappreciative spectators. To the esoteric circle he may fully reveal himself, but to the esoteric crowd his demeanor may be reserved. he knows that to some men he must not tell the dream, until he can also tell the interpretation; but that others can help him in the changeful visions and tumultuous upheaving through which the soul passes into the higher ranges and sweeter experiences of truth.

It is to be remarked that Jesus Christ never wrote anything, nor did he instruct his disciples to commit anything to writing. We have broken reports of many of his addresses, and very fragmentary memoranda of his conversations and disputes; but no provision of a literary kind seems to have been made to secure permanence. Anything more fugitive,

apparently, than the words and works of Christ is impossible to find: no hired scribes report the utterances, or chronicle the deeds of this wonderful Man; he founds no library, leaves no chronicles to be hidden in secure places, but works out his twelve hours, and then passes into rest. We come to no sign of permanence until we receive the promise of the Holy Ghost; he was to quicken the recollection, as well as to disclose further aspects of the truth. The memory was not to be left unaided; a great light was to be held over all the way in which the disciples had walked, so that thy might see the minutest detail, and tell or write their story with all the clearness and certitude of personal observation.

The written Word is a repertory of facts, a revelation of doctrines, and a standard of appeal upon all questions to which it bears any relation. The only interpreter of this Word is the Holy Ghost, and he operates through the consciousness of the reader: it is not a Word arbitrarily superimposed upon man, but a Word in harmony with all that is divine in human nature, and therefore having power to carry the entire conviction and sympathy of all who read without prejudice. Upon these principles the subsequent inquiry will be conducted.

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AROUND TOWN ’BORO BUSINESS BUZZ

Tre Sorelle, CJ’s, El Hornito, Mexico Tipico, Float Alchemy

fully integrated network of real estate and auction professionals in the nation. The company has been in real estate marketing since 1925. United Real Estate, a division of the United Real Estate Group, has more than 70 offices and 3,000 agents.

United Real Estate Middle Tennessee will hold a grand opening event Sunday, April 8, from 12:30–2:30 p.m. at their office at 1602 W. Northfield Blvd. in Murfreesboro.

“Our grand opening is an opportunity to say thank you to our clients, family and friends,” Scarlata said.

BY MICHELLE WILLARD PIZZA, MEXICAN AND OTHER FARE will be available at eateries opening this spring in Murfreesboro. SAMI’S BRICK OVEN PIZZA held its soft opening at the end of March. The restaurant is located on Broad Street (next to Party Fowl).

A second downtown pizza joint will take the place of nightclub Tempt. SPINELLI’S PIZZA is currently remodeling the space to house a franchise of the Philadelphia latenight staple. If you want to try it out, there is already a location in Tullahoma.

Another pizza joint, this one called TRE SORELLE, is set to open in July at Gateway Village on North Thompson Lane.

Family-owned and operated, the restaurant will be an upscale brick-oven pizzeria. It will also offer gluten-free and vegan options.

Still no official word on when BoomBozz Pizza in The Gateway might open.

To soothe your feelings about BoomBozz, you can travel to Smyrna for a DIAMOND DOUGHNUT. Along with diamond-shaped doughnuts, the restaurant will also serve breakfast and lunch at its 12974 Old Nashville Hwy. location.

CJ’S RESTAURANT AND CATERING is opening a second location in the

Holiday Inn just off of Medical Center Parkway. For more information about CJ’s, visit cjsintheboro.com.

I, for one, still mourn the loss of JoZoara.

The house latte was killer. Alas, it looks like the space will be home to yet another Thai restaurant, because a permit on the door says the remodeling is for GINGER THAI BISTRO. The bright pink paint on Vine Street has been replaced. I reported last month that Sub Stop was closing because the building was being sold. Now we know that the pink sandwich palace is being replaced by HERNANDEZ MEXICAN DELI. The new Mexican deli will serve coffee, breakfast and lunch.

Another Mexican-themed concept has set its sights on Murfreesboro. A banner reading “EL HORNITO BAKERY #2” has been hung above a unit in the same multi-tenant commercial development on Rutherford Boulevard that also houses Nacho’s Mexican Restaurant and Little Caesar’s. El Hornito Bakery on Murfreesboro Road in Nashville serves Mexican bread and pastries. Check out some amazing cakes on its Facebook page.

HEALTH CARE OPTIONS EXPANDING Murfreesboro Medical Clinic, Saint Thomas Health and Vanderbilt are set to expand in Murfreesboro.

MEXICO TIPICO is the new occupant of the restaurant space next to Regal Inn at 2021 S. Church St. The restaurant serves authentic Mexican fare from the unassuming space.

FLOAT ALCHEMY may open sometime soon, but the owners are still struggling with the Murfreesboro Codes Department.

Owners Amy Grimes and Mark Chessir announced they have passed a majority of their codes inspections so that they will be able to open at least part of their services in Murfreesboro this month. Grimes and Chessir, who also own Float Nashville, announced their plans to open a new location in Murfreesboro way back in September 2017 with hopes of opening by the end of the year. But it’s taken a bit longer.

On March 22, Grimes and Chessir were given a partial occupancy permit for their building on Cason Lane. They can use the building with the exception of the float room.

Over the past few weeks, they have been putting up the finishing touches and training staff. As of March 29, they didn’t have a hard date (other than April) for their partial opening. If you want to get the news first, sign up for their newsletter through

EL HORNITO BAKERY #2

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Float Alchemy’s Facebook page.

In the meantime, Grimes said they plan first to open a kombucha taproom and massage room.

They said then that the Murfreesboro location will offer the same amenities as the Nashville flotation center, just on a larger scale. The new facility will be at 131 Cason Lane in the former location of Gish’s Amish Furniture. Floating in an isolation tank can reduce stress, anxiety and pain while enhancing creativity and performance, according to the Float Murfreesboro team.

UNITED REAL ESTATE MIDDLE TENNESSEE, a new real estate brokerage firm,

has brought 100 percent commissions to agents in Middle Tennessee. Owners Rick Murr and Curran Scarlata report that since opening in their doors in late 2017, United Real Estate has grown rapidly each month with agent count and transaction volume.

While a 100 percent commission strategy isn’t typical in the real estate industry. Murr and Scarlata indicated they appreciate this unique approach.

United Real Estate is part of the largest

MURFREESBORO MEDICAL CLINIC will be the anchor tenant of a new,

22,200-square-foot retail building that began construction last month at Fountains at Gateway, according to developer Scott Graby, president of Hearthstone Properties.

MMC has leased nearly 80 percent of the new building for its growing medical spa, dermatology and plastic surgery departments. The 17,565-square-foot lease includes 6,068 square feet on the first floor and 11,497 square feet on the second floor.

The three departments will relocate to Fountains in late 2018 or early 2019 from Murfreesboro Medical Clinic and Surgicenter on Garrison Drive, MMC CEO Joseph A. Peay said in a press release.

The new building at Fountains at Gateway will be situated on the southeast corner of the development, facing Medical Center Parkway.

According to Graby, site preparation is complete and construction is underway.

VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER plans to build a Pediatric

Clinic and Ambulatory Surgery Center at the site between New Vision Baptist Church, Hope Clinic and the corporate headquarters for Kasai North America.

VUMC would construct a single story, 37,500 square feet Pediatric Clinic and Ambulatory Surgery Center as the first phase of construction. Work on the $21 million investment, including site prep, is anticipated to begin 10–12 months from the date of closing on the acquisition of the property. The first phase would also include approximately 190 ground-level parking spaces.

As part of the sale to VUMC, the city is accelerating the construction of the road segment from Gateway Boulevard to Thompson Lane to accommodate VUMC’s

proposed use of the property. It is anticipated that the proceeds of the sale to VUMC will more than offset the cost of constructing this segment of the Northfield extension.

Finally, SAINT THOMAS HEALTH recently purchased a lot on New Salem Highway for nearly $1.5 million.

Saint Thomas Rutherford CEO Gordon Ferguson said the 3-acre lot near the existing Saint Thomas Medical Partners New Salem building will be the home of a $16-million surgical treatment center.

The surgi-center is planned to be a 13,000-square-foot multi-specialty facility with two operating rooms and one procedure room.

CLOSINGS CORNER TOYS“R”US made it official on March 15

when it announced it had filed for bankruptcy. The toy store will “begin the process of conducting an orderly wind-down of its U.S. business and liquidation of inventory in all 735 of the company’s U.S. stores,” according to a press release.

After 31 years in business, Appletons Creative Framers closed. APPLETONS CREATIVE FRAMERS, a nationally award-winning framer, was owned and operated by Bill Brison.

“The journey has been an unbelievable one and the folks we have met have made it so special. Every business has a beginning and an end and as we near that time we wanted to thank each of you that has allowed us to help over the many years,” Brison said in a Facebook post.

In a simple “Time to Retire” post on Facebook, Jack and Cheryl Lisi announced they will soon be closing LET’S MAKE WINE on April 28. Jack and Cheryl have spent the last eight years bringing the essentials of homemade wine and beer to the Murfreesboro masses.

“We can’t put into words how much we have loved getting to know each and every one of you. Hopefully one of you will keep wine club going and we can get together now and then,” the Lisis said on Facebook.

Stop in before the end of April and pick up some spirit staples on sale.

PHAT KAPS on West Main Street wasn’t

open as long as Appletons or Let’s Make Wine, but brown paper over its windows recently signaled its closing.

After five years in business, PIGTAILS & CREWCUTS: HAIRCUTS FOR KIDS

is closing its doors in The Avenue.

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Opinion PHOTO BY J. INTINTOLI / MTSU NEWS

The Rhetoric of Hate The Art of Fear Mongering and New McCarthyism

BY BRACKEN MAYO IN THE 1950s, Sen. Joseph McCarthy and others led a movement to blacklist, shun and silence many Americans by labeling them “communists.” Today, many historians and observers looking retrospectively on this time period view the era of McCarthyism as a time of paranoia, a political witch hunt and a dark time in American history as far as freedom and political discourse are concerned.

Today, many seem to see such terms as “racist,” “hatred,” “bigot,” “Nazi” and “homophobe” as mic-drops of sorts; that when they play those trump cards and accuse the other party of racism, hatred or bigotry, the discussion is over and they have ultimately ceased to consider any aspect of the other’s point of view as valid.

Others see these insults directed towards the “intolerant” as a new form of McCarthyism, intended more as a method to silence political adversaries and invoke hysteria rather than engage in any real political dialogue.

One organization of note helping perpetuate this movement of social patrolling and public shaming of the racist bigots is the Southern Poverty Law Center, an Alabamabased civil rights advocacy group with a $300 million endowment, perhaps best known today for its cataloging and criticizing of what it calls “hate groups.”

The SPLC currently includes over 900 organizations on its “hate group list,” saying these entities “vilify others because of their race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity.”

Lecia Brooks, Director of Outreach BROOKS at the Southern Poverty Law Center, recently visited the Middle Tennessee State University campus as the keynote speaker for MTSU Scholars Week, a presentation co-sponsored by the Distinguished Lecture Committee and the English Department.

“You can act and be anything,” Brooks told the audience encouragingly. “You are in charge of your life.”

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Most of her speech that followed focused primarily on the SPLC’s list of hate groups in the U.S. Brooks proceeded to make the case that intolerance and division along racial lines, particularly white nationalism, is on the rise in America. As evidence of this, she displayed imagery of some spray-painted swastikas and groups of angry pale-skinned, tiki-torch-bearing college students, some chanting “Jews will not replace us.”

Furthermore, Brooks contends, intolerant Americans may very well strip away freedoms protected by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 if the Supreme Court defends the right of a baker to decline making a wedding cake celebrating a same-sex couple.

Brooks insists that modern college campuses are hotbeds of white nationalism one moment, almost leading one to believe that, thanks to powerful groups of hateful young white men, the nation is on the brink of a cultural upheaval on the scale of Nazi Germany, or ISIS in the Middle East. But then the next moment, she downplays the influence of these radical groups, painting many of them as loosely organized and poorly led organizations that hang some flyers on college campuses, make some Twitter posts and then fizzle out.

She brought up Richard Spencer, labeled by the SPLC as an “academic racist” who gained wide notoriety as a white supremacist leader over recent years, but then noted his last round of college appearances had trouble attracting very many attendees and that he has since cancelled his college campus tour.

Brooks laments that the socioeconomic status for blacks is the same today as in the 1960s and that they still do not hold positions of power in modern American society.

Does she remember who the last president was?

Brooks touched on the out-of-control prison, probation and legal system in the U.S.A., and the poor relationships between some law enforcement agencies and many communities around the country. Though if the force holding down minorities in our country is the government’s own criminal justice system, then why does the SPLC not focus its efforts in that direction more forcefully, rather than towards The Rem-

nant Press, The American Security Rally of Montana, ISD Records, The Pray in Jesus Name Project, Oregonians for Immigration Reform, The American Guard and other obscure groups on its hate list that have a much smaller impact on mainstream America? Are these the groups responsible for setting up a system that keeps about 7 million Americans either locked up or on probation (including a disproportionately high rate of African Americans)?

Brooks emphasizes the importance of tolerance and acceptance, and suggests that you can be proud of who you are and what you believe without having to degrade or otherwise put down others, but then lets the insults fly towards those with whom she disagrees.

According to Brooks, President Trump is “hateful,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions is an “asshole,” French politician Marine Le Pen (who draws some comparisons to Trump with her opposition to illegal immigration, the sovereignty of her nation, and suggestions that France should withdraw from the European Union) is a “Nazi.”

Regarding the state of Tennessee, Brooks commented, “you all are the worst as far as Islamophobia.”

Some may take exception to such a sweeping generalized stereotype of an entire state containing 6 million people—let’s not vilify others based on their geographic DUBEK location, right?—but many in the crowd at the MTSU presentation seemed to enjoy Brooks’ remarks.

The MTSU English professor who organized the visit, Laura Dubek, acknowledged that Brooks is often “preaching to the choir” at many of her public appearances.

Dubek said she wanted to promote a spirit of “we’re all in this together” with Brooks’ visit.

But does the Southern Poverty Law Center share that belief?

If we are all in this together, why are so many statistics divided along sub-group lines?

Why is the SPLC obsessed with breaking down statistic after statistic into how many Hispanic people are victims of hate crimes, how many kids of Asian descent are in the public school system in the U.S., the percentage of non-binary-gender-conforming people residing in rural areas in the U.S., and so on?

That is not a sign of “one nation united” and “we’re all in this together.” That is a sign of division, of pitting one group against another, of conflict, of us against them.

Are we all Americans, with equal rights, judged not on the color of our skin but on the content of our character, or does the SPLC want to “Make America Segmented and Segregated Again”?

Those in Murfreesboro will recall that in October 2017 some groups associated with white nationalism decided that they would have a White Lives Matter rally on the Murfreesboro Public Square.

In the weeks leading up to the event, sensationalized media reports based primarily on information from the SPLC regarding the participating groups fueled the Antifa folks to encourage one another to come on down and punch a Nazi and bash a fascist— “the only way to fight hate is with more hate,” as Eric Cartman says. The subsequent name-calling and anger spiraled until the Murfreesboro community determined the only possible course of action was to institute a militarized lock-down of the Square for the weekend.

What else should we do? Talk to those Nazi bigots as people?! Listen what what they have to say and consider their grievances or why they behave in such a way?

Regardless of who was responsible for what, most of those who run businesses in the downtown Murfreesboro area did not regard that weekend as an overly positive thing for the community.

Some do not find the recent trend of labeling those with opposing political and social views as hate groups, Nazis and bigots as a positive or constructive thing for our culture or rational political discourse, or something to be encouraged at an institution of higher learning, particularly when this labeling is, admittedly, a matter of opinion.

“Our criteria for a ‘hate group,’ first of all, have nothing to do with criminality, or violence,” former Southern Poverty Law Center Senior Fellow Mark Potok has said.

“It’s strictly ideological.”

If the SPLC continues its efforts to divide, not unite, to alienate and ostracize, not welcome and accept, it could very well find itself on its own “hate group” list.

Many Americans hold a wide range of views on immigration, on society, on economics, on marriage, on media, on what types of bathroom facilities a government building should be required to provide, and on a host of topics that do not line up with those of the SPLC; complex views and topics that cries of “bigot” and “hate group” cannot adequately describe.

I suggest that engaging in conversation, listening to the views of others, asking them why they feel that way and replying in a respectful and detailed way rather than shouting “hatred,” may be a better method to reinforce the notion of “we’re all in this together.”

I have no loyalty to the Republicans nor the Democrats. I would probably encourage voters to select someone other than a Republican or a Democrat in any election possible, and I do not place too much hope in either of the mainstream parties to do much of value. (This is one of the moments where I can proudly say that I voted for neither Hillary nor Trump.)

But particularly those who oppose Trump and the Republicans perpetuate this dismal view of our current state of affairs.

Yes, Murfreesboro is somewhat segregated still and there are some hateful people, but in most neighborhoods I see Hispanic, white, black, Arabic, Laotian and many other groups of people all living together respectfully with most everyone trying to be good neighbors and community members, or at the very least staying out of each other’s way and not attempting to impede someone’s else chance at life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.

I understand that Brooks studies hate groups as a career and acknowledges that the crimes she sees and studies are a real part of America, though, and being immersed in that would probably present a pretty negative lens through which to view society.

We can improve our society in a great many ways, but I still tend to believe that there has never been another place or time in the history of our planet that offered more opportunity to people of all backgrounds than the USA in 2018.

I ask you to consider that concept: that the United States of America is the most successful experiment in multiculturalism, opportunity for all and tolerance and that has ever existed.

After Brooks’ presentation at MTSU—after she encouraged the audience members to approach the microphone for “questions” and “debate,” in fact—I asked her if she agreed with that statement. She began talking about genocide of the native Americans and slavery, and I clarified that I was referring to today’s U.S.A. and asked if she could suggest other nations, either currently or throughout history, that serve as more positive examples of loving, multicultural societies.

At this point she stated that she declined to answer the question because she felt it was a trap.

If my attempt to persuade her to utter a positive comment about her country is a trap, well, okay, it was a trap. She could have answered that in a number of different ways, but ultimately refused to stray from her narrative that America is a hatefilled, intolerant place with genocidal white nationalists calling the shots and keeping the helpless minorities down and that everyone is a victim. But, but . . . Heather Heyer, Brooks brings up.

The 900 hate groups didn’t run over Heather Heyer, an American woman who died after being struck by a car while protesting the Unite the Right rally in the streets of Virginia in 2017. An individual named James Fields will stand trial for that crime later this year. (And by using the logic that many of the SPLC supporters apply to the gun debate, the real blame needs to go to the Dodge Challenger that Fields drove; how many more must die before we ban Dodge Challengers?!)

If anyone is celebrating Heyer’s death, well, that is shameful. Deliberately running into someone with a car is a crime, regardless of the race and gender identity of the driver and the victim.

I’m not certain that plastering the deceased’s name and face all over the place in an emotionally manipulative showcase of grandstanding, moral posturing and furthering one’s own political agenda is something to be proud of either.

So, I criticize the Southern Poverty Law Center for its divisiveness, for preaching a message of tolerance but practicing a pattern of “our way or no way,” for perpetuat-

ing intolerance and division, for becoming, as another journalist recently described the group, “a machine for turning leftist hysteria into cash” and for a rationale laced with many contradictions.

I do believe that Brooks has a desire to help others in our country, so while I disagree with some of the tactics of her group and its followers, I recognize her service.

At the end of her presentation, she closed with a touching request for everyone to talk to their kids about race and our society and to convey being proud of your cultural heritage, stating that all parents have a responsibility to instruct the next generation in how

they should treat others.

In summary, treat people right, listen to what others are saying (yes, sometimes even those different from you) don’t wait around for the government, the major political parties or the SPLC to do much to improve your life, and do your best to avoid being an abuser or a victim. Be the change, live like all lives matter, and love your neighbor!

I welcome replies from SPLC, and all other readers, and encourage them to avoid name-calling and to say what they mean in a precise manner; send comments to bracken@boropulse.com.

Opinion Allow Spiritual Life to Seep Into Work, Family Life to Truly Experience the Water of Life WHAT THINGS IN LIFE MATTER?

Our families? Our jobs? Our recreation?

Our worship? These are significant areas of life that serve to give us purpose and meaning. We see the importance of giving a prominent place to each of these, and yet we are sometimes challenged to keep them in balance. We find ourselves juggling between one and the other not wanting to let any of these important spheres drop out of our lives. To say the least, it can be exhausting.

Sadly, sometimes we throw this balancing act to the wind and focus our energy on the one sphere we are most comfortable in.

This can create an unhealthy imbalance. The workaholic may neglect his or her family. The person who lives for “five o’clock” on Friday may begin to hate their job, seeing it only as a necessary evil they must endure to enjoy the “really important” part of life. An imbalance like this will take its toll. There will be a

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SPIRITUAL

MATTERS

BY RICK MALONE

failure to achieve a life of fullness when one area is unduly focused on at the expense of the others. To avoid this outcome, we try to create a framework in our lives so these areas of importance won’t compete against each other. We make sure we leave our work at the office. We take pains to schedule family time and we plan recreation and vacations. Some of us make sure we attend our house of worship weekly. This framework is practical. It helps us keep balance while relieving some of the pressures of life.

Yet it is important in our desire for balance that we do not compartmentalize our lives.

We may separate those areas of importance so much that they become, in a way, separate lives: our work life and our home life, our spiritual life and our secular life. Compartmentalization creates its own set of problems.

No area is to be so separated that it holds no influence over the other areas. They should

all work together in harmony with each other. Our family life should play an important role in career decisions, and our work ethic has an important influence on our family life. Each area should feed the others with its own worth and distinct values. They should inform and influence the other areas in a positive way. Only in this way will a life be full and well-rounded.

This is never truer than when it comes to our spiritual life. Our relationship with God is not meant to be compartmentalized from the rest of our lives. Instead, it should feed and nurture the other areas of life. Our relationship with God should inform and influence every aspect of our being: our family relationships, how we work, how we play, how we live the fullness of our lives here in Murfreesboro. Our spiritual life matters— more than we sometimes acknowledge.

Jesus said, “The eye is the lamp of the body.

So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light,” (Matthew 6:22) Jesus speaks of the eye as the spiritual lamp of the whole person. It is the light which informs and influences all of life. Spiritual healthiness brings health and fullness in every area of our being. Because of this, we should have a “whole life” approach to our spiritual life. Our relationship with God cannot be confined to a “church box” we keep on our shelf. If it is a vibrant relationship it should influence our everyday lives.

How does our spiritual relationship with God influence our everyday lives? It is like a compass which gives our life direction. It gives us our bearing and keeps the other areas of our lives on track. It is also like the heart that supplies much-needed blood to the body.

Our spiritual life with God strengthens and sustains us. It feeds and supports our whole

person, especially in the difficult seasons of brokenness. But most importantly, life with God is the wellspring of true living. Jesus also says, in John’s gospel, “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:38) Jesus declares Himself to be the wellspring of spiritual life. Possession of this life will create in us “living waters,” waters which nurture and feed, not only ourselves, but those around us as well. By this living water our family life will be changed. We will see our own selfcenteredness softened into other-centeredness.

Our work life will be changed. We will see our occupation in this world as a calling, a fulfillment of God’s purpose for our lives. Our recreation will be changed. We will learn to not chase after a happiness that is always eluding us. We will find joy in even the smallest things, learning that our life’s purpose is to enjoy God. Our community life will be changed. We will see that we are a vital part of God’s world and our city. Even our worship will be changed by this living water. No longer will an hour a week be sufficient to contain the rivers that flow. The living waters will enable us to live our lives to the glory of our God and to the fullness of His purpose for us. As those waters flow, our lives are carried deeper in the current of God’s love, for us, and for this world.

In John chapter four, as Jesus speaks to the woman at the well, He says to her, “whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” And the woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water.” (John 4:14) Like the woman at the well, I stand thirsty. And I hope along with me you desire to say, “Sir, give me this water.” For this water matters to our lives. This water is life.

Opinion Sen. McConnell Refuses to Stand for Fiscal Conservatism

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VIEWS OF A

CONSERVATIVE BY

PHIL VALENTINE

ARTWORK BY DONKEYHOTEY

I

f you are a fiscal conservative like me I’m sure you share my frustration with the latest budget that was passed by a Republican Congress and signed by a Republican president. Not to give President Trump too much of a pass, but he was obviously frustrated when he signed it.

He did so, he says, because the six-month budget gets muchneeded funding to the military.

philvalentine.com

What’s disturbing is the glee that Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi took in voting for the bill. Any time those two are happy it’s a sure bet it’s a bad deal for America.

But just who is to blame?

Many point to Speaker Paul Ryan, who reached across the aisle to pass a bipartisan piece of legislation. Bipartisan sounds nice and fuzzy but it’s code for capitulation.

The Republicans were sent to Washington judicial nominees. So it can be eliminated. to drain the swamp and stop the reckMcConnell just doesn’t want to. less spending. They failed miserably. And Why? there’s one reason why: Mitch McConnell.

My suspicion is McConnell actually The senate majority leader has refused to wants a lot of the spending the Democrats kill the ridiculous filibuster rule. This is the want. Remember, McConnell is part of arcane senate rule that allows the minority the swamp. This guy has become filthy to threaten a filibuster, and it takes 60 votes rich thanks to the communist Chinese. As to override it. The minority never really Peter Schweizer chronicles in his new book has to actually filibuster. They just have to Secret Empires, McConnell’s in-laws have threaten to. Proponents of this insane rule deep financial ties to the Chinese governclaim that if the Democrats take control of ment. China’s largest defense contractor set the Senate they’ll dispense of Elaine Chao’s family up in the it to pass their agenda if the shipping business. Elaine Chao Republicans do it to them. Fox is McConnell’s wife. She’s also News Alert: They’re going to the transportation secretary. ditch that rule the first time it Schweizer says McConnell’s gets in their way no matter what father-in-law became wealthy the Republicans do now. and gifted the senator between Despite the spin from both five and 25 million dollars. parties, the filibuster supermaSounds rather swampish, jority is not constitutional. doesn’t it?

ELAINE CHAO The Constitution only requires What do you want to bet that a senate supermajority when voting on an ordinary citizen like you or me wouldn’t impeachment, expelling a member of Conget that sort of sweetheart deal from the gress, overriding a presidential veto, ratifyChinese government? ing treaties, and proposing constitutional Trump’s tariffs on China are bound to amendments. Requiring a three-fifths vote be driving McConnell’s Chinese handlers to stop a filibuster was a rule change in crazy. Neither McConnell nor his wife seem 1806, and even then was infrequently used to have any sway over the president on that until 1970. That’s when the Senate adopted issue. The Democrats focus on Russia, but the so-called “two-track” procedure inthere is no doubt that China is the most tended to keep the filibuster from derailing dangerous country on Earth. And they all Senate business. It didn’t take too long have made our Senate Majority leader a before the actual filibuster itself became a multimillionaire. Can you say conflict of mere formality and the Senate became a interest?

60-vote institution.

McConnell and the Republicans changed Phil Valentine is an author and nathe rule to exclude Supreme Court nomitionally syndicated radio talk show nations. That’s after Harry Reid and the host with Westwood One. For more Democrats changed the rule to eliminate of his commentary and articles, visit the filibuster on executive branch and philvalentine.com.

Live Exceptionally...Well!

BY JENNIFER DURAND

How Happy Are You . . . Really?

A RECENT REPORT from the Global Wellness Institute shows the U.S. takes a happiness dive.

From GWI: Studies consistently show that happiness has an independent and powerful impact on physical health. So, with the GWI recently launching the Wellness Moonshot: A World Free of Preventable Disease, the organization traveled to the United Nations in NYC on March 20 to get the latest insights from the annual World Happiness Report. A key finding: If you’re seeking happiness, you might want to emigrate to a Nordic nation . . . as Finland was the happiest nation this year, with Denmark, Switzerland and Norway taking the other top spots. Togo was the biggest gainer, and Venezuela the biggest loser.

And the U.S. has recently taken a significant happiness dive, with obesity, depression and the opioid crisis growing faster and further than in other nations. The economist authors of the report noted that there is a “very unsettling signal coming through that U.S. society is . . . under profound stress, even though the economy by traditional measures is doing fine . . . [its] comparative [happiness] position relative to other high-income countries is nothing short of alarming.”

The 2018 World Happiness Report also showed (again) the extraordinary importance of social factors in the happiness of all populations. For instance, chapter 6 analyzes the striking “happiness bulge” in Latin America, which depends on the greater warmth of family and other social relationships, and to the greater importance that people there attach to these relationships. Which is why, despite many Latin American nations being poor and unhealthy, they register such outsized happiness scores.

This year’s report also focused heavily on how migration affects happiness. Most notably, it found that the happiness of a country’s immigrants is almost identical to that of its population at large, indicating that “people essentially adjust to the average happiness level of the country they’re moving to.”

We all have much to learn from the nations getting human happiness right—and it isn’t all about money or physical health. Happiness is no longer some vague concept; it’s a hard science.

So, what can you do to increase your happiness factor without moving to another country? It isn’t about things or accomplishing goals. Those can be great for a short time but often you find you need another stimuli to have that “feel-good feeling” again.

Genuine happiness runs deeper.

A key component in happiness is having a sense of belonging. Whether it’s God, family, friends, church, community or other social outlets (social media doesn’t count here) and relationships. Spending quality time with people who have common interests can create bonds that support and elevate overall well-being. It can create challenges that promote confidence and character building, such as learning how to compromise and when not to. These are core attributes to creating inner peace and a center for authentic happiness.

Another key to happiness is finding the good in what you are doing or where you are. No matter where you are or what you’re doing, good is happening. If it isn’t visible at first, look for it. When you start seeing the good in each activity, encounter or situation, you are increasing your ability to be in the present moment—filling the time and space with being rather than wanting.

Wanting creates a sense of lack or need and this can lead to feeling unhappy. Sometimes you are the giver and other times the receiver.

Either way, it’s a benefit.

Feeling lonely or isolated?

Remember, others can feel like that too. Be the one to reach out and create action or an activity if one isn’t being presented to you. Everyone wants to feel like they are wanted or that they belong. Your happiness factor will rise more when you take action versus doing nothing. If it doesn’t work the first, second or even third time you attempt it, keep trying. Others need you, too!

Happiness is not “out there,” it’s in you!

“When you start seeing the good in each activity, encounter or situation, you are increasing your ability to be in the present moment—filling the time and space with being rather than wanting.”

There is no path to happiness. Happiness is the path.

– Buddha

Jennifer Durand is owner and operator of The Nurture Nook Day Spa & Gift Shoppe; she is a certified QiGong and Breathe Empowerment, a skin care and makeup specialist, an InterPlay leader licensed in massage therapy, body work and somatic integration. Let her help you find your personal “ahh . . .” factor by calling (615) 896-7110 or visiting nurturenook.com or facebook.com/nurturenookdayspa.

BOROPULSE.COM

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Opinion NO BEER IN THE FOOTBALL STADIUM AND NO ATHEISTS IN THE SENATE The

STOCKARD REPORT

BY SAM STOCKARD JUST WHEN MTSU OFFICIALS thought they’d be able to tap a keg to sell beer at football, baseball and basketball games, those do-gooders at the General Assembly spoiled all the fun.

Leave it to the state’s most pious group of professional politicians to kill a good buzz. Never mind the fact they spend a lot of time protecting sexual deviants. As long as they keep beer out of the hands of college kids, they can save the world.

So unless you have access to the skyboxes or open-air boxes of boosters at football games, you’d better keep chugging all the beer you can before entering the gates of Floyd Stadium—unless, of course, you sneak in some of those mini-liquor bottles, which nobody I know would do.

For baseball and basketball games, though, forget about it because nobody tailgates before those anyway. Stay home if you want to drink.

The university—which is planning an $80–100 million athletics reconfiguration revamping Murphy Center and building football training facilities, student-athlete workout facilities and the like—was hoping to turn the True Blue experience into a true buzz, complete with beer and wine sales at all major sporting events. (Nobody was expecting beer and wine at track and field meets, but to bring out more fans to watch one of the university’s best athletic programs, you might as well give it a shot. Dean Hayes might enjoy a rowdy cheering section.)

Most people who’ve been around MTSU athletic events over the decades know the university’s had trouble drawing fans. Since cable TV started coming along in the 1980s, it’s been a fight to put fannies in the stands, especially when teams struggle. Only when the university puts on a major public relations campaign or teams are winning big do people pack the seats at Floyd and Murphy.

So beer and wine sales could be a big draw 44 * APRIL 2018 * BOROPULSE.COM

and inject a little cash into the coffers as MTSU makes a push to become a big-time athletics program. The Blue Raiders basketball team did beat Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament two years ago, after all.

But, by God, those state legislators who had to give the nod for approval just couldn’t let the university sell Miller Lite (Bud Light sucks).

They argued 21-year-olds would be passing around beer to under-aged friends who would drive drunk and cause danger on the roads instead of just staggering back to dorm rooms.

They made a pretty good argument, too, because that’s exactly what would happen— at least the passing around beer part. With Uber and Lyft, fewer young people are driving after drinking than once was the case.

The only problem is: They’re drinking before and after games already. So stopping beer sales during games will only keep students from imbibing for two or three hours.

Anyone who’s ever been to a college football game in Murfreesboro or Knoxville knows the students tailgate harder than the adults, most of whom are more worried about grilling and watching Southeastern Conference games on big-screen TVs they put up temporarily in their tailgate territory. In fact, some might argue tailgating is more fun than going inside the stadium to watch the game.

On the flip side, boosters with a skybox or open-air box at Floyd Stadium can keep the party going throughout the game with access to beer, wine and liquor.

But those poor kids who consume a few beers before or after the game, they’ll have to go without their brewski come game time, which is probably a good thing. Because if they start walking back to a dorm or apartment afterward, they’re bound to run into MTSU’s finest (the police), meaning an instant citation for underage alcohol consumption, a couple of days in General Sessions Court, a year of probation, hundreds of dollars in fines and fees and generally pissed-off parents. But I digress.

It would be nice to think our college kids, when they leave home, will get up every Sunday morning and go to church, avoid alcohol like the plague and spend four hours a day studying (eight hours a day on

weekends) while working at least 20 hours a week to keep up with rising tuition costs.

Instead, they’re more likely to hit the books hard—if you’re lucky—and party like rock stars on the weekend.

The questions are: When will we treat 18-year-olds like adults since we’ll send them off to die in war? And, when will our legislators start policing their own ranks and let parents and university officials worry about the kids?

GUMMY BEARS GONE BAD

Last month’s Stockard Report detailed raids on stores across Murfreesboro and Smyrna where officers descended with search and arrest warrants to stop those greed-heads from selling gummy bears laced with potbased cannabidiol.

The District Attorney’s Office thought it was armed with lab reports from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation showing the items sold were Schedule VI controlled substances—about as lethal as ibuprofen whether they come from pot or poppies.

But when those store owners—predominantly Middle Eastern folks and a handful of white business owners—raised an absolute fuss, those lab reports suddenly turned into a liability. At least the TBI ultimately said it couldn’t determine whether the candies and other items came from pot or hemp, which is legal to grow and process in Tennessee.

District Attorney General Jennings Jones said one thing, and the TBI said another, leavJONES ing them pointing fingers at one another and generally making people question the entire law enforcement community’s motives. Was this a legitimate bust or an attempt to win favor at the ballot box for people seeking election?

Anyway, Jones did the right thing by dropping the charges and letting those store owners get back to work, after Circuit Court Judge Royce Taylor had allowed them to reopen for business.

In his first term as district attorney, Jones is on the campaign committee and law enforcement panel for U.S. Rep. Diane Black, a Republican gubernatorial candidate. Her husband, David, also has been hiring lobbyists to derail legislation in the General

Assembly allowing Tennesseans to use medical marijuana to cure several debilitating diseases.

But instead of getting into conspiracy theories here, let’s just commend Jones for making a wise decision in dropping the charges. Whether this bogus bust BLACK turns into a host of lawsuits against Rutherford County remains to be seen, because it could be hard to go to court against a judge’s search warrant.

For future reference, though, the DA’s Office and Sheriff Mike Fitzhugh might need to put more due diligence into their investigations and subsequent raids before holding press conferences in front of a padlocked business where they can’t answer the questions because they don’t really know the answers.

NO ATHEISTS ALLOWED

The Tennessee Democratic Party is waging an uphill battle and the Rutherford County Democratic Party is in even worse shape in the buckle of the Bible Belt.

With Republican supermajorities controlling the state House, Senate, congressional seats and governor’s office, as well as most Rutherford County elected positions, it’s just hard for Democrats to make headway. Some people might even be scared to tell people they’re a Democrat JORDAN because they might lose business.

So recruiting good candidates has been tough for the party over the past few years. Sure, some courageous souls have put themselves out on a limb, just as Gayle Jordan did REEVES in seeking a vacant state Senate District 14 seat this winter.

Jordan ran a half-decent race against former Republican state Sen. Jim Tracy in 2016, so when he left office for a federal job in late 2017, it only made sense for her to

take another stab at it. Or did it?

Her opponent was Shane Reeves, a Murfreesboro pharmacist with pockets deep enough to pay for every Republican campaign in the state after selling Reeves-Sain Drugstore to Fred’s a couple of years ago. He and the Republican Party spent $600,000 at least for a seat that pays $22,000.

The only thing that could have been worse was for Reeves to find out Jordan doesn’t believe in God. Well, not really. The only other thing even worse would have been for him to find out she runs a group called Recovering From Religion, which helps people get over their loss of belief in a deity and, presumably, an afterlife.

During a political forum at the County Courthouse, Jordan sounded like a polished candidate, espousing expanded Medicaid, rural broadband, better education, higher teacher pay, etc., while Reeves pushed less government involvement, a public-private partnership for dealing with health care and some other things I’ve since forgotten.

It really doesn’t matter, though, because

what it came down to was this: One person told me after the forum he didn’t think the Bible Belt was ready for an atheist in the Senate. And when you put a Church of Christ deacon against an avowed atheist—albeit a former Southern Baptist—the outcome won’t be pretty.

We might have people in the Legislature who molest women, hit on teenagers and sleep with their cousin. But heaven help us if we ever let an atheist walk those hallowed halls where crooks and creeps have crept for at least the last half-century.

When you look at the pictures on the walls of General Assemblies for the last 100 years, you start to wonder which one of those was having an affair with his secretary or attacking interns. Sad but true.

But the Democratic Party needs a good dose of reality, too. And here’s a tip: When you get beat by 44 percentage points, you don’t party like it’s 1999.

Sam Stockard can be reached at sstockard44@gmail.com.

Opinion Higher Thoughts for Everyday Living MIDDLE TENNESSEE HYPNOTIST, PHILOSOPHER AND MOTIVATOR M.C. Radford encourages everyone to think positively and live life with a healthy, optimistic attitude. Here, he shares more points from his book Higher Thoughts for Everyday Living, suggesting that readers meditate on one each day—and be amazed at the positive changes that transpire in their lives.

1 What we are depends on what we think.

We must learn that all power comes from within. There is no power in a creative thing. All power is in the Creator or universal mind. The world of thought, which is the real power, is invisible. The visible world is only the reflection of the invisible world.

2 Thought is controlled by the mind. This invisible power is in each one of us; and when we realize this, we will find the solution to our every problem.

3 When you find peace, harmony, success

and good health in the invisible world, it will be reflected in your physical or visible world.

4 To have harmony within means you

have taken control of your thoughts. This is why there is nothing good or bad, but thinking makes it so.

5 Your heartbeats, the circulation of your

blood, or the fact that you grow taller are all controlled by the power and intelligence of the invisible world.

6 Every cell in your body has intelli-

gence and every organ in your body has a job to do. They do a perfect job unless we interfere with our negative and restrictive thinking and actions.

7 The universal mind, or God if you

prefer, is the Creator of the universe. The subconscious mind is connected and is a part of the universal mind. The subconscious mind only follows orders whether the orders come from the universal or the conscious mind.

8 If the conscious mind believes it, the

subconscious mind creates it by sending that belief to the universal mind. This 46 * APRIL 2018 * BOROPULSE.COM

means that the unlimited creative power of the universal mind is under the control of the conscious mind of each one of us.

9 Never tell the infinite how to solve your problem. You only register your desire. As the Good Book says, ‘‘The ways of the infinite is past finding out, which means the infinite knows all the shortcuts.’’

0 When you learn to control yourself,

you will find the world within controls the world without.

q There is a world within—a world of

thought, feelings and power. The world within is the invisible world. The real world, the world without, or the visible world is only the reflection of the world within.

w We are related to the world without

(the physical world) by the conscious mind.

We are related to the Creator (the universal mind) by the subconscious mind.

e Every condition you have in your life

is the result of your habitual attitude. Your attitude depends on what you think about most of the time.

r Think about this: one atom of sodium

and one of chlorine gives us salt. This combination alone can give you salt; no other combination of elements can give you salt.

Likewise the same thought will always be followed by the same consequence, and no other thought will serve the purpose.

t You can choose what you think no

matter what conditions you have around you. Whatever you continue to think will become your reality. There is no man-made law that is as much a finality as the law of your own mind. What you continue to

think (or sow) in your mind has to become a reality in your future.

y If you have a lot of problems in your

life now, you only need to keep thinking about them—about how bad they are—and you multiply them in your future. Your future starts now.

u Jesus said, “You will reap what you

sow.” He was talking about what you sow in your mind. He said if you plant seeds on stony ground, they will not take root and grow. But if you plant them in fertile ground, they will grow and multiply. The stony ground he was referring to is your conscious mind or ego self. The deep fertile soil is your deeper or subconscious mind.

The subconscious mind does not care what you plant. You can plant strawberries in the garden of your mind, and it will return strawberries to you. You can plant thorns, and it will return thorns to you. What are you planting in your mind right now?

i I know any mental or physical pain I

experience is my subconscious mind telling me I am headed in the wrong direction. It is telling me I must go into the invisible world and correct the cause. And the cause is the way I have been thinking. We can never change anything by working with the effect. The cause is always in the mind, and the explanation of why we have the problem is also the solution.

o When the creative power of thought

benefits all of humanity, it is called good.

When the power of thought is used in a destructive or negative manner, it is called evil. So good and evil are simply words that were coined to describe a process of the results of creative thinking.

p Your mental attitude will attract such

conditions that correspond to its nature.

Every thought creates an impression on the brain. Creative thinking is the true business of life. Power is the result.

a You have access to all the power in the

universe— your power of creative thinking.

If you don’t use it, you make yourself a beast of burden for those who do—those who recognize their power. There are those who know that unless you are willing to think

creatively, you will have to work; and the less you think, the less you will get paid. s Creative thought requires attention, and the power of attention is the weapon of the super successful. Attention develops spiritual power, and spiritual power is the greatest force in the universe.

d Money consciousness is an attitude of

mind, a positive receptive attitude. Desire is the force that sets the current in motion.

Fear is that which stops the flow. Fear is poverty consciousness.

f The law of success is service to everyone.

The greatest success will come to you as you help others. What benefits one, benefits all.

g When you have an intense desire, you put the Creator to work.

h Visualization is the process of making

mental images, and the image is the mold or model which will serve as a pattern from which your future will emerge.

j Remember: You are the only one who

can place limitations on yourself. Hold the image firmly in your mind, and it will start to move closer and closer to you. The more you hold the image of what you want in your mind, the faster it will become a part of your life. This is a law of mind, and it works just as surely as the law of gravity.

k If you want a better life, you must start holding better pictures in your mind.

l Whatever pictures you continually hold in your mind (good or bad), the Creator creates it in your everyday life.

; If you think about problems and turmoil,

the Creator will create pain and confusion in your life. This is not to punish you; it is simply a lesson in cause and effect. The pain is the effect, and the cause is your wrong thinking. The law is: Think good and good things follow. Think bad and bad things follow.

M.C. Radford will answer any questions on the mind, brain, body, spirit, hypnosis or metaphysics. He can also aid with eliminating smoking, excess weight, phobias and other issues. Contact him at 615-351-2939.

Sports

SPORTS

TALK

COLUMN BY “Z-TRAIN”

titanman1984@gmail.com

BENNETT TO RELEASE BOOK AMIDST CRIMINAL CHARGES; PREDATORS PREPARE FOR ANOTHER PLAYOFF RUN THE TRAIN DADDY IS BACK, delivering sports news, life lessons and politically incorrect talk all for one reason: to make you, the people of Middle Tennessee, laugh.

I hope you always learn something new reading this article, it’s all about saying ridiculous things, laughter, giving my personal opinion and hopefully making some readers think twice about a subject.

Sometimes I may say things others deem offensive. I make zero apologies . . . except one time I used the word “retard” as a noun to describe something distasteful. Well, that made some of you mad, and I received multiple emails calling me retarded for using the word “retard” in that manner. So, I vowed to try and eliminate the word from my vocabulary. We all make sacrifices!

Before we dig too deep into this article, check out a new column debuting in the Pulse this issue—“Spiritual Matters,” on page 40. If you’re looking for something refreshing and uplifting with no talk of hate or judgmental views, check it out! I know the brain behind that article, a good man who loves God and family, a man I strive to be more like. That article and this article couldn’t be more opposite, but sometimes, especially in my case, it’s nice to be humbled by others, so check it out!

Don’t let all that rare praise cloud your views of me as a writer. You know what the Train Daddy is about: sports and controversy.

So, what shall we discuss? We’ll start with the controversial part, NFL defensive end Michael Bennett, and then I will heap praise upon the Nashville Predators as only I can do.

I promise I won’t rant about transgender athletes and how transgender women have an unfair advantage over natural-born women. The IOC and NCAA seem to disagree, but smart people know the truth . . . okay, sorry, I’m ranting.

Instead let’s talk about Michael Bennett, a successful and talented NFL player who excelled in Seattle and was traded to Super Bowl champion the Philadelphia Eagles. Bennett has been on my radar for years for reasons other than his play, and this latest allegation adds a sick twist to the story line. Bennett was recently accused of and charged with pushing and injuring a 66-year-old paraplegic woman who is wheelchair-bound and was a security worker during Super Bowl LI. 48 * APRIL 2018 * BOROPULSE.COM

Bennett has emerged over the past couple seasons as “one of the NFL’s leading voices in athlete activism.” Bennett is a vocal supporter of Black Lives Matter, a figurehead for the anthem protest and a man who accused Las Vegas Police of racially profiling him.

Bennett was an innocent bystander in 2017 at a casino in Vegas where a shooting happened to take place. People were running away as cops were running towards the danger. An officer stopped Bennett to question him and a day later Bennett made headlines claiming the officers racially profiled him, threatened to blow his head off and physically abused him. The Social Justice Warriors were quick to demand action against the Vegas Police Department, despite the lack of evidence.

After Bennett and his lawyer made the allegations, Vegas Police quickly released dozens of videos from the casino and also a video of the exchange between Bennett and the officer. As the video makes clear, Bennett utterly lied. The video also proved the officer treated Bennett with immense respect. Watch it yourself on YouTube. Lying about being racially profiled is as bad as lying about being sexually assaulted. You can destroy the life of the accused, and what’s sad is that the accuser usually faces no repercussions.

The release of the videos quickly silenced Bennett, his lawyer and most of his supporters. Yet the left still see Bennett as a hero, an outspoken proud man fighting the system, even after being a proven liar and now an alleged abuser of the handicapped, facing charges of injuring the elderly. In January 2018 The New Yorkerfeatured a front cover displaying Michael Bennett, Martin Luther King Jr. and Colin Kaepernick all kneeling together.

What makes this situation even more perplexing and amusing is that Bennett released his first book this month, titled Things That Make White People Uncomfortable. You know what makes me uncomfortable? The idea of a 6-foot, 4-inch, 300-pound man pushing and injuring the handicapped.

Bennett’s book is probably a great read, full of white lies and insightful thoughts. I find it sad that a man who thinks so highly of himself is willing to treat others like trash at times. It’s even sadder that the left doesn’t care and is willing to praise Bennett still, simply because he supports their talking

BENNETT

points. That was my so-called controversial rant; email me at titanman1984@gmail.com if you feel the need to defend a piece of scum like Bennett. On to Nashville sports!

It’s a hell of a time to be a Predators fan—a glorious time! Nashville enters the 2018 playoffs with the strongest and deepest team ever in franchise history. Can you say “back to back Stanley Cup Finals”? The city of Nashville proved last year that it’s more than Titans football, country music and hot chicken.

Nashville indeed is a thriving NHL market.

It’s impossible to forget last year’s insanity at Bridgestone Arena, as Nashville fans showed the nation that there is no louder, more passionate NHL fan base in the league. Nashville also demonstrated that it’s a city whose people won’t destroy a bunch of property after a loss, and that makes Nashville superior to some of the other riffraff hockey markets.

The 2018 Predators have been built upon speed, both on offense and defense. The defense is superior to the offense, yet the offense is top-notch and the goaltending is on another level entirely. Goaltender Pekka Rinne is hands-down the most dominant goaltender in the NHL, the number-one reason behind the team’s success and a clear favorite to win the Vezina Trophy, awarded to the league’s top goalie. Pekka Rinne, at 35, is aging like smooth whiskey—I say single barrel, the best of the batch with a smooth finish. Cheers!

Is there a bugaboo for the Predators? I don’t believe so. If there is, it’s probably the power play. Although the Predators dominate on penalty kills, the team has gone from excellent on the power play to struggling to capitalize. Aside from that, the depth is, as President Trump would say, “huge,” even “huger” than Roseanne’s ratings!

I was at Dick’s Sporting Goods the other day; Predator gear is expensive and can’t stay on the shelves unless you wear a size small. I’m 6 feet tall and weigh 250 pounds.

Dick’s discriminates against us larger

people. I need a 2X, man! Dick’s will pay for their size discrimination.

In all seriousness, stars have been born in Nashville. People can’t get enough of this team. Game after game has sold out, the average ticket price skyrocketing. It sometimes costs more to go enjoy a Predators game than a Titans game. Names like Forsberg, Ellis, Avidsson, Josi and Johansen have become synonymous with success. A fan favorite is obviously Pekka Rinne, and my favorite predator is P.K Subban, hands-down.

Someone should thank Carrie Underwood.

I am sure she helped convince her husband Mike Fisher to come out of retirement, and immediately he is producing like he never left.

Watch out for young Saros, both in the future and now. It’s a rare thing for a team to have a backup goalie playing at his level.

And he is learning from the best. He may be the future at goalie for Nashville. I mean, the kid did post a franchise record for most saves in a single game with 54.

What else is there to say? I mean, the playoffs are about to get underway, the Predators should have home ice advantage, the craziest fans, the loudest arena and more depth than any other roster in the NHL. Truly this Predator breakdown came from my heart, my opinions on paper. I could bore you with all the numerous hockey stats to prove my point and make this article more official . . . but screw that!

Last point on the Predators: it truly is amazing to see the difference between this season and last. Fans were jubilant last season after making it to the Stanley Cup Finals, and even after losing there was little heartache.

The fans were proud of this franchise.

This season, though, has a different feel for fans and players. It’s championship or bust. Is that fair? I think players and fans realize how dominant this team is, and after last season the Predators have unfinished business. A Stanley Cup isn’t a foregone conclusion, so, Predator fans, get ready to cheer, get ready to support and get ready to watch this team turn Music City into a madhouse as the Predators advance towards a championship and future dynasty! Cheers!

That’s it, folks, time to wrap this up. I truly enjoy writing these articles. I have been writing for the Pulse for nearly a decade now, and I live and breathe Tennessee sports. Remember my saying, and live life following the 5 F’s: Faith, Family, Football, Food and Friends.

Live by that motto and life will reward you.

Train’s out the station. Choo-choo!

FORTIFIED

Family brings ninja training to local gym

BY SEMAJ THOMAS

HAVE YOU EVER LOOKED UP A WORD

in the dictionary and it defined exactly what you wanted to say about a subject? Fortify means “to protect, to make strong, to strengthen mentally and to increase the effectiveness.”

Fortified Fitness Studio embodies those words; here, owners Wayne and Stephanie Burns train, empower and teach development in “physical, nutritional and spiritual growth” through fitness.

To live and train to be “Warrior-Ready” is part of their regimen, which strongly emphasizes setting goals and inspiring others to live intentionally, with purpose.

Wayne says belief in the Lord and his teachings led him in his 40s to initiate a lifestyle change after winning a Biggest

Loser competition at work. A few years later he and his family attended a Ninja Warrior Clinic, an experience that sparked his passion for “doing obstacle training.” Everything started falling into place. He began to utilize his craftsmanship by building an outdoor obstacle course, and neighbors flooded in to watch and participate.

If you have never watched American Ninja Warrior, imagine doing jumping bars, traveling using rope swings and running up a warped wall. Eventually the Burns family started hosting summer camps in 2017 and were so overwhelmed that, within a few months, they opened up Fortified Warrior Ninja Obstacle Complex on Park Avenue, located in the same building as The Ascent

climbing facility. This is right down the road from their smaller gym, Fortified Fitness Studio on Middle Tennessee Boulevard, which hosts small group fitness classes and personal training sessions.

Many kids and adults are extremely excited to conquer the ninja obstacles and “find that they can do more than they thought,” Wayne says. “Others may find that some of the obstacles are harder than they appear on TV or watching someone else do it.” Because Fortified incorporates and emphasizes “the importance of strength, endurance, agility, balance, strategy and teamwork” over time, individuals of various levels of athletic ability can succeed and enjoy themselves in the both gyms.

The Ninja Complex recently received a

visit from Isaac Caldiero, the only ninja to win a million dollars on American Ninja Warrior. How cool is that?

Even more amazing: look out for Wayne on American Ninja Warrior 10, but I am not spilling all the beans!

The Burnses definitely speak an amazing story and offer the people of Murfreesboro an opportunity to experience a physical challenge normally only watched on television, where the top competitors make it all look simple.

Warriors, visit iamfortified.com for more information on Fortified membership levels, class schedules and how you can try out the ninja course.

BOROPULSE.COM

* APRIL 2018 * 49

Sports

BLUE RAIDER SPORTS

BY GREG CRITTENDEN

BLUE RAIDERS HIRE NICK McDEVITT AS NEW MEN’S BASKETBALL COACH

T

he search for the new face of Blue Raider basketball is over.

The position was left vacant when Ole Miss swooped in and made longtime MTSU coach Kermit Davis a offer he finally could not refuse. Davis has had been a hot name in coaching searches over the last two years, but no team could ever give him a good enough reason to leave. Ole Miss, however, gave him 2.5 million reasons to leave. That’s right, Davis cashed in his incredible success over the last few seasons in Murfreesboro to the tune of $2.5 million per year.

Davis’ seat on the bench hardly had time to get cold before Nick McDevitt was named his successor less than a week after MT’s season had come to an end. McDevitt was one of 12 coaches interviewed for the position.

McDevitt comes to Murfreesboro by way of Asheville, North Carolina, where he headed up the program at UNC-Asheville.

McDevitt inherited a 16–16 Bulldogs squad, but by his third season he had turned them into a 20-win team. The Bulldogs have broken the 20-win plateau each of the last three seasons, winning the Big South regular season championship the last two years and winning the Big South tournament in 2016.

McDevitt describes his style as “tough” and “gritty” on defense, and as “up-tempo” offensively.

Unfortunately, as often happens during coaching transitions, the 2018 recruiting may turn out to be a total loss. Tye Fagan, K.J. Buffen and Carlos Curry, all out of 50 * APRIL 2018 * BOROPULSE.COM

Georgia, all committed to Davis before his departure. They had been lauded as the best recruiting class for Middle in over 20 years, but all three have asked for their release from MTSU. However, all three have also stated that Middle is still on their short list.

McDevitt would like to keep these players at MTSU, and described the three as “guys who can help you win in this league.”

McDevitt has yet to compile a staff, but it appears there will be no holdovers from Davis’ staff.

BLUE RAIDERS EARN BIG NIT WIN AGAINST VERMONT; KERMIT DAVIS ERA COMES TO A CLOSE AT MTSU AFTER BEING OVERLOOKED for a bid to the 2018 NCAA tournament, the MTSU Blue Raiders received a threeseed in the NIT. When they opened the tournament against Vermont, they looked like a team that could have beaten just about anyone who got into The Big Dance.

Middle started out slow in that game, as the first quarter ended with Vermont in the lead (this year’s NIT tournament implement a four-quarter game format).

However, MT hit its stride in the second quarter as they outscored the Catamounts 25–12 and went into halftime with an 8-point lead.

The Blue Raiders came out of the locker room absolutely on fire and seemingly could

lowed Davis to Ole Miss. He was interviewed for the head coaching vacancy but ultimately did not win the job.

The road ahead looks like a bumpy one for the Blue Raiders. Not only has Middle lost three of the four coaches on staff, they also will be losing their three top scorers in King, Potts and Walters. Johnson will be the only returning player to average double-figures in scoring. No other player averaged more than five points per game this season.

On top of that, what was once shaping up to be a promising recruiting class is now as uncertain as who the next coach will be.

NICK KING

not miss a shot. As shots sank from every part of the floor for the Blue Raiders, Vermont couldn’t find the basket. The Blue Raiders overwhelmingly outscored the Catamounts in the third quarter 32–9, and that lead was far too much for Vermont to overcome.

Giddy Potts had arguably his strongest performance of the season as he dropped 25 points while sinking six three-pointers.

Nick King registered yet another doubledouble with 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Brandon Walters and Antwain Johnson contributed 15 and 14 points respectively.

With the win, the Blue Raiders traveled to Louisville to take on the Cardinals.

Unfortunately, the hot shooting Middle displayed against Vermont did not carry over to the first half against Louisville.

Although MT ended the first quarter with a 16–15 lead, foul trouble to both King and Walters complicated things in the second quarter. The Cardinals outscored the Blue Raiders 26–10 in the second frame, and they outshot the Blue Raiders 55 percent to 39 percent from the field in the first half.

Though the Blue Raiders drastically increased their shooting efficiency in the second half (65 percent), the second quarter was too much of a setback for Middle to overcome.

The loss marked the official end of the Kermit Davis era at Middle Tennessee.

Along with him will go assistants Win Case and Ronnie Hamilton. Case was considered the favorite to succeed Davis as head coach.

Assistant Greg Grensing has not fol-

LADY RAIDERS COULDN’T CONTINUE STREAK OF 20-WIN SEASONS THE LADY RAIDERS made their 15th consecutive trip to the postseason when they accepted their invitation to the WNIT. Unfortunately, getting there was all they could muster.

While the Lady Raiders outperformed Ball State in several categories they couldn’t overcome the disparity in free throws. Middle shot better from the field and won the rebound battle, but Ball State made twice as many trips to the free throw line.

Jess Louro led the Lady Raiders in scoring with 12 points, and also notched nine rebounds. Alex Johnson chipped in 11 points of her own, while Abbey Sissom was the only other Lady Raider to score double figures with 10 points.

With the 69–60 loss, the Lady Raiders finish their 2017–18 with a record of 18–13.

After the game, coach Rick Insell addresses what has been a disappointing season.

“I’m not satisfied with our season, and I know our players are not. That being said, I’m extremely proud of the effort our young ladies put forth not only tonight, but throughout this season. These young ladies gave us all they had.”

It’s the first time Middle Tennessee has not reached the 20-win plateau after doing so for 14 years in a row.

The loss also marked the last game in the careers of Sissom, Gabby Lyon and Rebecca Reuter.

“I am a better person today because of those three young ladies,” Insell stated. “I love them. They have given a great deal to the program, and they will definitely be missed.”